Day 27: Just Because You're Perfect Card

Today I'm sharing another version of the special custom card order from Jacobsen's Books, The request was 5x7 in blues and greens with perfect friend in the sentiment. I think this fits the bill!

I combined a bit of Snowhaven B&T with some Simple Stories Story of Us music print, mounted onto Whisper and Sky Cardstocks. I embossed the wreath image from Happy to Be Friends, which is also where I got the sentiment. I literally created the YOU'RE by inking individual letters of the small fonts in the set to build the word I needed that was missing. 

I colored each rose by hand using Spectrum Noir markers BT 2 and BT 4 plus DG2 for the leaves, which I cut by hand. I filled the flowers with green stickles. I hit up my ribbons stash again. I've been on a washi tape kick, but sometimes you can't beat the extra dimension and shimmer of real ribbon. I'm linking my stampy card up to the Paper Issues Painting By Numbers Party.

Day 26: For My Perfect Friend Card

I've been working on a custom card order this week for a special customer at Jacobsen's Books. He needed some 5x7 cards for his friend in tones of blue and green, so here's one of the cards I worked up for him.  

I started with the Midpoint sketch (pg. 77) from CTMH's sketch book Wishes. Since I usually work in the standard A2 size, 5x7 was a stretch for me. I have to admit, it was fun to have more space to fill! I chose Crystal Blue and Sweet Leaf for my colors. I embossed the Crystal Blue CS with the dot embossing folder. The doily background is a 4x6 Project My Life card I trimmed down and stitched to the card front. I added a strip of washi tape and a scalloped border.   

I added two butterfly from the Brushed WOTG. A bit of clear glitter gel and some brown sparkles finished off the butterflies. I used foam tape to pop up the butterfly wings after I rolled them over the handle of my piercing tool. I'm linking this up to the Heart 2 Heart Favorite Sketch Challenge.

Day 25: Hello Friend Card

The FMS Photo a Day Instagram challenge prompt today was "text". So I wanted to make a card using a font for my sentiment instead of a completed stamp image. I grabbed my Hopscotch alphabet set and got to work.

I used the new Freshly Made Sketches sketch to whip up this quick card. My color combo came from the Color Throwdown 334.  I added strips of Outdoor Denim cardstock down the sides of the card. I stitched the panel in place by hand. Then I added a Pixie pink doodle swirl and a couple of flowers in Outdoor Denim ink.

I stamped the Hello onto White Daisy CS with Outdoor Denim ink, which I quickly colored with a Shin Han Golden Yellow marker and the blender. I trimmed it into a banner and inked the edges with Sunset ink. I topped the flowers with pink stickles. Easy peasy, lemon squeasy!

Day 24: So Happy Card

I love combining a color and a sketch combo, like the one from Always Playing with Paper. When I saw this week's challenge, I immediately thought of the pretty butterfly set I've been loving lately.

I had some pieces of Timberline Woodgrain B&T from my Peter Pan party sign making project, That fit with the color challenge (grey, pink, white, and lime) so I used that for my background. I stamped on an arrow border using grey ink and added a bit of grey polka dot washi tape. 

I inked the butterfly image in Hollyhock and Pear inks. I formed the wings over a pencil and filled in the dots with matching Stickles. I used my clear glitter gelly roll pen to outline the chevrons.

I stamped the SO in White Daisy pigment ink, then added the happy image over top with Memento Tuxedo Black ink. I used my clear glitter gelly roll pen to outline the SO letters, too. a little bit of extra shimmer really does make me so happy! Thanks for the fab challenge, Always Playing with Paper!

Day 23: A Perfectly Wonderful Peter Pan Party

This weekend we did a fun at home Peter Pan themed party for my first grader, Ben. Ben loved Jake and the Neverland Pirates, and he's seen Hook, but he'd never actually seen the original Disney Peter Pan movie when he requested this party theme. I hit Pinterest for some inspiration and got to crafting.

First step was to get out an invite ASAP. I did a blog post on how I made these simple panel cards here.

My sister came up from California and she helped me shop for and craft all the goodies and decorations. We made these Peter Pan hats for all the "lost boys" at the party. It was so simple - just one seam to sew using these instructions. They were probably the easiest project we made!

Less easy and way more time consuming was making 6 pairs of fairy wings for the little girls in attendance. I read a bunch of pins on it, then I figured we'd just wing it. I bought a few yards of green tulle, some inexpensive wire hangers, and a bunch of flowers from the dollar store. Heidi shaped the wing shapes out of two hangers, using duct tape to secure the two sings in the center. I used hot glue to stretch the tulle across the wings and gather it to the center - it took about a half yard per set of wings. Heidi wrapped the tulle center with duct tape, then we attached stretchy headbands we'd found in a six pack at the Dollar tree to hold on the wings with hot glue and more duct tape. We hot glued on the flower centers and added lots of glitter gel. When we were done the wings were sturdy and the fairies loved them! We had one extra set and Max has been wearing his "special wings" around the house with his Batman feety jammies. One lesson I learned making these...hot glue is HOT! 

We organized a few games, using the Neverland map from the invite to lead the groups of kids through the game stations. In Skull Rock we set up a treasure dig, where the kids donned pirate eye patches and dug for jewels and mardi gras necklaces.  At the Mermaid Lagoon we had them walk the plank (balance beam). In Cannibal Cove we had the kiddos explode Hook's cannonball stash (black balloons). We also had a Crocodile Creek where the kids played with this Inflatable Alligator Ring Toss Game. My boys are still playing with this - too much fun. Indian Camp was where we had them congregate around a paper campfire for instructions and then again for cupcakes and gifts. We used kitchen towels as "woven mats" to help the kids spread out in the Indian camp...as an added bonus now I've got new kitchen towels! At the end of the party we sent all the lost boys and fairies home with Treasure Chest Treat Boxes filled with pirate booty and space to take home their treasure that they dug up at Skull Rock and the gold doubloons they earned at each game station.

We even found a Tink doll to decorate the cake table, tucked into her house filled with leftover tulle and flowers from the wings. We gave her to a sweet little neighbor girl to take home at the end of the party.

This is my sweet birthday boy, Ben, my happy thought, who was a whirlwind of activity and so hard to get a picture of the whole party. He's wearing his Peter Pan hat and a size small men's shirt that I cut into a peter pan tunic and tied with some white rope. We had originally planned all of this to happen outdoors, but it rained, so we did everything in the small main level of our house...with over a dozen kids...it was quite the noisy band of Neverlanders. Ben just loved his party and everyone went home happy. 

Until next time, Think Happy Thoughts, Stampin' Friends!