InspireMe Crafts

Gotta Make It: "Two Little Love Birds" Anniversary Gift

"There is no feeling more comforting and consoling than knowing you are right next to the one you love." 

 

I'm horrible at remembering birthdays and anniversaries.  Some could say it's because I'm a horrible friend, sister, daughter, wife, etc -  but I'm going to go with one of the below options...

1)  I take it one day at a time.  (So if I do remember, it is usually the day of and the card is just a little late.) 

2)  3/4 of the time I have no clue what day of the month it is.  (Its hard to remember a special day if you don't even know what special day it is)

3)  I'm unorganized when it comes to my birthdays and anniversaries. (I know there are millions of options out there, but I haven't found one that I stick to yet.  NOTE TO SELF FOR PROJECT:  My own birthday/anniversary organizer :) ).

Luckily, I met a handsome young gentlemen 9 years ago who's parents' anniversary is the day before my parents.  Even luckier for him, we fell in love, got married, and now I can proudly say that I am responsible for the one gray hair (or two) that pops up on his head daily.  I love my husband dearly, and I even love him more that its pretty hard to ever forget our parents' anniversaries since they are a day apart.  We even tried to get married that same August weekend they chose since they've had such success at loving bickering(30+ years for my 'rents and 40+ for his), but for a myriad of reasons....March 19th ended up being our date. 

To make a long story short, we remember our parents special day and instead of giving them their regular card, I made these "Two Little Love Birds" instead.  I used some chipboard birds that I covered in the black and white damask paper and glued a button on as an eye.  I used some single letter stamps to write out"To Little Love Birds" on a piece of paper that I taped to the inside of the plastic wrap. 

On the back of the birds we wrote:

"Happy Anniversary to our two favorite love birds"

My mom decided she was going to add magnets to the back to put them on the fridge....why didn't I think of that?  :)

So if you are thinking of doing something inexpensive and different than a traditional card, consider using some paper to adorn something pretty and give it to someone you love.  Maybe they'll remember your special day :).

Be inspired, get creative, and have fun!

Secret Sister Gift & Card Exchange

Being a full-time mother is one of the highest salaried jobs in my field, since the payment is pure love.  ~Mildred B. Vermont

Quick to avoid joining organized groups, I really stepped out of my comfort zone when I joined our local MOMS group, but thank goodness I did!  Its taken a little time, but I have met so many wonderful friends and so has the little man.  Although we have only started to 'really' participate in activities, the ones that I have were unique, fun, and inexpensive.  The latest activity I participated in was just for the moms.  Yay!  We organized a Secret Sister Gift and Card Exchange.  If you wanted to participate, you filled out a questionnaire about yourself and then send it to the organizer.  The organizer then sends you the completed questionnaire of your SS (Secret Sister).  For two months you send things in the mail to your SS.  You don't know how nice it was to look forward to getting the mail to see what surprise might be there.  I swear, with email and the internet, the only things I get in snail mail are bills and credit card offers.  Ugghh!  At the end of the two months, we had a party to reveal who your SS was.  Having a SS exchange is a great way for strangers to get to know each other and for already close friends to learn a little more.  The above cards are some of the things my SS sent me. She's talented, huh!?!  She even sent me a mixed CD..and it rocks!  Getting a mixed CD brought back so many memories of middle school, boys, and mixed tapes :).  I highly suggest you go find some friends and organize one...you'll have lots of fun!

Be inspired, get creative, and have fun!

Gotta Make It: Wedding Card Box

"For two people in a marriage to live together day after day is unquestionably the one miracle the Vatican has overlooked." - Bill Cosby

Organized chaos.  We all know wedding days are often full of organized chaos along with any other entertaining function.  However, a little creative trick here and there will be sure to keep your guests "aww-ing" at how beautiful and effortless everything seems.  Going into my our wedding, I knew from experience that keeping cards with the gifts and having a place for just cards was essential to make sure everyone received their thank-you note.  Have some tape handy for your gift transporters so they can be sure to tape that card down to the present quickly and easily.  Secondly, make your own wedding card box!  But come on...we've got to be creative here.  Don't think that placing a plain box on the table is going to do the trick.  After all, this is your wedding day and you don't want any detail to go unlooked. 

I had a blast making my wedding card box.  In fact, the deep brown paper and the green ribbon were my original inspiration for my wedding colors.  And of course, I had to add my favorite color - red.  Whenever people asked my wedding colors, they thought I was crazy, but once they saw the three together they totally understood.  I wish there were more pictures to share with you, but this is it.  Which actually ends up being perfect, since this site is meant for inspiration.  I used a wedding cake-slash-gift type theme for mine.  I'm not really sure if its suppose to be a wedding cake or a wedding present....but it worked for me and that's all that mattered on my our wedding day.Hopefully this idea will inspire you for your wedding and you'll run with it!

MATERIALS

2 different sized boxes - tops and bottoms.  Thin, light weight boxes work best
Wrapping paper
Scissors
Double sided tape
Ribbon, pearls, embellishments

HOW-TO

1.  Put the top and bottom together on the larger box. Place the top of the little box on top of the larger box. 
2.  Trace where the little box meets the big box.  Cut just inside of the lines on the larger box.  This will allow the cards to fall all the way to the bottom of the box. 
3.  Wrap your boxes with the paper separately, being sure to leave the openings so the cards can fall to the bottom. Use double sided tape and try to avoid visible lines.
4.  On the top of the small box, cut a long opening where the cards can be slid into. 
5.  Connect the boxes together using tape or glue. 
6.  Add your embellishments.  I used small craft roses along the top of the opening so any imperfections could not be seen. 

At the end of the day...I mean the next day, I knew exactly where all the cards were and did not have to worry if any were lost.  So go find some beautiful paper and ribbon in your wedding colors and get to it!

Be inspired, get creative, and have fun!

Gotta Make It: Bridal Shower Invitation

"Two souls with but a single thought, Two hearts that beat as one." - Franz Joseph von Munch-Bellinghausen

 Sorry I haven't been around lately. :(  I really wish I could have been crafting up new ideas and sharing them, but things got busy.  Let's see...my husband had an insane work schedule for the last two weeks so I was basically a single mom, my little man has gone into destruction mode so there is no chance of using the computer or crafting when he is around, and then we went to watch our Washington State Cougars in the NCAA Sweet Sixteen in Charlotte, NC.  Its about a 4 hour drive from Charlottesville, VA and although we lost (bad) it was well worth the trip.  For the supermoms out there, that may not seem like a lot but for me it was!  Its amazing how much work and energy it takes to travel with a toddler even if its just for a couple of days. 

But now I am here so that's all that matters :).  My neighbor is getting married in May and she loves RED almost as much as I do.  I saw this invitation on her fridge and just had to share to prove to you how much of a difference a little ribbon can make.  You can clearly see the before and then the after.  Which one do you prefer?  Hmmmm...... :)

She used an XActo knife to cut out slits along the upper portion of the dresses and then wove the ribbon in and out.  In the back she used some white mailing labels to hold them in place.  Genius and gorgeous.

So next time you have a store bought invitation, or are even making your own, take one more look at it and see if you can add some adorable ribbon some where to add that extra special touch!  I can't wait to bring you some more ideas so you'll see me back here VERY SOON....I promise!

Be inspired, get creative, and have fun!

Gotta Make It: "Some Bunny Loves You" Card

"The best thing a man can do for his children is to love their mother" - Abraham Lincoln

So if you are a return reader, you know that I am not much of a card maker and scrapbooker...I just envy the ones who do. I just like to use scrapbook paper and embellishments for other projects. But my husband suggested an idea and I just had to do it and make it nice and cheesy!  If you like to be cheesy every once in awhile (or all the time), then take the concept of this post and run with it!

It all started with the bunny.  My husband said we should put our son's picture as the face of a bunny.  I set off by finding a picture of a bunny that I could use to freehand the drawing.  Not really thinking this project through the whole way, I chose the pink and white polka dot paper because bunnies to me are always pink or white -  slight problem when your bunny is a boy. :)  But too late.  It might have been better to branch out and do a pale green or yellow bunny.  Lesson learned....think a little further ahead on my next project.  Next I cut out our son' s picture and glued it to the bunny.  To make it nice and cheesy I had the bunny holding an Easter egg that says "Some Bunny Loves you very much".  The grandparents will LOVE this! 

Use that as your basis and make a festive Easter card for your loved ones!  In fact, this is a great Easter craft for kids.  Have them transform a picture of themselves into a bunny! 

Be inspired, get creative, and have fun! 

Gotta Check It Out: Avery FREE Clipart

"I smile because you are my sister, I laugh because there is nothing you can do about it!"

I had to share some FREE Clipart that I found on the Avery website.  They have about 200 free backgrounds and images to use. They also have scrapbook paper and tags you can print at home now.  But back to the free clipart...  I got the background and the flower used on my Sister memory page from the free images that they provide.  There are some really cute clipart for babies, weddings, vacations, and just because. It was such a relief to find some modern designs and not that cheesy clipart that's available. Go check it out and have fun!  If you use some of the clipart to make cards or a memory page like I did... please share! 

Take care...

Be inspired, get creative, and have fun!

Gotta Make It: Animal Valentine Tags

"I'll love you 'til the day after forever"

I didn't really make any  New Years Resolutions, but if I did, I would say that learning new things would be one of mine.  I've been trying to learn Adobe Photoshop whenever I have a 2 minute break from my son..which isn't that often, so it has definitely been a slow learning curve for me.  These witty (and silly) Valentine's tags are one of my first Photoshop projects that I am proud enough to show and share!  They are about 2in X 2in.  I simply cut them out and glued them to some cardstock.  They would be adorable solo with a little note on the back or you can make chocolate lollipops like I did and attach the Valentine tag with ribbon to it. 

The chocolate lollipops are so easy and inexpensive to make.  Go to your craft store and grab a lollipop mold ($1), some chocolate ($2), some lollipop sticks ($2 for tons), and some lollipop bags ($2 for 15).  All the stuff is grouped together at the store so it will be a quick stop if you have a squirmy kiddo with you like I usually do!  Then all you do is follow the directions which is melt the chocolate in the microwave for 1 minute, stir, put in mold, add the stick, put in fridge, chill, take out, put in bag, add ribbon....and Voila!  You are done.  Phew...

If you really like the tags go ahead and check out my PayPal Storefront in the right sidebar.  I'm going to sell the tags for $3 for me to email you the document that includes all 6 and then you take care of everything else from there.  If you would like me to print, cut, put on cardstock, and mail it will be $8 for 6 tags or $10 for 12 tags and that includes shipping!  If you want more than 12 email me at inspiremecrafts@yahoo.com and I will give you a quote.  But you better hurry because Valentine's day is just around the corner. 

These would also be adorable as flowergirl gifts or if you are a parent you could put the tags in lunch boxes as little surprises for your school-aged children.  I hope you enjoy it!

Be inspired, get creative, and have fun!

Gotta Check it Out: Paper Source

Yesterday is history.  Tomorrow is a mystery.  And today?  Today is a gift.  That's why we call it the present.  ~Babatunde Olatunji 

These are a few of my most recent "Gotta Have's" and they are from one of my favorite websites, papersource.com. You will find a perfect gift, package, and card all at this website for Valentine's day or any other gift giving holiday.  Can it get any better than one stop shopping from your computer?

As a busy mom, I live off of coffee and one of my favorite new hobbies is finding super cute coffee/tea mugs.  I LOVE these two mugs that simply say "Wake Up" and "Create".  There are several others that say things like "Bliss", "Think", "I'm Awake", etc. 

Want to get some flowers for your loved one, but with a twist?  Paper Source has flower kits to make bouquets out of paper!  Genius.  I'm going to try creating this one day on my own and I'll let you know how this goes. 

They also have adorable gift packaging.  They have the red/white polka-dot box and the red/white striped pillow box, but I think my favorite is the mini-suitcase.  This would be adorable to fill up with some sweet little gifts and to give them to you child for Valentine's day. 

Get creative this month and go check out papersource.com...you won't be dissappointed.  In fact, I just found out there is a store within a couple hours from us and they have workshops you can go to....don't tell my husband!  :)

Be inspired, get creative, and have fun!

Gotta Make It: Bumble Bee Lollipop Valentine

"Bee Mine"

We're only a month away! That's right...we are quickly approaching the holiday you either love or hate. The holiday full of cheesy sayings and exchanges of candy, flowers, and gifts between your loved ones.  The month of Romance is just around the corner.  But with Romance, we need some laughter too and something new to the same old candy hearts and kid valentine's...which brings me to my project for today.  Let your kids take the most creative Valentine to their classes for all their friends and teachers...the Bumble Bee Lollipop Valentine.  Adorn it with some cheesy/witty sayings like:

1.  Bee Mine
2.  I Bee-lieve in you
3.  I'll Bee there for you
4.  My heart Bee-longs to you
5.  (If you can come up with some more please do share in our comments!)

Click this link to download the template for the bee:  Download bumblebee_lollipop_valentine.pdf 

And here are the wonderful HOW-TO's on this project...

I hope you enjoyed this one and please let me know your thoughts!  Be sure to check back because I have sooooo many ideas I can't wait to share with you! 

Be inspired, get creative, and have fun!!!!!

Gotta Make It...with the kids: Thank You Card

"There is always, always, something to be thankful for."

We've finally recovered from Christmas and our house is looking pretty plain without all the decorations.  However, all the new toys for our son certainly add more decoration in his mind.  We're going to have to work on some storage solutions for the overflowing baskets of play phones, balls, blocks, books, tools...you name it he seems to have it.  As my aunt puts it - "He's not 'spoiled'...he's 'indulged'".  'Indulged' does not imply that he is brat or rotten.  I like how she thinks...indulge it is. 

My son was indulged this Christmas from every relative we can think of!  For all the indulging done we figured it was best to get our thank you notes out as quickly as possible.  These thank you notes were quick and easy.  I bought a pack of pre-cut cards.  These were purchased at Michaels and came in one pack.  On the front, I used a hand stamp to represent my son's signature.  I embossed it with gold powder.  Then on the back I embossed a "Thanks!" at the bottom.  I then let the lil bugger color and decorate the blue front with stickers.  On the brown back, I wrote the thank you.  I like this idea because it included all of us (and gave the lil bugger a project to do one cold afternoon when we were stuck inside) and it was easy.  There are tons of adorable handmade cards out there, but sometimes they just take too dang long to make...especially when you have a LOT to do! I didn't pretend like Caleb had written the thank you, but he still got to add his special touch...isn't that what its all about? 

Not familiar with embossing?  It is super easy!  All you need is a stamp, embossing ink (near the stamp ink), embossing powder, and a heat source. They are all found in the same section at your craft store (usually).  You pat the stamp onto the embossing ink pad, then stamp your paper.  Cover the stamped area with the emobossing powder.  Shake off the powder.  Then take your heat source (they sell them for about $20) and hover it over the embossing powder.  Before your eyes, in a matter of seconds, it will turn to that finished embossed look.  It really is fun!  Have questions?  Just let me know!

Valentine ideas will be coming soon so stay tuned!  I hope now that the holidays are over you have time to...

Be inspired, get creative, and have fun!

Please share any ideas and projects that you did with me at inspiremecrafts@yahoo.com.

Gotta Make It: Photo Gift Tags

"Every time we love, every time we give, its Christmas"

You'll be so proud of me...we got most of our holiday shopping done this weekend and I even got the presents wrapped.  Although, in the midst of wrapping I realized that my gift tags looked so TACKY!  I went the old school route of using wrapping paper scraps to fold in half, write the name, and slap it onto the present.  And to be honest....writing three names in the "from" portion is just so much more work than one!  So that little brain of mine went to work and came up with the photo gift tag.  The photo gift tags make your gifts so adorable and it took me about 10 minutes to make 15....that is so worth it!  Luckily, I had some of the luggage tags that I love so much.  You might recall that I used them in the Thanksgiving banner (which making one that says Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas, Peace, Hope, Joy, etc....would be adorable).  So I measured the luggage tag and sized my picture appropriately on the computer.  Use copy and paste to put as many as you can on a page and then print a few pages. I then took my luggage tag and traced the shape around the picture.  I cut out the picture and used spray adhesive to attach it to the luggage tag.  I used the hole from the luggage tag as my guide to punch a hole in the picture, ran my ribbon through it, wrote who the present is for on the back and voila!....you have an absolutely adorable DIY photo gift tag that will not only save you writing who the present is from, but will be a great keepsake for that special gift recipient!

I hope you enjoy the idea and ...

Be inspired, get creative, and have fun!!!!!

Gotta Have it: Unique Christmas Cards

"Everyday is a gift"

Its that time...where your mailbox starts overflowing with Christmas cards and those infamous 2-page letters of all the good things their family has been up to start pouring in  (Well, at least its time to start thinking about what you are sending out). I think this year, I am going to write all the "stupid" things we did...everyone will enjoy that more and definitely get a laugh because we are never short on stories that make fools out of ourselves. But if you are looking for a humorous idea for this Holiday season you can do what we did a couple of years ago.  The title of our card was:

"Top 10 Reasons Why Christmas will be Different for the YOUR LAST NAME Family this Year....."

Have fun with this!  Here are some examples of our 10:

1.  Marty's mishap on the "to be faithful line" in the wedding ceremony was not a Freudian slip and not a cause for annulment.  We are still happily married 9 months later....

2.  Cougs win National Championship...well, at least on PlayStation 2.

3.  Went to St. Croix on our honeymoon and found out that you can replace water with beer and still survive.

4.  Since TyAnne's eating for two, she won't feel guilty going back for seconds thirds at Christmas dinner.

5.  We have been working to take four letter words out of our vocabulary.  Oh....get your mind out the gutter!  We mean words like jerk, dumb, Dawg, Duck. (You'll get this if you're a fan of any Pac-10 teams)

You get the point.  Make them fun, but they still give everyone a hint of whats going on in your life. 

If your looking for more "mainstream" Christmas cards consider checking out finestationery.com and tinyprints.com.  Here are some examples that I love from those two websites.

The following cards are from finestationery.com:

The below darling Photo Christmas cards are from tinyprints.com:

 

OK - I better stop there because I could go on and on. Like I've said before...I LOVE stationery and cards and could get lost on both of these websites FOREVER!  I hope you find something you like!

Be inspired, get creative, and have fun!!!!

Gotta Make It: Handmade Birthday Card

"I have learned that being with those I love is enough"

Here's an idea for a cute handmade birthday card that took me only a few minutes to go along with the Letter Name Blocks and Gift Bag.  The pink & brown card was purchased in a pack at Impress, the flower sticker, polka dot ribbon, and "J" letter all came from Michaels, and the "happy birthday" embellishment was on sale at Jo-Ann Fabrics.  Once you have the materials it was pretty easy....you just attached them.  And Voila!  A cute, personal birthday card for a special girl.

I didn't go out shopping for any of these pieces to make this creative birthday card.  They were all pieces that I had in my collection.  And come to think of it- that is usually how I do my projects.  I look for good sales and if I like something I will grab it and figure out exactly what project its for later.  I actually like doing it this way because it forces me to be more creative and think outside of the box....and it saves me a lot of money!  When I go shopping for materials for a specific project I buy way too much and spend way too much.  But whatever works for you because its your project so...

Be inspired, get creative, and have fun!