InspireMe Crafts

Last Minute Baby Shower - Part 2 : The Invitations

Its official and there is no going back!  The invitation (evite) has been sent and we are exactly one week away from the 'last minute baby shower' I'm throwing.  Oh yeah...and I'm doing it on a tight budget so I'm sharing the ups, downs, ah-ha's, and oh-no's with you. 

I'm a paper kind of gal.  Not just 'kind of', we're talking major obsessed with paper, stationery, and ribbon. So you can imagine the pathetic looking frown I had on my face when I realized it was just too late to send out a paper one, not to mention the budget.  Faster than we can say "baby girl" Evite was to the rescue!  I briefly looked around at the baby shower templates they had, and although they were nice, I just wasn't finding one that I wanted to email to everyone.  Luckily, I noticed the option to create your own.  Now we were talking. :) You choose the background, then you choose the image (I chose the baby carriage) and then Evite gives you options for the 'accent' images (the polka dotted circles on each side of the carriage).  I thought it turned out decent and I love the RSVP option.  I'm actually addicted to it.  Every time I go by my computer (which is VERY often), I hit the refresh button on the internet to get an update. If you are an instant gratification type of person like me, then this will be heaven.  As of now we are at 26 attending, 4 declined, and 36 still haven't replied.  The deadline is Tuesday.  Tick, tick, tick...come on people! 

I'm going with a 'sweet' theme so this was the wording for our invitation:

"Nothing is sweeter than a little baby girl"

Come help us celebrate the anticipated arrival
of their sweet baby girl - Reagan. 
Join Cindy, Devin, & Reese
for hors d'oeuvres & good company on

Sunday, September 28
2:30 p.m.

Carriage Hill Clubhouse

Please RSVP by Tuesday, September 23rd
and I'll send driving directions & more details.

Families welcome! 

I really want to do a non-traditional color scheme.  I'm going to go look for inspiration in the coming days, but I'm thinking a fuchsia, lime green, and purple combo..similar to the Evite invitation.  We'll see what I happen to run into.  The pit-stops for inspiration are DollarTree, Wal-Mart, and Target.  I'll let you know how it goes...

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 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: Damask Wedding Program

"I love you to the moon and back again, to infinity and beyond, forever and forever...."

I kept this program because I was so in love with the white and black damask pattern and the punch of color for the accents.  It was a beatiful Greek wedding and the reception was just as spectacular.  It looks like they simply chose the white and black paper, cut it to size, folded it, punched some holes on the side, inserted the inside additions and then ran the ribbon through to secure it.  On the outside they used the same color cardstock to frame their wedding day information.  I absolutely love this and thought you would enjoy it. Hopefully it will spark some ideas for those of you planning your special day.

Be inspired, get creative, and have fun!

Gotta Make It: Chinese Takout Box Party Favor & More

"Birthdays are good for you. Statistics show that the people who have the most live the longest." - Reverend Larry Lorenzoni

I hope you got a little chuckle out of the birthday quote!  I'll be honest...it took me a second because at first I thought he was referring to material things when he said "the most" and then the lightbulb went on in that little head of mine and it all made sense...

Anyway, I thought I would take a one day break from the Christmas ideas to share some pictures from a Surprise 30th birthday that I helped plan for my friend.  Her husband chose the location which was a cozy and hip Asian restaurant and then I had a $100 budget to get the cake, party favors, decor, etc.  Luckily the restaurant was already decorated well with lots of bright colors and candlelight.  1/2 the budget went to the cake so I basically had $50 for everything else.  For the party favors, I used chinese takeout boxes from Michaels.  They were 10 in a box for $6.  I then used fortune cookies from World Market to place in the boxes as a favor.   To personalize the favors I used her favorite colors - pink, purple, and green - and designed a Happy Birthday message for the front.  With a little help from my nifty glue gun and some adorable ribbon... the favors were done!

We also wanted to have a keepsake for her so we bought a frame that everyone could place their 30th birthday wishes on.  I wanted a picture of her from her childhood for the frame, but we were afraid she would notice if the pictures were gone.  So instead we placed a Happy Birthday message in there that I designed on the computer.  At the celebration, we made sure to take a picture of everyone that she could place in there later.

Lastly, I added some trivia and special messages in some standing frames.  I had these frames for my wedding (purchased at Target) and I have used them for so many different things!  The trivia were all questions from the year she was born, 1977.  One was sport themed, one was entertainment, and the other was economy.  These can be great ice breakers for a group who may not know each other that well and will always give the birthday celebrant a good laugh....along with everyone else.   I also would have done pictures of her when she was younger if we were able to get to them...everyone's always curious to see what fashion trends you decided to follow!

So there you go...some ideas for your next party!  It turned out to be a great evening, but then you realize that as much as all the small touches count its truly the people you surround yourselves with.  They make the party! So remember to surround yourselves with the people that you love and the ones that bring the best out in you...not the worst!

Be inspired, get creative, and have fun!

Gotta Make It: Halloween Invitation

"Eat, Drink, and be Scary!"

Gotta Make It:  Creative Halloween Invitations

 

The above  invitatation would be perfect for a Halloween Cocktail party!  The card was designed and created   at http://www.impressrubberstamps.com/ .  I use to live in Seattle (I love and miss it!) and Impress was one of my favorite stores.  Luckily, they have a website to keep me up to date on the many stamps and accessories.   The green eyes and the orange sparkle they used around the rim of the glass makes it one of those unforgettable invites that gets you counting down until the big shin-dig.  If you want to view the items needed to make this and browse their other halloween ideas click here http://www.impressrubberstamps.com/miva/merchant.mv?Screen=CTGY&Category_Code=holidays_ideas. 

Hopefully this sparks your creativity and gets your ideas flowing for Halloween...its going to be here before we know it!