Simple Stamping!

Hello! Today I have some very simple stamping to share with you! This weekend I am on a team giving a retreat to about 25 women. The team (18 women and 2 male spiritual directors) has been in formation for about 9 months, and I have come to really care for and admire all of them. I wanted to give each of them something, so I made these bookmarks.

This design serves three purposes: it's easy to mass produce, I can write a little note on the back, and there won't be any bulk inside the book when it's closed. I did two versions -- female and male -- and the whole process probably took about an hour. I used a pre-packaged set of bookmarks I found at my LSS for 99 cents. The sentiment on all of the bookmarks is one of the Plain Janes from Verve Stamps.

Thanks for taking a look at my simple bookmarks -- I hope it gave you some ideas for your own simple stamping! I have some posts scheduled for this weekend, so I hope you'll stop back. I'll be back Sunday evening, and then it's time to prepare for Thanksgiving!!

Have a great day, everyone -- thanks so much for the visit! :)

Stamps: Plain Janes (Verve Stamps), Houndstooth bg (SU!), Large Polka Dot backgrounder (CHF) Ink: Basic Black, Sahara Sand, Soft Sky (SU!) Accessories: Kraft taffeta ribbon, black hemp twine, Soft Sky stitched grosgrain (SU!); black dotted organdy ribbon (May Arts)

Very Cherry Centerpieces

Hello! I'm leaving shortly for the bridal shower, but I wanted to show you the centerpieces I made. There's only a little bit of stamping here, but I thought they turned out so cute! You can click on the photo for a better view. Because of the cherry theme of the wedding, the colors are red, lime green, and pink. I purchased the terra cotta pots and painted them, then I added some ribbon and a cherry tag. I am definitely getting my mileage out of this cherry stamp from Tart and Tangy!

Do you see the darling pink flowers? I went out to my local garden store yesterday in search of some pink flowers to fill the pots. I came across these -- and they're called "Cherry Blossom"!! :)

That's it for now. After the shower I'm headed to Louisville for the last of Megan's volleyball tournaments -- yay! It's a three-day holiday tournament (doesn't anyone want to celebrate the holiday at HOME?!?) Chris has been there with her since yesterday, and I'll go relieve him after the shower is over. I will be very glad to see Tuesday, I'm telling ya!!

I hope your weekend is a great one so far! I'll be back in a couple days -- thanks for the visit! :)

ETA: I was asked what I used to paint the pots. I used Patio Paint by DecoArt, purchased at Michaels.

A Book for the Bride

Sunday I will be co-hosting a bridal shower for my best friend's daughter. Instead of shower games, I decided on a different way to have "audience participation." I created this "Advice and Best Wishes" book for her. She is getting married in July in Michigan during the Cherry Festival. The theme, of course, is cherries. Yay -- another reason to use my Summer Picnic paper! :) The cherry stamped image is from Tart and Tangy, but all other images are from Alli Miles' gorgeous set Wedding Day by Papertrey Ink.

Here's a closer look at the details. The oval frame was stamped in Old Olive ink and then cut out. I stamped a frame around the cherries with the leaf image. I mounted the oval on Real Red cardstock and trimmed it with decorative scissors. The sentiment was stamped onto the paper in Basic Black. The little charm says "love" and is tied on with silver cord. The dotted ribbon is from Michaels, and the olive ribbon is from SU!.

I created an assortment of cards on which the shower guests will write either words of advice or best wishes for the bride-to-be. The sentiments are also from Wedding Day -- the font is so beautiful! Click on the photo for a better look.

I'll place the completed cards in the book, one on each page. Hopefully she will have many wonderful words to guide her into her life as a wife!! :)

Tomorrow I'll show you the gift bags and centerpieces -- more cherries!! Thanks so much for the visit today -- have a fantastic day! :)

Monogrammed Napkins

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!!

I realize I should be doing something else this morning (my family will be here in just a few hours), but I wanted to interrupt my Thanksgiving preparations to bring you this very easy project! I was so excited when I received my order from Papertrey Ink a couple days ago, and I knew what I was going to do with it right away! I used Borders and Corners - Monogram Edition and Trajan Monogram Edition. I stamped the images in Really Rust and Chocolate Chip on these fancy linen-like paper napkins. Quick and easy, but it's such a nice personal touch for your holiday table!

I have BIG plans for these sets -- gifts and personalized items for Christmas -- so you'll be seeing more of them! Okay, back to my regularly scheduled preparations...

Take some time to be truly thankful today. I'm so very thankful for my health, my family, my unbelievably supportive husband, and for all of you!!! This blogging adventure is such a joy for me, and it's because of your kind words and your encouragement! Thank you! I know my Canadian friends have already had their Thanksgiving, but there's always room for more gratitude, right? :) Have a great day!