So this is what happens when you don't blog for almost three weeks- everything has changed on the blog!  Post settings, editing, everything.  I hope I can make it!

It's amazing to me that it is the last day of April.  During this last month I have celebrated National Card and Letter Writing Month.  I celebrated in two ways; first, I attempted to write one postcard, card or letter every day.  Second, I gave away stationery every Monday to Facebook friends via the LKP Design page.

Four of the five weeks, I gave away stationery I already had on hand- three photography sets and one watercolor.  Last week, though, I had some fun with supplies I had on hand and a tree drawing from library book invitations for a May wedding.  I'll post the invitation pictures after the wedding.

Homemade Gift: 2

This is for a college friend. I'll call her "Amanda 2" because we had five Amandas between two floors in our college dorm our Freshman year. Amanda 2 recently moved to Lincoln, so I see her occasionally. She also purchased her first home, and every homeowner needs decoration for her front door. Amanda 2 has a little bit of an obsession with giraffes, so it was pretty easy to brainstorm ideas for her homemade gift.



Thank you Hobby Lobby! I purchased the wreath, yellow paint (already had white on hand) and wood letter in a quick trip. I forgot how fast acrylics dry, making the painting process even quicker than I anticipated. I did have fun blending the yellow and white and creating a gradient, much like real-life giraffes.

Homemade Gift: 1

I typically avoid "reposts" and "share this status" ploys on Facebook. But I saw this on the page of a Midland alum who does crocheting, and I thought it would be fun to break away from my normal jobs. Plus I have a whole year! Haha, yes, I know this could possibly end up biting me (I still have to attempt Andrew's 2012 blog dare), but I have two gifts completed and delivered, so I am on track!


I made this door wreath for a Fremont friend; through the magic of Facebook, we have stayed in touch over the last few years. Facebook has this amazing ability to make us think that we see each other more often than we really do. I have watched her grand kids grow through pictures, and she has provided encouragement through comments. I saw her occasionally about a year ago, and she offered support as I traveled back and forth to Fremont while Grandma was in the hospital and nursing home.

I had not seen my friend since September for Amanda's wedding. She and her husband were one of the host couples- so I thought it would be fitting to use some fabric scraps to create something to remind them of their friendship with Amanda and involvement in that day.

Blossoms

After our coffee and cake, I hitched a ride with R to the Conservatory. She was teaching lessons, and I wanted to grab some copies of the brochure I designed for the OCM Institute (coming up this summer).

I will have to post pictures of the brochure later. In the meantime, you can see the uploaded files on the OCM website. Also, you can view last year's brochure in the album "Passion, Dedication, Excellence" on my LKP Design Facebook page.

I had a short little jaunt back to the car afterward, and it was a windy but nice day out. (Glad I had my "purse camera" with me!)

All because I like tea, part 2

Continuing from yesterday's post, I had planned to do a "Christmas Countdown" for my Facebook profile. It was going to be a fun mini-project that showcased some favorite details about the Christmas season. Unfortunately, due to family health issues, I only counted down from 14 to 8 days til Christmas.


The other goal was to use the design for our Christmas postcard. I won't get into the details, but after a few frustrating e-mails and phone calls with an online printer I will no longer do business with, we ended up using a generic layout from Walgreens. Not ideal, but it was quick and easy.

Here is what you would have received:

All because I like tea

I was so excited to purchase some new flavors of tea online from Teavana. Of course I saw the company has a fan page on Facebook. I liked the profile picture they had at the time:

www.facebook.com/teavana

Besides the design elements and the distressed look, I liked the shape of the picture, which allows the photo to take up more room on your Facebook page. This inspired me to do a Christmas Countdown series with the same size/shape:

...and also a birthday tribute to my Twin: