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.

Because I am a girly girl

I might have a bad day, I might have a good day- but having manicured nails always makes me feel better. I might rush out the door some mornings without any jewelry, but as least my polished nails can be an accessory. As a banker, my hands are noticed every day as I type, point and write.

As far as "manicured" goes, I don't necessarily mean going to the salon and paying somebody else (though that would be terrific!). I enjoy taking a little bit of time to trim, file and paint my own nails. Having classic red or modern gray nails makes me feel more feminine and put-together. Oh and of course I love a good hot pink to match my golfing ensemble!

I normally stay with reds and pinks- but following these posts at HelloGiggles.com as has inspired me to have more fun. This is about as creative as I've gotten recently, but maybe summertime will bring some more polish playtime...


Amanda told me my painted nails remind her of how all females from Mad Men always have finished nails. Since I can't successfully pull off the bright red lipstick or chain-smoking, I suppose nail polish will do.

Practicing for kids' school projects

Click on photo to see more detail and list of supplies

Project: 10 commandments tablets for church props.
Time: these last few weeks have been pretty busy with freelance work, so of course I left everything for Saturday afternoon and had to take them on Sunday.

Initially I was going to see what we had for Halloween tombstone props and try to manipulate them. But the items we had were terribly small, so I needed to start from scratch. Ben found this video as inspiration. I watched over parts of the instructions and made a quick trip to Lowe's.

The guy at Lowe's cut the 4'x8' (smallest size) insulation for me so it would fit in the car. While he worked on that, we looked at spray paint and found this awesome textured paint.

Click on photo to see more detail

The insulation was very easy to cut with a utility knife. I told the guy at Lowe's not to go to too much trouble measuring. I eye-balled one of the pieces to cut it in half and then created the imperfect curves quickly. More time-consuming was removing the layer of paper to reveal the insulation texture.

Click on photo to see more detail and read tip

There was just enough paint to cover the two tablets. Next: the writing. I found images of the props from the movie "The Ten Commandments." I am slowly learning how to take shortcuts and not sweat over every detail. These tablets will not be viewed close-up, so while I took some time on the lettering, I did not let myself go crazy over every stroke. After the white paint, I added some black edges to create a little depth and readability.

After a few weeks and three projects that were graphic design-heavy, it was fun to get away from the computer and enjoy some arts and crafts time. These tablets will be up the next few weeks, as every week a new symbol/covenant is added.

Click on photo to see more detail

The Roll Fold

4 panel roll fold invitation and envelope

Front of folded invitation

Back of folded invitation

View after the first "unwrap" or unfolding

View after second unfold

Completely unfolded invitation; left panel is perforated in order to be separated and mailed as the response card

One side of response card and printed envelope

Both sides of response card

Rambling

Image from harpercollinschildrens.com

I am beginning to learn that it is the sweet, simple things of life which are the real ones after all. - Laura Ingalls Wilder

Maybe I am just turning into an old married woman, but Valentine's Day the last few years has been perfect each year with quiet, low-key evenings. Last year was Ben's first year as a dental student, and he had to study that evening for a test the next day. Right now as I type this he is studying for a quiz; we had dinner out and watched an episode of Mad Men earlier. My gift to Ben was The Hunger Games Trilogy. (I direct you to good ol' Wikipedia for a quick review.) I was grateful for his genuine surprise and appreciation.

At dinner we talked about our love for reading when we were younger. Elementary school- I remember having to wait a whole week between school library visits, when we were limited to one book at a time. That was absolute torture. On the other hand, summer meant constant trips to the public libraries, and I loaded up on The Baby-Sitters Club, Sweet Valley Twins and any other kind of girly fiction I could get my hands on. Across the country- Ben read Goosebumps and Stephen King.

Image from littlhouse.wikia.com

I listed off my book series/collections to Ben and of course included the Little House series. These books had a place on the bookshelves in my headboard. I could reach for them easily at bedtime aka "wanting to stay up late and read time."

I remember the excitement each holiday as I unwrapped a new book from Grandma and Grandpa Skelton (my aunt Ree usually supplied me with BSC and American Girls) as the collection became more complete. Gifts were not limited to Christmas and birthdays. We would get gifts from Grandma and Grandpa for other holidays, including Valentine's Day. (Just a few years ago, Grandma gave me Valentine's socks.)

I'm rambling a bit, I know. I am happy for how a simple yet thoughtful gift (ie a book) can make such an impact. I am grateful for fond remembrances.

Our hearts grow tender with childhood memories and love of kindred, and we are better throughout the year for having, in spirit, become a child again at Christmas-time. - Laura Ingalls Wilder

Please deliver to

We received a baby announcement in the mail last year from one of Ben's cousins. The postcard was ordered through an online website but personalized with a photograph and message. One detail that really caught my eye was the "please deliver to" line, in the same typeface found in the announcement information.

Since then I have added that touch to postcard projects. I think it adds a little something.

Amanda's bridal shower invitation from last summer

Omaha Conservatory of Music event invitation- this year
(More pictures will be posted later. Yes, I realize I've been typing that a lot lately. This will happen!)

Oh hello, I didn't see you there

So you don't think I fell off the face of the earth, here is what I am up to:

• updating Facebook albums of portraits (from December) and projects (from December/January)
• designing work- two current freelance projects
  
• creating some personal "homemade gifts" for a Facebook challenge (more on that later, of course)

I also have some fun templates for modern wedding invitations. I designed them with a couple in mind; but they are no longer potential clients. I enjoyed the playtime with the various designs, as I stretched myself with a lot of the elements. I plan to share some of the samples sometime soon on here.

Here is an invitation for an event I attended last weekend for the Omaha Conservatory. I'll post more pictures on here later, but in the meantime you can see the photos on the Facebook page.