6.29.2010

Shower Invites. Check.


Here is a follow up on my progress for my friends shower. I finally got the invitations in the mail yesterday - phew! I feel better that that checked off my list. I think they turned out pretty well and have a slight nod to Hawaii without it being in your face Hawaii overload. My new favorite paper to print homemade invitations on is Paper Source's Luxe cover stock. It has a slight texture which adds a little extra professional touch and masks some of the home printer inabilities. But I must say, if you can choose to print between a laser vs. an ink jet, go ink jet!! The ink lays soooo much better and is closer to offset printing.

I also found these sweet beige labels in a random drawer of our laundry room at the last second. They worked perfectly with my invites and added an extra touch to the envelopes. What a find! And in my own home no less. The next step to my party planning is to make labels/tags for the food and then some garland. You can't have a party without garland!

6.16.2010

Rainy Day Projects: Rain, Rain Go Away!


I don't know how the weather is for the rest of the country, but here in the NW it has been down right gross! So to pass the time of not being able to enjoy the outdoors and sunshine (I am still wearing long pants and sweaters on a regular basis!), I have been busy with some projects around the house.





I mentioned in my last pot that I got a new sewing machine for my birthday and it has been both fun and frustrating! That's another story. I said I would take some pictures of a few of my frustrations, I mean projects. Soooo...I doctored these curtains I found at Ikea for $15 a pair for our guest room. Yeah, you heard right! $15 for both of them!! They are a bit on the plain side so I found some cream ruffle trim and sewed it along the edges to give it just a hint of interest. I thought about doing a colorful or patterned border, but my commitment issues kicked in and I had to go on the neutral train...again. This room won't be a guest room forever, so I haven't wanted to invest much of anything to it. That said, I still want it to be a comfortable place for guests. Mainly my parents :) Also, in the picture, I made some shams to redo euro pillows I have had for ages. I don't love the tone of green with the green of the front pillow, but for now, it will do. I am trying to find a berry colored throw blanket for the edge of the bed, but it is proving to be a hard color to locate. Is someone trying to tell me something?


Also, I have been planning my dear friends wedding shower next month and am trying to start on making some of the little details that I can do ahead of time. She is getting married in Hawaii so I thought it would be fun to incorporate a little bit of the tropical theme. It forces me out of my neutral world - this is good! We are going to serve mimosas tropical style with tropical fruit juice instead of the typical orange juice. To make them even more festive I found the idea of making my own cocktail umbrellas on Martha Stewart's site. They were super easy and I they will be cute perched in our champagne glasses! The possibilities are endless with these! I'll try and post some of my other treats I intend to make as I go along...I hope my friend will be reading this!?

6.07.2010

Gilty As Charged: Gilt Group


Hello there strangers! I have been on hiatus this last month. I have been busy planning for a dear friends bridal shower. It's not for another month, but I want the pots on our deck to look nice since I haven't given any attention to them in the last several years. I think I have them almost up to par. Just one more to consider ;) Also, demanding my time over the last several weeks, has been an early birthday gift from my husband. I got a new sewing machine and so I have been getting to all of those little projects I had on the back burner, ie hemming pants here and there, pillows, and curtain modification. It has been fun, but it takes up "sew" (sorry, couldn't help the lame pun) much time!

Also, throughout the week I have been checking out a new (to me) online designer duds discount site along with all the others I now subscribe too. Gilt Group carries a broader scope of wears that includes women, children, the home, men AND vacation sites. I haven't paid too much attention to the women's section, but the children and home sites have had some wonderful items so far. I am hooked!

I'll try and remember to take some pictures of my recent, but feeble sewing projects. I have also been busy planning for a br