Soon-to-be-7~

The Princess is turning 7 in a couple of weeks. 7 years?!!?! When did that happen? She decided that a Barbie birthday party was in order, and I have been turning that over in my head. I thought it would be fun to go with a little more of a vintage flavor. We decided that a color scheme of hot pink, black and white would be perfect, and the current Barbie logo with it's vintage silhouette was just right!

I found a free download of the Barbie logo and printed a few out....then I simply cut some circles out of black and white dot scrapbook paper and layered the logo on top.

I also found some fabulous hot pink ribbon with black stitching down the center. I glued it on the cards in a vertical stripe down the center then simply glued the logo circle on top about 2/3 of the way down the page. I then added a bow above that and voila...custom invites on a dime!!

The party information is printed inside the card in hot pink and black of course! I have one excited soon-to-be-7-year-old on my hands, I tell ya!

Coming up this week...

• Inexpensive Art


• A Martha-Inspired Project


• A Nursery Design Consultation
  

Linking to DIY day at ASPTL

Have a great day~

Words and Wire~

The kiddos have early release from school every day this week so we have long afternoons to fill. Yesterday we decided to spend time making Valentine's for the grandparents and cousins. Well, the kiddos made Valentine's. I took the opportunity to finally get to a project that has been on my to-do list ever since I saw it here.






So while the kiddos painted and glued, I shoved book pages onto a wreath form I created from a wire hanger. I have seen many of these sorts of wreaths made from burlap around blogland. And although I do love burlap...I'm a paper girl at heart. I couldn't resist making one with with book pages.

And it was so easy too!!! I grabbed an old book out of one of our unpacked boxes (yes, we still have many of those) in the basement and started ripping out pages. Then I just took a page at a time and folded it loosely into either thirds or fourths - I tried to mix it up to create movement and texture - and shoved it onto the hanger wreath form. It took about 100 sheets, but it went quickly. When I was done I just twisted the ends together and snipped off the excess with wire cutters. I did leave enough wire to create a hanger at the top. Easy-peasy!!

I don't know which I like more? My "well-read wreath" or this "words and wire" one. Wouldn't they both be great in a home office or library? I'm still up in the air where to put this one.

And on a totally unrelated subject...take a look who came to visit! It's Darth Toddler!!

Mr. Three was actually watching TV with this get-up on. How he could see, I don't know. But it sure makes me smile.

Have a great day~

J'adore Papier~

Before we get into my real post for today...YES, this is the Shabby Nest...just playing around with a bit of a new look. (I keep changing the header - so you may see a different one if you come back later.) Any thoughts? ...and please, be gentle :-)

If you have been reading my blog for very long at all, you may have noticed that I am infatuated with paper...or papier (because as Fancy Nancy would say "everything sounds fancier in French"!)

I adore paper....stationery, craft paper, scrapbook paper, handmade paper, wallpaper...you name it. And, as a natural result of this infatuation, I love crafting with paper. I love to draw, I love to create, I just love to make things with paper.

Today I wanted to share a few of my favorite recent paper crafts with you, along with links to any tutorials I have for them.

First up...these beautiful paper flowers. I just found this tutorial last week via One Pretty Thing. Aren't they just lovely? (And so, so easy!)

Next, these darling paper stars. These are so much fun to add to a package you are sending to someone special. I actually got the instructions to make these from Family Fun Magazine, but couldn't find them online, so I did my own tutorial here.

This is an Easter photo, but the cute little rabbit comes from a great website called Toymaker where you can print out lovely paper toys! Just cut, fold and glue. So. much. fun.

Also an extension of my love of paper...a love of books...especially old ones. Last Halloween, I created this festive fellow. Without the pieces of paper that create the jack-o-lantern face, the book still has a place of honor on my buffet. Just love it!

And finally, my sweet glitter heart ornaments. Have I told you all how much I love glitter? Well, I do! And these hearts were so fun to make too!! Here's a link to the post where I tell you all how I made them.

Hope you all got a little papier inspiration today...

And a reminder that I will be hosting a Frugal Friday Linky Party here on Friday! Hope to have you all join up with your Frugal OCD* decorating projects! *Obsessively Consumed with Decorating.

Happy Labor day~

Papeterie~

I've mentioned my obsession with paper before. And I think most of you know by now how much I love photography and drawing. I have had it in the back of my mind for some time that I wanted to find a way to combine these things into something fun for my Etsy. Then I hit on the idea of cards featuring my photography and artwork.

So here is the first group of cards for the Shabby Nest Papeterie listed on my Etsy store. They feature my "winter blossom" photo. I like these for their simplicity and elegance. Hope you do too.

These little beauties feature my new nest drawing. They are so spring-y! I heart them.


And for those of you that have asked about purchasing prints of my drawings or photographs, I am working on those as well. Stay tuned.



Have a great Thursday~

Inspire-Me Tuesday~

I may or may not have mentioned it before, but I have a bit of a love affair with paper. I love stationery of all kinds. I have an obsession with scrapbook paper. I love to create with paper. Paper. Paper. Paper.

The Princess turns 6 on Friday. So we are in the throws of creating a Fancy Nancy birthday party. Normally, being the paper-obsessed person that I am...my favorite part of throwing a party is creating the invitations. SERIOUSLY. One of these days I'll share a few of my creations... But, while browsing in Target, I ran across these darling invitations by Anna Griffin. (The girls can wear them...)


And I did a first a for me. I purchased invitations. But seriously, folks, these little crowns are perfect for Fancy Nancy invites...I admit, I did add a little glitter glue to look like gems, but other than that...perfection.

So, just for fun, I looked up the Anna Griffin website. If you love paper...or fabric...or just eye candy...pop over. And her blog is wonderful too. Here are a couple of photos that inspired me.

I would love to have one of these in my craft room/studio with pretty papers spilling out of every nook and cranny.

Last two photos from Anna Griffin Blog

I saw a piece very similar to this at Brimfield last summer. Oh how I would have loved to bring it home. sigh.

Now go forth, inspire, and be inspired.

AND DON'T FORGET TO ENTER THE DRAWING (ON MONDAY'S POST ONLY) FOR THE LOVELY CROWN NECKLACE. DRAWING ENDS WEDNESDAY!