Quick and Easy Little Books

Some dear, really dear, friends of ours have offered the use of their ultimately located condo for my family to use for a week this summer. We can't wait. So, I wanted to offer them something for the new condo that they couldn't buy anywhere else. This is a guest book for friends and family to leave comments about how much they enjoyed their stay. They'll always have a record of the fun times that have taken place there.

It's something that's quick and easy and fun to do. I set up lines on my computer and printed 50 or so pages. Lined pages (instead of blank, unlined pages) are much easier and less intimidating to use for most people. I only printed on one side, so if they wanted to draw something or add a photo that didn't fit on the lines, they could always use the back. Then I took the pages to my local printer to have them trimmed and two holes drilled.

Then I found some heavy-weight stock to use as the cover, punched a few holes, tied a cabinet door handle on with ribbon and, viola! it's a fun, oddly bound book. You can decorate the cover anyway you like. I have to admit, this is my first elk. I found the image to trace by typing in "elk silhouette" on Google images. A piece of cake.


This is another one I made several years ago for our family history as written by my Aunt Faye. This cover was made from corrugated cardboard. So simple and fun to do. Now go make a couple of these...it doesn't have to be a guest book, they could include family recipes, favorite photos of a special occasion, or anything else your heart desires. Go on, quit wasting time surfin' the internet and do some productive piddlin'...take a picture and send me a sample of what you've created!

More Inspiration

Here is a book by Sarah Lugg, The Handcrafted Wedding. You don't have to be planning a wedding to find inspiration here. She is the mother of all hang tags and I've admired her work for years. In fact I have had a print of her tags hanging in my bathroom for over eight years. I've removed the print from the frame and scanned it so you can see her tag art.



Being in the wedding business, I buy lots of books pertaining to weddings. Mainly to steal, um, I mean cultivate ideas that I can offer my brides. This one is a beauty. Lots of interesting ideas if you're looking for something different.

It was published in 2003 and it looks like they've changed the cover, but it is available on Amazon. Check it out...it's sweet.

Tag Art

Last Thursday, Debby from The Gracious Home, came over to my studio and we spent a little while piddlin' with mailing tags. She takes lots of time and has just that special little something she wants to put on hers and it turns out exquisive. Go to the sidebar and click on her link to see a photo of hers in a post she did today. Me? I'm quick and dirty. I actually didn't complete anything while she was here because I was letting everything simmer. At least that's my story. I think I might have been just a tad bit intimidated by her deliberate creation. I'm more of a "quick and dirty" kind of girl.

So a few days later, with the millions of pieces of emphemera still out on the worktable, I sat down again. This is what I finished with. A dozen of the cutest things I ever saw. First thing I did was download and printed some old photos I had. There's one of my parents kissing at the flagpole, several girlfriends as children, even some old and odd photos I had on my computer from other projects. Then I glued the photo to the tag and added "stuff." And this is what I came up with...ta da...



You can click on the picture to enlarge and see the detail. I think my favorite one is on the center row with the sealing wax.

Haven't decided yet how I'll use them...maybe gifts or even framed in a shadowbox. Who knows...but it sure was a fun way to kill a couple of hours. Just a warning: This is a dangerous piddlin' project...once you get started, you don't want to stop.

This Rainy Saturday Morning

My dear friend, Debby, over at Debby's Gracious Home sent me this sign. If you haven't been to her blog, you can find the link on my sidebar because I'm not cool enough to figure out how to link you right here. Anyway, I can't imagine why she thought of me when she saw this sign...

Okay, it's a well-known fact that I work in my jammies when I get the chance. And for some reason, I can really move and get things accomplished when I do. However, I've been fully clothed since early hours on this rainy morning. St. Wayne made us omelets, we're listening to Willie Nelson and John Prine on the stereo, and we have no where to be and no one to see. This would be the perfect jammie day, but on the other hand, I really try not to do it when he's home and especially on Saturday, because the day is so full of possibilities I want to be ready to run should one of us think of a movie to see or a great place for lunch.

So...whatever the day holds for you, here's hoping it contains a litle joy. And if that joy comes while in your p.j.'s...that's just fine and dandy. Enjoy!

Lettuce Make Place Cards!

Here's a quick, easy, and inexpensive idea for place cards for that dinner party you have planned in the back of your mind.

First step, when you're buying groceries, toss a head of romaine lettuce in your cart. When you get home, chop off the bottom of the stalk about three inches up. Romaine works the best because its leaves are tight and the stalk is small.

Next dab it, cut side down, on a paper towel to remove as much moisture as you can. Ink it on a rubber stamp pad and stamp away, as you would any rubber stamp. The result is a sweet little image of a rose. This is a sample of gold roses I stamped on card stock.



Following the directions drawn on the sample, cut out a square and then with an exacto blade, cut around the top of the rose.

Score down the horizontal middle, on the left and the right of the stamped rose, leaving the rose unscored. Write the names of your dinner guest in the lower right corner, fold on the score and the rose pops up.

Take the time to make place cards for your next dinner. They make a guest feel welcome and who doesn't love seeing their name flourished? Give it a try...your guests will be impressed!