new release and a freebie

One of my friends told me that for her kids' birthdays she hangs pictures of them growing up all over her house. I loved this idea and decided I wanted to do the same thing. Then I saw this post from Liz of Paislee Press on her blog a couple of months ago and loved her grid format. I did this for my son's birthday this week. It was so fun for him to have the pictures up and fun for everyone who came over to see them, too. I hung a birthday banner and foil stars around the pictures to add to the party atmosphere.


For his birthday party, we are having a "late night" with friends. He had a specific idea in mind of what he wanted for the invitation to his party, so I had him sit down with me to sketch it out, and then I created a digital version of it. Here is what we ended up with:

We were both happy with the result.

It's going to be a night of hot dogs, marshmallows, games, a movie, and lots of 9 and 10-year-old boys having fun! At the end of the night they get to take home these "Movie Packs" that are filled with popcorn packets, a drink, and some treats.


Okay, now on to my new release... I created a template for the banner, and it is available for purchase in my shop today.

You can get it (and lots more) right now for 30% off at ScrapMatters during the big birthday sale!

This banner template includes 3 different sizes and can be used for any occasion. Here's a baby banner created using the itty bitty version of the template.


Last but not least... a freebie for you! I created some brushes using the ticket I created for the invitation for my son's party. Click on the image to get them for free! (Please click "follow" over on the right to follow my blog before you download. Thanks!) Note: This is no longer available for free but can be purchased in my shop by clicking on the image.


Come back tomorrow for another freebie as part of the ScrapMatters Birthday Blog Train!

the one with all the cakes

Some of the cakes I've made for my kids over the years. I have definitely gotten my money's worth on that star pan!

it's a month of birthdays!

August is going to be a fun month. First, my oldest son celebrated his 9th birthday yesterday! ScrapMatters is celebrating their 3rd birthday this weekend (stay tuned for lots of fun stuff to come). I started designing at SM a year ago. Okay, technically I started in July of last year, but July was crazy busy, so we'll celebrate now! I love to organize and plan birthday parties for my kids, so I thought I would share a few ideas of themes, cakes, games, etc. this week.

One of my favorite parties I had for my son was a "Knight Party". I got the idea from Family Fun magazine.

To start we created "Royal Proclamation" invitations. We rolled them up and tied them with string before delivering them.

I made a fun dragon cake. The instructions for this cake can be found here.

For one of the games we held a "Ye Olde Knights Tournament" which was really just an obstacle course we set up in our backyard. I made castle turrets that were part of the obstacle course. For the party favor, my husband helped me make swords out of pool noodles. We handed these out before the Tournament, and kids were able to take them home at the end of the party. I made the stick horses out of a dowel, paper sacks, polyfill, and googly eyes. They worked great.

At the end of the tournament we handed out ribbons. This was a last-minute idea, but if I'd had more time I would have printed the center circle. It would have looked nicer, but 6-year-olds didn't care.

Here's an easy idea for a birthday banner. I created a 12x36 document in Photoshop and had it printed at Costco. Super quick and easy.

This party was tons of fun and my kids still talk about it 3 years later! Here's a page I made about it back in my paper-scrapbooking days.

I'll post some more birthday ideas if you want to check back later. Better yet, if you follow my blog (over to the right of the page) then you'll know when I update!

Also, don't forget to check out ScrapMatters this weekend for a great sale!

new release

going on right now...

new mini-kit

I have a new mini-kit out today. I think the bright colors are fun for summer! Take a look:

fabric bookmarks (no sewing required!)

Yep, another bookmark post. I really do like to read. I first saw the idea for these here. I made some and really liked how they turned out and have since given a few for gifts. My process was slightly different, so I thought I would give a little tutorial. Super easy and pretty quick, too!

No-Sew Fabric Bookmarks

Supplies needed:
Fabric scraps
Xyron sticker maker or spray adhesive
cardstock
Fray Check (or something similar)
hole punch (optional)
ribbon (optional)

*Note: If you don't have a Xyron, the spray adhesive works every bit as well, it's just a little bit messier. I would recommend putting your cardstock in a big box before spraying the adhesive.

First, cut a piece of cardstock to whatever size you want your bookmark to be (I made mine 2-1/4" by 6-1/2"). I wanted a set of 3, so I just made them all at the same time. Run the cardstock through your Xyron OR spray one side of it with adhesive. Stick the bookmark to the wrong side of your fabric.


Trim around the cardstock.


Put adhesive on the other side of the cardstock. If you are using a Xyron, make sure to stick the bookmark in fabric side up so the adhesive is on the correct side.


Now adhere this to the wrong side of your fabric. I used the same fabric on both sides of my bookmark, but you could use different fabric if you want. Trim off the excess fabric.


Once the fabric is adhered to the cardstock, and you've trimmed off the excess fabric, I recommend using Fray Check (or something similar)on the edges to prevent the fabric from fraying. FYI, I found Fray Check in the sewing department of Wal-Mart. Just apply a small amount and let it dry.



You can leave the bookmarks as they are, or you can punch a hole in the top and add some ribbon. I packaged 3 together and gave them as gifts. Here are some I have made: