Post Number II - April's Shower

I will try to get more photos of the event up soon. Some technical difficulties right now. 

We celebrated the anticipated arrival of Anna Pauketat a couple weeks ago with her mother, April, and brother, Jayman at the church.  Amy and I were the decor committee and we used April's french toile nursery theme.  Amy had put together a beautiful 12x12 scrapbook using papers April had picked out.  We took those papers and went crazy.  

Tag Book:  I don't have pics of this yet, but we made about 50 tags that were placed around the tables for guests to write little notes to April or Anna giving advise and wishing them well.  

Centerpieces: I made photocopies of some ad babies from the turn-of-the-century ephemera I have, enlarged them and used them as the basis for the centerpieces at the tables.  I also collected some shabby chic metal candleholders and vases.  I spray painted them and added tea-stained roses to the mix.  We just added more candlelight with votives from the church.

Cupcake picks:  Melissa made red velvet cupcakes that were absolutely delicious.  Because I had so many extra do0-dads left over from the tags, I made little collages and glued them to sandwich picks and we stuck them in the cupcakes.  I'm probably going to reuse these and make more to sell.

Banner: About 30 minutes before the shower Amy and I were inspired to throw together a "Baby" banner.  Amy just printed out the letters and we added some of our papers and froufrous and viola! a banner.  It was may inspiration for the pennant banner I made the following week. See future post.

Diaper Cake: The piece-de-resistance (spelling is French . . . )  that I made from 70 diapers, a bottle of lotion a small bottle and cranberry toile fabric I found at Walmart for $2 a yard.  I used more baby pictures and tea stained roses.  We set it with the scrapbook on the gift table. It was a great focal point. 

I also did the games and I think everyone had a really enjoyable time.  The food was great. The conversation was interesting. 

Now, we're just really looking forward to meeting Anna. 

She who Cannot Be Contained

Maybe it's an unacknowledged new year's resolution or preemptive spring cleaning, but I've been inspired recently to use pretty much any and everything I can get a hold of to hold my stickers, papers, buttons, yarn as well as the various doo-dads, trinkets, frou-frous and jingle jangles I've got stashed away.  I've pretty much spray painted everything that I gave the dog siezures.  I've even made labels, but I still have to put those on.

Some of my recent acquisitions from the thrift store or free pick-ups include: another oatmeal box, an empty jar of Evan's hair pomade, old jelly jars, baskets, a cassette tape drawer, tins, wooden clothes pins, buckets, empty Killer Bunny Boxes, more baskets.

Can you guess what's going on inside?  

So, what else has been going on outside?  

April's shower (see next post)

I'm just about finished with the Mediterranian cruise PB album.

Working on Evan's V-day album (thanks, Amy for the inspiration)

finished Frey's baby album (see future post)

Several of my upcoming projects are personal:

Havana church quilt

John Deere and Princess PB albums

some accordion albums

Baby Day stuff

But I also have opened a store on etsy.com and would like to build up my inventory for that.  I've got several ideas for albums, layouts, etc., but it's just a matter of getting them done.  

Look me up at thesecretllama.etsy.com

O Christmas Tree

We weren't going to get a Christmas tree since we had sold the ones we had in Guymon. But toward the end of last week I thought, "Hmm, I think I do want a tree." So Evan agreed and we ventured out to Meijer over treacherous and snowy roads on Saturday night and finally found this pretty narrow one. Evan wanted LED lights because they save energy and I wanted white ones. So as you can see we both got what we wanted. A lot of my ornaments and Christmas stuff is at my mom's. But here it is with the birds and butterflies and vintage ornaments I could scrounge up.

Christmas Album - Frosty Pink - Sold!

I've already sent this one away -- It's my Frosty Pink Christmas album. I just finished it last night and took pix of it. I've also got some pix of my Christmas deer. Speaking of deer -- ask Evan about the one that was dead in the parking lot a couple weeks ago. I think Keith has a picture of it.

YeeHaw! A Little Cowboy's Christmas Completed!

Here it is, the Little Cowboy's Christmas is complete. I'm going to try to get some better photos of it and get it posted on ebay this week. I'm satisfied with how it turned out. Very rustic.

Here are a few pages. The only good shots I can get right now are closeups. Sorry.

Just Finished!

Well, this is just because I'm in a Christmas mood.

This is the latest pb album . . .
and my little birds.
Enjoy

Holly Daze

Thanksgiving is over and I made my first run at Christmas decorating tonight.

We also got a hide-a-bed couch from Ralph tonight. This is the second time I've gotten a couch from someone I work with. A new collection! Anyway, that brings our sleeping arrangements up to 8! No excuse not to come. . .

Muy Bien! Great Value!

Evan and I went home to Decatur over the holiday, and my Mom and Dad met us there. We had a good time and I got my Christmas present early -- a Cricut. That was a surprise, but we got it for $120 - which was cheaper than even the pricetag. I also got quite a few things at Big Lots and Hobby Lobby, so I'm hoping to get some of my pending projects finished so that I can start on new ones.

I've been working on a Christmas paper bag album this week, but I think I also have a few orders from home since I took my autumn pb home with me. I'll post it's outcome soon.

I'm also getting ready for the Christmas musicals this coming weekend -- we had our final Pre-school rehearsal Sunday night, with parents helping make their costumes and crowns. We had a good turn out and I think it's going to be really cute. More pics on that too.

I'll be starting my Advent meditations on the parkviewnaz.org site next week. Michaels has a nice size wreath suitable for an advent wreath for $1.50. Hobby Lobby has advent candle packages or you can make your own with votives.