Damask Wedding Invitations

Hello, my dears.  How are you doing today?  I hope the sun is shining where you are.  Rays of light are peeking through the clouds here so I'm taking advantage of it while it lasts, shooting photos of some of the projects I've been working on lately.  Today's project is one I'm particularly excited about because it's my first of it's kind: wedding invitations!

My cousin, Dani, asked if I would be able to design something for her and her fiance, John's wedding.  I was thrilled with the chance and got right to work.  She wanted something that was elegant and traditional with clean lines.  She was also drawn to damask patterns.  She told me that her wedding flowers are calla lilies so I decided to design a damask pattern around a single lily.  The pattern was then printed across the bottom of the invitation.

They were so much fun to design but the best thing is that Dani was really happy with the way they turned out.  Nothing could make me happier than that.  

I'm currently looking to build my portfolio with more wedding invitations and would be happy to offer a deal to the next two or three people I design invitations for.  If you know someone who is getting married and think they might like my style, be sure to point them this way by sending my an email at lilyjanestationery at gmail dot com.

DIY: Groundhog Day Cupcakes

"What holiday is next?" is a question I get asked quite a lot.  Brady's at the age where he's starting to understand holidays and the anticipation surrounding them.  And, of course, he's ready to party all the time.  So when he posed this question after New Year's I had to pause and think for a second...yep, Groundhog Day is next.  

Now, Groundhog Day doesn't carry very many traditions with it, beyond looking for good ole' Phil on the news.  But I thought that this year maybe we could do something a little more.  We've been reading The Big Snow at our house and on the last page the groundhog pokes his head out of the ground and sees his shadow.  Which gave me the idea to make Groundhog Day Cupcakes.

I designed the cupcake toppers and made them into a PDF for you to download and assemble.  Just print the groundhogs, cut them out and sandwich them together with a little glue and a toothpick in the middle.  And remember to save one of your groundhog paper trimmings.  You're going to need it if he sees his shadow this February 2nd...

If it happens to be cloudy on February 2nd and Phil doesn't see his shadow, you can always just slide the groundhog into a plain frosted cupcake.  They'll be just as adorable.  And such a great excuse to eat cupcakes.

What do you do to celebrate Groundhog Day?  Any predictions as to whether or not spring will come early this year?

DIY: Bunting Advent Calendar

I am a big time procrastinator.  I wish I wasn't and I have seen improvements over the years, but here we are - December 1st - and do you know what I spent the morning doing?  Putting together this advent calendar.  Because it's time to start it already!  Can you believe that December is already here? 

I'm hoping that you're in the same boat as me (or know someone else who is) and need a quick and easy calendar that you can put together with things found around the house, too.  That's exactly what this calendar is: a raiding of my craft cupboard.  It turned out so darling, though! 

Here's how to do it yourself:

SUPPLIES:

• Paper scraps


• Scissors


• 1/8" hole punch


• Numbers: either rub-on, stickers or you can write them yourself


• Twine or string


• Ribbon

STEPS:

1. Cut the paper scraps into various widths and lengths.  You should have 25 in all (if you're starting with Dec. 1st; you can always start a little later in the month, too).  Fold in half and cut diagonally across the bottom corner to create points at the bottom of your "flags."


2. Using the hole punch, punch two small holes in the top of each flag, one in each corner.  Be careful not to get too close to the edge, so your paper won't rip when you thread the twine through.


3. Arrange the flags in a row in an eye-catching pattern.


4. Starting with the first flag add a number to the bottom, centered just above the points.


5. Flip each number over and add an activity for that day or a clue as to wear a toy or sweet is hidden.


6. Thread the twine through the holes and tie a ribbon bow on one side of the twine, if desired. 

That's all there is to it!  It's really very simple but looks fantastic when you're done.  We've decided to put a good range of different activities along with a few small goodies, so it's not all about the presents.  A few of my favorites:

1. Attend the city tree lighting


2. Make paper snowflakes


3. Make a gingerbread house


4. Go ice skating, tubing or sledding


5. Build a snowman


6. Visit Temple Square to see the lights
   


7. Make egg nog


8. Bake Christmas cookies


9. Make presents for friends


10. Make wrapping paper using potato stamps

What types of activites do you look forward to during the Christmas season?  Do you have fond memories of using advent calendars when you were a child?

How to Ship Muffins (or Cupcakes)

Recently, my father-in-law was involved in a boating accident and injured himself enough to land in the hospital for a few days.  Happily, he is home now and starting the long road to recovery.  To help cheer him on his journey my son and I decided to send him a little package full of one of his favorite treats: Banana Crunch Muffins.  (If you've never tried these, please do.  They're so good.)  I wanted to package them in an aesthetically pleasing way that would also help them stay intact during their travels.  My solution: an empty cereal box.

1.  Select an empty cereal box that is the same width as the box you'll be using for shipping.  Mine happened to be Frosted Cheerios.  Using scissors, cut holes just wide enough to securely hold your muffins.

2. Wrap your cereal box in some pretty paper.  I used Kraft, but some patterned wrapping paper might look even better.  Once wrapped, cut holes through the paper, too.  Lay tissue paper inside your shipping box and slide the cereal box in on top.  It should fit snugly and not wiggle.

3.  Nestle frozen, wrapped (plastic secured with a bit of tape or a sticker) muffins into their spaces.  Freezing them before shipment will help keep them fresher for their destination.

 

4.  Fold over the tissue and secure a pretty card on top.  To keep the muffins from sliding out if the box gets turned up side down, pad the remaining space at the top of the box with bubble wrap or bunched plastic grocery bags.  Be sure to fill it up to the top before closing the box and test drive it at home to make sure your muffins are truly secure. 

You could also use this method to ship cupcakes, although I would highly recommend sending them unfrosted.  Put frosting in a separate, small plastic container for the recipient to add on themselves. 

Have you ever shipped baked goods before?  What are your favorite methods?

{images by me}

new at the shop: vintage milk bottle stationery

I've just added a new stationery set to the shop, designed with a pair of vintage milk bottles in the corner.  They're super-green: everything, including the kraft envelopes, is recycled. 

{image by me}