Wedding Cake Made Easy!

Greetings all. It's sneaky-peek time from the My Time Made Easy team. We're gearing up for an awesome pre-summer set of beautiful goodies. I'm starting today with a brand new template called Oh Bee Hive! Yes - it's an adorable bee hive template - BUT WAIT - it can also be a cake! Now how cool is that? My daughter's best friend is getting married and the girls are looking for decoration ideas so I decided to make and decorate this template as a wedding cake.

 I started with some stunning cardstock from the Paper Temptress - it's my favorite "fancy" wedding CS - called Laser Luster (I think). I created my cake from the cardstock then I set about decorating. I started with some pearls on a strand - colored each strand with copics and glued to the cake with Zip Dry. I used a flower from Hobby Lobby as my cake topper then filled in with yellow and white tiny flowers. I think the girls would prefer all yellow flowers on the layers- I just didn't have enough to do the entire cake this time. If they decide to use this idea obviously we can buy plenty of tiny flowers to decorate with.

Here's a view looking down on the cake.

A close up of the flower from HL - it was in the wedding section and was $.99!  They often go on sale so it would be an inexpensive alternative to making your own paper flowers if you are short on time (which I was).

 

A final peek at the cake with the two champagne glasses to give you a sense of scale. Since I cut this with my cricut it would be EASY to rescale it larger if needed. I was able to cut 3 side pieces per sheet of cardstock but I could have scaled it way up and cut ONE side piece per cardstock for a much larger cake) but I rather like the mini version. You can go wild with decorating this adorable cake - for weddings, for bridal showers, for baby showers or even for a birthday! AND don't forget - Lauren will also show you how this makes up into a cute, cute, cute little bee hive!

Please hop over to my fellow team mates, Monique Hansen and Debbie Marcinkiweicz as they both have some absolutely DELICIOUS ideas to share with you as well.

See you again tomorrow for our group post for the May release for My Time Made Easy.

Golden Anniversary Made Easy

Today I'm showcasing a new template from My Time Made Easy that I've made up for a 50th wedding anniversary. It could also be used for a wedding shower, wedding gift, wedding centerpiece etc. Doesn't have to be GOLDEN anniversary - that's just what I had a need for. I'm sure by now you've seen some sneak peeks of this amazing template called Caged. Well here it is... all "formal" for you.

I used Gina K's metallic gold CS for the cage - it's truly gorgeous IRL. Added some wired gold ribbon from my stash and a bit of gold and ivory cording also from my stash. Then I set to decorating.... I used a couple of the Pretty Pieces cut files for my accents - Rambling Rose for the main flower on the front, and Branching Out for the branch and flowers.  The doves came from Hobby Lobby in their wedding section.

Here's the template plus the card. You will note I didn't put a 50 on the outside of the card so I can still use it for a wedding/anniversary if I change my mind.

I placed a golden candle holder inside with a LED tea light (real candles + paper = NOT a good idea!) but it looks really pretty at night - I gave up trying to get a good photo for you. REALLY generous size inside this template.

A closer look at the card. I am featuring some of my favorite new cut files on this. They are called Cornice Trimmed Labels and they come in 4 shapes - square, oval, circle and rectangle. Just a lovely nested set of gorgeous frames. My DP is from Hobby Lobby - just a pretty gold, cream swirl. It's the same paper I used to make the flowers on the cage itself.

A final look at the whole set again.

Be sure you hop over to my fellow DT girl Tangii, and of course Lauren herself to see what they've got for you. Stay tuned for more good things to come this week - you will be tickled!!!

Supplies from My Time Made Easy LLC:

Pretty Packaging Templates:   Caged

Pretty Impressions © Stamps: Singing Silhouette

Pretty Pieces © Cut Files: Cornice Trimmed Square, Cornice Trimmed Oval, Rambling Rose, Branching Out


Hugs n smiles.

Wedding Gift Package

Hey All,
It's the final day of the MTME August release. I hope you have been enjoying all the creative ideas from the MTME team. I've got one final one for you today, too.  Are you tired of wedding stuff from me? Well this wedding gift package is NOT for my daughter's wedding but for a wedding reception/open house I'm going to today!  Tis the season. :-)

I am featuring Lauren's new Tote-All template from My Time Made Easy. This is a template you will turn to again and again - it's generous in size, easy to put together and makes for a super fun way to present a gift. What you cannot really see from this photo is the drop-dead gorgeous laser luster white card stock from PaperTemptress. It's shiny and sort of white on white striped and just smooth as silk to the touch as well.

I have been so busy with our wedding that I never got to make a gift set for today's wedding then it struck me... Tote All! I was inspired by this wedding card I made recently... the red, white and black for wedding cards is a great color combo - sorry it doesn't feature a MTME stamp :-( (I used that on my package)

So here's a look at the complete gift ensemble. I chose a gift card from the couple's registry because I wasn't really sure which things they needed the most and this way they get to choose! :-)

This 4x4" gift card tin fit perfectly inside the tote-all with room to spare.

I also tucked in some of the silk rose petals that they will find when they first open the gift bag.

I embossed the top part of the template (the black part - see the first photo for the flap closed) with my CB and I added some BasicGrey magnets to close the ensemble set.

Here's a close up of the tag I made for the front of the gift package.

I know this gift ensemble is going to be the HIT of the open house/reception today :-) and that will make everyone smile. Isn't it just fabulous how Lauren's templates just make an "ordinary" gift card into a spectacular and fun way to present the gift?? I can't wait (cause a lot of my stampin' friends are going to this too *wink* and they'll get to see it first hand).

♥♥♥♥♥

My Time Made Easy Design Team:

Lauren Meader (owner)

Geny Cassady

Katie Shawger Cotton

Tracey Cuccia

Dawn Easton

Stephanie Kraft

Silke Ledlow

Lesa Rapp

Kristin Bueter

The Details and list of Supplies from My Time Made Easy LLC:

Pretty Packaging Templates: Tote All

Pretty Impressions © Stamps: So Sentimental

Pretty Pieces © Cut Files: So Sentimental Frame


Have a great Sunday.
Hugs 'n Smiles.

Wedding Photos

For those of you who've been following the wedding countdown - here is a quick post with a few pics - these are just some informal shots that guests (like my niece) were able to grab so they are not professional quality but I know a lot of you asked to see photos.

I'll start with my favorite photo (from what I have) of my daughter and new son-in-law just after being presented as husband and wife... they were just GLOWING with happiness...

Now - in sort of reverse order - her dad and I walking her down the aisle...

The venue... the Milwaukee Art Museum

and the same bldg at night

And the party continued back at the hotel...

Everything went off without a hitch. The worst thing to happen was the tears they BOTH shed when they saw each other for the first time (kids now-a-days do their photos BEFORE the wedding). We had to do some makeup "repair" on the bride and a wee bit of shout wipes on the dress LOL.  It was truly a wedding to remember. 

Thanks to ALL who posted wedding cards for JUGS - I have not been able to get out and comment but I love them. Thank you.

Ok - off to do some quick creating...
Hugs n very big smiles,

Wedding Bells are Ringing

It's a GLORIOUS morning today girls - if you are reading this on Saturday then you are reading this on my daughter's wedding day. Thankfully blogger allows us to schedule posts for times when we are too busy to blog for real.

Today is a Just Us Girls challenge day and sweet Lisa is our Hostess. This week, in honor of my DD's wedding, we are all supposed to make WEDDING CARDS! That's it - how simple right? I was going to take the week off from JUGS and, technically I could have. However, I made a card for my DD's shower recently so I'm posting that for you today! THANKS Lisa for doing this fun challenge this week - I will be excited to see all the ideas for wedding cards - let me just say now thanks to all of you who participate - I doubt I'll get to much commenting with this busy weekend (we have a family reunion as well!)

Here's the card I made. My DD's wedding colors are black and white with a pop of yellow.... thus my color choices.

I'm showcasing some fabulous paper from PaperTemptress for the card and the hearts and the dress.  I saw a sample of a wedding dress made from a scalloped circle somewhere on SCS and I apologize that I do not have the original source where I saw this idea... If it was someone out there reading my blog contact me and I promise to give proper credit. My sentiment is from Gina K Design's With This Ring stamp set.

After I assembled the card I wish I had cut the "waistline" of the dress a bit higher so the dress would appear longer - to me it looks like a short wedding dress LOL. The dress was cut from beautiful white paper from PaperTemptress but then I cut and embossed a vellum layer to go over the white layer so you don't see the pretty paper under it.

For a little depth to the neckline I cut out a "V" (2 scallops worth) then mounted it ever so slightly lower and trimmed it up with some rhinestones. I added a satin "sash" and the white prima rose is to signify a wedding bouquet of sorts.

I finished off the inside by using a negative heart cut out on the same black paper then stamped a simple sentiment (from Gina K's With This Ring set) inside the heart. I added a touch of yellow and some scalloped edging as well.

Pop over to see what the rest of the design team came up with (sidebar-->) and I'd like to extend a HUGE thank you to Debbie M for being our Featured Designer this month. She was a fabulous addition to the team and I really appreciate all of her talent. THANKS, Debbie!!

Here's a photo of my DD and me at one of her showers recently.

Thanks for stopping by and have a fabulous week. I'll be back next week with a post with some photos!

Hugs n smiles,

Piece of (Wedding) Cake

Hi girls - I have a super quick JUGS post for you today - as you know we're at ONE WEEK till my daughter's wedding so my crafting time is pretty limited right now.  This week's challenge is being sponsored by Kelleigh Ratzlaff and it's a template challenge.

You all know how I love templates and gift boxes. Well, after having just assembled 120+ favor boxes for the wedding, I think I had weddings on the brain when I chose this "Piece of Cake" template for my JUGS project. I've seen so many adorable cakes or pieces of cake made with it so I thought I'd give it a whirl. I'm NOT using this for my DD's wedding but I surely could have. Went together in a SNAP!

So - here's my simple but (hopefully) elegant wedding favor "Piece of Cake" favor box. I wish I had time to make an entire cake - I think it would be fabulous for a fancy shower or even to put one on each table as part of the decorations.

I started with some stunning white paper from The PaperTemptress. I think this one is called Laser Luster. My photo does not do justice to this gorgeous paper.

I printed the Kelleigh Piece of Cake template directly onto the reverse of this paper, cut it out and assembled. Then I added a strip of pearls, a beautiful floral piece (I got these on sale in the wedding dept of Hobby Lobby for 50¢), and a couple of pearlized hat pins.

I made a simple tag for the box - I punched a heart (Creative Memories) on the same beautiful white paper, then stamped the sentiment (from PTI's Wedding Wishes Additions) and adhered the white heart with dimensionals to a coordinating colored heart from CS.

Of course - this little goodie box is filled with "Hugs + Kisses from the Mr. & Mrs". (We DID use that same sentiment on our favor boxes).

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

Stop by the JUGS design team (Side bar) and check out our Featured Designer, Debbie M,  as well. My simple cake box is the COMPLETE antithesis of her BEAUTIFUL shabby chic embellished cake box that she created for JUGS this week! AND that, my friends, is the beauty of this hobby!!

Thanks for stopping by - if I'm quiet for a little bit you'll know why... I WILL have some new goodies from My Time Made Easy to share at the end of the week with you. Stay sweet and thank you for your encouraging comments - what a way to put a smile on my face :-)

Hugs n BIG smiles from the Mother of the Bride in a mere 7 days...

Just Rite Stampers - An Exciting Visit

WoW Ladies (and Gents)… Do I have a story to tell you…

First off – let’s start with the word S E R E N D I P I T Y … According to the dictionary

Noun: the occurrence and development of events by chance in a happy or beneficial way : a fortunate stroke of serendipity | a series of small serendipities.

Well if you read my blog at all you know that the lovely and talented Selma Stevenson has been out here in the Chicago area, first to host a workshop for Joan’s Garden, second to spend time with ME, and third to see a long time friend who lives nearby. I took one day as a vacation day so I could spend the day with Selma and then drive her to her friend’s house. Sounds simple enough but here’s where it gets interesting…

How many of you know of JustRite Stampers? Well it turns out that their headquarters are in Elk Grove Village – exactly where I was taking Selma to meet up with her friend. So, as most stampers who are totally excited about our passion for all things papercrafting, we decided maybe we would just “drop by” and see what Just Rite Stampers was all about. I was also hoping I might be able to buy a set I had seen at Joan’s workshop. *grin*

Selma and I walked into a very industrial building and told the kind gentleman we saw through a doorway that we were looking for Just Rite Stampers… He politely said this was them and asked what we were interested in with JRS. Well we gushed about how we are stampers and we just attended a workshop featuring their stamps – we also brought a few card samples to share – and the next thing we knew this kind gentleman was pulling out chairs for us asking us to sit down and he called in a couple of other people as well.

It turns out that the kind gentleman was the PRESIDENT of JustRiteStampers and his two associates he pulled in were key people on his team. For the next two and a half hours we had a lively discussion about stamps, marketing, what IS it that stampers like etc.  We got some “sneak peeks” at some new products they are releasing SOON and were able to give some feedback to them, too. (YOU are going to LOVE what they are doing!)  We talked at length about marketing strategies and this phenomenon known as blogging. They have a JustRiteStampers blog but I think they were a little bit surprised about how much influence we individual bloggers and fellow stampers have on each other and our purchasing trends. We all know that if we attend a workshop that features a particular stamp set, many of us will purchase that stamp set so we can recreate the project.

They happily sent us on our way with a promise of some samples (can I hear a HUGE whooo hooo) and our agreement to write about our experience and to share some cards in the upcoming weeks. It was SUCH an amazing experience.  SO full of excitement and energy and it was AMAZING how much the three of them LISTENED to Selma and me. It gave real validity that what we do as stampers matters!! I also believe that they took some of our suggestions and advice to heart and will respond accordingly.

I’m lucky I live nearby and can hopefully stop back again some day.

SO – are you ready for a sample – or two? Thanks for sticking with me – this was a QUICK project to start because I am swamped at work – I know Selma will get to work when she finally gets home and she’ll have a ton of ideas to share with everyone as well. I made this gift box for a friend and the TAG is made with my new Just Rite stamp!

This is a BRAND NEW set coming out (it’s available for pre-order already) and it’s a magnificent set of Birthday sentiments. I LOVE this one – Today I Celebrate You. What a great sentiment for a special friend or family member. You really must see this new set... check it out here.

Another quick sample - this time a wedding card...

This comes from the set called Romantic Sentiments - the words say "Wishing Two People One Wonderful Life" - I love that sentiment AND the ability to change the border by using any of the borders in the Decorative Borders set...

TO our friends at JRS – we say thank you – thank you for the goodies, thank you for inviting us in for a conversation, thank for for listening, and most of all thank you for valuing what we do as stampers and paper crafters and for making amazing products for us to use. I look forward to watching the progress you make as you experience continued growth in the world of HOBBY stamping!! Maybe someday it will be bigger than your commercial line!

Have a great day. PLEASE go check out JustRite Stampers. You'll love what they have to offer.
Hugs n smiles,

PaperTemptress - Wedding Favors

How about a wedding favor idea? (Y'all know I have a wedding next summer so I'm exploring all those kinds of ideas) Today's post is to feature some outstanding paper from The PaperTemptress! If you have not seen or tried her papers you MUST - they are GORGEOUS! Two of my favorite papers are the luster line and the pearlescent line.

You also know that I love Lauren Meader's My Timeless Templates and so I made up one of her Tucked Away petite templates using the Black Laser Luster card stock. WOW it is SO gorgeous IRL and so hard to photograph. I've taken several pics and posted them so you can see it from different angles and hopefully get a small taste of how gorgeous this paper really is.

The black on black with the subtle striping reminds me of a tuxedo. I added a mat layer of Solar Yellow Pearlescent for the top layer. I ran the yellow through my swiss dots CB folder before cutting - makes it look like it's covered with tiny yellow pearls.

Using my Just Right Monogram set I created a monogram for the bride and groom which I stamped on the white diamond card stock. I matted it with more of the Black Laser Luster.

For the top of the box I used the SU! scalloped oval punch from the black laser luster scraps and the SU! plain oval punch from the solar yellow scraps and the small oval punch on the white diamond paper.  A simple stamp using Memento Ink with the PTI sentiment "Hugs + Kisses from the Mr. & Mrs." completed the accent oval for the top. I added a black and yellow prima flower with a black glitter dot center to make the floral piece.

When you open the box it is filled with... you guessed it... Hershey's Hugs & Kisses candies! Now the favor boxes we are making for my daughter's wedding will have some slight variations but we're keeping that mum for now :-)

Here are a couple of other posts to cards I made using paper from The PaperTemptress! Trust me - you WILL be tempted by her papers - they are packaged so carefully that they always have arrived for me in mint condition. I have quite a little selection going...

Laser Luster - Wedding card
More Luster - Wedding Wishes
Ruche Paper - Birthday Quilt
Leather paper - Back in the Saddle

Thanks for looking.

Loonie Stampers Wedding Challenge

Now how can I resist a challenge to make a wedding themed card? My good "Loonie Friends" have posted a challenge for this week to do just that so I had to play along. We're still shopping for wedding dresses - now we're going to go back and re-look at some we saw early on. So many beautiful choices!!

When I need to make an elegant card I turn to my paper from PaperTemptress. This time the Loonie Challenge had simply white, silver and black as the colors (THANK YOU GIRLS!). Add to that my new With This Ring wedding set from Gina K Designs and I knew I could put together a card for this challenge pretty easily.

Here's what I came up with. Typically I am hand delivering a wedding card, either at the wedding itself or at a shower so I don't mind using a larger square card which would take extra postage if sent through the mail. This one was made with GKD's luxury 120 black onyx card stock for sturdiness then layered with SU silver and Paper Temptress Laser Silver Luster AND White Diamond Paper Temptress (can't remember which one) beautiful paper for the focal image. A tiny bit of scoring with my Scor-Bug for a little texture on the focal panel.

I used the wedding cake as my main image but kept to the silver for the flowers. There is a TINY touch of a grey-green for the tiny leaves but that's all. I used the shimmery white flowers from Gina K with rhinestone accents for the finishing touches along with a simple sentiment from the With This Ring set.

Here's the inside of the card - simple but tied together with the overall theme. (Sorry it's crooked - I was trying to beat my battery from dying!)

Thanks to my Loonie friends for allowing me to play along. Hope over and see what these girls come up with - you will be amazed and inspired by their work!

Wendy
Char
Dee
Jewels
Regan
Maria

Have a great week ahead.