Everyday Celebrating

What every teacher really wants!

Teachers.  One of the hardest jobs in the world.  And the most important. 
Now usually I'm not a huge fan of the cash or gift card gift, but I really think that they are totally appropriate in some situations.  Like situations where you get WAY more in return than you're paying on a daily basis - teachers or daycare workers, etc. 

Here's a fun way to present CASH that every crafty teacher will appreciate from the

A pad of cash!

This is a stack of dollar bills bound together like a notepad.

Basically, get parents to donate cash. 
Find a bank that has beautiful NEW dollar bills.
Have the children write up the ways they'll miss their teacher and print them on vellum in the same size as the cash. 
Place one reason in between each dollar bill.

Take the stack to Kinkos to glue together like a pad of paper.  A super cheap service! 

Wrap it up with a bow and you're done!

This would also be a fabulous gift for a new graduate, wedding, Christmas, etc.  Great for anyone that's hard to buy for or just likes to receive cash to do their own shopping.

credit:  nikbok

Easy gift wrap!

 

My best friend, Heather, was just put on bedrest this week.  Of course, most expectant mothers don't want to be put on bedrest and it's a frustrating and sometimes scary time.  So. I'm sending her a pickmeup.

I had a box that was a tall square and I wanted to fill it.  I had several gifts that I was sending. I won't say what's in it in case she's reading today.  :)  I wrapped each gift separately in tissue paper and alternated the patterns in stacking.  One big bow on the top and it's ready to go.

It fit just perfectly in the box!  And it gives her a few gifts to open rather than one.  Who doesn't love to open gifts, right?

The National Stationary Show - My Mecca.

So I'm KICKING MYSELF that I'm not at the National Stationary Show that starts this weekend in NYC.

If you know me, you know I'm all things paper and ribbon.  Cards, stationary, wrapping paper, ribbon, embellishments, etc.  The list goes on.  To say that I have tons of stationary and note cards and the like would be, well, a severe understatement.  Matter of fact, I'm in the process of trying to figure out how to turn a closet into a haven for it all.

Anyway, my good friend Dianne of Colorblind Productions, invited me to go this year and I declined and opted to go to Blogher instead.   Maybe D invited me because she walked me into Kate's Paperie for the first time in NYC, where I literally teared up.  And while I'm excited for Blogher, I'm kicking myself that I'm not at the NSS.  I'm friends with several stationary designers who are abuzz on Twitter about packing up and heading to the show.  It's like being left behind while your friends are going to the carnival.  LOL

But next year is my year.  I'm saying it here and now. D and I are gonna take it by storm!
(I should probably purchase extra luggage between now and then to lug it all home in, right?)

I leave you with photos of a previous show.  As usual, click on the photos for their full fabulousness.

Swoon. Drool. Bliss.

Outside the vase

First of all, let me apologize for the poor quality of this picture.  Could I make roses look any more hideous?  LOL  I really need to make a lightbox.  Anyway...

Just a reminder of other floral container options outside of the traditional vase.
I love a nice, thick, glass pitcher and, IMHO, everybody should own one.  I love containers that you can use again.  Of course, I love vases as well, but sometimes it's nice to receive something out of the ordinary.

And because I'm totally ashamed at how those roses look, here's a better photo of them. They were so beautiful in person that even my mother asked if they were real.  They were indeed real and they found a new home at her house.  Happy Mother's Day to all!

Real Simple Decorative ideas

I'm loving these ideas from the Real Simple website.

Using a dry erase board as a placemat.  Write in each guest's name instead of using a place card.

Another placemat idea:  Print out sheets of paper with words and their meanings that relate to the celebration.

Love these wrapping ideas!

Wrap a gift in a large calendar. Circle the date of their special occasion (birthday, anniversary, etc.)

Use a jump rope for a child's gift.

Head to Target - now!

The big 15 packs of Peeps are 75% off at Target! $0.37 a pack!
Even the red ones!  Know what that means?  Stock up and plan on making a Peeps Christmas wreath!
Who cares if they are stale by then?  You actually NEED them to be harder for the wreath anyway, right?

And all Easter is 75% off as well.
Stock up on egg dying kits for next year.  Or use egg dying kits ALL year.  You can dye eggs anytime, add your child's name to the eggs to celebrate an "egg-ceptional" accomplishment!  Good grades, home run, etc.

Along with Easter, some stores have some of the Dollar Spot at 75% off too.
All the items with Blue dots are 75% off!
Here's what I got for $6.
60 sheets of tissue paper (martha stewart poms anyone?)
Several cards, some cute luggage tags which would also work for scrapbooking.
Not pictured, I got a plastic rolling pin for my son to use with play doh. 

Go!  Stock up!

The Divorce Party with ceremonial ring coffin!

We're surrounded by tons of blogs featuring wedded bliss and the promise of happily ever after.

But what if your happily ever after means being single ... again.

Nobody likes to talk divorce, but let's face it.  By the time people get the final papers, quite a few are thrilled with the freedom that follows. 

And here at Everyday Celebrating, we believe that every day deserves a celebration... even divorce day!

What better way to celebrate your new happiness by having a divorce party?

You might have a ceremonial cake....

which you serve on these fabulous plates

with a few of these napkins thrown in.. they make me smile

and at the end of the night, you could send your friends home with goodies inside a frog prince gift bag.

But let me show you the latest trend in divorce parties.  The wedding ring coffin!

Genius, right?  And totally perfect for a celebration of divorce proportions!
The coffin is mahogany and has a beautiful brass plate that you can have customized or they have several phrases to choose from and these are my two favorite:

"Six feet isn't deep enough!"

and

"I Do.... NOT!"

$39.95 for an engraved coffin.
How fun would it be to give as a divorce present to one of your friends who are thrilled to start a new life?

The same company offers these invitations.

Remember, every day deserves a celebration!  Even D day!

Using fruit in your floral arrangements

One easy way to add texture, dimension and additional colors and scent to an arrangement is to add fresh fruit!

This is a pretty timely arrangement as it's one I made a couple years ago for one of my administrative assistants for the ever popular Administrative Professional's Day (which this year is on April 22.)  Make sure it's on your calendar!  Go ahead - doublecheck now... I'll wait. :)  It's important.

This arrangement featured a colorful fresh bouquet arranged in a tall galvinized planter which has endless possibilities for re-use. 

I spray painted craft dowel rods green to match the stems, snapped them into various lengths and stuck the lemons on the jagged dowel ends.  Instant unique filler!

Another fruit that would have added a different shape and interest - the star fruit!

Tie a pretty bow around the front and it rivals any floral shop delivery!
And flowers are always a great gift for many occasions!

DIY/Tutorial: Easter Bunny Paper Bag Bunny Basket

I love these!  LOVE them!  If I can hunt down a paper bag, I think I'll definitely make one of these for my son this year.   You see, he's 2 and he's at the age where he'd get a huge kick out of the bunny factor.

And also, the past two years, he's gotten a HUGE easter basket that has been the source of jokes of many friends.  Hey... I went a little overboard for a 4 month old, see?  

Yep, it was twice (maybe even 3 times) as big as he was.  LOL  But hey, anyone who met this cute face wanted to make him smile!

I still have that basket and I'm tempted to fill it up again, but I think I'm going to make the (above) bunny bag.  He's still at the age where the container is sometimes cooler than the toy itself!  LOL

Here's how to make it:

• 1 paper lunch sack.
• Pencil.
• Scissors.
• One small pink pompom.
• Magic marker.
• Pipe cleaner.
• Cotton ball.
• One (1.5 Gallon) milk carton, washed.
• Easter grass and candies.

Lay the paper bag flat with the glued sides down. Sketch a pair of rabbit ears on the top half (open end) of the bag. Cut the ears out, leaving the front and back ears attached to the bag. Cut the sides of the bag even with the bottom of the ears and cut the milk carton to the same height. Decorate the bag with a bunny face and finish with a small pink pompom nose. Use the pipe cleaner to make whiskers and the cotton ball for the tail. Insert the milk carton in the bag and fill with Easter grass and candies. Glue the front and back ears together at the very top.

(Note: I WILL get a larger bag than a "lunch sack".  Can't help it!)

I was thinking though, that it would be way cuter to make it with a white sack.  And a lunch sack size would be perfect for favors if you're having a fun easter egg hunt, dying party, etc.  FYI: Target usually has the lunch sacks in a variety of colors at a cheaper price point than craft stores.

Also, if you can get a bunch of various sizes bags, this would make a cute centerpiece.

Source: Meridian Magazine

Everyday Events: Peas in a Pod Shower

Aren't multiple births a miracle?  A friend of mine had triplets.  No fertility treatments, no drugs of any kind to help the process.  She conceived THREE babies.. naturally.  Amazing!

So we thought it was fitting to throw her a Peas in a Pod baby shower.  Here are a few of the details
(click on the photos to view larger)

Invitations:  The invitations were simple.  White cardstock with a simple oval in green.  At the top, I used a cute triplet clip art featuring 2 boys and a girl (which she was having).  I always want a bit of texture on an invite.  It must have some type of 3-D something, ya know?   For these, I made leaves out of green felt and "vine" out of green floral wire.  Wrap the wire around a pencil to curl it and glue it all down with a strong, thick adhesive.


The introduction rhyme was:

Three peas in a pod
Three bundles of joy
Three babies from heaven
One girl and two boys!

Here were a few of the decorative elements that carried out the pea pod theme:

The centerpiece of the gift table was a large pea pod.  I made this out of 3 green plastic children's balls
I found at the dollar store. (You'd never know the other side of those balls had Pooh on them!)
I wrapped felt around them to form the pod and closed the pod with hot glue.  The pod sat on a large petunia arrangement.  In the original concept, the pea pod was supposed to stick out of the petunias on a hidden stick.  The balance of it never quite worked out, so we went with just lying in on top. The contrast was still striking.

 

One of the food table centerpieces was a grouping of baby's breath simply inserted in a vase I made from a painted coffee can and ribbon.

It's funny looking back on these cupcakes because these were a few years BEFORE the now popular cupcake toppers came on the scene.  Needless to say, they were a huge hit then, but now, they are pretty common.

I apologize in advance for the blurriness of this photo.  I made several of these table runners.  Each were green and had a peapod embellishment I made out of felt and vine.  The "peas" were buttons.

As usual, I made the crunch and munch cones.  Always do!  They are always a hit!  These featured the peapod clipart and a peapod on the flower pot.

The famous Martha Stewart poms were hung above the gift table.  Here you can see the table before gifts, with the centerpiece, runner and poms.  You can also see the diaper peapod in the background on the mantel.

Here's a closer view of the diaper peapod.  A different take on the traditional diaper cake.
I made 3 circles of diapers and wrapped them in felt to create the pod.  Tied the ends off with ribbon and laid it on some fresh ivy to create the vine effect.

 

We really lucked out!  Walmart happened to be selling these super cute peapod onesies so we worked those into the decor!

 

Just some of the fun decorations you can put together for a peapod shower!  Of course, it can all be adjusted to work for a twin's shower as well.  :)