Birthday Party Recap!

A couple of weeks ago, I told you all about getting ready to launch beading birthday parties.  I had my first party, thanks (SO MUCH!!) to one of my favorite customers, last Tuesday.  And it was AWESOME!

All of the little girls (about 7 of them), some moms and I sat in a circle on the floor.  

I measured wrists and marked places on bead boards for everyone to plan out how they wanted their bracelets to look.

The kiddos had access to all of my grown-up beads, and it took some of them a long time to choose which they wanted to use and set up a pattern.  But.  I was amazed at some of the gorgeous combinations these six-year-olds came up with.  Kinda considering copying some of them, actually.  ;-)

Even a great-Grandma got in on the action!

Then, I finished all of the bracelets with the other end of a clasp.  (I had pre-made starters with one end of a clasp on each before I arrived.)  

What fun!  I had an absolute blast, and would loooove to do one of these for you and a group of girls you love--ages 6-106 ;-)

Always,

Katie

Valentine's Day Project

I handmade (well, hand-modified) my hubby's Valentine gift this year!  It's not the most complicated or impressive project, but I love personalizing things, and it gave me a project to enjoy ;-)

First, I bought a breakfast-in-bed tray at Kroger.  I'm sure you can find them on Amazon cheaper than I found, but I was shopping pretty last minute.  I also bought lovely scrapbook paper that kinda coordinates with our bedroom valances.  I also grabbed my trusty ModPodge and spongey-brushy things and got to work!

I smeared ModPodge on the tray, and stuck scrapbook paper on it.

Then, and here is the time-consuming, slightly insanity-inducing part, I put a thick coat of ModPodge on top of the paper and let it dry.  Watching ModPodge dry is like watching paint dry.  When it was fairly dry, I added mats for the photo and quote, then the photo and quote. 

I put thick coats of ModPodge between all the layers.  Patience became something of an issue.  Voila, blow dryer. 

Here is the finished product:

The photo is of us heading back up the aisle after being pronounced husband and wife--but before we got to kiss!  (Our pastor forgot that part, haha.)  The quote is Song of Solomon 6:3a, "I am my beloved's and my beloved is mine."  I so love being Ethan's <3

I made yummy cinnamon muffins and set up breakfast on the tray.  The tray has foldy legs, so we can put it over our laps in bed or on the couch.  I carried it in and woke my Valentine up to an early Valentine's Day breakfast in bed. 

These (I got one for me, too, and haven't decorated it yet) will come in so much handy when we're trying to do homework on the couch or bed, and will keep my popcorn away from a certain nosy puppy's reach! 

I hope you all had wonderful days with people you love, too <3 

Always,

Katie

Our Wedding

I married my prince on July 11, 2009.  The wedding was at my parents' church, which had been mine for the past 5 years, and the reception was at the Manchester Inn (where Sarah Palin spent the night before she was introduced in Dayton--"unposh," apparently).  It was the perfect fairytale wedding I had always dreamt of having--to sweet and Godly man who treats me like a princess <3

Here is everyone: us, our parents, some of our grandparents, and our wonderful and supportive attendants.

 

Good looking group, no?  My sister and two best friends from toddlerhood were my attendants... check out their necklaces and earrings.  As our gift to each member of our party, we painted large mugs in our colors at a place we dated a few times, and filled them with survival kits.  The girls' kits also included jewelry to coordinate with the dresses! 

I would be thrilled to make the perfect accessories for your wedding, too! 

Always,

Katie