thesmalleyfamily blog

Here are my submissions to minted.com’s “The Make A Wish Children’s Birthday Party Challenge.”  Rate them if you like them!

Birthday Party Invitations – A Sweet Treat

Birthday Party Invitations – Little Lady

Birthday Party Invitations – Fun and Fabulous

It might be strange that I say I LOVE some of the projects I create… but I do love a lot of them.  Especially this one!  It’s one I’ve planned and thought about for awhile now.  I just finished it today.  I’m very happy with it – actually I LOVE it.    It’s the butterfly mobile for Brooklyn’s nursery.  It was the inspiration for the design of Holly’s baby shower and invitations.  It coordinates with the nursery theme that Holly and Craig worked so hard to make perfect.

Creating the Buttefly mobile

 1: The planning and tools of mobile making  |  2: Close-up of the structure  |  3: Some of the wire pieces that were created  |  4: Close-up of the top butterfly and the ‘curly-loopy’ wire structure  |  5: Butterflies! One side of the mobile  |  6: Closer look of some of the fun paper  |  7: Looking up at the mobile

Finished Butterfly Mobile

Looking up at the mobile

I can’t wait to show Holly and Craig the mobile and help them hang it in the nursery!  I’m ready for Brooklyn!! 

My friend, Kel, makes the cutest things on her embroidery machine.  I’ve had her make me many things… add our initials to our Christmas stockings and a few pair of Mr. and Mr.s towels for wedding gifts (I wish I had picture of these to show you how great they are!)  The latest items she made for me are several cute things for Brooklyn! I can’t wait to see her in them!!

Here is sampling of what she made:

Don't you love these!

1: The fabulous, fun pink tutu | 2: Cute onesies | 3: Bibs | 4: Closeup of the My Aunt Loves Me onesie | 5: The I’m the Boss set of onesie and hat (LOVE these and you know why!)

Check Kel out at her Etsy Shop!  There’s a picture of the Mr. and Mrs. towels – they make great wedding gifts!  If you have anything you need embroidered or have a need for a fabulous, fun tutu… I’ll let Kel know!

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Kel didn’t make this, but I still wanted to share this because they are adorable!  Even the box is cute!  They’re a set of six pair of pastel-colored socks that look like Mary Jane shoes.  (Made by Trumpette).  I’m in LOVE with these!  Brooklyn will look super cute when she’s dancing around in her tutu wearing a pair of these!! 

Too cute!

Here are my birth announcement submissions: My submissions for girl, boy, and twins birth announcements.

Birth Announcements – Bubble Gum Pink

Birth Announcements – Circle of Life

Birth Announcements – Double Up

Birth Announcements – Golden Boy

Birth Announcements – Sweet Butterfly

So, Yay!, the shower was a success!  I will tell more about it and post pictures, but this post is dedicated to the ‘Life Pot.’  Yes, this name is silly and corny, but for a lack of a better name it is the ‘Life Pot’ for now.  These flower pots were the centerpieces for Holly’s shower.  They were placed at the center of the cute small cafe-like tables.  They were filled with grass, butterflies, and LIFE!  I created all the pieces.  I printed out baby pictures of Holly and Craig and attached them to sticks coming out of the pots.  I thought they were lovely and unique.  Holly said she loved them - She has four of them in the baby’s room right now!

Making the 'Life Pots'

1: Flower Pot (Wal-mart, $1/each!) with the cut-to-fit, extra packing styrofoam.  |  2: Flower pot filled with the real-life-looking mossy grass (Wal-mart).  |  3: Custom-created butterfly wings ready for the butterfly body.  |  4:  Buttefly wings getting attached to the butterfly body (thin pieces of black or brown paper wrapped around wire).  |  5: The custom-made baby shower garland (“It’s a Girl!” and “Baby”).  |  6: Some of the Life Pots ready for baby shower garland and baby pictures.

… And here are the lovely ‘Life Pots’ on display at the shower….

The finished Life Pots

I looked… I didn’t see any shoe stationery!

I Heart Shoes Personal Stationery

Here is my third entry to the minted.com contest.  The contest ends tomorrow, which means voting will open shortly after – they don’t post the day voting begins, so keep checking.

Paris in Pink Personal Stationery

I was asked to go to DC for a job. It was a good opportunity and I was going to be able to support another job as well. So I went there Wednesday and came back Thursday. It was a quick trip but I was happy to return to DC. I haven’t been there since moving in July 2006.

If you know me then you know that I would plan to cram as much as could in the time I had. I didn’t have a lot of time, let alone free time. I was so busy I didn’t get to visit with many of my old co-workers.

I did have two items on my list that I wanted to do Wednesday night which was the only night I had. I wanted to have crabcakes for dinner and I had to visit Paper Source. After a long day, two co-workers and I had had dinner at Legal Seafoods not far from work. This is where I enjoyed my crabcakes and smiled after each bite. It was great.

After dinner I was dropped off at my hotel where I quickly checked-in, visited the room to change, and then charged toward the metro on my mission to Paper Source. I was not disappointed. After the 20 minute metro ride on the blue line and a more than half a mile brisk walk, I was surrounded by wonderful paper and swirling creative thoughts. I left with much of what I wanted and was even able to cram all the goodies into my small suitcase and full laptop case for the flight back.

It was a good trip – work-wise and personal-wise. I will now be busy designing and implementing the website I was tasked and with designing all creative things for Holly’s baby shower.

Here is my second design submission to the “Keep in Touch Good Housekeeping Challenge” on minted.com.

Happy Spring Flowers Personal Stationery