tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-83094172127763393402024-03-26T23:37:53.830-07:00Two Early BirdsTwo Early Birdshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02663355500411969172noreply@blogger.comBlogger659125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8309417212776339340.post-74810446393439516502017-08-27T18:00:00.000-07:002017-08-27T18:00:53.432-07:00Snack is Coming!Hi there! I know we have been missing here for the last few months. Even with summer vacation, there doesn't seem to be enough hours in the day for everything. Perhaps one of these days we'll finally get it down and be able to get everything done, as planned.<br />
Anyway, today's post has been a few weeks in the making. You may have heard of a little show called "Game of Thrones". If not, you may live under a rock. (It's OK, I have been told I grew up under one ๐) When Caleb and I first started going out, he introduced me to the show with the "Red Wedding" (Imagine red cornstarch, EVERYWHERE...) It took me another few months to get over that episode and we started watching from the beginning. The only problem- it's addicting. For the last three seasons, we've re-watched the entire series. This season has gotten him through the work week this summer, and we've looked forward to it every Sunday.<br />
When this season began, we decided we wanted to throw a season premiere viewing party. Then it turned into a season finale viewing party. I started gathering a few ideas earlier this week, but then we decided against it because Sunday afternoons are kind of rough around here. However, as I was looking on Pinterest for ideas, I found a super cute shirt for the Little One.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv688OABEb-zH2YoVjLl7K34p0mzP2T9dW_gsDwgSPFA3fgsYqF1lsFq35mcDUKmIh6sHn0-EeqOIg23gvqQ3xJqOoF73c8urBRlVSLrgd9jEWPQHbg_10n3PcGKlxvhHhB6BOm5tPJVM/s1600/Knights+Watch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1072" data-original-width="1600" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv688OABEb-zH2YoVjLl7K34p0mzP2T9dW_gsDwgSPFA3fgsYqF1lsFq35mcDUKmIh6sHn0-EeqOIg23gvqQ3xJqOoF73c8urBRlVSLrgd9jEWPQHbg_10n3PcGKlxvhHhB6BOm5tPJVM/s320/Knights+Watch.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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For those of you who don't watch the show, the Nights Watch is the group of men who protect the Wall that stands between the Seven Kingdoms and the land beyond. For those of you who do watch the show, I didn't spell it wrong. I mean, I guess technically, yes, but it is a play on their last name. (I thought it was clever...) Then, the one shirt led to a handful of onesies for the future Littlest One:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxW-yT5lhhEWDl9SIRvqBk99JNDYAgUssbqBVX3Ah6nDirnEKS4A5ommwSmyHGkBAkNlp_JK-CCk8gImfXOWCHjfutKTwfC0PHZWp8UgzkkNanukFmF0h7L09ENo7ZlBgbuZC4lUk_TO8/s1600/GoT+Onesies.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1072" data-original-width="1600" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxW-yT5lhhEWDl9SIRvqBk99JNDYAgUssbqBVX3Ah6nDirnEKS4A5ommwSmyHGkBAkNlp_JK-CCk8gImfXOWCHjfutKTwfC0PHZWp8UgzkkNanukFmF0h7L09ENo7ZlBgbuZC4lUk_TO8/s320/GoT+Onesies.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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These are all show-themed sayings and designs, changed to fit babies and kids. I absolutely LOVE how these came out- and I got to use up some materials, which is always a great feeling! </div>
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And to enjoy while watching tonight, we made some "White Walker Direwolf Chow":</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBEIP2XLI98yP64vxqmPybJm_bnANHOYyyRGIqko4d0Zp_J5909kMhlwUbZ5kNKll1QXEIMgOfpUN8rYYaXmdKRKG-f47HNWdrnyOj4nUlIqrs0S8gJeXvraXf2gphcbn0TZeLqrROqW8/s1600/White+Walker+Chow.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1072" data-original-width="1600" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBEIP2XLI98yP64vxqmPybJm_bnANHOYyyRGIqko4d0Zp_J5909kMhlwUbZ5kNKll1QXEIMgOfpUN8rYYaXmdKRKG-f47HNWdrnyOj4nUlIqrs0S8gJeXvraXf2gphcbn0TZeLqrROqW8/s320/White+Walker+Chow.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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In the show, the White Walkers are a mysterious group of the undead that have come back and everyone has to come together in order to conquer them. The direwolf is the symbol of House Stark, and if I had to guess, Ghost is going to come help Jon and Co. Below are the directions to make this treat. This version is super quick and easy, and takes about 15 minutes to make, which includes melting time. Serving size depends on a few things, especially if you're anything like me and snack as you go. This recipe can also be doubled or halved quite easily.</div>
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<b>Ingredients</b>:</div>
<ul>
<li>5 cups Rice Chex (or a combination. I like Rice Chex because they're gluten free and have a 'neutral' taste, so you don't have to use a lot of other things to cover it up. You know?)</li>
<li>1/4 cup peanut butter</li>
<li>1/2 cup chocolate chips</li>
<li>3/4 cup powdered sugar </li>
<li>Blue, white, and black sprinkles and blue chocolate candies</li>
</ul>
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<b>Directions</b>:</div>
<ol>
<li>In a double boiler (or, if you're like me, you can use a glass bowl and water-filled saucepan), melt the peanut butter and chocolate. </li>
<li>Pour cereal into a mixing bowl. Slowly pour the peanut butter and chocolate over the cereal, and toss. Coat the cereal pieces completely. (Snack on the biggest chocolate-covered cereal piece you can find.)</li>
<li>Pour the powdered sugar and cereal mixture into a gallon-sized plastic bag. Seal tightly and shake. Make sure the cereal is entirely covered in the sugar. (Eat the biggest chunk you can find in the bag.)</li>
<li>Add the sprinkles and candies into the bag and shake again to mix. (Munch on a handful of the other colored candies) Enjoy the peanut butter and chocolatey goodness as you watch an episode or ten of <i>Game of Thrones</i></li>
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Now, I'd be lying if I didn't say this is really just another version of the iconic "Muddy Buddy" or "Puppy Chow" (hence the Direwolf reference). The combination of chocolate, powdered sugar, candies, and the sprinkles make it a perfectly tasty representation of the characters on the show. I actually lucked out and found a "Blizzard Mix" of sprinkles, which works even better for this mix.</div>
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<b></b>Two Early Birdshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08093087050407185745noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8309417212776339340.post-22890994990565618112017-05-09T04:00:00.000-07:002017-05-09T04:00:30.199-07:00Honoring a LegendIt's been a while, but I thought today would be a great day to post. Warning: It might get a little "mushy", and I'm OK with that. ๐<br />
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Every once in a while, people come along that have a true impact on your life. From family members, to teachers, to friends. Most of the time, these people come and go and we continue on the path we choose. Sometimes, we are most fortunate enough to meet people who start as "just the person down the street" to someone you consider family. This is my story of one such person. </div>
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Growing up, Coach Butler was just the man who lived down the street from us. He lived across the street from our grandparents, so we'd see him working in his yard when we visited. He'd occasionally stop by while we were over, but being the shy little girl, it was always kind of awkward. I'd sit there in silence, listening to the older people talk (Oh, and can he talk! I'd only learn later how true that was). I remember being at one of our grandparents' summer picnics and being terribly afraid because Coach's dog Hershey crossed the street for a visit. Here was this big, ol' German Shepard who I was sure was going to eat me. (I now know this wasn't true, and I'm pretty sure my dad tried to tell me this.) </div>
A few years passed, and when we got older and started running with our brother, he'd stop at the end of our runs and the two would chat. We'd continue our run home because we didn't have much to add to the conversation. However, these conversations would be the start of something amazing.<br />
Come fall of our freshman year, I remember sitting in the high school cafeteria, being one of a handful of freshmen signing up for indoor track (we decided to go with it, even after the Twins made fun of us for turning beet red that summer at the Track Restoration), and talking to Coach. Over the next four years, I learned just how much the man liked to talk, especially during Sports Awards, when we would sit in the front row, timing his speeches. By the end, I'm pretty sure they put a limit on how long he, and other coaches, could be up at the podium (think Hollywood awards nights and the music starting to play.) The four years of high school flew by and we made a TON of memories, from the Twin Relays, to the dog "poop" on the track, to everything else that I seem to be drawing a blank on. The four years in high school, under Coach's supervision and dedication, made me a stronger person (both literally and figuratively.)<br />
After college, we had the opportunity to begin coaching with him. It was the most rewarding four years. Through the early morning bus rides to the late night meets and hours upon hours in between, we learned the ins and outs of everything that went into running a high school athletic program. In the last year before we moved, we were honored as co- Connecticut Indoor Track Assistant Coach of the Year. This honor wouldn't have been possible without Coach Butler's mentorship. Or without him submitting our names (and being the only one who voted). (Annnd here come the tears. Have to hold it together- can't cry during school ;) ) He is the man I look up to, and compare all other coaches to. I have yet to meet another coach who shares the same passion and dedication as he does, for all of his athletes, whether they were All-New England, All-SWC or just trying to become an all-around better person.<br />
So, today, as Coach Butler is <i>finally</i> honored by the school district he has given so much of his time, energy, and love to, I would like to say "thank you" for absolutely everything. I couldn't think of a better man to have the track named for. This honor should have been given to him years ago, when he first led the effort to restore the track. He has done so much for the school and town, and this a truly well-deserved honor. I'm not sure how many more "after this person graduates, I'm going to retire" there are, but after who knows how many years (but he still looks the same 17 years later), hopefully he can enjoy the spotlight for a few hours, and then continue inspiring his athletes. I look forward to seeing him in a few months and catching up. That's one conversation I am looking forward to.Two Early Birdshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08093087050407185745noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8309417212776339340.post-80509655233785374282016-12-05T06:45:00.000-08:002016-12-05T06:45:05.838-08:00On the Fifth Day of ChristmasMrs. Claus spent the weekend decorating and decided a sale was in order for this week!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIKxbvAMsKIgJIyGZPv76cM34rLRhacwjFFbQIhpAMny1ynt2CRNtbLP9FQYKg1w9VCY2rQ9lAZCqUduQc5xFkz481E1d_7dAhG08c_ESi64lt4gqbm4shS3q5A1v29suMrO9SMG8j31w/s1600/Christmas+Chalkboard+Days.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIKxbvAMsKIgJIyGZPv76cM34rLRhacwjFFbQIhpAMny1ynt2CRNtbLP9FQYKg1w9VCY2rQ9lAZCqUduQc5xFkz481E1d_7dAhG08c_ESi64lt4gqbm4shS3q5A1v29suMrO9SMG8j31w/s1600/Christmas+Chalkboard+Days.jpg" /></a></div>
We know that everyone is busy around this time of the year, and party planning for a Little One (or a Big One) isn't always on the top of the "things-to-do" list. We want to help take the burden off of our customers (and put it on us!).<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirXeWjZAlkcjO7IwNyX33WnumpS507bq9u1WT6TbCQKj9KM-BDzMWBsAFlE3p60PvAeP174A0y490Fymm5QrXpdr0dh-lzBvwCq0s6wRJoGKAwYrUFKKkpR0jD1vD9SlB18B2pGUtmVwE/s1600/Holiday+2016+Sale.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="244" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirXeWjZAlkcjO7IwNyX33WnumpS507bq9u1WT6TbCQKj9KM-BDzMWBsAFlE3p60PvAeP174A0y490Fymm5QrXpdr0dh-lzBvwCq0s6wRJoGKAwYrUFKKkpR0jD1vD9SlB18B2pGUtmVwE/s320/Holiday+2016+Sale.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Now through Thursday, the more you purchase, the more you save! (These coupons can also be used at our www.twoearlybirds.com store, just send us a message!) This is a perfect time to pick up those invitations or banners to add to your holiday festivities!<br />
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Thanks for stopping by! We hope you come back tomorrow, when we'll have some helpful planning ideas!<br />
<br />Two Early Birdshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08093087050407185745noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8309417212776339340.post-5302230583733772942016-12-04T15:00:00.000-08:002016-12-04T15:14:15.069-08:00On the Fourth Day of ChristmasSanta brought an idea for a quick, last-minute gift!<br />
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We all know how busy it can get around this time of the year- obviously. And if you're anything like us, it always seems like you need to add one more person to the list. And then another. And another. (I definitely added three more to mine yesterday...) Whether it's a teacher at school or the letter carrier (two highly unappreciated jobs, especially around this time of the year, in my opinion) or you need a quick fix for one of those parties that sneak up on you (Secret Santa, White Elephant, etc), having something small on hand to give them isn't a bad idea. <br />
Today's project is a little coffee mug with a few yummy treats included.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRdEnTbSWavkFI4L_3nOXfXAJqHo7uUaLHcs4AWXertLHTDGG607xALrqDBLJzwZak07mqj8oaFYV8YrRqWpcALEpYmGQzXGFRsHZgK4cvkDHCODuECWUoX0BD4yJToc1UYHx-yUJWKjs/s1600/Cold+Hands+with+Cookies.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRdEnTbSWavkFI4L_3nOXfXAJqHo7uUaLHcs4AWXertLHTDGG607xALrqDBLJzwZak07mqj8oaFYV8YrRqWpcALEpYmGQzXGFRsHZgK4cvkDHCODuECWUoX0BD4yJToc1UYHx-yUJWKjs/s200/Cold+Hands+with+Cookies.jpg" width="150" /></a></div>
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Obviously, there are a million ways to run with this project. Since we wanted the coffee mug to be used for more than just Christmas, but still with the holiday feel, we went with a wintery theme for our mug. We made a basic hot chocolate mix to put into the mug, which includes layers of crushed peppermint chips (you can use chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, other kinds of baking chips, too) and small marshmallows. The gift was finished off with a small plate of shortcut peppermint chocolate chip cookies with a mocha glaze.<br />
The recipes we used for both the hot cocoa mix and cookies can be downloaded below. We've included some other ideas
to add to a basic hot chocolate recipe, as well, to make it your own!<br />
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You can download the files here: <br />
2016 Holiday Planner Insert & <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B_TXVxF2LaOBSTE1NFRRTlQ2dmM/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank">Recipes</a><br />
"Cold Hands, Warm Heart" <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B_TXVxF2LaOBdXhFMTVZWXlKa1k/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank">Studio File</a> <br />
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Thanks for stopping by! Have a fantastic day!Two Early Birdshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08093087050407185745noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8309417212776339340.post-72670522696556005202016-12-03T17:00:00.000-08:002016-12-03T18:03:23.448-08:00On the Third Day of ChristmasSanta ran a little late... Sometimes you happen to fall asleep 7:45, and have to get everything done the next day. However, today's project did get finished, so it's all good!<br />
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Today's project is a little DIY lighted garland that would be perfect for a tablescape or to hang on the mantel. These poinsettias are about 4โ wide and
come together in a snap (once the pieces are cut out). I won't lie to
you, I cut these out with my machine, so that helped, a lot. These
pieces can also be shrunken down a little to make napkin rings or
other decorations. These will add a lot of character and class to
your holiday!<br />
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For each flower, I used green, red, and
yellow (or gold) cardstock. There are three red layers to each flower
and a green holly leaf layer. If you want to add a little sparkle to
the flowers, you can add some white glitter to the edges for a snow-covered
look, gold veins in the petals, or gold sparkle instead of the paper in the center, like I did. Since you are going to be folding and rolling the pieces, I
recommend using thinner paper- it makes it easier to bend and fold.
In this case, I made each individual flower, and then worked around the little
bulbs on my light strand. I created five
poinsettias for this garland and skipped a few lights in between to
add a little sparkle and flare.
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Once everything is cut out, you can
follow these step-by-step directions to assemble the flowers. For
other decorations, you can cut the pieces out at this size or shrink
it down to a better size or enlarge it to make wall dรฉcor. </div>
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Here are the downloadable files, just for you!</div>
<a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B_TXVxF2LaOBRUJWamRSUS1HMmc/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank">Instructions PDF File</a> (with "Holiday Craft Ideas" Printable)<br />
<a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B_TXVxF2LaOBY1lIc2FZRVp0Zms/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank">Printable pattern file</a><br />
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SVG file: (coming soon!)</div>
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Thanks for taking a look! I'd love to
see some finished projects with the poinsettias!!</div>
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Two Early Birdshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08093087050407185745noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8309417212776339340.post-26065510345210640522016-12-02T06:00:00.000-08:002016-12-03T14:29:29.928-08:00On the Second Day of Christmas<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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A discount for you to use! <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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From today through Sunday night, everything in our store is Buy One, Get One 50% Off!In order to take advantage of this offer, just send us a message including what you are interested in. We'll create a custom listing for you with the new price. This offer can also be used with other discounts, including the month-long "BeMerry2016", that will give you 15% off your purchase of $25.00<br />
<br />Two Early Birdshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08093087050407185745noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8309417212776339340.post-49993239107323254242016-11-30T22:25:00.000-08:002016-11-30T22:25:51.031-08:00On the First Day of ChristmasHappy December! I can't believe how fast this year went! It's already the last page on the calendar and I still have my New Year's Resolutions on my computer, collecting dust (I think I made it to mid-January). I guess I won't have to do much thinking next year for any resolutions. I suppose we have to get through Christmas and the other holidays first, though.<br />
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To help everyone get going with their holiday to-do's and shopping lists, and everything else that seems to pop up during the holidays, today's gift to you is a holiday planner. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUeicXbMPMTBvq3-K5VuudSAKbismDXVBc0HQ60amYokxCLAJlQWi4zQvER-Xgm-wXJReFfojWRWtQ0KL6uugw-VGGXHzcocym7_ElUpeheT7sIjYnVyaQyETNDmfe-sD8-XNU_yr9BqM/s1600/Holiday+Planner+2016.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="153" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUeicXbMPMTBvq3-K5VuudSAKbismDXVBc0HQ60amYokxCLAJlQWi4zQvER-Xgm-wXJReFfojWRWtQ0KL6uugw-VGGXHzcocym7_ElUpeheT7sIjYnVyaQyETNDmfe-sD8-XNU_yr9BqM/s200/Holiday+Planner+2016.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
The cute little snowmen and bright colors will cheer anyone up and will surely help you get in the spirit! We decided to go with a more 'holiday/winter' theme so anyone can use it.The planner PDF file includes 21 pages (and a front & back cover) to start helping you get organized. Some of the pages include calendars, wish-list planning, budget trackers, a list to keep track of cards, checklists, and decoration inventories (helpful for next year, too!) The planner can be downloaded <a href="https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B_TXVxF2LaOBNGZndUl6alRHam8" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
Now, there may be a few of you who are thinking, "Oh, what about matching party lists or menus, or is there a sheet for a bunch of notes and reminders?". Those are coming! Over the next twelve days, I'll be adding some more pages to this file (I'll add them separately, so you don't have to download everything multiple times!)<br />
Thanks for stopping by! Have a fantastic day!Two Early Birdshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08093087050407185745noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8309417212776339340.post-68668790459418171162016-11-30T06:00:00.000-08:002016-11-30T06:16:02.663-08:00He's Making a List...Good morning! Now that everyone has spent the last week starting (or finishing) their holiday shopping, we thought it would be a perfect time to help make the holidays a little easier! Over the next 12 days, we'll be hosting our own little version of the <br />
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Each day, we'll provide you with tips, tricks, and discounts to make the end of this year the best yet! Each day has been thoughtfully planned and designed to help take the stress out of the holidays (especially tomorrow's post, if you're anything like me this year and are feeling totally overwhelmed). From planning tips to DIY printables, we are looking forward to helping our customers have the happiest holidays ever!<br />
To get the festivities started, we're offering a coupon for 15% off any purchase of $25 or more now through the end of the year. To save, use coupon code "BeMerry2016" at checkout.<br />
Thank you so much for stopping by!Two Early Birdshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08093087050407185745noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8309417212776339340.post-67801328315494578542016-11-28T06:00:00.000-08:002016-11-28T17:08:35.522-08:00Monster Fun!!<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=8309417212776339340" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=8309417212776339340" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a>I hope everyone had a fantastic holiday weekend! I was fortunate enough to be able to celebrate with Caleb's family and friends. We made the trek out to Montana on Tuesday night (and only sat in traffic through the first 40 miles). After taking a tour of his hometown, and five more hours of driving (or sleeping, in my case), we made it to our destination. It was probably the most "scenic" trip I've taken through Montana. Luckily, the weather was absolutely gorgeous (50 degrees and sun!) and only hit a patch of snow in the mountains. And to make everything even better, his family is absolutely amazing! I was super nervous about meeting all of them (and feeling like an oddball) but they are the nicest people! (When he told me they were the meanest, I was a little worried. He was just giving me a hard time. Luckily there wasn't a test at the end of the trip! Too many people to remember!)<br />
Anyway, after driving all day Saturday (or again, sleeping in the back of the car), we didn't do much Saturday night and I slowly started getting back into the swing of things on Sunday. Here are the two projects I was working on that I'm so excited to share! These items are for a Little Monster's first birthday. The two items match our "Monsters, Inc." party decorations.<br />
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=8309417212776339340" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=8309417212776339340" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6Y-8hfdeL2NLgTmaFe8uYr5aBy2g3pa9ovwv8GsRDA5HYr7BzqITdJJSebyGv-o8dukVBdvSmTuBun6aOIKVJrHKJSVkeV5u5GhyphenhyphenhRnktLSfNCvLpI0EmP8zWhv62Qk4XEKdBamKRLHU/s1600/Monsters%252C+Inc+Centerpiece.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6Y-8hfdeL2NLgTmaFe8uYr5aBy2g3pa9ovwv8GsRDA5HYr7BzqITdJJSebyGv-o8dukVBdvSmTuBun6aOIKVJrHKJSVkeV5u5GhyphenhyphenhRnktLSfNCvLpI0EmP8zWhv62Qk4XEKdBamKRLHU/s320/Monsters%252C+Inc+Centerpiece.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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The picture above shows a 30-piece set of centerpieces. There are 6 sets with 5 pieces in each set. Each set includes a "Happy Birthday", a name/age pieces, and three characters. Each piece is double-sided and the words are pop-dotted. This was definitely a labor of love (and lots of fine!). Since it took me a little longer than I would have liked to finish, I decided to add a bag of confetti in as a "free gift". Here's what that looks like:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQFxgbHaO4o9PHLi-Af65ZQUedJWCmuu464Z3HKezlmybxf7dJohB-NKSHB-F2JUtQEd8RkMXp-harWMZcHAaDBbuPBujS9RZmrMUNtJ2Udn7JTFQDouBJmX6qjZtZSNhYKyYzCW0NWNE/s1600/Monsters%252C+Inc+Confetti.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQFxgbHaO4o9PHLi-Af65ZQUedJWCmuu464Z3HKezlmybxf7dJohB-NKSHB-F2JUtQEd8RkMXp-harWMZcHAaDBbuPBujS9RZmrMUNtJ2Udn7JTFQDouBJmX6qjZtZSNhYKyYzCW0NWNE/s320/Monsters%252C+Inc+Confetti.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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I was super excited about how this turned out! I'm glad my original plan worked out better than I expected (and that I took the easy way with the character pieces!!) This bag of confetti contains almost 400 tiny pieces! These two pieces would make the perfect addition to any party, especially with the favor bags from a few weeks ago!</div>
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Thanks for stopping by! Have a wonderful day!</div>
Two Early Birdshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08093087050407185745noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8309417212776339340.post-71701862355405353212016-10-26T06:00:00.000-07:002016-10-26T06:00:22.143-07:00What's This?! What's This?!This is Halloween! Good morning! I hope everyone is having a fantastic week. With now less than a week to go before Halloween, I guess a "Nightmare Before Christmas" post is better late than never. (Hey, it's before Christmas, so there's that!)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGY1xPl-Y51gKB8GIvU6538aI5rtS0d0EJ0h9Q8Ub2eU80w6jd-rY22r1EwI6_7hueaDwQdr_JDEdESnIIfZ7x6kpe1eS3uwelrfIvsT4chyphenhyphenmjLBQYsTWuanoG7zLEuSCnXxq4K99jb8Q/s1600/Happy+Birthday+banner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGY1xPl-Y51gKB8GIvU6538aI5rtS0d0EJ0h9Q8Ub2eU80w6jd-rY22r1EwI6_7hueaDwQdr_JDEdESnIIfZ7x6kpe1eS3uwelrfIvsT4chyphenhyphenmjLBQYsTWuanoG7zLEuSCnXxq4K99jb8Q/s320/Happy+Birthday+banner.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
I started this project, or at least came up with the idea, a few weeks ago, but finally got around to putting the finishing touches on it. This picture includes a "Happy Birthday" banner and a 10'+ garland. The banner features two little Jack Skellingtons, and of course I included a little Zero in the middle!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj458UueedIIsFaCi50taQzGLrP2jCYV_kOcbo_Rd8FM8OaPJhtRU6i5V06ntx3utzEP7_i6pJ6t2mqfPT6Z7gubWx0IxYG0bWVgZ9TkmdkNSSAIIk6F05OF69IuKAfeNcF_i3zBr2lwYw/s1600/Happy+Birthday+banner+Zero.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj458UueedIIsFaCi50taQzGLrP2jCYV_kOcbo_Rd8FM8OaPJhtRU6i5V06ntx3utzEP7_i6pJ6t2mqfPT6Z7gubWx0IxYG0bWVgZ9TkmdkNSSAIIk6F05OF69IuKAfeNcF_i3zBr2lwYw/s320/Happy+Birthday+banner+Zero.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
The garland has some of Jack's facial expressions. To top it off, both pieces feature purple sparkled cardstock because glitter makes everything better! (It's not a great picture. Apologies.)<br />
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These will be up for sale later today, along with some place cards and party favors! (I understand it's a little late for Halloween, but hey, maybe there's someone out there who wants a "Nightmare Before" Christmas!!)<br />
Thanks for stopping by! Enjoy the rest of your day!Two Early Birdshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08093087050407185745noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8309417212776339340.post-4786682483941787462016-10-23T10:00:00.000-07:002016-10-24T13:54:40.584-07:00Catching Up!Good morning! The last few months have been a little hectic around here. After the rush of summer orders came in, school started in full swing. I was offered a position at a high school, so that has taken up a LOT of my time recently. Not going to lie, most days I go home and fall asleep, even though I try hard to fight it! When I don't fall asleep, my time has been taken up with work orders. Luckily, or unluckily, the orders have settled down, so I have had a little more time to work on some new items!<br />
Here are a few of the new items we've been working on in the little free time the last few weeks. There are a few Halloween items (in the little time that's left before the holiday!), along with some new themes. Here are my favorite new items!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLJDBhmArqCpKZswXxgxrV0ic9BDokVUaFAZk5tEijWV2Bff446pduaOFjUQ3-CsLsoDmx6Ydc8GLRiXRInwRxq45pItkmpKyq8Mc9I418DHshQ8bTqO04Tmt6N5HEJC4fgm-X7CXQcfk/s1600/Monsters%252C+Inc+Party+Favors.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLJDBhmArqCpKZswXxgxrV0ic9BDokVUaFAZk5tEijWV2Bff446pduaOFjUQ3-CsLsoDmx6Ydc8GLRiXRInwRxq45pItkmpKyq8Mc9I418DHshQ8bTqO04Tmt6N5HEJC4fgm-X7CXQcfk/s320/Monsters%252C+Inc+Party+Favors.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
These "Monsters, Inc." cuties are the newest party favors! How cute are they?! (I don't usually toot my own horn, but 'toot-toot'!) These are probably my favoritest (I know it's not a real word) item for sale! They match our other "Monsters, Inc." party decorations. We also have a few other Halloween-y items coming soon!<br />
As promised, we have some other new items and themes available.The first is this little bird garland.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt5iWvkMaV82t7S_0nhyphenhyphennyjWVVwIsSDPjF0-ljvxRI8sTWNpKkDHIXDN3n2lGJVjcHBIvxiUSU7PR_Qi7gsI8iruQTwbj0cqd-TjGU9EbqUalM85Iz5hKaJSxgxDRaxsZLBA0sx4OqeJk/s1600/Bird+Garland.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt5iWvkMaV82t7S_0nhyphenhyphennyjWVVwIsSDPjF0-ljvxRI8sTWNpKkDHIXDN3n2lGJVjcHBIvxiUSU7PR_Qi7gsI8iruQTwbj0cqd-TjGU9EbqUalM85Iz5hKaJSxgxDRaxsZLBA0sx4OqeJk/s320/Bird+Garland.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Each piece is about 5" high and is on white thread to make it look like they float. (Right after this one was done, I started planning a Christmas one! Hopefully my thoughts get onto, or turned into, paper!) The last two pictures for today are the new themes we have to offer. Not all the pieces are made, but we can do custom colors and shapes! The first are our mermaid cuts and the other are zebra-print napkin rings and lollipop covers! (Pink would work well for a bachelorette party!!)<br />
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Stay tuned this week (hopefully tomorrow, but probably Tuesday) for a new party theme! I love how it's coming out so far, and I'm sure there'll be others who fall in love with it too!!<br />
Thanks for stopping by!! <br />
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<br />Two Early Birdshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08093087050407185745noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8309417212776339340.post-42341643226978449342016-08-29T08:45:00.000-07:002016-08-29T08:45:01.304-07:00Getting Ready to Head Back to SchoolIt's that time of year again, when the temperatures drop 20 degrees in a day, the leaves start to change colors, and the little (and big) kiddos head back to school. Most of our teacher friends have already gone back to school or will this week. Luckily, we still have another week and a half before our new school year starts. In honor of the new year, I decided to make a banner to mark the occasion (because, why not?!)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy84vaN8Xp0oHt0Il3Q_xzQCHVWz9OpMfPu3GcUKfokvlOenuv0lHkl6q-MBTlA8sfteOTlZ1DR0hphcTPGwN9GR93liyNqD3qvFazDx64s77mLZoH-ooDVLsG4Hn1ta3yJppZBEliuM8/s1600/Back+to+School+Banner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="171" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy84vaN8Xp0oHt0Il3Q_xzQCHVWz9OpMfPu3GcUKfokvlOenuv0lHkl6q-MBTlA8sfteOTlZ1DR0hphcTPGwN9GR93liyNqD3qvFazDx64s77mLZoH-ooDVLsG4Hn1ta3yJppZBEliuM8/s320/Back+to+School+Banner.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
I was inspired by another chalkboard banner I was working on and thought a school one would be perfect (of course!) To add some special touches, the heart has been glittered and I added some tissue paper fringe, since glitter and fringe make everything better- even the first-day-of-school jitters! I think it's pretty awesome, even if I've already gotten a complaint or two about it. It was totally understandable, though. He's just not quite ready for school to start and would much rather have it be summer all year!<br />
*Also, FREE to any teacher or staff member who might want a banner to decorate their space this year!!* <br />
Thanks for stopping by this morning! Have a fantastic day!<br />
<br />Two Early Birdshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08093087050407185745noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8309417212776339340.post-22185771303691673942016-08-20T09:00:00.000-07:002016-08-20T09:10:32.244-07:00It's Time for Oktoberfest!Good morning! I hope everyone is having a great start to their weekend. It's going to be another scorcher here today- the last few days have all been in the high 90's (which is saying a lot for us out here). Luckily, the mornings are nice and the cooler weather gives you some time to think clearly, instead of just wanting to nap and not do much of anything- hence the reason I'm writing now!<br />
One way to look at it is that with the "end" (??) of summer begins fall! We're getting closer and closer to cooler temperatures, leaves changing, Pumpkin Spice-<i>everything</i>, and Oktoberfest! This week has been occupied with getting items ready for a few of these parties. We're currently working on two- a "Gardenfest" party (which sounds like a lot of fun ;) ) and a Little One's First Birthday. Here are a few pictures of what we have so far:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOtICZBodbgCgsy-Af_ltoeyvodHnExDJHUjZqeUxdPnkyMi4-A_3zpIfheluc-fdkql3HCl2JXtmnUZ0VaGO2ac8nmm1bLBaVYR5lkdToZgG8c9cPXMLOIVsN5WO_CkAHcgrFtJ9hjoY/s1600/Gardenfest+2016.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOtICZBodbgCgsy-Af_ltoeyvodHnExDJHUjZqeUxdPnkyMi4-A_3zpIfheluc-fdkql3HCl2JXtmnUZ0VaGO2ac8nmm1bLBaVYR5lkdToZgG8c9cPXMLOIVsN5WO_CkAHcgrFtJ9hjoY/s200/Gardenfest+2016.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihE8hZ5XrPt93c7nTmAWseEjiGtWCCUcnL2S6xDVMBqvebLMYGDoFtkLo-_ImbWYhKPYzKS7BnL37EXPnIPIokcE3TbTOXj5xxEpHxMv3R2grXPVWprA4AWR2DcALf3yhSjTbVvzyyt6w/s1600/Oktoberfest+I+am+1+banner+2016.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihE8hZ5XrPt93c7nTmAWseEjiGtWCCUcnL2S6xDVMBqvebLMYGDoFtkLo-_ImbWYhKPYzKS7BnL37EXPnIPIokcE3TbTOXj5xxEpHxMv3R2grXPVWprA4AWR2DcALf3yhSjTbVvzyyt6w/s200/Oktoberfest+I+am+1+banner+2016.jpg" width="200" /> </a></div>
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There are a few more items that need to get finished this weekend. Hopefully a good chunk will get done this morning before it gets too hot and no work will get done! </div>
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Oktoberfest items available <a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/239410914" target="_blank">here</a>.</div>
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Thanks for stopping by! Have a great day!!</div>
<br />Two Early Birdshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08093087050407185745noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8309417212776339340.post-83364634140245468932016-08-17T13:15:00.000-07:002016-08-17T13:15:02.013-07:00Welcome, Little One!Good morning! I've been a little quiet around here. I know, I know. I say it ever time that I'm going to post more frequently. And then never do. (Although 3 weeks is more frequent than normal!!) There just isn't enough hours in the day to get everything done! I can't seem to even finish the little things in time...<br />
Anyway, one thing I did get done in time was a new baby gift for a Little One who's making her appearance any day now! (Hopefully she's punctual!!) My new, go-to "New Baby" gift are baby blocks counting months and years in Baby's life.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlFGhUu3LF7gCJhEt64tPik1MsgvP-hPaTatKxjnT0bikdc7xrbtIOjnJGL9rIPAUBxFhnq7fp6zytrimtV3Mf3xxSOM9A_1rK6Lq7oAcXpnUVPXd4rrNyRh55Zh14VntF_FDYz49OMzQ/s1600/Penny%2527s+Blocks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlFGhUu3LF7gCJhEt64tPik1MsgvP-hPaTatKxjnT0bikdc7xrbtIOjnJGL9rIPAUBxFhnq7fp6zytrimtV3Mf3xxSOM9A_1rK6Lq7oAcXpnUVPXd4rrNyRh55Zh14VntF_FDYz49OMzQ/s320/Penny%2527s+Blocks.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
These personalized blocks are perfect for the monthly pictures that have become so popular. I went with a pink and gray critter scheme to match the nursery (or at least I hope it does...) The gator is a 'tribute' to her mom's past- I couldn't find any animal riding a bike ;) And, of course, there is a matching card to complete the gift.<br />
Until next time, thanks for looking and have a great day!<br />
<br />
<br />Two Early Birdshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08093087050407185745noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8309417212776339340.post-1502075310898626002016-07-20T10:06:00.002-07:002016-07-20T10:06:53.123-07:00Catching Up!Good morning! It has obviously been quite a while since anything was posted here. The last few months have been extremely busy around here- between the parents visiting, the end of the school year, packing up and moving in, and working on a TON of orders in June and the beginning of this month, it finally feels like I can take a moment to sit back, relax, and take a deep breath! (Yesterday was the first time in quite a while I didn't actually do much of anything... and I kind of felt bad about it...)<br />
Anyway, like I've said, it's been quite a busy few months. Here are some projects I've worked on:<br />
* A slew of invitations:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI-6Q3mVJNmb8y4nVWvPMIHt43YN_jW3hKHlxRfLOLiqQNJ-MOKvKXq2wn5im1_gnYn1uDSrtbQq6rES0BjuuPPr7OYoIX2QmIJyXFp8wnEEccfIrqAy0EYmUZVqS-KkkSZP-7DErojso/s1600/IMG_0087.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI-6Q3mVJNmb8y4nVWvPMIHt43YN_jW3hKHlxRfLOLiqQNJ-MOKvKXq2wn5im1_gnYn1uDSrtbQq6rES0BjuuPPr7OYoIX2QmIJyXFp8wnEEccfIrqAy0EYmUZVqS-KkkSZP-7DErojso/s200/IMG_0087.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOJ6b69Riz5_fK4X2D3MuY_qUUH0p1eGnqfoX_ekFDpt8cXM4sNAISHPsC5rfMO31FTmeg0gTS6iHN-2yY0PKZ1UwqTpfulONRrEkWWHDqnDMwIqa9U7xFPha9A2bjAhhemEQseo_8nOs/s1600/Superhero+Comic+Folder+Invitations.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOJ6b69Riz5_fK4X2D3MuY_qUUH0p1eGnqfoX_ekFDpt8cXM4sNAISHPsC5rfMO31FTmeg0gTS6iHN-2yY0PKZ1UwqTpfulONRrEkWWHDqnDMwIqa9U7xFPha9A2bjAhhemEQseo_8nOs/s200/Superhero+Comic+Folder+Invitations.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1EeLlJD_HxB3MCEnc2Fl_z-Z2ah1AelO7VDZlRksy_opS4kvB944gsAZO8yK82UP3-w63AwCCneDP67IcK_IpVLbDWTfVmEr7AcP1c3Mlr7efV2cfR3WygiMgJceUGcR21I3bp7k8wnQ/s1600/IMG_0049.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1EeLlJD_HxB3MCEnc2Fl_z-Z2ah1AelO7VDZlRksy_opS4kvB944gsAZO8yK82UP3-w63AwCCneDP67IcK_IpVLbDWTfVmEr7AcP1c3Mlr7efV2cfR3WygiMgJceUGcR21I3bp7k8wnQ/s200/IMG_0049.JPG" width="150" /></a></div>
* New party favors (including additions to the princesses!)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW_lFxFGhrKai5afVaz2a4LLAn-lbpjlPgwa0mHrGt1C0M52gA0aMwFZ0e8ERel0VJ52v-mpk2gFZhGAM4ny9v5CcskgwtsaznD-s9esiUzCkSvbXR9qlufwkErpAKp4WFAY09nr_tf3U/s1600/Princess.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW_lFxFGhrKai5afVaz2a4LLAn-lbpjlPgwa0mHrGt1C0M52gA0aMwFZ0e8ERel0VJ52v-mpk2gFZhGAM4ny9v5CcskgwtsaznD-s9esiUzCkSvbXR9qlufwkErpAKp4WFAY09nr_tf3U/s200/Princess.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_Bf51DRavJF5YNbo1B0I8bDwQSNTJQqxHcnqWvzMOZ12-hgHh3z24Ac0k2zrkRpDjrnGtnkMZD8PiWHOfImK01NAY6yuTHiEP6NwdM8wwixmQil3Xa8ktyRTG1dlAsw-AGMr90lRYhn4/s1600/Prince.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_Bf51DRavJF5YNbo1B0I8bDwQSNTJQqxHcnqWvzMOZ12-hgHh3z24Ac0k2zrkRpDjrnGtnkMZD8PiWHOfImK01NAY6yuTHiEP6NwdM8wwixmQil3Xa8ktyRTG1dlAsw-AGMr90lRYhn4/s200/Prince.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE0oO64LUYQBGADNjfcsxybdPRtQRXyOxhaZAhYawJu8OeBRUSgz_BVJ6WDSmDdqQyziUlB3r24PErIJYsXowinMZVMU8i5i36OO1noRlWr9X7oDkWJ1TsZXjyQWz7_FW30jAWV2vj4hY/s1600/Go+Diego+Go+Bags.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE0oO64LUYQBGADNjfcsxybdPRtQRXyOxhaZAhYawJu8OeBRUSgz_BVJ6WDSmDdqQyziUlB3r24PErIJYsXowinMZVMU8i5i36OO1noRlWr9X7oDkWJ1TsZXjyQWz7_FW30jAWV2vj4hY/s200/Go+Diego+Go+Bags.jpg" width="200" /> </a></div>
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(These "Diego" bags aren't brand new, but I wanted to share them here!!) </div>
* Some assorted items:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgczm624BbzrK58gmydstCFJvserw1Kx9NSsXFh79_UJIAzR1X0Bt9IrE2iI_TV5XZPgh5tzWDfxhyDWKtJyHFvidg-7NByx9XZIZcqNTog7ZKtlzsxbtt-7QIq5xBH4K3AxmqjEyiiaMI/s1600/Dory-Nemo+Birthday+Banners.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgczm624BbzrK58gmydstCFJvserw1Kx9NSsXFh79_UJIAzR1X0Bt9IrE2iI_TV5XZPgh5tzWDfxhyDWKtJyHFvidg-7NByx9XZIZcqNTog7ZKtlzsxbtt-7QIq5xBH4K3AxmqjEyiiaMI/s200/Dory-Nemo+Birthday+Banners.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGv2Vzj8w1JbfvXXyoiGd2542FBKoMX-snHFtrQcpmSsm-Eq_ihAqnlXUOevA242r2J4TiDoOg_mHZqaPacPnwmIjwdmU1Ykd9xBJpdyeAVv9562aB6XHxt50j2OysMUyG0It1AYSc6fs/s1600/Dory-Nemo+Cupcake+Toppers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGv2Vzj8w1JbfvXXyoiGd2542FBKoMX-snHFtrQcpmSsm-Eq_ihAqnlXUOevA242r2J4TiDoOg_mHZqaPacPnwmIjwdmU1Ykd9xBJpdyeAVv9562aB6XHxt50j2OysMUyG0It1AYSc6fs/s200/Dory-Nemo+Cupcake+Toppers.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk7xt6GUop2TMwRaf8XlWJjaJoG9yoOujHJJJulGmE8AcXjTcKou4mXMJ3-auYIonHaJIbT7T0fB5cQPsqJZIpLrvRzXO3aNvSkgyX1GLxKKvhU6PF8Grle_A7bkQzeRcHmBOJxKrifnA/s1600/Luau+Birthday+Banner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="138" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk7xt6GUop2TMwRaf8XlWJjaJoG9yoOujHJJJulGmE8AcXjTcKou4mXMJ3-auYIonHaJIbT7T0fB5cQPsqJZIpLrvRzXO3aNvSkgyX1GLxKKvhU6PF8Grle_A7bkQzeRcHmBOJxKrifnA/s320/Luau+Birthday+Banner.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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* And lastly, some larger-scale party decorations:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsHkFAi6AnPKXgqH8o_UsCpkHyNVC8KvKrfTKHwV_pAZwiEXhTfXNLZQxxs-rR6GdCv8ztWoJsqgREh9VW-q8NZM_zu2GWgD-HtcykyAaGwkYC9uy2409RlISAz0rXp6JhCQ125chElsg/s1600/Mickey+Baseball+Collage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsHkFAi6AnPKXgqH8o_UsCpkHyNVC8KvKrfTKHwV_pAZwiEXhTfXNLZQxxs-rR6GdCv8ztWoJsqgREh9VW-q8NZM_zu2GWgD-HtcykyAaGwkYC9uy2409RlISAz0rXp6JhCQ125chElsg/s200/Mickey+Baseball+Collage.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo4hmFyZPNU1NY-lsI9FDdNNzjlfYlREMipPOQUb1I_YHld4lAGZxLrgrK7kxWMb-gyZvrR-ooRX3yGZTZlG7j6uQfwzzzEF2RNz53B7FpJYOjmNEeq3-obN5xtuD0XYmmGUt3pmVsJLM/s1600/TMNT+Collage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo4hmFyZPNU1NY-lsI9FDdNNzjlfYlREMipPOQUb1I_YHld4lAGZxLrgrK7kxWMb-gyZvrR-ooRX3yGZTZlG7j6uQfwzzzEF2RNz53B7FpJYOjmNEeq3-obN5xtuD0XYmmGUt3pmVsJLM/s200/TMNT+Collage.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf9rn_vYa6M2oJkZncZvMPRympUvQ8AqrHki3q7Eq-zayurxedlewKV9QAjcUXCEkgrL_ydxmj2pN8vWZD3-oX4MrfBgtjO55lsC7CBhmeGyMCsaeWigz-BgHHgO0SBNtWE4707FyvMXo/s1600/Woodland+Critters+Collage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf9rn_vYa6M2oJkZncZvMPRympUvQ8AqrHki3q7Eq-zayurxedlewKV9QAjcUXCEkgrL_ydxmj2pN8vWZD3-oX4MrfBgtjO55lsC7CBhmeGyMCsaeWigz-BgHHgO0SBNtWE4707FyvMXo/s200/Woodland+Critters+Collage.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivArt-2Q7n772T1P934tmRLn9ZrgEXbu5G21IHGm6rIvAwYU6hMB66gM3emj_LJnCABBaBnBffHVuKx-DsT5a_pAHf9K3trEfYbb5wxObHveZ8jkn07olYtSEV5UhuOviw9fqGR72osBY/s1600/ETTJ0350.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivArt-2Q7n772T1P934tmRLn9ZrgEXbu5G21IHGm6rIvAwYU6hMB66gM3emj_LJnCABBaBnBffHVuKx-DsT5a_pAHf9K3trEfYbb5wxObHveZ8jkn07olYtSEV5UhuOviw9fqGR72osBY/s200/ETTJ0350.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
Now, hopefully I can work on those New Year's Resolutions- keeping everything updated and start working on all the new projects I have in mind!!Two Early Birdshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08093087050407185745noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8309417212776339340.post-38812560735438717332016-05-04T07:10:00.000-07:002016-05-04T07:19:53.116-07:00May the 4th Be with You!After all these years, I finally broke down and hopped on the Star Wars bandwagon. I guess it's about time, too, especially when you have more than a handful of family members, both young and old, who are fans... I have two "inspired" projects to share with you today. The first is a birthday banner:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDP50n5jMU8PjuxM6t0COaH6ZnHRS6mLylYoUkDiVcOhPpcekCv9rLix4lrlnvEvhhbRnm7ltzWdH9A4XyOfTpUg0kcb7Igv4mhHa2HwEqHojU-7Xn1kN-SI_O0UXiuV4kQaq1FTOtnkE/s1600/Star+Wars+Birthday+Banner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDP50n5jMU8PjuxM6t0COaH6ZnHRS6mLylYoUkDiVcOhPpcekCv9rLix4lrlnvEvhhbRnm7ltzWdH9A4XyOfTpUg0kcb7Igv4mhHa2HwEqHojU-7Xn1kN-SI_O0UXiuV4kQaq1FTOtnkE/s320/Star+Wars+Birthday+Banner.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
For the banner, I used a font similar to the one used throughout the franchise. To add a girly, yet subtle, touch, the letters and pennant backgrounds were made in "galactic gold" (perfect name, huh?!) Of course, everything is multi-layered, because that's what I do! The two banner pieces are book-ended with some favorite characters.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSK3CuhMPqEXyXDmAqLG-oaGpBMenXT4RChFZJ7kkltknbzdYMfGsHplxFRaMwHisIsRbaf_4FjWIqcWxVqAI2UtF6rn04n5ny2_aSzK42Uv2CPyUHCJnr1mtZZNmhp3UwlGFjjP1FWnI/s1600/Star+Wars+Birthday+Banner3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSK3CuhMPqEXyXDmAqLG-oaGpBMenXT4RChFZJ7kkltknbzdYMfGsHplxFRaMwHisIsRbaf_4FjWIqcWxVqAI2UtF6rn04n5ny2_aSzK42Uv2CPyUHCJnr1mtZZNmhp3UwlGFjjP1FWnI/s320/Star+Wars+Birthday+Banner3.jpg" width="214" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbSqEzMczmmqV_6XKKgM-s2ck9DQ_kOIUNmGPXusfBBswnMBG1vHr0QpPsteLMlC0V_8pdRWB9Ipy68JSYhiwRtZm7epkKghNGq31hZXck6Cb6jn2oe46p_dvqlhEAe4q5ibcI32B6Vu0/s1600/Star+Wars+Birthday+Banner2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbSqEzMczmmqV_6XKKgM-s2ck9DQ_kOIUNmGPXusfBBswnMBG1vHr0QpPsteLMlC0V_8pdRWB9Ipy68JSYhiwRtZm7epkKghNGq31hZXck6Cb6jn2oe46p_dvqlhEAe4q5ibcI32B6Vu0/s320/Star+Wars+Birthday+Banner2.jpg" width="214" /></a></div>
This is where it got a little tricky, because of the characters. I didn't want to just print and cut the characters out (Eww, yuck. I never liked the look of that. Anyone can print out pictures and glue them on.) After a little work and maneuvering, and patience with the small pieces, everything came together, better than planned! (I may be a small fan now, only because of this)<br />
The second project is a matching birthday card for the Brother (talk about old fan...) I had one card designed and (somewhat) ready to send out, but then this idea came into my head and I decided to go with it. I hope he's OK with it 1.) being late and 2.) not a surprise...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFEved2-eAvpEi9j6QbAya0wSZTDVIIZ63azMecAI1JaMsyF_lazQpfUNIdBMXOtnJxzZfQG1oHfsQdVJvRgzSE3ClD1w5fmQkK3XMDtgULgyTY5cKy8NY9gXMboXWi2j0RgKpFRkG9_U/s1600/Star+Wars+Yoda+Birthday+Card.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFEved2-eAvpEi9j6QbAya0wSZTDVIIZ63azMecAI1JaMsyF_lazQpfUNIdBMXOtnJxzZfQG1oHfsQdVJvRgzSE3ClD1w5fmQkK3XMDtgULgyTY5cKy8NY9gXMboXWi2j0RgKpFRkG9_U/s320/Star+Wars+Yoda+Birthday+Card.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
The inside of the card, which I unfortunately don't have a picture of, is printed out in the same font as the banner and reads "Wishing Yoda Happiest Birthday, I am. Celebrate, you must." (obviously read in Yoda's voice)<br />
Who knew Star Wars could be so fun?! Now, maybe I'll continue working on the matching party favors I started like two years ago...<br />
Have a great day!Two Early Birdshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08093087050407185745noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8309417212776339340.post-13819570210125173572016-05-02T07:15:00.000-07:002016-05-02T07:24:35.249-07:00We're Back! (And Brought Along a Few Friends!)Oh, my!! We're back! It has obviously been quite a long time. I'd love to be able to use some amazing, awesome excuse as to why we haven't posted anything here in <i>such </i>a long time, but after trying out some new endeavors, this little piece kind of got pushed to the back burner. Not forgotten, just kind of like the week-old leftovers in the fridge. In the meantime, we have been working on putting a cohesive look to our little business, a new "stand-alone" online store, orders, and every day life (who knew naptime for the Little One would turn into naptime for the Big One, too? Or at least the Big One being used as a pillow?)<br />
After debating internally for a while, we have decided to take the next step and open an on-line store. Not that we don't love our Etsy store, but we thought maybe it was a good time to branch out and try something new, and hopefully bring along a few friends and make some new ones! We have more items available in this store, including many new invitations (for now. One section at a time!) The link to this new store is www.twoearlybirds.com/our-store. Like everything in life, it's a work in progress!<br />
I guess now that the mundane is done (tried to keep it quick and simple!) we have a few new projects planned over the next few months. (Hopefully we can keep on top of things and not let it slide like we've done in the past...) With the new movie "Finding Dory" coming out later this summer, we decided to start Dory-themed party line. We probably should have started with invitations, but sometimes an idea comes to you and you have to run with it! This was one of those projects:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzbd3VNk0zLbolPE9LizoxhJGk-tBAOSd4SSwvo-gVm_ZxtD6goMUub7TxgePerXPifI95ErImPMtUjzFEVrIrqUB9n5Tp7FBbVXjCeHbjYn2S-t_2VJuyYOJ_1FMaXilyUQNaoOBJzAA/s1600/Finding+Dory+Banner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzbd3VNk0zLbolPE9LizoxhJGk-tBAOSd4SSwvo-gVm_ZxtD6goMUub7TxgePerXPifI95ErImPMtUjzFEVrIrqUB9n5Tp7FBbVXjCeHbjYn2S-t_2VJuyYOJ_1FMaXilyUQNaoOBJzAA/s320/Finding+Dory+Banner.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
This piece features everyone's favorite Blue Tang and Clown fishes.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjVqJ7dG-ueBTeP6n_bCMoWyilap__A2dWVAJd5RcUXwduDAmuZ-uQXiWgRW8ePxFLGMFk4Ab7rNN0qPPHwq-z5ASmW3NQrsIckGk__0c0-9HKaHiPsnRPEUEggKWMP9AyCFrXaXVyqkY/s1600/Finding+Dory+Dory.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjVqJ7dG-ueBTeP6n_bCMoWyilap__A2dWVAJd5RcUXwduDAmuZ-uQXiWgRW8ePxFLGMFk4Ab7rNN0qPPHwq-z5ASmW3NQrsIckGk__0c0-9HKaHiPsnRPEUEggKWMP9AyCFrXaXVyqkY/s200/Finding+Dory+Dory.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfpsE83NhB2MUJKL7ezwxFXoT2zpZOXpU2T__OmSvxDBLYwReyHqBr4ZcepGlMGIu7nj6nfc-0tYxdeuGwhBQq0zcyZ1olLDy5-_lemgS52nOWJMvhxsOaOjWamh_Ue6snSuzeI9BTC1U/s1600/Finding+Dory+Nemo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfpsE83NhB2MUJKL7ezwxFXoT2zpZOXpU2T__OmSvxDBLYwReyHqBr4ZcepGlMGIu7nj6nfc-0tYxdeuGwhBQq0zcyZ1olLDy5-_lemgS52nOWJMvhxsOaOjWamh_Ue6snSuzeI9BTC1U/s200/Finding+Dory+Nemo.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
The fish and letters are pop-dotted, of course!And the middle space features a little under water scene, with a little Peach and a seagull in the corners:<br />
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I can't wait to see what the rest of the decorations will look like! A few other banners and the circle garland are next up on the to-do list!<br />
Thanks for stopping by! Have a fintastic day (get it?!)!<br />
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<br />Two Early Birdshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08093087050407185745noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8309417212776339340.post-44587408616657731792015-07-04T21:30:00.000-07:002015-07-04T22:11:52.517-07:00Happy 4th!I know it's a bit late, especially as I am listening to the fireworks going off, watching the All-American movie <i>Forrest Gump</i> as I write this, but I hope that everyone had a safe and happy Fourth of July today!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhToyZhL8Z01r9ECXw9pTaJHDsds1LzzgvzgKeI-_6-qPhAYnVtq6zcj_dmZitoF1Zlk5S80_ui3PTi0Fo8zULlu05q6wmpdHnWphrAHGjCyDqQUkE9oWajPa8cEI0Nwcoc5JWWDK2mMak/s1600/4th+of+July+banner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhToyZhL8Z01r9ECXw9pTaJHDsds1LzzgvzgKeI-_6-qPhAYnVtq6zcj_dmZitoF1Zlk5S80_ui3PTi0Fo8zULlu05q6wmpdHnWphrAHGjCyDqQUkE9oWajPa8cEI0Nwcoc5JWWDK2mMak/s320/4th+of+July+banner.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
This is how I celebrated today, doing what I love, by creating this little banner and garland- pretty much the extent of my decorating for the holiday.<br />
Have a great night!<br />Two Early Birdshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08093087050407185745noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8309417212776339340.post-14934357563712199122015-07-03T09:00:00.000-07:002015-07-04T10:54:21.908-07:00Wedding Wishes!Good morning! I'm so sorry it's been a while since I posted. There have been some computer issues here, which was a total bummer. I hope everyone had a fantastic week! Maybe with an extra day off for the holiday observance?! I'm sure there are some big plans for the weekend, between picnics and fireworks, and all that fun stuff! We were supposed to head to Montana this week for a wedding, but unfortunately work got in the way. I did make a card, though, because it's what I do!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCMxoscnwT9iOP3YfrnZTpCBIjSX99EQD3tmjqWtGQy_qoUVPyJn1niDotxFFfMI57yzRxfa8SEHMgciXu-qns7WXca1mG6M0ctOTgHAZ9y_pgDyl4dnWc3Kr1jr9pTijHHgplOTOFLMk/s1600/Wedding+Card.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCMxoscnwT9iOP3YfrnZTpCBIjSX99EQD3tmjqWtGQy_qoUVPyJn1niDotxFFfMI57yzRxfa8SEHMgciXu-qns7WXca1mG6M0ctOTgHAZ9y_pgDyl4dnWc3Kr1jr9pTijHHgplOTOFLMk/s320/Wedding+Card.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
This is the outside of the card. I wanted to make it elegant, and it came out better than I first thought. After some trial and error, I got the bottom later to work for me. I don't have an embossing plate with the diamond design, so I had to create my own with my paper scorer. The second embossed layer was definitely not done by hand. I chose these colors based off of some shower decorations I made for her. The Bride had a "Breakfast at Tiffany's"- themed shower in May and I was tasked to work on the invitations, banners, and a scrapbook for her. Unfortunately, I don't think I took too many "good" pictures of these before I sent them off. I added the pearls to go along with the pearls worn in the movie (and they add a girly touch!) I kept the inside of the card relatively simple:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ2bqhSAr7zoLAWvWaHdrtwLeva7qHNqLX1yTtEE2rRA9BQNOW0V4lOi-DnLiesoHAu9vYJZsJlFU1q4WCssyJcL34E_MVZYnHzbhbtCseOc7wH_XAf1Cv0Lcj0Cyc8IGSI6tsUEuerns/s1600/Wedding+Card2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ2bqhSAr7zoLAWvWaHdrtwLeva7qHNqLX1yTtEE2rRA9BQNOW0V4lOi-DnLiesoHAu9vYJZsJlFU1q4WCssyJcL34E_MVZYnHzbhbtCseOc7wH_XAf1Cv0Lcj0Cyc8IGSI6tsUEuerns/s320/Wedding+Card2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
I wasn't sure what to write in the card, seeing as I don't know the couple very well (she's the Boy's cousin, and that I never know what to write in cards. I get them all made and then think "Now what??"), I looked online for some ideas. Luckily this one took up enough room so it didn't leave a whole lot of room for additional writing without looking silly. I also made a matching envelope and did some fun, fancy typography on the front. I thought I had gotten a picture of it, but I guess not. Hopefully the couple likes it!<br />
Thanks for stopping by! Have a fantastic and safe weekend!Two Early Birdshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08093087050407185745noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8309417212776339340.post-12030995726256494262015-06-25T09:00:00.000-07:002015-06-25T09:00:12.503-07:00Happy 1/2 Way to Christmas!Good morning! I hope everyone is having a great week- I know I am! Nothing planned or anything, but a good week, nonetheless! I did receive the best compliment from a customer about yesterday's invitations, which has left a huge smile on my face, though, so I guess that's always good!<br />
Anyway, today's project is celebrating the fact that today is indeed 6 months till Christmas! (but who's counting?! Oh, wait, I am!!) To start my holiday planning, I designed a few treat bags for the upcoming holiday season:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNYSCnH7-nsy5Iz8OnRl4mKufCQ8EahWwiAM83qMzB7nx9n3YDHnjo1mpoQka83Z9XDTK0TRYZAiPub7j_vUBlLiJ5gyHGmzN1XaSBsaFVHjrbdh2IcdF5MJUCeTjSOOge14sK5EtsOA8/s1600/Gingerbread+Bags.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNYSCnH7-nsy5Iz8OnRl4mKufCQ8EahWwiAM83qMzB7nx9n3YDHnjo1mpoQka83Z9XDTK0TRYZAiPub7j_vUBlLiJ5gyHGmzN1XaSBsaFVHjrbdh2IcdF5MJUCeTjSOOge14sK5EtsOA8/s320/Gingerbread+Bags.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
How cute are these two?! I've been trying to come up with some more gingerbread-themed projects for this year. Maybe some cookies in these? We'll see! I'm just hoping that I get everything done in time this year! The next two pictures are of each of the bags up close:<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJZi-XvPH6Q5DAl4bycq6LWwVAUlB6XvYRbagEeZGI-RtGZiBTxX_Rxu5sTCAoBkZXKKtzVQxfWP9wnzizxiLr2_wC6O5rrZkqvfubyybzc-5ecG1FVfm3Je14SanC49du6EFZ00Lp0K8/s1600/Gingerbread+Bags+Boy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJZi-XvPH6Q5DAl4bycq6LWwVAUlB6XvYRbagEeZGI-RtGZiBTxX_Rxu5sTCAoBkZXKKtzVQxfWP9wnzizxiLr2_wC6O5rrZkqvfubyybzc-5ecG1FVfm3Je14SanC49du6EFZ00Lp0K8/s320/Gingerbread+Bags+Boy.jpg" width="214" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtAs0wo9ri4yqZTiIcZb-yIINKAc0367DmowJ9QY-JMT2FRNYxWUp-bD7H_3h_v9gJi4jMLYm-eWcSuJOofCiRAJvTzAw8Ay7mPAG_euFyITVFz_O0C-Qzh26QRJIXAa-rqG894bT8Z1I/s1600/Gingerbread+Bags+Girl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtAs0wo9ri4yqZTiIcZb-yIINKAc0367DmowJ9QY-JMT2FRNYxWUp-bD7H_3h_v9gJi4jMLYm-eWcSuJOofCiRAJvTzAw8Ay7mPAG_euFyITVFz_O0C-Qzh26QRJIXAa-rqG894bT8Z1I/s320/Gingerbread+Bags+Girl.jpg" width="214" /></a></div>
I added a little glitter to each of the bags as their "frosting". I was contemplating adding some to the white outline, but I didn't want to ruin them, since it was already placed on the bags. Next time! And a little more sparkle, on their bows!<br />
Thanks for stopping by! Have a great day and here's to hoping everything gets done in the next six months! Come back tomorrow for (hopefully) a new project I was asked to work on! Two Early Birdshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08093087050407185745noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8309417212776339340.post-44298043207060616622015-06-24T09:00:00.000-07:002015-06-24T09:00:03.418-07:00Who Doesn't Love Custom Requests?!Good Wednesday morning! I hope everyone's week is going well. Mine definitely is, so far! Not looking forward to the extreme heat, but can't help but chuckle when the news station has a report on air conditioning. This is not what we're used to around here. At least the hearty New Englander in me is still kind of still used to it. Anyway, aside form yesterday's summer cards, I have been working on a handful of custom projects for a few customers. Today's project is definitely one that came out <i><b>much </b></i>better than I planned! Here are some invitations I created this week:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEORihlxOFt_eV3bGgLzRmcy_Q2K_8OKinICvSR1wHdlPnO6qIH0UAxKpQWYBfW8H0pdwaGhMA8KNugzzoaaQ9abxh3yHdsZDrHOBQ7EfGPAtJdaIoWxNn8kaYV_pngudVSfP-1LjdxeQ/s1600/TMNT+Invite+Set.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEORihlxOFt_eV3bGgLzRmcy_Q2K_8OKinICvSR1wHdlPnO6qIH0UAxKpQWYBfW8H0pdwaGhMA8KNugzzoaaQ9abxh3yHdsZDrHOBQ7EfGPAtJdaIoWxNn8kaYV_pngudVSfP-1LjdxeQ/s320/TMNT+Invite+Set.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
This set has quite a bit to it. The lady had seen our website and asked me to come up with a ninja turtle-themed invitation for her and I showed her a few of the other projects we made. She absolutely loved the pizza box card we made a few years back so we went with it. This is a close-up of the box and actual invitation:<br />
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My favorite part of the set was the envelope! After quite a bit of trial and error, I got my cards to fit into the envelope. To add a special touch, I added some patterned paper to the flap and thought that the front needed <i>something</i> instead of it being just green. I realized that the white "name tag" with patterned paper would be perfect.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiadwLBkLNpXunGvj1DlQJQhLd_cACl7_Nj7yBvYMyh7DyJQj75-vC8jHvfHqzp3SbHNe5XifoxE-BNCsvDHjdjR3nmsVtIrcFtrzKh-dn7QInEhmwXXXFTmDNZvy_T6Vol7hrY1Y3HcWE/s1600/TMNT+Invite+Set3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiadwLBkLNpXunGvj1DlQJQhLd_cACl7_Nj7yBvYMyh7DyJQj75-vC8jHvfHqzp3SbHNe5XifoxE-BNCsvDHjdjR3nmsVtIrcFtrzKh-dn7QInEhmwXXXFTmDNZvy_T6Vol7hrY1Y3HcWE/s320/TMNT+Invite+Set3.jpg" width="214" /></a></div>
And just in case we didn't know what the theme of the party was, the flap of the envelope is embellished with a little ninja turtle. Good thing I checked with her to make sure these get hand-delivered! Hopefully she likes them as much as I do!!<br />
Thanks for stopping by! I have another custom project I absolutely love to share with you tomorrow!<br />
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<br />Two Early Birdshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08093087050407185745noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8309417212776339340.post-58910484357920938772015-06-23T09:00:00.000-07:002015-06-23T21:31:28.614-07:00Happy {Second Day of} Summer!Good morning! I hope everyone has been having a good week so far and staying safe. A lot of ugly weather happening this week- between severe weather back east and super hot temperatures (definitely not looking forward to the weekend of 97 degrees...) I guess summer really is here, or will be soon enough!! With that, it seems only fitting to post a summer-themed card today:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzg99U0iS0Oloo4F6ZIV4F8rHL7Jl8KEUUHq9rmp5_bccGSS6m41U37gw1osx1Ih7zV5W7plfmz7TJc0dYjr4KTS0W5OEj-jhbnvLHxNvtIat4BxXf56xUWuZgRgdzRI2R9iRJ-SrHOBk/s1600/Summer+Card.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzg99U0iS0Oloo4F6ZIV4F8rHL7Jl8KEUUHq9rmp5_bccGSS6m41U37gw1osx1Ih7zV5W7plfmz7TJc0dYjr4KTS0W5OEj-jhbnvLHxNvtIat4BxXf56xUWuZgRgdzRI2R9iRJ-SrHOBk/s320/Summer+Card.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Doesn't it just make you want to sit at the beach, drink a cocktail, and play in the water?! I know I would want to! Although, I guess drinking a glass of wine on the patio at night would have to do... A lot of the pieces are pop-dotted, to add a little pizzazz:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifx4OE2-him_lVhgfXMWH43O6vkJHsKVVwc2GpZBfEKtoT6wYo_gZQ9zzGXfGtdar62s04v7kPwwwhj_fwtiMi9_gd5d44QQPo4fnFaHbrsJ0BPfcD-JsNoimH5z7fU_HteFgqeGfLIhA/s1600/Summer+Card2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifx4OE2-him_lVhgfXMWH43O6vkJHsKVVwc2GpZBfEKtoT6wYo_gZQ9zzGXfGtdar62s04v7kPwwwhj_fwtiMi9_gd5d44QQPo4fnFaHbrsJ0BPfcD-JsNoimH5z7fU_HteFgqeGfLIhA/s320/Summer+Card2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
The last picture is of the other side of the card:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0L9ZhYFBOU4sF0rB2hi4gneKH4cG-5IYuXmTpfWOknaPL_Jx_1dsJG5urDCXx7fI4T5Zrz0betE2PCbppjbeCt6iTzUA33ye2giBZjK4OnjTXB_xtX8AkeDQeFcrqqcaq9FsrOFIZnhY/s1600/Summer+Card3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0L9ZhYFBOU4sF0rB2hi4gneKH4cG-5IYuXmTpfWOknaPL_Jx_1dsJG5urDCXx7fI4T5Zrz0betE2PCbppjbeCt6iTzUA33ye2giBZjK4OnjTXB_xtX8AkeDQeFcrqqcaq9FsrOFIZnhY/s320/Summer+Card3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
I went with a single-sided, notecard-esque design to make sure it would all fit in the matching envelope that you can sort of see (or at least it matched before my plan changed) My new envelope-making toy sure is getting a lot of use this summer!! I have a few more finishing touches to add to them, but that'll happen in time. These took a whole lot longer than I had planned. I was really hoping to get them out before summer began, but I guess the first week of the season wouldn't be too bad, either!<br />
Thanks for stopping by! Please come back tomorrow to see a surprisingly "cute" custom project I finished for an awesome customer!Two Early Birdshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08093087050407185745noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8309417212776339340.post-25950079721023985062015-06-21T06:00:00.000-07:002015-06-21T06:00:04.150-07:00Happy Father's Day!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Good morning! I hope everyone is having a wonderful weekend, treating the dads in your life like kings for the day! Unfortunately, we can't be with our dad this year (not like a few years ago when we secretly drove across the country and surprised the parents when we were sitting in the driveway when they got home). So, instead of giving him a big hug, I sent him this card:</div>
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<img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX1RJxBoAiIXebgyRkMyM7Ec_a6xKhHrXdfLog3N9_xIDwKZ-nPd5QAopPn0SYsPdUTetRJ8VtF8Q1iEuBtUp0Ewrnw0o1fJCr284AVEI7-skrmWPad5iFaIaSpMmjRyKw5Izqd9rCXFs/s320/Fathers+Day+2015.jpg" width="320" /> </div>
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I am fully aware this is not your "typical" Father's Day card, but when I saw the sentiment (on the sign), I automatically thought of my Dad and started laughing hysterically! Good thing no one was around at the time. From there, it kind of all came together pretty quickly and was probably the most "efficient" card I've made in a while.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAjCHdma7lNM3CaBcVLgF67-czh-rzmW49E9y4YR8rdcxcLKKNVWHjXjpwS87ZFUdolNSL_YgIrkv5JsVzyFqHPqk1nAH5dWRLp1_znAZUt4ihXoHqlRYDEtOq1nE_7U4lfvbkPx1UCr8/s1600/Fathers+Day+2015+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAjCHdma7lNM3CaBcVLgF67-czh-rzmW49E9y4YR8rdcxcLKKNVWHjXjpwS87ZFUdolNSL_YgIrkv5JsVzyFqHPqk1nAH5dWRLp1_znAZUt4ihXoHqlRYDEtOq1nE_7U4lfvbkPx1UCr8/s320/Fathers+Day+2015+%25282%2529.jpg" width="214" /></a></div>
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The card is a step card, with the mountain scene in the back, the skunk and outhouse in the middle, and the sign and sentiment on the last step. I used pop-dots on some of the cuts, to add more dimension to the card. I tried the googly eyes, but it just didn't work this time (left more for the Minion projects from this week) I also used my new toy to make a matching envelope.</div>
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Hopefully it gets to him in time!! </div>
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Thanks so much for stopping by!</div>
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<br />Two Early Birdshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08093087050407185745noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8309417212776339340.post-11141584550134149122015-06-19T19:30:00.000-07:002015-06-23T21:51:38.781-07:00Hello, Sunshine!Good afternoon! Or, evening, for most of our readers. I hope everyone had a great work week and here's to a great weekend, celebrating all the dads in your life! I know it's a little (lot) later than normal, but after baby, and "big-kid" sitting this morning, I found that it took me this long to get some energy to do something productive today. As I am sitting here, watching last week's episode of Game of Thrones again, my first thought was, "Oh, darn, I was doing so well posting every day. Two days in a row!" My second thought was to a snarky text message from my Dad the other day about this episode and how everyone dies and this one was a spin-off of the Discovery Channel series "Naked and Afraid". Oh, Dad. Who woulda thought we'd all be interested in this show?! Even after watching it the second time, I still have my complaints. Like darn Ollie. I have never felt so much anger and hatred towards a character. Ugh. You killed Ygritte and Jon?! How dare you! At least they can stay in that cave together now. Although Jon will probably somehow find a way to come back. Oh, my gosh. Never would have thought I'd come to this. I blame Caleb... I probably should have prefaced that with *Spoiler*. Sorry. <br />
Anyway, on a brighter side of the 7 deaths (and counting) we've gotten to so far, today's project is one I made for my Boy a while back. Before our lives were full of this dark material. (We're not really like that, I promise!) So, we don't usually use nicknames for each other, but I will text him during the day and call him Sunshine (well, because he makes me smile. Sickeningly sweet from an outsider's point of view, I know...) <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDySb9SvHvi5usw06ulV02Caef14XMmqAouiSvuR_CBNSI0bRPQe571f48b04VDro7nV2nWNUv_oJra3VgOi9q33VUER3ntxUDdLFKQagC_OOEvlEp4Nbh7atmU_YzHADXEqrrJu2wyr4/s1600/Hello%252C+Sunshine1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDySb9SvHvi5usw06ulV02Caef14XMmqAouiSvuR_CBNSI0bRPQe571f48b04VDro7nV2nWNUv_oJra3VgOi9q33VUER3ntxUDdLFKQagC_OOEvlEp4Nbh7atmU_YzHADXEqrrJu2wyr4/s320/Hello%252C+Sunshine1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
I added some pop-dots and embossing on the pieces. For a quick card, I'm pretty happy with how this one came out! The inside of the card has matching rainbow paper:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFxZmCypUlozy-rcJI_zNHIEjmtwCeWlm3M_w_fLtph1ptBRfrlf3huXi3xuDXeKiGmQUf9Tq2Y47mc4pf4qmHqR9v9zRFBYXbxVstLHUAJJ_kXy_knwoAJUk0ueGolqWHwb5jsf7nSsM/s1600/Hello%252C+Sunshine.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFxZmCypUlozy-rcJI_zNHIEjmtwCeWlm3M_w_fLtph1ptBRfrlf3huXi3xuDXeKiGmQUf9Tq2Y47mc4pf4qmHqR9v9zRFBYXbxVstLHUAJJ_kXy_knwoAJUk0ueGolqWHwb5jsf7nSsM/s320/Hello%252C+Sunshine.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
He wasn't expecting it and it definitely put a smile on his face! That's my goal with all of my projects- to put a smile on faces! <br />Thanks for stopping by!<br />
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<br />Two Early Birdshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08093087050407185745noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8309417212776339340.post-79284817737782164462015-06-17T09:00:00.000-07:002015-06-17T09:00:01.140-07:00You're One in a Minion!Happy Wednesday! I hope everyone is having a fantastic day! I've been quite busy, and somewhat successful, in my crafty creations over the last few days. I have set a few goals for this summer, one being to create and list a new project or two every day. So far, I have posted a total of two new items. Another goal- to update our website. Success? Nope. Not yet. Good thing there's still plenty of summer! Anyway, as promised, here is a sneak peak of what I've been working on:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6OGMrwp2NuHwm0wKT1zxV2PlAKPFeN4Njhx93CaFV_MzcCPAgwYy7Z2qTprLy7__m-SZNRYKWooPzM_yFIQFbmuMSe5ZcGUfY6hYr8J6ZrGpeXS3Zz61hlyJrsFSWmj9Ue_9QKW2F74E/s1600/Minion.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6OGMrwp2NuHwm0wKT1zxV2PlAKPFeN4Njhx93CaFV_MzcCPAgwYy7Z2qTprLy7__m-SZNRYKWooPzM_yFIQFbmuMSe5ZcGUfY6hYr8J6ZrGpeXS3Zz61hlyJrsFSWmj9Ue_9QKW2F74E/s320/Minion.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
How cute?! I decided to create some minion-inspired items. I love seeing the new commercials with these guys and can't wait to see the movie! I know, not your typical almost-30 year old, but oh well! Anyway, over the last few days, I have been working on these projects, with a few more planned for the rest of the week. The first round includes some banners, a garland (which, unfortunately, didn't win the fight after being tangled), and some adorable confetti! We also have some invitations/cards and favors, of course! Now the next step is get them all posted on Etsy!<br />Thanks for stopping by! Have a great day!Two Early Birdshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08093087050407185745noreply@blogger.com0