Busy Bees

So I’d just like to say that arranging photos in my blog is a big pain in the butt! Seriously, they’re not going where I want and the formatting options of this entire entry just sucks. Insert sigh of frustration, groan of impatience and a little foot stomping *here*. Now on to the post…

I thought with the arrival of summer, things would slow down just a wee little bit! Apparently, that was just wishful think as it seems we’ve been going full throttle just having fun! I’ve been doing really well sticking to our meal plan and avoiding the fall back of PizzaPizza or other fast food options (which we usually ended up doing once a week) and most of the new recipes we’ve tried have been HUGE hits. I’ll share them… but it will have to keep for another day.

Today, I’m going to show off some of the projects I’ve finished lately. Most were done this weekend – Kev took on the task of keeping kids happy and entertained while I stole some alone time locked in the craft room. I have something in the works and need to try my hand at some stuff before I can run full-steam ahead. Keep your eyes & ears open though – I’m excited for when I can share my news!

Mini Notecard Set

One of the projects I completed were the ribbon wreath inspired by a photo in the Stampin’ Up catalogue that sparked the search for a tutorial – such as the one posted by this talented lady. For some reason her wreath looks prettier. Maybe because her ribbon is glossier? I just feel like mine isn’t quite right.

I also worked on some note cards (blank inside) – some mini sets (3″ x 3″) and a few others (5″ x 5″). I love the little monkey notes… but again feel like something is missing. The little monkey ticket holder was a fun project and will be holding some zoo passes for some special little monkeys celebrating their birthdays this month. It’s a tri-fold card with a pocket in the centre for the passes (tickets, gift cards, etc. The potential is endless now that I figured out a fun design!) The front panel says “Monkey See”, flip open and the right panel reads “Monkey Do”, flip again and the center panel with pocket says “Monkeys Going To The Zoo!”

TriFold Ticket Holder

Banana Mini Notecard

Swinging By Mini Notecard

Every craft store, magazine or website I’ve perused recently has been all about Christmas in July – getting a jump on holiday projects so you’re not swamped with craft stuff and feeling overwhelmed come December. Makes sense to me! Anyhow, I thought it’s great excuse to create some fun tile coasters and use a few wooden door hangers I picked up at the dollar store. (Honestly, I was going to use both anyhow… and when I picked a paper stack, I was drawn to the Christmas one. I wasn’t actually thinking “Christmas in July”.) Both projects turned out lovely… but I wanted to test out my coasters to see if they’re giftable. And I don’t actually want to be using Christmas coasters in the middle of the summer so today I whipped up another more-generic all-season set. (I have yet to seal them – so no pictures yet!)

It’s my goal to get a few more projects done here and there – if I can get them done now, it gives me some always-appreciated alone time and means I’m creating some from the heart gifts without the stress I usually encounter because I don’t implement timelines so well! What’s on your holiday to-make list? What’s on your holiday handcrafted wishlist?

PS – I’m addicted to Pinterest. So many great ideas without weeding through a ton of google results.