Oodles of Boxes!!

Over the past year or so I have been experimenting with different types of paper crafting besides card-making.  One of my favorite things to make is boxes for the cards to go into and to give them as a gift.  (I would like to thank my great friends Cindi and Diana for showing me the boxes and inspiring me to make them my own!!)  One of my recent ventures was with a black chipboard box that I decorated and plan to make coordinating cards to go in it. 

Here is the black chipboard box with a patterned black flocked paper and a pearl boarder.

Back in December I made my grandmother a card box out of a recipe box and made about 20 cards to go in it so that she would have different types of cards to mail out to friends and family.  After doing that set for her I realized that I had a passion for what I was doing and decided that if the opportunity ever presented itself I would be going into business for myself and selling my product.  Here is what my first box looked like and what has started it all for me...

The box that started it all!!  Its my first and one of my personal favorites!

What I like most about what I do is that I can completely customize the look of things for different people and their likes and interests.  I have more up my sleeve so keep checking back for more!!

Happy Crafting!!

~Lauren

Let Wedding Season Begin...

Over the past week I had the pleasure of making 100 wedding invitations and RSVP cards for one of my husbands friends that have turned into my friends too over the years!  I have made invitations in the past but usually no more than 50 and not with the detail that was required of these.  When I first mentioned to the bride to be that I could do these I was all gung-ho about doing it...then once I started I thought to myself, "What was I thinking...am I crazy?".  That thought only lasted a few minutes as I got my rhythm and technique down I was having tons of fun!  I was home for the most part all week, thank goodness for spring break, so I was able to work on the invites here and there!  After completing them I was very excited about how they turned and most importantly the bride and the groom LOVED them!

Enjoy the pictures and Happy Crafting!

The front of the invitation

The RSVP cards

The inside of the invitation...all of the polka dots were hand punched got both the invites and the RSVP cards!

Love is in the Air...

Wow...another Valentines Day is quickly approaching!  Every year I have big ambitions of creating all of these cute little handmade gifts and cards for everyone...but like most things in my life, I never get to them!  There always seems to be something else to do or something else catches my attention.  The main thing that always seems to be in my way is the TV.  I have got to stop watching that thing or I just need to get one in my office...well maybe someday!  The more and more TV I watch the more and more I just want to sleep and that is making me LAZY.  So starting on the weekends I will no longer be watching any television, unless there is something that I really really want to watch!  Or, I can just record it!  I have been blessed with this amazing house that has an amazing craft room/office for me and I need to use it!  So yesterday and today I got inspired!  

Yesterday I went with my mother-in-law to an AMAZING scrapbook store and found lots of cute Valentines ideas.  While they won't be done for this year, who says I can't spread the love throughout the year!  So my plan is to give my wonderful husband a little bit of Valentines Day throughout the year! 

I spent last over at my friend Cindi's house and along with a really great group of women we crafted in our PJs.  It was tons of fun and I was actually finishing different projects and starting more than I probably should of!  I did make these little paper bags that are super cute and small.  They are the perfect size to put different Mary Kay samples in to give to different customers and other amazing women that I meet throughout my day.  This particular bag that I made is for a Valentines theme but I will have different styles for different times of the year.  I was given the idea for the bag from my friend Cindi, who showed us during one of her workshops how to make a purse out of paper.  I took that idea and scaled it down and played with different measurements to come up with my "Mini Sample Bag".   It is cute and it incorporates 2 different things that I love in my life, crafting and make up.  

 The Little Valentines Make Up Bag

I am going to spend this next week getting all of my ideas onto paper so that I don't have tons of unfinished projects started.  Look for more creative ideas and pictures to come!!  

Happy Crafting!