Jack's Superhero / comic book birthay party

My oldest turned 5 last June.

That's right . . . almost a year ago.  I'm a little behind.

He wanted a super hero birthday, and I was happy to oblige.  Though, as we were planning, it morphed into a superhero/comic book themed party.

You can see a few of the items from this party available in the shop here.  Admittedly, the photos aren't the best.  I snapped most of them with my phone as guests were arriving.

All of the kids made their own capes . . . I purchased kits from an etsy seller who is no longer in business.  Each kit came with a satin cape, their initial, an initial backer and lots of felt stickies to decorate with.  Once they were done decorating, we didn't really see much of the kids until it was time to open gifts.  They ran in circles playing "super hero" and were thoroughly entertained!

 

 

 

This particular seller also sent pre-assembled capes for our littlest guests!

 

I think my favorite parts of the entire party were the speech and action bubble cupcake toppers.  They were super easy to print and cut out.  They're available for purchase in the shop.  The three speech bubble designs are editable and can be customized by you with your desired names/text.

 The large speech bubbles and cityscape background are also available for purchase.  They're so easy to print and display and they look so great!

Besides the capes, we had ring POPS and sour PUNCH straws for guests to take home.

We used the cityscape and speech bubbles over the lunch buffet, too.

I was struggling to come up with an idea for the tables and the night before the party, I had the idea to make each table look like a "cape" with a different colored table cloth.  I printed out different super hero logos (enlarged from my super hero valentine graphics) to put in the center  We were really happy with how it turned out and how cheap and easy it was!

I've made the table toppers available for FREE download!  Print them off and use them on tables or in any way you'd like at your next party.  Just click here to download them.

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Teacher Valentine: Free printable

If you need a last minute teacher's gift, I have an idea for you!  This cute little treat bag tent matches my vintage heart valentine. 

Just download the free printable and click on the signature area to add your own text in the signature box.

Print the design on card stock trim it using the crop marks.  I don't have much experience with copy shops, but I had a GREAT experience with Office Depot.  The service was great and the color was so much better than I expected!

Score and fold in the marked areas, and assemble as shown in the photos.  I stapled a 4" cellophane bag to the back panel and then taped the flap over the staples and sealed it with washi tape.

Fill the bags with chocolates, candy hearts or anything else! 

Click here to download the printable file.

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Sound the Alarm! Bennett's firefighter birthday party

 

Bennett turned three in the fall and we had a firefighter birthday party for him!  I knew exactly what I wanted for invitations and party printables, I wasn't sure where to start with food and dessert, so I drew a lot of inspiration from Jenny.   It was so much fun!  It's hard to get good pictures when you're hosting the party, but I did get a few.  You can see the party printables available in the shop here:  http://etsy.me/Y3cEtc

 

 

 

We served chili and we had a fire so that everyone could roast their own hot dogs.  We had fire hydrant pops, cherry sours, hot tamales, cupcakes and a cake as sweet treats and gave everyone a pack of red vines on their way out the door.

As usual, we had Maria make the cupcakes.  THey're always the hit of our kids' birthday parties!  I added candy fire hats and gum balls to the top.  I also made a cake . . . a lopsided cake.  Let's not talk about that . . .

You can purchase and download the firefighter party printables, and the invitation in the shop:  http://etsy.me/Y3cEtc

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FREE PRINTABLE: I WHeel-y Like You Hot Wheels Valentine

I've teamed up with Crystal from Little Bit Funky to bring you another fun idea for Valentine's Day this year!  Remember last year's?


You can click here to download the free printable for this year.

But first, head over to Little Bit Funky to find out more about how to use these free printables!

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Holiday Washi Tape

Just in time for the holidays . . . I'm carrying Washi Tape in the shop!  I could give you lists and lists of fun projects to do with this stuff, but I don't really need to.  Head to pinterest and search "washi tape" and you'll find more things to do with this masking tape than you can handle!

I have many different colors and styles, but here are a few that are popular for Christmas projects.  They add the perfect touch to the packages you're shipping, your gift wrapping, homemade treats and more!

Click here to see the available styles.

Here are a few of the most popular styles for Christmas:

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A few of my favorite things . . .

5 years ago on November 19, I opened up my etsy shop!  It was also a Monday and I had spent the weekend prepping the 12 designs that I had to post.  We only had one 5-month-old at that time, so I could spend the weekend doing things like that!

Over the course of that fall, I'd had lots of friends encourage me to sell my designs and etsy seemed like the perfect place to do it.  So, I put myself out there.  I remember telling a few people and feeling silly . . . because really?  Did I honestly think this would go anywhere.

So, I posted my designs.  And I waited.  And waited and waited and waited.  I had just about given up on the thought of anything selling, and then in early December, I had my first sale (it was this design).  It was to Crystal (of Little Bit Funky).  I'll always be grateful for that sale because a) it gave me the little boost of confidence that I needed to stick with it and b) I love Crystal and am so glad to "know" her.


To say that I'm grateful to all of you and your confidence in my designs would be an understatement.  These last 5 years have been the greatest surprise of my life!  To thank you, I'm giving away a few of my favorite things.  Please refrain from the Oprah references . . . there are no free cars here.  :)

 I realize that these things are random, but when I was making a list of the things I'd love to win, these were just a few of the small things I came up with!

When you enter, you'll have a chance to win one of TEN! prizes:


2 winners will receive a $25 Etsy gift card
Because really?  Who wouldn't love a gift card to etsy?


1 winner will receive Essie Nail Polish in Mink Muffs
It's this grayish-purply-brownish color that I LOVE!  And it's Essie, so it's high quality!

1 winner will receive a bag of Ghirardelli Sea Salt Escape Dark Chocolates & Via Starbucks Peppermint mocha
Amazing.  I heart the sea salt escape dark chocolates!  And I REALLY love Starbucks peppermint mochas.  The VIA powder is definitely not the same, but it's pretty close!

2 winners will receive 2 sets of paper straws, in their choice of colors

2 winners will receive 20 assorted holiday gift tags

3-month subscription to Citrus Lane
Citrus Lane is like a care package for moms.  I started getting this when Claire was born and I love it.  It's a great way to discover new baby finds and they're tailored to your child's age and gender.  (If you win this and you don't have a baby, you can choose to give it to a friend or substitute a birchbox subscription . . . see below).

3-month subscription to Birchbox
Birchbox is the best way to discover new beauty and lifestyle products. There are samples of so many different things, and they choose products for you based on a questionnaire that you complete.  Getting the box in the mail is like having a birthday once a month!

The giveaway will run through Wednesday at 11:59 PM and winners will be contacted by Friday!


a Rafflecopter giveaway

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The winners

Thanks to everyone who entered the giveaways celebrating the shop's 5th birthday!  I hope that you had fun getting to know these sponsors, and I hope you'll keep them in mind as you think about goods and gifts for yourself!

Before I announce the winners . . . I mentioned that I'd be holding more giveaways next week.  Monday is the official birthday and I'll do a separate giveaway on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.  These giveaways are from me to you.  I'll have etsy gift cards, a subscription to Citrus Lane, a subscription to Birch Box, a gift box of a couple of my favorite things and a couple of other odds and ends.

These upcoming giveaways are my gift to you!

OK . . . so the winners from last week's giveaways have all been notified, so if you see your name and haven't received an email, let me know!

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$25 credit to Here's the Diehl:  Brittany R.

Check out all of Nicole's Christmas items!

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Large gray chevron clutch from Angela Kay Designs:  Rena B.

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Organizer bin (up to $19) from Baffin Bags:  Sara B.

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Set of coasters from Coasters for College:  Amber S.

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Burp cloths from Bitty Bambu:  Jaci T.

Still wanting to purchase from Bitty Bambu?  Use this code for free domestic shipping through December 1:  SHIPFREEHOLIDAY

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$15 Credit from WritefullyHis:  Nancy C.

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One item from The Stamp Collection : Angela P.

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The Sweet Treats bunting from Handmade by Jennifer Chase :Breana K.

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Necklace and earrings from Wendy Needham, independent stylist with Stella & Dot:

Carrie B.

Still want to order from Wendy?  She's offering a 10% discount for any of my customers who have "liked" her page.  To qualify, share her facebook page with your facebook friends, and then email her at wendyneedham78@gmail.com !

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Set of placemats from Sew Just Imagine: Kim R.

Check out the new burlap table runner with ruffle that they just posted.  Super cute!

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It's that time . . .

The giveaways start today!  I'm so honored to be associated with these sponsors and I'm excited that 11 of you will get to win these awesome prizes!

You can earn entries by liking facebook pages and tweeting, but you can earn the most entries by visiting the sponsor's shop and then commenting on their feature post from last week.  This is a great chance to get to know more about what they have to offer!

The BEST part is that a few of the things (liking my facebook page, sharing the giveaway, etc.) are options for EVERY giveaway.  Do it once, and you can check that entry for  each of the giveaways!

CLICK HERE TO ENTER!

 

Here's The Diehl

Angela Kay Designs

Bitty Bambu

Handmade by Jennifer Chase

The Stamp Collection 

Stella and Dot Jewelry with Wendy Needham, Independent Stylist

Coasters for College

Simply Twenty-Two Photography

BaffinBags

WritefullyHis

Sew Just Imagine

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A few more new holiday card designs . . .

Here are a few more of my new holiday card designs from my shop.  These Christmas cards are available as printable Christmas card files or as actual printed cards!  See all 300 holiday card options here!

Vintage poinsettia

Blessed

Chalkboard Verse

 Chevron Joy

 

Merry and Bright collage

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Love snowflakes?

If you love snowflakes, you'll love these options for holiday cards!  Click here to see more!
 

Classic Snowflake

Snow Flurries 

 

 Holiday Spirit 

Merry Everything

 

Vintage Snowflakes

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Giveaway Preview #11: Handmade by Jennifer Chase

{To celebrate of the 5-year anniversary of Less Ordinary Designs, I'm hosting a huge set of giveaways November 12 - 16.  Throughout this week, I'm featuring all of our participating vendors!}

HANDMADE BY JENNIFER CHASE

I found Handmade by Jennifer Chase when I saw a little notice that a facebook friend had "liked" her facebook page.  I clicked on over and loved what I saw.  Jennifer makes bunting banners, rag tie garland and more!  Most of her customers are photographers, but wouldn't these be cute as birthday party backdrops or even nursery decor?  I also love the Christmas items and think they'd be perfect for holiday decorating!

 In 2011, Jennifer Chase started a small craft project to make a pennant banner for an upcoming newborn session (she's a photographer). She realized during the process of making the banner how much she enjoyed getting back to her sewing roots. As she puts it, "Right then and there I decided to make more of the banners and started selling them online."  Since the birth of her  online store in the spring of 2012, Handmade by Jennifer Chase, she's had the pleasure of working with some truly talented photographers.

When asked about her style, Jennifer says, "It is hard for me to commit to one style but I love vintage fabric in muted colors but I also equally love all of the vibrant modern colors."

Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/handmade.jechase
Online Store: http://www.jpurifoy.etsy.com
Blog: http://blog.jechase.com
Instagram: @jechase
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/jechase

Jennifer is giving away this cute Sweet Treats Pennant Banner to the winner of this giveaway!  Check back next week and enter to win!
 
Click here to see all of the participating shops.

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Giveaway Preview #10: The Stamp Collection

To celebrate of the 5-year anniversary of Less Ordinary Designs, I'm hosting a huge set of giveaways November 12 - 16.  Throughout this week, I'm featuring all of our participating vendors!}
 
THE STAMP COLLECTION

The Stamp Collection is a shop of handmade baby clothes by Meredith Pickup.  She designs and sews the clothes part time while raising her daughter full time.  Did you read that?  She designs these beauties!

 My friend Debbie sent me a link this summer to a shop full of baby clothes, and as soon as I clicked, I knew it would be a favorite.   

I ordered a dress (pictured above) for Claire and plan on using it for her 10 month photos (hmmm . . . I'm a little behind on those).  It did NOT disappoint.  It's so cute and well made.  We put her in it last week and it was adorable!

 

  

Meredith just opened her shop this year . . . in January, shortly after having her first baby.

 

WHen asked about her style, she responded, "I'm not usually drawn to overly sweet or cutesy baby clothes, so i try to make baby clothes that are more like mini adult styles, but still comfy and practical. I guess it usually results in some kind of cross between the two!"

 

Online Store: thestampcollection.etsy.com
Blog: craftingkind.blogspot.com
Pinterest: pinterest.com/meredithpickup/

The Stamp Collection is giving away one item of the winner's choice!  Check back next week and enter to win!

Click here to see all of the participating shops.

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