Heartfelt, Part Deux

In an hour or two, I've got to be ready to run out the door and cruise up to northern Maryland with Mr. Original for the second wedding of the season. I'm a bit more prepared this weekend than last, so I thought I'd show you the {very small} gifts I purchased for G and T.

These heart rings {for eggs, pancakes, and even cookies}
are amazingly constructed and cost me a song.

The original packaging, however, left something to be desired.

I pulled down my box labeled Ephemera, and set to work,
using recycled materials {like the plastic sleeves in which
fancy letterpress cards are sold}.

A little handwriting and stamping gave the hearts
a personalized touch.

I also snapped up this cast aluminum {it's pretty heavy!} baking pan
{complete with heart-shaped molds, of course}.

Nordic Ware is a great brand, and the packaging really wasn't
offensive at all {kind of cute, no?}, but I'm all about
coordination, so out came the turquoise paper ...

and also the heart hole punch.

What's with Helen's heart-obsession? Is she twelve, or something? Both good questions. I never used to be much of a heart person, but the cuteness of their shape and its sheer buoyancy just sort of occurred to me one day ... and I've never looked back. {Feel free to giggle here.} Anyway, I think the couple will enjoy using both of these kitchen tools -- hopefully not only on Valentine's Day, but for random, mid-week surprises.


P.S. I'll see you back here on Monday. Happy weekend, friends.

Need a Tissue?

Check out this fabulous scalloped edge tissue paper I picked up yesterday. I didn't even know I needed it until I saw it. How sweet would it look, peeking out the top of a kraft paper bag? Why haven't I seen anything like it before, and why aren't we always using scalloped edge tissue paper? I snapped it up from Home Goods, but it's made by a company called Blueink Studios. Follow the link to check out their other color combinations.

Mission Unfinished

Boy, was this an eventful weekend! My friend K's wedding was a ton of fun -- I danced my shoes off, laughed so hard, and covered eight states in two days. Last night, I played catch-up and slept nearly fifteen hours!

I didn't end up giving K and J the personalized love letter book; I became overwhelmed on Thursday night, with the long drive ahead of me and some wayward anxieties, so I put down my scissors, glassine envelopes, and rubber stamps ... and went to bed. Also, I decided the gift would better suit an engagement or anniversary, so I'll finish the book and save it for some future occasion.

You've been so patient with me, though -- so, time for some photos:

Invitation:
a library pocket containing two blank invitations and
handwritten instructions for a couples' nights-in

Flirtation:
a tiny note with a prompt for flirtation

detail of heart hole-punched page

Intoxication:
front detail of patterned tag

handwritten instructions for mixing
a romantic drink called The Snuggler

Adoration:
three mint-colored library pocket cards for
listing favorite things about the beloved

Separation:
addition of window pocket page

a window pocket containing a small bundle of
agenda sheets, fastened together with instructions
for counting the days until the beloved's return
{from a business trip, weekend with friends, etc.}

There are several more sections for me to embellish, but ten o'clock the evening before a long trip was not the best time to rouse my creativity. All-in-all, I'm moderately pleased with the concept -- perhaps this one's just my prototype or mock-up, though. We'll see ...

Sneak Peek #2

Fortunately, Michael's is having a 25% off sale

on all Martha Stewart crafting supplies ...

The library pockets and window pockets are perfect
for tucking in to the love letter book.

More photos to follow as soon as I've finished.

Sneak Peek

Thanks so much for your comments on my handmade gift posts. I appreciate every single one of them. I've decided to go with the love letter book {with notes tucked inside} because I think I can have a lot of fun making each piece special and unexpected. And, since I'm a writer, it's pretty darn appropriate for me to give the bride and groom something bookish. Here's just the tiniest of peeks at what I'm working on ...

The first section of the book is historical letters having something to do with invitation.

I've added a pair of mini invites for the couple to use on each other. For example, K might write on the small card, "in the kitchen," and leave it on J's bedside table. Downstairs, in the kitchen, K will have a hot pot of J's favorite coffee, waiting to be drunk.

What I'm trying to do is to give the couple opportunities for many special occasions; we celebrate birthdays and anniversaries, but there are so many good days in between -- days deserving a little extra something and fitting to be remembered.

I might package this gift in some unique way {almost like a kit of sorts} and call it The Love Holiday ...

Something Else, Heartfelt

A book of love letters from over the centuries, personalized by me. I'll include glassine envelopes with notes to my friend and her husband-to-be, pressed flowers, and suggestions for special date nights. These bits will be tucked randomly throughout the book. For example, Lewis Carroll writes to May Mileham, "Thank you very much indeed for the peaches. They were delicious. Eating one was almost as nice as kissing you: of course not quite: I think, if I had to give the exact measurement, I should say 'three-quarters as nice.'" Tucked into this page, I might suggest: Buy a peach. A ripe one. Bite into it, chew, and swallow -- then offer the peach to your lover, and suggest he do the same. Kiss. Repeat bite-kiss procedure. Debate which is best ... ;)

Something Heartfelt

We're going to a wedding this weekend, a good, long drive away in Massachusetts. Graduate school has ended, as have our teaching stipends {egads!}, and our "funds" are largely going toward our fancy clothes, gasoline, and a hotel stay. This means I need to think thriftily and creatively when cooking up a wedding gift for my high school friend and her husband-to-be. I'm tossing around an idea that goes something like this:

. . .

Crate and Barrel's mini heart Springform pan


. . .
this cake recipe, and this one, and also this one
from Molly Wizenberg's Orangette

handwritten on thick paper by yours truly,
in penmanship mimicking the talented Maybelle

or the lovely Leanne


. . .
wrapped, perhaps, in this

26

For my birthday yesterday, Mr. Original and I went to my favorite junk shop about twenty miles north of town to scout around for old treasures. I walked away with a few old cigar boxes {from the 1920s and 30s!}, thinking they would be good containers for future love note kits ... but, I might love them too much to part with them! I do not smoke, and I don't like cigarette or cigar advertisements, but something about the ornate designs and bold graphics on these boxes completely charms me.

A Cupid Kit

I attended another bridal shower this weekend {for a lovely girl I'm friendly with, but not very close to}, and decided I'd go the rebellious route and not buy anything off of the registry {this was more of a financial decision than anything else}. Instead, I put together a love note kit for the bride, using stationery I've collected and bits I made especially for her. I'm pretty tickled by the concept of making kits for various things, so it was a lot of fun having an excuse to work on one.

First, I stamped glassine envelopes according to their ingredients.

Next, I filled them with their contents. The Love Dust was made using a heart hole punch and a pink envelope {envelopes are a bit thicker than plain paper, and I didn't want these hearts to be flimsy}. I closed and sealed each mini envelope using an appropriate sticker.

I made small, square cards out of a heavy-weight cardstock and rounded the corners for a more polished look, using another punch designed specifically for that purpose.

An envelope of sealing stickers was crucial.

Being a lover of hang-tags, I thought it perfect to include that option.

With a rosy ribbon, I bundled up a few of my favorite blank cards, all sweetly colored, and secured paper flowers to the knot.

Everything was packaged in a mint-green window box I already owned {though I'm pretty sure Martha Stewart has some in Michael's craft stores}. I included a cheeky list of instructions for the bride in a larger glassine envelope, and wrapped the kit in the paper I showed you over here. I think it was a hit! I even made a few extra envelopes of ingredients for a potential future last-minute shower gift.

Money out of my {very thin} wallet: $0.

Love Dust

I'm up to something ...

Floribunda

I wanted to wrap yesterday's bridal shower cupcake stand in this paper, with this ribbon, but the stand was too awkward to fit in any of my available boxes. I went the gift bag and tissue paper route, which was fine, but this would've been much more fun.

Him & Her, Part II

And then, the second wedding present, handpicked for a couple who spent six months in a boat, sailing down the East Coast, I was thinking of this, also by Jonathan Adler:

Now, this one you really need to click on. The thumbnail doesn't do it justice. G + T are a hilarious couple, intelligent and ambitious, and a heck of a lot of fun to be around. The white whale is right up their alley.

Him & Her

Remember the weddings I mentioned? Three weddings over the course of three weekends? I managed to secure one of those Anthropologie dresses ... on sale! The fifth one, to be exact {the tiered one in bright pinks and oranges}, and it fits like a charm. I really love it.

Now, I'm on to wedding gifts. These are important, you know. For one of the couples, I'm completely smitten with the idea of a pair of Jonathan Adler mugs. Maybe one of these:

Utopia King & Queen

Utopia Lord & Lady

Utopia Ray & Dawn

P.S. Sorry for the teeny-tiny images. Mr. Adler's site will only allow me the thumbnails. Click on any one, and you'll see it bigger and better.

Present Tense

I feel as though everyone's birthday {including mine!} falls in May. That means a lot of small gifties and fun wrapping and embellishments. Wouldn't this Mexican Loteria poster make great wrapping paper?

How Old Are You Now?

Today is Mr. Original's birthday. He's an old man. I wanted to show you how I wrapped up one of his presents because I think it looks pretty swell. Can't tell you what's inside ... a certain someone might be snooping. The paper is made by Cavallini and it's in a muted {and fairly masculine} color palette. I topped it off with brown satin ribbon.

P.S. The trick to a good wrapping job, as I learned in retail, is double-sided tape.

P.P.S. I have some junk shop finds to show you tomorrow. Off to bake a loaf of banana bread for the one I love.