A little sewing project

I made this for my mama on mother's day, but I think it makes a sweet project any time of year.

Let me state that I am a crafter who requires free-styling projects--or, ones that take little prep time and don't take too long. I get bored pretty easily. Are you like that? I have so many friends who love taking their time to prepare for a project and I admire them so much! For me, I start to feel clausterphobic when a project takes too long. When a new project gets in my head I am full speed, drop everything, let the kids watch too much tv and ignore the dog crazy. I have to finish my projects before the next idea comes raging in.

Anyway, this was a nice project for those aforementioned reasons. I used a mandala design I'd created previously but I think any clip art you find on-line would work well (check that the art is not copyrighted, of course). You can also do a cute line drawing yourself--I think the campy and simple style works perfectly! Trace the image onto the fabric lightly with pencil. I don't know any fancy embroidery stitches, so I just did a straight stitch (in and out, in and out) for the whole design. I also was able to use the embroidery thread I've had for over 13 years when I cross-stitched a baby door hanger for my oldest niece who is now a full-fledged bikini wearing teenager. (where does the time go??) I put some thought into the colors, choosing what I thought would work well with my mom's decor, should she try to hang it somewhere by her bedside table (hint-hint). I used some plain white cotton fabric that was part of an abandoned project for my girl's room. I did have to purchase the embroidery hoop, but since I make a trip to Michaels about every week, this was not a problem. And since it the hoops cost a little over a dollar, this made for an inexpensive but special gift.

I also hand-wrote my message to her in pencil and stitched that in. So she'd know I love her. Cause I do. :o)

The mandala patter I used is attached and free for you to use (personal use only, please). I outlined the pattern only, but I think it would look nice if you filled in some of those petals with color (that would have been in the "takes too long for me" category). It should fit within a 6" hoop nicely. Have fun!!

Mall Scavenger Hunt Party for Tweens

Well, the little girl cousins are now turning into tweens. It's a new thing and I'm getting used to their new ways and personalities; sometimes remarkably mature and delightful, sometimes worthy of a slap on the face, sometimes mutually embarrassing. It is what it is, and I'm ready to muddle through. Of course, there is really not much of a choice is there?

My sister, in her ultimate planning and party giving creativity, brought me in on the latest birthday party for her daughter (10 days older than mine, hence the cousin reference) Maddy. Having parties outside the house is ideal because there is no clean-up, and since the girls are all about Their Style, the mall is a perfect place to stage something fun with friends. Right? Well, yes and no. I'll be as brief as I can, but let me tell you that this party had it's share of drama and it was not the tween kind--it was the mama kind. Oh yes, read on...

Here are the invitations, which I thought turned out pretty nicely. I used one of my favorite hand-drawn fonts called Strangelove and created a tag that was tied around a t-shirt. The shirt was customized by printing the design (free printable at the bottom of this post) onto iron-on transfer material, which was then, you guessed it, ironed on to the shirts. The special invitation packages were dropped off to the guests via van taxi (ie. my sister's family child transport service). The shirts were to be worn to the party so we could keep track of the girls and so that they would feel like they were part of a gang...you know how girls love a posse.

The idea is that once gathered at the mall, the girls would be split into chaperoned teams and the first group back would win. Each chaperone had a card of tasks and items to find (sample below). The items were given points so that if there was a tie, then the points could break the tie. I have to say that I had some personal concerns about being a chaperone of a group of tweens. My recollection of girls at this age is not pretty. I thought I'd be breaking up fights, trying to council them off their emotional ledge or be thought of as (in the 80's language of my youth) "totally lame". I was pleasantly surprised and really enjoyed all the girls on my team. They were funny and spirited and eager to play the game together. They were so cute, I ended up writing down things they said like "Oh My God! I. Love. Lotion." and "Do you think this eye makeup makes me look like I was punched in the face?" While our team did not end up winning, I think everyone had a great time, including Auntie Margot.

Here's a pic of the back of the party shirt.

So, The Mama Drama story.
Apparently, we're not the first ones to think of this idea (shocking, I know) and so when we were gathering at the appointed mall location, we were also visited by the mall authorities. A mall cop and the unfriendly customer service woman told us in no uncertain terms, that scavenger hunts were not permitted at this mall. No. Hunts. Allowed. I'm pretty sure my sister (who worries herself about every possible detail of everything) about fainted. Before she lunged at the eyes of the poor 21 year old mall cop, I told him that it would be no problem and that we would just take the girls shopping instead. So we took our little group of girls shopping and if we happened to see things on our list, well, we just "made some notes" on our little card and carried onward. We did not do the fun singing stuff as to not attract attention. I'm sure the girls would have thought it fun, but getting kicked out of the mall is something that we thought should be saved for the later years at least. 11 is just too early for a public record. So, please, before you descend upon your local mall, call them first to make sure they allow this kind of thing.

If you would like to have a similar party, I now carry the printable files on my etsy store here.

Bookclub Tea Party Part 1-Free Printables Included!

Yes, just part one! There were so many great aspects to this styled photo shoot that I couldn't possibly do it all in one post--and I know you'd fade away after 30 seconds no matter how compelling my writing is. We're just geared that way. At least I am.

The inspiration for this party was essentially my mother's tea set from Susie Davis called Black Fruit circa 1960, London. Again, props to my mama for having such good taste in tea sets. I have loved and lusted after this china for as long as I could remember, and I hope my mom is reading this so she can write that in her last will and testament. I did an initial color scheme photo in this post and the event inspiration details in this post.

Then I waited and procrastinated for several months (I think it was about 7) and then got myself in gear to finish the job. I invited Tammy Duvall (mom with fashion degree and insane need to do too much), Alexis Anderson (fabulous cake decorator and foodie), Karyn Hlad-Miller (photographer extraordinaire and fellow creative sucker) to join in the fun. So, the Jewel tone Book Club Tea Party became a reality. This wasn't an actual party because my book club wouldn't have the capacity to stop talking to pose for photos, nor could they NOT eat the food--you know how that goes, and I refer mainly to myself--but I think it makes for a great idea if you are either starting a book club for the first time, or getting the readers together for the start of another year. Do it in style, girl!

LET'S START WITH THE PAPER PARTS, SHALL WE?
I can speak coherently about that because I did it and since I have an insatiable need to understand artists and how they arrive at their final designs, I'll share my creative process with you.

First, I analyzed what was so beautiful about the tea set. It had a delicate and detailed black line drawing on a broad white background paired with a full flood of color striking jewel tone color. The overall style was classic but the color made it modern and edgy to me. When I translated those design elements into the coordinating peripheral paper materials it came out this way: A small black linear ornament with a splash of bold color (using the colors in the cups to keep visual consistency). The trick to a successful design is always in the balance of elements. In this case, the color equation was roughly a 2/3 white space, 1/6 black lines, 1/6 solid color. That makes one whole, right? Math was never my thing...

The invitation was a library pocket that I die cut with my Silhouette SD machine. It came standard with my software, so that was a nice bonus! The template for the pocket had a seam across the front so I used my most delightful Washi tape to cover it up. I chose the intricate black lace pattern to contrast with the simple lines of the main card design. I typeset the party specifics on a card that fit inside the pocket, making the enticing parts to stick out so you read those first. Then behind the invitation was a bookmark I created for each bookclub member to keep. It had all the books we'd be reading, the date of the discussion and who would be the host for that night. A handy memento that is both practical and pretty. I love it!

I always cherish a good party favor, so the bookplates were lots of fun to design. I carried over the design elements and printed them out on adhesive paper. Since I sometimes want my books back, but othertimes don't care, I included both options. A perfect gift for my book loving friends! I packaged a set of 6 in a flat white paper bag (from a restaurant supply store, probably used to hold large cookies, but we use them for the kid's lunches to cut down on plastic) folded over and closed with an ornately shaped color tag that I hand-wrote "Read On!" They were placed on the front table with a sign to let guests know that they shouldn't be shy and to take one with them when they left that day.

And for the fontophiles (not a real word), the main body text is Chisel Normal, and the script is Revised Dancer. The black ornaments are selections from Borderfont Classicals. Read more about using ornaments in this post.

The rest of the party signage is of course based on the main design concept. Smaller table tents for the food labels, and slightly larger tents for the various "stations" at the party, each with a punch of color in the border. One of my favorite ideas was to have a book exchange as a low key party "game". Guests bring their previously read and enjoyed paperbacks to exchange for another's beloved cast-offs. This was all mentioned in the invitation, of course, so everyone can be prepared.

Super cute, huh? Are you feeling like OMG I am so gonna take my bookclub up a notch this year! and have a fun party too? You're in luck because I'm giving away the bookmark and party signage printables FOR FREE! Just right click on the images below to download the jpg file. The bookmarks are blank because, uh, you need to come up with your own list. Even if you are not having a bookclub party, I think the bookplates would make a thoughtful gift for a teacher or friend who is always exclaiming, "You have to read this book!" I'm thinking these are going to be stocking stuffers this year.

SO ARE YOU STILL WITH ME OR DID I LOSE YOU? You are? Good, you have much more patience than I do. Next week, I will highlight the general decor and styling of the party, and the week after we can talk food and drinks (recipes and tragic story included, so you don't want to miss that one).

HERE ARE THE PRINTABLES!

Will You Be My Bridesmaid Card-Free printable!

A Bridesmaid card designed by Margot Madison

I know that brides often are interested in sending cards to their future wedding party but good ones are sometimes hard to come by. I just designed this card for a client and thought I would share it with you. The bouquet is a bright bunch of pink flowers, and the inside says "Will you be my bridesmaid at our wedding?". You can download the file and add your wedding date and place, then print and fold (final folded size is 5x7, which fits an A7 envelope). I added the pretty bow to the bouquet to add a little softness.

And today, my kids and I had a great morning crafting these shamrock cootie catchers. Tonight, it's green spaghetti (made with pesto) and broccoli for dinner. I've not always gotten so involved with St. Patrick's Day but this year I'm feeling my Irish McConnaughey roots. Happy Green Fun to all!