February Papertrey Ink Blog Hop

Nichole over at Papertrey Ink is hosting her regular monthly Blog Hop.  February is my first time joining in with the fun.

This month the theme is Marvelous Monograms.  I love, love, love anything with a monogram and enjoy giving monogrammed stationary (here, here and here).  As soon as I saw the blog hop theme, I knew I was going to make something for ME!  I like to have blank stationary on hand to write a quick hello or for use as a thank you note.  A note card with a monogram just makes it more special...three little letters that are all your own.   I also love that my initials can be sounded out into a word.

Supplies Used:

Paper - Winter Wisteria card stock, Winter Wisteria Bitty Dot 

Stamps - Mat Stack 1 Collection stamp set, Fresh Alphabet stamp set, 

Ink - Versamark

Other - Fresh Snow velvet ribbon, Mat Stack 1 die, Mat Stack 1 Layerz, White Filigree embossing powder

Disney World Map Coasters

My DH and I just returned from a quick trip to Florida.  I was in Miami for work from Tuesday until Friday, so Thursday night my DH flew down to meet me so we could go to Disney World for the weekend.  Now, THAT'S the way to wrap up a work trip.  We drove from Miami to Orlando on Friday and stayed until Tuesday.  My DH is the 'guide map keeper' on each of our Disney trips.  I am not sure he knows that is his title or not, but it seems he always picks up a park map and I never do.  Why would I need one....he always has one!

During our last trip in October I decided a new project would be to cover tiles with portions of the park maps and make them into coasters.  I started the first batch of coasters using tumbled marble tiles, which were very inexpensive at the local Home Depot.  I never put the final sealer on the tiles as I got sidetracked with some other crafting projects.  While we were in Disney last week, I remembered my unfinished coasters and decided to pocket more maps and attempt the process with regular glazed tile (which we had left over from when our house was built).

Here's how I did it for both types of tile:  I wiped down each tile with cleaner and waited for them to completely dry.  While waiting for them to dry I cut apart each park map.  Since the maps are folded at about 4 inches, I was limited to which section of the map could be placed on the tile.  I would have loved it if each park 'icon' (e.g. Cinderella's Castle in Magic Kingdom, The Tree of Life in Animal Kingdom, etc) were in the center of an unfolded section, but I wasn't so lucky.  After cutting down the sections of the maps I ended up with two square pieces to choose from for each map.  Next I applied a thin layer of decoupage glue to the backs of the maps and placed them onto the tile.  I then ran a thin layer along the edges to seal them.  I waited a few hours for the the tiles to completely dry.  After the tiles were dry I sprayed a coat of clear acrylic sealer onto each.  I waited 15 minutes between coats and ended up spraying about 4 coats total.  When the coasters were dry I added felt pads to the bottom.
I think I like the size of the tumbled marble coasters.  I'll probably give the second set away to our friends who love Disney World as much as we do!

Baby's First Stationary Set

My cousin is (over) due to deliver her baby girl, Madeline. In anticipation of her arrival, I decided she needed her first set of personalized stationary!

I used Lavender Moon Cardstock (PTI) for the card base and Polka Dot Basics Stamp Set (PTI) for the background.  The scallop circle was cut using White Glitter Card Stock (American Crafts), the larger center circle was punched out using a 1 3/4 inch punch, the small circle created using a 1 1/2 inch punch from Stamper's Select White Cardstock  (PTI), and the "M" was stamped with Gemstone Alphabet - Recollections (Michaels) in Lavender Moon Ink (PTI).

I packaged the card set (with envelopes) in a clear box and wrapped it in Lavender Moon ribbon and topped it off with the same embellishment as the cards.

I sure do hope baby Madeline arrives before this box of cards reaches her mommy in the mail!