Logan's First Birthday



My favorite grandson celebrated his first birthday last month.  I was thrilled when my daughter asked me to make the banner for his airplane-themed party.  She knew exactly what style banner she wanted, which definitely made it easier for me.  I'm more of a worker bee than a creative type. 

My daughter preferred that I not make an age-specific banner so that she could use it again another year.  Since I knew I needed a space between "happy" and "birthday" I designed a couple of different options, one being the star that says "1st" (what can I say?  I'm a rebel).   Because the pieces of the banner are joined with individual lengths of ribbon, it will be easy to remove the star and replace it with another piece if she decides to use it again.  

 

The airplanes are from the Cricut Lite cartridge B is for Boy.  Using the Cricut Craft Room design program, I took the letters from the cartridge Martha Stewart Elegant Cake Art  and stretched them to the proportions I needed to fill the rectangular flags I had cut with my paper trimmer.  The stars I used are free shapes from Cricut Craft Room Basics.

                                            

 

The night before the party we stayed up late cutting mats for about ten thousand photos showcasing Logan's first year.  Yes, I exaggerate, but not by much ;-)  My granddaughters and I worked hard assembling all the pictures.  My daughter spent most of the day and night cooking the most amazing food, which looked as beautiful as it tasted.  And finally, sometime well after midnight, we finished our tasks and went to bed.
 

The day of the party we woke up to snow.

My two granddaughters were excited to see the white stuff.  They were the only ones.  I was heartsick for my daughter.  I knew she had been looking forward to this day for so long, and she had worked so hard to get everything ready. We weren't sure what would happen.  How much more snow would accumulate?  Would anyone come?  As for me, I was disappointed that my sisters, who live a few hours away, might not be able to make the trip.

 

We set about decorating the neighborhood clubhouse anyway, uncertain what the day would bring and not willing to be unprepared should the weather improve before afternoon. 

 

Then the sun came out.  The snow melted.  The guests started to arrive.  And my sisters were able to get across the mountains safely and spend a couple of hours with us.  It was a wonderful day.

Don't be fooled; there were tons more photos of Logan on the walls. 

The excited guest of honor.

He thoughtfully opened each and every gift. 
At least that's how it appeared to this adoring grandmother.

Grandson's First Halloween Card

I'm pretty much a one-trick pony.  At bedtime my children (and grandchildren) heard countless renditions of "Jesus Loves Me" sung off-key.  Playtime usually consisted of endless rounds of "Peek-a-Boo".  It must have been a big bore for them all.

For a couple of weeks in October my newest grandson was subjected to more of the same.  The singing didn't go over very well.  Peek-a-Boo?  Now that was a hit.

I wanted to make his first Halloween card as soon as I returned home.  I always struggle to come up with crafty designs.  But this one designed itself (or at least that's where I'm laying the blame):

 

The pumpkin is from the Cricut cartridge Create a Critter.  The rectangular frame was designed using Cricut Craft Room Basics.

 

The ghost is from the Cricut cartridge 3 Birds on Parade.  "Peek-a" was cut from the Cricut Lite cartridge B is for Boy, and the three dots following were cut using the Martha Stewart Screw Punch.

 

I also used an EK Success punch for the spider and web.  The ghost border inside was cut using a Martha Stewart border punch.

 

Yes, the card requires an explanation and a well-placed hint on the pumpkin "door", but I was pretty pleased with myself.  Not so much for the card itself, but because I mailed it before Halloween.





Monkey Card for My New Grandson

I'm posting this in an attempt to get a jump on next Valentine's Day.  Okay, okay...I'm late posting for 2012.

Wanting to stake my claim as the favorite grandmother, or at least to make him think I have some redeeming value (unlike the opinion of the two granddaughters who live with me), I made this Valentine card for my brand new grandson. 

Once I learned my daughter would be having a boy, it seemed like the perfect excuse to buy the Cricut Lite cartridge B is for Boy.  The sock monkey alone is worth the price!  I also used it as an excuse to buy the Sugar and Spice cartridge and a few other unrelated items.  Don't judge me...

I used the Cuttlebug embossing folder Heart Blocks for the white background.  I cut the Love image from B is for Boy, then added glitter to the letters.  I added flocking to the monkey's body and hat.  Then I decided he needed googly eyes.  (Twelve-day-old babies really notice the details.)

I'm not sure my grandson even knows I'm alive, but my daughter said she and her husband really enjoyed the card.