Called to Serve: Sweden Edition

Just thinking about mission calls this week, probably because we're waiting for an important one around here.  Here are some visuals of what I created for a goodbye celebration to a sweet sister that is currently serving in Sweden.  The color scheme was the vibrant colors of the Swedish flag.  I created floral arrangements, custom sewn linens, and handpainted garlands & flags.  And her house was so beautiful, how could anything look all that bad in the end?

And Keeping With the High School Theme from Yesterday - A Girls Basketball Senior Night!

These little white vinyl & polka dot fabric heart pouches were presented to the seniors from the juniors and were filled with treats, photo books and notes from all the players.  

Senior chair sashes tied on with a red polka dot balloons.  I used this artwork and reduced the images and enlarged them for various projects during end of season.

 At Staples Office Supply you can have large photo posters done in black and white for around $8.  They were huge and made a statement so inexpensively!  We put these large posters up around the gymnasium along with some handpainted signs with personalized shout outs for each one of the senior girls.  

 The candy leis presented to the seniors on behalf of the basketball moms (kinda shoved in the box, sorry).  Boxes of homemade sugar cookies and other treats were presented to the band, administrators, game officials, janitors and players from the booster club and served as a thank you for their hard work and support all season long. 

 The bouquets for the moms and the senior players from both the home and opposing teams.

And finally, our five seniors, because they were the cutest display of the evening.  

Not Just Another High School Banquet Centerpiece

A very talented and extremely generous friend, Natalie, asked a favor of me on Monday.

I can't say no to someone like her, because she doesn't and didn't say no to me back in April.  In fact, I didn't even need to ask her of the favor, she just spontaneously offered her home to the three girls high school basketball teams (24 girls) along with their parents, the school administration, and the three coaches for our end of year girls basketball banquet. Just around 80 people, no biggie.  And she helped me feed them all!

So needless to say, I didn't say "No" to her favor.

So the favor:  High school girls golf banquet centerpieces

She needed red/black art work for little golf flags for the 8 floral centerpieces.

I can do black, silver and red real easy and real fast.  If you look real close, you can see the wooden tees in the water of the vase.  So clever Natalie.

So when I came home from my run this morning, this little number was on my porch.

 

I'll help you anytime in exchange for fresh flowers Natalie.

Speaking of banquets...

I never blogged about our girls basketball banquet.

The centerpieces made of handpainted crepe paper, paper ribbon, ribbon and wire wrapped in floral tapes.

Player & administration gifts and senior tags

Firsts & Stuff on My Desk

My 1994 business card

When I first "opened shop" in 1992, I did events, invitations and custom tactile greetings for companies and individuals. And this was my business card in 1994... And the dot in between the numbers on my old telephone number?  Yeah, it still bugs me.  The graphic guy made it way too big, and I was just a little too timid to tell him I wanted it smaller.  I'm so glad I'm stronger and braver now.

But I still love the cardstock. This was long before scrapbooking was the thing, and to find any unique cardstock was next to impossible.  I looked for over a month, meeting with paper sources trying to find any textured cardstock other than a linen finish.  I had to pay an extra $100 to get Zellebach Paper Company to even order it in for me.  From the moment they said it wasn't a regular stocked item, I knew it was perfect. I was just about 20 years too early for the logo I drew back then, but there is a personal story behind the olive branch wreath; I'll share sometime.  

I'll be posting new stuff on my desk and old stuff from my boxes from now on.  I don't really think it matters, new-old, whatever. If your interested, subscribe to my blog.  Keep coming back if it feeds you daily.  Follow me on Instagram Here, Etsy Here, Pinterest Here or all three.  

This was my very first "big" custom job.  Shawna was visiting Utah from Atlanta, Georgia.  She spotted my handmade greeting cards at an upscale stationery shop in downtown Salt Lake City.  She found my number at the back of the card and called me directly after leaving the store.  

She really wanted prince -ish and a Japanese influence.

She remained a loyal client for over a decade until her husband took a job in Australia, and even then, we still connected when she made the voyage back.  There was no social media anything when I lost our connection.

I miss those long late night, phone conversations with her about her family 

and what she thought I should do with my business.  

She became a true friend and business mentor. 

And I have more belief in my talent, dreams for my future, and art in my veins because I knew her. 

Thank you Shawna, if ever we meet again.

*sigh*

 And today on the desk:  Sneak peak to Chloe's graduation announcements

Singing Gospel Today

My girls and their friends just left for a bike ride near the park, it's actually sunny and oh so happy outside.  Don't you just think of a good southern gospel choir when you hear this phrase?  I can hear it, "Oh Happy Day!"  Remember the movie, Sister Act?  It came out the year I was married (another happy day) 22 years ago and I've never forgotten the music.
So here's to h a p p y  d a y s ! 

Last year I created this hand dyed coffee filter wreath and hand painted banner for the
Utah a r t  m a r k e t Spring Show.  I just wanna get on a bike, wear a flower wreath in my hair and belt out gospel music at the top of my lungs. Yeah, and it makes me smile too.  

Hi, my name is Aimee Ferre

My daughter and I were just experimenting with a little video application exercise.  I realize it's a little rough and unprofessional, but kind of fun.  Thanks for watching!

My Peeps & Springtime

Just thinking about my little p e e p s who have been gone all week on a spring break trip to Santa Barbara.  They come home tonight.  It can't come soon enough.  

I like us all together.  

The whole thought process of making these little guys just reminded me of sticking with my own peeps. Sometimes they stick together in a row.  It's good to stick together.  There is more power and strength in numbers.  I think we do pretty good together.  

I won't start thinking about the fall when one little peep will leave the coop.  I'll stick to thoughts of spring while she's still a little peep under my wing.

(See the full Easter post h e r e. Very time consuming, but such a novelty.  I used the instructions from martha stewart.  A little tricky at first, but just go for it, the less you think about it while you pipe, the better they will shape.  Just try not to make too big of a batch.  The marshmallow cream stiffens the longer you wait to pipe.  I had a few malfunctions with the timing after I got overly excited.  I might have tried to triple a batch.  Not a good idea.)  

What Are Little Boys Made of? - "Little Boy" Baby Shower

My niece's last name is Little.

She was having a baby.

It's a boy.

The poem about "What little boys are made of" seemed to be the perfect fit for the theme of her baby shower.

The invite

I really wanted to send out something that could be repurposed.  I like to be green when I can, you know, keep the world lookin' good.  Some guests said they framed this little card.  Great Grandma kept it as a mobile on her lamp.  I thought it could be used as a baby card for someone.  I've been accused of being "the creator of clutter", so I thought I would give guests the option to dispose of the invite responsibly.  

The spread

I used paper mache painted mushrooms, preserved moss, silk daffodils and lily of the valley stems, moss rocks from the dollar store of all places, some paper tulips and foliage I made from crepe paper and paper ribbon, fresh wheatgrass from the grocery store and some mums I had received a couple weeks before that managed to stay alive long enough to really get some mileage out of their freshness.  I also added some feather wired butterflies to the composition and gummy frogs and worms in a couple candy bowls.  They just seemed to work.  And actually, the guests ate them all, so they must not have just been for the aesthetics, turns out the kids liked them better than the freshly baked goods.  

The happy favors of primroses and bright little flags

The Happy Mommy-to-Be