100th Post Giveaway!

WOW! It's no joke... This is my 100th blog post! I started Cards & Cardigans back in March of 2010. It's been over a year (apparenlty I post on average every 4 1/2 days... that needs to change!). I started off only posting the cards I make, but have since grown to share other crafts and even parties. I've made a lot of cards, worn a lot of cardigans, and shared some really great memories. So in celebration of my 100th blog post, I'm having a giveaway! What am I going to giveaway? You guessed it... CARDS!

GIVEAWAY: Set of 10 Custom Handmade Cards

TO ENTER:

• Become a follower on my blog and leave me a comment.
• Already a follower? Great! Just leave me a comment. Tell me either what post got you to follow me or what your favorite post is so far.
• Bonus entry! If you're a blogger yourself, you can get an extra entry by posting about my giveaway on your blog and leaving me a separate comment with the link. 

GIVEAWAY RULES: It's pretty simple, any follower living in the contiguous United States who leaves a comment is eligible to win. Exclusions: You can't be my family because you already get cards every Christmas.

A winner will be chosen at random from the comments added to this post and that winner will be able to choose what type(s) of cards he/she would like. Sets might include all of the same card or an assortment of different cards. An assortment might include BIRTHDAY, BLANK, GET WELL, HOLIDAY, ROMANCE, SYMPATHY, THANK YOU, or a MIX! The winner will get to customize his/her set.

Giveaway ends on Thurs. July 7, 2011 at 7:11pm. That's 7/7/11 @ 7:11. Cute, right? Good luck!

And as always, happy crafting!

Cookie Mix in a Jar

My friend, Heather, and her husband, Alex, just bought and moved into their first home together. Congratulations, Heather and Alex! As a housewarming gift, I put together a cookie mix... Nothing says home like the smell of fresh baked cookies! I layered all of the dry ingredients in a quart-sized glass jar, then included the recipe for the remaining wet ingredients and baking instructions. Of course, I decorated the jar and a bag to carry the jar. Heather's favorite color is purple, so I went with that. Below are the pictures...

For the bag: I typed up the recipe, printed on cardstock, then backed with patterned paper. I actually attached it with photo tape (you know, the kind that is sort of removable), that way she can remove the recipe and reuse the bag if she likes. Then I included a wooden spoon for cuteness and practicality. Who knows? She may not have a spoon.

 

For the jar: I calculated and layered the dry ingredients for my recipe (Note on calculating: Since I was using a quart-sized jar, I had to calculate so as to fill the jar perfectly with my dry ingredients. Luckily! The recipe called for exactly 2 quarts of dry ingredients. No problem! I cut the recipe in half. Other recipes may not be that easy, though.). Then I used a 2" circle punch to make a tag on cardstock and tied it onto the jar with a bow. As cute as the layering is, I think next time I'll break up the flour and oats into more layers.

For the lid: I used that same 2"circle punch, but this time I punched from sticker paper (I always have full page sticker paper on hand... usually used for water bottle labels) and stamped with my "yummy" stamp. Viola! Happy crafting!

Grad Party 2011

Last weekend was another graduation party, but this time I got to host it... YAY! My friend Erit graduated with a Masters of Urban and Regional Planning from UCI. Congratulations, Erit! Below are some pictures from the event.

UCI's school colors are navy blue and gold, so we ended up with a navy blue and white polka-dot theme... Don't ask me how that happened, I think I just like polka-dots. Above are the banner I hung over the dessert table, as well as the tissue paper poms I made. I will have to post a tutorial for the poms later.

Above are the water bottle labels I made (I know they look like a lot of work, but I completed that project, start to finish, in less than 20 minutes at about 10:30pm). They are so super easy. I'll have to do a tutorial for those later, too. I also made food labels that matched the banner and water bottes.

And for dessert, I made my usual chocolate graduation caps. What would a graduation party be without my chocolate graduation caps? (Not fun at all, I tell you!) Oh, and of course I made chocolate cupcakes with cream cheese frosting. What would a party be without my cream cheese frosting? (Well now it's just not worth attending!) And while I'm on a tutorial kick, I'll have to make a tutorial for these, too... I don't know which is easier, the chocolate graduation caps or the water bottle labels... both are pretty darn simple.

 And what would a blog post about a graduation party be without pictures of the graduate? Above is Erit. Again, Congratulations, Erit! I had the mustaches out once again, but this time I added the eyeglasses... Too fun! What would a party be without eyeglasses and mustaches, you say? (I think you know the answer.) Happy crafting, happy partying, and congratulations to all the 2011 graduates!

Sailing

As promised, below are a couple of sailing pictures... and by sailing pictures, I mean close-up pictures of Daniel and I with sailboats in the background. I swear we did sail one!

Aren't we a cute couple? Okay, so I may be a little biased, but I still think so! Happy sailing!

Ashley

Sailor's Birthday

It's the boyfriend's birthday today! Happy Birthday, Daniel! Daniel loves sailing, so I thought it appropriate to make him a birthday card fit for a sailor. We've actually taken sailing lessons together, where he learned how to sail and I learned how to look pretty while getting sea sick... I've almost got it down. I'll post some sailing pictures tomorrow...

To Make This Card: I used Old Olive cardstock and patterned paper. The sailboat is printed on cardstock and colored using my stampin' write pens from Stampin' Up!. Happy crafting!

Ashley