You may have noticed by now that there is definitely a theme that we {the creative team} are working through on the blog this month. When I began developing the Constant Companion kit for May I really kept thinking about friendship, and I love that Jessi’s post on monday was focused around being a good samaritan, something that I believe can really make a difference in the world.

One of the things that i love doing for my friends is giving gifts that are a reflection of who they are and what they love. What i don’t love about gift giving is the price of gift cards and gift wrap. I {like alot of you I am sure…} have really made a focus over the last few years to be as green as i am able and I really believe that giving gifts doesn’t have to incorporate alot of wrapping or cost, it just requires some ingenuity and some personal focus on who your giftee is, and your scraps are perfect for creating quick and beautiful gift tags.

One of our friends recently made a move into a new house and I think there is nothing better as a housewarming present as a fabulous bottle of wine. Once those boxes are unpacked, or during if you’re like me ;), it’s nice to know there is something to savor for all of that hardwork and schlepping of boxes.

This gift tag took all of two minutes to create. I just stacked some of the Sassafras Lass chipboard frames from the May sweet dreams add-on kit and then added some paper {the striped pattern is from the rub-ons packaging} and a “welcome home” rub-on. Then I cut a slit in the top and thread the ribbon through and tied it around the wine bottle. Simple and very quick.

Another friend is expecting a baby in a few months and i found this adorable vintage baby lap quilt at the thrift store last week. I wanted to give it to her wrapped pretty, but I definitely didn’t want to waste a lot of paper on gift wrap. So I folded it accordian style and along with some vintage seam binding I added a bright and cheerful vintage style tag.

To create the gift tag I used some paper scraps from a few of the May kits and added them to the bingo card in the Mister Mister add-on kit. Then I stacked one of the October Afternoon Wild Cards on top with pop dots and added another Sassafras Lass chipboard piece with the “handmade” stamps from the Sweet Dreams kit {again, I used pop dots}. I love that the tag is bright and cheerful but it definitely has a vintage vibe that goes perfect with the quilt.

Here’s to new beginnings on life and home and hopefully next time you need a little tag or card for a gift you’ll turn to your stash. I know the recipient will love that you took the extra effort to create something personable for them, I always do.

happy friday!

ps : sneak peeks are sunday … any guesses on what’s coming next? ;)

today we have a fun sketch challenge provided by our sweet and amazing guest designer joleen.  simply use the sketch to create any layout, project, card or more. post your creation on your blog or in a gallery or our flickr group and then link it up here in the comments section {so we can see & chose a winner} and you can win the sold out all in a row kit from our may release.

projects must be linked here by june 7th at 9pm pacific. winner will be announced on wednesday june 10th. and our international friends are welcome to join in. :)

and make sure you check what the kenner road creative team did below, with joleen’s sketch, for some extra inspiration.

joleen

dina

gigi

jessi

kl

lisa

happy wednesday!

xo

“do unto others as you would have them do unto you”

do you ever wonder where this went?? i feel that so many things in society have changed…so many things have been lost as we grow and progress in this world. but i find a lot of old world etiquette fading away. the little things. saying hi to your neighbours…knowing your neighbours. opening doors for people…holding doors open for people behind you. handshakes and introductions. DOING GOOD DEEDS.and the easiest of all….saying please and thank you…showing appreciation and gratitude.

so many things i grew up doing when i was a little girl have been lost and faded. so many GOOD childhood memories. things that, when i think about them…make me smile. one of my favourite memories was may day. may 1st. my sister, brother, and i used to wake and find special little place settings at our breakfast table. a little bouquet of flowers for each us that my mom picked from the garden, a little porcelain girl figurine holding the number of how old we were…okay my brother had a boy not a girl :). after breakfast we would go out to the garden and pick our own bouquets of flowers to deliver to our neighbours, friends and teachers. such a simple thing to do. but it brought  a smile every time!!!

so this year i had realized that i had been very remiss in sharing with my kids some of my favourite things about my childhood….this year i brought may day back :)…with a twist. flowers don’t grow here in alberta in may….one of the many things i miss about vancouver island :). and sorry…store bought flowers were not an option. so we baked instead. we made the most delicious pumpkin bread and muffins…courtesy of gi (you have got to try this recipe…AMAZING!!)…we wrapped it up and made pretty little tags(i cut the tags and the girls punched flowers and decorated them)…and delivered it to our neighbours and friends.

unfortunately i forgot to bring my camera for the delivery part of these goodies…the girls were so excited to be delivering their baked goods that in all the excitement we walked out the door without it….

but our neighbours and friends were touched and delighted by the random act of kindness. it got me thinking that the world would be a happier place if we got to know our neighbours again. if we stopped and said hi. shook a hand. passed a smile on. so while i know may day has come and gone….with kenner road celebrating friendship this month….the idea of may day can happen anytime of the year. i encourage of all you to spread a little sunshine…just because…on your neighbours:)

have a fabulous and beautiful monday!

~jessi

ryan’s pumpkin bread courtesy of gigi

ingredients

3 cups Sugar
1 cup Vegetable Oil
4 eggs
2 cups pumpkin puree
3 ½ cups flour
2 teaspoons Baking Soda
1 teaspoon Baking Powder
1 teaspoon Salt
1 teaspoon Ground Allspice
1 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
1 teaspoon Ground Nutmeg
2/3 cup warm water

instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly butter 2 9×5x2 ½ inch loaf pans. Beat sugar, oil, eggs and pumpkin
in large bowl to blend. Sift flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, allspice, cinnamon and nutmeg into
another large bowl. Stir flour mixture into pumpkin mixture. Slowly mix in 2/3 cup warm water. Divide
batter equally between prepared pans. Bake until tops are golden brown and tester inserted into center
comes out clean (about 1 hour) Take out of oven and cool in pans on racks for 10 minutes. Then, turn
breads out onto racks and cool completely. Serve with whipped cream.

notes

“This is such a great recipe that is easy to whip up with items I usually have in my pantry and
Ryan loves to help bake it. He requests we make it often and even requested it as his birthday “cake”
for the past 2 years!”

i’m going to just admit it…i’m becoming a nag…and it drives me crazy…

getting my 3 kids out the door in the morning on time is just not easy…our mornings are nutso around here with my 2 dogs playing wrestlemania 3 in the living room & constant searches for shoes & “what do i need to do today??”s… meanwhile, my coffee hasn’t gotten a chance to kick in…so i find myself resorting to nagging…

“did you make your bed???”

“did you brush your teeth???”

“why is this laundry all over the place????”

“are your books supposed to by lying on the floor here???”

& i feel like my kids are tuning me out…i’m becoming that “wah wah wah wah wah” voice from charlie brown, i just know it…

but an adorable set of little russian paper dolls has come to my rescue :)

when i saw the kaisercraft mini book & patterned paper in this month’s add-on all in a row i fell in love…and when i got my kits & my girls were peeking at all my loot, they both fell in love with these little beauties too… “mommy can you make something for me with them???” “oooh i love this one mommy!  she is my favorite!!!”…so i kept thinking…hmmm…how can i put these little ladies to work?  & then it hit me…and our little morning chore book was born :)

so now my little paper doll friends are helping my girls’ remember exactly what they need to do each morning before they come pounding down the stairs for breakfast…i can be downstairs getting the lunches ready & sipping my coffee and let these little beauties do all the talking…and it has been working…by the end of this week, my new best little paper doll friends have become my best ever mommy’s little helpers :)

so here’s what i did….i painted the mini book with a few coats of cream colored acrylic paint…adhered the cut out beauties to my painted pages…then i used glossy accents and lots of bling (my girls love bling :) to pretty them up…then using some letter stickers, some flowers, my favorite alpha stamps & the scallopy frame kenner road stamp i created the pages…a bit of doodling here & there & then using the gorgeous orange fabric strip from the kit, i tied on a loop so that the little book can hang from the doorknob of their bedroom door..and everything (except for my tools & a bit of twine) came to straight my door in my kenner road kits…

we love it :)

so what do you have planned for your little russian paper doll friends??  i’d love to hear your ideas!

here’s to smooth mornings…fresh hot coffee and a nice long weekend!

hope you get some creating time!!  Happy Memorial Day!!

xoxo

gi

i was so thrilled to have joleen with us as a guest designer this month. i adore her quirky style and this layout thrilled me, i adore how she filled in her cursive writing with splashes of color.

when i saw this amazing layout that amy created i was giddy. the embroidery hoop stamp is probably my favorite piece this month and it’s so sweet on this layout about her daughter and i love how the jbs chipboard buttons fit perfectly inside.

ok, seriously. i know i need say nothing. but when i decided to put the mixed media album in an add-on kit i just knew dina would create something amazing. and she did. this album makes me want to get out my gesso and really start experimenting with mists and color… just divine!

the colors in gi’s vroom layout speak to me in about 50 million little whispers of happiness. from the car racing pictures of kate & ryan to the car sticker with the plumes of smoke. it’s simple perfection.

jessi’s idea of using the october afternoon wild cards to create a lullaby wall hanging was brilliant. what a sweet gift to send to a friend with a new baby.

katie’s watching daddy layout just made my heart break a little. the colors are brilliant and her layering and little details always inspire me.

holy matroyshka. i think the all in a row add-on kit was made for lisa. bright, fun & so whimsical. it’s the perfect banner, don’t you think?

now, if you have a favorite or if you’ve created something after being inspired by the ct gallery please let me know or upload it into our flickr gallery, we love when our members share.

happy wednesday!

xo