Cheri's Baby Shower Delights

Last weekend we threw a baby shower for my sister-in-law, Cheri. We had an amazing day celebrating her and are excitedly awaiting my little nephew William's arrival.

Cheri's shower gave me the opportunity to create some handmade gifts and to get crafty. Here are some cute projects that I wanted to share with you.

Inspired by the chalk art class I took at Belovely, here is my first chalkboard!

(By the way, isn't the background in the above photo amazing? We held Cheri's shower at Valley Forge Flowers...it was perfect! I highly recommend this beautiful boutique and café as a lovely venue and a gem of a store.)

Here's the proud mom-to-be posing with my chalk art. Hi, baby bump!

The teddy bear, below, is part of my gift. This cutie is sitting on a little chair that I decoupaged with a gray and white chevron print. He is even wearing a matching bow tie.

I layered strips of zig zags on top of each other, in all different directions, for a funky look.

I also made bunting for the nursery! I think I am most proud of this project. I have never made bunting before but I loosely followed this tutorial from The Painted Hive and it turned out really well.

Little William's room is painted blue (Martha Stewart's Blue Suede) and I thought that this gray and white chevron print would make a great accent. I used this same fabric to decoupage the chair above.  

The letters were cut out of blue felt using a simple template that I made.

Here is a fun display item from my mom. She bought this Umbra frame that has little clips inside. She enlarged a gorgeous photo of my brother and Cheri to use as the background and then clipped baby pictures of each of them on top. The effect was so adorable! 

We were marveling at how similar their baby pictures are. I think our moms even sported the same hairstyle!

My nephew will be named William after our father who passed away five years ago. My dad really loved flowers and African Violets were a favorite. So to honor his memory, each guest received a little white violet as a favor. The pots were spray painted silver and we applied "thank you" stickers in a chalkboard design. I wish I could say that I made the stickers but they were just a really great find from Michael's. 

And last, here are a couple of details that I wanted to share. Remember those kraft stickers I found at Target before Christmas? Well, they worked out perfectly as little gift seals that I could personalize. 

This is on the bottom of the decoupaged chair. 

And this sealed the paper that I used to wrap the bunting. 

I think it perfectly describes Cheri's shower, too. Show how much you care for those you love with handmade design-goodness.

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images by The Pink Chalkboard

A Different Kind of Stocking Stuffer

While flipping through a Design Within Reach catalog lately, I came across this image.

Who needs stockings when you have wellies? Such a cute way to hold little presents!

Artwork for your Graduate

It's graduation season and if your grad likes artwork and loves to travel, I think these letterpressed prints by Amy Rice are a great gift idea. Rice's work offers a fun twist on Dr. Seuss' Oh, the Places You'll Go, and I just love that all of the maps she uses are vintage. See for yourself...

This pin on Pinterest has a great DIY idea for this artwork, too. It reminds me a bit of this map project that I posted last year.

Happy graduation gift giving!

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all images via Amy Rice on Etsy

Happy Pencils

I wanted to share with you my most favorite desk accessory—these cheerful pencils that Jillian gave me. 

Seriously. Polka-dotted, rainbow-colored pencils with streamers on top? Hello, happiness!

I have been redecorating my office space in an all-white theme and these pencils provide a perfect pop of color.

These colored beauties also gave me an opportunity to play with one of my other favorite accessories—painted ball jars. This time I painted one white so that my happy pencils could be the star. I just love this little bit of joy on my desk. Thanks, Jillian!

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images via The Pink Chalkboard

Ornaments and Necklaces

Earlier this week I wrote about using garland to cover a ceiling. Along the same lines is this post today — ways to creatively use ornaments.

Sure these geometric paper ornaments would look nice on a tree, but what about clustering a bunch together to be a mobile in a baby's room? Or hanging them from a chandelier for a festive update for your next party? Tying them to a ribbon and draping them would look pretty on a gallery wall, too.

The ornaments are by Field Guide Design on Etsy and I just had to share another item of their's, too. Pet rock necklaces in the most beautiful packaging:

I know it's a little early but with items like these, I'm already looking forward to holiday shopping!

Gold Leaf Glass

I recently wrote about my visit to Terrain in Westport, Connecticut. Terrain is one of those stores where you really have to look carefully at everything around you. There are so many nuggets of goodness there. Take this, for example:

Look at those gold leaf bottles!

What a nice way to add a little glitz and make a simple bottle something really special. I like how the gold leaf here is only on the bottom section, making it more mod and graphic. You can fill the bottle with water and some leaves as shown here, or apply it to another glass surface (like a vase or candlesticks) for a unique and great gift.

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images by The Pink Chalkboard

Hi Honey!

Have you noticed all of the small, independent honey companies cropping up lately? Many have beautifully designed logos and pretty packaging. They certainly have come a long way from the traditional honey bear of my childhood. These packages are sophisticated and charming, and I think a special jar of honey could make a great housewarming gift. Here are some of my favorites.

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1. Babees Honey, conceived and designed by Ah&Oh, via the dieline  
2. Urban Apiaries, via terrain
3. TruBee, via terrain
4. Denniston Apiary, designed by Michael Osborne Design , via the dieline
5. Nude Bee Honey Co.,  via the dieline

Tied Up With String

It all started with this string...yarn actually. Walking through ACMoore one day, I spotted it at the end of an aisle and scooped it up. I consider myself to be a bit crafty but don't have any idea how to knit. I do however, like to give gifts, and decided that this unique yarn would make a lovely ribbon for a special gift. 

Paired with a couple of spiral-bound notebooks and a pen from Muji (one of Jillian's favorite stores), and a Merci greeting card from Richie Designs (one of my favorite Etsy sellers), this little collection is so sweet in its simplicity. 

Sometimes all it takes is a curated collection of a few beautifully-designed items—tied up with lovely string—to make a big impact. And just the right way to say thank you.  

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all images by The Pink Chalkboard