State(s) of mind: awesome functional art!

I was beyond eager to receive these really cool functional pieces of wood artwork I recently purchased from OldNewAgain. 

I mean, come on!  The state of Massachusetts AND the islands?  The scaled Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket really sent me over the edge.  Massachusetts is not only our neighboring state, but where my husband grew up and the state where we met, which is why I chose this piece.

Of course, living in New Hampshire, I had to also had to order this:

The photo is a bit crooked to show the whole piece, but I can assure you it's hanging upright properly in the laundry room to represent our beloved granite state.

Super cool stuff, right?!  Visit OldNewAgain's shop and you won't be dissapointed!

Kids, right-side up and upside down

Hope you had a wonderful Labor Day weekend.  We certainly did.  My sister Emily is in town and we also visited my brother and sister-in-law at a cookout they hosted.  The Gravy Kids also got to meet time their very first cousin, little baby Chet.  Griffin was a smidge jealous.



The photo comparison below makes me laugh.  I suppose it's in my family's DNA if my brother was inclined to hold my son upside-down this past weekend as I did spontaneously last month.

Neither photo was planned, but apparently Griffin likes to barrel roll when there happens to be a camera nearby.



PS: There's some Good Gravy! goodness up for grabs over at Are We There Yet?.  Check it out!

Free printable: DIY bookplates

I'm pleased to introduce new DIY printable scallop design bookplates!  These bright colored bookplates will ensure that your treasured books return to their rightful owner. 

I find these especially helpful now that school has started up again because Wavey loves to bring in her favorite books on 'Share Days.'

It's easy!  Click here to download the printable PDF, print on white paper (heavy cardstock is recommended...I chose glossy because I love glossy), cut around the edges, and glue or tape to the inside of your favorite books.

Happy reading and sharing!

NyQuil = life's insult to injury

I missed out blogging yesterday because I've been much too busy hacking up my lungs.  The coughing has been so bad that its kept me up for several nights and me + no sleep = non-functional.  It's amazing I ever made it through the Gravy Kids' newborn stages without inadvertently bottle feeding them coffee creamer.

I will say this about being sick: I hate NyQuil.  I hate it so much that I'd rather try and go days without rest than succumb to what I perceive is the equivalent to drinking gasoline.  But the other night I had no choice, and to make matters worse, I couldn't find the stupid dosing cup that goes with the medicine and had to resort to piping it out with a toddler medicine syringe and shooting it from the only clean cup I could find: one with floating glitter and snowmen.

The whole experience was ridiculous.  But I slept like the big baby I am when I'm sick. 

Lunch-able

Preparing lunches can be a real snoozefest around here.  But maybe inspiration from the talented Melissa at Another Lunch would help my noontime causes:

I mean, really?  With the hotdog?!  I can't take the cuteness right down to the "eyes:"

This is what I call a lunchbox full of goodness:

And then my personal favorite creation from the site, Little Bunny Foo Foo:

{Image sources}

Of course while all the featured lunches are pretty balanced and nutritious, she really had me at the tin of cotton candy.  Not to mention that it would be hilarious to pack a sea of hotdog octopi into my husband's lunch. 

Chomp!

My friend Kara is passionate about University of Florida football.  Since I attended a university without strong national ties to college football, I've jumped on her bandwagon the past few years in support of her and her team. 

And now, the Gravy Kids are fans, too.

Check out the massive Gator Chomp performed by Griffin...

...but pay no mind to the pink crocs he stole from his sister.

DIY teacher gifts: personalized pencil jars

Kindergarten begins next week for little Miss Wavey.  With the glass etching cream I used the other day, I personalized $1.00 glass jars and stuffed about $4.00 worth of colored pencils in each, tied a ribbon around them, and presto: instant, inexpensive DIY teacher gifts.

If you have doubts about glass etching, please know that it's about as easy as smearing toothpaste on a stencil.  I mean it!

The non-update update

For those eagle-eyed readers yesterday who informed me both publicly and privately that they noticed yesterday's baby shower invitation was featured atop a certain fabric I've been holding aside to cover a certain not-yet-left-to-die-in-my-basement chair, please know that the plans are still in the works... but you should know me better by now than to even assume it's close to completion.

That is all.  :)

Whale of a tale: baby shower invitation

I'm pleased to share this recent whale theme design for a baby boy shower invitation. Produced with sand and deep sea inks, this invitation is matted to a sparkling navy cardstock.

The Gravy Kids definitely approve because they love whales.  Here's Griffin on his first whale watch earlier this month:

Personal information on invitation has been modified for privacy.

Not known for my subtley

My dad - who does not use a wheelchair - somehow came across a wheelchair in his travels and decided to give it to charity.  Apparently "giving it to charity" really meant it would be hanging out in my garage for months.

Here's the friendly reminder I gave him to help motivate the actual act of donating:

Get your craft on: DIY glass etching

You know how I have an obsession with glass?  Wavey does, too.  Being five years old, she believes that drinking milk from a real glass cup makes her fancy.  

So, I got fancy.

I used clear laminating paper to create the stencil of the scallop and applied $2 sticker letters found in the scrapbooking aisle at the craft store.

I smudged on a generous amount of etching cream, but I wasn't careful about the drips and it went past the 'safe' area of the covering.  Oh well...beginner's error.

After five minutes, I rinsed off the cream, peeled the adhesives, and voila!  A cute little glass that reads, "Moo."

It's a bit imperfect and I can see where I didn't carefully apply the laminating paper well, but overall it was a fun 10 minute project that I'm sure will translate into many monogrammed glasses/jars/vases/votives in the future.

I wonder if it's kosher

You know how you walk into a drugstore intending to buy just one benign item, such as makeup remover, and then walk out with a few other things? 

Yeah, happens to me all the time.

On the lam: personalized luggage & bag tags

I made the leap and decided to try out making personalized laminated luggage & bag tags using some of my Good Gravy! stationery designs. 

The result: success! 

 

Above are a few tags intended for gifts to a dear friend's children, but I'm excited to share how they turned out so I'm okay revealing the surprise early.  These would be great on a backpack or a lunch bag.

And while I was traveling to Vegas with my friend Beth, the airline killed damaged her existing luggage tag so I figured she could use a new one.

I'm considering adding these to the shop soon, but until then, feel free to contact me if you're interested in having your very own tags sooner! 


PS: Don't forget to enter to win a 20-piece Good Gravy! flat note card set + 20 matching return address labels over at the big 30 Days Giveaway Week event! 

Incompetent adults eating fudge pops

Below is one of the warnings on the kids' inflatable toys. I laughed at how it goes beyond suggesting "adult supervision" and moves right to "competent supervision..." which, by that token, most likely disqualifies me and most of my friends.

Recently, I bought some low-calorie fudge pops and I understand the need to list the allergen info and the excessive consumption warning (yowie).  But check out what's between those two warnings:

Apparently, there's a legal requirement to disclose what I naturally assume stems from the popular Supreme Court case Chocolate Fudge Pop v. Winter Flagpole ruling.

Winny, winny, chicken dinny

There's an enormous giveaway week going on over at Thirty Handmade Days, and Good Gravy! is part of the fun. 

Through the Giveaway Week, one lucky duck wins a 20-pack set of custom note cards + 20 matching address labels + free shipping.  Click here to enter for your chance at some stationery goodness.

And while you're kicking around the Thirty Days site, be sure to check out Mique's other great giveaways.  The talented shops are a fantastic bunch to mingle with. 

Good luck!

Seashells, s'mores and herding cats

We went to Cape Cod, Massachusetts, last week and did a whole lotta nothing aside from beach lounging, collecting shells, s'mores eating and spending time with family.

Griffin found sailing with daddy so riveting that he fell asleep:

Wavey had fun with her Aunt Katie:

And if you're familiar with the term "herding cats," you'll understand why nearly every group photo of ours looks something like this:

Or this:

After we arrived home, a certain someone (who shall remain nameless, but let's just say that I would have seen the giant pile toys if I was the one jockeying cars in the driveway), accidently ran over the beach toys drying in the yard:

If that's "the worst" of our vacation (what does that total, a $5 casualty?), you can gather that it was a spectacular time had by all.