Cheerleading cookies [part two]...

About forever ago now, I mentioned that I was going to make cheerleading cookies as an end of the season treat for the squad of little girls I coached this basketball season. Well, as I was going through my camera recently, I realized I never posted the pictures of the final product. So, here they are...

I ended up making sugar cookies with green and white frosting (our squad colors) in clear bags with green poms and a little note. The girls loved them!

[P.S. If you want to see the cutie little girls in action, check out this video. And for the adorable video Mr. W made for his basketball team, check out this video.]

Baby shower invitation...

Last but certainly not least in the series of invitations are the invitations for my sister's baby shower...

The theme for the nursery is jungle animals and the parents-to-be particularly love giraffes. Again, this invitation was actually three pieces of paper - the white with the words, the green and then the blue.  The invitations were mailed in white envelopes with these wrap labels...

I had never made [or used] wrap labels before and am now completely obsessed. They are so simple, but look really classy and fun. It's a good thing Mr. W generally handles the bills in our house, or I am quite sure I'd be mailing them all in with cute wrap labels. ;) If I can, I'll try someday to post a template for easily making your own wrap labels. You can also look forward to some coordinating paper products from this shower in the future.  :)

Graduation party invitation...

Next up in the series of invitations is the invitation for the surprise graduation party for my husband...

Mr. W just got his Masters in Public Administration from the University of Kansas [hence the colors]. :) The invitations were mailed in bright red envelopes with these labels...

Couples' shower invitation...

Tons of exciting stuff is going on in our family right now, which means...tons of fun parties! Today I'll share the invitations I made for three parties over the past couple of months. And soon[ish], I'll be back to share more fun pictures from each of them.

First up is the invitation for a couples' shower / BBQ for my brother-in-law and his fiance... 

The invitation was actually three separate pieces of paper - the brown with the words, a white/cream paper, and then the green background. Their wedding colors are green and brown, which were really easy inspiration colors for a mostly outdoor shower. Stay tuned for lots of photos...

Backdrop genius...

Isn't this backdrop gorgeous?

[from Holamama; found via Celebrations at Home]

It definitely proves that by spending a little time crafting you can make a huge impact with very little money. We all know how to make paper chains. And who doesn't have colored paper around their house already?

Why I sleep on airplanes...

So, I travel a lot for work. And when I do, I always sleep on the airplane. Professional, huh?

Last week I was actually traveling with coworkers though, so I decided to be social and stay awake on the plane. All week long, I had been reading an issue of Better Homes & Gardens and had flagged tons of great ideas. Since I was awake, I thought it seemed like a great time to finish reading the magazine. Awwww, more great ideas and amazingness...

And then I got off the plane and left the magazine in the seat pocket!!! I stopped dead in my tracks when I realized it. And, honestly, if I had been traveling alone, I might have tried to push backwards and wait to go back on the plane to retrieve it. But I didn't want to look like a total magazine-crazed maniac to my coworkers. So, now all of the great ideas and amazingness are living with some very lucky passenger who sat in my seat next. And as much as I love sharing great ideas, this is why I sleep on airplanes.

The worst part? I actually had grand plans of sharing the ideas with all of you...Since I am in fact a total magazine-crazed maniac, I subscribe to a somewhat abnormal amount of magazines. And I am planning to start posting some of the great ideas here to prove that sometimes I actually did "read it in a magazine." :)

I tried to look online to find the BHG ideas I had flagged, but had no such luck. In the meantime, please enjoy some of my favorite Elle Decor highlight posts here. Including my favorite...

I read it in a magazine...

The show Cougar Town absolutely cracks me up. I literally laugh out loud during pretty much the whole episode.

Tonight I was catching up on a few episodes on Hulu and heard the funniest thing yet...

"Let's play the admission game. That's when friends admit stuff and it brings everyone much closer...I read it in a magazine." - Laurie

"What magazine?" - Ellie

"Fine! It's just I feel like people respect my ideas more when they think that they came out of magazines." - Laurie

Um...I totally do that! Not very often, but I have been known to blurt out "I read it in a magazine" when I am trying to convince Mr. W that one of my ideas is cool. This usually happens with home decor items, like the "magazine holder" in our office. Yep, Mr. W still thinks I read the idea somewhere, but really it was just from my head! [Note to self: Take a picture of said "magazine holder" this weekend when I'm back at home.]

Some questions about me...

I've been enjoying this little Q & A here, here and here, so now it's my turn...

1) When do you feel happiest?
Without a doubt, anytime I am just relaxing with Mr. W and our families. My favorite is when a casual family dinner turns into hours and hours of talking, laughing and just enjoying each other.

2) How do you take care of yourself?
I keep my DVR fully stocked with lots of silly girly shows...America's Next Top Model, 90210, Project Runway, Melrose Place, Days of Our Lives and even a little Hannah Montana :)

3) Are you internally [by yourself] or externally [by others] motivated?
Internally, externally or both, depending on the situation. [Sorry for the lame-o answer there, but it's true.]

4) What do you do for fun?
Toast marshmallows around our firepit, summer nights watching ballgames at the K, hotel stays with Mr. W, spray paint all sorts of things, read [books, magazines, blogs], craft...

5) What intimidates you?
Things I can't change/control...

6) What is something you're proud of?
My family and making my family proud. I truly admire my grandparents, parents and sister. They have all been great examples of being a loving spouse, working hard, caring for others and just being the kind of person I want to be.

7) Finish this sentence. I never ____________.
I never stop singing Christmas songs. Seriously, whenever it is quiet in our house for more than a few minutes, I start singing Jingle Bells or Oh Christmas Tree. It's pretty much uncontrollable and happens year-round.

8) Favorite vacation spot.
Anywhere a cruise takes me :)

9) Today is a (rate from 1 - 10).
Probably about a seven. It's a Monday, I woke up at 3 a.m., left the house at 4 a.m., had a 6 a.m. flight, then had to drive two hours in the rain, went to the wrong building for work [long story] and I'm gone until Friday night. [Eek...I feel like that's a really negative answer and I hate being negative.]

10) Finish this sentence. If you knew me really well you'd know ____________.
I love, love, love hosting parties and showers for people. I love working on all the little details to make it perfect for the guest-of-honor and then watching them enjoy the party. I also never pass up an opportunity for some Martha Stewart-style creativity. :)

Restor-A-Mazing...

Restor-A-Finish is quite possibly my favorite product ever. Seriously, it is a miracle in a tin. [Or a genie in a bottle for wood.]

I picked up my first can of Restor-A-Finish a few months ago during a trip to Home Depot. [Sorry for the delay, I was being a major blog slacker.] We had some massive scratches on our woodwork that were in desperate need of assistance. I really had no clue what product to use, but this one sounded good from the description and was pretty inexpensive.

Holy moly - the first swipe of this stuff and I was completely hooked. It was crazy easy to use...

1. Dab on rag.
2. Rub on wood.
3. Wipe off wood.

See, it was so easy to use that it only took nine words to tell you how to do it yourself! And the results....A-Mazing!

This is seriously embarrassing to show, but check out these nasty scratches...

This is the door leading from our family room to the garage. Sick!

But, check it out after some Restor-A-Finish...

It's like a whole new door! I couldn't believe the results. I didn't stop until I had restored all of the wood in our family room, laundry room, first floor bath and all our stairways. If you've seen our house, you know that is a lotttt of wood.

Now I just need a little free time so I can do the kitchen and rest of the house. I honestly cannot wait.

[I was not compensated for this post in any way by Restor-A-Finish; I just love it. But...if Restor-A-Finish would like to compensate me, I'll take a whole bunch of golden oak and a few cans of mahogany finish. :)]

Computer pretties...

When you look at your computer all day, sometimes it needs a little prettification.

Maybe a Spring background like this...

Or a screensaver like this...

Both are fun, yet completely work appropriate.