I’ve got your number!

The In a Little Teacup collection would not be complete without a set of basic numbers to go with the alphabet cards. You might even say the teacup was half empty, and now it is completely full. In fact, it’s overflowing with animals of all types to count from one to ten.

Above is the set of number cards for the girl collection.

Above is the set of number cards for the boy collection.

Whether your teacup is half empty or half full, you’ll want to fill it with these sets of alphabet and number cards. So . . . start watching for a little tea party to begin soon with Lettering Delights where you will find these charming animals to help your little ones learn their ABCs and 123s!

Happy Birthday to You!

Each year the day comes. When we are young, we can’t wait for the birthday to arrive. When we get older, we view it a little differently. When we have kids or grandkids, we enjoy their day of celebration by showering them with gifts.

Well, I have learned a new way to share birthdays with those I love. My cousin, who has six boys, has taught them a wonderful way to share their special day with each other and their parents. Each time a birthday rolls around the birthday boy prepares for that day by creating gifts for each of their family members. It becomes a day for them to individually share their love and appreciation to the family. It becomes a day for the family, a day to celebrate their unique gifts, and a day to be thankful for the next year of life.

I guess it took six boys, and their very amazing mother to help me remember what this day of celebration should be about—the blessing of a new year, of being thankful for the family, and of sharing a little something from the heart.

As my birthday arrived this week, I took this lesson to heart, and wanted to share with the women in my family who have meant so much to me. Thank you all for being such a strong influence in my life.

So . . . happy birthday to you, as you celebrate that joyful day each year.

A Signature Collection

Signature Fragrance is a new floral collection I have been working on. This collection started with birth month flowers and has developed into a series of signature letters to complete a set of alphabet stationery. The collection also includes many floral and doily patterns to complement this dainty and delicate signature set.

The layout above shows the collection of patterns and a few initial letters.

The sample above shares a few of the signature letters as personal greeting cards, thank you cards and thinking of you notes.

I will keep you informed about this collection as it becomes available in various product categories.

This summer, enjoy the beautiful flowers from nature, but if the weather is too hot to enjoy the out of doors, think of these flowers as a bit of nature brought indoors for your visual pleasure.

In a little teacup

In a little teacup, short or stout, we’re all different, there’s no doubt! As we get all lined up, hear us shout, variety is what we’re all about! One of the first songs I learned when I was a wee thing was I’m a Little Teapot and it has come back these many years later to inspire my latest children’s collection.

This collections has been so much fun to work on, I just had to share it with you. It is all about animals, all about teacups, all about letters, and all about variety and differences in each of us. The collection is for the little ones, but I hope you find a bit of joy when you see these animals and maybe choose a favorite of your own.

This is the girl colorway.

This is the boy colorway.

I have developed the collection with many project ideas in mind. One, of course is to hope to see it in fabric one day. Another idea I am working on is with Lettering Delights, for you loyal paper crafters. I will keep you posted on when to look for it there.

I am also hoping to provide the alphabet set as cards, and maybe even personalized prints with names for children, these would be on my new Etsy site (though not ready for prime time quite yet, I will keep you posted).

Another goal of mine, for those who love to do needlework, is to have the collection available for downloadable embroidery sets of each letter and animal. This too would be available on my Etsy site.

Here is a sneak peek of two of the embroidered teacup animals I have completed. Truth is I haven’t done embroidery since I was 12, but had a blast trying my hand at it again. I will share more photos and information on this project in a few more days.

So, like the teacup animals, all different from one another, I hope to have a variety of projects and products developed from this collection. In the meantime, I welcome any ideas and thoughts you all have from your varied interests.

Get Enlightened!

For me, there is nothing more iconic to summer nights than fireflies and hanging lanterns. When I was a kid we spent a week each summer at a campground where hanging lights were strung from tent to tent. A single light bulb hung from the middle of our tent to lighten the little home for the week, and other than the occasional flashlight streaming from the path, glowing fireflies were the only other glimmer of light in the darkness each night. But in that darkness it was magical, because heat and bugs and even humidity all vanished as the quiet moan of a fan breezed across us as we slept. Oh, to be a kid again!

Well, I’m not a fan of outdoor living like I was as a kid, not even for a week at this age. However, we do have that same style of lights hanging across our porch, and when I look out each night I have happy memories from those summer weeks living in a tent when I was a kid.

I do love the honesty of the bare bulbs on that string of lights, but I thought it might be fun to liven things up a bit and adorn them with lanterns of my own design, for at least a few nights this summer.

This project is so simple that it can be done before nightfall, hanging, and lighting your porch. In order to make these lanterns you will only need one of the cone shapes from the Cut Flowers Accessories set on LD (I chose the slotted cone shape to allow for maximum light to be visible). The only other thing to complete this project will be assembled and bradded flowers to attach to each lantern. I made flowers from all of the petal sets from the Cut Flowers collection on LD.

I simply cut out as many lanterns as light bulbs, in a rainbow of colors. A bit of tape secured each cone where the two ends meet and slide together.

Next, I chose various colors and shapes of petals, attached them together with a tiny brad, made a small hole in each lantern and bradded a flower to each one. I didn’t even get the glue out for this project. :)

To hang the lanterns on the lights (the bulbs are approximately 1 and 1/2 inches in diameter, this set is from Target) I folded the tabs in at the top of each lantern and gently slid them over the bulbs. The tabs work as a cover over the bulb and the lantern dangles from it.

Here is a photo, below, of an assembled lantern from above to show the tabs covering the bulbs and holding the lantern in place.

I hope you have some wonderful memories of your childhood summers and are making new ones with your own family and friends. Just incase you are looking for one more thing to create new memories this summer, think about turning this project into a new one. Who knows, this might be just the splash of color missing in your evening skies and future memories. Enjoy and happy summer!