Table Numbers and more weekend fun...

Two more days till April 15th!!! I got a lot of work done Friday and Saturday so I'm feeling pretty good going into Monday. Should be fairly smooth workwise through Tuesday - I'm sure there will be those "emergencies" that pop up, but I think I'm in good shape. And I am SO looking forward to getting past it and enjoying the rest of the week - which I've planned out for the most part! Wednesday I've got a hair cut appointment and a brow wax (to make up for the already overdue one I missed last week). Thursday I'm meeting two girlfriends for lunch here. I also need to get my all-over color done... may try to squeeze that in somewhere this week too. I don't regularly dye my hair, but usually once a year I'll go darker. My hair's pretty dark anyway, but I like to go even darker in the summer. It'll be DEAD at the office after the 15th, so it's a great time to get all this stuff in.

Today was a great day. We went to church, then finally hit IKEA. If you gotta go on a weekend, first thing Sunday is totally the time to do it. Virtually empty at first... I went in feeling good and had a cup of coffee and was enjoying myself. But as usual, by the time we left I was completely irritated and fed up with the place. I've decided that's just inevitable. Plus the clothing racks I went to get turned out to be complete crap. They weren't sturdy at all. So I got this even cheaper $5 one that I like a lot better. The hub's going to try to round up some racks for me, but if we need more, I'll grab a few more $5 ones there. I'm sure he'll get the job done though... he has this amazing ability to get his hands on the most random things when he decides to.

While we were out, I met up with one of my brides and handed off some table numbers I did for her. She wanted something different than just a typical table number on a stand or a tent card. I suggested doing these vases and she loved the idea. It is uber cheap to do, yet totally chic. Cheap yet chic - my favorite. It makes a statement without being too overbearing or taking away from your centerpieces. These could be put to many uses, so I thought I'd share how to make them. It doesn't require too much explanation, but I'll give you the quick 1-2-3...

Stamped Vellum Vase Wraps

You'll need:

-Clear cylinder vases (I used ones 6" high with a 3.5" diameter)

-Vellum sheets (usually 1 per vase, depending on your vase size - anything larger than 3.5" diameter will require a larger sheet - i.e. bigger than 8.5x11)

-Paper cutter/scissors

-Glue dots (the teeny ones are best, but you can trim to fit)

-Number stamps (or whatever image you're using) - these are the ones I have, but you can get some anywhere.

-Pigment Ink pad (regular dye pad will not take to vellum)

-Clear Embossing powder

-Embossing tool or hairdryer

First you want to trim your vellum to fit the vases. For the particular size vase I used, I took 8.5 x 11 sheets and trimmed them to 6 x 11. After trimming, you can stamp your image directly on the vellum. This ink will stay tacky and wet to the touch until you emboss, so be careful not to smudge. If you've never done embossing with stamping, it is super easy. I only do it with these because the ink will never dry on vellum until it's embossed. It works like glitter... sprinkle it onto the stamped image and remove the excess (back into the bottle). Use an embossing tool if you have it - but a hairdryer also works fine. Apply heat to the image and you'll see it start to raise within seconds.

Once embossed, you can wrap the vellum and secure around the vases with the glue dots. I use three dots along the seam. Glue dots are freakin' awesome if you've never used them. When Hobby Lobby puts them on sale I go bonkers. Anyway, that's it! Drop a candle down in your vase and you've got a fabu table number. This 'W' one is for the bride and groom's sweetheart table...

Fun! OK so back to today's activities... Once we got home I got going on laundry (and I'm still going). I put together the $5 rack and continued to organize my swap items. I'm getting so excited about my swap. I have tons of stuff! Here's the rack I got... not so bad for $5.

And more swap goodies...

And did I mention the hub getting a razor thingee on a whim to do DIY dog grooming? Well we usually have our doggies shaved in the warmer months and he suddenly decided he wanted to get the tools and do it himself. He did Belly first. After a couple of touch-ups, she was looking pretty darn good. Charlie was a lot easier to do - his brindle coat kinda hides any mess-ups. Gertie got hers today. So we have 3 shaved puppies. This will help cut down on the tumble weeds for sure. And they are uber frisky now. I must say I have an entirely new appreciation for dog groomers though. Holy crap you should have seen the hair. I tried to get some pics of the dogs today, but of course no one wanted to be still. The golden is Bailey - my parents' dog whom we're keeping over the weekend.

This last one cracks me up - doesn't it look like Charlie's head is on some other dog's body? Hehehe...

OK and one last thing (is this the most random post or what?)... I grabbed one of the Lilly dresses at Costco today for my girlfriend who is adopting from China. I love this print. OK, yeah... I totally got one for me too. Couldn't help it.

Alright... I hear the dryer buzzing! Duty calls!