Clothespins, cups, and cupcake toppers!

      Hi, Everyone! I hope you are having a wonderful Saturday.

      I've got some great news to share. Today I am starting a new series of post called the "Party Planning Posts". In these posts, I will be sharing DIY tutorials, product reviews, and practical advice for planning a fun, beautiful party. The party I'm preparing for is my high school graduation party, but I believe that many of the ideas I'll be sharing are applicable for weddings, baby showers, New Year's parties, and more.
 

    I have asked a few Etsy shop owners if they would be willing to donate sample products for me to share on my blog. Today, I will be reviewing products from Rachael of Rachael's Soaps and Shannon from Ceferina Sweet.

 

   Rachael mailed me a set of "Pink Lemonade" Chevron mini clothespins. I absolutely love them! They are so cute! Lately, I have become addicted to Chevron stripe designs. The stripes are so simple, yet they make a fun statement.

    I plan to use the clothespins in a timeline photo project. In the future, I hope to share a tutorial on this project, but here's a summary of my idea. First, I'm going to make/buy rustic wood picture frames. I will remove the glass and the photo backing, so that the frame is all that is left. Then, I will attach chicken wire to the back of the frames. Using Rachael's clothespins, I will hang pictures of my childhood and teenage years from left to right in age order. I might even pin on a few of my drawings from when I was just a kindergartner. (You'd get a kick out of those!)

    I attached a clothespin to one of my favorite childhood pictures to see how it would look. I was pleased to see that it left no dents in the picture when I removed it.

    

    I highly recommend Rachael's "Pink Lemonade" Chevron clothespins. They are cute and totally affordable. I hope you'll take a moment to check out Rachael's Etsy shop. Rachael has several other great items in her shop, including homemade soaps, dishcloths, and fashionable oilcloth gloves.
 

***

    Yesterday I also received a package from Shannon. I had originally requested samples of Shannon's brown paper cups, but Shannon went above and beyond my request and offered to create some personalized cupcake toppers for my graduation. 

   These cups she sent me are bio-degradable and made with ink that is safe for food use. When I think about the large quantities of trash that will be discarded after my graduation party, it is comforting to know that these cups will not harm the environment.
 

    I am so excited to fill the cups with goodies, such as mini-pretzels, M&Ms, and jelly beans. I might even wrap a bow of twine around the top of the cups.

 

     This was the label on the package Shannon sent me. Isn't it sweet!

"Handmade because you're worth it."

     Reading that statement totally made my day. The words encompass many of the reasons why I create art and write for others. The time and effort I put into my art, writing, and even my blog is to show people that I think they are worth it (and God does too!).

 



      Shannon personalized each cupcake topper with my name and the initials of my high school. On one side, the toppers said "Gabrielle". The other side said "LHS GRAD". Shannon also used paper that matched my party colors (pink and brown). I am so excited to use these toppers to decorate my cupcakes and I know that they will be a huge hit at the party.

 

     Would you like to learn more about Shannon's shop and see how you can order personalized party items? If so, click on this link to her Etsy shop Ceferina Sweet.