Help ~ I can't stop myself!!

Well, I guess I'll have to stop making things eventually because the shower is only a week away now!! But I do love making things and what better reason is there than for our first grandchild's baby shower ~

I started on the cupcake picks today and I'm really pleased with the way my prototype turned out! I received an email a few days ago from Lana, a sweet reader friend of the blog and she told me that she gathers her crepe paper on the sewing machine. I remember trying that a while back and it was successful but I forgot what a time saver it is.

She mentioned that she places her finger behind the pressure foot using a long stitch and that it bunches up and gathers as you sew. I couldn't seem to make it work that way but I did gather it up in front of the pressure foot then I would sew over the gathers. Am I doing this correctly? Maybe you have a better technique that I'd love to know about ~ please comment and let me know....thank you so much Lana for guiding me in the right direction!!

I've sandwiched the gathered crepe paper between posterboard and the image of the baby plus added a small bamboo skewer in the sandwich as well. I had to trim the crepe paper as I didn't want a super huge ruffle getting all in the frosting! I'll probably pop them in the cupcakes right before serving them at the shower.

I need to work on Emily's corsage :)

OH!! And my new toy that I used on the cupcake picks is a paper punch from Fiskars that I bought last week at Michael's (with a coupon too.) You can see where you are placing your tool to cut and then just squeeze together the handles! I love it ~ (I showed it to my DH and he said, "so, all it does is cut circles...." well....he just doesn't "get" it!)

Another little idea, I found this chipboard book at Michael's for 1.00! Well, I took it apart (and of course saved the rings) but sprayed one side with spray glue, pressed tacky side down on the back of pretty paper then trimmed out with the exact-o knife. I'm hoping to use these as candle mats ~

Well, I'm sure after this week is over you will be so very tired of baby everything but please endulge me for a little longer!! After the shower I'm having my blogiversary giveaway and I'm going to be making something plus I have extra gifts from a special friend of mine so there will be more than one winner!

Wishing you a restful, peaceful Sunday sweet friends ~

xxoo, Dawn