"Nothing of Significance Happens Suddenly"

My title to this week's post, "Nothing of Significance Happens Suddenly," is a quote from an ancient philosopher and used by the minister at Independent Presbyterian Church (IPC) in his sermon this past Sunday. This was a special Sunday as it was celebrating the completion of a beautiful pipe organ. As Ellen and I are laboring over the very challenging task of revising our Little Lamb Design designs for 2012, this really struck a chord, no pun intended! 

The beautiful sanctuary of Independent Presbyterian Church completed in 1926, as seen from the back balcony.

12 years of fund raising and planning, nearly 1 year of construction and installation, followed by 6 months just to tune the complex instrument, all came together in a joyous morning filled with thankfulness and music. How great that in this hurry up world where so many things are being dumb-ed down the cheapest and quickest denominator, that so many people came together and labored for years to have this organ completed. There were plenty of obstacles along the way, but there were those with vision who saw the project through. I believe that music is the universal language, and speaks to your soul, so it is really awesome to think of how many will be touched by the music this organ will produce for generations to come.

Just some of the nearly 130 pipes which compose this organ made by the Dobson Pipe Organ Builders

My father in law, Joseph Schreiber had been the organist at IPC for over thirty years and this instrument is named in his memory.  Not only did he set the bar for music during the worship services, but he also put into motion a music and arts program that enriches our whole community. He taught us all so much about hard work, attention to detail, and the value of doing things not the quickest way but the right way.

There is a whole orchestra contained in the organ, and I can't imagine the hours of practice required to master such a complex instrument, but we are all richer for the seed that my father in law planted, and that Jeff McLelland the current music director carries on.

If you live in Birmingham, or are ever passing through take the time to check out the beauty of this unique instrument, or better yet attend one of the many concerts or services where this powerful instrument plays a part!

Submitted by Stella 5/11/12

Morning of the Wedding Bridal Luncheon

I had the pleasure of helping to host a bridal brunch last weekend for a good friend's daughter and wanted to share a couple of the details in case you might be planning a similar event.  With everyone's work and travel schedules the only time to host the get together was the morning of the wedding. We were all concerned about planning too much the day of the wedding, but it all turned out to be very relaxed and fun! The bride and her bridesmaids needed to have a meal to get them through until the reception, so it was a practical way to kick off the exciting day.

We chose this colorful invitation and customized the colors of the bridesmaids dresses to match the actual wedding.  You can customize the colors of any invitation from Little Lamb Design for a small fee!

Next, my friend Shaun put together these simple table decorations with potted Gerber daises, little stainless buckets from the hardware store, and some shiny sheets of wrap in between. It was simple, inexpensive and fit in perfect with our pink and green theme.

I had heard about doing a bridesmaid's cake with charms for years, and here was my opportunity to try it!

The tea room where we hosted the brunch baked us a fabulous strawberry cake, and as they assembled it they place a charm for each bridesmaid attached to a ribbon underneath. At the other end of the ribbon we had attached a card with the meaning or fortune that the charm was to foretell.  Each bridesmaid and junior bridesmaid chose a charm to pull before we cut the cake.  Fortunes ranged from, a camper charm which meant their life would be filled with travel to a ring charm which meant they would be the next to marry. 

Somehow we all manged to eat a big slice of cake even though more cake awaited us at the reception just a few hours down the road.  It was great fun to get to share a little relaxed time with the our good friend and all three of her daughters on such a special day!

 I hope you have the same pleasure of being a part of such a happy celebration! Stella

Pennants!

How cute and handy are these blank wooden pennants from Pick Your Plum? Better get 'em quick! This is like a Zulily or Ideeli but for us crafters...how cool is that?

 

Click photo to order

Wouldn't they coordinate perfectly with our Party Banner Invitation?

 

Posted by Ellen

The ups and downs of owning a boat!

My father is now 88 and still very much the patriarch of the family. He is really upbeat and has great perspective on things, and 98% of the time I think he is dead-on with his advice and wisdom. But, this past weekend, when I had a rare occasion that I had to disagree with him, I had to take note.  He has always said "The two days that are the happiest parts of boat ownership are the day you buy the boat and the day you sell it."  I have to say, those two days are bittersweet, and it is all the days in between that are the happiest!

2003- back in the heyday of our boat use!

In 1993, my husband and I bought a 19' Maxim inboard/outboard boat.  It is the old style boat with walk-through windshield. I was apprehensive about the expense and the responsibility of boating with our young children. But for the next 15 years we made so many great memories I can't recount them all. Tubing, teaching the kids to ski, fishing, swimming off the boat, and the frequent boat rides just to cruise around and cool off, all great memories.

This appears to be some sort of unsafe project my teenage boys were experimenting with, exactly what I worried about when we bought the boat!

Then the last 5 years or so, there has been much less boat use, the children are grown, and have summer jobs, and somehow circumstances have just conspired against boating! So while it has been a great run with the boat, it is time to bid farewell. 

My Dad always said this would be such a happy day, but when cleaning it out last weekend for a final time, I felt the same sadness that you feel when getting rid of your first car.  It was a great ride, with a lot of memories, the end of an era!!

The boat is making its way to the Boy Scouts, where we hope they will be able to make use of it at their summer camp, which makes it a little easier to part with!

So to anyone apprehensive, like me, about taking the plunge into boat ownership, do it! Yes, it will at times break down, and after you keep it enough years and make lots of great memories with it, no one will want to buy it from you, but it's all worth it!

Happy boating! Stella

So much fun for just about $3!

In a time where everything seems to be SO expensive, gas, groceries, car repair, tennis shoes, eating out, and college tuition to name a few things, there is still one thing that is good clean fun on the cheap.  Dying eggs has to be one the most just simple fun and somewhat zen like activities (okay maybe not zen like if you have toddlers, but if you are by yourself or with children a bit older) that anyone, with a few extra bucks and a little vinegar, can engage in! 

Grab a dozen eggs (about $1.60) and the good old fashion Paas egg tablets ($1.47 at Walmart or CVS), and viola! I like to have a glass of wine and just enjoy dipping them in the dye, some dark, some light, half and half, or give them a tye-dye look, the possibilities are endless.  And afterwards I like to display them in a pretty shallow glass bowl with a little Easter Basket grass! A great inexpensive centerpiece for my kitchen island or even dinning room table.

Now granted you can get way more elaborate. 

 These are probably the coolest idea I've seen this year, without being too complicated. They are from Martha Stewart's site and just use some thread or neon floss secured with a little Modge Podge.

But you can also get really complicated with this hinged egg on a bed of sequins! Martha Stewart will tell you how-to. But personally I think if you get complicated or try to be too exacting, it spoils the relaxing fun!

I hope you have a blessed Easter filled with the renewal the Holiday brings and also just some good simple fun! Stella

Do you remember any of your high school graduation gifts?

 This time of year has me thinking about all the families who have someone graduating from high school, college, or graduate school. I do not have anyone graduating this year, but was thinking back to my own high school graduation (in 1979, yikes talk about time going too quickly!).  Times have changed as have graduate needs especially with all the technology (our kids really can't imagine that no one even had PC's in our college years, and the computer we used for computer programing class was so large it was housed in its own building!) I know that my family and friends were very generous and gave me thoughtful and useful gifts to mark my graduation, but only one gift that I received do I still have and use today. 

The sewing box that I received for high school graduation, and didn't think was a very exciting gift at the time, but now really appreciate that it has endured as the one I still remember and use!

This sewing box with just the basic assortment of thread, needles, and a few items used for hemming or repairs was given to me by a neighbor and is still in use 33 years later! Probably because my sewing skills never progressed beyond basic repairs, this did the job.

Next I text-ed my three children, all high school graduates, about what was their favorite high school grad gift:

My text: "Hey, I'm working on my blog post, what was your favorite or most useful high school grad gift?

My 23 year old son replied: "Mom, you have a blog?" 
 Then (granted he is an engineer):    "A tool kit, very useful"

My 21 year old son, always a man of few words replied: "cooler"

I actually talked with my 19 year old daughter who said: The several sets of monogram towels she received are her most used gifts!

Let me know if you remember any of your high school graduation gifts!

In closing I have to mention our line of graduation announcements. Times have changed and rather than just the standard graduation announcement available through the school there are lots of options for announcements. Some include photos and space to let your family and friends know where you will be headed next.

Check out the Little Lamb Design Graduation Announcements, and have a great day!

Stella

Baby Showers and Baby Bites

30% off ALL Little Lamb Design Baby Shower invitations. Now through April 2nd!

I am so excited that we are currently offering a sale on our Baby Shower invitations, and it makes me think of all things cute and fun! Which leads me to share my absolute favorite little cakes in Birmingham.  We have some pretty great bakeries and cup cake shops in Birmingham, Alabama and my daughter and I are big fans of cup cakes so we have sampled them all! But I have to share my absolute favorite is a treat called Baby Bites by Pastry Art Bake Shoppe. 

Pastry Art has fantastic wedding and specialty cakes, but they are famous for their 1" Baby Bites. I don't know how they do it, but something about their little cakes are so moist and flavorful, and topped off with just the right amount of icing (not like the 2" of icing that some bakeries add to their cup cakes). I don't know their secret, but would venture to guess that it is the use of the freshest highest quality ingredients, all combined via some sort of mystery recipe into 2 blissful bites.

Sweet Nest Invitation shown with chocolate, marble and red velvet Baby Bites!

Of course it was a great excuse for me to head over to Pastry Art and get a few Baby Bites to shoot for these photos! But they are so delectable that just one (or two!) are enough to satisfy.  Something this small can't be bad, right? You don't have to wait for your next Baby Shower; I have given them as a pick me up for friends, and served for dessert for all sorts of get-togethers.

This Forest Invitation is one my favorites, and even better with strawberry and vanilla Baby Bites!

I hope you have some small treat that makes your day today! Stella