Berlin, Germany

Last month my father-in-law came for a visit and we took a few trips. The first place we went was Berlin. None of us had been there before so it was something new for us. The hotel we stayed at was nice but apparently not in the best neighborhood. There were some, ah hem, "ladies" working on the corner outside. I use the term ladies loosely since up close they looked a little more like men ;)

We decided since we were only in town for two days to go ahead and spend the money on the hop on/hop off bus passes. I think it was well worth it. We stopped at Checkpoint Charlie and walked around the area a little bit. Outside the museum is a border crossing post where some fellows set up a shop where you can pose for pictures and get your passport stamped. The stamps were pretty neat but after reading some information afterwards, I'm wishing I hadn't gotten them in my actual passport. Hopefully this doesn't cause any problems next time they get checked! Hailey got hers on her hand. Smart girl!

We also went to the East Side Gallery where there is still a portion of the Berlin wall that has been painted by various artists.

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We also made a stop at the Brandenburg Gate and witnessed some street performers  got some Dunkin Donuts and rushed around looking for a bathroom for my (at that time) four year old. Finally a nice bellhop outside a fancy hotel let us come in and use their bathroom. Now that I'm looking at the pictures, there was a port a potty right outside the gate!!!! We walked all the way around that entire block looking for a bathroom, sigh!!

There's a lot to see in Berlin but I still prefer Paris. I'm glad we finally got to see it though.

This is a chuch, you can't tell in the picture, but there were crosses inside all those tiny windows!

The U.S. Embassy

Today's Mission: Make My Own Envelope

I always give my clients a DVD with their images, but I ran out of sleeves and needed something a little classier than a folded sheet a paper to protect the disc. I decided to make my own envelopes which I am quite pleased with. I love that I can customize the design on the outside of the envelope by printing a different design on the paper.

What you'll need:

a scissors or paper cutter

glue or glue stick

a ruler

a pen to mark the center of the paper

a piece of paper (decorative printing optional - I used a regular sheet of 8.5x11" paper printed with my logo) You could also use scrapbook paper for a pretty design.

Measure and cut the paper so that it is an exact square.

Use a ruler to measure from corner to corner to find the exact middle of the paper and mark it with a x or a dot.

Fold one corner so that the point touches the center marking and crease it. Use a fingernail or hard edge to really make it crisp.

Fold the other corner so the points meet right in the middle and crease that side as well.

Fold up the bottom so that it overlaps the other triangles by about a half an inch. Make another crease.

 

Use a glue stick or glue (if you use regular glue do so sparingly so it doesn't saturate your paper or bubble it. I like to make a super thin line and then spread it out with my finger so it's just barely sticky.

Press the flap down onto the glue and hold it for a few seconds. Then fold over the final flap of the envelope (also overlapping slightly) and you are done!

Now I have an envelope with my custom logo that I can use to protect my client's images.

 My next mission is getting the copyright release printed on the inside flap of the envelope. It turned out pretty good but it needs some tweaking.

You can use this method to make larger or smaller envelopes depending how big you make the the square. For bigger envelopes use large sheets of scrapbook paper.

Fall is just around the corner

Fall is my favorite season. It's a time when you can pull your warm clothes out but you still don't need a coat. The leaves turn beautiful shades of orange, red, yellow and brown. Halloween is coming up and you find adorable decorations at the store! (well it helps that our home is decorated in harvest colors ;)

Look at what I found yesterday!

It's a nested measuring cup set!

I can't wait to try them out.

I bought mine at the store, but I noticed there was a website on the tag. There are even more cute items available on the website! The critters collection is my favorite. If you'd like to check it out follow this link.

I think I'm going to go back and buy the owl cookie jar....