It's Grillin' Time...Are You Ready?

'Cause I'm ready! The warm weather is here and that means it's time to get together with friends and family and enjoy summer and the outdoors. 

I've made up darling place settings and invitations for our next BBQ. So when I say I'm ready, I really mean it. I used the awesome BBQ image from the Boys Will Be Boys set at Taylored Expressions. (Just a note: the Boys Will Be Boys set is currently out of stock, but if you'd like to be notified when it becomes available then go here and click the Request Re-stock Notice. Simply enter your email address and you'll be notified as soon as it's available!)

I wanted the invitation to look like an apron and I found a pattern online. I tweaked it a little to suit my design though. I used supplies from the Father's Day Key Ingredients because I really like the checkered patterned papers for this project. 

For the invitation I started by stamping the grill with Memento Tuxedo Black ink onto Choice Buttercream cardstock. I coloured it with copics and used one of the metal sheets from the Boys Will Be Boys Bundle for the grill body. Next I stamped and coloured the steak and flames then I cut everything out. By the way, I really enjoy cutting out, so there's a lot of it in my project...wink! I kept the front of the invitation simple so the grill would really shine (pardon the pun!). All I added was a little sewing around the edges and the ribbon. I left the ribbon loop rather long so I could hang it on my friends' front doors instead of just leaving it in their mailboxes. 

For the inside of the invitation I used the JustRite Rectangle Stamper with the Brayton Font Set and created my invite. I intentionally left the date off so I could write it in when we decide on our grillin' date. I love having things like this in my stash...ready to go at a moments notice.

For the place setting, I found these fun polka dot paper plates at Target, along with the clear plastic square plate and the cutlery.

A napkin ring seemed like a logical accessory and it was super easy to create. Once the image was stamped and coloured I cut it out with oval Nestabilities. I attached one of the patterned papers from the Father's Day Key Ingredients to the image with screw brads then wrapped it around the napkin. I couldn't resist adding the shish-kabobs and another flame.

The final surprise is on the clear square plate. Because it's see-thru I figured why not stamp the BBQ on the underneath of the plate...nobody would expect it! I stamped the image with Versamark and embossed it with black embossing powder. Then I "coloured" it with a mixture of diamond glaze and reinkers. There's no risk to the food because the image is on the under side of the plate. I can't say how durable this will be over time, but I think I'll be hand washing these plates!

So now you can be ready for grillin' season too! And don't forget to sign up for the Taylored Expressions newsletter so you're "in the loop" when news breaks about new products, specials and inspiration. You'll find the mailing list sign-up on the TE homepage here. 

Thanks for stopping by!

Karen