Thursday, August 28, 2014

Shabby Chic Birthday

Hiya!

I hope everyone is having a great week!  I haven't been able to get much crafting done this week - I'm actually craving the routine of back to school so I can get back onto a proper schedule!  I did manage an hour or so last night though and this is what I came up with.

I'm not sure if it shows up well enough in the photo but this card is in fact just one layer.  The inside portion of the card was embossed with the Woodgrain embossing folder then sponged.  The front of the card was stamped with the I Love Lace background stamp then torn at an angle to expose the wood grain beneath. Make sense??  I was going for a Shabby Chic look - what do you think - hit or miss??

Supplies:

Stamp sets: I Love Lace, Wetlands
Card Stock: Whisper White, Blushing Bride, Coastal Cabana
Ink: Baked Brown Sugar, Chocolate Chip, Blushing Bride
Accessories: Woodgrain EF, Spiral Flower Die, Large Oval Punch, Basic Pearls, Tea Lace Paper Doilies, Linen Thread, Sponges, Stampin' Dimensionals, Hot Glue Gun


To make the Coastal Cabana rose cut one template from Coastal Cabana and one from a Tea Lace Paper Doily.  Layer the doily on top of the card stock and roll the two together to make an instant Shabby Chic rose!

Before I sign off don't forget that today is the launch date for the new Holiday catalogue!  If you'd like to browse the catalogue online just click on the link in the left sidebar.  It's one of the few catalogues I've come across where I feel the need to have one of EVERYTHING!  I've already collected quite the stash but I think my favorite is the Holiday Home bundle - what's your favorite new must have item??

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Friday, August 22, 2014

For All Things Projects - Published!


Happy Friday!

I am so excited to share these projects featuring the set All For You from the new Holiday Catalogue due out on August 28th with you today!  I was honored to be asked at the beginning of the year to be part of the Stampin' Up! Demonstrator magazine, Stampin' Success and I quickly accepted the opportunity!  I received my hard copy in the mail last week and I think I'm still floating on Cloud 9 seeing my work in print!
  

I created four projects for the article: a card and envelope, a bookmark, a tiny sailboat place setting marker, and a small box that when opened reveals a pull out of my family; appropriately titled Grateful For You Photo Box. After numerous requests on instructions for the box and sailboat I put together a photo tutorial below so you can follow along and create your own.  

Grateful For You Photo Box (Pictured at the top of this post)
A perfect project to showcase your loved ones!

Supplies:

Stamp sets: All For You, Hardwood
Card Stock: Soft Suede, Whisper White, Very Vanilla, Marina Mist
Ink: Soft Suede, Cherry Cobbler, Crushed Curry, Chocolate Chip
Accessories: Extra Large Oval punch, 1/8" Silver Ribbon, Linen Thread, Antique Brads, Sponges, Multipurpose Liquid glue, Sticky Strip, Stampin' Dimensionals, Stylus Tool, Foam Mat, Crystal Effects

  • Begin by cutting a piece of Soft Suede card stock measuring 5" x 5" and a second piece measuring    4 1/8" x 3 1/8". 
  • Stamp both pieces using the stamp set Hardwood with Chocolate Chip ink. 
  • Score the 5" x 5" piece at 1" on all four sides.  Cut miter tabs on both sides of the box.
  • Score the 4 1/8" x 3 1/8" piece at 1" on the 4 1/8" side.  Fold all score lines

  • Place Sticky Strip onto each of the four mitered tabs, fold inwards and glue together to create the box bottom.
  •  Place Sticky Strip along the 1" tab on the lid and adhere to the backside of the box, creating a hinged lid of sorts.

  • For the inside photo portion of the box cut a piece of Marina Mist 12" x 12" card stock down to       2 15/16" x 12".  Score at 3", 6", and 9".  Fold in accordion style fashion (or valley, hill, valley, hill)
  • Cut three Whisper White mats measuring 2 3/4" x 2 3/4".
  • Cut three Marina Mist mats measuring 2 1/2" x 2 1/2".
  • Print three photos sized to 2 1/4" x 2 1/4".
  • Glue the mats and photos to the 12" strip using Multipurpose Liquid glue.
  • Apply Sticky Strip to the bottom panel; this panel will be glue to the bottom of the box
  • Cut a piece of 1/8" Silver Ribbon approximately 2" long, fold over to create a loop and adhere to the top backside panel using Crystal Effects.

  • Add an Antique Brad to the lid of the box and tie a small length of Linen Thread around the brad. 

  • Stamp two leaves from the For All Things set onto Very Vanilla card stock; one with Cherry Cobbler ink, one with Crushed Curry ink.
  • Cut out each leaf using Paper Snips.
  • Working on the backside of the leaf on a foam mat gently use a Stylus Tool to add dimension.  A circular motion achieves the best results.
  • Sponge the edges of each leaf with Soft Suede ink.
  • Stamp the Grateful For You sentiment onto Whisper White card stock with Soft Suede ink, punch out with the Extra Large Oval punch, then sponge the edges with Soft Suede ink. 

  • Adhere the leaves and sentiment using Stampin' Dimensionals.
  • A a small knot of Linen Thread over the leaf stems with Crystal Effects.

Give Thanks Sailboat Place Setting
How cute would this be to greet your guests at the Thanksgiving dinner table? It's even large enough to hold a few small candies inside!
Supplies:

Stamp Sets: For All Things, Hardwood
Card Stock: Soft Suede, Canvas Creations
Ink: Marina Mist, Soft Suede, Chocolate Chip
Accessories: Oval Framelits, Linen Thread, Sticky Strip, Multipurpose Liquid glue, Piercing Tool, Foam Mat, Sponges, Stamp-a-ma-jig, Wooden Dowel, Florist Foam, Sewing Needle


  •  Begin by cutting out two of the 4th sized ovals from the Oval Collection Framelits from Soft Suede card stock.
  • Layer the two ovals together and re-align on the Big Shot so that the Framelit looks similar to the photo above.  Run through the Big Shot.  KEEP ALL FOUR PIECES!

  • Stamp all four pieces with the Hardwood stamp set in Chocolate Chip ink.
  • Cut off the bottom portion of the ovals so that the "boat" will sit flat.
  • Score vertically using the tips as a guide down to the bottom on both sides of each oval
  • Score a line horizontally along the bottom of each oval approximately 1/8" and using paper snips cut small tabs.

Close up of tabs and scoring...

  • Layer the two sides of the boat together.  Place on a foam mat and with a piercing tool make a row along each side of the boat (just to the inside of the score lines) and a row along the upper edge. 

  • Place the pieces so that the stamped images are facing outwards, lining up the piercing holes as best as possible.
  • Thread a sewing needle with Linen Thread and stitch through the first set of holes along the bottom side, tying a knot before moving on to the second set of pierce holes.
  • Wrap the thread around the boat and bring the needle back up through the next set of holes.

  • Before pulling the stitch tight thread the needle back through the underside of the loop and pull tight. This will create a blanket stitch. 

  • Continue this same stitch up the side of the boat, across the top (be sure to not sew the top of the boat together - just sew a single layer of card stock across the top), and back down the side of the boat.
  • Knot off, and re-thread to sew along the other top side of the boat.  Knot off again and cut thread. 
  • Fold tabs in along the bottom of the boat and apply Multipurpose Liquid glue to them.  Place on one of the small ovals to create the bottom of the boat, shaping to the oval as best as possible.  Trim off any excess.

  • Cut a length of dowel or a bamboo skewer approximately 4" long.
  • Punch a small hole into the second of the smaller oval pieces and thread the dowel through.

  • Glue a small piece of Floral Foam inside the boat.  Push the dowel inside the floral foam and press the oval into place inside the boat. 

  • Cut a piece of Canvas Creations approximately 2" x 3".  Stamp the Give Thanks For All Things sentiments into the center with Marina Mist ink.
  • Stamp the Acorn image with Soft Suede ink into the bottom right hand corner.  
  • Sponge the edges with Marina Mist ink.
  • Punch holes, centered, on both the top and bottom.  Thread the dowel through the holes to complete the sailboat.

Falling Leaves Bookmark

Supplies:

Stamps: For All Things
Card Stock: Marina Mist, Very Vanilla, Whisper White
Ink: Soft Suede, Crushed Curry, Cherry Cobbler, Marina Mist
Accessories: Antique Brads, Linen Thread, Stampin' Dimensionals, Piercing Tool, Sponges, Stamp-a-ma-jig

Hello Fall Greeting Card & Envelope

Supplies:

Stamps: All For You
Card Stock: Marina Mist, Soft Suede, Canvas Creations
Ink: Crushed Curry, Soft Suede, Cherry Cobbler, Marina Mist
Accessories: Linen Thread, Sponges, Stampin' Dimensionals, Stylus Tool, Foam Mat, Crystal Effects, Stamp-a-ma-jig

I hope you can put these projects to use in your Fall/Autumn decor!  I know this stamp set will be a staple in a few upcoming projects - each stamp is etched so that it looks like linen when stamped - AMAZING!!  It's a set you definitely need in your collection!

Until next time...

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Monday, August 18, 2014

Elsa from Frozen Punch Art


Happy Monday!

Another busy week has begun!  I'm so hoping to get a few additional projects stroked off my list this week so I can spend a little more time blogging.  Guess we'll see how it goes - the last couple weeks of summer are always jam packed, am I right??

I had the chance to create a card for a special little girls birthday celebrated over the weekend and if your a regular reader of my blog you know how excited I get for a girly project now and again!  My boys own the movie Frozen, but let's be honest - it was purchased more with Mommy in mind LOL.  I love the movie and Elsa's dress is to die for!  I've been waiting for the perfect opportunity to try re-create her and I'm quite happy with the way she turned out.  Perhaps making Anna is in my future; just so I can say I've made them both!  I should note that she is quite tall (approximately 6").  If I ever made her again I would take the time to laminate her and just Velcro her to the card so that she could have been used to play with or used as a wall decal...uh oh the idea wheel is spinning...

Supplies:

Stamp Sets: And Many More, Holiday Home, Endless Wishes
Cardstock: Whisper White, Coastal Cabana, Bermuda Bay, Basic Black, Blushing Bride, Smoky Slate, Strawberry Slush, Vellum, Dazzling Diamonds Glimmer Paper
Ink: So Saffron, Strawberry Slush, Blushing Bride, Bermuda Bay, Blackberry Bliss, Smoky Slate, Silver Emboss Pad, Whisper White Craft
Punches: Heart (Itty Bitty Accents), Modern Label, Small Oval, Extra Large Oval, Owl, Cupcake, 1/2" Circle
Big Shot: Northern Flurries Embossing Folder, Snowflake Card Thinlits
Accessories: Coastal Cabana Blendabilities, Basic Black, Sahara Sand, Strawberry Slush, Bermuda Bay, Soft Suede Markers, White Gel Pen, Stampin' Dimensionals, Sponges, Multi-purpose liquid glue


I hope you like this version of Elsa!  I must say working on punch art featuring snowflakes was refreshing in the heat wave we were experiencing but I'm nowhere near looking forward to the real stuff yet!

Until next time...

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Monday, August 11, 2014

Traveler Card Set Giveaway Winner & New Tutorials!


Good Monday Morning!

I hope you had a lovely weekend!  My Traveler Card Set Giveaway ended at midnight this morning and I'm happy to announce that the lucky winner is Nancy D.!  Watch your Inbox Nancy for an email from me requesting your mailing address so I can send off your goodies!

And if you weren't the lucky winner don't fret.  I've made up a tutorial for each of the cards pictured in the set and they are now available in my Tutorial Store!  You can buy all 4 tutorials for a discounted price (its like getting one tutorial for FREE!), or if you have just one favorite you'd like to try I have them available for individual purchase as well.  And the best part?  

***I've recently switched all my tutorials over so that they now run through an automatic email service called Fast Wagon!  That means the moment you purchase your tutorial you should receive an email with a download link so you can get creating immediately!  If the link does not appear in your Inbox, please check your Spam folder before emailing me.  Once you download your tutorial please note that you will only have access to the download for ONE WEEK; after that if you haven't downloaded the tutorial you'll have to re-purchase.**

If you have any questions on the new process, please feel free to email me.  I think I've set everything up to the best of my ability but human errors are always a possibility! 

I so appreciate everyone taking the time to enter this giveaway!  The feedback was beyond amazing and I will definitely be doing another giveaway VERY soon!  If you have any requests on a stamp set that you would like to see as part of a future giveaway, please leave a comment below and I'll do my best to incorporate it!  I LOVE a good challenge so throw some hard ones at me ;)

The FREE Ninja Turtle tutorial will be up later this week for those of you who asked, so check back for that - or subscribe to my blog for instant updates as I post!  Until next time...
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Thursday, August 7, 2014

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle Birthday!

Hello!!

I mentioned in my last post that I would be sharing some of the highlights from my son's 5th party and today's the day!  I LOVE organizing my kid's birthday parties - in fact once I get on a theme I literally can't stop myself!  This party was not unlike any other and when Griffin choose the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle theme I secretly tried to contain my excitement.  I mean, who from my generation didn't grown up watching these "Turtles in a half shell" in the 80's and 90's?!  

Luckily for me these four dudes are pretty popular at the moment with the new movie being released so it was super easy to find party supplies (although can I just say I'm a little displeased with the way they made them look this time around...they're downright scary looking!  I think we'll stick with the old school 90's toddler version in this house!)  Anyhow, with a little additional help from good ole Pinterest I was able to pull off a party that my son loved!  

The card above was the card I made for him to go along with his gifts.  The front of the card features a city street with The Shredder and once you open up the card the TMNT's pop up out of the sewer to greet you!



 Supplies:

Stamp sets: Make a Wish, Epic Alphabet
Cardstock: Whisper White, Basic Black, Smoky Slate, Daffodil Delight, Basic Gray, Old Olive, Pacific Point, Elegant Eggplant, Pumpkin Pie, Real Red, Blushing Bride
Ink: Whisper White Craft, Basic Black, Marina Mist, Pacific Point, Night of Navy
Punches: Small Oval, Large Oval, Owl, Cupcake, 1 1/4" Circle, 1/2" Circle, 3/4" Circle, Modern Label, Itty Bitty Accents Punch Pack
Accessories: Square Lattice Embossing Folder, Circle Framelits, Sponges, Basic Black marker, Mini Glue Dots, Stampin' Dimensionals, Multi-purpose liquid glue

I unfortunately didn't make a tutorial when I did this card (I was in a bit of a hurry to get it done in time as usual) but if there's anyone out there interested in how to make the Ninja Turtles via punch art, just let me know and I'll do up a quick tutorial for it and add it to this post.

I wanted to be sure everyone knew what the party theme was when we sent out the invites and I think these sewer lids fit the bill perfectly!  The TMNT logo and photo were free printable's I found online; I imported the pictures into my editing software, added the party info, then printed everything out and glued to the invite. Super simple and really quick to make! 


Supplies: 

Stamp sets: N/A
Cardstock: Basic Gray
Ink: N/A
Punches: 1/2" Circle 
Accessories: Circle Framelits, Square Lattice Embossing Folder, Multi-purpose liquid adhesive

Up next I needed favors to give the party goers.  I picked up 8" pizza boxes from a local supply store then got to work on creating labels for the top of the boxes and for a couple of the treats inside.  

So what's inside these pizza boxes you ask?  
How about a bag of SEWER LIDS??

Or, how about a container of TOXIC OOZE??  This is the best flubber around and my boys had a blast making it for the party!  You can find your own recipe for toxic ooze HERE

I added a few other little goodies as well and the pizza favor boxes were complete and ready to give!

**If you are interested in creating your own labels like the ones I've used on the front of the pizza box, the toxic ooze (which are sized to fit a 1 3/4" circle punch), or the sewer lids, I have printable's available in my Online Store all ready to go!  It's as simple as downloading the file and printing as many as you require for your TMNT party - what could be easier?!**


I also made Turtle shells and masks for each of the party guests.  It was one of the first ideas I found on Pinterest when we decided on a party theme and instantly pinned it and added it to my list of MUST DO'S. I purchased aluminum foil roasting pans from the local Dollar Tree, spray painted them green, added a ribbon tie and viola! Instant turtle shells!  For the masks I used a free template I found online then traced and cut them out of felt.  Each ensemble was complete with a foam sword I also found at the Dollar Tree.  They kept the kids more than amused all night and cost less than $3.00 per child!   

Now, onto the food (well, the sweet stuff anyway): 
What Ninja Turtle Party would be complete without the mention of pizza?  I made these chocolate cupcakes topped off with vanilla icing for the crust, red icing for the pizza sauce, then shredded white chocolate for the cheese.  Red sugar sheets were punched with my 3/4" circle punch (yes, my SU! punch) for pepperoni and a green sugar sheet was cut up in small strips to represent green peppers.  Pretty cute, huh?

The birthday cake was also done with a combination of icing and sugar sheets.  I spent quite a bit of time online trying to find a cake topper and couldn't find any that really appealed to me.  I did however stumble on a cake that had a topper similar to this one and I absolutely fell in love with it.  It was made out of fondant which I'm not a fan of so instead I purchased some Polymer Clay and worked on my sculpting skills.
I'm pretty happy with the way it turned out - I've never worked with clay before but I think I'm now officially hooked and can't wait to have time to play some more! And the best part is now Griffin has a permanent decoration he can put on display in his room...that is if I ever decide he's old enough to not break it! 

Whew!  I think that's it for today.  Don't forget that there's only a couple days left to enter the Travel Card Set Giveaway so be sure to enter!  I've had so many questions as to whether or not these cards are going to be offered in tutorial form - and the answer is YES!  They will appear in my Tutorial Store at the beginning of next week and are packed with tips that you will be able to use on a multitude of future projects!  I'm so excited that you are all excited about these cards - the comments are so lovely and have guaranteed that I'll be doing more giveaways like this one in the very near future!

Until next time...
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Tuesday, August 5, 2014

Traveler Card Set Giveaway!

**Update 8/12/14 - the tutorials for all 4 cards can now be purchased through my online store**

Hiya!

It's been a while but I'm back and I have a load of new things to share!  We celebrated my son's 5th birthday over the past weekend Ninja Turtle style and I had an absolute blast creating for it!  I'll have a post this week with all the goodies I made along with a few printable's you might be able to use if your planning a TMNT party in the near future :)

I mentioned a few posts ago that I was working on a little giveaway and I'm happy to report its finally ready to go!  I've created a set of 4 cards using images from the new Traveler set and they're ready to mail out to ONE lucky blog reader!  If you would like to enter for a chance to win, please enter using the form found at the bottom of this post.  The contest closes on Sunday, August 10th - Good Luck!

STILL POSE

Supplies:

Stamp sets: Traveler, Gorgeous Grunge
Cardstock: Whisper White, Chocolate Chip, Lost Lagoon
Ink: Pool Party, Coastal Cabana, Lost Lagoon, Island Indigo, Baked Brown Sugar, Early Espresso
Accessories: Early Espresso marker, Sponges, Post its, Chevron Embossing Folder, Multi-purpose liquid adhesive

PRAIRIE DUSK
Supplies:

Stamp sets: Traveler, World of Dreams, Gorgeous Grunge
Cardstock: Whisper White, Baked Brown Sugar, Soft Suede
Ink: Baked Brown Sugar, Strawberry Slush, Smoky Slate, Basic Gray, Hello Honey, Crisp Cantaloupe, So Saffron,  Early Espresso
Accessories: Square Lattice Embossing Folder, Early Espresso marker, Sponges, Post it's, Mini Brads, Stampin' Dimensionals, Multi-purpose liquid glue

VINTAGE TRAVELS
Supplies:

Stamp Sets: Traveler, I Love Lace, Hardwood
Cardstock: Whisper White, Smoky Slate, Blushing Bride
Ink: Pink Pirouette, Blushing Bride, Smoky Slate, Baked Brown Sugar, Early Espresso, Coastal Cabana
Accessories: Smoky Slate marker, Sponges, Post its, Multi-purpose liquid glue

HIGH SEAS
Supplies:

Stamp sets: Traveler
Cardstock: Whisper White, Coastal Cabana, Bermuda Bay
Ink: Pool Party, Bermuda Bay, Lost Lagoon, Chocolate Chip
Accessories: 1 1/4" Circle Punch, Post its, White Gel Pen, Sponges, Decorative Dots Embossing Folder, Multi-purpose liquid glue

I hope you love the vintage look of these cards - these images lend themselves perfectly to creating scenes that look like they've stepped right out of times past!  Don't forget to enter the giveaway using the form below; and YES, the contest is international! (I don't want to leave anyone out!) so ENTER, ENTER, ENTER!!

See you next time...

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