Friday, October 30, 2015

Happy Haunting!


Happy Friday!

Since tomorrow is Halloween I thought I'd quickly share one more card for the occasion.  Minions are still all the craze in our house at the moment; in fact our outdoor Halloween decorations are Minions, our pumpkins are painted like Minions and Gru and both boys are dressing up as Minions this year for Halloween.  Minions overload?  I think not!  I love these little yellow guys too!  

I used my basic Minion punch art template to create this little guy with a few little changes to turn him into Dracula.  If your interested in the Minion punch art tutorial it's listed in my Tutorial Store.

Supplies:
Built for Free Using: My Stampin Blog

I hope you have a safe and spook-tacular Halloween!  See you all back here next week!

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Thursday, October 29, 2015

DIY Dear Heart Chore Charts




Hello!

I'm sure I'm not the only mother out there that struggles to get her kids motivated around the house or in my case just to get out of the house in the morning.  Lately it seems to be becoming more and more apparent that I'm fighting a losing battle.  And for someone that likes to be on the winning side of things I knew we had to make a change.

Enter in the Chore Chart.  Now I should mention before we get underway that not one single thing on this chore chart is new to them.  These are simply just day to day tasks that have become a stress in the flow of our everyday lives.  I know that's maybe not how a conventional chore chart works but I'm hoping that if we can get the everyday routine sorted out then we can build up to more.

The boys are 6 and 4 right now and even though Griffin is quickly learning to read, I thought it might be easier to begin with a picture chart system for Sawyer's sake.  I found a great one on Susan Fitch's blog - it has four pages of possible chore illustrated pictures that can be cut out for your current needs.  LOVE IT! This way as the boys grow I can add to the list easily.

For the setup of the chore chart I wanted something fairly simple that would make sense to both boys. I knew I wanted the whole week included and I wanted it magnetized so I could easily change up the tasks when needed and the boys could "check off" the tasks without the need for pen and paper.  

My husband cut two piece of thin sheet metal approximately 12" x 18" and folded the edges back to make everything safe.   An alternative I found along my Pinterest travels was a large cookie sheet. 

I divided the chart into 7 rows and 9 columns, leaving a larger space at the top of the chart for the chore illustrations and their names.  I found the best solution for marking out the squares was to use colored Sharpie pens but I think Washi Tape would have been a fantastic alternative!  After marking out the chart I printed and cut out the chore illustrations I needed for each boy onto Whisper White card stock and glued them into place over its assigned column using Tear & Tape adhesive.  I organized the columns so that the chores ran from morning to night order.

Then came the fun part!  I cut the first letters of each weekday from the Little Letter Thinlits and glued those down the first column.  I then cut out the letters to spell each boys name and the word "chores" and glued those along the top edge of the chart.  

To make the Task Completed markers I stamped a small image (different for each boy) from the Dear Hearts Photopolymer set onto Whisper White card stock, colored it in with Blendabilties markers, and punched the images out with a 1-1/4" circle punch.  I then glued each circle onto small magnets I picked up at the Dollar Tree with a hot glue gun.

To finish the charts off I stamped each boy one of the images from the Dear Heart set that reminded me of them and colored them to match their hair color.  I added the round frame around each and punched them out before gluing into place in the upper left hand corner of the chart.



We hung the charts just off our kitchen so they can be a constant reminder and easy to check.  We'll see how it goes!  We've promised them a week of completed tasks will lead to an ice cream out; it's something we very rarely do so I think it will be a great incentive and motivator!


Sorry for the poor picture quality - the metal is so reflective I just couldn't get a good angle to shoot from!

Built for Free Using: My Stampin Blog

We've only just begun using the charts so we'll see how we're managing in a couple weeks time.  This could go exactly as I have pictured or I might be leading us down the path of even more stress...I'll keep you updated.  Until then...pray for me (LOL).

Have you used chore charts in the past?  I'd love to hear your ideas on how to keep the kids motivated!
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Tuesday, October 27, 2015

Autumn Shadows


Hello!

I have a toned down version of a Halloween card for you today.  Admittedly Halloween has never been a favorite "holiday" for me.  I don't own many Halloween stamps so I thought I would improvise with what I had on hand; I encourage you to do the same!  It's always a great challenge to make something new out of what you already have!

I wanted to keep the scene Sepia toned so I sponged the entire background with a blended mix of Smoky Slate, Tip Top Taupe, and Tuxedo Black.  I stamped the tree image from the Happy Scenes set and colored it in with a Basic Black marker.  I punched a couple of pumpkins from Basic Black card stock to add to the foreground and stamped a crow perched on top of the larger pumpkin.  The leaves and branch from Among the Branches set in Tuxedo Black were finishing touches.  Simple, quick, and about as eerie as I can get with a few basic stamps :)

Supplies:
Built for Free Using: My Stampin Blog
I'm off to work on that long over due to-do list!  I have a few cool ideas (to me anyway) that I'm quite excited about sharing.  Here's to hoping a few more days of hard work and I can begin to share them with you.  And don't forget about the Holiday Newsletters - coming up is a perfect Teacher gift for the Holidays!

Have a wonderful day!!
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Thursday, October 22, 2015

Autobots Roll Out! Interactive Transformer Cards





Hiya!

I'm slowly catching up on things that have been on my to-do list for months.  I had many requests for a template and tutorial for re-creating my Bumblebee Transform! Pop up Card and I'm happy to say its finally available in my Tutorial Store! 

When I created the original card I used a massive amount of punch art and let's be honest - It. Took. Forever for me to make.  I wanted to offer you something that would be easy to follow and streamlined so I created a template that could be printed and cut out along with a coded key chart to keep all the pieces in check while you're creating.

And because I can't say no to my son who said "Mom you can't have one without the other", I created a version of Optimus Prime as well!  The template works in the exact same way and is super easy to follow.  If I have to be honest after completing them both I'm a little more partial to Optimus - I love how he turned out!

If you would like to see both cards in action, I made a quick video demonstrating how they work up on my You Tube channel.

Supplies for Bumblebee Transformer:
Built for Free Using: My Stampin Blog


Supplies for Optimus Prime Transformer:
Built for Free Using: My Stampin Blog


If you are interested in purchasing one or both tutorials they can be found by scrolling to the bottom of my Tutorial Store (tab is at the top of my homepage).  I have a couple options to choose from. You can purchase either template separately or you can purchase both at a discounted price.  ** Please note that extra postage will be required when you mail these cards - they have some bulkiness when folded closed **

I think any "boy" young or older would appreciate a card like this!  As I mentioned in my video I had a couple of transformers when I was little and my boys love planning with my "old school" versions along with their newer versions!

I'm off for some more project catch up!  I have a couple of Halloween projects and birthday cards to share next week so check back for that!  And don't forget to check your email for Week #4 of my Holiday Newsletter coming your way on Friday!  I have been asked if there is a way to review the past weeks if you have signed up after the start of the series and the answer is yes!  Click on the "view in browser" link that accompanies your next email and you will find a bar at the top of the email with Archives listed within it.  Hope that helps!

Have a great day!
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Thursday, October 15, 2015

Tiny Dancer Snow Globe Shaker Card


Hello!

We're well on our way towards the end of another week!  Did yours fly by as quickly as mine??  I've been hard at work in my card room the last few days; now that the weather has begun to turn I'm anxious to work on Holiday related items!

This tiny dancer was a perfect start to my Holiday creating!  I envisioned a little Nut Cracker ballerina twirling in a snow globe with snow falling all around her, what do you think?   I love the little gals from the Talented Trio set - they can work for so many occasions!  I had Christmas in mind when I made this but change up the colors and inside shaker goodies and you have a perfect Birthday card for someone special.  What little girl wouldn't love receiving this?



I decided to do a more detailed tutorial on this card to help explain just how I created the shaker part of the card.  You can find the tutorial listed in my Tutorial Store by clicking on the tab at the top of my home page.

Supplies: 
Built for Free Using: My Stampin Blog

And if you can't get enough of this cute little set be sure to sign up for my 12 Weeks of Christmas Newsletter.  Tomorrow I'm featuring this set again!

Until next time...


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Tuesday, October 13, 2015

Harvest Moon - A Sponging/Masking Tutorial


Hi All!

I promised a couple of weeks back to get a quick tutorial up on how to re-create this Harvest Moon sunset, and here it finally is!  It's really simple; I hope you'll follow along :)  If you'd like to see the original post along with a list of all the supplies you'll need to create this project click HERE.


First begin by punching out a 1-1/4" circle from a post it note and position it onto a piece of Whisper White card stock measuring 3-3/4" x 5".


Sponge Crushed Curry ink over the entire piece of card stock with a sponge.

Sponge Pumpkin Pie along the top and sides of the card stock, leaving the Crushed Curry exposed under the bottom of the moon all the way down to the bottom of the card stock.

Sponge Blackberry Bliss around the outer edges of the card stock.  Intensify the color along the edge furthest away from the light source (moon).  Leave a small amount of the Pumpkin Pie showing through and be careful to not add any of this color to the bottom portion of the card stock beneath the moon.


Remove the mask and add Pumpkin Pie ink to the moon, focusing the most intense color on the bottom.  Using a "dry" sponge (not re-inked before sponging) will help blend the color out easier.

With a Stamp-a-ma-jig and Tuxedo Black Momento ink stamp the tree line from the Wonderland set across the card stock varying the heights for interest.  On a few of the images, stamp off the image once onto scrap paper before stamping; this creates depth to the images.

The finished piece ready to be mounted onto a card base.  See how easy that was?!!  I'd love to see your finished creations, so please email me!  They put a smile on my face each time I see them :)

Have you signed up for my Holiday Newsletter yet?  A pop up subscription box should have greeted you upon arrival; if not, please email me and I'll add you to the list.  For those of you that have already signed up - are you enjoying the projects?  This week marks Week #3 and I have a great little tag for a gift tag to share!

Until next time...

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Thursday, October 1, 2015

Splattered Stars


Hello Hello!

Let me begin by thanking you for all the wonderful comments received on my last couple of project blog posts!  For all those that have asked (and so nicely I might add!) I'll be putting up a tutorial on my Harvest Moon card next week.

Right now I'm gearing up and putting the final touches on the first of my 12 Weeks of Christmas newsletter due out tomorrow (have you signed up yet?) but I thought I'd stop in here quick and do a little card share. 

This technique is so ridiculously simple but gives such cool results!  And those little Sleigh Ride Framelits have inched their way closer to the top of my favorite list.  The houses and trees are so versatile - they don't have to be created for Christmas scenes alone!  I'll be sharing a few more projects featuring these framelits over the next while so stay tuned!

To recreate this card begin with a piece of Whisper White card stock and sponge Tempting Turquoise over the entire piece.  Sponge Blackberry Bliss over the Tempting Turquoise, leaving some of it showing through.  Darken some areas and leave others lighter, this will essentially appear as though you've used more colors than you actually have.  Next is the fun part!  Dip your fingertips into a little water, shake off the excess, and "flick" the remaining water over the card stock.  When the water dries your left with this cool splatter that given on what background you use it on, can appear to be stars or snow!  Told ya it was ridiculously simple!!

Layer the silhouettes of the houses and trees in front of the background with dimensional's and your all set!

Supplies:
Built for Free Using: My Stampin Blog


I'm off!  Our little guys birthday is on Saturday and I haven't made his card yet.  He's obsessed with Minions and I'm toying around with an idea so we'll see if I can put it to paper...

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