Sweet 16 Birthday

Hello! It's been a super- long time since I last posted. For those of you that actually check in on my blog, I apologize. Life truly gets in the way. So much has happened and so little crafting has gone on around here. 

Lets get down to it. Here is a simple sweet 16 Birthday card I made for my youngest daughter. I totally cased this from Pinterest (not gonna lie) but changed the colors and patterned papers to coordinate with the gift. 

Those of you that know me, know I am OCD when it comes to trying to match the cards I make with the wrapping or packaging of the gift I give. This one was not the best match but it worked. You can see the wrapping and ribbon under the first image. 

 

SU! colors ( card stock/ ink) used: Bermuda Bay, Crushed Curry, Watermelon Wonder, Whisper White, and Basic Black.  Designer Series Paper used:  6" x 6" Cherry On Top. Hand doodling done with Zig Memory Writer.  White reflection on balloons done with Stampin' Chalk Marker. I cut numbers using my Cricut. 

4.25' x 5.5" A1 size.

Basket Bunch

Here are a couple projects made at my last home workshop done late spring 2017. Misc. patterned papers used. Stamp Set: SU! Basket Bunch.  Shapes cut out using Basket Builder Framelits. Pre tied bow with pear sewn to center bought at local craft store. Hand doodling done with black Zig Memory System Writer. 

Card: (A1) 5.5" x 4.25 " 

Goody Bag made using Gift Bag Punch Board #135862

Late Summer Outdoor Photos- Stan Hywet

Some photos I took while visiting Stan Hywet Hall & Gardens in Akron, Ohio

Birch lined pathway

water lilies

flowers in front of birches

bee

Halloween Treat Bags

I made these quick, easy, and inexpensive Halloween gift bags for my daughters. I love to give Halloween goodies. I soon will be doing this for my grandson. Although, I got him a Halloween book and pumpkin hat and booties, I just laid the hat and booties on the board book and wrapped with ribbon. It was the perfect little presentation. 

These easy and inexpensive bags can also be used for "Boo Bags". Have you been "Booed"? I have been "Booed" several times through the years and this years they even had it going at the school I mainly work in. Its fun- a nice way to do random acts of kindness and surprise someone with goodies. 

I found these adorable polka dot bags at Hobby Lobby (large lunch bag size- package of 10) for less than $4. I simply placed some Washi Tape on a wide black clothes pin (Target $1 spot). I used EK success bat punch and adhered to the front of the clothes pins. The clothes pins hold the tag on the front of the bags. I colored the cute owl images with Copic Markers. Man, I struggled with this, I have not colored with these in so long and am slightly out of touch. The stamp is from outlinerubberstamps.com. I picked this up many years ago at a local convention.

I often do gifts this way. These bags are perfect for smaller gifts and are so much more inexpensive. I can get a package of tissue paper at Dollar Tree and a package of these bags at Hobby Lobby  and have enough to do 10 gifts for $5. Once you add a unique and colorful tag to the front, its more special than the store bought image front bags. 

Halloween Mini Sanitizer Holders

 Hello blogging friends. Its been a major long time since I last posted. I apologize for that. Gosh, life gets in the way a lot the time, doesn't it? A lot has been happening in my life- My oldest daughter got married last fall. That same daughter has given my first grandchild ( boy) and I couldn't be more happy.  I have had some family members with illness/ injuries and making strides in recovery. I have been dabbling in photography (something I have always wanted to do more with) and am loving it.  I have been working on a 3 year project with some colleagues, through a Grant from Ohio Dept. of Education, that is finally up and running as of 3 weeks ago. I have to admit, I have done very little crafting and wow..., did my life feel busy, chaotic, stressful and lopsided without crafting. I did some crafting last winter, this summer, and recently but, not enough to keep me from stress and provide balance.

  I decided to make some of these mini hand sanitizer holders that I found on Erica Cerwin's Pink Buckaroo SU! blog and FB page (the YouTube video tutorial can be found in the link). She is so talented and creative, love following her. Since I have not stamped in so long, I found it difficult to get into the groove and was not happy with anything I stamped and layered to make accent on front. I decided stickers and punches would satisfy for now. It may take me a while to get back into the groove... I hate when I feel this way.

Holder #1: I used Martha Stewart's jack-o-lantern punch, SU wiggly eyes, along with Recollections (Hobby Lobby) jack-o-lantern puffy stickers for the first couple (left). Ultra fine glitter added to further accent the nose. 

Holder #2: I used the same Recollections (Hobby Lobby) jack-o-lantern puffy stickers,  Recollections (Hobby Lobby) glitter foam bat stickers,  SU! fringe scissors (grass), and SU! 'eek' stamp. Misc. decorative papers. Basic Black, Tangerine Tango, Very Vanilla,  SU! card stock.

Holder #3: I used Recollections ( Hobby Lobby) bat stickers and SU! 'spooky' stamp. 

Holder #4: SU! 'boo' stamp, Recollections (Hobby Lobby) witch leg stickers. Misc decorative papers. SU! Pumpkin Pie, and Old Olive card stock.  

Thanks for stopping by. I hope to add more crafts more regularly. 

VALENTINE PRIMA DOLL CHALLENGE

A couple of my stamping friends and myself have done a couple Prima Dolls Challenges. Here is my submission for the Valentine/ February Challenge. (We also did a Halloween challenge in October (previous blog post)). I love the mixing all the reds and pinks. I love the added texture and look that the glittered hearts and the foiled bird  and key gives to the final product. If you haven't seen or played with these yet, I highly recommend purchasing one. They are so fun. Sorta like a grown up paper doll.  

HALLOWEEN PRIMA DOLL CHALLENGE

A couple ladies I stamp with decide dot do a Prima Girl Challenge with Halloween theme. This is my submission. Halloween is my favorite holiday to stamp. I had so much fun coloring, and  adding arrange and black details. I highly recommend getting a Prima Girl to play with. Its like grown up paper dolls. Thanks for stopping by. 

TEMPTATIONS BAKEWARE ENTERTAINING

Homemade macaroni and cheese using scalloped pie dish

A  few years ago my MIL bought me a set of Temptations bakeware that came with lids and metal racks. Ever since then, I have been hooked. I have slowly got rid of my pyrex, Longaberger, and other various bakeware and replaced with all Temptations. I also have replaced my dishes, coffee mugs, and have added coordinating some serving trays, wine carats, and etc... Everything looks great  together and dine railways looks fabulous. You can purchase Temptations direct or on QVC. It comes in several styles and colors. All just as lovely as the next. 

Homemade 5 cheese lasagna using deep dish 9" x 13" baker. Garlic bread baked on glass lid to 9" x 13" baker. Salad served form pasta bowl. 

Fruit, cheese, hummus, snacks served from various trays, plates, and bowls all in coordinating Old World Green pattern. 

A glimpse into my cupboard. I love how everything stacks and looks so neat. 

SU! Valentine Fun

Here are two projects from a Workshop  I had last week. I was drawn to the Lumberjack image from the WOOD YOU BE MINE? #137134 available in the Occasions catalog. I love the crisp image that the  Photopolymer gives when stamped with Momento ink. So fun to color. I chose to color the shirt demonstrating to the ladies the BLENDABILITIES.  This stamp set offers a solid shirt and plaid shirt to be used separately or together so no coloring has to be done. The ladies at my workshop and I agree that this image could easily be used for boys/ male birthday cards, and Father's day cards. 

The candy package is made from this month's Paper Pumpkin. Everything organized, ready to use. These kits are fun and take the planning/ color matching/ layout struggles out of stamping. If you are interested in learning more about PAPER PUMPKIN you can access info from the SU website. stampinup.com

VALENTINE'S FUN 2015

It has been almost a year since I have posted to my Blog. Wow, I knew it was a long time but I didn't realize  it was 11 months. Time slips away. A lot happening around here. I am now working full time ( over 40 hours a week) along with planning my oldest daughter's wedding, tending to the Bullies  ( they're almost 3 yrs old but still chew and seek to destroy everything), my husband continues to work out of state ( its been 8+ mos.). I just haven't found much time to fit in the  crafting/ blogging as I would like. I made some time last weekend to actually do some crafting- Gosh did I need that. I cut, colored, and glued until 4 am. I had a great time watching movies, a glass of wine and crafting in quiet. 

I made a lovely Love themed Shadow Box Frame- photo ready. Just the perfect special gift for a loved one. Would look adorable on a fireplace mantle with photo of the kids, nieces, nephews, or even the pets.  

I used the SU! die cut and rolled some mini paper roses to place in the red glass bottles I found at Target. I think they turned out very cute. I also made mini Valentine cards and placed inside the mini mailboxes. 

I colored and placed some images I traded for many years ago. I used the SU! heart and new Bow punches to add the adorable details. 

I used the SU! Blendabilities Markers to color most the images- Loving these markers! I now own all the SU! colors. I also own 100+ Copics, 50+ Spectrum Noir, 50+ Prisma Markers, and Ranger's (Tim Holtz) markers. I have used all these for years but, feel the SU! are so simple and more user friendly compared to other  alcohol inks. 

The gift pails are filled with Lavender lotion, purse size nail files, nail polish, purse size notebooks with matching images, a couple pencils, and candy. The perfect little Valentine gift for a friend, co worker, teacher, or the teenager in your life. 

The heart shaped candy box images (above) are colored with Copics. The image another swapped image from years ago ( I used to do a lot of paper, image, card swaps). These little 3"x 3" cards are my favorite. The perfect little card to add to a special Valentine Gift. 

Bunny Memo Pad and Tag

Here is another covered memo pad and matching tag. I have mentioned in the past how much I love to make these simple yet adorable affordable gifts. They are perfect for friends, co workers, teachers, and I use them often at my home workshops as door prizes. The image and matching face button are made by Darcie's Heart & Home. I love using these stamps and matching doo-dads. 

I added a couple matching pencils and another magnetic notepad and used butterscotch candies as filler.

HAPPY HELLO SCRAPBOOK LAYOUT

I totally fell in love with these adorable feathers sold by BELLA BLVD. This past Fall our family was blessed with a new baby- my niece Penelope. The minute I saw these feathers and layout ideas at our local Archivers, I knew I wanted to make something for our little Penny-poo. I plan on putting the layout  in a shabby frame to give it more of a finished look and giving it to my sister for Easter. 

SWEET SORBET- THANK YOU

Here is another card from an upcoming workshop. I stamped the floral image onto glossy paper. Love how crisp it looks. DS Paper is SWEET SORBET # 133521. I embossed the card base with ARROWS TEXTURED IMPRESSIONS FOLDER # 132187. I used white seam binding for the bow. Added misc matching button in the center. Another simple yet beautiful card. 

SWEET SORBET THANKS

Here is another card sample for an upcoming workshop. The card was inspired by the card from page 10 in the SAB brochure. It uses SWEET SORBET # 133521, PETAL PARADE #133602, SWEET SORBET ACCESSORY PACK # 133522 and the new SCALLOPED TAG PUNCH # 133324 . I bought the wood frame in a 3 pack from IKEA - discounted $1.00 (for all three). 

BIRTHDAY BANNERS

Here are some of my upcoming workshop projects using the SAB Banner Blast # 133551, Petal Parade Stamp Set #133602, Sweet Sorbet DS Paper # 133521,  and Banner Punch #133519

I drew the curved line using Pool Party Marker. I added a bow using the Pool Party Twine from the SAB Sweet Sorbet Accessory Pack #133522. Talk about an adorable yet easy card. Great way to use of many scraps. 

Took inspiration from the small gift bag from page 16 in the Seasonal Occasions Mini Catalog and made a similar tag to decorate craft colored paper gift bags. Most the items used for these projects I earned FREE. When you spend $50 on various items throughout the catalogs, SU! allows you to pick FREE itmes from SAB brochure. Questions about how you can earn some FREE items, please let me know. 

Valentine Favorites 2014

                                                                 Photo from BellaBlvd.com

Here are some of my favorite Valentine Ideas I found through internet searches and Pinterest. Love every single one of them. So many great ideas. http://www.pinterest.com/papercuties/valentine-ideas/

VALENTINE 2014 ENSEMBLE

Here are the projects for my upcoming  Feb. Workshop.

 I'm using the new Water Color Wonder Washi Tape #133000, Gold Sequin Trim #132983, Scalloped Tag Topper Punch #133324, Gold Baker's Twine #132975, Gold Encore ink #132141, Gold Foil Sheets #132622, Sweet Heart Treat bags #134610, and Red Glimmer Paper #121790

I was completely inspired from a couple samples I found on Pinterest. I used their idea but added red to make it more my own. I love the simplicity of the white, gold, and red. 

Its hard to see all the layers of the white on white card. I have a white layer edged with gold and mounted onto white card base, I used a white heart doily in between the tag and card. I inked the edge of the tag with gold and added gold washi and sequins. I punched tag and decorative label, inked edges with gold, and added a red glimmer heart . 

I changed the treat bags to gold accents instead of turquoise that came in the kit. I used the gold twine and foil paper. I made a tag wrapper for around a Ghirardelli peppermint bark square ( red and white stripes with gold accents). I got the idea here. 

I found these adorable glass keys and the mercury glass mini bottles at Target after Christmas for $2.50 each. They were Christmas ornaments but I knew right away what I wanted to do with some of them. I added some red and gold foliage inside the mini bottle and some seam binding bows on the key for adorable Valentine decorations.  

Monochromatic Gold Birthday Tag

Playing around with Stampin' Up!'s new gold  Water Color Wonder #133000 Washi Tape. Love, love, love washi. This is also my first dabble using Seam Binding for Ribbon. I love, love, love that stuff too. 

It just so happened that the gift boxes that the presents I ordered online came in the colors that match so well with the gold tape and binding. It looks great together!

Sshhhhhhh... these are birthday gifts for a couple of my oldest, dearest girlfriends. 

Pink & Green Stylish Baby Card

Here is my take on a simple, non traditional baby shower card. I love good old green and pink together. This image is from KATIE & CO. named Maternity. I think I found this stamp for $1 at a discount store many years ago.  This is my go to image, I use it for all my baby shower cards lately. Its easy to color and perfect to add to the front of cards or tags. I always wrap my gifts to match the cards I make ( its my little OCD, I guess). I had some extra yarn leftover from a finger knitting project and used it to tie around the pink package. 

Snowman Memo Pad and Tag

I love covering these small memo pads with fun papers and cute images. This image and verse come from a set made by Darcie's Heart & Home. I added SU! googlie eyes for further whimsy. I bundled these together adding a couple matching pencils and another magnetic notepad. I love the bright colors. I  used Hershey kisses as filler. I will use this as a door prize at my upcoming home workshop.