Anniversary Damask Card

I made this card based of a design from Unscripted Sketches - a fun site that posts a sketch every Saturday to "inspire" you! One of my favorite patterns is damask so I started with that as my base.









I also embossed a "damsky" design in the middle from a stamp set I had from my wedding back in 2007 (glad I was able to use it again). The embossing took countless times as I tried to repeat the pattern 3 times and also have it emboss without burning. I ended up stamping each one and embossing each one before I moved on to the next.



The "Love" metal sentiment was a great find at a rummage sale. It added a little vintage, romantic feel to the card.






Supplies Used:
Crillon 1 clear stamp set from Lil' Davis Designs - damask stamp
Say It With Style clear stamp set from CTMH - "Happy Anniversary" sentiment
Marcasite embossing powder - Stampendous
Vintage Black Damask paper form The Paper Studio
Black brads
Black ribbon
Cream and Red cardstocks
Black stamp pad

Robot Boys Card made with Perfect Pages "Little Boy" page kit

This is a fun, easy card for any little boy's birthday!

Supplies Used:
Perfect Pages "Little Boy" kit (blue/black paper, arrow, gears paper)
Black and Red cardstock (card base and arrow)
EK Success sticker set - Robot sticker
Happy Birthday stamp - Michaels
Corner rounder
Embossing Powder and clear stamp pad

Lukeyloo Designs now a Lettering Delights Affiliate

I am proud to announce that Lukeyloo Designs is now a proud affiliate of Lettering Delights!!! I love Lettering Delights and will be featuring their product line on my blog. They have a HUGE selection of fonts, doodblebats, digital scrapbooking graphics and paper packs, and my favorite.... svg's. They are constantly adding new files and are very affordable. Watch my blog for their most current promotions. I have fallen in love with Lettering Delights and I hope you to do!

Happy Birthday card

This card came about as a way to use a flower stamp from my Grandma's stamp collection. I used glitter embossing powder and a clear embossing stamp with the pad. I also used the Sizzix purse and a "happy birthday" embossing folder to make the brown background. The pattern cardstock is from my fave paper pack from K&Company: the Amy Butler line.

Supplies used:
"Happy Birthday" embossing folder
Sentiment - "Say it in Style" clear stamps from CTMH
Pattern cardstock - K&Company Amy Butler set
Brown Gems
Glitter embossing powder
Clear embossing stamp pad

Charlie Brown Canvas

This is a Charlie Brown canvas art piece I made. It is on a 10 x 10 canvas. I created my own svg file from a picture using Inkscape. The file wasn't perfect so some of the pieces were hand cut. It is a mix of cardstock and vinyl.






Close-up of Charlie Brown








Creating Charlie

Blinged-out Cricut

Bored one day at a slow craft fair, I decided to give my Cricut some style using vinyl. Most of the shapes are from the Forest Friends doodlebat. The complete Forest Friends doodlebat set can be purchased from Lettering Delights. Click Here to purchase. Doodlebats are loaded into Sure Cuts a Lot as a font. Each shape is attached a letter on the keyboard. Very easy to do and I use the Forest Friends a lot!

"Just Because" card using "Affinity" line from The Paper Studio

This card I made using the new "Affinity" line from The Paper Studio. The circle papers, ribbon, and brad are all from the line. Idea for the card was from Kristina Werner. The flower layers were cut using a layered flowers svg I had.

The Most Perfect Vinyl Bin

The most perfect vinyl bin - on wheels, pullable, pushable, easy to store!
I purchased this from Target for $19.99. It was found in the storage section and is suppose to be a toy storage bin for kids. This could easily hold 20+ rolls of 16" long vinyl. Love it!!!

"Hello" Card

Hello, Hello! I made 4 identical "Hello" cards yesterday. I needed to try out my new "Vintage Label" punch and also use some fibers I got this week. The polka dots on the green, pink, and gray cardstocks were made using clear embossing powder and a polka dot stamp. Each strip was 1 1/2 inches wide and 4 inches tall. I also decorative edge-punched the gray end piece.

The patterned paper was a thoughtful gift from my sister, Emily. We love hunting Michael's from great clearance - this design was in a 24 pack of 12 x 12 sheets. They were such a great deal she got one for both my mom and me!

I finished the card with a "Hello" sentiment that I stamped on pink and cream paper I punched using the vintage label punch from McGill. I also sprayed the cream oval with the Perfect Pearls spray from Ranger to add an overall shimmer. Although I kept the spray about 12 inches away it still was a little thick on this small piece of cardstock.

Materials Used:
Patterned cardstock - "Amy Butler" 12 x 12 paper pack from K&Company
Lime Green cardstock - Worldwin papers
Gray Cardstock - Doublemates from Worldwin papers
Pink cardstock
Cream cardstock
Cream A2 card and envelope
Gray fibers
Scotch tape (taped down fibers)
EZ Runner tape
Tape Gun - Fiskars
Paper Cutter - Fiskars
McGill Vintage Label punch
Decorative Edge - Fiskars "Threading Water" punch
Polka Dot Background stamp - Stampabilities
Clear Embossing powder - Ranger
Clear Embossing stamp pad - Ranger
Embossing gun
Silver stamp pad - Color Box Pigment
"Hello" Sentiment - Close to My Heart "Say it in Style" clear stamp set
"Perfect Pearl" shimmer spray - Ranger

"It's a Boy's World" Page

This 12 x 12 star page I made using the "It's a Boy's World" page kit from The Paper Studio. It can be found at Hobby Lobby. All paper and stickers were from this pack except for the blue cardstock. This was also my first time using a larger photo and not the standard 4x6.


I made the star by first free-handing the outer silver lining. To make the lining, I used silver foil that was part of the striped paper. Making the star was actually very easy. The more difficult part came trying to cut different patterned papers to fit inside the star. It was hard to get just the right angles on the different paper sizes to fit into the star. This page took me about 2 hours to complete. Overall I love the page..... maybe next time I will go with a template!


Supplies Used:
"It's a Boys World" page kit - The Paper Studio
Blue cardstock - The Paper Studio
Double-sided tape - 3M
Tape Gun - 3M
Paper Trimmer - Fiskars
Scissors

"Mean-Mugged" Scrapbook Page

Don't toddlers make the craziest faces? This pages I entitled "Mean-Mugged" My most favorite and only godmother - my Aunt Ann - took this picture of my son Lucas on Christmas Day. Why such the ugly face, Lucas?


The striped paper is from open stock at Hobby Lobby. The fun lime green paper was purchased from a fall 2010 sale at the Worldwin Paper. The quotations and arrows were cut out using basic shapes on the Cricut. The scalloped border was cut using the "Chickadee" doodlebat I found on the Internet free. I also used a brown marker to add rough lines to the striped paper and dots in the circle part of the green scalloped border. Three brown medium brads completed the design on the top and bottom.



I cut out the sentiment using a font called "Wish I Were Taller." Most of my fonts are from www. kevinandamanda.com/fonts/freescrapbookfonts. You can download all their fonts with one click of the mouse. This font is thick and cuts great with the Cricut. I used glue to adhere each letter.


Supplies Used:
Striped Cardstock - The Paper Studio
Dark Blue and Light Blue Cardstock
Lime Green Cardstock - Worldwin Papers
Brown Cardstock
Off-White Cardstock
Medium-sized Brown Brads
Glue
Double-sided Tape - 3M
Paper Trimmer - Fiskars
Pop-dots - large square (arrow)
Ruler
Brown Marker - Zig Memory System
Cricut
Paper-piercing Tool - Bazzil (holes for brads)

"Thanks for Shoveling" Treat Bags

My husband and I purchased our first house last spring. We haven't had the chance yet to but a snow blower. Fortunate for us we have absolutely wonderful neighbors that helped us plow through this winter. We thanked them be hand-delivering a dozen chocolate chip cookies in these cute treat bags. I had to use 2 per neighbor as the bags were too small to fit all 12 cookies.

I used the Betty's Bags file from SVGcuts.com to cut the bags - "bag handles short" file. One 12 x 12 sheet cuts one bag. I then cut out a birdie using the Cricut. The sentiment "Enjoy" was cut from the Cindyloo Cricut cartridge. Much of the patterned paper is from the "Berry Sweet" line of papers from K&Company.

Woody What-Nots Canvas Set

This was a popular one at the fair today.... a set of 4 Woodsy canvases. Perfect for any boy's room. They are made of mixed mediums including vinyl, paper, and paint. This set would look great hung on a line of ribbon or rope on the wall, placed on a shelf, or hung using 3M tape in the square. I used Lettering Delights "Woody What-Nots" file to complete the project. To purchase click HERE. I first painted the canvases with a shear coat of light tan paint. Then cut the animal pieces out of cardstock. The animals were adhered to the canvas using Mod Podge and double-sided tape. I also inked the edges in brown to create dimension. The oh-so-cute phrases were cut in black vinyl. The vinyl made them very easy to apply.

Craft Fair - Hartford, WI

If you missed us at the Hartford "It's A Spring Thing" Fair below are some pictures of the event. I met some great vendors and customers! It was fun to see all the neat things at the fair. My favorites were the booths for "Fancy Curlz by the Girlz" and "Daytime Drama" ---- and my booth of course! Some hot sellers were the altered clipboards, recipe clips, and gift card holders. A lot of customers flipped through the altered notebooks so I am going to start stamping about 10 - 15 pages inside; make it more custom. Also people looked at the back side of the clipboards. I am going to add cardstock to the back for a more complete package. Unfortunately a LOT of Easter baskets and treat bags left over. Family and friends.... Easter joy may be coming to your home soon!


Altered Items and Recipe Clips








Side Table









Back Table

Awesome Fairy vinyl picture made by Sally Jenks

Vinyl Application

Getting Ready for the Craft Fair

I have been busy as a bee getting ready for the craft fair. I am trying to focus on what I enjoy doing and not focusing on what I "think" I should be doing. I am hoping that my creative juices will keep flowing if I stick to what I like! It has been difficult but last week I felt like I was making progress. My hubby set up a "mock" craft table in the basement and I have slowly, but surely, been filling it with items. It makes me feel like I am getting at least something done. Below are a couple pictures of what I have been working on.

Clipboards & Recipe Clips

Wooden Purses

Post-it Note Holders & Treat Boxes

Treat Boxes

Recipe Clips

Favorite Tools

I have realized recently that in my early scrapbooking days (relatively speaking) I spent too much money and energy buying stickers and paper. Recently I have put my efforts more to tools that make my crafting so much easier. My favorite recent purchases:

- Martha Stewart Scoring Board (no more ruler needed!)
- Stickles Crystal glitter glue
- 2 inch and 1 inch circle punches
- Fiskars Threading Water Scalloped Border Punch (much quicker than using the Cricut)
- Glue Dots - small size

I wish I could purchase everything all at once but my thriftiness has held me back. I am content using my 40% coupons to Hobby Lobby, Michael's, and Jo-Ann's as I receive them.

Baby Boy Orange & Blue Card

Hi All - Thank goodness it is the weekend. A long week traveling but glad to be home. Last weekend I had the chance to make cards for upcoming parties and birthdays. I made this Baby Boy card for a baby shower I have today.

- I made this card using the Itsy Bitsy Baby Boy 8x8 paper pack from K&Company. I love this pack and use it also for my 8x8 baby albums I make for family and friends.

- The word "baby" is from a set of clear acrylics I think from Deja Views.

- I also just cut very small vertical rectangles to make the slit for the orange and white striped ribbon.

- I cut the scalloped edges on the light blue paper (underneath the work "baby") using a scallop scissors. Sometimes it is hard for me the keep the scallop line going straight but getting better at it.

- The Special Delivery truck and stars are from a set of die cuts from the Itsy Bitsy Boy collection from K&Company. I am digging these die cuts. You get 2 of each design with one side being glittered and the other not. Add a pop dot underneath and you got a 3-D embellishment. I will also being using these on the baby albums. The set of die cuts is also super inexpensive -- only $3.99 at Archiver's. Use a 30% coupon on them and they become even more affordable. I have checked out other craft stores and Archiver's is the only one I have found to carry them.

**Note the Itsy Bitsy line also comes in Baby Girl. This card could easily be converted to a girl theme with a different design paper and die cuts.

Sticky Notes Holders

Usually when I decide to do a project last minute my husband groans. When I decide to do it last minute on Christmas Eve, he starts immediately be expecting to rush lately to church for Christmas Eve mass. I must say though when I decided to do these sticky note holders last minute I was super impressed with myself. Not only did I get all the supplies in less than 30 minutes, I was also able to get home and complete not just 1 but 5 of them in under an hour. For a first try that is not bad. I got this idea from Kerry's Paper Crafts (thanks Kerry - this was a great idea!)

I purchased 4x6 acrylic frames from Walmart for less than a dollar each. I also got there the sticky notes (mainly had to stick to bright colors -- think about this when choosing papers and embellishments) and the pens

I then visited good 'ole Hobby Lobby and got the ribbon, paper, and flower embellishments (had to pay full price for the flowers - boo!)

Instructions:
1. Cut paper to fit inside of frame and insert
2. Tape the sticky note to the front
3. Tie patterned ribbon at top into bow (I hate tying bows - this took the longest out of everything)
4. Add flower embellishment - I glued on for better adhesion
5. Tie large ribbon on bottom
6. Slide pen between ribbon and sticky notes

I gave these as small gifts to friends and family over the holidays. A token of appreciation - and cute to boot!

Canvas Art Work

Wanted to Share a Great Decorating tip with you on how to make artwork from simple Scrapbook paper and canvas. This becomes a great unique piece for a very cheap price! Recently I made a set of 4 for my son's Lucas room. He has a vinyl "Jungle-themed" graphic above his bed that needed a little more to it. One day my brother, Eric (who I adore), and I were at Hobby Lobby looking for a project to do. Then it popped into my head: "canvas art". My sister had done the same thing in her room. So I got 4 8X10 canvases and a great paper pack from Sassafras called "Bungle Jungle" (of course I came when the packs were 1/2 off!), green paint, and some orange paint

Here are the steps to create 1 of a kind artwork

1. Place a layer of Mod Podge glue on canvas (any size will work)
2. Cut paper to fit and place on top
3. Try to smooth at any air pockets (it's ok if some are still there - mine had a ton; I promise you if you leave them sit overnight many of them will disappear
4. Allow to dry for 5-10 minutes (ok... maybe I didn't wait that long)
4. Place another layer of Mod Podge on top (you can skip if you like but I like the sheen it leaves)
5. Allow to dry
6. Paint coordinating colors on top, bottom, and sides of canvas (the end parts where no paper is)
7. Allow to dry overnight

I then had my husband hang them up with two nails apiece. The trickiest part of the whole project was getting the canvases level with each other! Enjoy!

My New Cricut

My wonderful husband suprised me with my very own Cricut this Christmas. I am so very excited. I was just like a kid -- reading all the manuals, checking out the buttons, telling anyone who wanted to listen all the great things the Cricut could do. I also got my first cartridge -- Cindy Loo. I love it. It has cute layered animals like an owl, cat, and bird. It also a great font, borders, and frames. You can also make gift card holders, these neat baskets they call flower pots, and cupcake wrap thingy's. The Owl was the most difficult - lots of little parts to glue on and my tacky glue left a sheen on the end product.

I also received the Sizzix embossing purse from my mom with a neat bird embossing card. I have already used it (made my sweet mom a card)

Last but not least my mom got me Sure Cuts A Lot 2!!!! Still have yet to install but it is coming soon. Plus it came with a $10 gift card to the svgcuts.com. Can't wait to start doing more projects. Plus the cricut cartridges are expensive. My mom is so smart. She has been using the SCAL for well over a year now to cut pop-up cards, vinyl, you name it. I can't wait to get going.

A lot of Catching Up 2 Do

So it has been awhile since I have posted. I got in the "funk" where the nights fly by with nothing being accomplished but 2011 is a new year and I am starting it off right! I finally got all those pictures organized. I now have them saved on the computer, on an external hard drive, and on cd. Plus they are all put into folders. I like folders rather than having a ton to search through but I also wonder if it is harder to remember where certain pictures are located. Now I have the big task of getting a Snapfish order in before the 1 cent a pic deal is over. It is always so hard to choose which pictures to print and even more time consuming to download them all.

By the way, for the most part, I did stick to my 3 month hiatus from Scrapbooking stores. I did go the semi-annual paper sale at the paper warehouse. I also bought 2 10 cent ribbons at a church rummage sale. I think I might have also had a slight splurge at Hobby Lobby near the end but otherwise I held strong.

Becky Higgins Project Life Relaunch - Finally

Was bumming around the web this morning and decided to channel Aunt Ann and visit Becky Higgin's site. She has relaunched "Project Life" and has the kit for sale again in both kit-style and digital-style. Whooohooooo! I am sticking to my no purchases for 90 days but am super tempted. The designs look very similar to last years but still has a ton of style.

The kit is $49.99 and can be purchased on Amazon with free shipping.


Check out beckyhiggins.com for more information.

90 Days and No Hobby Lobby - What will I do?

I don't spend a ton of money on scrapbooking. It is more like 5 dollars at Jo-Ann's, 10 dollars at Hobby Lobby, and another 5 dollars at Michael's. The bigger problem is that I have so many stickers, letters, papers, ribbons, you name it at home. Please kill me if I buy one more baby-themed sticker sheet. I have decided to go on a diet... not a lose 10 pounds diet but a craft store diet. And for how long, 90 days. Yes, 90 days. I figure by than I can slowly break my habit of buying things that are "sooooo cute" rather than things I will actually use. Will it be hard.. yes, yes, yes. I am actually rethinking this decision as thoughts of multi-colored jewels dance in my head. But I am sticking to it. My last purchase... the "Say it in Style" stamp set from Close to my Heart. I have been using my sister's for way too long and she needs it back at some point. So from today until November 22 I will be kissing the craft stores goodbye. I promise to not even go there to finish gifts I am making. I will utilize my fully stocked supply of scrapbooking impulse purchases to the fullest of their capabilities. Wish me luck! (Good thing November 22 is just in time for Black Friday!)

Happy Birthday Pop-Up Card

I am absolutely in love with the new "Premium Pop-Up Cards" SVG kit on svgcuts.com! I visited my mom on Sunday and we worked on the Cricut Expression. The best about her Cricut is that she also uses Sure Cuts Alot. What an awesome tool to turn svg files into works of art!

This Happy Birthday card was made using the pop-up card kit. No guess work involved... the kit includes the cupcake, the scalloped layered piece, the inside pop-up "happy birthday" and even the card and envelope! No measuring or guessing sizes. I then added glitter to the edges of my cupcake's frosting and punched holes in the scalloped layering piece. Once again, I resorted to the good ole' "Say it in Style" Close to My Heart stamp set to stamp "Happy Birthday." The front seemed a little boring so I also distressed the edges of the happy birthday layer and the front of the card itself. Another key addition to this card was the Doublemate paper - light purple on one side, dark purple on the other.... a perfect pair!

It was quite tricky to have the "happy birthday" pop-up fold right when inside the card. In a "TA-DA" moment, Mom and I got it at the same time. Once you get the hang of it though, it is as easy as, well, cupcake? The card does seem thick so I am mailing with 2 stamps just in case.

Making this card motivated me to save up for a Cricut and Sure Cuts Alot.

Wrapping It Simple

I made this hang tag to include on a gift bag for a bridal shower. The letter "R" is from an Anne Geddes branded chipboard letters I got on clearance from Archivers. I used the outside part of the letter rather than the "R" itself. I then layered on green paper and purple paper. I punched a hole using a standard hole punch. The purple ribbon was already on the bag. Keeping it simple and beautiful!

Unscripted Sketch #68 - Precious Baby

Finally got to try out the "Sketch It Saturdays." I have been putting off making a baby girl card for a friend so I thought this would be the perfect opportunity. The patterned paper is from K&Company Berry Sweet line. The green felt letters for "baby" is from Making Memories. I used my flower punch I got from Michael's for the orange circles. The "Precious" rub-on is from Me & My Big Ideas. The heart and butterfly rub-ons are from Colorbox. I got these in the $1 spot and felt guilty getting them because I thought I would never use them. I proved myself wrong. I added glitter (which I try to avoid at all cost - still have glitter on my craft table) to the both the butterfly and heart. I will definetly be back next Saturday!

Original sketch:
http://unscriptedsketches.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/SK-sketch-41-US-sketch-682.jpg