April 30, 2014

Gingerbread Men Shaker

Hi everyone,

My name is Carol and you can find my blog here at Happy Expressions. It's my turn to share a project with you all here at She's A Sassy Lady. Thanks for having join you Sheila.





I have decided to share with you a really easy shaker card. The card base is staples vanilla cs. I added a few snowflakes around the edges with a Seasons Greetings sentiment and embossed them with winter snow embossing powder. I bought the embossing powder from Micheal's. I am sorry the embossing does't show like I hoped it would. I chose a really cute DSP from a MS border self adhesive pad. I cut the image at 2.75 x 2.75 inches. I added some dimentional tape around the square. I then added some small confetti paper pieces I have made from a MS border punch. I also have the border to use on another project. I also added some silver stars and sequins in the shaker.

For the frame around the shaker I used a sizzix scalloped square die to cut the frame. I then took my exacto knife and cute the inside piece for the window. If you have a cutting machine it would make this step very easy. I did it this way encase some of you didn't have a cutting machine. I added the frame over the plastic sheet (cut from the piece of plastic our cricut cartridges come in. The banners are from the same MS pad. I added the banners to the top left of the card. Then added a stripe of dimensional foam on the right side of the card and glue on the left so they would be the same height. I cut a few more of the colored snowflakes with a SU circle punch. I took a red pen and doodled around the card edge.I put some wink of stella on the front of the frame and around the edge of the border. I had some gold star stickers that I used to finish off the card. I hope you have all enjoyed my small tutorial and find some inspiration from it.

Thank you all for dropping by, Have a blessed and happy day!

April 24, 2014

Color Blocking


**I'm so sorry this post is late!! I was a day off in my mind and thought tomorrow was Thursday! Oh, dear. I hope you enjoy my post and please forgive my absent mindedness! **
 Hello! I hope you had a wonderful Easter weekend last week. Mine was good but very busy! I thought it might be nice to share with you a tutorial I did recently over at Inspired By Stamping for color blocking. I had seen this technique done but had never actually tried it myself, so I finally did! It is an easy but fun technique and you can put your own twist on it. If you'd like to see how I created my card my full tutorial can be found HERE
 I hope you have a wonderful, creative day!

April 23, 2014

News Flash Birthday Card

Hey everyone!
Candy here again from Candy's Craft Corner!
It's my turn to share with you here at the She's a Sassy Lady blog. Thanks for having me again today Sheila!
I made this quick and simple card for my Dad's birthday with some stamps,inks and dies from the Stamps of Life. I also created the patterned paper with these stamps as well.

Hope you enjoyed my card today!
Take care,
Candy

April 21, 2014

Criss Cross Card with Stand



Hi, everyone.  It’s Charlotte C.  Thank you, Sheila, for inviting me here again this month. 

For my daughter and son-in-law's anniversary I knew I wanted to make a black and white criss cross card, but getting it to stand was the dilemma.  Thank goodness for Youtube.  Check out Greeting Card Stands by Christina Griffiths for a few examples of stands. 

If you’re not familiar with that type of card, I’ve drawn a little diagram to show the fold and cut lines.  I started with two pieces of 6 x 12 off-white card stock, but I would suggest 5 ½ inches so you can use a regular 6 x 9 envelope.  Anyhow, because of the size, I couldn’t get the whole two pieces into my camera frame, so I just drew a little sketch for you.
 I used a CTMH retired paper pack called For Always for the designer paper.  I cut one piece of 6 x 6 DP diagonally for the sides and another piece just under 6” square which I adhered to the inside center.  I added some lace along the diagonals (purely optional), then folded in the ends using red line tape along the bottom only.
 
   When it's folded and taped you'll have something that looks like this
 For the insert, I stamped and typed the sentiment on off-white card stock, matted it to a piece of DP that's about 1/8th inch smaller than the base center so it would pull out easily, punched a hole and added some ribbon for the pull.  On the front, I used a lace die cut (Anna Griffin) and adhered a stamped and colored image to it (so cute). 


 Then you just pull the ribbon to read the entire greeting and sign the card.

 The stand I chose to make was simple.   It's 3 x 5 1/2 in matching card stock.  I made a template sized at 2 x 4 1/2, centered it on the 3 x 5 1/2 piece, and cut around the template in two "U" shapes, as you see here.

 Here's what the stand looks like once it's attached to the back of the card.   


 The glue hadn't quite dried clear and smooth when I took the picture, as you can see.  Just come up about 1/2" from the bottom of the card.  (I used removable tape to be sure I had it in the right position before I glued it on.  My card's kind of heavy and I wanted to be sure it stood up straight.  If I put it up too high, the card kind of leaned back too much.  Just a tip to test placement before gluing.)


 This card really goes fast so I hope you try it.  Thanks for being here today and have a great week.
 

April 19, 2014

The Empty Egg


Jeremy was born with a twisted body and a slow mind. At the age of 12 he was still in second grade, seemingly unable to learn.

His teacher, Doris Miller, often became exasperated with him. He would squirm in his seat, drool, and make grunting noises. At other times, he spoke clearly and distinctly, as if a spot of light had penetrated the darkness of his brain. Most of the time, however, Jeremy just irritated his teacher.

One day she called his parents and asked them to come in for a consultation.

As the Forresters entered the empty classroom, Doris said to them, "Jeremy really belongs in a special school. It isn't fair to him to be with younger children who don't have learning problems. Why, there is a five year gap between his age and that of the other students."

Mrs. Forrester cried softly into a tissue, while her husband spoke. "Miss Miller," he said, "there is no school of that kind nearby. It would be a terrible shock for Jeremy if we had to take him out of this school. We know he really likes it here."

Doris sat for a long time after they had left, Staring at the snow outside the window. Its coldness seemed to seep into her soul. She wanted to sympathize with the Forresters. After all, their only child had a terminal illness. But it wasn't fair to keep him in her class. She had 18 other youngsters to teach, and Jeremy was a distraction. Furthermore, he would never learn to read and write. Why waste any more time trying?

As she pondered the situation, guilt washed over her. Here I am complaining when my problems are nothing compared to that poor family, she thought. Lord, please help me to be more patient with Jeremy. From that day on, she tried hard to ignore Jeremy's noises and his blank stares.

Then one day, he limped to her desk, dragging his bad leg behind him.

"I love you, Miss Miller," he exclaimed, loud enough for the whole class to hear. The other students snickered, and Doris ' face turned red. She stammered, "Wh-why that's very nice, Jeremy. N-now please take your seat."

Spring came, and the children talked excitedly about the coming of Easter. Doris told them the story of Jesus, and then to emphasize the idea of new life springing forth, she gave each of the children a large plastic egg. "Now," she said to them, "I want you to take this home and bring it back tomorrow with something inside that shows new life. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Miss Miller," the children responded enthusiastically- all except for Jeremy.

He listened intently; his eyes never left her face. He did not even make his usual noises. Had he understood what she had said about Jesus' death and resurrection? Did he understand the assignment? Perhaps she should call his parents and explain the project to them.

That evening, Doris ' kitchen sink stopped up. She called the landlord and waited an hour for him to come by and unclog it. After that, she still had to shop for groceries, iron a blouse, and prepare a vocabulary test for the next day. She completely forgot about phoning Jeremy's parents.

The next morning, 19 children came to school, laughing and talking as they placed their eggs in the large wicker basket on Miss Miller's desk.

After they completed their math lesson, it was time to open the eggs.

In the first egg, Doris found a flower. "Oh yes, a flower is certainly a sign of new life," she said. "When plants peek through the ground, we know that spring is here." A small girl in the first row waved her arm. "That's my egg, Miss Miller," she called out.

The next egg contained a plastic butterfly, which looked very real. Doris held it up. "We all know that a caterpillar changes and grows into a beautiful butterfly. Yes, that's new life, too." Little

Judy smiled proudly and said, "Miss Miller, that one is mine."

Next, Doris found a rock with moss on it. She explained that moss, too, showed life. Billy spoke up from the back of the classroom, "My daddy helped me," he beamed.

Then Doris opened the fourth egg. She gasped. The egg was empty. Surely it must be Jeremy's she thought, and of course, he did not understand her instructions. If only she had not forgotten to phone his parents. Because she did not want to embarrass him, she quietly set the egg aside and reached for another.

Suddenly, Jeremy spoke up. "Miss Miller, aren't you going to talk about my egg?"

Flustered, Doris replied, "But Jeremy, your egg is empty." He looked into her eyes and said softly, "Yes, but Jesus' tomb was empty, too."

Time stopped. When she could speak again, Doris asked him, "Do you know why the tomb was empty?" "Oh, yes," Jeremy said, "Jesus was killed and put in there. Then His Father raised Him up."
The recess bell rang. While the children excitedly ran out to the school yard, Doris cried. The cold inside her melted completely away.

Three months later, Jeremy died. Those who paid their respects at the mortuary were surprised to see 19 eggs on top of his casket, all of them empty.
If this blesses you, share it with others.
Happy Easter!
-- Author Unknown--
signature

April 18, 2014

Card in a box

Hello, it's Lisa from Lisa's Craft Room sharing my project for this month. I love to search the web for ideas when I am stuck on what to do. I have been seeing these cards in a box and think they are adorable. I thought I would try my hand at making one. A friend from work is leaving to start another job, so I thought it would be cute to make this for her along with a gift. The box itself is pretty easy, it's the decorating the layers that is was a little tricky for me. For the base, I used a piece of green card stock from my stash. I used Stampin' Up products for the designer paper, the flower stamps, the sentiments and the rhinestones. The little branches are from a Martha Stewart's punch and the leaves are a die and stamp set called The Sweet Life from Paper Trey Ink. The inks I used are Chocolate Chip, Pear Pizzazz, Calypso Coral and Baja Breeze. I think it came out cute but I need to practice layering.

Thanks for stopping by and thank you Sheila for having me. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend.


April 17, 2014

Bumblebee - 12X12 Scrapbook Layout With Altered Flowers Using Gelato's

Hi Fellow Crafters!

It's been a very busy and eventful 2014 so far so I am pretty far behind in my Scrapbooking.  I want to thank Sheila for having me here on her blog. Today I am sharing a 12X12 layout of our grand daughter on this past Halloween.  She is the most adorable Bumblebee ever.  I love this age and her sweet innocence and a wee bit of attitude sometimes.  She make us smile, laugh, and keeps us on the move when she and her big brother are here at our house.





Don't sweat layouts, this 12X12 page is super simple and ever so easy to make using Close To My Hearts Artbooking and Art Philosophy cartridges.  My font came from my PC and I used my Silhouette to weld and cut it.

I started out with this adorable photo I captured Halloween night at our church festival.  I printed it out as a 5X7 and matted it on some black card stock.  I added this little heart (bling) that I picked up at a scrapbook convention last summer.

I cut my honeycomb overlay to use as my backdrop on the bright yellow card stock from the Artbooking Cricut cartridge at 11 inches from some basic black cardstock.  I adore this Artbooking cartridge simply for the overlays! It has a wealth of other items on it too, so be sure to check it out if you do not own it yet.


These great little flowers were cut from Close To My Heart Art Phlosophy Cricut cartridge at 1.5 inches from a glossy textured card stock. They are so easy to alter and add bling to using Faber Castell Gelato's. I do love these gelato's because they are easy to travel with and you can use a water pen.  Michael's sells these by the way and I was able to use my coupon.


I added a little Gelato in yellow to the outside edges of my flowers and then barely wet my paint brush and moved the watercolor paint around the edge of each petal.


I inked the edges of each petal using my favorite chalk ink. A little liquid glue in the center and then add your bling.  I am using some glass glitter from Stampin Up that I've had a few years, so I am not sure its still available. So easy to make and so CUTE! I adhered them to my layout with several glue dots after allowing them to dry overnight.


I wanted to pick up on the orange color of the title and its also in my grandsons Optimus Prime costume so I made two more flowers using yellow and orange gelato's and on one of them I added the white gelato to make it a little more distressed. I like how they both turned out.


These two flowers need some bling too, so I went looking for some micro beads in my closet and added them using the same glue and allowing them to dry overnight. I love being able to use up some of my stash.


I printed this photo of my son and his sweet family from Halloween night. It's rare that I get them all together and have my camera ready so I was happy, happy, happy to get this picture!

I added my thoughts around the edge of my overlay using a fine tip black marker and this layout was complete! With the right tools, a little basic paper, and some inexpensive bling you can have your pictures scrapped for future generations to enjoy for a very long time.


Thanks for coming by today and have a great Easter and time with your family and friends! Don't forget the camera and some extra batteries too!  See you next month!

Blessings,
Donna Lee

April 16, 2014

Cuttlebug Card Collection!



Today's post features the Cuttlebug!  This is a mechanical die cutting machine from Provocraft!

Each of these cards features a die or embossing folder from Provocraft.
Additional dies and paper punches are used, too.
Wallet Cards are used to provide the sentiment/poem/inspiration.
Card measures 4 1/4 inches x 5 inches
Cuttlebug folder "Flourish" from an embossing folder set 
"Love in the Air"
Butterfly paper punch and border punch by Martha Stewart
Card measures 4 1/4 inches x 5 inches
Cuttlebug die "Flower Pot"
Spellbinders "Deckled Rectangles" and MS Butterfly
Card measures 4 1/4 inches x 5 inches
Cuttlebug embossing folder "Plum Blossoms"
Card measures 4 1/4 inches x 5 inches
Cuttlebug embossing folder "Heart Texture" from the set 
"Love in the Air"
(shown above)
Spellbinders cutting die "Blue Bells" 
(a set that includes "Lily of the Valley")
set of dies available here

Please visit the following links for more Cuttlebug!
Cuttlebug Storage and Inventory
All things Cuttlebug--cards, project, and tutorials

Thank you for visiting and have a wonderful day!






April 15, 2014

How I make Shaped cards in Silhouette Design Studio!

Hi everyone.  Karon here, from Karon`s Krafty Korner.  Thanks Sheila, for letting me come by every month.

Today, I thought I would share with you, how I use Silhouette Design Studio to design shaped cards.

Firstly, I tend to look for digis that will be balanced when cut.  So, straight edges or places on the bottom line that are level.  I think you can probably, just about, do any digi image and make it into a full size card.

So import the digi that you feel is suitable and open it in Design Studio.  Today I am using an easel and image from the new Work and Play 3 Collection, at Polkadoodles.  I am going to make a Thank you card for a teacher :-)


If you click on the images, it will make them larger.

I have traced the image and then I offset the image by 0.125 using the offset tab.



Taking the offset image, I then flip it using the Replicate tab, and Mirror above.


Then I take the flipped image, and bring it down to the lower image, until it meets nicely, at a position I feel comfortable using. (depending on the image, and whether you are doing a mirror above, or mirror left right - the principle is the same)


Group the images together and then right click and weld, and you will end up with a card base ready to cut. 


At this point I also place the original image on the card base and size it how I want it.  Then separate the images once again.


I cut the card base first on kraft card, then using the print and cut feature I cut out the easel and the image (to be coloured). Scoring the card base using my score board.


Pop them all together and add a sentiment.  There you have it - a great teacher appreciation card.


I popped the teacher up onto some pop dots to add some dimension.


For the inside, just some little numbers and white area, to add your message.


And there you have it a great card for a teacher.


I hope you were able to follow the tutorial, please don`t hesitate to ask if you need something clarifying.

Thanks for stopping by today.

Happy crafting.