Trick or Treat Bag

Hi Everyone,

I hope all is well with everyone. The days are just getting away from me. I saw this cute Halloween project on Chic n Scratch and decided to make one. I'm so sorry I didn't do a tutorial but we are in the middle of packing and purging :) We are moving so it's been a lot of work, trying to get everything done along with working. I just wanted to make sure I had something to post.

I made this last week and it's been sitting on my table. I ended up stamping the trick or treat to complete the bag. I didn't want to make it too busy.

Hopefully, next month I will be settled and I can start really concentrating on my crafts again. Thanks Sheila for having me and I hope you all have a wonderful weekend.

Thanks for stopping by.

Bird Crazy Halloween Birdhouse

Hi!  This is Christine from http://www.iamcocoasmom.blogspot.com/ with yet more of those Tim Holtz Crazy Birds!

Why is this pretty princess so apprehensive?   Well...

It started out as a project using the 'fill' patterns in Design Space.  Ever since I sadly disposed of my Imagine, I have waited, not very patiently, for this feature to be added to Design Space and finally, here it is!  The patterns are available after you flatten your image in the Layer Attribute panel and then the edit button brings up a slider bar that allows you to scale the pattern:-

 Be aware, however, that the size restrictions on the image you can print and cut also limit a pattern filled cut.  (Go here for more details.)

So, having decided to make a birdhouse (a free pattern from Bird's Cards new svg shop here.) using one of my favorite bark patterns from the Snapshot Nature Imagine cart, it occurred to me that I could use up some of the (many) crazy birds that I have watercolored by adding them to the birdhouse.  Naturally, I could not stop there, and the whole Crazy Birds Halloween Birdhouse was born!  Here it is:-

And, of course, the reason that the pretty princess is so apprehensive about Trick or Treating at the birdhouse is that those crazy birds went way over the top with their decorating!  Can you tell I had fun, fun, fun, fun, fun with this project?

I used images from A Child's Year, Monster Bash, Classroom - October and November, and Creepy Critters carts.  Here's one last view with the tealight glowing:-

Thanks so much for allowing me to share today, Sheila  : )  Christine

My New Toy

Good morning - Adrienne from Eagle Canyon Arts.  It's always a pleasure to be a part of Sheila's talented Sassy Lady design team.  Thank you, Sheila. 

It's all thanks to Cocoa's Mom and Sassy Lady.  Well, maybe thanks isn't exactly the right word.  Last week Sheila posted a card she made using the "We R Memory Keepers" Fuse tool.  THEN, Christine (Cocoa's Mom) piped up and offered the information that a TV station (which shall remain nameless) offered a WHOLE bundle of goodies with the tool.  I was a goner.  Did I ever really stand a chance?

Clearly the packaging was overkill.  My shiny new toy must be VERY valuable to warrant all that bubble wrap and extra space.

Since I'm a bit obsessed with demonstrating stuff - here is the actual size of the container compared to the outside package.  I was underwhelmed *sigh*. 

Ah, then I looked inside!!  My eyes began to dance - 

Look at all those cards and sparkles and, and, STUFF!

Also included are straight edges, rulers, and other tools to help crafting.

You use this tool to make your own photo protector waterfall pages for your project.  You can also make greeting cards with sealed windows that hold "goodies".

The basic kit comes with a photo sleeve fuse tool, fusing tip, cutting tip, ruler stencil, and tool stand.  This expanded "but wait, there's more" version includes cards, envelopes, sparkles, a 12"x12" cutting mat (that's what I REALLY wanted), 12" square photo sleeves, and instructions.

At this writing, I'm getting ready for another road trip, this time with my sister to Chicago.  So I apologize for this more "techy" post.  I hope to have a project done with this new toy next month.

Enjoying Autumn and looking toward the holidays!

Blessings,

Phillippians 4:4-7

 

Anna Griffin Style Birthday Cards

You are in for a treat today if you like ornate or elegant cards. This is one of the cards that are from Design Studio, Make it now cards from Anna Griffins Flourish Cartridge.  I always alter the cards a little bit for my needs and they always work out well. I am amazed how easy this card was to cut out. I do need to share that cards like these are easier with a spray adhesive.

I also used one of Anna's embossing strips to make the center piece. Thank you Pam for my Lace embossing/ die cut set, you can see that this really adds a lot of detail to the front of the card.

As you see the spray adhesive is very important. I saved the strips of paper I cut from and made a strip for the inside of the card. It offers a great look.

This is how the inside turned out and I really love that stamp. A friend gave it to me and she got it from Michael's or Joann's.

This is a Close To My Heart Stamp and it goes beautifully with the other stamp, don't you think?

Look at the detail in this card, it is amazing, and the embossing seems to go perfectly with the rest of the card.

This is a final look at the front of the card. I have to admit it is one of my favorites. I am continually looking for nice elegant cards to send out.

I hope you enjoyed today's post, I enjoyed visiting with you. Thank you for your sweet-sweet words, your comments continue to inspire me.

Have a blessed week.

Sweet Birthday

Happy October Sassy People!!

Can you believe there are only three months left in the year? In the month of October, there are a lot of birthdays in my family. My mother-in-law’s birthday is today and my son’s is tomorrow. I have an uncle, cousin, and a few friends who will be celebrating birthdays this month. So I am going to share a birthday card!

Let me tell you; this card is completely different than what I intended. When I first started off, I was just going to do a simple watercolor background using distress inks add happy birthday with a few sequins and call it an evening. However, the markers (Chameleon) were calling my name and the stamps (Lawn Fawn’s Baked With Love) said, “Play with us Kenya, play with us!” Before I knew it, I was coloring and masking off stamped images to give a layered look. 

Chameleon markers are fairly new on the market. I have had them for about three months and colored with them just a hand full of times. There is a learning curve, but I really do like them. I used this card to further play with color layering and how to fuse the colors correctly. I can sit here and cry about all of the mistakes, but I would rather focus on what I do like. I like being able to have one marker make smooth transitions between colors. But again, this can be tricky. I really like how the bowl turned out as well as the butter and eggs. 

After I finished coloring the image, I used Avery Elle’s Wonky Rectangles to cut out my watercolor layer as well as the colored layer. I was going to put the sentiment on the inside with the piping bag, but decided at the last minute to put it on the outside instead. The sentiment is up a little higher than I would like, but overall, I think it still turned out ok! 

To add a little more shimmer, I added Wink of Stella Clear Pen to the bowl, and hearts (stamped with LF’s Lobster ink). 

That’s it! I hope you were inspired by this project…imperfections and all. That is all apart of the crafting process! Remember to stop by regularly to check out the talented DT. Have a great weekend, Kenya~

Getting a jump on some Christmas cards!

Hi Everyone!  It's Sonya from Sonya's Paper Trail and I am sharing a Christmas card today.  This is a super easy card that can be made with scraps or in bulk--it's that easy!  Mine happens to use some very traditional paper by Echo Park's "Christmas Reflections" line of paper.  

Check it out:

I started with SU cardstock for my base. I then added a layer of kraft cardstock that I ran through my Cuttlebug using a striped embossing folder.  The stamped sentiment is by My Craft Spot from the "Mistletoe" stamp set.  I stamped it on a banner cut from the Silhouette Online Store that I sized for my stamp and card. I decided the kraft was blending in to my card too much, so I inked the edges for all of the kraft pieces, which provided just the right touch.

I hope you have a wonderful day!