Thanksgiving Table Place Name Holders

Hi!   It's Christine from iamcocoasmom.com sharing a new addition to my Thanksgiving table created in Design Space and cut on my Explore.

Several years ago, I made place name holders from the Thanksgiving Cricut cart.  They were much admired and a couple even disappeared!   It's way past time for an update to my Thanksgiving table and so I went looking for ideas on Pinterest.   I found some very cute teepee holders and was reminded of the teepee cards I made last year.  Aha!  I had seen an easy peasy teepee card on Collette's Digi-re-doo-dah blog that I was sure I could create in Design Space and here it is: -

It's basically a 6 inches wide by 3 inches deep rectangle with a 1 inch triangle welded on the bottom edge.  There are score lines from the center of the top edge of the rectangle to the triangle point, to one of the bottom angles of the triangle and to both bottom corners of the rectangle.  The panels are triangles welded together and you need two large and two small panels.  I glued the 2 small panels and one of the large ones in between the score lines as shown.

The next step is to apply glue to the top edges and fold into a pyramid shape. The second large panel was adhered on the glued side to conceal the join.

After pushing in the score line between the two small panels, the teepee will fold flat (well, flatish!) for mailing or storage.   Easy peasy!


 

Now the fun part - embellishing!  The "Give Thanks" sentiment comes from Artbooking, and the wheat and feather cuts come from the Thanksgiving cart.  I left the tips of the feathers unglued so that I could insert the place card.  The leaves are cut with dies from Sunny Studios because I just love the added definition to the edge that you get from a little steel die.

Here's just two of the place card holders.  I'm eschewing matchy-matchy this year and making them with different designer papers for the panels.  (I learned the hard way not to use a paper with an obvious one way pattern!!!!)  And, if one or two disappear again, I won't be scrambling to find a piece of paper to match the rest! 

  It was simple to make a larger card sized version of the teepee place name holder and I'm glad to have this easy peasy template in my DS files.  Thank you, Sheila for allowing me to share today.  : )  Christine

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. 

Autumn is in the air, which means Halloween fun for many folks.  Since all my little goblins are far away, I send them cards.  Here is the assortment that went in the mail to them this year:

The little white things are fabric weights - I used them to get the flaps to lay down flat so the decorations would show!  Sometimes cards just don't "model" cooperatively.

All supplies used are from Close To My Heart:

6x6" Die cut Cards (retired)
Backdrop - Charmed Stamp (D 1490)
Scaredy Cat Paper (retired - Use Nevermore - X7198B and Complements X7198C)
Scaredy Cat Complements (X7185C) On Clearance!
Scaredy Cat Assortment (Z3011) On Clearance! (may also use Nevermore Assortment Z3083)
Thistle (Z2640) and Smokey Plum (retired) Inks

Close up of flap detail and ink distressing on scalloped edge

Interior sentiment

The Complements packet provides a variety of  options for sentiments and embellies!

Close up of one exterior

A second version using same stamp, different paper

It's amazing how many different "looks" can be created using the different sides of paper, inking all the edges of papers and cards.  The stick on paper and metal complements that match the B&T papers, using some scraps to bring out the sentiment inside the card all add interest and fun to these cards, making each of them a one of a kind creation.

Thanks for your interest in this project.  Enjoy the season of haints and saints!

Blessings,

James 5:13-15

One Sheet Mini Flip Book

Hello Sassy People!!

Kenya here to share a quick and simple project with you! Thanks Sheila for allowing me to share my creations today~

Do you have a lot of pattern papers laying around and you want to use them up? Are you limited on time? Need a few ideas for the upcoming holiday season? Then this idea is for you! I revisited a project I did for a teacher years ago. It is simple to put together and you can use what you have in your stash. This mini brag book or mini album can be used for almost anything you want it to be and you can decorate the outside as much as you would like as well! This particular project will be used as a memory book for a new baby. 

1. Take one sheet of 12x12 cardstock (any color) *use thick and sturdy (Bazzill, Stampin’ Up, etc) 
   
2. Cut the cardstock at the 6.25” mark. This will be your cover and the 5.75” will be the inside pages 
   
3. The larger portion, score ate 3”, 3.25”, 8” and 8.25” (or score where you want! depending on how you want your book to close)
   
4. The inside pages, score at .25”, 4.25”, and 8.5” and fold accordion style. 
5. Assemble the book! Add adhesive to the .25" and place nudged to the second score line on the cover. This will allow the photos to be accessed on the front and back of the pages. 
6. Cover the pages and decorate as you wish! I used the Nana Kids and Sweet Stack by DCWV (VERY old collections I had in my stash) 
   
7. I used the Art Philosophy (photo corners), Nursery Tails (baby info-Imagine cartridge), and Nursery Rhymes (back cover) Cricut cartridges. 
8. “Beautiful Journey” was cut with the Sizzix thinlits dies (I believe it is named Explore)
9. I wanted to keep this simple so I just added a Martha Stewart punched butterfly from left over pp I had to the front and back of the book)

That’s it!! This would be easy to make for teachers as gifts or even a fun craft to do with the kiddos on a cold or rainy day. I plan to do this with mine to document their summer! It can hold a lot of photos too!

I hope you enjoyed today’s project! Don’t forget to stop by and visit us often…so much talent and so many ideas shared. Until next time, Kenya~

Quick Gift Card Holder

Hi, everyone.  This is Charlotte C visiting again thanks to Sheila, and I want to share a really neat and quick gift card holder with you (tis the season, right?)  Here’s what you’ll need:

1 envelope A7 size (to hold a 5 x 7 card)

3 pieces of solid card stock cut 3 ¼ “ x 5”

3 pieces of designer paper cut 3” x 4 ¾”

Approximately 18 inches of ribbon

Here’s the how-to:

First fold the envelope in half.

 

Now open it up and cut away just the right side of the flap (where I put an X) and seal the left side closed.  You now have a pocket on the right for your gift card and room for a sentiment and/or signature.

Adhere the designer paper to the card stock and place one set on the inside left of the holder.

Run the ribbon front to back, as evenly as possible, and use a little adhesive to hold it.

 Now adhere the other two sets of card stock/designer paper to the front and back.  All you need do is a little embellishment of your choice on the front and you’re done – except for the gift card itself, of course.  

What I did find was that certain stores give you a gift card in a little envelope which doesn’t fit in the slots of regular cards made to hold just the plastic gift card.  So when I saw Dawn Griffith had this in her archives, I knew I had to share it.

This is one I made for a birthday gift, so it is seasonless (is there such a word?).

 I love the fact it takes scraps to do this – and we all have scraps, I know!  Thanks for stopping by today.  Happy Fall.

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~