Baby Name Frame

A friend just sent me a baby announcement, something I wasn't at all expecting from her. But it gave me the opportunity to try out an idea I had with my "new" Sizzlet Stuffed Animals dies, as well as my Nouveau alphabet.



Some people may look at this and wonder why in the world I overlapped the name over top of the animals. Well, it looked right at the time. The more I look at it, though, the more I think I should have made the letters go over their heads completely. That would have required a slightly larger frame, but I probably would have liked it quite a bit.

Oh well! Lesson learned. :) Other than that minor little detail, I liked this very much. It's in a frame from the $1 store, so I can't complain about the price!

Another medallion card

My blog was acting up yesterday, so I hope it's back to normal today!

I wanted to share those monogram notecards I made for my Heart Sister (the ones I hinted at yesterday):

I used my Nouveau alphabet for the capital "L" and just added a pen border around the whole card. I really like the simplicity of it!

I almost forgot to mention the envelope. Do you see the embossed back flap in the picture? I used my Birds & Swirls embossing folder on it, and I really liked how it blended with the swirled flowers in the patterned paper.

More medallion circles - and a tip!

I told you I'd show you the medallions with my new corner punch, so here they are.



This punch is a bit different than the one I borrowed from my friend. I could only get it to go so far "into" the circle. As a result, I found I had to adapt the number of times I punched around the circle. I punched a sample first, punching eight times like Becca recommends. It looked like this:



That's fine, if it's the look you're going for. But I wanted mine to be closer together and more lacy. So here's the tip: I did another sample, punching as many times around as I could. It didn't come out exact and I certainly wouldn't use it on a card, but it served its purpose. I counted the number of times I needed to punch (not including the last partial cut), and it happened to be twelve.

So then I knew to divide my circle into twelve "pieces of pie," instead of just eight. And since twelve is a little interesting to get divided just right, once I got it, I made a template so I can easily mark it on future circles. (The template is in the first picture, in the middle. I cut out the center so I could easily mark dots and then connect them with my ruler.)

Here is a card I made with one of these medallions:



I really, really like how the watch face (by Inkadinkadoo) fits perfectly inside the medallion! And I really like the effect of framing patterned paper with the medallion and tucking it into matching punches. This is such a simple, easy card, but it's also one of my favorites.

The first picture has a different medallion. I made a set of monogram notecards for my Secret Sister with those. I'll post them soon!

Getting more mileage from Sizzlets

If you have any of the Sizzix Sizzlet dies (the really thin ones), maybe you noticed that they supposedly only cut paper up to a cardstock thickness. Well, I just had to know if that was true, so I tried mine out on a few materials other than paper. Here's what I found out:
First of all, I knew my Sizzlet alphabets (this one is Nouveau) would cut through cereal box cardboard since I had previously tried it. But I was really curious if they would cut through felt, since that would be a big help with homeschool supplies (think flannelgraph!). So I got out my felt scraps and tried it.

I had to put a piece of cereal box cardboard behind the die as a shim, but my alphabet cut out of my white felt just fine. That's what you see in the picture. Then I tried it on a dark brown felt I had, but it wouldn't work. I'm assuming that the white felt is just slightly thinner than the dark brown.

I tried another Sizzlet die (the stuffed animals bear), but it wouldn't cut through the white felt even with a shim. So I guess what I'm telling you is to experiment - you never know until you try! :) Now I need to try cutting felt with my Cuttlebug dies. [As always, never force anything through your machine or you may end up breaking the die, the plates - or the machine!]


Secondly, I really, really wanted to make some metal sliders for my cards. That's the main reason I bought the small slider dies. So I grabbed a soda can and tried them out. As you can see, it works just fine with the Cuttlebug dies, which are about the same thickness as the Sizzlets. (I'm still not sure if CB dies are supposed to cut through all these things, but I'm trying them at any rate.)
Then I used my Tiny Tags Sizzlets to cut some metal tags. Again, it worked beautifully.
I'm not sure if it matters or not, but I ran my plates through the machine twice just to be sure I got a clean cut.
I can't wait to use my new embellishments! :)

Embossing with 2x2" embossing folders

I hope you'll excuse some of the pictures being turned sideways. For some reason, my photo editing software showed them turned the right way but didn't actually turn them ... Anyway, I wanted to share this idea with you, just in case you got any of the 2x2" Cuttlebug embossing folders and have no idea what to do with them. :)

This idea is not original with me. Becca is the mastermind behind this one. Check out the link to her blog (and the tutorial) - she has the most gorgeous, innovative ideas!

I thought I'd show you the results of each of the 4 embossing folders I used, since she highlights just one on her tutorial. I haven't colored them yet because I haven't decided what kind of card I'm going to make - or what the colors will be. But you can see the embossed image just fine, since I set them in front of my window.
This first one is the one she used on her tutorial.

Notice I don't have the scalloped circle Nestabilities. It's not necessary. I just used my Creative Memories Custom Cutting System to make a 2-1/4" circle in the middle of the larger paper.

This square reminds me of tin tile that people use in home decorating. I bet it would be beautiful on a piece of recycled soda can!

I think this one reminds me of tin tile, too.

These are so easy and yet so impressive to look at. I hope you try out this technique, and then share what you've created.

Flourishes from Cuttlebug Floral Border dies

I've been pretty quiet this weekend. Bad news usually does that to me. I got word that more tragedy struck my dear friend's family late last week. I've spent the weekend with a renewed sense of the blessing I have in my family. Sometimes it's too easy to forget ...

So this is a new week and you might have bought a few Cuttlebug items with the Michaels sale last week. Did you happen to pick up this die?

It's the Floral Borders die set. I thought it was pretty just the way it was, but another blogger opened my eyes to even more possibilities.

I love flourishes, but I don’t have any flourish dies. (And I’m certainly not going to hand-cut something that intricate!) So I was delighted to find this idea for making flourishes, using a die that I already have! Isn't she a genius?

Last week I picked up a new corner punch, so I'll try to remember to share photos of those neat medallions done with a different punch. As far as Cuttlebug, I didn't need much. I bought the small Fancy Corners embossing folders as well as the Sliders (small set of 4) ... And it's probably best that I "didn't need much" because I found another (!) Sizzix alphabet set (Classic) that I like on my local Craigslist for $15! I'm going to pick it up today, so maybe I'll remember to post a picture.

Now it's "reporting" time - tell me what Cuttlebug items you got last week. I know my friend got her machine!! :)

Back from Ministerial!

I'm back - did you miss me? :)

I got a migraine on the (5+ hours) ride back home, so after "sleeping it off" for three hours, I'm wide awake in the middle of the night, thanks in part to the caffeine in the migraine medication.

Things will be crazy around here for the next few days, so I'm not sure how often I'll be able to post. I have an entire house to get back in order, as well as Sunday to prepare for. Hopefully it won't be as hectic as I'm envisioning ...

More scrapbook pages

Here are some more scrapbook pages from my daughter's album. I did these while we were on vacation in November.

Lacy punch-outs

I ran across a blog that keeps me drooling every day. The lady is an absolute genius, too, and she came up with a technique to make these out of corner punches:





I used my friend's corner punch since I don't have any, but I like it so well I'm going to invest in at least one corner punch! You can find tutorials for these here, here, and here. Yes, there are three different tutorials. Once you've done one, the rest will make a lot more sense. They are beautiful and take almost no time to make. Later in the week, I'll try to show you some cards I've made with them!

Some cards to share

Here are a few more cards I've made in the last week ...



This first card is actually a set of 8 that I made for my Secret Sister. I have been struggling to find just the right way to highlight the decorative circle stamp (inside the doily) since I bought them. I wanted to use them for monograms. Well, they perfectly fit inside this small doily, which I was able to pick up at Dollar Tree (90 in a pack). It sure beats Wal-Mart's price of $2.96 for 24 doilies! I used chalk to highlight the roses in the doily.



You probably can't see it very well, but I finally found a good use for a background stamp I got on clearance at Michaels. It was a beautiful floral background stamp, but it was so busy I just never knew what to do with it. Well, I pulled it out a few days ago and tried Versamark ink with clear embossing powder, and I love the result! It's like a fancy patterned paper. See my new Swiss Dots embossing folder? I'm loving it, too!



This was one of my "brainstorms" after I bought the small doilies. I cut one into fourths and started rearranging them. That's when I got the idea to use them like curtains. For the window, I used a small calendar image I had picked up on clearance last year. I wasn't sure how successful I was at making it look like a window until my 5-year-old son walked by the room and said, "Wow, Mommy! I really like that window card!" :) I didn't even have to prompt him!



Here is one of those clip art images I colored with my BIC Mark-Its. I love blue and yellow together, so I really like this card. The white piece was just trimmed with my Martha Stewart lace border punch. It started out as an experiment with a shaped notecard, but that didn't work out right, so I ended up with two lacy card embellishments. I really like them!

A couple cards

I made more cards today, but I haven't taken pictures of them yet. The camera is downstairs, and so are the sleeping children, so I'll have to wait for another day. ;) But I'll share these two that I made earlier in the week:



This started as a coloring experiment with my BIC Mark-It markers. It was shortly after I learned that they are alcohol-based like Copics, and able to be blended. The flowers are just a cheap Dollar Tree stamp, but I really like them! The butterfly is from a clear Inkadinkadoo set and the sentiment is from a $1 Studio G clear set. I used my faux nestabilities for the background, as well as a few adhesive "rhinestones" from Dollar Tree.



This second card was totally inspired by this card on Splitcoaststampers. My ribbon didn't show up as well as hers, but I'm still quite pleased with the card. This is also a cheap Dollar Tree stamp, but I come back to it again and again. The paper is from a stack I got at Big Lots for $7 or so.

On a side note, I got a Sizzlet alphabet to use in my Cuttlebug! A lady was wanting to get rid of her "old" Sizzix dies, and I happened to be the first one to reply with a request. I got Nouveau for $20! I'm especially pleased because it has all the letters in uppercase and lowercase, all the numbers, as well as punctuation. And it's one of my favorite die cut alphabets!

I also got a tag die I've had my eye on, and some stuffed animal dies ($5 for each). I can't wait for my package to arrive in the mail!! I'm sure you'll notice when it comes, since I'm sure I'll be cutting away for a few days. :)

Some scrapbook pages to share

I finished these pages back in November when we went on vacation for a week, but I never got around to posting them. I have quite a few to share, so I thought I'd share them in increments of 5 pages. Here's the first installment, from my daughter's album:
Supplies: The Paper Company, unknown (paper); Creative Memories (stickers); Inkadinkadoo (clear letter stamps).

Supplies: Making Memories, The Paper Company (paper); Marvy (punch); K & Co (pearl brads); Inkadinkadoo (clear letter stamps).

Supplies: Making Memories, The Paper Company (paper); Creative Memories (stickers); Inkadinkadoo (clear letter stamps).

Supplies: Anna Griffin, The Paper Company (paper); Inkadinkadoo (clear letter and swirl stamps).

Supplies: Making Memories (paper); Creative Memories (punch); Inkadinkadoo (clear letter stamps).

I hope you enjoy them! :)

"Stamping" without stamps

Okay, technically this isn't stamping, but there are rubber stamp companies out there beginning to sell "digital stamps" - aka clip art!

That got me to wondering ... Just what is available for free over at the Microsoft clip art gallery? Here are a few of the images I found and then colored:
I'll post the cards as I make them. So far, these are just colored and waiting for the "perfect" card idea. And in case you're wondering, I printed them onto 3" squares. That seems to be a good size for my cards.

By the way, I am loving my BIC Mark-It markers. I didn't realize until a week or so ago that they are alcohol-based markers and thus similar to the mega-expensive Copic markers. Not exactly the same, but for the price difference, I'll take my Mark-Its and be deliriously happy! I'm learning the whole shading and blending thing, and I really like the results!

Anyway, let me show you a few cards I made with more of the free clip art images I downloaded.

I made this one with my husband in mind. You know, my husband the eagle-lover. It was sooo easy!

If I had it to do over again, I'd use something other than colored pencils on this coffee mug. But it's done and it's not terrible, so I'm going to use the card. (And no, I didn't break down and buy Nestabilities. I'll post about that wonderful embossed edge sometime soon!)

This is one of my favorites, but it's also one of the easiest. There was so little coloring to be done with this bird, and he looks fabulous. He looked like he was singing, so I used my new Allegro embossing folder for the card base, rubbed over it with black chalk, and then just popped the image off the cardfront. It was a quick and easy card, and I really loved it.

This last one was the one I gave my Secret Sister with her Valentine's Day gift. I'm not sure I'd use the image exactly lile this again, but I knew she'd like it anyway. I think in the future I'll layer the image onto a diamond shape or something.

On a side note, check out the card background. I put the two plastic doily pieces together (see the last post) and embossed them onto this card. It's a pretty effect!

If you want to download some clip art to use for a faux stamping look, I'd suggest searching for the black and white images. Look for clean lines and you should find some nice images! I'd love to see anything you come up with. :)

Embossing with a Cuttlebug and plastic "doily"

My grandmother gave me two of these plastic "doilies" a few months ago, and I had no idea what to do with them. But after I got my Cuttlebug, I wondered if it was possible to emboss with them. I tried it out this weekend, and I'm very pleased with the results.

First of all, I cut the doily smaller so it would fit onto my cards. The first one is a regular 4.25 x 5.5" card. I just cut out the center of the doily and used that. I realize I covered up a lot of the design with the flower, but it's a very nice embossing - just as deep as the embossing folders you can buy from Provo Craft!

After I embossed it, I lightly rubbed over it with brown chalk to accent the design. Then I added my colored sunflower, shaped the side edge, added a sentiment and ribbon, and it was done. I really like this one!




For the second one, I used what was left of the outside of the doily to emboss a frame for a square card scene. (This card measures 5.5" square.) Again, I lightly rubbed the embossing with chalk to make it stand out against the white card base.



I used my new Martha Stewart holiday label clear stamp set for the deer and trees (they're the whole reason I got the stamp set). I stamped them in Versamark and then went over them with chalks. To finish the card, I simply added decorative corners (Vintage die) cut from cereal-box cardboard. How's that for an inexpensive card that will thrill my brother-in-law who is an avid hunter?

If you have a Cuttlebug, you're probably wondering what "sandwich" I used for these. You might have to play around with your own machine and adjust a layer or two, but this is what worked for my machine: A plate, B plate, 1 rectangle of a silicone baking sheet, the doily, the cardstock, 1 rectangle of a silicone baking sheet, B plate. As always, don't force anything through your Cuttlebug or you may end up breaking something. Take a layer off, if necessary. Or add a layer of thin cardboard if it's not thick enough.

What other "nontraditional" household items have you embossed with? I'm always looking for more ideas! :)

Some Valentine's Day gift ideas

I gave my Secret Sister her Valentine's Day gift yesterday. I wanted to share part of it with you, just in case you like it as much as I do and want to make a few gifts for Valentine's Day.

First of all, let me tell you that this lady has the biggest servant heart of anyone I've ever met. She retired early from her job with the government so that she could take care of her mother when she got Alzheimers. Her mother never went to a nursing home, but this lady cared for her day and night for five years.

Now her sister is also suffering from Alzheimers, and she is caring for her (and her ailing husband) almost day and night. Her goal is that her sister will never have to go to a nursing home, either.

Added to that, she is our church treasurer, one of our main church bus workers, a Sunday school teacher, and helps a lot with the special singing in church ... This lady is 74, and I have no idea where she gets all of her energy and strength, except that it comes from God.

Now I think you'd agree with me that this lady deserves a couple dozen roses. Unfortunately, I don't have that kind of budget. In fact, our gifts are supposed to cost $10 or less, so I had to get creative. And I found the perfect idea online: a dozen rosebud "Kisses."




These are really easy and very inexpensive, especially if you picked up after-Christmas clearanced Hershey's Kisses. (I got mine for $0.75 for a big bag.)

For one dozen rosebuds, all you need are 24 Hershey's Kisses, 1 square of tissue paper (2 if you're going to wrap the vase like I did), bamboo skewers ($0.97 for 100 at Wal-Mart), and floral tape (I think I got mine at the $1 store).

Cut the tissue paper into 4" squares, one for every rosebud. You should have some tissue paper leftover. Place two Kisses flat end to flat end and center them in a tissue paper square. Take the sharp end of the skewer and poke it through the point of the bottom Kiss. Then use the floral tape to secure the tissue paper around the Kisses and bamboo skewer. Since I was covering the vase, I only covered my skewers halfway.

They are really easy, and you can get pretty fast by the time you're done with the last one! :)

In case you need some more ideas, here are a few links to some other great ideas I found online. I'm thinking about trying the paper fortune cookies myself. I'll let you know how they turn out if I do!

1. Make paper fortune cookies with love notes inside for your honey this Valentine’s Day!

2. Are you giving a box of chocolates to anyone this Valentine’s day? How about creating a "belly band" for it? What a great idea!

So what are you making for Valentine's Day this year? I'd love to see your projects!

Fine Stationery Box

I first saw this idea at the Taylored Expressions blog. I started it months ago for my Secret Sister and just finished it recently, so I thought I'd share it with you!

She used a wooden box, but I just got a cheap $1 pencil box from Michaels because it works just as well and costs a lot less.

You can see her blog for the instructions. I'll just show you what it ends up looking like. I lined envelopes in two patterns. This is one of them:

This is what the main stationery looks like:

I cut the butterflies from printed paper I got at Michaels. I think it was made by Creative Expressions.

And here are the self-adhesive seals (thanks to my little Xyron X):

Here is what the box looks like inside, once I lined it:

And here is the outside of the box, all decorated:

So, what do you think? I was quite pleased with it!!

More cards

I've had this first one done for about a week, but forgot to take a picture of it to share. It uses the "Poppin Pastels" technique - ink the stamp with Versamark watermark ink, then rub over it with chalks. It's fast and easy, and the results are stunning!

Supplies: Inkadinkadoo (stamp); The Paper Company (paper); DCWV (vellum sentiment); Martha Stewart (lace punch); office supply (brads).
These next two use patterns from this month's Paper Crafts magazine. The patterns are free online at their website!
Supplies: Studio G (stamp); The Paper Company, Making Memories (paper); Martha Stewart (lace punch); Swiss Dots (embossing folder); Creative Memories (heart punch); Provo Craft (scallop scissors).

Supplies: Studio G (stamp); The Paper Company, Cloud 9 Design by Fiskars (paper); Swiss Dots (embossing folder); Creative Memories (circle punch); Provo Craft (scallop scissors).

For the next two, I used a cute stamp set I got from Wal-Mart after Christmas.

Supplies: Wal-Mart ? (stamp); The Paper Company (paper); Martha Stewart (snowflake punch); D'vine Swirls (embossing folder); Making Memories (eyelets).

Supplies: Wal-Mart ? (stamp); Stampin Up card base, recycled cardboard (paper); D'vine Swirls (embossing folder); EK Success (chalks); Michaels $1 ribbon (ribbon); office supply (brads).