Pixie Pinwheels

Not the best picture I'll admit...but well you get the idea...Pixie Pinwheels are candy and a toy wrapped up in one! Who wouldn't like that! I can't wait to sneak one of these in each Easter Basket...because while they ARE beautiful...these actually work. Yes I tested EACH ONE to make sure!

So this is like the easiest little pattern. I got mine from Dawn Griffith...she even has a video. Dawn is a selfless person that generously makes free video tutorials and demonstrates all kinds of cards...and her instructions are just so practical and easy to follow!

It took longer to select which designer paper to pair with what pixie stix flavor (yeah right...they are all the same flavor)...than it did to assemble these babies!

So I used DCWV...why do you ask? Well because I have a serious problem...every time they have a $9.99 (or less) sale of one of those humongous stacks I CAN'T HELP MYSELF!!! I buy one. I mean EVERY TIME! Honestly I am thinking of swinging by Joanns on Thursday because they have the Spring Stack on sale...I have the 2007 and 2008 stack but apparently I NEED the 2009 Spring Stack...yes it is ridiculous.

So I rejoice every time I can use up designer paper! I really wish I could find a really simple (ie works with everything) OSW for 12X12 paper...so I can start making some really cool note cards. Oh yeah...and I'm pretty addicted to any of the Cuttlebug folders...but those are totally worth it...LOL. Speaking of Cuttlebugs, I cuttled one of the pinwheels in the group pic...but found that while it gave a wonderful texture to the paper...it stunk as a pinwheel...

Thanks for looking!

Nugget Bunny

I've had this stamp for over a year and finally got it ready to use...in time for EASTER! I know be still my beating heart! I was going to offer these to my kids preschool class but after cutting a few out decided...did I REALLY want to do 40 of them...NO! I didn't even mention having to figure out how many boys vs. girls...so I will make a few to stuff in the kids baskets...and perhaps a few for their close friends.

These are so simple to make...I simply stamped the boy and girl bunny from the TAC Hello Easter (retired) and water colored them with watercolor crayons. Hand cut them out and affixed them to the front of the nugget.

I cut 1"X3" pieces of designer paper from the 2008 DCWV Spring Stack and wrapped them around the nugget and finished them off with little cotton ball tails! Absolutely adorable.

Supplies:

• Stamps: TAC Hello Easter
• Ink: Pallette Noir
• Cardstock: White (Walmart); DCWV Spring Stack;
• Tools: Lyra Aquacolor Crayons; Blender pen

So glad I went to the Party...

...the Handspun Yarn Party. This is what I won...and Shelby is coming by tomorrow night with a drop spindle to try and well teach me to spin! This GORGEOUS roving was donated by Loop on Etsy.

Here is what she is currently offering in her shop...



Another item they gave me...what the roving wasn't enough! I was thrilled...this bag is one of those PERFECT bags. It has a little space for everything!

And if you have never attended the Knit-Out put it on your list of Things To Do...this event like so many others is quintessentially Washington, DC. It is completely free, people volunteer their time to teach knitting, crocheting and spinning and then many of the results go to charity! It is outside on the the National Mall...so if you have to bring your SO or kids you can stick them in a museum (also free)...so they don't bug you.

My parents are always trying to get me to move back to NJ (where I grew up)...and well I aways ask "Why?" I love it here...it is not too cold BUT we get all four seasons...and well they are respectful of "I don't drive in snow" People get that here...up 'north' they want you to ski to work...LOL.

Anyway, on a final note my friend ShelbyB was at the craft show that day and I am SOO proud of her as she almost Sold Out of her wonderful yarn. Here is a peek of some yarns she has available...one thing Shelby is so awesome at is she can actually reliably reproduce her colorways. I guess that Chemistry degree comes in handy occasionally...LOL.

That is it for now...although I will tell you a secret...she has a HUGE announcement coming up on her blog.

Little Guy BD...

We had a BD to goto this weekend...a "NO GIFTS" party, but well I ignored that...sorry but that is the Italian in me...MUST bring something. They call it "Una Pensiera"...the little thought...I always found it amusing that the concept of bringing a thoughtful gift was in the feminine.

So I bought a simple Romper and then decided it looked like NOTHING in the typical gift bag scenario. So I decided, what the heck...I have to make a card and why not a box to match!

The initial idea was to match the box with the coloring on the outfit...but well I got the box finished and realized outfit choice #1 didn't fit...so I went to alternate outfit...which fit beautifully!
The box was made out of an 8.5" square of red cardstock...scored at 2" on all sides. It finished at a lovely 4.5" square box. The top was a little more involved but WELL worth it! I used a white cardstock square cut to 6 5/8" and scored 1" all around...the original instructions called for 6 3/4" square but that made a badly fitting lid and looked weird! So there we have it...this lid fit perfectly and after I punched it with my Fiskars Threading Water border punch...it looked all Fancy Smancy.

I decorated the top with believe it or not turquoise construction paper I got in a HUGE pack from Costco...this is the most beautiful color I wish I could find it in cardstock! The scrap of patterned paper was from the DCWV Stack 6 (I am SOO pathetic I actually bought two of these...I mean I liked...but really I didn't need two).

I ran the Paper through my Swiss Dots Folder which gave it some much needed texture so the stamped sentiment from The Angel Company "Tag Tidbits" stood up a bit. Looking at this picture I really wished I had put it on dimensionals AND not stamped Happy Birthday so that box could be reused.
The card is a 4.25" square that fits in the top of the box on top of the gift...see no need for a envelope! I mixed and matched quite a few things...my stamp table is a mess so pretty much EVERYTHING I own is within reach...sometimes that is a good thing.

I stamped the birthday sentiment at the very bottom using a dirty Angel Company "One liners" so that Palette Reflection Blue is a little muddied...but is actually works. I used a random alphabet (I think it was part of a Costco stamping kit) and Palette Reflection Blue to stamp the BD boys name then filled in the blank space with a flourish from the PTI Simply Stationery Set. Another larger flourish from the left hand corner is from The Angel Company's Curls and Swirls Set. Finally the sentiment is set on another strip of designer paper with a scrap of that Turquoise Construction paper, Swiss Dotted!

Another strip of 3/4" by 4" paper was used to decorate the inside with the sentiment stamped in the middle.

Box Supplies:

• Stamps: TAC Tag Tidbits, Circle Sampler
• Ink: Pallette Noir, Reflection Blue
• Cardstock: White (Walmart); Paper Company Primary Red; DCWV Stack 6; Costco Construction Paper Pack Turquoise
• Tools: Fiskars Threading Water Border Punch; Cuttlebug Swiss Dots Embossing Folder

Card Supplies:

• Stamps: TAC Tag Tidbits, One Liners; Curlz and Swirls; PTI Simpley Stationery; Random Alphabet
  Ink: Pallette Noir, Reflection Blue
  Cardstock: White (Walmart); Paper Company Primary Red; DCWV Stack 6; Costco Construction Paper Pack Turquoise
  Tools: Cuttlebug Swiss Dots Embossing Folder

Shameless Plug...

well it isn't too shameless as it isn't about me...but I thought I would mention two sales my friendly bloggers are having.

1. If you Knit...Shelby over at Shelby Knits is going to be selling her hand-dyed wool this Sunday at the Homespun Yarn Party Festival at Historic Savage Mill in Savage, MD. Her color schemes are incredible! So if you are in the area (DC metro) you might want to check it out!

Also Shelby is doing a Spring Destash of a whole bunch of Yarn (not hers...storebought)!

2. And my other friend Brenda of MyHodgepodgerie is also doing a big Spring Destash of all kinds of Craft stuff...some retired SU! sets are available over there.

Happy Shopping!

Simple and Clean

We've been very lucky this year and have already visited Florida, Myrtle Beach and are taking off for Massachusetts next month. Very lucky to travel, but well not so good for crafting. The good news is that between making thoughtful thank you notes for friends (for taking care of things here) and the fact that we have had several nice sunny days...I've actually been crafting again.

I seriously apologize for the pink backgrounds...my 'white' set-up was cannibalized to make cards...LOL. So I just grabbed the first plain piece of something to take photos of before I gave out the gifts!

I've been seriously stuck in no-mojo land, but when I saw these simple and creative creations by Nicole Heady I had an idea for a set of cards to gift. To me these colors are so FALL...but well when you come back from Florida and the sun and sunshine...to everything gray and bleak...it really felt like fall here.

This is the set of four cards...green and yellow...packaged in one of those trusty clear boxes...if you haven't found out about clearbags.com...YOU need to go there!

I tried to make them simple...and they might even be too simple. The base is a 4.25X4.25 white cardstock card and the earthy green layer is a cuttlebugged with Textile. I think this is my #1 CB folder...it works for any style. I then used my MM handheld Notch punch (I don't have a SU! slit punch) and frankly I probably prefer this because I can put my slot ANYWHERE I want it! And finished off my little semi circle area with Offray Iridescent White ribbon and a Lavender button from Oriental Trading Company (I got a button pack a long while ago...first time I'm using it...so cathartic).

The sentiment is a TAC sentiment "One Liners" and is finished off with a Black Brad.

This card is pretty much the same as the green card except I used a black button...and a different sentiment from the same TAC set. I think they fit very well with the size of this card! I included a set of 4 in each plastic case...mostly because with the buttons that is all that would fit!

My initial idea was to make two of each color until I realized that they wouldn't fit and well purple was my friend Shelby's favorite color and I wasn't even making a set for her...but she was SOO in my thoughts that day I just started designing for her. Hmm...she reads my blog I better go gather up the extras and make her 'her set' now...LOL.

So I realized that the green/yellow sets were probably the preferred colors for the people that I needed to thank!

But I needed a BD card that coordinated with the Princess Coloring Book I made here. So I used my pre-cute purple supplies and cuttlebugged it with the Swiss Dots folder (#2 Folder for me!) and a lavender button and purple scrappers floss! And viola...quick and easy BD card. The sentiment is a mix...the "Happy B-day!" is from TAC Tag Tidbits and the Princess is from...my Target Princess Stamp Set.

Oh yeah...I just want to make one observation...when I first started stamping I bought a bunch of the thinner Paper Company Cardstock before 'gasp' I knew better! It is WAY too thin to use as a card base although I'm sure people do...BUT it is REALLY awesome to cuttlebug and/or layer because it doesn't add a lot of weight. It can be a bit of a challenge to coordinate the colors sometimes but well that is part of the fun for me...

Card Supplies:

• Stamps: TAC Tag Tidbits; TAC One Liners; Target Disney Princess
• Ink: Palette Noir
• Cardstock: White (Walmart); Paper Company Vintage Green and Yellow, Primary Purple
• Accessories: Offray White Irradescent Ribbon; Oriental Trading Company Box of Buttons Neutral and Bright; TAC Scrappers Floss - Beige; TAC Scrappers Floss - Dark Purple
• Tools: MM Punch Kit; Cuttlebug Embossing Folders Textile and Swiss Dots

In my world Sunday is now Monday er Tuesday...

I got my wires crossed...and the following creation was what I had PLANNED to post thinking it was all fitting for a Sunday...but well...I forgot....twice. I'm sort of addicted to the game at the bottom of my blog...I find it relaxing and with two kids undergoing some SERIOUS Spring Fever I need all the relaxation I can get! So everytime I come to my blog I get sucked in playing it. I've actually won twice!

So here it is...A Praise and Prayer book. I have a very good Christian friend that belongs to a wonderful church. They are really, really active...and even have a FREE monthly crop and quarterly overnight crop...oh my. And they let me come even though I don't belong to their church or practice their religion...LOL. I just think that is awesome and speaks volumes of the 'Christianity' this church practices and my friend. So I go along listen to Christian music....hum along until I realize no it isn't Madonna...and no I don't know the words...LOL.

Well my friend has had a challenging few weeks so when I was blog stalking...and not doing any crafting I saw this FREE My Timeless template Recipe Wrap Up from Lauren Meader at PTI and My Time, My Creations, My Stampendence, and well I had to try it. I mean really, I can't pass up FREE ever! They had SIX project ideas...really awesome and so varied I couldn't believe how versatile this template and the ideas were....go Lauren!!!

One of the projects was a Praise and Prayer Book to record Bible passages that are meaningful to you. This was right up my friend's alley (I also hope to make one for the organizer of the Crop). This template is a folding book that ties close and has pockets inside to hold rectangular cardstock cards. Here is my take on the template...overall awesome (I seriously would've bought this JUST for the Project ideas).

Now I am sort of spatially challenged (and really anal) so I couldn't figure out how exactly I was supposed to print the templates out AND my stupid printer is so complicated it 'helps' you...which is never any help...so in the end I printed it at 100% which seemed correct.

HINT: Print things out you are unsure about onto cheap paper instead of wasting good cardstock...yes you heard it from me first...I'm sure none of you ever do this.

Overall using the templates was SUPER simple and easy...but being thrifty though I WANT to use all of the cardstock so when I printed the pockets and only two printed per sheet it felt wasteful (but then again all 4 wouldn't of fit AND print to the edge) so I just cut one out and used it as a template to trace around (I know...wasn't the 'super easy to print so you don't have to trace, option the WHOLE point). Really it wasn't much work and by lining them up to an edge I got FOUR pockets per 8.5X11 cardstock sheet...yay!



So details of the project although I must admit this is rather plain...I used In My Mind's Eye paper Magnolia that I got from Costco on sale about a year ago...I have a serious paper problem...I buy all kinds of paper then make myself nuts trying to match everything. I'm a Stack-O-Maniac...but at least they are only $10.

I printed "Praise & Prayer" and the Prayer Card Titles the cardstock using Word...I always forget this trick...you can always print a phrase you love instead of driving yourself nuts trying to find it as a stamp. Duh! I do not have any Nesties...sigh so I just made flat rectangle notecards...no scallops like in the project example. And there are 3 of them to represent areas of prayer. I think this could easily be personalized to fit the person and their idea of prayer.

Alright I have to put this out there...I'm Catholic...and well we pray and I've read the entire Bible cover to cover but we don't really study the Bible like many Christians. And my prayer is a more free-form stream of consciousness or a particular prayer like the rosary (I love rosaries...again very relaxing). I am fascinated by all the differences in religious beliefs and how they evolved over history.

Okay back to crafting...sorry I'm super long winded today.

The only stamping is on the dotted Designer paper covering the 3X3 pockets. I also went wild with my Threading Water punch I just got from Fiskars...I think it matches the polka dot paper.
AND I included a Jumbo PaperClip to perhaps hold open the Bible.

So that's it for now. And I better get cracking so I have something to post!

Supplies Used:

• Paper: Paper Company Heritage Blue and Beige; White Cardstock; My Mind's Eye Magnolia
• Accessories: Offray Pink Satin ribbon; Jumbo Paperclip
• Tools: Fiskars Threading Water Punch; Super Jumbo Scallop Circle; Super Jumbo Scallop Rectangle; Recipe Wrap-up Template by My Timeless Templates

Pretty as a Princess...

Coloring Book that is. I like to include something handmade if possible with every gift I give. I ALWAYS try to make a card, but something useful that can be used after the event is even better!

We had a Birthday Party to attend, my very best friend's daughter and son...they are like my very own kids. I've seen them grow up, I babysit for them...the works. So remember that AWESOME Princess Stamp set I bragged about snagging? I finally put it to good use.

I first saw this design in a project created by StampwithGwen, she used it as a mini-Easter Scrapbook. I liked how it opened so decided to use it as a holder for, some blank cardstock pics and color pencils. Note that I scored the cardstock to make it easy to cut (and help me with where I was stamping)...so once colored these images can be used on scrapbook layouts, cards (or course)...all with that little bit of personalization from the child.

I always am striving to involve my kids in the gift giving process...so that they 'get' that well 1) you should show appreciation to those that impact your life 2) handmade is JUST as good as bought and it REALLY is the thought that counts and 3) and this is probably the most important....to quote my friend, "They don't show up with their arms swinging".

While I make/buy most of their presents I always make them sign the card (or stamp it if they don't write yet), carry the gift to the person, hand it to them...and most of all say Happy 'occasion' and Thank You!

Okay on to the project...

I took some Lavender DCWV Textured paper and made a gatefold card. I then punched out the border using a Fiskars punch. and tied a white organza ribbon around the lower edge to hold it shut. The image is the smaller Cinderella I think, matted with DCWV Primary Purple...and it is Purple because Purple is "C's" favorite color. Not please do not make fun of my coloring...I know her face looks like it needs a good washing! I was using Aqua Crayons and a blender pen BUT my blender pen was dry and I recently discovered if you just use a bit of water, miracles of miracles it works just as well...I just used WAY too much water and soaked the paper! My bad...

Inside....

I simple stamped various large and small images with Palette Noir so that they can be colored, water colored...crayoned...whatever her little heart desires! Most importantly, I scored the cardstock to ensure I stamped the image in the right place so later it could be matted if desired.

So the images just slip under the flap and the whole thing closes...viola! A cute AND handmade gift. I packaged it in a glassine envelope with a set of mini color pencils.

Supplies Used:

• Paper: DCWV Textured Lavender; Paper Company Primary Purple; White Cardstock
• Accessories: Offray White Iridescent Organza ribbon
• Tools: Fiskars Threading Water Punch

This is for Mel!

This is a LONG overdue post...for Mel Stampz. Mel is a tireless creator of templates and amazing step-by-step instructions for all kinds of thrifty uses of all kinds of materials.

I saw these ADORABLE picture snowman here. I, clueless as I am, had a question or two despite her excellent tutorial. So late, late at night I shot Mel an email for clarification and to my disbelief she shot one back seconds later!

So here is 'my' um variation (okay they are almost identical) of the Photo Snowman. I made these for Christmas and used them as Placeholders! My kids are 3 and 5 and they immediately knew just where they were sitting (and then proceeded to tell everyone else). One tip I found out the hard way...let the puffy paint dry overnight it makes ALL the difference in the puff...and you don't 'toast' it trying to get it to puff more...like I did in haste to get them done.

Anyway, I just loved this project and thought on this sunny day (70 degrees here...despite the 8 inches of snow we had on Tuesday) it would be a fun thing to share! Also Mel has been a bit under the weather...so shoot on over to her blog and spread some cheer! Afterall it's not just for Christmas! I filled mine with Ghiradelli chocolate squares which made them a take home treat! Also, with last minute changes to my list of people it took me minutes to switch out the picture (I just printed them on regular paper) and slip them in. I only glued the bottom bit so the picture was removable.

Supplies Used:

• Paper: White cardstock (WalMart); DCWV Stack;
• Accessories: White puffy Paint Pen
• Tools: Cuttlebug Folder SnowDots; Standard Hole Punch

Office in a Bag

I made a few of these many moons ago...for a Craft Show at a College Campus...and well sold "Zero" But I brought them along as a 'Whatever' item at my Christmas Craft Show...figured if they didn't sell I would give them as Teacher Gifts...well...I sold all but these last two!






I cut each bag out with my Cricut Tags, Bags, Boxes, & More Cartridge...using 12X12 paper, the lunch bag setting 'fit to page'. I tell you I LOVE this cartridge and the Expression is AWESOME...easy ways to package everything!


I then used the leftover 12X12 sheet to alter the items inside the bag.


Covered Notepad, Matching Pen and Ghiradelli Holder (instructions here)

Supplies Used:

• Paper: White cardstock (Costco); DCWV Stack;
• Accessories: Black Ribbon Offray; RSVP Pen Black
• Tools: Super Jumbo Scalloped Circle punch (2"); CM Circle punch (1.5"); Cricut Expression and Tags, Bags Boxes and More Cartridge
  

Hello Again

I'm doubtful anyone even follows me anymore after my long hiatus...but no matter, I blog mostly to have somewhere to put all my creations. And after a somewhat long break...and a few craft shows...I am finally creating again!

Now I just can't decide what project to start with...I have so many. Stay tuned for an Office set...