Halloween Gift Card Holder

Hi!  I think I'm working backwards.  After a bunch of Christmas projects, I thought I'd better get onto Halloween.  And really what pushed me to start was TGF's Farm Fresh Friday Halloween challenge.  I thought I'd also play along with Crazy 4 Challenges C4C106--Halloween projects and Simon Says Stamp--use dies or punches.

I thought I'd make a little haunted house for Halloween.  I used TGF's Spooktacular set (rubber version).  It's now available in digi form.  I used Magnolia's Tilda lace die for the roof, Martha Stewart's scary fence punch, My Favorite Things grass die, and Spellbinders' rectangle dies for the windows and door (which got hidden by the witch).  I distressed the edges with my scissors and sponged some white over the house.

Here's a little close up.

The house opens up from the roof end to reveal a treat!  A gift card!  It's held closed with some velcro.  More trick or treaters from TGF's Spooktacular set.  I embossed some spider webs using Tim Holtz's embossing folder and sponged them in white.  The sentiments on the web are from the same TGF set.  The letters for Boo! were die cut using my Sizzlit alphabet die.  I'm not sure what it's called.

Here's a little close up of where the gift card goes.  You can see the spider sticker too.  I cut a small slit with one of the Spellbinders rectangle dies.  This house was made using the whole length of an 8.5 by 11 inch piece of cardstock.  The widest part of the roof measures 6 inches.

I thought this would be a cute way to give a gift card to one of my kids' teachers for Halloween.  Adults need treats too, especially teachers!

Thanks for reading and hope you're having a great weekend!

stir, sip & enjoy

Hi!  I was so inspired by TGF's current Farm Fresh Friday challenge--You're Hot and You're Cold to finally use Cafe Ian.  And I have that song in my head every time I read the challenge post.  I wasn't quite sure what to make until I saw an unopened box of hot chocolate on my shelf.  I was afraid it was expired but hot chocolate lasts a long time--this box doesn't expire until 2012!  Anyway, I thought I could make like a tea box dispenser thingy except larger to hold hot chocolate packets.  But in the end, I made it a bit different.

It's almost like an upright tissue box cover but just smaller.  It fits 10 packets of hot chocolate.

Here is the front with Cafe Ian.  I love this paper and thought he matched nicely sipping hot chocolate on Xmas morning.  The sentiment is from PTI's Tiny Treats Christmas.

A different view.

The top view.  I used PTI's label die to cut through the top for easy access.

I think my project fits both the hot and cold theme.  It's Christmas-y but also it's hot chocolate.  Hehe.  I'm glad too that I made another Xmas gift for one of my kids' teachers/classroom aides/extra-curricular coach/teachers.  After making my list, I realize there are about 16 teacher gifts I have to make!  I've made 3 things so far so 13 more to go.  That's doable, right?  Though I better get on to the Halloween goodies too.

Thanks for reading!

110 days til Xmas

Hi!  So I spent most of this long weekend working on one project to enter in TGF's Farm Fresh Friday--By the Numbers challenge.  I wasn't sure what to make until I saw my calendar and was inspired to make a countdown calendar.  My kids love counting down to Xmas.

It took me a while to make this because I had to figure out the dimensions and what not, and I had a couple different layouts in mind but finally went with the simplest one.  This stamp is from TGF's Xmas Sweeties.  The numbers are die cut with PTI's numbers die set and the sentiment was made with PTI's Simple Alphabet set. 

My kids love counting down to other occasions too so I included New Year's Day,

Easter (digis are hard for me to color.  They don't dry well even when I heat set them so there are some smudges here and there),

my son's birthday,

my son's birthday,

my daughter's birthday,

first day back to school,

and Halloween!

I used my Cinch to bind it all together and made an easel like backing so it can stand.

My kids love it so the long hours crafting was worth it.  And I guess we have to decide what occasion to count down to.

Thanks for reading and have a great week!

Welcome baby

Hi!  Seems like I've been making lots of baby and wedding cards lately.  I made this card for the Fabulous Felt Challenge in the Moxie Fab World (there's still time to play, challenge ends September 5th!) and for TGF's Farm Fresh Friday--Button it up!

I used some of the clothes from TGF's Wardrobe sets.  I stamped them onto some PTI felt and cut them out.  I added some tiny buttons (click to enlarge photo) onto the clothes.  I also added some die cut buttons (from PTI) with twine and the sentiment is from Paper Smooches.  I finally also bought a grass die from My Favorite Things.  It's so much easier than cutting grass out with scissors.  I layered 2 rows of grass.

Pretty simple but it actually took me some time to pick papers!  I think sometimes I tend to over think things.  I need to follow the KISS motto. 

I still need to get into a routine now that all 3 kids are in school.  But mostly I think I need to stop feeling guilty that I get to stay home.  Maybe that is why I don't spend all my time crafting and doing something fun.  Most of this week I've been cleaning and organizing our house and spending maybe an hour devoted to crafting before I head out to pick up all the kids.  I guess moms feel guilty no matter what we choose to do though.

Thanks for reading!

TGF's Farm Fresh Friday -- Dies and/or punches!

Hi!  I'm hosting my first Farm Fresh Friday today!  So because I just did that border die tutorial, I thought I'd keep the same theme of using dies and/or punches.

I used the Lovey Dovey set to create this little project.  I'm not even sure what to call it!  I used the Doohickey Tilda lace border die to cut out some tissue paper that looked kind of like lace and wrapped it around the edge of the heart diecut (from Cheery Lynn).  I wanted it to look like Amelia's little heart in her hair.  I crocheted the little red heart and attached a ribbon to the top so you can hang it up.  The sentiment also comes with the set and it's heat embossed!

A close up of the happy couple.

There is a little box in the middle of the 2 hearts.  I don't know, maybe for a small treat or a little note for someone?

I will make a little tutorial for the tissue paper lace too.  But please head over to The Greeting Farm's blog to check out more inspiration and join along in this challenge!

Thanks for reading!

Mele Kalikimaka

Hi!  Made a little something for TGF's Farm Fresh Friday--Xmas in July challenge.  Well, actually it's not that little.  I used a whole 8.5x11 sheet of cardstock for the base.  Again while I was wandering through blogland, I saw variations on the easel card.  There is the regular easel, then the twisted and a double and even a triple easel card.  So of course I had to try it and I went for the triple one.  I found a tutorial HERE.  I really thought it was the best layout for how I wanted to present my Xmas in July in Hawaii project. 

Now I don't really know yet how I'm even going to mail this to anyone.  Haha.  But I thought it came out pretty cute.

I did some mixing to come up with this Hawaii-ish Anya.  She is a mix of Dress Me Anya and Fleur Anya.  I bought Wardrobe 1 & 2 during the last Farmers Market and found the perfect Aloha clothes for her.

Here's Ian in his matching Aloha clothes!  I used to laugh at the tourists who wore matching clothes when I was a kid but it's kind of cute!  Even the locals do it now!  He is a mix of Oh Boy Ian and Dress Me Ian with the clothes from the wardrobe collection.  And his Santa hat is borrowed from Cheeky Xmas with some added flower soft.

My die cut letters.  The Xmas tree stamps are also from A Cheeky Xmas stamp set.  I thought about creating the shadows behind the letters like Cheryl did HERE but um, too many letters.  And the flowers above Mele are from Lorraine!  She sent me a whole bunch of goodies.  Thank you so much!  Oh, and did you notice the DP there?  It looks like sand with shells and footprints!  So cute and I thought it would be perfect for this layout.

My palm tree.  I must get a palm tree die!  Making the branches are kind of hassles.  I cut them from felt.  The trunk is stamped and wrapped with twine and embellished with green rhinestones (but they look blue here).  I thought about making a Hawaiian Xmas tree but just couldn't get it to look right.  And I have a regular Xmas tree die (from PTI) but thought I'd match the palm trees in the DP behind Anya and Ian too.  During Xmas I always notice this single palm tree that's all decorated with lights when we drive along the freeway.  I always wonder who does that?

Thanks for reading!

Happy 4th!

Hi!  Now that summer is here, seems like I have more time to craft.  Though I know that could change any minute.  I got a chance to make another card.  This one is inspired by TGF's Farm Fresh Friday 4th of July Fun challenge and by Anyone For Anya's sketch challenge.  It's my first time participating with Anyone For Anya even though I've visited their blog many times before.

My little card to celebrate the 4th of July.  I used TGF's Twirl Anya and paper pieced her top.  I thought the pinwheel looked fun.  I also thought about using Twirl Anya on a scrapbook page of my family watching the 4th of July fireworks from couple years back but it's kind of hassles to get the photos printed out.  Yeah, this summer I'm totally feeling lazy.  The stars stamped behind her are from Lawn Fawn and the ticket die and stamps from PTI.  I had to add some flowers to camouflage my grass rub-on.  Only a bit of it rubbed off and then when I put it back to do the rest it just didn't look very pretty.  Thank goodness for flowers.  Though maybe I should have glued some felt grass over it or something.

Thanks for reading!  I'm off to do some cleaning and organizing.

I strongly dislike bugs

I would say "hate" but I know that's a strong word and the kids in my son's kindergarten class always say "but they're nature."  Well, that's one part of nature I really could do without.  I'll explain my dislike of bugs later.  It has to do with my project.  Anyway, I thought I'd participate in TGF's Farm Fresh Friday Boy Challenge and finally make my youngest his shadowbox frame to hold his baby hat that he came home in from the hospital.  It's not too bad that it took me almost 3 years, is it?  I have made my older two similar frames. 

It's been a while since I made something like this.  This is a photo before I placed it in the frame.  I used TGF's Oh Baby set.  I've used this set before and I think the images are super cute.  I had bought this matting from years ago (so I don't know if they still sell it) and I bought one in pink for my daughter and a blue one for my son.  There's 2 sets in one package so I was lucky that I had an extra one for my youngest cause who knew I'd have 3 kids.  The matting comes in different designs too.  One like above and another that can hold a 5x5 picture in the middle.  I really wanted to use a larger picture but for the life of me couldn't find my son's 5x7 baby pic!  Like where did it disappear to?  I searched all over and could only find a wallet size and an 8x10.  But this layout allowed me to use more of the stamp images.

Sorry, had to blur some of the personal info cause you can never be too safe these days.  The bear and little boy are paper pieced.  I printed my son's info out and also placed most of the images on dimensionals.  The row of rattles on the bottom of the layout were cut out and popped up too.

We're almost close to why I dislike bugs.  But let me just say those are glitter alphabets that I've been saving for years and I knew I had to save those letters so I had to be careful not to use them for another project.  Now I'll continue my bug story.  Do you see that cute little PTI star tag (Tiny Tags dies and stamp set) on the left?  I didn't want to stick that there.  It was mandated by the yucky bug that landed there.  It was a super small bug and I went to flick it off and it left a yucky mark on my layout!  Ugh!  Oh, this reminds me of another bug story.  My older son was about a year old or so and there was a tiny ant crawling on his bed.  So I told him to flick it off.  I must have said something like flick it, flick it.  Anyway, being that he was so young and probably didn't understand me, he thought I had said lick it, lick it.  So he did and that was the end of that ant.  Hahaha, that still cracks me up.

Here's the finished layout in the frame which I've had for years too just waiting for me to complete this project.  I'm happy that I've made one for each of the kids.  I hope my youngest likes his.  Oh, I also tied on a little PTI tag on the hat too.  I do plan on giving my kids their frames when they are older and have their own families and kids.  I think it'll be neat to look back at that.

Thanks for reading and have a great day!

love notes

Hi!  Hope you all had a great Easter!  I think I'm still recovering and we have a whole lot of boiled eggs to eat!  After this post, I may need a nap.  Hehe. 

I've been wanting to play around with TGF's clear stamp set, Flutter Heart for a while now.  And I thought the current Farm Fresh Friday Challenge -- Good Things Come in Small Sizes would be a good fit for this set.

I made a small box (3.25 inch square) to fit 7 little note cards and envelopes.  The note cards are about 3 x 3 inches.  All the images/sentiments are from Flutter Heart.  The only thing not from this set is the NOTES sentiment above which is from PTI's Simple Alphabet.  I did a bit of selective stamping to just get the tag so I could stamp NOTES in red (it usually reads I Love You).  The cover of the box is made from clear cardstock (acetate) from PTI.  The first card says Love so it would read Love NOTES.

Some of the note cards. 

Another bunch of cards.

A little close up of one.  I used MFT's heart die to create a heart template and I inked/sponged the negative cut out.  Then just stamped the rest of the images and sentiments.  It's so easy since the stamp set is clear.

The envelopes with a heart stamp in the corner. 

Thanks for reading!