Are you a Belieber?

Hi!  I wanted to play along with TGF's Monday Fun-day #13 Sing a Song.  I decided to go with Baby by Justin Bieber.  My kids loved that song and would watch it on You Tube all the time so for a while they were Beliebers.  But there is a version of that song on You Tube that I like.  If you're interested, click the video.

On to my card.

I used My Guy Ian for Justin (before he cut all his hair) and Miss Anya Hats Off for the girl in his Baby video.  I used the Spellbinders heart circles (thanks, Cheryl!).  The hearts are so cute!!  I added some flowers too.  Sometimes I forget to use all the flowers that I have.  I added some stickles on them as well.

I decided to make a double z-fold card.  The tutorial is HERE.  I found more paper with musical notes and added the lyrics to Baby on it so yet another project with a musical theme.

Thanks for reading!

have a merry xmas

Hi!  I've been feeling kind of in a rut these days.  Today I was so indecisive, I couldn't get anything crafty accomplished.  I literally wasted my day and I was irritated at myself for doing that.  So finally I just started doing something and thought to play along with TGF's Monday Funday #7 to use Twi-Color Combo (red, black, silver/white).  I'd go watch the new Twilight movie too except I don't really know anyone that would watch it with me.  Guess I'll just wait til the DVD. 

I decided not to use Twilight inspired stamps and thought the color combo could be xmas-y as well.  'Kay, I threw a little green in there then thought shucks, I should've colored the leaves silver or something.  I love this Holiday Anya!  She is so stinkin' cute.  I colored her hair with Copics and my black Prismacolor pencil.  Added a whole bunch of bling and the circle sentiment is from Wild Rose Studio.

So basically, it took me the whole day just to make this card even though it's relatively simple.  Ugh!

Thanks for reading and have a great weekend!

sweetest wishes

Hi!  I almost thought I wouldn't be able to make a card for TGF's first Monday Funday Challenge to use scallops.  But I found some time tonight though I should've actually been cleaning the house and getting ready for my daughter's Lego robotics team to come over to our house for practice.

Anyway, here is my card.  I stuck with something simple and sweet.  This is TGF's Cuddle Anya.  Isn't she super cute?  Love her and her hat and bear.  I used a scalloped square and actually went around and punched holes to give it that eyelet look.  The background is stamped with Hero Arts canvas.  The tree die cut and sentiment is from PTI.

I thought I'd practice my pencil coloring again.  I used my kids' regular color pencils.  Now I think I need to practice the hair.

Thank goodness tomorrow is Friday! 

Thanks for reading!

thanks a latte (tutorial)

Hi!  I made a boy version of the thanks a latte project I posted earlier HERE.  And in the process, I did a little tutorial.  If there's a question, just leave me a comment.

First, cut a piece of cardstock to 6 x 11 inches.

With cardstock like above, score cardstock at 1.5 inches and then at 4.5 inches from the left.

Turn cardstock like above and score at 1.5 inches and 4.5 inches.  You'll also need to score at 6 inches but just til the score line you made in the above step, not all the way down.  You can rotate your cardstock to make the other short score line at 5 inches.  Hope that makes sense.

Fold at the score lines and cut like above.

Tape the top section.  These flaps will meet in the middle.  If you prefer not to see the seam you could fold it the other way and tape in the back.

How it looks taped.

I used an oval nestability to cut a small handle.  You can use just about any shape that fits.  I used a bit of removable tape to hold it in place.  You can also do this step before taping the flaps since sometimes it's hard to cut through all of the layers.  I'm using PTI cardstock and could cut through it all including my scor tape.  I also don't run the piece all the way through.  I run it til I hear/feel it cut and then reverse it back out.

Then tape the other flaps like above.

Tape together.  Almost done.

I cut a piece of 6mm fun foam to 3 x 3 inches for the base of the caddy.  You can just use your scissors.   

Find the right size circle die that matches the diameter of the bottom of your cup.  It may be a bit snug but fun foam stretches so it should be okay.

Fun foam is easy to cut with dies. 

Fit your cup into the hole.  I found these cups at Walmart.  Twelve 9 oz cups for 97 cents!  I don't think a cup larger/taller than 9 oz would fit this caddy nicely.  But you can always experiment and alter the measurements to fit the cup you have.  These cups come in all different colors in the party section at Walmart.  They may even be cheaper in your area since everything where I live is inflated.  These cups are little bit bigger than the one I used in my previous post.  They are a bit wider at the top and bottom but still fit into the same size hole of the fun foam.  It may be easier to fit the cup into the foam first and then place the whole thing into the caddy.  If you need to, you can trim the size of the foam just a bit to fit the caddy better.  My foam was pushing the sides of the caddy a bit but I just left it as is.

Then decorate as you like!

I used The Greeting Farm's Cafe Ian.  I popped the ovals onto dimensionals so there would be a little bit of space between the top of the cup and Cafe Ian.

Printed the sentiment out in blue and actually placed it in the handle for a different look.  Then I added a latte with a mini clothespin. 

I made these to put Starbucks gift cards into but you can use them for any occasion even Easter which is coming up quickly!  And you could also just decorate the cup and not place any image on the caddy itself.  Lots of possibilities!

I'll be entering this into TGF's Monday Funday #26 -- Anything Goes and Ribbon Carousel Challenge 46 -- Anything Goes.

Thanks for reading this long post!

Fairy Dust is a Must

Hi, Hi, Hi!  I'm a little excited to share this project.  Sometimes when I get an idea and it seems so great in my head, I get all excited that I have to drop everything and push aside whatever I'm working on.  Do you get like that too or is it just me?  Anyway, after making that easel card HERE that was all flopping around and couldn't fold flat, I wanted to try again.  I had linked to the original tutorial HERE.  My project is a bit longer but I think it needs that extra length so that it stands nicely and still can fold flat.

This is how it looks folded flat.  It's long at 7 inches.

 

I tied a ribbon onto the front to help keep it closed and keep the front panel from flapping out too much.  I used TGF's clear stamp sets, Bantastic and Fairy Princess.

This is the bottom portion which helps the top to stand.  I stamped one of the banners (the one with the heart) in light pink as the background and stamped the sentiments from Fairy Princess over it. 

This is how it looks opened.  It's kind of busy and there's a lot going on.

Front view.

Side view of the easel and steps.  I made graduated steps so you could see the middle panel a bit more too.  But it is all one long piece of cardstock.  There is also some space to write a message when you flip the top over too.

I made the sun with one of the banners and a circle die too.  I added some rounded banners on pink twine in the back.  I wanted it to seem as if the fairies were putting together the banners in the background.  I added a tiny pink bow that I bought from a store here.  I wonder if someone sits there all day making these bows!  They are so cute but I don't think I could ever make a bow that tiny.

Pink Fairy.  I added stickles on her wings and dress.  There's actually a lot of stickles everywhere on this project!

Blue Fairy is holding one of the banners.  If you look closely you can see that she is mounted onto clear cardstock because I wanted her to look as if she was flying.

Orange Fairy.  She is also holding a banner and mounted on clear cardstock.  I borrowed some yellow glitter glue from my youngest.  He loves his glitter glue when he crafts too.  I had to buy him some after he kept asking to use my stickles!

I did a short little how to in case you wanted to try one too. 

I used 2 pieces of cardstock both 5.5 x 12 inches.

Score one piece at 2.5 and 5 inches.

Then fold it like above.  This is your base.

Score the second piece at 5, 7, 9 and 10.5 inches.  

Fold it like the photo above.  This is the top portion.  You may want to lay it over your base and see where it naturally wants to rest and stand.  I had about 2 inches of the base showing on the bottom and that's where I added my bottom sentiments.  Then just decorate and assemble like a regular easel card.  Hope it works out okay!

I used thin American Crafts cardstock too (in blue) and the pink cardstock is PTI.  The grass die is from MFT and the butterflies from an MS punch.

I'll be entering this in TGF's Monday Fun-day #16 Let's Get Sentimental and Flutter By Wednesday #186 Open challenge.

Sorry, kind of wordy today.  Thanks for reading!

❤ You

Hi!  Life is as crazy as ever.  I wanted to post this morning before we took our kids to a local carnival but didn't get a chance to.  At least we still made it to the carnival.  Same yummy food every year especially malasadas and Portuguese bean soup!  The kids had fun on rides and playing games. 

I made a little card for TGF's Monday Funday #18--Key to my heart.  It was inspired by the word card tutorial over at SCS except I ended up not making it exactly like a word card.

I decided not to cut around the letters like in the tutorial and just made this into like an accordion style fold.  I cut out a felt heart for the middle of the O using MFT's heart die.

This image is a combination of TGF's Megan and Birthday Ian.  I wiped away the letters on the banner, paper pieced it and added felt hearts.

Still trying to use all the stamps I've been neglecting.  So far I'm doing well with my no new stamps diet.

Now I'm wondering what I should do with all these cards I'm making.  I know you can donate them and usually I give them to my cousin who gives them to her friends.  I'm thinking about just having my hubby take them to his work place and donate them to his coworkers.  What do you do with all your cards??

Thanks for reading!

Boho Anya & 80s music

Hi!  Geez, I don't know what to title this post!  So let's go with the cute TGF stamp that I used and my current obsession of listening to fun 80s music.  Such memories every time I'm driving and an 80s song pops on the radio.  The other day I heard Exposé's Come Go With Me and had to watch it on You Tube too.  If you want to refresh your memory too, here's the video.

Wasn't that fun?  Anyway, here's a little card I made for TGF's Monday Fun-Day #22 Anything Goes.  I don't remember TGF doing an Anything Goes challenge before.  Have they?  And I used the Deconstructed Sketch #41.

I have to stop taking photos of my projects/cards at night.  They look so much better with natural light during the day which is when I took these photos.  And I finally found a way to take photos so I don't have to lie down on my stomach and take them on the floor.  I don't know why I just didn't grab a chair before!  Here's the cute Boho Anya!  I used a paper pack from Wild Rose Studio that I've had for a while.  I really am trying to use what I have. 

A little close up to show her bling in the flowers.  She really is so sweet looking.

Thanks for reading and have a great weekend!