Christmas Bows from Wrapping Paper!

I made all of these different bows using a Cuttlebug die!  (In the video I see that I kept using Folder instead of Die).  Oops!  I folded the wrapping paper and ran it through my Sizzix machine.  Easy to make a lot of bows in literally a minute or two!

I obtained the different looks using more than one ribbon or bow and alternating how I added them and which side of the paper I used.  Super easy and really handy!

Now I have matching bows for my gifts!

Give it a try.

Have a nice day!

Hello you!

Ha ha!  Attack of the Tim Holtz Crazy animals!  I am so in love with these guys!

I made this card for my friend using Tim Holtz Crazy Birds and Crazy Cats.  They were stamped, colored with Copics and then cut out using the dies, which are sold separately.  I don't mind fussy cutting, but I don't like trying to cut around those little whiskers and curls!  So, bring on the dies!!!  They are worth every penny to me!

The words and the thing the cat is sitting on are dies from ebay; the scallop cut out  is a Spellbinders die and all were cut out using my Sizzix.  The leaves and the cat's sunglasses were cut out using my Cricut.

The flowers are Prima with some added bling and a button.  The beads on the scallop are from Martha Stewart.  The main paper is from DCWV and Stampin Up!.  It was sitting on my table from a project I am working on for a colleague.   So I thought I would use it instead of putting it away.  Okay, so I'm not sure if that speaks to my level of creativity or laziness! lol!

Have a blessed day!

What?

I just got the new Tim Holtz Crazy Dogs and just could not resist to get to work on them!  Yes, I have the birds and cats too!  I have a bunch of them colored and will be hopefully putting some of them on my blog soon. 

I used my Cricut to cut out the scalloped circle, circle and the "What?".   They could easily be cut out of Spellbinders, or whatever other dies or machine you have. The dog is both a stamp and die.  I used my Sizzix to cut it out.  I still love my Sizzix and dies too!  I think I just love all things paper!  I colored the dog with Copics and then took the colorless blender to add polka dots to him.   (How could I resist?)   There is glossy accents on the eyes, nose and tongue.  He looks like he is trying to hear something and not doing such a good job!

 The "What" font is one I downloaded and I believe it's called, "Great day".  By keeping the title simple, I can use almost any sentiment I want on the inside of the card. 

I used a We R Memory Keepers embossing folder for the scalloped circle as it looked to flat and boring without any embossing.  I love their 6x6 embossing folders!  The ribbon has been in my stash forever and it's from Making Memories.  I have several multi packs of this with other nice ribbons in it.  I have no idea where I got the little flowers or the bobbles from. 

Unfortunately, this past year has been very difficult for me as I had a head injury.  It made it very difficult to even think about crafts, let alone do any!  I am hoping I will be able to not only craft, but add my makings to my blog.  That was one of the hardest things for me to do... work with the computer or watch T.V.  I'm glad to be heading back to the more normal me.  I'd love to say I'm "normal" but I don't think I've ever been that!  Lol!

Meow - Happy Birthday

I made this cute little cat using my Silhouette and an image from their store.   There were three cats in the image for 50cents.  They remind me of my grandmother, so I certainly could not leave them there without purchasing them!  lol!  I bought a lot of images when they had their 50% off sale at Christmas.  Sweet deals!

Some K & Co paper and trim.  The tag was made from a Stampin' Up punch and a Sizzix tag sizzlit.  They make about 4 different tags each.  Quick and simple.  

Marcy's Mini

Hello everyone!

I have been without internet access for a couple of months, but I am back!  I have been making lots of things, just not able to post them.  Today, I will begin posting those creations!  So to start, I thought I'd start BIG!

This is a Hidden binding system, paper bag mini-album.  Wow, say that fast three times!  I learned how to do this on YouTube, of course!  The video is the best way to see this mini.  There would be too many photos to put on here.

Here is a list of the Cricut cartridges that I used: Hello Kitty Font, Home Accents, Home Decor, Mother's Day Bouquet, Cricut Essentials, Pagoda, Sophie, Southwest, Birthday Bash, Cindy Loo, French Manor.

You will note that the video mentions the CricutFanatics blog that I used to design for.  As I could not contact anyone or get online, I did not realize it was dissolving.  So sad!  Debbie did an amazing job with that blog!  I also just discovered I need to update my Cricut Circle status!  That's gone too!

Enjoy the video and all its quirks.  It took me 2 hours to upload!  Crazy!  Try a hidden binding mini, they are lots of fun!

 Have a wonderful day!

You're So Special

I was digging through my stash and found this gorgeous MME paper which has the "you are special" and cut that out to be the saying for the card. 

The flowers are created from Flower Shoppe Cricut cartridge and the bird and branch are from French Manor.  The paper leaves are a Stampin' Up!/Sizzix die.  If you don't have a Cricut machine, you can make the flowers with other cutters, dies or even using a circle and cutting into it in a continuous spiral.  There are many bird stamps and dies for the birds.  There are also papers with birds on them you can cut out.  Don't feel limited!!!

I embossed the bird with copper embossing powder.  Pearls, lace and washi tape for a little extra touch.

Thanks for stopping by!

Another new free digi from Sliekje

This card was made for another friend.  I have asked them to tell me their favorite colors and then I go from there.  I had so much fun with this little girl!  Her snickering made me think of how we like to tease each other.  So, who could resist saying, "You're how old?"  Hehehe.  She loved the card, despite my teasing her. 

 The mats were made from Spellbinders using SU! papers.  I'm not sure about the background paper.  It's double-sided and lovely, but it's old and there was no tab along the bottom with the company name on it! 
The little girl is another digi stampfrom Sliekje.  I think she is just fabulous!  I colored her with copics. 
The butterflies are from SU! and are a Sizzix die/folder.  I love these little follows and enjoy adding them for little extras on cards. 
 The little flowers are old Cuttlebug dies.  I typed out the sentiment on the computer and cut them out. I just curled the eldges and added some Judikins Diamond Glaze.  It's a lot like Glossy Accents or Crystal Effects except you can get it in a ginormous bottle and it's not expensive!  One lesson for all of you new to it, like me.  The opening is huge compared to the others so it flows very quickly and may make a mess if you're not careful!

The chipboard hearts, the present (Making Memories) and pearl swirls have been sitting in a jar on my table since hmmm, well, I can't remember it's been so long! 
The ribbon is SU! and the rose ribbon is Maya Road, I think.
I added wee little pears on the little girl and butterflies.  They are only a couple months old.  I use them like crazy!  They are awesome for the teenie weenie little touches you need!  They are from CTMH and are the best little pearls I have ever found. 

I added the extra piece of designer paper to the inside and cut out another mat to write on.  More paper is being used and it's not quite so boring on the inside!

Thanks for stopping by!  Have an awesome day!

For the Muse challenged, I used the yellow and mats.  For Craft Us Crazy, I used my Sizzix Big Shot for the machine.   I chose some Spellbinders and Cuttlebug dies that I'm sure would qualify for antiques!  I just dusted off those dies and ran them through the Big Shot.  I forgot how easy they are to use.  Normally, I would use my Cricut, but I'm trying to dig out things I haven't used in awhile, and my Spellbinders and Cuttlebug dies definitely qualify!

Challenges I am entering:
Muse #3
Craft Us Crazy - Use Your Cutting Machines
Simon Says Stamp: Have a Heart
Papertake: Anything Goes

Cherish

Having fun taking out my treasures and playing.

I used a Cuttlbug folder/frame and cut out the oval and added "Cherish" stamp with glitter in a layer behind the opening.  I used DCWV and SU! papers.  I found the lollipop flower in my stash and the Sizzix butterflies that I had cut out some time ago.  It's hard to tell in the photo, but it's very sparkly.

Thanks for stopping by!

Challenge:  Daring Cardmakers: Embossability  

Put a Cork in it!

I just couldn't resist that title!  I made this card with the Splitcoaststampers "Ways To Use It" thread in mind.  The goal:  use cork on your project.

The tree and the fence are both Sizzix dies.  The "tree" is actually a Tim Holtz holly die.  I just used the branch and added a little ink.  I added Prima flowers to the tree.  The sun face is Peachy Keen and the "Hello" is, I think, Technique Tuesday, but I'm not positive.  I smooshed a couple of green inks on the bottom, added a few layers of paper, a ribbon and a sweet little bird from Webster's Pages.  I'll be sending this little birdie flying off to a friend of mine.  It was a quick, fun card to make.

Thanks for stopping by!

Challenges: Allsorts: dies & punches
                    Make My Monday: die cuts & punches

Winter Wall Hanging

I made this for the CricutFANatics blog.   It's been snowy and chilly here so this will be a fun reminder that just because it is cold outside doesn't mean we can't stay warm and cozy inside.

I started with a simple canvas that I purchased from the dollar store.  Guess what it cost me?  Ha, ha!  I painted it with Gesso so that it would be a solid white and if I wanted to add paint over it, it would be a good foundation for it.  I later decided not to paint it.

I then chose my image to put in the back ground.  I chose winter trees from the Holiday Cakes cartridge.  I wanted a simple design that I could repeat in different values of green.

I was more concerned with the tips of the trees being whole at the top of the image, so I allowed the stems to hang over the edge.  I later trimmed them off.    I then used Ultra Podge to glue them down.  I used a good, juicy layer on the canvas, but only one level of tree at a time.  If you cover the whole canvas at one time, it may not remain sticky enough to secure the papers down well.  You can use mod podge, deco page... any of those type of things work well.  I did not wait for it to try on the bottom before I covered the images with a layer to seal them.  

The rest was simple.  I cut out the house from Pop-Up Neighborhood, and the snowmen and saying from Winter Woodland.  I cut out pieces of lace and tucked them under the windows for drapes.  (That is why they look puffy!)  I fashioned a fancy metal embellishment with red bling to make the upper "attic" window.   I added shiny white twin around the brown "facia".  I used slick (sort of like stickles, but without glitter) to make snow.  I then added glitter.  The slick has been kicking around for a long time and needs to be used!

The snowmen were embellished with buttons and pearls.  I added teenie, tiny little pearls all over the picture to mimic snow.  I just found these at CTMH.  Wow, are they tiny and a really good price!  The flower and brown roofs were sent through the Sizzix using different Cuttle bug folders.  All of the edges of the house were distressed with walnut ink.  I added stickles to the words to give them sheen, without added bulk and to soften the colors.  I added one of the papers along the outer edges to cover the staples, then fancy ribbon over that to make the edges look nice.

Arrrgh!

Sorry that I have been MIA!  My computer was not working and I was not able to post. 

I made these for my grand son's birthday party.  I used the Imagine Buccaneer cart.  I also put a ship and a sea captain on the birthday bag I bought to put the items into.  For the card, I used all DCWV papers.  I used an EK Success  punch for the trim.  I cut the feather off of the bird's hat and added a real one.  My little guy loves feathers!  I used a Sizzix texture place to emboss the circles on the purple paper.  It made a huge difference to the card!  The card is only the purple part.  It is sitting on the envelope it will go inside. 

There will be 5 girls and 7 boys at the part.  I like how the color of paper used changed the way they looked on the outside!  "New" chests for the girls and "Antique" for the boys.  Easy to tell from the outside and the inside which is for which!  I used adhesive velcro dots to keep the lids closed.  There are brads to make them look a little nicer.  I didn't like the paper handles either, so I took some braided cord with gold running through it and added those instead.  I think they turned out great.   My daughter was happy with them and grand kids were happy with them and that is what it's all about!

There was a serious learning curve for these boxes for me!  As there are no instructions, I didn't realize how much scoring was needed!  It is very time consuming.  It is also a bit of a challenge to keep all of the little tabs on the chest top where they need to be while waiting for the glue.  There is also a defect in the carts printing/cutting.  On the one side of the chest the handle inserts are way out of level!  The one side is perfect, but the second side you will have to cut a hole for the handle.  Well, I should say if you are OCD like me!  lol! 

Thanks for stopping by!

Fairy "Ugly" Papers

My mother was looking at my papers the other day.  She loved most of them, but then saw this one pack by K&Company that she just didn't like at all.  I told her almost anything can look good if you just take the time to work with it.  Here are two cards that I made to show my mother how nice "ugly" paper can be.

This first one has a fairy from the Tinker Bell cart.  I was fortunate enough to not have to make this myself.  I received her in a swap that I recently was part of.  Cricut_crazy_lady gave it to me.  Her colors matched perfectly with the paper!  The tag is a Sizzix cut.   The wood flower, I believe is from Kaiser crafts.

This second one I colored the fairy - Baby Fairy Flora by Mo Manning and put her on an Elegant Edges mat.   I used the same papers on it. 

I like how they both turned out.  So did my mother!  Once I started to use the papers, I liked them!