Recipe Holder

Hello! This is my latest creation for upcoming craft fairs. An Apron shaped Recipe Card Holder.
I created & cutout a template from poster board so the base would be a bit thicker than SU CS. Since they were handcut, each one is a little different than the next which I thinks adds to their charm. :)I then painted several coats of white acrylic paint to add to the thickness/sturdiness. For some I added additional painting of red or brown.
Then I added the embellishments: whether it was stamping, embossing or CS punch "pockets" with different cooking related buttons in them that I snipped the backs off of. I then sprayed Triple Thick Glaze over the front. I added an additional rectangle of the White HD CS that comes with SU CS for additioanl sturdiness. And then with E-6000, adhered the clothepin to the back. For the "Apron neck", I used matching ribbons glued on 1 side and then a small pice of velcro at the other side [all with E-6000]. I did this so they would work for folks with any kind of door handles.Since this was all from scratch and trial & error, they took many more steps & much more time than it probably would next time..if there is a next time! ;) hahaI plan to sell them at upcoming craft shows for $4. Wish me luck!

No Two Snowflakes Are Alike

Hello! Just wanted to share with you a recent project for Christmas ornaments. I have been selling them at my art/craft fairs but I think it would be a great project to do at home with the kids as sweet & simple gifts, tree decorations, or even package decorations.

Recently, Stampin' UP! added a "Clearance Rack" to my online store and since I LOVE a bargain, I definitely went to shopping! These projects use the Little Felt Flurries Accents & Elements & Big Felt Flurries Accents & Elements from that section.

I adhered them together with my fave adhesive for everything, E-6000. I am not sure if Elmer's/Tacky glue works on felt very well since, in my experience, it hasn't adhered well [thinking if you were to do this with kids]. Hot Glue would work on this project, except maybe for the finer cut snowflakes that need tiny dots of glue.

The Rhinestone Brads are from SU, as well, and I love these to add a little bling to cards, scrapbooks and now Christmas ornaments! The half back pearls are from the Pretties kit from SU. For the brads, I would cut down or off the "brad stem" part so that it didn't show through the intricate designs.

The hanging string is embroidery floss in gold metallic and/or platinum depending on the center embellishment.

Scrabble Tiles Necklace Pendants

Hello! Sorry for my break from blogging there for a bit. Back to business!
I wanted to show my latest little fun creation. After receiving one of these as a "Welcome to Steering for MOPS", I was inspired and encouraged to try to duplicate for my shows. Here is what I did..I am sure there are a ton of other ways to achieve similar results.
These little necklace pendants are created from Scrabble tile game pieces. Some people have the "game side" show but I chose to cover that part up so the back was plain wood. All papers are SU's Designer Series Papers, of course. The tile is about 3/4 inches by 3/4 inches so you definitely need a small decorative paper design.
The hardest part was finding the silver "bails". Luckily, [since I was on a time crunch] a local bead shop happened to have ordered them for someone else who hadn't picked them up yet. You can definitely find them online but for this first batch, I couldn't wait for shipping time.
I used E -6000 adhesive to adhere the paper to the front and eventually [after all glazing was done] to adhere the bail to the back.
After applying the paper onto the scrabble, I used Krylon's Triple Thick Glaze [in a jar]. I coated them about 12-15 times within one week to get the best glassy glaze look and strong coverage for the tile. I actually found the TTG at Pat Katan's in Ohio but a similar item/diff brand was in my local Michael's.
Some I embellished with SU [retired] flower punches for a 3-D effect and added SU rhinestone brads, as well. I recommend snipping off the brad part because I found it raised the flowers more than I wanted for coverage purposes.
These items are not recommended for wearing in pool or shower because though glazed heavily, it is still paper. And paper +water=bad news, in general. :)
I have been selling these at area craft shows for $6 & to friends for $5. I include a ribbon necklace with a button on one side and a loop [that could be adjusted to shorten] on the other side which I did for display or instant wear purposes. These would be great on a silver circle necklace, as well.
IF you are going to make these in bulk for gifts or selling, it is worth your time. For one pendant, the time & supplies are just too much~ IMHO. This would be a great gift though for all the ladies in your family and would be pretty inexpensive, once you found the bails.

*Note, if you don't have the Scrabble game, can't find it at yards sales or thrift stores or find a friend willing to donate, you can go on Hasbro.com and purchase "replacement" parts. It was around $6-7 for 100 tiles. When I run out of my donated ones, I will probably go that route, rather than buying a new game for $15 for no reason. Just trying to help! :)
Let me know if you have questions or I said something unclear.

Stamping on regular tile

Though my coasters are made on rough, unfinished tiles that are porous, here is an idea to use on the finished and much less expensive tile.

You still need to use the permanent Stayz-On inks. It is definitely a little more tricky because the finished tiles are little easier to slip/slide on. I recommend inking the stamp and placing it rubber side up and then pressing the tile into the stamp [generally opposite of what you normally do]. But everyone has to find their own groove. You want to leave at least 10-20 minutes for the ink to dry before handling it, in case you haven't used it in this manner before. The other thing is because it is generally smooth [whether matte or shiny], the ink is easy to scratch off. I recommend a triple thick clear glaze to either spray or paint over it. Available generally in the more professional paint areas of craft stores, though a bit pricey, it will preserve your work better than general clear spray paint. This also helps protest it from not only rubbing off but being wiped away if water/cleaner is used. I always have a note NOT to use water to clean. Though the ink is stated as permanent, it will wash away with water...thus a heavy duty sealant is necessary!

Featured in these pics are my 2 X 2 tile magnets and 6 X 6 trivets. I buy the heavy duty magnets so they really hold stuff well. The trivets are finished with thin foam squares on the back to protect the surface it is placed on. For your info, I sell the trivets for $7 and the tiles for $2.

Stamping on Fabric ~Baby Onesies

Looking for a way to add a little something to that plain shirt? Wondering how to make an easy, lower cost baby gift [rather than those speciality boutique prices]. And as I always say, "handmade gifts earn heartfelt thanks"!

This is one of my biggest sellers at the craft/art fairs I do. Baby Onesies! [They can come with a matching gift card on RQ]

First, I will tell you that you don't have to buy the overpriced small bottles of fabric paint.

You can use the kind that come in little bottles for around $1 and a larger variety of colors. Mostly they will say permanent on them. If you have ever worked on any craft project, spilled some on you and didn't wash it quickly, you know it really is permanent. Which is actually what led me to these...an oops! I love that!

I first did it for a tank I wore for the Stampin' Up Convention while I was pregnant with Jesse. When it lasted after numerous washings, I was sold! [Excuse the cheesy, very-pregnant smile. I was elated to see SU had used a card I submitted on their example board at a regional conference!] :)

I stamp the design, allow it to dry, and then heat set it with an iron and a thin kitchen towel over the design.

Brand Tip: I have found Gerber Onesies run smaller so I often get the Carters or Circo when I can find them plain.

I sell the onesies for $7 at my fairs and online. Special orders available.

Layout copying

This is a great way to come up with a design once and use it in a variety of ways. This particular Pick a Petal set is one that I purchased then rarely used. This one idea has given new use for the entire set!

Making a set of these with different greetings would make a great gift for teachers or Christmas!

I also added a 1 inch circle to the middle and, using our Stampin' Dimensionals, popped it up for height & interest. I covered it in 2 way glue than glittered. Then came back with the TomBow adhesive and outlined the edge and put a center dot and glittered again. Since the TomBow is thicker it gave an added dimension to the glitter effect and I LOVE my glitters!

Using Templates

This is an example of using templates to create pretty different looking cards. I was inspired by one of the latest "A La Card templates" from the magazine demos get from Stampin' Up [Stampin' Success].

I encourage you to look at cards in the Idea Books and other places and pick out the basic set up of the card and then replace with your own stamps, inks, colors & accessories! You can always copy a card exactly if you have all the exact materials [which I never quite seem to have]. But this is way to utilize what you have and not have to come up with it completely on your own!

Just some detail pics:

These cards utilize the new In Colors 09-10 but retired punches & sets. ;) I also used watercolor wonder crayons, aqua painters, glitters, brads & crystal effects.

Mom's Birthday Gift

This is a gift for my mom's birthday and my first hand at using SU's Decor Elements. I put the words on the outside of the frame [11X14] and then got to work on the background. I wanted it to be decorative but muted at the same time and the Designer Series Paper I thought I would use just seemed like it was more the star than the words.

So I decided to use Very Vanilla 12 X 12 paper [cutting off 1 inch] with the large swirl stamp from Baroque Motifs, versamark ink & clear embossing powder. Then for the sides I wanted another muted color that would blend with my mom's house. So I pulled out Blush Blossom which, admittedly, I never use for some reason. I used the cherry blossom stamp from Eastern Blooms, along with the VersaMark ink and Clear Embossing Powder again. This time I added some glue and microbeads to some of the flowers for a little detail if you looked up close. Couldn't be too embellished since it was a normal flat frame. I know she will love it and can't wait to give it to her today!

Pop- UP Gift Card Holder

This is a gift card holder for a fun wedding shower we went to for dear friends. Wanted to make it something special. I have to admit that in the process of figuring out the measurements and the look, etc, I spent 2 hours on this one card. I have gotten used to quicker cards but it was nice to squeeze out my creative juices, so to speak!

This is a close up the details. The popcorn used a [retired] 3 flower punch from SU. I highlighted the So Saffron paper with White Craft ink to add a little depth. The green peppers & design on the cups were made with green Stickles.

The pop-up part used 8 inches long of Whisper White, scored at 1 inch intervals, than accordion folded. We included a gift card to Blockbuster & Papa John, put in the appropriate pop-up, of course. I used tiny manila envelopes as the base and covered them with the design on the front

and finished with plain CS on the back.

I will generally only use SU paper & products [investing in my own business, don't ya know!], but indicate where it is another brand, when necessary.

Let me know if you have any questions!

Things I Learned on Vacation

Things I have observed & learned while being away from home for 4 out of 9 weeks this summer in no certain order:

• Doing 2 trips of 2 weeks, 3 weeks apart, was a dumb move but done as an honest mistake..thought we were making the right decision for the right reasons.
• It is quite difficult to plan a party 1800 miles away without help..in fact, it didn't happen. Next year..note to self, ask for help!
• Though the "going away party" planned for the first leg of this trip fizzled..I wouldn't trade anything for being able to see my guys in concert with those amazing seats!! It is always great to be "Young & Insane" every now and then!
  
• You never know how much you take things for granted like consistent internet access, holding your hubby's hand, and your own bed ~ till you are gone for that long away from them.
• I didn't realize I was as protective a mother until I got around so many random relative's children [diff ages, dispositions, upbringing, etc.] ...I also took for granted how well our friends' kids treated each other, & that I didn't worry there.
• I really miss hanging and talking with Yabette [or as I knew her growing up, Beth Ann ;)]. Time just goes too fast but we pick up a conversation like it was yesterday.

• It is sad to see some of the older relatives and how much they age each year. You never know who won't be here next year...
• It was nice to have little responsibilities while there and I got to work on my own stampin' projects that have been neglected for too long. I took classes, went to crops, paper crafted until 1 am some nights, and leave here feeling creative and ready to get back to business!
• It is hard to be in a house with 3 women for 4 weeks. No matter how much you love each other..
• Everyone has their own story if you take some time to listen.
• I love having a church home-away-from-home. Thanks Crossroads Community Church in Doylestown for making us feel welcome each year!
  
• I miss my dogs, my computer, my house, my friends, my church, my stampin supplies, but most of all my dear sweet husband! Can't wait to get home and into his loving arms.
• I will come back next year but for one week only probably..after that, you just wear out your welcome no matter how much they want you there! ;)
• It was great to take off and explore the day with my son..need to make more time for that.
• I am ready to go home!

• 

AmyD

Altered Stone Coasters

Making a Set of Altered Stone CoastersI use Stayz-On permanent ink, which soaks in enough that you don't need to seal it and it won't run when wet. I used Upsy Daisy as the main stamp and various greetings. I do put it in the oven at 400 for about 10 minutes for my own satisfaction, though I have heard it is not needed. The tiles are bought in packs of 9 at Home Depot for about $5. i sell them at Art Festivals $14 for the set of 4.


Have to add my Hand Stamped stamp on the back, both to comply with SU policy when selling AND so you know it was hand crafted by me, too! :) Finished with felt tabs so it doesn't damage anything. TFL.

ReCycled File Folder

This is a rough draft of this project. As a SU demonstrator, we receive a magazine each month with great ideas and one caught my eye this month. I altered the idea by using a plain [used] Legal size File Folder. I am on vacation so I don't have my paper stash so I made due with what I could find! ;)VERY Bland inside..can you tell it was used?! ;) I would stamp and embellish the inside and outside more if I were at home. Look forward to doing a "prettier" version of this later!

I would add some kind of mantra or whatever on the label, too. This was actually made for a possible craft for our MOPS group so [if this was used] we would put the logo/theme for this year there. TFL.