A Tisket, A Tasket...See My Little Basket?

Don't adjust your screens, yes I have made this one before, but I added a chocolate box to this nifty little purse basket. This was a fundraiser item for Relay for Life for another team member. We decided to leave a little room on the left for a mystery gift card! These notepads have been a hit and I'm thrilled all the money is going to a wonderful cause. It's always fun to dress up the chocolate nugget boxes! I started keeping the chocolates in bulk so they are always on hand for quick gifts. My hubby asked me the other day, "hey honey, did you know there is a TON of chocolate candies in the pantry?" Yes dear, they WILL be used, plus they were on sale so I loaded up! I used SU! paper for the box and my PTI polka dot basic set as well as their monogrammed alphabet. There is a purse (if the donations are bulky, it becomes a basket...lol) auction each month at the Team Captains meetings and it's up to me to fill the goody bags. The catch for the bidders is that they have no idea what the contents are!!!! The last few auctions have sold for 250.00! I used my Cricut to cut out the "hope" and added some stickles. The shamrock is just a foam shape I picked up at Micheal's. Mmmmm, more chocolate! Remember, I loaded up?!!! I needed a way to attach that beautiful bracelet, so I used some curly ribbon and tied it around a bottle of apple cider! It was so pretty that I didn't want it to slip inside the basket, never to be found again.
I hope you all have a wonderful weekend! It's supposed to be near 70 here!

Simple Thank-you's and MORE Chocolate boxes...

This is an order I put together for a local realtor. I tried to keep the design fairly simple because of the time line and quantity. Of course, you know when your using your nesty dies and wizard die cutting machine, these are cranked my hand so it can be time consuming, but the end result is so nice...that's why I keep relenting and keep using them! The colors I used were SU! Pixie Pink, Green Galore, & Real Red. I printed the name of each recipient on the card per request.I can't remember which stamp sets I used from PTI, however, it was two different sets and look how well these little stars fit together?? This totally was not intentional, but I tried and went with it!
And here is ALL 50 boxes!!!! Yes, I scored and folded all 50 of these by hand....hence my last post on the swollen fingers...lol Once I have all my orders together, I package them with clear envies (purchased thru Clearbags.com) which makes it easier in transport. This was a local delivery, but I didn't want anything getting pulled off by stacking them too close together. Clearbags has several (maybe several hundred!!!) different sizes to choose from. The bags I used here were actually cut in half so I had double the supplies:)

It's yucky weather here in NC today. Hoping for the sun to poke thru at some point! I'm off to finish up some design team projects for Glue-Art & Paper Studio....can we say wood and Amy Butler Fabric??????!!!!! YUM-O!

Well rested and Peaceful...

It's about time I update the ol' blog eh? I missed blogging, but have been busy for all the right reasons! Sooo, I will update this post with whats been going on...mostly crafting related as I have been creating my little fingers to the bone. I had to take a break because I was waking up with my fingers swollen and tingling! EEEEK! Back in February I decided to host a craft day for my girlfriends and my sister was able to join us! Unfortunately, she was busy chasing a sick baby while we were crafting so I missed her in the pics, but I do have some work of hers to share! I kept the invite simple and printed them straight from the pc. The flower is punched with my Martha Stewart flower punch. I added some leaves and a button to the top. All in favor of the Target $ Spot???!! I picked up these pink pails for some door prizes as well as used a couple of them for Gracie's teacher's for Valentine's Day. Inside the pails is a cellophane bag that I filled with chocolates, tied with ribbon, and then added the tag. These are my new Verve Stamps I played with...they are a little addicting I might add. I love to double layer look here with the flowers...this set comes with some fun butterflies as well! The butterflies were used on another project I will share in the next week or so!
Close up! I decided the tag looked a little "too plain" so I sewed the trim around the edge! Looks a little vintage, right? Or at least that's the "look" I was going for! Here are the gals! That's me in the back with the green shirt on! We did two projects: mailboxes & stationary sets! I made sure all the pieces were cut ahead of time and put all the supplies in the lunch sacks. This saved a lot of time and allowed me to help out with the stamping. Acrylic stamps can be quite intimidating for first-timers. Here is a mailbox my sister, Christie, did! At the workshop we had left the front lid plain, but I think she did a wonderful job adding the quote on front.February also made room for the birthday girl! My oldest Gracie, turned 5 on the 18th. This was not only a big deal for her, but for my Hubby and I as well. This is the first birthday for both of my children that was celebrated in OUR home. In all the years past, we have been in V.A. or G.A. to ring in their birthdays.
Addison, Gracie, and Aidan (my Nephew...look at those yummy cheeks!!!)
My attempts at a "princess" cake! In my case I call it my "terrifically-tacky" attempt, but at 5 it meant the world to Grace, and that's all that mattered to me!
I saved the BEST for last, not for the situtation, but for the person! My last post left off with news no one in my family was prepared for. My Grandfather was diagnosed with lung cancer in early February and passed away March 7th. It has been incredibly hard for everyone in the family, but with each passing day, we know he is in a better place. He meant the world to us all and I'm grateful for the times we did get to spend together. Even at the age of 92, he was still very sharp and witty. He was a gentle giant with a heart of gold and will be greatly missed! We Love You!

Bag of Any Kind??

I happened to be making these for my girls for Valentine's Day and then I saw THIS POST on Nichole Heady's Papertrey Ink Blog...so why not, right?? I used the PTI Trajan: Monogram Edition(A is for Addison:) & Guide Lines for this project. The top fabric is a simple muslin backing and I used Black Stazon ink. After I stamped the images, I then heat set the ink with my iron.

I just wanted to put this up really quick for the contest. I've been away from my blog this past week due to a family illness and I will not resume for the next few weeks. It has been very hard on my Parent's, sister's and myself. Life is short, take a minute to squeeze those you love:)

Simple Birthday Gift...

...because Mom really doesn't need anymore coffee for her birthday! My Mom always gives, so I thought why not give her something she'd really enjoy...like a candle! I purchased the candle from Bath & Body works and wanted to dress it up a bit. If I can't send a bouquet, why not just make one right? I love the sparkle on these 3-d flower stickers. I attempted to spread them out so it would look like a bouquet/spring garden. The sentiment is from Stamping Bella.I wanted to keep the nice clean design of the candle container so I just added some simple kraft ribbon and attached the card with sheer white ribbon. The card is made from my scalloped square punch. To trim the white cs, I simply used my CM trimmer and cut the cs down 1/4 inch. Lastly, I added some rhinestones and sent this gift on its way!

Looking for a great IDEA for someone special??

This would be a wonderful project for your Valentine, or how about something fun for the kids?? I'm sure my girls would want 100 Chuck E. Cheese coupons in the mini card file! Give it a try with the Luv-O-Dex from Glue-Art & Paper Studio! I love all their products, which are high quality unfinished wood just waiting to be decorated with some yummy paper. This kit comes with all the supplies you will need to get started: 14 limited edition Luv-O-Dex cards, mini card file, over 100 plain cards (that would make a TON of Love coupons...lol), paper, ribbon & embellishments! You get all this for only $14.00..very reasonable for great, high quality wood products. I've got mine on order and will share my creation as soon as my little sticky fingers open the box. SO what are you waiting for??!!!


Here are some other great Glue-Art & Paper Studio products you'll have fun with!

"Made" for Him...

ETA: I've added the "subscribe" feature on the upper-left of my blog. This is for those many emails that have asked if I would add this feature...please let me know, if you do subscribe how it works. I'm "techy-challenged" so I'm not familiar with this format?

Some how with an image like this, I TOTALLY think my hubby will get over the fact that his card is drowning in shades of pink and red! I'm sure this is EXACTLY how all housewives do their chores..NO?? Anyhoo, it's a good laugh for all! I just have to say that Kim over at My Favorite Things is a very sweet and wonderful gal. I'd had some shipping issues with this Maid for You set and then I think it was delayed again in Raleigh due to the snowstorm we'd had. She was very gracious to track it down for me! I'd like to blame it on the postman gawking at such a sight, but I doubt my postLADY was holding it hostage...lol Anyhoo, here are the finished products and I'm thrilled with the outcome. I'm starting to get a better grasp on using my Copic markers. It took me a little longer to learn the shading techniques and layering the colors, but I'm getting there. The floor board looked a little dull for me in all brown so I used my Black Spica Pen to add some lines and nails. The paper is from the Target $ Spot and where I placed my heart brads were some pink hearts on the paper so I used those as my guide. I hadn't intended on putting them there, it's just how the paper cut.

One sassy gal! I just stuck with the same colors but different sketch here. The Heidi Swapp Ghost Heart is from MFT and I colored the back side with my Lipstick Red Copic Maker. You can see it here, but I probably should have let it dry and then added another coat of ink, but it'll do! Also, today is the start of Chinese New Year and I thought I'd share some pics we took this morning before school. Grace wore this outfit last year and it dragged just a tad...not this year! I noticed the sleeves are getting shorter and the pants a little snug {sniff, sniff}. I went and shared a little presentation with her class as well as shared some Chinese candies with her classmates. I always get a kick out of her letting us know that she is "half-Chinese AND Eng-A-lish"...lolHere is my other China Doll, Addison. Lovin' that grin! You wouldn't know that just 20 mins. prior to this pic that she fell and tore her tights and skinned her knee:(

Breakin' Out Some New Paper & Quickie Tutorial...

...because you can only use so many sheets of blue/pink/chocolates combinations! Believe it or not, I do LOVE other colors and was excited to finally open some new paper that has been sitting in my plastic bins. This is SU! Bella Rose. I used two sides, from two different sheets to add some contrast. The patterned paper is matted on SU! Old Olive and Bazzill Red Basic. I have used the black/red combo more than I can count, BUT this is new polka dot paper with a cute scallop on the bottom. The umbrella is also done different than in the past. I cut out the umbrella then stamped with PTI-Spiral Bouquet in SU! Whisper White craft ink. Sonoma by Scenic Route. This is double sided as well, so I just coordinated her raincoat with the berry-floral print. The patterned paper is matted on SU! Always Artichoke and Bazzil Red Basic. Since I work the with copic markers I have, I had some trouble getting just the right shade on the boots to match the burnt red of the coat scallop. With a few tries, I was able to mix a little red and brown and got the PERFECT match! These markers are really neat and because they are alcohol based you can mix several colors without them blending together on the marker tip!So I thought you might be wondering why you never see me use the umbrella that actually comes with this MFT-Rain or Shine set right?? Well, actually, I DO! You just can't see how I put it use so I thought I'd share a quick tutorial! Step 1: Stamp your image. There is no need to completely stamp the image. You will be flipping it over.
Step 2. Cut you image straight on the bottom of the scallops.Step 3. Trim the top.Step 4: Use a scalloped punch (I used SU! long scallop here) along the bottom of the paper you will use as your matte. Trim around the top just slightly larger than your dome shape.Step 5: Here is your sassy little umbrella. Just add a strip of cs and add some rhinestones on top. To keep my rhinestones perfectly spaced, I just use the "v" shape of the scallop as my guide.

Thanks Jane for your email inquiry! I hope this helps!

Snow Day & V-Day...

ETA: Be sure to scroll to the bottom for today's craft post:)

Sorry I missed my post on Monday...we were a little busy:) The kids are home from school for two days and from the looks of it, they aren't complaining!Snow...an odd sight on the coast of North Carolina. And yes, we do it in STYLE...check out the boogie board sled! Squeeze me tight Mommy!
My oldest, Grace, in all her glory!
Little pumpkin Addison! How do you lounge in the snow?

Can you see just beyond the trash can?? See that dude outside with a jogging stroller and a dog chasing him down? Yes, that is my nut of a husband. While the rest of us intelligent folks would be inside sipping hot cocoa HE would rather be running in it!

This is the first year for my daughter to really get all excited about Valentine's Day. Grace was more than thrilled to help me out on this project! We decided on the Kim Hughes-Little Boy set. I like these particular images because you can color them for boys and girls...regardless of the stamp set name...lol I had to laugh once I was all done and ready for her to write her name on the front (the classmates names are on the back). You see the frog one? Well in my world the sideways sentiment looks perfectly fine, but not to a kid! She began writing her name and got the first 2 letters when she paused and said, "Wait Mommy, you have the ribbon the wrong way, I NEED to fix it!" Mind you, she is only 4 year's old, but she has inherited my anal-retentive side just a tad!
The thing I love most about mass-producing for the kids, is that I try to use a lot of different colors and products. It's a great way to spread your supplies without having to run out of that really expensive patterned paper you've been hoarding. I know for the most part these cards will find their way to the trash (GASP!!) so it's a good time to use all of those scraps and buttons you have lying around!