New! My First YouTube Video!

I am attempting to try my hand at something new...

Making YouTube videos!

Check me out on YouTube on my first video.... I'm showing a gift card holder for a card swap I'm doing and doing a tutorial on the 3D flowers from Art Philosophy.



 And let me know what you think in the comments section!!!

{Yes, I know the video is blurry when I move my hands and the sound quality is poor... I'm looking into getting better equipment, but this is what my laptop does for now!}

Christmas Card Workshop

I'm still recovering from my awesome weekend! I love papercrafting and the only thing that makes it better is getting to do it with friends. This past weekend was a lot of work to pull off but having so many great friends to do it with makes it worth all the extra effort. Here are a few photos of the day:

This is my "grandmother" Krista. Check her blog out at kristascraftycorner.blogspot.com

This is my "mother" Brenda Rutt teaching a group of ladies. She is a popular teacher at this event!

The best way to decorate a tree is with some handmade items! These are examples of cards we've made other years.

But I know you're really interested in the cards we made. Here are a few and I'll share the rest on Friday.

This one isn't a card but it is made with the new Artiste Cricut cartridge from Close to My Heart. Designer: Gennette Feagan.

Add any pretty flower to Christmas-y paper to have a great twist on the holiday. Designer: Sherri Reiff

Frosty Friends and Avonlea make a lovely card. Designer: Krista Hershberger

Dakota paper makes a great rustic background for a symbol of winter. Designer: Martha Zook

Peace is a constant theme throughout the holidays. Designer: Katie Fisher

A little sparkle lights up the Christmas tree. Designer:  Brenda Rutt

Valentine's Day treats for school

Last weekend, my son and I worked on the cards he was going to exchange with his preschool class for Valentine's Day. I chose to get the My Originals Sweet Surprises Card kit. The kit was the perfect size (10 pieces) for his class and there was candy involved - what kid could pass this up? Due to the fact that I was working as hard as he was I was not able to take as many photos as I would like. But I did get two!

Here is a photo of one of the finished cards:

And here is my son diligently working on assembly:

He was really proud to be able to hand out his cards to his friends that he made - there was even enough for his teachers too!

Chocolate Tins

This is a quick and easy gift I made for my "bosses" at my volunteer job on Fridays. It has been "sweet" working for them this fall that I wanted make something pretty to brighten their day - and a little chocolate is never a bad idea. I got the idea from my sister consultant, Nicki (check her out at her blog here) who got the idea from Lisa Stenz (check her blog out here). Sorry, I don't have the links to their posts about their versions of the chocolate tins, but I know you'll enjoy browsing their sites looking for them yourself.

Here are two of my versions of the tins:

For the tin on the left, I used a discontinued paper pack called Mistletoe (an beautiful assortment of tradional styled designs), Tulip cardstock (for the flower), White Daisy cardstock (for the the tag), Tulip ink, the September Stamp of the Month, Sweet Leaf ribbon and a Pearl Opaque gem.

For the tin on the right, I used Winter Wonderland paper pack, Sky cardstock, White Daisy cardstock (for the tag), Sky ink and the Dark Chocolate Striped Grosgrain ribbon.

I cut both tags from White Daisy cardstock and the flowers using the Art Philosophy Cricut cartridge. I used Liquid Glass to adhere the flower together while I worked on the rest of the tin. I wrapped each chocolate in a 1" x 3" strip of B&T paper and adhered with Tombow adhesive. The tag on the right, I used Sky ink sponged over an Art Philosophy cut snowflake I used from the gift tags I made (the second round, but that's another post). I tied each of the tags to the ribbon with waxy flax then made a bow with the ribbon. Each tin took about 15 minutes to make and were very well received. I do have to recommend buying an extra bag of chocolates if you are not strong of will. Even thought I bought chocolate with nuts (I'm allergic to nuts) I still had trouble not eating them as I worked. The veggie I had to snack on just weren't cutting the tempation!

Christmas gifts

Now that Christmas has come and gone, I can share some of the gifts I made to give away. Here is the gift I made for my Father-in-law. His wife and I enjoy sharing lots of time scrapbooking together, even traveling to weekend crops together. (I have the best mother-in-law in the world!)

When he unwrapped this box, he smiled and began to put it down thinking the box itself was the gift. I smiled and told him to look inside. The smile on his face was precious - inside, he found two tickets to see his favorite gospel band, the Gaithers, when they come to town. To anyone else, the box would have been enough but every gift giver knows you have to buy (or make) for the receiver.

I used a discontinued paper pack, Grace, from Close to My Heart, as well as the cork letters (so easy with the adhesive already on the back) and Irresistibles chipboard cutouts. I inked the edges of the My Creations card box in Cocoa, adhered the paper to the box with Tombow adhesive (LOVE, Love, love this stuff) and used Glue Dots to make the key on the front "pop" to use as a handle to open the box. The box is made with a magnetic clasp inside so it latches securely.

Christmas Gift Tags

I am loving how easy the Art Philosophy Cricut Cartridge is making my holiday gift giving this year! I am able to make some really easy gifts that look like a million bucks! Below are some of the gift tags I made to attach to the kids' gifts. I went a little more dramatic for the tags that will go on the adult gifts but for the kids' I kept it simple.

I cut 14 of the tag from the Art Philosophy cartridge in Olive cardstock and 14 of the rectangle from White Daisy cardstock. Using the December 25th stamp set, I used Cranberry ink to stamp the image onto the white cardstock. Super easy!

This the tag I am using for the adults' tags. I cut Barn Red cardstock to 4"x 6", White Daisy cardstock to 3.5" x 5.5". I used Olive ink with an image from the June Stamp of the Month stamp set and some of the gingham ribbon from the red collection. Since the adults actually care who the gift is from, I made it bigger to accommodate all the extra sentiments adults like.

Christmas Advent Calendar

This post has taken me awhile to do, simply because I have been oddly uninspired after the initial thought of making an advent calendar. I really hate when that happens because the project will just sit on my table mocking me. Some projects I can set aside for months and months until inspiration will strike but my son was the driving force to get this finished. I'm still not 100% happy with the project but I have a whole year to redo it if I choose to do so. In the meantime, I have something that my son is happy to work with for the season, and really, that's all I care about. Though if you have any suggestions on how to better embellish the box, I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Here are some photos of the box and a few cards for your reference.

Here is a list of the 24 activities I used:

I had been anticipating that this post would feature my advent calendar I've been working on but the pressure has been ruining my creative mojo so I've shelved that project until I feel more inspired. I moved on to my next project which is planning my team meeting for this coming week. It's also our Holiday party but I wanted to do a quick Make & Take for the gals to cross of something from their own To Do lists. Oddly, Close to My Heart posted a video on the exact project I was planning on doing so I'll share it with all of you!




For more information on the Art Philosophy Cricut cartridge check it out here.

Christmas Money Card

I designed this card based on a Wishes card design (Classic Closure, page 62) but with a little twist. I made the card base 8"x8" out of White Daisy cardstock and scored at 2", flipped the card over and scored again at 2.5" leaving 3.5" between the score lines. This will create a "C" fold. I cut the tag and border using the Art Philosophy Cricut Cartridge and used the stamp images from the September Stamp of the Month: Limited Edition in Holiday Red and Sweet Leaf. I used a brad to attache the ribbon to the tag and the tag to the card. I used adhesive to glue down the inside flap on the outside edges to create a pocket to put a money gift inside. I used a little repositionable adhesive on the inside flap to keep the card closed.

This could easily be adapted for other occasions as well that a money gift would be appriciated - graduation, wedding, birthday. Simple and handmade - that's a gift that gives twice!

"So Grateful" Notepad cover

I got an order a few weeks ago and have been so busy to play with my goodies. My son went to bed early last night so I was able to work in my craft room before he woke up at midnight for a few hours. Anyway, this is what I accomplished right before I heard his footsteps...

So Grateful stamp set, pewter ribbon slides, olive brads & buttons

Pen & notepad from Staples

I am really proud of this! I don't have measurements since I was only planning on making one, but I'm already thinking this would make a great class. Let me know if you'd be interested!

Gift boxes made from Art Philosophy cartridge

Here are two examples of gift boxes I made from the Art Philosophy cartridge:

 This is a pillow box I made using Kraft paper. I cut the box out at "Fit to Page" to make it as big as possible. I used the December Stamp of the Month: Mad About You" which is compatible with Art Philosophy (which means don't cut something out by hand until you've double checked the stamp carrier sheet for more information!!! Learn from my mistakes.... I cut all of these out by hand and all of them are on the cartridge!) I also stamped Juniper cardstock with Juniper ink with an image from the stamp set to make the band that goes around the box. I used Sorbet ink to make the hearts and bamboo and chocolate ink on Colonial White cardstock to make the rest. I accented with an arrow from the new Milestones Shapes.

This is the "Fry Box" in Olive cardstock. I accented with chocolate grosgrain ribbon, a pewter ribbon slider (new), some Bling, and some pin clips that I just love. I am getting used to big embellishments (I'm rather plain in most things) but the new accessories are so darling I want to use them all!

While I've been waiting

While I have been (not so) patiently waiting for my new product to come so I can start playing with it, I've been using my time wisely. I am working on organizing my digital photo albums and getting caught up on sorting, tagging, and making copies for friends and family. Here are some of the photos I thought I posted before leaving for convention.

The first three are the roommate gifts I made using the My Creations Journal. I went a different direction with each of them so stretch myself (never a good idea when time is short) but I'm happy with the result.

The next four photos are the cards I did for the card swap. Each year, the consultants swap cards or small trinkets that they've made so imagine 1500 gals swapping cards every time we'd get together - it was so cool to see all the talent and generosity.

I never feel like my work is up to par with other consultants but no one refused an offer to swap and I even had one lady track me down for a card I swapped with a friend of hers - that was a good feeling! ;)

This last one is the business card I did the night before I left. I was all done packing but still had some time to unwind (1am isn't the time to unwind, especially when I had to get up at 5am but I figured I'd sleep on the plane). I also made the little card holder too, I didn't want to take my nice one in case I lost it.

I'll have some new stuff to post soon - in the meantime, enjoy your summer!

Covered Recipe Box

This project has been in my "To Do" pile since I first saw the Fall/Winter 2010 catalog last August and I finally got to make it! Yea! It's a long picture tutorial, so follow along after the jump. PS This was super easy - I will be doing many more of these as wedding gifts with some family recipes inside.

Finished Project - So easy to make!

More pictures after the jump ...