Happy Mother's Day MOM!

FINALLY!  Time to stamp & create a card!  This is the Sale-A-Bration 2012 paper...Everyday Enchantment + matching ribbon + matching brads!  I sponged Soft Suede around each panel & layer for a vintage look.

I even decorated the envelope...sponging ink, stamping and adding an embellished tag.  The tag is adorned with a doily and lace ribbon.  I did not mail this card...I hand delivered it Sunday...before we went to see The Avengers!  whoo hoo.  :-D  My favorite Avenger...IRON MAN! 

Even the inside of the card is adorned!  The image was colored with SU! markers, huffed on & stamped on Very Vanilla.  The panel was sponged around the edge with Soft Suede.  At the top of the panel is lace tape.  It's hard to see...and it looks like magic tape...but it has a white lace design.

I added a counterfeit Washi Tape flag to complete the sentiment.  to my WONDERFUL Mom!

Here's a really good look a the lace tape!  This is the back of the card.  

I hope you had a moo'valous Mother's Day!  I thoroughly enjoyed my day.  Chocolate dipped strawberries, a beautiful card and a gift card + breakfast bar at Ryan's from the hubby...and then movies with Mom and Phillip!  Yup...moo'valous day indeed!

Thanks for stopping by! 

Supplies (all products Stampin' Up! unless otherwise indicated)

STAMPS - Messages for Mom, Fresh Vintage, Family Reunion

PAPER - Everyday Enchantment DSP, Calypso Coral, Pool Party, Very Vanilla

INK - Soft Suede, Basic Black, Poppy Parade, Calypso Coral

ACCESSORIES - Avery Shipping Tag, Wilton 4" Doily, Crochet Trim Victoria 5/8", Cream Envelope, Washi Tape (Targer & Freckled Fawn), toothpick, Everyday Enchantment Brads, Everyday Enchantment 1/8" Organdy Ribbon in Calypso Coral, SU! Markers in Lucky Limeade, Calypso Coral and Poppy Parade.

Paper & Pockets - Part 2

This is the pocket part.  In yesterday's post, Paper & Pockets, I shared my faux spiral notebook paper.  I needed that pocket die so I could slip in the paper.  I need another hole in my head, too.

I discovered that library pockets are not hard to make at all.  A simple library pocket is all I needed.

My finished NON-die cut library / journaling pocket.

 How'd I get there?

Let's start with my choice of materials.  Last week, I got two boxes of letter sized manila file folders at Office Depot...FREE after Rewards.  YAY! for free craft stuff!

Free after rewards!

Guess I best start cutting these up!

Library pocket dimensions, cutting & scoring guidelines.

 Simple cutting, scoring, snipping and taping.

So...put 'em together and whaddaya got?

Bibbity bobbity

Bibbity bobbity

Bibbity bobbity

BOOOOO!

Goodness!  I love 'em! 

Not boo...I do like Cinderella...who says shoes can't change ya life!?  Anyhoo...yay, for shoes changing your life...and for NON die cut library pockets!  I can decorate them and journal...looking forward to using these in my SMASH book and to using the same idea to create journaling cards / pockets for my son's baby book! 

So, in two days, I've effectively talked myself out of THREE PTI purchases:  (1) the spiral notebook paper die, (2) the library pocket die, (3) and the stamp set that stamps the lines on the paper. 

Supplies.

Whacha think?

Thanks for stopping by! Have a moo'valous day!

Paper & Pockets

I'm always on the lookout for journaling goodies.  It's hard for me to find that thing that will get me the "most bang for my buck".  The other day, I saw something at papertreyink that I loved.  A spiral notebook page die and a library pocket die!  Oh yes! 

Then I remembered...how silly to have a DIE to cut a rectangle.  HELLO?  Got a paper cutter? 

I set out to see if I could re-create without the DIE and with my FRNs intact.  (FRN - Federal Reserve Notes).  ;-) 

First up...spiral paper.   I grabbed a couple sheets of Whisper White cardstock & started cutting.

Dimensions for the faux spiral notebook paper.

I originally planned to use SU!'s Spiral Punch...but it just didn't look right.  Then I got to looking at that die again...and the holes are circular.  Hmmmm....how do I do this?

That'll work.  Now to punch 'em out!

Here's a comparison of the circular holes vs the SU! Spiral Punch.

Ok.  I was feeling cheap...this is not looking "perfect".  WHOA!  Back up the train here!  Perfect...it's not supposed to be perfect!  Each item is not supposed to match exactly.  It's hand crafted...granted...it's not TACKY, but the whole purpose of creating is to create, right?  OK.  I keep chugging along here...still sorta pining away for that die...I'm not giving up yet.

It's gotta look like it was ripped out.

Oh yeah...the die has perforations.  I know...that "handy dandy" SU! Cutter Tool.

Ahem...now, this was a frustrating experiment.  That "handy dandy" SU! Cutter Tool, among other things, has a perforation tool.  Now, I could NOT get it to go straight, even againt a ruler.  And I chugged and I chugged...I mean, I tried and tried.  Then, I got frustrated.  Bah!

I looked at the die, again...wait a minute...is that a row of round dots?  Uh, huh.  I grabbed the stitching template and the paper piercer and poked holes.  That was fun!  It's right up there with popping bubble wrap!  :-D  Poking holes in cardstock with a paper piercer!  Fun!

Lined notebook paper needs lines.  I don't need a stamp for lines either.  I used a ruler, Bashful Blue marker and the grid on the mat from the mat stack.  And NOPE, the lines are not perfectly spaced on each one of them.  That's ok.  They still look good.

Pile of hand designed spiral notebook paper.

These will make awesome journaling cards...they are unique and they have light lines for journaling.

Supplies.

I had fun with this...now I need a pocket...I'm drooling for a pocket die.  I no longer want the spiral paper die.  Now that I know how to make my own faux spiral notebook paper, I have no desire to purchase the die nor the stamp when I have the supplies, right here, on hand. 

I'll show ya the pocket I created tomorrow!

Thanks for stopping by!  Have a moo'valous day.

Counterfeit SMASH Book

The latest craze - SMASH Books from EK Success - is a throwback to the old days of scrapbooking.  Remember when scrapbooking was taping & gluing memorabilia in a scrapbook; photo albums were for photos?  That's the SMASH craze.  SMASH items are sold out online & I have yet to see them in the local big box craft store.  Hmmmm....my senior year of high school, I made a SMASH album.  The scrapbooker in me...cringed...the smashbooker in me...delighted!

My counterfeit SMASH notebook is a 9 x 12" sketch book.  And in my favorite color!

Each week during summer break, we try to do something special.  We went to the movies.  I always intend to scrap my ticket stubs...but that don't happen...sometimes I wind up throwing them away & even forgetting about it.

Now, I did fix this page about a week after the fact...and I fully intent to put pictures of Johnny Depp on the page.  ;-) 

Lookie:

I got out stuff I haven't used EVER! Like Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist in Snowflake, like Changito Pirates...I had made manila tags a few weeks ago...got those out...wow! I cut into the new Nautical Expedition DSP from the SU! Summer Mini...I love that paper. I stamped the DSP with the compass face image from Changito Pirates in Black Staz-on in a random pattern.

Remember, blank spots are for photos of Johnny Depp as Captain Jack.  :-D 

I sprayed this tag with Glimmer Mist and then crumpled it.  Dried with the heat gun.  Just look at that shimmer!  The tag was cut out of some old manila folders from work...one day, I just cut some tags and shaped them.  I have a bag of 'em. 

I just love the title, created with my Dymo label maker...now if that's not a blast from the past...I don't know what is.  Dymo label makers were the label makers of the 80's, back when scrapbooking was smashbooking. 

I love using what I have!  The only moo'la I'm out is the price of the sketch book & I used a 50% off coupon on that!  I think this is going to give me a chance to try new techniques & design ideas, as well as use up my stash.  Many times I like a product, purchase it and then find I really have no pictures to scrap with it or have an item I feel it's not something that needs a full page scrapped. 

So, whadayathink?  :-D

Sew Fashionable

I think it looks like something from a posh dressing room.

Lots of things going on here!  It all started with...ahem...I have NO idea!  I'll start where I started.  With this tutorial from Michelle Zindorf!  The inks I sponged were Crumb Cake for the wall & River Rock for the floor.  Then I stamped the sewing dummy from Sew Suite in Basic Black.  Then there was the VSN Mash Up challenge..in reference to the show Glee (which I do not watch, I'm a NCIS, Criminal Minds, Mentalist type of gal!)...which is to make your own mash up by using two (or more) techniques on your card or project!

I decided to paper piece.  A new one for me!  I already sponged and masked!  Then I found a sketch....SCS SC220...and WAIT...there's the Flybaby challenge to use at least five colors on your card! 

I'm pleased with the card.  Remember the red buttons and the crystal effects mess...yep...that's the button!  I'm loving the Patterns Pack in the In Colors - this is a hostess item from the big catalog.  I love the Concord Crush!  It looks awesome with the Pretties Kit pearls and the Raven Lace.  I'll be mailing this one in a padded envelope!

Thanks for stopping by!  Have a moo-valous day!

SUPPLIES:

Stamps: Sew Suite

Paper: SU! In Color 6 x 6 Pattern Pack (Hostess), Whisper White, Crumb Cake, Basic Black

Ink: Basic Black, River Rock, Crumb Cake

Accessories: Pop dots, Pretties Kit, Glue Dots, Sticky Strip, Raven Black Lace, Black Satin Ribbon, Faux Button, Sponges, Post It Notes, Basic Gray Marker

Techniques: Paper Piecing, Masking, Sponging, Faux Button

Dressing Up Counterfeited Buttons

A few days ago, I created faux buttons by counterfeiting.  Check out this post.

One of my readers left a comment about using Crystal Effects on faux buttons.  At the time, I had these little beauties drying.   

And I wondered WHY I purchased Circle Circus!   I was looking for stamp sets that had a circle motif.  And rediscovered these stamps!  That would be the larger Melon Manbo circles and the two left most matte buttons.  I think I like the Tangerine Tango buttons and the large Melon Mambo buttons best - where the images go to the edge and beyond.  If I'm going to choose a smaller image, I would probably leave them unfinished...I think the unfinished ones look like wooden buttons. 

This is my favorite!  So so pretty!  Glossy and shiny!  I love it!  Working with Crystal Effects is messy!  I dripped it on my work shirt...on my jeans...on my hands...good grief.  I did get most of it on the buttons, tho!  LOL  This was my first time working with something like this.  It was striking a balance between covering the top completely or getting it over the edge and the button stick to the paper yuckily.  I wonder what type of surface to set these on...I used Reynolds Wrap...but I wonder if waxed paper would work...something that's "easy release".  A rubber craft mat...I don't have.  A silicone baking sheet I do have.  Hmmmm....

You can see where I didn't get the Crystal Effects to the edge of the chipboard...depending on the project I use the buttons on...it'll be OK.

I really do like the Tangerine Tango buttons!    The stamped image is from SU! Charming.

My DS made these!  He wanted them left unfinished.  I think it makes them look like wooden buttons.  I even like the ink "overspill" on the buttons.  It would look really good on a very distressed piece.

Overall, I'm very happy with the faux buttons.  Definitely glad I counterfeited them!  ;-)  And I'm definitely embellishing more counterfeited buttons! 

Thanks for stopping by!  Have a moo-valous day!

SUPPLIES (all SU! unless stated otherwise)
Creation of the buttons themselves - see THIS post.
Embellishment supplies
Stamps:  Circle Circus, Charming
Ink: Tangerine Tango, Melon Mambo, Real Read, Chocolate Chip
Supplies & Accessories:  Crystal Effects

Counterfeit Buttons

That same release I mentioned here had me tempted with one more thing...a button die!  Oh goodness...I can make buttons from chipboard...felt....basically anything.  Yes, you can make buttons with DSP, cardstock and punches.  I haven't been brave enough to try to punch a piece of chipboard.  ;-) 

I got to thinking....hmmmm...I have that circle die...it has four sizes of circles....

'The details at this point...one 4 x 4 chipboard square covered all four circles on my die.  After die cutting, I ran one through my Xryon and made a sandwich.  After I had doubled the thickness of the cut out, I used my sanding block to "blend" the edges, round the edges and distress the flat surfaces. 

Using Tangerine Tango and the medallion from SU! Charming, I stamped the circles that were slightly smaller than the stamp.  Then...

Center a hole from the mat stack over the center of the button and make a dot in the middle of each of the two adjoining holes. 

Now the fun part...crop a dile time!  Remember to keep the fingers out of the way.  I noticed yesterday, I WAS keeping my fingers out of the way.  A pinch from the crop a dile is quite painful. 

The finished product!  Now, I really don't need a button die! 

Over the last two posts, I have shown how I talked myself out of a $54 plus shipping new release order.  I already had the stuff...and it really didn't take longer to D.I.Y. as it would to use the ready made products.  Plus, some of these steps...are fun....for me at least. 

Have a moo-valous day!

SUPPLIES:
Stamps - SU! Charming
Ink - SU! Tangerine Tango
Accessories / Tools:  SU! Big Shot, Chipboard, Sizzix Circle Die, SU! Crop A Dile, SU! Mat Stack, SU! Sanding Block