crafting this and that

I actually made another holiday card! Kind of the same idea as the other one, pretty much using the same things. I used the same snowflake stamp set from Hero Arts. However, this time I used white embossing powder on PTI Pure Poppy cardstock. Again, it was a little messy, hopefully the little specks of white, aren't too obvious in the photo. Again, same Sizzlit die cut set for the sentiment. This is the one I initially tried to emboss in black but it came out way too spotty with black embossing powder all over the place so I just stamped it in black ink. The sentiment also came in the Hero Arts prize package. I just noticed Jennifer McGuire's blog entry about a powder tool that she said she uses prior to embossing. Maybe I'll just try more baby powder next time. The snowflake is a chipboard piece from Maya Road that I pressed into the versamark ink then sprinkled with white embossing powder. I think the embossed layer wasn't thick enough, but I covered the whole th...

Hi!  Made some notecards for my kids' teachers for Xmas.  Same idea as last year !  But the teachers receiving them are different.  I used each of the apple designs from PTI's Teacher's Apple stamp set on cream cardstock and envelopes. Wrapped up 12 notecards and envelopes for each of the teachers.  I stamped their names beneath the apples using Just Rite stampers tiny alphabet set. I've had the above stamp for a few months now and I haven't used it yet so I'd like to give it away.  I don't think we have that many readers so I'll send this stamp to the first person that leaves a comment on this post (not including Cheryl, of course).  Sorry, but I think I have to limit this to the US only.  Hope someone can put this stamp to good use. Thanks for reading and have a great week!

Finally, I started on some Christmas cards! Which is unusual in itself because I pretty much send only Christmas photo cards...just have to make one, then print out multiple copies. Again, reminds me that we haven't even taken our family photo for this year yet. But I thought I should make something because I actually won the Hero Arts prize from Kristina Werner's blog! I couldn't believe that, that was totally shocking. I randomly enter things like that here and there, but I don't really expect to win anything. So here's a card using the snowflake set, "Enjoy the Season." It is just PTI cardstock in Aqua Mist and Hibiscus Burst. (I should have used the Hero Arts cards that I also received, but I thought if I messed up, at least I have relatively more sheets of cardstock than wasting the real cards). I was mostly playing around with embossing powders, which got a little messy. I don't know how people keep their powder from sticking to the cardstock. ...

Hi!  Wow, so my first PTI blog hop yesterday was fun!  Thanks for all the sweet comments!  There were lots of pretty and amazing tags made by other bloggers.  I tried to check out as many blogs as I could yesterday in between cooking and eating and eating some more.  It's the first time I had to cook a whole Thanksgiving dinner for my family.  And we learned that rubbing a whole stick of butter inside and outside of the turkey really does make it moist.  We cooked it in the bag and it was really simple and yummy.   I made these little metal bookmarks following Nicole Heady's tutorial .  Some will be Xmas gifts for teachers and some for family.  I think I like the silver one the best. I used the Book Print Impression Plate before die cutting it with the bookmark topper die for some of these bookmarks.  All the felt is from PTI.  I love PTI felt!  I think I have almost one of every color. Before I go, I wanted to thank...

So this is my first time ever in participating in a blog hop of any kind, especially for PTI so it makes me a little nervous.  Hahaha.  Usually I'm just a commenter.  I love to look at other people's blogs--such amazing ideas and projects. These might look familiar.  I made something similar HERE .  I kind of tweaked it a little since the first one I made was a tight squeeze for the tags I made. The tags fit better this time because I left more space above. It also helps that this matchbook cover doesn't fold flat. I started with a 3.5 x 8.5 inch cardstock. I scalloped one edge and then scored it a 3/4 inch, 4.5 inches and 4.75 inches. I used the pocket die to hold the labels and taped that about 1/2 inch above the score line closest to the scalloped edge.  I added thin tape below the scallop edge and folded that over for the cover to slip into.  You may have to trim the cover just a bit for the cover to slip in nicely and not push the tape...

Hi!  Thought I'd participate in Club Anya's Saturday Sketch since I haven't done a challenge in a while and these sketches really help me put cards together.  I tried distressing the edges with my Tim Holtz paper distresser.  Man, you can get really carried away using the distresser.  And it gets a little messy.  I think my hubby was wondering why I cut the paper up when I bought it so nice and clean looking.  I guess it's kind of like buying jeans and ripping them up to look old.  Though I never did that and never would. Beanie Anya is so cute and cheerful.  She looks super cozy here. The ribbon, flowers and button are all from the blog candy I had won from Amy Young .  Still working through the stash she sent me. Thanks for reading and have a great day!

The day before my daughter's lego robotics qualifying tournament, we decided we should make her teammates some leis.  I didn't want to make the usual candy lei so I dug out one of my old magazines that showed a tutorial on how to weave this yarn lei through your fingers.  The magazine is now out of business but I found a tutorial online HERE if you're interested in making these leis.  It's pretty fast and simple.  We made 9 leis and it was easy for my daughter to make some too.  I just tied on a bag of goodies and a lego keychain.  I bought this penguin one for my daughter.  I didn't get a picture of all the leis. At the end of the tournament on Saturday, the kids were disappointed to learn that although they worked super hard and was thisclose to getting an award, they didn't qualify.  Lots of down faces that day and really the parents took the news hard too.  But through some kind of miracle, the kids learned after school today at a sp...

There's a big sale over at Die Cuts r Us !  Lots of cute stamps, paper and embellishments and Copics too.  She always has such great prices too that it's hard to resist picking up something.  I can't believe it's almost Thanksgiving now and then it'll be Xmas before you know it.  Hope you have a great week and a wonderful Thanksgiving!

This is a little easel card I made for my daughter.  It's the first time I've used Pure Innocence stamps.  I thought this one was so cute with her little wagon and so perfect for the occasion.  My daughter has been working so hard to participate in her school's Lego Robotics team.  They practice endlessly and she's given up lots of free time and had to give up swimming and participating in this season's tennis league.  But she loves to go to the lego practices.  She almost gave it all up because she was so afraid of public speaking.  They have to make an oral presentation to a small group of judges this Saturday.  She had quit but one of her coaches asked her to reconsider and I'm so happy that she did.  I think she is glad she stuck with it too.  She's practiced so much and in front of so many different people that it's becoming less scary to speak.  I know her team will do well this Saturday and hopefully will make it to the state...

If these look familiar it's because I made the same little desk caddies for my kids' teachers last year too.  See HERE .  These are made from Lauren Meader's template over at PTI.  See HERE .  And speaking of PTI, I can't wait until their November release!  I think I say that every month.  I can't believe all the cute sets and dies they come out with.  I think I've really gotten my monies worth with this template. This one is for my son's kindergarten teacher who was also my daughter's kindergarten teacher so we couldn't be happier.  She is a great teacher and hopefully she will be there for our youngest one too.  Stamp is Teacher Anya from TGF and paper is from October Afternoon.  I used PTI's spiral note paper die and their School Time stamp set for the handwriting lines and the bus.  I lightly penciled in the teacher's name and my son traced over it just to make sure her whole name would fit.  You know how kids tend to squ...

Do you own so many stamps, you forget what you have and when you remember you have it, you can't find it?  That's what happened to cute Puddle Jumpers Princess Chloe from Claudia & Co. which I bought over at DCRU.  Before I could really dive into all the Xmas crafts I had to make a little giftcard holder for a little girl's birthday and she's going to be celebrating it at Disneyland!  So I bought her a Disney Princess giftcard. But it's the kind of GC that has that extra card on the top and I didn't want to just break it off cause on the back it has the To and From and Message info.  Plus it's so cute whole.  Anyway, I decided to alter the GC holder Cheryl posted about HERE .   The tutorial was from Dandelion Designs.  Because the GC is so long I used 3 pieces.  The first is piece of cardstock 4.5 x 12 inches.  Then score it in the middle at 6 inches. The second piece was 5 x 4.25 inches and scored at a 1/4 inch on 3 sides. ...

Hi!  I haven't blogged in a while.  At least Cheryl got to post more projects.  Yay!!  I've been busy crocheting trying to get some Xmas presents done.  I made these little crocheted flower pins and followed the pattern found on the Lion Brand Yarn website.  You have to register to see the pattern but it's free.  The pattern number is L0134AD if you're interested.  All the yarn is from Lion Brand as well. I bought the pins from Ben Franklin a couple years ago but never even opened the package!  So I'm glad I got to use these pins.  I used some leftover PTI kraft paper, punched holes on either side and slipped the pins in.  I used my hot glue gun to glue the flower onto the pin.  I hope they don't fall off. Finished packaging.  I tied on a little label, all PTI except the brown baker's twine is Martha Stewart.  The flowers were relatively fast to crochet but there were lots of little mini steps involved.  B...