Day 1 Card Class, faux ceramic tile

Eeek! FUN technique today in Clean and Simple Card Making4 class. I love the look of this faux tile!! I used paper from Echo Park, 6x6 Ahoy There, for the mat behind the anchor.

The anchor and sentiment are by Paper Smooches from the Nauticool stamp set and coordinating dies. I love how it actually looks like a tile with the layers of embossing powder. Way cool!

Thanks for coming by. More to come all week!

DIY Tiered spinning organizer

As  most of you know, I recently gave the studio a makeover! I'm still in heaven and love every bit of it!! That said, however, it does not mean I won't be making minor changes here and there. I'm always on the lookout for awesome storage solutions....but, really, aren't we all?! LOL

Today I'm sharing how to make a spinning organizer for your worktop. This is the one I did as one of the new storage options for my space. This idea was inspired by this pretty spring-y spinner I saw on pinterest that was made by Regina Easter, seen here.

For my version, I started with pie tins I found at the thrift store. Cost: Less than $1 for all three of them. Score! Candlesticks from Dollar Tree, and the spinner piece from the bottom of a remote organizer we no longer used. Cost so far, $3.00.

You also may know that I have an extreme fondness for spray paint. I LOVE using spray paint to refurbish things that are still usable but maybe don't fit the color in the space where I'll use it. Obviously, in this case, paint was a must. I used this yummy color I like to call Tiffany Blue, which is actually called Blue Ocean Breeze, made by Krylon. For this project, I needed just one can of paint, less than $5. 

For the next part I didn't get any pics; my apologies. But using a compass or whatever works for you, mark the center of the largest pie pan and drill a hole through it the size of the screw that attaches the spinner piece {if you're lucky enough to find one like mine, you've got it made!} You may also choose to skip this part if you don't care to make one that spins. Or you may have to improvise if you can't find a solution as simple as mine turned out to be! Set aside the spinner for now.

Next, paint both sides of the pans and let them dry thoroughly between coats, if you choose to apply more than one. These were good after just two coats. The candlesticks also needed just two coats, but you'll want to be sure and paint the inside as well as the outside. Let everything dry a day or at least overnight.

Now comes assembly. First screw the spinny thing to the bottom of the largest tray. Be sure to test the spin to be sure it's not too tight and spins effortlessly, as there will be no way to adjust after the next step. Next, glue one of the candlesticks to the center of the bottom tray. I used Aleen's Turbo Tacky Glue {that stuff is awesome for gluing glass pieces together}. This covers the screw so there will be no way to make any adjustments to the spinner. Glue the next tray to the top {or bottom, however you place it} of the candlestick divider, then do the same with the second candlestick and smallest/final tray. Be sure to let the glue dry at least overnight to give it a good seal.

There you have it! Simple, yet extremely useful, project for about $8.00. :) Go forth and be creative, bloggy friends! Thanks for coming by the studio today.

 

MFT Color Challenge #14

This week's challenge is one of my fave color combos. I love these colors especially for winter pages. But my project today is a card. You can play along too! Check it out on the My Favorite Things Card Challenges Blog. I don't have any of the new MFT inks {yet!} so I used papers in the challenge colors. These are from some old Quickutz adhesive back paper pads I've had in my stash for eons. Or so. ;)

For the stack of presents I used the Jingle All The Way stamp set and matching dies. I used white pen for the bows and ribbons, and around each of the cut outs I colored with Copic, Cool Gray No.1 to give it a little depth.

The sentiment is from the Birthday Sentiments stamp set. At first I was bummed that this came out kind of messy. But then I decided I like it and that it looks sort of 'distressed' this way! So I didn't redo it. :)

 Color palette for this challenge:

Products Used:
My Favorite Things, Birthday Sentiments
My Favorite Things, Jingle All the Way stamp set
My Favorite Things, Jingle All the Way die set
My Creative Time, Rectangle Frames dies
Other:
Copic Cool Gray No.1, Sakura white pen, Archival Black ink, Versamark ink, white embossing powder, green twine, Quickutz adhesive back cardstock

MFT Challenge, Sketch 212

My Favorite Things Sketch Challenge. After I finished my card I thought, "hmm...this would make a great masculine card." So now I'm not sure if it will work for my original plan. LOL I really like it though and the typewriter stamp and die are among my favorites from My Favorite Things. The set is called Just My Type. The flags are from the Stax Fishtail Flags die set.

I used a couple of other sets along with it to make my sentiment. The heart row is from the coupon book stamp set {I'm sorry, I don't know what it's called and I was unable to find it on the site.} and sentiments from Birthday Sentiments.

Products Used:
My Favorite Things, Just My Type stamp set
My Favorite Things, Just My Type typewriter die
My Favorite Things, Coupon book stamp set
My Favorite Things, Birthday Sentiments
My Favorite Things, STAX Fishtail Flag dies
My Favorite Things, Primitive Cream cardstock
My Creative Time, Rectangle Frames dies

Lawn Fawn, Lawnscaping Challenge

Today's challenge is for Lawn Fawn's Lawnscaping Challenge blog. The challenge here is to make your own background using stamps. I have to admit, this really IS a challenge for me. I'm never happy with backgrounds that I create myself...including this one. :/ But it gets the message across, and fits the challenge. Overall, I like my card, but, well, the background.... ppffttt. Oh well.

I used the super cute Clear to See stamp set by Lawn Fawn for the glasses and sentiment. The hearts, lips and the rest are by Paper Smooches from the Sweet Hearts stamp set.

Products Used:
Lawn Fawn, Clear to See stamp set
Paper Smooches, Sweet Hearts stamp set
My Creative Time, Rectangle Frames and Love to Learn dies
Bazzill Swiss Dot red cardstock

Paper Smooches Sparks Challenge

It's time for the Anything Goes challenge. I made this card for hubby, creating my own sentiment using a couple of different Paper Smooches stamp sets. I've always called him 'honey pie'. :) I used distress inks and water to add color to the images and "love" word.

To make the pie dimensional, I stamped and cut it three times, layering with foam tape between. It's one of my fave techniques and the reason I'm so happy there are matching dies for these stamps!

I tried to get a pic of the sparkle I added using Wink of Stella. Hope you can see it. :)

Products Used:
Paper Smooches, Bee Mine stamps and dies
Paper Smooches, Love Struck {hearts, and "my"}
My Creative Time, Rectangle Frames dies
My Creative Time, Love to Learn chalkboard die
My Creative Time, 4x4 Journal Die + more {mini frame die, center cut out}
Tim Holtz Distress Inks, walnut stain, ripe persimmon, fired brick; water brush

Melonheadz Friends CAS Challenge

It's time for the next Melonheadz Friends challenge! This week's challenge is CAS, Clean and Simple. I used the new Lucy Doris Valentine set and a freebie sentiment I've had in my stash forever.

I used a stamp set for the eyes, xoxo border, and tiny hearts. Hope you'll join us for this week's challenge. Remember to link up on the Melonheadz Friends blog to be included in the drawing as well!! Happy Monday, bloggy friends. :)

Product List:
Melonheadz, Lucy Doris Valentine Bundle
Melonheadz, freebie sentiment
My Creative Time, Rectangle Frames and Love to Learn dies
My Creative Time, Build a Post Card and 100% Sweetness stamps
Clear embossing powder, glossy accents, copic markers, eye stamp

My Creative Time Sketch and Photo Inspiration Challenge

Today's challenge is from My Creative Time. {see sketch and photo inspiration below} I love the color combo in the photo and the banners on the sketch. Fun challenge!! The rectangle frames are a staple for card making and I used the two larger ones for this card. The small rectangle is the chalkboard die from the Love To Learn set, and the 'love' word die is from the Family is Everything set.

You can see in the photo the beaded pillow with "love" across it. The beads inspired the cork paper for my project. I really like the texture of the cork paper and it sort of mimics the look of the beads, I think. To make my banners, I got creative with some of the MCT dies. For the largest banner, I used the chevron dies, and for the two smaller banners I used the Vintage Label banner and Chocolate Greetings flag cutting them apart to stretch them longer as my paper scraps were too short. Sneaky, heh? ;)

Product List:
My Creative Time, Rectangle Frames
My Creative Time, Love to Learn
My Creative Time, Family is Everything
My Creative Time, Chevron dies
My Creative Time, Vintage label banner die
My Creative Time, Chocolate Greetings flag die
Cork paper, embossing paste, dots stencil, pattern paper scraps

Paper Smooches Picture Perfect Sparks Challenge

This week's Sparks Challenge is a photo inspiration (see photo below). Here's my interpretation. I used a jar die cut from clear acetate to use as my vase and added silver to the top and bottom for interest. The foliage is from the Paper Smooches Botanicals2 stamp set, fussy cut and dressed up with pen and stickles.

In this closer view you can see the twine and flower I added around the neck of the jar. The twigs are an old die by Quickutz. 

Products Used:
Paper Smooches, Botanicals 2 stamp set
My Creative Time, Rectangle Frames
My Creative Time, 3x4 Journal Card
My Creative Time, Chunky Jar die
Quickutz, branches die
Other: Twine, Prima flower, bling, stickles, acetate, silver cardstock

My Favorite Things, Sketch Challenge 211

First, let me acknowledge my grandson, Jeffery, for whom I made this card. Second, you had better sit down if you remember me posting about him over the years. {Darla, I'm mostly speaking to you, girlfriend!!} Jeffery's birthday is the 25th. And yes.....he will be 21. Holy crap. Yep, dead serious. My little buddy is an adult, the real kind that can legally enter a bar! But I digress.

My card for this challenge is of the masculine variety. Not always easy to achieve, but I found that this Basic Grey paper pad is perfect for manly-type projects. I hope you agree.

The banner sentiment is by My Favorite Things, stars, oval and rectangle dies by My Creative Time.

Inside message:
"Happy" is also by My Favorite Things, and the number stamps are Paper Smooches.

Products Used:
My Favorite Things, Birthday Sentiments
My Creative Time, Rectangle Frames
My Creative Time, Scalloped Stitched Ovals
My Creative Time, Stitched Stars
Paper Smooches, Digits
Basic Grey 6x6 paper pad, Granola
Foam tape, fussy cutting

A Beary Special Sneak Peek!

Today's project includes the upcoming freebie stamp set, I Love You Beary Much, (pictured below) from My Creative Time. This set will be available for purchase on Friday, January 16. See the My Creative Time blog for details and how you can be one of the first 200 to receive I Love You Beary Much for free!

In addition to the freebie set, I have also used the new bear dies, that coordinate with the original bear set, Beary Special Thoughts, as well as the stitched heart and scallop heart dies.

The bear dies coordinate with the Beary Special Thoughts stamp set. There is a die for each of the two bears. It's hard to tell in the pic, but I put my little guy on foam tape for extra dimension and cut it from pattern paper cuz it's cute!

Thanks for coming by the blog today. Be sure to check out Emma's blog at My Creative Time for details on how you can get this freebie set, and also how you could win stamps for an entire year!!!!!














My Creative Time, I Love You Beary Much *new*
My Creative Time, Bear dies *new*
My Creative Time, Beary Special Thoughts
My Creative Time, Stitched Sweetheart die
My Creative Time, Scallop Heart die
My Creative Time, Rectangle Frames dies
Carta Bella 6x6 paper pad, Devoted
Foam tape, button, twine, ribbon, copics, white pen

Paper Smooches, Anything Goes Challenge

I wasn't specifically going for a Valentine here, but it seems to have turned out that way. :) It's the Anything Goes Sparks Challenge at Paper Smooches. For this card I used the A Little Lovin stamps and coordinating dies. The hearts are also dies by Paper Smooches.

The kangaroo is on a wobble though I wasn't able to get a good picture of that for you. Sorry. Isn't he so cute, though. The sentiment is part of the A Little Lovin stamp set, and the heart border below is also from the Hearts die set.

Thanks for coming by today!

Products Used:
Paper Smooches, A Little Lovin stamp set
Paper Smooches, A Little Lovin Dies, set1
Paper Smooches, Hearts dies
My Creative Time, Rectangle Frames dies
Action Wobble, foam tape, pattern paper scraps, ribbon

MFT Color Challenge

Hello again, and welcome to another My Favorite Things Challenge. This time the challenge is a color palette, and a very pretty one too. I call it summery and cheerful.

I used the Echo Park Paradise Beach 6x6 paper pad for my card. It has all the colors of the challenge in these papers so it was kind of a no-brainer on my part. My card design was inspired by a Valentine I saw on pinterest this morning by Wanda Guess. Super cute banner made so simply using a small triangle die and scraps from the same paper pad.

I used foam tape between the hearts for extra dimension.

Challenge Color Palette

Products Used:
My Favorite Things, Happy Heart Snowman stamp set
My Favorite Things, Mini Royal Roses rolled flower dies
My Creative Time, Rectangle Frames dies
My Creative Time, Stitched Oval dies
QK nesting heart dies, triangle die
Paper Trey Ink cloud die
Technique Tuesday, Everything Jolly stamp set {heart}
Echo Park, Paradise Beach 6x6 paper pad
Foam tape, twine, floral stamens, hot glue, glossy accents