SO Sparkly!

I told you in my post yesterday that I was finishing my my "stuff" and then I was going to go work on a bracelet. Well, here it is!!! I designed it all by myself!!! My plans are to have them for sale in my store! Hopefully early this week!

Ok, here it is in all it's blinding "bling!" LOL There are two pictured in the one photo. And then I took a close-up. It's very pretty but doesn't photograph (by me) well.

They are made using Swarvoski Crystal Rose Montees. Very fun to work with and VERY sparkly!!! If you click on the photos you will be able to see them closer.

Show Me Yours!! Tissue Holder - Weekend Project

You would not believe how much trouble I had making this little tissue holder. I thought it would be simple. Well, actually it was simple but you have to write things down properly or it doesn't work out right!!!! LOL

I got these tissues at Rainbow Foods. They come 8 in a package for $1.00. Such a deal!!! These tissues measure about 2" x 4". They are NOT the same size as the Kleenix brand ones.

I thought it would be a GREAT thing for the fall craft fairs coming up. SO I got out my scrap paper and began working on the pattern. Then I got out the ruler!!! UGH! There's where it all went wrong. Working in fractions. Another big UGH!!!! And after 3 failures I finally got it figured out. I had written a measurement wrong and I followed it wrong in making my "final" copy! Oh no, it was the 4th time. Not a failure on the 3rd one, just the wrong color of card stock!!! Anyway, I got the color of card stock right (white - like that was so hard to do!) and then I used some pieces of decorative paper. Now this is a PERFECT way to use up a LOT of decorative papers and hopefully make some cash to buy the new papers that are coming out!!

I think these would not only be great for craft fairs (great profit margin in them too) but they'd make fun Hostess Gifts, Customer Appreciation Gifts, Stamp Camp and even a fun Make N Take.

Here are the measurements to my own personally design for this tissue holder. If you use these in your projects please give me the proper credit and if you're showing them on your blog I'd appreciate a link back to my blog.

To make this holder you will need to cut your card stock 6-5/8" x 7-5/8"

On the long side score as follows: 7/8", 1-3/4", 5-7/8" and 6-3/4"

On the short side score has follows: 2-1/8", 3", 5-1/8" and 6"

Cut away the areas marked with an "x".

Fold in all the score lines.

To make the slot for the tissue to come out you will need the Word Window punch. This is a punch that I will never get rid of even if it's retired. I make and sell TOO many tissue holders to let that gem slip through my fingers!!!

Fold in the smallest scored area and then fold inward once more. Take your Word Window punch and punch as close to the center of the larger area. You will need to move the punch over to the right and widen the hole there and then slide over to the left and widen it on the other end as well. You want to have about 3/4" on each side.

You will need to trim the flaps a bit on each side. Trim from the fold line outward just a little so they fit inside the holder better. Also trim the top and bottom larger flaps too. Doing this really does make the hold thing fit together better.

Once you are done with this you are ready to assemble the holder. It's VERY simple to do, it just requires taping or gluing on the thin end. You can use a bone folder and slide it inside the holder along the taped line to hold it in place. Be careful not to cut along the folds just below the window punch. I caught a bit of it in my punch. You can't fix this! If you're going to make a lot of these you may want to make a template and then trace the window on the inside of each holder. You won't regret it!!

Now decorate away. And here is where I had trouble. With the other tissue holder I did I had a large area to work in. (By the way, I didn't design that one and I was informed that the pattern is only available to demonstrators - which is too bad and is why I'm making one for you here).

So this is where the "Show Me Yours" comes into play. Make a tissue holder and email me your designs (with your first name - last initial is optional) and I will post it on my blog. It's your turn to give me some ideas!!! Now the stress is on you!!! LOL Go have fun and show me yours!!!

This item was made entirely of Stampin' Up! products. To view more items made entirely of Stampin' Up! products click here.

Thank you SO much for stopping by,
Wanda

A Little Old Meets Very New!

Mixing some older decorative paper "Le Jardin" with the new stamp set "Wow Flowers." I pre-orded this set because I thought it would be a very versatile set. It also has a "Thank You" image with it. This image has a flower in the "o" of the word you. With room for a brad in the center or to even punch out the center. I'm going to play with this set a bit and see what I can come up with. And the other image is a flower but it could pass for a snowflake. The ends of the flower part have a large dot on them that could be punched out or could accommodate brads. It looks like it has a lot of potential too. I used two of the stamps in that set on this card. I love the little "birthday wishes" and as you can see it fits nicely in the word window punch. And my assumption here is that punch will be in the new catalog!!! Hope so, I LOVE using it for many things!!

SO onto this card. I used the decorative paper as my backgrounds. There is very little stamping on this card. The birthday circle and the words is pretty much it. I stamped the birthday wishes and punched it out with the 1" circle punch. I stamped the image again using So Saffron ink and cut out the flower. I set it on top of the flower in the circle I had punched out and poked a hole in the two of them for my brad. I layered it on top of Always Artichoke and Sahara Sand squares. I used the ticket corner punch on the larger corners. I added a little Artichoke ribbon and tied a bow.

It was a pretty simple card to make and very fun. I may use up a lot of my decorative papers on some more cards like this. My stash is getting pretty big. I need to start using them more or purchase them less. Hmmm, which one is more doable for me???? We know I can't NOT buy the new stuff!!! LOL

This item was made entirely of Stampin' Up! products. To view more items made entirely of Stampin' Up! products click here.

I designed a bracelet yesterday and now I'm off to make one and write down the directions as I work on it. I'd rather just design them!!! I'll post a photo of it tomorrow!

Thank you SO much for stopping by,
Wanda

Technique Page Pencil Over

Isn't this a refreshing technique?? Here's a fun technique that I've had for a LONG time. It's a technique that has been around a while but not too many people do it. Why I'm not sure. It may be because the background needs to be dark?? Maybe because it takes a little bit of time to do. But there are other techniques that take a lot more time. I really don't know. It's not that it's not a popular one it's just not a well known one like cracked glass or the waxed paper resist one is. I like the technique and use it when I want something different.

For this technique you need a white craft ink pad, black card stock, colored pencils and fairly solid to completely solid stamps.

You stamp your images using the white craft ink. You do need to allow the ink to dry. You can speed up the drying time by using the heat tool. Once the ink is dry you will take your colored pencils and color in the white ares. Use contrasting colors to give the areas dimension. You can use this as a background or cut and use shapes as your focal piece.

You don't need expensive colored pencils for this technique. Any colored pencil will work. Though some of the really cheap ones don't have enough wax in them to leave much color behind and those tend to leave more of an indentation in your card stock than color!

Give this technique a try, it's a LOT of fun!!!

Thanks SO much for stopping by,
Wanda

Wedding Card Redo Suggestion!!

Adding the wider ribbon made the original card much better in that area of the card. And this time I went with Crystalshope's suggestion of using the bride and groom from the Stampin' Up! "Viola to Go" set. I think adding that to the circle (just like the Mr. & Mrs. stamps did) let you know it was definitely a wedding card!!!

There were not that many elements to these cards which can sometimes be a good thing and other times can make a card look like you didn't finish it or got lost while designing it!!! I get lost a lot!!! LOL

I find simpler cards to be more of a challenge for me and there are times when I step out of my box and try out one of those simpler cards with very few pieces to it. And most times I produce a card I like and then there are times that the card becomes a struggle and I ask you for your opinion!!! I got a LOT of great ideas though I didn't have a lot of the stamps or supplies that were suggested. There's a lot of talented stampers out there!!! Why aren't you all blogging and showing your creations?????

It was fun doing this. I'll have to seek out your help again sometime soon. SO I will be contacting Crystalshop and getting her snail mail address!!!

I have some fun stuff lined up here for this weekend. NO, I don't have them done. I just have the ideas written down and am looking for the opportunity to play and create!!! With craft fairs coming up I like to share what I make for those and hope they will be a good seller!!!

Thank you SO much for stopping by,
Wanda

Wednesday Sketch Challenge at SplitCoastStampers

I took a break from re-working that wedding card I posted on Monday to do the Wednesday Sketch Challenge at SplitCoastStampers. This was fun sketch. I wasn't going to do a winter card but I had the photos sitting out and thought I'd give it a try. It's cute but nothing I would do for Christmas cards. I would have to cut out the top part, the snowman face from each photo using a x-acto knife and cutting very carefully and straight too! Something I could do but to do 130 of them I can pretty much guarantee you that about 80 of them will not be SO straight anymore!!! And think of the cramps in the hand!!! For this one I used two photos so I didn't have to cut out the center of the photo. But to do that many Christmas cards I would have to be a bit more frugal!! SO I just did the one for the Wednesday challenge at SplitCoast.

And then I made another one. The "To Have and to Hold" set was the one I had in mind when I saw the sketch. I was hoping the bride and groom would fit in the other direction but they didn't so I had to turn the card. My first thought with this was, had the bride and groom gone the other direction was to put the Mr. on one side of the couple and the Mrs. on the other side where that strip that goes through the middle is. But it didn't work out that way and this is what I came up with. I am still toying with the idea of doing the Mr. & Mrs. in a circle, layering it and adding it to the bottom right corner of the bride and groom piece.

I was SO fortunate to be able to play with the sketch and make two. This is the first time I've ever made two on the same day and two different ones at that!!!

Tomorrow I will pick another of the ideas that were left in the comment section on Monday's card and re-do the card with that suggestion.

Thank you SO much for stopping by,
Wanda

Technique Page Cracked Glass

Here's an oldie but goodie!! The "Cracked Glass" technique. This is a very fun technique to do too! And not very difficult, just a bit time consuming because of all the layers of embossing powder you need to heat. Using the Ultra Thick Embossing Enamel (UTEE) makes it go a little quicker because it's thick and melts thicker too.

Take your finished stamped image and cover it with the embossing ink pad. Sprinkle the UTEE on and heat it until it melts. Repeat this 4 to 6 times to get a nice thick coat over the image. Once you have it as thick as you'd like it, place it in the freezer for at least 10 minutes. Remove it and gently give the image small bends to crack it. Repeat the bending until the cracking has been achieved. Once the image warms up it will not crack but you can refreeze it and then crack it some more. To enhance the cracks rub a dark ink over the top of the surface and wipe off any excess. Layer onto card stock and use on your cards or scrapbook pages.

If pieces should crack off just put them back on if you can find them and reheat the whole thing. Put it back in the freezer and then crack it again. It's kind of hard to ruin it!!!

This is another page I will be including in my Techniques Page book and also will be included in the pages I will be giving away as Blog Candy when my blog reaches 500,000 hits. The numbers are rolling by fast and I need to start posting these more often or it's going to be a pretty slim book!!!

This item was made entirely of Stampin' Up! products. To view more items made entirely of Stampin' Up! products click here.

To see the other Technique Pages, click here.

Thanks SO much for stopping by,
Wanda

I Received an Award!!!

I received this award from Jeani at Scrappin' in Paradise. Thank you Jeani!!!

The rules for this award are as follows: 1) The winner can post the logo on her blog. 2) Link the person you received your award from. 3) Nominate at least 7 other blogs. 4) Put links of those blogs on yours. 5) Leave a message on the blogs you've nominated. So the 7 I am going to nominate are:

Sara
Melissa
Jan

Sandy

Nancy

MJ

Diane

Is Bigger REALLY Better?

Got your attention on that one, didn't I!!! LOL

On a few of the comments it was suggested that I try the bigger wider ribbon. SO here is what I did. I used the 7/8" Black Organdy ribbon. I hope Stampin' Up! comes out with the black in the wider grosgrain and a few more colors too!!!

I changed the champagne to the "Mr. & Mrs. from the Stampin' Up! "Together Forever" set. Tanya suggested this in an email to me. I will be emailing Tanya to get her snail mail address to send her a set of 4 of this layout. I had cut my "Mr. & Mrs." stamp in half so I could use each one individually. I cut it so I can still put the two pieces together and use them as one stamp too. I do like having the versatility of the two pieces.

I will play some more with your suggestions and select another "winner" of the suggestions to the first card. This is fun!!! I need a little bit of "change" in my life right now. It's kind of like one of those games where you have so many parts to a puzzle and everyone helps put it together!!! I LOVE getting these suggestions. It can show me things I've never thought of before or things I've forgotten. I'm not use to doing "simple" cards. Most of mine consist of at least 40 layers!!! LOL And it's obvious that I need help with the simple things!!!

Thank you SO much for stopping by,
Wanda

What You "See" is Not Always What You Get!!! Challenge/Candy?

I had this card in mind. I wanted to make a very simple wedding card. I wanted to use the Cuddlebug folder. I wanted to use "something" in a 1/4" circle. I wanted to layer it with a larger circle. And I wanted it in black and white.

It's obviously in black and white. I did use the Cuddlebug folder. I did use the 1/4" circles layered and there is "something" in the circle. But this "something" isn't doing it for me. SO it looks like I'll be working on a few more wedding cards this week!!!

Any suggestions??? If I have the images and I use your suggestion I will not only post it here giving you credit but I will send you 4 with envelopes for you to use when you need a wedding card!!!

Thank you SO much for stopping by and I look forward to your suggestions!!
Wanda

Technique Page Waxed Paper Resist

This is a VERY fun technique. I LOVE doing the Waxed Paper Resist on my backgrounds. There was a time that Stampin’ Up! had a background called "On Safari" that looked a lot like this. When I had that stamp I stopped using this technique but now that it’s long been retired I’m back to using this again.

This is another page that I will be adding not only to my Technique Book but also to the pages I will be giving away as Blog Candy when my blog reaches 500,000 hits!!! It's moving fast so I'd better get a move on these pages!!!

It is a very simple one to do too. I just don’t like to do it when DH is home. You see, I have several shirts hanging in the laundry room that need ironing and I would be asked why I could get the iron out for this but not for the shirts!! LOL And sometimes (SOMETIMES) I feel guilty when I do get the iron out for this technique and don’t iron the shirts. But the guilt passes once I get back to my worktable to play!!! LOL

Your waxed paper should be larger than the paper your card stock. Crumple up the waxed paper and straighten it back out again. Once it's crumpled it will be smaller, that is why you want it larger than your card stock. Sandwich it between your card stock. Place a piece of copier paper over the top of that. You don’t want any waxed paper to touch your iron. With the iron set on medium slowly iron over the papers. You can lift an edge and peek under to see if the waxed paper melted onto the card stock. The colored card stock is ready to use.

For the glossy card stock, ink up the brayer and roll it over the paper until the color become sone tone. The wax will resist the ink and only the ink color will show. It’s now ready to use!!!

In the photo here, the dark colored piece is the colored card stock and the lighter one is the glossy card stock. No two pieces will look alike. I like to cut my card stock in half because I don’t really need two full sheets of the background paper (unless I’m doing a swap and need a lot).

Pretty simple and VERY fun!!!

This item was made entirely of Stampin' Up! products. To view more items made entirely of Stampin' Up! products click here. For more Technique Pages click here.

Thank you SO much for stopping by,
Wanda

Weekend Project! Fun for the Kids!

This is a very fun coloring folder to make for the kids for those long rides to grandma’s house. I would think they’d be fun for party favors as well!!!

To make this project you will need the following items:
Colored card stock
3 sheets of Whisper White card stock
Double sided tape - preferably the Red Line tape
Fun to color in rubber stamps - kids themes
Decorative paper
Fastener
Corner Rounder (optional)

Start out with your colored card stock. Cut it 8-3/4" x 4". Score on the long side at 2-7/8", slide over to 3-5/8", 6-1/2" and 7-1/4". Fold all the score lines in using your bone folder to get a nice sharp fold.

For the box that will hold the coloring cards cut the card stock 4-3/4" x 3-1/4". Score on the long side at 1/4" and ½". Turn and score the other end the same. For the bottom part of the long side score at 1/4" and ½". You will be snipping away the bottom corner squares on each side leaving one for a flap. Cut away 3 of the 4 visible squares on the bottom corners. The one square left is the flap that you will fold in first when assembling this piece. So when you cut the 3 squares off the corners, make sure you cut the same 3 off on the other side. You will need to cut one side of the square left so it will be held on by one score line. Make sure you snip the other side to match or your flaps will be on different folds. And if that happens it is ok, it will still work.

I used a 3/4" punch to make the half circle mark on the center of the coloring card holder.

Next you will tape the flap in first and then the edges but you will tape them all at the same time. If you tape the flap first and secure it, it makes it a bit difficult to tape the other edges. It can be done but not very easy. Set the taped piece in place on the left large piece of the inside of the holder. If you happen to tape it on the right then you will just move your crayons to the left. Not a big deal. Kids aren’t picky when it comes to stuff like this. They just like getting "stuff!"

Using the Red Line tape, tape the crayons in place.


For the coloring pages I cut the white card stock 3-3/4" x 2-3/4". I cut 3 sheets of card stock up for this. Not all of my stamped images stamped clearly so I had room for error. Fill the holder with as many coloring cards as you’d like or that will fit.

For the front I used some fun decorative paper I ran across. I cut the larger piece 3-5/8" x 2-5/8". For the flap I cut that piece 3-5/8" x 1-1/4". I used the corner rounder on the two corners. I then taped them in place.

You have several options as to how you want the cover to close. I chose the easiest and the quickest. I used the seamless hair binders. Others will work, even rubber bands. You may want to find something that the kids can afford to lose! I had thought about using brads and hemp but then the brads had sharp ends and I didn’t want to have that on something that children play with. And I thought about using a magnet sheet but keeping in mind that kids set things anywhere I could only imagine what would be clinging to it!! SO I went with the hair binder.

This was a very fun project to make. And with August just around the corner and BIG sales on crayons it’s a good time to get some of these started and wait for those low price school supplies to make their way into your carts!!!

For more weekend projects click here.


Thanks SO much for stopping by,
Wanda

Keeping it Simple!

I just wanted to make a simple card. I had dug out a tractor stamp by PSX. I embossed it in black on Real Red card stock. I layered it in white and black. I was a bit disappointed in the background. I was hoping it would show up more. I used Versa Mark instead of red ink. I prefer to use the ink that matches the card stock, it shows up better on the backgrounds. Live and learn, right??

But like I stated, it's a very simple card. Simple to make and simple looking too. No frills at all. Definitely a masculine card!!!

I like using embossing powder, only when I'm making a couple of cards at a time. But ask me if I like embossing powder after I've made a bunch for a swap!!! LOL

I like how it melts across the paper. Though with the very fine stuff you have to be extremely careful that you don't get a "grease spot" on your paper instead of the nice raised embossing. I find that if you let the heat tool heat up first then let it blow across your card stock it works much better. Keep it moving from left to right and then right to left, passing your design area before coming back across it. Just like you would use spray paint. Never emboss in a circular motion. Some areas tend to get over melted and that is when you get the "greasy spot" on your card stock. I'd have to say my favorite color to watch melt is the gold. You can just see it liquefy across your paper as you go. Plus this one, for me is the easiest to see where you missed too. But as for the black embossing powder, just hold the heat tool about 2-1/2" away and keep it moving. Never stop it in one spot. You are not only asking for that over melted spot but you are asking for a fire too. Paper burns at 451 degrees Fahrenheit and the heat tool gets much hotter than that. I believe you could even melt the paint off your house with that thing!!! Pretty scary!!! LOL I usually have a fire extinguisher close by when I use any tool that gets that hot. It's just best to be safe than sorry. And if you don't have a fire extinguisher it's best to go purchase one, they are not that expensive. But in the meantime you can make sure you have a bowl of water sitting by to drop the flaming paper into or a wet (not damp) towel on your work surface. Just take all the preventative cautions you can!!!!!

I have a very fun "Weekend Project" for tomorrow. It's one that is geared for the little ones!! I'm going to be making some extra ones to sell at the local craft fair this fall. I'm hoping they will be a good seller!

Thanks SO much for stopping by,
Wanda

SO Much Cake. SO Little Time!

Saying goodbye to the Stampin' Up! "Eat Cake" set. I have LOVED playing with this set, haven't I Sue? I had borrowed hers enough that I had finally broke down and bought my own. I will probably keep this set for a while longer just because I still like it.

I used this set in the Splitcoaststampers Sketch Challenge today. I wanted to do this challenge but this card wasn't what I had in mind when I took this set out. Once I figured out the size of the area I was going to be working with it dawned on me that I didn't have the space I thought I would. This layout is a bit deceiving. But it worked, just in a smaller scale. I do wish I would have changed a couple of things. Making the layer around the cake 1/8" larger and stamping the candles in a darker color.

In person it looks a lot different. Anyone who receives it will know it's a birthday card!! Even without the words I wanted to originally add to it!!

It's bright and cheery, that's for sure!!! LOL

In addition to the "Eat Cake" set I used the little cupcake from one of my favorite tiny sets "ABC Images." SO many things you can do with that set!

This item was made entirely of Stampin' Up! products. To view more items made entirely of Stampin' Up! products click here.

Thanks SO much for stopping by,
Wanda