Bitty Bat Punch Test Tube

I had gotten my hands on some of these fun test tubes. What I like most about these is the cap. Once you screw it on, it's sealed. Now I don't know if it's watertight or not, I have not filled them with liquid to see. But when you open the cap there is a ring at the bottom that stays on the test tube. Much like the bottled water ones do.

Inside it's hard to see but there are black and orange bats candy. One was broken in half so I tried it to see what it actually was. It tasted like a Sweet-Tart but with a thick coating on the outside. Do you ever wonder what makes these so shiny? I try not to think about it because varnish comes to mind. I remember as a kid hearing that Junior Mints use to use shellac on the mints to make them shine. Now that I'm an adult I think that was one of those urban legends. I have looked up a lot of those urban legends when I think of them or have time. I hadn't thought of that one so I guess the next time I've got some time to surf the net I will be doing a check on it!

So back to my cute test tube. I know there are LOTS of test tube holders out there to make but I didn't think I wanted to do that since the one I'm giving it to could care less about the packaging it comes in.

I just dressed mine up with the "Bitty Bat" punch (of course) and some Pumpkin Pie grosgrain ribbon. I did add two white dots for eyes on the bat. I thought it was cute! I have other plans for my remaining test tubes but it's not for Halloween "stuff." And of course I will share it with you when I finally get around to making it. I have a very long list of things to make and this will be added to the bottom of it. I just plug along on my list and have fun!

Thank you SO much for stopping by today,
Wanda

Autumn Days Wednesday Sketch Challenge

It's Wednesday again and that means it's time for this weeks Sketch Challenge over at SplitCoastStampers.

I do like the layout of this weeks challenge but I don't like what I did with it.

As I started out with my colors I was happy. I decided to use Cajun Craze for the base of the card. I had found some DP that is retired but it was fall looking and it went with the Cajun Craze. Though I think the color on the DP is Really Rust.

Anyway, I got all of my layers on and I liked what I saw.
Next I went to my Big Kick with my oval Nestabilities and cut out the oval and the scalloped oval.

Back at my worktable I colored on the rubber with markers. Direct to Rubber technique. After I stamped the image on the oval I added the wheat on the left side. I stamped that in More Mustard and then I thumped on some Sahara Sand and Cajun Craze. I stamped that on and then sponged the edges with Cajun Craze. I assembled the card and was NOT thrilled with it at all. Turning it like that sort of boxed me in with it. I didn't have any room for verbiage, ribbons or anything else. I think I will give this sketch another try next week and see if I can't improve on it. I don't think I'll be changing the orientation though. I'll just keep it the way it is and go from there.

So I show you that all of my cards are not winners!

Play with this layout if you have time. It was a pretty simple one. See if you can come up with something fun by turning it. Maybe I was just too tired to think about it!

Thank you SO much for visiting today,
Wanda

Bitty Bat Punch Milk Carton

Another one of my favorite Sizzix dies is the "Milk Carton" one. I have a LOT of fun with that one. I have made many different items using it. I have filled them with milk bath, bath salts, candies, bird seed and even lip balm! There's TONS of uses for this die.

Today I used the die to make a clear milk carton. I wanted the pumpkins inside to be visible. And with the Window Sheets everything is visible!

When doing these with the Window Sheets be sure to keep an eye on the seams. You want to make sure they are in the back when you are ready to decorate the carton.

I used some very thin (1/8") Red Line tape to hold the carton together. And at the top I did tape it but I also used the Crop-a-dial to punch the holes for the ribbon. It punches so nice and easy. Punching though those layers of plastic was like punching through a piece of card stock! Easy Peasy!

On the front I added a bat using the "Bitty Bat" punch. Such a cute little punch. I will be putting it away until next October but that's ok, I've used it an awful lot and I think you may be getting tired of seeing it appear on everything I make lately! After this week, it's the Thanksgiving and Christmas theme!

This was a fun little project to do!

Thank you SO much for visiting today,

Wanda

Salt & Sugar Scrub Recipe

I have gotten a LOT of requests for the Salt & Sugar Scrub recipe. Click here for the Salt & Sugar Scrub post.

This is a very easy recipe. Be sure to use a glass bowl to mix the ingredients in. And please read through the instructions before you begin.

Salt & Sugar Scrub Recipe

1 cup salt, any type will work (Kosher, coarse, table)
1 cup sugar, granulated
8 ounces of Sunflower Oil
Fragrance
Colorant (optional)

Mix the salt and sugar together in a glass bowl. Add the sunflower oil and stir until salt and sugar are moistened. Add the fragrance and colorant at the same time. Mix until the color is consistent.

notes:
Sunflower oil is not the same as the kind you buy in the grocery store. You can also use palm kernel oil too. I use whichever is cheaper at the time.
Colorant is optional. Not everyone can tolerate the dyes.
When making these for gifts and especially if selling them you need to include the ingredients (not the recipe, just a list of what is in it) along with the warnings. Example, eye irritant, not fur use for children under whatever age is set by your health board.
How to use the product. For this one you stir the container. Place some on your hands and "wash" them. Wash off with soap and water. Pat to dry. On my "warnings" I did include that if you were using this in the tub or shower to be careful because the floor can become slippery.

Feel free to email me with any questions.

Thank you all for waiting so patiently while I found some spare time to enter this!
Have fun with this!
Wanda

Bitty Box & Envelope Sizzix Die Weekend Project

I am having a lot of fun with the "Bitty Box & Envelope" die. I haven't used the envelope yet but I'm sure I will once I get through the items I want to make using the box part.

Sticking with the Halloween theme I cut my box out of Pumpkin Pie card stock. Then I stamped on the cute little bat from the "Every Little Bit" set. That set actually has a little bit of everything in it! This bat is SO cute and his proportions were just right for this size box!

Inside the box I wrapped a couple of pumpkin shaped sugar cookies. And no, I didn't bake them. I purchased them and hubby has eaten most of them so I thought I'd grab a couple and see what creative way I could find to package them!

To finish off the box I wrapped it with a piece of 1/4" Black grosgrain ribbon. It was just what the box needed!

This box kind of reminds me of the Peek-a-boo box SplitCoastStampers had a few years back. But the nice thing about this one is I don't have to do any cutting. The Big Kick or Big Shot machine and the die do it all! I just fold on the creases and glued it together (after stamping on it).

With a little supervision, this would be a fun project for the kiddies too!

Thank you ever so much for visiting today,
Wanda

It's the Thought Notebooks

I don't like to throw anything away before it's time! I don't like to throw scrap paper away either. I print "stuff" off the Internet, like coupons, etc. I cut out the coupons and there is some nice paper left. SO I cut it in 2-1/2" x 2-1/2" pieces to make these little notebooks out of. In time I can accumulate a lot of little pieces of paper. And in time I will punch the papers and start decorating them.

The decorating starts by looking in the scrap paper container. I can use up a lot of scrap paper this way. Today I found some Bashful Blue card stock so I went with it. I had printed out some Elegant Soiree paper a while ago and ran across some scraps of that too. And trust me here, scraps is all you need for these little notebooks! I purchased the Elegant Soiree download and just printed it out. It is like the paper in the catalog but the paper there is 12" x 12". The best I can print out is 8-1/2" x 11". The image is a bit smaller but it still works fine for what I was using it for. I did print it out on 30# copier paper. You really do need a heavier paper to print on than the standard 20#. The image prints out much nicer and you do want it to have a nice quality look to it.

Now I do know that turtles are not blue but this one had to be colored blue because there was no green in the decorative paper! So why not a blue turtle? The turtle and the owl are from the "It's the Thought" set. It's retired but it's one of those sets I have not played much with so I thought it would be great for a few notebooks. I will eventually give it up and sell it but for now I'm using it on some little notebooks! Blue turtles and all!!!

I am actually making some headway in cleaning off the counter that is behind my worktable. It's full of papers and other "stuff." That is where I found a lot of papers that were not only cut but punched out for notebooks. SO I'm taking the time to make these notebooks and get the counter cleaned off at the same time. And that is where I found the decorative paper scraps too!! I just keep putting these things in piles.

I have a plastic jug that I'm putting these little notebooks in as I make them. The craft fair is coming up in a couple of weeks and I'm going to be selling these little notebooks at it. When I do craft fairs I usually have these little notebooks in it and they sell out! It's a great way for me to get rid of my little pieces of paper and make them useful! I LOVE to recycle and make things into something useful again!

Thank you SO much for visiting today,
Wanda

Sugar & Salt Scrubs

When I'm not stamping I can be found doing some other craft! Today I am taking the day off from stamping and the task is to finish up the Sugar & Salt scrubs I started. It was great to get them done. My favorite ones are those in the glass jars. I LOVE the scoop that goes with it!

These were very easy to make and my workroom smelled SO lovely!

I love this stuff too! It exfoliates and leaves your skin feeling SO soft. And that wonderful fragrance doesn't hurt either!

I am making these for the upcoming craft fair at Epiphany church on the 6th of November. Man is that date ever rolling around fast! I don't have a lot of stuff for the craft fair but I think I have enough to keep us busy for the day. Us meaning my older sister and me.

I will be devoting an entire day to clay. I have several ornaments I want to make for the craft fair. I'm SO glad I have one day this weekend that is free. I'll share with you the clay items I make. I'm probably only going to make 6 of each so I can get a bigger variety of items. Clay ornaments are usually a good seller so a variety would be great!

Edited on 10-28-10: I had a lot of email requests for the recipe. Click here to get the recipe for these fun Suar & Salt scrubs!

Thank you SO much for visiting today and have a GREAT day!

Wanda

Greeting Card Kids Card

This card can be used for several different occasions. When I look at the heart I see it as a Valentine's Day card. I can also see it as a Thinking of You card, a Thank You card and even a Birthday card. And I'm sure there are other occasions you can think of to use it for too.

The base of this card is Real Red card stock. On top of that I added a layer of "Candy Cane" decorative paper. This paper is just too cute. The red stripes are embossed. You can see them shine in the photo.

I colored the little girl in using a blender pen and markers.

The heart was punched out and placed over the stamped heart. I saw that on Erica's blog. I forgot to copy the link over and in the original picture of the card the wording on it was done in black and then placed over a very dark part of the card. I was unable to read anything beyond the "Erica." I thought the heart and the pearl was a cute idea. Cute, isn't it?

I added a Real Red ribbon around the card and tied it into a bow. It was just what that space needed.

A sweet card and I really do love the bright colors of it.

Thank you SO much for visiting today,
Wanda

Greeting Card Kids Christmas Card

On Tuesday at Stamp Till You Cramp Kay was kind enough to let me play with her brand new stamp set "Greeting Card Kids". I don't own this set and it's still up in the air if I am going to add it to my LONG wish list or not! I do like it very much but there are LOTS of other sets and other "stuff" I want.

I made this card for Kay as a thank you for letting me play with her set.

I used Real Red card stock for the base of the card. I added some decorative paper from the "Deck the Halls" pack.

I added a piece of Real Red grosgrain ribbon and on top of that I added the new crochet lace ribbon. That is the part of the card I don't really care for. It blended in with the background paper. I probably should have just went with the red ribbon alone. But then the buttons (which are retired) wouldn't have shown up very well. UGH!

I colored the image in using markers and a blender pen. I sponged the edge with Real Red ink.

I saw on someones blog how they added the pearls around part of the circle and I liked the look of that so I tried it on this card. It gave that red space a nice look.

It was a very fun card to make and Kay loved it!

Thank you SO much for visiting today,
Wanda

Because I care Hydrangea Card Wednesday Sketch Challenge

This is the card I made for today's Sketch Challenge over at SplitCoastStampers.

I did like the layout but to make it work with the flower image here I had to mirror it. I will often flip the sketch but I have never mirrored it. I think it turned out great doing that.

Had I left it the way it was the words would be covering the stem and the side where the words are would be pretty big and open.

The paper I used here is from a Perfect Plum Decorative pack.

I also used a scrap piece of Perfect Plum card stock and used the lattice embossing folder. That piece just didn't look right plain and I didn't want to use another piece of decorative paper. I did try it and it was like wearing stripes and plaids that just didn't mesh well!

Originally I had the oval scallop cut out of Perfect Plum but I had to change it to black because it got lost in the background strips.

The "thank you" came from the retired "Holiday Blitz" set. It's an adorable set that I will be hanging on to for a while longer. I love the little images in it and I especially LOVE the "thank you" words in it. It's difficult to find smaller words that fit in the circles and are big enough to read easily.

There was really not a whole lot to making this card.

My oval and the scalloped oval were made using Nestabilities dies.

It was a fun sketch and if you have the time I highly recommend you play with it, just for the fun of it at least! And check on SplitCoastStampers to see what others have done with the sketch. I love seeing other people's take on this same layout.

Thank you SO much for visiting today,

Wanda

Spider webs are not one of my favorite things but I do admire the look of a huge one (from a distance)! It's amazing how the web is spun. And it's amazing how big a web can be too. We had one this summer that went from the shrub to the house. It was huge and full of bugs. But I had hubby get rid of it so I could paint the house there. YUCK! As much as I admired the workmanship involved in it and the way it captured a bunch of mosquitoes I had to have it destroyed! And the little creature built another one by the next day! SO the web was destroyed but not the spider! That part of the house got painted and everyone (spider included) was happy! LOL

This card was designed by Sandy. It was made at our last DIVA Day event. Sandy used the "Spider Web" embossing folder for the background. It's a folder I didn't buy because I had one that is similar and I just couldn't see myself purchasing another one.

She also used the "Dark & Dreary" set for the candelabra and the "31". It was a very cleaver card. I LOVE the scalloped green edge too!

To emphasise the spider web, the White Craft ink pad was dragged over the embossed web. Cute idea and very effective.

Thank you Sandy for letting me share your card with everyone!

Thank you SO much for visiting today,
Wanda

Big on Christmas Christmas Card

The "Big on Christmas" is one of my favorite winter/Christmas sets. There are 3 images in this set and two of them I've used. I should challenge myself to use that third one! It's rare that I use every image in a set. I tend to latch on to one of them and use it to death. Perhaps that one that I latch onto is the one that impelled me to purchase the set in the first place. Anyone else done that???? No, Wanda, just you! LOL

I would LOVE to make this our holiday card this year but I don't have enough of that fabulous "Candy Cane" background paper to make over 100 cards. SO I would have to come up with a different plan to make it work. I'm still leaning towards that very simple "Northern Flurries" embossed one with the snowman on the inside. It certainly would be quick and easy. Something I could really go for about now! Usually I am at least 3/4 of the way done with our Christmas cards. I have not even started them, so you can see how far I am behind!

Back to my this card here. I used the Bashful Blue card stock for the layer that is on top of the base of the card. I colored in the "Snow" using Marina Mist. And I sponged in the edges with Marina Mist. Everything else was colored in with markers.

The two snowflakes are from the "Northern Frost" die.

The more I look at this card the more I want to try to figure out a way to make the background different so I can use it as our card this year. Hmmmm, what to do! Maybe the Northern Frost embossing folder and some sponging? Or using the Dotted Swiss embossing folder and running the Bashful Blue or Marina Mist ink pad across it to pick up a bit of color??? Don't know! Any suggestions? I'll give it a try! And if I use your suggestion I'll snail mail you the card when I'm done! Want to play along?

Thank you SO much for visiting today,
Wanda

edited on 10-18-10 Wrong stamp set wsa named here. Thanks Chris for the heads up on that.

Bitty Bat Punch Decorations Weekend Project

I had this adorable clear glass planter and didn't know what to do with it. I had one many years ago that I actually used as a planter. I believe it was what it was meant for. But knowing what I know about plants now it's better to keep the roots in a dark planter than in one that gets light. That is why the roots grow underground!!!

Anyway, back to this planter! I had purchased some fun suckers for an event I was going to but wanted them to be displayed better. SO I thought I would set them up the way I did the ghost Peeps a few days ago. I filled the planter with the remainder of the candy corns I had and I just added some candy pumpkins to the mixture! Since the suckers were already on a stick I didn't have to do what I did to the ghosts. Poor things!!! LOL

The sticks on the suckers were already at different lengths so I didn't even have to cut any off! I just inserted them in the pot and I was done. Though I thought the pot looked a bit drab. Seeing the candy was through the glass was cute and all but I thought it still needed a little something.

Well, what would be better for a "little something" than that adorable "Bitty Bat" punch? I punched out a bunch of bats using Basic Black card stock. I took my scissors and curled them a bit, like you would with curling ribbon but not so curly! I just wanted a little bend in them since they were going to be put on a rounded surface.

I set them in place on the glass using Crystal Effects. It's such a versatile item. It is not just for making things dimensional anymore. I LOVE it as a fixative! I have used it to "glue" lots of things together! Even broken things!

SO you can see here that it glued the bats on nicely and really dressed up that glass planter!

This was such a fun project to play with and not to mention those cute suckers had a lot to do with how adorable this turned out to be! And you can see that punches don't just need to be used for cards and scrapbooking!

Thank you SO much for visiting today,
Wanda

Northern Flurry Snowflake Note Holder Weekend Project

Today I was playing around with the "Deck the Halls" fabric. I LOVE altered items and this one is no exception. I had a note holder with some "Monster's Inc." characters on them. Since I felt I was a bit too old for that on my notes I thought I would recover it.

First I took the monster paper out of the box. Then I took the box off the cover.

I laid a piece of batting on the top and then I covered the cover with the fabric. I used tacky glue to hold it in place. I let it dry for a bit.

While it was drying I took some white velvet paper I found while digging for something else in my workroom. I ran it through the Sizzix using the new "Northern Flurry" snowflake die. Such a beautiful die and it makes the most perfect snowflakes!

Once I felt the glue was dry enough I cut a piece of white muslin and placed it on the inside of the cover to hide the edges of the Deck the Halls fabric.

Then I glued the snowflakes in place.

I glued on a piece of ribbon to the cover. I glued it on the inside. I ran it across the front and glued it from the center of the front and all the way around the back.

I added the pearls and the note holder was done. All I needed was to cut some copier paper for the inside and to close it with the ribbon. Since the ribbon was only glued from the center to the spine and on the back that left a small opening in the ribbon for the tail of it to slip though and hold the cover shut. I didn't have to deal with tying a bow and trying to get it straight. And don't forget that they are not all that fun to retie once you open it up! This way is just slick. Slip the end in the top part of the ribbon and pull it through the bottom. It holds it shut and looks nice too. I did add some tiny pearls to the ribbon. It just looked to plain without it! So now I have to decide if I'm going to keep it, give it away or sell it at the upcoming craft fair! Touch decision!

These do make wonderful gifts for friends, co-workers and teachers too! It would also be a fun Stamp Camp item!

Thank you SO much for visiting today,
Wanda