Grateful for you card

Normally, I keep my cards pretty flat so that they are easy to mail.  But today I couldn't resist adding a few bobbles sitting out and some gathered ribbon.  The verse stamp and punch is from Stampin UP (found HERE). Thanks for looking.

Wrapping up some candy bars

I was at Micheals recently and picked up some printed Halloween burlap ribbon they had on sale.  I had no idea what would do with it, but 10 yards for $3 seemed like a great deal - I'll find something to do with it.   And I did!  That printed burlap is a great length for full size candy bars.  My boys happen to be selling some for a cub scout fundraiser, so I have purchased many.   Dressing them up is a perfect way to keep myself from eating them.  I wrapped them in three's with the burlap overlapping on the bottom and used hot glue (not too much) to keep them together.  The purchased 6 in ribbon has a nice tight weave so the hot glue doesn't go through the holes.  

 I did my fall ones with regular burlap I cut to size, it worked but not nearly as well.  The weave is bigger and hot glue can go though a bit, so if you use that, you need a piece of card stock between the bottom layer and the candy bars, and you need some tough fingers -hot glue is really hot.   Either way,  it does need to be a tight sleeve to keep the bars from slipping out.  All you need then, is some cute tags and ribbon which I wrapped around the whole thing to ensure bars are held tight.  I used up some fall leaves I already had and then made some elements from my Happy Haunting and Pumpkin Carving cartridges.  Now I have a bunch of treats ready to give out, and less chocolate at my disposal for sampling.

First Holiday card of the year

This started out as a sketch challenge for Freshly Made Sketches, but to really make it fit, I would have had to cut off the mama and baby deer.  I couldn't bring myself to break up the family so I guess I will have to take another shot at the sketch tomorrow.  The deer are from a Memory Box die (deer trio).

I also made my first watercolor card this week.  I ordered a small watercolor set from Amazon (prime is a dangerous thing).  I sketched the leaf and colored on watercolor paper and just wrote the hello - no stamping.

My big accomplishment this week in the craftroom was making a bathrobe.  I have been sewing lately, but not clothing (if a robe is clothing).  My friend wanted another one like one she had, but couldn't find one.   So we cut it up and made it into a pattern.  I'm feelin' pretty good about that project!  I will post photos when we finish hers.  Thanks for looking

Witch silhouette Halloween tag or bookmark svg freebie

I'm counting down the days until I can pull out the rest of my Halloween stuff.  Today I got a couple things down because I was already in the attic, but I'm holding back until October 1st for the bulk of it.  We do have our posable skeleton out- he's sitting at the dining room table.  Cracks me up every time I go in there.  Todays tid bit of Halloween is another bookmark, but it could also be used as a tag, on a card, or even as a scrapbook element.  The svg and studio cut files are linked below.  Thanks for looking!

PSIWitchtag Studio (silhouette) cut file

PSI witch tag SVG

EEK Spider bookmark for your silhouette

I know Halloween is a ways away yet, but my son asked me for a new bookmark last night and I couldn't resist making something Halloween-y!  If you only have a minute to craft today, you still have time for this one!  I have another cute one for my other son, but you have to wait until tomorrow to see that one...as you can guess, its also Halloween.  File for svg and studio are linked below- it cuts the both parts with a small hole for some bakers twine, or you could just use some ribbon around the wider edge.    Enjoy!

PSI Spiderweb bookmark STUDIO (silhouette) file

PSI Spiderweb bookmark SVG

Fall cards and a mixed media patchwork pumpkin

9 months since I've posted...why? Well, I went back to school, thats a big part. ..  The other is just crazy-don't laugh...but its because I have a winter banner.   See those snowflakes? they have kept me away, yet I can't seem to change them.  Ironically, as of last week,  I have a degree in Graphic Design.  If someone else needed a design, no problem, but for me to make one for myself - can't seem to commit to one. So the answer was to wait until winter to begin posting, or just ignore it and start posting anyway.   Since I'm done with school and nothing else to do,  I chose to ignore it.

Here's my "feelling fall" projects for today.... Stamp is from Memory Box...picked it up at a sale for $1 - yeah me!  Next, I tested out the silhouette, haven't used it in forever.....

Yup, it still works....

And the sewing machine, lets dust that off too!

Actually, this is a double whammy, because I used the sewing machine for the pumpking AND the silhouette to make the leaf.  

Ahhh, it feels good to post again

WHAT?  It's December already???  I got about 10 cards done today.  This my favorite for the day.  I used Christmas Noel cartridge for the branch.  Thanks for looking!

Back to Fall

It has been crazy hot here the past couple days, more like mid-summer.  I made a ton of applesauce yesterday, so I'm still keeping in fall mode despite the weather.   I made this for this weeks Freshly Made Sketches Challenge .  I love this sketch and will definitely use it as a "go-to" sketch.  The embossing folders were both Darcie (forest and woodgrain).   Thanks for looking!

Winter card with Memory box deer and frostyville snow border dies

Its really too early to think winter, but I wanted to use some new dies from Memory box:) I used the buck from the deer trio and the frostyville frame.
Thanks for looking!

Glittered oak branch card and svg

I love fall.  I love fall crafts.  I love fall cooking.  I love fall cards.   Yesterday I bought a cute little Happy Fall stamp and I couldn't wait to make a card with it.  The framed oak branch svg is todays freebie.  Happy Fall!

FramedOakBranch SVG

Cricut Cindy Loo Fall tree pillow

Fall is in the air here.  Summer decor was packed away and I brought out the fall totes today. I don't have any fall pillows so I need to make 3.  The first one I did today using Cindy Loo cartridge.  I cut the tree at 11 inch.  I did the leaves by hand instead of using the ones on the cartridge.  To make the pillow I used permanent heat and bond, some scrap fabric for the tree and leaves and some brown corduroy for the base.  I made the cover a slipcover so that I'm not storing yet anther pillow. Thanks for looking!

Supplies: scrap fabric, Cindy Loo, Heat and Bond, pillow form

Cricut cupcake gift card holder updated with svg and silhouette studio files

After many emails/requests, I have made these files available in svg and silhouette studio.  I have linked them to the original post HERE .   I tested the files on my silhouette, I have not used them on a cricut yet as I loaned my cricut to a friend until she gets tired of it  (currently suffering from Cricut separation anxiety),  They come up great in scal, but I would love for someone to cut one with scal and cricut to test the scoring on the envelope svg, then leave a comment for me. Enjoy!

My favorite find from last years garage sales....

I love to go garage sale-ing...so many fun things you can get cheep to re purpose.  This little chalkboard is my favorite find from last summer.  I bought it from my neighbor - $5-and she even threw in some books for my kids.  It is so much fun to change around.  Perfect if your feeling crafty but don't have time for a full "project".  Its also great for leaving notes for visitors.  I leave the back blank and sometimes come home to messages from friends that have stopped by.  So if you have one of these and your kids have outgrown it, before you ship it off, consider moving it to your front porch.  You will be glad you did!

Bee get well card and honeycomb (hexagons) silhouette cut file freebie

I made a honeycomb stencil last month for a scrap page and thought I'd pull it up again to enter another card in the Less Is More hexagon challenge .   The stamp is Stampin UP.  I cut the background with my silhouette (that file available below)  from white and layered it over white.  Now I feel like I need to do something with all the little hexagons that I scrapped off the mat...hummm.

Honeycomb silhouette file: PSI_Honeycomb



I also finished another little project for this week - a messenger style purse/bag.  I used two coordinating quilting cottons and then some craft weight liner in between.  I used a magnet closure, the vintage button is cosmetic only.  I even put a couple pockets inside.  Pretty good for a girl who can't sew!  I didn't use a pattern - just made it up as I went (I haven't actually figured out how to read patterns yet, soon!)

Thanks for looking!

Chicken and Lobster

This weeks challenge at Less is More is to use hexigons - a great excuse to pull out my chicen wire embossing folder.  The stamp is from stampin up Best of Cluck.  I stamped the image right on craft and then used prisma pencils to color.

As long as I had the ink out...I also made another one with my current favorite set : Stampin Up By the tide.   That bit of string is from a bit of actual recycled fishing net - I just happen to have had it in my pocket ( really).   I had just been netting my chicken coop so my baby turkey won't fly out and become a coyote snack when I'm  not around.  Want to see her?

Here are the newest editions to my flock, 3 chicks and a turkey (about 6 wks old now)

The barred rock (dark black and white) is Andy's, the dark Araucana is Carstens, and the light Araucana is mine, the rest are my sisters that I am chick sitting for her until they are bigger.

Normally turkeys are not pretty, but I think her spotted feathers are just lovely

Daisy does a great job of watching the babies when they are not in the fenced area.

Thanks for looking!

Happy Birthday Card and spring break photos

I got a new stamp set :)  Actually, I got several.  But I got Stampin Up reason to smile this weekend when I my friend traded it with me (I have too many eggs, she has too many stamps).  Good trade!

This is for my mom to send to one of her friends.  I used chevron paper and flowers to comply with the CAS-ual Friday Challenge, and I used the layout from this weeks Freshly Made Sketches

inside

And now here are some photos from last week
(Spring Break).   We went to CA 4 years ago and I am sad to say that I never got the photos scrapped.   I don't want that to happen again, so this week I will start scrappin!  I'm thinking mini-album.

Huntington Beach - so nice to take the kids where I played when I was their age!

Backstage tour for Seaworld San Diego

AWSOME pools at Huntington Beach hotel

Disneyland

Universal Studios

BEST WEEK EVER!

Thanks for looking!

Easter Cards and Mixed Media Mini Canvas

Time to send out the Easter cards! 

 I have two styles I'm sending out this year.  The bunny one was done using a Stampin' Up stamp (the stamp is retired, but the digital stamp can still be purchased from their web site), the grass is from Plantin schoolbook (cut at 1 inch).  The second card was done using a really pretty stamp I found in my friends stamp room :)  I stamped it once on Kraft, colored with colored pencils, then stamped again on white cardstock and cut out the flowers to pop up on mounting tape.  I made about 10 of these ones and all that traditional hand cutting made me appreciate my cameo/cricut.

My other project was a mixed media mini canvas (4 x 4).  I've had that blank canvas sitting around for years, it was good to finally get something on it.  It was an excuse to use my new Faber Castell Gelato pens - oooh ahhh.   The leaves were cut with a sizzix die from dictionary paper, I used a music sheet for the background, the nest is another stamp I found in my friends stamp room, and spring letters are a die that I have also had for years and never used.



Thanks for looking!

Happy Birthday banner card and Birthday svg

I spend way too much time on pinterest looking at other peoples stuff lately and not making my own!  It is time for me to put some of those great pins to work!  This is the card I made for my mom for her birthday.   I had seen one like it on pinterest and just loved it, had to copy.   Its so cute I think I'll make a couple more for my stash.

So yesterday I spent 8 hours cleaning my craft room.  I can't believe it, since I had so many other things I should have been doing.  BUT, its looking good.  I had so much stuff it was piling and I couldn't find a place to work.  I either had to go buy some storage things, or clear out.   Since buying a bunch more stuff to hold my stuff didn't seem like a great idea in my "keep it simple" home, I opted just to get rid of some things and re-organize.  I cleared a shelf in my linen closet which is quite large, and put all my fabric there.  Now I can see it all, its up away from the pets and kids, not spilling over on my counters, and out of sunlight.  Perfect.  To make more room I also packed up my cricut.  I do have room for it now that I cleaned, but I think I might just get rid of it since I have the cameo.  There is something on each of my remaining carts that I like, but if I can make an svg I like better, I can let it go.   On that note, I'd like to share an svg.  Link is below.  Enjoy!

PSI_Birthday svg

Cute little bunnies

 I love little bunnies.  We have a lot of them here at our house and when the real ones aren't around I even have some little statue ones in my flower bed.  Stampin Up came out with a cute little stamp that has three bunnies on it that I just love - I got a chance to use it today on this little card.  I used the Retrosketch blog challenge sketch for the layout. 

Inside card

Bunnies on my spring pillow - bunnies cut with my Silhouette Cameo - butterflies were cut with a Martha Stuart punch

Bunny statues in my flower bed - they are much cuter when the flowers are blooming, but they still made good models when I was drawing svgs for the pillow.

Thanks for looking!

A couple Cricut Storybook cards and my first serger project done!

I just recently sold my little silhouette and bought a cameo (I just did my first cut on it yesterday but I need to make it into something before I post that freebie).  My thoughts for getting the cameo was that I would no longer need my cricut.  I've got rid of my less used cartridges already and now I'm down to my final  15.   I want to go through them and make sure there is nothing I will NEED before I get rid of them.  First on the chop block is Storybook.  If you are a cricut/cartridge user, this is a good one.  I made two cards with it today, but I think I'm comfortable letting it go now.   Next up will be Cindy Loo .

For the two cards: the cherry blossom is cut at 3.5 inch and Thank you is at 1 inch.  For the branch/butterfly card, it is the border cut done at 1.75 inch, butterfly is a martha punch and the friend is a Stampin Up stamp.

I also did my first serger project this week- some flannel pillowcases for my boys.  My mom gave me her serger  over a year ago, but I hadn't even taken the cover off.  The first pillowcase took me over an hour due to not knowing how to use a serger and having to rethread the darn thing, but the second one only took about 15 minutes.   That machine is fast and a little intimidating but I love the finished edge and will definitely be using it more in the future.  Hopefully I won't loose a finger in the process.

Thanks for looking!