Friday, November 30, 2007

So Grateful



Are you tired of seeing my thank you cards yet? I hope not. Here's one that I did for my hubby's union, who sent us some cheques to help us get back on our feet. Stamp sets used were Petal Prints (one of my all-time favourites) and Small Script. It's a pretty basic card, with the sentiment punched out using the Word Window punch, and two step stamping on the main flower.

Indeed, I am very grateful. A. First and foremost, we weren't home, and B. We have met some truly incredible people as a result of our tragedy, in person, online, and by mail. There are some incredibly generous and caring individuals out there. I still can't get over that people who don't know us at all would care about us...brings tears to my eyes every time I think of it.

Sunday, November 25, 2007

Trick or Treat



As soon as I saw the Halloween LO on my friend (and Stampin Up Demo)Alesha's blog, I knew I had to CASE it and make it my own. Here's Alesha's LO :Spooktacular

Now, I don't have any of that wonderful SU patterned paper, nor do I have the same stamp sets, but I found a way to do something that worked really well nonetheless. I found the BG paper at JoAnn's, and knew right away it would be perfect. Added a strip of leftover patterned paper from another LO, and cut the scalloped circles with the MM cartridge on my Cricut. The "Trick or Treat" was a stencil that I bought at a used scrapbooking supplies sale, sponged with Whisper White craft ink, then embossed to really bring it out. On top of the circles are stickers I bought at the same sale, then I used Alesha's technique on the edges of the orange CS. I think it came out really nicely....do you?

Tuesday, November 13, 2007

Thank You



I've received a few Stamping and Scrapbooking care packages, thanks to Alesha and Deborah, who posted info about my fire on their blogs, and to the people who have so generously sent me everything from ink to stamp sets, to embellies. Thank you all!

Wanted to use my new supplies to make thank you cards, so here's the result. Can't say too much about the supplies used, as they have been generously donated to me, but I am sure having fun using them.

My new Scrapbooking/Stamping group starts Wed., Nov. 14 at Sun n Fun. We meet from 930 - 1230, so if you're in the area and would like to join us, email me for info. We're a fun group of ladies (and one man, once) who meet to scrap 'n' gab once a week. We'd love to have you join us! No charge for the group; small charge for supplies if you choose not to bring your own.

Friday, November 9, 2007

Vellum Pocket Card with Designer Label accent



This is the last card I did before our fire.....just two days later our house burned down! It's also the last of the ones I had waiting to be posted, so I'll have to get busy now!

I'm starting my Scrapbooking/Stamping group at Sun n Fun this week, so hopefully I'll get to make some things and post them...first one is going to be a Halloween LO that I totally CASE'd from Alesha (see a link to her blog at the right).

The challenge I did here was to use a pocket on a card. Since I have the Pocket Fun set, it seemed almost like cheating, it was so easy to design. I stamped the pocket onto pale blue vellum with white craft ink, (then waited forever for it to dry), stamped the tag with white craft as well, and used my designer label punch to cut out the front of the card. Ribbon was colored with Old Olive marker, cardstock used was Bliss Blue and Mellow Moss.

Although you cant' see it in the photo, when the tag is inside the pocket, the Thank you shows through. Pretty and simple all at the same time. Thanks for looking!

Sunday, November 4, 2007

Altered Item Tutorial ~ Beaded Pens



OK, I know I was asked to do a tutorial on altered items a looooonnnng time ago, but finally I'm getting around to it. A few months ago, I went to a meeting where one of the make'n'takes was a beaded pen. They were so quick and easy to make, I have done quite a few since, mostly for birthday presents.

To make one of these pens, you will need the following supplies:

- pen with a smooth barrel (think dollar store, or Staples if you want something fancier)
- white address label that will fit around the barrel of the pen (I used 1" x 2 5/8" here)
- small stamps (I used the Little Pieces set)
- alphabet set (optional)
- 3 or more coordinating ink colors
- clear microbeads (Stampin Up has really nice ones; dollar store ones work also)
- double sided adhesive (ThermoWeb or dollar store wide adhesive tape)
- heat gun
- 6" piece of narrow coordinating ribbon (optional)

Here's what to do:



Begin by pouring your microbeads into a shallow container that is slightly longer than your pen. I used a covered plastic container here so that I could leave the microbeads in the container and not have to transfer them back and forth from the container they came in. This one is actually larger than I would have liked, but it's what I had on hand. Set the container aside for now.



Next, stamp your label while still attached to the backing material. I wanted bright colors to match my pen, so I used Yoyo Yellow, Gable Green, and Real Red. Then, I decided I wanted to personalize my pen, so I used Basic Black with an All Night Media 1/2' alphabet set that I picked up on clearance at Wal-Mart. (Note: I'm anti Wal-mart and only buy clearance items there as my own little form of protest. I figure I only shop there when they are losing money by selling things to me).



Wait a couple seconds for the ink to dry (doesn't take long), then remove your label from the backing and wrap it around the pen.



Next comes the hardest part of the whole process ~ and it's really not all that difficult! Cut your adhesive strip to fit completely around the pen barrel, covering your entire label. It's ok if it overlaps itself, but it must completely cover the label or you will end up with an area without beads. I'm using dollar store double-sided tape, so I had to cut two pieces and overlap. Once the adhesive is stuck in place, remove the protective paper from the other side of it, so you now have a sticky surface completely covering the stamped label. You're almost finished!


Heat the sticky surface with your heat gun. You don't want to completely melt the glue, just soften it up so that the beads will stick really well. About 20 seconds or less will do it.



Then, while the glue is still warm, quickly roll your pen in your container of microbeads. Try to resist the temptation to touch the beads with your fingers, as the oil from your skin will cause them not to stick as well on this and all future projects that you use them for. Once your pen is completely coated, set it aside for a few minutes to cool. This will set the beads.


Congratulations, you did it! If you are giving this pen as a gift, you might want to tie a small length of ribbon around the end, or just leave it as is ~ it looks great. Makes a perfect accompaniment to an altered calendar, notebook or clipboard. Although your first pen seems to take forever to do, you'll find that subsequent ones make up very, very quickly...great when you need just a little something to give someone.