Inkspiration

Checking the Mail...

So a few days ago, I worked on this little project. We do not make a huge deal of Valentine's Day in this house - we know we need try to express our love for each other daily, not just on one prescribed day of the year. So cards and perhaps some flowers, not roses, from Brian are the extent of it.

I thought it would be fun to put this on the table and place my cards for Brian and Sarah in it:

Hang on a second, that's a Christmas mailbox!

That's a bit better! When I saw the little tin mailbox in the local dollar store before I Christmas, I snagged it, knowing I could do something with it! I went searching through my papers for something sort of Valentines-ish but not too cute-sy since this was for both Brian & Sarah. (Though I imagine Sarah will abscond with it...)

I used some Best Creation paper I had - that gridded heart pattern was my first choice and I decided to use it for the ends of the mailbox, because that small yet bold print was going to be a bit hard to look at across the whole side of the mailbox. The cherry print worked with it colour-wise, and we all like cherries (thought about the strawberry print but Sarah is not a strawberry person), so that's what I went with. I wrapped taffeta ribbon over the lips of the mailbox ends. Some cute embellishments with hand made flowers and a diecut sticker (I cut off the rolling pin below the sentiment and just went with made with love, which applies both to the mailbox and the cards that will go inside). I used another Epiphany Crafts epoxy - this time as an accent on the flag.

I'll show you the simple card I made for Sarah, too. I kept this one simple and like how it came out.

The hearts are fussy cut from a border paper by Bella Blvd and the sentiment was cut from a sticker page by Bella Blvd. I added Crystal Effects to the heart and sprinkled some diamond glitter in while it was still wet.

Here is the inside sentiment:

More Bella Blvd stickers layered on each other and the same glaze and glitter technique on the cupcake.

I will be back to show you the card I made for Brian, but I think it needs a tutorial, so it gets a post of its own!

If you notice anything looking a little wonky around here, it's because I'm in the midst of a blog makeover. So I'm experimenting with columns and widths. This should all be done in a day or two! Hang in there!

Thanks for popping by!

 

 

 

Have you seen Ann lately?

Ha ha! I've not been intentionally neglecting my blog. Work has kept me busy, and a sinus infection has slowed me down. But I have been creating. I just can't show it to you, yet. But I'll give you a sneak peek...

I joined a swap at one of my lss, Two Scrapbook Friends. We are swapping ATC's that are done up with the participants' "word". You may be familiar with Ali Edwards' concept of choosing a work to be your guide for the year.

Each of us chose a word and made an ATC to showcase that word. The swap takes place on the 31st of January and that's when I can reveal the whole card to you. In the meantime, this is my sneak peek. Those are handrolled roly poly flowers. These are teeny weeny - they started with a 1/2" circle. And I made 24 of them, 2 for each of the 12 ATCs. Yes, I am crazy. But crazy is not my word! Come back on the 31st and I'll show you the whole ATC and reveal my word as well as my thinking behind that word.

In addition to creating these 12 ATCs, I've done an overhaul of my office/scrap space and just a few more little things to deal with and then I think I will have a space that is efficient and evokes a happy mood! Maybe I'll even take a few photos of some of the things in here that make me happy. would you like to see? When I'm done...

Meantime, remember that the Sketch-a-thon starts one week from today at My Sketch World, so why not pop over there and become a member if you're not already so you can play along and be eligible for some terrific prizes while getting some scrapping and cardmaking done?

Twine Tree Tutorial - Practical Scrappers

From now until Christmas, you can visit the Practical Scrappers blog everyday to get some great ideas for Christmas decor, pages, cards, and so much more. Talk about idea central for all things crafty this Christmas! Today I want to share a quick tutorial on making a cute little Christmas tree!

Here's what you'll need:

styrofoam cone

twine of various colours

bling or gems or other embellishments

quick drying strong adhesive such as Beacon's

needle

Working at the backseam, use strong quick dry adhesive to glue the end of the twine to the cone. I started at the top and worked my way down, wrapping the twine around the cone. After about an inch or so of wrapping, I switched the shade of green by snipping the end and adhering it to the backseam of the Styrofoam cone, and starting the new colour in the same way. This process is repeated throughout the height of the cone, just alternating green shades when it seems pleasing to do so.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Next, to adorn the twine wrapped tree, I made an assortment of pompoms from twine. To do this, you will need a fork. Snip a piece of twine about 2” long and set aside. Now, holding on to the end, wrap the twine around the twines of the fork. The bushiness of your pompom will vary depending on how many times you wrap the fork. Mine varied – some pompoms were 20, some were 25 and some were 30. Once you are done wrapping, snip the twine.

 

 

 

 

Grasp the piece of twine you set aside and tie it around the middle of the pompom by coming up from behind in the space between the centre tines.

 

Pull very tightly and tie a knot. Then slide the pompom off the tines of the fork.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Using sharp scissors, snip between the loops. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then begin to poof your pompom into shape, clipping long strands.

Then thread the needle with another colour of twine and string the pompoms on the twine (like you do popcorn at Christmas!) by inserting the needle through the knotted area. Experiment with the spacing of the pompoms, and then start to wrap your pompom garland around the tree. I started by adhering an end of the garland at the bottom of the tree, and wrapped it, again adjusting the placement of the pompoms. When I was satisfied, I used the glue to adhere the pompom to the wrapped cone.

 

 

To finish the tree, I adhered various sized gems to it.

I also dabbed some sparkly Stickles to the pompoms.

Lastly, I wrapped a star shaped chipboard punchout with twine and then used a coiled wire to put it at the treetop.

 

Hope you enjoyed this tutorial today!

 

My Promise Book

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I have had this chipboard covered book for a long time. I've been adding Bible passages to each page that remind me of God's promises. It's a great resource to turn to, especially when someone I know, or occasionally myself, just needs to be picked up and encouraged.  The book is special to me but the plain cover didn't reflect that, so I recently took the time to give it a new look. I mitred the corners of the paper so that it folds over the corners neatly. Other papers adorn the inside covers, too, so the book has a more finished look now. Don't you love all the ribbons and bows adding a girly touch? And the fussy cutting with the flowers adds a pretty, feminine touch!

I also made a coordinating book mark to hold my place in the book.

Thanks for popping by and blessings,

Ann

Jocelyn Shoe

Sarah wanted to try making a Stacy Julian shoe, so while I talked her through hers, I worked on this one, that uses gorgeous foil papers from the SEI Jocelyn collection.

I love the glimmer of the foil in these papers. I think my regular readers know I'm drawn to shiny papers!

 

 

 

The weight of these papers made for a very solid paper shoe.

 

 

 

 

 

Here's what the shoe looks like from the other side.

 

I think this is my new favourite hand made flower.

I create a lollipop flower (easy peasy), but because they are a little flat, and I want some dimension, I add a rolled flower to the centre. I love how it looks when I combine the 2 flowers.

I added a touch of Stickles to the flower edges for a little extra dimension.

If I get enough of these done, they will decorate the hall at our fundraising crop. If I get a LOT of these done, each of our attendees will get to take one home... We'll see. And I promise not to show you all of them, at least not all 1 by 1, if I get 50 of them made. I'll be back early next week with some layouts to show you! Meantime have a super weekend!

So have you played with SEI papers?

Or have you tried making a Stacy Julian shoe yet?

Leave me a comment with a link so I can see them if you do.

Thanks for popping by!

Blessings,

Ann

 

 

 

 

Origami Gift Card Wallet Tutorial

I'm back with the tutorial I promised for making these folded gift card holders.

I've got lots of photos to try to help explain the scoring and folding, which I hope you find helpful. Here we go!

I am using a piece of cardstock for the purposes of this tutorial, so that you can see the measure/score lines. When you make this,  do not draw in the lines - these are here for the tutorial only, so you can see where to score.

Choose a patterned paper, preferably double-sided and let's get started!

(You can experiment with single sided papers and perhaps stamping on the plain side, or choose a neutral cardstock and stamp on it.)

To begin, cut your paper to 8" x 8".

Using a scoring tool (i.e. Scor-Pal or other), or your scoring blade in your trimmer, or a ruler and bone folder, score on one side at 1 1/2", 4", and 6 1/2".

Then turn your cardstock 90 degrees and score at 5" and 1 1/2". IF you are working with a patterned paper that has a pattern that only works in one direction, i.e. hanging ornaments or something, be sure that your 1 1/2" score is at the top of the paper and the 5" score is at the bottom.

You will also need to score across the corners from the 1 1/2" mark on one side to the 1 1/2 " mark on the other side (see dotted lines in the photo above.)

 

Using your trimmer, or scissors if you rock at cutting a straight line (so not me!), trim out the rectangle between the 1 1/2" score lines at the top. See in the photo how I've gone in and trimmed away - I placed the scored lines on the cutting line of the trimmer and set the blade in at 6 1/2" and then brought the blade toward me, stopping at 1 1/2". Then I used scissors to trim up 1 1/2", removing the rectangle from the top edge.

 

I find it easier to punch a hole or slot for my ribbon now, before the wallet is folded.

To do that, use a round or slot punch and punch a ribbon slot - this will be on right hand middle panel, somewhat close to the edge.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Flip the (almost) square over and fold in each of the 4 corners on the score lines, so that each corner is now a triangle.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Flip the paper back over.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now fold each vertical side under.

Hang in there, we're almost done!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fold the bottom edge up toward the top, along the horizontal scored line.

 

 

 

Press hard on your folds.

 

 

 

Tuck one point down under the folded flap.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fold the other point down and tuck under the flap.

Now you can see how I had one side in which to insert the gift card, and on the other side, I had a spot to insert a tag with a sentiment.

 

 

 

 

Your last fold is to fold the wallet in half vertically. This is the front before you decorate it. On the sample I showed you last time, I made a separate front and adhered it with foam adhesive which allowed me to run ribbon under the front around the back and through that slot.  Depending on your pattern, you may not want or need to do much with the front. Unless you like getting fancy (it is a gift after all), and this is a great opportunity to use up scraps!  

The inside tag and front  piece both measure 3 1/4" x 2 1/4".

 

 

Well, that's it! You don't have to wait until Christmas to make these, and I'd love to see yours, so leave me a comment with a link if you give it a go!

Thanks for popping by and blessings,

Ann

 

 

 

 

Ho ho ho! Merry Christmas!

LOL!

It's July 25th. The Christmas in July day. Shops offer sales, etc.  Can you believe just 5 months from now, it's Christmas time? Forget swimming pools and humidex readings, we'll be talking snow and wind chill!

So, in honour of Christmas in July,  here's a little Christmassy item for you to check out:

Papercrafters are always looking for ways to pretty up a gift card, and I learned this gift card technique a few years ago.

It's a cute little wallet - style gift card holder.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is what it looks like when the ribbon is unfolded and it is opened.

I couldn't find a gift card, new or used, so I put a copy card in the slot just to show you the wallet.

In the right pocket, I put a tag.

 

 

Here's a close up of this simple tag.

The patterned papers are a Christmas line from Best Creation - love the glittery ornaments!

This wallet style gift-card holder is created through origami. Yes, just simple folds and 1 cut to make it. I am working on a tutorial for it, and will post it later this week.

 

 

Meantime, if you are living somewhere where the heat is sweltering, like almost everywhere in North America right now, maybe thinking about Christmas can help you cool down!

 

 

 Thanks for dropping by!

Blessings,

Ann

supplies: patterned paper - Best Creation; cardstock, stickers, punches, stamp and ink - Stampin' Up!

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I Want to Put on...

...my my my my my boogie shoes!

When I saw Stacy Cohen's papercrafted shoes a little while ago, I knew I wanted to try making some too. This is my first attempt and it came together pretty well.

These papers are Best Creation (if you don't know how I feel about BC, where have you been?) 

I was fortunate enough to win a 6x6 collection called Loops and Scoops, a really fun range of papers themed around a day at a fair - rollercoasters, bumper cars, ferris wheels, and tickets and eats, too!

This doesn't look like fair - themed patterned shoes, do they?

The handmade paper rose that decorates the shoe - that was my first time making that, too. I've wanted to try it for a long time, and finally made this the reason!

There are instructions for these all over the blogoshere, using a 6 petal flower punch. I don't have one, so I tried my Cricut. Only, I cut 3 flowers with 5 petals instead of 6 and I didn't have another sheet of that paper. So I squeezed in room for 1 flower with 6 petals and pressed the right button this time! I think my adaptation looks beautiful. I inked the petal edges to add some depth before assembling it, and after assembling, I added some glitter using Stickles.

Here in the side view, you can see the star imprint on the green paper - it's pretty subtle. I punched it with a border punch to dress the shoe up a little.

I will definitely be making more of these. With the theme for the fundraising crop I am co-hosting with bff  Christa being "Girls Day Out", we are using shoes and purses as our decor theme, and a few of these scattered around the crop space will be fun and beautiful.

If you want to make these, you can find Stacy's template here.

Thanks for dropping in!

Blessings,

Ann

Supplies: patterned paper - Best Creations; glitter glue - Stickles by Ranger; punch - EK Success; Cricut cartridge - Serenade; ink - Stampin' Up!; adhesive - Beacon's 3 in 1 (couldn't have made it with this glue!)

Christmas Gift Card Holder

DD decided on a gift card for her home room teacher's gift. I woke up one morning last week and knew I wanted to put it in a holder to pretty it up a little. I had an idea of how to make it, because I've seen them before online, but just went at it without a template. Here's what I came up with.

 

This is the inside.

I took a strip of 12 x 12 and started accordian folding it, keeping the dimensions of the card in mind. I glued the mountain fold together on the top, bottom, and outside edges, with 2 sided tape. For the inside edge, I used a circle punch to create the inverse tab, and then used scissors to cut a slot along that folded edge, just wide enough for the card.

 

I layered some papers to create a space for her to write a note to the teacher on the back flap.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is the front. We stamped the ornament and Sarah coloured it in with markers to match the paper colours. We added some stickles for some sparkle.

I created a belly band to keep the holder closed and adhered the stamped image to it.

All papers are old Stampin' Up scraps, and the stamp is unknown - I got it in a swap.

 

Quick and easy - got to like that this time of year!

What is your quick and easy project this year?

Christmas Decor Idea

I thought it would be fun to share this Christmas idea involving stamping.

Of all the altered items I've made over the years, this one has had the most longevity, and I have liked it the most. In fact, I made several and gave them away as gifts.

This starts out as a clear glass block, available at the DIY building centres. I bought a diamond bit for hubs to put on his drill and very slowly he drilled a hole in the back for me, so that I could poke a line of mini lights in once the project was complete.

I painted the block with gesso, kind of spackling it on to provide a white base.

I did lots of stamping with Staz-On ink with a variety of stamps, and using masking techniques. Then I used brushes and my ink pads and just started shading in, starting with lighter colours and gradually going darker. I drew the geese in with a marker.

Finally I added a textured snow product and sprinkled on diamond glitter while it was still wet.

Once everything was dry, I poked in the lights so it can be plugged in at night.

The idea for this was found on SplitCoastStampers originally. This is a fairly close copy of one I saw there.

Here's another one I made with a different set of stamps. For this one, I brushed the gesso on with smooth strokes going left to right. I actually like the spackled approach better, especially when it's plugged in.

 

 

And this one, I used stamps and etching cream to create. There's a blue string of mini lights inside to make it glow blue with the snowflake etching.

Do you have a lot of hand made Christmas decor around the house? Do you give your creations away? Do you reserve your papercrafting for scrapbook pages and cards?

 

 

I'm linking this post to Passionately Artistic where they are hosting a linking party of Christmas decor and party ideas.

Thanks for dropping by and your comments make my day!

Blessings, Ann