A Chocolate Hug & Kiss

Howdy, I hope this post finds you well, organized, and in the holiday spirit!  I wanted to share with you a little project I did, for several sweet folks in my life.  

I wanted to 'package' some chocolates in a fun and festive way.  But, something a little different, and sweet.  So, I headed to Pinterest.  (who doesn't these days)  And I stumbled (happily) across these tiny little chocolate packages.  When I say 'tiny' that is exactly what I mean.  T I N Y !!!  But super cute!  Ok, let's just admit somethings are just more adorable when you shrink them.  These little packages are no exception to that rule.  So, I set out to my craft room, and whipped up 13 of them.

here they are:

the whole lot

Now, when I photographed them, I forgot to add something to the photo to show scale.  So, I will just describe the tininess.  Each little teeny tiny package holds one Hershey Kiss and one Hershey Hug.  And you have to put them in point to point, or you won't be able to close the little 'box'.  That's how teeny tiny they are.  But, the adorable-ness is off the charts!

I found a tutorial on-line, so I quickly made one 'sample', and then some whipped them up.  Super fast, and easy.  And they used scraps to complete.  So more bonus points. {smile}  

The original designer is Dani Dziama.  She is a Stampin' Up! demonstrator and on their official design team for 2017.  So, just a quick pointer if you make these: random pattern paper works best.  But if you use directional pattern paper, cut your pattern 4 1/4" wide, and pay close attention as to which end you put the closure.

a close-up

I wrapped the tops with various Stampin' Up! ribbon I had on hand.  These narrow ribbons work best.  Also, I added a dimensional adhesive (aka foam tape) to the back of each small oval sentiment.  Just to elevate it off the package.  I think these turned out super sweet!  And who knows they just may make an appearance at next years holiday craft fair!  {smile}

Well, thank you for stopping by.  I hope you have been inspired to create something unique and sweet for the folks in your life.  I am off to baking cupcakes.  A super sweet friend has placed an order of milk chocolate cake, sweet whipped filling, and green vanilla buttercream icing with tiny red hearts.  So, let's get this baking party started!  {smile}  They are for a Grinch-themed holiday party.  How fun is that?

Festive Reindeer Christmas Card

Howdy.  The crafting continues.  But, I did stop for a few minutes to take a few photos {smiles}.  I am really loving this sketch @ Mojo Monday  This sketch has given me a 'new' look at some of the pattern papers and digital images I have laying around my crafting space.  Let's take a look at their sketch:

The first few things I notice about the sketch, is the space.  The large rectangle can easily accommodate a stamped image, a tag, or any focal piece.  The oval, can be your sentiment piece, a floral cluster, a group of snowflakes, . . .  you get the picture.  And the long narrow rectangle, can be a scrap piece of ribbon, a coordinating piece of pattern paper, or any 'anchoring' piece/embellishment.

here is what I created:

and

Recipe:  I started with Garden Green card stock by Stampin' Up!  Love the heavy weight!  I used a pattern paper from Stampin' Up! that is retired from last year.  But, I just love the houses in snow.  

I machine stitched a burlap ribbon and mint macaroon dot trim/ribbon to the lower portion of the card.

The mini post cards are digital images that I printed on linen card stock (by Paper Trey Ink) and were matted on a piece of mint macaroon card stock.  I wanted to repeat the colors from the snowy scene (green and mint).  

I stamped my sentiment in mint macaroon classic ink, onto cream linen card stock.  I matted the tags with mint macaroon, too.  I wanted to add a pop of color (aka contrast), so I tied a 1/4" red silk ribbon to the tag.  But I wanted to add a 'vintage' piece, so I added these vintage Christmas bulbs.  The bulbs were a bit heavy for the delicate ribbon, so I 'anchored' them with a dab of hot glue.

I also made a matching pair of gift totes.  I'm getting excited for my craft fairs.  {smile}  My first craft fair is this FRIDAY, yeah, November 11th, @ the Tramway Community Church, in Albuquerque, New Mexico.  I hope to see you there!  and remember, if you see anything you just can't live without, I do take special orders!  Just convo me via email or @ Etsy.  The best part of Etsy, is that we can message each other, I can upload photos, and you can make your purchase with a credit card, paypal, or an Etsy gift card.  It's super easy!  Have a great day!

A Charming Country Christmas

Howdy!  I wanted to share a card, (ok, I made a series of cards) I made using the inspirational photo from talented paper crafter that I follow:  LeAnne.  I was surfing the web and saw this beautiful card she created for a (new-to-me) challenge site:  Inspired by All the Little Things.  Their current challenge is this inspirational photo, that is just so gorgeous!  It is such a sweet, traditional christmas photo! and what LeAnne had done with that inspiration, made me head into my craft room and craft!

See what I mean!  how sweet! how traditional! how simply gorgeous!  So, I grabbed some (retired) Stampin' Up! products that are just perfect, and a digital download (from last year, too!) and set-out to make a pretty Christmas card.  Now, don't get me wrong.  I love traditional.  But, I live out in the country, and so I added my own country twist to this great challenge.

Here is what I made:

still trying to work out the bugs with my new photo editing software.
*my card was selected as 'inspiring Stand Out'

Recipe:  I used Riding Hood Red card stock (retired) for the card base.  I just love this faded, vintage color of red.  I took a scrap piece of this beautiful music sheet, from a christmas collection from Stampin' Up! (yeah, retired too).  I just love this paper, so I have hoarded collected a few packages!  *I sponged all the edges of all the papers with crumb cake classic ink.

I sat down at my sewing machine to stitch three layers of trim together:  a burlap/linen piece (from a big box craft store), a strip of cool cucumber dot trim (by Stampin' Up!), and a rustic red gingham ribbon (from the same big box store).  

I printed my mini post card onto white linen card stock by Paper Trey Ink.  I adhered this/these mini post card(s) with foam tape.  I cut the tiny tag(s) out of the vintage cream linen card stock.  I used my Friendship Jar Holiday Fillers stamp set to create the sentiment, and inked the stamp with real red classic ink.  I adhered the tiny tag to the mini post card with one foam dot.  I tied a tiny copper-finish mini pinecone, from Stampin' Up! to the tiny tag with kraft twine by Paper Trey Ink.

Viola!  I made 6 of these cards.  Each card has a different mini post card.  And two of the mini post cards has blue colors, instead of green, so I added mint macaroon dot trim to those cards.  I have a photo on my Facebook page, please take a look.  I'm pretty happy with how they all turned out.  Well, I hope that I have inspired you to play along with this (new-to-me) challenge site!  I am heading back into my craft room, to create a bag with the same supplies!

Glacier Painted Tin

Howdy!  I want to share a craft I am making for my upcoming Arts & Craft Fair in a few weeks.  For those who follow me, I love vintage country chic.  And I love sharing what I create.  So, this craft fair is the perfect venue just for that {smile}.

Let me warn you now.  This craft takes a few days.  But, I believe it is well worth it {smile}.  I think if it can be crafted in 10 mins or less, it doesn't really have any heart.  [Let me apologize for those of you, who love 10m in challenges.]

To begin, I took a plain, hinged lid tin.  Its the size of an Altoid tin, but without the metal embossing. I used my chalk paints to give this plain tin some dimension.  I first painted Burlap chalk paint.  Let it dry for 8 hours*.  Then I painted Cotton chalk paint over that.  Let it dry 8 hours.  Then I painted Glacier chalk paint.  Let it dry 8hrs.  Then, I let the whole tin cure for 24hours**.  

[*I live in the desert, so my drying time is shorter than those living in another part of the country.  Typically chalk paint needs to dry for up to 24hrs.]  

[**curing time allows to the paint to bond to the surface.]

Now comes the fun part - distressing!  I took a sanding block and sanded the whole tin.  I allowed the sanding block to dictate where I would distress more.  It felt more random and natural for me to do it this way.  For the dry distressing, I used two different grits of sand paper to distress smaller areas.  I also did a wet distressing for finer paint removal.

You will have to look close.  But look close.  The larger patches on the top are NOT sanded down to the metal.  Thats Burlap chalk paint peeking through.  Also, there are some small patches were the (white) Cotton chalk paint is peeking through.  There are a few places were I distressed down to the metal.

Ok, now I need to seal what I did in the distressing.  So, I sponged on the sealant.  Let it sit for  20 mins, and then took a cloth and buffed it.  Now it needs to sit for 24hours to cure.  This project will test your patience.  But all good things take time.  Also, if you start on Friday after work, you should be able to complete one by Sunday evening. {smile}

Because I couldn't wait for my curing time, or to take a photo, the top is not actually complete.  The paper and embellishments are just placed on top of the tin for photographing.  I will actually adhere them later today, after the sealant has cured.

I took a scrap piece of stacked pattern paper, and tore all the way around the piece I wanted.  I sponged the edges with Corduroy distress ink by Ranger.  I added a scrap piece of aqua crochet trim.  Tied a vintage vanilla button with kraft twine.  I love how vintage, aged, and sweet this tin turned out.  It looks like something you would find on your grandma's farm.  Tucked away in the attic, or lost in the barn. {smile}

The inside is a little prettier.  I used Corner Shop pattern paper collection by Tilda.  I love the aqua pattern paper in that collection.  Some of these pattern papers look like vintage wall paper, while others are just sweet and gorgeous!  Let's take a look:

I used my 1/2" corner rounder to make the corners fit a little better.  I left the bottom empty.  So, no matter what you place inside, it will fit {smile}.  I used pattern papers that have this glacier/aqua color in them, to coordinate with the outside color.  

For the inside of the lid, I took a scrap piece of pool party seam binding and some white crochet trim and machine stitched them to the pattern paper stack.  Then I tied a trio of buttons with cream twine.  The buttons are adhered to the lid with hot glue, so they will lay as flat as possible, and hopefully don't get pulled off {fingers crossed}.

Thank you for looking.  So far, I have three Glacier painted tins and two Shell (a pale, soft pink) painted tins.  I haven't quite decided if I am going to paint more, or simply decorate them with pattern paper.  If I paint them, I need to start painting very soon.  Hmmmm.  But I will post a few photos of them once I have them completed. Look for these little cuties for sale at my next craft show @ La Cueva High School, in Albuquerque, NM, on Saturday May 2, 2015.

Buttons, Burlap & More

Good Morning!  It's Saturday, and I'm getting ready to tackle some house chores.  It might seem 'crazy' to be excited about that, but, it gives me a chance to not think.  Not think about work, bills, and other obligations.  to just 'do'.  No time frame, no restrictions, no requirements.   Clean.

Well, let me start by apologizing for being late on this post.  Linda over @ Our Creative Corner, is our hostess this week.  And she wants you to make a paper craft item using Buttons, Burlap & More.  Sounds pretty easy.  Sounds a bit vintage.  I can do this!  I knew what I wanted to do in my head.  So, I set out to my craft room.  Took out my burlap (I have 2 colors) and tried, and tried to make a flower.  I couldn't get my burlap blossom just right.  It was either too flat, or incredibly too bulky.  UGH! now what?  So, I decided to use both the burlap and the buttons as accents.  My card is pretty much clean and simple, but it has alot of character, without too much stuff.  

I had two scraps of this beautiful Nostaligia pattern paper left over, and decided that they had the perfect vintage charm I was looking for.  

Last week, I was tea dying some seam binding.  I also frayed both edges to help give it a worn look.    I had a few feet left over, so, I decided to add a piece of that.  The seam binding is rather wide, a good inch or so.  So, to help camouflage the width, I added a scrap piece of crochet trim to the middle.  To help 'use' some of that ribbon real estate, I hand sewn some buttons onto the card front with cream twine.

As for the blossom, I have a few beautiful paper blossoms from Prima laying around.  So, I added two different shapes and colors of burlap behind the paper blossom.  I thought it helped give it a rustic look.

I knew that I wanted to stamp the sentiment on the bottom right corner of the card.  I also knew that I wanted a large enough type, so it wouldn't look odd, or mis-perportioned.  So, I grabbed one of my favorite Paper Trey Ink stamp sets, and stamped the sentiment in basic black classic ink.  And since the sentiment mentions a 'heart', I made a heart too.  I cut the heart shape out of a scrap piece of Glitz pattern paper and chipboard.  Adhered the two pieces together, and then tucked the heart behind my blossom.

Thank you for stopping by.  I hope we have inspired you to play along with us @ Our Creative Corner this week.  I know we would love to see your wonderfully beautiful creations made with Buttons, Burlap & More!