New Crafting

Howdy!  I wanted to announce a new venue for my crafts.  

I am a vendor at this (next) years Trash to Treasure Trunk Show.  

We will have tables set up @ Native Lodge in Albuquerque, New Mexico 

on Saturday, January 23, 2016.  

(time to be announced)

I have been brain storming as to what to craft for this show.  I want to make something unique, shabby chic, vintage, useful, repurposed, and simply beautiful.  At this moment, I believe I will have some altered mason jars, wooden clothes pins, wooden bird houses, wire bird cages, slider/match boxes, gift bags/boxes, fabric strip banners & wreaths, and button art for sale,  I will be crafting most of my items with St. Valentine's Day, Birthday, Love, Anniversary and similar themes.  

I will post some photos here (along with their prices), my Facebook page, InstaGram, and Twitter, for everyone to see what you can buy! {smile}  I am super excited to get started.  I have ordered some crafting items, fabric, trim, and papers on line to help my projects look finished, polished, and beautiful!  

Thank you for stopping by!  I hope your holidays were wonderful and you were able to recharge!

is Christmas over?

Howdy.  Whew, I don't know about you, but this holiday season came up fast and went by in the same speed. {frown}  I had so many plans, wants, desires, and items I wanted to craft.  Well, I didn't get the time to do all of those things/crafts.  One of the most disappointing crafts I didn't get to, was my paper ornaments for the grandkids.  I had everything purchased and on hand, but didn't get the time to die cut shapes, and stamp items.  {frown}  It kinda breaks my heart.  I haven't totally let go of the idea, so who knows I just might make them anyways.  Let's see what kind of time the new year brings.

I did finish a gift card holder very (and I do mean VERY) last minute, and I wanted to share with you.  {smile}  But, I want to enter a few crafting challenges:

Crafting by Designs : Here Comes the Holidays

a Gem of a Challenge : Christmas & Anything Goes

My Time to Craft Challenge : Last minute Christmas Makes

Just Add Ink : Gift Card Holder

here is my Christmas gift card holder:

(due to the constant snow fall, and lack of natural light,
my photography skills were really challenged)

'drawer' is pushed open

Ok, my little gift card holder, is actually a match box with a decorative top and matching bottom.  How super cute is that?  The thing I love about these little boxes, is that you can embellish and decorate the whole box, and you don't have to untie the bow to open it! {smile}

here are a few different views:

Recipe:  I cut the top and bottom panels out of real red card stock by Stampin' Up!.  I just love the depth and richness of this red.  The 'sleeve' that holds the box was cut with a scrap piece of holiday pattern print card stock.  It is a vanilla color with charcoal santas.  

The top piece is actually a printed 'tag'.  It looks like a Poinsettia stamped tag layered on black and white polka dot paper.  How super cute, and easy to work with.  

I added a few stands of decorative trim to the real red ribbon through the tag hole.

I added a strip of silver sequins, red pom pom trim and olive green striped think twine.   I tied them together with silver cord, and added a plastic tiny candy cane.   To help with the silver accent, I also added a rhinestone brad to the tag hole.  And then added a trio of loose silver sequins.  I also tied a mini plastic peppermint patty to the big black striped bow on the side of the box, with another length of silver cord.

For the sentiment piece, I stamped the greeting in basic black classic ink, by Stampin' Up! onto white card stock, and used my scissors to fussy cut around the words.  I did add some sponging to the edges of the sentiment piece.  I did that to cut down on the stark whiteness.  I added foam adhesive to the back of the sentiment piece to elevate it off the front of the box.  I didn't want it to look too flat.

Thank you so much for stopping by.  I hope I have inspired you to think of a different way to present a gift card.  {smile}  I am having an End of Year Sale in my Etsy shop, HERE.  So, please check it out.  I need to make room for some new crafts.  {smile}  Also, if you are going to be in Albuquerque, NM around the end of next month, stop by my Trash to Treasure Trunk Show!  Come see my crafts in person!

Sale

Howdy.  I am packing up Holiday decorations, and need to clean house.   So, I decided to have a SALE in my Etsy Shop HERE.

Why not use some of your holiday money to purchase items that make you happy, smile, and just do your heart good!

Christmas Wrapping

Howdy! and thank you for stopping by!  Glad you are here.   I have another gift I 'wrapped' and wanted to share with you what I did.  Typically, my favorite Christmas colors are Blue, Green, and Kraft/Brown.  And so, I have made a few gift bags using those colors {smile}.

The lovely ladies over @ Vintage Cafe Card Challenge  have a 'Gift Wrapping' challenge.  And so I want to play along.  If you want to play too, you still have time, as this challenge is open until Dec 26.  {yahoo!}  So even if you are finishing things up on Christmas Eve, take a photo and upload it as soon as you can, and you too, can play along {smile}

Their only requirement:  your 'play-along' must be in 

Shabby Chic, Vintage, or Rustic style.

*Please be aware, that this challenge site is in Russian language.
They do have a translate button. 

here is what I did:

Recipe:  I used a plain kraft handled bag as the bones of this gift.  I used mint macaroon card stock as my matt.  I machine stitched a scrap piece of the holiday kraft DSP from Stampin' Up! (retired).  I added a strip of holiday music sheet to the center, from Stampin' Up! (Home for Christmas DSP)  I added a strip of burlap ribbon and mint macaroon lace the center.  I machine stitched the ribbons to the front of the bag, but didn't stitch to the ends.  I tied my gold sating ribbon through the center of the large snowflake cut with a Paper Trey Ink snowflake die, using dazzling diamond glitter paper.  I tied a few trims to the bow: aqua pom pom trim, gold tinsel, and a gold sequin mini ornament.  For my tag, I wanted a pop of color, so I added a Starbucks gift card to the handle with thin gold ribbon.

closer look at the embellishment

This gift wrapping is for a very best friend.  N, has been through it all with me.  And I love her dearly.  She is the one who ran my first marathon with.  And she is the one who has encouraged me to join the Duke City Challenge.  She is my confidant and the one I turn to when I need a shoulder to cry on.   The gifts inside are trivial.  I have a small box of chocolates:  Lindt Peppermint Truffles, a small box of Christmas Jelly Bellys, a Doterra hand cream and lip balm, and a gnome Christmas ornament. The sweets are because I love her.  The hand cream and lip balm are for her soul.  And the Christmas ornament is something she loves: gnomes.  So, I made sure that the wrapping was special!  

N, paper crafting style is 'less is more' while I just want to keep adding things.  I hate 'white space', and N, she loves 'white space'.  I love all things shabby chic and vintage with a little retro thrown in there.  While N, loves classic and modern.  So, I tried my very best to make something a bit more her style.  

Well, I am off to another holiday gathering.  But don't fret.  I will be back to play along with a few more challenges I eye spied.  {smile}  And I need to get my Christmas ornament photographed.  Take care, and I hope you come back soon {smile}.

Box in a Bag for Christmas

Howdy.  I am enjoying getting some of my gifts wrapped with my personal special touch.  {smile}.  I needed a small box to hold a spice jar and a gift card to a local Spice Shoppe.  But, come on.  Would you expect a simple box coming from me?  I need to make it pretty, add some sparkle, and a snowflake or two.  Ok two!

I was looking at Pinterest this morning, and came across a 'box in a bag'.  Pretty interesting.  So, I did a search, and viola a lot of inspiration.  So I headed over to Splitcoast Stampers for their tutorial HERE.  I have never made one of these, and so I figure I'll give it a try.  

here is my bag-in-a-box:

a closer look at the snowflakes

I used a retired DSP from Stampin' Up!.  I selected this paper because the recipient loves blues and greens.  The box inside is made from Mint Macaroon card stock.  I added a scallop trim using the same mint macaroon card stock.  I also added a rick rack cut from silver glitter paper.  

For the center embellishment, I cut one medium snowflake cut from silver glitter paper, and one small snowflake from mint macaroon card stock.  For a pop of color, I added a red velvet blossom.  I just love the contrast.

I tied the 'bag' closed with Lagoon ribbon.  But, I wanted to jazz it up a bit, so I tied on aqua blue tulle ruffle, silver tinsel, and string of silver balls.  

This little cutie was fun to make, so I will most likely make a few more.  {smile}  I'll share with you what I create.  Enjoy your weekend!

Blessing Card

Howdy.  Welcome to my little slice of blog-land.  I have been blogging about paper crafts for several years now, and I haven't gotten tired of it yet.  {smile}  If you have seen some of my earlier work, you have seen my transformation in my work.  My beginning work was flat.  Simple.  yet pretty.  Now, it is layers, filled with embellishments, trims, and soft colors.  My favorite embellishments are buttons and trims.  And I now find a way to add machine stitching on almost every project.  I really do love the homespun look and feel of how I craft/create now.  

One of my all time favorite challenge sites, I have played along with since I started blogging - Mojo Monday Card Sketch Challenge - has given us their last sketch for this year.  Their design team is taking some time off for the holidays.  Bravo to them!  If we give them a break, and a chance to recharge, they will return with a new vigor, a new insight and a renewed passion for paper crafting.  So, let us not disappoint them, and play along.  Here is their new sketch challenge:

and look at this perfect sketch they have given us to work with!
Love the simple lines, and the tag!

You could easily make a holiday card with this sketch.  I just might!

here is what I made:

The reason why I started this blog post the way I did; with a remembrance of my beginning paper crafting, is because I have created a simple card, again.  This card.  I used pattern paper from Simple Stories So Fancy for this card.  I used two different papers: the first is that beautiful floral pattern, and the second is that pretty polka dot pattern paper with gold metallic dots.  (the music pattern paper is the reverse side of the polka dot paper)  Even the metal rim epoxy 'dot' is from Simple Stories {smile}.

Recipe:  I used Lavender Moon card stock by PaperTrey Ink.  The kraft card stock matt is from PaperTrey Ink, as well.  

I cut and layered these pattern papers, and then did a simple machine stitching along the borders.  I cut a piece of very vanilla card stock into a tag shape.  

I hand-stamped the sentiment in a dark grey classic ink.  The sentiment is from the Signature Greeting stamp set, by PaperTrey Ink, too.  I just love the mix of fonts.  The simple typewriter style font and the curve handwritten font.  The tag is adhered to the card front with foam tape.

I then tied a simple bow using Lavender Moon satin ribbon, from PaperTrey Ink.

For the final touch, I added a trio of gold sequins from Pink Posh.

This card is going in the mail tomorrow.  I am sending this 'blessing' card to a super great friend {smile}.  My friend, has been there for me during ups and downs, and has given me the encouragement to do things I didn't know I could.  {smile}

Now, I need to get back into my craft room and get some gift card holders completed and a special ornament.  Yep, out of paper!