Frosted Frosty Pin

This time of year there are lots of arts and crafts shows to browse. I recently attended a great show and found lots of great items to inspire me. There was jewelry made of sea glass, wine accessories made of cork, wonderfully knit items and so much more. The talents of some folks just amazes me! And inspires me!

I have a box full of glass slides and copper foil that I have used to create pins with over the years. I was inspired to drag out that box and create something new. This time I used a Stampavie image called "Snowy Cuddles" by Penny Johnson.

The top piece of glass is a frosted piece measuring 2" square, made by Inkssentials (a Ranger product). The image was embossed onto the frosted side using clear embossing powder. This technique originated with Ellen Hutson many moons ago. The frosted glass adds a very fun dimension to the finished piece. Of course, you can always use clear glass as well.

The image was stamped and colored with Copics before sandwiching it between the 2 pieces of glass. I added a piece of pattern paper to the back to hide the bleeding markers. The pin back was glued on with SU's Crystal Effects.

They also make nice magnets!

Now that it is all done and assembled I wish I had given them rosey cheeks! Oh well, guess I will have to make another ;).

Stable Box

I can't believe that Thanksgiving is now just a week away. That means Christmas is around the corner. Each year it seems to fly at me at a faster rate! Much of my shopping has been done and this year I am also going to try to do the wrapping a bit ahead. I am usually the one wrapping, decorating, baking and cleaning all in one last mad dash the day before.

Here is a small bag I made that will nicely hold a gift card and some small candies.

The image is called "Away in the Manger", from Stampavie's Tina Wenke collection. I colored it mostly with Letraset Promarkers. The acetate "bag" is half of a A2 card size box with wide ribbon attached for handles. I thought I had some kraft colored filling (note to self: buy Christmas wrapping supplies!). Next best thing...the scrap pile! I cut and crimped several slivers of so saffron card stock. At first I thought it looked like straw which matched the scene in the stamp. Now I think it looks like crinkle cut french fries, lol! I must be hungry.

Simple & fun!

Soaking Up the Joy

I am wife to a pastor. How that came to be is a story for another day but let me just say that it was about the last thing I thought I would ever be. God has a sense of humor, for sure. When Greg and I married he was working in a large chain grocery store and going to school but pastor never entered the conversation.

Like most things in life, being a pastor's wife has its good days and bad days. Then there are awesome days. Like when you get to witness a life changed...transformed. This past Sunday a lady in our church shared a bit of her story, how God has brought healing, restoration and hope to her life. It is not my story to tell here, but I will say that she was so brave to stand up in front of a church full of people and share very painful things. To know that we collectively, as a church family, have had a small part in her story (the good parts) is very cool! We shared in her joy and walked away blessed by her sharing.

I immediately thought about sending her a card of encouragement and a very specific image came to mind. Mo Manning's "Soaking Up the Joy" image by Stampavie.

She exudes joy and peace. It's a new day so let's soak up every drop.

To have hope when hope was lost is powerful. Makes you want to turn you face towards to sun once again.

I used papers from Jillibean, sentiment from Rosie's Roadshow, Copics, doily die, scallop circle die, flower dies and faceted embellies.

See ya next time!!

Boo!

Happy Halloween!

Just dropping in with a little gift bag I made.

This one is easy peasy! Start with a piece of 8 1/2 x 11. Score the long sides 2" from each side, then score the shorter side at 4 1/2 and 6 1/2. Cut in to create the flaps for the box and adhere. Add a handle of your choosing and done! My handle is attached with brads so the handle moves out of the way to access the goods!

The image is called "Batty" from Stampavie's Penny Johnson line. He was colored with Copics. I cut the flags for the banner by hand and added foam letters, assembled it with brads and a bit of orange twine. The top spider web border was punched and added after the box was assembled.

Have a great day, I hope you get nothing but treats!

Share the Warmth

Happy Tuesday! I enjoyed making the coffee cup gift card holders so much a couple of weeks ago that I made another! This time I used designer paper on the front along with an image by Stampavie.

Totally festive right?? The paper is from a line called Simple Stories, I loved the warm feel of the colors and the pattern was sized right for the cup. There is a corrugated (crimped) cozy around the cup but the rather large image mostly covers it up. The Penny Johnson image is called "All Warm Inside". The sentiment is also from Stampavie, it is in the "Holiday Wishes" set.

Here is a picture of the insert holding a Dunkin' Donuts card.

The cup will fit inside an A2 envelope. I will say that several people I have shown this to have not been able to figure out how to "work" the card, lol. Maybe the back needs a big note to "pull here". You could place the fold at the top with a fixed lid so it opens like a top fold card. That would probably be easier for some folks to figure out but I don't think it would be as fun. But it would be a shame for someone to not realize there was a gift card inside. Can you imagine??? The thought of it makes the frugal person in me shudder!!

Have a great day.

Rockin' Christmas

I hope you had a wonderful weekend. Mine did not turn out as expected. On Friday I took the day off because we were supposed to sign mortgage refinance papers. At the last minute we found out the papers were not ready so I decided to spend the day running errands and having lunch with my husband. On my way to meet him, I was rear ended causing me to be the cream in a car sandwich. Totally messed up my day, not to mention my car. Fortunately, my car is drive-able, minus a rear bumper. The car that hit me looked totaled--cracked windshield, deployed airbags, crumpled up engine--had to be towed away. After initially being really mad, I realized that God's hand of protection was on me. If you had seen the other guy you too would marvel at the little damage my little Vibe (not to mention me) sustained. My back is quite sore but I was able to enjoy the rest of the rainy weekend.

My creative time was spent making a tag using a Stampavie image called, Rocking Horse, part of the Tina Wenke line.

The shape of the tag is 2 layers of a Sizzix die set. The bottom layer is embossed and the second layer is a piece of designer paper from Authentique. Everything got the Photo Distress ink once over. I have been trying out some Promarkers from Letraset. They are alcohol based makers but their tips vary from the Copics. The firmer nibs on the Promarkers do take some getting used to. After the image was colored, I added some Prismacolor pencil details for age and depth. I sewed on a strip of heathered red felt. The shape looked like a bell to me so I added the knocker on the bottom.

That is it for me. I appreciate you stopping by.

Winter Birds

Well, thanks to some friends coming over to stamp, the pit I call my stamp studio is now clean. No, I didn't make my friends help clean up, I was so embarrassed that I cleaned it before they came over. I invite people over for dinner sometimes just to give me the added kick in the rear I need to tidy things up. Tell me I am not the only one who does that?!

The weekend was also very productive. I got some Stampavie Projects done, baked a peaches and cream pie, made a second (double) batch of spaghetti sauce with meatballs and cooked up a pot roast for the family. The best part was hubby doing clean up after I used just about every dish, pot and appliance in the kitchen. Love that guy!!

I even snuck in creative time. Here is a sample I posted to the Stampavie blog today. The image is called Winter Birds from the Tina Wenke collection.

Kraft serves as the base for this card, anchoring a darker/richer color scheme. The image pretty much takes up the whole card, just a bit of room for some crinkled ribbon. After I colored the image with Copics, I added fine glitter to all the areas of snow.

I have a busy week ahead of me but hope to be back again soon with another project.

Have a great day!

Too Old?

Never!!

The Mummu images by Mo Manning are wonderful. This one is called Mummu's Bike (Stampavie). There is such character and depth in these images. She must be European because I can remember scenes like this from when I lived in Germany as a child. Not sure I have ever seen such a scene here in the states. It brings back memories of my Oma with her knee highs down at her ankles, lol! Oh, and her bunions...HUGE! The memories...

The papers I used are from a company called Simple Stories. They are a newer company and many of their items are geared towards scrapping. These papers came from a 6x6 pad. The front of my card was cut 2" shorter than the back, the oval image is adhered so that the right side hangs over. The floral paper is actually on the inside of the card. Mummu is colored with Copics.

That's it for me today. Thanks for visiting.

True Friend

I used to think of myself as a multi-tasker, able to juggle lots of things at once. If you are a mom, then you do this regularly--like cook a meal, open mail, help your child with homework and unload the dishwasher pretty much simultaneously. I do those kinds of things, no sweat. But I find juggling other things more challenging lately. Like working and stamping. Actually, working and anything. For the last 8 months I have been concentrating a lot of my time on couponing and stockpiling food/personal care items when a sale is good. I am not one of those "extreme" people but I have built up a nice stash of free body wash, tooth paste, deodorants, cheap cereal, peanut butter and such. It is crazy the things you can get for free. Well, for tax here in NY cause they want their pound of flesh. But it has taken up my mental and physical time. We have a goal of paying off all our debts, cars, ect and besides being very fun, all this time is yielding lots of savings. It just doesn't leave much time for other things. To everything there is a season. That is really why I am not posting here as much as I used to. Although I like to think of myself as superwoman, I clearly am not, lol! I am not giving up on the stamping though, don't worry.

I have a Stampavie image to show you today. I posted this on the company blog last week. The image is called "Storybook Friends" by Tina Wenke. These little girls are adorable, no?

The coloring is a combination of Copics and pencils. The paper is Bo Bunny. The sentiment was stamped and punched out with a circle punch, I folded over the top edge and attached it with a mini library clip. It is not permanently adhered so if I change my mind later, off it comes! Flexibility is a good thing!

Well, I have to leave for work. If anyone has a spare winning lottery ticket lying around, you can send it to me and I will quit my job and stamp more!!

The Good, The Bad, & A Tutorial Revisited

Were you a fan of CHF?? Are you still mourning the retirement of some of their images?? I still have people offer to buy some of my backgrounders and sets. Well, then you may be glad to hear that Stamper's Ink has purchased the CHF line. They have not rolled out all the deets yet, but you can poke around their site to read a bit about them and their plans. I am glad to know these fabulous images are being given new life! That is the good news.

The bad news is that they have taken down the old site, gallery and even the blog. Maybe they will bring some of it back. I am really bummed about all the great tutorials that were available, the blog and website were a great resource!

Yesterday I got an email from Heidi looking for one of the tutorials I posted on the CHF blog. Well, I had the photos but none of the text. What was I thinking???! Here is a recap of my:

Jam Box

You will need a few supplies...

12x12 card stock for box

5 1/8" square piece of card stock for lid

1x12 strip of card stock for the handle

scoring tool

sticky tape

brads

Score the 12x12 card stock at 4 1/2" and 7 1/2" in each direction.

Cut along lines on opposite sides, up to first score line, as shown in photo below

Cut away 2 1/2" of the outer corners as shown below, leaving 2" sides. Trim corners so they don't bind when assembling the box.

Add sticky strip to the sides as shown and assemble the box

Score the 5 1/8" piece for the lid at 1" on all sides

Cut tabs like shown below, add adhesive and assemble lid.

Cover the panels of the box with patterned paper.

The handle is a strip of 1"x12" long, attached to the box with brads.

Here is another box I made, it is simply covered with some designer paper and accented with ribbon and a tag.

I also posted these, used to package ornaments rather than jam. Really, the boxes can work for many different things. You could even use a die cut to create a window in the front of the box but I would only do that if the contents aren't super heavy or it might compromise the strength of the box.

Here is a modified version I posted back in June. The box is made from a 9" square piece, scored at 3" and 6" in both directions.

Oh the days when I had time to tinker! I haven't even canned a single jar of anything this year. Revisiting this post has inspired me though. There is still time for salsa and peaches!

Enjoy!!

Christmas Stocking

I am back! Today was my day to post on the Stampavie blog so I might was well share it here too in case some of you don't follow over there. (I have to plug the Stampavie blog for a second though, the DT has posted some incredible projects lately!!)

Stampavie released a stack of new images for the holidays and I chose a cute one by Tina Wenke for this card. It is called Rabbit with Christmas Stocking and the sentiment is also from a new Tina set, called Peace on Earth.

I tried my hand at using Promarkers on this image. They are alcohol based markers similar in concept to Copics but their tips are much different. It took me a bit to get the hang of using them but it was fun to experiment. I got some new die goodies at my LSS, the arch die is from Sizzix and the fence is from....???, I can't remember. I'll have to get back to you on that, but it was a new company to me.

My mother's visit is winding down, she will fly home on Thursday. We are trying to enjoy the couple of days we have left. Tonight she is cooking up potato pancakes with home made applesauce. Mmmmm, I can't wait!!

The Bee's Knees

Don't fall off your chair, but YES, this is the third post from me this week!

There are birthdays, weddings and baby's all around so I kicked my card making into high gear. I can't very well show up to all these events with store bought cards now can I? Now my smarty pants son would tell me that I "can" but "choose" not to. Semantics!!

I used the I Love Honey image by Penny Johnson to make this card and gift set for my friend Lynn's birthday last week.

I was totally inspired by the milk carton die creations seen here and here. That SU milk carton die makes such great projects, I loved that there was an idea out there I had yet to see or try. Now I will say that the brown "sleeve" around the outside was a bit putzy to get right, I think I re-did the score lines 3 times before I had a snug enough fit for my liking. When I first saw the samples, I made one that I covered with DP but in my mind I saw a bee hive. The honeycomb stamp is a Scrapblock from CHF but inked up bubble wrap can also make a good alternative. The chocolate panel on the card is embossed with a Cuttlebug bee folder. I altered the tag on the honey pot so I could add in my own sentiment. To omit the words on the original image, I just colored the outline of the tag with a black marker, stamped it onto a piece of scrap paper and cut it out. It is attached with dimensionals for lift.

The box held a handful of dark chocolate Dove candy. I suppose some Bit 'O Honey candy would have carried the theme through even better. Maybe next time!

Tonight my mother arrives from Germany for a visit. Hubby and the boys will be driving to Toronto to pick her up. I will be at a training for work all day ;(. Then we will get packed up for a week at the lake. I do have some creations left to show you, so stay tuned.

Thanks for buzzing by!

Rock Star

Happy Monday!! One more week before our family vacation! The stress is mounting at work as I try to get through all my piles before Friday. I really don't want to leave stuff for my co-workers. Come on Friday!!

How is your summer so far? I can not believe how fast it is going by. Son #2 returned from church camp safely. We seem to be playing a game called "Where in the world are my children?". This is the only week from now until the end of August that both boys will be home. I knew this would happen as they got older but it is still a bit hard to swallow. My babies are growing up.

Let's move on to a more cheery subject shall we? Like stamping and a stair step card.

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If you are on the Stampavie Newsletter list then this may look familiar. The Newsletter just came out yesterday and it is chock full of wonderful samples from the DT. Even stamping on a cake!

I used a Gillian Roberts image called "I'm a Rock Star", pairing it with some Memory Box papers. I kept it pretty clean, only adding a bit of twine and a wooden button.

I am off to tackle those piles on my desk.

Have a splendid day and thanks so much for visiting!

Happy 4th!

Oh Happy Day! I am giddy to have a 3 day weekend! I wish I could say that I have a picnic and fireworks in my plans for celebrating the 4th of July, but I do not. Hubby and both boys left yesterday for a week at Massawepie Boy Scout Camp in the Adirondack Mountains. That leaves me home with the dog and somehow she doesn't seem like the best picnic and firework partner.

But no complaints here. I have a day off. I can do whatever my heart desires. I might celebrate my freedom by lounging on the sofa with some bon-bons and a chick flick. I will definitely be enjoying freedom from chores for the day! Oh the possibilities!

In honor of the holiday, I put a patriotic spin on a Tina Wenke image by Stampavie.

She looks like she is marching along in a parade with her little pal Hedgie.

The papers are from the 5 & Dime line by October Afternoon. I added the "celebrate" banner to some punched out stars. I figure the celebrate sentiment covers a multitude of occasions.

Well, I am off to enjoy the day.

Blessings on yours!

Homemade Gifts

Nobody likes a Wendy Whiner so I have tried to keep my grumbling to a minimum here. The busyness of life and work has really been taking its toll on me. My creative time has become very limited and when I try, the ideas and creativity seem to flow so slowly that crafting has become painful and anything but enjoyable. I have even entertained the idea of quitting altogether but I know I would miss it.

Last night I worked on a project for the Stampavie blog and I had a thoroughly enjoyable time!! Nothing super novel or exciting, in fact I used a box/basket idea I have done before. But I took my time and just puttered away until I was pleased with the end result.

The image is called "Adele Enjoys Fresh Apples" from the Sarah Kay collection. The recently purchased package of Spellbinder Apple dies happened to be nearby so I incorporated the medium size into the design. Yep! That is more of my sloppy stitching, lol. I'm gonna make it my signature look ;)

I did this tutorial on the CHF blog awhile back. The above box is just a modified version with an open top. Instead of a 12" piece, I used a 9" square piece, scored at 3" and 6" in both directions, cut on the score lines on opposing sides and assemble. The handle is just a strip of cardstock attached with brads.

Here is a close up of Adele...

I originally made the box to fit a canning jar and this one has a jar of my jam inside. The box/basket is good for so many goodies so don't just think canning jars.

It felt so good to enjoy my creative time rather than walking away frustrated! There is hope.

You Rock!

If any of you readers are single parents I have so much admiration for you! These two week trips that Greg takes for school are a challenge for me. Running the boys to and fro, working and generally just trying to stay afloat is exhausting. To add to it all is our 10 month old black lab who is becoming more DISobedient with each passing day. Greg is clearly the alpha in our house and in his absence she is doing her best to take his place. Grrrr!!

I am working on some assignments, things I can't share yet. This was one of my rejects, it wasn't quite what I had in mind.

I had tried a number of ideas that were so much better in theory. I am sure none of you have ever experienced that. Anyway, the image is from the Gillian Roberts collection at Stampavie called I'm a Rock Star. He is colored with Copics, his jeans have a bit of clear blender pen over the coloring to make them look faded. I put a thin layer of Glossy Accents over the body of the guitar so it would be shiny. That bit I liked. Now that HUGE sentiment, not so much. I like the words, it is the size that is too much. They can't all be winners.

Counting down til Friday night when my better half returns home. I think I can, I think I can, lol.

Cracked Postage

Today I have a sample to share using a new line of vintage stamps from Stampavie. This line of 10 images is very different from what you may have come to expect from them. It's good to shake things up now and again!

After pulling out some papers I liked, I colored the image with Copics and pencils and then distressed the edges with a bit of Vintage Photo ink. Then I used the cracked glass technique on the inset part of the image. In the original image the bottom left corner has a button but I topped it with a little brass colored flower trinket and a yellow brad. I stamped the image a second time and adhered the inside floral portion back into place.

It had been awhile since I created some cracked glass, I forgot how fun it was to bend and crack the embossed panel! When you adhere a piece of cracked glass be sure to use a good coverage of strong adhesive because they tend to want to curl up.

Were you a winner from the blog hop this weekend?? Be sure to check out Daisy's post here to see if your name was chosen.

See ya!

The E-Team & Stampavie Blog Hop

Welcome! The E-Team has invited the Stampavie DT members to join in on their hop as they focus on Stampavie images and coloring. This is going to be one colorful event!! Make sure you read all the way through, there are prizes and discounts you don't want to miss!!

Here is a list of all of today's players...

Stampavie DT Members

Kittie Caracciolo

Michelle Oatman

Diane Zechman

Janna Werner

Asa Danielsson

Jay Jay

Leann New

Monique Hulsman

Tracy Harp (that's me ;))

E-Team Members

Daisy Sparks

Broni Holcomb

Latrice Murphy

Linda Duke

Linda Ledbetter

Micki Harper

Sherry Cheever

Starla Nelson

5 winners will be picked randomly between both the E-Team's & Stampavie DT's blogs. Winners will receive a Stampavie stamp plus some other eP goodies.

Readers can leave comments Friday(May 20) - Sunday(May 22nd). Winners will be posted on the eP blog on Monday, May 23rd.

Stampavie stamps that eP carries will be 10% off during the hop. Pre-orders for the newest releases will also be available and marked at 10% off.

Stampavie images are MADE for coloring!! It is hard for me to pick a favorite but I do love, love, love this Mo Manning image called Birthday Fairy Lee. Her chubby cheeks melt my heart. She looks good in just about any color, but I feel compelled to make her as girly as possible and I don't know a girl who doesn't like pink!

I used Tim Holtz's Baroque Sizzix die to create a shaped card as my base. It is embossed with the Sizzix "Flowers" folder. All coloring was done with Copic markers this time. Her wings are coated in Waterfall Stickles and the stars have clear Stickles.

Here is a close up of my image.

I hope you will check out the others blogs on the hop. Be sure to leave some love along the way, you could find yourself a winner!!