Pinque Peacock September Blog Hop

~~~~ Click HERE for the 300 Blog Follower Giveaway ~~~~

Hello to all of our Pretty Little Peacocks

Welcome to Pinque Peacock’s

SEPTEMBER BLOG HOP

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We hope you will enjoy your time as you hop and that you feel

inspired to create after visiting the Talented Pinquettes' Blogs!

This hop will showcase projects that have been created using some of the

wonderful Handmade products and merchandise that are always available at Pinque Peacock.

We are thrilled to have you joining us this month!

During the hop, you will see some past favorites, oldies but goodies, and get a glimpse of some NEW products as well! Feel free to browse the shop for amazing deals on tons of craft supplies and great handmade embellishments to use in all of your projects!

Our Monthly Hops are a great way to see the Pinque Peacock Products in action and to get your creative imaginations in "Full Speed Ahead" mode!

     Good morning, I am so delighted to have you stop by and see my project for the Hop. If you just came from Kimberley then, if not, You'll want to be sure to see her wonderful project on her BLOG. 

     In keeping with our theme of Stamping and Journaling, I decide to create a card for my Husband who has a birthday coming up Tuesday. First the base card. I used a beautiful card stock from the Shop. It has a wonderful sheen to it and is a great weight. All projects should start with a quality base. You can find this and other card stock  HERE.

     I chose this wonderful sailboat stamp and colored it with my Copic markers. I have both Certifications from Copic and sadly I don't use them nearly enough so this was a wonderful challenge for motivation. I have noticed people using colored pencils lately and thought I'd add a little tip here. After you color your image try using Gamasol with a small blender over the areas you colored. It blends the colors in and makes it look like watercolors and gives a nice blended look. You can find gamasol in the art department at your local craft store.

     The background paper is Thomas Kincade and went so well with the scene I was trying to create. If you follow my blog then you know I love dimension and this card was no exception. I had gotten some sparkle gel pens from Jess so I used them to highlight the clouds and the waves. Just a few touches adds so much realism! I also used the Glaze black pen to make the birds stand out.

     Did you know the Pinque Peacock carries these pens? You can get them in the Shop HERE. 

     The journal part was simple. I used Tim Holtz words, short and sweet but to the point don't ya think? I finished this off with some Bakers' twine and Voila my Hubby's card is done.

     Your next stop on the Hop is Rebecca and you don't want to miss seeing her project. However you might just want to check out the information below to enter your project in our September Challenge, who knows, you just might be our next winner!!!

    

  

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Our SEPTEMBER HOP will focus on the theme of our Monthly Challenge!
This month at our CHALLENGE & LINK-UPS BLOG is
~~**Stamping & Journaling**~~




Please join us this month and LINK UP your Stamping & Journaling project to win some awesome goodies!

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

Products will be added to the SHOP

for you to Purchase and start creating your very own

Masterpieces!!!

BE SURE TO WATCH

THE FACEBOOK PAGE FOR SOME PRODUCT SHOWCASES, TOO
Are you Ready to See these products IN ACTION?

After hopping, we would LOVE for you to visit the
Pinque Peacock Shop and Fan Page on FB to stay connected!

!!!!Now, let's talk about the

BLOG HOP PRIZE!!!!

One winner, who has hopped and visited all of the PINQUETTES BLOGS of our Pinque Peacock SEPTEMBER Stamping & Journaling blog hop and followed the RULES BELOW will win

A $10 GIFT CERTIFICATE TO THE SHOP

Here is How*:

1 – Hop to ALL of the stops in the Blog Hop and comment at each Pinquette Blog.
(Lineup is below)

2 – Follow the Pinque Peacock Blog and Facebook Page/Shop

3 – Follow EACH of the Pinquettes’ Personal Blogs who are participating as Hop Stops.

4 - COMMENT at the Facebook Page telling us what you liked most about the Hop

5 - BECOME A FOLLOWER at the CHALLENGE & LINK UPS with Pinque Peacock Blog

(Link Below)

*You MUST do ALL of the steps above
to be included in the random drawing for the prize.
We would hate for you to lose out on winning just because you didn't follow these easy rules :(

The Hop will remain open until Wednesday, SEPTEMBER 17th, at 8:00 a.m. EST.

The random drawing will be held sometime during the week that follows and announced by Wednesday, SEPTEMBER 24th.

Now, if you find yourself Hopping off the Path , you can use this
Lineup to get back on the Right Track . . .

COMPLETE LINE-UP::

Pinque Peacock ~ http://pinquepeacock.blogspot.com
Heather ~ http://www.papercrafteranonymous.com
Kimberly ~ http://scrappingrookie.blogspot.com
Mary ~ http://Mary-fortheloveofart.blogspot.com
Rebecca ~ http://bloomingpink.blogspot.com/
Rhonda ~ http://flowersbyrhonda.blogspot.com
Laura ~ http://www.lauraleesdream.blogspot.com

Challenges & Link Ups with Pinque Peacock ~
http://pinquepeacockchallenges.blogspot.com/

Thank You for hopping along and we hope you have Loads of Fun!

Peacock Love
and
Crafty Hugs

~ Jessica, The Quirky Queen
and
her BELOVED,
TALENTED, &
EXTRAORDINARY Pinquettes

Hang In There!

     Welcome to Imagine Monday! Today we could use the Imagine, Expression 2 or CCR, I chose to use the Imagine More Cards and the Snapshot Texture cartridges for the Imagine. Just make sure when you're done that you be sure to check back at My Cricut Craft Room and see what the other team members have to show you for their creative and fun projects.
     For now, sit back, relax and I'll show you how I to used the pattern papers  to make my project for today.

     I first printed out this great background paper. The Imagine comes with a built in cart Imagine More with some great shapes. If you scroll to the end you can print a 5x7 swatch that is printed to the proportionate size. I layered this on a piece of glossy card stock.

     As you can see I added some stitching with silver thread.

     I always pull my stitching to the back so there are no threads hanging around.

     I used the Ornamental Iron cart to cut out this "gate" . The image is on the last row, 5th from the left @ 4.75" with the shadow feature. I also did some distressing with Pumice Stone and Black Soot inks. I bet you are wondering what that little hole is for.

     Well a hanger of course! I cut the gate to go with the shadow out of black/charcoal card stock. I also used a Zig pen and silver embossing pen to add some more details. The hole was for this brad to hang a Tim Holtz hanger!

      I love this stamp by Pink By Design. I got to color with my Copic Markers (R22,R24, R27 and R29.) but I made a real bad mistake. While inking the edges I smudged some ink on the design after I had it all colored! I hate when that happens. So after my stickles dried I came up with a solution, why not add a pink ribbon!

     Voila I think it works. Shh, we are the only ones that know what lies beneath!

     After adding a few rhinestones, my sentiment from Pink By Design and some stickles on the lace, its time to hang it up!!!

     Be sure to come back tomorrow, I have a matching bag to show you! Now head back over to My Cricut Classroom. By the way, you won't want to miss all the excitement happening over there. Erica is opening her new store Jan.24th (and we all know how great her prices are!). So be sure to check out her store tab on the blog! Hope you have fun shopping!!!
     

Time Heals

        Even though I posted this a few days ago I thought I'd share this with the folks at Pink Cricut since I was so pleased with how it turned out. Please bear with me since there is a story behind this card (isn't there always,lol):
      I hope you are all having a wonderful start to the New Year. I know I am! Unfortunately some people start off with all the bad luck right in the beginning. What astounds me is the way people accept the circumstances. Either they look at the glass half empty or accept things for the way they are and look at it half full.

     By now you are probably thinking what the heck is she talking about, lol. Before I show you the card I made let me explain the reason behind it. I live in a very small town and, like most small towns, there is the go to coffee hangout. It is owned by a wonderful couple couple who have added a deli and ice cream shop. It is so friendly and everyone cares about each other (for the most part!). Anyways the store was closed New Years day and the owners were preparing to watch the Patriots football game. They were making fondue to nibble on when he took the cover off the pot and it burst into flames catching his shirt on fire. As if that wasn't bad enough he tried to rush the pot out the kitchen door when he dropped the pot of burning peanut oil and it splashed on the floor and the flames raced up his shirt and burnt his face and burnt his arms and chest again! He suffered second and third degree burns.
     Now I bet you are asking yourself what does the glass half full/half empty have to do with this? When I finally saw his wife I was obviously concerned particularly about his eyes. She said the eye appointment went extremely well and that there would be no permanent damage to his eyesight. When I asked about his arms she said it was too early to tell if he would need skin grafts but "you know Mary, we can deal with anything. we thank God it wasn't any worse and are so thankful his eyesight is going to be okay. It will be a long haul 'til he is back at work but that's ok. I have a new appreciation for the work he puts in, now that I have to help fill in his time slot as well. It's been an eye opener for me as well."

     I made this card as soon as I found out about the accident and left it for him before I had a chance to speak with his wife. So, under the circumstances, what can you say in a card? How about Time Heals?

Simply, Get well soon

The outside of the envelope.

      I am using a lot of different supplies lately with my Imagine projects and I am just loving the more sophisticated look I am getting! For example I love adding these metal embellishments particularly with masculine cards. I also love using Tim Holtz folders with my cuttlebug. It all came together so well with the Imagine clock paper from The Heirloom cartridge as well as the solid green paper. The litte tag also was cut with the cuttlebug from the tag dies.Except for the sentiment, this would be a great design for a male birthday card. Thanks for listening to my long winded post. Do you have a tendency to look at that glass half full or half empty?

Merry Christmas, Tag #11

     I only wish this season I had more time to try out these awesome techniques Tim Holtz showed for the 12 Tags of Christmas...2011. Although I only had time to complete 4 I know I will continue to try some of the other tags and the great projects he shared.
     This tag by far is my favorite. I always loved this angel image yet for some reason I just hadn't found the right project. I started with Art Philosophy cartridge by ProvoCraft and cut the tag @ 6.25". The background is so easy to make. I used cream glossy card stock and some alcohol inks. The Salt Boat Blue and Stream alcohol inks go together perfectly.
     Next I used a piece of craft plastic and stamped this beautiful sentiment: The most precious Gift of Christmas arrived in a very small bundle with no bow." You have to use Stazon ink or one that can be used on slick surfaces.

     The stars are really cool to make. Unfortunately I only had Shrinky Dink material in white. Tim had used the clear one and the effects are so stunning. Don't worry, I will be getting some to try the other techniques.Any way I like how these stars turned out. First, when working with shrinky dink material you need to cut your images 3x the size you want the shrunken article to be. I cut my stars from "Tis The Season" cartridge @ 2.25", 2.50", 2.75" and 3". this yields finished stars at 1" or less. Here's the fun part. You need to heat UTEE, Ultra Thick Embossing Enamel in a melting pot. Ranger sells these and they are great. All you do is heat the utee, drop your shrinky dink material in the pot and watch it shrivel and squirm! Once it flattens out (in seconds really) gently remove from pot with tweezers and place on a craft mat or another non stick surface to cool. It really is that easy. I finished it off with some Creative Charms rhinestones and also used a gold detail heat embossing to the horn and halo. Add a bow and you are done. Whew, I can't wait to try some more tags.

Believe Tag With Tim Holtz

     I am so excited how this tag came out! This was tag #10 in Tim Holtz 12 Tags Of Christmas. The main technique for this one centered around making a transparency with packing tape! I'll explain more about this later. First I'll begin with the basics for this tag.
     I made my own tag using the  Cricut Art Philosophy cartridge.The tag was cut @ 6.25" but, where did that beautiful sheet music come from you ask. Well the Imagine More cart and my Imagine. I have big plans for this machine in the new year. There is a beautiful gold sheen on this tag which the picture does not do it justice. This is accomplished with a mist of Tattered Angels Heirloom Gold. The corners also have a heat embossed filigree design using distressed ink in peeled paint and a gold embossing powder. To complete the tag I used Tim's paper distresser and then inked the sides with Antique Linen distress ink by Ranger.
     I am fortunate enough to have the Expression 2 by Provo Craft but must admit with the holidays I haven't had much of a chance to use it, that is, until now. The machine comes preloaded with the Cricut Alphabet so I decided this font was perfect for the letters in "Believe". I used a scrap piece of paper from DCWV because the colors were just perfect. I ran the letters through my Xyron "X" which made it so easy to attach the letters.

     Here is the best part of this tag, the acrylic charms! I used the seasonal stack from Tim Holtz for the images. This is by far the easiest transfer I have ever made. First, you cut out the image you are going to use and then place a piece of clear packing tape over the image.Next place the image in a bowl of luke warm water for about 30 sec or until the paper begins to separate from the back.You want to gently rub the back to remove the paper leaving the image affixed to the tape. Once it is dry you want to lay it down on the sticky side of a piece of foil tape. Just a word about this.I used foil tape I had on hand from Home Depot. This is not a good choice. The reason is that by removing the paper from the image, it should allow the metal to show thru for a wonderful vintage look. Be sure you purchase one that when you  remove the paper on the foil   it has a metal colored backing. The foil tape I have was white on the back once the paper was removed. This still looks good but would have been great had I used the right foil. Since I made this tag I have noticed the type Tim used where the Tim Holtz line is located in my Michaels. I think it is by Essentials.
     To adhere the image to the front of the charm you will need to apply a small amount of glossy accents to the charm and then burnish the image to the charm. After this dries you just trim it with either scissors or an Exacto knife. I finished the edges off with a gold foil pen.

     As you can see I attached these to the tag with small brads and some twine. In order to complete the look I used some small gold bells that I attached with some raffia. However it some how did not look complete. I rummaged through my supplies and found this twig of red berries and they just seemed to go perfect. Guess I will be doing a lot more transparencies this year, lol. You should really give this a try.

Tim Holtz 12 Tags of Christmas #6

     Ok you are not missing the other tags. I watched Tim Holtz 12 Tags of Christmas and played along when I had the supplies or time. (You know what I am talking about in regards to time at Christmas time, lol). Anyways this tag REALLY intrigued me because of the drill punch.
     I am always looking at Tim's section in my local craft store and saw this thing that looked like a huge hinge. I thought, what in the world does he use this for? (Guess I should have looked at the header to see what it was, lol). You can only imagine how thrilled I was when I saw Tim use it on the video for Tag#6! You use it to drill holes in soft metal. How cool is that!

     I decided to use this on an ornament. The wonderful thing about Tim's Tags is the inspiration he gives you. I had this glass ball hanging around and although I thought it would be nice, it didn't have the glitter I was looking for. I held onto it and decided it would be perfect for this technique of Tim's. Boy was I right!
     Thank goodness I had Tim's adornment with the wreath. I thought I could use it for something and then, along came Tim's 12 tags.First I started to drill the hole using the hand drill. The wreath was then painted with green acrylic paint and then distressed with Tim's sanding grip. After, I added some red berries also with acrylic paint. I used Ranger embossing ink to the whole wreath and covered with Kaleidoscope transparent embossing powder by Stamp N Stuff and heated the wreath to set the powder. The colors are just gorgeous!

     The inside image is from Tim's Seasonal Stack that I covered with paper glaze then cut to fit inside the wreath.You can tell from the top photo the image is of a wonderful winter countryside.I finished off the ornament by tying a red cording and a small jingle bell. After adding a white sheer bow to the top it is ready to hang. Thanks Tim for being the inspiration behind this ornament.

Tag 1 Tim Holtz 12 Tags of Christmas

  Ok, so now I get to play and share a few of the projects I learned from Tim Holtz fabulous 12 Tags of Christmas! I just love all the techniques he shared this season and it's the first time I have been able to play around.
     This first tag had some great techniques including some new ones as well as some I always love to use. I cut my own tag using Art Philosophy @ 6.25" which is the equivalent to the manilla tag Tim sells.The first part is to emboss the tag first with a dry embossing and then to add some embossing ink and white opaque embossing powder. The effect is a nice pearled sort of background. Of course that is followed by distressed inking Antique Linen) after a little distressing. I love Tim's sanding grip. It seems to give you nice control and is easy to apply just the right amount of pressure without sanding away too much of the paper. Oh I forgot to mention I used the snowflake embossing folder from the cuttlebug.
     I thought I would use the "Let It Snow" phrase from Winter Frolic so I cut it @2.25 from some glittered card stock I had. I also cut the shadow from a metallic silver card stock from my stash, lol.The snowflakes are also from the Frolic cart.
     The challenging part about this cart is the pinecones. I searched all over to find this die of Tim's but to no avail. So I searched my cartridge "library" and settled on a cut from the gypsy font. I need a LOT more practice,lol. After some distressing inks and shaping, I added some Martha Stewart crystal glitter and some of Tim Holtz' snow cap paint to the edges. Although I am not too happy with the finished product, I know with some practice I will do better.
   I forgot to mention I used a strip of Tim's Seasonal Pack for the music sheet and also distressed the edges with Vintage Photo ink. The final touches were a few leaves cut with martha's leaf punch and some bling and pearls to jazz it up!
     I completed the tag with a nice ribbon and a snowflake brad. I can't wait to do more of his tags!




  
    

 

Thanksgiving Day Cards

     Alright, I'm back in action. I have some new Thanksgiving Day cards to share with you. These are a little different from the ones I usually make. I always search through the clearance bin at Michaels and I found some Tim Holtz seasonal packs. These have some awesome images with such a wonderful vintage look. So I decided to go with it.

     As a member of the Cricut Circle, one of the perks is that you receive exclusive carts. The latest one is called Sophie and that is where I found the die cut of the leaf frame. It was cut @ 4.53 x 3.44" on a beautiful burgundy background. I love how intricate these cuts are. I chose certain sections to highlight with diamond glaze for a glossy  look. I also added a beautiful orange card stock as a backing and trimmed it with a rust picot satin ribbon topped with a velvet trim.

     I also had some glittered leaf embellishments that I added to the corners after I distressed the edges with some ink. Don't ya just love my ceramic turkey? I actually have two of them which are my candle holders for the big feast!

     I just love these images. This is so nice with the turkeys in the background.

     This has to be my favorite image in this group. I love the cornucopia maybe because i make so many of them at work for the holiday!

     I also decided to finish this off with an inside verse that was printed in brown on a parchment paper. I have decided to add some greetings on my cards this time. It adds weight to the card but gives it a nice finishing touch.

     What do you do for family traditions at your house? I'd love to hear if you'd like to share!

Fabric Flowers

     I have so many projects to share but so little time. That's the story of my life,lol. Just a quick update, my mom is still in rehab but comes home Wednesday which is not soon enough for her. In the meantime I have made her new curtains from material she has had sitting around forever! I also had a chance to mat and frame some of her wedding photos to hang in her bedroom. She will be so surprised.
     Anyways, a while back when I was making all those aprons, I had a pile of scraps. (You know how I hate scraps)! I had decided they would make cute flowers for headbands.

     First off I used spray starch on both the front and backside of the fabric. I know all the directions say to use an iron on interfacing but with small scraps that would be pretty tough. I thought if I sprayed it it just might be stiff enough to go through my Sizzix machine. I used Tim Holtz Tattered flowers and it went thru without a hitch.
     Sorry but I forgot to take a picture of the next step. I sprayed the flowers with Beacon's Stiffen Stuff  and then while it was still wet I scrunched them up to give them a ruffled petal look. Once they were dry I layered about 8 layers to get a nice fluffy flower and added a brad to the center for a little bling. The mix and match patterns made some great flower patterns. All I had to do was to use some Beacon's 3 in 1 craft glue to adhere them to the headbands. If you haven't used this glue before I highly recommend it. It grabs quick and dries fast.

     As you can see they match the apron. Hope you enjoyed this quick post. Promise I'll be back shortly with some elegant Thanksgiving Day cards. If you can't wait for the post you can see them in my etsy store.

The Shadow Box

     Warning this post is image laiden, lol!!! I wanted you to get the full affect of this project. This used to be a black shadow box however it just didn't go in this newly painted room. I wanted a rustic, weather worn look so I sanded the box, painted it with some white paint. Once it was dry I sanded off several areas and then distressed it.
     The pictures were updated from our recent trip to Florida and several weeks later for our youngest grandson's birthday party. In some ways the pictures involve water.

     I have been collecting sea shells on our many trips to Florida. I am so fair that I burn and get over heated quickly so the only way I survive at the beach is by constantly moving and keeping my body in the water! Some of these shells are from St. Pete Beach, some from Shell Island and some from Venice Beach. This last beach is amazing. The water is a bluish green and the setting reminds me of the Caribbean.
     The shells are adhered with a glue gun and took quite a while to lay them out. I only went around the outside edge. Believe it or not I didn't have enough shells to frame the individual photos!
     I wanted to frame the outside edge with some sort of roping but couldn't find what I wanted so I made my own. I had a skein of cotton yarn so I measured around the frame and added 4 times the length to account for the braiding. I love Beacon's 3-in-1 glue. It grabbed beautifully on this project.

     I even added some shells to add some dimension near the pics.

     This is a sign for the nesting turtles near Venice Beach. Besides the incredible view at this spot you can have great fun sifting for shark teeth. That's right: shark teeth! Next time we go back I'll have to keep some for myself instead of giving them to the grand children. All the ones we found are black!!! I also used a Tim Holtz bottle to add some sand. Please stop me before I get carried away. Hope you enjoyed your visit. As always don't be afraid to leave a comment.

USMC

     As you can tell, I am exploring new techniques (again!). My latest venture is my favorite place to take on line classes: My Creative Classroom. This is a class exploring mixed media with Shirley Pando. This second lesson is using paper on canvas and can I just say I Love It!!!
     I find it hard to come up with projects for men but somehow, this just seemed to come to me. One of my daughters lives in Hawaii on the Marine base with her husband. I also have a nephew who was in the Marines and my nieces husband also serves our country.I had made an album a while ago and this was paper I had leftover. I won't bore you with the details of the background but would like to share the embellishments and some of the meaning behind them.

     First, the metal tag I found @ Michaels in the clearance bin. It is engraved with wonderful words that I feel exemplify a Marine: courage, honor, hope, loyalty, unity, kindness, truth, charity and passion. Across the top in the right hand corner are 4 small circle tags that say "U S M C". These are tied together with thread that symbolize the bond they have for their "brothers" and fellow Marines. They are from the Tim Holtz collection but the letters are some stickers I had.
     The center image is from Tim Holtz seasonal stack and it features an eagle and the stars and stripes. I laminated this with glossy accents. The furthest image is also from Tim H and says "the world". I used his fragments acrylic tag and used a gold marker on the edge to add some dimension. This highlights that these men go anywhere in the world that are called upon to serve.

     I added a strip of the map across the bottom and added the United States Marine Corp sticker. When Chris and Andy got married we had black candy boxes with Lindt chocolates inside as favors for the men at the wedding reception. The top of the boxes had this emblem on top. As a side note, when they married he wore a tux and not the dress uniform. He said "You are marrying me, not the marines!" I love that he is such an individual. He loves his job but is also his own person.
     Finally, my daughter shared this quote with me: "Some people wonder all their lives if they've made a difference. The Marines don't have that problem."
     The far right corner has a double stamped star with Stazon ink. I also had some Tim Holtz metal corners that I used and added a burgundy grosgrain ribbon around the outside edge. One suggestion from Shirley was to try upholstery nails along the edge. I added these last to symbolize that these dedicated service men can be tough as nails! Thanks to all the Marines for keeping us safe and allowing us to do what we do best.

I Love Sewing!

     My Creative Classroom is where I take a lot of classes and this is just the latest: Mixed Media. I have always wanted to learn the principles of this art form ( and use up some scraps!). I love detail so this was a project where I could really let myself go!
     First I started with a scrap of tapestry fabric, some coordinating fabric, some buttons and some lace when it hit me, why not do something for the sewing area of my craft room? I pulled out a zipper, some floss and embroidery yarn ( a project that has long gone by the way side!) and a vintage button. 
     After I fringed the edges of the tapestry I laid out my scrap fabrics and fused them onto the tapestry. Next i did some decorative stitches by hand before I added the zipper.
     The image is from Tim Holtz which I added some Rangers Glossy accents to before gluing it to card stock and fabric. I have so many letter beads that I decided to spell out "sewing" and added pearl beads in between the letters to soften the look.
     The pin with the thread and scissors was a gift years ago for my sister-in law since we both share a love of sewing. I made a ribbon hanger that I glued to a piece of card board and then glued the two together for some stability. This looks so good in the sewing area of my craft room!

Happy Fathers' Day!

     I hope all the dad's out there had a great day. This is the dessert I made for the guys we were happy enough to see today. It's a scratch recipe with cinnamon, chocolate chips, walnuts and cheery pie filling, yum! To dress it up I had these flags that I bought several years ago. They are originally for the 4th of July so I just added some rub ons with the "Happy Fathers' Day. Because this cake doesn't need frosting I still wanted to dress it up a bit so I made some chocolate covered strawberries. They really added a nice touch I think.
     I have been taking a lot of pictures with my new camera but haven't had a chance to do much with them. I also have Tim Holtz film strip that I haven't used so an inspiration hit ( at 11:30 pm I do my best work then, lol).

     This is what I came up with. I decided to use the pictures as a film strip and put them on a tag. I know not many guys save cards they receive but, honestly, who could throw this tag away?

     I spritzed the tag with Clearsnaps Spun Sugar spritz and tied the tag with the tag string and added a silver fish charm.

     I came up with this pocket card so the shipping tag fits right inside. I love my Bind It All so I thought it would be great to add some lacing to the side and added a distrezzed tag to the front. I got a deal on Rub Ons from My Sentiments Exactly and they had a lot of Fathers' Day sentiments. Needless to say they loved them.
     My own dad passed away suddenly 34 years ago but I still remember one incident vividly. I was in 5th grade and was devastated to learn I needed eye glasses. The day I got them I was so upset I refused to wear them. I was sitting on our back steps when my father quietly sat down beside me and asked me to tell him what I saw at the end of our yard. I told him there were bushes just a lot of bushes. He then asked me to put my glasses on, just for a minute. Of course I grudgingly obliged. He then said they looked very nice. Why not tell him about those bushes? To my amazement they were not bushes at all but trees. They were huge trees!
I learned right then and there that this was a very wise man sitting beside me. Love you always dad.



    

Blooming Garden

     I was playing around with some scrap card stock and thought this would make a cute centerpiece for the children's table for Easter. I really used a lot of recyclables on this one!
     First I started out with some card board dividers that separates cans. I just evened these pieces off to form a strip. You can make it as long as you want.

     In order to have some stability as well as flexibility, I taped some 18 gauge wire to one side before covering it with card stock.

     On the right you can see the taped wire for the floral base prior to covering it. Look at all those flowers. Hmm, is that tissue paper? Wrong!!  I was making a project with clear plastic and the sheets were separated with this waxed paper. It is so intriguing because it has a sort of texture like linen. I used Tim Holtz Alteration Floral dies but you can use any die cuts. I particularly like the floral cuts on the cricut cartridges. There are so many to chose from! After they were all cut I used Rangers Inkabilites Floral Brights and just had fun smooching all the colors. Then I mixed up all the colors and stacked them up. The centers feature a beautiful jeweled brad by Creative Charms.
     I used gypsy Wanderings to cut the stem @ 5" with the shadow feature on. I cut the stem and a piece of chip board ( using the heavy cutting blade) and actually cut a second set out of card stock but this time I flipped the design so I could cover the front and back of the chip board. Before adhering these together I added some more wire to the center of the stem to make it a little more sturdy however you could always use 2 pieces of chip board stems.
     This is my favorite part: decorating. As my husband always says "it's all a matter of preparation". I pulled out more of the blooming garden set from Creative Charms and decided this project would be so cute with these felt butterfly embellishments. I decided to wrap the base with some more wire but I think a nice springy sheer ribbon would also be pretty. The Flowers were adhered with some pop dots and, after slipping the "stems" into the wire I used a few glue dots to keep them in place.
     This takes up very little room and will be adorable with little Easter baskets at each place setting. The kids are going to love it!