Design Challenge with Little B…

October 21, 2015October 22, 201514 Comments

I played a little hooky from all the projects on my never ending “To Do” list…

and did a little card-making (just for fun). Thanks in part to a wonderful box of goodies

that I received from the good people at Little B LLC, the sponsor of this month’s

Designer Craft Connection’s Manufacturer Challenge.

(make sure to check out the great giveaway prize at the bottom of this post)

My Butterfly Card uses mini dimensional butterflies from Little B

and scrapbook paper from Graphic 45’s Rare Oddities Collection.

To create the division between the butterflies,

I used a really thin Black and White Striped Decorative Tape

This Simple little card uses all kinds of Little B goodies.

Directions:

Using the Lace Doily Punch, punch both sides of a white cardstock layer. (Approx. 4 1/4″ x 5 1/4″)
Add Gold Foil Hearts and Gold Foil Toile tapes to the center of the punched cardstock.
Add a thin strip of Gold Foil Love on top of the seem between the two previous tapes.
Layer white cardstock onto a piece of gold cardstock and adhere to a white card base.
Using three of the smaller layering heart dies, cut and emboss a small heart frame.
Adhere the heart frame onto the bottom right corner of the card.
Using a small Wedding bouquet from the Bride and Groom stickers, stick bouquet onto the center of the heart frame.
Tie white sheer ribbon around top of the card.

Finished Card Size: 4 1/2″ x 5 3/4″

♥ Thank You Little B LLC for generously providing the dies, punches, dimensional stickers,

and decorative tapes used on these cards. (You are awesome!)

Little B LLC is so awesome they’re giving away this prize package to one lucky winner.

To enter to win leave a comment on this post and/on the other designers’ blogs

and “like” the Little B LLC Facebook page… that’s all there is to it.

The more you comment the better your chances are to win! Open to residents of US and Canada only.

Contest ends 10-29-15.

Check out the Designer Craft Connection Blog for participating Designer projects.

Candy Corn Halloween Treat Bags

October 19, 2015October 6, 20151 Comment

Give the kids an extra special treat this year with their very own personalized Trick or Treat Bag.

Halloween Greeting in black iron-on letters and their names on the back using orange

iron-on letters from Joy.

No more fighting over whose bag is whose.

These cute Candy Corn Bags came from Canvas Corps Brands.

Just iron on your Joy letters to each bag and send the kids out there to fill ’em up!

Etching for Fall

October 15, 2015September 24, 2017Leave a comment

I picked up this very old bottle at a yard sale…

The story with this bottle is that the guy bought a collection of old medicine bottles from the

early 1900’s that came from the old Bartonville State Mental Hospital.

If your not from around here, rumor is, the old State Hospital is haunted.

I believe the show “Ghost Hunters” did an episode there.

So… that and the fact that it was only $2.00 had me intrigued.

The old bottle was in rough shape.

When I tried removing the cork, it pretty much disintegrated on the spot.

To breath new life into the old bottle…

I masked the top and the bottom of the bottle with removable painters tape and added

a thick coat of etchall Etching Creme*. (*affiliate link)

After waiting 15 minutes, I removed the excess etching crème and put the excess back

in the container. I rinsed the bottle with warm water and let dry.

(make sure to read the instructions on the bottle of etching crème.)

To give the bottle a little Fall color…

I used a StazOn Ink Pad, Orange Zest* and rubbed the ink over the bottle.

The ink only adheres to the etched area.

To finish the look, I added a rub-on decoration to the front of the bottle with

a little raffia and key around the neck.

A new look for a very old bottle.

This project was created for and sponsored by Etchall®.

Disclaimer: This blog uses ads and affiliate links. If you choose to make a purchase using one of the links, I receive a small commission (at no additional cost to you) that helps offset the costs of maintaining this blog. Thanks for your support!

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Welcome Trick or Treaters

October 5, 2015August 6, 20212 Comments

When it comes to Halloween Decorating, I’m not one to go all out.

Usually a couple of jack-o-lanterns and that’s it. (I’m pretty low-key)

How do you Welcome Trick or Treaters?

I remember the year my oldest decided that he was too old for trick or treating…

He dressed up in costume… sat in the chair on the porch with a big bowl of candy to pass out.

He sat very, very still.

All the kids thought he was a decoration.

When they’d start to reach and grab the candy he’d scare them.

As I was walking down our street from taking my daughter Trick or Treating that night,

we were warned about the house on the end of the street.

I think that might of been his favorite Halloween.

Deflecto Craft Frame, Black Border, 8.5 x 11 Inches (69775CR)

My “Welcome Trick or Treaters” sign was made using a large frame from Deflecto Craft Solutions

and computer graphics.

The bat and pumpkin chipboard was old K & Company embellishments.

"This is a sponsored post. As a member of the Deflecto Design Team I have been 
provided product in exchange for my creative ideas, views and opinions."

My Friend the Ghost

September 30, 2015June 2, 2017Leave a comment

Meet Mr. Boo, my newest Halloween Decoration.

I had all Mr. Boo’s parts finished when my Grandson showed up the other day.

I thought I’d let him help me decide what face Mr. Boo should end up with.

(he likes stuff like that)

To him it was like a game of Mr. Potato Head. (actually… we all had fun with it)

Angry? Surprised? Confused? Happy?

So many looks for one little ghost.

And… before you say it, yes, he does look a little like a Pac Man Ghost.

To Make your own Mr. Boo you’ll need: (*affiliate link)

12 x 12 Smoothfoam Page Mount
2″ Smoothfoam Ball
Hot Wire Foam Cutter* or Craft Knife
Black Buttons
White and Black Acrylic Paint
Paintbrushes
Craft Glue
Adhesive Letters
Black Cardstock (optional)

Directions:

Trace and cut a ghost shape on the Smoothfoam Sheet using the Hot Wire Foam Cutter*or cutting knife.
Cut the 2″ ball in half to use for the eyeballs.
Paint the ghost shape and the eyeballs with white acrylic paint.
Mix the black and white paint together to create a light grey paint. Paint around the ghost shape to create a shadow.
Glue buttons on the top of the eyeballs.
Glue eyeballs onto ghost.
Paint eyebrows and mouth using black acrylic paint or cut pieces out of black cardstock and glue onto ghost.
I added magnet to the back of my ghost so it will stick to my metal front door.

The Many Faces of Mr. Boo

The Many Faces of Mr. Boo

This project was created for and sponsored by Smoothfoam.

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Making a Playhouse Banner with oly*fun

September 23, 2015Leave a comment

My grandson Nicholas is celebrating his 5th birthday in just a few days. (but who’s counting?)

He’s having two parties this Saturday. One for the kids and the other for family.

Such a lucky little guy. (Born on his Daddy’s birthday.)

Since the family party is at his house, I had an idea to make a bright colorful banner to decorate

the new playhouse.

I had recently received a selection of oly*fun to work with and thought it would be perfect to use.

It was super easy to put together.

What exactly IS oly*fun?

oly*fun is a specially engineered material that features some of the best things about fabrics AND

papers. Easy to cut or die-cut and it will not fray. It is great for outdoors

Here’s what I used:

oly*fun: Orange Crush, Jet Black and Kiwi
Versatile Checks 12″ x 12″ Stencil (Deco Art)
Black Acrylic Paint
Stencil Brush
Circle Die Cut
Twine
Beacon Fabri-Tac Permanent Adhesive, 4-Ounce
Tiny Stapler

Directions:

Stencil the check pattern using the black acrylic paint on the orange oly*fun.
Create a banner pattern on cardstock.
Cut out the banner pattern and trace onto the stenciled oly*fun.
Trace and cut several banners out of the black and green oly*fun.
Cut strips and circles to decorate the banners. Glue onto banner with Fabri Tac Glue.
Fold top of the banner and staple onto the piece of twine.
Tie the banner onto the top of the playhouse and watch the kids play.

A Special Thanks to Fairfield World for generously providing the oly*fun for this project.

Ready for the first day of Pre-School

September 21, 2015August 21, 2020Leave a comment

Because starting Pre-School is a really Big Deal…

I wanted to make my Grandson Nick a special shirt to wear on the first day.

At first, I had all kinds of silly and corny ideas…

in the end I thought maybe I should make one he’d actually wear more than once.

Thanks to some Pinterest Inspiration.

I came up with “Class of 2029”. Sounds kind of futuristic doesn’t it?

Nick’s mommy liked it so much she wanted me to make one for his little brother.

Class of 2032. (Oh my!)

The boys’ shirts were made using iron-on embroidered letters from Joy SA.

Etched Family Frame

September 14, 2015March 29, 20182 Comments

Whenever I get a chance…

Whenever they’re all home together…

I try to get a family picture.

It only seems to happen a few times per year.

When we’re all together, there’s so much excitement, talking and laughter that I forget.

Like this summer, after swimming and naps….

I set up the tri-pod, gathered the kids and set up the self timer.

(it’s always good for a few laughs) All 18 eyes were open,

all those who were running away were captured and everyone was looking.

Phew… not an easy task. But always worth it in the end.

It was starting to get dark, so the picture’s not as clear as I’d like it.

I decided to print it in black and white and put it in a simple black frame.

To capture the sentiment of the picture I etched the word “family” on the glass.

Etched Family Frame Products Used: (*affiliate links)

Directions:

Remove glass from frame. Clean glass to remove all dirt, fingerprints and oil. Dry with a coffee filter, paper towel, or lint-free cloth.
Apply “Family” stencil to glass. Burnish the edges of the stencil. You want to make sure no edges are coming up.
Mask around the stencil with removable painters tape for extra surface protection.
Apply a heavy coat of etchall® etching crème to the masked area of the stencil.
Leave etching crème on design for 15 minutes. After etching time has elapsed, use the squeegee to return the crème back into the original container for later re-use.
Rinse etched surface with hot water to remove any remaining crème. Remember to keep crème away from porcelain sinks or ceramic tiles.
To make the etched letters stand out more, apply picket fence distress paint over the letters. Wipe surrounding area of the glass clean.

and for your viewing pleasure…

*Disclaimer: This post uses ads and affiliate links. If you choose to make a purchase using one of the links, I receive a small commission (at no additional cost to you) that helps offset the costs of maintaining this blog. Thanks for your support!

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The Very Hungry Caterpillar

August 31, 2015October 9, 20151 Comment

Have you read the story of the little caterpillar that ate and ate and ate?

And then turned into a beautiful butterfly? (spoiler alert)

My project was based off the book The Very Hungry Caterpillarby Eric Carle.

Here’s what you’ll need to make the Caterpillar:

Six- 2″ Smoothfoam Balls
Sanding Block or Very Fine Sanding Paper
Deco Art Americana Acrylic Paint: Olive Green, Sea Aqua, Watermelon Slice, Marigold, Brown
Paint Brushes
Bamboo Skewers
White Craft Glue
Craft Knife
Mod Podge

Directions:

Lightly Sand the ridge around the middle of the Smoothfoam ball.
To help the caterpillar sit and not roll. Cut a slightly flat side in two of the balls. Use them as your first and last green balls.
Paint five balls with Olive Green and Sea Aqua acrylic paint. For added dimension, stipple or sponge the opposite color on the balls.
Paint the last ball with the Watermelon Slice acrylic paint. Add a cute little face.
Cut a bamboo skewer into 1″ pieces. Connect the balls together using the skewers and white craft glue.
Cut the tip off of two skewers and paint brown. Insert into the top of the caterpillar’s head.
Paint a coat of mod podge to seal the paint and give a shiny finish.

Disclaimer: This project was created for and sponsored by Smoothfoam.

How to Etch a Mason Jar…

August 29, 2015June 7, 2018Leave a comment

I love the look of daisies in old blue canning jars. It just says summertime.

It’s simple, beautiful and it makes me happy.

I recently got the opportunity to work with a new product, etching crème from Etchall®.

While looking around for something to etch, I noticed the daisies sitting on the table.

Hmmm…Wouldn’t that look great with a etched flower and a greeting?

It’s a super simple project. (just how I like it)

Here’s what you’ll need: (*affiliate link)

Directions:

Clean jar to remove all dirt, fingerprints and oil. Dry with a coffee filter, paper towel, or lint-free cloth.
Apply Stencils to jar. Burnish the edges of the stencil. You’ll want to make sure no edges are coming up.
Mask around the stencil with removable painters tape for extra surface protection.
Apply a heavy coat of etchall® etching crème to the masked area of the stencil.
Leave etching crème on design for 15 minutes. After etching time has elapsed, use the squeegee to return the crème back into the original container for later re-use.
Rinse etched surface with hot water to remove any remaining crème. Remember to keep crème away from porcelain sinks or ceramic tiles.

Step #2 Step #3 Step #4

The etched flower looks subtle against the water in the blue jar.

“This is a sponsored post. As a member of the Etchall Design Team I have been provided product and compensation in exchange for my creative ideas. The views and opinions are my own.”

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Disclosure: This blog uses ads and affiliate links. If you choose to make a purchase using one of the links, I receive a small commission (at no additional cost to you) that helps offset the costs of maintaining this blog. Thanks for your support!