Sympathy Card For My Sister-In-Law

I made this card for my sister-in-law, Diana, and her family.  Her grandmother passed away last week.  

The background was made with alcohol inks, and the stamps are from the Gina K. Spring Mix set.  I used Lovely Lilac ink, by Stampin' Up.  The mini flat-back pearls, which I found to be the perfect touch on this card, are from Martha Stewart. 

I highly recommend small pearls on a sympathy card, as they soften the card's bright colors.  I don't like dark colors on a sympathy card, but I didn't want it to look like a birthday card either.  The pearls did the trick.

Please keep Diana and her family in your thoughts and prayers.  Thank you for that, and for stopping by today.

Cute and Fun Easter Bags

If you need to make little Easter goody bags for friends and family, I have a great project for you. 

These Easter bags are not only cute, but they’re also easy and fun to make. Here are the tools and materials you’ll need:


• 12” x 18” heavy printed cardstock for your bags

• Scraps of cardstock for your embellishments (brown, white, pink, etc.)

• Acetate

• Glue Dots Craft Dots and Glue Lines ®

• Paper trimmer

• Scoring tool (e.g. Martha Stewart, Scor Pal)

• Cricut machine and cartridges (I used Create a Critter and Tags, Bags, Boxes, and More.)

• 12” x 24” Cricut mat

Step 1: Cut out bag in desired size. I used my Gypsy to make the image the largest possible size for my cardstock. I also selected the Window feature on the TBBM cartridge.

Step 2: Score and fold tabs.

Step 3: Measure and cut acetate to appropriate size for cut-out window.

Step 4: Using Glue Lines®, attach acetate on the inside of the window.

Step 5: Assemble bag, using Glue Lines® and Craft Glue Dots®.

Step 6: Lay out scraps of paper on mat, and cut embellishments.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Step 7: Layer embellishments, and attach to bag with Glue Dots.


The last and most enjoyable step of all is to fill your bag with Easter grass, confetti, and lots of candy and treats. Happy Easter!


(I made this project while on the Glue Dots ® Design Team)


 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Proud Mommy Moment

We interrupt our regular crafts schedule for this special announcement:

Haley was accepted into the private school she applied for earlier this year!  She's also been invited to the second round of admissions at the other private school she applied for.  We're so proud of her!

We now return to our regular programming....

My Crafty Life - Making Heart Earrings.wmv

Happy Valentine's Day everyone! Here's a quick video showing you how to make really cute heart earrings, just in time for Valentine's Day. They take less than 10 minutes to make. Last night I made 4 pairs in under an hour. Have a wonderful Valentine's Day, and thanks for stopping by!

10 Must-Have Christmas Embellishments

I know you're probably just as sick of this snow as I am, but have you scrapbooked your Christmas photos yet?  Check out my latest article at http://www.scrapjazz.com/topics/Themes/Holidays/Christmas/3102.php to see 10 embellishments that will jazz up your layouts and add just the right finishing touches.

(I know that I usually post my articles here on my blog, but there are so many links and pictures that it would have taken a very long time to write up this post.

Enjoy, and remember to be your crafty self!

Holiday Card Collage

OK.  It's time to take those holiday cards down.  Yes, if you're like me, you haven't quite gotten around to that yet.  But what are you going to do with all of them?  Make a card collage to add to your holiday decorations next year (and the years that follow too).  It's not hard at all.

Over the past few years, our family has grown significantly. My nieces and nephew have all married, and two of them now have children of their own. That means lots of pictures, especially around the holidays. The Christmas cards I enjoy receiving the most are the photo cards. They not only showcase my adorable great-niece and great-nephews, but they also lend themselves to many holiday crafts.  This year, I decided to create a collage with the photo cards that I have received for the past three Christmases. It will hang on our living room wall this holiday season.  Putting together a collage like this isn’t difficult. Just follow these simple steps:

Supplies:

12” x 12” sheet of green cardstock

8 ½” x 11” sheet of white cardstock

Creative Imaginations Christmas/Holidays paper [double-sided]

14” of coordinating ribbon

Jolee’s Boutique Christmas/Holidays dimensional stickers

scalloped-edge punch


Instructions:

Use the green cardstock as your base.

Cut one sheet of double-sided paper to 6” x 12” and 2” x 12”.

Use the scalloped-edge punch to create a border on one long edge of each cut piece.

Alternating sides of double-sided paper, attach the 6” x 12” piece to the left side of the green cardstock and the 2” x 12” inch piece to the right side, being sure to line up the edges.

Trim photos and attach to the white cardstock, overlapping and layering as you go.

Attach the white cardstock about 2 inches down from the top of the page.

Attach ribbon over the top seam and secure on the back.

Cut your title from a photo card, and add to the layout.

Finish with Jolee’s embellishments.

Frame and hang on the wall.

What a wonderful way to enjoy those cards year after year and see how the children grow! Now it’s your turn.   I'd love to see what you create. Post a comment, and I'll send you my email address so that you can email a photo of your photo collage to me by January 31. I'll enter your name into a random drawing for a little prize from me.  Have fun!

Snowman Card

Merry Christmas!  I thought I'd share a card that I made for my son this year, using a technique that I saw Jennifer McGuire use in one of her videos.  It's really easy to do.

You use 2 coordinating colors of Distress Ink (I used Peeled Paint and Broken China), and an acrylic block.  Start with the first color, and apply it to the whole block.  Then apply the darker color to just the edges.  Spray it with a little water, and press the block onto your paper.  (I used watercolor paper.)  Gently lift the block from the paper, and blend any concentrated pools of ink with a paper towel.  Just dab it gently.  Then, as a optional step, you can spritz it with some shimmery sprays.  Although I used some that I made myself, any of the commercial sprays should work.  To minimize curling, use a heat gun on the front and back of the paper.

For the images on the card, I used my Christmas Cheer Cricut cartridge and E.K. Success snowflake punches.  Any border punch you have would add a nice touch as well.

I hope to post one more time before Christmas; but if I don't, have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!