Country Craft Creations DT Project: Valentine Card featuring BoBunny Serenade

It's getting closer and closer to Valentine's Day. Last year I was a slacker and didn't even make my husband a card. (Bad wife!) This year I wanted to make sure that he got a card. This paper collection (BoBunny Serenade) lends itself to non-frilly valentine cards and projects. My husband loves anything I make for him, but I try not to make stuff that's pink and frilly, especially since he tends to take them to work and leave them on his desk for all to admire.

This card is a design from the Silhouette Online Store (Design ID: 72544). It is a 5x7 double bi-fold card. I cut the card base and the cupid out of black cardstock. I'm not sure if you can tell from the picture, but the point on the end of the arrow is a piece of heart shaped bling. 

The card base was in two pieces that needed to be adhered together. I used 1/8" Scor-Tape for that. After I inked all the paper edges with Black Soot Distress Ink, I used the 1/4" Scor-Tape to adhere the rest of my patterned paper to the card base.

Since this paper is heavily patterned, there is no way that I would be able to write on the inside. I used one of the 3x4 pieces from the cut-apart page to give me a place to write a love note to my husband.

Since this IS a Valentine's card, I thought this "All you need is Love" sticker from the sticker sheet was appropriate. I originally had it on the front of the card but it got lost in all the patterns. Next I tried it on the back of the card, sort of like my own little "hallmark," but finally decided to put it on the back of the heart on the inside of the card.

Thanks for stopping by and checking out my project! Don't forget to visit the Country Craft Creations in Hooper Facebook page and Website/Blog to stay informed of current sales and available products.

Country Craft Creations DT Project: Valentine Collage featuring BoBunny Serenade

I have another Valentine/Love themed home decor project to share with you for my Design Team Project for Country Craft Creations. I am still working with the fabulous BoBunny Serenade Paper, Brads, Layered Chipboard Stickers, and Noteworthy (die-cuts). 

I knew I wanted to make something similar to this:

http://blog.silhouetteamerica.com/2014/01/valentine-collage

This is what I came up with:

I started out by checking my local Goodwill for a picture frame. Since I was only interested in the frame, I didn't really care about the {ugly} picture inside it. It only cost me $3.54, which was WAY cheaper than going to the store and buying a wooden picture frame. The inside dimensions of my frame are 15"x19". 

After I disposed of the ugliness, I wiped it down then covered it with two layers of gesso.

Next, I tore up pieces of Tim Holtz Tissue Paper and used Mod Podge to adhere it collage-style to the frame. After all the layers were dry I added two more coats of Mod Podge as a protective sealer.

Now, the fun stuff! I searched my Silhouette library for love and valentine themed images. I cut them in a variety of sizes. I inked all the edges with Tim Holtz Black Soot Distress Ink.

The base of this one is from the cut apart page.

These letters are the inside cuts from one of the other die cuts. I adhered them to a tag from the Noteworthy die cuts and added a brad from the collection. I used foam tape to attach the heart and add a bit of dimension to this tiny tag.

I added a red bling heart where the man and woman are holding hands. The hearts on the bottom are an inside cut from one of the other die cuts. 

The base for this is one of the large journaling spots form the Noteworthy. I added the cupid with a red heart bling on his arrow.

I added a piece of red paper to the back of the "L" and filled in the letters with Crackle Accents. I think it adds just the right touch of dimension to this.

The base card is from the cut apart sheet. I adjusted the size of the frame to work with the photo I had. 

Here is my wonderful hubby making sure the frame is level before we hang it on the wall. Since we live in an apartment and don't like to put a bunch of holes in the wall, we used Command Picture Hangars to hang this frame. The Command strips hold 16 pounds and this frame doesn't weigh nearly that much, so I'm confident that it will hang on the wall just fine.

So, here is the finished project. I stapled cotton crochet thread across the back so that I could hang my die cuts using mini clothespins. When I change out the die cuts for spring, I will probably change out the twine for wire. I don't like how loose the twine got after I started hanging stuff from it. At any rate, I enjoyed making this frame and I sure do thank you for making it all the way to the end with all these pictures. 

Thanks for stopping by and checking out my project! Don't forget to visit the Country Craft Creations in Hooper Facebook page and Website/Blog to stay informed of current sales and available products.

YPP Artsy Fartsy Tickets: Birthday

It has been a long time since I participated in swaps at Your Paper Pantry. I decided to jump in during the month of February and participate in the "Artsy Fartsy Ticket Swap."  The theme was Birthday. The ticket and cupcake are both files from the Silhouette store. I embossed the ticket with the Swiss Dots Embossing Folder and inked the edges with Vintage Photo Distress Ink. I used Spun Sugar and Seedless Preserves Distress Inks on the cupcake. The cupcake was attached to the ticket with dimensional foam and I added Glossy Accents on top of the sprinkles.

Creative Craft Cottage: Vintage

Happy Valentine's Day!! Now, I don't have a valentine project to share, but I do have a Vintage project to share. This week, the challenge over at Creative Craft Cottage is Vintage. I created this vintage/shabby chic banner for our booth at Chinaberry Dreams Soapworks & Gifts Artisan Marketplace. 

The banner shape is from the Silhouette Store (I believe it was a To/From tag). I cut them at just under 4x6 so that I could maximize the number of shapes I could get from a 12x12 sheet of paper. The shadow is Recollections Kraft cardstock and the front layer is made with the Basic Grey Fiction collection. I love making a project with paper from a paper collection. Everything already matches! I used paper flowers from my stash and the flat back pearls are a combination of Want2Scrap and StampinUp. The banners are threaded along some jute that I picked up from the Dollar Tree.

Here are close-ups of each section:

 
Here is a photo of our *nearly* finished booth. We are going to add some curtains around the walls and some greenery to finish it off. Tami, Kris, and I are looking forward to selling our handmade items and supplies and even teaching a few classes. If you live in the Midlands of South Carolina, we would love it if you would stop by our booth and sign up for a class!

Head on over to Creative Craft Cottage and link up your vintage creation.

Berry Cute Designs: Little Girl Baker

I have a project share with a file from Berry Cute Designs to submit another sample for their Design Team Call. I was looking through the files when this cute Little Girl Baker from the Kitchen Files caught my eye. I knew it would be perfect for the Thanksgiving pictures from last year. I haven't even scrapped 2012 yet and here I am making a scrapbook page for 2013. LOL My stepdaughter, Sarah, is 7 and loves to help out in the kitchen. This year I let her help me make a pumpkin pie and a chocolate brownie pie to take with us to my Aunt's house for Thanksgiving dinner.

My scrapbook page is 12x12 and will hold 8 (2x3) pictures and my journaling, which I will do on the computer. I only used the girl from the set. It also includes cookies, a rolling pin, and pot holders. I cut the little girl at about 6 inches and inked all the edges before assembly. The title and the little girl are attached to the layout with foam dots for dimension.

I created my own title "baking pies" using the font BaaBookHmkBold. I grouped the words together and then sized them so the word "baking" is about 3.5 inches. I ungrouped them and added the offset. Confession: As I was inking the letters, I lost one of the dots for the "i" so I used some clear bling.

I attached the chef hat with foam dots to add dimension. Since I didn't have any silver paper, I colored the mixing bowl with a silver Sharpie marker before I removed it from the mat. As a finishing touch, I added Glossy Accents to the facial features and the shoes. I also added a few pieces of clear bling to the bottom left corner to go with the bling used in the title. Oh, and the hair bows--the ones that came in the file were impossibly tiny. I used some twine from my stash and just tied them in a knot around the ponytails.

Paper: Core'dinations

Distress Inks: Spun Sugar, Vintage Photo, Gathered Twigs, Antique Linen, Black Soot

Berry Cute Designs: Hersey Bears

One of my crafty goals this year is to be a member of a Design Team that will allow me to use my Silhouette on a more regular basis. I recently joined a Facebook Group Everything Silhouette & SD Craft Room and there was a Design Team Call for Berry Cute Designs posted in that group. Lucky Me!

I received this cute "Hersey Kiss Bears" file to make a project. Since Valentine's Day is right around the corner, I decided to make Valentine Bags for my kids. I used Core'dinations Cardstock for all the cuts and inked all the edges with the following Distress Inks: Gathered Twigs, Vintage Photo, Antique Linen (eyes), and Barn Door (bow on girl bear). I used Black Soot Distress Ink on all the black cardstock and also on the silver wrapper. The bears were assembled with Scotch Quick Dry. It's my favorite wet adhesive for cardstock.

First up is Sarah's bag. It's pink and sparkly and has flowers--just about everything she loves! The bag is actually from one of her Christmas gifts. It's pulling double duty for Valentine's Day and then I'm sure she's going to cut it up and put it in her SMASHbook. The heart doily is from the Dollar Tree and I used Spun Sugar Distress Ink to color it. I used my SU! Blender Pen to add Bundled Sage, Shaded Lilac, and Festive Berries Distress Inks to the flowers and stems. I used Beacon 3-in-1 to glue the doily to the bag. Since the front of the bag is glitter, I wanted to make sure the doily was adhered well.

The small pink flowers are from the dollar bin at Michael's. I used the Beacon to adhere those, as well.

I didn't have any silver paper, so I used grey. Before I removed it from the mat I used a silver Sharpie to color it. I cut 2 of each of the wrapper and the flag and attached them with foam tape to add some dimension. The sentiment strip across the bottom is from Echo Park "Head Over Heels" Collection. The paper flowers and stick pin are from my stash.

Instead of cutting the pink heart that came with the collection, I added a pink heart gem. Sarah will appreciate the detail. She loves bling! A couple of the eyelashes kind of shredded when I cut them, so I pulled the rest of them apart and made them fluffy. I think it adds a nice bit of interest to her eyes. The finishing touch is Glossy Accents on the eyes and nose.

David's bag is much more plain. He's 12 years old...and a boy...and all he cares about is the chocolate that will be on the inside of the bag! LOL I used a brown lunch bag for the base and used Festive Berries to color the doily. The bear was inked and assembled in the same way as the girl bear.

Creative Swappers: Ladybug, Dragonfly, or Butterfly Swap

One of the swaps I joined in the Creative Swappers Facebook Group was to create a Ladybug, Dragonfly, or Butterfly. I chose a ladybug and a dragonfly. The images came from the Silhouette Store and I used Core'dinations cardstock for all the cuts. They are cut somewhere between. I think ink adds a nice finishing touch to any project so I inked all the edges with coordinating colors of Distress Inks. I added Glossy Accents to the antennae and dots on the lady bug and Crackle Accents to the wings of the dragonfly. 

Lone Wolf Designs Design Team Showcase: Graphic 45 Steampunk Spells

It's my turn again for the Lone Wolf Designs Design Team and I'm back with a Halloween home decor project. This week I am showcasing the Steampunk Spells Collection by Graphic 45. The product description from Product Performers says it best: "Steampunk Spells celebrates the dark side of the Halloween season! This fanciful collection is bursting with bright and complimentary colors of cerulean blue, antiqued ivory, hues of rust and orange, all against a black autumn sky. Let us take you on a vintage voyage filled with mechanical marvels, florals, and glorious gears. Filled with images of moonlit owls, hot air balloons mid-flight, and cobwebbed clocks that Tick-Tock, this collection will make Halloween an event to celebrate the year through!"

Remember to be mindful of an open flame around paper...You don't want to burn the place down!!!

The pumpkin banner is a shape that I purchased from the Silhouette store. I sized it to just under 6” and cut 5 pumpkins with various pieces of paper from the 12x12 paper pad. I created an offset (shadow) and cut that out of black Bazill cardstock. I used a piece of solid brown paper from the 6x6 pad to cut the stem. I inked the edges of the pumpkins and stems with Distress Ink (Black Soot and Gathered Twigs). 

I have closeups of the completed banner towards the end of the post. Right now, I want to show you the other pieces of the tablescape. I went through my house and gathered a few candles and candle holders that would match the paper collection. I picked up those grapevine pumpkins on clearance at Cracker Barrel many years ago. They are one of my favorite fall decorations. I love that G45 has started making coordinating embellishments.  They add a great finishing touch to your project. I used chipboard tags, banners, and flowers to add to the items I found. I used Black Soot Distress Ink on all the edges.

Because Love Potion No. 45 is WAY better than Love Potion No. 9!

This 3D pumpkin is a cut file from the Silhouette store. I cut it at 3” and inked all the edges with Black Soot Distress Ink. After I glued it together, I accented the pumpkin with a chipboard tag and a black ribbon bow.

My cake plate usually holds a large 3-wick candle. I don’t think it’s ever had a cake on it! For this project, though, I decided to dress it up with a few banner pieces, a large grapevine pumpkin, and a fall flower pick.

Now for the star of the show...the Pumpkin Banner...

I accented the first pumpkin with a tag, stickers, and a paper flower. I also added a few Petaloo feathers (colored with Antique Linen Distress Ink), a stick pin from my stash, and a chipboard tag. I used Crackle Accents on the clock. It’s kind of hard to tell from the picture, but using the Crackle Accents creates a great “spider web” cracked glass effect on the face of the clock. LOVE it! 

The second pumpkin has Glossy Accents on one of the hot air balloons (on the right side) and on the bats.  I attached the black envelope with SU Dimensionals and layered paper and chipboard tags behind it. I added Crackle Accents to the skull and crossbones chipboard piece. 

I love the clock and gear paper used for the third pumpkin.  I cut the middle of the pumpkin to get the “double, double, toil and trouble” phrase and then accented it with Crackle Accents. I used some twine, charms, and a few of the small banner pieces to create a banner to go across the bottom of the pumpkin.  I also used Crackle Accents on the banner pieces. 

I think the fourth pumpkin is my favorite. I love the colors! I used a chipboard tag and stickers from the collection to accent this pumpkin. I used Crackle Accents on the butterfly.

The final pumpkin has a tag, flower, and chipboard tag from the collection. I used my Silhouette to cut the flourishes to use as leaves for the flower

Here's a look at the finished tablescape one more time. Even though Halloween is not my thing, I really enjoyed using this paper line. I love Graphic 45 paper and the extra goodies they make to go with them (tags, flowers, banners). 

As a reward for wading through ALL those pictures, I’m giving away the Pumpkin Banner that I made, a set of Steampunk Spells Cardstock Stickers and a set of the Banners. To be entered to win, you must be a follower of my blog AND the Lone Wolf Designs blog. Leave a comment here on my blog letting me know your favorite part of the Steampunk Spells Collection~My favorite part is the colors. Don’t forget to include your email address so I can contact you if you are the winner! (Entries without an email address will not count.) Contest closes Midnight, Wednesday, October 16, 2013 and the winner will be announced on the LWD blog on Friday, October 18, 2013 along with another great project by another member of the LWD Design Team. Make sure you check it out to see if you are the winner!

You can find these and many more products for your crafting projects at 25% off MSRP at Lone Wolf Designs, LLC. All you have to do is join the Lone Wolf Designs Discount Craft Supplies Facebook group. If you haven’t joined us yet, you’re paying TOO MUCH for your craft supplies!

Supplies (LWD product number listed in parentheses): 

Graphic 45 Steampunk Spells

12x12 paper pad (GR4500692)

6x6 paper pad (GR4500694)

Alphabet stickers (GR4500699)

Cardstock stickers (GR4500698)

Banners (GR4500695)

Flowers (GR4500696)

Tags & Pockets (GR4500697)

Chipboard 1 (GR4500700)

Chipboard 2 (GR4500701)

Distress Ink

Black Soot (THTIM19541)

Gathered Twigs (THTIM32823)

Antique Linen (THTIM19497)

Inkssentials Crackle Accents (DPCAC21926)

Inkssentials Glossy Accents (DPGAC17042)

Petaloo Feathers-Cream (PL1608001D)

Other:

Bazill Cardstock-Black Tie

Silhouette Files-Pumpkin Patchwork Banner, 3-D Pumpkin Shape, Flourish

Recollections Brads-Silver (colored black with a Sharpie)

Stampin Up! Dimensionals

Misc from my stash:

Brads

Twine

Stick pin (from a swap)

Charms

Black Ribbon

Entered in the following challenges:

2 Creative Chicks: 
www.2creativechicks.com/2013/10/challenge-7-halloween.html

2 Creative Chicks: 

http://www.2creativechicks.com/2013/10/spooktacular-linky-party-kick-off.html

Silhouette Challenges: 
http://www.silhouettechallenges.com/2013/10/challenge-6-critters.html