Fishing Bear!

I finally got some time to play with the Stampin' Up! "Under the Stars" set. I bought it when the catalog came out because that bear was so cute but I never put it together. And as time went by I kept asking myself why I bought the set!!! Ever do that???? I've seen a lot of cute things done with this set and it was probably one sample I saw that made me want it? Ever done that???

I took out the bear and as I was looking at him I thought it would look cute to make it look like he had a string of fish. And with the word "grrrreat" in the set I thought if I combined it with the word "dad" from the "Holiday Blitz" set I could do a "grrrreat dad" card for Father's Day.

I used "Lovely as a Tree" in the background. I used the airbrush to do the sky and grass. I was going to sponge it in but I didn't have enough clean sponges. UGH!!! I usually make sure I have a few leaned up, dry and ready to go. But it's ok, I like using the airbrush.

I actually used 4 stamp sets to make this card. This card would not only be a good card for Father's Day but a masculine birthday card. Oh and if you are having a fish fry it would make a fun invitation card!!! LOL

Thank you SO much for visiting,
Wanda

Technique Pages Set #2 on CD

Just a little note here to let you know that the second set of technique pages is now available on CD. You can purchase your copy in my webstore. Just scroll down to the bottom and click on page two. It's the only item on page two right now. Last time I checked the photo hadn't been added yet.

Just click on the "add to my card" and follow the checkout process.

Paid orders are shipped the following business day.

Thanks SO much,
Wanda

Just Beachy Dad!!

I thought this Stampin' Up! "Just Beachy" set would work great for a "Father's Day card or just a masculine card. And of course I used one of my favorite layouts for this. I LOVE this layout because I can use the smaller stamps that can at times be the most difficult to work with. There are lots of layout you can use for the smaller stamps too but this one is my favorite!!! I may have to come up with a new favorite layout that used the smaller stamps!!! I don't want to burn myself out on this one. Though I have used it LOTS of times and I still head back to it whenever I am using a small image.

I just LOVE the fish from this set. This set has LOTS of fun images. I'm hoping to play with it a bit this weekend. I have a million things to do and I'm hoping that I can get a lot of them done so I have time to play!!

The measurements for this card are as follows starting from the very top layer and going the bottom:
2-7/8" x 4" Ballet Blue
3" x 4-1/8" Certainly Celery
The holes are punched and the image is attached. Then the ribbon is tied. This piece is mounted on the next layer with Dimensionals.
4-5/8" x 3-1/2" Decorative paper (this paper is something I made myself on the computer)
4-3/4" x 3-5/8" Ballet Blue
And all this is set on a folded half sheet of Certainly Celery card stock.

Now keep these measurements so you can make LOTS of cards with your smaller image stamps!!

Oh and I used my homemade glue dots to stick the layers together!!!

Thank you SO much for visiting today!!
Wanda

Quick Gift Box

I needed a gift box and I needed it right away. And I knew exactly how I was going to get one!!!! Stampin' Up!'s exclusive "Matchbox" die. I LOVE to use them for my bracelets and other little gift things I make. I think it may even hold some of the polymer clay ornaments I make!!

I made the base of the box using white card stock and the cover using Bashful Blue. I had a couple extra labels left from a prior project which made making this box ever quicker yet!!! I never throw anything away and now you see why!!!

The base of the box is easy to assemble. You just fold on the scored lines and tuck it all in. The cover is easy too but it does require tape or glue. I prefer to use glue. I glued it and clipped it first and then I put the bottom together.

I affixed the label on with some homemade gluing circles and it worked!

Well, I'd better get my gift box filled and sent off in the mail.

Thank you SO much for visiting today,
Wanda

To Have & To Hold Wedding Card

I'm just trying to keep up on the cards I need. It's obvious here that I needed another wedding card. I just LOVE this Stampin' Up! "To Have & to Hold" set. It's such a sweet image.

I was going for the white on white look and after I got all the white pieces on it was SO blah that I decided to add some silver to the card. I got out my brushed silver card stock and cut one for the layer and one for the scallop. It was just what the card needed. Plus the brushed silver has a bit of a sparkle to it and gives the card an even richer look.

I cut a piece of 7/8" white grosgrain ribbon, tied it in a bow and attached it with a pop-up glue dot. I wanted something that was really going to stick and boy do those things ever stick!!!

I have found one problem using the Cuttlebug Dotted Swiss folder. The paper is raised on one side (I use that side on the top) and when I add a layer to the top of those little bumps it doesn't like to stick. Sometimes I have to use glue to get it to stay. I will know tomorrow if I need to add glue to the back of the frame and oval. But for now it's sticking and I like the card!!! Though.... there's always that "though" in there, isn't there?? LOL I was thinking that maybe the bouquet could use a touch of color. I may just do that. Again I will know better tomorrow!!! I need to step away from this and think about it later.

Again, this was a very quick card to make. I'll have to keep this in mind when I need one in a hurry. Though (here we go again with that "though"! LOL) I really am trying to be caught up on the cards I need to make for upcoming occasions. And I would REALLY like to be a bit ahead of the game. This wedding card puts me ahead of the game in that department!!! Shocker, I know!!! LOL

Thanks SO much for visiting today!
Wanda

Friends & Butterflies

I just LOVE this butterfly from the Stampin' Up! "Gods Beauty" set. There's a leaf, flower and a quote in the set too but I REALLY like this butterfly!! I love embossing it and coloring it in. It really doesn't take long to color at all. I did use a marker and a blender pen for my coloring.

The decorative paper is some left over from the Persian Summer package. I thought it was pretty and it looked like a butterfly would blend well with it.

The word stamp is from the "All Holidays" set. That's another fun set to have. It covers many events and occasions.

The oval was cut out using a Sizzix die. I've had that one in my workroom for about 4 years now. I used it a lot when I first got it and then I just forgot about it. Maybe because there were too many other things to play with!!! LOL

I cut out the vanilla and Perfect Plum card stock separately. I think I could have done them together but I like to cut out one at a time (unless I'm making a bunch). I used Perfect Plum ink for the words and I sponged the edges of the oval with the Perfect Plum too.

I did find it difficult to line up the oval. Maybe on something like this it would be better to cut the two out at the same time and mark on the back where they would line up. But I did manage to get the oval inside the frame. It's kind of sweet yet kind of blah. I'm thinking that maybe I should have stamped the words in black instead of plum???

Do you like how perfectly I cut out the butterfly??? I didn't!!! I cut it out close to the embossed areas and then I took a black Sharpie marker and colored in the edges to hide my horrible cutting, especially on the antenna.

This butterfly would be pretty done in vellum. I may have to try that sometime!!! In my spare time!!! LOL

I do like the way it turned out and I'm sure my friend will too.

Thank you SO much for visiting today and I hope you are enjoying your day,
Wanda

Simple and Elegant Wedding Card

I must admit this is one of the better wedding cards I've made. Though I think the next one I make I will use tulle instead of the satin ribbon. The satin is a bit too slippery and the knot does not like to hold. Plus I think the ribbon could stand to be a bit wider and the tulle would fit that bill too. I will make another one and let you decide which you like better.

This is a very quick and simple card to make. It probably took me longer to cut the card stock than it did to do the whole card!!

I used white and black card stock. I cut a piece of white card stock in half and then folded one of those pieces in half. This is the base of my card. Then I cut the black 5-3/8" x 4-1/8". I cut a piece of white card stock5-1/4" x 4" and ran it through the "Dotted Swiss" Cuttlebug folder. Then I took a piece of black card stock and used the Stampin' Up! "Top Note" die and I cut one of white too. I trimmed the white one down at the dotted lines. Before I trimmed it I stamped on it. I didn't want to spend time trimming it and then mess it up stamping it. It's Murphy's Law and it usually applies to me!!! I would spend my time trimming it and then mess up the image. But my theory is, if I stamp first and then trim after it will work out just fine. I was careful not to touch the stamped area with my fingers. And to insure that I didn't mess up the ink I put a piece of paper towel over the area and held on to it as I trimmed the edging. It was just insurance so I wouldn't smudge it!!! LOL Hey, it worked, didn't it????

I tied the bow onto the white piece and then taped all the layers together. SO quick and simple to make. I have plans on making this the wedding card I give this year. I have three weddings coming up so far. I think it's going to be a busy year for weddings!!! And that's ok because I will be ready for them in a flash!!!!

I'll make another one with the tulle and show you that sometime soon.

Thank you SO much for visiting today,
Wanda

Technique Pages

I have finished redoing the first set of technique pages. For any of you who are waiting for them and have not receive an email from me please email me here. My computer had a nasty virus and the only fix for it was to reformat the whole thing. And in doing so I lost emails and email addresses. I tried to save what I could but towards the end there I was unable to do a thing after it booted up.

I did make a couple extra sets and I have a couple extra of the 2nd set as well. SO if anyone is interested in them please let me know. They will be sold to you on a first come first serve basis. They do go fast!

Thank you,
Wanda

Glad He Won't Care!!!

This card looked SO much better in my mind than it did on paper!!! But the good news of it is, it's for my nephew and all he really cares about will be the money inside!!! Guys are such "guys!" And this time it plays in my favor!!! LOL

The whole problem with this card is that the card stock does not match the decorative paper. I would like to see Stampin' Up! come out with a "theme" pack of paper. One that covers Easter, Mother's Day, Graduation, Father's Day and maybe something for New Years Eve/Day. Just a little bit of papers for those non-holiday events, those one day events that you don't decorate a month in advance for. You know what I mean!!!! That way I would have graduation paper that matches the inks and card stock!!! I may have to play a bit more on my computer and make my own digi paper. Only problem there is time. I'm SO busy with SO many other things that finding the time to play around with that is not in the near future for me.

Anyway like I said, he really won't care about the card. And on the other hand I do have time to make another card before the open house!! I also need one for a college graduate too. I'm not sure how many graduations we will be invited to this year. Some years we are bombarded with invitations and other years one or sometimes even none!! This year so far it's 2 and counting!!

I will try to come up with a better card for the next one I need and I will share it with you. Yup, regardless if I like it or not!!! LOL

Thank you SO much for visiting. I hope you are enjoying your day!
Wanda

Wednesday Sketch Challenge

I was SO glad I was able to play with the sketch today!! It was a very fun and easy one too!!!

This sketch is perfect for using up pieces of scrap decorative papers and scrap card stock! My first card was going to be a graduation one but after I laid out the paper on the card stock I didn't like it. I may put it together for you and show you tomorrow. It's pretty ugly!!!

For the card I used in the sketch I used the Stampin' Up! "Crazy for Cupcakes" set. I don't use this image very often, I usually use the larger cupcake. I LOVE that stamp! And it is fun when you can use other stamps in the set!!! I did think about using the cupcake one but I opted for this one instead.

The decorative paper is from The Sweet Stack. A big stack of paper I had gotten a while back at Joann's. It's going to last a VERY long time too!! Especially at this rate. I cut one strip off a 12' x 12" sheet and the strip was only 1-5/8" wide!!! I could make a TON of cards like this off just one sheet of that paper!!!

Oh and the adorable cupcake ribbon.... I got that at Michael's today. I went in there for a bottle of glue. I did remember the glue but somehow other things found their way into my basket. I hate it when that happens. LOL Though I don't regret the ribbon purchase, this ribbon was just too cute to pass up!!!

I added some corners I punched and a little glitter to the cupcakes. I put it all together and took a photo of it!! Simple and quick!!! I LOVE all the layers too. I do like to do lots of layers when I make cards. I know, it's extra cutting but I don't mind. It just seems to add a lot to a card.

Thank you SO much for stopping by. I hope you were creative today,
Wanda

Mom & Mice!!!?

You can only get by giving a card with mice on it for Mother's Day if the mice are adorable like these are!!! I think that the Penny Black mice from the Margaret Sherry Collection are the cutest little things!! I have several stamps from her collection and I just LOVE them.

As I was looking at my calendar to see what cards I need to make (or catch up on) I realized that Mother's Day isn't that far off. And since (hope you're sitting down for this one) I'm all caught up on making the cards I need for this month, I thought I would flip the calendar over and be a bit head of the game. Shocker, huh?? LOL I have nothing coming up until Mother's day and then the month starts to get a little busier. Mother's Day cards will be a bit of time too. I only have one mother (no mother-in-law) but I do have some older friends that treat me like their child and I like to send them a Mother's Day card. I will be sharing them with you as I make them. Lucky you!!! LOL

For this card I just used markers and a blender pen. One of my favorite coloring techniques. Though I think watercolor paper would have been fun here too.

I used the Dotted Swiss Cuttlebug folder for the Pretty in Pink color. Oh and the main color and layers of the card are done in Regal Rose. Those two color go so well together.

The "mom" is from the Stampin' Up! "Holiday Blitz" set. I think I use that set at least once a week in my posts. The wording on it is "my mom" but I just masked off the "my" and stamped the "mom." It's all I really needed on the card. I thought about going on to the computer and typing up something but I thought I would just check to see what I had for stamps and go that route. I like it. It's a soft sweet Mother's Day card!!

This was a pretty quick and easy card to make. And this stamp was in my stash of stamps that I went through and have decided that I am going to sell. It will be in my store by the end of the week. It's called "Long Stem Cuties."

Now I must get back to my technique pages. I have one left to redo and the emails should go out tomorrow to those who are waiting for the redo of the 1st set!!! It will be nice to finally be done with them so I can get busy with the third set!!!

Thank you SO much for visiting today. I hope you discovered something wonderful today,
Wanda

Together Forever!

WOW! "Forever is a LONG time!!!" LOL

I'm posting a bit late tonight. I had such a busy day and all I wanted to do was get down to my workroom. Oh and I did find the photos of my workroom, I'll put them on my blog sometime this week. They were taken shortly after the carpet was put in so the room was "new" and fresh and actually clean with not much clutter. Now it's SO cluttered I feel claustrophobic!!!

I needed to make a wedding card and I thought I would play with the new Stampin' Up! "Manhattan Flower" embossing folder. I LOVE embossing folders and this one ranks right up there with my other favorites. I have lots of plans for this flower!!!

I used the embossing folder on white card stock. I was going to go for a white on white elegant look but then I thought if I made the words colored I would need to add some color elsewhere. Well, after a little thought this is what I came up with!!

I am having a little trouble with the center of the larger rose buckling after it comes out of the Sizzix machine. I don't know why it's doing that. To hide it I just add tape in that area and gently press it onto the back layer.

For my rose I used the Real Red marker and went over the raised areas. I did stamp the "Together Forever" words on first. They are from the Stampin' Up! set
Together Forever." Imagine that!!! LOL

I sponged the edges. I didn't want a lot of red showing so I held the sponge at a near 90 degree angle. Most of my sponging is at a 45 degree angle. And let me tell you when I turned the card stock to do the next edge I caught myself tipping that sponge in like I normally do. In the future I think I will sponge first, that way if I ruin the sponging I wouldn't have wasted a ton of time coloring raised areas!! But fortunately it worked out fine and I now have the wedding card I need.

It was a very simple card to do. The coloring of the raised areas did take a little while to do but it wasn't bad. I would do it again. I want to play with this folder again and try a more elegant card with it. In a week or so!!! I have so many other things in the works to show you!!

Well, I'm off to work on the few technique pages I'm redoing. I am almost done (by the end of the week for sure) and those of you waiting for them will be getting an email from me!!

Thank you SO much for visiting today. Hope your day was FABULOUS!!!
Wanda

A Tree for the Birds!!! Decor Elements

I thought I would add a little variety to the rub-on tree I have in my workroom. I used the bird from Stampin' Up! "Birds and Blossoms" die cut set. I used Bashful Blue card stock and I sponged the edges before I put the wings on.

I looked up at the tree on my wall as I was typing and noticed the one bird on the left side, the bird in the middle branch at the end.... it's wing was turned the wrong way. If you click on the photo you will see it!!! I'm SO bad at looking over the artwork before I photograph it!!! Good thing I never went into photography. I doubt I'd be in business right now!!! LOL

I just thought the tree could use a little something for spring. I'm not sure what I can do with it for summer. And for fall I as thinking of adding some fall color leaves over the brown leaves. And winter I will add some snowflakes but the leaves will still be on the tree. I'm sure in many areas of the world you see snow and leaves still stay on the trees. But here in Minnesota the leaves fall off and we rake them up for weeks while more fall off the trees. Oh and not to mention all the leaves that blow in the yard from other people's trees!!! And then the trees are leafless. Best part there is you get to see how many birds found your tree to be a safe heaven for them!!

These birds add a splash of color to the wall. The clock also needs to be changed. It's got snowflakes on it. I would like to do one for every season. I thought of putting a bird on the second hand but it would be obvious that it would flying upside-down for half the rotation!!! Is that a good thing or not??? But I do know I need to change the clock from snowflakes to something else. Any suggestions?

This tree is fun to have on the wall. I will be looking at my stamp sets a little differently now to see if I can find something that I have that will work in the tree!!!

Thanks SO much for visiting today. I hope you found something wondrous to spark your creativity today!
Wanda

Sara Did it Again!

Sara did it again!!! She crated me a brand new header for my blog. This header is SO me. I LOVE every element of this header. Isn't she creative??? I would LOVE to someday learn to do this. And I will probably have to learn it sooner than I think because I heard that Stampin' Up! is coming up with digital scrapbooking. I have no idea what it involves, I only heard the rumor. Hopefully in the new catalog all the details will be known!!! But until then I will envy Sara with her digi-scrapping capabilities!!!

Thanks Sara for the FABULOUS header!!!

Sara also has a blog. Check it out, Sara's Creative Advenutres she has a LOT of fun things on it, plus she does scrapbooking. Something I have the materials for but have not ventured into as of yet!!! I see the wonderful pages Sara does and I get inspired but I don't have the time. Once a few of my other projects are finished then I will have time for it.

Thanks again Sara!
Wanda

This is What Happens When You Are Tired!!

I wanted SO badly to play with the Stampin' Up! "Branched Out" set. It was late, which is nothing new to me. SO I decided I would play with this set. As I was getting out my inks and papers I started to run out of steam. But I decided I would still play with the set. The card I wanted to make was pretty simple so I didn't think it would take long.

Well, I finished my card and when I saw it the next day I just laughed. The grass under the tree stands out like a sore thumb as well as the purple butterflies and the crooked tire swing. Now trust me here, last night it looked pretty good to me!!! And no, I wasn't drinking!!! LOL

SO I thought I'd give it another try. I dumped the Chocolate Chip layer, went with vanilla card stock, kept the butterflies the same color as the card. I added a birdhouse instead of the tire. I like this one much better. Even hours after I made it and looked at it again!!! Though I think it could use something in the upper right corner. But for now I just compare it to the other one I made and even with nothing in that corner it looks good!!! LOL Lesson learned here is to NOT stamp when you are tired. Though it was good for a laugh and for those who know me know I LOVE to laugh!!!

Thank you for visiting today and I hope you are enjoying your day!
Wanda

God's Beauty Card

Last night at stamping a wonderful friend of mine Sharon S. and I made this card. She was SO kind to let me play with her brand new set!!! Let me tell you something about Sharon. She is one of those people you meet and you like her instantly. I am SO fortunate!!! I love it when she comes to stamp, she's such a delightful person!!!

Anyway I took out my book of SplitCoastStampers Sketch Challenge printouts and we found one that the butterfly fit in and just ran with it. Sharon had colored a couple of butterflies with yellow and oranges and then we did the blues and purple and found we liked the blues and purple better. That then determined the color of the card stock we would need. The butterfly was stamped in VersaMark and then black embossing powder was used. The inks were added with q-tips and ink pads. We uses Lovely Lilac for the main part of the card. I ran some white through the Cuttlebug Dotted Swiss folder. (I have to tell you this, I laugh every time I write the word Swiss because my brian must misfire and I type swill every time!!!LOL - well, the "s" and the "l" are both used by the ringfinger, just on other hands. Maybe that's it??? LOL). Ok, back to the card. We just followed the sketch for the pieces and added the Ticket punched corners and this is what we got!!! We all just loved it. I took a photo of it before Sharon took it home!!! It was a VERY fun card to do!!! Click on the photo to see a closer view of the colors. This size photo doesn't do it justice. As with all the photos on my blog, you can click on them for a closer view.

Thanks SO much for visiting today and have a WONDERFUL day!
Wanda

Wonderful Watercolors Birthday Card

I finally put this stamp set together today and of course I just HAD to play with it. I LOVE everything about this set. I LOVE the two step stamping and the images.

I think I am stuck on pink lately!!! It's hard not to be when you have these three colors that go SO well together. Pink Pirouette, Pretty in Pink and Regal Rose. With the three of them you just can't go wrong.

The stamp set is by Stampin' Up! and it's called "Wonderful Watercolors." There are 12 images to this set, I used two for this card. I look forward to playing with the other 10. That should keep me busy for a while. Like I don't have anything else to do!!! It's that I don't WANT to do anything else.

To color the images I used markers. On the first step I colored in the outline of the flowers using Regal Rose and the outline of the leaves and stem in Old Olive. Then I took the second step image and I did use the Stamp-a-ma-jig to line up my flowers and leaves. I didn't color in the stems on this one. I just colored the leaves in using Certainly Celery and I colored in the flowers using Pretty in Pink.

The background is the Cuttlebug Dotted Swiss folder. I really like that folder.

After assembling this card I realized that I use this layout WAY too much and I'm hoping to get it out of my head and move on to something new or at least different!!!

It was a fun and very quick card to make too!!

Thank you SO much for visiting and I hope you do something creative today!
Wanda

Wednesday Sketch Challenge

This sketch was the perfect layout for this canoe stamp. I thought I would play with it one last time before I sell it. I am in such need of space in my workroom. I have LOTS of stamps that I really need to get rid of. I REALLY need the space.

This stamp is by Creative Impressions and it's called "Two Canoes." I've used it a lot and taught a lot of watercolor classes with it.

For my card I used markers and a blender pen to color in the areas. It went very quickly too. I did have to cut the image down a bit to fit in the area I needed for the sketch. There is more to the top of the tree and more to the pines on the left side.

I stamped the image with VersaMark and used black embossing powder. It makes it much easier to color in.

The decorative papers are from a pack I had gotten a LONG time ago at Joann's. It's called "Old World." I thought it would look masculine enough to go with the canoes.

It was another fun sketch. Give it a try if you have time!!!

Thank you for visiting today. Have a wonderfully creative day!
Wanda

Technique Page Sponging

As simple as it may seem sponging is still a technique and should be included in the Technique Pages Book. I have gotten several emails asking me how I do my sponging. SO it was a perfect opportunity to create a page and tell how I do my sponging.

It's very simple. Though some of you roll your eyes when you read that. Sponging is all in the angle you hold the sponge. The straighter you hold the sponge to the edge of the card stock the less sponging marks will show up. I usually hold my sponge at a 45 degree angle and I sponge in one direction and then back in the opposite direction. This way I get an even coverage and the second time over the edge it gets a little darker too. I also treat each corner as a separate entity. When I get to the bottom of the side I'm sponging I stop and actually just sponge the corner. Then I turn the card stock and sponge the next edge. When I get to that corner I sponge it and so on. This gives the sponged area a smooth all around look to it. And on smaller pieces it makes the image look a little brighter because the edges are bolder and the sponging is even all around. I have sponged some items that I was told have a look of glowing to them. It was all because of the sponging.

I use round sponges only because that is what Stampin' Up! sells, though any shape will work. I cut the round sponges into 4 pieces. If I am sponging a lot I will use a bulldog clip and clip the sponge to it. It keeps my fingers from getting full of ink. Not that I can't wash them but when you are doing a lot of sponging the last thing you want to think of is being careful about picking up the card stock to sponge the next piece.

I have also used makeup sponges that I got at The Dollar Tree. They are ok to work with. I am not as thrilled with the results of them as I am with the regular sponges. The makeup sponges are a finer sponge and you get more ink on your edges. You don't get the smooth even look like you do with the other sponges. But they do give a different appearance and work for other projects that you want just a fine line on. Experiment with different sponges and see what you like the best. I am just sharing what I like working with. It's all a matter of preference!

For those of you who are patiently waiting, I am working hard on getting the last few pages to the 1st set redone. I am hoping they will be done by the end of the month or the first week of next month. I had been busy with income tax. It's usually not a big deal but I was asked to use a new program to keep track of my records so that meant entering a years worth of receipts in three months. UGH!! I decided I was not going to buy a single thing after that so I won't have to enter anything in for next year!!! LOL Don't ask how that is going!!! LOL Anyway it is all done and I could move on. Then my computer got a very nasty virus that attached itself to my Internet Explorer. Every time I went online it would randomly pop up websites and some of them made me glad I didn't have any little children around!!! I can't believe people can or would do that. But it happened and the virus checker I have couldn't remove it. Oh and get this, a virus checker offer would pop up quite often letting me know it could remove those types of viruses that attach themselves to your registry. I have no idea how I got it though I have my suspicions that it was at a place where I had downloaded some free digi paper. Lesson learned here was that NOTHING in life is ever free!!! And to remove the virus I had to reinstall my whole hard drive. The restore didn't do a thing so everything had to be backed up that I wanted to save and there were things I just had to let go of (like my email address book but I did print out a hard copy and am still in the process of entering in addresses!!!). It was a nightmare but now my computer runs SO well and SO fast. I have about an hours worth of addresses to enter and I should be done. Then I can move on to bigger and better things, right??? One can only hope!!! LOL

Anyway, enough about my trivial problems!!! I need to get back to working on the pages so I can get them out to those of you who are patiently waiting for them. And then I need to get back to making the the pages for the third set!!! I have a list a mile long of techniques to do, I just need to sit down and do them. And with the house pretty much cleaned up (except for 2 rooms) I can free up some time to play with stamps more!!! Gosh, I feel like a little kid with new toys that just wants to play all the time. Now I know how my son felt when he wanted to play instead of going to bed!!! LOL

Thank you all for visiting today, hope your day was creative!
Wanda

Duck in the Box!

I had gotten these adorable duck soaps from Avon and knew exactly what I wanted to do with them!!! Redo the box using a Stampin' Up! stamp. Actually when I saw the duck soap I thought of that new duck stamp. It's SO cute and the soap was cute so adding the two together you couldn't lose!!! LOL

I used The Super Deluxe Tuck Box Template Maker to do the box. The link to it is located on the right sidebar of this blog. Just scroll down until you come to the "My Mood" icon, it's just above that. All you do is enter in the measurements you want the box to be and it can make most boxes for you. I say most because it is a tuck box and it's got flaps and your paper may not be big enough for the size box you want. When that happens I usually end up using 12" x 12" card stock for the box and just score lines and do a flap over flap box. And there are even times when I have to omit the box idea because it's just too big for my project. But most of the time I can make them work. I will make half the box on one piece of card stock and the other half on another piece. I do make sure I add a flap on each piece so I can attach them together and have one box when I'm done! Simple as that!!

I stamped the duck on white card stock using black StazOn ink. I cut out the duck and then I colored it in with markers. I cut it out first because I have found that when I color them first and then cut them out my fingers pick up the ink and when I turn the image to cut on another side of it I transfer the ink and ruin the whole image. SO after learning what was making the mess on my work I started cutting out my images first.

To affix it to the box you can use Tacky glue and a toothpick. Those little feet don't need much glue!! I tied a ribbon around the box. It just seemed like it needed a little something more and that ribbon just added the right touch, didn't it?

Thanks SO much for visiting! Do something creative today!
Wanda

Happy Easter!

Here is a quick Easter card I made. The stamp is by Penny Black and the egg balloon is from the Stampin' Up! "Egg Hung" wheel. The original stamp has a heart shaped balloon on it. I taped over it before I inked the stamp. I removed the tape and stamped the image. I stamped the balloon on a piece of white card stock and after I colored it I cut it out. I attached it to the card with Dimensionals so it had more of a 3D image to it. It was a very simple card to make. I only colored around the bunnies and I sponged the edges to match the main card stock color.

Thank you for visiting and Happy Easter!
Wanda

Smelly Jelly! Weekend Project

Here's the project I promised you. I had to figure out what to do with the outside of the jar. I wanted something that was not so bright or bold that it would take away from the inside color of the jar. I had thought about putting a card stock band around the jar but there wouldn't be much jar left showing. It's not like the jelly is lit like a candle, I didn't have to worry about paper burning but I wanted to be able to see what is in the jar too. Then this little light went on in my head. It use to be a big bright light but with all the cutbacks It's not just a little one!! LOL But at least it's still burning!!! LOL

I took the Stampin' Up! Baskets & Blooms Die and I cut out the open flower on it using the "Sticky Pages." If you are not familiar with them they are a 12" x 12" double stick sheet. I cut 2-1/2" x 2-1/2" squares and ran them in the Big Kick with the die cut. I removed the protective papers and stuck it to the jar. I removed the outside protective paper and then I pressed the flower (on the jar) in my container of micro beads. It was just what the jar needed. A bit of a design that will allow you to still see what is inside!!! I tied a ribbon around the neck of the jar and it is ready for gift giving. You can add a tag or make a box for it. I like it just the way it is though I am thinking about adding a tag so I can include some type of instructions. Those would consist of opening the jar and placing it in a place where you can enjoy the fragrance. And I should include a warning on it about keeping it away from children.

I made the jelly Mulberry scented. I didn't want to use a fruit scent, I tend to think about who's hands this could get into. I wouldn't want a child to try to eat it because it smelled like fruit.

I suppose you want the recipe for this too!!! Ok, since you begged I will share my recipe with you!! LOL

There are a couple ways you can make this. Here is how I made this one and the following recipe is how I'm going to make my next batch.

I took 1 cup of boiling water and added it to one entire box (4 packages inside the box) of Knox unflavored gelatin. Stir gently so you don't get bubbles. Once the gelatin was dissolved I added one Tablespoon of Vodka. This keeps the jelly from getting moldy. Then I added one cup of the Mulberry simmering potpourri. I gently stirred it and then poured it into the clean jars. I did test my jars to see how much liquid would fit in each jar. I knew that this recipe would make 2 cups of liquid.

Now the next time I make it (because I don't have any more simmering potpourri) I will take one cup of boiling water and dissolve the 4 packets of gelatin. Then I will add the 1 Tablespoon of Vodka. I will add 1 Tablespoon of fragrance oil or essential oil and a bit of colorant. Then I will add one cup of cold water and pour the mixture into the jars. From reading many recipes on how to make this stuff I found that most of them want you to use 4 packets of Knox and something to make it so it won't mold (the Vodka or salt) a colorant (if you are not using a pre-made simmering potpourri), a scent (you do want it to smell nice) and 2 cups of liquid. The bottom line on most of the recipes was that when you were done mixing everything you had 2 cups of liquid to fill jars with. I hope that I'm making this clear and not more confusing!!! Over explaining can get confusing too!!

The recipes I've found on making this tell you to boil the one cup of water with the fragrance. I do not trust that. These fragrances are flammable and flash fires scare me to death. There really is no need to boil fragrances. Any of them. It's the hot water that dissolves the gelatin. Once that was dissolved you can add pretty much anything you want to it. And some recipes call for salt instead of the Vodka. Salt is ok but it will cloud the liquid a bit and may not dissolve with some fragrance oils. Vodka dissolves with them just fine. And if you make a lot of this stuff you may want to have a shot of that Vodka with some sour when you are all done!!! LOL The recipes I found also said it would take up to a couple of days for the gelatin to set. Mine set up in less than 2 hours. One recipe stated that you can put the jars in the refrigerator to speed up the gelling process. A big YUCK on that one. I don't think I want the inside of my refrigerator and the foods in it to pick up the smell. By the time you get the outsides decorated and the labels made for the bottom the gelatin should be getting close to setting up. Just be patient. If you need it for a gift the day you are making it you may want to think that one over again. Anything could go wrong. On my second batch my color was a bit lighter but after a couple of hours it did set up. I would think to speed up the process use ice cold water (no ice in it though). But my best advise on these is just be patient and do NOT heat up anything that has the word "flammable" on the packaging. Just add that stuff after you dissolved the gelatin. Be smart and be safe!!!

You can use baby food jars and put some thin fabric or netting over the top and tie a ribbon around it. You want some type of fabric that will allow the scent to come through. You can leave it as it is too, it's a preference thing! Decorate your jars as you wish. Do NOT use plastic for the container and do NOT mix the recipe in plastic either. The smell with get stuck in the plastic that you mix it in and the plastic will break down in the container you store it in, so use glass.

I think that covers everything. Well, one more thing. If you are making these to sell you really do need to add a warning to the container about keeping it out of the reach of small children. Just find something with that warning on it and copy it over.

These are VERY fun to make and they smell wonderful. These are something I could make a lot of because of how easier they were to do!! They would make great gifts, wonderful to have in your home (cheaper than other room fresheners) and they would be a fun item to have at a craft fair.

Thank you SO much for visiting today and have a wonderful Easter weekend!
Wanda

Thankfully Blooming With Love

I think this is the last thank you card I need to get out in the mail this week. Good thing too, I'm running out of week!!! LOL

I just LOVE this image from the Stampin' Up! "Blooming With Love" set. I do like the wheel barrow too but this image is the one I tend to use the most from that set. I wanted to keep the colors here soft and I had a piece of card stock left from the last card I made so I thought Bordering Blue would be the base color for this card. I had some scraps of the Pink Pirouette and I just ran with those colors. The flash bounced off the photo so it looks a bit washed out and hazy. It is a soft subtle looking card but not quite that bad. I was thinking that now that the weather is getting nicer I may just take photos of my cards and projects outside with natural light. Maybe then you can see the "real" colors of the items!!!

The little "Thank You" came from the "Holiday Blitz" set. Again, that is another MUST HAVE set. I will be keeping that one for a LONG time!!! I love how versatile it is. It's full of "holidays" and they are just the most perfect size to use too!

The background on the card is done with the Cuttlebug "Dotted Swiss" folder. I sponged the edges in Bordering Blue and layered it all. The "Thank you" on the scallop is set on with Dimensionals. Other than that it's a pretty simple and basic card. You don't need a lot of materials to make this card!!!

I have a fun project for you tomorrow so stop back and see. I am just finishing it up tonight and I should have it ready to show you tomorrow.

Thank you SO much for visiting and have a FABULOUS weekend,
Wanda

Thinking of You Birdy!

I just LOVE this stamp set. It's "Bird on a Branch" by Stampin' Up! I am also LOVING the "Bella Birds" decorative papers too!!!

I was perusing though my album of SplitCoastStampers Sketches to find a layout I wanted to use for this card. I was actually working on two different cards and somehow I got the backgrounds mixed up that I was going to use. But it worked out just fine. I was able to use the one background with the three pieces in it and I added my own layout on top of that. That was fun but if I were to sit down and try to figure out something like that I just know I'd be sitting there for a VERY long time!!! LOL

I added 3 pretty blue/silver dew drops on the upper left corner. It just looked like it needed something up there and those did the trick!!! They're such fun to use on cards. And this color went SO well with the decorative paper and card stock, didn't it? Well, I hope you can see the colors I see. I know once the photo goes on the internet the colors will look a little different than they do in real life! But it should be close in the photo!

The words were done on the computer because I needed a "Thinking of You" to fit in a 1-1/4" circle. I am not very fond of the color of the words. I used the color code for Bordering Blue and it has a bit too much pink in it because to me it has a little look of purple. But if you don't look too close no one will know. Well, now everyone will know because I posted it on here!!! LOL

Now to get it out in the mail!! This card is for a friend of mine. Just to let her know that I'm thinking about her.

Thank you SO much for visiting today and have a grand day!
Wanda

Wednesday Sketch Challenge

It was another fun Sketch Challenge over at SplitCoastStampers!!! I really like the layout of this one because I can use SO many of my smaller stamps in that center square. I added the scallop to the card because I felt it needed something more there and a ribbon or bow just didn't do it for me!!!

I got to finally play with my Stampin' Up! set "A Flower for All Seasons." I chose the tulips one because I thought a spring looking card went well with this layout!

I used the Dotted Swiss Cuttlebug folder on the white background. The next layer I had used the En Francais background with Always Artichoke ink. I stamped on some leaves from the "Petal Pizzazz" set and I stamped on some flowers from that same set using Pink Pirouette ink.

I colored the image in using markers and I sponged all the edges of every piece on this card!!

If you have time head on over there and join in the fun!

The words were done on the computer. It did take me a couple of printings until I got the font to fit in the circle punch. The easiest way to know if words fit is to have the size you want punched out on a scrap piece of paper. Lay it over the words and if they fit you're good to go. You can determine from there whether they need to be made bigger or smaller. Once I punched out the words and sponged the edge, I layered it on Pink Pirouette and then on an Always Artichoke scallop.

I added some half pearls to finish it off. It was basically an easy card to do!! I look forward to the Wednesday Sketch Challenge and I always hope that I have time to play. And luckily today I did. Now back to work!!! LOL

Thank you SO much for visiting today and have a Creative Day!
Wanda

Gifts for the Guys!

It seems we're usually making cards and gifts for the gals and rarely do we do cards or gifts for the guys. Well, I had mixed up a batch of Trail Mix and thought I would put some in one of the MANY jars I am recycling! I thought this would make a wonderful "guy" gift. Just dress up the jar to have more of a masculine look and I could pull this off!!!

SO, I thought about what stamp to use and the Stampin' Up! "Wanted" set came to mind. Well, then the Bandanna Technique came to mind too and once I put the two together I took a photo of the end results. Definitely a masculine gift!!! It was a very fun and very easy project to do too!!! I think it took longer to mix up the trail mix than it did to decorate the jar!!!

I did use the computer for the wording on the top of the jar. I just typed out "Trail Mix" and printed it out on white card stock. I first printed it out on copier paper and then changed the size of the font until I got it to where I thought it was a nice size for the lid of the jar. Then I printed it out, punched it out and then layered it. I added a ribbon around the neck of the jar but I only tied it in a knot and not a bow. I wanted to keep it masculine and a knot seems to do that better than a bow!! I took the ribbon off when I filled the jar because I didn't want it to get in the way when I was filling the jar. But I'm sure you can imagine what it looked like. Personally I wouldn't add the ribbon, it just gets in the way when pouring out the trail mix. It does get in the way! If it were warmer out I would have spray painted the lids, I don't like the green and the words showing on it. It was a Heinz gravy jar. Yup, a gravy already mixed up, just heat and pour. And get this, I can even make that one lumpy!!! LOL

These will make great Easter gifts for the guys!!

Thank you SO much for visiting and have a WONDERFUL day!
Wanda

Just HAD to Share!

Last night I opened up a new bag of cat food and inside it was this!! "Party Mix?" I just started laughing. Maybe because I did a visual of the cats having a party while we are out. Do you think they'd clean up the house better than it was before the party like our son use to do? Or throw the party food wrappers in the trash unconcealed so we could see them and know exactly what they ate while we were out??? LOL Or leave pop cans in the recycling bag under the sink instead of taking them outside??? They think they are SO smart!! LOL

Anyway, I just had to share this with you because it still makes me laugh. Do cats REALLY need a party mix??? And what do they have to celebrate anyway? Adding another minute or two to their nap time? Catching a bug? Kicking out extra litter from the box??? It just cracked me up. A party mix for cats!!! What next? I know, I shouldn't ask that question, I may not like the answer!!!! LOL

Thanks for indulging me!
Wanda

Flower Pot Gift Box. Weekend Project!

Here's another weekend project for you. I don't want you to find yourself bored on the weekends!!! I can't remember the last time I was bored. Being bored means you have nothing to do. Nothing to do? That would mean that everything in your home is neat and tidy and in it's place! All of your projects are done and you literally have nothing to do. I'd like that for a day!!! Or even an hour!! But since I have tons to do I don't see myself being bored for at least the next 5 years!!! LOL

Let's move on to the project here. As you can see in the photo the box contains a planter and inside that planter is a dirt pellet and a package of seeds. I got these planters in the dollar bin at Michael's. Last year I had gotten some at Target in their Dollar Spot. I don't know if they carried them this year. I don't shop at Target much but when I do I always make sure I hit the Dollar Spot!!! There might be something in it that I just can't live without!!!

I made the box using the Super Deluxe Tuck Box Template Maker. You can find the link on the side bar of my blog. Just scroll way down, it's just above the "My Mood Is" icon. I entered in the measurements I wanted (which were 2" x 1.75" x 2") and it created a box for me in PDF format. I saved it to my computer and I printed the boxes out later on Lavender Lace card stock.

After I cut them out I used the Stampin' Up! "Doodle" wheel and Lavender Lace ink. I glued the tab on the side of the box and then I glued the bottom of the box. Fold in the side flaps and glue or tape them shut. Then fold the back flap forward and glue or tape it in place. Finally fold the front flap towards the back and glue or tape it in place. You want the last flap to have it's fold in the front of your box. You don't want the raw edge of the flap there because it doesn't give the box a smooth and finished look.

After I got the box all put together I stamped the flower image from the Stampin' Up! "Wagon Full of Fun" set. This set is a brand new one that is now available in the new Occasions Mini Catalog. For me it was a "Must Have" set because it's got so many fun images in it! I'm sure I will get a lot of use out of it. I have used it quite a bit already and still have more plans for it!

I used the cute flower from the set and colored it in with markers. The pot I colored in with Creamy Caramel and then I used a blender pen and Really Rust to give it a bit of shading to create a little dimension. I cut the flower out close to the image lines and taped it on the front of the box.

I put the flower pot, dirt disk and seed packet inside the box along with the directions. I took the directions off the box and typed them up. I didn't want them on the outside of the box because I would have to affix a white piece of label paper to the box and it would stick out like a sore thumb. Plus the instructions were too long to put on the outside unless I used a very tiny font that would be extremely difficult to read. It was easier to add it to the inside.

I then tied a ribbon around the box and it is ready for gift giving!!! This would make a wonderful Mother's Say gift, a fun Make & Take, Hostess Gifts, Customer Appreciation gifts, Craft Fair items, Teacher Gifts, Thank you gifts or just a fun Class Project. Anyone who loves to plant flowers would love to receive something like this!!!

So have some fun making these and don't be bored. If you can't find these pots you can purchase the terra cotta pots and make up your own. Add a bit of potting soil to a small zip baggie and add some flower seeds to another baggie and you're set!!

Thank you for visiting and have a creative day,
Wanda

Pickin' Carrots!

WOW! If carrots were like this when picking them I think every kid on the block would be planting and picking carrots all summer long!!! LOL

I found these adorable "carrots" at the local grocery store. Aren't they cute? They are Lindt brand. They came with a green plastic hook on them and they looked more like an umbrella than a carrot. But once I cut the hook off it looked more like a carrot. I'm sure it was there to hold on to so you could eat the thing. Then again it could be so that when it was made it could be easily handled in the wrapping or even in the forming of it. I have no idea but I removed a lot of it on mine so they'd fit in the box. There is still a piece of sticking out of the candy but hidden under the foil wrapper so it can still be held onto if necessary.

I used the Sizzix box that I bought from the latest Stampin' Up! catalog. I used a 1-1/8" square punch for the window. With this type box you want to punch the window lower on the bottom than the top or the flap on the box top will show when it's tucked in. If it does show just trim it down a bit. As for me, the first box I made is where I learned that tip!!! LOL

After it was cut out I stamped "Happy Easter" all over it. This is one of those little clear rubber stamps I got at Michael's. I wish they would quit selling those!!! So does hubby!!! LOL

I added the acetate window before I put the box together. Then I glued the side tab of the box and when it was set I folded it together. I added some Easter grass and then the candy. I found some great orange ribbon to tie around the box and it just seemed to finish it all off!! Such fun!!!

I did hesitate about the Easter grass stuff. It is something I don't really care for. Many years ago when our son was a toddler we were caretakers in the apartment building we lived in. At Easter time I hated cleaning that stuff up in the hallways. It was showing up in the hallways for about 2 weeks after Easter. SO when our son was old enough for an Easter basket I never put that grass stuff in it. It was not until he was 6 or 7 my older sister made him a basket and she put the Easter grass in it (by then we were in our house). When our son looked at the basket he saw the grass and asked what it was. My sister just looked at him like he was from another planet. Not everyone knows what Easter grass looks like!!! So that was his first and last encounter with Easter grass. As a rule I don't buy it because we never use it. But this year I actually bought some. I was going to put it in his basket but it's too full of candy for any grass!!! But it did come in handy for this project. The box really did need something inside it!!

These are fun boxes to make. They are quick (quicker without the window - I'll show you a project or two soon without windows). I LOVE using these boxes. They come in handy for many things. I plan on using this one for a few Christmas gifts this year too!! It's nice to have a box die cut on hand for when you need a little box for something!!!

This makes a fun weekend project too and something the kids can help with!!

Thanks SO much for visiting and have a wonderful day,
Wanda

My Swap Card for Regionals

Stampin' Up! held their Regionals here in Minneapolis. Sorry to say but I was not able to attend. But my dear friend Denise offered to swap some cards for me so I made up 24 of these for her to bring with. It's always fun to swap with people you don't know and also with the ones you do know. Everyone has a different perspective on a stamp set, layout, colors or technique. It's always fun to see what someone else does with a set you have or a set you want. And sometimes you see something done with a set you have just NOW moved to your wish list because their card is just too stinkin' cute that it inspired you. In those cases I take notes because the ideas flow and I have no stamp set to work with at the time.

On my card I used the Stampin' Up! "Cupcakes" wheel. I just LOVE that wheel!! You probably noticed I use it a lot on my cards. Well, only the ones with cupcakes on them! The little cupcake is from the "Short & Sweet" set and the large cupcake is from the brand new "Wagon Full of Fun" set. It's such a fun set to play with and it's "FULL" of fun stamps that cover a number of events and occasions.

I am anxious to see what swaps I got back in return!! I'm sure they are all FABULOUS!!!

Thank you SO much for stopping by and have a wonderful day!
Wanda

Weekend Project! Reed Diffusers

WOW! I haven't done one of those in a LONG time!!!

This one is fun and I hope this post turns out ok, I think I have more photos than I do words!! Things get kind of weird on here when that happens. But "weird" is something I'm SO familiar with it will just blend right in!!! LOL

I was shopping at The Dollar Tree and found these reed diffusers. It's the latest thing in scenting your home. They take no electricity and the only drawback is if it were to be tipped over. They do contain fragrance oils and that could ruin wood finishes and carpets. If you have small children and can not put this in a place that is TOTALLY out of the way then I don't suggest you use these. I have cats but cats are not into perfumy things so I'm safe with mine here. Plus I only have a few of them. One in each bathroom and one in the guest bedroom. After a while you get use to the smell and you think you can't smell them anymore. But it's like that with almost all other air fresheners anyway.

SO on to this project. I had picked mine up at The Dollar Tree. Now there you really do get what you pay for. I got the "ocean breeze" scent. I have never been to the ocean and if it smells like that I will never be going!!! It had a cheap plastic like smell to it. I dumped the stuff out, rinsed out the bottle and proceeded to make my own.

I had been shopping at The Chemistry Store and I bought my diffuser base there. I have shopped there for many things and it is an Internet company you can trust. I also got my reeds there too. I bought the 12" ones and figured I could just cut them in half when I need them.

These little bottles came with reeds so I didn't need any right away but when I was ready to refill it, I did need new ones. To cut them in half is easy too. Just mark with an x-acto knife where 6" is. On a solid cutting surface place the blade of the knife on the mark you made and roll the blade across the reed. The reed will roll and as it rolls apply pressure. It will either snap or if you think it's close enough you can stop and snap it yourself. These reeds are very easy to cut and when it gets warmer out I'm taking mine out to the band saw and while they are all still in the rubber bands I'm just going to quick cut them all at one time. I will save out a couple of packages of them as I do have a few other bottles that are a bit taller. My sister prefers a certain fragrance in these diffusers and she saves me her bottles when she is done with them. Months earlier I receive the cap and later follows the bottle. The bottles she gives me are smooth on the outside and I thought of adding a die cut to it but then I thought about the oils of the bottle and one drop on the designing work I would add will ruin it. SO I was going to opt for a bow and again it's not necessary. SO my problem resulted in how to make this a stamped project. Well, easy enough. I'm making these diffusers for gifts so it's the packaging that is the stamping project!!!

Oh, almost forgot to tell you about the fragrance. You can pick some up in the soap making sections of your local craft store or you can go to Majestic Mountain Sage and order some there. They have TONS of scents and again it is another company I have dealt with for many years and love and trust them. One of the fragrances I got there was "Frosted Snowflakes." Oh my is that ever a pretty and soft scent!!! It had the word snowflake in it, I HAD to buy it!!! LOL Though the favorite sent I buy there is Fresh Cotton. There's lots to pick from. Only fallback is you don't know what they smell like until you receive them. If that is a concern of yours I suggest you get your fragrance at your local craft store. And if you have a coupon you can save some money too. These are essential oils or fragrance oils and they are not real cheap. You'll see as you shop there. Oh and I do believe The Chemistry Store carries scents too, I just found them to be a bit higher than Majestic Mountain Sage.

Ok to begin, you have your clean bottle and your reeds. I just mix my "mixture" right in the same bottle I'm using as my finished project. I mix one part fragrance to six parts diffuser solution. You can increase that ration if you feel your scent is a very strong one. Mix a small batch to test it first. If you are going to fill more than one you can mix it in a glass bowl. Use glass or a plastic that you are going to toss. Plastic hold the scent, glass doesn't. Then when you get the right scent for your nose pour the mixture into the bottles. Make sure you wipe them off when you are done. Oils on the glass make them slippery and you could drop them and make a bigger mess with it than you want.

Now with the bottle(s) filled place the cap back on to keep the liquid inside. I took my reeds and instead of an ugly rubber band around them I used some cute ribbon to match my card stock. I tied it around the reeds and then tied it in a bow! SO cute!!!

For the packaging. If you scroll down on the right of my blog, on the screen, just above the "My Mood Is" icon is a place on the Internet where I go make my box patterns. You are limited though to the size boxes you can make. The box for this project didn't fit in their parameters but I was able to print out enough of the box to get some basic measurements to do a flap over flap box instead of a tuck box. So if you need a box that you know is a bit larger you can get the basic measurements at that site too!

By doing the box on that site I was able to determine that I needed a piece of card stock 8-1/2" (love that, no cutting on one side!!!) by 9-3/4". Now before you begin scoring, if you want any design images on the box this is the time to do it. It can be done after you score but it's not as easy as it is at this point.

My scoring begins with the 8-1/2" side at the top of my scoring tool. Score at 1-3/4", 3-1/2", 5-1/4" and 7". The remainder of the card stock is not equal to the other pieces you just scored. It is a bit smaller but it doesn't matter, that is the part you put the tape or glue on to hold it together. You can mark it lightly with a pencil, it won't show when you are done. I will sometimes draw a light "X" on that piece.

Now turn your card stock so the 9-3/4" edges is at the top of your scoring tool. Score at 1-3/4". Turn the card stock and do the other end the same. That piece you marked with an "X" has two little square boxes at both ends. Remove those, you don't need them. And along that whole top and bottom you will snip in 1-3/4". You don't need to measure when you snip you will reach the score line and know when to stop. You will snip all of those little squares on both ends. These are the flaps to the top and bottom of the box.

Once you are done with the snipping you are ready to assemble the box. I used the Stampin' Up! Sticky Strip for the long side. I wanted something that was going to hold well. So you first tape that side together. Now looking at the box you will see that seam. The seam goes in the back. Turn that seam towards the back so you are looking at the front of your box. Fold in the side flaps first then the back flap and then the front flap. The front flap folds towards the back. This gives the front of the box a nice clean look. Yes, it does matter which flaps you fold in first. The side ones not so much though if you did left and then right on the side flaps you will want to do left and right on the top to keep it uniform.

Now that you know which flaps go where tape or glue the bottom flaps in place. Fill your box and tape or glue the top flaps. Or you can let the ribbon you tie around it hold the top down. That way the box stays nice when it is open. That one is your call. If you are making it for a gift it is ok to do it that way but if you are making it for a craft fair you may want to tape them shut. Ribbons could fall off in transit and you'd be spending a bit of time retying ribbons. NOT fun!!

Decorate the front as you like. Here I used the Stampin' Up! "Lots of Tags" Sizzlets and "All Holidays" stamp for the words. You can stamp the words first before you punch them out with the oval or go freehand. I opted for the freehand because I knew it would be too difficult to keep the oval from moving with the Stamp-a-ma-jig. It worked out just fine. I sponged the edges. Punched out a small flower and added a brad. I glued it all together and affixed it to the box. Oh for the background of the box I used the Stampin' Up! "Whimsey" wheel. I was fortunate to have a Bashful Blue cartridge for my wheel. It sure saves a LOT of time. Especially if you are making more than one!!

I think I remembered everything If not you can always email me with any questions. Please don't ask questions in the comments, Blogger does not have the capability of allowing use to reply back from there.

I guess I had enough words for the photos, they all fit on here just fine! Have fun with this. You can use other glass bottles, as long as you can put the cover back on them. Unless you are just using it for your own personal use you won't need a cover!

Thanks SO much for stopping by and have a great day!
Wanda

Pocket Silhouettes Thank You Card

I'm trying to play catch up here with all the cards I need to get sent out in the mail. I dearly LOVE making cards but I just hate it when I get behind in sending them out. It's not like I don't have boxes full of cards I've already made. I do and I know a lot of ladies who come to my home to stamp who will agree with me on that one. SO why don't I just take a card from there and use it? I don't know. It just doesn't seem "right" some how. It's like taking a used card and sending it out. I know I'm weird and I have never once in my life denied that!!! LOL

SO I made a fresh new card. I needed a thank you card (one of several I need to make) and here it is in all it's simple glory!!! I used the Cuttlebug Dotted Swiss background folder on the white piece. The main card is on Garden Green card stock. I layered the white piece on top of a piece of black card stock. This gave the white a bit more stability so I could add the ribbon without the paper buckling or warping. After I added the ribbon I affixed it to the green.

The image is from the Stampin' Up! "Pocket Silhouettes" set. I stamped it in VersaMark and sponged on the colors with chalks. My dear friend Ann really perked my interest in chalks again!!! She's such an enabler and a very talented stamper!!! I sponged the edges and layered them in the black and green. And the wording is found in the same stamp set. Gotta LOVE it when that happens!!! I stamped it on white card stock using black StazOn and I punched it out using the oval punches. And I even used the new oval scallop punch. Don't you just LOVE it? I can't wait to play with it more!! There's so many things you can "pretty up" with this punch!!!

SO now I have my first of 3 thank you cards I need. And I'm sure you are wondering why I didn't just make 3 of this design. Well, that "weird" thing comes into play here again. I can't give 3 people the same card. You only do that at Christmas!!! LOL See I told ya I was weird!!! LOL

I just think that each card should fit the individual. This card is for a friend who likes the greenery in the world. She loves outside in the spring and summer getting her hands dirty. As for me I prefer the indoors. I'm trying to see how white I can actually get my skin to be!!! LOL I do get outside some. I'm not a big fan of summer and once it gets hot enough for the air to come on, I can be found indoors!!! I do love the other 3 seasons, especially winter. Someday I'll tell you my theory on that one but for now I have shared enough "weirdness" with you!!! LOL

Thanks SO much for visiting today,
Wanda