Friday, December 4, 2015

Christmas Countdown

Happy December Krafters!

Ah the holiday season is upon us and today I am sharing over at She's a Sassy Lady. Thanksgiving was last week (which was awesome to spend with the family sharing stories and eating great meals) and by the time this posts, Christmas will be 22 days away! Eeeek! I started Christmas shopping, the tree is trimmed, stockings are hung, but something was missing! I decided to make a countdown calendar. I add little treats or notes each day until Christmas! Side note, the song "Final Countdown" is in my head...thanks Europe and thanks Geiko!
Anywho, I purchased the file (3D Countdown Box Calendar) a couple of years ago from the Silhouette store. Lori Whitlow, the creator of the file, has a wonderful tutorial on how to assemble it. I made this before, so I was able to do it easily by memory. For this project, you will need:

1: 4 12x12 sheets of cardstock or pattern paper for the base 
2: 9 12x12 sheets of cardstock for the boxes
3: 1 12x12 sheet of pattern paper as the decorative parts for the boxes (I used Winter Combo)
4: 1 sheet (scrap piece works fine) for the numbers
5: embellishments to decorate the calendar (optional)


It took me approximately 1.5 hours from start to complete the project. I recommend starting with the frame first so it can have time to dry (liquid glue is best) as the boxes cut and are assembled. 

I was able to get three boxes on one sheet to cut. 
As the sets cut, assemble the boxes and add them to the frame. 
Once all of them are assembled, add the decorative front to the boxes and numbers. 
I decided to just add the penguin (Lawn Fawn) to the 25th and a sentiment to keep it very simple (since the children will be handling this). However, this box can be as dressed up as your imagination allows. 



Well I hope you enjoy today’s project and that you will give it a try! Until next time….sing your favorite holiday songs and be creative! Krafthead~

Friday, November 6, 2015

Thankful SASL DT Project

Happy November Krafters!

Today is my day over at She's a Sassy Lady...make sure to stop by and show the team some support!

The holiday season is upon us and I am super excited! This is my favorite time of the year! During the month of November, I like to take time to reflect on the year and show my thanks for the blessings that has been experienced through this year. While today’s project is not a traditional Thanksgiving or harvest craft, it still reflects thanksgiving and praise.

My mom asked me to make a card to give to her spiritual mentor and mother. The image is of a woman in praise and worship! Is that not being in the spirit of thanksgiving? I purchased the digital image from Robert Jackson and colored it using Copic markers. With using Copics, I do recommend purchasing the Hex Chart by Sandy Allnock. It has been a tremendous help blending color groups you may not think goes well together. 


Anywho, I used the Top Note die by Spellbinders and a Cuttlebug embossing folder (the name escapes my memory). The flowers are I Am Roses and the sentiment is from a set by Inkadinkado (Praise). Finally, I used shear ribbon from my stash. 


What are you thankful for? I am thankful to Sheila for allowing me to be apart of this talented DT as well as for each of you who take time to visit the blog and show love! Until next time, count your blessings….I am sure the number is high! Krafthead~

Tuesday, October 27, 2015

One Sheet Mini Flip Book SASL DT Project

Hello Krafters!!

Did y'all miss me?? I know it has been a few weeks since I shared anything. For that, I apologize. It has been crazy busy lately, but I think I have finally found my groove. I am sharing a project for She's A Sassy Lady today!

Do you have a lot of pattern papers laying around and you want to use them up? Are you limited on time? Need a few ideas for the upcoming holiday season? Then this idea is for you! I revisited a project I did for a teacher years ago. It is simple to put together and you can use what you have in your stash. This mini brag book or mini album can be used for almost anything you want it to be and you can decorate the outside as much as you would like as well! This particular project will be used as a memory book for a new baby. 

  1. Take one sheet of 12x12 cardstock (any color) *use thick and sturdy (Bazzill, Stampin’ Up, etc) 
  2. Cut the cardstock at the 6.25” mark. This will be your cover and the 5.75” will be the inside pages 
  3. The larger portion, score ate 3”, 3.25”, 8” and 8.25” (or score where you want! depending on how you want your book to close)
  4. The inside pages, score at .25”, 4.25”, and 8.5” and fold accordion style. 
  5. Assemble the book! Add adhesive to the .25" and place nudged to the second score line on the cover. This will allow the photos to be accessed on the front and back of the pages. 
  6. Cover the pages and decorate as you wish! I used the Nana Kids and Sweet Stack by DCWV (VERY old collections I had in my stash) 
  7. I used the Art Philosophy (photo corners), Nursery Tails (baby info-Imagine cartridge), and Nursery Rhymes (back cover) Cricut cartridges. 
  8. “Beautiful Journey” was cut with the Sizzix thinlits dies (I believe it is named Explore)
  9. I wanted to keep this simple so I just added a Martha Stewart punched butterfly from left over pp I had to the front and back of the book)




That’s it!! This would be easy to make for teachers as gifts or even a fun craft to do with the kiddos on a cold or rainy day. I plan to do this with mine to document their summer! It can hold a lot of photos too!


I hope you enjoyed today’s project! Don’t forget to stop by She's A Sassy Lady blog…so much talent and so many ideas shared. Until next time, Krafthead~

Monday, October 5, 2015

Store It Mondays-Ribbon and Trim

Happy Monday Krafters!

I will be wrapping up Store It Mondays soon. I have a few more storing solutions to share. I hope you have enjoyed and were inspired by what I have shared thus far. Today I am sharing how I store ribbon and trim. A few years ago on scrapbook.com, I purchased a Simply Renee Ribbon Organizer for $12 during their 12 days of Christmas. It holds a ton of ribbon/trim. The organizer usually costs around $80. It was a steal. I wish I would have purchased two of them. There is storage in the tray area and the ribbon sticks out for easy access. Then there is more storage using clips for ribbon that is not on a spool but in bags or loose. I have purchased ribbon from Etsy and Hobby Lobby that does not come on a spool. This is perfect. I am not sure if scrapbook.com still sells this item. However, I am sure Amazon or Ebay has them if you were looking to reorganize your ribbon and trim. 


Prior to the Simply Renee, I used a peg board and cheap curtain rods to hold spools of ribbon and trim. This system can be customized as needed. I can extend the rods as I purchase more ribbon. I really do like this system too because again, it has the potential to hold a lot ribbons! This system can work well for small punches as well. 


I also have an iron dress form with trim on it. (You can see it in the picture above with the Simply Renee). I purchased that item from a catalog for about $19 (I don't remember the name of the place). I have the rose trim wrapped around to look like a dress. Instead of hoarding the trim, I really need to use more of it! LOL 


That’s it! I hope you were inspired today. Thanks for stopping by, Krafthead~

Friday, October 2, 2015

Sweet Birthday SASL DT Project

Happy October Krafters!!

Can you believe there are only three months left in the year? In the month of October, there are a lot of birthdays in my family. My mother-in-law’s birthday is today and my son’s is tomorrow. I have an uncle, cousin, and a few friends who will be celebrating birthdays this month. So I am going to share a birthday card!

Let me tell you; this card is completely different than what I intended. When I first started off, I was just going to do a simple watercolor background using distress inks add happy birthday with a few sequins and call it an evening. However, the markers (Chameleon) were calling my name and the stamps (Lawn Fawn’s Baked With Love) said, “Play with us Kenya, play with us!” Before I knew it, I was coloring and masking off stamped images to give a layered look. 


Chameleon markers are fairly new on the market. I have had them for about three months and colored with them just a hand full of times. There is a learning curve, but I really do like them. I used this card to further play with color layering and how to fuse the colors correctly. I can sit here and cry about all of the mistakes, but I would rather focus on what I do like. I like being able to have one marker make smooth transitions between colors. But again, this can be tricky. I really like how the bowl turned out as well as the butter and eggs. 


After I finished coloring the image, I used Avery Elle’s Wonky Rectangles to cut out my watercolor layer as well as the colored layer. I was going to put the sentiment on the inside with the piping bag, but decided at the last minute to put it on the outside instead. The sentiment is up a little higher than I would like, but overall, I think it still turned out ok! 
To add a little more shimmer, I added Wink of Stella Clear Pen to the bowl, and hearts (stamped with LF’s Lobster ink). 



That’s it! I hope you were inspired by this project…imperfections and all. That is all apart of the crafting process! Remember to stop by She's A Sassy Lady Blog to check out the talented DT. Have a great weekend, Krafthead~

Monday, September 28, 2015

Store It Mondays-Sprays

Happy Monday Krafters!

Welcome to another installment of Store It Mondays! Today’s storage is a work in progress. I can tell you up front, if you're the type of person who says, “Out of sight, out of mind!” then this solution is not right for you. Prior to moving the lab around, I stored all sprays except Lindy’s Stamp Gang on stand. I always stored the LSG in a Sterile drawer. Approximately 90 LSG bottles can fit in the drawer and more of the Tattered Angels because of the bottle shape. After moving the room around, I lost that stand space. I threw some sprays away and gave some to fellow crafters. I kept my favorite colors. Until I can find a new home, I store them all in the same drawer.


All of the LSG has a white Avery Label on top for the color. As you can see, this too is a work in progress as I still have to mix most colors and spray the caps. Once I do this, I can easily see the colors without having to pull each color until I find the right shade. The other (Glimmer Mist, Studio Calico, Ranger, and homemade sprays) are randomly placed in the drawer. I can get to the bottles easily until I find a final resting place for them.



That’s it! While it’s not perfect, it works for me! I hope you enjoyed today’s solution! Thanks for stopping by, Krafthead~

Thursday, September 24, 2015

Brand New

Happy Thursday Krafters!

As I’ve mentioned before, I participate in two monthly challenges over at scrapbook.com. It is a great way to actually do layouts as well as give the Cricut a workout. By being a part of the Cricut Challenge, I remember why I loved the machine years ago!

Today I am sharing a layout lift from the second challenge. I had the privilege of lifting toni-n-tn’s Brand New layout. Be sure to check out the original here. While the original is beautiful and the inspirational force behind the lift, what I love is making the layout my own! This is a photo of my son taken hours after being born. It is hard to believe almost a year has gone by! I am still in awe!



I used Design Space for the hearts, title, tag and arrow. I welded several open hearts to create the distressed heart. I also used the write and cut by attaching the information to the tag. I also used TH’s thin dies for the words along with the Spellbinder’s Grunge Words. 


That’s it! I hope you enjoyed today’s project! Thanks for stopping by, Krafthead~

Monday, September 21, 2015

Store It Mondays-Punches

OOOpsie daisy….I forgot to publish…sorry

Hello Krafters,

Welcome to another installment of Store it Mondays! I believe I shared this storage solution a few years ago. I have been using the over the door shoe storage for punches since I started “crafting” in 2010. If it isn’t broke don't try to fix it right? 


This storage solution is not only good for punches, but inks, sprays, embellishments, adhesives and the list goes on and on. If I had more doors in the craft lab, I would invest in more of these. They are inexpensive and great because I can see what is in each compartment. 

That’s it!!  I hope you enjoyed today’s storage solution. It really is a great solution which takes very little space, holds a lot of punches and costs around $10 each at Walmart! Thanks for stopping by, Krafthead~

Friday, September 18, 2015

26 Years

Hello Krafters,

My mom, yes I have talking about her a lot lately, is a part of a group. One of the members retired after 26 years of service. This was all of the information provided AND yes it was a last minute request….I decided to go with a white, cream and gold color scheme. 

There are a lot of layers and textures on this card. I used a doily die by Cherry Lynn Designs as well as their flourish. I used the Explore to make the lattice and 26 years sentiment. I used gold embossing powder to make that sentiment pop! An after thought was I should have foiled that sentiment instead. That is what ended up doing in the inside since it was custom to the occasion. The flowers are I Am Roses. I also embossed the mat (I don't remember the embossing folder name). To hide the glue, I added a tag to the bottom in the cream and embossed the “thank you” in gold. 



Mom was happy with it and overall I am happy with how it turned out too!


That’s it! I hope you enjoyed today’s project! Thanks for stopping by, Krafthead~

Wednesday, September 16, 2015

Altenew Sympathy Card

Hello Krafters,

My mother is very special to me. However, she is a last minute person. Today’s project is a last minute request as she was waiting for her ride to go out of town. Her spiritual mother’s grandmother passed away. She lived to be 109 years old! My mom attended the funeral which was out of town. While waiting, she said, “Oh no, I forgot to get a card!” I gave her that really look. Then she went on to ask if I could make one. 

This is a non traditional sympathy card color scheme. I really wanted to use the Altenew Vintage Rose stamp set. I have the Lawn Fawn Lobster, Rose, and Cranberry inks. It just so happened, I was using cranberry card stock on a previous project so it worked out. I used the Avery Elle Wonky Stitch Dies to cut the mat. I had to fussy cut the roses and leaves since I do not have the dies yet. I added a little clear Wink of Stella for a little shimmer. I stamped the sentiment in the LF cranberry ink.For some reason, I like to add butterflies to sympathy cards. I think it reminds me of the circle of life in some way and the beauty of it. Anywho, I added the butterfly which was punched with a Martha Stewart punch and I added pearls to the body as well as to the top of the card to finish it off. 


Although it is not pictured, I repeated the same on the inside of the card to tie it all together. 


That’s it! I hope you enjoyed today’s project! Thanks for stopping by, Krafthead~

Monday, September 14, 2015

All Things Hello Kitty! SASL DT Project

Hey Krafters,

It's my day over at She's a Sassy Lady!! I decided to take the week off from the Store it Mondays..but come back next week for storage solutions!

As a mom to five children, celebrating birthdays can be very expensive! However, I learned my die cutting machines, imagination, and the gift to be crafty has been a godsend and it saves money. My second daughter just celebrated her ninth birthday last week and we had a surprise party for her the weekend. She is a Hello Kitty fanatic! If you've been following me for a while, you already know my past struggles LOL! Honestly, I have gotten my money’s worth from the HK Greetings and Font cartridges. I am secretly happy she still loves Hello Kitty because it takes the guess work out of a theme. 

Today is all things Hello Kitty! I made everything from HK tattoos to prizes. It took some time (which was limited too) but it was worth the effort and the party did not cost a fortune. The Explore had a work out! I am not sharing everything, but here’s a few projects from the party!

HK Note Pads:

Although there is only one pictured, I altered a few of these as game prizes. I purchased the notepad from the Dollar Tree. Three came in a pack. I partially covered the front with scrap pieces of card stocks. The pieces measured 2.5x4.5”. I did a print and cut on HK. Of course I forgot to change the setting on the printer and she came on in b&w. Since time was of the essence, I went with it. It worked out. Under her, I decided to stamp hello from a stamp set by CTMH. I believe it coordinates with the Artfully Sent Cricut cartridge. The girls who received one LOVED them and asked if I could make them more….we shall see!

Pin My Nose:

This was one of many party games we played. One thing that drives me crazy about Design Space is if you want to print an image, it can't be larger than a certain size. The joy of having a large format printer is the ability to print…large! I needed Hello Kitty’s face to be BIG! So to achieve this, I did a screen capture, and placed the image in Photoshop. **DISCLOSURE- I own the Hello Kitty Greetings and Font cartridges. I am in no way encouraging anyone do this!!** I enlarged her, added “Pin My Nose” and printed it on a large piece of material. 

For the nose pieces, I resized a circle from the basic shapes and added numbers using the Cricut Alphabet cartridge. I am so happy I added numbers as identifiers. I added a little adhesive to the back. One thing I forgot to do was cut them on colored card stock, but it still worked out. As you can see, most of the “noses” never touched the game LOL. Easy Peasy!!

Piñata:

This is my most proudest project for this party!! It never occurred to me, none of my children ever had a piñata! One of the girls mentioned they should have one. After going on Amazon and to the store to price out some out, I couldn't bring myself to spend $20ish for something they were going to beat and destroy…so I decided to have at it! The only thing was, how was I going to make it? I remember as a child, making one as the balloon being the form of it and adding newspaper, paste and water mixture to it. We let it harden and added tissue paper to it. I admit, it was the ugliest thing but we had fun hitting it for the candy. I didn't want to do that though! I thought to cut out HK’s shape and add masking tape and the whole nine yards. Then I realized I don't have that kind of time. While I was asleep, the Lord showed me exactly what to do! I used the largest cereal box I could find (Giant Corn Pops box). I filled it with candies and taped the top. I added white tissue paper to mute the colors on the cereal box. Then I took pink streamers, slit the pieces (wish I had fringe scissors) and glued them in place. After that dried, I placed the HK image to it…a HK piñata!! The best thing is it costed me $5 ($3.48 for the cereal and 50¢ for the streamer) to make plus the cost of candy!! I love the way it turned out!! My daughter was super excited too!


They needed something to hold the candy right? HK image, Wild Card (thanks) and brown lunch bag…


Here are a few additional photos of the girls wacking the piñata…of course I was so caught up, I forgot to take a picture of the aftermath….it was not pretty!



After calculating the decor, cupcakes (of course they were HK) and food, it cost me approximately $50! Who says you have to spend a lot to have FUN? Everyone had a great time!


I hope you enjoyed today’s projects! Remember to stop by to check out the wonderful talent on She’s a Sassy Lady…thanks for stopping by, Krafthead~

Monday, September 7, 2015

Store it Mondays-6x6 Pads

Happy Labor Day Krafters!

As we all know, our crafts are labors of love! We take care and pride in our projects as well as our craft spaces (yes it can be the dining room table-it is still your space)…which brings me to this week’s Store it Mondays!

This storage solution is nothing new and I am sure some of you have an even better…and cuter one, but this is how I store my 6x6 paper pads. 


Easy to access papers and make the process less labored!

I admit, I am not always the brightest bulb in the box. Prior to putting them in a box, I stored them towards the front of the shelf leaving valuable space unused. One day while I was “cleaning” the craft space, I thought why not put them in some type of box to organize them as well as make them portable?? The outside of each container is labeled with the paper designers in alpha order. On the inside, they are categorized in alpha order by the paper company then by collection. In the first box, is for companies A-K and the second is for L-Z. I put the containers inside the lids for added stability. For papers that are little larger than 6x6, they are stored next to the containers in alpha order. 



That’s it! Enjoy the rest of your extended weekend! Hope you enjoyed today’s storage solution! Krafthead~

Friday, September 4, 2015

Thank You Very Much SASL DT Project

Hello Krafters!

It is my day over at She's A Sassy Lady! Today's project is two-fold. First, I have to admit, I do not want summer to end! School is back in session for most student which means fall is a couple weeks away. The card has a summer feel to it and I like that. Secondly, I was treated to some crab cakes. Hence the crab! I wanted to show my appreciation…they were SO good!


This card was created using scraps of cardstock (Bazzill, Core’dinations, Paper Trey Ink, and Neenah Solar Bright). For the different cuts, I used Life’s a Beach (wave) and Create a Critter (crab) Cricut cartridges. I also used the Wonky Rectangle from Avery Elle and Puffy Clouds from Lawn Fawn. The sentiment is a CTMH stamp (Just Saying) which coordinates with the Artfully Sent Collection. 


Putting this card together was easy. If you have been following me for a while, you know I do a  lot of 10 minute or less cards. This one took approximately 15 minutes because of searching for the right cuts. As the Cricut was busy cutting, I cut each layer with the Wonky Rectangle die. I ran the wave through as well for the cut to be uniform with the others. I added a little texture to the crab with the crimson Copic marker. I tore the sand for more texture and interest to the card. 



That is it! A cute way to say thank you and a great way to use my scraps! Remember to visit She's A Sassy Lady blog for more inspiration. I hope you enjoyed today’s project! Thanks for stopping by, Krafthead~

Wednesday, September 2, 2015

Locker Posted Note Holder

Hello Krafters!

My oldest girl started her journey in middle school. She now has a locker and she wanted to decorate it. I decided to make her some as well as keep her organized. I used the 3D Posted Note Holder (Tall) from the Silhouette store. That holder is SO easy to assemble and there is enough room for a pen. I decided to add a mirror to the top part so she can make sure she is on “fleek”. I added magnets to the back to place on the door of the locker or she can use the easel part if she choses. If she needs reminders, she can jot down notes and place them in her locker.


The pattern papers are Glam Girl by DCWV and the base is Bazzil cardstock which is very sturdy! To “personalize” it, I added the letter “A” for her initial and a butterfly (MS punch). 


Short but sweet! I hope you enjoyed today’s project! Thanks for stopping by, Krafthead~

Monday, August 31, 2015

Store it Mondays-Embossing Powders

Happy Monday Krafters!

Welcome to another installment of Store it Mondays! Today we are talking embossing powders. I don't have many but I found the perfect solution for what I have AND I have room to expand. I also store the Embossing Buddy in it as well! The container is actually intended for thread. It has duplex storage and it snap close tightly even with slight bowing from the Stampendous powders being a little taller than the well.  

This is the second side (it's empty for now)

I can see this storage solution being good for tiny embellishments too! I love the portability of this with the handle as well as being able to see what is inside without having to open the lid. 



FYI I found this on Amazon for less than $8. I know, short and sweet!! I hope this inspired you…thanks for stopping by, Krafthead~

Wednesday, August 26, 2015

Oh Baby

Hi Krafters!

Anyone who knows me know I am a private person. So sharing this project was difficult and out of my comfort zone. I was looking for something and found a picture (my only bare one) of my pregnant belly! I was 7.5 months along with my oldest (2004). I didn't know she was a she at the time, but I was so proud. As I shared before, we were told we could not have children so this photo is a true testament of the power of God!

~~DISCLAIMER~~~

If you have a problem with naked bellies, please DO NOT scroll down!!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I am participating in the Cricut Challenge and Scraplift the Person Before You this month. I had the privilege to lift Arteshamac’s Hello Love layout. I encourage you to join challenges to keep your juices flowing!


I used Sophie (doilies), Graphically Speaking (arrows), Wild Card (brackets) and Calligraphy (title) Cricut cartridges. The paper is a collection by Teresa Collins. I also used a stamp set by Close to My Heart (Save the Date-I believe it is) for the corners and “remember”. The large butterfly is a Martha Stewart punch. The flowers are I Am Roses which I used Gesso to tone down the pink. The princess charm is from my stash. Finally I added Recollection bling.



That’s it! I hope you enjoyed today’s project! Thanks for stopping by, Krafthead~

Monday, August 24, 2015

Store it Mondays-Pegboard System

Happy Monday Krafters!

I'm here to share another Store it Monday! The pegboard system is nothing new. I shared some years back the pegboard storing Cricut Cartridges. I decided to store the cartridges a different way thus making more room to store those odd products. I moved the system to a different wall and added industrial style pegboards (black) I purchased from Home Depot to go with the existing pegboards I had (white). I love pegboards because they can hold a lot and help save space! If you have a wall, I suggest getting at least one!

On these boards, I store everything! It is great for sticker sheets, adhesives, stencils, foils, foiling sheets, embellishments, and tools! On a board I will add, I will store those rulers, large stapler (not pictured) and that roll of foam tape. For the industrial pegboards, baskets can be purchased which holds even more. Since I am vertically challenged, I do have a stool I use to access the adhesives on top. 


That’s it! Thank you for tuning in for another edition of Store it Mondays! I hope this inspired you! Thanks for stopping by, Krafthead~

Monday, August 17, 2015

Store It Mondays-Inks

Happy Monday Krafters!

Today is the second installment of Store it Mondays! As I mentioned before, I am in the process of trying to make more of my crafts portable. Since RJ is more mobile and my children doesn’t believe in giving me a moment alone, crafting on a VERY small table in the family room is the only way for me to create! At one of my many trips to Walmart, I found some document holders for $5 in the office area. The ones I have fits 8.5x11 sheets of paper. I later found, of course after I bought the smaller ones, they have 12x12 available too. The containers fit distress inks perfectly! All of the inks are labeled and are stacked four high. In that same container, I store reinkers as well. The one thing I like about this container is the handles snap it secure! 


I decided to store my other inks in another container. As you can see, the Lawn Fawn (my new FAV) inks are labeled. I am in the process of labeling the others as well. Some of them may find a new home soon. Some people may have an issue storing inks on the side, but as long as they work when I need them, that is ok with me. When I get rid of the others, I may go back to storing them flat. 



The Stampin’ Up inks (not pictured) are stored on the wall in a holder designed for ink. I bought it a few years ago. Since I don't use them often and I only have seven colors, I chose not to store them with the others. 


I really like this storage solution for easy access and portability…not to mention inexpensive!  They also stack nicely. I hope this inspired you as well! Thanks for stopping by, Krafthead~