Mother's Day Cards

Hello Krafters!

Some time ago, I started doing ten minute or less cards. I challenged myself to do this because, as my family grew, it became difficult to actually finish a card. It left me frustrated and honestly, I had no desire to craft! While my crafting has evolved into something other than paper crafting, I still LOVE to create cards from time to time. 

This past Sunday was Mother’s Day. I realized at 12:15am on Sunday, yes you read correctly, that I failed to make cards. I was tired and sleepy, but I knew I would not have time later to make any so I had to think fast on my feet. I did an assembly line to get five cards completed as quickly as possible. 

I cut three sheets of 8.5”x11” card stock in half for A2 style cards (4.25”x5.5”) and scored them using the Martha Stewart scoring tool and set them aside. I then picked up the very first paper pack on top of the pile, which happened to be G45’s Secret Garden. I also used a Glitz paper pack. I cut them using a die from MFT and the top note die by Spellbinders. After I cut the pattern paper, I went to the flower storage and grabbed some Gardenias and skeleton leaves.  I also used some hemp cord. I laid out the elements using a card I created a while back as a guide. I changed the layout slightly on each card so they would be “unique”. Before gluing everything down, I used a stamp (I cannot remember which company) for the sentiment. 

After the cards were assembled, I wrote a quick note and was done! I was turning off my light by 1:47am and heading to bed! It took me a little over 30 minutes to create five cards. Not too bad if I say so myself. 

That’s it! I hope you enjoyed today’s post. Until next time..Krafthead~

Going Green? Scraps of Color DT

Hey Krafters!

Did you know Earth Day is April 22nd? Today's projects will help us celebrate Earth Day, get prepared for Mother's Day and get the children involved in the craft room. We are going "green"!!

Green House:

This project will help keep plastic bottles out of the landfills (at least temporarily) and can be an inexpensive gift for Granny from the grandchildren. Who doesn't love gifts from the grandchildren? If you are a gardener, this will help you get a jump start of planting your seeds and protecting them from the birds.

 

Take two bottles (water or soda-pop) and cut one towards the drinking spout and the second bottle on the other end. You want to make sure you cut them so they will fit properly. You may need to cut slits on one side for a better fit.

On the shorter end add soil, seed and add water. Do not over saturate, but water well as this is the water that will continuously water the plant. Now add the second bottle. Make sure there is a good tight seal by overlapping the ends. Add transparent tape around the bottle where the two bottles overlap to ensure the moisture stays inside. Now you can decorate as your heart desires :) The children can decorate their bottles too. If you start now by the time Mother's Day roll around, the plant/flower should have a bloom!

The good thing about this project is no watering necessary! It will "rain" inside the green house!  Just place in a window sill and let it grow. Once the flowers gets to be too tall, the recipient can take the "green house" apart and repot or plant outdoors!

Flower Power:

You may be wondering about the other part of the bottle that was not used. I created the flower on this card from the remaining plastic. I cut the bottle into useable pieces. Once it was cut down, I used my Sizzix flower die to cut the shapes. Then I added alcohol ink for color and then used a heat tool to shape the flower and dry the ink. The petals are held together with a bling brad. To keep this card simple, I embossed the front of the card using the Swiss Dots Cuttlebug Embossing Folder. The paper is a scrap piece from the Black Currant Stack by DCWV. I added a sentiment and DONE!

 

I hope you enjoyed today's "Green" projects! It may not keep plastic out of the landfills forever, but at least they can be used to make something beautiful even if it is short lived. I hope you try these out...Krafthead~