Frame for Mom

We'll be home to visit soon, and in addition to the many crafty things I've made recently, I made this for Mom.

The Happy Birthday in the center is from Stampin' Up!  It's a retired die I still use very often.  The rose sprays are from Crafter's Companion.

Here you can really see the dimension from the decoupage pieces.  I used some Tattered Angels glitter spray and sequins to fill in some blank spaces and add some sparkle.

W for Michael

So yes, that sounds strange.  Did it get your attention? 

The little boy's last name begins with a W...  now it should make a little more sense.

 I REALLY enjoy making these letters with the cars!  Granted, this W wasn't as large as the G.  Hobby Lobby just didn't have that large of a letter.  I would have preferred a larger W. Turns out I had too many cars!

It's meant to be  placed on the wall in his room.  Thankfully the letters come with the area for nails already made (Whew)! 

Now I need to find out what is on his Christmas list! :)  That might be the next project... or pick-up at WM since we aren't close to where they live.

Baptism Gift for my Great Nephew

Over the past few years I've made many of these.  MANY.  This was a Stamp Camp project 3 or 4 years ago from my upline Kathy.  I made one of these for family members...  I even sent one to Panama with my husband for his Dad, so they've gone international! 

I went through my Lutheran Hymnal and found a great baptismal hymn to use as the background.  The Canvas backing is painted with acrylic paint as are the edges of the two wood crosses.

They are both covered in some retired Stampin' Up! DSP.  The pattern on the larger cross in the back has some flocking on it to give some texture.

I tea-stained the hymn, and used Mod Podge to adhere it to the backing, and cover it to protect it.  If you haven't heard of E6000 (E six thousand)... take a look at it - it's some SERIOUS adhesive! 

My husband also helped me pick out the cross embellishment.  There were probably 6 to choose from, and this was by far the best choice.

Nursery/Playroom Decor Matchbox Cars

I saw this idea on Pinterest as so many ideas I've found lately.

If this doesn't fit well in the nursery, I figure my nephew and his wife can hang this in Felix's eventual playroom.

I have plans to make another one of these as a Christmas gift for another baby boy in the family.  It will be a W... we'll definitely need more cars!!

 My husband isn't always a big fan of my craft work, BUT when I told him I needed matchbox cars, he thought I'd dip into his collection.  I think that scared him pretty good!  BUT I wanted new ones.  He was really helpful in finding some great cars, and also had input on the placement of each car.

This letter is MUCH bigger than the F I posted previously.  This G is probably 2 feet tall.  It's BIG! As I was taking the pictures, my little black curious kitty decided he had to see what was going on.  He likes to be in the center of things for sure!  Silly Poopie!!

NOT a Pinterest Idea, but My Own! Nursery Decor

A little over a month ago, my great nephew (my FIRST great nephew) was born!  I'm now a Great Aunt.  Can't quite get my head around it yet, but I will soon enough.

The theme of his nursery is "Under the Sea".  An earlier blog post shows the shower invitations I made for the Baby Shower my sister hostessed.  It was a great success, and I heard there were great comments about the invitations. :)

 SO... with all the time I spend surfing Pinterest... and it's lots of time on Pinterest....  I came up with this idea.
The big F is from Hobby Lobby. It's about a foot and a half tall.  I used acrylic paint in Harbor Bay Blue, and swirled some white into it while it was still wet.

I used the Best of Pixar Cart to make these characters...  I cut Nemo and Squirt at 3 inches, and Dory at 4 inches.
I did some marker work on the figures to give them dimension.
You can see the F (for Felix) hanging on the wall of my craft room.  I'll try to get a picture of it in its spot in the nursery.

Additional Teacher Appreciation Gifts!

As you can see from my previous posts, I had a VERY busy crafting weekend!
I really appreciate the support these ladies give me as a classroom teacher, so it's my pleasure to make these things for them.
Here you have an altered project - They are the Stampin' Up Clear Stamp cases, made into a personalized notepad holder.

This notepad holder matches the Satchel Purse I made my principal.  You can see the insides below.  I layered each label with 3 punches, and went over the letters with the Wink of Stella brush.  I really LOVE that Wink of Stella!  It sounds so cool, too!

 This notepad matches the purse I made for our Vice-Principal.

This stamp case went to our Health Clerk.  I had two of my girls deliver it.

Here you can see the inside of the notepad.

Every time I see these, the advice is to always go to an office supply store, and they will cut the notepads down to size. 
I work at a SCHOOL!!!  We have guillotine cutters, and I cut it from the back cardboard back about half of the pad, turned it over, and cut the front.  It fit like a charm. SO if you're making these notepad holders, ask one of your child's teachers.  They just MIGHT cut the notepads for you!

If you'd like to purchase any of the products to duplicate this project as gifts, click on the product, and I would be happy to be your Stampin' Up demonstrator!
Thank you!

Melon Mambo Classic Stampin' Pad

$6.50

Melon Mambo 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock

$7.00

Daffodil Delight 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock

$7.00

1-1/4" Circle Scallop Punch

$16.00

Extra-Large Oval Punch

$18.00

Wild Wasabi 1/2" Seam Binding Ribbon

$7.00

Clear Block C

$7.00

Tear & Tape Adhesive

$7.00

Clear-Mount Stamp Cases

$6.00

Clear Wink Of Stella Glitter Brush

$8.00

Itty Bitty Accents Punch Pack

$17.00

Rose Red Classic Stampin' Pad

$6.50

Soft Sky Classic Stampin' Pad

$6.50

Rose Red 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock

$7.00

Rhinestone Basic Jewels

$5.00

Christmas Gifts - Working Ahead!

One of the ladies from my stamp club brought this project to show us, and I fell in LOVE!  I took a picture that evening, and then went on a search.  Thanks so much, Sandra!

The next day I went to all 3 Michael's in our area looking for these trays.  I struck out, but it was a fun day out shopping! When I got home, I then ordered them online. (Stay tuned for a link below.)

 Again, this project uses the DSP Painted Blooms.  Each time I use it I'm more in love with it.

 This detail I added from the original.  It's the new Metallic Thread.  Once you get over the (very small) learning curve, this is a great detail to add to cards/projects!
I really love this saying.

 When I'm finished with the 2 other shadow boxes I'm expecting, there will be a total of 9. This project didn't take that long, but when I really looked at it, there was a LOT of detail!

Lots of die cuts:  the sentiment background, and the 2 butterflies.
Lots of punching:  The sentiment, top scallops, and the bow which uses lots of glue dots.
Embossing:  New butterfly folder on the Soft Sky cs.
Paper tole technique on the flower for depth.
Metallic Thread flower under the rhinestone.
Double bow with the bow maker my Dad made for me!
Embosslits to cut the small butterflies.
Stickles and Crystal Effects on the flower.

Source for the Shadow Trays:  http://shop.canvascorpbrands.com/
This is the specific link for this Shadow Box/Tray: http://shop.canvascorpbrands.com/products/solo-tray-white.

Commissioned Crosses

The cross project for Christmas gifts went over quite well!  One of my high school classmates asked if I'd make one for her, and then I had a request for a 2nd.

These are the crosses I came up with.  They are almost identical.  I haven't found a reason to work with any other paper stacks yet.  The Modern Medley DSP (black and vanilla)  and Mocha Morning DSP (ret.) make them look so elegant in my opinion.

It's rather a long process, but so much faster when I had only 2 to make!
Paint the canvas backing, tea stain the hymnal page (after the decision on which hymn), paint the edges of both crosses and cover with DSP.  Sand the edges and then ink to finish the look.  Adhere the hymnal page to the canvas, and adhere both crosses.  Finish with a center medallion.


They turn out so beautifully - it's definitely worth the amount of work.

Family's Christmas Gifts ~ Part 3

This is one of those projects I really LOVE doing!  This again was one of our Stamp Camp projects from early October.  I was able to order a bunch of the wooden crosses from my up-line Kathy and when Mom and I were done with the calendars I settled in to get these crosses done and sent for gifts.

The background canvas came from Michael's and I bought a used Lutheran Hymnal to use for the backgrounds.

I only used 2 paper stacks for covering all the crosses - Mocha Morning, and the Modern Medley for the black and vanilla crosses.

Some of the crosses went to close friends, though most of them went to family members.