First Apartment, First Christmas Tree=

A need for some Christmas ornaments.  So what does a crafty grandmother do but offer to make some.  And that is just what we did today.

But first things first.  Before she arrived, we received a phone call asking if we would please make some broccoli, noodle soup!   Her favorite food at grandma's house.  So grandpa went grocery shopping and then prepared some yummy soup.  Thank you, grandpa!

After a delicious meal, (by a cozy fireplace) we went to work.  I taught her how to use the Cuttlebug but she decided (after making several dozen scalloped circles) that it was too much work.  She didn't know how much work went into making ornaments, LOL!  It was a good experience.

She wanted to make some personalized ornaments for her friends and so we put pictures on the scalloped circles with pop dots and then added some stickles around the frames.

We also made some cones to hold treats, which she will hang on the tree.

Some rosettes with rhinestones and stickles and some baubles.

And a book page wreath.  We discovered these were really time consuming but very pretty when finished.

 And some TP roll stars with some more rosettes, rhinestones and lots of gold stickles!

After spending all day making ornaments, we were tired but very pleased with the results.  Are they perfect?  No, but we had a perfectly wonderful day together and I think that is the very best part of Christmas.

I wish for you an amazingly wonderful Christmas season!  Hugs,Sarah and Mercede

Alice In Wonderland Tea Holder

Our craft show is this weekend and a little bit of the craziness will be over, LOL!  I do love preparing for craft shows but it's still a bit stressful getting ready for it.

I thought I would take a quick moment and share a tea bag holder and gift bag that I made.  I used a tutorial from Tracy that you can find here.  I made several different designs but my favorite is the Alice In Wonderland design.

The images are from Crafty Secrets.  

 The gift bag is made from an envelope that has been scored along 3 sides and folded to make the perfect size to hold the tea bag card.

Just a few more items to make and then I'll be ready!  Thanks for visiting and have a blessed day!

Side Step Christmas Card

These images are from A Day For Daisies.  As soon as I saw the child, I knew I wanted to use it for a scrapbook layout I want to do with a picture of my DGD reading the Christmas story when she was six.  For today, I used it to make a side step card.
 

The challenge at ADFD is to use something metallic.  The red dots on the snowflakes are 'Metallic Inspirations' from Creative Inspirations Paint.

I am still busy getting ready for our craft show so I will get back to work.

Thanks for visiting and have a blessed day!

Tinsel Christmas Card

Oh my, this little blog has really been neglected the last 2 weeks!  Getting ready for a craft show is taking every spare moment of my time.  Last year I said, "No more craft shows"!  But since this is in support of our local hospital, I thought I would participate.  It's a very small show so I think I can handle this.

So I thought I would share some of the things I'm making and maybe you can find some ideas you might like.  This card is a 'just for fun' card.  I didn't make very many since I have no idea if anyone would want to buy one, although everyone gets a chuckle from it.

There is a little baggie with some tinsel added, the font is highlighted with some red stickles, and I added a strip of red liner tape on the top to add some silver glitter.

On the inside I used a Spellbinders Labels 2 die to add a spot for a personal message.

And then there are 10 suggestions for how to recycle tinsel, LOL.

The idea for this card comes from a magazine I bought several years ago.  Come back next week and I'll share another one.  Hope you enjoy!
Thanks for visiting and have a blessed day!

Inspired by Buttons

This week, at Creative Inspirations Paint, we are being inspired by buttons.  I am starting to get together some ideas for our craft show and this is one of the projects I'm considering.  It's a hot chocolate pouch.  I'm not sure I care for the design.  I was going for a partially melted snowman.  He's been painted with CI Paint 'Blue Ice' and his nose with 'Sunshine'.  And of course, he has 2 button eyes. 

 The back has this adorable image from Tammy at A Day For Daisies.  She's been colored with Prismacolor Pencils.  I've also used a Martha Stewart border punch.

The ribbon is tucked down inside and looped around the hot chocolate to hold it in place.  When you pull the ribbon up it pulls the packet out. 

Thanks for visiting and have a blessed day!

Challenges I will enter
Crafty Cardmakers:  anything goes
Craft Your Passion:  anything goes/ribbon
Papertake Weekly:  anything goes/punch
City Crafter:  3D  (I'm not sure if this qualifies; if not, that's O.K., I won't be offended)
Ribbon Carousel:  anything goes/ribbon

White Plus One Other Color

The challenge at Creative Inspirations Paint for this week is to use white plus one other color.  The challenge at LOTV is to use aqua, white, and glitter, so aqua became my other color.  I used quite a few different techniques on this card; it took way longer than I thought it would.  But it was fun trying some new things.

I started with a fun fold called a star fold card.  The flower is one of my crochet flowers with a paper flower and a button in the center.  The stamens and edge of flower are painted with 'Sky Blue' CI Paint.  Such a beautiful color!  I also added some stickles.

 I made some bead gel using Elmer's glue, micro beads, and blue Pearl Ex.  Totally love how that turned out!  This might not have been the best use for it but I'm looking forward to using it in some other applications.

 The side panels were stamped with some swirls and then colored with some more Pearl Ex.  I also added some piercing around the swirls.  The image was colored with Prismacolor Pencils.  The papers were all distressed and sponged with Broken China distress ink.  The center panel has been edged with white crackle paint.  I printed the sentiment from the computer, inked the edges and then embossed with clear embossing powder.

This turned out to be a very time consuming but fun card. 
I've been wanting to enter the challenge at Catered Crop but this is the first time I've been able to do it.

recipe ingredients I used:  flowers, sentiment, distress inks, crackle paint, ribbon, lace, button, thread, sewing, distress, vintage

my recipe

• Paper –white cardstock, doily
• Colors-aqua, white, glitter
• Stamps –LOTV Coffee Break
• Color Mediums –distress ink, embossing ink, pearl ex, prismacolor pencils, Creative Inspirations Paint, crackle paint, stickles
• Fibers –satin ribbon, lace
• Tools –MS score board
• Techniques- distressing, sewing, coloring embossing ink with pearl ex, paper piercing, homemade bead gel
• Embellishments –handmade crochet and paper flower, button

Thanks for visiting and have a blessed day!

Challenges I would like to enter
Incy Wincy Designs:  fancy folds
Scrap Creations:  It's a girl thing
Di's Digi Design Challenge:  make your own flowers
Paper Sundaes:  anything goes
Stamptacular Sunday Challenge:  have a latte day
Bows and Berries:  glitter
Dream Valley:  buttons
LOTV:  aqua, white,glitter
Catered Crop, Follow the Recipe 
Our Daily Bread:  scripture, quote or song

A Charmed Birthday

I will start by saying this post is picture heavy; you will find  my card for the challenges at the end. 

Our DIL is an extremely creative person and when it comes to presents, you can always count on a unique and surprising experience.  Last Sat. I received a very large box.  When I opened it I found a box within a box.  They did an amazing job of packing it!

Inside the second box was a birthday cake made with paper mache boxes.  There was a very detailed set of instructions on how to open it.

I'm not going to go into all the details but let it be sufficient to say that there was some very detailed and elaborate construction involved.  My son drilled holes in the top layer and she rolled paper for each candle, rolled up dollar bills and inserted cording for me to pull on to extract the bills.  Very clever!  So this is what I discovered. 

 Oh, but wait!  That wasn't all!  Each paper mache box held some wrapped gifts, including the base the cake sat on.

 So now this is what the boxes contained.  I was so excited!  The complete 'Uncommon" kit from Authentique Paper.  How well they know me, LOL.

So now what can a mother do but make a thank you card?  This week, at Creative Inspirations Paint, we are being inspired by charms.  Aren't these papers beautiful?!  Totally loved working with them!  I made a curved template for the right side of the card and then used the scalloped circle die to cut the frame.  The edges of the papers were distressed with 'Tea Dye' distress ink.  The bird is a clear stamp.  The frame and the edge of the crochet flower are painted with 'Rustic Red' Creative Inspirations Paint.  I also added some hot fix Jeweled Inspirations.    I  made a crochet lace border with pearls.  And then I added my charm to the tag which is part of the collection.  Thanks again!  I will enjoy working with these!

Thanks for visiting and have a blessed day!


Challenges I would like to enter
Incy Wincy Designs:  distressing
Craft Your Passion:  anything goes
The Pink Elephant:  photo inspiration,  pink, green, crochet
Scrap Creations:  anything goes
Stamptacular Sunday:  just sayin'
Di's Digi Design Challenge:  anything goes

A Bit Of Holiday

Today I tried a new style of card, for me, anyways.  It's a tag easel card.  I've been watching lots of Tim Holtz videos to try and learn how to take some plain cardstock and make it, well, not so plain.   As you will see, this is quite a beginners card!  Hopefully, one can only go up from here, LOL. 

I used this lovely image from Tammy at A Day For Daisies.   I colored the image digitally and then added some Crystal Effects on the candy cane.  My first layer was Tea Dye distress ink, then I stamped some swirls and embossed, and then some more distress ink.  I then stamped some snowflakes with gold Creative Inspirations Paint.  That didn't turn out as well as I had hoped, need more practice!  The last touch was to add some gold embossing around the edge.  After that it was just a matter of adding the embellishments.

There's some swirl bling and my crocheted flower.  
I'm sure we have all had a song pop into our head and not be able to get rid of it.  As I was making this card, I started singing  'It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas'.  And now it's stuck!  I'm going to go turn on some other music.  I'm not ready for Christmas!

Thanks for visiting and have a blessed day!

Challenges I would like to enter
A Day For Daisies:  a bit of holiday; a bit of red
Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas Challenge:  swirls
Secret Crafter:  inspired by a song
Craft Your Days Away:  make your own flowers
Allsorts:  flowers and swirls 
Digi Design Challenge:  anything goes

Vintage Back To School

This week our inspiration at Creative Inspirations Paint is 'Back To School'.  Recently I found this oh, so cute image at The Graphics Fairy.  I have to smile every time I look at it.


I used a MS border punch to make the black frame and then painted it with Onyx CI Paint.  The layers were distressed and I used Tea Dye distress ink.

 The double crepe paper ruffle has one layer of Tea Dye distress ink and one layer of Sage CI Paint.  The flower is made from an old dress pattern.  Autumn Wheat was the perfect color to edge the petals.  I also used Sage along the bottom of the lace and then added one of my stick pins.

 I then gave the entire card a spritz with my homemade glimmer mist made with the Sage paint.  Love all the shimmer!

Thanks so much for visiting and have a blessed day!

 Challenges I would like to enter
The Crafty Pad:  blue and brown
Stamps R Us challenge:  friendship
Paper Creations Ink:  vintage or distressed look
Crazy 4 Challenges:  back to school
Sundays With Crissy:  friendship
Creative Card Crew:  anything goes
My Grafico:  back to school
Come and Get It:  back to school

Back To School

For our inspiration at Creative Inspirations Paint, we are going back to school.  I started with a sketch again, this time from Sketch Saturday.  When I found this image from Bugaboo Stamps, I just knew I had to use her.  Love this image!  I colored her with Prismacolor pencils and then gave her clothes a wash of Creative Inspirations Paint to add some shimmer.  The apples also have a coat of CI Paint.  How many tickets do you think would get lost if the children had to present one to enter school, LOL?!  Although I know quite a few children who are glad to be back in school.

 Thanks for visiting and have a blessed day!

Challenges I would like to enter
Sketch Saturday:  sketch
Come and Get It Challenge:  back to school
Catch the Bug:  September anything goes

Lots of Layers

This week we are doing lots of layers at Creative Inspirations Paint.  I started with a sketch from CPS 

 This sweet image is from A Day For Daisies.  His outfit and the flower are paper pieced and then I used distress inks around the edge.  The yellow layer is torn.  There is some 'faux' baker's twine. I used some CI Paint to paint the stripes on the string.    

 I painted the stripes on the paper with some CI Paint, Green Olive, Pumpkin, and Buttercup.  I also painted the scallop circle with 'Coal' which is an amazing silvery black.  These are the perfect fall/Halloween colors and give lots of shimmery accents.

Thanks for visiting and have a blessed day.

Challenges I would like to enter
A Day For Daisies:   It's a twine thing
CPS sketch:  sketch
Catch The Bug:  warm colors and paper piecing
Cupcake Inspiration:  photo inspiration
Whoopsi Daisy:  autumn colors
The Crafty Pad:  distressing and tearing
Dream Valley Challenge:  lemon, lime, orange

Happy Birthday

Another try at a clean and simple card which is our inspiration for Creative Inspirations Paint this week.  I like this style; I'm just not very good at it.


For this card I used a sheet of double sided DP which made it very easy.  I started with a Tuesday Morning sketch.  For the six dots I used some of the new Metallic Inspirations which are available at CI Paint.  Love these!  They are 'hot fix' but since I haven't gotten my rhinestone setter yet I just use Glossy Accents.  

 I also love using these paints to make my own glimmer mist.  Here I used 'gold' but I also like making my own unique color combinations with different color paints.

Thanks for visiting and have a blessed day!


Challenges I would like to enter
Stamps R Us:  anything goes
Paper Creations Ink:  say it with flowers
Tuesday Morning Sketchs:  sketch
Really Reasonable Ribbon:  O.K....keep it clean
Sentimental Sundays:  birthday

Clean And Simple

Clean and Simple is the inspiration for Creative Inspirations Paint this week.  I always have problems trying to keep it simple; seems I just want to keep adding things, LOL  

For this card, I used one of my new Whoopsi Daisy stamps that I won recently.  Isn't she just the cutest ever!?  She is digitally paper pieced.  The card is embossed with a new folder I bought at Pat Catan's (Darice brand).  I added 3 K&Co flowers and a stitched ribbon.

 I used the Spellbinders Parisian Accents border die and painted it with 'Rose Quartz" CI Paint and then stamped 'Thank You' with a clear stamp.

I honestly don't think I have any colors in my color box besides pink and green.  I boxed up some cards for a craft fair and realized that 3/4th of them are pink and green.  I'm going to challenge myself to use some of those neglected colors in my box!


Thanks for visiting and have a blessed day!


Challenges I would like to enter:
Shelly's Images:  show us what you got
PaperCrafting Journey:  anything goes
Aud Sentiments:  anything goes
Ruby's Rainbow:  stitching
Crazy 4 Challenges:  bingo  (ribbon, die cuts, embossing)
Sundays with Crissy:  K.I.S.S.
Challenge Up Your Life:  no DP
Designed2Delight:  anything goes
Digi's With Attitude!:  anything goes
AiFactory Challenge:  anything goes

Inspired By Orange And Pink

This week, at Creative Inspirations Paint, we are being inspired by orange and pink.  Bright and sunny colors to match the weather we've been having!  I decided to start with a sketch from Sketchy Colors.  The delightful image is Emma, Blowing Bubbles  from Fred, She Said Designs.  I enlarged one of the bubbles to use for my greeting.  The image is framed with some polka dot rick rack.  Along the bottom there are 3 button 'flowers'.  The white piece is embossed with the Swiss Dots folder.

For the background paper I used a piece of plastic wrap to dab on some 'Blush' and 'Pumpkin' CI Paint to give lots of shimmer.

 Thanks for visiting and have a blessed day!


Challenges I would like to enter
Sketchy Colors:  sketch
Stampin For The Weekend:  spots and dots
Fussy and Fancy Friday:  use a lot
Crafty Catz:  emboss
The Stamp Man:  anything goes with summer colors
Paper Sundaes:  just say "hi"
Digi Design House:  recipe: 3 buttons or brads, 2 patterned papers, 1 ribbon or floss
Whoopsi Daisy:  anything goes
Just Some Lines:  embossing

Vintage Domino Mini Book

This week at Creative Inspirations Paint, we are being inspired by tutorials, whether it's one you find at CI Paint, one you found somewhere else,  or your own.  I love doing altered projects and so I wanted to try Kassi's awesome tutorial for dominos.  She used hers for a beautiful piece of jewelry but I decided to make a mini book with some vintage prints.

I used CI Paint, 'Rustic Red' and 'Sea Foam' to coordinate with my paper.  I have found these colors to be beautiful 'vintage' colors.  Here you can see the wonderful shimmer of the paint.  'Gloria' was printed on acetate so the colors of the domino could show through.

 The vintage images are from Karen at The Graphics Fairy.  If you haven't visited her yet, you'll want to do so.  She so generously shares the most amazing vintage images.

Thanks for visiting and have a blessed day!

Challenges I would like to enter
Crafty Purple Frog:  anything but a card
Gingerloft:  make it sparkle
Craft Us Crazy:  anything goes
Fab 'n' Funky Challenge:  it's Christmas
Pollycraft Monday:  recycle (dominos)
Incy Wincy Designs:  something old (dominos), something new (lace, CI Paint)
Catch The Bug Challenge:  anything goes
Whoopsi Daisy Challenge:  anything but square
Happileigh Scrappin' Challenge:  more than 1 fold
Passionately Artistic:  linking party
Made It Myself Monday:  linking party 
Brag Monday at the Graphics Fairy