Last Post 2010

Morning...

I think this will be my last post for 2010. I will be starting the New Year with a Blog Hop...so stay tuned for that.

This is same idea as I showed yesterday but used a different frame. This frame is also produced by 7 Gypsies. The openings on this are trading card size and uniform. Made it a little easier to find pictures to fit.

The KMB are my daughters initials and were cut from Blackletter on the Cricut. I used grungepaper to cut the letters as well as the skull and the word love. I can't remember exactly everything I used to  create the colors.

I do believe I cut the grungepaper and then embossed it with the Cuttlebug for texture. Followed that with heat embossing with black embossing powder. Then sanded the image slightly, applied some more veramark and then rubbed antique gold pearl-ex over top. The versamark is so the pearl-ex will stick.

You will also notice the "Harry Potter" paper behind the words and images. lol 

I think this is a wrap for this year.

Thank you to all of you who take the time to stop and visit.

Have a safe and Happy New Year!

Yvonne

7 Gypsies Tray

Good Morning!

Hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas!

Santa brought me an assortment of crafty things...and I was spoiled by friends and family too!

I can finally share a few of the projects I've been working on over the last couple of months.

This was a tray for my DIL Steph. The tray is from 7 Gypsies. They do make trays in a variety of shapes. She spent time with her sister and family this summer so wanted to make a collage of some of the pictures I thought were great.

I inked the edge of each picture with Tim Holtz Vintage Distress Ink to give it that aged look. I used the Cricut cartridge Wall Decor for "Family", the hearts and the tree.

The flowers are made using "Heartfelt Creation" stamps and dies.

 

I dyed the lace with the Vintage ink and then with a needle and thread used a running stitch to gather the lace to make the flower. I actually went to many stores to try and find something like this and ended up making my own which I was pretty happy with. About a week after I completed the project I stopped in at a new craft store (new to me) and as soon as I walked in the door they had exactly one like this hanging on the wall.

January 1st I'm participating in a Blog Hop. All projects will be Cricut related. I've been working on it now for 3 or 4 days and will have it ready in time. If I don't post before then I hope you will stop by on New Year to have a peak and check out some of  the other crafty gals too!

I actually couldn't sleep cause ideas are floating around in my head. Off to see if I can create the project like the vision  I had. Sometimes the two don't line up!

Have a good day!

Yvonne

Christmas Eve

Good Morning....

Just one more sleep.... Here's a couple goodie boxes I did for our neighbors. The stamps are from JustRite Stamps and colored with copics and jazzed with stickles.

The boxes were Stampin' Up gable boxes from a long time ago. I had bought some baking scrapbook paper and altered the white box. I did used Tim Holtz Distress Inks on all the edges of the box.

Inside the boxes are Whipped Shortbread, Oatcakes, Ginger Sparkles and a Christmas Card with the tea light I showed a few days ago. The containers beside the boxes are filled with poppycock. I actually made my regular poppycock recipe and then in another recipe I read to bake it for awhile. So I tried that and it turned out great. Might make some more, although I tend to be the one eating it.

Last night we drove to http://www.santas-wonderland.com/

This was so cool. There was one light show we saw that was great and we videoed but it seems to be too long to upload. Maybe later today I'll upload some still photos we took while there.

Have a safe & happy Christmas Eve....remember Santa likes the good cookies...Peak Freens if you have them...apparently Santa won't be getting them at our house cause Kristen forgot to bring them....can't seem to locate them in Texas. :)

Yvonne

Believe

Hi There,

Posts are getting shorter. Another tag using Just-Rite Stamps. This is from Vintage Christmas.

The beard is a little darker grey than usual as my C1 copic is out of ink and I'm waiting for my refill so I used C3 & C5. R27 & R28 used for his suit. Diamond stickles on the hat. Yellow stickles on the stars.

Kristen arrived last night. Yippee. Her & DH are in the garage wrapping gifts. DD wrapped all her's but DH waited for DD to arrive cause he knows how much she likes to wrap. Such a selfless act...he gave up wrapping so she could. he he

I better be careful or my name is going to go on the naughty list....

That's all for now....

signed "Suzie"

(thought it might be a good idea to change my name...naughty list you know!

Pink & Green Tag

Morning All!

Shortest day of the year today!

Still using the JustRite Ornament Christmas stamps. Just wanting to show you how easy these are once you start playing with them.

Copics used
R05 - Salmon Red
RV10 - Pale Pink
RV34 - Dark Pink
YG03 - Yellow Green
Y28 - Lionel Gold
Stickles
Pink

I just popped over to Deborah's blog. She has some new Spellbinders and Heartfelt Creations in.I was looking at some of those Heartfelt Creations. I liked the winter scenes.

Things to do ... Places to go...

specifically the airport around 5:30.

See you tomorrow with another tag!

Yvonne

May all the Blessings of the Season...

Morning,

This is another stamp from the Christmas Ornaments (Just-Rite Stamps) set I used yesterday. This particular stamp intimidated me cause when you first look at it you're not sure where you are going to color. I picked a light background so I could color the whole image first and then go back in with darker colors and fill in the areas I wanted to add a different color to. Worked pretty good.

Copic Markers used:
Y02 - Canary Yellow
Y28 - Lionel Gold
R05 - Salmon Red
R27 - Cadmium Red
YG03 - Yellow Green

Stickles
Diamond (one of my favorites)

I must say doing these tags were quicker than doing the tags with the Cricut and all the glitter. Less messy too!

One more sleep till my DD arrives. Yippee!

Must go and pick up some baking supplies.

Yvonne

Tags, & Tags, & Tags

Good Morning,

Posting on a Sunday which is unusual for me but I've been neglecting of my blog readers so between now and Christmas I'm going to post a new Christmas tag every day.

This tag is made using Christmas Ornaments from Just-Rite Stamps. It's a set of four ornaments with four interchangeable borders. I have become quite a fan of this brand of stamps. They are economical and are also great for coloring with my copics. Deborah over at Fargo Cat Shops carrys both Just-Rite stamps and copic markers.

Copic colors used:
Y38 - Honey
Y17 - Golden Yellow
Y 28 - Lionet Gold - used on the metal part on top
R46 - Strong Red
YG67 - Moss

Stickles used:
Eucalyptus - on green areas
Xmas Red
Yellow

I think I've finally got the hang of using the stickles without it looking like a kindergarten student applied it. For me...the trick is to keep the nozzle in contact with the paper while squeezing out the glitter glue.

Do you have any other helpful hints...if you do please share them in the comment section.

I tried to get a good close up so you could see the glitter.

Tonight I'm going downtown to listen to some Christmas carollers. Trying to get into the Christmas feel.

Happy Sunday!

Yvonne

Tea Light Card

Good Afternoon,

Just a quick post as I'm sure you're busy and I've got lots on the go.

Yesterday I finished all my homemade projects. Stay tuned after Christmas to see them. I just made a batch of poppycock and it turned out pretty good.

Today's card holds a tea light. Two pieces of paper cut at 5 x 12. Scored at 3", 6", & 9". I used a rectangular Nestability to cut the openings and then stamped and gold embossed the doves on cardstock weight vellum.

The tea light lit.

Have a good week-end. Plans are to do a little more baking here.

How about you....how's your Christmas preparations going?

Yvonne

And The Winner Is......

Good Morning,

Hope your week-end went well. I was busy in the craft room for part of it. Still working on things I can't share until Christmas.Maybe this year I should start in January making things.

Onto business....we do have a winner. Thank you to everybody who left comments and also to all of you that read/follow/stalk my blog.

Here's the draw jar. I copied and pasted each comment and then cut them out.

I dug deep and the winner is ......

Congratulations to Sue. Please contact me within 48 hours to claim your prize. You can e-mail me directly at ybalmer@hotmail.com with your mailing address.

This is my last Tim Holtz project that I have to share. It's a very cute Christmas Tag!

So I'm off to the gym this morning, then I have to drop off Kevin's car for body shop repairs (parking lot hit & run), then back home to do some crafting/housework. Need to do a little housework because my brother will be down sometime this week. Still waiting for details but I'm excited!

Enjoy your day, listen to some Christmas carols and enjoy a cuppa something!

Yvonne

Wish List-Week 6 - Blog Candy Wrap-up!

Good Morning,

This is the last week for ideas for your wish list as well as a last chance at the growing blog candy. Be sure to read to the end as there is a twist today!

Today I thought I would share one of my larger toys I like to play with. It's the Bind-It-All machine by Zutter.

The Bind-It-All is great for making books, journals, calendars and a number of other crafty projects. It's lightweight but can punch chipboard, acrylic, light weight metal and can punch as long as 12". It comes complete with DVD and written picture instruction booklet. It is very easy to use.

The o-wires come in a variety of sizes and colors to match your projects. As well you can purchase protective pages if you wanted to bind your own scrapbook.

Here is a great article featuring the Zutter Bind-It-All and it also compares it to other similar machines.

If you think you might be interested in one of these you can contact Deborah over at Fargo Cat Shops or call 902-923-2835 for a price and delivery availability.

Also if you're still looking for other great gift ideas be sure to check out Marilyn's blog. She's been showcasing some  Tim Holtz products and there's some great Christmas tags.

Here is a project I made last night with the Bind-It-All. A cute little recipe book just waiting for your favorite recipes.

My chipboard was extra heavy...my guillotine cutter had trouble cutting it but the Zutter had no problems punching the holes for the wires. Once I had the chipboard covered I sanded it and then distressed it with Tim Holtz Distress Ink - Victoria Velvet. The letters are cut from the Cricut using Base Camp.

The inside pages were stamped and I left the backside of the page empty for notes or extended instructions.

Seeing how we are on a food/recipe kick my blog candy for today is a stamp set that fits the celebratory season.  As a added bonus I will also add my recipe book to the blog candy.

Here is all the blog candy you are playing for. Today when you leave your comment I want you to tell me what your favorite crafty item is. If you've been playing along you should have your name entered six times if you left comments each Wednesday for the past six weeks. There's still time to go back and comment. The Blog Candy will remain open until Friday midnight and then I will draw one name from all the entries. Be sure to check the blog to see if your name was drawn and claim your prize!

Thank you for all your comments and Good Luck!

Yvonne

Birthday Wishes

Good Morning,

Just want to start off by wishing my baby girl a big "Happy Birthday". 26 today. Where does the time go?

This is the last card in my Tim Holtz series. Guess that means I better make some cards this week-end!

Pretty straight forward card.The deer was heat embossed with red powder. The grunge flower was die cut and covered with red pattern paper. Lots of distressing on the edges but that about covers it.

Still working on some handmade gifts. Went back to the store three times yesterday for supplies. Seems my brain calculator wasn't working well. Must be this dang cough that has me not thinking straight. They're doing some burning of brush close to our home and it is definitely affecting my cough.

What are your plans for the week-end? Mine are to get all packages and Christmas cards that need to be mailed ready for the post office Monday. The post office won't like me very much...all my cards are in clear envelopes and bulky so it means each card has to be weighed.

Yvonne

Wish List - Week #5 Blog Candy

Good Morning...

Week #5 of my Wish List posts. "Glitter" is what it is all about. I always love using glitter on my projects. It adds that extra "WOW" factor to a project. Yesterday I created a number of gift tags using glitter. I did wait until DH was out of town so he wouldn't have to go to work with glitter on him. lol

Deborah has "Martha Stewart" glitter over at Fargo Cat Shops. I know she has some Xmas gift packs. There are 24 "fine" glitters in the pack for $25.00.  She also has some individual colors prices at $5.00 each.

How do you get the glitter to stick to your project? It sticks perfectly to me without any adhesive but for a paper project there are a couple different ways to do it.

1) Martha Stewart glue -
    2 oz size has the narrow tip - this is $3.00
    4 oz size is the larger one - this is $4.00

2) If you have a Xyron or sticker maker this also works well for glitter.

This multi pack is a great deal and glitter goes a very long way. Just remember what doesn't stick to the project just re-cycle it back into the container.

If you're looking for some really great project ideas for using glitter click here. I just took a quick peek at it...gotta go back and have a second look. There are lots of templates you can print too!

Looking for other ideas for yourself or someone else check out Marilyn's and Deborah's blogs.

These are some tags I made yesterday using my cricut. Cartridge used - Joys Of The Season -cut at 3 1/2"
There's a feature on this cartridge to make tags and it cuts the icon out and then I used the shadow feature to cut the colored backs.
On most of the tags I added glitter to the image that was cut out and then glued it back into the tag. The holly tag I used stickles and the snowflake and angel I added glue directly to the tag and and then added my glitter.

Time to wrap this post up. Adding to the Blog Candy today will be some bling. It will be a pack of self adhesive pearls - 50 count.

For your chance to win all six weeks of blog candy be sure to leave me a comment. To maximize your chances of winning you still have time to leave a comment on each Wednesday post for the last four weeks.

Good Luck

Yvonne

Circle The Date

Good Morning,

Well I think I am on the mend...thank goodness. I started feeling a little better on Sunday and actually made it to the gym Monday. Still got the cough but at least I have some energy now.

So on that note I'll share today's card. Yes, this was another card I did at the Christmas Card Workshop. I quite liked this one. The base is kraft colored paper. The snowman stamped in white craft ink. I liked the little calendar that was a punch out. The embellishment at the top was a die cut out of grungeboard. To give it texture it was run through a cuttlebug embossing folder, then heat embossed and sanded. I love the way it highlights different colors.

On a side note last Thursday I celebrated my second American Thanksgiving. Time is flying by! We won't discuss the turkey...but there is Christmas to redeem myself that I do know how to cook!

Black Friday shopping...I didn't go down early, early in the morning but did venture out to see what it was like. Busy but not crazy. Better deals were found by shopping on-line and all the sites seemed to be offering free shipping so this year I've done most of my shopping from my computer. I quite liked it!

I will be back tomorrow with another item for your wish list and something new to add to the blog candy.  In the meantime be sure to check out Deborah's, and Marilyn's blog to see what they have on their wish lists.

Yvonne

Wednesday Wishes

Good Morning

Sorry to have been missing for the last few days but I managed to catch a flu bug or it caught me. I've got a nasty chest cold that has zapped all my energy.

Here we are to another Wednesday. Are you still adding items to your wish list...if you are you might want to think about this one. I haven't personally tried this product but after watching the video I will be on the look out for it.

 

Stick & Stay Video

This will prolong the life of your cricut mats however that is NOT the ONLY use for it.

 This handy spray can be used on all kinds of surfaces from rubber to paper and even fabrics. This repositionable adhesive is the answer to all of your problems, from matting and layering and especially when mounting your unmounted stamps. Simply spray the back side of the rubber and place on your mounting block. It says you can re-position your stamps up to 30 times. If you're into quilting you can use this product to hold your quilt pieces in place.

Deborah over at Fargo Cat Shops has this product on order and it will sell for $8.00 each.

Also adding another item to the Blog Candy. This time it is a Spellbinders Shapeabilities Pendants - Eyelets.

Drawing to take place December 10th. Just leave a comment at the end of todays post. For more chances to win be sure to leave a comment on each previous Wednesday post. As a recap we have stamps, ink, paper and now Shapeabilities in the give-a-way!

Still looking for more great gift ideas. Be sure to stop by Deborah's and Marilyn's blogs.

Must go to the grocery store and finish picking up supplies for dinner tomorrow. We will be celebrating the American Thanksgiving.

Yvonne

Flower Soft Trees

Morning,

Thought  I would share one more card this week. Another vintage card using Tim Holtz products.

I'll just highlight the main features. Stamped the set of trees three times. Once freshly inked up and then on either side second generation stamping. With a sponge dauber and Wild Honey Distress Ink I created a moon image. Also sponged the outer edge of the circle but I can't tell you what colors I used caused I just kept going until I got it to something I liked.

Green flower soft over top of the trees in the foreground. Some stickles randomly placed to look like snow falling.

The flourish was punched out of  Tim Holtz Grunge paper and heat embossed. The Grunge Paper is nice to work with as it is lighter weight than is regular Grunge Board.

Be sure to check out Marilyn's blog over at Crafts and Beyond  for some great inspiration for using Tim Holtz products as well.

I'll see you Monday!

Yvonne

Believe

Good Morning

For starters this morning I was one of three people who was featured on Stampsmith blog. So that was pretty exciting. Thank you for picking my card. You can see all the other entries by popping on over to their blog and perhaps entering the next challenge yourself.

What else is new here. Been faithfully going to the gym. Working away on Christmas projects. That's it!

For all you Cricut users out there...I have a tip this morning. If your image isn't cutting completely out or leaves a bit of a rough edge program the cricut to cut the image twice. You'll be amazed at the difference it makes especially on the intricate cuts. It's also important to keep your mat clean so when the blade is cutting the image it doesn't hit a piece of paper underneath and cause the paper to tear.

This card is one of the projects we did at the "Vintage Christmas " card class I took. They used all Tim Holtz products.

I like the cards and they keep growing on me! They are not ones that are in my comfort zones. I'm not a "shabby chic" crafter. Actually I probably worry that somebody that I send it too would look at it and say," She didn't put the layers on straight." This card will have to go to a crafty friend who can appreciate this art.!

Couple things about the card.

The green background - the paper was cut larger than the base.
                                   - sanded all four sides and then glues the green paper to the red on an angle. Cut off
                                      pieces that hung over the side and re-sanded those areas.

Santa - stamped in black ink and then a script stamp stamped over top.
          - used ink and a sponge to color in Santa. Distressed the edges

Tress - Those trees in the corner have Flower Soft on them.

25 - The numbers were a die cut and used Tim Holtz dauber to color them in. First time I had used that    
        product and it was pretty neat. Depending on how much you used it created an interesting pattern.

Add some black twine, stamp your believe and staple it with Tim Holtzes little stapler.

Santas face has a bit of sparkle. Used stickles and rubbed it over the beard with my finger. Give that a try instead of just squeezing it on and leaving it.

DH will be home tomorrow so I guess I should get groceries tomorrow. I'm been planning on going to the store all week but it hasn't seemed real important as there is still soup in the house. lol

Another craft sale here this week-end. Going for a browse. This one is in the local community so it won't be as crazy busy as the one I went to last week-end. 

Enjoy your week-end.

Yvonne

To Smooch Or Not!

Hi There,

Back for week number three on products that you might like to add to your Christmas Wish List.

 What is Smooch Spritz? They are water-based acrylic paints, rich with mica particles for shimmer and shine, in a glass spray bottle. They are suitable for any porous surface (ie, wood, paper, chipboard) and clean up with water.


I have the red, emerald green, blue, log cabin, gold and vanilla. Well I had vanilla...I used it all.  They really are fun and add just a little razzle dazzle to your projects. The vanilla gave an overall shimmer to projects. They work great for altering the color of items such as prima flowers or other embellishments. It can also be used to make background papers.

A word of caution - when spraying it protect your area. Use that craft mat last week that I talked about or buy yourself a pair of shoes and then use the empty box to hold your project and catch the overspray. I know...I like to be frugal!
You can check out some of my older posts for samples of the Smooch Spritz

HoHoHo

Smooch Along The Way

Here's a video tutorial from Splitcoaststampers for creating backgrounds. It's pretty cool.

Some of the new colors Deborah has in are:

Gold Glow

Silver Foil

Emerald Sprinkle

Vanilla Shimmer

Frosted Grape

Sunkissed

The price for the month of November on these are $4.50 each.

You can visit Deborah at her blog Fargo Cat Designs.

Please leave a comment for your chance to win the blog candy to be given away December 10th. I've added a new item - Martha Stewart pigment inks to join the stamp set and paper already shown.

If you need some further gift ideas be sure to check out Marilyn's post this week.

Be sure to stop by tomorrow and I'll have a Vintage Christmas card to share.

From Our House To Yours

Hello There...

Great start to another new week. Did ballet class this morning at the gym. Not as easy as you might think! My thighs and hips may rebel tomorrow...not sure yet...actually I think they are rebelling now. Must keep moving! lol

Today's card I used the same stamp as on Saturday's card. Supplies are all pretty much the same but on the inside I used a Just -Rite stamp. Those stamps are pretty versatile. You do have to purchase special blocks for them but the rubber sets are quite inexpensive so it's very worthwhile and you can mix and match images.
Fargo Cat Shops carries this product.

The decorative edge was done using Tim Holtz "Ornate" die. The die has two images on it and the previous post featured the other cut if you missed it.

I cut the one edge of my cardstock and the pattern paper I just cut a strip and used both pieces so they would match perfectly. The pattern paper is glued directly to the cardstock on the inside of the card.

Nestabilities used to cut the circular shapes and I used the blending tool to soften the edges of the white cardstock.

I'm busy working on some Christmas gifts so I won't be sharing those for awhile. Don't want to spoil the surprise factor for Christmas morning.

Not to worry I do still have some other projects to share with you this week. I took a Tim Holtz Vintage Card class so I have some of those projects lined up for this week.

Yvonne

Nutcracker Craft Fair & Easel Card With Ornate Die

Good Morning...please forgive me being missing a couple of days. I'm not sure what happened Thursday but the plan was to post on Friday and then....I went to the Nutcracker Craft Fair.

I'll try and keep this brief but I am really a little country girl at times. lol I can't get used to going to an event and it being so large and so, so many people. This was a major Christmas Craft Fair in Houston. Mainly retailers out promoting their wares instead of locals selling handmade crafts. I won't go into details of the vendors but we were there for over six hours and just finished walking through the whole place. I want you to know we did not sit down once. (I had gone with my neighbor) By the time we drug our feet back to the car my hips were really sore. The good news is my back felt fine. I'm still sore as I write this. lol

Today's share is an easel card. They are very easy to make and also fold up nicely for mailing. You can get the directions at Splitcoaststampers.

The stamp was an old Hero Arts - Christmas Birdhouse Village.
Image colored in with Copic Markers
Distress Ink - Tim Holtz Pumice - I used that craft mat and sponges that I talked about Wednesday and it worked great. I sponged the edges of all the green cardstock, red hearts and around the stamped image itself.

Do you notice that fancy cut-out shape on the bottom part of the card. That is one of the image on Tim Holtz's Sizzix on the Edge die  - "ornate"
It actually has two different edges on the one die and I will show you another card next week using the other edge.

Lastly I used a metal frame for the sentiment.

Here's a couple of things I've put into my blog candy give-a-way. I will add something else each week until the 10th of December. Check my blog each Wednesday for your  chance to win.

Once again thank you to all the new followers or subscribers to my blog this week. If you like what you see on my blog please pass my link onto others that might have like interests.

Have a great rest of the week-end.

Yvonne