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Wow!  It’s the final week of the Triple Play blog hop already!   We’re finishing up this week with another fabulous Scoreboards Die by Eileen Hull, this time the Treat Topper.  I think this is my favorite Scoreboards so far, just because it is so amazingly useful.  I actually own this die, and have already made several different projects.  It cuts felt, foam, matboard, chipboard, cardstock, thin clay sheets…  possibilities are endless.

While the treat toppers are handy for gifts, class treats, and lots of other things, I decided to show another way to use the die.  Any guesses what the project is?

It’s a bookmark!

I cut the medium-size topper out of glitter cardstock by Best Creation.  It’s a really heavy paper, so it cuts and scores well.   Since the bookmark fits right on the corner of the page, I used 1/8″ double-sided tape to seal the top and right side closed.  I wanted to keep the embellishments flat so the book will close nicely, so I opted for ribbon and flat flower stickers, along with one of the hearts from the die set (which sticks out past the book).

I added some bright pink chalk to edge the sticker letters and the heart, and that’s it!  Quick, easy, and cute!   Cute enough that I now have to make one sans glitter and flowers for a 10 year old boy who helped photograph this one.

Thanks for stopping by and checking out Eileen’s die, and for hanging out with us these last weeks.   I’ll be continuing to add new content on a regular basis, so feel free to stop by any time!

Until next time…
C.

My project this week was one of those projects that morphs along the way into something that ends up very different than how it started looking in my head.  First one of the colors change, then another, add a little embossing, take away a little leafing…   Until the traditional red/green/gold vertical banner becomes a pink/aqua/lime horizontal banner with 4 extra pieces.   What can I say.  I’ve never really been a traditional kind of girl anyway.

After I changed my mind a hundred times, I decided on an embossed brushed metal look.  The pieces of the album arrived cut out of heavy white cardstock, so I embossed each piece with my Big Shot and the dotted embossing folder, then brushed them with a matte silver acrylic paint.

**Tick-tock-tick-tock-tick-tock–amuse myself by watching paint dry.**

Then, the rest of the project went together pretty quickly.  I added aqua cardstock behind the open end album pages, and layered the silver and fabric brackets (from Brenda’s Coulour Vie fabric line from Henry Glass &Co).  The thin center bracket frame was hand cut from one of the open album pages and colored using aqua chalk ink.

One of the best things I’ve learned from Brenda is to never be afraid to add bold color, so I chose a bright citron green paint to tie the mismatched chipboard letters together.   I used this paint drying time to ink and back the chipboard words I found while rummaging around for my letters, and add an extra hole in the brackets to match the one that came punched in the die-cuts.

An aqua ribbon laced through the brackets for hanging and an embossed paper tree finished the project.  I added the tree using a removable adhesive dot so I can take it off after the holidays and hang the banner in my craft cave.  With our family schedule, I could use a little peace year-round!

Thanks for stopping by!  Keep hopping using the graphic in the sidebar or check out the main list on the Sizzix blog, and don’t forget to hop with us next week as we finish up the hop with some great treat topper Scoreboards by Eileen Hull.

Until next time…wishing you

C.

Up today on the Triple Play blog hop is a great little pop-up gift card holder (Sizzix Die #656740) that gives any card an extra bit of fun.  The die is designed by Karen Burniston, who I’m convinced has some kind of crazy superhero melding of engineer and craft brains to be able to design the mechanics of these dies, yet still decorate them so beautifully.

This die is all about the inside of the card, so I’ll show what I did with that first.

The pieces for this pop-up were cut from white cardstock.  I used Clearsnap Chalk Ink in Moss Green and Chestnut to directly ink the cardstock to coordinate with my card.  Just for fun, I cut off the “you” portion of the phrase to use later.  Then I put it all together using Karen’s handy dandy assembly instructions.

To finish the card, I added dotted paper strips to cover the white tabs of the pop up, and a rectangle of striped paper, leaving a bit of space to write in at the bottom.   Karen also sent a spare “front” to use as spare parts.  I cut out the bracket frame from the spare piece, inked it in Chestnut, cut it apart, and put it back together in a smaller, vertical format.  After layering a small label and a jeweled flower, the “you” part of the die makes it’s reappearance.

And if you’re curious, here’s the coordinating card front:

As for the second part of today’s two-fer, here’s what I made from Eileen Hull’s Scoreboards Frame Die from last week’s hop:  My apologies to Eileen for my spacey moment last week!

To see how the frame project was created, click here: Sizzix Hanging Frame.

To keep hopping, click the graphic in the sidebar.  —–>

Thanks for stopping by!
Until next time…
C.

Unfortunately I made a giant Thanksgiving blunder, and after spending time making my project last week I forgot to take a photo of it before I left for the holiday.  So my project will be a little late this week.  I promise to have it up ASAP after I return.

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UPDATE:  Here’s the project:

There were so many possibilities with this frame I had a hard time choosing which pieces to use!

I began by using the frame back, and using Mod Podge to decoupage a great funky fabric on top, with an extra coat on top to seal.  I love the look of Clearsnap Chalk ink on white matboard, I think it gives a great soft finish.  I inked the small postage stamp frame orange, and half of the scalloped frame green.  I used Smooch to color the flowers and give them a shimmer.

After the pieces were dry, all that was left was the assembly.  Velvet ribbon forms the flower leaves and stems, with half-pearls as the centers.  The scalloped frame half is glued to the back side to form the hanger.

Thanks for stopping by, even though I was late!
C.

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Use the graphic over here —————————————> to keep hopping!

Until next time…
C.

Since my last 2 hop projects had a neutral base, I decided to go with color this week.  Lots of color.   To make this tussy-mussy-style gift holder, I started by painting the paper-mache cone a bright green (Americana  Citron Green, by DecoArt).    Brenda was nice enough to send along some die-cut samples of her new fabric line “Couleur Vie” and some of National Non-Woven’s bamboo felt in coordinating colors along with the pieces cut from cardstock.    I added a bracket shape cut from Brenda’s fabric and one of  her other dies (coming to the hop soon!), and layered two yellow felt flowers that I dotted with gold Stickles.

After painting one of my corrugated kraft letters (Deja Views, love these letters!) in the same green paint, I layered the monogram and additional felt and fabric Beauty Blooms using Helmar’s Liquid Scrap Dots to add dimension and keep the layers level.  A ribbon handle finishes the package, which is just the right size for a pair of earrings, candy treats, or other small gift.

Thanks for stopping by!

Keep hopping by using the buttons in the sidebar to the right, or by using the Sizzix blog hop master list.   We will be hopping next week on Thanksgiving Day, so be sure to check back after your turkey is gone to see what we create using the Frame Scoreboards die by Eileen Hull.

Until next time…
C.

You let them decorate it!

Welcome back to the Triple Play Blog Hop!     This week I allowed my kids to lead the way when it came to decorating the project.    They love to draw pictures and make cards for their family and friends, and were begging to be the next one to try twisting the cube.

I tend to be a little overprotective of my craft supplies, but I’ve been in a good mood this week.   The kids were allowed to shuffle through my patterned paper to decide what would go on top, and each one colored a picture on coordinating DCWV cardstock to celebrate their Grandma’s birthday later this month.

We eventually chose paper with coordinating embellishments from My Mind’s Eye, which we layered with Prima flowers and a Wordsworth sentiment from the deep dark recesses of my stash.  Once the kids’ pictures were attached, we were finished!

As much as I love to create detailed, time-intensive crafts, this cube project reminded me that not every project has to be my masterpiece.  Sometimes it’s better to let the masterpieces come from little hands and big hearts.

This project uses Karen Burniston’s Sizzix Bigz XL Die – Cube, Twist 3-D (Pop-Up) – #656739.    For a complete listing of the designers and their blog links, see the Sizzix Blog Hop master list, or to keep traveling along the hop use the links in the sidebar (top right).

Happy crafting, and happy almost-birthday Mom!

Until next time…
C.

Halloween is over, so Christmas is just ahead!  Ok, not really.  In fact, I have a personal rule about not decorating for Christmas until after Thanksgiving.

Except…when I saw this cute house die designed by my friend Eileen Hull, I knew I had to make it into a gingerbread house.  Oh well, rules are made to be broken, right?    Happy Thanksgivmas!

For this project, each of us started out with the following Sizzix products:

#65279;Sizzix Scoreboards Pro Die – House, 3D, by Eileen Hull
Sizzix 12×12 matboard, white
Sizzix Big Shot Pro die cutting machine

I started by assembling the house base using double sided tape and brads.  I like to assemble the Scoreboards dies before painting so I can get the edges covered without touch-ups.  I applied two  quick coats of a 1:1 mixture of DecoArt Texturizing medium and Americana acrylic paint in Light Cinnamon, leaving the tops of both roof pieces, the fence, windows, and door frame white.

To get a fun faux-snow/icing look to the roof pieces and window frames, I applied Marvy Puffy Velvet Fabric Markers and heat set the pieces when dry.  I made the peppermint candies for the roof with a quick swish of white paint on some wooden discs and some red glitter glue, with a coat of Diamond Glaze for a smooth finish.  The red glitter glue also added the perfect peppermint touch for the door frame.

Of course I can’t just leave well enough alone, I’m a detail girl.  I glued on some premade glittery candy cane and gumdrop buttons, and used one of the brad punch-outs for a doorknob.

The matboard fence made its way over to the side of the house, surrounding a lollipop tree made with white cardstock and Clearsnap’s Design Adhesives.  The fence also gets a holiday makeover with a Clearsnap Smooch garland and a tiny red ribbon bow.

I finished up with some pale yellow cardstock to give a warm glow inside the windowpanes, and an itty bitty foil and Smooch decorated tree peeking out to show some holiday spirit.   Did I mention that I love details?

To check out the next of 60 blog hop projects, use the navigation buttons at the top of the sidebar over there ————————>

or use the master list here:  Sizzix blog hop master list.

Thanks for hopping by!  Tune in next week to see Karin Burniston’s Pop-Up Cube!

Until next time…
C.

Unbelievable.  The face of my hometown was changed forever last night, as a local landmark building burned to the ground.  It was a 6-alarm blaze with more than 15 departments called.  I didn’t even know a 6-alarm fire existed.

The old Garver Bros. store had been standing there since 1866.   It’s a tiny town, and this was the largest building in it.  It was converted to an antique store/flea market long ago, and had a small collection of old town memorabilia on the second floor. When I was a kid, it was the best place to find plastic necklace charms and jelly bracelets.

A few months ago I went to the weekly Sunday flea market for the first time in years, in search of some “projects-to-be”.  I didn’t find what I was looking for, but did find some electric train cars, a collection of old postage stamps, and some great old sheet music to take home with me.  I spent a little time up in the museum area looking through the pieces and enjoying the history.  I hadn’t been up there before, and I’m now glad I took those extra few minutes.

Between this fire, and the demolition of the old school building where I spent all of my K-12 years, the landscape of my little town is sure going to look different when I next visit.  And while it isn’t where I’ve chosen to live now, I can appreciate how it shaped my perspective of the world.  Some of my greatest friends to this day were made during those years.

Sure, the downtown area can be rebuilt.  The school already has been remodeled and updated for the needs of the kids who are there now.  The new building is creating great memories for those kids.  The block will evolve and hopefully bring in new business and opportunity.  But for those of us who started out as or still are “small-towners” it’s a big hit to the gut.  Maybe it’s the idea that “home” has always been constant and unchanging.

I’m  sad at hearing the news.   I’m guessing there will be a bit of shock when I finally see the empty spaces.  And I’m angry at the thought of some nimrod (the nicest word I can think of ) burning it down on purpose.   I hope the community can join together to create something positive from this.

So many thoughts swirling today…

C.

I just finished leafing through the latest issue and it is fantastic!  From the adorable owl on the cover above, to Melony Bradley’s awesome autumn tea towel tutorial, to a sweet needle-felted snowman from Debra Quartermain, the magazine is packed with inspiration.

Find the directions for my Halloween Treat Bags made with felt and a Sizzix ScoreBoards die on page 9.

Until next time…
C.