The Scrap bin

4 leaf clover MADNESS!

2010-12-07T13:41:00.000-05:00

So, this is what we did last weekend, and one of the reasons I NEVER blog!

My adorable child collected over 100 four leafed clovers, and we then made some into pendants. Here are some of the "Jumbo" pendants...

Here are some of the "Regular" ones...

Here's a close up of a few - as you can see, some of them are, well, more nicely preserved than others!

She did REALLY well too! She was an adorable salesperson. To be honest, she quickly tired of answering the same questions over and over again, and she looked for new and more interesting ways to interact with customers (like, talking to them from beneath the table, showing them her 'hideout' there, asking THEM prying questions...) She got to go home early. Both days. But my seven-year old clover magnate is well on her way to a big career in business. Hopefully I won't always have to be her manufacturing labour, but we'll take it all one step at a time. She's already making plans for what she'll do differently next year.

Sigh.

Oh, and by the way, I had a booth too. ;o)

2010-10-30T11:11:00.000-04:00

So, I got a new computer for my birthday, and frankly, I haven't 'moved in' yet. I use it all the time, but I haven't installed my photo editing software (or, pretty much ANY software...) and that's my latest excuse to have not been posting. I'm signed up for a couple of Christmas craft shows and I'm furiously crafting to get ready for those. I should have some things to post for ya' in the coming weeks.

Anyhoo, right now I have a couple of cute things for you. The first is this Handmade Holiday promotion that Stampin' Up! is running right now. There are a few bundles that they've priced at 20% off for your holiday crafting convenience! Click the picture below to find out more.

And next, I wanted to share a really cute project that SU! posted in the October newsletters. Really simple, really quick to make lots of - I think I might even CASE this one for the craft shows... Wouldn't it feel great to receive one of these? Wouldn't it be fun to give them?

click here to go to the store for supplies

Ok, so this is me, promising to start posting some of my OWN work soon... maybe even later today! ;o) Cheers!

Why is my sister not a Stampin' Up! demo?

2010-10-27T12:53:00.000-04:00

Look at these ADORABLE flowers she made for her son's wedding this summer. She used a few Stampin' Up! punches, some designer paper, some Only Orange cardstock and sticker letters - SO cute!!!

Check out these flowers she made with the petal card punch and the XL flower punch, some circles/squares, Cute by the Inch stamp set and Trendy Trees. Creative, n'est pas?

She's gonna kill me for putting this picture up! But just look at the crafty determination and efficient technique here!

Those onsies I promised a WHILE back!

2010-08-24T22:35:00.000-04:00

I'm not sure there's much to say by way of instruction - the pictures tell the story pretty well actually! It's so much fun to do these - I really must do more!

Here's everything I used

Got lots of onesies on sale!

Fox & Friends Monkey - using Staz On ink

Warm Words (ret)

Ta Da! Hot iron to set.

Next, an ADORABLE squirrel on Iron On Ink Jet Printable fabric (from craft store)

...and a tree...

Coloured in with ink pads...

...or Stampin' Write markers.

Cut 'em out and iron 'em on!


So sorry, now retired. BUT, make your own with felt and a BIG SHOT!

First stamp. Then pin.

then sew...

...like so.

Twenty minutes well spent!


Not blurry in real life!

Cute little owl on the butt - tee hee hee!

So, what can YOU hold still long enough to stamp on????

forgot to add these...

2010-08-19T17:29:00.001-04:00

Oh, and here are a couple of random notebooks that I made using the Brights Designer Paper Stack, the Owl punch and some self-adhesive die cuts from the Play Date series.

And there's a close up of my cross-eyed owls. If only I could find my googly eyes...

Owl things

2010-08-19T12:16:00.000-04:00

Hi there!

So, here's that project I was so excited about the other day. I just love this new owl punch - isn't he adorable?

I used the LAST of those tins I got on clearance from Stampin' Up! over a year ago. They're really cute - isn't it hard to use things that have potential, even when you got them to use??? Anyway...

I keep a 'shopping book' at all times. In it are my lists - groceries, kids stuff, house stuff... I also like to keep my coupons and other reminders in the same place - this tin is just perfect for that!

Here it is, open, with the pad removed. I put magnet strips on the back of the pad so it can be

removed but still stay in the tin. It's made using the Hostess level 1 gift paper stack.

And here it is with a matching notebook! I love this - just grab any old dollar-for-four-notebook, stick some Designer Series Paper and 'bellies on it and it's FABulous! :o)

We covered small mechanical pencils with matching DSP and attached them to the pad holder with the new In Colour twill tape. I used an item from the upcoming Mini Catalogue - a dry adhesive that comes in SHEETS for use with the Big Shot. Wait till you see this stuff - it's like Sticky Strip in 12x12 sheets!! LOVE it.

Fun stuff! I love club nights!!

A little pink & brown....

2010-06-09T16:26:00.000-04:00

Here is a picture of a wooden block menu card holder - why I didn't put a menu card in the picture, I don't know...

Next, cupcake picks...

And here are a few more! (I thought I had made 100, but I forgot they're double-sided - so that's only 50!)

And here's the thing I need an opinion on...

One brad? three? bow? no bow? tags? hearts?
Assorted?

What do you think?

By the way, sorry the colours are so hideous looking. We haven't had any sun for a few days and it's just not the same with a flash.

TWO nephews get married in the same summer - why am I not stamping?

2010-06-01T15:18:00.000-04:00

:oD

So, I saw this card the other day that immediately made me think of my Nephew and Niece-in-law-to-be since they chose fuchsia and orange for their wedding colours... I would just LOVE to make more. They are REALLY SUPER QUICK to make, and very reasonably priced.

This is CASE'd almost exactly from THIS BLOG (Inking Out of the Box - Natasha is an awesome stamper!) so I can't take any credit whatsoever for the design. But it's such a fun card to work with.

Here I've made two different sized versions. The one on the left is a standard card A4 - 4 1/4" by 5 1/2" and fits in a standard envelope. The bottom part of the inside of the card would fit a photo trimmed down to 3 1/4" by 5 1/2." This leaves an area inside the card for text, measuring 5 1/2" by 4."

The one on the right is square, and measures just about 5 1/2" by 5 1/2" It fits a photo measuring 4 x 5 1/4". A text area of 7" by 3 3/4" is under the yellow piece.

I'll send you an email with more details, sistah! Let me know what you think of these.

More Bella Bleu

2010-05-22T15:37:00.004-04:00

First, here's the card I made to go with the Washer pendant. It uses the Three Little Words set. It's a nice design to use with Messages for Mom too.

Now, on the the 'ensemble' of hostess gifts, Mother's Day gifts and Admin Professionals day presents I made recently.

I find myself in possession of an inordinate amount of Bella Bleu Designer paper which, although lovely, isn't going to suit my summer projects... That being said, I appreciate the fact that it's made without any retiring colours, so it will continue to be a useful bunch of paper even into the next Catty season.

neway, here are a few things I made in April and May featuring this DP, Hodgepodge hardware, Build-a-brads, a few basic jewelry findings and plenty of Crystal Effects adhesive/lacquer.

These can be either pendants or a bookmarks...

This one was fun - I made it using Build A Brads, Night of Navy ink, Bella Toille Stamp, CE and some old brass jewelry findings I had. Pretty snazzy eh?

Whadda ya' think?

Tutorial: how to make a Washer Pendant

2010-05-22T10:02:00.002-04:00

This was one of our projects at my April Stamp Clubs, and it was sooooo easy. But there were so many people away in April, I have to post the instructions.

Here are all the things you'll need: Metal washers, circle punches (3/4" and 1 1/4"), Crystal Effects, Designer Series Paper, Sanding blocks and something to hang the washer - I'm using swivel fasteners on some hemp twine.

Try taffeta ribbon - it looks beautiful too!

Start by punching a hole in your Designer Paper with your smallest punch. Then punch a circle around it - to make a doughnut shaped piece.

Now, adhere your circles to both sides of the washer, using Crystal Effects adhesive.

After it has dried, about 5 minutes, sand the edges around the outside and on the inside of the circle using the Sanding Blocks. Use an outward motion on the edges and a circular motion on the inside.

Now, put on a layer of Crystal Effects. Make sure it's nice and even, not too thin, and goes RIGHT to the edges. It shouldn't be too thick or too thin. Look at it from the side now and then to be sure you're covering it completely. This will take at least an hour to dry - best to leave it overnight if you can. Then, do the other side.

Finally, put the stringing of your choice and closure (if desired) on - and of course, make a lovely matching box and card!

Whoops, got to go get a picture of the card!!

Non-stamping post

2010-05-17T13:49:00.001-04:00

Here's one of the things that has kept me too busy to blog lately. Before and after shots of me at the Mississauga 10k race! (aren't those cool sleeves? I got 'em for ten BUCKS at the Robena booth at the expo!!! They just slip on like a bolero over the yellow shirt. And I got the matching headband too! Who knew running was so much about the fashion ;o)

I hit my all-time best time of 1 hour and 2 minutes - an improvement of over 7 minutes for me! I loved it - I'm totally addicted to racing!!!

Colour Renovation at Stampin' Up!

2010-04-13T10:55:00.000-04:00

I am pretty excited! SU! has announced some changes to the colour collections. Several (30!) colours are RETIRING - wow! Several past In-Colours are returning to become part of the core line - like Pink Pirouette, Wild Wasabi and Baja Breeze - I could not BE any more excited.

I shall attempt to attach the file links here - I'm trying to share them in google docs, so I hope I'm doing this right...

New Colours and Retiring colours

I hope you are excited (and not sad!) about the new colour lineup. I think the collection is fresh, current and more manageable now. Plus, I get to buy more Pink Pirouette - the best pink of all time!!! Yay!

Super birthday - just a little taste!

2010-04-12T20:54:00.003-04:00

Here's the Super Raif birthday cake - yes I decorated it myself. No, it only looks like my four-year-old helped! :oP
Here's a cape - I wanted to buy them, but I ended up making them. 20 of them!!!!
Here are some more!
Here is some decorating going on...Here's a really fuzzy :o( picture of a decorated Super Hero in action!I tell ya' I never would have thunk that 18 kids and at least as many parents could enjoy a party together with so little fuss, conflict or chaos. It was fun, relaxed and a joy to be a part of.

Wait, I need a cake picture...

Some more stamped candles

2010-04-12T20:48:00.003-04:00

Boy have I got a lot of catching up to do!!!
Here are some candles I did for a February wedding. I hope you can see - I brushed them with Dazzling Diamonds glitter and stuck on a few clear rhinestones before doing a final heat set with waxed paper. This is just one of the boxes of them... it took me awhile!

Look what I did today!

2010-01-13T16:12:00.003-05:00

ready????

I will post about how I did it later, but I wanted to share this ASAP! I've had SUCH a fun afternoon!!!

Stamping on Candles

2010-01-06T11:01:00.008-05:00

Well hello all - it's been awhile!

I promised I would post the instructions for stamping on candles and I'm FINALLY getting to it. So maybe you can't do this for Christmas this year, but Mother's Day is coming up ;p

So, first a couple of examples. Here is a set I made using Dasher. A really simple gift, but the ones I gave this year were very well-received. I like them a lot!! This is a single, unscented pillar candle from Wmart, a tumbled marble tile from Hdepot, a cello bag from Mike's and a coordinating card. Simple, easy to make and under $5.

Here's one I made using the Medallion Background stamp.

The tile catches drips from the candle, and gives it a sturdy, stable place to sit. It's just nice to have something that matches, you know? When you're done burning the candle you can always use the tile as a coaster, a trivet or even put it out into the garden. I love having interesting things in my garden paths!

To make the tile, simply get yourself a plain, tumbled marble tile from your local hardware store. They come in boxes of 10 for $4-5.
Wipe it down with a damp cloth and dry it.
Then stamp on it using the StazOn colour of your choice. I used Timber Brown for Dasher and Black for the Medallion.
Last, add four felt circles as feet (not shown) - you can get them in any hardware store.

that's it...

You're done!

Materials

To make the candle you will need:
1) A candle - light colours work best, white is quite striking. A harder candle will melt most smoothly. Some scented candles are a little soft. You'll see pits and bubbles near the surface and they feel oily, buttery. They won't keep AS smooth a surface as the harder ones do.

I used non-scented ones at my workshops in case anyone was bothered by perfumes. Beware about scented candles - they are often double or triple wrapped at the store, and you don't realize HOW scented they are till you get them home. My advice is to stick to MILDly scented candles.

Our local Loblaws Superstore has a nice selection of lightly-scented pillar candles. Ikea is good too - lots of choices. Wmart and Zellers have lots of unscented ones to choose from. The ones from the $ store and Mike's were mostly too dark, too scented, too small or too soft for my taste. Theoretically, you can stamp on any candle. We even did tapers at one workshop!

Candles range in price from $not much to $silly. You'll have to shop around.

ok, on to the rest of the materials. You'll also need:
2) A stamp or stamp set. Anything you like!
3) Ink - Classic Ink works best.
4) Plain white tissue paper. If it looks like construction paper (you can see the bits of wood, it's really porous and it's not really, really white) it will work - but not as well as the fine, white, a little shiny kind you'll get at a Hallmark or Mike's. That stuff they wrap glassware in at department stores - perfect!
5) Heat Tool. Hair dryer - not hot enough! You should use a crafter's heat tool!
6) Waxed paper. Plain, old, ordinary waxed paper.

Instructions for Stamping on Candles

Stamp your image onto the tissue paper. Shiny side up, if you can figure out which is which! (not really important!!)

Stamps and ink - you can see the image I've already stamped and trimmed - above.
This is what it looks like before you trim it.

Trim your image - not TOO close, just so it's tidy.
Grab some waxed paper...
...position your image onto your candle...
...and wrap it with the waxed paper - shiny side down (against the candle). Make sure everything is smooth, and tight against the candle.
And heat it with your heat tool. Keep the tool moving so you don't melt one spot too quickly. You're looking for the image to just float down into the candle a little. The wax from the paper will melt and be left on the image. The image will appear uniformly darker and the waxed paper will seem a little shinier. Beads of melted wax may also be visible.

Slowly peel the waxed paper off the image. If necessary, you can re-heat the image a little - if you see a paper edge or a non-waxy part on the image.
Buff the image lightly with the waxed paper, especially around the edges, to burnish it and minimize the difference in sheen between the image and the rest of the candle.
Add your own touch - if desired! ;o)....and GIVE!

Look at this cool set made by a stamper at one of my workshops! For a dog lover, n'est pas?

Notice the way she personalized it - by writing her name using a Stampin' Write marker.

LOVE IT!!
And here is a CAT people's gift set. LOVE the little foot prints around the top. And listen, this cat set was made by one of my favourite stampers who also happens to be a 10 year old boy. So if you don't think you can do this... think again!My DD decided that stamping simply wasn't fancy enough, so she drew pictures, wrote captions and pressed some rhinestones into hers!
FAQ: What happens to the tissue paper? As the candles burn, particularly pillar candles, it's the inside that melts. The outside melts way last. The tissue, if the wax does manage to get that melted, just slips down into the puddle of wax, but I've never seen it burn. The ink turns brown, but that's it.

That being said, as with ANY open flame, you must keep it in a fire-safe container, and never leave it unattended. Also, don't use aluminum foil or gold/silver paint. These can be extremely flammable.

If you have any questions, leave a comment or drop me a line. I'd be happy to clarify anything you need to know.

You can see more stamped candles here, here and here.

Cheers!

Blankets from 2006

2009-12-24T10:04:00.002-05:00

These are the blankets I made back in 2006. I used old wool sweaters that I washed hot and dried hot to 'felt' them. Then I cut squares, sewed them together and sewed them onto soft, fuzzy blankets. I rolled the edge of the blankets over to make the 'bindings.' On one I sewed shell buttons. On the other I stitched all the way around each square to give stability and structure. It was a fun project, and I got some sweaters by the pound (cause they had holes in them or were already wrongly washed) for not much money. I also rescued a few sweaters of my dh's and mine that I had ruined. Always nice to have a way to redeem oneself from laundry disasters!

Brown Christmas!

2009-12-18T09:37:00.009-05:00

Here I go with the Monochromatic thing again!!! I love brown - warm, versatile, friendly. To me, Brown lends itself to clean lines and simple design, which I prefer over very busy. Brown says 'chocolate' to me - and chocolate says Christmas!!

I thought I didn't like Soft Suede when it first came out - I'm a Chocolate Chip kinda' girl. But I do, I like it!! Because of an accidental over-order of Soft Suede ribbon, EVERYONE at my workshops this year made THIS card! Luckily, everyone seemed to like it. ;o)

Kraft is a fABulous brown too. It goes with everything and brings old worldiness (yeah, that's not a word!!) with it.

So, that's my brown phase for this Christmas. Round two of I love brown is scheduled for sometime near Valentine's day!

Non-Christmas

2009-12-17T02:09:00.006-05:00

Here's a thank you card I made. I love this little bunny. If he ever retires I think I'll cry.

And here's a birthday card. I absolutely LOVE how simple and sparkly this turned out. I'm sad you can't see the sparkles in the pictures, but believe me, it's very sweet.

Do you know what I love? Using retired stamps!!! It's so liberating. It feels so much like ME time and takes away the 'work' dimension completely. I love the retired stamps I've kept, and I feel that I'll never part with them. They're part of my 'Stampin' Family' and I could never give them away. I just treasure them! This is part of what I love about Rubbah! It seems like it could just last forever. Pulling out an oldie but goodie is so SATISFYING!

I challenge you to go find a lonely stamp and ink 'er up today!!!

Gift bags

2009-12-17T01:37:00.002-05:00

I've made dozens of gift bags this year, with all sorts of little treats in them. Watkins body care mini's, stamps, candy, facial treatments, Burt's Bees, even little tiny bottles of ice wine and liqueur. There are endless combinations, and I don't intend to show them all, but each one is personal and has been so fun to put together!

Check out the little stamped tea lights in these packages.

In addition to the chipboard clipboards and post-it pads, I added a couple of sweet little stamped candles. They are very fragrant and add a nice touch. They take about 30 seconds each to make - so easy! I just stamped on tissue paper, cut it out to a rough circle, punched a hole in the middle for the wick to go through and heated them up with a heat tool. No problemo.

What I've discovered about stamped tea lights is that the tissue does not burn when you burn the candle. However, if you let this version burn all the way down, the little plastic dish melts. Gaack! I wish I'd realized that before I put these all together. sigh.

Anyhoo, what fun I've been having!!

I have pictures to post to demo the stamping on candles and marble coasters, as well as the post-it pad holder. Tomorrow? Here's hoping!

More Medallion Madness

2009-12-17T01:34:00.000-05:00

Medallion Madness...

2009-12-17T01:14:00.002-05:00

I borrowed the Medallion background stamp from a friend this week - and I've been having FUN with it!!

2009-12-12T17:34:00.006-05:00

Here are some really simply cards I was working on using just Real Red and Whisper White.

I love this scalloped square die for the Big Shot. I'm just 'getting to know' it and I see so many possibilities! It's clear - so you can see what you're going to cut. I'll bet that's going to be a huge help with the new Designer Paper in the Sale-A-Bration goodies!

More red and white to come. The candle pictures will have to wait.

Oh, and I can't WAIT to show you some of the awesome things that 'my stampers' made at our Christmas gifts workshop last night. What a hoot!

2009-12-12T16:37:00.002-05:00

Enabler Alert!Yes, Virginia, there obviously IS a Santa Claus!
Who else would put a Big Shot on sale right before Christmas AND put a bunch of dies and supplies on sale too!! If any of you are hoping to drop a big hint to a Significant Other about this, be sure they know they should order by Dec. 15th to get it to you in time for Christmas.

Here's the rundown:

Big Shot Gift Pack	120151
Price: $369.85
Big Shot Gift Pack contains: • Sizzix Big Shot • Flower Burst Embosslits die • Billboard Sizzlits Decorative Strip die • Movers & Shapers Curly Label die • Fancy Favor Bigz XL die • Extended cutting pads • Extended premium crease pad • Decorative Strip cutting pads • Decorative Strip spacer platform

Green Christmas II

2009-12-10T18:33:00.005-05:00

Here are a couple of fun Candle projects I made this year. I've read every stamping on candles post in the bloggosphere - trying to pick up some tips. First, I must tell you that I'm in AWE of the tutorial skills of so many bloggers out there! Second I want to thank everyone who puts their great ideas and valuable experience out there. What a boon to the semi-new stamper! I'm working on my top ten favourite blogs to list for you soon, so you can sample some of the talent that inspires me!

I've got some pictures to share about how I made these - I'll get them up soon!