Pop-Up Star Thank You Cards

I always try to send my thank you cards out before the New Year, but that means making them before Christmas (a busy time) or crafting very simple ones.  This year I purchased the Sizzix pop-up star die (the one that fits into the basic card die)  from Ben Franklin Crafts.  With these dies and some Martha Stewart and SN@P color vibe 12x12 cardstock papers., the bases for these cards were quickly made.  Using the Dandelion Designs panda stamp and the American Crafts Amy Tangerine word stamp, these cards were easily completed.  Final touches included a stamped thank you and the addition of epoxy hearts.

The inside of the card can be further enhanced by slipping a small photo behind the star cut out. Okay, I'm ready to write heartfelt thank you messages and pop these cards in the mail.  It feels great to wind up the year relatively stress-free thanks to the wonderful products I've found at Ben Franklin Crafts.  I wish all of you a beautiful and crafty 2013.  Hope I see you often in blogland!

A Christmas Card for Blogland

I had a vision of a soft and shimmery Christmas card but I didn't get around to creating it until today.  Since it is too late to make copies to mail to friends and family, I decided that I would send one last card to everyone in blogland before Christmas Eve.  Using watercolor paper, white embossing powder, Stampendous stamps and the technique I explained in my last blog post, I created the multicolored snowflake panel with silver embossed words.  I recently discovered and purchased a pack of 12x12 embossed  cardstock with a different colored  inner core.  When sanded with the Darice sanding block a pretty pattern was revealed  (several different ones in the pack).  This sanded pink piece (difficult to see in the photo) was layered with the piece of American Crafts glittered swirled cardstock. Punches were used for the circle (stamped with Stampendous image) and the two snowflakes (Martha Stewart).  Added embellishments were blue twine from the jumbo pack (on sale at Ben Franklin Crafts), and Studio 112 sparkly stickers.  All the materials for this card were purchased from Ben Franklin Crafts.  Before I put away my Christmas supplies, I might make a few more tags and put them aside for next year.  Hopefully, I will be able to craft some thank you and New Year cards before the 1st, so I'll be off to a good start in 2013.  I resolve to not procrastinate and craft seasonal items way in advance...... oh, and I resolve to clean up my craft room!  Happy New Year to all my blogland friends!

Simple Elegance

When you are short on time go BIG but don't lose the handmade touch.  The Stampendous Jumbo cling rubber stamps I purchased from Ben Franklin Crafts are the perfect ones to use on a quick card project.  I began by stamping the dove with white ink on white watercolor paper and heat embossing the wet ink with white opaque embossing powder. Next I sprayed the paper with water and applied three colors of stamping ink.  I sprayed on more water and blotted the areas of the paper that were too dark.  After heat drying the paper, I stamped the PEACE in silver ink and applied silver embossing powder melting it with the heat gun.  The final step was using Merikan tape to adhere my faux watercolor design onto a purple 5x7 card. I love the simplicity and elegance of the finished card.  I hope you'll try this technique on your future cards .Enjoy this season of giving!

                                   

Quicky Baby Card and Sanki Clothes for Toddlers

I purchased the cutest Japanese toddler clothes from our new Sanki store in Pearl City (near the Ben Franklin Crafts).  Because the birthday gift was already late, I had to make a quickie card.  I'm glad I remembered the Sister Stamp, 'Takeo' because it matched the gift and the occasion.  After using Copic markers for coloring, Takeo's clothes were paper pieced with origami paper. The card base, and all embellishments were from the American Crafts birthday themed (hopefully still on sale at BFC) products.
Maybe someday I'll actually make a file of finished cards to match any occasion so I won't feel so rushed during busy times like now.  Have a enjoyable crafty week!

Snowflake Gift Holders to Mail

Yes, I still have gifts to mail....gosh, where did the days go?   First, I decided that my small thinking-of-you gifts would have to be lightweight, flat, and mailable.  I finished the gifts (can't show them to you because I want to surprise some of you who read this blog) and then had to decide what kind of matching card I should make. Because of the time crunch I had the brilliant idea to combine the card and gift package together.  The snowflake gift holder made using the Sizzix CD holder die turned out to be super easy and effectively serves as both card and gift package.  By die cutting the CD holder (no I'm not sending out a CD) out of assorted snowflake double-sided printed cardstock, everything was simplified and there wasn't much else to do but attach the snowflakes ( big ones cut from felt snowflake ribbon and glittered, and small ones made using a MS punch). Simple and done!  Next I need to figure out some party favor packaging.  Hope your holiday season is jolly and not too stressful.

Easy Penguin Tags

I enjoy making tags because they use up scraps without taking up too much crafting time.  The cute penguin Sizzix die (purchased at Ben Franklin Crafts) not only embosses, it cuts out the penguin too which saves you  lots of tedious work.  I suppose you could chalk in the colors or use color core paper with a sanding technique, but I wanted a deeper color.  By wrapping the tip of a bamboo skewer with a bit of paper towel, I was able to fashion a mini Q-tip.  With this homemade tool I applied black and red ink on the embossed areas of the penguin body and candy cane. For the feet, eyes and beak I just used Copic marking pens. I discovered that the Hero Arts Clear Stamp (from BFC) set had eye-catching graphics and worked well for tag making. As you are beginning the holiday season, take the time to craft some tags with your children or grandchildren and make some lasting memories. Merry Memory Making!

Gingerbread Cards and Tag

Here's another use for those Kraft Paper cards and envelopes (Sierra Pacific set).  By placing the Sizzix Gingerbread man die (from Ben Franklin Crafts) just inside the crease of the card,, I was able to cut out a gingerbread man card with very little effort.,  The die also makes the squiggle frosting (cut these separately) pieces which were glued on.  The eyes and nose are acrylic dots from the BFC floral department and the bow is a Martha Stewart sticker.  The mouth was hand drawn and the cheeks were made with smudged pink ink.  I  found some red and white wire candy canes (Darice) in my stash and coiled them to form the buttons.  If you cannot find the wire candy canes small buttons or Fimo clay would work well on the gingerbread man. To brighten up the envelope I inserted some coordinating scrapbook paper.

The tag in the second photo was made easily from a single piece of brown card stock. Teachers may find using this Sizzix die makes a great base for students to decorate a handmade ornament perhaps placing the child's photo in the place of the gingerbread face.  For the second card I used the Sizzix gingerbread embossing folder on white parchment paper and combined it with paper strips from the paper pack (from BFC) in the bottom photo.  The candy cane and words were easily cut from scraps using the bonus dies in the sets. As an added bonus all of the Christmas Sizzix die and embossing sets come with a unique 'talking tag' which you can attach to your projects for an instant personal greeting for the recipient. Remember: 'Something handmade touches the heart and will dwell within it forever'.

Prize Alert! Prize Alert!

Yup, it's that time....time to award some prizes for my non-contest.  For those of you who don't know what I'm talking about, let me give a brief explanation.  Every once in awhile I decide to pick one of my followers and one comment giver to receive some Ben Franklin Craft gift cards.  As usual I printed out all the comments left for me for the month and also the names of my 87 followers.  I cut apart the comments and the names and put them in piles.  That means if you gave me 10 comments for the month you would have 10 chances to win from the comment pile.  This time I pulled out the two names from the two piles and was astounded by the winners' names.  The winner of the comment pile is Cami whose blog is Capture a Heart.  Some of you may remember that Cami was the winner of the follower prize last time.  She told me that she never wins anything but I guess she should go buy some lottery tickets 'cuz she's on a lucky streak. I hope she'll be surprised and pleased to learn that she won the bigger of the two prizes (because it takes more effort to comment than to just be a follower).  The second winner of the follower gift card prize is Regina (Expressions & Inspirations). (Yes, she does work for Ben Franklin Crafts but I believe that if it is a fair drawing that anyone should have a chance to win.)  Of course, it must be evident that my drawings are truly random as I was totally surprised by the names I drew.  Sorry for the length of this post but I wanted to make the non-contest information clear and send a cheerful congratulations to Cami and Regina!

Sanki Store Opens in Pearl City

Are you looking for a unique place to buy gifts?  The owners of the Hawaii Ben Franklin Crafts stores in partnership with another local investor and the Sanki corporation have opened a clothing and home goods store in the Pearl City shopping center (two doors down from the Pearl City Ben Franklin Crafts store).  The first thing that most people comment on are the low prices for the good quality products.  I couldn't decide which items to feature in this post; there are so many incredible products.  I really, really love the gigantic totes with the cutest graphic designs in the first photo.

In the second photo are some cool towels for gym enthusiasts because they are long and thin but made of soft, fluffy towel fabric.....plus the designs are awesome.  The Sanki store has a great selection of fabulous towels selling for a very reasonable cost.

The final photo shows a few of the cell phone carriers (fits Iphones) that I purchased for Xmas gifts. Not only were they beautiful and well-made (can be attached to your purse), but they were one third the price of cell phone holders (identical style) that I bought in Japan (for gifts) just 6 months ago.  Not shown here are some of the high quality priced-low underwear that I discovered at the Sanki store.  You're going to love the camisoles, tank tops and knit short sleeve blouses with the built in bras. I hope that I've whetted your desire to check out the new Sanki store for your sure-to-delight Christmas gifts.  Happy Christmas Shopping!

Pop-Up Christmas Tree Card

The new Sizzix pop-up card die (available from Ben Franklin Crafts) is so cool!  I just love how intricate it makes the card look but how easy it makes the construction.  Basically, I just placed a double-sided Imaginisce card stock onto the pop-up tree die (that was placed in the card base die) and rolled it through my Sizzix machine.  Next I adhered two panels (one on each side of the card) of cardstock over the cut out triangular openings (the perfect spots for some hand written sentiments). It is important to chose the right card stock to compliment the inside and outside of the card.

The rubber stamp Santa was made by Stampendous and can be purchased from Ben Franklin Crafts. The stamped image was colored with Copic pens and embellished with glitter. The ribbon pack and acrylic crystals are great BFC bargain  purchases for your holiday crafting.  I especially like the crystal package (from the wedding department) because you can cut off strips and simply apply and tear off the individual crystals. I guarantee that your friends and family will be impressed by your crafting skills if you use one or more of the new Sizzix Xmas dies.  At this busy time of the year, craft easy and send someone a smile.

Christmas Money or Gift Card Holders

To simplify holiday gift giving we sometimes resort to giving cash or gift cards, so I usually need to make some festive holders to show that at least some thought went into the gift.  These were a cinch to make because of the Sizzix die, A2 card with flap.  Included in this set is the card die plus two different embossing folders which were used to make the vellum inner pockets. Vellum allows the money or gift card to show through the pocket and it embosses well.  The pockets were taped on with Merikan double sided tape and decorated with Martha Stewart adhesive borders. The printed double sided cardstock used for these cards are from Imaginisce.

After tying a wide ribbon around the closed card, embellishments from Ben Franklin Crafts (MS gingerbread sticker, Sizzix die cut tag, Tim Holtz die cut words, and snowflake plus acrylic crystal) were added.  The combinations of cardstock and embellishments are endless so you should be able to make a different one for each of your gifts. Ben Franklin Crafts also sells a Sizzix die to create just gift card holders (hmmm...... wouldn't everyone love a gift card from BFC?) and like the other holiday dies, it comes with a talking tag.  Go check out all the new Christmas products at BFC and simplify your gift giving this year. Happy Holiday Crafting!

Angel Necklace

Funny how some things just work out and some don't.  On a shopping trip to the Ben Franklin Crafts in Mapunapuna I discovered (in the bead department) cute strands of crystal angels with metal wings and halos.  I thought they would be good for card embellishments. The next time I shopped at the Hilo BFC, I picked up some word impressed metal rings that could be strung with beads in the center.  I thought that with a bit of luck the angels would fit inside the ring.  When I put the two purchases side by side in my craftroom, I noticed that they were both made by Darice and called Enchanted Angels. Duh!  They WERE supposed to be used together.  I quickly set to work but soon discovered that the white crystal angel strand had wings that were too big to fit inside the rings. The green angels fit perfectly but the ruby ones were just too tight so I had to replace the angel head bead for a smaller one.  My observant husband noticed that one angel had the wings uplifted as if in flight and the other one had wings in a resting position.  Maybe that's why the ruby angel didn't fit. I'll have to check that out and turn the wings around if that is the problem. A head pin was used to wire wrap the angel into the ring and onto a Beadalon bail. (I used the bail upside down so it could accommodate the cord/ribbon, but I will hopefully find some tube bails which I think will look better.)  Anyway, I think the finished necklaces would make great girlfriend gifts. Each one could be different because there are lots of different impressed rings with words like: mother, grandmother, peace, hope, dreams, etc.  You could also turn the ringed angels into purse pulls, key chains or phone ornaments.  This is a very easy project so give it a try if you want to impress your friends and not have to spend a lot of time or money. Happy Turkey Day!

Harvesting Happiness

I've always romanticized about fruit picking but I've never had the opportunity.  When I learned that my girlfriend does yearly apple and peach picking in San Francisco, I was so jealous.  Of course here in Hawaii, we do raise and pick papayas, pineapples, and lillikoi, but I still would love to one day visit a real orchard.  The best I can do for now is to create a card depicting the fall harvesting of apples.  I purchased the CC Design stamp of the girl with the apples last year but didn't use it.  This year I got the Imaginisce apple stamp ($1,25?) from Ben Franklin Crafts and felt the two images would look good on a Sierra Pacific Kraft paper card (in a set from BFC). Using white chalk ink, I stamped the cut apple image on the kraft paper card and added a bit of color with color pencils.  The CC Design image was colored with Copic pens, cut out, and adhered to the card with foam dots.  The edge of the card was embellished with thin washi tape and raffia was used for the bow.  Since I had the Sizzix thin leaf die, I used it for the tag upon which I wrote the 'For You' with gold ink.  You could just hand cut the leaf if you don't have the die.  For a final touch, I added some 'shine' to the apples with Judi Kin Diamond Glaze. Oh, while I was gathering together all my papers with apple designs, I came upon one in a cheap $1 assorted package. I couldn't figure out how to use it on the card so I used it to line the envelope.  I always think a lined envelope turns a plain card into a spiffy one.  It is a simple card but I think it captures the desire I have to someday go apple picking.  I wonder though, "Will I be able to climb a ladder as I get older?" LOL!  Oh well, at least we all can enjoy the bountiful apple harvest available to us now in our local markets. Enjoy the sweet life!

Fall Forest Fox Card

This foxy card began with the cute Imaginisce clear fox stamp ($1.25? anyway, very inexpensive) from Ben Franklin Crafts.  Since it was so small, coloring it with Copic pens was super easy and fast.  Next, to make the fox stand out, I used a scallop circle and a plain circle punch to cut out some glittery cardstock from the DCWV Autumn pack. For the card base I chose a brown and orange color core cardstock and ran it through the Tim Holtz impression folder that looks like tree bark. The impressed surface of the card was lightly sanded to bring out the orange color underneath and the bottom edge was trimmed and the corners rounded. For the maple (?) leaves I used an EK Success punch which was on sale at BFC for 50% off because it was considered a Halloween product (so maybe the punch is a pumpkin leaf).  It pays to check all the clearance items everywhere in Ben Franklin Crafts. I creased the leaves (punched from leftover piece of the double color cardstock) to look realistic and then sprayed them with green and gold Glimmer Mist (Tattered Angels). Finally, the card was assembled with foam dots and Merikan double-sided tape.  The burlap and autumn word ribbon were both from BFC too and added the perfect finishing touch. No, wait, the final addition was the skinny raffia-like three-toned bow which was made from one of my favorite go-to embellishment and gift wrapping items (comes in a large roll from the Celebrations.store)  Somehow fall, to me, is the season of forest animals and autumnal foliage.  This card is dedicated to all the creatures of the woods who hopefully have prepared a safe place to weather out the winter.  Be kind to the animals and to one another during this season of giving.

Embellishments Galore

Ribbons and washi tapes oh my!  Crystals and roses and twine hooray!  As you can see from these photos, Ben Franklin Crafts is stuffed with delightful embellishments for giving and hoarding.  I absolutely adore the Hello Kitty and angry Birds ribbons (top photo) and will use them for wrapping and crafting.  Also in the top photo are more gorgeous washi tapes and gift wrapping add-ons from our Celebrations store (near the Mapunapuna BFC).  The tapes and the Asian pick decorations should be perfect for wrapping gifts for mailing as they won't get crushed. If you can't get to the Celebrations store, our BFC stores now have Darice brand washi tapes in solid colors and cute prints.

                                    

I found the mega bag of Xmas ribbons (in the bottom photo) at Ben Frankloin Crafts and they made my crafty mind explode with delight.  There are other mega bag assortments for non-seasonal crafting including a giant package of various colored twine...a gold mine for crafters!  I picked up the red roses, crystals and pearls from the Mapunapuna Ben Franklin Crafts wedding department and thought they were a super deal and would come in handy for Christmas and Valentine crafting. I also purchased the large roll of red and white twine from BFC because I know that I'll use lots of it on my cards and gift wrapping this holiday season.  I hope seeing all these embellishments gets your creative juices flowing and you'll stop by any of our locally owned Ben Franklin Craft Stores to do some fun shopping.  Thanks for visiting and I hope you'll make this site one of your regular blog stops.

                                        

Thanksgiving Hope and Christmas Wishes

Every year my sister starts off strong, beginning her shopping early.  She tries to get going before Thanksgiving because lots of her gifts need to be mailed to Hawaii.  However, as the Christmas crunch really  sets in, she falters and eventually gives up.  This year I decided to send her a Thanksgiving gift to nudge her to the finish line.  To accompany this gift, I've made an autumn-ish card to encourage her.  I thought the Sister Stamps, BFF's,  would be the perfect image to use because it reminds me of the small-kid times with my sister.  I combined the stamped image (colored with Copic pens) with Bo Bunny double sided 12x12  card stock sheets from the Collection Pack. (One card stock sheet will make two 6x6 cards,) The fancy label was cut from one of the sheets and the largest lantern is a stamped image made from a Bo Bunny clear stamp set.  For embellishments, I added a  Coin Collection tassel (purchased from Ben Franklin Crafts) and tiny pearls from the Bridal Collection (also from BFC).  (If you cannot find the pre-made tassels, you can easily make one from embroidery floss or thin cording,)  Oh yes, the 'thinking of you' came from a Hero
Arts Clear Design set.  My favorite part of the card is the large lantern which is free hanging from the black cord (attached to the back of the panel) so it provides some interesting movement. All the pieces were attached to the card base with foam dots. I am sending the card with a Xmas tag making kit (purchased from Ben Franklin Crafts) because I hope it will cheer my sister on to the finish of the season with a smile on her face.  Happy Crafting, Shopping, Wrapping and Mailing Sis!

THANKSgiving Card

I was just sitting in my craft room thinking that I would like to make a Thanksgiving card.  I've always loved the word 'Thanksgiving' because it is a perfect word for the spirit of the season  For some reason the Sizzix die with the pop-up THANKS 'popped' into my head.  I just knew it would make a good base for my card with the addition of the stamped words 'happy' and 'giving'.  The words came from a Hero Arts clear set     (I only inked the part of the phrase that I needed). It was simple work to follow the directions on the dies (you'll need the card base and the insert THANKS die.  Using the die I cut out just the word 'thanks' from green paper and glued it onto the card.  The 12x12 double-sided  printed cardstock and owl sticker I used were from My Little Shoebox.  For the front of the card I added thin washi tapes and skinny colored raffia ribbon (found at the Celebrations store in Mapunapuna) and a lightweight plastic leaf dangle from BFC, (Oh, I put thin pop-dots behind the owl sticker to make it stand out more.)  Well, that's it for today.  I hope you enjoyed your visit and will return often.  Give thanks for your many blessings!

Autumn Home Decorations at Ben Franklin Crafts

Perhaps it's because Hawaii does not have an autumn in the traditional sense, I feel the need to gather together fall items and colors in my home.  Thank goodness Ben Franklin Crafts has an ample supply of lovely autumnal  decorations to use as is or build upon.  This year I chose a metal plaque with the word, 'Welcome' printed on it.  It was rather plain so in 10 minutes, using Fabri-Tac glue, I added some autumn leaves, acorns, raffia (there was already a small raffia bow but I wanted a thicker one) and a scarecrow head.  The packages of decorations have enough to make several door welcome signs so you can hang one on your house and give away the extras.

The second decorative item is one that happened because of a purchase of an overly powerful hand sanitizer from Bath and Body Shop.  I didn't like going around smelling like something edible so I decided to apply some of the sanitizer to the scarecrow doll I purchased at Ben Franklin Crafts.  Now the scarecrow is a room or car freshener and I didn't waste the sanitizer.  Hope you always think of ways to turn your lemons into lemonade or maybe lemon curd!  Happy Autumn Blessings!

Christmas Products Arriving Daily at BFC

Yahoo!  The Christmas craft goodies are rolling into Ben Franklin Crafts and the decorated trees are going up.  This year the Martha Stewart line of stickers, paper pads, labels, rubber stamps, paper tape, border pads, etc. is really fabulous. I love the happy themed products which really have the feel of an old fashioned Christmas.  I think they pair really well with the Imaginisce double sided card stock which have arrived at BFC too.

Also at the store are cute elf-themed rubber stamps by Stampendous.  I especially love the clear stamp set which has interchangable heads. I'm planning to make some Victorian style cards using rubber stamps from Inkadinkado embellishing them with some of the new glitter card stock (K and Co. pack) and  crushed glass glitter (Stampendous).

After picking up way too many 12x12 sheets (there are so many new lines at BFC) and drooling over the Christmas stuff, I made one last swoop at the Bo Bunny line called, Serenity Collection. Lots here for scrappers and card makers including stamps, die cuts, stickers, 12x12 paper packs and card-sized paper pads.  Items from this Bo Bunny line would make great gifts for a local crafter who likes to create Asian themed crafts.  Happy Crafty Shopping!

Bling-bling Animal Gift Bag in a Snap

I needed two girlfriend treat bags and as usual I had to make them 'yesterday'.  Anyway, here is my quick solution.  I started with leopard (or is it cheetah?) print paper gift bags.  Next I used Fabri-Tac glue to adhere some bling-bling to the top border. (The bling came on a roll discovered in the wrapping department of Ben Franklin Crafts. They look like rhinestones but are actually some lightweight plastic faux crystals. There are ten yards on the roll so imagine how many cards you can decorate.)  For the fabric flower I cut a 24" piece of organza ribbon (from the BFC floral department) and then cut it lengthwise in half. (You'll be able to make two flowers with this amount.)  There are many colors and prints of ribbon so you don't need to select the one I did.  Take the halved ribbon and fold it in half lengthwise.  Start making the center of the flower by rolling and gluing.  Keep gluing and gathering the folded ribbon until the rose is completed.  Glue the flower and leaves (Wilton decoration) to the bag and it's done.  Even if you need dozens of gift bags you can do them in a snap using these techniques and supplies.  With all the upcoming holiday parties, don't stress out; keep your gift wrapping simple. Enjoy the simple life!

One Last Halloween Card

I just had to make one last card before putting away my Halloween supplies for this year.  This card was made for my 'scientist' son.  The six stamps used on this card (there were more in the set) came from Viva Las Vegas Stamps in the form of an unmounted rubber sheet (very economical).  Before beginning the card, I mounted the stamps on a EZ Mount backing (available at Ben Franklin Crafts) and cut them out separately.  I used a Sierra Pacific kraft paper card for the base (also from BFC).  Simple stamping with the use of paper masks (to prevent ink from getting on some areas) and a piece of acetate to give the illusion of glass was all it took to make this scientifically scary card. The Einstein caricature on the inside of the card has a hand-drawn bubble that will be used to write a personal message.  I hope my son will get a chuckle from this Halloween card made just for him.   Happy Halloween to everyone in blogland!

Halloween S'more Kits

After reading a post with a s'more kit photo on Little Paper Studio (www.littlepaperstudio.blogspot.com), I remembered that last year I wanted to make s'more kits but never got around to getting the supplies. I'm proud to say that I got them together this year. 

I started with the colorfully printed paper bags I purchased from the Celebrations store in Mapunapuna (near the BFC store).  I used the Martha Stewart (anywhere punch) to make an opening in the front of the bag (the punch fit perfectly).  Next I cut the toppers using Imaginisce double sided Halloween cardstock (good way to use up scraps) and the Sizzix Treat Bag Topper die.  Labels for the instructions were cut using the same die.

Two ghost marshmallows, four graham crackers and two pieces of a chocolate bar were packaged in a Ziploc bag.  These ingredients were placed in the bag and the topper fastened  with ribbon strung through holes punched in the bag.

Because the back of the toppers were sometimes upside-down due to the one way design of the paper, I placed the instruction label over it.  This fun kit is easy to assemble (no cooking required) and makes a yummy Halloween gift/treat.  I hope you're enjoying my Halloween ideas and you'll return to see a few more before the 31st. Thanks for visiting!