Retro-look Valentine Notebook with Pen

I like both vintage and retro-looking things.  For me retro has a lot to do with the colors and images of the 50's and 60's.  That's why I was immediately drawn to the faded red of this Sierra Pacific blank notebook with undecorated pen ($1.99!) and the American Crafts 'Love Notes' dimensional stickers (purchased at Ben Franklin Crafts).

At the CHA show I saw lots of blackboard papers, stickers, and stamps....I loved them all!  To give a blackboard-look to this project, I decided to stamp directly on the faux leather texture of the notebook with white (Versa Magic) ink and apply white (Detail) embossing powder (set with heat gun).  The hearts and arrow images came from two stamp sets (Paper Smooches and AC Love Notes).

To coordinate the pen and spine of book, I covered them with Amy Tangerine (American Crafts) paper. The paper was reversed and the grey side used inside the notebook to provide a background for the calendar and Post-It pad. (Yes, I still have calendars to use up!)  Notice that I left the yellow striped edge of the 12x12 because it just looked like it belonged there.

I didn't worry about getting the images perfect because I was going for a blackboard look....messy, right?  For a change I didn't make this project for anyone in particular.  I'm gifting it to myself because I totally made it just to suit my retro taste.  It makes me happy to look at and use this notebook! Hope that you will craft a Valentine's Day gift to yourself too.....you deserve it!

Cupcake Lover's B-day Card

This birthday card started out as a Valentine card, but after I cut out the card base with the new scalloped Sizzix card die set, I remembered that I still hadn't made a B-day card for my sister whose birthday occurs before the 14th.  Ah, no problem......crafters love to improvise right?  The S.E.I. flowered paper works for both a Valentine or birthday card so it was simple trick to embellish with a cupcake sticker to make it perfect for a cupcake-loving-sister's birthday.

The candle on the cupcake is a Dress It Up shankless button that had to be cut to fit.  One of the dies from the Sizzix set was used to cut the parchment paper behind the cupcake and a rosette was made using the die from the Brenda Walton set.  The banner was cut using a Paper Smooches die and the words were rub-ons from my stash.  A bit of Mister Huey's gold spray was applied to the banner so it would match with the shimmer of the floral paper.

The Art Impression image was stamped on marker paper and colored with Copic pens.  Stickles was applied to the cupcake frosting and tiny silver balls sprinkled on.  The stamped saying is from the same Ai set.

Okay, I will get to making some real Valentine's Day cards and gifts soon; afterall Feb. 14th is just around the corner.  Hope you'll come back to see what I create for the sweethearts in my life.

Valentine Gift Card Holder

I set up a challenge for myself:  Make a gift card holder that is unique and uses the new Sizzix die set (the thin set that works so well with the magnetic platform), which I purchased from Ben Franklin Crafts.  I tried several ways to fit the BFC gift card onto the die cut card but the best way seemed to be horizontally on the moving square part.  Since I had all my Valentine stuff out, I decided to go with the heart theme even though this was not a Valentine gift.  First, I used the dies to cut some Doodlebug paper to decorate the card base.

Next I used the Doodlebug washi tape to adhere the BFC gift card to the card base.  I used washi tape to cover the front of the gift card too because the colors didn't match the Valentine theme.  A Doodlebug sticker tag was attached to a scrap piece of printed kraft paper and trimmed.  Then a hole was punched in it so it could be attached with twine.

One of my favorite Valentine stamps is this Magnolia one.  The image seemed just right for this gift card holder since it is 'happy mail'.  After coloring her with Copic pens, I attached some Doodlebug embellishments and added some Stickles for more bling.

For a card that started with just a challenge to myself, I think this gift card holder fulfilled the requirements.  I am pleased to mail out this different card holder and hope that the recipient will get a 'happy mail' smile when she sees it.  Thanks for visiting this blog site. Please stop by whenever you can and leave a comment if you have some time.  I love hearing from you!

Valentine Chocolate Bar Thank You Card

I wanted to add something handcrafted to the bag of goodies I was giving to my neighbor who took care of our house while we were traveling.  Rather than making just an ordinary thank you card, I decided to make a candy bar thank you.  Because I bought the cute Art Impressions stamp at the CHA show, I was eager to ink it up for Valentine's Day.  I simply made a 'wrapper' from some 12x12 DP I purchased at Ben Franklin Crafts and added the Copic colored image.  The words stamped on the Paper Smooches die cut and the Doodlebug Mini Love Notes added just the right cuteness.  The 'thank you' part of the chocolate bar thank you card can be added to the back or slipped under the wrapper. Decorated candy bars like this would make desirable Valentine's Day 'cards' for special girlfriends.  You have about about a month to get a bunch done before the 14th.  You can do it!

How Old Are You Now? Lucky Winner!

January 16th was my husband's birthday, but because we had just returned from the Craft and Hobby show in LA, I really only had time to make a quickie card.  Luckily for me, I was able to purchase this Art Impressions stamp at the end of the show.  I simply colored the image with Copic pens and added the words onto the apron.  The card is very fitting for my husband because we are only a month apart in age, and yet I delight rubbing in the fact that he IS older than me.  I think the expression on the old lady's face says it all. Inside the card I  put speech bubbles that said, "Make a wish!" and " Too bad, I'm still here!" LOL!

Oh yes, at the CHA show I was given an Art Impression's button to wear.  On the button was a number. The trick was to find your matching number partner before the end of the show.  At the very end of the show I found my partner (at the AI booth of course)! We both won bags of stamps...woot! woot!  Since I won big, I thought it was time to pick a winner from the sweet comments in the month of December.  Announcing the December winner of a $25 Ben Franklin Crafts gift card..........KAREN INOUYE, the clever and talented blogger of Have a Scrap Happy Day! Congrats Karen, I'll be contacting you soon.

 If you would like to win in the future, just leave a comment to any of my posts and you will be entered.  I pick a name whenever the mood strikes me and your name will be entered as many times as you leave a comment for that month.  I'll be back to post some pics I took at the CHA show.  Time to unpack and do some laundry.

Valentine Calendar with Post-It Pad

 While cleaning up (I mean rearranging) my craft room, I came upon some long forgotten vinyl bookmark cases.  Since I still had more tiny Vippies calendars which fit on the bookmark holder, I decided to design a Valentine themed calendar to hang next to my bed.  Before falling asleep I always want to think about the days to come and plan ahead.  The Sister Stamps with the mochi eating kids did not arrive at Ben Franklin Crafts until late in the year so I didn't have a chance to use them until now.  I paper pieced their kimonos from printed crinkle origami paper and mounted them onto the Doodlebug paper with foam stickies.  I covered the mochi balls with acrylic hearts because they seemed more fitting for a calendar.

Often at night I have an idea or want to jot down a reminder, so I thought double sticking a Post-It pad to the back would be a great idea.  The pen clips onto the pocket....how neat is that!  The double sided Doodlebug paper was pretty enough, but I decided to dress it up with some coordinating DB stickers and embellishments.  The hanging loop was made from American Crafts ribbon from their seasonal 24 roll pack.

These are just some of the supplies I used for this project but there are so many products to choose from at House Mart Ben Franklin Crafts that I don't think you'll have any trouble whipping up some Valentine gifts and cards for those on your sweetheart list.  Have fun playing with all your Valentine crafting goodies and maybe you can even make a bookmark to fill the bookmark holder.  Maybe I'll make one too!

Valentine Goodies Galore at Ben Franklin Crafts

 I couldn't believe the amount of fabulous Valentine's Day items I found at Ben Franklin Crafts.  I really couldn't fit them in two photos but I tried.  Most of the goodies are Doodlebug Design products although I did purchase some s.e.i. , Pebbles, and American Crafts stuff that I loved too.  The DD paper (on the left) is really great and coordinates with the cool embellishments. I love the washi tape, acrylic hearts and mini love notes.

The retro colors of the American Crafts line really caught my eye and the matching clear stamp set is just too cute with the perfect Valentine sentiments and images.  Pebbles had a package of 'chips' (card stock die cuts) that even had the nutritional information on the back.  Also from Pebbles are the watermark rub-ons (doesn't show up well in the photo) which should be fun to play with.  The s.e.i. paper (not visible in photos) is really elegant this year and should be gorgeous for fancy Valentine cards with a romantic Victorian style.  I wish I could show you all the items, but I really want to get crafting and use these fun products.  Hopefully, you have seen enough to whet your appetite and send you scurrying to your closest House Mart Ben Franklin Crafts for some serious Valentine's Day shopping.  Ready, set, get crafting!

Thank You Calendar Card

After returning from a family trip to Honolulu, I had to crank up the gears to get my thank you notes in the mail.  Here's what I came up with to express my gratitude.  I decided to make a calendar thank you card because I still had some Vippies calendars leftover from my Christmas cards.  Starting with some wrapping paper (super large sheet for only $3 or $4 ) purchased from Celebrations (next door to Mapunapuna Ben Franklin Crafts), I glued (Elmer's spray adhesive) pieces of the wrapping paper to 6"x12" pastel card stock panels.  The wrapping paper is too thin to successfully use in the Sizzix die that I used to cut the card base so it needed to be backed.  Next I used (with the magnetic platform) one of the thin circle dies in the Spellbinders set to cut out circles from white marking pen paper.  Onto these circles  I stamped the Sister Stamp image, colored it in with Copic pens and paper pieced the kiminos using origami paper from BFC.  For the background on the image circle, I smudged the edges with a light blue ink and applied the bluish Frantage (Stampendous) embossing powder (purchased from BFC).

I tried a new technique for coloring the girls' hair (always a problem for me). I used several shades of grey Copic pens to shade the hair and then went over it with a brown watercolor pencil to add the color.  I didn't wet the pencil but I think the result was good because the watercolor pencil is soft which makes it easy to apply the color.  I cut the 'thanks' using a Paper Smooches die and adhered it to the card by running it through the Xyron sticker maker.  I kept the sentiment near the top so that it would be hidden when the card was folded into a stand-up calendar.

For the cherry blossoms I used my old Carl punches.  Because I wanted to make the flowers more 3-D, I decided to use a pink crinkle origami paper.  However, the crinkle paper got stuck in the punch so I cut it together with pink card stock and that did the trick.  I glued both paper flowers together in the center and added tiny pearls. When the petals are fluffed out they look great and very airy like real cherry blossoms.  Okay, that's enough for today.  Hope you were able to follow along and found this post informative.  Thanks for visiting!

Making Milk Carton Party Favors from Scraps

 Yup, I'm still trying to whittle down my mountain of scrap paper.  These mini milk carton boxes cut with a Sizzix thin die was the perfect use for the scraps because the die uses just a small rectangle of paper.  To use up my solid papers I stamped the clip design and cut it out with the thin die which came with the Sizzix set (which has several designs and matching thin dies).  The thin dies work extremely well with the Sizzix magnetic platform (available at Ben Franklin Crafts).  After filling the boxes with shell hoop earrings (see previous post), the boxes were stapled closed and the stamped clips were taped in place with Merikan double stick tape (sold at BFC).  Oh wait, I forgot to mention that words were stamped in the back of the clips (but you could write names of the recipients) and then glue assorted matching flowers on the front.

 To house glass nail file gifts, I used the Sizzix long box die (shown in a previous post) and decorated them with ribbons and butterflies ( which were stamped on vellum and cut out with the die from the Sizzix set).  Some vellum papers absorb the ink better so test after stamping to be sure that the ink will not rub off.

The long box die does not require very much scrap paper so I cut out lots of printed cardstock.  I was surprised that this orange and green one was my favorite because I didn't really like the paper originally.

These are the Sizzix milk carton and die/stamp set used for these favor boxes.  When making multiple boxes these thin die products are time savers and the save craftroom space, too.  Okay, that's it for today....back to scrap crafting.  (I love using up every little scrap...makes me feel proud to be so thrifty...waste not want not!)

Desk Calendar Favors

I usually don't craft multiple items because I get bored easily, but I did need just a few for an after Christmas party.  These are for the guys so I kept it simple.  It's hard to think of something guys would actually use or want.  I started with photo strip acrylic frames which I found at Ben Franklin Crafts. I used the inner paper as a guide for cutting the background paper (mostly scraps from the DCWV Far East 8x8 pack).  The saying (Funny Bones) was stamped on marker paper (from BFC) and trimmed to fit.  Coordinating pigment ink was rubbed on the edges. Finally a mini calendar (Vippies) and a small charm with cord were added.

Matching pen boxes were made with the Sizzix die shown below.  The boxes can also be filled with glass nail files for girls or perhaps several chocolate bar minis will fit.  I was not sure if the new flat dies in the plastic pouches would cut cleanly but with the Sizzix magnetic platform they work wonderfully. You might not be able find the pack of charms any more because they were in a clearance basket at Ben Franklin Crafts.  I wish I had picked up more packages as they were really marked down....maybe they're still there.  You can easily substitute an Asian coin with a hole or make girly calendars with butterflies or flowers.  Hope this idea is something you can use for future party favors or to make yourself a photo strip calendar for your desk.    Happy Crafting in 2014!