Candy Corn Treat Boxes

I recently purchased a Whimsy Halloween stamp set featuring six different dressed up candy corn. It was so cute that I had to ink up the stamps and make something Halloweenish.  I decided on treat boxes for an up coming family gathering. I already had a Sizzix die set that makes a cute little box, just right for holding a small amount of candies (so parents won't be dealing with a sugar high).  

                                      
 Two boxes can be cut from one 12x12 printed card stock sheet.  I stamped each candy corn design five times so that yielded 30 box fronts to color with Copic pens and watercolor pencils.

 A variety of Halloween ribbons were strung through the die cut holes on top of the boxes and that was it except for filling in the candies.  I was very pleased to finish these party favors a month before they will be needed. Now onward to more spooky  creations.....Don't you just love Hallooooweeen?

Oh Happy Day Card

 There were two card-sized pieces of summery print card stock in my stack of scraps that I couldn't resist turning into cards before my autumn crafting begins.  It was so simple to double-stick tape down the printed card stock to a Paper Accent lime green card and use a Sizzix circle die to cut an opening in the card front.  Then I stamped the slipper image (Studio G sold at HM BFC for only $1.50) using hot pink ink and fussy cutting out the 'slippas'.  Foam dots were used to adhere the flip flops to the inside of the card.  Avery Elle stamps were used to make the banner and foam dots were  added to stick it down.  This card was super simple to create and will go into my card stash for birthday or happy mail thank you cards.  Don't forget to turn the circle punch outs into tags.... sunglass or popsicle stickers/buttons can be added for more cuteness.  Okay, only 3094 pieces of scraps left....LOL!

Craft Table Clean Up

 I finally got around to cleaning up the paper scraps on my craft table. It didn't take much time but I'm a procrastinator....big time...LOL!  After separating the papers in ziploc bags for prints, solids and hand-dyed pieces, I decided to play a little.  I found a tag punch on my desk...because it wouldn't fit in the overflowing drawer..so I decided to use it.  It made the right size tags and even had a hole punch and eyelet setter.....gosh I didn't know that!  Hahahaha! I glued on buttons (cut off the shanks) to the edible design tags.
   
                                     
For the scraps of hand-dyed papers, I added some Paper Smooches sayings and sequins.  (The ties are some dyed raffia-like twine I purchased from a yarn shop in Japan.)

 I even found some Halloween and Xmas paper scraps in the enormous pile of  too-good-to-throw-away card stock on my cluttered desk.  I guess I haven't cleaned up in a loooong time....LOL!

 There were bits and pieces of twine, ribbon, stickers, and sparkly stuff on my desk so they got stuck on the tags too.

 I also found a mess of envelopes with foxing so they got spattered with Distress Oxide Inks (Tim Holtz) or soaked in watered down Ken Oliver metallic inks. The bottom row of envelopes were decorated with background rubber stamps that were inked up with Distress Oxide inks and stamped on water dampened envelopes then sprayed again. Voila!  Instant eye-catching envelopes that will announce the arrival of some special mail. (Be sure to open the envelope flap before letting the envelopes dry.)  (The Hero Arts words were stamped on some of the tag backs and heat embossed with Nuvo black sparkle powder.)  Most of the supplies can be purchased from HM Ben Franklin Crafts except for the paper scraps....you'll have to make those yourself! 

Turtles Swimming Together

 This is another card that got its start from the desire to use a sheet of paper from the Kaiser Craft 6-1/2" paper pad.  I think the underwater scenery sheet is just gorgeous and doesn't need much embellishment.  I simply stamped the Kaiser Craft words in white ink and embossed it with white Nuvo powder.  (Not sure why the color is off-white...perhaps the background paper color bled through.)  Anyway, it was simple work to stamp the turtles and color them in with different shades of green watercolor pencils.  Then they were fussy cut by hand and adhered with foam glue dots. 

 Also in the paper pad are some die cut pieces and tags that you can use to further decorate your  card.  I decided to use two of them, one inside the card and one on the envelope flap. (The envelope is actually white but strangely shows up in the photo as a shade of pink.) I hope you'll check out the Kaiser Craft ocean themed products at HM Ben Franklin Crafts.  I'm sure you'll be inspired to create some always popular nautical cards. Ahoy matey!

Curious Adventure Card

 The inspiration for this card was the pack of 6-1/2" Kaiser Craft paper.  The sheets were so pretty I could think of dozens of cards I wanted to create.  Together with the Kaiser Craft word stamps and die cuts plus the Darice large shell dies, this card was a snap to produce.  I love the Darice shell dies because they both cut and impress the shell surface.  The paper that I used were just dyed paper scraps from my desk...I never throw out pieces that might be usable in the future.  I applied a small amount of crystal glitter to both shells.  The words were stamped with dark blue ink and heat embossed with Nuvo dark blue embossing powder.  The seaweed was cut from green vellum paper using the Kaiser Craft stencil.  All supplies for this card came from HM Ben Franklin Crafts.  This super simple card is going into my card stash to be given to someone who is embarking on an adventurous trip.  Happy crafting and travels to all!

Out of This World Birthday Card

My son's birthday is coming up and again this year I struggled to make a card that will be appealing to him but not too childish.  I tend to only purchase kid-type stamps that are somewhat masculine.  I started with the 'Beam Me Up' Lawn Fawn stamp and die sets.  After stamping all the images, coloring, and die cutting them, I adhered them (with foam sticky dots) to the background paper that I created with Hero Arts 'Star Light Star Bright' and an ombre ink pad.  I embellished the card with a little crystal sparkle Stickles here and there.  The words were stamped and hand cut out.  Oh yes, the cake and gift were glued under the light beam that was made by stamping and die-cutting vellum sparkle paper. Oh,oh, I found the colored googly eyes at HM Ben Franklin Crafts and knew that they would be perfect for this card. Anyway, this is my attempt at a 'young man' birthday card.  I hope he likes it...he likes monsters!

PS. I stamped the back of the card with a Jillian Vance stamp that says, "If you knew how much time I spent on this card, you'd NEVER throw it away". Hahaha! Are sons ever sentimental?

Floral Resin Soap Dispenser

While shopping at Daiso for more items to turn into  Da--I--So Clever projects, I came across some clear plastic soap dispensers that were just begging for decorations.  Since I am a big fan of LED resin (no mixing and 1 minute hardening) and had some beautiful dried flowers (from Japan but you can press your own under books), I thought, "Why not apply the dried flowers to the bottles with the resin?" It worked! (Click on the photo to see the details better.)  I put a few dabs of resin on one face of the dispenser and arranged the flowers until I was satisfied. Then I applied more resin to the top of the floral arrangement and spread it around with my fingers.  Next, I wiped off any smudges and excess resin with a damp paper towel.  The dispenser bottle was placed under the LED light which I held over the bottle for about a minute.  I continued decorating all four sides of the dispenser and Voila! ...a beautiful gift for a flower-loving friend.  This quick method of decorating can be applied to many surfaces and stickers, buttons, or other flat items can be easily and permanently adhered with the LED/UV resin.  I hope you will give LED resin art a try....you'll soon become addicted to this versatile craft! Happy shopping at HM Ben Franklin Crafts and Daiso!