Let's Go Nuts Swivel Surprise Card

 In the previous post I introduced a card that I made using the Lawn Fawn Swivel Surprise die set.  Here is another Swivel Surprise card with a squirrel theme this time.  I just love how the squirrels circle around the nuts as the card opes.

It's very hard to show the squirrel action with still photos but I am not skilled in making videos. The squirrels and acorns were stamped and die cut using Lawn Fawn sets Big Acorn and Let's Go Nuts. The images were colored in with Copic pens.

The words, 'Let's Go Nuts' were from one of the stamp sets.  I curved the words on an acrylic block before stamping .  The stamped words were then free hand cut in an arch.

I just can't stop opening and closing this card to see the squirrels circling around the acorns. LOL!

Oh yes, the panel on the front of the card (fall is in the air) and the inside one (love you) were taken from a Simple Stories printed card stock pad.  The leaves on the card front are actually an autum leaf garland I purchased from HM BFC a few  autumn seasons ago. Now that I understand the mechanics of making a Swivel Surprise card, I know that I will be making a few more this holiday season....spinning gnomes?  Please return to this blog site again to see what I create using the amazing Lawn Fawn Swivel Surprise die set.  Woo! Hoo! Let's Go Nuts!

Hanafuda Card Necklace

After showing you hanafuda card tags on a previous blog post, I started to think about what else I could create with the colorful rectangle Japanese playing cards.  I decided that they might make unique jewelry. I began by using a hand drill to make two small holes on the top of a card. Then I strung some brass wire through the holes and formed hanging loops.  Next, I coated the front of the card with one minute UV LED resin (Padico (sold at HM Ben Franklin Crafts)). I used a LED light (available at HM Beb Franklin Crafts) to set the resin.  I applied the resin to the back and edges of the card as well before setting it with the light.

 It took a long time to select just the right beads from my stash and wire them together to form a 24 inch beaded chain.  I didn't put a clasp on the necklace because it is long enough to slip over my head.  I am so happy with the outcome of this project that I am making another necklace using the resined hanafuda card in the photo below.  I hope that you will look around and see what non-traditional items you can incorporate into your crafts. I'm sure you will create something wonderful because you ARE so crafty.  Happy Creative Crafting!

Everything Pumpkin Spice Card and Tag

You know it's fall when the pumpkin spice flavored drinks and desserts start appearing everywhere.  Although I'm not a fan of boba tea, I do like the Lawn Fawn Build-A-Drink-Bubble Tea Add-On die set.  I thought it would be fun to make a shaker confetti element out of the bubble tea cup. I thought about the construction for a long time and then decided to just cut the plain cup out of another piece of vellum and then glue it to the back of the cup using Fabri Tac glue. Although this shaker confetti element doesn't have very much room for the pumpkin pie and green sparkly confetti, they do move around enough. Because I used vellum for the cup lid and straw, it was necessary to adhere them to the card with a special tape that doesn't show through very much.  (I'm not sure if the tape dispenser I have in the supplies photo is a brand sold at HM Ben Franklin Crafts, but the store does carry other brands which I'm sure will work under vellum, too. The Whimsy character hugging the cup actually was holding on to another cup that I fussy cut out. The words and image was stamped with permanent dark brown ink before coloring in with Copic pens. The background of the card was made from the front and back of a printed card stock sheet which is probably no longer available, but HM Ben Franklin Crafts has stacks of 12x12 two sided printed autumn themed card stock so I'm sure you can find something to please you.

With the leftover paper scraps on my work table, I fashioned a matching Everything Pumpkin Spice tag.  At first I was going to deorate the doughnut with colorful sprinkles but decided I wanted it to look like it came from a fancy bake shop so I applied Nuvo white Crystal Drops to look like a sugar glaze and then sprinkled on some gold flakes (sold as craft confetti) so that it appears to be edible glitter like the type used in some classy bakeries.  Although I'd love to linger longer and play with my autumn craft supplies, it's time to move on the Christmas craft goodies. I can't wait to get started.  HO HO HO! Time to be JOLLY!

     

Autumn Leaves Blessings Card

Even though we don't really have an autumn season in Hawaii, it still is my favorite time of the year.  I love the colors of autumn and the idea of the trees dropping their leaves....so pretty.  In honor of this gorgeoius display of nature, I made a card with golden, sparkly leaves. The leaves were cut with metal dies from Cutter Bee and Spellbinders.  I used Japanese washi papers that were crinkled and came in really large sheets.  I think they are available at HM Ben Franklin Crafts (Mapunapuna).  One sheet was green with gold/copper/silver flecks of foil and the other one was crinkled white with colored spots.  Before die cutting the leaves, I sprayed the washi paper with Tim Holtz Distress inks. (I only had green and golden yellow sets but a reddish rust color set would have been a good addition.)  Once the inks were dry, I used the leaf dies to cut out crinkly leaves with vein details.  Using a Hero Arts (old wood handled one), I stamped the saying on a small rectangle of paper that coordinated with the card.  The edges of the rectangle were rubbed with the same ink color.  I used my Misti stamp aligner to make sure my TPC Studio  (Autumn Harvest) clear stamp images would end up exactly where I wanted them to be.  The final step for this card was gluing down the golden, speckled leaves.  Once I was satisfied with the arrangement I applied the 3 in 1 Fabri-Tac glue (from HM BFC) to get a quick, secure, clear adhesion.  This card was super fast and fun to create and I think I'll use the leaf technique to decorate other items like tags, boxes, and calendars.  I think you should try making your own autumn leaves. It will make you feel a little like Mother Nature (LOL) and result in a pile of lovely, sparkly, leaves!

Chocolate Fruitcake Brownies

                                

As the holiday season quickly approaches, I find myself searching for new recipes that will yield edible gifts for friends and family.  I saw a Martha Stewart recipe (Big Batch Triple Chocolate Brownie Bars) online which seemed tasty but really huge for a pre-holiday taste test. I love fruitcake and brownies and this recipe appeared to be a delightful combination of both desserts.  However, I also didn't want to prepare the recipe because I already had a box of Ghiradelli brownie mix in my pantry.  Mainly, I wanted to taste test out the combination of dried fruits and nuts in a brownie.  What you see on this post is the result of a  box of brownie mix for an 8x8 pan and 2 cups of dried cranberries, golden raisins, dates, walnuts and pistachios.  I think the end product is worth trying again with the original Martha Stewart recipe.  I love the texture and taste that the fruits and nuts add to the brownies.  I think in the future I will reserve some of the fruits and nuts to sprinkle on top of the brownies before baking.  That will make the brownies more attractive and give the consumer a hint of what's inside.  I used a mini nine loaf pan to make the fruitcake brownies and paper liners to make clean up easier.  You can probably find both the mini loaf pan and liners at HM Ben Franklin Crafts.  There are lots of baking/candy making supplies available at all the HM Ben Franklin stores. The messy photo below shows why you should use paper liners.  I plan to freeze the brownies and then remove the liners before wrapping them in plastic wrap or decorative wax paper before packaging them for gift giving.  Wouldn't they look yummy in a pretty hand decorated gift bag?