Where Did You Get That?

Here are three items I purchased recently.  I thought you might like to see what I am drawn to and what amuses my decorating sense.  The pot with a cactus and the ceramic watering pot were seen and snapped up from a locker box in the Market City HM Ben Franklin Crafts store.  I thought their wonky looks were just fabulous.  Who would put a big, single cactus leaf in such a tiny pot?  The pot is very heavy so the cactus doesn't make it tip over.  I was amazed that the cactus was really alive...hopefully, I can keep it that way!  The watering pot is also very heavy so perhaps I can plant something in it too. Would a bonsai tree survive?  Whoever manages the locker box where I found these ceramic pieces certainly has a sense of beauty that aligns with mine. Thank you for offering these pieces for sale.  As for the mouse and chick figurine, I found it on the bargain $5 table at a recent All Collectors show.  It was brand new and had a fresh. fancy hang tag so I didn't feel it was 'used'. I like figurines like this to go with my Easter craft project photos.  Keep your eyes open and you will surely find amazing treasures in the most interesting places.  Hope ;you like seeing what catches my eyes and heart. Life is short, so make yourself happy today!

 

Sumikko gurashi Felt Key Chain

I am a big fan of the Sumikko gurashi Japanese characters, so when I saw them in felt kits selling at HM Ben Franklin Crafts, I knew I was launching into a new craft.  It took me barely two hours to complete the project and I was very happy with the results.

All the felt parts were well cut out and the kit contained everything needed ( pre-cutfelt, thread, plastic needle. etc.) to make a cute stuffed felt character. Even though the instructions were in Japanese (which I don't read), I was able to follow the diagrams. Because the plastic needle (safe for kids) had a large eye it did make the pre-cut sewing holes bigger so you need to make your knots extra large so they don't go through the holes. HM Ben Franklin Crafts has many felt kits to choose from (not all of them of Sumikko gurashi characters) so I'm sure you will find one to your liking. Doing crafts like this is very satisfying to me and perfect for taking on a trip because you only need a tool to cut the thread.  Crafting is my way of relaxing and when away from home I like to keep my hands and mind busy. I'm sure making a felt key chain will make you (or whoever you give it to) very happy. Try crafting one...you'll love it!

 

Chocolate Rabbits Shaker Easter Card

To me, Easter means enjoying chocolate rabbits!  Since I can't mail a chocolate card, I decided to design a card that has the spirit of my childhood chocolate candy Easter rabbits.  I have a really old Tim Holtz chocolate rabbit die that I used to make the rabbit cut outs.  (Recently, I noticed that Whimsy Stamps is selling a set of rabbit silhouette dies which probably can be used to create a similar card to this one.)  Because the old rabbit die is one that is about an inch thick, it is rather difficult to align the three rabbits...but it can be done!  

After die cutting the rabbits from a printed card stock, double stick adhesive is applied around the rabbits before a piece of cellophane is pressed down.  (To be thrifty, I use clear packaging from my craft supplies.)  Then foam tape is lined around the under side of the die cut rectangle piece and three of the protective strips are removed.  This rectangle was then pressed down on three sides of a card blank.  Shaker confetti pieces (MIx Upz, Easter Basket) was poured into the pocket before sealing up the open adhesive side.   

Easy-peasy....the card is done!  I really love how easy this card was too construct. I think the bright, colorful confetti that I purchased from HM Ben Franklin Crafts really made the card something special!

I also had some Doodlebug Designs 'Happy Easter' washi tape I decided to use to decorate the back of the card too. I just applied one strip so that I could write a long Easter message.  I'll use the washi tape to make the envelope 'spiffy' too.  I hope you'll make an Easter card that will brighten someone's holiday season.  It will brighten your holiday celebrations too!

Two Chocolate Easter Bunnies and a Shaker Egg

My childhood memories of Easter always include chocolate rabbits so I just had to include some on my Easter card. I used a Tim Holtz die to cut out the bunnies from brown card stock.  Then I coated the surface of the bunnies with 'chocolate' from a tube of BoBunny perlescent dimensional paint. (The Bo Bunny product may not be available anymore but there are other dimensional paint companies who do manufacture chocolate colored paint in a squeeze tube.) Once the rabbits were dry, I glued on some bows cut from colored card stock using the Tim Holtz die that came with the bunny die.)

Next I used a Spellbinder egg-shaped die to cut out the oval for the shaker part of the card.  I glued a piece of acetate (cut from a discarded cello bag) behind the opening. I framed the opening with double stick foam tape to make a well to enclose the shaker pieces. From HM Ben Franklin Crafts I purchased a great pack of Easter themed confetti.  I pressed down most of the taped egg shaped opening and then filled in the opening with enough confetti to fill the egg about halfway full before sealling the rest of the opening. Double stick tape was used to fasten down the printed card stock edges and the banner which came from a Doodlebug Design ephemera set.

Since I had a Doodlebug Designs 'Happy Easter' washi tape, I decided to decorate an envelope to go with the shaker card. Making a matching envelope always signifies to the recipient that there is a special greeting inside.  Make someone's day fabulous...send a them a homemade card today!

2026 Easter Cookie Box

 This year I am hoping to make some Easter cookies and thought that I should make some decorative boxes to house them.  This box is recycled from a candy box. (I always save sturdy, clean boxes to re-purpose into decorated containers.)  This box was especially nice because it opened up flat, making it easy to cover with printed cardstock.  I simply traced the flattened box onto the cardstock, cut it out and folded the new box.  The 12x12 Doodlebug paper was slightly too small so I added a patch to the bottom of the box (hardly noticeable).

The bunnies were die cut using the Lawn Fawn die set, Build-a-Bunny.  Since I didn't buy the coordinating Accesories die set, I used a sticker and cut out a carrot to decorate the bunnies.  Usually I would put blue and pink paper behind the eyes and ears but I didn't want to search for the paper scraps so I simply used my Copic markers to make colored paper from plain white card stock and then placed them beneath the appropriate eye or ear spaces.

Without the ribbon and after the cookies are eaten, the box can be a cute storage for trinkets, stickers, etc. or new cookies could be baked and given to someone else. Yum-yum!

The 12x12 printed cardstock is from a Doodlebug Designs pack (purchased at HM Ben Franklin Crafts) as were the DD and Echo Park ephemera packs.  The cute chicky puffy stickers are a Paper Source product.  I found the green ribbon in my stash but I'm pretty sure it came from HM BFC....I shop there a lot....hahaha! I am so pleased with this recycled box that I am searching for other containers to recycle into cookie boxes that can be enjoyed long after the cookies are eaten. Recycling and repurposing should be a crafter's second hobby! 

Tucson 2026 Rock and Gem Show

Recently, I had the pleasure of attending the Tucson Rock and Gem Show. Although the show was a bit quieter than in previous years, it still was a wonderland of nature's geological beauty. There was also a marvelous aray of tents and rooms brimming over with affordable and millionaire-only-priced jewelry/gemstones.  

 Yes!  This dinosaur skeleton was actually on display in one of the tents at the Tucson 2026 Gem and Mineral Show. It was a small specimen compared to others but it was still way bigger than me.

Even in the tent area of the show, there were amazing displays and collections.  One of my favorite displays was a gigantic carved jade dragon.  It was certainly museum worthy and it was exciting to be able to see it up close. If you are a rock hound or gem collector, you really need to attend the Tucson Rock and Gem Show at least once in your lifetime.  Even if you can't afford the museum quality gems, you wil surely find something in your price range that you will treasure and display in your home forever!

  

We didn't buy any of these gorgeous Ethiopian opals which were being sold by the carat. The colors radiating from them was blinding! 

We also only stroked the boulder opal slabs but did buy a few small pieces with the intent of someday mounting them into jewelry.

In the Tucson convention center there were amazing displays of one-of-a- kind mineral specimens.  They were breathtakingly beautiful and it was unbelivable that people discovered them and were able to mine them in such pristine condition.  Although, I would never be able to afford the museum worthy mineral specimens, it was fun to gaze at them and wish. Although this quartz cluster is not really a rare occurrence, it is still an eye-catching display.

This gigantic cluster of gem grade aquamarine is so gorgeous that I can't believe it grew naturally and was carefully excavated before being displayed for everyone to enjoy.

    

There were lots of amethyst formations on display and surprisingly they were affordable. I guess amethyst is not as rare as other minerals.

I don't know what kind of minerals make up this delicate formation.  I was overwhelmed by the delicacy of the crystals.  How is it possible that the crystal structure did not collapse?   

At the Tucson Gem and Mineral Show it is possible to purchase some beautiful gems and jewelry. If you can, you should attend the next show to see if you can uncover some real treasures at affordable prices. Besides learning tons of information, I guarantee you'll feel like you've excavated hidden minerals and dug up jewelry fashioned for royalty!

Easter 2026 Shaker Card

I purchased a pack of Easter die-cut ephemera and pack of Easter confetti from HM Ben Franklin Crafts and decided to challenge myself.  I wanted to see if I could design a shaker card using just the ephemera pieces and confetti.  I started by cutting a hole in a large piece of ephemera. There were words which I cut out.  I attached a clear piece of acetate behind the opening and added foam tape behind the plaid frame. A piece of Lawn Fawn pastel paper was adhered to a standard card blank.  The plaid frame was partially adhered to the card and confetti sprinkles were inserted before sealing the frame to the card.  

 

The 'Easter memories' and 'what a Beautiful day' ephemera were adhered. The butterfly was cut off the 'Beautiful day' piece and fussy cut before being attached to the card with a foam adhesive dot.   This was a very simple card but I think it turned out well.  I am pleased that I was able to make a special card using just a few supplies. I hope that you will check out the beautiful Easter card making supplies being sold at HM Ben Franklin Crafts.  I'm sure you'll be inspired!

Chenille Kitten Kit

 While traveling, I decided to make another furry chenille friend. I chose a kit for a kitten from HM Ben Franklin Crafts.  As with the other kits I've tried, this one was super easy and resulted in another cutie pie despite the fact that the instructions are in Japanese and I don't read Japanese characters.  (The Easter bunny and chick in the photo were purchased from Daiso.)

The kitten is sucking on a pacifier and is wearing a bib.  The wire going through one ear is a key chain that can be removed if desired. The big pink stuffed bow and heart charm look cool when attached to a handbag.

The instructions in these chenille kits are pretty straight forward even though they are written in Japanese characters.  However, I did end up with a four inch piece of chenille that I was going to just wrap around the kitten to make him fatter but then I realized that he didn't have a tail so I curled the extra inches of chenille into a tail.  I guess they forgot to write in the directions for making the tail.  Hahaha!  Every kitten needs a tail....don't you agree?

Picture Frame Keychain Kit

 Gosh, you gotta check out all the new cool kits at HM Ben Franklin Crafts!  Recently, while shopping at HM BFC, I couldn't stop adding items into my shopping cart.  One of the most interesting kits I discovered were the picture frame keychain ones. They came in many colors but I limited myself to two colors....going to go back later for other colors (hahaha!).  Although the store had separate parts you could buy, I thought I should start with a kit so I would be sure to get everything I needed to complete a project.  After laying out all the parts for the project, I decided that I wanted more color so I added some cute puffy animal stickers ( Angels Craft).

HM Ben Franklin Crafts also has tons of adorable charms and doo-dads to add to your projects. In the photo above you can see the other frame kit I chose and some of the fun charms I plan to add to my next keychain.  By the way, the clear colored gel that comes in the kits has a screw on tip that will extrude the gel like cake frosting.  Also there is enough gel leftover to make other frames.  In future posts, I plan to show you the other fantastic Japanese craft goodies I purchased from HM Ben Franklin Crafts.  Please come back soon to check out new products I found at HM BFC and see the  projects that I've crafted.

Kimono Fabric Swatch Calendar

I was tidying my craft desk when I discovered another pack of mini 2026 calendars.  Yikes!  I wasn't planning to make more calendars this year, but I didn't want to waste the calendars.  (They are not craft supplies that can be saved for another year.) Now that the post office is getting stricter about the thickness of mail, I had to think of  a quick, attractive, and flat solution for decorating the calendars.  As I am a collector of many things, including vintage and unique fabrics, I decided that a unique swatch of fabric would be ideal to decorate these calendars.  I chose a Japanese kimono fabric with lots of gold highlights.  It was easy to cut (3) and fold the easels from 12x12 grey card stock.  The calendars ended up being 4"x4" and should fit in an regular sized envelope. I used double sided adhesive tape to put the calendar base together and glued the fabric onto the front with Beacon 3 in 1 glue. I was planning to make a raveled edge on the fabric swatch but the fabric was very difficult to unravel. I ended up just cutting fabric into squares and leaving irregular edges.  I am pleased with the look of the finished calendars and the ease of their construction. Although it is rather late in the year, I hope that recipients of my calendars will appreciate and use them throughout the year. Calendars can exist off a hand held device!

Hello Kitty 2026 Mini Calendar

Happy Girl's Day!

I thought I was done with making calendars for this year, but then I found four more under the clutter on my craft desk.  Since I recently purchased (in Japan) a new Hello Kitty stamp (Sanrio), I decided it was time to ink it up.  I paper pieced the image by stamping on printed washi paper and fussy cutting out the umbrella and Hello Kitty's kimono. These pieces were then glued to the whole stamped image. The rest of the image was colored in with Copic pens. The stamped, colored and paper pieced Kitty was glued to the calendar base that already had the calendars (from HM BFC) adhered with double stick tape.  

As final embellishments, I glued on some artificial cherry blossom (from HM BFC, I think) and added a few sparkling gemstone stickers (to add some bling and cover some ink smudges..LOL!)  I'm glad that I used up the final four 2026 mini calendars because I think they turned out to be rather attractive and now I have a few more to pass out to friends.  Who doesn't need a mini calendar?

P.S. If you want the instructions for making the mini calendar easels, refer to a previous post (Feb. 1st)

Sealing Wax Kit from HM BFC

 I needed a special gift for a crafty birthday girl.  Because I love sending handmade cards and decorating the envelopes, I thought this sealing wax kit was a perfect gift choice.  With this complete kit, making wax seals can begin immediately.  If you've never applied a wax seal to an envelope, you have to purchase this kit from HM Ben Franklin Crafts.  I guarantee you'll be delighted to be able to send off your mail with pizzaz. The wax seals can be applied to wrapped gifts, invitations, and have many other beautiful uses.  HM Ben Franklin Crafts also sells extra wax (in various colors) and metal seals with great embossed designs.  I like to make a bunch of embossed wax seals on a silicon mat or parchment paper,  This way I have many to choose from without having to melt a batch of wax everytime I need a seal.  I just glue (Fabri-Tac 3 in 1) the wax seals to the surface I want to decorate. It's so easy and elegant!

Lemon Butter...Yum!

 

When my lttle lemon tree starts bending over from the weight of all the fruit, I know it's time to make lemon butter. (I used to call this yummy buttery spread, Lemon Curd but that always sounded unappetizing so I renamed it Lemon Butter.) You only need about 4 large lemons, some butter, eggs, and sugar to make two small jars of this delightful spread. Hope you'll try this recipe.  It will surely become one of your favorites.

Lemon Butter

6 large egg yolks, strained

1/2 cup of fresh lemon juice

zest of 1 lemon

12 T. of sugar

8 T. chilled butter cut into pieces

Combine egg yolks, lemon juice, zest and sugar in a saucepan.  Stir with a whisk until mixture is blended. Using a wooden spoon, keep stirring over medium heat until the mixture is thick and coats the back of the spoon.  Take the saucepan off the heat and add the butter slowly while stirring. When the mixture is smooth and still warm, fill the jars with the lemon butter.  Let the jars cool and then refrigerate. Enjoy!

P.S. The mouse image on the tag was made with a Penny Black stamp, "Homemade' and the jars with the lemon design lids were purchased from Daiso.

Valentine Shaker Gift Bag

I was experimenting with a Simon Says embossing folder (Pinnacle Hearts) and tried it on a piece of foiled card stock.  It embossed beautifully and I initially thought to use it on a card, but since I haven't made a gift bag in a while, I decided to use the embossed paper on Valentine gift bag.  Because the hearts looked like they would make a good surface for shaker elements to slide down, the bag became an experiment in making a shaker bag.  After finding a suitable bag in my stash, I used double stick tape to adhere the heart embossed strip to the bag.  Around the embossed strip I lined some sticky foam tape. Next I applied a clear piece of acetate over the shaker element but added the shaker heart pieces before sealing up the rectangle. To cover up the foam tape I glued on some printed cloth ribbon. 

I had some vintatge looking Valentine cards and selected one with a cute boy and girl.  I cut around the cherub-like images and glued them to the bag leaving an opening for a Valentine note.  Lastly, I added two ribbon bows to the handle of the bag.

I think my experiment of adding a shaker element to a gift bag was successful.  There are so many possiblities with this idea and the shaker box doesn't necessarily have to be rectangular.  A heart-shaped shaker box would look great on bags for many occasions.  You just have to think outside of the box!  How about a wedding gift bag with a shaker box filled with rice?

Cat Valentine Card With Conversation Candy Hearts

 Conversation candy hearts are one of my favorite Valentine treats, so when I found the Lawn Fawn stenciling template set, it was a no brainer that I was going to purchase it.  It was easy to color in the hearts using pastel ink pads and a small piece of scrunched up paper towel.  The words were a little more difficult to color in with red ink and so I had to use a stencil brush.  After stenciling the background onto a plain white card, it was super simple to stamp the Penny Black image, color it in with Copic markers, and fussy cut it out.  The sweet cat was mounted on adhesive foam dots and the card was done! This card turned out exactly as I hoped and I plan to use the conversation heart stencil on future projects.  Now I need to find some conversation candy hearts....a sweet reward for me!