Spring Flowers at Ben Franklin Crafts

I love real flowers but they are pricey and die so quickly. The assortment of artificial flowers and vases at Ben Franklin Crafts has really expanded. There are so many choices that I had a hard time deciding on a combination that would bring springtime into my home. I finally settled on the two in the photos. The top one has tulips which always says Easter to me. The matte green vase has a nice ovoid shape which gives it a very retro feel and matches the shape of the tulips. The bottom photo is of ranunculus flowers in a faux antique Chinese vase. If your home decor is done in Asian style, this would really to bring an expensive look at a budget price. Both the flowers and vases now available at BFC are tryly fantastic and affordable. I hope that you'll check out all the new spring items that have come into the stores. Thank you for visiting this site today and I hope that you'll return soon to see what other crafts and purchases I've made recently.

Second Glance

Sometimes after I make a project I want to try it again because I have another idea for a different look. Here's the decorated folder purse made using Little Yellow Bicycle paper and their sticker for a closure button. (See a previous post for the how-tos.) The only suggestion I have is to choose a paper that has a design that is not going in one direction (like this one) because then the back of the folder purse will have the design upside-down.

The next second glance project is the portable post-it note pad. In the previous project I did one for Girl's Day and this one is for Easter. (Click on the photo to see the details.) The chocolate rabbit is a button from a Dress It Up package. I used a flush cutter to snip off the shank but you could use a scissors. (Caution: Don't use your good scissors.) The grass was made using the Martha Stewart paper punch. If I had an oval punch (gotta get one) I would have used it for the egg instead of the circle. The word stamp is a Dandelion Design stamp from last year but there are lots of new ones at Ben Franklin Crafts. Finally, the cover is made from a piece of DCWV paper from the Nursery pack. I thought the sparkly dots looked very Eastery. Oh yes, instead of the lanyard hook that I used in the Girl's Day project (see previous post), I used a ball chain. (I happened to have a pink one but a gold or silver ball chain should not be hard to find.)

The next second glance project is the bag vase using the mini acrylic dots. Awhile ago I purchased the cute manicure tools sold at Ben Franklin Crafts (next to the cash register). I was planning to give them away as party favors but couldn't think of a way to fancy it up. More recently a sweet young lady gave me some Graphic 45 paper (brownish version) some of which had the same glamour girl look as the manicure tools. By framing just a small piece of the paper I was able to use it to cover up the Sierra Pacific label on the bag. I also added extra acrylic dots so that the manicure tools would stand up taller. The black and white version is actually the back of the vase which was made using a rubber stamp image and a fancy silver paper for framing. I think this version of the project would be great as wedding shower favors especially if you use a stamped wedding image.

Pen Holder Bag Vase

Did the title of this post make you say, "Huh?". Well it all began at the bank where I was sitting at a desk signing some forms. On the desk was a jar vase that held some pebbles and pens. The trouble was that the pebbles were too big and so the pens didn't really stand up properly. My crafter brain silently said, "She should use some acrylic dewdrops to fill the jar instead of pebbles". I left the bank and went on to shopping at my favorite store, Ben Franklin Crafts. The acrylic dewdrops were still on my mind because I knew that some new smaller ones had come in and I hadn't purchased every single color. (If you are a real crafter you are obsessed with having every color, size, and style .....yes, you know what I mean.) Anyway I bought the ones I needed and took them home with a bunch of other fun craft items. As soon as I arrived home I opened one of the clear bags and noticed that they were amazingly sturdy and the right size to use for party favors. The only thing that detracted from their appearance was the Sierra Pacific label which was adhered very well and left a gummy residue when I tried to remove it. I decided that covering the labels with ribbon was an easy solution. Next I stuck in some pens (I had some pink Sharpies) added a snippet of an artificial cherry blossom branch (from Ben Franklin Crafts) and ta-da.... a quick, inexpensive, and practical party favor/table decoration. The color combinations with the dewdrops and ribbon are endless and even the flowers and pens could be varied to suit your needs. (You could even decorate Sierra Pacific plain pens that BFC carrries to match your color theme.)

Anyway, I hope this post has given a glimpse into the reason sometimes I have a blank expression and seem to be lost in thought everywhere, especially at Ben Franklin Crafts. Hopefully, exercising the creative parts of my brain will keep me young! Thanks for reading through this very long, rambling chatterblog post.

Portable Post-It

This project was a product of necessity. I never seem to have a post-it handy when I need one, especially when I am not at home and I need to mark a page of something I'm reading. I used the leftover paper from the last project (it was two sided Imaginisce) , a 7/8"x 2-7/8" post-it page marker pad, and Dandelion Design rubber stamps. I was able to easily make this post-it booklet portable by punching a hole in the booklet with a Crop-A-Dile Big Bite and adding a jump ring (I used a 10mm jumpring but 12mm would be better.) and a Darice lanyard hook (in metallic pink). Now this little post-it booklet can be attached to my purse, folder, laptop, or cell phone. The Dandelion Design rubber stamps used were last year's editions (I only inked up some of the words on the stamp with words) but I've seen the new sets of DD non-wooden stamps at Ben Franklin Crafts and I think the Girl's Day set would be perfect for this project. I'm going to get the set tomorrow. I hope they haven't all sold out. I already missed some of the other sets...hopefully they'll get restocked soon. Ah, Friday....BFC shopping day! See you there!

Thanks for visiting this blog site and leaving your lovely comments. I appreciate the feedback.

Easy Girl's Day Notebook Project

When I first saw the Sierra Pacific undecorated folder with notepad, pen, and post-it tabs, I knew that I had to turn it into a handbag. However, due to trips I put it on the shelf and only when I found the Imaginisce Garen Party Brambleberry Blossoms paper did I get inspired to make the project. Because the paper looked like cherry blossoms I thought that the notebook purse would be a great Girls' Day (March 3rd) gift.

I started by cutting the printed 12x12 paper into an 8x12 piece. Using Merikan tape ( the wide width), I adhered the paper to the folder, wrapping it around the bottom to cover the spiral edge. Next I used the Cuttlebug embossing folder to impress the alligator-look on the brown (walnut) Bazzill 12x12 paper. (You don't need to emboss the whole sheet.) Cut two 8"x 2-1/2" pieces and use the folder to trace the 'handle' on each piece. With a craft knife and ruler cut the sides of the two oval holes and use a scissors to cut the rounded parts of the holes. (Cut carefully so that the ovals can be used as the closure strap.) If desired all the parts can be rubbed with brown ink (Distress Ink) to highlight the embossed design. With Merikan tape adhere the 'leather-look' pieces to the purse folder. Finally add a brad to the front of one of the cut out straps and tape the other strap to the back to cover the brad fastener arms. Put an adhesive Velcro dot under the decorative brad end of the strap and tape down the other end in the back. If you don't have an embossing folder you can use faux leather paper or crinkle your own before adding distress ink. Also a button would work instead of a brad. This simple project will make good craft fair items because the undecorated Sierra Pacific product from Ben Franklin Crafts costs only $2.99! You could also make a fancier version with a monogram or hand colored stamped image for a special friend. Well, go make some smiles.....craft!

Smooch!

I just finished this card and then I saw the Hallmark channel movie titled, Smooch. It was about a little girl who kisses a frog and thinks it turned into a prince for her unmarried mom...so cute! Anyway, I made this quickie card for my husband who has always treated me like a princess and imagines that he is more like a frog than a prince. But I assure him that I would never, ever kiss a frog no matter what he promised. I only hope that it doesn't happen in reverse because I am content with my prince and don't want to wake up next to a frog. Hope you've found your prince for Valentine's Day.....if not, we have a pond with lots of frogs we want to get rid of....Happy Love Day!

P.S. If you do use the DieCut Cardmaking paper from the K and Co. pad you should cut a little off the top so that when you fold it it will fit into a standard envelope. What I like about this paper pad is that the bottom edge is fancy and both sides of the cardstock are printed. If the pads haven't sold out, you will find them and other Valentine items on sale for 25% off at Ben Franklin Crafts.

Gift and Card all-in-one

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY! CARIN AND REGINA!

Going on a trip to the CHA (Craft Hobby Association) show and coming back one week before Valentine's Day makes it hard to create everything before the 14th. I wanted to give something small to our hard working office 'daughters' but didn't have the time to make an elaborate card so I decided to just do fancy labels over the bags. I already had in my stash some stamped and colored 'The Greeting Farm' images ( I stamp lots at one time and color in front of the TV when I feel like it). It was simple to fold the Bo Bunny 6x6 paper in half and staple it to the Heiko cellophane bag. (Ben Franklin Crafts has lots of new bags including a cherry blossom one which would be perfect for Girl's Day.) I used the border punch that comes in the Martha Stewart set (which includes a corner punch so you can punch completely around a paper if you desire) and a $1.25 Studio G stamp. Don't forget to check out the Valentine supplies which are now on 25% off at BFC. Shopping now for next year means I get great bargains and a head start on next Valentine's Day!