Trying Out the Eclips Machine

Yes, I finally broke down and invested in an Eclips machine. After seeing guest crafter Cheryl Miyashiro (on the Joy of Crafting) cut out really neat paper projects on the Eclips machine, I knew I NEEDED one. At first I didn't set it up right, but through the kind help from the crew at the Hilo Ben Franklin Crafts, my Eclips is up and running. I just had to show you a few of the items I cut out in a matter of a few minutes. I haven't glued down the parts or decorated the items, but I was excited to tell you how easy it all was to do even for a very technically handicapped crafter. I usually hate figuring out technical stuff but this machine is not that difficult, if you read the manual. I have the Cricut too, but I think the Eclips is a little easier and I don't have to keep refering to the manual as the Eclips tells you when you need to make some adjustments to the size or pressure. The best part is that the Eclips machine scores really well, making boxes and cards a breeze. I'm a happy crafter tonight and I plan to decorate some of the stuff I cut out and I have an idea for two wedding cards I need to mail. I know that the Eclips machine is going to save me lots of time. Thanks for reading this post. I hope it has given you some feedback about the Eclips machine. Please stop by again to see my upcoming Eclips creations.

Sausalito Rock Sculpture

While visiting one of our favorite spots, Sausalito, we happened upon an Asian man doing some rock scuptures at the edge of the water. It was such a beautiful day that even the sea gulls flocked around to enjoy the sunshine and scuptures. My husband took this very beautiful picture of one of the best natural art pieces. I thought you would enjoy the magnificent elegance of the rocks which were just balanced carefully and not fastened down in any way......truly amazing!

The bottom photo is of some Valentine treats simply wrapped in double sided cardstock (they were the same paper sheet) and fancied up with stamped and cut out images. The 'HUG' stamp was from a Hero Arts set and the 'ours is a fine Romance' is a G Studio stamp. The words and labels were inked with G studio chalk ink in the round containers. The ink pads are juicy, convenient, space-saving, deliver a soft distressable color, and the screw on lids make them quite air-tight, plus they cost only $1.25! Woot woot what a bargain! Oh yes, the labels were cut out with a Cuttlebug embossing folder. Decorating a chocolate bar is a quick way to make a simple gift special. Have a crafty weekend!

Asian Valentine Card

As promised, I finished this card just in time for Valentine's Day. Happy Valentine's Day everyone in blogland! This card was inspired by the Valentine Sister Stamps and some cards sent to us by friends in Japan. I started to notice that many of the Japanese greeting cards had a piece of printed washi paper or Japanese print that extended from the front of the card to the back. I really liked this effect so I stamped the Hero Arts background stamp in black on the red card. (The texture of the red paper gives the stamped design a fabric-like appearance.) Then it was easy work to stamp and heat emboss the G-Studio 'Be Mine' stamp in gold. The Copic colored Sister Stamp images were attached to the card with coils of wire (like the one shown on the last posted card). Oh, here's a tip that I discovered while working on this card: If you have trouble coloring black Asian hair try coloring the hair completely black with Copic ink then going back with a slightly moistened white watercolor pencil to add the highlights.

The big Inkadinkado plastic square is a handle for extra large stamps like the Hero Arts background Clings stamp. The grid on the piece makes it easy to align stamp designs and the tray-like shape allows for easy holding and pressing. If you cannot find this product in the rubber stamp area of Ben Franklin Crafts, it maybe in the printable fabrics and inks aisle, alongside the selection of super Inkadinkado design sets. Well, I hope you learned something from this post and enjoyed the special Valentine card I made for all of you. Thank you for visiting my blog and please return often. If you have the time I would love it if you left a comment. Enjoy a day of LOVE!

A Bobble Bear Valentine Card

I thought today was Valentine's Day but I was one day off so I still have time to make the one more V-Day card I had planned. Here is the second to last Valentine that I am making before putting away my pretty heart-shaped supplies. I used the cute Dandelion Design fuzzy bear stamp set with the candy box. To give the card a little more movement I mounted the bear on a spring made from wire. (I got this idea from the CHA show where one booth was showing a product that looked like a plastic spring for scrapbooking animation.) My hand shaped wire spring was cheaper and very easy to adhere with Fabri-Tac glue. The colorful strips of paper in the background are adhesive border strips from Martha Stewart. I cut them in a block and used the edge to hold down the ribbon. The bear was colored with watercolor pencils and the rest of the stamped images were colored with Copic pens. Doodlebug glitter was added to the candy box for a little bling. Well, I hope you are all set for the big LOVE day. I'll try to finish my last card tomorrow and post it too! Happy Valentine's day!

Home Sweet Home

Ah, it's so nice to be home again. I was on a long two-week trip to California which was relaxing and interesting. The main focus of my trip was attending the Craft and Hobby Association show in Anaheim. The show was somewhat quieter than previous ones, but that allowed me to see more and try out some of the new products. I particularly liked Tim Holtz's new line as I am a fan of the steampunk look. There were some new products that I think caught the eyes of the Ben Franklin Crafts team and I will be eagerly awaiting the appearance of the crafty goodies in the BFC stores. The photo below shows the hard-working BFC group taking a break.....I asked them to put their beers under the table.....just joking. The other photos are some CHA displays that I loved. I plan to take some of the basic sketches and incoporate them in my future craft projects. I'm such a copy cat.....meeeeoow! Well, I'll write more later about our trip but first I need to nap and try to get rid of my cold.

Beading Magazines at Ben Franklin Crafts

Without Borders to supply me with new beading books and magazines I am grateful that Ben Franklin Crafts is starting to stock an even greater assortment of craft books. A quick glance at the book rack at the back of the Hilo BFC store yielded the three publications in this photo. These were new to me and contained interesting new beaded designs for me to try. I am a novice knitter but I think I'll give the knitted bracelets a try as they are beautiful and seem easy. The projects in the Bead Chic softcover book are very fashionable and should be a cinch to create from the photos and instructions. Although we don't have real seasons in Hawaii, most women will admit to having a preference for a certain seasonal palette. This book is a good one to consider as it will show you how to design jewelry with seasonal colors in mind for your gifts or customers. I hope you will take time to browse the book and magazine racks at the Ben Franklin Crafts stores as I'm sure you'll find some great publications to spark your creativity. Hope you're having a marvelous day. Thanks for stopping to read this post!

Perfumed Valentine Box

The Sizzix die-cut heart box is one of my favorite easy-to-assemble Valentine treat boxes. This year to change it up I decided to cover the box with scented drawer liner paper. My liner paper was from my hoarded stash but I'm sure you can find scented drawer liners at many fancy perfume/soap stores or online. I started the box by cutting two boxes, one of lavendar card stock and one of drawer liner paper. Then I applied Alene's quick dry Tacky glue to the card stock and carefully matched the liner paper on top. While the glue was still damp, I folded the box on the score lines. Once the glue was really dry, I assembled the box, added the satin ribbon, and perfume label. The label was easily made by stamping the Hero Arts design (from the Make You Happy set available at Ben Franklin Crafts) on the leftover card stock, using a purple pigment ink and embossing it with crystal powder. (I cut the bottom corners of the label so that the label would fit better on the box.) I think I will fill my boxes this year with perfume and mini soaps. Have a sweet day!