Life Is A Rollercoaster

While magazine perusing at Barnes and Noble, I spied some really cool dies that came FREE with a magazine. I snapped them up and intended to use them this summer, but alas the summer is over. Before I put away my summer craft supplies, I just had to use this set.  For me, summer fairs mean eating gobs of goodies, so the background paper for this card seemed appropriate.  It was super simple to die cut the pieces from red and yellow striped card stock.  The words took the longest to apply because I had to write away to England for the sentiment stamp set. As soon as it arrived, I used my MISTI tool (purchased at HM Ben Franklin Crafts) to guarantee that I stamped the words exactly where I wanted them to be.  This finished card makes me very happy because to me it captures the excitement of a fair and the sentiment is something I feel almost everyday!

Halloween Treat Box Tree

Even though we don't get many trick-o-treaters stopping at our house, I still like to make treat boxes to pass out to friends and family.  This year I found a new treat box Sizzix die at HM Ben Franklin Crafts.  It has a cute shape and is small so you don't need to go overboard on the sweets.  

I was very happy that the small size of the box allowed me to use up scrap Halloween papers from previous years.  Also I have lots of leftover Halloween ribbons, stickers and other decorations so it was satisfying to add them to the boxes.

If you don't have a stash of Halloween stuff, HM Ben Franklin Crafts has many delightful items to satisfy your crafting sweet tooth.  This year I will put homemade lip balm in some of the boxes because it is a no-calorie treat many friends would like more than candy. Hope you have spooky fun decorating and giving treat boxes this year.  Happy Halloween! 

Lip Balm Madness!

 I was extremely excited to see the lip balm, bath bomb, and soap making supplies at HM Ben Franklin Crafts.  I used to make soaps years ago when the stores carried the ingredients but making lip balm is something new for me.  Before adding the lip balm to the containers, I decorated them with washi tape or dried flowers.  With my finger I rubbed on liquid LED resin over the washi tape or flowers and set it with a LED light. Then, it was actually super easy to melt the lip balm mixture in the microwave (just a small amount in a paper cup) for about a minute. Next, you just need to add a tiny amount of colorant and few drops of scent. Stir and pour the fragrant liquid into the tube or small round container. My favorite flavors of lip balm are yummy strawberry and  refreshing mint.

 This lip balm container has mint scented lip balm so I opted not to add a colorant.  I found it very satisfying to make lip balm for myself and to give away as gifts.  They will be great alternatives for candy in my Halloween treat bags.  Please visit again to see some of the cool treat bags I will be passing out this year. Leave a sweet comment to this post if you want to make me smile. ;)

You Are Fabulous Thank You Card

 When we were younger, my sister and I would joke about my mother's flamboyant clothing and jewelry style, but now I find I am morphing into her. LOL! I have to resist choosing outrageous 'costumes' to just go shopping at the mall.  Anyway, this Penny Black image kind of embodies the inner me. (I've never owned frou-frou dogs though, as I am a former owner and trainer of German Shepherds.) I had fun making this card and stuck to my favorite colors pink, purple and aqua blue. It was simple to stamp the image on marker paper using the Misti stamping tool (purchased from HM Ben Franklin Crafts) to keep it positioned just right.  I colored the image with Copic markers and colored in the finer spaces with colored pencils.  For the background I used some grey blue lavender shades of Copic pens.  Then I covered the image with paper masks while I flicked my brush( dipped in Ken Olive silver metallic ink) over everything. For even more bling, I added some tiny pink/purple sequins and an eye-catching feather.  Making this card made me feel like I was strutting down Fifth Avenue! Hahaha!

Washi Paper Heart-shaped Resin Pendants with Pearls

On a previous post, I said I would try to make resin pendants using washi paper.  I think these were successful experiments.  I used the new LED resin and LED light. I was very pleased with the way the resin released from the mold and the smooth glassy feeling of the finished pieces. 

I placed a layer of colored resin in first and hardened it before adding the layer of clear with the washi paper that was cut to fit the heart mold.  It is hard to know how the resin will affect the washi paper color.  The upper left portion of the washi paper heart was pink but as you can see when it was encased in the resin it became a light grey (which actually looks better than the original color).

This green resin heart pendant was enhanced with three pearls which are only half way in the resin.  A whole strand of colorful drilled baroque pearls was purchased from HM Ben Franklin Crafts for under $10....a real bargain!  (The drilled holes are not visible in the finished piece.) I love the way the gold ink on the washi paper shimmers from within the resin pieces.The gold filled bails (from BFC) were affixed with resin and hardened under the LED light.  (Tip: I used Fun-Tak to hold the bail in place while hardening the resin.) Of the resins I've tried, I like this one the best because it hardens very quickly to a super clear, smooth finish.  Please continue to visit my blog site to see my latest creations and experiments. I would appreciate feedback too if you have time to leave a comment. Mahalo!

Double Monkey Thank You Card

Two very dear friends of ours recently sent us a sweet 'grandparents' gift. Yes, my husband and I are finally GRANDPARENTS!  Our identical twin grandsons arrived two months early so it's been a tenuous five weeks but I am happy to say that they are doing very well and may even go home soon.  I designed this card to convey the cuteness of my grandsons...hopefully they won't be double-trouble monkeys!  To make the 'thank you' stand out, I die cut it from pink shimmer paper (DCVW available from HM Ben Franklin Crafts) but it was too light colored so I enhanced the pink with a Copic pen....yes, the shimmer still remains even after coloring.  The blue plaid card stock cut with the Lawn Fawn scallop square is supposed to represent a baby blanket.  To make the monkeys seem furry I stamped the image on watercolor paper and colored it in with Copic markers.  Because watercolor paper is very absorbent the ink bleeds making the edges fuzzy.  A final touch was the addition of Amy Tangerine blue epoxy hearts.  This was a very simple card but I hope it conveys my sincere thanks to our very thoughtful friends.

Kimono Silk Fabric and Pearls In Resin Pendants

 I've been experimenting with embedding antique silk kimono fabric in resin.  I started with a plain square silicon mold and the original UV light liquid resin.  Both of these supplies can be purchased at HM Ben Franklin Crafts.  First a thin layer of resin was put into the mold and hardened. Next a tiny swatch of kimono silk was laid on top and more resin was added. After hardening, the pearl(s) were place strategically  and more resin was dripped in to fill the mold before setting under the UV light.

 The top pendant photographed better than the bottom one but I think the bottom pendant looks more attractive in real life.  I used silk cording on the first resin pendant and like the way it blends in with the pendant.

 For this pendant, I decided to attach a silver plated chain.  It gives the resin jewelry a clean, more modern look.  All the metal findings were purchased at HM Ben Franklin Crafts.  I would have used sterling silver findings but the bails that were attached to both sides of the pendants (with resin) were not sterling so I decided to use silver plate metal findings to match. 

Here is a look at the closures for the jewelry.  I think the pearls on the end of the chains add a pretty, dainty touch.  Next, I plan to experiment with enclosing washi paper in resin pendants....imagine the possibilities!