A Tisket, A Tasket

It's time for an Easter basket! When I saw Carrie Gaskin's card where she explained how she took her oval punches and made an Easter basket, I looked at my Petal Cone die and the scallop edged half circle that is created, and then I pondered the half circle flaps on the cone, I thought I had the makings of my own Easter basket WITHOUT the punches!

Here's how I made this sweet basket. I used Sahara Sand card stock and ran my Petal Cone die through the Big Shot. This gave me 2 scallop edge half circles and 2 half circles that I could cut away from the cone shape. I used Carrie's tip and created a basket weave look using my Sahara Sand marker and a ruler. Then I trimmed the scallop edge horizontally and removed 2 of the scallops. I punched holes in the scallops using my Mat Pack. To make the handle, I cut a rim off the second half circle and adhered it to the back side of the basket base.

Then it came time to make the eggs. I wanted not a round shape, but an oval, because eggs are more ovals than balls. I grabbed my 3-Heart Punch and punched out hearts in almost every color from the Brights collection, using the fattest of the hearts. Then I cut the heart in half and adhered half of it to the basket, arranging them so that they looked like they were laying against each other. Some Daffodil Delight 1/4" grosgrain ribbon, and the basket was complete!

I used a frame left over from cutting out a Top Note with the Big Shot and created some grass using a strip of Certainly Celery and my Paper Snips. The sentiment is from a retired set, Well Scripted. This was stamped in Pacific Point so that every color in the Brights collection would be used!

If you'd like to make this Easter basket card, join me April 16 at my monthly Stamp Camp at my house! Just leave a comment to RSVP or to inquire about details.

Christmas Photo Card with Stand

I've had photo cards on the brain the past few weeks, and today's example is a throwback of sorts to a style card I made a few of earlier this year: the easel card. Those I've made before have been 4"x 4", but I wanted something that would accommodate a typical 4" x 6" picture. Well, this one does--almost. But who will miss the bottom .5" of most of your portraits anyway?

This really is quick and easy and can be gussied up or simplified, depending on the amount of time you want to invest. Since I would bet that a photo packaged this way will get more desk or mantle time than others that arrive this Christmas, I say the time spent is worth it. Again I have to give props to Penny Wessenaur who posted the measurements for the creation of this type of card. My design was inspired by Diana Gibbs.

The base of this 4.25" x 11" card, scored at 2.75" and 5.5" along the 11" length, is Always Artichoke. I was tired of Old Olive and Garden Green's just a little too green for my taste. I cut a second piece of 4.25" x 5.5" for mounting on top of the part that becomes the easel.

I ran a piece of Real Red through the Big Shot twice, once with the Top Note die and a second time with the Petals a Plenty Textured Impressions Folder. Poinsettias! I added a matting of Very Vanilla, 4" x 5.25". It just seemed too dark without it.

I stamped the little Merry Christmas from Season of Joy and added the swirls from that set on either side. I stamped the poinsettia in Versamark on Real Red and popped it up on a dimensional. The Victoria Crochet Trim was added on a piece of Always Artichoke card stock to create a sort of ledge for the easel part to rest against.

The best feature of this design is that it folds flat for mailing. This will mail without any extra postage added. If you'd like to see the other photo card options I've come up with for this season, just click here. Click here and here to see two others that could be used as photo cards. Happy crafting!

Christmas Decor without a Speck of Green

It seems there are no rules when it comes to what is considered Christmas colors. A few years ago, when pink was added, I wondered if people had lost their minds. PINK?! Royal blue and navy have been part of traditional Christmas color schemes, paired with gold and silver, but lately light blue, as in BABY blue, has found a place.

If you can't tell by now, I'm a traditional red and green kind of gal when it comes to decorating for Christmas. But this year, I saw a color combination that changed my views. Cherry Cobbler, Baja Breeze, Very Vanilla, and Crumb Cake.

I know! Can you believe it? But as soon as I saw it I was lovin' it, and I knew it would only be a matter of time before I caved and made something for the holidays with this palette.

This ornament and candle set is the result of that creative catalyst. I received the Northern Frost Decorative Strip Die for the Big Shot Friday, and I knew at once that I wanted to break it in by making Baja Breeze snowflakes. The rest evolved from there.

The base is a Cherry Cobbler cut out of the Top Note Bigz Die. The Crumb Cake layer is also a cut out of the die, but the perforated edge has been removed to create a layer. I also ran a strip of Very Vanilla through the Big Shot with the die and stamped the greeting from Seasonal Sentiments on it to complete the package. Then I added the snowflakes! This strip has 8 snowflakes in various sizes and all have intricate details you'd expect to find when viewing a snowflake, all able to be punched out after they're cut. They're BEAUTIFUL!

The ribbon is a three-layered creation of retired Baja Breeze ribbon, 1/2" Cherry Cobbler seam binding from the current Holiday Mini, and retired Crumb Cake 3/8" taffeta ribbon. I started out with just the CC seam binding, but it wasn't sturdy enough.

The back of the ornament has plenty of space for writing a special message to friends and family. That way, when the recipient pulls it out with the rest of the ornaments yearly, you will be part of their decorating and celebrating! I also think this has potential as a photo card, but the only suggestion is that the picture be in portrait orientation. Landscape orientation works, but it's not the full size of the die.

Now about the candle...I was making a banana run (translation? a quick in and out stop, but not for produce) to Walmart the other day and I came across these little candles--for $1! Who doesn't want a little candle on hand for those times when you need to infuse a little aromatherapy into an environment? Well, I snatched up a few and after the ornament came together, I thought I'd try my hand at snazzing up this little jar. A simple 1.5" x 8.5" strip of Baja Breeze, a thinner strip of Very Vanilla, a few Cherry Cobbler snowflakes, and some hemp twine, and I was in business! The lid is covered with a 1.75" scalloped circle, a 1 3/8" circle, and a snowflake. Seriously simple but simply adorable!

These are going to be mass produced for friends and family this year, as we don't have a lot of money but we'd like to give something in celebration of the relationships we've been blessed with.

Top Note Tent Card

Better late than never! That's my motto for today. I committed to posting something today, and it may be late, but I'm not going to bed until I do!

I found out last night that the mother of a friend of mine passed away. I needed to get a card in the mail, and today's tutorial on SCS for tent cards helped me get the job done. Of course, I couldn't just do it the easy way the way Beate recommended, but with enough adapting, I achieved the look I wanted and had a card that would stand up on my friend's desk to remind her that I care.

The flowers are from Fifth Ave. Floral, and the mat they're placed on is called a Top Note Bigz Die for the Big Shot. I used this because it is new to me, and because I don't have a die that will cut a single circle big enough to serve as a window for an object. I colored the flowers with Rose Red markers after stamping them on Pretty in Pink card stock. The sentiment is from Because I Care.

I'll write a message on the back of this and hope that my friend is encouraged when it arrives.

We Gathered Together...

What a fun day yesterday was! Six women gathered here and made oodles of Christmas cards that the people in their lives are going to be SO blessed by. I didn't get pictures of everyone, but this one shows the "togetherness" that crafting was. I don't have a ton of table space, so the gals were elbow to elbow as they stamped, punched, tied ribbon, and heat embossed. It's what I think quilting circles used to be like. Chatting and being productive--multitasking at its best!

One of the reasons my SAS was successful was because of a new friend named Patti Montijo. She is an AMAZING card artist, and she has a HUGE and BEAUTIFUL crafting space full of SU! (and other) supplies. Well, on Tuesday I realized I didn't have enough Kraft card stock for all the card fronts that my SAS required. So I sent out an emergency SOS to Patti, and she saved the day by mailing me 10 sheets of said paper. Along with it, she sent a little note, made with a Top Note Sizzix die and an adorable pumpkin. As I was looking at it, I figured out that I could recycle it into a quick and beautiful Thanksgiving card for my stash! A little Haiku DSP, some Old Olive card stock, and it's DONE!

I think this brings the count down to 7 that I need to make, so I think I'll make my deadline. The sentiment I used on the Thanksgiving card is from God's Blessings, and reads, "Blessings brighten when we count them! Thank you for blessing my life in such a wonderful way!" That's how I feel about all of you who read this blog and share crafting with me. Know that you are very much appreciated, even if you don't comment often or at all. I know you're out there, and I'm thankful for the cyber community.

Now I have to get back to my craft room! More coming in awhile!