Merry Christmas!! Rejoice in celebrating the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ! May His love surround you at Christmastime and always!!
Saturday, December 25, 2010
Monday, December 20, 2010
upcoming class
My next class at All About Pictures in Cedar Rapids, IA is coming up, so I thought I would share the details with my local readers, and my projects with all of you. The class uses tons of brand new Hero Arts stamps. The new catalog is amazing! You can see it HERE. This class is all about Distressing Inks from Ranger. Ever since watching Jennifer McGuire (brilliant and love her) use them, I can’t put the inks down. I will not admit how many new colors I have added to my stash. :)
Distressing Inks Class: Saturday, January 8. 1-3 pm. $10 + class supply fee. Call the store to sign up. (The link above will get you their number.)
Stamps-Hero Arts: CG277 Friends and Treasures, CG245 Classic Fabric Design, CG125 Friend Definition
Stamps-Hero Arts: CL481 Joy Ride, S5218 Modern Lines
Stamps-Hero Arts:CG 245 Classic Fabric Design, CG275 Birthday
Hope your holiday preparations are going well! For those of you traveling, I wish you great road conditions and safety! For those of you staying home, I wish you the best in your cooking and cleaning! :) thanks for stopping by!
Friday, December 17, 2010
joy
A layout for Spellbinders, using the Large Format dies. They work together perfectly to create frames, like the one surrounding the photo.
The photo is from the first night our little man rode in his swing. Those photos will always be some of my all-time favorites. There is quite a few from that night. :)
Anyone else not going to be ready before Christmas? :) thanks for stopping by!
Supplies: Spellbinders-Grand Circles, Grand Scalloped Circles, Standard Circles Large, Big Scalloped Circles Large, Patterned paper-Cosmo Cricket, Real Wood Paper-Creative Imaginations (Thin Cherry), Letter stickers-American Crafts, Tiny Type Stickers-Cosmo Cricket
***FYI-From i {heart} papers : Did you know that this today is National Free Shipping Friday? I didn't know such a thing existed, but alas it does. So, IHP is offering FREE SHIPPING ON ALL US orders (no minimums!) and 50% off on Canadian shipping. All other international customers will be invoiced for full shipping charges. Sorry! (Canadian customers PLEASE READ: When you enter the code it will zero out your shipping but I will invoice you for the 50% off. It's a limitation of the shopping cart and it can't place country restrictions on promotional codes.) Please use promo code: freeshipdt
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
bedtime playlist
Pop on over to The Scrap Review and read about what inspired this layout.
A close-up look at the journaling piece. I stamped the handwriting line from Mint Motif School Basics onto cardstock. The numbers were also stamped and they came from I’ve Got Your Number.
thanks for stopping by!
Supplies: Stamps-Mint Motif (School Basics, I’ve Got Your Number), Patterned paper-Cosmo Cricket (Joy Ride), Cardstock-Core’dinations, Ink-Palette (L’Amour, Water Lily, Terra Cotta Tile), Letter stickers-Thickers (American Crafts)
Sunday, December 12, 2010
Virtual Cookie Swap
A few friends, who love to bake, and let’s face it, eat the baked goods, were all brought together by AJ Otto for a virtual cookie swap. We can’t share for real, but we could take photos and share the recipes with each other and with you. Enjoy! :)
T & T Cookies
These little cookies are my absolute favorite Christmas cookie. Its like a mini chocolate chip cookie. They are fantastic, but get even better frozen! (Can you tell I used to sneak down to the freezer and snitch them? :))
The recipe makes a large batch, over 100 mini cookies. These are not the standard petit four wrappers, they are a size smaller. They can be tricky to find at stores, so I am sure to grab a couple packages when I see them.
These cookies are also usually frosted. But, you couldn’t really see what the cookie is about with that on top. You could eat them like this, but the frosting is worth it. And yes, I have added holly leaves and berries to each.little.cookie. Because I am crazy like that. :)
T & T Cookies:
3 1/4 c. finely crushed graham crackers
1 c. whipping cream
1 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. butter (and only butter)
1 pkg. mini chocolate chips
2 c. chopped walnuts
Mix first four ingredients together. Then add chocolate chips and walnuts. Fill the candy liners. (I find its easiest to roll little balls of dough.) Bake 375 degrees for 10 minutes.
Frosting:
1/3 c. butter
2 c. powdered sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 Tbsp. milk
Mix together with a mixer. Add more milk, if necessary. Color as desired. Frost each cookie. Get as crazy with decorating as you wish.
thanks for stopping by!
Friday, December 10, 2010
12 Trendy Days of Christmas: Day 12 Pennants
Let’s try this again, shall we? Sorry I was not around to fix this today. Hopefully for my wonderful email readers, by re-posting, it will mail again in the morning. Technology, love to hate it. :)
Stephanie Severin is playing along today. And Geny Cassady. Stop on over and be inspired.
On a side note, I got to meet Stephanie in real life yesterday. So wonderful! We have “known” each other online for years. It was a thrill!!!
Photos from Etsy
I think the pennant trend not a news flash to anyone. :) What’s not to love? I kept these ones simple and had fun adding tinsel trim. I would love to use large pennant shapes and create holiday banners to decorate my house. Maybe to hang on the mantel…so many ideas, so little time! :)
I sincerely hope you have enjoyed the 12 Trendy Days of Christmas! It was so much fun to play with my supplies, read your comments, and look at your beautiful projects!! A huge thank you to my friends who played along! Your projects were amazing and you are all so inspiring!!
With the craziness of the holidays approaching and myself being in the midst of creating large amounts of art for CHA (which is next month already), I am going to be taking a little break for a while. I will pop in here and there, but the posts will be scheduled.(who am I kidding, I will post in like a day, I can’t help myself, but I am going to try to pause :))
Thank you all for another wonderful year on my blog! I enjoy reading your comments, reading your emails and helping out when I can! Have a wonderful and blessed holiday season! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
sending you all hugs and thanks for always stopping by!
Supplies: Stamps-Hero Arts (Get Merry), Patterned paper-Basic Grey (Jovial), Chipboard-Maya Road, Tinsel-My Mind’s Eye, Ink-Ranger (Distressing-Vintage Photo)
In case you missed any of the days:
- Day One: Mercury Glass with a video tutorial
- Day Two: Folk Art
- Day Three: Felt
- Day Four: Bling
- Day Five: Damask
- Day Six: Non-traditional Colors
- Day Seven: Burlap
- Day Eight: Heirloom Ornaments
- Day Nine: Music
- Day Ten: Doilies
- Day Eleven: Trims
If you are curious about why I was so busy yesterday, I was filming my first television appearance, well, it was live. It was for the local news here in Cedar Rapids. I was representing All About Pictures, the local scrapbooking store I teach classes at. The segment about about handmade Christmas gifts. Check it out for all the wonderful projects that all the fabulous and talented teachers created. http://www.kcrg.com/news/local/Around-the-House-Homemade-for-the-Holidays-111677389.html
Thursday, December 9, 2010
12 Trendy Days of Christmas Day Eleven: Trims
The fabulous Teri Anderson is playing along today. You won't want to miss it! And so is Tobi Crawford. It is also a must-see!!
Photos from Etsy
Today is about trims. And maybe not just trims, but borders, and ribbon, and lace, and just plain old adding texture. For this card, I grabbed two sets of trim I had from My Mind’s Eye and their Portobello Road line. The tissue paper is stitched to the trim. The glittered ribbon is another trim, and the blue, shaped twine is yet another. I think they work so well together. It fun to pile them on and be girly.
Tomorrow is the last day of the series. Can you believe it? Have you been inspired? If you have, share your project by leaving a link in the comments! I have thoroughly enjoyed seeing the ones you have already shared-thanks! thanks for stopping by!
Supplies: Stamps-Hero Arts (Get Merry, Holiday Sayings (snowflake), Patterned paper-Basic Grey (Jovial 6x6), Trims-My Mind’s Eye (Portobello Road), Ink-Ranger (Distressing-Broken China)
In case you have been missing out:
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
12 Trendy Days of Christmas Day Ten: Doilies
As always, there is beautiful inspiration today!
Photos from Etsy
I love the latest rage of doilies. Soft, girlie, vintage, and shabby. Perfect for any Christmas project. For my card today, I grabbed the stamp, Circle Lace, from Hero Arts. I stamped the image twice and then applied a special mix of embossing powder and glitter. (Take an empty container and mix some glitter into your embossing powder. Highly technical. Hahahaha!:))
Here is a close up view of the stamped image.
Do you love doilies? Are you talented and can make your own (jealous!)? How would you use them on a Christmas project? I would love to see what you have been creating! Leave a link in the comments and show how you have been inspired by this series! thanks for stopping by!
Supplies: Stamps-Hero Arts (Circle Lace, Get Merry), Patterned paper-Cosmo Cricket (Mitten Weather 6x6), Ink-Ranger (Distressing-Pumice Stone), Tsukineko (Versamark Watermark), Embossing Powder-Stampendous (White Detail), Gems-Hero Arts (Hero Hues Sea Mixed Accents), Brad-My Mind’s Eye, Spellbinders-Create a Flake Two
In case you have been missing out:
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Winners!
Here are the three winners from the November Month of Gratitude blog candy! Congratulations to each of you! I will be sending you each paper crafting goodies! Please send your mailing address to Kimberly1Crawford@gmail.com
And thank you all again for sharing the things that you are thankful for in your life. It made me think about blessings in my life that I overlook. I am one blessed girl. And you all blessed me even more!!!!!
1.
LOVE this layout........the school lined paper stamp looks cool........today I'm thankful for my son's smiles and belly laughs!!
November 17, 2010 5:56 AM
2.
I think I speak for much of Chicagoland when I express gratitude for a solid Bears win! On a deeper level, it was nice to begin the day in worship with family and friends. Truly grateful for that freedom.
November 14, 2010 4:24 PM
3.
I am thankful to live in a country where I am free to express myself.
November 5, 2010 5:47 AM
12 Trendy Days of Christmas Day Nine: Music
Check out the inspiration my friends are providing today:
Photos from Pottery Barn
When I saw these photos from Pottery Barn, I went crazy. Talk about inspiring to me. They are me and exactly the look I want to create for the holidays. Click on the photos to see a better view. Especially on the dining room arrangement, I literally gasped with joy when I saw it. So, using these photos as inspiration, here is what I created…
Use for a menu or the invitation.
A small strip of stamped cardstock (with Music Background), backed with a piece of burlap.
A place card.
An ornament made from Spellbinders Standard Circles and Pinking Circles.
These projects all started in the same place, with stamping Music Background from Hero Arts in Frayed Burlap ink onto cardstock and then stamping the Classic Holly image, also from Hero Arts, in black ink. All the holly leaves were “painted” with Distressing Inks. I pushed the ink pads into a craft mat and misted it with water. Then I used a small brush to pick up the ink and paint.
What do you think? Are you inspired by the photos? Isn’t the music background classy and elegant? Would you make things for your table this Christmas? Will you? Share your projects by leaving a link in the comments, ok? thanks for stopping by!
Supplies: Stamps-Hero Arts (Classic Holly, Music Background, Get Merry, Holiday Sayings), Ink-Tsukineko (Memento-Tuxedo Black), Ink-Ranger (Distressing Ink-Frayed Burlap, Fired Brick, Peeled Paint, Scattered Straw), Glitter-Sparkle and Sprinkle, Stickles (Ranger-Star Dust), Spellbinders-Standard Circles Large, Pinking Circles Large
In case you have missed the previous days:
Monday, December 6, 2010
12 Trendy Days of Christmas Day Eight: Heirloom Ornaments
Check out these inspiring friends and their projects today:
Photo by me, taken at Target
The look of “heirloom” ornaments is everywhere, thanks to Spellbinders Heirloom Ornament 2010. The die template is absolutely stunning. And it gets even better! Gina K has a set of stamps that fits perfectly inside the die cut shape! Isn’t that image stunning? It was stamped onto cardstock and heat embossed with clear powder. Then I rubbed Distressing Ink over the surface. Using a small piece of low-tack tape, I then die cut the image.
Do you have ornaments that you have collected? Do these ornaments inspire you? I would love to see what you have been creating! Leave a link in the comments, so I can stop by! thanks for stopping by!
Supplies: Spellbinders-Heirloom Ornament, Stamps-Gina K (Heirloom Ornament stamps designed by Nina Brackett), Patterned paper-Basic Grey (Jovial 6x6), Ink-Ranger (Distressing-Vintage Photo, Peeled Paint), Tsukineko (Versamark Watermark), Embossing Powder-Stampendous (Clear Detail), Twine-May Arts, Brad-Kaiser Craft
In case you have been missing out:
Sunday, December 5, 2010
12 Trendy Days of Christmas Day Seven: Burlap
Day Seven: Burlap
And for tons of inspiration, check out these projects:
Photos from Pottery Barn
Burlap is everywhere. Of course, I am going to love it-its kraft colored! :) But seriously, its lovely, especially against the greens, reds, and golds, that are traditional Christmas colors.
Today’s project is part of a larger tablescape, that I cannot wait to share with you later in this series. The holly and berry image is from Hero Arts. It was stamped onto cardstock and “painted” with Distressing Inks. The soft look is just lovely.
This small burlap bag is very easy to make, and the best part, no sewing! It measures about 3.5” x 4”. Take a piece of burlap and cut it to your desired size. Fold the bottom up towards the top, leaving a flap. Apply glue (recommend Elmer’s Fabric Tacky Glue) along the two sides. Press it under something heavy and let it dry. Turn the bag inside out and you will get a seam, like shown in the picture above.
I did have trouble with my burlap fraying, but I added Fray Check, from the fabric store, to the edges, and then there was no issue.
Using my Crop O Dile, I punched two holes all the way through the flap (which was folded over). I tied a piece of ribbon through. It would be a great place to hang a gift tag.
Don’t you love burlap? Isn’t it elegant when paired with the right images? Are you inspired to create something? Please leave a link to your project in the comments section, as I would love to see! thanks for stopping by!
Supplies: Stamps-Hero Arts (Classic Holly), Distressing Inks (Peeled Paint, Fired Brick, Scattered Straw)
In case you have been missing out:
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