I love you jar with Avocado Arts

Let me start this post off with wishes for a very Happy New Year!!!

Today’s project from Avocado Arts again features the latest set, Sweet Treat Sweetie.

The background behind the jar was die cut and then stamped with the x’s and o’s image. The jar was stamped onto patterned paper, cut out, and foam mounted to the rectangle. Each heart was also stamped onto patterned paper and foam mounted to the inside of the jar. The tag was tied to the jar with twine, after it was stamped (via masking) with the sentiment.

Be sure and stop by the rest of the team to be inspired!

Avocado Arts Blog
AJ Otto
Latisha Yoast
Julia Stainton
Becky Oehlers

And there is very exciting news from Avocado Arts! There are new members joining the team!!

• Emily Branch
• Kelley Eubanks
• Emily Leiphart
• Savannah O’Gwynn

Be sure and stop by and visit them and welcome them!! And they will be posting their projects on January 7th!

thanks for stopping by!

~kimberly

Supplies: Stamps-Avocado Arts (Sweet Treat Sweetie), Patterned paper-Lily Bee Designs (Memoranda), Ink-Memento (Tuxedo Black), Distressing-Ranger (Frayed Burlap), Twine-May Arts, Spellbinders-Rectangles LG, Standard Scalloped Rectangles LG, Tags Five

happy heart day peek from Avocado Arts

Today it’s a look at Sweet Treat Sweetie, the next release from Avocado Arts! Hard to believe its time to think about the next holiday! ;)

The background of this card was stamped several times in different colors of ink. (The stamp image itself has three rows of x’s and o’s.) To make it easy, I used a Clearsnap Colorbox Chalk Queue set of inks. They are five inks, stacked up, that all coordinate.

The extra touch to this card is the stamped button. Yep, I cannot get enough of those wood buttons. Perfect for making your own embellishments! This button was sanded first, then using Palette ink, I stamped the heart image. Tie some twine through the button and you are done. Lots of possibilities with that idea.

Hope you are enjoying your holidays! thanks for stopping by!

Be sure and stop by the rest of the team to be inspired!

Avocado Arts Blog
AJ Otto
Latisha Yoast
Julia Stainton
Becky Oehlers

~kimberly

Supplies: Stamps-Avocado Arts (Sweet Treet Sweetie), Ink-Clearnsnap Colorbox Chalk (Rose Petals), Button-Maya Road, Twine-Martha Stewart, Spellbinders-Lacey Pennants

card and a tutorial at CardMaker

Today is my FIRST blog post over at Cardmaker Magazine’s blog! Stop on over and find out more about my article in the January 2012 issue and how to make this card!

thanks for stopping by!

~kimberly

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas to you and yours! May the next year bring many blessings to your life!

Luke 2; The Birth of Jesus

¹ In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. ² (This was the first census that took place while^[a] Quirinius was governor of Syria.) ³ And everyone went to their own town to register.

⁴ So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. ⁵ He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. ⁶ While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, ⁷ and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.

⁸ And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. ⁹ An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. ¹⁰ But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. ¹¹ Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. ¹² This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

¹³ Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,

¹⁴ “Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

¹⁵ When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

¹⁶ So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. ¹⁷ When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, ¹⁸ and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. ¹⁹ But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. ²⁰ The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

Jesus is the reason for the season.

~kimberly

CardMaker Blog Team Hop

Welcome to the first CardMaker Blog Team Hop featuring last minute Christmas cards. Also known as quick and easy and I have too much going on cards! :)

Quick and easy cards, at least to me, mean a small number of supplies and a basic design that is effortless to re-create several times over. While thinking about this hop, I went wandering in Michael’s. Already marked down on clearance (which makes this even better!), was a package of decorative tape and a package of dimensional star stickers. Perfectly coordinated for me by Martha Stewart (ha ha), I knew I had found my solution.
My three supplies:

• Decorative Tape
• Dimensional Stickers
• White cardstock

For this card, I placed two pieces of decorative tape across the center of the card. The tape overlapped the edges and I trimmed away the excess with a pair of scissors. I added the star sticker to the right side, over the tape. Then added a sentiment by cutting the words from another roll of decorative tape. Total time: 3 minutes, maybe.

For this one, same thing. Layer the decorative tape across the card and trim the excess. While placing the worded tape, I made sure that the words “Merry Christmas” were in the center of the card. Three dimensional stickers were added around the sentiment and voila, another card done. Total time: 3 minutes. Again, that’s generous.

Check out what the rest of the team has created! Hey look, that’s 5 (or more) cards for you to use if you are running behind, like me! :)
Tami Mayberry
Carolyn King
Trudy Sjolander
Colleen Schaan
Kimberly Crawford *you are here*

Have a wonderful weekend and thanks for stopping by!

~kimberly
Supplies: Stickers and decorative tape-Martha Stewart, Cardstock-Neenah (Solar White)

A homemade Christmas gift with Avocado Arts

Having cute dish towels is something I love to have in the kitchen. Nothing like adding a bit of holiday décor or just some fun personality to the room! These plain dish towels were a great find at my local fabric store. They are made for decorating, typically with stitching, but Brrr! and the Nerdy Snow Peeps stamp set from Avocado Arts (and those stinking cute snowmen) were perfect to use! This is a quick project, which makes it a perfect gift to make for someone this holiday season!

Here is a look at the stamping on the towel. If you are going to do this, here are some tips, well, instructions for what you need to do, if you want the stamping to stick around. :)

• Wash the towel/s first. No dryer sheets or fabric softener, though.
• Stamp on a single layer of towel and consider putting a piece of scrap paper underneath to save on your stamping surface. If you stamp on all the layers, your image will go through to the underside.
• Use PALETTE inks from Stewart Superior. These are hybrid inks made for this type of application.
• Heat set the image using an iron. Place another dish towel over your stamped image before you iron, to help avoid burning.

The towels were simply wrapped with ribbon and a tag. The ribbon was cut to wrap around the towels and was fastened together with a large glue dot.
The tag was die cut and stamped. Chalkstock was used and it takes ink beautifully! Versamagic Cloud White was used. Keep in mind this is a juicy pigment ink, so it needs dry time or a little help from a heat gun. The tag was tied to the ribbon with a piece of twine and a cute wood button.

And here is a sneak peek of the next kit being released, Sweet Treat Sweetie. Stop back on December 30 for the full reveal!
Be sure and stop by and visit the rest of the team to be inspired!
Avocado Arts Blog
Latisha Yoast
Julia Stainton
Becky Oehlers
thanks for stopping by!
~kimberly
Supplies: Stamps-Avocado Arts (Brrr! and the Nerdy Snow Peeps), Ink-Palette (Noir, L’Amour), Versamagic (Cloud White), Chalkstock-Canvas Corp, Twine-Martha Stewart, Ribbon-Making Memories, Button-Maya Road, Towels-Hancock Fabrics, Spellbinders (tag no longer available)

joy

The grand re-decoration of the “department store” tree has begun! (The name my husband has given the upper level Christmas tree.) The burlap ribbon is wonderful looking, especially for the cat who thinks it’s a treat. Yikes. :) Jingle bells have been added to the snowflakes already hanging on the tree. It still needs more, but I am enjoying the hunt. This past weekend, I knew I wanted to make some ornaments for the tree. I was inspired by last year’s Pottery Barn catalog. (You can see the projects for table décor and the original ornament I made last year on this post HERE.)

These only took a couple of hours and I made 20 of them. Here are the instructions.

1. Die cut cardstock with Spellbinders S4-172 Pinking Circles. Add Stickles to the edges. Set aside to dry.
2. Die cut cardstock with Spellbinders S4-114 Standard Circles LG.
3. Stamp Holly Leaves with black ink onto the cardstock circle.
4. Stamp Music Background with Frayed Burlap distressing Ink over the top.
5. Add Scattered Straw distressing ink to the center of the ornament, avoiding the leaves. No worries on perfection, though.:)
6. Apply Peeled Paint and Fired Brick distressing inks onto a craft mat.
7. Spritz lightly with water.
8. Using a paintbrush, paint the leaves and berries. Again, not worrying about perfection. And to add more depth, add another layer of ink, or use less water when spritzing.
9. Stamp Joy with black ink.
10. Ink edges with Frayed Burlap ink.
11. Assemble.

Sickness is still in our house. Hoping this week will mark the end for the poor little man. We have important Christmas activities to participate in! Hope you and yours are well. thanks for stopping by!

~kimberly

Supplies: Stamps-Hero Arts (Music Background Cling, Get Merry, Classic Holly Cling),  Ink-Memento (Tuxedo Black), Ranger Distressing Inks (Fired Brick, Peeled Paint, Scattered Straw, Frayed Burlap, Stickles-Ranger (StarDust), Twine-May Arts, Spellbinders-S4-172 Pinking Circles SM, S4-114 Standard Circles LG

photos on Friday

A photo of the little man in our yard. I loved catching him throw me this look over his shoulder! (MCP actions used.)

Well, the last week has been complete insanity in our house. I had a major project to ship, 5 art projects to make and ship, I broke my middle toe, the little man was sick and needed to go to the doctor, we attended the city Christmas party in the park, took the little man back to the doctor for uber-pricey antibiotics, hubby had a business trip, oh and I hosted a tasting party at our house… so, yes I took a much-needed nap yesterday. Needless to say, there hasn’t been much photo taking or creating going on. That will change, I promise! :)

And let me send out a huge thank you for all of you that congratulated me on my new gig at CardMaker Magazine! Your comments and emails were so greatly appreciated! I am very blessed with wonderful friends and kind and thoughtful paper crafters in my life!

Have a wonderful weekend! thanks for stopping by!

~kimberly

exciting announcement

 

My fun and oh, so very exciting news can be found at the

CardMaker Magazine blog.
One smiley face is not enough. :)

Advent Conspiracy

Oh, the season is upon us. For everyone it has a different meaning. And different priorities. In my life, I am working on making memories, living life and focusing on my family. At the end of the month of gratitude, I want the thankfulness to continue. And I want to be able to give to those less fortunate. I am so blessed in this life. My family is so blessed. 

Our church has been participating in the Advent Conspiracy since its inception. The Advent Conspiracy encourages us to give less purchased gifts and give more of our time this holiday season. And then to take the money that would have been used and donate it. The money is given to groups that are digging fresh water wells in Africa. This year our church is focusing on wells in Zimbabwe. You and I turn the faucet on for water. Thousands of people around the world die each day from unclean drinking water. This is the chance to make a difference. A real difference. A lasting gift to someone you don’t know.



Please watch this video and take the impact into your own life. It is moving. It is powerful. It is my hope and wish for you this holiday season. Enjoy your family. Enjoy your time together. Give time. Give less gifts. Give yourself.
Jesus is the reason for the season.

~kimberly

Video Tutorial: Making windows in gift bags

When I made this project, using a small bag to hold a gift card, I got quite a few emails asking how to make the window in the bag. Well, I finally got around to it, and here it is.

For those that need the direct link: Making windows in gift bags

thanks for stopping by!

~kimberly

Supplies: Stamps-Avocado Arts (Ho Hos and Holiday Blessings, Hello Friend), Ink-Palette, Copics, Bag-Canvas Corp (Small Kraft), Spellbinders-Standard Circles Large, Twine-May Arts, Large Clothespin-Canvas Corp

faux metal jewelry and a video tutorial

Today I am excited to share this project with you! Did you know that you can create a beautiful piece of jewelry like this, using paper?! Yes, that butterfly is paper!

To show you how easy this is to create, I have made a video tutorial for you. Be sure and check it out for two reasons, one there is different piece of jewelry being made on the video, and two, this would make a wonderful gift to make for someone!

For those that need the direct link: Faux Metal Jewelry

thanks for stopping by!

~kimberly

Supplies: Spellbinders-S5-070 Ornate Artisan Tags and Accents, Silver Engraving Art Board (Royal Langenickel)

final gratitudes

Gratitudes:
Nov. 24  For my family. Our wonderful little family. So filled with love. And of course its not perfect, but its mine, all mine. And it makes me smile from the inside.
Nov. 25 For an understanding husband who is willing to take his wife out shopping in all the Black Friday craziness.
Nov. 26 For laughter and silliness. We went to The Muppets and giggled. Manana. :)
Nov. 27 For the freedom to worship. For a wonderful church. For being with believers and digging deeper into His Word.
Nov. 28 Grateful to be a stay-at-home-mom. All the things that I can do for my family during the day, helping at school, helping a friend, and so much more. While there are days I struggle, it is the greatest experience ever.
Nov. 29 For my crock pot. I always say this, but boy, does it help out in goofy schedules we keep some days!
Nov. 30 For the end of the month. I am looking forward to all the fun that the Christmas season will be bringing to our family! We are starting a new tradition this year, and I will share it later. Can’t wait to start tomorrow!
Well, that is the end of the month of gratitude. I hope you don’t mind I posted this way. I didn’t want to bombard you every day with an email. I hope that this encourages you to continue your gratitude all year long!
Living with a grateful heart!
~kimberly