Vintage Americana Style Mini Treat Bag - HSS215

Pin It Now! Independence Day is right around the corner!  Here is a little vintage style bag made from the Mini Treat Bag Framelits dies.  I love vintage Americana, so I wanted to keep that flair.  My bag is holding a bunch of sparklers, with a few wrapped in (retired) SU Tinsel Trim.

Here's the inspiration collage for this week's challenge.  SO great!  

I was inspired by the woodgrain, the pennants, and the color combo of the bouquet of flowers.

I used Pacific Point, Real Red, and vanilla.  The vintage print from the Typeset DSP was perfect for the vintage feel!  

I opted to cut the stars diagonally across the bag, and lined it with the vintage print from behind.
The rosette is a 1" x 12" strip, and scored every 1/4".
The sentiment is done by me on the computer with a free font US Declaration.
The little banner punches are stamped with Hardwood.
I crumpled the vanilla seam binding ribbon and doily and rubbed them with Crumb Cake sponging.

What do you have planned for the 4th?  Whatever you do, spend a little moment to lift up our nation in prayer.  What a blessing it is to be in this great land!  Pray for her protection and preservation. Thanks! 

SUPPLIES:

STAMPS:  Hardwood

INK:  Crumb Cake

PAPER:  Pacific Point, Real Red, Red Glimmer, Typeset DSP, Whisper White

EMBELLISHMENTS:  Vintage Faceted Buttons, Very Vanilla Seam Binding Ribbon, Mini Banner Punch, Mini Treat Bag Thinlits, Star Punch (retired), Linen Thread, Doily, Score tool

Vintage Chic Embellished Kraft Grid Journal HSS210

Pin It Now! The sketch from Hand Stamped Sentments this week really intrigued me!  I love the scattered flowers across the front. I used this sketch to embellish a kraft grid journal with butterflies, buttons, and bling.

If I don't end up passing this along to a friend as a gift, I'll probably use it to copy my daily scriptures.  Have you seen the Bible journaling trend?  I thought I could use this on the run to help make my Bible quotes stick, all pretty like. 

Here's a pic of my mess :D 

Head on over to HSS and play along this week!  I'd love to see ya.

SUPPLIES: 

STAMPS: Papillon Potpourri, Feels Goods

INK: Versamark, White Stampin Emboss, Crumb Cake

PAPER: Kraft Grid Journal

EMBELLISHMENTS:  Artisan Embellishment Kit Spring 2015 Mini, Very Vanilla Seam Binding Ribbon, Pink Pirouette Seam Binding Ribbon, Sahara Sand Lace Trim, Bsic Rhinestones

Oh, Happy Day! Cascading Birthday Card

Pin It Now! Today my first born is 14!  Where does the time go?  I know it's sappy, but wow!  He's officially taller than me, and very nearly smarter, too.

I made him a dude card.  He loves the mechanical cards that I make - cards with fancy folds, flips, etc.  More than just folded in half! This one is a cascade card, and wasn't at all hard to make after watching Dawn's video here.

Embellished with Typeset DSP, Starburst Sayings, and a little gold trim.  We'll see if it's manly enough!

I love this card fold, it's interesting, and shows off the tons of DSP that some of us are hoarding!

The back...

The "HAPPY" is dotted with Crystal Effects and sprinkled with glitter.  It reminds me of a lit up Vegas sign!

It's a bit oversized (standard A6), so a handmade envelope was in order.  

Check out the snack & soda "cake" I made for him last night!  A great way to use up old ribbons and such.  I love making basket cakes :)  You can find a how-to here.

Have a blessed and creative day!  ~ Erika

SUPPLIES:

STAMPS: Starburst Sayings, Chalk Talk, Something to Say

INK:  Memento Tuxedo Black

PAPER:  Vintage Typeset Specialty, Basic Black, Very Vanilla

EMBELLISHMENTS:  Gold Sequin Trim, Gold 5/8" Satin ribbon, gold glitter, Crystal Effects

BIG SHOT:  Starburst Framelits, Chalk Talk Framelits

New Year's Eve Party Favors - Crackers & Blowers

Pin It Now! Who's in the mood to celebrate?  Has it been a banner year for you, or are you glad to see the new one coming?  Either way, you really ought to have some festive party favors to wave bye to the old or ring in the new.

Here are some easy favors.  I made these for my church friends and some family that I'll be celebrating with.

The party blowers are too cute, and were easy to make. And YES! They do curl back up when you blow them out!  Yay!  I learned to make them from good ol' Martha Stewart here.  I used her measurements.  But I did a few things differently which are:

* I used  paper straws purchased at Target dollar spot.  Didn't cover them with vellum as they suggest.  I wrapped mine with washi tape.  The glittered ones are first wrapped with Sticky Strip, then rolled in glitter.  (You probably don't want to blow on these.  I don't personally mind glitter lips, but that's just me.)

* I used washi tape instead of clear scotch tape to adhere the patterned paper into the long strip.

*  I used Sticky Strip to insert the straw into the paper curl.  NO drying time!

One great tip I learned was to keep them rubber banded tightly curled for 24 hours.  They'll definitely keep their curl better.  I used the tiny Rainbow Loom bands, and they looked kind of cute while I waited.

Then the party crackers!  I love these, they turned out rather elegant.  They'd make a nice 50, 60, etc. birthday party, man's party, or wedding favor. 

Want some measurements?

Inside roll of Typeset Specialty DSP 3-1/4" x 3-3/4"

Outer ring of DSP: 1-1/2" x 4"

Tissue paper - plain white. 10" x 3-3/4"

Fringe cut the edges with fringe scissors.

Ribbon trim 4"

Baker's twine 3" each side

The tag was cut from the circle flip card Framelits set, and the "Happy New Year" comes from retired Christmas Messages which is still available as a digital download!

Have a wonderful, safe, blessed New Year's.  I hope you're surrounded by people you love!

Holiday Home Treat Wraps for Autumn

Pin It Now! Welcome to September! My favorite time of year. Chilly breezes, crisp falling leaves, and home baked apple crisp make my world go 'round!

Here's a fun little treat wrap featuring a blustery autumn scene, featuring the fabulous new bundle Holiday Home. 

Wrapped inside is a pack of Mentos gum, and the ribbon is wrapped horizontally so that it pulls the gum out from the top. I created the little scene with stamps from the kit, then stamped, water colored, and die cut the home with the matching Framelit. 

Have some cider today, celebrate!

SUPPLIES:

STAMPS: Holiday Home (Holiday 2014 mini)

INK:  Hello Honey, Baked Brown Sugar, Cherry Cobbler, Tangerine Tango, Always Artichoke, Smoky Slate, Old Olive

PAPER: Whisper White, Crumb Cake, Watercolor Paper

EMBELLISHMENTS/OTHER:  Cherry Cobbler Linen ribbon, Baked Brown Sugar Thick Twine, Holiday Home Framelits set

Envelope Punch Board Favor / Treat Boxes

Pin It Now! Just a little share today - these are gift boxes I made for my recent open house, they are cute, little, but sturdy!

They easily fit several Dove chocolates inside, and decoration options are limitless!  I used retired DSP and Sycamore Street ribbon.  But now I'm thinking back-to-homeschool, Halloween, and more!

I followed instructions on this video, which made it easy to figure out and crank out 16 of them from 4 sheets of DSP!

Hope you're inspired to make some gifty things!  Have a blessed and creative day!  ~ Erika

SUPPLIES:
STAMPS: A Fitting Occasion
Envelope Punch Board, 1" Circle punch, 1-1/4" Scallop circle punch

Easter Greetings & Treat Holders!

Pin It Now! I haven't had much time to post lately, but wanted to share a few of the Easter goodies I've made for friends & family.   I've been working behind the scenes to create more often, so here's a recap of this month's projects!

Here's a funny little punch art bunny.  I love this bunny with his tail end sticking up!  

The Stampin' Up! owl dressed as a bunny!  The bunny idea was a find on Pinterest, and the banner was added for a little more celebration!  

I loved this bunny card, it's clean and simple.  Uses the fabulous Hardwood background stamp, Eggstra Spectacular Easter set from the 2014 Spring Mini, and a little layering and glittering (note the glittered bunny tail!).  I knocked out a bunch of these in no time!

The Easter cross card!  I love this retired Crosses of Hope set.  It looks SO wonderful as a cross for Easter.  Layered with Deco Label Framelits, the new Petite Petals punch (2014 Spring Mini but WILL carry over to the 2014-2015 catalog), and Bird Builder Punch for the leaves.  The sentiment is stamped on vellum & hand cut into a banner strip.

I have to make some more of these little bunny houses this weekend!  They are SO fun!  They are cased from here. Using Milk Carton Bigz XL die, Hardwood, Elegant Butterflies Sizzlits, Bird Builder, and 1-3/8" Circle Punch.  

These Tag Topper Punch treat holders have been all around the web this year.  Created with the Tag Topper Punch (spring 2014).  My boxes measure 2" x 8" - punch both ends, score the bottom, and stick a little treat to the inside.  Then decorate as you wish! 

Mine are all gone by this point, but my stampin' friend Kathy made these for a class and I'm borrowing her pic.  Thx, Kathy!

Finally, my bunny bags!  I sent these to my downline and my mom.  They loved this little handcrafted muslin sack!  The chocolate bunnies are stamped on fabric, stitched onto scraps of old sheets, and stuck on a muslin sack.

If you have any questions about any of these projects, please feel free to shoot me an email or ask in the comments section.

Have a Blessed Easter, everyone!  xoxo

Wonderful Mother - Mother's Day Card with Spiral Flower Die

Pin It Now! Spring is finally in swing!  I'm thinking ahead to Mother's Day, and bringing the sunshine indoors with this fresh color combo at Hand Stamped Sentiments...Coastal Cabana, Gumball Green, and Crushed Curry.

Do you ever make a card that requires you to tear into every corner of your craft room?  This is one of those!  I loved making it, but it took me 'round the crafty world, so to speak. Big Shot - Glue Gun (blistered thumb) - sewing machine in the far corner - heat embossing drawer - the punches - oh, and the box of SU goodies that was laying on the floor waiting to be unpacked!

The Originals Spiral Flower Die makes every card it sits on EXTRA special.  And that's what my mother-in-law is, so this will be headed her way next month.  Core'dinations makes these flowers so much easier to work with.  You can really grubby this cardstock up and it doesn't tear!  

Inside, a cluster of flowers from Simple Stems.  I have made a habit of adding a layer to the inside of my cards to strengthen it  and give a little more depth.  

I'm using our color combo at HSS, but also I'm playing along with Pal's Paper Arts.  Click the pics below to visit the sites for plenty of inspiration!

By the way, the sketch for this card is something I grabbed from page 99 of the Idea Book.  Different elements, but great looking layout!

SUPPLIES:

STAMPS:  Chalk Talk, Delightful Dozen, Simple Stems, Blessings From Heaven

INK:  Versamark with clear Stampin' Emboss, Coastal Cabana, Gumball Green, Black Staz On

PAPER:  Afternoon Picnic DSP, Gumball Green, Coastal Cabana Core'dinations, Whisper White, Crushed Curry

EMBELLISHMENTS:  Basic Pearls, stitching

BIG SHOT:  Originals Spiral Flower die, Secret Garden Framelits, Chalk Talk Framelits, Tasteful Trim

PUNCHES:  Scallop Oval

Who Doesn't LOVE a Chocolate Bunny?! Hybrid Muslin Sack & Card ForEaster

Pin It Now! Surely I'm not the only one who adores Stampin' Up!'s retired Chocolate Bunny stamp!  Did you know it's available as a digital download?  Yes!  You can color them any color you want, including any of SU's colors that have ever existed, and print them any size, any quantity, forever!  For only $1.95.  Seriously!

Today, I want to share with you my Chocolate Bunny project!  I've put the bunny on a card, and printed her onto fabric and stitched her to a muslin bag.

The hexagon embossing folder is used, but I only cranked it about 2/3 through the Big Shot to give it a subtle fade.

The bunny is nestled inside the photo strip Framelit from On Film Framelits set.  The chevron behind her is just the reverse of the cutout from the die.  I backed the square holes with Coastal Cabana for contrast.

The Happy Easter sentiment is from Delightful Dozen, stamped onto vellum with Staz On.

See the circle garland?  I stitched it myself from Subtles DSP (pink) and stamps from the latest Paper Pumpkin kit (February 2014).  It was easier than I'd imagined!  And I'm just smitten with it, I want to make loads of garland now!  

Three different circles make up the garland: 1" circle punch, smallest Starburst Framelits, and a 1" Martha Stewart punch.  

Here's a close up of my fine (JOKING) sewing workmanship!

I used printable fabric (you can find in on Amazon), printed bunnies, cut them out, and stitched them onto a scrap of Beau Chateau fabric (this is on CLEARANCE for $1.99!!!)

Before stitching all the way, I stuffed a little cotton batting inside to give her some dimension.  The pink fabric has a zigzag stitch around the edge, but I did that before attaching it to the muslin bag...I adhered the pink panel with Sticky Strip!  Easy enough!

I thoroughly enjoyed getting crafty with this project.  So often, I get pigeonholed into using paper only, but today was all good!  

The card was inspired by our latest sketch at Hand Stamped Sentiments.  I turned the sketch clockwise 1/4 turn.  Head over to play!  I'd love to see what you are up to!

SUPPLIES:

Stamps: Chocolate Bunny (digital), Delightful Dozen

Ink: Chocolate Chip, Coastal Cabana, Jet Black Staz On, Baked Brown Sugar
Paper: Very vanilla, Subtles DSP stack, Vellum, Coastal Cabana

Embellishments: Very Vintage Deigner Button, Vanilla Seam Binding Ribbon, basic rhinestone

Big Shot:  Hexagon embossing folder, On Film Framelits, Starburst Framelits

Punches:  1" Circle, 1" Scallop Circle (Martha Stewart)

Mini Coffee Cup Valentines & Birthday Favors

Pin It Now! By now you've probably seen these adorable mini coffee cups! They are too, too sweet!

I wanted to share a couple of projects I've made with them this week.

The first is a set of Valentine's Day treat cups I made for my card swap ladies. Inside each one is a big ol' Rafaello Coconut Truffle.  Mmm, luscious! 

Here's a little secret-the stir sticks are from Krispy Kreme.  Shhhhh! Cut them in half, they're the perfect size. 

Here are some little birthday favors for twin sisters!  

The Valentine cups are decorated using the Sweet Valentine Sacks kit available for a limited time. I got the idea from fellow demo Deseree Krumm. 

Also, there are some easy templates available to print, cut, and trace onto your choice of papers here.  

Thanks to these ladies for the inspiration!  

Have a blessed and creative day ~ Erika

Autumn Leaves Ornament / Wreath {Fall Home Decor}

Pin It Now! Are you getting ready for Thanksgiving?  I already have guests here at the house, and am starting my side dishes...pineapple casserole, marinated carrots, and cakes and cookies.  We have a winter storm due to arrive tonight, so we all may  be snowed in!

After all the food prep today, I finished a project that I've been trying to do since LAST year!!!

Remember the gorgeous Christmas ornaments from last year?  I wanted an autumn one.  Finally, here it is...

I've updated it to use current product, including the 1-1/4" Burlap ribbon, crepe paper, and woodgrain embossing folder.  

Here's my process:

First of all, I consulted Margaret Murray's tutorial here, and tweaked it as I went along.

Cut 20 of the maple leaf (More Mustard), and 20 of the smaller leaf (Old Olive) from Autumn Accents Bigz Die.

Stamp the maple leaves with En Francais using Crumb Cake ink, then sponge edges with Cherry Cobbler.

Emboss the smaller leaves with Woodgrain TIEF and sponge with Always Artichoke.

Fold 15 of each leaf in half lengthwise, leave 5 of each for backing.

Glue 3 folded leaves back to back and glue them to a flat leaf as shown.  Repeat for 5 sets.

Same process with the smaller leaves.  

Okay, for my base I punch a 5-petal flower punch and a 2-1/2" circle punch, so you know where each leaf set will get hot glued.  

Hot glue one set of maple leaves to each "flower petal". Nestle the smaller leaves between the maple leaf sets and hot glue. 

Make a burlap rose with your 1-1/4" Burlap ribbon.  Just roll the ribbon in half lengthwise and hot glue a tight roll in the center.  Then roll and twist the burlap loosely to create a flower. I didn't glue as I went along, but waited until I was satisfied with the flower and hot glued it to a silicone sheet.  Add a Vintage Faceted Button in the center with a basic rhinestone (large) with Crystal Effects.

I thought the burlap rose needed a little softening look to it, so I traced the smaller leaf onto Crepe Paper, folding the paper into 5 layers to get all my leaves at once.

I don't know who chewed this pencil, it wasn't me :D

Sponge with Always Artichoke and Cherry Cobbler.  They are lookin' pretty!

Gently hot glue them down, tucking them in with a pencil tip.

The hot glued mess is coming together!

Add the finished burlap rose and a little ribbon to hang it with!

Time to celebrate!  Know what I'm thankful for?  My sweet boys.  My precious pup, Lizzy.  Crunchy leaves. Those smiles.  A happy home with my hardworking husband.  

Have a blessed and creative day!  ~ Erika