Frugal Finds - J*O*Y

This card was fun to make.  I had a Frugal Finds assignment on Practical Scrappers to find a way to use Christmas decor in a different way.

At first I was thinking of using an ornament, or maybe garland on a layout. However, this seemed to obvious to me.  For some reason I kept going back to wanting to do something with ornament hooks.  

This is what I came up with...

I used gold ornament hooks, which I bent, and then hooked them together to form a chain.

These were not the easiest things to adhere to the card stock.  I tried a couple of different glues that ended up making my fingers sticky but did not keep the hangers on the paper.  So, I finally settled on sewing them on.  Each hook has a stitch of gold thread holding it in place.

The green circles are card stock that I punched into circles, embossed with my Cuttlebug, and then distressed with green ink from Close to My Heart.

JOY 

is made from preprinted chipboard letters from K&Company and finished off with a baker's twine bow.

Layout Sketch 12/20

My take on this sketch by Krissy for Practical Scrappers.

These pictures are so old but I could never really figure out what I wanted to do with them.  Somehow this sketch seemed to work.  I wish the actual photos where a bit sharper but I do like the contrast of the bright pink and lime green with the craft.

Layout Sketch 12/14

My take on this gorgeous sketch by Liz Chidester for Practical Scrappers.

Aly must have been around 2 in this cute pic of her in coveralls.  She looks so much like Henry does now!

Altered Photo Mailer

Hi all!  I am on Practical Scrappers today with a fun and frugal Christmas decoration.

 I started this project with a blank photo mailer for which I paid $4.99 , a $.97 package of patterned paper, and cardstock.  

My first step was to cover each of the 5x7 sections with patterned paper.  I then attached a ribbon along the entire top edge of the mailer.  

My next step was to choose a word.  I knew I wanted something different, not the usual "Winter" or "Peace".  After brainstorming with a friend of mine, I settled on "Wonder".  

I knew I would have an extra section and thought it would be fun to make something more 3 dimensional and finally chose a rolled paper Christmas tree.

The tree was made with paper I had in my stash.  I first cut the paper into 2 inch strips and then cut each strip into sections starting with 1 inch for the top and then adding a 1/4 inch to each piece until I ended with a 4 inch piece.  I took each piece and rolled it length wise around a pencil and secured the curled paper with a few drops of clear glue. They were then adhered to the patterned paper using the same glue. Presents were added using cardstock scraps and bakers twine.

I cut the letters out with my Cricut Expression Machine and then used a makeup applicator to lightly ink the letters in green.  I then used the Cricut Machine to cut the letters again but this time with the shadow feature to make a matted layer for each letter. Each shadowed layer was distressed on the edges with blue ink again using a makeup applicator to get into all of the little angles.

I wanted each section to be different but look like the belong together.  As you can see the W, N, and E were all accented with an aqua colored paper that I embossed with my Cuttlebug and and sanded the edges.  The O, D, and R were highlighted with a lime green paper that I tore.

I also added gems here and there on all of the sections for a little extra glam.

I am quite happy with the final product and already have it on a shelf in my living room.  I plan to make a few more of these with different color combinations to give as inexpensive gifts this Christmas this year too.

Cricut Invitations

This week on Practical Scrappers I was challenged to show something people can do with an electronic die cut machine. I decided to use my Cricut Expression and Wild Card Cartridge to make these fun invitations.

This is the closed envelope.

Open envelope.

Close up of closed invitation. The envelope is cut with slits to slide the card corners into. I added a little Stickles where the Cricut had already cut a small design.

The entire open envelope.  I added some gems for a little extra sparkle.

Close up of the open invitation.

This was fun to make but I will admit, I had to do it twice thanks to my 3 year old "helping".

Alyson 10 Months

This is a layout I did for a Practical Scrappers feature using Staples or Paperclips.  I used staples to make the pocket at the top of the page.  I then tucked a tag in the pocket that I had written some of Alysons favorite things at that time.

Papa's Girls

Micaiah, Alyson, and Paige all getting a horsey ride from Papa Ronnie.