Picnic Basket Treat Boxes Plus Ants!

It rained today!   We NEVER have rain in early August and we were very busy splitting logs for the winter, and stacking them to season, when down it came.  So, not a good day for a picnic in one of the lovely parks in our corner of the PNW.

I was thinking of picnicking as I put together the little boxes of treats for the OHM kids this month.  These things are so, so easy to make with the Envelope Punch Board and can be sophisticated or simple depending on the paper and embellishments.  Here's the tutorial I followed - http://www.gingersnapcrafts.com/2014/03/tiny-gift-boxes-with-we-r-memory.html
Easy peasy!

I added a picnic basket from the Family Album cart and a butterfly punch from MS.   As I packed the saltwater taffy in the boxes, I added six card stock ants also from the Family Album cart.  My hope is that the children enjoy using the ants to play practical jokes on the staff at the residence!

Thanks for visiting with me today, and watch out for ants on your picnic   : )  Christine

A Castle for Master J

Can you believe Master J is 4 years old?  He loves to play 'pretend' and use his imagination and some days will not answer to his name, but insists, quite vehemently that he is Captain America, a kitty, or even She-Hulk!  So, of course, when asked what he wanted from his Mama and Dada for his birthday, he asked for a "violet castle."

Here's my version - adapted from an SVG Cuts file.  I embossed the side panels with the TH brickwork folder and added extra flags to the turrets.  On the sides I added some characters from the Medieval Fantasy image set using Print then Cut.

 And here's what his very clever Mama made for him!  Isn't that the coolest thing ever?

Thanks for visiting with me today.  Man the battlements and raise the drawbridge!  : )  Christine

That Jennifer McQuire...

She can sell me ANYTHING!  Once I'd watched her video on layering with monochromatic inks, (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wp2RSg3Oo5s0) I absolutely had to have the Hero Arts July Kit.  My justification was that since I rearranged my clear stamps in Avery Elle folders - as recommended by Jennifer McQuire - I found several gaping holes in my collection including sea creatures.  Hmmmm!   DH didn't buy that either!

Here is the anniversary card for my DD and DSIL; both turtle appreciators.  The card base is 5 inches by 5 inches and I cut an aperture with a hexagon die in the left over embossed paper that I used  for my recent never-ending 50th Wedding Anniversary card.  I backed it with the beautiful pearlised sea green cardstock that came with the kit and stamped the turtles with matching Hero Arts Mermaid ombre ink.  The sentiment comes from a Tim Holtz die and the sequins and hearts also came from the mixture supplied with the kit. 

 

The inner sentiment and, - not being someone who can waste a die cut - the back of the card!

Love, love, love this kit and can't wait to see August's offering.   Thank you Jennifer, and thank YOU for visiting with me on a beautiful PNW Sunday afternoon.  : ) Christine

Never Ending Card for a Special Wedding Anniversary

I haven't felt much like posting on my blog although I have continued to create cards, and boxes and gift holders.  It was just too hard to put my thoughts down. : (   Today, however, is my day on the She's a Sassy Lady blog and I couldn't let that pass without posting the project I had planned to share. 

I love to make Never Ending cards!  They are just so much fun and it seemed to me to be the perfect card for a couple whose love is 'never ending' as they celebrate their 50th Wedding Anniversary.  Quite an achievement, right? 

The card base is six inches by six inches and I used a textured white cardstock.  Over it I layered white embossed pearlised paper and I used shiny gold mirror board paper for the card embellishments and found that it cut beautifully.  The images come from Heritage, Wedding, Stretch Your Imagination,  Designer's Calendar, Wrap It Up, and Phrases.

I created a 'belly band' to keep the card closed and to carry our personal greetings on the back of the tag.  Of course, I had to custom make an envelope as the card would not fit inside a regular 6x6 envelope!

A one of a kind card for a one of a kind couple. : )  You will find many videos on You Tube for this type of card.  Just search for "Never Ending cards"  Many thanks for visiting with me today.   : ) Christine

I need to add an explanatory personal postscript to my post. Like many other Cricut and Gypsy owners, I owe so much to my Sassy friend, Sheila. I would "Grab a cup of coffee" and follow along as she designed and created her wonderful cards.  I began to create my own designs and shared them on this blog.  I was THRILLED when Sheila approved my request to be a Sassy Designer and share my projects on the She's a Sassy Lady blog.  Sheila and her DT were always so kind and so supportive and I hope I was able to reciprocate.  It's so hard to lose a friend, but Sheila's at peace and no longer in pain.  My thoughts and prayers go out to her family and to all in the community of crafters whose lives she touched. Rest in peace.

Celebrate the Fourth!

Happy Fourth of July!  How cute are these Uncle Sam treat containers!

I saved a pin from a SU rep who had made similar boxes using punches, onto my Cricut board since anything a punch can do, the Explore can do more efficiently and in a variety of sizes!  Master J. and I delivered a bunch of them to the OHM shelter for the children.  He told me, a little wistfully, that he liked giving the candy to the children!  Of course, Grandma had extras waiting at home for her DGS and DGDs.   : )

Enjoy your celebrations and stay safe.   Thanks for visiting with me today.   : ) Christine

Notes to Self on Using the Anna Griffin Fantastic Flip Card Dies

Sooooo, I did succumb to the lure of Anna Griffin on HSN and have to admit that I enjoyed putting together the cards in the kit in as many different ways as I could think of.  However, I really, really wanted to try out the dies that came with the kit and when I finally acquired the extended platform plates for my Big Shot, I was ready to go.

Here's what I learned:-

*  Close your eyes, grit your teeth and ignore the cracking and popping of the plates as you crank the Big Shot sandwich through.    I understand that it does the same in the Cuttlebug.

*  Anna does not include a die that will cut a frame for the opening.  I mean, really?  Plan A - Searching Design Space, I could not find a frame of the same proportions, even among Anna's carts.  On to Plan B - I folded a 4 by 6 inch piece of cardstock and inserted it at the frame end of the die before cranking it through.  This is what's left over when the frame cut is removed.

Unfortunately, the frame cut in two parts but when glued around the opening, I found that it presented a perfect opportunity for embellishment.

And using patterned paper worked well too.

*  Using double sided paper gives a variety of interesting results.  The embellishments that come in the kit are printed on one side only and to my mind, look ugly and unfinished on the inside of the card.  Using double sided paper with the small embellishment dies results in a nicer look inside.  And, because the cardstock is generally thicker, there isn't the need to strengthen the outer edge of the flip fold. (Since this is the edge that holds the embellishments, it needs all the strength it can get!)

*  The smaller dies work with the Sizzix magnetic plate and are held firmly in place for the second, embossing pass.

*  The quality of the dies is not what I expected from Anna Griffin and I reverted to my good old Heartfelt Creations dies and stamps to embellish this card.

*  The more cards I made, the more frustrated I became with the fact that they will not fold flat.   I did try running the folded card through the Big Shot before embellishment, but it wasn't much better.

You know, I think I'll put the dies in my next garage sale and continue to use the Flip cards on the Artfully Sent cart.  Sigh!  Here's a couple of You Tube videos I found particularly useful:-

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k53icPsCzBM&feature=youtu.be

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SJqZice8Kqg


Thank you for visiting with me today.   : )  Christine

Happy Father's Day!

Yes, I know that was yesterday, but Father's Day sorta snuck up on me this year and I was in panic mode!   Fortunately, Mary at SVG Cuts came to the rescue with some box cards that really wowed the recipients.  This one was for DH and I enjoyed tremendously making it because the technique is very different.  So, watch the tutorial first and do NOT embellish the inserts until they have been glued in place.  No prizes for guessing why I'm passing on this tip!  Now, would it be possible to make this into a jewelry case or a make-up box?  Hmmmm! 

This box card was for my DSIL, long suffering Dada to Master J. I had a piece left over with this one and still have no idea where it goes!

This one was for my DS,  father of our beautiful, well behaved, and always obedient DGDs!  He is a great BBQ chef.  I used Glossy Accents on the six pack bottles to make them look more authentic.  Then, while they were still wet, I absentmindedly put a piece of paper on top of them!  Oh, well!  Two coats of Glossy Accents are better than one right?

Hoping that everyone had a wonderful day and I have every intention of having cards done by the end of May next year!   Thanks for visiting with me today and please pop back on Wednesday for my blog post for Sheila at She's a Sassy Lady.  I'll be sharing my experiences with the Anna Griffin Fabulous Flip Card dies.  : )  Christine