Witches Brew...

I really enjoy Halloween. We finally moved to a place where we can hand out candy but we have no decorations. I am hoping that I can pick up some good ones on clearance this year so I can really dress up my house next year. ;)

Anyway, I created this treat box for Shelby's teacher.

The box is the Sizzix Box w/Scallop Lid. I used paper from the new American Crafts Halloween line for the box and cut apart one of the Just Write journal boxes for the mat for the title. To create the moon, I used my Slice and the Basic Shapes 1 design card and simply cut a circle and inked the edges with Quick Quotes chalk ink. For the witch, potion bottle and title I used the Spook Alley design card. For added dimension, I adhered the witch with American Crafts This to That Foam Tab circles. If you look closely, you can actually see her shadow on the moon! To keep the flap closed, I stuck some velcro dots underneath it then embellished it with some crinkled ribbon and added a quick tag.

Thanks for stoppin' by today! We have the Fall Carnival at the school tomorrow afternoon and of course, Trick-or-Treating on Sunday! I wish you all a safe and Happy Halloween! Please join me on Monday as we welcome November in style!

Katie

Treat boxes...

33. I made 33 treat boxes yesterday within about 3 hours. They were nothing fancy...I simply cut the Sizzix Big Shot Pro Pillow Box, stuff it with candy and topped it with a 2x2 card which was stamped with an older SU! stamp set. Unfortunately, I forgot to take pics before I delivered them to the school. hahaha

But, don't fret, I did remember to take a picture of the treat box I made for Seth's teacher. His school is very "politically correct" and they do not endorse or celebrate Halloween, at all. So, I made his teacher a Fall Treat Box and filled it with Candy Corn Pumpkins.

The whole thing was cut using my Gazelle. The box and tag were found in the Funtime III Software. Before cutting the box, I added the circle window to it. Once it was cut, I backed the window with some PTI clear cardstock. The scarecrow and pumpkin shapes can be found at www.bosskutdiecuts.com. For the tag, I dropped a pen in and drew the title then replaced with the blade and cut the tag. I decided to add a bit more detail so I cut a shadow of the tag and inked and layered them. The whole thing really came together pretty quick.

I'll be back tomorrow to show you one last treat box...this one for Halloween!!! hehehe See you then!

Katie

Fabric Flower Tutorial

Hi all, I heard your requests for a tutorial showcasing how to make the fabric flower like the one on this card...

Sooo, here's a quick little video that shows you just how it's done...




Thanks for stoppin' by and for your continued support! I'll see you tomorrow!

Katie

More Cricut cards...

So, I have to say it helped me to get cleaned, organized AND to actually write down the things I needed to accomplish. I managed to finish 3 more Cricut cards AND one of my treat boxes yesterday. Yeah me! Only 3 more cards to finish and ALL my samples will be done. I plan on working on them at the LSS Thursday. And, only one more Halloween treat box for a teacher. I am hoping to get the videos shot this morning while the house is quiet.

Anyway, here are two of the cards I finished today for the Cricut class...

The embellishments for both cards came from the Wild Cards cartridge. Inspiration for the Halloween card came from this week's sketch from Card Patterns.

Thanks for stoppin' by today!! Join me tomorrow for the tutorial on how to create the fabric flowers. See you then!

Katie

Quick Christmas card...

Hi everyone and happy Monday! I hope your weekend was as good, and productive, as mine. I spent most of it with my kids, who have been on Fall break since Thursday. But, yesterday was spent cleaning and organizing my scrapbook stuff and rearranging my bedroom. Ahhhh, feels great. Now, I have a fresh start. ;)

I know it may seem silly to be thinking about Christmas already but let's face it, it'll be here before we know it. Here's a cute and super quick card I whipped up using one of Martha Stewart's Stamp and Punch combos.

The first thing I did was create a card base from my kraft cardstock. I made a square card that measured 4" then I used my Scallop w/2 Dots edge punch to add some detail to the bottom of the card front. For my ornaments, I simply stamped them using colored ink then punched them out. The stamps store conveniently in the top of the punch so it's all together when you're ready to use it. After I punched them out, I added a bit of silver string and "hung" them on the card. The sentiment is from a SU! set I have. Seriously, a 15 minute card. And what's great about this card, it fits in a standard A2 size envelope AND there's no bulk so it doesn't cost extra to mail. Perfect!

Thanks for stoppin' by today! I have quite a bit in the works right now. I need to finish my sample cards for my Year of Cards w/Cricut class, finish the Halloween and Fall treat boxes I've started AND I'm hoping to shoot a video about the new layering feature on the Slice Noel design card AND a video tutorial on the fabric flowers I made. Whew! See, told ya I had lots going. hehehe But, don't fret. I'll be back again tomorrow. See you then and have a wonderful Monday!

Katie

FWF

Hello and TGIF!!! Friday means it's FWF time again. The card I am sharing with you today was created for Pamela's WCMD challenge, stamping on fabric or other medium.

I stamped the tree from Unity's KOTM from August 2009 onto some cream material and colored it in with my SU! Watercolor Pencils. After coloring the image, I cut it out using my Spellbinders Circle Nesties and mounted it on a Scallop Circle. The patterned paper is from Sassafras Lass. I finished the card off with a bit of ribbon and some Kaiser pearls.

Quick and easy! I love how the material adds texture to the card with such little effort. Thanks for joining me today! See ya Monday!

Katie

Warmest Wishes...

It's hard to believe that we will soon have snow on the ground. Yep, it's true. Last night we built our first fire of the season in our new wood burning stove...in our new home. Ah. No, it wasn't THAT cold last night, but we wanted to try out the stove and see how warm it got etc. It was so cozy in here last night. I can't wait for it to get really cold so we can blaze it up.

I am almost finished with my sample cards for next month's Year of Cards Class using the Cricut. Here's a peek at January's card...

Can you see all the shimmer?? I used the Potpourri Basket cartridge to cut the snowflake, which is 2". For the sentiment, I used the Jasmine cartridge and cut it at 1 1/2". The mittens were cut from the Designer's Calendar cartridge at 1 1/4". Since there was detail in the mittnes, I cut a shadow in white. After all the pieces were cut, I simply adhered and applied my stickles. That was it! A super simple and quick card.

I have a few more cards to show you next week so stay tuned. In the mean time, tomorrow is FWF and I hope you will stop by!

Katie

Pumpkin Decorating

We don't usually carve pumpkins. The last few years I just bought the mini pumpkins and let the kids paint them. I could wash the paint off and they could paint them again and again. This year, however, they are a bit older and since they're in school they are learning all kinds of fun new artsy things. We decided to "dress up" their pumpkins this year so I grabbed my Slice and we went to work.

Here's a pic of Cody working on his pumpkin...

He decided he wanted a scary one so he went to work with the Spellbound and Spook Alley design cards. In the end, Cody created "Dracula Pumpkin" complete with some blood dripping from the sides of his mouth. Here he is with his finished project...



And here's Shelby working on hers...

Of course, Shelby wanted hers to be a "Princess Pumpkin" and it had to be PINK!! hahaha She used the Big Kids design card and cut out the crown and wand, the Spook Alley design card for her mask and the Just Chillin' Teen design card for the lips. And, no "Princess Pumpkin" would be complete without some stickles, right?! She and Dad had a great time with those. lol! And here's a peek at her with her finished pumpkin...

The kids had a fabulous time and it was fun for us watching them. Thanks for stoppin' by today! I'll be back again tomorrow with another card for next month's class.

Katie

Cracked glass technique...

Happy Tuesday crafty friends! I'm back today to share with you a card I created with the cracked glass technique. If you're not familiar with cracked glass, there's a great tutorial HERE on Splitcoast.

Here's my card...

That awesome Santa image is from the Stampers Anonymous Tim Holtz Holiday Wishes set. As soon as I saw it I knew I wanted to try the cracked glass technique with it. First, I created my card base from Kraft cardstock and inked the edges. I layered up some new Dear Lizzy Christmas papers by American Crafts, also inked up. Santa was stamped on an off white piece of cardstock then I added some color to his cheeks with my Copic marker. Next, I began adding and heating layers of UTEE. Once it was thick and cooled, I bent the image a number of times to crack my UTEE then rubbed a bit of ink over it to dull the shine. I adhered Santa to a Spellbinders Scrap-Mart Exclusive Labels One and added it to the card with a touch of crinkled ribbon tucked behind it. The holly leaves are Dear Lizzy embellishments and I created the tickets with my Papertrey stamps and ticket border die. I had lots of fun creating this card and while it's not my typical style, I'm pleased with the outcome.

If you haven't tried the cracked glass technique, you should! It yields amazing results. Thanks for stoppin' by today! I'll see you again tomorrow.

Katie

Good Monday morning!!!

I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend! I know I did. I have another card to share with you today that I created for one of the Unity WCMD challenges. This one is for the Home Decor Photo Inspiration challenge by Christi Snow...

I used stamps from Unity's May Retailer KOTM and some Jillibean Soup and October Afternoon patterned papers. To finish the card off, I wrapped it with some crinkled ribbon and added some Copper Kaiser Pearls. I love the Fall feel you get from the warm colors. Ahhhh.

That's all I have to share today! I have to run some errands in town then come back home and work on some assignments. I got some GREAT photos at the Pumpkin Patch the other day and can't wait to scrap them! Have a wonderful Monday and I'll see you tomorrow!!

Katie

FWF...

Hellooooo and Happy Friday to you! I'm so glad you stopped by for this week's FWF. Today I'm going to share with you another card I created for Unity's WCMD challenges. I was trying really, really hard to complete all 23 challenges but with my travels last week, a field trip yesterday and the kids out of school today, I just don't see ANY way that I can get 16 more done by midnight Saturday. But, on the bright side, I have 6 done AND entered so I still feel fairly accomplished.

On to today's card...

I created this card for Lisa's Sketch Challenge. I used the leaves and one of the sentiments from the August Retailer KOTM, Harvest of Memories. I was afraid the patterned leaves and paper would be too much but I kinda like it. It was a super simple card and pretty quick to make.

Well, that's all I have for you today! I've been making a TON of cards lately and kinda feel like I should be doin' some scrappin'. Maybe next week. This weekend, my niece is having her wedding shower and her mom is coming in from IL. I'm excited to see everyone and will be tied up most the weekend. I do, however, have another challenge card to share with you Monday and I hope you'll stop in. Have a wonderful weekend!!

Katie

Year of Cards Class....

My LSS is under new ownership. Last week I was in there working on some of my Unity WCMD challenges and she mentioned she was looking for another instructor. So, we visited some more and I returned the next day with some samples. While I was there a group of women came in and mentioned wanting a card class and that they were Cricut users. Soooo, we added them to the mailing list, set a date and booked my first class. :)

Now, some of you probably know this but I don't have a Cricut. Wanted one for a long time but kept putting it off because of the expense. I have, however, used one before and thankfully, the LSS has one. Soooo, yesterday I went to town to work on some class samples. The class is called A Year of Cards and ALL of the cards we're creating are die cut using the Cricut. We will complete one card for each of the twelve months...some standard holidays and some basic birthday, etc. Here are the first few cards I designed...

The Valentine one is one of my favs and I really like the argyle on the Dad card. I'm pleased so far. I used the Wild Card cartridge for most of my designs, pulling some cuts from Doodlecharms and Beyond Birthdays.

I'm excited to be teaching this class. Due to time restrictions during the class, we won't actually use the Cricut, however, I will give all students a list of the cartridges I used and of course, share any tricks I learned along the way. Now, if I can just keep myself from wanting to spend all my earnings on purchasing a Cricut I'll be okay. hahaha

In other news, I've also booked a Christmas Card class at The Scrappin' Pad. Twelve Christmas cards AND a layout for $30. I will be working on those samples soon too. If you are interested in purchasing a kit from either class, you can email me at sethdsmom@yahoo.com.

Thanks for stoppin' by today! I am hoping to participate in FWF tomorrow, however, I didn't see the sign up post yesterday and can't seem to get into SCS today. Sigh. Either way, I'll be back!

Katie

Creating handmade flowers....

There's a ton of different ways to create handmade flowers. You could use fabric, paper and more. A friend of mine taught me a fun and quick way to create a fabric flower this weekend and I couldn't wait to try it. I used this new technique to create the card below for Unity's WMCD challenge, Handmade Flower Embellishment...

Isn't that cute??? Okay, so to make the flower you need 5 or 6 circles of fabric. I cut 6 circles using my Spellbinders Circle Nesties (the second to largest; about 3"). Then, I simply folded the circles in half, right side out, and hand stitched along the curved edge. When I got to the end, I pulled the thread tight and the circle gathered and created a petal. I continued to do this with the rest of the circles, attaching them one at a time onto the same thread then sewed the first and last petal together. It took maybe 15 minutes. After I was done, I spritzed my flower with some Glimmer Mist, used my hairdryer to dry it faster, then hot glued the button on top. That's it!! Super, super easy. So, I added the green ric rac to the card base, topped it off with the flower, stamped my sentiment from Unity's Forever Friends, embellished with gem stickers and that was it. Easy peasy! And, imagine this flower attached to a headband!!! Oh my sweetness! ;)

I tried to get this post up several times yesterday but I was experiencing some issues with Blogger. Looks like I'm good today. I'll be back again tomorrow with another fun card! Thanks for stoppin' by!

Katie

Soarin' into WCMD...

Unity style. Hello friends and happy Monday! I am back from the Kansas City CK convention and what a weekend it was. Had a great time and met some wonderful people!

Today, I'm sharing another of my Unity WCMD challenge cards. This one is for Jess' Soarin' into WCMD.

I dug through my stash of Unity stamps and grabbed October's kit from last year for the plane and banner and July's kit for the clouds. I used my Swiss Cheese EK Success punch to add the yellow border and topped the card off with some crinkled ribbon.

Three down, twenty to go!!! Ouch! But, it's worth it for a chance to win the Unity KOTM for an entire YEAR!!! Wowza!

Thanks for stoppin' by today! I'll be back tomorrow with another project. See you then!

Katie

Happy FWF Friday!!!

Hello everyone and welcome to my FWF post!! It has been quite some time since I've joined in and I'm excited to be able to participate this week. I'm sure many of you, like me, are playing along with some of Unity's World Card Making Day challenges. Yesterday, I shared a shaped card for Eva's challenge and today, a ONE layer card for Kelly's challenge.

One layers cards are not something I normally do so this was a true challenge for me. I LOVE Unity stamps so I dug through my stash and found some I hadn't inked up yet. Sad, I know. The images and sentiment used for this card are from last October's KOTM. I stamped the guitar then colored it with my Copics. I bought some new cardstock and it's thicker than what I'm used to coloring on so it takes more blending than usual. When I started on this, I kinda liked the color lines as I thought it gave the guitar a wood look to it so I left it, unblended. Gasp!!! hehehe After I got it colored I stamped the music notes on the top then the sentiment on the bottom. I went over the stamp lines and some of the colored area with my Copic Spica Glitter Pens. Using my Scor-Pal, I scored two lines then tied my crinkled ribbon in between them. I found a little music note die cut and attached that to my bow with a jump ring. To finish the card off, I added some silver studs under the sentiment. To be honest, I'm really happy with the way this card turned out.

Well, that's all I have for today! I am actually at the CK convention in Kansas City so please, leave your comments, but it will be later tonight before I moderate them and they appear! Thanks for stopping by and have a great weekend!!! I'll be back with another WCMD challenge project Monday!

Katie

Happy Fall

Hi everyone! Have I told you how much I love Fall?! hehehe The Unity and Ippity designers have dished out some World Card Making Day challenges and the card I'm going to share with you today is Eva's challenge...make a shaped card. Eva LOVES making shaped cards and her cards are always wonderful! I channeled my inner Eva and created this Fall-themed card...

This cute little pumpkin is a pocket card. I cut the pumpkins, leaf and both tags using my Gazelle then I inked up all the edges. I was finally able to snag the Unity Retailer August KOTM so I used those stamps to embellish both tags. Here's a peek at the inner tag pulled out...

Simply pull on the stem at the top of the pumpkin and the tag comes out. And, of course, I finished the card off with some crinkled ribbon. ;)

Thanks for stoppin' by! Today, I'm headed to the Creating Keepsakes Convention in Kansas City, MO. If you're going to be at the show this weekend I hope you'll stop by the Scrap-Mart booth and say "hi". If not, perhaps I will meet you next year.

I'll be back again tomorrow with another Unity WCMD challenge! See you then!

Katie

Happy Holidays

Ah, the arrival of the cooler weather always puts me in the holiday mood! I LOVE Fall and I can't say that enough. When I was at the stamp show in South Carolina a few weeks ago, I picked up one of the new Tim Holtz Christmas stamp sets, Holiday Wishes. Here's the first card I created with this stamp set...

I stamped the music sheet using Tim Holtz Holiday Wishes stamp set. First, I inked up the stamp with my American Crafts Copper ink pad then using a dauber, I randomly added Chestnut ink then stamped it. After allowing the ink time to set I wadded up the paper then distressed and inked the edges. The sentiment, also from the Tim Holtz Holiday Wishes stamp set, was stamped then heat embossed with American Crafts Zing Glitter embossing powder then cut out using the Spellbinders Exclusive Scrap-Mart Labels One die. I tucked a piece of distressed American Crafts Dear Lizzy Christmas paper under the edge of the sheet music before attaching the label. The holly and berries are from the Heartfelt Creations stamp set then cut out with the Spellbinders Exclusvie Heartfelt Creations Holly dies. They were all colored with my Copics. The berries were adhered using American Crafts This to That Foam Tabs. A bit of crinkled ribbon finish the card off.

I'm really happy with how this card turned out, especially since distressed/vintage is not my normal "style". I made another card with the Santa image and the cracked glass technique and I'll show you that one in a few days. Tomorrow though, I want to show you a card I made for Eva's Unity World Card Making Day challenge. See you then!

Katie

Happy Birthday Brian!

Today, our oldest son turns 14! I cannot believe it. 14. Did you know that in Oklahoma 14 year olds can get a motorcycle license?? Yep, it's true. He and Rocky are headed to get his permit today, then after a few months of riding with an adult he can get his actual license. It's nerve racking for a parent to think of their child all alone on the road on a motorcycle. BUT, Brian has been riding for a long time and he has a good head on his shoulders. I trust that he will ride cautiously and obey the law and be as safe as possible. He's a good kid...no, a GREAT kid. He's kind and loving and thoughful. He's mindful of others' feelings and is a good friend. Brian is an awesome BIG brother too. I'm very proud of who he is becoming.

Since he's the big One-Four, we bought him a motorcycle for his birthday. Here's a pic of him getting ready for a practice ride...

(sorry for the poor pic quality...I took it with my phone then emailed it to upload) So, with turning 14 and getting a motorcycle I figured I should make him a motorcycle themed birthday card so here's what I made him...

The motorcycle is actually a piece from scrap vellum I had leftover from doing my father-in-law's album for Christmas two years ago; as was the silver flame paper. For the diamond plate, I ran a piece of silver metallic cardstock through my Cuttlebug with the Diamond Plate embossing folder. All edges were inked with my Quick Quotes chalk ink. The sentiment is from a quote pack from Quick Quotes. I added the line of silver studs to resemble the studs typically found on riding gear and saddle bags. I hope he likes it!

We'll be having a family dinner tonight of homemade Chicken and Dumplings. We'll finish it off with German Chocolate Cake. YUM! Thanks for joining me today to share in Brian's birthday celebration! I'll be back again tomorrow with some Christmas card inspiration! See you then!

Katie

A wonderful, crafty blog...

Hi all! Happy Monday! I hope you're all enjoying the first week of October so far! My best friend, Stacey, introduced me to a very crafty blog and it occured to me that if I love it this much, you guys may too so I thought I'd share it with you.

The blog is called Make It and Love It. And they make EVERYTHING!! I haven't seen lots of scrapbook or card making projects exactly but they have lots of fun tutorials and share on sewing and more. There's even a cake series where they share techniques on working with fondant and more.

Last week they shared a fun and super quick fall themed table runner. You can click HERE to read that post. Basically, all she did was sew some fake leaves onto a rectangle piece of vinyl. Seriously! How easy!

So, check out Make It and Love It and let me know what you think! Oh, and did I forget to mention the giveaways??? She's always got something going on.

Well, that's all I have to share today. Tomorrow, our oldest turns 14! I cannot believe it. So, I shall share his birthday card with you. See you then!

Katie

Can you believe it's October???

I know I can't!! Fall is my favorite time of year and I have to say I'm so glad it's cooling off. I love sitting outside in the evenings and NOT being eaten alive by bugs. hahaha It won't be long before Halloween is here and I've started working on some little projects. Today I'm going to share a treat box I created for Cody's teacher.

The box itself was cut using the Sizzix Big Shot Pro Machine and the Sizzix Bigz Pro Die- Box, Tall w/Scallop Lid. But, since I was making a Halloweeen box I decided to cover up the scallop using the Martha Stewart Drippy Goo edge punch. After die cutting the box I cut the oval window out of it using my Spellbinders Classic Ovals Small Nestabilities then covered it with acetate cardstock. The fun border on the bottom of the box and the bat on the tag were cut using the Sizzix Eclips machine and the Seasonal cartridge. I simply cut the border to 6" then trimmed off what I didn't need. To make the tag, I simply used some punches from my stash. What do you think about the paper I used??? The box is made from a piece of American Crafts Halloween embossed, double-sided patterned paper. It's super sturdy and the embossing on the sipider webs just give the box that much more detail. The new American Crafts papers will be in stock soon so keep your eye on the store! I filled a treat bag with candy corn then dropped the bag down inside. To keep the box closed, I added a set of round velcro dots.

I want to make one for Shelby and Seth's teachers too but, of course, they will have to be different. ;) Thanks for stoppin' by today! Have a wonderful weekend and I'll see you again Monday!

Katie