2015 Bunny Chop Shop!

Happy 1st Day of Spring!  At least what the calendar says - we were greeted by more snow flurries this morning:(:(:(

I decided to play along with Simon Says Stamp Spring Pinterest Inspiration challenge :

 

For most holidays I love to make treat bags for my co-workers and I thought it would be fun to decorate this year's Easter bags with "chocolate" bunnies:

I die cut the bunnies from Stampin' Up cs (soft suede, smoky slate, black and pretty in pink) using an image from the Cricut cartridge Create A Critter 2.  One of the reasons I bought this particular cart is because all the critters lend themselves to "needing" googly eyes:)  The banners were cut from Stampin' Up coastal cabana cs using a WPlus 9 die and stamped with a sentiment from Papertrey Ink Hippity Hoppity set.  At a SU workshop I won the coastal cabana twine and used it to finish off the top of the bag.  I had purchased the white paper sacks years ago at Michael's and they are the perfect size to fill up with chocolate:)

I'm really glad Simon Says Stamp chose this particular theme for this week's challenge!  I didn't realize how early Easter is this year and I really need to get going on making Easter cards!!!

Hope everyone has a great weekend!!!  Thanks for all the sweet comments!

Happy, Happy, Happy!

I promise this is the last pillow I'll be sharing....unless, of course, I find more burlap pillow covers on clearance:)

I was inspired by a pillow I saw on Pinterest to create the poppies from felt circles and black buttons.  I simply die cut the circles using my Cuttlebug and Spellbinder Nesties (Standard Circle Large) from red felt I had picked up at JoAnn's to use on my cards.  I've found that 100% acrylic premium felt die cuts just as well as wool felt and it's really cheap - I paid less than 2 bucks (after a 25% off coupon) for 1/4 yard.  I could make a field of felt poppies with what I have leftover:)  The "stems" were stitched with green embroidery thread.  I used a  "happy" die from the WPlus 9 "Happy Trio" to cut the "happy's" from the same red felt and then adhered them to the burlap pillow cover (only $1.39 on clearance!) with fabric glue.  Finished size is 12" x 16".

We have an enclosed back porch -built when glass jalousie blinds were all the rage (must've been a man who designed them as they are a total pain to clean!) - where I loooooove to read, make cards and think nap in the summer.  Nothing fancy - just old slip covered furniture and cast-offs.  Last year I spray painted some old wooden lamp bases bright red and topped them with burlap drum shades and scattered about some bright red and yellow pillows and knick knacks.  My poppy pillow really expresses the vibe I feel when I spend time on my porch - Happy! Happy! Happy! 

Gotta share a pic of what we woke up to this morning:

Can somebody tell mother nature Spring begins in 2 days???

A Lil' Bit O' This, A Lil' Bit O' That!

Happy Monday Friends!
Thought I would do a "catch-up" post and share some of the projects I've been working on.  Now that I've started looking at my card making supplies with new eyes the sky's the limit!  First up is a home decor piece using some dies, cs, pp and ribbon:

Aren't the bunnies adorbs?!!  I used a trio of Impression Obsession dies and cut them from American Crafts burlap cardstock.  The cs, pp and ribbon are from Stampin' Up (marina mist and baked brown sugar).  It's difficult to see in the pic but the bunnies were mounted on gingham checked pp squares - I have a new camera and I'm still learning:)

Other Materials Used:  12 x 12" frame Michael's, white pom pom's from my stash

Next up is a springy pillow:

I loooooove how this turned out!  I found this cute polka dot material at JoAnn's and ironed it on a piece of Therm-o-web Heat n Bond iron-on adhesive.  I then ran it through my Cricut using a Strong Grip cutting mat and this leaping bunny image from the Kate's ABC's cartridge.  I was so happy with how well this cut -although I did have a bit of a struggle scraping the negative pieces from the mat:(  The die cut bunny was then ironed on a burlap pillow cover I got on clearance at Michael's for $1.99.  My mother-in-law had some white yarn leftover from one of her projects and I used it to make the bunny's pom pom tail.  A super inexpensive and fun project! 

My Stampin' Up demonstrator recently held a workshop using punches to create a cute St. Patty's Day insert for a shadow box.  I had a really hard time getting a pic without a reflection of my arms and kitchen cupboard but thought I'd share anyway:

The completed piece is 6 x 6" and I mounted it on a piece of 8 x 8" black cardstock so it would fit in this 8 x 8" shadowbox.  My mom was really happy to receive this and at the end of this month I'll be attending a workshop to make an Easter insert.

Lately I've been in the mood for "watercoloring" with my stamps:

And while I didn't use any card making supplies in my last project I just had to share how I "upcycled" a tray with some discarded corks and spray paint!  I came across this wooden tray a well-meaning relative made and gave to us many, many years ago:

After spending hours a few minutes on Pinterest I was inspired to give this tray a makeover!

I even enlisted the help of the hubster:)  After filling in the woodburned design(that was on all sides of the tray) with wood putty he sanded it down and then applied primer.  After a few coats of Krylon chalky finish misty gray spray paint it was ready to embellish with some corks - 115 to be exact!

A long post - just like the looooong winter we've had here in the Northeast.  I think this cheeky sign we saw this past weekend outside an area cafe sums it up perfectly:

I look forward to perusing your blogs for inspiration!  Have a wonderful week and thanks for taking the time to leave a comment!

Showing the Love

Hello Friends!
It's been such a long time since I last posted I wasn't sure I would even remember how to blog!  Turns out it's just like riding a bike:)  For months I've felt so uninspired to make cards that I really haven't had anything "blogworthy" to share.  And the longer I stayed away from blogland the worse it seemed to get!  I guess part of it is feeling like I don't have any "new songs to sing"...

Soooooo, those feelings coupled with the forced exile to my craft room because of this ridiculous winter we've been having is causing me to take a look at all this card making stuff I hoard have in a new way:

I mean did I seriously think I would ever make enough cards to use up these 139 red buttons??? The sad thing is I have enough left over to make another pillow!  I was able to use my Cricut to die cut the heart template and the felt "love" was cut using a Stampin' Up die.  The embroidery floss I used to stitch the buttons was given to me and I scored the burlap pillow cover on clearance for $5.99 at Michael's.    

And before you pass judgement after checking out my next project keep in mind that I work at a winery:)

I used the same heart template from the button heart pillow and traced it on a piece of 12" x 12" Stampin' Up smoky slate cs.  I actually had my hubby cut the corks in half so they wouldn't stick out as much and so I wouldn't need as many.  Using my trusty glue gun I started outside first and worked my way in.  The tops were painted with some bright red Delta acrylic paint my dh actually had in his stash!  I used the same "love" die from above cutting it from Stampin' Up real red cs.  Frame came from Michael's (using a 50% off coupon of course!) and the ribbon I used to hang it is Stampin' Up's fun smoky slate chevron ribbon.  And speaking of ribbon that's another area in my crafty life that's cause for dismay - I counted 50 spools just on my ribbon holder!  Because of increases in postage I rarely include ribbons on my cards anymore:(

And last but not least I do actually have a couple of cards to share! The first one is a Valentine:

I had to combine products from a lot of different companies to make this work!  Letters were die cut from Cricut Storybook cart.  Ampersand is Mama Elephant.  The stamped "kisses" is a masked Hero Arts stamp from the set "Sending You Love".  Hearts were die cut using a WPlus 9 die.  And that adorable piggy is from a retired Stampin' Up set "Button Buddies".

Other Supplies Used:  My Mind's Eye pp, Stampin' Up pretty in pink, real red, smoky slate and black cs, pink button and googly eyes from my stash

And here's a fun wintertime birthday card for a coworker who is obsessed with owning pink camo:

This snowman image from Hero Arts is one of my faves as it's so easy to paper piece.  I found the pink camo in one of my hubby's hunting catalogs:)  The funny sign the snowman's holding is from a masked off Dolly Mama's stamp.  

Other Supplies Used:  Stampin' Up Hardwood stamp, melon mambo and soft suede cs, Papertrey ink birthday sentiment, Mama Elephant stitched and scalloped rectangle dies, pom pom from my stash

It feels really good to be putting all this stuff that's been languishing in my craft room to good use.  Going forward I'm not going to restrict my creativity to just cards- I'm excited to see where it takes me:)  Thanks for stopping by and for all your constructive comments!

Happy Camper!

Two posts in one day is soooooo unlike me but I wanted to get this one entered before the current Simon Says Stamp Wednesday challenge: Summer ended!  Plus my boss had requested an anniversary card and I always like to give my "customers" at least two choices:)

I'm really interested to see which card he picks.  I thought this one was especially appropriate as he and his wife just upgraded to the biggest fifth wheel I've ever seen - I'm not joking when I say it's probably similar in square footage to my house!  LOL!

I fell in love with this Impression Obsession stamp as it reminds me of the sweet little camper I first started camping in as a little girl (even the white and aqua color combo!).  You know, back in the dark ages before campers came equipped with flat screen TV's and fireplaces and when the bed you slept on also functioned as the kitchen table:)

I embossed the image then water colored it with a combination of Ranger distress ink and Stampin' Up ink.  I popped up the awning for a little dimension and added some silver brads for hubcaps.  Had to computer generate the sentiment.
Other Supplies Used: Stampin' Up coastal cabana cs and twine, Echo Park dotted pp, Mama Elephant clearly creative cuts dies, My Favorite Things banner die

Thanks for taking a peek and for all your lovely comments!

You Float My Boat:)

The current Simon Says Stamp Wednesday challenge is Summer!  Here in the Finger Lakes in upstate NY thoughts of summer definitely conjure up images of time spent on or near the water:

Pardon the pun, but I used boatloads of product on this scene:)  The boat, seagulls, sentiment and heart images are from a sweet little Lawn Fawn set called "Float My Boat".  Cloud die is Papertrey ink while the sun die is Impression Obsession.  The waves were die cut from Stampin' Up island indigo cs using a wave die from The Stamps of Life Sandal die set.  I can't overstate how much I love my new Mama Elephant stitched and scalloped rectangle dies that are part of the Index Cards - Creative Cuts die set!  I was able to score them on a recent trip to my favie independent stamping store in Buffalo, NY called Buffalo Stamps And Stuff :)  
Other Supplies Used:  Papertrey ink white cs, Stampin' Up pool party, soft suede and so saffron cs and island indigo pp, Cuttlebug Hugs & Kisses embossing folder, My Favorite Things banner die

Love when a card turns out just like I envisioned it:)  Got an idea for another summer-related scene - gonna try to get it done today before the challenge closes!  I hope everyone's enjoying these last days of summer - here's a pic of a favorite way my hubby and I like to enjoy a warm summer sunset:

Do You Believe in Magic?

Happy Sunday!  Managed to squeeze some crafty time in and was inspired to play along with the current CASology challenge #108:

We've had some cooler temps the past few days and my thoughts are turning towards Fall and its associated holidays.  I definitely associate magic with Halloween icons and pulled out a Stampin' Up set called Googly Ghouls to create my card:

My talented blogging buddy Greta had recently sent me some Papertrey ink die cuts (Thanks again Greta!) and they were sitting on my desk - in a flash I knew how I wanted to design my card:)  Greta had cut the dies from white cs so I simply used a brayer and some black ink to color the frame.  Because this is a CAS challenge I resisted popping up this layer on the card base, using googly eyes (put glossy accents on the ghouls' eyes instead!) and using sequins (I used recessed die cut stars).  I also added texture to the card base by embossing a Mama Elephant stitched rectangle. 

Other Supplies Used:  sentiment (Hero Arts), baker's twine (Doodlebug Designs), star die (Impression Obsession), white cs (Papertrey ink)

Thanks for the kind comments!  I'm woefully behind on visiting everyone's blogs and hope to remedy that this week:)