COWs in the craft room

“But you are God’s chosen and special people. You are a group of royal priests and a holy nation. God has brought you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Now you must tell all the wonderful things that he has done. The Scriptures say,” 1 Peter 2:9 CEV

One of my favorite commercials these days are the California Dairy commercials. In one commercial, there is a group of girls having a play date. The moms are sitting in the kitchen drinking coffee and talking. At one point the noise from the upstairs bedroom gets out of hand so the hosting mom calls upstairs, telling them to keep the noise down. The scene flashes to the bedroom where the black and white Holstein cow is the instigator.

That commercial reminded me of an elite group I belonged to several years ago: the C-O-W Sisterhood. I'm not sure what it stood for - maybe "Crafts Or Whatever" - but I proudly wore the stamped "C-O-W" letters to church on my right arm. Whatever the letters stood for, to me, they signified a bonding time together with the young teen girls in our church.

Those girls loved crafting. Since I had a whole room full of card making tools and sewing supplies, I invited the group of giggly girls over to the house to play in my craft room.

 No rules - just be careful with the tools and put one thing back before getting another out so I didn't have a huge mess to deal with later. Every scrap of paper, every tool and every crafting supply was available to use.

What a fun time! The girls quickly busied themselves with projects and just talked all afternoon. Somehow cows became a theme of the day. When suppertime rolled around, we carried the fun into the kitchen and decorated pizzas.

All too soon it was over, but before heading off to church, we each received the "C-O-W" stamps on our right arms and promised to do it again. Of course, the ink smudged and  got on everything else, but to me, it became a symbol of bonding with the girls - a way to impact their lives with the Gospel through an afternoon of fun.

God has stamped his image on our hearts, bringing us into his elite group of chosen people. He has given us each unique gifts and talents to use to shine into the darkness of this world so that others might see his light to follow him.

What unique talents and abilities has God given you? How can you use those abilities to reach the world around you for him?

Blue Ribbon Babe

“Follow the pattern of true teachings that you heard from me in faith and love, which are in Christ Jesus. Protect the truth that you were given; protect it with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in us.” 2 Timothy 1:13-14 NCV

I'm so proud of my granddaughter - I
 hope you'll forgive me if I brag on her a little today.

At almost 13 years old, Eve is an accomplished seamstress. She enjoys sewing for herself, as well as for her sisters. Eve can even look at things and duplicate them without a pattern. She recently joined 4-H, just in time to enter some things in the local county fair. She won a first place ribbon for an outfit she made for her baby sister as well as a 3rd place ribbon for a skirt she made for herself. Way to go Eve!

I think one of the reasons I feel so proud of Eve and her sewing talents is that I helped to teach her, way back when she was 8 years old. We were visiting her family in Florida and I needed to borrow my daughter's sewing machine to fix an article of clothing. Eve was curious about the machine and wanted to learn how to use it so of course, Grandma had the privilege of introducing her to sewing. After I finished with the machine, I helped her to cut out and sew two aprons - one for herself and one for her sister, Abby. After that, she was hooked!

Once she learned to read, she was able to follow directions on the patterns by herself and now she can make almost anything. When I visited several months ago, we cut out 4 summer sundresses for Eve's new infant sister, Lily, and we spent several hours sewing together to finish them.

It's important to take time with our young people - to teach them skills they'll need to survive in the adult world, and to help them develop their individual talents and abilities. Equally important is to teach them the eternal truths of the Gospel. They need to know how to protect those truths in their hearts, especially today when Christian values and Biblical teachings are being attacked on all sides.

Father, with the help of the holy Spirit, help me to always be ready and willing to teach those around me - not only practical skills, but spiritual lessons as well. Amen!

In Pieces...Part 2

“Each one of us has one body, and that body has many parts. These parts don’t all do the same thing. In the same way, we are many people, but in Christ we are all one body. We are the parts of that body, and each part belongs to all the others.” Romans 12:4-5 ERV

I'm a crafter, not a mechanic. But, I do find it interesting to see how things work. As I took apart my die-cutting machine last week to replace some damaged parts, I began to see how each gear and bearing fit together to create the machine.

The machine is made up of a steel frame to which heavy rollers are added. The top and bottom rollers are turned by two gears that fit together on one side. A smaller gear at the top fits on a crankshaft which is attached to a handle so that when I turn the handle, the two gears turn the rollers. The works are encased in a plastic and metal covering which has a flat platform and a housing for the rollers/ cranking mechanisms.

By sandwiching a piece of paper between two texture plates and sliding it on the platform between the two pressure rollers, I end up with a fancy, embossed paper that adds texture and interest to my paper crafting projects. If I use a die instead, I will end up with cut pieces which can be glued together to create a design.

The point is that my die-cutting machine is made up of many parts which each have a different job to do. Each part is important - as I found out when a small bearing in the handle mechanism broke and wouldn't turn the rollers. I had to take the machine apart, labeling each part so I could put it back together again after the replacement parts arrive. After all, I don't need to end up with "extra parts" after I reassemble it. LOL!

In Christ, we are all part of one body - one "machine" whose purpose is to glorify Christ and carry out his design plans for this earth. We don't all have the same function - but as we fit together, we do the job he created us for. We all belong to each other - each one with equal importance in the over-all design.

Lord, help me to see and understand my function as part of this wonderful "machine" of yours! Help me to see how I fit with others in the accomplishment of your awesome design plan. Amen.

In Pieces...

“Those who love Your Law have great peace, and nothing will cause them to be hurt in their spirit.” Psalm 119:165 NLV

Yesterday I wanted to make a special thank you card for a friend who recently gave us a wonderful gift. I decided on an idea that matched her personality and assembled my supplies.

As I started working on the card, I decided it needed more texture - a bit of embossing perhaps, for the background of my focal image. So I pulled out my die-cutting machine and a favorite embossing folder. But when I got ready to run the folder through the pressure rollers in the machine, the handle wouldn't turn at all. I'd been having some problems with the handle mechanism for a while, but now it was totally frozen.

Of course, my warranty had recently expired and I didn't have a clue what the problem was. All I could see were dollar signs to replace one of my favorite crafting tools. And I wasn't happy at all!
So I did the unthinkable - I began to take the machine apart to see how it worked. I wasn't sure what I'd find or even if I could fix it, but since I'd probably have to buy a new machine anyway... I decided to risk it to satisfy my curiosity.

Since you can find just about any kind of information on the Internet, I went to my favorite craft forum, Splitcoast Stampers, to see if anyone there had ever had trouble with their die-cutter. Lo and behold, I did find several crafters whose machines had developed problems similar to mine. Following their links, I arrived at one site where the photos showed a dismembered die-cutter as the crafter shared her problem and how her wonderful hubby fixed it.

Like my friend's machine, my problem was a little bearing inside the handle mechanism which rusted and broke, preventing the crankshaft from turning to move the pressure rollers. My hubby confirmed the diagnosis. But because I didn't realize it when the problem started, I had forced the handle, causing the crankshaft to twist as well, making it almost impossible for me to get it out.

To make a long story short, the owner of a local machine shop was able to get the twisted crankshaft out for me. I called the die-cutter manufacturer and was able to get inexpensive replacement parts - so in about a week, my machine will be as good as new!

Often, it's little things in life (like those tiny bearings) that build up to cause us big problems. We try to force our own solutions, without God's help, causing even more problems. But if we keep focused on God and our relationship to him, trusting in the advice from his divine "fix-it" manual, we will function smoothly, no matter how much pressure life puts on us.

Thank you Lord, for your Word that gives us peace and keeps us on track in the mists of life's pressure. Amen

Masterpiece

“For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.” Ephesians 2:10 NLT

I have a confession to make - I'm a scrapbooking tool junkie....

If you ventured into my office/craft room, you'd see shelves from floor to ceiling full of paper, templates to make all sorts of shapes and 3-D embellishments and ribbon. One plastic dresser is full of different sized punches and another contains rubber stamps, markers, pencils and paints. Other dresser drawers contain fabric, brads, beads and whatnot for every occasion.

Each of my tools and supplies was purchased with a specific purpose and project in mind - carefully chosen to create just the right look for that special someone. Since many of those tools and supplies can be pricey, I usually choose carefully and use coupons!

Sure, I have a few superfluous supplies laying around - things I just had to have because they were on sale or because I saw a "really cool" card design which used that one special item. But for the most part I use everything I have here in my craft stash frequently. Since I've been creating handmade cards for over 10 years now, I have most of the things on hand that I need when I sit down to craft. But I am always on the lookout for new gadgets to make my crafting more efficient or more fun.

Best of all I love sharing those tools with my friends and grandchildren!

My wonderful Creator has been crafting my life for way longer! He has all the tools He needs on hand to create a masterpiece.

- He adds dabs of joyful colors here, dark shadows there - all designed to highlight His glory and power in my life.

- He carefully chooses from His pattern stash to provide life experiences along with God-ordained mentors which prepare me for tomorrow's challenges.

- He has all sorts of cutters to trim away excesses - those things which add unnecessary bulk and distractions.

- God stamps His image in my heart and embosses His promises on my mind as a constant reminder of His hand with me.

Everything I need - every lesson, every promise, every help along the way - all these things He freely gives me so I might live a life that glorifies Him!

Thank You Father for caring so much that you choose just the right tools to craft my life into a masterpiece fit to be used for Your glory! Amen.

Hidden potential...

Are you a visual person? Do you tend to judge things by how they look?

Sometimes I do that, but being a frugal crafter, I often find myself giving things a second look to search for an item’s hidden potential. For example, old books that are coming unglued or dog-eared old maps, make a wonderful supply of “design paper” for card backgrounds or embellishments. Or an empty cereal box can be turned into chipboard embellishments like fancy monograms or buttons with a little cutting, design paper and glue, mimicking their more expensive chipboard die-cut counterparts sold at the craft store.

Maybe that’s why I also enjoy certain home improvement programs like HGTV’s Property Brothers. Two brothers, one a real estate agent and the other a contractor, help people to purchase their dream homes. They start by showing their clients a move-in ready home with everything on their must-have list. This serves as a reality check for the clients because the home is usually way out of their price range.

Then they show their clients several “fixer-uppers” along with renovation plans which fit into the client’s budget. These properties which might be glossed over as unacceptable at first glance have the potential to become the show-places their future owners want. The client decided on a property and the renovations start. Ultimately, the homes end up looking as good or even better than the move-in ready house.

But, what about people? Do you judge them by how they look as well, or do you look for their hidden potential?

The prophet Samuel was told to go to the house of Jesse and anoint the future king of Israel to replace Saul. When he got there, he met and sized up each one of Jesse’s sons – all were good looking and had the appearance of great potential. But God cautioned Samuel not to pick any of them.

“But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look at the way he looks on the outside or how tall he is, because I have not chosen him. For the Lord does not look at the things man looks at. A man looks at the outside of a person, but the Lord looks at the heart.”” 1 Samuel 16:7 NLV

God had his eye on David, Jesse’s youngest son who was still a gangly, awkward teenager. He wasn’t much to look at yet, compared to his brothers who were already grown up, buff-looking warriors. But David’s heart stood head and shoulders above the hearts of his brothers because of the young man’s devotion to God. His hidden potential was what made him important in God’s plan.

We need to be careful how we judge others because we can’t usually see at first glance what’s inside. Yet God knows what they have the potential to become with a little work. and he has both the time and the patience to do it! After all, take a look inside your own heart and check out what he’s doing there!

Thank you Lord for looking at our hearts and giving us a chance to become all you know we can become. Amen.

Keep a craft room (or household) journal

Why Bother to Journal? Part 8

Several months ago, I ran across a discussion on a rubber stamping forum about cataloging our supplies. When I walked into my craft room, I nearly suffered a heart attack thinking of the task that lay ahead!

That room is filled with  so many cool tools and so much…well…stuff. But it’s my stuff and I do use it. So, I began a craft room journal  of all that “stuff” in an organized fashion, listing the items and their use and replacement cost.

As the thread suggested, I started with my markers and coloring supplies. But I soon gave up because I had so many run-of-the-mill dollar variety sets, purchased during those back to school supply sales each summer. However, I did manage to catalog all the more valuable items like punches, scissors,  die cutting supplies and non-consumable tool items in the room.

Oh my aching head! Why would I put myself through this tedious torture?

• One obvious reason is for insurance purposes. Heaven forbid if a disaster ever struck my craft room and all its contents were lost (No, I’m not talking about those whirlwind creative days when hurricane Bonnie blows through the room. LOL!)

I use many of my craft items on a continuous basis and would definitely want to replace them if something happened. But in the aftermath of a fire or other destructive event, I know I wouldn’t think clearly enough to remember all the items I have. After all, I’ve been purchasing tools and supplies for this card-making passion of mine for over 15 years.

• A second reason to keep this type of journal for my craft room is to be able to see at a glance what supplies I have to prevent duplication when shopping.

It’s true. I come from a family of habitual hoarders! When we began clearing out my parents’ home to sell it, we started with only a pathway to get through the rooms. As we worked our way to the outer walls, we found several  cases of paper towels and a dozen unopened 3 pound cans of coffee. New sheet sets still in the wrappers and brand new bath towels while the shredded ones hung on the bathroom towel bars.

Groan! I promised myself then that I would never succumb to the family disease, but I do have a craft gadget fetish. If there is a new tool that will do the job more efficiently than one I already have, well….. But at least I’m not buying the exact same tool or Cricut cartridge twice, though I have found some duplicates among my $1 stamp sets.

• Perhaps the most important reason for me to keep this craft room journal is to see how much I have invested in my craft hobby (obsession). What an eye opener as I went through my supplies and tools shelf by shelf!

I found consumable supplies I purchased on sale thinking that “someday” I would use them. But someday never came and here they still are taking up space while I buy more sale items to squirrel away! I have wonderful stash of design paper, cardstock, brads, embellishments and other assorted treasures – enough that I shouldn’t have to purchase anything for a loooooong time. And those addictive little $1 stamps…I have over one hundred of them, most of which haven’t seen ink yet.

So the challenge is now to use it or lose it as I streamline things. Not only am I reclaiming valuable space in my craft room by whittling away at my consumable stash, I’m saving money. Before buying new stamps or consumable items, I can see what I have at a glance and peel my fingers off that I’ll-use-it-someday sale item.

I’ve even been able to sell a few of my tools that have duplicate functions. Hmmmm….Florida, here I come!

Conquer Impulse Shopping - Use it to buy it

Like most avid crafters, I have a "stash."

It used to be a stash of fabric - after all, you NEVER know when you'll need a certain type of fabric to make something for your home, for a gift, for the grand kiddos or for yourself. I loved to shop at discount fabric stores and no matter where we lived - I knew where all the best fabric buys were.

Several years ago, I fell in love with paper crafting. Paper takes up lots less room than bolts of fabric and you don't have to thread needles to make things out of paper LOL! So I began collecting anything to do with paper crafting from tools to various types of paper and embellishments.

Whenever I got a 40% off coupon to a craft store, I HAD to use it. After all, you never know when something will come in handy to make a card or for a craft for children's church. And so my stash grew.

When we moved 18 months ago, my craft supplies filled a room in the new house. After settling in, my husband built a wonderful wall unit to fit around my craft table to store all of my stash. Of course, with all that extra new space, there was even more room for more paper crafting goodies.

I did make some cards, probably about 250 of them last year, mostly for wedding and shower gifts. But I must confess, I continued to accumulate more than I used. My stash strained at the boundaries of the craft room, threatening to drive me out of my creative space.

So what is a girl to do?????

I found s great web site dedicated to rubber stamping. Each week they featured new card crafting challenges which tickled my creative fancy. But still I had trouble getting motivated to create, though my stash kept growing.

Shortly before the new year one of the message boards featured a challenge called "Stamp to Spend." Each of the participants vowed to allot themselves money to spend on their rubber stamps and paper supplies based on the amount of cards, scrapbook layouts or altered items they made. The idea was to cut down on impulse buying by earning an allowance to spend on their craft.

This challenge has some real advantages:
1. It gets me motivated to use what I have on hand.
I have stamps that have never been inked and a stack of paper and cardstock almost 2 feet high! I purchased tools to create many of the trendy looks, but my good intentions just never happened. Now, if I want to buy new tools and paper, I need get creative first.

2. It makes me prioritize my "wish list." Since I must earn the right to spend money, I think twice before just buying something because I "might be able to use it." Now I have a purpose/goal to save up for so I can buy specific items in a specific order.

3. It cuts down on impulse buying. It's like going to the grocery store with a list -It saves money because I only buy what's on my list. Thank goodness for craft store coupons which help me go through the items on my wish list more quickly.

4. The challenge holds me accountable too since everyone keeps a spreadsheet to record how she's doing and reports back. So far in the month of January alone, I've made 108 cards - a third of my yearly total for last year! Though I have bought some necessary supplies, I remain in the black so far.

5. It is challenging me to use the cards I make so they aren't just sitting around in the craft room. So far, I've started making my Christmas cards for next year (that's another challenge, LOL!) as well as making sets of gift cards to give as wedding and baby shower gifts. I've often wanted to send handmade birthday, encouragement, get well and sympathy cards, but just never got around to it. Now...

This is a great strategy to help conquer impulse buying. Instead of buying because "it's on sale" or I "might be able to use it" someday, I now buy it because I've already used my supplies and I need to replace them. It's also helping me to defeat the dark clouds of depression which engulfed me last year after the deaths of my parents.

So what tips do you have for conquering impulse buying? I'd love to hear from you.

Blessings Journal

As promised in my Monday blog, I made a cover for my Blessings Journal and wanted to share it with you. It seems a little plain right now, but I have a feeling as I fill the inside with all His blessings, the outside will continue to be embellished as the joy spills out!

I chose the image of a canning jar because the original conversation with my online study group was about creating a blessings "jar" or basket. Since I have been canning a lot this year, I liked the idea of a jar, but it would take up more room than a journal on my already crowded desk.

The scripture on the jar is Isaiah 26:3 NIV "You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you."

I can't think of any better way to experience God's peace each day than to log the blessings He gives just like I log my calories. It keeps His love in the forefront of my mind and heart which does give me a sense of peace and joy. It has been an amazing week so far with God turning bad things into good things that glorify Him and so many other little blessings. I don't know why I didn't start this a long time ago - but I do know I plan to keep it up!

Have you started your blessings jar/basket/journal yet?

Critter cards

With another round of birthdays starting, I had to come up with an idea for my grandkids' birthdays. Eve celebrates hers in September, Abby in October and Jack in December so I'm all ready!

All the animals are made with my Paper Shapers round circle punch so they're fun to make and super easy too! The wiggly eyes add a lot of personality to the critters as well.



Their mom has a birthday in November too, so of course I had to make one for her too! If you're reading my blog today Allissa, Don't Peek!!!

Crafty Thursdays - Wedding Wishes

As I said in an earlier post, the last two weeks have been so hectic I didn't have much chance to blog so now I'm getting caught up.

On August 8, my hubby was priviledged to perform the wedding ceremony for one of our church members. Donna and R.E. picked an unforgettable date for their wedding - 08/08/08 at 8:00 PM. It was a beautiful ceremony and the bride was radiant - of course!

One of the things I enjoy about being in the ministry is being able to help with parties and weddings. This one was no exception - I was able to help Donna with the flowers for her wedding (all silk so they could be done ahead of time).

I worked in a flower shop for awhile when we lived in Oakland, MD, but had to retire after an arthritic flare up following Mother's Day two years ago. I have missed it very much so when Donna allowed me to do her bouquet, I was tickled pink. I'm posting a photo of her bouquet because my daughter wanted to see it:

Congratulations to the happy couple!

Another New Baby!

Whew! I haven't had such a busy summer since my children were still in school. Between making cards for showers, a round of never-ending picnics and now the garden produce, it seems lke there's always something pressing that needs to be done - and the blogging gets pushed to the bottom of the list.

Anyway - today will be short and sweet - I'm posting a photo of the baby announcements I made for my niece Tara who is due to deliver her first baby very soon. Congrats Tara - with all my love and prayers for a good delivery!

Tara's mom Tammie went all out with the shower making cute little stuffed bears with lace dresses, sitting on little lace doilies which she hand crocheted. Lots of work, but great results. The tables were decorated with play princess tiaras, confetti, and even a small castle.

To go along with the Princess theme, I made a little lacy dress for the front of the baby announcements I created for Tara. I almost put the dresses on fuzzy bears made from flocked paper, but couldn't quite get it to look the way I wanted. After I saw the party favors her mom created, I wish I had been able to put bears on the front of her announcements as well.

The dresses are very easy - just pieces of 1" gathered lace for the skirt and 1/2" lace for the top - glued on a 2" mat on the front of the card.

Congrats again Tara and best wishes!

Encouraging Scripture Cards

Do you know how a verse or melody can get stuck in your head and go around and around like a carousel for days on end?

I saw a pattern for a neat scripture note card the other day that was quick and easy to make and decided to create some that I could send to friends to encourage them. For the verse, I typed in the key words "Bible Promises" and found lots of good sites filled with encouraging Scripture promises.

After choosing a site at random, I read down through the list of verses and found Psalm 32:7: "You are my hiding place, you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance."

When I saw the verse, the scripture chorus based on that verse began to whirl around in my mind and hasn't stopped for the past few days. If you are familiar with that chorus, you know it has a haunting melody. Even as I write this blog, I can hear the song and feel His comforting Hand.

So I wanted to share this card and verse with you today and trust it will bless you.

The cards are very easy to make : I use a 5.5" x 8.5" sheet of cardstock folded in half for the base of the card. Layer #2 is a contrasting color cardstock cut 4"x 5.25".

I used my computer to print the verse 4 times on a piece of 8.5" x 11" patterned paper before cutting it into 3.75" x 5" sections. This takes a little measuring to arrange the wording how you want it to appear on the finished card, but it's worth the trouble.

Finishing the card was easy with some ribbon, a silk flower and brad. I liked the end result so well, I plan to make several different verses using the same pattern in various colors.

Happy crafting!

Congratulations Grads!

Three grads in one year. Wow! That makes me feel...blessed. (Bet you thought I was going to say "old" LOL!)



But all joking aside, I am blessed to be part of a great family with all the nieces and nephews committed to the Lord. Travis is the last of my brother-in-law's children to graduate from high school. He'll be starting trade school soon to become an electrician. Living close to my husband's family is nice - This is the first time we were able to attend any of the graduation parties for his nieces and nephews. We wish you all the best Travis!



In Eastern Maryland, two of my sister-in-laws children have also graduated. Best wishes to Nathan, their youngest who just graduated from high school and Amber, their oldest who graduated from college. Nathan's headed to college and I'm not sure what Amber will be doing yet.

God bless all my grads this year and yours too!

Folded Flower Cards

I love flowers but I'm not a gardener so I "grow" my own on paper. Here's a fun card idea using Paper Pizazz's Fold Back Swirl flower template available through Hot Off The Press's Paper Wishes catalog site.

Earlier this year when I had a problem with the muscles in my lower back, I had too much free time on my hands so I traced and cut dozens of these neat flowers with the template. Of course, then I had to figure out a way to use them so I created my own potted plants.

These clever little flowers are cut and folded into shape and fastened with a mini or regular sized brad. I attached them to the card with glue dots.

Because I had so many flowers, we used them to make Mother's Day cards in Children's Church as well with the grass and stems drawn on with a marker and little punched butterflies as embellishments.

Bulletin Board idea for June

On Wednesdays I always enjoy sharing ministry ideas that my readers can take and make their own.

Today's idea is a bulletin board design inspired by a similar idea I saw on the web...

Growing In God's Image

For the month of June, my husband plans to share a series of sermons on the Image of God. Since June is a month for gardens, I googled free bulletin board ideas on the web and was inspired by a garden themed board one person had posted.

Our board is 4' high x 6' wide and because it is such a big space, it can be daunting. But as I started putting together my first ever bulletin board, I began to realize it was like creating a giant scrapbook page!

The background is a wonderful 2 yard piece of blue fabric with tiny dots. Fabric works well because it covers the length of the board almost from top to bottom and is easy to tack in place - no seams to fit together..

For the garden soil, I used recycled paper grocery bags, cutting off the bottom and opening up the side seam. It took 1 whole bag cut into 2 strips to fit the length of the board. I actually made 2 layers so I could make it look like I planted things in the soil. To get the look of soil, I crumbled the paper bag pieces before mounting them on the board and then used my brown dye-based ink directly on the paper to give it texture.

With the background of the board covered, I added the other elements - a trellis made from strips of brown cardstock, vines out of the twisted paper ribbon, construction paper leaves and beans which I photocopied from the front of the package of beans I planted in my garden. I wrote various character traits God is "growing" in us on the beans and lettuce plants.

The lettuce I drew freehand and the letters I made by taking 5 sheets of construction paper and cutting them into 4 pieces each. With the uniform pieces, I could create regular block letters large enough for the board.

As a finishing touch, I added dimension and whimsy to the board with silk flowers and vines. It was a fun board and took about two hours to complete with a little help from my hubby. It's my turn again in October so.... any ideas out there?

Crafty Thursday - Quilt card

Of all the card designs I like to make, this is one of my all time favorites, though it is a bit labor intensive. It was inspired by my growing up years in Southeastern PA - when we would drive along some of the back roads on our way to Lancaster. Often there would be a quilt hanging on a backyard wash line being aired out.

For this card, I used a black square for the quilt background and punched out an assortment of mini squares with my Paper Shapers square punch. The tree limbs were punched from brown cardstock using the Paper Shapers mega-sized tree punch and covered with shades of green leaves punched with the Paper Shaper oak and Maple leaf punches. The same with the butterfly and dragon flies.

I added some grass across the bottom and flower shaped brads for a little more texture. and drew a wash line with clothespins freehand across the top of the quilt.

Does anyone have any suggestions where I might find some quilt stamps? I have some ideas in mind and am looking for some cute stamps with quilts on them.

Happy crafting!

Babt Buggy Birth Announcements

Baby Buggy Birth Announcements - try saying that really fast five times...

I have a baby shower to go to Saturday and another one in July so I've been busy making baby announcements for gifts.

Amanda's mom said Amanda was tired of pink so even though "it's a girl," I decided to add a little green and purple. Of course I have to be a little traditional so there's a little pink bow for effect.

For this card I used the baby buggy stamp from G Studios clear stamps collection, embossed it with pink embossing powder, and matted it on a 1 - 3/4 x 2 - 3/4 inch piece of purple cardstock.
I created a second layer using a 5.25 x 4 inch piece of purple card stock with a 2 x 3.75 inch rectangle of green floral patterned paper and a 2.75 x 3.75 piece of plaid paper.

Next, I embellished this mat with a 5.25 inch piece of sheer ribbon, (1 inch wide) and a 5.25 inch piece of floral specialty ribbon on top. After adding the stamped image, I glued the entire matted piece onto the card base - a half sheet of card stock folded in half to make a 5.5 x 4.25 card.

Since it is tedious to try to figure out the placement to print words onto the card using my computer, I usually type a sheet of "It's a girl!" words and print it on vellum paper. I used 26 point Creative Keepsake's CK Jacque font for this one. Thank goodness for Xyron machines - I cut the words in little strips and run them through the mini X-shaped xyron so I can stick the words onto the card. They almost appear invisible.

Amanda and her mom are very crafty and may want to make their own announcements, so I'm sending 2 card inserts - one she can use as an announcement and one for a "thank you" All she has to do is peel the protective cover off the double-sided tape and slip the insert of her choice into the card. both are printed in the same font as on the outside of the card. I print the inserts on a regular sheet of copy paper (2 inserts per sheet) then fold and trim to fit the inside of the card so it looks like a liner.

Here's another idea - with the cards I include enough postage stamps so she has everything she needs to send out her announcements. I also have started creating folders or boxes to protect the cards, decorated with similar colors and embellishments. Inexpensive boxes can be purchased at the dollar store and recovered as desired.

If you want to do more, purchase those tiny glass seed beads in the colors you used for your cards and some very tacky tape - the wide kind. Cut a piece of the tape to fit the length of the pen's barrel, adhere and peel off the backing. Next roll the pen in the seed beads until coated - voila! A matching pen to go with the baby ensemble.

And now, on to my next project...

Victorian Favors for Banquets or Teas

These are really easy!

For the sachet, I took a lacy type of ribbon, 2 1.2 inches wide. I used a ribbon made out of a product similar to the interfacing sewers used, but any type of lacy or gauzy ribbon will do as long as your potpourri won't fall through any holes in the lace. I cut it into 6 inch lengths and folded it in the middle.

Leaving the end open, I machine stitched down each side to form a pouch which I filled with some apricot scented potpourri. I tied the ed shut with a ribbon and hot glued on a string of beads and a flower. Done! I made 30 of them in an hour.

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The pins take a bit more work. I cut 6 inch strips of 1 inch wide gathered lace and used a running stitch on the gathered edge, pulling it tight to make a lacy circle and stitching it in place to keep the shape.

Then I glued on 2 different color ribbon bows - 1 wide and one narrow, a string of beads and 3-5 silk flower blooms in any shade you like. I just cut the blooms near the end of the stem and hot glued them on to cover the gathered part of the circle.

Add a pin to the back and you're done. I used beading pins without the loop at the bottom, but larger safety pins work well too.

I figured the cost to be about 30-40 cents each and they went together quickly - a nice favor for our Victorian Legacies theme banquet.

Keepsake candles

I'm still working on Mother Daughter things for our Banquet on Saturday evening. These candles were fun to make and will look great on the tables so I thought I'd share them with you.

I took vintage family photos and made photo copies on regular copy paper. Using my Coluzzle, I cropped them into ovals for the 6 inch pillar candles. I pinned the photo on to the candle using 2 straight pins - one on either side of the photo so it wouldn't curl (The top and bottom of the photos don't need to be pinned.)

Then using my heat embossing tool, I heated the photo which melted the wax of the candle and bonded it to the photo - the surface of the photo copy actually absorbed the wax, giving it a semi-gloss finish.

Using my hot glue gun, I adhered lace, beads, ribbon bow and silk flower accent (Don't burn yourself like I did, LOL!) Voila! A great looking vintage candle keepsake to keep or give as a gift. I can see I'm going to be quite busy making these for Christmas...