Repurpose those mini glass ornaments!

I have had a box of mini glass ornaments sitting in a drawer for almost two years.  I pulled them out and set them on my craft table and stared at them…and stared…and stared..then LIGHT BULB!  I saw lollipop sticks in the corner of my eye and this was born:

I cut strips of colorful printed papers and rolled them up (some tight some not-so-tight), pushed them inside each ornament and stuck lollipop sticks into them and presto!  A “flower bulb” for my bouquet!

I placed enough rolled paper inside the ornaments that it held the stick securely.

The best part was that I was able to attach the bows with Glue Dots® Glue Lines which made it a quick and easy embellishment!

I still felt my flower pot was missing something and so I reached for a butterfly from my stash of “I’ll-buy-these-now-because-I’ll-use-them-someday” and adhered with a Glue Dots® Craft Dot to a simple tag.

I always include a card with my gifts so I reached for my always-needed Our Daily Bread designs stamp to finish it off:

Here are the instructions for the flower bulb bouquet:

1.  Cut strips of designer papers and roll.  Vary the tightness of your rolls.  Remove the tops of the ornaments and fill with the rolled papers.  Push paper rolls with the end of a lollipop stick to arrange inside the ornament if needed.

2.  Adhere a strip of 1" Glue Line® to the neck of each ornament.  Attach ribbon onto Glue Line® and tie a bow.  Insert lollipop sticks into ornaments.

3.  Fill the inside of clay pot with moss.  Pack moss tightly inside.  Push in "flower bulbs" into moss. 

4.  Stamp sentiment with Versamark and heat emboss with black powder.  Punch a small hole on the corner of brithday tag, insert wire of butterfly through hole and push into moss.

5.  Cut out the inner circle of paper doily and slip onto the clay pot from the bottom.  Adhere with Mini Dot N Go® to create ruffles.

You can easily turn this into a Christmas bouquet using red and greens or silvers and blues…anything!

Happy Crafting!!

(I wrote this post while participating on the Glue Dots® design team.)

Flower Bulb Pot Recipe

Glue Dots®: Glue Lines, Craft Dot N Go, Craft Dot Roll,  Mini Dot N Go

Stamps: ODBD Happy Birthday

Ink: Versamark

Paper: DCWV Spring Matt Stack

Accessories: mini glass ornaments, silk ribbon, lollipop sticks, moss, miniature tall clay pot, black embossing powder, butterfly accent

Card Recipe

Glue Dots®: Craft Dot N Go, Pop-Up Perforated Sheets

Stamps: ODBD Happy Birthday

Ink: Versamark

Paper: DCWV Spring Matt Stack

Accessories: paper doily, Dew Drop, Martha Stewart Classic Butterfly Punch

Portable wedding cupcake tower, anyone?

(If you’re looking for the ODBD Birthday Blog Hop for Josh it’s in THIS post)

I know the cupcake tower is all the craze, from premade ones you can assemble quickly to homemade ones with all the fanfare…BUT…have you seen a PORTABLE tower?  Here’s what I made using two hat boxes, some imagination and lots of Glue Dots® products:

Of course I couldn’t complete this tower without using the 1 Corinthians stamp from Our Daily Bread designs.

Here are the fabulous Glue Dots® products I used to pull this project off:

(Glue Dots® Minis were also used).  Supplies and instructions are found at the very bottom of this post.

Aside from it being portable, I made the designer papers stain-resistant by using a gloss sealer (pictured).  The decoupage sealer in the spray bottle is awesome!

I chose the hat boxes sizes so that when I layered them there was plenty of room to hold standard size cupcakes on the bottom tier and mini cupcakes on the top tier.  I thought about a purse handle for the top, but I same across this little basket and I thought PERFECT!

I added Glue Dots® Continuous Line around the top edge of the basket for my lace trim.

I embellished with gold bows andlace flowers I made and attached them with Glue Dots® Pop-Ups and Glue Dots® Industrial High Profile.  I used Glue Dots® Minis for the rhinestone accents:

No Glue Dots® were used here…I just wanted to show you a nice close-up of the mocha cupcakes with Kahlua buttercream frosting (that’s right…KAHLUA!):

SUPPLIES:
*Glue Dots®- 1/2" High Profile/Super High Tack Adhesive, Continuous Lines,
Permanent Dot N Go dispensers

*Paper mache round hatboxes- 14", 8" and 3"
*3" paper mache basket
*Coordinating designer papers and cardstocks
*Beacon Decoupage Gloss Sealer spray (to make  the papers and cardstocks
waterproof and stain-resistant)
*Silk flowers
*Self-adhesive pearls and rhinestones
*Crocheted lace trim for lace flowers HERE
*Decorative brads
*Decorative punches
*Cuttlebug embossing folder
*Ribbon
*Wood glue
*Gold acrylic paint
*Styrofoam
*Our Daily Bread designs stamp- 1 Corinthians 13
*Cupcake baking supplies

INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Remove hatbox lids and attach upside down to bottom of boxes using wood
glue.  Attaching the lids in this manner will create a nice platter for the
cupcakes to sit in without fear of sliding off from finished tower.  Allow to
dry overnight.
2. Cut enough designer papers and cardstocks to cover hatboxes.  Cut matching
solid-color cardstocks for "cake" trims. Run "cake" trims through Cuttlebug
embossing folder to add more detail.  Punch decorative border on one edge of
trims.
3. Once all your designer papers and cardstock trims are cut spray on decoupage
gloss sealer, making sure to cover pieces entirely.  They will curl a little,
but once dry just place a heavy book on top to flatten.
4. Using Glue Dots Super High Tack Adhesive and Permanent Dot N Go, attach all
treated papers and trims to hatboxes.
5. Use wood glue to attach hatboxes in a stacked fashion.  Allow to dry
overnight.
6. Paint paper mache basket with gold acrylic paint and let dry.  Glue basket
to the bottom of 3" hatbox as this will act as a pedestal for the basket on top
of the tower (lid will not be needed).   Insert small styrofoam inside basket
and attach silk flowers and embellish with punched butterflies as desired.
7. Embellish cupcake tower with pearls, rhinestones and lace flowers.
8. Bake your choice of cupcakes (standard and mini size cupcakes were used in
sample) and decorate to coordinate with tower theme.
9. Pick up tower by the handle and go!

(I wrote this post while participating on the Glue Dots® design team)

A Fall “bouquet” for teacher

I knew I wanted to make a little gift for my son’s teacher and I kept going back and forth whether to make it a Halloween theme or a Fall one.  I also thought “What do teachers need in their classroom all the time?”.  I finally decided on a Fall gift with Halloween colors and what do teachers need at all times…pencils, of course!  So I decided to get a package of #2 Ticonderoga pencils because they were black rather than a yellow-orange which was perfect for my “bouquet”:

I filled my $1.00 bucket I got from Target with Pumpkin Spice Hershey’s Kisses and Glue Dot®-ed my flowers on the tops of the unsharpened pencils.

I made the flowers using the Quilled Chrysanthemum Kit from Cuttlebug.  I like to use my Glue Dots® Minis to help keep the rolled papers in place. I apply the top half of a Glue Dot® Mini on the strip of paper, roll a little, then fold up the bottom of the Mini and roll some more.  I did this with all the flower layers.  This helps save on the amount of adhesive you use.  I try to be frugal :). Once you have all your flowers just add a Mini Glue Dot® on the tops of the pencils and stick your flowers on.

I applied Craft Glue Dots® to the decorative strip of paper for my bucket which made it super easy to complete!

Students can “pick flowers” if they need a pencil and my son’s teacher can indulge in some Hershey’s Kisses :).

(I wrote this post while participating in the Glue Dots® design team.)

Fall Bouquet Recipe

Glue Dots®: Mini, Craft

Stamp: ODBD Happy Fall

Ink: VersaFine Onyx Black

Paper: DCWV Fall Stack

Accessories: Cuttlebug Quilled Chrysanthemum Kit, small bucket, pencils, Spellbinders Assorted Leaves, EK Success Parisian border punch, chocolate candy, black organza ribbon, purple pearl, twine

Easy and INEXPENSIVE Halloween Banner

I didn’t have any Halloween wall decor in my collection so I decided to create one!  I had a stack of cardboard inserts laying around (got those free when I bought boxes for my dimensional cards) that I never recycled because I thought I’d use them one day and I’m glad I kept them.  You could also recycle empty cereal boxes!

Look at this plain, unassuming cardboard…it won’t be plain for long!

Oh, and do you see these cupcake liners?  Only $1.99 at Michael’s.  Happy! Happy! Happy! You’ll see why in a bit.

After a little cutting, snipping, embellishing and Glue Dot®-ing (I came up with that new verb…LOL!)…

I’ve got myself a Halloween wall decor!

Just snip a line down one of the liner’s crinkle fold and reattach with a Glue Dots® Line to invert and add dimension.  Oh, and guess who wanted to help? 

My son Marcus saw me coloring the wooden clothespins and asked if he could do it.  I was thrilled he wanted to join in on my little creative journey!

So, here’s what it cost to create my banner:

Wooden clothespins (package of 24 from Target)- $1.00

Cupcake liners (Michael’s)- $1.99

Purple Tulle (Michael’s)- $2.99 MINUS 40% off coupon so it ended up being only $1.80

Halloween chipboard accents(Michael’s)- $1.00

Glue Dots® (already on hand)

Halloween papers and cardstocks (already on hand)

Cardboard (already on hand)

Buttons and ribbon (already on hand)

My GRAND TOTAL for my project….drum roll, please………………………………………………………………..$5.79!!!!!

Come visit me again this week to see what I made for my son’s teacher for Halloween!

(I wrote this blog post while participating on the Glue Dots® design team)

Halloween Banner Recipe

Glue Dots®: Pop-Up, Glue Lines, Craft Dot N Go dispenser

Paper: Halloween designer papers (K & Company, DCWV) Stampin’ Up! (Pumpkin Pie, Orchid Opulence)

Accessories: Colorbok Halloween chipboard accents, cupcake liners, purple tulle, polka dot grosgrain ribbon, Spellbinders (Classic Small Circles, Classic Large Circles), wooden clothespins, Sharpie black marker, buttons, paper floss

 

 

Yes, I AM a Twilight Saga fan!!

Ever heard of Stephanie Meyer? LOL! I read the whole Twilight series one after the other and it made me feel like a teenager again so I wanted to salute the whole Twilight craze with this shadowbox frame. I had the design in my head for quite some time and finally made it to fruition, having worked on it through last night and into today.

I wanted to highlight the main characters and some of my favorite quotes from them so here it is:

The anticipation of the Eclipse movie is almost unbearable!!! My friend is a true fan of Twilight and I wanted to give her a card to help with the wait of the Eclipse movie release:

Challenges for this project:

Cinema Saturday – Creative Challenge #79 New Moon

Paper Cubed - Shadow Box Challenge

Fabergé-esque

Hi everyone! Mother's Day is just around the corner and I wanted to make something very elegant and pink for my wonderful mother-in-law. I have always been fascinated with those gorgeous Fabergé Eggs and so that is what inspired my little ensemble today using the Happy Mother's Day set from Our Daily Bread designs and this week’s MMSC48 (even though it's round!):

It’s difficult to see in the photo, but I sprayed Tattered Rose Glimmer Mist over the silver embossed wreath.

I've had the Prima Flowers of the Month Collection for several years and I thought it was time to stop hoarding! I have all 12 months of the collection so I had plenty to work with :).

I bought a 5" round styrofoam ball and attached a decorative trim as a handle using two extra long pins. I then proceeded to cover the styrofoam with my Prima flowers with short flathead pins. Juts go around and around and around until you have covered it completely.

So break out with all your Prima flowers and have some floral fun!

It took me quite a while to complete it, but my mother-in-law is worth the extra effort and I'm happy with how it turned out :).

Ensemble Recipe

Stamp: ODBD Happy Mother’s Day

Ink: Versamark

Paper: K & Company Madeline pad, Prism Spring Willow pack

Accessories: Prima Flowers of the Month, silver rhinestones, tulle and pearl trim, 5” styrofoam ball, silver embossing powder, silk ribbons (olive, white, pink) flathead pins, Glimmer Mist Tattered Rose

Easter Card/Candy set using an iPod case

I’m still scrambling to put together enough Easter gifts for friends and family and here’s another I came up with. I used the case that my husband’s iPod Nano came in and filled it with sugar-free chocolate caramels. The card is based on this week’s MOJO131 using the violets from The Lord Has Risen set by Our Daily Bread designs (yes, I colored them pink, but that’s the beauty of art!):

I like to hold on to containers and repurpose them. I have a bin full of different kinds, knowing I’ll eventually use them. I have Prima containers just begging to be altered!

Make sure to stop by tomorrow because it’s the start of ODBD sneak peeks for April! Wowza…March is just whizzing on by!

Card & Candy Set Recipe

Stamps: ODBD The Lord Has Risen and Easter Blessings

Ink: Tim Holtz Tea Dye Distress Pad, SU (Certainly Celery, Basic Brown), Black Stazon

Paper: Memory Box Gossamer, Prismatic Pink Pack, SU (Certainly Celery, Basic Brown)

Accessories: Spellbinders (Fancy Tags, Classic Ovals Small), Basic Grey Wine/Champagne Opalines, pink gingham ribbon, satin ribbons, silver cord, Mini Bowdabra, cream button, EK Success Real Estate Sign punch

Quick Tile Coasters Gift Set

I had so much fun creating the tile coaster from my previous post that I had to make more…this time adding all the finishing touches! Once again, I borrowed the idea from the fabulous Betty Wright with just a few little tweaks.

I made this coaster gift set using each of the flowers from the Easter Blessings, Happy Easter and The Lord Has Risen sets as well as Scripture Collection 4:

I wiped down the tile to take off any grit and grime on the surface. I then stamped the image and scripture using black StazOn ink, making sure to let it dry completely. Believe it or not, I WATERCOLORED the image! The tile took the colors amazingly well. I used Moonlight Smooch for the Lily of the Valley to let the white pop. I let each tile air dry because I didn’t want my heat gun blowing any of the wet watercolor off. After they were completely dry I sprayed each tile with Dresden Clear Glaze Gloss Finish. I used one made by Design Master I got from Joann’s for $4.99. Make sure to have plenty of ventilation (OPEN ALL WINDOWS!!) because the fumes are really strong.

I bought a roll of adhesive-backed cork from Joann’s, too (also $4.99) and cut them to size for the back of my tiles. The whole project was really quick to put together and I love how they turned out! I’m just trying to figure out who to give the set to…hmmmmmm……

Coaster Set Recipe

Stamps: ODBD April Sets and Scripture Collection 4

Ink: StazOn black

Accessories: 4x4 Travertine tiles, adhesive-backed cork paper, clear gloss glaze, Moonlight Smooch, watercolor markers

3rd Challenge from Paper Garden Projects

I hope you’ve enjoyed the Paper Garden Projects March challenges so far! Today’s third challenge is to create a card or project using spring or Easter colors. I made this coaster borrowing the idea from the wonderfully talented Betty Wright and used the super cute Butterfly Bunny from Penny Black. I have the single wood-mounted stamp, but PGP carries the Garden Friends clear stamp set that includes it.

I still need to cover the tile with a sealant like Preserve Your Memories II to prevent the watercolored image from bleeding and add cork paper to the back of the tile so off to Jo-Ann’s and/or Michael’s I go :).

I got a box of 10 Travertine 4x4 tiles from Lowe’s for the incredible price of $2.28! Make sure you select a tile that is relatively smooth so your image will stamp evenly. I plan on stamping a different Easter or spring image on each one and gifting it as a set of 5. Two gift sets for the price of one! I love bargains that turn into a unique gift!

So, get your creative juices flowing and join in on this challenge! You have until midnight, March 29 (Monday) to link your card/project in the comment section of PGP’s current challenge post. The prize is two stamps and you can see what they are over at the PGP blog. Have fun and don’t forget to come back next week for our Fourth Friday Fun Challenge!

Coaster Recipe

Stamp: Garden Friends

Ink: StazOn Black

Accessories: ceramic tile, watercolor markers, sealant, cork paper, ribbon

It’s a triple play!

I have been a busy bee today just so I can make up for some lost time. I’ve got a card using one of Our Daily Bread designs’ February sets, a Paper Garden Project 4th Friday Fun Challenge and a McMahon Five Designs March sneak peek!

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Today happens to be PGP’s 4th Friday Challenge! What is it, you ask? Our challenge to you is to create a “Farewell to Winter” card. You can make either a winter or spring card just as long as it signifies the end of winter for you :). I know winter is over when the flowers start to bloom so here’s my take on the challenge using designer paper, cardstock, Dew Droplets and buttons from the Hearts Bloom Paper Kit and following the current SFYTT sketch:

I was inspired by Angella’s card for my button flowers and loved the look! It was perfect for a “springy” card :). Make sure to stop by the rest of the Paper Gardeners’ blogs to see their cards! Links to them are on my sidebar. Head on over to the PGP Blog to find out what you can win if you participate!

Card Recipe

Stamp: SU Brighter Tomorrow

Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black

Paper: Hearts Bloom Paper Kit

Accessories: Cuttlebug Spots and Dots embossing folder, Spellbinders (Classic Circles Small, Petite Scallop Circles Small), Martha Stewart Pond Frond punch, red silk ribbon

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McMahon Five Designs will be releasing brand new digis this coming Monday, March 1 and I’ve got a little sneaky peeky for you! I love me some butterflies so here’s a card using the upcoming Swallow Tail with the MMSC42 sketch:

When I first heard of wood paper I was like “really?”. Then I got hold of some and I was blown away by how much texture and interest it added to any card or project! McMahon Five Designs carries several different wood papers so grab up a few of your favorites or grab one of each! Visit McMahon Five Designs March 1 to get your new digis!

Card Recipe

Digi: McMahon Five Designs Swallow Tail

Paper: Cherry Wood paper, K & Company Portabello Road pad, SU cardstock (Bordering Blue, Regal Rose)

Accessories: Prima Mini Flowers, light blue ruffled organza ribbon, white pearls

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Our Daily Bread designs will be releasing brand new sets March 1!! Have you marked your calendars yet? If not, do that now because you won’t want to miss out on getting them!

Until then, here’s a little something I made using the Nest set for this week’s Cuttlebug Be Inspired #72 and One Stop Craft Challenge 68:

I colored in the flowers using Smooch Siren. Gotta love any opportunity to add a little iridescent shimmer and I took full advantage of that! Having done so, I realize I NEED to have ALL the Smooch colors now! Uh-oh! LOL!

I know I promised a March sneak peek for ODBD, but I will have that posted tomorrow (Friday). Thank you all for being so patient while I play catch-up!

Card Recipe

Stamp: ODBD Nest

Ink: Versamark, Tim Holtz Antique Linen distress pad

Paper: Jenni Bowlin Vintage Red Line mini papers, SU Rose Red cardstock

Accessories: Smooch Siren, Basic Grey Opaline pearls, Ranger Antique Linen Distress embossing powder, Spellbinders (Classic Circles Small, Scalloped Circles Small), black embossing powder

Teacher Gifts for Valentine’s Day

Ahhh, love is in the air! Well, love mixed in with some rain. How does that one song go…”It never rains in Southern California”…WRONG! But, hey, we need it so we’ll take it whenever we can. I know I promised Valentine cards last week, but I’m currently suffering from a really bad intestinal infection and haven’t been well enough to create until now. My apologies! I hope my projects will make up for that :).

Another big holiday, which means gift giving time! I decided to make really simple gifts for both my sons’ teachers, but each unique in their own way :).

My first ensemble is an easel card (FTTC53) using this week’s MMSC40 and Penny Black’s Every Which Way set that is available over at Paper Garden Projects. I made little monogrammed binder clips that you can see a close-up of on the other ensemble I created.

Gosh, I’ve forgotten how cute all the little Penny Black hedgies were! I braided three colors of ribbon together and tied three knots to add some interest. Make sure to swing by the PGP Store to see what’s currently on sale.

Hedgehog Gift Ensemble Recipe

Stamp: Every Which Way set

Ink: Versamark

Paper: Hearts Bloom Paper Kit, SU Basic Brown, watercolor paper

Accessories: chipboard clipboard, black binder clips, computer generated sentiment, ribbons-buttons-Dew Drops(from Hearts Bloom Paper Kit), Crystal Stickles, black embossing powder, paper floss, Prima Flowers, Spellbinders

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This next ensemble is for my other son’s teacher. As you can see, I tried to make both unique in their own way. For this one I used the colors from the CC257 challenge over at Splitcoast and MOJO125 for the sketch:

I love digi’s that don’t require any coloring on my part, especially if I want to pull something together really quick and the Valentine Heart from McMahon Five Designs. It's red, but I changed it to a rust color for the SCS color challenge on my Photoshop Elements program. I just printed the heart three times and cut them using my Spellbinders to add dimension.

I hope my sons’ teachers like them because we truly do appreciate them!

Stop by McMahon Five Designs to find out the current specials!

Valentine Heart Gift Ensemble

Digi: Valentine Heart

Paper: Fancy Pants I’m Yours, SU cardstock (Soft Sky, Really Rust, Close to Cocoa)

Accessories: chipboard clipboard, black binder clips, white flatback pearls, Fiskar’s Effervescence border punch, computer generated monogram and tag, brown grosgrain ribbon, craft button, white paper floss, Dew Drops (Mens), Spellbinders (Scalloped Circles Small, Classic Circles Small