Paper Bag Album

Today I am sharing a paper bag album. I have been holding on to this until the recipient of the album received it. I didn't want to spoil it for them. I the picture before the last you see a yellow tag sticking out of a pocket. That is a pocket for a gift card.

Birthday Card

I made a birthday card for my friend's birthday and wanted to share it with all of you. It took me a long time to do some special touches, but she is very special to me, so it was worth it.

 I tea dyed the tag, refer to my post on tea dying to learn how to do this really cool technique.











This tag was 1st stamped with versafine and then Tea dyed, it left an amazing background image.

 This is the Birthday Card. I used a really pretty bronze glitter tape on the tag. I stamped Happy Birthday on the tea dyed tag. The flower on the top right with the white center was hand stained with a bronze metallic paint that I made a wash with. It came out a perfect tan/taupe color.

I antiqued the card by using a sponge dauber and brown distressing ink. The paper on the right is the newspaper I tea dyed and stamped.

 I made a special box card for the chunky card

In Order from left to right
Amanda, Cindi, Julie (me), Gayle (Birthday Girl)

Sympathy Card

I am attending a card swap this weekend, this is my sympathy card I we will be making.

Tea Dyed Tags

I decided to try my hand at tea dyed tags. I have seen them before for sale and all of you know me when I say "I can do that". Any way they turned out really nice. I will add directions below the pictures.


Some came out darker than others, plus I also
dyed a newspaper piece and it turned out really nice.

If anyone has newspapers in another language I would love to get a page!
I will send you a few tags in trade.

This set is the same set, but a better picture.

This picture shows the 3 tags to show the difference between the
undyed paper and the coffee dyed one and the tea dyed one.
The one on the left is tea dyed, the center one is coffee dyed and
the on the right is the undyed one.

Directions:

• Heat water as you would for tea.
• Add 6/8 tea bags to a glass baking pan.
• Add hot water just to cover the tea bags
• Let sit for 15 minutes, squeeze out the tea bags and throw them out.
• Add your tags or paper, let sit for at least 10 minutes or longer if you want them darker.
• Take them out,  lay them on a towel to air dry.

I tried to dry them in the oven at 200 degrees, but I found that they want to curl. So I took them out and dried them on a towel, they curl a bit, but I just flip them over and pat them down as they dry.
Once dry I used my iron to heat set the tea stain. If you do this, make sure the have some type of pressing cloth over the tags while you iron. I used a cotton setting and kept my iron moving  for just a few seconds on each side.

Sharing a Friends Talent

Today I am sharing a friends talent, she is very creative and talented. We attended a baby shower this past weekend and had a great time. Here is only one of the items the Mother to be received  Home made by my friend Gayle. It's a baby cake made of diapers and it came out so adorable!

It's been 6 months

Wow I can't believe it's been six months since I last posted. Since than blogger changed it's set up, so it took me about 20 minutes to figure out what happened here. Since Dec I have had allot of changes and now life is settling down again. Let me post a few pics of what I have been making since December.

 This is a scarf I made for my granddaughter, She looks so adorable in it. The hat was made by my mother in law, which is amazing at everything that she does!

 This was a thank you card I made for a Friend

This was a Thank you card for family.

So for now that is it, I need to craft more and add more cool stuff!

Christmas Planner

I am working on some christmas planners for gifts. I have had these compostion book for a long time when. I bought them when they were on sale at only 25 cents each. I decided to use up some of my scraps of scrapbook paper and embellishments this weekend. I came up with this, now if your my family this is a sneak peak of something you MAY get. I will be making all types of designs, so this won't actually be the one you may get. I thought I would post while I wait for the rain to die down, so I can do my grocery shopping today.

I took a composition book and altered it to this really useful Christmas planner.



To Make one of these:

You Need :

1) Composition notebook

2) Scrapbook pattern paper at least 8 1/2x 11 Size

3) Ribbon 1/2 yard

4) Cardstock Scraps

5) Embelishments

6) Strong glue runner, glue runner for lightweight paper and a strong liquid glue.

7) Sharps Scissors

8) Nail buffer or 180 grit nail file.

Instructions:

I did not cover the spine of the book. I did this so it would open and close freely.

1) Take an 81/2 by 11 pc of pattern paper and butt it up to the black binding on the front of the book.

2) Trace the pattern paper around the cover with a pencil to match the shape of the cover, trim it to size. It's ok to have a little overhang. I actually think it is better. You will be trimming that off after you glue that page down to the front of the book.

3) Adhere the patterned paper to the front cover, butting the paper up to the black spine edge.

With your scissors trim the paper close to the edge of the cover. With your nail buffer or file. Run the file down along the edge only going in one direction down on the paper for a smooth edge.

4) Adhere you ribbon  to the front with a dry glue runner, with about and inch over lapped to the back.

5) Cover your inside cover the same way, I used a solid peice of regular colored bond paper, but if you have lightweight pattern paper it it will do just fine. This will cover your ribbon overlap from the front side.

6)  Adhere a pocket on the front inside left. I used a christmas envelope. On the right side I added a printed calendar.

7) The tabs were a purchased item, I just labled them and glued them on with liquid glue.

I spearated the sections by using the colored bond paper.

8) The back inside and outside were done the same as the front.

I added a pocket with heavy duty cardstock.

The back the same paper as the front. *Note that I do not cover the spine of the book.

Checkbook Cover

I made this Checkbook cover today. I saw a similar one on the internet, but it had more pieces to it. My hubby designed this with 1 -12x12 paper. I tried to make 2 out of a 12 x 12 paper, but you need this to be 6 1/2 x 11.25 so it doesn't work.
I will post directions after I type them up, later this week.

Video Tutorial

New Card & Gift

I made this "Coffee" Card and Cookie box gift for my sister Yoli's Birthday. She is one of my biggest fans to my cards and Homemade gifts. I love making things for family they are always so grateful!

Inside:

Now the Gift:
A Box of Dark Chocolate Cookies From Trader Joe's
I used their bag and stamped it with a bean stamp and added Ribbon
and a a topper with a Pink and Brown sentiment.

It's Spring time!

Wow I can't believe I haven't updated my blog lately. It is finally spring and It's funny how busy one can get and then all of a sudden you look back at your week and say where did it go? I want to thank my Friend Gem for Reminding me to update my blog. Gem is another crafty girl , Check out her blog at http://www.gemscottage.com/wordpress/
So today I am going to go back a bit and post a few different things. Let's start with my sparkly nails: I had been in a very PINK mood so I decided 2 weeks ago to do this fun look. Known in the Nail world as Glitter Nails or "Rockstar".

 

Hopefully by next week I will have changed this out, I am getting bored with it now since I have been wearing them for 2 weeks.

Ok on to my next item. My niece just a smidge before her 12th birthday and I have been sewing together. She is an adorable tween and I love teaching all my crafty stuff. I think I have the inner spirit of a 12 year old girl...I LOVE Glitter! and all things sparkly, my friend Amanda says we are fish (her and I) because we love sparkly stuff.  Last week I was teaching my niece how to sew, so here are pictures of her sewing herself this cute little bag. She even pick out that cute fabric from my fabric stash! Next we are going to sew a super cute Mermaid bottom for her mono fin. I know she will just look adorable! and make a beautiful Mermaid!

All Done! How cute is that?

I just know she is going to grow up to be a super crafter!

Oh and I forgot to post what I made for my daughter for Easter.
This is supposed to be a small Hobo type purse /bag, but she was in great need of a new make-up bag, yes she can fill this at least 1/2 full with her make-up. It is so cute! I just had to make her one.






I got the free pattern from Allpeoplequilt.com







This is called a Grab bag. 

Well I guess this week's theme was sewing, next week I will change it up a bit!
Thanks for stopping by!

Altered Mini Notebook

It seems that every time I need something to write on while I am out, I find myself rummaging through my purse. I end up using a ripped piece of a deposit slip or writing on the back of a receipt. I was at the book store the other day and I saw really fancy mini notebooks. Hmm You know I thought I can do that! So tonight I was in a crafting mood, so I looked in my magic crafting stash box. Well I call it that because nothing that ever comes out of that box ever looks the same. It gets glitterfied or some other crafty technique.  I decided while I was making it that I would do a tutorial on how to make one and you can stop writing on those receipts.

You will need:

1- Mini notebook- 4 1/4 x 3inches
(I got a small pack of three at the dollar store)
2- Pcs of cardstock patterned paper- 4 1/4 x 3inches
2- Pcs of solid cardstock paper -4 1/4 x 3inches
1- piece of a contrasting color cardstock paper for the spine
  4 1/4x1 1/2 inches
1-Glue tape runner or other strong adhesive

1) Measure your book and cut your patterned cardstock to match the front and back pages of the book.

2) Optional* If your patterned paper is thin you can reinforced the thickness of the front and back flap by using a thin chipboard on the inside of the front and back page, before you begin.

3) Cut the strip for your spine. I did mine in a solid color.

4) Glue the cardstock strip to the spine of the book, try to make sure the front and back of the book have the same amount of cardstock strip.

5) Glue the patterned cardstock to the front cover and to the back cover of your notebook, being very careful to line up the edges.

6) Glue coordinating cardstock panels to the inside front flap and inside back flap.

7) There you are! Easy Peasy! You can decorate your book cover further. I didn't because the cover paper was already really pretty.