Christmas Topper from 2012

      Every year I try to do something a little different when gift-giving cash to my family for Christmas.  

    One year, 2010, I took plain invitation envelopes and covered the face of them with Christmas wrapping paper and placed a bow on top.  I also used these at Church to decorate under the tree.

    Another year, 2011, I used a template that I found online and made my own money holder envelopes.  I embossed them with snowflakes for an added flair.

      In 2012, I went with store-bought gift envelopes with candy-cane toppers.

      I saw an idea online, but had to completely change it when I could not find the appropriate candy-canes, bells, ribbons, tape, etc.

      They were supposed to look like this, 

but the final product, morphed into this.  I took the candy canes and wrapped them in scrapbook paper, taping down the inside with single-sided tape and covering the outside of the scrapbook paper with washi tape. Using the wire-edged ribbons, I tied a bow at the top of the candy cane, silver bells and punched-out snowflakes as name tags were added
     In this picture, you do not see the completed item, but its just about there.  This was not very costly as I bought most items from the Dollar Tree or had them on hand.

     Needless to say, having a loving family, and it being Christmas and all, they were pleased with the topper and the monetary gift inside the envelope also.  LOL!

     I'm sure that they can't wait for the packaging for 2013!

Be blessed.

Valentines Day Card 2012

Card for Husband

Although Husband is not a big card guy, he knows how much pleasure it brings me, so he accepts my labor of love with pleasure.  He often says that he hopes that the people that I make cards for really appreciate all the hard work that goes into them. So I made him a card to see his appreciation. LOL

This card was made with Stampin Up Owl Punch.  The Male is wearing a glittered red bow tie and the Female is wearing a glittered bow in her hair with a glittered red dress.  I used the Martha Stewart Flower punch-around-the-page set on white, black and red textured paper after running it through an embossing folder.  I also punched out small flowers, added texture to them and colored the center of the flowers as well as the eyes with a silver metallic pen. 

Be blessed,

Artistic Birthday Card

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This card was made with several different techniques.

First, I embossed the white card with a swirled textured background.

Then used the Spellbinders Shapeabilities Dies-Mix Media die cut the body form and stamped with doily in red to accent her dress along with the scrabble-like tile spelling out play at the top using green card stock bought in a variety pack at Joann's Fabrics.

Using the Circle Maker from Creative Memories I then punched three L circles; three XL circles, two M circles and three small circles.  Two of the L and XL circles'  center were punched out with Anna Griffin Decorative Punch Flourish the others were  stamped with words in green ink.

Butterflies in five sizes were die cut from Beautiful Wings Embosslits die from Stampin Up! using two-sided Christmas Paper, also from Stampin Up!  They were attached only in the center so that the butterflies could appear to be coming off of the page.

To create a more movement at the bottom of the card, I used the Dotted Scallop Ribbon Punch from  Stampin Up! right above the Happy Birthday stamp in red.

Be blessed!

Christmas 2012

Here are two of my favorite Christmas cards that I sent out last year.  I saw some done similarly on the Internet but I had to put my own spin on it. I used the Stampin Up! Owl Punch and the leaves from their Bird Punch, google eyes, sticker Santa hat, stamp of "Merry Christmas."  I textured the chimney through my Big Shot.  Santa's belt was made with a small circle punch that I punched a hole out of the center.  I did like how the final product came out.  Right now I am considering the cards that I will make for this Christmas.  I believe that my biggest mistake last year was that I made too many varieties of cards.  Maybe this year I will stick to one or two selections only.

Back of the Card

When I was growing up I was teased, but not by my class mates, but by my siblings.  They said it was because I cried a lot.  The thing is, I cried after they teased me.  Catch-22, I suppose.  I was a sensitive child and if you ask Husband he will say that I still am.  One of the names my sibs used to call me, and I can't believe that I am sharing this, so I guess there is growth, was "Hootie." They say its because when I was small, they would see me looking out of the window and all that they would see were my large eyes. Whatever.  It hurt then and for a long time.  Massive scars were felt from that minuscule six-letter word.  There was so much more to it than they could have imagined.  Well, many, many, many years later when I ran across this punch from Stampin Up!, I decided to take that power back.  I will not let that name cause me any more pain.  I started seeing jewelry made of owls.  I went into the Pay/Half store and bought four necklaces and I explained to Husband about the name.  Until that point I was not able to share the hurt and pain. Now you must realize that I was 45 at that time and still held those scars and let them affect me. Now when we all get together and talk about those memories, I remember that little girls pain and I leave it there.  This grown woman has moved on and I am free.  I wanted to use this punch on the back of all of my handmade cards.  Am I ready?

The Beginning of it All

For more than 30 years now I have enjoyed crafting.  It started out innocently when I saw someone crocheting.  I would not dare to ask them to teach me, so I looked over their shoulder and figured it out.  Of course, years later when I showed an experienced crocheter (Is that a word?) my work, she corrected my foreign stitch.  It was unique, never seen before.  Who knows,  maybe I could have sent that stitch into someone and had it named after me.

So as of today, I have delved into a vast array of crafting projects from crocheting, to sewing, to scrapbooking, to cross stitch, to cardmaking, to Church decorating & corsages, to woodworking and tile cutting (courtesy of my big sister, Denise).  Some of the remnants of all of these can be found crammed in my Craft Room at home.

It is my prayer that with this blog I will share my love for all things creative.

So, below is one example of what that very first venture into crocheting produced.

Be blessed.
Andii