Monday Morning Rainbow

Hellloooo, how was everyone's weekend? Mine was super busy, but I accomplished tons so I'm feelin' pretty happy about that. Made huge progress on my Christmas shopping...maybe this will be the year I get it done in time to have everything wrapped by Christmas Eve.:-) Survived the torrential rains we had (seriously, I felt like we should be building an Ark or something!) Did some much needed deep cleaning around the house, worked on a Christmas card order and even had a little time to do a couple projects just for me!

Here's a little somethin' I finished. I thought it might be nice to share today 'cause I think everyone could use a little rainbow come Monday morning... right?

Supplies: DP: Powder Blue Double Dot by BoBunny, Rainbow grosgrain ribbon: Offray, American Crafts Thickers: Foam Lullabye in Sunflower, Pop Dots: All Night Media, Craft Felt, Crochet Thread.
Size: 4"(with cloud)x3.75"

I was at a craft store this weekend (yes, while I was supposed to be Christmas shopping) and came across this rainbow grosgrain ribbon...so fun! It really reminds me of the 80's. I'm pretty sure I had some shoe laces that looked almost exactly like this! Anyway I couldn't wait to use it and I had so much fun making my circle card for Caardvarks, I decided to do another.

It's a pretty small card. I used my large Nestie circle to create the card so that makes it about 3.75" across. I used another Nestie for the center section and created my rainbow by gathering the ribbon and adhering it to the backof the smaller circle. I freehand drew a cloud shape on some cardstock, covered it with felt and added some stitched swirlies. I added some Thicker to create my sentiment and tucked them behind the cloud thinking they sort of represented the sun...hey, they're the right color anyway.

Life feels like it's about to slow down a little bit for me so hopefully I'll be back to posting a more frequently and I'll get the chance to comment a bit more too!

Have a happy Monday!
Heidi

Tea Time Gift Set

Hey, guess what? It's time for a new challenge at Caardvarks! It's a fun one too...circle cards! We also have a great sponsor this week, Clear & Simple Stamps who generously provided us with some of their gorgeous stamps to work with.

I used their Tea Time set to created this circle card and hand stamped mug gift set:

First the card:

First of all I broke out my Cosmo Cricket Early Bird Papers (yes, again. I couldn't help it, the cheery bright colors kept telling me how perfect they would be for my tea theme...turns out they were right.), then I though how perfect would a doily be! Tea theme+circle card+doily=perfect! To cut the large circle and the scalloped background I dusted off my Pazzles machine, the inner circle was cut with my Nesties and embossed with a polka dot embossing folder from Quickcuts (which I LOVE). The teapot was stamped and paper pieced and though it's really hard to see in the pic the background as well as the sentiment on the tag were stamped.

OK, now onto the mug. (wow this is turning out to be a long post..sorry) I actually have a brief tutorial to share with you on how I stamped on the mug itself.

Here are some of the things you will need to stamp and color images on ceramic:

Some sort of surface cleaner (I hear rubbing alcohol works in a pinch), a permanent ink like StazOn, brushes, glass or ceramic paints, and, of course, a mug and stamps of your choice (avoid any with too much detail).

1. Thoroughly clean the surface you are going to stamp on.

2. Because I wanted a straight row of images all the way around the mug I used masking tape a a guide. Make sure it is straight, usually eyeballing is just fine.

3. Start stamping your images. As long as you are working on a glazed surface you can usually correct any mistakes with rubbing alcohol.

4. After you finished stamping and the ink is dry you can start painting. Just remember it is very hard to get ceramic paint completely uniform in color. Be patient and embrace the imperfections! :-) If you make a really BIG mistake you can always wipe the paint off and start over.

5. Some brands of ceramic paint recommend you cure your project in the oven. Just be sure to read the instructions.

It's really a lot easier than you think. If you are a little scared to jump right in try practicing on something cheap like a plain white tile...they can be picked up at the home improvement center for pennies and if they turn out they make great coasters!

I finished up my gift set by adding some doilies as filler and a gift bag filled with different teas and wrapped up with a stamped tag.

Whew!!! That WAS a long one. If you made it all the way to the end I'm impressed!

Now head on over to Caardvarks and check out the new DT and all their amazing creations and get all the deets on the current challenge!

Have an awesome day!
Heidi

Creative Cuts & More, A Very Merry Caardvarks Holiday Hop Day 3

Hi there and welcome to the third and final day our hop! Remember, if you are coming here from Lucy's beautiful blog you are right on track, if not and you'd like to participate in our hop head on over to Caardvarks for all the details.

So day 3 is all about home decor items, centerpieces or ornaments. Since this is a holiday hop and one of my favorite things about the holidays is getting to decorate the tree, I chose to do an ornament.

I wish these pics came out just a little better. This is super sparkly in real life!

Supplies: Snowflake #01 Large, Small and Petite cut from heavy weight chipboard: Creative Cuts & More, Acrylic Paint: JoAnn Craft Essentials, Chunky Glitter, Martha Stewart Crafts, Jump Rings: Making Memories, Jingle Bells and hemp twine: Darcie
Finished Size: 3x8"

I used Snowflake #01 Large, Small and Petite cut from heavy weight chipboard from Creative Cuts & More to create this simple multi-tiered ornament. I painted the snowflake with white acrylic paint then added chunky white glitter. I punched holes , then added jump rings to link them together, I also added a jingle bell to each jump ring. finally I embellished the largest snowflake with a homemade tissue paper flower , some more jingle bells and some hemp twine.

So now its time for you to hop on over to Kelly's blog ...prepare to be wowed!!

If you are a bit lost here is a list of blogs participating in today's hop:

Tanis
Mel
Lucy

Heidi (you are here)
Kelly (next stop!)
Steph
Sue-ann
Amy
Ashley
Catherine
Peet
Eva
Michelle
Nathalia
Carla Mayfield
Chris Dickinson
Ellen Sosnoski
Jennifer Johnson
Kayla Dupont
Lila Holgate
Lindsay Weirich

Pamela Smerker
Diecut Divas Blog
Creative Cuts & More
Caardvarks

Creative Cuts & More is offering up some generous hop prizes...a Halloween Mini Album,
Fall Card Kit and a CCM $25 Gift Card!

*Also a 15% Shopping Discount for our readers. Enter holidayhop2009 at checkout.
Discount good from November 1st - 4th.

How cool is that?!

Have a great day!
Heidi

Creative Cuts & More, A Very Merry Caardvarks Holiday Hop Day 2

Remember, if your are coming here from Lucy's blog you are right on blog hop track if not and you would like to participate, you can get all the details and start the hop at Caardvarks!


I hope you are ready for more holiday inspiration, 'cause it's day two baby and things are gettin' down right festive! Today's theme is pretty packaging. Fun right? I love coming up with ways to make the packaging more like a gift than the gift itself.

Here is what I did with the Square Bag #01 and Tag #03 - small (in chipboard) from Creative Cuts & More.


Here is a close up view of that fun cardinal and the real twig I used to dress up the tag.

Supplies: Square Bag #01, Tag #03 - small: Creative Cuts & More, Brown Cardstock: Bazzill, DP: Mistletoe from Making Memories, Chipboard Embellishments: Mistletoe from Making Memories, Walnut Ink: Ranger Industries, Berries: Darcie, Hemp twine: Darcie

The bag started out pure white, but I decided to age it a bit and misted the whole thing down with walnut ink. I then stitched on my papers before assembling. I used pretty much all papers and embellishments from the Making Memories Mistletoe line and I created my own bag filler by cutting thin strips of old paper grocery bags.

OK, now its time for you to head on over to Kelly's blog to see her knock out packaging!

If you are a bit lost here is a list of blogs participating in today's hop:

Tanis
Mel
Lucy

Heidi (you are here)
Kelly (next stop!)
Steph
Sue-ann
Amy
Ashley
Catherine
Peet
Eva
Michelle
Nathalia
Holly Brown
Carla Mayfield
Chris Dickinson
Ellen Sosnoski
Jennifer Johnson
Kayla Dupont
Lila Holgate
Lindsay Weirich

Pamela Smerker
Diecut Divas Blog
Creative Cuts & More
Caardvarks

Creative Cuts & More is offering up some generous hop prizes...a Halloween Mini Album,
Fall Card Kit and a CCM $25 Gift Card!

*Also a 15% Shopping Discount for our readers. Enter holidayhop2009 at checkout.
Discount good from November 1st - 4th.

Sweet!

Have a great day and remember to come back tomorrow for our 3rd and final day!
Heidi

Creative Cuts & More, A Very Merry Caardvarks Holiday Hop Day 1

Woo hoo, it's here it's here!

Welcome! If your are coming here from Lucy's blog you are right on track if not you can get all the details and start the hop at Caardvarks!

So on the first day of the Holiday Hop we are focusing on holiday cards. I did a card with a bit of a twist...it's also a gift! I used the Business Card Holder and Business Card Envelope Set from Creative Cuts & More to create a gift card holder and matching envelope.


Supplies: Business Card Holder and Business Card Envelope Set : Creative Cuts & More, CS: Bazzill, DP: Jolly by Golly by Cosmo Cricut, Stamps: (Santa) We R Memory Keepers, (sentiment) Hero Arts, Ink: Colorbox Fluid Chalk, Adhesive Pearl: Kaisercraft, Snowflake Button: Dress It Up, Ribbon: Michael's stores, Scallop scissors: Fiskars
Size: 4x2.5"

That little card opens up to reveal slots perfect for adding your favorite gift card...I'd show you, but I was fresh out of gift cards :-)

I broke out my Jolly by Golly papers from Cosmo Cricket and what I think is one of the cutest Santa stamps ever by WE R Memory Keepers to give this set a bit of a retro vibe.

So are you ready for more holiday inspiration? I hope so cause its time to head on over to Kelly's blog and I know she has something gorgeous to share!

If you are a bit lost here is a list of blogs participating in today's hop:

Tanis
Mel
Lucy

Heidi (you are here)
Kelly (next stop!)
Steph
Sue-ann
Amy
Ashley
Catherine
Peet
Eva
Michelle
Nathalia
Holly Brown
Carla Mayfield
Chris Dickinson
Ellen Sosnoski
Jennifer Johnson
Kayla Dupont
Lila Holgate
Lindsay Weirich

Pamela Smerker
Diecut Divas Blog
Creative Cuts & More
Caardvarks

Creative Cuts & More is offering up some generous hop prizes...a Halloween Mini Album,
Fall Card Kit and a CCM $25 Gift Card!

*Also a 15% Shopping Discount for our readers. Enter holidayhop2009 at checkout.
Discount good from November 1st - 4th.

Good luck and have fun!
Heidi

PS don't forget to come back tomorrow for some more holiday creations!

Wish

Just a quick post today. I'm busy finishing up Halloween costumes so the boys can have them for their Harvest festival at school. :-)

This is a simple and easy card, I managed to throw together between projects this week.

Supplies: DP: SEI, Stamps: My Stamp Box "Party Time", Ink: Colorbox (white Pigment), (Rose Coral chalk), (Yellow Ochre chalk), Ribbon: May Arts, Die: Spellbinders Pierceability, Other: White Embossing Powder, Thread, buttons
Finished Size: 4.25x5.5"

I just love pink and green together! The border was cut and pierced using a Spellbinders Pierceability die/template...these are way cool!

TGIF!
Heidi

Ribbon Wreath Tutorial

Well, I am having a bit of guilt not having anything to show you. I have been creating like mad, but still can't share. You'll get to see some of it this Sunday when the Creative Cuts & More Very Merry Caardvarks Holiday Hop starts. I hope you are ready for big time holiday inspiration!

For right now though, to appease the blog gods (and because a couple people asked) I decided to share a tutorial on how I created this ribbon wreath from last week's post.

1. Start of with about 30" of ribbon. I used 7/8" grosgrain. Stitch straight up the center along the entire length. I used white thread because I liked being able to see the stitches, but if you used a matching color the stitches would become nearly invisible. Don't worry about being perfect here...in the end it won't matter.

2. Gather. Make sure it's not too tight and that you keep it long enough to for the size wreath you are trying to make.

3. Tie the tail ends of the thread together. And if you are me fuss with it endlessly to get it to lie flat and have even spacing. :-)

Trim ends of thread and adhere to your card. I used a button and bow to cover up the portion where the two ends met up.

That's it easy peasy!

I also decided to enter this in the Not Your Regular Ruffles challenge at Moxie Fab World when it was pointed out to me that this fit the bill quite nicely (thanks Randee!)

Have a great week!
Heidi

i {heart} papers Birthday Bash Challenge #6

So you might remember that I mentioned that I was invited by the lovely and very talented Tracy Shultz to participate in the i {heart} papers Birthday Bash, well today's the day I get to share my creation! Kate from i {heart} papers sent me some fabulous product to play with and I loved all the shades of pink I was given so I decided to go monochromatic.

Supplies: CS: American Crafts, DP: (pink pearl) SEI Chocolat, (pink polka dot) SEI Mimosa, (bright pink) GCD studios Carnival ride, Cake and Sentiment Stamp: Memory Box "Party Time", Ink: Studio G Pigment Ink, Embossing Powder: Stamp-N-Stuff Pearl, Border Die: Spellbinders Pierceabilities , Pearls: Kaisercraft
Size: 5.5x5.5"

Our challenge for you today is to Make a special Birthday Card… Remember, everything this week has to do with birthday celebrations...so be sure your creation is birthday related!

Before you begin, take a few minutes to review the challenge guidelines! You’ll want to follow these rules to maximize your points and qualify for the opportunity to WIN the prize for today’s challenge and the Grand Prize, all announced on the last day of our festivities!

To qualify for the prize of the day, all you have to do is upload your challenge card/project to Splitcoast Stampers (SCS) and/or Paper Craft Planet (PCP) with the appropriate tag so we can find it. Today’s challenge tag is IHPBB6. The daily challenge winners will be randomly selected at the end of the week.

To qualify for the Grand Prize of being IHP Guest Designer for the month of November, here’s how it will work: Every challenge card/project you enter will earn you points (see below), and one with the most accumulated for the week the Grand Prize winner. So the more challenges you enter, more points you earn — and the better your chances of winning the Grand Prize (and the bigger the value of your Guest Designer box will be)!

You will have until October 25th to post your work, and you can enter as many challenges as you like, but you CANNOT combine challenges in one project. All winners, including the Grand Prize winner, will be announced at the Birthday Bash on October 26th.

Birthday Bash Points

For each project:
5 points for each challenge card/project you make, upload and tag to SCS
5 points for each challenge card/project you make, upload and tag to PCP
2 points for uploading to your blog and linking at least one IHP item used to the IHP website

One time points:
2 points for signing up to receive our newsletter*
2 points for joining our PCP group*
2 points for becoming our fan on Facebook*
10 points if you participate in all 6 IHP Birthday Bash challenges

*When you sign up, or if you are already signed up, a comment on the IHP blog Birthday Bash week so your points can be credited.

Here are the hosts for each day. Be sure to check their blogs on their scheduled day to find out that day’s challenge. You can also check the main IHP Birthday Bash page at the store. It will be updated daily.

Day 1(10/19): Kate (owner), Sarah Anderson, and Dee Jackson
Day 2 (10/20): Deb/Latisha Yoast
Day 3 (10/21): Gretchen/Lesa Smaligo and Lynn/Asela Hopkins
Day 4 (10/22): Cathleen/Kerri Michaud and Carolyn/Maria Fiscella
Day 5 (10/23): Megan/Chris Veneruso and Kendra/Debbie Fisher
Day 6 (10/24): Tracy/Heidi Van Laar and Amber/Kerry Davis
Day 7 (10/25): Sunday, day of rest (finish up your challenges!)
Day 8 (10/26): PARTY! GRAND PRIZE (winners are announced)

Have fun and have a great weekend!
Heidi

A couple of things to share...

So I managed to find a little bit of time tonight to post a couple things! Wow, right?!

First off I wanna share this card I made for hubby's birthday (yesterday). He's a pretty no frills kind of guy, so I made him a no frills kind of card.


Used more of my favorite woodgrain paper, this time in a rich, deep brown and I also broke out the diamond plate embossing folder and some matte silver paper. I love the sort of natural meets industrial look that happened! For a little pop of color I added the red star and for an element of excitement I added the touch of silver glitter paper in the center. I am happy to say that he loved it! (or at least he said so :-)

Next up a few cards I created for a class that I taught last weekend at a local scrapbook retreat.

I was asked to keep things fairly simple as I would be teaching scrappers of all skill levels. And since I was being sponsored by The Ribbon Basket, I decided to use ribbon!


Even though I am not one to get overly excited about standing in front of a room full of people, I thought the class went rather well. Everyone seemed to enjoy them selves and liked the techniques I was teaching.

Well, that's about all for tonight! I'll be back Saturday with my i {heart} papers Birthday Bash post!

Have a great evening and a better tomorrow...TGIF baby!
Heidi

Yeah, yeah, I know It's been more than a week a week since I posted a project (again). Seriously I have been creating my backside off, I just can't show any of it to you...I'll let you ponder the reason :-) And I've been a terrible commenter too...*sigh* sorry about that.

I do have something to show you today however, AND a new challenge for you from Caardvarks too! The challenge: tall cards! I actually love tall cards, so long and lean and just a little different. In fact, I don't know why I don't make them more often!

Supplies: CS: (white) Georgia Pacific, Kraft: The Paper Co., DP: Greenhouse by Carolyn Gavin for K&Co., Scalloped scissors: Fiskars, Hemp twine, buttons, foam tape
Finished Size: 3.75x9.25"

For this long, lean lovely I dove into my 8x8 pad of Carolyn Gavin Greenhouse paper from K&Co. I love this stuff, bright fun and a little bit funky! The flowers and butterfly are cut from the patterns while the stems and leaves are freehand cut.

This is a bit of a bittersweet challenge for me, it will be the last challenge for many of my beloved teammates at Caardvarks and while I really look forward to working with the new crew I will really miss working with these incredibly talented ladies! Head on over to Caardvarks to see their incredible and inspiring creations and check out all the deets on this weeks challenge! there is a FABULOUS prize package from Nikki Sivils Scrapbooker for one lucky winner!

I'll be back again for sure on Saturday with my card for the i {heart} papers Birthday Bash, but hopefully I'll get a chance to post and visit y'all before then!

Have a great day!
Heidi