A Fun & Interactive Centerpiece! {Video Tutorial}

Want some party decor that doubles as an icebreaker? Try crafting this photo prop centerpiece:

There are no flowers in it so it can be made months in advance (or 2 days in advance in my case LOL!) and it will keep if you want to use the elements over again! I made 6 of these for a friends 40th birthday party and the materials totaled $25 and the supplies came from Papermart! Best of all he spools of Tulle are so long and the bags of feathers so generous that I have loads leftover for future crafty fun! I also used black marbles for table scatter. Watch to see how I made this in real-time and high definition! {gosh, I’m getting fancy!}

I did a few things before hand such as cut out the masks/crown and score the rosettes. I recommend if you are doing a project like this to go assembly line style: Do all of the die cutting at once, then assemble all the vases, glitter all the tags, etc. It keeps the mess under control and is quicker than having to switch gears all the time. If you need templates for the masks, photo props and crown you can find them in printable templates as well as SVG cutting files in my shop:

Click here to download the “40 is Fabulous” printable labels I promised for free!

Thanks for stopping by and til next time happy crafting!

Happy Fat Tuesday: Let The Good Times Roll!

I live nowhere near the Big Easy but that doesn’t mean I can’t celebrate! I made this colorful Mardi Gras mask using inexpensive products from Papermart. I have done this project in classrooms, summer camps and even as a birthday party activity. It is easy and fun and you can’t make it look bad. I used feathers, rhinestones, gold ribbon, metallic markers, hot glue, a bamboo skewer and cardstock to make this quick project. The mask template can be found here.

You can change-up the colors and make photo props or decorations to hang on the wall, it is such fun. Watch the video to see how it’s done!

Remember, if you are doing this project with the kids you might want to use Thick & Tacky glue or glue dots instead of hot glue, let’s all be safe out there! {Don’t burn your hands off!}

Thanks for stopping by and til next time let the good time roll, oh and happy crafting!

WOYWW! A Valentine Freebie!

Is it Wednesday already? It sneaks up on you, same with valentine’s day, one minute it’s Christmas and the next minute I have 3 kids in need of valentines for their classmates. I designed a free printable sheet that will make 4 valentines that are easy enough for the kids to make, I even have a quick video to show you how at the end of this post.

You can download the freebie here. You could also print the design on plain paper and wrap 4 candy bars with it or just fold it in half if you did not want to use candy (no candy on Valentines day? The horror!) After you print the sheet you just need some adhesive and a bit of ribbon, the  camouflage ribbon I used is from Papermart. OK here is what you have come here to see today on What’s On Your Workdesk Wednesday, my lovely desk:

As you can see I have remnants of the freebie valentines, some knitting themed stamps for a hybrid crochet paper project I have planned for my kids knitting class tonight and some old brittle friendly plastic that I think I have found a use for. The coffee cup warmer does a really nice job of melting it, I cut up an old silicone mat to use as a liner and the silicone muffin cups are also great to malt stuff like UTEE in and non stick. As you can see I am not the type of girl to spend $40 on a melting pot LOL! I am also going to try to melt wax for candle making in it too. If an appliance is going to earn it’s keep on my overcrowded craft table it needs to do more than warm my cuppa joe!

OK now on to the video:

See, that was easy now wasn’t it? What I love is that you can do the same technique with any paper you like!

Thanks for stopping by and til next time happy crafting!

Video Tutorial: Iris Folding!

Look at me going all traditional!  Today I am going to show you the “olde” technique of iris folding. It is perfect for Christmas cards especially if using metallic papers. I discovered that the metallic candy wrappers from Papermart are perfect for this as they are thin, shiny and cheap! BTW the glitter and rhinestones are from Papermart too and under a buck!

I have done this technique before with paper scraps but the result was always bulky so I would have to use foam tape at the edges of my card to even the thickness and then pay more postage to mail it but these foil wrappers are so thin a regular stamp will do! Check out the video and see how it is done:

Here are some of the iris folded cards I made. The heart was easy because it was equally wide and high and I just centered my window over the template. The tree on the right  is wonky because I had more green strips to fill in, you can see where it is jagged between the white and green, it should be a smooth cascade…

A tip I will share is to count out from the center of the iris so that you start with the same number of strips of each color. If you have 5 white, 5 gold and 7 green you simply lay down 2 strips of green before beginning the round. Make sense? I explained it in the video too but I think it is one of those things you just have to do. Here are the templates I showed you in the video. You can right-click and save them to your computer of left-click and they should take you to the Circle of Crafters website with lots of great iris folding ideas and tutorials!

Another idea is to try this with your scraps of scrapbooking and wrapping paper, you can even get crazy and mix and match for a quilted look! We are a bunch of crazy gals aren’t we! Woohoo! Thanks for stopping by and til next time happy crafting!

Let’s Go To The Hop! {& 50% OFF at MyGrafico!)

Howdy folks! Just a quick note that everything at Lindsay’s Stamp Stuff and MyGrafico is 50% off until midnight tonight! Here is a new kit I added this week perfect for any 50s themed retro party or sock hop:

You get a card, favor bag as well as the show clip art for other projects. It’s fun and easy to make! You can cut the templates by hand using the printable version or cut the SVG files with your electronic die cutter! Here are some other kits you might enjoy:

Don’t wait, the sale is over at midnight! Happy crafting!

I’m a Chalk Chick & WOYWW!

Boy, I love Wednesdays because I get to snoop around to other crafters desks and not feel one bit self conscious of my housekeeping skills! Yes, it is time for my weekly “Craft Hoarding Enablers Group” AKA What’s on your Workdesk Wednesday! Last week I was taken aback by some beautiful PanPastel work done by Jackie at Scrap Bang Wallop (love that name!) and I wanted desperately to get that look…the problem being that I do not have Pan Pastels. They are expensive and they look absolutely brilliant but alas, the do not reside in my stash. No worries, I have regular pastel chalks though so I decided to try to get a similar look with them:

The trouble I was having with my cheap student grade pastels (SMI brand I paid $15 for a box of 48) was that they would not stick to my smooth cardstock (well, duh, I always use pastels on rough paper) so I had to use fixative (OK ,I used hairspray ) but the color was still not bold enough. I reckon the pan pastels are just super saturated and they would color anything but I never tried them. So I decided to play around with a damp sponge and it worked! Check out my video to see the technique…I’ll warn you, I’m a little more giddy than usual in this video!

 

Was that fun or was it just me? You can also stamp with clear embossing ink and use a dry sponge or pom-pom to apply chalk over the stamped image and it will stick to the stamping, that technique is called poppin pastels. Also you can stamp an image and pick up color with a water based blender pen and use that to pick up chalk and paint with it. Chalks are awesome! Here is a look at the chalk backgrounds I made:

 

Thanks for stopping by and if you want to see what other crafters are up to check out WOYWW! Til next time happy crafting!

Want Some Whimsy?

Howdy folks! I had a great weekend, my twins celebrated their 8th birthday with a themeless {gasp!} party. I’m telling you, it was the easiest darn party I have ever thrown! We kept the guest list small (10), it was a breeze and I think everyone had a great time! Since it was a smaller party I wasn’t overwhelmed so I could do a craft project with the girls. I wanted the girls to make some cute photo props that they could pose with and also take home with them.  I used my die cutter and SVG files from Photo Booth Props, Masquerade Masks and my new Royal Whimsy template kits.

I stocked up on sequins, rhinestones, glitter and feathers at the craft store (actually get the glitter and rhinestones at the dollar store, it is way cheaper and you won’t feel bad if a jar of glitter ends up spilled on the floor) and placed them in cute bowls around the craft table (AKA my basement pool table with a piece of plywood on top.) I manned the hot glue gun and helped the girls put the bamboo skewers on the backs of the masks, mustaches and crowns. I had lots of glue sticks and sticky squares on the table for the kids to help themselves to. I was so please at how respectful and polite the girls were. There was no fighting over colors or rudeness whatsoever….did I mention before that this party was a breeze?

I had everything out and ready to go before the kids got there, you DO NOT want to be setting things up while the kids are there, a stitch in time saves nine when kids are concerned!

After the props were finished the kids got to sit outside in the “photo booth” to have their picture taken with their creations!

You know how moms of twins say their kids are opposites? Well, it’s true in my case, before the party both girls were in pretty dresses, 2 minutes before guests arrived Maizy pitched the dress and threw on an old T-shirt and a pair of cutoffs, LOL! True to form

I cut a bunch of photo frame cards from the Royal Whimsy kit ahead of time and after I took all of the guests pictures one of my best friends (Thank you Kath!) cut out the photos and assembled these cute thank you party favors to go home with the guests.

While Kathy was crafting the photo frame cards I supervised the piniata…and that is a story for another whole blog post! Here is a look at the kits I used:

My kids had a blast, of course the biggest entertainment of the afternoon was chicken chasing, we teased the other moms that the girls would be coming home with chickens as party favors (can you imagine…come to think of it that might be why many of the moms stayed-they did not want their daughters coming home with livestock LOL!) The girls also left with one of the party favors I showed you in yesterday’s post. I am trying to get away from the candy and crappy toy party favors…trying I hope I gave you a few ideas for your next party and til next time happy crafting!

40% Off Today Only & a Creature Craft!

Howdy folks! Just wanted to kick things off by letting you know that you can save 40% on everything at Lindsay’ Stamp Stuff today (Thursday) until midnight! I am hosting my monthly craft class at the library tonight and we are making mix & match monster bookmarks. I designed an 8.5″x11″ SVG file with a bunch of creature bodies and heads on it and cut it out of several colors of cardstock. I arranged the SVG die cuts so I could get a variety of monsters with little paper waste. Then I mixed and matched the heads and bodies and glued them together! I ran some pieces through an embossing folder and rubbed them with ink, drew on faces and added yarn hair and googly eyes. I think the kids will enjoy the creative possibilities in this kit-not all shapes are shown here! You can check out my Crafty Creature Kit here.

I had a fabulous time and this craft is easy enough to do with a classroom full of kids (or in my case a library full!) The kit is on sale for $1.20 today and, yes, there is a printable sheet included in the kit for you to use if you don’t have a die cutter. Don’t wait, the sale is today only at Lindsay’s Stamp Stuff at MyGrafico! Thanks for stopping by and til next time happy crafting!

Sizzix Eclips Does it Right!

I get asked all the time by crafters “Which electronic die cutter should I buy?”  And currently my advice has been to go with a Silhouette or an Eclips. When my school Parent teacher Group asked me to research and choose a die cutter for the school (and train the teachers with said machine) I chose the Sizzix Eclips . I already own a Sizzix Big Shot manual die cutter and a slew of their dies and embossing folders and I have yet to be dissapointed by any of their products.  I am so glad the school went with an Eclips!  Here’s why. The Eclips will work with Sure Cuts a Lot software. In fact I had it out of the box and cutting with ECAL in minutes, I expected some trial and error but the design I cut with colored typing paper scraps was so pretty that I turned it into a project! The owl is from the Owl Party Doodlebat set from Lettering Delights, the plaque shape is in included in ECAL software. The letters, book and pencil were on the cartridge that came with the machine, how cute and useful!

So the fact that Eclips worked with ECAL was the most important factor, I can help teachers over the phone if I know what software they are using and I already know it is easy because I’ve been using SCAL2 with my Cricut for years.  I actually told the PTG that whatever you do DO NOT buy a Cricut because it no longer works with SCAL.

The other bonus to the Eclipse is that the hand-held controller and cartridges are very easy to use too.  Also I like that the Regular retail for MOST of their cartridges are $40 and they are on sale all the time online for about $25. I know some people are going to just want to use the cartridge and not mess with the computer so I wanted that option and the school can buy a full cartridge full of images for less than the cost on one commercial die for their manual machine. Thanks for not jacking up your cartridge prices Sizzix!!! 

The other selling point for the machine was the price of mats and blades. I have been using the Eclips mats in my Cricut machine for a while, they are fabulous and cheaper than the Cricut brand.   We bought a 2-pack of eclips blades for $5 vs one silhouette blade that is $15. I wanted the machine to be affordable for the teachers in the long run. Cheaper blades and mats, cheaper cartridges if you want them or you can just cut free font and SVG files using ECAL software, choosing the Eclips was a no-brainer…did I mention it cuts really well too!

Don’t get me wrong! I think the Silhouette would be a good machine too, I think that because the blade is so pricey it probably would cut really fine, intricate patterns (it better for $15!) but a school teacher is more likely to need 100 identical shapes for a classroom project (The Auto Fill feature on the Eclips is da bomb!) or bulletin board rather than one really pretty doily. Even as a crafter who likes to cut little pretty things I’d go with the eclipse because I’ve been playing with it and it surpassed my expectations. Also crafters, if you like Tim Holtz they have cartridges of his designs so you can stamp it then cut it. Wow. I will warn you the TH carts are more expensive.

The machine has an alignment lazar so you can print and cut in SCAL, I have not tried that yet (I don’t know if I should, I am falling in love with this machine a little too much as it is!) but I plan to before I have to take it to the elementary school..sniff…sniff

I think that Sizzix did it right! They thought of everything. Easy to cut. Buy inexpensive cartridges OR cut your fonts and SVG designs, easy to use right out of the box OR you can get fancy with advanced techniques (there is a great long instruction DVD showcasing all the bells and whistles!) and the machine is less expensive that a lot of the machines on the market! We found the best price ($300) on the Eclips at Oh My Crafts online, they often have their blades and mats on sale too! Right now the blades are $5 for a 2 pack and the mats are $8 for a 2 pack of 12″x12″ or 1 12″x24″. Note: I am not affiliated with Oh My Crafts, but I have shopped with them from time to time and they usually have the best price and good customer service.

Sizzix, you done good!

More fun than a barrel of Mustaches!

I’m not a fan of real mustaches (no offense) but paper ones on a stick are too cute! I designed a set of SVG and Printable mustaches (and eyeglasses and a printable photo booth banner) so anyone can create a photo booth at their parties. Here is a scrapbook page I made with photos of my girls modeling the props:

I used the “time machine” effect in Paint Shop Pro to give the look of old photos, I think the next time I do it I will increase the contrast and lighten it up a bit. But how fun would it be to send a photo strip home with a party guest as a thank you? To display my props I filled a canning jar with marbles to weigh it down and stick the props (I die cut the mustaches and glasses from black cardstock and hot glued them to bamboo skewers) in the jar.

There is also a black and white printable photo banner that adds to the charm.

There are so many occasions you can use the Photo Booth Printable & SVG kit for! Thanks for stopping by and til next time happy crafting!