For Dad’s and DIYers!

I practically grew up in a pile of sawdust. I had my own nail apron and hammer and I would pound endlessly on scraps of wood my dad left around in the shop. I was a proficient step-stool maker by the age of 4! My dad was a contractor and then later he opened a hardware store/lumber yard which he still works at, open to close, every day except Christmas and Thanksgiving. (Talk about hard to buy for!) Today’s card is for all the DIY dads out there and with Father’s day coming up you might want to make one! It came together in minutes using my new Tool Apron SVG and Printable Pocket card kit.

It is great to give as is or tuck a gift card into.  It also would make a great scrapbook page element as you can use the pockets in the apron to hold extra photos or journaling and the tools are fun scrapbook page elements.   Have a great weekend and til next time happy crafting!

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!

DIY Stencils, 40% Off & Fun with Wax {It’s the Bee’s Knees!}

Well, I did something that I usually don’t do this time of year…visit my studio at night! Usually I am way too comfy reading or watching TV in front of the fire to venture down to the chilly craft-cave but I just wanted to play with the new stencils I made this week!

Actually I made a set of 10 SVG stencils you can cut with your die-cutter and use with paint or ink. I sprayed the background of my card with homemade shimmer spray then layered stamping college and wax on top. I used scented wax melts (sugar cookie-yum!) and just poured it on my card! I used it to adhere the “bee mine” sentiment and I sprinkled some beads in the melty wax for extra texture…no wonder I was so hungry when I was done…cookies, sprinkles oh my!

This new set of stencils, as well as all of the goodies at Lindsay’s Stamp Stuff are 40% off through the 3rd so go snag them, they are a ball to play with. You can also check out the painting kits, digital stamps, templates and all sorts of crafty goodness!

It was so much fun to putter in my craft room tonight, oh and I have another tip for you! I was rummaging in a drawer that I haven’t opened in ages and I came across a hexagon creative memories cutting template (do you have those? I use the ovals and circles all the time!) and I cut the hexagon out of white using the green and blue blades, then I simply matted the smaller on the larger one and it looks like a nestie! You can do this with any temple or die cutter and save yourself some dough! It is a trick I use with my electronic die cutter a lot, cut the shape once normally and again with a slight shadow and it looks fab when you layer them…does that make any sense?

Well, it is late and I am rambling so if you are in need of anything of the crafty variety please check out the 40% off sale at Lindsay’s Stamp Stuff and til next time happy crafting!

PS before using scented wax on a card make sure that the recipient is not allergic to perfume…I think scented letters are wonderfully romantic though…

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!

Feeling Guilty?

Our local library decided to banish overdue book fines, I for one am glad having found the occasional 6 month overdue book under a bed and then doing the mental calculation wondering if it would be cheaper to pay the fine or buy them a new book LOL! So when the librarian asked me if I could make a “guilt jar” I jumped at the chance. You see, this way guilty parties (ahem…like me) could drop in a few bucks to cover our indiscretions and the library still gets the funds it needs for postage. I used a funny disuse guy face from the Slap Happy kit from Letting delights and if you like it I have a 50% off coupon on any purchase over $5: IamBack and I hear they have some new freebies there too!

 

I wrote a little poem to go on the jar because I was afraid nobody would be familiar with the “Guilt Jar” concept. You have my permission to copy it If you post a project with it on your blog a link back would be awesome!

 

The pencil background stamp is one I had coveted for years and I snagged it from Lost Coast Designs at the Heirloom Stamp Show in June. It comes in two sizes and This is the large one. I used my Mega Mount to stamp it on fadeless art paper, a curved stamp block will give you a better impression with detailed photo stamps like this. If you don’t have a curved stamp mount try a warped die cutting plate!

That’s all for today, the house has been neglected long enough, it is time for some extreme cleaning…yes I am having people over this weekend…how did you guess? 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!

Triple Time Stamping & WOYWW!

Howdy folks! This week on Oriental Stamp Art they challenged up to try the Triple Time Stamping technique. Here is a card I made using a huge Far East set of clear stamps I got on sale for $2.50 at oriental trading company, regularly $15, score!

 

So basically you stack up 3 panels of white cardstock and stamp a design over all three, then take apart the panels and mat them with color and stick them to a card base, yep folks, it is that easy! I saw a really cute tutorial for it on this blog, I love this lady’s French Canadian accent, she reminds me of my “Grammie”

 

On the above card I used SVG cutting files from Lettering Delights and SCAL software with my die cutter.  Using the Sizzix Eclips this week had really psyched me up to do some more cutting!

For the burst of color in the background I used a color Spritzer tool (Stampin’ Up!) I have had it for a while but it did not always work for me but then I found out I did not have my marker pushed through far enough, The nib of the marker should protrude father than the “blow-hole” on the spritzer. I have now used this with all of my brush tip watercolor markers with success!

 

Since it is What’s on Your Workdesk Wednesday here is a peek of my desk. The kids started school today so I have some real work laid out. I have artwork that needs to be framed in the tubes and lying flat on my workbench. I do not like to have other people’s artwork in my studio with the kids around. So all of my framing jobs have to wait until the kids are in school LOL!

 Well, I’m off to get my car’s oil changed and do a bit of shopping and have lunch with a stampin’ friend, til next time happy crafting!

40% off everything at MyGrafico and a flowery thank you!

Hey there, I just wanted to let you know that everything is 40% off today only at Lindsay’s Stamp Stuff and MyGrafico! OK, now that the business is out-of-the-way check out the thank you easel card I made for my mom using the Paper Flower SVG kit:

Here is a look from the side, you can see how it stands for display, it will also fold flat:

Now for some quick tips!

• Cut slivers of paper and thread them through your buttons for the look of real string, it is so quick!
• If you see hot glue strings on your project blast them for a second with your heat gun and they dissappear…opps! I forgot to do that LOL!

 

You can make an easel card any size, simply fold your card in half as usual then fold one end to the middle fold. Then you can attach a panel (the same size as your original card front) to the half folded section. If that is confusing just search “easel card template” and you will find lots of instructions

That’s all for today, be sure to check out the 40% off sale at Lindsay’s and Mygrafico. Til next time happy crafting!

 

Bring on the cuteness!

As I am writing this blog post I am listing to the sweetest cheep-peeping noises coming from our six new baby chicks! More on that later. Baseball season has started and I have two ball players in the house this year! We had a birthday party to go to over the weekend for a ball fan so I made this card using my Baseball Party SVG & Printable kit:

Here is a look at the Baseball Party kit, the printables are full-color so just print, cut and glue! Or use the die cut files to cut from colored cardstock and assemble. They make great embellishments for cards and scrapbook pages too!

…back to the chickens…

I have never has chickens before and I can’t believe how snuggly and cuddly they are. My kids adore them, they will perch on my girls’ arms for the longest time.  Check out how cute they are:

They are Rhode Island Reds in case you were wondering. They are so funny, all of a sudden they will all stop what they are doing and take a nap.

Do you know that a lot of famous people raised chickens? Martha Stewart and Al Gore come to mind.

A bird in the hand…awwwww….

Well, there is your dose of cuteness for a Monday morning! Til next time happy crafting!