Roller Derby & Wedding Favors!

Hello friends! Last night I took my family to watch a bout of roller derby. I really wanted my kids to see strong female athletes giving their all on the track. The girls of Bangor Roller Derby did not disappoint and they won the match against the Poison Pixies of Dover New Hampshire! It was so much fun to watch and cheer for the home team. Even my son thought it was cool and I really wanted my girls to see that there are other “female” sports other than softball and cheer-leading to be involved in.  Don’t get me wrong, I love that my girls play softball and I have nothing against cheering, my girls have done that as well but roller derby is freaking cool, I wish it was around when I was in my twenties!

OK I know you visit my blog for the crafty goodness and not the sports report so today I am going to share the latest addition to my shop. It is a set of SVG die cutting templates to make boxes and paper bows! Don’t worry there are printable PDF versions too. 😉

You get a tall box sized to fit 12″x12″ paper, a shorter box sized to fit 8.5″x11″ paper and 2 bows plus labels for the boxes.  6 SVG cutting files in all. When re-sizing in your software be sure to check the “keep proportions” box so the box does not get skewed. The printables are arranged on two 8.5″x11″ sheets. The box can be made larger by cutting the template in half on the alteration line and taping a piece of paper between the two halves. You can make it taller to fit your needs. These boxes would be cute as party favors, wedding table decorations or gift boxes, you can find the kit here.

Oh and speaking of roller derby, or skating in general you might like this skate card template set as well:

another cool thing about derby is that they skate on quad (old fashioned) low top skakes, i used to work at a roller rink and I still wear my low top speed skates whenever I take the kids out to skate. My kids like the “blades” but hopefully they see the coolness of their mom’s ways…well, maybe not. I hope you are having a great weekend! Til next time happy crafting!

Dusting off more old tools to make clever envelopes!

I guess you could say I am a bit obsessed with envelopes. I’ve always loved them, I used to save the ones that came in junk mail when I was a kid, I would steam them open and trace them on construction paper to make my own. I still save interesting envelopes that come in the mail to trace! I have designed cutting templates for envelopes, purchased templates and tools and even have a cartridge (from the company that shall not be named) that cuts even more fancy envelopes. So, as you can imageine I have been eyeballing the new Envelope Punch board from WeRMemoryKeepers but I cannot justify one more envelope tool (although if it shows up at Joanns and I have a 50% off coupon all bets are off! LOL!) I really just want the side notch punch that is on the board because 
I can make any size envie I want with my other tools. Then while walking the dog the other day I had an “ah-ha!” moment, remember the Basic Grey Notch and Die tool that everybody had to have a few years back? Come to find out it was not all that useful (great for making slots and tabs for gift cards tho) and I had almost forgot I had it. The right angle notch is perfect for trimming out the bits between the flaps, have a look:

but wait, before you scour eBay looking for one of these discontinued wonders I have another idea, try a square punch, just hold it at an angle and punch with the corner part of the square, easy peasy! Flip over the punch so you can see where you are punching. So there is my quick tip today, I hope someone finds it useful and you are not all rolling your eyes at me because I can’t be bothered to trim off the edges with scissors. 😀 What old tools have you used lately? Dust them off, have a go and til next time happy crafting!

Star Card How-To {it’s easier than you think!}

Howdy folks! This week at Oriental Stamp art the challenge is to make a star card:

These are so fun and easy and I made a quick video to show you how to make them:

Here are the measurements to remember: use a 12″x10 3/8″ piece of cardstock. You will have three 12″ long sides. Mark the 6″ point on each side and score mark to mark. The second set of score-lines are 1 3/4″ from the first. Trust me, it makes sense when you watch the video!

The butterfly stamp is by 7 Gypsies and the pansy collage stamp is by About Art Accents and it is on sale for $5!

I hope you give this card a try, it is easy and fun! I think if you made them smaller they would make a lovely Christmas card, add a ribbon and a photo in the middle and it becomes a keepsake ornament! Thanks all for today, thanks for stopping by and til next time happy crafting!

Cute Little Berry Boxes & Sandwich Board Cards!

I hope you are enjoying summer. I am! I wanted to have some little berry boxes to use in projects but it was hard to find ones that were not stained by berries (and I didn’t want plastic ones) so I made my own:

To make them sturdy I used a sheet of kraft cardstock and a sheet of printed cardstock to make the box!

I have been loving the trend of chalkboard art (not that I’ve mastered it) so I wanted to try stamping some. I made this card that looks like a sandwich board that would be on display on a sidewalk in front of a cafe:

You can get my printable templates & SVG cutting files here. I designed the printables to be printed right on your good cardstock so you don’t have to trace. You get two cards on one sheet of cardstock (2 different sizes) a box and tags. The project makes up in minutes perfect for summer crafting!

Thanks for stopping by and til next time happy crafting!

Easy Envelopes! (with Greensneakers)

Howdy! I was so excited to find a We R Memory Keepers Punch and Envelope board at the stamp show last month only 2 problems, they were sold out and only taking orders and when I want to try it the punch felt sticky and I was less than thrilled with the results. Of course it could have been crappy paper and overuse at trade shows but I was not as over the moon about the product as I thought I would be. After I came home I had a few people on my blog ask me where to buy cheap envelopes and I replied that I either buy the 5″x7″ card/envelope multipacks of 50 when they are on sale for $5 or I simply make my own from leftover “stack” scrapbook paper with my Greensneakers Fold-a-lope templates that I bout at Joann Fabrics years ago. Since you asked here is a quick demo:

I have to admit, I am addicted to cute envelopes and ways to make them, I use my score-pal, my die-cutter and of course templates and if I saw the punch and envelope board at my local big-box craft store I’d be willing to buy it with a 50% off coupon but sometimes the best tools are the simple, inexpensive ones;) Thanks for stopping by and til next time happy crafting!

How I store my stencils!

I love stencils! I have been collecting and using stencils in my art projects for about 15 years (before that I used my moms collection LOL!) and you know me, I never throw away anything that can be use in my artsy endeavors. I also take in a lot of orphaned art supplies (friends start a project and when they are done they have no use for the stencils again) that might prove useful in my art or the kids art classes I teach. so how do I contain the stash? Watch and see:

I divided the stencils into several categories: Patterns/backgrounds, basic shapes/boarders, occasion/seasonal, Alphabets and masks/poistoids also I put any trace & cut stencils (AKA templates) in my larger Crop ‘n Style PSB (paper/sticker binder) so any diamond fold stencils, color blocking scrapbook templates as well as cool cards and paper boxes I have saved over the years to take apart and trace, they are all in there in page protectors. My brass stencils live in a divided wine box crate with my embossing folders and texture plates since that is what I mainly use them for. This method makes the most scene for me since I have so many stencils with no plans to purge any 😉 After posting this video on YouTube viewers shared their storage solutions, here are some ideas:

Ronisuescrapper says:

I do not even come close to the amount of stencils that you have, but I have mine in a three ring binder, with pocket pages, and have them divided that way. The ones that actually came with the 3 holes in them for binders I have in the front. They all fit nicely that way, but if I ever get more, I will for sure keep your technique in mind, because it is great. Thanks! ~ Roni

Pistos En Agape has this idea…

I hang like stencils on ring binders and attach them to the bottom of the wire shelving common in most closets. So far I’ve had no problems with untangling one from another since they hang loosely across the shelf wires.

Hope this makes a little sense.

SkrimpnSkrap says:

I find keeping my stencils in sheet protectors in 3 ring binders works really well. I have a binder that is 8.5×11″ and one that is actually a 12×12 scrapbook for larger stencils/templates. It’s easy to flip through, find what I want and pull it out. I keep a blank sheet of paper in each protector with stencils on either side. This helps me see exactly what they are and they tend to get intertwined with each other a bit less. Hmmm…now I’m inspired to go use my stencils! THANKS!

Joyce B writes:

Thank you. I only have enough stencils for a plastic storage box but if I were to get many more, I would definitely consider storing them this way.

Cecilia Sawyer likes to store her stencils this way:

You really hit on a common problem we all have. I found the accordion fold folders for 12×12 Scrapbook papers are really good. I noticed you had some. I just label the sections with names like: circular designs. Stencil Girls, Joggles, Texture backgrounds, numbers and letters, etc. I have a smaller accordion folder for my 6×6 ones. Thanks for the video.

I used to store my stencils like Cecilia does, it worked well for my larger ones but I just had so many! I hope these ideas help you get your clutter under control. Thanks for sharing your ideas ladies and til next time happy crafting!

 

Stamps a Stencil & a Stipple Brush = Awesome!

Happy Friday folks, it is the first day of Summer Vacation and I have started my kids on their pre-TV routine: 30 minutes of IXL Math (a school recommended math program) and I have also informed them that their rooms have to be tidy before the TV is turned on! I know, I’m awfully mean, they also have to read 30 minutes (at least) a day but they don’t mind that. I went down to my studio the other day to tidy up but was distracted by the bin of new stamp show stuff so after clearing a spot to work I played with my new stash, I liked my first try so much I simply turned on the camera (which is always set up) and filmed the process. You can use whatever stamps and stencils you have, stencils with bigger holes work best, and dye based ink, You can use any large brush you have too.

Pretty fun huh? Now between this and the gelli-prints I am going to have to actually use these backgrounds before my pile-o-backgrounds gets out of control. Thanks for stopping by 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!