SNT Tuesday: Changing Colors

If I didn't tell you, would you know that this dog was originally...
Yellow?!

Another Sip n' Tip Tuesday is here -- I hope you've been enjoying these Tuesday tutorials.  Today I'm having a cuppa Irish Breakfast Tea while I prepare my tutorial.  With summer arriving on our doorstep, I will probably start posting these tutes bi-monthly on the 1st & 3rd Tuesday of each month.  Mainly because we are gone a lot during the summer, and I try to stay very involved in family life.  After all, my youngest will be graduating in two years, and I don't want to miss a bit of our time together -- at least while he still doesn't mind hanging out with his parents.  LoL

Today's tip is all about getting the most out of the cardstock/paper you have on hand.  A few years ago I came across a yard sale getting rid of a 12" thick stack of cardstock, which was already cut into 8 1/2" x 5 1/2" card-making size.  The colors were bright orange, yellow, minty green, & light blue -- I think I got the entire stack for a dollar!  Typically I don't use these colors as much in my card-making, and I haven't made cards in multiples of the same design...well, other than Nathan's graduation announcements, and I made about 80 of those.  Anyway...that led me to finding ways to change the color of the cardstock (CS).  There are several ways you can get an all-over coverage of color -- I've listed a few ideas below:

1. Paint - if you use a bristle brush you'll get a wonderful textured look, but remember that paint also acts as a resist for certain inks, so you'd want to avoid stamping directly onto the paint.  Embellishments/ephemera are great to use on painted surfaces.

2. Ink Brayering - add ink to your brayer by rolling it onto an inkpad, then rolling it onto your paper/CS.  This method will not give you as deep a color unless inking in multiple layers on to your CS.  You can pattern your papers with the brayer by criss-crossing a variety of colors with the brayer such as in a plaid/checked design.

3. Direct to Paper - by rubbing the ink pad directly onto your paper.  This will give it a somewhat mottled effect as it's not always easy to control the application of ink.  You can use a foam blender to soften the ink edges while the ink is still wet.  If you use Distress ink, you can spritz the CS with water after you've applied the ink which will help the ink to spread, or "wick" out.  Distress ink retains its color when wet, so no worries that it will muddy up.

4. Color Wash - a water based dye ink in a spray bottle.  Spray on color--great for full coverage.  Tim Holtz has a great technique on his blog using Color Wash ---> HERE.

5. Ink Blending - simply tap a foam applicator, or a piece of Cut-n-Dry foam, into your ink pad and apply it to your papers.  It tends to give it a somewhat softer/blended look. 

6. Decorative Papers - adhere decorative scrapbook paper cut to fit your CS to cover it completely.  The decorative papers will add design, while the CS will add durability. 

7. Fabric - adhere fabric swatches cut to fit your CS--great coverage, great design.  If you use a wet medium such as Mod Podge, your fabric will become stiff once dry.  A dry adhesive will retain the texture/feel of the fabric, but depending on what you use, it may not hold it well.

8. Heat Embossing - (for all over coverage it's best to use on smaller pieces such as a die-cuts) apply  VersaMark ink directly to the CS die-cut (making sure to cover entire area), then pour over a complete coverage of a colored embossing powder (shake off excess into a manila folder and pour back into jar).  Apply heat with a heat gun until powder is melted.  **In February I posted a box I made for Nathan for Easter.  On the box I used Post-it paper to cut out a heart, but I only had the paper in a baby blue color.  I changed the color of that to red with embossing powder (check it out here---> Chocolate Kisses in a Box).

And finally...the method I used to change the color of my dog from yellow to brown -- Distress Stains!  These are new this year from Tim Holtz & Ranger.  These inks are in a bottle with a nifty nozzle/valve that allows you to control the amount of ink stain you use by how much you press on the CS with the dauber.  You can check out the product review by Tim Holtz HERE.  There's also a fantastic video by ScrapTime of Tim demonstrating the stains HERE -- you're gonna love it!

I cut out the dog with my Cricut out of yellow CS and used Walnut Stain, Antique Linen, & Weathered Wood Distress Stains to change the color from yellow to brown.  I liked using the weathered wood stain in conjunction with the walnut stain & antique linen, as I thought it gave it more of a mottled effect for the dog.   I went around the edges with my foam blender and walnut stain Distress Ink for a bit more softness & dimension.    And it was that easy to change the color -- pretty dramatic change considering the original color. 

Pretty cool color transformation, huh?!

LoveLee Card Recipe:
I used my Cricut Expression2 (CE2) to cut out the dog from the Cricut American Alphabet cartridge that was pre-loaded on my machine.  I also cut out the fence with my CE2 from the My Community cartridge.  The background is simply blue & green cardstock--I added CTMH white pigment in soft cloud-like swirls to the blue cardstock and stamped "Ruh-Roh" ("Scooby Doo", All Night Media stamp) with Tuxedo Black Memento ink.  I used Copic Marker #110 Special Black to color the nose & eyes, and gave him a "wet" nose with Glossy Accents.  Pop-dotted up the fence with the tail popping out, & folded over his ear to finish up this Belated Birthday Card.  I'm actually not doing too bad--I'm only a week late. [sigh]

Try changing colors using a variety of papers you might normally throw away (inside of envelopes, cardstock from a package of hosiery, plain index cards, etc).  But wait, there's more -- I haven't even talked about changing the color of your ribbon!  You might be more apt to buy white ribbon when you realize you can change the color of your ribbon too!  If you haven't looked at the video link I posted above from ScrapTime with Tim Holtz, or if you didn't watch to the end (there are a couple places in the video that it goes black for 5 seconds--keep watching), you might want to take the time to watch--he shows a couple of ways to change your ribbon color too...with Distress Stains!  Once you start playing with color, you just might find yourself getting inky quite a bit more than you imagined.

Have a wonderful, ink stained day!  Lisa

You Make Me Smile



 Back in April I went with a friend to a Creating Keepsakes Convention near St. Louis.  This was my first time going, and what a great time I had!  I also met Melissa Frances (a wonderful lady & breast cancer survivor!) & was able to take one of her signature classes, "Terrific Trendy Techniques" which I really enjoyed.  This was the first time I got to play with her Mica Flakes, Glass Glitter, & Crepe Paper...and Oooo it was so much fun!  We used products from her Vintage Attic Treasures line including her Postcard Album & Die Cut Labels -- I even won a set of her Glittered Chipboard Letters!  Once I learned how to make a variety of crepe paper flowers I came home and made a few more to keep on hand.  I eventually decided to use a couple of them on this card.  I love her crepe paper line--it's not like the type you buy for birthday decorations, it's a much sturdier crepe so it can take a lot more tug & pull.  If you're interested, you can check out this YouTube video of Melissa Frances at CHA.  She tells a little bit about her survival story, and shows her new line of products--Warning...once you start buying her products you'll be hooked!  Her blog has some fabulous inspiration as well -- you can check it out HERE.

For my card:  The base of the card was sprayed with my self-made pearls mist consisting of Turquoise Perfect Pearls, Tumbled Glass Distress re-inker, and water (left over from when I made Mom's Beautiful birthday tag).  I used my applicator tool and inked the sky with Stormy Sky, and the grassy area with Bundled Sage, Distress ink.  I also added a light touch of Worn Lipstick Distress ink to the pink crepe flowers before adhering to the card.  I had some leftover scraps of white crepe that I used to form the clouds, then added a sprinkling of Mica Flakes to complete the card, after stamping the butterflies & my sentiments.  The stamp sets I used were Clearly Wordsworth "Love", and CTMH "You Are Beautiful".  Oh, and I used a variety of Spica markers to color in my butterflies.

Thanks for dropping in today--
Hope you all are having a fabulously crafty day!  Lisa

Sip n' Tip Tuesday: An Envelope That Fits

At some point or other we all "collect" a variety of mismatched envelopes--extra envelopes from Christmas Cards, a card that was hand delivered with the envelope left blank, yard sales, etc.  Instead of getting rid of those oversized envelopes that don't seem to fit anything, I've got a technique that will show you not only how to get those envelopes to fit your card size, but also how to use them for your dimensional cards.

Take the envelope you want to use and center your card on the front (do not adhere). Leaving approximately 1/8" around the perimeter of the card score the envelope on all four sides.

NOTE: Use a score board for easy scoring; but if don't have a score board you can use your paper trimmer (move the blade down & out of the way) and use a stylus to score in the grooved area of the trimmer. If you don't have a stylus, you can use a ballpoint pen w/the ink removed).

After scoring your envelope, set aside your card.

Cut out the notches from the corners nearest the envelope flap (this will help the card to fit inside easily and the envelope to lay flat).




UPDATE:  You can cut the corners off the bottom of the envelope to the score line -- this will help eliminate some bulk as you press the folds into the envelope to flatten it out to the new size. 



Open the envelope and use your fingers and/or bone folder to open the scored edges, pushing the outer edges of the envelope into the inside of envelope so that the edges you scored become the envelope boundaries. With the edges folded in, you can see how your envelope will be sized to fit your card, and how the extra dimension allows for thicker embellishments.  On the photo above I did not cut off my bottom corners -- I folded in the corners instead. If you have glitter or confetti added to your card, you might want this option so they don't fall out.

If you have a flat card and don't need the extra bulk of the envelope for dimensional elements, then use a glue stick to seal the scored edges together around the perimeter of the envelope.  For the scored part on top of the envelope flap at the folded hinge, you'll want to adhere that section together regardless of whether you are inserting a dimensional card or not. 

If you have dimensional brads, or other items that make your card bumpy, you can add a cardstock protector for the front of your card to protect your embellishments during the postage process.  And by the way, using a piece of cardstock to cover your embellishments on your card helps to cut the cost of postage, as the postmaster has the authority to charge extra if he/she can feel embellishments through the envelope.

I got a Bunch of envelopes free at a garage sale a while back, but instead of making a card to fit my envelope I would usually make the card first, then hope I have an envelope that fits.  This has made it so much easier to choose the envelope I want, and modify it to fit most any card. 

**You can right click on any image (open in new tab) to enlarge the picture for close-up detail.**

Thank you for stopping by! Lisa

Tropical Maggie Card

Tropical Friendship

Just popped in to show you another maggie card--a simple card I made a while back.  If you don't remember my maggie cards, you can check out this post HERE.  Basically, they're quick & easy cards made from magazines, catalogs, and such.  I found this artsy tropical scene in a magazine advertisement, and decided it would look great for a summer friendship card.  I used my Stampin' Write markers (Going Gray) by Stampin Up, to add a faux gray frame around the mint green cardstock, then I centered the maggie picture & adhered it to the cardstock after adding my vellum sentiment with brads.  I wish the photo was better, but hopefully you get the idea.

Thanks for stopping by -- have a lovely day! 

A Surprise Visit

Mother's Day was awesome this year!  My hubby and youngest son, Cody, got me the new Cricut Expression 2 Anniversary edition and treated me to dinner at Red Lobster (one of my favorites) on Saturday night so we didn't have to wait in a long line on Sunday (my DH is very smart that way).  We also had our friend, Ruby, come into town for a visit while on temporary duty assignment here, and came to dinner with us -- which was so enjoyable.  It's always so nice having visitors, especially when you move so often. 

Sunday (Mother's Day) after church we went home and my hubby grilled out burgers & hot dogs.  Ruby came over and brought lovely pink tulips & Rocher chocolates, and more BBQ fixin's.  We had just finished eating and sat down to relax when I looked out the window and saw some guy walking up the entryway to our house with a tree.  I must've screamed out loud, because my DH and Ruby both jumped as I realized almost immediately it was my oldest son, Nathan -- he had driven 8 hours to spend a couple days with me for Mother's Day!  And he brought me a Hibiscus tree too, just on the verge of flowering.  Apparently Cody & Chris were in on this surprise, and Ruby found out just before she came over for the grill out.  Usually I'm pretty quick to pick up on surprises...but I guess not this time.  I was totally in the dark!

What a lovely Mother's day it was--I'll never forget the image of Nathan walking up to our front door.  I made him repeat it so I could take a picture...the best surprise visit ever!

The first bloom!

me & my boys

Together at last!

It was such a wonderful visit with my entire family being together -- and that's all this mother really needs!  =)

God Bless!
Lisa

The Price of a Flower Pot Card



A bouquet for Mom

I thought these Flower Pot Cards would be pretty for Mother's Day, but as I was still working on our tea party for church I ended up making them last minute.  AND since I was going in with my sisters for both my Mother & Mother inlaw, the cards had to arrive in time.  So each card cost me over $15 -- not to make, but to send!  Why?  Because I procrastinated in sending them out. 

Yep, my fault...the cost to make them, however was incredibly better.  LOL.  I was able to use various paper scraps to complete the flowers and just added a brad to secure them together.  A few pop dots added a bit of dimension, Martha Stewart's Star Burst border punch distinguished the flower pot, a little inking around all the edges, and the cards were complete. 

Splitcoast Stampers has an easy to follow tutorial for making these cute flower pot cards HERE.  I used my Cricut to cut out the flower pieces, and leafy branches with the Straight from the Nest cartridge, & cut "Happy Mother's Day" using the 2010 Mother's Day cart. 

Thankfully I have a very understanding hubby, who knew how busy I was with the tea party--so I didn't get much grief about the costly cards.  Although, I'm supposed to remember not to do that again.  =)

Thanks for stopping by!

ETA - Just in case you thought you saw this posting earlier, you probably did--I guess when Blogger went down last week this post got deleted from my blog, including all the comments.  I just realized it, so I'm reposting it today.

Valentines Day -- in May?

Uhm, not really--but if you remember back when I posted my offerings for the ATT (All Things Tim) group's Red & White Valentine's Tag swap (original post HERE) I was going to post photos of the tags I received.  So guess what?  I'm posting them...in May!  I think it's fun to revisit past postings--that and the fact that I'm very delayed in getting this uploaded.  It was such a FUN swap, and I loved stretching my imagination when it came to working within the color guidelines of only two color families (red & white)...turned out to be more of a mind bender than I originally thought it would be.  But anyway...have a look at what these other clever designers came up with!

ATT tags from left to right:
Martha S., Donna S., Lisa L., Deb S., Kavi C., & Annette R.



designed by Kavi



designed by Annette

Thank you, Kavi & Annette, for agreeing to let me do a close-up view of your tags -- I appreciate you responding to my group mail...and for being so patient waiting for me to post the pictures.  You guys are awesome!

Thank you for popping in today!  Lisa

Sip n' Tip Tuesday: Ink Blending Tool Fixative

I just finished my morning cuppa Mango tea, sent to me from friends in Bury St. Edmunds, England--and now I'm so excited to bring you this FABULOUS tip!  Well, at least I'M super excited. 

As you might already know, I love my Tim Holtz ink blending tool -- great for blending color on projects, and I use it a lot!  And if you have used it, you also know that you need to hold onto the prickly white velcro piece when taking off the blending foam or the velcro will become dis-attached from the adhesive holding it onto the handle.  Well, I've found this wonderful dry adhesive that holds onto the velcro piece firmly on its own while you pull off the blending foam.  I've fixed all my ink blending tools with this adhesive and I'm SO loving it.  Can I tell you that it works for soooo much more?!  I also used it to fix the foam strip back to the door of my van--no joke!

You might remember I blogged about making a box for my DH to hold his industrial strength adhesive (you can check it out HERE), back in April.  Well, that's the adhesive I'm talking about--MacBond is what is in my DH toolbox, but I believe you can use the industrial version of UGlu made by the same company (which is now readily available)! 

You need to use non-stick scissors (I use TH Tonic scissors) to cut the adhesive to size, while keeping the release paper in place.  For fixing the Blending Tool, first remove the white velcro piece while keeping the black sticky foam in place.  Then you use it like double stick tape--removing one side of the release paper adhere one side to the sticky black foam originally holding the velcro -- keep the other side of the release paper in place on the adhesive and press firmly to the foam on the handle.  Remove the remaining release paper and press velcro firmly in place.  Now you can add your blending foam and pull on/pull off as needed without the worry of pulling off your velcro piece too.  Love it! 

But wait...there's more -- this adhesive has awesome staying power, but did you know you can also easily remove this adhesive!  Yes, way!  You've probably seen those removable wall tabs, where you can hang a picture, but you can remove it without residue to your wall by pulling the tab holding the adhesive and it slowly releases it from the wall?  Well, this adhesive works by the same method.  You'll have to grab onto the adhesive (push the adhesive into a small bunch you can pinch) and pull carefully keeping somewhat level with the surface -- which somehow changes the molecular structure to allow the glue to be released.  Is that not the coolest thing?  I'm telling you, fixing stuff not only in the craft room, but around the house never became easier!  And now you know why I bought this stuff for my DH toolbox--and yet, I'm using it in my craft room!  LOL.

The packaging says it can be used on:  carpet, canvas, fabrics, plastic, metal, glass, paper, wood, brick (I saw the demo with brick--very cool!), wallpaper, foam board, craft foam, ceiling tile, fiberglass, tile, granite, cement, ceramics, drywall, laminates, leather, & styrofoam.

As of the writing of this post, if you have a company name and live in North America you can go to the MacTac website and order a free sample.  Start by clicking at the bottom of the home page for North America, and then under "How can we help you?" clicking on "I know my MacTac product, I want to order a sample". 

To find out where you can purchase UGlu click HERE.

Well, that's it for today.  Thanks for stopping by.

Simply Organized: Ideaology & More

I found this gorgeous box with a magnetic flip lid at the thrift store.  I'm not sure what the box was originally used for, and wasn't sure at the time what I would use it for, BUT it was only $1 so I bought it.  Turns out it makes a great organizer for my Tim Holtz Idea-ology pieces, and a bit more. 

I was going to make my own boxes to store inside it to sort my odds & ends, but instead I ended up repurposing a few sturdy jewelry boxes with their lids that I'd been saving.  I even used some of the original packaging as dividers, and of course saving other bits of packaging for use on another project.  Anyway...see what you think. 



Jewelry box lid contains some gears, metal corners, ornate bookplates, key
Tin box lid w/packaging dividers contains jump rings & brad varieties
Ruler ribbon & slide mounts fit neatly in front of the tin lid




Another box lid contains facets.
The tin box contains hinge clips & D-rings,
and nestled underneath is white ATC size sticky back canvas.



The bottom of the box has loads of goodies!  On the far left are journaling tickets.
The left box holds two small jewelry boxes with memo pins & game spinners,
as well as 2 boxes of alphabet brads in silver & antique, and some timepieces.
The box on the right holds another lid with philosophy tags, & filmstrip ribbon,
also a variety of fragments are included in this box.




And finally, against the back of the box I was able to fit in:
journaled slide mounts, sanding grip refill,  & 3 different masks

 I chose not to embellish the box further, as I like it just the way it is.  It's both a lovely decorative piece for my desk, as well as being quite functional.  I have a bit more odds & ends I'd like to fit inside (believe it or not), but on the whole--I'm quite pleased with the outcome of this repurposed project!

Thanks for popping in!

Sip n' Tip Tuesday - Epoxy Embellies & Chai Recipe

Welcome back to SNT Tuesday--Today was a Chai Tea morning!  I mentioned last week I'd have an easy Chai recipe for you to try, so I thought I'd post it today.  This was given to me a while ago by my sister inlaw, Stephanie, and I just love it!  If I recall correctly, she said she got it from Taste of Home magazine (Dec '08):

~ Place in coffee filter & brew with 1 c. water:
2 Tea Bags
1 tsp. Cinnamon
1/2 tsp. Ginger
1/4 tsp. Allspice

~  In saucepan, cook over medium heat until sugar is dissolved & heated through:
1 c. Milk
1/4 c. Brown Sugar (use less if you like it less sweet)
2 Tbsp. Vanilla Creamer

~ Pour cream mixture in mugs & stir in tea.  Dollop with cool whip & fresh grated nutmeg.

While you're enjoying your hot cuppa, or iced frappe', today's tutorial is about making your own (MYO) epoxy embellishments--another tip I happened upon by accident...which is usually the way I learn new ideas.  You'll need a couple items for this:  a non-stick craft sheet (I use Ranger's Craft Sheet), and a bottle of a clear gloss medium (I use Glossy Accents, but you could use Diamond Glaze, Crystal Lacquer, CTMH Liquid Glass, Stampin Up Crystal Effects, etc).  I find both the Craft Sheet & Glossy Accents to be a wonderful addition to my craft room.  These products are SO versatile that what I'm going to show you here is only a mere fragment of what these awesome products can do!

In one paragraph I can tell you how to make these fun embellishments; and then I've added some pictures for a visual viewpoint. 

You'll need some drying time, so I recommend making these the night before you want to use them.  These are SO easy to make, that all you need to do is squeeze out the Glossy Accents onto the Craft Sheet in any design you like.  Leave the craft sheet to dry overnight, and peel off the epoxy embellies in the morning.  You can store these in a recycled plastic container, glass jar, etc.  By morning, when they are cured/dry, they aren't sticky at all.  Use scissors to trim any uneven edges (no adhesive will stick to your scissors).  To adhere them to your project, just add Glossy Accents to the back of the epoxy piece and adhere to your project--make sure to use a thin layer of the glue and press gently but firmly to project area. 

When you first squeeze out your designs they will be a milky color.

After drying overnight they will be clear & can easily be lifted off the mat.

Completely dry & ready to use.

Trim rough edges with sharp scissors.

Epoxy embellies are totally flexible that they don't crack when bent

Notice the texture to the epoxy element? 
It picked up the texture from the Craft Mat.

Notice how the texture is not quite as visible
when it's laid down over a specific area.
This particular piece is not yet adhered.

This is after it has been adhered to the center of the daisy with Glossy Accents.
You can see an area on the right of the center piece that wasn't adhered down.
You want to add a thin layer of Glossy Accents when adhering down
and press glue to edges to avoid an incomplete look. 
I left this small area to show as an example.

The left antennae was adhered correctly,
the right antennae had a touch too much glue which spilled out.

Use these epoxy embellies like you're adding dew drops or baubles

On this card I used Glossy Accents to "color" over the key.
Then I used my pre-made epoxy element to highlight the word "key".
Similar looks, but different. 

Try adding a wire circle or other shape to your craft sheet, and filling it in with Glossy Accents.  When it dries you'll have a wired epoxy embellishment!  You can also add color to your epoxies with markers, alcohol ink, distress ink, perfect pearls, etc.

I hope you decide to give these a try.  I'd love to hear how yours turned out. 

Have a wonderful day!
Lisa

1st Blogaversary Winners Posted

Good morning friends, I hope you were able to celebrate Mother's day in a special way. Whether it was together with your Mother or even in loving reflection of a Mother no longer with you. As for me -- I had such a lovely surprise when my older son came walking up the entryway to our house carrying an Hibiscus tree! I know I screamed in excitement, that's for sure! sorry I can't post a picture right now, I'll edit it later with a photo when I can get to my PC. Since he lives about 8 hours way and it was totally unexpected!

Anyway, he only has today here since he's going back to work, so I am getting straight to our winners...da da da daaaaa

By random drawing the first winner is Lolo! You will get to pick four of the blog candies to be sent to you.

And winner number two is Scrap'n Nana! Once Lolo picks her candy I'll send both of yours out!

Woo Hoo! Congratulations!!

You both have until Midnight CST to email me at Duvwingz@gmail.com with your address! If I don't hear from you by then I'll be picking a new winner(s).

Thank you for everyone's lovely comments! I appreciate you celebrating with me. Speaking of which...I have another surprise tomorrow for all those that left me comments during my blogaversry celebration.
Have a wonderful day, y'all!

Blogaversary Candy Days 4-8 What?!

Yep--still celebrating!  In my original post (found HERE) I was going to post a different blog candy each day for a week, but I decided to condense my blog candy for the next five days to give you a break.  BUT, you can still earn extra entries--if you've posted a comment on my blog posts for each day, including TODAY, I'll double your entries for the drawing...still earning you 8 drawings.  If you're a follower of my blog (and have let me know in one of your comments) I'll be doubling that number--still giving you a total of 16 entries into the drawing.  Pretty cool, ay?  And for an extra entry -- leave me a comment on this post, Sunday May 8, 2011, telling me "Happy Mother's Day!" Wow...don't you just love how that ended up working out?!  I sure do...this "Supercalifragilistic Proper English Tea" party is taking up nearly all my time--but I just couldn't let my first year pass me up.  =)

Blog Candy Day 1
Blog Candy Day 2
Blog Candy Day 3
Blog Candy Days 4-8

Today's comment question:  What is your favorite flower? 

As for mine, I love Forget-Me-Nots!  I love the blue dainty flowers, and I equally love the name of them.  But can you believe, I've never been able to grow them?  yeah...not so good at the gardening thing.  But oddly enough I can grow roses.  I remember one year for Mother's Day my DH tried to buy me some Forget-Me-Nots from a local florist, and do you know what they told him?  They said they didn't carry weeds!  What??!!  I'm thinking if they were weeds I'd have no trouble growing them whatsoever!  Oh well...they are, still in fact, my favorite flower!





Blog Candy Days 4-8



Okay, so my final blog candies I'm adding 1. Autumn Leaves Clear Stamps, "Hearts & Stars" by Rhonna Farrer  2. Two chipboard mini books by Me & My Big Ideas  3. Martha Stewart White Gold glitter  4.  Adirondack "Currant" alcohol ink  5. Donna Ingemanson Rough & Tumble Chipboard pack (95 pieces) 

Blog Candy!!

Add that to the other candy I've already posted and I'll have two lots of four prizes of which two winners will be randomly picked among those that have commented on these posts from May 1-8, 2011.  Winners will be posted on Monday, May 9, 2011.  I've already got other goodies ready to be packed in for some extra surprises for the winners.  Lots of fun! 




Well, I guess I better get moving--daylight's a burning. 

Have a Blessed Day!

Lisa

Blogaversary Candy Day3

Hello Blogger friends!  Today is day3 of my blogaversary candy!  If you are just joining us, check in at my Day1 Post for all the deets, and how you can have a chance to win--I'll be picking two winners to celebrate going into my 2nd year of blogging.  Woo Hoo!! 

I'll resume my Sip n'Tip Tuesday next week...I'm so excited about it too--as it's something I came up with a while ago and taught my classes in the past, but I've researched the web and to my knowledge it hasn't been shown before.  Check back in next Tuesday-- at least I think it's pretty cool.  =)

CREATING THE HIVE NOTE:  For those of you following my blog feeds on Creating the Hive--You'll need to visit my blog on the web HERE, to post your comments for the drawing. The Randomizer I'll be using is only able to pick names from this Blog site.  This is a first for me, so maybe the next blog candy I give away I'll be able to work out the kinks. 

Thank you for celebrating with me--I love reading all your comments as you answer my "question of the day".  Hopefully you're learning a little bit more about me, as I am about you.  However, I think I forgot to mention, in all my excitement of my Day1 posting, that my favorite cuppa hot tea is Chai tea Latte!  Oooo Yum!  I have this great powdered mix I like called Caffe de' Vita Enchanted Chai.  I fill my mug about 3/4 of the way with boiling water, then add one Tbsp of Vanilla Creamer, and top it off with milk.  The crowning glory is whipped cream w/cinnamon & sugar sprinkled over the top.  YUMM-Y!  I actually have a wonderful Chai recipe for a homemade version, given to me by my sister inlaw Stephanie, that I LOVE.  I'll have to share that another time...but these Chai's are also great as an iced Chai Frappe.  Today, I'm prefering the hot version--Mmmm, okay...moving right along.

Today's question is along the lines of crafting, "In your down time (don't laugh), what type of crafting do you like to do?"  This is a pretty broad category, as each of likes something a bit different--no wrong answers here.  If you're not really into arts/crafts, and you happen to get a bit of down time, just let me know what you like doing.  As for me, when I can just sit down and do my own thing without having any sort of an agenda--I absolutely LOVE card making!  I like having several on hand so I can send to friends/family on a whim.  Has anyone ever seen the movie Bed of Roses?  I love that movie--but I really like how he enjoys giving flowers to people knowing that the thought alone that someone sent them flowers is enough to make a person's day.  I guess I see the same thing with sending cards--I like to think about someone smiling on the other end.  I do have to mention that my stash is quite low as of today, and this week is SUPER busy as I'm continuously working on our Mother-Daughter Tea Party for this weekend.  I'll be posting about that starting next week...but I thought I'd throw in a sneak peak--I'm using the DCWV Lemon Flower Stack.  Fab Papers!! 

As for today's candy?  Today I have clear baubles!  If you've ever seen Dew Drops, they're similar but not quite the same product.  However, what I Love about these clear ones is that you can color them quite easily to match your project using markers or alcohol inks.  But if you just leave them clear, they'll pick up the color of the paper lying underneath.  And easy to attach with a spot of glue that dries clear, or a strong dry adhesive. 

Okay, comments ready.....Go!
Lisa