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

Blogaversary Candy Day2

It's come around to the one year mark for my blog and I'm celebrating by giving away some blog candy!  If you haven't read Day 1's post (probably because I posted it rather late last night) you can read it HERE to get the details on how to be entered into the drawing.  Today in your comment I'm asking: What pets are part of your family?--and if you don't have any, then what would you say is your favorite animal? 

Hercules

Lucky

They love each other!

I have two dogs--toy poodles named Hercules (boy), and Lucky (girl).  We got Herc when he was about six weeks old at a Pet Store--but we actually rescued him, as he needed hip surgery and they were going to put him down.  We got the surgery and he is the most loving dog...LOVE people, and LOVES licking!  We have a sign for our front door that says "Beware, dog can't hold his licker!"  No joke...he really can't.  We've only had Lucky about a year and a half, but our dogs have known each other most of their lives.  Lucky was rescued by my sister, who nearly hit her while out driving one day--hence the name, "Lucky".  When my sister moved they weren't able to take her with them, so we eventually ended up taking her in.  She's been wonderful for Hercules who is fast losing his hearing. Together our dogs weigh 20 lbs total.  Ha ha...  Herc's an AKC registered phantom toy poodle under the name, "Sackett's Mighty Hercules", and Lucky has a mix of toy poodle and something else we're unsure of. But we've been very blessed to have them as a part of our family!

Today's blog candy is Tim Holtz Distress Ink in Spiced Marmalade!  You can check out a bit more information on it HERE--you can also search my blog for more Distress Ink projects.  

Guess I better go for now--Lucky's not feeling well today, so we're off to the vet for some meds. 

Have a wonderful day!  Lisa

It's my 1 year Blogaversary!

I can't believe it's actually been a year since I started this blog!  My first post was April 28, 2010, where I start by telling the "blog world" a bit about myself.  You can read that post HERE.  My first project I posted was when I used Tim Holtz Ornate Plates to make bookmarks--posted on May 6, 2010.  From there, I just blogged by trial & error--changing my layouts, adding/taking away designs, adding it back...and constantly trying to figure out "blog etiquette"...still.  I also found myself trying to figure out what others were writing when they used acronyms, so I  figured out how to makes other pages for my blog and added a page for "Blog Acronyms".  I figured if I was having trouble following blogs because I didn't know what they were saying, then maybe there were others that didn't know either.  I added other blog links (LoveLee Links) to another page so my Home page wasn't too busy, but there are so many blogs I like to visit now and I haven't had time to update my links like I'm wanting to--if you want to see who I like to "Follow" check out my Profile Page.  It's all still a work in progress, but the journey has been fun so far, and I'm making new friends all the time. 

In celebration of my first year of blogging, I decided to share some Blog Candy!  I'll show a single photo each day for a week (8 different candy offerings), ending on May 8, 2011.  On May 9th, I'll divide the candy offerings into two lots of four -- I'll be using a randomizer to pick TWO winners (since I'm going into my 2nd year).  These two winners will not only receive the four items in their candy lot, but I'll also have some surprises in there as well!  I love surprises--and I hope you will too.  The first winner will have their choice of the two candy lots.  The winners will have until midnight CST May 11, 2011 to contact me via email with their postal address.  If I haven't heard from the winners by then, I'll draw another winner. 

Okay...so here's what you need to do to be entered into the drawing:  start by leaving me a comment on this blog post answering the question "What is your favorite flavor of tea (hot or cold)?"  (if you don't like tea, tell me your favorite hot drink).  You can add another "drawing entry" each day by posting a comment on the blog candy post for that day--make sure you answer the "comment" question for each blog post.  For my subscription blog readers, and for my blog readers in Creating the Hive, click HERE to enter your comment for your drawing entry.

BONUS ENTRY -- You do not have to be "Follower" of mine to win, BUT if you are already a follower (or become a follower), let me know in your comments.  Each day, through May 8th, that you leave me a comment (as a follower) you'll get an extra entry--that could be up to 16 drawing entries!

NOTE--you can post your comments on any of the blog candy posts on any day from May 1-8, 2011 for a chance to win.  This one will be posting late in the evening, so many won't see this post until May 2nd. 

Today's blog candy is The Ultimate, by Crafter's Pick!  Click the link to find out more about this glue.  I personally love it!  I've used it for all sorts of papercrafting projects including cardmaking, scrapbooking, book making, and much more. 

So let the fun begin!!
Best of luck to you all...Lisa

(I'm not reimbursed by any company for the products I'll be giving away, I just wanted to thank you--my blog readers--for celebrating with me this first year.)