So this week Xyron and BoBunny have teamed up to bring you some projects.  I have loved working with BoBunny for a long time (if you saw what I taught at the Mesa CKC last year, you know that.  It was all about BoBunny!)

This week I got to work with the Trail Mix papers and embellishments and a Serenade mini album.  I really love making minis, and I want to walk you through this one.

BoBunny does most of the work for you!  If you’re afraid of mini albums and don’t know where to start, these are amazing.  You don’t need a bunch of papers to add on and you can add as much or as  little embellishment as you like.  I kept mine simple because I wanted this one to lay pretty flat.  But let’s start with the process.

Here they are narrowed down and sort of placed in order.  I counted the number of pages in the book to figure out how many photos I would need, then I layed them out in a sort of order.

I do a sort of dry run next where I lay the photos in the book to make sure that they fit and look good on the pages.  I trim them up when they need it and switch things around  if I have to.  Nothing is attached yet, but you can really get an idea of how your book will look without worrying about messing anything up.

My next step was to attach everything with my Xyron Mega Runner.  You can certainly use your machines for this if you’d prefer.  For this one I decided that my Mega Runner would do the trick.  I did leave a little space on each page for some journaling type of embellishment.

I only used the journaling pieces like this on the pages that were too dark write on with my brown journaling pen.

This is the type of pen that I used.

To finish the album I put the pages together with the rings that were included and added some ribbon over the hinges.  I also added a title with some foam letters and some of the embellishments that matched the Trail Mix collection. (And while we’re here, check out those tabs!  I love that part of the album.  Carry on).

There you have it!  So simple that anyone could make it and really an easy way to start out with mini albums.  I would suggest trying these for sure.  I just saw some other patterns at the LSS last week and had to hold back a little bit because I really wanted to buy some (but had promised to go easy that day).  Here is the inside.

Now I have a couple of cards to share with you that I made with the Trail Mix paper and embellishments, and a quick tip for cards too.

This card was originally going to be a Father’s Day card, but then I decided to leave the area for the sentiment blank.  This way, you can add the sentiment at any time, especially right when you need it and the card will be ready for any occasion.  I have a lot of cards that have the right sentiment but are too girly, know what I mean?

This one is so different from anything I normally make, but I really like the way it came out.  Those metal embellishments by BoBunny are some of my favorite things.  The assorment that comes in the pack of buttons and pieces like this one are always so pretty and I think it adds that perfect something to this card.  This is another one that I can use for any occasion.  Especially a quick note to say hello.

Well, that it is for me today!  I hope you have had fun checking out my projects and that you will be sure to stop by the Xyron blog and see the other DT member’s work on there.  There will be a lot of good stuff on there this week and you won’t want to miss it!

Hey peeps!  This week the Xyron DT is remaking some of the older projects in the gallery.  We’ve all been given something to re-imagine and the results have been fabulous!  This is what I was given to remake…

Now, what I took away from this and was inspired by are the pots and the fact that they’re bugs (actually not being technical on the difference between bugs and insects.  Don’t judge!).  I thought about what other bugs I could make with pots like these and butterflies were the first things that came to mind.  These are what I made.

I didn’t paint my pots, but you certainly could and it would be an extra fun way for kids to get to help with the project.  My butterflies are a little fancier, but make them easy for children to make by having all of your pieces cut out ahead of time and by using paper instead of wire for the antennae.  Here’s how I made the most detailed version (and a quick explanation for the simpler one).

I used a Sharpie to trace around the wide edge of a pot so that I could cut out a circle of my foam adhesive sheet that I made with my Xyron.  This is what holds the whole thing together.

That is how it holds it all together, sandwiched in the middle.  I cut a piece of ribbon to add some detail and hide that seam where the pots come together.  The Xyron 150 is my favorite for attaching ribbon!

Just hide that seam in the back, we’ll cover it with wings later.  Now I had to decide how to make my wings.  I chose to use vellum and Bazzill bling (because when else will I get to use purple bling paper with four boys in this house?).  I also used One of the Xyron Creatopia die sets by Spellbinders.  This make cutting the wings out soooo easy!

I cut out my first set of wings with the larger dies, then cut a frame out of them using the next size down.  I also cut out my vellum pieces in the larger sizes.  Here’s how they come together…

Run those frames through the Xyron 510 and just lay them on top of the vellum pieces.  Easy peasy. (Vellum pieces are in the background there).

Now to make some antennae.  I just used one long piece of heavy gauge wire and pliers to bend it into little spirals.  This piece needs to be a little long because you’ll use it to attach the head later.

I made the head next.  I used some Maya Road chipboard (all ready to go so it made it easy to choose a size to work with).  I ran two of the same pieces through my Xyron 250, trimmed the backing paper around the edges and ran them through again.  This way I had one side to glitter and one side to use to attach them.

I used a purple Martha Stewart glitter to make those butterfly heads sparkle!

I know they look sloppy, but we’ll fix that when we stick it all together next.

I cut another sloppy piece of foam adhesive and attached it to the top of the pot first.  Next I bent the end of the metal piece so that it would be a sort of stand for the head to rest on and attach to the pot.  I laid a punched circle of paper over the top to be sure that it was on there for good, then I added the two head pieces to the front and back of the wire like you see above.

The face is another punched circle with a simple face drawn on it.  I inked it around the edges to add some dimension and then attached it to the front glitter piece with more dimensional adhesive.

I decided that this girl needed a coordinating purple belt made from twine by The Twinery.  I just wrapped it around a few times so that the color would make more impact in the middle and then tied a bow.

To finish this up, I just added the wings with more foam adhesive.  I love this stuff for how flexible it is.  This pot isn’t exactly flat, but most dot-type adhesives are.  With the foam the pieces I attach really follow the curves of my projects and hold in place.

I used vellum in the middle there because I wanted light to shine through the wings of this if it sat on a windowsill or in the center of a table.

Because I can’t leave well-enough alone, I added some fun bling to her wings too.  The stones are by The Robin’s Nest and I used my Xyron 150 to attach them.

Again, this is the end result…

The simpler version just uses solid die-cuts for the wings, a scalloped circle punch for the face and knotted ribbon for a belt.

I think it would be fun to do these in a  bunch of different colors for a little girl’s birthday party, or even to make them into wind chimes or caterpillars.  I get the feeling that my boys are going to want to make some with me next time. (But probably not in purple).

Hope you’re having a great week!  Be sure to keep stopping by the Xyron blog for more inspiration and prizes!

Xyron has been partnering with Imaginisce for a long time and it is always great.  You know that I love my Xyron, and Imaginisce has such cute lines!  One of the really great things about Imaginisce is that they don’t just put out some paper and one or two embellishment packages, they have a TON of things to choose from that coordinate with their papers and they sell great tools that you can use to make your own embellishments.  I made some projects with the Hello, Cupcake line that I’d like to share.

All I added to this card was some ribbon and ink from a pen.  All that cute comes right from the paper!  I always use my Xyron 510 to cover my card fronts with paper.  Who wants to worry about sending a card and having it fall apart in the mail?

To get that look of a big bow you just tie your knots on top of each other until you have as many loops as you want.

I love making mini albums and I couldn’t resist making one with these papers.  Those bling spots are just cut from sheets of gelly bling by gel-a-tins and run through the Xyron 150 to attach.  Imaginisce makes those cute layered stickers that I used on the front.

I added some buttons to the first few tabs as a extra detail.  The actual album is by Maya Road.

And this is what the pages look like, for the most part anyway.   A sweet picture of my baby and these cute papers.

I also put together a cute layout for the album.  Adding details with a pen and scalloped scissors makes a layout cute without adding cost, and when you have a lot of kids that helps!

Be sure to check out the Xyron Facebook page for more Imaginisce projects by the design team.  Everyone did some amazing work with their products!

Rather than going crazy on Easter food and decorations for us this year I spent some time crafting some regular scrappy Easter projects.  I thought I’d share them with you today.

These were some little tart tins that I had.  I decided to make them into little ornaments that could be hung from door knobs or plants in the house.  They’re really fun to make and they can add a little decoration to any spot in your house.

For this card I layered stamped images and patterned paper and I love the finished look.  I used a lot of foam adhesive to give the card some dimension and some inexpensive ribbon makes a big difference in the final look.  Sometimes cards like this can be costly to mail, so I prefer to give ones like this to friends in person.  This one could easily be for some occasion besides Easter.

I LOVE this little bunny tag.  It can take a while to stamp an image over and over and then cut out and layer all the parts, but the final look is worth it.  That background is actually a patterned vellum and when you run it through your Xyron machine you end up with edge to edge adhesive that becomes invisible.  No worries about hiding glue dots or runner strips.

I used that foam adhesive on this one to make some of my elements jump off the paper and I am so happy with that juggling bunny that I think I’ll be using him on a lot fo projects.

I used papers and vellum from an American Crafts stack and then I added those gel-a-tins stamps, my Xyron 510, 150 and Mega Runner, and some Staz-On ink.

These projects all came together very quickly and are things that I can either use around the house over and over or things that I could attach to a plate of cookies given to a friend or neighbor.  I hope that you’re inspired to take a few minutes to be creative and make something that will bring a smile to your face!

I have been meaning to share this little tag that I made with my Xyron machines and stamps a couple of weeks ago.  We were sharing a tag album on the Xyron Facebook page for some inspiration for the crafters that love tags and I am so happy with the way this one came out.

I used a single stamp set for all of those flowers and leaves, and when I added them to this ready-made tag it gives the look of a custom patterned paper.  I have a thing for orange so I chose oranges and yellows for this one and then accented with the green I used for the leaves.  The twine is by The Twinery, buttons are October Afternoon, inks are Stampin’ Up and the sentiment sticker is by American Crafts.

One of the great things about Xyron is that you can use the machines for your ribbons and buttons.  Between those and that little strip of paper this tag is stuck together perfectly and I don’t have to worry about adding it to a gift and having it fall apart when we’re on our way to a party.

Have you been working on some spring projects?  The fun colors you can use are sure to brighten your day!

Hey all!  Today I just wanted to share some photos of the kids and their cousins doing the annual egg hunt at my house.  They aren’t great pictures, but these kids were RUNNING.  Egg hunts are serious business, just so you know.

My brother tried to hold the door open to see what the kids would do, but his son just ignored him and tried to get an egg that was right there through a gap at the bottom of the screen door.

See that lack of focus in the picture?  That’s some running.  I guess I should have changed the setting on my camera.  Oops!

Every year I laugh about the way they hunt for eggs by running past ones that are easy and looking for the harder to find ones first.

This is as close as I got to taking a posed photo.   My baby had places to be.

And here they are going through their loot.  It was mostly candy this year, but that’s okay.  Those little packages of four jelly beans are exciting.

I hope that you had a nice Easter with your family (or just yourself, however you roll   I’m still feeling behind all the time because of school and various doctor and dentist appointments for the kids, but the semester will be over before I know it and then I have a two-class semester to look forward to in the fall.  Those two classes are java programming and calc 2.  I can’t even tell you how much more I’ll love that then I have any of my English classes.  Writing papers makes me crazy.  Or crazier.  However you want to look at it.

Yay!  More fun with Xyron and Kaisercraft!  Today I just have some photos to share with you of a card that I put together with the Kaisercraft Flora Delight collection.

I seem to make a lot of cards, and I use my Xyron machines on every single one.  The 510 has to be within a few inches of my hand at all times because I use it for attaching paper to the front of every one of my cards.  I also keep my Mega Runner and my Xyron 150 in my craft tote and on my desk all the time as well.  Gotta have those for ribbon, buttons, paper, and anything else you can imagine.

Okay.  Let’s get to looking at that card…

The embellishments that came with this line were really fabulous.  I loved the pack of paper embellishments that had frames and flowers in it.  I think those will get a lot of use.

I really like to use something rough (like that twine) with a fancy card like this.  I think it looks great above that lace and floral paper.

I hope you’re still checking things out this week!  If you’ve just come by today, be sure to scroll down and look at  the projects that I posted over the last two days.  Don’t forget to check out the Xyron Facebook page as well!  I love to see my peeps win prizes

This is what I started with.  Their pieces are all very smooth and I haven’t seen a flaw in one yet

I used some acrylic paint to cover the edges of the pieces that would be on the front, and the sides and front of the braces that would hold the whole thing together.  Then I allowed it to dry.

I measured and cut my papers to fit my strips while I waited for that paint to dry.  Everything was very consistent so it was quick and easy.

I had to trace and cut out the paper for my heart.

This is what the right side of that paper looks like when it’s all cut out.

I ran all that goodness through my Xyron Creatopia so that it could all fit in there together.  I could have easily used my 900, though.

Look at all that sticky goodness!

I attached all those sticky papers to the pieces…

…then I trimmed the edges with my craft knife.

To get a really smooth edge on everything, I sanded the paper lightly.

To add a little bit of an aged look I used ink and a sponge on the edges of the pieces as well.

This just added a little something (but it can also be used to tone down a really bright colored paper).

Next, I glued all this stuff together with a hot glue gun.  (In the photo the white pieces are actually upside down.  I fixed that in real life).

And that is how it looked when I was done.

I still needed to attach that heart to my project, and that is where these little guys come into the picture.

What I did was cut myself some one-inch squares from chipboard, then run them through my Xyron 150 machine before stacking them all up like this.

Now I have some (very tough) dimensional adhesive to use on my project.  I placed them where I needed on the project and attached them with hot glue.

I also wanted some matching flowers on this project, so I grabbed another patterned paper and cut squares in three different sizes.

All you do to make these is draw a spiral on the wrong side of the paper.  You cut along that spiral and then roll from the outside edge to the center.  A little blob of glue holds the whole thing together.  Different size squares make different size flowers.

After that, I made myself a little banner to add to the project.  I measured the paper to fit the wooden letters and cut it to size and shape.

I roughed up the edges of that strip of paper, then ran those letters through the Xyron 150 to attach them to the paper.  A few folds and a little trimming and I have the banner.  I attached it to the project with some foam adhesive.

I laid out all of the embellishments for the heart before attaching them so that I could be sure that I liked the layout.  The flowers were attached with hot glue, but the lace went on nice and easy after being run through my Xyron 250.  I trimmed it with my scissors after attaching it.

Then I tied on another bow because I felt like it needed one there

I also wanted to add a little photo of family togetherness, but I decided to mat it first. I like to stick the photo to the paper first with my Mega Runner, then trim the other edges to fit.

I attached that photo with some more foam adhesive (all made with my Xyron, of course).  And with that, the project is done!

Here is that photo again:

And this is a little close up of the embellishments.

WHEW!  That is a whole lotta photos!  I hope that really shows what I did to make this, and I hope that you like it.  Have any other questions?  Feel free to ask me in the comments or on my Facebook page.

Be sure to stop by the Xyron Facebook page to see more projects and to win prizes!

Hello!  I hope you all had a great weekend.  I am back this week with some projects for the Xyron and Kaisercraft blog hop!

I immediately fell in love with the first Kaisercraft products I found at my LSS.  Their wood books and project kits are my favorite thing ever, and their paper and embellishments are really high quality and fun to use.  I seem to pick up a pack of their flowers or gems every time I hit the store.

I have three projects to share with you this week, and I’m going to share them in three separate posts.  Today I’m sharing a video tutorial that will show you how I made this cute little favor/gift box.

I made this pretty quickly one day and I love how it turned out.  I hope you enjoy the video (the first I’ve made!) and that it shows the process well.  I was sick last week and kept putting it off, hoping that my voice would come back.  I hope it doesn’t drive anyone crazy!

It seems like I get to scrap more for Valentine’s Day than I do for just about any other holiday.  It’s a more calm time of year so I have more free time to work on projects (plus there is some cute Valentine stuff out there!).

I made this card to share on the gel-a-tins blog yesterday and I wanted to be sure to share it here on my blog as well.  I have missed scrapping and having more things to share!

The first thing that I did was stamp some of the small hearts from the A Hundred Hearts set onto some white paper with Versamark ink.  I made three of them and embossed one with the Cherry scented gelly powder, one with the Hawaiian Breeze gelly powder and one with the plumeria gelly powder.  My scraproom smelled so good while I was working on this card

The shaker box is madde from layers of foam adhesive that I made with my Xyron machine.  I cut the heart for the top out from a shape that I drew, and I used pinking shears because I thought it was cute.  I used papers from a little American Crafts stack I picked up at Target and the other items on the card are Stampin’ Up inks, a Jenni Bowlin Fiskars punch, twine by The Twinery, ribbon by May Arts, and heart sequins by Queen and Co.

I also threw some beads in there for a little more sparkle in the shaker.  This took a little bit to put together (I didn’t start out with a real plan for the shaker), but I LOVE how it turned out!  I hope you’re inspired to make a little something with your gel-a-tin stamps this week!