Author: jesslcooper

It’s that time again already!  I love that Xyron is doing this 30 days of projects and inspiration, and it is so much fun to be a part of.  The girls on the team have been making so many amazing things that I find myself thinking that I need to make a trip to the craft store for some of the supplies they’re using.  Goodness knows my husband loves that 🙂  Anyway, head to the Facebook page to see more links and photos.

Today is the first day of December, and that means it’s card time!  I like to send mine out Thanksgiving weekend (usually), but this year has just been too crazy.  I’m actually going to take photos of the family next weekend and send out cards after I get those back.  The secret with handmade cards is that you have to make them easy to make a ton of (I send out around 70 every year), and you have to keep costs down.  There is no better way to keep you costs down and make things easy than to use stamps!

I got an adorable little set from Crafter’s Companion to work with this year.  It’s called Holly Jolly Christmas and it comes with a sweet mouse stamp and four different sentiment stamps.  Here’s what I did with them…

I actually did not do a ton of step by step photos on these, but the key word here is easy.  I swear, they go together in no time and they’re my favorite kind of projects – the kind you can work on while you sit and watch T.V. 😀

Let’s talk about that cute mouse card first.  I do have a little bit to talk about there.

Now, I’d love to take the coloring classes and buy all the fancy markers, but I’m pretty sure I’d get in more trouble than anyone can imagine if I started all that.  So…colored pencils it is for me.  The thing about these little stamps like this is that you only ever see them looking like beautiful watercolors and for those of us that don’t have the supplies or the skill you may think, “Uh…what am I supposed to do with that?”  Well, it’s this easy.  Don’t get me wrong, I used special colored pencils made for scrapbooking that I’ve had since the dawn of my scrappy time, but don’t let supplies like that get you down.  I like the look of colored pencils, and I think it makes the mouse look cute and soft.  I still did a little shading on a few edges to add depth to the image, but it didn’t take a long time and I didn’t have to worry about smearing.  That’s always good because I am a mess. 🙂

Anyway, here’s a look at the stamp set, the papers we were sent to stamp on (greatness) and what the mouse image looks like on a block.

And this was after my little mouse was all cut out and colored.  I do like to color.  Very relaxing. 🙂  As for the rest of the card, it’s all about layers.  I used two different American Crafts papers in the background, cutting them to fit my card base and then a little smaller for the next layer (I usually do an inch or half inch difference depending on how much of a reveal I want).  The lined paper is actually part of a page of cards that I cut up, and it helps keep things from looking too busy.  The mouse and the sentiment were stamped on that amazing white cardstock, the mouse was hand cut and the sentiment I just used my trimmer for.  I punched another shape to add some interest behind the sentiment and things were layered together with my Xyron 510 (for the base), my Mega Runner (flat layers) and homemade foam adhesive (for popped up pieces and interest).  It was quick to put together and don’t forget, once you’ve decided on the design, you can make a bunch of everything and just stick it all together.

This other card is even easier (you know I love that because I can’t stop saying it).  I knew that I wanted to make something like this as soon as I saw that round stamp in the package.  All I needed to do was choose a few different green ink pads, a red ink pad, some twine and some pins.  Let’s look at that one again.

 

Here it is all broken down.  I attached a background layer of patterned paper to my card base with my Xyron 510.  I trimmed a piece of white cardstock to one inch smaller than the base, then I rounded the corners and misted it with some silver mist.  (The edges are all inked with grey ink).  I stamped a  bunch of different shades of green to make my circles until I had a set-up that I liked, and I added a red one for interest.  Those are all attached with 3/8″ Adhesive Dots, and then I tied a piece of Maya Road twine around the whole thing.  I attached this piece with some homemade foam adhesive, then I stick some pins through the bow.  Those are all Maya Road pins, and they make some gorgeous stuff.  I also tacked those pins in place with some of our smaller Xyron Adhesive Dots.  They’re perfect for things like this.

Well, that’s it for the how-to.  Again, sizes of cardstock and papers will depend on the size of your card base.  Be sure to look into postage costs before you make all your cards (sometimes different sizes cost more money) and think about things like the thickness of the card for mailing.  I prefer to give the extra fancy handmade cards to my local peeps and those that I give trays of cookies to, and then to mail flatter cards to family that is far away.

I hope you’re finding yourself inspired every day by these posts from Xyron.  Have a great week!  I’ll be back in a few days with another little something I made for this year’s holiday decorations.

 

I have been so stinking busy for the last month or so!  School is beating me up (like always), but on top of that I’ve been trying to complete a bunch of projects around the house before the holiday dinner we’re hosting this weekend.  We’ve been in this house for seven years and it is starting to show some age for sure.  There is a ton of touch-up painting that needs to be done (and some that I’ve actually been able to do over the last few weeks), furniture that needed to be painted, etc.  On top of all that, I have had this issue where I’ve also started other projects.  These are things that have needed to be done, but I wasn’t sure how to handle them.  A place for those huge, heavy backpacks that the kids leave all over the place?  I had no idea what to do.  Some décor for behind the front door that would also be useful space?  Eh.  Who knew where to start with that?

Enter Pinterest!

Yep.  That was all I needed.  I had some inspiration in my Rooms board, and I changed things up a little bit to fit my skill level (nonexistent) and budget (um, there was no budget for this as far as my husband was concerned).  I did get some help from friends when I got stuck (thanks Ritchie and John!).  Check out what has been done around here!

This is the space behind my front door.  (Yes, we finally painted all the doors upstairs black.  Yay!).  I used to just have a single picture hanging here and it was so boring and didn’t really fit well.  We also have a teeny little front closet for coats and the vacuum and backpacks….etc.  It just wasn’t cutting it.  Now I have a place where guests can put their coats and purses when they come over, and I have a really nice display of family photos.  I LOVE how this came out.  I bought one flat board, two kinds of trim and one smaller flat board to use as the shelf.  I had them cut at Home Depot (but our measurements were off).  My friend Ritchie offered to cut them for me and he even attached the shelf to the back board and filled the holes for me and everything.  When I asked him for a little more help (I needed it because my husband tried to burn the house down with my drill and I couldn’t hang it myself) he came over and popped the whole thing on the wall for me.  I realllllly appreciated it.  I do want to learn how to do all of this myself, but I can’t seem to hide my power tools well enough.  My husband finds them and breaks them and then there’s no building things for me.  Oy.  How about some more photos?

Those hooks are from Home Depot as well (aren’t they cool?).  I had to buy some with a small upper part and a bigger lower part because the shelf would have been in the way of a hook that extended up.  I had some of the black frames and then got a few more to fill in.  I am so, so happy with how this came out.  I also took pictures of the rest of the entry so you can get an idea of how it looks and works together.

This is dead on (with a peek at some furniture I was painting in the entryway).  I am so happy with the black doors.  The curtains were made a while ago and the entry got some great color from those.  I hope to replace that ugly boob light on the ceiling one day, but who knows when that will happen.

This actually needs a little work.  I used to have a different piece of furniture here that was shorter, so that candle holder on the wall is too low.  I’ll work on that later 🙂

The other project I needed to get done was a place for the kids’ backpacks.  I have a wall in the back of the house near the entry in from the garage and the laundry room that I knew would be the perfect place.  This turned out so well!

It is rough to get a picture back there 🙂  I couldn’t get the whole area in the shot very well, but I think you get the idea.  The lower part of the wall is a panel that I painted in chalkboard paint (which looks good with all of the black in the doors and accents).  I only did one board on top of this with a small piece of molding.  I didn’t want to deal with a shelf back here, so I left that off.  It’s a more simple look than the front door, but it’s perfect for this area and for the kids.

My boy John did a lot of the work on this one.  My drill is done and my husband is blind and not so handy, so I needed help.  He put this up in about 10 minutes for me (and at least my brad nailer still works).  Last night he put the hooks on for me (hubby “helped with that too and they were all crooked).

Tonight we made a run to Michael’s for just a couple of things and we couldn’t even make it in the from door before we found an awesome deal on frames.  These are from two packs.  Each had ten frames and they were $10 for the set!  Hello awesome!  I grabbed some letters for the kids’ initials while we were there too.  This all went together really fast (except that I need to print pictures for all these things now :)).

Anyway, this is some of what I’ve been up to!  I hope you’re inspired to get some things done around your house, whether it’s for the holidays or just because it needs to get done!  I’m finishing up some projects on the front porch too and I’ll be sure to share all that when it’s finished.  Have a great week!

No, I won’t have 30 days of projects right here on my blog (although I could probably come up with that many if I had a little more time).  Xyron is doing 30 days of holiday projects on the DT members’ blogs.  I have seen some sneak peeks and you are going to love what everyone is sharing!  Be sure to stop by the Xyron Facebook page for photos and links.

This all started yesterday, and I am very excited to share my project with you today.  It’s actually a set of projects.  For a little background:  My husband is Jewish, and we celebrate both Hanukkah and Christmas.  Every year (for the last eight or nine years) we host a big Hanukkah dinner with friends and family and it’s a lot of fun.  It’s also a lot of work, so I start prepping early.  Unfortunately, this year Hanukkah starts the night before Thanksgiving.  Hello crazy.  I have been working on all kinds of projects around the house and I still have bunches of homework and studying to do (plus all the fun things I try to do like house cleaning and baking and volunteering at the school).  SO!  Here I go.  I have some place settings and activities to share with you today.  These ideas could so easily be made for any holiday, just switch up the colors and the shapes as you need to.  Check me out! 🙂

 This is the set up of things I made for the kid table.  (No, I probably won’t have them using my wedding china).  In just a second I’ll walk you through making the sparkly activity book, the place marker, the napkin ring, the placemat, the coordinating pencil (I have issues) and the covered box of crayons (again…issues).

But first, a little something for the grown-up table 🙂

No, the parents don’t get coloring books and crayons, but they do get place marker favor boxes that I fill with some quality chocolate.  Can’t complain (because I’m mean and I won’t take it.  So there).

Let’s start with that little goodie box first, all that kid stuff involves a lot of photos and that will take a little while.  I like to do things this way because they’re actually useful and pretty, not something that just gets forgotten and thrown away.  If you’ve ever thrown a party where you made favors for everyone and left them in a display by the door and then had to watch while everyone leaves and totally forgets to take one, you know why it makes sense to have them on the table.  Combining the favors with nametags just saves me a step 🙂  We finish dinner and while everyone is sitting and visiting you can snack on some chocolate and relax.  It’s a good time!

I started with a box template.  You can find these free on the internet, but mine is from a set by Oriental Trading.  I like having choices.  Anyway, I trace it onto my pretty cardstock (and I do plan on mixing these at the table to add more pattern), then cut it out and score it before tying it closed with a little ribbon.

Those cute little die cuts are something that I made with a fabulous set of dies by Spellbinders.  I’m going to make them sparkly because that’s what I do.

I ran them through my 3″ Sticker Maker and then glittered them in the colors you can see in the photo above.  That nametag was really fast and easy too.

If you’ve never used stamps, don’t be afraid!  They can be such an easy way to embellish things and with this one set I can do as many names as I want on as many different kinds of paper as I want and it’s all super fast and easy.  This piece of paper is about 1″ tall and 4″ long, and once I stamped I just trimmed the end into points because I think it looks cute that way. 🙂

It all comes together with my Xyron Adhesive Dots.  Fast and easy!  I just need to be sure to stuff them with candy and some shredded paper.  Ta-da!

Now, for that kiddie stuff…

Let’s start with the place card.  Or should I say GIANT CHOCOLATE COIN with a name on it or something.  The kids will only see chocolate.

Can you believe that thing?  If you don’t know, kids get chocolate coins at Hanukkah (they’re called gelt) and when I saw these things at Walgreens I knew I had to get them.  I think one of the twins lost his mind for a few minutes when I showed it to him.

Here’s how these things came together.  Ribbon (for pretty), stamps (for the names -cheap cuteness!), die cut leaf (more pretty that goes with the fall theme that I’m mixing with the Hanukkah theme).  Okay, ribbon through the Xyron first.

Just trim the ends with scissors to fit.  Then I made a glittery leaf, just like I did for the box above.

I attached that with the Adhesive Dots by Xyron again.  Now for the nametag.  I decided to mix a bunch of shades of blue with white and silver and gold for my color scheme this year.  That’s why I used the blue ink.

That will say Carter.  Had to stamp it once and then go back with the “R” again.  Easy peasy with clear stamps.  That’s it for that!  Now let’s do the placemat.  So easy to make with some cheapo ribbon and my Xyron!

I started with this pad of drawing paper.  I wanted the pieces to be very big and I picked this up at Wal-Mart.  I also got some ribbon in the holiday section.  $1 for 3 yards.  not too bad when you have to make a bunch of stuff.

I was going for a plaid look, so I overlapped the ribbons.  I missed blues here too and this is just my layout where I tried things out to see how it would look before I stuck it all down.

Right through that Xyron 3″ Sticker Maker and on to the paper.  Trim the ends and that’s it!  The kids can draw on these, spill on them, whatever.  For as little as they cost I won’t care (and they’ll look really pretty on the table without being a fire hazard like the butcher paper I put on the table last year).

How about that activity book?  I try to have something for the kids to do while we’re eating and/or waiting for food.  If it’s a craft project, it can be difficult to put together.  How do you choose something that’s just as fun and easy for a 3 year-old as it is for a 10 year-old?  When I started finding free printables on Pinterest I knew that I would use them for this.  I just chose a bunch of things, printed them out on regular paper and then put them into cheapy little report covers.  The star on the cover is just something I cut out by hand, but the bling was necessary because I said so.  That’s why.

This bling is from gel-a-tins and it runs right through the Xyron 150.

Then you just stick it right on the “spine.”

What will the kids use to color those books?  I can’t just put this mess out there.

All that work to make things match and then I should throw this bunch of junk down to clash?  Nope.  So I made it pretty.  The pencil is first.

This is me cutting tissue paper into 1/2″ strips.  Those strips then go through the Xyron.  Use whichever machine you like.  If you’re doing a bunch of these you can like a lot of strips up on the bigger machines, or you can just use your 150.  Whatever you want.

I used the 150.

I just wrapped it around and around the pencil until the paint was completely covered.  It took almost two strips.  Then I did it all again with silver tissue paper and a 3/4″ strip.  I couldn’t handle the way the metal part clashed.  Sorry!

All done!  How about the crayons now?  For this I did some measuring and trimming and scoring.  Nothing hard, but the size of your folds and paper will depend on the size of your crayon box.  Just measure it.

I also cut pieces for the top and bottom as you can see, and attached it all with the Xyron Mega Runner.  Next up is more ribbon.  I just tied some around the box in a pretty knot.

Now for the part where I show you the making of all those die cuts I’ve been using.  Look at everything I got on one little sheet!  That isn’t even everything in the set.  Pretty awesome 🙂

Now it’s time to glitter again.  Yay for glitter!

First a run through that faboo 3″ Sticker Maker.

Then I make it sparkle.

The napkin ring is so easy.  Cut a strip (this one is 6″ x 1.5″) and use your Xyron 150 to attach some ribbon.  Then hold it in the ring shape with some High Tack Tape by Xyron.  Done!

And now for a few more pics of the set.

Thanks so much for stopping by!  I hope you are inspired to make some holiday crafts!  This whole party is going to be a lot of fun!  Be sure to head over to the Xyron Facebook page every day for more inspiration!

First off, I hope you all like the new look!  I thought I’d add a little more fun to the blog with some pattern and stuff after doing a little web browsing 🙂

This week Xyron is working with Maya Road and I have to tell you, I love the combo!  I may have a slight addiction to Maya Road.  I actually used a combination of my own goodies and some of the TONS of goodies they sent us.

I decided to make a banner for Thanksgiving (or any time really) with my products.  The base of this banner is actually almost two books worth of pages from the Maya Road 3-ring Square canvas album.  I used a total of ten pages to spell out “Give Thanks.” (See all of their canvas albums here).

I really wanted a layered look so I combined paper cut with pinking shears and die cuts with my Maya Road chipboard letters to make the main part of the banner.  The mini banner pieces are also by Maya Road, and so is that awesome twine.  That stuff was great to work with.  It is so sturdy!

I covered those little banners with tissue paper that I ran through my 2.5″ Create a Sticker machine.  I wanted some texture and color on them, and I like the way they came out.  Then I added some punched flowers and buttons with my 3/16″ High Tack Adhesive Dots.

The trims were added on the back side of the banner pieces with some 1/4″ Xyron High Tack Tape.  That gorgeous brown satin trim (that I need to go shopping for and stock up on) is by Maya Road, and the lace is some Teresa Collins that I bought a while back.

I added the kraft paper squares with the 3/8″ High Tack Adhesive Dots by Xyron, then attached the die-cuts with foam dots from the Teresa Collins adhesive kit, and the letters went on with some of my fabulous foam tape that I make with my Xyron machine.

I wrapped the end of my twine with some scotch tape to make it easier to thread through all my pages and chipboard pieces, and trimmed the ends long so that it would be easier to hang.  I tied bows on each piece as well.  That is pretty much it!  I hope you like it!

Be sure to stop by Beth’s blog all week for prizes and projects by the very talented Xyron DT!

And here’s one more pic for good measure. 🙂

Supplies Used: (check the links above for products)

Xyron:

2.5″ Create a Sticker

1/4″ High Tack Tape

3/8″ & 3/16″ High Tack Adhesive Dots

Teresa Collins foam adhesive

DIY Foam Adhesive

Maya Road:

3-Ring Square Canvas album

Satin Scallop Trim – Earth

Lisa Alphabet Chipboard Letters

Mixed Scallop Mini Triangle Banner

Twine Cording – Tiramisu

Spellbinders for Xyron:

Shapez dies in Frame 5 and Frame 3

Misc:

Ribbon

EK Success flower punch

Buttons

Bazzill kraft cardstock

Tissue paper

Echo Park – Reflections Fall papers

DCWV paper (on letters)

Tools:

Trimmer

Scissors

Craft Knife

Pinking Shears

It’s time for another faboo blog hop from Xyron, and this week they’re partnered up with Stencil Girl.

To be honest, I hadn’t really heard of Stencil Girl before a few weeks ago, but I have quite a few things that I’d like to add to my collection of scrappy stuff after visiting their site 🙂  Doesn’t take much for me, does it?  Any excuse to shop.  (Now I just need the cash for all that stuff, right?)

Today I have three projects to share with you.  I altered a camera bag, I made a layout, and I made a card.  (That last one includes a tutorial).  Now, I’m not a stencil expert or anything, but I do like them a lot.  Using stencils with your Xyron is the best!  With the repositionable adhesive, you can stencil on anything and you really get a great image.  Let’s get started!

Stencils can add so much interest to a project.  I used one main color on the shapes in the stencil, then added more color all over the background with the mists.  I just added a little bit of interest around the photos with some paper and embellishments because I wanted to keep the stencils mostly visible to really show them off.  Even with drying time, this came together pretty quickly.

Now, I have an altered canvas camera bag by Donna Downey!  This was a lot of fun, and I honestly think I’ll end up continuing to add things to it for a while 🙂  There’s a ribbon store I need to visit and this bag would look really pretty with some ribbon on it!

Keep in mind that this is the first time I’ve ever done anything like this (nothing like jumping right in there!), but I was going for a sort of ombre effect with it being darker at the top and lighter at the bottom.  I added some splatter with the black color because I liked the look of it (the bottles of spray stuff that I bought had directions for doing this).  Let me show you some of the things I used:

These are the kind of paints that I bought.  Very easy to use and available in a lot of colors at my local craft store.

I used a circle cut from chipboard as well as some chipboard rectangles for masking.  You have to mask around your stencils!  (More on that later).

The only thing I taped off on the actual bag was the tag.  I wanted it to stay its original color.

These are out of order, but I first taped off the parts of the stencil that I wasn’t going to use (I did a little experimenting and eyeballing to figure out what I did want to use) with painter’s tape.  After that was done, I ran the stencil through my Xyron 900 with the repositionable cartridge in.  Then it was just a matter of masking and painting (in the garage over some newspaper).  I did also wipe the top of the stencil down in between sprays with a paper towel to keep the paint from just pooling up on the top of the stencil.

Now, for the main tutorial event.  A birthday card!

I love the color on this card, and it is so much fun to be able to create a color palette with mists.  You can make anything you want!

Here’s how I did it:

I misted all over the front of the card, and this shows how.  I had already run my stencil through the Xyron 900, so it was covered in repositionable adhesive.  I just had to stick it on the card where I wanted the shapes to be, then use some cheapo cardstock to mask off the rest of the card to keep it from getting any overspray.  I even used a little painter’s tape to help keep it in place because the cardstock wants to warp when it gets wet.

 

There are a couple more photos, one with the card unmasked so you can see how I placed the stencil, and one with the mists and my mess 🙂

Ta-da!  That’s it with the stenciling all done and with some all-over mist and splatter done.  Now for the embellishing!

I then attached the flag shape to another piece of patterned paper and trimmed it.  I inked the edges just enough to add some definition, then I attached them to each other and to the card with some of my homemade foam adhesive tape. (You can see it in the first picture with the stickers).

I decided that this card needed some ribbon, so I attached a piece of box-pleated satin goodness with some of the Xyron High Tack Tape.  It makes it easy to get it right where you want it and in a straight line if you add the tape to the card first and then add the ribbon over it.

Now it’s button time!  I love buttons, and these cute guys from October Afternoon are some of my favorites.  I chose three that looked good with the colors on the card and stuck them on there with some Xyron Adhesive Dots.  After this step I also added a couple of staples with my new Teresa Collins stapler.  They’re just on the ribbon and it was a  fabulous time!  Love my new toy! 😀

Well, that’s it.  One more look…

I took my pictures outside today because the weather was so nice.  Thank goodness for the end of summer.  I have been done with the heat for about a month and the chill in the air makes me happy.

Well, I’ll be back soon with more projects, including some things that I’ve been working on around the house!  Thanks for stopping by!

Why is this post called that?  It’s the name of the paper stack I worked with to make these cards, silly 🙂  Usually I just put the company name in the title of the post, but I’m trying to not be sooooo boring today.

Anyway, it’s all about Die Cuts With a View on the blog today.  I was sent this stack by Xyron for an album that they’re sharing on the Facebook page this week and I decided to make a couple of cards with it.  I have a friend with a birthday this week, so it’ll be perfect to have something fancy made up for that, and the other would make a great anniversary or Valentine’s Day card.  Let’s get started!

This is the anniversary/Valentine’s Day card.  I really liked the brocade style papers in this stack.  The patterns are really pretty without being too overpowering in the background.

The shapes that I used for embellishments were all cut from papers in the stack and all that I had to add to the card was a little ribbon.  I used the Xyron Mega Runner and some 3/16″ Adhesive Dots on this one.  It’s fairly monochromatic, but I used foam adhesive and an edge distresser to add interest and I’m very happy with how it turned out.

This one is going to my friend. 🙂  The glittered papers in the stack are very pretty and add so much interest to a project!  I layered a doily with another brocade paper and then a circle cut from a glittered paper.  The green shape is from the stack, just cut from one of the embellishment sheets.  I did add some Kaisercraft paper flowers and Recollections leaves.  The sentiment is by Doodlebug.  A little more distressing and some distress ink and you have a finished project.

I used more foam adhesive on this one, along with some 3/8″ Xyron Adhesive Dots and the Xyron Mega Runner.

I hope you’ve had a great weekend!  By the time you read this, I’ll be busting out some homework.  Oh, the joys of being back in school. 🙂

 

Holy fabulousness today (and all week)!  Xyron, Graphic 45 and Petaloo teamed up to do this amazing blog hop with bunches of goodies to give away and I feel very lucky to be a part of it all.  I have a few things to share with you today.  Let’s get this party started!

This is my absolute favorite thing of the projects I made for the hop.  I picked up this little burlap canvas in the scrapbook section at Michael’s, and I did have the buttons and glimmer spray in my stash, but the rest is Graphic 45, Petaloo and Xyron (of course).

Let’s get a closer look at the pretty…

Mmmm!  So many fancy flowers!  Those are from the Darjeerling collection by Petaloo.  You can see them here and here.  The papers are from the Graphic 45 Typeography collection and Steampunk Spells collection.  The number stickers coordinate with Steampunk Spells as well.  The butterfly was a metal charm also by Graphic 45, and I ran some paper through my Xyron 5″ Creative Station and attached it to the shape so that it would match the colors on my paper better.  That key is from some of the Steampunk Spells die cuts and I thought it made a really cute body.  The papers are attached with my Xyron 5″ Creative Station also, and the embellishments are attached with a mixture of foam adhesive (make it with your Xyron!)  and adhesive dots.  Like I said, I really like this one and it’s a project that I can leave out all year.

This next one is for Halloween décor.  I had a lot of fun making it.  Who doesn’t love a shadowbox?

This is more Steampunk Spells fun.  The papers in the background are actually from an 8″ pad.  This helps with scale when you’re working in such a small space.  I added some more Petaloo for accents within the shadowbox and on the corner.  Throw in a few buttons and a little pumpkin from a pack I got one year at the craft store and it is all cuteness.  I used a lot of foam adhesive on this one, including some of the stuff from my Teresa Collins adhesive kit.  I also used my Teresa Collins sticker maker for some of the little bits in the boxes.  The flowers and buttons were attached with adhesive dots, and the paper strip was attached with the Xyron High Tack tape.  The tray is by 7 Gypsies.

Lastly, I have some altered containers.  These were originally full of delicious gelato.  I mean, how could I resist something so yummy in  a container that I can actually use rather than just throwing it away?

I was thinking that I would give these to my son’s teacher from last year.  I made her an altered jar for her birthday last year and she told me that she loves containers.  Well?  Here I go making more school-themed containers so she’ll get lucky again 🙂  This is from the Typeography collection again. I really liked the look of these papers.  They weren’t really theme-y, which I love because it means that I could use them on any number of projects.  I used the most school-themed embellishments that the paper had to establish this theme.

I added in a little Petaloo to help finish these off.  I also thought about embellishing the tops of the jars, but I decided that it would be better if they were stackable.

I used the Xyron Creatopia for the long strips of paper and the circles on the tops because it was the most efficient machine for the job.  The smaller paper embellishments and the ribbons were attached with the new 3″ Sticker Maker.  I fit a lot of that stuff in at once!  The flowers and buttons were attached with adhesive dots, and that’s twine from The Twinery tied through the button holes.

Now, be sure to check out Ain’t She Crafty for the projects you might have missed this week and for a chance to win some goodies!

Thank you so much for stopping by and have a wonderful weekend!

Hey peeps!  It has been just a little bit since my last post.  I start a new semester and go crazy trying to settle in and keep up.  I’m taking eleven credit hours this semester and five of those are a Calculus Two class.  It’s kicking me in the booty.

Anyway, a due date for a project combined with a need for a little something for the teacher I’m the room mom for equals a project to share 🙂  I swear, after this I’ll have more to share and more often.  I think I’m in a school groove.

Xyron asked us to share our favorite techniques on Facebook this week (and I’ll talk about one or two of them in this post), so that’s what this is all about.  I thought I’d do a step-by-step tutorial because hey, why not?  Maybe you have questions about little gift ideas like this.  Prepare to have them answered 🙂

Anyway, I started with one of my little templates for a larger sized pillow box.  These plastic ones are super handy because you can place them over a particular spot on patterned paper if you want to and they have all the lines marked for your score lines and everything.  I traced it all on the back side of my heavy cardstock paper and cut it out.

Next I laid my paper and template on the back side of an old mouse pad (that’s what I use to score on because of the soft surface).  I used a bone folder to make my score lines (don’t push too hard, you will tear the paper).  After I was done, I removed the template and went over the line segments to connect them all and then I did a soft fold with my hands.  The box looks like this when you’re done.

Now, I decided that I wanted a strip of paper that would go over the center of the box, so I cut a strip to twelve inches by three inches wide.  I used a ruler and pencil to mark where I would need to score to make sure that the lines would match up with the box lines.  (Tip:  For the lines at the bottom and top of the box, add a teeny bit more space when you score.  You don’t want to score right along the line of the fold, but just outside it so that they will line up still when you fold the box).  I did the scoring with a bone folder on the mouse pad, just like I did for the box.

Aaaaand it looks like that.  Sweet!  Now to close the box along the tab.  Super easy to do with a little help from the Xyron Mega Runner.  All you have to adhere is that tab along the straight edge, the sides of the box stay closed on their own.

Now to attach that fancy strip.  FAVORITE STUFF ALERT!!!  If you’ve ever tried to attach something to a curved surface, you know that it isn’t the most fun you can have…unless you have Xyron!  BLAMMO!  Yep, with the 2″ Runner (or the artist formerly known as the Cheetah), I stuck the heck outta this strip and it is on this pillow box to stay.  Woot!

 

And then I added a bow with some faboo May Arts ribbon.  Because I had to.  You know how that works.

And now it is time to make a big fat mess.  I’m an expert.

No, it isn’t a mess yet.  The Xyron part is clean as can be.  We’ll get to the mess in a second.  This is step one of my main embellishment on this bad boy.  I went online and found a cute little apple template on a blog here.  I printed it out in a custom size through Photoshop, then ran it through my Xyron 5″ machine so that I could attach it to some cardstock.  Why?  Well, I wanted to make a reusable template because I find myself wanting apple shapes all the time I this is easy to do.  Come on!  Check it out…

Attaching to chipboard makes it much easier to trace around with a pencil.

And that is exactly what I did. Then I cut my pieces out and erased any visible pencil marks.

Now it’s back through the Xyron 5″ and it’s time to make that mess.  Look out!

Oh snap!  Is that glitter?  Yep.  This is where the mess comes into play.  Actually, it isn’t too bad if you know what you’re doing. FAVORITE TIP ALERT!!  It’s even easier when you use a Xyron machine!  Hello?  No sticky spray adhesive mess?  No waiting for anything to dry?  Yes, please.  Work over a piece of scrap paper that you can use to easily put extra glitter back in the jars.  If I have any more glitter hanging around after that I just shake the paper hard into the garbage.  It’s okay.  I have a lot of glitter. (Another glitter tip: if you want a brighter look to your color, use a cardstock that matches your glitter color so that it shows through in any places where your glitter is thin or bratty).

Look at those sparkly pieces!  It’s going to be fabulous.  I decided that I wanted this apple to have a mat, so I attached it to some green cardstock with some foam adhesive.  FAVORITE TIP ALERT!!  Making my own foam adhesive with my Xyron machines and cheap fun foam is the best.  Now you know.  Again.  Because I say it all the time.

Once the apple was stuck to the paper I trimmed around it to make a mat.  I just did this freehand and it’s not a big deal at all.  I like the way it looks now, it will really stand out better on the project.

To attach this to the project I just used a little more foam adhesive.  It also hugs the curves of a project like this.

Now it needed a sentiment.  I decided to go easy on myself.

Those are some ready-made pieces that will come together so quickly to make a little tag.  I stuck the sentiment sticker on first.  Once that was done I trimmed the tag to the size I wanted.  A little black ink and it was done.

I attached this little guy with some of my new little Xyron dots!  Yay for dots!

Now that the outside is done, let’s make it cute on the inside, shall we?  I had the parents in the class chip in so that we could get her some gift certificates to her favorite restaurant.  These things are not cute.  I decided to take care of that.

A little tissue paper and a sticker that matches the paper and…

Voila!  I scrunched a little more paper in there with this before I closed it so that they wouldn’t move around.  The finished product looks like this!

Fun!  I hope she likes it.  I had fun making this and I hope you enjoyed my post.  Be sure to stop by Ain’t She Crafty for more Xyron projects, and stop by the Xyron Facebook page for inspiration and prizes!

The papers I used were from a pad I got at Hobby Lobby, ribbon is May Arts, glitter is Martha Stewart, sentiment sticker is American Crafts and all adhesives are Xyron!

This is a post that I have up on the gel-a-tins blog today.

It is Monday and we’re going to pretend like it’s Valentine’s Day in August.  Can we do that?  Sure.  I said so.  🙂  I have quite a few Valentine’s Day stamp sets and I like to use them so last week I decided to make a little set of mini cards with the Hearts a Flutter stamp set.  I like them a lot, even though they’re a little wild compared to what I normally make…

Get it?  Wild?  With the zebra?  I’m a dork.  😀  Anyway, I added some Canvas Corp. zebra print paper to the card bases with my Xyron 510, then inked around the edges with Distress ink in black.  The ribbons were added with my Xyron 150, and then I cut a slit along the spine of the card with my craft knife and tied twine by The Twinery around the front of the card.  The hearts were stamped in Stampin’ Up inks, cut out, then attached to the front of the cards with foam adhesive (made in my Xyron).  These came together pretty quick once I decided on the design, and they’ll be perfect to sneak into the boys’ lunch boxes this year on Valentine’s Day.

Have a great Monday!  Happy Stamping!

This is a post that I have up today over on the gel-a-tins blog.

This card is covered in buttons, but it definitely won’t break the bank or send you searching for something in just the right size or color.  Plus you don’t have to worry about shipping a super thick card through the post office and paying extra fees.  All you need is the Sewing Kit stamp set and inks to match your chosen papers.  I love this card!

I just chose to use one of the stamps because I wanted them to all line up like one the buttons on one of the papers in this Echo Park kit.  They actually looked a lot like this button, but way smaller.  I stamped these right onto my card base with Stampin’ Up inks and then layered on a couple of papers and some May Arts ribbon.  That pin is by Maya Road and the sticker and paper accent are from the paper kit.  The sentiment sticker is by American Crafts and I got a few different kinds at Target.  They’re pretty handy.

I loved the bright colors in these papers and combining them with my stamps and making a birthday card was a really fun way to use up some of my bitty scraps that I had left over from other projects that I’ve made with these papers.  Get some cards made this weekend with your gel-a-tins and scraps!