October Angels

Technique: Crochet

Hi and welcome, I am so glad you found me!

Every week I crochet an angel and send it off to someone who is need of hope through an organization called Angels for Hope. This is fantastic way to let people know that no matter what they are dealing with, that they are not alone. Each week I blog about it in the hopes that someone who wanders this way will read it and spread the word.

October brings with it clear blue skies and rather than the dark, heavy clouds of winter that promise rain, it brings white fluffy clouds that lazily float across the vast expanse of blue.  This was the inspiration for my angels this month.

If you like to crochet and would like to register for Angels for Hope you can do so here. Also, if you know someone who is need of an Angel, you can put in your request there.

Musical Bauble

Technique:  Papercraft

Materials:
sheet music
glass ornament
scissors or paper trimmer

A classical and elegant ornament that is super duper easy to make.  Simply cut music sheets into half inch strips and curl slightly with your finger.  Don't use scissors or anything or it will curl too much, you just want a slight curve so it hugs the curve of the glass.  Insert each strip into the ornament and jiggle it about a bit until there are no more gaps in the glass.  That's all there is too it :o)

Six Inch Crochet Blanket Sampler - Popcorn Flower

Technique: Crochet

Materials:
8 ply yarn in 3 colours

Tools:
4mm crochet hook

Finished Size:
6 inches

This is another of the blocks from Jan Eaton's book, I'm on a hectic schedule this week so I was thrilled when this block came together correctly the first time, no adjustments necessary!

Shabby Chic Teddy Bea Dressing Table Box

Technique:  Papercraft

Images:
TeddyBea_90 "Dressing Up" from Teddy Bo

Papers:
Kraft card
Flower Blooms by Pink Paislee

Pens, Pencils, Inks:
Prismacolor pencils

Other:
Matchbox die cutter
white gesso
Tim Holtz Hitch Fasteners
flowers by Kaisercraft
pink chalk
Rock Candy Stickles

The Teddy Bo Top Tip and "homework" assignment at Teddy Bo this week is to make a Shabby Chic creation.  Shabby Chic certainly isn't my natural style so it was a learning experience for me.  I have to say I think I was helped tremendously by the choice of designer paper, which to me sums up Shabby Chic.  Soft colours, vintage roses, cracked paint, I kind of feel like I cheated a bit and let the paper do all the heavy lifting!

I chose the image of Teddy Bea dressing up as I felt it suited the soft, vintage style that is encapsulated by Shabby Chic and coloured her with Prismacolors.  As this style first originated with renovating old furniture, I wanted to make a "piece of furniture" rather than a card, and made a dressing table box (my daughters are often remarking they have no storage for their trinkets and tid bits).

The base and lid of the box are made from thick chip board, covered with kraft card.  The match boxes are cut from kraft and lined with the designer paper.  Our Teddy Bo teacher used white spray paint to shabby her paper with, but I chose white gesso and swiped everything in my path with gesso to give a weathered look, and when dry sanded back to distress.

I stamped a Kaisercraft sentiment "Treasure these moments" on the base and sanded it back to age and distress it.  The catcher for the top portion of the card is a strip of lace hand dyed olive green.

I'm still quite nervous about lots of layers, and my natural tendency is the "less is more" philosphy so I added as much embellishment to the top as I was comfortable with!  The prima flowers I used have a lovely vintage feel, Bea's boa has sparkly fluff to simulate feathers, and her shoes have silver gel pen.  The little drawers have hitch fasteners by Tim Holtz, which add a nice vintage feel.

If you haven't participated in the Teddy Bo Top Tip Tuesday, it's a lot of fun and if you use a Teddy Bo image they will kindly send you a free graphic as a thank you for joining.  

I am also entering this at:

Simon Says Stamp Challenge:  Sparkle and Bling

Merry Christmouse Gift Card

Technique: Paper Tole

Images:
Merry Christmouse Card Kit

Other:
foam adhesive dots

I stumbled across Aimee Asher's site a few days ago while researching my October DT assignment for Christmas Crafting, and fell in love with her cute little Card Buddy's, a series of digital paper tole cards that can be printed and put together very quickly. 

These are meant to be printed on a full size sheet of paper, but the first one I printed accidentally came out half size, so I rolled with it and made this wee little gift tag.

He took no time at all to cut out and the foam dots made quick work of assembling it together. I don't know that I am quite crazy enough to do one for every gift I will give this year though!  I

f you enjoy this style of card making, her site is well worth the visit.  There are dozens of drop dead cute kits to choose from and each kit comes with 6 - 8 printable sheets, including a card liner and a co-ordinating envelope.  At almost half the price of one digi stamp, that is excellent value.

Santa's Other Matchbox Suit!

Technique:  Papercrafting

Papers:
Crimson Weave by American Crafts
black card
white card

Other:
scrap of black ribbon
silver buckle
sparkly fluff
double sided adhesive
matchbox or matchbox die

Do you ever make something and then a day or two later you see it as a theme on a challenge blog and go Doh!? I just made that! On the 29th I posted my Santa's Matchbox Suit:-

and the very next day the Christmas Stamping challenge blog listed it's challenge which was to make a holiday card or package with no stamps at all! Well I can't back link and I didn't think I could explain it away with some fuzzy date/time line logic, so the only option left was to make another one, a different one, a better one!

So here is Santa's Second suit, actually looking at the two together the one with rhinestones looks like it belongs to Mrs Claus, doesn't it?

For this entry I have used a strip of white card that has sparkly fluff applied to represent the middle cuff on Santa's coat. I've used the same buckle but a different style of ribbon for the belt.

Just so there is no confusion, the one on the left is the one made specifically for this challenge, the one on the right is the one I made the day before the challenge was listed and is not being entered - I just thought it would be cute to have a side by side shot to compare the two. 

Also going to pop a link over at Make it Monday #57.  If you haven't checked their blog out yet it's pretty fabulous.  It's always anything goes, and rather than a traditional challenge it's a link party where you are encouraged to visit and comment on other blogs.  Being anything goes, there are a vast and wonderful array of all types of projects each week.  AND the winner last week was Avril who left a comment on my entry!  Thank you Avril and congratulations :o)

October Angels

Technique: Crochet

Hi and welcome, I am so glad you found me!

Every week I crochet an angel and send it off to someone who is need of hope through an organization called Angels for Hope. This is fantastic way to let people know that no matter what they are dealing with, that they are not alone. Each week I blog about it in the hopes that someone who wanders this way will read it and spread the word.

October brings with it clear blue skies and rather than the dark, heavy clouds of winter that promise rain, it brings white fluffy clouds that lazily float across the vast expanse of blue.  This was the inspiration for my angels this month.

If you like to crochet and would like to register for Angels for Hope you can do so here. Also, if you know someone who is need of an Angel, you can put in your request there.

Christmas Crafting Holiday Planner

Papers:
Winter Wings by Webster's Pages

Inks:
Bundled Sage distress ink

Other:
Tags and Name Plates die by Tim Holtz
Nestabilities circles die
Jo Sonja Acrylic Paints: Celadon, Rose Pink, Titanium White
brads

It's time for the fourth challenge at Christmas Crafting, the theme of "Little Robin Red Breast" was chosen by Debbie on the DT, and she totally rocked this one, her card is just amazing!

It's less than 85 days to Christmas and it's never too early to start planning for the holidays!  I found this fantastic little organizer and several tutorials at the Christmas Planner website.  Over at the Organized Christmas website are Christmas planner pages, and pocket planner forms that you can print out, I have used the Christmas Cards list and the Gift List in my project.

I used Webster's Pages paper for my project, I love the vintage/kitch/shabby chic fusion, and the Winter Wings paper fit in perfectly with the theme of "Little Robin Red Breast".  The name plate on the front and on the receipts folder is from the Tags and Nameplate die.  I have painted them in a dusty pink and a celadon green, and then dry brushed over the top with white for a frosty look.

 

The receipts pocket is a sheet of brown card card adhered to a kraft paper bag, with a  circle cut out at the top.  I have deliberately used paperclips throughout, so that year after year the lists can be reprinted and the organizer can be re-used.  I used to work in retail so I am pretty fussy about keeping hold of receipts for returns and warranties so having a special spot for those was an important feature for me.  The great thing about this organizer is you can customize it, putting in what is important for you.

I hope this project has inspired you to create your own Christmas Planner! Be sure to visit the other DTs blogs and check out their fabulous creations this month.

If you would like to play along, but have dug through your stash and haven't found any robins:

here is an adorable digi stamp of a robin in a Santa hat by Just Some Lines, and
here is a cute little digi of a robin singing by Broken Box Stock,

or if you prefer vintage style

here is a gorgeous winter red robin vintage postcard
here are three vintage christmas images of robins

all are free to download, so I do hope you play along with us!

Six Inch Crochet Blanket Sampler - Dahlia

Technique: Crochet

Materials:
8 ply yarn in 3 colours

Tools:
4mm crochet hook

Finished Size:
6 inches

This is another of the blocks from Jan Eaton's book, I quite like this one, was quick and easy to put together.  

It's funny when I started the year blogging I did so with a new years resolution to daily creativity and I used the blog simply as a record of that.  I had no followers, I just used the blog as a daily journal.  Now that I have followers I feel a little embarrased some days, most of you probably don't care in the least that I made a crochet block for a blankie!  

Santa's Matchbox Suit

Technique:  Papercrafting

Papers:
Crimson Weave by American Crafts
black card

Other:
scrap of black ribbon
silver buckle
rhinestone brads
double sided adhesive
matchbox or matchbox die

A cute little treat box that can be whipped up in no time at all.  I recently purchased the Quickutz Matchbox Die because I was using so many matchboxes that I felt it was actually more environmentally friendly to cut my own out of card scraps and recycled boxes, than the buy the matchboxes when I don't really need the matches just the boxes.

So my box above was cut from red and black card using the die, but you could just as easily cover a matchbox with coloured card.  The buckle is the type used on wedding favours threaded through a little scrap of ribbon, and a few rhinestone brads popped in for buttons.  You could whip up a dozen or more in an hour I reckon.

Do you ever have too many ideas going around in your head?  So much so that you actually end up spending all your time thinking and none of your time creating?  I am hoping that this clean, quick little project is like a mini detox for my brain LOL

Teddy Boo! Halloween Card

Technique:  Papercraft

Stamps:
Teddy Boo stamp from Teddy Bo

Papers:
Spook kit by Karla Dudley (available at Design House Digital)
black card
kraft card

Pens, Pencils, Inks etc:
Prismacolour pencils
Black Soot Distress Ink

Other:
corner scroll punch by Fiskars
Halloween die by Sizzix
adhesives
Odorless Mineral Spirits

This is my second attempt at colouring with Primsacolor pencils, I wanted to play with colouring on Kraft card.  A lot of the tutorials I read said that you didn't need to use OMS when working on Kraft, but I chose too use it on my base layer, and then bring in a layer over the top.  I was pretty happy with the way the white looked, and happy enough overall with the Prismacolors to get some more tomorrow :o)

One of the issues that had been frustrating me was smearing.  My digis are printed on a laser printer, and the OMS was causing the black print to smear when you rubbed the paper stump over the black lines.  I bought a spray fixative, which worked perfectly on the kraft card so here's hoping it works on plain white card!

I'm not scared, I'm not scared, I'm not scared
ok... maybe just a little...

The sketch is from Willow Sketchie Challenge, who are offering a fabulous prize for entering!

Entering this card into the following challenges:

Willow Sketchie Challenge Blog:  Sketch
Teddy Bo:  Things with Wings (bats)
Creative Card Crew:  Easel Card 
Cupcake Craft Challenge: Main image to be a teddy bear 
The Kraft Journal:  Ghosts, Goblins or Witches 
Mygrafico Challenge Blog:  Halloween