Put Some Fiber in Your Diet!

Or, "Put Some Calories in Your Crafting"???

Hello Dear Readers! I've got a question for you... Do you love food and paper crafting? Well if you do (and I know I do!), then have I got a sneak peak for you!

It's Paper Crafts Gourmet! That's right! It's a cook book and a craft book! Two of my favorite things in one place! Now, you can't even purchase this book yet... it is only available for preorder... But using all my powers of persuasion and at great personal risk to myself, I managed to obtain an exclusive PC Gourmet project -- complete with recipe, supply list and instructions! (OK, if you want the truth -- PC asked me if I wanted to participate in their Gourmet Blog Tour, I said "Yes!" and they emailed the project to me. I wasn't even in danger of getting a paper cut...)

So here's your Sneak Peak Project... Designed by PC Pro Alisa Bangerter and just in time for Halloween!

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Cheesy Garlic Drop Biscuits
Alisa Bangerter

This is a perfect recipe to pull out if you are short on time because there is no rolling or cutting. The cheese and garlic add extra kick to a plain biscuit, and kids love them. They are the perfect accompaniment to serve with soups or stews, and are great served with a salad.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 c. flour
• 2 tbsp. granulated sugar
• 4 tsp. baking powder
• 1 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 2/3 c. butter or margarine
• 1 1/2 c. grated cheddar cheese
• 1 1/4 c. milk
• Chives (optional)

DIRECTIONS

Mix together dry ingredients. Cut in butter with pastry cutter until mixture is fine. Add cheese and mix well. Add milk and stir until just moistened. Drop by spoonfuls onto greased baking sheet. Sprinkle top with chopped dried or fresh chives if desired. Bake at 400 degrees for approx. 15 minutes.


Enjoy Halloween Tag
Designer: Alisa Bangerter
Finished size: 3" x 4 1/2"

SUPPLIES:
Cardstock: (ivory)
Dye ink: (Black) Stewart Superior Corp.; (Summer Sun) Stampin' Up!
Specialty ink: (Mango Lemonade color wash) Stewart Superior Corp.
Color medium: (black chalk) Craf-T Products
Accents: (black brads) Making Memories; (chipboard bat, moon) Melissa Frances
Fibers: (black striped ribbon) Pebbles Inc.
Font: (Black Family) www.dafont.com
Adhesive: (foam tape)

1 Make tag from cardstock. 2 Crumple tag and smooth out. Spray edges with color wash; let dry. Apply chalk. 3 Ink chipboard moon; let dry. Chalk edges and adhere. 4 Ink chipboard bat; let dry. Adhere with foam tape. 5 Print sentiment on cardstock; trim and tear edges. Chalk edges and adhere with foam tape. Attach brads. Attach ribbon with brad.

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Not enough, you say? You want more??? Then check out this link for eight (Count 'em ... EIGHT!) more complete projects! And don't say I never got you anything...

Safari Animal Curtain Tie Backs

Here is one of the projects that I recently completed for little Baby Sgro's room. (And just in time, since he is due the end of November!) They are tie backs for the gingham curtains in his room. And they were sooo easy to create! Since DH and I chose a Safari theme for the room, I picked out these cute wooden animals to decorate my tie backs from my local craft supply store.

Here are the quick and easy instructions:
Simply cut your ribbon to the appropriate length. Fold back the ends one inch. Adhere folded piece using fusible bonding web.

Cut pieces of Velcro strips and adhere to the ribbon ends following the manufacturer's instructions. (I cut my pieces to fit behind the wooden animals.) Make sure that you adhere the Velcro so that the ribbon forms a loop once it is closed.

Adhere the wooden animals to the front of the ribbon.

That's it! All done. And my local craft store had so many cute wooden shapes, that you're sure to find some to coordinate with your little bambino's room also!



Supplies:

• Accents: Painted Layered Animal Shapes by Provo Craft
• Fibers: ribbon from Michaels Stores
• Adhesive: Perfect Glue 1 by Liquid Nails; Stitch Witchery fusible bonding web by Dritz
• Tools: iron
• Other: heat activated hook & loop fasteners by Velcro

My Three-In-One

I just got my copy of the October/November 2008 issue of Paper Trends magazine. And what to my wondering eyes should appear -- but my three Halloween Treat Boxes, plus four Sgro Holiday cards filled with good cheer!

That's right! This is the very first publication in which I have more than one project -- and I have THREE in this one! My loyal readers will recognize two of the projects. The first is my trio of Halloween Treat Boxes. They made their original debut on my blog last Halloween.



The second is my trio of Paint Chip Tree Cards. I was surprised by how popular these simple cards turned out to be when they first appeared on my blog last November. Hmmm... I believe that was about the same time that I started lurking in the paint aisle of my local home improvement stores. Coincidence? I think not!



My final project is new to my blog. The editors of Paper Trends contacted me back in June and asked me if I would like to be a part of their "1 Sketch, 4 Styles" feature. (Would I!!!) I call the resulting design my "Holly and Snowflakes" card. This is a very easy card to recreate, as I used a premade card base and just added some embellishments. (Full details in the Oct/Nov 08 issue of Paper Trends.)


Happy (Early) Holidays, Everyone!

Paper Crafts Magazine Has Been Tagged!

That's right! The third volume of Paper Crafts magazine's Holiday Cards & More is now out on the newsstands. And featured in their "Wrapped with Love" section are my Holiday Photo Gift Tags! Once you have the photo, these tags are über quick & easy to make. And they're great to use with your toddlers, as they don't have to know how to read to identify the recipient of the gift!

I love this edition of Holiday Cards! And no... it is NOT because I have a project published in it! The whole magazine is chock-full of great ideas for holiday cards, decor, gift wrapping, not to mention the gifts themselves. So many gorgeous and creative projects, that it puts my simple little tags to shame! It almost makes me want to get a record early start on my Christmas projects!

(I did say almost...)

Holiday Gift Card Tags (Part 3)

As promised in an earlier post, here is the complete tutorial on how to create two additional Holiday Gift Card Tags -- one for a Birthday and another for Easter. Enjoy!

Birthday Present

Supplies:

• Cardstock: blue from Celebrate series from American Traditional Designs
• Patterned Paper: pastel dots from Baby scrapbook kit by DCWV
• Fibers: green ribbon from Scrapbooking line from Target Stores
• Color Medium: Gel Xtreme - White gel pen by Y&C
• Tools: Serrated Tracing Wheel by Dritz; 5/8" circle punch by Uchida
• Font: Contemporary Brush Bold
• Other: pattern

Easter Egg

Supplies:

• Cardstock: green from Celebrate series from American Traditional Designs
• Patterned Paper: Easter Ribbons by Reminisce
• Fibers: yellow ribbon from American Crafts
  
• Color Medium: Gel Xtreme - White gel pen by Y&C
• Tools: Serrated Tracing Wheel by Dritz; 5/8" circle punch by Uchida; Paper Edgers Pinking decorative edge scissors by Fiskars
• Font: Blackjack from Font Bros
• Other: pattern; crepe paper
  

Instructions
Insert:

1. Cut 2.5" x 9" piece of patterned paper. Score & fold 3.75" from top and 1.5" from bottom. Adhere bottom flap up at sides to create a pocket.
2. Adhere ribbon at top of insert to form a loop and insert gift card into pocket.
   Note: For Present, extend ribbon down the middle of the front of the insert.
   

Holder:

1. Cut 3" x 8" piece of solid cardstock. Print name on front of CS. Cut out shape following pattern.
2. Faux stitch the sides using serrated tracing wheel and white gel pen.
3. Score and fold CS in half to form a 3" x 4" card, fold at the bottom. Adhere sides together to form a pouch.
4. Punch half circle at top of pouch.
   For Present, knot ribbon and attach at top of cut-out.
   For Egg, trim strip of crepe paper using decorative edge scissors; adhere to bottom of holder, making small pleats in the process.
   
5. Slide gift card insert into pouch.

Hint: Vary the paper colors, patterns and ribbon to create Present tags for other occasions, such as Christmas, Baby or Bridal Showers.

Finished Size 3" x 4" (exclusive of trim).
Additional photos in my online Portfolio.

Holiday Gift Card Tags (Part 2)

As promised in my previous post, here is the complete tutorial on how to create your very own Holiday Gift Card Tags for Valentine's Day and Christmas. Enjoy!

Valentine Heart

Supplies:

• Cardstock: pink from Celebrate series from American Traditional Designs
• Patterned Paper: from Foof-a-La Paper Pad by Autumn Leaves
• Accents: Fall#1 paper flower from Got Flowers? line by Prima; mini snaps by Making Memories
• Fibers: Dashes, Dots & Checks pink & brown ribbon from Michaels Stores
  
• Color Medium: Gel Xtreme - White gel pen by Y&C
• Tools: Serrated Tracing Wheel by Dritz; 5/8" circle punch by Uchida
• Font: Little Lord Fontleroy from dafont.com
• Other: pattern

Holly Leaves

Supplies:

• Cardstock: Celery from Savory Simple Sets Collection by sei
• Patterned Paper: Joyful All Mine by KI Memories
• Accents: Fall#1 paper flower from Got Flowers? line by Prima; red buttons from Winnie's Walls Collection by sei
• Fibers: red ribbon from Scrapbooking line from Target Stores
  
• Color Medium: Gel Xtreme - White gel pen by Y&C
• Tools: Serrated Tracing Wheel by Dritz; 5/8" circle punch by Uchida
• Font: Fontdinerdotcom Loungy from fontdiner.com
• Other: pattern

Instructions
Insert:

1. Cut 2.5" x 9" piece of patterned paper. Score & fold 3.75" from top and 1.5" from bottom. Adhere bottom flap up at sides to create a pocket.
2. Adhere ribbon at top of insert to form a loop and insert gift card into pocket.

Tip #1: When folding the patterned paper to form insert, hold the paper so that the patterned side is facing down and the pattern is upside down (if applicable)

Holder:

1. Cut 3" x 8" piece of solid cardstock. Print name on front of CS. Cut out shape following pattern.
2. Faux stitch the sides using serrated tracing wheel and white gel pen.
3. Score and fold CS in half to form a 3" x 4" card, fold at the bottom. Adhere sides together to form a pouch.
4. Punch half circle at top of pouch. For Heart, attach snap to flower and adhere to pouch. For Holly, attach buttons.
   
5. Slide gift card insert into pouch.

Tip #2: I used Therm O Web's 1/8" SuperTape (the red-lined stuff!) to adhere the sides of my inserts and holders. Its narrow width and straight edge made it the perfect choice for this project!

Finished Size 3" x 4" (exclusive of trim).
Additional photos in my online Portfolio.

Stay tuned for my Birthday Present and Easter Egg Gift Card Tags!

Holiday Gift Card Tags Go LIVE!!!

Here they are! My Holiday Gift Cards Tags as seen in Paper Crafts magazine's latest special issue, "Cards, Gifts, & More: Paper Crafting 3 Ways." The issue just hit the newsstands this month. The photos of my Tree, Onesie, and Chick tag trio appear on page 19, while the patterns are on page 89.

I designed these tags to adorn a present or Easter basket, but they can also be used as the gift itself. The outer layer is actually a pocket which holds a patterned insert. Once removed, the insert opens to reveal a gift card. Or you could replace the gift card with a wallet-sized photo.

In addition to the three designs shown here, I also created other versions -- a Birthday Present and an Easter egg -- which may be featured on Paper Crafts' website in the near future. If they do, I'll be sure to post the link here. Meanwhile, check back soon for additional tutorials and patterns to create your own Holly Leaves and Valentine Heart versions of my Gift Card Tags!



Finished Size 3" x 4" (exclusive of trim).
Additional photos in my online Portfolio.

Proud Mama!

No! Little Baby Sgro did NOT make an early appearance... But another of my creations did make a few cameo appearances on a local Salt Lake City morning television program called Studio 5! My loyal readers will know that I am talking about those cute Cupcake Birthday Cards that I created for the card swap hosted by Paper Crafts magazine's Susan Neal. The segment aired today on Utah's channel 5 at 11am, and described the entire process of an online card swap. Check out the video below, or for more details on online card swaps, follow this link to Studio 5's website...

"Look there he is... front and center... isn't he sooo cute!
Stand up straight for the camera! That's My Darling Cupcake!"

My Darling Cupcake

Besides being a super sweet nickname, it is also a project that I created for a swap hosted by Paper Crafts Pro Susan Neal. The theme for this swap was Summertime Fun! Susan was looking for bright, cheerful, summery cards for either Birthdays or Thank You's. One really cool aspect of this swap is that it is going to featured on a local Salt Lake City morning TV program! The program is called Studio 5, and this particular episode focuses on the entire process of an online swap and will air on July 22nd at 11am MST.

I chose the Birthday theme for my project, and modified a cupcake-shaped card that I had created last year for my friend's son's third birthday. The cupcake "top" flips up to reveal a pocket which holds a die-cut sentiment card. It is also the perfect size to hold a gift card.

I first designed the entire project in Photoshop - including the shading for my cupcake holder, top and candle. Next I printed the individual pieces out on colored cardstock and cut them all out. I added metal snaps for my "sprinkles" and attached the top to my cupcake base. I then created a pocket in my base by adhering just the sides. I attached Velcro to keep the flap closed. Finally I created a candle using similar techniques as the one that I designed for my "Piece of Cake" card and adhered it to my cupcake top.

For the sentiment, I designed a gift card sized insert to fit inside the pocket. I chose a simple "HAPPY BIRTHDAY" saying in a fun, chunky font and used bright colors which echoed the colors I chose for my cupcake "sprinkles." To make it more interesting, I die cut the top of the card around the text.

Speaking of die cutters, I would not have taken on this project for this swap if I did not have access to a die cutting machine. (I had to create 12 of these cupcakes!) I am super lucky to have a Graphtec Craft ROBO - a gift from my DH. Gotta love my hubby! (Well, I have to -- the rest of you can love him from afar!) I like the Craft ROBO because it allows me to cut my own designs instead of using only the manufacturer's. This was actually the first time I used this handy little machine, and I have to say I have mixed reviews. When it worked - I loved it! There was no way I was going to be able to cut out all those cupcake patterns by hand as accurately (and without blisters!). Not to mention the inserts! However, it was rather frustrating getting the machine to read my registration marks -- sometimes it worked, and often it didn't -- and I still haven't figured out why. But anyway, with its help I got my entire project done on time. YAY! That's what I call a sweet ending!

Supplies:

• Cardstock: Assorted colors from DCWV; white from Hammerhill
• Accents: snaps by Making Memories; Velcro fasteners
• Transparency Sheet: 3M
• Ink: Sharpie metallic permanent marker by Sanford
• Tools: Crop-A-Dile from We R Memory Keepers; Craft Robo die cutter by Graphtec
• Fonts: Beatnik by LetteringDelights.com
• Software: Photoshop & Illustrator from Adobe; template - original

Finished Size approx. 4" x 5.5"
Additional photos in my online portfolio at sgro.smugmug.com.

MY BIGGEST PROJECT EVER!

Hi everyone!

I know I have been a very, VERY, VERY bad blogger lately. But I have a good reason! My latest, and most important project ever has been taking up all of my energy. But I am now ready to show you a sneak peak...


That's right! I'm PREGNANT! Little Baby Sgro is due in late November. It'll be DH's and my first child. We're so excited! As I just entered my second trimester, I thought it was safe to tell the world! So far, everything has been going very well. Although Junior has been demanding oodles of my energy! And unfortunately, I've been napping more than I've been crafting. Sad, but true...

I will continue posting my paper crafts projects as Junior allows. And I predict more baby projects in the future...

~ Angela

"PEAS IN A POD" (Part 5)

Prizes and Favors, Oh My!


These are the pails that used as my prizes for my best friend Julie's baby shower. I created over 30 of these little pails -- I wanted to have enough for one for each of my guests, just in case. And it was a good thing that I did, as I only had a couple left by the end of the shower! (I gave away a lot of prizes during Baby Gift Bingo...)

Luckily they were super-easy to create. I purchased the pails from Target's wedding favor section (on clearance - Yay!). I printed out my sentiments on yellow cardstock and used two different size punches to create my circles. Then it was simply a matter of punching a hole through each tin with my handy-dandy Crop-A-Dile (so easy -- just watch out for flying metal pieces!) and attaching my circles with a piece of ribbon.

I filled each pail with a combination of kiwi and green apple jelly beans or light and dark green M&M's, to give my guests a choice of candies. I also used food-safe plastic bags to hold my candy, as I could not be sure that the pails themselves were food-grade quality.


These were the "Two Peas in a Pod" favors that I gave to each of my guests. Sorry for the glare -- I probably should have taken at least one of them out of its bag... The "peas" are actually Lindt truffles wrapped in green foil. I created the "pea pods" using light and dark green crepe paper and green twist-ties. I got this wonderful idea from Amy's "good to be girl" blog. Thanks Amy!

For my bag toppers, I used the same graphics and fonts that I used on my game cards. For added interest, I had the "stem" of my "pea pod" extend beyond the fold. I simply trimmed that small section with my craft knife before scoring and folding my cardstock. I then inserted my "pea pod" into a candy bag, stapled my bag topper (back only) to the bag, and used some adhesive to hold down the front of the bag topper to the bag. I did this to avoid seeing the staples on the front.

"PEAS IN A POD" (Part 4)

Games, Games and More Games!


Here are the game cards that I designed for my best friend Julie's baby shower. I planned a few activities for the event. The first one was a jelly bean count. I filled two inexpensive baby bottles with jelly beans and allowed my guests to fill out their entries throughout the shower. I then gave away the bottles of jelly beans as the prizes. For the cards themselves, I again used the same graphic that I used for my shower invitations, however I decided to make it more three-dimensional with some shading that I added in Photoshop.


I got the idea for my second game from Scrapbook Trends Magazine's Babies publication. In this game, I instructed my guests to rank 10 activities based on how they thought the mom-to-be would rank them. I then gave a prize to the person with the most matches. For consistency, I used the same graphics and fonts on all three of my games cards.


My final activity was Baby Gift Bingo. Each guest received a game card and a pen. Then, as Julie opened each gift, the guests crossed off squares if the gift matched. In order to win, a guest would have to mark off five squares across, down or diagonal. (Tip: If you plan on hosting a similar game at your shower, have plenty of small prizes as I had many winners with this activity!)

"PEAS IN A POD" (Part 3)

Young Girl's Invitation and Charm Holder


Here is the invitation that I sent out to the younger guests of my best friend Julie's baby shower. I used the same design that I had created for my "Charmed Birthday" invitations, as seen in the December/January 2008 issue of Paper Trends magazine. I just modified the colors, fonts and choice of patterned paper to coordinate with the adult invitations for the shower. Each of the invites includes one child-sized charm bracelet with a "It's a Girl" heart charm and a bejeweled initial charm, matching the first letter of the girl's first name.

Instead of creating individual charm holders to use as prizes (as I did with my "Charmed Birthday" set), I decided to give each of the girls all of their charms at once, so that they could create their bracelet as a craft activity. To that end, I decided to design one large charm holder for each set of charms. I based the size of the my holder on the card that came with the original packaging. I designed the holder to coordinate with my invitation, and used the packaged card as my template to punch small holes for the charms. Then I simply reused the wires that held the charms to their original packaging to attach them to my holder. I also repurposed the acetate envelope to protect my charms.

Invitation Finished Size 4" x 4.25".
Charm Holder Finished Size 2.75" x 4.25".

"PEAS IN A POD" (Part 2)

Two Thank You Cards...


This is the Thank You note card that I designed to coordinate with my "Peas in a Pod" baby shower invitations (see earlier post). I used the same pea pod graphic that I had designed for the invitation. I created a few different variations before settling on my final choice... (1) Adding small buttons (too much bulk); (2) Adding paper buttons on foam tape; (3) Printing the entire pea pod (including buttons) separately on white CS, cutting it out, and attaching it with foam tape; and (4) simply printing the entire graphic directly on to my yellow CS. My runner up choice was #3 - printing the pea pod separately - because it gave me my truest colors. However, after an informal poll (my DH), I decided that all the added embellishments were too much for such a small, simple note card. So I went with #4 - printing directly on the CS. Which also happened to be the easiest and quickest choice - Yay!

The cardstock that I chose was originally an A6 Folded Card. I sized my note card to fit two-up so that I could get two per card. The cardstock was also yellow on the outside and white on the inside. I decided to take advantage of this fact by trimming the front cover of my note card with decorative edge scissors and allowing the white interior to show through. I added the polka dots and along with my sentiment and Voilà! completed Thank You card!


This is the Thank You card that I designed for the woman I hired to bake the mini cupcakes that I served at the baby shower. I used the same A6 Folded Cardstock as above to create this card, however this time I held the fold at the top of the card. I also trimmed the bottom of the cover in an arc. I used a photo of the cupcakes that I had taken at the shower and mounted it to the front of the card with foam tape.

For the inside of the card, I decided that I wanted to create a pocket in which to hold my payment check. I simply folded my CS up and adhered it on the sides to form a pocket. Then, to add contrast with the front of my card, I adhered some green gingham patterned paper to the pocket. This was a simple design that could also work to hold a gift card.

Finished size of both cards approx. 4.5" x 3".

Happy Easter Everyone!

Just a quick post to share with you an easy Easter Basket that I made with the kids at my family's Easter gathering. There are many variations of this basket on the web. My version uses just one sheet of 8.5" x 11" cardstock or construction paper, a small hole punch, and two brads. Once completed, I let the kids embellish them as they wished with silk flowers, stickers, die-cut letters, etc. In the sample above, I used silk pansies which I separated from the wire stem, and removed all the remaining plastic except for the flower's "stamens." I then attached them to the basket with the same brads that hold the basket together. Enjoy!

1. Starting with a letter-sized piece of cardstock, cut off a 1.75" x 11" strip. Trim this strip to 1.25" x 11" and punch holes where indicated. Put strip aside to use as your basket handle.
2. Trim the remaining piece to a 6.75" square. Score 2.25" from each side. Cut where indicated on solid lines and fold on dashed lines.
3. Punch holes where indicated. Fold the sides up until the holes align. Insert a brad through the holes in the basket and the handle.
   
4. Embellish as desired.

Click for full size pattern.

Finished size approx. 5" x 2.5" x 6".

"PEAS IN A POD" (Part 1)

First and foremost, Congrats to Julie and Ken on the birth of their two bea-U-ti-ful baby girls earlier this month! Yay!


As promised, here is the first look at the projects that I created for my best friend Julie's baby shower. The complete party ensemble included invitations for the adults, invitations for the younger girls, charm holders (also for the younger guests), thank-you note cards, favors with hand-cut bag toppers, three different game cards, and decorated prize pails. I also designed a thank you card (which could also double as a gift card holder) for the woman who baked the mini cupcakes that I served instead of cake.


When I began planning for this shower, I knew the proud parents-to-be were going to have twin girls. So I began my search for a theme at that source of all knowledge... the Internet. I wanted to go with a twins theme, and after much (much, MUCH!) research, I finally narrowed it down to "Noah's Ark" or "Peas in a Pod." I really liked the "Noah's Ark" idea... (you know... "Two by Two") and I thought I could easily find decorations and prizes (animal-shaped balloons, beanie babies, etc...). But then I thought about creating 30+ ark-shaped invites... and my DH (Dear Hubby) pointed out that the "Two by Two" is the mom and dad, not the babies... So I did a mock-up design of a "Two Peas in a Pod" invitation, decided it was uber-cute, and went with my new theme.

The inspiration for the cover of my invite came from a "Two Peas" baby photo album that I came across online. It used buttons as the "peas" and I loved that idea for its added dimension. So I designed my own peapod in which to nestle my little shell buttons. My original design was entirely monochromatic in green and white. It wasn't until after I completed all the invitations and started working on the coordinating items that I introduced yellow as an accent color.

For the invite itself, I knew I had a lot of information that I wanted to include - the event data, directions to the location with a map, and registry info. So I took a cue from formal wedding invitations and decided to split the information up onto separate cards. For visual interest, I chose to stagger the heights of the cards, and based the size of the cards on the amount of information each needed to contain. The directions card is actually the longest card -- it unfolds to reveal a map and text. Finally, I created a pocket in which I could tuck my cards.

Assembly was actually rather simple. I designed the outer card so that I could get two cards from a single 12" square piece of cardstock. Once printed, I simply folded it up once to create a pocket and then in half to form my card. Creating the inner cards was simply a matter of printing, trimming, folding and collating. As you can imagine, the cover was the most time-consuming. I printed multiple designs on white cardstock, trimmed them to size, cut a slot for my "peas" using a craft knife, attached my buttons using glue dots, and finally adhered it to my cardstock with foam tape.

Finished Size 6" x 4.5" (closed).
Check back soon for additional "Peas in a Pod" projects...