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...

They're Creepy and They're Kooky...

Well, perhaps I should say "They're CUTESY and they're kooky..."

They're my Halloween Paint Chip Cards that I designed for my World Card Making Day Challenge!

I designed two cards for my Challenge. The first is a quick and easy, simple card in the shape of that enduring Halloween treat... Candy Corn! This was a very easy pattern to create. I based the size on the usable (non-printed) portion of my Behr paint chip. The fold of the card is along the long edge of the left side of the candy. Just for fun, I decided to decorate my card with a goofy face. I know, I know... technically candy corn has a yellow base, orange center, and white tip. Oh well. I think it still looks like candy corn!

The second card that I designed is definitely a bit more complex. And perhaps just a teensy bit creepy. It's my Frankenstein's Monster Paint Chip Card! I really like how this one turned out. I again used a Behr paint chip -- I like its larger size -- and just trimmed off the manufacturer's text along the left side. The base of the card is a 12" piece of orange cardstock trimmed the width of my paint chip. Part of the fun aspect of this design is that it is a gatefold card that opens at Frankie's mouth!

Another fun aspect of this card was in the design of the monster's face. I kept moving different shapes around to find the appropriate expression. At one point, Frankie was lookin' kinda Veggie Tales. Later it was more Sesame Streetesque. You know, like the taller, yellower half of that popular duo, Bert and Ernie. Must be the unibrow...

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In honor of World Card Making Day, here is the complete tutorial for my Candy Corn Paint Chip Card!

Supplies:

• Cardstock: black by DMD; green, white
• Accents: Leaf Self-Adhesive Felt Decorations from Scrapbooking line from Target Stores
• Tools: 1-3/8" and 1" circle punch from EK Success; 5/8" circle punch from Marvy Uchida; hole puncher; Xyron sticker maker
  
• Other: paint chip by Behr; patterns (right-click to download)
  

Instructions:

1. Cut black cardstock and paint chip following patterns. Fold cardstock in half along dashed line. Adhere paint chip to front of card.
2. Punch one 1-3/8" circle from black CS. Cut in half to form "mouth." Punch two 1" circles from white CS. Punch two 5/8" circles from green CS. Punch two small circles from black CS using hole puncher.
3. Adhere circles to paint chip to form eyes.
4. Freeform cut out "tooth." Adhere to mouth. Adhere mouth to paint chip.
5. Adhere felt leaf to top of card for "hair."

Tip: To cut patterns from black CS, print pattern on white paper. Adhere to black CS using removable tape. Cut along lines and remove white paper.

Finished Size approx 3.75" x 4.5"
Enjoy, and Happy World Card Making Day!

Flower Thank U Card

Here is the Thank You card that I designed for Carolyn King's "Heart to Heart" Blog Candy Contest. (See previous post for more details.) The front of the card is shaped like a flower, while the back is a simple 5" square. I added a few embellishments to really make this card pop!

Supplies:

• Cardstock: Miss Muffet from Baby line by American Crafts; green by DCWV
• Accents: She - brown chipboard alphabet by Heidi Swapp; Doodles & Heidi - Rose rub-ons by Making Memories; Embossed Ivory Shimmer Table Confetti from Brides line by Gartner Studios
• Color Medium: Gel Xtreme - White pen by Y&C
• Stickers: Many Thanks by Mrs. Grossman's
• Fibers: green ribbon from Michaels Stores
• Tools: Mega 2.5" Circle by Marvy Uchida; paper piercer by Making Memories; Serrated Tracing Wheel by Dritz
• Other: pattern (right-click to download)

Instructions:

1. Cut out card shape from double-sided cardstock following pattern. Fold in half to form a 5" square card.
   
2. Punch circle from green cardstock. Faux stitch green circle and inside square of card.
   Hint: I used a Paper Piercer to create the "stitches" in the circle, and a Serrated Tracing Wheel for the square.
3. Apply Doodle rub-ons to front of flower portion of card, and "so very much!!!" to inside square.
4. Trim "s" from "Thanks" sticker. Apply to green circle. Attach chipboard "u" and flower to front of circle, and folded ribbon to back of circle.
5. Adhere circle to center of flower with foam tape.
   

Bonus Tip #1! Don't be afraid to use portions of your stickers or rub-ons! Just trim off what you need, as I did with my "Thanks" sticker.

Bonus Tip #2! This design works best with a more subtle pattern for the flower portion, and a contrasting color for the square portion of the card. A larger, busier pattern would act like camouflage for the flower shape, as would a low-contrast color combo!

Bonus Tip #3! I used double-sided cardstock for my card. If you do not have appropriate double-sided CS, simply choose two separate cardstocks. Trim one to a 5" square and use the flower part only of my pattern on the other CS. Just add tabs at the top to adhere the flower portion to the back of the square portion.

Finished Size Approx 5" x 5".
Additional photos in my online portfolio.

A Very Merry Birthday! To Me! To You!

That's right, today is the first anniversary of my initial blog post! So I'm throwing my one-year-old a Birthday Party complete with sweet treats, games and prizes. I'm inviting all of YOU, my blog readers, to join in on the fun and festivities! And what better way to begin a birthday party, than with ICE CREAM!!! Ice cream for everyone!

Presenting the complete tutorial on how to create your very own Ice Cream Cone Card...

Supplies:

• Cardstock: brown from K&Company; blue-green, pink, dark pink, and red from Bazzill Basics Paper; black
• Patterned Paper: The Slab II from Provo Craft
• Accents: colored wire by Making Memories
• Tools: 1" circle punch
• Other: patterns (download here!)

Instructions:

1. Cut out shapes for ice cream scoops & cone following directions on patterns. Punch two 1" circles from red paper.
2. Glue patterned paper to front cone piece.
   Cut half moon shape from dark pink paper and adhere to front of "strawberry" scoop.
   Randomly cut "chocolate chips" from black cardstock and glue to front of "mint chip" scoop.
   Cut small half moon shape from pink paper and glue to one red circle to make a highlight.
3. Fold as follows:
   Back copy of "strawberry" scoop back one inch from top
   Front copy of "mint chip" scoop forward one inch from top
   Back copy of "cone" back one inch from bottom
4. Glue front pieces of scoops & cones to back pieces on the small folded areas only (top of scoops & bottom of cone).
5. Glue back of "mint chip" scoop to back of cone, and back of "strawberry scoop to back of "mint chip" scoop, overlapping pieces.
6. Cut approx. 3" piece of red wire. Curl one end into a small circle and adhere to back of red circle with highlight using glue dot. Glue bottom half of "cherry" to top of "strawberry" scoop. Glue other red circle to back of "strawberry" scoop, making a sandwich with the wire.

Optional: Here is the text that I added to the inside of my Ice Cream Cone Card:
The "strawberry scoop" flips up to say "You're like the CHERRY on top of my ice cream!"
The "mint chip scoop" flips up to say "Life without you would be like MINT CHIP without the chocolate!"
The "cone" flips down to say "Thanks for being my friend!"

Finished Size Approx. 5" x 3.75" (plus cherry "stem")
Additional photos in my online portfolio.

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And what would a birthday party be
without games and prizes???

And now, on to the gifts! In honor of my blog's very first birthday, I am giving away a Blog Candy prize package. The package consists of one copy of Paper Crafts magazine's latest special issue "Cards, Gifts, & More: Paper Crafting 3 Ways" (featuring 3 projects by Yours Truly), four packages of Ice Cream themed dimensional stickers, two spools of coordinating ribbon, and one Ice Cream themed box. (Sorry -- due to the high cost of shipping, I can only send this package to residents of the continental United States.)

If you would like a chance at winning this package, simply make a paper craft creation (card, scrapbook, etc.) using Ice Cream as your theme. Then upload a photo of your project to your blog or online gallery. Leave a comment on this post with a link to the website (not the image itself!) by Friday, August 29th at 11pm EST. I will pick my fave and announce the winner here on my blog on Saturday, August 30th. If you already have an Ice Cream themed project online, feel free to enter it!

I can't wait to see your creations! And enjoy the Birthday Party!

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!

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".

Making Your Own "Love Stamp"... Priceless

Hate the rising cost of stamps?
Well here's how you can make your own!
True, this "Love Stamp" Tag won't get your package delivered, but it will make sure that it is well-received!


I designed this tag using the handmade Prima-style paper flowers that I created using Valita's great tutorial (see previous post), and scraps of paper and ribbon that I had on hand. First I measured out a 2.25" x 1.75" rectangle from my patterned paper. Then I applied my rub-on and attached my paper flowers with mini brads and glue. Next I matted my patterned paper on white cardstock which I trimmed with decorative scissors. Next I cut a 3.5" x 2.5" piece of blue cardstock. I rounded the bottom corners and mitered the top corners. Using a slot punching tool, I added a hole through which I threaded my ribbon. Finally I mounted my "stamp" onto the tag with foam tape.

Materials:

• Patterned Cardstock: Blossom "Sisters" Bird/Light Pink from Bohemia collection from My Mind's Eye, Red/White Hearts Double Sided Mulberry paper from The Paper Company, blue cardstock from Brights series by DCWV, white cardstock by Hammerhill
• Accents: mini circle brads and Simply Stated Baby rub-on by Making Memories, paper flowers - handmade
• Fibers: ribbon from Target's $1 Scrapbooking line
  
• Tools: Paper Edgers Stamp decorative edge scissors from Fiskars; Paper & Ribbon Slot Punching Tool by Making Memories; rounded corner punch, retro flower punch & daisy punch from EK Success; embossing stylus tools by Royal & Langnickel

Finished Size 2.5" x 3.5", exclusive of ribbon.

Make Your Own Prima-Style Flowers!

I found this great tutorial on Valita's blog. My loyal readers may recognize Valita as the designer who used my Original Hawaiian Shirt template to created those darling cards -- the one with the slippers and the one with the paint roller. Well, Valita came up with a great idea on how to create your own Prima-style flowers using flower punches and handmade paper. (You can find the link to Valita's wonderful step-by-step tutorial here.)

I didn't have any handmade paper on hand, so I used some scraps of double-sided mulberry paper. Since this paper is rather thick, I first peeled apart the paper into two layers. That's two for the price of one! Also, my flower punch didn't make heart-shaped petals (like those on the famouse Prima flowers), so after I folded each petal down the center, I snipped off a piece at the fold with my embroidery scissors. A little dry embossing with a stylus and Voilà! A finished flower for a fraction of the cost, using supplies that I already had on hand!

Thanks Valita!

(Stay tuned for a quick and easy project that I created using these handmade flowers...)

Busy Little Bee...

Howdy folks! I've been super-duper busy, so I thought I'd share with you a card that I designed a while ago...

I titled this card "Welcome to the HIVE!" It's a simple, cheerful card that I created using a sheet of acetate as the card base. The bees, "grass" and sentiment are on the front of the card, while the flowers reside on the inside. All of the accent images are vellum stickers. I added color to the fonts using Photoshop.

Materials:

• Cardstock: light blue & green adhesive cardstock by DCWV,
  white by The Paper Company
• Transparency Sheet: 3M
• Accents: Happy Flowers/Bees vellum stickers from Provo Craft
• Adhesive: Scrapbook Adhesives 3D Foam Squares from 3L
• Fonts: HipHop Demi, Blomster from dafont.com, Leftovers from fontdiner.com

Instructions:

1. Cut a 7" x 10" rectangle from transparency sheet. Fold in half to form a 5" x 7" card, crease at the top.
2. Apply large flower sticker to blue cardstock. Adhere to the center of the inside of the card.
3. Cut a 1" strip from the bottom of the green cardstock. Tear away to edge of green cardstock to reveal white core. Adhere to the bottom of the front of the card.
4. Print sentiment on white cardstock. Trim to approx. 1" x 4.25". Mount to center of green CS strip using foam squares.
5. Mount one large bee on white cardstock. Cut out. Glue to card using two stacked foam squares for added height. Randomly attach remaining bees.

It's a Piece of Cake!

...and a Gift Card Holder Too!

It was love at first sight when I first saw Susan Neal's "Slice of Cake Card" in the March 2008 issue of PaperCrafts magazine. Those of you who regularly follow my blog know how I enjoy making shaped and interactive cards. So when my sister-in-law's birthday came up, I decided to create my own version of Susan's card.

I used Susan's pattern for the base of the card, with a few modifications. I decided I wanted my card to be a gift card holder. So I extended my "cake" patterned paper to create a pocket on the inside of the card. I also used Photoshop to add some shading and swirls to my "icing."

For my sentiment, I chose "Birthdays are nature's way of telling us to eat more cake." It seemed appropriate for this card! LOL

I decided to create my own candle, instead of using the pattern provided. I chose to create my card to fit in a 5¾" square envelope. This gave me the room to design a taller, slimmer candle than the one in Susan's project. Here's the step-by-step on how I created this candle...

Step 1: Run small pieces of yellow, light pink, and dark pink cardstock (CS) through your Xyron sticker maker. Remove clear plastic.

Step 2: Punch small flowers from dark pink CS. Set aside punched flowers to decorate cake.

Step 3: Adhere dark pink cardstock over light pink cardstock. Cut out shape of candle.

Step 4: Cut out flame from yellow CS.

Step 5: Adhere candle and flame to a transparency sheet, leave a small amount of space between the top of the candle and the bottom of the flame.

Step 6: Trim around the candle and flame, leaving approximately 1/8" of transparency around the outside.

Step 7: Using a silver metallic Sharpie, draw a "wick" on the back of the transparency.

Step 8: Adhere to card using an adhesive dot.

Baby Shower Bib Favor/Prize

This was a special request that I received from Joanne, asking for ideas to wrap up baby shower prizes. She had purchased six 1½-inch boxes of Hershey's Kisses to give away and wanted something "cute and memorable that everyone will ewww and ahhh over." The inspiration for my idea came from a card by Meera D'Souza which appeared in the Dec/Jan 2008 issue of Paper Trends magazine. I didn't have any 1½-inch boxes handy, so I attached my finished embellishment to a Martha Stewart gift box. Joanne, I hope this helps!

Materials:

• Cardstock: colored, textured Mat Stack by DCWV, white by DMD
• Digital: flowers from Rhonna Farrer's April 2006 Kit from Two Peas in a Bucket
• Fibers: pink narrow ribbon from Michaels stores
• Adhesive: mini adhesive dots by Glue Dots and Tape Runner XL by Therm O Web
  
• Fonts: Lauren Script
• Tools: Mega Scalloped Circle & Super 2" Circle punches from Marvy Uchida; 1" circle punch from EK Success
  
• Other: Photoshop

Step 1:

Print or stamp your design on your white cardstock.

I used the flowers from Rhonna Farrer's April 2006 Kit and the font Lauren Script for my text. To make this into a prize instead of a favor, change the text to "Winner!" or "Congrats!"





Step 2:

Turn your 2" circle punch upside down so that you can see and center your design. Punch your circle.










Step 3:

Trim approximately 1/4" from the top.













Step 4:

Attach 2 lengths of narrow ribbon to your white cardstock using mini glue dots.

Note: stay close to the edge of the circle, as you will be trimming out the center.








Step 5:

Adhere your white cardstock circle to your pink cardstock. Line up the straight edges, and be sure to leave at least a 1/2" of pink around the curve of the circle.








Step 6:

Turn your Mega Scalloped Circle punch over. Insert your layered cardstock and center the white circle. Be sure your ribbon is clear before you punch your scallop.









Step 7:

Turn your 1" circle punch over and partially insert and center your layered cardstock. Again, be sure to keep your ribbon clear of the punch.

Note: If you have trouble punching through the double thickness of the cardstock, you may have to trace a 1" circle on your cardstock and cut it out with scissors or a craft knife.



Step 8:

Tie your ribbon into a bow and trim the ends.

Attach to your box with glue dots.







Final Step:

Be prepared for all those "oooo's and ahhhh's" ...

CELEBRATION TIME!!! (Part 3)

Make a wish and blow out the candle!


Here is the third installment of my "Birthday Bubbles" series...

Materials:

• Cardstock: Blue #2 from DieCuts With a View
• Double-Sided Patterned Paper: The Goods Bubbles by American Crafts
• Transparency Sheet: 3M
• Accents: Birthday Soft Spoken embellishments by Me & My Big Ideas, birthday sticker from Lighthearted Collection by Wordsworth
• Adhesive: mini adhesive dots by Glue Dots
• Tools: Xyron sticker maker, Fiskars paper crimper

Instructions:

1. Cut a 5" x 10" rectangle from transparency sheet. Fold in half to form a 5" square, crease at the top.
2. Cut 1½" x 3" rectangle from solid paper.
3. Cut a 3" x 3" square and the cupcake top (see template) from patterned paper.
4. Run all three pieces through Xyron sticker maker, so that the adhesive is on the patterned side of the square and on the orange side of the cupcake top.
5. Apply birthday sticker to solid side of square. Attach to the center of the inside of the card.
6. Remove clear plastic from the solid rectangle (not the wax paper backing) and run it through crimper, short end first.
7. Trim bottom corners from each side of the crimped paper to form "cupcake holder." Start cutting approx. ¼" in from the bottom edge, cutting to top corners.
8. Attach the cupcake holder, cupcake top, and candle to the front of the card.

Bonus Tip! Use clear mini glue dots to attach the candle instead of the the foam adhesive provided - it'll be less noticeable from the inside of the card.

Short, Dark, Handsome... and Online!

I've got great news for all of you who requested a copy of the template to my Tuxedo Card. You will still be able to find it in the Step-by-Step section of the February/March 2008 issue of Paper Trends magazine. But now the editors have also included the template and complete instructions in their online Idea Gallery. So feel free to head on over there and download your own copy! Happy Crafting!

Edited to Add: Although the template and instructions to my Tuxedo Card are available through Paper Trends magazine and their website, please note that they are for personal use only. According to my contract with Northridge Media, I still retain the sole rights to use this template for commercial purposes. Thank you for understanding!

CELEBRATION TIME!!! (Part 2)

Time to put on your Party Hat!


Well, at the end of 2007 I promised you more how-to's from my "Birthday Bubbles" series, and here it is!

Materials:

• Double-Sided Patterned Paper: The Goods Bubbles by American Crafts
• Transparency Sheet: 3M
• Accents: red button from Winnie's Walls collection from SEI
• Fibers: 3" piece of red rick-rack ribbon from Kids Line and Scrapbook Stitches from Making Memories
  
• Adhesive: Glue Dots Craft dots
• Tools: Xyron sticker maker

Instructions:

1. Cut a 5" x 10" rectangle from transparency sheet. Fold in half to form a 5" square, crease at the top.
2. Cut one 3" x 3" square and one 2" x 3¼" rectangle from patterned paper.
   Mark center point at the top of 2" side of rectangle. Trim from bottom corners to top center point to make a triangle.
3. Print sentiment ("Let's Celebrate!") on orange side of square.
4. Run both pieces of patterned paper and rick-rack through Xyron sticker maker, so that the adhesive is on the patterned side of the sentiment square and on the orange side of the triangle.
5. Attach the sentiment square to the center of the inside of the card and the triangle to the center of the front of the card on an angle so that the "hat" covers up the sentiment.
6. Thread Scrapbook Stitches through button and knot. Attach button to the top of the "hat" with Glue Dots.
7. Trim ribbon to fit bottom of "hat." Attach to card.

Bonus Tip #1: Use the grid from a cutting mat to help you center the square on the transparency.

Bonus Tip #2: When printing on small pieces of cardstock, print sentiment on a larger piece of paper first. Then adhere cardstock to larger paper over the sentiment with removable tape. Reprint.

Stay on the lookout for the third installment of my "Birthday Bubbles" series - my yummy Cupcake Card!

Holiday Boxes and Bows... Oh My!

Here are a couple of gift boxes that I created for the holidays. I got my inspiration from a number of different online resources. The box is your basic origami box. There are a many great websites offering instructions on how to create this box. To find them, just enter "origami box" into your favorite search engine. One of the best is Kristina Werner's video tutorial which can be found on her blog. I chose one patterned paper and one solid paper to create my box. Then I tied the two color schemes together with my bow and accents.

The paper bow is my own variation of the tutorial which can be found on SplitcoastStamper's website. However, instead of cutting and gluing 13 individual loops, and using multiple brads, I used fewer strips of longer paper and just one long-pronged brad.
Here's how...

Materials:

• 6" x 12" piece of double sided paper
  (Note - heavier double sided cardstock will also work,
  but it will be more difficult to manipulate)
  
• brad/paper fastener with long prongs
  (you can find these at your local office supply store)
• paper piercer (or a thumbtack, for an inexpensive alternative)

Instructions:

1. Cut eight 10" x 3/4" strips and one 4-1/2" x 7/8" strip of the double-sided paper.
   Tip: First cut your paper into two 6" x 10" and 6" x 2" rectangles. Cut the eight strips from the larger piece and the small strip from the 2" piece.
   
2. Pierce 3 holes down the center of each of the 10" strips: 1/2" from each end and one in the middle.
3. Pierce 2 holes in the 4-1/2" strip: 1/2" from both ends.
4. With the prongs facing up, place the end hole of one of the 10" strips on the brad, inside pattern side up. Using a figure eight pattern, place the center and second end holes on the brad. Always keep the inside pattern facing up on the brad.
5. Rotate 90 degrees and repeat step 4 so that the loops form a plus sign.
6. Continue with the remaining 10" strips, rotating so that each new loop falls in between existing loops.
7. Finish with a single loop made from 4-1/2" strip. Bend prongs to secure bow.

Bonus Tip! Since I knew that I would be attaching this bow to my paper box, I pierced a whole in the center of the lid of my box. I then inserted the brad from the inside of the lid so that the prongs protruded up on the outside of my box. Next I put my box lid over a jar, so that I would have a stable surface to create my bow. Once I finished my bow, it was already neatly attached to my box! Voila!

: : :

I based the design for my personalized tag on Nichole Heady's Mini Gift Cards. I love the simplicity and elegance of Nichole's design! Since I didn't have her stamps, I decided to use a graphic from a Digital Kit instead. I chose the holly leaves from Kate Teague's "Berry Days" Kit which I downloaded from the Two Peas in a Bucket website. I finished it off using Font Diner's Rickles font, my Marvy Uchida Mega Scalloped Square Punch, and some ribbon. I attached my gift tag to my bow using a small safety pin.

Finished size of boxes approx. 4.25" square x 2.75", exclusive of trim.
Bow is approximately 4-1/4" across.
Additional photos in my online portfolio.