Sassy & Sweet Notes

Crafty Secrets Design Team Challenge: Tutorial

This month the Crafty Secrets design team has been challenged to put together a short tutorial or step by step how-to. Lucky for you, today's the day we all share our projects!

I was inspired by all of the different aprons worn in the images of the ladies on the Domestic Goddess Creative Cuts sheet. And since aprons are quite "in", I thought I'd make a wee little apron card for a friend!

I started by creating a template out of scrap paper. Once I had the shape the way I liked, I traced the template on the backside of a piece of folded cardstock. I traced the template on what would be the backside of the card in case I missed cutting off the pencil line, it would be on the backside and would probably go unnoticed.

I used a nice sharp pair of scissors to cut out the traced design. I like these Cutter Bee scissors. They have a really sharp blade, and the point really allows nice, clean snips in tight spaces. The paper I chose is from K&Company. It's double-sided, so it was easy to choose coordinating papers for this project. The green dots is the backside of the apples!

Once my pieces were cut out, I used a sponge applicator to ink the edges of the shapes. Then I used my vintage Singer tracing wheel to add some faux stitches to the edges of my apron and pocket piece.

I used small glue dots to adhere the pocket to the front of the apron. By putting a little curve in the pocket before adhering it to the apron, I was able to get a bit of dimension between the two pieces. This would be a good spot for a note, or some small utensils, or a to-do list!

I found some GREAT buttons in my stash that have slits, rather than holes. I chose to use them on this project, and threaded them with some beautiful green silk ribbon. The buttons are then adhered to the apron with glue dots.

For the inside of the apron card, I chose to use this sassy image of a gal holding a hot out of the oven roast, also from the Domestic Goddess Creative Scraps sheet.

I made sure to ink the edges of the layers inside the apron, and also added faux stitches to the layers as well.

I think the finished card turned out charming and fun, and I can't WAIT to pop it in the mail!

Now, if you would like to make your own version of this card, I've created a template for you! Have fun with it! Be sure to come back here and provide a link to your finished card! I'd love to see your creations! Have FUN!

Download Apron Card Template

You will want to check out the other projects being shared today by my fellow design team members.

Heartwarming Vintage Blog
Crafty Secrets Site

Vicki Chrisman
Lisa Zappa
Pam Hooten
Heidi Blankenship
Marisa Grosson
Vivian Peters
Michele Kovack
Linda Duke
Melissa Phillips
Michelle Van Etten

am i seeing dots?

This week's High Hopes challenge is Lots and Lots of Polka Dots! What fun! I do love polka dots, so this was a fun and easy challenge for me. If you would like to join the challenge, check out more details on the High Hopes blog.

I chose to paint the images with a water brush and re-inkers, and then go back and add dots in various shades with markers to add to the depth of color, and added whimsy. I like the effect! I'm not sure you can see it, but I even added dots to the twill!

Hope you have a wonderful Sunday ... we're having our BBQ dinner today, rather than yesterday. Thankfully, the weather is SUPPOSED to be a bit cooler (nearly 90 instead of 100+), and there's even a chance of rain. We'll see about that. We're not usually so lucky!

PS: All stamped images on card from High Hopes Stamps.

Moooo!

Happy Independence Day, to Mooooooo!

Card Recipe:
Crooning Cow: Whipper Snapper Designs; Dotted Paper: Melissa Frances; Paper Ribbon and punched stars: Cosmo Cricket (ribbons is a narrow strip from the strip sheet from the Honey Pie line, and stars are just punched stars from a different strip on the same sheet); Pearl Brads: SEI "guy"; Ink: Black Stazon; Image painted with a water brush and Stampin' Up re-inkers.

More Hand Carved Stamping!

Here's a project I put together using another one of my hand carved stamps. Something about these hand carved images begs for them to be stamped in a repeated pattern. This isn't something I find myself doing with other stamps, so it must just be these! *grin*

I carved the little bird, leaving the bottom portion of the block intact, so when the image is stamped, the bird has a little bit of ground to stand on. I'm really pleased with how the image stamps! I love the line the ground creates when stamped repeatedly like this.

The decorative band around the box slips on and off easily, allowing the box to be opened and the goodies inside to be used. When it comes time to put things away, the band goes back around the box, keeping everything inside nice and tidy.

I thought a set of carving blocks and blades would make a nice gift. The person this is going to likes things tidy, so I made a little cardstock divider for the inside of the box to keep the carving blocks on one side of the box and separate from the carving tool's side of the box (that pink handle is the carving tool). I think she'll love that part!

Here is the stamp -- the little speckles on the white part of the block around the bird are little flecks of brown ink that stuck to the block while I was cleaning it before I used it for this project. I got to looking at this photo, and those dots looked a bit like flecks of mold or something... not so. Just ink. They cleaned right off after I took this photo! I could have cut away all of the extra block around the bird, but I like how that part of the block provides kind of a handle for the stamp. And when I'm storing my stamps, they line up nice and neat, with all of the straight edges keeping things in place. 

I'm going to be doing a lot more of these little hand carved gems. They're so fun, and so different from my usual stamps! If you give hand carving stamps a try, come back here and provide a link to your project in a comment! I'd love to see your fun creations!

Hand Carved Stamping

I have the day off from work today as a holiday. I love days off! I had planned on sleeping in, but Mister Farley had other plans for me. He woke up EARLY and needed to go out. So, out we went. Half an hour later, as I was just getting back to sleep, Mister Farley's tummy contents decided it was time to evacuate.

Thank goodness I could get him to the bathroom floor before he up-chucked all over the bedroom floor. Gross...  Thanks for the nice start to the day, Farley!

Since I was up, I decided to clear my mind and simply stamp. Or maybe it's stamp simply. I hand carved a few stamps a week or so ago, and this little house next to an apple tree is one of the stamps I carved. I like the rough quality of images stamped with hand carved stamps. They're primitive...

I'm sure I was channeling the creative genius of Heather while I made this card. I can't use white ink and kraft paper without thinking of Heather and her delightful creations.

If you've ever carved your own stamps, you know how challenging and fun it can be! And, if you've never carved before -- well, I can tell you it's CHALLENGING and fun. *grin*

I recommend using Staedtler Mastercarve carving blocks. You can get them in all kinds of sizes, and they really do carve beautifully! I ordered mine from DickBlick. I also recommend using carving tool and blades -- you will want to have sharp blades. I use the smallest blades most of the time, saving the larger blades for larger areas/blocks. I've tried a few different kinds of stamping inks with the carved stamps and while most inks work ok, I like the look of heavier pigment or chalk inks the best.

Happy Friday!

Poppy Stamps... are so cute!

There's a new stamp company "in town" called Poppy Stamps. They're from the Memory Box family, so you'll get the same great quality of Memory Box products. They look like they may be made in the same location as wood mounted A Muse stamps. Just guessing....

Darling little kiddos and critters... you'll want to collect them all! (I do!)

I'm one of only a few shops who have them all in the stock!

Go shop!

Whipper Snapper Release!

I'm so proud, and excited, to be part of Whipper Snapper's Fall/Winter 2009 release!

175 new images just released and honestly, my shopping list is a mile long. Maybe 2.

Check out the ADORABLE new art! If you like images you can color, you're in for a TREAT!

Maybe you'll like it too...

I listen to music on Rhapsody -- it's amazing just how much you can find there! Right now, I'm totally hooked on Joey & Rory's album. It's beautiful, and traditional, and I love it!
"The Life of a Song"

...although, I choose not to listen to track #11 too often, because it makes me cry.

Put the album on repeat and enjoy!

(Michele...play track 9 just because.)  *grin*

If you don't subscribe to Rhapsody, I think you can play 25 songs per month for free. I think. Don't quote me...

Poultry Paradise

My parents are getting ready for a short camp trip, and oh how I envy them! Sure, life on the farm is all glitz and glam, but imagine... me, Alan, and the chickens, dipping our toes in a cool mountain lake. We could be enjoying the sweet song of crickets and frogs, instead of the deafening whistle and whine of the Texas cicadas (though, I actually like the cicadas...) How sweet it would be! So, rather than wishing they (my parents) were here, I wish we were there!

I made this card using images from my recently released Whipper Snapper sets. The chicken and sentiment are from Beach Bum, the island is from Hooked on Fishing, and the trailer is from Great Outdoors. And of course, what's not to love about the Mr. Campy Cosmo Cricket paper... *swoon*

I was recently asked if I would show photos of project details now and then. You bet, Pam! Here you go! On this card, I chose to double-layer the chicken's body, for added detail. I lightly colored the chicken in the background, and then colored the top-layer chicken darker with more detail. I also sketched in some grass sprigs and made little dots to quickly and easily add ground.

Here is a close-up of the twill, button, twine. Normally I use a couple of small glue dots to hold things in place. I'm almost out of glue dots. *gasp!*

Note to self: ORDER GLUE DOTS!

And speaking of chickens (aren't we always?)...

I have a four chicks hanging out with me tonight. The black one is 3 or 4 days old, one of the yellow ones is a couple days old, the other yellow one hatched yesterday.

The younger chicks need to get their legs under them before I'll put them in with Ginger (the mama) and her slightly older chicks. I brought in a couple of the chicks that are a few day old to keep the new chicks company, and to encourage the new chicks to eat. They'll learn faster if they can mimic the older chicks.

After a day or two when they've got the hang of their legs and of eating, I'll put them all out with their mama and the other babies. Ginger will never notice... 11, 12, ...14... who's counting. Not Ginger! The newly hatched chicks are still in the "need sleep" stage, and Ginger is too busy showing the older chicks food to worry about snuggling down with day old chicks. They'll do better with her and the older babies in a day or two.

This is the little gal that hatched today...a bit too early, thanks to the egg she was in getting broken about a day before she was ready to hatch. I'm lucky I found her in the nest when I did. It could have been disastrous for her... She spent most of the day in the incubator, until she thought it was time to kick the last of her egg shell off and join her friends.

This modeling stuff is hard work when you're newly hatched!

A Patriotic Farmer

This week's High Hopes challenge is Stars or Stripes. I chose to use both, and created this patriotic farmer card.

I stamped Farmer Clem on watercolor paper in black StazOn ink and painted him with a water brush and re-inkers. For the base of the card I chose to use patterned paper from Melissa Frances. I used white ink to ink around all of the edges before I stitched the pieces down to the background. I used cotton rope from Stampin' Up, chipboard stars which I made using a Sizzix die & my BigShot, more Melissa Frances paper, and a couple of old buttons threaded with hemp twine.

For more details on this week's fun challenge and to play along, visit the High Hopes blog.

mmm...gummy worms!

I was looking through some of my older projects and came across this Reindeer Delivery package I made last winter. I thought it would be fun to do something similar with my Hooked on Fishing set!

And it just so happens that I love gummy worms. Yes, it's true. Thankfully, I managed to save enough for this little project! Delicious, those little worms!

The paper I used to wrap the clear pillow box with is from the Mr Campy Cosmo Cricket line. I stamped the fishing chicken image, from Hooked on Fishing, in black Memento ink and colored the image with Copic markers. I used cotton rope from Stampin' Up, hemp twine and a button to join the tag to the package o' worms.

Wonder who I'll send this wiggly package of goodies to!?

I got Stuffed!

I am so thrilled to have several of my holiday felt ornaments featured in the recently released in Stuffed: a gathering of softies (volume 2)!

Volume 1 of the magazine was super, and still sits on my desk to enjoy. Volume 2 is JUST as fun -- you won't believe the creative creatures featured in this issue! This is a must have mag for anyone who loves to dabble in, or wants to dabble in, softies of all kinds!

The magazine can be ordered directly from Stampington & Company, and might also be found at your local Borders or Barnes & Noble.

BlueBird

Yahoooo for the weekend! I love weekends! It's wicked HOT, but hopefully the temps will start to cool off a bit on Sunday. If nothing else, the weekend allows time for splashing around in the water!

A few updates on what's been happening around the farm...

CHICKENS: More chicks have hatched... I haven't counted all the heads yet, but they're all CUTE, I can tell you that! We've had babies hatch every so often over the past couple of weeks, so they're all different ages and sizes. They're so stinkin' CUTE!

DEXTERS: The cow's udders are starting to swell with milk. That means soon we'll have BABIES! And you know how I love the little cow babies! Princess might deliver first...then Queenie... then Dixie... then we'll have to wait a while longer (months!) for Lucy, Pixie, and then Chick should be the first to calve again next year, since she was the first to calve this year.

KITTENS: We have two litters of kittens right now. There are four babies in one litter, and only three left in the second litter. Unfortunately, the litter with 4 babies are as WILD as can be. We don't usually see them during the day -- only at night, as they are racing around, playing. We haven't caught them, and we haven't been able to catch their mother yet, either.

The other litter that only has three babies started with six babies. The mother had them in the garage, and something (we figure a stray tom cat) got in the garage and killed a couple of the babies. Their mother is young and wasn't giving the babies as much attention as she needed to, so Alan took the four remaining babies from her. After about a week of feeding, we found a home for one of them and he went to live with his new family. We still have the other three, and since they are still too little to be outside on their own, we keep them in one of the chick brooders so they can have lots of room to play and romp. They've grown so MUCH! They're all girls. A dark tiger stripe, a dark tiger stripe with small faint orange tortoise patches, and a long haired gray girl (with the FATTEST pink belly!) We call her Fatty. *grin* We were thrilled to find a home for the boy, and we would like to find homes for the girls as well. They're young, and already litter box trained! But if we can't find homes for them, at least we will be able to catch them and get them to the vet when they're old enough so they won't be having any kittens of their own!

Anyway, that's most of what we've been up to...  And now and then I make things!

This card was made with an image from the Shady Tree Studio line from Cornish Heritage Farms. I stamped the image and painted it with re-inkers. Once the image was dry, I used a white gel pen to add the white leaves and dots, just for something different. I like it!