Hello Lovely Decor

Unfortunately I couldn't get proper light on my project for a photo, but you still get a general idea of what it looks like.

The paper is cut to 8 by 10 for easy framing, which I hope to do later.  I inked all the edges with Barely Banana ink from Stampin' Up.

The sentiment is from Papertrey Ink's set Happy For You and is stamped in Stampin' Up's Marina Mist.  I surrounded it with a bunch of Irock gems.

The butterflies are all little sequins.  I dres stitching lines behind them using a Creamy Caramel marker from Stampin' Up.  I also added some Irock metallic pieces.

The main image is from Prima, she's called Doll With Swing Dress.  I colored her hair with Copics E59, E57, E35.  Her skin is E00, E50, E53.  Her dress has a sheet of paper from the Bo Bunny Ambrosia 6 by 6 pad and I colored over the paper with more Copics in B000, B615, and B632.

The flowers are from Recollections.  Not sure where the brad came from.

The lace was given to me.

Crafty best wishes!

Amber

Ribbon Banner With Kitchen Elements

Hello everyone!  I have a very special project for you today :)

This is part of the Whimsical Wednesday Blog Hop.  If you're already hopping along you should have arrived from Gigi's Blog.  If not, and you'd like to start the hop from the very beginning please head on over to Whimsical Wednesday to begin the fun.

For this hop we all made banners that will be sent to a nursing home. This cause is very special to me.  My mother is a nurse and I spent a little time at a nursing home she used to work at.  Many of the residents get very lonely and something colorful and fun on their door would really make a big difference and bring a big smile to their face.  You can find out more by visiting Whimsical Wednesday and clicking the link they provide.

These are the AWESOME sponsors for our blog hop and what they are giving away for prizes :)

Patsy from the Prairie Bird Boutique is giving away... 

Your choice of one bundle of Shabby Crinkle Ribbon

Babette from The Kraft Outlet is giving away....

their "Inspiration Play Pack"; This is a collection of The Kraft Outlet's top selling items valued at over $45.  The play pack comes with 10 yards each of the red and brown baker's twine, an assortment of 50 of the plain and grungy tags, an 8 sheet assortment of their cardstock and text weight papers, an 8 envelope assortment, one sheet of Kraft labels, a set of their vintage dictionary pages, 1 yard of black twill tape, and a CD full of 100 graphics and backgrounds.

In addition The Kraft Outlet is offering 10% off all purchases made during the entire month of July.  All you need to do is enter the code JULY10 at checkout.

The grand prize for the blog hop is a Gypsy, donated by Stephanie.  In order to qualify for that grand prize you must leave a comment on each of the designers' blogs.  At the end of the hop please return to the Whimsical Wednesday blog to leave a comment saying that you finished the hop and left a comment under all the posts.  

The hop will run through Sunday and end at midnight EST.

Now, onto my project. 

Since banners are super difficult to photograph here's a couple shots of the die cuts before I assembled them into a banner.

All the cuts are using the From My Kitchen Cricut Cartridge.  I set everything at 6 inches EXCEPT the pie, which was cut at 4 inches.  I cut that one shorter because it is much wider than it is tall.

For the apron I embossed the pockets with the Cuttlebug Swiss Dots folder and then added a couple pink buttons to them.

For the cupcake I added some Fruit Punch colored Stickles.

For the pie I embossed the top with the Swiss Dots folder and added some Fruit Punch Stickles to the cherry.

For the mitt I embossed it with the Argyle folder and added a ribbon near the top.

For the jar I added some stitching lines around the Kraft colored parts of the lid and wrapped some pink and white twine around the center.  I used some thick glue dots to attach the cherries so that they would sit nicely above the twine.

Here is a quick view of one of the backs.  All I did was cut pieces of paper smaller than the die cuts and put a ton of adhesive on them, then I sandwiched the ribbon in-between.  If you want a cleaner look in the back you can just cut the blackout version of each of the cuts to create a sandwich to put the ribbon in.  In this case I decided since it was the back this was OK.

Thanks a bunch for stopping by today :)  

To continue hopping please head on over to Carlene's Blog!

My Decorated Bathtub Area

Click to see a larger version of the photo.

I thought I'd share my new place to relax.  Finishing up this project has been keeping me out of my craft room.  Awhile back I posted a photo of this area around my bathtub which I had just finished painting.  I was trying to figure out how to decorate this mirror - I finally finished everything.

The mirror was one we took out of another bathroom and I thought it would be a great piece for behind the bathtub, but not plain.  Some people were kind enough to make some wonderful suggestions.  One of the things mentioned was swirls, and another thing mentioned was a frame.  I was originally going to try to add some words as well - but then I found this wonderful textured glass looking privacy film for a window.  I cut it down to size and put it on my mirror.  I just love it!

I was tickled to find the wreath on sale at Michael's for $5.  The candles are the fake LED kind and are from Target.

I put together this vase for a finishing touch.  I purchased the flowers on sale, but I'm on a tight budget and couldn't get a new vase too.  I had this plain vase on hand - it is fat and I had envisioned a tall skinny vase instead, but I decided to jazz this one up a bit and make the most of it.  I happened to have some raffia laying around and so I used it.  Then I just used some Scor Tape to attach some ribbon in kind of a fun design.  I think it turned out a lot more fun than the plain vase.

I am just on such a kick lately with my house.  Cleaning, decorating, organizing, etc.  I have accomplished a lot and it feels so good to feel like many rooms are completely done now.  I don't have a ton of money to spend, so I can't replace larger things, but I can do little projects and make the most of what I've got.  

 

A craft room tour video will be coming very soon :)

Thanks for stopping by.

Chipboard Flower Bouquet

I have a fun project to share with you today.  Awhile back I made an order from Oriental Trading and saw this chipboard flower kit on clearance for like $2.50 and figured I'd go ahead and get it.

I had a lot of fun putting this together.  The kit came with way more flowers than I ended up using.  So, I got to pick and choose which ones to use and how to layer them.  All I did was trace each flower onto the back of my paper, cut it out, and then attach the paper with Scotch Quick Dry adhesive.  I layered 2 flowers on top of each other also using Quick Dry.

View of the top of the flowers - the color is off in this photo.

To attach the chipboard to the plastic stems that came in the kit I used some Scor Tape.

All the papers I used are from Stampin' Up.  I also added some ribbon to the vase.  For the front I stamped "You're never more than a thought away" from Stampin' Up's Whimsical Words set.  I cut it out with a circle shaped Nestability, and layered it onto another Nestability shape.

Once I had all my supplies together this went pretty quickly and I'm really happy with the results.  

Thanks for stopping by today :)

Stay crafty!

My New Dining Room

Click on the photo to see it larger.

Hello again everyone.  I realize that home decor isn't my usual topic - but it's been a huge part of my days lately.  I have always dreamed of having a nice dining room and that dream is finally a reality.  I painted this accent wall all by myself.

We are on a pretty tight budget and working with things we already owned with a few inexpensive additions.  The only things I just purchased for this room are the picture frames and the paint.

 

 

I love these frames!  I got them at Target for $10 a piece.  So, for only $30 I was able to display 12 4 by 6 photos.  I could easily hang them in a different configuration later if I switch things around & it will be pretty easy to change out pictures if I want to since they are standard sized photos.

Normally I don't like too much "stuff" in places because I think it can look cluttered and it's a pain to dust.  However, in this room I decided to display many items.  I figured it keeps the room for feeling to stark and cold with all the dark furniture - plus they are conversation pieces, and as an added bonus it's also the room the kids aren't allowed in so things are less likely to break.

The hutch itself belonged to my in-laws.  They left it in their basement unused for many years.  When we rented the home from them we fished it out of the basement and started using it - and it came with us to our new home.  In and on the hutch are a variety of treasures.  I have china from one of my grandmothers, and silver from the other.  Crystal my husband purchased cheaply during his trip to Prague.  A couple things I've had since I was a child, some special gifts, and various fun finds from flea markets and other shopping trips.  

The clock in the room belonged to my grandmother.  All the working parts are missing so it is just for display.  To be honest I don't intend to get it fixed.  I'm not much for the noise of a traditional clock.

The table and chairs were DIRT cheap and we bought them several years back for only $200 new.  I do love the look of them, but of course they are very scratched up and such since they are cheaply made.  I am hoping to either purchase or sew some chair covers and table cloths in different colors to change with the seasons, but I can't get to it right now.

Thanks for visiting today!  I have a really cute card scheduled for Wednesday for sure - and if I get lucky I'll try and work on one to post for tomorrow.

What I've Been Up To - And Could Use Your Suggestions

Hello all my crafty friends :)  I have been a busy little bee painting A LOT.  I have painted 3 accent walls in various rooms as well as our bedroom and master bath.  I only have a little left to do and the whole house will be painted by us - at least one wall in every room.  Yay!!!

So, you are looking at a picture of my newly purple master bathroom.  I LOVE it!!!  The candles I just bought at Target and they are those fake LED ones - which is great b/c they will last and not present a fire issue or make a mess.  

 

I have a very large mirror we took out of the other bathroom that I want to hang on that back wall and I could use your suggestions.  I bought some spray frost and I have some vinyl so I figured I'd decorate the mirror a little.  I'm not sure what to put on it.  Something relaxing.  Maybe an image and a word.  Any suggestions for me?  The mirror is pretty big.  It doesn't have a frame - it will be flat against the wall.

 

I also want to hang something on the wall directly across from the mirror.  I kind of thought round would be nice since it's across from a round window - but I don't want to do another mirror.  Any ideas there?

I'll share more pics of the other rooms later. Right now the walls are painted - but I have things to hang and such to complete the nice, finished look.  I know what I want to do everywhere but this one little area by my tub.  I'm just stumped.  

 

I am also SUPER proud of all the spring cleaning I've done.  I've gotten rid of several loads of things and even my junk drawers are sparkling.  Yay!!!  I've been at all this for over a month.

I sure miss everyone - but it feels good to be getting so much done :)  I will be glad to sit on my butt in my craft room and film some videos when I finish this up.  Seems life keeps getting in the way.

Always Be Yourself Sign

Click on the photo to see it enlarged for detail

I made this little sign for my craft room.

It's about 8 and 3/4 inches wide by 8 and 1/4 inch tall.  Weird size I know.  I started putting everything on a 12 by 12 sheet and then trimmed it down to size afterwards.

The paper is from the We R Memory Keepers - Tiffany's stack.

"always" is spelled out in some foam Thickers.

"be" is spelled out in plain white alpha stickers from my stash.

"yourself" is spelled out using some letter's from the Echo Park Little Girl Collection Pack.

The flower is from K & Company.

Click on the photo to see it larger.

The girl is from Sassy Studio Designs - she's a digital stamp and her name is Denim Debbie.  Isn't she just to die for cute?!  I printed her out many times to get all the layers.  Basically what I did was print her on a regular piece of printer paper first.  Then I saw where she printed on the paper, and taped the patterned paper I wanted to print on over the image of her.  The image tended to shift to a slightly different spot each time - so I was a little generous with the paper - and did each piece one at a time.  

I also printed her once on a white piece of cardstock and colored her shoes, skin & hair with Copics.  I also colored her jewelry using gel pens.  I cut out the white layer and then added all my layers.  Her shirt and purse are patterns from the Basic Grey Kioshi 6 by 6 paper pad.  I added some Irock gems as well.  Her jeans are a textured piece of cardstock to help them look and feel more like denim.

I just love this project.  So much fun to put together!  Cutting the layers does take some time - but I think it adds so much to the image.  I am just BARELY getting started with Copics and not only do I not know what I'm doing - but I have very few colors.  I figured if I started off with some skin and hair colors I could paper piece many other parts of images.  Also - it's just a different look than using all Copics and I will probably continue to use this paper piecing even after my Copic collection and skills expand.

I'm hoping to do more paper piecing, Copic coloring, and digital image stuff in the future.  Video tutorials are coming back one of these days - I promise!

Thanks so much for visiting!  I hope you feel inspired and have a fabulous Friday!

Happy Spring Sign for Whimsical Wednesday

Hello everyone!

Today is a special day because I get to share my project for Whimsical Wednesday!  The challenge this time around is called Spring Has Sprung In Our Homes - and the challenge is to create a Spring home decor item. Make sure and head on over to the Whimsical Wednesday blog because you'll want to see the design team's creations - and also enter your own creation for the chance to win a great prize.

My project is super simple.  I tend to like seasonal home decor projects that are quick and easy to put together since they usually don't last for the following year. 

Sometimes simple is good!  This way when my son ends up with it in his mouth or some other thing happens to destroy it I won't be agonizing about the hours of work I put in.  *LOL* ;)  I tend to save my special projects as gifts, like fancier cards, because I get them out of my house to safety quickly.

I used a gorgeous floral pattern from DCWV as the base for this little sign.  It measures 12 inches by 9 inches.  I strung some pink polka dotted ribbon through the top to hang the little sign. 

I used some DCWV glittered cardstock.  I LOVE using that in my Cricut.  It is super high quality and doesn't get loose glitter everywhere.  I do use a multi-cut of 2 and usually get great results.  The pink layer is 6 by 9.  The letters were cut using Ashlyns Alphabet at 2.5 inches.

I finished off with some super cute flower embellishments from K & Company!  

Quick, easy, and very Spring!  I'm planning on placing this sign on my front door.  I always enjoy something pleasant to welcome us home.

Also, sorry I've been MIA - sick kiddos have been keeping me busy :)  I hope to catch up with my bloggy friends very soon.

Yellow Makes Me Happy Gift Set

I made this set for a friend who's favorite color is yellow.  

I made a personalized box using my Gypsy to design everything.  I measured the top of the box, then I made a rectangle on my Gypsy that was the size of the box top so that I could design all the elements there and see exactly how they would fit without doing any test cuts and wasting paper.  

Here's what the top of the box looks like

First I painted the outside of the box white. Then I added all my cuts with some Scotch Quick Dry and Mod Podged over everything.  The paper is Stampin' Up.

The font is from Ashylyn's Alphabet.  

The flourishes and swirls are all from Straight From the Nest.  The one on the bottom is 2 that I welded together.

The butterflies are from Serenade.

Inside the box I painted yellow, and then added more Stampin' Up paper.

Inside is a little crocheted purse that I made for her & her card.  I really wanted them to match nicely.  For the card I added some Stickles to the flowers, but it didn't show up in the main photo, and I didn't want to take a whole bunch of photos so sadly you won't be able to see that detail.

Thanks for stopping by today!

Sparkle and Cheer

This is a wall hanging that I made for the holidays that has a lot of dimension.  I designed it especially for the Scrapmaster's Paradise blog.  For all the fun details - check out this post.

Thanksgiving Table Decor

Click on the photo to see it bigger, then click "back" in your browser

I thought I'd share a couple photos of my Thanksgiving table decor.

I used an EK success punch to make the leaves.  The place card is a 6 inch square paper folded in half to make a 3 by 6 place card.  I used Close to Cocoa ink from Stampin' Up to sponge the edges and then stamped stitching around the edges of the frame from the SP & Company Stitchery Doo set.  I stamped a frame from the Scallops and Lines set.  I wrote the names by hand using the Close to Cocoa Stampin Write marker.

 

For the napkin ring I just cut a strip of paper, taped it and then added the punched leaf.  All papers for the entire table, except for the solid cardstock behind the chair turkeys, are from the Autumn Splendor stack by DCWV.

This is a little jar I made to hold some blessings for the year.  I took 2 sheets of patterned paper and attached them back to back.  Then I wrapped them around a glass jar.  I tried forming my own piece, but this ended up being more even and more durable.  The glass jar is only visible if you really look down into it - as I made the paper much taller than the jar.  I created a circle and glued the jar down to it, then embellishing with punched out leaves. The front is a Nestablities Labels One die that I created a frame on.  I placed the smaller size of matching die on it with removable adhesive.  Then I inked the edges with that as a mask. After I removed the mask I hadded brown stitching lines and wrote "Holder Family Blessings" on it.  I punched out many of the leaves and put them inside to write blessings on.  I would have liked to buy some fake flowers to go inside, but it just hasn't happened this year.

To see the chair turkeys better and get all their details check out this post.

To see a thanksgiving banner I made and placed by the dining room decor check out this post.

I am Grateful For Banner

Click the photo to see it larger, but remember to use your browser's back button.

 This is my project for Miss Tracy over at Craft Junkie Too this week, be sure and stop by her blog to see what all the other ladies came up with. We were assigned to do a project about something we are thankful for.  Be sure to check out all the other fabulous project here.

When Tracy asked me to make a project about something I was thankful for, how could I decide on just one thing? So I made a banner with many of the things I am grateful for to display near my dining room, that is one of the first things you see when you walk into the house.

I used papers from the Autumn Splendor stack by DCWV.   I used brown for all the die cuts.  I wanted to keep all the cuts looking simple so that the banner looked a bit more elegant and not too "busy."

I cut scalloped circles at 4 inches, and plain circles at 3.25 inches I stitched around each blue circle with my Chocolate Chip Stampin' Write marker. Then I added my die cuts, and wrote what each one meant to me.

Here are all the ones I made

I made 2 like this - a leaf that says "I am grateful for..." over and over all the way around. This is how I started and finished my banner.

A wedding couple that says "Being married to the love of my life and best friend"

A little girl silhouette that says "Tiffany Marie, our beautiful daughter"

A little boy silhouette that says "Our crazy, but sweet little boy Sammy"

A doctors bag that says "Our health, and the health of those dear to us"

A watermelon with a bite taken out that says " The food to fill our tummies & help our children grow"

A house that says "Our beautiful new home to raise our children in and make memories"

A pair of scissors that says "My creativity and all the wonderful tools I have to help it come to life"

I used regular old Scotch tape to attach them to a ribbon. I punched a small hole in the top one and strung a rubber band through it. Then I used a Command hook to hang it on the wall. These hooks are made to come off the walls without doing damage.

Thanks for letting me share, and may you all be as blessed as I am this Thanksgiving season!

The Finding Nemo Bathroom

Lately I've been trying to make our new house a home, and I've been learning a lot about what really matters to me.  I can be such a perfectionist, and having kids 13 months apart has really forced me to deal with that.  So rarely will anything go as planned anymore, or will I have time to do a task to my complete and total satisfaction.

So, with decorating now I am learning to just enjoy the process.  So what, I got paint on the ceiling, oh well, at least it's DONE.  *LOL*  I wanted to create a fun bathroom upstairs for my kids.  Company will likely be using this bathroom a lot as well.  I wanted to make sure it was inviting for guests but more importantly fun and colorful for the children.

I found the shower curtain and the towel bars first.  Then I picked up some Finding Nemo wall decals, and decided on a wall color.  I wanted a picture of the sea turtles, as they are a big part of the movie and not included in the wall decal set.  I looked online to order a framed picture of them.  They were like $80! Seriously, no way!  So, I found a picture online I liked.  I saved it and printed it.  It has a little text in the bottom left hand corner saying where I got it, but who cares, it's not really over the image.  I matted it onto some orange cardstock.  I had this great frame that is is actually see through, but it was only designed to sit on a shelf and had no wall mount on it.  I used my Cricut spatula to pry off the glued on hinge.  Then I tied some ribbon towards the top and hung it that way.

I am still trying to decide what color towels to get  I thought maybe grey to tone it down and match the dolphin on the shower curtain, then I thought pale blue or sea foam green, or maybe bright orange to match Nemo himself.  I still haven't decided.  Any thoughts?

Elegant Bird Decor - w/ a Video!

 

I made this simple wall hanging the other day.  I used glimmer mist for the background, and created a stencil for the design using my Cricut.  Cartridges used were Storybook for the template of the swirls, Serenade for the bird, and Tie the Knot for the branch.  For all the details watch the video below.

Me Time Door Hanger

Here's a fun little door hanger project I made.  Check out the video below if you'd like the details of the cuts.

Lilac Plaque

Here's something different for you.  Some cute home decor in time for Mother's Day :)

I used the Sizzix Die Build a Lilac. 

If you'd like to see it come together, just check out the video below.

Laundry Time Decoration

Here's just a simple little decoration I made for my laundry area.  Nothing fancy.  I could have done a lot more with it, but I figured it might get destroyed where I'm putting it, so there was no sense going to a lot of trouble on details.  Just a little something fun to brighten the little hallway I spend what seems like far too much time in :)

I used Storybook and Forever Young Cricut cartridges.

Baby Cube

I puchased a photo cube and covered it in paper.  Then I added adorable die cuts to make this sweet baby gift.  All the cuts are from the New Arrival Cricut Cartridge, except the top, which is a scalloped circle and a letter from Ashylyns Alphabet.  I love that because it has the baby's first initial.  When making a handmade gift it really is so special to be able to add those extra personal touches!

Stamped Stylish Decor

I am new at stamping, and my images don't always come out perfect, but I'm having a blast learning!  We do not need to be perfect crafters!  Posting something with obvious imperfections is such therapy for me, because I tend to get pretty particular about things.

The stamp is from Close to My Heart, it was one of their stamp of the month sets.  I stamped it twice to layer the dress and boots.  Boy, cutting those boots out was a real challenge!  The ink and paper is all from Stampin Up.  I am the proud owner of all the main 48 colors of classic ink pads now.  I am SO excited to keep learning.

I want to make a series of these probably 3-5, with different images from the stamp set and different colors and then frame them to make a wall arrangement.  Or perhaps do something different besides frame them.  I shall have to see when they are all done.