simple dreams

Happy Birthday Wishes

ETA: Be certain to visit the CLASSroom this Monday to join in our Blog Parade - it's all about the beauty of flowers!!!

Yesterday was my Mother-in-laws 84th birthday! With each year that passes I learn to value the time we have as even more precious.

It has been "one of those" summers for our family - first my daughter Trina had pneumonia, then my DH came down with a severe case of bronchitis (he never gets sick and he was sicker than a dog this time) and then guess who ended up really sick for a couple of weeks now - LOL! Yep, me. When this happens we end up quarantining ourselves from J.J.'s mom as we know that these types of viruses can really be tough on the elderly. So yesterday, I wanted to create a special birthday card to let her know how much she is loved.

The good news is that we are all now healthy "enough" to not worry about giving her the virus we've had and so we were able to have dinner together, laugh, and talk. Mom Jane's latest project is a crazy quilt that she is working on for Maddi. We had so much fun last night discussing Maddi's favorite activities - I was able to lend a helping hand by scanning, sketching and coming up with images that will soon be embroidered on that quilt. YEAH for the little things in life that are so meaningful - they do make up for all the "yuck" that seems to happen :-D

I truly love the elegant feel of the Webster's Pages products and the 6x6 Diecut and Vellum selection is absolutely stunning. For this piece I utilized one of the die cuts, cutting it down in size and sewing it to my card base.

Next, I colored the newest Roses In the Window stamp from Karen Lockhart. I cannot tell you how much I enjoy coloring these images. As always I start with a very light Copic base color to outline the different components in the image. For today's image I selected colors that would work well with this Webster's Pages paper. I forgot to snap a photo of the colors I used, but they are in a bucket on my desk and so I will do that on Monday and add that information for those who like to know which colors I used as I worked. Our orders this month will include our thank you notes that include this image :-D I hope that you enjoy this unusual color take on this image.

 

In today's post I did snap photos that showed how I use the beautiful pearl flourishes we carry in our store. When you first look at them they take your breath away, but then you might wonder - they are so big, how can I use them?

I love that they come on a clear plastic. This allows me to position them over my project and determine placement. As you can see in the photo above I wanted to utilize the last larger pearl as the "dot" on my letter "i" in "wish". Once I have this positioned as I would like, I cut the flourish apart using my Retractable Blade knife. Simply cut through the adhesive line that holds these pearls in position and lift the pearls from the surface using the tip of the knife.

 

Gently place the pearls in the position you think will look right. By allowing the pearls to gently sit on the surface, and keeping your knife tip in place, it is easy to lift and change the position before finding a permanent spot.

 

I then use a dimensional adhesive foam square to place my focal image. This does two things - by lifting the focal point away from the surface it makes it the first thing you look at. BUT it also helps to position your paper above the pearls and allow for the extra dimension they provide. If one of my foam squares happens to fall in the same position as a pearl that may be hidden under the edge of my image I simply pick that pearl off using the tip of my Xacto blade.

 

To complete the look I couldn't resist adding some Cotton Candy Stickles to the floral buds. Oh how I wish it was easier to share the final projects with you as my photos just can't seem to capture the colors and texture as I would like them to. My hope though is that you look at the die cuts and pearls in a new way and allow yourself to just cut them up and use them in pieces. They are oh so beautiful!!! It brought such joy to my heart as I watched my MIL gently touch the surface of the card and exclaim how much she appreciated the thought and time put into it. I am so very blessed to have two wonderful women in my life - my own mom whom I love so deeply and a mother-in-law who is also so very loved and appreciated.

stamps:  Lockhart Stamps Roses in the Window and Wish

ink:  Memento Tuxedo Black

paper:  Memory Box Sage Cardstock, Webster's Pages 6x6 Diecuts and Vellum pack, Neenah Solar White

accessories: Prima Light Pink Say It In Pearls, Black Silk Ribbon, Retractable Blade Knife, Stamp-a-ma-jig, Cotton Candy Stickles

Goodbye CHF

The news hit the internet with a bang on Saturday morning and needless to say when I opened my email from CHF I almost fell out of my chair. I will sorely miss the CHF stamps that we used to teach you the wonders of stamping with red rubber. There are still a few wonderful stamps left in our store at 40% off. We appreciate your support so much as you snapped up our inventory, therefore not leaving us in a lurch! It was a moment of absolute panic in my heart when I read that announcement because I didn't know what to do. As with all things it must have it's own destiny and I must just go with the flow. So we appreciate so very much you coming to our aid and helping us find a way to move forward. We hope that the bargains you found will be enjoyed for many projects to come.

You can find inspiration and tons of how-to directions for CHF projects right here on simple dreams or over on the CLASSroom, Inchie INKlings and In Touch. Simply look in the "Categories" section and select Cornish Heritage Farms or one of the other categories such as ATC, Backgrounders and Scrapblocks, etc.

So without further ado here are a few "blast from the past" cards.

This would be the most appropriate card for today - LOL! We are doing our very best to process your orders as quickly as possible and so we apologize for the slight delay you are currently experiencing with our shipment times!

This is from the Round and Round We Go Rummage Bin stamp set. From the moment the Rummage Bin collection was released I was in love with the "artsy" style it allowed me to pursue. As it transitioned through a couple of different artists it always maintained a solid and gorgeous look! Thank you to all the women who put their hearts and souls into the creation of this line.

Creating for my children is one of my favorite things to do. The Kim Hughes collection will be one I REALLY miss and I know that we will hang on to some of these for Trina to use - these stamps were her favorites as well! Kim, your style jumps off the screen and makes me smile - I have been so very blessed to have you in my life.

Do you remember the coloring with white on Blacks and Browns lessons I taught using these fabulous stamps?

The sketchy style of Nancy's Shady Tree Studio collection was so perfect for Copic and watercolor techniques! Nancy your images allowed me to play in a completely different way than I could with other lines! Thank you for the opportunity to explore your beautiful creations.

As well the Mona Lisa Moments are a line that helped me express myself over and over again! Thank you Lisa for putting so much thought into creating these expressions for us!

Backgrounders are the reason I knew of CHF from the beginning - this old Scalloped Lace has always been one of my favorites - elegant and simple to use! What am I going to do without all the choices I have had to teach with?!?

Scrapblocks were an ingenious idea that Lisa brought to fruition - absolutely loved these stamps!!! Lisa, your talents to direct the art that was brought to CHF were extraordinary - I thank you for all the brilliant images you introduced me too!

And last, but certainly not least was the ATC collections that the girls once again put their heart and soul into. Becky, Julia and Lisa (and I hope I am not missing anyone - if I am please email me so that I can add your names) this series was amazing! Good stuff I tell you!!!

Again, thank you all SO very much for your support as we presented this line to you since January 2008! We will figure out something that will help fill the holes, but as is typical with me I have to "figure it our" first. We appreciate your patience with us as we figure this out and move forward. Thank you so much for shopping with us!

Crafting With Kids: Make It Sticky

Let's make it sticky - kids like sticky (and perhaps a few of the grown-up variety of kids do too :-D)

 

The deep edger Happy Birthday punch makes the cutest tags! I love how it leaves a top border on the image - it makes for the perfect tag to hang on to the side of a gift bag.

 

Color the sweet cupcake image from Hero Arts.

This is the same picture I showed in an earlier post - I used these colors throughout this crafting with kids series to try and keep it simple.

 

To turn your image into a sticker simply back it with Be Creative tape and cut it out. Then place the image face down on yet another piece of tape. I prefer to then use a fingertip knife to cut around the outside of the image and roll the excess tape off with my finger. You could also use a pair of teflon coated scissors to cut out the image. You can see both of these options on the image above.

 

Remove the tape backing and pour micro beads over the surface, pressing them into place. You could also use our transparent glitter to add that little extra pizazz to the image.

It is these little extra steps that make crafting extra special for kids. So try making it sticky the next time you craft!

stamps: Hero Arts Kiss the Cook

ink: Memento Tuxedo Black

paper: Memory Box Bayou, Basic Grey 6x6 Olivia Paper Pad

accessories: Happy Birthday Punch, MicroBeads, Be Creative Tape, Mauve Silk Ribbon 

Crafting With Kids: Dab It

Today I used the same fishbowl as yesterday and just applied a different technique that I thought would be fun for any age. It is a technique that Tim taught us at Ranger U and so both kids and those of us who are "older" kids will all enjoy giving this a try :-D

I had to share a close-up of the fishbowl before beginning just to give you a better view of these splendid little creatures. 

To begin simply take three different distress ink pads and rub them on the non-stick craft sheet. 

Use a mini mister and spray the surface until you see little beads form. I love the weight of the tags we carry and so used the white tags for this project. They curl when you wet them, but then the flatten right back out when dried.  Simply drag your tag through this delicious little color field.

The next technique is simply scribbling and dragging a reinker tip through your color field before misting.

As you can see the color is so much more vibrant.

The tag in the center is a combination of the two techniques. I created it using the first method and then dabbed it in the remaining vibrant colors from the second scribble technique. It is magical to see what will happen with each new application. Not only will this be fun for kids, but it will be fun for us older kids as well ;-D

 
This photo is to share what not to use - as you can see I used Memento Ink on the first set of fish and when I applied my Rock Candy stickles, well... SO attempt number two using an appropriate ink for this project, in this case Archival Ink.

I should have thought about my finished project before selecting my ink - I knew I wanted to add Rock Candy stickles to my fish to bring up the glam factor. As you can see the Memento Ink was not waterproof beneath the stickles.

At Ranger U I learned that Rock Candy Stickles can be heated! Yippie - I no longer have to wait to allow this beauty to dry. It is the only Stickles product that can be heated - the shimmer that emerges as it dries is gorgeous!

To create the water effect in the fish bowl I rubbed Distress Ink on my craft sheet, lightly misted it and then placed the fishbowl atop the ink puddles. Neenah cardstock will curl, but if you use your Heat It tool to dry it and then drag it over a rounded hard work surface edge in both directions you can eliminate many of the wrinkles and curls that result.

We hope that you have fun scribbling and dabbing! The results can be quite beautiful.
 

stamps: Kim Hughes Ocean Friends

paper: Neenah Solar White

ink: Jet Black Archival Ink Pad

accessories: Non-Stick Craft Sheet, Mini Mister, Distress Ink Pad - Dusty Concord, Broken China, Wild Honey, Distress Reinkers - Broken China, Dried Marigold, Rock Candy Distress Stickles, Large White Tags

Template: Download Fishbowl Template 

  

Crafting With Kids: Scribble It

It has been a "few" years since my girls were toddlers, but I remember those days like they were yesterday. I really miss the funny things they would say!

Our kitchen table is a testiment to the creative adventures that have taken place in our home - LOL! We talk about refinishing it, but then I think some of the memories might disappear with a more desireable surface.

With a little help a toddler can have fun creating too!

Two lines of stamps that we carry that are especially fun for kids are the Kim Hughes images and the Hero Arts selection. Making little stickers and having kids put them on their cards will be a fun activity for even the youngest child.

To begin I covered a piece of Neenah cardstock with the 4 1/2" wide tape. The smaller 2 1/2" size will work for many images and you can do several rows placed together for larger images.

I cut the piece of cardstock off that was backed with tape and randomly stamped a bunch of "fishy" images.

Next I did my best to imitate the coloring of my youth as I don't have any little helpers here at work. Using my left hand I had very little control - LOL! To help make certain that you don't end up with bunches of black and brown simply select the colors in advance - then there will be no tears when Mom decides that those colors just aren't working :-D

One thing I did realize after I had cut out my pieces is that a hard scribble looks better ;-D So let your kids color at will.

Julia helped me create this little fishbowl and we would like to share it with you in hopes that you will try this with your kids. (Scroll to the bottom of this post - you will find it in the supplies section.) All you have to do is insert your cardstock and print :-D

Then score and cut out your fishbowl as shown above.

Using a stamp-a-ma-jig I was able to line up the cute waves along the top edge and then added some seaweed and bubbles.

 
Remove the sticker backing and put your fish in the bowl.

You can outline some of the bubbles, the waves and parts of the fish using a 2-way glue pen and then sprinkle on the glitter.

This could make the perfect card to send to grandparents or give to Dad by simply adding the "your fintastic" sentiment inside.

This idea can be translated on so many different levels. Create your own sticker page scenes or coloring book pages. So try getting crafty with your wee ones! Scribbling can be so very cute!

 
stamps: Kim Hughes Ocean Friends

paper: Neenah Solar White

ink: Memento Tuxedo Black (or if you would like to let them watercolor I would recommend Palette Noir)

accessories: Be Creative 2 1/2" or 4 1/2" Tape, Cool Highlights Microfine Glitter, 2-way Glue Pen, Teflon Scissors (so that the adhesive doesn't stick), Crayola Wax Crayons

template: Download Fishbowl Template