simple dreams

"BOO" Your Neighbor --- It's a Good Thing!

This activity has been one my family has REALLY enjoyed, especially when my girls were a little younger than they are now ;-D It is always so much fun to hear the laughter as they tell their get away stories and it just feels good to bring this little "tradition" to other families.

Here at work I started asking the others if they had ever "Boo'ed" their neighbors. They gave me the funniest look when I asked this question. I then realized that everyone but Cathy had no clue what I was talking about! Thank you for sharing your poem with us Cathy (I couldn't find mine - insert pink cheeks here).

BOO!

The Phantom Ghost has come to call, and left some goodies for one and all.

The Treats that came with this special note, are yours to keep, enjoy them both.

The fun comes when friends like you, will copy this and make it two.

Then others here among our friends, will give warm puzzles that will not end.

We'll have smiles upon our face, no one will know who boo'ed whose place.

Just one short day to work your fun, or a big zap will strike, so run!

And don't forget a nifty treat, like something cute or something sweet.

Please join the fun, let's really bear it, and spread some boos and a kind spirit.

So here is what you do:

1. Make two fun "ghostly" tags,
2. Make two copies of the attached BOO! poem and stamp some fun images around the corners: Download Boo Poem
3. Fill two bags with a couple of treats,
   
4. Place a copy of the BOO! poem in each bag,
5. Secretly deliver to two neighbors or friends,
6. Watch the excitement grow :-D

Above are just a couple of close-ups to help you replicate this design if you choose. I had so much fun masking, aging, texturizing... I hope to share the how-to's for all these fabulous techniques soon :-D

stamps: Stampers Anonymous Winter Sketchbook, Hero Arts ClearDesign Frightful

ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Distress Ink - Vintage Photo and Tea Dye; Copic Markers

paper: Manila Tags, #10 (X-Large), Graphic 45 Steampunk Debutante 8x8

accessories: Sizzix DIes - Rickety House and On the Fence; Texture Fades - Bricked and Wooden; Martha Stewart Witch and Cauldron, Frisket Film, Adirondack Dabbers - Snow Cap and Espresso, Tim Holtz TImepieces, Game Spinner, Film Strip Ribbon, Memo Pin and Tiny Attacher, 7 Gypsies Antique Brass Reinforcers, White Prismacolor Pencil,  Gold Silk Ribbon

Starbucks Giftcard "Card"

Julie Ebersole is simply a card making genius! This weekend I was so very lucky to be able to spend some time with my sweet and talented girlfriend. We ended up down here at work in my studio and I was showing her the Martha Stewart Scoring Board and sharing some of the ideas I had for how to use it. When we get together and get excited about an idea we "monkey clap" --- well, the idea that Julie shared with me had me clapping like a silly little monkey and the timing for this idea was perfection.

Today is Carina's birthday and I picked up a Starbucks gift card as a special little birthday treat. I knew immediately how I wanted to present it to her thanks to Julie's card making brilliance. THANK YOU Jules!

The simplicity of this design does not give away what is inside :-D The "regular" gift card holder that Starbucks provides was kraft and green. I immediately thought about the beautiful series of cards that sweet Hero Arts girl Jennifer McGuire had created. Thanks to these lovely ladies ideas I was able to pull this one off in a VERY short time!

 

Stamping with Snow Chalk Ink on the new Brown Bag Kraft from Hero Arts was step one. A short time to dry and then I scored on the Martha Stewart Scoring board the perfect size rectangle to hold a gift card. Now this is where Julie's magic comes in - it's as simple as perforating on those lines!!!

I added a white liner to the interior of the card so that I could "sandwich" the gift card behind the front cover. You can see the little slot I created using my Basic Grey Slot Tool. Sorry we don't carry those in our store because I truly do love this tool. It makes the perfect little closure as well as the perfect place to hold the gift card in place. I then used adhesive around the exterior of the gift card and it holds the card secretly beneath the surface.

 

I decided to dress it up just a bit with little green circles that could be used as a pull tab.

Pull and voila - goodies to share with those you care about! Brilliant I tell you - Jules thank you for sharing your fabulous idea!!!

stamps: Hero Arts Clear Design Have a Donut and Celebrating the Moments, Dots and Flowers Background

ink: Hero Arts Chalk Ink - Snow and Latte

paper: Hero Arts Brown Bag Kraft and Grass Layering Papers, Neenah Solar White

accessories: Prismacolor Pencils, White Gloss Enamel Accents, Paper Perforator, Martha Stewart Scoring Board, Embossing Stylus

 

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: Punch It Out

Thinking about creative processes that are active was my goal when trying to come up with things I think boys would like to do. Many moons ago I taught third and fourth graders - what a fantastic age group! It was important to me as a teacher that I try to meet the needs of all the different learning styles - one of which is the student that needs action to learn.

Your craft tools can be more than craft tools - use the fun punch shapes to have your kids punch out different shapes to learn their math skills - adding, subtracting, multiplying, dividing. Fractions, shapes - it truly is endless! Punches are one of the tools that I think your kids could get SO much use out of.

Again today I wanted to create a card that would hopefully appeal to a boy - something he could use for an upcoming birthday party.

Think outside the box when you are creating - turning the picket fence into a railroad track was my out-of-the-box idea for this punch. Kim turned the cupcake punch into a graduation cap. There are SO many different things you can do. Give your kids your punches and see what they come up with!

To complete the railroad track look I first cut the picket points off with my paper cutter and then made a second cut to turn it into a track. Easy and fun! If one is too small to use up the space then use two or three to bring the proportion together. AND if you are kids perhaps you will want to cover the entire card with train tracks :-D

I will be using more punches shapes in another upcoming idea - they are so very versatile and easy for kids to use!

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

accessories: Basic Grey Oliver Gummies, Sticker Elements and Clips, Martha Stewart Picket Fence Edger Punch
  

Punched Easter Egg Holders

I literally started to laugh out loud this morning as I took a peek at Kim's wonderful post! I have had these punched "border" pieces on my desk in my studio for days and have been overwhelmed with the tasks of running the business. If these didn't get done today, I knew they wouldn't get done and so I stamped a couple of items, pulled some supplies and brought them home with me tonight.

This post is especially for all those of you who have purchased Martha Stewart punches through us. They are marvelous and offer so much potential for fun projects. I apologize to those who would have like to purchase some of these punches for this year's Easter celebrations - but think in terms of using these little "wraps" around votive holders, flower vases and more. Fun, fun, fun!!!

Begin by punching strips of "grass" from Cosmo Cricket Garden Variety 6x6 paper. I selected two coordinating patterns to add that little extra zip. One strip of 6x6 easily fits around an egg :-D I actually cut the length of the paper down to 5 3/8", but this will depend on the size of your eggs.

I stamped the darling Hero Arts Bunny in Basket image using Tuxedo Black ink on Neenah cardstock. Quickly coloring this image with Copic markers and Prismacolor pencils.

A little of the satin ribbon (April's color is yellow :D) we include as a gift with our orders and a Kioshi Pop finish off this egg holder.

The point of these egg holders is to create something fun that is quick and easy! Think out of the box with the supplies you already own. For this one I decorated the egg with the wonderful new Kioshi Ribbon Doilies paper ribbon. This ribbon has an adhesive backing and it was SO easy to wrap and stick it to the surface of my egg. Talk about FANCY stickers - these are incredible!

This time I selected the Bunnies sitting in the Grass punch to coordinate with the grass punch. Adding some yellow crochet trim and another Kioshi Pop and yet another darling egg holder was complete.

The last egg holder is using the fabulous new Lockhart image, Spring Flower. I look forward to spring in such a big way and this image just exudes the beauty of springtime! Once again I colored with Copic Markers and Prismacolor pencils.

This time I used the Doily Lace Trim punch. This versatile punch makes an exquisite trim on cards, gifts and so much more. I think it might be one of my absolute favorites for the season.

 

QUICK TIP: Hide the seam behind your stamped image or a fun embellishment.

 

stamps: Hero Arts Bunny in a Basket, Lockhart Spring Flower

paper: Solar White Neenah Classic Crest, Cosmo Cricket 6x6 Garden Variety, Basic Grey 6x6 Kioshi

ink: Memento Tuxedo Black

accessories: Martha Stewart Punches - Grass, Bunnies in the Grass, Doily Lace Trim; Basic Grey Kioshi Pops, Basic Grey Kioshi Ribbon Doilies, Maya Road Yellow Crochet Trim

Fantasy Butterfly Ornaments

It was during Winter CHA 2009 that I stumbled upon a booth that had these absolutely fabulous, sparkly, fantasy creatures, flitting through a Christmas tree. I was hooked! The colors were absolutely incredible and with each change in direction they seemingly changed. I knew I had to share this with all of you who like to create your own Christmas ornaments. You can give them as gifts or use them on your own tree. You can even wear them. I kid you not! I wore the dragonfly pictured in the bottom photo that day at CHA and received so many compliments from others wondering where I had purchased my "pin." Well, I hadn't purchased it - the booth owners had given it to me and it coordinated perfectly with my outfit.

So today I want to share my adventure in Fantasy Film and glitter with you!

To begin this adventure I decided to keep it simple and share my learning experience with you. It really is quite easy to create these magical creatures. First ink your stamp, in this instance I used the medium Butterfly, with permanent ink. Palette Ink is the permanent ink I used in today's project.

Use three layers of fantasy film that are cut slightly larger than the size of your rubber stamp image. Place all three layers together.

You will need to use an iron to fuse the fantasy film. The setting I used on my little craft iron was Silk, or medium/high. VERY CAREFULLY place the three layers of fantasy film on top of your inked image. You do not want these to move because it will smudge your image. So no heavy breathing ladies - LOL!

 
Then use a piece of parchment paper or copy paper as a barrier between the film and your iron.  Do not leave your fantasy film exposed as in the picture above or you might end up with a gluey mess on the bottom of your iron. I have set it to the side like this so that you can see that the paper is atop the film.

Press the hot iron to the paper directly over your image. Do not move your iron back and forth, but rather lift and move it. Ironing in the typical fashion may cause your materials to move and smudge. Hold the iron in place for only 3-5 seconds. Remember you only need a little heat to fuse the layers. Once you have the entire image "pressed" then remove the parchment paper and the layer of film.

This is what it looks like after you press it. Use a fine-tipped scissor to then cut out the image.

Surprisingly it is quite easy to cut out.

The four butterflies pictured above are made using two varieties of Fantasy Film. I wanted to share the MANY variations you will be able to achieve. Starting on the left and working towards the right I have the following combinations:

• 3 layers of In the Forest
• 2 layers of In the Forest, 1 layer of Mother of Pearl
• 1 layer of In the Forest, 2 layers of Mother of Pearl
• 3 layers of Mother of Pearl

 
It is so difficult trying to get good pictures of this beautiful iridescent material. As you can see when I lift the butterfly away from the white sheet of paper it appears to be completely different. The transparent shimmer is absolutely exquisite!

You can be finished at this point, but why be finished when there is still more sparkle that can be added? Insert silly grin. Apply glue to the individual segments within the butterfly wings.

Sprinkle glitter over the gluey surface and allow for 15 (fifteen) minutes of drying time. Dump the excess glitter away and using a very soft brush remove the remaining excess.

I decided to experiment with a couple of different types of glue. I wanted to be certain that you really need the Designer Dries Clear Adhesive or wondered if you can get away with using a glue you may already have in your stash. I found that the Art Institute Glitter Glue is thinner, or more watery than the other glues I currently use, so it was easier to apply. It also has the ability to remain in delightful little mounds when squeezed on to your image. So I must admit that I preferred this glue to others that I tried.

As you can see the Flower Soft Glue worked just fine. It is actually the glue that you see in the "glue" picture above. It does not remain mounded as high and I found that I had to deal with little "strings" as I squeezed it from the bottle on to my shiny surface. Overall, it is just fine though if you do not want to purchase yet another glue.

Adding second and third layers of glitter to your projects is easy. After allowing that first layer to dry I then applied glue in additional locations and used a second color of glitter. Brushing away the excess once it was dry I then repeated one last time, for three separate colors on my butterflies.

Simply magical! A little decorating with some of Webster's Pages trims and Chandelier Crystals and I was amazed at how my little "fake" tree took on a whole new life. Poor Cathy, Molly and Carina - I don't know how many times I excitedly beckoned them in to the studio and next to the photo tent, and had them endure my endless little squeals of delight with each new sparkle. Needless to say I do have other little projects that are in the works! Snowflakes, angel wings, round glass ornaments filled with sparkly beauties - the list keeps growing with projects I would like to try! It will be thrilling to see how many of you join me in my sparkly excitement. Happy glittering girls!!!

stamps: Medium Butterfly, Large Dragonfly (other sizes of butterflies and dragonflies would look fabulous as well)

ink: Palette Noir

accessories: Fantasy Film - In the Forest, Mother of Pearl, Baby Bonnet; Martha Stewart Essential Glitter- Aquamarine Crystal, Smoky Quartz, Peridot; Designer Dries Clear Adhesive, Sky Chandelier Crystals, Webster's Pages Home for the Holidays Trim

3-D Punched Tree Scene Christmas Card

What's up?!? Two posts in two days - I'm just giddy with excitement over having the opportunity to finally get some of these ideas that are in my head out on to paper!!! Finally the dreaded taxes are complete (for the most part) and I NEED to play - I've been getting a little punchy here lately with all that bookkeeping! (OK, OK - I hear the groans now from my VERY bad pun, so I'll move right along - LOL!)

I cannot begin to tell you how much fun it is to play with all these fab toys!

This 3-D tree is one I have seen on numerous occasions, I wanted to test it out with the new Martha Stewart Christmas Tree punch and I'm thrilled with the results. I can see all sorts of uses for this little tree! Replace the letter A in PEACE with a dimensional tree, or insert little trees in to the Kaisercraft Advent Calendar, put it on a tag, or create some rolling hills to decorate with a stand of trees... the ideas are endless - I wish that there was more time in the day!

Simply punch out five little trees, in this instance I punched two from the striped paper and three from the patterned green. It is important to score the trees right down the center before attempting to fold them. I like to use my Mini-Scor It for this part of the project. The score line that the Scor-it creates is so superior to any other type of scoring I had used previous to discovering this wonderful gadget. This allows for a very precise fold and makes it easy to fit them together.

As you can see I applied one tree at a time, putting Perfect Paper Adhesive (PPA - I love this glue because it does not "soak" the paper) on one half of the tree.

Then using my teflon bone folder I press the entire length of the tree to ensure proper adhesion.

Becky has been creating MARVELOUS sewing tutorials (for further inspiration visit In Touch - An Adventure in Sewing and the CLASSroom here and here.) It is so awesome to have her as part of our team that teaches and inspires. One of the tips that I find the most useful is when needing to turn my project I make certain the needle is in the down position and "skewered" through my paper.

Then lift the foot into the up position and spin the paper before continuing to sew. 

Using this method I was able to create my "corner star" for this card. This particular look would also make fab photo corners!

Using the star that is included alongside the tree, I mounded it with PPA and sprinkled it generously with Brownstone Glitter. Just a side note about this glitter. I must tell you that in looking at products to carry in our store I felt that the colors, selection and value of this set was excellent and therefore the reason for making it available to you. The zing this glitter gives a project is simply spectacular.

Be certain to allow it to sit and dry before moving it to your project.

One of the fabulous Webster's Pages pages made an ideal setting for the tree (unfortunately at this very minute we do not have any left up on the store, BUT a little birdie tells me that our stamp of the month packet is going to blow your socks off this month. SO be certain to stick close to your computer come November 1st to get first dibs on it!) along with the new Christmas Cheer Block made the perfect backdrop for this little tree. A little Webster's trim, stitching and glitter and project complete! 

Now go get punchy girls - Halloween is tomorrow night and the clocks "Fall back"... so you will have an extra hour on Sunday to do a little creating!

stamps: Memory Box Christmas Cheer Block

paper: Webster's Pages Home for the Holidays & Winter Wings, Memory Box Dill Notecard

ink: Memento Rich Cocoa

accessories: Martha Stewart Large Christmas Tree punch, Webster's Pages Home for the Holidays & Winter Wings Trim, Martha Stewart Essential Glitter - Brownstone, Perfect Paper Adhesive

P.S. For those who wonder what it is that I am up to during the day you can now find me on Facebook. Just search for Ellen Hutson and send me your friend request :) Have a safe, fun and creative weekend!

Reindeer Run over the Frosty Village

Time goes by SO fast - frost was most definitely in the air here in the Pacific NW this morning! I"m so grateful there are no snowflakes yet though.

You know how when you have an idea when you first see a product and you are so anxious to just create it - well... this is one of those ideas. When I first saw the new Martha Stewart Frosty Village punch and Memory Box Reindeer Run stamp I knew I just had to create this card - LOL! 

 

Tip: Use the cover sheet from you paper collection - don't let it go to waste. This is the cover to Dewfrost with the writing cut off and turned on it's side.

To create the darling village edge I simply cut a piece of cardstock at an angle. I then punched the Frosted Village along the top edge and scored it, folding it back on itself.

Another idea I have is to create a pocket card and then insert a folded card into the pocket and havethe village along the top edge popping out of the top edge. If you create one please let me know - I'm so wanting to do this, but... time it is alway against me.

 

Add snow drifts to create some depth to the simple white layer using torn Eclipse tape, a sponge (note the clip to keep my fingers from getting dirty - I have all my sponges clipped like this - LOL!), and Cloudy Blue dye ink. Simply start at the top and sponge your first "drift." Reposition your Eclipse tape moving it down and from side to side to create a variegated pattern. Add some snowy sparkle to the roofline with Icicle Stickles.

 

This wintery scene just needed some reindeer flying through the sky. To create Santa's team of eight I simply inked the image with Memento Rich Cocoa stamping it once and then lifting the stamp and moving it slightly askew to the back, stamping it a second time without reinking. A few more stickles on the snowflakes, some ribbon and a glazed brad to hold the sentiment in place. The Martha Stewart tag punch is an ideal punch to use with the tiny greeting stamps. Quick and simple, just the way I like it.

I hope this post inspires you to use your punches in new and different ways. Pull out some of those old "fancy-fold" ideas and pocket cards to create something fun this holiday season!

 
stamps: Memory Box Reindeer Run and Warmest Wishes

ink: Memento Rich Cocoa, Adirondack Pool Dye Ink Pad

paper: Memory Box Water and Dewfrost

accessories: Martha Stewart Frosty Village Edger punch and Scalloped Tag, Wisteria Glazed Brad, Icicle Stickles, Eclipse Tape