Christmas Gift Bag

Hello and welcome to my little corner of the crafting world!

I hope your week has been going well for you so far.  Are you ready for all the little trick or treaters?  I can't believe that it's Halloween and here I am posting a Christmas project!  But, I know I better get a move on, because Christmas will be here way too soon!

So, a few days ago I shared a fun treat holder that I put together using my new stamps from Jaded Blossom.  You can see my post "Santa Kisses" here.  After photographing and putting this project away, it hit me that the only thing missing was a fun gift bag!  So, I pulled out my Jaded Blossom stamps and Christmas paper and got busy....

(click on photo to enlarge)

Recipe:

* I started with a plain Kraft bag - I used a paper punch and the pretty gingham paper to dress up the top of my bag.

* The tag is from the Silhouette Online Store - I machine stitched around the edges

* That lovely Christmas Tree and sweet sentiment are both from the "Christmas Wishes" stamp set by Jaded Blossom. The tree is stamped with "Mowed Lawn" ink by Ranger

* I added some great "Holly Berry" twine from Trendy Twine and a jingle bell to finish up my tag.

That's it for me today!  Thanks for stopping by and I hope you have a wonderful, safe Halloween tonight!  Enjoy those trick or treaters and don't eat too much candy!

Until next time,

Happy Halloween

Hi there!  Thanks so much for stopping by today - I hope your Monday is off to a great start! Are you almost ready for Halloween?  I can't believe that it's almost here.  Seems like October just arrived!  I think I'm almost done with all of my Halloween projects and really need to get a move on for Thanksgiving and Christmas!

Today's project is for my sweet granddaughter Emma.....

(click on photo to enlarge)

I've already given this to Emma because I know it will be crazy around her on Halloween night!  She loved all of her goodies and the sweet little pumpkin girl.

I am really enjoying using my Copics - but I have so much to learn!  I still have issues with blending and shading, but I love playing with them.  Takes me back to all those coloring books I've filled up over the years!  Here's the recipe for this sweet little bag of goodies....

Recipe:
* Mats are cut from Spellbinders die - Labels 25
* That cute little pumpkin is from "La-La Land" stamps (Pumpkin Marci)
* Fun "Lime Licorice" twine is from Trendy Twine
* Sentiment is from the "Magic Spells" stamp set by Bug Bites

I am going to link my project up over at Paper Playtime for their "Anything Goes" challenge.

Thanks again for stopping by today - I always enjoy your visits and look forward to your sweet comments.  I'll be seeing you soon.

Until next time,

Santa Kisses

Hi there and thanks for popping over for a visit!

Are you having a good weekend?  I'm enjoying some "me time" in my craft room today.  I haven't been crafting as much as I have been organizing.  My addiction with stamps and Copic markers has gotten a bit out of hand and I'm trying to come up with better storage options.  Ah....the woes of an over-stocked crafter!

So, speaking of stamps.... I am pretty new to the "Jaded Blossom" stamp line, but I think I may be hooked!  I recently received my stamps from the last release and let me tell you....they are cute!  I really need to get started on some Christmas goodies, so I thought that between bouts of organizing, I would try out my new stamps......

I like to have little goodies on hand during the Christmas season for a quick little gift.  It seems like I always need something for a teacher's gift or a get together or "just because".  I think this little set fills that need perfectly!

Recipe for Cocoa Holder:

* I used the "Treat Pocket" file from the Silhouette Online Store for the Cocoa Holder.

* The Mug and Sentiment are from the Jaded Blossom stamp set "Hot Cocoa"

* Red sentiment tag is from Spellbinders - "Ribbon Tag Trio"

* I tied on a little bag of marshmallows with some sweet twine from Trendy Twine

Recipe for goodie bag:

* I used the Jaded Blossom die "Fancy Topper Die"

* Sentiment is from the Jaded Blossom stamp set "Christmas Poop" (too cute!)

* Sentiment mat is Spellbinders - "Labels 11"

* Santa Hat is a sticker from Recollections

* Sentiments for kisses are from Jaded Blossom's "Christmas Candies" stamp set

I'm pretty sure I will be making more of these fun sets to have on hand this year!

Ok...time for more organizing...I have more Copics that should be delivered this afternoon and no where to put them...............

Until next time,

Trick or Treat!

Hello everyone and thank you for stopping by!

Aren't you glad it's Friday?  This has been a busy week for me and I'm ready for the weekend.  And for those of you who commented on my last post - NO...that stinkin' House-Cleaning Fairy NEVER did show up!  I think maybe she found a better position elsewhere!

Besides the upcoming weekend, I have another reason for you to celebrate Fridays - a new challenge over at the Pause Dream Enjoy Challenge Blog!  This week's challenge is called "Candy-Licious"...doesn't that sound like fun?  Since the challenge is all about candy, I thought I would make a little something for my grandsons, Blake and Brayden...

Aren't these little guys cute?

Ok, before I get into the recipe for making these guys, let me share all the details about this week's challenge with you....

Ch# 43: CANDY!

Make a CANDY-licious project.
Starts: Friday, October 26th 12:00 am EST

Ends: Thursday, November 1st, Noon EST

Winner (chosen by random.org) Announced: Thursday, November 1st late afternoon

Our Sponsor this challenge is



Cardz TV Stamps
http://www.cardztvstamps.blogspot.com/
Prize: 1 Stamp Set of the Winner's Choice

So, how great is that?  A great excuse to make a project with CANDY and a chance to win some fabulous stamps - win, win!

Now...back to the recipe...

* The pumpkin is from the Silhouette Online Store (Jack-o-lantern Favor Bag)

* I used some Martha Stewart Black Onyx glitter on his eyes, nose and mouth

*The Scalloped tag is also from the Silhouette Online Store

* Sentiment is from the "Magic Spells" stamp set by Bug Bites

* The star and bat are from K&Company

* I used some fun Licorice twine from Trendy Twine to add my tag to the handle

Ok - that's my "Candy-Licious" project!  I hope you will hop on over to the Pause Dream Enjoy Challenge Blog and see all the wonderful projects the Design Team has put together for your inspiration!  Thanks for stopping by and I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Until next time,

Happy Thanksgiving!

Hello everyone!  Thanks for stopping by today!  I'm supposed to be cleaning my house, which by the way, ranks right up there on my "least favorite things to do" list.  But, I am taking an official break to share a card with you and get it linked up at this week's Peachy Keen Stamps Challenge before I miss the deadline.  I haven't had a chance to play in the last few challenges and I'm excited to play along again this week....

Recipe:

* Card sketch is from Mojo Mondays

* Papers are from the Autumn Splendor paper stack by DCWV

* Sweet little turkey is from the PK Stamp set "Lil' Tweets Thanksgiving"

* Sentiment is from the Peachy Keen October Stamp Set and colored with my Copics

* I added some bright orange Crinkle Ribbon and gems from CTMH

Ok, I'm off to link this up over at the Peachy Keen Challenge then it's back to the vacuum cleaner for me....ugh!  I'm sure I'll be taking a crafty break soon (it's in my contract) so I'll be seeing you!

Until next time,

"EMMA and Nonna's Craft Corner"

Hi there everybody - thanks for stopping by!  I hope you have been enjoying your weekend and getting lots of crafty stuff done!  My granddaughter Emma is spending the night with us tonight and when she gets to my house the very first thing she does is run Lola (our Yorkie) all over the house!  Lola is always so excited to see Emma and it takes a few laps around the house to burn off that excitement!  The next thing she wants to do is...CRAFT!   I have trained this girl right...lol!  So, tonight we thought we would work on a Halloween decoration, and this is what the two of us came up with....

Isn't this cute?  I'm thinking I may have to change the name of my blog!

*We looked over some of the files I have downloaded from the Silhouette Online Store and decided on this fun witches hat.  The file is 3D Hat Box - Witch.

* Next we cut everything out - I handled the computer and Emma loaded, hit the cut button and unloaded the paper for me.  I think her favorite part was pulling the paper off the mat and seeing how the cuts looked.

* Next, she helped me figure out how to put the parts together and held things together for me as they dried.  She also got to add the glitter to our silver buckle - she thought that was awesome!

* It took us a few minutes to decide how we wanted to embellish our hat, but we finally agreed on the cool, metallic purple sprig (Michaels) and some bright orange Crinkle Ribbon.  Emma insisted that it HAD to have orange on it somewhere because after all it is a Halloween project!

* I wanted to add a flower to the center of our ribbon, but my guest designer had another idea - she thought we needed a spider!  You know...when she's right...she's right!

* This cute little witches hat has a cool little secret....

The top lifts off - and you have a great little box to stash some Halloween goodies!

How cute is that?

I had planned on posting some photos of Emma with her creation, but she and Lola are zonked out on the couch!  I think they have worn each other out - I'm just hoping they both sleep through the night!

I'm going to link up our project in a couple of challenges that are going on this week...

Eek! Boo! Ahh! Challenge #4 at Cut It Up Challenges

Halloween Challenge #6 at The Cameo Spotlight
Halloween Challenge at Decorate To Celebrate

Well, this Nonna is pretty tired too, so I think this is about it for me tonight. I hope you all enjoy the rest of your weekend.  Oh...and if you are ever in need of a guest designer...I think I know someone who would be just perfect!

Until next time,

To Everything There Is A Season...

Hi there...thanks for stopping by today!  Are you having a good week?  If not...hang on...the weekend is almost here!  This has been a busy week for me and I'm looking forward to some serious crafting time this weekend.  I have so many projects I would like to work on.

Where do you go to look for inspiration when you hit a block?  I love to visit all my bloggy friends and see what their wonderfully creative minds have come up with.  That usually gets me going in the right direction!  Another place I love to visit is Mojo Monday.  I rarely play along with their challenges, but I LOVE their card sketches!  I usually print them off and place them in a 3 ring binder for future reference.  So, when I hit one of those "blocks", I can pull out that binder and in no time - I'm inspired!  The card I would like to share with you today is from one of those sketches....

Isn't that a beautiful layout?

Recipe:

* Card base is created from Spellbinders "Grand Scalloped Circles"

* All that beautiful printed paper is from "October Afternoon"

* The scalloped sentiment mat is from the Silhouette Online Store

* Flower is also from the SOS - after assembling the flower, I gave it a spritz with a bit of Glimmer Mist in "Iridescent Gold".  I used some Crinkle Ribbon for the leaves

* The sentiment is one of my favorite scriptures and is from the K. Andrew Designs "Scriptured Sayings" stamp set

And there you go!  Thanks so much for stopping by today and I hope you have a fabulously crafty weekend ahead of you!  I will be seeing you soon....

Until next time,

Truly Grateful

Hello everyone and welcome to my little corner of the crafting world!

I am so happy that you stopped by today because I have a special project to share with you.  My sweet crafty friend, Georgiana, recently asked me to be a Guest Designer on the fun challenge blog Die Cuttin' Divas.  I am really honored and excited and can't wait to show you what I've created! The challenge this week is to use a pumpkin (or pumpkins) on your project.

And, here's what I came up with....

(click on photo to enlarge)

I started my project with an Artist Tray made by "7 Gypsies".  I knew I wanted a fall theme so I picked pretty papers in gold, orange, brown, and green tones.  I also picked images that remind me of falling leaves, cooler weather, thanksgiving and things I am grateful for.

Recipe:

* For each square I measured and cut a piece of thin cardboard.  After choosing the paper for that square, I glued it on, inked up the edges in "Vintage Sepia" Ink by Versamark, and stitched around the edges with dark brown thread.

* Next, each square was decorated with an image that makes me think of fall.  All the images are from the Silhouette Online Store.

*  After I completed each square, I added some Zip Dry Glue to the back of the cardboard and adhered it into the correct space.

I have a few close up photos for you....

* All cuts unless otherwise specified are from the Silhouette Online Store*

*The "Fall" Banner is designed by "Echo Park" - I used a few gems from Recollections and some cute orange and brown twine from Trendy Twine.

* The acorn is also from "Echo Park".  The top portion is embossed with the "Swiss Dots" embossing folder. I used some beautiful Crinkle ribbon from "My Craft Spot" to finish this square off.

* The sunflower file is called "3D Sunflower" and is so pretty!  The brown center was also embossed with the "Swiss Dots" folder.  The strip of burlap behind the flower is from "Canvas Corp".

* The tree is embossed with the "Woodgrain" embossing folder.  I added some rusty colored Crinkle Ribbon to this square and a gem from "The Paper Studio" in the center of my bow.  The sentiment is from "Pink By Design" and I hand cut the little banner.

* The pretty leaf comes next.  I added some twine in a vintage pattern. I'm not sure where I purchased this twine from - I've had it for a long time.  A dark brown button finishes up this square.

* I cut the phrase "Truly Grateful" in orange cardstock and inked it up with more brown ink.  This was added to a pretty frame after I stitched around the edges.  The file for the frame is called "4 Nested Frames".  For the finishing touch, I added more beautiful Crinkle Ribbon.

* Now, this file cannot be found in the Silhouette Online Store!  These are my 3 beautiful grandchildren - Emma, Brayden and Blake!  I used a sweet frame from the SOS and added a couple of bows made from more vintage twine and gems.  The phrase "blessed" is also from the SOS.

*The Pilgrim Hat and Pie are both from a file called "Thanksgiving Icons". A few gems, a button and some twine complete these squares.

* And, finally....the pumpkins!  These fun pumpkins are from a file labeled "3 Pumpkins".  I love the designs on each one.  The sentiment is from "K. Andrews Designs" and is stamped on a label I cut using Spellbinders "Grommet Tags.

One last photo...my Artist Tray on display in my home....

Before I end my post, I would like to thank Georgiana for inviting me to play along with this week's challenge.  I hope you will hop on over to Die Cuttin' Divas and see what beautiful projects the Designers have in store for you.  I hope to see your Pumpkin project lined up for this week's challenge!  Thanks again for stopping by and I'll be seeing you soon!

Until next time,

Bunco Time!

Hello everyone and thanks for stopping by for a visit!

I hope your weekend is going well for you.  If it has been anything like mine, it's just over much too  quickly and Monday rolls around again before you know it!

Well, if you visit my blog often, you know that I was the "hostess" this month for my Bunco group. So, much of my time over the past couple of weeks has been spent cleaning house and working on Bunco-related projects. If you missed the fun "Magic Potion" bottles I made for my group, you can see that post here, they were a huge hit with everyone!  I play Bunco with the best group of ladies around - we have a great time eating, talking, catching up, laughing...oh...and we play a bit of Bunco!  Now that it's over, I thought I would share this year's invite with you...

(click on photo to enlarge)

Recipe:
* I used the Cricut cartridge "Create A Critter 2" for the witches cauldron
* Martha Stewart Coarse Glitter
* Spellbinders "Labels 17" for the mat
* Martha Stewart "Drippy Goo" paper punch
* White gel pen
* Trendy Twine
* CTMH "Typeface" stamp set for the letters to spell Bunco
* Black roses are from The Paper Studio

And, here's the inside...

After printing out the info, I used "Labels 17" to cut out the invite and spritzed it with some Glimmer Mist in "Almost Black".

Thanks again for stopping by!  I always look forward to your visits and wonderful, kind comments! Enjoy what's left of the weekend and I'll be seeing you soon!

Until next time,

Boo

Hi there and Happy Friday to you!
I'm always happy to see you stop by for a visit, but I'm especially happy to see you today because today is my first post as part of the Pause Dream Enjoy Design Team!  It's also the start of a brand new challenge at


Pause Dream Enjoy Challenges!

Ch#41: Boo!

Use the word "BOO" on your project.

Starts: Friday, October 12th 12:00 am EST

Ends: Thursday, October 18th, Noon EST

Winner (chosen by random.org) Announced: Thursday, October 18th late afternoon

Our Sponsor this challenge is

Fresh Brewed Designs
Prize: 3 Digis of the winner's choice

Ok, let's get started...I can't wait to share my "Boo" project with you....

(click on photo to enlarge)

Recipe:

* I started with some plain, unfinished wooden blocks that I ordered from "Oh My Crafts" and painted them with black acrylic paint. The blocks vary in height from about 3.5 to 4.24 inches.

* Next, I chose some fun Halloween prints and cut them about an inch shorter than each block.  I distressed the edges and inked them up with black ink.  Then, I wrapped and glued the strip around each block.

* Now comes the fun part of decorating each block!  Using the Cricut cartridge "Kate's ABCs", I cut the letters for "BOO". The B is cut at 3.75 inches and the O's are cut at 3.25 inches.  I cut each letter 3 times and glued all the layers together for durability.  Then I ran each letter through my Xyron and covered them with some Martha Stewart "Onyx" glitter.

* The cute little cat is from the Silhouette Online Store.  I inked up a few edges with some white ink to add a bit of dimension.  His whiskers got a sprinkle of black glitter and his eyes are covered with Glossy Accents.  I used some pretty purple Crinkle ribbon on this block and a fun button tied off with twine.  A purple gem collar gives this Kitty a sense of style!

* The letter B block gets some bright orange Crinkle ribbon with a black rose in the center.  I found that fun broom at Hobby Lobby and added a sweet Halloween charm tied on with a "Trendy Twine" twine bow.

* The first letter O gets some yellow Crinkle ribbon and that adorable pair of Witches legs!  The legs are from the Silhouette Store and get dressed up with some green gems for buttons.  I added a few purple gems to the ribbon and a big bow to the letter O.

* The grumpy looking owl is also from the Silhouette Online Store.  His block is decked out with some lime green Crinkle ribbon and a couple of stick pins that I put together.

* The last block gets a couple of strips of purple Crinkle ribbon and a fun Witches hat from the Silhouette Online Store.  I added ribbon, gems and a purple flower for a snazzy hat band.  The bow is accented with a cute pumpkin jingle bell.

And, here's the complete line up again....

Well, that's about wraps it up for me.  I hope you will drop by to see all the wonderful projects created by Design Team over at the Pause Dream Enjoy Challenges Blog, they have some great things in store for you!  After your visit, go get creative and link up your "BOO" project with us!  I look forward to seeing what you have created!

Until next time,

Magic Potions

Hi there and welcome to Nonna's Craft Corner!

I hope this Monday has been a good one for you.  I've accomplished a lot today (good thing), however it hasn't been craft related (not such a good thing).  My Bunco group will be meeting at my house this week, so I'm tearing apart and cleaning things that probably haven't been cleaned since we met at my house this time last year!

I do have a fun little project to share with you today that went together very quickly!  I have been working on these an hour or so at a time over the last week and I think they turned out so cute...

(click on photo to enlarge)

These were a lot of fun to make and I think they are great for Halloween decorating!  Here's how I put them together:

* Bottles - I picked these up at Michael's for a dollar each (I lucked out and had a coupon for 20 percent off entire purchase)
* The labels are cut using the Cricut cartridge "Artiste", then stamped with the "Magic Potions"  stamp set from "Close To My Heart"
* I used lots of Crinkle Ribbon from "My Craft Spot" and twine from "Trendy Twine"

I've got a few close ups for you....

* The glittery spiders, webs and skulls are from Recollections
* I filled some of the jars with Skittles and some with Reece's Pieces...yummy!

And here they are back in my dining room...

So...can you keep a secret?  All my Bunco buddies will get to take one of these cuties home with them after our game!  Now you know why I made so many!

Guess it's time to get back to work.  I'll be checking in through the day tomorrow and doing some blog visits....hey ....a girl has to have a break from cleaning every now and then!

Until next time,

Halloween Wreaths

Hello everyone and thanks for stopping by!  So, how was your week?  Mine was crammed full of stuff I really didn't want to do - but had to do.  Doctor's appointments, dentist appointments and a very long, very boring meeting I had to attend with my hubby.  For those of you who didn't know this little tidbit about me....I am also a "Certified Pest Control Operator/Owner".  Aren't you impressed?  My hubby has owned and run our business for the last 28 years and after we had owned the business for a few years, I had to take the state test to become "Certified".  Along with the certification comes yearly continuing education points.  So - long story short - I spent 4 very long hours in a pest control continuing ed class yesterday...uuuuggghhh.  Crafting hours that I can NEVER get back!

Ok - enough complaing!  Today was a much better day. No doctor visits and no pest control issues!  I finally got around to decorating my front porch for Halloween.  I have been wanting to make (or at least try to make) one of those cool looking wreaths made from mesh ribbon.  I saw one at Michael's that I really liked, but didn't want to pay the 69.00 dollars they were asking -especially since I have to have 2 for my front door.  Since Halloween decor is generally kinda messy and scary looking, I was hoping it wouldn't really matter if my wreaths weren't perfect!  Well, they aren't perfect, but I thought they turned out pretty good for a first try....

 (click on photo to enlarge)

Like I said...kinda messy...but I like it!

Recipe:

* Wire wreath shape - I got mine at Michael's

* 1 roll purple mesh ribbon and 1 roll of black (for each wreath)

* Black pipe cleaners

* The glitter pumpkins and swirly "thing" are from Michael's

* I'm not sure if you can see them, but there are a couple of black glittery spiders that I just hot glued right onto the ribbon.

And, here's my front porch all decked out.  I love these fun ceramic pumpkins that I found at Lowe's about a month ago. I may have to make another trip and pick up a couple more.

My Lola was not very happy with me because I wouldn't let her come outside while I was trying to take pictures.  She's so short, I had to keep clicking my camera to catch her as she jumped up to see out the door.

I tried to get a night time pic.  It didn't turn out very well, but you get the idea.

I am entering my wreaths into the very first challenge hosted by Nana over at My Crafting Channel - "The gh'oul times!

Ok - I think I'll go see what else I can get finished - got lots of projects to finish up this weekend and I need to get busy.  Thanks again for stopping by. I always appreciate your visits and your sweet comments.  I'll be seeing you soon.

Until next time,

Happy Halloween - PK Challenge #37

Hello everyone!

Wow...I don't think I have ever been this close to a deadline when linking up for a challenge!  I wasn't sure if I was going to make this one or not.  In my own defense...I did start this card a couple of days ago, but life sort of got in the way of my crafting time (I hate when that happens).  So, here it is an hour and change before the deadline and I'm finally getting my card posted.

So....here's the short and sweet of it!  This card is for the Peachy Keen Stamps Challenge #37 , which is a sketch challenge this week......

Recipe:

* Owl - Peachy Keen Stamps "Smartie The Owl"

* Branch - Silhouette Online Store

* Stars - paper punch and Martha Stewart Glitter

* Sentiment - Peachy Keen "September 2012" Stamp Set

* Crinkle Ribbon - "My Craft Spot"

* Glossy Accents on glasses

Please excuse any typos or really stinky grammar....it's been a very long day!  Thanks for stopping by and I'll be seeing you soon!

Until next time,