Handcrafted Window Decals

We no longer have an ink jet printer (we have a laser), but I couldn't let go of the leftover ink jet window cling sheets we've had in our craft stash forever. So I experimented a little.

I knew it would work well with some of the dies I have for my Vagabond, but without color, why bother?

I thought about using permanent ink pads to stamp on it, but it wasn't practical, I only have black. (All the other colors I have are not permanent.) So I ended up pulling out my collection of colored Sharpies and scribbled on a piece to see if it was indeed permanent on this type of surface. It totally was!

 

So I scribbled a couple of more colors (lightest to darkest) on that piece and ran it through my Vagabond using a butterfly die. It's far from the great look a printer would lend, but it turned out better than I expected. Even the little hearts that punch out of the butterfly are pretty.

Next I used a bow die. It's officially adorable.

I'm looking forward to trying out other dies and colors.

  

In the end I would call this experiment of mine a success! Have you ever tried anything like this? I'd love to see the results!

Crafting In My Little Corner

I picked up a smallish table at Costco (4'x2') so I could have a place to craft in my bedroom. So far it's working out fabulously. I need to work on getting some shelving put up in my closet to hold all the plastic 12x12 containers I have stacked up. But I'm just tickled to have a place by the window where I can leave my die cutting machine out and not have to keep dragging it out and putting it away.

It isn't roomy enough for more than one person, so this happens when my daughters (that's Dawn working on her scrapbooking) join in the fun or there's a card-making session going on. My California King-sized bed is like a giant table so it works out for everyone.

Tasty Rosette

I love cuppy-cakes and love this adorable paper! Before attaching the two pieces with a pop-dot, I distressed the edges with a pretty pale blue/grey ink. To the center, I added a tiny pink pearl and blue flower to the tops of the cupcakes and a bit of sparkle to the heart. Must...make...more.

Playing Around With Wrapping Paper

I found an interesting roll of wrapping paper at Savers for only 99-cents. I thought some of the images would be great to use with some of the dies I have for my Sizzix Vagabond. I tried three different shapes using one both vertically and horizontally for two totally different looks. I love the results. The odd piece in the lower left-hand corner was torn and smooshed up, aged with ink and colored to look like leather. I'm thinking of using this method to cover a photo book or journal of some sort.

Instead of sticking this one in my Smash Book, I decided it was good enough for a card for my awesome mother-in-law.

The paper has the texture of a very thin grocery bag and the images are so lovely. It’s been fun playing around with it. I aged it up by inking it with a color called Brown Sugar (by Jenni Bowlin) and did a bit of pencil coloring, something I haven’t touched in years. I’m not an artist, so the coloring is a bit child-like, but I still like it. I added real pressed flowers at the bottom and in the hand of the woman on the left, no small feat for my clunky ol’ hands.Thank goodness for tweezers.

 

On the inside I stamped the corners from part of a set of Halloween stamps and added some nifty pins, vintage ribbon, and the same pressed flowers as I did on the front. (I hope it makes it through the mail okay.)

 

This is my favorite card I've ever made. I'm sure there will be more, there's still several other images on the wrapping paper I have yet to use. (P.S. My mother-in-law loved it and said "I'm keeping this one!")

Easter Goodies

I made these for hubby and (adult) daughters.

For the baskets I started with a cup cake/mini loaf liner, attached a sparkly handle made of card stock, and sliced up some craft paper and curled it. For the rosette thingies I used my Vagabond (of course), layered them up with contrasting paper and stamped the names with individual letter stamps. The tiny bow was made using my daughter’s new adorable punch. The chocolate chicks are from Costco.

 Because one is never too old for Easter goodies.

Mowing The Lawn

Our back 40 has needed mowing for weeks now. With all the rain we’ve been having the grass hasn’t been able to dry out in-between the showers, so it’s really gotten out of hand. I finally tackled it today, but I didn’t finish cause it’s a big yard and I’m no spring chicken.

While I was pushing the ginormous grass can further back into the yard (there’s a clue, I should have been pulling it), the can rolled away from me and pulled me down with it. I slipped and fell (hard, hit my knee as I was going down and ended up on my side, did a half face-plant thing), and landed almost inside the dern thing. I even said to myself, out-loud, “Man, that hurt.” I’m okay, just sore and will be even more so in the morning, I’m sure.

If it doesn’t rain tomorrow I’m hoping to finish up and pull out the weed eater to get what the lawn mower can’t reach. It’s my least favorite thing to do, but it’s so satisfying afterward to see the lawn looking all leveled out and smelling like something I want to bottle.

Paper Lace

We have rolls and rolls of this paper lace (don’t ask) and I was playing around with it the other day to see if it could be made into rosettes (my present obsession). The answer is yes, and they’re not only quite lovely, but they’re quick and easy to make.

I folded them back and forth where each circle meets, accordion-style, glued the ends together then hot glued the center to hold them in place. I haven’t attached anything yet, but as the photos show, I did play around with how they could be put together.

I experimented with the super wide purple paper lace, which made HUMONGOUS rosettes (about the size of your hand w/fingers spread wide), perfect to party-up a place. I could see these hanging on the wall or from the ceiling, patio-area or even trees.

They’re big suckers with a fine line between pretty and gaudy. (I’m always having to reel in the gaudy side of my taste, I get it from my mother.) These are on the delicate side, so they would be perfect for gift-wrapping, and with the paper lace used in place of ribbon, would make for a very girlie package