Life's Trivialities

Star Mobile / Craftwell

I'm not one to make home décor unless it's something I can whip together cheaper than buying elsewhere or is something necessary for party decorations, say at Easter or Thanksgiving usually. I needed a project for Craftwell that was, well, quick and easy and home décor. This is what I conjured up.

Were I to have an infant in a crib, I would place this mobile over the crib or in the room somewhere. Alas, my two are grow(ing) and this fun little mobile will not serve as entertainment for a babe in arms. Instead, it hangs in my scrappy space, a fun little something to look at.

I used my Craftwell Cut'N Boss to die cut the gradated stars from Little B and some Craftwell/Teresa Collins embossing folders for the star and then my sewing machine to zip them together. Nothing to it really yet a very fun piece of décor that could easily be replicated. You could cut out clouds, circles, butterflies! The possibilities are endless. The embossing adds a little more dimension.

Be sure to swing by the Craftwell blog for a tutorial on the specifics of this came together.

Easter Napkin Rings / Imaginisce

I am not one to go all out on decorating (unless it's on paper) but I do like to add small touches to the holiday table. I decided this year that these napkin rings would be my piece de resistance with regards to the table setting.

These are dead easy to reproduce! Be sure to swing by the Imaginisce blog at THIS post here for detailed instructions on how to do that, the cut file that I used and other tid bits such as this; using a liquid adhesive bottle as the "mold" for a tight napkin ring wrap! Brilliant, eh?!

SO adorable! They could be used as egg cups too, Mia pointed out to me. I didn't think of that but my creative little side kick has great ideas too!

What are your tastes when it comes to table holiday adornments; do you go all out or more a minimalist, as I am?

 

Fancy Gift Box / Craftwell and Hazel & Ruby

Another day, another blog post! Crazy, I know! It's been a while since I've blogged two days in a row! It's probably been an incredibly long while in fact. 2015 has taken off break neck speed and I feel as though I'm running behind, trying desperately to catch up. I had all these grand delusions that 2015 would be the year of weekly Project Life spreads for me and the family... Yup, well, as we are almost half way through February and that would put me at ZERO spreads completed... Well, yeah...

Today I have another off the page project to share with you. You can pick the jaw up off the ground now! LOL! I know, I'm not a project gal but when you want to shake things up a bit, I would rather do a project than a card anyday! Today's project and more detailed how to's with an informal tutorial can be found on the Craftwell blog.

I don't think I'll actually use this as a Valentine's gift box for Mia as I have the door hanger that I posted yesterday. This is more of an "everyday", just because, kind of gift box. Just a little something inside to let her know we love her and how special she is to us.

If you are ever on the look out for gold vellum, be sure to check out Core'dinations' new vellum. This gold vellum is SUBLIME! It's subtle, you can see the shimmer in the butterfly but it's ever so subtle. It's the perfect compliment to all those awesome golds out there these days; like that in the Hazel & Ruby Wrap it Up lightweight paper which I used for the box wrap.

I love the texture of the embossed cardstock in the box too! Be sure to use your WRMK gift box punch board first, then run the pre-assembled box through your embossing folder. The completed project was too large so I folded two of the flaps before inserting into the embossing folder and you can't tell where the overlapped cardstock is!

Are you a fan of this gold trend or would you rather see this one end? I'm a fan, I have to admit! Though my jewelry and the decor in my house tends more to silver and platinum, gold for crafting is perfect!

Valentine's Door Hanging Treat / Imaginisce

February 9th! 5 more days until the day of amore! I can't say this is a holiday that we do big but we do celebrate. Kind of. More so for the kids than for each other as a couple. Those of you who know me know we call it St Hallmark's Day in our house. That will give you a good indication of how I feel about Valentine's day. BUT, the kids love love and love to feel loved (who doesn't) so we do things "lovey" for them. Today I'm sharing with you a project that is up on the Imaginisce blog, a Valentine's surprise for you loved one. This would make a lovely surprise for anyone to wake up when they open their bedroom door in the morning! Or for your beloved as they come in the house on the way home from school or work.

I mixed things up a bit and used the My Baby collection to create this treat holder. The chevron pattern and layered bunny stickers work perfectly for love as well as baby. The heart banner sticker reaches even further back into my collection, it comes from the Love You More collection. And, that, my friends, is it! Just some cardstock and a great cut file. Be sure to visit the Imaginisce blog for the exact cut file.

Xyron double sided tape holds a rectangle of transparency in the opening so all those yummy Dove chocolates don't spill out on the floor! Can't go wasting good chocolate now, can we?!

Nikolas really isn't into "cute" these days, tween that he is, but you could replicate this project using the My Baby boy line for younger boys!

How do you celebrate Valentine's day? Is it a big thing in your house or just another day? Have you made Valentine's treats/cards/gifts?

Make Your Own Glass Ornament / 17 Turtles and Core'dinations

Welcome to my blog if you're new here! My friend Juliana from 17 Turtles invited me to guest design for her with some of her amazing cut files today and you can see the layout I created with some Christmas files on her blog over HERE. I also shared a Christmas ornament that I made with those files and have instructions below on how you can create your own.

Amazing, right? And super simple to make! My daughter's best stroke in swimming is breaststroke so this will be for and later, my son who is a talented backstroke swimmer, will get a matching boy backstroke ornament.

Here's how you make them.

Materials;

Glass or Clear Plastic Christmas Bulbs

1 sheet of Transparency Film

1 cut file per Bulb you are making (Swimming Strokes Girl Digital Cut File by 17 Turtles)

Silhouette or other digital cutting machine

Core'dinations Sticky Backed Glitter Sheets

Snow (Stampendous Mica Fragments)

Sequins (American Crafts)

Ribbon (May Arts)

 

Directions;

1.            Using your Silhoutte cut your transparency film to be slightly smaller than the size of your ornament. My ornament is 3.5 inches wide so I cut my circle to be 3.25 inches wide.

I resized this file from Lori Whitlock available HERE.

 

2.            Again using your Silhouette (or other electronic cutting machine) cut the image that you want from Core'dinations Sticky Backed Glitter Sheets. I used Juliana Michaels' backstroke swimmer and sized it the width of my transparency.

 

3.            Peel back the backing of the Stickey Backed Glitter Sheet to reveal the sticky surface and adhere this to the center of your transparency sheet. Use a bone folder to burnish the back and ensure tight stick. Trim the overlapping edges with scissors.

 

4.            Roll up your transparency as such:

5.            Insert the tight roll into the opening of the ornament. It's kind of like putting a message in a bottle! Once inside, it will pop open and if necessary, use tweezers to center and position the insert where you want it.

 

6.            Looks great, right? But you want a little more pizzazz so here comes the messy part. Using a funnel, add some snow. I used Stampendous mica fragments but you can buy cheaper snow this time of year at the craft store. I wanted a little extra "umpf" so I added some snowflake and star sequins both in front of and behind the transparency.

7.            Snip off the top of the transparency so that you can insert the little silver (or gold) topper back on the ornament. Tie a pretty bow and if you have one of those nifty Imaginisce ribbon cutters, use it to seal off a nice "v" to the ends of your ribbon!

 

Voila! You are finished and now you have a wonderful swimmer to hang on your tree. Or gift to your swimming friend! Or swimming child!

 

 

Feel free to grab a PDF of my instructions Download Glass Ornament_SuzannaLee.

 

Be sure to check out Juliana's Etsy Store for fantastic cut files such as the ones used here and on her blog where I'm guesting today! These particular swimming files come in both boy and girl and with rectangle frames around them as well as "plain" though there's nothing plain about them!

Christmas Gift Card Holder / Imaginisce / Pebbles

Confused with by that title? Lol! Don't worry, it doesn't really make sense... I'm up on the Imaginisce blog today with a project that uses mostly Pebbles' Home for Christmas collection with a some of Imaginisce's Colors of Christmas collection from last year and the iRock for good measure!

I used the WRMK envelope punch board to create the backgrounds then went to town layering and creating a festive and personalized gift card holder for all your gift giving needs. You can use either patterned paper or cardstock to create the envelopes.

Here we have patterned paper layered with tags, stickers and die cuts. The iRock was used to apply Hot Rocks to the center of the poinsetta for some holiday bling! I thought this would be perfect for one of the kids' teachers with a gift card in it.

This gift tag has a die cut and some patterned paper (the chevron strip) from Imaginisce's Colors of Christmas collection and Hot Rocks for the holly berries. Again, perfect for teacher's gifts or something a little more personal for the bus driver, mail carrier, you name it!

Quick, easy yet a lovely way to personalize what could otherwise be a rather boring envelope!

 

Tutorial: Making Fold Over Tabs with TC Dies and Cut'N'Boss

Hi there! Today I would like to share with you a mini album that I created using the Craftwell Teresa Collins Cut'N'Boss and a few of the Memory Collection Pocket Dies. In the creation of this mini I figured a cool way to turn the single layer page tab dies into fold over tabs for some added pizzaz and depth to a page or mini. I've created a tutorial to show you how you can do that yourself!

Earlier this month my Mum celebrated her 70th birthday. My sister and her boys met us at a halfway point and we celebrated "en family" a couple of weekends ago. It was a gorgeous fall day!  I created this mini to send to Mum so she could remember her 70th celebration and the rare occasion that we get to get together.

It never dawned on me until the creation of this mini album but you can run patterned paper through embossing folders and the Cut'N'Boss as well!! Designing for Core'dinations, I kind of have this obsession with running cardstock through and going to town with my Sand It Gadget to reveal a colored core. Well! Now I have a new found love; embossed cardstock! The overlay of patterned upon pattern with an added dimension is really unique. Here's a closer look at what I'm talking about;

Another fun tid bit for you; creating folded tabs using the tabs from the Teresa Collins Memory Collection Pocket Dies;

    1.  Using a bone folder, crease a piece of paper that is double the height of the tab die.

            
    2.  Overlay the folded paper so that the fold is just BELOW the metal cutting edge of the top of tab die.

    3.  Run the appropriate "sandwich" through your Cut'N'Boss.

            
    4.  Remove from die and marvel at how creative you are!

            
                         

Note: there are four tab dies that are a part of this particular collection however only three of the four have a length suitable for creating a folded tab.

Supplies

Craftwell Cut'N'Boss

Craftwell Teresa Collins Brocade Embossing Folder

Craftwell Teresa Collins Beautiful Words Embossing Folder

Craftwell Teresa Collins Bella Rose Embossing Folder

Craftwell Teresa Collins Memory Collection Pocket Dies

Patterned Paper, Stickers, Letter Stickers, Phrase Tags, Kraft Bag: Pebbles

Washi: Little B, 3M

Ribbon: May Arts

Flower: Petaloo

 

Weathered Beach Frame / Core'dinations

I have a blog post up on the Core'dinations blog today sharing a home decor piece! We are reaching the end of the summer swim and this frame keeps me going, reminding me of our upcoming trip! I cannot wait to have the carpooling and towel washing on hold for a month!

There is no place better than the beach! And not just during the summer. During those non-summer months, when it's a little rougher to get to the beach due to the lack of time and return to regular route, here is a great way to remind yourself of just how great the beach is and what's around the corner!

Buy yourself a lovely weathered frame and dress it up with some Core'dinations cardstock cut with beachy dies and cut files!

The Kraft Core Shattered collection adds that perfect weathered feel to a beach themed project. So too does sanding add a sand worn effect.

Tucking things between the background and the frame adds a 3D dimension and some added depth to your project. Note how the texture of the Core'dinations cardstock really makes this sea star that much more realistic!

Tooting my Own Horn

Not a glamourous thing to do by any means but it's so exciting to see your work in places that aren't your own blog or that of the companies you design for that you must share!

A couple of months back I was honored (and elated) to be asked to work on a special project for Core'dinations. I love Core'dinations cardstock and am happy to design for such an awesome company and it's outstanding cardstock! In a weekend, I came up with three scrapbook layouts, a baby shower "ensemble", a home decor frame and a good number of cards. I think everything I created made it.

The baby shower ensemble can be found HERE

Following the link will take you to printable instructions as well as the official pics. I took a few pictures before sending the projects off but they aren't the greatest pictures, they weren't intended for bloggin purposes.

A simple yet elegant thank you card and it's instructions can be found HERE.

I have used this picture of Michael and I on our wedding day a number of times, it's my all time favorite picture of that wonderful day!! Instructions can be downloaded and printed HERE.

Core'dinations has created some fun new patterned papers that ought to be available at Jo-Ann's with the release of these projects. This layout features some of the orange and blues of those papers. They remind me of Heidi Grace patterns from way back when. But they are much thicker! You can link to detailed instructions HERE.

A simple yet really festive birthday card with dry embossing and The Twinery bakers twine! Instructions HERE.

A simple yet fun layout of Nikolas and Bailey the turtle at the Clearwater Aquarium using core of Core'dinations sanded and torn cardstock and coordinating tags. You can purchase ALL of these goodies at JoAnn Fabric and Craft Stores. Instructions HERE.

I was just blown away to have cards that I created used! Instructions for this one are HERE.

More of the new Core'dinations patterned paper for JAS with a heat embossed sentiment. And The Twinery baker's twine! Instructions HERE.

I just LOVE these cut files. Cut using Scattered Core'dinations in the distressed frame... Well!! They just bloom!! Swoon! Instructions HERE.

Later edit; I have changed the pictures from my phone pics to those found on the JoAnn's website for all the pictures except the Bloom frame. The one on the JoAnn site does not represent what I created, the colors are much more vibrant.

The official pictures, like I said earlier, are far better than what I am sharing here with you. These were all taken with my cell phone camera to send to Mindy and Ellen at Core'dinations so they could tweek as necessary and send the okay before I shipped everything off. The excitment of such a project in such a short time had me reeling and I didn't think to take "real" pictures! Be sure to visit the JoAnn's site and the links I attached for better pictures and the printable instructions. For obvious reasons, some of the exact supplies couldn't be listed as they are product JoAnn's doesn't sell but I can certainly (off the record) tell you what I used if you're interested.

Thanks for enduring my horn tooting! I hope you enjoy the projects and tutorials provided with JoAnn's and Core'dinations!

 

 

 

 

 

The Twinery and Top Dog Dies Blog Hop / Corner Die Flower Tutorial

Welcome!! Another fabulous day and a great day for a hop don't you think? Today is the third and final day of The Twinery and Top Dog Dies Blog Hop.

You should have hopped here from Amy's blog, if not, be sure to begin the hop HERE and work your way back here. Designers from both teams have projects created using baker's twine and dies from Top Dog Dies to wow you!

Before you get your twine in a tangle or die over those dies, let me share my wears!

I have a party "set up" to share with you today. Miss Mia will be turning 8 in a few short weeks and we are planning her birthday party. I thought the laural lace border die and decorative corner dies were perfectly suited to a name card and flowers for a napkin ring. And of course, Twinery baker's twine are the perfect compliment!

Here's a little step by step photo tutorial should you want to create your own flowers;

1. Gather your supplies

2. Cut five "petals" using the corner die by Top Dog Dies and slightly over lap each one to create the flower base.

3. Cut one flower using the Mini Flower die by Top Dog Dies for the flower center, applying a glue dot to the back of the flower.

4.  Begin to twist your Twinery bakers twine to the create the twine petals on the back of the small flower using the glue dot to secure the twine.

5.  Keep wrapping until you have five petals.

6.  Tie a knot in the center to secure the twine. Snip edges. Apply another glue dot to the center.

7.  Adhere top flower to base petals.

8.  Bling it up with bling for a flower center.

Because every birthday girl wants to feel special, I made Mia a friendship bracelet from Twinery twine, some braiding and a button. Simple! Super simple!

Top Dog Dies was incredibly generous when they sent their product for this cross promotion and they sent me the Baby on Board Die Set as well! I created this little tid bit with that collection and once again used the border and corner dies for "support". A little solid and twisted bakers twine from the Twinery wrapped things up nicely, don't you think?

Follow the list below and hop along the blogs to see fabulous projects by both design teams. The Twinery is giving away a $25 sampler pack of twine to those who comment along the hop. Top Dog Dies is giving away $50 in exclusive wafer-thin dies to one lucky winner.

Top Dog Dies

The Twinery

Monika Wright

Amy Crockett

Suzanna Lee <---- You are HERE!

Jeanne Jachna

Stacey Schafer

Jennifer Cuthbertson

Thanks for stopping by and hopping along with these two amazing companies! I hope I've inspired you and you've found a new way to use baker's twine and dies. Don't forget that to be eligible for The Twinery prize, you need to comment on each blogger's blog, we all like a little love! After you leave a comment, hop on over to Jeanne's blog! I'm sure she's got something amazing to share with you!