Friday, April 29, 2011

oops

I just made these bookmarks from the new flower fest stamp set (available in the summer mini) and they were fun to put together. of course when I was finished I realized I had made them all upside down, since you should view them when they are hanging out of the book and not looking at them straight on! oops... thankfully the control freak swap group has a bunch of classy ladies who haven't pointed that out to me (or, my pink slip is in the mail LOL). this is what I was working on when I realized we could make similar things that the fun flowers die made while waiting for it (on backorder). I added vintage tags, buttons from the regals, brights and subtles collections, the twine (which was knotting up until I made the holder), and rhinestones as dew drops on the lattice embossed leaves. I never seem to go for the in colors as much, so it was good to use pear pizzazz (sponged with old olive to tie it in with the olive grosgrain ribbon) on the leaves, and for the flowers I used blushing bride, peach parfait and poppy parade. I had to mix up the colors a little (instead of all one color for the whole swap) so I could get as many button combinations out of what I ordered, rather than having to order 20 containers of the same thing (I still ordered 7). plus I think it looks pretty as a whole "meadow" of flowers! I decorated both sides, with the buttons and tag on one side and the button and twine bow on the other. I just thought it looked unfinished otherwise, but practically speaking, if you were using it for a bookmark, being flatter would make more sense. SO, the next thing is to figure out what a double sided, upside down bookmark can really be used for, except just something pretty to look at! hope you enjoy, and learn from my mistakes.

Thursday, April 14, 2011

recycled button containers

we decorated some plastic containers at one of patty's classes, and the other day when I was making a bunch of things for a swap, I was using the hemp twine, but it was getting all twisted and took on a life of its own, so I punched a hole in the side of one of our decorated containers, added a grommet/eyelet, then rewound the twine on my fingers. I pulled the inside end (the end I started winding) through the grommet, put the lid on, and could pull out just what I needed to cut. it kept everything clean and orderly, and recycled!

birthday card

using the flowers I made up the other day, I created a birthday card for someone at work who saves all the cards I give her (pretty sweet). I used a big button for the center (from the occasions mini), with hemp twine for the bow and one of the amazing key charms (which I hope make it into the new ib&c). I had the leaf sitting on the table from another swap I was working on, and the happy birthday left over from yet another swap, and they somehow managed to "work" with this card. she loved it! I think I'll make a few more with the extra flowers I have, just so I have some cards on hand. I can always leave the sentiment last, so I can customize it for a thanks, sorry or birthday card. I think this design works for all of those occasions.

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

fun flowers die waitlist

there are a lot of people waiting for the fun flowers die in the SU! occasions mini catalog (backordered until may), but in the meantime, you can use the 2 3/8" scallop circle, fancy flower and 5 petal punches to create something similar.I used the springtime vintage dsp (one of my favorites, also from the occasions mini) and made a whole bunch of these in nothing flat! I love this paper, it doesn't look like everything goes together, but when you start mixing them up, there isn't a bad match up in the bunch! I punched a few of each out of each of the prints, then just started stacking. I curled the edges with my bone folder to give them a little life, and now I can put together a whole collection of cards. I used a variety of centers - buttons, ribbon roses, rose adornments, ribbon. it was a lot of fun and really fast. I have to make a couple of birthday cards, and I'm pretty sure I know what I'm using:)

Monday, April 11, 2011

patty's cupcake bracelet

so the gift in the brown box is none other than patty bennett's bracelet I made with the cupcake punch and create a cupcake stamp set. I showed you the cupcakes I made earlier with shrink plastic, and now I've added the keys and charms to fill out the bracelet. I'm giving it to patty early so she can take it with her on her cruise (her birthday is in may). the center heart is punched out of the red glitter paper and then glued back to back so it's pretty on both sides. it floats around nicely in the charm. in addition to the keys, I added our simply adorned charms in clear, black, pink and pearl. these are a lot nicer than I expected. it's so hard to tell in a catalog. they are also pretty big. I sure hope she likes it. I love the way it turned out!

gift


I made a simple belly band with rich razzleberry satin ribbon for a gift using the brown boxes our bracelets and charms come in. I added a button and a ribbon rose to fancy it up (both from the SU! occasions mini). stay tuned to see what's inside the box!