Fat-Tastic Tuesday Challenge #9 Inspiration & Changes

Hello Crafters!

Today begins the last week of the last challenge for Fat-Tastic Tuesday under the current leadership. At challenge end there will be a new owner. I am happy to announce the new owner will be Sue Bridesmith of  The Galloping Granny. I know she will do a wonderful job. She plans on the blog being invisible for a couple of weeks while she adds her personal touch to the blog and gets things ready for the grand re-opening. So stop by her blog and wish her well and stay tuned as she makes her opening announcement on her blog and Paper Playful. I will announce it here as well. Good luck Sue!

That being said, I want to thank all those who have followed the blog and joined in the challenges to this point. Your patronage has been appreciated. We hope you will continue under the new leader. I would also like to thank our sponsors, Abbie and the Design Team for all their hard work. It could not have been done with out them. Thank you ladies.  

Our sponsor this last two weeks has been Lacy Sunshine. I have three projects for you from those cute little Gnomes of hers. My first project has a special fold in it from Sizzix.

 

 

 Isn't that little gnome just the cutest?

Next I have Lexie the roller gnome ready to tackle anyone who gets in her way.

 And lastly here's Mitzi Gnome who just can't wait for the game to begin.

 Well, that's it for this week's challenge over at Fat-Tastic Tuesday. You still have until Monday night to upload your project here to join in the challenge.  Lacy is giving away another great prize. Until next time...

Happy Crafting!

Fat-Tastic Tuesday Challenge #9 - Should Have Gnome

Hello Crafters!

We have a fun challenge going on this time at Fat-Tastic Tuesday. Using the sketch below, we're making our projects with Garden Gnomes. Thanks to our sponsor Lacy Sunshine

 we have some awfully cute inspiration pieces from the DT for you to check out. And there is a great prize up for grabs!

Here's the sketch we want you to use:

And my project:

I just fell in love with this little guy. And seeing as how I have a tenancy to run late it was perfect for a belated birthday card. I used scraps again (the wood grain paper). That is one thing that is great about making fat pages. You can usually make a card from scraps. Anyway, I used Old Olive card stock (SU) for my base, leaves (SU flower petal punch), and image/sentiment backing. I used a die cut from Nestibilities to cut out the frame for my image. I used my scallop border punch (SU) at the top and layered a strip of So Saffron card stock (SU) to which I added a line of black bling dots. The sentiment is printed by hand (not too bad) and the flowers are from Prima. I have colored in my image with Spectrum Noir markers. I love the "almost" Monochromatic look of this card. And aren't those turtle eyes just adorable?

Ok, now it's your turn. Head on over to Fat-Tastic Tuesday and check out the DT's inspiration pieces then get your projects uploaded to take part in this new challenge. Can't wait to see what you make!

Happy Crafting!

Eclectic Ellapu Challenge #43 - In the Deck

Hello Crafters!

We have an interesting challenge for you this week coming from the Purples at Eclectic Ellapu and hosted by Jacki. She as asked for the use of playing cards on our projects this time around. Sound like fun? Then join us!

Here's my project for this theme.

Ok, so it is a bit of a stretch on the playing card theme but, it works. I love Graphic 45 and found some papers that I had sort of forgotten about as I was sifting through stuff for my craft sale in a few weeks. I also found my burlap ribbon from Maya Road that I have been looking for for some time. I simply tied it in a "soft" knot here and attached with Score Tape and trimmed the ends. I also used a die from My Favorite Things with coordinating paper to make the handmade flower. I then used a small leaf die from SU (Sizzix) with Old Olive card stock behind the flower. The old buttons are from my stash to which I added some string from the burlap. The little pumpkin was made with three punched 3/4" circles from Pumpkin Pie card stock (SU) and layered together with a scrap of Old Olive card stock (SU) for the stem then popped up on foam tape. The closed size of this card is 5-1/4" square to fit in a 5-1/2" square envelope.

The really fun part of this card though is the mechanism inside:

I saw a card in my newest issue of Cardmaking and Papercraft (UK) from a reader that had this special fold and knew I had to figure it out. Unfortunately there is no pattern out there for the general public unless you buy a book by Michelle Powell. I may do that some day because if she can do this there are probably many more folds I will want to try. Anyway, that being said, It would not be right sharing the pattern I made. However, it wasn't too hard for me to figure out as I love fiddling with special folds. I also adjusted it to fit a quarter sheet envelope as well so I can do that the next time. The reader that made a card like this had not added a cover which I felt it needed to hide the mechanism on the back (& add some depth). However, you could carefully decorate the card when closed using the back side of the slider portion.

Here's a look from the top:

As you can see there is plenty of open space here between the inside of the card and the cover. I adjusted this part of the pattern on purpose to have that added depth.

Wouldn't this card be great for the grandparents to put on display with photos of the grandchildren on them? Or what about a scenic wish you were here kind of photo? I could even see using a heavy acetate on the slider stamped with permanent ink and making a diorama out of it. Cool, huh?

Well, there's my inspiration for you. Hope you enjoyed it and will want to try it out for yourselves. Don't forget to stop over at Eclectic Ellapu and see the rest of the DT's fabulous projects then get busy and join in the fun.

Happy Crafting!

Fat-Tastic Tuesday Challenge # 8 Inspiration

Hello Crafters!

Yep! It's Fat-Tastic Tuesday again! We continue with our sponsor, theme and sketch from last week.  You still have a few days to link up your project here.

My inspiration project for this week:

I used a bunch of stuff from my stash again. Since I'm cleaning out my craft room I'm finding plenty of things to play with. I have used the crock pot image this time and accentuated the sunflowers which I colored with my Spectrum Noir markers. I tried to make the center of the flowers look spotty but not sure if you can see that here. The die-cut is label one form Spellbinders. I turned up the corner of the green "leafy swirls" paper following the sketch although, you don't see much of it because I added the big yellow flower in place of the ribbon on the sketch. I found the beautiful brown flower button that was perfect for a sunflower center (could've been a little bigger around) in my sacred button stash. The background was stamped with a portion of a larger stamp that had some sunflowers on it. I used Versa-Mark to do that. I'm quite happy with my card for this week. I just love sunflowers (any flower really). They make me smile.

Well, I hope you will join in the challenge this week. You can link up to Fat-Tastic Tuesday here to participate in the challenge. There are free digis to win so you better get going - time is running out.

Happy Crafting!

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I FOUND IT!

Hello Crafters!

Remember the little bird altered art I did here.
Well, as promised, here is the link to find the original artist's project.
Her name is Elizabeth Allan and she is quite a talented artist.
You must check out her project (s).
Soooooo much better than my little peeper.
But, hey, it was my first one.
Oh yeah, I'm making another one.
No doubt.
It was so cute and fun to do.
I didn't even mind getting my hands all "yucky".
 I just have to work on the coloring a bit.

Happy Crafting!

Fat-Tastic Tuesday Challenge #8 - Cooking/Baked Goods

Hello Crafters!

Well, it's Tuesday again which means we have a new challenge for you over at Fat-Tastic Tuesday.

Our sponsor is

with 4 digi's of winners choice for the winner.

We are using another one of my sketches:

I will admit I did manipulate the sketch a bit this time but I think it still works.

You've seen those individual tarts you can purchase at different bakeries or craft fairs, right? Well, I made a small 4x4 tart box to put one of those in. I know they come in their own box but doesn't this look better than the plain brown wrapper?

 The pattern is below for this box. Pretty straight forward really. The heavy paper is from Cloud 9, the ribbon is from Simplicity, the stamped sentiment is from Close To My Heart, the label punch is from Stampin' UP!, and the image is Robyn's Fetish of course. I cut the plaid triangle from heavy paper in my stash. The acetate used for the window was a scrap left over. I used Nestibilities circle die to cut the circle in the lid. When putting this pattern together make sure to put the acetate between layers for a neater look. I forgot to do that. It looks ok but, it would have been nicer looking and more durable if done between layers. Live and learn.

Also as an after thought, you might want to cut and score flaps on the smaller piece so your lid can fit down over the box base instead of having to put it on the inside. I could fix the template at this point but, I'm being a bit lazy.

Anywho, here's a pic from another angle so you can see the height of the box which is 2".

 All in all I'm ok with the way this turned out. I could have added a lot more fru-fru but it's what's inside that the recipient will be after, right? Hey, wouldn't this be cute with a cookie image (or maybe punch art Cookie Monster) and a stack of big M&M cookies on the inside? Mmmm......

So with this template the sides are 2" and the square part of the box is 4". I recommend shaving just the tiniest sliver off of the smaller piece before layering it inside the big one. Just FYI, I always make a cheap white card stock sample for myself to keep. That way if I lose anything stored on my computer I have a physical sample in my files.

Well, that's it for today peeps. Stop over to Fat-Tastic Tuesday and check out the inspiration from the rest of the design team then get going on your makes. We would love to have you join us!

Happy Crafting!

Eclectic Ellapu Challenge #41 - Anything For A Teacher

Hello Crafters!

It's time for another challenge from the purples over at Eclectic Ellapu and the challenge theme was chosen by ... Moi. Yep, yours truly.

School will start this month for many of us and although I no longer have children in elementary (my baby is starting Jr. High School this year, sniff ... sniff) I thought we would have a school theme for those of you who just might be looking for some cute projects for teachers.

I am in an upcycle mood lately so I have turned a small pop-top single serve fruit can into a treat holder. Now, I can't take credit for this wonderful idea as it is one I saw several years ago. I have only done this once before and it had more of a Fall theme so I am in new territory here with the school theme. Here's a picture of the can:

The trick with this little puppy is to use a special can opener (purchased at Wal-Mart) that will cut tops/bottoms of cans and leaves no sharp edges. A bit on the expensive side but worth it once you get used to using it. So, as you can see I left the top in place and cut off the bottom of the can, ate the fruit (yummy!), washed & dried the can then let it sit for a day or two just to make sure it was good and dry. Obviously the label was peeled off. No need to worry about the stickem that the paper label was glued on with, that will be covered.

Next you want to fill the can with wrapped treats and hot glue the bottom back on. You could use a liquid glue but I didn't want to sit and hold it while it dried. Yeah, I'm an impatient crafter. We all have our faults. Makes me wonder how I will ever get through an art journal which I desperately want to do. But, that's a story for another time.

So I wrapped the designer paper I wanted to use around the can and made a mark where I would trim it down. No measuring here, I'm impatient remember? Anyway, I used Scor-Tape to attach the paper to the can and used a little liquid qlue at the top and bottom if there were any gaps, which there were. Also had to snip the paper a bit at the top to go around the curved surface gracefully.

I added a 1/8" ribbon at the top and bottom of the can to hide the metal rims. Just didn't like them showing. You could leave them uncovered depending on the look you are going for.

At the pop-top on top of the can I very carefully (so as not to pop the top) added ribbons and tied (only once) to decorate and add a little fru-fru. Lastly I added a string to the pop-top which I attached some layered stars and hand printed a sentiment on the top one.This project was made from scraps from my new "scrap box". So, what do you think? Pretty quick to make (except for the drying time after washing the can). To my surprise these pop-top type cans actually come in different small sizes but of course, you could use a soup can if you wanted too. I just thought this size was too cute. Here's a couple more pictures.

Don't fill too full or glue will stick to the candy. Wasted chocolate would be a shame.

Finished

Wouldn't this look cute holding pencils or something on a teacher's desk when the treats are gone?

Ok, enough about my project. Go over and check out the rest of the Eclectic Ellapu Design Team projects. We have a lot of inspiration going on over there. And why not make a project of your own and join in the challenge? We would love to have you.

Happy Crafting!

Altered Ecletics Challenge #2 - Anyting Goes

Hello Crafters!

Wow, has this summer gone by fast. It's August already. That means school starts in a few short weeks and it's time for a new challenge at Altered Eclectics.

A friend of mine showed me a project on a blog recently and as soon as I saw it I knew I had to make one. So, I took the supplies I needed on my trip up north to see her and we made our projects together. We didn't finish them while I was there (we saw a stamp show for 2 days - whoo hoo!) but almost as soon as I got home I finished mine. What fun. So, here's a close up shot.

Isn't this just the cutest? I wish I could link you back to where my friend found this. I'll keep looking and edit my post when I do find it. Bottom line is I pretty much cased it. I did do my project a smidgen different though.

We started with a bird die-cut from Tim Holtz and some corrugated cardboard that had been marked for the trash bin. Then we bought a newspaper, my friend quickly read it, then we tore some of it into small pieces as if for paper mac'he.  After cutting out 3 birds each and trimming off the longer tail we did not need, we each glued 3 birds together and let sit while we tore the newspaper. We then started applying the paper pieces with Mod-Podge glue onto our birds. I gave this part entirely too much thought as I tried to place paper pieces with the name of the town on in places where I thought it would show as a remembrance of the weekend. In the end, I could only sort of see them but, I knew they were there. However, we did have a few chuckles over not using the obituaries. Once this was all dry we stamped a random design with purpose on both sides of our birds with Momento ink. At this point we quit for the night and went to bed as the next day was to be a long one.

When I got home from my trip I continued to the next step which was to distress the bird randomly with colored inks of my choosing. I used regular craft type ink but, I should have used something with a little deeper color. This is the point where the original artist used clear Gesso before applying the ink. I skipped that part. What I did do is use my inks then poured on extra thick embossing enamel and heated with my heat gun. This was repeated several times until a smooth finish was acquired, about 3 times. After the first application of ink I used Versa-mark ink so I wouldn't muddy up the colors. The same process was done for each of the wings which were circles cut in half (only 2 layers of cardboard).

To attach the wings I used glue and a staple gun then camouflaged the staple with a sharpie and a gel pen. Hey, it worked! The glue alone was just not enough to hold them. Next time I think I will cut a small hole and stuff the end of the wing in it with some good stick-um glue. I also added a couple of brads with glue for the eyes.

The legs I made using a fairly heavy gauge aged wire to which I added bends in to make feet. This part is also different as the original artist connected the wire to buttons. The buttons were cute, just not what I wanted. The last thing I did was add random little white dots with my gel pen and adjust the legs so my little peep would stand up. And here he is:

This really was fun to make and worked perfectly for my August post at Altered Eclectics. Please visit my fellow DT's at AE and at their own blogs, they would love to hear from you. There are some great inspiration projects waiting for you. Remember, this is a monthly challenge blog so you have time to make something of your own and enter it into our challenge. Can't wait to see what you make.

Happy Crafting!