Wood Pallet Father's Day Gift

Ever since I say the email from Archiver's announcing they were selling wood pallet signs I knew I wanted to make something with it. This Father's Day afforded me that opportunity, and here is what I created.

I wanted a rustic feel to this sign so I used my Silhouette Portrait and cardstock to cut out the words. I used Adirondack Acrylic Paint Dabbers in Lettuce and Terra Cotta to stencil on the color.

You can see that the words are legible but not crisp, exactly what I was looking for. FYI the faint orange blob you see at the beginning of "fishing" is because I didn't shake the paint before I started. I'm fine with it though, it adds to the rustic/distressed feel!

(Sorry this photo is blurry, I was taking these pictures while rushing out the door.) I painted mini-clothespins in Cloudy Blue and then dry brushed them with the Lettuce. They're adhered to the board with Claudine Hellmuth Studio Multi-Medium Matte adhesive and held sepia toned pictures of the grandkids.

These numbers are probably my favorite part of the whole project. I just love how they turned out. The numbers are Tim Holtz Idea-ology Mini Numerals and they have at least four layers of paint on them! I started out with Cloudy Blue, added splotches of Terra Cotta, then Lettuce and finished off by dry brushing more Cloudy Blue. These are also adhered with the multi-medium.

As a final touch I used Cloudy Blue to splatter the sign. I'm always amazed at how big of an impact that small detail can have on a project.

Thanks so much for taking a look today. I hope you like it as much as my dad did!

100 Acre Woods Blog Hop

Welcome to the 100 Acre Woods Blog Hop  

  

Today we invite you to come check out this great  group of crafters who will be showcasing cards, layouts, or projects featuring  our favorite Winnie the Pooh Characters. 

Connie Can Crop is the  first stop on this fun Blog Hop. If you're coming from Sarah from It's What Keeps Me Sane you're in the right spot.

  

This is a one day blog hop and we appreciate  your leaving a comment to encourage all my fabulous crafty friends to continue  sharing their ideas and creations.  

We have an awesome sponsor and giveaway for this  hop!

 

 Mae Sunshine Designs will be giving away a cute stamp set to one lucky person.  

So what do you need to do to win? Easy... become  a follower of each of the fabulous blogs in this hop and leave each of us a comment letting us know what you like best about our projects.  

Then go back to Connie Can Crop and post that you  followed the rules.

You will have until 9:00 pm Sunday to finish the hop and leave your comments. 

Be sure to follow everyone and leave a comment along the way!

I just love how wise and insightful that lovable little Pooh-bear is. So I thought I'd create a Smash-type page featuring some of my favorite quotes. (I wanted to do this in my Smash book but I lost it in my disaster of a craft room! oops.) 

I simply used a sheet of letter sized cardstock, scraps and a some stickers by Sandylion.

 Up next is the incredibly talented Georgiana!

Here's our lineup in case you get lost:

1. Connie- http://conniecancrop.blogspot.com

2. Pam - http://lovebugcreations3.blogspot.com/

3. Lucy ~ http://love2createitall.com

4. Nadja - http://nadjarobbins.blogspot.com/

5. Sarah - http://itswhatkeepsmesane.blogspot.com

6. Tonya - http://ittybittyladybugs.blogspot.com

8. Georgiana ~ http://www.carsonscricutcreations.blogspot.com/

9.Daphne- http://craftyscrapsofstuff.blogspot.com

10. Wandy http://greenapplescrapper.blogspot.com

11. Kathy http://kathyand3kids.blogspot.com

12. Jessi http://www.mylifeinartsncrafts.com

13. Holli http://sunflowerholli.blogspot.com

14. Miranda - www.nanasscrapspot.com

Celebrate The Occasion - Butterflies

This week at CTO we're challenging you to use at least one butterfly on your project.

I am (slowly) working on a feature wall in my daughter's bedroom that will showcase her love of princesses. I'm using the Lori Whitlock double bracket frame (found here) and Miss Kate Cuttables princess files (found here).

You can see here that the frame is thin and it was pretty easy to put together. I'm sure after making around 12 of these I'll be a pro at it!

I mounted the mermaid with foam squares to the "photo" area of the frame. The waves (SVG Cuts) around mounted flat to the face of the frame and the crab (found here) is mounted with foam squares. I used the print and cut feature on my Silhouette Portrait to cut these elements.

My butterfly is a layered cut, but I only used the top layer. I used the finger to curl the wings.

Thanks so much for stopping by today. PLEASE be sure to stop by Celebrate The Occasion for a VERY important announcement.

Pause Dream Enjoy Challenges - Foam Tape

For the next two weeks at Pause Dream Enjoy Challenges we're asking you to create a project using foam tape

Here is what I created to inspire you!

I used the Get Well Soon collection by Nikki Sivils. The sentiment and lollipop both come from the punch-out sheet. The lollipop is mounted with our challenge element, foam tape. To add a little extra visual interest I wrapped some thin, brown ribbon around the card and added a bow to the lollipop stick.

There you go, less than 10 minutes and you've got a cute, simple get well card!

Celebrate The Occasion - Memorial Day

Our challenge for you this week at CTO is to create a Memorial Day inspired project.

For my project, I'm going to share my husband's citizenship party with you. On February 28 my husband took the oath and became a citizen of the United States of America. It was a HUGE day for our family. The following Saturday we through a Welcome To The USA party, here are some of the projects I made.

We served hot dogs, blue corn tortilla chips, red salsa and LOADS of sweets!

I served the tortilla chips in brown paper lunch bags that I trimmed down with my rotary trimmer fitted with a scallop blade. I then used Barn Door distress ink and Stampers Anonymous "Americana Silhouettes" stamps to dress up the bags. I was using a vintage red, white and blue color scheme so the tan paper bag, blue tortilla chips and red ink fit in perfectly.

I used the Tim Holtz alterations "Tattered Florals" die and 7 gypsies paper to create this centerpiece. All the pieces were distressed with a combination of tea dye, frayed burlap, vintage photo, fired brick and broken china distress inks.

The desserts we served (and my mom made) included red and white cake pops, brownies with red and blue M&Ms, dipped pretzel rods, Rice Krispie treats with red and blue sprinkles, strawberry short cake push-ups, blue and white sixlets and burgundy hard candy sticks.

I used two for theses lanterns on the buffet. Inside is a piece of kraft cardstock that stamped with one of the Stampers Anonymous stamps. I used my distress markers in broken china, fired brick and vintage photo to highlight the different words in the subway art stamp. Then I simply tired burgundy ribbon and jute cord to the handle and inserted a vintage-looking flag (from Oriental Trading).

I kept the tables really simple using black table roll to cover the gross tables. The runner is a deck swag (again from Oriental Trading) that I cut down (I was able to get three tables/swag). For the centerpiece I used a mason jar with five flags arranged in it. The pieces of paper you see on the tables are questions from the immigration interview. It was a lot of fun to see how much people know about our history and government.

Like I said my party was a citizenship party but these ideas can easily be used for a Memorial Day party or Independence Day party.

Farm Scene Side-Step Card

PAUSE DREAM ENJOY CHALLENGES

Ch# 9 Outdoor Critters

Begins: Monday, Apr 29

Ends: Sunday, May 12

For this challenge I turned to my trusty Silhouette again (I really love that thing)!

The card base is the side step card cutting file from Pretty Paper Pretty Ribbons. I used Recollections kraft for the base and Disney paper for the panels.

I used a couple of Miss Kate Cuttables files, pig in mud and flowers with fence (includes fences, flowers, grass and cloud).

The barn came from the silhouette store (Design ID #33629) as did the sun (Design ID #17341).

I used the print and cut feature on all my cuts.

I just love this card fold! The depth and layering really make the design pop. I also used a lot foam squares.


Prize MFPS "Tweet That"
(must have a USA address)

Celebrate The Occasion - Clean and Simple

Our challenge for you this week at Celebrate The Occasion is to create a clean and simple projects.

Here is what I made to share with you today.

This birthday card was super simple to make. I took stripes of cardstock,  rolled them tight and used washi tape to secure and decorate them. I hand drew the wicks and flames using my Distress Markers, then took my water brush and went over the flames lightly to create a glow.

And because clean and simple doesn't have to be boring . . .

. . . I decorated the inside too!

Celebrate The Occasion - Tea Challenge

I'm so excited to share the project I made for this weeks Celebrate The Occasion challenge with you! This is the first "big" project I've made with my Silhouette.

I used the Tea For You And Me kit by SVGCuts.com, Dotty For You CTMH paper pack and Bazzill cardstock.

My daughter is super excited to have a tea party with her cousin and a couple of friends from school. So be on the look out for tea cups and other fun accessories!

Be sure to head over to CTO and join us in our Tea For Two challenge this week.

Celebrate The Occasion - Umbrella Challenge

Our challenge for you this week at Celebrate The Occasion is to use an umbrella in your design.

I used elements of the Rainy Day Bear SVG by Miss Kate Cuttables. I took the raindrops and created a repeating pattern for my background. I increased the size of the umbrella, wrapped my card in Stampin' Up twine and used a Lawn Fawn alphabet to create my sentiment tag.

Quick, easy yet bright and cheery. The perfect card to send to someone that might be feeling a little under the weather!

Pause Dream Enjoy Embellishment Challenge

Ch# 7 DEW DROPS, BUTTONS, PEARLS or RHINESTONES

Begins: Monday, Apr 1

Ends: Sunday, Apr 14

We have 2 prizes up for grabs this time around!
$15 Gift Cert. to The Robin's Nest
and
My Craft Spot Metal Dies or Stamp Set (winner's choice). WINNER MUST HAVE A USA ADDRESS
Winners announced in the WINNERS Page Tab of Pause Dream Enjoy Challenges

Here's what I created for this challenge:

I purchased this fun Easter Pop Up Card by Silhouette in the Silhouette Store (Design ID #40066). It's a great card that has the potential, with some alterations, to be very versatile. The best part is that it was so quick and easy to put together.

This gives you a birds-eye view.

I kept the front pretty simple since the inside is what you would display. The egg is a part of the cut file. I used baby blue and frosted lace Stickles to give it a little glimmer and dimension. Then I just added Queen and Co. washi and rhinestones and called it good!

Celebrate The Occasion - Easter

This week at Celebrate The Occasion we're asking you to create an Easter project. So start thinking about bunnies, baskets, eggs and lilies then link-up your creation.

I used my new silhouette, and it's print and cut feature, to create my card today. My image is Bunny Holding Carrot by Miss Kate Cuttables.

Celebrate The Occasion - Spring

Did the long Winter leave you a little stir crazy and craving Spring? Well break out the Winter-blahs and join us at Celebrate The Occasion this week where we're challenging you to create Spring-inspired projects.

I used the Bright Side collection by Lawn Fawn (clearly a favorite of mine!) to create my layout along with some Fancy Pants buttons and Distress Markers. I used a sketch by Nicole Nowosad for Jillibean Soup.

Under The Weather Layout

I was reading this Anatomy of a Double Page Layout post on the My Mind's Eye blog this morning and thinking about the color green (it must have been all the challenges out there for St. Patrick's Day) when I knew I had to dig out the Get Well Soon Nikki Sivils collection and these photos of my son.

I immediately knew what I wanted this layout to look like. Taking tips for the post I mentioned I started with a white sheet of paper, my ruler and a pencil. I sketched out where I wanted my papers and started cutting and pasting. After fussing with the embellishments for awhile I ended up with cute page!

10 Minute Craft Dash

I decided to take on the 10 Minute Craft Dash again hosted by PrettyPinkPosh.com. It was a lot less stressful this time around!

I created this clean and simple, 1-layer thank you card in 2 minutes 20 seconds using the following:
Distress Markers
   Peeled Paint
   Vintage Photo
Close To My Heart Stamps
   Simple Memories
   Card Word Puzzle
Paper
   Recollections

Polaroid Layout

I have a fun layout featuring my son to share with you all today. I created the polariods on my new Silhouette Portrait!!!

The DP, washi, button, chipboard and enamel dots are all from the Boy Crazy MME collection. I was lucky enough to win the ENTIRE collection for The Scrapbook Queen!

I used my Distress Markers, in broken china, spiced marmalade and barn door, along with the Hero Arts stamp & cut Arrow set for my cluster in the lower left.

To create a little visual interest and break up the linear lines for my layout a little, I ripped and then curled the edge of my border piece.

*The general layout was cased from this layout here.

Challenges:
Red Carpet Studio - "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"

Pause Dream Enjoy - For The Boys

Ch# 5 For the BOYS

Begins: Monday, Mar 4

Ends: Sunday, Mar 17

For this challenge I made a Patriotic Invitation. You see my husband became an American Citizen last week and to celebrate this amazing achievement we had a party.

I used Recollections paper and my Martha Stewart star punch that can be used anywhere on the page. The red stripe was cut with my Fiskars rotary trimmer fitted with a scallop blade.

For the fireworks I used a CTMH stamp that I inked with Barn Door Distress Ink and then colored the star portion with Chipped Sapphire Distress Marker. (I love that the markers know what color they are supposed to be so you cannot cross-contaminate them.) I only inked my stamp once but stamped in four different places on the page!

Since I was making over 20 of these and sending them through the mail I only added a little bit of hemp cording for 3D embellishments.

----------------------------------------------

Winner announced in the WINNERS Page Tab
Prize MFPS "Buried Treasure" stamp set
(must have a USA address)

Now it's your turn! Make your BOY themed project and link it up at Pause Dream Enjoy Challenges.

Celebrate The Occasion - Girl's Birthday

Welcome to the newest challenge brought to you by

Celebrate The Occasion

this weeks theme

Girl's Birthday - must use pink

I took my inspiration from a school project my four-year-old made at school. They took tissue paper and clothes pins to create butterflies. So I bumped it up a notch and used tulle and jute. My dandelions are a Stampendous set that I heat embossed in white. The paper is MME.

I Did It!!!

I took the 10 minute craft dash challenge and actually completed it! To be fair I had to do it twice. The first time I was too disorganized and panic-stricken. But I got my act together and created something I actually like!

I used Close To My Heart stamps and Tim Holtz Distress Markers on my image. The DP is MME, the ribbon is American Crafts and the cardstock is Recollections. I used my Creative Cutter Room bow maker to quickly tie my perfect little bow. The pink paper is embossed with a Sizzix folder and highlighted with Picket Fence Acrylic Paint by Ranger.

I created my card in 9 minutes 20.6 seconds.

Celebrate The Occasion - Valentine With Ribbon Challenge

We're gearing up for Valentine's Day this week at Celebrate The Occasion!

Challenge: Create a Valentine inspired project with ribbon

I relied on my trusty Lawn Fawn again to create these Valentine's for my daughter's class. The stamp sets used are Say Cheese (Polaroid), Cozy Christmas (cookies, milk, ampersand) and Claire's ABCs. I used my Distress Markers again for the coloring. The Polaroid is a wash of Brushed Corduroy, Vintage Photo and Scattered Straw. I used Tea Dye, Brushed Corduroy and Vintage Photo for the cookies. The tray is Worn Lipstick and to give a little color to the milk I did a wash of Tumbled Glass. I embossed the pink background paper with a Sizzix folder and used the Adirondack paint dabber in Snow Cap to highlight. Everything is stamped with Ranger Archival Ink in Jest Black on watercolor paper.

Now, on to my winner of the CTO birthday blog hop. I used random.org to select the winner and that lucky lady is . . . 

UnikByYes

please send my your address by Friday and I'll get your goodies out to you. (tonya (dot) morgan (at) gmail (dot) com)

Thank you everyone for hopping along with us.

I'll be entering my Valentine into the following challenges:
Lawnscaping - Challenge #51 - Be My Valentine
My Craft Spot - Monday Challenge #85 - Valentine's For Kids

Pause Dream Enjoy - Mainly Red Challenge

For the next two weeks at Pause Dream Enjoy Challenges we're challenging you to make a project that is MAINLY RED!

Begins: Monday, Feb 4

Ends: Sunday, Feb 17

Prize $15 Gift Cert. to The Robin's Nest

I had a hard time with this challenge. Red isn't a color I use a lot of. So after some thinking I came up with this naughty valentine!

This is not only a door hanger, it's a card too! Here's the inside:

Before putting it an envelope I hand wrote "Wishing you a happy Valentine's Day again, and again, and again!"

A few details: I used vinyl for my details instead of paper since I was using my Cricut and needed to cut my letters pretty small. 

Red Carpet Studio - Love Layout Challenge

This week at Red Carpet Studio we're asking you to create a layout with a love theme. It could be something or some one that you love. I created a clean and simple layout where my only embellishments are chipboard hearts.

I colored the hearts with Sunset and Smoothie inks and used a sharpie to add some doodles. The title is made with Lawn Fawn Bright Side stickers.

Celebrate The Occasion Birthday Blog Hop

Celebrate The Occasion is turning 2 today and we're celebrating with a blog hop and presents for you!

Since it is CTO's 2nd birthday we're showcasing projects with two of something. In my project you'll find 2 of the same stamped image, 2 pieces of washi tape and 2 buttons.

I used primarily Lawn Fawn on my layout. The stamps, paper and stickers are all LF. The washi is Smash and the buttons are OA. The outline is done with the Sew Stamper.

And now it's present time!!!! To qualify for my gift to you please be a follower and claim your goodies by Friday, February 8. You'll have until Sunday, February 3 to comment and I'll announce the winner on Tuesday, February 5 when I share my DT creation with you for our next challenge!

I'm offering a package of Basic Grey stitched brads, a Close To My Heart mini stamp set and 3 bottles of Stickles.

Your next stop is

Anna

The Lineup:
Esther
Lucianna
Tonya (that's me)
Anna
Adrian

Love is in the Air Blog Hop - Robot Valentine

Welcome to Day 2 of the Love is in the Air Blog Hop, brought to you by the layout design team from Red Carpet Studio!

If you haven't hopped through Day 1 yet, make sure to do so!

This weekend the Red Carpet Studio design team would like to share with you love-themed projects to inspire you during this Valentine's Day season. Throughout the hop you'll see a variety of projects and we hope one or more of these wonderful creations inspire you to create.

If you've come from Tonya G's blog, you're in the right place. If you'd like to start at the beginning of the hop, please visit Red Carpet Studio.

For today's hop I made robot valentine's for my son's practice preschool class. I got the idea from, where else, Pinterest.

Here's my recipe:

Paper

   Dotty For You by Close To My Heart

Hershey Nugget for the body

Googley Eyes

Barn Door Distress Marker for the smile

Dimensions:

Card Base - 3" x 5.5"

Matting - 2.5" x 5"

Head - 1" x 1" and mounted with foam

Neck Bolt - 1.25" x 0.25"

Body Wrap - 1" x 3"

Arms - 0.5" x 4.5" scored and folded every 0.25"

Legs - 0.5" x 2.25" each, scored and folded every 0.25"

Heart and Neck were cut free hand

This is what the card looks like without the chocolate in place.

We also have some fabulous sponsors giving away prizes to those who comment on every stop of both days the hop!

The Cutting Cafe

3 digital stamp sets of the winner's choice

SK Digis

$6 gift certificate

"Whooo's Your Valentine?" Kit from Close to My Heart

Sponsored by CTMH Consultant Janet Royer

LoveBug Creations

12 yard ribbon set - Winner's choice of Red Hot Lover or The Yummy Collection

Please make sure to comment both days on every stop of the hop AND leave your contact information to be eligible to win. Winners will be announced on Tuesday January 29th at Red Carpet Studio along with the winners of our "Sparkle" layout challenge.

Congratulations! You made it to the end of the hop! If you missed any of the wonderful projects please be sure to check out the lineup below and visit them. Remember, you need to comment on ALL of the projects EACH day to be eligible for the fabulous prizes above.

Here's the entire lineup:

Red Carpet Studio - http://redcarpetstudiochallenge.blogspot.com

Chas - http://scrapinlizards.blogspot.com

Stephanie J - http://sthom97093.blogspot.com/

Robin - http://www.thecricutscrapper.blogspot.com/

Monique - http://living-in-the-positive.blogspot.com/

Sandra - http://crea-sandra.blogspot.com/

Tonya G - http://scrappingfunwithtonya.blogspot.com

Tonya M - http://ittybittyladybugs.blogspot.com/

Happy Hopping!