Craftaholics Anonymous Winter Gift Exchange 2013 Part 2

Today I want to share with you what I received from Lindsey for the Craftaholics Anonymous Winter Gift Exchange. If you missed yesterday's post where I shared the gifts I sent you can find it HERE. 

She made me a lovely camera strap that matches the colors in my craft room, a pretty wall plaque, and a lovely burlap banner! Thank you so much Lindsey! I love it all! 

If you want to see some of the other gifts that were given or received take a look at the link party HERE. 

Now I'm sure you're wanting to know how you can join in on the fun right? Well the next exchange probably won't be until the summer but you can sign up to receive an email when Linda sends out the invite by clicking HERE. 

Craftaholics Anonymous Winter Gift Exchange 2013 Part 1

It's always so much fun participating in the gift exchanges over at Craftaholics Anonymous! Basically you get paired up with someone else somewhere in the country. You get to ask them questions to figure out what to make. Then make a handmade item or a few and mail them to your exchange buddy. You also get some crafty goodness sent to you from your buddy. So I would like to start out with sharing what I made for Lindsey. 

Her favorite colors were pink and green. So I made her a necklace and earrings with pink crystals, pearls, and silver chain all packaged up in the cute little glass jar with a pink bow. 

Next is a personalized pincushion with a shiny clear button in the center. 

Then finally the lovely "create" banner for her work space that has been sprayed with Strawberry Slush and Lucky Limeade inks that were mixed with rubbing alcohol. The pink banners were also sprayed with Blushing Bride Smooch Spritz to make it sparkly. Then I added the pink and turquoise buttons with baker's twine bows and some pink and green ribbon between the banners. This was so simple and fast to make! I actually made one almost identical for my sister for Christmas. 

I hope you like your gifts Lindsey! 

If you want to see some of the other gifts that were given or received take a look at the link party HERE. 

Now I'm sure you're wanting to know how you can join in on the fun right? Well the next exchange probably won't be until the summer but you can sign up to receive an email when Linda sends out the invite by clicking HERE. 

Come back tomorrow to see what wonderful goodies Lindsey sent me! 

DIY Let it SNOW Sign

Dress up your home for winter with this adorable snow inspired sign! 

~ Supplies ~

• 1 x 4 Pine cut 18" long
• Craft paint brush
• DecoArt Americana Acrylic Paint: Deep Midnight Blue, Charcoal Gray, Whispering Turquoise, Cool White
• DecoArt Decou-Page matte finish 
• Ultra Fine Glitter
• Eye Hooks
• 20 gauge craft wire (blue)
• 80 grit sand paper
• Vinyl
• Silhouette
• Clear glass beads (large enough to slide on craft wire)
• Snowflake Cluster download
• Small pliers

Don't be afraid to try this project. It is so easy! Since we're going for a vintage distressed look you don't have to worry about each step being perfect. 

1. Start off by sanding your 1 x 4 with the 80 grit sand paper just to smooth out the top, corners, and sides. Then paint a coat of Charcoal Gray on the top. It is actually a very nice dark brown. Allow that to dry for about 15 minutes or so. 

2. Layout the following on your Silhouette software and cut some vinyl. It doesn't matter what color you use because we are just using it as a template. For the "Let it" I used the font ALS Script and made it 2-1/2" tall x 7" wide. For the "SNOW" I used the font Algerian and made it 2-1/2" tall x 9-3/4" wide. Weed out the bits of vinyl you don't want and use transfer paper to pick up your vinyl. Once it's on the transfer paper I cut my words and snowflake clusters apart so I could add each one separately. 

3. Now that your Charcoal Gray layer is dry add the "Let it" closer to the top left of the board. Coat the top with a layer of Decou-Page. This will prevent any seepage of color from the next layer of paint. 

4. After the Decou-Page is dry add a layer of Deep Midnight Blue paint over the top and all four sides. Allow this layer to dry.

 

5. Apply the "SNOW" vinyl closer to the bottom right of the board. Paint on another layer of Decou-Page on the top. 

6. Once the Decou-Page is dry paint on a layer of Whispering Turquoise just on the top. Allow to dry. 

7. Apply the snowflake clusters in both corners and coat the top with a layer of Decou-Page Now apply two coats of Cool White allowing the paint to dry between coats. 

The thing I love about acrylic paint is that it only takes about 15-20 minutes for the paint to dry so you don't have to wait very long between coats. When your waiting for a layer to dry is a great time to straighten up or organize a little bit of your craft room while your waiting for it to dry. Or to work on another project between coats. 

8. Now take a needle tool and start pulling up your vinyl layers starting with your snowflake clusters, "SNOW", and finally "Let it". The layers of Decou-Page between each coat of paint prevented the paint layers from seeping 

9. Now take your sand paper and sand the edges until you like how it looks. On mine you can see some of each layer of paint and even some of the pine below. I love it! Then coat with one final layer of Decou-Page on the top and sides just to seal everything in. Right after you finish applying the Decou-Page sprinkle on some ultra fine glitter just lightly over the whole thing. Allow to dry completely. 

10. Take a paper towel or Swiffer sweeper wipe to brush off the excess glitter. 

Crafting Tip: Keep a box of the Swiffer sweeper refills next to your craft area. They are great for               cleaning up glitter! 

11. Screw two eye hooks in the top of the board. You can just screw these in by hand or use some pliers to get it screwed in all the way. If you're having a little bit of trouble getting the eye screws started just take a hammer and tap it a couple times to get the threads to grip the wood. 

12. Cut a piece of 20 gauge craft wire 32" long. Bend up one end about 2 inches from the end of the wire. Add a small handful of clear beads onto the wire then bend up the other end about 2 inches from the end of the wire. Now take the wire and twist it around your finger to create a few decorative loops in the wire. Make sure to let a few beads slide into the loop. Add a loop in the center of the wire to hang your sign from. 

13. Insert the wire ends into the eye hook, then twist the short end of the wire around the wire. Use pliers to pinch the end of the wire close to the wire so you don't get scratched by it. 

Now simply hang up your lovely sign and enjoy! 

This sign was really easy to make even though it requires a few steps. I worked on it across a few evenings and I am so happy with how it came out! Don't you just love it when a project turns out almost exactly how you saw it in your head? 

I hope you've enjoyed this fun tutorial and get a chance to make one of these for yourself! If you would like to check out some other snowflake inspired projects like my Snowflake Gift Box and Snowflake Wine Glass Tutorial just click on the pictures and it will take you to the post! 

Guest Posting!

I'm guest posting today over at Sugar Bee Crafts! Swing on over and take a look at the holiday decor tutorial I've put together for you! 

DIY Snowflake Wine Glasses

~ Supplies ~

• Glass wine glass
• DecoArt Glass Paint Marker in White and Silver

1. Start by drawing a narrow X then add a horizontal line across with your white DecoArt Glass Paint Marker.

 2. Add a wide V on the end of each line. Then add a circle just above the V.

3. Draw a V between each of the lines to create a diamond shape. 

4. Add some swirls just under the V at the end of each line. Add a V on the line between the point of the diamond and the swirls. Then just add some dots in the center of the diamond shape. 

5. Starting from the base of the glass right at the top of the stem add random dots with your white marker until you have it as full as you like. Make sure that the dots stay about 3/4" away from the top of the glass. You do not want any paint where someone will be putting their mouth to take a drink. Then add silver dots until it it's as full as you like. 

6. Add white and silver dots to the base of the wine glass to make it match. 

7. Now just let your paint dry for at least 8 hours. Then place your wine glasses on a baking sheet and put them in a COLD oven. Turn the oven on to 375°F and allow it to heat up. Once the oven reaches 375°F set the timer for 40 minutes. After the 40 minutes turn the oven off and allow it to cool completely before you remove the wine glasses. 

Now you have a special wine glass hand painted by you that is dishwasher safe. Although I think I will only hand wash mine to make the paint last as long as possible. 

This is such an easy to make project and would make a fabulous gift! You could even decorate a ceramic mug using the same method! 

For You Box

My guests had the chance to make this adorable little box at the August Make and Take. I cased this from Dawn and you can find her video tutorial HERE. 

• Stamps: Chalk Talk, Flower Shop
• Card Stock: Crisp Cantaloupe, Whisper White, Pistachio Pudding
• Ink: Pistachio Pudding, Crisp Cantaloupe
• Accessories: Chalk Talk Framelits, 1-3/8" Circle Punch, Stampin' Dimensionals, Glue Dots, Pistachio Pudding Ruffle Stretch Trim, Crop-A-Dile

I cut my Crisp Cantaloupe card stock to 5-1/2" x 8-1/2". Then I positioned the card stock with the 8-1/2" side against the top and scored at 1-3/4", 3-1/2", 5", and 6-3/4". I rotated the card stock so the 5-1/2" side was against the top and scored at 1-1/2" x 4". Next I stamped the flower image from Flower Shop onto the card stock in Crisp Cantaloupe ink then trimmed it with Paper Snips and glued it together with Glue Dots just like Dawn shows how to in her video.

To finish it off I stamped the label image from Chalk Talk onto a scrap of Whisper White card stock in Crisp Cantaloupe ink and cut it out with the Chalk Talk framelits in the Big Shot. I stamped the "for you" from Chalk Talk onto a scrap of Pistachio Pudding card stock in Pistachio Pudding ink then punched it out with my 1-3/8" Circle punch and adhered it onto the label with a Stampin' Dimensional. I used the large hole of my Crop-A-Dile to punch a hole in the tag and used some Pistachio Pudding Ruffle Stretch Trim to tie the box closed and hold the tag. 

This sweet little box is just the right size to hold two fun size candy bars. So fill it with a sweet treat of your choice and give to someone special! 

Gettin' Grungy

I absolutely LOVE the Gorgeous Grunge stamp set! It is just so much fun to play with! So to show my guests just how much fun it is we made this card at the August Make and Take.

• Stamps: Gorgeous Grunge, Happy Day
• Card Stock: Soft Sky, Crushed Curry, Whisper White
• Ink: Soft Sky, Basic Gray, Smoky Slate
• Accessories: Basic Gray Stitched Grosgrain Ribbon

For this card you need to start off with a piece of Soft Sky card stock cut at 4-1/4” x 5-1/2”. Next cut a piece of Whisper White card stock 4” x 10-1/2” and score it at 5-1/4”. Stamp the tiny dots splatter image across the bottom right hand corner twice in Soft Sky ink. Then stamp the larger splatter in Smoky Slate ink twice.

Next stamp the three splotches twice in Soft Sky ink. Stamp the diagonal lines twice in Basic Gray ink but only ink up the stamp once.

Next cut a piece of Whisper White card stock 1” x 4”. Stamp the greeting from Happy Day onto the card stock in Smoky Slate ink. Adhere this onto a 1-1/4" x 4" piece of Crushed Curry card stock. Wrap a piece of Basic Gray Stitched Grosgrain ribbon around the panel and tie it into a knot. Adhere this strip across the bottom of the card front and you’re done!

This is such a fun and simple card to make! 

Sweet Birthday!

This is one of the fun cards that my guests made at the August Make and Take. I absolutely LOVE that fun candle image from Cycle Celebration! I didn't really think I would like the Birthday Basics DSP very much, but after having it in my hands I've nearly used it all up! Which really is an accomplishment for me! 

• Stamps: Cycle Celebration
• DSP: Birthday Basics
• Card Stock: Coastal Cabana, Summer Starfruit, Very Vanilla
• Ink: Coastal Cabana, Summer Starfruit
• Accessories: Decorative Label Punch, Scallop Edge Border Punch, Chalk Talk Framelits, Stampin’ Dimensionals, Large Oval Punch, Dazzling Details, Rhinestone Basic Jewels

For this card you will want to start off by cutting a piece of Coastal Cabana card stock 5-1/2” x 8-1/2” and score it at 4-1/4”. Next stamp the candle image from Cycle Celebration across the middle of the card stock in Coastal Cabana ink several times.

Next cut a piece of Summer Starfruit card stock 2-1/2” x 4-1/4” and use the Scallop Edge Border punch on both the long edges. Now cut a piece of Birthday Basics DSP 1-5/8” x 4-1/4” and adhere it into the center of the scalloped Summer Starfruit card stock. Now adhere this panel onto the bottom of the card front.

Cut the label from another pattern of the Birthday Basics DSP with the Chalk Talk framelit in the Big Shot. Stamp the “celebrate a sweet birthday” label twice onto a scrap of Very Vanilla card stock; once in Coastal Cabana, and once in Summer Starfruit. Punch out just the center of the Summer Starfruit image with the Large Oval Punch. Punch out the Coastal Cabana image with the Decorative Label punch.

Adhere the Coastal Cabana label onto the DSP label. Now adhere the Summer Starfruit oval into the center of the Coastal Cabana label with a Stampin’ Dimensional. Adhere the stack of labels onto the card front with a couple Stampin’ Dimensionals.

Finally, just to add some sparkle, add two small Rhinestone Basic Jewels onto the ends of the DSP label then use Dazzling Details to add some glitter to the flames of the candles.

Now you have a bright and fun birthday card! 

Everything will be OK

Of course I just HAD to make a fun fall card with the Magnificent Maple stamp set for the October Make and Take! So.... here it is! 

• Stamps: Magnificent Maple, Really Good Greetings
• Card Stock: Old Olive, Very Vanilla, So Saffron, Early Espresso Core'dinations
• Ink: Old Olive, Summer Starfruit, Crumb Cake, Early Espresso, Versamark
• Accessories: Gold embossing powder, heat tool, Neutrals Buttons, Early Espresso Baker's Twine Glue Dots, Stampin' Dimensionals, Paper Snips, Labels Framelits, Houndstooth embossing folder, Sanding Block, Stampin Sponge

For this card I started off with a 5-1/2" x 8-1/2" piece of Old Olive card stock. Next I cut a 3-3/4" x 5" piece of Early Espresso Core'dinations card stock. I ran this through the Big Shot in the Houndstooth embossing folder and used the sanding block to remove the top layer from the raised texture. This was adhered onto a 3-7/8" x 5-1/8" piece of Very Vanilla card stock then adhered onto the card front.

Next I cut a 3-3/4" x 4-1/2" piece of Very Vanilla card stock. I stamped the Magnificent Maple leaf onto the card stock in Crumb Cake, So Saffron, and Old Olive ink. Then I stamped the greeting from Really Good Greetings onto the card stock in Versamark ink, covered the image with Gold embossing powder, tapped off the excess, and heated with my Heat Tool. I ran this through the Big Shot with the 2nd from smallest Deco Labels Framelits and sponged some Early Espresso ink around the edges and in the center. I cut a piece of So Saffron card stock 1-1/2" x 5" and used Paper Snips to cut a dove-tail shape in each end. I adhered the label onto the So Saffron banner and adhered this onto the card front with Stampin' Dimensionals. 

For a little bit of fun I threaded a piece of Early Espresso Baker's Twine through a Neutrals Button and tied it into a bow. The button was adhered onto the card front with a Glue Dot. 

For the inside I simply stamped the leaf image several times in Old Olive ink in the upper right and bottom left corners just to add a little bit of pretty on the inside. 

What have you been making with this fabulous leaf stamp?