Altered Box by Pebbles

My first wooden box!

 

 

I was in my local Dollar Tree, and I came across a couple of little wooden boxes. They measure a little over 3.5x3.5, and they have hinges on them as well as a little small magnet to keep it closed. I grabbed them up and figured I would eventual do something with them...couldn't leave them there, especially only costing a $1.00 a piece! Sorry for all the pics, but I wanted to capture as much detail as possible. :)

This is the natural box when I bought it. Nice and clean! 

I used some alcohol ink to kind of stain the box. As you can see, my fingers were pretty orange by the time I was done! I'm a hands on kind of girl! :) 

I used my Prima Paper Pad-Annalee collection on the top and both layers all around the box. I used some Color me Crazy flowers on the top of the box for the start of my embellishment process. I inked the bottom flower with Glimmer Mist. I inked the second one lightly with a orange ink pad and then adorned it with a small crochet flower and added a pearl bead in the center. The rest of my embellishments, are from my stash from previous projects.

 

 

Trying to be a little more creative, I added some large beads to the bottom as feet! I had a ball creating this! Thanks for looking! 

Tutorial Tuesday: Enhance Your Embossing by Laura C

The project today is a tag I made using an embossing folder, and I've got a short video on how I enhanced the simple embossed look with different products to get the final result here:

I apologize the video has a "strange" ending....we had some technical difficulties....lol....and then couldn't "merge" the final video.  But the finished project is, of course, in the pic above!  So here is the video on adding texture with an Embossing Folder, Distress Ink, Paint Daubers, and Glimmer Mist and how different each of these looks can be:

So in the end, my "whitewashed" wooden tag, is finished off with a few touches of a die cut border a little Stickles bling, a stamped sentiment, and a second tag of acrylic layered on top, a stamped floral image with Staz-On ink,and brushed around the edges with more paint dauber.

Hope you got a few ideas on some fun things to play with when you use your embossing folders!

Flip Flop Grad Card by Laura C

It's that time....gotta get some graduation cards done!!  Have you played with "flip flop" cards?  Fun and easy, and everyone thinks they are so cool!  (At least my kids do!....lol).  Here is the card I made for the daughter of a friend of mine:

Hopefully you can see the dimension here, and here is the other side:

This has all been decorated up with MME Be Amazing, I also used Distress Ink in Vintage Photo and Black Soot for the stamping and distressing. The hexagon border was fussy cut from the 6x6 MME Be Amazing papers....love those trendy shapes!  Then just simple Black and white twine and a button finish it off.  The bee and sentiments were stamped.  It's very simple, but fun!  It also would be very easy to make a little pocket on the back side to put in some money or a gift card. 

There are a lot of good tutorials on you tube for this style of card, but here are the details as well:

The pencil lines show the outline of the card center....I've marked where the fold lines are, and which are cut lines.  I really like just using a paper trimmer....it has markings that make this pretty easy....I will tell you how I lined it up, please refer to the drawing tho'....it spells it out really well!

Cut a piece of cardstock to 5&1/2" by 6&3/4".  Line up horizontally in your paper trimmer (just as the pic is lined up above)....line the left edge up at the 2&3/4" mark on the trimmer, and here score (with scoring blade) from the top of the cardstock down to the 1&1/4" mark (using the ruler on your trimmer blade slide).  Then score from 4&1/4" on down (again, using the ruler on your slide).  Then turn the paper around and do the same to the other side.  You should end up with the 1&1/4" area in the middle of the card as seen above....and these will be your fold lines only.  Next, you need to cut the hole....so you put the paper in your trimmer longwise this time (the 6&3/4" is vertical) lining up the left edge of the paper at the 1&1/4" mark.  Use 1&1/2" as your start (on the trimmer slide....this time with the blade to cut) and cut to 2&3/4", then lift and move the blade to the 4" mark and cut down to 5&1/4".  Flip the cardstock and repeat on the other side....you have your 1&1/4" cuts on each side done.  Then to make the 3" long cuts...you line the cardstock up with the 6&3/4" horizontally again, at the 1&1/2" mark on the trimmer, and then use the marks on the blade slide to cut from 1&1/4" to 4&1/4".  Flip and do the same on the other side.

Ok, clear as mud?  Hope not!  It sounds so odd when you write it out....but I really think the pic above spells it out!  Hey....let me know, because I will do a video for this if you would like!!

Hope you give this card a try!

Mousetrap Message Holders by Pebbles

Hello everyone! A friend of mine let me in on the most creative thing I've seen in a while! The Mousetrap Message Holders!!!

I know some of you have probably already heard of these before but they are new to me and I've been having a ball creating these today! I first painted my background, then I used my Prima Paper Pad-Annalee collection at the bottom as well as the quote at the top. I tore the bottom piece and inked the edges.

I also enhanced the flowers on the paper with Diamond Stickles and Fruit Punch Stickles. To add dimension to the quote, I used Glossy Accents to cover. A couple of more embellishments, and viola! :)

On this next one I colored my background black and decided to go a little masculine. I call this one "Honey Do List".

 I used Graphic 45-Olde Curiosity Shoppe papers, tearing and cutting out symbols. I added Glossy Accents to the "HONEY" on the bottle to tie into the title Honey Do List! I also added 5 black Kaisercraft self-adhesive rhinestones.

I put magnets on the back of both so the option to put them on the fridge is there! Thanks for looking! :)

Flower Tutorial by Tee

I was playing with my Flower Shoppe cricut cartridge again today and decided to share with you step by step directions I created the flower for this thank you card

I cut three set of flowers from Flower Shoppe at 3”, 2 ½ and 2”

Take scissors and cut notches into each pedal as seen here 

Ink each pedal 

Take a stylus and rub it over the entire flower pedal by moving the stylist in a circular motion 

Pinch the middle of each pedal as seen here 

Curl the edges of each side of the pedal back as seen here then apply glue to each tab and glue 

Play with each pedal until it has the look you want. Place glue in the center of each flower and stack alternating the pedals as you go. Drop in some pearls or any other embellishment. Add stickles around the edges of each pedal.

I hope you found this easy to follow and make your own soon.

~~Tee

Travel Mementos with Lori

We spent our Easter holidays down south, with most of the week in New Orleans, where my hubby had a conference for work.  I managed to limit each kid to just a couple of souvenirs, and everyone's favorites came from Blaine Kern's Mardi Gras World - they produce most of the floats in the MArdi Gras parades and give tours of their entire production.  My 9yo daughter really wanted a pretty mask she found in the shop, and I wanted to prevent it from getting destroyed so I decided on a shadow box display for her room.

Some glitter cardstock from American Crafts was the perfect thing to set off the shiny & sparkly purple mask.  I also used the Black & White cartridge for the Cricut Imagine, and printed a full sheet of the fleur-de-lis pattern, then trimmed it down and adhered it to the glitter cardstock using Scotch Quick-Dry Adhesive.  (I wish the photo showed the glitter cardstock better. I had to leave the glass in place as the mask is not adhered in any way; it's thick enough that it can be held in place with just the glass & backing.)

This close-up shows the glitter a bit better.  I added a "drama queen" photo of her posing with a tiger in the warehouse for something fun to remember.  (She is such a ham.)  She is really looking forward to having this hanging up in her room!

Supplies available at Cutters Creek:

• American Crafts glitter cardstock, in Grape
• Scotch Quick Dry Adhesive

Thanks for stopping by today!  We hope to see you again soon.

Mandie's Beach Baby Layout

Today I'd like to share a layout I created with some of the gorgeous paper from the Echo Park Paper This & That Graceful Collection. I took these photos of my daughter building her first sandcastle in WI a couple years ago. I used a bit of Bakers Twine to tie up my banner which I cut with my Cricut using the Country Life Cartridge. I also used my Cricut to cut the word "Beach" from the Ashlyn's Alphabet Cartridge. I used my Tim Holtz Distress Inks to ink... everything and of course I used my Pink ATG to stick everything down. Thanks for stopping by the blog today!

For You by Mindy

There was a time when every card I made had a Magnolia stamp on it, and then I took a little break from them.  When Kim announced she was going to sell them, it seemed like the perfect time to rediscover an old friend.  For this card, I used my copic markers to color this sweet little stamp, Tilda with heart balloons.  I chose colors to coordinate with the paper I used from My Mind's Eye.  If you haven't jumped into the world of Magnolia stamps, now is the time.  They are all adorable and so much fun to color. 

Congradulations

My niece has 8th grade graduation this weekend, so I thought I would make her a card.  It's been a while since I've played with my cricut Imagine and I thought this would be the perfect time. 

For this project, I used the new Greetings Cards Inside and Out cartridge.  This cartridge is great for making a really quick card.  When I went to print this card, I realized I was out of white cardstock.  Not good, so I had to improvise.  I used a pale sand color instead and I think it turned out better than it would have looked on white. I love it when a mistake works out.  I used diamond stickles to trace over the word grad and make it stand out.  I also printed another layer of the medallion and popped it up off the card with some pop dots.

One great thing about this card is that every design comes with the perfect sentiment to add to the inside of the card.  Remember when you need a card quick, your Imagine can be your best friend.

Cutters Creek Shopping List

Cricut Imagine machine
Stickles
Adhesive

Large Mother's Day Card by Pebbles

 

My Mom and I were talking last week about some of the cards I have given her over the years and we remembered years ago I gave her one of those GIANT cards that you have to sit on the floor to display! LOL

So this year for Mother's Day I thought I would make her a not so giant card but a large one! I started by double matting a piece of printed paper from Prima Madeline collection. After that, I used my Spellbinders Labels One on the same card stock as the matting, inked the edges and stamped it with the same brown ink, then I added a little bow I made at the bottom.

 

To enhance the paper a little, I used some Cinnamon, Fruit Punch and Diamond Stickles on the flowers in both corners. I also added some sky blue pearls at the bottom of the card. Thanks for looking and I hope you had a wonderful Mother's Day!

Birthday Layout by Chris

I wanted a quick cheery layout for a first birthday and pulled out my Expression, Wild Cart cart, and the Storybook cart. I used the cupcake (cut at 6) and phrase (also cut at 6) from the Wild Card to page the first half. There was no mat for the words so I just glued them on a darker piece of blue and free-hand cut around the phrase. The circles are different sizes from my Spellbinders Nestabilities Standard Circle Small and Petite Scalloped Circles. The candle has yellow and gold Stickles for the flame.  The second page used a phrase from StoryBook cut at 4 inches. The scalloped mat was in my remnants folder and I can’t remember if I cut it with Scal or a cart—sorry. But to jazz them both up I used stickles (again--J). Christmas Red to outline the two letter Bs and I used Faded Jeans Distress Ink to glitz up the mat.  Quick, easy and ready for photos.

Hello Kitty by Tee

Hello Kitty made her first appearance in 1974 which in the same year the sitcom Happy Days first went on the air. I found it fitting to make this project using the Hello Kitty cricut cartridge and the Echo Park Happy Days collection. 

I cut out the Hello Kitty imagine using black cardstock at 5”, repeated using the blackout feature in both black cardstock and Retro patterned paper. I then cut the inside of the car and wheels using Bottle Caps patterned paper . Hello Kitty, her bow, steering wheel, inside of the wheels is cut with cardstock. I used a rhinestone for the headlight and stickles on her bow and the lines on the pink patterned paper (Bottle Caps). 

I wanted my car to be 3D so I could add a gift before I gave it to my niece. To do that, I cut a piece of black cardstock at 9x4 – scored using my Scor Buddy at an ½” on each side and scored at 2” and 7” as seen in this picture. I then cut notches to make it easier to fold. 

I folded the box and glued with Scotch Quick Dry in place as you see here. 

I glued the black of the car on lining the black cardstock up just above the wheels. Then I glued on the front panel.

Hello Kitty’s car needed a license plate so I used the tab HELLO and the black letters KITTY from the Alpha Stickers that come in the Happy Days collection then added a bow for to finish it off. 

Hope you liked my Hello Kitty project and bring you a Happy Day.

Tee

My Mind's Eye & Ecstasy Crafts with Kim B

My craft room seriously looks like hurricane Kim blew through it and left a mess for me to clean up!  Although I was so productive and got a lot done in a couple of days, I so need to clean up so I can begin once again.  Are you like me and are one of those crafters that loses their mojo when you can't even see your craft table any more?  Please leave me a comment regarding my project or any awesome "clean as you go tips" that you would like to share.  So on with my project!

I actually made two cards as I really loved the new My Mind's Eye papers (and more releases are coming!) that recently shipped to Cutters Creek.  I used the Follow Your Heart Be Happy 6x6 paper pad.  It is just simply scrumptious!  Both of my cards are 6x6 and I loved cutting two color blocks from one side and the cutting the other two color blocks from the other side.  This is one of the things I so love about double sided paper, you just can't go wrong!  The floral embellishment is from Ecstasy Crafts and so is the "happy birthday" in the corner.  I just love these peel off sentiments because I don't have to search for an ink pad, ink, acrylic block, etc...  And I also love that you can color these right in the sheet with your copic markers and change the color any way you want.  "Happy Birthday" started off as gold and now it is blue!

Here is my second card and it is also done with all the same products.  It just amazes me that you can get so many different looks out of the same products!  Although this time I left the sentiment gold. 

I hope you have enjoyed my cards today!  Please leave me a comment, even if it is a great "clean as you go" tip!  Thank you so much!

Mother's Day Card by Deanna M

I recently received my new Tim Holtz Spring Distress Inks. Wow, are they beautiful. I love them. I decided to make my own background paper using some Adirondack Acrylic Paint Dabbers. I started with a piece of white card stock cut to 3 3/4" X 5". I used a flourished background stamp from Hero Arts (yes, Kim can get this for you, just let her know) and inked it generously with the Snow Cap acrylic paint. Once the paint dried I used my sponge applicator to apply the ink to my paper. I love how it turned out.

For my card, I started with a piece of white card stock cut and folded to 4 1/4" X 5 1/2". I added a gold patterned paper mat from My Minds Eye. Then I added the background paper I made. To finish the card, I added one of the Kaisercraft Dress Forms. I painted my dress form with Eggplant Paint Dabber. I then spritzed it with some Dragonfly Glimmer Mist. Once that dried I spritzed it lightly with some Pearl Glimmer Mist.


I cut a mat for my sentiment from the Elegant Edges cartridge at 1 1/4". I used the same ink colors to ink up my shadow mat and then inked the edges with the Lilac color and stamped my sentiment with the lilac color. I added some pearls to finish my card.

Here is a short video showing you how I did the background paper.

Mother's Day Card by Fran

 

Today I am sharing the Mother's Day card I created for Cutters Creek. The main focus of the card is the adorable stamped image by Sarah Kay called Barbette Sewing. What a sweet image and so much fun to color. I colored her using Prisma Colored Pencils using the Gamsol technique. I used the Spellbinders Nestabilities to frame her. I shaded the two layers of nestabilities with Chalk-Shimmers (its sold out) but it is really fun to use. The papers are by Echo Park called This & That Graceful Double Sided. They are gorgeous! And I even added a zig zag stitch around the border using yellow thread. I used seam binding for my ribbon and dyed it to match one of the colors in the paper using the Distress Ink Re-inkers. The roses are from my personal stash however I colored them using Liquid Pearls Rouge and Gold Pearl. This medium is amazing to work with because you can use it right from the bottle, paint with a brush or dilute it with water for a shimmery look. Check out the cute scissors (these come from my personal stash). And I covered them with Stickles Gold Glitter Glue. Cutters Creek is now carrying them and they are from Kaisercraft. Go and check them out to see all the beauiful shapes. The corners on the card front and the scalloped borders on the inside of the card were made with the Rounded Banner Trio by Die-namics. The inside of the card uses the same paper from the This & That Graceful Double Sided 6x6 pad. And I punched 1/2 inch circles from the same paper to form a scallop border around the oval shape for the sentiment. This card can also be used as a Birthday Card too.

Below are photos of the front and inside of my Mother's Day Card. And all the different mediums that worked so well together to get these results.

Have a wonderful Day! Fran

Designer Spotlight with Karen S.

Hi Everyone! For my card today, I have a graduation card I made with Tilda Catching Stars. I matted her using Spellbinders Romantic Rectangles and also used Tim Holtz Distress Ink in antique linen. I used paper by My Minds Eye and I made the flowers with my Cricut and the George cartridge. I added ribbon, lace, Kaisercraft pearls, stickles, a button, a mini tag, and a leaf swirl.  I hope you enjoyed my project and please leave me a comment!

Olde Curiosity Shoppe Layout by Pebbles

I made this layout using the Graphic 45 12x12 Olde Curiosity Shoppe Collection. Starting with the 12x12 Olde Curiosity Shoppe paper as the background, I used a piece of 12x12 black card stock and used a circle template to draw a 10 inch circle. But rather cutting the circle with scissors, I tore it by hand. I then inked the edges with some brown ink.

Then I cut a 9 inch circle using some wavy scissors from the 12x12 Graphic 45 Olde Curiosity Shoppe-Genuine Article paper to place on top of the black card stock.

You will also find inside the 12x12 Graphic 45 Olde Curiosity Shoppe double-sided paper pad, the Optical Oddities and Bazaar of Wonders papers which I used for my next two layers, cutting them in squares and rectangles.

To somewhat, frame the photo, I added some flowers from my stash, cut some strips of the Bazaar of Wonders paper and added some Finesse Swirls-Black Rhinestones actually on the photo. Just adding a few embellishments, enhanced the layout without making it overwhelming. Thanks for looking!