If you have a young teenage girl in your life, you’ll want to make this bright and colorful wall art for her bedroom. The wall art looks like a heart quilt square, and features the Pop of Pink Specialty Designer Series Paper and Designer Washi Tape. Make one, or make a few to have a quilt grouping on the wall. There’s also a coordinating card to go along with your special handmade gift.
This fantastic project, which was designed by Christy Fulk, is the December Bonus project at Craft Project Central. Qualifying for the Bonus project tutorial is easy . . . just subscribe to two or more months in a row, put the Craft Project Central badge on your blog, or refer a friend to the site. When your friend subscribes, just let us know!
What do you get when you put fabric, an iron and metallic embossing powders together? A uniquely you journal cover that sparkles with personality! This Uniquely You Journal Cover and Journaling Cards Set includes a one-of-a-kind fabric journal cover and two sets of coordinating journaling cards. In this tutorial you will learn how to use your embossing powders in a creative way to design your own unique decorative fabric. We will then learn how to turn the fabric into a journal or book cover.
The tutorial for this fun project, which was designed by Michelle Wecksler, can be found at Craft Project Central. You'll really enjoy the creativity of including fabric with your stamping!
Whew! Hopefully your holiday crafting is done or nearly done. Now, it’s time to think about what comes next. Thank you notes and other small gifts for visiting can always come in handy! This note card set has crisp, clean and simple lines which can be a welcome change from the excesses of the holidays. Enjoy this set of cards and its cute box for your own use or make several to have on hand to share as you drop by and make visits with friends this winter.
You’ll always have a gift ready to go after you make these Pop of Pink Gift Treats. The Double Pocket Treat Holder is great for giving gift cards, tea bags or candy, and the five Nugget Box is sure to make someone smile!
The tutorial for these fun projects, which were designed by Beth, can be found at Craft Project Central.
This month's Creating Pretty Cards - Card Challenge #66is such a nice, easy one that I decided to create another card for the challenge. The sketch, which was designed by Monika Davis, looks like this:
Accessories: Metallics Sequins Assortment, Very Vanilla satin ribbon
Did you know that you have an easy opportunity to win a FREE one-month subscription to Craft Project Central? For every 10 cards that are uploaded HERE for the Creating Pretty Cards - Card Challenge #66, a winner will be selected to receive a free subscription.
There should be a 12-step program for the kind of mess that I generate when stamping. Actually, if it could be a 3-step program, I might have a chance at learning to be a bit neater. Having a basket under my table for cardstock cuts has helped a lot (even though I let it become a small mountain before sorting and filing--still, it's not an eyesore), and I always put tweezers immediately back in their place. It's not as though tweezers are a most-used item for me but, for some reason, I am disciplined where they are concerned. If you are creatively messy like me, then you've probably experienced the angst of a lost (wafer thin) die. Or a stamp. Recently, someone in the NC Demo Facebook group shared the idea of using a magnetic tray at the Big Shot/die station where thin dies can be placed until clean-up time when they are returned to their dedicated storage. Isn't this a great idea? My son came home from Tractor Supply last week and handed me an early Christmas gift . . . my very own magnetic tray:
The magnets are quite strong so, to make the dies a bit easier to pick up, I lined the bottom of my tray with a piece of adhesive-backed felt. This also makes the dies easier to see, but the tray is definitely a winner--with or without a liner. So . . . if all of your discipline to clean as you go flies out the window when you play with paper, you might benefit immensely from placing one of these trays by your Big Shot or other die-cut machine. I might even take mine to classes/workshops!
I had the pleasure of designing two project tutorials for Craft Project Central this month, and the second project is featured today. Following is the introduction that I wrote for it:
Now that the year is coming to a close, you’ll soon be finished with your 2016 calendar. This tutorial will demonstrate how to create a set of colorful envelopes from the calendar photos. Instructions are also included for making a set of note cards that feature the same clean and simple design, but you’ll learn how to sort the envelopes so that similar and coordinating colors can be used to stamp the images on the cards. Lastly, since you may wish to give your finished card set as a gift, this tutorial includes instructions for a gift box.
I have a FREE one-month subscription to Craft Project Central to give away, and getting entered in the drawing is really easy. Just click HERE and leave a comment. On Wednesday, December 28th, I will use random.org to select a winner and announce the winning name here on my blog. Be sure to visit on the 28th to see if you're the winner!
I promised to announce the winner of the FREE Craft Project Central subscription this past Monday, and I haven't done it yet. Before I get to that--I promise the wait is almost over--I have a pretty card (it's okay to say that about my own card, right?) to share.
My card features two favorite stamp sets (Butterfly Basics and Ghoulish Grunge), but it also features two of Stampin' Up!'s brand new stamp sets, which will be available in January . . . Dragonfly Dreams (from the Occasions catalog) and Delicate Details (a Sale-a-Bration product). I will love the dragonfly stamp set as much as I love Butterfly Basics and for the same reason . . . it's so darn easy to use, and it's a go-to set for when I have no design idea. You can never go wrong with collage. Something else that I use a lot is the Wink of Stella Clear Glitter Brush and my latest passion . . . sequins. I'm very excited about the products in the Occasions catalog, and the Sale-a-Bration product choices are great, too!
With my blog post on December 4th, I mentioned that I had a FREE one-month subscription to Craft Project Central to give away, and the winner is . . . SHARON MARANICH. Congratulations, Sharon! Contact me at randari at hotmail dot com, and we'll get your subscription started.
Keeping small children entertained during the cold winter months when they can’t go outside can be a challenge. With this tutorial, you’ll use the Stitched Shapes and Large Letters Framelits to create “puzzle letters” that your children can use to make words and play matching games. The Gift Box Punch Board box doubles as a container for the letters and can be another sorting game. Customize the box and tag with your child’s initial, and you have a fun gift for a snowy day.
The Cards and Memories Gift set is a great gift idea to bring for the Hostess of your next New Year’s Eve Party event. What better way to start the New Year than with a fresh new set of cards and a photo album to showcase your favorite moments. This is a very easy to reproduce project and great for your next class or workshop, and you can also make one for a birthday gift or any other occasion. The Flourishing Phrases Cards and Memories Gift Set tutorial includes four cards of different occasions and one accordion style photo album all packed in a beautiful keepsake box. In this tutorial, you will learn how to build an easy keepsake box with a magnetic closure, how to make your own tassels and embellishments, how to quickly create a cute photo album and a set of cards.
The tutorial for this fantastic project, which was designed by Olga Cavanaugh, can be found at Craft Project Central. There are lots of tips and techniques in this tutorial that you won't want to miss!
This little scrapbook is perfect when you have some pictures to share with a loved one, and you want to put them together as an extra special gift. The base of this mini scrapbook is made from one sheet of cardstock, and features the Swirly Bird Bundle. There are 12 pages to put pictures on, with three inner decorated sections. This gift is finished off with a coordinating gift bag that’s made with one sheet of Moroccan Designer Series Paper.
If you’re immersed in the holiday season, but have a need for some quick and thoughtful ideas for gift-giving - this gift set is your answer! The recipient of this gift will be prepared for the New Year and days to come! You’ll learn how to make the simple, but oh so pretty and practical Stand-Up Mini Calendar with Post-it Pad. And everyone needs some quick, but cute Note Cards with envelopes for quick a thank you every now and then! The Note Cards and Envelopes are easily gifted in a quick Cellophane Bag! And the Coordinating 3” x 3” Gift Card will top off this perfect gift for that person who is so hard to buy for!
Isn't the timing for this project perfect! The tutorial for this awesome project, which was designed by Julie Beltramo, can be found at Craft Project Central.
It's finally looking like Christmas at my house. Well . . . in the living room. I used to enjoy decorating several Christmas trees, but it seems that the house shrinks with each passing year.
Since we added a new family member (Ramsour) at the end of August, we needed a new ornament just for him:
Another new ornament is this Krispy Kreme "hot now" light. It lights up every 25 seconds--it's so fun! It already needs a new battery, though, so I might have to turn it off from time to time. ;-)
I had the opportunity to design two projects this month for Craft Project Central, and one of them is featured today. It's a set of greeting cards created with Stampin' Up!'s gorgeous Rose Wonder stamp set, and following is the introduction that I wrote for my project:
Treat yourself to some relaxing watercolor “therapy” and, at the same time, create a gorgeous set of greeting cards, complete with a very easy-to-make packaging. Since this card set has a relatively thin profile, why not create several gift sets to have on hand going into the new year? They certainly won’t take much storage space, and you’ll be so glad to have them when you need a lovely gift.
I was so pleased with this set of cards, and I don't think you will be disappointed! My tutorial for the entire project, which includes a pretty package for the cards, is available to those who subscribe to the December edition of awesome Craft Project Central tutorials. Of course, as a designer, I have the pleasure of giving a FREE one-month subscription to one lucky person. Getting entered in the drawing for the free subscription is really simple . . . just click THIS LINK and leave a comment. The winning name will be announced right here on my blog on Sunday, December 11th, so be sure to check back to see if you've won.
There's a brand new sketch for Creating Pretty Cards - Card Challenge at Craft Project Central this month, and it's an easy one that I think you'll enjoy! Monika Davis designed Sketch Challenge #66, and you can find her tutorial HERE.
This is what the sketch looks like:
And this is the card that I created for the challenge:
Stampin' Up! products featured on my card include:
Cardstock: Soft Sky, Crumb Cake
DSP: Blooms & Bliss, Irresistibly Floral
Stamp Set: Wetlands
Ink: Soft Sky, Pool Party, Tempting Turquoise, Island Indigo, Dapper Denim, Night of Navy, Crumb Cake
Did You Know? When you create a card for this challenge and upload a photo HERE, your name will be entered in a drawing for a FREE one-month subscription to Craft Project Central? For every ten (10) cards that are uploaded for Creating Pretty Cards - Card Challenge #66, there will be a winner!
This fantastic project, which was designed by Michelle Wecksler, is the November Bonus project at Craft Project Central. Qualifying for the bonus project tutorial is easy . . . just subscribe to two or more months in a row, put the Craft Project Central badge on your blog, or refer a friend to the site. When your friend subscribes, just let us know.
Children love to write a letter to Santa…and to get one in return! The Greetings from Santa Stamp Set and Detailed Santa Thinlits Dies make it easy and fun to get a letter out to Santa and to get one back…and the Candy Cane Lane Designer Series Papers and Washi Tape are just the ticket to make this project adorable…and Santa approved!
My family "roughed" Thanksgiving this year at the "get-away" house that isn't quite finished being built. It did, however, have a working bathroom complete with vanity and (cold) running water, and Mother Nature provided a most important component . . . a gorgeous, sunny day! HUGE thanks to my husband for all of his hard work cleaning up construction debris and dust, putting away tools (where they will most likely be harder to find when needed), and for many trips up and down steps and stairs getting things "just right" so that we could all tremendously enjoy the day. I wish that I had taken more (and better) photos of the day, but below is a picture of most of us. My great-nephews had finished eating and were on the deck peeping in the window and, of course, I'm behind the camera.
I enjoyed doing some light decorating for the big day, but my favorite creation was the flatware packet that I prepared for each of us:
Below is a close-up of the blessing,
which I was happy to finally get to use:
I'm fairly certain that I speak for everyone when I say that it was a really fun day, and I look forward to many more celebrations at the place my husband affectionately refers to as "the rock".
Need a festive, handmade Christmas Gift for someone special? Well, here it is! This card set features the Hang Your Stocking Bundle and the Warmth & Cheer Designer Series Paper Stack. The box is a warm and cozy fireplace with Christmas stockings hanging from the mantle. There are also three different, coordinating Christmas card designs. Make two of each design to fill the fireplace box. This project would also make a great Christmas card class.
Your holiday presents will stand out from the crowd with these charming tags! You’ll have fun creating this set of 12 (three each of four different designs) gift tags and the matching lidded box. The set is created in traditional colors for easy co-ordination and the tags are a generous 3” x 3” size for adding your personal message. Use the tags and box separately for your gifts or give the entire set to a special friend!
The tutorial for this fun holiday project, which was designed by Pat, can be found at Craft Project Central.
How often do you forget the important events in your life? One solution for you is to use this lovely Perpetual Birthday + Love, Happiness and Life Calendar, using the Hello Lovely Project Life Collection by Stampin’ Up!. Each month is designed to document not just birthdays, but other happy events you want to remember. Also included in this tutorial are designs for 12 greeting cards stored in the Project Life Envelope Pages in the back of the calendar. This would also make a great gift for someone special!
The tutorial for this handy project, which was designed by Meg Holland, can be found at Craft Project Central.
When invited to a gathering, it’s always nice to take a small gift for the host. This tutorial will walk you through the steps to create a divided hinged box that holds two holiday containers filled with holiday goodies, such as a yummy dip. What better way to complement a dip than a bottle of wine and some crackers. This festive package is a snap to put together. Any recipient would be delighted to receive this wonderful gift!
Make this unique Mixed Media Canvas as a one of a kind special gift. It is the perfect art piece to be displayed on the wall or on the desk. Learn different Mixed Media techniques that will be useful for card making or other paper crafting projects. Learn how versatile your paper crafting supplies can be. As an extra bonus, make a coordinating Mixed Media Pencil/Tool Holder out of a tin can. This will dress up anyone’s desk and will be a conversation piece for sure. Change the color to match your home decor or the season.
On November 1st, I posted a sneak peek photo (shown below) of the project that I designed for Craft Project Central this month and promised that I would give a FREE one-month subscription to one lucky person. Getting entered in the drawing was really easy . . . the one and only requirement was to click THIS LINK and leave a comment.
Congratulations to LAURA LIPE . . . the winner of the free one-month subscription!!! Laura, if you'll contact me at randari at Hotmail dot com, we'll get your subscription started.
As I looked at the sketch, I knew exactly what I would use for the oval layer . . . Stampin' Up!'s brand new Stitched Shapes Framelits. I used the largest oval-shaped die to cut a scrap of Crumb Cake cardstock, and then I lightly sponged the inside of the die-cut oval with Soft Suede ink.
Stampin' Up! products featured on my card include:
Cardstock: Rich Razzleberry, Crumb Cake, Whisper White
Did you know that for every 10 cards that are uploaded for the Sketch Challenge, Craft Project Central will give a FREE one-month subscription to the awesome tutorials? Isn't it time for you to create and upload a card for the challenge?
Today begins a brand new month of fabulous project tutorials at Craft Project Central, and we're kicking them off with the project that I designed! Following is the introduction that I wrote for this fun and festive piece of art:
As a designer, I have the awesome opportunity to give a FREE one-month subscription to Craft Project Central. The winner of the subscription will be announced on my blog on Monday, November 7th, and getting entered in the drawing is really easy . . . just click THISLINK and leave a comment where you see the sneak peek photo of my project.
It’s hard to believe, but it’s time to start making your Christmas projects for this year! This tutorial shows how to make four, festive Christmas ornaments for your Christmas tree. The ornaments feature the Pretty Pines Thinlits, Starlight Thinlits, and the Warmth & Cheer Designer Series Paper Pack. These ornaments would also be perfect for decorating the outside of your Christmas gifts. This would make a great Christmas class, too.
This fantastic project, which was designed by Christy Fulk, is the October bonus project at Craft Project Central. Qualifying for the bonus project tutorial is easy . . . just subscribe to two or more months in a row, put the Craft Project Central badge on your blog, or refer a friend to the site. When your friend subscribes, just let us know!
When my sister and I were little, we had the pleasure of a really fun babysitter . . . my mother's cousin, Rita. She was a really sweet, soft-spoken person who was easy to be around. When I was a child, I looked up to her as if she was a lot older than me, but she was really just a few years older. When she was our babysitter, I can remember having a lot of fun with her! There was one house between our house and a cemetery, and I used to LOVE riding my bike on the narrow roads that looked much more like wide pathways, and Rita would go with us there. I was never ready to head back home, but she knew exactly how to encourage us to leave--and leave quickly. She would pretend to be overtaken by an evil spirit and would walk like a person possessed while speaking out loud ("Yes, Master. I hear and obey.") to a command that only she could hear. She would tell scary stories and teach us fun songs, such as "The Hearse Song".
Sadly, Rita passed away a year ago on October 7th and, when I saw on Facebook that today was her daughter's 16th birthday, I was more than happy to make a card for her. Rita mentioned a few times that Lily enjoyed seeing the handmade cards that I sent and, as I was making this birthday card, it was nice to remember Rita. I felt that somehow she was watching me work and happy to know that Lily would be receiving such a fun card. The front of the card is cheery . . .
But the inside is WOW . . .
I can't take credit for the mechanics of this card as it was designed by Melody Lane to be cut with my Cricut Explore. Isn't it fantastic??? I have made other Twist & Pop-Up cards, but having the machine do the cutting and scoring is a dream. Besides, there's less chance for error when the machine does the work. I like that anyone receiving one of these cards will know that there's something inside, but I doubt that anyone would guess that the pop-up is as large as it is. It seems unbelievable that the pop-up could easily fold and twist to fit inside when the card is closed, but it does. This is what that looks like:
Pretty sweet, huh?
Lily, this card will arrive after your big day, but I hope you know that a lot of precious and positive thoughts of you and your mom kept me company as I worked on it.
Learn how to get a double dose out of your photopolymer stamps by getting both a background and a detailed image from the same photopolymer stamp! This Painted Tote Set includes a paint-stamped canvas tote, a set of matching tote notepapers and a beautiful tag for gift giving. What a fun project to keep small hands stamping! You can add additional gifts to the totes such as stamps, stamping or scrapbooking treats! These totes make great gifts for the holidays and any special occasion!
Paisleys are all the rage right now, and this card set will be perfect for all paisley-lovers! This set includes two different card designs, and three need to be made of each to fill the cute purse-box that goes with it. This project features the beautiful Petals & Paisleys Suite of products. Make one as a gift, and make another one for yourself. This would also make a great product-based class.
Gift packaging is something we need throughout the year, especially during the holidays! This gift box is designed to include four individual compartments, just perfect for the Merriest Wishes gift tags. The tutorial also includes four gift tag designs. The tags can be easily customized to your favorite colors, images, or greetings, from the Merriest Wishes/Merry Tags Bundle. Just make four of each design and you will have sixteen beautiful tags to give to that special person this year. Or, you can leave off the divider and fill the Gift Box with candies! The Gift Box containing the candy uses Candy Cane Christmas and Candy Cane Lane Designer Series Paper.
In a previous blog post (HERE), I shared the sneak peek photo of the "Basket of Wishes" Scrapling ensemble that I designed for Craft Project Central this month. In that blog post, I promised to give a FREE one-month Craft Project Central subscription to a lucky winner today. Getting entered in the drawing was really easy. The only requirement was to leave a short, sweet, and simple comment HERE. Thank you so much to everyone who took a few minutes to leave a comment and get entered in the drawing! Congratulations, Debbie Michael!!!!You are the winner and, if you'll email me at randari at Hotmail dot com, we'll get your FREE subscription started!
Let’s have a Fiesta! In this tutorial, you will find six cards designed with the Birthday Fiesta Suite of stamps, framelits, Designer Series Paper, and Festive Embossing Folder- one of them is even a Christmas card! They are all tucked in a card box to give as a gift, too. This tutorial would be great for demonstrators to use for a Product Class since it includes two fun fold cards.
