Creative Charms Clearance - Week Two

Happy March and Happy National Craft Month!  It finally snowed yesterday - not too much but enough to cover the ground.  These are my irises by the front steps - they had already started to come up with the unseasonably warm temperatures we have been having.

I had a frustrating day on Wednesday and had to deal with some more issues with my old file sharing site.  I didn't get to work on the project I had planned because of this and some other computer clean-up that has been postponed for too long.

I did want to let you know about the next set of items to go on clearance at Creative Charms.

This week's Inventory Clearance at Creative Charms is the "Simplicity" line.  These are the Black and White items and they are sold only in groups of six for $3.00 for all six packages.  This sale will only last until Tuesday, March 6th.  Each week a different line will be featured at the incredible 50 cent price (must be purchased in groups of six) and then the items remaining will move to the sale page and will be sold at $1 per package, once again, sold only in groups of six.

The Loop d' Loop (String Flowers) products that are still available are now $1.00 per package, in groups of six.

If you click on any of these photos, you should be linked to the original post where I made these projects using items from the Simplicity line

This is a great opportunity to stock up on these embellishments while you can.

Here are a couple more photos of our "little snow storm."  I know it was much worse in some areas and if you have been affected by the snow, or the tornadoes, I hope all is well.

I do love the way the snow looks on the evergreen trees - they were perfectly "flocked" by the storm on Wednesday. 

I think I have defeated the cold germs that I encountered on my flight home.  It took a few days of rest and lots of fluids and herbal remedies.  I hope that today will be a crafty day for me - and for you!

Subscribe to Capadia Designs 

The end of the Thanksgiving weekend

The Thanksgiving weekend is drawing to a close.  If you have to travel today, I hope everything goes smoothly for you.  I can remember several drives that took very long time due to nothing more than "sheer weight of traffic" (as they used to say when we lived in England).

This photo was taken a couple of years ago after a big storm.  We were driving to see some friends and saw this beautiful sky.  I used my little "purse camera" and took this from the window of the car.  The snow was very deep - the fence in the foreground is a normal split rail fence buried almost to the top rail.

Today we will travel from Madrid to Cuidad Real - there is a high speed train so the trip won't take very long. We are looking forward to seeing the city where our son and daughter-in-law are living.

(I am on a trip to see our son and daughter-in-law in Spain this week.  I wanted those of you on the email subscription to have something arrive each morning as usual, so I am sharing photos and short updates.  If I have internet access and time I will try to add some new photos from Spain when possible.  I have lots of crafty projects lined up to tackle when we get back, so stay tuned!).

Subscribe to Capadia Designs 

Snow for Halloween

If you are stopping by for the Creative Charms Fall Blog Hop, please click HERE to go to the blog hop post.  After you finish the hop come on back and have a look around!

The Northeast US is experiencing a terrific storm this weekend - the weather people are calling it "Snowtober" and there have been many power outages.  We have have a fair bit of snow already here in Massachusetts with more on the way. The storm is more extreme in the western part of the state.  My brother-in-law's parents have 18 inches and counting.  When I wrote about "Merry Halloween", a couple of days ago, I didn't really want Christmas weather to come so quickly!

We have five extra people at our house this weekend and I've been doing a lot of visiting and cooking.  My two nephews had a bread baking lesson and we made delicious some rolls to go with our "football stew" (another recipe for another day). 

I had promised to do a little crafting with the kids and the haunted house from the Happy Hauntings Cricut cartridge was the top choice for Thomas since Scott already made a 3D castle with me last summer.

This is the castle that Scott and I made from the Once Upon a Princess cartridge.  When we made this I thought it was a little complicated...it is a piece of cake compared to the Haunted Mansion!

I didn't take photos while we worked on the Haunted House so this will be a quick post.  I do have a few tips to share that might help you if you attempt to make your own spooky mansion.

1.  If you want to have a light shining inside the house, be sure to cut all of the window filler pieces from thin paper or parchment.  We used regular yellow cardstock, never thinking about putting a light inside and it is too thick to allow the light from a battery operated candle shine through,

2.  Be prepared for the project to take several hours - I think it was about three hours and we haven't done any embellishing yet.  There are a lot of pieces to cut out and score and the assembly is rather complicated.  You definitely should score the pieces to get the folds sharp and even and to help the parts fit together as designed.

3.  If you want to have the roof and some of the other pieces in different colors you will need to use Design Studio, the Gypsy or the Craftroom to hide images and conserve paper.  Otherwise, you will need to cut some of the feature keys multiple times in different colors to get the multicolored effect.  We decided to just use the purple (I had a lot of it) to make this model.   Now that we have done one, it will be easier to figure out how to cut the pieces for another in various colors.

4.  If you press "fit to page" for the first cut, watch the screen to see the size to cut the rest of the pieces.  To cut this entire house on 12 x 12 cardstock with no manipulation in any software, the size will be set at seven inches.  The assembled height of this house cut at seven inches is about eleven inches.

5.  The mechanism for holding some of the pieces together is an "arrow and slit" style connection.  If you use a heavy cardstock, it will help a lot to take a tool and loosen up the slits a bit before you attempt to slide the arrow tabs into them.

6.  Pay attention to the images in the book to be sure that you adhere the window linings to the correct side of the house cuts.  If you stick it down on the wrong side you'd have some extra cutting to do (don't ask me how I know this...).

7.  If you want to stamp or add other surface decoration to the house pieces, do it while they are still flat!

 

8.  The trickiest part of all was the roof.  There are two sections and you actually need to put the sections together and then add them to the top of the building.  By reaching in from the bottom you can help to secure the roof to flaps where you have placed the adhesive.

9.  We used Scor-Tape and a glue pen for the assembly.  Scor-tape will hold very well and you can avoid the potential mess of liquid glue.

10.  It took six pieces of 12 x 12 cardstock to cut out all of the pieces needed to build the house - so make sure you have enough paper when you start to avoid disappointment.

When we finished (past bedtime) I thought I would not want to make another one of these for a very long time.  As I look at these photos of our Test Model assembly, I can see lots of ways to add more interest and I may be back to cutting out another one tomorrow!

Be safe if you are in the path of this storm - it might be a good day to stay home and craft (with your fingers crossed that the power stays on!).  Do you like to make 3D objects from paper or do you prefer to make flat cards or pages?  Good luck with the last minute preparations if you are getting kids ready to trick or treat,  Have a wonderful Sunday!


Subscribe to Capadia Designs 

Creative Charms April Kit and Deal

The snow arrived last night and it is still here - but I am trying to ignore it (so it will go away...).  Instead of thinking about the cold weather let's focus on Spring.  I have the photos and all of the information now so I can  show you the wonderful Kit of the Month and Deal of the Month offers from Creative Charms for April.

The Deal of the Month is called "Hopping into Spring" and includes an amazing 137 pieces for only $6.99  (regular price $21.67).

Here is the list of the items in the deal...

• Purple Gradient Gem Stickers - 72 Pieces
• Yellow Flared Flowers - 3 Pieces
• Yellow Sparkled Butterflies - 2 Pieces
• Yellow Flower Bows - 3 Pieces
• Yellow Large Sparkled Flower - 1 Pieces
• Pink & Yellow Flower Brads - 6 Pieces
• White Flower Brads - 3 Pieces
• Amber Pure Blossoms - 12 Pieces
• Yellow Gem Butterflies - 12 Pieces
• Bunnies with Flower Gem - 2 Pieces
• Purple Organza Flowers - 4 Pieces
• Purple 3D Sparkly Garden Brads - 12 Pieces
• Pink Gingham Butterflies - 3 Pieces
• 18" Purple Fancy Polka Dot Ribbon
• 18" Yellow Fancy Polka Dot Ribbon

The little bunny faces are very cute and there are so many pretty flowers and butterflies in this deal - enough for lots and lots of projects.  You can order the April Deal of the Month directly from Creative Charms by clicking HERE.

The Kit of the Month for April is called "Spring has Sprung" and it contains 108 pieces for $14.99 (regular price $22.73).

The items included are

• Orange Sparkled Flowers - 6 Pieces
• Yellow Sparkled Flowers - 6 Pieces
• Orange Flared Flowers - 4 Pieces
• Pink Flared Flowers - 3 Pieces
• Pink Sparkled Butterflies - 3 Pieces
• Orange Gem Butterflies with Bag - 5 Pieces
• Pink Vintage Pearl Brads - 9 Pieces
• Pink Gradient Pearl Stickers - 72 Pieces

The Flared Flowers are just beautiful and the large butterflies with gem bodies make a great focal point for a card.  They come in an irresistible little bag that you can reuse.  You can order the April Kit of the Month directly from Creative Charms by clicking HERE.

 

If you are excited about the new sets  and would like to win one of the new Deal of the Month collections be sure to pop over to the Creative Charms blog this weekend.  All you have to do is be a follower of the Creative Charms blog and leave a comment on the post Happy April.   You could win on of the Deal of the Month sets - the winner will be announced on Monday.

 

Here are just a few more photos of the views from my house this morning - I stayed home even though we weren't really "snowed in."   With a little luck this will melt quickly and in a few days we might be able to start some Spring cleanup in the yard.

Have a great weekend - I hope you have some chances to get crafty!

I will be finishing up some projects around the house to get ready for a family visit next weekend.  There will be something special happening here on my blog next week - you won't want to miss it!

Subscribe to Capadia Designs 

 

So much snow...

We had more snow today - not nearly what some parts of the country have been getting but it was very pretty.  Unfortunately, I am struggling with a terrible cold/flu with chills and aches and generally feeling lousy.  I couldn't help with the babies today - I hope they are not sick too.

 

I did manage to finish one project but I am not feeling well enough to write up the post tonight.

The snow was wet and heavy - the type that clings to the bushes.

The neighborhood has that "winter wonderland" look - which is fine if you can stay snug indoors.

 

 Our son is arriving for a quick visit on Thursday.  His girlfriend is coming along on a mini-vacation.  She is a California girl so I hope that this melts off a bit (but enough stays to give that pretty "New England Winter " look).

 

I drank a lot of tea - it helped a little.

 

Of course I would have to be confined to the hospital to keep me from taking photos - so I hope you enjoyed these.  I am going to take more medicine and try to sleep - I hope that tomorrow will be a better day.