ATC Calendar Tray with SRM Stickers

Hello friends!!  Do any of you ever buy something and then look at it and wonder what you are going to do with it?  Of course you don't.....well, I do and that is what happened when I bought this ATC Tray and didn't quite know how I wanted to use it.  I knew that I wanted something amazing to go into it, but I just didn't know what.  

I had an assignment to make a calendar project for SRM Stickers and found that the 2016 Decorative Mini Calendar Stickers and cut with the new matching Wafer Thin Die fit in there perfectly.  Take a look.....

To be able to re-use this calendar again next year (with the 2017 stickers, of course), I used some mini clothes pins and covered them with different black and white washi tapes.  I then just used some hot glue to glue these onto the background paper.

I used the Times and Seasons papers from Echo Park for the background papers inside the tray.

At the top of the ATC Tray, I used a sticker from the 2016 Year of Memories Stickers on some vanilla colored cardstock, added some brads to the ends and glued it with a glue dot to the top of the frame.  To use it again next year, I will just have to peel this off and put on a new one...shouldn't be too hard.

To finish off my project, I added some black and white ribbons to the top handle.

So, what do you think of my new re-purposed ATC Tray?  I think that it would be a great gift idea.

This was posted over on the SRM Stickers blog today and I would love it if you would leave a comment on the blog post over there, too.

Hugs,
Amy

String Art Project and Tutorial

Hello friends!!  Today I am sharing a post and tutorial over on The Twinery blog for the Handmade Holiday's Blog Hop.  The hop has great projects that you can give as gifts this holiday season from many designers all over the web.

I created a fun string art project using some yummy Solid Bakers Twine.  Here is my completed projectl....

I also have completed a tutorial for it so that you can make one of your own to give away this holiday season......

I love giving out handmade items for the holidays...it just makes each gift more personal.  Today I am sharing a fun string art project using lots of yummy Solid bakers twine from The Twinery.  To get started, you will need: A board base (mine is 11 1/2 x 11 1/2), nails (mine are finish nails that are 1 1/4 inches), bakers twine (I used the Solid Caribbean and Solid Pink Sorbet), die cut images (for template and saying).

There is a bottle of mist in this picture because I was thinking about staining the board, but decided against it and just used the board in it's natural state. 

Measure and adhere your template in the spot where you want it on your board.

Next, mark where you want to put your nails.  I used a paper piercing template to get the holes as evenly spaced as I could.  You could also use a ruler.

Begin nailing your nails into your board on the marks.  My board is about 1/2 inch thick and I nailed the nails almost 1/2 an inch in leaving about 3/4 of an inch above the board.  This took me about 30 minutes to complete and I only hit my thumb once. :)  I have seen someone recommend using some needle nose pliers to hold the nails up to keep from hitting your fingers/thumb, but I found that to be too hard to do and get the nail right where I wanted it.

Once you have all the nails in place, remove the template and discard.  Up next is the fun part...

Now, you get to tie some twine onto a nail and then go crazy.  Just weave the twine from one nail to the other.  I found it was easier to twist it around the peg at least every other one or so to keep it tight and also to make it so it isn't very easy for the twine to slip off the nails (in case you drop the twine a time or two like I did ;) ).

When you are satisfied with how much twine you have filled the image in with, you can then wrap it around the outside of the image and then tie it off and snip off the tails close to the nail that you tied it on.  I wrapped an outline around the image twice, but I don't think that it really needed it both times.

Repeat the same steps with the heart image inside the house....don't forget to outline it like the house when you are done (I may or may not have done this and then had to go back and do it before I took the picture below).

The only thing left is the sentiment that I adhered with foam adhesive to give it some lift off of the wood.  I was thinking about building a frame of some sort around the edges of the wood piece, but I haven't decided yet...what do you think?

Here are the twine colors that I used in my project today....

I would love to hear what you think of my project today in the comments below.  If you want to hop along and enter the HUGE giveaway going on for the Handmade Holidays blog hop (including every color of twine that The Twinery offers), you need to hop on over to The Twinery Blog post HERE, leave a comment and enter into the giveaway form embedded into the post.

Thanks for stopping by!!

Hugs,
Amy

Framed Winter Art Piece

Hello and welcome!!  I am sharing a fun project over on The Twinery blog using some of their fabulous Ocean bakers twine....it will be prefect for my home this coming winter.....

The quote reads:
"What good is the warmth of summer without the cold of winter to give it sweetness?" - John Steinbeck

I found it in the Silhouette online store along with the birch tree background and the sweet little birds that I tied up with some pretty little Ocean bakers twine scarves.

I also added some Ocean bakers twine along the inside of the frame with strong adhesive tape for added texture and dimension.  I found the frame already painted and distressed at Hobby Lobby.  I then finished it off with a double Ocean bakers twine bow and a button in the lower right corner.  Take a closer look.....

There, that will be a perfect reminder for me this winter as I hope for warmer weather ahead.  What about you...do you like warmer weather or are you a snowbird?

I will have a little peek into my new craft room coming up later this week....stay tuned!!

I would love it if you would leave feedback here for me as well as over at The Twinery blog.  Thanks and have a great day!!

Hugs,
Amy

Happy Fall!! I'm Back!! YAY!!

Well hello there.....it has been a while!  We had to move last month and I am sorry that my blog was a bit neglected over the last several weeks as we got moved, unpacked, and started out the new school year.  I am happy to say that my crafting room is about all set up and I can't wait to share it with you in the coming weeks.  

I have a couple of projects that I want to share starting with this fabulous little pumpkin treat box that I created with my Silhouette Cameo and some yummy Honeydew bakers twine from The Twinery.....

I used THIS fun cut to make the treat box.  I just love how fun it was to put together and how pretty it turned out.  I filled it with some yummy chocolate to give to a friend and then tied it all up with some yummy Honeydew bakers twine from The Twinery.  Here is a closer look at how I used the twine like vines on the stem and then also to tie up the back (I did modify the cutting file a bit so that I could use the twine to tie off the closure on the back).

I hope that you have enjoyed my project for today after my long hiatus...I would love it if you hopped over to The Twinery blog and left a little comment love on my post HERE.  Thanks so much!!

I hope to be back into the swing of creating again in the coming weeks.  Have a great day!!

Hugs,
Amy

Make Life Beautiful Wall Decor

Hello friends!!  I know, I know.....it has been a while since I have posted and I feel really bad for neglecting my blog for so long, but I think that I just needed to take a much needed break from the digital world and even a bit of a break from scrapping. 

I really want to get back into the swing of things and so, lets get started today with this lovely wall hanging that I created for The Twinery blog last week....

I started on this project by picking up this frame at a local 2nd hand store.  I altered it by painting, distressing, stamping, adding some Tattered Angels ink mists, and then adding a clear coat to it.  I added some lined paper to the inside of the frame, and then adhered the Make Life Beautiful, that I cut out with vinyl on my Silhouette, to the outside of the glass along with the crocheted flowers that I created with the lovely solid bakers twine from The Twinery. 

These flowers and leaves are crocheted up with these fabulous bakers twine colors....Solid Caribbean, Solid Strawberry, Solid Honeydew, and Solid Marigold.  I just sat down on the couch one evening with my bakers twine and a crochet hook and whipped up these fun little flowers. I don’t have a pattern, I just started with a magic ring and the Solid Marigold bakers twine and I crocheted 10 single crochets in the smaller flowers and 12 single crochets on the larger one.  From there, I just played around and came up with these flowers.  I added some little white pearl halves, too.

What do you think??  I really love the way it turned out and I am thinking that I will display it in my craft room....because isn't that what we really are doing is making life beautiful with each project that we create??

I am really hoping to get back into crafting and blogging over the next few weeks.  We are just wrapping up our homeschool year and we found out just a little bit ago that our landlords are going to be selling the house we moved into last year, so we will be moving again.  :(  Hopefully we can find a more permanent home and I can finally set up my craft room and have it stay put up. ::sigh::  I am just glad that summer is here and can't wait to go on a few new adventures with my family.

Hugs,
Amy

Snowman Candle Tutorial

Hello everyone!!  I have a new post up over at the Peachy Keen Stamps blog sharing a tutorial with you on how to put images on candles using stamps.  I have done a few of these in the past with pictures of my kiddos for family members, but I love this idea of using stamps on a candle to make personalized gifts for neighbors and friends.  

Here is what you will need to get started:

• candle
• stamps (I am using the Snowmen, Greetings and Globe stamps from Peachy Keen Stamps)
• black ink (I use Memento Tuxedo Black)
• white tissue paper
• wax paper
• scissors
• heat tool
• coloring medium (I used my Copic markers)
• white scrap cardstock (to keep your work surface from getting stained)

 Step 1:

Take your tissue paper and stamp your image on the smoother side.  There is usually a bit of a smoother side to tissue paper and I have had better results with the coloring on the smooth side.   Be sure to do this over your white scrap piece of cardstock to keep the ink from bleeding through to your workspace. 

Step 2: Color and cut out your image.  If you are using markers, be sure to keep the white cardstock under your image because they will bleed through the thin tissue paper.  There is no need to be precise on your cutting job....it will not show once it is on the candle.

Step 3: Place your cut out images on the candle where you want them to be.  

Step 4: Tightly wrap the waxed paper around your candle so that it is smooth over the image.  Using your heat tool, wave it over and around the image until you see it start to get glossy.  Be sure that it is glossy over the whole image, but don't leave it too long in one spot or it will warp your candle.

Step 5: Let the candle cool (only takes a minute or so) and then carefully peel the wax paper off of the candle.  Your image should now be completely melted into the candle.

Here is a look at two of them that I have made.....

They were really simple and quick to make....I think I will be doing several more for neighbor gifts this year!!  To package them up, I put them in cellophane bags.  

 

I used some shimmer bakers twine from The Twinery to tie them up and then made this cute little tag with the November 2013 SOTM from Peachy Keen Stamps.  This set is part of the November Specials going on right now.  I also used the Stitched Round Tab and Tag die set from My Creative Time for the tag base.

I hope that you have a great week!!

Hugs,

Amy

Blog Hop with The Twinery and Pretty Little Studio

Hello and welcome to my stop on this awesome blog hop with The Twinery and Pretty Little Studio.  If you have arrived here from Tami Brundage's blog, you are in the right spot.  If you have just happened upon this post and would like to join us, hop on back to The Twinery blog to check out all the details.

I am not real familiar with the Pretty Little Studio lines, but I love what I was able to create with their products and some of the yummy bakers twine from The Twinery.....

I have had this empty frame sitting around for quite a while and really wanted to fill it with some fun tags.  I used some papers in the Marigold line from Pretty Little Studio in the middle of each tag and then added some letters that I die cut with my Cricut machine.  

I fancied them up with some die cut images from the Marigold line and then added some lovely matching Solid bakers twine from The Twinery.  I used the Solid Marigold, Honeydew, and Caribbean on my project.  Here is a closer look at some of the tags......

What fun is a blog hop without some fabulous prizes??  Be sure to leave a comment below on my blog and on each blog along the hop for your chance to win these great prizes.....

 The Twinery - Striped Twine Sampler 
($65 retail value) 

Pretty Little Studio - $50 Gift Certificate

It is now time to hop on over to Becky Litz's blog to see what wonderful project she is sharing with us today.  

Here is the complete blog hop line up for today:

The Twinery

Pretty Little Studio

Aimee Maddern

Julie Ranae

Tami Brundage

Amy Crockett (you are here)

Becky Litz

Stacey Schafer

Sindi Jeffers 

Have fun and Good Luck!!

Hugs,
Amy 


Supplies-
Cardstock: Bazzill
Papers, printed die cuts: Marigold (Pretty Little Studio)
Bakers twine: Solid Cool Caribbean, Solid Marigold, Solid Honeydew (The Twinery)
Tag dies: My Creative Time
Clips: Tim Holtz
Die cut letters: Cricut Expression and A Child's Year cartridge
Ink: Colorbox Fluid Chalk

Taylored Expressions and Faber-Castell Blog Hop

Hello everyone and welcome to my stop on the blog hop with Taylored Expressions and Faber-Castell.  I am so excited to be joining in on this hop and can't wait to show you my project.......

This project is a 12x12 shadowbox with little 3x3 canvases that I individually decorated and then put them inside the frame on double layers of foam adhesive.  

I have to admit that I had some Faber-Castell products before this hop, but I just didn't have the courage to try them out....What if I messed up?  What if I don't like it?  Well, I can tell you that my project is FAR from perfect, but I really LOVE working with these products.  I think that my new favorite medium is Gelatos!  The backgrounds as well as the images are all colored with them.

I used the Welcome Home stamp set and the Build A House dies from Taylored Expressions.  From Faber-Castell, I used the Gel Medium, Gesso, Gelatos, and Pitt Stampers Big Brush Artist Pens to stamp the images and color on the white cardstock that I die cut for the window panes and doors.  Take a closer look at each image (but don't look too close, there are several mistakes).  ;)

I have always wanted to get into mixed media and I am so glad that I had the opportunity to participate in this hop.....it was just the right PUSH that I needed.

Giveaway Details:
Simply comment on any (or all!) of our Blog Hop posts from April 24-April 25. For each comment, you will be entered into a drawing to win one of two fabulous prizes: One lucky winner will receive a $75 Faber-Castell prize pack of Gesso, Glaze, Gel Medium, and 10 new Gelatos Double Scoops and one lucky winner will receive a Taylored Expressions stamp set and die of choice! Comments close Sunday, April 27 at 8pm PST. 

Friday's Blog Hop List:

Taylored Expressions Blog

Courtney Kelley

Limor Webber

Amy Crockett (you are here)

Tiffany Johnson

Emily Lanham

Jen Matott

Faber-Castell Blog

Here is the lineup for yesterday's hop:

Faber-Castell Blog

Sankari Wegman

Mou Shaha

Cassie Trask

Rita Barakat

Keia Shipp-Smith

Taylored Expressions Blog

It is now time to hop on over to Tiffany Johnson's blog to see what wonderful project she is sharing today.  Don't forget to leave a comment below before you go.  Have fun and Good Luck!!

Hugs,
Amy