Opening Day Fun

     
This spring my niece, Jennifer & her husband, Matt and I attended Opening Day for the Seattle Mariners at Safeco Field.  We left early so we would arrive in time for the Opening Day Ceremonies.  Ha!  It took us over an hour to find parking, and 20 minutes to walk to the field after parking the car.  The lines to get into the stadium wrapped around the building from all directions.  Luckily we were directed to the south east gate where we got through the gates  fast and easy, grabbed our hotdogs and our seats with 3 minutes to spare for the start of the game. Missing Opening Ceremonies!  This was the 2nd time I've attended Opening Day and I still haven't seen any of the Opening Day Ceremonies. I think next time I go to Opening Day  I'm taking the train.  Maybe then I'll get to see the Ceremonies. 

                                         

 Even though we missed the Opening Ceremony, we had a fantastic time and a win!  I took lots of pictures with my new camera and got some fun pictures considering we were sitting in the right field stands where if we were lucky enough, we might catch a home run or might have if we'd remember to bring a mitt with us.

Wanting to use as many pics as possible, I decided to play with my  new Spellbinder die Contemporary Squares.  As Mariner's colors are some of my favorite, I knew I had to use their colors in the layout and had so much fun coming up with this design. 

After looking at stack of die cuts on the teal colored paper,  I realized they could be easily linked together to form a border around the  paper and the small squares were just the right size to put pictures in of different events throughout the game such as the Welcome sign, Kings Court, different players, Cruz hitting the ball and of course pictures of us.  


Thanks to my trusty Xyron 2.5 and 5" Create a Sticker stations, it was easy to apply adhesive to each die cut and then attach it to the papers creating a border on the outside edge.  Then using the1.5" Create a Sticker I adhered adhesive to the backs of 1" punched squares of different scenes  from the game.

 

I added pictures in the center along with some baseball stickers that have been in my stash for several years along with Teresa Collins white enamel dots to create the illusion of baseballs around the outside of the design.  I cut the team logo off the  packaging that held an Opening Day Pin and used that as the capital O in the title.  Notice in these invidual pages that even the 1" pictures show lots of details while being highlighted in each square. 
                                                                             

I had so much fun with this design that I used it again for the baseball pictures from our Mother's day trip to the game with another double layout with reversed colors  (Teal on Navy) and a single layout using a totally different design. But that's for another blog  day.  

Love how this layout came together  showcasing our day at the ball park. 

Till we craft again!
                Crafty Aunt Dee







Supplies:  Spellbinders Contemporary Square Die, Xyron 1.5, 2.5 and 5" Create a station,  Xyron Mega Runner, Teresa Collins Enamel Dots, Recollections Navy & Teal Papers and unknown baseball stickers.                                        

Creating Recycled Pen Storage

      Ever find that you save things because you know that you can "re-use" or "re-purpose" it.  I do that all the time.  From  juice containers to cardboard boxes.   As I was cleaning my craft room  (actually, trying to find not only the top of the desk, but the floor), I found all these wonderful  empty powdered juice containers so I decided it was time to use them.

      As I've been unemployed for the last 8 months and buying pen storage was out of the question, I wanted to see if I could create storage (from my stash of crafting goodies) for my alcohol pens out of these containers and a cardboard box.  Time to expand my horizons and see if I could come up with fun storage that looks good on my desk.

  

 I started with a plain cardboard shipping box  about 6 X 12. Slightly askew, but in good shape and 10 juice containers that I cut  down about 1" so the pens would stick out of the container.

 

         The tubes were than added to a cardboard box with spacers glued between each tube  which I raised at a very slight angle so the pens won't fall out when you pull them out.  As you can see, I forgot to straighten and level the box, but as it was for  me and  I was playing and trying something new, it didn't matter if it was a bit crooked.

 

 Then I ran my favorite Graphic 45 paper "Typography" through the 5" Xyron Creative Station  to attach the papers to the box.  1/2" trims were created for the edges of the box using chip-board, the reverse side of the Typography Papers and  my Xyron 1.50 Create a Sticker and I added a set of Tim Holtz's metal feet to the bottom of the box.

After the glue dried on the feet, I created a facing for in between the containers.  Using a piece of plain white typing paper, I impressed the front of the box to determine placement of the containers. I then laid the outline on my G-45 papers and cutout the ovals and added that paper to the front of the box.

  

I cut out several of the designs from the  different Typography pages.  A coloring box, pens, inks, calligraphy nibs,  quotes and more. I ran
 the cuts through the  Xyron 2.5  and 150 so they could be attached as embellishments on the box.   Both sides of the box were decorated with one side full of quotes and the other side with writing utensils.   To finish it off, I  attached a #2 pencil to the top of the box.
 
                     


I also recycled several metal spice containers that I sprayed with gold paint and covered with  more Typography papers to make them look like books similar to those shown on this Graphic 45 Tutorial.  These became  holders for my Calligraphy, Journaling and Gel pens  and I am in the process of making several  more holders for tools, scissors, and whatever else I my need on the desk. 










I am very happy with how this recycling  project went and how great it looks sitting  on my desk and how much fun it was to create. Such a great way to start out the year with a clean craftroom and desk.

 Until we craft again!

 

Crafty Aunt Dee

 



Products used: Xyron 5" Creative Station, 2.5 Sticker Maker and 150 Sticker Maker, Graphic 45 Typography papers, Petaloo Flowers, Spectrum Noir Alcohol Ink Pens,  and Glossy Accents.






                                         

 

Personalized Thank You Notes

   Recently I've had several changes in my life with the hardest being the loss of my part-time job.  I worked for our local Curves.  Loved working there and our members are so fabulous. I miss seeing them everyday and hearing about their lives.  And, they always wanted to see what project I was working on, how my (Copperplate Calligraphy) classes were going and follow my progress.  Anyway, several members gave me goodbye gifts and I need to send thank you notes.  So of course, I don't buy cards, I make them.   

   During the past few years I've  had fun taking different classes for scrapbooking, card making, writing and lettering.  Lettering has become one of my favorite things to do, so I decided to make some thank you cards.

     I took a fun class called Mosaic Lettering at  my LSS "Stampadoodle and the Paper Café"  with my favorite instructor, Christy Schroeder.  The class gave us tips and techniques for turning different styles of lettering into Mosaic Lettering Art. 

    Using a block or Roman style of printing, I printed Thank You on graph paper.  Then I drew different shapes to fit around the letters I'd printed.  Now I had a design  to use for thank you cards.  As I wanted to be able to reuse my master design whenever I needed a card,  the next step was to use carbon paper (or just rub a pencil on the back of your master) and trace the words and shapes onto your card form.  Then you can color them in with  colored pencil, water colors, or markers for a unique thank you card.

     As I had 6 or 7 thank you notes to write, I  copied the master directly onto the card stock.  But I made one major mistake. I cut the design out smaller than the 5 X 7 card so it left a line about 1" from the top of the card. 



So I created a checkerboard design  across the top of the card, that makes the line a part of the design and completes the card.  I completed the note cards by coloring them in different colors.

    
 You can use Mosaic Lettering for any style of card, on a scrapbook page, even on an the matching envelope.  

Till we craft again.

Crafty Aunt Dee

    

Crying over spilled Eyelets!

     Has it ever happened to you?  You know that accidental drop and all of a sudden you have 1000 plus eyelets and brads all over the floor!

     Well it happened to me.  Putting my eyelet box back on the shelf, it slipped out of my hand, hit the shelf, than the edge of the desk and the next thing I knew there were eyelets and brads ALL OVER my carpet and floor.  To be truthful, I'm still finding them here and there and it's been 2 weeks since I tried to get them all picked up.

        Then came that awful thought, now I have to SORT that pile.  I wasn't looking forward to sorting them by color groups and putting  them back in my box. 
   

      Putting off my sorting, I decided to visit my friendly nail salon and while I was there, she emptied  a nail box and it hit me.  No, not the box, but an idea of how to store my eyelets and brads. So, I asked Annie what she did with the empty boxes and she if ten boxes would be enough or did I want more.  I came home with 10 boxes, ran them through the dishwasher, then continued with my sorting.
 
  
      So, here's  the results.  I sorted all the eyelets and brads not only into colors and sizes, but into the pastels and primary colors, etc.  So far in emptying the pile of eyelets and brads, I managed to fill seven boxes.
  
      Now,  the boxes don't always stay closed and until I get some fun rubber bands,  so I'm using my Washi tape to keep the boxes closed.  They don't take up much room and I love being able to just pull out the colors I want.  The end of the box will be labeled with the colors of the eyelets and brads, so that when they are stacked, you can quickly find what you need.
   
      In fact, I like the boxes so well, that I'm also using them to store my Calligraphy nibs. As I need a magnifying glass to read all the numbers, I'll label the individual sections in the box with the nib sizes as I fill it.  No more hunting for the magnifying  glass when I want to know what size Copperplate nib.  They are so hard to read.
   
      Anyway, back to scrapbooking. If you have a favorite nail salon (mani or pedi), find out what they do with their empty nail boxes.   Ask if you can "recycle" them and store your eyelets and brads. So easy to access, find the right colors and USE those eyelets and brads.  And if you are really lucky, FREE!!!!
   
 Till we craft again!

             Crafty Aunt Dee

Happy Easter

Happy Easter!

 

     I know I've been lax in writing on my blog, but there have been so many changes in my life in the last few months, that blogging was at the end of my to do list. Let's see, family fun weekend in the snow, car shopping, losing my fun part-time job at Curves, switching my life style to vegan and taking calligraphy classes. Not much going at all. Ha!   You'll probably see a blog in the future on a few of these subjects now that I am back to scrapbooking and creating home décor projects.. So on that note, I have a fun Easter Project for you, today. 

 

     For the past 7 weeks, I have been learning Copperplate Calligraphy which is the very elegant form of cursive writing that you see on formal invitations or the Declaration of Independence. This beautiful form of written word is so fun to learn and you can create such beautiful projects using Copperplate; from cards or invitations to wall hangings and more.

    

  For me, creating a project that shows my calligraphy lesson is a great way to encourage practice and to use what I have learned. As I wanted to do an Easter home décor project, I decided to combine crafting and calligraphy into one project.

  
    I love using 7Gyspy's Printer Trays to create fun wall décor. So I decided to make an Easter Hanging. First I used Inca Inks Old Silver by rubbing the ink all over the frame to give it some highlights. I adhered my background papers with my 5" Xyron Sticker Maker.  I chose all sorts of wood designed  papers from Recollections "Today, Tomorrow, Forever" paper pad for the background of each shadow box in the tray.

     Then using Heartfelt Creations Floral Cross stamps and dies, I cut out a beautiful gold Cross and stamped some crosses, with a floral cross design on the inside of the cross and used my Prisma Colored Pencils to color in the flowers and then I hand cut the flowers out of the stamped cross to create floral crosses and added some tiny rhinestones from an old stash to the centers of the flowers. The lilies are also from this collection and I stamped them on colored paper, cut them out with the dies and then shaped the flowers, added pop-dots that I made  and placed the flowers in the tray.  
  
      To create the small scrolls, I took some almond colored Core paper scraps from my stash, cut them to fit the Scripture Stickers from my stash  and edged them with Java from Quick Quotes Powder Puff inks and I very lightly rubbed ink on the surface of the paper. Hold the paper with a pair of tweezers (to keep my working surface dry) I lightly sprayed the back of the paper, left it for 5-10 seconds and quickly blotted the back. Then carefully rolling the paper over a skinny paint brush, I created the scroll look I was after. After the paper had dried completely, I attached the Scripture to each scroll and using stacked pop-up dots on the back of the roll on the top of the scroll and singles on the bottom, I attached 2 Glue Dots   to the center and placed the scrolls in the opening, pressing the center flat to the board completing the scrolls.

      For the large scroll and the Rejoice box, I wrote the verse and word in Copperplate. This is about 3 weeks of practice that was fun and frustrating. After writing on different paper types, using different inks AND splattering ink, smearing ink, and forgetting the right order of the Scripture , I finally finished 3 versions of the Scripture I was working on. So again, I edged the papers in ink, sprayed the back and set the papers on the work surface and promptly smeared the writing on the first piece. On the second piece, after getting it shaped, discover that it was too big for the box. The 3^rd written verse turned out just right.

 

     To create the ends of the scroll, I took a 1/4” dowel, cut it to 6” and added a ¼ cap to the end. I inked the dowel and then using my gold ink pen, colored the ends of dowel, and lightly brushed the QQ Java Powder Puff ink over them to create an antique look. I dampened the back of the paper, blotted the excess water and rolled it around the dowel to create the scroll. On this scroll, I crinkled the edges and tore them slightly, then inked them with  QQ Powder Puff “Java” ink. After that had dried, I very lightly rubbed ink over the face of the paper to create the aged and slightly damaged look of the paper.  I added some glue dots to the back of the scroll in the center to give it a 3-dimensional look and to adhere the school to the box.
                  As you can see, it was the perfect addition to my fun Easter project.

 

A belated Happy Easter to everyone.  Till we craft again.

 

Aunt Dee

 

Crafting for a Cause

Hi Everyone:

      Ever  been asked to donate an album, or a box of cards as a donation for a raffle, auction or fund raiser.   I have and it's usually not a problem.  But, what do you do when you're asked to donate and find out that the event is in 5 days.  Do you spend the next 4 days pulling your hair out to create that album or 2 dozen cards or do you say, sorry, I'm unable to donate this time ?

    I was asked about donating an album for a Cancer Auction for the daughter of a neighbor girl, that I used to babysit. (Can't believe I'm old enough for her to have a 19 year old daughter).  I really wanted to participate, but knew with work, I wouldn't get an album done in time.   My sister-in-law suggested a gift certificate for an album of choice, which is a great idea and could be done easily, but I really wanted something physical that they could take home and not have to wait for. 

    In the middle of the night, I got this brilliant idea to create a Crafters Basket,  As all Crafters know, we have a stash.  Not a little stash, but a great big stash that we never, ever admit to.  We're paper hoarders, embellishment hoarders. Maybe it's stamp and buttons, ribbons and bling or pens and inks. So, I raided my stash.  Yep, the one I never admit to having, even when no one can get in the room besides me.    There were lots of  new supplies hidden in the room.  Some from crops, craft expos, classes, etc. and a few that I had won from my favorite craft companies as well as items I had bought such as the LaConner High School Laser die cuts from a LSS and my adhesives.


 So, after going through all my drawers, boxes, bins, and stacks, I was able to put together a wonderful basket of Crafting Supplies good for any Crafter as an auction item and donate it for the  auction in place of a Scrapbooking Album.   My sister-in-law, Debbie Denton, took this picture of the basket, Thursday, when I delivered it.
     
      But, there was a side benefit from raiding my stash. Not only  was I able to donate to a great cause, I was also able to clean out my stash and  create room  for the 2014 Releases that are coming out now!  Well at least some of the releases................

      I also have to thank Sara Tipps who I met through work. She heard what I was doing, and gave me the fabulous hand-crafted twig basket that is now filled with all these crafting goodies.

     The basket is filled with supplies from some of my favorite companies such as Xyron, Petaloo, Amercian Craft, Basic Grey, Heidi Swapp,  Die Cut with a View, Cosmo Cricket, Maya Road,  May Arts, Allison Kent,  Paper Studio, Quickutz dies, Colorbok, Sweet Stamp Shop, die cuts  made with my favorite Spellbinder Dies as well as other fun items.

    This basket will be one of many great items available at the auction/spaghetti dinner for Ashlyn Reinstra this Friday in La Conner. Ashlyn is currently at the UW hospital battling 2 different kinds of leukemia. The event will be at the La Conner Middle School from 5 to 8 p.m., January 31, 2014.  Other items included are a Seahawk Basket, A coffee Basket from North Cove Coffee,   Seahawk booties and matching hat for a baby and many more items.

      So if you are in Skagit County or close by and want to help a young lady in her battle to fight leukemia, stop by, get a bite to eat and  place a bid on an auction item.

So, till we craft again.................... after Super Bowl Sunday!    GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!!


Aunt Dee
 

Christmas Trays

Merry Christmas everyone!

Are you ready for the holidays to come?  I'm not. Let's see. The tree isn't decorated, I'm still wrapping presents and stocking stuffers, the living room isn't cleaned, yet and I'm still addressing the Christmas Cards I made, but haven't sent. Oh well - now they are New Years Cards.  On the plus side,  the chowder is made, the bread is rising as we visit and I actually only have the ornaments I give my nieces and nephews every year left to wrap.  This is so strange for me, as I'm usually all done, just enjoying the holidays. I usually have everything made or bought by the end of September, the stockings and most gifts wrapped by Thanksgiving week and only  a few things to do.   Not this year.

However, I made several gifts this year and one of my favorites are my Christmas Printer Trays for the holidays. So fun to be able to change the pictures each year.  Here's my favorite 7 Gypsy Shadow Box Tray made with scraps from the DCWV Winter Paper  2 years ago. I donated this one for a raffle and it was very popular! 

The poinsettias  and large snow-flakes are made with Spellbinder dies and I used  my ink pad to add the lines.  The dangling snowflakes are from an old wreath. The sled and ornaments are from a pack  at Michaels. And Santa was given to me by a friend  from her stash.

This 2nd  Tray  is made with scraps from Authentic, Theresa Collins, MME and Little Yellow  Bicycle.  Also a sled and button cookies from Michaels and the snow is from Flower soft. Stickers from my stash from years ago and the Santa is an old Christmas Card  that I had in my craft room.

Creating these was very easy. Just cut your paper to fit the openings (measurements on back of box) and add embellishments to suit.  

As both of these were for other people, I haven't  added pictures to the 5 X 7 and 4 X 6 openings. 

Can you imagine  how much fun it will be to update your pictures  each year for friends and family to see when they visit.  I'm kinda hooked on using these trays.

Well, back to wrapping gifts. I have less than 48 hours before company comes.  No problem. I'll make it.  I just won't let anyone into the Craft Room, so they won't see everything stacked up there.  I can always clean it after Christmas.

Till we craft again!

 Aunt Dee


Products used:  Spellbinder Dies, Authentic, DCWV, LYB, MME, Michaels Arts & Crafts-buttons, ornaments, snowflakes and sled, Xyron 510, Glossy Accents, Flower Soft, Quick Quotes Powder Puff Chalk Inks, miscellaneous ribbons from my stash