Bunny Water: Updated

UPDATE: I can’t believe I completely forgot the most important part of this project.

Once finished, I coated the all of the paper and stickers with Glue ‘n Seal by Ranger. This product goes on white/semi-clear and dries crystal clear. It comes in either matte or gloss (I used matte). Once dry, it becomes waterproof. I know it is hard to believe, but I did a birdhouse some time ago and coated it in Glue ‘n Seal. It has been sitting outside in the weather ever since and although some of the papers have faded, there is absolutely no deterioration from water. It is amazing.

So, I coated these papers in Glue ‘n Seal, too, since there is no way to continually fill and pour from a pop bottle without dripping a bit of water. Thank you, Ranger, for another great project!

 

Our rabbits are not located near a water source. So, we fill up a container in the kitchen sink, take it out back and then fill each of the bunny’s water bowls.

My husband decided a 2-liter bottle works best (and he’s right). The cap prevents any spillage along the way and it holds more than enough water to wash out and refill the bowls.

But, looking at an empty pop container in my kitchen was not an option, so I altered it …

I used the Summer Fresh line from Simple Stories. It has that country feel that matches perfectly in my kitchen. (click on the photos for a larger view).

I removed the label off the pop bottle and wrapped it in the navy floral print. Since the circumference of the bottle is longer than 12″, it left a gap on the back side. I created a tag out of another sheet of paper and attached it so it looks like this …

Then I added a bunny I cut out with my Cricut and a variety of stickers to complete the look.

The word water was printed off of my Cricut using my Gyspy. The letters that make “bunny” are just some left over sticker letters from long ago.

I love how it turned out and I think I might be making another … though probably not for the bunnies. I think this is a great idea to create custom labels so the bottles of soda match the decor at your next party.

Published in Cricut Magazine

One of my cards was published in Cricut Magazine’s March issue.

This was a really big deal for me because I have submitted many projects to many magazines many times over and this was the first that said, “yes.”

It’s funny because I don’t really consider myself a great cardmaker, but there it is in living color.

This card is made with papers from My Mind’s Eye, a stamp from Tim Holtz and Dickie, the name my friends and I gave this adorable bird in the 3 Birds on Parade cartridge by Cricut. I like how easy the die cuts are to layer when cut with the Cricut. It gives the die some dimension. For additional dimension, I covered him in Diamond Glaze by JudiKins. It gives him the look of an epoxy sticker and makes him really stand out.

A trip to the zoo

I love going to the zoo and watching the animals. I cannot help but take pictures of nearly all of them. And, while some have multiple photos and can easily be turned into their own individual pages, I also ended up with single photos of many different animals. So, I combined them and came up with this layout:

Here’s a closer look:

I used paper from Bo Bunny; cardstock from American Crafts; my Cricut (to cut out the letters); and some brads from Eyelet Outlet (don’t you love those little hippos!).

March Classes

Here are the classes I have planned for March at Capture A Memory in Flint. I hope to see you at them!

You can find links to the store’s info and the times/dates of my classes in the sidebar at the right.

Heritage: Western

I absolutely this paper line from Authentique. It’s really a friendship theme, but it reminded me of a western and I knew it would be perfect with this picture of my husband dressed up as a cowboy. This class uses stamps from Tim Holtz, Distress Ink, ribbon and more.

Copic: Texture

In this advanced Copic class, we’ll use colorless blending solution to create a variety of texture in our images.

Cricut: Snow Day

We’ll use the Cricut machine to cut out masks, a title and a layered die cut. In this class, we also play with Faux Snow by Art Glitter, Stickles and Perfect Pearls Mists. You don’t have to have a Cricut (or this cartridge) to participate. Just let them know when you sign up and I’ll cut your elements before the class.

Art Glitter: Easter Mini Book

This mini book has room for 5 or more photos, along with three tags for journaling. It can also be used as part of your scrapbook page to hold more photos. During the class, we’ll learn to embellish die cuts and we’ll play with Art Glitter, Vintage Glass Glitter and ribbon.

Copic 101

This is a beginner class I offer each month that shows you how inexpensive Copic Sketch markers can be, how to build your collection, which colors to start with, how to color with them and much more. All supplies are provided, so you only need to bring a pencil for notetaking. Students leave with a variety of handouts, images to color, mediums to practice on, a color chart and more. This class (or something similar from another instructor)  is required before taking any of my advanced Copic classes.

Hope to see you in class soon!

We Got Chickens!

Ever since visiting Key West in 2005, I have been in love with the chicken.

If you haven’t been, wild chickens hang out on the streets of Key West. There is nothing more surreal than pumping gas at a city gas station while watching a chicken wander around the parking lot!

And so my fascination with chickens began …

For the past several years I have been trying to convince both my parents and my in-laws to get chickens. Despite my promises to help care for them, neither one gave in.

Then, we moved to the country and what was once a dream has become a very real reality.

I am know the proud mamma of six baby chicks and I created this page to mark the fabulous occasion. (Click on the image for a larger version)

I used papers from TPC, cardstock from American Crafts and some leftover ribbon to create this page. The flowers were made using Tim Holtz/Sizzix Tattered Flowers Die and the journaling block was made with a punch from EK Success. For the title, I used Ashlyn’s Alphabet and the Cricut. The gems are from Queen & Co.

Here’s a close-up version of the right side …

A Special Birthday Card

In a few weeks, my baby boy will be 21.

I know. I cannot believe it either. It seems like just yesterday I was meeting him for the first time.

I always thought I would be with my kids when they turned 21 and I looked forward to buying them their first drink. But, since my son is halfway around the world, serving his country at a Naval hospital in Guam, I won’t be able to share the special day with him. Instead, I thought I would send him a very special card …

This card was created by Kathy at Paper Phenomenon. You can follow her step-by-step directions, here …

It can be used as a mini-book, added to a scrapbook page or whatever. It’s super adorable and I’ve already made several. But this one I wanted to serve as a card for my favorite little boy!

It opens …

And opens …

and opens …

And opens …

And then it has three little tags that come out (I made mine with the Tiny Tabs & Tags Sizzix/Tim Holtz Die and the Cricut Gypsy & Old West cartridge).

I love it. It only takes one piece of 8 1/2 x 11 paper to make the base. Then I used scraps from Bo Bunny, American Crafts and Webster’s Pages, along with some leftover rub ons, Jolee’s and a few metal pieces from Ideaology.

Soon, it will be off to Guam to welcome my baby boy into adult hood!

Classes, classes and more classes

Learning is fun — if you know where to look. And crafting classes are always great fun.

Personally, I like real classes — not ones that are more like project kits — but ones where the instructor provides tips and tidbits while helping you make a project or learn a new technique. It doesn’t really matter what I make, it’s the process that is rewarding.

I could listen to Wendy Vecchi, Colleen Schaan, Tim Holtz or other experts teach all day long. I could take the same class again and again and always learn something new.

Sure, I can follow the directions and place a brad at a certain spot, I don’t need an instructor for that. But when the instructor adds tips for lining it up just right or telling you what not to do (because they’ve done it and it was a minor disaster), well, that’s what I expect to pay for when I take a class.

I remember taking a class from an EK Success rep years and years ago. We were working with products that aren’t even made anymore and the layouts I created never did receive photos or make it to my album. But, that rep taught me how to tear paper — a simple technique that you wouldn’t think you would need help with, but I’ve taught it over and over again and everyone seems thankful for the tips.

It’s moments like that that make the class worthwhile. And, since that is what I expect, that is how I model my classes.

And, I have quite a few classes on the horizon … I’m going to add a space to my blog for them to reside permanently, but for now, here are the classes I have coming up:

Art Glitter Lace Notebook

Sunday, Jan. 22 1-2:30 p.m.

Copic Airbrushing

Tuesday, Feb. 7 5:30-7 p.m.

Heritage: Holding Documents

Sunday, Feb. 19 1-2:30 p.m.

Adding Texture with Copic Colorless Blender

Sunday, March 18 1-3 p.m.

Cricut: Layers & Masking

Tuesday, Feb. 21 5:30-7 p.m.

To register or for more information, contact Capture A Memory at 810-733-0716 or click here …

I look forward to seeing you there!

 

Jars, labels and storage

Well, it’s been a while.

I am finally, mostly, settled in my new house. It is half the size of my old one and, despite downsizing, there were moments when I didn’t think it would work. I ended up repacking some things I unpacked and my bedroom closet is filled with artwork and family photos I can’t get rid of, but don’t have space for. But, the more organized I get, the more the house seems to hold.

One area we knew would be a problem is the kitchen. It’s a fairly large space with giant windows and tons of light. Although the cabinets, floor and counter were already there, it was freshly painted and the sink and faucet are brand new. We brought our own appliances, so it felt like home right away. Our only issue was the lack of cupboards. Since we are on a tight budget, we turned to IKEA for inexpensive solutions to our challenge.

 

We bought a shelf to hold our dishes below the cupboard and my husband made little hooks to hang my soup mugs from it (the ones IKEA sold were too long.)By the stove, we bought a bar and a cup holder from IKEA and hung our serving and cooking utensils on it, by the stove. Pot holders also now hang in the kitchen.

But, our biggest problem was food. So, we bought this shelf in the corner and some jars from IKEA (we plan to paint the shelf in the spring) to house our flour, sugar, baking mixes, snack food and other items. I cut out the instructions from the packaging and taped it to the bottom of the jars and then I HAD to embellish them …

I wanted to make intricate labels using different colors of vinyl. But the only vinyl I could find is sold in large packages that retail for about $7.99 per color. That’s fine if you want to make a quote for your wall, but it gets a bit expensive when you need just a few small pieces of each color.

So, I settled for white and decided I would either make labels and write the names on them or I would just cut out letters and let that be good enough. And then, halfway through the process, inspiration struck and I decided to try coloring the vinyl with Copic  Sketch Markers.

Although it was a bit streaky — as Copic is on glossy paper — it worked.

I used vinyl from Hobby Lobby, Cricut’s Songbird font to cut out the letters and my Gypsy to weld them together. Then I colored them using a flicking motion before I removed the vinyl from my cutting mat.

It is important to color in one smooth line — without going back over in any area. Because the vinyl doesn’t absorb the ink like some papers, if you go back over, it will start to push the ink around and get sticky and gooey. Trust me. I did it!

Anyhow, I was so pleased with my results, I got a bit carried away on one of the jars and cut out one of the birds from the 3 Birds on Parade cartridge, whom my friends and I have named Dickie. (It’s a long story that probably isn’t worth telling — one of those that is hilarious during a late-night crop, but somehow loses its charm in the retelling.)

But, I love Dickie, so here’s what I did …

Isn’t he adorable?!?

I cut all of the layers out of white vinyl and then colored that parts with Copics. You can see the streaking on the larger pieces, but I think it gives Dickie a bit of character, don’t you?

 

 

Storing Apples

I received a bit of happy mail the other day … a couple of stamp sets I ordered from Stampin’ Up.

One of the sets I ordered because I knew it would go perfect with a photo I had taken on our recent vacation. I only had one photo for the page and knew I would want some special accents.

Here’s what I came up with:

The background paper is really old paper I had in my stash from Foof-a-La. The cardstock is all from my scrapbag.

I stamped the images with Momenta Ink on Cryogen paper and colored them with Copic markers. I used dimensional foam under the truck to pop it up a bit.

The title is cut from Coordinations paper with the Cricut, then lightly sanded and inked with Distress Ink.

I don’t remember who made the cute little apple brads, but I had to include them, as well.

Finally, I added a bit of Distress Ink to the cardstock, journaled away and accented with a few staples from the Tiny Attacher.

An apple for teacher

Rather than give a real apple to the teacher on the first day of school, give her something she can enjoy all year — and many years to come with this adorable hanging apple decoration.

I created this back-to-school idea for Glue Dots — and it is much easier than it looks.

To start, I cut out eight apples with my Cricut in red and three additional apples in green.

Next, score each of the red apples down the center, like this …

If you wish to apply Distress Ink or anything else to the apples, this is the time to do it.

You can also cut off the stem and leaf at the top of each apple.

Then, using Craft Glue Dots, attach one side of each apple to another until you almost make a circle — leaving the final two apple sides unattached.

Use the green apples to create a leaf and stem (I used Black Soot Distress Ink to color the stem) and attach it to the center with another Glue Dot.

Then, apply Glue Lines to the center of the apple and add a string or wire (I used We R Memory Keepers twine). Leave enough for the top to make a loop and enough on the bottom to hang charms. Keep in mind that you can always trim it if it is too long, but you can’t add to it if it is too short.

Once those are adhered, add additional Craft Glue Dots and seal up the apple.

Next, add a star. I used two corrugated stars from Close To My Heart, colored them with Fired Brick Distress Ink and then applied a few Craft Glue Dots to the center of one, attached the twine, and then covered it with the second one.

Finally, I tied on a Maya Road clear charm to the bottom and it is ready to give to teacher!