Sunday, October 6, 2013

"Joyous Elf" 2013 Holiday Card

Good Morning Everyone!

It's a chilly Autumn New England (USA) morning here in New Hampshire. It's the perfect weather for hot chocolate and card making. This weather always puts me in the mood to create holiday cards. I've noticed that this years seems to be going by faster than usual, so I better get in gear.

This card is created using an idea I found in the Summer 2013 edition of Card Maker magazine. The image was found doing a Google image search for "Digital Stamps." I do not own the rights to the image or the layout idea. This is just my interpretation of them.

"Joyous Elf"

Materials:
  • Computer with printer
  • Copic approved white cardstock
  • White cardstock cut to 8 1/2 x 5 1/2, folded in half
  • Core'dinations Vintage Card stock in Asparagus
  • Polka-dot holiday pattern paper
  • Holly print pattern paper
  • Crochet lace in white (1/2" width)
  • red/white baker's twine
  • Red button
  • Copic Markers in G05, G17, R22, E000, E00, E02, R27, E18, Y26
  • Copic Colorless Blender
  • Adhesive and dimensional adhesive
  • Scotch tape
  • Zots
  • Zip Dry 
  • Fun Flock in Cotton Ball White
Directions:

"Joyous Elf" Card Tutorial Video
  1. Print image on Copic approved paper with a width of 2"
  2. Color image as desired. I used the Copic colors listed approve
  3. Trim image
  4. Cut Asparagus cardstock- (1) piece 4 1/4 x 5 1/2", (1) piece 3 1/8 x 4 3/4, (1) strip 2 1/8 x 4"
  5. Cut a piece of the polka-dot pattern paper to 4 x 5 1/4"
  6. Cut a piece of the Holly pattern paper to 3 x 4 5/8"
  7. Adhere Holly pattern paper to coordinating size Asparagus cardstock
  8. Using the wrap around method adhere a piece of the crochet lace to the polka-dot pattern paper about 1/2' in from the left side along the long edge. 
  9. Adhere polka-dot paper to the coordinating Asparagus cardstock and adhere to card base
  10. Wrap a piece of baker's twine around the layered Holly pattern paper about 1/4" in from the long left side and secure using Scotch tape.
  11. Adhere colored image to 2 1/8" Asparagus cardstock so that it sits center along three sides and trim excess. 
  12. Adhere layered image to Holly pattern paper so that it sits along the edge of the baker's twine. 
  13. Using dimensional adhesive adhere the image panel to the card front so that it covers half of the lace. (See picture above)
  14. Using a piece of the baker's twine tie a bow through the button and adhere to card front using Zots.
  15. Using the Zip dry adhere Fun Flock to image on ruffle of hat and shirt, and the pom-pom.

Wednesday, January 9, 2013

Re-organizing my Crafty Space

Good Morning!

It is a bright, but chilly day here in New Hampshire. One of my New Years Resolutions is to clean, eliminate clutter, organize and use the crafting items I have on hand. Prior to the New Year, I went to JoAnn's when they were having their huge sale on totes and organizing systems. I was able to purchase two storage units designed by Iris for less than half price (SCORE!).

New System-Iris
 Here is a picture of the door organizer I purchased. These organizers replaced the drawer system I had originally purchased from Wal-mart. My old system of the Sterilite drawers was great until I stated to accumulate paper. The amount of paper I needed to store was getting too heavy for the plastic. It began to warp, crack, and break down. Plus it didn't give me the flexibility to organize the paper by theme/season/color that I really needed to.Due to the length of the drawers, I could fit a stack of 12x12 paper with about 5-8 inches of unused space. Paper was getting damaged when I opened or closed the drawers.



Old System-Sterilite







The new system of doors from Iris is a stronger plastic and has individual containers that lock shut. This provides me with an easier way to sort and organize my paper. If you enjoy purchasing the slabs from Michael's or JoAnn's, each drawer on the Iris system holds 4-5 180 sheet slabs. My two organizers sit on the floor verses on the wheels. These new organizers take up less room than the Sterilite drawer system by about 6-8 inches in depth and 12 (unused inches) in length. These means that by replacing the old Sterilite system with the new Iris system I save about 12 of floor space along the length.

Now I'm able to find what I need for paper, when I need it. I highly recommend the Iris system of drawers. Keep your eyes out for coupons in the Michael's or Jo Ann flyers. The Iris drawer carts are usually around $90 USD. However, you can get them for 50% with a coupon or during sales.

My next step is to reorganize my craft closet. It's kind of scary in there.

Thanks for stopping by. Make it a great day.