Friday, December 16, 2011

Sparkle-y Christmas Ornaments!

What would the Holiday's be like without a new ornament or two!

I've always loved making ornaments since I was a young child and after seeing a clever idea on Pinterest for making some awesome glitter ornaments I was determined to make some with my precious Granddaughter B!


As I mentioned, I found this on Pinterest and the "Pin" led to the blog Everyday Cricut.

Here is the link to the tutorial which includes a good video.

You can also access the video directly from YouTube here.

In the video it shows them using some vinyl letters cut from the cricut machine, but as you will notice, we chose not to use the cricut this time, we just wrote the names and year on the ornaments using a Krylon Gold Leafing Pen.

Here is a picture of some of the supplies we used for this project:



(Sorry about the sloppy composition of the photograph...I had planned on taking a more organized photo at the end, when I knew all the supplies and tools that we used, but I forgot, so I was left with this mess!)

I also forgot to include the plastic wrap in the photo, but the video and tutorial at Everyday Cricut shows everything you will need.

These ornaments were easy to make and came out so pretty!

Even my 4 year old Granddaughter was able to perform most of the steps with just a little help from Grandma!

She picked out all the colors for her cousins and her Mom, Dad & Sister and the ribbon accents also.

She has really become my crafty little clone lately and we have so much fun!

Here are some photos of her doing some of the steps:


(NOTE: Be sure to follow the video referenced above for specific instructions, because I didn't get all the steps photographed here.)

Sweet Little B was mighty proud of the final product!



Grandma added a few final touches (the bows) which were a bit too tedious for tiny hands:




We experimented a little with the glitter, as the tutorial called for fine glitter, but just for kicks I made one ornament using regular coarse type glitter that is used for school projects and such, just to see if it would look okay and here are the results:


It still looked pretty and shiny, and really...from far away on the tree, you can't even tell the difference!

Just something to remember if you are on a budget, because the coarse glitter was much cheaper than the fine glitter, (at least cheaper than the kind that is used for scrapbooking and card projects).

I did find a multi-pack of fine glitter at Michaels (Creatology Brand) that wasn't too pricey, but the amount you get of each color was so small, you wouldn't be able to do many ornaments with it. 

Here are a few handy tips that I learned along the way while doing this project:

1. Go easy and slow pouring in the floor solution into the balls and don't squeeze the bottle, (even though you will be tempted to because of the type bottle it is), because it will go all over the place quickly!

2. If you have small funnels, use them, they are a big help in minimizing the mess, especially if you are working with a young child. (Getting the glitter in that small hole in the ornament is not as easy as it would seem!)

3. Keep a wet/damp rag handy in case some floor solution gets on the outside of the ball, you can wipe it off easily if you do it right away.

4. If you are making the these ornaments with small children, use the plastic balls instead of the glass one's called for in the tutorial, that way if little hands slip, the balls won't break and possibly injure them. (I wasn't sure if the procedure would work the same with plastic, but I tried it anyway and you can't tell the difference.  Four of the one's I made here are plastic and the rest are glass, so you tell me...can you tell which is which??!)

5. Save condiment cups and pizza box toppers (even if your Hubby makes fun of you and calls you a hoarder! LOL!). They REALLY came in handy here with this project. The condiment cups were perfect size to hold the balls while pouring in the floor solution and the pizza box toppers worked great to display the balls for photographing.

6. If you make a mistake on writing the names with the Gold Leaf Pen, don't fret...a little bit of rubbing alcohol on a Q-tip will erase the mistake and allow you to fix it! (Boy was I relieved to discover that...because I accidentally wrote the wrong name on one of the ornaments and when little B found out, she was a bit upset that I had written someone else's name on the special color ornament she had picked out for cousin "J"! I was frantic at first, because we didn't have any other balls left to decorate, therefore could not re-create the color with her name, I tried scratching it off at first and that was NOT the way to go, so I just thought I would try rubbing alcohol and it worked, yay! Crisis averted! Happy Little B!)

Thank-you for stopping by my blog and I hope you enjoyed the post!

:)
Lisa

This post/project is linked to the following Link-up Parties/Sites:



TutusandTeaParties



Saturday, December 3, 2011

A Christmas Tradition

I am so excited about this Holiday Season!

Christmas is my favorite time of year, even though things usually get pretty hectic around here during this time.

Now that all our children are grown, I often think back to the happy memories and traditions of Christmases past with them and one of my most memorable traditions is collecting Nutcrackers with my Daughter "B".

How fitting that this week's "My Memories" challenge is about family traditions!

I couldn't wait to get in on this challenge, as just last Christmas, my precious Granddaughter "B" also became very interested in the story of the "Nutcracker" after seeing a Barbie Holiday Movie "Barbie in The Nutcracker"


I was excited to share this tradition with her and immediately got out all of the old Nutcrackers that me and her Aunt had collected when she was a child.

I snapped a few photos of precious little "B" playing with the Nutcrackers and hugging them like dolls!

I even bought her one of her very own Nutcracker's for Christmas, to get her started on her own collection.

Here is the layout I created for this challenge:



(Note: if you click on the layout, you can see a larger version)

I made it using the My Memories Suite (v.3) and it was so much fun and so easy!

I just love all the options it provides and how quickly a page can be completed.

I have SO many photos and just don't have enough time to do them all in the traditional scrapbooking method everytime.

It's nice to be able to do some "digital" scrapbooking as well and get some memories documented quickly, before the photos get put on the back burner and left behind.

As you can see, these photos are a year old and I hadn't yet gotten to them to scrap in a book.

Another great thing about the My Memories Suite is that you can have your pages/albums printed professionally, so that you can have them handy to show-off to others just as you would with your traditional paper scrapbook!

If you don't yet have this awesome Digital Scrapbooking Software, you can get it for $10.00 off by clicking on the blinkie below or on the ad in my sidebar and using the discount code that is below it.



CODE: STMMMS91285

It comes with lots of great templates, backgrounds, embellishments, etc. as well as options to add other digital content.

Their site contains lots of "freebies" too and other templates and quick pages that you can buy for a very reasonable price!

The options are limitless with this software and you can create other items too, like cards and calendars.

I do need to add a disclaimer here:
I was fortunate enough to have been given a copy of this software earlier in the year to review it for the company, but I can honestly tell you that I love it and would not promote it here if I did not think it was a wonderful product!
I am amazed at what it can do for such a reasonable price and it's much easier to use than the more complicated and expensive programs such as Photoshop.

I hope you enjoyed reading about my Nutcracker Tradition and looking at my layout!

So happy you stopped by and I'd love it if you'd like to leave a comment and let me know what you think!

XOXO
Lisa


Saturday, November 26, 2011

Owl Thank-you Card for Peachy Keen Stamps Challenge 65

I have been trying to get this post up for awhile now and I apologize for the delay.

I have had some unplanned obstacles in my way this past week, including almost 3 days without Internet Service!

My provider couldn't even give me a straight answer about what was wrong and they kept promising it would be fixed "soon".

I finally gave up and figured they were stalling because of the Holiday.

Sure enough, come first thing Friday Morning (right after Thanksgiving was over!) my service was magically restored!

Oh well...it probably did me good to be away from the internet for awhile.

Another issue I had, is a bad allergic reaction to some medication I took last night.

Me & DH ended up in the ER, but thankfully it went fast and had a good ending!

They had to give me some Prednisone which really helped.

I was actually working on this post when it happened, my face began getting real hot and tingly and at first I thought my BP was up, then I finally went and looked in the mirror and almost screamed!
My face had swollen up and had big welts on it (hives I am assuming).

Thankfully, all the drama is over now and I can FINALLY get this project posted and in the challenge at Peachy Keen Stamps Challenge Blog!

Now on to my project for this challenge...




This challenge is a sketch with a TWIST!

Here are the requirements for the challenge:

Create a card OR layout based on the sketch & use

PAPER PIECING in your project!
Not sure how to paper piece? 

Using your stamps, stamp individual elements onto different papers and "piece" them together!
There's a great photo tutorial on SplitcoastStampers website - go take a peek, then check out the inspiration over at Peachy Keen Stamps Challenge Blog from their fabulous Design Team!!

Peachy Keen Stamps are not required for this challenge, 
but if you've got them, they would LOVE seeing how you create with them!
  • Project must include basic elements and layout from the sketch (feel free to flip anything!) and the twist (Paper Piecing) 
  • Project must be new, created for this challenge 
  • Link up by November 28th {the collection closes at 11:59 pm Central on 11/28} 

I really love Peachy Keen Stamps, but I have to admit that at the moment I only have the faces for the Cricut Dolls and one Easter Stamp, so I didn't actually use one of their stamps for this challenge, because I had a specific person in mind when making this card and wanted to use owls, so that is why.

But I can assure you, I will be using them soon, because they are just adorable!

If you've never seen them, you gotta go check them out!

Their "Winter Friends" Bundle is so stinkin' cute! 
It's my favorite at the moment and I'm going to have to get it!

They are having a 25% off sale on most of their items right now and 35% off on their exclusive Thanksgiving Bundles through November 28th!

Here is a collage I made of how I paper pieced the Penney Black Heart/Owl Stamp on my card:


If you've never done this technique and need a good tutorial, you can go to the SplitcoastStampers tutorial that I linked above or there is another VERY Good video tutorial on YouTube by Stamped By Hand (Joanne B) that you can see here.
You can also check out Joanne's awesome blog at: www.stampedbyhand.blogspot.com

Here is a photo of the tools and supplies I used for this project:


Recipe for the card:

White Card Stock (GP Image Plus 110 weight)
Patterned Fleur de Lis (White & Lime Green) Cardstock (From stash on hand)
Dark Red/Pink Cardstock (Colorbok - Bright , 8-1/2" x 11" Non-Textured Cardstock)
Purple Card Stock (Colorbok)
Blue, Green, Pink, Lt. Green, Golden Yellow & Brown Cardstock (Various Brands from stash on hand)
Patterned Paper, Pink/White, Gingham
Patterned Paper, Purple, Damask
Grosgrain Ribbon, Lime Green, 7/8" w, (Celebrate It - By Michaels)
Stamp, "Owl Be Yours" (Penney Black, #40-045)
Stamp, "Heartfelt Thanks" (Ditto, Studio G, #IC0098)
Pearl Brads w/Silver Lined Edge, 2 ea. (Eyelet Outlet)
Copic Multi-liner Pigment Ink Pen, Size 0.1
Glitter, Blush Rose (Recollections Signature Special Extra Fine Glitter)
Gel Pen, Orange
Pigment Ink Pad, White (Studio G)
Pigment Ink Pad, Lt. Brown (Studio G)
Pigment Ink Pad, Dk. Choc. Brown, (Studio G)
Ink Pad, Hot Pink (All Night Media)
Dye Ink Pad, Black (Inkadinkado)
Stamping Block, Pink Acrylic, 4"x6" (Apple Pie Memories)
Stamping Block, Small Acrylic, 2"x2" (Not sure of brand, but think I purchased it at "Oh My Crafts")
Water Color Sponge, Natural (Royal Langnickel)
Glue Pen, (Zig Two-Way Glue, Squeeze & Roll)
Glue Dots, Mini, 3/16"
Glue Dots, 3/8"
Zots 3-D, 1/2" (Thermo Web)
Glue Tape Runner, Small (Scotch)
ATG Glue Gun (Scotch)
Zip Dry Paper Glue
Mod Podge

Tools Used:

Paper Trimmer (Fiskars)
Bone Folder (Provo Craft)
Scissors (Fiskars)
Small Detail Scissors (Cutter Bee)
Paintbrush, Size 00 (Grumbacher)
Metal Spatula Tool, Small Flat
Toothpick




Hope you enjoyed my project and if you are inspired will join in on some of the Peachy Keen Stamps Challenges!

I have also joined a link-up party at Robin's Creative Cottage and have submitted this project/card there.

Thank-you for visiting my blog!
:)
Lisa








Sunday, November 20, 2011

Christmas Craft Haul

It's that time of year again...The Holiday Season is upon us and of course for me that means at least a shopping spree or two at one of my favorite Craft Stores, Michaels!

I have been so inspired and excited by some of the awesome projects I have been seeing and "pinning" on Pinterest the last few months, so I decided to pick-up some supplies to keep my creativity flowing this season!

Check out my video of my most recent craft haul and see all the goodies I got!


It's a bit long, but I had fun making the video, because I love to talk about crafting!

Actually, I love to talk in general! LOL!

Hubby is probably awfully glad I did this video today...saved him from having to hear all my babbling! :)

He is such a great Husband though...he always tries his best to listen...even when I go on forever about nothing!

Thank-you all for checking in with me and I will be back soon, (hopefully tomorrow) with a posting about the latest craft challenge I am entering!



Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Storybook Video for Granddaughter

As most of my loyal followers already know...I usually post about crafty stuff, but that usually includes some tidbits about my beautiful Grandbabies as well and since this blog is also about the "Grandma Life", I'd like to post a little bit about that today.

God has blessed me and Hubby with 5 beautiful Grandchildren and sadly, we don't get to see 3 of them very often because they live far away.

Because of this, I started thinking of ways that I could stay "in touch" with them more often, besides just a phone call or "Skype" call. (Not that these are not GREAT...I just wanted something more to let them know I am always thinking of them!)

So, awhile back, I started video recording myself reading stories to them, just as I would if they were right here with me!

At first it was a bit hard for me, because I do not like to have my picture taken and I REALLY don't like to see myself on video.

But, I realized that my Grandchildren love me just the way I am, flaws and all, so I just went with it!

At first I just sat in front of my webcam and read the stories and just did a simple video, but as I went along, I decided it would be fun to add music and titles and make it look a little more formal.

Recently I got one of those little "bloggie" type HD cams, (JVC Picsio) and I've been experimenting with it to see how it might work for some of my crafty blog videos.

I decided to try it out on one of my Storybook videos for my Granddaughter "J" and even though I wasn't thrilled with the lighting in the room, otherwise, the video turned out pretty good.

Check it out and let me know what you think:



The best part is...My DIL sent a picture of  "J" watching it with her Dog "Simon" and she looks so happy watching it, which just tickles me pink!



That is all that really matters...is that my Grandbabies are well and happy!!

If you are interested in seeing any of the other "Storybook" Videos I've recorded for my Grandbabies, just go to my YouTube Channel and you will find them all there!

Thank-you all for joining me, I love talkin' about my babies!

XOXO
Gramma "Gigi" Lisa


Monday, November 7, 2011

Yay! We Have a WINNER!!!

Well, I didn't get as much participation as I would have liked for my recent giveaway, but that's okay, I still would like to thank all of you who did come by and visit me and sign-up for my free software giveaway sponsored by "My Memories"!

We have a winner....(Drum Roll Please....)
And the winner is....

#9 KIMBERLY!!!!

Congratulations Kimberly!

I will be contacting you soon for details and instructions on how to download your full version Free "My Memories" Software.

I am so excited for you to try it out, because I know you are going to LOVE it!!

Thanks again to everyone who entered and if you would like to purchase a copy of the software, please use my link on the sidebar and you will receive $10.00 off on the software plus it comes with a $10.00 coupon good for any of the design packages in the store! (Be sure to type in the special code below the box on the sidebar when it asks for a promo or coupon code.)

If you have any questions or need any assistance, just let me know.
You can e-mail me by clicking the "Contact Me" link at the top of my blog.

Lisa

Wednesday, November 2, 2011

Giveaway! Giveaway! First Digital Layout & Software Giveaway!

I am so excited today to share with you my first digital scrapbooking layout and a fun giveaway!

I have dabbled a bit in "digital" scrapbooking in the past, but could never seem to find suitable software that made it easy and yet look good.

Well, recently I was contacted by a wonderful company called "My Memories" who asked me to review their digital scrapbooking software and see how I liked it and I was really impressed!

Their software is rated #1 on Amazon for Digital Scrapbooking and it is so reasonably priced.

Here is the layout I did using their software and it took me less than 10 minutes to complete this album, which consisted of 6 pages:







This layout features my gorgeous Granddaughter "J" of course and I couldn't be happier with the results!

I used one of their included pre-made templates that came with the software and it was so simple with the "drag and drop" interface.

They have tons of templates and backgrounds to choose from, along with more you can buy or get for free on their website.

You also have the ability to start from scratch and customize your layout anyway you'd like.

You can even include music and videos into your layouts!

This software package does so much more than just scrapbook pages.
You can create calendars, posters, cards, invitations, personalized books and more!

I love that you can turn your album pages into a beautiful personalized book that can be ordered in multiple copies and shared with all your family and friends!

If you'd like to see more about this amazing software, check out their YouTube site at: http://www.youtube.com/user/MyMemoriesSuite

There are some great videos on there that really showcase everything the software can do and it's pretty impressive!

Now here is the exciting news, they have given me an extra copy of the software to giveaway for FREE to one of my loyal followers!

If you would like to be eligible to win a copy of this Digital Scrapbooking Software Program, then here are the requirements:

1. Be or become a follower on my blog.

2. Go visit the My Memories site at: http://www.mymemories.com/ and make note of your favorite template or kit, then come back here and leave a comment stating which is your favorite from the site. (Be sure to include an e-mail address or a way to get in touch with you in case you win!)

3. For a second chance entry, please "Like" their Facebook page at: http://www.facebook.com/pages/MyMemories/140359372717593

4. For a third chance at winning, please follow the My Memories Blog at: http://www.mymemoriesblog.com/

5. For a fourth chance at winning, please follow My Memories on twitter at: http://twitter.com/#!/MyMemoriesSuite

(NOTE: After doing steps 3,4 and 5, make sure to leave a comment for each, saying that you completed the step...this is to make sure you get your extra entries!)

Remember to be eligible to win, you MUST do at least steps 1 and 2, all other steps are for extra entries!

This giveaway opportunity will be open through Sunday November 6th, 2011 and I will choose a winner via Random.org on Monday November 7th, 2011.

If you don't win, don't fret!

My Memories has given me a discount code and allowed me to share it with you if you decide to purchase the software:


CODE: STMMMS91285


I'm looking forward to experimenting more with this fab scrapbooking software  and sharing my results with you, so please come back again and see what I'm up to!

XOXO
Lisa




Monday, October 31, 2011

Dollar-Store Halloween Pumpkin Luminaries

Happy Halloween to all my crafty friends out there!

Just thought I'd post this cool and thrifty craft that me and my 4 year old Granddaughter "B" completed the other day for Halloween.


It's so easy, yet turns out looking so nice and only costs a few bucks to make!

I originally found this idea on a cool blog that I follow called "Mod Podge Rocks" and I "pinned" it to my Pinterest Board so I would be able to find it again later.

I was glad that I did, because when I decided to try and come up with a fun Halloween activity for my Granddaughter, this one immediately popped in my mind, as funds have been tight lately and I had remembered that this one was cheap to make!

I took a quick trip to the dollar store to get the glass votive holders, battery tea lights and Halloween napkins (Total: $4.00 w/o tax!).

I had the other supplies needed already on hand.

Here are the supplies we started with:


As you can see, my precious Granddaughter was very excited about getting started with our "Crafty" project.

She is such a sweetheart and brings me so much joy!
I really love that we can share crafting together!

I wanted to show a lot of pictures of her doing this with me, so that you all know that this is a craft that can be done with Children with a little supervision.

I was pretty impressed at how much of it little "B" was able to handle on her own and she was really in to it!

I am going to lightly skim over how we made these, but if you want a better, more complete tutorial check out The "Maiden D'Shade" blog post/tutorial here.

(The Mod Podge posting directed readers to the Maiden D'Shade tutorial also.)

We started out by cutting out the strips of orange tissue paper to cover the glass votive holders.


Then we mixed a little bit of water with some Mod Podge:


Next, we began gluing on the tissue paper strips with the Mod Podge:


This part was a bit tricky at first, because we tried "dipping" the pieces in the MP and placing them, but they tend to tear and come apart that way, so then we decided to just lightly glue them first with a brush...just enough to get them to lie down on the glass and then after they were all on there, we went over the entire thing lightly.

After the first coat of Mod Podge, we took them outside on the front porch to dry:


(NOTE: Don't try this if it is a windy day, because obviously dirt, sand and other foreign objects could stick to the wet Mod Podge and give your project an unwanted design addition!)

We were under a little bit of time constraint, because "B" was making hers for her Mommy for Halloween and we needed to get it done kind of fast.
Putting it outside in the sun definitely helped dry it enough to get us to the next step.


"B" wanted a cat on her pumpkin, so we got out the Cricut Stuff and she picked out one from the Seasonal "Pumpkin Carving" Cartridge.

If you don't have a Cricut or would just prefer to cut out designs for yourself, Better Homes & Gardens has some great Stencils for carving Pumpkins that can also be used for this project, you just have to size them down a bit on your computer before printing them out.
Click HERE for the link to the stencils.

Sweet "B" has done a lot of "Cricutting" with Grandma, so she can actually operate it with a little help from me.


She chose the cat with a circle around it and the Cricut Imagine Machine did the work for us!


B's favorite part is "scooping" the finished product off the mat!


I sometimes have to help her a little with this part, if the design is particularly intricate, as one slip of the hand and the design can easily be torn!
She is getting pretty good at it though...an old pro!



The next step was to attach the cut-out to the pumpkin/luminary.
By now the first coat of Mod Podge had dried enough to continue.
"B" brushed on the MP to the back side of the cat cut-out:


I helped her glue it on the votive holder, as it was tricky to get it to lay flat on the rounded edges:


I had to hold it in place for about a minute or two so that it wouldn't slide around when I coated it with the MP.
Also, I had to fold and tuck under a tiny bit on each side to make it fit to the round shape.
I probably could have cut it smaller and would not have had this problem, but like I noted earlier, we were under time constraint, so I just did what I could do to make it look alright.

After adhering the cat, we covered it with a layer of Mod Podge and let it dry:


I did my Pumpkin next and just tried to experiment with something different.

I decided to try and cut out a design from a Halloween Napkin.

These are the napkins that I got at the dollar store:


I cut out the ghost with the word "Boo" on it:



Then I attached it to the pumpkin with a little bit of MP:


A bit of a warning here...go VERY easy on the Mod Podge with napkins, I was forgetting that they are a bit more delicate than tissue paper and I over-did it and made a crinkly mess out of my ghost!

Also, I put the second coat of MP on too early, before it was dry and it made the face part of the ghost too transparent, which I guess would have been fine for a ghost, if the bottom half had matched!

I didn't realize this until it had dried completely the second time, so there wasn't much I could do to fix it at that point, but at least I learned something from my experiment!

After the luminaries were completely dry, we added one LED Tealight Candle to each.

The tealights we used were purchased in a pack of three from the dollar store:


Here are the luminaries lighted:




I have to say, my Granddaughter's turned out much better than mine and I am so proud of her!
She is pretty excited about her gift for Mommy!


We had so much fun making these and I can't wait to make some more next year, or perhaps make some for Christmas!

Thank-you all for joining me and sharing in my fun craft time with my precious Granddaughter!

This Post/Project is linked-up to the following sites: