Marvy Paper Crimpers

I was thinking about alternatives to the embossing machines out there such as the Sizzix or the Cuttlebug. For me, I am a Cricut chick & I was not sure if I really would make good use of another machine. My sole purpose of getting an additional machine would be to get the embossing effects that I have seen on cards that I admire that I am unable to get from my Cricut. I came across Marvy Paper Crimpers. This tool comes in 5 different patterns that will give your paper an embossed effect for a fraction of the cost. Although 5 different patterns is definitely a small amount in comparison to the options that the Cuttlebug and/or Sizzix machines provide, if you are just testing the waters on the embossed look, this may be a good option for you. This is definitely a much cheaper way to see if this is something that you think you would like.

On my card, I used the Paper Crimper Bubbles on a 8 1/2 x 11 sheet of Bazzill Bling Paper. The tool was easy to use & the process was quick. I used my cute little Snag Em Giraffe Stamp. I embellished this little guy with some googly eyes &
dew drops. Some of my customers have had this stamp arrive with their purchase from my store. There are still a few giraffes left so if you place your order soon, you should be able to Snag Em.

Hugs,

Fun Flock

I was really excited to make this card using Fun Flock and Pig Time, a stamp by Inkadinkado.




I first stamped my image using Tim Holtz Distress Ink Worn Lipstick. This gave my pig a perfect pink outline. To get the pink background behind the image, I dipped my Cut N Dry Foam into the distress ink and just dabbed it onto the paper.

I then took my Quick Dry Tacky Adhesive and put it into the center of the image. Next, I pinched some flock out of my Pixie Pink flock jar by Stampendous & pressed it into the glue. I found that the flock was very forgiving & allowed me to mold it into the shape of my image. I then added two googly eyes to the pig & gave him a pink button nose. Finally, I accented the pig using Cotton Candy Stickles.

I have tried using all different kinds of adhesives with the flock, but I prefer to use the Quick Dry Tacky Adhesive when working with this. My second favorite glue to use with the flock was my Two Way Glue Pen. Although a taperunner worked to adhere the flock, I thought I had better results using the other two glues.

Finally, I always think that flocking looks better in person than it does in pictures. It's one of those things where you just have to see & feel it to really appreciate it. I hope you enjoyed my short tutorial.

Thanks for looking,

Simplicity

I made a few simple cards that I thought I would share. I did not do sentiments on the cards because every now & then, I just need a plain notecard. These cards can suit any purpose. I just got Daisy D's Sweet Baby Jane 8x8 Double Sided Cardstock Paper at the store & I absolutely love it. I made this card using one of the papers & some leftover vellum. I ripped the vellum & adhered it to the card using Vellum Glue Dot Sheets. These are so easy to use. Just take the adhesive & put it on the vellum. Next, lift the sheet off of the vellum & adhere it to your paper. It really does not get any easier than that. Plus, I have used these adhesive sheets a few times before they lose all of their hold. To finish the look, I added some bling to the polka dots that were already on the card. I inked the edges of this card using Tim Holtz Distress Ink Dusty Concord.

I made another plain notecard using some leftover cardstock & designer paper, a Bella image, and leftover bling. I used my 5" Paper Creaser to fold the cardstock evenly. I really love this tool =) I colored my image using my Copic 72 Color Set C. Although the Ciao markers are a bit more affordable than the original Copics, I do prefer to color in smaller images with the originals. Because the original Copics have a fine nib, it is easier to color in details with this marker than with the ciaos. And, I am not sure if I just got lucky when I ordered, but the original Copics came in under 30 days. Unfortunately, the Ciaos have up to a 90 day turnaround time from the manufacturer. If you really are interested in these markers, but do not feel like waiting so long, I suggest giving the original copics a try. I cannot promise a shorter ship time, but when I ordered the original copics for myself, I did see a significant reduction in turnaround time. The edges of the cards are inked with Tim Holtz Distress Ink Worn Lipstick.

I appreciate your comments & support since I have put up my blog & store. Thank you for visiting.

Hugs,

Breathe Life Into Your Cricut

I have had my Cricut for almost a year now. As much as I love it to scrap with, I was getting bored with just cutting out letters & diecuts. Cricut has several cartridges that takes your machine to a whole new level. I decided to give the cartridge Tags, Bags, Boxes and More a try.



This was my first attempt at making a bag & I set this to 4 for the size of the bag. I have the original Cricut, but I bet with the Expressions this cartridge could also do wonders.

After I ran my paper through the machine, I ran my 5" Paper Creaser by Ranger over the pre-scored lines made from my Cricut. I found this to be helpful in getting the paper to bend easier into the shape of the bag.

Next, I used Terrifically Tacky Tape to keep the sides of the bag together. I highly recommend this tape for these kinds of projects. I initially attempted to secure the card with my regular taperunner adhesive to see if it were really necessary to spend extra money on the tape. I am sure it is possible, but my bag kept coming undone when I did not use the Terrifically Tacky Tape. I found that this tape works wonders & I really enjoyed the ease of working with it.

The bag & matching card are made with Bazzill paper & Basic Grey designer paper. I added some bling to my card that I had leftover to just give it a little extra touch. I inked the edges of my paper with ColorBox Queue Pigment Ink Tulip Field
.

This was a very simple & quick project. I think the bag would look great filled with small candy or a gift card. I hope you enjoyed my little project =)

Thanks for Visiting,

Starbuck Gift Card Holder

A week or so ago, Kim of
Crafts By Kim posted an adorable gift card holder that she made for her mom for Mother's Day. I was inspired so I went & bought a giftcard for my friend's bday & used my inspiration from Kim to create this unique holder. This was easy to make & took under ten minutes to do. I am going to pair this up with my Monkey Card that I posted last night. For the center of the holder, I used my vintage flower that I bought last month in NYC & paired it up with another flower that I had hanging around here. I attached the flowers using a one of my sparkly brads that I picked up on sale at Michael's a few months ago. Of course I inked the edges with my Tim Holtz Distress Ink. This is a definitely a gift I would love to receive =)

Thanks for looking,



P.S. I didnt use any stickles on this one =)

Monkey See, Monkey Do

I love the irresistable little monkey sets by Stampendous. I created this card using the new release from Stampendous Changito Dos. I found these stamps to be very easy to work with. For the cocunuts, I used Dew Droplets in Island Blossoms. I used my favorite adhesive to adhere the coconuts to the card, Quick Dry Tacky Adhesive. I love this stuff because it is strong & dries clear. I colored my images using my Copic Markers from the Ciao Set C. For the color that borders the monkey, I used my Tim Holtz Ink - Shabby Shutters. And for those of you who know my work, I am a stickles fanatic - so of course, I used my Stickles Glitter Glue in Lime Green to accent my palm tree. The cardstock is Bazzill Bling, the designer paper is from Stemma, and the ribbon is from the dollar bin =)

Thanks for looking,

Card Organizer Tutorial

This is a very cute card organizer & it has a video tutorial =)
Card Organizer Tutorial

enjoy,