Never Ending Card

Hi Everyone!  Today's post features a never ending card.  I found a tutorial on this card on youtube.com here.  It really is quite magical!

This card celebrates the domestic goddess!  It opens from the center and once you get to the inside, it opens from the center again, and again, and continues in that way until you return to the beginning!  

The card features lots of retro inspired paper and embellishments throughout.   I used Crafty Secrets Creative Scraps, Girlfriend Collection for the images and sentiments, and Cosmo Cricket, Material Girl patterned papers.  

              

Although it is very hard to see in these photos, I used Sakura Glitter Pens in various places to highlight many of the images, such as the eyes, shoes, lips, and clothing.  Lots of metal charms were added, as well as ribbons, buttons and pearl accents.

After opening the card, the inside is quite different...

Then, opening again, you see an entirely different card!  It really is quite unique, in that it continues to fold open to reveal yet another card after this...

And here I added some buttons with snipped off shanks in order to get a snug fit against the card.

And another card...

The embellishments are all girlie and cute...

Purses and shoes and all things goddess!

I hope you enjoyed this unique, fun card!  It really was easy to create and even more fun to give!

Thanks for joining me today and I'll be back with yet another creation very soon!

Merilee

Box Card and Corner Bookmark Gift Set

Hey everyone!  I hope this finds you all well and enjoying your Wednesday.  Things are quiet here--perfect for a blog post, lol!

Today's feature is a box card and corner bookmark gift set.  This card was super easy to make!  I found the instructions on the Splitcoast Stamper site here.  I love this website!  I have found so much great inspiration there!

The card was made according to the tutorial, but the envelope was cut using my Cricut Expression and the Wild Card cartridge.    I used some flower embellishments made from colored vellum.  Using an embossing tool and pad, I added some additional interest to the flowers and topped them with a pretty fabric-covered brad.  

The unique thing about a box card is that it folds flat for mailing, but when the recipient removes the belly band and opens it, the card folds out into the shape of a box.

  

To create the sentiment, I used my oval die and stamp set from My Favorite Things.  I stamped the sentiment on recycled acetate taken from the blister packaging from a Cricut cartridge.  I always use black Stazon Ink in this instance.  I then ran it through my Big Kick with the oval die.

I decided to pop the sentiment up for a little bit of dimension using very small, flat beads hidden just underneath the stamped border.  You can see them below if you look closely.  I used Glossy Accents to adhere the beads to the acetate.

I wanted to add a gift inside, but the gift had to be small and flat in order to fit properly when folded closed.  What better gift than a corner bookmark!  They are easy to make and very handy to use.  Although mine is slightly modified, you can find a general tutorial here.  I made this one using coordinating papers and ribbons.

The embellishments match those on the belly band of the card and I scored lines in the flowers to match the others.  Here is a closer view...

 

I hope you enjoyed my project for today!  I have lots more projects to share, so please join me again soon.   

Merilee

Crisssross Cards--So Fun and Easy to Make!

Hello Readers!  I hope this Monday is the beginning of a wonderful week for you!  Today I have a fun and super easy crisscross card to show you.  You can find a tutorial for this card on www.splitcoaststampers.com.

My niece was celebrating her birthday so I made this card especially for her.  The colors and patterns are a great reflection of the fun loving, girlie-girl she is!  

Today's post features The Street Lace Stack, a darling paper stack by Die Cuts With a View.  I was lucky enough to find this paper stack in the clearance section of my favorite Michaels store and I loved the paper so much that I bought three paper pads!

As you can see below, the card itself is a crisscrossing pocket envelope with a post card style pullout card inside.

The envelope couldn't be easier to make!  I used gray cardstock for the base, followed by hot pink cardstock cut just inside each flap, topped by the lacy patterned cardstock.  The center medallion was made by fussy-cutting one of the flowers from the patterned cardstock and matting it on top of hot pink cardstock cut to the same shape, but slightly larger.  I used my Martha Stewart scalloped circle for the flower center, topped with an extra large, hot pink brad. Since the paper was so fancy, I just had to fancy up that brad by placing some bling over top.  However, I only had large, clear rhinestones, so I used my markers to match the hot pink on the card and...voila, instant matching bling!

I also placed smaller rhinestones along the edges of the flower for a little added pizazz!  After all, this girlie-girl card was for my girlie-girl niece, lol!  Nothing short of spectacular would do!

For the inside card, the base was cut from hot pink cardstock, covered with this darling lacy extravaganza.  Once again, I fussy cut a large flower and matted it in hot pink to add in the lower right-hand corner.  As you can see, it has plenty of bling, too!

For the tab on top I used my Martha Stewart scalloped punch and layered that atop a punched half circle.  I then secured it all with a black rhinestone brad.  The stamped sentiment is from Crafty Secrets Glamour Girls large stamp set.  Nothing less than glamorous would do for this card!

I always try to match the theme of the card when adding my business stamp, so I stamped a piece of the lacy cardstock with my business stamp, punched out the circle and finished the edges with my fancy scissors.  I then cut a larger circle from hot pink cardstock, once again finished the edges with my scissors, matted the business stamp on top and polished it off with one tiny pink rhinestone.

Even though this card has it's own envelope, it cannot be mailed as it is.  So I made an envelope to match the card.

The envelope was standard white, on which I added a black background and fussy-cut some of the edge of this beautiful patterned cardstock.  I then added a piece of gray cardstock for the label, again matted in hot pink.  I always use my Xyron machine to secure paper to the outside of any envelope.  That way I can be sure nothing will be torn or ripped while in transit with the postal service.

I saw my niece over the holidays and she told me how much she loved her birthday card.  That, in and of itself, makes all the work involved well worthwhile!  After all, this is what I live for--adding a little happiness to someones day!

Thanks for visiting today and I hope to see you again soon!

Merilee

Mixed Media Art on Canvas

Hi Everyone!  Hope your Sunday is bright and cheery.  It is rainy and dreary here in Atlanta, but the temperatures are wonderful--it's 63 degrees and I'm loving that, lol!  Here's something to brighten up your day if you are having the same weather as us.

Today's project carries on the new baby theme.  After making the photo frames for the big brother and big sisters of my newest granddaughter, Baby Sissy needed something special for her room, too!  So I created this mixed media art on canvas, which was made using my Cricut Expression and Straight From the Nest cartridge.  There are several other cartridges that have various types of birds and bird cages, but the bird on this particular cartridge very closely matched the birds found in Baby Sissy's bedding, so that's why it was chosen over the others.

I began this project by painting the sides of a 12x12 canvas brown and adding brown and pink polka dot ribbon over top.  I then covered the canvas with decoupage and added my background paper.  After that dried, I covered the top of the paper with two more coats of decoupage:  the first coat painted on with a brush in a vertical direction, and the second in a horizontal direction, to create the linen effect you see below.  Before it dried, I added the little birds in each corner which were cut with my Martha Stewart corner punch...they were just too cute and I couldn't pass up the chance to use them in this application, lol!  :o}

My daughter did Baby Sissy's nursery in brown and pink with a bird theme, so I cut this little bird twice--once on brown cardstock and then again on white, glittered cardstock, and then inked the edges in brown.  The wing was fussy cut from brown and white patterned paper that I dug out of my scrap bin.  I don't know about you, but I've got so many scraps and I'm always looking for a way to use them!  The eye is simply a dot from my hole punch dotted with my white opaque pen and covered with a drop of Glossy Accents.  I could have used a button or a brad or even some bling to create the eye, as well.  I cut the perch away from the birdcage and embossed it with my Big Kick and herringbone embossing folder to draw the eye inward.

The cage itself was cut twice, once from brown cardstock and once again from this pink hologram cardstock.  I found this hologram cardstock at Walmart and I chose it to give an overall metallic feel to the birdcage.  I'm happy to report that this paper cuts like butter on my Cricut machine!

Since there was no shadow feature for this cage, when I mounted the layers, I slightly offset the upper layer to the right to cast a bit of a shadow of my own.  I originally tried cutting the brown layer slightly larger, which has worked for me in the past with other images; however, this particular birdcage is quite intricate, so the proportions simply didn't match up enough to make sense to the eye.

Now, any of you who know me know that I can't resist making my projects dimensional--especially when they are for children.  For this project, I actually cut the cage apart in three sections as you can see above.  I popped up each part of the cage, including the shadow beneath, and then popped up the mid-section above that.  It wasn't easy, though...all of those rungs on the cage needed very thin cuts of foam tape, so I had quite a bit of hand cutting to do.  However, it was well worth the extra time and effort.  I think it made quite a difference in the overall depth of the project.

I used flat-back pearls placed in various areas to add a bit of bling that accents the cage.  I also used my Crop-A-Dile III-Main Squeeze, with the tag die cutting plate, to cut this tiny tag from brown cardstock.  I added the baby's monogram (her name is Carys) with a sticker, and highlighted the letter, as well as dotted around the edges, with my opaque pen.  Then I covered the entire surface with Glossy Accents.  After allowing it to dry, I added a bit of pink ribbon.

The project would have been bare without adding lots of pretty flowers.  There are silk flowers, ribbon flowers, paper flowers, glittered leaves, as well as shiny, metallic leaves, and lots of brown and white polka dot ribbon.  I always use my glue gun for this type of thing.  To accent them a bit, I pulled off the wire stems of some of the flowers and curled them up real tight to make the spirals you see here and there.

This project was time consuming, but I loved every minute of it and it looks darling on Baby Sissy's bedroom wall!

I hope you enjoyed this project and I'll be back again soon with something new.  Have a great weekend!

Merilee

Photo Frames using my Imagine

Hi Everyone!  I have a Cricut Imagine post today!

In order to commemorate the birth of my most recent granddaughter, I decided to make special photo frames using my Cricut Imagine for each of the baby's three older siblings.  Each big sister and brother would have a frame to hold their first photo taken with their very own new baby sister.

They were actually super easy to make with the Imagine!  Everything you see--all the patterned papers and the little characters, as well as the words, were all printed and cut with my Cricut Imagine using the Imagine More cartridge!  :o)

We'll start the breakdown with my oldest granddaughter's frame.  Missy loves the color blue, so I chose papers on my Imagine accordingly.  I cut the base for this frame using recycled cereal boxes for sturdiness.  I then applied the various layers of paper.  For the "glass", I recycled blister packaging that I saved from my Cricut cartridges.  I really love to use recycled materials when I create.

When creating things--especially for children--I always like to use lots of layering for more interaction.  As you can see, the kitty-cat has two layers which are popped up on foam tape for added dimension.  I created a collar using a bit of bling and a leash from curled yellow twine.  I also added wiggle eyes for a bit of fun.

Isn't this little kitty-cat darling?!?  Of course, you can tell she's a girlie-kitty since she's got gorgeous eye lashes, lol!  My granddaughters love, love love kitties!

A paper flower folded in half and inked looks darling when paired with a button!  I added some stitching along the edges of the frame and a few dots here and there to emphasize the curves.  The Cat-ti-tude banner is layered on top of brown cardstock and covered with Glossy Accents.  A few tiny flower brads in the corners and I was finished!  :o)

The second frame was created for my granddaughter, Sissy, and is almost exactly the same, using different colors and switching around a few of the details.

And there she is holding her new baby sister!  Those little flowers on the corners were made using a small flower punch.  The banners were all printed and cut using my Imagine.

On the front of this frame, the brown layer was applied to the cereal box using my Xyron machine.  But the subsequent layers were applied using foam tape.

The paper on the back of the frame was applied using ModPodge to make the entire frame a little sturdier.  The easel was made by simply cutting a strip of cereal box and applying brown cardstock to either side with ModPodge.  After allowing it to dry, I scored one edge and mitered the other.  I then punched holes and added eyelets to secure the easel to the frame back (with a dab of hot glue in the center for added security).

In this photo you can see the eyelet, as well as the little "apron" which secures the mid-section of the easel to the frame.  You can also see that I used ModPodge to completely cover the easel to give it a little more strength.  Didn't it turn out cute?

My grandson's card is slightly different.  I used a different background shape, but the basic structure and assembly process is exactly the same.  It may be a little hard to read, but it says "Paws-itively the best things".

You can see the layered effect in this photo, as well as the different elements that make up the frame.

As you can see, I used embossing folders to emboss the circles with paw prints, as well as to emboss the little puppy-dog's collar.  He, too, has a leash made from colored twine.  The "yippee" bone is the only sticker element I used that was not cut with my Imagine.  Everything else is on the Imagine More cartridge.

I used a little Glossy Accents on the paw prints above, as well as to the "paws-itively" letters below, to add some dimension. The little brads look like screws.

And the back of this frame is the same as the girls' frames.

I hope you enjoyed seeing my frames and come back to visit again soon!

Have a great day!

Merilee

Hey Everyone!  It's Merilee here, back after a long absence.  I hope you are all enjoying this busy holiday season.  We've been especially busy here.  In the last month we found out we are going to be transferred from our home here in Atlanta to Nashville, Tennessee!  We lived in Tennessee six years ago, but we were on the eastern part of the state.  This time we'll be living in a suburb of Nashville.

We were happily living our lives working on home improvement projects when we got the news.  We were not expecting it at all; so, needless to say, my husband and I have been frantically finishing up our projects around the house in order to put our home on the market.  We accomplished almost everything on our list and we now have a big sign in our yard and are on constant alert in case prospective buyers are interested in touring our home.

I haven't had a lot of time for creating until now, and it's hard to do much since I don't want to make much of a mess.  I don't know about you, but my work space gets super messy when I'm working, lol!  Not only that, my art studio has been moved from the formal dining room down to the basement.  I wasn't happy about that at all, but we wanted our home to appeal to as many buyers as possible--not just the artsy ones, lol!  :o}  Since the weather has gotten a bit colder, the basement (which is unfinished) is a bit chilly.  So I've been hauling things up as I need them and I now have half of my art studio on my kitchen table, lol!  (I told you I was messy!)

The project I'm sharing today is my Christmas wreath and new little tree I made for my front porch.  I saw these darling trees made from cones covered with glass ornaments in Target and thought..."I can make that!"  So that's just what I set out to do.  The problem is that I ran out of ornaments before I got to the bottom, so I filled in with holly leaves.  Those little glitches along the way always turn into happy accidents at the end--as if they were always meant to be!

I also bought a wire-rimmed wreath at Walmart and decided to create a new wreath for our front door.  I wanted to make a nice presentation for prospective buyers.  (Not to mention the fact that I seem to have buried my Christmas boxes when I moved my art studio downstairs.)  :o}

I picked up a bag of those cinnamon scented pine cones and attached them to the wreath, along with some pretty silk flowers and a red velvet bow.  I also added some twisted glass ornaments for a bit of sparkle.

It was fun creating something new for my front porch this year.  We've been so busy going through boxes, getting rid of things and consolidating things, as well as otherwise preparing our home for sale, I needed a good project to work on to bring me back the pure and simple enjoyment of this holiday season.  This project was just what the doctor ordered.

So we are officially moving...something I really hadn't grasped until the sign was finally erected in our yard.  I will certainly miss Atlanta--we had hoped our moving days were over and we would someday retire here, but life is an adventure always changing.  We will trust in The Lord and gladly go where He wants us to be.  So...Tennessee, here we come!  :o)

I wish each one of you a wonderful holiday season!  I hope to make another post before Christmas, but if I cannot, I send you all the very best during the holidays--my favorite season of all!

Merilee