Dollar Tree Fleece Infinity Scarf Tutorial

 My local dollar tree, had these fabulous buffalo plaid fleece scarfs.   I knew I wanted to do something crafty with them. I originally thought it was going to make a pillow, but the fabric was a little narrow.  I stared to think of other ideas and an infinity scarf came to mind.  It turned out great and I am nice and cozy with it on.

Here is how you make it:

1.  Cut yarn  ends off and square up the fleece fabric

2. Fold and pin fleece fabric with right sides together and sew a 1/4" seam

 


















4. Tun inside out

5. Wear

This is was a super simple and quick project that you or your recipient will love.  I can't wait to make a few more and maybe need to take another trip to the Dollar Tree.
Happy Crafting!
Melanie

Prancing through the Snow!

YIt's almost that time of year and I have begun making Christmas Cards for family and friends.  I have been getting new supplies this past couple week and this is my first card.  I used several of Tim Holtz's BigZ Dies from Sizzix.  Love them!

I started off the card with a Stampin Up! Pear Pizzaz card stock card base.  I used Tim Holtz's "Holiday Knot" Embossing folder to create the sweater background.  On top of that I die cut a snowflake from Tim Holtz's Bigz die "Layered Snowflake" and a deer from the "Prancing Deer" die.  

The gold foil "Joy" die cut is from Stampin Up!'s "Wonderful Wreath" framelits.

Finally, I added some burlap ribbon and a thin strip of gold foil and some sequins to finish off the card.  

I really love the Bigz dies because you can cut through multiple pieces of card stock which is a time saver and very helpful when mass producing cards.

Hope this inspires your own Prancing Deer card!

Happy Crafting,

Melanie

Mario Make a Wish Birthday!

Today's card is a fun kids card featuring a Punch Art "Mario" from Mario Brothers.  I created this for one my son to take to a Marion Cart birthday party.  I can tell you everything I look at this I smile.

I used a series of circles both plain and scalloped to create this Mario.  Foam adhesive helped me achieve dimension.  The radial checked background is the perfect backdrop for this Mario Cart race inspired card.  I hope to do a tutorial soon, to show you the shapes and steps in making this fun card.

Happy Crafting,

Melanie

Masculine Happy Birthday Everyone Card

Sometimes Masculine cards are tough to figure out.  I have found that when you add corrugated card stock  to a project or card it instantly makes it easier.  

I used a standard A2 craft card base and added a piece of 4.25" x 3.25" piece of corrugated card stock to the upper right corner.  The other pieces are the Die-namics "Happy" die from My Favorite Things, the Stampin Up! "Top Note Die" and the "Birthday" is from MFT "Happy Everything" stamp set.  There is also a little jute twine in the upper corner to add some additional texture and interest.  

Using these word dies has been so much fun, I hope that this gives you some ideas and inspiration to use corrugated card stock on your next project.  Stampin Up! is now carrying it the new catalog.  Let me know if it is something that interests you and and I would be happy to place an order.

Happy Crafting, 

Melanie

Happy Everything Gift Bag

Today's post is using another My Favorite Things Die-namics, "Happy" and the "Happy Everything" stamp set.  I have used another die from this set before on a birthday card and loved how it makes a statement.  Click here to check out the card.

I used a plain craft brown bag and cut the "Happy" out on some thin chip board and some teal foil paper.  I adhered the layers together and glued onto the bag.  I stamped and the "birthday" sentiment and added some glitter embossing powder to compliment the shinny "Happy".   

This was perfect for the party.  I hope this inspires you to use your WORD dies for more than cards.

Happy Crafting,

Melanie

Stampin Up! Happy Birthday Everyone!

Today's Birthday card showcases Stampin Up's new Hostess Stamp Set, "Happy Birthday Everyone".  It has many sentiments that can be placed below, but I thought the Happy Birthday sentiment work great by itself on this bright card.  

Below are the list of supplies Stampin Up! supplies that I used to make it:

Cardstock:  Bermuda Bay, Pool Party, Watermelon Wonder, Hello Honey, Cherry On Top DSP
Stamps:  Happy Birthday Everyone (hostess), Something To Say
Embossing:  Ploka Dot Impressions Embossing Folder
Punches:  Itty Bitty Accents Punch Pack
Accents:  Cherry On Top Washi Tape, Rhinestone Basic Jewels

Happy Crafting,

Melanie

Many Thanks Repeated Background

Hello everyone,
It has been awhile since my last post, but I have gotten in some new supplies and I am on a roll.  Some of my new goodies are from My Favorite Things (MFT) and Simon Says Stamp (SSS0 in making this "Thanks" card.  Let me give you the details on how I made it.

For the card I knew I wanted to do a thanks background with all the thank you stamps sets that I had on my shelf.  I used SSS Thanks,  Stampin Up!'s Curly Cute, Express Yourself, and Made for You.  I am loving the new Stitched Circles dies from SSS.  These are great to give your card that little extra detail.  The show piece of the card is the Thanks cut out with  MFT Many Thanks die. The green glimmer paper give it a little sparkle to make it special.  Finally, I used some Stampin Up ribbon and the flower from the Itty Bitty Accents punch pack.

I hope you enjoyed this card and it inspires you to look through your thanks sentiments to create a unique background of your own.

Getting inky means we are having fun!
Happy Crafting,

Melanie

Best friend on the Block, Lego Valentines

If you have boys like mine they love everything Lego.  When I asked them what they wanted to give for a Valentine and mentioned my Lego idea they were cheering with excitement.  I originally came across this idea when I was planning a Lego Themed Birthday and thought it would make and affordable class Valentine as well.

The supplies you will need are child size ring blanks (purchased my from eBay), 2x2 Red Lego Bricks, 3"x 4" clear treat bags, Valentine Scrapebook Paper, Heart Punch and Printer.

Rings not your thing, stay tuned foe my next post, it will be Lego Key Chain.
Happy Crafting,

Melanie

Snowing Christmas Blessings

There certainly is a chill in the air, so the perfect time to work on the snowy cards.  This Christmas card showcases many Simon Says Stamps products.  I just love the rolling stitched hills and snow falling background.

To create the blue panel, I first die cut the large rectangle from the "Bundle of Stitched Shapes" by Simon Says Stamp.  One top of that to create "snow" I used Texture Past and the "Falling Snow" Stencil also from Simon Says Stamp.

The focal point of the card was made with the "Village" dies and the "Stitched Slopes and Hills from SSS.  I added an evening glow to the back of the building with some light yellow card stock.  The Christmas Blessings sentiment is from the SSS "Christmas SSS101353" stamp set.

I hope you enjoyed this wintry scene. Can't wait to do more with this village set.

Happy Crafting,

Melanie

Merry & Bright Water Color

Merry and Bright and full of color.  I am really loving this trendy water color technique.  It brings back memories of when I took art lessons as a child.

Here are the details on how you can make this card.  For the water color background, I spread  Peacock Feathers Distress Inks on my craft mat and spritzed with water.  I then placed my cardstock into the ink and let it absorb. I after several dabs I turned over and let the water do the work. 

Next, I used the large rectangle from the "Bundle of Stitched Shapes" by Simon Says Stamps.  To add another layer of interest, I used Texture Past and the "Falling Snow" Stencil from Simon Says   The "Merry" Die from MFT is cut from glitter paper and the "&" is from Avery Elle', "We R Family" Die.  Finally I heat embossed the bright greeting from Avery Elle's "Holiday Fill In the Blank" stamp set.

Wow, I didn't realize that I used some many different company's products on this card.  I really love it and hope it inspires you to dig deep in your supplies.

Happy Crafting,

Melanie

Trim the Tree with Christmas Cheer

This Christmas card was inspired by one of my most popular blog posts that I did three year ago.  You can check it out here.   The tree is the main focal point and I think its curves are timeless and that is what everyone likes about it.  So, why not use the same tree in another card?  Well, that is exactly what I have done and I like this card as much as the previous one.  Here is how I did it:

The tree I used from a Cricut Christmas Solutions, cut at 4.5" on green glimmer paper.  I first used Simon Says Stamp's "Bundle of Stitched Shapes".  If you look close you can see the stitching detail around the edge.  I them made it into the background with a stencil and texture or embossing paste.  The stencil is Tim Holtz's "Holiday Knit".  I just love the texture it adds and it's subtlety behind the tree.

For the red banner, I stamped it with Stampin Up's "Sweet Essentials" Christmas Cheer sentiment.  For the finishing touch, the holly and berries were added from Papertrey Ink's "Holly Jolly Die Collection".

I may be inspired to see what other backdrops I can come up with to support the star of this card.  That tree is
Happy Crafting,

Melanie

Circle & Texture Happy Birthday Masculine Card

Can I say, I love the new crafting supplies that I have gotten recently.  I feel much more like myself when I can get in my craft room and have a few moments to myself.  That is hard with three boys running around, but I am sure going to make more of an effort.

This was a fairly simple card that I made to celebrate my Father-in-Law's birthday this week and only took about 15 minutes to make.  I used the "happy" die cut and the "Birthday" Sentiment is from My Favorite Things.  

For the Chevron Background I used Texture Paste and a Tim Holtz Chevron Stencil.  I only used the center chevron and masked over the ones I didn't need.  I let that dry for a moment and the I punched out some circles.  The largest circle is photo paper that I experimented with ink and water.  I think it add a touch of whimsy to the card.  The other circles were cut from scrap papers that I had on hand.  I think enamel dots would look nice on this as well.  I used foam dots and glues dot to assemble the layers.

I can't wait to get onto the next project.  This was so much fun!

Happy Crafting,

Melanie

Fall Thank You for Teachers

Today, I wanted to share with you the Fall Thank You I sent to my son's teachers.   These are cute post it note holders with a fall theme.  I give these out often to not only teachers, but friends and family.

For the chevron background I used Stampin Up's "Positively Chevron" Background Stamp in Versa Mark Ink and Clear Embossed it.  The fall leaves are from a retired set from Stampin Up called, "Gently Falling".

I colored the leaves with distress inks and was pleased with how they turned out for my first try at using them.

I personalized the back with a punched out heart and stamped Bryan with Lawn Fawn's "Violet ABC's".

Super simple thank you for almost anyone.  If you missed my post yesterday for the Halloween Treat Bags stop by here.

Happy crafting,

Melanie

Class Halloween Treat Bags

Happy Halloween!  I have missed my craft room terribly, but I have found my way back to make my son's Halloween Treat Bags for school.

Here is how I made them:

I used treat bags from the Dollar Tree, they came 40 for $1.  Can't beat that deal.  I then used the Top Note retired die from Stampin Up for the topper of my bag.  I wanted to give that some glimmer so I sprayed it with shimmer paint.  The Witches Hat is from another retired Stampin Up set, "Wicked Cool".  I stamped in black clear embossed to give it some more shine and texture.    I punched an oval and embossed it with the dots folder.  If  you look close you can see that I actually used the back side.  The "BOO" sentiment, which I changed to "EEK!" later on is Lawn Fawn's Violet ABC's.

I folded the treat bag over and stapled the banner and topper.  I then covered that up with the Witches Hat and oval punch with foam dots.

For the back I stamped my son's name Bryan on the back the the Lawn Fawn Violet ABC's.  I am getting a lot of use out of that set already.

I hope you enjoyed and it in spires you to do your own.

Happy Crafting,

Melanie

Free Father's Day Card Printable

I always struggle with creating masculine cards for my husband, dad and father-in-law.  So I wanted to share with you a free printable (for personal use only) that I created if you struggle like me.  This Father's Day Card was created with different Free fonts that I downloaded and imported into Photoshop.  There I  sized and placed them to my liking.

Here is how you can make one of your own with this free download.  Click here to download file.

After you print the file onto card stock you will need to pull out your paper cutter or scissors would work too. 

I trimmed at at 5.5" mark on the long side.  The right hand portion will be your card base with the "Happy Father'd Day" sentiment on the inside.  

  

Score and fold this portion of the the card. 

Now I trimmed down the front of the card to 5.25" x 4" and matted a black piece of card stock that was 1/16" wider.  This picks up the black lettering on the card and it feels very masculine.  Here is where you can adjust accordingly to your personal liking.  You could add your the recipients favorite color or leave white for clean look.  I place some foam tape on the back to give this layer some depth.

I hope this inspire you to make this card or put your own fonts to work in a program like photoshop.

Enjoy and happy crafting,

Melanie

Colorado Inspired Wedding Gift Card Holder

My brother-in-law go married in Colorado over the summer and the wedding decor was inspired by the beautiful mountains surrounding Denver.  We gave the new married couple a gift card and I wanted to design a gift card holder that would be in keeping with this natural theme.

Here is how I created it:

I used Stampin Up's "Top Note" bigz die to cut the gift card holder as well as the interior pocket.  To create the gift card holder I folded a 4.25" x 5.5" piece of card stock in half.  I place the folded edge just below the cut line on the Top Note die. I then cut another Top Note from the dies and cut it in half.  I ran some tombo adhesive around the 3 side of my interior pocket and glued it to the folded I just made holder.  

Next, I needed to create the embellishment on the front.  I embossed the outer pocket with the Stampin Up "Woodgrain" textured impressions embossing folder.  Cut a piece of burlap from the Apothacary Framelits dies, stamped and clear embossed a sentiment from the "Label Love" Stampin Up stampset.  I used stampin write markers on the "Tags Til Christmas" pine cone image for the rustic feel.

Now it is time to assemble, I used Stampin Up dimensional, glue dots to hold it all together.

I hope you enjoyed this gift card holder and may it inspire you to get crafty for a special occasion.

Happy crafting,

Melanie

Creepy Crawly Halloween Teacher Favor

Do you ever wonder what to do with those cute little sticky note pads that you see in the $1 at your favorite store?  Well, I just love to give them for gifts or favors.  This year I found some really cute Halloween ones at my Target store and I knew they would make the perfect little gift for my son's teachers.

I cut the craft card stock 3 1/4" x 6 5/8" and then scored at 3 1/4 from both edges.  These dimension might vary depending on the sticky note pad, so always measure twice and cut once.  Then I just adorned the front with some layered paper and the retired Stampin Up set, "Batty for You".

For the packaging, I used a clear bag and topped it off with embossed craft paper.  I cut the topper using Stampin Up's, "Labels Collection" framelits.

Great quick gift for those you want to know you appreciate them.  If you are looking for more ideas you can stop by and see what I did for the teachers last year, Click Here.

Happy Crafting,

Melanie