Kindness Matters Mini Note Cards

Not too long ago, I ordered a few Stampin' Up! things from a blogger friend of mine named Cely.  There was a promotion going on, and I got to choose a free item.  I decided on the Kindness Matters stamp set figuring it would come in handy for thank you cards.  I also just loved the pretty butterflies!

I decided to make some 3 x 3 note cards for this week's challenge over at Lollipop Crafts:  Anything Goes!  I inked up the butterflies with SU! ink in Real Red.  I inked up the sentiment with Memento ink in Tuxedo Black.  I didn't want to add ribbon to the notecards, but I still wanted to sort of jazz things up a bit.

So, I added some bling and also Stickled the butterflies.  I probably should have heat set the ink or embossed the image before adding the Stickles.  It seems that the red ink actually bled slightly once I added the Stickles.  I use Stickles a lot, and I've never had a problem with my ink bleeding.  But, this might actually be the first time I've used Stickles with colored ink.  I normally stamp with Memento, Clearly Better, or Staz-On.

Here is a close up of the butterflies to show you the glitter from the Stickles and to show you the slight bleeding that occurred.  Please excuse the blurriness in the photo.  I'm still using my old camera until I find the charger for my new camera! GRRR!!!

In the end, I decided that I didn't mind the bleeding after all.  I actually thought it made for a cool effect!  Now, before signing off, let me share a few tips regarding envelopes for 3 x 3 cards.  Let's say you have a 3 x 3 note card for a thank you or birthday gift but don't have an envelope to go with it.  

One option is to punch a hole in the corner and thread some ribbon through it.  Then, tie to the ribbon on the gift.  Another option is to back the card with adhesive and stick the card directly to the front of the gift bag or present.

Well, that's it for now.  I have some major spring cleaning projects planned for this week, but I'll be back with more projects.  See you soon!

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Pink Post It Note Holder in Honor of Hawaii Paper Party's 1st Blogaversary!

Aloha and welcome to Cely’s 1st blogaversary hop!  Hawaii Paper Party just turned ONE! You should’ve gotten here from Shirl's blog.  If you are just tuning in and would like to start at the beginning, head on over to Cely's blog to start hopping!

The theme of this hop is PINK, since it is Cely’s favorite color. We’ve all created some cute pink projects along the way.  Don’t forget to visit, follow, and leave a comment on each post along the way and head on back over to Cely’s blog so you can win the GRAND PRIZE blog candy!

Now, on to my project:

I created a post-it note holder using an svg cut file from DtsArt.  I love this cut file because it cuts and scores the base for me.  I added some pretty pp with pink it.

I then added a super cute  pink shaker sticker from the Smirk line.  How fun is that sticker, right?  LOL  Not only is it cute, but it also adds dimension. 

I stamped the sentiment on white cardstock and then cut out with an oval punch.  I inked the edges with my Shock Pink Copic pen and then adhered to the scalloped oval with pop dots.  You can see in the pic that, of course, I included a hot pink post-it pad and a hot pink pen!  

Hope you enjoyed my project! Head on over to Diana's blog’s next!

Here is a list of all the stops, just in case you lose your way:

Cely – http://hawaiipaperparty.blogspot.com
Lori – http://reflectionsfromgranny.blogspot.com/
Starla – http://youcouldbewishingonastar.blogspot.com/
Shirl – http://creationbyshirl.blogspot.com/
Dena – http://missdjones.blogspot.com/  <<<------- YOU ARE HERE
Diana – http://dianamlarson.blogspot.com/   <<<---------- YOU'RE NEXT STOP!
Susan – http://cricutandgrasshopper.blogspot.com/
Carri – http://doubleclickconnections.blogspot.com/
Karen – http://haveascraphappyday.blogspot.com/
Cyndi – http://strwberizncream-cyndi.blogspot.com/

Lollipop Crafts Challenge: Baby, Baby!

Happy Monday, Bloggers!  Hope you all had a great weekend!  This week's challenge over at Lollipop Crafts is Baby, Baby!  I turned to the Kate's Silhouettes svg collection from svgcuts.com and cut out this precious Mom and Baby image.  The sentiment was computer-generated and cut out with a scalloped oval punch.  I then inked the edges with a pink Copic sketch marker and adhered with pop dots.

I'll be back with a few more posts this week, so I hope to see you again!  Thanks for looking, and be sure to check out this week's challenge at Lollipop Crafts!

Submitting to :

Love to Create: Anything Goes

Forever Night Challenges: Altered Item

Hey, Bloggers!  This week's challenge over at Forever Night Challenges is:  Altered Items

My altered item is a metal pop top can that I turned into a cute treat container!  I had seen the idea on Pinterest and thought it would be a fun, unique project!  Unfortunately, I forgot to take a before picture before I started.  But, just to let you know, this started out as a can of peaches.  

You need one of those cans that has a pull top. Be sure to open the can from the BOTTOM with a safety can opener -- the type that doesn't leave sharp edges.  I got mine a while back from QVC, but I think they shouldn't be too hard to find these days.  You don't want to open the can using the pull top because you want to save that for the recipient of the treat container.

Once you wash out and dry the inside of the can, go ahead and decorate it with patterned paper and whatever embellishments you wish to use. I kept this one simple and used a cardstock sticker from Echo Park's Apothecary Emporium line.  

For the top of the can, I cut out a circular piece of the same patterned paper.  I did have to cut some slits and snip a little so it would slide under the tab, though.  Now, this can had some words printed on the top.  Because of that, I had to be sure to cover it with pp.  If the can you use doesn't have any words, you could skip this step.

I embellished the top with ribbon and then attached a tag from the same Echo Park line with twine.  I used cardstock alpha stickers from the same set to spell the word 'PULL".

At this point (or before you even decorate the top), the can is ready to be filled with candies or a small gift and then sealed by gluing the bottom lid back on.  I have read that a lot of people use M & M's or other small candies.  Personally, I feel a bit skittish about the idea of the glue possibly coming in contact with the candy, so I would probably use candies that are individually wrapped so they never come in direct contact with the glue.  Some people have been using that E600 glue, which is really strong.  However, it apparently emits a strong smell that can sometimes still be smelled when the can is later opened.  For that reason, I would stick with hot glue.  Of course, you can do whatever you like!  I'm just giving some tips that might be helpful.

I really like how this turned out.  So did my teenager.  In fact, she was thinking of using these to house her birthday party invitations later this year.  She was thinking of rolling each invitation into a scroll and then sealing each one in a can.  She was also thinking that one of her friends might want to decorate some cans and use them for favors at her birthday party next month.  As you can see, the decorated cans can be used for a variety of things!

If any of you try this project, I'd love to see it!  If you have any questions on the process, go ahead and leave a comment here and I'll get back to you as soon as I can.  Don't forget to leave an email address for me to contact you!

Thanks for looking!  Don't forget to check out this weeks challenge over at Forever Night Challenges!

Sponsor Spotlight : Kitty Bee Designs

This week, over at Lollipop Crafts, we have an awesome new sponsor:  Kitty Bee Designs.  She has the cutest images, most of them animals.  There are bears, cows, puppies, cats, and more!  There are a variety of both digital and clear stamps to choose from.  Kitty Bee Designs is sponsoring two prize packages this week, so be sure to check out the current challenge over at Lollipop Crafts for a chance to win!

For my card, I used one of the adorable puppy images from Kitty Bee Designs.  I colored it with Copics and added a little bit of pink glam Stickles to the heart.  I then attached the image to the card with pop dots to add some dimension.

The sentiment was cut using the MTC software.  This was a quick card I threw together because I had forgotten that I was supposed to have mailed something to my sister-in-law last week.  YIKES!  

Thanks for looking!  Be sure to check out Kitty Bee Designs and this week's challenge over at Lollipop Crafts!  Happy Wednesday!

Teacher Thank You Gifts Blog Hop

Welcome to the Teacher Thank You Gifts Blog Hop ! Teacher Appreciation Week this year begins on May 7th and ends on May 11th. If you're looking for some teacher thank you gift ideas, you've come to the right place! Each of the designers in today's hop is sharing a wonderful gift idea for a teacher. We hope you have fun hopping with us while picking up some great ideas!


First off, I'd like to share a thank you card I made. I really love this apple card cut file from Whimsie Doodles. I embossed the white cardstock and added some white detail with a gel pen to the black seeds. I also added faux stitching around the apple with the same gel pen. I cut the leaves out of pp and inked the edges with a Copic pen (only because I was too lazy to go look for a green ink pad, LOL). I also used a Copic pen to ink the edge of the brown stem. I used Thickers for the 'thank you' sentiment.


I made two thank you gifts. The first one is a tumbler gift.

It is a really easy thank you gift for anyone to put together. I got the idea here. I found this 18 oz. BPA Free Double Wall tumbler at Wal-Mart. I had to get the red version because the red reminded me of apples and, of course, apples make me think of teachers. I filled the cup with a bunch of Crystal Light packets and a bottle of Mio water enhancer. You can find it at just about any grocery store. The flag on the straw with the thank you note is a printable that you can get via the source link. It says: thank you for quenching my thirst for knowledge. Such an easy peasy project! =)


The second thank you gift I made is a post-it note holder.

This post-it note holder holds a 3 x 3 pad. I actually cut this with a cut file from DTSart.com. You really don't need a special SVG cut file, though. There are plenty of tutorials on the internet and on YouTube to do these manually. I just think the cut file is great if you want to cut multiple holders from one 12 x 12 sheet of pp at one time. The apple is a stamp by Imaginesce that I stamped onto pretty red polka dotted pp. If you're a follower of mine, you know that I loves me some googly eyes, so I had to add some to this cute apple! The sentiment is computer generated and says: To teach is to touch lives forever. Sorry about the blurry pic. I really need a new camera! *sigh* I punched the sentiment out with an oval punch and then matted with a scalloped oval punch.

These were both easy thank you gifts. If you have any questions, please feel to comment and I'll be sure to get back to you! Thanks for stopping by!                      

Please hop on over to Cyndie's blog next to check out the thank you gift she's created for a special teacher. Have a great Sunday!

Below is the complete blog hop lineup in case you lose your way:

1)   Dena :  http://missdjones.blogspot.com/ 

2)   Cyndie : http://cyndiepaperboutique.wordpress.com

3)   Mindy : http://papercreationsbymindyblog.blogspot.com/ 

4)   Jamie : http://thesassyprincess.blogspot.com

5)   Amy Jo: http://lv2scrapandfibrofacts.blogspot.com

6 Cely: http://hawaiipaperparty.blogspot.com

7) Jearise: http://lorbysworld.blogspot.com

Upcoming Blog Hop: TEACHER THANK YOU GIFTS

Happy Saturday, Bloggers!  Just a quick post to let you know that I'm hosting a blog hop on Sunday, April 15th.  Teacher Appreciation Week begins May 7th and ends May 11th.  If you're looking for some teacher thank you gift ideas, you'll want to be sure to check out this hop!  Hope to see you tomorrow!

Forever Night Challenges Freaky Friday 13th Wicked Blog Hop

Hello, Bloggers!  It's FRIDAY THE 13th, and Forever Night Challenges has a wicked blog hop going on today!  You should have just come from Kelli's blog.  If you're just joining us and want to start at the beginning, be sure to start at the Forever Night Challenges site.  We have some awesome sponsors for this blog hop, so you will want to check out all of that info at our site.  Then, hop along and visit each of the DT members' blogs.  Post your own wicked creation at the Forever Night Challenges site for a chance to win!

For my project, I took a cute little box that once held blank notecards.  It went from this:

TO THIS:

I often save pretty boxes to use later as mailing packages or gift boxes.  It doesn't matter what the design is on the box because I know I can cover it up somehow.

Since it's Friday the 13th, I decided to use some creepy paper I had in my stash.  Now, I'm not one to be superstitious when it comes to Friday the 13th, but I do know that some people feel very nervous on this day.  Some people take extra precautions in the hopes that they will avoid any form of bad luck.  Somehow, I thought the wicked-looking eyes on this pp would be perfect for this project.

The word BEWARE came to mind, so I used MTC to weld these letters and create a shadow. The font I used was Blackwood Castle.  I then added a bunch of googly eyes to the letters.  I also cut out a black cat that was a free svg file from this blog.  Here is a close-up of the cat to show the shimmery detail I added with a Sakura pen.

I also added a googly eye to the middle of this black rose which I made myself out of satin.

I also added a black satin bow to the box just as an added touch and also to act as a sort of lock for the box.  I'm giving this to my teenager so she can put some trinkets inside.

Thanks for stopping by!  Be sure to hop on over to Jane's blog next to check out her wicked creation!

Lollipop Crafts Challenge: Anything Easter Goes!

Hi, everyone!  This week's challenge over at Lollipop Crafts is:  Anything Easter Goes!  I created an Artist Trading Card.  If you're not familiar with ATC's, they are cards that measure 2 1/2 by 3 1/2 inches.  They are traded with others.  I've done a bunch of these for various swaps in the past.  At one point, I got tired of doing them, but I actually find that I now enjoy doing them from time to time.  

This ATC features Daba from Sister Stamps.  I think Daba is such an adorable bunny that anyone would want to cuddle!  I added a little bit of color to Daba with a Copic pen (blush) and then added a little bit of sparkle by way of Star Dust Stickles (my fave!).  The sentiment is from an Inky Antics set.  The grass border is a cut file from svgattic.com.  The butterfly was punched out of some rainbow striped pp.  

Thanks for stopping by!  Have a great Hump Day! :)

Challenges:  

Cupcake Craft Challenges: Spring Is In The Air

Inspired By A Song Blog Hop: All You Need Is Love (The Beatles)

Welcome to the Inspired By A Song Blog Hop hosted by Gill.  You should have just come from Lisa's blog.  If you are just joining us and wish to start at the beginning, please start at Gill's blog.

This blog hop features projects that are all inspired by songs.  For my project, I decided to do a scrapbook layout that my daughter can frame for her bedroom.  She is the girl on the left in the picture.  The girl on the right is one of her very best friends.  Both the girls love the Beatles, which I find odd given their ages!  So, I thought it would be great to do a layout inspired by a Beatles song.  I found this paper by Fancy Pants in my stash and saw that it had the phrase "All You Need is Love" printed in the top left corner.  How perfect!

This paper is pretty busy with all the flowers, swirls, and hearts on the left side, but I wanted to do something to it.  So, I added rhinestones to the centers of the flowers.

I framed the picture with some purple ribbon to help make it stand out more.  I also added a bling flourish and some Thickers to spell the word "SISTERS" since these girls truly are like sisters!  Overall, I kept this layout pretty simple.

I wanted to add something to the layout to make it obviously Beatles-inspired, so I cut out this famous Abbey Road scene using a cut file from svgcuts.com and placed it in the bottom right corner.  Isn't it fabulous?

My daughter's friend has not seen this layout yet, but I know that she will go crazy when she sees it!  I may just have to do a duplicate one for her.  Luckily, I have another sheet of this great patterned paper!

Well, thanks so much for stopping by!  Please hop on over to Amy's blog next to see what fabulous creation she has made that was inspired by a song.  Below is the entire blog hop lineup.  Thanks for stopping by!

1 - Gill - http://creationsbygillm.blogspot.com

2 - Jacki -  http://scullduggery-cardsbyjacki.blogspot.com

3 - Haidee - http://created2bunique.blogspot.com/2012/04/inspired-by-song-blog-hop-7th-april.html

4 - Dandy - http://dandylicioushair.blogspot.com/

5 - Lisa G - http://lisagarrow.blogspot.com

6 -Lisa T - http://bitbythecricutbug.blogspot.com

7 -Dena - http://missdjones.blogspot.com/

8 -Amy - http://www.lovetocrop.com

First Challenge as a Lollipop Crafts DT Member: No Embellies Allowed!

Hiya, friends!  I can't believe it's been two weeks since I last posted. YIKES!  Things have been crazy at home due to some major projects that needed to be taken care of.   We were at the hardware store almost every single day picking up materials or exchanging things that were damaged or just not working due to no fault of ours.  I'm SO GLAD that is all over with.  Now, I can concentrate on some craft projects that had to be put to the side.

The first project happens to be my first assignment as a DT member for Lollipop Crafts.  The challenge this week is NO EMBELLISHMENTS.  My first thought when I heard that was "Whhhhaaaattttt?!?!?"  I have an extremely difficult time doing CAS-type cards or any cards without ribbon or some sort of embellishment.  But, I am really trying hard to be okay with it.  The reason is, I sometimes spend way too much time working on my card creations, so I have to remind myself that less is sometimes more.  LOL

For this card, I used a digi image by Kitty Bee Designs and colored it with Copics.  You can't tell in the pic, but I did adhere it to the card with pop dots.  Now, I know most people would look at this digi and immediately think of that nursery rhyme where the cow jumped over the moon.  But, I put a different spin on it.  I thought of one of my favorite sayings : I love you to the moon and back

So, I printed some digi paper.  I will post the source of the digi paper later, after I figure out which set this paper came from.  I then matted it with yellow and black cardstock.  The sentiment was computer-generated.  I glued the two bottom lines of the sentiment on an imaginary curve, hoping to have it resemble the shape of the top of the world.  Hope that makes sense!

Thanks so much for stopping by!  Be sure to check out this week's "No Embellies" challenge over at Lollipop Crafts.  One random winner will receive 4 digi's from Meljen's Designs.  Good luck!