SSD #98 Card

I'm back from my self-imposed exile from challenges....had to put my head down and get a bunch of stuff done last week for the Open House on Saturday, but I'm happy to be back creating again!

I really enjoy how simple the sketches at Skipping Stones Design are. There is so much freedom for interpretation.

As soon as I saw this week's sketch I knew I wanted to incorporate the sun. I also took the opportunity to finally break out the sewing machine I made the hubby drag down from the attic for me (like a month ago).

This is my first card ever that involves sewing, so it was a little bit of an experiment, but I kind of like it and I definitely want to do some more sewing on my projects....and it was fun. So, if any of you are nervous about putting machine to paper, don't be. It's just another great tool to use.

My Creations Memory Game - some other ideas

There are so many different things that you can do with CTMH's My Creations Memory Game. In my earlier post (http://mprantner.blogspot.com/2011/10/my-creations-memory-card-game.html) I showed you one example for using this product, but there are so many more.

Here are some samples of alternatives for the whole set: numbers with a corresponding number of stamped images, and upper and lower case letters. You could also match stamped images with the letters they start with, match photos/stamps with the corresponding word in a foreign language, or if your family lives far away match photos with titles (Uncle Theo, Aunt Lydia, etc.).

You could also create an Advent activities box (see pg. 54 in the Idea Book), a visual phone directory for kids who can't read yet, a puzzle (by printing a 12x18 photo and cutting it into 3x3 pieces that are mounted to each of the coasters), the list goes on and on.



And you don't need to feel tied to the box. At 42 cents a piece, these chipboard coasters are a steal! Use them as above to make double frames, ornaments, or framed magnets. You could also connect a bunch of tiles to spell out words such as welcome, noel, family, or spell out your last name. Have fun, and involve the kids. These are easy, family friendly projects to complete.

Wonderland / Glory to God Card Workshop

I really fell in love with the Wonderland papers when they came out in the new Idea Book. Blue and brown is one of my favorite color combinations, and I wanted to use these papers for our family's personal Christmas cards.



I also wanted our cards to focus on the true meaning of the holiday season, and what better images to use than those of the nativity? The Glory to God stamp set was the perfect choice.




Since this is my first year we are sending handmade Christmas cards, I wanted to make sure they were simple enough to mass produce. We came up with this set (and I say we because I gave Andrew plenty of veto authority since they are our family cards) that I just love.




After showing them to some customers, I've decided to offer them as a second Christmas Card workshop. As with the Believe workshop, this is 50 cards (10 each of 5 different designs). This one is around the $45 price point for the Basic kit.




You'll be able to see these first-hand at my Holiday Gift Giving Open House this Saturday (October 22nd 8-10). If you'd like to come by and take a look, please let me know and I'll get you directions. Snacks/dessert will be served.



If you'd like to be able to make these cards, but aren't local, please contact me to purchase the supplies/receive my cutting guide.

Tag Calendar

This is one of the simple/easy, and inexpensive, Christmas projects I'll be sharing at my Holiday Gift Giving Open House on Saturday.



If you're one of those people (like me) who doesn't want to have to lug around a huge daytimer; prefers to be able to look at dates from a macro view; hates to use the phone as a daytimer; and your checkbook register is perpetually showing the wrong years, this is the perfect gift.



It's small and compact, and fits into pretty much any cute little purse. On the back of each of the tags I stamped a list for important dates/birthdays or things that you need to remember to do. It's easy to take a list/reminder with you! Is your gift recipent a big fan of lists? No problem, you can always stamp extra reminder tags to go with the gift and once a tag is filled up, they can just remove/replace it. This would be a great gift for someone who likes to scrapbook as you could easily add these tags to a layout or mini album.



In the first example, I did a lot of stamping, so it took a little longer, but here is a more simple version that you could easily mass produce. I cut both versions using the Cricut AP cartridge set at 4". The cartridge has a number of other tag shapes, so you can easily change up the size/shape to suite your needs/tastes.

If you'd like to see this and my other Holiday Gift ideas in person, you are welcome to attend to my Holiday Gift Giving Open House this Saturday (October 22nd, 8-10), call 703-536-8899 to RSVP.

CTMH Products Used:
Stamps: I used a lot of different stamps for this project, but the main ones (calendar/reminder/list) were Notice the Details, A Moment in Time, and the set form the Lucky Workshop on the Go.
Paper: White Daisy, Chocolate, Bamboo, Kraft, and various scraps
Ink: As with the stamps, I used many different colors (based on the paper scraps), but the main inks were Cocoa and White Daisy.
Other: Cricut AP cartridge

My Creations Memory Card Game

One of the new products in CTMH's Fall Idea Book that instantly caught my eye was the My Creations Memory Game. I'll be featuring this product at my Holiday Gift Open House on Saturday.

This little cube comes ready to decorate with 24 3x3 chipboard tiles inside.

As the name suggests, the idea behind this product is to create a matching/memory game, but there are so many other things you can do with it.

As soon as I saw the box I knew what I wanted to do with it. I've seen some different family discussion cards online, and wanted to do something similar with this box.


I used the Typeset paperpack. You only need about 1/2 pack for the box. The questions were printed out on cardstock in 2" squares. I used the Bonding Memories adhesive to adhere all the paper/cardstock, and the Finishing Files to get a clean finish on all the squares. I also sponged all the edges with Chocolate ink.











For the outside, I used the Cricut Art Philosophy cartridge to cuto ut the different ovals and numbers/?s. The 'Dinnertime Discussion' title was printed on the computer, and I used the utensils from the Pair-A-Phrase stamp set. To create the faux plate I simply used the wrong side of a couple of circular stamps and second generation stamped with Black ink.

I'm so happy with how this project turned out. This is something that our family will definitely be using.

Stay tuned as I'll be posting some ideas in the next few days for different ways you can use the box/game.

CTMH Products Used:
Stamps: Pair-a-Phrase
Paper: Typeset Level 2 Paper Packet, Grey Flannel, Colonial White
Ink: Black, Chocolate
Other: Bonding Memories Adhesive, Finishing Files, Cricut Art Philosophy Cartridge

Last of the Believe Christmas Cards

Here's the last card from my Believe Christmas Card Workshop. This is another one that utilizes the Cricut AP cartridge to cut out the stocking shapes.











If you want to see them all together, here they are.











As a reminder, I'll be holding this card workshop (5 designs, 50 cards total) in mid-November. If you live in the Northern Virginia/DC area and would like to participate, please contact me. I will post details as we get closer to the event, but the cost of the basic workshop kit (before shipping and handling) is only $40!

Not local? You can still complete the workshop using my directions/cutting guide (additional fee for shipping the extra cardstock, Cricut AP cuts, and instructions directly to you). Contact me for details.

Have a great day!

Do you see what I see?

I stumbled on a fun, easy project to do with the little kids today. Actually, the idea had been percolating in my brain since I got out my Christmas Ornaments Dimensional Elements the other day (I've been working away at projects for my upcoming Holiday Gift Giving Open House).



I took a look at the piece that I popped out of the middle of the ornament and thought, that looks like a bat, but as I'm really not that into Halloween, I let the thought go and moved on with what I was doing.

THEN, yesterday, Ellie got a late birthday present which included a book called 101 this to do and make with Googly Eyes. I call that providence, and I just couldn't help myself. I 'borrowed' a pair of the littlest googly eyes (I mean, they're a choking hazard, right)?

This is what I came up with. Really easy to do. I just swiped my black ink pad over the shape until I got a covering that I was happy with. You could always cover with paper and use a file/sander on the edges, or, if you're working with really little kids and you don't want to deal with ink pads or glue, use markers or crayons.



I cut a skinny oval for the body of the bat out of white daisy cardstock and swiped that over the ink pad. I used some 3-D foam tape to pop it out from the wings, and then secured the eyes with Liquid Glass. This project might have taken 5 minutes, but I doubt it was even that long. Easy!



So, before you throw out those excess pieces from your Dimensional Elements sets, take a hard look and see what YOU can see.