Monogram Wreath

I recently made this for a friend's door.  I found the idea here.  Looking for a bit of mistletoe, and it should be all finished.  Enjoy your day!

Tag Tutorial

There was such a nice response to these Advent tags that I wanted to do a bit of a tutorial here today with a few of the tags. If you remember last time I posted here that I took the 2Gypsie Girls Junk Drawer Advent Calendar and made them my own with what I had laying around the studio. As the tags are coming down from our advent calendar, they are finding a home in a 7gypsies drawer and still adorning our home with their beauty. I was thinking that these tags should not be limited to Christmas, but could be gorgeous simply sitting in the tag drawer on a shelf. They would still add to a January decor after all the Christmas decorations had been taken down. Valentines Day would surely be a wonderful reason to still have these tags out. Or make a Sweetheart's Day version and countdown to the 14th. Even a few made up and ready for Christmas gifts gives you all the excuse you need to make some today.

Tag #2. One of the simplest tags I made and a wonderful template for various other designs.
1. Stamp tag with a background stamp. Ink edges.
2. Circle punch book paper. Attach to tag.
3. Tie a bow from seam binding. Attach bow to top of circle punch.
4. Use a chipboard star: paint star with Modge Podge and add glitter. Or, if you have glitter paper punch or die cut into star shape. Glue star to the top of the book paper.
5. Stamp label image to bottom of card. The stamp seen here is from the WIP November True Beauty kit.
6. For the numbers (if you are doing a countdown tag calendar), either stamp, or use a font on your computer for the number. Punch number with starburst punch. I hot glued my numbers to a straight pin.

Tag#3.
1. Stamp tag with a flourish stamp. Ink edges.
2. Ink mini music sheet (Graphics Fairy) and adhere to tag.
3. Glittered frame: using chipboard frame from stash, cover with Modge Podge and add glitter. Let dry.
4. Use wide ribbon, and wrap ribbon around back of tag and then through glittered frame like a belt buckle. Tie ribbon in a knot. Glue frame to tag. This is a little tricky, but the results are worth it.
5. Add star brad (more WIP stash...you know you got them!).
6. Tuck a piece of tulle in behind star. I attached mine with hot glue so that it would be sure to stay.

Tag#5. This tag is an obvious variation on tag#3.
1. Stamp tag with flourish tag and ink edges.
2. Using french text (or it could be book paper, or music paper, or any paper you choose) glue metal frame to the top of the text. Trim around frame so text does not show.
3. Attach frame and text to tag.

Tag#7. My favorite tag. One of those projects that is so much more beautiful in person than in photo. Trust me.
1. Ink edges of tag.
2. Trim flocked paper to size, tearing top and bottom edges. (I puddled glimmer spray on my work surface and painted the white part of my paper. The white was too bright, and needed some vintag-ing. It now looks like old wall paper. Try re-coloring your papers with spray inks and play with the idea a little.) Attach flocked paper to tag.
3. Die cut heart shape from scrap chipboard. Cover in cream paper. Then cover that with cheese cloth, and trim around the edges allowing some frays to hang off the sides. Attach to tag off centered a bit.
4. Tie dyed seam binding in simple knot. Attach pearls (I use the value pack from my craft store, not expensive at all.).
5. Type the word believe, print, and trim. Ink edges. Place a glue dot on the back end and tuck in behind heart.
Note: I buy Hug Snug seam binding in white, and then dye it to my liking. The lighter seam binding used in the project was dyed in coffee. I simply dipped the seam binding in the coffee, and then squeezed dry with a paper cloth. I added some stiffness to the seam binding by spraying it with hair spritz. Then I dried the binding with my heat gun while scrunching it together, careful not to heat my hands up too much. I love this technique and use it quite a bit now.

Tag#8. Simple but pretty.
1. Border punch a piece of glittered paper. Attach to tag.
2. Print mini bingo card (Kenner Road), ink edges, add to tag allowing the glitter border to peek out from the bottom portion.
3. Trim several pieces of tulle into a circle. Layer and sew the circles on top of each other, forming a sort of simple flower.
4. Nest pearls on top of the tulle circles and attach with glue or hot glue. Just be careful! I'm just sayin'.
5. Tie seam binding in bow, add glue and tuck up underneath the tulle.

Tag#9. Ooohhh...another fav!
1. Ink tag.
2. Dry emboss tag. I used the Big Shot and a Texture Impression.
3. Stamp tag with paris stamp.
4. Print vintage Eiffel Tower photo (Graphics Fairy).
5. Glue metal frame to the top of vintage photo, and trim.
6. Attach framed photo to tag.
7. Create bow with seam binding and glue to the top of the frame.

Tag#13.
1. Cover tag with 7gypsies pattern paper, or any text/ledger paper.
2. Ink edges.
3. Attach old vintage key (Paris) to glittered pear tag with string and safety pin. (My stash happened to have an unopened package of 7gypsie tags...they were perfect...what's in YOUR stash?)
4. Hot glue pear tag to large tag to make sure it stays put.

More than anything, I hope this gets you creatively inspired to use up your stash, and make beautiful things. I hope to this gave you a bit more insight into how these tags came together for me.

January 2012 WIP Kits!!

Here they are...
January Main WIP Kit--$30 (Subscribers $28)

Contents of this kit include:  5 12x12 papers (2 Teresa Collins, 1 My Mind's Eye, and 2 cardstock), 12 Fun Day 6x6 papers from My Mind's Eye, ledger alphabet letters from Jenni Bowlin, Jenni Bowlin Brads, My Mind's Eye clear stamp set, 4 XL shipping tags, 1 medium shipping tag, 1 medium shipping tag with "2012" cut out, 2 Melissa Frances chipboard covers, 1 My Mind's Eye chipboard stickers--kraft, 3 yards of shipping tag hemp, 2 black mini rules from 7Gypsies, and die cut in silver glitter paper "For Auld Lang Syne."

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January 2012 Add-On Kit--$25

Contents of this kit include:  9 kraft boxes in various sizes, 4 kraft handled bags in 2 sizes, 8 kraft envelopes, 24 white bags in 3 different sizes, 16 kraft bags in 3 sizes, 4 XL long kraft envelopes, XL red yarn pom pom, 2 yards red yarn, 2 yards red & white twine, 3 yards shipping twine, 1 Jillibean Soup label sticker sheet, and 3 white doillies.

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January Project Kit--$12

Contents of this kit include:  All the pieces parts to make this mini album, to house all your favorite photos from 2011 OR 2012 (both titles are included in the kit!).  The mini includes a 3" binder ring, 15 chipboard pieces, patterned paper, Elle's Studio monthly ticket stubs, journaling spots, and tags to house your pics.  You can read about this mini concept (this is the 4th year for creating this project) here and here.

**HOLIDAY BONUS--If you purchase the Main kit and the Add-On kit this month, the Project kit is FREE!!  How fun!!

To reserve your kits, please email Trish at Turay413@gmail.com.  Thanks so much!

Enjoy your day!

January Kit Sneak

The January WIP Kits will be released today, right here, at noon! Here's a sneak to tide you over...

Enjoy your day!

Christmas Yummies

I'm back, and I've missed creating for WIP the past couple of months while I was moving to my new home. So happy to be back, and I want to thank Trish for giving me a couple of months off to make the transition.

So I've been looking around for something interesting to make for the holidays and came across some very creative and yummy-looking ideas.

This candy cane coffee cake, from The Recipe Girl. How clever is that and so much fun for a Christmas brunch! The directions on her site are very detailed and make this look like a fairly easy thing to prepare.

And how about these Christmas kiss centered brownies? OMGoodness, I can just imagine how yummy these would be with the melty kiss inside and the crunch of the candy-cane bits. I found this one at The Idea Room.

This one perhaps isn't specifically for Christmas, but it's too adorable (and easy) not to share. It's from a blog called Fieltromania, a blog dedicated to all things felt. How dang cute would these pancakes be to serve at breakfast?

And these adorable Santa and reindeer truffles. How clever and cute are those antlers made from pretzels? I couldn't find the recipe, but I just had to share this. I'm sure all you creative WIP blog readers will know how to adapt this!

I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I can find some time to make one of these treats. I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas and holiday season!

NYC at Christmastime 2011

Wanted to share a few of my iPhone pictures from this weekend in NYC. I'll be back later today to add a few of my DSLR photos from the trip...
Central Park...

The tree at Rockefeller Plaza...

The tree at Bryant Park...

Ice Skating at Bryant Park...

The life-size Barbie Dollhouse at Toys R Us on Times Square...

Eating Breakfast at Grand Central Station with friends...

The Chrysler Bldg...

Lots and lots of walking the streets...

The skyline in Central Park...

Enjoy your day!

New Favorite iPhone Apps for Photography

It is no secret that I love my iPhone. In fact, the reason I got one was for the CAMERA--not the actual phone. I get asked about what kind of smaller sized camera would I recommend to someone (if I had a quarter for every time someone asked me that this holiday season!!)--my standard answer is, "Do you have an iPhone?" It is that good.  Last week, I picked up my enlargements from Costco, and they were wonderful.  The resolution, the flexibility with the apps, and the compact size are all huge advantages in my book.

I also get asked about favorite apps.  I love hearing about your favorites just as much.  Scrappers are such great sharers!!  So here are a few of my newest favorite iPhone apps for photography and related stuff...

 PicFrame is a wonderful app that allows you to drop your iPhone pictures into place, using their set frames.  Here are a few examples...

Notice the red labels in the above photos?  Labelbox is your new best friend.  Go on now.  Go play!

Word Foto is another new favorite.  It takes a picture and melts text into it.  Here are three of my latest creations using it...

LensLight is also a neat app.  Here is my photo BEFORE using it...

And here is the same photo AFTER...

There are many options, but you can play til your heart's desire and never get enough of these fun apps!!  Special thanks to Wendy Hammer for sharing her wisdom and introducing me to so many of these options.  We're pals on Instagram (another great app--voted best app of the year by Apple!!). 

Please--do share about your latest iPhone photo app!!  And enjoy your day!

 

Why I just love her...

Last weekend, while crafting at my friend Jen's house, I took the liberty to snap a few pictures without her knowledge. Not that she'd mind. I just get so inspired whenever I'm over there for any length of time. And this time, I took pictures of some of my favorite things.  They kinda represent her...

1.  She's a home-body.  Me, too.  We love to nest and fuss about the house, and decorate it to make it special for those we love.  I'm drawn to people like that.

2.  She's off-the-wall and silly.  She bought these reindeer antlers and nose for her daughter's car, and was totally geeked up about it.  The whole thing made me laugh.  She couldn't wait to surprise her.  She's thoughtful to so many...

3.  She doesn't do anythign a "little bit."  She jumps in with both feet, and full-throttle.  I love that she says yes all the time, is always volunteering for something, and asks questions later.  I wish I was more like her in that respect...

4.  We share an obsession with all things felt.  What's not to love?

5.  She is the older sister I never had.  We have a geeky tradition to shop the day after Christmas and then do lunch together.  Got that big Santa one year, during that shopping spree.  I challenge defy anyone to pack an SUV like us after a shopping trip.

6.  She is going to will this quilt to me if she dies before me.  I called dibs on it.  This quilt in her living room is high on my coveting list, for sure.  Who else would do that?

7.  Her entire Christmas tree is decorated in snowmen, and only snowmen.  It is beautiful and fun, and unique, just like her.

8.  She has a ginormous calendar that takes up an entire wall in her kitchen, and it is always the hub of activity in her home.  She always has cool things posted on it, and pieces parts hanging from it.  I tried to nab that paper garland from Anthro when she wasn't looking, but I was busted...

9.  She loves red, and subway art.  HELLO.

10.  She has mementos and photos and reminders of her life all over her home.  Makes me want to curl up in a blanket and stay there.  Sometimes, I do.

11.  She's a doer.  She walks the talk and doesn't let grass grow under her feet.  She always, always, always looks out for me and my family, too.  It may be advice, the latest item for a WIP Kit, or using her Cameo until the wee hours of the morning...

12.  She lives in the moment, not in the past.  I get really hung up on that sometimes.  Sorrow about the past, and anxiety about the future--those two topics sometimes make me want to fold.  She is great at bringing me back to the center, and living for TODAY, and moving on.  Always.  And I know God put her in my life to help me out with those days, believe me.

13.  She gets it.  And she gets me.  And then some.  She sees stuff and calls me up to squeel and we craft.  She makes me a better person.  I don't know what I did to deserve her, but I'm so very grateful for her presence in my life, and in my family's life.

14.  She'll die of embarrassment when she reads this.  Then she'll call me a dork (because I am--ha!).  We don't do too much of the sappy stuff with regard to one another.  But I know she knows how I feel about her. 

And everyone should have a friend like her.  :)