Creating Me

Snowy Hello

Posted on July 12, 2019 by Anita

Hi friends,

Is it hot where you are? I’m in Alabama. In July. So, yes, it is hot here! ☀️

I have a fun wintery card to cool you down – or at least to make you smile. ❄️

This sweet little girl is an older, retired stamp from the Gift Givers set by Stampin’ Up – but any wintery image you have in your collection will work. I stamped her with brown ink (Memento Rich Cocoa is my favorite) on white card stock and colored her with Copic markers.

I die cut the image with a scalloped circle die and layered it to a larger scalloped circle die cut from pink card stock. (This is a great set of scalloped circle dies.)

To make the card, I embossed a panel of white card stock with a snowflake embossing folder (the folder I used is discontinued, but here’s a similar one) and attached it to a white card. I embossed a strip of pink card stock with a smaller snowflake folder (this one would be great) and trimmed it into a banner shape. I attached the banner to a piece of patterned paper and then attached the piece to the card with foam tape. The stamped image is also attached to the card with foam tape.

I hope this made you shiver just a little! 🙂

Anita

Posted in Cards, Stamping, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Mini Chalk Painted Bud Vases

Posted on July 9, 2019 by Anita

Hi friends,

I have a fun Dollar Tree craft to share with you today. These Mini Chalk Painted Bud Vases are made from salt and pepper shakers you can pick up from the Dollar Tree – 2 mini vases for a dollar! Such a fun little idea. 🙂

You’ll need some chalky finish paint in your favorite colors. I used Everlasting and Escape from Deco Art to paint my vases. You’ll need some sandpaper for distressing the vases and I also used clear wax to seal the paint. The clear wax is optional, but I like to use it to help protect the paint from chipping.

I painted each salt/pepper shaker with 2 coats of paint, making sure to let them dry well between coats.

Once the 2nd coat of paint is completely dry, lightly sand the paint from some of the raised areas on the shakers. Wipe off any dust. Lightly brush on a thin coat of clear wax, if using, and wipe off any excess with a paper towel. Let dry.

I wrapped some twine around the top of each vase and added a tiny white silk flowers.

You can also use these to hold fresh buds! Just be careful to keep the water inside. 🙂

Thanks for stopping by,

Anita

Posted in Decor, Gifts | Tagged Decor | 3 Comments

Chocolate Peanut Butter No Bake Cookies

Posted on July 5, 2019 by Anita

Hi friends,

Hungry for a sweet treat, but not wanting to turn on the oven and heat up the kitchen? These Chocolate Peanut Butter No Bake Cookies might be just the thing!

I hadn’t made them in a while, but I needed a quick dessert and decided these would be the perfect thing. They are super easy to make and you may have all the ingredients you need in your kitchen right now!

I used this recipe from Real Mom Nutrition to whip up a quick batch of these cookies.

They take only minutes to make!

These Chocolate Peanut Butter No Bake Cookies make a great afternoon treat after a fun day at the pool!

Enjoy!

Anita

Posted in Recipes | Leave a comment

Happy Independence Day

Posted on July 4, 2019 by Anita

Hi friends,

It’s Independence Day in the USA! Wishing you all lots of fun, food, and fireworks!

Enjoy your day! 🇺🇸

Anita

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Owlie Balloons

Posted on July 2, 2019 by Anita

Hi friends,

A dear friend of mine recently had a big birthday! I usually don’t make cards that refer to someone getting “older”, but this owl is just so adorable and I couldn’t resist. 🙂

The stamp and sentiment are from the Hugs, Kisses, & Birthday Wishes set from Unity Stamp Company. They also have several other sets that feature this cute little guy – I may or may not have them all. 😉 Just go to the Unity Stamp Company site and search “owl” to see them.

The finished size of my card is 5 by 7 inches. To make the card, I stamped the owlie with black ink (here’s my favorite black ink) on white card stock. I colored the image with Copic markers, trimmed it close, and rounded the corners with a punch. I layered the stamped image to orange card stock with rounded corners. I used Diamond Glaze by Judikins to add some dimension and shine to the heart balloon.

I stamped the sentiment with green ink on white card stock. To make the label, I die cut the sentiment with a scalloped oval (here’s a great set) and then trimmed it straight across on the top and the bottom. I added 3 orange gems to the piece.

I attached a printed “happy birthday” ribbon to a panel of patterned paper and then attached the paper to a white card. (My ribbon was preprinted, but you can also stamp your favorite sentiment directly onto a lot of different types of ribbon.) I attached the stamped owlie and the sentiment to the card with foam tape.

With just a change of colors, this fun little guy can also be used for Halloween like I did in this Happy Owl’oween post. I think it would also be sweet in pinks and reds for Valentine’s Day.

Thanks for stopping by,

Anita

Posted in Cards, Stamping, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Hello Rag Wreath

Posted on June 28, 2019 by Anita

Hi friends,

Did you see the Patriotic Rag Wreath I made in this post? It was so fun and easy I decided to make another one! This time I added a chipboard “hello” that I found at Hobby Lobby.

My fabric also came from Hobby Lobby. I bought 1 yard of the white and 1/2 yard of each of the blues. It’s simple cotton fabric – you’ll need a total of 2 yards in your favorite colors. My wire wreath form measures 14-inches and I picked it up at the Dollar Tree.

First, wash, dry, and iron (I know – my least favorite part 😝) your fabric. Then tear the fabric into strips measuring 2-inches by 7- inches. Just snip the edge of the fabric and tear. To tie the fabric strips onto the wreath form, fold the strip in half and insert it from front to back – beginning with the inner ring. Then, wrapping the ends around the wire, pull them through the loop of the strip and pull tight.

Continue tying the strips around all 4 rings of the wreath, pushing them close together in each section. I alternated white with each of the blues for my wreath. I used 180 fabric strips – 6 on each section of the inner ring, 7 on each section of the next ring, 8 on each section of the next ring, and 9 on each section of the outer ring.

I painted my chipboard “hello” with navy acrylic paint and then dry brushed it generously with white acrylic paint. I used monofilament cord to tie my “hello” onto the wreath – if you look closely, you can see it at the top of the “h” and the bottom of the “o”. Then fluff up your wreath and hang it on the front door!

I made this wreath as a housewarming gift for my Mom as she moves into her new condo. Any color combo would be great along with other chipboard words like “welcome” or “blessed”.

Thanks for stopping by,

Anita

Posted in Decor, Gifts | Leave a comment

Crochet Cupcake with Swirl Frosting

Posted on June 25, 2019 by Anita

Hi friends,

This Crochet Cupcake with Swirl Frosting is just one of the sweetest things! So cute with that little smile – it just make me happy. 🙂

The free pattern is called Easter Cupcakes with Swirl Frosting by Candy van Sweet. The pattern includes instructions for several different cupcakes including a rabbit and chick that are just adorable! Click the link above for all the info.

I used I Love This Cotton yarn from Hobby Lobby in Red and Antique Cream with a 3.5mm hook to stitch up my cupcake. I also used a small piece of black for her sweet smile and 10mm safety eyes.

I stitched the patterns labeled “Cake” and “Frosting” to make my cupcake. There are also an “Eggshell” and “Eggshaped Frosting” along with other little add ons to make more cute cupcakes.

After crocheting the cake, I stitched in her smile and added 10mm safety eyes. Once the frosting was stuffed with polyfil, I hot glued it inside the cake.

I finished my cupcake off with pearl straight pins – cute and practical! An adorable pin cushion to keep in your craft area!

This sweet cupcake worked up very quickly! And did I say she is adorable? 😉

Happy Stitching!

Anita

Posted in Crochet, Gifts, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

happy, happy day.

Posted on June 21, 2019 by Anita

Hi friends,

Meet Hoppy! This sweet little guy, along with his friend Hedgie, are from the Hoppy & Hedgie stamp set from Unity Stamp Company. So cute!!

To make the card, I stamped Hoppy with black ink (this is my favorite black ink) on white card stock and colored him with Copic markers.

I embossed a panel of green card stock with a swirl embossing folder (here’s a similar one) and attached it to an orange card. I added 2 strips of patterned paper and then attached the stamped image with foam tape. I stamped the sentiment with black ink, trimmed it close, and attached it to the card.

So sweet! Sure to brighten anyone’s birthday!

Thanks for stopping by,

Anita

Posted in Cards, Stamping, Uncategorized | 2 Comments

A Little Handmade Jewelry

Posted on June 18, 2019 by Anita

Hi friends,

I had a friend ask me recently if I thought I might start making jewelry. I said no because I really didn’t need to add another hobby to my already bursting craft room. Who was I kidding???

Not too long ago, Taylored Expressions came out with these great Designer Dangles dies and all the supplies to make fun jewelry. I was already of big fan of Taylored Expressions rubber stamps, dies, and embossing folders so it was just a natural progression for me to try out the Designer Dangles dies. You can see my first creations I made in this post.

I also love the look of natural unfinished wood beads like the ones I used to make my DIY Farmhouse Natural Wood Bead Garland in this post. I started seeing the natural wood beads paired with other beads to make bracelets and the next thing I knew, I was on Amazon ordering beads!!😳

So here are my latest jewelry creations that I wasn’t going to make! 😉

The blue bracelet was made using the 6mm and 8mm natural wood beads from this set I found on Amazon. The blue beads are these 6mm beads also from Amazon. The spacer beads, “made with love” charm, and the stretch elastic I used to make the bracelet are from Hobby Lobby.

I cut my elastic about 14 inches long so I’d have plenty of room to work with. Then I gave the piece a good 3 to 4 stretches – this will help keep the finished bracelet from stretching out as it is worn. I tied a knot near one end so my beads wouldn’t slip off as I was stringing them. Simply string your beads in a sequence that you like. I added a jump ring to the charm before stringing it onto the bracelet. The bracelet measures about 7 inches long before tying it off. Of course, you can make it any length you’d like! Tie the elastic off with a good knot – there is some great info here on making this type of bracelet.

This next bracelet was made in the same way using 10mm natural beads from the set from Amazon and these beautiful 8mm beads. The spacer beads and charm came from Hobby Lobby.

The pendant necklace was made using the Designer Dangles – The Bigger the Better and Free Flow dies from Taylored Expressions. The faux leather also came from Taylored Expressions. I found my necklace chain and jump rings at Michaels.

So…now I have another new hobby to add to my list of crafty creations! I think I’ll be spending a lot of time searching Pinterest for ideas…

Thanks for stopping by,

Anita

Posted in Gifts, Jewelry, Uncategorized | 1 Comment

Sparkly Gift Birthday Card

Posted on June 14, 2019 by Anita

Hi friends,

I have a quick to make card to share with you today. Sometimes something quick and easy is just what you need when time is short. This is a great birthday card when you need to get it in the mail ASAP!

Sparkly Gift is a stamp set from Unity Stamp Company. The set also includes a “birthday wishes” sentiment stamp. (By the way, you need to check out this stamp company – they are the best!!) The embossing folder is from Stampin’ Up. This particular folder is discontinued, but this one from Tim Holtz would be great. Or maybe this one from Kaisercraft.

To make the card, stamp the gift with black ink (this is my favorite black ink) on white card stock. Color with Copic Markers and punch with a circle punch (I love this one). Sponge the edges of the circle with red ink.

Emboss a panel of red card stock and attach to a white card. Attach a rectangle of patterned paper and a strip of patterned paper to the card. Attach the stamped image to the card with foam tape.