Get Well Soon

Hello Crafty Friends... Today I have the privilege of  sharing this beautiful project with you. All these these gorgeous flowers and flourishes are from a special woman who is known for her elegant designs that incorporate luxurious textiles and prints which have made her name synonymous with elegance.

Supplies Used

Anna Griffin Pretty Paintings Cardmaking Kit

Anna Griffin Flourish Emblem Die (Cuttlebug)

Xyron Creative Station w/ 5" Permanent Adhesive Refill
Cut'n'boss (Craftwell)
Sizzix eclips 2 machine w/ ecal 2 software
Gold Metallic Cardstock (Grafix)

Martha Stewart Deluxe Paper Trimmer

Hot Glue Gun and Sticks

Craft gift bag
Wired Ribbon (Kirkland)
Burlap
Gold Sharpie
Cutterbee Scissors
2Way Glue Pen (EK Success)
Glass Jar w/ lid
Homemade Chicken Soup
Tissue Paper

Almost all the beautiful elements I used for my project came from Anna Griffin Pretty Painting Card Kit.

As you can see there are more the enough  to make several projects. And just because it's called a card kit that shouldn't limit you to just making cards. The front panel of my bag was made by cutting... yes, I said cutting, this beautiful 5"x7" card that came in this beautiful kit.

Then I cut out this beautiful filigree panel from gold cardstock using Anna Griffin's Flourish Emblem Die and my Cut'n'boss machine.

Then I ran both the card panel and my flourish panel through my Xyron Creative Station. A lot of times adhesive have a difficult time adhering to craft paper. That is not the issue with Xyron's super strong adhesive.

I simply peeled my cardpanel and stuck it onto my craft bag. No need to worry about it falling off... it's there for good! Repeating again with my flourished panel.

 

The great thing about this Anna Griffin Card Kit id that almost everything (with the exception of the cards, ribbon, and inserts) in it is self adhesive.

These are the GORGEOUS FLOWERS I choose to embellish my bag. I 'd say that choosing which flower to embellish my project was the hardest part of the project. And not because it was  a difficult project to make but because everything looked great together... it was hard to choose just a few. 

I even made a coordinating label for my jar of soup with elements from this kit. The smaller cards included in this set made perfect jar labels. All I did was add a couple of the beautiful flowers to now "label" and gave it a quick pass through my Xyron  Creative Station.

I have the ugliest handwriting ever... so to save myself some embarrassment I decided to cut the words "chicken soup" out of more metallic cardstock with the help of my Sizzix eclips machine.

Then I adhered them to my label using a glue pen. Now doesn't that look way more prettier that my raggedy handwriting? LOL

For the lid of my jar I used the jar cover to trace a circle onto burlap material. I made this circle using a gold sharpie instead of a black one because black would stand out too much if it bled through my burlap

I drew a second circle about 1.5"-2" bigger than my traced circle and cut my burlap out along the outer circle. I placed my burlap over the lid and held it  in place with  rubber band. Then I wrapped it with my wired ribbon and finished the lid off with a basic bow. (Just a little tip: screwing the lid back on the jar before doing the previous steps helps tremendously)

I also made a triple looped bow and hot glued it onto my gift bag.

Lastly, I filled my clean glass jar with homemade chicken soup and adhered my pretty chicken soup label. My husband makes the best homemade chicken soup ever!! Sorry friends. I can't tell you you how it's made but I can tell you what's in it ... if you want to know feel free to message me. I can tell you I love it over store bought canned soup!!

 I don't know why but chicken soup always make people feel better. And looking at this get well gift almost makes me wish I was sick! What person wouldn't feel better after receiving a gift like this?! It's filled with comfort and made with LOVE!!

It's homemade LOVE in a jar (and bag)!! And, I hope you enjoyed it!

Until next time, Crafty Friends...

Happy Crafting!!

~Mitsy

Father's Day Candy Bouquet

Hello Crafty Friends!! I am back with another handmade gift idea. As we know, Father's Day is just around the bend. I don't know about you but I am always plagued with the decision on what to get my my husband for Father's Day.

Getting him a tie would be pointless... his work attire is ultra casual and consists for the most part of polo shirts and jeans... yes, jeans... told you ultra casual! 

Then, there's cuff links... Shoot, the last time he wore a set we were getting married, and that was practically a decade ago.

T-shirts... nah!! He's got a closet full.

Cologne... uh-uh, I have a sensitive nose... poor thing wouldn't be able to wear it.

Ok, well if you're just like me and in a rut... there's always that age-old saying...

"The way to a man's heart is his stomach"!

And my hubby (aka... my babies' daddy) is no exception. That is fine by me because it always seems that I'm gifting someone FOOD and it "food gifting" has become of my specialties!

I decided I wanted to make him a candy bouquet but not just any candy bouquet a manly bouquet. Packed full of "GUY" treats like beef jerky, nuts, and ok, a little bit of chocolate... hahaha, who am I kidding... I'm stock piling it with behemoth sized servings of chocolate.. because that is just how I roll! LOL

 And then the icing on the cake... gift cards!! My children wanted to get involved and helped get daddy something special... so each of their cute little selves chipped in to buy their daddy some google play gift cards. How sweet are they?!!

My husband is a big computer geek so I know these are always a welcomed gift.

Here is what I used to make this Daddy Bouquet...

Tools and Supplies Used

Xyron Creative Station

Xyron 9" Permanent Adhesive Refill Cartridge

Xyron 5" Permanent Refill Cartridge

Xyron 2.5" Create-a-Sticker

Spellbinders Nestablities- Label Twenty-Five

Spellbinders Shapeablities - Damask Motifs

Cut'n'Boss Machine

Eclips Machine with ecal software

Craft Smith - Natural Luxury

Grafix Arts Metallic Silver Cardstock

Bazzill Basics Paper- Raven

Wooden Dowels

Transparent Tape

Green Styrofoam block

Ad-Tech Hi Temp Glue Gun and Glue Stick

True North Chocolate Nut Crunch

Reese's Big Cup Peanut Butter Cups

Jack Links Beef Steak Sticks

Polka Dot Tissue Paper

Powdered Drink Container

This project is another easy way to recycle all your old powdered drink mix containers, oatmeal canisters, or empty coffee cans. Just remove the paper label (if any) and clean out the inside and presto... instant base for your bouquet.

First thing I did was measure my container. There is a lip at both the top and the container... so make sure you measure from the inside of both lips. Mine measured 6.75" high  by 16" around. 

Then, I added at least two inches onto the circumference to allow my paper to overlap a bit when wrapping the can.

Since I don't have 18" paper I made 2- 6.75"x9" pieces instead.

I then ran both pieces through my Xyron Creative Station(with 9" permanent adhesive cartridge). And set aside.

I then used my Cut'n'Boss Machine to cut all my Spellbinders dies at once... Gotta love that extra large cutting platform!!

Cuts like butter every time!!

I ran all my die cut shapes through my Xyron Creative Station... this time using the 5" permanent refill cartridge. Love how this bad boy takes the place of 2 machines!

And the 5" cartridge still has plenty of space to run all my pieces at one time!! LOVE IT!

Next using my Sizzix Eclips and ecal I spelled out "DAD". 

 T

Since these are smaller I decided to use my smaller Xyron  2.5" Create-a-Sticker. My Xyron machines make creating a breeze. There's no drying time and virtually no clean up too!! Simplicity at it's best!

I used to hot glue my paper but ran into a couple of problems with the glue cooling too fast and leaving unsightly lumps under the paper or my paper. I like that I can just peel the backing and stick and that my surface looks and feels smooth!

I took all my small damask diecuts peeled and adhered them onto my label making one big sticker label.

Then placed it onto the front of my canister,

This the only place hot glue onto my project. I added a good amount of hot glue on the inside bottom of my container and added my styrofoam. If you can't fit your foam in try cutting down your edges before inserting.

Then I taped my dowels to all my treats, even the big bag if chocolate covered nuts. For the heavier items I made sure to give it a sufficient amount of tape to support all the weight. 

Then I inserted the dowels into the foam. I made sure to arrange the dowels so that they look like they are cascading or "tiered". You may have to cut some of you dowels down in order to achieve the stadium seating type arrangement. LOL

Lastly, I inserted tissue paper in between the dowels and down into the can ... covering the gaps and concealing all the dowels.

I hope you enjoyed this yummy gift idea.. my Father's Day "Man" Bouquet!!

See you all again next time!!

Happy Crafting!!

~Mitsy

Super quick & easy bath salts

Hello Crafty Friends! Just poppin' in to show off these super cute, super quick, and super easy gifts in a jar! I made these super simple and very pocket friendly bath salts. I made a few of these for teacher's gifts for my girl's last day of school before they went on winter break. 

You can find more info here  from a previous post.

I packaged my salts in simple glass jars I bought from my local dollar store. Wrapped the base of the neck with this adorable stitched grosgrain. And, tied cute handmade gift tags to each.

To make these super cute tags I used Pink and Main's Frosty Friends and Snow Globe stamp sets. And for the cute scalloped edge on the bottom of the tag I used Martha Stewart's Eyelet Lace border punch. Then I added bling to the centers of each snowflake as well as in between each scallop.

Handmade Holidays Blog Hop 2014

 

 Welcome to the final day of the 4th Annual Handmade Holidays Blog Hop! We hope you enjoyed the projects from the last 2 days! A few years ago we were looking online for handmade gift ideas and thought it would be great if there was a resource dedicated JUST to handmade gift ideas. Enter the Handmade Holidays hop! We've gathered over 100 of our creative blogger friends in the craft industry as well as some of our fellow product manufacturers to bring you a plethora of inspiring gift ideas you can make now to give to your friends, family, and colleagues.

 Pin and bookmark these ideas for this holiday season and to use throughout the year! Each day of the hop features approximately 30 gift projects and you can "hop" from one blog to another to check them all out.

Hello Crafty Friends... 

Today's handmade gift I will be showing you how to make hand-stamped stoneware drink coasters. All you need are a few supplies.

1. Tiles (preferably with a porous and smooth surface),
I bought mine from my local super center/ grocery market. The bottoms came pre-corked to prevent scratching and they came with a neat wooden holder to house them in while not in use.

2. Your favorite stamps
For my project I used Pink and Main's Bee Happy stamp set.
It has very cool mix-n-match hexagons that I am just ga-ga over!!
3. A black dye based ink pad
4. Alcohol based markers

Prep you coaster for stamping. Dust and dirt may have collected on the surface of your coasters. You want to work on a clean surface so your ink lays down nicely and your image is crisp and clear. To do this simply rinse with warm water or wipe down with a damp wash cloth and let it dry completely. 

Stamp image onto coaster using your dye based ink pad.

Using a dye based is important because the ink becomes permanent once it is dried. We don't want all our hard work ruined from runny ink. I used a ink pad that plays well with alcohol inks and water colors. Certain ink pads, even dye based ones, have a tendency to smear when coloring.

Here are those cool mix-n-match hexagon I talked about earlier. And because the are see-through they make for easy alignment and placement every time!

This set comes with 6 different hexagons

4 patterns- chevrons, stripes, dots, and a sort of "bulls eye" looking one,
1 solid,
and 1 outline.

Color in with your alcohol ink markers.This is also important. Again, we want to use a product that is going to be permanent when dried.You have to remember that these are for setting down drinks... condensation from cold beverages are going to pool on top the surface.

Start with your lightest color as your base. Add and blend the darker shades in areas you think will cast a shadow.

 Do the same on the rest of the stamped images.
And, you are done!!

Other optional supplies
Heat gun  (speeds up drying time)
When using a heat gun, you must remember that you will be heating up stone, not paper. Drying times on stone, even with a heat gun, are different from drying time on paper. AND, also remember to put protect your work surface. Use a silicone sheet or craft sheet when heating your tiles... They WILL get very HOT! Always, always, always use your heat tool with caution and keep out of the reach of children (and pets)! We don't want little hands and feet (or paws) to get burnt!

Sealant
Not necessary.
Some people just like having a extra layer of protection. But there isn't a real need for it unless you didn't use alcohol inks to color your image. If you do choose to seal your project stay away from aerosols. They tend to be alcohol based and will ruin your project  and make the inks run and bleed.


Now, just need to wrap up your gift and give to a friend or loved one!!

Hope you enjoyed this handmade gift project!

~ DT Mitsy

 Are you ready for lots more creative handmade gift ideas and projects?? Follow along on our blog hop! Simply click on each of the links below to be taken to that post with additional information and photos on how to create a handmade gift project. Have fun and pin away!

   Clearsnap
  Westcott
  Scrapbook Adhesives by 3L
  Ellison Educational Equipment
  ICE Resin
  Neat and Tangled
  Therm O Web
  Walnut Hollow
  Elizabeth Craft Designs
  Rowland Technologies
  Graphic 45
  Hydrangea Hippo
  Pink and Main
  The Buckle Boutique
  Tami Mayberry Art & Design - Tami Mayberry 
Jamie Dougherty - Jamie Dougherty Designs
  Elizabeth Craft Designs - Raquel Mason
  Meagan - The Charming Farmer
  Scrapbook Adhesives by 3L - Angela Ploegman
  Carolyn Dube - A Colorful Journey
  Pink and Main - Mistyana Wright  (YOU ARE HERE)
  The Buckle Boutique - Niki Wilson
  It’s Sew Lorine - Lorine Mason   ‎
  Therm O Web - Andy Knowlton 
L. Grace Lauer - Uniquely Grace
  Clearsnap - Meihsia Liu
  Oh Snap Lizzie - Lizzie Sanchez
  Graphic 45 - Katie Zoey Ho
  Charity Wings  ICE Resin - Tatiana Allen
  Polly Carlson - Pieces by Polly Ellison Educational Equipment - Jan Hobbins
  RoseRedd Paper Studio - Rochelle Washington
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Follow our Handmade Holidays Gift Ideas Pinterest board for even more inspiration!

Follow Jennifer Priest of RainMaker Media Works + Hydrangea Hippo's board Handmade Holidays on Pinterest.  

A huge thank you to our sponsors for this hop - please visit their blogs & websites below and follow them. And be sure to come back tomorrow for another 30+ amazing Handmade Gift Ideas!

Clearsnap || Ellison Educational Equipment || Walnut Hollow || Graphic45 || Westcott || ICE Resin || Therm O Web || Rowland Industries || Scrapbook Adhesives by 3L || Pink and Main || Elizabeth Craft Designs || The Buckle Boutique || Neat and Tangled

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