Love and Appreciation

Happy Thursday, Crafty Friends... It's fall and can you believe Thanksgiving is just in one week?!

Thanksgiving is the time of year to be thankful for all they have. For me, I am very thankful for family and friends! I appreciate each and everyone one of them. And though I try to show them I care everyday, sometimes life just get's in the way. I guess that's what I get for "adulting"... mommy & wifey duties, house chores, design team obligations... they all pile up! 

I'm making an active effort to let my loved ones know I appreciate & love them. 

Today is my first Guest DT post for FB stamps and I made this fall themed I love you card.

Supplies Used

Gerbera Daisy Stamp Set (FB Stamps)

Eileen Hull XL - Tea Cup Die 3D (Sizzix)

Chipboard

Whimsy Embossing Folder (Lifestyle Crafts)

Autumn Leaves Stack (DCWV)

Creative Station Lite (Xyron)

Mega Runner (Xyron)

VersaFine Onyx Black (Tsukineko/ Imagine Crafts)

Clean Color Real Brush Markers (Zig/ Kuretake)

Wink of Stella (Zig/ Kuretake)

Mixed Media Paper (Strathmore)

Whipped Spackle (Faber-Castell)

3D Dots (EK Success)

PITT Artist Pen XS (Faber-Castell)

Chalklets(EK Success)

White Gel Pen (Sakura)

Glitter Enamel Dots

Hemp Twine 

Button

Scissors

I started by stamping my images in black ink onto mixed media paper. then, I colored the flowers with my Zig Markers in Yellow, Mustard, Beige,Dark Oatmeal, &  Brown and went over the centers with a clear glitter pen. I also colored the leaves in Mild Green, Olive green, & Deep Green. 

I fussy cut the flowers all the images out but if you are not great at fussy cutting or just want to save time FB Stamps have the cut files for all their stamps and the coordinating digi dies are FREE!!

I stamped doubles of the bigger blooms and cut off the outer row of petals. then layered it onto the bigger bloom with foam dots.

I wanted my flowers to be an arrangement and not just floating on the card... so, I used Eileen Hull's Tea Cup Die for the cup and the tag. I cut them from Chipboard then adhered my patterned paper onto them with my Creative Station Lite.

I shaded the edges with  abit of chalk in colors that were at least 2 shades darker than the paper.

 The little "I love You" stamp comes included with the Gerbera Daisies set.

In the picture above it looked cute it felt it was missing something...

So, I added some texture to the background with a bit of modeling paste and a stencil.

And cut out a band for my teacup and embossed it and added enamel glitter dots.

I traced around the cup and tags with an extra fine black pen and then added highlights with a white gel pen. I also went over the embossed area with the same black pan as well. 

Then finally, I finished it off with a button topped multi-looped twine bow.

Here is a close up of all the dimension in this card...

I am enjoying this stamp set very much and I'm looking forward to making more with it!!

I hope you all enjoyed today's card!!

Until next time...

HAPPY CRAFTING!!

~Mitsy

Christmas Tea Cup

Hello, Crafty Friends!! This Month DCWV & Eileen Hull Designs are proud to bring you a month long of creative and inspirational projects with our Winter Wonderland Blog Hop!! Join Team Eileen Hull (every Tuesday) and Team DCWV (every Friday) throughout the month of November.

Family traditions are always memorable. Many family traditions help us shape who we are and sometime who we will be. Growing up surrounded by my huge family, I remember many nights of late night cooking and sleepovers with my cousins. Followed by huge family gatherings where we stuffed our faces till we passed out on someone's living room floor.

Those days are long gone since I moved to Texas.

But often, new environments give way for new experiences, which in turn give way for new traditions. Now, we have fewer traditions. That doesn't mean that they are any less special but it does mean my holidays are less hectic... which I'm OK with! Hey, this busy mommy will take any break she can get!!

One holiday tradition I have grown to love is (this is on my hubby's side of the family) all the matrons/ aunts makes handmade gifts to share. Each makes a certain crafty projects,duplicates it in bulk, then gifts it to each family. Being the crafty nut that I am, I thought this tradition was FABULOUS!! Crafts can be as elaborate or as simple as you choose... again, FABULOUS! Because, let's face it, sometimes we just get too tired or too busy to come up with an extravagant gift each and every year!!

This year I'm thinking of meeting somewhere in the middle...

So, today I'm sharing this Christmas Tea Cup Party Favors!

Supplies Used

Cranberry Christmas Stack (DCWV)

Gilded Gray Stack (DCWV)

Eileen Hull Designs XL Tea Cup 3-D Die (Sizzix)

Twist and Style Craft Tool (Sizzix)

Mat Board (Sizzix)

Holiday Lights Christmas Metal Charms (Blue Moon Beads)

Holiday Lights Twine X-mas Multi (Blue Moon Beads)

Creative Station Lite (Xyron)

Mega Runner (Xyron)

Budding Branch

Glossy Accents (Ranger)

White Opaque Gel Pen (Sakura)

Glitter Gel Pen (Sakura)

Paper Flowers(Michaels)

Paper Leaves (Prima)

Stamens (Wilton)

Eyelash Yarn

I used DCWV's Cranberry Christmas for the majority of this project.

This stack is absolutely gorgeous and  includes many "foiled" designs!

I used Sizzix Matboard as my base. These come in a pack of 6 - 6''x13" sheets.

I started by cutting my tea cup pieces out of mat board using Eileen Hull's  3-D Tea Cup. I made sure to cut out an extra tea cup, one for the front of the box and one for the back... this was the only shape on the die I had to cut twice.

Then, I used the same die to cut the same pieces out of patterned paper. 

To get the reverse/ flipped version of the tea cup, simply flip your paper over and cut on the opposite or underside.

Here are my die-cut pieces cut from matboard. I needed the amount shown above (left)... a saucer(base), tag, 2 tea cups (mirrored images of itself), and the box.

I didn't need the flaps to the patterned paper box cut outs so I discarded them, then cut down that die-cut into segments where they are creased.

Next, I ran my patterned paper pieces into my Xyron Creative Station machine. Attached them onto their match mat board pieces, folded and creased the boxes' flaps (and set aside). Then sanded down the edges.

I die cut another more paper with a contrasting pattern. This time just the top half of the die cuts were cut out. Then I attached them over the existing pieces.

Then I adhered the pieces together with glossy accents. You can use hot glue if you prefer.

I embellished with flowers, leaves, stamen, and eyelash yarn.

 I embellished the cute little mat board tag with leftover paper I had used on the tea cup and added a cute leaping reindeer charm from Blue Moon Beads. I also cut out a snowflake from one of the sheets from the Cranberry Christmas stack.

I needed something to tie my bag off with. I really love the look of baker's twine but wanted something a little more bulkier, kind of like the rope around Santa's gift sack... I was able to replicate that by using Eileen hull's Twist and Style Tool.

I simply used 3 strands of bakers twine, knotted them on both ends, pull taunt, then cranked!! 

Eileen gives a wonderful demonstration on how easy this tool is HERE.

I love how thick and lovely my twine rope turned out!! It made the great finishing touch on my Christmas Tea Cups!! 

And here is the finished favor box... 

I can't believe something as simple as candy canes can look so rich and elegant!

I hope you enjoyed my project for today!!

For MORE inspiration from BOTH teams please visit their blogs at

DCWV Inc.

and 

Eileen Hull Designs

I hope you will go and start your own holiday traditions...

***WINK, WINK***Crafty ones are pretty awesome!!

HUGS to you all!!

~Mitsy

Alice In Wonderland - Tea Time

Gonna make this quick.This mommy's gotta run & I know this is super late. But here is my latest in Wonderland layouts and this time it's a double. All files are from Designs on Cloud 9.

I used the following files to make this spread: Wonderland Cuties ( Alice, Mad Hatter, & Cheshire Cat) , Time for Tea ( Tea Pot,Cups, Saucers, Spoon, & Lemon Slices), Pipsqueak (Ratter), Suri's Sweet Treats ( Cookies), Background- Diamonds (Center Diamond Strip), Betsy's Borders ( Scalloped Borders), Laurie's Labels ( Background Shape), Boy Bunny(March Hare), & Magic Show (March Hare's Top Hat).

Tea Drops are from the shape library of y ecal software.

Sugar cubes are the rounded square that also came from the ecal shape library.

Here's closer looks at the drops of tea & sugar cubes.

Boy Bunny makes an super cute Mad Hatter topped him off with the top hat from the Magic Show set.

 Used a mouse from the Pipsqueak file to make this adorable peeker.

I used multiple Sizzix ebossing on the tea cups and tea pot for this look.

Well, friends...I gotta run! Craft with you later!! Check back soon!