Christmas Wreath

I ordered a couple of wreaths from the Sports Boosters in our area.  Well, I got the wreaths... but only a bow came with each one.  Good reason to do some decorating.  I wanted the wreath to look natural, so I took out pine cones I've picked from our yard long time ago.

It is recommended that you bake your pine cones before using for crafts to kill any bugs.  But since my wreaths are going to be outside, I used them au naturel.

I wanted to add gold glitter on the cones, but I just wanted this to be a quick and easy project.  So I used Stickles in Gold and applied it with a small paint brush.

Do you know my main weapon for this project?  It's this glue by Beacon.

I discovered this at the CHA Summer Show in Anaheim, CA a couple of years ago.  Almost all the companies were using this glue for their make and take projects.  And since I tried it first there, I know that this glue really sticks and can be used on almost any surface.  So now, I make sure to always have this in my stash.

The funny thing is, before I used this glue, I was drilling holes on each pine and inserting paperclips in each hole so I can attach each cone to the wreath.  Several drillings later, I remembered about the glue.  

Anyway, here's the first wreath...

I attached the original bow that came with the wreath to a bigger bow.

It was getting late, so I just randomly attached au naturel pine cones to the second wreath.  DH said he likes this one better.

 

Well, I have a 2.5 day weekend... so I'm going to enjoy that with something Christmasy.  'Til next blog!

TJ Maxx Haul

I always like to go to TJ Maxx.  Which woman doesn't?  That's a good place to find good deals with good shoes, purses, clothes, home stuff, cosmetics, and a lot more.  

But how about this... which crafter doesn't?

There is not one visit to TJ Maxx that I didn't find any crafty product.  They are always abundant with Martha Stewart, American Girl, Jolee's Boutique, K&Co., among others.  A good number of my MS punches are from TJ Maxx, which I got way cheaper than any other place after using a coupon.  Here's a great example. Just this Saturday, I got the Caning Weave Punch All Over the Page for only $5.99.

You can get this punch straight from EK Success online for $21.99, and the highest discount you can get from there I believe is 25% with shipping.  At Joann's or Michaels, the same punch is priced at $24.99, and even with a once in a blue moon 60% coupon,  you'll end up paying $9.99.  That is still more expensive than $5.99 from TJ Maxx.

Going back to my haul, I got a good bunch of K&Company Smash items as well.  A couple of Smash Folios for only $5.99, currently on sale at Joann's for $7.49.  I also got the Paper Smash Tabs for only 99 cents (on sale at Joann's for $1.49), Smash Captions for only $1.49 (on sale at Joann's for $2.49), Binder Smash Clips for $1.99 (on sale at Joann's for $3.49), and the Like This Smash Tape for only 99 cents ($3.29 at EK Success online).

Then I also got two of the Magical Christmas card kit by Studio Calico for $2.99 each.  I tried to look for it in Studio Calico's website, but it's no longer there.  Amazon has it for $5.50.

 

The kit creates 8 holiday cards with envelopes.  The bummer is - both kits were not complete.  Both of them did not have envelopes, and were missing some embellishments.  Over all, I can make 11 complete cards.  But I ended up making only 10, which is good for a card set.  Can you spot the difference?

Then I made a matching box to house the ten cards.

The box cover (almost) matches the cards.

 

I enjoyed making these cards.  Thanks to TJ Maxx.

You have to remember though, that it's a constant change at TJ Maxx.  You may find certain craft products there today that you won't see next visit.  So if you find something that you really want, you better buy it as it's probably at the best price you'll ever get it.

'Til next blog!

Star Ornament

Brrrrr!  It's super cold right now in Northern Michigan!  I like it though...  I like to wear winter clothes and boots, and Christmas shopping seems to be more fun with snow in the background.

Well, I am proud to say that my planet has stayed neat and orderly.  Though that means I haven't played enough... well, at all.  But since I declined two invitations to go out today, I made sure to create something.  And as I was trying to figure out what to make exactly, I saw this:

It's a freebie from one of my Unity orders a few weeks ago - three wood stars and a bunch of sequins.  First thing that came to mind was... ornament!

I decided to make just one ornament with more dimension.  Then I picked the Snow Globe Wonderland stamp set to go with my ornament.  So I started inking, stamping and embossing.  And here's what I came up with: 

Front

Front showing dimension

 

Back

String detail

Hope you're all having a great weekend.  I'm having a nice and relaxing one.

'Til next blog!

Stinky Crap

Yep, a lot of stuff going on in IRL.  I even passed up two craft shows last month, and just declined another one for December.  With my new job, sometimes you just get too tired to do anything at the end of the day.  Which is good in a way, because my planet is staying as clean as ever!

However, I will not let DH's birthday pass without making him a card.  I've been saving the stamp sets "Ah Crap" and "Crappy Day"  from Unity for this one.  I thought they're just perfect, for my DH at least.  I colored the images with Copics, and added this embossed shape behind the image to give the "stinky" effect.  The black layer is actually a remnant from a previous project, which I traced on white cardstock for uniformity (see inside pic).

Materials used:

cardstock/dp:  K&Co, The Paper Company, vellum, leftovers

image/sentiment:  Unity

ink:  Tsukineko, Copics

tools:  Spellbinders, Stampin' Up Ticket Corner Punch, Darice embossing folder, Cricut

embellishments:  ribbon, brads

adhesive:  Scotch, Glue Dots, mounting tape

I didn't make a single Halloween card this year.  And I should make it up with Christmas cards.  Hopefully soon.

'Til next blog!

Planet Update

Hello crafty friends!  For the longest time, this spot in my planet has been bugging me.  I've been looking for something to fill that space... well, without blocking the entrance of course.  With my planet so small, I have to maximize every space I can use.

 

I've looked through different stores in the area, but I couldn't find the perfect fit.  Until I saw Benno DVD Tower from Ikea while browsing online.

The nearest IKEA from my place is about 4 hours away.  And when I had the chance to go to that branch a couple of weeks ago, I was very excited.  It sure was nice to be in an IKEA store again.  And of course, I looked for the Benno DVD Tower.  And just my luck, they don't have it in stock.  I was so disappointed.  They told me I had to order it online.  And so I did.

When it did arrive, it took me several days to start the assembly, which was very easy.  When it all came together, I was very glad.  it was a perfect fit for that particular spot.  And because the Benno tower is meant for CDs and DVDs, a lot of my tools and supplies fit so well in the little shelves, especially my Sizzix dies.

My planet is pretty decent now.  Last night, I was determined to clean it up.  Not much organizing.  Just cleaning.  I wanted to clear the floor and my craft desk.  I'm tired of the chaos.  It was so chaotic, that just before I started cleaning, somebody invaded and nested in my planet.

I was annoyed, but found it so cute at the same time.  Our dog Chichay was so comfy in that little spot in the bottom shelf of my planet's corner fixture. DH loved it most of all.

'Til next blog....