handmade cass

I have really been getting into the crafty spirit lately.  In fact I've been working on so many projects that I can't even keep up with getting pictures posted.  And I forgot to take a picture of the ornaments I just finished and sent off to my mother-in-law!  Oops. But I did get lots of pictures when my aunt and cousin threw a crafty party so we could all get together and decorate some sugar skulls before Halloween and Dia de Los Muertos .  They used a mold to make a sugar skull for everyone, and we all brought a few different things for decorations - glitter, sequins, beads, and a million different colors of icing.  This was something new for me to try, although I see the sugar skulls around quite a bit here in San Diego. The sugar skulls were all set up with the decorating supplies, just waiting for everyone to get started. My cousins brought their sweet baby girl for the special crafting day. And my little helper was also on hand for all the fun.  You can s

I am still adding lists to my Smash Book whenever I can sneak away for a couple minutes.  Here are a couple pictures of the latest.   Today I added a variation on the list.  There were a ton of pictures and recipes that I loved in the October 2011 Martha Stewart Magazine, so I did a collage of pictures and stuck my favorite recipes into a glassine pocket on the page. Just hoping that the Smash Tape will keep the glassine envelope in place. It's hard to get anything that will stick to them!

Watch out, they bite!  The new Martha Stewart Paper Tapes are dangerous.  Turns out I really should have looked at the packaging better before I started to open it.  They come in a pretty little box with an awesome feature - a cutting blade.  But in my haste to rip it open I sliced open my finger and couldn't figure out why.  Now I know why boxes like this have silly warnings that say "blade is sharp".  For people like me, apparently.   I am in love with these tapes!  They were really inexpensive for the quantity and they will be perfect on my glassine envelopes for Christmas cards. Pretty sure I should stop buying these paper washi tapes now.  Or at least get a few rolls used up...

I love pumpkins!  In fact I love pumpkins way more than I like Halloween.  And I was so excited to get my October Martha Stewart to see what kind of pumpkin ideas she had this year.  This one was by far my favorite...and it's not even a pumpkin.   A mummy gourd . And since I saw this right before we took a family trip to the Bate's Nut Farm for pumpkins, I made sure to pick out a gourd too! My mom came up with this great idea for the eyes - just a small blob of wall patch/putty rolled into a ball with a black headed pin stuck through it.  Then all you need is a roll of white crepe paper streamers and you're ready to mummify. I think he is pretty awesome.  Although Martha's mummy wrapping looks better.  If I had free time I would probably re-do the wrapping.  But I don't.  So it's perfect!

I'm still giddy after taking my first crafty class since I had my little baby (10 months ago!).  I saw that Paper Tales had added a last minute class with Amy Tangerine and called the same morning to make sure I could join in the fun.  She gave us supply bags packed with tons of scrapbook goodies, mostly from her line with American Crafts. And she taught a few great techniques I have used in sewing but are new to me for scrapbooking.  We made yo-yos without the plastic tool thingy and it was really easy! Also did some stitching using this great crochet thread that is just a bit thicker than embroidery floss.  I need to find a local store that carries it! And two more layouts that I am still working on.  Also need to add journaling to the two above. Oh and I should also say that the class was for four 12x12 layouts but I scaled them way down so I can use them in a 6x6 book I am working on. And since I was at one of my favorite craft stores I had to get a few extra things

I have had a few new reviews posted over on Craft Critique.  And another one is coming soon - Stampendous Stamp Cleaner . Tim Holtz Grid Blocks by Stampers Anonymous Letraset Aqua Markers