handmade cass

My card was featured on the Lawn Fawnatics challenge blog! This was the first time I have submitted projects for a challenge in five years, and it gave me the biggest creative confidence boost. I submitted my  s'more card  to the Lawn Fawnatics "summertime fun" challenge . And on a whim, I made a second card at the last minute with an extra starry night background that I had on hand. My clean and simple last minute card was one of eight featured at the end of the challenge! This slimline card also might be the first card I've made without any stamping.  Supplies : Lawn Fawn Large Slimline Die Set Lawn Fawn Build A Campsite Die Set Lawn Fawn Glue Tube Ranger Distress Ink

This is one of my favorite projects I've finished recently! My son needed a safe spot to keep lost teeth until the tooth fairy arrived. And we just happened to have the perfect tin to upcycle. It is featured on the Scrapbookpal.com blog . Step 1: Wash and dry a mini Altoids tin. Step 2: Use a paint dauber and some acrylic craft paint to cover the logo and nutrition facts on the tin. Step 3: Cut a small piece of cardstock to cover the top of the tin and round the corners (any color except white, so the tooth will stand out). Step 4: Use Lawn Fawn's Claire's ABCs stamp set to stamp "tooth fairy" on the right side of the cardstock. Step 5: Cut a tooth shape from white cardstock. I looked at some clip art online for reference. Step 6: Use Lawn Fawn's Sweet Friends stamp set to stamp a cute face on the tooth, and adhere the tooth to the left side of the cardstock. Step 7: To make this a bit more durable you can laminate the piece of cardstock or cover it with clear...

You octopi my thoughts! One of my favorite Copic techniques is using the colorless blender to add polka dots or other patterns. It was perfect for the octopus suckers. And a white Gelly Roll pen added just the right finishing touches. Supplies: Lawn Fawn Ocean Shell-fie (and matching dies) Lawn Fawn Large Slimline with Sliders Lawn Fawn Jet Black Ink Copic Sketch Markers Sakura Gelly Roll Pen in White Ranger Distress Inks Distress Resist Spray Pickett Fence Studios Life Changing Blender Brushes Neenah Solar White Cardstock

I had so much fun putting together a "box of sunshine" to send to my friend for her birthday. I didn't come up with the idea, but I'm the one who wandered around Target for 30 minutes looking for items in yellow packaging that she would enjoy. This Birthday Sunburst card features new products from Lawn Fawn. I heat embossed the sentiment with ultra fine white embossing powder and then did some Distress Ink Blending. This card is featured today on the Scrapbookpal.com blog . You can get step by step instructions there. Supplies : Lawn Fawn Lawn Cuts - Sunburst Backdrop Lawn Fawn Clear Stamps - Magic Messages Distress Ink Mini (Mustard Seed, Dried Marigold, and Shaded Lilac) Lawn Fawn Lawn Cuts - Spring Showers Lawn Fawn - Glue Tube Ranger Glossy Accents VersaMark Watermark Stamp Pad Neenah Solar White Cardstock WOW Embossing Powder (Super Fine White) Trinity Stamps Sequins Picket Fence Blending Brushes Scotch Foam Tape

I treated myself to a virtual craft retreat for the first time and it was the most creative fun I have had in a long time! I've been following Jenn Shurkus for a while because I love seeing her bright and colorful cards (especially Lawn Fawn and anything with Copic coloring). When she announced a virtual version of her Crop on the Cape retreat, I jumped at the chance to join in because it is usually held in Cape Cod (on the exact opposite side of the country). I was extra excited to participate in a Lawn Fawn card class that included all the details about Copic coloring these cute critters. Jenn had her team stamp and die cut everything in the kits ahead of time so we could focus on coloring and assembling the card fronts (pictured above). One of my favorite demonstrations from a sponsor was all about Deco Foil. I don't own a laminator so I've never tried it before. But in the boxes we received, they included Deco Foil Transfer Gel Duo that works with stencils and the pre...

I came across an old mini card I had stuck in my daughter's lunch box years ago. She had it stashed in a drawer in her dresser. And almost four years later, it's still one of my favorite coloring projects . I was still thinking about that rainbow maned unicorn (alicorn?) when I only had an hour to make a valentine card for a friend. Supplies : ink - Ranger Distress Inks (Picked Raspberry, Mustard Seed, and Peacock Feathers) and Lawn Fawn Premium Ink Pad (Jet Black) stamps and dies - My Favorite Things (Friendly Unicorns) markers - Arteza Everblend Markers cardstock - Neenah Classic Crest (Solar White) blending brushes - Picket Fence Studios (Life Changing Blender Brushes) other - Studio Calico Shine Spray

I pre-ordered two of the  new Tim Holtz Halloween stamp sets  (Specimens CMS410 and Anatomy Chart CMS411)  from my local store as soon as I saw them previewed . Unfortunately, because of covid-19 there were multiple supply and shipping delays. But I got a happy message from the shop owner to let me know they arrived the day before Halloween (two months later!). My kids and I got busy right away making spooky tags for some treat bags. There is absolutely nothing more satisfying than using ultra detailed red rubber stamps with Versafine ink. I love these anatomical drawings! 2020 was the year of candy deliveries to friends' doorsteps and scavenger hunts at home instead of trick or treating. Supplies : ink - Versafine (Black) and Ranger Distress Ink (Tea Dye) stamps - Stampers Anonymous Tim Holtz Collection (Anatomy Chart) cardstock - Neenah Classic Crest (Natural White) blending brushes - Picket Fence Studios (Life Changing Blender Brushes)

In the last few months I have started freelance writing and got to interview my favorite local artist . Despite the hectic schedule I am making a conscious effort to set aside time for creative endeavors. I bought a new floral stencil from Simon Says Stamps that I was so excited to use. After adding translucent embossing paste I changed my plan from a monochrome white card to add a bit of Distress Ink and lilac border. When I picked out this unicorn stamp I had my daughter in mind, but it was perfect for making a silly card for a friend. ZIG clean color brush markers added the rainbow mane. This is my best watercolor galaxy background to date. It's something I really want to master (and need more practice). The Altenew moon will be great when I can get the sky a bit darker. I picked out this succulent fabric (with a coordinating batik piece) to make a pillow case for a throw pillow that I got from IKEA. And I have even tried my hand at some modern cross stitch. I b...

I have been on a foam letter sentiment kick lately. And ever since my friend (Listgirl) showed me how to make your own Thicker stickers I have had an endless supply ready to go. I bought a big package of self-adhesive glitter foam from Michael's and have been using the My Favorite Things (MFT) "Emmitt" alphabet to make these cards. This birthday card is for a friend that loves sparking pink wine. I saw the sentiment on a tote bag or a t-shirt somewhere and had to copy it. I used Ranger Distress Stains and Studio Calico Mister Huey's to make the background And this card is for my daughter's teacher at the end of the year. I cut the ombre strips from a Pipsticks quote card. Still loving my Pipsticks sticker subscription .

We kept busy this summer with crafts for the whole family. I started by making a book with all the best scraps of patterned paper I had after cleaning up my craft room. There were spots for my daughter to color, draw, and write stories. My trusty, old Zutter book binder pulled it all together. I took the time to fussy cut some of the stamped images I had mixed in with the scrap paper. This matryoshka from Hero Arts is one of my favorites. A friend was having her first baby and I wanted to make an extra special card. I used Distress Stains to ink smoosh a background. The stars are hanging on gold thread. When my daughter saw that I was making my own coloring sheets (with a stamp from Paper Source), she insisted on helping me watercolor it. Then I had to give it to her because she loved it so much (even though I did too). Update: she still has this hanging up in her room 2 years later We took some visiting family members to the local ceramics painting studio and I made a b...

I originally started this blog in 2009 when I was just trying Tim Holtz Distress Inks for the first time . I always got so frustrated when I would get rectangle shaped dark ink spots that were impossible to blend out. I eventually got a bit better at the blending but never really enjoyed it. But all that has changed and I have a renewed love for these distress inks! The new mini ink blending tool from Ranger is so much easier to use. And how great is it that the blender pads fit into the bottom of the mini ink pads?! I'm most excited to start making some night sky and sunset backgrounds. But today I needed to make up a sign for our guest room because we have a summer full of visitors. This sign will have all of our Wifi info so they can stay connected during their vacation with us. Does anyone else have a crazy complicated password? I guess I could try to figure out how to change it but that would take time away from crafts. This project also forced me to do some heat embo...

I am going to call this the card with the best intentions. I had taken a break from paper crafts for a while because life was crazy, and jumping back in was more difficult than I hoped. I tried to take a shortcut and do some background blending without the right tools. Big mistake. Especially since this technique is new to me. Time to go watch some more Laura Bassen videos . But at least my daughter's friend will love this card for her My Little Pony birthday party. So in the end I'll call it a success. Supplies : stamps - Lawn Fawn "Critters Ever After" ink - Memento | Tim Holtz Distress Ink markers - Copic | Wink of Stella cardstock - Neenah Solar White | Michael's card base

I recently returned from an amazing family vacation in Hawaii. My husband's parents live there, so it was great to play with cousins and hang out at the beach. During some vacation downtime I ordered the Stay Fresh stamp and die set from Avery Elle because I knew that I would need it for my scrapbook. Now I am using it for everything! This shadowbox came together quickly and I love this little pineapple more than ever.  This project was made for the Simon Says Wednesday Challenge Blog, Anything Goes . Supplies : frame - Ikea stamp - Avery Elle die - Avery Elle ink - Archival Ink by Ranger Distress Stickles paint - Prang Watercolors

I hand stitched "celebrate" on this card for my mom. I am out of practice and giddy with new stamps to use, so a few hours of love went into this one. Love you mom! Supplies : Cardstock - Stampin' Up Stamp - Stampin' Up Ink - Stampin' Up | Tim Holtz Distress Ink by Ranger Thickers - American Crafts Embroidery Floss - Amy Tangerine by American Crafts

I have a new love! And it is the metallic gold embossing paste from Wendy Vecchi  (Dreamweaver). I got it as a Christmas present and am just using it for the first time. It was something that Jennifer McGuire started using and I thought that I had to have it. She was right. I made my own chevron stencil by cutting a few layers of card stock with my new Stampin' Up punch. It ended up a little wonky, mainly because my distress stained background paper was warped. But I still in love with the result. I actually have a real chevron stencil , but have not found it since moving last year.  I used a new stamp set and punch from Stampin' Up - "Simply Celebrate" stamp set and Chevron border punch.  And a few older items - Radiant Rain gold shimmer spray (mixed with the Distress Stains) and the Amy Tangerine "Capture" embroidery stencil kit.  Supplies : Tim Holtz Distress Stains - Ranger Simply Celebrate stamp set - Stampin' Up Chevron border punch...