My Thoughts Exactly Thursday: Ornament boxes

I promise, I promise this is the LAST Holiday project! ;-P
I just kept it for now because it is My Thoughts Exactly Thursday today...

So for this project, I started with 3X3 kraft boxes, from Annie's Paper Boutique.

I then heat embossed the ornament stamp from Holly Jolly Tags on each side with white powder, and colored it with Sharpies. I added little Trendy Twine bows.

The sentiment on top is from Holly Jolly Phrases. I love the font of that big H!... :-)

That's it for Holiday projects!! :-D I am ready to move on and looking forward to making a few cards for my next projects.... :-)
I hope you're enjoying a nice Holiday Season and I wish everyone a very Happy New Year! :-)

Paris Butterflies

Thanks for bearing with me through all those Holiday wrapping projects. I still have one to come this Thursday for the My Thoughts Exactly Thursday and then I promise this is all done with! ;-)

I thought we could use a little change of scenery, and remembered I forgot to post this card that I made a little while ago, using dies and punches only. You know how much I love the basic card, the one that doesn't involve getting the electronic cutter out...
It's one of those cards that got created on a whim... I found the black rectangle with white brads in my stash, something I had made for another project and ended up not using, and then the card came to me instantly... :-) I think I might have been especially homesick that day... ;-) I wish I could fly to Paris...

Cute boxes in a pinch

I know you must be sick already of all those gift wrapping, but I swear we're almost done... ;-)
I just really wanted to show you those little boxes that are now free with purchase at SVGs by Bee.

They come in one piece so it's really easy to put them together, they can be resized to fit your needs and you can also remove the little tree cut-out in the middle to use them all year long for whatever occasion.

Because they are so cute in patterned paper I didn't add anything to them. I just wrapped them in transparent paper and wrapped a ribbon around. I resized those to hold Ghiradelli squares (what else? ;-)), and I was able to fit 7 in there nice and snuggly. :-)

You can find the boxes here. They are free with purchase for a limited time, and you can find svgs starting at 99c at SVGs by Bee, so pay her a little visit! :-D

Trendy Twine Tuesday: Happy Holidays

It's Trendy Twine Tuesday! :-)
This is my project for today. I was scratching my head, trying to think of a new way (at least to me... ;-)) to showcase twine on my card...

 ...when I thought about twine "photo corners"... :-) Here I used Holly Berry for my corners.
I also couldn't resist adding a little bow to my wreath, and I decided to go with a more unexpected color: Sky

Everything is of course on pop dots, even though it doesn't show much on the picture... ;-)
The papers are from Recollection (Michael's own brand), it's hard to see in the pic but there is glitter in the paper all over. The stamp is from My Thoughts Exactly, and was heat embossed.

And now just because it is the 1st day of Hanukkah today (it starts tonight after dark), I thought I would share with you my little dreidel decoration.

Now I know it's a bit hard to figure out on this little picture but pretty much what it is is little dreidels attached with Trendy Twine to the chandelier to form a sort of mobile... Dreidels are little spinning tops with hebrew letters painted on them that kids use to play a game at Hanukkah (and win chocolate coins... ;-))

I used all kind of twine colors, attached it with hot glue, and added a little bow at the top of each dreidel for good measure... ;-D

Let me finish by wishing you all a very Happy Holiday Season. I hope you get to spend some time with your family and make new happy memories. <3

SVGs by Bee Wednesday: Fancy trees

Today is our group post for SVGs by Bee! So don't forget to visit my fellow DT members!

* Bee at Bee's Hive o' Drama
* Becky at The Happy Card Encouragement Factory
* Alyssa at My Thoughts Exactly

For my card today I started with the curtain card as my base. Since my mat was too sticky and my paper didn't like it, I ended up not using it like I had initially intended, and I made it a simple panel instead, that I matted with a red base.
My fancy trees are from the Christmas Tree gift bag files. I added a few brads, some Stickles, and a bit of Candy Cane Trendy Twine.
I did toy with the idea of a sentiment, but the card was already busy in my opinion so I just added a stamp in a corner...
Well that's it for today. I hope you are having fun preparing for the Holidays, and don't forget to go check my talented crafty friends... (links at the beginning of this post... ;-))

Gift giving in a pinch...

It's that time of year again... Teachers and therapists' gifts... ;-)
You have to leave in 5mn, you forgot to pack the chocolates... *gasp*
No time?.. :-( No problem! :-)

1- Head over to Annie's Paper Boutique, grab a pack of those adorable Mini Gable boxes. (obviously this step would have had to be done in advance... ;-) I personally try to always have some of those on hand! You just never know!... :-))
2- Next, buy large Holiday ribbon (in a hurry grab the one from the box of chocolates you just received from your lovely neighbors) , wrap the ribbon around the box, secure with tacky tape...
3- Add a little tag (this one is from My Thoughts Exactly, the Holly jolly Tags stamps set) attached with some Trendy Twine (Holly Berry here).

Or if you're less in a hurry, you can skip the hanging tag and glue whatever embellishment you have on hand...

And VOILA... quick and colorful gift wrapping in a pinch!  :-)

And just to satisfy your curiosity, this little beauty holds comfortably 12 Lindor truffles. (you could fit 13 but I got this weird idea that some people might freak out at receiving 13 of something... Oh well, you know what I had to do with poor #13 truffle.. ;-P Yum...)

My Thoughts Exactly Thursday: Season's Greetings Collage

It's My Thoughts Exactly Thursday. Don't forget to check the other Bee's blog too for another project.

For my card today I decided to think a little out of the box... and used the tags from Holly Jolly Tags to make some background paper. I also intentionally stayed away from classic US Holiday colors red and green... ;-)

Then I made a slider with the same tag using embossing powders and glitter glue. Of course I had to add a tad of Trendy Twine somewhere... and then some buttons for good measure... ;-D

And there you have it. A non traditional Holiday card... :-)

Wedding cut-out card

I made this card for my husband's cousin's wedding, using Lettering Delights SVG files. The front of the card is cut-out, I added some white cardstock inside for more contrast. The choice of colors comes from the fact that orange is the bride's favorite color and was used in their wedding's invitations.

This is one of those cards that doesn't photograph well at all (yes, my photographic skills also need serious improvement, if only there was 36 hours in a day...), especially since it needs to stay flat and keeps popping open... ;-)
When I was making the card, it looked to me like a floral cut-out card... but when I was snapping pictures I started seeing some sort of weird monster with orange eyes, pointy ears, and an open mouth, coming out from behind a floral panel... LOL Can you see it too? ;-P

This 2nd part is a little giftcard holder to go with it.

My Thoughts Exactly December release: Holiday Tags

It's My Thoughts Exactly December Release!! :-D This month, with the Holidays fast approaching, My Thoughts Exactly is releasing 2 sets geared toward Christmas and Holidays... and we are bringing them to you a few days earlier than usual to give you more time... ;-)

The 1st one Holly Jolly Tags is, you guessed it ;-), a set of tags... ;-) As you'll see with my project, it lends himself to more than just Winter Holidays! :-) (for those of you who use an electronic die cutting machine, some svgs are in the work that will match those tags... ;-))

The 2nd one, Holly Jolly Phrases, will be perfect for cards and scrapbook pages, but will also work well with the previous tags.
Actually, they go so well hand in hand that My Thoughts Exactly is also selling them as a bundle! One set is $15 (shipping included) and the bundle is $25 (shipping included also). And we are happy to announce that MTE now ships worldwide! (for an additional fee, calculated at checkout, depending on the destination). Keeping in mind that those ship in an envelope, international shipping should stay reasonable... :-)

So, for my project today I decided to NOT do a Winter Holiday project!... ;-)

I made a trio of Thanksgiving favors to give to my autistic son's teachers...
I started with some adorable 2X2 Mini Kraft Boxes from Annie's Paper Boutique, and stamped all over them with a Martha Stewart stamps set in Fall colors.
I then wrapped some Orange Truffle Trendy Twine all around them and added my tags.

I used the Holly Jolly Tags set, and  filled my tags with the Many Thanks set, which I thought was just perfect for the occasion. As you can see those tags are perfect for many projects, not just Christmas-y ones! :-)

I decorated the top with 2 buttons on top of each other and yet another snippet of twine...

Those 2X2 little boxes are the perfect size to fit 6 Ghirardelli Squares, one of my favorite little favor to gift... I was so thrilled when I discovered this!!... :-D (Please don't ask why there are no props... ;-D ) I brought those to school with some Holiday coffee packs... :-)

Now I kept the best for last! My Thoughts Exactly is giving away a $5 gift card to celebrate this new release! :-) Go follow My Thoughts Exactly blog or like their Facebook page, let me know in the comments' section what you did, and I will pick a random winner on December 1st. :-)

Oh and one last thing, you still have till the 30th to apply to be a part of MTE's design team!! Check out the details here!! :-D Come on, don't be shy, we are looking for all kinds of crafters, and your enthusiasm is more important than your experience... Good luck! :-D

Trendy Twine Tuesday: Baby Carriage

It's Trendy Twine Tuesday and this week it's my turn to share a project with you. :-)
The color we are showcasing this month is Chocolate Truffle, a beautiful mix of dark brown, caramel and white... :-)
For my project I decided to do a gift-card holder for friends who just welcomed their 6th boy!... :-)

It all started because of this cute little bear giftcard I found at Target and I instantly thought about the awesome little baby carriage Mary designed for SVGCuts.com. I was right because it was the perfect size, and they are quite a smashing duo I think... ;-)

I used some Chocolate Truffle Twine to make a little criss-cross pattern on the hood of the carriage, and also added some little bows on the sides.

Then I used some of the Sky Trendy Twine to make a little stitching on the sides too. It's hard to see in my pic but the cardstock is actually ivory colored and the twine is cream and pale blue colored. It has this soft vintage feel that makes it perfect for baby projects. :-)

If I had more time I would have added a line braided twine handle to mimic the carriage handlebar, but unfortunately time was of the essence... :-( This definitely was a fun project though and I love the result! :-)

My Thoughts Exactly Thursday and my 1st step card...

It's My Thoughts Exactly Thursday! Today it's my turn and my evil twin Bee's turn to show you our projects.
So I made a step card! Believe it or not in 4 years of papercrafting I have never made a step card. They are really simple to make and they are a lot of fun. :-)

I used a svg file from SVGCuts.com for my card base, but if you like step cards go visit Alyssa's blog, she has an easy video tutorial on how to make them, plus lots of cool step cards of her own... :-)
The clam, seaweeds, starfishes, and crab, are svgs from Lettering Delights. And my sentiment is from the  Under the Sea stamps set.

I'm sending this card to my niece who's recovering from pneumonia, I'm sure this will cheer her up. :-)

Trendy Twine Tuesday: Thanksgiving Centerpiece

For this Trendy Twine Tuesday I made a Centerpiece for Thanksgiving. :-)

I had to take a TON of pictures, and do it again because they were blurry... I think I am suffering from the mental fog of Halloween Candy hangover... So settle down comfortably because there will be a lot... ;-)
My cat absolutely wanted to be part of the photo shoot and I didn't have time to fight him over this, so he is on all the pics... ;-) He was even nibbling at my project!!... >.<

I started with a little wreath from Michaels, then added some fall leaves that I bought on the side with a hot glue gun. Then I took popsicle sticks that I wrapped in Chocolate Truffle Trendy Twine (after putting some double sided tape on both sides of them for extra hold) to make my little posts, and I also used some Orange Truffle Trendy twine to make little "rings" to attach around my centerpiece...

I actually used toilet paper rolls as my base for those. I think I might have to make napkin rings now to match my project!! ;-)

Then I added little Fall details on my poles. I am grateful as a papercrafter to have so many options to get cool svgs so I used some of my favorite companies and put them all together in a happy circle!...
The Give Thanks caption was a freebie from SVGCuts.com.

On the other side I used this gratitude caption, also a freebie from SVG Cuts. :-)

The stunning sunflower is part of the 3D flowers collections at SVGCuts also.

The apple is from Lettering Delights.

The Fall caption and leaves are also from Lettering Delights. (I used Nestabilities for my base)

The Acorn is also from Lettering Delights.

And last but not least, my pumpkin is a tag from the Halloween collection at SVGs by Bee. I added a tiny bow of Twisted Lime Trendy Twine.

I cut every shape (but the Thanks/gratitude tag) twice using a mirror effect so that I could glue them on both sides of the sticks and make it look good from every angle. I used glue at the base of my stick to hold to the shape and then pop dots between the front and back of the shape to accommodate for the added bulk of the stick and give a tad of dimension.

I hope you liked my project today and will be inspired to make some Thanksgiving decorations on your own. If you do feel free to link them into the comments section.

For more Trendy Twine inspiration visit the design team members' blogs:
* Kimberly
* Alyssa

(This is my second post of the day, so if you are looking for the My Thoughts Exactly release post, just scroll down. :-))

My Thoughts Exactly November release: Merci!

It's the 1st of the month, which means it's My Thoughts Exactly November release! This month the new stamps set is called Many Thanks and it is shock full of options as usual... :-)

Of course I HAD to use Merci to go with my Eiffel Tower... ;-) But the piece of book page is in english because I couldn't seriously consider ripping a french book, LOL... I used 2 different types of ribbons and of course some Trendy Twine... ;-)
Now those colors are a little out of my comfort zone, but I actually really liked the cream and black with a little pop of rouge and will have to do it again... :-) (Cardstock is from Recollection)
The tiny little bow is a sneak peek from the December stamps set... ;-)

Don't forget to check the rest of the design team's projects today:

* Alyssa
* Belinda
* Jennifer
* Jessica
* Lenae
* Thienly

(Today is also Trendy Twine Tuesday so check my other post to come... :-))

French boarding again... ;-)

All this talk about french boards reminded me that I had been wanting to make one for my baby's room for about 2 years now and that all the supplies were just sitting in my closet.... :-S Well my "baby" is almost 3 now... so I decided there was no time like the present, even though I was already crunched for time... (yes, that's how we ADHD people function.... it's called impulse... ;-))

I took a picture of the supplies but of course I managed to delete it by mistake... LOL ;-) So you'll just have to imagine:

* a canvas
* nails and a hammer, thumbtacks
* fabric (the one I used has some batting already quilted on the back)
* ribbons
* brads

First you cut the fabric to the right size...

Then you attach the fabric to the canvas' frame with nails. I don't know how to make fancy little arrows on my pic, but the nails are put in horizontally, this way no risk of poking through the front of the project... ;-)

Then you attach a length of ribbon diagonally with thumbtacks.

After that you just keep going alternating colors if you'd like.

 I like to weave my ribbons, alternating over and under the previous one...

Then all that's left is poking little holes through the ribbon, fabric, canvas and secure a little brad at the intersections. (You can also glue all the layers together with a hot glue gun, and finish it off with a button like I did here).

All together it took me an hour. The cost is minimal compared to what you can find in stores and the options are endless... :-) Once you start making one you'll make more... ;-)

And voila!...  :-) (awaiting family pictures.... ;-))