Mini tutorial: Book cover/ (stamp storage)

I'm sure everyone knows how to do this already, I learned that in school when I was 13, but just in case... here is how to make a nice looking book cover for little spiral notebooks and such.

In this case I was making a cover to store my My Thoughts Exactly stamps. :-)

I made an 8X10 cover to match the size of my zippered pouches (found those at Walmart for back to school and I should have bought more... Will definitely be on the lookout for those next August... ;-))

Step 1: Cut some cardstock to desired size. (I used old cardstock containers, because I was out of empty cereal boxes...) Glue to a piece of paper or cardstock slightly bigger then cut the corner. (I used Modge Podge to adhere my designer paper, and ran a brayer all over (the paper) to try to get a good spreading of the glue.

Step 2: Fold the extra paper all around and glue it. Add pieces of ribbon if you want to tie it shut afterwards.

Step 3:  Glue 2 pieces of cardstock or paper to finish the inside. They need to bit slightly smaller than your cover. (here I took 3/16" off from my original 8X10 measurements).

Step 4: Punch holes and use binder rings to hold everything together. I need to buy bigger rings because my little album/storage is really full... ;-) I made little reinforcers by punching cardstock with a 1/2" circle punch.

My stamps are stored in the zippered pouches, 2 sets back to back. I used a label maker to write the names of the sets at the top of the pouches, and stapled little tags on the side.

This way I can find what I am looking for in a glance... :-)

All that's left to do is tie a knot and proudly display it somewhere in your crafting area! ;-)
(and what better way to use this beautiful paper you have been hoarding forever for "that special project"? ... ;-))

ETA:  I have since found larger binder rings at Staples, which gave my inside pockets more breathing room, and enabled me to decorate them with little ribbons....

My Thoughts Exactly Thursday: Cloudy day

It's my posting Thursday for My thoughts Exactly, and today I used the Many Thanks stamps set.
You know me, I am slightly obsessed with rainbows and clouds... I always say that one day I will end up in a car crash because I am looking at the sky while driving... :-S And let me tell you, we have the most beautiful fluffy clouds here on the West coast of Florida!... <3 :-)

Anyway, I just HAD to use that sentiment one day or another, and the latest craze for Washi tape inspired me to make those colored rays out of patterned paper to kind of look like pieces of tape.... And that background paper from Echo Park that looks like rain drops was just begging to be used with clouds! ;-)

Don't you just love the felt clouds? (dies are by PTI) I love cards that have a textured detail on them, something that makes you want to touch them... :-) Mission accomplished with this one...

Don't forget to check my evil twin's blog and Tracy's blog for their MTE project today. :-)

Also My Thoughts Exactly February release is available for pre-order  NOW (to give you more time to work on those valentines with the kiddos... ;-)). The stamps will ship next Monday but you can go check them out on Alyssa's blog and order them here. The 1st 20 orders will receive a mini set for free. You are going to love the candy hearts, and the cute tag, and the puns sentiments... :-P As always the Design Team will have plenty of projects for you on the 1st of the month. :-)

Trendy Twine Tuesday: Love Take-Out

It's Trendy Twine Tuesday and my project today is a take-out box for which I made a little twine handle.
Sorry for the so-so pics but I took them at night again... :-S

I braided 2 strands of Cherry Cupcake with 1 strand of Posy into a little string that I used as my handle.

 I added pins and a tiny knot of more Cheery Cupcake. The word was handwritten with a Versamark marker and heat embossed with navy powder. I LOVE that crackled paint heart... it's actually made using a die and it's from a paint sampler from the hardware store! ;-) I added some touches of paper tape here and there just for fun... ;-)

The angel wings were a special request on my part, and were made by SVGs by Bee. I re-trimmed them to make them a tad smaller. Finally I added a few buttons threaded with Posy twine.

To help keep the top closed I used a loopy brad and more Cherry Cupcake twine.

I kept the back super simple with just some more tape and a glitter heart. :-)

And that's it for today. Don't forget to visit the Trendy Twine Blog to enter this month challenge! :-)

Vintage Floral Tin

I made another little tin with Trendy Twine around it. I think by now the recipient must have received it so I can share... ;-)

I used double side Tacky tape so the twine will stay in place securely... I used Chocolate Truffle and Strawberry Cupcake, since my recipient's favorite twine color is pink... :-)

Everyone should have a cute little tin like that to leave on their desk to hold paperclips and what-nots!... :-)

Inside I used some more paper from the same pad. I especially love this one.

Those little chocolates feel right at home in there... It looks like it was meant to be!... ;-D

And good news: Annie's Paper Boutique now carries those little tins too! You can find them here. They are really fun and easy to work with and make nice little gifts. :-)
You can find other tin projects I made under the "tin" tag in my margin, or here. If you make one, please link to it in my comments section, I would love to see it! :-)

My Thoughts Exactly: January project...

In honor of the new year and the new Design Team term (and new members) things are a little different this month at My Thoughts Exactly.
Instead of our usual group post on the 1st of the month with a new stamps set, each DT member get to be showcased for one day and Alyssa asked us to make a project with our favorite set. And Alyssa gave us a few questions to answer to get people to know the team better...

For my project I chose the Birds & Bees set. It is pretty much impossible to chose a favorite...and I could have gone with Many Thanks or Sweet Thoughts, since they also are both go-to sets for me... but I HAD to go with the bee obviously... ;-)
After all it is my nickname, and I have been lucky enough to be on the My Thoughts Exactly Design Team from the very beginning and this was the 1st set released, so it seemed only fitting to use it... :-)

I found a little bee in my stash (from a Cricut cartridge) that was perfect for what I had in mind... I used lots of foam tape and pop dots because I love dimension and had fun creating a little flower field with my 1/2 inch circle punch... ;-) And of course I had to use a tiny bit of Trendy Twine... ;-)

Below is my little interview, although I am pretty sure you know all that already:


How long have you been paper crafting?

For about 4 years.

How did you get started paper crafting?

I decided one day out of the blue to make my daughter's birthday party's invitations and started looking into rubber stamps and such. I ended up not making  the invitations that year after all, but I was hooked and started my blog shortly after that and “met” lots of other papercrafters this way and became slightly addicted!...

What is your favorite type of paper crafting project to make?

I like making cards, home décor,  gift wrapping , scrapbooking... but cards are what I  make most often because it is fast... ;-)

What is your ‘must have’ paper crafting tool?

Most definitely my dies and embossing folders. <3

What inspires you most?

I honestly  don't know. Most of the time  it all starts because of a beautiful  sheet of paper that caught my eye...

What is your favorite thing about MTE stamps?

I love their versatility, there are SO many options with them. I just love being able to play with the words, and also play with the stamps themselves like bending them to stamp in a curve etc...

What is your favorite MTE stamp set?

I can't pick just one.  I especially like the “Birds and Bees” because it was the 1^st one to come out and since my nickname is Bee I tend to use it a lot, also the “Sweet Thoughts” and the “Many Thanks” are go-to sets. But the truth is I like them all!  ;-)

And last but not least, to celebrate the new Design Team in style (and as a reward for reading this loooong post! ;-)), My Thoughts Exactly is giving away a stamps set a day till the end of the team's introduction. Since today is my pick, I chose the Birds & Bees set. For a chance at winning it, all you have to do is leave a comment here and I will pick a random winner next week. I am not asking anything from you in return, but I can only recommend that you check out our awesome Design Team. This is a bunch of talented and fun ladies and I am sure you'll enjoy visiting their blogs. :-)

To see the previous posts about the new members, their interviews and projects, visit Alyssa's blog.

Trendy Twine Tuesday: Love is in the air

It's Trendy Twine Tuesday and today for my project I used the new yummy Cherry Cupcake! :-P

I made a vertical card (fold is at the top for a change) and used only die cuts and stamps. Only once I was taking pictures did I realize that I glued things crooked on my card... Oh well... :-s That's what I get for crafting at night with poor lighting... Let's just pretend that you didn't noticed it... ;-)

I glued the twine in the shape of little hearts to follow the pattern of the die cut. Unfortunately I also applied some Stickles on it afterwards which makes it hard to see the twine real well on the picture... But it's nice and glittery in real life... ;-) I also added a little twine "line" at the bottom...

... which is tied up inside the card. I like it when you can have a fun little detail inside the card for a change. I think sometimes I forget about the inside... ;-)

Don't forget to visit the Trendy Twine Blog to see all of the projects of the Design Team since today is our beginning of the month group post! :-D