Matryoshka's house

My autistic son has been really into Matryoshkas lately. He found an old Sesame Street video on youtube called "Russian dolls" and he keeps requesting it.
So for Valentine's day I got him... russian dolls! :-)
I wanted to package them in a fun way, so I made a little house...

Now let me tell you, I never make anything this elaborate for Noah because I don't know how long it will last in his hands!! ;-) But I thought for once I would try, and I'm entering it in the February Lettering Delights "Red" challenge. For details about the challenge, check here.

I used the milk carton svg as the body of my house (love this file!) and then the house facade of the Matryoshka dolls' set. I removed some elements and moved the little window so that it would open right in front of the dolls face. The window from the milk carton became a little door...

I added a second house shape in the back. I embossed both of them to make it look like bricks. I cut some grass by hand (yes too lazy to look through my cartridges!!) and added little flowers with brads as centers. Same thing for the front, where I also added a white felt heart and little red felt heart on the window shutters.

On the side of the house I put a little Matryoshka Doll (from the same collection). I used a little felt heart and cut some greenery with a corner punch to make for easy decorations.

One of the smaller sizes of the doll fits right through the little side door... ;-)

I made a little pull-out to carry the box around and keep the top closed by threading a ribbon through a button, and slid it into a hole made with my crop-adile.

Valentine's Day

Being french, Valentine's Day has never been a big deal for me... That is until I lived in the US and had kids! ;-) In France Valentine's Day is all about couples (really annoying when you are not in a relationship!), and I was happy to shift the focus back on family. See I don't like being commanded to do something, so to me it is a bit of an oxymoron to HAVE to be all lovey dovey on the 14th and who cares about the rest of the year!... ;-) My poor hubby knows better than to come home with chocolate and/or flowers on the 14th!... LOL (any other day of the year is welcome! ;-)) Actually he did bring an extra bag of Lindor truffles yesterday with the ones I asked him to buy for the teachers... He thought I might eat some while giftwrapping them and then run short!!... Who would do something like that?? LOL...

But anyway... The kids have had to bring Valentine's Day cards to school, and this is what I made this year. Naomi colored hers and I colored the ones for Noah... I found out afterwards that nobody in Noah's class made/brought valentines this year! How weird!?...  :-(
I used the Valentines Tiny Treats stamp set from PTI. I love acrylic stamps, it is so cool to be able to bend and shape them. The base cards are made with the lunch box note die. Love that die... :-)

For Naomi's class

For Noah's class

Isn't that little guy cute? :-)

On a felt kick...

I have been on a felt kick lately! (yes, of course I plan on pairing it with the twine!... ;-))
Today I tried some of my dies with felt and am happy to report I got great results!

I recently ordered some PaperTrey Ink wool felt and, let me tell you, it's nothing like the acrylic stuff you find at Michaels!... I tried both with the dies and, needless to say, the wool felt performed way better. The acrylic was ok for basic shapes like the heart or a scalloped circle but anything slightly intricate, even buttons, didn't work at all. The wool felt is pricey, but in that instance you get what you paid for... ;-)

A lot of companies are now selling thin steel dies that you can use in your Cuttlebug, and they cut cardstock but also felt and fabric. Before I got my Cricut a year ago, I was using dies with my Cuttlebug, and even now they are still a staple for me. I like their convenience, and the fact that I can use them to make a dent in my stash of scraps, (something my Cricut doesn't help with!). :-)
Today I used dies from The cat's pajama, PaperTrey Ink, CuttleBug, and some shapeabilities...

I apologize for the yucky pics but it was night time, and I wanted to take pics quickly before putting those away since, as you know from yesterday's post, I cannot leave anything on my desk! ;-)

Shapeabilities




 How cool are those butterflies?!...

The Cat's Pajama

 Now, won't that look lovely with twine?!...

Cuttlebug

PaperTrey Ink

Cuttlebug

 Aren't those Paisleys awesome?!... Can't wait to put them on a card or something!...

Cuttlebug

Now all I need is time to try and use my little stash of felt embellies!!...
So next time your mojo took a vacation, grab your dies and your Cuttlebug (or your big Shot, or your Sizzix, or your Wizard.... ;-)) , get some (good) felt and start making some embellishments! While you're at it, also use some of your scraps of designer paper!... ;-)
 

Why I need my own craftroom...

...or to use the lock on my bedroom door!... ;-)

This is the scene I walked upon this afternoon, when I went to my room to investigate some strange noise!...
My little craft corner is in my bedroom and a little someone has been very interested in it lately.... :-S
I had such a laugh when I saw him that I just had to snap pics, my camera being on my desk I was able to get all the action before the tower collapsed after the 5th jar!... :-S Luckily nothing broke....


I guess it's time to use the toddler locks...

(PS: Yes my bedroom has p... -ahem-, I mean brown colored walls, and it's from the previous owners and I hate it but haven't gotten a chance to paint over it.... Watching this little guy is a full time job! ;-))



 

Valentine's Take-out box

This is my entry for the Valentine's challenge on SVGCuts forum. I used the take-out box from the "Crush on you" file, but put my little spin on it by folding the flaps the opposite way to reveal the underside of that gorgeous paper! (yes, still the "Que sera sera" pack from K&Company ;-))

I used die cut felt hearts (PTI dies), (Martha Stewart) punches (heart and butterfly) and Prima flowers to decorate it.

I know what you are thinking though... "No sign of the beloved new twine?" LOL Well I did this project before getting the twine!... ;-)  And I'm afraid you'll soon suffer from twine overload anyway!... ;-)

I believe love is in the little details... so I added little hearts at the end of my ribbon... <3
My daughter is getting this little box for Valentine's day with Matryoshka dolls in it (more about those in another post...;-))



In the spotlight:TheTwinery

I swear I did try to resist. I was good and managed for a while....

I even tried the kitchen stores in hopes of finding just the red one and be reasonable...

But I finally jumped on the multicolor twine bandwagon! :-P

How could I resist those gorgeous colors?... I swear, sometimes I wonder if there is something wrong with me for being more excited about paper and ribbons than say jewelry or shoes!... ;-)

In case you have been living under a rock (what with this rough winter and all...) twine is all the rage right now in papercrafting projects everywhere!... Yeah, like we really needed another product to get addicted to!... *sigh*

This sampler set can be found at The Twinery. Since I got mine they added even more colors in another sampler's set!.. :-)

Butterfly Thanks

I'm happily taking a break from the Cricut!... ;-) I made this card for my grandmother using just Nestabilities and a punch...
The papers are from my beloved K&Company "Que sera sera" pack, (-> simply stunning papers!). I added some music notes in brown ink with the "music sheet" stamp from PTI, then distressed my butterflies with gold and chianti inks, and finished it off with tiny pearls on the butterflies' bodies and at the ends of my sentiment tag.
It's a very simple card but I love it.  (as usual, bigger pic by clicking on it)

Bird-day card

This is my entry for the Lettering Delights January calendar challenge.

I used the bird and celebrate caption from Merriments SVGs set, the rainbow and cloud from Balloon Craze SVGs set, and the March calendar from the graphic Pot Pourri Calendar 2011 set.

The lovely papers are from K&Company.

I made the card for an old friend of mine born, obviously, on March 22nd... ;-)

PS: A million thanks to my evil twin Bee, who VERY patiently explained to me (via google chat!) how to open a file with layers and cut them one by one. I couldn't have done it without her!! ;-D

Lettering Delights Creativity Challenge January

Want a chance at winning $50?... Lettering Delights Creativity Challenge for January is to use their freebie 2011 calendar (one image of it at least) + one other LD product (they have freebies all the time so you have no excuses!... ;-) to create a project of your choice. It can be a card, a scrapbook page, digital scrapbooking etc... Whatever floats your boat.  You have till January 31st to post your entry....

Details (and calendar graphics download) here!...

Good luck! :-D

Happy birthday Nathan!! :-D

My little guy is 2!! It makes me all sad... he's growing up so fast!... Where did my baby go?... :-( 

I like to watch him sleep at night, take his tiny little hand in mine and whisper sweet words to him... He looks so small and peaceful then... <3

I wanted to make him a fun and special card, because he is my little sunshine, and just my luck SVGCuts released this adorable little Teddy in a hot air balloon (the "Crush on you" collection for Valentine's day, the original file is a little treat doorhanger!). Perfect timing! :-)

I had a lot of fun making this card  even though I had to "sabotage" my card because of the recipient!! I know at some point Nathan will get his hands on the card (which will be displayed in his room) and I don't know how much damage he will do... So I had to restrain from using my beloved foam tape and prop up the pennants and the bear nose etc... because the flatter the design, the harder for little hands to grab details and pull them off!... ;-)

I made the little bird by myself, I'm wondering how long before my little gremlin rips it apart... ;-) If I hadn't been in a rush I would have made the bear out of felt too...

The sun, number 2, and template for the big cloud are from SCAL's library. I hand cut the little cloud and just used basic triangles for the pennants.

I can't wait to see his face when I show it to him... :-)

Chinese doll

Boy, am I happy to finally get to upload a picture on this blog!! :-) It has been WAY too long...
I got a new laptop (it's blue!!! :-D) as an early birthday present (yes, my birthday is in a month, so you still have plenty of time to send me a homemade card! ;-)) and so far so good, things seem to work smoothly! What a welcome change from the perpetual crashing of my Satellite!.... I still have to connect this baby to my Cricut and give SCAL a little try out but we're getting there!... There might be some svg projects in my future!! Yay!... :-)

So anyway. This is a card I made for my cousin's birthday (late of course, why do I even mention it?...) using the new "So fortunate" stamps set from My Time Made Easy. Catherine Doucette outdid herself on that one! I have a BIG thing for cherry blossoms so it was love at 1st sight! (I didn't use the cherry blossom branch stamp that comes in the set on that card though, in case I just confused you...;-)) The papers are digital papers from the coordinating collection "Fun and fortune". Did I mention I love cherry blossoms?... :-D

I used little pearls and rhinestones (colored them black with a sharpie) as accents, cut out little felt leaves by hand (PTI's wool felt is scrumptious!), and tried the Cuttlebug dies with my old acrylic felt. To my delight it cuts very well through the felt (unless the design is very intricate), as this cute little white flower can attest...

I don't know about you but, once my mojo leaves, it doesn't come back fully operational. I have to retrain it a bit first... This was my training card! ;-) It took me a awful lot of time to figure out in what direction I wanted to go, and even more time to make it happen, even though it was a pretty basic card with a classic layout!..:-S
I guess I need to make lots of cards now to get my creative wheels to turn again without creaking...

In the spotlight: Happy Life Crafty wife

If you are not familiar with Tamara's blog, it's time to remedy to this.
Tamara is one of the newest member of  the SVGCuts design team, but she is much more than that... In french we would call her a "touche-a-tout", which pretty much means "dabble in everything". She is a talented photographer, an enthusiastic baker, has her own little line of clothing on Etsy, and when she is not busy whipping up stunning paper creations she also takes care of 3 beautiful kids... (Yes, I plan on asking what her secret is to handle it all, but so far she has hinted it was caffeine...)

I am in love with her latest project, check it out here. Warning: Cuteness overload ahead! :-D

In the spotlight: Lettering Delights

I recently discovered Lettering Delights, thanks to Thienly and Bee, my crafty pals that are always "in the know" and are terrible enablers! ;-)
I just had to share it with you. They sell tons of cute graphic sets and alphabets/doodlebats, and just started a line of svg files.
I haven't tried any yet (still struggling with my computer issues) but their svgs are gorgeous. They recently released the Balloon Craze (hot air ballons) that I can't wait to put in action, and check out their cute Matryoshka Dolls too!...
They regularly offer free files for a limited time. Right now you can grab the Pennants at no cost, so hurry over there today!...

(for inspiration with their products, check out Jin Yong's cool blog Under A Cherry Tree  :-))

Christmas Gatefold

I made this gatefold card for the christmas challenge on SVGCuts.com. I used their gatefold card as a base (freebie). I ran it into my Cuttlebug with the swiss dots folder, then distressed it to reveal the paper's white core. The little stars and Christmas tree sliders are from the Buckles collection.

Inside I created a little scenery of 3 gingerbread men/women enjoying a cup of hot cocoa next to the Christmas tree... ;-) It's my husband who came up with the "concept" and I thought it was a fun idea... Everything is from the "Christmas Cookie Party" collection, except the gifts I made myself (bow is from the collection), and the tree skirt doily (from the baking section...). I used foam tape of course for dimension, and bended the little arms. My favorite part has to be the little marshmallows in the hot cocoa... Yum! ;-)

My husband thinks the eyes are a little creepy but my daughter loves them!...(she and I decided against red eyes because it looked too "evil"!...;-)) The star on the tree is a brad, and I used plenty of rhinestones.

As always, clicking on the pics will give you a bigger version. It's really hard to get the dimension on a pic. I still have to figure out all the wonders of this camera... ;-)
This card will likely go to my niece for Christmas. She loves everything papercrafted, and religiously keep all the cards I send her and likes to look at them or display them. I think she'll enjoy this one too. :-D
I sure had fun making it (well, aside from cutting out those tiny marshmallows with my big hands!... ;-))

Grieving

My husband's grandmother passed away. She was a wonderful person, so kind and always seeing the good in people. I am blessed to have had her in my life. <3

To make this card I used the SVGCuts sympathy dove (freebie), and layered it (with foam tape) over the flower of life symbol. My Cricut did not like it at all, but I really love that image and to me the meaning is important because life and death go hand in hand. And the dove is a perfect symbol for a soul that has been set free...

Pumpkin window box

I made this simple little treat for Noah's teachers for Thanksgiving, using a matchbox svg files ("under cover" by My Time Made Easy) and I used the pumpkin from the SCAL library to make a cut-out and covered that window with acetate. (Yes there was also a turkey in the shape librarybut somehow I thought it might not be that appealing....;-))

Mistletoe wreath

I love this card! Simple cards are my favorite, and the hardest ones to make in my opinion too. This one came out just as I envisionned it which is enough to make me happy! (Sometimes I have this idea in my head and can't transform it in paper!)
I made it for the Christmas Card challenge on the SVGCuts forum.

I used the wreath from "christmas cookies party" file and cut it out 3 times, assembling it with a few glue dots between the layers to slightly prop it up, and bending the leaves forward a little. My "door" is embossed with a Fiskars plate (in my cuttlebug) and I scored some panelling lines. The door handle is a brad and I cut out a little mail slot to slide a mini Christmas postcard in it...

I wrapped some cheer ribbon around my wreath to soften the overall look, made a pretty little red bow and I decided to avoid the expected red berries and go with mistletoe instead, using little pearls...

My little "Joyeux Noël" postcard slides in and out of the mailbox.

Hanukkah lever cards

Last week-end I did a workshop for an event at our synagogue. Those are the Hannukah cards I made as models.
I used SVGCuts files, (and yes it took me forever to prep everything, my Cricut was in a rebellious state of mind and I had a few issues..). I started with lever cards as a base, then used the "jewish elements" file.

I used glitter glue for the flames, if I hadn't been mass producing I would have used little rhinestones instead.
The great shiny foil I used for my candleholders, already mentioned on my blog before, is from Puff tissues boxes! :-) The menthol tissues come in a box that is silver coated inside. Almost makes you want to have a cold more often so you can scrap...

Baby bear

One of my cousins welcomed a little Heidi, and I couldn't resist making a card that showcased this fun and original name. I used a little valentine bear from SVGCuts (freebie). The DP, that I adore and have used often, is from DCWV (Nana's nursery I think). It was one of those projects that make you smile... :-)
What can I say, I love baby cards...

Warm wishes

A little get well soon card for one of my aunts who had surgery recently. I used my beloved Fluffles... ;-)

Textured wedding card

A simple wedding card for one of my cousins, that showcases the texture of the textile folder. Sorry the pic is blurry but I only uploaded it now and the card has long left! ;-)

Birthday waterfall card

I'm finally back, well my computer is, and even though it's still acting a little wonky it seems safe to try to finally update my blog!... :-)
I enlisted the help of my daughter to make this waterfall card for my mother's birthday. (don't ask how late I was... :-S) She drew the pictures for me. This sure was a fun project, and my 1st waterfall card. One I need to remember to do more often, especially for kids' birthdays! It's pretty amazing to see the pics lift up and disappear in the back, and it is deceptively simple to make!! :-D

Just in case you're wondering...

I am not dead and didn't give up papercrafting either.... ;-) I am just having computer problems.
My laptop crashed over 2 weeks ago and is still in repair, the hard drive died on me again, only weeks after we had to change it already! >:-(
So I have very sporadic access to internet, and no access to my SCAL. For all I know, I might have lost all my svg files! *shudders* And of course, I am not uploading pictures either...
Hopefully things will get back to normal soon, I know it's been a while since I posted anything... :-S

Birthday Boat lever card

It's been a while since I posted anything. Time flies and I can never seem to catch up... :-(
The awful proof is this card I made for my Dad's birthday which was almost 6 weeks ago.... :-S Yes, I know, it's a shame, but I do believe in good intentions and "better late than never" so I will send it anyway...

I used the lever cards files from SVGcuts, found some cool wood grain paper (boat and left of card), and made a little marine 8 knot to reinforce my theme. My Dad isn't especially into boats, but I love them, and since I live an ocean away from my parents it seemed kind of fitting... ;-)

Harvest frame

Tonight marks the beginning of Sukkot, a jewish Holiday celebrating different things including the Harvest.
I made this little wreath for my friends who invited us to celebrate the 1st night of the holiday with them.
I turned it more into a frame by adding a prayer in hebrew that has to do with Sukkot in the middle (hard to see in the pic).
I used all SVGCuts.com files, except the fruits that I made myself by hand. I started with the Laurel Wreath (that I stretched to 11X11), then because it's a Harvest celebration (some people refer to it as the jewish Thanksgiving) I included details of Fall like the mums, the pumpkins, the maple and oak leaves, and the fruits at the top.

Then at the bottom are 2 things very specific to this Holiday: a lulav and an etrog. I won't go too much into details but those are things used for prayers and celebrations. The lulav is a little bunch of certains tree branches including palms and myrtle, and the etrog is a fruit from the citrus family, kind of like a giant lemon.
I used various files for my branches (including a cornstalk turned into a palm... ;-)) and made my lemon by hand.

Because I didn't know if this was gonna be hung outside (and we are in Florida so the heat and humidity are still very much here) I used a hot glue gun to attach my little decorations.
Because I turned it into a frame I didn't prop things forward too much, and just folded some of the leaves forward as much as possible.

If it didn't take me that long I would definitely make another one for my own home... ;-)
As always clicking on the pic will open larger pictures. :-)

ETA: My wreath tied for 3rd place in the challenge! :-D

A card for the papercrafting supplies' hoarder...

Come on, admit it, I am sure there are quite a few like me around here... You buy nice embellishements or papers that you neatly put away and keep for "that special project"... ;-)
Problem is, said special project somehow never arrives... and sometimes you even forget you have all those things.... *shame* I think it's a classic newbie mistake, but sometimes it just carries on for years afterwards!... ;-D

The other day I was trying to clean up and reorganize a little bit my papercrafting supplies (I'm running out of room in my little corner there!) and I realized what a horrible hoarder I have been (and I've only started all this 3 years ago)!!
It's nothing new unfortunately, I like my beautiful Prima flowers in glass jars on my desk, I look at them and it makes me happy  *sigh* so I don't dare using lots of them... LOL

I already took the resolution a few months back to not buy any stamps till the end of the year,  but I need to be better at using my stash of paper and various embellishments before getting new ones!... so today I made a card with my hidden treasures!... ;-)
I think I've had this cool butterfly paper for over a year... The only "new" thing here are the nestabilities/shapeabilities used for the card shape and the butterflies... I used some Crayola glitter glue in place of Stickles, and I plunged right into my stash of rhinestones and brads... The butterflies are 2 layers, the one underneath being blue vellum, foam tape in the middle (one of the things I don't hoard, I go through a lot of this stuff! ;-))...

I challenge you to go through your stuff and re-discover hidden treasures and make a card with it (or several!)  The added bonus: a cleaner craft desk... And it's almost like getting new stuff since you didn't remember you had it! LOL