Friends Forever Canvas

I'm taking a few days off from work and finally getting around to some planned projects.  This is one that I had planned for Tessa.  If you've ever read my blog, you know that Tessa loves cats, especially her cat, Zoe B.  So, months ago, I ordered the Little Sister and Cat All in the Family Decor Elements along with the small Friends Are Forever Decor Element.  Since the All in the Family Decor Elements come only in white, I couldn't just add it to her plain white bedroom walls so we picked up a Artist Canvas Board from the local craft store.  I used an 8 x 8 inch board.

I began by sponging Daffodil Delight all over my board, followed by Peach Parfait and then Pumpkin Pie on the very outer edges and sides.  I used regular ink because that is what I had but I think craft would likely work better as my ink had a tendency to wipe off the canvas.  I heat set with my embossing gun and then sprayed a layer of dull coat finish over the canvas.  Then, I just followed the directions with the Decor Elements to apply my images. 

The white didn't contrast quite as much with the Daffodill Delight center and I couldn't see the eyes as well as I wanted so I added a bit of Stampin' Write marker to accent the eyes on both the girl and cat.  I also used my Chocolate Chip Stampin' Write marker to add their names.  I then applied a final coat of the dull coat just to be sure everything was protected. 

I like the way it turned out, but I might try craft ink or paint next time. 

I hope to have some more projects up this week.  My spring break doesn't come with the promise of sunny weather and since I'll be inside, I might as well stamp!

God Bless and Happy Stampin!
Charity

Halloween Gourd

I recently purchased Spooky Expressions decor elements.  The set comes with three Jack-o-Lantern faces and my plan was to add the faces to some of those "forever" pumpkins you buy in craft stores.  However, when I went to the local craft store to buy my pumpkins, I saw some gourds that struck my fancy. Other people have pumpkins and we had a Halloween gourd. 

I did use the other two faces on some fake pumpkins, one went home to a friend's home before I took a picture and the other belongs to Tessa.   It is also unavailable for a photo as I'm not sure where she put it.  But, you all know what a Jack-O-Lantern looks like so you get the point. 

God Bless and Happy Stampin'!

Charity

R is for Rocket

The minute I saw the R is for Rocket in the Nursery Alphabet Decor Elements, I knew that I would be buying several for baby gifts.  Two co-workers recently had new babies and our family welcomed a new baby girl (my niece Molly). 

I purchased the R is for Rocket in Chocolate Chip and then added them to canvas boards.  The boards were less than 1/4" thick which worked perfect and came in a package of 3 for less than $5.  I purchased the canvas boards at a local craft store and painted them with acrylic craft paint.  I tried to choose colors similar to Stampin' Up!® color families and then made coordinating cards. 

For the wall hangings, you'll need your favorite letter from the Nursery Alphabet Decor Elements, coordinating ribbon, paints, thin painting canvases, and your Crop-A-Dile to punch holes.  Simply paint your surface, apply your Decor Element following the directions included in the package, punch holes and add your ribbon to hang on the wall.

For each gift, I added a coordinating card using card stock and the rocket stamp from the Pun Fun stamp set.  I stamped the rocket on Very Vanilla and then punched it with the 1 3/4" punch coloring it with my In Color Markers or Watercolor Pencils. 

For the girl card, I used Melon Mambo and Sweet Pea Designer Series Paper.  I randomly colored a few of the dots on the Designer Series Paper with my Melon Mambo marker.  The coordinating stamps are Vintage Labels and Teeny Tiny Wishes. 

For the boy card, I used Welcome Neighbor Designer Series Paper and Bashful Blue card stock.  I also used Teeny Tiny Wishes for the sentiment.

These gifts were super easy but packed a lot of punch, especially at work with a bunch of rocket scientists.  You can make these gifts personal for the recipient by picking the letter of the first or last name or a picture that is near or dear to their heart, like I did.  They were also very affordable, less than $10 per gift. 

God Bless and Happy Stampin'!
Charity

My First Time - Decor Elements

Several months back, I purchased some Decor Element samples available to demontrators, Chocolate Flowers. At my last Open Studio, I finally sat down and did something with them. For this project, I used one of my favorite stamp sets, Cheep Talk, and Pacific Point cardstock as well as Good Morning Sunshine Designer Series paper. This is a very simple project with layered squares and circles. The Chocolate Flowers were added to the blue bird print from Good Morning Sunshine. For those of you who have not yet used the Decor Elements from Stampin' Up!, I can highly recommend them. In fact, I'm soon going to be making a purchase for my home.



The Decor Elements are very easy to use. They are vinyl and applied in a manner similar to rub-ons. The instructions are provided with the Decor Element you select. When applied to a smooth surface like a wall, glass, or plastic, they can also be easily removed. I don't think they can be removed from paper without potentially damaging the paper, but I also haven't tried yet.

The Last Chance List has several Decor Elements listed so if you've been considering any of these items, now might be the time to buy!

I was also inspired by a gal at Regionals who decided to place some Decor Elements on her laptop computer so I put four flowers on our laptop. Good thing my husband is comfortable with his "feminine side" because he now gets to use a laptop with Chocolate Flowers on it. I suppose things could be worse for him, I could have used pink.

God Bless and Happy Stamping!