Craftwell Bunny Blog Hop

 

Welcome!  If you came here from Debi Tullier’s blog, you are in the right place!  If not, then start at the beginning at Kim Gaughn’s blog!  We have an amazing line up to share with you and you won’t want to miss a thing!  Oh, and before I forget….there are some giveaways too!  More about that in a bit!

 

Our theme for this blog hop is SPRING!  I just love spring!  Where I live we tend to have some grueling winters and so when we get that first touch of spring, it is like a saving grace.  The start of a new life.  This year has been SO different in that we had an incredibly mild spring.  We only had I think 2 snowfalls that needed shoveling or snow blowing.  That is unheard of around here.  A few years ago, I remember a big snowstorm on the Saturday before Easter.  This year we have had the warmest March on record and I even got out the shorts for the boys and we have already done quite a bit of outdoor activities.  Just amazing! 

For my project today, I could not resist using some products that I have had lying around my studio for awhile and haven’t used yet.  One of those was some PaperLayerz by Megan Elizabeth.  I am loving these!  The PaperLayerz are made from the same cardstock base as the eCraft Diecutable Cardstock which is my favorite cardstock for cutting.  The PaperLayerz look like this…

The cool thing that I like is that the patterns in the paper are very subtle so that they don’t distract away from your focal point at all.  In the flower that I cut from the “Spring is Bliss”  Set from Lettering Delights, I used the patterned squares only and it really adds such a nice touch.  Take a closer look…

Now, to accentuate that gorgeous flower, I turned to some products from Papertrey Ink that I haven’t played with yet.  I started out with an Ocean Tides cardbase (great color match to the flower stem) and added on top of that a piece of Sweet Blush cardstock that was die cut with the Quatrefoil Cover Plate Die.  This die is made to give you a base for a standard A2 size card.  I also used some Sweet Blush cardstock to die cut the label from the Christmas label die.  I used the Sweet Spring stamp set to stamp the decorative elements onto that label and the “You” came from the Simply You stamp set.

 

Next I utilized some more of Papertrey Ink’s Movers and Shakers dies.  This time I used the Sliders and cut those from Aqua Mist cardstock and assembled it and placed it right on the cardfront.  Note:  If I had to do this again, I would have lined the back of the slider with another piece of cardstock because my flower gets caught on the Quatrefoil die and doesn’t slide as nicely as I would like it to.  Oh well, live and learn right?  Now of course, before I assembled the slider, I had to decorate the inside so for that I again turned to the Sweet Spring stamp set.

I stamped the flowers a few times and heat embossed them with white embossing powder.  I then colored in the flowers with some Perfect Pearls mixed with a little water.  The “are beautiful inside and out” sentiment is from Papertrey Ink’s Simply You stamp set and the “Pull Here” on the tab is from their Movers & Shakers Sentiments stamp set.

 

I really used a lot of thin metal dies on this project and as I was running them through one at a time in my Big Shot…I kept daydreaming of the day when my eBosser comes home.  I would have been able to run all of these dies through at once with that larger cutting platform!  Imagine how much more efficient I would be!  Like many of you, my crafting time is valuable so this is something that I am really looking forward to.  Just like how the eCraft made better use of my crafting time by not using a sticky mat, the eBosser I am sure will do the same thing in that I can cut more on one pass through the machine.  Can’t wait!!!

Now, don’t go away just yet!!!   I have a little giveaway for all of you!  I have a $15 dollar gift certificate to Lettering Delights to giveaway…all you have to do is become a follower on my blog and leave me a comment on this post telling me what you are looking forward to doing with the eBosser.  You have until Sunday, April 1st 10 PM CST to enter my giveaway so don’t delay!

 

Now, after you have done that you can head over to the eCraft by Craftwell blog for the final stop and there is another giveaway there so make sure you sign up for that one too!

 

Here is the full list of stops in case you have gotten lost along the way!  Have a great hop everyone and I will announce the winner of my giveaway bright and early Monday morning!

 

www.craftypinkanchor.blogspot.com  <----START HERE

Kim Gaughan

http://kreationsbykimberlyrae.com/blog/

KimberlyRae Forde

http://auntielolocrafts.blogspot.com/

Lois Hale

http://gingerpiedesigns.blogspot.com/

Claire Hamer

http://jazmin-rose.blogspot.com/

Jazmin Gibbons

www.enjayscraftpages.blogspot.com

Nicola Jolliffee

http://fabric-ecraft.blogspot.com/

Debi Tullier

http://www.purplepaperparadise.blogspot.com/ <---YOU ARE HERE

Denise O’Connor

http://blog.craftwellusa.com/ <---GO HERE NEXT

Craftwell

Don't Forget

Tomorrow is the Craftwell Bunny Blog Hop!!!

Start over at Kim Gaughn's Blog!  It is sure to be filled with lots of inspiration...I can't wait to see what everyone has created!

Spinning into action!!

 

A sneak peek for you of my project on the eCraft by Craftwell blog today!!!  For instructions and supply list, get on over to the eCraft by Craftwell blog! 

You can find the instructions and supplies HERE!!!

OH….did you know that this Saturday there is an eCraft BLOG HOP!!!!  Don’t miss it!

The Robots Have Invaded

 

If you are anything like me, you LOVE to do Arts & Crafts with your kids.  The downside to this is sharing your supplies LOL!!  In all seriousness, there is a chance that they are going to make a mess and maybe even damage your supplies.  My two boys love to be creative and I really want to encourage their creativity so I put up with the mess an turmoil so that they can have their fun.

 

Recently I was contacted by Tom Meeks (some of you early eCraft users may remember him because he was instrumental in helping a lot of us early users overcome the learning curve of the eCraft).  Tom has ventured into unchartered waters with 3D printing and he believes that one day 3D printing can be implemented into the crafting world.  From the videos that I have seen and my own interest in being able to create things like embellishments, I have to say that I do think 3D printing definitely has a place in the crafting community.  It may be awhile before any of us can justify having a 3D printer in our homes, because they are still quite expensive, but who knows right?  That day may be here sooner than we think.

 

Tom really wanted to get a crafter’s perspective on the final product that 3D printing can produce, so he generously sent me TWO gift certificates to a place called My Robot Nation.  Why two?  Well because after looking it over, I knew that this would be a perfect project for my boys and he didn’t want one of them to be left out or for the two to argue over what they wanted their robot to look like.  Thank you for that Tom because it really was an amazing experience for each of them.

 

I sat down with each of them and let them have free reign as they designed their robots.  They got to pick the body shapes, colors, accessories, and even stamps to add onto their robots.  They even were able to add their names onto their robot!  The website was very user friendly and the boys had no problem doing what they wanted to do.  Once they were done with their robots, they got to name their robots.  Once the orders were completed the waiting began and so did the “Are the robots here yet?” questions.  A few days after we placed the orders, we got an e-mail from them letting us know that the robots were being made RIGHT NOW.  This only added to the excitement!  Then later on, we got an e-mail letting us know that the robots had shipped and it even came with a picture of the finished robot.  How cool is that?  At that point, my 7 year old, Jared was diligent about checking the mailbox.

 

The other day, the robots arrived!  I cannot tell you how excited they were, they almost didn’t give me any time to get the camera! The robots were packed very well, here are some pictures of the boys unpacking their robots…First we have Jared.

And next we have my 4 year old, Mason who was so excited he climbed up on the table!

And the reveal….first off Mason’s robot who he named Zombie Robot (he is in love with the Plants vs. Zombies computer game LOL!)

And now Jared’s robot named Mr. Blasting….

As you can see from the pictures, these guys are only 2” tall.  The amount of detail on them is outstanding.  Jared insisted that I get a picture of the two robots about to do battle so here they are together…

The boys are already asking when they can make more robots!  I should tell you that although these robots look like toys, they really are not meant to be played with so we have them displayed on a shelf and I am sure that we will be adding to their collections.  Ever since these little guys have arrived, I have been experimenting in my mind with things that I would like to make.  I can see a world of possibilities opening up and I for one will be following all the developments.

 

If you are interested in learning more about 3D printing, be sure to check out Cubify Fans which is Tom’s blog all about the new Cube 3D printer.

My Boys Bracelet for the eCraft Design Team

 

Bake and Shrink from PrintOnIt.com is some pretty cool stuff.  I love that I can print anything that I want on it!  One day, I was strolling around Michaels with a coupon burning in my pocket and I made my way into the jewelry aisle.  There I found this cuff bracelet.

All of a sudden, I was struck with the idea for this project.  It wasn’t until I was at the register that I realized that little beauty was on sale!  Oh well, I will save the coupon for another day because I really wanted to get home and make this idea.

 

Now in the Bake and Shrink instructions, they said that whatever you cut will shrink to approximately 1/4 of it’s original size.  I was confused by this because the last time I made something with this, I did not think that they got that small, so I figured a little experimentation was in order.  First I printed out a picture of my boys that I took last Thanksgiving onto the Bake & Shrink.  Then using the Print & Cut Hinge Method, I cut a large circle from the picture. This circle was large enough that if it did shrink to 1/4 of it’s size, it would fit in the bracelet. I placed this in the oven and watched it shrink.  I was thinking of making a video on this, but my oven door is dirty and I was too anxious to stop to clean it…sorry!

 

Once it baked, I knew right away that it would not fit in my bracelet …but it also provided me with the information that I needed to get the right measurement.  Based on the sizes, I figured that it shrinks to approximately 40% of it’s original size.  So out came the calculator and some straining to remember math that I learned in high school and eventually I figured out what size my circle needed to be before baking.  So I printed out another Bake and Shrink sheet with a picture of my boys and again used the Print & Cut Hinge Method to cut my circle.  Back to the oven…

 

With baited breath I watched and once the shrinking was done and I took it out of the oven, I stood there in shock.  Are my eyes deceiving me or did I do my math right???  This circle was almost perfect.  With just a little sanding on one side, the circle fit perfectly into my bracelet.  Now, for the next step…since Bake and Shrink is white and it is thicker than the indentation in my cuff bracelet, that means that I would see a ring of white.  I decided that I really wanted this edge to be black, so I took out my black Copic and carefully colored the edge and that was all it took to change the color.

The only thing left was to take some Glossy Accents and adhere the Bake and Shrink into the bracelet and then prop it up to dry.  Now, I can take my boys with me everywhere and show them off!

Oh, and that piece that was too big for the bracelet, well with a little more Glossy Accents and a magnet, I made a refrigerator magnet.

Have a great week everyone!!!

HSN Correction!!!

Things must be pretty hectic over at HSN getting ready for National Craft Month!  The schedule has changed for the eCraft spots....the correct times are:

10 AM EST
3 PM EST
7 PM EST

Baby Frame for the eCraft Design Team Challenge

 

Welcome to Challenge Week on the eCraft by Craftwell blog!  This week we have been challenged to use the products from PrintOnIt.com to create a baby gift.  Now, all sorts of ideas popped in my head for this including onesies, socks, blankets, ornaments, etc.  I decided to do something a little bit more personalized.  I made this to show how the Inkjet Opaque Transfer Sheets don’t have to go on clothes.

I printed out some digital paper from my stash onto the Inkjet Opaque Transfer Sheets and then cut out the letters using my eCraft.  This paper is very slippery so to get some clean cuts on these letters, I had to pull out all the stops.  I used a little spray temporary adhesive and adhered that to my veggie mat from Dollar Tree.  I also decided to tape down the edges with some painters tape just to make sure that I didn’t waste any of this material…this may have been overkill, but it worked!

 

Next I used my heat press to adhere the letters onto a piece of solid colored fabric from Joann’s.  If I had to do this project again, I would have to come up with a better method to keep the letters straight.  I put a piece of cardstock there and lined up the letters to the edge of the cardstock, but they are so light that at some point a couple of them shifted.

 

After my letters were adhered to my fabric, I adhered the whole panel to a piece of chipboard that was cut to fit my frame.  Now, it was time to do something with my frame…

 

This frame was originally black and the mom that I made this for really likes the distressed look so I actually did two different distressing techniques on it.  First, I painted the frame in some pale blue paint from Martha Stewart (Blue Sky) and then I used a sanding block to sand off some of the paint in some places.  Then I applied a heavy coat of Weather Crackle Effect by Martha Stewart and let that dry.  Once that medium was dry I painted on top of it in another Martha Stewart paint (Greek Tile).  I have to tell you…this was really cool because the crackle starts to happen once your top coat of paint starts to dry and the Martha Stewart paints dry pretty quickly.  I got the frame, the paints, and the Crackle from Michaels. After my painting techniques were done, I sprayed the frame with a clear coat to preserve the look (and to prevent any paint from chipping off). I love how this blue compliments the yellow in this little boy’s room.

 

 

Thanks for stopping by and make sure you visit the eCraft by Craftwell blog each day this week to see what the other girls have done with this challenge!

HSN Schedule Changes

 

Craftwell’s showing on HSN have been changed.  They are no longer going to be on today, but you can see them three times on Tuesday March 13th at 6AM, 3PM, and 7PM EST so set those DVRs!!!!!  I plan on being up bright and early for the first showing, enjoying my coffee and a little quiet time before the boys wake up.

Blinged Out Create Shirt

 

PrintOnIt.com has some great products, and this week I decided to create some a t-shirt perfect for crops or any other crafty get together.

First off, I took to Photoshop and created this design using some Digi Stamps.  I printed it out on Print On It’s Inkjet Opaque Transfer Paper.  I then cut out a rectangle with the eCraft around the design using the Print & Cut-Hinge Method.  When I adhered this down on my veggie mat, I made sure to tape it down really well because this paper has a real slick feel to it and that means that the rollers can have trouble gripping it, but if it is taped to the veggie mat, then no worries!

 

Now, while this was very nice…it still needed something.  Well I went in search of some inspiration by looking through my stamps and I came across some flourishes that I thought might make for some good rhinestone patterns and decided to see if I could make a rhinestone pattern from a stamped image.  Since this is a totally new to me technique, I decided to go ahead and make a little video for you so you can see how I did it. First a closer look at those rhinestones…

And now for those videos…first off, using Make the Cut and my scanner how I turned a stamp into a rhinestone pattern…

Next up how I applied the rhinestones right next to the Transfer Paper without ruining the transfer paper…

Hope you enjoyed my project this week!  Don’t forget to watch the eCraft on HSN on March 11th & 13th.