Heart Sachets

Hi everyone - Valentines' Day is my favorite holiday and I love heart stuff! When my friend Lin blogged back in April about the new Simon Says Stamp plush heart dies, I was enthralled! I went right over to SSS and ordered two sets. I couldn't decide on just one and why should I?! Thanks for the enabling, Lin!!

It took me a while before I had time to play with them, but I finally made the effort earlier this month. I was planning a trip with my friend Heather Maria and her family. I wanted to take her something special that I had handmade so that's when I got out the SSS plush dies. I decided a sachet would be fun to make. Here are my first two (and only, so far) attempts:

Supplies: Dies - Simon Says Stamp Plush Blooming Heart - S376 & Plush Charmed Heart - S377 

Felt, Fusible Interfacing & filling from JoAnn's; DMC embroidery floss; May Arts ribbon; fragrance pouch from Michael's 

I started by making the one on the left but couldn't resist making another so did the one on the right (Heather got that one - more on the trip later...). I bought a bunch of different felt colors, then cut the hearts in powder blue (2 of each) and the embellishments from teal, pink, rose, chartreuse, & green. My Vagabond got a workout that night!! So, I'm making sachets but what do I get for fragrance?? I didn't want to use the dried flower potpourri stuff. I ended up buying some of those envelopes that you normally leave sealed and throw into your dresser drawers. I opened one up and what's inside looks like clay crumbles - very fragrant - as in so strong, I was sneezing a lot! Knew I didn't want to use much of it and I didn't want it to stain my felt!! What could I do??

I ended up buying some fusible interface and I diecut two heart shapes for each sachet from the interface. I put a bit of the scented clay inside of one, popped a second atop, and sealed them with my iron. I trimmed the pouch down, cutting off most of the stitching holes but left a few at top and bottom to anchor it inside the felt hearts. I stitched the ribbon hanger onto the scented pouch and, when I stitched the pouch inside the felt hearts, I used some plush filling to fatten them up. I stitched all the embellishments onto the front hearts before adding the pouch, plush and back, then stitched together. I used a hot glue gun to adhere the bitty flowers. 

The shapes are fun to stitch and you can put together a sachet in an afternoon. The hardest part was putting together the sachet pouch but it was well worth the effort! If I had been more ambitious, I could've make a bunch of these for our chorus fundraiser in May.....oh well! I was lucky to make two - prototype for myself and a second one for Heather. I know she really liked hers - mine is still sitting in a bag from showing it to some friends. Really should get it into the closet!

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you're having a fabulous week!!

Merry Monday - Blue, Gold with White or Silver

Hi everyone - busy week ahead so I'm here for a quick post. Colleen's color challenge on Merry Monday this week is to use Blue and Gold with White or Silver. Yummy combo - couldn't wait to play along. 

Here's my card:

Supplies: Paper - Hero Arts Azure Folded card; Neenah Solar White cardstock; DCWV foiled cardstock

Dies - Hero Arts DC168 Winter Cheer Tag Set by Lia; Sunny Studios Merry die from  "Santa's Helpers" set

Stamp - Hero Arts CG685 Hand Drawn Snowflakes

Ink - Tim Holtz Distress Ink - Salty Ocean

Other - Darice assorted sequins

Sorry for the short post! Be sure to check out Merry Monday for Christmas card inspiration. Sadly for us but happily for the Merry Makers, they are taking off July and August for some family fun. No worries, we can always check back on earlier challenges for inspiration or, like my friend Heather Maria & I plan to do, make up your own weekly challenges. Stop back next Monday to see what I came up with to challenge her and anyone else who wants to play while Merry Monday is on hiatus.

Thanks for stopping and have a crafty week!!

Peace, Joy &/or Love

Hi all - I'm delighted to be the Guest Designer at Merry Monday this week after a win for this card in the kid's card challenge. For this week's challenge, Bonnie invites us to use the words Peace, Joy, and/or Love on your Christmas card.

I had the perfect Hero Arts set contain all three words along with some beautiful crystal ornaments. I hadn't had the chance to use it yet and thought it past time! I started out by stamping and silver embossing the ornaments, then watercoloring them. They were all on one piece of watercolor paper I had die cut with a stitched rectangle, intending it to be one panel. Then as I was stamping another element, I blobbed the paper - arrgh, I hate when that happens!! So I fussy cut the ornaments and stamped the rest of the elements on a pale green card base, popping the ornaments with foam tape. They looked a bit plain hanging from the branch so I added so little bows with metallic ribbon. Here's my card:

Supplies: Hero Arts Celadon card; watercolor paper; May Arts ribbon; Lucy's Little Things sequins

Stamps: Hero Arts CL802 Christmas Crystals

Inks: Tim Holtz Distress Ink - Tumbled Glass, Iced Spruce, Evergreen Bough, Dusty Concord, 

Candied Apple, Worn Lipstick, Shaded Lilac

Thanks for stopping and be sure to check out the beautiful cards by Merry Monday's Design Team! Thanks for the fun guest spot!!

Stacked teacups

Hi all - this week's Merry Monday challenge from Lesley has a great inspiration photo - just love the stacked teacups!! I couldn't wait to play along and here's my card using some Silhouette cuts and die cuts:

Supplies: Hero Arts Punch card; Basic Grey papers - Nordic Holiday & Sugared; Bazzill cardstock

Silhouette files: #9702 "4 Teacup Silhouettes" (cups and saucer); #79076 "Stacked Teacups Card" (tea bag)

Dies: Impression Obsession "Pine Branch Die"; Penny Black "Red & Green"

Stamps: Hero Arts CL803 Family & Friends (citron flower on top cup) CL887 Color Layering Christmas Tree (sentiment); Hero Arts w/Studio Calico 331232 Spread Joy (circle border on top cup)

Ink: Tim Holtz Distress Inks - Fired Brick, Lucky Clover, Twisted Citron; Black Soot

Tim Holtz washi; May Arts string twine; Copics - for shadow and definition

I had fun mixing patterns on two cups and stamping on the third one. The Tim Holtz washi was the perfect anchor to my stacked cups. Hope you're having a crafty day and thanks for stopping! Be sure to check out Merry Monday for loads of inspiration.

Little Kiddles

Hi all - it's Merry Monday time again! This week Sue challenges us to create a kid's card. The Design Team did a  fabulous job on this one so be sure to check out their cards! I wanted to play and luckily have the perfect stamp set for it. Just love the little girls in this set!! Here's my card:

Supplies: 

Stamps - Hero Arts CL644 Bring on the Merry; Paper - Neenah Solar White, My Mind's Eye "Merry Little Christmas"

Dies - My Favorite Things Blueprints 20 & Double Stitched Rectangles

Other - Copic Markers; Hero Arts pink gemstones; Liquid Applique

We had a chorus retreat over the past weekend and I have lots of rehearsing to do. So I'm cutting this post short but thanks so much for stopping by! Hope you have a crafty week!!

Baggin' It!

Hi all - this week's Merry Monday challenge from Nina is to include a bag on your card. I chose to make the card base a bag since I had a fun Silhouette design I thought might work. This is a bottom fold card which is intended as a gift card holder (I just skipped cutting that part). Here's my card:

Supplies: Stamps - Hero Arts DC160 Santa's Elves Stamp & Cut; CL644 Bring on the Merry (present);

CL803 Family and Friends (sentiment tag "To You"); CG685 Hand Drawn Snowflakes (texture on bag)

Paper: Hero Arts Punch Layering paper; Anchor Paper kraft; Neenah Solar White; Basic Grey

Other: Silhouette Design ID#111031 Port Gift Card Bag; Copic Markers; May Arts String Twine

Distress Inks - Twisted Citron, Lucky Clover, Candied Apple; Liquid Applique; foam tape

Michael's brand metal accents (black dots on berries)

While dusting today (imagine that?!) I found a little wreath I had die cut last year for Merry Monday. Never finished that card so thought I make one today. I used some fun cling border stamps I got for my birthday from my friend Heather Maria.

Supplies: Stamps - Hero Arts CL787 Holiday Petals and Leaves (bow); CL619 Greetings for the Holidays (sentiment); Urban Stamps 907946 Tall Urban Stamp Craft Christmas (borders); Distress Inks - Pine Needles and Candied Apple; Silhouette Design # unknown for wreath; Hero Arts Punch layering paper

Be sure to stop in at Merry Monday for loads of inspiration to get your Christmas cards done early. Thanks for stopping by!