A Color Book with Texture

Happy Wonderful Wednesday girls! Be sure to scroll down for my Diedrich Dare card today too!

Up first is my Cuttlebug Challenge project for today. This week we were to supposed to make something with the kids in mind! I thought and thought and was coming up blank. And then I woke up early one morning and as I was dozing, hoping to go back to sleep, an idea came to me. I'm really, really happy with how it came out. And it was came together QUICK!

Here's a look at each page in case you are interested.

 I assembly-lined each step as much as I could. Cut the Kraft bases. Then cut the circles using my Cuttlebug and a Spellbinders die. Then embossed them all. Adhered and stamped the names. Attached the eyelets. Doing it that way made it much quicker than doing one page at a time.

I do think this would be a neat gift for a new mom or a 1st birthday present. I can absolutely see myself making some more of them, adding different themes as well. I do think in the future I will laminate them before adding the eyelets so that a little one could knaw on it without paper disintegrating --- ewww! We all know that it only takes a second with your back turned for them to do something like that!

Be sure to swing by the Cuttlebug Challenge and see what the other girls came up with!

Here are the embossing folders that I used:
Swiss Dots, Houndstooth, Argyle, Swirls, Spots & Dots, Owl Flourish, Perfectly Paisley, Allegro, Snowflakes, Oriental Weave, Heart Blocks

And don't forget to scroll down for my Diedrich Dare card today!

CHA Winter 2010 Projects: Gifts from the Kitchen & Fourth of July

I just saw this sitting in my post lineup - in draft mode, I didn't even realize it hadn't posted!

I'm so excited to finally get to share the projects that I created for the Provo Craft booth at CHA this past weekend. Thank you so much Provo Craft for the chance to work with you! Thank you also to Maggie for all the help you give us and for representing the entire team at CHA! I would also like to send out a sincere thank you to Provo Craft for the chance to work with the new folders, Coredinations for their sponsorship and providing cardstock and to Adornit for the great patterned papers you sent to design with as well!

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Maggie asked me to create projects in two themes: Fourth of July and Gifts from the Kitchen.  I'm going to start with my Gifts from the Kitchen sets.

When she asked me to create some items to fit this theme I knew right away what I wanted to do! My first project is for Firecrackers! My mom made this at Christmas this year and they have been an instant hit with the family! My husband is a big fan and we've made several batches since the holidays. They are very easy and a great snack!

I really wanted the firecrackers to show through and so I found this box that they could stack nicely and neatly in (I hope they traveled well) and then just made a simple band to wrap around the middle. I embossed some red Coredinations paper using one of the new Asian folders debuting at CHA. I opted not to sand on this project and just let the design remain very crisp. The sentiment was generated on my computer and punched out; there are so many you could use with this recipe - "You're on Fire!" "You're Hot!" - you get the idea! The firecrackers were sooo simple! I just took some metallic pipe cleaners, cut them down and rolled them up in some of that Adornit patterned paper.

Supply List: Asian embossing folders (Provo Craft), cardstock (Coredinations), patterned paper (Adornit), punch & ribbon (Stampin' Up!), glue dots, red sticky tape, pipe cleaners, box - I found at the comic book store.

Firecrackers Recipe:
1 box of unsalted saltine crackers (we prefer the generic over the name brand for this)
1 1/2 c. of canola oil
3 Tablespoons of crushed red pepper flakes
1 packet Ranch Dressing mix

In a large sealable tub, place all the crackers. In a separate bowl, mix the remaining ingredients well. Pour over crackers. Seal and turn tub gently to coat crackers. Turn the tub every 15 minutes for an hour or so. Open tub and let air dry for a bit.

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My second Gift from the Kitchen was to make Teriyaki Walnuts. I packaged them in a box using a template from My Time Made Easy. I used two of the new Asian folders on this project and love how simple yet "wow" it looks! Since my box base was white, I sanded the Coredinations cardstock on this project to bring in some white on the decor as well. The box is kept closed with some velcro circles.

And then here's the back of the box; I think it's a nice touch to finish it all the way around.

Supply List: Asian embossing folders (Provo Craft), cardstock (Coredinations), patterned paper (Adornit), punch & ribbon (Stampin' Up!), red sticky tape, sanding block, velcro closure

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My final Gift from the Kitchen is a thank you gift for someone who's just been a great friend. There are tons of "gifts in a jar" recipes out there that are easy to put together. This is for Confetti Bean Soup. You are supposed to layer the beans which looks really nice. But I knew that they would get all mixed up in route to CHA so I just mixed them to begin with. I think it works since it's "confetti".

I kept the jar itself pretty simple - just an embossed circle to cover the top, some ribbon and a really neat tag. The embossing just looks so sharp in this little slide frame.

The card is more in-depth. I used another new Asian folder for the main embossing, again on Coredinations cardstock. Instead of sanding, I distressed by lightly inking the paper with some black ink and distressing the edges. The little sentiment panel uses a graphic from Crafty Secrets. The inside of the card features the instructions on a pull out card.

Supply List: Asian embossing folders (Provo Craft), cardstock (Coredinations), stickers (Making Memories), Crafty Secrets, frame & glass slides (Ranger), black ink, edge distresser (Heidi Swapp),

ribbon (Stampin' Up!), brads,

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Okay, now let's shift gears and jump ahead about 6 months. Fourth of July is one of my favorite holidays; I'm so proud to be an American - thankful too - and the patriotism that swells at that time of year just makes me happy!

The first project I'm going to share is a decorated insulated mug. I wanted to create a mug appropriate for a military wife - they sacrifice so much as well for our country. I'm incredibly grateful and thankful for the journey they take to support their husband as they do battle on my behalf.

That being said, this project gave me such grief. I  was literally like "Good Grief" (charlie brown).

What I have to share is the 3rd version of this project that I did.

I used some star printed paper on the bottom, embossed with the stars embossing folder and then brushed with white craft ink. The top had a blue patterned paper and then I cut up bits to create some sentiments.

Supply List: Stars embossing folders (Provo Craft), cardstock (Coredinations), patterned paper (Adornit), red sticky tape, insulated coffee mug

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My next project is a jewelry piece that I created with another frame and glass slides from Ranger.

I embossed Coredinations paper, and then trimmed out the Statue of Liberty image from the Adornit paper. Computer generated sentiment. I layered that all on one glass slide and inserted in the frame. Then I covered it with some crackle medium --- which makes it very difficult to see the embossing in the photo now. While it was still wet I sprinkled in some glitter flakes I had to mimic fireworks!

This is the first project I've made with these materials and it was a lot of fun! Very easy and I can't wait to get some more frames!

Supply List: Asian embossing folders (Provo Craft), cardstock (Coredinations), patterned paper (Adornit), frame & glass slides & crackle medium (Ranger), glitter flakes, chain

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I picked up a wooden star box at Michaels. I thought it would be a wonderful little keepsake box for dog tags. The box was painted and then patterned paper cut to fit the top. I embossed it using just the swirls from the Koi embossing folder. You'll have to look close to see it as it flattened out quite a bit when I was adhering the paper to the top.

I also cut out some other icons and words from the Adornit paper to decorate the box - including a sentiment on the inside.

Supply List: embossing folder (Provo Craft), patterned paper (Adornit), acrylic paint, glue, dimensionals

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My final project is my favorite that I created: a decorated canvas. The shipping tags were embossed with the stars folder and trimmed in length a bit to fit the canvas. I looooove how those manila tags look embossed - it might be my new favorite thing to emboss!

I had some chipboard letters in my stash that I peeled the paper off of and recovered with the Adornit papers. I sponged some ink around the edges to distress them a little bit. For the fourth tag, I cut out a star and embossed it with the swiss dots folder. I sanded them as I really wanted them to stand out. Using a sentiment trimmed from the paper and button and twine I decorated the star for a little fancy ending!

Supply List: embossing folders (Provo Craft), patterned paper (Adornit), cardstock (Coredinations), manila shipping tags, dimensionals, button, thread, paint, sanding block, canvas

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If you've read this far - THANK YOU! There was a lot to share and I am so appreciative that you take the time to visit - please leave a comment letting me know what you think! Which project is your favorite?

Festival of Lights - Gingerbread House

Good Morning!!
If you are looking for my Festival of Lights Blog Hop post and Video Blog Hop post - please scroll down!

Today I have my featured post from the Cuttlebug Challenge blog!

Cassie here this morning to kick off the projects for today. Several of the Senior Design Team will be sharing projects centered around the theme of

Santa's Sweet Shoppe.

One of the traditional symbols surrounding the Christmas season is the Gingerbread House. I love the smell of gingerbread - in cookie or cake form! I don't remember ever decorating gingerbread houses as a child but my mother-in-law has done it with her grandkids for as long as I can remember. My little man (not quite 2 last year) got to "help" last Christmas --- which was eating more than anything! One thing I've always been amazed at is the willingness of people to put so much effort into something that is just thrown away after the holiday. But a gingerbread house out of paper would last from year to year!

Supplies:

house form/box/template

decorative papers

Cuttlebug & embossing folders (Victoria, Snowflake)

craft knife

strong adhesive

liquid adhesive (Crystal Effects)

glitter (Perfect fX in Sparkling Champagne)

ink

trims - lace, buttons, pearls

I started with a box I found in the shape of a gingerbread house. It contained cookie cutters but I bought it for the form!

After opening the box at the top, I peeled off the slick printed layer of the house. I wanted a good surface for my adhesive to adhere to and also didn't want any of the printing to potentially show. After that, I used an inkpad to add color to all the edges that matched my base paper.

I cut my paper into strips and embossed them using my Cuttlebug and embossing folders. The roof paper was sanded to reveal the white core of the paper. The siding was lightly rubbed with the ink pad to bring out the embossing. The edges were also inked on the side pieces.

Then came the fun part - adding in all the details! I used a third patterned paper for the door and windows, using a pen to add some detail. Instead of traditional "candy", I used "candy" that crafters find "yummy"! Buttons along the base, pearls on the roof.

I used Crystal Effects along the edges of the sides and the windows/doors and then sprinkled it with glitter - some Perfect fX flakes I have from when I first started stamping.

And a final closeup shot - can you see the embossing on the sides? This was really easy to make since I already had a form to use. It was just a matter of cutting, embossing, adhering and decorating! One thing I wish I'd done was go over *all* my edges on the room instead of just the two ends. But I'll just remember that for the next one!

I hope you enjoyed my project today!

Have a beautiful day!! ~Cassie

Festival of Lights - Video Blog Hop

Good morning everyone! I hope you are enjoying the Festival of Lights? It has certainly been an event full of inspiration!

I am excited to be part of the first video blog hop by Cuttlebug Challenge! If you arrived here after seeing Betty's video at Cutting Above - you are on the right track! If not, start at Christmas with the Cricut.

Last year I mentioned to my mom that I wanted to change the color scheme on my Christmas tree to whites and clears. Maybe creams too but I haven't completely decided on that inclusion yet. As much as I would love to just go on an ornament free-for-all and buy to my heart's content, that's not really practical. There has been a lot of talk this year about handmade being the perfect gift --- well I think handmade is also the perfect decoration!

With just a few simple supplies, my faithful green Cuttlebug and embossing folders I can have a tree full of ornaments this year.

I am so excited to be participating in the video blog hop today! My neice helped me film and edit my video - any glitches are my fault - everything that looks great is all due to her!! Thanks J!

Those are some close-up shots of the ornaments I've created so far! I can't decide if I like the cardinal or the tapestry one the best so far! I'd love to know which one you like the best!
I did a snowflake one as well - looked really great. I added some stickles and some glitter to it because I figured glitter made everything better. But I did not care for the look at all ---- I prefer just the crisp white on the clear.

Before I send you on your way, we were asked to share our favorite tutorial at the Cuttlebug Challenge.  ACK!! If you know me well at all you know that picking just one favorite is so hard! Ten favorites - a little more doable. So I've been thinking about the ones that I really enjoyed and narrowed it down to two. Terrie's Purse Set is PHEnomenal! She's got serious talent!! And I also really loved Meda's Birthday Organizer. Her work is always so polished and very, very elegant looking. Be sure to scroll down to see it - you'll see how professional her projects always are!!

Now, there are TWO prizes being given away today!! Yea!!
Prize 1 is at Christmas with the Cricut - it said {dinosaur} in parantheses --- I bet that means something to you Cricut fans!!
Prize 2 is at Cuttlebug Challenge - this one is {winter wonderland} --- which sounds divine -- and I'm thinking I heard chatter that it's a very new release? yes? maybe?

Now I want to send you over to one of the newest designers at Cuttlebug Challenge - Tammy Skinner!

Thanks so much for stopping by! Have a beautiful day!!

Cuttlebug Be Inspired 58: Festival of Lights Premier

Welcome to our First ever Festival of Lights from the fabulous team at the Cuttlebug Challenge Blog!

The party kicked off over on the Cuttlebug Challenge Blog with a map of the participating Design Team , if you get lost on the way no worries, just check the DT off the map.

In addition to the fabulous projects, we have decided to make this party the most fun ever, by hiding 2 treasures along the hop!

Two selected designers will draw a random winner from the comments left on her blog in the hop. But of course, it wouldn’t be a treasure hunt if you knew which blog is hiding the treasure, right?

The winner will receive a $30 gift certificate to Peachy Keen Stamps!

You will also get a free year subscription to Technique Junkie Sponsored by Pat Huntoon.

So as you hop, make sure you leave comments on every post so you have a chance to win, and add the Cuttlebug blinkie to your blog!!

Ps the more comments you leave the better chances you have at winning!

Above is a map of the park. This is not your traditional blog hop --- instead of going in a specific order, just make sure that you visit everyone on the hop.

To help you find your way, I have a list of the team and their blog links at the end of my post. Also, visit this link for a download that you can use to help you along the way as well! It has all the names of the team.

Cuttlebug Challenge Design Team List maximum downloads reached. Use this link instead!

And now I'd like to share my project with you. We were asked to incorporate the concept of light into our project.

I found this wooden tree on sale at Hobby Lobby and some battery operated lights at JoAnns. I embossed some green Coredinations paper with the new Winter Trees embossing folder and painted it lightly with some Metallic Celadon paint. 

Then I drilled some holes through the tree and traced out the paper to add to the front, creating "layers" for each level. The Crop-A-Dile helped punch holes in the cardstock for the lights to go through. Here's a close-up shot:

I added some jewels to match my decor in pinks and green and clear. Here is a shot with the lights on.

Thanks so much for visiting! I hope you enjoyed my project today - be sure to let me know what you think - you never know, I might be hiding some presents behind that tree!! Here is the links to the rest of the team!

Cassie Larson - You Are Here!

http://fortheartofit.blogspot.com/

Cindy Royal
http://royalthings.blogspot.com/

Karen Maldonado
http://reallifeinpictures.blogspot.com/

Mel McCarthy
http://melstampz.blogspot.com/

Maggie Lamarre
http://mphoinix.blogspot.com/

Nathalia Castellon
http://funkyphreshpapierkreations.blogspot.com/

Shantaie Fowler
http://inkingpink.blogspot.com/

Terrie Bailey
http://terriebaileys.blogspot.com/

Beth Ullman
http://beth714.blogspot.com/

Betty Brett
http://bettybrett.blogspot.com/

Meda Halmaciu
http://handmadebymeda.blogspot.com/

Danielle Wycough
http://lifeonelayoutatatime.blogspot.com/

Ingrid Danvers
http://scrapbookmaniaandmore.blogspot.com/

Jackie Gallagher
http://luv2scrappp.blogspot.com/

Jenn Koss
http://scrappinforlife.blogspot.com/

June Houck
http://simplyelegantpapercrafts.blogspot.com/

Ellen Sonoski
http://closeyourears.blogspot.com/

Cuttlebug Be Inspired 49: Mini Album

The Cuttlebug Challenge blog is continuing on with our Birthday Palooza! This week are making mini albums to record the moments of the party! Since my theme is a '50s Sock Hop/Grease I went with my color scheme of pink and black and white. One of the major icons of this era is the poodle skirt and that inspired my mini album!

I was doing some searching many weeks ago looking for poodle patterns and came across some "history" of the poodle skirt. NOT that I can find that link today! One said that it was invented by a lady who didn't sew but needed something special for a holiday party. She grabbed felt since it wouldn't require hemming and such and just cut out a wide circle and then decorated it. And then sold it to someone at the party!!! A business was born!

In searching for that link I found this really neat explanation - no reference to who invented it but lots of talk about how teens loved it because of the SWING when dancing to Rock-N-Roll! And something about the leash meaning you had a steady guy and no leash meaning you were playing the field!?! Oooh la la!!

I created an album that was SO SIMPLE to put together. I just sketched out a rough triangle in the shape of my skirt, cutting several pages. I used some Black Magic Coredinations -- so my album alternates between pink and black as the paper is double sided. Very cool even thought I didn't sand it. I hemmed and hawed for about an hour trying to decide if I wanted to emboss my skirt or not. Finally opted to just emboss the little petticoat/crinoline that is peeking out from below.

I found the poodle pattern by searching for poodle skirts in Google Images. You can find it here (along with several other free applique patterns!) After trimming her out, I covered her in Fun Flock and added a bling collar and drew in a leash - because I am after all wholly committed to the 2 guys in my life!!! *wink*

Please visit the Cuttlebug Challenge blog to see what the rest of the designers came up with for this challenge! We'd love to have you play along as well!

Cuttlebug Be Inspired 48: Gift Bag & Card

Post #1

We are continuing our 1 Year Birthday Celebration at the Cuttlebug Challenge Blog! This week it's all about the GIFTS!! What's a birthday without gifts? (You can see my invite here).

In keeping with my '50s Sock Hop/Grease theme, I used some very classic 1950's Grease colors: pink, white and black and of course, kept it really simple!

The bag is actually a bag that has a company logo along the bottom! I just covered it up with paper!!

Here's a close-up shot of the bag decoration! "It's Your Party" is a little play on words; maybe you remember that song from the '50s "It's My Party" --- well, just a little twist and it's perfect!

And then here is the close-up of the card - same paper, same embossing, same border punch. I kinda makes me think of those crinoline (?) underskirts they would wear under the poodle skirts so they would stick out. Again, my sentiment is another well known '50s song!

Thanks for checking in this morning!! Be sure to visit the Cuttlebug Challenge blog and see all the other wonderful creations by the team!

Cuttlebug Be Inspired Challenge 46: Back to School with Cosmo Cricket

Hey girls!! It's Wednesday again and I've got 2 posts for today --- so be sure to browse both of them!

This week the Cuttlebug Challenge blog is sponsored by Cosmo Cricket! They sent the design team an assortment of their lines; I received The Boyfriend crafting kit and ribbon pack. (*I know! I've seen tons of people raving that they love this particular line!*)

It's time for Back to School --- some have already started, some start this week and a lucky few still have a week or two of summer left. School started yesterday here --- I taught high school for 11 years before quitting to be a work at home mom. I have thought of my fellow teacher friends all week; the first week of school is the best of times and the worst of times!

So, the Cuttlebug Challenge team was asked to think outside the box and create *projects* revolving around the idea of going Back to School! (by the way, I can't type that phrase without singing this song in my head --- which I've been doing for DAYS now!!)

I have a trio of items that I created: a mini backpack, perfect for hiding some sweet treats in and giving to a special student; a pencil box, simply decorated and a locker magnet.

I paired the papers from The Boyfriend with Coredinations Black Magic paper. The Backpack template can be found HERE at SCS and the Scor-It was an essential tool to bring this together! Coredinations included a Dust Buddy in our package and I actually remembered to pull it out after I embossed and sanded my cardstock. It was so neat to just swipe that across my paper and desk and have all that fine dust GONE!

The locker magnet is an altered dry erase board I picked up in a dollar spot at some point. I covered it with the "test" paper and added several other elements to pull it all together. The favorite part for me is the quote - a strip that I trimmed from one of the papers and then cut apart each word. Since I taught 9th graders, it was not hard for me to picture this as a motto for a group of high school boys! LOL!!!

You really need to be sure to swing by the Cuttlebug Challenge blog today - I've seen lots of the projects so far for this week and they are OhMyGoodnessAwesome! Seriously! Be sure to upload your creation for the challenge over at Mr Linky so we can come see what you've created as well!

Stick around for my second post!!

Flutter By Wednesday: Pearl Monogram

Good morning! Wednesday's are special because it's Flutter By Wednesday. Danni came up with Flutter By Wednesday over a year ago and challenges us all to create cards/projects with a butterfly on it. She even expanded it to include fairies earlier this year as they flutter and are special too!

Ann is our hostess this week and requested that we use NO patterned or decorative paper. I created a little decorative element. I picked up this pearl letter in the Michael's dollar bin awhile back. I just added some pink butterflies to it.

I think it'll be so pretty tied to a package or gift bag. Or hanging from a little knob on a dresser. I hope the recipient likes it!

Have a great day! My Cuttlebug Challenge card is also going to past today so I hope you'll stick around to see that too!

Cuttlebug Be Inspired Challenge 41: Anything But A Card

Good morning!! It's Wednesday and time for another terrific challenge by the Cuttlebug Challenge design team. It's been so much fun this month Counting Down to CHA and designing with the new embossing folders from Provo Craft. I'm incredibly thankful for the opportunity to create with them. I hope you've been enjoying all the inspiration too!

This week we were asked to use the new Victoria folder (which is one of my favorites!) and to create anything we wanted as long as it wasn't a card! Oh the possibilities!

I picked up these plant markers last year in the Target $pot, not sure why as I am not really a gardening kinda gal but I thought they were cool!

Here's how I altered them:

Here's a close-up shot:
I just wrapped some embossed paper around the metal plate, added some letter stickers and some buttons, gems and butterflies as decoration!

What's growing in my imaginary garden? All the things I think it would be lovely to have:

beans, peas, carrots, squash and rhubarb*.

*Don't knock it until you've tried it. I always thought rhubarb was icky (although I'm not sure what I based that on) until several summers ago when hubby and I traveled up north with his mom and visited family. His aunt had this Rhubarb Crisp that was DIVINE!! It's a tart taste and oh so yummy!

Be sure to visit the Cuttlebug Challenge blog and see what the rest of the team came up with. I've had some sneak peeks and they are stunning, as always!!

Also, be sure to scroll down for my Flutter By post today!