Gift For Mom

A while back I made my mom at tribute frame to honor my dad who passed away. I loved the finished frame and evidently she did too as it didn't take her long to put it on the wall by her computer.

I wanted to honor mom in the same fashion but I wanted her to have the tribute frame to hang next to the one of dad.

My supply list consisted of metal trinkets that I found in my stash, some older and some newer. Cardstock and papers that I had left over from my dad's frame. I bought the frame, a few Tim Holtz products for the finishing touches, and copies of her pictures. I included pictures of my dad, my mom, a picture that spans two of the boxes of the immediate family, one of my mom when she was a new momma herself, one of my mom and her daddy (that is what she always called my Grandfather) and other pictures of my mom.

This now proudly hangs next to the one for my dad.















These frames can get a little pricy to make, so if you decide to make a keepsake go into your stash and use some of the things you have before you go shopping for accent pieces.

As you can see I used like colors and materials so that they two frames did not clash and the two frames compliment each other.



A hand made gift often tells a story, sometimes of the person giving it and sometimes of the person receiving it. In this case it is both.

Happy Scrappin' ! ! !

Brenda

Valentine Cards

Last year I made a few Valentine Boxes for my CCD class. I used little Love Bugs on the front of the boxes.

Here is a picture of that project:



I had a few of those bees left over and decided that I would get out an edge punch and make a few cards.



I also had some scraps of other cardstock the perfect size to use for another card. This one is all punched. Again I tell you that I do not like traditional colors for holidays. Everyone thinks that green and red together screams Christmas, with the hearts this screamed "I Love You."



If you have a few extra of something after you finish a project, don't discard them, store them and an idea will pop up out of thin air.

Happy Scrappin' ! ! !

Brenda

Small Town Stores

I've always loved the small town stores that carry hand made items. My sister used to have one such store. I loved making things for her store. It was a way for me to make a few extra dollars and just share those fun things I would make. I would crochet baby sweater sets and afghans, fillet crochet name frames, make wooden items, custom framed wedding invitations and many other handmade items. It never crossed my mind to do paper items.

Two weeks ago I was approached about making banners for a small store in a neighboring community, Grafton, IL. The boutique owner showed me a couple of photos of banner that she liked and asked me if I could make something similar.

These banners are all over the Internet. They are being sold on various sites and some are all hand-crafted while others are cut triangles with computer generated letters attached. Either way I thought long and hard about doing these banners as I am a busy working mother and wife with very little time to craft the things I want to make but I decided to give this a try.

The first banner that the owner wanted was a "Happy Valentine's Day" banner done in traditional red and pinks.

I am anything but traditional about pure red and pink for Valentine's day. I am a "dirty" scrapbooker. I don't mean that the way it sounded... I am honest about if something is scrap-lifted or where the inspiration for an idea comes from. What I mean by "dirty" is that I ink almost everything. I can't help myself. I like it when things look "dirty." I also love muted colors and a mix of colors that has nothing to do with a theme. I like mismatched patterns but also don't like it when patterns and colors clash.

Here is what I came up with for the "Happy Valentine's Day" banner that is now hanging and for sale in the Pixie Stix in Grafton, IL.











I don't think that making these banners will turn into a full time money maker but I am doing custom orders for the store owner and making other holiday banners as the holiday arises.

Sometimes an opportunity will present itself and unless you give it a try you will always ask "what if" ... be bold, be willing to try something new, and be willing to share your craft.

Happy Scrappin' ! ! !

Brenda

Thank You Notes

I always try to send thank you notes for gifts, special things people have done for me, or just for the many prayers that I have received. I want the thank you not to convey my appreciation so I hand make most of my note cards.

I am always looking for new ideas and I generally find many ideas and inspiration on a website called "Pinterest."

This first card is a scrap-lifted idea from that site. I love how these cards turned out. They were very easy and even though mine are not an exact duplicate they are very close to the original.





I also made a very "retro" looking card that was for a co-worker who gave me a bottle of hand lotion that had peace signs and "flower power " flowers on the label. I love the lotion and wanted the card to be linked to the gift.




Although the first thank you note was a scrap-lift, the second one is original inspired by the label on the gift. Inspiration can be anywhere at any time. Keep your eyes and mind open for those ideas.

Happy Scrappin' ! ! !

Brenda

Tiggers Bounce

I always remember that line when I think about Tigger.

A couple of weeks ago a friend of mine called and needed 20 Tigger heads but they could only be 2" wide by 3" long. I have the Pooh and Friends Cricut Cartridge and I have never used it and thought it was time to break the seal on it.

I know from experience that the smaller you cut the characters from the Cricut cartridges the smaller all off the overlay pieces and the harder it is to make them but I am up for the challenge.

I used all Bazzill Cardstock to make these little guys. The only thing that I added to them was little touches of white gel pen. I can't leave things like that alone.



20 of these were put into the mail and sent to my friend Vicky. She emailed me when she received them and told me they were perfect for her task at hand. I was happy to do them for her.

I am always willing to share with others... you never know when you will need a little help yourself. Besides, it was fun to use one of my cartridges that I had never played with before.

Happy Scrappin' ! ! !

Brenda

Birthday Gifts In Candy Form

I love to get a hand-made gifts and I know a few other people who feel the same way. There is something about knowing that the person giving the gift took a lot of time and put thought into the gift.

My God-Children, Karlie and Sean each just celebrated their birthdays. In fact they were born on the same day, but years apart. I wanted them to know that I was thinking of them on their birthday but didn't have a lot of money to spend on a gift and I needed to be able to mail it to them.

These "pocket cards" seem to be the perfect gift for them.

Karlie is my God-Daughter and turned 17. She is a beautiful girl and is a stylish diva. So what better than a little cheetah print for a teen. The new Basic Grey line was perfect for this because on the reverse side is a black and tan stripe.

I made the outside of hers look like a billfold with a rosette accent.



Then you open the "purse" there the largest candy bar that I could find, wrapped with the same cheetah print paper with a contrasting paper as a label with her name. I carefully folded the papers to make a "pocket" to slide the candy bar.



Knowing my God-Daughter she loved the prints and candy.



For my God-Son, it was music all the way. I tried to find video game paper but I came up empty so music was a close second. His was a little simpler. Since he was turning 13 I just added his age.



The folds for both were the same.... and the same concept with adding the name.



I am sure he appreciated that I remember his birthday as well.



Even though I could not be with my God-Children on their birthdays they know I put a lot of thought into sending them a gift.

If all else fails send candy! Just use a little craftiness with the wrappers to dress it up.

Happy Scrappin' ! ! !

Brenda