Big News from Lettering Delights!

Big news from Lettering Delights, they will have new product releases all next week. Right now to get everyone ready for those Christmas projects, all graphics are only a $1. Purchase $20 worth and use code "HoDown", that brings your graphics to just .60 a piece! What an amazing deal, right?

Join us for the 

 

Rock around the clock with Lettering Delights Jingle Blog Hop. You'll get to visit many talented bloggers, see amazing ideas, get freebies, and have a chance to win a new KNK Zing cutting machine. Learn more about it here.  Can't wait to see you all there!  

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Print N' Cut Note Cards

Can I just say that I love the Nancy Kubo graphics sets from Lettering Delights? I thought why not make some little note cards. Anyone can get lots of uses out of them for sending those thoughts of encouragement. Especially if they are gifted with a box wrapped with twine.

I used Silhouette Studio Designer Edition to make my cards with the Mommy and Me Journaling graphics. They are sized at 2.5 x 2.5 when completed. At this size I was able to fit 3 on a 8.5 x 11 sheet of photo paper.

One thing I want to mention, but I'm sure no one has done this before. It is probably only me who is a doofus. Make sure when you are printing, especially when using your good matte photo paper, to have your settings on color.  Otherwise, your project will come out like this.

Thought you all would like a look into the absent-minded brain of Becki. I can pretend I wanted to print them in black and white. It gives a very vintage look don't you think?  hahaha Below is the way they are supposed to be printed out. In full Technicolor!

It's a wonder my husband keeps me. Oh yes, it's the Buckeyes I made him yesterday. That could be it! Keep 'em fat and sassy I always say. Recently, I saw a poster on Pinterest that said, "I am so forgetful, I could plan my own surprise party!" Totally how I feel sometimes.

Here are my note cards after I sorted everything out. Mighty cute if I do say so myself! I even put my mistake black and white ones in the box. The recipient isn't going to mind. At least I don't think so.

Stay with me. I have some goodies coming for you all from one of my favorite places. So make sure you check back next week.  It will be so exciting, I promise!

Supplies:
Mommy & Me Journaling by Lettering Delights
Matte Photo Paper
Candy Cane Trendy Twine

*This post contains affiliate links. Thanks for supporting my blog!

Thanks for Being My Friend

Hey all, back with my November project for Trendy Twine.  With thoughts of thankfulness on my mind I made my card.  I have a friend who recently had a baby. Normally this means hanging out at her house hugging and squeezing on that little cutie, but I have been soooo busy I have only seen him one time for about 10 minutes. Add to that I was sick and didn't want to hold him.  That really stinks. I wanted a card I could send just to her to let her know that I am thankful she's my friend. That she still wants to be my friend even when I am a stinky one.

She loves all the twine I have, so I put a cute little Orange Truffle bow on there. Speaking of Orange Truffle, it is on sale now for a limited time.  Hit the link above to go grab you a spool. Don't forget about the challenge going on now also. We all love to see what you guys can create with the best twine on the planet. Have a great day and happy crafting!

Supplies:
Orange Truffle Trendy Twine
Many Thanks stamp by My Thoughts Exactly
Autumn Melody stack by DCWV
Painty Twin Gold & Silver by Kuretake ZIG

Holiday HoDown at Lettering Delights

Ready for some online Black Friday shopping? Then start at Lettering Delights and stock up on all your favorite Cut-Its! All Cut-It sets are on sale for just $2 a piece plus if you use the code "HoDown" you'll save an additional 40% off your purchase of $20 or more! I love the sales at LD, they are so wonderful.

Stock up now while you can, I don't know when they will be having a sale as great as this one. I pray everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving. Stay safe shopping this holiday!

*This post contains affiliate links. Thanks for supporting my blog!

Advent Calendar Pad

I saw this really cool idea at Michaels the other day. An Advent Calendar pad by Recollections.  It was $5!  No thanks. I figured I was crafty enough to make one myself.  I mean, I have the Club Teacher subscription from Lettering Delights.  I have pretty much everything their website stocks so I should be able to whip one of these up super quick!

First I decided what graphics I was going to use.  This would be a Print n' Cut project that will work up pretty quick.  I really liked the frame and banner from the Little Ho-Ho-Ho-ligan Accent set. I made a 3.735" x 3.125" mat for the graphics in Silhouette Studio Designer Edition.

For the countdown numbers and words, I choose the Owlphabet alphabet.  I think it had just the kitschy look I was going for. I was able to fit four of these blocks to a page. If you do not have a machine that do the PnC, these would be easy to hand cut as well since they are just rectangles.

The next step in getting this Advent Calendar to be a tear-away pad was to slop some notepad glue (or padding compound) across the top. Seeing as I do not have any of this special glue, I made some. Hey, it's a DIY project, why not go all the way right?!? I found the instructions on Pinterest and just so happened to have all the ingredients on hand. I love it when a plan comes together! I put three thick coats on after clamping and let dry overnight.

I wanted this to sit on a desk and needed to make an easel back. I made one out of chipboard. It's not fancy but I am not giving this away either. I have a cut file for one but I couldn't find it while making this so a "not so pretty" one will have to do. If any one picks it up to look at the back, fair warning - you're getting a smacked hand!

Here it is in all it's glory! Can I brag and say I really, really love it? It's such a cool idea. Now add to that I know how to make and have a lifetime supply of padding compound, it's even better. I am in the process of making a free printable blog planner with it I found at Infarrantly Creative and a friend improved upon with colorful chevrons. I am thinking I can find all sorts of use for it. This is going to be a real crafty Christmas!

Supplies:
Little Ho-Ho-Ho-ligan Accent graphics set by Lettering Delights
Owlphabet alphabet set by Lettering Delights
Matte photo paper by Staples
Homemade padding compound
Silhouette Cameo

*This post contains affiliate links. Thanks for supporting my blog!

'Tis The Season Wood Sign

I am so excited to share with you today a project that has been on my list for a very long time.  I guess I just needed the right tools for the job. That's what happened when Kuretake sent me some Woodcraft markers to check out.  Can I say I am in love!  I now have three more projects in mind for these bad boys. Let me show how easy it is to make your own sign you can proudly hang in your home.

First I started with an inexpensive piece of craft plywood.  These are available at most big box craft stores.  The piece I purchased was 6x12 and a quarter inch thick.  I lightly sanded the entire piece, rounded the edges, and applied a thin layer of sealer.

After the sealer no longer felt tacky to the touch I brushed on two coats of white paint, letting them dry between coats.

To get my lettering perfect, I cut my sentiment out of vinyl with my die cutter.  I didn't want to have problems with the pattern moving, that's why I choose to stick it down.  If you don't have any vinyl, you can use any kind of paper and cut it out yourself.  I just have very caffeinated hands. :P

After placing the vinyl down in the center of the plank, I used a pencil to outline the letters.  I did not use a lot of pressure to keep the lines very light.

I choose not to use the markers to just color in with the vinyl on.  I wanted to avoid any chance of bleeding and retain a hand drawn look to it.

Once I finished outlining all the letters, I removed the vinyl and started coloring the first line in Bright Green.

Then I proceeded to color in the bottom word with Crimson.  I let the words dry for about 15 minutes between the two coats.  Remember, if you want to erase the pencil marks, do not let the marker touch the lines.  They will be set in once the wood marker is down.  The colors I used were dark enough that I wasn't worried about the lines.  But if you were to use a light colored marker, I would stay just inside the lines so I could erase later.  Just to be safe, I let my sign dry overnight then sprayed the entire piece with a matte sealer.  The finishing touch was two brackets on the back for a beautiful sign to hang and admire.

So, was that super easy or what?  How cool would this be to make a few and give out as gifts at Christmas?  I love it.  I am off to go make a few more with other holiday greetings.  Have a great day and happy crafting!

Supplies:
Kuretake Woodcraft markers in Bright Green and Crimson
Craft Plywood
2 Picture Hangers
Peppermint Holiday Expressions by Lettering Delights

Trendy Twine Birthday Hop

Welcome to the last stop on the Trendy Twine Birthday Blog Hop. Or as I like to call it - kidnap the blog for Lesley's birthday hop.  It's pretty much equivalent to turning the lights on and yelling "surprise!" when someone walks in the door. Yes, the whole team conspired against her to make this happen, which even under normal circumstances is pretty routine. If you are just joining us, please start at the beginning at Twine It Up. There is another special hop going on for Lesley's mom.  I guess her mom got a very awesome birthday present a long time ago.

I went with the color Peppermint Stick as red is my favorite color, and Hello Kitty is one of Lesley's favorites.  I couldn't find the right image and then my printer went on the fritz so I had to hand draw HK.  Since I am not any kind of artist, her head is a little loopsy.  Oh well, it just adds character.  If there is anyone who knows I am not perfect, it's Lesley. But she keeps me anyway. lol

Make sure you leave some birthday wishes for Lesley over at Trendy Twine's blog. I know we all appreciate her taking the time to spread yummy, colorful, twiney goodness all around!  Have a great day and happy crafting.

Supplies:
Peppermint Stick Trendy Twine
Up, Up, and Away stamp by My Thoughts Exactly
Spectrum Noir markers
Hello Kitty hand drawn from an image found on the 'net

Thanksgiving Place Cards

Hey everyone!  Can you believe Thanksgiving is less than a week away?  Wow, has this year flown by.  I am excited to be a part of the Kuretake Design Team and bringing you guys my first team project - place cards for your holiday table.  Since we are getting everything ready for the big feast, we want the decorations to look good too.  Here is a little sample of a couple of cards that will be sure to make my place settings look festive.

Let me start by saying I have very bad penmanship.  How do I rectify that?  I let my electronic die-cutting machine do all the work.  I have the ability in my Boss Kut Gazelle to use pens of practically all sizes. Here is my machine writing out the first of three layers for my cards.

I really love my ZIG Writer.  It gives a nice bold line and writes very smoothly.  It also doesn't leak excess ink on the project as die cutters have a tendency to stop and go a bit as they are thinking of what path to write next.  I just realized how much I count on my machine.  I pretty much don't do anything without it.  I guess I should name her Skynet. (I really hope someone gets that joke. ^__^)

I used the same method for the inner lines on the leaves.  Letting the machine draw with the ZIG Art & Graphic Twin then replacing with the blade.  I had to go over the yellow a bit more after I cut it out as it wasn't dark enough.  The nib on these markers are amazing!  They really let me lay down color to darken it up a bit without over moistening the paper.  I was really impressed.  These markers have two sides - a rubber tip on one end and a brush on the other.  I had lots of fun playing with the brush end practicing my fancy writing.  LOL

Thanks for stopping by and checking out my first Kuretake DT project.  Stay tuned for a super simple and totally cool Christmas decor project.  See you soon and stay crafty!

Supplies:

ZIG Memory System Writer in black
ZIG Art & Graphic Twin markers in Autumn
Simply Autumn paper stack by Recollections
Seasoned Fall by Lettering Delights
Cursive Thin Font by Lettering Delights

Win a Pazzles Inspiration Prize Package

Are you a subscriber of CuttingEdge Magazine?  Did you know we are giving away a Pazzles Inspiration cutter to one lucky reader?  Check out the article once you are logged in for giveaway details.

*cornucopia not included in prize package

The prize package is worth over $780! The package includes the Pazzles Inspiration die cutting machine, six months of Craft Room, an embossing tool, and engraving tool.  Because of the cost, the giveaway is limited to subscribers who reside in the US only.

This month's issue also has an exclusive freebie from our featured designer, Lettering Delights in addition to the four files we have made just for you. You don't want to miss out on this next issue which is now live!