Izbzee

birdhouse progress #1

Stress relief -- played with the clay for a couple of hours and it was so much fun.  I'd forgotten how much good it does!  :)

I conditioned the clay (warming it up a bit and making it more pliable. I used a pasta machine setting of 5 for the sides, roof and stones. 

I covered all but the base of the birdhouse with the clay. TIP:  Use Bake and Bond on the wood to secure the clay.  Lay the clay gently to make sure you don't get any bubbles.  Trim as needed with your clay blade or an exacto knife for those tight spots.  

Texture the clay here and there as desired and then following the manufacturer's directions the project was baked at 275 for about 20 minutes since I did have some spots that were slightly thicker than 1/4 inch.  

 

house front

thatched roof view

Next up is adding color.  I still haven't quite decided on the medium yet... acrylic paint with a brush, eBrush with markers or paint or the airbrush.  Might need to play a little and see which one I like best.  I see a little more clay play today to test the best color application.  

new project in the works....

Yep, this is a teaser... we'll see how it turns out. 

The gathering of the basic materials... all from the stash.  Birdhouse is from Darice. the circle is from Wood Hollow, Sculpey clay (yep, I bought it in bulk a couple of years ago... so good!) the dowel was originally used as a "fishing pole" for my Sunday School class.  Being upcycled a bit.  

My craft dedicated pasta machine is at the ready as are my other clay crafting tools.  Let's get started!  

Hoping you'll enjoy some creative time this coming week!  I'm really looking forward to some fun with this project.  

 

 

Halloween Haunts

We've turned another page on the calendar.... yep, we still have a paper calendar hanging on the wall in the kitchen.  I know, it's old fashioned with all the electronic calendars AND planners out there... but it works for us.  

Last year, we made Venus Flytraps for our big Halloween projects. Remember these?

You can find the blog post here.  And that project set another in motion at Simply Crafty SVGs -- Sandy did an amazing job creating a 3D paper project in a smaller version!  

Sandy's file is available here.  

While on the hunt for something fun to make this year.....  Les Pensees en Papier Etsy shop had the perfect solution. 

A Haunted House explosion box!  
And there are interactive elements -- such as the 2 waterfall slides (pumpkins and skulls) on 2 panels of the second box!
The "attic" holds a couple of surprises too!  

 

The SVG files cut neatly with the eclips and eCal3.  Directions were clear and easy to complete (link to a youtube tutorial is included with your download).  I used AC Smooth Cardstock in black and white.  Colored paper is Bazzill.  Some is textured and some pieces are smooth.  The roof is all one piece and is easy to attach and I love the texture!

My finishing touch was to add the Light Activated Sound Module from InviteByVoice.  Music is "Haunted House on the Hill" from MelodyLoops.com.  And when the light filters through to the sensor, well, let's just say, we've been surprised a couple of times with music playing without lifting the roof off!  

Thanks for stopping by... Nurtured your heart and soul doing a little creating.  Have fun and we'll be checking back in soon.  

 

 

 

Sandy's file is available here.  

While on the hunt for something fun to make this year.....  Les Pensees en Papier Etsy shop had the perfect solution. 

A Haunted House explosion box!  
And there are interactive elements -- such as the 2 waterfall slides (pumpkins and skulls) on 2 panels of the second box!
The "attic" holds a couple of surprises too!  

 

The SVG files cut neatly with the eclips and eCal3.  Directions were clear and easy to complete (link to a youtube tutorial is included with your download).  I used AC Smooth Cardstock in black and white.  Colored paper is Bazzill.  Some is textured and some pieces are smooth.  The roof is all one piece and is easy to attach and I love the texture!

My finishing touch was to add the Light Activated Sound Module from InviteByVoice.  Music is "Haunted House on the Hill" from MelodyLoops.com.  And when the light filters through to the sensor, well, let's just say, we've been surprised a couple of times with music playing without lifting the roof off!  

Thanks for stopping by... Nurtured your heart and soul doing a little creating.  Have fun and we'll be checking back in soon.  

digi stamps and movement

A digital Whimsy Stamp (Sugar) to the rescue for this card for one of our granddaughters.  Her birthday is coming up soon and I really hope she'll like it.  We've been doing some sort of interactive card for each of the grandkids for the last couple of years and it's getting a little tougher each year to find something "new" to keep them excited.  However......

Digi stamp cuteness makes this little girl shine and dance using a simple lever mechanism. 

Sentiment is from Queen & Co.  I printed 3 stamps* to create one card.  I used some textured AC cardstock for this card.  Coloring accomplished using colored pencils.  I sprayed with a fixative for a little more insurance against smearing.

*Printing multiple images and cutting the lever mechanism sets  makes it easy to create additional cards on the fly when needed.  

Thanks for dropping by today.  Hoping you're staying safe and well during this Covid stuff and finding some time to be creative!  

It's birthday time again...

Birthdays!  I got myself in a bit of a bind earlier and ran out of my stash of birthday cards earlier than anticipated!  I'm thinking that's a good thing in the realm of papercrafting.  More opportunities to play, right?

Well, if that's the case, it's been fun!  Playing with some new dies (Queen & Co). Shaker cards are always a hit!  

The Sweet Shoppe kit has been so much fun to create with.  The kit comes complete with everything you need to complete several cards... well, maybe all but the card base, but that's not a huge issue since most of us keep lots of cardstock in our stash.  The kit also has lots of patterned paper, the foam shapes and of course dies.  You'll never be at a loss when it comes  to personalizing colors and there are stamps included in each full kit that will serve nearly every occasion.  

This cute shaker is for a young gal back in Oklahoma.  I'm happy to support her "birthday card party" this year.  

 

 

a little mixed media

Playing with a little mixed media in this card... loving the gelli print background, stamping, edge die, clay (Sculpey) and mica (Mixed Media Supplies) for this dimensional card front.    

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The print background paper is a copy of an original gelli print with a stamped image (retired SU).  Scanning the prints has really been a blessing.  It's fun to be able to incorporate the digital image in lots of projects.

The heart is crafted from black sculpey clay heart with a leaf imprint.  The mica was transferred directly to the heart using the leaf.  Baked and sealed with clear sealer from Sculpey.  This heart is one of several I made a while back and didn't give away - but wasn't quite sure how to incorporate into a project.  Thankfully, it's found a home and it's perfect for this card which was sent to someone needing a little cheer last month.  

It was also quite nice to have a stash in place and not have to worry about placing an order and waiting for items to come through the mail or delivery services.  Dear hubby was pleased as well to know that there were a few cards he needed in the stash too.  

As you've probably noticed, crafting has been a little sparse the last few months. The mojo has been elusive and time as well.  Hoping with summer approaching I'll be able to get back into my weekly routine of crafting and creating on Wednesdays again with fabric, fiber and paper... and maybe even begin some additional digital stuff as well.  Fingers crossed that things will come together as planned and sharing some of these ideas soon.  

Hoping you'll find or make some time available to nurture your creative spirit this coming week or during the month if this week has already been filled to capacity....  Be safe, stay well and remember: 

 

 

Father's Day 2020

One thing that hasn't changed this year, thankfully, is some timely crafting and preparing gifts for Father's Day.

Dreaming Tree was so helpful in sharing this file* (just one in the collection) that was a perfect choice for a couple of our guys.

 

I decided to notch up this easy to do card with an EZ Sound module from InviteByVoice.com.  The music is called League of Heroes from MelodyLoops.com and I just took a short sound bite from it to record to the sound module.  

Following the directions in the file and assembly tutorial found at Dreaming Tree's website, assemble the front of the card as directed and the inside insert, but don't adhere.

Add your recording to the sound module following the easy directions in the package, or view the video here. Once that's done, Remove the backing from the module and place the sound module on the center panel about 1 1/2 inches up from the bottom of the card base.  One the back of the insert, stack 2 layers of foam tape at the bottom and at the top, center and adhere to the card base.  

This card could also be used as a birthday card or a celebration for a new job or graduation... lots of possibilities with just a few adaptations to the shield and the "belly band."  

Here's the video with just a small sound bite.  

Hoping you have some creative time planned for the coming week.  Have some fun and get a little play time in using your favorite mediums.  

* Affiliate link

Creating during Covid-19

This is a pretty quick project and instructions were clear and easy to follow from a new designer on Etsy. Rafael Migliorini, has a brand spanking new Etsy store and some fun designs are showing up. (https://www.etsy.com/shop/RMDesignerGrafico) 

The rat is a print 2 cut graphic from CreativeFabrica.  The box will fit some fun treats too.  

 

Mother's Day cards were quick to make (especially since time to play is in short supply). 

The background for this card is a purchased image is from Dreamstime.com.  The sentiment is a Print2Cut created in eCal3 and cut with the eclips2.  The stamped tulips are from WaffleFlower.  Dies are also available.   Colored pencils from Rembrandt were used for the stamped images.  

There's more... but until the cards are delivered, the images are under wraps for the time being.  

May birthdays have come and gone -- and June celebrations are just around the corner... Looking forward to sharing a few more ideas here over the weekend.  

Spend some time in your creative space soon.  Make time for a some fun and play.  Will be checking back in again soon.  

Tag 5 - Spring Tag Challenge 2020

Well, it's Friday and it's been a fun week. Thanks for dropping by and sharing a bit of your day  or evening checking things out. As you can see I decided to make another shaker card - a perfect way to round out the week.  

The background is an image I purchased on Dreamstime.com - I've used it for a couple of cards and have plans to use it for another couple of projects in the days to come.  I loved the colors and thought they would serve well as the background for this tag.  

Printed on photo paper (4x6 -borderless setting).  

The sentiment is written in the Walking Wind font and is from CreativeFabrica.com  I used the foil quill and some pink glimmer mist foil from Spellbinders.  I think it turned out quite lovely.   

Stack 5 ovals cut using the eclips and ecal and adhere them to form your shaker box, centering the stack around the sentiment.  

Add the sequin mix.  Adhere an oval cut piece of transparency and the top card stock oval.  If desired add a few more sequins to the oval and the tag base.  Add some ribbon or fibers to hang your tag.  

Thanks for joining me this week.  It's been a fun week.  Don't let COVID-19 get you down .... I hope you'll be able to find a few minutes, hours or more to craft as you can.  Be safe, stay well.  

Tag 4 - Spring Tag Challenge 2020

 

Covid-19 is still disrupting lives across the world and now in our community.  I'm grateful for our online communities and the flexibility we have of working from home.  I'm still grateful for a crafting stash and no need to leave the house.  I'm pretty sure my hubby was wondering about the boxes that arrived earlier this year filled with glue, paper, and more.

This tag features another fun image from Buddly Crafts -- While this is printed on white stock, it would look wonderful on some antiqued paper for a more vintage look.  

Size, print and color the image as desired.  Using the print 2 cut feature in eCal, cut the tag.  Add a shadow layer or more as shown in the tag featured in yesterday's post.  

Embellish as desired for gifting.  Create multiples for a fun Spring banner.  

Be safe, stay well and craft on!