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My Father in law has been asking to hear the songbirds.  Sadly, they're not making a regular appearance as the bird feeders and bird bath aren't set out yet. However, in the meantime, I created this fun piece to hopefully cheer his spirits a bit.  

The birdhouse and lattice SVG files are from Creative Fabrica.  This piece is being featured on their blog, The Artistry, here.  For additional details regarding cutting and assembly of the birdhouses and lattice, please visit the blog post there.  

The recordable EZSound Box is from InviteByVoice and was the perfect way to incorporate the songbirds' songs.  Take a listen:  

 

To record your audio, just follow the easy instructions included in the packaging or watch the video found here. 

Once the recording is done, insert the box into the box.  Attach the button to the back of the box with some adhesive.  NOTE:  We generally switch out the contents of the box every few months, so we don't attach anything permanently.  

On a side note, we're setting up the bird feeders and baths this next week -- they'll be just outside the window by his chair so he can watch them daily.  

 

12 Holiday Tags - #8

It's day #8 of 12... my, it's going by fast!  

 

I'll be Home for Christmas... one of my favorite holiday songs was the inspiration for this simple tag.  The tag shape and house are files from Creative Fabrica.  The sentiment is foiled using the Foil Quill.  The heart is from the library.  

I left the lettering unfilled.  The duo font used is Biscuits and Tea from fontbundles.net (it was free when I added it to my library).  I like the pop of colors with the teal colored foil and the read in the heart which is popped up on a double foam dot as the house is also on foam.  

Thanks for your support and thanks for stopping by again.  It's been fun to spend time crafting and creating and playing with the software this year.  I'm looking forward to learning more in 2024!   Again, feel free to drop by the FB page for more inspiration -- 

12 Holiday Tags - #7

We've already had our first snow of the season here -- and it's been on the cold side since the month started!  However, seeing all the fun tags that the FB group gals have been creating, sure warms this girl's heart!  Be sure to drop by and share your thoughts and ideas!  




It's definitely hot chocolate weather here....  I've had this file FOREVER!  :)  It's from MyScrapChick.  I did add a small gingerbread cookie (from the library) for a little more interest.  The snowflakes have been "painted" with Wink of Stella.  I used a white paint pen to "stitch" on the circle beneath the snowflakes.  The mug paper is from a retired stack from Stampin Up ... the rosy color was perfect to use as a background for this fun mug which was resized a bit.  

You can add a personalization to the "chocolate" as it's a pull and slides all the way out. 

Thanks for stopping by - and I hope your creative time lifts your spirits as much as my time does for me.  

12 Holiday Tags - #6

It's day #6 -- and we're half way through the reveal!  And these are just mine!  Check out the FB page for additional creativity in this year's reveal.  

2023 has been another year of experimentation for me.  It's been fun to play, learn new software and create designs that have been fun to play with.  While this design isn't truly all mine, it was fun to play with shapes from the library and commands within the SCAL software to create something from scratch.  I think this is one that a couple of the grands will want to replicate!    

I used some coiled wire for the arms and legs for my milk chocolate iced cake.  The dots were added to the scarf using a white paint pen after the pieces were inked.  The mittens and boots are from the library and not altered.  This tag was made from scraps!  

What have you been creating?  Hoping you've been able to find some time in your creative space over the last few days and have carved out a bit more time this month!  

12 Holiday Tags - #5

Welcome to day 5 of the 12 Holiday Tags reveal.  It's sure been fun to share some time with you.  Hope you'll take the time and drop over on the FB page to see what everyone else has been creating...

maybe you'll find some ideas for gift giving tags or tree or window decor while you're there.  

 

Holiday Hugs!  I love the green foiled sentiment on this one.  The foil quill has definitely paid for itself and then some!  I love using it and prefer it over using pens or markers at this point in time.  

The "leaf" file is from Creative Fabrica.  It is foiled and a shadow layer was created and cut for a little more definition and texture on the tag.  I used some Nuvo Drops (Metallic Rhubarb Crumble) for the berries.  Sadly, I brushed against the tag while things were drying and messed it up a bit, and just didn't have enough time to recreate the tag.  I used some organza ribbon for the hanger.  

Thanks again for stopping by!  Carve out some creative time and enjoy nurturing your heart and creative spirit every day.  

12 Holiday Tags - #4

It's Day 4 already!  We're already a 1/3 of the way through this year's reveal!  Have you been able to check out the other creators' designs yet?  If not, today might be your chance.  Hop on over to the FB page and take a peek.  

Create a winter hat  tag -- this design has lots of potential and is created using shapes from the SCAL 6 Library!  Once the pieces are cut, consider adding some details using embossing and or inking.  

We added some white paint dots using an Artistico paint marker, inked all the edges.  A pom-pom from the stash was glued to the top of the hat after the hanger was added.  Some foam dots were used to pop-up the brim of the hat.  A little bit of Wink of Stella was added to the berries and a dot or two of white for a little more interest was added as well.  

Hoping you're enjoying this year's reveal.  Hope you'll drop by again tomorrow!  

12 Holiday Tags Reveal - tag 3

It's Day 3 of the 12 tags reveal!  It's been fun so far, and I'm really looking forward to more great makes this week!  How about you?  

You can see all the makes over on our FB page.  

 

Combining paper and vinyl -- this really is a fun technique and you can use either removeable or permanent vinyl.  

After creating the shapes needed in SCAL 6, I prepped the paper.  The details are pretty small - so I decided to apply the vinyl directly to the paper before cutting.  Make sure the vinyl is burnished to the paper.  The flourish above the door is  a wingding from Bodini Ornaments font.  Cut the vinyl just as you would the paper -- no additional adjustments were necessary.  You can, of course, add additional elements and or decorations as decided.  

The tag base is a simple shape found in the Library.  Add a rectangle to the roof and union the two elements once you have the rectangle placed as desired.  

Cut and ink this shape - we used white as a base and some oatmeal colored ink - just swiping the ink across the shape and blending where needed using a blender tool.  Once the ink has thoroughly dried, you can glue on the vinyl cuts.  Do not remove the paper backing... just glue the vinyl and paper to the base.  It does add a little more interest and depth.  Add a hanging thread -- personalized as desired on the back.  

12 Holiday Tags Reveal - Tag 2

Welcome back!  Did you check out all of yesterday's tags? 

You'll find them here.  

I chose to create this tag for day 2 after seeing something similar on Pinterest. The Christmas bulb file is from Angie Burton's site.  I just love the pull tab that reveals a secret message!  How about you?

All pieces were matted in SCAL 6 and cut with the SkyCut C24.  The nice thing about creating tags every year is that a few of the scraps from previous projects make it into the design!  

Personalize as desired using fonts and the foil quill or a pen before assembly.  There is a template for the sentiment area, so there's no guessing for adding a sentiment either vertically or horizontally.     Hop on over to the FB page and see what our other makers have created.  

Holiday card making - part 1

There's a new collection out at Simply Crafty SVGs.  I fell in love with the penguin card as soon as I saw it and decided to jump and get the set as soon as it was released and put my spin on it.  I had ideas swirling!  

Here's my take:  
I cut an extra layer of the solid blackout version of the penguin.   I wanted to make sure the insert was stable enough to handle the wobble.  I also cut a vellum version of the lights and then trimmed the "bulbs" from the black cut.  I used an embossing tool to add a little dimension to the vellum bulbs.  You could also color them if desired or color the light different colors with alcohol markers if you didn't have any colored LED lights.

I used some lights from a chibi kit I'd purchased a while back.  Create your circuit.  I did cut a slot in the panel that goes on the card base back after coloring the panel with distress inks for a night sky.  The panel had been altered by adding some small holes in the spots where the bulbs would be.  You can do that before cutting or marking the panel after cutting.  Mark the back piece of the card base for placement of the LEDs.  Create your circuit.  Since I'd added a slot, i used a slider switch to complete the circuit to turn the lights on and off.  It is hidden behind the insert but very accessible.  The "handle" will fold down for mailing and doesn't add a lot of bulk to the card.

You'll assembly the card pretty much as directed in the video on Sandy's site -- I added some inking and used a small piece of cotton for the pom-pom on the hat for a little more fun.  

Hoping you'll find some creative time soon as well!  

A little creative fun

Andrea shared a pic posted by an art teacher sharing a project on Instagram with me.... we decided to try our own version and this is what happened. 

We used a Crayon SVG file from Creative Fabrica as our base.  We only used the tip and the crayon stick from the file.  We wanted to have some fun with the rest.  Our details were created using the SCAL Library shapes and a few designing commands in the program.  So fun to create and cut.   And we're looking forward to having some fun with the grands this weekend helping them create their own personal version of FrankenCrayon or Bride of FrankenCrayon. Some of the pieces are small and will take a little adult help to assemble, but it should be fun.  And maybe a few of the adults will also join in and make their own too!  

The character FrankenCrayon comes from a book written by Michael Hall and is available on Amazon in print, audio or kindle versions.  

3 Tags of Fall - Tag 3

It's the last day of the 3 Tags of Fall reveal on our FB page.  It's been a fun couple of days to see what the other makers have created and while our numbers are few, we know that there are others creating, but not posting.  

For my last tag, I created this Pinterest inspired BOO tag using SCAL 6 and cut with the Skycut.  I filled the letters with some paper from Lori Whitlock's digital  I Love Halloween collection from Echo Park.  


The tag base was created in SCAL 6.  It has been inked and the sentiment (Avenir and Ballegand fonts) is foiled with black foil.  Using the Magic Moon Font, I've used the Pattern option to fill each of the letters.  Follow the print 2 cut directions for your software and machine.  I've added foam behind the printed letters which have been lightly inked with Black Soot (distress ink) and there are two shadow layers beneath the top layer.  The bottom is a blackout shadow cut in black paper.  The middle layer is a burnt orange color and is glued directly to the bottom blackout layer.  I've added a small wiggle eye as the period of the exclamation mark for a little more dimension and interest.  



Materials:
AC Cardstock
Printer
Distress Ink, blending tool
Foil Quill (standard nib)
Black Foil (Spellbinders)
Bearly Art Glue
Black foam tape
Wiggle Eye