Izbzee

teacher appreciation gift for March

We started doing Teacher Appreciation "thank you's" last August.  It's been fun to add this to our monthly creative calendar.  This month we opted for a less traditional St Patrick's day color scheme -- and made some sour cream sugar cookies for the treat.  

The digital paper was from Creative Fabrica and the cut file is from Lori Whitlock's shop.  I ordered the food safe cookie bags from Amazon.  I'd originally planned on using some Baker's Twine to tie everything together, but I didn't like the look and instead went with the gold twist ties included with the cookie bags.  We added a small print and cut tag to the front and a larger label to the back. 

Hubby said they were a "hit" and the sweet was a perfect ending to the day for his staff.  

 

AC Cardstock (White, smooth 12 x 12)  4 wraps to a sheet
24 small tags to one 12x12 sheet
8 larger scalloped tags to one 12x12 sheet
scor tape
Skycut C24
SCAL6 Pro

Tag 3

We're now in the middle of the week and it's day three of the reveal.  It's going quickly!  This tag was inspired by one seen on Pinterest.

I thought that creating the dotted layer would be more difficult than it was -- overthinking again.  LOL  However, that's not the case.  I think the results were just as I anticipated.  The tag is my design made using shapes from the library.  Digital paper fills the shapes and was from the FQB Hey Cupcake NitWit Collection. The flower shapes were from the SCAL Library.  The banners were created using basic shapes and the sentiment uses Arkina Sans from Creative Fabrica and was set to print 2 print only and filled with a color very similar to the Kraft color used for the back tag.  The back tag is loose so it can be personalized if desired.  White embroidery thread was used for the hanger.  

Thanks again for dropping by on day 3 of the reveal.  Enjoy the shares on our Facebook page -- you'll find it here.  Keep on creating!  

cards, cards, cards

January has been a busy month to get a start on making cards -- my regular stack of cards using a pre-colored digital stamp from Polkadoodles.  Thankfully, they allowed me to make a few extras beyond the Angel Policy for this one. 


I really like how this one turned out.  

Birthdays - there aren't too many, but there are a few.  I used a stamp from MFT for this one and the design was cased from one I found on Pinterest.  I really like how it turned out.  I blended some distress ink on the lettering, added a little sparkle with some Wink of Stella.  The scarf and skates are colored and blended with colored pencil.  I find I still have too heavy a hand with markers.... but I'm working on it!  AND...My hard to please brother liked his!  He lives in Sunny AZ during the winter months and I love to tease him about the weather!  Especially after our 15 inches of snow this month!  I did use scan to cut on the bear.  I love how my Skycut can make the perfect cut time and time again!  



I did get another card designed after seeing something similar on Pinterest... It was fun to create and was the perfect "no sugar" gift for a friend battling cancer.  She would love to have some sweets, but these worked just fine.  

I used basic shapes to create the baking pan and cookies.  I found the spatula online as a free download.  It was perfect.  The paper is a gray from Bazill.  The card front is mounted on an A2 card base in white.  The recipient caught me on Sunday and said that she has been sharing the cards with her friends and family when they visit.  All of the cards I've been sending are now hanging on her fridge and are quite the conversation piece at the moment. a little bit of glossy accents and some fine glitter assed the final touch to the cookies.  

This project was for a challenge - It had to have a "heart shape" in it.  I was excited to have it turn out the way it did and even better, 3 of these will fit on a 12x12 sheet of paper.  Easy to assembly and fun to fill!  Paper is from a old, a really old paper stack from Stampin' Up!  

Next month may be a little lean on finished projects, but I have gotten a head start on a few things... February's stack of cards are completed and I'll post them in a couple of days.  Two of the grands have b-days and their cards are nearly finished.  I have a couple of other projects I'm hoping to finish up in the next few days -- another eye surgery is on the calendar for next month and while the recuperation time is relatively short, it would be nice to be all caught up for the month if possible.  

Hoping you have some creative time carved out this week and over the course of the next month.... Enjoy the time and nurture your heart and soul!  






 

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.  

baby shower

Grandbaby 13 arrived a bit early... it's baby shower time!  I used the Photo Popup Card SVG File from Simply Crafty SVGs for them.  All 30!  Mom and Dad sent several pictures for us to choose from.  I chose one that used the portrait option and using SCAL 6 Pro I was able to use the Clip Path command and insert the pic right into the blank photo file piece.  Once the file and photo were grouped, I could copy and paste as many as I needed to fill a page.  These were printed on photo paper and I let them dry for 48 hours before cutting them. 




Some woodland background digital papers from Creative Fabrica as well as the black and white silhouette of a baby gnome were used. I used the pattern fill option in the SCAL software and filled the panels with the image and printed the panels on buttercream textured paper.  

I set up the gnome in png format as a print to cut option... sizing to fit on the front panel of the card.  After printing, I hand-colored each gnome using the colors in the photos we had and then set things up in SCAL to finish the print 2 cut.  This was a great stress relieving activity after a very stress-filled week.  ;)




The base of the card was cut using some Mossy Meadow from Stampin' Up.  I guess the humidity was still a little high and the first couple of cuts didn't cut as smoothly as I'd have liked, so I did some additional test cuts and finally got some settings that worked much better.... and finished cutting all the bases.  

Details for the shower are on the back of the vertical pop up piece.  

Assembly for the card is very easy.... and it folds flat enough to fit in a standard invitation envelope for mailing.  Feel free to watch the video found here  (scroll down the page a bit) to see just how easy it is!  

some fun cards

Summer is just around the corner.... but the weather has been warm enough to flip the switch and turn on the AC for a few hours every afternoon.  

Sandy at Simply Crafty SVGs has put out a new batch of cards in the last week --  fun box cards.  

I've made a couple of these cards from the new files.  Love them!

I added a shaker element in the pitcher and literally filled it with polymer clay sliced lemons I found on Etsy a couple of years ago.  So fun!  
Used some collage podge on the pitcher and the lemon slices.  The digital paper is from Creative Fabrica.  It was perfect and grounded the card.  The basic box elements for the card can be cut from a single 8.5 x 11 inch sheet of paper!  Lots of inking and a little watercolor painting.  I love the design of the glass in this file.  It looks dimensional.  

And then there was this one... who doesn't like donuts?  

I used several mediums on this one.  Inking, Dimensional Glaze, nail art bits and pieces and Pearl Luster Lumiere.  It was fun - but was hard to wait for everything to dry!  The original file does not have the transparent window.  I created on for a little more fun and will likely add a sentiment to the window to personalize it when it is gifted.  

Both cards were cut on the Skycut using SCAL6 Pro software to set up the SVG files for cutting.  Paper from AC Cardstock.  Bearly Art Glue and Scor-Tape  were the adhesives used.  

Both cards will fold flat and fit into a standard invitation envelope.  If you choose to add a shaker component, there is a little bulk, so extra postage may be needed if you add any dimension like I have done.  

An early start to Christmas makes

I saw a sample of something similar to this explosion box project, but the boxes used on the inside walls of the explosion box were too shallow for what I wanted to accomplish.  So I tried my hand at creating my own version with a little help from a friend.  Finished size is 4.25 x 4.25 x 4.25 inches.  

All patterned paper is digital and I was able to isolate one of the reindeer from the larger paper image and create a "sticker" with it.  There's a reindeer on each side of the box.  SCAL 6 makes it very easy to fill each shape with the paper and size as desired.  All of the images used were backgrounds that were scalable and seamless.  

When you open the box, you'll find 6 mini- cubes on each side panel.  Each cube is numbered.  

Each cube holds a  small single bit candy bar or a couple of hershey kisses.  They will also hold a small charm.  It's makes a perfect Advent calendar for the holidays or could be adapted to celebrate a birthday month or upcoming anniversary.  

I used print 2 cut to create all the panels using a digital paper package call Happy Holidays I picked up from Creative Fabrica a while back.  It's a fun set of backgrounds.  I added a little bling to the red-nosed reindeer in the panels using some flat sequins.  

I think it turned about pretty good!  Day 25 will be an envelope holding a gift certificate or voucher for a family to use during or after the holidays.  

Looking forward to starting another Advent box very soon... we need several more for this coming holiday season!  

2023 5 Tags of Spring - Day 5

It's the final day of this year's reveal.  If you haven't visited the FB page/album and seen all the beautiful makes, today's your day!  There are some amazing pieces from group members and it's always fun to see what others make and create!  

Today's tag is all in pink and white.  I used some digital paper I had in my stash.  The focal piece was generated using swirl and heart shapes found in the SCAL library.  I did use the Symmetrical Mirror command in SCAL to make both sides match.  While not perfect, I did learn a few things in the process and the final results aren't too bad!  ;)  

I used a couple of the small word stamps from a retired Fun Stampers Journey set on a small rectangle scrap of digital paper.  I chose the words to reflect some feelings I was having while creating this for someone special.  

Some small pink acrylic dots were added as well.  

Hoping this weekend offers good things in a creative way for you.  Take care and enjoy!

Layers

I loved the images I found in this grouping of cute fairy houses at Creative Fabrica and wanted to do something fun with one of them and use it in a fun frame.  This is the result for this project now being shared on The Artistry at Creative Fabrica.  

Lots of fussy cutting on the focal image - and some added layering for more dimension.  The hexagon frame was easy to assemble, and would be perfect for a series of images on a wall.  The Skycut and SCAL 6 were my go to's for this project.  The SCAL software makes it very easy to do the print then cut and resizing of the frame was also an important process.  Scaling the background image to fit in the frame was a breeze to accomplish as well.  

Again, the step-by-step process for printing, cutting and assembling this project can be found here.  

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you've got some creative time carved out this week and through the month of March!  Hoping that there's a real change in the season soon and we'll be seeing things green up and blooming as we enter Spring here in the Northern Hemisphere!  We've had quite a winter!  Another fresh 5+ inches of white stuff on the ground this morning!    

more Halloween decor

The Topsy Turvy Cake file from Simply Crafty SVGs was the perfect base for this fun project.  It also pairs really well with the Shrunken Head Candlesticks found in this post.  

It was fun using a digital striped paper (from Creative Fabrica) to fill the pieces for that section.  The SCAL 5 software makes it so easy and the Skycut cuts a printed image perfectly!  We added a "stripe" of light gray marker along each side of the stripe.  This adds a little more depth to the striped pattern on the paper.  

Assemble the cake as demonstrated in the video found here.  We used Bearly Art Precision Craft glue to adhere most of the pieces in this project.  

The "eyes on you" border was created in SCAL 5 and is simply a series of duplicated circles evenly distributed on a long narrow rectangle.   The union command was used to make it all one connected piece.  Cut.  Ink the edges with some mid to dark gray ink.  Create additional circles in slightly smaller sizes for the remaining 2 pieces of the eyes.  Assemble.  Add some white gel pen details if desired.   and coat lightly with some glaze.  We used Mod Podge Collage Medium.  Let dry and then using some narrow double stick tape, adhere to the edge of each of the cake layers after assembling the cake.  We made 5 strips (23 circles) measuring 11.5 inches in length cut on the diagonal and used most of the strips to decorate the edge of the cake layers.  

The "It's Show Time" marquee is simply 3 pieces of paper cut to the width of the top layer.  2 white and 1 black slightly larger in size.  You can cut the text on both pieces of white -- however, we chose to use it only on one piece.  Sandwich the black between the two white pieces.  We added a toothpick to each end and slid the picks between the border and edge of the top cake layer.  

Since we plan to fill the cake box with some goodies for our upcoming family dinner, we decided to add some weight and strength to the cake base.  We cut an extra bottom for the base and filled a sandwich bag with about 1/2 cup of rice.  Seal the bag and carefully stuff into the base.  Add an additional circle under the doily piece.  This will add a bit more strength to the entire base and stiffen the edges a bit.  

The cake with the marquee in place is nearly the same height as the candlesticks... so together, they work quite well.  

Hoping you're enjoying some creative time in your space this weekend.  Enjoy and relax!  Crafting is a great way to destress.  

Thanks for stopping by!  There are a couple of additional ideas coming together here ... can't wait to share in the next week or so.