Monday, July 22, 2013

Christmas In July At Crafter's Companion!

I'm back from my vacation, just in time to share this layout I created for Crafter's Companion's Christmas in July week! Head over to the Crafter's Companion blog all week to see fun Christmas inspiration, and knock some of those Christmas cards off of your list!

I decided to make a layout with the 6X6 Let It Snow Embossalicious embossing folder, available soon in the Crafter's Companion store :) It was perfect, and after I embossed it, I thought it would look great rubbed in gold ink, more specifically Tsukineko's Golden Glitz Delicata, coming soon to the Crafter's Companion store:

 I turned to the Dee Gruening Ahh...Christmas! stamp set from Crafter's Companion for the title, adding simple journaling and a burlap flower. The edges of the cardstock are inked up as well.


Isn't that embossing folder so fantastic covered in shimmery gold?

Don't forget to check out the blog all week to see more fabulous Christmas creations, and visit the special Christmas shop!

Monday, July 15, 2013

Barkley Sneak Peek: Repurposed Gift Box Tutorial

Hello again from somewhere along the Eastern seaboard. Another scheduled post for you, and I'm hoping that I return before I run out of them!

I wanted to get in on the sneak-y peek-y action for the new Barkley release at Crafter's Companion. These stamps are just too cute, and I can't wait to buy every last one of them (especially with a dog lover in the house *ahem* Rileigh *ahem*)

This post will show you how I turned a gift box containing a fun bracelet into a Christmas gift box with only stamps, paper, and Spray & Sparkle. It's easy, and anyone can do it. Modify the directions for the size/shape of your box. Here we go...

Here's the box I started with.
I sprayed the box lid with Iridescent Spray & Sparkle, adding a second layer when the first was dry for maximum sparkle!

Take a piece of paper and place it against one of the sides of the box in order to determine the size you need. You can use a ruler for this, but it as just as easy to make light pencil lines as I did here. If you are covering the entire edge, it is best to use a ruler to be more precise, but I didn't want to hide the stitched detail on the sides.
Cut it down to size, and erase any remaining pencil marks.
  Adhere to the box lid.
Repeat for all edges.
 Select your image, and color. I used my Spectrum Noir pens: DR2, DR5, DR6 (hat); JG2, JG4 (trees); GG1, GG2, GG3, GG5 (ears, nose, tail, and shadows); TN2, TN3, TN5 (cat); PP4 (paws and cat nose); blender pen and BG1 for the sky. I added Frosted Lace Stickles to the hat, and colored the snowflakes with White Opal Liquid Pearls. 
 While I waited for the Stickles to dry, I matted the sentiment on a piece of the paper decorating the lid and adhered that to the box front. I loved the black leather, and didn't want to hide it.
 When it was dry, I adhered the image to the top of the box.


And that's it! Like I said, you can turn any old boring box into an attractive gift box for any occasion. It's one of my favorite things to do! Have you repurposed a gift box before? If not, you should give it a try!

Don't forget: Barkley stamps will hit the Crafter's Companion store on 7/17. You don't want to miss these, they are absolutely adorable!

xoxo
Khristen

Friday, July 12, 2013

On A Crafter's Companion Kick!

You are reading this wonderful post I've scheduled ahead of time, while I am packing up the camper and heading off to Maryland with a stop overnight in NC. We will be staying with my husband's aunt, and the kids are excited -- we're planning an outing to DC! They've only been begging to travel there for the past 2 summers!

I am just in love with this Crafter's Companion stamp set. I wish I had more time to play with it, the possibilities are endless! It's the Sheena's A Little Bit Sketchy - Falling Feathers EZ Mount Stamp Set, and it's just too gorgeous! Here, I chose to use gold embossing powder to make them really stand out! (If only my images would stand out...these were taken during a dreary, rainy spell we had here. Boooo.)

 The sentiment is stamped in Rich Cocoa Memento ink, and I finished it off with a pretty pink twine strand.

Stay tuned for a couple more auto-posts! I have another week until I'm back at home.

xoxo
Khristen

Wednesday, July 10, 2013

Fun With Embossing Powder And Crafter's Companion!

You're reading this, and I've (hopefully) arrived in Mount Juliet, TN with the fam to visit with my parents. After a long 3 day trek stopping at a couple of places on the way, we should have successfully been to our first performance at the Opry! Hoping to share amazing pictures with you when I return :)

Alright, so I love to collect embossing powder. However, I don't turn to this resource as often as I should. Typically, I use it at Christmas to add a little something special to the cards I send my friends and family. In my local craft store, I came across this little jar of clear embossing powder with silver glitter mixed in, and knew it was a great addition to my Christmas craft arsenal.

However, I found it works well for all sorts of cards. Here's one using a Crafter's Companion stamp, Sheena's A Little Bit Scenic - Silhouette Garden. This is one of my absolute favorite stamp sets!

 It was as easy as Memento - Teal Zeal ink,  Memento London Fog ink, the glittered embossing powder, and a strip of colorful washi.
It was hard to capture the glitter, I took pictures on a dreary day!

xoxo
Khristen

Monday, July 8, 2013

Crafter's Companion July Challenge: Die Cuts

Good morning! It's time for a new Crafter's Companion challenge. This time, we want to see you use a die cut or two on your project. Here's what I came up with:



I turned to the Stamp It Australia - Friendship Sentiments unmounted stamp set for my card, stamping it on a doily die cut in Memento Espresso Truffle ink, and adding another doily die cut and a Studio Calico chipboard butterfly. I adhered it to the embossed cardstock (Embossalicious 6x6 Petite Dot embossing folder, to be precise) with my extra strong permanent tape runner. That is mounted on a sheet of Crate Paper DIY Shop paper (LOVE the black and white!) A simple yet fun card to give to any of your loved ones!



I hope to see your creation entered for a chance to win a gift certificate to the Crafter's Companion Store! Head to ***this page*** to see more inspiration and find the link to enter your project.

Friday, July 5, 2013

More CC Playtime!

It's been busy here, with school ending and the start of summer vacation marked with illness. Little man had bronchitis, and I picked up whatever he had that caused the bronchitis. *sigh* So it was an indoors-all-week start to summer, whether the kids like it or not. (In fact, I took advantage of the fact we couldn't go anywhere by making the girls clean their rooms spotlessly, telling them no sleepover fun could start until it was done. It worked, and they cleaned them better than they ever have before! I guess we'll have a sleepover next week to celebrate!)

Now, we are ready to go on vacation, and I am so excited to get out of here! Heading to so many places, it's hard to keep track. I can't wait to visit with my parents, brother, and my husband's aunt!

Since I have a moment prior to hubby's birthday dinner (yes, happy birthday, Foss!), I thought I would share a card I have done recently using Crafter's Companion products that I just haven't had a chance to post. There have been many (and one thing I just can't *wait* to show as it pertains to an upcoming release, but it's not that time yet. Boooooo! You'll love it!) and they will all be scheduled to post in the upcoming weeks while I am on the road.

Anyway, here we go:

This pretty little card uses Pink Paislee Prairie Hill paper, a Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady bunny die cut, and a stamped sentiment from the last edition of Crafter's Inspiration magazine stamped in Memento Lady Bug. I used Ruby Red Liquid Pearls around the edges and a pretty crocheted ribbon behind it all. The bunny is raised up with foam circles.

Isn't it pretty? I love the paper, but the bunny is just the cutest! The CD is filled with images that range from adorable to elegant. There is something on here for everyone!

Head to the Crafter's Companion site in order to take advantage of their amazing 4th of July deals, going on RIGHT NOW! You won't want to miss all the deals, they are truly AMAZING!

xoxo

Khristen