Christmas shaker

Welcome!

I have a Fuse Tool and haven't really used it.

I tried it a couple times, but didn't get good results.

Recently I talked to a couple people about how to

use it and thought I'd give it a try again.

Of course I wanted to use it to make a shaker card.

I used a scrapbook page protector to make a small

"envelope" with my Fuse, added several colors of sequins

and sealed up the end.  And there I had it, it worked

out great.  The secret is to be sure the Fuse is 

heated up enough and to run the Fuse fairly slowly

over the plastic.  This gives it time to melt, but be 

careful not to go too slow, or it will melt right

through.  It's a delicate balance and takes a little

practice.  Be sure you are using the little wheel

nib and not the pointy one.  The wheel is for fusing seams

the pointed one is for cutting.

For my card, I stamped a simple Christmas tree

and cut just inside the stamped image.

I then cut the tree from the snowflake paper 

just a bit larger than the stamped tree and adhered it directly to the 

card base.

I used ATG tape to adhere the sequin envelope behind the 

tree cut out, then taped a white card stock panel over the back

of it, inside the card.

On the inside, I stamped 

"Merry Christmas"

#3206 from Eureka Stamps

First Christmas card of the year done!

Thanks for popping in today.

Have you started your Christmas cards yet?

I know a few people who have.

I probably won't do another one for a few more

months.  Guess I work better under pressure.

Until next time, make something fun!

Note the links are only to give a reference so you can

see what the products are.
I didn't necessarily purchase from these sites,

and you may find better prices elsewhere.

I am in no way promoting any particular site.

However the Eureka Stamps image is 

exclusive to that company.

My New Paper Trimmer and Why I Love It!

Hello crafty peeps!

Many years ago I bought a 12" paper trimmer

that I loved.  It was a Fiskars rotary trimmer and I used it

to death.  Unfortunately, Fiskars changed their cutters and that

one was no longer available and neither were the blades or the little

strip that the blade cuts into under the paper.

I looked everywhere and couldn't find the blades anywhere.

Finally, I e-mailed Fiskars and told them my problem and asked

if there was anywhere I could get the replacement parts.

After a few weeks I was starting to get annoyed that I hadn't heard

back from them, when I got an e-mail saying my 

replacement tool or parts were in the mail.

I was out of town at the time and when I returned home,

there was a brand new paper trimmer from Fiskars.

Totally free and unexpected!

Now that is some wonderful customer service.

Here is what I love about this trimmer.

I love that it has a stainless steel guide wire, it says that

it won't fray or break.  Now I'm sure that if it did, they would

stand by their product.

The guide wire shows you exactly where you'll be cutting.

I like that it is a nice size, there is plenty of room for the paper

to rest on the cutter and that the base has clear lines.

There are also darker lines and measurements showing 

popular sizes like 3x5 and 4x6 and 5x7

The measuring arm folds out and clicks into place,

it also is longer than 12"

It is actually a little longer than 15"

I love that it has this locking mechanism.  When the

cutter is not in use it can be locked so the "cutting arm" doesn't 

open and close when it's being carried or packed to take

to a crop.

I love that it has rubber feet.

The orange corner ones keep it from moving around

when I'm using it.

I also love that it has that support "structure" in the center

of the bottom.  The feet add a bit more stability and the 

triangle area gives more stability to the center of the 

cutter.  If you are putting any pressure on the center of the

cutter, it doesn't easily give and bend, it's nice and solid.

I used this cutter for the first time today and it cut beautifully.

I'm sure this cutter is going to last me a good long time,

I'm going to pick up a few extra blades to have on hand,

I know I'm going to be giving this baby quite a work out.

So there you have it, my opinion about the

Fiskars Sure Cut Paper Trimmer.

Fiskars did not ask me to give this review,

but I'm loving this cutter and wanted to share with

y'all why.  Just in case you are in need of a new cutter.

Now remember this is just my opinion,

you may have a different one,

but I do love it.

Thanks for stopping by today,

come again soon.

You never know what you'll find on 

Kristie Kreates!

Hey Chickie!

Hello all!

I have a couple friends who work for the school district,

I have been wanting to get together with each of them

for lunch, before the school year starts,

and thought I'd make them little cards.

My one friend I often call "Chickie Babe"  I have

no idea where that comes from, but I thought

 this little chick and the sentiment would be perfect 

to send her.

Both stamps are from

Paper Smooches

I stamped onto watercolor paper and colored the

chick with watercolor crayons.

I used just a small amount of blue crayon 

mixed with quite a bit of water to color under

the chick so she didn't look like she was floating in space.

I used some tiny little alpha stamps for the inside.

I thought this card turned out adorable and

made another just like it for my other friend.

Sometimes, with all the texting and facebook etc.

I forget how nice it is to receive something unexpected in

your mail box.

Thanks for stopping by today,

hope your stop in again soon.

Until next time, Happy Crafting!

Note the links are only to give a reference so you can

see what the products are.
I didn't necessarily purchase from these sites,

and you may find better prices elsewhere.

I am in no way promoting any particular site.

Inklipse Blog Hop

Hello crafty people!

Welcome to my blog and to the 

Inklipse Blog Hop!

Simon, has set up a fun blog hop

to bring inspiration from crafters you may not

have known before.

There are some wonderful, generous sponsors

for this hop. Please consider visiting their

online stores and showing your love to them.

Simon Says Stamp

Concord & Ninth

Lawn Fawn

Newton's Nook Designs

have generously provided prizes for this hop.

To be entered to win you will need to:

Subscribe to Simon's YouTube channel

Subscribe to Simon's blog

Leave at least 3 comments throughout the blog hop

Now that all the particulars are out of the way,

on to my projects.

I have 2 projects to share with you.

The first is a gift card holder/birthday card.

Since I don't have the equipment for a video,

this post is very heavy on pictures.

But hopefully you'll find it worth your time.

Starting with a piece of red card stock  11" x 4 1/4"

score along the long side at 2", 7 1/4" and 7 3/8"

The insert piece is white card stock cut to 6 1/2" x 3 3/4"

score along the long side at 1 3/4" and 6"

Burnish all the score lines.

(If you click on the picture,you can see that there are

actually 2 folds very close together.)

Using an We R Memory Keepers Envelope Punch Board

punch a notch 1" from each side on the smaller flap.

Use Washi Tape along the bottom of the small flap,

close to the fold.

The tape should go all the way around the card.

This is not only decorative, but it holds the flap closed.

I used 2 pieces of Washi Tape on my card I think it

gives it a bit more security and also looks more finished.

Place strong adhesive along the small flap of the 

insert piece of card stock.

I used Score Tape, but use whatever works for you.

Line up the edge of the insert right along the 7 3/8" fold.

Use Glue Dots at the corners of the flap that makes

the pocket.  This will make a pocket for the gift card.

The insert can now be slid into the pocket,

the card front will stay closed when 

tucked behind the center flap of the pocket.

To decorate the front of my card,

I cut 4 Happy Birthday sentiments with my 

Silhouette Cameo out of white card stock.

I ran them through my Xyron sticker machine

and layered them on top of one another.

I then coated them with VersaMark ink ,

covered them with silver embossing powder

and heat set them.

The Happy Birthday was adhered directly to the front

of the card.  I also cut some stars and

embossed them, they were adhered with foam tape.

On the inside of the card, I stamped

"Celebrate" which is from a very old

Scrappy Cat  stamp set.

You can see, when you open the card,

the pocket with the gift card pulls out.

Here is a side shot showing how the 

gift card goes down into the pocket.

I think my son will like this card,

I made it for him, we'll be celebrating his

birthday on Sunday.

Now for my 2nd project.

Did you know that you could stamp and use

Distress Crayons on canvas.

This is my first time doing this and I know

I'll be doing more of this technique.

This canvas is very small, only 2 1/2" x 3 1/2"

First it needs to be prepped with Gesso.

The Distress Crayons blend out much better

when it has the base of Gesso.

I used a sponge paint brush,

but you can use whatever is available to apply

the Gesso, or whatever base you might like best.

Since this canvas is mounted on a wood frame,

I had to fill in the back with pieces of cardboard.

This gives a firm surface to stamp onto.

I used my Mini MISTI

to stamp one of the birds from 

Mini Bird Crazy set

onto the canvas with VersaFine Onyx Black Ink

It did take a couple stampings since it was onto canvas.

(The set I have is not this same set, it is one that

I found that has 3 birds, 3 matching dies, a few 

word stamps and an embossing folder.

The set is called Bird Talk.)

I used the Distress Crayons and laid down a little

color around the sides of the bird.

Using my water brush I blended out the crayon.

This is what it blends out to with a little bit of water.

I then added another color and blended that out.

I dried the crayon between layers and continued to 

add color until I was satisfied with how the bird looked.

These are the colors I used for the project.

As you can see I colored some "dirt" under my bird

and "sky" on the rest of the canvas.

The sentiment are words from the 

Bird Talk set.

I did use the fine tip of a black Prismacolor Marker 

to go over the lines of the bird,

as the crayons did dull it a bit.

I'm very happy with how my little painting

turned out, especially for a first time effort.

I hope you have enjoyed my projects and are

inspired in some way.

Thanks for sticking with me through this long post.

Please leave a comment to be entered to win

one of the fabulous prizes on this hop.

Now it's time to hop on to

Kevin Bray's

 blog and see what he has to show us.

Here is a list of all the blogs on the hop.

Inkipse

Simon Says Stamp

Newton’s Nook
Concord and Ninth
Laura Bassen

Jess Gerstner

Taniesa Vlasak

Crafty Max

Kristie Kreates That's me!

Kevin Bray

Be sure to comment at all the blogs,

leave a little love for the

artists/crafters.

The more blogs you comment on the

more chances you have to win

one of the wonderful prizes from our

generous sponsors.

Thanks for stopping by,

I hope you'll come again soon.

You never know what you'll find on

Kristie Kreates!

Washi Tape Card

Hello crafters!

The other day I was crafting and was having a tough time

figuring out what to make.  I picked up my notebook

that is full of pictures of cards and layouts that I like.

I never copy a card or layout as it is shown

in a picture, but I use it for inspiration.

I found this picture from

THIS BLOGPOST

I loved the idea of using Washi tape like this

on a card.  So I used that for inspiration,

dug out the tape I had with me and got to work.

Here is what I came up with

It's the same concept, but a totally different look.

I used Color Box Chalk Ink 

to stamp the heart in the center and

Distresss ink for the rest of the panel.

Sorry I don't have the stamp set here, 

so I can't tell you what company they are from.

I'm okay with how it turned out, 

but not crazy about it.

I know it would be much better if the colors of

the tape I had were lighter and brighter..

I will definitely be using this technique again.

Thanks for stopping by today,

I hope you've been inspired to give this

technique of using Washi tape like this a try.

Until next time, Happy Crafting!

Note the links are only to give a reference so you can

see what the products are.
I didn't necessarily purchase from these sites,

and you may find better prices elsewhere.

I am in no way promoting any particular site.

woven background

Hello all!

Today I'm showing you a card that I made for my Mom.

I was going out of town for a couple weeks and wanted

her to know that I was thinking of her while

I was away.  I made this card and sent it

while I was visiting a friend in Ohio.

For a tutorial on how to make the woven background

hop over to 

Mashed Potatoes and Crafts

where you'll find a step by step tutorial.

.

I used "Flower Basket"(#24608) 

from Eureka Stamps

I colored it with water color crayons,

fussy cut it and adhered it right to the 

stamped background.

I used the Small Folded Banner Die

from Simon Says Stamp,

to make the banner and stamped

the sentiment with the coordinating

stamp set.

I used a little distress ink to give it a little color.

The inside was left blank and I wrote a note

to my Mom before sending the card.

I know she loved receiving this card

and I enjoyed making it.

Thanks for stopping by today

and be sure to pop over and check out

the tutorial on 

Mashed Potatoes and Crafts

Until next time, have fun crafting!

The links on this post are not necessarily the brand

I used or the site

 I bought my supplies from.

They are just a reference for you.

You may find supplies at better prices 

than the ones in the links.

The stamps and dies, however are exclusive 

to the companies they are linked to.

I'm Here For You!

Hi all!

Today's card was made with a couple stamp sets

that I picked up at a good price when I was shopping at

"Tuesday Morning"

I don't know if you have this store in your area,

but I'll tell you I just love it.

You never know what you'll find there and the prices

are great.

The sentiment stamp was in a pack of 6 small sets

at the price of $.99 for them all.
I found 2 of these packs and only had 2 or 3 duplicates.

For that price, how could I go wrong?

These little sets are usually at least $1.00 a piece,

and I got 12 for $1.98!

The chevron was from a different set and I 

stamped it onto a piece of white

card stock with 

Color Theory Inks from Studio Calico

onto water color paper.

The texture of the water color paper resulted in

the distressed look of the chevrons.

I used my MISTI stamping tool and I know

I could have made them more "uniform"

but I loved the distressed look,

I think it goes well with the look of the sentiment

that I used.

I cut the chevron piece down to fit the card and 

adhered it directly to the card front.

The sentiment says
"needed you to know I'm here for you"

and was stamped with VersaFine Onyx Black Ink

The inside is left blank to write a personal note.

I really love how this card turned out.

A nice clean and simple card.

Thanks for stopping in today,

now go check out what they have at 

Tuesday Morning,

you never know what you'll find there,

just like you never know what you'll find at

Kristie Kreates,

so come visit again soon.

Kitty Cards

Hello everyone!

Today I have 2 cards I made, a little different,

yet mostly the same.

Someone very close to me was diagnosed with breast cancer

recently and I wanted to send a card letting her know

I'm thinking of her.

I made this "big hugs" card for her and wrote a personal

note inside.

The cat image is stamped with VersaFine Onyx Black  ink,

using my MISTI stamping tool.

I colored the cats, on both cards, with 

colored pencils and blended with Gamsol.

The background was painted by scribbling some

water color crayon onto an acrylic block and 

mixing it with water, then painting it on with a

water brush.

  I also made the envelopes since the cards are

not a standard size.  I used my

 Envelope Punch Board

to make the envelopes for both cards.

This second card I made for my Aunt Marilyn who

will be 93 at the end of September.

She loves cats and I know she will get a kick out of this

card. I can hear her now, exclaiming how cute the cat is.

The cat image is

Crazy Kitty Set (#32111) from

Biblical Impressions

The sentiments are both 

"Big Scripty Words"

from 

Lawn Fawn

I have linked many of the supplies I used,

I did not necessarily purchase them from the linked

sites. I only use them for reference for you to

see the supplies.
You may very well find these supplies at 

many other sites and maybe at better prices,

just do a little research.

Thanks for stopping by today,

I hope you have enjoyed my cards as 

much as I enjoyed making them.

Come again soon.

Until then, Happy Crafting!

Guest Room

Hi all you crafty people!

I recently visited friends who just moved to South Carolina.

They have a beautiful brand new home and Diane has done

an amazing job decorating it.

Today I want to show you the wall in the guest room.

She collected a whole slew of oval frames

and painted them all white then hung them on the wall.

Here color theme through out the home is blue and white

and this wall is perfect for the room.
She has one more thing she wants to add to this wall to finish

it off.  It will be one more little accent piece like those 

little vases inside 2 of the frames.

(click on the picture to see it larger.)

I love that there is a mirror in the center frame.

What a great eye she has, absolutely LOVE this wall!

What an easy and beautiful way to decorate a room.

Thanks for stopping by today.

I hope you've been inspired to do something a little 

different in your home.  

Think outside the box, use your imagination

and give it a try.

Come again soon.

You never know what you'll find on 

Kristie Kreates!