Send Some Love to Newtown CT

Hello blog friends!!!

I have an Newtown, Connecticut address where anyone can send cards or notes of condolence, words of comfort and kindness for anyone affected by the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School last week. I think we've all been touched by it in some way. I know how much many of you like to make and send cards. Here's an opportunity to reach out with a handmade card or note.

The Post Office has set up a PO Box for all such correspondence.

Here's the address:

Messages of Condolences for Newtown
PO Box 3700
Newtown CT 06470

Mail will be distributed according to how it's addressed. If you add a person's name with the above address, mail will be directed to them. If not, volunteers will direct the mail as needed.

I hope some of you find time to reach out to all these families in pain and sorrow. A note of caring even from a stranger can be so comforting.

Thanks and hugs to all of you!
Judy

Spellbinders Contest!!!

Just in case you missed Spellbinders™ BIG contest announcement, I have the detail below!

This is an awesome opportunity for all you creative people out there!  I've been told that some of the categories have only a few entries.  Your chances to get into the finals are pretty good in those categories.  Why not try it?  Try something out of your comfort zone.......something unique, out of the box!!!  I'd love for one of my blog friends to win!!!

Here's the details:

Spellbinders is currently running the BIGGEST contest they've ever hosted to date! Spellbinders Explore Beyond Challenge: Craft to Win gives you a chance at a $5,000 Grand Prize Package from Spellbinders and their cross promotional partners! They'll also be choosing a 2nd place winner to receive a $1,000 prize package and a $500 3rd place prize package!

Prizes will include products from WorldWin Papers, Want2Scrap, Xyron, KaiserCraft, Scrapbook Adhesives by 3L, Basic Grey, Scrapbook & Cards Today Magazine, BoBunny, Fancy Pants Designs, Canadian Scrapbooker, Nikki Sivils, Elmer's, Bazzill Basics, Graphic 45, IMAGINE Crafts/Tsukineko and more!

How do you participate? It's easy!

Simply create an original project using at least two (2) Spellbinders dies. And get creative with it! Push your own creative boundaries...do something different. We'll be looking for those crafters and artists who have really taken on the challenge to truly "Explore Beyond".

Take photos of each step of your project. If chosen as a finalist... You'll be asked to submit these photos.

Submit a photo (of your finished project only!) to the appropriate Spellbinders Flickr Group.

Contest runs from November 26th, 2012 through December 26th, 2012 Midnight EST.

Categories:

Card Making

Home Decor

Scrapbook Layout

Jewelry Making

Fabric Arts

Mixed Media Art

Official Rules:

You may enter more than once in multiple categories. Projects entered must be original. A total of twelve (12) finalists will be chosen. There will be two (2) finalists from each category. Finalists will be announced on December 27, 2012. Finalists will be asked to submit photos of the steps of their projects to validate their originality. Finalists will be asked to mail in their final original project to the Spellbinders office. Original projects must be received by end of day, Friday, January 4, 2013.

A celebrity panel of judges will review the twelve (12) final submissions and narrow it down to three (3) winners. Winners will be announced on Friday, January 11, 2013. There will be one (1) Grand Prize winner of a $5,000 prize package and the project will be featured at the Spellbinders booth at the Craft and Hobby Association show on January 12, 2013. There will be one (1) 2nd prize winner of a $1,000 prize package and featured on the Spellbinders blog. There will be one (1) 3rd prize winner of a $500 prize package and featured on the Spellbinders blog.

Legal:

All federal, state and local taxes are the sole responsibility of the winners. By acceptance of the prize, winners agree without limitation to the use of his/her name, photograph and/or likeness for publicity purposes without any additional compensation. Winners agree to be bound by these rules and the decisions of the Spellbinders panel, which are final and binding in all matters regarding this event. Winners agree that the event and its representatives affiliates, agents, directors, officers and employees have no liability whatsoever for any injuries, losses or damages of any kind relating to or arising from this event or resulting from participation in this contest.Contest is not open to Spellbinders Employees, Various Team Members, or their immediate family members (Grandparents, Parents, Siblings, Spouses, Children).

 Good luck!!!
-judy

A Quick Christmas Hanger

I have a quick Christmas hanger on Julianna Hudgins Positively Me blog today!

I used Spellbinders Jewel Goddess to cut wool felt for this hanger!  The letters are cut with Spellbinders Jewel Alphabet.  All the the directions with step out photos are on Julianna's blog.
Check it out here!

Happy Saturday!

hugs
-judy

Crafting with my granddaughter

My granddaughter, Alyssa, and I spent Sunday afternoon crafting! There was a blizzard raging outside but we were cozy inside.

This is one of our projects - doll shoes made of Crayola Color Wonder air dry clay.



Our inspiration was sparked by a need to use some clay. Otherwise it would all dry up since the package was open, according to Alyssa. We powdered the doll's feet and shaped the clay around her feet. Then we gently pulled the shoes off to dry. Alyssa added the "buttons" of clay and soles later.


The shoes are so cute!!!
Alyssa thought of adding the dots and colored soles!

We also did some sewing (mostly I sewed and Alyssa helped with fabrics and patterns). She went home with new pajamas, socks, blanket and pillow for her doll.



We sure enjoyed that blizzard! It gave us more time to play!

Thanks for visiting!
Judy

A Love Wedding Card

Today, I shared this soft shimmer love card on Julianna Hudgins' Positively Me Blog! 

 

This card features flowers from Spellbinders Jewel Flowers and Flourishes and Jewel Framed Sentiments.  I've used pearlescent off-white card stock for the frame and flowers.  The pearlescent paper is one of my favorites becasue it cuts so well, comes out of the dies easily and the best: has a beautiful shimmer!

 

You can find more details on my post on Julianna's Positively Me Blog.

 

Supplies:

• Spellbinders™ S5-143 Jewel Flowers and Flourishes
• Spellbinders™ S5-144 Jewel Framed Sentiments
• Spellbinders™ GC-001 Grand Calibur® Machine
• Spellbinders™ S5-025 Labels Seventeen
• Want2Scrap Pearls
• Bazzill Basics Sparkle Bling
• Pearlsecent Off White card stock
• Tsukineko Memento Teal Zeal ink
• JustRite Shabby CHic Labels Four
• Sheer Ribbon
• Cougar cream card stock
• Elmers Glue Spots

 



 





A Goddess Sunglasses Case

Today, I have a post on Julianna Hudgin's Positively Me blog! 

Finally a project to share!!!  Thanks to all you followers for not giving up on me!!! 



 

 

I've created a Goddess Sunglasses Case out of wool felt!  It's easy and quick!  No sewing!  Cutting wool felt is so easy with Spellbinders™ die templates and Grand Calibur® machine!

 

All the details are on Julianna's blog!  

 

I'm glad you visited!

 

Happy Creating,

-judy

So busy!

Just a quick post to say I'm doing okay but I'm very busy!!!!

I'm working in a different office......my home town post office....for a short while.  I'm really enjoying the challenge of managing a bigger office!  But.......I'm putting in very long days.  I'm exhausted when I get home.  So, I don't find much time to create anything.  It's a struggle to even get my Spellbinders projects done.

Thanks for being such loyal followers!  I hope to get back to my normal work schedule soon. 

My excitement for today is DH and I are flying to Las Vegas later today.  Our daughter Sarah will compete there in the Ms. Olympia body building competition on Friday.  Only the best in the world get a chance to compete for this title!  An amazing accomplishment!  I promise to post the results when I can! 

Happy day!
Judy

Two Hearts Wedding Card

Something in blue........

 

 

a wedding card with paper flowers and pearls.

 

This is a card I created for Spellbinders.  The little paper flowers were created with Donna Salazar's set called Bitty Blossoms.  Aren't they cute?  These are the perfect size for cards, especially cards that will be hand given.  The flowers are too dimensional to be mailed in a regular envelope.  A padded envelope works well though!  A card like this is well worth the extra postage!!!



 

 

You can find a list of all the supplies in the Spellbinders Idea Gallery.  Just click here.

So happy to have you visit my blog!
smiles......
-judy

Goddess Jewelry Holder

Today, I posted this Goddess Jewelry Holder on Julianna's Positively Me blog.


You can find all the details there including directions and photos!  Plus a supply list!


This is one of my favorite types of projects!  Lots of inks, spray mists, some gems and metal, textiles and even stamping!   A project to really get inky!

 
Thanks for stopping!
-judy

 

 

"So Sweet" Scrapbook Page

.............is one of my very favorite scrapbook pages that I've created!  

This sweet baby is Kiresa, granddaughter of Kim who is education director for Spellbinders.  She was so kind to share the photo so I could put together a "baby" layout!  This layout was featured on the TV show Scrapbook Soup with Stacey Caron!  She did an awesome job showing the embossing!You can see the video clip here -

http://www.scrapbookmemoriestv.com/projects/SS_200/211/Scrapbook_Soup_211-4.htm

All the little embossed and inked squares remind me of soft pink flannel!  They are so easy to make with Spellbinder™ M-Bossabilities folders.  I rubbed ink lightly over the embossing to highlight the patterns.  There are 3 different embossed patterns.  You can find all the details at the above link.

The little tags that spell Kiresa's name are fastened to the end of a journaling tag. It slides out and lists all her birth details.

You'll find a list of all the supplies and directions, too, on Scrapbook Soup.  Check it out here!

Thanks for stopping! 

Have a creative day!

-judy





A Little Friendship Card

Today, I have a quick little card to share! 

This is truly a quick card!  I think it took me longer to pick out the buttons than put it together!

The card base is ivory cardstock cut with Spellbinders™ S5-147 Resplendent Rectangles #5 (#1 being the smallest).  I love the beautiful cut edge on this piece!  In fact, the whole set is beautiful!!!!  It's one of Spellbinders newly released sets called Nestabilities® Majestic Elements.  Not only do the cut pieces have incredible detailed cut edges, a beautiful cut edge and embossed pattern is left in the negative space!  The possibilities of different combinations of the die cuts and negative spaces is amazing!
Okay, back to the card details.........
I simply folded the Respendent Rectangle in half to create the card.  Easy!  I inked the edges a little with Ranger Pesto ink.  I used the same ink for the verse.
The blue designer paper was cut and embossed with Resplendent Rectangles #4.  Love the inverted scallop edge with cutouts.  I sanded it a bit to reveal the white core of the paper and emphasize the embossed pattern.  I folded it in half to fit my card.  Perfect fit, of course!  Before I fastened it to the card, I stamped the verse from JustRite's Shabby Chic Autumn Leaves stamp set. 
at this point my power went out so I'm trying to finish on my phone....a bit more challenging!!!
To finish the card, I fastened the 2 Resplendent Rectangles together. I tied some floss in 3 buttons and fastened them with Glue Dots. The only thing left is to write a note inside and share it with a friend!!!
Here's my note to you my blog friends:
You are all an inspiration to me!!! I love reading your comments! Thanks to each and everyone for being my blog friends!!! I hope you find a bit of inspiration here to use in your creative works.
Hugs
Judy
Supplies:
Spellbinders S5-147 Resplendent Rectangles
JustRite Shabby Chic Autumn Leaves
Buttons Galore & More - pastel, vintage Christmas
Ranger Pesto ink
Ivory card stock
Prima Botanical Collection - Romance
DMC embroidery floss
Glue Dots - Mini
Adhesive

Quick Black, White and Kraft Cards

Today, I shared two quick cards on Julianna Hudgins's Positively Me blog. 

These two cards are the quickest project I've made in a long time! I love how they turned out! Very clean, classic elegance in Kraft, black and white! Simple, too!

Both cards use two of the same flowers as I used on my Bright Jewel Flowers box!  Yet, these flowers are a complete contrast to the bright flowers!

Each card is an A2 size. I embossed the front of each one with Spellbinders™ EG-002 Dainty Dots M-Bossabilities Grand embossing folder which has single dots on one side and a pattern of 4 dots on the other side. 

The Kraft and black mats were cut with  Spellbinders™ S5-131 A2 Matting Basics A #4 (#1 being the smallest) and Spellbinders™ S5-132 A2 Matting Basics B #5.  These die sets make cutting mats so easy!  And always the same size!!!  Perfect for A2 size cards!

I used two different flowers from Spellbinders™ S5-143 Jewel Flowers and Flourishes on each card. I added a button center to each one from Buttons Galore and More Natural Grab Bag.   The flourish becomes the stem on the first card. On the second card, I used the stem from the set.

A little verse from JustRite "You Inspire Me" stamped in black ink and clear heat embossed finishes each card.

Quick and easy!

Thanks for visiting!

-judy



Bright Jewel Flowers

Here's a project I shared on Julianna's blog.  Click here to go to the full post.

All these bright flowers were cut out of craft foil and then colored with StazOn inks.  I love the bright colors!  The flower dies I used are from Julianna's Spellbinders set: Jewel Flowers and Flourishes. I posted more info on Julianna's blog.

Thanks for stopping!

hugs
-judy

"My Dream" Scrapbook Page

Today, I have a scrapbook page to share.  This was one of my Spellbinders projects last fall.  This layout expresses  my dream come true to be on the Spellbinders Design Team!  

I used my Spellbinders' last year DT photo as well as the photo from my first year on the Spellbinders DT.  The bigger photo was taken by Allison Tyler Jones Photography.  It's one of my very favorite photos of myself!

The photo of the layout really does't do justice to all the copper on this page.  I've used embossed copper tape along the left side of my photo.  The words along the right side are cut from Royal Langnickle copper Etchboard.  I love that product for embossing.  It's black over a metallic color.  Once it's sanded the metal color is revealed.  It worked beautifully for the Donna Salazar words from her Spellbinders set S5-084 Girlie Grunge Labels.  There's more copper below the photos.  That is copper tape over card stock.  I've cut it with Spellbinders Edgeabilities E8-004 Classic Ric Rac and E8-003 Classic Triple Scallop with a flower Decorative Insert from E8-014 Classic Decorative Inserts Six.

Along the left side of the page are small photos of some of my favorite Spellbinders projects.  I chose to print all the photos in Sepia.  The papers on the page are all neutral brown tones with the copper thrown in for accent. 

I hope you enjoy my sharing of my dream!  If you haven't tried to cut craft foil and emboss it with your Spellbinders die templates, you really need to try it!!! The results are always so stunning!

Thanks for visiting!

Have a super creative day!

-judy



A Jewel Gem Necklace

Here's a little "gem" necklace I created for Julianna Hudgins Design Team. 

It's posted on her blog here.

This turquoise nugget is actually shrink plastic! 

I cut the oval with Spellbinders S5-098 Jewel Stones out of black shrink plastic and punched a hole for the jump ring.  Then I painted it with Tattered Angels Caspian Sea Glimmer Glam.  When I heated it the Glimmer Glam crinkled up into this wonderful texture! 
I cut the initial from white shrink plastic that I painted with Tattered Angels Saffron Glimmer Glaze.  After I glued the "J" in place, I dripped Ice Resin over the nugget.  I wanted enough to seal the texture and add a little shine, yet not too much.  The Ice Resin served to secure the crinkled texture to the shrink plastic, too!

thanks for visiting!
happy creating!
-judy



Hello all!!!!

Wow!  It's been a long time, huh?

After the Spellbinders Blog Frenzy, I left for vacation.  No time to create.  I had a wonderful time!.  DH and I spent a few days visiting my BIL and SIL at Cape Cod.  SO beautiful there!

Then we traveled to Hartford CT for the Europa Body Building competition to watch my daughter compete. We enjoyed spending time with her.  She looked awesome and finished 5th! 

We returned home in time to enjoy the 4th!  And rest up!  I love a vacation but sometimes it's exhausting.  Lots to catch up at work, too!

Then we were off for a weekend with family in northern Minnesota!  Now, that was R & R!

I've been back this week but oh so busy at work and a few projects.  Nothing to share, unfortunately! 

So I went searching my photo files........   I found a Zentangle I did awhile back.  What do you think of this bit of creativity!??? 



I'd forgotten how much I enjoyed creating this!  It reminds me of the doodling I always did in class back in junior high!  All my noteboks had doodling along the page borders!  This tag just evolved.....no pre planned thought!  Just mind wandering with a Sharpee pen on a manilla tag! 

Off on another trip later today!  I'm heading to Chicago for CHA!  I always enjoy CHA!!!  So much inspiration in all the art samples plus new products!!!  I'll be working in the Spellbinders booth!  I'm looking forward to a fun time and seeing many friends!

Thanks so much for not giving up on me!  :) 

Happy creating!

-judy



Sneak Peek: Spellbinders Summer Spectacular!

Welcome to Day 3 of Sneak Peek: Spellbinders™ Summer Spectacular!!!!

 Isn’t this exciting?!!  I’m always amazed by all the incredible new Spellbinders products!  This release is no exception…….Awesome new stuff!!!

If you missed the first two days, I’ve listed the links later in my post.    You’ll want to check them out!  I just know you don't want to miss any of the new Spellbinders products! 

Today, I have the honor of revealing one of the new background die templates called Botanical Swirls and a very practical set of tags, Back to Basics Tags!   Spellbinders new background die templates are amazing!!!  The tag set is all the basics! A must have set!  I especially like the tiny tags!

For my project, I embellished a photo frame with Botanical Swirls and one of the tags from Back to Basics Tags!

Isn’t this pattern incredible?  Botanical Swirls die template is designed to be cut multiple times so the pattern continues.  It’s pretty amazing!!!  I chose to piece the pattern under the tags.  The upper portion and lower portion are each all one piece. 

Supply List:

·         Spellbinders™ GC-001

·         Spellbinders™ S5-154 Botanical Swirls - MSRP $24.99

·         Spellbinders™ S4-367 Back to Basics Tags - MSRP $24.99

·         Worldwin® Gold Twist Cardstock

·         Worldwin® Black Cardstock

·         Creative Impressions Black Micro Paper Fasteners

·         Tattered Angels Saffron Glimmer Glaze

·         Tattered Angels Pinecone Glimmer Mist

·         SCRAPBOOK ADHESIVES by 3L™ Adhesive Sheet

·         Scor-Pal® Scor-Tape – ½”

·         Frame

·         Black Acrylic Paint

Let’s get to the details:

I started with a frame that’s 8 ¼ x 10 ¼" with an opening for a 4 x 6" photo.  I found this frame at a dollar store.  Any flat frame will work.

First, I painted the frame edges black with acrylic paint.

Next, I applied SCRAPBOOK ADHESIVES by 3L™ Adhesive Sheet to the back of a piece of Worldwin® Gold Twist paper the size of the frame.  I traced the frame and opening on the back of the paper for the size.  I cut the edges to fit the frame and rough cut the photo opening. 

I brushed on Tattered Angels Saffron Glimmer Glaze over the gold paper.  To make the color a bit darker, I rubbed on Tattered Angels Pinecone Glimmer Mist with a sponge and dabbed off any excess with a paper towel.   I’m always too impatient to let it air dry!  I dried it with my heat gun. 

You can see a piece of the original color Twist paper showing through the opening.

I removed the adhesive backing and applied the paper to the frame.  Then I cut the photo opening with a craft knife.  I used a permanent black marker to color the cut paper edges.

The next step is to cut the Spellbinders™ Botanical Swirls from black cardstock.  I applied SCRAPBOOK ADHESIVES by 3L™ Adhesive Sheet to the back of 2 – 8 ½ x 6 ¼" pieces of black cardstock.   

The cut pattern from Botanical Swirls is 4 x 6".  Since my frame is 8 ¼" wide, I needed two and part of a third repeat of the pattern. With the paper cut the same width as the length of the die template, it was easy to align the Botanical Swirls template with the edges of the paper to keep the pattern straight.  I’ve used removable tape to hold the die template in place while cutting. Photo 1 in the collage below.

Because there is so much detail to cut with Botanical Swirls, multiple passes through the Grand Calibur® machine are usually necessary.   A shim of cardstock is usually necessary in the center of the die template for the 2^nd and 3^rd passes.  Photo 2 above.

After each tag was adhered over the seam, I trimmed the end on the photo opening side with a craft knife.

Here’s the completed frame ready for a photo.........

.........and with a photo!

To get the black edge around my photo, I cut the photo 3 ¼ x 5 ¼" and mounted it on 4 x 6" black cardstock. That leaves a 1/8" black reveal around the photo. Not necessary, but I thought it set off the photo better.

*   *   *   *   *   *   *

The Botanical Swirls die template also makes a great embossed pattern!        

For this card, I’ve simply embossed the Botanical Swirls pattern to use as a background.  Simple!  And it adds an interesting pattern!   
I used an oval tag with a verse.  I used the negative opening from a long tag to reveal the red dot paper.

*  *  *  *  *  *  * 

The Sneak Peek: Spellbinders™ Summer Spectacular! Begins on June 21^st and will end on June 28^th, 2012. It consists of 24 individual prizes and one grand prize drawing.  Enter the Sneak Peek: Spellbinders™ Summer Spectacular! by visiting the participating blogs each day.

At the end of each blog post, click on the "Enter HERE" to open the entry form. You may only enter once from each blog each day.

Spellbinders™ will randomly draw one winner from each participating blog to receive that blog’s newly revealed dies. The Grand Prize Winner will be randomly drawn from the pool of entrants who sent entry forms from each and every participating blog during the 48 hours each blog was open. For the full list of official rules please click RULES.

Day Three of this contest is now closed.  Please visit SpellbindersPaperArts.com for more inspiration.

**Enter the contest by clicking HERE**

Be sure to check out all the other blogs participating in the Blog Frenzy so you don’t miss any of the new Spellbinders die templates being released!  Here’s a list of the previous days and blog links:

June 21

                Becca Feeken

                Kazan Clark

                Julie Overby

June 22

                Cindy Echtinaw

                Beate Johns

                Sherry Cheever

June 23

                Judy Hayes - you are here!

                Deb Seyer

                Nina Bracket

Questions?  Please email ContestQuestions@Spellbinders.us No entries will be accepted at this email address.

 

By lapping the template edge ¼" over the edge mark (impression left by edge of template after cutting) from the previous cut, the pattern matches perfectly!  Photo 3 above.I’ve used blue pencil marks on the paper to show the lap.  I added some arrows to help you see where the edge of the Botanical Swirls needs to be in order for the pattern to cut properly.  The tiny line indicates the impression from the die template after the first cut.

To get enough of the pattern for my frame, there was just a little at the edge for the final cut.  Photo 4 above. 

When I cut the second piece for the top of the frame, I started the pattern in the center of the 6 ¼ x 8 ½" paper.  Then I repeated the cut on each side of the first cut.  That way the pattern at the top of the frame isn’t an exact duplicate of the lower pattern.

Here, you can see the Botanical Swirls pattern repeated twice plus part of a third pattern cut out of the black cardstock.  You can see the slight impression line from the edge of the die template where the pattern repeats.   A few of the pieces remained in the template when I removed it.  I removed all the excess pieces and used a scissors and a craft knife to cut along the edges of the top and bottom.  Botanical Swirls die template cuts the pattern but not the edges of the pieces along sides.  Those need to be cut with a scissors or craft knife.



This photo shows the two pieces of cardstock cut with Spellbinders™ Botanical Swirls; all pieces removed and ready to adhere to the frame.  The adhesive backing is the white showing through the pattern.  Some of it didn’t cut when I cut the pattern.  It’s much easier to remove that way!

I used the complete pattern across the lower portion of the frame.  After it was adhered, I trimmed the excess along the frame edges and photo opening.  I added the other piece at the top of the frame and trimmed the excess also.

This photo shows the Botanical Swirls on the frame with edges trimmed.  You can see where the two pieces meet.  

I used two tags to cover the seam.  I cut/embossed 2 from black cardstock and 2 from gold Twist paper that I had colored the same as the frame.  I marked, made holes and inserted micro brads in the gold piece.  I placed one brad in one end of each tag (the other end will be cut off).  I applied ½" Scor-Tape® to the back of the black tag.  Then I placed the gold piece in place.