I really like to find different ways to say "Thank you!" I like this one - a retro guest check - the kind that you would have found at that little corner cafe tucked under your plate boasting the best, juiciest burger ever. Hungry, yet? Do you have any of those kinds of places in your neck of the woods? I'd love to join you there!
Now this thank you has a little more than just a guest check under your plate! Aren't the butterflies pretty? The dies are from Papertrey Ink.
If you love the graphic yellow and gray papers, you can find them at Grepic. It's a lovely collection.
You can download a copy of the guest check thank you HERE or click on the image and save it.
I have an announcement! Drumroll, please... Now introducing my Choux Box Kits Club!
It's actually been around awhile - just not in any official way. Just a few customers who have become friends that enjoy my kits. Now it even has a logo! Click on the Choux Box Kits Club tab at the top of my blog or HERE to find out more. We'd love to have you join us.
And how about a little Christmas in July?
Come back Monday! I'm joining up with Keren from Free Pretty Things for You for Christmas in July! Fun projects with darling vintage images and it wouldn't be Christmas without a present or two - for you! See you then!
Hope you had a wonderful 4th (if you're American)! Dennis and I just got back from visiting with Lauren and Paul in Wichita. It's been a long time since I've been in a city where fireworks are legal. It was amazing! All over town fireworks were going off, even the big colorful pretty ones. I could actually smell the gun powder (or whatever it is) floating on the breeze. The sky was hazy around the moon. It was kind of cool and scary at the same time. Are fireworks legal where you live?
Before I left for Wichita, I got the cutest stamp from the new Stampin' Up catalog. Kind Koala ranks high on my Cute and Sweet - O - Meter!
What do you think? And what do you think about the microfine warm highlight glitter? Isn't it cool? The marker is actually on TOP of the glitter! So hard to photograph - wish you could see it in real life - the warm highlights are beautiful and the koala is almost silky!
This is fun to do:
You can find the Glitter Ritz (I have warm highlight) and the Be Creative Tape at Ellen Hutson. I have the 4.5" roll. I also think the 8.5 x 11" adhesive sheets would be a great idea.
Once you have covered your image with the tape and glitter - you really need to burnish it. Your fingers will work just fine, rub until smooth and glitter is no longer coming off. It will be soft and velvety.
Amazingly, this glitter is so fine that you can color right on top of it! I think light strokes work best. I used my Copics, but I understand that just about any marker will work. I'm thinking you might not want a very pointy hard marker, however, as it might make gouges in the glitter. (I used the warm grays on my koala - his cheeks are RV10. The flower is RV10, RV21, and R22. The entire image is outlined in BG10 and feathered out with C00.)
Don't you think you could make some really fun stamped cards with this technique? Love this - of course, I can never resist cuteness and glitter!
Have you had Cracker Jacks in awhile? I loved them as a kid - now I have to say I didn't eat the peanuts, just the carmel popcorn! I couldn't wait to find the treat - it didn't seem to matter what it was - I loved it anyway!
For some reason when I think about Cracker Jacks, I think about being out in the front yard. So I guess Crackers Jacks are nostalgically connected to childhood and outside fun. So it seems they would be a perfect treat for the 4th of July. And I don't think a regular treat bag will hold enough - so gussets are necessary!
Do you need gussets for your 4th of July treats? Here's out to do it:
To make a gusseted bag with a finished size of 3 1/2" x 5 1/4", cut decorative paper or printed copy paper to 6 1/2" x 10 3/4". This cute paper is from Grepic - the circus/carnival set. You still have plenty of time if you like this paper: it's an instant download.
Next, make your scores on the vertical sides of your paper. Fold the paper in half top to bottom. You only need gussets on the top half. So cut on the 1 1/2" scores from the bottom of the paper to the middle fold.
Now, fold the gussets. You need a valley fold in the middle.
After folding, add adhesive to top of the folded scores, fold up the bottom (back of the bag) and press firmly. I used pinking shears across the top of my bag.
Add your goodies! You might want to know that I got that cute patriotic pup from Cotton Field Farm. It's an instant download too.
I wanted to link you to one of my daughter's blog posts. She has a wonderful fresh raspberry and heavy cream dessert that would be wonderful for the hot days of summer. She also has some fun and enlightening history on midsummer. I wanted to rush out and buy black velvet, tiny pins, and some stockings. You'll learn why!
Have a wonderful Fourth of July!
Okay, that's me - talking to me: "Get ORGANIZED!!!!!" I've never been particularly neat. My poor mom, I know she thinks I was switched at birth. Trust me, my mom and dad never have to run around in a tizzy when someone is dropping by! So, why should my craft room be any different? But, really, it is now out of control! I have to start getting it together. Here are a couple of simple ideas and I love them!
Aren't these ribbon holders pretty? You can find them HERE from Free Pretty Things for You. I love that they can be printed in just about any size. These laces are about 2" wide, so they don't fit on just any holder. And trust me, these are a lot better than a drawer stuffed full of lace! They are lovely enough to display in a basket. I've got to make quite a few more...
My gem and pearl stash is a mess! I've got a box full of bags and acetates with gems and pearls. There are bags that have slipped under other bags and pearls that have fallen off to float around. So, I came up with this:
Isn't this better? I bought some cellophane bags and cut kraft cardstock to size. To make them a little more decorative, I die cut and added a small stamp to the top of the cardstock. Okay, I've got quite a few more of these to make, too. But, at least I've started!
I would love to hear about your storage ideas!
Hope you're having a good week!
Suzanne, as you know, loves photo cards. She keeps me busy making them with her fun photos. I think these photo cards are a wonderful idea: graduation cards for mother and daughter.
I decided that I would make matching cards instead of both cards being exactly the same. Here is the mom's card:
Suzanne loved the cards and let me know that mother and daughter were also thrilled. That's always nice to hear!
It's been awhile since we've had a graduation in our family. Lauren and her husband, Paul, were the most recent and that's been about 5 years ago. Did you have a graduation this year?
I love flags and stars on the 4th of July! There is something so pretty about our flag. I love pulling up to our house and seeing the flag flying out front. This project combines a star with our flag. That's perfect for me!
Doesn't it look a lot like tin? I made it from paper - really! This paper is from Picky Chicken. Would you like to make a 3D Patriotic Star? Here's what you need:
I printed the stripe paper on 110lb paper double sided. I'll tell you why a bit later. To do the star - the way I made it - you will need two striped stars. One will be the back. You want the stripes to go horizontal across the star. Also, I think fat stars make the best 3D stars. Not really skinny points. You can use a die or draw them yourself. My star file is from Silhouette.
First you will need to score your stars. I marked my score board with a silver sharpie so it would be easy to line up a point with its corresponding intersection. Score all five points.
On the blue star, only score the points marked with an asterisk. Then cut the blue star on the score lines.
When you cut the blue star, it will be slightly off. You just need to trim it so that you get a nice edge that lines up with a stripe. Each star may be slightly different depending on how the stripes fall. Glue blue piece on top of red striped star. You may want to score again the lines that run across the blue paper.
Now you are ready for the 3D effect: fold on all score lines. Isn't that cool?
Punch the holes far enough from the edge, that you don't have to worry about pulling through them with the wire hanger. Then take the back out and set aside.
You could probably glue the sequins on, but with those tiny tiny seed beads, I thought the only way to go was to sew them on. So that's why you need a back - to cover the thread knots. Also, it makes the star nice and thick. I printed the star paper on both sides so that when I slip the back into the front there isn't any white showing. It is really hard to get the two stars folded exactly the same, so it really helps to have the stripes on the other side as well!
Once you've finished sewing on the sequins and beeds, you are ready to add the hanger. The wire I used is 20 gauge. I added a bit of distress ink on the edges and scores. And glitter, of course! These make wonderful 4th of July decorations or you could clip them to a sack of sparklers or a treat.
Do you have a 4th of July tradition? I'd love to hear about it.
Hope you're having a wonderful week!
Oh, Betsy Ross! Is the story we know of her true or not? Did she sew the first American flag or did her grandson make it all up? I suppose we will never know and I've decided that it is perfectly okay to love the idea of Betsy Ross (as long as I acknowledge that her history may be entirely fiction)!
I do know that I think this image of Betsy is perfectly adorable and I as soon as I bought it at a Wichita antique store, I wanted to use it on an ornament. You can download her below for your personal projects.
This cookie cutter ornament is so sweet and fun to make! I just love the 1776 ribbon I found at MIchaels - seems perfect for Betsy, doesn't it?
I have found that Aileen's works really well for adhering ribbon to a cookie cutter. Start at the bottom and work your way around - you may need to hold the ribbon in place for just a bit at the joints of the star.
Placing the knot closer to the front of the star helps the ornament hang straighter and not tilt forward.
Now you're ready to decorate. I stamped a 1776 tag and punched two holes along the side. Then I threaded the twine through the tag and tied a knot. I also added a bit of yellow (toned down with white) watercolor to make the tag more the color around Betsy.
I created the Betsy Ross tag with one of the framelits from Chalk Talk from Stampin' Up.
I wanted to tone down the yellow around Betsy, so I painted about three layers of white watercolor around her. In the above picture, I've painted over the yellow once.
These watercolors are brand new - we just got them at the store. They are so pretty and creamy!
I tied the Betsy tag around the bow and hot glued it to the cookie cutter.
I love my new Betsy Ross star ornament!
You can use Betsy in your July 4th creations, download her HERE.
Have a wonderful week!
