maria's craft room

Created By Courtney Challenge #16: Bagalope

  Hi there!  It's time for another CBC Challenge and this week Courtney  challenged us to make a bagalope.  I must admit that prior to this challenge I didn't know what a bagalope was!  *blushing*  Click here  for a tutorial from HGTV.  So it turns out that you make a bag from an envelope and it was easy peasy.  I will definitely be making more of these as they make the cutest gift card holders.  To decorate mine I pulled out my BasicGrey Wassail papers again.  LOVE that collection of paper.  And guess what else I did?  Went into my secret stash for some 2007 SU cardstock.  Remember true thyme?  I've been hoarding my last bits but decided that it was such a perfect match to the BG paper that I had to use it.  The focal image is from Papertrey's It's a Celebration set and instead of using the ribbon stamp I just went with real ribbon instead.  Thanks so much for stopping by!  Please check out the CBC Challenge Chicks listed in the sidebar to the left.  I can't wait to see what they've created.  And play along with us!  Post your creation on your blog or on SCS using keyword CBCC16.  If you leave a link in the comments section on Courtney's blog you could win a prize!

Until next time...M

Supplies:

Ink:  SU cranberry crisp, Papertrey dark chocolate

Cardstock:  Papertrey select white, SU true thyme; BasicGrey Wassail collection paper

Stamps:  Papertrey It's a Celebration

Other:  May Arts ribbon, Cuttlebug tiny tag, Papertrey A2 envelope

Fran's Nugget Tin Birthday Gift

Hi everyone!  Happy Saturday Night to you!  with I could have come up with a better post title for this entry.  It certainly deserves it!  This is what Fran did with a nugget tin and my birthday gift.  Isn't it pretty?  And so clever...I'll explain in a bit.  She presented it to me yesterday when she and Liz and I were out for my birthday luncheon together.  We went to the cutest old Italian restaurant in town and had so much fun!  They serve something I've never seen anywhere else:  fried hot pepper strips.  Diners should definitely not attempt to eat these unless they are in possession of a full glass of iced beverage and a basket of bread and butter.  See, some of the peppers are hot hot hot while others are simply delicious.  It's a bit of a gamble and always fun. This was what was on the bottom.  You think it's a card until you detach it and flip it over.  And once you see the flip side you can guess what was hidden inside each of the paper tubes inside the tin.  A little something to put towards cabinets for underneath my new workspace!  You'll never guess how Fran perfectly curled the papers to fit in the tin, so I'll just tell you.  See, Fran has a kitchen cart in her studio and the cart has a dowel on one side for holding a roll of paper towels.  And that's what she used to form the rolls.  Four of them fit perfectly inside the tin.  Since it was my birthday celebration we ordered dessert.  Cannolis!  Oh they were

delicious!  Real ricotta cheese, mini chocolate chips and a crunchy shell.  Liz had never had one before.  I couldn't believe it!  But I forget that not everyone is Italian and not everyone eats dessert at every possible opportunity.  Oops.  So here's your tip for the day:  try a cannoli.  And not one of those pudding-y ones.  That's not a real cannoli.  You want one made with sweetened ricotta cheese.  It's like a little piece of chocolate chip cheesecake.  But better!  Thanks for stopping by!

Until next time...M

Snappy Birthday

So I needed to make a birthday card big enough to hold a large gift certificate.  I thought...and thought...and stared at my cardstock...and remembered the clear, mini paint can sitting in a drawer.  Perfect!  I bought mine last summer from Eclectic Paperie.
Lining one of these isn't as simple as I'd thought it would be.  The handles are not removable, so I had to work around the pieces that stick out on the inside of the can.  That problem actually dictated the incorporation of twill into the design.  I cut a piece of paper 3.25" by 11.5" to line the bottom 3/4 of the inside of the can.  I stamped my images using white craft ink and then used pastels to 'chalk' in my colors.  If you hadn't already figured it out, it's Fran's birthday today.  Hence the beachy/seafood theme.  She's feeling much better, by the way.  A seafood feast is really the best medicine!
After I chalked the images (and this may be the only time you ever see me chalk images...just not something I think to do) I settled it in the can, sealed the seam and cut my cream twill to fit the top.  I used my crop-a-dile to punch holes for the inside of the handles and used tacky tape to secure the ends to the can.  Since any adhesive would show through to the outside of the can I decided to use *gasp* regular clear tape on the inside of the can to attach the twill to the backside of the tan paper.  I know, I know, not the most professional thing but it was better than having my tape show! To give a more finished appearance I wrapped Papertrey's aqua mist twill tape around the outside over the seam.

I made the tag using aqua mist and whisper white cardstock, then sponged creamy caramel over the white portion so that it would blend better with the cream twill tape.  I did the same thing on the top of the can, sponging my white cardstock after I ran it through my Big Kick with my small circle Nestabilities.  The tag is attached using glue dots and some natural hemp twine, and I took a scrap piece of the cream twill for the handle and frayed the ends for some interest.  Since I was using the can in place of a card I cut another large, white circle with my Nestabilities and adhered it to the underside of the lid.  That's where I wrote my message and signed our names.  I used the same 'snappy birthday' and crab stamps to create custom wrapping paper for another small package I gave her.  I forgot to take a picture of that, though.  Oops!  I can share that we had a great time celebrating Fran.  It was a significant birthday, but I won't say which one.  We went to Feby's, of course.  We were lucky enough to have upstairs seating, and the food was fabulous.  I had rockfish topped with crab imperial that was served with a garlic potato pancake and sauteed baby spinach.  And for the first time ever I tried a fried oyster.  In one word:  yum!  Thanks, Fran, for inviting me to your party.  Happy Birthday!

Until next time...M

Supplies:

Ink:  SU! classic chocolate chip, classic creamy caramel, classic ruby red, whisper white craft ink

Cardstock:  Papertrey aqua mist, SU whisper white, Creative Memories Cabana paper (tan)

Stamps:  SU! Shore Thing and SU! Crab & Company

Other:  crop-a-dile, small paint can, SU! pastels, SU! twill and hemp twine, Papertrey aqua mist twill tape, small circle Nestabilities, tacky tape, SU! small and large tag punches

 

Coffee To Go

I stocked up on Dunkin' Donuts gift cards during the holiday.  I just love to give these as gifts.  I was giving one to a friend earlier this week and made this quick holder for presentation.  I used the old envelope trick again!  You know...seal an empty envelope and then cut off one edge.  Run the bottom sideways through a crimper and voila! a gift card holder is born.  The picture isn't as clear as I'd like (believe me, I'd be dangerous if I could really operate my camera!) but I used watercolor paper for the cup image and then distressed the edges.  The gorgeous paper on the bottom of the holder is from the new SU Ginger Blossom designer paper pack.  I used double-sided tape to adhere it to the envelope before I ran it through the crimper.  Then I used glue dots to secure the cup image to the designer paper.  I managed to capture the effect from the glaze pen - I wanted the cups to be shiny to contrast with the roughness and texture of the crimping and distressing.  Some ribbon and brads completed the look.

Until next time...M

Supplies:

Ink:  Stampin' Up! basic brown

Cardstock/paper:  SU very vanilla envelope, SU watercolor paper, SU Ginger Blossom designer paper

Stamps:  'Three Cups' by A Muse, Papertrey Ink 'Holiday Treats'

Other:  Fiskars crimper, SU distressing tool, SU ruby red watercolor wonder crayon and aqua painter, clear Sakura glaze pen, SU chocolate chip taffeta ribbon, SU vintage brads

Christmas Spirit

Ok...the picture is a little fuzzy, but you'll have to trust me that this is the best gift card holder I've made to date.  And - as always - my best work happens when I least expect it.  I was waiting upstairs while my husband handled a visit from a cable repair person and I decided to pop into my craft room.  I had to spend my time doing something, right?  Anyway, I took a scrap of BasicGrey's Fruitcake paper and came up with this.  I didn't record exact measurements, but I took the gift card and held it up to the paper and made sure I cut it large enough to go around the gift card, then I scored it, folded it and sealed it with a center seam up the back.  The lid was cut and scored slightly larger than the base and used the back side of the plaid Fruitcake paper.  A tag, ribbon, twine and a Papertrey sentiment (perfect as this was a DD gift card) finished the presentation.

Supplies:

Ink:  Always Artichoke

Cardstock:  BasicGrey Fruitcake, SU very vanilla

Stamps:  Papertrey Ink Holiday Treats

Other:  SU mellow moss taffeta ribbon, natural hemp twine, SU vintage brass eyelet, crop-a-dile, SU small tag punch

Have you been to Ellen Hutson LLC and checked out the 7 Gypsies bracelets?  Ellen is offering kits as well as plain bracelets.  I bought a few plain ones to play with and this is the first one I finished.  I had to use the SU Dashing designer paper because it's just so festive and if I'm going to wear a holiday bracelet (I usually dislike bracelets) it had better be worth it.  It did take me a while to figure out how to use my pliers to close the links without breaking the disks.  I've not tried to make jewelry before, so those of you that have experience would be able to whip one of these together in no time.  I've already started on a second one in a different color scheme.

Until next time...M

I Did It!

Ok - maybe this isn't such a big deal to most people.  But to a technically challenged person like myself it's HUGE.  I finally finished testing a bunch of different softwares so that I could learn to watermark my pictures!  Next up is to learn how to operate my camera so I can improve my picture-taking abilities. 

For now, here's a gift card holder that I made earlier this week.  It's a trick most everyone has seen:  seal an empty envelope and then cut off the left third.  Take the larger piece and run it through a crimper (I used a Fiskars one).  Attach a piece of decorative paper to the un-crimped piece and this now becomes the 'lid'.  Embellish at will, fill with the gift card and make someone smile.

Supplies:

Ink:  SU Classic Chocolate Chip

Cardstock:  BasicGrey Infuse, SU Whisper White and Chocolate Chip

Stamps:  SU Think Happy Thoughts

Other:  SU Whisper White envelope, May Arts ribbon, Maya Road 'Air' velvet flower, SU vintage brad, SU 1 1/4" and 1 3/8" circle punches, SU scalloped circle punch