History of Ever Valentine's Card & Tip on Gluing Die-Cut Letters Perfectly Straight

Happy Valentine's Day!

I am so excited to be back on my blog sharing a project.  It has been a few months - I was crafting while I was away from blogging, so I will be sharing more projects soon.

I was shopping in the Silhouette Store and was very inspired by Lori Whitlock's You're My Favorite Phrase Cut File.  It is such a sweet and fun Valentine's Day sentiment!

I cut the sentiment out with black cardstock using my Silhouette.  I glued the black letters on vellum so I wouldn't cover up the background of the card.  You may be thinking....wouldn't it be easier to print the sentiment on vellum?  Probably!  :)  But, I thought about it, and I love the layering effect and texture you get with die-cut letters especially on vellum.  

To ensure the black letters were glued perfectly straight on the vellum, I used the black cardstock negative from the die-cut to position and glue the letters.  This technique also keeps the glue behind the letters and not all over the vellum!  Use a paper clip to the keep the vellum and negative in place.

Once you have glued all of the letters in place, remove the black cardstock negative.  Make sure to do this slowly so you don't remove any of the letters with it.

I am love with maps right now, so I had to use a map as the card background.  The 'map' paper is by October Afternoon pulled from my stash of the Seaside collection.  I added some little red die-cut hearts to the red lines on the map and I splattered pink ink (Pink Balloon Sprinkler by October Afternoon) for more color.

To finish the card, I added a little pennant with paper from the October Afternoon Cakewalk collection and a sweet little wood heart by Freckled Fawn (added a little red sequin to the center!).  

Here is a angled picture showing the lovely layering on the card!  From the little red hearts, vellum, the die-cut letters, and the pennant.  

I LOVE the way the layering turned out!  I hope you all have a very Happy Valentine's Day and thanks for stopping by!

Melanie

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Spooky Cute Halloween Brownie Pops!

Eeeeeeeeek! Halloween is right around the corner! I have a really fun project to share with you today!

I made some adorable and delicious Halloween Brownie Pops to give out as spooky gifts for Halloween.  I made the cute box the pops are standing in too - the box displays them so nicely!

Believe it or not, the hardest part of making the pops is the time spent deciding how you want to decorate them and shopping for the supplies.  Many of the ingredients you can pick up at your local grocery store or Target.  For more variety in decorating supplies, I recommend taking a trip to your local Michael's or Joann's as well.

Ingredients:

Box of Brownie Mix & Ingredients to Make Brownies per Box

Lollipop Sticks

Wilton Candy Eyes

Wilton Candy Melts - I used melts in Black, Vibrant Green, Orange, and Lavender.

2 Boxes of Baker's Premium White Chocolate Baking Bar (4oz Box)

Twizzler's Black Licorice Nibs (For Frankenstein's Bolts)

Wax Paper

Mini Pretzel Twists

Styrofoam Square

Toothpicks

Instructions:

To make the brownie pops, I used the Brownie Pop Recipe by Betty Crocker linked here.  Below, I have listed some helpful tips/tricks when making the brownie pops (incorporate these into the recipe's instructions if you would like).  Also, I have listed specifics on how I made each pop into a Halloween character - Mummy, Frankenstein, Jack-O-Lantern, and Three-eyed Monster, and how to make the cute gift box to display the pops:

Tips/Tricks:

1) I recommend adding an extra egg to the batter.  It will help with forming the cake pops later.

2) After the brownies have cooled, remove any hard edges from the brownie pan.  I did this by cutting one large rectangle in the pan excluding 1/4" from each side of the pan.

4) Cut the brownies while in the pan into 1.5" squares - each square can be rolled into a ball and ensures each pop will be the same size.

5) Add additional flavor by adding a few butterscotch chips or white chocolate chips to the melted candy mixtures.

6) Use white chocolate with food coloring instead of colored candy melts.  If using chocolate chips, add 1 tablespoon vegetable oil for every cup of chips when melting.  See additional info on melting chocolate here.

7) Cover decorated pops with mini clear treat bags and close using twine or ribbon.

Decorating Pops as Halloween Characters:

Mummy - Dip pops into melted white chocolate.  Add candy eyeballs before chocolate hardens.  Place pops into refrigerator for 30 minutes so chocolate hardens.  After cooled, add strips of melted white chocolate to create the mummy (tip: over a bowl, let the melted chocolate drip off a spoon onto the pops while you turn them).  Cool in refrigerator for another 30 minutes.  After cooled, add the mouth using a toothpick dipped in melted black candy.

Frankenstein - Cut Black Licorice Nibs into two pieces using a scissors.  Dip pops into melted green candy.  Add bolts (Nibs) and candy eyeballs before chocolate hardens.  Place pops into refrigerator for 30 minutes so chocolate hardens.  After cooled, add strips of melted black candy to the top of the pops to give Frankenstein hair.  Add the mouth and scars using a toothpick dipped in melted black candy.

Jack-O-Lantern - Break mini pretzel twists into pieces that look like pumpkin stems.  Dip pops into melted orange candy.  Add pretzel stems and candy eyeballs before chocolate hardens.  Place pops into refrigerator for 30 minutes so chocolate hardens.  After cooled, add the mouth using a toothpick dipped in melted black candy.

Three-Eyed Monster - Dip pops into melted purple candy.  Add candy eyeballs before chocolate hardens.  Place pops into refrigerator for 30 minutes so chocolate hardens.  After cooled, add the mouth using a toothpick dipped in melted black candy.

Lollipop Gift Box:

The box, fence, bat, and pumpkins are digital die-cuts (SVGs) by SVG Cuts.  If you don't have a electronic die-cutting machine, you could use a small gift box and pop small holes in the top to place the pops - just make sure you place Styrofoam inside the box to hold the pops in place.

For SVGs users, cut and assemble the box, bat, and pumpkins based on the default size setting of the file.  The box is from the For My Valentine SVG Kit.  The bat and pumpkins are from the Spooky Cuties SVG Collection.  To make the fence that goes around the box, I used the fence from the Elmhurst Hollow SVG Kit and resized it to 7.25W x 3.862H in SCAL (note: delete the extra wood strips before sizing as you don't need these).  Cut the fence out twice and glue around the box so the ends come together on each side of the box.

Add brads or black pearl stickers to the middle of the bat's and pumpkins' eyes - this makes them look like the candy eyeballs on the brownie pops!  Also, add a sentiment to the box if you would like.

Your brownie pops and gift box are ready for someone special to take home!  I hope you enjoyed this project and give these pops a try!  They are sure to make someone smile!

Melanie

EEK! Crafting with My Nephew!

Spooky Greetings All!

I have been so busy researching my family heritage that I haven't had much time to craft or blog.  I have really missed playing with paper and staying connected with all of you, my crafty friends. 

I got a little time to craft with my nephew yesterday and thought I would share the card he and I made for his mom/my sister.

 
My nephew really liked the spider web and spider SVGs from the Lettering Delights Little Boo-ligans Accent Cut It Set so we made those the focus of the card.  He also picked out the colors - hence the orange eyes!!!!  :)

I made the card a circle shape so the spider web would really pop on the card and we added a little EEK! flag.  To make the flag, we used a little flyer and alpha stickers from the October Afternoon Witch Hazel collection and some twine from the Farmhouse collection.

Check out the super creative note on the inside:

Don't you just love what my nephew did with the letters to bring them to life in a spooky way?  This was totally his idea and it turned out so cute!  The "e" is supposed to be a zombie!  BTW - I didn't help him with spelling - that would take away some of the cuteness factor!

Here is a pic of my nephew with the completed card!  :)


Thanks for stopping by to see our card and Happy Holloween!  :)

Melanie

October Afternoon Warehouse Sale 2013!

If you have been following my blog, you know how much I LOVE October Afternoon and their products.  I was very fortunate to Guest Design for them last April - you can see what I made with their AWESOME products HERE.

I went to the October Afternoon Warehouse Sale for the first time last year and because I know how awesome it is, I made sure to mark my calendar for this year's sale so I wouldn't miss it!

Last year, I went to the sale on it's opening night and it was fun (you can read my blog from last year HERE)!  This year, I didn't get to the sale until the second day - the earliest I could get there!  I am sure I missed out on some great items as they do say to shop early and often.  I will surely be stopping by again on Sunday to pick up those items I should have got (and can't get out of my head), to see if there are any new items I have to have, and fingers crossed - maybe some slashed prices! (UPDATE 9/22/13: I bought more goodies on Sunday and OA didn't disappoint!  Some prices had dropped and I found some items I had to have!)

The warehouse sale is in Apple Valley, MN - not too far from where I live - about a 30 minute drive.  The sale features great bargains on old and new October Afternoon collections.  The newest collection at the sale was Travel Girl which I was very excited about as I didn't have any in my collection yet!  This year there was a bargain room; however, I thought everything was fairly priced throughout the entire warehouse. Below, I share what I picked up at the sale along with the bargain prices I paid!

First up, I grabbed as much Travel Girl as I could find!  I got the 8x8 paper pad for $5, brads for $2.50, buttons for $1, washi tape for $1.50, and the miscellany pack for $2.  For spending over $50 at the sale, I got the 12x12 patterned paper pack for FREE!!!!  This was a nice surprise and very generous of Mr. and Mrs. October Afternoon!  Can't wait to play with these goodies!

Next up, I picked up 30 sheets of Sticky Keys/Mini Market Alpha Stickers!  They were $3 for 5 sheets!  I usually pay $2.50 per sheet for these yummies.  The sale had most of the varieties that have been released so I surely stocked up!!!!

Next up, I got these sample sized papers from older collections - I am guessing these were used at CHA as sales samples?  These were a steal at 25 sheets for $1!

I also stocked up on goodies from a variety of collections.  From Witch Hazel, I grabbed the Sprinklers for 2 for $5, the miscellany pack for $2, washi tape for $1.50, chipboard shapes for $2, and tin pins for 2 for $3.  From Sasparilla, I got the 8x8 paper pad for $2 and the trims pack for $1.  I got a couple other miscellaneous items too - buttons from Farm Girl and Midway at $1 each, brads from Make it Merry for $2.50 and a 12x12 paper pack for $1!

There were loads of goodies to chose from so making the final selections to purchase was difficult!  If you are in the area, I hope you are able to make the sale.  The selections and bargains were terrific and the employees were all very pleasant and helpful.  You are sure to be smiling ear-to-ear when you walk into the warehouse!

Melanie

My Stache!

Sunday was a great day!  I spent the day with my family celebrating my nephew's birthday - he is now 10 years old!!!!  Boy, he has grown up fast!  I made him a fun mustache card and mini box for his birthday.  The 'stache' box holds all the money he got for his birthday - get it "my stache!"  :)

To create the card, I used Lori Whitlock's Mustache SVG Set.  I left the mustaches in the same order they were in the SVG file making it so easy to create the card!  I resized the SVG file to fit a 4.5x5.5 card, cut it out on white card stock, and then pasted strips of patterned paper behind some of the mustaches.  You may be asking, what collection is the adorable paper from?  Well, it is the Swagger Collection by Fancy Pants.  Absolutely love this collection and all of the 'staches' in it - I definitely pulled inspiration from it!

To create the mini box, I used Lori's Mustache SVG set again as well as Lori's Ghost Window Box.  In SCAL, I removed the ghost from the top of the box and added 3 mustaches to create a fun die-cut pattern on the top of the box!  Once I assembled the box, I added some white card stock to the back of the top of the box to make the mustaches pop.  To finish off the box, I added a button from the Swagger Collection with the perfect sentiment on it and added two strips of paper underneath the button to make it look like a ribbon.

My nephew definitely loved these (my sister may have loved even more)!!! 

I hope you'll have a great week!

Melanie

Children are Born, Traditions are Passed, Love Continues On - Friends with Flair Friday!

Greetings and Happy Friends with Flair Friday over at the Unity Stamp Co. blog!

I am so happy to be back on my blog sharing the start of my family heritage scrapbook (the title page that is!).  My mom, sister, and I have been getting together a lot lately to research our family heritage - which by the way has been very interesting!  I have been using Ancestry.com to lay out my family's tree, and there have been lots of interesting facts I have found along the way.  For instance, one of my ancestors and his wife were one of the first families to come to America.  They were Amish and started what is now called Pennsylvania Dutch country.  Three of their children fought in the Revolutionary War and, there is a book that is published about him and his family!  Pretty cool stuff!

Given the theme of this scrapbook is family heritage, I am going all out to make sure it looks vintage.  My Tim Holtz products, Unity Stamps, and Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist are coming in really handy. 

For the title page, I used papers from two different collections - Echo Park's Reflections by Lori Whitlock and Heidi Swapp's No Limits.  Together, these two collections create a nice mixed media feel.  I added some old dictionary paper in the background as well.  Also, I created a checkered pattern on the base layer (turquoise) using glimmer mist and burlap.

To ensure a vintage look, I wrinkled up the papers and used my Tim Holtz Paper Distress Tool and lots of Distress Ink in Tea Dye.

For the title, I used the Reflections collection to create the word 'Family.'  I cut it out of one of the 12x12 papers, then cut it into three horizontal pieces to give it some texture.  I love the effect this gave it. 

The word 'Heritage' was created using a Papertrey Ink alpha die along with lots of Glimmer Mist.

 

I couldn't imagine this page without keys and a clock so I added these elements as well.  The key stamped image is from Unity Stamp's Aug 2012 Kit of the Month.  I created the clock hands using SVG's from Lettering Delights (I would share a link to the SVG collection, but it was clearanced out a couple months ago).

Lastly, I had to add a quote that speaks to what ancestry is all about.  I used Microsoft word to create the quote, then printed it out and cut it into strips.

I hope this page has you grabbing for your vintage tools and supplies!  I will share more pages from my family heritage scrapbook in the coming weeks.

Happy Friday ya'll!

Melanie

Giveaway Winner!!!!!

Hi there!  I hope everyone is having a great weekend so far!  In Minnesota the sun is out and it is beautiful outside!  I am working on a project inside so I am making sure to take breaks and step outside!

I am so excited to share the name of the winner of the October Afternoon Midway Collection Prize Pack!  She is one incredibly lucky lady!!!!! 

And the winner is..........................................................

Erica Bass

Congratulations Erica!!!!  I will send you an email today to get your address!

A HUGE thank you to everyone that entered the giveaway and to those that have started following my blog and/or Facebook page.  Welcome!  I can't wait to share more of my work with you and get to know you all better too!

Melanie