Sketch N Scrap September Card Challenge

Here are a couple of cards I made this month. These two were done using sketches from Sketch-N-Scrap. If you haven't already head on over to the SNS site to check out the sketches and upload your take. There is a fabulous prize this month! 

Here is the card I did based on the September 5th sketch:

This card was made using the September 20th sketch:

New Fall Goodies

That's right! I am back today with some new Halloween items I just finished up. As for purchasing these lovelies, you can pick your poison... Website, Ebay, or Etsy

BOO Ghost

Made from muslin that has been painted, this little ghost has stitched X eyes and is embellished with a handstamped tag & rusty bell.

7"

$8.00

Candy Corn

Pieced together from different fabrics, this candy corn has been grubbied with my own recipe. It is also embellished with stitched X's, cheesecloth and a handstamped tag.

7"

$10.00

Pumpkin Box

This small paper mache' box has been painted and covered with paper. The lid is adorned with a Jack O'Lantern. The pumpkin is made from muslin that has been painted and distressed. The face is handstitched on, the nose felt. He is also embellished with a cinnamon stick stem, hand stamped tag & rusty bell.

5.5"

Sketch N Scrap Challege #41

I'm back today with another great sketch from Sketch-N-Scrap. We have another great prize up for grabs this month, so make sure you post your take on this sketch to the SNS blog for a chance to win!

 I've had these photos of Brileigh for quite some time, just waiting for the chance to scrap them. She loves to be in my room "craftin" as she says. As she grows, she gets to use more items, like glitter and safety scissors. When these photos were taken she was limited to colors, but that never stopped her creativity.

I love layering items on my layouts. For the upper right, I used two journaling spots and banner cut from coordinating paper to create a nice little corner embellishment. You can see here that I did edge my pieces with brown ink to distress them a bit. The top journal spot was also stamped with a Fancy Pants stamp and Archival ink.

My title piece was designed in Adobe Illustrator and cut out with my cricut.

Another close up of the embellishments I used, this journal spot was stamped using a stamp from My Minds Eye. You also get a good look and the stitch detail. I think adding thread in any way makes for a nice touch on any layout.

I want to apologize for the state of my photos. The weather has been overcast and it's hard to get good shots indoors.

Products used in this layout:

Fancy Pants • Stamps • Be You

My Minds Eye • Stamps • Happy Days

Echo Park • Life is Good • Bold Stripes

Echo Park • Life is Good • Grandma's Quilt

Echo Park • Life is Good • Journal Spots

Echo Park • Life is Good • Brown Floral

My Minds Eye • Stella Rose • Hazel 6x6 Paper Pad
Ranger • Archival Ink • Jet Black
Ranger • Distress Ink • Walnut Stain

Sketch N Scrap Challenge #40

Check out the latest sketch from Sketch-N-Scrap! If you are a fan of multiple photos in your layouts, this one is for you. Make sure you check out the SNS blog, and upload your layout based on this sketch for a chance to win!

When I was putting together my layout, I chose to flip the sketch to work better with my photos. The five photos worked great for me to put some fun shots of the triplets on the 4th of July. I had a bag of Americana elements that worked great with the Pink Paislee Declaration papers I used. Unfortunately I cant remember where they are from. I added some Stickles and Glossy Accents to them for a little extra pop.

Products used in this layout:

Pink Paislee • Declaration • Block Party

Pink Paislee • Declaration • Bomb Pop

Pebbles • Fresh Goods • Daily Special

Ranger • Glossy Accents

Ranger • Stickles • Diamond

Operation Salvage Snowmen

Remember this photo? From my last post... Yes the snowman Brileigh decided to help me paint. Well because I don't like to waste, I decided to see what I could do to save them.

So I started Operation Salvage Snowmen. Let's see how I did. Step 1. Pull any extra pieces off of the snowmen. Scarves, safety pins, tags, etc. 

Step 2.  Strip the snowmen of any stitched parts, ripping the thread right out. Also sand off mica flakes. This ended up being a little hard. I used Fabric ModPodge to glue the flakes on, and that stuff sinks into the fabric. 

Step 3. Use the already prepared pumpkin orange/red paint Brileigh originally used to paint the snowmen completely. (Here is where you all say, well if you left the paint out can you really blame her for getting into it? She's only 3!)

Step 4. Allow the now pumpkins to dry completely. Here you can see the trouble with the ModPodge. Since it soaked into the fabric, it acts like a resist to the paint. 

Step 5. Sand the pieces to distress them. This helps blend the lighter areas in on the smaller pumpkin.

Step 6. Embellish the pumpkins with other fabric, thread, cheesecloth and tags.

I'd like to say that I've learned my lesson and I'll never leave paint sitting out again, but...

Til Next Time

What I've Been Working On

Here is a peek at some of the things I've been working on for Handmade'ns.  I've been sketching different snowmen and santa idea's and a couple have come to life so far.

This little guy is approx. 8" tall and has a light dusting of mica flakes. He's the perfect size for tucking into small places. I have also altered this pattern into a pumpkin guy that isn't quite finished yet.

This one is slightly bigger at 9" tall. I made some custom tags from old book paper and have attached one to the wool scarf.

 And last....... This is what happens when I leave the room for 1 minute and leave my paint sitting out. Brileigh watches what I do like a hawk, so naturally, given a couple precious seconds unwatched, she'll try to "help". These two might turn into pumpkins, I hate to just throw them away. We'll see what I can do.

Sketch N Scrap Card Challenge

Okay so seriously! I love these card sketches from Sketch-N-Scrap! Not only is it fun to make cards, but these sketches are totally keeping me on task when it comes to getting cards done for various occasions. I used the two sketches for the month of August to make cards for my niece & nephew's birthdays.

For the August 5th Sketch I made this card for my nephew. There are papers from a fun Bo Bunny line, On The Go Collection. I used stamps & dies from PaperTreyInk, Little Hot Rod Collection. There is some ink & stickles as well to finish off the card.

 I used the August 20th sketch to make a card for my niece. I kept this card pretty simple using paper and embellishments from My Minds Eye. I added some stitching to the papers and a touch of stickles for a glittery effect on the center embellishment.

 

Head on over to the SNS Blog to upload your cards for a chance to win prizes!

Sketch-N-Scrap Layout Challenge #39

Check out this fun sketch from Sketch-N-Scrap!  Spot for 3 photos and room for embellishments! Could you ask for more? Make sure you upload your take to the blog for a chance to win a great prize!

For my layout I went all John Deere green! My kids decided they wanted to check out their papa's tractor. All 3 climbed aboard, but once it was running two chickened out. That left Rylan in the drivers seat to take it out for a solo drive. (with a little help from papa)

My title piece was cut out with my cricut, just a simple cut of letters.

Just a quick note on this banner piece. In my August 1st layout I used the grid stamp to accent the title piece on the layout. I wanted a muted stamp look so I stamped it on another paper before I stamped on the piece I was using. I saved the initial stamped paper and cut it out to make the banner below. Save all of your scraps, they'll come in handy somewhere!

Items I used in this layout:

American Crafts • Campy Trails • Evergreen Point

American Crafts • Campy Trails • Buffalo Lake

American Crafts • Campy Trails • Twin Lakes

American Crafts • Campy Trails • Elk Creek Trail

Elles Studio • Lil Snippets • This Week

Elles Studio • Lil Snippets • Date

More Finished Goods

Yay! More finished items! I've been hard at work lately, trying to get as much done as I can. Our house is coming along and soon I'll be stuck there with a paint brush in my hands.

I had a lot of fun making this little paper Halloween house. My fingers are still stained from spraying the trees black!

And here are a couple of my completed pumpkin dolls. I held two back to list online and the others went downtown Kearney to The Country Nest.

Both the House, Tree set and the Pumpkin Dolls have been listed on eBay!

So what's next? (Please refrain from throw things at me.) I'm starting on Christmas items now... With the new house going up and our impending move, if I don't start now, it will never get done. So look forward to seeing some Handmade'ns peeks as I get things going for that. I'll throw some more fall, Halloween & Thanksgiving items as I dream them up!

Sketch-N-Scrap Layout Challenge #38

It can't seriously be August already can it? Where is this summer going? 

I'm here today with another sketch from Sketch-N-Scrap! I had a lot of fun with this sketch, make sure when you play along that you upload your take to the blog for a chance to win fun prizes!

For my layout I chose two pictures of Brileigh from this summer. While at my parents house one weekend, she had her first tree climbing experience.

 I custom made my title piece, I show you how I did it below.

The Dear Lizzy line that I used has so many fun embellishments it's hard to choose what to use. I thought these cloud chip shapes fit my layout just right. Along with the pinwheel below photos.

I cut the TREES out with my cricut and ran it through my mini xyron machine.

Leaving the title on the backing paper, I stamped a muted background onto the piece with my stazon ink.

Then I used my ink dauber and distress ink to stain the piece yellow to match my layout.

Items I used in this layout:

Dear Lizzy • Lucky Charm • Wild Hearts

Dear Lizzy • Lucky Charm • Falling Star

Dear Lizzy • Lucky Charm • Wishing Well

Dear Lizzy • Lucky Charm • Little Trinket

Dear Lizzy • Pinwheels

Dear Lizzy • Printed Chipboard Shapes

Ranger • Distress Ink • Mustard Yellow

StazOn • Archival Ink • Saddle Brown