Wrapping Paper in a Pinch

I am sure that we all at one time or another have had a wrapping paper emergency.  Well that is what happened to me yesterday.  It was my husband's birthday and I had just the perfect gift for him, found the perfect sized box, and then went to get the wrapping paper.  To my horror, we were all out!  Now what.  All I found was this adorable bow that had a cupcake on it.  I didn't want to run to the store for paper and started searching the house for something I could use.  I didn't want to use the old newspaper as wrapping paper.  I wanted something special.  I was hoping I had some freezer paper in my stash, but no such luck.  But I did run across a roll of craft paper.  Where it came from or why I had it was beyond me, but I snatched it up and got to work.  I had the perfect rubber stamps to go with the cupcake theme on the bow.  So I randomly stamped cupcakes all over the paper.  It still looked a little bland, so I added the happy birthday sentiment stamp as well.  These are two of my favorite stamps and I am so sorry that I do not know the name of them as I purchased them in a box of stamps at a yard sale. 

 I could have left it alone, but no, I thought it needed some color.  I tried several of my markers, but because of the brown paper, the colors didn't show up well.  So I started with the icing on the cupcakes and used my white colored pencil.

 I didn't color this perfectly.  Just scribbled some color in the icing area.  I was liking it so far.  Next, I took a pink jelly pen and colored in the cupcake papers.

Next, I used a  red jelly pen and colored in one of the hearts on the tops of the cupcakes.  I used a pink wink of stella pen to color the other heart.

With a green metallic and a neon yellow jelly pen, I colored in the loops on the cupcake icing to make it look like sprinkles.  These colors really showed up well against the brown paper.

 I felt like it needed some yellow to match the bow, so again I went to the colored pencils and colored in the back background of the sentiment stamp with yellow.  The hearts were colored in with a pink glitter jelly pen.

I was very pleased with the overall look, but the images had faded after coloring over them with the colored pencils, so I went over all the detail lines using a black sharpie.  This really made the design pop!

All that was left was to wrap the package.

All in all, I think it turned out really cute.  My husband could not believe that I made and colored the wrapping paper.  He loved it and his gift!

This got me to thinking of all the things you could do with this technique.  Imagine making a greeting card or gift tag and matching wrapping paper.  What a great rainy day project for the kids.  Roll out some craft paper, let them stamp it all over and color.  Then you have a great wrapping paper to wrap grandma's and grandpap's presents.  Take photos of the kids working on the paper and save some of the paper to use on your scrapbook page.  The possibilities are only as limited as your imagination.  

I hope you find this helpful if you too, find yourself in a wrapping paper emergency.  

Thanks for stopping by!

Jeanne

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Russian Orthodox Cross Easter Project

I have been really busy the past few days working on this new project.  To start off the story, my husband's family is Russian Orthodox.  So, my sister in law called me and asked if I would make some Easter cards for her friends at church.  Sure I said, no problem.  She wanted the Russian  Cross on the front, wanted them in assorted colors, and wanted the words "Christ is Risen.  Glorify Him" on the inside of the card.   Some were to be hand delivered, and some would need to be mailed.  Oh, and she needed a couple with traditional crosses as well.   Okay, I thought, not hard.  Then I started searching for Russian Orthodox Cross cut files.  I couldn't find any.  I searched every corner of the internet and could not find a one.  Then, I found a clip art file that I thought would work.  So, I fired up the Cameo, and I went to work....

The video for this project is rather long, but covers a lot of information.  It shows basically my entire creative process, from the given idea, to the finished product (and then some LOL!)  It was quite a journey and I learned a lot.  Not only about making the card, but about filming the process as well.  It involved filming the computer portions with my digital camera, and setting up quite an elaborate system to film the remainder of the video with my video camera.  After three attempts with the video camera, I finally have a good video with a good perspective. I wanted it to be shot from overhead as if you were looking at the project from the same angle I was.  Then there was the editing which involved combining the video from both sources.  Whew!  At least now I am all ready for the next video I make LOL!

All the products, dies, etc I used are mentioned in the video. The photo shows the green set, however they were also done, in teal, blue, and purple.   I hope you enjoy it.

As usual, any comments or suggestions are appreciated.  Thanks for watching and have fun with those papers!

Jeanne

Easy "Handmade by" Labels using the Silhouette Cameo

I know I mentioned before how much I love my Cuttlebug, well today I am here to sing the praises of my Silhouette Cameo.  If you are fortunate enough to own one of these machines, you know how incredible they are!  If you can think it, you can do it.  It might take a while to figure it out, or watch enough videos etc., but you would be amazed at what this machine is capable of.

Today, as I was finishing up some cards, I ran out of the "Handmade by Jeanne" labels that I always put on the backs.  Now, I have a small label die, and a custom made stamp that I use for these types of things.   Can I tell you how tedious it is to run that label thru the Cuttlebug to make say 10, 20, or more labels?  Then to have to stamp each one individually, well it is enough to drive you mad.  I even asked my husband to cut some out for me with my Cuttlebug.  When he was done, he said "please don't ever ask me to do that again!"  There must be a better way!

Well, not to worry, I am here to tell you there is a better way!  Do it with the Cameo!  I have done some print and cut before, but used a file I purchased from the SIL store.  I never created one on my own.  After spending my whole afternoon searching tutorials and watching videos on you-tube, I finally ended up mass producing those little tags.   I have a video to show you how I did it.  Now, please understand, I am still a newbie when it comes to this machine.  I have just started expanding some of my knowledge about it's capabilities, so my video is not as polished as some, but I hope I explain it enough to give you an idea of how to accomplish this simple task.  Also, setting up my video camera to video tape my computer screen was also a bit of a challenge.  So, keeping that in mind, here is my video:

You could use this technique for so many other things.  You could print and cut out sentiments to have on hand for different cards and occasions.  You can print the lettering out in different colors (if you have a color printer) to match your cardstock, basically anything you want to print and cut.  The possibilities are only limited by your imagination.

I hope you enjoyed this post and maybe learned something new!  Please share any comments you may have below.

Jeanne

Happy Valentine's Day!!!!

I just wanted to wish everyone a very happy Valentine's Day!  I hope you have a wonderful day.  To celebrate, I am offering you a free project!  Although it is a painting project and not a paper crafting project, anyone can do this!  Watch the free video to learn how to make one for yourself!

Hope you enjoy this little treat!  Love and happiness to you all!

Jeanne

Breaking the Rules with my Cuttlebug

Okay, let's just say that I am madly in love with my Cuttlebug.  This cute little machine which I purchased a little over a year ago has completely changed my life.  I love how it folds up and is so compact that it takes up very little room in my craft space, and I love all that it can do.  My collection of dies and embossing folders is growing daily.

That being said, I must say that as a normally law abiding citizen who definitely follows all directions and laws to the letter, I have broken the rules!   Most instructions for cutting dies with the cuttlebug, and I am talking about the wafer thin dies here, say to make a sandwich of your A plate, C plate, die cut side up, paper and your B plate.  I did it that way for my first set of plates.  It worked, the machine cut the die cuts beautifully, but, my B plate became something that no longer resembled a B plate.  It was all cut up, cracked and warped.  This is natural of course, and to a first time user, terrifying when you see that die cut into your beautiful, pristine condition B plate.  After time, the plate becomes totally cut into and warped so you have to flip it over occasionally, to keep it somewhat flat.   Eventually it will crack and no longer be of much use, at which time you have to buy a new one.

Well, I have decided to break the rules!  When I purchased my new B plates, they were just so pretty, I didn't have the heart to cut into them.  So instead, I have switched to a new sandwich,  A plate, C plate, paper, die cut side down, and then my B plate.  This has worked wonderfully for me.  My C plate now takes the beating and gets all cut up, but because it is so thick, it doesn't warp.  My B plate remains flat, with no warping and no unsightly cut marks in it.  I have been doing this for month's now and my B plates look as good as new.  I think in the long run, this will save me money on having to replace my B plates.   After seeing so many posts on FB about warped B plates and how to make them flat again, I gave this a try and am very pleased with the results.

I do not necessarily endorse this practice.  It has worked for me and may be something you would like to try for yourself.   Each machine is different and therefore your results may not be the same.
Any money saved on plates is money that can be spent on dies and embossing folders!

Have a great day!
Jeanne

Awesome Find for Creating Professional Looking Boxes

I must have boxes on the brain after yesterday's post, but was playing around with some different types of papers and the like and quite by accident, I came across a wonderful, I guess you could call it paper, that makes the most professional looking boxes ever!  This will revolutionize my box making for sure!  Not only does it make sturdier, stronger treat boxes, but also makes wonderful boxes for those thick, well embellished cards we love to make.


I can explain it all better to you in the video below, so take a peak and see if you like this idea as much as I do!

The finished products are so professional looking.  They look like a purchased gift box rather than a flimsy home made version.  The only downfall is the backing boards only come in white and in 8.5 x 11  and 10 x 14 inches, although the larger size is more expensive.  I found them listed on Amazon under Magazine Backing Boards.  But when you think about it, most envelopes are white, and the boxes can certainly be decorated, embellished or even wrapped.  One suggestion:  when scoring this type of paper, be sure to score it on the matte side.  This will give the glossy side nice smooth edges.  If you score it on the glossy side with that intending to be the outside of the box, the edges will be rough and crack.  I have attached links to templates for the two card boxes shown in the photos.

Box Template for A2 CardsBox 

Template for 5.5" square cards

Valentine Snack Cake Gift Box with Flip Top Lid



Today's project came about from a need to create a small little token to send my great nieces and nephews for Valentine's Day.  Most of them live out of state and so the items will need to be mailed.  With rising postal costs, I didn't want to create anything that would cost and arm and leg to ship. 

While shopping, I found these cute little Valentine snack cakes and thought they would be just the ticket, but now I needed a way to present them.  So I opened up my Silhouette Cameo software and with a totally blank design space, set out to create a box.  Now you have to understand, that I have NEVER designed anything with this software before, so to say I am proud of myself is an understatement LOL.  

I started with double sided paper and cut out the box with my Cameo. (For those of you who don't have a Cameo or don't have the designer edition, I have a template that you can use.  The link will be below).   I then made a short video on how to assemble the box. (That link will also be below)   Then came the fun part, embellishing!  I used a doily die, some leaf dies and store bought ribbon roses to create a pretty accent to this little box.  You could even add a small little gift tag with the recipients name to it also.  Placed the snack cakes inside and VOILA!  A sweet little Valentine for all my little valentines!

Here are more pictures of the box:

These would be great for any birthday, holiday or just a little pick-me-up for someone who needs cheering up.  You could embellish them in so many different ways.  The possibilities are endless!  I am already thinking Easter.  I am sure they would hold those chocolate peanut butter eggs.  If not, I will just have to design one that is bigger LOL.

I hope you enjoy this little project as much as I did.  Please let me know what you think in the comments below. 

As always, happy crafting!!!
Jeanne


Snack Cake Flip Top Box Video
Snack Cake Flip Top Box Template
Cameo Snack Cake Box Studio 3 Cut File

Supplies Used:

Lovebugs #4630 Sealed with a Kiss, double-sided cardstock
Recollections 65lb white paper
Top Dogs Bella Doily Die
Spellbinders Romantic Vines Die
Store bought ribbon roses

PLEASE NOTE:  I am in no way affiliated with any of the products used to create this design.