Monday, November 30, 2015

Guest Designer at 12 Kits of Occasions

(FTC disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links so, if you purchase a product using the link I may receive a small commission. I only participate in affiliate programs that feature products that I use and love. Your purchase price is not affected in any way, by using my links.)

I was asked to be a guest designer this month at the 12 Kits of Occasions Blog.  My task was to receive the monthly kit, which included die cut/stamped images, cardstock, patterned paper, bling, washi tape and twine.

I didn't really need my arm twisted, especially when I saw all the fun goodies that I had to play with.  There wasn't a map in my head of which direction I wanted to go, so I decided to begin by pairing a sentiment with an appropriate stamped image and began coloring.


For my first card, I wanted to created a woodsy scene around the mouse, pumpkins and leaves.  I did some water coloring and direct coloring with my Tombow Dual brush pens, which is the medium that I've used for all my projects today, except where otherwise noted.



I usually choose 3 or 4 colors and try to stick with those colors, then I may add other colors later, but for coloring stamped images, I begin with just a few pens in hand.   All of my ribbons that I'm using today are from The Ribbon Resource/May Arts Ribbon.  As I'm a designer for May Arts Ribbon, I would be remiss if I didn't mention that all orders through Christmas receive a free roll of ribbon!


I used some additional dies of my own for the banner flag and oval frame, from Lil Inker Designs, along with a woodgrain and birch tree embossing folder.  The bubble embellishments on all my projects are from DoubleClick Skittles.  By the way, I inked my embossing folders with distress ink, then fussy cut the birch trees and popped a few out with foam squares.




For my 2nd card, I've done a little paper layering, including using the washi tape as a border on the left.  I love to add little extras to my colored images, such as the lines on the baskets and the dots on the mouses sweater, using a white gel pen.



I embossed the sentiment using the Spellbinders Celebra'tions rectangle die, sponged distress ink and added some ink spray splatters.  I rarely use the mister of a spray bottle, but prefer to unscrew the bottle and tap droplets onto my paper.




I really had fun with my 3rd card.  I love to watercolor and especially, I love to do skies, in particular, night skies.  It's calming for me and I really enjoy the process.  The easiest and most effective watercoloring technique that I use is, take your watercolor markers or pens and swipe liberally across an acrylic block, then spritz with water.  Use a wet paintbrush or water brush to distribute the water.  I have a Tim Holtz water brush that I love.  Just fill it with water.  It's self cleaning as well, just wipe it onto a paper towel.



With that in mind, I chose to do some smooshing on this project so I actually swiped several colors on a very large acrylic block, being careful to not mix the colors, and spread them out.   Then I spritzed water and took my paper and "smooshed" it into the color.  If I missed any spots, I smooshed again with the remaining colors or swiped more colors and repeated until I was satisfied with the intensity and variation of color.  I did this with the sentiment as well, from Whimsy Stamps.  I actually cut the words apart and only used part of the sentiment.  I smooshed them in the same mix of watercolors.

The Ribbon Resource - May Arts Ribbon Retail Store

Next, I added snow.  This is easy, peasy.  I used my Tim Holtz White Picket Fence dabber and dabbed onto my acrylic block, spritzed just a bit of water, then dipped my wet toothbrush into the mix.  Next, I ran my thumb across the wet, inked toothbrush to "spray" snow across my sky.  It doesn't take much so only dab your ink once or twice onto your acrylic block.  The clouds were created with a sponge and Powder Puff chalk ink.


For the die cut clouds, I used a Spellbinders Celebration die on Core'dinations cardstock, then distressed it with a sand paper nail file.  The sentiment was actually part of an entire stamped image but I only used a few of the words, water coloring them in the same ink as the sky, and tearing the ends of the paper.

Again, I added some little extras to my mouse, including some glitter glue on his scarf.  That snowy, stitched border that the mouse is standing on?  I don't go out and buy border dies.  I just run my oval frame dies that I already have, halfway through my Cuttlebug embossing machine, then trim the other half off.  This is a way of using your dies in other ways and saving on cost.




Are you sick of me yet?  Because, I could talk all day, haha.  My 4th card features the stamped polar bear and accompanying stamped images that I received.  I added some glitter glue and Flower Soft Polar White to give my bear some fur.  There's more washi tape (grey snowflakes), Curling Ribbon, glitter ribbon and faux burlap in silver.  Oh, and those fuzzy wired pom poms.  Love them!


That's Ranger Stickles Frosted Lace glitter glue on the ice burg, and signage and Mr. Bears cap.



"Bear" with me, we're almost finished!  Lastly, here's another bear, this one holding a little mug.  I sponged polka dots with a stencil on the kraft cardstock, then layered with a doily, patterned paper and a frame cut with a Spellbinders die.  I also used another die from MFT, the chat bubble die and adhered one of the sentiments that came with the kit.  The doily was white and I sponged Ranger Fossilized Amber distress ink on it, to blend in.


This big guy was water colored, then I added some gel pen swirls and gold glitter glue.  All my adhesives today are from my Xyron runner, with the exception of the clear glue for the sequins and Skittles and I use Tombow Mono Aqua glue for that.



Ta-da!  You made it to the end.  I'm so proud that you hung in there.  Maybe you learned a little something along the way?  Regardless, I had fun and thank you ladies for having me!


Also linking to these challenges:


Supplies provided by 12 Kits of Occasions:
Solid Card Stock: SU and PTI - Pure Poppy, Michael's - white
Patterned paper: Echo Park Stripes and Dots
Stamps and Dies: My Favorite Things Harvest Mouse and BB Cool Day
Sequins: PPP
Washi Tape- personal stash
Ink Memento on dies, VersaFine on Sentiments

Kit Photo:




Additional supplies:
Lil Inker Designs Oval Frame Die and Banner Flag Die
My Favorite Things Bubble Chat die
Ranger Stickles Glitter Glue Gold, Fruit Punch, Diamond, Frosty Lace, Firefly
Marvy Le Pen black ultra fine point
White Gelly Roll pen
Spellbinders Fancy Frames Square Die
We R Memory Keepers Woodgrain Embossing Folder
Darice Birch Tree embossing folder
Coredinations Purple Carstock
White doilies
Quick Quotes Powder Puff Chalk White chalk ink
October Afternoon Sprinkles Witches Brew misting spray


#mayartsribbon #ribbonresource #doubleclickskittles #skittles #mft #myfavoritethings #polarbear #harvestmouse #stitcheddies #ranger #timholtz #distress #cricut #cricutexplore #cricuteverywhere #bazzill #kraft #doily #tombow #tombowusa #spellbinders #wrmk #wermemorykeepers #echopark #echoparkpaper #cre8time #burlap #polkadot #winter #fall #autumn #christmas #silentnight #silentnightholynight #tcw #thecraftersworkshop #octoberafternoon #xyron #ssswchallenge #mftstamps

Saturday, November 28, 2015

Big News from DoubleClick Skittles + It's Small Business Saturday!

Check out what Carri, from DoubleClickSkittles is sharing today:


Hello Crafty Friends!! Today is shop small business Saturday!


I wanted to share a little bit of my small business story! Created back in 2011 to fill the void of that "in between" embellishment, the DoubleClickSkittle has taken off offering a huge selection of colors and special releases! The journey has been amazing, and I owe so much to all my blogging friends and team members for helping me along the way!

I spend many hours testing and trying out colors deciding on the next release. I went from selling them on my own by request only, to sponsoring other blogs, to guest designers, to my own design team. I hand dye every DoubleClickSkittle and with the assistance of my girls, each one gets checked before it is packaged! I try to provide colors that will help bring just that little extra touch to your handmade projects. I always offer free shipping and regularly offer a free item!

I love seeing all the projects that have been made using the DoubleClickSkittles from handmade cards, mixed media, Project Life and Scrapbook pages! The last few years of crafting have been amazing! We hope to see you all come and join our weekly challenges! Skittles are not required to play along, and you can be entered for a chance to win them!

Thank you to everyone that has supported me and my small business! I hope you will continue to use and enjoy the DoubleClickSkittles Embellishment line! 

In case you missed it, we have just released our final colors for the 2015 year!


The new Holiday colors for the 2015 year!!

Frosty Kisses 2015





Holiday Traditions 2015





Available options:
Frosty Kisses 2015 $3.75
25-Frosty Pink
25-Frosty Blue
25-Frosty

Holiday Traditions 2015 $3.75
25-Grinch Green
25-Rudulph Red
25-Gift Gold

Frosty Kisses and Holiday Traditions $ 6.50

25-Frosty Pink
25-Frosty Blue
25-Frosty
25-Grinch Green
25-Rudulph Red
25-Gift Gold

Frosty Kisses X 2 $ 6.50
50-Frosty Pink
50-Frosty Blue
50-Frosty

Holiday Traditions X 2 $ 6.50
50-Grinch Green
50-Rudulph Red
50-Gift Gold


Frosty Kisses X 2 and Holiday Traditions X 2 $12.00
50-Frosty Pink
50-Frosty Blue
50-Frosty
50-Grinch Green
50-Rudulph Red
50-Gift Gold

**Special limited time offer, for any order over $6.00 free 25-count baggie of DoubleClick Skittles will automatically be added to your order**

Please email me direct if you would like to place a special request order

*************

New Release options: Select Arrow
*************


What is a DoubleClickSkittle? A small acrylic crafting embellishment known also as a dewdrop, or droplet. Similar to a gem or pearl.
Check out my video here!
DoubleClickSkittles come in a HUGE selection of colors! Check them all out here!

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Follow me on Instagram!
Instagram

Skittle Lovin'! 


Check them out here!

#doubleclickskittles #dewdrops #cleardroplets #colordroplets 
#diy #homedecor #craft #cardmaking #scrapbook #papercrafters
#cre8time #madeintheusa #supportsmallbusiness

Friday, November 27, 2015

Make A Budget Friendly Pine Cone Bell With Ribbon Resource

(FTC disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links so, if you purchase a product using the link I may receive a small commission. I only participate in affiliate programs that feature products that I use and love. Your purchase price is not affected in any way, by using my links.)

It's time for another Friday crafting event, brought to you by the Prima Ribbonistas and 


Today, it's all about budget friendly ribbon crafts.  I'll tell you, there's a lot of budget friendly crafts out there and I was a little stumped coming up with something fresh, but I think this is fun, unique and very inexpensive; a decorative and functional Pine cone Bell.

You will need these ribbons from


You will also need:

Hot glue gun/glue sticks
Clear Glue (Tombow)
2.48" or 63mm Rustic Jingle Bells 
Fine Point Scissors
Pinecone (approx. 5" tall)



This is super easy to make so to begin, we're going to make a little "nest".  It's easiest to simply wrap the burlap string around 3 fingers, six to eight times, then continue wrapping the same strand of string with just two fingers, another 6-8 times.  Do this loosely.  Loop one end of string through and tie off a knot.  Trim ends.  

You can pull a few strands of the burlap string to loosen and drape to your desire.  No need to glue this onto your bell, as you will glue the Pinecone on top of the bell and that will keep your knotted ribbon from falling off.


Next, take some fine tipped scissors and trim the balls from a 5.5" section of mini pom pom ribbons.  This is equal to 25 mini pom poms.  Randomly glue each ball with clear glue.  I use Tombow Mono Aqua glue.  Space out your pom poms as there's no need to completely cover each pinecone stem, unless of course, you want to!



When finished, simply hot glue your pinecone to the top of your bell.  If your bell has a ridge at the top as mine did, you'll want to fill in a little hot glue on both sides of the ridge, to make a level field for gluing the base of your pine cone.  

Now, for the cost.... I actually purchased these rustic bells from the Christmas Craft section of Hobby Lobby and at the time, all Christmas Crafts were 50% off.  My calculation before the discount for the ribbon that costs pennies per section (.74 and .37) plus the bells which were 6.99 for 6 bells, plus the glue which was also pennies.... approximately $2.40 each.  Consider that you may find the bells half price, as I did, and that cuts the cost of the bell with a final total of $1.80 plus tax, or thereabouts.  Not bad!  I imagine if you were to purchase this in a gift shop, the cost would be closer to $15.00 perhaps?  Not only is it pretty, but you can pick it up and jingle it!  Just watch out for the prickly pine cone which, by the way, was courtesy of the lumbering pine down the street..... and FREE!



Thanks so much for stopping by and good luck entering the giveaway!  The prize is 2-5 yards of ribbon.  Sweet!

Here's the line-up if you get lost along the way:

#christmas #mayartsribbon #ribbonresource #pinecone #ribboncrafts #budgetcrafts #christmascrafts #pompom #burlap #giveaway #rustic #jingle #jinglebells #jinglealltheway #christmastree #pineconetree #tombow #cre8time

Wednesday, November 25, 2015

Black Friday/Cyber Monday + A Brand New DUAL Christmas Release at DoubleClickSkittles!

Woot Woot!  I told you there was big news and here it is.  A dual release of Christmas Skittles!  Oh, so gorgeous....check out what Skittles creator Carri has to say.....


It's a small business Black Friday Cyber Monday Special DoubleClickSkittles release!!

Hello Crafty Friends!! I am super excited to bring you our final DoubleClickSkittles release for the 2015 year! We have had a lot of fun releasing such great colors over the last year, having the design team show off some amazing inspirational projects every week and all the wonderful projects that are entered into our challenges! Thank you to everyone that has supported the DoubleClickSkittles embellishment line! We hope you all have a safe and wonderful holiday season and continue to join us for more exciting things in the 2016 new year!

For the first time ever I have decided to do a dual DoubleClickSkittles release! And I think you will all find the new colors amazing! 

The new Holiday colors for the 2015 year!!

Frosty Kisses 2015





Holiday Traditions 2015





Available options:
Frosty Kisses 2015 $3.75
25-Frosty Pink
25-Frosty Blue
25-Frosty

Holiday Traditions 2015 $3.75
25-Grinch Green
25-Rudulph Red
25-Gift Gold

Frosty Kisses and Holiday Traditions $ 6.50

25-Frosty Pink
25-Frosty Blue
25-Frosty
25-Grinch Green
25-Rudulph Red
25-Gift Gold

Frosty Kisses X 2 $ 6.50
50-Frosty Pink
50-Frosty Blue
50-Frosty

Holiday Traditions X 2 $ 6.50
50-Grinch Green
50-Rudulph Red
50-Gift Gold


Frosty Kisses X 2 and Holiday Traditions X 2 $12.00
50-Frosty Pink
50-Frosty Blue
50-Frosty
50-Grinch Green
50-Rudulph Red
50-Gift Gold

**Special limited time offer, for any order over $6.00 free 25-count baggie of DoubleClick Skittles will automatically be added to your order**

Please email me direct if you would like to place a special request order

*************

New Release options: Select Arrow
*************


Follow on Bloglovin 


Follow me on Instagram!
Instagram

Skittle Lovin'! 


Check them out here!


#doubleclickskittles #dewdrops #cleardroplets #colordroplets 
#diy #homedecor #craft #cardmaking #scrapbook #papercrafters
#cre8time #madeintheusa
#supportsmallbusiness #blackfriday #cybermonday #christmas #newrelease

Join the Christmas Challenge at DoubleClick Skittles

Welcome to a brand new challenge at DoubleClick Skittles!

Challenge #36 - Christmas or Blue/White


I'm a Rudolph fanatic, I'll admit it.  Every year, I create Rudolph themed projects.  My Christmas tree is decorated entirely of Rudolph and Misfit plush's and ornaments.  I recently got my hands on a Rudolph/Misfit themed paper pad from Echo Park and it knew which Skittles would go perfectly, for the newest edition for this year's tag collection.



I'm using Skittles from the Believe in Magic Disney-themed release and Meadow Skittles.




Aren't they just so awesome?  I love how Skittles are the perfect size for stamped facial features, such as eyes and noses.  This is an old Rudolph stamp that I've had for years.  I stamped and embossed him on Vellum, then colored him him and added some chalk ink as well.  I adhered my Skittles with clear glue on Rudolph, and used glitter glue on the others.




You can shop below for these and other Skittles.  A 3 pk is typically under $4.00 (75 skittles) and this includes FREE USA SHIPPING, plus, Paypal is accepted.


Guess what?  Carri is working on a new Christmas release of Skittles so get ready for some awesome new colors!  There's a surprise too but you'll have to wait.......I'm not spilling the beans!  Look for that soon.


Join the Christmas challenge and be entered for a fun prize that includes free Skittles, but be sure and read the rules, as backlinking is not allowed.  Skittles are not required to play so come on... link up and come and play with us!


Thanks for stopping by!

Terri


Additional Supplies:
Echo Park Paper The Story of Christmas and Washi tape
Tombow adhesives
mini sequins
Ribbons from The Ribbon Resource/May Arts Ribbon
(burlap string, plaid trim, fuzzy pom poms, faux burlap)
Ranger distress ink
Quick Quotes Powder Puff Chalk Ink
Circle punch
White gel pen
Hero Arts clear embossing powder
Ranger black archival ink
Tombow Dual brush pens
Fastenator/staples
Bazzill vellum
Knock Out border punch

#doubleclickskittles #dewdrops #cleardroplets #colordroplets #skittles #christmas #rudolph #misfits #echopark #echoparkpaper #storyofchristmas #washi #washitape #believeinmagic #meadow #disney #mayartsribbon #ribbonresource #ribbon #plaid #christmasribbon #burlap #string #tag #craftstaples #fastenator #holiday #snowflakes #mistletoe #bazzill #vellum #knockout