Hand Stamped Sentiments #105 - Love Is In The Air

Love is in the Air TODAY at Hand Stamped Sentiments, especially since it's VALENTINE'S DAY!! Happy hearts day to you! I have John Paul Young's "Love Is In The Air" song from 1978 playing in the background as I type up my post! Couldn't get that song out of my head when I read this weeks challenge title...

I've seen many fun felted bobby pin creations on Pinterest and couldn't find a tutorial on heart ones, so I decided to come up with one of my own for a sweet little Valentine. 

What you'll need to create the heart bobby pins:

A sheet of felt (or scraps if your'e a craft-o-holic like me)

Sharp Scissors (I LOVE my SU! ones, all 6 pairs of them)

A couple of bobby pins

A hot glue gun and extra glue sticks

I started off cutting out a few hearts and matched up the ones that were the closest in size. 

Two strips of felt, which will cover the glue and grasp the bobby pin, it doesn't matter how long they are, since you'll trim them at the last step.

I stuck my strips of felt through the bobby pin top, put a dab of glue onto the back of my heart and then pushed the felt with the bobby pin on top of the glue holding it into place for a bit until it set. Be careful NOT to let the glue get on your fingers, OUCH!

Trim off the excess felt from the strips using the hearts as your guide and voila, two adorable felted heart bobby pins...Which I attached to this sweet little heart card with the appropriately worded porcupine stamp "I'm stuck on you".

The heart card is made out of the retired Bigz XL Petal Card Die from SU! I just snipped off two sides to get my heart shape. 

Head on over to see what LOVE-ly creations the Design Team has twitter patted up for you this week and join in on the Lovey fun!

SU! products used:
Paper - Crumb Cake
Die - Card, Petal retired Bigz Die
Other - Cherry Cobbler Dazzling Details

Hand Stamped Sentiments #103 - Anything BUT A Card, Gift Items

This week at Hand Stamped Sentiments, we are asking you lovely crafters to create anything BUT a card with this gift item challenge! 

There are so many possibilities, I went to my Pinterest boards and narrowed it down to this fun paper pouch. I took photos of each step and will explain how YOU too can create this fun little package!

start with a sheet of paper 5-1/2" X 8-1/2"

attach a piece of sticky strip along the short side, peel off red backing...

and then adhere together into a cylinder shape

pinch one side together and create a fold line/crease about 1/2"...I stuck another piece of sticky strip inside before crimping but you can add the sticky strip on the first step as well.

fill your pouch with desired goodies 

and then pinch/adhere and crimp the other side but make sure you pinch the opposite direction of the first pinch. Attach a fun tag, ribbon or other embellishment to personalize your pouch, hand to a teacher or friend and make someone's day sweeter!

Head on over to Hand Stamped Sentiment to see what wonderful gift items the design team has whipped up for you this week!

The picture tutorial I spied on Pinterest had been sewn together which would be super cute BUT I don't own a sewing machine nor do I know how to sew. You can check out that tutorial HERE.

SU! products used:
Stamp Set - Just My Type, Itty Bitty Wishes
Paper - In-Color DSP, Whisper White
Ink - Craft Black, Basic Black
Other - Black Embossing Powder, Crimper,
Wisteria Wonder Ruffled Ribbon
 Square Retired Rhinestone Brad

SAS Valentine/Sketch Challenge

The latest SAS (San Antonio Swap) with two of my dear friends back in TX was a Valentine/Sketch Challenge. Here's my take, hope they like it, I know I wish I had made more than two of them!

We used this old sketch from Freshly Made Sketches

FMS#15

SU! products used:

Stamps - You Are Loved

Paper - Real Red, Everyday Enchantment DSP, Pretty in Pink, Very Vanilla

Other - Cherry Cobbler EP, Dimensionals

Banner Give-Away Featured!!

I'm excited to tell you about a banner I made that's being featured in a GROUP GIVEAWAY over at Awesomely Awkward! Go check it out, it's listed among a huge slew of other great prizes and you have loads of chances to enter and win something for FREE!! Happy Tuesday!

Made with heavy card-stock, ink and strung on natural hemp twine. This red and natural banner features 7 triangle pennants spelling the words be mine, separated with a heart. Each piece measures 4-2/4" X 3-1/4". The negative letters have been created with a brown/brassy smooch spray. 

Happy Valentines Day!

A few cards I've made in the past week gearing up for today, 

Happy Valentines Day!

 What my 5 & 3 year old woke up to this morning!

 I made this last year and gave it to my daughter this year..

Sweet Centers & Teeny Tiny Wishes stamp sets

 A little something for her teachers to go along with handmade hearts 

she decorated, forgot to take a photo of those, oops!

 Be My Valentine

 Love you much stamp set...it's always nice to go back to the basics with 

the watercolor pencils and an aqua pen

 wanted to make something simple with scraps from

my VERY LARGE scrap box

 Happy Valentines Day-sentiment from Teeny Tiny Wishes

LOVE that glitter paper and a little rub on to complete my Valentine

Friendly Valentine

Although I LOVE all of the big bows and fat cards that have been popping up everywhere on all sorts of paper crafting blogs, I also like to make mailable cards. Flat is key when the majority of your family and friends live everywhere but near you, due to military life.

The Paper Players are having an Anything Goes challenge and with Valentines day approaching, I figured I'd enter my sparkly Valentine into their challenge as well.

HSSCT53

The inspiration for this card came from this weeks Hand Stamped Sentiments challenge. I loved working with a Basic Black canvas. Adding a piece of Red Glitter Paper, which reminds me of a big sparkly sticker. I didn't want to cover up too much of the sparkle, so taking the Heart to Heart XL SU! punch, I picked out just one of the hearts to use and created a background layer of hearts. A bit of 1/4" Basic Black grosgrain ribbon at the top and bottom to keep the hearts from spilling off my card. The single Real Red heart was just screaming for a bit more attention, so I ran it though the Big Shot in one of my many embossing folders, capturing this sweet little bird. Using a bit of black, I sponged over the top and around the little red heart and popped it up with a Dimensional. The sentiment is from the Hostess set Picture This, which I embossed in black and punched out with the Large Word Window punch.

Happy Valentines day Friends!!

Sweet Valentine

SSSC101

This weeks Sweet Sunday Sketch inspired me to make a manly Valentine for my DH. I've been chomping at the bit to ink up my new "Be My Valentine" solo stamp and Basic Black was the color of choice. Didn't really think my man would be too fond of pink on his card, so I kept it simple with black and red with a touch of glitter...okay, maybe a tad more than a touch with the Red Glimmer Paper from the Occasions Mini but I don't think he'll mind too much!

Hard to believe there's any green with all the snow everyone has been having everywhere...but in Texas, surprisingly enough, the plants in the front of our house are still green! Hooray for slightly warmer temps.

I drew the sketch on a piece of paper and didn't realize I had goofed where I had drawn my ribbon till my card was already put together, oops! I used a piece of Glossy White card stock to stamp my image onto in Basic Black Craft Ink, which I then heat embossed with Black Embossing Powder. I felt like the white was just too sharp so I used my Brayer and layered on Riding Hood Red till I got the desired color and then touched up a few spots with a sponge. To get your glossy paper glossy again, it's best to wipe or buff it with a clean, dry Swiffer wipe or a kleenex. I love using odd ribbon and pulled this big red beauty out of my Christmas wrapping basket. So a manly card with girly flair, LOVE it!