Now that it has arrived at its destination I can publish pictures of my 4th PL. This one went all the way to Scotland from Canada! My pal expressed an interest in Steampunk and Vintage. This is what I came up with. I was originally going with the steampunk idea because I too like that. I have never done anything like it before, I felt I had enough things in my stash to create a decent one. After some research on line and working with what I had this is how it turned out. I have to say that I was a bit out of my comfort zone on this but I liked the end result, and so did my pal. I was relieved. The printed paper I used was from Michaels. It is Recollections and is called Steampunk Botanica. I also had some fun embossing folders. On the front I used the dress form one you see in the middle square. It is made by Darice. The bottom left one is by Tim Holtz and it is from a set called Alterations. All of the metal embellishments are from Michael’s and they are things I had in my stash. The centre left with the clock images are rubbings that were in a kit I had from years ago that was purchased at Costco. The tape measure piece (stickers)in the bottom right are from the Dollar store, but again I have had that for a number of years.

Here is the back view. Another Darice embossing folder in the middle right. Called Clocks, and bottom centre called Steampunk. The small envelope you see in the bottom left is made of parchment paper with a stamp of a butterfly. The gears that are stamped on the paper are from a stamp set I purchased last spring at a local stamp store that was selling some used items. As well as the image in the upper right corner of the vintage boot.

The two images above are some extra paper and stamps I thought she might like. Maybe she can use them in another project. They were too large for the small pockets but were vintage images that I bought at that same stamp store sale. The dress form cut out is a Sizzex Die from Winners that is a Paris theme. There are a few things that I forgot to take pictures of. One thing I included were my favourite tea’s. They are in a small envelope that I made. I wish I had taken a picture of. My pal did post some pictures of them on face book so you can head over there to Pocket Letter Pals to have a look if you are interested. Thats all for now. I will post pics of the PL that I receive from her when it comes in and of  my 3rd PL which is still in transit to Japan! It is a Halloween theme one. Stay tuned!!! Until next time Happy crafting everyone!

Hello Everyone!

Now that my second Pocket Letter has arrived at its destination I can share. This was a swap with a new pal in Alberta. I am also a Close To My Heart consultant and chose the Stamp of the month for June called “Ice Cream Dream”(S1506) as a starting point for this Ice Cream Themed PL. I stamped the images on water-colour paper using “Memento” Tuxedo black ink. I then coloured the images with the “Zig Clean Colour real brush markers”, then fussy cut them out. I used the Ice cream truck, ice cream cone, popsicle and sunday images from the stamp set. I also used the sentiment portion and gave it a dash of colours with the Zig markers as well.There is a touch of Clear “Wink of Stella” on all four of the pieces, but I don’t think you can see it in the photo. The printed papers are from a “Die Cuts With a View” 8X8 paper stack called” The Sweet Stack”. I also used coordinating colours of card stock from “Recollections”. I ran the solid colours through my Sizzix to emboss them for added interest. I used  the “Dorice” cloud, & dots folders, as well as the Cuttlebug. Devine swirls for this. Then I went to my stash and had fun pulling out things with a similar colour scheme. I like to decorate the back as well with co ordinating papers and colours. Then when I stuff the pockets, I put the items in-between the decorative papers as I did in my first PL or on top of the paper if it looks pretty. That is what I did for this one.

The front

The back

The treats included in the PL

I also created a small card with the All about me info. on the computer and printed up a few to have as extras. I made this small paperclip using a small envelope stamp that I have. I make them and leave them uncoloured until I create the PL then four it to match the theme I am doing.

As I said in my previous post, these fun little bundles of joy are super fun to make and share.

So get out there and spread some love! Make a pocket letter and send it to a friend. Or better yet, make a new friend from somewhere else in the world.

Until next time Happy Crafting!

Today I received my first ever PL (pocket letter). It is from my second swap pal from Alberta.

I love it! Thank-you so much Maaike!

I will post pictures of the one I sent her after it arrives at its destination.

Here are pictures of the beautiful one I received and all of the goodies inside.

Front

I love how she included my name on the front, I think that is such a great idea to personalize it. And the teacup stamp it gorgeous! I am am avid tea drinker and think this is an amazing stamp.

Pocket contents

pretty corners & wahsi  bakers twine

 Yummy tea! adorable stickersbling  chipboard pieces  more blingribbon,lace and clips

Also included in the envelope were these beauties.

 a beautiful had made notebook foil stickers

So many fun things I can use in my crafting!

You were very generous Maaike. Also included was a sweet letter about herself. I know I said in a previous post I was unsure about consuming anything, but this tea looks too yummy not to try, I have never had it and am looking forward to trying it.

These PL are so much fun to make and as I have been a crafter/hoarder for quite a long time, I have a lot of stash to pull from so it is quite inexpensive. This PL was shipped flat and cost $1.80. to ship from Alberta to Ontario. I tried sending mine flat this time as well and it was $2.05. Much more reasonable.

I did miss wrapping it up like I had my first one though. I see in the Facebook group how pretty the folded ones are wrapped. Out of curiosity I should have asked the post master how much the first one I sent that was folded and went to Texas would have cost to ship within Canada.

As I am heading out soon on vacation I am not going to commit to a swap until later in August but I am already thinking of themes for the next one and can’t wait to get started on another. It is truly fun and addicting.

Bye for now and Happy crafting!

Have you heard about the New Craze? Is a PL or pocket letter. What is a pocket letter you might ask? A pocket letter is a ramped up pen pal letter, it’s creator Janette Lane. Thank-you Janette for creating another way for people to express themselves creatively. To create a pocket letter you start with an 8X10 album page that has 9 pockets in it. The ones I purchased are for those who collect hockey cards and I found them at my local dollar stored. Each pocket is a small work of art or part of a larger work of art if your design is bigger than the 21/2 X 31/2 inch pocket. You are only limited by your imagination. Then you add a few treats, some add teabags, candy, or small embellishments that the receiver can use in their own crafting endeavours or planners if they choose. There is a group on Facebook you can sign up to(probably more than one) and away you go! There people share their creations and boy is there a ton of talent out there. Lots of people make a page then post a picture looking for someone to swap with. Others like myself just read the post and said hey do you want to swap with me, its my first time? Some one did and she is from Texas. Others post that they only want to swap inside the US and others do international swaps as far away as Europe that I have seen. It is so much fun to look at every ones amazing talent. You also include a letter with a bit of information about your self. Sometimes people pick a theme or other times it is left up to you. My first pocket letter pal said to make something that you love. For me that was pretty easy. My family and I Love Disney and vacations to Florida. I am a scrapbooker and general crafter so I had lots of things for which to draw from for inspiration. Here is my very first pocket letter, wrapped and ready to go.

The front

The back

I took pictures of each envelopes contents for you to see what I included if you are thinking of doing one of these and need ideas.

I was a bit conflicted about sending food treats as I am not sure honestly if I would eat something out of mine or not. In the end I did send a Maple candy maple leaf because it was packaged and seemed like a Canadian thing to share. Sorry I for got to take a picture of it.

It is just like this one only packed in wrapping from the manufacture.

When it came time to mail I asked my pal how she ships hers and she said First Class with a tracking number. When I went to my local post office I was a bit shocked when she said $17.00 WHAT? are you kidding me? Needless to say I sent it regular parcel post and took a chance. Even at that it was almost $8.00. I am not sure if it was because I was shipping to the US from Canada or the size and weight that was the issue. But I crossed my fingers and away it went. Of course you are reading this post because the letter has arrived at its destination. Also I wanted it to be a surprise for my pal so I waited to post. Thank goodness it arrived safely and she liked it! I am still waiting for mine but will share it with you all when it comes. So find yourself a pal and get creating! It is lots of fun! Until next time Happy Crafting!

I finally got around to posting these cards from my June Paper Pumpkin Kit. Here is the first one.

And the Oblong pennant style one.

These were super easy and fun to do. The stamp set is versatile and can be used for a number of occasions.

I did make an alternate card for Father’s Day using the materials in the kit but part of a different stamp kit. I did take a picture of it before I gave it away but the picture was too blurry to use. Thats what I get for being in a hurry and waiting til the last minute to do it. In my next post I will show the teachers cards and bus driver card I did. Until next time, Happy Crafting!

Can you believe we are half way through June already? I am sure that everyone is busily preparing for the end of school year and for summer vacations. I have been making lots of birthday cards for friends and family for June, as well as Teacher cards and some ATC’S as well. The slacker that I am, I clearly have not blogged any of it.

Today though my June Paper Pumpkin came and I thought I post the contents quickly before making the cards.

 

The title is “Happy Thoughts” You can see the picture of the completed cards here but I will post my own when I get one of each variety done.

Here are some of the supplies- the stamp colour is Tip Top Taupe. There is dimensional’s and some adhesive dots as well as the jute and pretty clear buttons. The stamp says “Happy thoughts for you” ” Its your day”

Here is the paper for four cards each of the two different styles. As well as the cool veneer banner shapes.

Can’t wait to dig in and do them up. Will post a picture when I’m done. Hope you are all having a great day wherever you are and Happy Crafting!

Here are the two crafts you can make with this months (May) Paper Pumpkin kit. One project is a gift bag pictured on the left, and a birthday card and envelope on the right.  I am really enjoying these kits immensely. I started with a 6 month subscription to see how I liked them and for sure this is something I will continue to get. Stay tuned for some alternative projects for this months kit. Happy crafting everyone!

This project combines two things I am currently doing. One is the #paperpadchallenge and two, a monthly unveiling of the Paper Pumpkin craft kit with (alternative ideas). This is a cute Owl themed gift bag.

The #paperpadchallenge paper is the paper on the belly, and measures 3 1/2 inches by 2  1/2 inches and has the semicircle cut out of each side.  The body of the owl is the white with black triangles. It is from the Paper pumpkin March kit and measures 3 1/2 inches wide by 5 inches tall.

The owl was created by cutting the paper pumpkin card base in half. Making sure  the triangles are facing downward to look like feathers, cut a rounded piece out of the top of the card. I used my Creative Memories templates and cutters to do this but you only need to line up a glass on the card and trace the shape with a pencil and cut it with scissors.

I cut the owls eyes out on my Cricut Explore. Two scalloped circles in black are cut at 1 3/4 inches, the white circles cut at 1 3/8 inches and the pupils at one inch. The one inch ones I used the Creative Memories punch shown above because I had it on hand. Large googly eyes would have been cute but I only had small ones.

Here are the pieces before assembly. The small black triangle representing a beak on the green paper  is a stamp from the March Paper Pumpkin kit. Of course this could easily be cut by hand from a black scrap of paper. I made the highlight in the  pupil with white paint and inked the edges with a coordinating teal colour. I then mounted the owl on a black paper bag. These were 8 for $1 in Target at their dollar spot as was the small clothes pin on the top. I thought it looked a bit dark at the top so I ran a strip of patterned washi tape to add more interest. Hope you enjoyed this fun little project. Bye for now and happy crafting!

Paper Pumpkin Subscription

I have recently started a six month subscription to Paper Pumpkin. If you are unfamiliar with Paper Pumpkin, it is a monthly kit delivered to your home with everything you need to make the craft inside. It is made by the company “Stampin Up”. I was very excited to receive my first one but sadly was away on vacation when it arrived. I will be doing monthly unveiling of the box and share some fun things you can do with the kit. Here we go…

This months kit was called “Sew perfect”.

The kit included supplies to make 9 cards with envelopes. Three card bases were black polkadots, 3 striped and 3 triangle patterns, white speech bubble with pre punched holes, yellow thread, a needle, stamp pad in black and the stamps, and some enamel embelishments.

Here are some of the finished cards.

Sorry that bottom image is blurry but you can see the stamps that were included. The premiss is a craft in 20 minutes. Because of stitching involved in this craft it took a bit longer. My next project share will show an alternative project with some of the contents. Check out the Stampin up web site for more information at www.stampinup.com 

Bye for now and Happy crafting!

Paper pad Challenge

I’m back! Whew, I was on vacation and lost my crafty mojo, but I think I’ve got it back.

I am starting back with another entry into the paper pad challenge hosted by Christopher Cropp on the Face Book page” 2 Guys and  a Cricut”. This is a small Triangular treat box. This project is so easy to do and you do not need much to create it. Paper,scissors, ruler and embellishments of your choice.

You start with a piece of paper 3 1/2 inches wide by 10 inches long. Fold in half the short way. See bottom diagram. Then measure to the middle of the short side and make a mark on each end 1 3/4 inches. From here you fold from your centre mark on the short side down to the fold line you made in the middle of the paper. Do this on all four sides. I do have a score board but found it easier to lay a ruler where I wanted the paper to fold and wrap it up over the ruler using its edge to make the line. After you can burnish it with a bone folder or even your fingers.

Now all there is left to do is fold it in the middle and let the side flaps overlap. Voila! The most fun is decorating.

I made a banner from white card stock, stamped it using my March Paper Pumpkin stamps (more to follow on that), and a cardboard embellishment and small cloths pin from the dollar spot at our local Target.

This is what it looks like open facing up and one of the inside with the treats. You can use two sided tape to close it. I chose to use the cloths pin. You could also punch a hole and tie it with some bakers twine. Hope you enjoyed this fun little project. The possibilities are endless that this could be used for. Try for yourself and see. Bye for now and happy crafting!