iValentine project...teenagers, kids of all ages & adults will love this!

Valentine's Day isn't too far away and I have been looking for unique ideas for little gifts to our boys. It is so hard to come up with "cool" things for school age boys for V-day. We don't do anything big in the way of gifts for this particular holiday. I just try to find several small things to give them that let them know they are loved more than they will ever know.
When I saw this idea (below) I knew this was a perfect Valentine for all of my boys! I ended up making four...one for each kiddo and my hubby, too!

All you need to complete this project is:
Box of conversation hearts
2 Reece's Peanut butter cups
string (or DMC floss)
foil
scotch tape
cardstock or patterned paper
adhesive


To print the "iLove" labels and read more detailed instructions, please follow the link to Family Fun Magazine where you can download the pdf file to print your own labels. You can even change the name of the songs like I did on one of mine. (shown below)

A quick consolidation of the instructions are:
1- Cut about 12" of string and tape one end of the string to the side of the candy box (near the top). Tie a second small strand of string to the main string. (this creates the "Y" in the headphone wires.)
2- Trim a piece of paper or cardstock to measure 4x7". Wrap the paper around the box and secure with adhesive.
3- Trim a circle of foil large enough to cover the Reece's cup. The magazine suggests a 4" circle- I found this to be too much). Wrap each cup with the silver foil.
4- Print and cut out the labels and glue in place.


Click photo for enlarged view

There are all kinds of Valentine's Day projects on the Family Fun website, so if you're searching for other ideas, take a look around. I was really excited to see some unique Valentine's rather than the ordinary store bought cards. A big "thanks" to Family Fun Magazine!

Never say, "oops." Always say, "Ah, interesting."

I love that quote, but I assure you, "Ah, interesting" was not what I uttered when I made this mistake.

I was just minding my own business, puttering along on a little birthday card, thinking "I think it needs some stitching. Yup, riiiiight here" when I did it. Yeah... I sewed my card together. As in, it's not so much a card, persay, when it doesn't open anymore. The opening part is generally important.

So, what is one to do with a card one has sewn together? (Especially when one is a lazy as I am and refuses to remake the whole thing?) One goes, huh... I think a gift card might fit in there. AHA! Brilliant. And that brings us to the next quote...

I never make stupid mistakes. Only very, very clever ones.
~John Peel

It's my new mantra.

To make the slot for the gift card, just use a circle punch (I punched through both layers because as previously stated, my card was not, um, openable) to create a spot to grab the gift card. You can leave it as is, but I hid mine by putting an embellishment over it and adhering it to the card with a piece of foam tape. The foam tape gives the embellishment the height that is necessary to allow it to slide over the top of the card.

I'm pretty happy with how this little mistake turned out! Here's to many more, ha!

Jessica

Birthday Wishes card:
Vintage Black Mini Paper by Jenni Bowlin
Card Greetings II Stamps by Green Grass Stamps
Happily Ever After Buttons by Autumn Leaves
Bliss Pattern Paper by My Mind's Eye
Colorbox Fluid Chalk Ink in Charcoal by Clearsnap
Scalloped Circle punch by Martha Stewart Crafts
Other: circle punches, sewing machine

Creating your own journaling labels

Journaling labels are everywhere these days, aren't they? I wanted to show you a very easy way to create your own, in any color - a perfect way to always have one to hand.

First, I chose Spellbinders Labels One for my shape. Second, I stamped my lines. I used the Cornish Heritage Farms Lined Paper backgrounder. Determine where you want your die to cut, and use a little masking tape to hold your die in the perfect spot.



Next step? Create a foam stamp in a frame shape. All that entails is lining up your dies on the Spellbinders magnetic spacer plate like this:



With a piece of fun foam (whichever color you want - I tend to pick the color in my multi-pack that I'm least likely to use), die cut just as you would a piece of paper. (Experiment with your individual die cutting machine to determine the best sandwich for this material and your machine.)



Using the cut frame, use a temporary/repositionable adhesive to allow you to adhere it to an acrylic block. Voila! You have your own frame stamp. Ink it up with the same color you stamped your lines with, line it up over the die cut and presto - your own custom journaling label!

See? Told you it was easy! Be well.

Happy New Year!!

Well, we're back! Hope everyone's holidays were relaxing and filled with friends, food and fun. Looks like it's time to get back to work and school. For me, that means getting back into a routine and hopefully having time to get more scrapping done.

I wanted to share this page with you today. I love flowers. I have so many of them that I could use them on every project I create and still have tons left over. Since I'm the only female in my household, I usually use them on cards, layouts about me, or altered projects. But, I do sometimes use them on masculine pages, too. This page is an example of how to add them without making the page look too 'girly'. First, I started with a strong plaid backgound. I used small flowers and embellished them with buttons and star jewels. That way the flowers work as an accent, and your eyes aren't immediately drawn to them. Finally, I adhered the red and white cord around the circles to add some more texture to the page. And, yes, the journaling lines ARE all stitched. ;)





So, don't be afraid to add flowers to layouts about the men in your life. They add a beautiful touch to the page AND you can use up your stash!

Have a great day! ~Anabelle