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

Happy Holidays!

Happy Holidays from all of us at the Pursuit of Craftyness. We are spending time enjoying the holidays with family and will be taking a short vacation from our blog. However, we'll be back after the holidays. Many holiday blessing to each of you.

My name is Miki and I'm a link-a-holic.

Yes, I collect links. Links to everything & anything that I love on the internet. My favorites, folders & desktop are filled with links. Most of them are links to crafts that I would love to do someday. I have enough cute craft links to last me a lifetime. There's just too many talented people out there who are willing to share their craftiness with others!

So I thought I would put some of these links I have collected to good use. I thought maybe our readers would like some links to easy, last-minutes holiday gift ideas. If your a crafter, then chances are pretty good you might have the supplies on hand for some of these. But if not, I did try to keep the list to supplies you could find locally.

Here's what you'll find in my list of crafty links:

1. Had to be quick & easy.
2. Needed minimal supplies that were (hopefully) easy to find.
3. Couldn't cost a fortune.
4. Anyone could do them!

I thought I would start off with some food gift links. Who doesn't love receiving yummy treats during the holidays? Some of these are perfect for doing with your kids too!

Homemade Toffee from French Knots

Check out the adorable packaging on this one! Homemade Peppermint Bark from Martha Stewart

Chocolate Dipped Candy Canes from Make and Takes

These are way too cute! Oreo Cookie Snowmen from According to Kelly

I made this one this past weekend & it really is yummy! Funky Monkey Bread from Mish Mash

Marshmallow Snowmen from Speckled Egg

Here are some crafty gifts to make that you could use your scrap supplies for.

Stamped Dish Towels from Design Sponge

Framed Paper from JCaroline

Marble Magnets by Not Martha

This one uses fabric, but you could easily use scrapbook paper too! Decorated Office Supplies from How About Orange

I don't know about you, but this would take me hours...HOURS to do myself. And that's assuming I could figure out what images I wanted before Christmas was even here. Totally worth the $5 price! Print and Give 2009 Mini Calender from Little Brown Pen

If you can sew, then you might want to check these out. These wouldn't be quick & easy for me, but in case you can sew in a jiffy, you might like these.

These first two are downloadable (is that even a word?) patterns I found. Super cute and well worth the pattern cost if you make a few.
Wristlet PDF Sewing Pattern by Jenna Lou Designs

City Tote PDF Sewing Pattern by keykalou

Ribbon Key Fob from JCaroline

I made some of these last year and you don't have to be an expert to sew them (I promise!). They are also a great way to use up fabric scraps. Raggedy Quilted Coasters

And for us slow-sewers or non-sewers, here are a few no-sew patterns I found.

This one is fabulous! Simple but Chic, no-sew scarf by Little Birdie Secret

No Sew Fleece Blanket & Pillow from Joanns

Tiny Pincushions from How About Orange

These final ones are just plain fun!

This one would be perfect for your kids to make & give to Grandparents, Teachers or anyone else! Doodled Notepad from Martha Stewart

Baby Onesie from Joanns

Easy Wine Glass Charms from Not Martha

I want to make these just to have sitting on my counter in their pretty jars! Homemade Bath Salts from Martha Stewart

Fabric Fridge Frame from How About Orange

Hopefully I didn't just waste your whole day surfing the net oohing & awwing over these great gift ideas. I seriously could go on & on with these links. But I am hoping that it will maybe solve a last minute gift idea or maybe help with that hard to buy for person on your list.

Enjoy this great list of links and don't forget to check out the list of tutorials we've done here (and there's been some really great ones!). You can find it right there down the right side of our blog.

A big THANK YOU to all the crafters out there who share their talents with us over the internet each day!!

Christmas past & present...

I just love this time of year and always feel so inspired to create! I thought I'd just share a bunch of creations today some I created this year and some from a few years back. :0)

I found these 3 plaques for $1, they were green and gold with hideous flowers, lol. I painted over the green with crackle medium and white paint, added some Webster's Pages paper, chipboard letters covered in glitter and now have them sitting over my fireplace mantel. ;)





Next is a little tin ($1 again) that I added Jenni Bowlin paper, a bird image (Cavilinni paper co.), Melissa Frances sticker and a little nest. Perfect for dislaying or giving a treat in.




A card a treat bag set using Crafty Secrets vintage images, Queen & Co. felt, stickles, and glassine bags.




And lastly a tree from last year, this was in Paper Trends. I took a tree form and sprayed it with glitter. I wrapped it in various Queen & Co. felts and added rhinestones. The base is actually a Pringles can wrapped in sugar coated cardstock.



Thanks for stopping by. Wishing you a wonderful holiday. :)

-Sherry