Gift Wrapping Ideas

 Christmas is less than a week away and I'd like to show you a couple ideas to wrap up those holiday gifts. 

I started with basic kraft paper from the dollar store and wrapped up my gifts. I brushed a few light strokes of cream paint across the paper and let dry.  Using spray adhesive, I sprayed the wrapped gift and sprinkled white mica across it.  I then wrapped bakers twine around the gift several times and secured a knot in the back of the gift. I stamped 25 on a little doily and tucked it underneath the bakers twine.  

Using a small piece of bakers twine, I wrapped it around the base of the bottle brush tree and secured it to the gift.  Finally, I simply tucked a vintage Christmas photo underneath the bakers twine. 

                 
  For this next gift, I used the toothbrush paint technique and splattered a bit of cream paint over the entire package.  I wrapped  ribbon around the package and tucked  floppy blossom ribbon underneath the cream ribbon. I then placed a photo from the adopted ancestors paper to a resin frame and tied both frames to the center of the package.  This wrapping won first place in the Stampington Creative Christmas Packaging Instagram Challenge!  Woohoo!

 Embellish the gift by tying a pink bottle brush tree to the center, tucking a resin angel wing behind the ribbon and gluing a few silver sequins to the package.

Merry Christmas Table Top Decoration

 Up until Christmas, the Melissa Frances blog is showcasing some beautiful projects from the design team members. 

My project  is up on the blog today and I thought I'd  share it with you here as well.

 As much as I love the traditional reds and greens of Christmas, it's always fun to mix it up a bit. I love that this project kind of has that "Sugar Plum Fairy" feel to it. Melissa Frances embellishments make it so easy to create something lovely for the holidays. 

Supply List: 
Pink Bottle Brush Trees
Pink Mica Flakes
Pink Floppy Blossom Ribbon 
Pleated Satin Cream Ribbon
Fancy Filigree Brooch,
Cream Organza Ribbon 

Non-Melissa Frances supplies- mini plastic deer, silver glitter, candle stick, mini round paper mache box

Instructions-

1. Spray top of mini round paper mache box with adhesive and sprinkle pink mica to the lid of the box. 

2. Spray plastic deer with spray adhesive and sprinkle silver glitter on it until covered completely.

3.Attach three pink bottle brush trees and silver deer to top of box using glue.

4. Attach cream organza ribbon around top of the box using glue. Add pleated satin cream ribbon on top of the organza ribbon.

5. Print out the sentiment "Merry Christmas", cut out and attach to top of box. 

6. Using glue, attach the finished box to the candle stick and let dry.

7. Tie floppy blossom ribbon around the middle of the candle stick. Attach brooch to ribbon.

Black Friday Has Come Early!

It's that time of year - time for Black Friday sales from Melissa Frances! Melissa is launching early, so get them before they're sold out!

Melissa Frances has the following three product groupings available for sale in her ETSY SHOP (click here to view/purchase):

Happy Halloween! Are You The Winner?!

                                        Happy Halloween!
 Thanks so much to everyone that left a comment, you sure have some great costume ideas! The winner for the $25.00 gift certificate to Wood Connection is..............................

MarileiOctober 30, 2013 at 5:00 PM

This is sooo incredibly cute!!!! I love it. I will definitely be doing this :)
My 10 year old daughter is dressing up as Leela from Futurama and my 2 year old son is going to be a little vampire :)

Congratulations, Marilei! 

Bewitching Halloween Decor and a Giveaway!

I'm so excited to be guest posting for the  The Wood Connection again, it's always such a pleasure.   Today I have a bewitching project to share with you! Halloween is only a few days away but you still have time to create some fun Halloween decor.  Let's begin! 

Supplies used:

One 4x6 wood block

One 5x7 wood  block

Two candlesticks (one small, one large)

Paper mache witch hat

Pattern Paper- Happy Haunting- Carta Bella

Paint- Charcoal and Terra Cotta

Wood Glue

Mod Podge

Foam brushes

Black tulle and ribbon

- all these supplies are from The Wood Connection

Embellishments:

Brooch, black button- Melissa Frances

Witch images- Lisa's Altered Art

Mini glitter pumpkin- Dollar Tree

For your first step, you're going to trace your wood blocks onto the pattern paper and cut them out. You can ink around the edges of the paper to give it that vintage look.  Next paint your wood blocks and candlesticks. I painted one set charcoal and one set terra cotta.   After the paint has dried, glue your squares of paper to each wood block. Cut out the witch images and Halloween sentiments  and glue them to the wood blocks. 

Sand the candlesticks for a distressed look and tie tulle, polka dot and orange ribbon around the middle of the candlestick. Cut out pattern paper to make a tag, punch hole and thread ribbon through it. Attach black button using  ribbon and secure it with a knot.

Attach the wood blocks to the candlesticks using wood glue and let dry. 

The Wood Connection has these darling paper mache witch hats that are so fun to decorate! For the hat, I cut out a small triangle of paper and wrapped it around the cone part of the hat and secured it with mod podge. I then traced the base of the hat, cut a hole through the center and slide the cone through the paper hole. Add a few brushes of mod podge to secure the paper to the hat. Tie a strand of tulle and ribbon around the base of the hat and embellish with a sparkly brooch. 

For the last step, attach your witch hat and mini pumpkin to the top of each block using glue. 

Easy, right?!

Won't these look  festive sitting on your table or mantle surrounded by jack-o-lanterns and flickering candles?  I think so! 

The Wood Connection has generously given me a $25.00 gift certificate to their AMAZING store to give to one lucky reader! This is open to everyone since they now offer shipping! Woohoo! 

 Simply leave a comment telling me what you or your kids are dressing up as for Halloween!
 Here's our lil punkin dressed as  Red Riding Hood.  :-)

Check back on October 31st to see if you're the winner.

Thanks so much for stopping by and have a Happy Halloween!

Sweet Memories

Hello!

Today I'd love to show you a greeting card I made using papers from the Melissa Frances Classic Elegance collection. I also combined resin, ribbon and a tag and banner sticker from the C'est La Vie Collection. 

One of my favorite products right now from Melissa Frances is the Adopted Ancestors paper which was used on this card. The collage of vintage photos can be cut out and used for anything from baby cards to birthday and wedding cards. So fun to look through these old vintage photos! 

Thank you for stopping by and have a great day!

Wedding Cards Using Summer Stories

Wedding season is upon us and if you're like me, you have a ton of weddings to go to this summer. I LOVE weddings and equally LOVE to make wedding cards. Here are a few ideas for making cards the new couple will always treasure. 

For the "Mr. and Mrs." card, I used a sheet of pink polka dot paper from the Summer Stories 6x6 pad and layered a couple cut out cards (from the 12x12 sheet "cards") and adhered them to the top of the base. I then traced the people silhouettes, cut them out and attached them to the card. Using my cricut machine, I cut out a few balloons in the "dots" and "filigree" paper and glued twine to the back of the balloons. I attached the balloons on the card and embellished with die cuts and ribbon. 

Tags are always quick and easy and look adorable tied to any gift.

Make a tag out of the gold glitter damask paper, punch a hole through the top,  lace your ribbon through and make double bow. Attach three die cut banners to the front of the tag and adhere the "Always and Forever" die cut on top of the banners. Embellish with enamel dots.

If you're the bride to be, this card could be given to the maid of honor to thank her for all she has done to help you with your special day.

 For this card, I used the same basic theme of a silhouette cut out holding balloons like I did with the wedding card.  I embellished with a few die cuts, stickers and enamel dots.

Thank you for stopping by and have a great day!

Supplies used-

Pattern paper  "Dots", "Filigree" and "Cards"( damask and papers from the 6x6 pad) enamel dots, border strips, chipboard buttons, die cut sheet- Summer Stories

Classes at The Wood Connection

Hi there!

 I'm excited to tell you about the class I will be teaching at  The Wood Connection in June.  I will be teaching you how to light up your 4th of July with vintage inspired marquee USA letters.  They will give a fun patriotic statement wherever they are placed in your home.
Classes will be held June 18th in Murray from 6-8 PM and June 20th in American Fork from 6-8 PM

Head over to the Wood Connection blog for more details.

I'd love to see you there!

Summer Cottage

I'd love to show you a fun and unique project using the Summer Stories collection from Teresa Collins Designs. 

During Christmas time, I love to see all the charming little handmade villages and houses decorating mantels and table tops. But the holiday season shouldn't get ALL the fun so I thought I'd make a sea side cottage to welcome the lazy days of summer. 

How perfect is the Summer Stories collection for this project?!  Breezy blues, sunshine yellows, and soft pinks. Just makes me want to lie in a hammock with a lemonade and a good book.

I began this project with a cute chipboard house kit from Melissa Frances.  I covered each part of the house pieces with different patterns and colors of the Summer Stories paper. Following the directions on the package of the house kit, I assembled it together.

Using enamel dots, I embellished a bottle brush tree and placed it towards the front of the house. I also used banner die cuts to decorate the windows. I embellished the house with a "Home" chipboard element as well as a little chipboard button on the front gate.

Here's a mini banner I placed across the chimney to the edge of the roof . I added a little pouf of tissue garland inside the chimney and a few more enamel dots. 

                   All that is needed now is a pretty little bicycle with a flower basket parked in the front. :)
                                      Thanks so much for stopping by and have a wonderful day!

Supplies used-

Summer Stories pattern paper- Flowers and pink damask sheet from the 6x6 pad.

Summer Stories enamel dots

Summer Stories die cut sheet

Summer Stories chipboard elements 

all from Teresa Collins Designs

House Kit- Melissa Frances

Melissa Frances Treat Cups

For the past week, the ladies from the  Melissa Frances design team have been participating in a fun challenge using these darling treat cups.  It's been so fun to see what everyone has come up with! This mini gift basket I made is a fun and unique way to present a gift for a baby shower. Tucked inside is a gift card for the mother as well as a mini glass bottle that has a sweet message inside for the new baby. 

Be sure to check out the Melissa Frances Blog to see the rest of the beautiful creations the design team has made using the treat cups!

Thanks for stopping by!

Supplies used-

Scalloped Oval Treat Cup (WB031), Glass Bottles (GN570), Mini Rose Sprig, White Pearls (GN278), Patterned paper - all from Classic Elegance :Adopted Ancestors (PA408), Strictly Business (PA406), At First Blush (PA404))

All  products from Melissa Frances

Mother's Day Card Ideas

Hi there!

Here are a few quick and simple Mother's Day card ideas for you using the new Summer Stories collection. I always make several cards each Mother's Day for my Mom, mother-in-laws, grandmas, friends that are moms and women who have been like mothers to me. The new Summer Stories collection has several soft, feminine floral  and damask papers that are perfect for Mother's Day cards.  As you can see, I used a few die cut doilies from the  Memories collection as well.  I love how you can mix and match different collections and they blend perfectly.

Thanks so much for stopping by and have a wonderful Mother's Day!

Supplies used-

Summer Stories Die Cut Sheet

Summer Stories Chipboard Buttons

Summer Stories Chipboard Elements

Summer Stories Enamel Dots

Summer Stories Border Strips

Pattern Paper- Summer Stories: Dots, Filigree, Flowers

Nursery Decor Using Summer Stories

Today I'd love to share with you two nursery decor projects using the Summer Stories collection from Teresa Collins. My sister recently had a beautiful baby girl and I wanted to give her some handmade decor pieces for the nursery.  I fell in love with the soft blues, grays and cotton candy pinks in this line; they also happen to match the new baby's nursery perfectly! 

The first project is a wall hang using a chipboard backdrop that I painted  ivory. I  layered different patterns and colors of paper from the Summer Stories collection. I attached a vintage photo of a baby and made a little banner using die cuts, buttons and twine.  Using the "flashcards" sheet of paper, I cut out the word "baby" and adhered it to the bottom of the panel. 

Here's a little pillow I made out of muslin and then embellished with a die cut and button banner.  I also stitched "xox" in the upper corner using light blue thread.  I used fabric glue to adhere the floppy blossom ribbon down the side of the pillow. 

I'm sure you're LOVING this new collection as much as I am!

 Thanks so much for stopping by and have a great day!

Supplies used-

Pattern paper- Summer Stories: Flashcards A and B side

Summer Stories buttons and chipboard embellishments

Summer Stories Die Cut Sheet

Summer Stories Enamel Dots

Summer Stories 6x6 pad ( blue flashcard paper)

Teresa Collins Designs- Summer Stories

Other: Floppy blossom ribbon floppy blossom ribbon, chipboard backdrop-  Melissa Frances

And the Winner Is...

                                                    LesApril 29, 2013 at 2:09 PM

                I really am so impressed at what you always make. I'd never think to put that all together!

Les is the random winner! Les, be watching for an email from me! :)

Thank you so much to everyone for your sweet comments!

Have a wonderful day!

French Inspired Shelf and a Giveaway!

 Today I'd love to show you a French inspired shelf using simple supplies from The Wood Connection. Mother's Day will soon be here and I wanted to make something special and unique for my mom. I thought this shelf would make sweet gift and it would also fit perfectly with her bathroom decor.  She's going to love it!

Supplies used:
Two large candlesticks - The Wood Connection
Two small candlesticks- The Wood Connection
Three 5" x 14" boards- The Wood Connection
Wood glue- The Wood Connection
Acrylic paint- light ivory, blue danube and foam paint brushes- The Wood Connection
Weather crackle effect- Martha Stewart
Mod Podge
Tissue paper
French Typography- The Graphics Fairy


Start by sanding the rough spots down on your boards and then painting a couple coats of ivory paint on all three boards and all four candlesticks. Let dry.

When the boards have finished drying, apply a coat of the crackle effect to each board and candlestick and it dry completely.

While the boards are drying, you're going to prep the tissue paper to go into the printer to 

print out your typography.  Start by laying out a single sheet of tissue paper and place a sheet of cardstock on top and trim around it so you have a 2 inch allowance.

Using the tape to secure it, wrap the tissue paper around the cardstock. You don't need a solid line of tape, but do use enough to secure it well.

Then run the tissue covered cardstock through the printer, so it will print directly on the tissue paper.

There is some wonderful vintage French typography at The Graphics Fairy that I used for this project.

Lightly spray the images with hairspray to set the ink. Do this step three times with three different images for each board.

After your boards and candlesticks are dry from the crackle effect, paint a coat of blue paint on all your pieces and let dry. This is what your pieces will look like after the blue paint has dried.

 LOVE that shabby chic look!

Cut out your tissue pieces and place them where you'd like on the boards. For this board, I used two separate images but on the other two boards, I just used one image on each. 

Cover the board with Mod Podge and place the tissue pieces on top, then add another layer of Mod Podge on top.

Once the Mod Podge has dried on your boards, glue the two large candlesticks on top of one board.

Using wood glue, attach the second board on top of the candlesticks. Glue the two small candlesticks on top of the second board and attach the third board on top of the small candlesticks.

This is what the finished shelf will look like! 

 I also printed out a couple vintage french perfume labels and Mod Podged  them to small  painted 4"x6"blocks of wood ( also available at The Wood Connection) for an added decoration. 

I hope you enjoyed this French inspired shelf tutorial as much as I loved making it!

 Thank you so much to The Wood Connection for having me, it's been a pleasure as always! They were generous to give me a $25.00 gift certificate for one lucky reader.  Simply leave a comment below and you'll be entered into the drawing! 

  

Thank you for stopping by and have a lovely day!