More simple layering

Here's a second card I created using Altenew stamps.  Layering is a bit quirky, but fun.  You be the judge.

 

A simple layering card with layering stamps

 I'm just starting out with Altenew Academy for their teacher certification program.  Here's my first sample thus far.  Very simple layering.

A glimpse inside:

Petite little die...

This is a small die that I keep misplacing and finding again.  So before I misplace it yet again, I decided to create a card for posterity -- translation:  in case I really lose it completely.

I learned the cutting technique for this card on a YT video that I just loved and recreated it to fit this little die.  You first fold your card into a cupboard fold, add your DP to the flaps and then place the die inside the card with the blades face up and run it through your die cutting machine.  You will need to die cut additional shapes for the inside as well as the band around the oval opening on the front.

The picture below is what the card looks like opened.  I haven't added a sentiment yet.  Kinda neat technique isn't it?

Well, let's hope I can find this little deer die next year and produce a whole lot of cards.  My Christmas cards are all done and mailed for this year and it's time to pack things away in the bottom of the closet.  

Well, that's all for now -- Ciao!

Ciao Bella! 

Birthday card for my future son-in-law...

After he receives this, I could be the cause of an engagement gone wrong!  Andy and I have an ongoing, fun, sarcastic relationship and use any excuse to whip one another.  My daughter threw him a 40th birthday party a few weeks ago and I must have said something cutting about his age (who me?  I'd NEVER say anything like that about my Andy boy!).  So the other day I had called to see how my daughter was feeling and Andy answered the phone.  Caller ID is so unfair -- he answered the phone with "I'm not talking to you!".

Okay, wise guy!  Here's a birthday card for my favorite maybe-NOT-future, son-in-law...

I created the door out of chocolate card stock and used a Cheery Lynn door die and aged it with gold and white chalk inks.  I then computerized the sign on the door and hung it with a brad.  The background wooden planks are made using a gold card stock, then rubbed with 3 different shades of brown then white.  The planks and nails are drawn in with a black Copic marker.

When you open the door, there's a Zombie staring at you. (heh! heh! - see where I'm going here?)

And here's my birthday greeting for my MAYBE-one-of-these-days son-in-law.  The font is a little wonky, but it says Birthdays are like Zombies... they just keep coming and coming until you're dead".  I used a crackle stencil and dabbed it with brown ink and edged it to age it a bit.  "Age" being the operative word here.

I think this is going to be one of those "I got the last word in" episodes.  What fun -- I can hardly wait to see what Andy's next volley will be!

Ciao for now!

Ciao Bella! 

Cascading box

Hello my friends.  My posts get fewer and fewer these days, don't they?  I'm so busy with Craft-Dee BowZ that I neglect to post on my original blog.  The only reason this is being posted  on Ciao Bella is because it does not  have a bow (shhhh!  I know that's blasphemy for me!)!  Yikes!  How could I create a project without a bow?

Having said that, this is something I had seen on YouTube quite a few years ago and I tripped across it again and decided it's time to try it.  It was more than easy!!  The toughest part is making up your mind how you want to embellish it!  I kept it fairly minimal since I'll be teaching this in December.

I've called it the Cascading Box project.  I have no idea (as usual) where I found the original and what it was called.  This was so much fun to make!  You start with a 6 x 11-3/4" piece of DP for the box base and then create four small boxes (for the inside - see picture below), origami style, and a cover.

Here's the completed closed project.  I used IO tree dies as well as the small snowflakes which were adhered and  suspended on white thread.   I just wanted some sort of movement with this project for some reason.  The ferns are also from IO.

And this is what it looks liked opened up.  Isn't it a great, fun thing to do?  And doesn't it look like the boxes are cascading, hence the name I dubbed it?

 

Here's a close-up of the box cover.  I did this using five different snowflake dies. I used dimensional tape (sometimes doubling it up) on each layer to give it the height that I wanted.   I then glittered them once they were all together by dipping a paintbrush into PPA glue and brushing it on and then sprinkling white glitter over it all.  It's really much prettier in person.  The pine boughs were done in a similar way using a frosting glitter.

Well, that's it for now.  Hope this inspires you!

Ciao for now!

Ciao Bella! 

Pretty little Poinsettia

Okay, some of you may be saying it's a little early for Christmas -- we haven't even had Halloween yet!  Well I have been doing Christmas projects for over 2 months now -- mainly because of my teaching schedule at the store and on the road with Craft-Dee BowZ.  But I was in Texas this past weekend with The Collins Group and we did this sweet little project with Susan's Garden and I thought I'd share it with you.

It got mangled in my suitcase on the way home, but I was able to spruce it back up.  Isn't this the cutest?  The box is made from a  Sizzix die (unknown) and the poinsettia, of course, is from Susan's Garden.  Just love her stuff.  I used to make a lot of her creations when she was affilliated with The Punch Bunch.  But using dies is soooo much easier as you can get several different sizes and store it in a smaller space (than punches).  We also used a combination of Elizabeth Designs wide tape and her wonderful glitter.  This was the last class I took at the trade show and it was the MOST relaxing class I have ever been in!  Just thought I'd share.

Ciao for now!

Ciao Bella! 

"But, Officer!..." I said...

"I was just looking for a new fashion statement.  I didn't KNOW it was THAT kind of vest!"

Me, after a long day of painting at my son's new house.  We were rearranging his "police" closet and my curiosity got the better of me and I tried on his Kevlar vest, mostly to see just how heavy these things are.  To answer your question, yes, they are heavy, but not what you expect.  HOWEVER, I can see that if I were wearing this for any length of time, my knees would bow, my back would bend and I'd be dragging my chin along the asphalt.  These puppies have got to be miserable in the hot weather!

Just me clowning around.  Like my outfit?  Hey!  They're my painting duds!  If you ever saw me painting, you wonder why I don't wear a hazmat suit instead.

Ciao for now!

Ciao Bella!