December 25, 2014

Merry Christmas

Hope your day is filled with warmth and love


And have a Happy New Year too ;)


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December 16, 2014

Watercolor Winter Xtra

Yesterday I showed you what I did with the Watercolor Winter cards... now today I will show you what became of my extra pieces :)

I had to grab some white cardstock, but the rest of this card was made with leftovers after finishing my cards (and there were ALOT still left after this too).


Didn't it turn out pretty! I used the negative from the vellum snowflakes (so the piece that I punched them out of) as a template to sponge the large snowflake in the sky. Then I added some light sponging all over the background to add a little more color. I just love it :)

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December 15, 2014

Watercolor Winter Cards

Last week I did a class with the Watercolor Winter card kit. This kit is a ton of fun- filled with sparkles and diecuts galor. And even sweeter, right now it is on sale on the clearance rack, so grab your kit before they dissapear!

The kit comes with instructions on how to make four different cards (and enough supplies to make 5 of each card). But I decided to switch things up a little. There were so many cute ideas on Pinterest that I had to grab some of that inspiration and make it my own :) Here is what I came up with:


This was one of my favorite designs. For this card I watercolored the word MERRY in Cherry Cobbler with a bit of an ombre look to it. Then I added the letters to the card along with the snowflake (trimmed down) and some sparkles. To finish it off I stamped the word Christmas at the bottom.


And this was my other favorite. I just love the little sleigh- also watercolored in Cherry Cobbler. I wanted the woodgrain background to be brown, so I watercolored that Crumb Cake. And to get the vellum leaves green I pressed them into the Old Olive ink pad, and then wiped off the excess ink with my scrap paper (if you try to watercolor the vellum the wetness will cause it to curl- so avoid it unless you want that look).


This card I did straight per the instructions- except that I used Crumb Cake instead of grey ink (I though it would match the envelopes better that way). Make sure you attach the letters to the string before punching them out! Otherwise this would be much harder to do :)


For my last card I wanted more of the sparkly gold tree to show, so I only used one set of the trees (the white one was watercolored Old Olive) and offset them from one another instead of stacking. I also added a bit of watercolored 'snow' to the sky. I liked how it gave the scene just a little something extra.

Hope you enjoyed these alternatives. Flutterby again soon!

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December 13, 2014

Pony Party Activities

What would a party be without some fun things to do! The kids are finally getting to the age where they can participate in planned activities, so I had a fun time coming up with ideas for them.


First off, what is a My Little Pony party without cutie marks? We found these cute little temporary tattoos at the party store, so I had a fun little station set up where they could pick a design and have it put on their hands. Elli LOVES 'hand stickers' as she calls them, so this was a big hit with her.


I also had 'blank' ponies printed up for a Design Your Own Pony area. I was glad this keep the kids entertained for quite awhile. And as a funny aside- two of the ponies ended up looking a bit more like deer... LOL. So I got a kick out of that.


To top it all off they got to make some 'gemstone' necklaces. A bowl of fruity cheerios and some string is all you need. This activity was probably the biggest hit- and kept them nice and busy- so it is a great one to add to a party!


Well, that wraps up my Pony Party. Hope you enjoyed all the details :)

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December 11, 2014

Pony Party Decor

The setup for my food table was inspired by a couple photos on pinterest (of course- great site). I had seen many variations on the cloud & rainbow wall- my variation was with balloons and streamers. Use a little bit of painters tape to hold everything to the wall without damaging it and it is so easy!


Not sure if water bottles go under food or decor, but since they didn't go to a certain pony I decided here was as good as anywhere :) As always I love to dress them up with a cute label- and it gives a place to write names so we know who belongs to which. Once again- super easy and fast to make in MDS. I try to keep it 2 1/2" high and as wide as a sheet of paper. Once I get my setup the way I like then I select everything and group it. Then it is easy to just cut and paste more copies (you can fit 4 per sheet of paper). I always print these on regular thin printer paper. Once I tried cardstock- and you should learn from my mistake- it is way to thick to stay wrapped around a water bottle without some heavy duty glue.


Can't forget about the goodie bags for the kids. Since three of the four kids at the party were boys... well I didn't think pony themed trinkets would go over great. So we picked out fun stuff that even the guys would like. I of course had to at least disguise it in a pony bag though. I'm so happy with how this turned out using the star border punch :)


And last but least, here is a view of the whole room. We used the wall murals from the party store and also added in a pack of balloons. Elli was super excited about the large Rainbow Dash. She and her brother ran in circles around the house with the balloons before the party and thought it was grand fun :)


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December 10, 2014

Pony Party Food

Know what happens when a tummy bug goes through the house? Well, what doesn't happen is blogging apparently!  But today I FINALLY bring you some more My Little Pony party pictures!

For the food I tried to choose something related to each character in the show. I whipped up cute little name cards in MDS for each of the dishes. I think for the most part these pictures speak for themselves- except perhaps Rarity's curls since it is hard to see in the picture that it is homemade mac and cheese made with curly noodles (YUM!).

Enjoy- and flutterby again soon!








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December 3, 2014

Rainbow Dash Birthday Card

Wow. What a long weekend! I had hoped to show you all about the party by now, but first our heater went out, then the DD got the stomach flu (not even in our own home, but where we were staying to get warm- way to say thanks...). As if that wasn't enough both kids were super cranky all weekend AND then Declan refused to get out of bed on Monday. Apparently the bug hit him too :P. So here's hoping today starts to turn around!

But I want to leave you with at least a little creative tidbits for the day. I can't take credit for this one. This is all my mom. Isn't she just creative?!


This card is all punch art. Various oval and circles for the eyes and the feather framelits for the hair (how cool is that). The eyes are colored with the three tones of Razzleberry Blendabilities and the nose is sketched on. Have I said how much this card rocks yet :)

Flutterby again soon. I promise to get more of the party details up!

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December 1, 2014

Christmas Countdown Boxes (Finished)

I promised I would be back with the final Countdown Boxes and today's the day!


Elli and I had a blast making these yesterday while watching Rudolph. And then I sat and folded them all together (I think that step took the most time). During naptime I filled them with fun activities for us to do each day leading up until Christmas.

Today is supposed to be decorating the tree! We will see if it happens... both kiddos woke up with a tummy bug today, so at this rate I'm not sure if anything will happen! Guess I better come up with ideas for makeup days :)

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November 27, 2014

Happy Thanksgiving

May your day be filled with blessings.


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November 26, 2014

Curvy Keepsake Turkey

My parents were here over the weekend for the Birthday party- but that also meant craft time for Mom and I :) She had created an adorable Turkey for Thanksgiving using the Curvy Keepsake box... and she brought enough supplies to share!

Earlier in the day we discovered that there is a new crafter in our midst. My li'l man LOVED helping his Nana cut out the feathers for the turkey. She said she couldn't keep the Big Shot loaded fast enough for him. He cut out ALL the feathers needed for three turkeys! What a little trouper :)


After the kids went to bed we sat and glued our turkey's together while watching a movie. Whew! These little guys take quite awhile (so do not expect to mass produce them). But isn't he adorable :)


And here is a couple of side shots to get a better view of his wings and details:



Enjoy! And have a Happy Thanksgiving. May you be richly blessed.

Flutterby again soon.

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November 24, 2014

It's a Pony Party!

As you could probably tell from my daughter's birthday banner earlier this week, we had a My Little Pony fan in the house. A BIG FAN! So, naturally she wanted ponies for her party.

She picked an easy theme for me. There is a ton of My Little Pony stuff available at the store, so plates/cups/napkins were all an easy feat. But I still wanted to add the personal touch to her parties that I love so much.

Of course my tool of choice for creating would be MDS- you would never expect anything different from me I'm sure :) But before I began I needed to turn to the web for some clipart ponies to use in my creations.

Now, here I will insert a warning: If you search for My Little Pony images on Google, do not- I repeat DO NOT- do it with children in the room. I know this sounds like an odd suggestion, but believe me it is true. Apparently there is an unsavory adult following of this kid's show. Sad but true- and they have created equally unsavory images of said ponies on the web. It was by no means the majority of what was out there, but there was enough of it that I wouldn't want my child looking over my shoulder.

Alright, so now that I got that warning out of the way (and I got some cute images of each of the main characters) onto the invite:


For the background I used the cloud paper from the Sunshine and Sprinkles kit. I use the recolor tool go get the paper to match the pony colors better, and I thought that it added just the perfect touch to the card. I even tried to emulate the 'pun' from the show of saying everypony instead of everybody. So happy with this cheerful front.


For the back I played ALOT to get the pony images just how I wanted them. It took awhile (I'm picky) but it turned out just how I hoped. My other favorite element from this side was the My Little Elli header. For this I found the show insignia and added that as an element to the page. I 'hid' the Pony in the title using a freeform layer and coloring over it in white. Then I just added Elli in a cute font (and in three colors stacked like the original title) to finish off the look. Pretty awesome right :)

I hope you enjoy these ideas for your own party prep. And I highly suggest MDS for a creating tool- it is so easy to use and full of awesomeness.

Flutterby again soon!

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November 20, 2014

Christmas Countdown

Did you see the tiny treat boxes in the Holiday Catalog? And did you notice that they come 25 to a set- which makes them absolutely PERFECT for this:


Flipping through the Holiday Catalog I just knew I wanted to make a set of these for a Mommy & Me class. They are so cute and definitely doable even by the youngest of crafters.

I didn't want to use this year's set of countdown numbers though. I wanted a set that was a little more fun for the younger generation- and that I could print out from MDS so all they would have to do is punch and glue. Then I remembered the 25 & Counting set from a couple years ago and knew what I was going to do.


Didn't it just turn out adorable? My daughter is going to LOVE making the rest of this project, and I'll share the final set with you when it is done.

There is still time before December to make your own Christmas Countdown calendar too! Just grab a set of the boxes from the store, and either the stamp set from this years catalog or the digital version I used. I would love to hear what you put in your boxes :)

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November 18, 2014

Happy Birthday

Happy Birthday to my little Girly! I've got a cute surprise for you when you wake up :)


And for those of you who aren't my daugher ;) I hope you enjoy the banner too!

It was pretty simple to make. First you start with strips of colorful DSP and string them together. Then, for the clouds and letters I inserted punches onto MDS pages, changed them to a mirror image, and then printed it out. That way when I cut them out the printed lines wouldn't show if it wasn't perfect. Then all I had to do was add a Rainbow Dash picture to the mix. She's gonna love it (I hope).

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November 13, 2014

Halloween Revisited

Okay. I know Halloween is already past. But I haven't had a chance to share this super cute card with you yet!

My mom sent it for the kids on Halloween. Isn't it just adorable? Elli was super excited to get the pretty card. My Li'l man on the other hand- he was just happy it came with a coin to stick in his piggy bank ;)


The outside was created of 'punch art' using oval punches and some leaves (I'm guessing the ears were just cut by hand).

Inside she had hidden a coin behind each of the ghosts on the left hand side. You could see the 'shiny' coming through their eyes :)


Now, even though this card is for Halloween, it could so easily be switched up for Thanksgiving (part of why I still wanted to share it). Here is what I would do- skip the jack o lantern face so the cat is just peeking over a pumpkin and perhaps make the cat brown instead. Then add a pretty fall DSP instead of the purple (I would recommend one from the Color Me Autumn set). Finally, write THANKS instead of Boo on the front.

Inside you could add some leaf images and a sentiment from the For All Things stamp set. Now you're all set!

What kid in your life wouldn't like a fun card for Thanksgiving :)

Flutterby again soon!

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November 11, 2014

Birthday Countdown

My little girly is at the age where she always wants to know how long until something is going to occur. How long until Halloween, how long until Santa... and right now the most pressing one- How long until my birthday??

She knows it is getting close, so to help her track the time I made this super quick countdown for her. Of course it uses the always wonderful MDS program. I was able to throw it together and have it printing out in less than 5 minutes (and that was even with two kids poking at me while I did it). Woo Hoo! :)


I left some of the spots colorless so that she could do her own decorating. Then, each night at super we can cover up one of the numbers with a sticker. What kid doesn't love stickers :) She's super excited, can you tell!


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November 6, 2014

Thankful Banner

When I saw the Grateful For Days simply created kit in the Holiday catalog I just knew I wanted to make something with it!


I decided that I didn't want quite such a large display (it has enough slots for 30 days of Thankfulness) but instead I just wanted a short banner for my fireplace mantle. Also, I wanted to dress it up a bit with pretty fall leaves (I love fall decor!!) and have a phrase like Thankful or Give Thanks on it.


So during naptime last weekend I got busy with my supplies. I was so blessed that both my kiddos took a REALLY long nap and I was able to get the whole thing done in 1 day. That never happens around here :). Here's what I came up with (click on the picture to see it larger):


For the leaves I used the Autumn Accents die for the Big Shot and all the colors of cardstock from the kit. Then I ran the leaves (but not the acorns) through the Woodgrain texture folder to give them a little dimension. After that I had a huge pile of leaves to decorate with :) Here is a bit of a detail shot of a couple of the pennants:


I decided on the phrase THANKFUL so that I could have some ornamental images on the ends to give it a little extra style. And I used MDS to make sure the letters were all the size I needed for the circle punch. I know I didn't 'need' to use MDS for this project... but what can I say. I'm addicted to it as you all well know, and it made it so much easier to figure out the letter sizing than just using a word processing program would have :)

I had some extra leaves over after I finished all the pennants, but I figured they just HAD to get used anyway. So I added them to the ends of the banner in a cluster. To attach them to the string I just used a small strip of extra cardstock, which I folded in half and glued together to the back of the 'pile of leaves'.


I figure I should also mention that I tried out the new Fast Fuse runner for the first time on this project. It took a little getting used to, but I was impressed with the results. Way easier than dealing with all that sticky strip, but feels much more secure than just using a snail tape runner. I highly suggest giving one a try :)

Flutterby again soon!

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November 3, 2014

Naptime Fun

I had some fun while my little ones napped this weekend. Can you guess what it will become?


Flutterby again soon to see the finished product!

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November 1, 2014

Diva Swap and Share

I had so much fun at the last Diva Swap and Share. It is always great to get together with these creative ladies and get my craft on :) Do you want to come too? Just join my team and you're in for a lot of fun!

The 'Share' portion of the meeting this quarter was all about Blendabilities. Now if you follow me often, you know that I am not a colorer. Please give me colored ink and a bold stamp... not some lined image and markers *shudder*. It is like a coloring book, and I guess I just don't like to relive that part of my childhood. BUT- and that is a big BUT ;) - There is SO MUCH more that you can do with with these alcohol markers! And even I'm thinking I need some now :)

Our group's leader, Patsy Waggoner, shared an awesome video with us about all the things you can do with the blendability markers. And then she shared an equally awesome swap that showcased two of the techniques from the video.


As you can see her card has no fussy coloring on it. So what did she do with the markers you may ask. Well, look a little bit closer.


See the snowflake? Those come in silver only. But she made it a beautiful blue to match the card, and then added a rhinestone colored blue as well. Pretty and an easy way to make your embellishments a little more specialized.

Now keep looking closer. See the ribbon. Yep- also colored with a blendability. It is just silver when you buy it. So ribbons are also colorable! Now I want you to imagine all the beautifully coordinated ribbons you could make out of the while lace and organza ribbons we sell. Are you feeling the amazing possibilities yet?

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October 29, 2014

Thanksgiving Wishes

Fall is just whooshing past me this year with hardly a second to breath. So I know Thanksgiving will be here before I know it. Good thing I am already set with a simple yet gorgeous card.

I created this hybrid MDS card for my most recent swap.  I started by searching My Digital Studio for some nice Thanksgiving stamps. Never used the search function before? It is only the most amazing and helpful tool in MDS- check it out in your bottom right hand corner. It makes finding the perfect stamp/saying/embellishment a snap with just a key word. Awesomeness. I found some great stamps in the Autumn Traditions kit and got started.

So, here is what it looked like at the end of my MDS portion of the designing. A little blah right now, but don't worry- I've got plans to dress it up like a princess. This is just the solid base we need to get started.


I printed this card front four to a piece of vanilla cardstock (with a margin around the outside) and then chopped it up. Then comes the tricky part. I punched the sentiment right out of the printed layer. Don't worry about the hole- it will be hidden later.

I also punched out two labels from the green In Color cardstock. I cut one in half vertically, the other horizontally, and then mounted them to the back of my sentiment with a sliver of a gap between each of the halves. This gave it a sliver of a border color.

Last but not least I punched out some little flowers- roughed them up a bit so I could peel the paper into two layers (gives it a softer look) and then mounted everything to the card. And it was beautiful. Love it. Hope you do too!


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October 22, 2014

Boo!!

When I saw the Frightful Wreath in the Holiday mini catalog I KNEW I wanted to make one, and I ordered it right away. Then of course I hid it from Elli 'cause I knew she would want to make it right away... and I didn't want a Halloween wreath hanging on my door in August :)

Apparently out of sight is out of mind for me too :P It just dawned on me this past weekend that I still hadn't made it with her! So we had us some fun today during naptime yesterday.


I love how easy this kit comes together. Elli didn't actually end up helping much (she was in more of a wild mood- not the best for projects :)  ) but after she went down for her nap too I had it done in a little over half an hour.

And it gave me an excuse to use my September Paper Pumpkin stamps again, as well as some of the extra stickers from that kit. Didn't it turn out adorable!


I know it is too late to order and make for Halloween this year- but you could always delight Trick-or-Treaters with it next time around. If you love it make sure to order it soon- it will be gone with the Holiday catalog.

Flutterby again soon!

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October 20, 2014

There was a Pumpkin in my Mailbox!

And no, it wasn't the orange round kind :) As much as I LOVE those types of pumpkins (in fact there are 4 on my porch right now- I love fall decor!) THIS pumpkin was much more fun.

This pumpkin meant playtime for me and my girly on Saturday afternoon. I think it is awesome that these projects are designed with a beginner in mind- which makes them great for kids to help out. And yet even though they are simple, they are also super cute! And with pinterest there are so many other ideas for what you can do with your kit if you want to step it up even more.

This month's kit was geared towards Thanksgiving next month. Check out the super cute stamp set. My favorite is the one on the right :) If only it were true!


And the project was.... Pie Boxes! Complete with a pom-pom puff for the 'whipped cream'. Here are our completed boxes. Adorbs right?


And I just couldn't resist a selfie. Elli LOVES taking selfies (actually both of my kids do- and if they get their hands on my phone will take them 50+ at a time... Yikes!). Can't you just tell this girl loves craft time with her Mommy. Thank you Paper Pumpkin for making that possible :)


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