February 2012
M T W T F S S
« Jan    
 12345
6789101112
13141516171819
20212223242526
272829  
Archives
Purple Paper Paradise

Lyssa-Beth

Archive for the ‘Tips & Tricks’ Category

A Candle WHAT?!?!?

The minute you walked in the joint
I could see you were a man of distinction.
A real big spender,
Good lookin’, so refined.
Say, wouldn’t you like to know
What’s goin on in my mind?
-Bette Midler

 

Bette Midler is one of those woman that isn’t a bombshell but yet there is still something about her that grabs your attention and makes her stand out in a crowd.  One thing is for sure, she’s all around awesome!

 

This month’s challenge was ‘home decor’ and I wanted to do something that would add a little something-something to a typically ordinary object in my home.  Something we all have but don’t tend to look twice at…  Candles!  There’s not much too them and although they serve a multitude of uses, they’re not much to look at (at least now that the 60’s and 70’s are over!  Phew!).  So I decide to spruce them up a little bit and give them a make-over.

 

They’re Candle Corsets!  *giggles*   And the best part; they’re SUPER fast and easy to make.  BTW – don’t tell my daughter about the picture!  lol  She’s 13 now and well…you know how THAT age is!
What I used:
Mischief, my Pinc eCraft
eCraftshop Pro Software
DCWV ‘Collage Musings’ stack
Mr. Cricut Crazy ‘Friends, Friends’ stamp set
Pink/White string also came from Mr. Cricut Crazy
Ribbon
Martha Stewart Border Punch and All Over the Page Punch (Hobby Lobby)
Inkssentials Watermark resist pad (JoAnn’s)
Zig Glue Pen (Hobby Lobby)
Scotch Advance Glue Glider (Michael’s)
Candles
Measuring Tape
Wine (optional)

 

How I did it:
I walked through my house a few times and waited for that ‘Ah-HA!’ moment, got it, grabbed candles and scurried off to my haven *cough* I mean, my CRAFT ROOM.

 

Use your measuring tape to measure around the candle; be sure to leave a little gap so the ‘corset’ lacing will show against the candle.  For my candles I went with 8.5” wide and 4” tall; I wanted them big enough to be eye catching but not so big that I would have to take them off after only burning the candle for a short period of time.

 

From there I plugged the dimensions into the eCraftshop Pro and created the basic shape.  I also created the ribbon holes in the software too — word to the wise — if you decide to make your basic shape in the software, figure out what size holes you want and where (using the already-created main shape), then copy the holes ONLY and paste them onto a new virtual mat.  Then copy the main shape and paste it onto the same virtual mat as the holes.  This way the eCraft cuts the holes and then the main shape :)   Easy Peasy!

 

Once the main shape was created, I used that to create the layers.  I kept 2nd layers the same length as the main layer and just made that layer shorter.  By doing that, the holes lined up when it was time to lace up the ‘corsets’.

 

With the very cool geometrical style pattern paper from DCWV, I used a Martha Stewart border punch that complemented the pattern on the paper.  Then I used the heart shaped stamp from the Mr. Cricut Crazy Friends, Friends stamp set and my watermark distress pad to create a nice detail pattern
For the green corset, I used a really pretty green pattern paper with polka dots and the plaid pattern paper from the DCWV stack and I plaid paired it up with a cheer piece of pink card stock.  For the plaid layer, I used a Martha Stewart ‘All over the Page’ punch and did another watermark pattern with the same heart shaped stamp.
Now that the corsets are ready, its time for the tricky part.  Getting them on the candles!

 

The first corset went on without a hitch, looks pretty fabulous too.  But the 2nd candle wasn’t convinced this was such a good idea.  So if you run into this problem yourself, here are a couple of options.
First, try the Peer Pressure approach.  Show the candle how great the other candle looks and how they could look that good too.

 

If that doesn’t work, try Bribery.  I offered up a lovely glass of Pinot Noir from California…
If that doesn’t work…  do what I did.  I kept the glass of wine for myself and told the candle to put on her big girl panties and get with the program!  LOL

 

So without further adieu, Isabella and Francesca!
Aren’t they just darling?!?!?!  Not bad for some great paper & stamp, a rectangle, some holes, 2 punches and ribbon/thread!

 

Now its your turn…  How can you take ordinary and make it extraordinary?

For those of you that are new to eCraftshop Pro and need a little help with that first basic shape (rounded rectangle), let me know — I have screen shots of how I did this and would be more than willing to email them to you :)

Rock On!!!

Some days you gotta dance

Live it up when you get the chance

‘Cause when the world doesn’t make no sense

And you’re feeling just a little to tense

Gotta loosen up those chains and dance… Dixie Chicks

In the hustle and bustle of daily life we sometimes forget to actually LIVE!  Life is so short and time passes us by faster than a mom hauling her kids to practice…not that I speed, mind you o:)  But I’m just as guilty as the next person when it comes to slowing down and taking notice of the world around me and the people in it.

When was the last time you paid someone a compliment, even one as simple as ‘Good job!’?  Its not that you don’t appreciate them or that they didn’t do a good job; its that we all suffer from what my mom calls ‘But First’ disease.  Your start out your day with the best of intentions, you’re going to knock off a few items on that ‘To-do’ list…BUT FIRST, there’s that mail that I need to open…BUT FIRST I really should call my friend of mine that I’ve been meaning to call… BUT FIRST I really should put those dishes away.  In the blink of an eye, you’ve been struck by ButFirst Disease.

Today, focus on telling one person in your life that they are appreciated and why.  Compliments are hard to come by and enjoyed by everyone; but that doesn’t mean it has to be all formal-like!  Kick off your shoes, get comfortable and let someone know that you appreciate them, even if its for something simple…  You can even make it… *brace for it*

FUN!

Yes its silly, but you smiled when you saw it…didn’t you?  Wanna see some more?  Too bad!  I’m showing you anyways :)

For those of you that are new to card making, this is a Tri-Shutter card, sometimes referred to as a Tri-Fold card.  Either way, they are fun…both to make AND receive!

What I used:

Mischief – my Pinc eCraft
DCWV ‘Collage Musings’ stack
Mr. Cricut Crazy ‘Friends, Friends’ stamp set
Lettering Delights ‘Paper Dolls’ and “Here Comes Treble’ svg sets
Glimmer Mist ‘Black Magic’ (Hobby Lobby)
Ranger Distress Ink ‘Vintage Photo’ (Hobby Lobby)
Martha Stewart Scoreboard (Michael’s)
Decorative Scissors (Michael’s)
Tweezers
Small Paint Brush (Michael’s)
White Pencil
Glue Glider (Michael’s)
Ruler
Journal Embossing Folder or Journal Stamp (Hobby Lobby)
Small Square Foam Adhesive (I can never remember what those are called!  lol)
Zig Glue Squeeze and Roll Fine Point Pen (Hobby Lobby)

How I did it:

I used the very musical and very cool card stock that came in DCWV’s Collage Musings stack and I cut the base of my card out using my eCraft (more on that later) — My base is always 12” wide and 5 1/2” tall, its a great size and provides lots of options when it comes to decorating.  To make the base using a hand-trimmer; take your piece of 12×12 card stock, measure 5 1/2” up and cut across.  Your end piece will match mine — 12”w by 5 1/2”h.  Next place your cut piece on your scoreboard and score it at 2”, 4”, 8” and 10”.  Take the base off the scoreboard and get out your handy, dandy ruler.  Measure 1 1/2” from the top and again from the bottom.

Once you’ve marked (very lightly) 1 1/2” from the top and again from the bottom, take a craft blade or your trimmer and cut from the first score mark all the way across to the last score mark.  Your base should resemble my very elementary diagram…  From here you’re going to want to ‘Mountain Fold’ your score lines.  2” score folded away from you, 4” folded towards you, etc.  Once your ‘mountain’ is done, you going to take that center ‘row’ and folded it opposite of the top and bottom rows – see above pictures to help visualize.  My preference is to create a card ‘front’ so to speak, but many cards made like this don’t — its entirely up to you.  I like having a full front panel to decorate and I feel that it adds stability to the card.

Now that the base is complete its time to DECORATE!  woot woot  *sings*  Shake your grove thing, shake your grove think Baby!  Show em how we do it now!

For the front — The audience is an svg file that I made, email me and I’ll send it to you; same goes for the stage curtain.  To add a little depth to the curtains I used a white pencil to create fold lines and then painted on some of that drool-worthy Glimmer Mist.  I also put Glimmer Mist on ALL of the music notes, the stars in the banner and even on the ‘You Rock!!’.

Speaking of ‘You Rock!!’ that niffy phrase came from Mr. Cricut Crazy — don’t you just love how it looks hand written?!?!?!  I do!  In fact, the entire card was based on that single stamp…  The banner cut-out came from the MTC gallery, but there are plenty of banners out there to be had…  The banner and my rocker-chick (my daughter’s idea) are adhered with those little foam squares.  For the rockers, give yourself plenty of time for cutting and assembling; there are LOTS of pieces and its a lot of work, but the end result is SO worth it!

 

For the inner phrases, I nabbed those off of another sheet of card stock from *can you believe it* that same DCWV Collage Musings stack!  There is some serious variety in that pack!  I used decorative scissors to give them a funky edge and then glued them to a mini-panel that was cut to fit that section.  The panels and pre-printed word pieces are the only items that were not cut on the eCraft.  For the journal panel, I used an embossing folder since none of my journaling stamps would fit — darn it, guess I’ll have make another run to Hobby Lobby heeheehee I used my Ranger ink on the edges of the journal panel to give it a little border…

 

And there you have it!  A fun way to show someone that they are appreciated!

*For those of you that read this far down, here’s a little video on how to cut your card base using the eCraft :)

Would you like the file that was created in eCraftshop Pro?  Send me an email and I’ll be happy to send it to you :)  jennifer@firestormdesigns.com
Contact Form

Questions are welcome.

*(denotes required field)
Categories
MyFreeCopyright.com Registered & Protected