This month I welcome new sponsors; Unity Stamps and WorldWin Papers…  So before I lay out the how’s, I gotta tell you about the ‘What’s’!  lol  What I used, that’s what ‘what’s’ I’m going to tell you about

Unity Stamps – Gosh I love these!  Ooooohhhhh how I love these stamps!  Now that you know a little more about me, I’m sure you can see why.  The DETAILS!  These stamps have that nostalgic feel, complete with lines and nicks in them – which make them PERFECT!

WorldWin, CutMates – The CutMates cardstock is also branded as eCraft Diecutable Cardstock and you can bet my eCraft is now powered by CutMates Diecutable Cardstock.  This paper is not only GORGEOUS but it cuts sooooo nice in the eCraft.  Crisp, clean cuts that just fall into my hands!  Love it!  If you’d like to get your hands on some this buttery cardstock – head on over to The Paper Mill —> http://www.thepapermillstore.com/ecraft-diecutable-mulit-colored-card-stock-12-x-12-in-65-lb-cover-felt-52-per-package.html?___SID=U and they will hook you up!

Have you studied the first picture and figured out the unexpected, not so obvious part of it?  Nope, that’s not it!  *giggles*  As Rafiki would say ‘No, look harder’.  Rafiki is the man!

Noooooo its not my inexperienced stamp hands doing not such a clean ‘Love’ stamp.  Although I would LOVE for all you stampers to toss me some tips – Stamps are a new thing for me.

Ok, Ok…I’ll stop teasing   Aside from the green backdrop paper, all elements were made from the same 12×12 sheet of cardstock!

What I Used:

Mischief – my eCrafts

Be Mine, With Love stamp set from Unity Stamp Company

Creme de Menthe cardstock from WorldWin

Watermark Resist – Inkssentials (Hobby Lobby)

Vintage Photo & Peeled Paint – Tim Holtz/Ranger Distress Inks (Christmas Presents lol)

Mini Mister – Amazon

Heat Embossing Gun – Michael’s

Zig glue Pen – Hobby Lobby

Scotch Advanced Tape Glider – Michael’s

Mirabelle stack – The Paper Studio (Hobby Lobby)

How I Did It:

I grabbed the Mirabelle stack, thumbed through it a few times until I decided on the pretty green sheet that has the writing on it.  It even feels COOL – like linen. And then…

Oh, you’re not interested in that part?  I see.  Let’s try this again, shall we?

I grabbed the stack of eCraft diecutable cardstock, plopped it in my lap  and flipped through the 26 colors until I found the one that really complimented the green Mirabelle paper.  Then I sat down at my desk, fired up eCraftshop Pro and created the scalloped rectangle using circles and a rectangle…

Oh.  You don’t want to hear about that either?  Well.  Hmmmmm.

The INKS?  You want to know if I used the inks?  Of course I did, that’s why they’re on the list!  *snickers*  HOW did I use them?  Well why didn’t you say so!  lol

I took the Vintage Photo ink pad and dabbed it a few times on my desk, Mini-Misted it, laid the Creme de Menthe on it and then dried the paper with the heat embossing tool.  Then I cleaned up the mess, grabbed the Peeled Paint ink pad and dabbed it a few times on my desk, Mini-Misted it and laid the paper on it again…  Dried it with the heat embossing tool.  Then I used the Vintage Photo ink with the Stamp stamps LOL Cut around them, roughed up the edges a little with some sandpaper and adhered them to the card.  I LOVE how they turned out!

-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?