Stacy's Paper Crafts

Pardon the dust...

I've gotten several e-mails over the last few months regarding how I organize my projects. There have been several requests for me to add categories such as Birthday cards, Father's Day cards, Christmas cards, ect. So over the next few days, time permitting of course :) I'm going to be doing some reorganizing here. 

Currently most things are organized by product manufacturers & monthly archives. I'm going to keep the monthly archives on the right side of the page but I'm going to add themed categories in place of the existing categories. I hope that it'll will help you to navigate my blog with greater ease. Have a great weekend! 

 

Time to Relax!

 

I am certain that I can't be the only one who purchases items for a specific project and mind... and then the project just never happens!!! I got PTI's On My Couch set to create some "we've moved" cards and I just never got around to making them.

Last night I worked on organizing my craft room and thought about different ways to use the images in this set and came up with this. Wouldn't this make an awesome Father's Day or masculine birthday card??? I used a scrap of Basic Grey patterned paper & a few buttons from my stash to finish this card. The pillow is popped up using foam tape. 

I know, I know... holiday cards??? But I have a TON Of Christmas & winter-y patterned paper scraps in my stash and decided to get a head start for next year! LOL This card measures 3.5 x 3.5 inches and has a plastic glittery snowflake embellishment I bought several years ago. I finally used the last 5! The patterned paper is by Scenic Route, it's got a slightly dirty/distressed thing going on. I kinda like it! Thanks for looking!

 

RESIN Tile Coasters :)

 
 This stuff is awesome! Resin is commonly used in jewelry making but apparently it has several other uses too! I will admit it's a little tricky to work with. It takes a lot of time and patience. 

It's also absolutely IMPERATIVE that you work in a dust & lint free environment when using resin otherwise you'll have those specks embedded on your tiles. The resin needs about 72 hours to fully cure but after 24 hours the resin hardens enough that you won't have to worry about dust or lint. 

  

You'll need to prop up the coasters before applying the resin, I used plastic cups turned upside down. Even though this is a pour-on version I applied the resin using a foam brush. The surface of the tiles are small, about 4.25 x 4.25 inches, so pouring on the resin will cause it to drip down the edges forming puddles underneath the tile. Once it hardens it's difficult to remove them and you really need a flat surface to apply the cork pads. If the resin begins to drip down the sides while you're applying it, just use your foam brush to remove the excess. 

Air bubbles may form in the resin after you apply it, you can use an embossing gun or blow dryer to remove them. You don't have to apply the heat long and you don't need to position the gun or blow dryer close to the surface. I applied a second coat of resin after 48hrs. The end result is a beautiful glossy coaster that is suitable for hot AND cold beverages! It looks store bought but you can be proud to say it's handmade! To clean it, you just wipe it with a damp cloth. 

The resin I used to create these tiles is sold at Michaels in the adhesive & spray paint section. I've also seen it at Home Depot. It contains two bottles, one bottle of resin and one bottle of harder. For this brand you mix equal parts of both to create your resin mixture, then you just pour it on your project!

 

We're hoping today...

The first day of Spring here was BEAUTIFUL! The weather was so nice, my cherry blossoms are blooming too! :) Hey... it doesn't take much to excite me! LOL

A few of my crafty friends and I are doing a Spring Themed blog hop, I hope you'll check out all the springy craftiness :)

Jennifer Carter   jensinkspot.blogspot.com/

Melisa Waldorf http://melisawaldorf.blogspot.com/

Kemi Schreiber http://kssdesigns.blogspot.com/

Kim Sears http://angelatmydoor.blogspot.com/

Amy Kolling http://www.stamp-n-paradise.blogspot.com/

Laurie Willison http://soapboxcreations.blogspot.com/

Pam Upper         http://www.scrappypam.com/

I love yellow, I don't use it often but it's such a cheery color and Spring is reason enough to feel cheerful :) I added some crystal Stickles to the smaller flowers to give them a little glittery shimmer.My next creation I will preface by saying... I'm still learning. I am still VERY much a beginner...

 

But I wanted to share this fabric coaster that I made. I used this photo tutorial
which was really helpful especially visual learners! Just pretend you don't see my stitch errors. LOL I purchased a tiny piece of fabric to practice with and had some other scrap fabric I used. My last couple turned out MUCH better but they aren't really "Springy" so I'll share them another day. 

When I sew I tend to want to start at one corner and proceed to the next but for this project, I found it easier to start about a half an inch to an inch before the corner. When you go to turn your coaster inside out the corners will have a cleaner finish if you start it this way. I didn't do it this way with this coaster but I did with some others I made and they turned out much better! This may be common sense to someone more experienced but I thought I'd share that little tidbit for those of you who are new to sewing too. 

 If you are new to sewing this is a great quick & easy project to try. This coaster measures approximately 4.5 x 4.5 inches but you could easily increase the dimensions to create some place mats which is what my next project is going to be! 

Thanks for looking!

A Speckled & Spotted Easter Egg

Hello everyone! I didn't think I'd have a chance to create today but I did... woohoo :) So I thought I'd share something today instead of waiting for tomorrow. 

I went to AC Moore the other day and found a pack of Easter egg shaped cards by Studio G. for $1 They are too cute! The outside of the cards are turquoise and the insides are white so I just cut one in half to use as a die cut. They are pretty large, I layered in on a 5 1/2 x 6 in. card base. 

I used some pink Smooch Spritz on the white side of the egg to create the speckled look, stamped a polka dot background using Versamark ink and then embossed them with clear embossing powder. Then I inked the edges using Versamagic Pixie Dust chalk ink.

Thanks for looking!

 

A new look :)

The weather here was so beautiful today! It's amazing how much sunshine & warmer weather can make you feel joyful :) Signs of spring are peeking in here and there. I planted some red & yellow tulip bulbs in the fall and they are starting to sprout! I'm so VERY excited about that because I do not have a green thumb. I've unintentionally killed quite a few plants... don't talk about me Jennifer!! LOL Hopefully they'll continue to grow & eventually bloom. 

I'm loving my new blog header. I needed a prettier look for my blog & ETSY store :) I was working on some sewing projects but my machine jammed somehow and now I can't find the manual so I can figure out how to fix it. Hopefully the manufacturer will be able to send out another one to me quickly. In the meantime I'm working on some cards & my sorely neglected scrapbooks. Wednesday I'll have a few things to share. 

Spring is just around the corner...

This winter we've had so much snow I've gotten used to seeing and now that it's melting it seems kinda strange. But I won't complain... bring on spring!!

I've been dabbling in sewing & coaster making but I don't have any completed projects to share just yet but I do have two "springy" cards to share with you all today.

I've always loved butterflies but lately I've really been enjoying PTI's newest butterfly stamp set & die and the Life stamp set too. I can't seem to stay away from this color combo! The light blue color is PTI's Spring Rain... it's GORGEOUS! Most of the ink in my collection are chalk, dye, or hybrid based inks, but this particular ink is a pigment based ink and it's beautiful! It does take a little longer to dry compared to a dye based ink but the results are stunning. 

I added some diamond glaze to the purple flowers to give them a dewy look. After I stamped the focal image I immediately mounted it using foam tape not realizing I forgot to stamp the sentiment so I just pulled out my MM tiny alpha stickers to create one.  

I really like how this card turned out although I think I may add some stitching along the grass. The glittery patterned paper was from a scrap I had in my stash, I believe it's from a DCWV paper pack from last spring. The sentiment is by Verve Stamps.