A CASE of a Card!

I CASED a card from Mary Brown.

Instead of the dark gray accents that Mary used in her card I went with Chocolate Chip. 

 I didn't have the same greeting so I stamped this one from the Afterthoughts stamp set from Stampin' Up!

Check out this bow!  If you know me you know that I am a knot girl - I cannot (well could not) tie a bow if my life depended on it.

Can you believe that I actually tied this one myself?  Isn't it beautiful???

I followed THIS TUTORIAL from Ilina Crouse but I didn't have a cute husband on hand this morning to help me. 

Let me tell you it was quite a challenge and I could NOT do it with my own fingers. 

So I took out some recycled plastic (this is an old notebook cover) and made myself a template of my own two index fingers!

Check this out!

You can stop laughting now - I know it looks weird - it works and it's FREE!

What I'm Up To - Monday?

Just a quick post today - I've got the rubbish guy coming to take some stuff away that has been sitting on the side of my garage for years. 

It's silly I know but I'm really EXCITED about this! 

There is a kind of HIGH you get when you are PURGING - do you know what I mean?

Seeing Mike pull in with his pick up truck is going be almost up there with seeing the UPS guy delivering my Stampin' Up! order!

I know what you're thinking Blah, Blah, Blah when is this woman going to show us something...

This is what I've been working on in my "spare" time. 

It's a my very own mosaic rubber stamp!

Here is a sample of it used:

I just got a bunch of swaps back from the Technique swap and this technique caught my eye right away.

Here's how it's done:

1.  You stamp your line image in black and then colour it.

2.  Then you stamp the mosaic stamp with versamark over top.

3.  Pour Clear embossing powder over the whole thing and heat set.

4.  Then you rub a dark neutral colour over it all with a sponge.

Recylcing and the Big Shot

I have been experimenting with using recylced materials in my Big Shot.

Did you know that you can use recylced cardboard - such as cereal boxes, kleenex boxes, shoe boxes etc - with your Big Shot to die cut some fun embellishments for cards and scrap pages?

Or even to make board books and covers!

To save you some time afterwards with trimming and sanding - glue your patterned paper on to the piece BEFORE die cutting. Be sure to let it dry completely before cutting so it doesn't muck up your die!

Or paint the piece with acrylic paint before using - again be sure to let it dry completely before cutting into it!

You know all that plastic you get when you buy a new die or pads for your Big Shot or just about anything from COSCO? Well you can cut up the smooth parts of that and run it through to die cut or emboss and make some awesome accent pieces!

I used the Cuttlebug Bird Call embossing folder and the new Sizzix Bigz XL Brackets Album Die to make this one!

If you get your milk in the white plastic jugs don't through the jug away when you're done your milk! Clean it out with some dishsoap and warm water and then cut it into pieces that you can run through your Big Shot.

Looking for some metallic embellishments? Try picking up some metallic poster board from your local craft store - it's cheaper to buy it in this size rather than in the 8 1/2 x 11 size.


Or better yet recylce that metallic packaging inside items you purchase. I got a nice piece from the inside packaging on a pair of earphones I just bought!

This is the new Sizzix Medallions, Frame & Damask A2 embossing folder.

Another option is to make your own metallic paper - take recycled paper bags (the thick ones you get from the grocery store) and paint it with acrylic metallic paint. Let dry and run that through your Big Shot with an embossing folder!

For real metallic embellishments try running a pop/beer can through your Big Shot with a die (cut the tops off and open it flat). Be very careful with this as the edges can be sharp and you may have to sand them before using. Another option is to use your nestabilities to cut the thin metal - the dies curl the edges somewhat so they're not as sharp.


Other items that may be used - meat trays (be sure to wash with dishsoap before using), take out containers, bottlecaps (I haven't tried this one out but apparently it can be done), cork tiles, clothing (yes cut up those old jeans or flannel shirts!), and I'm sure there's more but that's all I can think of for now.

Here's a black velvet plastic packing form that came with a set of cutlery. I'm going to use my Sizzix Key die and make a bunch of keys for Valentine's Day cards.

(the photo doesn't show how velvety it really is!)

If you have any other recycled items that you've die cut or embossed please leave a comment!


I'd love to hear what else you can use or re-use!