Lately I’ve been working though some pain points in my craft room organization and storage. Some of my current systems aren’t working for me anymore, so I’ve been making some changes so my supplies are easier to find and stored in a way that works best for me. One of those pain points is my washi tape, and I’m excited to share how I relieved that pain point.Continue reading “washi tape storage bin”
make a valentine’s day squash card planner insert with the explosion board
While prepping my planner spread for the week before Valentine’s Day I had a thought. Valentine’s Day is for celebrating the ones we love, and what better way to do that than with a collection of some favorite memories with the ones I love! So, I decided to figure out a cool way to include some photos on my spread, and I love what I came up with. Check it out!Continue reading “make a valentine’s day squash card planner insert with the explosion board”
Store Your Tumbler Making Supplies in a Craft Storage Cart
About this time of year, every year, I start feeling the need to clean out and organize my craft room. I usually don’t have time to do the whole room, so I try to identify pain points and work on a few of them. This year I’ve got a couple of target areas and I can’t wait to share one of them with you! For a few years I’ve struggled to find a good place to store my tumbler making supplies. They’ve been in multiple places in my room and one of the baskets I keep them in is overflowing. So, I decided to purge them and move them all to a storage cart. Check it out!Continue reading “Store Your Tumbler Making Supplies in a Craft Storage Cart”
2021 planner: january, week 1
My focus word for 2021 is “thrive”. Part of that includes thriving physically by taking good care of my body. This year I’ve had some health issues that have required me to pay more careful attention to my blood pressure, my weight, my heart rate and my cholestoral. I track my meals, calories and water intake, and I want to record all that in my planner. To do that in a creative way I combined a couple of my favorite We R Memory Keepers tools. Check it out!Continue reading “2021 planner: january, week 1”
how to make an explosion box with the we r memory keepers explosion board
Recently I’ve fallen head over heals for explosion boxes. Open the lid and out pops some major paper craft goodness. I know they’ve been a thing for a while, but right now something about folded paper, mini pockets, flaps, and interactive elements on a project just makes me so happy! And having that all wrapped up in a cute box is simply perfection.
It’s no surprise then that I’m giddy over the new We R Memory Keepers Explosion Box Board. I’ve decided that’s what all my friends and family will be getting as gifts in the coming year–explosion boxes filled with notes, photos, gift cards, and major cuteness.
What’s so fun about these boxes is you can add as many layers as you want inside, and create whatever interactive elements you want. So it can really be whatever you want it to be!
My expolsion box has three layers on the inside (not counting the box itself). So each of the four sides has three folding panels–some pockets and some regular flaps–and the inside panel of the box which I decorated too.
I used the templates attached to the board to create the heart shaped corners of the box, and I love the results (pun totally intended)! The templates come in all the same sizes that the boxes can be made in, which are XXS all the way up to XXL–seven different sizes.
I also love that you can make boxes, inside layers, and lids with the SAME TOOL! So convenient. That’s one of the many things I love about We R Memory Keepers–they think of everything and include everything to make crafting easier.
Now that you’ve seen all the fun layers, pockets, flaps and tags included on my explosion board, do you want to learn how to make one? I thought so! Watch the video below where I show all the steps to create this explosion box gift yourself.
If you’d like to make this project, I’ve listed all the supplies with links to shop online below. Thanks so much for stopping by, and have fun making explosion boxes for all the things. I know I will!
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wire wrapped christmas candles
Happy Christmas Eve! I’ve got a cool handmade gift idea to share. I’ve seen some really pretty wire crafts making their way around the interwebs and I love how wire can be incorporated into just about any project. I decided to make some holiday candles with my Wick Candle Maker, and throw some Happy Jig wire at them to see what happened.
The combination of handmade candles and wire designs make for a unique gift set. I started by making some candles with my Wick Candle Maker and the new Silicone Molds. I added some delicious holiday scents, and went with traditional red and green colors for the candles.
Important tips: 1) remind your recipient to remove the paper gift tag before lighting the candles; 2) The Happy Jig Wire is not flammable but it does get hot near a flame, so use caution.
Once I finished the candles, I selected some holiday designs from the Happy Jig Instagram account (@werhappyjig) and used the free templates available there. I first chose the star design for my green diamond shaped candle, and I altered it slightly to look more like a holiday star. Here’s the template I ended up using.
I left a lot of excess wire so I could wrap it around the candle. I used a household object in a cone shape (funnel) to wrap the wire around so I didn’t scratch and scuff up the candle in the process.
When I finished wrapping, I cut off the extra and gently slipped the formed wire spiral over the candle.
Next, I selected the reindeer head design for my red sphere candle. I made the reindeer head exactly as it is found on the @werhappyjig Instagram account, except I started and finished my wire down at the bottom of the design. Here’s the template I used:
Once I finished the reindeer head I wrapped the extra wire around a tennis ball (since it’s the same size as the sphere shaped candle) and trimmed it. Then I slipped it gently over my candle.
To finish off my candles, I added some gift tags that I cut out from the some holiday patterned paper.
I used my Sticky Piercer to make a small hole in each tag, and then tied them onto the wire around the candles with some American Crafts Twine.
During the holidays this year handmade gifts are a great way to go since we can’t gather physically. Your time and effort will speak volumes. Thanks for stopping by, and have a very Merry Christmas!
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easy embroidered christmas tea towels
I love gifting handmade for the holidays! Not only does the recipient get something unique, but your investment of time and talent is a gift in itself. For our large extended family Christmas dinner we exchange small, simple gifts so I decided to hand stitch some holiday themed tea towels for extended family.
I found some retro-striped tea towels in green and red at the craft store that are perfect for adding a handstitched design. The towels are too large to fit on my cutting mat and too thick to fit into my electronic cutting machine when folded over, so I used an old embroidery hack along with my Fabric Quill and Silhouette Cameo 3.
Normally when using the Fabric Quill, you draw directly onto your fabric with either washable markers, permanent ones, or a bleach pen. For this embroidery hack I selected SVG files from the Foil Quill Holiday USB drive and arranged them in my cutting machine software. Then I placed a piece of tear away embroidery stabilizer and the washable Fabric Quill pen with the A adapter in my machine. The ink from the Fabric Quill pens is permanent on the stabilizer and makes the perfect template for stitching! After drawing the design I cut around it with scissors leaving a little extra around it.
After washing, drying, and ironing the towel, I pinned the stabilizer to it where I wanted the stitching to go. The stabilizer is transparent enough that I know exactly where the stitching will be on the towel.
I back-stitched the design right through the towel and the stabilizer using embroidery floss in coordinating Christmas colors. As I stitched I was mindful of the look of the back of the design as well as the front. Once I finished stitching the entire design, I simply tore off the stabilizer using my Detail Scissors to help in tight spots.
To wrap my towels I simply folded them in half, then into thirds, and tied some ribbon around the top. I made a mini card and pocket to hold it with the Pocket Punch Board. Then I added some hand cut holly leaves and berries that I punched out with my Crop-A-Dile Multi Punch.
I love how these turned out and can’t wait to share them with my extended family for Christmas! If your Fabric Quill project is too large for your cutting machine, this is an easy hack that you can use to get the same results.
Thanks for stopping by, and happy holiday crafting friends!
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emoji christmas cards
Hello! Christmas is just about here, but I wanted to share a colorful and fun set of Christmas cards I made. I’m loving all the colorful holiday decor I’ve been seeing around the Interwebs this season, so I wanted to try my hand at a colorful Christmas project. I decided to make a set of Emoji Christmas Cards with a few of my favorite We R punch boards.
To make these emoji holiday cards I grabbed my We R Memory Keepers Emoji Punch Board and made 9 different emojis using the pre-cut papers and the instruction booklet included with the tool.
Then I grabbed some cardstock in holiday colors and cut out some Christmas themed paper accessories to dress up my emojis. Tip: when fussing cutting shapes or patterns I love to use my Detail Scissors!
I created three layered cards with the cardstock, backed each emoji with a black cardstock circle that I punched out with the punch board, and then placed the embellished emojis on the card.
I punched out some sentiments with the Word Punch Board, including the new Numbers & Symbols Punches that are sold separately.
I backed the white sentiment strips I punched out with some red cardstock to add contrast so that the words are easily seen.
I hope you enjoyed these colorful and fun Emoji Christmas Cards. Thanks for stopping by, and happy holiday crafting friends!
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kate spade-inspired felt tissue holder
Let’s talk handmade gift ideas! I’ve got a couple of friends that I love to make handmade gifts for each Christmas. As I was thinking about what to make for them this year, I was totally inspired by a cute Kate Spade NY penguin wallet I found online couple of years ago. I decided to create my own version of it as a felt tissue pouch gift for my friends.
I wanted my gift to be something practical and unique. I decided on tissue pouches instead of a wallet–felt more practical for the season. I’m a crafter more than a sewist, so I went with felt as my fabric of choice. It feels more like crafting than sewing when I work with it.
I found a great tutorial online for easy tissue holders HERE and got started! If you’d like to make one for yourself, or as a gift, you can click to download a free pattern for the Penguin Pouch below.
We R Memory Keepers Penguin Pouch Pattern
I started by cutting a 6 3/4 x 5 7/8 inch piece of white felt. I folded the short ends toward the center of the felt so they touched each other and then pinned them down.
I sewed each end about 1/4 inch in from the edge with my Stitch Happy sewing machine and some white regular thread. Cut a 1 1/2 x 5/8 inch strip of black felt for your loop to attach a key ring. Fold it in half and hot glue the short ends together. Then center the loop and hot glue it in between the double edges of the tissue holder.
Next, I cut a 3 3/8 x 5 7/8 inch rectangle from black felt. I used a dinner plate to cut a curve in one of the long edges. Then, to create the beak, I folded the felt in half with the short edges together, and cut a 1/2 inch slit at an angle just above the curve.
Cut a 1 inch yellow square from golden yellow felt and adhere it to the back of the black felt over the slit you cut for the beak. (I used my USB Power Mini Hot Glue Gun, but you can also use fabric glue or tacky craft glue). Place adhesive along the edges of the square only so your beak isn’t attached and can fold upward. Using black Stitch Happy thread, handstitch around the shape of the beak to add some detail.
Next, create your eyes by cutting two 1 3/4 inch circles from white faux fur (or felt). Then cut two 1 1/4 inch circles from black felt, two 3/4 inch circles from white felt and two 1/2 inch circles from white felt. Cover the 1/2 inch circles with silver glitter using clear glue as adhesive. Set them aside to dry. Hot glue the 3/4 inch white circles in the center of the 1 1/4 inch black circles. Then hot glue those in the center of the 1 3/4 inch white faux fur circles. Once they’re dry, glue the 1/2 inch white glittered circles in the center of the 3/4 inch white circles and hot glue black enamel dots in the center of the glittered white circles.
Tip: you can cut the circles for the eyes with scissors using the free template, or you can cut them with the a cutting and embossing machine and some circle dies.
Hot glue the black curved rectangle to the back of the tissue holder (opposite side of the slit). Hot glue the eyes on either side of the beak. Add a key ring to the felt loop.
I added a waterfall tassel to the key ring for a touch of style, and because tassels make everything cuter…right? To make a water fall tassel, use the Tassel Loom and some silver Stitch Happy metallic thread to make three 2 inch tassels, leaving the ends for hanging extra long (8-10 inches).
Thread the ends of the first tassel up through the band of the second one and tie the ends tight so the top of the first tassel comes up under the bottom of the second tassel. Do the same thing to the third tassel, so all three are connected and overlap. Use the ends to tie the waterfall tassel to the key ring.
Fill the tissue holder pouch with pocket size tissues, wrap it up and gift away! Your recipient can attach this adorable Penguin Pouch to a purse, backpack, keys or a brief case, and they’ll have tissues ready to go for cold and flu season or any time they need them!
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fun handmade holiday cards with the works all in one tool
It’s hard to believe but Christmas is almost here! And this year in particular it’s so important to connect with friends and loved ones in unique ways. While we may not be able to gather in person, handmade holiday cards are the perfect way to let our loved ones know how much we care, that we’re thinking about them, and that wish them a wonderful holiday season.
I love making handmade cards that have what I call a “hook”. A hook is a statement or focal piece on the card that really catches the eye. Each card in this set of five showcases a different feature of The Works All In One Tool. Honestly friends, that’s the only tool you need for your holiday crafting since it does pretty much everything you need: cut, score, stamp, make banners, envelopes, tags, tabs, pom poms, tassels and bows. Oh, and by the way, did I mention it has a hole punch and a corner rounder? Yeah. Plain awesome.
The first card includes a small envelope pocket on the front where you can insert a gift card, cash, a photo, a note, or a small gift. I simply made a 3×3 envelope according to the instructions on the board and then trimmed off the top flap. I also made a matching envelope for this card.
The second card is an interactive slim line card. Slim line cards are cool because they fit into standard #10 business envelopes, but this one is unique. It’s like a small booklet with multiple pages, tabs, and space to write a family update and include some family photos too. Grandma and grandpa would love to get this in the mail!
The last three all include fun features on the card front–a festive banner, some gift tags, and a paper strip Christmas tree with a pom pom and bow on the top. I love that I only need The Works tool to make all these fun card designs!
If you’re looking for a more in depth tutorial, you can watch my free national online class on the Michaels YouTube channel HERE. If you haven’t picked up The Works All In One Tool I totally recommend it. You’ll love it, and it makes a great gift for the crafter in your life.
Thanks for stopping by, and happy holiday crafting friends!
