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i love this santa from the saltbox studio set classic christmas. such a jolly face and nice round belly! usually he's holding a candy cane, but i cut off the top and created a sign instead to announce the season--christmastime is here!
have a great weekend!
:) lexi
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i hope your day is filled with family, food, and fun! today, i have one last saltbox thanksgiving card and now, i look forward to officially moving on to christmas. as always...
thanks for stopping by!
:) lexi
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i can't believe i've totally ignored my year round tree since moving! at first i couldn't find where i'd put the little ornaments and then when i found them, i didn't have sets for the fall months or the time to make them. while babysitting my printer during a big printing job, i spied my bare tree and realized that several of the stamps from the fall saltbox studio sets were the perfect size and look for the tree, so i got busy stamping and coloring while waiting for the printing...
and now i have a new set of november ornies! the little pilgrim faces and the corn from the kid's table started it off, but i really needed at least five different ones for variety. the pumpkin and leaves are from give thanks. the pumpkin was a no brainer, and i wanted the leaves to add a little more of a fall color to the set, but i did omit one acorn and cut off some of the stem to make the size and shape work better.
it's hard to see in the first picture, but i also made a wire topper to go with the set. when creating these, i have to think of a shape that coordinates with the ornaments, and that is easy to create by bending wire--and that is still recognizable! i think i did okay with the leaf. well if you recognized it as a leaf, of course! i'm so excited to look over and see the tree dressed for fall instead of looking like a regular christmas tree that didn't get packed in the right box!
:) lexi
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today i have an invitation i created a couple of weeks ago for one of mignon's friends. they're all turning ten this year--boy does time fly! anyway, the request was for a mexican fiesta and to try to include a tiered cake graphic that i could turn into an actual cake for the party. the invitation was a quick turn around project, so i drew a simple two dimensional "cake" with bright, funky colors and patterns, topped with a sombrero, also by request. then, friday and saturday, i created the 3d, sugar and butter version...
i tried to copy the invite as closely as possible, so it would be recognizable, but with the added flair of angling the tiers. the patterns are created with fondant icing, so that the lines would be crisp. the hardest part was the zig zag lines, but i really wanted a different pattern on each tier--i did make sure to think the basics through when creating the drawing! we didn't find a small sombrero, so i got a small straw hat from the doll aisle at michael's and did my best to mimic my drawing. we added the maracas to help angle it, securing it to the cake with the happy birthday flag--the skewer goes right through the brim. this was the first cake i've created quite like it, but i think it came out okay. as always, i learned a little for the next time--mainly, i need to be able to create when i don't have a hundred things going on the same day!
i also created a quick sticker for the piñata bags--can't have a mexican fiesta without a piñata, right?! i used elements from the invite to tie it together like the hat and the font along with the pattern from the bottom layer of the cake to create the bands of color.
and since that worked so well, i used the same design to create a gift tag for mignon's gift to the birthday girl. i picked up a carload of girls from the party and my noisy car was definitely proof of a fun fiesta!
:) lexi
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a quick card and a quick post! a few cards with this sentiment from the saltbox studio were posted today on the a muse news blog and i thought i'd share a card using it as well. kind of a simple mini fall collage with a couple of pumpkins and the leafy vine--one of my favorite of the fall stamps, actually. i've really had fun coloring the leaves with my copics, blending several shades of orange, red, and brown. i wish our leaves really looked like that around here!
:) lexi
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sorry i didn't make it back yesterday--'tis the season to be busy... but i'm back today, and while this isn't as quick and easy as the place cards on monday, it's a really cool project. and there's still time to pull it off! last year, elena shared a thanksgiving activity placemat for her kids' table using the a muse thanksgiving stamps and i loved it so much, i created a similar one using my retired su! set, turkey talk. the kids had a lot of fun with it, so i had to create one this year, too--but it had to be different, of course! so i got to work with my new fall saltbox studio stamps, changed things up a bit, and added a word search (by request!) and this is the result. i stamped everything in black and left them uncolored so the kids can color it all in as they work. i did want a little color, so i added it in the words and layered the printed page on orange and kraft card stock to dress it up a bit. maybe i'll use these place cards and favor boxes along with the mat!
i do have a few tips and tricks, if you're thinking of trying these. first of all, clear stamps made planning go a little easier than last year. i printed everything but the pictures on the computer, guessing how much space i needed and leaving blank spaces to fill with stamping. then i printed a draft and placed all of my images to see what i needed to adjust--a little nudging here and there and a few printings later, i had it just right! i found the word find and maze on kaboose--click here for word puzzles and here for mazes and scroll down a little for choices. when i decided on the one i wanted, i clicked on the print option and saved the image instead so that i could place it into my mat document. if you're really feeling ambitious, you could create your own! finally--and i forgot to do this for the second year in a row--try adding the kids' names somewhere like elena did and it can be a place card, too. the girls were watching over my shoulder while i was creating and they can't wait to work on it at the kids' table next week!
i saw that a few other team members posted more great last minute ideas, too--elena created an "i am thankful" index card project for this year's kids' table, mary rose created a thankful jar for her family, and jen created a cute card for gavin's first thanksgiving--go check them out!
:) lexi
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if you're anything like me, you're in denial that thanksgiving is actually next week! i love to incorporate stamping into as many holidays as possible and thanksgiving is no exception. with "quick and cute" as the key, there's still time to have a stampy thanksgiving, so i thought i'd share an easy place card idea times two. i printed the same basic little name panel (1.5 x 2.5), stamped and colored the leafy vine in pumpkin oak from the saltbox studio,
and used it on two different name cards. the first is super
simple--turn it into a tag, layer (or not!) and tie to a tiny pumpkin.
the second idea, also quite easy, is to layer it on a pretty patterned paper like the a muse vintage brown shown and place it over the plate or napkin. the ribbon is a nice touch, but not necessary depending on your time. you could also put the name layer on a small fold over card and place it above the plate if you prefer. there you go--quick, cute, and with a muse's great shipping--totally doable! a few saltbox team members will be sharing last minute thanksgiving projects over the next couple of days as well--links on my sidebar. in fact, jennifer posted a thanksgiving card today using my favorite tall pilgrims! i have a couple of other ideas to share myself, so be sure to stop by again soon.
'til then...
:) lexi
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today i have yet another variation of my wooden pilgrims using the tall pilgrims from the saltbox studio set give thanks. this time, i gave them corn and a pumpkin to more closely mimic my real corn husk and wood ones. to help place the veggies in their hands, i cut along the arm lines of both pilgrims. for the woman, i added additional snips at elbow length and gently folded her arms in to meet the corn in the middle. for the man, i simply tucked the pumpkin under his arms, covering the gaps where the arms had been. both are stuck on with rolled up mini glue dots for just a little dimension. the pumpkin is from the fall banner set and the corn is taken from the mouse in kid's table--cut down a bit from it's original size.
here's a look at the pilgrims--pretty close likeness, i think!
:) lexi
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inspired by the saltbox cards posted on the a muse news blog today, i decided to create a thanks for dinner favor. when we're invited to dinner, i like to bring a little something--a bottle of wine, a box of candy, a set of note cards, anything i can get my hands on, depending on how much time i have! i rummaged around my pantry for something to use and came up with this box of pomegranate & orange cream bark from whole foods. my personal shopper (aka my husband) likes to bring home random sweets and treats and these caught my eye because of the orange sticker label and colors in the candy. after a quick measuring, cutting and corner rounding, i had the perfect brown layer to place over the package label--covering the words, but still leaving a frame of orange around it. i simply embellished the layer with a few scraps and stamped pieces and stuck it on. i finished it off with a quick tie of ribbon around the box. if i were giving this for real, i'd secure the ribbon in a few places with mini glue dots because of the shape of the container. for very little work, the box of candy looks more like a gift than a grocery item!
since i didn't have specific plans to give the candy away, i decided to take it apart and use the layer i created on quick 3 x 3 mini card, too. this could be placed on any gift item or tied around a bottle of wine if you punch a hole in the upper corner. mini cards are always great to have on hand, especially this time of year!
:) lexi
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every now and then i get asked to create an invitation based on a children's tv show or character. wonder pets came along a little after my kids had moved on to older shows, but it still caught their attention a few times--how can you not get that theme song stuck in your head?! anyway, i didn't know the show much beyond the song, so i was a little intimidated when a friend issued the challenge. luckily she brought me a sticker book and print outs from the website and we brainstormed together, after which i made sure to actually watch an episode online. the easel at the beginning of the show, along with the theme song, were the perfect inspiration--the wonder pets really did save the day! the easel shaped invitation above was the final product. the top page, which tucks just a little into the easel tray, lifts up to reveal the rhyme and party details.
the cutout was too hard to resist, but i also created a flat card version as option two. either way, the end result was a tv show themed invitation that was a little more personalized and not too commercial looking, which is exactly what we were going for!
thanks for stopping by!
:) lexi
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i bought this in the airport last week on my way out of town and had so much trouble putting it down! you can bet that i'll be devouring the next three as soon as time allows and i can't wait to see the movie later this month.
so now that we're back, i'm catching up on things after our quick, but fun trip to dallas. i was really bummed that it was the same weekend as the a muse training in seattle, but david's 20th college reunion trip was already planned. looks like the muses had a blast, though!
anyway, i'll have more to post soon. i have a few invites to photograph, plus some in the works, as well as seasonal reasons to stamp!
'til then...
:) lexi
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here's another quickie with pieces and parts on my desk--all because of the new martha stewart owl punch that cuts *and* embosses! i added texture and color by rubbing a couple of different shades of chalk ink gently over it, which is picked up more on the embossed areas and edges. i need to play around with this a bit more, i think. the branch from the saltbox studio tweets set provided the perfect perch and the a muse note card scraps added just the right punch of color. i know i say this all the time, but i love quick and easy!
have a great weekend!
:) lexi
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well, i didn't stamp, but i did finish a card that was in pieces on my desk. it wasn't working, so i had put it aside. i'm not sure it's working now, but i'm finally on a better posting roll and i don't want to lose it! this horn of plenty stamp is from the set give thanks from the recent saltbox studio release. actually, one of my favorite thanksgiving projects from that release was posted today on the a muse news blog--moving on to the next holiday!
:) lexi
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here are a few invitations i created last month for various kids' birthdays. this one was for a party at a local candy store, created to match the logo and include a small sucker.
bowling at rock 'n' bowl and one of my favorite invites! the black layer with 3 stamped dots looks like a bowling ball through the window of the cd envelope.
chugga, chugga, choo, choo! train parties at city park are always popular. this invite is my quick and easy train, but i'll have to show my train shaped invitation one day--another one of my all time faves!
and of course, what better theme for an october birthday party than halloween--on halloween day, no less!
:) lexi
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i've been so busy with halloween stuff and miscellaneous invitations, that stamping hasn't been happening so much. but when the girls have a birthday party, they have to have a gift and card, so i do manage to quickly stamp something. usually an oversized flat card--add a coordinating layer and tissue and you can quickly turn a plain bag into a cute personalized birthday bag! this one was so quick with a muse clear stamps, copics and a gold spica--clear stamps make placement a snap! sometimes, printing is the way to go...
these were for a high school musical 3 viewing party, and colleen wanted something in the fonts she recognized from the movies--lucky her, i have tons of fonts! i drew the chair for a fund raiser invitation last year, so we were all set. i often need quick & easy, and i especially love it when it's cute, too!
:) lexi
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one day, i heard about these bakugan thingies that are all the rage with little boys, but didn't really pay much attention. then, randomly, the next day, one of my best friends asked me to help her make a bakugan cake. baku-what?! being the girly mom of girly girls, i had no clue what or why they are. so after a look online and lots of explanations and descriptions, we developed a plan--two 9 x 13 cakes for the "magnetic card" and two large cupcake tops each for the "balls" plus lots of icing! here's a close up of the balls. they are not specific bakugan characters--just the magic of doodling with icing!
it was definitely a joint effort--how did we do?
:) lexi
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