Bella Carta

Green Christmas

This is one of my favorite projects! Take an empty soda can and turn it into an ornament.

This one features a little part of a broken earring. I found it one night at a gas station broken and discarded, being me - I decided to grab it and hold onto it. It was the perfect embellishment.

For this project you'll need:
An empty soda can, rinsed out
Tim Holtz Tonic serrated scissors (or heavy duty, kitchen type scissors)
Sizzix die -this is the swallow
Big shot or sizzix machine
Gardening gloves to protect your hands

If you've never cut up a soda can before, here's a good tutorial:
http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/resources/tutorials/popstars/

#upcycled #recycled #green #ornament #christmas #sodacan 

Let it snow!

More coasters .... these are in red snowflakes, aren't they festive?

 
 

Coffee inspiration {EIC114}

 

Its another Etsy Inspired weekend! 

This week's shop is Happy Day Design offering hand selected and beaded bracelets and necklaces.  These two pieces caught my eye this morning.

 

 

The details on my card:
Cardstock:  Aqua Mist, Dark Chocolate, White (Papertrey Ink)
Stamps:  Damask Designs and Handwritten Notes (Papertrey Ink)
Ink:  Aqua Mist, Hawaiian Shores, Dark Chocolate (PTI), Kiwi Kiss and Old Olive (SU)
Other:  Scroll Edge die from Tim Holtz/Sizzix

Dusty Curry Bay CC277

Sometimes I find myself in a rut with colors so I decide to try something "new" and I always look for color challenges, like for Friends Having Fun and on Splitcoast Stampers.  So this week  I decided to try the color challenge on SCS and it wasn't that far off from some of my past creations - the colors are Crushed Curry, Dusty Durango and Bermuda Bay - I think Bermuda Bay and Crushed Curry colors retired from SU but I had 'em in my collection. 

I got to break out my new Spellbinder's Impressabilities die and try it for myself.  I embossed a sheet of white cardstock and then smeared the ink pads Crushed Curry and Dusty Durango over top.

All the deets:

Cardstock:  Bermuda Bay, Crushed Curry and White (SU)
Ink:  Bermuda Bay, Crushed Curry, Dusty Durango
Stamp:  Inky Antics
Ribbon:  stitched wide grosgrain (believe it or not I got it at Michael's and its a dead ringer match for B,  Bay), rhinestone.
 

Grungy mondays ... altered states {EIC91}

Did you see this week's tutorial on Splitcoast Stampers for making a bracelet from gungeboard?  <---- click to go check it out if you missed it.

I knew when I saw it that I wanted to make one (well actually, I wanted to make several of these!).  I didn't have any of those cool TH Hitch fasteners (and my Joann's was out of them) but I am going to a stamp convention in two weeks and I'm going to look for these!  Feel free to improvise, I'm thinking there are several good alternatives if you don't have any hitch fasteners.  I think a brad/button and elastic loop would work, or look for these magnetic purse fasteners (I found these at Joann's they were in the screen printing/t-shirt area), or the basic grey magnetic closures - which is what I ended up using

The fabric flower is faux suede that has this great stamped leather look to it, I bought a small piece of it years ago at Walmart and love to use with die cuts.   The colors were inspired by this week's Etsy Inspired {EIC91} feauturing How Beadyful shop and her amazing buttons!   These buttons are from her shop and were my color inspiration:

Cie la vie!

I started out this weekend making a red, white and blue card .... and got sidetracked by this pretty provencal print in yellow, red and blue.   I had previously bought this fabric (and here's a shocker, :-)  hadn't yet used it!)

Have I told you lately how much I love my Big Shot?  This thing cuts EVERYTHING ! I'm not sure if I would feel the same way about a digital, electronic cutter.   I used it with a Sizzix die (this is one of the Flower Layer dies) and an embossing folder to do the dots on the background. 

   

Stamps:  Unity Kit of the Month
Ink:  Enchanted Evening (PTI)
Cardstock:  Kraft, Enchanted Evening (PTI)
Accessories:  ribbon (SU), fabric and a button
 

Friday ~ its sew sweet!

Yay, its Friday!

For my project I used the Unity/Cosmo Cricket collaboration of Material Girl Stamps and matching 6 x 6 pad.  The paper is die cut using the negative (the piece leftover from the Top Note die, I used it in my card on Monday).   I stamped the little dresses in different sheets from the paper pack (I love it, it all coordinates together!).  I used a  Copic marker to color regular twill ribbon to match, then stamped the sentiment.  The clothesline is twine, I used brads to hold it in place and the dresses are attached with foam dimensionals.

Details:
Paper:  6 x 6 Material Girl paper deck {Cosmo Cricket}
Stamps:  Material Girl {Unity Stamp Co} 
Cardstock:  Kraft
Accessorie:, silver brads, twine, Copic sketch marker YG11
 

Comfy Cozy Coffee Cozy ....

Say that three times fast!

Comfy Cozy Coffee Cozy
Comfy Cozy Coffee Cozy
Comfy Cozy Coffee Cozy

Its the May Papertrey Ink blog hop and the theme this month is FELT, and not just any felt, but the luscious 100%wool felt that PTI sells in their "perfect match" color line. 

When I saw these coffee cozies the other day on Dawn's blog, <---- click to go see the tutorial,  I knew I wanted to make one for myself.  Although I just had one color of the wool felt (black) and I don't "sew" (machine sew).  I have a Singer ... but we don't get along, lol!  I figured I could adapt Dawn's basic instructions. 

The wool felt from Papertrey Ink does cut like butter in your die cut machine (not like the acrylic fiber felt found in your craft store).  This is a product that really lives up to its advertising!   I decided since I only had one color (and I also didn't have any scallop dies) that I would cut one edge with a fancy die I did have.

I added a hand stitched running thread at the top with purple embroidery floss from DMC.   And I blanket stitched the edge on the side (use an embroidery sized needle).  Blanket stitch is a great, easy stitch for felt .... and it didn't take me any longer to hand stitch it then it would have taken to thread the needle in my machine.  And if you don't know how to blanket stitch, there are some great tutorials online <----- I used this one. 

 And I decorated with PTI buttons in Hawaiian Shores Plum Pudding, and Spring Moss. 

And a matching card:

Stamps:  Dot Spot, Handwritten Notes (PTI)
Ink:  Hawaiian Shores, Aqua Mist, Plum Pudding, Lavender Moon, Spring Moss, True Black (PTI)
Ribbon:  Plum Pudding Twill

I know you're here for the blog hop ... but if you have a minute, please check out the pictures of the kittens I am providing foster care for our local animal shelter.  They're really cuties! 

new Tim Holtz Alterations dies

 

Hi everyone!   I've had a bit of a quiet week but one of the products I've been looking forward to most since the big winter CHA show is the new Tim Holtz sizziz dies and embossing products! Today I wanted to hear from you!

Who out there has gotten one or has it on their wish list ?  I've heard from two of my readers that these dies will work with the Cuttlebug, remember to use them face down (cutting side edge/with the foam downwards).  I had tried to sizzix dies with both the cuttlebug and the big shot a while back ago.  I originally had problems using the sizzix steel ruled dies (original and bigz) in the cuttlebug cutting side up (and ended up cracking a plate) but figured out that if I change them face down they work just fine.   (I do also recommend keeping an extra set of "b" plated on hand - or upgrading to the Big Shot - I absolutely LOVE LOVE LOVE mine!)http://bellacarta.typepad.com/rebecca/2008/08/it-works-it-wor.html

Tim Holtz's website notes that these *will* work with Cuttlebug, as well as Sizzix BigKick, Big Shot, and Quickcutz Epic.

So ... I have my TH dies on order .... I can't wait to play with them!   I really had a hard time choosing, I wanted them ALL!   Some of my favs were the tattered florals, hanging sign, the gears .....

Please let me know if you love these, hate 'em, where they're available (I don't think all stores have received them yet) and who you think has the best price! 

 

Beautiful Wings!

Have you seen this???? its the new "embosslit" from Stampin' Up!  It cuts and embosses butterflies all in one step!  You'll end up with a bevy of butterflies in several sizes! 

The cardstock colors are Melon Mambo, Only Orange and So Saffron.  I used the branch from Hidden Garden Rubons (or you could use the branch stamp from Eastern Blooms stamp set). I stamped the sentiment in Chocolate Chip to match the branch.