Construction Site Birthday Card

It's Master "C's" 2nd birthday! He had a Construction Site Birthday Party complete with dump trucks and tractors.  He's so into trucks right now it was the perfect party for him!  This is the card I designed.

Utah Jazz Basketball Birthday Card

When it's your work bestie's birthday and he's a huge sports fan... Queen and Company's Basketball kit was the obvious choice.!

Dies Used:

   Background Foundation - Queen & Company Set #8

   Basketball - Queen & Company Basketball Shaker kit

   Basketball Jersey - Queen & Company Basketball Shaker Kit

   Letters (Utah) on Jersey - Marianne Design DF3454

   Mountain on Jersey - Marianne Design LR0493

   Nike Swish - Marianne Design CR1646

   Numbers on Jersey - Marianne Design LR0493

   Stars - Queen & Company 

   

Embellishments Used:

   Shaker toppings - Queen and Company

Papers Used:

   Background (wood floor) - Authentique Basketball & Football 

   Basketball - The Paper Studio = Basketball

   Blue - Purple & White cardstock - My stash

Stamp Used:

   Hope Your Birthday is a Slam Dunk - Queen & Company Basketball Shaker kit

Are you ready to start making your Christmas Cards?

We saw our first overnight snowfall in Northern Utah this morning... it looked beautiful! It inspired me to start working on Christmas cards.

When the new Fall Fun kit was released by Queen and Company my mind immediately thought of my granddaughter, Miss "M".  She has long beautiful Auburn / Copper hair color and sparkling green eyes (just like her Nana ;-)  Instead of dressing her for fall, I changed it up and used Christmas paper instead.

Dies Used:
Bell = Marianne Designs CR1611 

Bow in Girls Braids = Marianne Designs CR1434
Girl = Queen & Company Fall Fun Shaker Kit

Foundation Sets = Queen & Company #3 / #8 / #19 / #20 / #25 / #26 / #28 

Snowflake = Quickutz

Embellishments Used:

Globe = Queen & Company

Petite Posies= Queen & Company

Shaker Toppings = Queen & Company

Papers Used:

Background = Queen & Company Winterberry Frost patterns & solids

Bell = Metalic gold cardstock from my stash

Fur on Girl's Coat & Hat = SEI white velvet paper

Girl = Queen & Company Winterberry Frost patterns & solids

Snowflake = White glitter paper from my stash

Stamps Used:

"Tis the Season to Sparkle! = Queen & Company Winter Wonderland kit 

I entered the Double D Challenge

Milk Can with Fall Flowers - Shaker Card

It's been more than a minute since I posted anything to my blog... but I think it's time I get that started back up again!

When Queen & Company showed some sneak peeks of the new Autumn Air kit... I knew this one was for me.  Since we have a "farmhouse" in the "city" (Hyde Park has a population of 5,677) it was perfect! I think my favorite is this cute milk can! I have one just like this and filled with beautiful flowers too!

Thanks for visiting and happy fall... y'all

Dies Used: 
     Bow - Marianne Designs COL1441     

     Foundation - Queen & Company #8 and #10
     MIlk Can - Queen & Company Autumn Air Shaker Kit

Embellishments Used:

     Epoxy Dots - From my stash

Paper Used:

     Background - Queen & Company Fall Fun

     Flowers - Queen & Company Fall Fun solids

     Milk can - Metallic silver from my stash

     Milk can details - Gray pattern cardstock from my stash

Valentine Town

I saw these super cute little houses at The Wood Connection in Layton a few months ago and thought how cute they would be decorated for Valentines. Each one has their own personality and it was so much fun creating each of them! I used Authentique Paper from their "Romance" collection in the 6x6 paper size. I adore their papers...beautiful colors and patterns and heavy enough it doesn't tear when adding it to wood projects.

Kendra's Wood Sled

 

A few years ago I gave my mom and Kendra both a plain wood sleigh.

Fast forward to a few years later

(this was 2019... and I am just now getting around to posting it)

and I finally got one of them painted.  

Kendra picked which colors and how she wanted it to look,

and I took it from there.

I think it turned out super cute and...

looks even cuter on the front porch of their brand new home!

Now I just need to get the other two done!

Happy December Everyone!!! 

Miss "O"s Minnie Mouse Birthday Shaker Card

This was the card I came up with for my middle grandbabe... 

Miss "O" - She has the funniest personality

and there is never a dull moment when she is around!

I used Queen & Company's Magical Characters kit. 

 She informed me when we went and looked at the new house Todd

and I are building that she wanted her room painted pink!

Miss "O" loves Minnie and has a dress with the large pink polka dots

so I found some paper that matched. I added Q&C bling for her earrings,

pink stars for the shaker and a big #3!

I think we fulfilled the pink part for sure!

Miss "M''s Princess Shaker Card

I can't believe my oldest grandbabe is 5... how did that happen? It seems like only yesterday we were waiting for her arrival. Miss "M" loves all of the princesses... so I had a hard time deciding which one to make for her card... so I decided instead to make a princess wand shaker card instead. She loves yellow, pink and purple so I was happy that I found a cute girly background for her card with all the right colors. I stamped the Happy Birthday Princess with VersaMark stamp pad and heat embossed it with Stampendous Pear Lustre Amethyst  I used Queen & Company Lollies and polka dot epoxy dots for embellishments.

Happy Crafting!

Queen & Company Shaker Cards

  The girls picked out all of the pattern paper and what dies they wanted to use.

We looked at some of the ideas from Queen & Company and then we went from there.  

 They loved being able to "load" each card with the cordinating

shakers and made sure to get just the right amount.

Miss "M" wanted to add a shell to her hair so it looked like a bow :-)

Miss "M" (the 4.5 year old) loved the idea of adding ghosts and bats and a pumpkin too.

I pulled out my old Quickutz dies... and they worked perfectly!

Miss "M" wanted to make sure that we had a ghost IN the house... 

she's has such creative ideas!

 The girls other grandparents were headed to New York for a fun-filled vacation...

so we made a card to show them how much we love them!

 My grandbabes (and their parents too) have been staying with us the past 3 weeks

while their new home is being completed. 

 It brought such joy to have them all here and hanging out with us.

Imagine my happiness when the two older grandbabes (ages 4.5 and 2.5 years)

asked if they could craft! I was doing the happy dance since

 I have not had a "crafting buddy" in years!

It's wonderful to look at things through the eye of a younger person... 

they are so smart and fearless... they don't care if the witch broom is on top of the legs...

or if the card is lined up... just right...  to them it is PERFECT!!!

I have learned so much from those two sweet girls...

and I can't wait for another craft weekend!

Pumpkin Carols

Back when I was in 5th or 6th grade we were given some mimeographed copies of Pumpkin Carols... I thought that was the coolest thing ever! I have saved those copies all of these years (all 45-ish years).  I taught the songs to my son when he was younger and I can't wait to teach them to my grandbabies!  A few years ago we had some family and friends over and we sang these and had a blast.  This year we are going Pumpkin Caroling to an Assisted Living home where my Mother-in-law is living.  It's brought lots of fun over the years and I thought maybe you all would like to have some Halloween fun too!

"Old School" Dallas Cowboys Truck

 I'm guessing if you have followed my blog at all you know that I'm a Dallas Cowboys fan.

I so love when football season kicks off and this year was no different.

I have looked at the "old school" trucks at The Wood Connection and I have

loved them from day one.  They have a truck for every season but

football so I decided to create my own.

Above is the finished project... my son, Josh, loves the Cowboys even more than I do

and we both loved the Thanksgiving uniforms of the blue/white jerseys with the single

blue star on each shoulder and the white helmet with the solid blue star on the side and

2 solid blue "racing stripes" on the helmet ... just like the one here with Tony Romo.

This is a mailbox I did several years ago that was like our favorite helmet...

I painted the whole truck white including the "extra side piece" ... I kept doing back to the

picture and decided I would paint the "fenders" Cowboy blue to add some color to it.

I then decided that I wanted to add some texture since it was so "flat". I had some 

Silver Glitter Blast spray paint from several years ago... so I sprayed the side pieces with

the glitter spray... at first it started to come out "blobby" so I thought for sure I would

be sanding everything down and starting over again.  After it dried, I decided that

I really like the look... it's an "old school" truck so it's bound to have some blemishes.

I had some blue with silver stars washi tape that I have been holding on to for

the "perfect" project and this one was it... just to give it some personality

I had some blue stars I used as the hub cap center and

I added two silver sparkly enamel dots for headlights...

 and... 2 red sparkly enamel dots for the taillights.

Since there was a spot for a "license plate" I added

a "#4" to Josh's and my Uncle Darrell's and

did a "#82" for mine.

 I used my Cameo to cut the star and my Quickutz for the numbers!

It was a fun project ... hopefully this little truck with bring us some good luck!

Go COWBOYS!!!

and... Happy Crafting!

Cowboys Letterboard

I'm sure the next few posts are going to be about Cowboys Football...

I can't help it... it's a part of who I am.

Tomorrow will be bitter sweet... we are looking to have a great year...

but my dad won't be here to enjoy and cheer the team on with us.

I miss you dad... if heaven wasn't so far away!

GO COWBOYS!!!

"Old School" Patriotic Truck

I'm so loving this "Old School" Patriotic Truck...

it has been my favorite project I have painted all year! 

I bought him from The Wood Connection and used Midnight Blue and

Metallic Silver by Ceramcoat to paint 'em up purty ;-)

Happy Crafting!

Missionary Farewell or Dad's Day Tie Shaped Rice Krispie Treats

 My cousin's son was leaving on an LDS mission and asked that I make some of

the Tie Treats for his farewell... we had so much fun making Jaden's we had to say yes!

My Uncle is a huge Dallas Cowboy's fan so I had to make a few that had

the Cowboys star ;-)

 I bought a cookie cutter in the shape of a tie and then just buttered the mold inside

and pressed the Rice Krispies right into the mold.  I discovered that if I sprayed the

waxed paper when I turned the cutter over so that the "finger pressing" was on

the bottom then the top had a very flat surface.  It was easier to spread the

melted chocolate disks on the top with a brush.

 Then I added melted white chocolate chips as the decoration. 

Since I don't cake decorate much... you can tell my hand got tired very quickly. 

The kids enjoyed them so that's all the really matters!

Father's Day Jewelry Boxes

For Father's Day this year I thought that I would make a Jewelry Box

for each of the "dad's in my life...  My husband... my son and my "bonus" dad

I found this one at Hobby Lobby ... it's just plain wood and I made sure to sand it all

down before I stained it with Minwax Provincial stain.

 I applied 2 coats of stain with a craft brush 

making sure to let each coat dry thoroughly... the wood was

pretty good at absorbing the stain so I didn't cover up the grommets...

but if stain did get on them... then I just wiped it right off with a rag.

After the stain was completely dry... I measured out some self adhesive felt

I had found at Michael's and cut it to fit in the bottom of each chest. 

Since my family are Cowboy's fans what better color than blue for the felt.

I sprayed 2 light coats of Plaid Clear Acrylic Sealer in Gloss

to help it have a little bit of a shine.

My husband loves his and it sits proudly on our dresser holding his

rings...tie tacks and watches.

It may not be a "fun" gift but this year it was very practical!

Happy Crafting!

Target Easter Baskets

Not having a Target in our town...

I was stoked to find these cuties on a trip to Twin Falls, Idaho to see Shoshone Falls.

They only had two that were in good shape... the rest had been pretty picked over

but that worked perfectly since I have 2 beautiful grandbabies!

I painted them both in an off white paint and then added Enamel Dots for their eyes...

chalk for the ears and nose... I couldn't find any small wood pieces

I could use for their noses... but I will be adding that for next year.

Cute pink and purple ribbons to each and a cute white pompom for the tail.

 I also added colored crinkled paper in the bottom.

Next year I will also add their names to the sides with vinyl.

Happy Crafting!

Aggie Pride !!!

We have 5 very special birthdays from June 27th - July 25th ... and we wanted to

celebrate them all!  I wanted to find a fun gift for each of them...and when Todd

and I went shopping at Wood Creations in West Haven...

 this one caught our eye.  I didn't have a lot of time to get the gifts ready so I

bought the vinyl that was already cut and ready to go.

I did two of these... one for Suzette - my "sister from another mister" and our

long time good friend Dave. Dave and Suzette both graduated from USU and

Suzette has been working for USU for over 25 years... so she is a die-hard

Aggie fan! Dave moved back to Logan after several years away and loves

attending all of the Aggie games he can.  Todd and Dave especially love

the football and basketball games they can go to together!

I painted the wood blocks with 3 coats of Ceramcoat navy blue paint... 

then applied the vinyl. I had Todd drill a hole in the top for the wood topper

(I honestly don't remember what they are called) used wood glue to hold it in

place and added 3 different ribbons tied in a bow.

It was awesome listening to the "banter" after they opened their gifts... as to which

school is better... Ahhhh ~ we know the answer to that... Utah State!

Happy Crafting ~ Vicki

BYU... Who???

We have 5 very special birthdays from June 27th - July 25th ... and we wanted to

celebrate them all!  I wanted to find a fun gift for each of them...and when Todd and I

went shopping at Wood Creations in West Haven...

 this one caught our eye.  I didn't have a lot of time to get the gifts ready so I

bought the vinyl that was already cut and ready to go.

This one is for my sister-in-law, Rayann.  She graduated from BYU and will always

defend her Alma Mater to the end.  This gift was perfect for her!

I painted the wood block with 3 coats of Ceramcoat white paint... then applied

the vinyl and used some black and blue cream chalking to the sides since

there was a lot of "white space" showing.  I had Todd drill a hole in the top

for the wood topper (I honestly don't remember what they are called)

used wood glue to hold it in place and added 4 different ribbons tied in a bow.

Happy Crafting ~ Vicki

Missionary Tie Rice Krispie Treats

 I can't believe it's been 2 years since Jaden left on this mission.

I made the Missionary Name Tag Rice Krispie Treats for his farewell

 and I thought ties would be cute for his welcome home!

 I usually always have molds for my treats... but I had this cute

tie cookie cutter and decided to "mold" them inside the cutter.

It worked out pretty good.  I wanted the ties to have color and since

he wore a red tie home on the plane... I thought we would make them red.

I melted 2 bags of Wilton Candy Melts when we tried to dunk the tie in the

melted chocolate it melted the Rice Krispie treats and it would not work at all... 

so my sweet husband "frosted" them with the melted chocolate instead.

Since they didn't get molded they didn't have any butter on the top to

keep from sticking to everything.  We figured out that if we turned the tie over

after it had set for a while... not only did we have a smoother surface to spread

the colored chocolate on...but the tops became the bottoms and it had a

bit of butter on it from my fingers smooshing it into the cutter.

NO more sticking!

We laughed about the different shapes we could use the tie for with a few minor

smooth outs... one was a drum stick... a baseball bat and a fish!

As always I never plan enough time to make them "beautiful"

but they tasted delicious and that's what matters most!

Happy Crafting ~ Vicki