Time well spent...

Afternoon all,

In my last blog post I talked about making a fishing boat with a pole from the Picnic in the Park. Well, I made one and I am thinking about giving it to my very special dad for Father's Day. When we were kids I remember fishing with my dad and he would put the worm on the hook for us and clean our fish but mostly I remember how relaxed and happy he looked and spending time camping with he and my mom was the best. 

I used The Picnic in the Park kit and a little used collection of Mary's called Forest Collection. I also used the pool cue from The Green Room another great kit and fabulous for Fathers Day as well. It has a super pool table box!
I made the box and the boat and used my print and cut feature quite a bit on this creation.
I used wood looking "paper" for the accents on the boat and pool cue. The pool cue was made using the cue and then I poked a pin in places to make the holes for the metal eyes then used thin wire and shaped them into loops.  I used Linen Thread from Stampin up and tied that around the top, then threaded it through to the bottom,wrapped more linen thread around the "handle" and hot glued a brad at the bottom to make the bottom of the pole. I also used it to make a handle for the real. I used the same wire to make a hook. On the back of the boat is a wire loop holding two fish that say Gone Fishing.The real I made using a very small hole punch and then a 1/2 circle punch. I glued a piece of a toothpick in the middle of the two circles and wrapped linen thread around that for the fishing line. I sized the float, fishing hat, creel ( fishing basket) and lures to go with the box and the boat size. I used tiny pearls that I put a blue or a black dot on with a Copic marker to make the eyes. I used Cuttlebug's Tiny Mosaic for the creel texture and the Sizzix wood grain embossing folder for the lines for the rope. Turn your rope at an angle so it looks like one then ink it to add more texture to it. I think that is everything but as always just ask if I didn't include something you want to know how I did it.Thanks so much for stopping by and spending some quiet time with me. Below is the link that will take you to their page and the Forest collection which really needs more attention in my opinion. Don't forget tonight is a new Kit or Collection night! So exciting to see what Mary comes up with! Blessing all Sharalyn. 


SVG  Kitss and Collections Used:
The Green Room SVG Kit
Picnic in the Park SVG Kit
Forest Country SVG Collection

A Pic a nic Basket!!!

Morning everyone!
Grab your deck shoes and your life jacket and go for a picnic!

Mary did it again with a wonderful new kit called Picnic in the Park. It has an adorable picnic basket which can be done soooo many ways and a wonderful boat box as well.  A Father's day, lunch with your mom a summer outing at the beach you can really let your imagination go wild. I have yet to play with the boat box but that may be what I do today! 

Import and cut the picnic box at the size it imports, Then I cut several strips and played with the combos to get my "creative eye" going.  I added the anchor and the fish from the boat and went to my shapes menu and cut a life preserver out of the "doughnut" shape. I cut several layers and glued them together to give it a more 3d effect then wrapped some ribbon around the edges to give it the life preserver effect. I used the Country forest SVG collection from the SVG Cuts and made the float at the appropriate size for the basket.
 I can't wait to play with this kit some more... there is a wonderful card and a very roomy bag for gifts as well.

I think of all the dads out whom duck hunting or fish. With a little imagination you could use the pool cue from The Green Room SVG Kit and make it into a fishing pole! Add that to your boat box, put some fishing lures in the box for dad and there is your gift for that dad that loves to fish! Great moms day stuff too! Go check it out on their page. Super fun stuff Y'all!

 Thanks for stopping by and vistin'. I will post a link below to take you right to this amazingly fun kit! Here is even better news, buy just 9.98 dollars with of other kits and get this kit for FREE!!!! Make sure you add it to your cart, that your total of 9.98 does not include the price of this kit. In the discounts box type in freegift then continue. Guess what they do that every week!!! Have a really super day everyone and Happy Craftin' Y'all! 
Blessings Sharalyn

SVG Kits and Collections Used:
 Picnic in the Park SVG Kit
 The Green Room SVG Kit
 Forest Country SVG Collection

Wake Up Call!!!!!

Mornin y'all!
I hope your having a great morning! A few weeks ago Leo and Mary introduced their kit Maison de Madeline. The night before they had a contest to win the Graphic 45 paper collection French Country. I had entered but I didn't win, anyway that night was choir practice and I took something I made to show my choir director. One of the gals in the choir asked If I had ever made a bird... well no I hadn't. I hadn't even tried. My friend went from a bird to a rooster somehow . I told her let me think about it. As we started to practice the idea started to form so I thought OK I guess God wants me to try this. Well I did try and failed very badly. I think I needed  to learn a few more techniques before I got it made. I also needed to realize that I cannot make this stuff on my own. It is with God's help that I make this stuff. 
 I made Mary and Leo's gift and then also made the clock for my daughter, where I learned a bit about moving nodes and such. On the Rooster I learned to add score lines to get the paper to bend the way I wanted it to. God of course helped me realize that the problem with the first Rooster was that the bend of the neck wasn't right and that I had to add score lines to make it bend right.. He was right of course. A few other things really bothered me about the first rooster as well. I am happy to say I have the rooster done and to quote a friend it is "nuts", on to the rooster.

  I started by making the body shape and since I have never seen a live chicken body I thought about all the chickens I roasted.. I know that's weird but that is what you do when you have no idea. Then I thought about the feathers, called my daughter and she messaged me three photos that were a big help. The feet well they are not there. I used two and half inch long dowels to make the legs. I just couldn't come up with an idea for the feet. I think I could have used the pool table cue but I am not going there now. This was a labor intense project and I can honestly say I don't think I will be doing another. I inked all the feathers. I will list the kits and collections I used below but the most important thing for you to get out of this is: If you have an idea don't limit yourself. Each kit and collection has certain shapes look at them study them get an idea of what you want to use then pour over those pdf Mary slaves over for us. Try really hard to imagine that shape to work for what you want it for. As an example the roosters comb is part of the primroses from Organic Spring Flowers SVG Collection.
That is all for now everyone Thanks for stopping by and Visiting. Take advantage of the wonderful kits and collections Mary has made. Use your imagination, if I can do this anyone can! Happy Craftin' Y'all! 
Blessings Sharalyn

SVG Cuts Kits and Collection Used:
Acorn Autumn SVG Kit-thighs, tail bump and head
Tea for you and Me SVG Kit- neck
Poplar Street Tulips SVG Kit-main body
Happy Thanks SVG Kit- tail feathers
Toil and Trouble SVG Kit- small feathers 
B is for Birthday SVG Kit- body feathers in front, around legs and red things around eyes and hanging down. (see I said I didn't know nothing about chickens)
Organic Spring Flowers SVG Collection- Comb and around beak
Caramel Apple Pie SVG Kit- base for Rooster to stand on
Beak is just scraps of paper and tongue is too.. yep there is even a tongue.

A Labor With Love

Morin' all,

Some of you may know that about two weeks ago I tripped over the dog bed and hurt my leg. I think something with the muscles and tendons. Anyhoo I went to the doc and nothing is broken so that is good. My shower was in serious need of cleaning and I couldn't do it as I have an old tile shower and couldn't scrub it the way it needed. My leg just wouldn't allow it. So, my very sweet daughter came over and scrubbed it for me. Now if you can't do something like that and you really need it done you just have no idea how much you appreciate something like that. In the mean time Mary had come up with a clock you could make in the Maison de Madeline SVG Kit  and I wanted to do it but of course I had to wait till I had the clock work for it. My friend picked one up for me a Michael's  when she was down the hill last week. PERFECT!!!!! I can make the clock and give a thank you gift to my daughter for doing such a sweet and wonderful thing for me. 
Here was my dilemma. I wanted to do it in a kitchen theme for her kitchen and Mary hadn't really done a fifties or coffee theme kit or collection yet. She has a cute one called An Afternoon at Aunt Elaine's SVG Collection but that wasn't really what I was looking for so I found a tea pot and tea cup on Silhouette's site and for the first time ever I changed the nodes around on it a bit. It took me forever but I wanted a certain look and that was the only way I knew how to get it. I can't really draw all that well and I am not all that familiar with the designer addition of Silhouette yet but when you really want something for someone and it is in you ability, you try to make it happen. That is what I did. 
I made the teapot longer and moved the nodes so I could make the spout higher. I couldn't tell you how I did it, but if you have this program select a simple shape and try playing with it. It was a little difficult but then nothing is simple when you first do it and  with practice you get better at it. I like that I have these so I can advance my crafting and creating ability. Then if that wasn't enough I knew if it were in her kitchen she really needed it to be sealed a bit so it wouldn't get ruined so quickly, so that was my first experience with using Mod Podge. Now If you have never used it before I did learn a couple of things. 1. make sure if you using paper with layers that they are all glued down well on the edges. This cuts down on the warping affect. 2. Follow the directions!!!! I used very thin layers just like they said and I let it dry between layers for the time or longer than they said. 3. and most important!!!!! Don't be in a hurry!!!!!!!! I love how Mary says take your time don't be in a hurry because that never helps. Well she is right slow down.What your making is worth the wait and the time it takes you to make it, so don't rush. You'll be much happier with the end result. Most import!!!! Love what your doing. If you aren't happy with it change it! Remember, your the artist and it is your eye that needs to be happy with it. I had a lot of fun doing this and I like that I learned a few new things. I am looking forward to growing more in my crafting ability. 

 I did request that Mary make a 50's style kitchen collection or even dare I hope something 3d but we just have to wait and see what wonderful thing she comes up with. I will post a link for the clock from the Maison de Madeline
kit below The teapot and the cup are on the silhouette online store and you can probably guess which one I used and changed if you look.  Thanks for joining me and as always, Happy Crafting!!!! Now go enjoy your day! Blessings, Sharalyn


SVG Kits and Collections Used:
Maison de Madeline SVG Kit
                                                                                                 

A Quick note!

Hi everyone,
Just a quick note to tell you I have been working hard on three projects a once. I am about halfway through them and we have been looking for a new to us car also, so I apologize for the no new craft posts, but soon I will have some great projects to share. 
I can tell you one of them I have done a couple of things I have never done before and although it took a lot of time to do I am very happy with the results and challenge you to stretch your crafting abilities.  I changed nodes and made something more into the shape I wanted and I used Mod Podge for the first time and learned a few things about using it for us novices. I will share all of that in a few days. Leo has some great videos that really help you with that now if I could just get him to do some for the silhouette that would be awesome but with his soon coming wedding an all he does for us with SVG cuts I can't ask that right now. Stay tuned my clock will be done in a day or so and I will do the write up for it and let you know kind of how I did it but I can't give you exact as I don't know exactly what I did. LOL I will have to do it a lot more to be able to tell you that. Thanks for stopping by and happy crafting! Blessings, Sharalyn

PS Here is a sneak peak at one of my special projects I have been working on. Not a great photo but then it is just a sneak peak.. stay tuned it should be done and posted in a few days. Thanks ;)

B is for Birthday and yummy cake!

 Mornin everyone,

Today I want to tell you about the really cute and useful kit that came out on Saturday. It is called B is for Birthday SVG Kit. There is a piece of  cake box and a single cup cake holder and two bags which someone already took one and turned into a bag for a baby gift. I love that about their kits they are so versatile!!!!!
 I made the piece of cake using vanilla card stock from American Craft and some of white dotted paper from my very favorite paper pack, Miss Caroline's  Howdy Doody.  Import and cut them at the size they import, put them together as Mary instructs from the video. Once I did that I started embellishing. I embossed the accent pieces which I found in the extras file with an emboss folder from Sizzix. I have to tell you I love their embossing folders much more than Cuttlebug. They give an awesome impression, in my opinion much much better than Cuttlebug. I like Cuttlebug but seem to get a better impression from the Sizzix folders. The folder I used is called Flourishes. It comes with another but I can't  remember which one. I like getting two folders for just a little more as well.  It's  more Bang for my buck. Then I used an old Stampin up ink pad called Groovy Guava to ink just the top and bottom portions of the accents for the cake. I wanted it to look like the cake does when it has pudding or jello added to it. Then I used a piece of lace I had which I am sure I got from either Joann's or Walmart. We still have a small fabric section in our Walmart which I am very grateful for.
 The paper for the candle was from a 6x6 pad of the Miss Caroline's Howdy Doody I also inked the edges lightly with the Groovy Guava. Then I grabbed my favorite pearls from Michales and went to town. I had started to make the cake as something I would like to eat but I was having trouble coming up with an idea and then I though why not do it the way I wanted who cared if it didn't really look like a piece of cake. Whoever I gave it to would probably like it. I don't know to many guys around here that I would give a gift to, that would like it to be all girlie.
 So there you have it my cake and I plan on doing a cupcake box and maybe that super cute small bag.. Oh just go to SVG Cuts and check it out it is just to cute for words!

 Thanks for stopping by and reading my blog.. I am sure your ready for another cup of coffee by now so go brew yourself another. Check out this really great kit! I will leave a link below to take you there and as always Happy Crafting everyone. Please post your pictures on the SVG Cuts Facebook Page, I love seeing your great ideas! 
 Blessings, Sharalyn

Svg Cuts Kits Used:
B is for Birthday SVG Kit