Birthday Card for Hubby!

Hi Everyone!

I am taking a few days off from all this cleaning and fixing up our spare bedroom for my Craft room. I have had a hard time choosing a paint color. You know that commercial where she says she want a purple but not a purple??? well that is what I have with my green I want. I want to walk in the room and feel a calm come over me but so far the green on the paint chip and in the test can has been a bit to bright for me to feel calm. So I have worked on a few cards and my dear friends owl till I can decide on the right green for the room.

The card I am sharing today was inspired by one I think I saw on pinterest but who knows really where I saw it lately. I have been so exhausted with all the cleaning that when I did go on the computer at night it was brief and who knows? I cannot give credit to the right person so I am sorry  for that. The Card used her snow falling embossing folder and then she colored the dots different colors to give it the sprinkles look. I took it a bit further and added the "sprinkles" to the shape I used on the front of the card. This makes the card look as though the sprinkles did fall onto the raised cupcake and gives the card another texture as well as dimension.

Since my hubby's B Day is on the 30th and this is close to a big deal for him I wanted something fun and special. I used a cupcake from a Hero Arts Clear stamp set I have called Cupcakes and the number on is it CL158. I colored that in with my Copic markers then I fussy cut it out. I don't fussy cut if I don't have to as my tendonitis frowns upon it. (well worth the pain it would cause me in my hands cuz it was for hubby) Then I  embossed only part of the cupcake. have a colorless Copic Pen that is supposed to push the color out of certain areas. I used that for some of the "sprinkle" parts of the cupcake that I wanted the color to be true on.
Then I made a homemade Wobble Spring. I would highly recommend using a purchased one as they are sturdier and probably able to withstand playing with more. I don't have a craft store in my town so to drive 100 miles and find out they don't have wobble springs at Micheal's or Joann's was not my idea of fun.Here is how to make your own wobble spring: 1. Cut off about a 2 to 2 1/2 inch length of wire. I used a smaller gauge wire I had. 2. Cut two 1 inch circles  out of a heavy card stock. I have 120lb card stock I use to color on using my Copics. I will list where I purchase it on the bottom of this post. 3. I used clear packing take to adhere the wire to the inside of each circle. Cut about a 2 inch length off the roll and cut the 2 inch piece lengthwise into two pieces. 4. wrap your wire around a pick up tool or something about that diameter around, about 3/4 of an inch is my guess. You want it to look like a mini spring. I wrapped mine around about three times. 5. Tape one end of your spring to the inside of one circle laying the tape over the half coil. I trimmed off the excess tape that went over the edge of the circle with scissors. 6. Do that again on the other side with the other circle. Then I glued the outside of my spring to the back of my cupcake and made sure it was secure before I glued it the the "sprinkle" background.

The background was made using my Sizzix Falling Snow embossing folder and carefully coloring the dots to look like sprinkles. I also turned the embossing folder piece upside down so the accumulated snow was at the top not the bottom. This is how the card was that I saw and I thought: What a clever Idea!!!!! and cost effective too as that gives the folder another use! Love that for sure, the cost effective part.  After the cupcake was on and the card was all put together I added some clear Wink Of Stella glitter Pen to the sprinkles to give it a more festive look.
The banner was made using the Phrase stamp in the set and some Versa Mark ink. Add some white embossing powder. To make the banner fold a bit I scored it on my Martha Stewart Score Board in two places one each side then folded. To get a good V cut take your scissors and cut a line straight down the middle of your intended v. Then cut from the edge of the one end into the center of your straight cut and do the other end the same. This insures you don't have a lopsided "tongue" cut.I adhered the ends of the banner to the edges of the card and there you have it. The inside is a single candle(59 this year so no room for 59 candles) LOL and says Happy Birthday. I will include a photo of that as well.
Now when he opens it the cupcake will spring from side to side. Sort of a I know your turning 59 but you can still be silly and have fun Card. This from a man who can get me laughing so hard I either can't breath or I am crying or both.  So that is it my silly card I hope you liked it. I had wanted to do a valentines card using the same theme just with a heart with arms  but I used the freebie Valentines Lion instead. I cut an extra head and made the head wobble then put  tiny googly eyes on it as well. 
So that is it Y'all thanks so much for stopping by. A small update on the craft room. I have everything organized and ready to be moved into the closet in the "new" craft room. Here is my dilemma. The shelves haven't been built yet. So while I wait for our Handy Man to build the shelves, I'll pick my paint color and we'll get going on painting the room. Since our house is old and the walls are lath and plaster and we do not own a stud finder I need the handyman to tell me where the studs are around the room so I can build my around the room desk. Well I hope I can I never did woodwork before but Hey I'm not letting THAT stop me. LOL  I promise to have pictures when I am all done. Have a super crafty Day Y'all and Happy Craftin!
Blessings Sharalyn
Supplies used:
Hero Arts CL158 Cupcake Stamp Set
Simon Says Stamp 120 lb Card Stock
Stampin Up Tempting Turquoise Card Stock (card base)
Stampin Up Red Riding hood Card Stock (banner)
Sizzix Falling Snow Embossing Folder
Copic Markers
Stampendous White Emboss Powder
Wink Of Stella Clear Glitter Pen
Homemade Wobble spring
Versa Mark
Memento Tuxedo Black Ink( stamping my design for Copic coloring)

Snow Much Fun!

Hey Y'all!

GOOOOODDD MORIN' Grab your coffee and set a spell this is going to be a long one! LOL
I 'll be popping in once in a while  with projects while I organize and fix up my new craft room. Wooo hooo!!!!!
I will need to paint, build my desk and organize my sewing,quilting and paper crafting hobby! Woo HOO again... so excited! I have gotten some done quite a bit actually and I have already
   benefited from the new organization. While making the caboose I needed some decorative brads. I walked over to my shelf and read the labels I put on all of the containers. I  grabbed the one I wanted right away! I put labels on both sides just so I could make sure I could read it if I put it on the shelf with the opposite way.  I sat and put all the decorative brads in one, all the regular brads in another, buttons by season have their own box and all the eyelets in its own box. All the clear stamps are in clear CD envelopes with labels in a box used for keeping your fridge organized.  When I get this all organized and pretty I will show you how I did all this but watch for pictures on my page along the way.
Lets get started....
First, the Kits I used was North Pole Express Kit and Christmas Open House Kit from SVG Cuts.Cut the engine for the train and the rest of the train at the size it imports and put it all together. While I was adding all the embellishments to the train, kept looking at it thinking something was missing. Then it hit me the light on the front needed a hood and the train needed a bell! I used wire from Walmart in the jewelry section as those come in colors and are easy to bend. The tiny bell I have had for years as usual, I am a serious pack rat when it comes to craft stuff. I bent the wire into the shape I wanted.  I took an extra wire and made a jump ring for the bell, then slipped that over the hook and tightened it. I  poked wholes into the top of the train and like a brad I bent the wires in opposite directions on the inside to hold the bell "tower" in place.

 Now for the hood over the front of the "lights" on the engine. When I try to come up with stuff like this I picture in my mind first what that piece looks like that I want to replicate. If I don't know I do a google search online for a picture of what I want to copy. Then typical of myself is to ask God what can I use to make ____? You fill in the blank. LOL  I looked through my sequins and found one that was shaped like a shell,  then I trimmed off some of the back of it to make it shorter. To shape it, I heated it a bit with my heat gun and had a pencil ready for when I took it away from the heat letting the sequin shape over the smooth pencil. Then I carefully hot glued it to the front of the engine over my rhinestone. The snow look or ice look on the train is Tim Holtz Rock Candy glitter. I used a brown ink pad for the edges of my accent pieces through out making this train. I poked tiny holes in the smoke stack and added the sprays you would use for a wedding arrangement. Now I could have colored it grey with a copic maker but I didn't think of that till just now. The brads were from my stash and the buttons are from Buttons Galore.

The coal car was made pretty much like Mary made it but I added the snowman from the Christmas open House kit. I sized the body down to W.5.418 x H 4.76. If you bring in all the pieces to your mat a once and then size it down and check the body size that will give you the size of these little guys. Yes they do open up just like the big version Mary made. To hold the small pieces while they dry I use my Tweezer Bee tweezers. They are awesome and up till three days ago I only had the black ones you see in this photo. I'm always saying I need about two more pairs and so I got some more three days ago. So handy to hold those small things our older fingers say What???? NO Way! The ribbon that is flowing behind him is done using a thin wire glued to the back of the ribbon with Tim Holtz Glossy Accents. I know there is this stuff you can use to make the fabric stiff but I wanted to be able to bend it the way I wanted and I don't have any fabric stiff. The eyes and mouth are made using tiny buttons from my favorite button online store. The stop sign is a wooden skewer cut down to size and colored with a permanent marker, then stuck into when of those tiny wooden spools you can get at Joann's. The stop sign shape is from the shapes menu in SCAL and stop written on with a white gel pen.
The Caboose was made the same as Mary says to only I added the Tim Holtz Rock candy glitter to the windows and the top where ever I thought the snow might be still on the train and the little light on the back was from my stash as well. I used ferny greens made very small for the back of the caboose. I used three of the small sprigs and  cut them down a bit to be shorter. I can't tell you what size I cut them as it is from a box I keep stuff like that in for just such an occasion. I have a fall box of cut things like that too and dig through it first when I need something like that. Guess I will have to figure out a way to organize that too. Maybe a file envelope eh?

Well there you have it my North Pole express with a bit of my humor added in. Although you can't see it there is a button on the back of the engine that says snowman crossing. If I forgot something just let me know and I will add it to this post or tell you myself what I did. OK now Run don't walk to the potty as I am sure you have to go by now as you were drinking coffee when we started. Thanks so much for stopping by. Blessing to all of you in this New Year! As Always Happy Crafting! Blessings Sharalyn

SVG Kits used:
North Pole Express SVG Kit
Christmas Open House SVG Kit

 3D Wintergreens SVG Kit

Supplies used:
AC Card Stock: Pomegranate, Latte, Coffee
My Minds Eye , All is Bright
Stampin up (old) Designer paper for wheels
Decorative Brads from Stash
Tim Holtz Rock Candy Glitter
Scotch Quick Dry Adhesive
Hot glue Gun
Buttons from Buttons Galore

Card stock Weight Vellum From Stampin up