Valentine Candy Machines....

Hellooo Crafty Friends!

For a couple of days now I have been working on these candy machines that I found over on Pinterest.  (Imagine that...I did mention my new addiction, right?)  LOL

They were pretty easy, if time consuming.  And really not that expensive.  Like me, you probably have most of these items in your stash.

Here we go...

I am not the greatest painter, so instead of painting on
a heart drop spout, I used a foam punched heart that
says I Love You.  Then I added more of the smaller
sized hearts around the base.

Pencil erasers make the BEST painted dots.  :)

This one is going to the school my daughter works at.

This one is for me.  :)  I was so excited to share that
I forgot to put on the ribbon. Der!  LOL

This is only the beginning.  I have several more to make.  I am going to make one for all the holidays.  I will share when I get them done.

Oh Pinterest how you suck me in....

Hello My Crafty Friends!

Are you as addicted to Pinterest as me???  Come on...tell the truth, LOL!  I have found so many wonderful ideas of projects I want to try and this one was no exception.  I have seen it more and more lately in all sorts of varieties, so here is my version of a dry erase board for Valentines Day (I also used up my scraps from Valentine cards that I have made)...

I found this picture frame at the Dollar Tree
and had the paint from a project last year.  

Painted in black,
to match the new decor in the front room.  :)

I printed out the I love you because on heavy card
stock.

Then I embellished with hearts punched out with my
Fiskars heart punches added some ribbon and
a few jewel hearts and voila!

Now I have a little Valentine Dry Erase board that I can leave little messages for my family on why I love them.  :)  Cute idea...right?  I am going to make one for my kitchen for a shopping list.  I'll share that one soon.

Now back to the 4 other items I made today.  They are taking a bit longer as I have to wait for the paint to dry between coats...wait to see them.  Got the idea from (guess where?), yep, Pinterest.  haha


PS: Don't forget that I have Valentine cards up for sale at my Etsy Shop.  Head on over and take a look, here is the link for you MyNeed2Craft Etsy Shop.  I would love it if you joined my circle or added me as one of your favorites to help me get some exposure.  Hugs, Hugs, Hugs!!!!!

Tuesday's Helpful Hint...Stamp the Inside First

Hellooo My Friends!!!!!

OK, I don't really have a Tuesday's Helpful Hint section on my blog, I just made it up for today.  :)  hehe

I was watching a card making video today, and it struck me that most of the videos I watch don't stamp the inside of the card before you spend all that time decorating the outside...?  If you are like me, sometimes the inside just doesn't make the cut and then you have to 1. Start Over (UGH!) or 2. Figure out how to take off the  outer layer without tearing.  (Again, UGH!!!)

So my helpful hint for today is:
Stamp the inside of the card first!

This will also give you time to let the ink dry (just in case you have the wrong type of ink that doesn't dry completely, and then again...inky mess on the inside of the card.  :)  Then you can change inks.  So far, Momento inks have been working the best for me.

If you get just a little tiny mark (and I mean tiny) try using a razor knife tool to scratch the offending mark off.  Go lightly as to not tear a whole in your paper.  :)

I learned this from back (waaaaaay baaaaack) in the day (OK, early 80's) when we used to typewrite with carbons (in triplicate form).  You know before Xerox Copy Machine (...a scanner/printer?  Does that help you young'uns?)  hehe  Boy, was I glad when our office got one of those machines!  Come on!  I know some of you must remember this???  LOL !!!  Boy, was I glad when our office got one of those machines!

I hope this was a helpful hint for you!

Goin in the Etsy Store

Hello Crafty Friends!

Well I finally did it!  Got my Etsy store open.  I only have a few Valentines cards in there right now, but it is a start.  There will be more to come.  :)

If you would like to check out my store (or add me to your favorite stores or circles) you can find it here at
MyNeed2Craft Etsy Store.  And if you would like to pass the word around, that would be GREATLY appreciated too.  ;)

I am adding this card (5 of them actually) into the store shortly.

I used The {Stamps} of Life hearts2love stamp set and some designer
paper and layered on top of a heart embossed background.
The Love stamp came from the penguins4Christmas set.

I hope everyone is having a GREAT day!  We are finally getting some rain (at some point) tonight.  It is soooo cold right now.  We could really use the water so I am excited for it.  :)

Another Birthday card with TSOL...

Hello Friends!

Here is a card I made using cake2build and greetings4birthday from The {Stamps} of Life.  These are GREAT go to stamps for that quick and easy birthday card.  I love them.

I used a gold and white gel pen to give
the flame and flower centers a bit
of sparkle.

What do you think Stephanie?  A 30 second card in {5} minutes???  LOL  (If you follow her videos, you will totally get this.)  hehe

Birthday cards with TSOL list2write...

Hello My Friends!

Today's card is a birthday card for my niece, Amy.  I don't know about you, but I couldn't wait to get this stamp set list2write from The {Stamps} of Life this month.  So many ideas floating around in my head (you know how it is?).  I made this card right away, but had to wait to share it until now...didn't want to ruin the surprise.  :)

I also used many other of their wonderful stamps to make the list.  :)  Here is a challenge for you - go check out their products page and see which ones I used.  hehe  Then you can see all the wonderful stamp sets they have there.  :)

Red hearts...

Hello Crafty Friends!

I mostly wanted to focus on the paper for these Valentine cards and keep it simple.  The paper was embossed with the red hearts having that flocked feel so I just swirl embossed white card stock.  I used the Hugs stamp from the hearts2love set at The {Stamps} of Life in white and sponged the edges with Momento Lady Bug Red.  Finally I got to use this red ribbon that I have had for a few years.  Gives it a bit of a wintery feel.

On a side note...if you are interested in purchasing any of my cards I will have them up for sale at my Etsy shop:
http://www.etsy.com/shop/myneed2craft 

A Valentine card with TSOL...

Hello Crafty Friends!

I haven't had the chance to play with the froggy2love stamp set from The {Stamps} of Life yet, but have had it in the back of my mind for a Valentines card.  I think he (or she) is adorable.

A crafty tip from me...(may not be an original, lol)

Hello my friends!

I just wanted to share a little helpful hint.  I bought this beautiful candle holder wall sconce at my little excursion to Hobby Lobby the other day and realized it didn't come with it's own matching screw.  One of my pet peeves is having a screw (or nail) that shows and it does not match the color of the item.  Ugh!

Now, this may not be an original idea...I am not claiming it as one...but I did think it up all on my own.  LOL!

I did not want to get spray paint all over my hands, so I got a plastic fork and Wa La!  It held my screw for me so I could get a real nice coat on it.  (2 actually) and I could just throw it away when I was done.

Maybe you got a wrinkle in your brain for learning something new today...or not. LOL!

Have a GREAT day!

A little home improvement...

Hello Crafty Friends!

I have been back to work on sprucing up the house a little.  Most of the items were things I got a long time ago and have just painted and other's are new inexpensive finds that I have just added a little paint to make it pop.

To keep myself from going to far overboard and spending loads of money, I am working on little sections at a time and it seems to be coming together nicely.

Here are a few items I found at Walmart of all places for around $4.00 each.  Added a little paint and WOW, we really LOVE how they have turned out.

Before: They had just plain particle board edging.

During: Added a little glossy craft paint.

After:  What do you think?  I have now decided to incorporate these
colors into our decor.  

Here is one I added to the kitchen.
I love this saying.  <3

Before: Laundry room signs.
Yes, I even added something to my plain old
laundry room.   :)

After: Here they are after a little paint and hung
on the wall.  :)  

There will be more little improvements as financing allows.  I still have that paper crafting habit to feed.  LOL!

Scholarship Thank You...

Hello all my friends!

Before the holidays my daughter received a scholarship from the Chapter IP, P.E.O. Sisterhood given in honor of Lori Swanson.  We were thrilled that they chose Chelsea.  After 2 1/2 years in college she finally got one of the scholarships that she applied for, yay!  :)    This will be so helpful to us as the costs of the UC system has gone up dramatically since she started her freshman year.  Ladies, we can not thank you enough.

Here is a card that I made for Chelsea to send them.  The stamp set is from a special gift I received from the wonderful Stephanie at The Stamps of Life for my 1 year anniversary of being a club member.  She is so generous.  I love this set so much.  Thanks again Stephanie!

Valentines...

Hello Crafty Friends!

Well it's 1/1/12...is it too soon for Valentines Day cards?  I don't think so.  :)  I am going to set myself some goals and try to stick with them this year.  We shall see how I do.  LOL!

I apologize for the not so great pictures...I think this camera needs a tune up.  Lately the pics are a little blurry and I can't figure it out.  Tips anyone?  :)

Not sure if you can see the detail on this one.  I embossed a diagonal
pattern using my MS scoring board.  Simple but very pretty I think.  :)
The sentiment is from the new (for December) stamp set jar4candy at
The {Stamps} of Life.  The parenthesis is from the hearts2love set.
Hint: the parenthesis were not far enough apart to accommodate
this sentiment, so I only inked up one side and stamped it twice.  :)
That was actually a tip from my 14 year old niece Kaitlyn.
The student is teaching the teacher.  LOL!  Thanks K!

This sentiment is from the jar4candy set also.
Thanks hubby for the Christmas gift...
(and Thanks Melissa for ordering it for him)  LOL

I loved this paper so much I thought to leave it mostly alone.
I just punched out the heart shape edged it with Momento Ink Pen
and replace it with pop dots.  I highlighted the word beloved in pink.  :)

I have decided to sell some of my crafty wares on Etsy this year, so that is what I will be working on the next few days.  To start off I will have card sets and book covers (paperback size for now).  I will be sure to post pics and let you know when things will go in the store.  :)

I went through my paper stacks and scrap boxes and cleaned out so much paper, which I donated to my friend.  I figured if it has been here for years and I haven't used it yet, odds are I won't. I have a really nice organized system set up now and can't wait to get to work.  Plus, I got all my ribbons wrapped around clothespins and color coordinated into baskets.  Woo Hoo I was a busy girl yesterday before all the festivities of 2 fabulous New Year's Parties.

Until next time...