tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-43342988400202330582024-03-13T20:26:16.721-05:00Flights of Stamping FancyBonniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11219111119894700146noreply@blogger.comBlogger207125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4334298840020233058.post-74591769358968879402013-03-20T20:42:00.004-05:002013-03-20T20:42:55.508-05:00Book rack makeover<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Yesterday, on my way home from running errands, I saw a little wooden magazine rack sitting out on the curb. Similar to this:</div>
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<a href="http://www.mymodelships.com/product_images/pid_1553-Amish-Magazine-Rack-10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://www.mymodelships.com/product_images/pid_1553-Amish-Magazine-Rack-10.jpg" width="221" /></a></div>
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I've been wanting to put something in the playroom for the kids to keep their books in, so I picked it up and had some ideas to make it over. I painted most of it last night, and added the finishing touches and alphabet print today (which, okay, made it not quite as free as I'd originally intended, but it's worth it!). I think it turned out pretty cute!</div>
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<br />Bonniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11219111119894700146noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4334298840020233058.post-92147547746097580012013-02-08T10:39:00.003-06:002013-02-08T10:39:48.599-06:00Bow storage<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I've been saving this little shoebox because it seemed perfect to use for something crafty - the little window in the front had a lot of potential, and the shape and ribbon handle are so cute.</div>
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I have a place upstairs in the nursery to store hair bows and headbands (which is also super cute, and I need to put up pictures sometime), but I needed something small downstairs since that's where I get the kids dressed pretty frequently.</div>
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I covered the back of the box with the cute numbers paper (all of my papers are from a <a href="http://www.studiocalico.com/">Studio Calico</a> kit), and cut down the little ridge inside that separated the shoes to cover the inside too.</div>
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On the front, I put a little strip of coordinating paper and big foam letters.</div>
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I've gotten really into washi tape since Studio Calico started putting them in almost every month's box, so I put some black & white washi tape around the outside edges to finish that off a little bit and add some contrast.</div>
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A yellow flower for a pop of color, and we're all set! Easy peasy. I like that this is easy to throw all the bows into (while color-coordinated fancy organization is cute, it's a pain) and it's easy to see what's inside.</div>
<br />Bonniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11219111119894700146noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4334298840020233058.post-28396740278889288162012-12-14T14:32:00.000-06:002012-12-14T14:32:06.101-06:00A Little PeekI've done a lot of crafting lately, but I've neglected this blog - I've spent most of my non-baby, non-cleaning, non-errand time doing actual crafts or posting to <a href="http://stevenandeleanor.com/">stevenandeleanor.com</a>. I thought I'd put up a quick picture of what I did today, though. I've been picking up these easy 12x12 frames at Joann - only about $4 with a coupon - and I originally had something else in mind for them, but hadn't gotten around to doing it yet.<div>
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My husband got me a subscription to the <a href="http://www.studiocalico.com/">Studio Calico</a> monthly scrapbooking kits, and I've been having so much fun making fancy baby books with new, coordinated supplies every month. I thought it'd be fun, instead of sticking the pages I make straight into the books, to display them a while on the wall.</div>
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The 12x12 frames I picked up at Joann are perfect - they're unobtrusive, easy to get pages in and out every month, and have enough "give" to allow the 3D embellishments I like to use. Right now, I've put up a few of my favorites from the last couple of months, and I plan to rotate them out every month so they coordinate a little bit, since each Studio Calico kit has a ton of coordinating elements. </div>
Bonniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11219111119894700146noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4334298840020233058.post-43724241551863773872012-05-25T15:44:00.002-05:002012-05-25T15:44:40.415-05:00Nap-Friendly Crafts: The Ridiculously Easy Nursing CoverI made this nursing cover almost entirely during a naptime, including this blog post. Like I said: ridiculously easy!<br />
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Muslin blanket (from our stash of, like, 400 new blankets)<br />
2 yards of wide ribbon (the only thing I bought for this)<br />
Big button<br />
Sewing machine<br />
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I started by folding down one corner of the blanket and pinning the ribbon to it - I pinned from the back to make sure the blanket was straight against the ribbon.<br />
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After I did that and got my straight fold, I cut the long end off the ribbon (about a yard, maybe more - nothing about this is exact) to make a strap, unpinned one end, and sewed on the end of the strap so it would be under the edging ribbon.<br />
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Then I sewed along all the edges of the edging ribbon, turning the ends under, trimmed the strap to the length I want it, hemmed the end, added a big button to the blanket and buttonhole to the strap*, and trimmed off the folded-under corner. Easy peasy!<br />
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*Not shown, because I'm going to ask my mom to do it - I don't know how to do buttonholes. But you could also do just a decorative button with a snap on the back side and strap if you wanted.Bonniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11219111119894700146noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4334298840020233058.post-77042095926710649622012-03-29T12:56:00.000-05:002012-03-29T12:56:06.649-05:00A few words about PapertreyOne of the goals I've had for this blog is to keep it completely drama-free, and I'd like to continue that, but because I've ordered and used so much product from Papertrey Ink in the past, I want to say a little bit about the firestorm that's blown up around them in recent days.<br />
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I haven't been involved in the forum discussions or other drama that's come up lately regarding their customer service, so if you're interested in details of what's happened recently, you can catch up with some excellently written blog posts about it <a href="http://simplicitybylateblossom.blogspot.com/2012/03/my-thoughts-on-papertrey.html">here</a>, <a href="http://rubystamper.blogspot.com/2012/03/reap-what-you-sow-pti-train-wreck.html">here</a>, and <a href="http://eunalicious.blogspot.co.nz/2012/03/my-2-cents.html">here</a>.<br />
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As for me, the main reason I haven't been involved in the discussions is the same reason that you've been seeing more and more product from other companies on my blog lately. I was fairly irritated when I discovered that Papertrey had discontinued all of their inks due to problems, but had only posted that info on the Ink section of the site - no recall emails (even though they send out frequent emails to their customer base), no blog posts on Nichole's blog or those of any of the design team (which I have in my RSS reader, so I see them daily) - just one mention, buried in the site, which I didn't see until after the time had passed to be able to get a refund for the defective inks I already had.<br />
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I decided to give PTI the benefit of the doubt on that, and give them credit for acknowledging the problem with the inks and discontinuing them. Plus, I figured, the recall notice said they'd be releasing new inks soon, so I could just wait.<br />
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"Soon" ended up being... a year? Maybe? Possibly more.<br />
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The next order I made took a very long time to arrive, but I thought I'd try one more order, since I LOVE their products.<br />
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Unfortunately, the next several times I tried to place an order, nearly everything I tried to put in my cart was out of stock. There's no notice on the site itself if something is out of stock - it just wouldn't go into your cart. I wasn't trying to order hot new releases, and I wasn't even ordering in the week after release week when supplies tend to run low. In fact, some of the things I wanted most were older releases (a year old or more) that hadn't been featured on anything in a while. When I emailed Customer Service to ask when they might be back in stock, and to request a better system to let customers know when something isn't available, I got a very dismissive reply.<br />
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That was the end of my love affair with PTI - I still think they have amazing products, but if they can't get their products into my hands, what's the point?<br />
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The reason I post all this is that I'd sort of thought I was the only one, and I wasn't going to make a big Denouncing Statement or anything like that, since the company still had such good products that other people love. Now that I'm seeing that there are so many others who had my same issues, I want to put my voice with theirs and withdraw my support of the company. I won't stop using the products I already have, but I'll be removing the link from my sidebar and not ordering from them again.Bonniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11219111119894700146noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4334298840020233058.post-12884106825102657372012-03-28T17:09:00.000-05:002012-03-28T17:09:06.140-05:00Help?So I've got sonogram-picture pages, and coming-home pages, and... now I'm coming up blank. What other pages am I going to need for these baby books? Any particular events that I'll definitely want to record? Give me some ideas.Bonniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11219111119894700146noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4334298840020233058.post-21962425194163677592012-03-24T14:56:00.002-05:002012-03-24T14:56:28.554-05:00Pictures already?I know that sonogram pictures are notoriously vague and something "only a mother could love" - they're a little creepy, to be honest.<div>
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But I thought I'd scrap them anyway, since I have them.</div>
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The layout I'm less crazy about:</div>
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There's something wonky about the flourishes, but this was the first thing I scrapped while I was here, before I had any supplies, so it's kind of fun anyway. I used the baby-themed page kits my dad brought me from Michaels for this one.</div>
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And the one I like a little better:</div>
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This is a mix of the baby-themed page kits (the background paper) and the Studio Calico kit I used last week - I'm probably driving this chipboard font into the ground, but I love it!</div>
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<br /></div>Bonniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11219111119894700146noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4334298840020233058.post-33922230732501145492012-03-11T12:00:00.000-05:002012-03-11T12:00:01.855-05:00Yesterday's YangI've been convinced that I should do two baby books, so I'm trying to keep up with making two pages for each event, without necessarily making duplicates of every page. Today's page is the "yang" to yesterday's "yin" - it uses all the same papers (except the background), and is for the same event (bringing the babies home), but is changed up to make it a little more boy-ish. (Again, sorry for the lighting/photography.)<br />
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I loved this background as soon as I opened the Studio Calico package - I think the woodgrain hearts motif is adorable. All of the strips of paper are from the <a href="http://stampingbird.blogspot.com/2012/03/back-in-land-of-blogging.html">same papers I used yesterday</a>, although some are flipped to use the back side.<br />
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I even used the same chipboard letters, just colored red this time instead of gray. I had to add a little bling, just for fun.Bonniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11219111119894700146noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4334298840020233058.post-41632172877633251282012-03-10T14:28:00.003-06:002012-03-10T14:28:44.662-06:00Back in the land of the BloggingIf you don't know (or don't have me on Facebook), I'm heading into my third week of hospital bedrest. Trying to keep these babies in place for a few more weeks! As you can probably imagine, it's very strange being here and I miss home. As we've been trying to figure out what hobbies I can still do while in a hospital bed, factoring in transportation and storage, I've decided that one thing I'd like to accomplish is to get some pages done for the baby books. It's not really feasible to do some of my more supply-intensive projects (like the balloons I was working on with the painted bottle caps), but scrapbooking page kits make that a much more manageable hobby.<br />
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In fact, for the sake of portability and manageability (and for the sake of having everything within arms' length from the bed), I've managed to whittle down my whole craft room into a few necessities (sorry about the quality of the photography - my camera isn't one of the necessities, so I'm using my phone):<br />
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A pizza-box-style cardboard box to hold paper (it was the packaging for one of the kits - perfect!).<br />
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And a <a href="http://www.mythirtyone.com/GwenJ/">31 bag</a> (thanks, Gwen!) for my stickers and embellishments, two sets of markers (possibly overkill, but one is better for using on stamps, and one is better for adding color to neutral elements, as you'll see below), a pair of non-stick scissors, my tape dispenser with single- and double-sided tape, and a good black pen.<br />
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So what am I making? Well, I ordered a <a href="http://www.studiocalico.com/kits/daydream-believer">fantastic kit from Studio Calico</a>, and shortly after it came, I saw <a href="http://missfancypants.typepad.com/little_miss_fancy_pants/2012/03/fp-scrapbook-adhesives-by-3l-blog-hop.html">this gorgeous layout on the Fancy Pants blog</a> - perfect for CASEing with my new kit!<br />
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As you might guess from the lettering, this is going to be a "homecoming" layout, for when we bring the babies home - the big cream panel will be a mat for a 4x6 photo of the babies in their coming-home outfits, and the yellow panel is actually a pocket where I can put their hospital bracelets.<br />
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The blue trim is one of the things I was referring to above - it's actually a neutral-linen non-colored trim from Pink Paislee called "mistables" - created for coloring to coordinate with a layout. I love that I can make it go with anything using my Bic marker set.<br />
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The pretty lettering (love this font!) is a similar deal - it came in a plain chipboard, so that I could color it to coordinate. I also love this butterfly - three of them came in the Studio Calico kit.<br />
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The embellishments on the left side of the page are a mix of items that came in the kit, and chipboard stickers that were included in some baby-themed kits that my dad brought me. I love mixing up elements from different kits to make something unique!<br />
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Sorry about how long this got - I'm pretty excited to be doing something "normal" on a Saturday afternoon while I'm sitting here in the hospital!Bonniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11219111119894700146noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4334298840020233058.post-127202308408757332012-02-14T17:55:00.002-06:002012-02-14T17:55:19.191-06:00What am I doing?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
What does it look like I'm doing?</div>
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I'm painting white bottle caps white, of course.<br />
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Because that's totally normal.<br />
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It's a work in progress... I'll keep you posted as it gets slightly more interesting.Bonniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11219111119894700146noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4334298840020233058.post-78928987039852378712012-02-02T11:51:00.002-06:002012-02-02T11:51:16.052-06:00Les Petits Cadeaux<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
I had occasion recently to make some little handmade gifts - I wanted to do something whimsical and completely impractical, just for the sake of being pretty.</div>
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I picked up these little apothecary jars at an estate sale several months ago, and thought they'd make sweet displays for something. I wanted to only use materials I already had on-hand, so I used crinkle paper from a Christmas package to make little nests, and rolled tiny paper beads to cover with glitter as eggs. The beads ended up being a lot of fun to make - I'd never tried that before. I added a bit of ribbon and some silk flowers from my stash, and I think they turned out very cute.</div>
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I got a collection of assorted gift-wrapping items for Christmas, including the twine and cute little stickers I used on the boxes. I love little touches like that for packaging - it makes a present that much more fun to open!</div>
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<br />Bonniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11219111119894700146noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4334298840020233058.post-12172400510986984922012-01-09T16:28:00.002-06:002012-01-09T16:28:25.976-06:00AccomplishmentsThings I've accomplished since deciding sit down and end my pregnancy-induced craft hiatus and start on my project backlog:<br />
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1) Bagged all the trash in my study<br />
2) Cleared off my work desk<br />
3) Cleaned my work desk<br />
4) Organized the supplies for the first project on the list<br />
5) Found a good movie on Netflix to watch while I work on the project<br />
6) Plugged in all the correct computer peripherals to watch the movie<br />
7) Worked on some actual paid work<br />
8) Went and found a power strip and plugged everything in again so I could also use the lamp<br />
9) Cleaned out all the old thread tangled up in needles in my pincushion<br />
10) Got a drink of water<br />
11) Swapped out the stale candy in my candy jar for fresh candy<br />
12) Wrote a blog post<br />
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Things I haven't accomplished since deciding to sit down and end my pregnancy-induced craft hiatus and start on my project backlog:<br />
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1) My craft projectBonniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11219111119894700146noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4334298840020233058.post-6082814552917032652011-11-18T18:34:00.001-06:002011-11-18T18:41:35.113-06:00Internet, I need your inputParticularly you design-oriented people.<br />
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I'm still working on figuring out this mantel configuration (and yes, I'll probably get it done just in time to revamp everything for Christmas... but at least then I'll know where to put everything back). My brother-in-law gave me some good ideas and a good start by pulling out some of my children's books and getting them set up in a display with the shadow box.<br />
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This is the section he did, and I really like how it looks with the various heights and things leaning and facing different directions.<br />
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Here's the whole thing, though:<br />
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I still have a little more than half to fill up. I've pulled out some more books, and filled in some space, but now I need to decide whether the game and/or framed pictures should be hanging, and in what configuration, and then how densely to arrange the books on the shelf around/below them. I'm just kind of stuck. This kind of 3-D large-scale visual arrangement isn't something I do much.<br />
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The remaining side close-up:<br />
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Any brilliant ideas? Or websites you've found useful for this kind of thing? I think what's stumping me is that the whole thing is just so LONG. There's a lot of space to work with.Bonniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11219111119894700146noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4334298840020233058.post-11960705189292322822011-11-18T09:08:00.001-06:002011-11-18T09:37:55.923-06:00DilemmaI think we can all agree, it's really entirely too late for me to start making Christmas cards like I usually do. I've just been too tired to get them started, and seeing <a href="http://lesliekmiller.typepad.com/running-with-scissors/2011/11/christmas-card-progress.html">some of the cards others are making</a> gets me all intimidated.<br />
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But.<br />
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Even with my baby-imposed hiatus, sometimes I can't keep myself from getting a little creative. It makes me want to get back to the crafting desk! Case in point, two baby showers this weekend.<br />
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I went into my office/crafting room to wrap presents, thinking I wouldn't even make cards, just put tags on the presents.<br />
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Well, I got a little carried away.<br />
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I ended up basically making the whole thing into a card-front. Apparently my creative juices were thinking differently when I said "simple."<br />
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You did hear me say "showerS" up there, right?<br />
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I kept going. This cute Martha Stewart wrapping paper (which is part of 4 rolls I bought several years ago when they were on sale - I thought they were too small to be worth more than the $1 apiece I paid for them, but I use them ALL the time for all kinds of fun stuff - I'll be buying more when they run out, even if there's not a sale - well, maybe a coupon) reminded me of hot air balloons, so I wrapped the whole thing in vintage binding tape and die-cut some balloons to stick on. The tag is also a Martha Stewart find (what did I ever do for crafting before she started making stuff?) that I added a tiny die-cut to.<br />
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<i><b>Baby Boy Gift - Stamps:</b> All Booked Up, Fillable Frames #9 - Papertrey Ink; <b>Paper:</b> gift wrap from Paper Affair, Buckaroo Blue (retired) - Stampin' Up; <b>Ink:</b> Versamark, Buckaroo Blue (retired) - Stampin' Up; <b>Accessories:</b> buttons, Fillable Frame #9 coordinating die & Mat Stack 2 coordinating die - Papertrey Ink, Cuttlebug, Ranger Embossing Pearl Silver embossing powder, Fine Linen felt - Papertrey Ink, twine, e2 Daily striped fabric tape</i><br />
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<i><b>Baby Girl Gift - Paper:</b> Martha Stewart gift wrap, Summer Sunrise - Papertrey Ink, Regal Rose - Stampin' Up; <b>Accessories:</b> Martha Stewart tag, vintage binding tape, Up, Up & Away die - Papertrey Ink</i><br />
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Unfortunately, that means I'm sort of incapacitated for these next few weeks (I really hope it's not longer than that) - spending a lot of time on the couch. So I probably won't be crafting for a little while, but you'll know as soon as I'm back at it!Bonniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11219111119894700146noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4334298840020233058.post-51530376429861365502011-09-29T15:29:00.000-05:002011-09-29T15:29:02.537-05:00Blue Birthday<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
A more "masculine" birthday card today... I don't know why these are so hard!</div>
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I started off with a very pink-dominant inspiration photo from a magazine, and thought I'd adapt the layout to what I needed.</div>
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Basic Grey's Periphery collection is perfect for this kind of card... lots of gorgeous blues and greens and browns, with enough detail to be interesting and fun to look at.<br />
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<i><b>Stamps:</b> Stampin' Up'! It's Your Birthday <br /><b>Paper:</b> Basic Grey Periphery <br /><b>Ink:</b> Palette Umber <br /><b>Accessories:</b> Cuttlebug and scalloped-oval Nestabilities die</i>Bonniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11219111119894700146noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4334298840020233058.post-21333071271408093462011-09-21T10:17:00.000-05:002011-09-21T10:17:21.993-05:00Small Stamping<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
When I'm short on inspiration, I like to take out something small to work on that just needs a few elements. I found these Martha Stewart tags at Joann last week, and they're a perfect small project.</div>
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For this "masculine" tag, I got to use my new houndstooth background stamp from Papertrey - the set came with two sizes of the pattern, and they're easy to line up to make several rows. The striped fabric is a fabric tape I picked up at Paper Source, and it's wrapped around the back as well to give the back a little interest.</div>
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This tag is made with rows of Martha Stewart paper tape - I actually just used the tapes in the same order they came packaged in, and added a little line between each tape with a sparkle pen. Very simple, but it turned out cute!<br />
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<i><b>Stamps:</b> Papertrey Houndstooth Background <br /><b>Paper:</b> Martha Stewart kraft tags <br /><b>Ink:</b> Palette Umber <br /><b>Accessories:</b> e2 Daily striped fabric tape, buttons, Martha Stewart "Vintage Girl" paper tape, Sakura Gelly Roll glitter pen</i>Bonniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11219111119894700146noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4334298840020233058.post-25399900643132755652011-09-20T10:57:00.000-05:002011-09-20T10:57:03.764-05:00Another Different Baby Card<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
At least I hope this one is kind of different... I really love this Flourishes "Rock-A-Bye Baby" set - I think it's so sweet, and sort of vintage-y and unusual. It's kind of a pain to paper-piece, with the little ribbons and things, but it looks SO good that way.</div>
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I couldn't get a great picture, but the moon is embossed with a sparkly embossing powder, so it has a little dimension and glitter.<br />
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<i><b>Stamps:</b> Flourishes Rock-A-Bye Baby<br /><b>Paper:</b> BasicGrey LilyKate, Stampin' Up! Pretty In Pink<br /><b>Ink:</b> Palette Umber, Versamark<br /><b>Accessories:</b> Ranger Holographic Embossing Powder, Cuttlebug embossing folder, eyelet</i>Bonniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11219111119894700146noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4334298840020233058.post-73366005306088225002011-09-12T09:48:00.000-05:002011-09-12T10:06:43.728-05:00Embossing for BabyI went to a baby shower yesterday for one of my good friends, and for whatever reason, the photos of the card on its own didn't turn out at all, but the photos of the card with the gift did. So you get to see both!<br />
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The card is a little bit of a non-traditional baby card - no bunnies or blocks, but I think it's really perfect - sweet colors and a perfect sentiment for a little one with the whole world ahead of her. The background is dry embossed with a Cuttlebug embossing folder to give the idea of a sky and wind, and some of the clouds and balloons are popped up on foam adhesive to give the whole thing some dimension. The clouds and balloons are heat embossed to keep the sweet colors but give them some detail.</div>
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I made a hooded swaddling blanket as my gift - it's from <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Amy-Butlers-Little-Stitches-Ones/dp/0811861287/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1315838445&sr=8-1">Amy Butler's Little Stitches for Little Ones</a>, and is one of my favorite baby-gift patterns. I make it with a simple cotton print on the outside and a thin-ish flannel on the inside... I figure in Texas, it's really not necessary to put in an extra layer of insulation or a warmer flannel. The original pattern has a sash-type tie... I leave that out, not because I'm too lazy to learn to do the buttonhole-style holes for it (although I am), but because somehow sashes and babies don't go together in my head. Seems like a bad idea. I embroidered "Sweet" on the hood (I actually had some glow-in-the-dark embroidery floss in exactly the right colors, so it glows in the dark!) - the pattern is a transfer from <a href="http://sublimestitching.com/sublimestitch_book">Sublime Stitching</a> the book, which is from my favorite embroidery website (seriously, check out their amazing patterns - it'll make you want to learn to embroider!) - also the source of the glow-in-the-dark thread.</div>
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My goodness, I'm chatty today. Anyway, here's the whole thing together.<br />
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<i><b>Stamps:</b> Up, Up & Away and Just the Ticket, both from Papertrey Ink <br /><b>Paper:</b> Stampin' Up! Blush Blossom, Papertrey Classic White and Aqua Mist <br /><b>Ink:</b> Palette Umber, Versamark <br /><b>Accessories:</b> Dimensional foam adhesive; heat gun; Cuttlebug with swirl folder; cloud, balloon, & ticket dies from Papertrey Ink; Ranger Embossing Pearl in Silver </i>Bonniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11219111119894700146noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4334298840020233058.post-84089998994839352452011-09-07T10:24:00.001-05:002011-09-07T13:40:06.667-05:00Fun with feltThis stamp/die set is part of the package I ordered a couple of weeks ago from Papertrey, so I wanted to get it out and get it broken in.
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The die didn't <i>quite</i> cut through the felt, so I spent a while cutting it through the rest of the way with scissors, and then it ended up being kind of a background element... I think it would have been more worthwhile if I'd used it as a main centerpiece. I do like the effect, though, of the felt "shadow" behind the gingko leaves.<br><br>
I love the sentiment that comes with this set - "Take a moment to remember how special you are & how lucky the world is to have you in it." I accented the sentiment (and some outlining around the leaves) with a glitter pen. <br><br>
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Something I like about Papertrey is that they frequently include with stamp sets a coordinating "Handmade just for you by:" stamp, which I can put on the back with my signature stamp. That was another I couldn't get a good close-up of (actually, that was because my camera batteries died and I need to go get some more...), but I appreciate the little touch.<br><br>
<i><b>Stamps:</b> <a href="http://papertreyink.com/stamps_harvestberries.html">Papertrey Harvest Berries</a><br>
<b>Paper:</b> <a href="http://papertreyink.com/pb_paper.html">Papertrey Stamper's Select White</a>, <a href="http://papertreyink.com/pm_paper.html">Aqua Mist</a><br>
<b>Ink:</b> Palette Umber, Ocean Tides<br>
<b>Accessories:</b> Cuttlebug, <a href="http://papertreyink.com/stamps_harvestberries.html">Harvest Berries Die</a>, <a href="http://papertreyink.com/emb_felt.html">Fine Linen felt</a>, Sakura glitter pen</i>Bonniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11219111119894700146noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4334298840020233058.post-55910432777770736902011-08-29T14:10:00.002-05:002011-08-29T14:15:11.316-05:00If at first you don't succeed......build a diorama.
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<br />Isn't that how it goes?
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<br />So you might remember <a href="http://stampingbird.blogspot.com/2011/08/when-good-idea-goes-horribly-awry.html">last week's disaster</a>. I spent some time this week fixing it. This time, rather than hanging them up in front of some cute paper and calling it a day, I got crafty.
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<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://downings.smugmug.com/photos/i-5jn3RVs/0/M/i-5jn3RVs-M.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 498px; height: 450px;" src="http://downings.smugmug.com/photos/i-5jn3RVs/0/M/i-5jn3RVs-M.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>
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<br />This is the same box, with the same background and same figurines, but I added a little context. The tree is a bunch of lengths of twine, twisted and hot-glued to the box, with some die-cut "leaves" and button-apples. I figured I'd have the Lion hiding behind it and the Tin Man nearby like he might chop it down. Dorothy, of course, is on the yellow brick road, and since the Scarecrow was conveniently positioned like he was on the scarecrow-ing pole (do those have a name?), I made him one out of a stick.
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<br />With the balloon (die cut and stamps by Papertrey Ink), I was trying to make it look like it was floating up behind the tree, but from some angles it just looks like it's coming out of the Tin Man's head. If I can think of a way to move it without leaving adhesive behind or tearing the background, I probably will.Bonniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11219111119894700146noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4334298840020233058.post-72922653702061981862011-08-26T12:14:00.003-05:002011-08-26T12:28:23.630-05:00Hearth CenterpieceI just finished working on the other main element of my over-the-hearth setup - this gorgeous framed board game that was hanging in my room when I was a kid. It's called "The Wonderful Game of Oz" and I think it's from the 30s? Maybe the 40s?
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<br />It was originally framed in red (double-glassed, because of the beautiful art on the back), and when we painted my room lavender, it got a new coat of paint. You can see both colors and the back glass here. (And yes, that's my sonic screwdriver behind it... I actually use it ALL the time because it's the easiest screwdriver to find and has 6 different heads. And it makes cool noises while I'm using it...)
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<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://downings.smugmug.com/photos/i-Vt9zThL/0/S/i-Vt9zThL-S.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://downings.smugmug.com/photos/i-Vt9zThL/0/S/i-Vt9zThL-S.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>
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<br />The lavender doesn't really go with my grey-green walls in here, so I thought I'd paint again, this time white to go with the shadow box (insert sad trombone sound effect here).
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<br />Unfortunately, right after I took this picture of the artwork on the back (and progress in taking off the frame), I picked up the game and glass, and the glass cracked. On the bright side, it was the back glass and not the front, so I taped it... the tape doesn't look great, but if I ever want to somehow display both sides I'll just replace the back glass.
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<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://downings.smugmug.com/photos/i-J9dRZVD/0/S/i-J9dRZVD-S.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 225px; height: 300px;" src="http://downings.smugmug.com/photos/i-J9dRZVD/0/S/i-J9dRZVD-S.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>
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<br />Other than that, I painted the frame and re-framed it without incident (actually, putting the frame back on was MUCH easier than taking it off). How gorgeous is this?
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<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://downings.smugmug.com/photos/i-5RrXH4K/0/S/i-5RrXH4K-S.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 225px; height: 300px;" src="http://downings.smugmug.com/photos/i-5RrXH4K/0/S/i-5RrXH4K-S.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>
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<br />A closeup of my favorite part - Quadling Country. I spent HOURS looking at this game when I was little, writing new Oz stories in my head with the characters.
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<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://downings.smugmug.com/photos/i-4RKhbGS/0/S/i-4RKhbGS-S.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://downings.smugmug.com/photos/i-4RKhbGS/0/S/i-4RKhbGS-S.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>
<br />Bonniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11219111119894700146noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4334298840020233058.post-72589134634891482432011-08-23T21:06:00.002-05:002011-08-23T21:19:33.542-05:00When a good idea goes horribly awryThis week, I've been trying to work on my over-the-mantel arrangement, and get everything looking like I want it. I'm sort of going for a vintage-childrens'-literature theme, and I've been obsessed with <span style="font-style:italic;">The Wizard of Oz</span> forever, so that's pretty much the dominant book. This involves painting a frame that I really should have figured out how to paint without taking it off the glass, and finding a great way to display some gorgeous <span style="font-style:italic;">Wizard of Oz</span> ornaments that Emily gave me for Christmas. They're really too pretty (and not too Christmasy) to just be out at Christmas.
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<br />And so enters my great idea - I'll do a shadow box or display box, where the figurines can be out all the time. I went to the dollhouse store (very cool, by the way), where I found a perfect display box - pre-painted, easy to assemble, perfect dimensions. They also had some little wooden... things... that were originally meant to hold up shelves, but had holes through them. I thought, hey, the ornaments have twine loops, I can just loop them through the holes. Still all sounding great in my head. Even better, I had the idea to cover the back with a nice scrapbook paper. Lovely, right?
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<br />Here it is, upside-down, right after I glued in the hangers. Looking great, no? Nice paper, cute hangers, good-looking box...
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<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://downings.smugmug.com/photos/i-2BKBxzV/0/S/i-2BKBxzV-S.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://downings.smugmug.com/photos/i-2BKBxzV/0/S/i-2BKBxzV-S.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>
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<br />This was all great until I'd tied on the ornaments and stood the box upright.
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<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://downings.smugmug.com/photos/i-87V2gbt/0/S/i-87V2gbt-S.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://downings.smugmug.com/photos/i-87V2gbt/0/S/i-87V2gbt-S.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>
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<br />...yeah.
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<br />Ornaments on a tree are ALL hung from something, so it looks normal, but human/humanoid figurines, hanging at a time other than Christmas from twine on their heads? SO SO SO CREEPY AND MORBID.
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<br />So.
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<br />This project is being re-thunk. Look for it again when I figure out how to re-work it to not look like the witch's forest was just entirely <span style="font-style:italic;">too</span> dark and depressing.Bonniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11219111119894700146noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4334298840020233058.post-28070906695427691512011-08-19T10:48:00.000-05:002011-08-19T10:48:00.267-05:00Scentsy StyleMy aunt sells <a href="https://laurielewis.scentsy.us/">Scentsy products</a> (check out the link - there's a sale!), which, if you don't know, are flameless wax holder... um, things? They're awesome, anyway - I was a tiny bit skeptical ("Don't I already have enough scented-wax things with all the candles sitting around here?") until she got me one as a housewarming gift, and it's AWESOME. It's kind of a basic setup - a light bulb inside a ceramic box warms up scented wax in a tray on top - but I LOVE that I can leave it on during the day and it keeps the downstairs smelling nice (I have it in the bathroom, and the scent isn't overly strong, but it does make the downstairs pleasant), and I don't freak out if we've gone somewhere and I remember I didn't put it out.
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<br />So the reason I'm telling you all this is because the one she got me for a housewarming gift is one of their DIY ones - a plain white (I think they have brown or black too) model that comes with rub-ons so you can customize it.
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<br />I actually plugged mine in right away in the bathroom, to see how it worked, and LOVE how the plain white looks in there with all the other white, so I haven't decorated mine yet, but she got me two sets of rub-ons with it. One of them is more what I think would work well in one of the rooms downstairs if I do decide to decorate it, and the other set is SUPER cute but a lot of stuff about friends and friendship - which is perfect for cards, but maybe a little weird to decorate a thing to go in my house with.
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<br />So, I'm using them to make cards, and they're really great rub-ons... go on easily and look really good.
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<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://downings.smugmug.com/photos/i-TsjJ4Bb/0/S/i-TsjJ4Bb-S.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://downings.smugmug.com/photos/i-TsjJ4Bb/0/S/i-TsjJ4Bb-S.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>
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<br />The ribbon is on the bottom because, well... I got this Martha Stewart edge punch that I've been wanting forever, and it turns out it'll only punch through really thin paper/cardstock. I tried to do it on this (layer of thicker cardstock + layer of paper) and it just made marks, so the ribbon is covering up the marks.
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<br />Dang, that was a ton of explanation for a really simple card...Bonniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11219111119894700146noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4334298840020233058.post-44016380386889244392011-08-18T09:59:00.000-05:002011-08-18T10:07:55.181-05:00Passing NotesI think I sorta figured it out - the idea that was trying to happen yesterday.
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<br />So here's the story.
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<br />In high school, a particular friend and I would pass notes <span style="font-style:italic;">all</span> the time. None of this texting stuff... we got out our fancy pens (usually purple or green ink, sometimes glittery) and wrote <span style="font-style:italic;">letters</span>. Full notebook sheets of... well, that's the question, really.
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<br />Because we probably wrote each other hundreds of these in-class letters, folded into increasingly creative shapes. And I keep finding them. I graduated from high school 12 years ago, and I found one of her notes (football-folded) tucked into a folder when I was unpacking the house. They just turn up all the time. And I can hardly understand a word of them any more. I'm sure, to anyone happening to find a dropped one back when, they were complete gibberish - one inside joke after another. But they were cute! We were all about the decorations and doodles.
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<br />So I got inspired - if I was already so into "paper art" then, why not try to update that old tradition, and still keep the basics of it?
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<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://downings.smugmug.com/photos/i-23kz6z4/0/S/i-23kz6z4-S.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://downings.smugmug.com/photos/i-23kz6z4/0/S/i-23kz6z4-S.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>
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<br />I folded a notebook-paper sheet into a heart, and made a whole decorated card front with a pocket to put it in.
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<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://downings.smugmug.com/photos/i-4qb7BLW/0/S/i-4qb7BLW-S.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://downings.smugmug.com/photos/i-4qb7BLW/0/S/i-4qb7BLW-S.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>
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<br />The heart itself is decorated, too, of course - that's part of the fun!
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<br />I have a feeling someone's going to get this in their mailbox sometime soon.Bonniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11219111119894700146noreply@blogger.com0