A Crafty Birthday Box

Certain color combinations really make me happy! I really love coordinating orange and blue. They go so well together!

I used these fun colors on my latest craft project!

 I used a fun mixture of dies and stamps from Fun Stampers Journey to make a little birthday box. 

And check out those cute little birdies on the designer paper. Aren't they TWEET and super cute? This adorable paper matches the Bird Tweet stamp and coordinating die set. 

I think this would make a great favor for a kids party too!

I also did some stamping. I love the look of these birthday balloons and birthday sentiment. The orange creamsicle ink is fun and really pops off the paper.

To find out more about Fun Stampers Journey or to become a coach please visit the website here!

I hope you enjoyed my fun party box!

Supplies:

Stamp - Birthday sketch

Ink - Orange Creamcicle

Dies - Treat box, Journey Ovals, Cloud Dreams

Celebrate with a Cuppa Coffee and Crafts

This coffee addict is at is again! I've got a fun new project that is all about the java! 

This time I've made a little gift set that would be great to share with a fellow coffee lover out there. I even used fun products from Richard Garay's Celebrations collection.

My fave Starbucks coffee was the inspiration for this project. The big bag of ground house blend coffee is always brewing in my kitchen. My co-worker has been wanting to try it so I made her a little card and gift tag to go along with the coffee.

I stamped the tag using the Celebrations "Cup for Two" stamp set. I love all of the coffee themed words on this stamp. I will be using this one a lot for sure. I also used a wooden clothespin to clip it to the coffee bag.

I also made a card using the same stamp set and the Celebrations Pierced Ovals die. 

And look... I added in an actual Starbucks coffee stir stick to the card! I thought it would add some extra fun to the gift set.

My co-worker really loved this little gift! I must make more of these really soon!

Now I'm off to grab my own cuppa joe! Have a great day!

Project Life: Coffee Style

Coffee is one of my fave things! 

I've been waiting to find just the right crafty products before I made a Project Life page dedicated to "Mr. Coffee". I finally found some fun stuff. 

Here's what I came up with...

These fun pocket page cards and embellies are part of this month's Hip Kit Club - Project Life Kit. 

This kit even includes stamps, puffy stickers and circle tags. This was my first time doing a little stamping with pocket pages too!

The pocket page cards are a lot of fun. I love the cute little faces on the frappuccino cup and coffee cup. #cuteness

This was my first time using a kit to do Project Life. I must order more. It made it so easy to coordinate colors and embellishments.

Do you use a kit when you complete pages? If you know of any good kit clubs please let me know in the comments below. I'd love to check them out!

DIY Home Decor with the new Xyron Creative Station

I've got two fun Friday announcements! About a month ago I was selected to be one of the new creative designers for Xyron, Inc. Woo Hoo!

And did you know that Xyron has a new Creative Station? I'm going to show you the fun project that I made with it and provide more info about this sleek new tool!

First, let's take a look at what I made! 

I love looking at pretty things in my home or on my desk. I decided to make my own home decor item. Keep reading for a fun DIY tutorial on how to make your own!

Here's what you need to do...

Use dies to make some flowers.

{I used dies from Fun Stampers Journey}
{The paper is from Amy Tangerine}

Run your flowers through the Xyron Creative Station.

Peel each flower off of the adhesive sheet.

Place your flower onto a fabric flower and 

center it on the designer paper.

You are all done once all your flowers are layered on the front.

The finished project would look great sitting on a desk or bookshelf. It would also be a great gift!

The new Xyron Creative Station will be available in the following stores very soon:

JoAnn's - June

Michael's Craft Store - July

Hobby Lobby - September

Quick and Easy Handmade Cards

I often tell people that they can save a good chunk of change if they just take the time to do one thing - "Make your own greeting cards!"

Handmade is the "in thing"! It's quicker to reach out to others with the usual social media connections, but it's always nice to do something personal for a change! So skip the Hallmark store and make something special for the people in your life.

Here are two examples... 

I used dies, a butterfly punch, and a stamp on this card. Layer different shapes to add a unique element to your card design. 

The patterned paper that I used played up the gray and white very well. I was careful to place my circle die just so before cutting the paper. I wanted the pop of yellow to to be in the center of my circle.

Check out the side view above. I used pop dots to add dimension as well.

My next card is filled with fun elements like sequins and twine. Again, I used dies to add in different shapes.

My secret weapon to card making is a 6" x 6" paper pad. I won this Amy Tangerine pad from Paper Issues. 

The great thing about using a paper pad is color coordination. You don't have to second guess if a color or pattern will look good together. Everything in the collection fits so well if it's from the same manufacturer. 

Since I shopped at Paper Issues I wanted to link up there as well!

I hope you enjoyed my quick and easy card making tips today. These cards literally took me 15 minutes to make. Yay!

Supplies:

Paper: Amy Tangerine - Plus One

Dies: Lifestyle Crafts/We R Memory Keepers

Stamp: Chickaniddy Crafts

Sequins: Hobby Lobby

Party Favor Place Setting

Looking for a fun way to celebrate? Here's my take on how you can decorate a table with handmade party decor!

Check it out!

Each of your guests will feel super duper special if you place this set on the table. It's bright, colorful, and oh so cheerful too!

I used fun products from Richard Garay's Celebrations collection.

I really love the Celebrate die. It comes out all is one piece that can simply be adhered to the front of cardstock.

My next creation was made with my fave die. It's called "Create-a-Cone". It's so fun to use for all types of celebrations. I topped it with a flower made with the Rosette Blooms die. 

You can really get creative with the dies in this collection. This set can easily be used for birthdays, a baby shower, or any type of celebration.

Be sure to check out the Celebrations collection for your next event!

Also, I wanted to announce the winner from the contest last week. Remember the Fun Stampers Journey - Up, Up & Away blog hop? Click here if you missed it!

Congrats to "Crafty Alex"! You will be receiving a fun package of FSJ retiring goodies. Woo Hoo!

DIY Burlap Party Bags

Yes! I love a good party bag. What's even better is that I love to make my own!

Here's my latest and greatest!

It's always a good idea to get out of the norm when making your own bags. Instead of using paper how about using different material for a change?

I love these burlap bags from SRM Stickers. They are just the right size too!

I also used a lot of paper goodies from The Little Blue House. They have a great online store that is full of paper, embellishments, and project kits. I used Amy Tangerine's Rise and Shine collection.

Did you notice the clear tag layered on top of the kraft one? I just love the clear overlays. It adds such a fun element to your projects! I also sprinkled (glued on) a few sequins too!

I hope this gives you some ideas on how to make your own party bags. Your guests will love receiving something unique that you made yourself.

And do you need more craft supplies? Check out all of the goodies in The Little Blue house store!

Fun Stampers Journey Up & Away Blog Hop

Welcome to Richard Garay’s first-ever "Up, Up & Away Retirement Sale Showcase"! 

The Make Amazing Girls are showing off some incredible projects, each featuring retiring products from Fun Stampers Journey. Make sure to visit each and every blog, because there’s a lot of inspiration to be had… and a chance to win prizes, too! 

And check out the incredible deals on fabulous stamp sets, patterned paper, and more HERE! 

I have two projects that I want to share. The stamps that I used are some of my faves too.

First up is a gift basket that I made using the Simply Lovely stamp set. The bird on this stamp is very elegant and can be used for all types of occasions. 

Next is a creation that I made called the "Happy on the Inside" card. The outside of the card is decorated using the Bloom Flourish stamp.

The inside is stamped with a "happy" greeting and sprinkled with confetti.

Thanks for taking a look at my crafty creations! Be sure to check out ALL the stops on this amazing blog hop! 

Here’s what you do next:

-Visit each person's blog listed below.

-Leave a comment on each blog. One winner from all comments received will win their choice of one retiring stamp set. The more blogs you comment on, the more chances to win! 
Comments close on May 7, 2015 at Midnight, PST.

-Return on May 8th to see the winner announcement on Richardgaray.com! (Knowing Richard, he probably has a few surprises up his sleeve, too!).

Here's the list:

Richard Garay

Kathy Martin

Tania Willis

Angi Barrs

Mindy Baxter

Michelle Woerner

Laura Williams

Fun Stamper’s Journey Blog

Happy hopping!!!

Pinwheel Crafts

I've always wanted to make a pinwheel! They are so happy and always bring a SMILE to my face!

I did some research online and found this template. I adjusted the size just a tad-bit and made my very first one! I love how it turned out!

I used paper and embellishments from The Little Blue House. They have a great online store for all of your paper craft projects! I really love the Amy Tangerine Rise and Shine collection. 

The pinwheel looks so cute in a bottle too! You can find these bottles for $1 at Michael's craft store!

I hope you enjoyed my fun pinwheel project today! And remember to shop at The Little Blue House!