Saturday, February 11, 2017

Hand Lettering Practice and Coffee Printables


This week's link party continues here

I smile when I read the "About Me" of so many bloggers and see some variation of the statement " I run on coffee". I know there are many bloggers who don't drink it too so no judgement!

But for those of us who do, my unscientific research concludes that it's not just a beverage we consume, it's a life force! I'm no exception. Mochas for me!  Hence my hand lettering practice quote above and some printables I made. 









Thursday, February 9, 2017

BFF Open House


Happy Friday Eve all! Well the Northwest started the week under a blanket of snow and looks like the Northeast will finish it under an even bigger one. Hope everyone and all of you in the middle are safe and warm! 

Let's see some great ideas from last week's party. If you're snowed in this weekend, might have time to work on them! 


I love this cup cozy Kileen from Raven Would shared. It was inspired by the movie "Big Hero 6" and the Beymax character. There's an ongoing battle in our house because Mr. Chocolate is of the opinion that Beymax is and should be referred to as Big Hero 6. We've agreed to disagree but I think everyone can agree how cute this is! Even my basic crochet skills can handle this! 


The expression "SWAK" for Sealed With A Kiss comes to life with these printable envelope seals that were shared by White House Crafts. How much fun are these?!


Dog lovers or friends and family of dog lovers you will want to check out these printables from My Busy Beehives.  Woof! 

Finally, if you're looking for a delicious Valentine's dessert, look no further: 


Chocolate Cupcakes with Mascarpone Frosting from Birds Party! You're welcome !

Now, on to this week's party! 

   
   








Monday, February 6, 2017

Cardmaking: Sympathy Card


"I feel a card coming" is what Mr. Chocolate said the minute we got an email about the loss of a friend's beloved canine companion Freddie. Being married to a card maker, he knew that went without saying. 

For so many people their four legged friends are so much more than pets. I know our little girl is. She's been my constant companion for the last 15 years and I dread the inevitable day .  Like our friend's dog, ours knows when someone's sick or hurt or just having a bad day and knows when we need her to just sit w/us. The increase in therapy animals and hospitals bringing pets in to see patients suggests that there's some science behind this. When my son was in undergrad, his college brought puppies in during finals to reduce stress. 

Naturally I wanted to acknowledge this loss and send some small comfort to our friend. 



I save all of my scraps so I went to my scrap bin and pulled out some coordinating pieces along with some angel wings from my embellishments stash.  When working w/ scraps they sometimes dictate the design.  


Layered the pieces as shown and punched a heart from a scrap of black glitter cardstock.  I wanted to show that Freddie's heart will always be w/our friend even now that he's a guardian angel. 


PS
Here's my little baby. She's old, she's toothless, she can barely see and she has our heart! 






Thursday, February 2, 2017

BFF Open House Link Party


Happy Friday Eve everyone. Hope the week has been KIND to you! Once again it's flown by. Some really fun ideas shared at last week's party. Let's see a few! 


Valentine's Day is coming but I am really loving that "Galentine's" is a thing. What a fun way to show your girlfriends some love and let's not leave guy pals out ...that could be "Palentine's" right?  This post from White House Crafts is perfect for Galentines with a host of great ideas! 


You could whip up a few of these DIY Agate Coasters to include. 3 Winks Design has the how-to.  I keep seeing agate accessories everywhere but they can add up fast!


My Busy Beehives shared this fabulous Scrabble Tile idea that is super easy and super cute! 


Wipe the drool off your screen. Don't these White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecakes from Crafting In the Rain look amazing? You're welcome! 

On to this week's party! 

   
   











Tuesday, January 31, 2017

Valentine's Lanterns


Disclosure: This is a sponsored post. Products in this post were provided to me. Project and opinions are mine.

Yikes. How is it almost Valentine's Day already?  Time to get busy with some new decorations right? Fortunately I get to work with Oriental Trading Company and with their selection of  decor and craft items, was able to come up with some new  pieces I now have up not only for Valentine's Day  but as part of my decor all year round! 

Since I tend towards neutrals and metallics, I fell in love ( no pun intended) with these silver metal lanterns. I decided I'd make some altered candles to put inside them but since I knew I wouldn't light them, I chose battery operated flameless candles. They look great lit or unlit and no risk of burning down the house! 


Never one to leave anything plain, I used a Love Letter background stamp to make candle wraps for the candles. 


I stamped on plain white cardstock then tore the edges and went over with a metallic gold rub-on to give them an aged look. Adhered them to the candles with a strong double sided tape. 


Still not content to leave my candlewraps alone, I cut a couple of hearts from some scrap glitter vinyl. And of course, STILL not content, had to embellish some more! What goes better with hearts than more hearts and keys? 


I adhered the large keys with foam dots,  wrapped gold and white Baker's twine around each candle a few times  ( this also keeps the keys in place) and finished with heart charms and a rolled paper rose made w/ scraps from my stamped candlewraps. We makers don't wastestuff  do we?!


Once my candles were done, of course I needed to add some embellishments to the lanterns themselves. Using scrap glitter paper , more Baker's twine,  charms , and paper roses did the trick! 




When lit, the candles give of a calming soft glow. I miss just sitting and looking at the twinkling lights of the Christmas tree. I think I've found a solution! 

Supplies Used ( unless otherwise stated all are from Oriental Trading Co) 
  • Metal Lanterns
  • Flameless Candles
  • Heart and Key Charms
  • Gold and White Baker's Twine
  • White Scrapbook Paper
  • Love Letter Background Stamp
  • Gold metallic rub on (my stash)
  • Strong double sided tape ( my stash) 
Happy (almost) Love Month!!









Thursday, January 26, 2017

BFF Open House Link Party


Happy Friday Eve all. Can you believe we're headed into the last week of January already? Wasn't it just Christmas? 

There were some really cool and inspirational ideas shared at last week's party ( and I've fixed things this week so the thumbnails show...operator error!)


Let's start with this Wood Burned and Stained Mandala Tray that Kileen from Raven Would shared. I recently bought a wood burning tool to play with and this is my inspiration!! Isn't it spectacular?


All the way from Germany is this beautiful illuminated 3D paper art piece from Wesens Art blog. I love what she shared in her post too: 

"Especially this object is important for me. 
It should remind me to really trust my abilities. 
I'm a creative person and want to do more creative things for myself - to keep it or give it away. Just because I want to do it!"
Couldn't agree more!


So I've been seeing a lot about Instant Pots lately and I'm interested in anything that sounds fast in these time compressed times. The ladies from LollyJane sure have me intrigued with 23 Instant Pot recipes! I do have a Williams Sonoma gift card from Christmas I haven't used yet....hmmm

With Valentine's day coming up , here are some yummy treats: 


What's better than a chocolate chip cookie? An Oreo stuffed chocolate chip cookie! Check out Sugar Spice and Family Life for the recipe...if you dare! 

OK on to this week's party!! Happy Weekend all. 











Tuesday, January 24, 2017

2017 Favorite Hand Lettering Resources


Yesterday was National Handwriting Day. I've always been obsessed with handwriting, calligraphy, and now hand lettering which I would describe as a combination of handwriting, drawing, and doodling. My Mom has beautiful handwriting and my Dad did too. 

I went to Catholic school as a child and the rumors about Nuns and handwriting (at least up through my era) are 100% true. Add to that a Dad who went to Catholic school before me and who was equally adamant about penmanship including practice sessions with him. I mean it was a thing. Without sounding too old, it does make me sad that cursive and penmanship are pretty much not taught anymore. 

I've tried self taught calligraphy with OK results. Still want to take an in person clasee. 

When I started seeing "Hand Lettering" all over the place I knew I'd found my people ! This combination of drawing, doodling, etc. drew me like a moth to a flame and I am learning and practicing every day. 

I thought I'd share some of the resources I've found helpful in case anyone else has been bitten by this bug. A huge thank you to all the people who share their talent and tutorials , mostly for FREE! 

In no particular order: 

One Artsy Mama: Amy Latta ( who loves lattes) doesn't probably know it,  but she's the first person who made me feel like I could learn this. She had a series on her blog that was so easy to follow and got me to dip my toes in the water ( er um ink in the well?). Easy to follow tutorials on lettering , accents, banners, etc. 


Checking out her series led me to other amazing places like: 

Dawn Nicole Designs:  Amazing tutorials, free practice sheets, extras if you sign up for her newsletter,. Her You Tube channel, FB page , Instagram....all of her places offer something to learn from. INSPIRING! 


Kristina Werner: Droolworthy ! I especially love her creation of backgrounds she uses for her lettering.


The Postman's Knock: Lindsey Bugbee. Stunning calligraphy and Lindsey provides worksheets and tutorials like this one she shared today: 




Llamas Love Lettering: Cindy Guentert Baldo. Wonderful, easy to follow You Tube tutorials. Cindy is irreverent and funny. She's unfiltered and uncensored so you've been warned! 




Zensipirations: Joanne Fink: I adore her dangle lettering which she makes look completely effortless. Joanne works with Sakura America and is featured on their website as well as her own.  




This is by NO means an exhaustive list ( and none of these folks know I'm doing this so there's nothing in it for me).  There are tons of resources online. These are the ones I continue to go back to again and again so thought I'd share. 

If you've been at all interested in learning about Hand Lettering but have been intimidated, STOP IT! 

Sure it will take practice and you will erase some things and tear up some practice sheets . It's a journey and like every journey begins with the first step! 



HAPPY LETTERING 

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