BFF Open House

 

Happy Friday Eve Creative Peeps! How is it the end of February already and not to alarm you but Friday marks ten months until Christmas. That might seem like forever but watch how fast it flies by! 

I haven't made anything worth sharing this week but I did spend the week attending a wonderful workshop hosted by Abbi Kirsten called Cricut Craft Fest. Lots of inspiring projects and met some talented new Creatives. 

et's take a look at some of the inspiring ideas from last week's party and can't wait to see what you all have been up to this week! 

I hand deliver some of the cards I love to make and hadn't really thought about adding a postage stamp to the envelope but what a great way to make them even more special with these Art Paper Postage Stamps from Createarie !

Makeable Crafts shared a green and great way to change out some Wall Art by making over a piece you may already have or finding a great clearance deal or thrifty find. I know I've found some things I've found that are less expensive to buy and makeover than buy the supplies to make from scratch! 

How perfect for Spring is this adorable Gnome painting from Love My Little Cottage? It's easier than you think with a template included in the post! 

Finally, pretend you're sitting at a Paris cafe with these easy to make Chocolate Croissants using frozen puff pastry. YUM! From Cindy's Online Recipe Box. Bon Appetit!

Off to this week's party and thanks to ALL who link up and share your creations here!

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

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BFF Open House

 

Hellos and happy Friday Eve all. Hope you all had a nice Valentine's Day. We're low key V-Day people which I think happens when you've been married for 30 years! It was just our speed. Our favorite pizza and being with each other. 

I do however love making Valentine's cards for friends and family so this week I shared the ones I made this year here: Layered Geometric Heart Valentine's Cards

Another week of creativity and inspiring projects shared by all of you so let's take a look at some of the wonderful ideas! 

I've been fortunate to have a dedicated crafting space and I know not everyone is. Love My Little Cottage shared her joy at creating a multi-use space she now has where as she puts it she can "paint with abandon". It's beautiful! 

How brilliant is this?! From The Apple Street Cottage, an ingenious way to use a pizza peel as the backdrop for a wreath! I love this so much and have a pizza peel we don't ever use. 

I love a good upcycle. There's something so fulfilling about transforming something considered "trash" into a beautiful treasure. My Thrift Store Addiction shows us how to take spritzer cans and transform them int beautiful vases. 

Finally, how YUM is this Chocolate Marble Quick Bread from Treat and Trick? So YUM! 

Thank you to EVERYONE who linked up. I love seeing your creations each week. The world is a better place with creatives in it. Now let's see what everyone's been up to this week! 

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

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Cardmaking: Layered Geometric Heart Valentine's Cards

 

Happy Love Day Creative Peeps! Whatever you're doing (including not doing) today, wishing you a day filled with love...for self, partner, spouse, friends, family...however you define it! 

Sharing the cards I did this year which continue my obsession with layered cut files! 

Supplies: 

• Black, White, Pink Glitter Cardstock
• Scrapbook Paper
• Layered Heart SVG file 
• Foam Dots
• Heart Shaped Scratch Stickers
• Digital Cutting Machine

The star of these are the Scratch Off stickers I used for the interior which I found at Dollar Tree and like so many of my Dollar Tree purchases I'm asking : "Why didn't I get more?!"

The file I used for the heart is from Creative Fabrica. It comes with several more layers than I used and I deleted the ones I wasn't going to use in Cricut Design Space. I cut the hearts using my Cricut Explore Air 2. The SVG file can be used with other cutting machines. 

For the cards themselves I used black cardstock and scrapbook papers from American Crafts "The Color of Memories" collection (SKU #s 348947 and 320417) I found a JoAnn. The pink glitter paper is by Recollections from Michaels. 

It always helps me to change the colors in Design Space to the actual colors I'm working with, Keeps things straight in my brain! Sized to fit my cards, then cut each layer. To assemble the hearts, I used small foam dots and then used my tape runner to adhere to the card. 

I printed the word "love" on white paper, trimmed and mounted on the American Crafts paper and then applied the scratch off sticker over it. I wrote a little "scratch here" note when I signed the cards. I hope they do some other shapes with these scratch off stickers! Aren't the cool?! 

I love sending cards to family and friends and these were a hit! 

BFF Open House

 

Achoo! I mean Happy Friday Eve. Just a little allergy humor. While a lot of the country has been under snow and ice, allergens are kicking my behind here in the desert. So this week the most creative thing I've done this week is figure out which combination of allergy and sinus meds to take. I hope everyone else is having a good week! 

As always, lots of wonderfully creative ideas shared at last week's party so let's take a look at a few! 

Need some last minute Valentine's inspiration? Check out this beautiful Box of Roses idea from Studio 27 by Jennifer Adams! Beautiful. 

Another great and easy way to decorate comes from Fresh Vintage by Lisa S with these Coffee Filter Hearts strung on a branch to make a Valentine's tree. 

I've been wanting to get back into crocheting and this Baby Blanket with Pom Poms from Howling Liz is just perfect! 

And finally, this Orange Ginger Vinaigrette from Homemade on a Weeknight looks and sounds so delicious! 

Thanks to everyone who linked up. Now let's see what you've all been up to this week! 

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

BFF Open House

 

Happy FEBRUARY all! Yikes. Every January, I convince myself that the year won't fly by. Why do I lie to myself? Hope everyone had a great week and those of you hit by storms in the NE and Midwest are keeping warm. I know Texas is also in for it so hope you all are stocked up and warm too! 

This week I shared a fun and easy variation on all the Faerie Gardens we're seeing and made a Gnome Garden! My other creative contribution this week was baking my Newfie a birthday cake! She acts like a human anyway. No worries...perfectly dog safe ingredients! 

She did NOT get the whole thing at once! OK let's see a few of the wonderful ideas shared at last week's party, You all continue to let your creativity shine!

What perfect timing from Hello Sewing! We have a BIG girl who does what big dogs do which is to destroy dog toys. I keep sending the message out to the universe to dog toy companies that if they need a super chewer tester, I've got their girl. But in the meantime, these Repurposed Jeans Dog Bones look very promising! 

This Valentine's Day plaque is just the thing to add a little Valentine's spirit to your decor. From The  Apple Street Cottage. 

I am always in awe of people who can take their thrifted finds and make beautiful tablescapes with them. This Valentine's Table from My Thrift Store Addiction is no exception! 

Finally, whether you're looking for a Valentine's treat or just because, you can't go wrong with these Oreo Brownie Bars from The Kitchen Is My Playground. 

Thank you to everyone who linked up and shared their talents here. I hope you're all clicking on and visiting each others links. Now let's see what you've all been up to this week! 

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

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Easy Decor : Gnome Garden

 

I have a quirky fun and easy project for you today that started with leftover corks from Tequila bottles and an inspiration from Sum of Their Stories, whose project I featured at last week's party! 

I know Faerie Gardens are super popular, but me being me, I wanted to do something a little different and when I found the gnome...

Supplies: 

• Mushroom shaped corks ( eg champagne)
• Acrylic Paints 
• Gnome Figurine (Target)
• Reindeer Moss (JoAnn)
• Glass Cloche
• Cork
• Floral Pick

I had a couple of corks from the bottles I used for my Clay Pot Bottle Toppers. I thought they'd make perfect mushrooms...the kind that are cute to decorate with but not eat because they're poisonous! I also have a metal and glass cloche I found a couple of years ago after Christmas at Pottery Barn for 60% off and I use it seasonally for small vignettes. When I saw plain white gnome figurines at Target for $1, I hollered and it all came together in my head. 

First thing was to make my "mushrooms"

Grabbed my corks, some red and white paint and went to work first painting them all white then painting the caps red. I took a ball end tool (an embossing tool or the end of a paintbrush would also work) and dotted the caps with the white. 

I only did one coat of the read leaving a little of the white to shine through because it looked more natural. 

Since I wanted to be able to continue to re-use the cloche I grabbed a scrap piece of cork and cut to fit the bottom. I knew I was probably going to have to use a little hot glue so I wanted a removable base. 

I picked up a package of Reindeer Moss at JoAnn (50% coupon so $2.99 / $5.99 regular price). I made a ring atop the cork (not glued, just laid it down) to figure out positioning. I did glue the mushrooms and the floral pick to the cork then placed the gnome and put the top back on. 

Total cost? $4 since I had most stuff already! There's no place like a home with a gnome right?