StarLitStudio

just call me

Sometimes, you just want to forget texting and pick up the darn phone just to hear their voice.

Two new images from Lockhart Stamp Company on today's project:  Telephone and Mail Check List.

Colored with Copic markers, and Liquid Pearls Cantaloupe on the dial.  Spellbinders dies used (inked with Antique Linen Distress ink) and Memory Box Kraft, Wassail and retired 7gypsies Beacon.  And a Martha punch. 

Rose velvet ric rac and beaded up pearl headpins, and an adorable Inchie Square.  Linen thread dresses up a vintage mother-of-pearl button (grlyhead-etsy).  Sentiment is Papertrey (on my couch). Thanks for stopping by today and it's almost Friday!

 

5 & dime birthday

Playing with October Afternoon's 5 & Dime collection and a MFT rolled flower die. I've been wanting to try paper pleating since seeing Amy Rohl's Splitcoast tutorial.

Mother of pearl vintage buttons were purchased from grlyhead on etsy.  Paper lace border is a Martha punch, pearls are Zva, and the flower lace is Wrights.  The jumbo metal rimmed tag was highlighted with a punched wagon image from Root Beer Barrels (5 & Dime). 

The cute birthday sentiment is from Quietfire and the ribbon is white seam binding.  Thank you for stopping by today!

fun with caps

...bottle caps that is.  I love running bottle caps through a die cut machine - love that crunch and what that crunch produces.

This weekend I discovered the round chipboard pieces from October Afternoon's Chip 'n Stick's, combined with bottle caps and a die cut machine make some pretty cute embellishments!

Bottle Cap Ink products are all made in the U.S.A.   I simply shoved the one-inch chipboard, mock button circle into the bottle cap and ran it through a die cut machine (we'll call this 'pressed').  These were the results:

This was the journey: far left - just inserted and pressed.  On #2 I tied some ribbon through the holes before I inserted the chipboard piece & pressed.  On #3 I got smart: ran it thorough then (re)punched the holes using a Crop-a-dile.  #4 is the same as #3, only with ribbon tied after the (metal) holes were (re)punched.  #4 is my favorite.  

I like this look too, of using a finer thread and a small vintage mother-of-pearl button (etsy-grlyhead).

This embellishment was used on a 5 & Dime Mini Tag Album created this weekend.

Used on a card.  Love this kitty.

More 5 & Dime papers, Memory Box Robin's Egg cardstock base.  Card size is 5 inches by 7 inches.  Venise (Venice) Lace, Spellbinders die and a Sizzix Rosette die were used.  Tiny bling are Memory Box.  Thank you for stopping by today!

lockhart gate - deepest sympathy

For today's project I combined a new Lockhart Stamp Company image called Perfect Berries with Quietfire sympathy sentiments. 

The venise (or Venice) lace was dyed with brewed coffee - I simply poured a half-mug of my husband's cold coffee, submerged a swatch of the lace, removed and blotted on a few paper towels then left to dry a few hours.  Love this effect - in the photo above: before (below) and coffee dyed (above).  A beautiful hue with minimal effort.

I used a mess of Spellbinders dies on this card - I channeled Becca - she influenced my choices for this project!  Most all layers are elevated using foam tape, and the diecuts were inked with Distress Antique Linen ink.  Colored cardstock is Sage, off-white is Parchment, both from Memory Box.

Ink is ColorBox Chalk Olive Pastel.  The ribbon was made using white seam binding and Antique Linen Distress Stain using this technique.  Patterned paper is retired 7gypsies Beacon.

Interior sentiment is Quietfire and the punched paper border is a Spellbinders die.  Love the Lockhart gate on the envelope...thank you for stopping by today and best wishes for a great week!

masculine notebooks using idea-ology

These notebooks were created for the male teachers for my oldest child.  Notepads are from Papertrey, and the finished size is roughly 2-1/2 inches wide and eight inches in height.

Retired Tim Holtz papers used - these are 9x9 and some are left in the store here.  Cardstock was cut to eight inches tall and six inches wide.  I created a half-inch flap on the notebook cover to provide a nice edge when opening it - more details/photo regarding the cover flap in Thursday's post.

Supplies used:  Ruler Ribbon, Lace Chain, Sprocket Gears, Hinge Clips, Game Spinners, Mini Pins, Light Bulbs and Muse Tokens.

I collaged the mass of metal paraphernalia onto a one-inch by eight inch strip of patterned cardstock (matted in black licorice cardstock), then adhered that completed strip onto the notebook front using two, side-by-side, eight inch lengths of foam tape.  The light bulbs have two handy holes in them, and I simply and quickly wired them into place. Some gears were adhered in place using Glossy Accents.

The ruler ribbon - dyed with Antique Linen Distress reinker - was adhered with red line tape.  Thanks for stopping by today!

notebook gifts and packaging

End-of-the-school-year teacher gifts - I made a few of these...October Afternoon Schoolhouse papers; Papertrey Ink felt, notepads and stamps; Spellbinders dies.

A photo of the notebook inside.  Decorative paper was cut 8" tall and 6" wide - the notebook opening was folded over about 1/2 inch (as shown on the left) to provide a nice, finished edge.

I can't seem to make but a few of each style without getting bored...so the notebooks ended up being a variety of styles and papers - most of these use October Afternoon's Thrift Shop line.

I used non-gusseted decorative paper sacks as packaging - folded them over in half and added a ribbon bow.  Scallop-edged scissors made a nice, decorative edge.

Added the teacher's name in calligraphy using Mish's tags and some string.  The calligraphy pen I love and have been using is a Extra Fine Art Pen by Rotring - Jenny Doh wrote about it on her blog in her post here.  It's a wonderful writing implement.

The kids wrote a note to each teacher on the back of each tag.

And a pretty basket to carry them all to school in.  I'll detail the notebooks for the male teachers next.  Thank you for stopping by today!

graduation and teacher gift

This young lady has had me busy this and last week.  Last week was the 8th grade promotion dance - held at a beautiful outdoor garden of a 300 year old inn:

This is Allison, my oldest on the driveway.  Yesterday was graduation:

They don't wear robes - it's a tiny school.  The school requested that dresses be tea-length or longer, so she picked this. 

She's finally a high-schooler.  Today was finally the last day of school, due to our snow days this year.

Teacher gifts filled my working hours last week and this past weekend - this is the 7x7 album I created for my Abbie's awesome third grade teacher:

I used a bunch of Jolee's Boutique stickers for this, along with some 7gypsies goodies.  Each student filled a page of memories from this year.

Journal interior - October Afternoon Schoolhouse line used.  The poem is modified from this version I found on Marueen's blog.  Papertrey stamps used.

This is my third grader, cleaning her desk today with shaving cream (it's not just for shaving... )and a brillo pad.  The desks looked like new - genius!

Looking forward to summer - I'll post the other teacher gifts this week.  Thank you for stopping by today!

patriotic birthday card

A flury of punch activity after loving everything on Becca's blog.

The bling pattern on the Spellbinders tag die is a pre-made bling sticker by a company called want2scrap - cleverly called 'nestabling':

Very fun to use.  Here's a close up of it:

I made the bow using 1" red silk ribbon and a peg bow maker my handyman and neighbor Bob the Builder made after I sent him dimensions using Becca's peg bow maker as a guide.  I love this thing:

Very nice and very sturdy - base measures 12" x 5" x 1-1/2" in height; dowels protrude about 7-1/4".  Becca has numerous videos on how to use these - get your spouse to make you one - these are so handy and I'm sorry I didn't have Bob make me one sooner.

(If you're like me and have a busy DH, Bob said he'd charge $25 plus USPS Priority Mail shipping to you - just email me if you need/want one.  I was using two Copic markers and an empty plastic Copic pen case but this is way easier.)

Interior punch is from Martha and sentiments are from Papertrey Ink.  Finished card size is 7" x 5" - patterned papers are from Rocket Age. Thanks for stopping by today!

father's day cards

edited to add:  the slim mat under the spellbinders die was made using an x-acto knife and the die - video instructions here from Becca.

Made a few Father's Day cards needed to sell here and one for my brother and one for my sister-in-law's husband. For my husband's card I cased this fabulous card:

(card from OA's blog by Amy Heller)

Isn't Amy's card amazing?

A Muse images on the Paprika cards and an old CHF sentiment on the dark blue ones.  The dark blue ones use October Afternoon's latest Rocket Age papers.  That grid paper mat on the A Muse shirts is also from Rocket Age.  Thank you for stopping by today!

it's your day dimensional card

This card is gonna need a box or a bubble envelope to mail it - very dimensional...right at 1/2" (1.3cm) in height.  Those rosettes really pop a card.

Card size is 4-1/4" x 5-1/2" and features a velvet and crochet ribbon from May Arts.  Tim Holtz Rosette was created from patterned paper that is over a decade old - back when we had a LSS nearby...oh those were the days.  Spellbinders fleur-de-lis dies, Memory Box Daffodil pearls.

Sentiment is from Papertrey Ink; cardstock and coordinating envelope are Kraft from Memory Box.  The small, antique silver card holder covers the center of the rosette and a pearl pin was decorated with a few beads using Glossy Accents.

Background paper is from Music Notes from EK Success.  The black & white polka dot mat is October Afternoon's Cherry Hill (Cookie Jar).

Spellbinders fleur strip used inside, with a strip of 7gypsies Cezanne.  Sentiment from Papertrey Ink.   Thanks for stopping by today!