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Category Archives: projects
I’m in love with this idea. I love having a little place where your family can write down what they are grateful for . . . in an open place for all to see.
Take a look at this marvelous frame that Robyn made!
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[ Shapes | Giving Thanks ]
Here’s what Robyn has to say:
 I have always been so inspired by a framed project that Becky Higgins has shown on her blog before of a frame and the kids write what they are grateful for on the glass throughout the month. I wanted to re-create that great idea for our own family this Thanksgiving. As soon as I saw the new kit from Kerri, Giving Thanks, I knew it would be perfect for this project. I cut a few of the words from the kit, each with a different piece of paper, and layered them on top of a vellum banner with an orange cardstock banner beneath. I glued it all to a fun piece of patterned paper from Crate Paper and placed it in my frame – sandwiching it with two pieces of glass. I placed a Sharpie above the frame so that the kids can write things that they are grateful for thoughout the month of November. This hangs on the wall in our entryway so we see it daily. It is such a great reminder of the large and little things that we have been so very blessed with! Thanks for looking and Happy Thanksgiving! 
What kinds of out-of-the-ordinary things do you think your family would write? Mine? I’m thinking cameras would be one. Cheesy potatoes maybe? (Yes, I especially make them for the holidays.) Maybe our dog + cat since we never had animals their whole lives? Maybe if you have youngins yours might say Legos or Barbies?
I think there’s some fun to be had there. And of course when the holiday season is over, you must take a picture of it before it’s erased. And how fun would it be to compare those writings from year to year?
Great idea Robyn! Thanks for sharing it!
.png "incredibly-grateful-holiday-celebration")
And now, our Incredibly Grateful Holiday Celebration week is quickly coming to an end. If you haven’t had a chance to take advantage of the sale yet? You might want to do that pretty darn soon . . . it ends Sunday!
And now let’s do some more of this!
Today’s flashback comes from the holiday stylings of Shari and Robyn.
There’s that snowflake again! :) How great would it be to make up some of these gift cards to have on hand to give to people over the holidays. Starbucks+iTunes are always people pleasers there.
(For more information on this, go HERE)
And how about another ornament like this one Robyn made to go with the snowflake that Nichol made in Wednesday’s flashback?
(For more information on this, go HERE)
It’s that time of year.
The time of year where we start preparing for gatherings and gift giving and having hearts full of gratitude for all our many blessings. And eating. Lots of eating. Lots.
So what better way is there to kick off a holiday season than having a sale? Oh, I know, also having a week full of fabulous ideas from the creative team!
So let’s start with this:
That’s right. Because I am so grateful for all of you, I’m having a sale to help you with your holiday goodness. I know there are many-a projects to be done. I know a lot of you give the This+That line for Christmas, so this is a perfect tim to stock up on those!
And speaking of projects, you must see what Nichol made! Check it out!
[ Shapes | Here Comes Santa Claus (reindeer) / Christmas Countdown (holly) ]
Two words: freakin’ adorable!
Here’s what Nichol has to say:
Used Silhouette Sewable Fabric Interfacing on the back of the fabric to sew the die cut shapes in place before machine stitching them to permanently secure. I chose to just stitch around each shape instead of embroider them as I won’t mind the bit of fraying that will come from wear or machine washings. I think it will add character to this particular project! ;) Instead of using the die cut eyes, I used buttons instead. After ironing and sewing the appliques in place I finished the pillow front with a patchwork border and then I quilted the front. It would probably be easier to quilt first and applique second but this was more of a learning project and I kind of “learned as I went”!
And here are the dimensions for the project — in case you were feeling in a crafty mood yourself!
I bought some of the Silhouette fabric interfacing and blade, but haven’t had a chance to use it yet. So inspired by what Nichol made!
And now, how’s about a new kit on this fine sale week!
You know, each time I do this I tell myself that I get a little out of control with it. So many words and all.
Um.
Yeah.
I think this one takes the cake. :) 29 shapes in all in this bad boy, but oh so versatile beyond Christmas, ya know. I have visions of using ‘twinkle’ on a baby page. But I think you could just about get all parts of Christmas with this. Great for December Daily or Project Life!
Okay….whew! I think that’s enough to start off our fine celebration week for today! The sale goes through Sunday, so be sure to stock up on your favorite goodies.
One question I get asked quite frequently is
Where did you get your Halloween/Christmas banner?
Well, let’s just say . . .
I have an amazing bestie that made me one for Halloween
and for Christmas last year.
love.
Need a refresher at what they look like?
remember in yesterday’s post how i said my halloween decor consisted of orange, black and a splash of green? yeah, this is the depth of my decorating. :)
I do need to add that I love having certain decor that will go with every holiday and every day in between. If you notice, I have the frame for my subway art (you can get them HERE), the star, candles, and lantern. And then there’s a clock there too, that goes with everything as well.
Oh, and one more thing, Kristy made this to go on my fireplace mantle, but because I wanted people to see it on the main floor, I put it on my 1913 upright piano. Looks great there too. :) But you could put it on a cabinet, buffet, wherever.
So recently, I’ve had some people–who I think are getting ready to prepare for their holidays and gift giving–ask me if I knew how to make them.
Um. The answer would be no.
However, I did ask Miss Kristy Banks herself and she happily obliged with some instructions. Of course, she’s a a little seamstress and figured this out on her own after seeing a photo herself. So all this is written by Kristy. Please don’t ask me for clarification. lol
Oh, and here’s a closeup of the top of the scarf.
So, without further ado, if’n ya wanna make a Halloween (or Christmas) banner for yourself?
Here’s what to do:
Holiday Mantle Scarf
This is a general set of directions so fill in the missing pieces on your own and good luck! After you sew all the triangular banners and pin them into place, it’s kind of like sewing a big long pillow.
I used 6 different patterned fabrics for a 5 foot scarf. There were two banners made for each fabric. I sewed 1/2″ seams on everything. I made patterns for the triangular banners out of butcher paper and cut each piece with a rotary blade, self healing mat and clear plexiglass straight edge.
Measure the length of the mantel and divide by 7. This number PLUS 1″ will be the width of the top of each triangle banner. You will need seven 25″ banners and six 20″ banners. The long ones go in the back and the shorter ones go in the front. If you have a mantle that is seven feet or longer I would use more flags rather than making them super fat.
Add 15-20″ to the length of the mantle and cut two pieces of fabric that length and 12″ wide. Find the center point and measure out equal distance the length of the mantle. The excess length on each end will be the part that hangs down off the sides of the mantle. Using a straight edge and a rotary blade, cut from the edge of the fabric where the measurement for the excess begins to the center point between the two edges creating an angle. Repeat on the other side and again on the opposite end of the mantle scarf. This creates the pointed end that hangs down off each side of the mantle. This fabric piece is the scarf that all the banners will be sewn to. The pointed end will have a tassel sewn into it. Confused? Look at a picture and it should help.
Put right sides together and sew each triangle. Turn right side out making sure to make the point look nice. Press each triangle very well.
Starting in center of mantle scarf, pin long banner pieces into place on one side and in between where the fabric angles off, keeping each piece equal distance away. Next pin short banner pieces into place in between each long banner. Remember there are only six of these so they will not go all the way down the side. Baste the banners into place or if you’re like me, just start sewing the whole mantle scarf together. You will need to fold the banners up into themselves to get them out of the way so you don’t accidentally catch them into your seams. Sew around the whole scarf slipping the tassels into the end points as you go. BUT leave an opening in the side about ten inches long so you can turn it right side out. Turn it right side out and press it really well.I like to use starch. Sew up the opening by hand or with your machine. Hand sew jingle bells or large beads to the point of each banner.
If you can figure it out with these crazy instructions then, congratulations! Enjoy!
Got some more Halloween madness from our sweet Laura today!
Check out these awesome paper mache decorations!
[ Shapes | This & That: Halloween (tree) / Foundations: Trick Or Treat (diamond background) / This & That: All Hallows Eve (bats) ]
I love that these aren’t traditional ‘orange and black.’ I think it’s important to add a little bit of variety in your decor. Of course, when I look at my Halloween decor, it’s pretty much orange and black with a splash of green.
Oh well. :)
Fabulous job Laura!
Here’s what Laura has to say:
I have a confession. I don’t go all out every Halloween and decorate my house top to bottom. I see photos everywhere I look of spooky, but really cute, Halloween decorations filling up every nook and cranny of homes, and I wish I could learn to incorporate it into my house in the same way. But I can’t, so I limit my Halloween decor to the one small table by my front door. Which means I keep my decor items nice and simple, just like these paper mache “BOO” letters.
I used a mixture of thin washi tape, black acrylic paint, white misting spray, and Mod Podge to cover each paper mache letter. I used the diamond background shape from the Foundations: Trick or Treat kit to cut 3 seperate pieces of patterned paper large enough to cover the front of each letter, trimming off any of the excess from the edges and the insides of each letter. I then resized the tree from the This & That: Halloween [Just Shapes] kit to the same height as my letters (8 inches), and cut it from black cardstock, along with some bats from the new This & That: All Hallows Eve kit.
And don’t forget all this ‘madness’ going on too!
That’s right boys and girls!
It’s October 1 and I am ready to see all things scary!
Okay, maybe not scary movies, because those just aren’t my cup of tea.
But I love having fun seeing all the fun creations people make out there
for this spooky time of year.
That’s why I thought it would be fun to do a little bit of this!
So all things Halloween and Fall–with the exception of the latest All Hallows’ Eve kits–are on sale for 30% off all week long. Just look for the sale tags in the store to know what fall item is on sale!
And what I’m most excited about is to see some fabulous Halloween ideas here on the blog!
Let’s check out this canvas that the ever-so creative Miss Nichol has made for her Halloween decor!
[ Shapes | This+That: All Hallows Eve ('broom parking', web, bats, broom, pumpkin, cat, spider, crow, hand) / Subway Art: Halloween ('there is no escaping', 'witches' brew') / This+That: Love (cake stand) / This Is Halloween (skull in glass, cauldron, 'double double toil and trouble', potion bottles) / This+That: Halloween (witch boots, web) / This & That Gratitude (wheat) | This+That: Autumn (pitchfork, leaves) / This+That: School (apple, books) / Exclusive Silhouette Class kit (cash register numbers)
Okay. Seriously??? [halloween] eye candy all over the place!
The hand coming out of the cauldron holding the apple? love.
Absorb the details. Really.
Here’s what Nichol has to say:
I’ve had this canvas sitting around forever and after completing a couple of Halloween layouts where I created die cut “scenes” [one for our family's Halloween costume album HERE and one for a layout for my True Scrap 4 class, The Art of Layering] I realized that a larger-scale die cut “scene” would make the perfect addition to our Halloween decor! After distressing the canvas background with Tim Holtz stains and stamps and Studio Calico mists, I was ready to add my die cuts. Because this was such a detailed project with so many pieces, it did take a bit longer to put it all together but the result was well worth the effort and we have a fun new decor item for the spookiest time of the year!”
And just so you know, that canvas is 12″ x 24″. :)
Pretty awesome. Yeah. Can’t wait to share more Halloween goodness this week.
So, as many of you know, yesterday wasn’t the happiest of days for me. But with so much support from all of you, my day really turned around. You just have no idea what your support means. Truly.
I also decided to take a trip to Archivers to rejuvenate my mind. I needed that visual stimulation . . . and maybe part of it was just a diversion . . . or denial. I dunno . . . it’s a toss-up. It was good though because I rarely hit the scrapbook stores anymore. And it was perfect timing because I wanted to add to my cardstock pile and it (+patterned paper) happened to be half off! Yay! A sale! I need all the endorphins I can get right now. lol
And then, this little nugget of gloriousness from Nichol showed up in my email.
[ Shapes | This & That Love (cupcake, cake stand) / This & That Autumn (scale, pie, pear, corn, pumpkin, title) / This & That Summertime (lemons) / This & That Family (pitcher) / This & That Spring (peas in a pod) / This & That School (books, apple) / This & That Gratitude (wheat) / Snapshots #1 (photobooth template)/ Escape (“good eats” title) / Educationish (apple)
Talk about a visual treat!
I look at it . . . and look at it . . . and I can’t even pick one part that’s my favorite . . .
. . .it’s all my favorite!
I love how this week kind of turned into ‘what else can you do with the this+that kits’.
It wasn’t even planned! :)
Here’s what Nichol has to say:
I’ve been wanting to create a recipe album for ages now. I’ve even started one a couple of times only to find it too hard to keep up with. I’m going the super simple route with this album. I designed the cover insert (4×4) and the title page (8×8) in this 8×8 red Doodlebug Album and then I’m using divided page protectors inside that will hold 2 recipe cards per page (or if I want to, a 4×6 photo and a 4×6 recipe card. I’m filling my album with all of our family’s most favorite home cooked recipes/meals. I have said it before but I will say it again: I love looking at Kerri’s designs as individual pieces rather than part of a certain “themed” kit. This way I can mix and match designs to create one of a kind pages and projects. I would love to see a food themed kit sometime in the future (hint, hint! hee….) for even more foodie themed goodness!
The books from the This & That School Kit are one of my most used die cut designs. I get so much out of this versatile design. School pages for school “books” and for this page recipe “books”. You can change the theme by adding some fun stamping to the spine of the books for a custom embellishment.
To die cut all the small pieces for the die cut “scene” on my title page and cover, I used small sized designs on 6×6 sheets of patterned paper. The 6×6 paper pads so many manufacturers have to go with their collections are the perfect size for die cuts!
A few strategically placed dimensional embellishments (twine, ribbon, gems) and coordinating stickers complete the project.
And oh my freakin‘ heck!
About a year ago, my sweet Nichol asked me to do something in the recipe book arena.
Apparently she got tired of waiting and made something herself. lol
Yeah, hon. Sorry that never came to fruition . . . yet. :)
As I was getting ready this morning, I had a fabulous idea for some recipe cards!
(I always get my best ideas when getting ready for the day.)
Okay, so I’m just a little bit excited about this idea.
Have to do it now. Just gotta go with that inspiration when it strikes.
Look for it soon! Maybe Monday?
Boy! This week sure went by fast, dontcha think?
We’ve seen some amazing stuff by our creative team.
Had some pretty awesome sales.
I can’t believe it come to an end….
…well, almost to an end…
we still got today ba-by!
Here’s what’s on sale!
Just look for the items with sale tags in the store!
(or use the ‘this+that’ tag in the sidebar)
These are on sale through the entire weekend.
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So we all saw the freebie yesterday that Shari wanted.
Look at what she made with it!!
[ Shapes | Flower 3D / Happy ]
Hello! I see Mother’s Day written all over that!!
love.this.
And here’s a few of Shari’s faves:
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I just want to do a quick shout out to my fabulous design team…they did such an amazing job this week! I am constantly wowed by everything they make….every single time.
love them.
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Now, we’re all done with the freebies for the week, however I know that some of you were having a hard time downloading the files, so I’m givin’ ya one last chance. :)
If you had problems, please try a different browser.
I understand there was a particular problem with Safari and Google Docs. Apparently Safari isn’t playing nicely with Google Docs since Safari updated. So try using Chrome or Firefox to get the files.
To get the ones you missed, just click on the image below.
.png "thought_bubble_ex")
.jpg "seriously_ex")
Now, with this being NSD and all, you might want to let all your friends know
that these freebies go into the vault and become a kit once Sunday is over.
*poof*
Hello. It’s past Sunday. They are no longer free, but will be available shortly in a kit. :)
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We’ve got one more of these today!
I’m giving away THREE $50 gift cards to three lucky people!
Woo hoo!
To be entered, just leave a comment with your name and where you’re from
and I’ll draw a winner Monday morning.
The beauty of this one…everyone can play no matter where you are!
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I hope that whatever you’re doing this weekend that you just enjoy the heck out of it! :)
This post is short and sweet, but still got some goodies.
Here’s the new Easter Subway Art for your decor now that St. Patrick’s Day is over.
Price: $1
And after cutting out that lovely flowery branch yesterday from Loni’s new kit?
I just knew I needed to make this decor 3D, like this:
And now, the three winners for the $25 gift cards:
LAURALEE L - MARCH 17, 2012 – 12:24 PM
I am blessed in so many ways! I am blessed by God for all that I have and am! For being a wee bit o Irish and my red headed husband too! For our loving family, friends, health and home! For the wonderful world of blogging and all of my crafting community of facebbook and internet friends! And I hope to be LUCKY {Blessed} to Win your giveaway too!! Happy St. Patricks Day Kerri!
PEGGY W. - MARCH 17, 2012 – 5:58 PM
I am more than lucky, I am blessed. I have the best family in the world. Who could ask for more? Except maybe to be picked in your giveaway. Thanks for the giveaway and for your great blog.
KATKAT - MARCH 18, 2012 – 8:10 PM
I feel blessed to have a loving boyfriend. He’s like an angel in my life :)
Congratulations ladies! Email me at kerribradford@msn.com and we’ll get y’all hooked up!
And I just have to say I sooooo enjoyed reading what you all were lucky/blessed with, especially you cancer survivors! Each time I read one I just wanted to say, ‘Right on! You go girl!’
If you haven’t read the comments in the previous, you should, they are so amazing.
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