Create with sparkle...

Once Halloween passes, I head right into the sparkle. I don't forget about Thanksgiving, but while my mind is focused on being grateful, my hands are busy creating for the Christmas season.  And for me, this season gives me the go-ahead to sparkle sparkle sparkle.

My first sparkly project of the season uses this wooden snow globe from Unique Laser Designs as the main focus of an over-sized tag. I spread a thin layer of Tacky Glue over the whole ornament (the end of a paper clip works great for moving the glue out of the intricate designs) and then sprinkled on a heavy load of ultra-fine platinum silver glitter. I added a red ribbon to the top too.

For the base of this tag (which is 4"x5"), I covered it in white cardstock and then punched out all different sizes and shapes of snowflakes from the same white cardstock and glued them on closely and randomly.  I even let some hang over the edge and then trimmed them later when I had the whole tag covered.  

I framed the edge with some black and white polka dot washi tape and added some die-cut trees that I "snow-swiped" with Picket Fence Distress Stain.  Speaking of paints and stains, that is the challenge this month over at Scrap it Girl.  Show us your projects that you've added some additional color to (watercolors, paints, stains, gelatos, etc.)  I'm going to have some more colorful projects to share soon.

I glued the snow globe to the tag along with some song lyrics and now this tag is a perfect addition to a simple hostess gift (maybe on a bottle of wine?).

Wishing you lots of crafty time as we begin these seasons of being grateful and being sparkly!

~Kelly

Create for a birthday, a birthday, and school

August---full of birthdays and then onto eeeek--"school".  The mere mention of it sends shivers down my spine.  But, I will acknowledge its upcoming presence by the end of  this post.  First, I just wanted to share a few quick cards with you that I made using the Polaroid frames from Unique Laser Designs.  Yes, you can use them to frame a photo, but look how cute they are on a card!

On this ice cream card, I colored the frame with a creamy metallic silver gelato.  The little hexagon is colored with a sparkly gel pen. Did you guess that the scoop of the ice cream is really a cloud? I'm so sneaky!  I colored that with a Copic marker and then swirled Stickles (rock candy)on to make it sparkle.

I know I showed you this card already, but I'm showing it again to remind you to join in the Scrap It Girl challenge for August---use an arrow or a # on your project.  More details are HERE.  

Hexagons are the theme for this card.  I dry embossed a hexagon pattern on the card and then added a Polaroid frame again---this time I used a paint marker to color it black. The small wood hexagons with the sentiments-- I rubbed on different ink pads, just like I did the cute bee (see below)---easy easy easy and quick! 

I used a Sharpie to color the black stripes on the bee and then covered it (really thick) with a layer of Stickles (rock candy again). It looks like a suncatcher--so crackly and sparkly at the same time.

Now, onto school. We are being extra creative with Back to School ideas on the Chicagoland Scrapbooker blog.  Something new every week during August.  My daughter is going to be in 5th grade and is SO excited to find out who her homeroom teacher will be.  To celebrate that first day of school, I used a Unique Laser Designs ATC card and made a chalkboard by painting on a few layers of chalkboard paint before adding some die-cut letters and leaving some room to write with chalk.  The soda stamp is from Unity and I stamped it with glue from the Rubber Cafe and then sprinkled on extra fine glitter.  Sparkly goodness!  A few strings of twine hot-glued onto the back and it's ready to hang around a soda bottle. Now, it's re-usable and her teacher can pass a message on and  be "soda-lighted" for someone else (for a birthday, a great test score, a travelling award around the classroom).

Hope you are "soda-lighted" with these projects that you are feeling inspired to celebrate a birthday, a birthday, and school!

The birthdays, I'm ready for!  School---not so much.

Enjoy these last few weeks of precious summer.

~Kelly

Create and play tag...

Chalk art is hot, hot, HOT right now, and I am incorporating some wood tags from Unique Laser Designs into the trend.  

I covered the tags with 4 coats of  chalkboard paint and let them dry for a few hours.

To decorate and give them that "chalkboard" look, I used white acrylic paint and a white gel pen.  You can also spot that there is an adorable red heart from Unique Laser Designs that I pre-colored/scratched with a burgundy gel pen and then pressed into a red ink pad.  The "mom" and the "Jennifer" on these tags are written with real chalk and can be erased and re-used.  So cute and perfect timing for Mother's Day--don't you think?  I'm going to hang that "I (heart) Mom" tag on a big hanging basket of flowers for my mom.

Have you made your mom something yet?

~Kelly

Create "hoppiness"...

I cannot stop playing with these wood shapes from Unique Laser Designs.  This is a new company and I am so excited to share that I am now one of their Design Team members! They keep adding new shapes to their site and I keep adding to my long wish-list!

My birthday present to myself (actually I used a gift card, so I guess it was a true birthday present), was to buy a giant set of Gelatos. I blame Linda Barutha (of Linnie Blooms fame) for this new addiction.  If you haven't played with them--they are blendable, soft, pastel crayon sticks.  How is that for an explanation?

So, I scribbled with the Gelatos on this wood tag.  

  Then, added some water and blended.

Next, I used this honeycomb stencil from Unique Laser Designs and spritzed my own mixture of pearl white paint and water.

It created the coolest background for this tag decoration!

I added some bunnies and a picket fence (all from Unique Laser Designs) along with some dried flowers and grassy ribbon.  These wood shapes are SO versatile.  The Gelatos blended and sit so fabulously on the wood background, and I used just straight white Gelato (no water) on the fence.  The bunnies are colored with Distress Ink, Distress Stain, and a Copic marker.  The natural grain of the wood is so beautiful, I like to let it show through sometimes.

Well, I have neglected housework and some family members long enough tonight, but you are going to see me playing with these wood shapes from Unique Laser Designs a lot---like I needed a new crafty addiction!

~Kelly

Create organization (and sparkle)...

 

I believe January should always carry a little sparkle with it leftover from Christmas.  In this case, I was inspired by the sparkle of a little old Italian grandmother.  She was my college roommate's grandma and she was definitely a sparkle.  One of those people that you never forget no matter how long it has been since  you've seen them.  She passed away a few weeks ago and I sent this tag/card to my friend with sympathy. 

 

I watercolored the tag and then heat embossed some patterned stars with clear sparkly embossing powder (it doesn't show up on this picture very well but is subtle and really pretty in person).  Lace, buttons, and a big sparkly star for her big, sparkly personality.  Rest in peace Grandma Mary.

 

If you hurry, you can post your sparkly star or project with a New Year resolution over to Scrap it Girl...the January challenge ends today.

 

It is also "Favorite Things Friday" over at Scrap it Girl and we are talking organization.  One of my favorite organizational ideas is this large clear over the door shoe holder that I use for my punches (I probably need another one because what you don't see is my storage drawer full of MORE punches).  Head over to Scrap it Girl for some awesome ideas for your scrap collection(s) and link up your great ideas. 

 

I'll be back soon as we head into February (I heart hearts)!

~Kelly

 

Be ready to celebrate...

 I was playing with the  Linnie Blooms canvas flowers this week, and I had an idea to make a poinsettia, but the week got away from me and now it is 2 days past Christmas, so I decided the red poinsettia in my mind would become a winter poinsettia instead.

I started with the Linnie Blooms canvas sunflower, and snipped away every other petal. I used five Linnie Blooms canvas leaves added in as more petals. To color these, I started by rubbing with white and sky blue vivid oil pastels (I was very random and didn't color the whole petal) and then went over it with Distress Stain Faded Jeans. I outlined in Stickles and added some pearls for the center.

At some point, in the middle of my creation, I decided this would be a great tag for this New Years Eve. Thinking about New Years Eve made me think of confetti and so I quickly punched out some big dots, added a glittery 2014, and I am already to dress up a bottle of wine.

Wishing you and your family

a very happy, healthy New Year...

one that tops 2013!

~Kelly

www.kellystarsallthingscrafty.blogspot.com

Be decorating...

 

Sometimes tags are just too pretty to put on a gift and then throw away.  Sometimes tags are just too pretty to put on a gift at all.  That is when they end up on the tree as ornaments! 

 

I had every intention of using these Linnie Blooms canvas tags as gift tags, but once I started playing, I just couldn't give them up on a gift, so onto my tree they went!

 

I added strips of washi tape to the tags, and then painted them with a layer of Modge Podge to seal the edges of the tape from lifting.  I painted the tree and stars with acrylic paint and "decorated" with Stickles for extra sparkle.  There can never be too much sparkle at Christmas time!

 

I added some musicality with these alphabet letter stickers from Cosmo Cricket and then strung some seed beads on wire to make them easy to hang.  These are so quick and easy that I will make some more.  Maybe, the next ones I make I'll be willing to part with.  Maybe.

 

 

Wishing you the happiest of times this Christmas season!

Kelly

www.kellystarsallthingscrafty.blogspot.com

Be warm...

Baby, it IS cold outside. Time to dig out those mittens...inside and out! We are all playing with the Linnie Blooms canvas mitten shapes this week and they are just screaming for fun embellishments!

As I mentioned in a previous post, I really do not like shopping. Gift wrapping is where my heart lies. The present inside may not be that great, or it may be a gift card, but a pretty topper makes it special.

For these tags (that I cut into 3 1/2"x 6" from old file folders), I painted the canvas mittens with acrylics and added dashes of Picket Fence Distress Stain, outlined in Rock Candy Stickles. I put a layer of Aleene's Tacky Glue at the top and pressed in tiny clear white seed beads to make the cuff. Into my bin of doo-dads, I found and added some felt snowflakes, metal snowflake brads, wood snowflakes (painted and Stickled), and pearls. I love that these canvas shapes can hold up to anything added to them (they are quite heavy when you start adding paint and beads and Stickles--regular paper couldn't hold up to this kind of "beading"...hee hee).

You can see how the Distress Stain tames the pattern of the paper at the top (I stained the paper, then ran it through the printer when it was dry). 

 

 

I often add sayings and phrases inspired by song lyrics to my projects, and here I am doing it again! I liked this dotty paper, but found it just a bit too bold for what I needed. By adding a few layers of Picket Fence Distress Stain (and drying it with a heat gun between layers), I was able to tame the background and make it ready for running through the printer.

So, while I continue to "pro-craftinate"...that is avoid putting up Christmas decorations (or maybe it is because we are remodeling our bathroom and I have a bathtub, toilet, double vanity, linen cabinet, etc. in my living room and there is no room for the tree)...I am reminded that I am wrapping these gifts in LOVE.

After all, shouldn't the whole season be wrapped in LOVE?

~Kelly

www.kellystarsallthingscrafty.blogspot.com

 

Don't forget...when you are shopping at the Linnie Blooms online store, that you can use the discount code LB2013KS to get 10% off your order!

 

Whatever ends...

 

I started 2012 with this...

 

 

 

my first project of 2012.

 

My word for 2012..."whatever".

From here...

 

Whatever is true,
whatever is noble,
whatever is right,
whatever is lovely,
whatever is admirable;
if anything is excellent or praiseworthy---

think about such things. (Philippians 4:8) 

This is what 2012 brought me...

 

Whatever you need to be inspired,

Whatever is frosty,

Whatever is a gift,

Whatever is counted,

Whatever blooms,

Whatever holds,

Whatever is in your heart,

Whatever is a valntin,

Whatever is loved,

Whatever is simple,

Whatever is cool,

Whatever fits in your arms,

Whatever is teeny tiny,

Whatever is twisted,

Whatever is green,

Whatever is for me,

Whatever hops,

Whatever is sent,

Whatever makes you giggle,

Whatever is blessed,

Whatever is sparkly,

Whatever is cold,

Whatever is sweet,

Whatever is a surprise,

Whatever is bright,

Whatever screams spring,

Whatever is a secret,

Whatever is resourceful,

Whatever is out of this world,

Whatever is read,

Whatever means a party,

Whatever is orange,

Whatever is my style,

Whatever is cherished,

Whatever is original,

Whatever is the best,

Whatever gives thanks,

Whatever is purple,

Whatever is funny,

Whatever is mastered,

Whatever is cold,

Whatever is lucky,

Whatever is my favorite,

Whatever is loud,

Whatever is sung,

Whatever is flowered,

Whatever is chosen,

Whatever I love and,

Whatever I don't,

Whatever is carried,

Whatever gets in the way,

Whatever is an experiment,

Whatever is a trend,

Whatever is a challenge,

Whatever is saved,

Whatever comes together,

Whatever is outside the lines,

Whatever is lifted,

Whatever changes,

Whatever makes you scream,

Whatever gets done,

Whatever is orange and black,

Whatever is busy,

Whatever is festive,

Whatever keeps the kids busy,

Whatever closes and opens,

Whatever is colorful,

Whatever is given, and

Whatever ends...

 

All of these, and more...are praiseworthy.

I was very happy with my word this year.

 

Here are just a few of my favorites this year...

 

 

 

 

And one more new project to end the year,

(just so you don't think I just coasted through December).

These are some watercolor tags.  I stamped the image with VersaInk and then heat embossed with clear embossing powder.  I used Distress Inks to watercolor and then added some glitter glue and pearl centers.  They were so pretty I didn't want to give them away, but some lucky people did find them on their presents this year. 

So, tomorrow is 2013. 

I still haven't chosen a word,

but I still have 7 1/2 hours, right?

 

 

 

Have a wonderful last night of 2012 and a beautiful start to 2013.

~Kelly