Oh Christmas Tree

It is onward with the Christmas projects around here!  Every year I have a ton of projects I'd like to do and a ton that don't get done!  Here is something that I made as a gift.  I got the idea from a YouTuber (ILuvVintageScrap) and from Pinterest. 

This tree has jewelry grade decorations. Each silver bell was attached to the chain individually using jump rings. I had fun using beads to create the Ornaments. While I looked at glass (mason) jars, the only ones I could find locally that we're big enough were Ball jars and they had writing on all four sides. They may work as part of the charm for undecorated trees but for a decorated one it took too much of the clarity and crispness away. 

So my shabby chic tree is encased in an acrylic jar purchased in the kitchen section of Walmart. Hope you like it!

M-C's Upcoming Classes - Catching You Up

A lot has happened in my life since I last posted! I have actually been quite busy creating a whole lot of things.  In this post I'll show you all the class projects I've created. In my next post, I'll share a just for me...or one of my friends project that I put a lot of fun filled hours creating. In fact, I just uploaded a video with the project onto YouTube.

The most fun thing that has happened is Lori the owner of Scraps Etc in Florence KY inviting me to teach at her store.  I love Lori and if you're ever in the store you'll know why.  She is one sweet, hard working new store owner! I also have a few layout classes that I'll be teaching in my home studio. If you know me at all, I love to teach. I spent most of my adult life creating computer courses and teaching adults how to use various Oracle and Peoplesoft software packages. Since leaving the workforce, I've enjoyed sharing my passion for paper crafts. 

Scraps Etc G45 Nutcracker Christmas Card Class

The next class I'm doing and my first at Scraps Etc KY is a five card class using the Graphic 45 Nutcracker Collection. The class is Thursday October 18 at 6pm. The cost is $25.  You can register for this class by calling the store1.

Scraps Etc Echo Park Christmas Card Class

November willl see me back at Scraps Etc KY teaching another five card class.  This time we will be using various Echo Park products. The class is Thursday November 15 at 6pm. The cost is $25.  You can register for this class by calling the store.

Christmas Layout Class - M-C's Studio in Hebron, KY

I only have one spot left for my Christmas Layout class on Friday, November 2nd at 6:30. We will be making six 12x12 pages. The cost is $30. Because my Christmas class is always a very special one to me, there is always a nice surprise for those who attend. If you are interested, please email me. Below are two of the pages we will be making!

Cupcake Class - January 19, 2013 - M-C's Studio in Hebron, KY

My first cupcake class was a sold out event.  Because there was a lot of interest, I am scheduling a 2nd class for only 4 people. We will make 6 pages. The cost is $30. Please contact me as soon as possible via email to reserve a spot. 

You will notice that the second layout in the Christmas pages and the last two layouts in the Cupcake series can be turned 90 degrees so that they can accomodate pictures that are oriented differently. Each set also has a layout that can accommodate multiple pictures of different sizes!

I hope that you've enjoyed everything I've posted above! I haven't posted all the cards here, just a taste! I'll post the rest a little later! :) As always, thanks for watching and remember that all the comments I receive in 2012 will be entered in my Blog Christmas giveaway!

Thanks,

M-C

Little Yellow Bicycle Wedding/Love Card

I had some of the Little Yellow Bicycle ( LYB) Swoon paper left from a recent project i completed, so I decided to create a card and envelope. I think this one would work well for an engagement  or wedding.Just in case you'd like to recreate it, I've included step by step instructions.  As with most instructions, it's a good idea to read through them once before you start cutting. One really big tip, when using stickles, if at all possible, always stickle first before doing anything else!




Here is the list of what I used:

TOOLS etc:
Cutter
Pinking/Zigzag decorative scissors
Glue dots - small and large
Your favorite adhesive
Foam Squares (3L)
Two 2" white mulberry flowers (Wild Orchid Crafts)
One 1" white mulberry flower (Wild Orchid Crafts)
Silver mist (Lindy's Stamp Gang Glitz Spritz Silver to spritz the flowers)
One LYB Swoon Collection sticker sheet
One silver flower brad (Making Memories)
One 4" string of flat back pearls
One package of pearl swirls, I used a Recolection one from Michaels.

PAPER
Core'dination Foundations 1 sheet 8.5" x 11" Opal Pearl cut one 9"x6 1/4" piece and fold in half

Bazzill: 1 sheet Metalic Silver 8.5" x 11" - cut one 6 1/8: x 4 3/16 inch piece and adhere it to the front of the card.

Little Yellow Bicycle
One Sheet 12" x 12" Swoon Unveiled cut:
   -  one piece at 6" x 4 3/16" to adhere to the cardstock base.
   -  one piece 3 1/8" x 1"  for 2nd layer of the Love 3-D sticker assembly
One Sheet 12" x 12" Swoon Wedding Words cut:
   - the envelope in one of the corners
   - one 4" x 4" square.  I used some old zigzag decorative scissors and cut the very outer edge off.
   - 3 1/2" x 1 1/8" bottom layer of the Love 3-D sticker assembly
   - 2 3/4" x 3/4 for 3rd layer of the Love 3-D sticker assembly
   - 4 1/8" x 1/2" for flat back pearl backing. Adhere the pearls first and then use the pearls as a guide to cut

DOILIES
Use two 4 inch (I got mine, in the white French style from the Owl and Thistle Etsy store. To create the smaller doily, simply pinch the middle of the back of one of the 4" doilies and then create the folds and add adhesive to cover the middle. I used four of the big glue dots. Adhere to the bottom doily and set aside..

Stickles: I used the silver stickles to accent the doillies.  Just choose one of the shapes that rim the outside of the doily. If you can do this first, so that the stickles can dry while you cut and adhere the rest!

FLOWERS
- Spray one of the 2" and the 1" flowers with with the glimmer spray (Lindy's Stamp Gang)
- Let the flowers dry or dry them with your heat gun.
- Put the sprayed 2" flower on top of the flower you didn't spray.
- Place the 1" flower on top
- Put your brad through the whole flower open the feet of the brad
- Put the flower aside.

ASSEMBLY

Assembling the Love 3-D Sticker
-  Pop up the Love sticker on the back of the LYB Words, 2 3/4" x 3/4 piece matching the distances on  the left side. Cut the right side to match the notch in the sticker.
- Apply foam squares to the bottom, of the previous piece and set aside
- Adhere the LYB Unveiled 3 1/8" x 1" to the back side of the Words 3 1/2" x 1 1/8" piece matching the distance on the right side.
- Trim the left side of the Word piece with the pinking/zigzag decorative scissors.
- Adhere the piece you set aside to the two bottom layers and set aside.

Assembling the Flat Back Pearl String
- Use the small glue dots on at least every 4th pearl.
- Adhere the pearls to the back side of the 4 1/8" x 1/2" LYB Word paper strip.
- Trim around the Word piece using the pinking/zigzag decorative scissors. Use the distance from the pearls as your guide.

Assembling the Card
- Adhere the large LYB Unveiled Piece to the card base.
- Adhere the Large Word Piece to the top of the Unveiled piece, making sure that the left, top and right sides are equidistant to the edge.
- Adhere the doilies to the large Word piece.
- Adhere the flower you assembled to the doilly.
- Adhere the strip with the pearls to the bottom of the card about 1/8" from the bottom of the Unveiled main piece.
- Center the 3-D Love sticker you've created between the doily section and the pearl sections lining up the left sides.
- Add a small curl of pearls from the swirl pack.
- Pop up the butterfly sticker and adhere if slightly over the 3D sticker and the mini pearl swirl.

Enjoy!


Here is the card all by itself:

Wedding Recyclable Gift Bags

One of the fun, but time consuming things I got to make  for my son's wedding were the 35 recyclable gift bags and the tags to embellish them and make them specific to Shaun and Ashley's wedding. I have to say that it took a while to find the right bags and I was a very lucky lady that my Hobby Lobby had them in the quantity I needed!

The cloth bags were neutral colored and since there were a lot of polka dots on their wedding invites and on the dresses of the Ashley's attendants, I suggested that we add polka dots to the bags. My first attempt, and I will spare the details,was less than stellar, but I finally got in the groove! Here are the basics.

BUY THE RIGHT SIZE BAG
Buy bags that will fit what you want to give away, but that are no bigger than that. Bigger bags will either flop over or have to be stuffed with paper, which goes against the idea of recyclable bag! Our bags were 11"W x 8.5"H x 3" deep. Perfect for the two water bottles and other items we would put in and great for carrying your iPad or Nook or a couple of books at the beach or to the pool!







BUY OR MIX YOUR PAINT

One of the most important decisions a couple makes about the look of their wedding is the color scheme. Anything you make for a wedding should respect these color choices. Odds are you will not find the exact color and have to create your own mix.

 In this case, their colors were beige with a hint of pink.  To make the bags easier to reuse, I decided to match the beige and since it was a wedding, I wanted a bit of glitter in the paint.  I needed a fabric paint that would match their beige color, not as easy as it sounds! Mixing Tulip's Slick Brown, Slick White, and their Glitter Crystal Sparkles just didn't do it. Their beige has more than a hint of grey in it. My paint and glitter mist collections included a bottle of "Tattered Angel's Stiletto" a glittery dark grey which added to the rest of the mix, gave me the perfect color to match their invitations! Just know that it takes a lot of patience, where you add a little of each color at a time. Make more than you need! Trust me, making a second batch to match the first exactly is not much easier than making the first! 

CREATE A STENCIL

Making sure that all the polka dots are the same size and are placed at the right intervals is also harder than you think.

I found that using vinyl sheets I had stashed away (I still have about 25 left, lol) was a perfect way to make the template I needed. 

I used a 1 1/4" punch to create the holes.

Then I cut each apart, leaving enough room around the circle so that I could make sure that my brush strokes would not result in me adding paint past the stencil.

I used one of the individual circles per side, wiping both the top and sticky bottoms lightly between dots.  Be prepared, it took me 30 minutes per side for my first few bags and perhaps 20 per side once I figured out the process.

I painted the first circle at the top right corner of the bag. I put a line on the top of my brush, and used it to measure the disctanse between the circles, making sure the brush handle ran through the middle of the two closest circles. Remember to wipe off your vinyl stencil after each circle or you will end up with a smudge somewhere, guaranteed!

Make sure that you let one side dry completely before you try to paint the other!

The bags were prettier with painted dots on the handles but these were very hard to do and not smudge. So I only made enough with painted handles for the wedding party!

A lot of patience and roughly 70 hours from start to finish on the bags and another 20 on the 35 tags and, here is the result!

WHAT WE PUT IN THE BAGS

The bags were filled with:

• A pamphlet with timings and addresses for the rehearsal, rehearsal dinner, wedding and reception as well as, places to eat and visit, a contact person that can help anyone lost, stranded or who needs help so that the bride and groom can attend to everything they need to without being disturbed.
• Two bottles of water
• Two bottle cozies with the Bride and Groom's names and the wedding date
• Two  packets of Tylenol
• Two  packets of Ibuprofen
• Two  packets of Sun Screen (our nod to the wedding being in Florida)
• Two  packs of peanuts 
• Two chocolate bars
• Two packs of cheese crackers
• A handful of individually wrapped Life Saver mints
• A pack of Kleenex (weddings make a lot of us cry)
• A  business card giving the email addresses  for guests to forward video's and pictures

Next blog post will be about the wedding booth and what I used!

Happy 1st Month Wedding Anniversary to Ashley and Shaun!

In honor of Ashley and Shaun's one month wedding anniversary, I thought I'd take a trip down memory lane! This is also a way for some of our friends who do not use facebook, to see a part of the wedding ...from my perspective. Though pictures can't do this wedding justice, these are some of my favorite shots received via email or snagged from Facebook. They are from Kim and Becca, Jeff and my brother Richard as well as some taken by his wife Elisa, and also a few that I took. I'll start with Thursday since that was really when the "Wedding Weekend" started for the parents and the Bride and Groom.

Thursday
We are busy finalizing things. Shaun came over to my hotel room to help me stuff the gift bags!  I'll write a separate post on the technique I used to paint all those dots, on the tags I made, and all the goodies we put in each gift bag!

Since one of my tasks was to get the photo booth together, I showed Shaun how it would look and print. I'll have more on the photo booth setup and more photos in a separate blog post. We are looking down on my computer and not using the external webcam.

Shaun also took me to see his office and meet his work mates and then to have lunch at the Drunken Monkey Coffee a vegetarian friendly restaurant in Orlando.  For dessert I had the awesome cookie you can see below! You can find a recipe for it it here.

Shaun and Ashley, Marcia and Steve, as well as yours truly all met for dinner at this awesome, make your own burger place in downtown Orlando called Pine22.

Friday - Rehearsal Day

With the morning filled with last minute shopping for sewing supplies and a few staples to put in the mini fridge for hubby to get, this was also when I got to finish stuffing the gift bags! Thank goodness for Ashley and her parents who just happened to have an extra veggie wrap to give me so I could have something to eat!  I also had to finalize my toast for the rehearsal dinner and get ready in time to make it to the rehearsal! My brother Richard and my sister-in-law came all the way from Quebec City to attend the wedding!  My sister Jacqueline and one of her sons, Stéphane, also came from Canada.  We had not seen them since 1998! We were all so touched that they would make the trip!

The Rehearsal

Casa Feliz in Winter Park, FL - the beautiful venue for the wedding.

The bride and groom arrive for the rehearsal.

I just love this picture of Ashley enjoying the rehearsal!

After a stop at the Wine Room in Winter Park for a cool glass of water ...

Ashley and Shaun outside The Wine Room
in Winter Park, FL

we all moved on to the...

Rehearsal Dinner

They did such a great job!  Ruth's Chris is a client of
Royall Advertising where Shaun is the Creative Director.

Table holding the menu and the wine... 

Please click on the picture if you want to read the menu.
But can I just say, the food was divine? It really was!
I can't tell you how many compliments I got!

Well at least my toast made them smile! I gave them some
Canadian money so they could have some poutine while
in Montreal for their honeymoon!
Picture by Kim, member of the bridal party.

Great Picture of Ashley and her parents Marcia and Steve.
Picture by my brother, Richard.

Saturday - The Wedding!

I don't think that I've ever had my jaw drop open or my eyes fill with tears the way they did when I saw Ashley in her wedding gown. Always beautiful, as a bride, Ashley was as Shaun put it so eloquently, sublime.

Picture by Becca, part of Ashley's wedding posse!

The groom looked pretty good too!

Notice the Fleur de Lis included in the boutonniere.
Shaun's tribute to his Quebec roots!

With this ring...

The best man, Jeff gave us a reading from... Oh The Places You'll Go by Dr Seuss! Yup, Ashley and her parents are teachers after all and Shaun always loved Dr Seuss as a child. 

Jeff, is a life long friend of Ashley's who has
become a great friend of Shaun's as well!
He did a magnificent job of the reading!

I honestly could go on about the ceremony, tell you all about the ring warming and the beautiful container where they placed a love letter to each other to be opened on their first anniversary. I'll add a few pictures instead.

The envelope reads - To Ashley, Do Not Open Until July 2013
the other -
To Shaun, Do Not Open Until July 2013

I'll finish this very long post with my favorite of the ceremony pictures I've seen so far.  It was taken by my sister-in-law Elisa.  I love it because it is symbolic of the love and caring that I've seen Shaun extend to Ashley all these years. 

 Happy 1st month anniversary to the two of you! 

May you  always feel towards each other as you did at this very moment!

I love you guys!

August Scrapbook Layout Class

Yes, I used Carta Bella Paper's Paris Girl Collection to create these layouts! It is such a pretty collection with it's pinks, blacks, grays and whites! Add to that great texture and it's a winner!  I had a great time designing these!  Hope you enjoy them! The class is scheduled for Friday, August 24th at 6:00 pm.

Here are what they look like as double layouts!

I am looking forward to teaching this class, though as usual, I got carried away and there are a lot of pieces to cut to make the class kits! Hope you like the layouts and thanks for stopping by!  Remember to leave me a comment.  Everyone who leaves a comment gets one entry into the Christmas Super Giveaway. One comment per blog post is allowed.

M-C