Birds

Hi there and welcome!  This week is for the birds!  Our Saturday Paper a la Mode Challenge over at The Outlawz is to make a project that uses a bird or birds.  I made a card with some Ippity by Unity stamps, some pretty papers, and a lovely soft ribbon and pin.  Nothing fancy, but I like how it turned out - soft and romantic.

I'm posting this early because Elaine needed to post the challenge early - she's not located here in the U.S. like me, so it's much later in her day than it is here.  We are fortunate at The Outlawz to have so many international friends - the internet really makes the world a lot smaller!

I hope that you had a lovely and blessed Thanksgiving if you are here in the U.S. or somewhere else that celebrates (when I lived in Germany for several years, most of my German friends celebrated Thanksgiving regularly because they had picked up the custom from all the Americans living there). 

I wish you a blessed Christmas season filled with joy and wonder at the gift of Christ!  Thanks for stopping by!

Thankful!

Well, it's that time of year that causes those of us in the United States in particular to reflect on all that which we have to be thankful for.  I can say that I am truly overflowing with blessings.  I may not be rich in the monetary sense, but I am indeed rich in love and family and friends!  God has been and continues to be overflowing with grace, love, and support, and for that I am eternally grateful!  I am also thankful for my two children, of who I am so proud - those two are amazing young people!  I am thankful that I have a nice home and material things, but when you consider that it can all be washed away by a storm in an instant, it helps you realize what is really important in life!  I am thankful that I have been spared such tragedy, and my heart and prayers go out for those who are suffering at this time of year!

Our Saturday Paper a la Mode Challenge this week over at The Outlawz is to be Thankful - create a project that expresses your thankfulness, and let us know what it is you are thankful for.  I had so many beautiful projects in my head that I wanted to create, but just couldn't find the time to get to them, so I opted for a card this week to share with everybody.  This card uses a digi from A Day for Daisies that I colored with my Prismacolor pencils.  I love the effect of the glitter on the tape strips - even prettier in person!

 Thank you for stopping by to visit this week!  I am truly thankful for all my dear online crafty friends, and I send you love and hugs!

Ornaments or Gift Tags

Hi, and thanks for stopping by to visit!  My challenge this week for The Outlawz Saturday Paper a la Mode Challenge was to make a gift project.  I found a tutorial online for salt dough ornaments/gift tags that have designs stamped into them, so decided to give it a try.

The recipe calls for:
2 cups of flour
1 cup of salt
1 cup of water

Mix everything together well, roll out to 1/4 inch thick.  Ink a stamp of  your choice and press it into the dough (not too hard though), then use a cookie cutter to cut out the design in the shape of your choice.

Then bake in a 200 degree oven for 6 hours (it helps to have an oven that has a timer on it!).

May I say that's all easier said than done!  It took me a little practice and reworking the dough so that after I cut out the design the dough would lift up easily and the shape wouldn't get warped.  It also took a little trial and error to get the ink colors right and the pressure on the stamps just right. 

Overall, I think these 4 turned out really nice - I think they are prettier in person because you can get the full effect of the background done in diamond and stardust stickles that really didn't show up in the photos.

It was getting dark and I took them outside to photograph by hanging them on one of my rosebushes.  The wind was blowing like crazy and I had a challenge getting them not to sway and twist in the wind, but hopefully you enjoy these photographs and give this technique a try.

After the stamped shapes baked and cooled, I lightly sanded the edges (a rough nail file like used for acrylic nails works great for this).  Then I added stickles and some gems for a little extra oomph.

Thanks for stopping by to visit!  Much love and hugs to you!