Sweet Dreamer's Challenge: A baby card for Kathy!

Hi friends,
This is the card I made for Kathy. She is one of our very own Sweet Dreamers and is now a proud mommie to a brand new baby girl :) Congratulations Kathy! I hoped to get this card out to her yesterday, but I've come down with a heinous case of the flu---> again!!! I'm going to the doc to make sure it isn't the kind that oinks.
My card is a little baby armoire all dec'd out with girly girl things.
Here it is open:
The top drawer pops up.

And closed:
It is held shut with velcro on the underside of the label.
This card was made with this template---> here I bought a long time ago, but I love making these. Every time there's a new baby, I break out my template & create one of these cards. I so need to change it up, but these cards are so unique & different, I can't resist!

Thanks so much for peekin' at Kathy's little armoire card. I'm hoping I'm able to pass out candy tonight, but I doubt it :( I'm soooooo sad because watching the kids come by all giggles with excitement is what I enjoy most about Halloween. I'm off to drink more tea & my wonderful grandma is making me some homemade chicken soup--- grandmas are the bestest!
Gotta Go!

House For Sale- Hocus Pocus Cinema Saturday

Hi friends,
Are you looking to buy a new home? Looking for a bit of a fixer-upper with wonderful amenities like a large lot, no nosy neighbors nearby to pester you, and at a bare bones price? Well, I've got the home of your dreams to show you today!

Feast your eyes on this masterpiece of boards & beams:

Allow me to give you a tour of the highlights of this bootiful home...

Here you can see the expansive lot your new home sits on. There are acres & acres of earth just waiting to be dug up- a gardener's paradise. It just needs a little TLC & some watering. In no time, your garden paradise will be ready for Home & Gardens Magazine.
Tired of the nosy neighbors? Here, you can see, you've got no one for miles. Ahhh, think of the peace & tranquility. Why you can scream your head off if you want & no one will even notice :)

Here's a look at the front of your dream home:
The natural curb appeal of this property has unlimited possibilities. You'll be the envy of all your friends!

Let's walk around to the side of the house, so you can peek at the spooktacular...
ummm, pay no attention to that man. He's ...uh... just taking measurements for your new window treatments! Wait 'til you see them- they're to die for! Let's go around and peek at the other side of the house, shall we?

Huh? Who's that? Oh, that's just the... house sitter.
She's not from here. "booenas noches to you too!"

Sooooo... What do you think? This is a hot property, I've had lots of offers dripping for this house so if you want it, you've got to move fast. How many? Oh, just the other day a nice couple named Marilyn & Elvis popped by to check it out. Nice couple- they went batty with excitement for it.

But hey, let me give you this full color brochure to take with you.
It's gonna disappear fast! It won't cost you an arm & a leg either! How 'bout you come by my office & I'll have the paper work ready for you to sign.

Thanks for peekin' at my house for sale. I'm off to show it to another prospective buyer-- a real important guy. I think he owns a big soda company or something because he called himself "The King of Pop." ~~~> Gotta Go!


CONTRACTOR INFO
This house was built with the Sizzix House 3-D die. I think it is one of the easiest of all the dies because it comes in 1 piece & NO adhesive is needed to construct it. I used mostly scraps to embellish it.
I also used the MS bat & web punches. I used a ribbon closure around the card to close it shut. Very fun project I created for this week's Cinema Saturday Challenge!
Woo Hoo! I'm so glad I FINALLY get to play along again. It's so fun, so come play too!

Chimney Secret Box Tutorial

With the secret bottom box open:
Hi friends,
Today I have the Chimney Secret Box tutorial to share with ya! First of all, I want to thank you so much for your incredible comments on my project. Seriously, I'm so tickled you liked it enough to want to make one yourself! Tickled, I tell ya! It really is easy to make, what takes time are the embellishments. If you KISS, you can whip 'em out in no time. No, I don't mean slobbering your cardstock- I mean Keep It Simple Sweetie. So grab some tea, coffee, or other spirits of choice (I won't tell ;) and join me in my craft lab. Let's get on with the deets...

Here's what you'll need:
*2 sheets 8 1/2" x 11" cardstock---> 1 for the chimney & 1 for the secret box (OR you can use a 12 x 12 sheet of CS cut in half & make two boxes)
*Trimmer with score blade or bone folder
*Scor-Pal recommended, but not necessary (it will make this go quickly)
*Strong adhesive of choice i.e. Scor-tape, Sticky Strip, wet glue will also work

Now that you've got your tools, let's get to work!

Directions for those who hate to measure: AKA, the Karli Miranda school of lazy :) (Type A's, I'll be with you in a minute)

Take 1 sheet of cardstock & score at 1/4" or 3/8" (whatever you choose)
Now fold in half (hamburger fold) up to the score line. (Yes, it's all about food in my class :)
Now, hamburger fold again to the score line.
Open it up, & you have your 4 panels (& your little tab).
Type A's, here are your measurements:
On the 11" side, score at 3/8", 3", 5 5/8", and 8 3/8"
Now everyone:
On the 8 1/2" side, score at 2 1/2"
Next, cut along the score lines up to the 2 1/2" score line. Cut off the little tab.

Now, we create the look of bricks on the chimney.
On the 8 1/2" side, score at every half-inch (1/2") until you get to the 2 1/2" score line. Also, stop scoring at the tab line.
See in the picture? You don't want to cross the line like I did for the first one. Stop at the score line like I did on the rest of them. Ummm, mistake? Nooooo, that wasn't a mistake. I meant to do that so you would know what not to do. See? :{ Let's move on.

Now, place the 11" side at the top & score every inch (1") all the way across the row. You'll need to fold the side tab & put it right up to the edge. (see pic)

On the next row, start at the 1/2" mark & continue scoring every 1 inch (1") mark all the way across. So you'll be scoring 1/2", 1 1/2", 2 1/2", 3 1/2" and so on. (see pic)

Repeat the process until it's complete. It will look like this when completed: (click on the pic for a closer peek). I actually have a brick stamp (which would be faster), but I love the dimension and texture this process gives it. As you can see, the Scor-Pal makes it so super easy & fast to do and the best part is you don't need to move your paper! Luv!!!

Fold all the score lines, add adhesive to the bottom & side tabs and adhere.
Your chimney is complete. Now for the base box.

I used Jen Del Muro's Mini-Pizza Box for that. You know how much I luv, luv, luv it because it is a piece of cake to put together. I think I can crank those out in my sleep! If you're not familiar with the Mini-Pizza box, you can find the directions here. Get your box made & meet me back here.

Hey there! So glad you made it back. Ok, now just add adhesive to the chimney bottom & adhere it to the center of your pizza box. Voilá! It's ready to be embellished.

These chimneys

were created with these embellies
The "Happy Holidays" sign is just a sticker. I used the slot punch to add little tabs to glue onto the mantel. I free hand cut the stockings (like you couldn't tell :) & added the slot punch in white for the trim. The star banner was made by punching out 3 stars, writing the letters to spell "Joy" & adhering them with gold beads in between each star.

Here's how I created the fire place:
I cut strips of close to cocoa for the mantel & the logs. (about 1/4" thick). I randomly placed them on the scor-pal & just scored away. This created that wood look & feel. ( or beef jerky :) Darn, I'm hungry again!)

I trimmed them down to create the mantel & logs. Then I inked them up for added detail. I like! I like! Add foam tape to the back of the mantel piece before adhering to the chimney.

Now for the fire...
I took a yellow flower & added 2 mini-glue dots to it like this:
BTW, these flowers come in a little bucket in the wedding section of Mike's. There's like a bazillion of these flowers in the bucket & they carry different colors. They're embossed & have a little shimmer to them. Use a coupon & they'll be uber cheap :)

All you do next is simply fold it closed, ink the edges with orange & that's it! Cute & easy peasy!
Now just add your logs to it & adhere it all to the large tag punched in black & you have created fire- just like the caveman, but better!
The wreath is even easier. Just punch a few little evergreen sprigs (Martha Stewart). I make a circle of glue & just drop them into place. Add a bow with a mini-glue dot on the back, sprinkle it with red rhinestones for berries & that's all folks!
To complete, you can ink the edges of the chimney box for shading & add highlights with a white gel pen along the bricks.

You know what comes next... say it with me... you know you want to... Stick a fork in it! It's DONE! Woo! It may seem like a lot of work, but the chimney & secret box is not. It's easy. The embellishing is what takes more time. If any of these steps are clear as mud, let me know & I'll try to clear it up.

Can I tell you a secret??? Ok, I actually came up with another version of this Chimney Secret Box I'm soooo smitten with :) I can't wait to share it with you! But it won't be for a while. I've got a lot on my plate right now (and unfortunately, it isn't even food) so it'll have to wait :( sorry.

I hope you give it a try & you tell me what you think! If you make one, I hope you'll send me a link :) I would love to see what you creative people do!

Thanks so much for peeking at my tutorial. I appreciate all the comments & requests for them. I enjoy sharing my crazy ideas with you :) This has taken me all day to complete & seeing that beef jerky mantle made me hungry! I'm off to get something to munch on before I start din din---Gotta Go!

The 411
Paper: Pure Poppy, Ripe Avocado, True Black, White, Lemon Tart, Rustic Snowflakes PP -PTI
Ink: Pure Poppy, Summer Sunrise -PTI, Close to Cocoa, Pumpkin Pie -SU!
Tools: Scor-Pal, punches-Martha Stewart, Tag , Slot Punch -SU!, flower, gold beads, rhinestones, ribbon -Michaels

Papertrey Ink Blog Hop- October

Hi friends,
Today I'm participating in PTI's Holiday Blog Hop. Our challenge was to create something that's part of our holiday plans for cards, gifts or wraps. I don't have my last order yet, so I had to go with plan B. It is a chimney/fireplace box of goodies for all the kiddos in our family we'll be seeing during the holidays:
It is made up of two parts: The chimney/fireplace box & the hearth made from a mini-pizza box.

I added some of my favorite confections (since right now I don't have any Christmas candy on hand.)It was really easy to make! I've got 2 more versions to share with ya:

This one has a sign hanging from the mantel:

This one has a banner:The mini-pizza box opens to give me another place to stash a card or more goodies. Here it is open:I've got 12 in all to make, but these are quite easy to put together. If you'd like to make one for yourself, I can create a tutorial of this project--- let me know & check back later if you're interested. Thanks so much for hopping by! I'm soooo excited to see what you've created, so...Gotta Go!

The 411
Paper: Pure Poppy, Ripe Avocado, True Black, White, Lemon Tart, Rustic Snowflakes PP -PTI
Ink: Pure Poppy, Summer Sunrise -PTI, Close to Cocoa -SU!
Tools: Scor-Pal, punches-Martha Stewart, Tag Punch -SU!, flower, gold beads, rhinestones, ribbon -Michaels

Coffin Box: Take 3

Hi friends,
You're at day 3, the final coffin box revealed. This box can be created with one sheet of 12 x 12 cardstock. Unlike the other two, it is two separate base & lid. So let's take a peek at it:
When you first look at this paper, it looks like roses in bloom. But, when you take a closer look, you see that those "roses" are actually bats flying in circles- really cool! I punched out some bats, pinched their wings up & popped them up on the coffin so they look like they're flying around eagerly waiting for their master to rise! Oooooh, creepylicious!

I also wrapped the "chain" ribbon around it.

Wanna see what's inside??? Here's a peek...FANGS!!!! gummy ones, of course. These came out of the same package as the feet I used for the witch shoes.

So witch one (oops, I meant,--->which) should you make? Well, here's a peek at the 3 coffin boxes side by side so you can see the difference:Coffin Box Take 1 is in the middle, Take 2 is on the left, & Take 3 is on the right. As you can see, Box three is bigger, Box 1 is wider, & box 2 is the smallest.

Here's another look:
Box 3 is bigger, wider, deeper- the big daddy of coffin boxes.
Box 1 (middle) is slimmer than the others.

There you have it- Three coffin boxes, three different sizes, one frightfully fun creation :) & now that I'm no longer "coffin" I'm feeling like myself again!

Jinkies! I almost forgot to give you the pattern for this coffin box. It comes from my good friend, Martha Stewart and yes, it's a good thing :)

Download MS Coffin Box Templates
Coffin top
MS Coffin Top
MS Coffin Bottom

Thanks for peeking at the coffin boxes I had to share this week. I hope you give them a try 'cause they're fun & easy to make. I'm off to finish my project for the PTI Blog Hop tomorrow so I hope you'll be able to pop in & check it out!----> Gotta Go!