Heart Embellishments

Hi Crafty Pals!!!!

Today I am posting a heart embellishment I created that I was inspired by a video by Tina (I'll post the link below).  I've recently been learning everything I can on how to make beautiful, creative embellishments.  What I've learned is that there isn't a right or wrong way.  Once you start with some basic steps, you can add anything you like to create a beautiful embellishment to use on a scrapbook page or card.  What's even better is that you can use items you already have in your craft stash AND . . . the dollar store is a great source for supplies that won't break the bank!  One of the best things about this embellishment is I did NOT buy any supplies to make it!!!! 😀😀😀😀😀

I started with some basic designs . . .a scallop and regular heart that I glued together.  The scalloped heart was cut on Bazzill cardstock to give it some texture.  Then I used some Crepe paper (from the dollar store!) and cut the edges with scissors to give it some dimension.  I had some shiny gold ribbon laying around for a long time the I decided to use.  I did use Tim Holtz tiny attacher to staple the ends of the crepe paper, but I think I will just glue the ends next time.  I cut a heart embellishment on red glitter paper using a die I already had.  Then I used MS Word to print the word "Love" using different fonts that I printed with my laser printer, cut out and distressed with a pink chalk inker.  I added a red jewel bling and Voila . . .here is a simple heart embellishment that can be used for Valentine's Day or any other "love" event.  Please leave your comments below and post pictures of your own heart embellishments.  I would love to see them!

Take care!

Video by Tina

UPDATE:  I create another embellishment by simply adding fun fur to the one above!

Then (because I couldn't stop), I took the red glitter paper that I die cut all the red hearts out of and used that as a stencil and stenciled the hearts onto a tag using some pink ink and a stencil brush.  I added some ribbon, the Love die cut word, pink pearls, pink heart bling and some stamped kisses at the bottom for a simple heart tag that can be added to any scrapbook page or card.

Hope you enjoy!

Stick It Adhesive!!!!

Wow . . .is all I can say!  This is definitely one of my new favorite products!  It is a must have for anyone working with intricate die-cuts!  I have posted a pic of the New Year's card I just completed.  I used a very intricate die-cut by Cottage Cutz and struggled with attaching it to my card.  I tried gluing it with my Quickie Glue pen, which was very time consuming and unfortunately didn't work very well.  I tried a couple of different types of glue, but it was very difficult to get one to stick and dry clear so as to not be able to see the glue.  What a mess!!  In full disclosure, it was probably just my inability to work well with the glue! Next, I thought I would give my Xyron a try; after all, it applies adhesive to vellum perfectly.  I was concerned that the glue would be on all the openings of the die-cut and be virtually impossible to remove without tearing the die, but I was out of options and had to figure out how to get this die cut to stick to my card.  It was kinda the central design element so I needed to figure something out.  After watching a video by Jennifer McGuire ( I will post the link to her video below), in which she used Stick It by Ken Oliver to effortlessly apply adhesive to a die-cut, I had to give it a try.  It also helped that I had a pack of Stick It lying around.  I am sure I bought this product for a specific project, but can't for the life of me remember what it was!  This exact scenario explains the Shopaholic part of this blog! 😀  Thankfully, I now had a reason to use some of my stash!  Of course, I have a problem with following directions too, so I cut the die cut the first time without first applying the Stick It to the cardstock.  Um, yeah, it doesn't work too well that way!  So after countless tries, the lightbulb finally came on and I figured out to apply the Stick It to the cardstock first and then die cut it.  All I can say is WOW . . . what an effortless way to apply adhesive to intricate die-cuts!  I highly recommend it, you won't be disappointed!  Please leave your comments if you have used this product for different applications as I would love to learn more about it!

Jennifer McGuire video using Stick It

Hello fellow Crafters!

I have started this blog to share my crafting passion with my friends.  I love to scrapbook, create cards, color, paint and use my Brother Scan N Cut and Pazzles Inspiration.  I am often asked how did I do that or what product did I use so I thought I would start a blog to cover craft techniques, product reviews, my favorite craft items, etc.  I believe we can never stop learning so I welcome your comments as I love to learn new and better ways to do things.  I have been crafting for over 16 years although it has not been on a full time basis as I have been raising a family and working.  I would love to say I'm a craftaholic, but sometimes Shopaholic for craft supplies may be a better description! So I will be posting craft hauls as well!  Ok, it's time to get real and talk about what we love to do . . . craft!  Sit back, relax, drink some coffee (or wine) and enjoy!