Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Weekly Challenge | Halloween & New Release!!!



It's time again for Delightful Challenges weekly challenge and this time it's HALLOWEEN!!! Wendy is releasing a really cute new line of Halloween stamps and the paper is AWESOME! For this card I am working with Sasha the Witch and the Halloween Accessories and Sentiment Set #1. Thank you for looking!

Cardstock: Bazzill Basics
Markers: BIC Mark-Its
Accessories: Sakura Hobby Crafts 3D Crystal Lacquer, Foam Tape, Sakura Glitter Pen

You do not have to use a Digital Delights image to play but if you do you will receive two entries. Just add your card twice to inlinkz to enter twice you need to when you use a Digital Delights image 1st entry use your card link, 2nd entry use your blog address and add 2nd entry after your name.

This week our sponsor is

Tuesday, August 30, 2011

AJs Digi Shoppe Posting | You had me at GRRR!


Thank you for stopping by! I made this card for my husband using AJs Digi Shoppe digital stamps and papers....fly on by the AJs Digi Shoppe Blog to learn how I did it and enjoy other projects made by the talented AJs Digi Shoppe Design Team! I hope you enjoy my card!

Monday, August 29, 2011

Hostess Monday @ Digital Delights by Louby Loo!!

What a fun week I'm having! This week I have the opportunity to be featured on the Digital Delights blog!! I took this opportunity to make a few cards using her Circus Capers Collection--a collection which admittedly made me squeal with joy when I saw it!
Hop on over to the Digital Delights blog and see my cards and a quick tutorial on coloring with BIC Mark-Its. I hope you love it! I leave you with a fun photo from my Grad School days--I was Boss-Clown of the Tarleton Player Clowns...can you guess which one I am?? I'll give you a hint--I discuss this in the video and my hair matches Bubble's!


Thank you for stopping by!

Sunday, August 28, 2011

Blog Announcement | Sakura Hobby Crafts Design Team!!

I am so honored to announce that I have been named to the Sakura Hobby Crafts Design Team--that's that 3D Crystal Lacquer that I've been using that everyone loves!!! It's super cool stuff and I can't wait to share new and exciting projects and techniques with all of their lacquer products and kits!!


I join this team of AMAZING artists! Be sure to check out the incredible work they do!! I will be posting featured projects about 2 times a month for Sakura--in rotation with my teammates! I hope you join us in discovering all the possibilities that 3D Crystal Lacquer can bring!!


Saturday, August 27, 2011

leslierahye's crafty handmade holiday challenge | August


Thank you to the participants in July's Challenge...the slide show of their work is below.



The Rules
  1. make an item [or 2 or 3] that is a gift for someone you give to during the holiday season. You can make as many gifts each month as you wish as long as they are unique.
  2. post an image of it somewhere that is linkable to this blog--if you have a blog, post it there. If you don't have a blog, you can post to your facebook, to your online photo account, anywhere you can share electronically with us.
  3. add you information to the INLINKZ at the bottom of this post: name, link to the project, email. This inlinkz is name link only..that way in order for folks to see your wonderful project they will have to click on over to it--creating blog traffic for those of us with blogs.
  4. The deadline is the 24th of each month giving us 5 months to create and share!
If you choose you can add the challenge button to your blog!




<center><a href="http://leslierahye.blogspot.com/"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQD4KmjgiyjxSeOHdGc_K94z2iwoFvtDmj94F5JA3D_KT8G3x-a_NLHfJUlRIZNuWEMdywhDNuaxNbmvAL-U37QsWx4kH94LEqWVUQoPvJ9q3aMT1xkeDA6WP16CsXOO78eXGZ00ZAV2c/s800/lr%252520challenge%252520button.png"/></a></center>

Friday, August 26, 2011

Blog Announcement | Crafty Ribbons Challenge Blog & a tease!

If you're looking for my Festive Friday Blog Hop Post, click here.
I am SO EXCITED to announce today that I have been named to the Crafty Ribbons Challenge Design Team!! 
Crafty Ribbons has a amazing selection of ribbon, fibers and buttons and you all know how I love all three of these! It's an honor to design for them and take on the Crafty Ribbon Challenges with you all! I just LOVE a Challenge!! Hop on over to Crafty Ribbons and see all the yummy ribbons and buttons!
The first challenge will debut on Thursday 1st September! Check here for more details!
Don't forget if you become a follower of the Challenge blog there is a candy up for grabs,check the post out here and become a follower for a chance to win all of these gorgeous ribbons....
 
Please come and join in with us for our first challenge as we would love to see all your gorgeous projects.
And now for the tease...
I have more cool news to share...but you will have to wait until Sunday...but know this: It's really good and I'm VERY excited to share it with you!!!!

Thursday, August 25, 2011

Festive Friday #16| HO HO HO

Happy Friday everyone!! It's time for the Festive Friday Blog Hop hosted by Terri Sproul again. This bi-monthly blog hop features Holiday cards from many talented card crafters as we get our Christmas cards ready early this year.
If you reached this stop from Becky's blog BC Designs , then you are in the right spot! If you would like to start from the beginning, you can return to Terri's blog.
This Festive Friday I wanted to try another fast card only this time using some of my other favorite toys...chipboard, distress inks and stains, Sakura Hobby Craft 3D Crystal Lacquer...and Bazzill Basics cardstock! YUM!
The letters were craft-colored chipboard from a pre-cut set of letters. I sanded off the connecting tabs and then covered the top and sides with Barn Red distress ink. Then I stamped in Peeled Paint distress ink the swirly background stamp that I also stamped on the light green card stock for the back ground. I squeezed on Sakura 3D Crystal Lacquer to gloss up the letters and add some cool dimension that can be viewed in the photo angle below! The letters were placed on the light green that had been edged with Peeled Paint stain and stamped.
love this angle where you can see all the yummy 3D goodness of the crystal lacquer
The letters were adhered with foam tape, and the edge of the Kraft base kissed with Barn Red distress ink. I hope you enjoyed my Ho-Ho-Ho Card! Thank you for stopping by!
The next stop on the hop is Laura Fisher's blog. If you get lost on the way, the entire list is below!

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Weekly Challenge | Must Use Digital Paper

It's time again for Delightful Challenges weekly challenge and this time it's really fun! This weeks challenge is to use DIGITAL PAPER! Wendy has created over 20 paper packs with a great variety of digital papers to please all types...they range in size from 4 papers to 8 papers and print out really nicely! 
 For this challenge I chose to work with the Circus Capers Paper and the Circus Digi stamps. I LOVE clowns and the circus...this weekend I realized I was sorely in need of BIRTHDAY cards! HA! Of all the cards I make each week, BIRTHDAY cards seem to be neglected! So for this week I bring you : Wishing You an Amazing Birthday!
Wishing You an Amazing Birthday!
Digital Delights Images:  Circus TentCircus Ticket Sentiment Set and Buttons the Clown Cardstock: Circus Capers Digital Paper Pack Markers: BIC Mark-Its Accessories: Foam Tape and Sakura Hobby Craft 3D Crystal Lacquer You do not have to use a Digital Delights image to play but if you do you will receive two entries. Just add your card twice to inlinkz to enter twice you need to when you use a Digital Delights image 1st entry use your card link, 2nd entry use your blog address and add 2nd entry after your name.
This week our sponsor is our very own Digital Delights by Louby Lou!!!

Crafty Ribbons Challenge Blog Design Team CALL!!

Crafty Ribbons Challenge  is a fantastic new challenge blog that will be launching on the 1st September 2011. Every two weeks they will host a new challenge using R I B B O N!!! Exciting, right!??!? There's only a few more hours left to join the hunt for a new design team...it's really pretty easy and all the details are located on their blog here.  I'd love to share with you a project I created recently on my bi-monthly show leslierahye's crafty gig on ustream. A replay of the show where this project was completed is below. This project was for my Crafty Handmade Holiday Challenge which is coming to the end of its first month. I hope you enjoy it!
Crafty Ribbons Challenge
In addition to paper crafting, I love to use ribbon in general crafting and sewing. I wanted to share with you a few more of my favorite ribbon projects in hopes that the folks at Crafty Ribbons Challenge blog are wowed! Wish me luck!
Ribbons helped transform my daughter into a princess-- Satin ribbon holds the wings on and ribbons and yarns flow from the back of her fairy crown.
Extra large grosgrain ribbon used for butterfly wings, hemp string string used for antennae complete instructions for this finger puppet are available via scribdon my downloads tab above.
polka dotted grosgrain and organza used to accent the punch art fairy card
light green organza used to accent a handmade gift bag
Velvet ribbon is the base to this crystal wired bookmark... I love to use ribbon as bookmark bases!
Thank you for looking! I hope you enjoyed what you found! I hope someone across the ocean is wowed!

Thursday, August 18, 2011

Weekly Challenge #35 | Tile within a Tile

Tile within a Tile

This week over at the I am the Diva CZT blog, the challenge is for your tangle to look like a Tile within a Tile! This was fun for me as you know I LOVE filling in the spaces! You will notice several of my favorite tangles here! Thank you for stopping by, I hope you enjoyed my tangle!

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Weekly Challenge | Primary Colors or Back to School


It's hard to believe that summer is about over and school is starting up on Monday for us!! What a crazy summer! It went too fast! This weeks challenge at Delightful Challenges , we are completing projects with Primary Colors or in the Back-to-School theme. 
 Digital Delights by Louby Loo has many wonderful papers and stamps for this fun theme!!! When I saw Penny and her Teddy, I thought of my own young Kindergartner saying good bye this fall to her best stuffed friend to go back to school. I hope you enjoy my card!


Penny and Her Teddy--Best Friends

card stock : bazzill basics
markers: BIC Mark-Its
Accessories: ribbon, foam dots, Sakura 3D Crystal Lacquer
You do not have to use a Digital Delights image to play but if you do you will receive two entries. Just add your card twice to inlinkz to enter twice you need to when you use a Digital Delights image 1st entry use your card link, 2nd entry use your blog address and add 2nd entry after your name.
We have a wonderful sponsor this week

Thank you for stopping by!

Tuesday, August 16, 2011

AJs Digi Shoppe Posting | SOAR! with Mama Owl


Fly on over to AJ's Digi Shoppe Blog to learn how to make this easy card with Amanda's ADORABLE digis and BEAUTIFUL paper! WHOO wouldn't want to receive this for a Back-to-School/Encouragement card?!?!

Monday, August 15, 2011

Weekly Challenge #34: "Opposites Attract"

"Opposites Attract"

Today brings me back to my centering passion...zentangles...I have be absent from the Weekly Challenge of Zentangles for a while over at the I am the Diva challenge blog. My body feels it--it's yoga for the brain and my brain of late has felt stiff. So for myself I tangle this tile. I hope you enjoy it. It was actually LAST weeks challenge and the new challenge for the week has already started! lol
The detail for THIS challenge are found here.

I am not going to attempt to catch up on ALL the challenges that I missed..but some of my favorites might get done along with the current one! I hope you don't mind!

Thank you for stopping by...I hope you enjoy my tangle "Opposites Attract."

Thursday, August 11, 2011

Festive Friday #15 | Quick & Easy cards with Digital Delights!

 Happy Friday everyone!! It's time for the Festive Friday Blog Hop hosted by Terri Sproul again. This bi-monthly blog hop features Holiday cards from many talented card crafters as we get our Christmas cards ready early this year.

If you reached this stop from Becky's blog BC Designs , then you are in the right spot! If you would like to start from the beginning, you can return to Terri's blog.



As summer comes to a close, the year forward just SPEEDS up for me! It is with this in mind that I bring you ideas that are quick  and  easy and that make fun holiday cards!! Digital Delights by Louby Loo has introduced into the store pre-colored holiday 3D Decoupage and Pyramage worksheets. You simply cut [and in a few cases diecut with frame dies] the shapes and stack them together with foam tape. It makes a super cute focus piece that can be added to a card with a simple sentiment!

Below I've used several of her designs to create quick & easy cards! I hope you enjoy them!




The next stop on the hop is Laura Fisher's blog. If you get lost on the way, the entire list is below!


Wednesday, August 10, 2011

Weekly Challenge | Things with Wings!

If you haven't already guessed, I have this THING for things with WINGS!!! I love bugs that fly, I love animals that fly, I love magical beings that fly! SO, when this weeks challenge for Delightful Challenges over a Digital Delights by Louby Loo was Things with Wings, I was THRILLED!!! So many possibilities!!!


I have utilized many of Wendy's stamps in the past that included critters with WINGS. So my challenge was two-fold...1. Things with Wings & 2. To find something unique that I had not used before! I believe I have just that project that answers both challenges! I hope you enjoy it!



Digital Stamps: Tiny the Turkey and Fall Sentiments Set
Cardstock:  Bazzill Basics
Markers: BIC Mark-Its
Embellishments: chalks, Sakura 3D Crystal Lacquer, ribbon, Bazzill Board diecut, and foam tape

You do not have to use a Digital Delights image to play but if you do you will receive two entries. Just add your card twice to inlinkz to enter twice you need to when you use a Digital Delights image 1st entry use your card link, 2nd entry use your blog address and add 2nd entry after your name.
We have a wonderful sponsor this week
 

Thank you for stopping by!

Gift Card Holder and Sakura Hobby Craft Crystal Lacquer


As many of you know I'm hand-making the holiday gifts that come from my family this year. While it is my goal to give everyone a hand-made item, there is one category of recipients that might get a gift card or two for their holiday gift--the teachers. We usually bring homemade goodies for the teachers--truffles, candies, apple dip. When we can swing it we try to get them a gift card as well, either to a favorite store or to Staples or the local teacher store as we all know the teachers buy out of their pockets to supplement what the school and state cannot provide.

Rather than a plain card with the gift card(s) stuck inside, I think the up-cycled toilet paper tube mini should be made over to become a handy gift card holder! It IS the perfect size for the credit card size gift cards and for places with gift certificates, the pockets could easily accommodate any folded piece of paper.

Back-to-School Gift Card Holder



Ingredients:
2 toilet paper tubes flattened
something to "bind" your 2 tubes together--I used the bind-it-all.
cardstock/patterned paper to match your occassion
[I used primary colors here as I wanted to use my sample for a back-to-school gift for my child's kindergarten teacher--hence the "k" on the cover]
quotes--formatted and printed on printer.
Sakura Hobby Craft 3D Crystal Lacquer
assorted embellishments [ribbon, butterflies, flowers, bling, buttons, brads, yarn, and bottle caps]
Marvey Inks and Ranger Stains
Beacon 3-in-1 craft glue &; 3D glue dots




Creating the gift card holder is very easy! Cover the toilet paper tubes with cardstock and a strip of patterned paper. once covered, take a moment to even up the tubes --all toilet paper tubes are not created equally! Mat the various quotes or edge with coordinating ink for mock-edging to add a bit of dimension to the quotes. Place a quote or two on the inside "pages" or provide a blank mat to leave a message for your teacher.


The star of the fun dimensional cover is Sakura Hobby Craft 3D Crystal Lacquer. For this cover I used it 3 different ways--2 you perhaps are familiar with and one is a fun technique I discovered about a year ago while creating my samples for a tag class that I was teaching!


After punching letters out of some cardstock that had these great alphabets, I edged the paper with ink and then applied Sakura 3D Crystal Lacquer to the letters themselves for added dimension. What makes Sakura 3D Crystal Lacquer different from the regular lacquers is that it has a heavier body. What that means to you is that you can get DIMENSION on the items you lacquer...it flows nicely but is just enough thicker that you can actually SEE the lacquer sitting on top of the paper!


I punched out a letter "k" for kindergarten and matted it with some red cardstock and housed it in a bottle cap for a handmade embellishment. The Sakura 3D lacquer served as the glue for the paper and as the "glass-like" cover over the letter--giving it the effect of those dome-covered embellishments without needing a separate "dome".


The final embellishment that I created with the Sakura 3D lacquer is made with 4 simple ingredients: Sakura 3D lacquer, glitter, cardboard and ink--to color the cardboard's edges [for that finished look]. I inked the edges of the cardboard--let it dry. I applied the Sakura 3D lacquer to the entire cover of my cardboard shape--an apple. While it was wet, I sprinkled glitter until it was fully covered--and then I zapped it with the heat gun! That's right...don't wait. When you heat the Sakura 3D lacquer, you can see it start to MOVE and then it brings a whole new meaning to 3D!!! Your piece will PUFF UP. You can play with it carefully--being sure not to over puff, as it will pop--backing of gently to see if the lacquer is now drying and holding the shape. When you are happy with the shape of the piece, stop. You can either let it dry and attach it--it will be more glittery--or you can add an additional layer of lacquer for that shinier finish as seen here. It's really a lot of fun creating your 3D puffed embellishment!!




To finish off your gift, you need to make some tags for the tubes. With coordinating cardstock and patterned paper, create the folded tags for the tube pockets by folding a piece of 2½×8" cardstock and adding a folded piece of patterned paper trimmed to 2×7½". Attach a ribbon to the folded end with a brad. The tags can be finished out with paper flowers and buttons, and wired butterflies. A gift card can be attached inside a pocket with a glue dot. A special note from your child could be tucked into the other tag or another gift card!

Finally attach fibers, fabric or ribbons to the binding to jazz it up a bit! I try to use leftovers from other projects to save cost and have that satisfaction of reusing, reducing and recycling!

Thank you for stopping by! I hope you enjoyed my project. I really hope someone in LA is saying "WOW!"


To enjoy other projects made with Sakura 3D Crystal Lacquer and other Sakura Hobby Craft products, check out their blog!!

Wednesday, August 3, 2011

Weekly Challenge | Stitching & New Release!

It's time again for a wonderful new release at Digital Delights by Louby Loo. These super cute images have been introduced to help bring in Fall! I love them all and am especially pleased to see SUNFLOWERS!!! You all know I'm a big fan of the sunflower!  I hope you enjoy these cuties as much as I am!

This weeks challenge is for you to show us your STITCHING!!! You can either do pen-stitching like I did here or REAL stitching!! I can't wait to see your challenge--you can get the full details of the challenge here.


Digital Delights Stamps:  Fall Kids SetFall Accessories Set
cardstock: Bazzill Basics
technique: chalk and paper punchies, pen-stitching

Photobucket

You do not have to use a Digital Delights image to play but if you do you will receive two entries. Just add your card twice to inlinkz to enter twice you need to when you use a Digital Delights image 1st entry use your card link, 2nd entry use your blog address and add 2nd entry after your name We have a wonderful sponsor this week


Prize - $20 GIFT CERTIFICATE FOR THEIR STORE


thank you for looking! 

Tuesday, August 2, 2011

AJs Digi Shoppe Posting | Mrs. Frankenstein Bookmark


I LOVE Amanda's new Owls that she released at AJ's Digi Shoppe yesterday!! Mrs. Frankenstein is just too cute for words. I knew when I saw her she need to be done up in FELT! Fly on over to the AJ's Digi Shoppe Blog and see how I made her!