Sunday, May 05, 2013

The Softer Side of Ruby Rock-It Blog Hop

Hello Ruby Rock-it Fans!  
Welcome to our May blog hop!  
We are featuring 3 ranges that reach our softer side...Arcadia, Mother Nature, and Reminisce.  These are all so delicate and dainty on their own, and blend just beautifully together!  
Come and hop along with us, leaving comments at each blog [including ours] to be entered to win an awesome Ruby Rock-it prize pack!  


My project is a layered combination of Mother Nature and the Bird Decoupage pack.


I made a little shadowbox...


did a little fussy cutting...


and ended with a finished project that I think is adorable  :)


I had a blast making this as an International Scrapbook Day project  <3 p="">

Look at how gorgeous these collections are together, don't forget to leave comments, this is a great prize package!!


 Here's the order in case you get lost along the way...Remember to start at the Ruby Rock-it blog!



RUBY ROCK-IT RULES-LEAVE A COMMENT ON EACH DESIGNER’S BLOG AND THEN ON THE RUBY ROCK-IT'S BLOG TO BE ENTERED TO WIN OUR AWESOME PRIZE PACK. COMMENTS MUST BE POSTED BY TUESDAY, MAY 7TH AT 11:59PM PST TO BE ELIGIBLE FOR THE RANDOM DRAWING.  WE WILL ANNOUNCE THE WINNER ON OUR RUBY ROCK-IT BLOG ON WEDNESDAY MAY 8TH! 

Friday, April 05, 2013

Ruby Rock-It Kinda Krafty Hop!

Hello Ruby Rock-it Fans!  


Today, we are celebrating our beautiful New Kinda Krafty range, that made it's debut a few weeks ago, and has been very well received!  It is full of bright and bold contrasts against a beautiful neutral kraft background!  Come and hop along with us, leaving comments at each blog to enter to win an awesome Ruby Rock-it prize pack!  You could win your very own KINDA KRAFTY range!  Here's the order of blogs in case you get lost along the way!



RUBY ROCK-IT KINDA KRAFTY HOP RULES-LEAVE A COMMENT ON EACH DESIGNER’S BLOG AND THEN ON THE RUBY ROCK-IT'S BLOG TO BE ENTERED TO WIN THE KINDA KRAFTY PRIZE PACK. COMMENTS MUST BE POSTED BY SUNDAY, APRIL 7TH AT 11:59PM PST TO BE ELIGIBLE FOR THE RANDOM DRAWING.  WE WILL ANNOUNCE THE WINNER ON OUR RUBY ROCK-IT BLOG ON MONDAY, APRIL 8TH! 

Good luck and Happy Crafting!
B-

Tuesday, March 05, 2013

Ruby Rock-It Blog Hop Featuring the Carnival Collections




Hello Ruby Rock-it Fans!  Today, we are celebrating our beautiful New Carnival KING and QUEEN ranges that are debuted at CHA Winter, and are shipping as we speak!  Come and hop along with us, leaving comments at each blog to enter to win an awesome Ruby Rock-it prize pack!  You could win your very own CARNIVAL KING range!  Here's the order of blogs in case you get lost along the way! 


Ruby Rock-It!

  • Beckie Dreyer
  • June Goh
  • Liana Suwandi
  • Erin Yamabe
  • Lisa Novogrodski
  • Carrie Walz
  • Lisa Webb
  • Becky Olsen
  • Pattie Beltran
  • Kristine Berc
  • Ruby Rock-It
  • MAKE SURE YOU LEAVE A COMMENT ON EACH DESIGNER’S BLOG AND THEN ON THE RUBY ROCK-IT BLOG ONCE YOU’RE DONE PARTYING CARNIVAL STYLE!
    RUBY ROCK-IT CARNIVAL PARTY RULES-LEAVE A COMMENT ON EACH DESIGNER’S BLOG AND THEN ON THE RUBY ROCK-IT'S BLOG TO BE ENTERED TO WIN THE CARNIVAL KING PRIZE PACK. COMMENTS MUST BE POSTED BY THURSDAY MARCH 7TH AT 11:59PM PST TO BE ELIGIBLE FOR THE RANDOM DRAWING.  WE WILL ANNOUNCE THE WINNER ON OUR RUBY ROCK-IT BLOG ON FRIDAY, MARCH 8TH! 


     I used the Carnival King collection to decorate a frame that can be used time and again with the inside panel painted with chalkboard paint. It can be used to show the number of years, what is on the menu or share a fun message!

    The products I used are:

    Carnival King Garlands
    Carnival King "Party Time"


    Thanks for hopping by and good luck!
    B-

Monday, January 28, 2013

Showing Off Paper Smooches CHA Release and a Hidden Giveaway!

Playing with the new Design Motifs stamp set!













Paper Smooches is showing off their CHA release during the entire month of January.  37 designers are participating along with the PS DT, so there will be a ton for projects to inspire you this month.  Paper Smooches is known for their fun and whimsical hand-drawn stamps.  They decided that it was time to broaden their product line to include DIES and wood mount stamps!  
I have a project to share using NEW PS product that releases on February 1, 2013 atwww.papersmoochesstamps.com along with many retail stores around the globe.



















You will find a new blog link (or two) to follow every day in January at the PS Blog
Paper Smooches is giving away $500. Worth of product!  Hidden on FIVE of the participating blogs is a prize package worth $100. each. The prize includes a variety of stamp sets, wood mounts and dies. Comment on as many blogs as you can to increase your chances to be one of the five winners.
Deadline is January 30th – winners will be announced on the PS Blog on January 31st.























I was sent the fabulous Design Motifs set to play with! I love making backgrounds with stamps, and this entire set is filled with graphic shapes that are perfect for color layering, making patterns or a fun and funky design element!

I used the large arrow to build a chevron with Lemonade Adirondack ink, Tsukineko Glue Pad and Doodlebug yellow glitter. Thanks stamp is from Sentiment Sampler, the flowers were fussy cut from a  piece of Crate Paper and the wood heart button is by Prima. 

Thanks for taking time to enjoy the Paper Smooches Designer tour, and good luck with finding blog prize packages!

Happy Stamping!
B-

Sunday, January 06, 2013

A Winner from Seasons Givings Blog Hop!

Okay, back from my AMAZING service expedition to Chiapas, Mexico and I have chosen a winner!













Proudly took 2188 pictures on my Canon 40D and 448 pictures and 12 videos on my Canon Elph110 HS.

I want to thank everyone who took the time to leave a comment, you are all very appreciated!! I also want to wish all of you a wonderful year to come!
It is with excitement that I announce that Rhonda is going to be getting this box packed with Happy New Year goodies!


Rhonda, please leave me a comment here, and I will get your box sent out to you asap!

And a quick project share because it is a great way to end the first blog post of the new year!



















Happy Crafting friends!!
B-

Monday, December 31, 2012

Seasons Givings Blog Hop!













Welcome to the Seasons Givings Blog Hop!  
This hop is going to be a little bit different, in the fact that every single person on the list below, is giving something away.  All you need to do, is go to their blog, and leave a comment.  Really, really easy.  Now grab a cup of coffee, or tea, or maybe some hot chocolate, whatever your favorite is, and start hopping.  

Here is to starting off the year 2013 in a fun way!

I want to share one of my favorite projects from the past year. It is made with some Ruby Rock-It patterned papers, Maya Road stick pins, Prima wood button, EK Success punch, American Craft thickers and beautiful May Art ribbon.




















Thanks for landing on my blog an taking some of your fresh brand new year to spend it with us as we share our love for crafting and giving!
Here is just a small sample of what I will be putting into a box. I will be posting the winner on the 6th of January, so please come by then to see if you were selected.





Don't forget to stop by every blog as each one is doing its own give away!!

Many wishes for a very blessed 2013!
B-

Sunday, December 23, 2012

Celebrating the Holidays with a Hot Cocoa Bar

Hot Cocoa, marshmallows and peppermint sticks!
Putting together a cute place to gather all of the delicious fixings for a memorable mug of warm happiness doesn't take much time, and will make a memorable addition to your holiday decor! Guests and family members alike will love the opportunity to mix that perfect treat, and you have a warm and fuzzy feeling for sharing a simple joy.
Over at the Ruby Rock-It Blog I share the perfect hot cocoa recipe that I found from my favorite chef, Alton Brown, and some jar decorating ideas to put it all together.
















Here is where I thought I could share some of the design logistics for giving it a cohesive look.

The tray was one that I found at a garage sale for $1.00, it is from Wal-Mart and it has had the top painted in a few coats with chalkboard paint and then I just doodled a little and hand wrote the words "hot chocolate bar". I love that it is old and worn looking, and has my personal touch with the very imperfect lettering, it is comfortable and it is my wish that it is inviting. I don't want anyone to feel bad if they spill or smudge, I want them to feel joy as they indulge in a warm cup of happiness.

To make each of the tags I painted both sides of the left over pieces of chipboard from previous projects. After they had dried I ran them through my Sizzix with a tag shaped die cut, hand wrote the ingredient and then tied them onto each of the jars lids. 























The fun of using the chalkboard paint for the tray and labels is that they can all be re-purposed for future displays and holidays. There are so many ways that this little project makes me happy, and I have even made myself a couple more mugs of cocoa than I usually would have consumed this time of year because of the convenience and how inviting it looks.





















I want to wish all of you a very Merry Christmas! And please come back to visit, I really appreciate you!
B-

Sunday, December 09, 2012

Free Faux Mercury Glass Ornament Tutorial

I love to cruise around on Pinterest and explore, find inspiration and make new friends!
Recently I was inspired by this pin








As soon as I saw this pin and put it in my Winter and Christmas Inspiration Board I knew just how I would be able to make something similar. The next thing I will try is figuring out how to age them so they look like they have been around for 50 years. But I am very pleased with the initial result, and am looking forward to making many more of them in different sizes and shapes.













Start by finding clear glass ornaments, I got mine from Michael's, they were 50% off and they had a few different sizes of the round and also a few unusual shapes. You will also need Adirondack  Silver Mixative, an applicator, and an alcohol based solution. Ranger makes one as does Copic. (I am going to try rubbing alcohol in my next version to see if I can get the cost lower)














Take the top out of the ornament and put some of the alcohol solution inside. It won't matter if you put too much in as it eventually evaporates, it just takes longer for the project to dry on the inside.














Squeeze a few drops of the Silver Mixative inside the ornament as well. Start swirling and rolling the ornament.(be patient when rolling it around to keep it even)















It takes a few minutes for it to dry/evaporate, so just keep swirling and rolling to keep it from settling all in one place. (this is a great in front of your favorite tv show project!)

Prepare the applicator by putting a few drops of the Silver Mixative onto the felt portion.















Then place some of the alcohol solution onto the applicator to loosen up the mixative.















Start dabbing onto the outside of the ornament.















Continue applying the mixative and solution to the applicator as necessary until the entire outside has been covered.














This will leave a beautiful, textured layer on the glass.














The result is glistening, and glamorous, and a project that can be made with older children. I am so pleased with how they look, and I knew that I would want to share that with all my crafty friends, so thanks for dropping by and I hope you have as much fun trying this project as I did!

Happy Holiday Crafting!
B-

Saturday, December 01, 2012

Free Christmas Packaging and Holiday Treat Recipe

Happy December 1st!!!

I am sharing one of our family's very Happy Holiday traditions with my friend Debby Lewis on her blog today! You will have to go over and visit to get the free tutorial for a gift bag and the free recipe for white chocolate, peppermint Chex mix. But trust me you will be glad you did! She is also doing a HUGE give-away at the end of the 12 days!!
Here is a sneak peak at my free gift bag tutorial that uses Ruby Rock-It products...


















And what the white chocolate, peppermint Chex mix looks like...

















It is delish, everyone enjoys it and it is quick to make large batches of so you can make sure to share treats with all of your co-workers, friends, family and your own late night snack ;o)

Happy Crafting!
B-

Friday, November 30, 2012

A Farewell Blog Hop With My Fabulous Ruby Rock-It Friends

It has been a wonderful experience to be on the inaugural Ruby Rock-it Bella! Fundamentals team. I have enjoyed the wonderful camaraderie of this inspiring group, and will remember everyone with much fondness. We have been asked to share our favorite project from the year. I have many projects that I have been proud of, but one stood out from the others for me. This one of my daughter, Laurel, who has a very free spirit and is one of the kindest and most fun loving people that I know was definitely my favorite layout and tutorial to share.


















And to ring in the holiday season I made a card special for this farewell hop to let the other girls know how much I have appreciated the opportunity to work with them. I hope that they have a very Merry Christmas and a wonderful New Year filled with many exciting opportunities!


















May your holidays be merry and bright!














Thank you so much for taking the time to visit, please visit the very talented Benedicte Raphalen, she is the next stop on the hop!!

Happy Crafting!!
B-

Friday, October 05, 2012

World Card Making Day 2011 Winner Blog Hop

Hello Hoppers!!

Welcome to our little Paper Crafts World Card Making Day 2011 Winner Blog Hop!

Wow, was that a wild mouthful!



















Maybe you lucked into stopping by today, or you got here from visiting the always inspiring Savannah O’Gwynn and Linda Dreiling first. But however it is you ended up here, thank you!! It is always a treat to share some time with other creative peeps, and maybe a little of what I am sharing (or what some of the other winners have shared) will inspire you into a card making frenzy tomorrow!



















After you are done hanging out here, please head over to see what  Kelly Rasmussen has got going on, she is so talented, she is sure to get some great ideas swirling in your head! And don't forget to make it to the Paper Crafts Connection Blog where I have heard there will be some FAB-U-LOUS give aways!

Happy Crafting!
B-

supplies:
Ruby Rock-It patterned paper and lace trim
Lilly Bee patterned paper and little letter stickers
Bias ribbon
Prima flower
Tim Holtz metal frame
burlap

Tuesday, September 04, 2012

Handmade Rose Flower and Tussy Mussy Free Tutorial


I have had loads of people ask me where I learned to make these flowers and if I would please share how. I have to be honest, it is hard to share something for free when I came up with this particular version of making these on my own through a lot of trial and error. And I am sure that there are a lot of other tutorials that do something similar, since many of us crafty folk think similarly in our problem solving. But I had an interesting conversation with a client who has some of their trade show projects being published with these flowers on the top, and they wanted to share the instructions with their readers. So I am at the point that I think it is a good time to share them with everyone!

If you like this tutorial, please pin on Pinterest with credit, or if you are replicating and sharing in your own crafting, please give the credit back. It is a very frustrating experience to be willing to share my knowledge and experience, only to see it duplicated and not given credit. Use transparency and integrity, karma is a good thing to have on your side  :o)



 Tussy Mussy Tutorial

The tussy mussy is a bouquet that is rooted deep in tradition. They are used as a place to hold bouquets whether from a suitor in the Victorian era or now in elegant weddings or home decor. They are relatively simple to make and can become as elaborate as you wish to make them. Included in this tutorial is a printable template that you can use to print right out onto your favorite patterned paper, or print one out onto cardstock to use again and again by tracing onto the desired paper.






















Constructing the base:

  1. Print out template, either onto the desired paper that will be used to construct the cone or onto card stock that you can use many times to trace onto the desired paper.
  2. Cut out and then adhere the straight edges together using a very strong dry adhesive or a low melt temp glue gun.
  3. Decorate top of cone with lace, decorative edged paper, ribbon or what ever inspires you.
  4. On the opposite sides inside the cone adhere ribbon, chain, lace or what ever other material you like to use as the handle using a very strong dry adhesive or low melt temp glue gun.
  5. Using a very strong dry adhesive or low temp melt glue gun adhere a Styrofoam cone into the decorative come. 
  6. Pad around Styrofoam, inside of cone with tissue paper if necessary to get a snug fit. 



 Large Handmade Rose Tutorial
Constructing the flowers:
1. Using the Sizzix Tim Holtz “Tattered Flowers” die, cut out four large flowers, one medium flower and one small flower per one finished large flower.




 2. After your flowers are cut, use a small handled paint brush or similar item to roll the edges of the  flowers with, then gently pinch the inside of each of the petals toward the center of the flower. 

3. On one of the flowers trim out one of the petals as well as the center of the flower, and then using the Tim Holtz tiny attacher, staple the two edges of the flower together.



4. On one flower trim out two petals as well as the center of the flower and attach together with the Tiny Attacher.
    

5. In a third flower, cut in half, remove the center and attach the edges together. 


6. Cut the small flower down the center and apply 1/8" double sided tape along each side of the cut.


7. Remove protective layer from tape and roll flower along cut edges.


8. In medium sized flower cut in between two of the petals and also remove the center.


9.  Apply 1/8" double sided tape along cut edge and center of flower.


10. Remove protective layer from tape and roll flower up into itself.


11. Apply 1/8" double sided tape to outside of small flower, remove protective layer and insert into center of medium sized flower.


12. Apply 1/8" double sided tape to outside of medium flower.


13. Remove protective layer from tape and insert into center of 3 petal flower layer.


14. Apply strong adhesive to back of 3 petal layer.

15. Insert 3 petal layer piece into center of 4 petal layer.


16. Apply strong adhesive to back of 4 petal layer piece. (sorry the pic is blurry, hard to take one handed, lol!)

17. Insert into center of 5 petal piece. It is completed, now gently fold and arrange to give a more realistic appearance.


 Small Handmade Rose Tutorial


1. Cut 3 medium flowers and 1 small flower using Tattered Flowers die cut.



2. Roll petals around brush base or similar tool, pinch center of individual petals.

 

3. Cut one petal and the center out of one of the flowers.

4. Staple edges together.


5. Cut two petals and the center out of one of the flowers.


6. Staple the edges together.


7. Cut the last medium flower in half and remove part of the center.


8. Staple the edges together. (sorry for the blur, this piece was hard to get a picture of)




9. Cut small flower between petals and apply 1/8" double sided adhesive tape to the edges.


10. Remove protective layer from tape, roll flower up along the edges.


11. Apply strong hold adhesive to bottom of this piece and insert into center of three petal piece.


12. Apply strong hold adhesive to the bottom of this piece.


13. Insert into four petal piece.


14. Apply strong hold adhesive to bottom.


15. Insert into five petal piece, and it is done! Make sure to gently fold and primp to make the flower more realistic.



Tim Holtz:
Tattered Flowers die by Sizzix
Tiny attacher

Tool Kit:
Scor-Pal double sided tape 1/8"
Low Temp Melt Glue Gun
Styrofoam cone
Printable template
Scissors or craft knife and a paper piercer
Favorite liquid strong hold adhesive

I want to thank you for coming by my blog! I hope that you take some time to try making these and have fun with different types of papers. I have literally made hundreds of them, and they are each uniquely beautiful! Try using a little glossy accents on the petals for a lush dewy look, or a clear adhesive with clear crystal glitter for a gorgeous frosty, winter look.

The possibilities are endless, so make a few for gift toppers or loads for holiday centerpieces!

Happy Crafting!
B-