EEK!

How does someone turn a sweet little tweety bird into a black Raven especially for Halloween? Read on and I'll show you how... Welcome to the next edition of the Sizzix Blog Hop, featuring the dies from the "Fresh Vintage" designs by my friend, Eileen Hull!

First you take the Sizzix ScoreBoards Die-Bird #657120...

...and cut it out of black cardstock. You'll need two of these for the banner project. To make this sweet little birdy a bit tougher, a little meaner, a little bit raven-ish, we'll first need to give him a sharper beak. With a bit of imagination you can find a perfect beak shape in the wing, as shown in the photo below; cut where indicated. And for the tail... well, Ravens don't have perky tails like this little guy, so we'll cut it and flip it over so the feathers are pointing downward. NOW... we're getting a little more wicked looking!

To make the pennant banner, cut 5 burlap rectangles 7" x 9." Cut 5 text pages from an old book, into rectangles slightly smaller than burlap rectangles. From decorative paper, cut 5 strips 1" x 7." With a sewing machine with black thread, stitch paper to burlap in "sloppy" stitches; stitch paper strip across lower section.

Cut 5" letters to spell E E K from black cardstock; adhere to rectangles above the paper strips. Adhere your "Ravens" to the remaining two flags, with one facing left and the other facing right. Adhere a wing to the side of each bird... keeping the feathers pointing low to add to the raven-ish effect. Draw simple feet using a black marker. With a white paint pen make a round dot for the eye on each bird. When paint is dry add a black dot to center to make a scary beady eye. Arrange rectangles with a bird on each end and the letters E E K in the center. Leaving a 2" space between each rectangle and a 16" tail on each end, stitch rectangles to a 3/4" ribbon. Embellish by tying a 12" strip of tea-stained cheesecloth between each rectangle.

Now you're all set to decorate your hearth... or your wood-pile!

So many possibilities with these dies, so hop on along to the next blog for another great idea! To view the hop, you can click on the Fresh Vintage blinkie on the sidebar. This will take you around to all of the designers on the hop. Be sure to visit the "Oh My Crafts" blog for details about how to have a chance at winning this die. THANKS FOR STOPPING BY!

Sizzix Triple-Play Blog-Hop Week 6: Gift Tags

I've been on vacation with my family for the last 2+ weeks. Knowing I'd be away from my studio for three weeks of the blog-hop I packed a very basic crafting kit, the die-cuts for the scheduled projects and a challenge for myself. The challenge was to not over-think my projects, complete them quickly and use the limited supplies I'd taken with me. It's been a good lesson for me. Trust my basic design instincts and just let it flow... and maybe I don't need ALL that "Stuff." Here's the result of Week 6; Brenda Pinnick's Sizzix Die (656053, Sizzix Bigz XL Die - Album, Brackets)

We were each sent a set of pre-cut die shapes to work with. I chose to use the largest of the shapes to create gift tags for the upcoming holiday.





What I used:
* Sizzix Bigz XL Die - Album, Brackets
* Vintage Text
* Color-box Chalk ink in Chestnut Roan
* Felt Snowflake from The Container Store
* Small hang tag
* Small jingle bell sprayed with Krylon Brushed Metallic
* Baker's Twine
* Stamps: snowflake, "To"
* Vintage Glass Glitter

What I did:
1. Trace shape of largest die-cut shape onto vintage text, cut out and glue to shape; ink edges with chalk ink
2. Apply glue along outside edges of shape; apply glitter to all edges
3. Tie felt snowflake to glittered shape at die-cut hole
4. Ink small hang-tag and stamp snowflake and the word "To"
5. Spray paint silver jingle-bell and dip in glitter while still wet
6. Tie tag and bell to snowflake with an 6" length of baker's twine
7. Write recipients name on tag and tie to package

I can hardly wait to see what the other 50+ designers have come up with using this great die from Sizzix! Hop along by clicking on the blinkie in the right side-bar.

Thanks for stopping by!

Cheers!
~Roxi

Sizzix Triple-Play Blog-Hop Week 5: Gift Card Holder

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Sizzix Triple-Play Blog-Hop Week 4: Christmas Greetings

Removed for publication

Sizzix Triple Play Blog-Hop Week 3- 1st Birthday Headband

You'll need to use your imagination... and a little simple math to get the full effect, but here's my 3rd installment to the Sizzix Triple-Play Blog Hop. WARNING... This post is a little heavy on proud grandma bragging, but I figured I could get away with it, since the designer of the Beauty Bloom Die just became a Grandma to her own little pink princess! Congratulations to Brenda and the whole Pinnick family!



Many of you know I'm head over heals in love with a little bundle of joy. Our first and only Grandbaby, Grace Ashlyn Phillips, who will be turning ONE in just a few weeks. I can't believe how fast this milestone birthday has come! We won't be with her on her actual birthday, December 24th, but we'll celebrate with her a couple weeks from now. When I saw the Beauty Bloom Die I knew instantly I had to make Grace a flower headband to match the Birthday dress I'd sewn for her.

ONE Birthday Headband + ONE little girl +...


ONE birthday dress + ONE year ...


EQUALS...

A little ONE YEAR OLD FAIRY PRINCESS whose Grammy thinks she's the sweetest thing ever! (Picture to follow after the party... use your imagination for now)

Here's how I made the headband...

Supplies:
Flower, Beauty Bloom, Originals Die #655455 by Brenda Pinnick
Fabric Scraps
Iron-on Adhesive (HeatnBond)
Ready-made headband (or make your own with ribbon)
Green ribbon 1" wide: two 3" pieces
2 small buttons
Scrap pieces of toile
Sewing machine with thread
Fabric Scissors

Instructions:
1. Iron HeatnBond to the backside of fabric scraps, peel backing off and iron matching fabric to backside. Repeat with two or three different coordinating fabrics.
2. Die-cut fabric with Beauty Bloom Die. You'll need three 3-petal flowers and 1 medium sized flower for each blossom.
3. Free-style stitching on petals of flowers. (optional)
4. Cut petals of one of the flowers into strips.


5. Layer 3 large flowers and one medium flower together with green ribbon folded in half and toile. Stitch in place on headband with machine or by hand. Repeat for second flower.
6. Stitch buttons in center of flowers.


Be sure to hop onto the next blog to see what creative ideas the other designers have come up with!

Sizzix Triple Play Blog-Hop Week 2- ATC with a Twist!

Artist Trading CUBE... with a Twist!

We've all heard of Artist Trading Cards, but how about using a cube instead of a card? The 3-D Pop-up Die from Sizzix puts an exciting new twist on an old idea! With careful placement of embellishments, this cube will twist flat for easy mailings.





See the assembly instructions of Sizzix, Twist Cube, 3D Pop-up, Bigz XL Die by Karen Burniston at these links: Part 1 and Part 2

Here's how I embellished mine...

1. Cut four 2 3/4" squares of decorative paper for sides of cube. Fold squares corner to corner to match folds on sides of cube.
2. Cut one 2 3/4" square of decorative paper for top of cube. Pierce hole in center of square for threading cord through.
3. Ink edges of all squares. Adhere papers to cube with tape runner or favorite adhesive, being very careful to align folds in paper with folds in cube.
4. Using a Krylon Leafing Pen, highlight all edges of cube.
5. Embellish cube with additional trims, inks, etc.
6. From decorative paper and french text, cut elongated tag shape to tie to top of cube. Tie 6" length of coordinating silk ribbon to cording.
7. Attach a variety of metal embellishments to a small chain and dangle from the brad at the bottom of the cube.


Look the the Triple Play Blog-Hop Blinkie in my sidebar and click on forward to hop along to the next creative use of this fun die-cut! See you next week!

What is Art?

Art doesn't have to happen in a studio or on an easel or behind a lens. I often think about art while I'm working in the garden or painting a wall, cleaning my house or mowing our lawn. I think there is art in anything you do beautifully and with heart. Putting a seed in the ground and tending a garden, harvesting the bounty and preserving it for enjoying in the months ahead is an art. An art that brings me great satisfaction, especially when I look in my pantry in the dead of winter!



The harvest from my organic garden the day before our first freeze filled our counter. Vine ripened tomatoes, string beans, peppers, basil, egg plants and lettuce greens in November... priceless!



Crispy Dilly Beans... a collage of pickling spices, vibrant green and purple string beans, a banana pepper and a garlic clove.



After 7 pints of Dilly Beans, 21 pints of Green Tomato Relish and 8 pints of spicy pizza sauce... I've completed my masterpiece for the day!



Next art project will involve paper and a very cool 3D Pop-up Cube for the Blog-Hop I'm participating in. Stop back by on Thursday afternoon to see what you can do with this very cool Die-cut from Sizzix!

Artfully Yours,
~Roxi

Sizzix Triple Play Blog Hop Week 1: From Our House to Yours

Honored to be included with the amazing group of 60 allstar artists, I’ll be participating in a HUGE blog hop. For this week I’ve decided to turn Eileen Hull’s 3-D house into clever gift holder. On every Thursday, for 7 weeks, each artist will share a design created with a new Sizzix Die-Cut. Look at the sidebar of my blog to find the “blinkie” with the forward button and begin hopping your way through some of the most creative blogs in the industry!

I know it seems just a bit early, but Christmas is right around the corner for our family. With our “kids” each in a different state on both sides of this huge country, we get together and celebrate when we can. This year that means the first week in December. We’ll have Thanksgiving, Christmas and two birthdays, including our only Grandbaby’s very first birthday all at once! Yes, the Phillips’ will be partying like rock stars for an entire week!

I still take holiday goodies to my neighbors. Do you? We usually spread good cheer with cookies or candies, sometimes drink mixes, sometimes homemade cinnamon rolls or maybe jams or preserves. This little house makes perfect packaging for holding a bag of mulling spices or other treats and the roof turns into a simple gift card for including a sentiment or recipe.

So let’s get going...
Here’s how the pieces looked before the assembly began.



Here’s the how...
Sizzix supplies: (Sizzix link)
  Sizzix Scoreboards Pro Die - House, 3D, by Eileen Hull #656836
   Sizzix 12x12 matboard, white
   Sizzix Big Shot Pro die cutting machine
Other supplies:
Decorative holiday paper (double-sided or two coordinating papers)
Zip-Dry Adhesive by Beacon
ColorBox Chalk Ink in Chestnut Roan
Letter stickers or die-cuts
Red-Liner Tape
Craft Scissors
Decorative Waxed Tissue (The Container Store)

Instructions:

1. Die-cut 3-D House from matboard. Use walls of house, large roof top and small house module as templates to trace onto decorative papers. Cut with craft scissors. Cut paper where mat-board folds. Do not cover tabs with paper.
2. Leaving roof off, assemble main body of house using red-liner tape on tabs. Adhere floor the same way. Cover house with decorative paper pieces using Beacon’s Zip Dry adhesive.
3. Cover small house module with coordinating paper and adhere to front of large house with red-liner on tabs, without roof.
4. Cover large roof with Decorative paper.
5. Ink all edges of house and roof (gift card) with Chalk Ink.
6. Ink window and door frames with Chalk Ink and adhere to house.
7. Apply letter stickers to gift card and face of small house module.
8. Fill house with goodies wrapped in waxed tissue.
9. Write sentiment or recipe inside of gift card.
Now go play Santa!

So cool!

Do you see the image to the right of this post? The one about the Triple Play Blog Hop. The one right over there ------------>

November 4th is the big day. the day we've all been waiting for! Come visit my blog that day, then click on the forward or back buttons on the bottom of the sidebar image to navigate through the blogs of 60 extraordinary artists. Each will be creating something fantastic with the same Sizzix die-cut. There will be eight weeks in a row of fabulous ideas and inspiration galore!

A Masculine Twist...

Collar stays seem to show up all over our house! Do you think my hubby will remember to put them in one spot if I make him a manly little box? I won't be placing any bets that it'll work, but I can give it a try! I've used Sizzix new ScoreBoard Die designed by my friend Eileen Hull as a base for this project.



Here is the easy to assemble die-cut. Simply fold on scored lines and assemble using red-line double-sided tape.



For this project I assembled the box then applied wide red line tape to the entire outside surface. I found an assortment of coordinating ribbons and laid them side by side on the tape allowing ends to wrap toward the inside of the box where I adhered them with more double-sided tape.



I used a heavy-duty hole punch to make a hole for a large initial brad. For the lining, I cut a coordinating decorative paper and adhered to the inside. A length of leather cording wrapped around the box and brad provided the perfect closure.

This is the third in a series of blog-hops (my second) to show an amazing variety of designs using the same ScoreBoard Dies. Follow the lists of blogs below to see an amazing variety of ideas for using this same die-cut. Now get hopping!

Eileen Hull
Ann Butler
Candice Windham
Carla Schauer
Cindi Bisson
Einat Kessler
Jen Goode
Julie McGuffee
Laura Bray
Lisa Rojas
Lorine Mason
Madeline Arendt
Melony Bradley
Michelle Cummings
Marisa Pawelko
Niki Meiners
Sandy Laipply
Sparkle Studio
Veronica Goff
Karen Burniston