Philly Livestrong Challenge

My husband is gearing up (pun intended) to ride 100 miles in the Philly Livestrong Challenge on August 24th. We have gotten some great donations from friends and family, so I whipped up an appropriate thank you card for him to send out.

The bicycle stamp is by Inkadinkado. The sentiment is from TAC. This is all basic matting and layering. The base layer is DCWV paper which has been embossed and sanded. I used the Perfect Layers tool to get mats for the main image. The layers for the sentiment are just circle punches.

Bookbinding skillz

accordianclosed
Originally uploaded by phunkymama

Bookbinding is something I've been interested in for years, but I've never made the time to take a formal class. Thankfully, I found Tricia Morris, who has great online tutorials on TV Weekly.

I saw this accordion file kit at Club Scrap, but being the over-stashed and under-funded craftster, I resisted temptation. I managed to use the online guide to properly cut my bookboard from Dick Blick, and I pulled papers and ribbon from the stash.

The only problem I foresee is that the ribbon closure pulls on the paper at the back, and the paper is pulling up a bit. I think when I do this again, I may set eyelets in the back for the ribbon to go through, eliminating the weakness. I could always set up a decorative hook closure, or perhaps one of those magnetic purse snaps instead, eliminating the ribbon altogether.

I've already completed a second box, done more as a recipe box, which I coated all over with polyurethane. Easy to clean up any kitchen messes that way. Photo of that one to follow soon!

Pillowcase dress

Pillowcase dress
Originally uploaded by phunkymama

I loved the soft feel of this vintage pillowcase, and that made it perfect for a little girl's dress. I used a bit of the top of the pillowcase to create armhole bindings, and then sewed casings at the top. The dress is finished off with ribbon ties and lime green ric rac.

The great thing about pillowcase dresses is that they can fit girls for a long time. They go from a midcalf length sundress on a 3 year old to an above the knee dress on a 7 year old. Wear can even be extended a bit longer when you layer the dress over leggings.

Pretty, cool, versatile, longwearing... what more can you ask?

Oh, yeah, buy it at my Etsy shop, LOL!
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=12980681

How to make a dozen cards in 90 minutes

First, get thee to Sheetload and download an issue. Second, check out the recipe and gather the necessary papers. For this set, based on the November 2007 issue, I used 3 coordinating designer papers, a sheet of vanilla, and scraps for the other layer. I also used two different colors of ribbon and a few different stamp sets.

Next, use the recipe to cut all of your layers. This one is quickie quickie, I used my Tonic guillotine trimmer for all of the straight cuts, and my craft knife and acrylic ruler for the diagonal cuts. Go ahead and cut your ribbon strips now too.

What I did next was to layer the bases, using my ATG to get the triangles on to the base mat. I went ahead and stamped and edge punched my greeting panels, and finally added the ribbon and greeting to the base mat.

Last, pull out your handy dandy box of 100 plain cards and envelopes from JoAnns. I seriously ordered 7 boxes of these when they put them on clearance a while back! ATG your panels on to the card bases and you're done!

Home dyed hair extensions

Home dyed hair extensions
Originally uploaded by phunkymama

My 9 year old has been begging for blue streaks in her hair for about a year now. The only problem was that she's got medium brown, fine hair. I was afraid that the bleaching necessary to make Manic Panic show up on her would totally fry her hair.

The answer: get crafty! Pick up human hair extension weft, and clips at Sally, and bust out the Dharma Procion dyes. I did the turquoise and magenta in an acid bath, much like I'd do wool yarn. The blue piece used Special Effects dye, which I also had on hand. It didn't dye as evenly, and I have a feeling if we wash the pieces, the dye will come out. If that's the case, I'll re-do it with more Dharma dye.

I hope the girl is pleasantly surprised when she gets home from Girl Scout camp!

My Twisted Sense of Humor

evildeedsdwarf
Originally uploaded by phunkymama

I was making some of my kids sketchbooks, getting ready for summer shows, when I came upon this page in the Snow White storybook I was recycling. How creepy! Who is that, Dopey with the pickaxe? At any rate, it just begged to become a cover for a mini journal of Evil Deeds. Crown frame stamp is by Autumn Leaves, and lettering is by MSE.

Back with the mojo

birthdaymandalasq
Originally uploaded by phunkymama

I'm so grateful to Sheetload of Cards. I love to be able to create without doing 100% of the work. I'm getting ready to do a big remodel on the house, so I'm on "use it up" mode. This card uses several scraps saved from other projects. Mandala image is from Stampin' UP!'s One of a Kind set. The sentiment is from their Amazing to Zany set, which is retiring soon.

Mandala was colored with watercolor pencils, and then accented with a bit of Stardust pen here and there.