Category Archives: Uncategorized

Vino Dressed to Impress

Posted on March 29, 2014 by apieceoflifespie

Hello and Happy Friday! I wanted to share a gift I made for some friend’s anniversary using Paper House Productions Wedding Day Collection , Xyron products, Jamie Cripps 3D Chevron Christmas Gift Card Tag and Lori Whitlock Bottle Label Tag- Big Pocket cut files! It was super easy to put together and yet translates thoughtful effort! One of those tricks that would would like to keep in your back “pocket”! All the details of how I made this is up over at Paper House Productions Blog!

Wine Bottle gift 1

Pocket Gift Card Holder

disclaimer on the Starbucks Card… that is my trusty go-to gift card prop! It is from the first and original Starbucks store… yes I am a little attached

collage

Thanks for sharing a piece of “dressing up the bottle” pie with me!

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Posted in Paper House Productions, Uncategorized, Xyron and tagged anniversary gift ideas, crafting, DIY, dressing up wine bottles, easy crafts, gifting wine bottles, Jamie Cripps, lori whitlock water bottle holders, papercrafting, Sillouette cut files, tags, wine, Xyron. Bookmark the permalink.

Not Xyron but Should Be Blog Hop

Posted on March 26, 2014 by apieceoflifespie

Happy Hump Day! Xyron is hosting a “Not Xyron, but Should Be” Blog Hop this week. The idea of this blog hop was take craft projects posted on Pinterest where Xyron products could be the star, but was not and make Xyron a star with our own spin on the project. I chose coasters!

Pinterest Inspired Project

It wasn’t a huge stretch for me since I had some extra limbs laying around from a recent tree removal that I have been wanting to slice up and turn into coasters AND that is exactly what I did!

It was so simple to make by having my Xyron 5 inch Creative Station w Laminate/Permanent Adhesive and Xyron 3 inch Sticker Maker at arms reach!

Here is how I did it (full supply list provided at the end of this post):

Measure the wood slices and make templates according to the sizes you need (I used my Cricut Expressions and cartridge Plaintain School Book Circle cut). Using cork, burlap, and linen trace and cut out circles.

Once all circles are cut, run each though the Xryon 3 inch Sticker Maker, burnish, peel and stick on top of the wood slices. Yes! It is that easy! Now you could just stop there, but why . . .?

Using some favorite scrapbooking paper, punches, ink and stamps and glue to create a fun embellishment for each coaster. I happened to use American Crafts 6×6 Neapolitan paper pad, cut out the mason jars and punched some coordinating circles, inked the edges and uses sentiment stamps from Joy’s Life – Everyday Occasions stamp set.

Now for the icing on the cake! Take the paper embellishment and run it through Xyron’s 5 inch Creative Station using the Laminate/Permanent Adhesive cartridge.

Burnish,free cut the embellishment, peel off the backing and stick!

This will allow each to stick to the coaster while protecting the paper embellishment from the job hazards of coasters!

Genius right? Not really, but I think it is really cool that Xryon makes products like the Laminating/Permanent Adhesive or my cute coaster embellishments would be soggy before my first refreshing sip.

Head over and check out the other amazing projects they are cooking up along this blog hop HERE!

Supply List:

Xyron 3 inch Sticker Maker
Xryon 5 inch Creative Station w Laminate/Permanent Adhesive Cartridge
Die Cut With A View Linen, Cork and Burlap Stacks
American Crafts Neapolitan 6×6 paper stack
Recollection Punches
Joys Life Everyday Occasion Stamps
Close to My Heart Chocolate Ink
Scotch Quick Dry Adhesive
Scissors
Cricut Expressions
Plantain Schoolbook Cartridge
Burnishing Tool
Pencil

Linking Up To:

Everyday is an Occasion – Sunday Funday

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Posted in Cricut Cartridge: Plantain Cricut Cartridge, Uncategorized, Xyron and tagged American Crafts, burlap, cork, crafts, Creative Station, Die Cut with a View, DIY, DIY coasters, easy crafts, Laminating scrapbook paper, linen, nature crafts, pinterest, tree limb crafts, wood crafts, Xyron. Bookmark the permalink.

How Does Your Garden Grow?

Posted on March 20, 2014 by apieceoflifespie

Happy Spring! As most of the country begins to thaw from the harshness Old Man Winter dealt out this year, I decided my first project for Paper House was putting to use the rustic, bright and cheery Garden Collection!

Combining the collection with a reclaimed old pallet turned picture frame and glittering some wooden letter using my 5 inch Xyron Creative Station, I turned it into something that echoes the sentiments of spring!
Head over to Paper House to check out all the deets!

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Posted in Uncategorized, Xyron and tagged 3D Stickers, crafting, DIY, paper crafting, Paper House Productions, reclaiming pallets, spring decor, Xyron, Xyron Creative Station Xyron 5 inch Creative Station, Xyron glue dots. Bookmark the permalink.

Burlap Meets Anna Griffin & Xyron!

Posted on March 17, 2014 by apieceoflifespie

Happy St. Patrick’s Day! I got my crockpot cookin’ me up some cabbage! Oh my do I have a fun “sneak peek” for you today! As Anna Griffin’s new collection is gearing up for its debut on 24 Hour Craft Day on HSN the Xyron Design Team had the privileged to dive into the new collection and cook up some creative inspirations to share with you this week. Today is my turn and boy did I have fun!

Burlap Home Decor using Anna Griffin and Xyron

This project may have several components to it, but it came together with ease with the help of my Xyron 5 inch Creative Station, High Tack Tape and 3 inch Sticker Maker (a full supply list is located at the end of the post).

I found a burlap wrapped canvas at Michales and some lace covered burlap and built my base. Then I moved onto the first component of making my mini clothespin wreath.

Using a small wooden embroidery hoop as my base and wooden clothespins I primed them with white craft paint. I measured the strips and cut down the Anna Griffin collection paper. Inked the edges and applied Xyron High Tack Tape to the back of each paper strip, placed on each clothespin and sanded down the edges. I finished this with a lace ribbon.

xryon 1

In making the frame, I applied 3D Enamel Gel from Globecraft and Piccolo to a wooden frame and the “Family” sentiment and allowed time to set and dry. Then I added Anna Griffin collection paper to the back of the frame securing it with Xyron High Tack Tape. Added the sentiment with a quick set glue.

In making the simple but elegant embroidery hoop, I traced, cut and inked a sheet from Anna Griffin collection. I attached the to the wooden embroidery hoop using Xyron’s High Tack Tape along the face of the hoop. I then sanded down the edges and finished it with a lace ribbon.

In making the wooden letter, I primed it with white craft paint. I traced, cut and inked the letter using Anna Griffin collection paper. I then ran it through my Xyron 5 inch Creative Station and attached it to the wooden letter, sanded down the edges and retouched with ink.

In wanting to add a little extra pop to the project, I put to use a burlap rose and two linen buttons I had on hand.

Using a 1 inch paper circle punch I punched out two circles from the Anna Griffin collection, inked the edges and ran them through the Xyron 3 inch Sticker Maker and applied each to the linen buttons.

xyron2 I finished this project by arranging all the components onto the burlap base and used hot glue to attach them.

Burlap Home Decor using Anna Griffin and Xyron

This was a great project to create and you will not want to miss out on seeing what Anna Griffin has in store for you on March 24th on HSN. Check your local listings, Follower her on Facebook and her blog for more details. AND be sure to head over to Xyron’s Blog each day this week to see what we got cookin’ with Anna Griffin!

Supply List:

Anna Griffin Collection (Debuts on HSN on March 24)
Xyron Products:
Double Sided High Tack Tape
3 inch Sticker Maker
5 inch Creative Station and Permeate Adhesive
Burlap Canvas
Burlap Lace -Ashland
Burlap rose – Ashland
Wooden Clothespins (16)
Small wooden embroidery hoops (2)
Wooden Frame – Michales
Wooden sentiment – Michales
Mustard Yellow 3D Gel – Globecraft and Piccolo
White 3D Gel – Globecraft and Piccolo
1 Inch circle punch – Recollections
Cats Eye Ink
Deco Art – Warm White craft paint
Linen Buttons (2) -Close to my Heart
Lace Ribbon – Close to my Heart
Hot Glue
Scotch Quick Dry Adhesive
Sandpaper

Linking to:

Six is in the Mix

Posted on March 11, 2014 by apieceoflifespie

Hello and happy Tuesday! Today I am up over at Kiwi Lane Designs showcasing this layout! My first baby is turning six tomorrow and she as my true inspiration for this creative moment. I still can’t believe she is going to be six! I can’t believe I have kept her alive for six years! When she was born I knew NOTHING about babies and I do mean NOTHING. I was very much all thumbs out the gate and could not even keep a plant alive. I did start with a dog before we had kids. My Sadie Dog was such an easy pooch to train and when I needed to I could crate her – probably not the best benchmark for our family planning expectations :-).

Each time I would head into the pediatrician’s office during her infant well baby checks, I would announce to the doctor, “She is 3 months, 4 months a year old. . . and she is still alive!” I was never more terrified of something that only weighed 8lbs. I think the doctor took pity on me and always gave me great words of encouragement and support to weather the storm of being a first time mom sans a mom of my own on speed dial.

Needless to say, this layout is proof that I am slowly figuring out this whole motherhood thing and am loving every minute of it!

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Posted in Kiwi Lane Designs, Uncategorized and tagged Adornit Crazy for Daisy, birthday layouts, chevrons, crafting, DIY, Kiwi Lane Designs, layouts, We R Memory Keepers, Xyron. Bookmark the permalink.

Winner, Winner Chicken Dinner

Posted on February 11, 2014 by apieceoflifespie

Just poppin’ in to announce the lucky winner from the Kiwi Lane Designs February Blog Hop! Thank you all for the lovely comments and helping make this blog hop such a success!

Drum Roll Please!

Carla Hundley from Utah!

“Wonderful creation and
the yarn wreath is neat!
Also a follower and liked
you FB page.”
Carla from Utah

I will be in contact to get your info to drop the goodies in the mail!

And since it is almost Valentines Day, I wanted to bring back a V-day wreath from the vault that I made last year out of clothespins and washi tape. You may have spied this little number in the 2013 Winter publication of Green Craft magazine

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Posted in Uncategorized and tagged Clothespin crafts, Clothespin wreaths, crafts, crafts made with washi tape, DIY, upcycling, Valentine crafts. Bookmark the permalink.

I {heart} Hoppin’ with Kiwi Lane Designs

Posted on February 7, 2014 by apieceoflifespie

TGIF! Well Cupid is almost here and Kiwi Lane Designs is hosting a heartfelt blog hop until 11:59 PM MST, Sunday, February 9th! There are great giveaways and fantastic inspirations by some amazingly talented ladies. If you got here from Glow Worm Designs, you are in the right place. If you just joined the party, head HERE and get to hoppin’. Be sure to leave a comment over at Kiwi Lane Designs official blog to place you in the running for an opportunity to score yourself some amazing KLD swag of your choice! The winner will be announced on the KDL blog on February 16th.

I also have some goodies heading to one lucky follower up for grabs. To get in the running, be sure to:

leave a comment HERE
be follower
and LIKE my Facebook page

You could be seeing the mailman pull up with the likes of this brand new must-have paper crafting tool and a few other crafty surprises I have cookin’. I will be announcing the lucky winner on Monday, February 10th.

Now for my “heartfelt” project!

sweetheart yarn wreath

As many of you know I love making wreaths and yarn wreaths are my favorite to make. I found this wreath and was “pinspried”! I have a sweet friend, Jill from Everyday is an Occasion that hosts an annual charity called “Craft for a Cause” and this little guy headed to the Midwest to be donated for the event.

Using some cozy yarn I found on clearance at Michales, I wrapped a 14 inch foam wreath. Using the KDL Sweetheart Template 2 I traced using a pencil on the backside of some cute chevron fabric, cut the hearts out and hot glued it to the wreath.

I then wrapped some hemp cord around making a crisscrossing pattern over the hearts.

Using a very small embroidery hoop, I painted the wooden hoop white and covered with a chevron fabric. I made the twine lollipop using this method.

Using some felt sheets I happened to have in my stash, I made some quick flowers and embellished with some pearls.

There you have it, a quick and simple way to add some warm sweetness to “Sweetheart Day”. Speaking of sweetness, the ever-so-talented AND my personal crafty buddy, Holly over at Ribbons a Glue has an awesome project up next. . . the kind of project that makes you say, ” Brilliant! Why did I not think of that?!”.

Project Supply List:

FloraCraft Foam Wreath
Embroidery Hoop (small)
Kiwi Lane Designs – Sweetheart template
Yarn
Hemptique Baker’s Twine
Hemptique Hemp Cord – Very Berry
DecoArt Americana-Warm White
Pick Your Plum – Chevron Fabric
1 inch circle punch
Toothpick
Felt Sheets
Pearl Embellishments
Xyron Tape Runner Adhesive
Hot Glue
Pencil
Straight pins
Sissors

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New Year – New Lists!

Posted on January 10, 2014 by apieceoflifespie

Oh my! I just realized it has been a WHOLE month since my last post! YIKES! The holiday season got the best of me this year. In my defense of neglecting all of you and my creative space I was one sick puppy, but now I am on the mend and kicking off the 2014 creative year with this Pinterest inspired project for Kiwi Lane Designs using the most wonderful line of paper I have seen in a long time Adornit – Crazy for Daisy collection. Head over to KLD and check out all the deets!

Tomorrow I am heading off to CHA Mega Show and joining up with one of my dearest and most talented blog buddies turned true friend, Holly from Ribbons and Glue. We met up last year for the first time and I am the equivalent of child in a candy store excited about all the crafty stimulation I am going to experience. I am super excited about meeting some pretty awesome peeps I have had a chance to work with this year and put names with faces AND to be a total crafty geek for a whole day with no one raising an eyebrow!

Thanks for sharing a piece of “finally back in the saddle” pie with me!

Linking to:

I Gotta Create

SNAP!

Paper Issues – We’re List-ening!

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Posted in Uncategorized. Bookmark the permalink.

Burrrr. . . . Baby It is Cold Outside!

Posted on December 10, 2013 by apieceoflifespie

Living in Southern California, and being a girl from Colorado, I miss the snow and all that is considered “snow play”, so having an obsession for snowmen and snow-ladies is not a far reach. Therefore, I put that obsession to some creative use thanks to my fun Designer Project for Craft Warehouse! I decided to reclaim a wooden puzzle box my kids had laying around and transform it into a winter wonderland of festive snowmen and snow-ladies that will adorn my snowman themed mantel. Head over to Craft Warehouse to see how I did it!

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November Hoppin’ with Kiwi Lane Designs

Posted on November 1, 2013 by apieceoflifespie

Hi all! If you came over from Lissa, from Mighty Crafty, you are in the right place. If you just joined me, be sure to check out this fun and amazing blog hop by starting HERE! Be sure to leave comments to get yourself in the running for a $25 gift certificate over at the Kiwi Shop and the lucky winner will be announced on November 7th over at the Kiwi Blog.

Oh my do I have a treat for you and there are no tricks for of those of you that are recovering from Halloween night! Making banners is my first love of crafting and having Kiwi Lane Design templates in my back pocket made this whole project super easy to pull together. I have been wanting to have something special to snaz up my Thanksgiving motif and this little crafty number really speaks on the season.

Here is how I did it!

Materials Needed:

Kiwi Lane Templates: Shapes 8T, 7T, Holiday 4T, Nature 4 and 1
SEI Card Board Banner Kit
Heidi Swapp Gold Lame Color Shine
Cuttlebug Embossing Folders: Divine Swirls, Distressed Strips, Swiss Dots, Musical Florish
Wooden Lettering
Gold Glitter
Buttons
Hot Glue Gun
Hemptique Hemp Cord
Crinkle Ribbon
Tulle
Burlap

kiwilanecollage

All I did was design a layout using the actual templates and then I sprayed down some wooden letters with Color Shine and dusted with Glitter. I then traced and cut out templates, ran through the embosser and inked edges. I confirmed placement and then stated to build each pennant by layering burlap, tulle, cut, then letter. I added buttons to finish and then ran hemp cord through the pennants, linking them together. I finished by cutting down three different colored crinkle ribbon and tied in between each pennant..

Giveaway Alert!

There you have it! Easy peasy lemon squeezy! Now for a fun giveaway from me. All you need to do is LIKE me on Facebook and tell me what you are thankful for in a quick post on my PAGE for and you will be in the running for Tiny Holiday Template set so you can get your own holiday craftin’ on! I will announce the lucky winner on November 7th!