Always Let the Wookiee Win

I had so much fun making my Sewing Kit Matchbox that I just had to make another similar project, so I made this Galaxy Paper Tots matchbox playset.

I think my favorite part of all of this is the tiny "Wookiee" covered with Flowersoft!

The ship is double-sided, and has a little wooden clip glued to it, so that it can be attached to the box.

The theme this week at Drunken Stampers is "Star Wars," and I was especially inspired by DT member Donna's "Storm Pooper" card. Oh my gosh, pop right over there and check out the cuteness! She used images from Kiki & Company's Galaxy Paper Tots set, so you know I had to buy it (I've made Star Wars projects in the past)!  

The images come as a PDF, but I did resize it; hope I don't get into too much trouble for that...Kiki, I just had to make tiny dolls! These are about 1.25x1.25 inches. The matchbox is 2x2.5 inches.

The outer wrap is a shiny blue cardstock, embossed Kaleidoscope glitter powder with stars from a wine cork stamp made with wooden star shapes from the same pack I used for the stars on the front of the box (see above). I painted those wooden stars with a white glaze pen.

The slide-out box is made from a shiny silver paper (all the paper used in this project is Recollections brand), and the inside layer is embossed with a Tim Holtz embossing folder.

The images were printed on the back of a shiny white paper; I printed it at "best quality" and am very pleased with the quality.

To make the characters interactive, I made a triangular base out of a light yet durable gold paper. I folded it so that it could fold flat, or as an easel, or open completely to fit as finger puppets:

The images are all pre-colored, but I added detail with glitter and glaze pens. I think a child would have great fun with this, but the kids will have to come to us for now because I'm not sure I can part with it!

Inspiration/Challenges:
Drunken Stampers Challenge #128: Star Wars
Jellypark Challenges: Get your Geek On
Loves Rubber Stamps #53: Anything But A Card
Stamping Sensations May Challenge: Embossing and Texture
Top Tip Tuesday Challenge 101: Make a clever box

Update: This project was chosen as "Life of the Party" for Drunken Stampers Challenge #128. Thanks ladies, margaritas all around!

Update: This was chosen as a "Top 3" for Top Tip Tuesday Challenge 101. No one can resist that Wookiee!


Update: This was also selected as a "Top 3" for Jellypark's "Geek" Challenge.

Thank you for visiting, and may the force be with you!

Sew Buttons! matchbox sewing kit

Although I usually focus on cardmaking, I've made a few matchbox projects & recently got into embroidery. This project brings the two together! The box holds some pins, a tapestry needle, and a needle threader.

The box is 1.5x2 / .5 inches; I used less than one piece of 6x6 DP from 7gypsies's Mykonos pack. I distressed edges with Tea Dye ink. The pull is made with a tiny wooden spool, embroidery floss, and some gorgeous stitched ribbon I just received from Mom, along with the polka-dot & ric-rac ribbons and buttons.

I've never really used a needle threader, but I've wanted to make one ever since I saw the tutorial & adorable sample at Wild Olive. I used 3 ply nylon wire, and I should have used something thinner, but it just fits my embroidery needle. And it works really well; it certainly saved me time when sewing the thread onto those tiny buttons.

The Spool stamp is from a set that came free with an issue of Cardmaking & Papercraft Magazine. I stamped it in Memento brown onto an off-white cotton fabric that I backed with a light printer paper. For the spool on top, I just wrapped the green embroidery floss around it, but for the one on the needle threader I actually sewed it directly on to the ribbon before folding it over.

The "pin holder" is made from scrap foam (originally part of the packaging for an embossing folder set). I colored the foam with a Copic marker and wrapped it with measuring-tape Washi tape. I used the same tape inside the box.

The scissors are a chipboard piece, colored with a Copic marker & blue glaze pen and heat-embossed with Peacock embossing powder. 

I had a ton of fun making this, and the best part is that I can use it!

Many thanks to the following Challenges for inspiring me:
Kaboodle Doodles: Use Ribbon and at least 1 Button
Seemacrafts: Use a matchbox
Simon Says Stamp and Show: Use 6x6 paper pads (Mykonos pack by 7gypsies) + Shabby Chic

Update: This won the "Use a matchbox" Challenge at Seemacrafts!

Thank you for visiting,

Feeling Charming, with Digis at OSAAT

We have an easy challenge for you this week at One Stitch at a Time: Use a digi. I used Peacock feather by Delicious Doodles to make this pendant & matching gift box:

For the pendant, I printed the image onto Shrinky-dink plastic and baked it in my toaster oven. The image for the box is printed on regular cardstock. I "painted" the images with purple glitter Stickles and blue Liquid Pearls. I made the box using free Digi papers from GTC's Crafty Corner.

Hope you'll join us at One Stitch at a Time for our "Use a Digi" challenge. For entries using a StitchyBear Digital Stamps Store product (be sure to add a # after your name when entering), you could win a collection of digis from the SBDS Artists. You're welcome to enter the challenge using different products, but will instead be entered into the draw to win a $3 coupon to StitchyBear. Can't wait to see your projects!

I'm entering this into the following fab challenges:

1. Allsorts - It's a Gift (Anything but a card) 
2. Avadares - Anything for August
3. ATCs & Cards With Attitude - Anything Goes
4. Can You Digi It - #16 Purple Please 
5. Craft Your Days Away  - #52 Anything Goes
6. Cute Card Thursday - bling
7. Dutch Dare Card Challenge - Bling
8. Paper Shelter Challenge - #78 Anything goes

Update: This won the prize for Can You Digi It? Challenge #16!

Thank you for visiting,

Apron Strings across America

Happy Mother's Day to all my readers across the Pond!

This week's challenge at One Stitch at a Time (OSAAT) is Girly, to celebrate Mother's Day. 

We don't celebrate Mother's Day in the U.S. until May 13th this year, but I went ahead and made this for my mom. I chose a bright/funky color palette because that's her kind of "girly"!

I made a mini dresser easel card depicting Mom's apron strings crossing the country, featuring the Apron Strings digi stamp set by Stitchy Stamps/Trina Clark. 

From now on, to win our main prize entries must be made using a product from StitchyBear Digital Stores. There are freebies available, and every month there are great deals on digis from all the artists.

This week's main prize is a a £10 gift voucher to Bunny Zoe Crafts!

Entries using none StitchyBear products will be entered into a draw to win $3 to spend at our store.

Hope you'll join us!


I'm entering this into several Easel Card challenges, and although it is a box it's also a card:

I plan to write a message when I send it to Mom. The inside features "vines" cut from 2 flourish Sizzix die cuts, and plastic 3D poppies by Donna Downey Studios. The little knobs are from 7 Gypsies (love love love these!!!)

Each drawer contains a notecard that I also plan to write something in:

The sentiments on the front are heat-embossed, but the one on the inside is simply stamped with chalk ink. They're all from the For Every Mother stamp set by SP&Company.

This uses no store-bought DPs: it's all created with Vintage Vine digital papers by Mel Stampz (thank you!) printed onto white linen cardstock. I created the map background in PhotoSHop, using digital paper piecing. This is a great way to make the most of your digi papers, and Snappy Stampin' with Arielle has an excellent tutorial on how to do it with the free online editor Pixlr.

I totally had an Ah-Ha moment while making this... I had planned on using real spring-action mini clothespins to attach the aprons to the bakers twine, but they were too bulky. So I folded some kraft paper scraps in half and free-cut some teensy old-fashioned round-top clothespins. I literally clipped them on, adding just a drop of glue to the inside.

Thanks for visiting, and I'm looking forward seeing your projects for this week's challenge at One Stitch at a Time!

I'm entering this into the following challenges:
Craft Your Passion: Easel Card (2nd entry)

Delightful Challenges: Someone Special

Emerald Faerie Garden Challenge #20: Easel Cards
Everybody-Art-Challenge #184: Easel Card
Glitter Geeks Week 11: Mother's Day
Hooked on Crafts March Challenge: More than One Fold
MilkCoffee Challenge #1: Anything Goes
My Mum's Craft Shop Challenge #48: Mother's day/special ladies
Papertake Weekly Challenge: For The Girls or Mum
Ruby's Rainbow Challenge #24: Lace

Sporty Slider Boxes

I've promised several of my friends penny-slider boxes, so the Slider/Shaker challenge at Here Come the Boys was just the incentive I needed to make a couple.

Both use paper & embellishments from Smirk for Men. The front of the Soccer box was created from the pre-colored digis from Crafty Ann's lovely Safe Pair of Hands set. That box is a penny-slider and a penny-rocker. The fisherperson on the fron of the second box is a stamp that I colored & cut out.

Hope everyone's having a great day.

Update 9/19/11: Wow! This project was chosen as one of the top 4 for this challenge. Thank you!

March Madness Blog Hop Day #2

It's the second day of Stampin' Dymonz Scrap Shack's Mad About Paper Blog Hop!

Here's my Day Two project: Soccer Kick Off Gift Box with penny slider top

You should have arrived here from JoAnn's blog. Tammy's blog is the next one on the line up and you can reach her blog by clicking on her name below. If you have problems with the link, her blog's URL is in parentheses after her name -- just copy/paste it into your address bar. (And if you didn't see yesterday's projects, be sure to check those out too.)

Stampin' Dymonz (www.StampinDymonz.com)

Lynetta (CraftyNetta) (craftcreationsbynetta.blogspot.com)

Cynta (cynta.blogspot.com)

Jessica (customcreationsbyjessica.blogspot.com)

JoAnn (thecreatorsworkshop.blogspot.com)

Christina (cg-says.blogspot.com) <---you data-blogger-escaped-are="" data-blogger-escaped-b="" data-blogger-escaped-here="">

Tammy (fromme2upapercrafting.blogspot.com)

NikkiP (nikkimopapercrafts.blogspot.com)
Thank you for hopping!

About the Gift Box:
I had so much fun making yesterday's project that I starting obsessing on what to make for my second project... Well, luckily Mom called me and told me about her new project: penny slider cards (also called spinner cards). Since I wanted to stick with a sports theme, I immediately imagined moving a ball across the paper, maybe making a little loop...

This was also a perfect opportunity to use the Smirk brand paper in my stash. Their For Him series includes some soccer-themed items, and the soccer ball brad fit over the penny perfectly!

I wish I could say that I drew the loop myself, but I had to design a template for it in SCAL first. I ended up manipulating the Latin Small Letter A from the Wingdings typeface. What can I say, it worked perfectly. I cut the template on my Cricut, traced it onto the decorative paper, and then cut it out with my knife. If you'd like to try this yourself (and you have SCAL), see the download link at the bottom of this post. Please let me know if you use it!

I wanted to put something in the box, so I decided to wrap some Hershey's Milk Chocolate Nuggets with the patterned paper. Well, we only had two left, but get the idea!

Decorative paper and brads: Smirk for Him
Other supplies: Core'dinations and Hammermill cardstocks, ZipDry glue, Tim Holtz scissors, Cricut & SCAL, HP copier & ink, Fiskars papercutter & finger knife, foam tape, Copic markers (100 & R59, for edging)

Slider card tutorial at Splitcoaststampers
Download penny slider loop template SCAL cut file