It's a Boy!

Guess what, we're expecting our fourth grandchild at the end of July! My son and his wife are having another little boy and I don't need to tell you that we're so excited.  My daughter and I are planning a baby shower for them at the end of June and it's never too early to start working on the decorations.

So, where to start. They're having a boy, so I'm working with blue, white and maybe a little green. They haven't chosen a name yet so my first project will be a tabletop poster and I have the perfect idea for it. A few weeks ago I received a Chibitronics Chibi Lights kit. I'd seen these at the Craft and Hobby Trade show in 2015 and again this year and was thrilled to receive a sample kit for the Designer Crafts Connection April blog hop.

  

I love to add lights to projects and these little LED circuit stickers are amazing! They are easy to use on a wide variety of surfaces.  Here's how I used them for this project.

This is the kit I received and what was inside.

 

I also used a 9" x 11" piece of foam board, patterned paper, glitter cardstock in blue and gold, a 1/8" hole punch and glue.

1. Cut the paper the same size as the board, then adhere to one side. 

NOTE: A Xyron® machine works really well for this step.  The adhesive covers the paper from top to bottom, edge to edge; perfect for adhering to the foam board.

2. Cut letters to spell out "It's a Boy" from blue glitter cardstock and 6 stars from the gold. I used my Cricut Explore to do this.

Before adding the tape and sticker lights, please read the instruction booklet that is in the kit. There are also video tutorials on their website at www.chibitronics.com. Working with circuits was totally new to me, but watching the video made it really easy.  

3. Starting with one end of a 17" piece of copper tape on a 1 1/2" square of paper at the back of the board (as shown below), wrap the tape all the way around the board ending at the back.  Place the end of second piece of copper tape 1" above the first on the square. The two rows should only be 1/8" apart on the front of the board, so you will have to fold the tape at the back as shown. These rows are 2 1/2" from the bottom edge. 

4. Punch an 1/8" hole at the center of each star. Place one star on the copper tape at the center of the board at the front and the other stars evenly spaced on either side. Make a pencil mark thru each hole in the star to show where you want a light sticker to be placed. Set the stars aside. Place a light sticker over each mark with the points facing down. Press firmly in place on the tape. NOTE: The top row of tape is POSITIVE +  and the bottom row is NEGATIVE - .  

5. On the back of the board, fold the square of paper diagonally. Unfold then place the + side of the battery over the end of the top tape. Hold in place, while you fold the paper down so the negative side of the battery is touching the bottom tape. The battery is now sandwiched between the top and bottom ends of the tape. Use a binder clip to hold the battery securely in place. Turn the board over to check the lights are lit. If not, check that the battery is touching both ends of the tape, it is the correct way round and that the lights are pressed firmly on the tape.  You will add lights to the other end of the board in the same manner.

6. If you want to cover the rows of tape on the front, cut a 1/2" wide strip of card stock and lay it on top of the lights. Make a mark where the light shines thru. You can either punch a hole at each mark, or simply cut the strips to fit between the lights. Glue in place.

7. Glue a star over each light so the light shows thru the hole in the center then glue the letters in place.  As long as both sides of the battery are touching both ends of the copper tape, the lights will be lit, so simply remove the clip when not in use.

You can make lighted boards like this for all kinds of celebrations. The light stickers are available in different colors too, so let your imagination run wild!

Enter to win your own Chibi Lights Kit by commenting here and on the Designer Crafts Connection blog, where you will also find the Rafflecopter widget to record your entries. The winner will be selected at random on April 29th.  There's also the list of designers participating in this hop, so check out their projects too.  Enjoy! Y'all come back now.....

Yours truly,
Julie :)

KEEP CALM AND CARRY ON CRAFTING!

National Craft Month - Mystery Box

Wow, lots of stuff happening this month.... clocks move forward, First day of Spring, it's St. Patrick's day on the 17th, Easter Sunday is on the 27th and to top it all, March is also National Craft month. SO much to do!

When I think of Spring, spring cleaning immediately comes to mind, so to get National Craft Month off to a good start, I thought I'd fill a box with some crafty tools and product and have a bit of fun. One lucky person will win the box and everything inside it, but you have to let me know what you think these items are by commenting....... not here, but on the Designer Crafts Connection blog. Comments won't be published until the last day.....

To get you started, here's a photo of the box with one item already in it.  Each day this week I'll add a photo of another item which will go in the box. Let me know what you think these items are in the comments section of the DCC blog and someone will win the mystery box.  Winner must have a shipping address in the US or Canada.

You don't need to guess what this third item is (it's pretty obvious), but you do need to tell me what brand: "Handmade ---------"  fill in the blanks.  Y'all come back now, I'll be adding more items tomorrow thru Sunday, March 6th.  Good luck!

Yours truly,
Julie :)

KEEP CALM AND CARRY ON CRAFTING!

Little B LLC Blog Hop

Just look at all this crafty goodness that arrived from Little B LLC...  I hardly know where to start. There are punches, dies, flower kits, washi tape in different widths, and lots of dimensional stickers. Each Designer Crafts Connection member received a different assortment - this assortment definitely said "baby"....



I had some Smoothfoam™ Fake Cake forms from a previous hop, so I decided to make a decorative cake for a baby shower.  I used the stickers, flower petals, washi tape and the border punch.

Step 1: I covered the sides of the cake form.  I used Washi tape with the tiny, gold foil hearts around the top and bottom edge, then added the 1/2" Washi tape with the pink baby feet design.

Step 2: To cover the open area between the washi tape, I punched a border from pink card stock as follows:
        Insert the paper into the punch with the edge of the paper aligned with the edge of the design on the punch lever.  Punch then slide the paper to the side until the punched paper is aligned with the pattern on the base.  Continue sliding the paper to one side and punching until you have a complete strip.  Cut enough strips to go around the cake form then adhere with glue dots.

 

Step 3.  Punch 3 additional strips of pink border paper.  Cut each strip in half lengthwise to create 6, narrow strips.  Using the pattern as a guide, accordion fold each strip, then run a length of cord through the bottom holes. Bunch the pleats together and tie tightly with the ends of the cord.

 

 

Fan the pleated strip into a circle, then glue the ends together with a small dab of tacky glue to create a rosette.  Make 6.  Adhere gold Washi tape on top of the punched strip around the cake form. Always overlap the ends of washi tape and add a little glue for extra security.  Push a quilt pin with a white, pearl head through the center of each rosette to attach to the sides of the cake form.  Add a baby shoe sticker to the area between the rosettes.

  

Step 4: Adhere the medium sized pink petals from the flower kit around the top of the cake form overlapping as shown.  Note, the petals already have an adhesive at the base of each petal. Cover the area at the center with a small, white doily.  Following instructions on the package, create a small flower from 4, white petal strips, then place (don't glue) on top of the doily.

 

 Step 6: Add stickers from the baby package as follows:

        a.  Adhere a craft pick to the back of the stork sticker for stability, then push the end of the pick through the center of the white flower and the doily into the center of the cake form. Cut 2, white, petal strips apart then adhere the individual petals around the doily. 

        b.  To make the banner, cut 2 bamboo skewers about 6" in length then wrap with narrow washi tape.  Push the skewers into the top of the cake form, one at each side of the doily then attach white cord across the top. Tie at each end then hold in place with the sock/clothespin sticker.  Hang the letter stickers on the cord and additional stickers at the base of each skewer to finish.

You can see even more inspiration using Little B products by visiting the Designer Crafts Connection blog and hopping thru our webring using the DCC logo in the sidebar,  plus there's a giveaway!  Just look at all this product! Valued at $150, there's enough product for you and a friend.

Enter to win using the Rafflecopter feature below. All you have to do is "like" Little B on Facebook and comment on our blogs. The more you comment the more chances you will have to win.  Open to residents of the US and Canada only.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Enjoy!  Y'all come back now.........

Yours truly,

Julie :)

                                    KEEP CALM AND CARRY ON CRAFTING! 

Fabscraps

It's been 4 weeks since my last post - what can I say..... February was SO busy, I barely had time to go grocery shopping!  March is turning out to be almost as busy......  It's National Craft Month, St. Patrick's day is on the 17th, March 21st is the first day of Spring and it's Easter Sunday on the 31st!  It's also that horrible month when we turn the clocks forward and lose an hour!  On the "Good News" front, DCC has a fabulous giveaway (details below) and a challenge hop showcasing product from Buttons Galore which starts on March 9th...

Many of our DCC bloggers are also members of the Smoothfoam Creativity team and their projects are being featured every day during the month of March on the Smoothfoam blog!  There's a giveaway there too - $100 worth of Smoothfoam product - so be sure to check it out.

Now, here are the details on the DCC giveaway:  You may remember that at the end of the last show on Scrapbook Soup series 100, I showed a fabulous "purse" album from Fabscraps.  You can view the video here: http://youtu.be/-OZjx6Yhmg0   

 

Our viewers just loved it, so we've put together a very special giveaway - ALL the product you will need to make this adorable album, including the flowers.

One lucky winner will receive everything pictured above:  album, papers, paper roses pad, tags and even adhesive.  To enter to win, hop through the DCC blogs and leave a comment on the blogs featuring your favorite technique, or a technique you can't wait to try, then let me know which ones they are by commenting here on my blog.  I'll be picking a winner at the end of March, so don't forget to check back.  Good Luck! 

Yours truly,
Julie :)

KEEP CALM AND CARRY ON CRAFTING!

Scrapbook Soup Show 210

Show 210 is now airing online at www.scrapbooksouptv.com.  Here's what you'll see this week:

This show is all about wall art.  We start by sharing a couple of ideas on how to use your scrapbooking supplies for wall art - brought to you by the letter "J".   Scrapbook paper comes in so many different colors and patterns, it's easy to find something to match the décor of any room.  I used torn scraps to cover a piece of foam board, or, if you need something thicker as a base, glue 2 or more pieces together.  I then glued the narrow ribbon around the outside edge and the letter on top.  This letter was decorated with doodles using dimensional glass paint.   The second was a simple frame covered with paper and additional embellishments from my stash.

If you loved the magic of a kaleidoscope as a child, then you'll LOVE this next project using software from KalCollections.  Julie takes you step by step thru the software and you can find detailed instructions on our website.

 

Marilyn Gossett joins me next with an entirely different kind of wall art using paper, burlap and a new kind of crazy hook!  You'll definitely be "hooked" on this new product.

Suzy West then shows Julie even more embossing techniques.  Yep, I'm going to say it - prepare to be "wowed"!  I especially love the tip about putting it in the freezer - you'll have to watch to see what I'm talking about.

And finally I have another project that hangs on the wall.......

Our featured journal this week was designed and created by Debra Quartermain.  Debra works primarily with fabric, so you'll see that her representation of a journal is much different than the ones we've seen before.

Don't forget that instructions for all the projects you see on the show can be found at

Enjoy the show and don't forget to comment here on your favourite projects and/or techniques and you'll be entered to win this week's holiday giveaway.  The winner will be announced on our Scrapbook Soup FB page.  (US addresses only please.)  You can also see photos of all the projects on our Pinterest board.  Have a great week and y'all come back now!

Yours truly,
Julie :)

Giveaway - February

If you go back to my earlier post about CHA, you'll see I offered a box of "goodies" from the show for the giveaway for February.  Up to now it's been a "mystery" box, so here's a photograph of everything that is in it.  Can you spot the product that was one of the Top 3 most Innovative Products for Winter 2012?  If you can identify it, comment below (I won't publish the comment until later) and I'll add your name to the drawing.  The winner will be announced next week, February 29th, so don't forget to check back here.  This is what's in the box and what the winner will receive:

 

Y'all come back now......

Yours truly,
Julie :)

Giveaway Winner!

There are 40 designers linked in the Designer Crafts Blog Connection.  27 of us also participated in the Sizzix Fresh Vintage Blog Hop.  So, drum roll please

Jengd   AND

Pamela Jane  AND

ScrappySuZQ 

are all winners!

Jengd guessed correctly, but one of our designers removed the Fresh Vintage hop logo from her blog, so Pamela Jane and ScrappySuZQ were also correct with 26.  I would like to send each of you something too - there's no way I can pick only one winner when 3 of you were correct.

I have email addresses for jengd and Pamela Jane from the comments.  Scrappy, please email your address to me julie@juliemcguffee.com no later than November 11th. 

Don't forget you can still win a Sizzix Sidekick and 2 sets of Sizzlets Alphabet dies.  Details are posted below.

Y'all come back now!

Yours truly,

Julie :)

Sea Glass

Back home today, swapping the cool sea mists and ocean waves for parched dirt, blue skies and the hot Texas sun.  But home is where we are and it makes being away so much more special.

We collected a bunch of sea glass for Carole's jewelry pieces and I left with a bag full of shells.  I LOVE shells and have tins full of them from everywhere I've been where there was a beach....  I've used them to decorate mirrors, frames, boxes and more.  However, for those of you who aren't sure what sea glass is, here's a photo of Carole's collection.  Notice she collects small pottery pieces too.

And this is a piece of jewelry she made.

It takes dedication (and good eyesight) to find all the right pieces and they're not that easy to spot.  Look at this photo below and see if you can spot the piece of sea glass:

Can you see it?

 Here it is - right inside the circle!

As you can imagine, I came home with a severe case of "beachcombers' back"...........LOL, but it's back (no pun intended) to work this week.

Lots going on next week that I have to get ready for.  Designer Crafts Connection members will be posting First Monday projects on October 3rd featuring Westcott brand product and a fantastic GIVEAWAY.  I posted a photo about a week ago, so be sure to check it out.

I'm also participating in the Sizzix Fresh Vintage blog hop to support fellow designer, Eileen Hull and I'll be posting my project next Tuesday!  As you can imagine, when I said I had to get to work - I meant it!  Plus there's lots to catch up with from last week.  Y'all come back now....................

Yours truly,
Julie :)

Giveaways

I'm loving all your comments about Scrapbook Soup and I know everyone is hoping to win the DVD set of this first series, BUT don't forget the requirements to enter.  You have to list the names of the Designer Craft Connection blogs where you see this logo

You can visit all the blogs in our group by "hopping forward" from one to the other, wherever you see this logo in the sidebar of each blog.  If you get "stuck" at some point come back to my blog, then "hop backwards".  In a perfect world you would start here and end up back here, but there are occasional technical difficulties

Good luck!  The winner will be announced on September 15th together with some exciting news about our next giveaway, so y'all come back now...............

Yours truly,
Julie :)