Rekindling an old Friendship

My family has become much closer during our time being quarantined together. We've done yard work, planted a vegetable garden, finished up our list of "honey do" and repair projects and rediscovered hobbies that were neglected. Even though we only ventured out a few times for necessities, we accomplished so much and I feel like I've had a "reset". I really needed that. I've cleaned out most of the cobwebs in my life and I'm ready for a fresh productive start.

This quote has inspired me during the weeks of quarantine,

“Take a deep breath, ignore the deafening noise, and think deeply about what you want to put back into your life. This is our chance to define a new version of normal, a rare and truly sacred (yes, sacred) opportunity to get rid of the bullshit and to only bring back what works for us, what makes our lives richer, what makes our kids happier, what makes us truly proud.”

Julio Vincent Gambuto

Writing blog posts is like a diary for me. It allows me time for reflection and perspective. I can look back on my past work and ideas and learn from them and it allows my creative side to grow. So, after reading some of my past blog posts, I got reacquainted with an old friend during "the quarantine". A lot had changed and I had forgotten a lot of things. But, after a few hours together, we were back on track again and we made some fun projects together. I really missed my little sewing buddy. I see lots of sewing projects with my Singer Stylist 7258 in my future!

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🤔 Reminiscent of the Malcolm in the Middle episode where Malcolm and Lois got mono and Bedazzled everything. I gave my sewing room a little animal magnetism during “the quarantine”! 🤪 #sewersgonnasew #sewistforlife #grrrrbabyverygrrrr

A post shared by Wendy Chapman Bellino (@wendy_c_b) on May 22, 2020 at 6:46am PDT

For today's post, I was invited to participate in the Coffee Lover's Spring/Summer 2020 blog hop by Monica at Taylormadecards4u. She is one of 73 Super Sponsors for the hop, so if you are feeling creative link up for a chance to win some great prizes! I was immediately inspired to make something using the round label designs in her latest coffee-themed digital kit, Another Cup of Coffee.

I used the rest of my fabric scraps from my sewing room makeover to whip up a set of coffee themed "mug rugs".

I backed a piece of white fabric with some freezer paper for stability and printed the designs using my inkjet printer. I followed the directions from this post from Sarah and used her recommendation for using white vinegar to set the designs. They faded a good bit, but that adds to the vintage charm. I haven't researched other methods of preserving the printed designs for waterproofing, so suggestions are welcome. I will definitely do this again!

Off to make a second cuppa coffee and visit with my crew. Have a fabulous day and thanks so much for stopping by!

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Shake One in the Hay and Spit on It!

It sounds gross, but it's not! 

“Shake One in the Hay and Spit on It” is soda jerk lingo for a strawberry shake with raspberries on top. These guys had slang all their own for calling out orders. Soda fountains had handbooks of recipes they had to memorize, but hundreds of variations were created on the fly by the creative Soda Jerks. They had to put on a show to get that tip!

           

Today's post is part of the new Taylormadecards4u/Crafter's Castle Challenge collaboration featuring the Soda Fountain Shoppe! 

I thought I'd get a creative jump start for the new year with an art journal layout.

The kit can be printed on your home computer "as is" for fussy cutting or "print and cut" using a die cutting machine. You can also create some fantastic digital designs. I've shared details in the video on how I transformed the images using Photoshop Elements for a 3-dimensional effect. You can watch the video tutorial here or on my Youtube channel.

Here are a few close-ups showing all the detail I've added like distressing, shadowing, and embossing with metal!

The Taylormadecards4u Inspiration Team will host a video hop with the Crafter's Castle Design Team each month featuring the newest Taylormadecards4u digital kit. The featured kit will be the prize on the Crafter's Castle Challenge blog and if you link up to the challenge and use digital products from the TMC4u Shop, you get a second entry! Take advantage of this 20% discount code to the TMC4u Shop so that you can get that second entry to the Crafter's Castle challenge...type in Loyalty in the promo code box in the shopping cart!

I've included the full list of inspirational videos with links below 😉.

Taylormadecards4u - https://youtu.be/PZ_Ux898mI0

Amanda - https://youtu.be/OTYPFKvae2A

Deborah Jenkins - https://youtu.be/2CIKhSY7x4k

Mynn Kitchen - https://youtu.be/993a3HZS91I

Tracy Shultz https://youtu.be/40TmXUIfado

Craft With Te https://youtu.be/zv0p9ljk1L0

Jeanie Ellis https://youtu.be/sZ8bSWe0FnI

Wendy - https://youtu.be/6gkZCgYvNPk

Janie - The Craft Princess https://youtu.be/uhHghYKL85E

Coming soon...videos sharing some fun stuff you can create with metal!

SUPPLIES LIST:

Below you can find a list with all the products used today. Links to multiple online shops are available. Just click the static image below to be redirected to the LinkDeli product list. When the bookmarklet opens, click your favorite store link below each item. Compensated affiliate links may be used – that means if you make a purchase using my links, I receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you for your support of my work on this blog!

Click HERE to shop for Rinea metal foil using my discount code!

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WANTED! Morning Coffee!

I like my coffee, but I love when someone makes a cup for me in the morning!

Taylormadecards4u Santa Wanted Poster digital image. Club Scrap Coffeehouse December 2019 hybrid kit.

I'm impatient and will make a quick cup in the morning using an electric coffee maker. However, my husband and sons prepare their coffee using an Aeropress.

                           

That thing will make coffee that will cause your heart to skip a beat! Oh my gosh, it sure is good though...

Today's post is part of the Taylormadecards4u Inspiration Team holiday crafting challenge using some of the new Christmas digitals. (All available supplies will be listed at the end of this post.) My first layout features a plain wanted poster image that I turned into a digital element using Adobe Photoshop Elements 2020. Check out my how-to video for details!

Please feel free to save and use this image on your digital projects or print on card stock and embellish your cards and paper creations. All I ask is that you credit me (Wendy Bellino) and link back here!

My layouts also feature elements from Club Scrap's December 2019 Coffeehouse hybrid kit. Below is a copy of the page formula I used from Club Scrap to trim the papers for a double-page spread. You can use it again and again, arranging the elements differently each time to create beautiful pages with materials from your stash. Visit Club Scrap's blog to print a copy of the instructions and see more layouts with this formula!

                                             

Click HERE to check out what the rest of the Inspiration Team has created using the Taylormadecards4u Christmas digitals! Thanks so much for stopping by!

SUPPLIES LIST:

Below you can find a list of all the products used today. Links to multiple online shops are available. Just click the static image below to be redirected to the LinkDeli product list. When the bookmarklet opens, click your favorite store link below each item. Compensated affiliate links may be used – that means if you make a purchase using my links, I receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you for your support of my work on this blog!

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e·phem·er·a

ephemera plural : paper items (such as posters, broadsides, and tickets) that were originally meant to be discarded after use but have since become collectibles.

                                        

Got any ephemera lying around? If you've got some, use it on a project and share it with us for the Cupcake Inspirations Ephemera challege!

I have lots of "ephemera", but Taylormadecards4u.com happens to specialize in it and I LOVE these vintage images!

Using a card formula from Club Scrap, I created a set of standing box cards featuring the Retro Santa digital images as embellishments. (All available supplies will be listed at the end of this post.)

                                    

I used my Silhouette Cameo 3 to print and cut the digital images. This is so helpful when I have more than a few images that I want to "fussy cut" for my projects.

The Club Scrap card formulas can be utilized to cut and assemble a set of cards quickly. Once I had everything cut, scored, and sorted, the cards came together in less than an hour. Super easy!

                       

                                                                                                                                                                          

                    

The cards fold flat for mailing in an A2-sized envelope!

Crafty Sentiments is our sponsor for the challenge and will be providing our randomly chosen winner with three digital images from their store! Click HERE to link up your creation for a chance to win!

SUPPLIES LIST:

Below you can find a list with all the products used today. Links to multiple online shops are available. Just click the static image below to be redirected to the LinkDeli product list. When the bookmarklet opens, click your favorite store link below each item. Compensated affiliate links may be used – that means if you make a purchase using my links, I receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you for your support of my work on this blog!

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Flippin' Recipe Stand

I have a stash of favorite recipes that I've collected over the years. Some of them are cherished family recipes, but the vast majority are my tried and true favorites. I have them written on note cards, old envelopes, pieces of paper and printed from the internet. I needed a recipe book for easy access to all of them. I found a few ideas on Pinterest, but they weren't exactly what I was looking for. I wanted something large enough to house all of my current recipes, adaptable to add new entries as I discover them, AND a stand to hold them while I'm cooking. So, I tapped into my inner engineer and came up with a design to reflect just what I wanted!

Today's project is part of the Crafter's Collaboration Holiday Video Hop. In each video, we will be sharing themed projects to get you inspired for your holiday crafting. Some of the videos will offer a giveaway, so be sure to leave a comment for your chance to win! The hop will be active through Saturday December 7, 2019. Winners will be announced on December 10th on each individual channel and a list of all the winners will be posted on the Taylormadecards4u.com/blog. Click HERE for the full list of participants or you can start by watching my video below.

Click HERE to download a written set of instructions to create your own recipe stand!

My recipe stand features the recipe cards and gift tags from the Holiday Baked Goods digital kit by Taylormadecards4u and printed card stock from Club Scrap's Trattoria collection. (All available supplies will be listed in the supplies list at the end of this post. )

I added a cover and decorated it by trimming the little baker from one of the Holiday Baking tags. The title was stamped with one of my favorite font stamp sets from Concord and 9th - the Sophisticated Script. I also created some colored dividers and stamped headings to categorize my recipes for quick access.

Lastly, I printed and decorated the gift tags from the digital set and they are ready to add to my baked gifts!

                               

Click HERE to check out what the rest of the Taylormadecards4u Inspiration has created and be sure to stop by the TMC4u store for the holiday sale!

Let the holiday baking begin!

SUPPLIES LIST

Below you can find a list with all the products used today. Links to multiple online shops are available. Just click the static image below to be redirected to the LinkDeli product list. When the bookmarklet opens, click your favorite store link below each item. Compensated affiliate links may be used – that means if you make a purchase using my links, I receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you for your support of my work on this blog!

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Santa's Workshop

Christmas is my favorite time of year! I just love the smell of Christmas...cookies baking, a REAL Christmas tree in the house, cinnamon and spices, and hot chocolate on the stove! But, one of my favorite traditions is sending and receiving Christmas cards. My first letter ever written was addressed to Santa! I'm not really sure if that's true, but I was obsessed with getting the address to the North Pole in the first grade. My teacher had a mailbox in the classroom where we "mailed" our letters to Santa. I sent him a lot of letters and they weren't all about my Christmas list. I wanted details about life at the North Pole, Mrs. Claus (where did he meet her?), how many elves were there, what do reindeer really eat, does Rudolf really have a nose that lights up, and does he ever cut his beard? My teacher read a letter from Santa to our class before we left for the holidays. All of our questions were answered, (not all of mine, but the important ones) and I just knew he was REAL!

This Santa's Workshop scene was my Christmas dream! (I would have been the kid with the ticket screaming, "Santa!!! Santa's coming!!! like Will Ferrell in the movie Elf.)

Digital art created using the Taylormadecards4u Santa's Workshop kit and Club Scrap's Christmas Thyme.

Taylormadecards4u has a new digital kit for Christmas, Santa's Workshop!

I'm using it to spread a little Christmas cheer with a gift card box full of Christmas cards!

If you are looking for a quick and easy handmade gift, check out this Gift Box Tutorial  from Club Scrap! The instructions are so easy to follow and you can make several at a time to give to friends and family (or keep for yourself!). I printed out the Santa's Workshop digital elements on 8.5x11 card stock and took things a step further resizing the two digital backgrounds in Photoshop Elements to nest perfectly on the cover.

I created a batch of Christmas cards to fit inside using this card formula from Club Scrap.

Using the assembly line method, I was able to create 6 gorgeous Christmas cards in about 30 minutes! No stamping, just a little distress inking with Vintage Photo Distress ink around the edges and some Diamond Stickles for sparkle!

Set 1

Set 2

All the cards nestle quite nicely inside...just waiting for me to sign, seal and deliver them for Christmas! 

Click HERE to see what Christmas magic the rest of the Taylormadecards4u Inspiration Team has created using the Santa's Workshop digital kit!

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