Fall Napkin Placecards

Ooooh...isn't it getting beautiful outside?

The leaves are changing colors and the fall weather is finally starting to break through the heat.

When I think of fall...I think of food.

(Or maybe I just always think of food.)

And what is a good meal without some cute decor to spruce up the table? Today I wanted to share these cute napkin ties that double as placecards for a fall meal:

As I was walking through a craft store, those giant wooden buttons just screamed at me to make something with them, and I think they are the perfect way to tie up some cloth napkins (with the help of twine, of course).

On each of the punched tags, I added a name and some leafy branches with some of my stamps, then added just a touch of color with a colored pencil.

The Twinery's Solid Natural twine is so perfect for fall. (But there are lots of other great fall colors available, too!)

Happy fall, y'all!

Supplies: 
Twine: The Twinery (Solid Natural); 
Cardstock: Papertrey Ink (Rustic Cream); 
Stamps: Ink Blot Shop, LLC (Quirky Alphabet, Floral Frenzy); 
Ink: Ranger (Archival - Coffee);
Colored Pencils: Prismacolor (Dark Brown - PC946);
Tools: Fiskars (Tag Punch - XXL Lever Punch, Scissors);

Upcycled Notebooks {The Twinery}

It's Earth Week and in the spirit of reducing, reusing, and recycling I've got some quick & easy upcycled notebooks to share with you today. 

I started by taking some empty boxes with fun, colorful designs and I cut them to a variety of sizes (making sure to have both a front and back of the same size for each notebook). Cereal boxes and snack boxes are a great to way get chipboard for a variety of crafting projects.

I put lined notebook paper inside, but this is also a great project for those printing mistakes and other projects that are ending up in your "scratch paper" pile.

To keep these notebooks together, I tied them up with The Twinery's Solid Natural, Solid Peapod, Solid Charcoal, and Solid Denim twines.

These are fun to make and are easy enough for kids to do. These would be great for kids' parties, too - just take something like a LEGO box and cut it to size for a great LEGO party favor. These can also be used like mini albums (just fill them with pictures instead of paper).

So many different ideas and they will get you looking at everyday boxes in a new way!

Supplies: 
Twine: The Twinery (Solid Natural, Solid Peapod, Solid Charcoal, Solid Denim); 
Tools: Fiskars (Trimmer, Scissors); Scor-Pal (Scoring Board);

Thankful Jars (& Free Printable!) {The Twinery}

Can you believe how quickly Thanksgiving is approaching?! I was totally caught off-guard recently as I realized that Thanksgiving is next. week. 

I wanted to come up with something cute to decorate with, and I wanted it to be something simple enough to share (and re-create) with my daughter's Girl Scout troop.
Enter the "thankful jar":

No, the idea of a thankful jar isn't new, but...well...it's another reason to decorate a mason jar! (And I sure love mason jars - don't you?)

I decorated two different jars - one feels a little more "Fall" and one feels a little more "Winter" - but I was just going for variety and fun colors.

It was a simple process: wrap jars with glittered burlap, add a pop of color by wrapping with The Twinery's twine, stick in a few paper leaves, and finish it off with a twine-tied button. 

I used The Twinery's Solid Caribbean and Solid Strawberry twines on these jars, but there are a lot more solid and striped options to choose from!

The point of the thankful jar is to add in little notes of what you are thankful for, so I created this printable to coordinate with my jars:

{Click here to get the FREE printable - for personal use only}

Do you do a thankful jar (or some other "thankful" tradition) for Thanksgiving? I'd love to hear about it - just leave a comment!

Thanks for stopping by!

Supplies: 
Twine: The Twinery (Solid Caribbean, Solid Strawberry); 
Patterned Paper: My Mind's Eye;
Tools: Fiskars (Squeexe Punches, Scissors); Tim Holtz (Tiny Attacher);

LEGO Brick Necklace Tutorial {& Fiskafriends Blog Hop}

The Introduction:

If you are hopping along with us today: You should have come here from Cindy deRosier's blog. If you did, you are in the right place! Welcome!

If you aren't already a follower, I'd love to have you follow my blog!

If you are on Facebook, please "like" Ink Blots by TRD.

If you are one of my regular readers: Thanks for coming back! I love having you! Please feel free to join along in the hop - you can start at the Fiskafriends blog.

The Hop Order:

You can find the full blog hop order on the Fiskafriends blog.

The Project:

I was able to attend a few Fiskateer events and at one of them we created LEGO necklaces. One of my sons recently had a LEGO themed birthday party and LEGO brick necklaces were the perfect addition to the goodie bags.

With a Fiskars craft drill, these necklaces take less than a minute each to create:

Simply drill through one side of the LEGO brick, thread with twine, and you are done!

My Prize:

In addition to the sponsored prizes that are up for grabs, I've decided to host a little giveaway of my own! (Just add LEGO bricks and you can make LEGO necklaces, too!)

The winner will receive:

- a Fiskars craft drill

- a spool of Mandarin twine

- a spool of Peapod twine

To enter:

• Leave a comment on this blog post. That's it!

If you would like additional chances to win you can do so in one (or all) of the following ways:

• Follow this blog. {Please let me know you are a follower by leaving an additional comment.} 
• "Like" InkBlotsbyTRD on Facebook. {Please let me know you are a follower by leaving an additional comment.}
• Share about this giveaway on your own blog, Facebook, Pinterest, Google+, Twitter, or anywhere else. {Please let me know where you've shared by leaving one additional comment.}

Blog comments for my giveaway will close Sunday, March 29th @ 11:59pm (Pacific) and the winner will be announced Tuesday, March 31st here on my blog.

Please remember to check back here to see if you've won.

{The winner will have 72 hours to contact me with their information.}

{Due to shipping costs, my giveaways are available to US mailing addresses only.}

Sponsored Prizes:

You can find details about the sponsored prizes (and how to win them!) on the Fiskafriends blog.

{Note: Only one comment per person on this post will be counted for the sponsor prize. The additional comments will count only for my personal giveaway.}

Thanks for stopping by today!

The Next Stop:

Cheryl Waters

Supplies: 
Twine: The Twinery;
Tools: Fiskars (Craft Drill, Scissors);
Other: LEGO (Bricks);

Little Love Animals

Today I wanted to join up with Unity's Friends With Flair (FWF) and share these cards that I created with the new Meow. Purr. Baa. kit:

I am so excited about this new kit (and the Roar. Grr. Eek. kit, too!) and can't wait to see what others create with them!

{See more cards I created with these new kits on my blog post from yesterday.}

PS - They are both available for only $6 each with this weekend's fantastic sale - be sure to add them to your cart!

Baa. Card Supplies: 
Cardstock: Discount Cardstock (Brilliant White 130#);
Patterned Paper: My Mind's Eye (Miss Caroline - Fiddlesticks);
Stamps: Unity Stamp Company (Meow. Purr. Baa.); 
Colored Pencils: Prang (17, 18);
Tools: Fiskars (Trimmer, Scissors); Scor-Pal (Scoring Board);

Meow. Card Supplies: 
Cardstock: Discount Cardstock (Brilliant White 130#);
Patterned Paper: My Mind's Eye (Follow Your Heart - Be Happy);
Stamps: Unity Stamp Company (Meow. Purr. Baa.);
Twine: The Twinery (Solid Natural);
Colored Pencils: Prang (14);
Tools: Fiskars (Trimmer, Scissors, Circle Punches); Scor-Pal (Scoring Board);

X Marks The Spot {The Twinery}

The Twinery has another inspiring challenge going on...the "X Marks The Spot" challenge.

With the title I immediately thought of a pirate themed project, but I was needing to create some decorations for a baby shower for two soon-to-be-born little girls and thought that a cross-stitch approach would be great to tie in with this challenge (and a little more girly than the pirate idea).

I created a banner with the name of each of the little girls we were celebrating. The banners were strung with The Twinery's Solid Natural twine which was threaded through the top corners of each of the banner pieces cross-stitch style.

In addition to the banners, I created a small floral display.

I again used The Twinery's Solid Natural twine - this time to wrap around the jars. As I wrapped the twine around the jars I did a little criss-crossing...just enough to hint at the cross-stitch design in the banner without having to do cross-stitching on each jar.

You can find all the details about how to join in on The Twinery's X Marks The Spot Challenge here.

And if inspiration isn't enough to make you want to join in...how about this amazing prize?

I can't wait to see what you create for this challenge!

Supplies:
Twine: The Twinery (Solid Natural); 
Patterned Paper: My Mind's Eye (The Sweetest Thing - Lavender 6x6); 
Stickers: American Crafts (Thickers); 
Other: (Buttons); (Time Cards);
Tools: Fiskars (Trimmer, Scissors, Threading Water Border Punch, 1/8" Circle Hand Punch); 

Shaving Cream, Distress Stains, and Washi Tape...oh my!

Hi there!
Today I wanted to share with you a card and a tag created using the Distress Stain/Shaving Cream Tutorial I shared a while back.

I kept these pretty basic, just using plain white cardstock, the marbled paper created with the shaving cream technique, and some washi tape and letter stickers. They came together quickly and easily, but I really enjoy how they turned out.

Thanks for stopping by today!

Supplies:
Cardstock: Discount Cardstock (Brilliant White 130#); 
Stickers: Lily Bee Designs; My Little Shoebox;
Other: My Mind's Eye (Washi Tape);
Tools: Fiskars (Trimmer, Scissors, Star Squeeze Punches); Scor-Pal (Scoring Board);

Blog Hop {My Craft Channel SuperFans}

The Introduction:

If you are hopping along with us today: You should have come here from My Craft Channel's blog. If you did, you are in the right place! Welcome!
If you aren't already a follower, I'd love to have you follow my blog!

If you are one of my regular readers: Thanks for coming back! I love having you! Please join along in the hop - you can start at My Craft Channel's blog.

The Prize:
My Craft Channel is giving away a Black Ice Kit from Imaginisce.

The Details:
Leave a comment on each blog along the hop.
Blog comments close on Friday, September 6th at 11:59pm (Eastern). The winner will be announced on Monday, September 9th - so be sure to check back on the My Craft Channel blog to see if you’ve won.

The Hop Order:

My Craft Channel 

>>>Tifany DeGough with special guest Midge Hammon<<<

Abigail Stoops

Michelle Price with special guest Peggy Monroe

Andrea West

Sheila Lonergan with special guest Priscilla Joseph

The Project:

My project was inspired by two episodes from Heidi Swapp's show on My Craft Channel - the Flip Chart episode and the Cascading Pages episode.

I followed the directions Heidi gave in the Flip Chart episode to create my album base. I used a cereal box and covered it in patterned paper from Imaginisce. (The cereal box allowed me to have a bigger album - this is 6" wide x 7 1/2" tall.)

To make my pages I used Heidi's tip to cut the cascading pages for my album, then I added in a few off-cuts to give it a bit more variety. 

Everything here is made with the Black Ice kit from Imaginisce - I kept it all black and white with the pops of color coming from my photos. I added a few Glam Rocks to my cover page with the iRock...I love how it sets them so quickly and easily!

Once I had the flip chart base covered and my pages cut, I punched and bound them all together with my Cinch. Then I added a bow to the front (a combination of May Arts silk ribbons and The Twinery's Charcoal twine) to finish it off.

I love the finished product and think it makes a great addition to our home decor...and our memory keeping. 

Before you move on to the next stop on the hop...today I've got a special guest on my blog - another SuperFan, Midge Hammon. Here's is Midge giving us information about her project:

Welcome to the My Craft Channel SuperFans 2013 blog hop! I’m Midge Hammon and I can’t wait to show you the beautiful project I made using some of the products and papers given to us by Imaginisce. The papers are gorgeous and the tools and bling so cool!

Our challenge was to choose a show from My Craft Channel and, using Imaginisce, make our version and/or try the techniques from the show. Well, I love Heidi Swapp and look forward to her show every week. Her summer, 2013 episode 3 was calling my name! If you've seen it, you know what I'm talking about.

Heidi taught us how to create cascading pages for an album using her heart wooden album. I just happened to have one in my Heidi stash. To start, I used black velvet Color Shine to cover the wood. It’s amazing how well it works on a variety of surfaces. I adhered the papers to the wood, leaving a 1/8th inch border. Then, following the instructions in Heidi’s video, I cut the papers to create the cascading effect. I wanted to make mine a little different, so every other page is an inch narrower. I really like the change. Corners were rounded and each page was distressed with the Quick Quotes Power Puff chalking ink ‘Coal Miner’. It works well with the Color Shine. The last bit of business I needed to do was punch the holes in the pages and put them back in the book. I used the holes in the wood as my guide, stacked several pages together, and punched the holes with my We R Memory Keepers hole punch. It made short business of that chore!

After cutting out the heart center, I was able to play with the I*magicut ribbon cutter and sealer and the I*rock heat-setting tool, both from Imaginisce. They are awesome! The I*magicut cuts and seals the ribbon in less than a second. And you don’t have to wait a long time for the tool to heat up. Depending on the style you like on the ends of your ribbons, you can position it in the I*magicut so that it will make the appropriate cut for you.

The I*rock made the task of setting the hot rocks bling a cinch. They are the perfect touch to the sweet picture of my great-niece. Place the bling where you’d like it, hold the I*rock on top of it for a few seconds, and it’s set. I finished the page with a butterfly and crystal flowers from Mon Ami Gabby, wrapped the flowers in a ‘bow vase’, and added the word ‘love’ from Heidi Swapp’s word stickers.

All I had left to do after that was to fill the pages with pictures of Gabby’s first birthday party and dress-up the pages. I had the best time using Heidi Swapp’s products! The butterfly and heart embellishments were sprayed with Sweet Cherry Color Shine. Glitter bow ties, disco arrows, tags, clear tabs, word stickers, and banners rounded out the project. A little pink and white twine was tied around a few pages along with the addition of the pink ribbon and my book was complete! I tried not to go crazy with embellishments as I have a tendency to do, because I wanted the pictures to be the center of attention and, let’s face it, Gabby will want to look at it often. I want to avoid her removing anything that might be in the way of her admiring herself. We all know how little ones are!

Now that my project is complete, I can display it. It looks great on the mantle! I hope you’ll give it a try!

Thanks for stopping by today - enjoy the rest of the hop!

The Next Stop:

Abigail Stoops' blog

Supplies for Tifany's Flip Chart Mini Album:
Patterned Paper: Imaginisce (Black Ice);
Twine: The Twinery (Charcoal);
Ribbon: May Arts (Silk - Black, White);
Tools: Imaginisce (iRock, Glam Rocks); Fiskars (Trimmer, Scissors, Scalloped Sentiment Border Punch); Scor-Pal (Scoring Board);
Other: (Paper Doilies);

Cinch Photo Book {Video}

Today I am going to try something new (for me) - a video. Eek!
I wanted to share this book I created, but didn't want to take a bunch of pictures, so I thought a video would be best.

This is my first try with video...go easy on me. :o)

Thanks for stopping by today!

Supplies:
Patterned Paper: Teresa Collins Designs (Fabrications Collection - 8x8 Pad);
Tools: Fiskars (Trimmer, Scissors, Border Punches); Scor-Pal (Scoring Board); We R Memory Keepers (Cinch);

Blog Hop {The Twinery & Ruby Rock-It}

The Introduction:

If you are hopping along with us today: You should have come here from Ro Philippsen's blog. If you did, you are in the right place! Welcome!

If you aren't already a follower, I'd love to have you follow my blog!

If you are one of my regular readers: Thanks for coming back! I love having you! Please join along in the hop - you can start at The Twinery's blog.

The Prizes:
The Twinery is giving away a Solid Twine Sampler Pack (retail value $30).

And check out what Ruby Rock-It is giving away: 

The Details:

Leave a comment on each blog along the hop. {Please include your e-mail address.}

Blog comments close on Friday, July 12th at 11:59pm (Eastern). The winners will be announced on The Twinery's blog and the Ruby Rock-It blog on Monday, July 15th.

The Project:
I was inspired by the Pockets in Ruby Rock-It's Carnival Queen collection and thought they would be perfect for a mini album.
And yes...I did an Easter album with a carnival-themed collection.

Sometimes I just can't follow the rules. ;o)

As always The Twinery's twine is the perfect way to accent - I used Buttercream and Solid Caribbean for this album.

I used the flap from each of the pockets for binding the album together and left the rest of the pocket-area open, which created a lot of space for pictures. (I have 17-18 photos in the album, with plenty of additional room for journaling.) 

I created a band (from the Sunshine paper) to keep the pages together and then tied on some twine to give it an extra pop of color.

I used the cut outs in the pockets to highlight a few pictures and then on the remaining areas I placed additional photos or decorative cards. I also did a bit of embellishing on the pages using the Pocket stickers and Project Card die cuts from the collection.

Thanks for stopping by today!

The Next Stop:

Linda Kretz's blog

Supplies:
Twine: The Twinery (Buttercream, Solid Caribbean);
Patterned Paper: Ruby Rock-It (Carnival Queen Collection: Sunshine Paper); 
Other: Ruby Rock-It (Carnival Queen Collection: Project Cards - die cuts and cards, Pockets - pockets, cards, and stickers);
Stickers: American Crafts (Thickers: Delight Fabric Letter Stickers - White);
Tools: Fiskars (Trimmer, Scissors, Round N Round Squeeze Punch - Medium); We R Memory Keepers (Crop-A-Dile); Scor-Pal (Scoring Board);