Let’s seal it!

I have found a new obsession- wax seals. There is something so relaxing about it. I’m not sure what part of it I like the most if it’s choosing the colors, watching the wax melt, pouring it, or actually stamping it. The truth is, every step is satisfying on its own. Color choosing is fun, you can use one color or mix them, or even make clear ones. You can add glitter or flowers. There’s a variety of wax beads, wax sticks, and gun wax to choose from, and even clear glue sticks will create amazing seals. Then you have the stamps- oh my!- they come in different sizes and designs, which let you create pieces as simple or as detailed as you want. You can make them perfectly rounded or go for a more rustic-style and make the edges uneven, both will look equally beautiful. Once the seal is made, color can be added using paint markers so that the stamped design will stand out. 

You can see there are so many possibilities to make each wax seal as unique as you would like. It all depends on what you will use it on and what your style will eventually be. I mainly use them on my client's invitations, but I have incorporated them in tags, mini-books, and even gift wrapping. I have not gotten into journaling/planning yet, but I have seen so many journalers add them to their pages and they look stunning! Especially on those vintage pages that have dried flowers and cool old-looking washi tape...ahhhh, do I have time for another hobby? Aaaaanywayyyy... if you are new to wax sealing I have a TikTok account dedicated to just that, so you are more than welcome to check it out and follow, to see all the process and get inspiration for yours.

So, no matter what you decide to create with your seals, go get your supplies ready and let’s seal it!

 

Can we start making Valentine's crafts yet?

 So, I still haven't put away all my Christmas decorations and I feel like I am already behind with my Valentine's Day crafting/ cardmaking! Do you feel the same? I find myself looking at so many Pinterest pages for inspiration, that sometimes I end up pinning all night and not actually making the actual project. So I decided I was going to start with something quick and easy to get me started and excited about bigger projects. I found these adorable mini teddy bears from The Mulitcrafteral Lab and other pinners and gave them a go.

Let me tell you, I have always been intrigued by mini versions of everything, and this one did not disappoint! Her tutorial was fairly easy to follow and you can actually make them in 5 minutes. I made a tan-colored first and ended up making a few of them and then some white ones. I did not have black beads for the eyes, so I ended up painting silver seed beads for the eyes, but they were too difficult to glue on because they were so tiny. Once I bought the right sized beads, they really came together!

I modified a bit of the twisting and bending to what I thought was easier and I love the end results! I posted a quick tutorial of my version on my TikTok. I hope you get inspired and get started on yours, cause, who doesn't love a teddy bear, right?

Pop-up Surprise Cards

One of my favorite things to create is greeting cards. Whether it's for a birthday, a new baby, graduations, or just because, they are a great way to get those creative juices flowing while making someone's day brighter! Even though I always spend a lot of time designing and putting them together, the final result is extremely rewarding. 

At the beginning of the pandemic, I stumbled across this Karen Burniston surprise pop-up ball die while searching for something else on Amazon. She has some of the most creative dies I have seen, but this one specifically caught my eye and I am in love with it!! I am by no means a master of this die, and I use it for a purpose other than what it was intended for. Typically, this die is used to create animals and creatures, but I had this vision in my mind of creating a card that would shoot confetti when opened. Of course, no one likes to get confetti all over them and most certainly not if it is glitter, so I came up with the idea of creating shaker cards that would pop-up and the confetti would be contained in a frame, that would also have a sentiment or a pretty image, and so, by trial and error and some tweaking, I finally designed the shaker box that would fit perfectly in these pop-up balls and bring my vision to life.

Of course, after creating the shaker box, I wanted to make the cards even more special (remember I said I spent a lot of time making each one?), so I added audio and/or video messages in the form of a QR code that the recipient can scan with their phones and that way they can see or hear the sender's message, instead of just reading it. Also, this QR code will not run out of batteries like all the singing cards do, so it will still work long after it's received, which makes it a perfect way to preserve memories as well! I will have them for sale on my Etsy shop soon, so stay tuned.

Here are a few of the ones I have made, hope you love them as much as I do.

It's been too long!

Life comes at you fast. I haven't written a post in so, so long! I have been pouring all my energy into my social media accounts, learning new skills, and planning so many projects that I have totally neglected my blog. But... I'm back. I have so many pictures I want to show you of all that I have done! 

First, I hope that everyone had a safe and healthy holiday. We had a quiet holiday at home (not that we do anything super out-of-the-ordinary for the holidays anyway), we usually try to stay at home on Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve and maybe visit relatives on Christmas Day or New Year's. But not in 2020. Not during COVID. I'm sure we're not the only ones who refrained from getting together with loved ones, because, well, we love them and don't want to expose anyone or our family to get sick. We are, however, hopeful that things will improve and the next holidays will be very different from these.

Like many of you, I've spent most of my time working from home, but that has given me time to dive into new projects, explore new techniques, design more items and watch endless YouTube videos trying to master what others do easily. So here are a few of the things I have done during the past year.

Hope you enjoy them!