What a Bunch of Characters (Blog Hop)

Welcome to the 

What a Bunch of Characters Blog Hop

Thank you for joining us for a super magical blog hop themed all around Mickey Mouse and his friends at the Magic Kingdom! These talented crafters have created all sorts of projects to inspire you and share the fun of Disney's lovable Characters!

 You should have arrived from Christi!! If you just happened upon this spectacular hop, Connie Can Crop is the first stop in this hop. 

This is a one day blog hop, but you have until Sunday to finish hopping and leaving your comments for all of these amazing crafters.

We have an awesome BRAND NEW sponsor for this month!

One lucky winner will win their choice of a digital stamp from their shop!!

Be sure to visit them on etsy here.

On facebook here.

And their blog here.

What do you need to do to win? Easy... become  a follower of each of the fabulous blogs in this hop and leave each of them a comment letting them know what you like best about their projects.

You will have until 10 pm Sunday to finish the hop and leave your comments.

Winners will be announced on Wednesday 1/18/17

at Connie Can Crop.

Be sure to follow everyone and leave a comment along the way!

Zippity-doo-da! Zippity-Ay! My, oh My... What a wonderful Day! Plenty of sunshine...

Um... it's been raining and snowing EVERYWHERE, even here in "Sunny" Southern California! and I'm only about an hour away from Disneyland!!!

Anyway... We've needed the rain SO bad, so really... I'm pretty glad (plus I love SOUP, and it's totally that kind of weather!)...

SQUIRREL!!!

Back to my post... ahem... So... I still can't find my cord (for my Cricut Explore [either one of them] from back in NOVEMBER) so I'm doing a blast from the past... totally still Disney related!!!

Way Back in 2012 it wasn't THAT long ago, We took a little trip (only an hour away...). To Disneyland! Marissa wanted ALL of the Disney Princess Autographs and hell if I was paying their high prices for autograph books... So, I took the Mickey head and input the word "Disney" and the year (from the Mickey Font). I welded the year together... but was careful not to weld anything else...

This, my friends... is a cardstock-covered double cereal box concoction! Yes! You say THAT fast 5-6 times...

I even made sure I lined the inside and signed it... Maybe I should've signed it "Mom" but I didn't... obviously...

I used the We R Memory Keepers Bind-It-All. (It really, REALLY does!) I've had it for years and love it.

The characters loved it, too! Here are two special signatures she got that day... those lines are WAY longer than anyone really wants to stand in, so that's mostly what we did that day...

Can YOU figure out whose beautiful script this is?

As you can see... I've been a repurposer and "responsible crafter for years now... Yes... I'm totally rationalizing my hoarding and my expensive habits... Don't judge, Judy! No matter what, I'll always be a recycler, too. Again... rationalizing my pack-rat habits and saving everything habits...  One day, I'll even get those pictures in there, too! I just have to locate them, first...

 Up next is Sarah! Where she'll splash a little more Disney Magic on YOU!

Here's our line up in case you get lost:

Connie- http://conniecancrop.blogspot.com

Angela- mermaidsnmonograms.blogspot.com

Shannon H- http://shannonhdesigns.blogspot.com/

Kim- http://katydidcards.com

Sue- http://suek86401.blogspot.com/

Alicia- http://goldengoddessdesigns.blogspot.com/

Sandy- http://simplycraftycreationsbysandys.blogspot.com

Marji- http://fstampaholic.blogspot.com/

Veronica- http://vickyscrappingpassion.blogspot.com

Miranda- http://www.nanasscrapspot.com/

Shannon M- https://my-o-scrappin.blogspot.com/

Ashley-  http://marinewifesscrappinlife.blogspot.com

Christi- https://tranquility1905.blogspot.com/

Lisa- http://lisaslittlerascals.blogspot.com/
Sarah-  http://sarahbiswabic.blogspot.com/

Don't forget to check out this month's new challenge!!

Connie Can Crop Challenge #54

Anything Goes

due 11:59 P.M. Tuesday, January 31, 2017

Pacific Time

A Year of Card Techniques - (April) Shaker Cards

Welcome to...

It's month four of our year long adventure into different card-making techniques,
folds and paper crafting products. We hope you got the chance to hop with us in previous months. If not, it's not to late to hop and comment.
If you missed January's hop, you can still hop and comment by starting HERE; if you missed February's hop, you can still hop and comment by starting HERE; if you missed March's hop, you can still hop and comment by starting HERE.

This month we will be creating shaker cards and you won't want to miss the amazing and fun cards we've got for you today.
We really love feedback, so please leave a comment on each of the blogs in today's hop. Each comment on the 12 hops throughout the year will be entered into a drawing for a $25 Blitsy.com gift certificate.

Now on with the projects.

I'm thinking this is my year of do-overs. I absolutely love some of the things I've made, but have given them up to other people as gifts, or even just because I'm that nice. And now... I'm wanting them back to add to my hoarding collection I'm wanting to have more "stash" to be able to give when I need to. But... My inventiveness aka: creativity has been slightly dwindling due to a hectic schedule. Yeah... I know ya'll have them problems, too... so feel my pain together, with me and instead of some "Wink of Stella", we'll be drinking some Rose of Stella.. or Platinum.. I'm not picky (all the Stellas are my friends)! Anyway... Back to my project. I searched through my shaker cards and found this fave... So I remade her with a little Stella in my cup.
 

First... I took searched my shelves for Mod Podge Glitter! NOTE* One of my pet peeves... When someone says, "MODGE" Podge. Do you here the "ge" in the the "MOD" part? Uh... No. (Yes... I got it on clearance quite a while ago at Joann's. Don't judge. Taking THAT back... Do! I'm a total tight-wad and save money every which way I can. Proud of it!) And it comes in quite handy... dries clear (with little flecks of gold glitter)... you'll see... keep reading and scrolling...

Then... I sponge-brushed it on 5"x4" acetate panels (2 of them)... and let it dry... (FYI... I used scraps of plastic aka: acetate that I saved from packaging. Save... SAVE MONEY!)

See? It's all clear now! Well... Kinda... It's a little smear-y looking, but hey... reminds me of those modern showers with the "water-works" in the glass...

Cut out "F A L L" (in Storybook font, without weldin) on a Terrifically Tacky Tape (sheet)... well, what was left of it (it was 3.25"x3.25"). It ran off the edge, obliterating an "L", so I deleted 3 letters from my screen, rotated and moved the "L" to squeeze it onto the leftover bits of the sheet (improvisation at it's finest!) and cut again. Note: Set the pressure higher on a project like this, otherwise you'll do like I did and have to manipulate separation afterward. Fun.

Now... here's the really CAREFUL part. I outlined (on white paper... the one I used as a mat while I Mod-Podged them) the area of the acetate. Then... I centered lines, so the placement of my letters would be just that... CENTERED! I'm sure I really do have some sort of tool that would let this go smoother (and easier), but I seriously did not feel like looking/searching through the craft room. If you must know... it is STILL not organized and is a total mess... STILL.

Then, I super duper carefully peeled the white backing off my letters, and placed them on the plastic acetate, beginning with the center letters, then adding the others to achieve this...

and carefully peeled off the red plastic coating to get THIS... (another note... I placed the white paper underneath ALSO so that bits of things wouldn't cling to the acetate... I love hate when that happens...)

Then... added a little burnt orange ProvoCraft glitter (thanks to goodness to clearance sales from years ago... twenty-five cents keeps on going!!!)... to achieve THIS. (it'd'n't purtee?)

I had already cut out an aperture in a card blank (craft cardstock! one of my FAVES!!!), large enough for my acetate. (btw... I can't find the pics of these steps... sorry...) I adhered the non-FALL acetate to the underside of the card opening, sprinkled in some punched out apples and leaves from various scraps, put adhesive around the edges of that acetate (be sure to adhere the complete perimeter, so that whatever you're putting in your shaker-box doesn't escape through an itty-bitty opening!!!), lined up my FALL acetate, and pushed it down. Another NOTE: I think I'd use my infamous caulking next time, but was looking to not have SO much shaker room...

Then I finished it up, by inking the framed portion of the card with Cat's Eye gold ink and a tad of Wink of Stella (Gold)...

... tied a strip of twine (recycled from a kids' toy packaging! be sure to check out the awesome extras that come with your kids' toys!!!! Remember... I recycle EVERYTHING. This... in a mental-health issue is now called a hoarder. Years ago, it would've been called conservatism and maybe thrifty...  [this held HAIR on a Barbie-type doll!] you'll be amazed at what you paid for and are throwing away!!!) around the card's "spine"... and found these two little leaves (yes... I only had TWO!), pierced a hole in them with a piercer... threaded the twine through and knotted it from behind... 

Really... I am super happy with the total result. You have to look "beyond" the pictures, actually look "through" them to see the full thing. I loved the idea!

Thanks for stopping by... and if you'd like to participate in our technique, feel free and be sure to leave me a link to your project, so I can comment and return the favor!

Hope you have a great "falling-in" with Spring! ... Up next is Kim.

Here's today's line-up in case you get lost along the way:

Theresa
Sharon
Lisa
Kim
Claudia
Denise
Debbie
    

Recycled from Fast Food! A Change-able Box for a Little Girl

You know how you order the family pack at a local fast food place? You know... the kind (say... Del Taco or Wienerschnitzel) that has multiples of your faves in there to satisfy your family or at least part of it... or maybe just yourself (that's me!)? I collect those. I have my friends collect those for me, too! Why?

Well, they look like little A-line houses. Or boxes. Or fun little things to put other little things in. And... they look like they have LOTS of potential. And so... I have a large stack or two sitting around my craft room, ready to go... whenever I need them.

Sometimes, I wrap them. Um... take that back. I cover them. I cut the paper to fit, so the recipient can re-use it. (Wrapping just means you fold it all over, and the recipient would have to tear it all off... Making the box back to square one and looking just like the fast-food box it started off being.)

Other times, I have a little more fun with them...

Marissa was invited to a birthday party. That's what kids do. And of course... She wanted to just throw the gift in a bag with some tissue paper or no tissue paper at all. But... I'm her mom, and I just don't do that. (Of course, not!) The birthday girl's favorite color is turquoise? Alrighty then! I had some left-over turquoise chalkboard paint that should do the trick.

And paint it, I did. Three coats of it... the red from the box kept bleeding through. So... my recommendation to YOU, if you should decide to do this: Prime it first. Then it should only need one coat of the more expensive paint.

 I had Marissa wrap the gift in tissue (that way, I rationalized it as a compromise... she got the tissue part, didn't she?) and put it in the box.

 Put a shiny pink curly-ribbon bow on (and sealed it that way, too!)

And had Marissa doodle in pink (the birthday girl's "other" favorite color).

Reusable box to last for many years that can be changed on the outside? I think so! And... since the birthday girl plays softball (and the gift was a pair of batting gloves...), it was a hit! A Grand Slam!

*** Just a Note ***

For many of you that have written to me or commented regarding my grief... Thank you. I know there are no words that are the "right" thing. And just thank you. Some of you have sent me treasures, cards, and always kind words. I really appreciate it.

This post was meant for back in December... but it didn't make it. I am going to keep trying to catch up to life and the real world, even though all this life stuff has been pretty real for me. I just keep trying to go back to what makes me happy.

I have been crafting, on several occasions. I try to take pics... it just never seems to make it to here, my blog, where you all can see. Only because a friend's post of an RRR item today made me think... "Dang... it's been quite a while!" I didn't realize it had been since JANUARY! Ugh. I'll catch up a little at a time. (Thank you, Michelle, for inspiring me to post something!)

But again... Thank you. For all your thoughts, prayers (if you pray), and for just simply coming back here.