Kraft-y Hearts Blog Share: Gift-spirations Day 1

Hi Folks! The Kraft-y Hearts decided to share a little early this month in hopes of offering you a few simple, last-minute gift ideas. I don't know about you, but it seems like my gift list keeps growing and growing. We have teachers, coaches, neighbors, friends, family, hostess gifts--and the list goes on. It's always nice to have an arsenal of nice, inexpensive little gifts on hand for those last minute needs.

Today's project is a departure from the norm for me. I decided to forgo paper and work with fabric. (I know, right?!) So my first little gift--perfect for teachers and friends--is a little tissue cover made with Close To My Heart's Sparkle & Shine Textile pack. 

These little holders are much easier than they look. There are some great tutorials on the web. (I used this one, minus the corner tuck.) Even with my relatively novice sewing machine skills, I was able to knock out seven covers in about 2 hours one evening. The Sparkle & Shine Textile pack gives you enough fabric for about 9 tissue covers. I alternated the outer and lining fabrics so that I had 6 different styles.

Here are the finished products:

Not bad for someone who hasn't sewn on a sewing machine more than twice in the last 30 years! If you wanted to conserve fabric to make more, you can cut the lining and outer fabrics to the same size and forgo the little contrasting edge at the opening. (I like that look, though, so I splurged!) 

So there you go. A little last-minute gift that everyone can use! Now for more gift-spiration, make sure you stop over at From My Bungalow to see what lovely ideas the super talented Lynn Darda has for you!

See you tomorrow for another gift-y little share!

Kraft-y Hearts Blog Share Day 3: Merry & Bright

Hi All! Welcome to Day 3 of the Kraft-y Hearts' October Blog Share. Can you believe it's the last day already?! (Me either!)

Today's project is a little home decor piece I put together for you:

The base of this piece is one of the 6x6 canvas display frames by Close To My Heart. I covered the face of the canvas with paper from the Sparkle & Shine collection. (Love that silver hounds tooth.) The Merry and Bright sentiment is from the Sparkle & Shine Workshop On The Go stamp set. I stamped the sentiment in Ruby ink on White Daisy cardstock cut at 2 1/2 inches using the coordinating shape on the Art Philosophy Cricut cartridge. For the Candy Stripe and Ruby layers, I increased the cutting sizes by 1/4 inch for each layer. The little flags under the sentiment are stamped in White Daisy ink on Ruby, Juniper, and Slate cardstocks. The sentiments are from the October Stamp of the Month: Scandinavian Wishes. The large embellishment in the corner is made from gross grain ribbon from my stash and embellishments from the Sparkle & Shine assortment pack. The two long flags ("Celebrate the Season" and "Winter Wonderland") are cut from one of the Sparkle & Shine zip strips.  Finally, I added small Sparkle Flourishes and red rhinestones to give it a little extra sparkle and shine. To finish the edges of the canvas, I painted them silver and added a little ribbon that matches the front.

Here are some close-ups:

I hope this little canvas brightens your day! Thanks for joining us for this month's Kraft-y Hearts Blog share. Be sure to stop by From My Bungalow and see what beautiful inspiration the amazingly talented Lynn Darda has for you!

Enjoy the weekend!

Kraft-y Hearts Blog Share Day 2: Bright & Shiny Things

Hi All! Welcome to Day 2 of the Kraft-y Hearts Blog Share celebrating Christmas in October!

I'm continuing on with my Christmas card theme, but today's inspiration comes from the Pear & Partridge Card Workshop that Close To My Heart released last year. Folks, when you finish your Workshops on the Go, always keep your instructions. They are fantastic sources of inspiration later on!

So for this card, I chose one layout and used it for three different cards. That way I could cut 6 sets of each element rather than having to cut something different for each card. Let's take a look:

For these cards, I once again turned to my White Daisy cards and envelopes value pack and the Sparkle & Shine collection in the Holidays From the Heart Gift Guide. All of the images and sentiments except the tree branch are from the Trim the Tree stamp set, which, like Scandinavian Wishes, coordinates with the Art Philosophy Cricut cartridge. The branch is from the retired Pear & Partridge Card Workshop. I stamped in Juniper, Ruby and Slate Exclusive inks, and used Juniper, Ruby and Slate cardstocks to match the colors in the Sparkle & Shine patterned paper. Did you notice the spiffy bit of bling around the images? I got that done in a snap using the new CTMH Sparkle Holiday Shapes. LOVE it! (Can you imagine how long it would take to do that one rhinestone at a time???) A little silver washi tape finishes the cards off nicely. Another six cards done in less than 30 minutes. I'm on a roll!

Tune in tomorrow to Day 3 of the Kraft-y Hearts Blog Share and celebrate a little more Christmas in October. But, in the meantime, make sure you hop over and see what crafty Christmas goodness Lynn has cooked up in the Bungalow today!