He{ART} Canvas | Transformed

At October 23, 2012
By Dahlia
In Blog, Digital Arts, DIY, Handmade, He{ART} Canvas, Inspirational, Mixed Media, Soul Searching
0

He{ART} Canvas | TRANSFORMED

digital fine art print will be available soon!

see my process below

***

collaged the canvas with patterned papers + modge podge

once the collage dried, i painted + scraped on layers of paint in teal + yellow

sketched and painted a butterfly with a white wash

added details to butterfly with shapes and filled them in with water soluble crayons

felt it needed a touch of something…. scalloped background was added in to give it some character.

VOILA!

***

butterflies have always fascinated me, not only because of their intricate beauty of their wings, but because of the transformation that takes place from a caterpillar to a butterfly. i know there’s so many deep spiritual interpretations about the symbolism of butterflies in different cultures and beliefs, but to me it holds a special meaning in my journey. my life story can be told through the parable of a butterfly. it’s a bedtime story that i have told my kids at night, over and over again. they seem to love it so much and never get tired of it, always asking me to tell them the same story over and over again. so, if you’d like to hear it, i’ll be sharing it in my next post. hope you’ll come back and be enlightened by this fictional tale based on a true story. a story of my life… and how i was transformed and formed wings like a butterfly.

***

[DIY Sweet Treats] Valentine’s Day Pink Popcorn Pops

When my son’s teacher announced that the kids are going to be giving each other Valentine’s Day cards or candy, of course my brain switched on to craft mode and I started to think of ideas on projects that would make a really cool, yummy gift. Something different, you know? Of course, we did buy some cartoon card box sets at Target for Josiah to pick out as well. Yet, I could not help but want to make Pink Popcorn Pops!!

If you have been hiding under a rock and never heard of this amazing ‘Pop-Queen’ is what I call her, then head over to this site, Bakerella. Just a warning though, be prepared to be blown away by some of the most cutest, most yummiest, most artistic, sweet treats known to grace this earth, in my honest opinion. She totally ROCKS with her genius ideas and inspiration!

My first discovery about her was a few years ago when I made these to-die-for Oreo Truffles, which has become a family favorite for the holidays (which I will post about when I can). BUT OH, THEY ARE INSANELY GOOD! Not sure if she has made anything with popcorn, but this creation of mine was inspired by her idea of ‘bite-size’ treats. I’m sure if she did, hers would be a hundred times better

Thank you, Bakerella!!!

PINK POPCORN POPS

You will need:

Popcorn Balls (see recipe below)
Lollipop Sticks
Lollipop Treat Bags w/ribbon
Red Felt or Cardstock – Cut out of a heart
Gift tags – I cut up my own tags with decorative edged scissors
Hole Puncher

Pink Popcorn Recipe (my revised version inspired by this recipe at food.com)

2-3 Bags of microwaveable popcorn. I used Newman’s Own – Natural flavor
6 T Butter
3 Cups Mini-Marshmallows
4 T Strawberry Jello

Directions:

I followed the recipe, but doubled all the ingredients except the Jello because 4 T is actually a lot and even with doubling the popcorn and marshmallow mixture, it was just perfect for my taste. But, maybe some of you might want to add more of it who like it a little bit tangy and tart.

NOTE: I regret that I didn’t take pictures of actually making the Pink Popcorn balls, so I will try my best to explain the process.

After popping all the popcorn, I poured it all out into a large aluminum roasting pan, but you can use a really big mixing bowl or baking dish. It’s a lot of popcorn to mix so that is why I chose to use whatever was big enough to hold all the popcorn. In a medium pan, melt the butter over med-low heat. Add in the marshmallows until completely melted. Then mix in the strawberry gelatin until blended into a creamy mixture. Turn off heat. Drizzle the mixture all over the popcorn and then with a rubber spatula or spoon, mix it all up to coat the popcorn as evenly as possible. Don’t worry if every single popcorn isn’t completely covered. Once that is done, form the balls using your hands and because it does get a little sticky and messy, I like to use latex gloves while doing this part. I also try to make sure that before I form them, I look out for popcorn seeds and be sure I pick them out. No one wants to bite down on hard bits of corn

PROJECT TUTORIAL:

1. Here is a layout of everything that I used to create each one.

2. A yummy close up of the pink popcorn ball.

3. Used decorative scissors to trim the piece of paper and wrote my love note on it.

4. Then I carefully pushed a lollipop stick halfway through the center.

5. Punch a hole through the top center of the heart where you will be threading a ribbon through.

6. Punch a hole through the tag or strip of paper.

7. Place the popcorn pop into the lollipop treat bag, which already came prepunched with holes and a ribbon. Thread the ribbon through the felt heart and tag, then tie it into a bow.

VOILA!

Here are some optional ideas that I had thought about after making these:

Dip popcorn balls into dark or white chocolate, caramel, or cinnamon & sugar
Experiment other Jello flavors/colors
Combine popcorn w/nuts, chocolate chips, or M&M’s

The day that I brought these to my son’s class, a lot of the parents were excited to find these in their children’s stash and it brought back childhood memories for some. I liked how these turned out, but I feel that I still haven’t found that perfect pink popcorn recipe that does remind me of the ones I used to eat growing up as a child. If you or anyone you know, has a recipe for it, I’d love for you to share!!

Thanks for reading and hope you enjoyed this little craft tutorial! I’d love to hear what you think in the comments!

I have more good stuff to share in a few days, so I hope you’ll be back to visit my blog soon!

Let’s Get Crafty With It | Valentine’s Day Inspiration

Valentine’s Day is only several days away and I’ve been finding so many fabulous ideas around the web from some of my most favorite blogs and craft sites! There are so many talented crafters out there that it blows my mind away. Just about every time I see something so clever and interesting, I think to myself, “Now I why didn’t I think of that!” But, that is why the internet can be so wonderful in bringing all these amazingly talented people from all corners of the world, to share their creativity with others. I never can get enough of it and no matter how old I get, from as long as I can remember since I was a little girl, I absolutely get tickled with enthusiasm about anything crafty. There’s this little girl inside of me that never grows old! Now that I am a parent with small children, their curiosity and playful spirit just ignites that creative passion even more…

Okay, so let me just keep this sweet and short! Here are some of my favorite Valentine’s craft ideas, but let me tell you, there are tons of places I’ve found so far that have some great ideas. So although I can’t list them all in this post, there will always be more for me to share. But for now, these are some really awesome places on the web for inspiration specifically for Valentine’s Day

Chocolate Ravioli Hearts [www.HungryHappenings.com]

Valentine’s Be Mine Banner [www.howdoesshe.com]

Valentine’s Day Matchbook Cards [by eighteen25]

Photo Strip Hearts [by eighteen25]

Valentine’s Fabric Heart Garland [by how about orange]

Valentine’s Gum Ball Necklaces [by one charming party]

Other awesome craft sites:

www.ishareprintables.com

www.isharecrafts.com

www.isharefunfood.com

www.livinglocurto.com

www.creativejewishmom.com

www.bethproudfoot.blogspot.com

www.hostessblog.com

post signature

Safari Baby Shower

At February 4, 2011
By Dahlia
In Blog, Digital Arts, Graphic Design, Handmade, Paper Goods
0

Credits: Animal Crackers by Lisa Sisneros

Tomorrow, I am hosting my sister’s baby shower and wanted to share the invitations and favors that I designed for her and my brother-in-law. When they asked me to design their invites, I already knew they were expecting a boy, but still didn’t know exactly what theme I was going to go with, which they gave me full permission to get creative. So what I did, was look up their baby registry items and saw that most of the gifts that they requested had this jungle safari theme. I copied an image from the site that had these cute baby animals and a color swatch that I can pull from and went from there.

I knew that although I could have illustrated my own little animals (which maybe I could do one day), I just didn’t have the time. Illustrations are something you don’t want to rush creating and knowing me, I would probably take forever. So in cases like this, sometimes I find it more convenient to search around for other high-quality designs that I can use. Of course, whenever you do that you have to read the designer’s terms of use and make sure that it’s perfectly okay for S4H (scrap-for-hire) or personal use. If you plan to resell your derivative works, you would need to purchase designs that are offered for ‘commercial/professional use’ for a fee that is either offered directly or you may have to contact the designer for permission and their policy details. Anyways, that’s another different topic that we won’t get into right now:)

That being said, I used Lisa Sisnero’s ‘Animal Crackers’ kit from her shop at Little Dreamer Designs. It contained exactly what I needed and it was so much fun to work with. I absolutely love her animal doodles Aren’t they adorable???

Check them out!

If you’re curious to know, I got these printed by Persnickety Prints, who do fabulous prints by the way. They’re actually having a Super Bowl sale starting Sunday, so if you’re wanting to catch on printing your digital scrapbook pages, now is the time to do it and save a little extra money! For more details, visit their blog.

The favors are basically your typical Hershey’s chocolate bar which I bought from bulk at Costco. I designed the wrapper, cut it to size, score the appropriate areas to fold, then used glue dots to stick it all together. On the back, it says “Thank you for joining us”… Easy peasy and oh so cute!

Will be back with more photos of the shower! Have a great weekend!

post signature

[DIY Paper Craft Decor] Accordion Paper Flowers

I know that the holidays have come and gone and decorations have already been stored away, but you know what? These paper accordion flowers that I made to decorate my walls for Christmas, have not been taken down just yet… I love how pretty they look and think they’re great whether or not the seasons change. Besides, I don’t mind having to look at them all year round because I love that they are handmade and think it adds a creative touch to my home. This post will show you how I made these accordion flowers. They can be made in so many different sizes, but this project is going to include instructions on how to make a pretty large sized flower that can be used to hang from a ceiling or pinned up to a wall like I have done.

This step by step tutorial is pretty simple and you may use any type of 12×12 paper for this project. I used thick patterned card stock by My Mind’s Eye because it continues the theme of my Paper Tree and Paper Wreath that I also created. One thing I do recommend although it is not necessary, is a scoring board. I recently purchased Martha Stewart’s Scoring Board and love it because it has the grooves and measuring guides that allow perfect lines and increments. Super convenient. But, if you don’t have this tool, no worries. A ruler and a scoring tool will work just fine.

DIY TUTORIAL: ACCORDION FLOWERS [Large Sized]

What you will need:

12×12 Solid or Patterned Card Stock - TWO STRIPS CUT OF EITHER ONE OF THESE SIZES: 4′X12′, 6′X12′, OR 8′X12′ INCHES.
1 Coordinating card stock with a different color or pattern
2 in or bigger round circle or scallop punch
Scoring Board or Ruler w/Scoring Tool
Glue Gun
Stapler or Adhesive strips

1. First step is to score 1 inch increments on each strip of card stock. I decided to use 6 x 12 inch strips for my project, but for different sizes you may try this with 4′ x 12′ or 8′ x 12′ inch strips as well.

2. After scoring both strips of 6 inch pieces of paper and folding them accordion style, line up and staple ends together to form one long 24 inch strip.

3. Then take both ends around to form a circle.

4. Staple it together.

5. Push towards the center.

6. It should lay flat and from this circle.

7. Now we need to add a punched circle to the center.

8. Turn accordion flower over and lay it face down on the backside of the punched circle paper. Center it so that the inside circle of the accordion flower is not hanging over the edges of the punched circle. You will need to hold the accordion flower in place to keep its form while the hot glue dries. Be careful, it is hot!

9. Once you know that the hot glue is dry, turn it over and go ahead and add any other embellishments if you’d like. To attach a ribbon or string, I simply stapled it onto the back, close to the edge.

Here is my wall display with the rest of the accordion flowers I created in different sizes. I found that the smaller you create the flowers, the smaller the paper strips and the increment measurements that you’ll need to score decreases. These smaller sizes are great for paper crafts such as cards, scrapbook pages, favors, etc.

If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to ask!!

Enjoy!

post signature

[DIY Holiday Project] Paper Christmas Tree

Today I have a little holiday craft project to share with you! This one is basically the same technique I used when I created my Christmas Wreath last year, using the same scrapbook paper collection–Sweet Dreams Holiday Avenue by My Mind’s Eye. I just adore the glittery + textured feel and gorgeous colors + designs of these papers, but you can use any of your favorite scrapbook papers as you like. This project was inspired by a post I read here and here, from Crate Paper on their blog, but also because I wanted to create these trees to coordinate with the holiday wreath that I mentioned above.

Anyways, here are a few photos of what I did and the final result only took me a little over an hour, but could take longer depending on the size of your tree cone. I also had a lot of extra pre-cut and stapled papers from last year, so that really helped keep this project shorter than usual. Either way, be sure to take your time and have fun with it!

DIY: Paper Christmas Tree

Supplies Needed:

Craft or Foam Tree Cones
Patterned Cardstock cut into strips (sizes between 1″ x 4″ inch to 1″ x 5″ inch), then ends stapled together
Hot Glue Gun

1. This step I already had these pre-cut and stapled from the previous year, but what it really is are 1″ x 5″ strips of patterned paper with ends stapled together.

2. Using your hot glue gun, add a strip of glue to the stapled edges. Be careful because when pressing these down, it can be too hot too touch. Also, you will probably need to hold them down for 10-15 seconds at a time for it to really settle and stick.

3. Begin adhering the strips to the cone about 1.5 to 2 inches above the bottom edge. Do this by overlapping the corners, just a little tiny bit, all around until you come full circle. After that, for each layer move up 1/2 to 3/4 an inch.

4. This first layer makes it hard for the cone to stand steady on its own, so I slightly bended the strips to help the cone lay flat on the surface. You may do this to the rest of the strips, but I found that it didn’t quite look right to me, so it’s really your preference.

5. Once you reach the very top, the tip of the cone is left uncovered. What I did was punch out a circle of similar size or you can cut it out with scissors and glue that on. The glittered snowflake I used was actually an ornament off my tree.

But, you can think up your own tree topper ideas such as a paper punched star or circle w/your monogram initials, a small pretty bow or what have you…

Hope you enjoyed this little craft idea and if you happen to make one of your own, I’d love to see it so please do share!

I am actually going to make more of these, but the next one will be using ribbon:) Stay tuned for more details about that…

post signature

Oldies, but goodies + they’re FREE!

At November 29, 2010
By Dahlia
In Blog, Digital Arts, Freebies, Graphic Design, Handmade, Paper Goods
3

Happy Monday!

After such a long weekend, it’s back to work and time to start a fresh week! For those of you in the states, I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving and that your Black Friday & Cyber Monday sales are going well! I have found me a few deals that got me on the right track to getting my Christmas shopping list done, but thankful that I didn’t get hurt in all that madness. Yes, for the first time, I actually got up to be at the store by 4 am! The lines were ridiculously long before the doors had even opened, but then once they let people in, I was in there in 20 minutes and checked out 30 minutes later. NOT BAD, eh?

So anyways, I am still in a thankful mood. Today is my 7th year Anniversarsy <3!!!!!! Mr. Co and I will be having a date night tonight while kids are with my aunt & uncle. Yay! Seven years is actually not that long, but it feels like forever!

Today, I wanted to repost some oldies, but goodies that you can download for free. If you ever want to find any freebies that you’ve missed, just click on the category ‘freebies’ down below in the sidebar.

These were made last year so I hope you can still enjoy them! Feel free to share them with others, but please direct them to my blog for them to download!

FREEBIES:

Included in the printable cards sets, are high-resolution, 300dpi files in .PDF format that you can easily open in Adobe Reader. If you don’t have that installed, you can download the software for FREE right here. Once you open the file, just print it on 8.5×11 card stock. Either print them out as is and cut and fold along the guides OR just cut out the front side and mount them on colored coordinating card stock! They measure 4.25 x 5.5 inches when folded and works well with size A2 envelopes.

Happy Thanksgiving Card

Sorry, link has expired.

+ download link +

3 stylish Thank You cards

*Sorry, link has expired.

+ download link +

This freebie were samples to my Joyful Holidaycards in the shop.

*Sorry, link has expired.

+ Download here +

Please leave a comment, it’s always nice to hear from you.

Thank you and will be back soon to give you some updates of special holiday news!

Take care!

post signature

Chocolate Covered Strawberries

At May 8, 2010
By Dahlia
In Blog, DIY, Everyday Life, Good Eats, Handmade, Through The Lens
0

Mother’s Day is just a few days away and some of you may or may not have gotten that special mom a gift. If you’re thinking of surprising her with something other than just flowers, a card, or a box of chocolates and want to give her something she will definitely enjoy and doesn’t cost an arm and a leg, why not make CHOCOLATE COVERED STRAWBERRIES?

If you think that making them yourself isn’t as good as Shari’s Berries or the ones found at Godiva Chocolates, I am here to tell you that its just as good AND easy to make –easier than a lot of you think and easy peasy on the wallet. So, if you’re interested in knowing exactly what to buy and how to make it, then you are in good company.:)

So here is what you need:

Baker’s Dipping Chocolate or Hershey’s/Ghillardelli chocolate chips or baking bar will work just fine. Just follow the package details for heating instructions.

On a baking sheet or rack covered with wax or parchment paper, place the chocolate dipped strawberries on the rack or sheet until the chocolate has dried and settled. For quicker results, you can stick them in the fridge for 10-15 minutes. Voila!

Overall, it took me less than 20 minutes to make and cost me less than $10 depending on where you buy your groceries at. But, the very thought, time, and effort it took for you to make them, will definitely be appreciated and not to mention make her life SWEETER:)

I would definitely suggest packaging it up in a nice little box or pastry bag that you could easily find at your local craft or discount store like the Dollar Tree, Michael’s, or even Target and make it all nice and pretty. I’m sure either way, that special mom, whether it’s your mom, sister, aunt, grandmother, cousin, or friend, will love and remember you for it. I know I would.:) C’mon, who doesn’t love chocolate strawberries or chocolate anything?

By the way, this is great for other occasions besides Mother’s Day, too! It may not be something you want to give as a gift all the time, but perhaps when you’re craving for something sweet and delicious for dessert (like I did with these) or you have a whole lot of strawberries that you have no clue what to do with, this would definitely be a quick fix! Enjoy!

xoxo,
Dahlia

C2 | Paper Crave + DIY Paper Wreath

Happy Wednesday!

Today I have a really awesome C2 | CREATIVE CONNECTION to share with you… If you’ve been reading my blog up until now, you may already know that I have a thing for paper and all the creative things you can do with it. Not only do I love making cards or scrapbook pages, but I love making gifts or crafting with it to make art pieces or decor. There are tons of DIY craft sites that are incredible resources for making handmade items using paper. One valuable site does just that—-PAPER CRAVE.

Paper Crave is a blogger site of all things paper from stationary to packaging design to paper crafts and printable resources, to gift wrap and greeting cards and so much more. I really like the new series installment that has just begun which is called the Weekly Wrap. Every Friday will feature unique gift wrapping and packaging ideas that will serve as inspiration for your own personal gift wrapping/packaging projects. SWEET, huh? Now is really a great time, before Christmas, to get inspired for this if you’re looking for a new or fresh way of making your gift giving fun and unique.

I have a particular paper crafting project that I want to share. which was taken off Paper Crave’s recent article a few weeks ago about Paper Wreath Tutorials. The article highlighted a few bloggers who shared their paper wreath making skills and the links to their blogs where you can find the step by step tutorials to create them. I was immediately taken by the looped paper wreath by Razzle Dazzle Crafting (another great craft blog) and decided to make one of these beauties. It was really easy, fun, and fast to make. Check out the photos below and see how wonderful it turned out.

Stapled 1×5 inch strips of looped patterned paper.

Used Wonderful Winter glittered paper stack by My Mind’s Eye.

Using a hot glue gun, I then adhered the strips onto this 12 inch styrofoam wreath found at any local art/craft store.

Close up photo of the layers of paper.

My handy dandy glue gun.:)

Ta da! Mission completed and it turned out beautiful!

( Thank you Dusty @ Razzle Dazzle Crafting! )

I have one more wreath to make, but thinking of creating three all together to add to my wall since a single one seems a little too small for the huge space. Plus, I’m definitely going to reuse them over and over again or even keep them up all year round just because they are too cute to put away. Maybe, it’ll be one of those crafty decorative pieces that I can hang in my own personal craft room…. Yes, still dreaming of that day.

Anyways, hope you have a great rest of the day and thank you for checking in. Hope you were inspired! More updates on my digital designs and hybrid projects to come soon!

Be blessed!

DIY Wish Lists | Photos

At November 25, 2009
By Dahlia
In Blog, Digital Arts, DIY, Graphic Design, Handmade, Paper Goods
0

Yes, I’m done! I didn’t realize that it would take me a whole day to work on this, but I had the absolute best time just decorating the finished WISH LISTS. After printing them out, I thought it needed something extra and it led me to dig through my huge stash of supplies that I’ve collected over the years. I couldn’t believe how much supplies I had at my disposal to work with and create so many things. I guess you can say, I’ve been the addictive type when it comes to scrapbook stuff, buying every cute and adorable thing there is at a craft store, but never wanting to use it for anything for the fact that I can’t let go of such cool paper, stickers, punches, stamps, etc…. Well, I’m finally seeing that I can no longer live this way and my creativity is limited when I choose not to create and play and make beautiful things that I and/or others can enjoy… We only live once, right?

So, what I ended up doing was pasting my wish list onto colored cardstock, giving it that matted border around the edges, as well as giving the paper more support. Then I punched small holes at the top and added ribbon which can be used for hanging or pinning up on the wall. After that, I found some buttons, glittered felt, and beads to add a little dimension to it. Voila! I especially loved the cute snowman.

The great thing about hybrid is that I can reuse the digital kit over and over again and print out different things to make with it, without having to repurchase everything all over again, like I would have to if this were all completely made with supplies bought at a craft store. See why I love this?

Next, I’m going to try making an advent/countdown calendar using Michelle Filo’s ::Hybrid Magic No.15 Advent Christmas Calendar Template:: . Hope it turns out as good as this last project!