Guest Designing at The Shabby Tea Room

I was SO delighted last month when I won my first challenge ever at The Shabby Tea Room.  Not only did I win a fabulous prize from the adorable Paper Sweeties (their sponsor that week), but I was also asked to join them this week as a Guest Designer.  And when I saw the inspiration photo, I was ALL IN!  How cute is this inspiration photo?

I love this color combination.  I used these colors, the buttons, the polka dots, and the "NOEL" theme to inspire me.  I started with a card base from The Kraft Outlet and covered it in red Bazzill and then a piece of polka dotted patterned paper from October Afternoon.

I machine stitched the papers together, added a white doily from Freckled Fawn, some yummy scrunched seam binding in antique white and red, added some wooden letters (from my stash) to spell NOEL, made a little heart out of tiny candy canes, covered some white buttons in diamond glitter to form a "tree" with a piece of wood-grain washi tape for the tree trunk.  I also added a Tiny Tag (heart) from Papertrey Ink and also used their tiny "wish" stamp on the Tiny Tag.  It is hung with a pear-shaped safety pin.  There's a bit of baker's twine through my glitter-dusted button at the top.  I think that covers everything.  Here's a close-up photo:

I really love the look of glittered buttons.  They just seem to be so sweet and fun, don't you think?  I may have taken it to the extreme this winter - I think I've been glittering everything!  In fact, after the holidays, I will need to restock my big bottle of glitter - along with several other goodies I've been using up to create all my Christmas crafts.  My craft boutique was a success, as always.  Had lots of fun and sold almost everything I had made.

 

Please stop by The Shabby Tea Room to see all the other fabulous projects that the talented ladies of the Design Team have created to inspire you.  We'd love to have you play along in the challenge for a chance to win a sweet prize.

 

Have a blessed week!

 

Karen

Christmas Houses

One of favorite things to make for the big craft boutique at my church each year are these lovely paper mache houses.  I pick them up throughout the year, using coupons, clearance, or any discount I can find.  I have a total of five for the boutique this weekend, but I wanted to share a few of them with you all.  I still have SO much to do to get ready, but I'm on my way.

I painted them with antique white acrylic paint, added vintage sheet music, glittered buttons, and lots of ribbons, trims and sweet little touches.  I tried not to "over-do" them, but it's fun to just keep adding sweet little embellishments everywhere.

I took several photos so that you can see up close how adorable they are.  I doubt mean to sound prideful, I really don't - but they are just too sweet to deny it.  I love vintage, glitter-frosted crafts and these always seem to turn out so nicely.  The lids come off on the style houses above so that you can put fresh baked cookies or a small gift inside.

Those berries have really come in handy.  I got a bag with thousands of them in it on clearance last year after Christmas at my Michaels.  This one bag of berries will last me until Jesus comes!

Finally, this last house is a different style altogether, and the lid on this one does not come off.  It has cut-out windows and no chimney.  I got these ones on a super low clearance last year.  I prefer the ones where the lids come off, but they're still so super cute.

Well, I almost forgot to post my card for this week's Word Art Wednesday Challenge.  Sometimes I get so busy making the blog post over there that I completely forget about my own.  I made this card using October Afternoon Woodland Park papers and stickers.  I really hope that you will stop by and play along with us this week at Word Art Wednesday.  Our challenges are always Anything Goes (meeting challenge guidelines), and we have two fabulous prizes - one from Jelly Park and the other a sweet border die-cut from Cheery Lynn Designs.  We would really enjoy seeing what you create, so come on by and play along with us.

I'm sharing my projects in the following challenges:
 

Twist of Faith Card Challenges - Challenge #66 - Christmas Baubles & Bells

 

The Ribbon Carousel - Challennge #88 - Anything Goes - I love using ribbons and trims on ALL my projects, and would love to win one of the Ribbon Carousel's lovely ribbon carousels.  They are SO sweet!  I think I would use it to store my washi tapes.

My Craft Spot by Kimberly - Challenge #120 - Sparkle & Shine - I used LOTS and LOTS of ultra-fine diamond glitter on my houses (above) for the Sparkle & Shine Challenge this week!

Paper Issues - Challenge:  It's Beginning To Look a Lot Like Christmas
 

Thanks so much for stopping by to say hello.  I appreciate your visits, your sweet comments, and I would LOVE to have you as a new "Follower" if you're not already following me.  I will be sure to come by your blog and "Follow" you as well.  It's such a blessing to get inspiration from our bloggy friends.

 

God bless you all!

Karen

Let's Get Sketchy at The Kraft Journal

I hope that you all had an absolutely wonderful Thanksgiving.  We sure enjoyed our busy weekend here with our children and house guests.  I find my house suddenly very quiet today.  The time flew by so quickly, and Lily is back to college until Christmas break.  She does get five weeks with us then and that will be absolutely wonderful!  I have so much to do between now and then to prepare for Christmas.  I'm sure you all can relate to that.

Karen Letchworth for The Kraft Journal

Sketches are always fun, and for this week's Sketch Challenge at The Kraft Journal Challenge Blog, I really had some fun!  I started my card by using a Small Buff Ivory Notecard which is a MUST-HAVE for every crafter.  These wonderful packages of Notecards come with ten (10) cards and matching envelopes for just $3.99 which is a great price for this high-quality linen-look and feel paper.  Next, I covered the Notecard with patterned paper, and some simple embellishments from the Kraft Outlet following the lines of the sketch, including several lengths of Brown Baker's Twine, a Jenni Bowlin General Store Postage Stamp Sticker (25 cents), Jenni Bowlin Letter Stickers, and a Jenni Bowlin General Store Flatback (10 cents).  The little journaling spot was cut with a Spellbinders die-cut from a piece of Ivory Cardstock.  That's about it!  Have lots of fun with this week's Sketch Challenge.  We can't wait to see what you'll create!  You are welcome to link up in our challenge using any kraft paper or items from our store - The Kraft Outlet.  You could be the lucky winner of the monthly prize which is a $15 gift certificate to this amazing store.  Let's Get Sketchy!

I'm sharing my card here:
Simon Says Stamp Challenge Blog - Wednesday Challenge - Anything Goes

 

Have a blessed week!

 

Karen

Merry Christmas from V's Sweet Ideas

It's the first of December, and we can see and hear the signs of Christmas all around us.  Shoppers are scurrying about at the malls and stores, trees and lights are popping up at people's homes, and the radios are playing carols to set the tone.  Yes, my friends......Christmas is coming!  To help you all bring in the holidays, your friends over at V's Sweet Ideas (including me) are sharing their Christmas cards to help get you ready for the season.  This month's challenge will be......you guessed it!  Christmas!

Karen Letchworth for V's Sweet Ideas

I started my card with a 5x7 Lunch Bag Kraft Note Card from the Kraft Outlet, and added a couple of patterned papers from my stash.  I machine stitched them together and attached them to the base card.  Next, I took a darling Maya Road Kraft Envelope, and I used a piece of Simple Stories patterned paper on the edge of that.  I also added a couple of the cute little Maya Road Mini Kraft Tickets, and a bow made from May Arts Natural Jute and some Baker's Twine.  Those items (highlighted in red) can all be found at V's Sweet Ideas.  Other products I used include a PTI rubber stamp (bottom sentiment) and PTI holly leaves die-cut which are cut from wool felt that I picked up at Prairie Point Junction, a Tim Holtz hang pin that holds a sweet tiny tag which is cut from a die-cut I received from My Craft Spot, and to that I stamped a sweet little Paper Sweeties sentiment (Let It Snow).  The poinsettia with music printed on it is from Making Memories Noel line, and the little berries are from my stash.  I rolled them in glue and sprinkled them with ultra-fine diamond glitter from Michaels.  Whew!  I think I covered everything.

I really hope that you will all stop by V's Sweet Ideas Challenge Blog this month to share your Christmas cards and projects with us.  We have a wonderful prize up for grabs from none other than V's Sweet Ideas - a $20 gift certificate to the super sweet store.  That would be a really nice Christmas present to yourself, and is well worth playing for; so be sure to stop by and link up with us any time this month.

 

I wish you all a very blessed month, and hope that you will all take the time to stop and think about the true meaning of Christmas.  It's not about the food, the time with family, the presents or decorations.  Those things are all lovely and make the holidays so much fun; but the real purpose of Christmas is to remember that God sent us the most precious gift ever - His Son, Jesus Christ.  That's the real meaning of Christmas.  Because of Christmas, and because God sent His own Son, Jesus Christ, we now have a way to spend eternity with Him in Heaven.   Just trust in what He did you for on the cross, and tell Him you accept Him and want to live for Him.  There is no better Christmas gift.

I'm sharing my card here:
Simon Says Stamp Challenge Blog - Wednesday Challenge - Anything Goes

 

Thanks for stopping by today, and God bless you always!

Karen

Some Christmas Crafts

As I am making this blog post, my turkey is in the oven.  We're having our big Thanksgiving meal today because Lily has a few friends visiting from college visiting.  They didn't get to go home to be with their own families for Thanksgiving, so I told them that I would give them all the comforts of home (or at least feed them well with all the traditional Thanksgiving trimmings).  So, needless to say, I've been very busy baking pies and getting things in order.  The kids are all gone for a while, and since the turkey is in the oven.....I snuck in a quick blog post.  I have my big Holiday Craft Boutique at church coming up next weekend.  So every spare moment I have has been spent making crafts for the boutique.  I wanted to share a couple of things I've made.

This first little project is an ornament/decoration I made using some antique heart-shaped metal tins that I found while antiquing this past summer.  They were really cute and not to terribly expensive, so I bought them not knowing what I would use them for.  I painted them cream, sprinkled them with ultra-fine glitter, and then added some goodies to the inside of them.  I used some seam binding, a Making Memories poinsettia, some rusty jingle bells, jute, baker's twine, and felt leaves.

This next project was made from a little gingerbread-man-shaped paper mache box.  I got several of these on clearance last year after Christmas.  I painted them cream and then decorated them.  This one has Simple Stories Handmade Holidays patterned paper on the front, a Tiny Tag stamped with "Wish", some vintage baker's twine, holly berries, a red poinsettia, ribbon at the top (for hanging) and around the shape (for decoration), some jute, and a tiny little candy cane tucked into the loop of a mini safety pin.   Here's a close-up shot of the little tag.

I'm going to share these little Christmas projects in the following challenges that I found where they fit the criteria.  I haven't won anything in quite a while, so I'm crossing my fingers, saying a little prayer, and hoping for the best.  We'll see what happens.

 

Simon Says Stamp Challenge Blog - Wednesday Challenge - Anything Goes

 

Little Scrap Pieces - Friday Linky Party on Saturday - Create Any Card, Project or Layout

 

Creative Card Crew Challenges - Challenge #50 - Sweet Treats - I chose to link these projects because of the sweet little berries and the fact that both projects are sugar-coated with diamond glitter.  Now that's sweet!

 

I'm so grateful that you stopped by today to say hello and take a peek at my projects.  I enjoy your visits and comments so much, and I really do look forward to visiting your blog to see what you've created this week.  Having blog friends is a HUGE blessing, and I  really do thank God for all of you!

 

Blessings,

Karen

 

 

 

Anything Goes at Word Art Wednesday

Wednesdays are always one of my favorite days of the week.  But this week, Wednesday is extra special because our sweet Lily comes home from Bible College for Thanksgiving break, and there's nothing I love more than having all my babies sleeping in their own beds at night.  All is well in the Letchworth home.  Praise God!

 

We have another fun challenge for you this week at Word Art Wednesday.  As always, our challenges are Anything Goes (family friendly and uplifting or encouraging themes).  We have two amazing sponsors again this week.  One person will be winning a new stamp set of their choice from My Craft Spot.  This is one of my favorite shops of all.  Kimberly has the sweetest and most scrumptious crinkled seam binding in an array of sweet colors, she has the only vintage colored baker's twine I've ever seen (a favorite of mine), stamps and die-cuts, and so much more.  You will definitely want to check out My Craft Spot by Kimberly.  And, we also have the talented Kathryne of Stamp Art Designs by Kathryne who is offering another lucky person five (5) digital images of their choice.  Take a moment to visit her sweet store - it's filled with all sorts of adorable images.  In fact, I used one of Kathryne's sweet images on my card.

Karen Letchworth for Word Art Wednesday

The image I used from Kathryne's store is called Autumn Wagon.  Isn't it sweet?  I used my Copics to color it.  The patterned papers are from Chatterbox (orange plaid) and Simple Stories (green polka dot).  I used a Jenni Bowlin Bingo card that I cut in half and used the top half on the front of the card, and the bottom half on the inside of my card.  I did some machine stitching, added some buttons and jute, and inked the edges.  Here is the inside view of my card which also uses this week's scripture (free at Word Art Wednesday this week).

I really hope that you will stop by and share with us this week in our Anything Goes Challenge at Word Art Wednesday.  You can enter  up to five times to increase your odds of winning, and we absolutely LOVE having everyone join us.

Simon Says Stamp Challenge Blog - Wednesday Challenge - Anything Goes

 

Have a very blessed week.  For those of you in the United States, Happy Thanksgiving.  And for those of you who don't necessarily celebrate Thanksgiving, I strongly encourage you to just stop and take time to thank God for all He has done for you.  We are such blessed people, and God desires to give us ALL the desires of our hearts.  Let's praise and thank Him together.  God is SO good!

 

Thanks for stopping by, and God bless you!

Karen

So Very Thankful at The Kraft Journal

Hello, my crafty friends!  It's time for another great new challenge at The Kraft Journal Challenge Blog, and this week's theme is "So Thankful".  If there's one thing that I most certainly AM....it's SO THANKFUL.  I know that ALL my blessings, big and small, come from the Lord.  I wanted to make a mini album to capture special memories of this year's Thanksgiving celebration at our home as we thank God for all that He has given us.

Karen Letchworth for The Kraft Journal

For this week's challenge theme "SO THANKFUL",  I wanted to make a Thanksgiving mini album to celebrate my family.  I started my project with a Corrugated Kraft Square and covered that with harvest colored cardstock.  I decorated the front of my mini album with lots of Kraft Outlet goodies including a Canvas Tag, three stickers from the Jenni Bowlin Memo Book, some Jenni Bowlin Black Label Stickers, a Jenni Bowlin Rubbings (torn notebook), Jenni Bowlin Chipboard Buttons, orange and black Baker's Twine, a Tim Holtz Memo Pin, some Black & White Polka Dot Washi Tape and Music Washi Tape, and a Tiny Wooden Clothespin.

Karen Letchworth - Photo Pocket

To make the pages of my mini album, I used two Catalog Open End Lunchbag Kraft Envelopes to create photo pockets to save family memories.  These Catalog Envelopes are the perfect size for saving larger photos, and they cost just 50 cents each!!  They can be easily bound together to create pocket pages in albums.  I bound my book using black 7 Gypies Gaffer Tape.  Almost all of what was used to create this album can be found at The Kraft Outlet.  Treat yourself to some new supplies, and come play along in our "So Thankful" Challenge this week!  Here's the back view:

Thank you so much for stopping by today.  I hope you will stop by The Kraft Journal to share your projects with us this week.  It's always more fun when you all play along, and you will be entered to win a $15 gift certificate to the wonderful Kraft Outlet where you will find all sorts of great crafting supplies at wonderfully low prices.

 

Have a blessed Thanksgiving, and always remember to be SO Thankful!

Karen