Stencils and Foiling

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Hello again!

I'm back with another foiled card to share with you.

  This one I created using a stencil and my laser printer.

I am discovering so many different ways to use my new

MINC machine and with each discovery I find new excitement

and a greater joy of being retired with time to explore

my crafting hobby.  Oh I think I might just like this journey

after all.  Of course the biggest headache is the adjustment to

the reduced income, but that too will work itself out.

Anyway let me move forward with my share today.

The image is actually a stencil that I used to create a focal point.

I first had to figure out how to get the stencil to print because it 

was plastic and kept showing up as a black square but once I figured that part out the rest was easy.  The only thing left to do

was to put my MINC to use.

I typed and printed out the greeting and added a gold mat to finish it off.  I also finished the inside with a bit of foiling and some gold card-stock.

The one thing I would caution is how you handle the

foil.  It is very delicate and scratches all so easily, but practice

makes it easier each time I use it.

Well I'm off to more foiling and learning techniques to enhance

this crafting hobby of mine.

Once again don't forget to add your name to the candy blog.

Thanks for stopping by

Hugs from Texas

~Lesia~

The Minc Foiling Sensation

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Hello my crafting friends!  It has been a couple of weeks since I last blogged but I have been busy with part-time job interviews and getting my Christmas shopping completed.  I always start early to avoid the rush but it seems I always manage to miss someone or forget some important detail, so I had to spend time going over my shopping list and checking off things.

Additionally, I was able to steal one of my Christmas presents early and I have been playing with this new toy and of course shopping for all the accessories to go with it.  What is this new toy you ask, well Heidi Swapp released her new Minc machine and I am enjoying it!  I've seen the Minc by Anna Griffin on HSN but never thought I would use one but now it appears that every card I make would look better with a little foiling added to it (smiles).  

Now that I have a Minc I decided that I just had to have a laser printer, after all I did want to create my own designs and stuff and I'm sure I'll use it for other things as well in the future.  Anyway let me share with you one of the cards I created with my new machine.

Okay here you go.  The photo isn't the best because foil is very difficult to capture, but trust me it did turn out very nice.

The ornament background is actually a die that was cut and foiled using the Minc.  There are two ways to accomplish this:

1.  You can scan and print the die using a laser printer or scan the die and take the file to your local supply store (OfficeDepot, OfficeMax, Kinkos, Staples) for printing.

Once you get your image printed (it has to be printed using toner because a inkjet will not work) then you can go home and start playing with it by using different color foils to run through the Minc.  

2.  Secondly you can create your own toner paper or purchase printed toner paper and use this printed toner paper to cut out your dies.  If you do this then your dies will be ready to be covered with foil and ran through the Minc.  Both options work great and you don't have to use one color foil on your dies.  

I created the banner by actually cutting the banner and stamping the greeting on it the way I typically do.  Then I placed the cutout die back inside the die and scanned it using my laser printer and printing it out.  Now I had a scanned image made with toner that I could cover with foil and run through my Minc. Once it was covered with foil I simply used the original die to cut it out and of course it was a perfect fit leaving a perfect border of silver and the stamped greeting was foiled as well.

I'm still playing and finding ways to do things and keeping a record of what works best for me and things to avoid when using toner paper.  I've even figured out how to use stencils to get similar results.  The possibilities are amazing!  

This can actually be done with a laminator, but when I tested it I found the Minc reaches a heat level that is higher than my laminator (I think it gets hotter) and the results are just a bit smoother with the Minc but if you don't have a Minc and want to purchase something less expensive then you might want to purchase a laminator from your local office supply store.  I think Scott makes one for around $25.

Okay ladies, make sure you leave a comment and click on my blog candy and add your name if you haven't already.  I have my last set of Spellbinders dies to give away so don't miss out.  Additionally, it is my plan to give away $100 should I reach 1000 followers...do you think that will happen in 2016? We shall see...so tell your friends.

Thanks for stopping by

Hope you'll come again real soon

Sending Hugs From Texas

Lesia

Thanksgiving Celebration

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Hello my crafting family.  I hope everyone had a fabulous Thanksgiving and unlike me did not pile on the additional pounds (I gained 8 pounds)!

I took a road trip with my oldest son from Texas to North Carolina to visit with my youngest brother (my last living brother) and my nephew (sister's son).  

Somehow the fact that I was traveling to North Carolina for a vacation was not quite understood by my family, because when I arrived I had 7 hungry men asking what all I was cooking for Thanksgiving.

Well what could I do??? I solicited the help of my niece and together we threw a meal together that my mom and sister (both deceased) would have been proud of.

Below I am sharing a few photos of this event and then next week I'll be back with news around crafting and to see what dies are left for giveaway this month.

A lot of love was added to this table!

Somebody sounded the Chow Bell so its time to eat!

The men ate but was generous as well.  Plates for our elderly neighbors was part of the celebration.

At the end of the day we were all laughing and very full I must say.

It was now time to sit back watch the game and prepare for movie binge night.

Going home was just what I needed and I'm glad my son had the insight to get me out of the house.

I had a ball and I know that if everything turns up-side-down on me, I can always find a helping hand in North Carolina.

Okay that's it for this post but I will be back in a week for fun crafts and giveaways and hopefully I'll have good news reference employment (at least part-time) to supplement retirement.

Thanks for stopping by and until next time I'm sending hugs from Texas to all of you.

Lesia

Announcements

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I don't have a lot to share with you today but I did want to announce a personal accomplishment of mine as well as announce our winner of Group A Spellbinders Blog Candy Giveaway.

First of all it has taken me longer to get back with you all because I have been adjusting to a life-changing event.  For the first time in almost 50 years I do not have a job! This is all so foreign to me and I am at a loss of what to do next.

Its bittersweet, and yet I feel like I've lost a loved one or a family or something...who would grieve not having to get up at o'dark thirty to drive 30 minutes to a job to stress over for 9 hours and then drive another 30 minutes to get home to plan to repeat the same stressful day all over again.  Just silly ole me I guess.

So it is my intent after this initial shock, to embrace this new found freedom and opportunities with a grateful attitude.  And to start this off I am going to share a card of "Thankfulness" with everyone that was inspired by Lexi Cards. Thanks Lexi.

Introducing "Lomasi" an adorable little image by Sylvia Zet for Wee Stamps.

I colored her up with copics and stuck with different shades of my two favorite color combinations, aqua and chocolate.

I do like browns because they blend so well with so many colors just like whites and blacks.  At first I thought I would use lavendar but then decided to stick with Aqua.  I used four different patterned papers from MME collection, the flowers are WOC, and the leaves and flourish come from Marianne Designs.

The inside like the front is layered with browns and aqua just to maintain continuity.






I would like to enter this card in the following challenges:

DRS Challenge Thursday - #199 Pile it High (11/11)
Digital Delights - Monthly Challenge#4 (11/11)
Crafty Girls - Creations Challenge #8 (11/16)
Aud Sentiments - Challenge #144 Bingo + a Sentiment (pattern paper, digi stamp, favorite color) (11/16)

Now for my last announcement and that is the winner of Group A Blog Candy Giveaway.  The first winner never claimed their prize so I added it back into the pot and our winner selected by Random Generator is:

Entry #7

Congratulations Maxine D.!

Thanks for your comment:

Gorgeous Christmas cards Lesia, 

love the way you have made the most 

of the paper in the second card.

Blessings

Maxine

Claim your prize via email to 

memasCrafts2@gmail.com 

before Thursday, November 12th.

Thanks to everyone for stopping by

Come again real soon

Hugs From Texas

Lesia

Christmas Goal Met

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Well I'm back and am proud to say that I've met my goal of creating 10 Christmas cards this year, in fact I passed my goal with a whopping 15 cards...Yeah!!!

I have two cards to share with you today and I hope you like them, but before we go any further please make sure you have your name on my blog candy giveaway.  Just click here to jump over there to add your name and then come back to see what I've created to share with you.

Here we have Marci with Hot Coco from La-La Crafts and she is really adorable. Actually I like all the images in the Marci and Luke series.

She was colored with copics (my first coloring choice) as usual. The paper collection I used is MME Christmas Noel.

I used paper from the same collection and added remnants from the front to embellish the inside which is a great way to waste nothing.

Entering the following:
Simply Papercraft - Anything Goes (11/04)
Crafting With Friends - Anything Goes (11/04)

My second card I think falls in the category of being a clean and simple (CAS) card.

It didn't take long to make at all...very easy and quick. 

I embossed the first layer to add a bit of texture and then I used one of the journal tags from the paper collection as my focal point.

I adhered it to a mat and that completed the front of this Clean and Simple card.

On the inside I tried to keep it as simple as I possibly could.

I embossed and border punched a few scraps from the front and that created the inside for my card.  

Entering the Following:
Winter Wonderland - Anything Goes Christmas (11/05)
Crazy For Challenges - Anything Goes Christmas (11/25)
Allsorts Challenges - Christmas (11/05)

Well, that's all I have for you for now.

When we set our clocks back tonight I am going to use Random Generator to select a winner for Group A of the Blog Candy Giveaway (since the winner never claimed it) so make sure your name is on the list.

Click on the link I gave above or simply click the image in my sidebar to go and add your name. Don't forget to tell me what you think about my creations...I love reading your comments and yep I appreciate tips and suggestions as well.

Thanks for Stopping By

Sending Hugs From Texas

Lesia

Flip Mini Album

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I decided to pull out an old tutorial I had stashed away so I could make a quick Christmas Mini Album. I thought this was an easy and fun one when I first tried and I still think it is, therefore I am going to share the tutorials with you just in case you'd like to give it a go.

There's lots of space in this mini so I've taken a few photos just to give you an idea (if you haven't seen it) because it has been out for a while. 

Although it only measures 6 x 6 it has lots of space for pockets and photos. You can also easily adjust the spine if you'd want a thicker mini.

I created mine with a half inch spine because I didn't plan on having a lot of embellishments inside and I have about 15-20 photos I want to add to it.



It is perfect for holding those special event photos such as a baby shower or birthday or road trip.





The items I used were the Tim Holtz lamp post die, a memory box doily die, chipboard from the paper collection, WOC flowers, stickles, gesso, a few pearls of course Graphic 45 12 Days of Christmas paper collection.

There are lots of flips and folds so I want to share just a few with you.



When you first open the mini you have your first 3-way layout. I added a pocket for photos and on the side flaps I am showing how you could use them for journaling or another pocket.

Next I skip to the third layout (just to save time and photos).



On this page or layout I added a pocket once again for photos (and yes I do plan to add a mat the black pocket) On the double flaps I decided to keep them together with eyelet closures.

This is the last photo I have of my mini but there are two more layouts in this mini.



Here you can see how it looks with the flaps open and the two center flaps closed down. There is room on each side for more photos and journaling.

So there you have my first Christmas Mini Album this year.  I have seen it created by several different crafters with variations but the two individuals whom I have followed are Gloria and Zina.

Leave your comments below and let me know what you think.

Thanks for stopping By

Hugs and Kisses from Texas

Lesia

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Although they are very similar there are some differences. I've made them both and was pleased with the results of each. 

Below are links directly to the tutorials as well as a link to Gloria's video. There are printable instructions on Gloria's blog and the photo will take you there.



Link to Zina's Blog:
My Scrap and I




Link to Gloria's Blog: 
Scraps of Life:
(look for the printable instructions link)



Link to Gloria's YouTube Video tutorial:
Mini Flip Book By Gloria: