New Year 2016 is Coming

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I hope everyone had a fabulous Christmas and that Santa brought you everything you asked for or at least most of it. 

As for me I got more than I expected and I am feeling very blessed. Perhaps I was a good girl, but its more likely that it was just my family showing me love, ... who cares I got lots of good stuff.

Everyone is aware that I got the Heidi Swapp Minc machine and a HP Laser printer as one of my gifts but even better is I got the Ninja Coffee Bar (as advertised on television with Sofia Vergara) and I am loving it! I have been on a caffeine high for the last 3 days! 

Additionally, getting the Ninja Blender and Nutrient Pro Duo as my surprise gift didn't help things.  I tried to switch and drink the juices and smoothies instead of all the coffee but the result is the same.  The only difference is instead of being high on caffeine I suffer from a natural sugar high which means I find myself fully awake at odd hours of the night.

Since I am not fond of waste, I thought I would put this extra energy to use.  I started by purging my spice shelves and my food pantry (should have done this months ago) and then finally when that was completed I decided to create a card in preparation for the arrival of 2016.  Just imagine, four (4) days and we enter a new year.  

I used my Minc along with cream, black and gold card-stock to create this New Year card.  The champagne bottle (a Cherry Lynn die) and the greeting were both ran through the Minc to achieve the foiled appearance.  The polka dot paper was created using toner ink and then put through the Minc as well (the dots are gold).  The 2016 flags were punched from gold card-stock and not foiled at all. 

On the inside I used Martha Stewart snowflake punches and Memory Box flag dies along with printed toner paper to highlight these cuts with foil.  I also embossed the cream card-stock to follow the theme on the front of the card.

Following is another card I made while flowing with excess energy. I received eight (8) new dies for Christmas and of course I wanted to use every single one of them so I started by creating a card using instructions from Becca Feeken (Amazing Paper Grace blog).

Of course I had to use the "L" monogram to represent my name or "Love" or anyone else with the initial L in their name (lol).  This was not an easy card to do and it is larger than my comfort zone. I prefer smaller size cards (not  A2) but sometimes to get the detail and 3-D effect you have to add more real-estate to your space.

My two new dies used to make this card were Spellbinders Floral Affair and Spellbinders Romantic Agenda.  

I'm working on using the rest of my goodies so I'll be sharing again real soon.  If you've never visited Becca's blog, I recommend you check it out.  I promise you that you will find something that appeals to you.  Her creations are absolutely stunning!

Thanks for stopping by and please know your comments are appreciated.

I'll check back in within a couple of days to announce the end of year blog candy winner who will win Group D (classic, scalloped and lacy ovals) of the candy:  Check out the prize by clicking here.

Sending Hugs from Texas

~ Lesia ~ 

The Canadian Collection

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Can you believe it??? We are days away from Christmas and only about a week away from the start of a brand new year!  Time passes so quickly that we must grab every second of life awarded us and live it as if we will not get another one. I'm always amazed and filled with joy at the beginning of each year because I celebrate another birthday and realize I have been blessed once again.

I'm sure you all have heard of John Next Door or you have seen his wonderful work at least on Pinterest.  Well he uses alot of dies by Creative Expressions (Sue Wilson) which are very intricate and just beautiful.

Well I managed to get my hands on a couple from the Canadian Collection and did my best at scrap-lifting his design.  He gives you the basic construction of his design but you have to figure out the measurements yourself and other details about the card just by looking at it, so to say the least my version didn't quite turn out exactly like his, but I'm pleased with it overall.

Here is the original design by "John Next Door"

I thought this was absolutely gorgeous although it is a larger card than what I am accustomed to making.

The impact of this simple card is amazing with its strong colors and elegant flair.

I say if you want to try something that would work for almost any occasion give this one a try.

Now to show you my version of this masterpiece....please don't judge me but give me credit for trying instead.

Well here I go cautiously unveiling my rendition of  the Canadian Collection card.

My accent color is more of a teal or turquoise combined with white. (I didn't have any paper close to the color he used). 

Additionally, since I didn't have any actual measurements I tried using the die as my starting point but the card was going to be bigger than I wanted to go so I had to made adjustments.

My margins/borders are much smaller than the original and my card base still ended up being a 6 x 8, which for me is quite large.  My comfort zone usually ends at 5 x 7.

Anyway he has another one where he used the same dies so I think I'll give that one a try as well.

In the meantime give me your thoughts on how I did and as always thanks for stopping by.

Hugs from Texas

~Lesia~

The Foiling Continues

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Bet you guys thought I had forgotten

about you...well never fear I will

never forget my crafting friends.

As I'm sure you will all understand the holidays have me coming 

and going at all times of the day 

and sometimes at night.

However I was able to work on a 

couple of cards but it took

longer to finish them up.

Here is the first one I completed 

and yep I continue to play with 

my foiling machine.

This time I decided to foil any dies 

I used in the project and use

gold card-stock for my mats as a way

to save on my foil sheets.  

They're not very expensive but 

at the moment I need to be frugal 

with my funds where ever possible.

Anyway, let me move forward and share what I have with you already (smiles).

The card base is white and then I added two layers, each layered on gold card-stock to create a gold trim.  

The corners were die-cut using printed toner paper and then ran through the Minc to add perfect foiling to them.

The greeting was stamped and heat embossed with gold then layered on a die cut that was printed and foiled using the Minc.  I then added a bow on the side and used a scrap piece of gold card-stock to replace the need for ribbon.

Overall it turned out really cute and the inside is lightly decorated with pieces of foiled corners and another die-cut where a personal message can be written.

Well that's it for tonight.  

Thanks for stopping by.

Sending hugs from Texas

~Lesia~

I will be selecting my blog candy

end of year winner on 

December 30th.

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