Posts Tagged ‘April Stanfield’
Best of… Gift Ideas
While skimming through past posts I found that a lot of our projects are not only gift oriented but food oriented. Sharing recipes is just as special as sharing a secret. Add on to that a special layer of pretty paper and it’s probably the best gift ever! I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that we all like to share our passions with others. Everyone from musicians playing music for others or authors sharing a good book, it’s almost a right of passage. Sharing things that you love with someone else is it’s own non-verbal way to show you care. For crafters giving a little gift that is presented in a special way or made from your own hands seems to send a message above and beyond the intended gift purpose. This fun Peeps in a Jar project was so popular in the spring but doesn’t have to be just for the Easter. Have you seen the Red, White and Blue Star peeps out there? I know that they’re out with a vengeance during Valentines, Halloween and Christmas. Apparently these squishy candies are available all year round and with a little color tweaking this project works for anything. (and trust me, it’s yummy all year round!)
You can find April’s full instructions and recipe here.
If you liked this you might also like “Welcome to Holland” Tulip Cookies, Candy Bags (which would be adorable filled with trail mix for camp!), and Cherry Coke. What about you? What have been your favorite gift posts? Remember that we’ll post a winner Monday. Enjoy your weekend!
-Joanna Wallace
Hambly Screen Print Overlays can sometimes be overwhelming to work with because it comes with it’s own level of stress just for adhering it. I have seen so many people rework their initial designs just to cover/hide the adhesive. Oh you know you’ve seen it… the random flower placed over the glue dot or the picture placed just right to cover the sticky tabs… and then the edges flap a little tooo much and you hope and pray the layout doesn’t get touched much because your sheet protector just might not hold it all together the way it was in your mind. You know you’ve been there. It’s funny cause, it’s true! At the same time it’s sad because there is a simple solution! Your design shouldn’t be compromised just because of logistics. Seriously, for a few dollors save yourself the headache and go out and get a little Tombow’s MONO Vellum Adhesive. Then stock up on all the Hambly your desk can handle, I promise that it’s worth it.
So if you happened to have a little Tombow’s MONO Vellum Adhesive and a few Hambly Screen Print Overlays… What would you make without worrying where to
The first card is a 6×6 card, so quick…just cut a 12×12 in half, cut a piece of coordinating paper 5×5, glue it on with Tombow Mono Permanent Adhesive. Cut a 1×6 strip of cardstock and glue that down across the 5×5 square. Fasten the trim by running a strip of the permanent adhesive along, and then press the trim into place. Add a flower and a cute journaling box and you’re good to go!
The second card is 4×6. Cut a 4×12 piece of cardstock, then cut a 3.5×6 piece of this REALLY AWESOME lace paper. Use Tombow Mono Permanant Dots on the back side of it, and it’ll only put dots on the paper parts, so there isn’t sloppy adhesive showing behind. COOL! Then I stuck a cute round tag, followed by a tiny pearl dragonfly. That’s it! Remember it’s your last chance at the giveaway this week so keep the comments coming and to check out Paper Posie’s cute site for more inspiration using July’s kit as well. Winner’s announced Monday!
When I got this assignment I have to admit…I started out a little bit nervous and spent more time than necessary just thinking about what I should do. I may be other things, but I’m not a “pen” artist…I leave all that drawing business to my husband and boys who are pros. I’m a stick figure and basic map kind of girl, and that’s about it, so this was going to be so hard! Nope, totally wrong. Just getting the pen to the paper was really the difficult part, because once I began I was really surprised to see how easily the design flowed.
I made two gift tags for a few upcoming baby shower gifts using Chipboard pieces, both of them are colored with Tombow Dual Brush Pens first and then allowed them plenty of time to dry well. After they were dry, I went about creating my Zentangle-inspired creation on top of the color with the Tombow Mono Gel White Pen. I’ll punch holes in them and then string organza ribbon through both before I attach them to their bags. The first is an “H”, I wanted to have a doily effect. The second is a tiny round tag, and I was a little more abstract with this one. I like the look of the white over the color, make sure and give that a try! And now that I conquered my silly fear…I’ll be using this technic a lot more now!
P.S. While I was working on these, both my older boys came over and watched and decided they needed to make Zentangles too. I was really impressed with what they came up with…Show your children the basic concept, give them a small paper and a pen, and you’ll be amazed at their creativity!
My boys surprised me with how well they did this project. Pinwheels are so cute, and look so terrific with this Basic Grey paper!! They’re simple to make and come together really fast.
- Cut a 12×12 sheet of paper into 4-6 inch squares…double sided paper looks the best!
- Fold each corner to corner, diagonally, creating an X on the square.
- Cut along each fold, stopping about a half inch from the center.
- Punch a small hole on the left bottom corner of each side.
- Cut a 12″ by .5″ strip of paper, run a line of Tombow Mono Adhesive Permanent Dots along it.
- Wrap around a pencil, pulling tightly.
- Pull the holes on the bottom up to the center of the square, and secure with a brad.
- Dip the brad ends in Tombow Mono Aqua Glue, push into the pencil eraser.
Note:
Most paper pinwheels spin, but these ones do not. I thought the matching brads were way too cute to not use, and so did my boys! If you want yours to spin just use a thumb tack instead of a brad, and don’t dip it in glue prior to pushing it into the eraser.
-April
School is out and it’s the perfect time to send out Graduation cards and finish up a few School Layouts before the ink dries on the report cards and the memories are covered up by summer fun. This card April made is perfect for slipping a little summer money into and sending to a niece or nephew. I loved the color combo and the pocket idea so much I used it as a little further inspiration on my latest school layout… On mine I added a little Glimmer Mist, a splash of October Afternoon and brought it all together using our MONO Permanent Adhesive Roller. Even the cork elements on the layout are not going to budge. I’ve been meaning to pull all the elements from the school year together in one place and just never felt like I could do it without it being too overwhelming. April’s card was just what I needed. It’s funny how one thing can spur others on in different directions. Thanks girl for the inspiration!
What have you been inspired by lately?
Today we’re kicking off our Maya Road-Tombow Team Up week. Be sure to check out their blog and become a fan of theirs and *ours* on facebook too and as always we’re giving away another one of our coveted prize packs to one lucky blog commenter later this week!
I found these huge magnetic clips in the dollar spot at Target last fall. I’ve seen a lot of altered ones around the internet the last year or two, and I think they’re pretty cute. I’ve had them on my fridge displaying artwork and important papers, but I thought last week it would be fun to have one personalized for each of my boys. Thanks to some cute ribbon and chipboard from Maya Road and my trusty Tombow products, this came together in less than 10 minutes. Super simple, but I can’t wait to print out some cute pictures and scour my kid’s school backpacks for things to hang on them.
- Take apart your clip, gently pulling the front away from the back and hinge.
- Measure and cut the ribbon you’re going to be using. Make sure to cut enough to go around AND knot it!
- Run lines of Tombow Mono Adhesive Permanent Dots along the clip where the ribbon will be placed.
- Tie ribbon all the way down the clip.
- Put the clip back together.
- Trim ribbon ends to desired length, use the pen tip along the edges of the ribbon to keep the ribbon from fraying.
- Color the chipboard with Tombow Dual Brush Pens.
- Put a generous amount of Tombow Mono Aqua Liquid Glue along the back of the chipboard, press into the ribbon and hold it down for a minute or two until it bonds.
So… what projects would you do with a few new Maya Road and Tombow toys?
This cute card is from April. I love, LOVE the Pleated edges she put on it using Pink Paislee’s Bayberry Cottage Ribbon Pleats and Tombow’s MONOAdhesive POWER BOND. She even continued the pleated look behind her title, then added that ultra cute flower using the Bella Brads- oh so cute and oh so easy … Seriously, I love, Love, LOVE it!!
and this fun card set by Sarah is ingenious. They’re sliders! They fold closed then the as they slide it opens the cute title slide stays viewable and you can see the note. I love the look of the combined set too.
On a side note, I love that you guys are enjoying the Tombow Team-up this week. Be sure to come back because we have a lot planned. In May we’ll be teaming up with Graphic 45 and Maya Road. You asked for Pink Paislee back in February and you knew what you wanted. So, I’m asking again (and listening!) What companies would you like to see Tombow team-up with in the future?
Talk about a day of celebration! HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO OUR AMAZING DESIGN TEAM MEMBER, APRIL!! She created this amazing celebration set with just Print Your Party’s wedding collection and some Tombow adhesive goodness. Don’t stop the party just yet… Congrats to Ann Edwards! She commented on yesterday’s post and our random generator picked her name! Ann please email me within the next 72 hours your snail mail address and we’ll get your prize mailed out to you ASAP! Thank You to Print Your Party too! It was so fun to get a peak into your creativity. Congrats again and Thank You for being part of the Tombow Blog family!
What better way to give a neighbor a little added support then sharing a recipe and a loaf of bread? I love how April created such a personal gift using Tombow MONO Mega Adhesive DOTS Roller and The Early Bird Collection from Cosmo Cricket. Doesn’t it make you wish you were lucky enough to be April’s neighbor?! Yummy!
We’re all loving the excitement here this week and to thank our loyal readers we’re giving away a Tombow MONO Adhesive Pack… Full of PowerBond, Permanent and DOTS to Erika M, thanks for the comments, girl! Keep ‘em coming! Check out more Tombow and Cosmo Cricket Creations on their blog!
