Beaded Ornament

Yet another great ornament idea from bhg.com . What a great way to use up all of your odds and ends of beads and silver or gold ribbons.

Can't wait to make a few of these and post them for all to see.

Creativity Bug ~ Sue

Ice Cream Cone Ornament

I know it is too early to think about Christmas, but I have to plan ahead. This adorable ice cream cone ornament was featured on the Better Homes and Garden site. As soon as I saw it, I knew my version was not going to use a paper mache cone. Instead, I am going to find a heavy tan colored piece of cardstock and stamp it with a waffle cone/diamond patterned rubber stamp inked in another shade of brown/tan. When I am done stamping it, I will shape it into a cone. Don't worry, as soon as I make the ornament I will post the how tos, costs, and a list of my supplies.

I will probably also add some tiny beads for sprinkles and maybe a red pompom or bead for a cherry on top.

Creativity Bug ~ Sue

 

Quick and Easy Embellished Christmas Tree Ornaments

I am participating in a kids holiday bazaar this December and have been searching for some quick, easy, and inexpensive ideas. All products we sell at the bazaar have to be homemade and sold for under $5 so the kids can purchase gifts for their parents, teachers, grandparents, siblings, and friends. This ornament is made with colored glass ornaments, glue, glitter, and gems.

Quick and Easy Embellished Christmas Tree Ornaments

Once I have my finished ornaments together, I will share them on the blog for everyone to see along with the breakdown of the costs.

Creativity Bug ~ Sue

The Making of a Ink Ornament How To

My friend Heather and her kids Em and Joey came by on Wednesday to help me put a "how to" demo together on decorating glass ornaments with inks and acrylics. I am writing an article for an online crafting magazine and they need both the "how to" along with pictures.

The supplies:
glass ornaments
PearlEx
Ranger Ink alcohol inks
Ranger Ink applicator and felt pads
ribbon
acrylic paint
dixie cups
cupcake pans (optional)

The first step was to remove the top of the glass ornament and fill it with PearlEx.

Then with a few mists of water, you should be able to swirl the PearlEx mixture to coat the entire inside of the ornament. This was not as easy as first thought and a lot of the PearlEx was wasted.

Put the ornament top side down over a dixie cup and let dry overnight. I placed the dixie cups in a cupcake pan so the ornaments wouldn't easily fall over while they were drying.

The next day, take any combination of alcohol inks and add it to the applicator with a clean refill pad. Gently stamp the ink onto the ornament.

Let dry and restamp ink again for more coverage. When ornaments are completely dry (about 24 hours) add ornament top and ribbon to hang.

After doing all this, we found the effects to be nice but working with PearlEx was not easy (especially for the kids) as the sparkly dust was everwhere. So, we decided to try another method.

Fill a glass ornament with acrylic paint (we filled ours with cream/white to show up better for the camera).

Swirl the acrylic paint to coat the entire inside of the ornament and shake the excess into the paint bottle. Place ornament top side down over a dixie cup and let dry (overnight). We checked a few hours into the project and found a dixie cup full of excess paint, which easily poured back into the bottle.

The next day, take any combination of alcohol inks and add it to the applicator with a clean refill pad. Gently stamp the ink onto the ornament.

Let dry and restamp ink again for more coverage. When ornaments are completely dry (about 24 hours) add ornament top and ribbon to hang.

We took a poll and everyone liked the acrylic paint with alcohol ink combo the best. The plan is to make a bunch and sell at the school bazaar coming up in December.
 
Hope you try out this technique and even link back in the comments with your completed ornaments.
 
Creativity Bug ~ Sue

   

Giveaway: Glossy Bands by Klutz

Marie at the Make and Takes blog is offering a great giveway for Glossy Bands by Klutz.

Here are all the details for your chance to win:

Giveaway Entries: For your chance to win one of 5 Glossy Band Books, leave a comment on Marie's post by Thursday July 15th @ midnight. She will announce the winner chosen from random on Friday morning July 16th.

Extra Entries – enter a new comment on Marie's post for each extra entry telling what you did:

- Like (aka become a fan) of Klutz Books on Facebook

- Sign up for their newsletter and become a Klutz Insider

Good luck everyone! If you win, please leave a comment here on our blog with a link to your completed projects.

All Scrapbook Steals Giveaway

Here are the rules:

1. This giveaway is only open to residents of the United States and Canada.

2. Enter by going to the All Scrapbook Steals website, to check out all their great deals. Then, leave a comment at the end of the post telling them what your favorite summer past time is. Please be aware that you won't see your comments posted right away, as they are moderated and need their content approved.

3. Receive a second entry if you post about the giveaway on your blog or website. Please leave the link to your post in the comments section so they can verify your second entry. You can also post on Facebook or Twitter about the giveaway to earn a second entry.

4. Entries will be accepted until Midnight PST on July 10th.

5. Winner will be randomly chosen from all eligible entries received by midnight July 10th by random.org.

6. Winner will be announced on July 11th here on the All Scrapbook Steals blog.

Good luck!!

Scrapbook.com ~ Layout Contest

Scrapbooking.com just posted a new layout contest called school days. Here are the details and a link to the contest:

New clothes and shoes, fresh backpacks and lunchboxes, tummies full of butterflies – it can only mean one thing. It’s back to school time! Share your grade “A” work in this month’s layout contest. The guidelines are simple. Send a layout showcasing your favorite students (of any age) and teachers. It’s the most enjoyable assignment you’ll ever get so enter today!


Once you've created or chosen your favorite layout(s) scan it in at 72 dpi, or upload a photo. The image should be no larger than 500 pixels wide by 500 pixels tall – use your editing software to either crop your photo or resize your scanned layout. Please also limit the file size to no larger than 500KB. If you've used special journaling, please include it in your supply list or instructions.
 
Once you’ve got the layout ready, complete the following form at Scrapbooking.com to enter.
 
Good luck and have fun entering your favorite school day layouts!


       

Product Recommendation ~ Avon

When you find a product you love and is wonderfully priced, don't you feel the urge to shout it from the rooftops. The Creativity Bugs just love Avon. Have you checked out Avon lately?

Creativity Bug Sue thinks one of the best products they have to offer is their Wash-Off Waterpoof Mascara.

Streak-free mascara that will weather the weepiest of movies. Washes away with soap and water. It is a great value for $6.50 but you can find it on special for $1.99. The colors include black and brown. Sue is sensitive to most products and this one is hypoallergenic and opthalmologist-tested, so it passes the test.

She also loves the IDEAL SHADE Cream-to-Powder Foundation SPF 15

Foundation, concealer and powder in one! Mattifies oily, breakout-prone skin. Flawless medium-to-full coverage with a natural matte powder finish. A steal at $10.00.

Creativity Bug Sandy recommends the Moisture Effective Eye Makeup Remover Lotion.

Moisturizes around delicate eye area as it whisks away makeup. It is gentle and does not cause your eyes to tear with a wallet friendly price of $4.00.

Why don't you check out Avon and see if some of our favorites will become one of your favorites. If you don't have a local Rep, contact my friend Yvonne by following this link. Online purchases receive free shipping on orders of $30.00.

Your Creativity Bug Team!
Sue & Sandy