My Grandmas Teacups

Happy New Year Friends. I hope that your holidays were wonderful and that you are looking forward to 2016 with an optimistic view. The holidays were busy around here as well. It's always busy when the children are home from school, my husband is home from work and everyone we know seems to pop over to say hello. Its a wonderful time of year that reminds me of our many blessings. Between Skylander quests and origami overseeing, I had a chance to get a tiny bit of creative work done. I created this beautiful card using the new High Society paper from Gecko Galz. The exact paper is HS09. I also used the beautiful image from the Pretty Portraits 2 Collage sheet. You will need: 5x7 card base or cardstock to create one Red cardstock of your choice (I used Bazzil) Glitter glue floral spray (I found mine at the dollar tree in with the Christmas decorations and chopped it up) rolled roses  handmade hat pins Making the Card: Cut your red cardstock to 4 3/4 x 6 3/4 t...

Aren't the challenges on Gecko Galz so much fun. I wish that I had known about them sooner as I am having a blast creating all these new styles.  This challenge was of course a Christmas Challenge. I really like the way it turned out. I find challenges that don't limit colour choice are much easier for me. Material Used: Gecko Galz Oh Christmas Saying OCS09 Do Crafts Denim Lace American Crafts Cardstock Close To my Heart Colonial White Card Base Close To My Heart Artiste Cricut Cartridge Rolled Rose Ebay Leave Old Paper Distress Ink Crayola Pencil Crayons  Spectrum Noir Alcohol Markers Stickles Flat Back Pearls I always start by colouring my focal image. It sets the tone for the whole card. Depending on the colours that come out of it determines what supplies I will use on the card.  Double mount the focal image on dark and then lighter blue cardstock creating a 31/2x31/2 square. Cut a piece of cream cardstock 4 1/2 x 3 3/4 (I ran mine thro...

Admittedly I rarely work in gold. Its just so flashy and I tend to lean...bend...hang right over on the muted vintage coloured side of things. It is always fun though to pick up a challenge and run with it. You would have laughed if you had seen my husband's face when he came home from work and saw the gold foil card on my bench. I think he wondered if I was having a midlife crisis. Truly, that's how predictable my colour palette is. Materials: The card is 5x7 and I used a card base from core'dinations. Colonial White Cardstock from Close To My Heart Gold glitter mac tack from the dollar store Berry Sprig from the dollar store Cream Coloured Lace from Do Crafts Madame Payrauds collection Focal Image Gecko Galz Angelica Stamp A06 Green leaves from ebay First I coloured the image using a combination of coloured pencils and spectrum noir markers. I like the contrast that you can create with the shiny gold pencil crayon and the deep blue inks.  Once the im...

There is a specific kind of magic that happens when the house is quiet and the scrap paper starts to pile up on the craft table. I recently found myself diving into a winter project so deeply that my fingers were stained blue with ink before I even realized the sun had gone down! ​If you’ve been craving a moment of 'slow crafting'—that nostalgic, tactile process of building something from layers of lace and iridescent paper—then this Winter Magic Tag is for you. We’re moving beyond simple cardstock today to play with 3D textures, hand-twisted tissue paper trees, and the soft, frosty glow of distressed ink. Whether you’re tucking this into a junk journal or tying it onto a special gift, I hope this tutorial brings a bit of vintage wonder to your creative space. Let’s get our hands a little messy and create something timeless together." The image that I used of the little girl and also the Winter Magic Sentiment are part of the Winter Magic image set that is free with a p...

  A Look Back: Fabscraps "High Tea" Mini Album I made the decision to put my mini album on eBay after all. I thought I would share the pictures that I took of it before I let it go. This collection from Fabscraps was such a joy to work with—the "High Tea" theme perfectly matches that vintage, elegant aesthetic we love here. Video Walkthrough If you missed my YouTube walkthrough of this album, you can watch it right here! I love seeing how the interactive pages and ephemera layers really come to life in motion  This project was originally shared in 2015. While the eBay auction has long since ended, the inspiration from the Fabscraps High Tea collection is timeless! ❦ Continue Your Creative Journey Get vintage papercrafting tutorials & journaling prompts in your inbox. Subscribe to the Circle While You're Here, Explore ...

Its time for Christmas gift projects at the library already. Whoosh where did the time go? This year I really wanted to do some type of mixed media project but as we are limited to 2 hours for the class I was a bit stumped. Luckily I spoke to Vicki Gee at a crop last month and she helped me work the details out in my head. This is the project we will be creating December 3rd at the Tyendinaga Public Library. Materials Used: blank canvas Heartfelt Creation Sparkling Poinsettia Dies and Stamps Tattered Rose and Ground Espresso Distress Ink Sharpie (gold) Just Believe Paper  Glitter Washi Lots and Lots of Mod Podge (matte)

Late last night I was inspired when a mini canvas fell off my bench and onto my toe. Hey some people are inspired by apples hitting their head...for me a good swift knock on the toe does just fine. I made the decision that I have too many half finished projects lurking in my studio. One would think that I would have come to that conclusion before hurting myself, but potato p-a-t-a-t-o.  I got out my Prima Doll stamps and an old pad of DCWV paper, a few Prima flowers and flourishes and some Basic Grey Rub Ons and Voila....my mini canvas masterpiece was born. Here is what I did: I had previously painted the canvas a blotchy mix of pink and white acrylic paint.  I sanded down some of the areas of the canvas so that the texture showed through. I used the white rub ons and my bone folder to put the flourishes in the upper centre to right side of the canvas, trying to have as much show through were I intended to place my doll. Using a plain white paper doily cut in hal...

The second mini that I created with the paper was actually the one I started with. I loved the whole idea of the teapot shape and the cute embellishments. Somewhere though along the way I lost my mojo on this project. Luckily I have great inspiration on tap from the Facebook Group 4 Gs (Girls, Grins, Glitter and Glue)   They came up with some brilliant additions to finish this project off. Here is where it sits now: Don't mind the shaky hands. I have an anxiety disorder and sometimes I am a bit shaky. Also I saw on a video by Crafter 45 once that people are distracted by wounds that are unexplained. The scratches are from my big sucky King Shepherd Titan who thinks he is a lap dog. At 120lbs I beg to to differ with him.

I admit that I am a paper hoarder. Honestly though, if you are going to be a hoarder, don't you think scrapbooking supplies is a wonderful thing to collect? This week, well the last couple of months on and off really, I have been enjoying the fabulous Fabscraps High Tea Paper Collection. No really, I bought the whole collection. Uhmmmm, two of the collection really but who's counting. I love the theme (come on High Tea...My Grandma's Teacups) and the designs are so beautiful.  I have only worked my way through a small portion of the first kit and have already created two really fun mini's. This is the first. It is an 8x8 chipboard mini.

Oh my goodness, I feel like I'm losing my mind! I intended to share these pictures last Friday but somehow got sidetracked. On the bright side, they're up before Christmas! We explored the **Docraft Ultimate Vintage Diecuts Pack** (now sold out), featuring 60 pages of vintage images. This kit is so extensive that we're using it across three clubs. We paired it with **Anita's cream textured 5x7 card bases**, which are excellent quality and come in packs of 20 cards and envelopes. We made 10 cards total. 2 each of 5 designs. We used a little bit of glitter glue and a pinch of glittery washi tape to glam up the cards. Some of the ladies also used embossing folders and distress ink. The card with the Angel is best completed using medium thick foam squares. My first one had really thick squares and it was really bulky looking. Our next card club is not until the end of November so you will have to check back to see what else we cook up. In the meantime be sure to...

One of the absolute best parts of having a craft business is that you meet the most talented people. The other day I was fortunate enough to have Denise Marchetti in my studio. Denise was telling me about this amazing calendar that she had created using her Prima Stamps. I was intrigued and she promised to share pictures of her masterpiece as soon as possible. Well guess what, she sent them to me Thursday. So knowing me as as you do, of course it took me until now to to get everything organized to share them. Here we are: Denise Marchetti's Prima Doll Calendar. January, is birthday theme as my daughter and granddaughter are  both January babies I used anything I had on hand that  would go with my theme. great idea to use scraps and from your stash! February: Valentine's Day March: Easter is in March 2016 April: Vacation theme May: Bring in May flowers from stamps I have June: Used stamp of the month from close to my heart  and SU ...

So yesterday's post was discussing using your Cricut cartridges to find cute accessories for your Prima Dolls. I was so excited to share the post, I forgot to include some of the finished dolls. That happens to me sometimes. My excitement gets ahead of me, and I push the publish button too soon. So here you are, without further ado, my Prima Paper Dolls: Accessorized. I know it's not nice to play favourites, but I am so in love with how this one turned out. I love the parasol. They are all listed in my eBay store. I have to keep letting them go so that I have room to make more. Join the MGT Community Don't miss a single paper crafting tutorial, bookish layout, or gift guide. Subscribe to My Grandma's Teacups to get our latest heritage inspiration delivered straight to your inbox. Subscribe & Get the Freebie Kit Note from Anna: This post originally appeared in 2015. To ensure a clean experience for my current readers...

The Master Guide to Cricut & Prima Dolls: Accessories, Stamper Secrets, and Wardrobe Hacks By My Grandma's Teacups  There is a specific kind of magic that happens when the vintage world of paper dolls meets the high-tech precision of a Cricut Explore. If you have been following my journey here at My Grandma's Teacups , you know that my obsession with Julie Nutting’s "Prima Dolls" isn't just about stamping—it’s about character building. It is about taking a flat piece of watercolor paper and turning it into a persona with a story, an aesthetic, and most importantly, an enviable wardrobe. In our previous installments, Cricut and Prima Dolls #1 and Part #2 , we mastered the "Print then Cut" feature and the initial setup of your machine. But as any fashionista (paper or otherwise) will tell you: it’s all in the accessories. A doll without a hat, a purse, or the perfect pair of Victorian boot...

Well, did you get your Prima Paper Doll Stamp all set up in your Cricut Explore? Of course you did! I knew you could do it. If you need to go over what we did  this is the link.  Now comes the really fun part. I hope you remembered not to drink your coffee near your precious paper.....oh the horror....but that's another post. Making Your Prima Paper Doll You know that plastic 12x12 box that you use to collect all those teeny time pieces of paper that are just too good to throw out. Yah, the one on the shelf collecting dust. Go grab that. This is a great opportunity to put those itty bitty scraps to work. (and your husband said you would never need them......be sure he sees you using them, as though you had this planned from the start....seven years ago when you began saving scraps of paper.)  For the small layers like the dress, shoes and stockings I try to find scraps that coordinate in the approximate sizes I want.  You will need to use large pie...

Making Prima Julie Nutting Doll Stamps Easier with Cricut Cut Files (No More Fussy Cutting!) Why this game-changing tutorial is getting crafter clicks worldwide So it’s no secret that I am totally crazy about Prima Marketing’s Julie Nutting Dolls Stamps . I mean — I talk about them a lot… okay, really, really a lot. But they bring me such joy! They’re whimsical, expressive, and perfect for cards, scrapbooks, tags, journal layouts, planner spreads… You name it. But not everyone shares my undying love for fussy cutting all those tiny layers. Why This Matters: The Pain Point Every Crafter Knows Some of my crafty friends were less than thrilled about cutting out the myriad tiny pieces that make these dolls come to life. They liked the look of the finished product, but the process? Not so much. I get it — spending time with small, fiddly pieces isn’t everyone’s idea of creative zen. And let me confess something: that diminished my joy a bit. I wanted everyone to love them as much...