Vintage Mother's Day

Beginning today, I'm going to post some Mother's Day cards and gift ideas. Here is the first card. I hope you make one too, or more of course. :)

 Paper: brown, cardboard looking, vanilla, and black and white vintage cardstock paper.
Tools: Die cutting machine, scissors,  permanent adhesive, computer and printer.
Stamps: roses for inside the card
Stamp ink: brown
Embellishments: lace, vanilla fancy ribbon, brown and white pearls and a decorative button.
 

Use scissors or a craft knife (scissors work better) to distress the 4 sides of the vanilla paper as shown.

Use stamp ink or distress ink and a sponge to make the card insert look 'old'.

I printed the phrase 'Happy Mother's Day' , carefully cut around the letters, and pasted it on my card because I didn't find any stamp that I really liked.

Soon we will start our contest, and you can win a Mother's Day card. Meanwhile enjoy creating your own cards.

Vanias Reed    

Vintage Birthday

I made this card for a very special young lady. She's talented, beautiful, and likes vintage style. I enjoyed making it so much that I decided to use the same style on a couple more cards, which I will be posting soon. 

Paper: Sand, pink, light blue vintage vanilla cardstock; velum paper (Paper Studio).
Tools: Craft knife, precision scissors, permanent dot runner, embossing and cutting machine (Big Kick by Sizzix), circle punch, gray colored pencil and brown fine writing pen, computer and printer.
Stamps: Happy Birthday, May your birthday... (Stampabillities)
Stamp ink: brown, black, yellow 
Embellishments: paper roses, Eiffell Tower and picture corner (Spare Parts), pink ribbon, lace with pearls, dark brown pearls.

You can give your card an 'old look' using two tones of brown distress or stamp ink. Just rub the stamp pad gently on the edges of the velum paper.
Let me know if you have any questions.

Have a wonderfully blessed day.

Vanias Reed      

Pillow Box

We have learned how to make gift bags and square boxes, now we are going to make a pillow box. Pillow boxes are so cute  and fun. So here is the one I made. There is a template for you too. Enjoy.

 Paper: purple cardstock.
Tools: 1/8" punch, scissors, paper creaser, craft knife and rule
Embellishments: 1/4" white ribbon and silver 'pearl'
Extras: Computer and printer

Right click on the picture to save in your computer and/or print. If you want to make a printer box, adjust your printer to custom and enlarge the picture.

 

Cut the template, place it on the cardstock paper and trace the box. Cut it on the black line. Fold it on the dotted lines. Punch two holes on the top flap, fold it over the box and mark where the two other wholes will be punched. Pass the ribbon through the holes and make a bow. Add the embellishment of your preference. The top of the box will be closed. But, like any pillow box, the sides will be used to put the gift in, and to get it out as well.

I hope you have as much fun making this project as I did.

Happy Crafting.

Vanias Reed    

 

Gift Bag 2

We made a gift back a couple of weeks ago, and I decided to change it a little. Here is the other bag.

 As you can see, this bag has a handle on the top, the top flap is bigger and it closes.

You will fold the top wider than the bag #1, punch the small holes, and settle the eyelets there. 

  Use a ribbon to make the handle. Pass both ends through the holes and glue them to the paper. Score and crease top of bag at 1" and paste over the ends of handle.

Cut a 3"x 5" piece of the same paper or a matching one, crease at 1/4" and glue it to the top of the bag to make the top flap. Decorate it as you please.

 

Glue pieces of velcro on both top flap and bag to close it.

And here is your final product

 

The side and the bottom of the bag will look the same as bag #1

Let me know if you need anymore information on how to make the gift bags.

Happy crafting!

Vanias Reed     

Today I'm going to tell you a story. 
There was a man who was just an average person. He had never killed or robbed anyone; he had never done anything to hurt anybody intentionally. He did tell a couple of lies here and there, but who didn't? He wasn't completely honest here and there, but who was? One day, this man was driving home thinking about the things he had to do that evening when suddenly a young man crossed in front of his car. It was raining and even though the man stepped on the break as hard as he could,  he still hit the boy. He got off his car, checked on the boy lying there on the pavement and tried to call someone. No signal on his cell phone. He was afraid of picking the boy up and hurting him even more. Confused, wet, desperate, the man got in his car and drove away to find help. When he got back there was an ambulance, the police and some people there. They were talking about this cruel person who hit the boy and left him there in the rain, on the pavement to die. The man wanted to say it was him, but he didn't find the courage nor the strength to do so. 
The next days were terrible for him. He couldn't sleep nor eat. All he could do was think about what he had done. Until he finally could not take it any longer and decided to confess what he had done. He went to the hospital where the boy was recovering, told the boy's parents what had happened, and begged them to forgive him. How surprised they all were when the young man opened his eyes and said, " I forgive you. I completely forgive you, and I will make sure that my Mom and Dad won't press any charges against you." The man then, with tears in his eyes, told the boy, "Son I deserve to be punished. What I did was wrong." The young man replied, "But if I forgave you, you no longer need a punishment, because forgiveness erases the wrong that was done."
What do you think? Should the man still be punished?
Our story, real story, is a lot like that man's. We might be good people, who haven't made any "major" mistake. But, you see, to God that doesn't really matter. Whether our sin is just a "little white" lie or an abortion; "just" keeping a couple of cents given to us by the cashier by mistake, or robbing a bank. We all need forgiveness. The only way to be free from the punishment we deserve (hell) is to be forgiven by God. However His standards are based on perfection because He is perfect. We are not. We were born sinners. We have the tendency to do what's wrong. So, how can we reach a perfect God? Through His Son. God loves us so much that He doesn't want to spend eternity without us. So He sent His son to pay the debt we could not pay. When we accept that His Son is the ONLY way to HIM. When we confess that the wrong we do is called sin, and therefore hurt God's holiness and perfection. When we accept His endless love for us and surrender our lives to Him. He will forgive us, and there won't be any charges against us. We will be free from the eternal punishment. WHAT A WONDERFUL GIFT! That's right. There is nothing we can do to save ourselves from the punishment we deserve. The only way is to accept God's forgiveness that is FREE. It is a gift that we receive through Jesus, because He is the only one who died and rose from the dead. He defeated physical death, so we can have eternal life! Eternal life with Him, our loved ones, who also chose to accept His love and forgiveness. 
Would you like to receive this gift? Would you like to be forgiven and free from the weight of your sins? Then just tell God that. Tell him you are sorry for what you have done, "big" or "small" and ask Him to forgive you.  There is no sin that He can't forgive. There is nothing you can do to make Him love you any more or less than He does already. I promise you will have an amazing peace. Your heart will be filled with His love. He will be with you during the good times and the tough ones. So, accept God's WONDERFUL GIFT  of forgiveness today. Celebrate Easter for the real reason: Jesus Christ's death and resurrection for you.

Happy Resurrection Day!

 

Gift Bag

A couple of months ago we learned how to make a box. Today we are going to make a gift bag. 

Handle and bow made with the same ribbon

 Gift Bag Tutorial

Take a 12” x 12” sheet of paper and cut to 9” x 12”

Score at 5” and 7”

Turn the paper and score the bottom at 2”

Crease the lines to fold, and cut on the other lines as shown on template

Cut the 3” x 12” strip to 3” x 9”. Score at ½” and 2 ½”

Turn the paper and score the bottom at 2”

Trim away the outer ½” pieces

Use runner adhesive to adhere the side panel (3”x 9” strip) to the main piece, one side at a time.
Fold the flaps at the base and paste them. Score top flap at ¼” and 1” and fold over the bag

Punch holes through the top of the bag, including the  flap.

Put eyelets to make the handle support stronger and for a better finishing.

Decorate your bag as you please.

 

Gift bag attempt to template

side strip        

Adhesive on side strip

The side will look like this

Top flap

Eyelets

 

Handles, lace and a pin to decorate.

Now you know how to make a box and a bag. To make a bigger bag just use a bigger piece of paper and change the measurement proportionally.

Happy gift giving!

Vanias Reed    

   

Purple

I can't believe Easter is almost here. Time goes by so fast, doesn't it? I'm not complaining because I start my countdown to Christmas on December 26 ( Do I need to say it is my favorite time of the year? -smile). So, anyway, here is my last Easter card for this year. Don't worry, I'm not going to start posting Christmas cards yet. Well, maybe in July. (wink and smile)

 Paper: dark and light purple, and white cardstock (Paper Studio)
Tools: embossing/cutting machine, glue runner, scissors, ruler, craft knife and self-healing mat.
Stamp: Happy Easter (Stampabillities)
Embellishments: green ribbon, pearls, die-cut purple flowers, green gemstones, leaves and flowers stickers.
Extras: computer and printer
 

Inside

 You still have time to make an Easter Card for someone.

Happy Easter!

Vanias Reed