Monday 31 December 2012

Happy New Year!

From the craftmates family to yours, we wish you a wonderful New Year filled with love, laughter and happiness.


We wish to thank everyone who supported us in every little way.  All your sweet messages mean so much to us more than you'll ever know.  Thank you and cheers to a prosperous  2013!

With love,

Aimee, Bebsy, Irma & Virna

Sunday 30 December 2012

Custom Coasters

With the forecast calling for more snow, my niece Emma and I decided to spend the morning doing crafts.



Back in spring, I attended a glass etching class.  One project that I thought Emma and I could do together was monogrammed coasters.      We used round glass that I purchased from a craft supply store, stencil paper and Etch-All etching creme.



Using my personal cutting machine, I cut out letters on stencil paper.  



We carefully peeled and stuck the stencil paper on the glass.






Using an artist's spatula, we coated the glass with the etching cream and let it stand for 10 minutes.  






We washed off the cream from the glass with water.  (I also made sure we washed our hands thoroughly to remove any etching cream residue.)  The etched glass made for fabulous monogrammed coasters.  We had a great time creating the coasters.



Happy Sunday!

Saturday 29 December 2012

christmas thank you

After the holiday festivities come the thank you notes.  Dawn's post couldn't have come at a better time as I was just thinking of ideas for this year's thank you cards. Since I love her card so much, I just totally CASE'd (copy and selectively edit) it.

So here it is ...


I used Papertrey's Lovely Layers die, Signture Greetings stamp, dark chocolare ink and bitty dots patterned papers. I also used Cuttlebug's Candy Cane embossing folder for some texture. I also used some pop dots to adhere the flower to give it some dimension.

Before they became like these...


they started out like these...



then these...


And here they are, ready to be placed in envelopes.  Hope I find the time to go mail them before the new year.


Hope you have a great 2013!

Thursday 27 December 2012

City of Craft

Okay, this post is way overdue. The City of Craft show was over two weeks ago and I'm just blogging about it now. Sorry for the delay...anyway, the City of Craft Show is an annual event in Toronto that features crafters and artisans and their unique handmade goods. 

I've always wanted to attend this event but it usually falls on a weekend that I'm busy. So I was really happy that I was finally able to go.


The venue was quite cramped but they did an amazing job in decorating the place. I love the paper doilies that were hanging from the ceiling.
My hubby really liked these vintage coloured postcards and bought a couple. 
I wanted to buy these tea towels. Unfortunately, they were quite pricey. 
The show wasn't quite what I expected as I thought there would be more vendors. Nevertheless, I still had a great time. 

Hope you had a great Boxing Day yesterday!

Bye for now.







Wednesday 26 December 2012

papertrey ink december blog hop




Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas celebration yesterday.  It is again time for the monthly Papertrey blog hop



This month is about white.  The challenge is to create a white on white card.  While you can use some neutrals, the focus of the project should be the colour white.  Here is this month's inspiration photo.



And here is my card...



I used Papertrey's notched flower die, modern alphabet die, twine and simple stripes impression plate.  I also used a Martha Stewart punch for the leaves, swiss dot embossing folder and some baubles and button from my stash.

Here is another angle of the card...


For me, a white on white card is all about texture and dimensions.  I tried incorporating these through the embossing folder, impression plate, dimensional adhesive, pearl baubles and raised leaves.



Thanks for stopping by. Happy hopping!



Tuesday 25 December 2012

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas to everyone 
from the Craftmates.

We hope you all have a wonderful holiday. 

Sunday 23 December 2012

My Christmas Chair

Back in August, I blogged about finding "treasure in trash".  Last week, my husband came home with a pleasant surprise.  One of our favourite "picker's" item was all re-done!


If I were to write a holiday jingle, it would be about my Christmas chair.  It was a neglected piece of furniture left by the curb.  It had just been re-upholstered in time for the holidays and now fits perfectly by the fireplace.   All the material for a great Christmas song.




This is my last blog before Christmas so I want to wish all our friends and readers a Happy Christmas from my family to yours!


Friday 21 December 2012

wine bottle tags




Wine is such a popular gift during the holidays.  To dress it up a bit and make it more special, I used my (new to me) wine bottle tag die from Papertrey.  I embellished it with some Large Limitless Layers Oval die, Jolly Holly Die, Bells and Boughs and some supersized signature greetings from Dawn Mcvey (all from Papertrey). 



And because I always make things in multiples, here's the rest of them.



I love giving away lotions and bath products for Christmas.  I thought I'd pretty them up with these tags as well.  Here are some of the gifts I have for the assistant teacher in my DD's school and to a couple of staff from her daycare.



For her main teacher, I wanted to give something more special. So I tucked in a gift card holder at the back of my oval die.



It opens up like this....





And hangs on the bottle like this...




Hope you are having a fabulous week!  Are you ready for Christmas?

Thursday 20 December 2012

Shopping Day with the Craftmates

Hello, my name is Mariano and I am hubby to one of the Craftmates diva - Aimee. Last Sunday I had the very interesting experience of accompanying the Craftmates on their shopping escapade across the Niagara River . The four friends had initially planned to spend Sunday at the Walden Galleria in Buffalo, New York and I tagged along because I knew that I will be well rewarded for being a supportive husband. I would like to share my observations to all of you so that you will get to know them from a different perspective, one that is separate from their Craftmate personas.
 
As I anticipated, the day started great for me by way of a hearty lunch at the local Texas Roadhouse restaurant. While I was mainly there for the food (fall off the bone ribs and unlimited supply of sweet buns), I could not help but notice the joy that each of the Craftmates had by just being together with the reassurance that the day will be spent in each other’s company. 






At that moment, I accepted the reality that for the remainder of the day, I will be invisible to their eyes as the four of them indulge in endless chatter and laughter. Where I could have been sullen for the day at the thought of being bored, I actually enjoyed watching the four friends. It was friendship at its finest. Jokes at its funniest. Fun at its liveliest. Style at its best.


After lunch, the group went to the Walden Galleria Mall for some needed stress therapy that seem to have the same effect on women as spa treatment. The Craftmates went shoe shopping. I watched on the side as the four friends embarked on a mission to fulfill each member’s desired pair. I could not help but watch in awe at the unity, coordination and support that enveloped the four ladies in their quest to make sure that each Craftmate find the pair that will satisfy their craving. Every fitting was accompanied by admiration and approval. Every change of mind was greeted with support and encouragement. 


Every transaction at the cashier was met with a smile and a nod to signify approval. Like how men exchange high fives while watching sport, soldiers salute when reporting and people bow in church, the Craftmates was exercising their own ritual. It was great for me to see this side of them. Yes, just watching the ladies during the course of the day made me feel like a naturalist in National Geographic watching a pack of creatures in their most unguarded moment, behaving according to the laws of nature. 



It was then that I realized that these four ladies are bonded together by something deeper than their individual talents and common interest, they are true friends to one another. Each one brings a unique value to the group and when together they all share the same wavelength. Indeed, Craftmates is a true reflection of the friendship that bonds Aimee, Virna, Irma and Bebsy. As for me, I was rewarded with a new IPod.

Mariano

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