Birthday Celebration with Topflight Stamps

Hello! The new year is almost upon us; can you believe it? We are in a celebratory mood around here with the start of 2020 a few days away and also my husband's 50th birthday on the 4th! I made him a card:

I always love using Katzelkraft stamps because of their whimsical designs. I stamped and fussy cut this little robot and mounted it onto a Wobbler for some fun movement. The background is stamped with ombre ink and I embossed the sentiment so it would really pop. Hopefully he will like it! (and his surprise party, shhhhhhh… ;-)  )

Thanks for stopping by and have a great week! Happy New Year!!

Supplies used:

Topflight Stamps Products:
Katzelkraft - Robots 2
Creative Expressions - Enigma
For the Love of Stamps - Today is the Perfect Day
Prism Embossing Ink
Prism Ink - Peacock Green
Hero Arts Ombre Ink - Sky to Indigo
Versafine Ink - Onyx Black
Seth Apter embossing powder - Eclipse
Renke washi - Little Stars
Wobblers
Ink Blenders

Some links in this post are affiliate links which do not affect the price you pay but allow me to earn a small percentage of a sale. Thanks! (My husband also thanks you!) If you shop at Topflight Stamps, use my coupon code LISAHOEL for 12% off your order.

Magnetic Christmas Advent Calendar with Xyron

Hello! I'm not ready to let go of Christmas crafting yet! Didn't the 12 Days of Christmas just begin on the 25th? Keep going people!! ;-) This is a fun project that if you make now, will be ready to use on Dec. 1st of next year. It's a magnetic advent calendar that is sure to excite the little ones.

The base is a vintage metal tray I found at the thrift store. I cut a tree out of patterned scrapbook paper to glue onto the tray and then the numbered ornaments and presents are all magnetic!

At the beginning of December, a new ornament is placed on the tree each day. It's a fun way for the kids to count down to the big day! All the pieces are magnets so you can stick them on the tree wherever you like.

Let's see how easy it is to create this project with the help of Xyron products!

Step 1 – I found a metal tray that was the right size and was already decorated with "Christmas" colors - gold, green and white. You could also use any metal tray and paint it to your desired color; either with spray paint or like I painted the Halloween Magnetic Play Board I made in October. I used tracing paper to create a tree pattern that would cover the center of the tray, then cut it out of patterned scrapbook paper from my stash.

Step 2 – I used stamps and Gold Tinsel embossing powder to add garland to my tree. You could also use glitter glue and draw it on.

Step 3 – Time to make the magnet ornaments! I used Rinea Foiled Paper because of the beautiful colors and shine (perfect for ornaments!) It also has two surface finishes - smooth and embossed stars - so there would be some variety in visual texture. I ran the foil paper pieces through the Creative Station with the Laminate/Magnet Cartridge installed. It adheres the paper to the magnet material and then covers it with a clear laminate layer.

I then cut out the shapes with my dies. Bigz steel rule dies cut through it like butter but I was also able to use round thin dies to cut through the magnet/paper/laminate layers.

Step 4 – I used the Alphanumeric die set to cut out all the numbers from black cardstock and glued them to the ornaments. It's a little fussy but the numbers are nice and bold.

Thanks for stopping by and Happy New Years!!! See the supply list below for materials used.

Supplies used:
Xyron:
Creative Station Lite
Laminate /Magnet Cartridge

Dies:
Tim Holtz Sizzix
Labels ( Sizzix / SB )
Alphanumeric ( Sizzix / SB )
Crescent Moon & Stars - retired
Movers & Shapers dies - Packages - retired
various circle die sets

Other:
Tim Holtz Stamp Set - Ornate Trims
gold tinsel embossing powder
Prism Embossing Ink Pad
Rinea Foiled Paper

Store links in this post may be affiliate links which do not affect the price you pay but allow me to earn a small percentage of a sale. Thanks! (My husband also thanks you!) If you go shopping at Topflight Stamps, use my code LISAHOEL for 12% off your order.

Mixed Media Monday Valentine for Topflight Stamps

Hello and happy Mixed Media Monday! I know Christmas is just a few days away, but on the Topflight Stamps blog we're pretty forward thinking and are taking a look at Valentine's Day projects this week! ;-)

I started with a sheet of paper I had marbled with hearts and die cut an oval out of the middle of it. Underneath I layered a piece of Neenah metallic paper that I had stenciled and stamped with the JOFY 86 "love" stamp. After putting it all together I doodled and stenciled on the top. A little washi added just the right final touch.

Thanks for stopping by and Merry Christmas!!

Supplies used:

Topflight Stamps Products:
Paper Artsy - JOFY 86
That's Crafty Magda Polakow stencil - Clouds & Hearts
Pronty stencil - Borders
Prism Embossing Ink
Prism Ink - Camellia Pink
Neenah Metallic Cardstock Paper Pack
Seth Apter embossing powder - Eclipse
Renke washi - Pink Hearts

Other:
white and black gel pens
AJVD - Oval Backdrop Die
marbled paper

Some links in this post are affiliate links which do not affect the price you pay but allow me to earn a small percentage of a sale. Thanks! (My husband also thanks you!) If you shop at Topflight Stamps, use my coupon code LISAHOEL for 12% off your order.

Angelic Journal with Eileen Hull

Merry Christmas!! I am astounded that Christmas is only two weeks away. How the heck did that happen? We are still in the middle of decorating our tree! Hopefully I'll still have time to make the other Christmas themed projects I have in mind but at least I can share this one with you now:

Inside view (I used pre-made inserts for the signatures that I embellished):

I didn't do a tutorial for this project but here is a peek of just the cover, outside and inside:

I used a ton of Distress Oxide inks on the cover here as well as Texture Paste through a stencil with gold embossing powder added to the top of it.

I covered the inside of the cover with pages from an old hymnal, then stamped and inked over the top.

Thanks for stopping by! Check out Eileen's blog and if you are not already a member, join the Facebook Eileen Hull Fan Club group. It is a warm, supportive group with lots of inspiration and sharing going on. You'll just have to answer a few simple questions when asking to join (to keep out spammers) and then you'll be added. ;-)

Also, I was going to submit this to the December Mini Album Makers Challenge and forgot!! Remedying that now. ;-) Check out their challenge. There is always a wealth of inspiration there to see!

Dies:
Eileen Hull Sizzix
Journal ( Sizzix / SB )

Tim Holtz:
Tree Line ( Sizzix / SB )
Angelic - retired

Other:

Sizzix Sizzles Matboard
Tim Holtz Stamp Set -  Handwritten Holidays 1
Tim Holtz Stamp Set -  Tree Line
Tim Holtz Stamp Set -  Reindeer Flight
Tim Holtz Stamp Set -  Joyful Song
Tim Holtz Stamp Set -  Grunge Flakes
Tim Holtz Stamp Set -  Ornate Trims
Tim Holtz Stencils - Sparkle, Burst
Jet Black Archival Ink
Distress Ink- Vintage Photo, Shaded Lilac
Distress Oxide Ink - Pine Needles, Weathered Wood, Faded Jeans, Stormy Sky, Broken China
Distress Spray Stains - Tea Dye, Brushed Pewter
Distress Spray Oxide Stains - Antique Linen
Ranger Texture Paste
gold embossing powder
Tim Holtz Adornments - Snowflake
Tim Holtz Christmas Story Stick
Distress Crayon - Picket Fence
elastic
traveler's notebook inserts

Some links in this post are affiliate links which do not affect the price you pay but allow me to earn a small percentage of a sale. Thanks! (My husband also thanks you!) If you shop at Topflight Stamps, use my coupon code LISAHOEL for 12% off your order.

Steampunk Christmas Card for Topflight Stamps

Hello, I'm here to kick off the week with a mixed media Christmas card, steampunk style, for Topflight Stamps! I layered gear die cuts over some patterned paper from a Tim Holtz Christmas paper pad. The stamped portrait of "Monsieur" sits atop a layer that I stamped and embossed with other steampunk themed stamps. I also found that the Santa hat from the Katzelkraft Funny Accessories stamp set fit him pretty well. ;-) I stamped and fussy cut that out separately. Some Christmas Selection Precious Pearls finished it off with just a bit more bling.

Thanks for stopping by and if you are here in the USA, happy Thanksgiving! Hopefully the weather will not hamper your travels. We are keeping a close eye on it here. Eek!

Supplies used!

Topflight Stamps Products:
Creative Expressions - Festive Steampunk Sentiments
AALL & Create - #116 Steampunk
Carabelle - Monsieur
Katzelkraft - Funny Accessories
Prism Embossing Ink
Hunky Dory Diamond Sparkles Precious Pearls - Christmas Selection
Pick-me-up Tool

Other:
Gold embossing powder
archival ink
Tim Holtz Gearhead Sizzix Die

Some links in this post are affiliate links which do not affect the price you pay but allow me to earn a small percentage of a sale. Thanks! (My husband also thanks you!) If you shop at Topflight Stamps, use my coupon code LISAHOEL for 12% off your order.

On the Farm Card with Topflight Stamps

Hello there, happy Monday! I'm here to share a Topflight Stamps card with you. It's one I made for my mother-in-law and she loved it. =) (She is a big fan of barns and other farm themed things.)

I used the Hobby Art stamp set On the Farm to create this scene. It is a set with a multitude of detailed parts that you can arrange just as you wish:

I stamped the scene using archival black ink and then used watercolors to color it. I'm really pleased with how it turned out. Thanks for stopping by and have a great week!!

Supplies used!

Topflight Stamps Products:
Hobby Art stamp set - On the Farm
Darkroom Door stamp set - Happy Birthday Sentiment Stamps
watercolors

Some links in this post are affiliate links which do not affect the price you pay but allow me to earn a small percentage of a sale. Thanks! (My husband also thanks you!) If you shop at Topflight Stamps, use my coupon code LISAHOEL for 12% off your order.

Thanksgiving Card with Eileen Hull

Hello! I've been playing more with Eileen's Molten Dimensions Embossing Powder and Clearsnap Blends Ink and have created a fall Thanksgiving card. Read on to see the embossing techniques I used!

The powders are chunky and you get really good coverage and dimension. I discovered that I can use my Melting Pot to easily make all the embossed die cut leaves. (The Ranger Melting Pot was designed by Suze Weinberg and they were sadly discontinued a few years ago. You might have one in your craft stash already or be able to find one used on eBay etc.)

I die cut the leaves, inked them with Eileen's clear (super sticky!) Blends Ink, applied the powder and set it into the pre-heated pot to melt. (It doesn't take long!) I had these non-stick inserts with side flaps that were made to fit into the tray which made it really easy to remove the melted die cut. I just lifted the liner out and let it cool off to the side before handling it. You could do the same thing with a folded piece of foil or paper. While the leaves were in the pot and the base powder had melted, I sprinkled on a little bit of a second color. It melted in and created a speckled texture on the leaves. So cool!!! I have lots of ideas to try with this. (Play time!)

Love that speckled look!!

For the card base, I used a piece of patterned paper in my stash and made a dry embossed center panel using Eileen's retired Honeycomb embossing folder.

Once the card base was done, I played around with my embossed leaves and other elements until I was happy with the placement. Then I glued it all down. I had to use a strong liquid adhesive to glue the leaves down because of the slick embossed surfaces. Crafter's Pick The Ultimate! glue is one of my favorites for such jobs.

Thanks for stopping by! Check out Eileen's blog and if you are not already a member, join the Facebook Eileen Hull Fan Club group. It is a warm, supportive group with lots of inspiration and sharing going on. You'll just have to answer a few simple questions when asking to join (to keep out spammers) and then you'll be added. ;-)

I am also entering this into the TFJB Challenge - Fabulous Fall!

Dies:
Eileen Hull Sizzix
Journaling Cards - Flowers & Leaves ( Sizzix / SB )
Spring Leaves ( Sizzix / SB )
Honeycomb embossing folder - retired

Other:

Eileen Hull Embossing Powder by Emerald Creek - Golden Rod
Eileen Hull Embossing Powder by Emerald Creek - Polished Silver
Eileen Hull Embossing Powder by Emerald Creek - White Wonder
Eileen Hull Embossing Powder by Emerald Creek - Black Magic
Eileen Hull Clearsnap Blends Ink - Clear
cardstock

Tim Holtz Big Chat Stickers
Ranger Melting Pot - retired


Some links in this post are affiliate links which do not affect the price you pay but allow me to earn a small percentage of a sale. Thanks! (My husband also thanks you!) If you shop at Topflight Stamps, use my coupon code LISAHOEL for 12% off your order.

Xyron Magnetic Halloween Play Board for Kids

Good morning and Happy Halloween! It's almost upon us. (Tonight is pumpkin carving night here in our household.) It's always fun to see the joy children take in Halloween – the dressing up, planning out your jack-o-lantern's face (tell me I'm not the only one who did that), the candy, the decorations…  Today I'm here to share a fun interactive project for kids to play with (and it's screen free! ;-) ) I took an old baking sheet and up-cycled it into a Halloween scene complete with magnetic cut outs so the child can rearrange to their heart's content. Think Colorforms but without the danger of melting into a toxic mess in a hot car.

All the pieces are magnets so they peel right off and you can move them all around:

Here's a detail of the haunted house, decorated with extra die cuts:

Let's see how easy it is to create this project with the help of Xyron products!

Step 1 – I found an old baking sheet that was just the right size and of the proper patination lol. I used painters' tape to mask the edges and first painted a layer of gesso into the tray bottom.

When that was dry I used acrylics to paint the background and stencil the stars.

Step 2 – Getting more out of your dies! Did you know you can use your dies to make foam stamps? It's a great way to get more for your money and it is really easy. All you need is fun foam, scrap plastic from discarded packaging and the Xyron Creative Station with a Permanent Adhesive cartridge installed. First run a piece of fun foam through the Creative Station to apply adhesive to one side.

Next, use your die to cut out a shape from the fun foam. Peel off the adhesive liner and stick it to a piece of scrap plastic.

Voila! You have just made a foam stamp! I used this one with paint to stamp the twisty vines onto the background of my cookie sheet. Clean the paint off with a baby wipe and your stamp is good to go for future projects.

TIP – Once I was done painting, I sprayed the whole background with Crystal Clear Acrylic Spray to protect the paint and keep it from getting scratched off.

Step 3 – Time to make the fun magnet pieces! I pulled out all the Halloween dies I wanted to use. (They are all Tim Holtz Sizzix dies.) I picked out the different papers and cut pieces of the appropriate size to fit each die. I ran the paper pieces through the Creative Station with the Laminate/Magnet Cartridge installed. It adheres the paper to the magnet material and then covers it with a clear laminate layer. (Good for handling by sticky candy kid hands lol.)

I then cut out the shape with my dies. Bigz steel rule dies cut through it like butter but I was also able to use Thinlits dies to cut through the magnet/paper/laminate layers.

Step 4 – Embellishing the magnets – I found that I wanted to ink the edges of the cut outs to give them some more visual depth. Using archival ink over the laminate plastic worked great. I also glued on paper die cuts (ghosts and pumpkin) on the haunted house and added Stickles glitter glue to a few of the other magnets.

Step 5 – Play! All done. ;-)

Thanks for stopping by and Happy Halloween!!! See the supply list below for materials used.

Supplies used:
Xyron:
Creative Station Lite
Permanent Adhesive Cartridge
Laminate /Magnet Cartridge

Dies:
Tim Holtz Sizzix
Bat Crazy ( Sizzix / SB )
Frightful Things ( Sizzix / SB )
Twisted Edge - retired
Rickety House - retired
Bewitching Hour - retired
On the Edge die, Graveyard - retired
Branch Tree - retired
multiple Movers & Shapers dies - retired

Other:
Tim Holtz Layering Stencil - Falling Stars

Ranger Archival Ink

Stickles glitter glue
DecoArt Fluid Acrylics - Green Gold, Viridian, Cobalt Blue Hue, Cerulean Blue, Metallic Gold
Crystal Clear Acrylic Spray
fun foam
painters' tape

Store links in this post may be affiliate links which do not affect the price you pay but allow me to earn a small percentage of a sale. Thanks! (My husband also thanks you!) If you go shopping at Topflight Stamps, use my code LISAHOEL for 10% off your order.

Haunted Halloween House Steampunk Style

Well it's the weekend before Halloween and I'm getting a few last minute projects finished! Today I have a cute little haunted house to share with you, made using Eileen Hull's House Ornament Die and a whole bunch of Tim Holtz's new Halloween Dies. I think it's great fun and you can put a little battery operated tea light inside.

Those ghosts make me laugh!

It looks really cool lit up too:

I had a random wood spool in my stash that I used as a base:

Did I mention that these ghosts crack me up? =)

I love the look of the Foundry embossed house. Doesn't it look like real metal?? I put foil tape over matboard and ran it through my Big Shot. Black paint rubbed into the details and then wiped off really shows off the design.

One tip for putting the house together. I cut off both of the bottom flaps from the house side parts. Usually you just cut off one and then the other one forms the bottom of your house ornament but I wanted it to be able to sit on top of a tea light.

Thanks for stopping by!

Check out Eileen's blog and if you are not already a member, join the Facebook Eileen Hull Fan Club group. It is a warm, supportive group with lots of inspiration and sharing going on. You'll just have to answer a few simple questions when asking to join (to keep out spammers) and then you'll be added. ;-)

I am entering this into the October Vintage Journey challenge, Inky Wings. I have lovely bats flying around and I used ink to distress the various little diecuts AND I'm also entering this into The Funkie Junkie Boutique It Looks Real Challenge because it looks like the house is made of metal but it is really matboard with foil tape embossed in a 3-D folder. (I think that is a run on sentence, oops.) And last but not least, I have to enter my little steampunk haunted house into the SanDee & amelie's October Steampunk Challenge.

Supplies used:

Dies:
Eileen Hull Sizzix
House Ornament ( Sizzix / SB )

Tim Holtz Sizzix
Bat Crazy ( Sizzix / SB )
Frightful Things ( Sizzix / SB )
Ghost Town ( Sizzix / SB )
3-D Texture Fade - Foundry ( Sizzix / SB )
Gadget Gears 2 

Other:

Distress Inks
Distress Paint - Black Soot
iCraft Decofoil Metallix gel - Glazed Pewter
Stickles glitter glue
black wire
foil tape
Sizzix matboard

Store links in this post may be affiliate links which do not affect the price you pay but allow me to earn a small percentage of a sale. Thanks! (My husband also thanks you!) If you go shopping at Topflight Stamps, use my code LISAHOEL for 10% off your order.

Haunted Halloween House
by MonalisaH -Lisa Hoel
Scrapbook.com

Spooky Halloween Pocket Notebook Journal

Happy Monday y'all! Cool stamps from Topflight Stamps and Eileen Hull's new Pocket Notebook Die are a match made in heaven! Perfectly spooky, this journal is full of the Halloween vibe:

You know me; I can't resist adding charms to my journals.

I love the owl stamp!

The Pocket Notebook can be made in variable spine widths. For this one, I made it so it could hold five signatures:

Tutorial time!!

Step 1 – I created some Gel Press monprints to adhere to Matboard substrate that I cut the journal out of. I used lighter paint tones for the outside cover sheets and more warm fall colors for the inside sheets. After using Eileen Hull Easy Cut Adhesive to attach the prints to the matboard, I die cut the Notebook cover pieces out. I also die cut my front "frame" piece and painted it with the Fresco Chalk paints so it would look rusty.

I also added some of Seth Apter's Chunky Rust Embossing Powder for even more texture.

Step 2 – I stamped on the covers and embossed the leaves with detail black embossing powder. I used   watered down DecoArt Media Liquid Acrylics to paint inside the embossed images with vivid fall colors. The owl image I watercolored and then glued into its "frame".

Step 3 – I assembled the cover and glued on the rusty frame pieces.

Step 4 – I used black elastic cording to lace up the binding for the signatures. I need to play around with this and come up with a better lacing pattern for a five signature configuration. I don't like how there are two empty spaces on the outside of the spine.

Step 5 – The signatures are simple. I used pattered paper from my stash for the signature covers and a brown recycled stock for the inside pages. Using the elastic for binding makes it really easy to insert the signatures. After I stitched each little signature booklet, I just had to slip it under one of the elastic bands in the spine of the journal.

Thanks for stopping by! Check out Eileen's blog and if you are not already a member, join the Facebook Eileen Hull Fan Club group. It is a warm, supportive group with lots of inspiration and sharing going on. You'll just have to answer a few simple questions when asking to join (to keep out spammers) and then you'll be added. ;-) Also be sure to check out the Topflight Stamps blog for even more inspiration.

I am entering this journal in the It's Halloween! Challenge over at the Funkie Junkie Blog as well as the Mini Album Makers October Challenge.

Supplies used!

Topflight Stamps Products:
IndigoBlu stamp set - Autumn Nights
Crafty Individuals stamp set - The Crow Plate
Visible Image - Scripted Streets
Seth Apter Baked Texture Embossing Powder - Chunky Rust
PaperArtsy Fresco Paint - Mahogany, Chalk, Smoked Paprika
Gel Press Plate

Dies:
Sizzix
Eileen Hull Pocket Notebook ( Sizzix / SB )
Tim Holtz Voltage ( Sizzix / SB )
Tim Holtz Postage Stamp Frame - retired

Other:

Sizzix Sizzles Matboard
Eileen Hull Easy Cut Adhesive
owl charm
DecoArt Media Liquid Acrylics - Diarylide Yellow, Cadmium Red Hue, Cadmium Orange Hue, Quinacridone Burnt Orange, Burnt Sienna
Tim Holtz Halloween Clippings stickers
Detail Black embossing powder
elastic
watercolors

Some links in this post are affiliate links which do not affect the price you pay but allow me to earn a small percentage of a sale. Thanks! (My husband also thanks you!) If you shop at Topflight Stamps, use my coupon code LISAHOEL for 12% off your order.