Q & A. Wizard of Oz Die Cuts Ideas

It's been a while since we've had a Q & A post.  This time the question comes from me.  My kids are obsessed with the Wizard of Oz.  I stopped in at my local scrapbooking store and saw these.  I knew I had to get them.  I got two sets.  They also include the Wicked Witch.

Have I mentioned here that my son loves to throw water on me when he's upset?  He tries to make me melt.  I try to tell him that good witches don't melt.  He never seems convinced. 

So, I'm wondering what to do with these.  Any suggestions?  So far all I can come up with is attaching them to craft sticks and making them into little puppets.  I'm guessing they are about 4 inches tall. 

What would you do with these?

Q & A Formula Can Crafts

A while ago, Kristi from The Perkins Clan asked me a question for me to answer here on Q & A.  By the time I had gathered some formula cans and started to work on some projects, she had her own flash of inspiration and used some to keep puzzle pieces and toys organized.  I had a few ideas myself and today I'll show you one of the options I came up with.

My kids are of the age now where they are getting the concept of money.  They like to go to the store and buy things.  We're trying to teach them how to save for things and in our family, we tithe 10% of our income.  I wanted a way for them to be able to have a piggy bank where they can divide their money between what they can spend and what they should tithe. 

  The bank I made for my son is beaded.  To help me with the beading, I used the Tool-Light.  More about that later…

I used 12.9 oz formula cans.  You'll want to make sure they are cleaned out and you can rip off the outer paper. 

Cut a strip of paper 4 3/8" X 13 1/2".  This will wrap all the way around.  I didn't have any paper that length so I used a 12 X 12 inch piece and cut an extra 1 1/2 inches to cover the seam.   Just add glue to the wrong side of the paper and then roll the can over the top of it.  Press to get out any air bubbles.  Set aside to dry.

I added a double-sided sticky shape to the can.  Attach one side but leave the red backing on until you're ready to cover it with beads or glitter.  Once you take  it off, you can start placing the beads. 

I used the tool-light to help me with this.  It did an okay job of picking up the beads but it wasn't as easy as I thought it would be.  I actually did a better job using my fingers.  I'm going to give tool-light the benefit of the doubt and think that maybe I didn't choose the right project.  However, I don't know if I'll be able to use it again because my husband wants it for his own tool box.  They are well made and come with plenty of batteries so you don't have to worry about the lights going out anytime soon.  If you are a jeweler or are in need of tweezer type tools for your craft, they are worth a look.  The light is such a great bonus!

I made another one for my daughter.  She picked out the paper herself.  I used scissors to cut the coin slots in the lid.  We glued a piece of paper inside the can to separate the two areas.

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I had some pom-pom fringe leftover from the February Craft Challenge.  I think it turned out really well.  I used a ribbon instead of another strip of paper to cover the seam on this bank.

I have a lot more ideas (and cans!) for this Q & A so you'll be seeing more formula can crafts here over the next several days.  Do you have a favorite way to use your leftover cans? 

You have a little while longer to get in on the Martha Stewart book giveaway.  Comment here. 

Q & A. Envelope and Paper Suppliers

Today's question comes from Kaitlyn of Bright Life in Nebraska. She asked me this question via Facebook and I thought it would make a great Q & A topic.

Q: I wanted to ask you where you buy envelopes from? I usually get my stuff from PaperSource but the envelopes are $5.50 for 10. Any place cheap you know of? Or just paper material for that matter. I love PaperSources colors but not so much the prices.

A: The quick answer is, I get my envelopes from Office Depot. For just plain white invitation size envelopes, you can't beat it. You get a pack of 100 for $7.39. I usually wait for a sale or when I have a good coupon (like $10 off a $30 purchase), I stock up. If I want to fancy them up a bit, I cut a piece of decorative paper to line the inside of the flap or stamp on the outside to match the card.

For special sized cards, I make my own envelopes. This is not very difficult and is a quick project. I'll post a tutorial for that tomorrow.

There are a lot of great resources online for envelopes of all sizes.

Paper Presentation offers envelopes, folders, labels, paper, etc...

Jam Paper offers a lot of great office supplies as well.



For paper, I stick with Stampin' UP. Sure, I happen to know how to get it for a good deal (see the link above) but besides that I really love it. The colors are great, it is high quality, and the colors coordinate with all of their other products (including designer paper and stamp pads). Pictured are the Carousel Notes. They are big scallop cards with coordinating envelopes.

The Paper Mill Store has a large variety of paper and matching envelopes. They have cardstock in a variety of sizes (including 12 X 12) and a decent color selection.

I'm sure some of my readers wouldn't mind sharing their favorite paper and/or envelope resource. Where do you buy your favorite?

Q & A. Beginning Card Maker Supplies

This question comes from Melessa at But I Digress.

Q: My 7 year old loves to make cards. What basic supplies should I buy to get her started?

A: Great question! Starting a new hobby can be a little overwhelming with all of the supplies that are available. I hope that in this post I can give you a few ideas on how to get your child started.
This Melissa and Doug Deluxe Stamp Set is a great starter kit for kids. I actually have this kit in my Amazon shopping cart to get for my own daughter. It includes a wide variety of stamps, a few different colors of ink pads, and some colored pencils. Like most Melissa and Doug products, it comes in a wooden storage box so it should be easier to keep the supplies together. Include a pack of cardstock or some pre cut cards and she'll be ready to go!

If you don't know if stamping is the what she'd like to do, you might stock up on some great paper and stickers.




You can usually find good deals on these "stacks" at the big craft stores. I'm still using up paper from a 12 X 12 stack I bought over 2 years ago.

The great thing about making cards is that you really don't many tools. *I can't believe I wrote that as I'm surrounded by lots and lots of tools that I use to make cards* What I should say is that to make most cards, only a few essential tools are necessary. The most important would be scissors and adhesive. As the parent, you'll have the best idea on what kinds of tools are appropriate for your child to handle so I won't go into too much detail on the tools.

If she's ready to take it to the next level, I'd introduce ribbons, buttons, and/or brads. These are fun and easy embellishments that can really add a lot to a card (and make your daughter feel like a craft superstar).


Have a craft question for me? Email me at christy AT christynelson DOT net

Q & A. How Should I Wrap Up Handmade Cards?

This will hopefully be the first of many Q & A sessions here on christynelson.net. The very first question is brought to us by Kristi of the Perkins Clan.

Q: I made some cards for my mom for Christmas, and I'm trying to figure out how to package them. Any suggestion, craft queen?
Thanks!
Kristi

A: What a great question! There are so many great options out there and it can be a little overwhelming. We're talking about standard 4 1/4" X 5 1/2" cards (A2) right now so my suggestions will fit that particular size. However, many of these options can be sized up or down to fit whatever size cards you prefer to make.




1. Card Box. This box was made using the tutorial from Splitcoast Stampers. The tutorial also includes ways that this box can be scaled down for cards of other sizes. This sort of wrapping is also a great idea because you can have the box match the cards and be a part of the actual gift. It is always nice to have something pretty to hold cards.

2. Tote Box. This cute little paper tote is perfect for holding a set of handstamped cards. There is a video tutorial at the Chic N' Scratch Stampin' Academy.

3. Other box templates. This webpage has a list of packaging templates to fill a wide variety of box needs.

4. Ribbon. Never underestimate the power of ribbon. Simplicity at its finest. This is how I "wrap" most of my card sets. The reason? I have lots of ribbon and I'm lazy. Actually, by the time I finish making the cards, the last thing I want to do is make something to put them in. I realize that this option isn't always the best choice.


5. Card File Box. Probably not the most attractive option but for sheer functionality, this is a great option. I use one of these in my office to organize all the cards I forget to send out. They come with dividers so you could even label the dividers for the card topics: birthday, thank you, congratulations, get well, etc... I'm sure if you had time, or wanted to, you could fancy up the container a bit.

Do you have a crafty question you'd like me to answer in a blog post? Email me:

christy AT christynelson DOT net