Carrie's Custom Crafts

New items

2011-04-08T14:19:00.000-07:00

Just a few new items I've recently done!

OWH May Flower Garden Challenge #6

2010-05-01T17:36:00.000-07:00

Just found this patterned paper in one of my Stampin' Up stacks. Loving the combo of So Saffron and Pretty in Pink. Very springy.

OWH Thankful to be green challenge #4

2010-05-01T14:29:00.000-07:00

This challenge is so great because it forces me to use a color other than pink!

OWH Birthday Challenge #3

2010-05-01T12:33:00.000-07:00

This one uses the Stampin' Up set Crazy for Cupcakes. Love it.

Hair bows with Jelly Beads

2010-05-01T09:07:00.000-07:00

These are a few of my latest hair bow creations using polymer clay beads from Jelly Beads Designs. You can find her at http://www.jellybeadsdesigns.com or on Etsy. I just love that Strawberry Shortcake.

OWH Punny Challenge

2010-05-01T08:43:00.000-07:00

I love this Stampin' Up Puns from the Past set. I was running short on time for this card, so I just threw together something simple. And please ignore the blob of glue showing above my ribbon! Thank goodness it dries clear. Haha!

Movie night

2010-04-17T08:33:00.000-07:00

What do you get for the guy who has everything? How about a night out with his wife? That's exactly what I did for my brother's birthday - I gave him a gift card to the movie theater, and was inspired to make this card using the Archiver's exclusive Quickutz filmstrip border, and the oldie, but goody, QK 2x2 popcorn die. I popped up some of the popcorn pieces with some 3D Zots. The font in the inside is Aquarius.

Cat in the Hat Diaper Cake

2010-04-17T08:26:00.000-07:00

This is a recent project that I created for a baby shower at work. I looked up instructions online for how to make a diaper cake and for how to do the cloth covered diapers. With a little help on the sewing from my mom, the cake was really simple to put together. It came together quickly, and turned out even better than I expected!

Vintage Inspiration

2010-01-31T13:36:00.000-08:00

Scrap-mart is having another wonderful challenge on their blog. This one is for a Tim Holtz signed Sizzix die. They have a gorgeous vintage photo for us to use for our cardmaking information. If you would like to play along, visit their blog - http://scrapmart.squarespace.com/journal/2010/1/28/who-wants-a-new-sizzix-tim-holtz-die.html. Deadline is Feb. 4, 2010.

Made to match

2010-01-31T13:33:00.000-08:00

I made this card using the Quickutz paper dolls, and a variety of other QK dies to match Cadence's birthday gift - an adorable embroidered apron from http://www.etsy.com/shop/tinygreenapples.

Princess bows

2010-01-03T13:03:00.000-08:00

This is a card I did for a friend's little girl, and I was very pleased with the results. The princesses are ribbon sculptures on alligator clippies, and I attached them to the front of the card, so this is part card and part gift. The Snow White one was the most difficult to make because of those curls on the side of her head, but overall, I think they turned out pretty well for my first attempt!

Tutus!

2010-01-01T09:53:00.000-08:00

I made a couple of tutus for the craft show at my son's school. Oddly enough, the pink one sold, but the one done in the school colors did not. It is blue, yellow, and white. If you are interested in purchasing it, please send me a convo on my etsy site!

Bow creations

2010-01-01T09:43:00.000-08:00

These are some of my bow creations that I have sold to friends, and am trying to sell on Etsy. The polymer clay centers are from Candylandbeads on Etsy, and I think they just make the bows complete. Her work is adorable! I have really enjoyed perfecting this latest craft; unfortunately, I still haven't found the best outlet for selling them. I guess I'm not much of a salesman!

Finally Friday Hobby Challenge - Michelle

2009-09-03T20:41:00.000-07:00

My friend Michelle created this gorgeous layout for my Finally Friday challenge at www.spcolorcombos.com, incorporating her hobby of gardening with scrapbooking. Look closely and you will see dried flowers used as embellishments on this layout. Simply beautiful. Michelle doesn't have a blog, so I am sharing this layout on my blog. Hope it inspires you as much as it does me!

SPCC #12

2009-08-31T20:09:00.000-07:00

Well, I've been a little behind on getting to this challenge, but not for lack of enthusiasm over the color combo. The minute I saw this combo, rather than summer, I thought winter! It reminded me of my daughter's winter vest and scooter that she received for Christmas, so I wanted to create a layout for those pics with this challenge. Unfortunately, my week has been busy! I took this evening off though, and whipped up this layout. I may be too late to participate in the contest, but I still wanted to play along.
The papers are Hobby Lobby brand, and the die cuts are Quickutz's Fiesta alphabet and Bosskut's scooter.

Check out the other fun projects at www.spcolorcombos.blogspot.com.

It's me!

2009-08-31T18:24:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm a little late in posting here, but I was honored to host last week's Finally Friday challenge over at www.spcolorcombos.blogspot.com. My challenge is one of mixing hobbies, so be sure to go check it out at http://spcolorcombos.blogspot.com/2009/08/its-finally-friday_28.html.

While you're there, take a look at some of the awesome color challenges and other fun things Samantha has going on.

SPCC Finally Friday Challenge - Fancy Borders

2009-08-25T18:50:00.000-07:00

This week's Finally Friday challenge is to create something with a fancy border, so my interpretation of that is sewing a fancy border onto my cards. These are some cards I have created for my Stampin' Up group's card swap, and because I couldn't decide on which color to do, everyone in the group is getting a different color scheme. The papers, stamps, ink, and some of the ribbons are Stampin' Up. The Happy Birthday phrase is Quickutz. Don't forget to check out some of the awesome projects that other people have done at www.spcolorcombos.blogspot.com. These people are seriously inspiring!

SPCC color combo challenge #11

2009-08-19T15:44:00.000-07:00

This week's color combo is so great. I love the green and brown together. I actually had the Creative Imaginations golf ball paper already cut for my dad's birthday card, but I couldn't figure out what to do as an accent color until I saw this week's challenge. The colors work so well together! The sentiment says "Don't 'FORE'-get....to have a great birthday!" I was going to type the sentiment, but I'm running short on time these days, so I just hand wrote it. It's not my favorite, but it works, and since it is for my dad, I know he would love anything I do! Go check out the other great projects at http://www.spcolorcombos.blogspot.com

SPCC color combo challenge #10

2009-08-11T21:04:00.001-07:00

Well, I had so much fun with last week's color challenge at the SPCC blog that I decided to try again (plus, this week's prize is AWESOME!!!). Anyway, this combo was way harder for me for a couple of reasons - 1) I don't own any pale plum...or anything that close to it, really, and 2) I don't have any patterned paper or inks or stamps that could be used to really pull the look together. So, I found this polka dot paper in my stash that sort of matched a few of the colors, except it had red dots instead of orange dots. I wanted to figure out a way to cover up those red dots with some Pumpkin Pie orange, but I opened a box and remembered these fun felt flowers...which just happened to be the perfect orange color! Voila! Problem solved. The patterned paper and flowers are Hobby Lobby's brand, the letters are Quickutz, and the stitching templates are Bazzill In Stitch'z.

Hopefully, I will get to keep playing along every week, but it's back to my day job this week as school starts on Thursday. Maybe one project a week wouldn't be too hard to get accomplished.
Thanks for looking, and be sure to check out the rest of the wonderful projects at http://spcolorcombos.blogspot.com/.

Robbyn's Finally Friday Challenge at SPCC

2009-08-11T20:52:00.000-07:00

I loved this challenge over at SPCC because I love the look of monochromatic, but I rarely attempt it because I think it can be kind of hard to pull off. After looking at some of what the other ladies did, I was inspired! There are some really talented paper crafters out there. This is my take on the challenge - a yellow thank you card. All the products are Stampin' Up's So Saffron. Yellow is such a pretty and cheery color, so it was fun to do the mono look with it.
Be sure to check out some of the other entries here -
http://spcolorcombos.blogspot.com/2009/08/finally-friday.html

New Hair Bows for sale on Etsy!

2009-08-08T08:29:00.000-07:00

I am loving these polymer clay beads as bow centers. They are made by www.candylandbeads.etsy.com.

SPCC color combo challenge #9

2009-08-07T20:19:00.000-07:00

I was doing a bit of blog hopping the other day, and I came across this fun blog called Scrapmaster's Paradise Color Combos: http://spcolorcombos.blogspot.com/. The head "diva," Samantha, has put together some awesome color combo challenges and invites people to use either Stampin' Up colors or similar colors to complete their projects - cards, layouts, altered items, etc. I am seriously deficient in combining colors, so this blog is perfect for me. I'm one of those people who just doesn't see it unless it is already combined in a patterned paper or something like that. This week's colors are just beautiful...some of my favorite colors, actually!

I chose to create a first birthday card because these colors said "Princess" to me, but then they said "cupcake," so I did a cupcake card for a little birthday princess complete with sparkly paper. The only SU products on this card are the ink, stamp, and tag punches. (I am pretty new to SU, so I don't have enough resources yet to do the full color combos using SU products...someday...a girl can dream, right?) The cupcake and #1 candle are Quickutz.

Florida Scrapbook

2009-08-06T20:36:00.001-07:00

Here is the 8X8 album that I made for our trip to Florida this summer. It was quick and pretty easy because I used sketches from Page Maps, Creating Keepsakes, and other blogs and websites.

I know it is only August...

2009-08-04T12:42:00.000-07:00

...but I'm one of those people who starts thinking about Christmas gifts well in advance. These are a few things that I made last year, and I was just browsing through some old pictures to get some ideas for this year. The wreath is one that I made for my brother and his wife. Wreath-making was actually one of my first creative endeavors. I saw some awesome wreaths at a craft show when I was in college, and I wanted to give it a try myself. I think I've made wreaths for just about everyone I know.

The other projects are altered treat buckets and matching clothes pins which can be used for displaying pictures or Christmas cards. I put cookies and fudge in the tins.

The most labor intensive card ever...

2009-08-03T11:34:00.000-07:00

This card took forever because it is hand cross stitched directly onto the paper. The end result was well worth it though. I'm very excited about the way this card turned out.

Fancy cupcake bow and gift tag

2009-08-03T11:32:00.000-07:00

I thought this combo might look really cute attached to a gift bag for a little girl's birthday.

Hair bow creations for friends

2009-08-03T11:26:00.000-07:00

Here are some custom order hair bows that I have been working on for my friends.

Cards and Hair bows

2009-08-03T11:23:00.000-07:00

Lately, I have been combining my two obsessions and creating these hair bow cards. The bows make a cute decoration for the card, but then they can be slipped off and worn. These are my flower clippies.

My new obsession

2009-06-29T16:42:00.000-07:00

I sure have been having fun making bows for Cadence this past week now that I've figured out how to get her hair in pigtails. I think this could quickly turn into an obsession. I'm thinking about making some to try to sell on the Etsy site as well.

My summer project

2009-06-13T15:28:00.000-07:00

Thanks to my friends at Scrap-mart, I went to check out www.cardsforheroes.org, and that inspired me to get creative in supporting our troops. I am getting ready to send a shipment of cards that I have made, but I'm also doing a promotion on the etsy site. So far, I've been disappointed in the results, but I'm still hoping that the cards will sell and donations will be made. Actually, I'm a little frustrated with etsy in general. It seems like the market is pretty flooded, and I just don't know what to do to promote myself without spending any money. In the meantime, I just keep making cards because I can't stop myself from doing it!

Here is my little blurb that I write on all my etsy card descriptions:
This summer, my project is to help support www.cardsforheroes.org by creating a coordinating card to send to the troops for the cards I sell on Etsy. These special listings will also be slightly more expensive because 50% of the cost will be donated to this organization along with the extra card in order to help out with their shipping costs. So, here is how it works, for every card I post this summer, there will actually be two cards shown. You will buy the main card for yourself, and the other card will be sent in your name to Cards for Heroes who will then send the card to a United States service man or woman. He or she can use the card to send a special message home to family or friends. (By the way, if you don't need the other card for yourself, you can message me at the time of purchase and send BOTH cards to Cards for Heroes). Along with your card, a portion of the purchase price will be sent along as a donation. This is a wonderful organization, and I hope you will help me support them!

And here are some of my cards-

Baby tin

2009-05-09T07:39:00.000-07:00

This tin was created for twin baby girls. I used Tres Jolie papers and Quickutz ladybug and flower. I love the colors on this tin. My Stampin' Up Certainly Celery and So Saffron ribbon match perfectly.

A couple of Cadence layouts

2009-05-09T07:33:00.000-07:00

The Christmas layout is based on a Becky's Sketch from her first Creating Keepsakes book. Those fun letters are Making Memories Puffy Alpha Stickers in pink and green. The second layout is based on a Bingo challenge that Veronica at Scrap-mart did for National Scrapbook Day. You had to pick items to use in your layout based on her "Bingo" card. You had to go vertical, horizontal, or diagonal, and use those items somewhere in your layout. This layout had to use ribbon, flowers, and 5 brads.

Two more Scrap-mart challenges

2009-05-09T07:28:00.000-07:00

The Jell-o pudding layout is based on a Veronica sketch, and I used the Quickutz Fiesta font and the Archiver's exclusive brackets. The caterpillar layout is based on a "Funky titles" challenge. I used the Fiesta font again with Chemistry. The little caterpillar is from a Cricut cartridge...Stretch Your Imagination, I believe.

New projects

2009-05-09T07:20:00.000-07:00

This is one of my recent scrapbook pages based on a sketch challenge at Scrap-mart. I used Quickutz alphabets, Stiletto and Chemistry, and the flower border.

Scrap-mart contest

2009-03-17T11:15:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite places to buy Quickutz products is doing a fun little contest, and I'm all about trying to get as many tickets as I can, so here goes. They have posted two sketches, one for a card, and one for a layout, and I have just completed the card (who knows if I will have time to complete the layout before the deadline). I get more chances to win by posting my creations to my blog, and I would also get chances if any of you out there want to play along too! (The deadline is noon on Thursday, March 19). Check out http://www.scrap-mart.blogspot.com/ for more info.

Some older projects

2009-02-17T15:45:00.000-08:00

These are a few cards and scrapbook pages that I have made in the last year or two. I don't currently have any of these for sale, so these are just examples of the work I do. Some of the products that I've used to create these cards and pages are no longer available, but if there is a design you like, you can convo with me on my etsy site, and we can come up with something that will work for you.

Some more favorite cards

2009-02-14T14:28:00.001-08:00

Some of my favorite products are QuicKutz and Stampin' Up. The QuicKutz die cut shapes are all so cute, and Stampin' Up products are quick and easy to use because they are all color coordinated. Lately, I have been fascinated by Bazzill's In Stitch'z stitching templates. They are a bit time consuming, but they are fun to use and create a great effect on cards and scrapbook pages.

These aliens and the word "Wish" were created with QuicKutz dies.

For this card, the scallops circle is a QuicKutz nesting die, nesting flowers, and the word "birthday" is from the Metro skinniminni alphabet. The word "happy" is done with the Bazzill In Stitch'z template.

This card was made with QuicKutz and In Stitch'z, and the green felt star is from Hobby Lobby.

I found this vintage style paper at the scrapbook store in Stillwater, Oklahoma. It works perfectly with the Stampin' Up set "Puns from the Past."

This is one of my favorite QuicKutz dies. I just love giraffes. The word "wild" is created from stickers by Reminisce (love their products, by the way).

Some of my cards

2009-02-14T10:31:00.000-08:00

Here are some of my cards. Lately, cupcakes have been my thing.

My website

2009-02-14T10:30:00.001-08:00

Here is my etsy website:

www.carriescustomcrafts.etsy.com

Happy Valentine's Day!

My first blog entry

2009-02-14T10:22:00.000-08:00

Hello all!

I have never kept a blog before. I never even kept a diary. I thought this might be a good idea because I am trying to help my card making business grow, and I haven't had a lot of success on etsy, ebay, or shophandmade. After trying all three of those websites, I have decided to stick with etsy, which was my original choice. Listing on etsy.com is simple and cost effective; unfortunately, the market is pretty flooded in my area. I will sell something from time-to-time, but I would really like to get some more exposure. I'm not much of a sales person though, so it has been difficult for me to promote my products. I'm just too scared to ask store owners if I can leave a stack of business cards on their counters. So, I'm trying this, and we'll see how it goes. Hopefully, as time progresses, I will get better at this whole blog thing, so be patient with me!

Thanks for stopping by!