December Crafty Secrets Linky Party and Blog Hop

Hi All!!

It's the first Monday of December which brings us to the wonderful

Crafty Secrets December linky blog hop where all the Design Team gets 

together to bring you not only inspiring projects,

but tutorials as well!

For my project this month I decided to make a fun 

tri-fold calendar card.

Each year Crafty Secrets gives us FREE calendar printables

to use for our projects...these are available to you as well!

I started with a piece of 8 1/2 x 11" card stock cut in half lengthwise.

Score 1 piece at 5" and 10"

Cut the second piece to 5 1/2" and score at 2 1/2" and 5" as shown.

Fold the 5" in a mountain fold and the 2 1/2"" fold to a valley fold.

Use a bone folder to crease well.

Add scor-tape to small flaps on both pieces as shown.

Adhere flaps as shown.

Now that you have your base made, decorate as desired.

I used Crafty Secrets Retro Kitchen for my background paper

and

Crafty Secrets Heartwarming Vintage Creative Scraps Little Blessings

to complete my calendar card.

I think these would make a wonderful gift!

Here are the links to the blog hop....

take a peek and be sure to enter

your project using a Crafty Secrets product

to be eligible for the fabulous prize offered.

There are a ton of "free" digitals for you to use!

Crafty Secrets Blog http://heartwarmingvintage.blogspot.com/

Kathy Clement http://www.kathybydesign.com

Ginny Nemchak: https://pollyspaper.wordpress.com

Michele Kovack http://chelemom.blogspot.com/

Sheila Rumney http://www.sheilarumney.com/

Shantaie Caudill-Fowler www.inkingpink.com

Diane Hover nelliesnest.blogspot.com/

Joy Love & Peace

I sure seem to be getting a head start on my Christmas cards this year.

Having an endless amount of beautiful digitals from

Crafty Secrets to choose from sure makes it easy!

I printed a wonderful deer from the Deer Christmas Digital Stamp Set 124

I kept it a bit simple, but it was well glittered with a green glitter pen.

The words are outlined as well with a silver glitter pen.

The deer was colored in with Copics.

I added a bit of glitter holly at the top and a red cardinal.

A bow and a vintage button finished it off.

Take a peek over at the Crafty Secrets online store, 

it is a very quick and reasonable way to get several

Christmas cards sent out!

Visit the Crafty Secrets Heartwarming Vintage blog as well...

plenty of inspiration there!!

Retro Christmas Scrap Tags

Ho Ho Ho...lol

Are we getting ready for Christmas yet???

Sure does sneak up on us doesn't it?

One of the things I most enjoy is the wrappings,

even more then the gifts I think.

Sometimes I think the wrappings are far way better then the gift..LOL!!

Each year, my sister, niece, and daughter (and myself) do a countdown to Christmas.

We include my Mom, too, but being 88 we don't expect her to shop!

We buy each other 8 gifts, we shop year round,

then starting Dec 1st, we each get to open a gift a day until the big day...

the 25th!!

We get together on the 3rd of December,

each bring some yummy food...

stuff our faces, then we each open one gift from each other.

Which brings me to what today's post is all about....

SCRAP TAGS!

I always make as many of my own tags for this get-together as I can

and when I saw 

Crafty Secrets Heartwarming Vintage Cuts

Retro Christmas Digital Download Sheet,

they just screamed TAGS to me!!

I am calling them scrap tags, as each and every one was made with

things I had previous cut and not used, snippets of ribbons I couldn't

make myself throw away, and bits and pieces of scrap papers!

Some of tags open like these will....

with the 'To and From' inside

Here are a few more I made....

There are 10 in total made from just one printed sheet!

 Look like fun?

Head on over to Crafty Secrets and take a peek at all

the wonderful selections available for Christmas....

make some tags of your own...

they make your gift giving even more special!

Entering the following challenges:
Crafty Gals Corner .... Scraps
Digitally Sweet .... All About The Title

Merry Christmas

I am back again with one of the cutest little images

from Crafty Secrets.

Actually this is from a piece of the beautiful digital papers 

from Crafty Secrets Retro Christmas CD5.

 I just love these little snow babies and can't seem to quit using them!

(I have another in the works, too :>) )

I kept this card rather simple so it would be easy to mail

by just adding a few stitched snowflakes with gems,

snow drifts and a twine bow with snowflake charm.

I love how it turned out...so cute, clean and simple...

these digitals really allow you to  put together

some fast, fun, and creative cards.

Visit our Crafty Secrets Heartwarming Vintage blog

for more creative ideas and of course don't forget to shop at

the Crafty Secrets online store, where there just happens to be a 

BIG sale going on!

Entering the following challenges:
C.R.A.F.T. Challenge .... Christmas
Southern Girls .... Twine/Tape/Ribbon
Alphabet Challenge .... "T" is for "Tis The Season"
Christmas Stampin All Year Long .... ATG

November Crafty Secrets Linky Party and Blog Hop

I'ts the first Monday  in November....

which you know what that means?

It's the first day of the

Crafty Secrets Linky challenge and blog Hop!!

Our Theme this month is

"Visions of Sugar Plums".

For my project I chose to create vintage ornaments!

So easy and so rewarding when done!

All the images and papers used are from
Crafty Secrets Vintage Christmas CD #6

I purchased 2 chipboard ornaments.

I did cut the hangers off the top,

used my Crop-a-dial to cut holes for "new"  cords.

Select images and papers, print.

Trace your ornaments on your printed papers,

twice on each paper,

one for the front of the ornament,

one for the back.

Cut out.

Coat each ornament with Modge Podge,

add papers.

Add trim around the outer edges.

On this ornament I also came back and added glitter.

Decorate with what you have on hand.

I used snowflakes, buttons, bird, vintage piece of jewelry.

jingle bells, ribbon etc.

I hope you will give these a try

as they would make great gifts!

Now head on over to my teammates blogs for more beautiful inspiration
in our 
"Visions of Sugar Plums" blog hop.

Here is the list of the hop in order....all links are here in case you get lost along the way.

Kathy Clement

Ginny Nemchak

Sheila Rumney

Michele Kovack ...you should have come from here to

Diane Hover (that's me)...next on the hop is

Shantaie Fowler

You can also visit the 
Crafty Secrets Heartwarming Vintage blog HERE
where all the links will be

Entering the following challenges:
Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas Challenge Extra .... ATG
Bunny Zoe's Crafts Monthy Challenge.... Shabby Chic Christmas
Make My Monday .... Shabby Chic
The Crazy Challenge .... Vintage
Inkspirational ... ATG With Silver

Crafty Secrets = Adorable

Can you say "adorable"....lol

That is what this darling image is from Crafty Secrets 

Retro Christmas CD #5!!

I love, love this image,

it reminds of a cute vintage little piece of decor

I purchased for my Mom years ago.

No, it's not the snowbabies you see now days,

but the most darling little figurine you will ever see!

I couldn't help myself by adding
"GLITTER"
to her little fur pieces!!

There are 3 more images of these little sweeties 

you will see debuting on my blog in the future!

The pretty blue background paper is from the same 

Crafty Secrets Retro Christmas CD.

I used one of my very favorite snow embossing folders

and added a gorgeous Spellbinder die cut 

under my image which was cut out with

Memory Box Stitched Circle layers

another very favorite die of mine!

To finish I added a pretty double bow, 

the white bow was just a snippet

I had laying on my table...

always feels so good to use up those little pieces!

 A snowflake button was the finish!

Don't miss out on the sale going on at Crafty Secrets,

some fabulous deals due to Crafty Secrets

going completely digital....take a peek!

Visit our blog Heartwarming Vintage for

inspiration and ideas using the Crafty Secrets products!!

PS:  Visit here and on the Crafty Secrets blog

tomorrow for our 

November Crafty Secrets linky blog hop!

WOW, I have seen the creations and they are

FABULOUS!!

Entering the following challenges!
Pixie's Snippets Playground Week 201
Memory Box #6 .... Glitter
Craft-Dee Bowz .... ATG/Handmade Bow
All Sorts ....  Christmas 
ABC Challenge .... "U" is for unlimited

Whole Lot of Shakin' Going On

There's a "whole lot of shakin' going on at the Hover home with these

Crafty Secrets Halloween Party shakers!!

These were super easy to make as I already had the "shaker parts"

constructed and just waiting to be used!

The shakers are made from a small round paper mache box

that I had already painted black and glued the lids on after adding rice

for the "shake".

The wood dowels were in place as well....

all I had to do was decorate.

I started by using circles cut from the vintage images

using Crafty Secrets Creating With Vintage Halloween CD #4

and

Crafty Secrets Creative Scraps Halloween Greeting.

(backs)

After the circles were glued on front and back,

I added rick rack around each.

A paper trim was glued around each.

I wrapped ribbon around the dowel rods,

tied on tulle and various other ribbons

and I had myself fun Halloween Party Shakers!

Take a peek at the Heartwarming Vintage Crafty Secrets blog

and visit the Crafty Secrets store.....

always not only great products but a great sale going on too!!

Entering the following challenges:
Decorate To Celebrate .... ATG
That Craft Place .... Halloween
Crafty Calendar .... Halloween
Dragons Lair .... Halloween

Family Traditions

Welcome to the October Crafty Secrets Linky Challenge and Blog Hop. Our theme this month is Give Thanks with a Grateful Heart. The design team was challenged to create a Thanksgiving themed project or a project that expresses thankfulness and gratitude. We hope you will join us for the hop, and then visit the Crafty Secrets BLOG where you can find a free download and details for entering the challenge yourself.

For my project I did more of an "idea" then a tutorial!

My idea was to make a Thanksgiving Journal with all my

18 grandchildren and 3 great grandchildren names listed

in order by age on a separate page for each..

Then the fun part!

To ask each child the question "What is Thanksgiving"

I thought the answers would be entertaining 

and I would date each page with the year

and ask the same question each year.

I think it will be fun to hear the answers 

and how they differ from year to year as they grow.

What a great new tradition  to pass down to the family!

The Crafty Secrets papers I used to cover my journal with

were all scrap pieces from previous projects using

Creating With Vintage Halloween CD4 and

Kitchen Memories Digital Kit.

 I also used images from Autumn Blessings Heartwarming Vintage Cuts.

I finished by adding a few die cut leaves and a little wooden house.

Here is the list of the hop in order....all links are here in case you get lost along the way.

Kathy Clement

Ginny Nemchak

Teresa Horner

Darlene Pavlick

Sheila Rumney

Shantaie Fowler ...you should have come from here to

Diane Hover (that's me)...next on the hop is

Michele Kovack