Crafts in the Command Center: 2025

Saturday, March 8, 2025

Sizzix Sidekick Die Challenge; Card Two

It's Saturday and March so it's time to share a card as part of my Sizzix Sidekick & Die Card Challenge for March. I love hosting my own challenges since it gets me to use products that I forget about.

For Project Two, I die cut a lighthouse birdhouse that I purchased from Spellbinders. I'm also combining it with a sketch challenge at sundaystamps.blogspot.com. I love using sketches for cards because it just makes it easier to start! Here's the sketch that I'm using:

Here's the card:

Be sure to check out the YouTube process video to see how it was made and come back Saturday for the third card!

Friday, March 7, 2025

TGIF; Thankful Friday #357

Happy Friday and for another week to be thankful. This week was a typical Spring week. Rainy one day, sunny the next...repeat.

I'm thankful this week for long time friends. I was able to hang out and go to lunch from one of my work besties. Or should I say former work bestie? She retired last May so she had a little head start on retirement.

We both bought so many baby clothes for our own family's future babies. There was a huge clearance sale at JC Penney's! I bought some plain items that I'll customize for baby gifts. Stay tuned for those!

What are you thankful for this week?

Thursday, March 6, 2025

In November We Strut Cap; Cricut Hat Press

Hello there! Have you had a chance to try the Hat Press by Cricut? I purchased one in December with a plan to make caps for Christmas. Yeah, no...that didn't happen. There was so much going on in December and then I got sick to top it off.

But, I knew I had plenty of time to create this "In November We Strut" cap since our family's annual virtual marathon doesn't start until November. I cannot wait to show it off!

Fonts used: Arial for in and we; Gelato Fresco for November; and BFC College Sports Stencil for Strut

I pressed two different times since I had the white HTV and red glitter HTV. Using the included heat resistant tape was very helpful with this step!

Be sure to watch the How To video to see how I created this fun and sparkly cap.

My opinion of the Cricut Hat Press

Folks, I love it! I don't make a lot of caps but I have done a few. Let me tell you, this hat press made the project so easy and quick! It is bluetoothed (is that a word) so temp and timer is set on your phone which means there's no guesswork. It literally took 60 seconds to press the words to the cap.

No Brainer! If you make hats, you must get this product!

Tuesday, March 4, 2025

Freaky Fast Layout; Lisa Marie

I love a fun challenge and The Scraproom always posts a Freaky Fast challenge on their IG account. I'm sure they post on their blog as well, I just get it from IG. For February, they posted the following:

When I saw the four 4.25" squares, I instantly thought of a grid pattern and that's what I did. For some reason, I also decided to make this a monochromatic layout as well.

Here's the final layout:

I love the back base page because it makes these blue paper varieties pop and that's always a good thing!

What I used:

Black & white cardstock from CutCardStock

Patterned Papers from Pink Paisley

Cricut for the title

Plane stickers, enamel dots and Bag Tag die from Simple Stories

Puffy heart stickers from CTMH

Watch the YT process video:

Saturday, March 1, 2025

Love to Craft Challenge; Die Cut Challenge

Today is March first and it's time to share my project for the Love to Craft Challenge Blog (LTCCB). I am also starting a new challenge that involves my Sizzix Sidekick and dies. I realized recently that my die collection is growing and there are many of them that I have not used yet.

This card uses a Sizzix flower set that I recently purchased from a thrift store for $1 and paper scraps that are on my desktop.

Watch the process video to see how it was created.

Make your own crafty project and link it to the LTCCB site by April 15th. These challenges last for six weeks!

And be sure to check back every Saturday in March to see more projects made with my Sizzix and dies.

Friday, February 28, 2025

TGIF; Thankful Friday 356

Hey there! Another Friday and another day to be thankful!

This week I'm thankful for the medical staff that worked with my granddaughter. She's fine but had to stay in the hospital for a couple of days for medication and tests.

Such a brave girl! And I created a individual charcuterie just for her.

What are you thankful for this week?

Thursday, February 27, 2025

Roller Skate Shaped Card

I posted a new YouTube process video on how to create a shaped card using a single image. This is created with the Vintage Roller Skate cut file from Printable Cuttable Creatables.

Easy instructions are:

Duplicate the main image and use the unite function to create a solid shape of the skate.

Duplicate the solid image and vertically flip it.

Move the two solid images so they attach at the middle.

Unite and add a score line where they meet. (Score line is created by using the cut line in Basic Shapes and then changing it to score)

Add the multi layer skate to the front of the shaped card base. Resize and cut aka Make

Check out the video here:

Use 3SONS15 on the Printable Cuttable Creatables website for 15% off your order!

What do you think? Are you gonna try to make one?

Monday, February 24, 2025

Pocket Pages for Graceland

I love mixing things up in my 12x12 albums. There were so many photos taken and printed during our trip to Graceland that I knew it made sense to use a pocket page. This was a fun design because of the 4x12 strip at the top.

Check out my YouTube process video for my thoughts and the unique items I used in these pockets.

Do you use pocket pages in your albums?

Friday, February 21, 2025

TGIF; Thankful Friday #355

Another Friday and another week to be thankful. What am I thankful for this week? I'm thankful for a week of being healthy. It seems like everyone I know is sick or getting over being sick and I'm glad (so far) it has not infected me.

Hopefully the weather will start to warm up and we'll all be able to get some fresh air soon!

If you're sick, I hope you get well soon!

Iron Crafter Challenge; Oldest Paper

Hi there! It's time for another Iron Crafter Challenge IG and YouTube hop.

Join a fun group of crafty peeps each month as we take on the Iron Crafter Challenge! Each month Tara from @thepapersnob will select a challenge ingredient to use on a layout. Quarterly, we will do a recipe challenge rather than a single ingredient. This hop goes live on the THIRD FRIDAY of the month. We will have a hop on YouTube and Instagram to show how we used the challenge ingredient(s) for the month.

The mystery challenge for February is to use the oldest paper in your stash.

Here's my layout:

I used patterned papers from BasicGrey. I don't know how old it is but I know it's OLD! Then I added some punched tags from the same collection. The addition of the enamel dots and colorful stickers really brighten it up!

Here is a playlist with ALL the videos of the participants:

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLCfSqErOPJor83glOWV5qbo73rWnDVuVX

If you want to learn about the mystery item and play along, come over to the Paper Snob Community Facebook group:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/thepapersnobcommunity/

Here is a list of the folks playing along, please check out their Instagram or YouTube channels to subscribe and say hi!!

Instagram:

Simera https://instagram.com/scrappysimi

Brandi https://instagram.com/scrappy.boymama

Laurie https://www.instagram.com/scrapbookingbits/

DawnLyn https://www.instagram.com/dawnlynsdesigns/

Tina www.instagram.com/tinamcmmvr

Be sure to watch mine as well as the other participants!

YouTube:

Tara https://www.youtube.com/@thepapersnob

Rona https://www.youtube.com/@ronamallard8547

Mel https://www.youtube.com/@MelWScrapping

Christine https://youtube.com/@scrappingharden?si=fi2rO35Dh8PYUII-

Kristen https://www.youtube.com/@scrappingonthefly1217

Briana https://youtube.com/@lovemylifeonpaper?si=emvejnUeiM8UdPPM

Kathy https://www.youtube.com/@kathyloves2scrap617

Dorlene https://youtube.com/@dorlenedurham?si=w14nbSlrkl7fPKFd

Helen https://www.youtube.com/@HelenDing

Jody https://www.youtube.com/c/FloppyEaredFarm

Hollie www.youtube.com/ivycoelcreations

Shannon Keith https://www.youtube.com/@CreativeChaosinTN

Lisa https://www.youtube.com/@lisacuneo

Michele https://www.youtube.com/@stampbooker

Lynda https://www.youtube.com/@thescrapbookingphotographe3607

Amanda https://www.youtube.com/@aleckiecreates

Shala https://youtube.com/@bookishshala?si=PbQkjFsuBOO05eGc

Tuesday, February 18, 2025

Create It 3 Ways; IG Hop

I joined an Instagram Hop called Create It 3 Ways and there are different ways to play. Go to my Instagram account to find out more. My account is @3sons_and_astar

I completed one of the cards on a YouTube but I made three. The other two are fun fold cards that I've made before. Check out the previous posts HERE and HERE on how to create them.

Check out this process video here:

Friday, February 14, 2025

TGIF; Thankful Friday #354

TGIF! I had a great week but also I'm tired! I volunteered at my daughter's school library AND held a Charcuterie Workshop at my home. I t was a great group of women and we had a great time. It was a success and I'm looking forward to another one.

There definitely some things I need to improve on or change but overall, it was a success!

I'm thankful for all my friends that support me on my creative craziness!

What are you thankful for?

Wednesday, February 12, 2025

Rainbow Crush YT Hop; Pink

Time for another YouTube hop with The Paper Snob called Rainbow Crush. This month the color is pink! I had the perfect photos for pink - the gender reveal for my last granddaughter!

This layout includes a flip flap which emulates the reveal surprise!

Check out my video:

As well as all the other hoppers:

Welcome to Rainbow Crush – a Social Media hop where we share projects that feature a color of the rainbow each month! This hop is hosted by Tara on her Facebook Group. Anyone is welcome to play along. This hop takes place on the 2nd Wednesday of the month! The color for February is PINK.

You can sign for the next month’s hop over on the The Paper Snob Community Facebook group:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/thepapersnobcommunity/

Here is the PLAYLIST for this hop! All the videos in one place!

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLCfSqErOPJor7Zj3bydwwwHccq52lJ2F6

Here are the hoppers for Rainbow Crush:

INSTAGRAM:

Simera: https://www.instagram.com/scrappysimi/

Brandi: https://www.instagram.com/scrappy.boymama/

Tina: https://www.instagram.com/tinamcmmvr/

DawnLyn: www.instagram.com/dawnlynsdesigns

YOUTUBE:

Tara: https://www.youtube.com/@thepapersnob