Hi everyone, and happy Monday! It's Jes today with a Plan with me video.
You know how you plan a week out and then stare at it wondering what that nagging thing you forgot was? Yeah, that would be Mother's Day this week. I even wrote down that I needed to make and send cards, but totally forgot to put it down on Sunday. So I'll have to fix that when I get back out to my desk. Anyway, this week is a Doctor Who week, in honor of the all-night marathon my best friend and I have planned for Friday. We're 3000 miles apart, but we make movie night work with texting, and messaging. It's not ideal, but we'll take what we can get. What do you do on movie night? What are your favorite snacks? We love chips and dip, and gelato. Let me know in the comments! I hope you enjoy my video.
Happy Sunday, everyone! It's Kristine with you on the blog today, and I've got a plan with me video for next week's spread in my DIY Carpe Diem planner. I am loving the flexibility of this planner, and I have to tell you - after simplifying this week and doing a LOT of reading up on bullet journaling, I think I see a switch to bullet journaling in my future - probably with the beginning of next month. If I do that, I'm not sure how much, if any, stamping I'll be doing - we'll just see how it goes. For now, though, I've got this spread.
A couple of things you need to know about the video - one, I chose a rather pale ink color this week, and I'm afraid you can't really see it too well in the video. So sorry! And the washi tape you'll see in the opening frame is not the same one you'll see me put down in the video - once the filming was over, I decided I hated that polka dotted washi and changed it, lol.
As always, thanks so much for watching! Please feel free to leave a comment - I appreciate all feedback, both positive and negative!
Howdy Friends! Jes here, back with another 15 minute craft. Today, my husband took our four year old out to the park, and I had a chance to sit down and read for a blissful, uninterrupted hour. I pulled out my kindle, and set the kettle on to boil for tea. I could not find a single bookmark. I'm one of those people who doesn't really like to use scrap paper, because I like my bookmarks to be pretty. I had a few minutes before my tea was ready, so I sat down and put together a few super cute bookmarks using the new Book Club stamp set from Sweet Stamp Shop. I also used their Big Flags set. I've been hoarding my Let's Polka paper from Lawn Fawn (this set seems to be retired, but here is a link to more of their awesome paper collections), and I pulled some out tonight to make my bookmarks. I love striped patterns!
Here is the final project. And if you pop over to our YouTube channel, you can see the video of how I made them. I'd love to hear what you think of them. If there are any other fifteen minute projects you'd like to see me try, leave a comment and I'll give them a go. :) Thanks for stopping by!
Thursday, April 7, 2016
Hi everyone it's Jes. I finally figured out my camera and I have new talk through plan with me video up on Youtube. :) I hope you like it.
Sunday, March 27, 2016
Good morning from Kristine, all! (And for those who celebrate it, Happy Easter!) I've got another PWM video for you today, for the the week of March 28 through April 3. (YOU GUYS - where the heck did the first three months of the year go?????)
All sources are posted at the end of the video. Please let us know if you have any questions or comments - we LOVE getting your feedback!
Hope you all have a great week! Mwah!
Wednesday, March 16, 2016
Happy Wednesday, everyone! It's Kristine with you today, and I hope you're making it through the workweek okay. Personally, I can't wait for Friday because it's the start of Spring Break this weekend - woo hoo! To help pass the days, I made myself this super cute Easter card. What, you've never seen an Easter dragon before? When you don't have bunny stamps, you improvise! This super cute set from Sweet Stamp Shop includes a dragon and egg, so I decided to turn Easter on its head this year:
Super cute, right? But that's not even the best part - George has wobble action!
Read on below to see how insanely EASY it is to make your own wobble cards!
So to start, I decided I wanted the background of the card to have some texture. I don't have a die cut machine, so I can't use embossing folders - but I didn't let that stop me! I decided to weave my own paper background. First, I cut the paper into strips 6 inches by one-quarter inch wide. (This paper is the kind you find in the scrapbooking section of the craft store - thicker than regular paper, but not quite as thick as cardstock).
Once the paper was all cut, I lined a bunch of the strips up next to each other and taped them down at the top end on my cutting mat. I used enough strips to go 6 inches, which was the width of my card base.
Next, I took the leftover strips and started weaving! This was a little time consuming, though after the 5th or 6th strip, I got a system that worked well and I was able to move pretty quickly. After each strip was woven in, I used my fingernails to gently but firmly pull it tight against the strip above it.
I continued on this way until I had a woven area that was the same size as my card base, about 6 in. by 4 in. I taped the bottom edges of the woven paper together to make sure they wouldn't come apart in the next step.
Once it was all taped and secure, I removed the woven paper from the mat and turned it upside down on the table (this is because my paper had a matte side and a shiny side, and I wanted the shiny side to show on the front of my card - I made sure the shiny side was face down on the table). I then positioned my card base over it and used hot glue to secure it - not so much that it squooshed through the weaving, but enough (especially around the edges) to keep it all secure.
Once the hot glue had cooled, I used my craft knife and a metal ruler to trim all around the edges. The woven bits at the very edge are not glued down tightly, as you can see, but that's okay - they'll be secured in the next step.
Next, I chose a piece of coordinating scrapbook paper and made a frame for the card front. I used my craft knife to cut out the inside, and used some scalloped scissors to cut the outside (I REALLY need to get a die cut machine, lol!).
Before attaching the frame to the front of the card, I went ahead and attached the grass pieces to the bottom. These are pieces of die cut grass that can be bought premade at the craft store in the scrapbooking section with all the stickers and other embellishments. These do not have sticker backs, so I ran them through my Xyron sticker maker first to attach a layer of adhesive to them. Then I peeled them off and stuck them down.
To attach the frame, I used foam tape around the edges. This gave it a bit of nice dimension.
Now for the good part - George and his eggs! I used Sweet Stamp Shop's Dragon set to stamp on white cardstock. (I made multiple images of each item in case I messed up).
Using a thin-tipped Sharpie, I carefully drew a pair of bunny ears on the dragon. What's an Easter dragon without bunny ears?? I think this was the moment I decided he had to be named George.
Once the dragon had his ears, I colored him, his eggs, and some fire with Prismacolor colored pencils and blended the colors with gamsol for a smooth, even look. Then, using a basket embellishment that I also found in the scrapbooking section of the craft store, I arranged the basket, eggs, and fire on the lower left portion of the card and adhered them down.
Now for George, I knew I wanted to make him wobble. There are ready-made wobble springs that you can buy, but it was cheap and crazy easy to make my own. To make a wobble spring, I cut a couple of small squares or circles of cardstock (small enough to attach to the back of the dragon without being seen) and some thin wire (mine is 26 gauge, and it worked perfectly). Using the handle of mycraft knife (any narrow cylindrical object would work), I wrapped the end of the wire 2 times around and cut.
Using plain old clear tape, I attached one end of the wire coil to one of the small pieces of cardstock, making sure it was as centered on the cardstock as I could make it. If any tape hung over the edge, I just trimmed it with scissors.
Next I attached the other end of the wire to the other piece of cardstock the same way.
Using a few glue dots, I attached one side of the spring to the back of the dragon and the other side to the front of the card. I added a bow to the basket, and voila! George the Easter dragon was born.
And don't forget that awesome wobble action! I've made him wobble dozens of times with no issues, so it's quite sturdy!
Can't you just imagine all kinds of projects that would be cuter with a little wobble action? Try making your own! Tag us on instagram (@teachplancraft, @jes_planning) so we can see your adorable creations. Until next time, have a great afternoon!
Sunday, March 13, 2016
Good morning from Kristine, and happy Sunday! Today is the day we "sprung forward," and while I'm happy that it means spring is practically here, I'm always a bit unsettled to lose an hour out of the day. Who would think that a measly hour would have such an impact??
Well, Sunday means we've got more planner layouts for you. Below is a link to my second-ever Plan With Me video. I streamlined the process a little, so it's a little shorter than last time, and there aren't as many cuts and jumps. I also tried a new camera set-up, which resulted in a little unintended camera shake - I hope that doesn't bother you guys too much, and I'll figure something different out for next time. Always a process, lol!
Anyhoo, here it is. Please feel free to comment and let us know what you think - the good, the bad, and the ugly. We want to get better! Have a great week, everyone!
Wednesday, March 9, 2016
Hey everyone, it's Jes again. Kristine and I have been working on setting up our new YouTube channel this week. Sunday she posted an awesome full length plan with me video. It turned out great! My video this week is also a plan with me video, but I chose to do it as a time-lapse. We like both full length and time-lapse videos, and we decided that we would give them both a go on our channel and see which one suited our styles more. Let us know what styles you like.
