ATCs using my Sidekick

Hi everyone! I wanted to share with you some cute ATCs I made using my new sidekick. I hadn't had a chance to really sit down and play with it while creating, so I thought ATCs would be a good place to start.



If you would like to see how I created these ATC's check out my video below. 




I really wanted to test the ease of it as well as the convenience. Today I am working with a one piece die, but many of the newer designs have multiple pieces.  While the multiple pieces really ad to the uniqueness of the image, they take more time to cut.


This is where the convenience comes into play. I loved that I was able to have this machine right next to me while creating. It was so light weight and I could use it and move it aside with ease and without it taking up much desk space.

The big shot platform is a lot larger and takes more time to cut little items, but the sidekick had a much smaller platform enabling the dies to go through much quicker.


With the ease and convenience of this new tool, I know I will be creating much more detailed die cuts! 

Thanks for stopping by. 




~Links to products in this blog post may be affiliate links. This means that when you click and shop, I make a small commission at no cost to you that goes towards the upkeep of this blog and my YouTube channel.~ 

Memories of a Roman holiday!

Hello everyone! Over the Christmas holiday I was in Italy for two weeks. It was an amazing trip with great art and scenery.  When i saw this stamp over at I brake for stamps, it reminded me of my travels and I knew i had to have it. This stamp is called Assisi doorway and brings back such memories!


Rome is definitely an old city, but with such character. I love the tile roofs and vines that decorate their courtyard trellises. Below is the view from the apartment we stayed in for 5 days. While it was a bit chilly, we were able to enjoy this patio for afternoon and evening wine and cheese. 


I colored the image with my copic markers then added some fines using one of my die sets. The stamp creates such a romantic setting that it could easily be incorporated into a Valentine's Day card. 



Here is a closer view of this great stamp!

Don't forget you can get 10% off your purchase over at I brake for stamps using my coupon code SAVE10MONCA.




The Sidekick now has Side Orders!

I have finally found some time to play with one of my new toys I picked up before the holidays. While many of you may thing "why do I need another die cut machine", I am here to tell you why I needed one!


Now this sidekick is not a new product. Other designers have had this out for a while. But Tim Holtz recently put his out on the Market..and he of course was strategic as he released the new "Side Orders" at creativation, which will work perfectly with the "Sidekick".

What I love about this machine is the size. It fits perfectly on my work desk which makes it great for my smaller dies. Now I know that these smaller dies work just fine in my big shot, but more often than not my smaller dies got neglected because either there were too many "little" pieces to cut and putting them through the bigger die cut was just too time consuming, or just the pure effort of having to get up every time I wanted to cut a smaller die cut.

Convenience is huge to me, and having this little sidekick on my desk, next to my work area is a huge convenience. I am finding that many of my thinlets work great in this machine, which means I will use them more.  I am in the process of reorganizing my my dies so that they are in a case arms reach to may craft space. I will be able to flip through them easily and quickly when creating without any inconvenience or disruption to my crafting.


~Links to products in this blog post may be affiliate links. This means that when you click and shop, I make a small commission at no cost to you that goes towards the upkeep of this blog and my YouTube channel.~  

Love is a Kiss!

Hello everyone! I am seeing Valentine's Day projects popping up everywhere so I definitely wanted to get in on the action. 

One of my favorite collections over at I Brake for Stamps is their "Photo" stamp collection. These are rubber stamps that when stamped look like vintage black and white photos. You can either leave them black and white or color them up as I have. 




This is such a cute little image and is great for Valentine's Day! It is called "Love is a Kiss". I chose to focus on the two little children and colored them up with my copic colors.  I left the background black and white so that my image would pop!



These photo stamps are so easy to use and are quick to mass produce when you are creating the black and white design. Be sure to check out the other images in this line. I am sure you will love them as much as I do. 

Don't forget you can get 10% off your purchase over at I brake for stamps using my coupon code SAVE10MONCA.



January Art Journal - 2018 Goals

As many of you do, I decided to create some Crafty goals for 2018. I don't typically do resolutions, more things I want to learn or accomplish.  My art has become very important to me. It is a way to express myself and relax.  I love learning new techniques and sharing my journey.


If you would like to see my process, I have linked my video below. 



I decided to document my crafty goals for 2018. This seemed like a good place to start.



One of my goals this year is to use my crafty supplies. I find I am very good at buying the products, but many times I find I don't use them enough.  The paint that I used for my background is from Prima and I purchased these over a month ago.  I love the results that I got.



The stamp set I am using is from STAMPlorations. It has some great quotes about Creating and was a perfect stamp set for my first goal.



By doing my monthly series, I hope to continue to share my art on my you tube channel. If you haven't subscribed yet, I would love to have you check it out.



Finally, my last goal is to Use my Art supplies! I hope to try out some new stamp companies this year and blog about them as well as create video tutorials to share my art (goal #2).

I have listed all the supplies I used to create my first Art Journal page below. Do you have any goals for 2018? Why not start an art journal and join me in my journey!

Thanks for stopping by!


~Links to products in this blog post may be affiliate links. This means that when you click and shop, I make a small commission at no cost to you that goes towards the upkeep of this blog and my YouTube channel.~ 

Valentine Flip Book

Hi everyone! Need a project for Valentine's Day? Well let me share you mine and if this looks like something you might want to try, hop on over to  my You Tube link (below) to get dimensions for this fun book.


To get a closer look at this book and the dimensions and "How to" instructions, check out my video below. 


I started out with some heavy red card stock and some Valentine papers from Canvas Corp Brands.


I added some ribbon before adhering my top and back panels so that my book would close.


Precision cutting is really the key. My Tim Holtz paper trimmer works great for this. 


I think decorating the book is my favorite part.  You can use your own pictures, or fun ephemera as I did here. 


With so many pages, you can have pages that house pictures using pockets or belly bands. You can also create pages for journaling or fun pockets to store memorabilia. 


I typically have several pages for journaling. If you are giving this as a gift, you can write your own personal message. 


It is sure to be a keepsake. 


Be sure to check out my You Tube video if you would like the step by step process for creating this Flip book.  While I used a Valentine's Day theme, you can decorate yours for any occasion.


Thanks for stopping by!


~Links to products in this blog post may be affiliate links. This means that when you click and shop, I make a small commission at no cost to you that goes towards the upkeep of this blog and my YouTube channel.~  

CCB - Good for the Creative Soul - Music

Hello friends! What of the best things I love about creating is there are no rules and no limits. To test our creativity this year, the CCB Crew will be thinking outside of the box, and trying new products and designs.  


Our theme for January is Music.  I decided to create a mini junque journal using the Architextures Garage Junque Paque.  These junque packs are awesome and come in a variety of themes.

I used the Eileen Hull Passport Book die cut for this design. A list of all the products to create this book is listed below.



For my cover, I used one of the images from the 12x12 Gypsy Moments collection. I used some of the elements from the Architextures Garage Junque Pack for the binding. 



For the pages, I used some vintage music sheets along with some white lined card stock that can be used for journaling.  I also added 6 mixed media Origins pages which can be used to add mixed media embellishments.  



To bind the book, I used threads from a burlap square.  As a final touch, I added 3 stickers that looked like bolts. These came from the Garage Junk Paque and were a great final embellishment.

Thanks for stopping by!



Miss You!

Hello everyone! I am back from my travels abroad and here today to share with you a card I made coming back from my travels. Many of you may know that I have two little Dachshunds and they stayed behind while I traveled. 


While they were well cared for by my son, I sure missed those little pooches so I thought I would create a card to let them know that!



This dachshund image is from I brake for Stamps and I was so thrilled when I found it in the shop! I Created a little background scene using a picket fence die cut.  I created the background using the Numbers Background and added a little tag that reads "Miss You"!

While I enjoyed my travels, I must say, I am very happy to be home and creating again!

Don't forget you can get 10% off your purchase over at I brake for stamps using my coupon code SAVE10MONCA.



~Links to products in this blog post may be affiliate links. This means that when you click and shop, I make a small commission at no cost to you that goes towards the upkeep of this blog and my YouTube channel.~    

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