November 11, 2009 By Ann Butler 6 Comments

Sizzix Scoreboard Blog Hop Checkbook Notebook Cover

This week’s Blog Hop Features the Checkbook Cover ScoreBoard Die which I made into a Notebook. This is another great Die created by my friend designer Eileen Hull. When I saw this great design I thought of so many uses for it besides a checkbook cover…which is why I decided to go with a vintage style notebook cover for the hop.

Pictured below is the Note Pad Cover
I made with the Checkbook
ScoreBoard Die.

I used Ann Butler Designs Iridescents in Sheer Gold, Silver and Copper to cover the
matboard pieces and let them dry. I glued a piece of vintage lace to the top edge
and then assembled it using brads. I added lettering to say “notes 2 remember”.

On the inside I glued in a notepad. This was a quick and easy project…there are lots of other great projects to check out by following the Blog Hop…click on the links below to get started:

Eileen Hull
Lorine Mason
Brenda Pinnick
Fabrizio Martellucci
Bonnie Burns
Candice Windham
Jennifer Ellefson
Karen Burnison

October 28, 2009 By Ann Butler 6 Comments

Sizzix ScoreBoard Blog Hop #2- Cupcake Holder Pin Cushion

Thanks for stopping by the Sizzix Blog Hop! ScoreBoards are a brand new kind of die
designed for Sizzix by my friend, designer Eileen Hull. ScoreBoards cut and score matboard to create boxes, totes and folders. As the ship date for the dies gets closer, Eileen realized that the best way to show them off was to ask some of her designer friends to play with them and see what they could whip up.

I was delighted to be included with this fabulous group of designers!
Just wait till you see what they have done!

Here is how it will work….Every other Wednesday from now until January, one of the eight ScoreBoard dies will be featured on our blogs so you can get a peek at the dies…
Today’s projects have all been created using the Cupcake Holder (#656142).

I thought the Sizzix Cupcake Holder was a perfect base to make a unique Pin Cushion.

I received the Cupcake Holder pre-cut on matboard from Eileen as they are not yet available in stores but you can check out the Scoreboard Line of dies out at Sizzix.

I painted the inside & outside of the cupcake holder with
Ann Butler Design’s Iridescent’s Sheer Copper
Then on the inside, I dry brushed with Ann Butler Design’s Iridescent’s in Onxy by Earth Safe Finishes
Let dry. Assemble cupcake using the Ultimate Glue by API Crafter’s Pick overlapping edges where holes line up,
glue three buttons over holes. Then I covered a 3″ Styrofoam Ball with fabric
using the Ultimate Glue by API Crafter’s Pick.

Place a few glass marbles in the bottom of cupcake holder to give it some needed weight then glue covered Styrofoam ball into Cupcake Holder to finish off the Pin Cushion.

Now it is ready to be used or given as a great gift!

Be sure to check out the designer’s blogs below for more great ideas using the Cupcake Holder.
&
Be sure to leave comments on how you would use this great new die from Sizzix.

Eileen Hull
Candice Windham
Nikki Miners

October 14, 2009 By Ann Butler 7 Comments

Sizzix ScoreBoard Blog Hop #1- BOO Box with Flap

Thanks for stopping by the Sizzix Blog Hop! Just a little intro here… ScoreBoards are a brand new kind of die designed for Sizzix by my friend designer Eileen Hull. ScoreBoards cut and score matboard to create boxes, totes and folders. As the ship date for the dies gets closer, Eileen realized that the best way to show them off was to ask some of her designer friends to play with them and see what they could whip up.

I was delighted to be included with this fabulous group of designers!

Just wait till you see what they have done!

Here is how it will work….

Every other Wednesday from now until January,

one of the eight ScoreBoard dies will be featured;

on our blogs so you can get a peek at the dies...

Today's projects have all been created

using the Box with Flap (item #656137).

This box can be used to hold a variety of items!

I created a little Halloween BOO Box with Flap

to hold ATC’s

Eileen sent these to us pre-cut on matboard,
as the dies are not yet in stores….
they are so quick and easy to decorate and put together…

What a wonderful idea she had
to create dies to use with matboard!

I simply used the following products:
Earth Safe Finishes Clear Gel Medium

Ann Butler Design’s Iridescents in Snow by Earth Safe Finishes
Earth Safe Finishes Colorant, Terra Cotta to cover the matboard.
Then I added some shading along the edges
with Ann Butler Designs Iridescents in Onyx , by Earth Safe Finishes
Adhesive domed letters to spell out “BOO”
Assorted fibers and a picture to finish it off.

What are your ideas for this box?
Please leave a comment and let us know…

Be sure to check out the other blogs on this
Sizzix Blog Hop
to see what the other designers
have created…
Click on the names listed below:

Eileen Hull
Jenn Ellefson
Korie B
Karen Burniston

November 12, 2008 By Ann Butler 1 Comment

EMOTIONS run wild at John’s USAF Graduation from Boot Camp

I have been gone for the past week and just returned from San Antonio, TX, where my son John graduated from the US Air Force Basic Training. My husband, Mark, and I went along with our youngest daughter Callie, to see John’s USAF graduation ceremony I have never been around the military, my husband was in the Air Force for 4 years but that was before we met, I had never been on a base and really did not know what to expect.

It was amazing, wonderful and emotional, my only regret is that our three oldest children were not able to come with us, had we known how special this was, we would have tried to make the arrangements for them to be there also, but we took lots of pictures and brought the video camera too.

The above picture is the first time I was able to see John, all of the graduates did their 2 mile run for us, there were about 600 graduates, they were divided into their squadrons and we were told the order they were coming in so we could watch for John.

This is a close up of John running, when I saw him with his squadron emotions came over me, I started crying, knowing this is what he has wanted to do since he was little, and being so proud of him. I could tell that he had gained some muscle, had confidence and looked good. They ran by us twice then went to change and get ready for the Airman’s Coin Ceremony.

All of the squadrons were lined up behind the bleachers and I was able to spot John (third one from the flag) and snap a few pictures. They all marched in for the Airman’s Coin Ceremony. When the ceremony was over, they were able to meet with their families. We went down to the field and I was able to hug John and shed some more tears……..

Here is a picture of John with Callie!

Base liberty followed until 7:30 that evening. On Friday they would graduate and the ceremony was wonderful………to see all of these men and women standing up and dedicating the next 4 or more years to the service of their country, wow…..it was an honor to be there.

The entire weekend was filled with congratulations from everyone the graduates saw, whether they were Officers, Airmen, Sargents……

Friday after the graduation and all day Saturday was off base liberty for the graduates……after being in basic for 6 1/2 weeks, I was warned that John would want to eat everything in site and that was correct……wow…..I had forgotten how much he could eat, and being without any kind of junk food for that long, well, I think he made up for lost time……

I was doing good, we got lots of talking, laughing and hugs in, my emotions were in check………….then came Sunday, John had mentioned that the graduates were able to have their families come to church with them and he really enjoyed the church, so that was our plan………..we met John in the morning and went to the church, where there were lines and lines of new recruits waiting, but John said not to worry the graduates and their families always got to sit, there must have been about 1,000 people at the first service………….it was the one place where the recruits could go without their flight instructors, so that was kind of a freedom for them. The opening song was Letters from War I had never heard it before, but the tears started running quietly and I could not stop them, it must happen alot, because John handed me a box of kleenex that was under the pew. Then the second song was I Can Only Imagine a song I have heard but had never felt so deeply as I did that morning, they had a slide show of military pictures to go along with the song, again the tears were running……….the service was very good…..

We said goodbye to John Sunday afternoon, it was easier this time, knowing he is done with basic, how good he is doing, he is where he wants to be and that we can now have some contact with him. We were able to bring his cell phone and he would have use of it starting Monday evening. He is staying in San Antonio, TX for his Tech School, but will be home for 2 weeks at Christmas…..so life is good!

September 23, 2008 By Ann Butler 3 Comments

Mixed Emotions

It was about 4 years ago when we were doing some remodeling to our 1905 home that I gave up my approximately 18′ x 12′ studio/family room so that the kids could have bigger bedrooms. While the 2 older kids were already out of the house and would have loved to have had bigger rooms growing up, it did not work out that way. Bruce our oldest had been out of the house for a while and Michelle had just gone away to college so David who was going into 11th grade got the large room to call his own, thus giving John and Callie larger rooms, I moved my studio into the small 11′ x 7′ room upstairs and the family room went into the remodeled basement.

When David went away to college 2 years ago John moved into that large room and we painted his old room for Callie to move into. Her old room became sort of a guest bedroom although my studio spilled into that room also, along with filling the storage rooms in the basement……..

John left home yesterday for the US Air Force (the picture above is of him & me taken this past weekend), while I had known for the past year and a half that he was leaving, since he signed up on delayed enlistment when he was a junior in High School, it is still hard looking at the big empty room he left behind. John spent his last week washing every stitch of clothing he owned, sorting, throwing things and packing up his room. So now the room would be available for Callie to move into but she had told me over a year ago that she did not want to move into that big room, as she loved the room she had.

So it is with Mixed Emotions that I get my large studio back…….knowing that John has signed up with the US Air Force for the next 6 years and he will not be returning home. I will be taking pictures over the next few weeks and months of the studio spaces I have now and the one I will be moving into.

September 8, 2008 By Ann Butler 3 Comments

Where has the ART gone?

This past weekend I went to the largest Craft Fair in Midwestern MN, The Little Falls Art & Craft Festival. This is a show where tour buses of people from all around come to see what is new and exciting.

A friend & I used to sell our handcrafted items at this show. We stopped doing this show about 7 or 8 years ago, I think the last show we did there were close to 1,000 vendors for the two day show. It was a great show with tons of people coming with the sole purpose to spend all of the cash they had and sometimes more on the unique items that were handcrafted.

This year there were about 700 vendors, a lot of them were the same people that have been there for 30 years. Then there were the ones who were selling purchased items….now Where is the ART in that?

When we did the show I noticed a few vendors selling things that were not handmade, after all, it says in the rules:

Handcrafted items only:
Art, craft, and hobby work items of original design and handcrafted by the vendor is the only merchandise allowed to be sold. Do not bring merchandise made by others, from catalogs, gift shows, etc.

So you would think people would listen to those rules…..

This year of the 700 booths I would say 1/3 – 1/2 of them had items that were not handcrafted……many of the booths had the same merchandise, now I ask you “Where is the ART in That?” There was booth after booth with things I have seen for sale at Trade Shows for stores……it was really to sad. It took us about three hours to cover all of the booths because there was nothing new or interesting, a lot of the same old same old…..so sad!

The rules for the Art & Crafts Festival also states:

Upon discovery of non-qualifying merchandise, Little Falls Arts & Crafts Fair officials will require the vendor to remove from the booth all such items. The decision of the Little Falls Arts & Crafts Fair officials will be final.It seems there must not have been any officials checking anything since there were many many booths with purchases items, not hand crafted.

So I ask “Where has the ART gone?”

If a show states the items be handcrafted, then that is what they should be. Some people attending the shows do not know the difference between handcrafted and mass-produced, and some just do not care. How is a crafter/artist able to compete fairly with those in the same show who have just purchased items and selling as their own? It seems so unfair that a show who says they do not allow anything but handcrafted merchandise, have all of those booths filled with purchased merchandise.

At the mall where I work, I put on three craft shows a year, they are very small shows but still I require the items for sale to be hand crafted….granted sometimes they buy things and assemble them, like floral arrangements, but still they have put their own flair on it. I do not allow them to have items they purchased and have just taken out of a box.

I have an older lady at my craft shows that crochets the most beautiful doilies I have ever seen…..now how fair would it be to her if I allowed a person who buys doilies set up a booth in that same show? While the older lady who puts countless hours into her large doilies, never really gets paid for her time, but loves to keep busy and sells them at a fair price to her, the person who would buy doilies to sell could sell them for 1/2 of price of the older lady and still make a profit, because they have no time involved in the making of the doilies and buy them in bulk at a cheap price……Where is the ART in that.

I do have shows at the mall where I allow vendors who have purchased items sell them, they are separate shows, apart from craft shows where things should be hand crafted……the ART is in hand crafting items and should be brought back to the shows that advertise hand crafted only.

Let me know what yo think……if someone buys products to sell, is that ART? Even if it is, is it their ART……Where has the ART gone?

January 28, 2008 By Ann Butler Leave a Comment

DIY: Quick and Easy Easter DYE Tags

Quick and Easy Easter DYE Tags to DYE for

Supplies: Easter egg coloring kit, tags, bowls, water, vinegar (for some kits not all require it), wax paper.

Follow the instructions on the kit package to make dye in the colors of your choice, using a separate bowl for each color.

Place tags into dye, the longer you let them soak the more intense color you will get…..this is something you will have to play with.

When you are happy with the color (they will darken up a little as they dry), lay your tags out on wax paper to dry. Turning tags occasionally. Let them dry for several hours or overnight.

Now you should have a rainbow of pastel tags all ready to use in all sorts of creative ways.
ENJOY!!

Pictured below is the Note Pad Cover I made with the Checkbook ScoreBoard Die.

I used Ann Butler Designs Iridescents in Sheer Gold, Silver and Copper to cover the matboard pieces and let them dry. I glued a piece of vintage lace to the top edge and then assembled it using brads. I added lettering to say “notes 2 remember”.

I was delighted to be included with this fabulous group of designers! Just wait till you see what they have done!