Father's Day 2015

Father's Day is this Sunday, do you have your cards ready for all the dads and grandfathers in your life? If not, I hope you can take inspiration from the cards I made for my dad and father-in-law. Both are clean and simple and variations on the same theme. This first one is for my father-in-law. Our son calls him Granddad, so I was excited to be able to use that special name on his card. I was able to do this by selectively inking only the "Grand" from the "Grandpa" stamp in Papertrey Ink's set World's Greatest, and then adding the "Dad" stamp at the end. The ties are die cut and popped up with dimensionals. A special thanks to my mom for the idea to use the ties like this!

Next is the card for my own dad. It uses the same layout but I subbed an argyle pattern for the ties. Our son calls my dad Papa, so I was again pretty excited to use that nickname on the card. It was easily achieved by again selectively inking just the "pa" portion of the "Grandpa" stamp. Thank goodness for clear stamps!

Happy Father's Day to all the dads out there!

 

SUPPLIES
Stamps: World's Greatest, A Little Argyle (PTI)
Paper: Stamper's Select White (PTI), pattern paper from Michael's
Ink: Chocolate Chip, Night of Navy, Old Olive (SU!)
Tools: Tie die (PTI)

Let's Get Together: Summer Coffee Lovers Blog Hop

Today I am playing along with the Summer Coffee Lovers Blog Hop, put on by the Coffee Loving Card Makers.  Coffee and card making are two of my favorite things so it was fun to join in! My card is very clean and simple. The coffee cup and sentiment are part of PTI's Heart-2-Heart #1 mini stamp set, then I added the steam and striped straw from an old SU! set called Like it a Latte. I tied some hot pink baker's twine to the top and that is it!

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you have a great weekend!


 
SUPPLIES
Stamps: Heart-2-Heart #1 (PTI), Like it a Latte (SU!)
Paper: Stamper's Select White, (PTI)
Ink: Hibiscus Burst, Hawaiian Shores, Dark Chocolate, Soft Stone (PTI)
Embellishments: baker's twine

Father's Day Soaps

For quite some time I've been wanting to make some masculine scented soaps. I'm happy to say that I have three ready just in time for Father's Day!

This is one I've been wanting to make since last Father's Day. Beer soap! This is my Oatmeal Stout Soap and it is made with real Guinness. It smells so good I want to eat it.

The Guinness naturally darkens the soap to a beautiful chocolate color.

It is topped with a sprinkling of rolled oats to complement the oatmeal stout fragrance and add texture. The beer lover in your life will love it!

Next up is my Salty Mariner Soap. This one has a delightfully clean scent to it, reminiscent of a sea breeze. This fragrance is actually quite popular with both men and women.

Made using the hot process method, it has a delightfully rustic edge.

Finally, Shave & a Haircut Soap. This cold process soap smells just like an old time barber shop. Two out of two dads chose this scent as their favorite! :)

I am so happy to be able to add some guy friendly soaps to my line. I would love for you to check out these new fragrances in my Etsy shop. Also, if you have any suggestions for future fragrances you would like please let me know!

Mimosa Soap

Hello! The final soap I will be sharing this week is my Mimosa Soap. No, there is no champagne in this. It isn't named after the cocktail, but rather the fragrance of the mimosa flower. Or acacia dealbata, if you want to be fancy.

Honestly, I didn't even know there was a mimosa flower until I came across this fragrance. It turns out that mimosa is a flowering tree native to southern Australia. It has a lovely, exotic floral scent.

Thank you for joining me this week as I introduced my handmade soaps. I'm am excited to have them available in my Etsy shop year round and look forward to adding new fragrances!

Have a wonderful weekend and happy Mother's Day!

Rose Soap

Welcome! Today I am sharing a bit about my Rose Soap. This one is fun because it uses a natural colorant to give it its pretty pinkish/orange hue. The secret? Paprika! The spice doesn't affect the texture of the soap or cause irritation, it merely lends its coloring to the soap. How fun is that?

 I love the craggy edge of this rustic looking soap. This batch was made using the "hot process" method, and though that term refers to how the soap was made, it also seems aptly named because the final bar does have a look which reminds me of hardened lava.

And here it is all packaged up and ready for giving. Enjoy!

p.s. Check back tomorrow for the final soap post of the week. :)

Peach Soap

Hello! It's unofficially soap week here at The Apple Crate and I am showcasing a new fragrance of my handmade soap each day. Living in Georgia I've been wanting to make a peach scented soap for a while, and here it finally is!

This soap smells so much like a ripe peach I almost want to eat it. It's heavenly!

One of the wonderful things about handcrafted soap is that it is made using natural ingredients. This soap is made from coconut oil, palm oil, olive oil, distilled water, lye and fragrance oil. That's it! No strange chemicals you can't pronounce.

To find this peach soap, and all of my other soaps, visit me on Etsy at theappecrate.etsy.com.

I hope you're having a great week!

Lavender Soap

Hello, friends! As some of you may know, I have been toying with the idea of adding my handmade soap to my Etsy shop for over a year now, but I am the sort that will think over an idea to death before actually taking the plunge. Sometimes this extra thought is a very good thing, and sometimes it just means I need a good kick in the pants to actually get going!

Up until now the bulk of my soap has been sold locally at Crafted Westside, but I have been holding back some of the bars from my most recent batches and I am happy to announce that they are now available online in my Etsy shop at theapplecrate.etsy.com!

I'll be showcasing some of my soaps over the next few days to introduce what is currently available. This is my lavender soap, made with all natural ingredients. Lavender is always a favorite fragrance, and these bars also include lavender buds. Being a soap maker I am lucky to enjoy using a handcrafted bar of soap every day. I would love for you to share that experience, too!

Dreams Believed are Dreams Achieved

I mentioned previously that we have a bevy of graduates in our family this spring so I'll be needing a lot of graduation cards.  This design is my favorite so far. I had some map paper from a previous project and liked the idea of pairing a map with a graduate card. Maps, travel, and new horizons seem fitting for one embarking on new adventures.

I used an inspiring sentiment from Papertrey Ink's set For the Graduate and embossed it in gold across the front of the map. I love how it turned out! It is clean and classy looking. This one is destined for one of my husband's cousins who is graduating from college.

This design is also available in my Etsy shop in case you also have some graduates you will be needing cards for. This particular card showcases Alaska, but if you have a different part of the world that is meaningful for your own graduate I would be happy to make a custom order for you!



SUPPLIES
Stamps: For the Graduate (PTI)
Paper: Stamper's Select White (PTI), map paper (Paper Source)
Ink: VersaMark
Other: gold embossing powder

Happy Wedding Day

  

Happy May Day! In honor of the first day of May I thought I would share a floral card. This is a simple wedding card for some friends who are getting married this weekend. The roses are die cut and stamped from Papertrey Ink's lovely set The Sweet Life. The script sentiment is also from PTI, Keep it Simple: Wedding. Short and sweet. Have a wonderful weekend!

SUPPLIES

Stamps: The Sweet Life, Keep it Simple: Wedding (PTI)

Paper: Rustic Cream (PTI)

Ink: Barely Banana, Daffodil Delight, Summer Sun, Kiwi Kiss, Old Olive (SU!), Smokey Shadow (PTI)

Tools: The Sweet Life dies (PTI), foam tape

Card Size: 3.5"h x 5"w 

Crochet Baby Blankie

This past weekend I went to a friend's baby shower. She and her husband just adopted the sweetest baby boy and I couldn't be happier for them. I made this crocheted baby blanket for them, and I just barely got it done on time! I love to make baby blankets, but I always seem to forget how long they take.

The pattern for this blanket is from the Lion's Brand website. I've made this one before, but it turned out much better this time. It has a really pretty scallop edging that I had trouble with a few years ago, but this time it turned out like it was supposed to. I guess my crochet skills are improving!

I used Caron Simply Soft yarn in Grey Heather. Following the suggestion of some of the reviewers, I made the foundation chain 99 stitches long, rather than 66. The original size I think makes more of a "lovey" type of blanket, but by making it bigger it works well for a stroller or car seat blankie. The final size was approximately 27" x 31".

And here is the new mom opening her gift! I love being able to make special blankies for new babies. I hope little J enjoys it!

Class of 2015

My husband has four cousins graduating this year, three from high school and one from college. Needless to say I'll be needing a lot of graduation cards! This is the first design I came up with, for one of the girls graduating from high school. I used Papertrey Ink's By the Numbers die collection to cut the 2015 numbers from various pattern papers in bright spring colors. The mortarboard hat is also a PTI die (For the Graduate), stamped in black ink and popped up with foam tape. It is embellished with a silver brad. Pretty simple but I hope she likes it!

SUPPLIES
Stamps: For the Graduate (PTI)
Paper: Daffodil Delight (SU!), Stamper's Select White (PTI), various pattern papers
Ink: Onyx Black (VersaFine)
Tools: By the Numbers dies, For the Graduate die (PTI)
Embellishments: silver brad

Daffodil Easter Cards

Happy Good Friday, friends! Here are the Easter cards I made this year. I took my inspiration from a card Maile Belles made a while back that I have always admired. My version is a smaller 4 bar size.  The daffodil image is the same one I used on my Easter tag, from Papertrey Ink's set Year of Flowers: Collection.



The background flower was stamped repeatedly in Crumb Cake ink, while the image on the tag was stamped in Daffodil Delight ink. The notched banner is actually a Tag Sale #5 die cut, with the rounded top trimmed off. I tied the end with baker's twine and adhered it with foam tape for some dimension.

This second version is much like my Easter tag. This time I cut the notched tag from watercolor paper and embossed the daffodil in white. I then went over it using an aqua painter brush and Daffodil Delight ink to fill it in and reveal the white outline of the flower.

I'd be curious to hear which version you like best. Let me know in the comments!

Have a wonderful Easter this weekend!

SUPPLIES

Stamps: Year of Flowers: Collection (PTI), Teeny Tiny Wishes (SU!)

Paper: Kraft, Stamper's Select White (PTI), water color paper

Ink: Daffodil Delight, Crumb Cake (SU!), Onyx Black (Versafine), Versa Mark

Tools: Tag Sale #5 die (PTI)

Embellishments: baker's twine

Daffodil Easter Tag

Today I have a little project to share, an Easter tag! The daffodils have been blooming like crazy around here the last few weeks and so I was inspired to use this image from Papertrey Ink's set Year of Flowers: Collection. It always makes me so happy when the daffodils and crocuses start to bloom because it means spring is finally here!

I die cut a tag from watercolor paper and stamped the daffodil image in Versa Mark ink. It was then embossed in white. Using an aqua painter brush and Daffodil Delight ink, I went back over and filled in the image, concentrating the color in the center of the bloom. I layered a second tag behind to add more color. The sentiment strip is cut from Kiwi Kiss cardstock and also embossed in white. The tissue paper is tied with white cotton string but I used yellow and white baker's twine to tie on the tag.

Thanks for stopping by!




SUPPLIES
Stamps: Year of Flowers: Collection (PTI), Teeny Tiny Wishes (SU!)
Paper: Daffodil Delight, Kiwi Kiss (SU!), watercolor paper
Ink: Daffodil Delight (SU!), Versa Mark
Tools: Tag Sale #5 die (PTI)
Other: white embossing powder, baker's twine