I've moved....

In case you didn't notice, this is outdated! I've moved to my own website and you can find me at www.amandamcgeedesigns.com
Thanks!
:) Amanda

Make your own 4x6 Calendar for 2013

In need of a quick and easy Christmas gift? Try making your own 4x6 photo desk calendar. If you've ever wanted to try digital scrapbooking this is a great way to start! It's super easy. I've done most of the work for you. You just simply layer the PNG file on top of your photo in your favorite photo editing program (PS or PSE) and then print! You can find it for sale at happytocreate.com here. You can print them at home or have them printed at your favorite online or local printer. I like to have mine printed at Costco. They're quick and are a good quality print for the price.

I've made these for my mom, sister, mother-in-law and myself for several years. Now I get the request for it as a Christmas gift every year. :) I'm glad they like it and hope you do too! Enjoy!

Here are a couple of samples of how I layered the quick page on top of the photo of my kiddos.

You can even add some type on top of the images, like I've done here on the July page.

Enjoy and Happy Crafting!
:) Amanda

I've been busy crafting this week, the recyling bin is filling up again!
I made a new leaf shape & word art cuttable set to make it easy to make your own paper leaf wreath, perfect for Thanksgiving decor!

Be My Hero Top 10!

ZAP! BOOM POWER! My Action Hero design was in the top 10 for the Be My Hero fabric design contest at Spoonflower! (Check out the top design and the rest of the top ten here) It looks so fun to see it printed on fabric! I'm going to order some yardage to make something for Max's room. Ka-Blamo!

Free Gift: Family Word Art

Here's a FREE gift for your digital scrapbooking layouts!
It coordinates with my Happy Go Lucky Midi Kit.

 

Enjoy!

;) Amanda

Noteworthy

I made a new digital scrapbooking kit last week!
It's packed with basic patterns with an artistic edge. (In other words, messy paint bits!)

Here's what my friend Marnie wrote about it:
"Amanda has weaved her digital scrapbooking magic again—combining color, paint, and creative genius—in her Noteworthy Midi Kit.
Using her signature mix of graphic patterns and versatile elements, Amanda’s newest designs are a wonderful backdrop for any occasion, event, or memory—including a burst of fun" 

 Here's a couple of digital scrapbooking layouts I made with Noteworthy:

 Thanks for looking! 
;) Amanda

Lego Jedi Valentine

I love Pinterest! You can find some really great ideas, including lots of clever ideas for crafts and printables, including lots of Valentine inspiration. I think this is where I saw a Light Saber Valentine from the Brassy Apple blog. What a cute and clever idea to use a glow stick bracelet for the light saber! LOVE! This inspired me to make own interpretation for my son to give away to his classmates. He loves Star Wars and all things Lego so I made one for him with a Luke Skywalker Lego minifigure.

Here's my version:

 Here's how I made it:
I took a photo of his Luke Skywalker Lego minifigure with just the handle of the light saber in his hand.

Hmm, yeah, bad lighting. I opened up that image and messed with the levels and curves in Photoshop to make Luke a little brighter. Then I created a mask layer and started masking out the background.

Then I typed out the Valentine message using the font Star Jedi Special Edition. (This is a freeware font you can find here.) I made sure I left enough white space above the light saber handle for the glow stick.

Then I duplicated everything to fill the page.

 Then, I printed the page on white cardstock and cut them apart. I cut a small inverted T above the light saber handle (or you could use a hole punch, but mine wouldn't reach that far into the page.)

 

Then I flipped over the card, and folded back the paper to create a triangle shape hole. 

Then I inserted the glow bracelet into the hole. 

 And then I taped the glue stick to the card.

 And then that's it! If you know you're way around Photoshop and have a Lego fan at your house, it's easy to make your own! May the force be with you! ;)

Chillin' Elves

Happy and Jolly, our magic Christmas elves have arrived! Guess where we found them this morning? Chillin' in the fridge with a fun frostie soda pop! Those silly elves! They have already been up to lots of mischief this year. They have sprayed "snow" on the widow, "sledding" on the couch in the playroom, and brought my kids Lego Advent calendars. You can read more about their arrival adventure here on the Happy To Create blog. Looks like were in for a fun holiday season with Happy and Jolly!

Over-Night Owl Bag

I've been teaching my daughter how to sew! Several years ago, I bought her a kid size sewing machine and she just didn't really have the interest yet, preferring to build lego sets and make crafty things. Which is fine, a kids gotta be a kid, right?! I figured if she showed interested then she'd be able to focus and learn. There was no sense pushing something on her that she really didn't have an interest in.

Just last week I showed her a project that I thought would be fun and reasonably easy to make (maybe even for Christmas gifts.) She decided she was interested (squeee!) and we have been working on those gifts together. So, since our family might read this we'll wait until after the holidays to share that project. However, we can show you the darling little bag we made together.

This little bag is to hold her toothbrush, toothpaste, hairbrush etc. for overnights. I had some leftover owl fabric from her "night owl pajama party" that I used to sew bags and pillows for the girls. Once again, the craft stash pays off! It's always so rewarding to use up scraps to make something useful that may have otherwise been tossed.

We didn't use a pattern to make the bag, we just figured out how tall it would need to be to fit her hairbrush and toothbrush and the amount of fabric we had determined the width. She sewed the side seams and pockets, helped assemble it together (with the "full size" machine, not the kiddie one!) Next, I figured out how to put the lining inside and attach the handle. Then, she proudly attached the button herself. ;) It was definitely a team effort. Next project will have to be "all Maddy."

It's been a delight teaching her how to sew. My grandmother taught my mom, my mom taught me and now I'm sharing that legacy with Maddy. It hasn't been without tears, she was so upset the first "mistake" she made but it was a good teaching opportunity. I introduced her my good friend, the seam ripper. "Get to know it well, it will be your friend too!" I think it helped dry those tears when I shared some tales of the seam ripper. Sometimes the best way to learn is to learn from your mistakes. It's always easier when you can fix them too! :)

I look forward to many more projects together with my seamstress-in-training!

Wonder Fall

I love Fall. The brisk air, crunchy leaves under your feet, pumpkin pie and apple cider. It's all wonder Fall! It inspired me to paint and create a new digital scrapbooking SNAP kit this week and it's now available for purchase at Happy To Create!

And here's a couple layouts of my cuties using the Wonder Fall SNAP kit.

I hope it inspires you to go outside and enjoy the falling leaves. Take a few photos to scrap too while you're at it! :) Enjoy.

Hybrid Craft: Halloween Luminaries

Looking for an easy Halloween craft? Check out this post on the Happy To Create Blog where I show you how to make Halloween themed luminaries from peanut butter jars, battery operated tealights and digital scrapbooking supplies. And then go make some and be creepy! :o

I Spy a Lego Jedi

Look who's watching over me while I work.

It makes me feel so Jedi protected or something. (and wowsers, please ignore the dust on my monitor! Perhaps I work more than I housekeep!)

I wonder if Jedi's do house cleaning? Hmm. Probably with a light saber. Nevermind.

Use the Force!

May the force be with you, my son.

I found a white t-shirt on clearance at the wallymarts the other day and thought it would be fun to make an iron on design for my son. (I figured it was so cheap that if I ruined it, it wouldn't be a huge loss!)

I encouraged him to create his own artwork that I could use for the iron on design. He loves Star Wars so he created his own version of Luke using the force, and clones, and blasters, light sabers and I'm not sure what else. Very clever. 

So I scanned in his artwork, added a title with a free Star Wars font I found, and outlined it with a rounded rectangle in Illustrator. Then, follow the manufacturers directions for the iron on transfer paper. I used Avery #3271 and you have to make sure you mirror the image before printing. Also, please ignore the bad kerning, I had a little Jedi looking over my shoulder begging "is it done yet, is it done yet?" When you're making your little kiddo smile this big, who cares about kerning, right? What matters is that he loves it. I don't think the iron on stuff will last through many washings though. He wore it to school today and it's starting to crackle and wear off a bit. But then again, a white shirt doesn't stay very white on my boy. ;)  If you want to try to make one for your little Star Wars fan, you can find free fonts out there. I think this is the one I used Star Jedi Font. And may the force be with you. ;)