The Bird Holder Tutorial

Ok ladies, I have had many requests for this tutorial. But first, today's winner is.......Rachel @ 11:07am. Congratulations Rachel, send your address to Krista@cosmocricket.com and we'll send you your prize!

And Second, did you know that Monday is Digital Scrapbooking Day? Well, according to scrapblog.com and Digital Scrapbooking magazine it is. So, how many of you do the digital thing? How many of you do hybrid stuff? How many of you have never tried anything digital?

I guess you could say that I am a hybrid girl, but only because I design all the paper and stuff I'm using on my mac before I use it. And, I guess I also take all my photos digitally, import them into Photoshop, play with them a bit and then print myself. But, I have never really done a digital layout. How about you?

If you are into the digital thing or would just like to give it a try, here is a contest that might interest you! Now through Nov. 1, users that log in or sign up on scrapblog.com and design their digital holiday greeting cards, tagging them as “DSD” will be entered in a contest for 50 printed Scrapblog greeting cards featuring their designs and a free one-year subscription to Digital Scrapbooking Magazine. There is no cost to participate and users can enter as many holiday card designs as they’d like. There will be five winners.

Now, for the tutorial!!! Hopefully it makes sense and you can tell what I was doing in these photos..... they're not the best. Oh well...... wire is hard to photograph........ especially in a basement!

Start with some sturdy wire (I'm sorry, I don't know what gauge this is) and needle nose pliers. Pinch about one inch in from end.

Twist wire around like in photo.

Squeeze together as shown.

Bend wire so that you can repeat the process.

Like this! Make three front toes by repeating these instructions.

Once you have your three toes, pinch the wire about 1 1/2" away from what will be the center of the foot, as shown.

Bend the wire around to make the back toe.

Pinch it together, like with the other toes.

You'll notice that your back toe is wider closer to the foot. If that doesn't bother you, continue, but if you like, bring your wire up between two of the front toes to finish the first foot.

You'll want the wire to be about twice as long as your finished leg length. Estimating that length, fold the wire down to make the second leg.

Following the same steps as before...... even in the same order, make the second foot. Then clip wire.

Pinch leg at about center point (this depends slightly on how long you want the leg to be).

Fold foot up as shown. Then, repeat on other side.

After you bend both legs, flip it over and you should have this. (Are you still with me?)

Pinch in center of the front part, as shown.

Bend it up and then repeat on other side. (If this looks confusing, skip down to the next photo, and I think you'll get the idea).

TaDaaa. You should now have a completed wire holder that looks like little chicken legs! Make some cute cards to fit in there and enjoy!!

The Flock, The Day and The Game

Good Morning,

Let's start with the game. No weight change this morning. That's two weeks for me on this little plateau. And, this is the last weigh in before Japan (I leave on Tuesday). I will be 12 pounds lighter than when I started my quest!! So, even though I didn't lose any this week, I am still proud of myself.

Regulars to the blog know that if they post a comment today, they will be entered into a drawing for a prize. I never really say what they will win, because I usually haven't decided that yet. Usually it's a new line of paper, and older line of paper and something fun to go with it. Today I am thinking of Fleuriste and Oh Joy with the Buck Naked ornaments so that the winner can make these cute birds if they wish.

The instructions are in the post below, if you didn't see that yesterday. And, I will do the wire holder tutorial, but probably not today.

Why, you ask?

I have kids home from school because of parent teacher conferences...... mine are in 30 minutes. Abby has a doctor's appointment at 10:30. I have a hair appointment at 1:30, but it's a two hour drive (that's a long story, I might have to share it sometime). Anyway, I don't expect to be able to breath all morning!

Birdie Card and Holder

Hi Ladies,

OK, I wanted to make an entire flock of these cards and maybe I still will. It took me a little longer this morning to figure out how to make the wire holder than I had planned (the feet need to be bigger than expected to get him to stand up!).

If I find the time, I'll do a photo tutorial of how to make the holder, but for now, here is how to make the bird.

1. Start with a square of paper. I used a 5"square, but I've also made these with 6" and 4" squares. They are really cute as page embellishments done tiny!
2. Fold that square in half, corner to corner. I used a piece of yellow Prism cardstock as a base, but it's not necessary..... just depends on what you want. If you do use a base, and you want the patterned paper to set inside a tad, instead of folding along the center, cut just 1/8-1/4" off center and use the smaller side.
3. For wing, cut a square half the size of the body. So, my wing was 2 1/2" square. Then cut in half, corner to corner.
4. Adhere to body along top edge only. I have done these with just a bead of glue, but sewing is too cute. One tip, I always thread my sewing machine with two spools of thread (sometimes the same color, sometimes different) when sewing on paper. If you do this and set your stitch length to the longest stitch you'll get a fairly hand-done effect.
5. For the beak and tail, I use a 1" square for most sizes. If you are making a really tiny one, you'll want to adjust, but usually 1" works. Cut these along the center like with wing. The only difference between the beak and tail is the way they are turned and the paper they are cut from.
6. Adhere as shown.
7. Find a cute button or brad to use for his little eye.
8. You can make a stand if desired by bending wire. I have also sewn them closed along the front body edge to make a pocket in which to place a special note. Maybe I'll make one of those next to show you.
9. Watch him fly right to the heart of a friend. (OK, was that too corny?)

Update:
I just realized it's suppose to be Weigh in Wednesday. I thought today was Tuesday!!! Yes, I am losing it. Anyway, since I've already eaten and stuff I don't want to weigh myself. So, we will play Theigh in Thursday this week! :) Be sure to check back tomorrow!

Oh JOY, Home Decor

Here is a project done by my friend, Lisa Falduto. Don't you think it's cute. I love the "old" looking jingle bells. So, I said, "Lisa, you have to tell me where you got the letters and the jingle bells, my blog readers will want to know." She said that they came already put together and she got them at Michaels. She said that the letters are wooden and had some other items glued to them. She used adhesive dissolver to get them off and then sanded the whole thing, decorated it up, re-attached the jingle bells (they were already on the wire) and TADAAAA, one fabulous home decor project.

This got me thinking. There are probably lots of Halloween and other craft items on sale right now for one reason or another. They are either ugly, out of season or overstocks. The next time I am at my craft store I am going to walk the aisles with Lisa in mind, saying to myself things like:
1. Does the shape work? If so, can you easily change the color by covering it in paper or repainting.
2. Would this work for fall or Thanksgiving rather than Halloween if I altered it. (Think pumpkins, leaves and bare trees!)
3. Why is this ugly and can you change that part of it?

If you find a bargain craft item and turn it into a work of art, send it to krista@cosmocricket.com and maybe we'll feature your creativity on our blog and/or inspiration gallery on our site.

A Winner, a Traveler & a Blog Run a Muck

Hi everyone,

It's me, Julie, back in the saddle again. I see that Lindsay and Eric got "creative" in my absence. I hope you all had fun and aren't too disappointed by my return (the men can post at any time, they just don't for some reason).

I have to say, that if I were a participant in Lindsay's contest, I would have failed miserably. In fact, the whole idea of needing to be popular reminds me of horrible junior high school memories (did you see Chuck last week). You might never guess it, but I was terribly shy and socially awkward (well, maybe you could still guess that part!).

Anyway, when I travel alone, this shy tendency re-emerges. I just don't know what to do with myself..... how to break into a crowd of people I don't know...... etc. So, what did I do with all my free time in Texas? I used Photobooth to take silly pictures in my hotel room. (Just a note, I was there before the show opened, so it's not like I could walk the floor or anything.) I wanted to post them here, but I'm having technical difficulties with the laptop. If I get it to work, I'll update you.

Ok, so, the winner of the "How Many People Can You Fit Into Cosmo Cricket's Blog" contest is..... Pinky with 84 friends commenting on her behalf! She is one popular girl..... maybe she can give me some tips!

Pinky, send us your address and we'll send you your prize.

Wow! What a response to our little game.

The game ended yesterday, Friday at 5pm mst and we just want to thank all of you for a great turn out. We will post the winner on Monday.

Stay tuned because maybe the next time Julie goes out of town we’ll play this game again.

How many people can you fit into Cosmo Cricket’s Blog

First of all don’t forget to look at the previous post to see who won ‘Weigh in Wednesday’.

Okay- Here's the game,whoever brings the most people to our blog, I will send out to them a Chemistry Paper Crafting Kit, with all of the trimmings, an Oh Joy" Paper Crafting Kit, with all of the trimmings, and a Haunted Paper Crafting Kit, with all of the trimmings. Retail value= over $150.00.

This is how it works.You're friends need to say in their blog comment, that they are commenting on behalf of "your name". Thats all that they really need to say.

The contest will go until 5pm mst tomorrow. If there is a tie, we will have the most honest person in our office, Kristen,put those who have tied names into a hat and draw a winner.

It's kind of like a geneology of friends.

(When Julie’s away the boys will play)

Everyone understand? Game starts now!

I know, I'm such a trouble maker.... (cause when Julie’s away the boys will play)

Weigh in Wednesday Winner

Today’s post is coming from me, Eric. Julie is gone today for Quilt Market in Houston. We thought she was going to Houston tomorrow but yesterday afternoon she got an email from the airline reminding her that her flight would be leaving the next morning (this morning) at 6 am. I was upstairs when she got the email but she yelled loud enough the whole neighborhood could hear her. After she calmed down we got all of the work done that we thought we would get done today. Julie will be back on Monday.

Ok so todays winner is Kristin who said “I probably gained about 5 lbs in scrapbooking supplies this week, but fortunately managed to lose one pound in body weight.”

Kristin send us your address and we’ll get you out your goodies. Send your address to kristen@cosmocricket.com

Spreadin' the Cosmo Cricket Love

Good morning everyone! Are you feeling LUCKY?

We decided that it wasn't fair for just one person to win a Chemistry set because honestly, evey girl should have one! And so, we have picked not one......... not two........ but FIVE lucky winners!!!

But, before we get to that, check out what Cherri House did with our Hey Sugar fabric. Cherri is a quilt designer for Andover. It's kind of funny because after Eric and I had decided to license our artwork through them, Cherri, Eric's cousin, contacted us and said she'd be making our quilt for their trade show. Then, Cherri's daughter, Lizzy, also began designing fabric for them. So, it's kind of like a little family reunion at every textile show. You could say only in Utah.... as the joke goes, but Cherri and Lizzy don't live in Utah and Andover is based out of New York. And, before Andover, I had never met either of them. I guess it's just a small world!

Cherri's quilt she is calling Sugar Snap.

Lizzy's fabric line called Lizzy Dish.

And now, for todays winners, in random order, and everything. Send us your address and we'll send you your prize.
1. Kristina 11:39.
2. Gail C 12:09.
3. Charmaine 5:58.
4. Tonya 11:30.
5. Jody 7:14.

Congratulations. And, for those that are new to our blog you're in for another treat. Today is Wednesday. Loyal followers know that this means Weigh in Wednesday (yes, I stole that from Donna). Anyway, no pounds lost, no pounds gained. Tell us how you did, or leave us some encouragement and you could be our next prize winner.

Thanks for stopping by and check back tomorrow to see if you won!

Get a little Chemistry

PS: We'll be making another stop to Kmart for more photos...... now that I know $2 is such a deal, I think I'll stock up.
PSS: I used nail polish to paint the Blackboard pieces. All letters are from the Get Happy Blackboard Shapes, the numbers are from the Retro Mix Alphabet.
PSS: You could win a Chemistry paper crafting kit. Tell us what you think of the new line to be entered into our drawing.
PSSS: Just if you didn't know...... you can click on the images to see them larger. Have a great day!

Two Winners

Good morning everyone (I can't say ladies anymore since we had our first male comment...... Hi Jon!), anyway talk about a hard choice. Everyone had fabulous ideas and I can't wait to try some of them myself...... and to see what you do with fabric whether you're one of the winners or not!

OK, so to the matter at hand. I said I would pick my favorites and the first is lynzei who said, "I'd make yo-yos, ruched flowers, die cuts, little stuffed creatures, backgrounds for name frames, oh and I'd need to fashion a nifty retro apron to wear while I make all my pretty projects. I'd craft and sing, "I feel pretty, oh so pretty..."

I just had to pick this entry because I love the ideas and I love the song! Actually, this was the theme movie for Cosmo Cricket heading up to CHA winter. I sent it to everyone in the office.


For the second pick, I choose Shari who said, "I'm so excited to see another line of Fabric from Cosmo Cricket!!! Sewing was my first love before stamps and paper! I love working on projects that combine the three. This fabric would be great for fabric postcards!" I picked her because I would love to see fabric postcards!

Other ideas that I thought were fabulous included running it through a die-cutting machine, using it to reinforce the spines of paper albums and printing on it.... of course!

I continue to play with it myself. Look at my album so far!

And that's not the best part! Eric and I went to the local Kmart Photo Booth (they have doubled the price to $2!) and got these super fun photos that I plan to use. Don't they just crack you up! I highly recommend this. Even at double the price it is a fun and inexpensive date!


Finally, if you are one of the lucky winners, email your address to kristen@cosmocricket.com and we'll send you your prize! But, if you're not one of the winners, don't worry because tomorrow you'll have a chance to see a sneak peek of our newest line and maybe even win some of it!!

What's A Scrapbooker Like You Want With Fabric Like This?

So, you think you would like to win a bundle of Hey Sugar Fat Quarters do you? We'll we think we would like to give a couple away. Here's what to do. Tell us how you would use your fabric to enhance your paper crafting projects by posting a comment on this entry.

That's right, whether you're a card maker, scrapbooker, altered works artist, etc. We are looking for fun, creative ideas on how to incorporate fabric into the world of paper crafting. We will choose our two favorites on Monday, so put those thinking caps on.

Here is a little experiment I tried late last night. I took some really thick, stiff interfacing that I had purchased earlier at my local fabric shop. I fused it to some Hey Sugar fabric, cut it out to match our Jack's Blackboard Album, decorated it up and will use it as the cover of a fun little album about Eric and me falling in love.......... that's why it says censored........ we have a very passionate relationship. :)


Oh, and don't you like my little additions to the blog. I thought it was about time I spruced it up a bit (I'm not technically savvy, so it's a bit of a challenge for me). You'll notice on the side bar, I added our followers with a link for you to become one. You can also subscribe to the blog (although I have no idea how these things work). Oh, and I added links to our design team member's blogs because they always have fun things going on too!

Have a great day!

Hey Sugar! It's Fabric!

Sorry about the no posting yesterday and no Weigh in Wednesday game this week. I have been so busy with product deadlines......... wait until you see what we're up to....... that I haven't even had time to eat or sleep. But, this Hey Sugar fabric just woke me right up! Look how cute. I love it!

There are three colorways. The traditional colors from the coordinating paper line, a red and navy color pallet and a springy-citrus-ee color pallet. I love them all!

If you're interested in purchasing our lines of fabric for resale, it is distributed through Andover Fabrics in New York. If you're interested in purchasing our fabric for yourself, check with your local, independent quilting store. Hey Sugar, will be debuted at the quilt market in Texas next weekend, so it will take a little while for it to show up in your local stores.

If you're interested in winning some free Hey Sugar fabric, check back here tomorrow for details!

Gingerbread House

It did snow, so I feel justified in posting a Christmas project. I didn't have any holiday photos on hand, but I plan to add them! I used the Oh Joy papers of course, including the ornament covers and strip tease sheet. I also used the Buck Naked Chipboard Ornaments and the green velvet ribbon from Mr. Campy.