Embossing Paste Fun over at Blitsy!

Posted on February 3, 2015 by justtyra

Hello! How are you? Happy February! How have you been? I’ve been knee deep in kindergarten homework and reading plans, craft projects, and other big family plans. So, forgive me if you haven’t seen me in a while, but trust that I’m getting a lot done behind the scenes and I look forward to sharing as soon as I’m able to (Really, as soon as I can come up for air)!

I wanted to pop in and share that I created a VIDEO! for Blitsy showing one of my favorite combos — white embossing paste on dark card stock. I’m also using fun elements from Prima’s Forever Green line! Here is peek:

Please check out the Blitsy blog and click the Discover Tab (top left corner) for the full reveal! (please be gentle, it’s my first video in a long time). Take care! xo, Tyra

It’s 2015!

Posted on January 21, 2015 by justtyra

Happy New Year (better late than never, right?). I’m sorry I’ve been gone for a bit! I had a lot of holiday time off and my family and I have been trying to get back into the swing of school, homework (in kindergarten — yes, they are busy these days!), snow days and work. I also used my downtime for goal setting and working with my husband on some big exciting family plans for later this year (I’ll share as soon as I am able, promise).

In the meantime I’m glad to get back into the swing of blogging! Thank you so much for your patience! While you are here, I would love to share a few crafty updates:

Clique Kits Pep Rally happens on Wednesday, January 21st starting at 11 am Eastern. Head on over to the blog to check it out!
Chickaniddy previewed some of their latest collections at CHA 2015 here. Check out the wintery cards I created using the Jolly Good Collection here.
Die-Namites is having an awesome Birthday Blog Hop happening now! Comment all this week as Die-Namites will be randomly choosing One GRAND PRIZE winner of a $50 Gift Certificate and Five ~ $10 Gift Certificates Winners.
Have you headed over to Blitsy? There are always tons of fabulous deals on crafty supplies! And GUESS WHAT GUYS? I created my first video tutorials! I will share the link once the video is live!

Thanks so much for stopping by my blog today! xo, Tyra

Merry Christmas!

Posted on December 25, 2014 by justtyra

Merry Christmas to you and yours! If you are sitting on the couch relaxing (or recovering) from all of the holiday hoopla, check out the following features:

I’m over on the Clique Kits Blog where I share my December Journal:

I’m over on Blitsy, where I share my photo calendar:

And last, but not least, over at Chickaniddy, I created a fun mini-album using the Jolly Good Collection (this collection is also perfect for snowy and rainy winter-themed cards):

So once again, Merry Christmas! xo, Tyra

Clique Kits Honor Society December Meeting

Posted on December 17, 2014 by justtyra

9457536_orig Hello It’s Tyra and I’m part of the December Pep Rally / Blog Share featuring Clique Kits December Kit Enchanted Meadow. This month the challenge is:

Enchanted Meadow features many icons all about sparkle and shine! Share something in a project or in the text of your post inspired by this image and quote…

A Beautiful Quote and here is how I was inspired:

And a mini-album! Those chipboard stickers were made for this!

Thanks so much for stopping by! Check out the blog share list below for other fun blog shares!

Clique Kits
Gia
Jody
Erica
Lacey
Mariah
Alisha
Stephanie
Kat
Charity
Nicole
Marcia
>Tyra <
Danielle
Sophie
Nicole
Stephanie
Sarah
Carolina
Danielle
Cassandra
Alisha
Donna

Thanks SO much for stopping by! xo, Tyra

Die-Namites Holiday Card Feature!

Posted on December 11, 2014 by justtyra

Today a fun holiday card and tag I created are being featured on the Die-Namites blog today! Here is a peek:

Would love if you could visit and say hi! Take care and thanks so much for stopping by today! xo, Tyra

Too Much Says Who?

Posted on December 10, 2014 by justtyra

This is my second post of the day. For my Coffee Lover’s Blog Hop Post click HERE!

Hi it’s Tyra and I’m here with a very special post! Today I’m sharing a card I created using an exclusive Sweet Stamp Shop set, “Sparkle and Shine,” offered in Clique Kit’s December Kit, Enchanted Meadow.

This set is no longer offered by the Sweet Stamp Shop, so be sure to check out Clique Kit’s December’s Kit. I am lucky to have created projects for both teams and it just so happens I have a extra Sweet Shop stamp set that I would LOVE to give away! Just leave a comment and your contact info and check back on next Tuesday, December 16th, Sweet Stamp Shop’s December Release, where I will share a new card created in celebration of the release and announce the lucky winner!

What a fun day on the blog! Thanks so much for stopping by! xo, Tyra

Coffee Lover’s Blog Hop

Posted on December 10, 2014 by justtyra

Happy Wednesday! Today I’m super excited to play along with the Coffee Lover’s Blog Hop, graciously hosted by Amy Tsuruta.

I LOVE Coffee. THE END. I just finished a cup now and I’m going to reload before this post is finished! In any case, let’s get to the cards I created, shall we?

I created the first two cards, using an oldie, but goodie, set from Market Street Stamps. I love those stamps and I was so excited to use them here. I also used paper and embellies from Kaisercraft and my ink is all Stampin’ Up!

Notice the “season’s greetings” sentiment? It’s from Chickaniddy! Love it!

And in honor of those cute 3.5 by 5.5 cards that Amy creates, I just HAD to give it a try:

I’m officially addicted to this size! Thanks for much for stopping by and leaving a comment. Once the blog hop closes I will draw a random number from the comments (please leave your contact info) and send the lucky crafter something special from my crafty space! Take care and thanks so much for stopping by! xo, Tyra

Update: Hey guys! The one and only Angelica Suarez just shared that the digital stamp version of Daily Grind (coffee cups and sentiments) are available on her site: http://www.angsuarez.com/shop. Yes!

Planner Basics: Basic Tools for Stamping

Posted on December 3, 2014 by justtyra

Happy Hump Day! I’m here with another Planner Basics post where I discuss basic tools for you planner nerds out there 🙂

There has been an explosion of interest in using stamps and planners together and I think it’s awesome. If you are someone new to stamping, you might find yourself overwhelmed with the choices of inks and tools to use. My advice? Keep it simple:

An acrylic block is a must-have if you plan on using “clear” stamps. The one shown was only $1 dollar at my local craft store. Score!
Memento Dew Drop Inks are perfect for the busy planner. The compact size and the dew drop shape of these pads allow you get just the right amount of ink onto your stamp. These inks dry fast and will not smudge.
Use a pencil case to keep all of your tools together.
Love those stamps? Mine are from the Sweet Stamp Shop “Plan It” series. I’m featuring the following sets today:

Thanks so much for stopping by! xo, Tyra

Zutter Bow-It-All Review

Posted on November 26, 2014 by justtyra

Hey guys! great news! As a Blitsy creative team member, I often get asked to create product reviews that I will post here. Since CraftSwag is all about discovering new tools and techniques, you will also find product reviews there as well!

To kick things off, Today I am part of the Blitsy Creative Team Zutter’s Bow-It-All Blog Hop (say that three times- ha!).

At first glance this tool might look intimidating, but after a few tutorials, that the Bow-It-All is perfect for the holiday season! Just think — bows on cards, wreaths, presents and decor. Here is my very first set of bows:

I started to walk around my house to see I what I could add a bow to. Um, how about everything? however, as I start, I added a pretty ribbon to this tote:

I like Big Bows and I cannot Lie!

(sorry, I totally couldn’t resist)

To summarize, I have a list of Likes / Dislikes

Like

The ability to create bows sized between ½” wide up to 9”
Versatile for more than one craft: Perfect for card making memory keeping, home decor and food crafts/gifts.
A ton of tutorials on You Tube and Zutter’s own website

Dislikes

There is a learning curve. The enclosed booklet did not help me, since I’m a very visual learner. I spent maybe 30 minutes total on You Tube to perfect the bow-making technique. Here is a link to Blitsy’s You Tube Tutorial!
Space: This is not a space saving tool. I do have to clear off my craft desk, move my main project over in order to use this tool.

Given that the dislikes are not major, I would definitely recommend this tool for any crafter. And guess what? As part of the Blitsy Creative Team, I’m giving you the chance to win one! To enter just leave a comment! The comments you leave on each blog throughout the hop, the better your odds!

P.S. I did the same exact review over at CraftSwag.com, so please feel free to leave a comment there as well!

If you don’t win one of these handy tools in the blog hop, The Bow-It-All 2.0 (Yes! The latest and greatest version) will be a part of Blitsy’s Black Friday Sale! That’s all I have for now, take care and thanks so much for stopping by!

Sweet and Simple with the Sweet Stamp Shop and CASology

Posted on November 26, 2014 by justtyra

Hello It’s Tyra and today I’m playing along with the latest CASology challenge where the cue card for this week is: EAT

I’m sharing this sweet and simple card I created using the “Take Out” set from the Sweet Stamp Shop:

And here is the card I created:

Since moving back to the midwest, I’m delighted that I can now enjoy a few (truly Americanized) take out restaurants! My favorites are beef and broccoli, shrimp with veggies and rice, rice rice. And did I mention rice? Speaking of rice, I wonder why I have yet to invest in a rice cooker? There are so many textures, flavors and variety of rice! If anyone has a rice cooker, please leave a comment with your recommendation – please?

Sorry for the rambling, back to the CASology challenge. It’s so nice to play along with card challenges. There’s such a wonderful community cultivated on the various challenge sites. One last thing about CASology – The design team provide tips called “Design Defined.” When I started to take up an interest in card making, these tips proved to be so valuable to me. I love to see the new tips posted with each challenge! This to me is what set this talented team a part from many others!

Thanks so much for stopping by my blog today! xo, Tyra

Updated December 3rd to add:

YAY! This Card was recognized!