Ladybug Ink Blog Hop: Easter Style

My rose bushes are blooming. Green is emerging from the dull, dead New Mexico brown. I can walk outside without a jacket. I'm sneezing liking crazy. Spring is coming! Spring is here!

And you are here! If you have been hopping along, you know that this month's theme is spring/Easter. My project is inspired by Betty Traciak, who came up with a great way to make a cute little Easter basket using the Petite Purse Big Shot die. It's a super easy basket to make and of course, super cute.
 

Isn't the basket adorable. It's super easy to make.

First, you will need to cut six of the upper part of the Petite Purse die. You'll need to cut off the notch on the flap of the purse and the "side" of the purse. Your piece will look like those in the picture below.

Next, add some sticky strip to the remaining flap. Using the red sticky strip gives it the extra strength to stay together.

 

Attach the six pieces together. Your basket will look kind of like a rainbow! 

Attach the last purse piece to the other side of the "rainbow" and fold the flaps so that they interlock. 

Flip the basket and you have a cute little bowl. Time to make it into an Easter basket!

Cut a 12" piece of DSP and attach it to the inside of the basket to create a handle. I continued to decorate my basket with some Island Indigo ribbon and butterflies from the Spring Sampler stamp set. I made "grass" for my Easter basket by cutting 1/4" strips of Pear Pizzazz and curling them using the bone folder. Now all I need are some Cadbury eggs to place in my basket.

This basket is super easy to make and would make a great teacher gift or just a decoration. I'm planning on putting jelly beans in my basket. Like the amazingly delicious Starburst Jellybeans that are giving me cavities this year.What's your favorite type of jellybean?

Thank you for stopping by my blog. Hop on over to the amazingly talented Cassie to see what she has for you!

Happy Stampin' and Hoppin'!
~Cita

Ladybug Roll Call!

Ruth Norton http://ruthsstampingcorner.blogspot.com

Amber Wilson http://amberladybugink.blogspot.com/

Kay Jantz http://ktmyldyandlife.blogspot.com/

You are Here: Camelita Wasson http://carmenacita.blogspot.com/

Cassie Rogers http://lucyslovelies.blogspot.com/ 

Michelle Carrion http://www.ilovecrafttime.blogspot.com/

A Little Bag of Thanks

A few things I love: presents, cards, stamping, my downline, friends....

This cute little bag of note cards represents all those things I love. My downline, and dear friend, Amber gave me this set of cute note cards as a present this past Christmas. A few things struck me when I pulled these out of my gift bag. First, these cards are so cute and simple. Amber used the hostess Happy You stamp set on top World Spectacular DSP. She then colored the cute little mushrooms using Blender Pens.

The second thing that struck me is the joy I felt when I got a handmade present. Along with this cute set of handmade note cards, Amber gave me a jar of handmade hand scrub. I make cards and little presents on a weekly basis. I love giving them to people, but I think I sometimes forget just how much joy and meaning that a handmade gift brings to people. Because of this simple reminder, I made a New Year's goal in January to send or give something handmade to someone every week this year. I've skipped a few weeks, but so far, I've done a good job, and it feels good. :) You should try it.

So here's a challenge for you: make a card and send it (yes, use snail mail) to someone you care about, love, or are just thinking about. Your card doesn't have to be complicated. Simple goes a long way.

Happy Stampin',
~Cita

Swaps Gone Wrong

During a monthly Ladybug Swap last year during Sale-a-Bration, I made a bad calculation when trying to figure out how much Designer Series Paper and ribbon I needed to complete my swaps. The result was three different swaps that had to go out. I know that's not how swaps are supposed to work, but in the interest of time and sanity, that was they way it had to be.

This was the original swap I designed. I loved the fan-like background of the DSP. Also, notice the nice Lucky Limeade ribbon.

And then I ran out of that fan-like DSP, so I switched to a striped DSP from the same Elementary Elegance collection. I also ran out of the ribbon, so I switched to a Calypso Coral ribbon.

And THEN, I ran out of the striped DSP. So I switched to this Pool Party-dominate DSP. At this point, I had to switch the background cardstock to Calypso Coral. I think it worked out well.

I learned a lot during this round of swaps. First, learn how to do math. :-)

Do you have any funny or frustrating swap stories? Share with me!

Happy Stampin"
~Cita