Bee Happy Weeklies Week 28: Friendship & Pets - Faux Leather Photo Book Charms

This week’s Bee Happy Weeklies prompt is Friendship & Pets, and I couldn’t think of a sweeter project than creating these adorable faux leather photo book charms!

These tiny photo books hold little photos of the people and pets that mean the most to us. I made mine with heart and cat-shaped windows, one for my friends and, of course, one for my sweet Lucky! They’re such a fun way to keep special memories close, whether they’re hanging from your keys, your bag, your journal, or even tucked into your craft supplies.

One of my favorite parts of this project was how easy it was to put together. I cut everything using my Cricut Explore 5, and I was sooooooo impressed by how effortlessly it cut through the Bee Happy Thin Faux Leather. It was noticeably smoother than cutting faux leather with my old Cricut Maker, making the whole process faster!

If you’d like to recreate these charms, I’ve shared my Cricut Design Space template publicly so you can make your own! Feel free to customize the colors and window shapes to suit your style.

Again, you can find the template here: 

                                            Mini Photo Keychain - Cat and Heart

Materials Used

Bee Happy

• Bee Happy Thin Faux Leather
• Bee Happy Snap Button Pliers Set
• Bee Happy Ball Chains
• Cricut Explore 5
• We R Memory Keepers Crop-a-dile Eyelet Setter & Punch

Other Materials

• Acetate
• Tassel

Instructions

1. Open my Cricut Design Space template using the link above.

2. Each photo book charm consists of three main pieces: the book, the closure, and two window panels featuring either hearts or cats. Feel free to change the colors to match your faux leather. I chose a cheerful pink and yellow combination - my faves!

3. Cut all the pieces using your Cricut.

4. Align the right window panel with the book and sandwich the closure between the book and the window panel. Don’t worry if part of the closure peeks through the window, it will be covered later. Before sewing, I pre-poked holes about ¼ inch apart along the top, bottom, and right side, leaving the left side open for inserting the acetate and photo.

5. Sew the top, bottom, and right side of the window.

6. Punch a hole in the closure and attach the top half of a snap button using the Bee Happy Snap Button Pliers Set.

7. Punch the corresponding hole on the left side of the book where the closure meets it. Attach the bottom half of the snap button using the pliers.

8. Align the second window panel on the left side of the book. Again, it’s perfectly fine if the snap button is visible through the window since it will be covered by the photo.

9. Pre-poke holes along the top, bottom, and left side, leaving the right side open.

10. Sew the second window in place.

11. Using your Crop-a-dile, punch a hole at the top center of the book. Insert an eyelet and secure it.

12. Don’t throw away the hearts and cats that were cut out from the window panels! Glue matching pieces together so they become sturdy little charms.

13. Punch a small hole in each heart or cat, thread a Bee Happy Ball Chain through it, and attach it to your photo book charm.

14. Add a tassel for a fun finishing touch.

15. Insert pieces of acetate into each window to help protect your photos.

16. Finally, slide in your favorite photos and enjoy your personalized keepsake!

I really enjoyed making these little charms. They’re quick, customizable, and make thoughtful gifts for friends, family, and fellow pet lovers. Whether you fill them with photos of your best friends or your furry companions, they’re sure to bring a smile every time you see them.

Stay Connected with Bee Happy!

I hope today’s project inspires you to try something new and spend a little time creating!

For all your crafting needs, be sure to visit the Bee Happy website to browse their amazing selection of craft supplies.

For even more inspiration, project ideas, tutorials, and the latest product updates, follow Bee Happy on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok, where the Bee Happy Ambassadors and Craft Specialists regularly share their creative projects.

If you’re looking for a fun and welcoming crafting community, come join the Bee Happy Makerspace on Facebook! It’s a wonderful place to connect with fellow crafters, share your creations, and join the weekly Weeklies challenges for a chance to win exciting prizes.

I hope to see you there, and happy crafting!

Birthday Celebration

It’s already August, and somehow I’ve only managed to schedule one Polkadoodles blog post so far. Since August is my birthday month, I know I had to catch up on blogging and make sure to share something a little more personal before diving back into crafty projects!

This birthday was especially meaningful because it was our very first one in our new home. We’re still very much in the middle of settling in, my craft room seems to be in a different state of organized chaos every single day as I find homes for my ever-growing stash while keeping up with project deadlines, and our bedroom is still waiting for storage for all our toiletries and household supplies. But after weeks of driving back and forth between Al Ahsa and Al Khobar, packing, unpacking, and trying to get everything in place, simply celebrating at our new home already felt like the best birthday gift.

Birthday Salubong with Friends

On the evening of August 2, which was already August 3 in the Philippines, we celebrated my birthday “Philippines time” with our friends here in Saudi. It was actually the biggest birthday gathering I’ve had since moving here!

We had dinner at Piatto and happened to catch their all-you-can-eat steak promotion. Naturally, I was the only one adventurous enough to order it! Ironically, I only managed one serving of rib-eye, but I definitely made up for it with several trips to the salad bar and two bowls of soup. Had I realized earlier that the "rice chicken soup" was actually lugaw, I probably would have skipped the steak altogether! Lugaw is my all time fave!!!

Instead of a traditional birthday cake, my sweet friend Nora baked me the most beautiful personalized apple pie. It was decorated with sunflowers, little cat paw prints, and of course, my name! Even better, it tasted absolutely delicious. If you love homemade pies and happen to be in the area, I highly recommend checking out her Instagram account, @thepieladykhobar.

Nora also added a carrot cake sandwich cookie, her late dad's favorite, according to her and it was soooo good! I promised myself I will reward myself by ordering a bunch of her cookie sandwich as soon as I'm done and settled in our new home!

Ton surprised me with a pretty bouquet that kind of matched the sunflower theme of the pie, and my friends gifted me with Dior goodies, including a lipstick. I jokingly told them it was much too fancy for me to actually use, but they insisted that was exactly why they chose it, they wanted to give me something I’d use for a long time. 

A Birthday Date in Bahrain

The next day, after Ton finished work, he surprised me once again, this time with a beautiful necklace. What made it even more meaningful and special was that it featured 41 diamonds. When the jeweler told him the number, he immediately knew it was the one. Since I’m turning 41 this year, he felt like such a thoughtful and symbolic gift. One of my cousins joked that it was an incentive for growing older, and ok fine… I’ll take it! haha.

What's cute is that last year, on my 40th birthday, I finally let go of my "forever29" celebration every birthday and fully embraced 40. And he gifted me a pair of earrings, this time with 29 diamonds.

Anywho, We then drove to Bahrain, and for the very first time, we didn’t have to start the journey with a two-hour drive from Al Ahsa. That alone already felt like a birthday present!

For dinner, we tried Osteria Papa, somewhere we hadn’t been before. Even though we were in Bahrain, we somehow still didn’t order any pork dishes! The restaurant was wonderful, the ambience, the service, and especially the food were all fantastic. Everything arrived surprisingly quickly too, which meant we still had plenty of time afterward.

A Little Birthday Craft Haul

And since we had extra time, we stopped by Touch of Art for a little birthday shopping. 

I picked up watercolor tubes to refill my travel palette (and to use once my Fuumuui prize arrives), a cute little watercolor journal, some reusable adhesive putty for decorating my new craft room, a little water pot for my on the go watercoloring (Ton saw this in Fuumuui and wanted to buy it before!) and, perhaps the most exciting purchase of all, a beginner epoxy resin kit! I’ve been curious about resin crafting for quite some time, so I’m excited to finally give it a try.

I haven’t even unpacked any of these supplies yet. They’re patiently waiting until my craft room is completely finished. I think they’ll make the perfect reward once everything is finally organized (that and of course, Nora's cookie sandwich!).

Ending the Day My Favorite Way

The very best part of my birthday wasn’t the gifts, the shopping, or even the delicious food, it was our couples massage.

Originally, we had talked about celebrating with friends on my actual birthday, but after weeks of moving, lifting boxes, unpacking, and constantly traveling between cities, all I wanted was a good massage. I’m pretty sure Ton wasn’t going to argue with that idea either!

We booked a couples massage at Fraser and ended the evening doing absolutely nothing except relaxing. It was the perfect way to celebrate another year, to just relax for an our and a half after such a busy season, and to simply enjoy being together.

Looking back, this birthday was pretty much about good food, thoughtful surprises, wonderful friends, a home that’s slowly becoming ours, and making new memories in this exciting new chapter. I couldn’t have asked for a better way to celebrate turning 41.

Digi Choosday Project | Fall Fox Mixed Media Card featuring Polkadoodles Pumpkin Autumn Fall Fox

Hi Crafty Friends!

This week’s Digi Choosday challenge is all about Yellow & Orange and Fall/Autumn is Coming for the Design Team, and of course, I had to bring back my absolute favorite Polkadoodles autumn character, the super adorable Pumpkin Autumn Fall Fox!

This card actually turned into a mixed media project because I got completely carried away adding layers, textures, and little details… and I love how it turned out! 

One of my favorite finishing touches is always a few splatters of Distress Oxide Spray and this time, I used Walnut Stain. I love how a few imperfect splatters instantly add so much character and make everything feel more organic and finished for every project.

Of course, Fall Fox is colored with my trusty Ohuhu Alcohol Markers. I’ve colored this little fox so many times that I practically know my color combination by heart now!

If you’d like to recreate this cozy autumn card, here’s a step-by-step tutorial.

Materials Used

• Polkadoodles Pumpkin Autumn Fall Fox Digi Stamp
• Polkadoodles You’re Sweet Like Pumpkin Pie sentiment from Autumn Fall Greetings
• Polkadoodles Autumn Fall Paper Patterns 2
• White cardstock
• Grey cardstock
• Ohuhu Alcohol Markers
• Sizzix Big Shot
• Sizzix Lumber 3-D Textured Impressions Embossing Folder by Tim Holtz
• Cricut Explore 5 (or metal dies/scissors)
• Bearly Art Precision Craft Glue
• Surebonder Glue Gun
• Pompom Ribbon
• Foam Tape
• Tim Holtz Guillotine Trimmer
• Distress Oxide Spray in Walnut Stain

Instructions

1. Cut a piece of grey cardstock to 5” x 3.75”.

2. Emboss it using your Sizzix Big Shot and the Sizzix Lumber 3-D Embossing Folder.

3. Cut another piece of grey cardstock to 5.5” x 4.25”.

4. Cut a piece of white cardstock to 5.5” x 8.5”.

5. Score it at 4.25” on the long side to create your card base.

6. Cut several autumn leaves using your Cricut, metal dies, or simply fussy cut them by hand. Don’t worry about making them perfect - real leaves aren’t either!

7. Cut a strip of patterned paper measuring 4” x 0.5”. I used one from Autumn Fall Paper Patterns 2.

8. Adhere the embossed grey panel onto the larger grey cardstock. Apply glue only in the center so the sides remain slightly lifted, giving the embossed panel extra dimension.

9. Adhere the patterned paper strip about half an inch from the bottom.

10. Attach a pompom ribbon just above the patterned paper strip using a glue gun.

11. Arrange and adhere your autumn leaves on the left side, overlapping the ribbon and paper strip. Leave a space in the center for Fall Fox.

12. Add a few splatters using Distress Oxide Spray in Walnut Stain.

13. Color the Pumpkin Autumn Fall Fox with your Ohuhu Alcohol Markers.

14. Attach Fall Fox in the center using foam tape so he pops over the layered leaves.

Adhere the completed panel to your white card base.

Add your sentiment!

And tadaaa! Your cozy autumn card is finished!

I love this layout because it’s so versatile. Simply swap the autumn leaves for snowflakes and replace Fall Fox with a cute snowman or winter character, and you’ve got an entirely different seasonal card!

I hope this project inspires you to pull out your favorite autumn supplies and start creating!

Don’t forget to join this week’s Digi Choosday Challenge, we’d love to see what you make! And if you recreate this project or use any of these ideas, be sure to tag me on social media.

Happy crafting!

Follow me for more crafty inspiration:

Instagram: @my.cat.and.crafts

Facebook: My Cat and Crafts

Blog: mycatandcrafts.blogspot.com

Bee Happy Weeklies Week 27 | Watercolor Floral Card with Lindy’s Magicals

Hi crafty friends!

And this is it, the start of my Bee Happy project series!  I’ll be sharing these projects bit by bit so I can eventually catch up to my most recent Bee Happy creations.

Advance apologies too if my tutorials aren’t as step-by-step as my usual posts. Since we’re required to submit reels for our projects, I often get so focused on filming that I forget to snap process photos. Ironically, when I’m making projects that require blog posts, I remember to take photos but completely forget to record videos! I’ll do my best to get better at documenting both moving forward.

My very first project in this series is for Bee Happy Week 27, where the theme was Watercolor.

I have to admit… watercolor has always intimidated me. Watercolor paintings are so beautiful, and it always seemed like you needed the lightest touch and the gentlest hand to make them work. Let’s just say… subtle isn’t exactly my natural crafting style and my hands are definitely not light. I write so hard that it always mark on the next page and my husband always say I hit his shoulders so hard (when laughing or nudging haha).

Looking back now, though, it’s funny because as I’m writing this blog post, I’ve already completed 15 watercolor projects for Fuumuui’s #FuumuuiPaintAnywhere challenge. If I had already gone through those two weeks of daily watercolor practice before making this card, I probably wouldn’t have been nearly as nervous! Don’t get me wrong, I’m definitely not a watercolor expert… yet. But I’ve become much more comfortable with the medium simply by playing with it every day.

For this Weeklies project, I decided to use Lindy’s Magicals. I figured they were the perfect way to ease myself into watercoloring because all I had to do was activate the magical powders with water and paint away. The gorgeous bursts of color make the process feel almost effortless! Of course, I also wanted to add a little extra elegance, so I paired the watercoloring with heat embossing for beautiful gold details.

Materials used from Bee Happy:

• Lindys Gang Magicals
• We R Heat Gun
• Miya Foldable Paint Pallette
• Miya Brushes
• Tim Holtz Guillotine 
• Tim Holtz Idea-logy sentiment stickers
• Tim Holtz Scissors
• Versamark Watermark Stamp Pad

Other Materials Used:

• Stamping Platform
• Sizzix Big Shot
• Altenew Garden Hydrangea stamp
• Funnel Tray
• Wendy Vecchi Make Art Stay-tion Magnetic Mat
• Ranger Embossing Powder - Princess Gold

How I Made This Card

1. Prepare your white cardstock. If you’re using a stamping platform, secure the cardstock in place.
2. Rub an anti-static pouch over the cardstock.
3. Position your chosen floral stamp and ink it with VersaMark Watermark Ink.
4. Stamp the image onto the cardstock.
5. Cover the stamped image with Ranger Princess Gold Embossing Powder.
6. Tap off the excess powder and return it to the container.
7. Heat emboss the image using a heat gun until the powder melts and becomes shiny.
8. If your stamp has multiple layers, allow the cardstock to cool before stamping the next layer. Repeat the embossing process for each layer.
9. Sprinkle a small amount of Lindy’s Magicals onto a color palette. I like using a fan brush because it helps control how much powder I pick up. A tiny amount goes a very long way!
10. Lightly spritz the powders with water and watch the colors come to life.
11. Repeat for all the colors you’d like to use.
12. Paint your embossed images and allow them to dry before fussy cutting them out.
13. Trim a piece of cream cardstock to 4” x 5¼”.
14. Place the cream cardstock inside your favorite floral embossing folder and run it through your Sizzix Big Shot to create a beautifully textured background.
15. Prepare a white card base measuring 5½” x 8½” and score it at 4¼”.
16. Adhere the embossed cream panel to the center of the card base.
17. Arrange and adhere your watercolor floral images using your preferred adhesive or foam tape for dimension.
18. Finish the card by adding your sentiment.

And that’s it! A soft, elegant watercolor floral card with beautiful gold embossed details!

I hope this project encourages you to give watercolor a try, even if it feels a little intimidating. We all start somewhere, and sometimes the best way to learn is simply to jump in, play with your supplies, and enjoy the process. You might just surprise yourself!

Stay Connected with Bee Happy!

I hope today’s project inspires you to try something new and spend a little time creating!

For all your crafting needs, be sure to visit the Bee Happy website to browse their amazing selection of craft supplies.

For even more inspiration, project ideas, tutorials, and the latest product updates, follow Bee Happy on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok, where the Bee Happy Ambassadors and Craft Specialists regularly share their creative projects.

If you’re looking for a fun and welcoming crafting community, come join the Bee Happy Makerspace on Facebook! It’s a wonderful place to connect with fellow crafters, share your creations, and join the weekly Weeklies challenges for a chance to win exciting prizes.

I hope to see you there, and happy crafting!