12 Days of Christmas--Day 1--Tree Frame

Well it's been fun but crazy past couple weeks!  I've had Stamp-A-Stack classes, a class at my church, a craft bazaar at my daughter's preschool, and my regular Stamper's Club--a whirlwind of stamping.  :-)  So that means I have been stamping a lot and have lots of projects to share with you!  Most of what I've been doing is Christmas-related, so I thought it would be fun to do a '12 Days of Christmas' series on my blog.  So for the next 12 days I'm going to schedule a post with a Christmas project.  Just in case any of you are last minute crafters and need ideas--or for those who like to plan ahead for next year! 

 
The idea for this tree frame actually came from the Holiday Catalog--the gift bag on page 7.  I thought that was such a cute idea, although I figured if I went to that much work I wanted it to be framed, instead of on a bag that would probably be tossed.  :-)   I simplified a little and changed things up just a bit. 

These frames actually ended up being quite simple to make, and I made them with a group of ladies who have never stamped before--they were pleasantly surprised at how easy these were to put together. 

A couple notes of notes. . . When punching the 'wreath' and the star out of the middle of the scallop circle, start with the inside (smallest punch) first and then punch the outside (largest) second.  It is much easier to line up that way!  And, all of the Cherry Cobbler was sprayed with a mix of Frost White Shimmer Paint and rubbing alcohol. 

See you tomorrow for the 2nd Day of Christmas! 

Stamps:  More Merry Messages
Ink:  Early Espresso
Paper:  Crumb Cake, Cherry Cobbler, Gumball Green, Early Espresso, Very Vanilla, Be of Good Cheer DSP
Accessories:  1 1/4" Scallop Circle Punch and Merry Minis Punch Pack (both new in the Holiday Mini Catalog), 3/4" Circle punch, Circles #2 Origionals die (for the larger Early Espresso Circle), Big Shot, Naturals Designer Buttons, Hemp Twine, Certainly Celery button (discontinued), Cherry Cobbler ribbon (discontinued), glue dots, dimensionals, 8X10 frame

Captain America Birthday

This year I made a goal to send birthday cards to all of our family members.  Grandparents, parents, siblings, and nieces and nephews.  I'm happy to say that so far I'm still on track!  A few of the cards have been a little late :-) but I don't think I've missed anyone yet.  During a year this adds up to just over 40 people, or about 3 or 4 cards per month.  Not really too much to ask a 'card maker' to do when it comes down to it! 

I'm not necessarily sending a unique card to each person, but I am trying to get a good variety and at the very least not send the same card to two people in the same immediate family.  :-)  The hardest cards to design are the ones that are for the brothers and brother-in-laws.  Fortunately this year my husband came up with a great idea!  I showed him THIS card and asked what he thought.  "Sure, but can you change the colors to make it look more like Captain America?"  (He and his brothers are all huge comic book fans--even before the recent Hollywood revival.)  So I asked him to show me a picture of what the Captain America shield looks like and created then the card as closely to that as possible.  Hopefully the guys will notice and appreciate!  :-)

The Pacific Point (blue) layer and the Whisper White circle are up on dimensionals.  The larger Real Red circle is actually the card base showing through the 'window' on the Pacific Point layer.  The sentiment was stamped with Versamark and then heat embossed with White embossing powder.  I distressed the edges of the Pacific Point layer using my Cutter Kit. 

Have a great day!

Stamps:  All Holidays (discontinued)
Ink:  Versamark
Paper:  Pacific Point, Real Red, Whisper White
Accessories:  1" Circle Punch, 1 3/8" Circle Punch, 2 1/2" Circle Punch, Star Punch (random from my kids' collection), Big Shot, Circles #2 Die (for the white circle--2nd largest circle on the die), embossing buddy, heat tool, White Stampin' Emboss Powder, Cutter Kit, dimensionals

San Antonio Regionals

Well, I did make it back from San Antonio!  I had a wonderful time not only at the Regionals but spending time with friends too!  It's amazing how hard it is to be away from family though--I still feel like I'm trying to catch up around the house even though I was only gone two days.  :-)  

Anyway, here's a picture of the card that I made approximately 20 times during my Workshop Wow Demonstrator Booth presentation during the Regional.  I had about a 10 minute presentation that I repeated over and over.  Surprisingly the time went very quickly, and only my voice was worn out by the end. 

The technique I was sharing was using Multipurpose Adhesive Sheets to adhere Dazzling Diamond Glitter to your projects.  A very simple but effective technique.  If you've followed my blog for awhile, this isn't a new concept for you as I do this a lot!  

So I stamped the flower image (from the new stamp set Mixed Bunch found in the Occasions Mini Catalog), peeled off one side of the Multipurpose Adhesive Sheet, and then face-planted it on top of the stamped image.  So the sticky part is touching the image.  Use your bone folder to burnish it--to make sure all the adhesive transfers to your card stock.  Next I used my Blossom Punch (also new in the Occasions Mini Catalog) to punch out the image with the adhesive sheet on top.  Burnish the edges again with your bone folder and then peel off the second side of the Adhesive Sheet.  Last, pour your Dazzling Diamonds over the top.  Now you have a fantastically sparkly flower.  :-) 

I added the flower to the card base (Sahara Sand) that also had some of the new Blushing Bride Pleated Satin Ribbon and a strip of Perfect Plum card stock that I ran through the Big Shot with one of the new Adorning Accents Embossing folders.  In the center of the flower is one of the new Large Pearls.  So many fun new accessories!  

Stamps: Mixed Bunch, Elements of Style (sentiment)

Ink: Perfect Plum, Blushing Bride

Paper:  Sahara Sand, Perfect Plum, Whisper White
Accessories:  Blushing Bride Pleated Satin Ribbon, Large Pearls, 1" Circle Punch, Blossom Punch, Dazzling Diamonds, Multipurpose Adhesive Sheets, Adorning Accents Embossing Folder, Big Shot, dimensionals

Another card sample using the same technique and the same layout:  

I still have more samples to share, so I'll be back later.  Unfortunately I forgot to ask someone to take a picture of me while I was busy doing all this, or even my display board, so you'll just have to imagine that part.  :-)  Thanks so much to everyone who stopped by to say hi during the presentation last Saturday--I really appreciated it! 

Stamps:  Pennant Parade

Ink:  Island Indigo, Lucky Limeade, Tangerine Tango

Paper:  Luck Limeade, Whisper White

Accessories:  Petite Pennants Builder Punch, 1/2" Circle Punch, Tangerine Tango Scallop Dots Ribbon, Linen Thread, 1 3/4" Circle Punch, Dazzling Diamonds, Multipurpose Adhesive Sheets,  Stripes Embossing Folder, Big Shot, dimensionals

Cajun Thanks

Another simple card using the single stamp So Many Thanks!  The color scheme for this card came directly from the Color Coach (the Pear Pizzazz page).  I used my Pear Pizzazz, Cajun Craze, and More Mustard markers to color directly on the stamp.  After stamping I punched out the image using my 1 3/4" Circle Punch. 

The 1" Pear Pizzazz circle was stamped with the Dot, Dot, Dot stamp.  Too add a little texture, I crumpled 1 3/4" the Cajun Craze circle and then smoothed it out again.  I used the Cutter Kit to distress the edges of the Whisper White and Pear Pizzazz layers.  To help keep the Mini Library Clip in place, I added a glue dot right behind it. 

Thanks for stopping by! 

Stamps:  So Many Thanks
Ink:  Pear Pizzazz, More Mustard and Cajun Craze markers
Paper:  Pear Pizzazz, More Mustard, Cajun Craze and Whisper White
Accessories:  1 3/4" Circle Punch, 1" Circle Punch, 1/2" Circle Punch, Mini Library Clip, Linen Thread, Cutter Kit, Dimensionals

Stampin' Celebration #15

Welcome to week #15 of the Stampin' Celebration Challenges! This week it's all about going back to school. This year 'going back to school' has a whole new meaning for our family as my oldest child is starting kindergarten! It's really hard to believe that Erik is old enough to go to school! I'm definitely going to miss him, but it'll be fun to spend some one on one time with my daughter too.

So, I love office supplies. There's just something so fun about them. So for the school week I knew I definitely had to incorporate a few of the office supply items that are hanging around my craft room just begging to be altered. ;-) The colors I picked for the ensemble are Tempting Turquoise, So Saffron, Chocolate Chip, and Real Red.

The first item I altered was the junior size legal pad. A simple thing to do, but makes a great gift idea. The flower was created using various punches and a Tempting Turquoise button from the Brights Collection Designer Buttons. After I used the Fancy Flower punch to punch the So Saffron flower, I stamped it with Versamark ink and the Solid Stripes stamp.

Here's a close up of the top of the legal pad. I used the new Dotted Scallop Ribbon Border punch to add the Chocolate Chip strip, and then I covered the bottom layer of scallops and dots with 1/8" Real Red taffeta ribbon.

I'm not sure if this is a useful picture or not, but I wanted to show how I assembled the giant paper clip. I actually used a little bit of Crystal Effects to adhere the front flower to the clip, and then I used 4 dimensionals (in stacks of 2) to adhere the back flower to the front one. You can't see the 2nd stack of dimensionals because they are hiding behind the clip.

And last but not least, here's the inside of the little post-it-note holder. The post-it-notes are 1 7/8" by 1 7/8", and I used a stack about 1/4" thick. I used my Crop-a-Dile to punch the hole through everything at once, and then added a binder ring and ribbon. I'm planning to put one of these in my purse for all those times I need a little piece of paper to jot down a phone number or other information.

I hope you've enjoyed these projects! Make sure to go check out the Stampin' Celebration blog to see what the other Design Team members have created this week. There are some great projects you won't want to miss!

Stamps: Solid Stripes, Razzle Dazzle (for the word 'dream' on the clip)
Ink: Versamark, Chocolate Chip
Paper: Play Date Designer Series Paper, Real Red, Tempting Turquoise, So Saffron, Chocolate Chip, Whisper White
Accessories: Dotted Scallop Ribbon Border Punch, Extra Large Fancy Flower Punch, 1 3/8" Circle Punch, 1 1/4" Circle Punch, 1" Circle Punch, Jewelry Tag Medium Punch, Cutter Kit, Bright Collection Designer Buttons, Real Red and Early Espresso 1/8" taffeta ribbon, 5/8" Early Espresso Grosgrain Ribbon, 1/4" Real Read Grosgrain Ribbon, Linen Thread, Junior Legal Pad, large paper clip, post-it-notes, binder ring

Lots of Flowers

Today I have two more cards to share that we made at the 10-10-10 class. This first card shows the Die Cut Blooms found on page 169 of the catalog. These are one of those items that is easy to miss in the catalog! With the die cut blooms you receive 4 12x12" sheets of pre-cut flower pieces.

The flowers are all from the die cuts, and then the brads in the center are the Fire Circle Rhinestone brads. The leaves were created by using the 5-Petal Flower Punch. I used one punched image cut into pieces for all the leaves on this card.

By the way, I got the idea for this card from a swap I received at convention a while back. The only name on the back of the card was Jael.

Stamps: Thank You Kindly
Ink: Chocolate Chip
Paper: Chocolate Chip, Old Olive, Whisper White
Accessories: Blooms Die Cuts (p. 169 of catalog), 5 Petal Flower Punch, Old Olive Grosgrain Ribbon, Circle Fire Rhinestone Brads, Big Shot, Top Note die, dimensionals

Note: Items marked in red are retiring.



And another fun flower card! This is an idea that came from Margret Moody. You can see her adorable card HERE. I know I'm not the only one that loved her idea as I've seen several versions of this card posted various places around the web. :-) This card is basically just a lot of circle punches and a few colored buttons. The leaves are actually the bird wing from the Extra Large Bird Punch.

Finished card size is 5 1/4" by 5 1/4".

Ink: Melon Mambo
Paper: Bermuda Bay, Tempting Turquoise, Green Galore, Melon Mambo, Pretty in Pink, Pumpkin Pie, Summer Sun, Whisper White
Accessories: Bermuda Bay Polka-Dot Grosgrain Ribbon, Fresh Favorites I and II colored buttons, Extra Large Two Step Bird Punch (for leaves), 1", 1 3/8". and 1 3/4" Circle Punches

Note: Items marked in red are retiring.

Lots of Circles

Today I have two cards to share that both use the stamp set Circle Circus. Not only is this a set I love, it is also a set that happens to be a part of the May Stampin' Up promotion! When you purchase this set during May, you can choose a package of Designer Brads for FREE! See the flyer with all of the details HERE.

I found the inspiration for this card HERE. I loved Ruth's card, and so I didn't make too many changes. I like the way that the front layer of the card is shorter than the back, so that the circles hang off the edge. I used the colors Mellow Moss, Really Rust (both retiring) and Chocolate Chip.

One detail that I added was the Circle Designer Brad to the center of one of the circles. I carefully dipped the brad in my Chocolate Chip Craft pad, then dipped it in Clear Embossing Powder, and then embossed. Hint: The brad gets VERY hot while embossing. I used tweezers to hold the brad so that I didn't burn myself.

To see a slightly different version of how to color your Designer Brads, see THIS tutorial (scroll to the bottom). You'll learn how to get the color into only the depressed part of the brad.

The second card I have to share was inspired by Lauri's card that you can see HERE. My version is a 3x3 card. I used Crystal Effects in the center of the stamped image to add a little dimension and shine. The Kraft layer (square) is up on dimensionals.

Stamps: Circle Circus, Thank You Kindly, Teeny Tiny Wishes
Ink: Mellow Moss, Really Rust, Chocolate Chip
Paper: Mellow Moss, Chocolate Chip, Kraft (Crumb Cake), Whisper White
Accessories: Circle Designer Brad, various circle punches, Scallop Circle Punch, Chocolate Chip taffeta ribbon, Cutter Kit, dimensionals

Sweet Gumballs

I have a fun little card to share today. The idea for the card came from a combination of two cards that I received while swapping at Leadership. One of the cards was done by Jane Brotski, and the other was done by Tara Angus. Visit Tara at her blog HERE.

I just loved the layout of Tara's card which I borrowed. I used the stamp set Something Sweet and the Perfect Polka Dots Textured Impressions Folder from the Occasions Mini Catalog. The sentiment is up on dimensionals and keeps the card closed. Here you can see the card starting to open:

And then the inside of the card:


For this card I just used Window Sheet to be the 'glass' of the gumball machine, but you could also easily make this a shaker card, or use the fabulous Treat Cups too.

Here are the dimensions of each layer--from the bottom layer to the top layer.

White (base)--8 1/2" by 4 1/4", scored at 3"
Red--5 1/4" by 4"
Black--8 1/2" by 3 5/8", scored at 3 5/8"
White--3 1/4" by 4 1/2"
Red (textured layer)--4" by 2 3/4"
White (very top)--3 3/8" by 3 3/8"

Lots of layers, but the end result is so fun. :-)

Stamps: Something Sweet
Ink: Real Red, Basic Black
Paper: Real Red, Basic Black, Whisper White
Accessories: Perfect Polks Dots Textured Impressions Folder, Medium Window Sheet, Large Oval Punch, Scallop Oval Punch, 1 3/4" Circle punch, Real Red grosgrain ribbon, black brad, dimensionals

With All My Heart

Today I have some more sample for you using the stamp set With All My Heart and the the Extra Large Fancy Flower Punch. These were some of the Make and Takes from Leadership this year. This first cards uses the color Old Olive, Pretty in Pink, Melon Mambo, and Bashful Blue.


This card uses the same colors, but adds Soft Suede too. I just love this bright color combo, and it's one that I would probably never put together by myself. This little milk carton is the new die that can be found in the Occasions Mini Catalog. Too cute!!

Stamps: With All My Heart; Dot, Dot, Dot; A to Z
Ink: Old Olive, Bashful Blue, Melon Mambo, Pretty in Pink, Soft Suede, Old Olive marker
Paper: Old Olive, Bashful Blue, Melon Mambo, Pretty in Pink, Soft Suede, Bashful Blue DSP, Confetti White
Accessories: Extra Large Fancy Flower Punch, 1 1/4" Circle Punch, Bashful Blue Striped Grosgrain Ribbon, Linen Thread, Old Olive Grosgrain Ribbon, Melon Mambo Polka-Dot Ribbon, Clips Assortment, Scallop Square Punch, Mat Pack, Paper Piercing Tool, dimensionals, Mini Milk Carton Die, Big Shot

More Vintage

Do you love the stamp set Vintage Vogue yet? If not, here are a few more projects to try to convince you. :-) These are actually make and takes from the Phoenix Regionals in January. I love the clean, simple look of these projects.

The card on the right is also made with Vintage Vogue, and the tag on the left uses the set With All My Heart and Dot, Dot, Dot. Enjoy!

Stamps: Vintage Vogue, With All My Heart, and Dot, Dot, Dot
Ink: Rich Razzleberry, Crushed Curry, Old Olive, Bashful Blue, Rose Red marker
Paper: Kraft (Crumb Cake), Rich Razzleberry, Bashful Blue, Crushed Curry, Soft Suede, Rose Red, Old Olive
Accessories: Scallop Edge Punch, 1 3/4" Circle Punch, Mat Pack, Paper Piercing Tool, Clips Assortment, Playground Designer Buttons, Button Latte Designer buttons, Linen Thread, Crushed Curry Polka Dot ribbon, dimensionals

Lots of Baby

Yes, it really is me again! Thanks for sticking with me even though it's been awhile. It's been a very crazy few months here at our house. The 'highlights' include computer problems, H1N1 for the whole family, 2 rooms in our house flooding, and two visits to the ER--one for my husband's ankle and most recently for me. . . . My visit came after I was mopping my kitchen floor and woke up to find myself flat on my back with my almost 2 year old daughter running over to try to put my glasses on. After a scan it was confirmed that I 'only' had a concussion. So if you've ever wondered if housework is dangerous. . . . Now you know! ;-) Despite everything that has happened, I am happy to say that everyone (and our house) is now feeling much better!

On to the crafting. . . . Last week I was able to fill a special order for a lady who wanted to make a baby shower she was throwing for her friend really special. Here are pictures of most of the items that I made for her. You can see the master list below of all the supplies I used.

My inspiration came from the Delicate Dots Designer Series Paper (now discontinued). The gender of the baby is unknown, and I like this paper because I thought it was gender-neutral and had a delicate feel that was perfect for a baby.

This project series is also a good example of why I love Stampin Up. . . It is so easy to make coordinated projects! I started by choosing the Designer Series paper, which gave me my color pallet. Next I added the matching inks and accessories. Then it was easy to create coordinated projects that give a cohesive feeling to the party decorations.

The picture at the very top shows the nugget boxes that were the favors for each guest to take home. I used the Stampin' Up! Matchbox Big Shot die and the stamp set Matchbox Messages to make these.

This is a tin that I decorated to be part of the main table. The star is a piece of chipboard covered with Certainly Celery card stock. You can purchase these TINS from the Clearance Rack over at Stampin Up for only 99 cents each!

Inside the tin, there is an accordion 'book' that has different pockets. The accordion sits on the main table with the tags. Each of the guests can write some baby advice, a note to the mom, or anything they like. They put the tag in one of the pockets, and then after the party the accordion book with all the personalized tags goes back into the tin and makes a nice gift for the mother.

This Top Note die box was a gift for the grandmother. How thoughtful of the hostess to include a gift for her! The box holds 8 Hershey Nuggets individually wrapped with coordinating papers. The 'charm' is just two stars punched from Brushed Silver card stock and then embossed with Silver Stampin' Emboss powder three times. After embossing, I glued the stars back to back and used my paper piercing tool to poke a hole and thread the linen thread through.

Here is the frame that was also part of the main table. I left the right and left sides open for the mother to fill. She could include the shower invitation, a baby announcement, and/or baby pictures. The words are actually custom Decor Elements that are on top of the glass. I used part of a Decor Elements Sheet, spray painted it shiny silver (despite what it looks like in the picture!), and then ran it through the Big Shot using the Billboard decorative strip.

And here is a close-up. The white star is a rub-on. This could also be adapted to make a cute card layout too!

And last, here are the Food Name Cards. The flowers were made using the Trio Flower punch.

Since the length of this post is already so long, I didn't include all the creative details. If you do have questions about any of these projects, please contact me.

Stamps: Matchbox Messages

Ink: Certainly Celery and Pretty in Pink markers

Paper: Delicate Dots DSP, So Saffron Patterns DSP, Brushed Silver, Window Sheets Medium, So Saffron, Certainly Celery, Whisper White

Accessories: Whisper White 5/8" satin ribbon, linen thread, Bashful Blue 1/4" grosgrain ribbon, Certainly Celery 1/4" grosgrain ribbon, Very Vanilla 1/4" grosgrain ribbon, Certainly Celery twill ribbon, So Saffron grosgrain ribbon, 1/4" Circle punch, 1" circle punch, Trio Flower punch, Star punch, Tag Corner punch, Corner Rounder punch, Sizzix Big Shot, Matchbox die, Top Note die, Billboard die, Decor Elements Sheets, paper piercing tool, dimensionals

Two Challenges, Two Cards

Yesterday over on Splitcoaststampers there was a Clean and Simple (CAS) sketch challenge and a Technique Lovers (TLC) challenge. Both caught my eye so I went to work! I had so much fun that I ended up making two cards--both fill the requirements for both challenges.

The TLC challenge was to make a five layer button. Basically you use paper layered on top of each other with Crystal Effects on top to make a button. How simple! You can make the 'button' in any color or shape. See the post HERE for more detailed instructions.

To make the 'buttons' on the card above, I punched out 12 flowers with my Boho Blossoms punch. (I did 4 layer buttons instead of 5.) I adhered the flowers together and then used my paper-piercing tool to poke the holes. I topped it all with a coat of Crystal Effects--being careful to not fill the holes. While I let that dry, I worked on the rest of the card. The sentiment comes from the set All Holidays. The stamp actually says "My dear kind & wonderful friend" so I used my Rich Razzleberry marker on the "wonderful friend" part since that was all I wanted. Finished card size is 3 3/4" by 5 1/2".

Stamps: All Holidays

Ink: Rich Razzleberry marker

Paper: Rich Razzleberry, Whisper White

Accessories: 1/2'" Rich Razzleberry Polka-Dot ribbon, Boho Blossoms punch, paper-piercing tool, Crystal Effects, Linen Thread, glue dots, dimensionals

The second card I made uses the set Pumpkin Patch from the Mini Catalog. Instead of using linen thread to tie through the button (like I usually do!) I used my Tabletop Cutter to cut a very thin strip of Old Olive card stock. I carefully pulled it through the button, tied it once and then curled it a bit. I wanted it to look like those curly things on the top of the pumpkin. Anyone know if there is a name for those things?? Anyway, once I had the card together, I added Crystal Effects to the pumpkins too--with the button so nice and shiny, the pumpkins looked a little bare. :-) Finished card size is 3 3/4" by 5 1/2".

Stamps: Pumpkin Patch

Ink: Pumpkin Pie, Old Olive, Chocolate Chip

Paper: Old Olive, Whisper White, Pumpkin Pie

Accessories: paper-piercing tool, 1/2" circle punch, Crystal Effects, 5/8" chocolate chip grosgrain ribbon, glue dots, dimensionals

A Little Pizzazz

Good morning everyone! My stamp room is still somewhat chaotic, but I found this card in my files that I hadn't shared before. This is another card that uses the Kissing Technique. To do this, I took the solid flower from the set Petal Pizzazz and began by inking it with So Saffron. Next I ‘kissed’ with the Sanded background that I had inked with Chocolate Chip. Then you are ready to stamp on your paper! If you haven't tried this technique before, you need to as it is really pretty easy. By varying the background stamp that you use, you can get a variety of looks. Here are two other examples of cards using the kissing technique: Flower Card and Butterfly Card.

I stamped the middle of the flower again (inked with Chocolate Chip) and then used my circle punches to punch out the center and the Chocolate Chip layer. The center is up on dimensionals and I used Crystal Effects to give the very center a little shine and dimension. I used the Cutter Kit to distress the edges of the square Chocolate Chip layer.

After I stamped the Always Artichoke layer with the Sanded Background, I used the Mat Pack and Paper-Piercing Tool to create the row of paper piercing along the top edge. Then as the close up below shows, I took one of the Wire Clips from the Clips Assortment and carefully threaded it through one of the holes from the paper piercing. Then to finish it off, I tied on a bit of 5/8" Chocolate Chip Grosgrain Ribbon.

Stamps: Petal Pizzazz, Sanded BG
Ink: So Saffron, Chocolate Chip, Always Artichoke
Paper: So Saffron, Chocolate Chip, Always Artichoke, Whisper White
Accessories: Mat Pack, Paper-Piercing Tool, Clips Assortment, Circle Punches, 5/8" Chocolate Chip Grosgrain Ribbon, Cutter Kit, Crystal Effects, dimensionals

Yay! I'm finally back in town. . . . maybe now I'll be able to get my stamping room unpacked and set up. :-) Anyway, as I've been trying to do a little organizing I ran across these two cards. Both cards were made several years back, and they both use the set Wild About You. This is another one of my favorite stamp sets that will no longer be available after June 30. To see the full Last Chance list click HERE.

Creative notes for the giraffe card. . . . After I stamped the giraffe image, I took my 1/16"circle punch and my 1/8" circle punch to punch a few holes. That means those brown spots on the giraffe are actually just the paper underneath showing through.

Stamps: Wild About You, Itty Bitty Backgrounds
Ink: Pumpkin Pie
Paper: Apricot Appeal, Pumpkin Pie, Chocolate Chip, Whisper White
Accessories: 1/16" Circle Punch, 1/8" Circle Punch, white grosgrain ribbon, dimensionals


This was a card I originally designed for my Mother-in-law. She loves elephants, so I knew I needed to use this stamp for her. The background was done with the Print Pattern Background stamp (previously discontinued) and then I took a white gel pen and traced along the pattern. I stamped the ear of the elephant again on a scrap paper, cut it out and then popped it up on a dimensionals. Also, there is glitter on the flower.

Stamps: Wild About You, Print Pattern BG
Ink: Sahara Sand, Pretty in Pink marker, Mellow Moss Marker
Paper: Sahara Sand, Pretty in Pink, Whisper White
Accessories: 1/4" Pretty in Pink ribbon, pink gingham ribbon, organza ribbon, white gel pen, glitter, ticket corner punch, sponge, dimensionals

Making a Comeback. . . .

Hello again! Well, we finally made it to Texas. :-) We've been here for about a week and a half now, and our house is mostly unpacked. Unfortunately my stamps are all still in their boxes, but hopefully not for too much longer!

Anyway, I thought I would try to start posting again. . . . I did manage to snap a few pictures of some projects before I left LA, so I have a few things to show you until I actually get stamping again. This project shows off several new products found in the Occasions Mini Catalog.

First, don't you just love this little matchbox? It is the new Matchbox Bigx Die for the Big Shot that you can find on page 16 of the Occasions Mini Catalog. I love being able to roll my paper through the Big Shot and having it come out the other end all cut, scored, and ready to fold. :-)

The bottom of the box uses Baja Breeze textured paper, and for the top I used the new Medium Window Sheets (ie acetate) from the Mini Catalog. The ribbon is the new 5/8" Satin Ribbon,and the tag is stamped with the new Matchbox Messages stamp set that coordinates with the Matchbox Die. Oh, and the chocolates were wrapped with the new Walk in the Park Designer Series Paper.

Below you can see the what the boxes look like 'closed', as well as a Kiwi Kiss version of the matchbox.

Stamps: Matchbox Messages
Ink: Baja Breeze, Kiwi Kiss, Pretty in Pink marker
Paper: Baja Breeze Textured Paper, Kiwi Kiss Textured Paper, Medium Window Sheets, Whisper White, Walk in the Park DSP
Accessories: 5/8" White Satin Ribbon, linen thread, 1" circle punch, 1 1/4" circle punch, 1/16" circle punch, Nuggets chocolates, dimensionals

Butterfly Bag

This is a project that we made last month at Technique Club. I've seen several people use the Top Note die to decorate little bags, and I just had to try it myself! The first bag I saw in person was a leadership swap I received from Amy Caraluzzi. I didn't see a picture of her bag on her blog, (it used Bella Rose Designer paper and the stamp set Love You Much) but go anyway to check out her cute blog Partners in Crimp.

So here is my version of these cute little bags. . . . I ran the So Saffron paper through the Big Shot with the Top Note die and then sponged around the edges. I used a marker to ink just the swirls (from the stamp set Yummy) and then stamped, cleaned my stamp, inked the words and then stamped again. The reason that I did this was that I wanted to change the orientation of the stamp. The stamp has a horizontal layout, and I wanted a vertical layout.

I added a little linen thread to the button and then adhered with a glue dot. I was then ready to adhere the So Saffron Top Notes to the bag. Next I used a 1/8" circle punch to punch holes and pull the ribbon through to make the handles.

To make the butterflies, I ran the paper through my Big Shot using the new Stampin Up Beautiful Butterflies die. The largest butterfly used the Bella Birds Designer Paper, and the two smaller butterflies are Delicate Dots Designer paper and vellum paper.

After stacking the butterflies together, I put a glue dot on the back and started wrapping the linen thread. (Note: I colored the linen thread with the Chocolate Chip marker before wrapping it.) I wrapped it a couple times and then used another glue dot to keep the linen thread in place. I used dimensionals to adhere the butterfly to the bag.

Now you have a cute little bag to fill with chocolates or other little goodies!

Stamps: Yummy

Ink: Chocolate Chip, Chocolate Chip marker

Paper: So Saffron, vellum paper, Bella Birds DP, Delicate Dots DP

Accessories: Big Shot, Top Note die, Beautiful Butterflies die, 1/4" Chocolate Chip grosgrain ribbon, button from Latte Designer Button collection, 1/8" circle punch, linen thread, dimensionals, glue dots, sponge, small paper bag (from Target)

Today I have a very quick project to show you. I love this type of project--it gives you a nice handmade gift for someone in literally minutes! This was one of the projects we made at my Valentine's bundle class.

I wrapped the Riding Hood Red card stock around the candle and used Sticky Strip to adhere the paper to itself. (Although you can, I didn't actually adhere the paper TO the candle, just around.) Next I wrapped and adhered the Candy Land Designer Paper.

For the tag, I stamped with Riding Hood Red ink on Very Vanilla card stock. I used a blender pen to color the heart Pink Pirouette, and then a 1" circle punch to punch out just the center of the image. I layered it on a 1 1/4" Riding Hood Red circle and tied it to the candle with Riding Hood Red Taffeta Ribbon. So easy. :-)


Tomorrow I will have another Valentine's project with a tutorial, so check back!

Stamps: Love You Much

Ink: Riding Hood Red, Pink Pirouette
Paper: Riding Hood Red, Candy Land Designer Paper
Accessories: Blender Pen, Riding Hood Red taffeta ribbon, 1" circle punch, 1 1/4" circle punch, 1/8" circle punch, candle (Ikea)

Way too long. . . .

Obviously it has been WAY too long since I've posted!! In an attempt to make it up at least a little, :-) I thought I would post some pictures of a couple of the things that have been keeping me busy over the last while.

This year I participated in two Holiday Boutiques--one at an elementary school and one private show. My overall best seller for this year were votive candles--the candles and glass are from Ikea. I first created these to fill a special order, and have since made quite a few more! I used the stamp set Deer Friends and lots of punches.


Stamps: Deer Friends
Ink: Chocolate Chip, Close to Cocoa, Brocade Blue, Real Red, and Old Olive
Paper: Chocolate Chip, Close to Cocoa, Brocade Blue, Real Red, and Old Olive, Whisper White
Accessories: Crystal Effects, Dazzling Diamonds Glitter, Real Red 5/8" grosgrain ribbon, Brocade Blue 5/8" grosgrain ribbon, Old Olive 5/8" grosgrain ribbon, dimensionals, scallop circle punch, 1 3/8" circle punch, 1 1/4" circle punch, and the 1" circle punch, 1/16" circle punch

Another project I did with the stamp set Deer Friends were some Martinelli bottles. I found these 'mini' bottles of sparkling apple juice at a local grocery store and knew they would be good for something. :-) I originally made these up for gifts for the members of my Stampers 25 Club, but made a few extra as well to sell. As you can see the tag part is almost the exact same as I did for the votive candles above.



Stamps: Deer Friends
Ink: Chocolate Chip, Kiwi Kiss
Paper: Chocolate Chip, Kiwi Kiss, Very Vanilla, Kiwi Kiss and Riding Hood Red Patterns Designer Series Paper
Accessories: Crystal Effects, Dazzling Diamonds Glitter, dimensionals, 1" Double-Stitched Chocolate Chip Grosgrain Ribbon, 3/4" Twill Tape, Alpine Ribbon Originals, 1 1/4" Riding Hood Red/Very Vanilla ribbon, Linen Thread, scallop circle punch, 1 3/8" circle punch, 1 1/4" circle punch, and the 1" circle punch, cutter kit

Another best seller this year were some jars that I decorated with the bulk Decor Elements. I got the taller jars (back row--hard to see in the picture) at Michael's and the smaller ones at Ikea. Sorry for the strange picture, but I can't take another one as I sold all of them. . . . :-) This will be a project I will definitely do again as they were so quick to make. We also made these jars at my Technique Club last month.

Accessories: Rose Red and Chocolate Chip Decor Elements, 1/4" Rose Red grosgrain ribbon, 1/4" Chocoloate Chip grosgrain ribbon, 1/4" Whisper White grosgrain ribbon

Creepy Crawly Acetate

This is one of the projects that we made this month at Technique Club. I got the idea from a challenge that I had seen awhile back on Splitcoaststampers to make an acetate box. To see the original challenge and the pdf for directions by Susie McCormick, click HERE.

I used those directions for the acetate part of the box, but then did something a little different for the top and bottom. I used a piece of 3 1/2" by 3 1/2" Pumpkin Pie Patterns Designer Series Paper scored at 3/4" on all 4 sides. I trimmed the edges and glued to create the top and bottom part. The ribbon on top was threaded through slits I created on either side of the lid with my cutter kit. I ran the 1/4" Basic Black grosgrain ribbon through the slits and tied the bow.

The technique for this month was glitter, so I figured a glittery spider would do the trick. :-) The spider was made with the 1 3/8" circle punch, 3/4" circle punch, 1/4" circle punch, and strips of paper folded for the legs. The Chunky Essentials Stampin' Glitter was added to the body and head by using Heat & Stick Powder.

If you haven't used Heat & Stick Powder before, it basically acts just like embossing powder. You start by using Versamark, pour the Heat & Stick Powder over, tap off excess and then melt with your Heat Tool. Pour the glitter over, tap off excess and then heat set with the Heat Tool for another second or two. An easy way to add glitter to your projects!

Ink: Versamark, Basic Black marker
Paper: Pumpkin Pie Patterns Designer Series Paper, Acetate, Basic Black, Whisper White
Accessories: 1 3/4" Circle Punch, 3/4" Circle Punch, 1/4" Circle Punch, 1/4" Basic Black Grosgrain Ribbon, Heat & Stick Powder, Black Chunky Essentials Stampin' Glitter, Cutter Kit, Heat Tool, Sticky Strip