Scallop Circle Basket

As promised I'm back to share another Scallop Circle Basket!  If you missed the first one, you can see it HERE.  I really like the way that this one turned out.  I could see this being used as anything from a wedding favor, bridal shower favor, Valentine's gift, or just a gift to say thank you to a special friend.  

I used the Scallop Circle Die and my Big Shot to cut the two Blushing Bride scallop circles.  Next I ran each scallop circle through the Big Shot again with the Vintage Wallpaper Embossing Folder to give the texture.  After that I carefully scored and folded the circles and adhered them together.  The handle is kept in place with Very Vanilla 5/16" Jumbo Brads. 

For the tag, I stamped the sentiment with Early Espresso ink, and punched it out with the 1 3/4" by 7/8" oval punch.  I layered that onto a Blushing Bride Scallop Oval Punch and an Early Espresso Decorative Label Punch (found in the Occasions Mini Catalog on page 30).  The accent is one of the new Vintage Flower Adornments (page 15 of the Occasions Mini Catalog) and a little piece of Victoria Crochet Trim ribbon--all held together with glue dots.

Thanks for stopping by!  Hope you enjoyed.  Tomorrow I'll be back with a project for this week's Stampin' Celebration challenge.  

Ink:  Early Espresso

Paper:  Blushing Bride, Early Espresso, Very Vanilla

Accessories:  Vintage Flower Adornment, Victoria Crochet Trim ribbon, 1 3/4" by 7/8" Oval Punch, Scallop Oval Punch, Decorative Label Punch, Hemp Twine, 5/16" Neutrals Jumbo Brads, Big Shot, Scallop Circle Die, Vintage Wallpaper Embossing Folder

Easter Treat

Can you believe Easter is just over two weeks away? Now I don't usually make too many Easter projects, but this cute little Chocolate Bunny (from the Occasions Mini Catalog) was too cute too pass up!

Although, around any holiday I do like to have 'a little something' on hand. Whether it be something for children's classmates, teacher gifts, hostess gifts, friends, co-workers, etc there's always someone that wouldn't mind a little 'I thought of you today' gift. :-)

Creative details: I ran Bashful Blue card stock through the Big Shot with the Top Note Die. I scored 1/2" from the middle of the top note--on both sides. That gives me one inch total for the flat part on the bottom. Although depending on what treat or small toy you add, you can easily change those measurements.

The Certainly Celery card stock was cut with the Big Shot and the Little Leaves Sizzlits Die. I embossed the Chocolate Bunny on Close to Cocoa paper using Chocolate Chip craft ink and Clear Embossing Powder. The Pretty in Pink Satin Ribbon is also found in the Occasions Mini Catalog.



Stamps: Chocolate Bunny, Teeny Tiny Wishes
Ink: Pretty in Pink, Chocolate Chip Craft
Paper: Bashful Blue, Certainly Celery, Close to Cocoa, Whisper White
Accessories: Small Oval Punch, Pretty in Pink Satin Ribbon, Big Shot, Top Note Die, Little Leaves Sizzlets Die, Heat Tool, Embossing Buddy, Clear EP, Crop-A-Dile

Rock-A-Bye Baby

Hello again! This is a shaker card I've had in my files for awhile. . . . I wanted to wait to post it until I could make a tutorial, but here it is tutorial-less. If that can even qualify as a made up word. :-) Hopefully I'll get a tutorial up soon. Anyway, here it is!

The set I used is called Nursery Necessities. This set is part of the Growing Up promotion that ends in a few days (Aug 31). See HERE for details. If this stamp set (or any other from the Growing Up section of the catalog) is on your wish list, now is the time to purchase it!

Finished card size is 4 3/4" by 4 3/4". Now for a close up of the card:

Stamps: Nursery Necessities

Ink: Whisper White craft ink, So Saffron, Brocade Blue, and Close to Cocoa markers

Paper: Bashful Blue, Brocade Blue, So Saffron, Close to Cocoa, Always Artichoke, Whisper White, Window Sheet

Accessories: Clear Micro Beads, Bashful Blue brads, Circle Scissors Plus, 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

Suede Ovals

Today I have a quick card to show you using some of the new product from the Occasions Mini Catalog. I'm very excited about the new Mini Catalog as there are a lot of fun new products! Even better, during the month of April, if you purchase $40 of merchandise from the Mini Catalog, you can choose one of the 'Under $10' items from the catalog for free! See the flyer HERE.

I started this card by stamping with Basic Gray ink using the new set Oval All. After punching out with the Large Oval Punch, I used a Cameo Coral marker to color the butterfly and then added Crystal Effects and Dazzling Diamonds Glitter. I used the new Scallop Oval Punch to layer the Cameo Coral scalloped oval. The oval is popped up on dimensionals.

The Baja Breeze layer shows the Faux Suede technique. The faux suede technique is actually pretty easy to do . . . . I'll explain it quickly and hope that it makes sense! Take the strip of paper (here the Baja Breeze) and a bone folder. Use the bone folder to pull it along the paper as if you were curling ribbon. "Curl" the paper every which way. The idea is that you are breaking down the fibers in the paper. Then go to a corner of the paper and carefully peel the paper apart into two halves lengthwise--as if you are peeling a sticker from the backing. So the faux suede part is actually just the inside of the paper. You'll have to try it to see how simple it really is. :-) It is nice because it adds a soft feel to the project.

To finish the card I used the Mat Pack to add the row of paper piercing. Finished card size is 4 1/4" by 4 1/4".

Have a great weekend!

Stamps: Oval All

Ink: Basic Gray, Cameo Coral marker

Paper: Basic Gray, Cameo Coral, Baja Breeze, Whisper White

Accessories: Scallop Oval Punch, Large Oval Punch, Mat Pack, Paper Piercer, Bone Folder, Crystal Effects, Dazzling Diamonds, dimensionals

Polka Dot Elegance

Today I have another Sale-A-Bration card to show you! Just a reminder that Sale-A-Bration ends March 31, so if you want to take advantage of earning free product with a $50 order, now is the time! You can see the brochure HERE.

Anyway, I don't often copy ideas exactly from other people, but this card was just so pretty that didn't want to change a thing! I first saw this card on the idea boards at the Stampin Up Leadership conference, and later found the creator. Dawn over at DOstamping with Dawn made this card for the leadership boards. You can see her card HERE.

You'll notice that I didn't change very much. The only minor modifications were that I used the new Taste of Textiles paper (the white pin stripe paper on the left) and the new Organza Ribbon on top of the Brushed Silver strip of paper.

Another quick note: I actually used Basic Black craft ink, and then embossed with the Silver Embossing Powder. As long as you work fairly quickly, the silver embossing powder does cover the Basic Black craft ink. I used the black ink because when I was stamping the hearts for the panel along the right side, I started using Versamark ink, and was having a hard time seeing where to stamp! I didn't have that problem with the black ink. :-)


I also made up a coordinating acetate box. This could be used as a wedding favor, bridal shower favor, or as part of a wedding gift. The box shows off how pretty the Organza Ribbon is! For directions on how to make the acetate box, THIS POST (Halloween acetate box) has a link and the modifications I made.

Stamps: Polka Dot Punches, Fundamental Phrases
Ink: Basic Black Craft Ink
Paper: Brushed Silver, Taste of Textiles, Whisper White, acetate
Accessories: Full Heart Punch, Pretties Kit (hat pin and beads), Whisper White taffeta ribbon, Organza Ribbon, embossing buddy, silver Stampin' Emboss powder, heat tool, sticky strip, 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)

Textured Congrats

Today I have another simple Sale-A-Bration project to show. This card uses a stamp from the set Congrats--which is one of the sets you can earn for free during Sale-A-Bration. This is also a project we made last week at Technique Club.

I started by inking the 'congratulations' stamp with Kiwi Kiss ink, and then before I stamped I took my Basic Black marker and colored the dots along the bottom. Then I stamped on Whisper White card stock. I used my new texturz plates for the Big Shot to get the dry embossed texture on the Kiwi Kiss layer. Very fun! I'm sure you'll be seeing a lot more projects with the texturz plates. :-)

Finished card size is 3" by 6".

Stamps: Congrats

Ink: Kiwi Kiss, Basic Black marker

Paper: Kiwi Kiss, Basic Black, Whisper White

Accessories: 1/4" Basic Black grosgrain ribbon, Stampin Up Background texturz plates (diamonds), Big Shot

Good Bird Confessions

Don't you just love these bright colors! Here's a little confession. . . . I got the idea for this color combination from the Good Morning Sunshine Designer Series Paper. *wink* If I'm ever stuck on coming up with a color combination, I often turn to the section of the catalog with all the Designer Papers and pick out a color combination from there. Makes my job easier!

This is a card we made last month at my Technique Club. We made several cards using different types of dry embossing. This card used the Punches Plus Classy Brass Template and Empressor Stylus. Now here's another confession--I don't have a light table! Since I was doing a random pattern, I wasn't too worried about exact placement of the circles. For this card I just put the classy brass template on the table, and then the card stock on top. I would feel through the paper to get a rough idea of where I was, and then I used the stylus. It does take a few minutes to do all of the circles, but I like that the finished product has more texture.

This cute bird is from the set Good Friend--the set I received for free at Leadership. :-) The bird is stamped in Pacific Point, and the legs and sentiment are Chocolate Chip. For the beak, I stamped on Summer Sun paper and then cut it out and popped it up with a small piece of a dimensional. The Pacific Point layer is distressed and also up on dimensionals. The sentiment is from A Little Birdie Told Me. Finished card size is 5" tall by 5 1/4" wide.

Stamps: Good Friend, A Little Birdie Told Me

Ink: Pacific Point, Chocolate Chip

Paper: Kiwi Kiss, Pacific Point, Summer Sun, Whisper White

Accessories: Punches Plus Classy Brass template, empressor stylus, 1/4" chocolate chip grosgrain ribbon, cutter kit, dimensionals

Crazy Cupcake Birthday

Here's another one of the cards we made at Technique Club this month. This card highlights one of the birthday stamp sets that is on sale for only one more day! See the flyer HERE.

This card uses the set Crazy for Cupcakes. Stamp the cupcakes with black StazOn ink on glossy white paper, and then color with blender pens and ink pads (for the Riding Hood Red and Pink Pirouette) and Going Gray marker. Next add glitter to the cupcake frosting by first adding Crystal Effects and then pouring Dazzling Diamonds Glitter on top and tapping off the excess.

The scallop border is actually 6 Scallop Square Punches glued together. You can also create a scallop border with the Scallop Edge Punch of course, but this just gives you another option. :-) Use the Slit Punch and a silver brad to create a fun little closure for the card. Happy 20th birthday to Stampin' Up!

Stamps: Crazy for Cupcakes
Ink: Black StazOn, Going Gray marker, Riding Hood Red, Pink Pirouette, Blender Pens
Paper: Pink Pirouette, Riding Hood Red, Glossy White
Accessories: Scallop Square Punch, Crystal Effects, Dazzling Diamonds Glitter, Slit Punch, silver brad, dimensionals

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

Big Shot Pillows

Well, I finally decided to get the Big Shot! If you are wondering what the Big Shot is, it is a personal die cut machine. So far I have been very impressed! I'll definitely be posting more projects in the future that use the Big Shot. If you want to see more about the Big Shot and the available products, click HERE or on the link in the right column of this page.

This project was another one we made at Technique Club this month. We ran the Designer Paper through the Big Shot using the pillow die and it comes out all cut and scored. Very cool! These make for really quick projects. Tie the ribbon around (*hint--you can tie the ribbon around the box when it is still flat--makes it a little easier) and then add the tag.

The tags use the faux metal technique. Stamp on Brushed Silver card stock with Versamark ink and then heat emboss with Silver Embossing powder. Then punch out with the new Curly Label punch. The sentiments were embossed with with Silver Embossing Powder and then punched out with the Small Oval punch and popped up with dimensionals on top of the silver tag. Fun little projects for Christmas or anytime!

Stamps: Curly Label Punch Bundle, Fundamental Phrases
Ink: Versamark
Paper: Bella Rose Designer Paper, Kiwi Kiss Patterns Designer Series Papers, Brushed Silver, Kiwi Kiss, Riding Hood Red
Accessories: Big Shot, Curly Label Punch, Small Oval Punch, Kiwi Kiss/Vanilla Satin Ribbon, Ridding Hood Red Taffeta Ribbon, dimensionals

Wedding Happiness

Here's a card that was one of the projects we made a my Technique Club class this past week. It uses the Heard From the Heart set--another one of the sets 15% off until the end of Sept! I thought the sentiment "wishing you happiness today and always" sounded perfect for a wedding card, so I set out to design something appropriate. I must admit that wedding cards have always been very hard for me, but hopefully this one turned out ok.

The base is Very Vanilla card stock (finished size 3" by 6 1/2") and then layered with Pink Pirouette card stock, designer paper, and last vellum card stock. The Designer Paper is from the Parisian Summer set, and then the sentiment is embossed on the Vellum card stock with Silver Embossing Powder. (Note: If you are embossing on vellum, I would suggest using the Vellum Card Stock as opposed to the Vellum Paper.) I tied around the 1 1/4" Pink Pirouette grosgrain ribbon and then added the hatpin and beads from the Pretties Kit. The card fits into one of Stampin Up's small open-end envelopes.

Happy weekend everyone!

Stamps: Heard From the Heart
Ink: Versamark
Paper: Card Stock Vellum, Parisian Summer DP, Pink Pirouettee, Very Vanilla
Accessories: 1 1/4" Pink Pirouette Grosgrain Ribbon, Pretties Kit (hatpin and beads), Silver Embossing Powder, Heat Tool

Silhouettes Gift Card Holder

Here's another quick gift card holder. I made this up after I took pictures of the tutorial the other day. Since I already had the base done, I figured I could just quick embellish. :-) This is what I came up with. The stamps are from the Pocket Silhouettes set (15% off through the end of September!) and the belly band uses the 1" Double-Stitched Chocolate Chip Grosgrain ribbon. There is actually a strip of card stock under the ribbon though to help give it support so that it will slide on and off easier.

The tag is tied on with linen thread and uses the faux metal technique. Oh and if any club members happen to see this today. . . yes, this is one of the projects we are making at Technique Club tonight. :-)

Stamps: Pocket Silhouettes

Ink: Really Rust

Paper: Really Rust, Chocolate Chip, Very Vanilla

Accessories: 1" Double Stitched Chocolate Chip Grosgrain Ribbon, Linen Thread, Word Window Punch, Round Tag Punch, 1/8" Circe punch, Cutter Kit, dimensionals