december club projects

These are some fun little boxes that we made for one of our December projects. You can find the tutorial here. Watch for my next post that will have another version of these boxes that I used for my Christmas goodies.

And here's a simple, but elegant card that we made. I've been wanting to get this Texturz Template for my Big Shot for a long time and finally got it last month, so I had to play with it.

november club projects

I know these are really late, but December was just so busy that I haven't had any time to blog. Now that I've had some time to recover from finals and now Christmas, I've finally had a little time to take pictures of the projects I've been working on and edit them to get them posted here.

So you'll be seeing several posts coming up here on this and on my photography blog.

This fun bag is made from a large envelope. The tutorial I followed here uses a regular invitation envelope. The ones I used are about 6x8.

Faux Leather Mini Wallet

This was a very fun project to do! I got the idea from this tutorial, but I tweaked the size just a little! I wanted to be able to get 2 wallets out of one sheet of 8.5 x 11 cardstock, so I adjusted the size just a tad. It ends up being just a little bit larger than what would be perfect for business cards.

I also tweaked the overall look of the outside just a tad as well. I had it all made with the two ribbons and buckles, but the magnets that I had weren't strong enough to hold the it shut, so I adjusted things a little there. I just adhered the ribbon almost all the way around with sticky strip & then just tied a bow!

This is a side view

And the inside with my business cards in it!

This was a pretty simple project, especially for something that turned out to be very cute & versatile. With the two layers of paper & the wet embossing all over the outside it makes it pretty thick & durable too!

If you make one of these please leave a comment & share the link to your photos!

Simply Crafting,

A few cards...a little late!

These cards for our October Stamp Club (this tells you how far behind I am). I've been so busy with school & lately with photo shoots that I haven't had time to blog here. I hope to be able to get caught up in the next few weeks before I start back to school.

A Cute Basket Tutorial

supplies: Rose Red, Whisper White & Kiwi Kiss cardstock (no longer available), Raspberry Tart DSP, Regal Rose 5/8" Grosgrain Ribbon, Rose Red Stampin' Ink.

I found the idea for this cute basket at Elaine's Creations, she is a very talented fellow SU!demonstrator. So here's my tutorial on how to make this basket. When you click on the name of the product that is highlighted a different color, it will take you to the page in the online catalog, to see what that product looks like or to order it online if you'd like to!

Pic A

1. Start by cutting one 8.5 x 11 sheet of cardstock in half width-wise, so you'll have two 8.5 x 5.5 sheets of cardstock. With one 8.5 x 5.5 piece of cardstock cut out both basket pieces from the Baskets & Blooms Bigz XL Die. These are the 2 ends of the basket. The other piece you'll use for the sides & bottom of the basket (see below). Cut off the small scored piece on both basket pieces (see Pic A).

Pic B

(where I'm pointing in Pic B is where the 3/8" mark is~directly half way between the 1/4" mark & the 1/2" mark~see next step below)

2. Now with the 5.5" side at the top, using the 2nd 8.5 x 5.5 piece of cardstock score at 3/8". Then turn the sheet around & do the score on the opposite side.

Tip: I like to score with my Bone Folder. I've used the scoring blade for my cutter & most of the time it just cuts through my paper, so I have learned to love the bone folder & it's great to have one more use for this handy tool as well. It's a little awkward to get used to at first, but once you get used to it you may never want to go back.

Pic C

3. Next with the 8.5" side at the top, score 2-3/4" from the edge on the short side (see Pic C). Then turn your cardstock around & score the same on the opposite side.

Pic D

Your cardstock should now look like Pic D

Pic E

4. Now fold all the of scored lines in & make a nice crease.

Pic F

Pic G

5. Using Snips, on the short ends (see Pic F) snip the four corners into the score line so that you can fold the box easier (see Pic G).

Tip: I highly recommend Stampin' Up!'s Snips. They are so sharp, cut more precise & are small enough to get into tiny spaces. They are the best pair of paper scissors I've ever owned.

Pic H

6. Adhere Sticky Strip to the sides & bottom of each basket end piece as shown in Pic H.

Tip: It is very important to use something stronger than regualar Snail or Tombow Adhesive, like the Sticky Strip, to adhere the sides of this basket (or any basket or box). Regular tape adhesive will not hold together for long on a project like this.

Pic I

7. It's time to assemble the box. Start by only removing the red film off the Sticky Strip on the bottom. If you remove all of them you will no doubt end up sticking something where you don't want it to end up & this stuff is really sticky. You will tear your paper if you try to pull it apart & reapply it. So please believe me, I've made that mistake too many times.

Pic J

8. Now line up the side of your basket with the two bottom corners of the sides & bottom piece (see pic J). Once you have them lined up stick them together.

Pic K

9. Next pull the red film off of one side piece & line it up with the side of the box & adhere (see pic K). Repeat on the other side.

Pic L

Pic M

10. Your box is assembled, Pic L & M is what it should look like.

Pic N

11. (I'm sorry I forgot to take a picture of this part). Punch out the Scallop Circle & apply adhesive around the outside edge of it. Adhere to the side right over the oval that is already punched out there. Tip: turn your punch over so you can see exactly what you're punching.

12. Next, using the 1-1/4" Circle Punch, turn your punch over so you can see the funny shaped oval inside the circle & punch it out (centering the oval in the circle). Add ribbon to one or both sides (as shown in Pic N).

Pic O (that flowere is from the Baskets & Blooms die cut that I cut the sides out with)

13. You can decorate this anyway you'd like, but this is what I did. Cut the side pieces. The inside piece (chocolate print) measures 3-3/4" x 2". I used the Bella Rose DSP for this inside piece.

The red layer measures 4" x 2-1/4". Next punch the corners using the Ticket Corner Punch. Then adhere each piece together.

I also used the Large Oval Punch, the Scallop Oval Punch, the Great Friend Stamp Set, Riding Hood Red Striped Grosgrain Ribbon, Chocolate Chip & Pink Pirouette cardstock, Chocolate Chip & Riding Hood Red inks. If you have any questions about this tutorial or any products, please feel free to contact me at : chelstamps (at) yahoo (dot) com.

To order 24/7 click here!

Top Note bag

I made this bag last week for my Open House! I got the idea from someone's blog but I can't remember whose. I will post the credits here when I find it.

I used the Top Note die cut. I got the paper bags at Michael's. These are much smaller than a lunch bag size and they are white. They may have them at Walmart, but I haven't checked there (if they have them surely they would be less expensive).

Here's a side view!

Here's the inside view! I put candy hearts in a cello bag!

I used: Flight of the Butterfly stamp set,

Certainly Celery & Whisper White Cardstock,

Basic Black, Regal Rose & Certainly Celery ink,

Regal Rose 7/8" grosgrain ribbon, Sm. Oval Punch, Heat & Stick Powder,

Dazzling Diamonds Glitter, a Heat Gun & Stampin' Dimensionals!

Boutique items for Sale!

My boutique is over & I have some items left to sale. If you'd like to purchase these items please email me at chelscraps (at) yahoo (dot) com. If you need them shipped to you, you will be responsible for shipping charges in addition to the price of the item. Those charges will vary depending on what the item is. I will wait for your payment to clear before I will send the items.

Give Thanks Frame $25
This is an 8x10 oval frame
I loved this frame so much that I had to make one for myself. There is no glass in this frame, & the leaves are "popping out" so it looks more 3d, which I really like. The leaves are glued down with sticky strip, so they are stuck pretty good.

Recipe Album ~~$30 each (I only have 1 left!)

These albums measure 7"x5". The front & back are made of very sturdy, thick chipboard & are "mod-podged" for protection & includes 16 cardstock pages inside (32 pgs. front & back). There are 4 sheets each of 4 different colors-Kiwi Kiss, Chocolate Chip, Pink Pirouette & Riding Hood Red (you can see all of those colors on the front of the album). The rings are large enough that you can add several more pages if you'd like. That's what I plan to do with mine as I gather more recipes! The two I have for sale don't have the ribbon across the front, they have the little house, but instead of the heart one has a star & the other has a flower. These two also have round cardstock tabs instead of ribbon tabs, which I like much better. You can add the names of the recipes on the tabs if you'd like. These do not include the recipes inside as I'm sure my favorites are not yours, but they do include the little decorations (stamped/die-cut flowers, butterflies, etc.). It's very easy to include your favorite recipes. I just typed mine in word & printed them out.

Christmas Lists Books $10 each
These books are designed to keep you a little more organized during the busy Christmas season. They have approximately 60 pgs. & can be used for several years. I've already been using mine for 2 years & have plenty more pages to use for several more to come.

These books have a section for:

**"Wish Lists" - to keep track of your family's/friend's wish lists for Christmas.

**A "Gift" list -to keep track of what you've already bought. I'm sure several of you are like me & don't get all of your shopping done in one day & at one store, so this really helps to take along with you so you remember what you've already bought for each person. (I actually use a code, just in case one of my kids gets ahold of my book they won't know who is getting what.)

**A "Cards to send" list - to keep track of the Christmas cards you need to send. I like to have a checklist & I keep track of who is getting pictures & which ones I'm emailing, etc. Then I already know where that list is next year when I need to send cards again & it's so simple to update.

**An "Events" list - to keep track of all those fun Holiday parties, concerts & activities

& one blank tab to add whatever you would like.

(Blessings-Reserved for MarQuette)

"Blessings", "Family" & "Joy" Books~~$5 each

These books measure 5"x5" & they each have 80 pgs. They are "mod-podged" on the outside, to protect the paper.

These books were made to be "gratitude journals", but you can use them for whatever you'd like. For those that don't know what a "gratitude journal" is, it's a book that you write about something different each time that you are grateful for. You can write once a day, once a week or whenever you feel like it. It's a great thing to have when you're having a bad day, you can look back to what you've written about & remember the blessings that you receive each day. It would be nice to have one that each member of the family could write in collectively! It's also nice to have your own personal one, so you can be a little more intimate with your writing when you want to be.

Gratitude Journal~~$10

This book is a little larger than the previous ones & it has cute tabs on it, it measures 6"x4" & has about 80 pgs. This book is "mod-podged" on the outside to protect the paper!

I have a journal similar to this that I keep next to my bed & write just before I go to bed. (I don't write every night, but I try to write at least once or twice a week). I'm planning on giving my older girls some of these for Christmas (shh!) to try to get them to focus more on their blessings!

A Calendar & Recipe Album!

This is a calendar that I made from one of the new Calendar Kit's in the 2008 Holiday Mini catalog! This kit is great! You can do so much with it! I'm offering it in my Fall Stamp Camp this weekend. I've had almost no time to stamp & that's been really hard on me. I really love creating & I'm starting to resent my schoolwork a little. Pretty silly huh?



This is my new "Favorite Recipe" album. I've been wanting to make something like this for a long time! It has all of our favorite recipes that we use on a regular basis, so I don't have to dig through the bazillion other recipes that I own (most of which are lose sheets of paper). I love being able to pull one book out to find the recipe that I need! We are also doing this one at my Fall Stamp Camp this weekend! If you'd like a kit to make this project it's $18 (plus shipping, if need be) The kit will not include the Mod Podge used to cover the pages to keep it clean. Or if you'd like me to make one for you the cost is $25 (not including recipes). Adding recipes is very simple! I just typed them up in my draw program (this can be done in Word as well). I sized them to fit 4 on a page & then cut them out & glued them on. I plan to take a picture of each dish & add it to the page above the recipe! I hate it when recipes don't have a picture! I also think I'm going to change the little ribbon tabs to be regular tabs & write the name of that recipe on the tab, so I can find them quicker!