Cloud9 February Blog Hop

It's time for another Cloud9 Blog Hop!

This month's inspiration photo comes from the Black Eiffel blog, featuring an assortment of kids' Valentine treat bags:

via Black Eiffel

I took the inspiration pretty literally and whipped up some little envelopes to put in my kids' lunch boxes on Valentine's Day.

Using WPlus9's seed packet die, I cut the envelopes from this kraft, polka-dotted paper from a collection that I must have bought three or four years ago.  I just keep whittling away at it year by year.  :)

For my daughter's envelope, I used the just-released sets Chantilly Trim (for the floral image) and Written on Ribbon (for the banner), as well as the companion die.  The sentiments are from Love You More.

My son's envelope is decorated using images from Love Birds, along with the coordinating dies.  Since my little guy doesn't do much reading yet, I opted for the heart speech bubble from Love You More in lieu of a sentiment.

Cardstock:  WPlus9 Design Studio (White)

Patterned paper:  (K & Company)

Stamps:  WPlus9 Design Studio (Chantilly Trim, Written on Ribbon, Love Birds, Love You More)

Ink:  Stampin' Up! (Lucky Limeade, Real Red, Chocolate Chip)

Tools:  WPlus9 Design Studio (Written on Ribbon die, Love Birds dies)

I'll probably fill these with stickers and a love note, which should put a smile on their faces, especially since this mom is rarely organized enough ahead of time to put notes in lunch boxes.  :)

Please join us for this month's hop!  We'd love to see what you come up with using your WPlus9 goodies.

I'm off to tackle the shoveling!  Thanks for spending a bit of your day with me.

The 12 Kits of Holidays--January 2013

To see my CASE Study post, please scroll down!

Hello again!  I've got another fun post to share with you today.  If you've been coming around here for a while, you know that in 2012 I partnered with 11 fellow stampers to bring you The 12 Kits of Christmas.  Each month, we create cards and projects for Christmas (and Hanukkah!) using the same supplies.

This year brings a few changes, including the addition of two new crew members, Tracey McNeely and Kelly Schirmer.  Please give them a warm welcome, as I'm sure you'll enjoy their creations as much as I do.  :)

The other change for 2013 is that we'll be featuring lots of different holidays and occasions, not just Christmas!  There will still be plenty of Christmas inspiration throughout the year, with winter holiday kits every other month, but we'll also be bringing you ideas for Valentine's Day, Easter, birthdays, thank yous, fall holidays, and more.

Our first hostess for 2013 is Joyce, who provided us with a darling Valentine's kit full of goodies.  Fabulous papers, ribbons, and die cuts galore.  Behold:

Photo by Kara

I'd hoped to create a few more cards this month, but prepping to teach my very first class at the college drained most of my mojo over the last couple of weeks.  Lucky for me I have lots of supplies left to make several more projects before Valentine's Day arrives.  :)

On to the cards!  I've been smitten with this Memory Box die since it came out, so I had to reach for it first.

Cardstock:  Papertrey Ink (Hawaiian Shores, Pure Poppy, White)

Stamps:  Papertrey Ink (Heart Prints), WPlus9 Design Studio (Love You More)

Ink:  Stampin' Up! (Real Red)

Tools:  Memory Box (Piestra Tile die), WPlus9 Design Studio (envelope dies), Papertrey Ink (heart dies)

Using some strips of the My Mind's Eye papers in the kit, I think this simple little number is my favorite.

Cardstock:  Stampin' Up! (Poppy Parade)

Patterned paper:  My Mind's Eye (Lucky in Love)

Tool:  Papertrey Ink (XO border die)

Accessories:  buttons, DMC floss

This next one is a CASE of a card by Suzanne from last year's November kit.

Cardstock:  Papertrey Ink (Sweet Blush, White)

Patterned paper:  My Mind's Eye (Lucky in Love)

Stamps:  WPlus9 Design Studio (Love You More)

Ink:  Stampin' Up! (Real Red)

Tool:  Spellbinders (Labels 18 die)

Accessories:  button, DMC floss

Perhaps this last one is too simple, but I like it a lot.  I left off the embellishments since the sentiment and paper are fairly busy.

Cardstock:  Papertrey Ink (Pure Poppy, White)

Patterned paper:  My Mind's Eye (Lucky in Love)

Stamp:  WPlus9 Design Studio (Love You More)

Ink:  Stampin' Up! (Real Red)

Tool:  Spellbinders (Labels 4 die)

What do you think of the new 12 Kits format?  We hope you'll enjoy finding inspiration for lots of different holidays and occasions in the coming year!

Time to hop around to see what the rest of the gals have come up with!

Joyce: Cards-by-the-Sea
Renee: ItsAPatchworkLife
Tracey: InMyCreativeOpinion

Sharron: OnPapillionWings

Marybeth: Marybeth's Time for Paper

Jeanne: AKeptLife
Amy: Stamp-n-Paradise
Kim: CupcakesCardsandKim
Kara: KandRDesigns
Kelly: GinghamGirl
Jessica: The Paper Parade

Thanks so much for visiting!