Frames & Flowers Card Making Night

  Last week I met up with my mom, 2 aunts and a cousin in Columbus, Ohio for a girls trip.  Why Columbus?  Because it was kind of a central spot to meet as 3 of the group are from Illinois, one from Connecticut and then me from Virginia.  We rented a house in the super cute Short North neighborhood of Columbus and had fun hanging out, playing some games, lots of shopping and of course craft nights!  

  I thought if we had time and everyone felt like it that they could each make a set of cards using the Frames & Flowers Specialty Designer Series paper.  It's like half card kit and half DSP.  I packed up some card bases, inserts, envelopes, 2 sentiment stamp sets and 4 inks, some ribbon and embellishments and other tools and loaded it into the car.  I actually was able to fit everything that I wanted to bring into the awesome backpack bag that demonstrators received at the Houston OnStage event in March.  Like a card class on the go!

  My plan was for everyone to have 5 card bases and then they could use all of the fun pre-cut floral and leafy pieces and frames to mix and match to make 5 different designs.  I had some die cut circles and labels already made and they just used those to stamp a sentiment and then they added ribbons and pearls as they wanted.  It was so fun seeing all of their different ideas.

  They were all really creative and had fun embellishing.  I even taught them how to make a fork bow.

 None of them had much if any experience with paper crafting but they are all creative with sewing and other crafts so they jumped right in had fun seeing what they could make.

  The Frames & Flowers DSP was perfect for these beginners.  Every card was unique and they could choose the sentiments that they needed.

I loved being able to share my passion with my family!

 20 completely different and unique cards and look at those proud smiles!  We had a lot of laughs too.  We used up all of the die cuts and frames and some of the full DSP sheets.  I was impressed by how many cards we made with this DSP. 

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Simply Said, Heartfelt Hexagon

Ink: Pretty Peacock, Lost Lagoon, Soft Sea Foam, Petal Pink

Paper: Frames & Flowers Specialty DSP, Basic White, Pretty Peacock, Lost Lagoon, Soft Sea Foam, Petal Pink

Accessories: various ribbons, pearls, dimensionals, Heartfelt Hexagon punch, Stylish Shapes dies (circles)

Quilty Note Cards - Stampin' Up! Quilted Christmas

   A few weeks ago my mom requested some note cards using the retired Quilted Christmas stamp set and matching Quilt Builder dies.  She runs her church's charity quilt ministry as well as does quilting for fun and craft shows so she can always use some themed cards to send out.  It's a good thing this one of the few retired sets I've kept over the years!

  I had so much of the retired Woven Threads DSP left that I decided to use that pack to make an assortment of cards with the same layout but different color combos.

  I think I ended up making 2 or 3 of each design and even then I didn't put much of a dent into the DSP! 

  I won't go into the details because the cards are pretty basic and some of the supplies are retired but I will list all the supplies below.  Don't underestimate giving people packs of notecards as a "just because" these days.  They will get used!

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Quilted Christmas (retired)

Ink: Pretty Peacock, Terracotta Tile

Paper: Purple Posy, Seaside Spray, Terracotta Tile, Pretty Peacock, Whisper White, Sahara Sand, Woven Threads DSP (retired)

Accessories: Quilt Builder dies (retired), dimensionals, corner rounder, scalloped linen trim, In Color faceted gems

Libraries are Awesome! - Stampin' Up! Botanical Builder Framelits

  This week is National Library Week so I wanted to make sure that our school librarian and library assistant felt appreciated.  I put together a few little items in a cute bin to let them know we love the library and all that they do to encourage our school community to read and love books.

  I took my colors from a picture I saw on Pinterest and made a card and a matching covered notepad for each of them.  My photos are not the best since I snapped the finished items early this morning before school but you can still get the idea.

  The card uses the Sale-a-Bration set Botanicals for You and the Botanical Builder framelits.  The colors: Melon Mambo, Old Olive, Soft Sky.

  

I used the same colors to cover the notepad and used the largest flower and leaf framelit along with the Little Letters Thinlets.  This is a quick and easy project but looks so great.

  

In the basket I had a small candle, some chocolates, a flowering plant and the covered notebook.

 

  Not the best picture but it was 6:30 in the morning! 

  Don't forget to say thanks to your librarian and library workers this week.  Many libraries are holding special events and activities to celebrate so definitely check them out!

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Botanicals for You

Ink: Melon Mambo, Old Olive, Soft Sky, Basic Black

Paper: Melon Mambo, Old Olive, Soft Sky, Basic Black, Whisper White

Accessories: Botanical Builder framelits, Little Letters thinlets, oval framelits, ribbon & twine, rhinestones, dimensionals

Stampin' Up! Sneak Peek! - You've Got This

Well my preorder and catalog finally arrived yesterday....right when I needed to start cooking dinner! Of course right?  While last night was busy for our family I was able to make a quick project with one of my new stamp sets and a few of the new In Colors.

  It was late when I finished it so the lighting stinks and I was taking the photos with my phone but I think you'll get the idea!

  I made this tag using the new set You've Got This.  What a great set!  I nice large flower and a fun crosshatch/sanded kind of background stamp, along with a few sentiments.  I just used the flower on this project.  The tag is one that opens (just cut your cardstock to 4 inches across then fold in half and then punch like usual with the scalloped tag topper punch).  This is nice to be able to write a longer message inside.

 The flower is stamped with Stazon then colored with Blender pens and the new Watermelon Wonder, Delightful Dijon and Cucumber Crush In Colors.

  The scalloped oval is punched out of Cucumber Crush and the thank you is layered on top.

 I tied the tag with the new 1" Dotted Lace Trim in Watermelon Wonder.  The box is one of the wood mount clear cases that you can buy in packs.  I filled it with 13 assorted cards for a Teacher Appreciation gift.  I made 2 of these for the boys teachers.

  It was fun working with these new products and I can't wait to have more time today to play!

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: You've Got This (new 2015-2016 catalog!!), Many Thanks (retiring)

Ink: Stazon, Watermelon Wonder, Delightful Dijon, Cucumber Crush (New 2015-2017 In Colors!!)

Paper: Very Vanilla, Cucumber Crush, DSP (retired)

Accessories: 1" Dotted Lace Trim, oval punch, scallop oval punch, Scallop Tag Topper punch, blender pen, clear wood case

Stampin' Up! Zoo Babies Gift Set

  My sister in law is expecting their second child, a little girl and a month ago we went to a baby shower for her.  I wanted to make a set of thank you cards for her to use after the baby is born to go along with the gift so I got busy with my Zoo Babies set.

 The elephant is embossed in white onto Crisp Cantaloupe with a little heart punched with the Owl punch.  The white twine is one of the 3 in the Painted Blooms twine pack in the Occasions catalog.

  Here is the box I made to hold the set of 6 cards.  I used the envelope punch board.  Super easy!

  I used some Core'dinations 12x12 Crumb Cake cardstock from my stash and tied it closed with Crisp Cantaloupe thick Baker's Twine.  I could fit 6 cards and envelopes in the little pouch.

  Here is the coordinating card that I made to go with the gift.  Just the contrasting color combo.

  I'll be sad to see Crisp Cantaloupe go away.  I was slow to warm up to it but I liked the peachy pink tone and it's a nice alternate to a straight up pink.

  My Stampin' Up! new catalog preorder is on its way to me as we speak!  I'm very excited to get my hands on a hard copy of the catalog.  A PDF just doesn't cut it for me!  But don't forget you can still order retiring and Occasions Catalog products until June 2.  Lots of great deals on retiring items so check them out at my online store (link in sidebar).

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Zoo Babies

Ink: Versamark

Paper: Crumb Cake, Crisp Cantaloupe (retiring), Core'dinations Crumb Cake (retired)

Accessories: Crisp Cantaloupe Baker's twine (retiring), thick cotton twine, owl punch, white embossing powder, corner rounder, envelope punch board

Washi Tape Tealights & Candle Holder - Sunday School Teacher Gifts

  A few weeks ago I did a "What to Washi" class with my customers.  We had a good time creating some cards and gift items using washi tape.  One of the projects was tea light candles with a matching glass candle holder.  This is such a quick project that you can keep the supplies on hand and make one up when you need a little something for a hostess gift, thank you or birthday present.

  I decided to make up a batch of these to give to the boys' Sunday School teachers to say thank you for "Shining Their Light" all year long.  The Gold Watercolor Wonder washi tape from the Occasion catalog was the perfect look for these.  And I'm happy to let you know that this item is carrying over into the new 2014-2015 catalog which is coming soon!

 The most narrow roll of washi tape fits perfectly around the base of these dollar store tea lights.  Just wrap it around the metal cup and snip for a clean finish.

  We packaged the lights in one of the 4"x6" cello bags with a piece of Brushed Gold cardstock.  I didn't take a picture of it but the underside of the cardstock is decorated with the washi tape as well.  To finish off the little package just roll the edge and tape it down with another piece of washi tape.

  For the glass candle holder I just alternated the 3 different tapes all the way around the 4 sides.  I used the paper snips to get clean cuts.  You could use all the same design or just 2....whatever you want...it's that simple!

  I couldn't get a good photo but when the tea light is lit the pattern of the washi tape stripes looks really cool.  These candle holders would be perfect to make if you had to host a dinner or wanted to change up your look for different seasons and holidays with investing in a ton of new items.

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: none

Ink: none

Paper: Brushed Gold cardstock

Accessories: Watercolor Wonder Designer Washi Tape, 4x6 cello bags, Tea light candles (non-SU), glass candle holder (non-SU)

Another Clear Case Stationery Set

  I hope you all aren't bored with seeing another clear case stationery set!  I've even spared you from seeing the 3 I made for Alex's preschool teachers as end of school thank you gifts!

  I made this one for my cousin that graduated high school last week.  I ordered a cute hot pink Thirty-one tote and filled it with all kinds of goodies she might need at college...small sewing kit, sunscreen, deck of cards, mini screwdriver set, regular screwdriver set, stain spray, wrinkle release, ear plugs, air freshener, duct tape, crazy glue, 3M removable hooks, band aids and more stuff that I can't even remember.  I thought these were all things they don't tell you you need to pack for college but sure would be nice to have!  I included the stationery set with the tote and tried to coordinate it with the tote as my aunt told me these were her favorite colors.

  I used Circle Circus and embossed various circles onto Melon Mambo cardstock.  I used the large rickrack trim from the Tasteful Trim die to wrap around the center.  I made sure to personalize it with a "j" and added a pen.

  The notecards were very simple and coordinate with the case.  I even had some of this retired Pumpkin Pie rickrack leftover from several catalogs ago.  It went perfectly!

  For the notepad I just punched out some Whisper White and Melon Mambo circles and adhered them to the Pumpkin Pie cardstock I added to the top of the notepad.

  Off to get ready for my morning class!  Have a great Wednesday everyone!

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?


Stamps: Circle Circus

Ink: Versamark

Paper: Melon Mambo, Whisper White, Pumpkin Pie


Accessories: white embossing powder, Tasteful Trim die, scallop circle punch, letters die, rickrack trim (retired), small circle punches

Twitterpated New Neighbor Gift

 Well the Flyers couldn't get it done the other night against the Devils so I will have a lot more free time in the evenings to stamp instead of watch hockey!  I'll miss watching hockey but won't miss seeing my team stink it up on the ice!  =)

  I'll be putting this free time to use by making up some more of these welcome new neighbor gifts.  Our neighborhood is having a lot of new construction these days and pretty soon people will be moving into these houses and I want to welcome them with a little something.  I found these cute little jar candles at the Dollar Store.  They smell really nice and come in colors that coordinate with some Designer Series papers that I have.  All it takes to make a nice but inexpensive gift (I think there are 10-12 new houses being built so I don't want to break the bank!) is to coordinate a card with a little something.  Stampin' Up! DSP is perfect for this project!

  I just wrapped the candle with some DSP.  Stamped the tree from the retired Sale-a-Bration set Good Neighbor and then punched it out and layered it on a Riding Hood Red circle.  I added a Basic Gray taffeta ribbon knot to tie it in with the card.

  For the card I used a Pear Pizzazz base (see how it matches the candle?) and more of the Twitterpated DSP.  I inked up the little house scene with my markers and then punched it out with the scallop circle punch.  I paper pierced the scallops for another detail and also added a Basic Gray taffeta knot.

 If I don't have many projects to share in the next few days it's because I'm too busy looking at the new Stampin' Up! catalog!!  Yes, it's here!  Demonstrators were able to get their copy mailed out on Monday and mine arrived on Tuesday (yes I had to do expedited shipping, I was just too excited!) along with a bunch of fun preorder items!  Customers are able to see and order from the new catalog starting on June 1st.  Don't wait to get retiring items...they will be gone on May 31.

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Good Neighbors

Ink: Pear Pizzazz,Riding Hood Red, Basic Gray, Island Indigo

Paper: Pear Pizzazz, Whisper White, Twitterpated DSP, Riding Hood Red


Accessories: circle punches, taffeta ribbon, scallop circle punch, paper piercer

Summer Smooches Stationery Set

 Today is like Rex Manning Day (if you know this reference without looking it up you rock!) for us Stampin' Up! demonstrators.  Stampin' Up! released a select few products from the new catalog for us to order early.  It's really exciting to get to see new products early and a great perk of being a demo.  I know some ladies who signed up for this sole reason!  If you're interested in getting perks like this as well as a great discount give me a shout...there is a new Starter Kit that is completely customizable!  You can choose anything you want!

  Today I'm sharing the project we did for my April class.  It's a Summer Smooches Clear Mount Case Stationery Set (that's a mouthful isn't it?).

  We made 4 note cards with envelopes, 4 3x3 notes with envelopes, a notepad and pen.  All this fits into the clear mount stamp cases that Stampin' Up! sells by the 4 pack.  These little babies make great gifts and I know a few of my ladies were going to gift the one they made at class for Mother's Day.

 Here is the sample that I made for class.  The ladies each got 6 sheets of the Summer Smooches DSP (one of each pattern in the pack) to customize their case, cards, envelopes, pen and notepad.  It was fun to see the different combinations they chose.

   We used the Bright Blossoms stamp set and I made up 4 different designs to give them a starting point for their own cards.  We also lined the inside of the A2 envelopes.  This is a great touch especially if you're giving a set of note cards as a gift.

  Most of the ladies used the matching markers to color the stamps since the images are on the smaller side it's easier to use the markers to vary the blossom colors.  Each class attendee also received 2 yards of the Daffodil Delight seam binding ribbon to use on their cards.

  The little 3x3 notes are adorable!  We used the Simply Scored Diagonal scoring plate to make custom envelopes for the 3x3 notes.  Even more adorable!  All the ladies really liked being able to make their own envies.

 And here's my example of the customized notepad and pen.  The notepad is a junior legal size that I had the office supply store cut down to fit into the case.  A little bit of DSP for both and you have some nicely coordinated accessories to go with your stationery set.

  If you missed out on the Summer Smooches sneak peek don't worry!  The Designer Series Paper, Daffodil Delight seam binding ribbon and Bright Blossoms stamp set will all be in the new catalog and can be ordered starting June 1!

  Thanks for looking!  Happy Rex Manning Day!

  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Bright Blossoms

Ink: Lucky Limeade, Real Red, Tangerine Tango, Island Indigo, Daffodil Delight

Paper: Whisper White, Summer Smooches DSP

Accessories: Daffodil Delight seam binding ribbon, scallop circle punch, paper piercer, Simply Scored Diagonal Scoring plate, paper piercer

Happy New House!

  Last month one of my stamping ladies bought her first house and she asked me to help her design a change of address card to send out to friends and family.  I got to go see her new house and of course I didn't show up empty handed!  A new house is an exciting thing and should be properly celebrated with stamped gifts of course!

  First, I wrapped some Everyday Enchantment DSP around a little mini jar candle.  I stamped the flower from Fresh Vintage in Poppy Parade and punched it out with the 1 1/4" circle punch.  I layered that on a 1 3/8" punched Lucky Limeade circle.  I used some rhinestones in the center of the flower and then turned it into a tag by punching a small hole and using Lucky Limeade baker's twine to tie it to the jar.

  For the card I used a Crumb Cake base which I distressed a bit with the spritzer tool.  Another piece of Everyday Enchantment DSP and a length of Poppy Parade twill ribbon (if you love this ribbon get more of it now as it will be retiring in a few months!) went on the card front.  I used a retired Sale-a-bration set from a few years ago for the image.  Good Neighbors is such a cute little set with mix and match houses and roofs with several different tree styles and an adorable cloud.  I have hung onto this set exactly for occasions like these.

  The house on the card is stamped in Poppy Parade and the roof is Crumb Cake.  I stamped the tree in Lucky Limeade and then colored in some of the "apples" with my Poppy Parade marker.  The cloud is Pool Party.  I punched the little scene out with my large circle punch and then layered it on a large scallop circle.  I paper pierced the scallops and then popped the whole thing up with dimensionals.

  You can read more about the glass magnets HERE and HERE.  I just put them in a small cello bag and tied it off with another length of Poppy Parade twill ribbon.

  This was such a cute little ensemble I think I'll be making more for all the new neighbors that will be moving into our neighborhood.  Almost all of the empty lots have been sold and one new house is almost complete.  I better get moving and find some more little candles and start stamping!

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Fresh Vintage, Good Neighbors


Ink: Crumb Cake, Poppy Parade, Pool Party, Lucky Limeade


Paper: Whisper White, Lucky Limeade, Crumb Cake, Everyday Enchantment DSP

Accessories: circle punches, scallop circle punch, rhinestones, Baker's Twine, twill ribbon, spritzer tool, dimensionals, cello bag, glass rocks (non-SU), magnets (non-SU)

End of the Year Teacher Gifts

  For end of the school year teacher thank you gifts for my sons teachers I made each of them a card organizer and 12 cards to go with the organizer; one for each month.  I've made these organizers before and they are super easy to do using 6 sheets of DSP (see this and this post for more details).  To make the 12 cards I used a cool technique called One Sheet Wonders or OSW for short.  Basically you print out a template onto a sheet of neutral cardstock (I used Whisper White) and then you stamp on the opposite side until the whole sheet is covered randomly with your images.  Then you cut apart the cardstock following the printed guide lines and use the subsequent pieces when making your cards.  Here is the link that I used for my OSW template.  This great template was graciously shared on Splitcoaststampers by a fellow demonstrator LeeAnn Greff.  This template creates 10 cards and LeeAnn also shared templates for how to cut the other cardstock pieces for the other layers on the cards (I actually didn't use these guides as I wanted to use up a lot of the scraps that I already had).

  I stamped 2 full sheets of Whisper White for each gift set.  One sheet was for the cover of the organizer and the other was for the cards.  Since my covers didn't use a full sheet I used the leftover pieces to create my final 2 cards since the template only makes 10 and I needed 12 (and I still had some scraps left which I made into more cards....you'll be sick of seeing these colors and patterns when I get through!).  It was really fun using the Circle Circus stamp set to make my own DSP.  You just pick a stamp and an ink color and stamp away then switch to a different stamp and ink color and repeat.  You can go back and add more of one image if you want and it doesn't matter if they are overlapping at all, just fill up that paper.  I used colors that went with the DSP that I choose for each organizer.  The Sweet Pea DSP pack had so many cool colors that I could make each organizer look different just by changing my paper choices.

  I got a late start on this project and only took a picture of one set of cards....it's not a great picture so that's probably why I didn't bother trying to take a picture of the other set but you can see how each card is different and how it uses the custom DSP in the layouts.  I had coordinating envelopes for each card and stuck one card in each of the pockets inside the organizer.

Stamps: Circle Circus, Defining Alphabet

Ink: Organizer 1: Rose Red, So Saffron, Old Olive, Chocolate Chip
       Organizer 2: Taken w/ Teal, Chocolate Chip, So Saffron, Only Orange

Paper: Sweet Pea DSP (for organizer pockets - not shown)
          Organizer 1: Rose Red, So Saffron, Old Olive, Chocolate Chip, Whisper White
          Organizer 2: Taken w/ Teal, Chocolate Chip, So Saffron, Only Orange, Whisper White

Accessories: OSW template, binding machine, binding combs, scallop circle punch, 1 3/8" circle punch, Chocolate Chip satin ribbon    

Twin Owl Baby Gift

This is a baby thank you gift set that I made for my husband to give to a co-worker who is expecting twins. I had a hard time coming up with a design for this set as the there is going to be a girl and a boy so I had to make the cards so they covered both genders. I finally decided on a pink owl and a blue owl perched on the branch from the XL Bird Punch mounted on a Top Note. The owls are cut out and popped on dimensionals. The branch is punched out of Delicate Dots DSP (retired 2009 Sale-a-Bration item). I accented the sides of the Top Note with a pink & blue brad. The thank you sentiment is stamped in Basic Gray and punched out with the large oval punch and layered on a Certainly Celery scalloped oval.

And of course since this is a gift I had to make a box to put the set of 10 cards in! I added some scallop border trim along the box top to give it some pop. The box is tied with retired Certainly Celery ribbon (Sale-A-Bration 2009) and finished with a "For You" tag using Vintage Labels (Free this year during Sale-A-Bration!!).

And here is the quick gift bag I made to put the whole shebang into... I punched out scallop squares using the Delicate Dots DSP (green & blue squares) as well as Tea Party DSP (pink squares).










Stamps: Animal Stories (owls), Spring Solitude ("Thank You") Vintage Labels

Ink: Pretty in Pink, Bashful Blue, Basic Gray, Certainly Celery

Paper: Kraft, Whisper White, Delicate Dots DSP, Certainly Celery, Tea Party DSP

Accessories: XL 2 Step Bird Punch, Big Shot Top Note die, brads, dimensionals, large oval punch, scalloped oval punch, scalloped circle punch, Certainly Celery twill ribbon, scalloped trim border punch, scalloped square punch

Personalized Notecards and Matching Giftbox

This is the project that I made with my stamp club last month- 8 personalized notecards and a matching giftbox. Everyone in my group is a fairly accomplished stamper by now so I wanted to show them something extra instead of just making cards. We all need a cute little box to package a set of cards in or to use for a small gift. This is a really easy box to make to fit A2 sized cards. You can find the tutorial here on Splitcoaststampers- it's super easy. It was also a chance to show off the In Color markers that are now available since it's much easier to use a marker to ink the letters in the Defining Alphabet set than an ink pad if you just want one or the other of the letters.

Stamps: Circle Circus, Defining Alphabet

Ink: Rich Razzleberry, Soft Suede

Paper: Very Vanilla, Rich Razzleberry, Soft Suede

Accessories: scallop edge punch, scallop circle punch, 13/8 in. circle punch, scoring blade, markers, taffeta ribbon

Father's Day - Part 4

Here is a gift set I made for my husband's step-father. We affectionately call him a tree hugger as he is a landscape architect as well as the president of their local land trust organization. I'd been wanting Lovely As A Tree for several years now since I knew these images would be perfect for him for birthdays and whatnot. I finally got the LAAT set for Christmas (Thanks Santa!) this past year and it has seen some ink but not nearly enough! The gift set includes an A2 card box that I made from a tutorial on Splitcoaststampers though I left off the scalloped edges as they just aren't very guy like! I made a coordinating tag for the cardbox, filled the box with notecards (row of trees stamp) and then a small gift card using the spotlight technique. All in all a super easy gift which I know he'll use and is his style- sometimes a hard thing to get right for a guy!

Stamps: Lovely As A Tree

Ink: Black Stazon

Paper: Kraft, Very Vanilla, Black

Accessories: ticket corner punch, circle punches, copper eyelet, hemp twine, twill tape, distressing tool