Cookie Cutter Christmas Tags!

Hey there friends! Hope you all had a very Happy Thanksgiving with your family and friends! We were up in Seattle to celebrate at my sis-in-law's house and we had a great time hanging out with family. I think we might have brought some rain back to SoCal, but it felt nice to have some rainy weather for a change :) It definitely got me in the mood for crafting and getting ready for Christmas!

I got a lot of use out of my Cookie Cutter Christmas Photopolymer Bundle!  It comes with the Cookie Cutter Christmas photopolymer stamps and super cute Cookie Cutter Builder punch - you can check it out below:

Here's one more batch of tags I made - this time I added some flair with a touch of the Candy Cane Lane Designer Series Paper Pack (DSP):

You can check these out along with the Online Extravaganza sale items at my online store, where there's no waiting in line. Just in time for some cyber Monday browsing ;)

Thanks for stopping by today! :)

Stampin'Up!'s Online Extravaganza is HERE!

Happy Monday, blog friends! Stampin'Up!'s Online Extravaganza is here! Not only can you save up to 40% off on select products, but there are super special 24 hr deals on Nov 21 and Nov 28. Here's a quick glance on TODAY's items:

And for next Monday, Nov 28:

You can take a look at the full list here.

It's a great time to scoop up the Gift Bag and Gift Box punch boards, or the very on-trend Ombre Pads bundle for your favorite crafter...or if that favorite crafter happens to be yourself, then so be it! ;)  There are a lot of other punches, stamps and embellies to take a gander at, too!  Enjoy!

Sneak Peek of some new Stampin'Up! goodies

Hi all! My box of new sneak peek goodies from Stampin'Up!'s new catalog came yesterday! Woot woot!  So of course, I had to open up the box and play! Seriously, this time of year, I feel like a kid in a candy store. :) These new stamps and products will be available in June, so just a few more weeks til you can order them! Here's a quick post with some simple and easy cards I made (time is of the essence for me these days!).  How do you like these new 2015-2017 In Colors? They are so fun! Well, my dear blog friends, hope you like the peek and I will have more posts to come soon!  Have a great day!

This week's Weekly Deals {Jan 13}

Hello all!  Happy Tuesday to you! I wanted to pop in real quick with this week's Stampin'Up! Weekly deals for Jan 13-19. The 3/8" ribbons are a great deal!  Also, if you need to round out your punch arsenal, the tag topper punch is a great time saver if you're making a bunch of tags and the itty bitty punch accents are a must have! Not only do they add quick cuteness to a card, but you can turn your scraps into cute embellies or confetti by punching out these cute shapes.  You can check these and all the new Occasions and Sale-a-bration goodies on my Online store!  

Sorry it's been a bit quiet this past week on my blog. 2015 has kicked off to a fast and busy start!  I promise to catch up with you all soon!  Hope you all have a fantastic day! :)

Advent calendar!

Hello there! Hope you guys got your Cyber Monday fix in.  As for me, as soon as I got home from work, I knew I had to finish up my advent calendar since today is December 1st!  So here it is.  Mind you, the little guy technically did have his 1st candy earlier today before the completion of this calendar (which happened later this evening1), so we are covered for Day 1. :)

Here are most of the supplies I used.  I got the chalkboard frame online and while I used the 25 and Counting retired stamp set, SU! does carry the Stamp brush set that you can download for MDS!  Here are all the deets for you:

Built for Free Using: My Stampin Blog

Hope you all have a great one!  I'll catch up with you guys soon.  Ciao for now!

Sharing Tags + Stampin'Up!'s Weekly Deals {Nov 18}

Hello there, crafty friends!  Today, I've got some tags to share using the Tag Topper Scalloped Punch and the Tree Punch. As you can see above, I made some quick and easy tags as well as one that's a little more stepped up.  Either way, they will look adorable on your holiday gifts!

Here's the stepped up version.  I added "star ornaments" on my tree using the Confetti Star Punch on the Gumball Green card stock and layering that on top of a tree punched out of Real Red card stock.  For the snow, I used a smudge of Whisper White card stock that I embossed with the Decorative Dots embossing folder.  And then to dress up the tag, I tied the ribbons with a couple of tiny bells (I bought a small bag full of these from Michael's a few years ago) that I tied up with some twine.

Here's a look at the quick tags. They're nice and simple and come together quickly. These are great to mass produce!  All I did was punch the the scallop top, punch out a tree, add a button, and stamp a sentiment (I used the Festival of Trees photopolymer stamps set, which coordinates with the Tree Punch!).  And finally, I added this gorgeous Real Red Satin Woven Ribbon on the top.  Viola, you're done!

So, as a thank you to anyone that places a Stampin'Up! order from my Online Store, you'll get a set of 3 of the simple tags above from me!

Now, here's a look at this week's Stampin'Up! Weekly deals!  These specials are available Nov 18 thru Nov 24.

And, here's a link to the Holiday Catalog and the Holiday Supplement, too!  Enjoy browsing or better yet, getting started on your holiday shopping!

Sweet blue-eyed love birds

Hey there, crafty friends.  Today is my dear cousin's 15th anniversary, so I made her and my cousin-in-law this sweet and simple love bird card.  My inspiration came from a card I came across while I was perusing Pinterest the other day. It struck me because it was so cute, yet so simple!  

In the version I created, I used the Tangelo Twist card stock to punch out my birds with the Bird Builder punch.  Then, I punched out the hearts using the Itty Bitty Accents heart punch.  I layered my little birdies onto a Crumb Cake card stock base.

For the "blue" eyes, I colored in the Rhinestone Basic Jewels with the medium blue marker in the Coastal Cabana Blendabilities assortment.  To pull in that blue accent color a little more, I used the Coastal Cabana thick baker's twine.  And lastly, I stamped the "happy anniversary" sentiment in Tangelo Twist, using one of my retired stamp sets (still love the font of this sentiment!) Here's one last look at the finished card:

Thanks for stopping by for a visit.  Have a fabulous day :)

Bad Piggie Birthday

Happy Monday, blog friends!  Hope you guys had a great 4th of July weekend!  I had a very nice and relaxing one...though it sure did go by quick!  I've got a birthday card share today - it's the birthday card I created for my God son's Bad Piggie themed birthday party.  I knew I wanted to create a punched out piggie as soon as I found out the theme.  This was so much fun to make!  Lots of circles, as you can see.  I used the Circle Framelits along with an assortment of circle punches.  The eyes and nostrils actually came from the SU! Owl Punch.  I also used the owl "feet" for the balloon stems. That Owl punch definitely worked overtime on this card!

Here's a couple more pictures for you...

For the background, I used the Large Circles embossing folder, which is one of the NEW embossing folders in the SU Catty.  I just love these big circles!

Hope you liked this little card!  Here's the recipe for you:

{Bad Piggie BIRTHDAY FUN}!
Stamp Set: Endless Birthday Wishes
Cardstock: Lost Lagoon, Gumball Green, Tangelo Twist, Whisper White, Basic Black, Retired DSP scraps
Accessories: Large Circle Embossing folder, Circle Framelits, 3/4" circle punch, 1" circle punch, Owl Punch, Itty Bitty Shapes (retired) circle punch, Petite Pennants Builder punch,
Inks: Rich Razzleberry, Lost Lagoon

Thanks for visiting today. I wish you all a great week! By for now!

Oh hi there!

Hey there, blog friends!  Sorry for the radio silence again…I'm still here, although it's just been a super crazy busy month on all fronts!  And, here we are already at the end of March.  Wow. All I can say is, I'm glad it's the weekend and I'm finally able to take a breath! So, here I am  popping in with a quick, yet big {HELLO} to YOU! Today I wanted to share some pics of 2 of the projects we created at Michelle Halleen's Demonstrator Event earlier this month.  It was an amazing day of crafting inspiration - lots of stamping, demonstrations, paper crafting samples and speakers.

First up...how about this adorable little Card-in-a-box card for Easter?  This Easter card was designed by Michelle and it's just so much cuter in person, too!  And, if you'd like instructions for this fab card technique, you can check out Brianna Thompson's video tutorial here.  I, myself, can't wait to design one of these cute cards {when I get my next free moment!}.

For this card, we used Watercolor Wonder DSP, Wild Wasabi and Tangerine Tango card stock, Oval Framelits, Oval punches, Small heart punch and Circle from Itty Bitty Shapes Punch pack.

Another project we created was a sweet 3x3 card and mini gift bag.

I love the Retro Fresh DSP!  Here, Michelle paired it with the Pansy Punch and complementary Flower Shop stamp set.  Doesn't this make such a great little gift?  I love it with the Brown Sugar Ruffled Stretch Trim ribbon.  So cute.

Hope you guys have a great rest of your weekend!  I promise it won't be so long til my next post. Thanks for visiting! Ciao for now.

Outdoor photo shoot!

Happy weekend blog friends! Today is such a beautiful day in Southern California that I decided to do an outdoor photo shoot of my cards. :)  These are the cards from a stamp party I did last weekend.  Simple, quick, and so easy peasy!

For this Make a Wish card, I used the Happenings Simply Created card kit for the card base and then created my tag with Scallop Tag Topper Punch. This card comes together really quick with just a couple of embellies to add a touch of pizzazz.

For the Happy Birthday card, I used the super cute Banner punch, and then added a small strip of Pool Party card stock that I embossed using the Decorative Dots embossing folder - both of which are products you can earn for free during Sale-a-bration {going on now til March 31st!}! Hope you like the the cards.

Last but not least, here's a pic of my cute little helper! He's growing up so fast and starting to talk up a storm.  We had a great time in the backyard today.  Note - no cards were harmed in this photo shoot. :)

Thanks for stopping in!  Have a great weekend.

Little banner with {love}

Hi all!  Happy Friday!  Just popping in with a quick post.  Here's a fun Valentine card I created with the super cute Banner punch and Decorative Dots embossing folder from Sale-a-bration catty.  The "love" sentiment is the Expressions Thinlits die from the Holiday Catalog.  Such a fun and easy card!  Hope you have a great Friday! 

Cute little Zoo Babies

Happy weekend!  Hope you're enjoying your day, wherever you are. I'm excited that I got a chance to play in my craft room this morning.  Ever since Leadership, I've wanted to play more with the Fringe Scissors and the Scallop Tag Topper punch.  Plus, I got the Zoo Babies set that I haven't gotten to use, so I thought these cute little animals would be perfect for some fun and quick tags.  What do you think?  Here's a closer look at each one.

The giraffe is the longest tag of the three. I started with a 4" x 2" piece of Whisper White and then punched out the top.  Then, I stamped the giraffe in Pumpkin Pie.  To create the fringe for all the cards, I started with a 2"x 12" piece of the Polka Dot Parade DSP in Daffodil Delight.  Then I used the fringe scissors to cut about an inch into the paper and did that for the length of the 2"x12 strip.  That way, it was just faster to cut each piece down to 2" wide and put it at the bottom of my tags.

For the elephant tag, I started out with a 3 1/2" x 2" piece of Whisper White.  The elephant is stamped in Smokey Slate. I had fun doing the ribbons for each of these tags.  While the striped basic gray grosgrain I used for the elephant tag is retired, the other ribbons I used are in the current catalog - Daffodil Delight stitched grosgrain ribbon, Marina Mist Chevron ribbon, and the Natural Chevron ribbon (from the Occasions catalog)

The lion tag is the shortest tag, with my starting piece at 3" x 2."  I stamped the lion in Daffodil Delight and the sentiment in Marina Mist.  I used the Regals Designer buttons on all the cards and secured them with the Linen Thread. These tags were really fun to put together and super easy, too! 

I have to say that the Fringe Scissors and the Scallop Tag Topper punch are 2 of my faves from the Occasions catalog.  I'm not gonna lie though, I have LOTS of faves from the Occasions catalog. It's definitely worth checking out!

Thanks for stopping by today!

Birthday Bazaar!

Hello there blog friends!  How goes your week so far?  Today, I've got a fun birthday card to share for you, using the cool Chevron embossing folder and the Delicate Doilies Sizzlits.  How about my little scallop flower?  I love the smaller sized 1 1/4" scallop punch {from the Holiday Mini Catalog} that nests so perfectly to add an inner layer to my flower!  I created the flower petals by cutting towards the center of the flower at every 2 scallops.  I punched out the leaves using the Blossom Petals Builder punch.  Wanna see the rest of the card?  Here you go:

 

I used the Apothecary Accents Framelits as the background to my sentiment, from the Happy Hour stamp set.  And lastly, I created the scallop border at the bottom using the Large Scallop Edgelits. I had a lot of fun making this card for my good friend Robin :)  As you guys can probably tell, I'm a big fan of this color combo.  It's a change up from my regular repertoire of colors, but the Rich Razzleberry, Pool Party, and Daffodil Delight just pop with that happy freshness, dontcha think?

Hope you like the card!  Here's the quick recipe for you:

{Birthday Bazaar}

• Stamp Set: Happy Hour
• Cardstock: Pool Party, Rich Razzleberry, Daffodil Delight, International Bazaar, Summer Smooches
• Inks: Rich Razzleberry, Crumb Cake (to sponge on the edge of the leaves)
• Accessories: Chevron Embossing Folder, Delicate Doilies Sizzlit, Large Scallop Edgelit, Blossom Petals Punch Builder, 1 3/4" Scallop Circle punch, 1 1/4" Scallop Circle punch, Boho Blossoms punch, Apothecary Accents Framelit, Vintage Faceted Designer Buttons, Hemp Twine,

Thanks for the visit.  Have a great one!

sweet anniversary {LOVE BIRDS}

Happy Monday, blog friends!  I have a quick card share for you today.  I created this anniversary card using my current fave, International Bazaar DSP {such cool prints!} and the Apothecary Accents framelits, and the bird punch, and the awesome Paper Piercing Pack {I think I'm kind of addicted to this paper piercing, too!}.  For the stamps, I used the Owl Occasions stamp set from the Holiday Mini for the branch, and then the sentiment is from the Memorable Moments stamp set.  Here's a look at the full card for you:

Now, isn't that paper print so fun?  Love it!  Well, I hope you guys have a great Monday and I'll catch up with you all in a bit!  Thanks for popping in ;)

Pin cushion frame and Bumblebees!

Hi bloggie friends!  Are you ready to take a peek at a couple more projects from Craft Project Central?  This first project created by the talented Heidi King is a clever idea for a frame - make it a pin cushion! I  also love the coordinating card and bookmark, too.

How adorable is this next Bumblebees ensemble?  Kim Score is amazing at creating the cutest punch art.  This would make an adorable party theme, dontcha think?

If you'd like to get the full instructions for these projects, they are all available in the June subscription at Craft Project Central.  Hope over to the Craft Project Central website for all the deets. 

Thanks so much for popping in for a visit.  Hope you all have a great day!

Check out what's brewin' at Craft Project Central

Hey there!  Happy Thursday to you.  Does it feel like fall in your neck of the woods?  Well, it's definitely starting to feel like that in Southern CA.  We had some rain and fog yesterday and I think that's when it finally sank in that we're ALREADY in October!  So crazy how time seems to be getting shorter.  Today, I've got a couple of pics to share with you.  I'm so excited to be a guest designer over at Craft Project Central!  For the month of October, I'll be sharing some sneaks of the projects in this month's issue. The first one is this super cute Scarecrow Card and box ensemble by the super talented Kim Score.  She does incredibly amazing punch art!

This next project by Julie Edmonds is such a fun idea that incorporates Halloween with one of my favorite things - spa relaxation and indulgence!  Such a clever idea for Halloween themed favors!

Like what you see?  You can hop on over to Craft Project Central to check out the deets and subscribe to October! 

On another note - did you notice that I decorated the good ol' bloggie blog with a Festive Halloween background?  I thought it'd be fun! It's like decorating my online "house" - heehee.  Have a great day and I'll catch up with you soon.  I've still got to post my October Final Friday - yikes!  It's coming soon, I promise!  Bye for now.

Simple Posy Punch Thanks

Hi all!  Happy Saturday!  I've still got a case of the challenge bug, so today I'm sharing a quick card I made for the Pals Paper Arts challenge - where you need to use 1 piece of DSP 1 punch and 1 sentiment.  Plus, the inspiration photo reminded me so much of my kitty when we got him that I was inspired to play along!  Here's the inspiration photo:

How cute is that little kitty cat?  It soo reminds me of my Ollie when he was super little!  Well, anyway, here's a look at my full card:

This card was super easy to put together and I think it packs a lot of punch, considering how simple it is!  I love the Posy Punch Hostess stamp set and if you're curious as to what DSP I used, it's actually a Hostess DSP as well called Cheerful Treat, and what a treat it definitely is!  I punched out the Fancy Flower punch from the DSP, then I stamped the Posy Punch image {the flowers from this set actually coordinate perfectly with the Fancy Flower punch!} on a piece of Whisper White cardstock and lined it up with the punched DSP.  I then used dimensionals to adhere my DSP to the stamped cardstock.  Viola!  All I did after that was add the cute little pom pom trim at the top and then the button at the bottom of my pennant.  I hand cut the little "V" at the bottom, which was easy peasy!  Lastly, I stamped the Thank You from the "Thank You Kindly Stamp Set and I was done!  I think I'll be making a few more thank yous in this design cuz I think it's a fun and easy one to mass produce!  Plus, love the DSP!!  Hope you like it!  Here's the recipe for you.

{Simple Posy Punch Thank Yous}

*Stamp Set: Posy Punch, Thank You Kindly

*Cardstock: Pink Pirouette, Whisper White, Cheerful Treat DSP

*Inks: Melon Mambo

*Accessories: Melon Mambo Pom Pom Trim {retired}, Subtles Buttons, White Twine, Fancy Flower Punch

Hope you guys have a great weekend!  Thanks for stopping by today ;)

{It's a Wrap!} for quick favors

Hi all!  How are you?  Hope you guys are doing well.  Last week was a busy one in the household - my brother and family were in town, so needless to say...I didn't get a chance to post!  Anyway, I did have some quiet time today and played with another fun new clear mount stamp set called It's a Wrap Occasions {#123592, $19.95} and it really makes making favors quick and easy!  Aren't those favors so cute?  The wraps fit perfect on Avery Labels {#5160} which measure 1" x 2 5/8".  They are just the right size to wrap the Hershey Nugget chocolates - now who woudn't want those yummy chocolates as favors, right??  I used the new In Colors again, too.  I can't seem to get enough of those colors!  I really love the Pool Party and Calypso Coral together, but all the colors look really good together, too, as you can see with the multi-color candies :)  Want a closer look at the favors?  Here you go:

For this "Thanks" favor, I used the Flower Folds Bigz XL die to create my flower.  I did 2 flowers and curled the petals on the bottom layer down and the top layer up using a bone folder.  For the center, I used the scallop punch to punch out the Thanks sentiment, which is from the Hostess set called Tagtastic.  Are you wondering how I got the scallop circle punch to look like that?  I notched out a small triangle in each scallop using my paper snips.  It gives it a more petal-y look, don't you think? The leaves are loops of the Lucky Limeade ruffled grosgrain ribbon - so pretty!  I used glue dots to adhere them onto the back of the flower and used dimensionals to pop them up. Oh - and of course, before I forget, the topper itself is made using a Top Note Bigz die folded in half!  I LOVE the Top Note.  It's a favorite die of mine that I keep going back to now and again!

Planning an upcoming shower?  This set has you covered too!  For this Congrats favor, I used the Decorative Label Punch and stamped the "Happy Shower" labels in Calypso Coral and Wisteria Wonder. I just finished it off with a bow using the Wisteria Wonder ribbon.

And lastly - I love these "Happy Cake Day" labels!  The design is so fun in the In Colors!  I also love the Happy Birthday sentiment stamp from Tagtastic.  It is so cute with the polar bear. The sentiment is stamped in Calypso Coral and I also accented the topper with the Calypso Coral ribbon.  It pops so nicely against the Pool Party textured paper!

Here's a look at the full stamp set for It's a Wrap Occasions:

Such a versatile set of sentiments to wrap those yummy nuggets in!  Well, that's it for tonight, folks!  Hope you liked these!  Ciao for now :)

Edited to add the type of bag I used: they are the small flat SU! cello bags (3"x5") and you could probably fit up to 6 nuggets in them if you wanted to!