Heart-shaped Sweet Treat Cups!

Just in time for Valentine's Day, Stampin' Up is offering heart-shaped sweet treat cups. Not only do the new Heart Sweet Treat cups work perfectly with the Full Heart Punch, there is a new stamp set that matches it. These items will be available for purchase on January 5th--only while supplies last. The item number for the heart treat cups is 120435. You get 12 treat cups for $2.95 plus shipping and tax. The stamp set is called "Sweetheart". The item number for wood mount is 120415 ($21.95) and the item number is 120780 for clear mount ($15.95). You can be sure these items will be on my order form first thing Tuesday morning!

Let It Snow!

On Saturday we were supposed to get 1 to 3 inches of snow. We actually received almost a foot of snow. It was beautiful looking out the kitchen window, so I snapped this photo to share with all of you. Since there was nowhere we had to go, my husband, son and I stayed in. Needless to say I had quite a bit of time to play with my new SU items--YEAH!

The first first card includes the image from the two-step bird punch. I truly like this particular punch. It is so simple to use and so pretty, too. I used Not Quite Navy cardstock and layered the front with Whisper White cardstock which I first embossed using the Elegant Bouquet embossing folder. I absolutely am impressed with this punch as you can make the bird any color or pattern and mix or match the wing and the body. The wing can be up or down against the bird's body. The color of the leaves can change depending on the season. So many possibilities. And since the punch style has changed, it will take up less storage space. I will look forward to more of these two-step punches in the future. Now the colors don't show up that well, but once again, I am using the heart embosslit and the Well Scripted stamp set using an acrylic block versus the wood block. Between the Big Shot and dies that I have and want, the new style punches and the option of wood or acrylic mount stamp sets, I am very excited with Stampin' Up! and the upcoming sale-a-bration which begins on January 5th. I will be placing a large order, so with every $50 I spend, I will be able to get a free stamp set or item from the brochure (which many of you will receive in the mail shortly), I will be getting quite a few stamp sets I have been wanting and for sure the new Scallop Trim Border punch--for free!

Stampin' Up! Mini Sneak Peek

My Christmas was just perfect--spent with my hubby, children, granddaughter and grandpuppies! Last night I was able to play with some new "toys" that my mother-in-law gave me for Christmas. The first photo I want to share is the new heart embosslit from SU! The heart on the left in the photo is what the image looks like after being run thru the Big Shot. Not only does the embosslit die cut the shape, it also embosses it. I just love the texture and the scalloped edge. I wanted to compare the SU! full heart punch to the embosslit and the punched image layered nicely on top of the embosslit die. The problem was that by layering the punched heart image it covered up the embossing. So I took that punched heart and placed it in the center of the embosslit heart, ran it thru the Big Shot and--perfect layered look! Isn't the blue bird too cute? This image was made using one of the new punches that will be in the new SU! mini catalog which goes live on January 5th. The punch consists of three cuts--the body of the bird, the branch and the wing. I used a pop-dot under the wing to add dimension to the bird. (Next time I will cut the wing from patterned paper to add dimension. ) If you look closely, the Not Quite Navy mat has a design in it. This design element was achieved using a SU! texture plate--another great gift from my mom-in-law. In the past I have used embossing folders, so I was interested in seeing what a texture plate actually does. A texture plate does not emboss--it adds a very subtle design to the cardstock. I will have to play with the texture plates before I decided yeah or nay! And last but not least for this morning, this is a card I quickly made using the SU! Elegant Bouquet impression embossing folder. (This is available in the current Idea Book and Catalog, and is not an item in the new mini.) I can say without a doubt that I am liking this embossing folder. Mom--thanks for the great gifts!

Gold & Silver

The Shimmery White cardstock embossed beautifully. Wrapped with gold ribbon and a little tag, this would be the perfect gift box for a small piece of jewelry or for a few pieces of candy and used as a place card setting. I thought this was very, very pretty. And then I used the brushed silver cardstock--so elegant. It also embossed beautifully and the silver ribbon was the icing on the cake! Either of these pillow boxes would be perfect for a small gift, as a place card or as a party favor, not only during the holidays but for a wedding or anniversary celebration any time during the year. And now I seriously need to go put away that Big Shot!

Pillow Boxes

A friend wondered how some of the boxes I am making with my Big Shot would look like if they were made from acetate. Why not try it out? The first one was the scalloped bag. It looks cute, but it was difficult to work with. Maybe I didn't use the right sandwich for the die, but where the scalloped bag is scored, the line was so faint on the acrylic that it took a while to score it. The next question was what adhesive would not show thru the acetate? I used the sticky tape and it holds it extremely well, but I can see it.

Maybe the pillow box die would work as it only has one seam to fold and tape. I again used the sticky tape and even though you can see it, that is on the back side of the pillow box. What else can I use for this pillow box? Vellum! Since I do not have any of the SU! texture folders to use with my Big Shot, I used another embossing folder. It looked pretty, but some of the vellum cut thru wherever the texture was. Not good. I then remembered that I had Stampin' Up! vellum cardstock. This is a little thicker than regular vellum. It worked beautifully. I used the sticky tape and added a pretty red ribbon. How pretty is this? After dinner, I am going to see what this pillow box will look like if I emboss Shimmery White cardstock. If it looks as beautiful in person as it does in my mind, you will be seeing a photo of that, too! Oh, this Big Shot machine--and a simple idea from my friend--sure is taking up a lot of my time--LOL!

Occasions Mini Sneak Peek

Why didn't I order more stuff from the new mini catalog that you will be receiving in the mail soon? As many of you know, Stampin' Up! is giving us the option to purchase stamp sets in the new mini (which starts Jan. 5th) either as wood-mount or acrylic mount. I wanted to see how the acrylic -mounted stamps would work, so I only purchased one set--Well Scripted. The greeting on this card is from the Well Scripted set and it worked beautifully. Later on I will play with it some more to see if it keeps clinging to the acrylic block after several uses and to see whether or not I will still need my stamp-a-ma-jig. These acrylic-mount stamp sets will certainly use less storage space, but if I need a stamp-a-ma-jig to properly place images, then I will probably stick with wood-mount. More playtime is required before I make that decision.

The butterflies on the card were cut using the Big Shot and Beautiful Wings Embosslit Die that is in the new mini. Here is a close-up of a 3x3 card so that you can get a better idea of the embossing on the butterflies. I really love the embosslit die and I will be purchasing more. As a matter of fact, my next purchase will be the SU! Scalloped Heart of Hearts Embosslit die--also in the new mini. Time for me to quit playing and go do something around the house. Hope you can yourself some stampin' time today.

Gift Card Holders

I have been very busy the past few days. Our great-nieces and great-nephews live out of town. I usually send them little gifts, but they are getting older and I decided that they might enjoy receiving gift cards--but this means their parents have to take them to the store and help the children stay within the monetary limit of the gift card. Accept my apologies, please. The photo to the right shows an assortment that I made. These are very easy to make and don't require extra postage as they are the size of an A2 card. The photos on the left and in the center are close-ups of the front and the inside of one of the cards. The SU! cardstock (used because of its thickness) is cut at 11" long by 4 1/4" wide and scored at

5 1/2"for a top fold. I then cut a piece of pattern paper at 2 1/2" long by

4 1/4" wide. Sticky tape along the bottom and sides is adhered to this paper and then attached to the bottom of the card to form a pocket for the gift card. I used punches along the bottom of the card fronts leaving the pattern paper showing thru. A variety of stamps and ink, dimensionals where needed, glitter pen accents and a pretty bow tied around the card and your gift is ready to be mailed. Now off to play with a couple of items that will be in the mini catalog which you should be getting soon. Watch for a sneak peek or two.

Pillow Boxes

It is snowing and windy so today is a stay-at- home day for me--a perfect time to play with my new toy! I don't have very many of the dies, but the couple that I purchased make some really cute items. This afternoon I wanted to try the pillow box die. But after making the scallop bag, I knew that if I wanted the pillow box stamped, I should do that prior to putting it together. I cut two pillow boxes--stamped one and embossed the other. Since I do not yet have any Stampin' Up! embossing folders for my Big Shot, I used the Cuttlebug snowflake embossing folder in my Big Shot. I also used my paper crimper for the bands around the pillow boxes. The pillow boxes are adorable. I put 5 candy kisses in each pillow box and they will look extremely cute peeking out of Christmas stockings or on the dinner table. Good thing I have a long list of things I need to do or I would have spent the afternoon making pillow boxes and scallop bags! Keep warm and find yourself some stampin' time.

Another Scallop Bag

I was thinking about stamping one of the scallop bag diecuts before putting it together. I said to myself, "Instead of just thinking about it--do it!" I used Handsome Hunter cardstock and a retired Stampin' Up snowflake stamp set. After I cut the bag out using my Big Shot, I stamped it with Versamark and then embossed the images using SU's white embossing powder. I wrapped it with SU's pretty red-checked ribbon, added a 1 3/4" circle tag (which I stamped using Handmsome Hunter ink and the same stamp set) and here it is--Cute, isn't it?

Holiday Shopping

It is that time of the year when your significant other, family and/or friends ask, "What do you want for Christmas?" I know, because I was just asked that question--LOL! If there are any SU! products that you want but cannot bring yourself to purchase, have a SU! wishlist ready when the question is asked--with my phone number or website included on the list. He or she can shop directly from my SU! website: http://www.stampintimesomewhere.stampinup.net or he or she can give me a call with the items you wish for and a credit card number. I will do the rest. If the order is local, I will wrap your presents and deliver them to your thoughtful shopper at a time convenient for them. If not local, I will have your gift order sent directly to your personal elf. All orders should be placed no later than December 12th. And just a side note--if an item is back-ordered, I will make a cute little something with a picture of that item so that you will have something to open. Enjoy this time of the year and remember that one of the best presents you can give anyone, as my husband says, is "your love and affection".

Baby Girl Gift

One of my daughter's friends is expecting her third child this month. Her scrapping time will be limited, so I thought that one of the memory boxes that I like so much would be perfect for her. Until some scrapping time presents itself, at least the items she will scrap in the future will be in a safe place until that time.

I made the matching card after seeing something similar on one of the message boards I frequent. I would like to give that person credit, so when I find the info, I will post it here on my blog.

A Big Shot!

Never say never! Since I have my electronic die cutting machine, I said that I would never purchase a Big Shot--I was wrong. (Just like when I told a friend over 20 years ago that I would never live in the desert and I did live in the desert for 6 years!) I just received the Big Shot I ordered and hurriedly went down to my scraproom to make something. Now what put me over the edge on purchasing this was the Bag with Scallops die in the SU! catalog. And then, when I was shopping with my daughter on Black Friday, a die caught my attention at one of the craft stores. It was the little gable box--soo cute! Here is the photo of my first projects using my Big Shot. In the future, I will first stamp my projects before folding and making them into 3D items or I will use SU! double-sided paper. The scallop bag (which I really like) will hold quite a few pieces of candy while the little gable box is the perfect size for a Hershey nugget. The gable box is so small though, that it would get lost if used as a party favor on the table.. These are just adorable--aren't they? Now I need to order a couple more dies from SU! Look for more of my Big Shot projects later and find yourself a little stampin' time!

Cupcakes In A Box

By now you must all know how much I enjoy creating the memory boxes. My mother-in-law has a Christmas birthday and I wanted to send her something unique. She enjoys receiving my handmade cards and enjoys it even more when I send her an assortment of cards that she can send to her family and friends. I know she won't get one of these boxes from anyone else, so she is the perfect recipient. I wrapped the cake mix and frosting mix boxes in stamped tissue paper and added the cupcake liners, decorates, candles and some Smarties. I made her a matching birthday card and will include a gift card in the box. Now I need to get back to getting ready for Thanksgiving. Happy Thanksgiving to one and all.

Stampin' Up! Online Extravaganza

Beginning today thru November 30th, SU! is having an online sale extravaganza. There are some great discounted products. Click on "My Stampin' Up! website" on right side of my blog. When you get to my SU! website, click on "shop now" and then click "online extravaganza". If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to call. Happy stampin!

Thanksgiving Favors

It is hard to believe that Thanksgiving is less than a week away. Last night I was able finish the favors/placecards for the Thanksgiving dinner. We will be having a fairly large group so we will be split up--all of us old folks will be in the dining room and the younger people will be in the living room. The children will get the sweet treat turkeys while the adults get Hershey nugget boxes. They look very festive, don't you think? Now I can concentrate on the important part of Thanksgiving dinner--a grocery list (LOL)! Actually, everyone is bringing a dish or two, so I really only have to cook the turkey, dressing and mashed potatoes. And that means that between today and Thanksgiving Day, I will find myself some stampin' time!

The Flowergirl

Our darling granddaughter was a flowergirl for her Uncle Dave and Aunt Saida. She was so excited when they asked her. And even more so when she found out she was wearing a white dress with a pink ribbon. We are waiting for the professional photos, but for now I just had to scrap these. I have quite a few photos of Sydney at the wedding, so don't be surprised when you see a few more layouts of the flowergirl. Syd is truly the love of our lives!

Christmas Card

A few weeks back I decided it was time to think about Christmas cards. I went thru the Stampin' Up Catalog and there were quite a few Christmas stamp sets that I really, really liked. But there was one stamp set that I absolutely loved--Gifts of Christmas. Not only was the main image so very pretty, but the sentiment was perfect. Needless to say, I ordered it. (Since joining SU! I have learned that I don't need to purchase every stamp set I like, but the ones I know I will use.) I made a few of the same card using different colors of ink and cardstock, but the Real Red is my favorite. This is a clean and simple card, and in my opinion, simply beautiful.

Back Home

I had a wonderful time in Arizona--of course, when I am with my family I always have a wonderful time. Our son picked us up at O'Hare and our daughter made us dinner. So as much as I was missing my mom and brothers, I was spending time with the reason we are back in Chicago--our children and granddaughter.

As I mentioned in my post from Arizona, I hadn't been scrapping or stamping. While I was surfing the web before our trip, I came across a stand-up card. I printed the directions and set them on my scrap island for my return. I went downstairs to my scraproom to make Thanksgiving cards and saw the stand-up card directions. It was not difficult and the card turned out pretty nice. Now that I have made one stand-up card, there will be more. I have two card classes scheduled during the week and a stand-up card will be one of the items we work on. Have a great day!

Sunny AZ

I am down in sunny Arizona visiting my mom, brothers, sis-in-law and families and having a wonderful time. The time is going by much too quickly and the weather is absolutely perfect. Today my brother took me and my mom and to the white Tank Mountains. It was just beautiful. Many of you know that I lived in Arizona for 6 years, but missed my children and granddaughter way too much. My husband and I moved back to the Chicago area and I am very happy being home. I really did not miss AZ at all. Well, being back here has made me remember some of the things that were esepcially good about AZ. For one, the blue skies--just beautiful. The stars at night are amazing. It is mid-November and flowers are in full bloom--purples, pinks, yellows, oranges. I have not stamped or scrapped since Friday, but that is ok. I am with my mom and family and meeting my little great niece and nephews. Instead of scrapping, I am taking the photos to scrap when I am back in Chicago and the snow is falling and I am all bundled up! Find yourself a little scrappin' time--or--take photos of some people and things that are good in your life. When you do get around to scrapping the photos, you will be able to replay in your mind how great those moments, people and things are.

Cricut Basics Class

The holidays are upon us and it is time to create your holiday cards and gifts. Many of you own a Cricut machine, but have questions as far as settings for cutting, etc. I have scheduled a class demonstrating the basics of the Cricut. We will also make two holiday projects using images cut from the Cricut together with stamps, ink & creativity. The class is scheduled for Tuesday, December 1st from 7-9 pm. There will be a $20 fee for this class. Please contact me to let me know that you will attend so that I have adequate supplies.

Memory Box

My last post was titled "I was Busy This Weekend" and I was. Not only did I play with my Thanksgiving & Christmas favors, a memory box was on my list of things to do. I will be attending a wedding shower towards the end of this month. The bride-to-be is a special person that we saw grow from a little girl into a very nice young woman. I wanted the memory box to be special. All of the pattern paper was SU! Designers Series Paper in Close to Cocoa, as the bride's colors for the wedding will be brown, pale yellow and cream. I used Close to Cocoa and Barely Banana cardstock. Using my diecut machine, I made the gift card holder. I just love making these memory boxes. And the recipients are thrilled when they receive them. And now I need to go clean up my scraproom. Until next time, find yourself some scrappin' time.

I Was Busy This Weekend

I will start off by showing my sweet treat cup turkey. This is my first version and I will improve upon it when I get my back-ordered SU! sweet treat cups. They should be shipping this week, so hopefully they will be here in the not too distant future. And then I wanted to use the sweet treat cups in a Christmas item. Due to the fact that I wasn't sure how these projects were going to turn out, I used my "scrap" paper instead of my SU! cardstock. As the favors are now, they are a little on the flimsy side. When I make copies of these, I will definitely use the SU! cardstock. The chocolate candies I buy at the Meijers store as they have a large display of bulk candy and these particular candies come in a huge variety of colors. I actually pulled my SU! color ring from my purse to see what color choices I will have for future projects.

Using up bits & pieces

I have been seeing a lot of pizza box ideas. Using leftover scraps from the "Snow Perfect Day" layout, I tried my hand at it. The pizza box was very easy to make. Aside from the cardstock I needed for the box, I truly used scraps for the decorating of the box and the 3x3 cards. This will be a nice little inexpensive hostess gift, teacher or co-worker gift. When I originally found the instructions for making this pizza box, I printed them out. Now I cannot find it again. I will keep trying and when I find it I will let you know who posted the instructions for it. njoy the day.

Halloween Spiders

How cute are these spiders? I think they are really cute! I wish I had ordered more of the Stampin' Up! sweet treat cups. I honestly did not think I was going to be using them at all, but then after seeing so many great creations made by others I added them to an order I was placing. The spiders themselves were cut from my diecut machine. I made a dozen spider treats and until I am able to get more sweet treat cups I will have time to come up with some ideas for Thanksgiving. Time to go clean up my scraproom!

SNOW perfect day

Wanted to share a pretty layout I created using Stampin' Up retired paper and stamp sets. The colors in the paper were Real Red, Close To Cocoa and Baha Breeze--one of last year's in colors. I did not have the SU! ribbon to match the Baha Breeeze, so I ran a piece of white taffeta ribbon over the BB stamp pad and created the matching ribbon on the first page. I sponged the edges of the white cardstock and the edges of the BB which has the snowflake on it. Now I would not have chosen to mix these colors, but they do look good together.

The "snow' letters were cut using my diecut machine, as were the white and Close To Cocoa snowflakes. My diecut machine has software that will let you make changes to the images on the cartridges: different sizes, delete some of an image, weld words together and a whole lot more. I just purchased that software and was playing with it. One of my friends came over on Sunday and showed me the fundamentals of the software. As you can imagine, I am using a lot of my "not so good paper" to practice and spending way too many hours trying to get the hang of it. If you would be interested in making this two page layout, it will be a project for one of my next scrapbook classes. Watch my calendar of events for the date. In the meantime, find yourself a little stampin" & scrappin' time.

Wedding Card

Today we will be attending the wedding of my son-in-law's brother. It will be a family affair as my daughter, son-in-law and granddaughter are all in the wedding. You are warned now that there will definitely be a few pics of the flowergirl--our granddaughter, Sydney--in layouts I will be posting.

This is the card I made for the bride and groom. Using SU! cardstock for all the layers, I embossed the lillies of the valley (from the Ever After stamp set) on shimmery white cardstock. The shimmery white cs is one of my very favorite SU! products.

On another note, my husband is going hunting this weekend which means no cooking or cleaning--YEAH! I plan on spending quite a bit of time down in my scraproom. Hopefully I will have many projects to post on my blog. Well, that is my intention as of right now anyway. Enjoy your weekend and do a little stampin' and/or scrappin'.

Sweet Treat Cups

My order of sweet treat cups from SU! arrived yesterday. When I first saw these in the SU! mini a while back, I thought to myself that I really wouldn't use these. After seeing a number of examples of cards and such that were being created using these treat cups, I thought to myself that I need the treat cups! These are my first two creations--one using stamps and the other using my diecut machine for the spider. Cute--aren't they? Stampin' Up also has a stamp set specifically designed for the treat cups. I did not order that set--YET! If you would like to order the treat cups, you can place an order thru my SU! website or contact me directly. Happy stampin'!

Baptism/Dedication Card

So simple, yet so beautiful! We have created Baptism invitations using this design, but it can be used as a greeting card for many occasions--Baptism, Dedication, First Communion, birth of baby. Sometimes we think that the more detail in a card the more beautiful. Sometimes it is just the opposite. This is a simple one layer card that in my opinion is one of the prettiest we have created. If you need invitations or announcements, contact me. Together we can create something unique for you. Enjoy life's celebrations and find yourself some stampin' time!

Trick or Treat

It was cool and rainy yesterday and there was absolutely nothing we needed to do. So, I played with my stamps & diecut machine to create this assortment of Halloween cards. Of course the Hello Kitty card is for my granddaughter. The other three we will make at my card class on October 15th. Enjoy the changing colors of Fall and be inspired to create!

Christmas Layout Up-dated

Just wanted to share my completed layout. I totally changed my mind on how to complete the layout--no pink, no stamps! Nonetheless, I love it!

Some Time For Scrappin"

Our family has been very busy lately. Between overnight guests, our daughter moving and visiting family, I have not had a lot of time down in my scrap room. I decided that since I was going to be catching up on things that needed doing around the house, I would also find time to do a little scrapbooking. The above two pages were made with SU!'s Autumn Vines designer paper, white textured cardstock and the eyelet border. When I started these pages, I had no particular photos in mind. Now that they are completed, I have decided that the colors are perfect for Christmas layouts. All I have to do is add some pink or red--actually little pink ornaments is what this layout needs. And that means the new SU! ornament punch in the Holiday Mini Catalog needs to be added to my next order (lol).

Shower Gift

A few weeks ago I made a "cupcake" birthday box for my brother. I thought it was so cute that I decided I would do a memory box for an upcoming wedding shower I will be attending. Since the wedding colors are brown and pink, the chocolate chip and pink pirouette designer series paper and cardstock were the perfect combination. The little pocket on the inside lid of the memory box is made from shimmery white cardstock. The pink hibiscus flowers are a little added touch since the shower will be at a tropical restaurant. I am very happy with the completed project. The bride and groom will have a nice place to keep their shower cards, wedding cards and other little momentos. The measurements of this box are approximately 10"x 9" x 3", so it will hold quite a bit. And this is a great way to "wrap" their present. Happy stampin!

Busy Weekend

I have been busy in my scrap room this weekend. I decided to send the cupcake box to my brother for his birthday. I had purchased a can of actual "cupcake frosting". But the can stated "contents under pressure" so I decided it probably shouldn't go to Arizona via mail. I sure did not want it to burst while in transit! What should I use intead? "Jiffy" frosting mix, of course! I remember when I was a kid that was the extent of "prepared" frosting. All one has to do is add boiling water! I was shopping at Meijers and they carry that particular product. The Jiffy Frosting mix fit perfectly in the box, too.

Many people make accordian albums so I wanted to try one, too. I used a 6x6 accordion album which I completed using SU! paper from the Razzelberry Lemonade collection and Rich Razzleberry & Melon Mambo cardstock. It is colorful and can be used for any photos as there is no theme. I think it is really cute. But for me, the 6x6 size definitely limits the size of photos that can be added on this particular album size. If I was going to give this 6x6 accordion album to someone, it would already have the photos. That way they would be trimmed down to fit the mats and/or pages. My next accordion album will be a 9x9. I have also been working on another memory box for a wedding shower that is coming up. It is turning out to be very pretty and when it is complete, I will post a pic or two. I see a memory box class in the future. I had a productive weekend. Hope you did, too. Find yourself some scrapping or stamping time!

Birthday Box

While surfing the internet a couple of weeks ago, I came across a photo of a project--cupcakes in a box. I am a sucker for cupcakes and when I saw the photo, I just had to try to make one. So here is my 1st version! I used SU! cardstock for the cupcake diecuts and blue scalloped square--which I created using my Cricut. To complete the cupcake box I made a little 3x3 matching gift card. Now I need to work on improving this project. It is very cute, but it does need to be changed a bit. Off to my scrap room.