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!