Nico's Birthday

The grandson of one of my best friend's will be celebrating his 1st birthday this weekend. The invite featured Dr. Suess, but seeing that I have nothing Dr. Suess (unless I wanted to cut up a book), I decided to just go with the colors of the invite. I used my Cricut to cut out the letter's of his name, a Sizzix embossing folder (not an SU item) and the Itty Bitty Banners stampset and framelits to create the card. Scraps of retired DSP were great for the stars and the numeral "1" inside the card. My tip: when you don't have a stamp that matches an event's theme, just use cardstock that is the same color as the invite or theme colors. Enjoy the last weekend of summer!

Serene & Elegant

I needed two get well/thinking of you cards for two women who are very special to us, John's Aunt Paula and our dear friend, Mary. Between the image from Serene Silhouettes and the Elegant Bouquet embossing folder I was able to create pretty cards that will let Aunt Paula and Mary know we are sending thoughts and prayers their way. Have a great day and find yourself a little stampin' time!

Glassine Bags

As many of you know, I have been trying to find little glassine lunch bags to match the little bags that are included in the Ghoulish Googlies Designer Kit. A number of Stampin' Up demonstrators, including myself, were unable to duplicate that bag. So I participated in a bulk buy of glassine bags that are different but still very cute. The bags can be embellished with the extra tags, googly eyes and twine in the Deisgner Kit. I embellished these bags using a variety of stamps and the black/gray striped ribbon in the Holiday Mini. Unlike the bags in the kit, these are not as thick as the Kit bags and do not stand up, but they are gusseted. I have about 140 of these bags available for 10 cents each. So if you need 10 bags or 50, let me know and I will set them aside for the next time we see each other.

Behind on Scrapbooking?

Well I certainly am behind! So when I saw the Snowflake Season Simply Scrappin' Layout Kit in the Holiday mini, I jumped right on it. For $10 I have a pretty two-page layout for last year's Christmas photos. You can put it together exactly as shown on the package and per instructions or you can personalize the layout, which is what I did. Scrappin' can't get much easier than this! Now what am I going to use for the other 95 Christmas photos? Have a wonderful day.

Shimmery White Ornament

There is a photo of a very festive Christmas ornament on the cover of the Holiday Mini. Many demonstrators have created their own versions of the ornament, each one prettier than the next. I did not have the SU supplies needed (stampset, coordinating Framelits and Cherry Cobbler tulle), but I really wanted to try my hand at it. So I got out my Cricut and started die-cutting the ornaments I would need to create my version. Using SU's Shimmery White cardstock, Tomboy multi glue, a glue gun and some sparkly tulle I purchased at the new Hobby Lobby, I spent the better part of close to three hours putting this together. Instead of a rosette in the middle, I added a little mum. It is so pretty and festive, that I can see this on the top of a wedding present accented with tulle the color of the wedding. Gee, I wonder if this would fit in a scrapbook/shadow box frame? If so, the bride and groom could scrap their wedding invite, a photo and this ornament to create a pretty wedding keepsake. Would anyone be interested in a class creating this ornament? If so, let me know. In the meantime, I made quite the mess yesterday, so I better go clean. Happy Monday and have a great week!

For My Teacher

This morning I was wondering how I could use the Perfectly Preserved stamp set to make a "teacher" card using the little apples. Well, after a few minutes (more than a few actually), this is the card I came up with. I was going to use the "just for you" sentiment that is also in the set but I really wanted the word "teacher" on this card. After staring at my collection of stamps wondering which set would have a "teacher" stamp, the Family Reunion set jumped out at me. Not only was "teacher" in the set but also "to my". So with a little help from my stamp-a-ma-jig, I have a created a perfect teacher card. And to all teachers, thanks for all you do for children and their families. You play a special and important part in all our lives. Have a great weekend and find yourself a little stampin' time!

Woodgrain Embossing Folder

With so many great products in the Holiday mini, one item I overlooked is the Woodgrain EF. What a great texture to add to your Fall/Autumn cards. The cards pictured here will be made in our September classes. You will have a choice of making the card using Cajun Craze or Rich Razzleberry. One of the Apothecary Accent Framelits was used to frame the flower image which is from the Serene Silhouettes stamp set. And once again, my most used stamp set, Teeny Tiny Wishes, included the "Happy Thanksgiving" greeting I wanted for this card. Have a great day and find yourself a little stampin' time!

Natural Composition Specialty Paper

I recently had an opportunity to create a few cards using this heavy weight paper which is new to the SU annual catalog. The 12 x 12 paper consists of glossy, raised patterns on one side of each sheet of paper. The photo to the left is a close-up of one of the patterns prior to inking, while the card on the right is the same pattern which was brayered using Rich Razzleberry over the pattern. To be honest, when I was brayering, I forgot to start off the paper, so the first roll of the brayer produced a very dark section. In order to get rid of that strip I just kept brayering until it evened out. I can see that this paper will be great for cards/scrapbook pages that require a masculine or an outdoorsy feel. I look forward to playing more with the Natural Composition paper and will post more photos when I have done so. Have a wonderful day!

Dates for "JOY" Class

I have received a very positive response to this project. I made a few changes to the original version beginning with the change of ribbon on the "O" in joy. The "O" is now embellished with a fluffy little gold bow--so pretty. Dimensionals were used to pop-up the letters and scallop circles. So, after making these changes, I feel that this project calls for a frame that has space between the glass and the project which allows for more true dimension. In other words, the 12 x 12 scrapbook/shadow box frame will work the best. I ordered a dozen scrapbook frames online for less than $10 each including shipping. Other online stores were selling the same frame for about $15 each including shipping. I have chosen the dates for the "JOY" classes: Sunday, October 28th from 1-3 and Saturday, November 3rd from 1-3. Mark your calendars and let me know which you prefer. Have a joyous day~~or should it be joyful day?

A Christmas Gift Class

This is the first version of a beautiful Christmas project for a class I plan on offering in early November. This is a 12 x 12 scrapbook page that can be framed (as shown here) and given as a gift. The paper for this "JOY frame' is the Snow Festival DSP on page 10 of the Holiday mini. In order to do this project, I will need to pre-order the paper. Each person will receive one half of a pack (6 sheets): 1 each of 6 double-sided designs. You will then be able to create using the patterns you prefer. I will cut the letters and the matting for the squares and provide the embellishments, etc. You will need your paper trimmer and adhesive. The fee for this class will be $15, not including the frame. I will be searching for a good price and pretty 12x12 frames and that of course will increase the price by whatever the cost of the frame, if you desire a frame. In the meantime, I want to be sure I get enough paper for all who would like to make this Christmas "JOY Frame". I plan on making a few of these as gifts for people. As a matter of fact, 1/2 a pack of DSP should give you enough for at least two, if not more (and you will still have paper left). For each additional set of JOY, ribbon and other embellishments, there will be an additional $7 fee. You will then be able to complete additional projects at home. If this is a class you want to participate in, please let me know prior to Friday, August 24th. No date has been set but we will work out a date or two so that all who are interested will be able to complete this gift well before Christmas. I am not asking for prepayment but will collect the $15 fee at time of the class. Please let me know as soon as possible that you will attend this class.

Such A Blessing

On Wednesday a few friends were here and we played with the Thoughts & Prayers stamp set. I then used it for these two cards. The tree was stamped in Soft Suede and the flowers were stamped in Chocolate Chip. I then wiped off a few leaves and the flowers and inked them up using the Cajun Craze marker. So when you are thinking about Fall and need a couple of cards, all you really need to do is find an image you like, use "Fall" colors of ink, cardstock and DSP and there you go. The sentiment on both cards is from the Blessings From Heaven stamp set and is a perfect sentiment for a Thanksgiving card. Have a great weekend and find yourself a little stampin' time.

Indian Corn

When I saw the corn in the Perfectly Preserved stamp set I knew I would be making a card with a few ears of Indian Corn. I inked everything using markers starting with Mustard Yellow and then adding both Riding Hood Red and Cajun Craze for the corn kernels. The husks were inked with Old Olive. I stamped two ears of corn directly on the white cardstock and the middle one I cut out and adhered using dimensionals. I did add a little raffia before adhering the final ear of corn and it completes the image. And while I look at the card right now, guess what I am thinking? "I should have used the coordinating framelit to cut the corn!" DUH!!!!! Have a wonderful day.

Bluebirds Are Growing Up!

Do you remember the cute little bluebirds I photographed at the end of July. Well, we have been watching the little things come to our feeder and birdbath day after day, sometimes as many as 6 at a time. When I sit outside to get their photos, they don't appear, so I continue to take the pics through the kitchen window.

They are showing their true colors--and they are beautiful! The orange chest is still a little on the dull side, but in time it will be striking. And look how the back is almost completely blue now! And the best thing, there seems to be a new little brood of juveniles, so I will take photos of them as they grow and lose their spots. I hope these little bluebirds bring a smile to your face! They certainly are a joy to watch in real life. Have a happy day!

Halloween Mini Milk Carton

Looking for a cute little Halloween favor to give to your co-workers or your child's teacher? How about a cute mini milk carton? Inside is festive orange, black and purple raffia and three Hershey miniatures. The stamped images on the orange-checked milk carton are from the Monster Munchies stamp set. I cut individual pieces of pattern paper for each section. The black and quite carton is much quicker and easier as I wrapped the piece of pattern paper around the milk carton. The cardstock for the milk cartons is Stampin' Up (as is the mini milk carton die) since it is good and sturdy while the paper and ribbon are items I purchased at M's. The milk carton is held closed with a mini clip and then miscellaneous ribbon is tied to the little handles. So here you go--two looks, one milk carton die! Have a great day.

Three On One

An earlier post included a butterfly card using the three layer stamping technique. Today's card is also based on the three layer stamping technique but it also includes two other techniques: two-step stamping (a favorite technique of mine) and the rock & roll technique. I used both the Gently Falling set and Fabulous Phrases. Even though I purchased the Gently Falling stamp set last year I still enjoy creating cards with it. In the mini is the Wonderfall set with a matching Bigz die and I like it a lot, too, but do I really need it? Not yet--lol! Our September classes will include this card, the gift card holder with the "mum", and two Thanksgiving cards. My next class is scheduled for September 8th from 1-3 pm and Cherie's group is scheduled for September 9th from 1-3 PM. Mark your calendars and l will be sending a reminder email about a week prior. Have a great day.

One More For Halloween

I stamped and embossed this mummy for a different card (which I messed up) but I still put the little guy to good use. The ric rac was cut using the Tasteful Trim die. I do not use this die very often and when I do, I seem to reach for the ric rac design. The ric rac brings back memories from years ago when my mom used ric rac on clothes she made for me and my sister when we were little girls. As a matter of fact, I can still remember how the ric rac came folded around a piece of cardboard in a little cellophane bag. I was so fortunate to have a mom who did it all including work outside of the home when it was not the norm in society. She was a good role model when I was growing up and continues to be as I grow old! Anyway, back to the card. The cute little owl is from Monster Munchies and the spider, mummy and boooo are from Googly Ghouls. I will say that I certainly put these two stamp sets to good use. Have a great weekend and find yourself a little stampin' time!

Two Tags Gift Card Holder

It is still summer, yet I am already thinking of items we can create that have a "Fall" feel to them. This is definitely going to be one of the projects we make in our September classes--dates still to be determined. I recently learned how to make this "mum" thanks to a video posted by a fellow demonstrator on our SU demo website. It is amazing what you can do with scallop circle punches. The tag that pulls out of the envelope is one of the tags on the Two Tags Big Shot die. Elegant Eggplant DSP, ink, cardstock and retired ribbon were used together with the Four Frames and Teeny Tiny Wishes stamp sets. Between the Eggplant, Old Olive leaves

and the linen thread, this feels a little like Fall, but when we make it in class, we will be using Very Vanilla instead of white. Have a great day!

Monster Munchies

You saw my bottle of orange soda pop labeled "Witches Brew" in an earlier post and today's post includes a photo of "Spider Cider". I received the Monster Munchies stamp set last week and was having some fun with it. We used the set at class over the weekend and some of us were talking about using various products for the "Spider Cider" such as drink boxes or Capri Sun. While I was grocery shopping yesterday, I saw these 10 ounce bottles of Ocean Spray cranberry/grape juice and immediately thought how the dark liquid would be a good "Spider Cider". So into my shopping cart it went. Another image in the Munster Munchies stamp set is perfect as a topper for my 1x8 cellophane bag filled with Orange Sixlets. I wanted black Sixlets, but Party City was out of them, so I bought the orange instead--and the orange really goes well with the Tangerine Tango cardstock. The 'Bone Appetit" label would be cute on any edible treat for Halloween. Between the Monster Munchies and Googly Ghouls stamp sets, I cannot decide which I like better! Have a great day and find yourself a little stampin' time!

Save The Date

I needed to design a "Save The Date" card using an envelope from which the date of the wedding would pull out. Of course, the Scallop Envelope die came to my mind immediately. The colors of the up-coming wedding are bright pink and gray with a little bling. The card pictured here was what we played with on Saturday at the wedding favor class. We used Melon Mambo, Gray and Shimmery White cardstock. The date info was typed on the computer and printed on the Shimmery White cardstock, layered on Mambo and popping out of the gray envelope that was embossed using the Vintage Wallpaper embossing folder. The "happy I do day" is a stamp from the Word Play set and the "bling" is one of Stampin Up's beautiful rhinestones added to the ring in that image. The bride-to-be has many options with this Save the Date card: add a photo of the couple on the envelope insert and move the date info to the lower portion of the card; or rearrange the layout and add the couple's photo to the card base, wrap a ribbon around the envelope and have the date on a little tag hanging from the ribbon. Whatever she and her fiance decide, they can add a magnet to the back and the invitees can hang it on their fridge! Have a great day and stay cool.

Sympathy in Black, White & Gray

Using Blessings From Heaven and Summer Silhouettes, today's card is much prettier in person. I have taken a dozen photos and the pics don't do the card justice. Blessings From Heaven is a stamp set that has sayings appropriate for those many occasions when you want someone to know how you feel without being cutesy. This is a very versatile set and I will be making many cards using it in combination with others. For example, the "Heaven knows your special" quote will be good to use in a birthday card or a thinking of you card. The greeting "You're such a blessing in my life" is good for a thank you card. And now I will go downstairs and work on a couple of those ideas. Have a great day and find yourself a little stampin' time.

Thinking Fall

We are having another 90 plus degree day here today, so I know summer is far from over. But, since I have been working on Halloween projects, I wanted to make a Fall-themed card using the hostess set Four Seasons. I stamped the image using Always Artichoke and then using the corner of a paper towel wiped off a few of the leaves. I then inked up those same leaves using Cajun Craze and Early Espresso markers. A Vanilla card base, Cajun and Espresso cardstock and a little linen thread definitely say "Fall". I have left room to stamp a sentiment in the future. As pretty as this card is, I am not ready to give up on Summer just yet. Have a great day and find yourself a little stampin' time!

Zig Zag Boooo

Today's card is another Halloween card~~a card style that I have seen but never used before now. Finding directions that included cutting sizes was quite helpful. I used Tangerine Tango and Black cardstock and two patterns from Lucky Limeade Designer Series Paper. The bat, spiders and Booo are from the Googly Ghouls stamp set and the Happy Halloween sentiment on the inside is from the Wacky Wishes hostess set. The card definitely needs a little tweaking, but all-in-all, I am pleased with it. This card style will definitely be in September's card class, but not necessarily as a Halloween card. Have a great day!

Halloween 3x3's

On Monday I had posted a couple of 3x3 cards I made using the hostess set Happy You. Later Monday morning, I received an email from my local scrapbooking store (and possibly yours, too). That email seemed to focus on mini cards--which I really like to create. I clicked on the classes they were offering and one class was a Halloween mini card workshop. I told myself I could create similar mini cards with my own Stampin' Up supplies. I ran down to my scraproom and here is a photo of 3 Halloween mini cards that I cased from that store's advertisement. If anyone is interested in a class revolving around mini cards, let me know and if enough people are interested, we can do a mini card class to include these Halloween cards and mini cards for a variety of occasions. Have a great day!