Look what's coming next week:

Stampin' UP! has come out with a wonderful set of framelits dies that will be an extra-special look when cutting circles, squares and ovals.  The Stitched Shapes Framelits dies will cut your shape AND add a border of "stitching" around it.  Take a look:




AND, Stampin' UP! is also going to have a special sale on some great stamps that coordinate beautifully with these new Stitched Shapes Framelits. 

This special set of framelits and the sale on stamps will begin November 1st!  Can't wait!

Come back on November 1st and place your order here.
  

Ethan's Birthday

It's Ethan's birthday and he is turning 6!
Ethan is my first grandchild, and a very special little boy.  I was present for his birth, so I feel completely connected to this child.

Although Ethan lives in Maryland, 3000 long miles away from me, I feel blessed to be able to Face-Time with him, so I know he knows/remembers me.  (What a difference from my own children--I was 3000 miles away from my folks, but we could only share photos, talk on the 'old fashioned' telephone (no Skype!), or send videotapes back to them.)

Here is Ethan's birthday card:

I had a lot of fun with this...although it took me two tries to line everything up right (after making my first sample, I decided to highlight the "6" with a background and couldn't make it fit...back to the drawing board!)

The card is 4" x 7".  The base is Whisper White Thick cardstock, and there is a layer of Cucumber Crush.

A little hard to see, but the numbers 1 and 3 are cut through the top white layer; the 1 is green, with the Cucumber Crush layer peeking through.  I added a small piece of Pacific Point card stock under the 3.    The number 4 is stamped, and the other numbers are raised.  The sentiment was stamped using the Number of Years stamp set and Cucumber Crush ink.

I found some Fun Foam at a Scrapbook Expo I attended the other day--got a pack of about 40 sheets in 5 colors for only $2.00!  And the colors are extremely close to Stampin' UP! colors.  So I took a few sheets and cut numbers for layers--Daffodil Delight "2" on an orange foam piece, Real Red "5" on a green foam piece and then there's that "6"--how did she do that?

I took a piece of Watercolor paper and, using an Aquapainter, did a rainbow watercolor wash by swiping the colors across the paper.  Once dry I cut out the "6" using the Large Numbers Framelits dies.  I also cut one from the blue fun foam.

The starburst behind the "6" is from Superstar; stamped in Daffodil Delight and cut with the Layering Circles Framelits.

Finishing touches include a number of Brights Enamel Shapes and a few Metallic Enamel Shapes colored with a green Sharpie pen.

Inside:

The stamps from Better Together were stamped and I colored the hat using Stampin' Write markers in the Brights family.

A card this size needed a custom envelope--the 2015-17 In color Envelope Paper and Envelope Punch Board did the trick!

Happy 6th Birthday, Ethan; Grammy loves you!

All products can be purchased here. 

Can You Stand Another Halloween Treat?

OK, I know I've been saturating the blog with Halloween treats lately, but what better week to feature them?  Just a few more days and you'll be handing out the sweet stuff to all those adorable trick-or-treaters, so why not see how you can make those treats look extra nice?

Here's a little packaging idea for you; takes just minutes to create, but is oh-so-cute!

This treat box uses the Clear Tiny Treat Boxes with some strips of Designer Series Paper.

Wanna know how to make 'em?

Load up your Tiny Treat Box and close the lid (these have Sour Patch Kids candies for my grandkids).
Cut a strip of card stock or Designer Series Paper that is 2" x 8" long.
No glue necessary--place the box in the center of the strip.  Bring up both ends around the box and "finger fold" along the edges of the box (just run your fingers along the edge to give it a little shape).
The ends will meet at the center of the box top--hold them where they meet and using a stapler, staple them just above the box.  The ends will now be sticking up, about 3".

Punch a 2" circle.  Stamp/color your Cookie Cutter Halloween image (this will also be great for Christmas with the Cookie Cutter Christmas set) and punch with the coordinating Cookie Cutter Builder Punch.  Adhere to the circle.

Stamp a sentiment (I used some from Spooky Fun) using Basic Black ink; punch with 1-1/2" circle punch; add to front.  Finish off with a Halloween Night Enamel Dot.

Churn out lots...until your candy runs out:

All supplies can be purchased here. 

Halloween Treats

Here's a cute project I found on Erica Cerwin's blog.  I made these for my son and daughter-in-law:

These little boxes each hold 3 Ghirardelli chocolate squares.   They are simple to make and fun to decorate.

Here's very brief tutorial:

Start with a piece of card stock, measuring 5-1/2" x 7".
On the 5-1/2" side, score at 3/4", 1-1/2", 4" and 4-3/4".
One the 7" side, score at 2-3/8" and 4-5/8".

You will have a piece that looks like this:

Now you will cut off the four corners, and cut along the score lines left so it looks like this:

Using your Project Life Corner Rounder, round off the corners (not the little strips, but the other 8 corners).

Fold in the strips and adhere, making a little box:

Place your Ghirardelli squares inside, and using a bone folder, lightly curve the longer pieces; fold over:

The belly band is a piece of card stock or Designer Series Paper (I used the Neutrals Paper Stack), measuring 2" x 8".

I tied some Black Bakers Twine around the belly band, and then cut a 1-3/4" circle, using Pumpkin Pie.  I stamped the witch from Spooky Fun, using Memento Tuxedo Black ink and colored her with Stampin' Write markers.  Then she was cut using the matching Halloween Scenes Edgelits dies and adhered with Dimensionals.

The sentiment, also from Spooky Fun, was stamped and snipped, and added to my belly band.  The finishing touch was a Halloween Night Enamel Dot.

So cute...and so yummy!

All products can be purchased here. 

Mummy Treats

OK, time to get ready for Halloween.  I sat down this past weekend to put together some treats for my grandkids.  I had previously purchased some Halloween books that I wanted to send them, and decided to include a little "somethin' somethin".

I had seen a project on Debbie Henderson's blog, and decided it would work well for me:

This really cute tiny box is easy to put together, and I know will tickle the grands.  It uses Jar of Haunts and the coordinating Everyday Jars framelits dies.

This is a side view.

Let me show you how to put this little box together.

Start with a piece of card stock measuring 3-1/4" x 4".
On the 3-1/4" side, score at 1" and 2-1/4".
On the 4" side, score at 1-1/2" and 2-1/2".

On the long side (4" side), cut the score lines to the first score.  Now you'll have a piece that looks like this:

Fold and crease well on all score lines.  Then put it together with a strong adhesive; I used Tombow Multi Purpose Glue:

Start with adhesive on the outside of the two middle flaps.

Fold the sides up; then put glue on inside of the remaining flaps (as shown above) and fold up.

Now you have a little tiny box, just perfect for holding 3 Hershey's Miniatures:

Now for the decorating:  I stamped mummies and eyeballs in the jars and cut them out with the Everyday Jars Framelits.  For the mummies, I stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black ink, then used Ghoulish Grunge to stamp some "gauze" over the mummy, using Sahara Sand ink.

The eyeballs from Jar of Haunts were stamped and then I colored them with various Stampin' Write markers; the "water" was watercolored with an Aquapainter and Pear Pizzazz ink.  Each little box gets two of these images, front and back.

Adhere the images to the front and back of the box.

Add a sentiment with a Halloween Night Enamel Dot, and these are ready to hand out.  Since mine were being mailed, I wrapped them in a 3" x 6" Gusseted Cello Bag and tied a ribbon bow.  Now I know they'll arrive safety and will delight the kids.

All products can be purchased here. 

Another October Birthday

Continuing on my October "Special Occasions" journey, here's a card I made for my granddaughter, who turned 9 on Saturday:

Sophia wanted new boots for her birthday.  Since she lives a day's drive away from me, I decided to send her money so she can pick out her own.  Money isn't all that exciting to a 9-year old, so I wanted to make her a fun card.

This balloon card was cut from a Hero Arts balloon framelit.  I cut one from Whisper White card stock, and then cut a card base.  Using the same framelit on a piece of folded Whisper White, I let the top of the framelit hang over the fold--when I cut it out, it left a folded-over area for the card base.  Then I just glued the original balloon on top to make the card.

The "Happy" is from Celebrate Today, and was stamped in Pumpkin Pie, Bermuda Bay, Melon Mambo and Pacific Point.  The cupcake and candles were from a retired set with matching punches.  And my letters are also from a retired alphabet set.

Inside I cut another balloon and adhered the bottom and half-way up the two sides to make a pocket for the money.  "Boot Money" was stamped using Labeler Alphabet.

And of course this needed it's own envelope:

I had some red Envelope Paper left from last Christmas; my Envelope Punch Board did the trick.

Happy Birthday, Sophia!

October Paper Pumpkin

I just saw this month's Paper Pumpkin kit and I can't wait for mine to arrive in the mail.  Any day...
Such a beautiful kit for this season of gratitude; take a look:


I adore the stamps that look like tree bark--what a perfect stamp for this time of year.  And the colors?  Spectacular!  Shaker cards?  Yes please!  Such the rage right now.

Have you been missing out on the fun?  Why not join now?  Just $19.95 gets you your own orange box full of everything you need to make beautiful cards or craft projects.  And if you find it's not for you?  Just cancel.  No obligation.

Click on the link to the right, and skip to the fun--You'll be glad you did!

Time for an Anniversary

 I mentioned the other day that October was a crazy, busy month for me.  Lots of birthdays and an anniversary.   Today we'll celebrate the anniversary of my son and daughter-in-law, Matt and Sarah.

Matt and Sarah met while Matt was just beginning his senior year of high school.  Sarah was beginning her senior year of college!  I have to admit, I never thought it would last. But I should have looked deep inside myself--I met my husband and knew right away that he was the one for me.  And 40 years (What?) later, I can congratulate myself for believing in my choice.  (I got married when I was 12 :), right?)

Sarah made one too.  She knew Matt was for her, and I'm happy to report that they have just celebrated their 8th anniversary!  And I am totally blessed to have Sarah as my daughter-in-law!

Here's the card I made them:

I just can't get enough of these jars!  This is Jar of Love, and the Everyday Jars Framelits.

I also love the color combination of Rich Razzleberry, Sweet Sugarplum and Pool Party.  So this card is a 5" x 5" square of Sweet Sugarplum, with a layer of Rich Razzleberry, run through the Big Shot with the Softly Falling embossing folder.

A piece of Fruit Stand Designer Series Paper is added and then comes a layer of Whisper White and my jar.

The jar is stamped in Basic Gray, and the "water" is Pool Party.  I also stamped a number of the leaves and stems above and below where the jar would be placed, using Old Olive ink.

The jar was cut with the framelits, and popped up with Dimensionals.  Then I went a little crazy making a bouquet of flowers:  Sweet Sugarplum, Rich Razzleberry, and Pool Party (with a little Island Indigo inside the flowers) were stamped and then cut with the framelits.

I finished with a bow using the 3/8" Glitter Ribbon (this comes with a matching Silver ribbon) and a few Enamel Shapes (I used both the In Color and the Brights packs).

And inside is another Enamel Shape, with the sentiment from Timeless Love.

Of course this square card needs an envelope:

Easy to make a matching one from the Neutrals Envelope Paper with some of the DSP on the flap.  I love my Envelope Punch Board!

Happy Anniversary, Matt and Sarah.  You were meant for each other!

All products can be purchased here.


Product List

• Jar Of Love Photopolymer Stamp Set [141587]
• Everyday Jars Framelits Dies [141490]
• Jar Of Love Photopolymer Bundle [142342]
• Fruit Stand Designer Series Paper [141660]
• Timeless Love Wood-Mount Stamp Set [138772]
• Timeless Love Clear-Mount Stamp Set [139408]
• Big Shot [143263]
• Softly Falling Textured Impressions Embossing Folder [139672]
• 2016-2018 In Color Enamel Shapes [141410]
• Brights Enamel Shapes [141680]
• Rich Razzleberry 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock [115316]
• Sweet Sugarplum 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [141418]
• Whisper White 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock [100730]
• Rich Razzlebberry Classic Stampin' Pad [126950]
• Sweet Sugarplum Classic Stampin' Pad [141395]
• Pool Party Classic Stampin' Pad [126982]
• Island Indigo Classic Stampin' Pad [126986]
• Stampin' Dimensionals [104430]
• 3/8" (1 Cm) Glitter Ribbon Combo Pack [142015]

To An Awesome Starbucks Barrista

Do you ever have one of those days?  Just nothing seems to be going exactly right?  And you start feeling down in the dumps?

Well I had one of those days last week.  Work was not going well (my REAL job, not my "stampin'" fun job) and I was tired.  Had a lot on my mind, and had been rushing back and forth between two of the buildings in which I work.

So when leaving one of them and heading back to my office, I made a quick detour through the Starbucks drive-through.  Ah, a hot chocolate would make everything better...

As I pulled into the driveway, I noticed Julie sitting on an overturned bucket on the sidewalk next to the drive-through.  Julie is the manager of this particular Starbucks--a wonderful, jovial, knows-everyone person--you know the type.  As I slowed to round the corner, she motioned to me to roll my window down.  That's when I noticed her head-set.

"Are you going to take my order out here?"  I asked.

"Sure am," Julie replied; "the mic is broken."  So the machine I talk in to when I give my order--that nameless "voice in a box"--wasn't working.  And here sat Julie, on a cool, windy morning in early October, perched on an upside-down bucket, wearing her head-set and taking orders to relay inside, so as to not delay the line.  Super!  I asked, wasn't she cold?

"Nah; someone gave me gloves!"  She smiled and held up her fingerless-gloved hands.  What a saint!

Anyway, my order taken, I thanked Julie and headed round the bend, and my hot, chocolaty drink was waiting at the window.

Somehow that speedy exchange totally turned my day around.  To see Julie sitting there on a bucket, wearing borrowed gloves, and cheerfully taking orders while the wind blew made me feel all warm and toasty inside.

So I decided to do something for Julie.  Take a look:

Funky colors, retro stamp set and heartfelt sentiment!  I knew it was just perfect for Julie!

The card base is Bermuda Bay.  The Peekaboo Peach striped Designer Series Paper and the Emerald Envy polka-dotted banner created a busy background for all the white-space of the stamp.

I stamped the marquee from Marquee Messages twice--once in Flirty Flamingo, and again in Peekaboo Peach, cutting the arrow and popping it up on Dimensionals.  A Flirty Flamingo Ruched Ribbon bow and a few Emerald Envy Enamel Shapes finished my bright card.

And of course, for a card as awesome and mixed up as this, I had to create my own envelope.  Matching Designer Series Paper in Emerald Envy and my Envelope Punch Board made it a snap!

I stopped in Starbucks the next day and dropped it off for Julie.  I hope it made her as happy as she made me!

Next time you experience a random act of kindness, make one back--a handmade card with a heartfelt sentiment will make someone's day.

All supplies can be purchased here.

Product List

• Marquee Messages Photopolymer Stamp Set [141727]
• Flirty Flamingo Classic Stampin' Pad [141397]
• Peekaboo Peach Classic Stampin' Pad [141398]
• Emerald Envy Classic Stampin' Pad [141396]
• Bermuda Bay 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock [131197]
• 2016-2018 In Color Designer Series Paper Stack [141408]
• Flirty Flamingo 3/8" (1 Cm) Ruched Ribbon [141426]
• 2016-2018 In Color Enamel Shapes [141410]
• Stampin' Dimensionals [104430]

No More Christmas Cards (for now!)

Let's move away from Christmas for a few days.  I've been very busy with family events--birthdays and anniversaries--October is one of those months when everyone DID something.  So let's start with a birthday card for my son:

THIS son is in the Air Force, currently stationed outside of Washington, DC.  So of course, it seemed only appropriate that I include the earth and an airplane, right?  And I really liked this color combination:  Dapper Denim and Emerald Envy.

Let's take a closer look at this shaker card:

I started by stamping the stand for the globe from Places You'll Go, using Memento Tuxedo Black ink on Whisper White card stock.  Then, using my hand-held 1-3/4" circle punch, I carefully lined up where my globe would go, and punched.  I also added the airplane.

The globe was stamped with Staz On Black on a piece of Window Sheet.  This was adhered to the back of my white card stock, using Fast Fuse adhesive.  I outlined the globe (on the back side) using Adhesive Strips, then poured in some of the wonderful Green Mica Flakes, before adhering a square of white card stock.

The card base is Dapper Denim, with a layer of In-Color Designer Series Paper.  I took a piece of Emerald Envy and stamped "happy birthday", two stamps from Endless Birthday Wishes (photopolymer stamps are SO easy to line up!).

My shaker "box" was adhered to the front and I added a few In Color Enamel Shape stars in Emerald Envy.

Although this is a standard-size (5-1/2" x 4-1/4") card, I made my own envelope, using the In Color Envelope Paper and my Envelope Punch Board.  Nothing like sending your creation in a matching envelope!

Happy Birthday, Matt!

All products can be purchased here.


Product List

• Places You'll Go Photopolymer Stamp Set [141741]
• Mica Flakes Trio Pack [141998]
• Window Sheets [142314]
• 1-3/4" Circle Punch [119850]
• Foam Adhesive Strips [141825]
• 2016-2018 In Color Enamel Shapes [141410]
• Whisper White 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock [100730]
• Dapper Denim 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [141414]
• Emerald Envy 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [141415]
• Tuxedo Black Memento Ink Pad [132708]
• Jet Black Stazon Ink Pad [101406]
• Fast Fuse Adhesive [129026]
• 2016-2018 In Color Envelope Paper [141698]
• Envelope Punch Board [133774]

Last One (for now!)

OK, one more Christmas card from last week's class.  Altogether there were six cards, so this has been a busy week of sharing.

And here's the final (and most fun to make) card:

A shaker card, using the Detailed Santa Thinlits dies.  Everyone loved this one...

The card has a Pool Party base.  The Detailed Santa was cut, using Whisper White Thick cardstock.  A piece of Window Sheet was adhered to the back.  Then we ran Foam Adhesive Strips all around the cut out, and filled it with Fancy Frost Sequins and punched stars using the Confetti Stars Border Punch and Silver Glimmer Paper.  Then a "back" (with Ho! Ho! Ho!, stamped in Pool Party ink) was adhered.  This whole piece was glued to the Pool Party base.

We finished with a tag, stamped with the Greetings From Santa set in Pool Party ink, and cut with the Project Life Cards and Labels Framelits, and adhered to a Pool Party piece also cut with the same Project Life framelits.  Two punched stars (oops!  retired punch!) with Silver Glimmer paper were adhered, and the entire label was popped up on Dimensionals.

Such a fun card!  And a great way to end our week of Christmas cards.

All products can be purchased here. 


Product List

• Detailed Santa Thinlits Dies [141836]
• Greetings From Santa Wood-Mount Stamp Set [142069]
• Greetings From Santa Clear-Mount Stamp Set [143269]
• Greetings From Santa Wood-Mount Bundle [143523]
• Greetings From Santa Clear-Mount Bundle [143524]
• Fancy Frost Sequins [142519]
• Confetti Stars Punch [135861]
• Silver Glimmer Paper [135314]
• Pool Party 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock [122924]
• Pool Party Classic Stampin' Pad [126982]
• Project Life Cards & Labels Framelits [135707]
• Stampin' Dimensionals [104430]
• Foam Adhesive Strips [141825]

Almost Done with Christmas Cards

Well we're on Day 5 of my Christmas card extravaganza, and here's another fairly simple card.

I love the Swirly Scribbles Thinlits Dies, and had seen some samples using the larger one as a wreath.  So this card features a wreath in three shades of green:  Old Olive, Pear Pizzazz, and Garden Green.  Layered together, they look so pretty.

The card base is Early Espresso.  There's a piece of This Christmas Specialty Designer Series Paper, and then we took a piece of Very Vanilla and stamped Hardwood in Early Espresso ink.  We also sponged rather heavily with the same color.

The wreath pieces are all layered, and we added a Real Red Stitched Satin Ribbon bow.

The sentiment is from Oh, What Fun, and is stamped in Garden Green with a Real Red embellishment.  It's cut out with the Lots of Labels Framelits dies and we cut a second label (same size) from Early Espresso.  This one is cut in half, and "spread", creating a "shadow" behind the Very Vanilla label.

All supplies can be purchased here. 


Product List
Stamp : Oh, What Fun Photopolymer Stamp Set [140386] , Hardwood Wood-Mount Stamp Set [133032] , Hardwood Clear-Mount Stamp Set [133035]

Ink : Early Espresso Classic Stampin' Pad [126974]

Card Stock : Early Espresso 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock [119686] , This Christmas Designer Series Specialty Paper [141628] , Very Vanilla 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock [101650]

Tools & Adhesive : Stamping Sponges [101610]

Ribbon & Trim : Real Red 3/8" (1 Cm) Stitched Satin Ribbon [141693]

Big Shot : Lots Of Labels Framelits Dies [138281] , Swirly Scribbles Thinlits Dies [141497]