Teacher Appreciation Week - Thursday

A week of teacher appreciation gifts was a great idea... right up until I saw Tuesday's and Wednesday's gifts in Aaron's backpack! Aaagh! I emailed his teacher so she could ask him if he has anything in his bag to turn in. Silly little boy...

Sometimes a gift card is the perfect gift. I do worry that it doesn't seem very personal... that's where the "delivery system" takes center stage. Once a gift card is wrapped up in pretty packaging, it becomes fabulous!
Using a 4 x 12" piece of card stock, I designed a pretty gift card holder. Since my gift card is for that yummy coffee shop we all know and love, I thought the BIG mug in the Tea Shoppe stamp set would be perfect. I put the holder together so that it looks like the card is sitting in the mug.   :} 
I used a 22" piece of Riding Hood Red Taffeta ribbon to tie the gift card holder closed. Since I didn't want the ribbon to fall off once the holder was open, I adhered a 4-1/4" square of Chocolate Chip card stock to the back. 
If I were personally hand-delivering these gift cards, I would have stopped there. But since they were being delivered by two little boys, I enclosed them in Clear Envelopes for a little extra safe keeping.   :}  

And now... a few more pages from Aaron's animal alphabet book- 

sweet mojo

Here's a little insight into my floopy thought process... When I saw this week's Mojo Monday sketch, I thought, "aww, what a sweet card that would make! Sweet, sweet, something sweet... chocolate, chocolate covered cherries (no clue as to why I thought of those), oh hey - the cherries will be ready to pick in a few months... cherries! I have a cherry stamp!" Can't image where my son gets the ADD from... SQUIRREL!

And so here we are.   :} 
It is a pretty sweet card, isn't it?! The Riding Hood Red card base measures 4-1/4" square (closed). Can you believe I ended up raiding three DSPs (Twitterpated, Summer Smooches, Regals Stack) for those little strips?  *** Tip: I doubled up the Lucky Limeade Baker's Twine before tying it around the 4" square Lucky Limeade card stock so that my bow would stand out more - cute!!

I used Lucky Limeade and Riding Hood Red Markers to ink the cherry stamp (Button Buddies), which I die cut using a Labels Collection Framelit. Two Riding Hood Red buttons (from my vault, of course) are adhered over the fruit with Mini Glue Dots - mega cute!! For my greeting, I used a Basic Black Marker to ink the words on a stamp in the Storybook Friends stamp set.  Happy, happy, happy  :}   
I think pretty much everything I used, except the stamp for my greeting and the Framelit, is retiring. Remember, retiring accessories (DSP, embellishments, ribbon, stamp wheels, card stock) are available only while supplies last. You can shop for your favorites here, before they are all gone. Oh, and several goodies are on sale!  Have a SWEET day!! 

goodbye, auf wiedersehen, ciao, adieu, adios, shalom...

I love the flurry of excitement this time of year... stamps and accessories retiring to make room for new goodies. So many creative ideas are running through my head right now! Today's cards highlight one of the retiring DSPs. 

While I am sad to see the Twitterpated DSP go, I am even more excited to get my hands on the new DSP in the upcoming Catalog! Plus, two of the colors (Pear Pizzazz and Blushing Bride) in the DSP are taking their place in our "core" color collections as part of the Color Refresh - yay!!  

Be sure to shop for your favorites before they are gone!! 

 

Happy Valentine's Day!!

I hope everyone had a fabulous day. I have a quick post to share with you tonight... a little Valentine's love I left in the teacher's lounge (at the kids' school) today  :} 

I simply covered a can of coffee with some Twitterpated DSP and card stock. The cute little coffee cup stamp is from one of the stamp sets you can get for free right now during Sale-a-Bration  -- Patterned Occasions (w:129621  c:129624) 

I used the 3-1/2" Circle die to create the perfect background to cover the lid. The heart Embosslit and Punches made it easy to add pretty details. If you don't already have the Teeny Tiny Wishes stamp set, add it to your cart - it has 24 greetings to cover almost every occasion! 

How about a bonus project tonight??? Here's the Valentine card Aaron chose for his teacher:

He likes the images from the Up, Up & Away stamp set... but what kid doesn't like baloons??? 

 Thanks for dropping by!! Love ya... mmmmwaaah!  :} 

Chalkboard Art for Valentine's Day

I really wanted to create a card using a hot trend in crafting and decorating right now -- chalkboard art... so I made one for Valentine's Day.  :} 

SMILE!! It turned out so cute!  And I was surprised at how easy this technique is. For my card, I started with Pretty in Pink card stock and a layer of Twitterpated DSP. 

To create the chalkboard background:
Start with a layer of Basic Black card stock (on this card: 4-3/4" x 3-1/2").
If you want an embossed image, stamp your image in Whisper White Craft ink, sprinkle with White Embossing Powder, and heat set with a Heat Tool (the image on this card is from the Hearts a Flutter stamp set).
Using a section of a Stamping Sponge, lightly rub / swirl some Whisper White Craft ink in random spots to create the look of eraser marks. 
Using a White Pencil, add lines or images for a hand-drawn look. 

Add stamped / die-cut images to create a focal point. Adhering some of the images with Dimensionals makes layering a breeze. And of course a bit of ribbon and bling are the perfect little details!

So what do you think? Are you ready to try some chalkboard art today?

tickets to my heart

I like making Valentine's Day cards. It's just so much fun using lots of "girlie" colors, frilly papers, and ribbons.  :}

For this card I started with a Pretty in Pink card base, and then layered on Riding Hood Red card stock (distressed around the edges) and Tea For Two DSP. 

The two card stock hearts are die cut using the Scalloped Heart of Hearts Embosslit and the Fashionable Hearts Embosslit. For some extra pattern, I die cut the largest heart from Twitterpated DSP with a Framelit from the Hearts Collection.
Three stamps from That's the Ticket and the coordinating Ticket Duo punch make it super easy to add more pretty layers to this card. And of course I couldn't skip the ribbon!!  :} 

I don't make a ton of Valentine's Day cards, so I like to make each one unique. How many Valentines do you send each year?

a simple card sketch - four ways!

Sometimes I like to give the creative side of my brain a little kick... either to get things started or to get my creativity to move in a different direction. I like to read paper crafting magazines, look through the photo gallery in Stampin' Up!'s online forum for demonstrators, and browse blogs. Earlier this week, a card sketch on the Clean & Simple blog caught my eye. I liked it so much, that I made quite a variety of projects using the same sketch. Today I'm sharing three cards and a  gift tag, all inspired by the sketch.   :} 

stamp sets: Circle Circus, A Word For You

stamp sets: Pleasant Poppies, Friendly Phrases

stamp set: Curly Cute          Embossing Folder: Lacy Brocade

stamp sets: Merry Minis, Tiny Tags 

Creating the scalloped-edge rectangle was super easy! Using the Scallop Squares Duo Bigz Die, I simply die-cut two of each square. For the card fronts, I adhered the larger squares together with five scallops overlapping. For the tag, the smaller squares are adhered together with three scallops overlapping. 

Speaking of die-cutting, have you ever wished you could see all of Stampin' Up!'s products for the Big Shot in one place??? Your wish has been granted!  :}  

Big Shot PDF      http://bit.ly/BigShotUS

Don't have the Big Shot (yet) but want to create those beautiful embossed textures (like on the thank-you card) with the Embossing Folders??? Another wish granted!! The Texture Boutique Embossing Machine is here! 

whew... That turned out to be quite a long post! Thanks for sticking around to the end.  Now go stamp!!  ;}

Back to School!

I can not believe that tomorrow is the first day of school for my boys! Tonight was "Back to School Night," so we got to meet the teachers and drop off school supplies. Here's the little gift I took for Ben's third-grade teacher: 

I wrapped up the "Flat Stanley" series of books in Kraft paper, and then made it all pretty with a band of Storytime DSP. 

I made a quick 3x3 card by punching a strip of Riding Hood Red card stock with the Dotted Scallop Ribbon Border Punch, and then adding two trimmed layers of the Storytime DSP.

I wish I'd found some time to add some stamping to the wrapping paper, but there just weren't enough hours in the days for me this week. Next time :)

making progress

I finally feel like maybe things are settling down... maybe :}  I found an excellent dentist for our family, who does a fabulous job with children (more on that later). I am also blessed to have found a wonderful pediatrician! And because both the dentist's and pediatrician's office staff knew I would be needing 'proof of visit' paperwork and 'signed forms for keeping medication at school' to start the boys in their new school, they had it ready for me, saving me those second trips to collect everything - yay!  And the pediatrician's office even scheduled Ben's appointments for an allergist and a pediatric urologist for me.  Now I just have to get the kids to the eye doctor, and I think all of the requirements will be met... whew!

I literally used up an entire pen to fill out a mountain of paperwork in the past month. Some of those papers were for the new school district, and on Tuesday, I registered the boys at their new school.

I can't believe my little Aaron will be starting Kindergarten!! He looks so small compared to this huge building! Of course I couldn't show up to school registration without some cute little gifts... 

There's nothing like chocolate to help a teacher's day get a little better, especially a 12-hour day! We also met with the school nurse - one of the sweetest people on earth, I think. And we met one of the "Parent's Club" moms and the librarian, too. Everyone was super helpful! 

Here's a side view so you can see the details of this simple card:

I cut my card stock base to measure 3-1/2" wide by 10-1/8" long. Then I used the Simply Scored to score at 5" and 5-1/8" so that the card would close a little easier over the chocolate square. The Whisper White layer is cut 3" wide by 4-1/2" long. (Stamp sets: Friendly Phrases and Bright Blossoms)

Well, I'm off to get the boys a snack before heading to the church's zoo night. Happy stamping!!

my new friend, Eleanor

I might just have a new best friend. Her name is Eleanor. I have barely had any time to get to know her, but the time we've spent together stamping has been wonderful. Want to meet her???

I'm sure you think she's as pretty as I do! Today I'm sharing the first card I made using my new stamp set called Everything Eleanor  :}  I used three stamps from this set on my card - the "label" shape, a flower, and the bird - all of which I fussy-cut with my Snips.

I started with a 4-1/4" square More Mustard card base. Then I added a 4" square of Fan Fair DSP, which I dry embossed using the new Chevron Embossing Folder and lightly sanded the raised surfaces. The sentiment, from the Loving Thoughts stamp set, is stamped in Island Indigo ink onto Island Indigo card stock. 

Isn't the layered flower pretty??? I used 4 layers of Fan Fair DSP, which I die cut using the Floral Frames Framelits, and then sponged the edges with Riding Hood Red ink. An Antique Brad holds the flower together and makes a lovely flower-center.

I'll bet you would like more details on that flower, wouldn't you... Surprise! I have a video for you today!!  :} 

Easy, right?!! I can't wait to make more  :}  Thanks for dropping by today!

a window with a view

I had so much fun last night at my Technique Tuesday class! There are so many neat projects you can make with the new Framelit and Edgelit Dies. While most projects you make will most likely use the "positive" die-cut, you can also use the "negative" to create a framed look. If you add a layer of acetate, you've got yourself a cute little window  :}
After seeing a window card that another demonstrator made using a Framelit from the 'Labels Collection,' I really wanted to try a window card using a Framelit from the 'Hearts Collection.' Wedding season will be here soon enough (and therefore bridal showers and anniversaries), so it will be nice to have a beautiful card ready to go.

There are quite a few steps on this card, so I'll try to remember them all  ;)
I worked on the Blushing Bride layer of card stock first. After die cutting the heart from the center, I used the Framed Tulips Embossing Folder to add texture, distressed the edges for more texture, and then highlighted those details by sponging Blushing Bride ink around the edges.
I spritzed Blushing Bride Smooch Spritz onto a 4 x 5-1/4" layer of Twitterpated DSP, and adhered that layer to my Riding Hood Red card base. After stamping the flowery heart from the Take It to Heart stamp set, I used a heart Framelit to cut it out, and then I sponged the edges in Blushing Bride ink. To make sure I placed that heart in the center, I set the window-frame layer on the card front so I could use it as a placement guide. Once I had the center image adhered, I was ready to work on the rest of the card.

I used mini Glue Dots to adhere the 3-1/2 x 4-1/2" Window Sheet layer to the back of the Blushing Bride window frame. Then I used Dimensionals to adhere the window layer to the card.
After the window card is assembled, it's just pure fun to embellish the front. For this card, I stamped the sentiment from the Sweetly Said stamp set in Basic Gray ink onto a Whisper White strip (die cut using the Petal Cone Bigz L die). To adhere the sentiment, I used one Dimensional on the left end and two stacked Dimensionals in the center.

The card was getting a little too Valentiney, so I added the pop of Island Indigo and Basic Gray. The his & hers hearts and the fun little ribbon treatment are the perfect over-the-top finishing touches.

Thanks for stopping by my blog today... stay tuned for more projects using the Framelit and Edgelit Dies  :}

hooked on challenges :)

Oh my goodness! I just can't help myself... I found another challenge... actually a whole blog focused on Stampin' Up! projects. What drew me in to the SUO Challenge 38, were the "parameters" - use two colors, plus a neutral or two. Here's what I came up with:

The Twitterpated Product Suite helped me see how gorgeous Blushing Bride and Riding Hood Red look together. Basic Gray and a touch of Whisper White are the perfect "neutrals" to pair with that combination.
The card base is Riding Hood Red card stock. I added some details to the layer of Blushing Bride card stock by stamping the large floral image from Bordering on Romance in Blushing Bride ink, and then distressing the edges.
The two layers of Twitterpated DSP are matted with Basic Gray card stock. And check out the large layer on the left... it's fabric!! I think the Twitterpated Fabric is my favorite so far (well, maybe a tie with the Spice Cake fabric). I simply used SNAIL adhesive and wrapped the edges of the fabric around a layer of Whisper White card stock, then adhered that layer to the Blushing Bride card stock with a liberal amount of adhesive.

After tying on some Basic Gray Satin Ribbon, I went to work on the focal point. I stamped the images (also from Bordering on Romance) in Basic Gray ink onto Whisper White card stock. Then I colored in the images with markers: Pear Pizzazz, Lucky Limeade, Blushing Bride, Regal Rose, and Riding Hood Red. I distressed the edges, and sponged them with Blushing Bride ink. Then I adhered the pretty focal point to a layer of Riding Hood Red card stock, which I snipped out after dry embossing it using one of the Designer Frames Embossing Folders. Because of all the bumpy layers, I needed a "double-stack" of Dimensionals to attach the focal point to my card.  At the last minute, I added two Blushing Bride Twitterpated Buttons to push my card over the top  :}
By the way, do you recognize this card layout? I revisited a previous Mojo Monday sketch, and "tweaked" it  :}  So fun!!
Thanks for checking in today - hope you have a wonderful weekend, with lots of time to stamp!!

scrappy squares

My Technique Tuesday class earlier this week was called "Oh Scrap!" We made a variety of projects that featured different ways to use scraps. This card was easy to make, and makes good use of those little scraps of coordinating DSP.

All of the squares of Twitterpated DSP were punched with the 1-1/4" Square punch. They are layered around two (adhered together at a 90 degree angle) squares of Pear Pizzazz card stock. The secret is adhering the first square correctly... When you put your adhesive on the back of the first square, only place the adhesive on half, so that when your squares come back around, you can slip the edge of the last square under the first one.
Even though this card was inspired by one of my Mom's cards, I changed it up a tiny bit. On my card, the Basic Gray layer is stamped first using one of the pretty stamps from Bordering on Romance, and then the card stock is dry embossed using the 'Square Lattice' Embossing Folder and the Big Shot. I had to keep the die cut 'Paper Doily'... LOVE that die!!
I look forward to sharing more projects with you that will help you go through those scraps (which multiply when we're not looking, right?). Do you have a favorite "use-up-the-scraps" project or technique?

a little basket

Good evening stamping friends. I hope you all had a nice weekend. I sure did! I finally got to dig into my scrapbooking projects that have been piling up for quite some time. I look forward to sharing those with you later this week.
I have a quick post today... a cute little basket I made using the Twitterpated DSP:

It was really easy to make! I started with a 6x6" square of DSP, and scored at 2" and 4". Then I rotated the DSP 90〫and scored again at 2" and 4". (Your DSP will look like a tic-tac-toe grid.) The only "tricky" part is scoring again diagonally in the four corner squares. The center square becomes the base of the basket.
Here's another view more from the top of the basket:

I used my Crop-a-Dile to punch four holes, and then tied Island Indigo Baker's Twine to keep the corners of the basket together. I used the new Bordering on Romance stamp set to create the cute little tag. I can't wait to give this away with some yummy chocolates inside :)

Makeover Monday Challenge

So today I am patting myself on the back. Not only did I manage to get some stamping done while tending to a sick child who stayed home from school and a four-year-old whose energy knows no limits, I stepped outside my comfort zone and tried my very first challenge from a blog. Yay me!!
I decided to try the Makeover Monday Challenge #10 from the Paper Crafter's Library blog. Here's what I came up with:

I stamped the Woodgrain background stamp in Baja Breeze ink onto Baja Breeze card stock. Then I added a scrunched/ pinched strip of white Waffle Paper to the back before attaching it to a layer (3-5/8" x 5-1/8") of Island Indigo card stock. I adhered those layers to my Blushing Bride card base.
Next, I die cut Riding Hood Red card stock and Twitterpated DSP using the Beautiful Butterflies Bigz die. The card stock butterfly is adhered directly to the card; the DSP butterfly is attached with Dimensionals.
I stamped the sentiment from the new Loving Thoughts stamp set in Island Indigo ink onto a strip of Whisper White card stock. Then I spritzed it with the Blushing Bride marker / Color Spritzer Tool, as well as my mixture of Frost White Shimmer Paint in rubbing alcohol. After trimming the ends, I attached the sentiment with Dimensionals. The small card stock butterflies are die cut using the Beautiful Wings Embosslit, and then adhered directly to the sentiment strip.

At the bottom of the card, I wrapped White Baker's Twine around three times, threaded the twine through the center of a Filigree Brad, and tied the ends into a bow.

This card was a lot of fun to make, and I'm so proud of myself for trying something different! If you like it, leave me a nice comment... if you don't, well, leave me a nice comment anyway  ;)  Just teasing! Thanks for stopping by my blog - have a wonderful day!!

scrappy fun

I didn't quite know where to start today, so I settled on actually starting in my scrap drawers (and well, let's face it, there were plenty of scraps on my desk that hadn't even been cleaned up yet). I keep a set of small drawers just to the left of my work space, where I organize my scraps by color collection (Brights, Subtles, In Color, etc.) While I am very good about using scraps when working on a project, I don't often start with scraps. Well, today I did just that, and it feels good to use up some "stuff."

I started with the strips of Twitterpated DSP that were accidentally cut crooked in the Big Shot (still sitting on my desk). They couldn't be used for making a medallion, but were just too pretty to throw away... I hope I'm not the only one with this "issue."  ;)  I salvaged the best parts of the strips and layered them on this card. I added a tiny bit of dry embossing to my card front using a Finial Press Embossing Folder that I cut up. Click here to learn more about that technique.
In my "In Color" scrap drawer, I had a large piece of Pear Pizzazz that I had previously stamped and dry embossed with the Snow Burst Embossing Folder, then didn't like how it turned out... again, my issue, I couldn't bring myself to toss such a large piece of quality card stock. I trimmed it up and spritzed it liberally with my mixture of Frost White Shimmer Paint (in rubbing alcohol). To this layer, I attached a Paper Daisy using a Pear Pizzazz Glimmer Brad. I also used the Dotted Scallop Ribbon Border punch on a tiny scrap of Riding Hood Red card stock, and tucked that behind the Pear Pizzazz layer.
Then I used some of the Pleated Satin Ribbon that I had cut the wrong length for a previous project, that was still taking up valuable real estate in my work space. I trimmed it a bit, and attached it using Sticky Strip.
I used two Blushing Bride scraps to stamp the flower from the new Mixed Bunch stamp set, and then punched out those images using the new Blossom punch. I stamped leaves in Pear Pizzazz ink onto a long, skinny scrap of Pear Pizzazz card stock (stamp set: Build a Blossom / punch: Blossom Petals). I needed one more flower to balance the card, so I punched a scrap of Riding Hood Red card stock with the Blossom Bouquet Triple Layer punch, and stamped in the center with Riding Hood Red ink (Mixed Bunch). These flowers are crumpled to distress them a bit, attached with Dimensionals, and two Twitterpated Buttons add a cute finishing touch.

I am feeling so great about using up a few scraps! Want some more "scrappy" ideas??? Local friends can sign up for January's Technique Tuesday: Oh, Scrap! - register by January 30th to reserve your spot.

the Gift Box

Today I kicked off a new round of my Hostess club! It's soooo much fun to spend time stamping with friends. At my "breakfast club," my ladies get to eat some yummy breakfast goodies, drink coffee and juice, make a free project, and spend time working on their own projects. It doesn't get any better than that!
For the January club project, I came up with this cute little Valentine box using the Kraft gift boxes (these are awesome- $2.95 for four boxes!!) as the base. Then I added a bunch of pretty layers.

A torn strip of the Twitterpated Designer Fabric is tied in a simple knot to dress up the sides of the box. A 3-1/4" square piece of Twitterpated DSP is adhered to the lid. Then the fun begins...

I used the new Designer Rosette Bigz XL die and two 12" long strips of Twitterpated DSP to create the medallion. For the next layer, I die cut two circles of White Waffle Paper using the Circles #2 die. Those are adhered to a 1-3/4" punched circle of Whisper White card stock with SNAIL, and then adhered to the medallion. From the new Take It to Heart stamp set, I stamped the largest heart (in this project) in Riding Hood Red, and the other heart in Blushing Bride. After snipping both out, I adhered the larger heart to a layer of Blushing Bride card stock that was die cut with one of the new Hearts Collection Framelits dies. I used a Riding Hood Red marker to stamp the sentiment (from the Loving Thoughts stamp set), and then snipped that out and adhered it behind the larger heart. I used Dimensionals to attach the heart/banner layer. The smaller stamped heart and another punched heart (Small Heart) are attached with Glue Dots, and a teeny tiny Basic Pearl finishes it off. Love, it, love it, love it!! I so wish you could see it in person... it's even prettier. Especially since the hearts, banner, and DSP square are spritzed with my mixture of Frost White Shimmer Paint (in rubbing alcohol). If only I could capture that pretty shimmer with a camera, sigh.
So what are you giving to your Valentine this year?