love... and a new sketch!

Here's another card we made at the class I taught on Saturday: 

love... love... love...
I used Sahara Sand for the card base. The Strawberry Slush layer needed a little texture, so the Chevron Embossing Folder was put to work. 

After stamping the Positively Chevron background stamp in Bermuda Bay ink onto Coastal Cabana card stock, I used a Framelit from the Hearts Collection to die cut my focal point. Don't you just love that little stamped banner??!! This perfect little sentiment is from the Banner Blast (Sale-A-Bration) stamp set, and I punched it out using the Banner (Sale-A-Bration) punch. Three Basic Rhinestones add just the right amount of bling... love.  :}

P.S. - I love you... so here's my sketch. Enjoy!!

a Valentine treat

Hello stamping friends!! I have a super cute Valentine treat bag to share today:

I was going to help a group of teachers make this treat bag and some corner bookmarks on Tuesday, but it snowed like crazy, so we had to reschedule for next month. (Is anyone else really sick of winter???) I'm sharing the treat bag today, and I'll share the bookmarks with a simple tutorial in another post.

First, I embossed the Gift Bag using the Adorning Accents Embossing Folder with the tiny little hearts. Then I attached the whole focal point with Dimensionals.
To create the focal point: I used the Circles #2 Die to die-cut the Red Glimmer Paper, and tied some Linen Thread around the circle for some extra "pretty." The Hearts A Flutter stamp set and coordinating Framelits, along with Real Red, Blushing Bride, and Soft Sky ink, create the three stamped pieces. I also stamped "love you" (from the Express Yourself hostess stamp set) inside the larger heart. The last heart is courtesy of the adorable Small Heart punch and Blushing Bride card stock.
Wouldn't this be the cutest packaging for a simple gift of candy or a gift card??  :}

On a personal note: I've really missed sharing with all of you, and a big "aww, thanks" to those of you who check in on me from time to time. I know I won't be posting every day again anytime soon, but I will pop in here and there to share a variety of projects.
If there's one thing I've learned in the past few months, it's that moving stinks even more than I already knew! I can't believe it's been a year since we closed on our house in Wisconsin... and I'm so dismayed at how slow the "settling in" has gone. Just when I think we are back on track, BAM - Aaron's asthma goes bonkers. Or BAM - plumbing leak. I know we'll get done, eventually... 
Being cooped up in the house with the unusually cold temperatures and extra snow this past month has been sort-of a good thing for me. It's given me a little time to focus some energy in my craft space - YAY!!! I'm having a hard time trying to fit everything in to a smaller space. I try things one way for a while, and when it doesn't work I move it all around again. Sigh... at least it's exercise, right???

jumping into Fall

Boy, the Fall weather is right on time, isn't it? There was quite a chill in the air this morning at the bus stop! It made me want to stamp a quick Fall card... so I did.   :} 
Of course I was limited to the meager supplies I've managed to unpack so far. But I think my card turned out pretty nice... 

After putting together the Gorgeous Grunge stamp set, it quickly made friends with some Summer Starfruit, Chocolate Chip, Pumpkin Pie, and Wild Wasabi ink. Before adhering the Very Vanilla layer, I wrapped a teeny bit of Witches' Brew Washi Tape around the right side, and added Wild Wasabi pieces from the Chevron Border punch on the left side. 

Then I quickly assembled my Magnificent Maple stamp (yeah, yeah, yeah). I first inked the entire leaf with a Summer Starfruit marker. Then I added spots of color with Pumpkin Pie and Wild Wasabi markers. After coloring the edges with a Chocolate Chip marker, I spritzed the rubber with a little water before stamping.  *cheesy grin*  I like the "artsy" look of this!  :} 
Of course now I want to go nuts and stamp every project idea I've been thinking about all summer, but I know I need to pace myself, or I'll end up with an even bigger disaster than I have now! I'll be a good girl and clean up the mess from this morning. (sigh) Cross your fingers for me to sneak in a little stamping time on Wednesday!

Happy Mother's Day!

Today is such a special day... A day for thanking our Moms and all of the Mother figures in our lives who have guided us, prayed for us, and taught us to be who we are today. 

One of the best things about stamping your own cards, is that you can create a one-of-a-kind card that fits the personality of the receiver. My Mom loves the vintage style, and really loves cards with lots of layers. I worked on this card quite a while yesterday to get it "just right." Hope she likes it! 
I started with a Pretty in Pink card base. To that I added a layer of Tea For Two DSP, which I dry embossed in the Lacy Brocade Embossing Folder to double-up on the quilted look. Then came the layers... 

For the two sentiments I used two different stamp sets - You're Amazing and Teeny Tiny Wishes. Both sentiment layers have Crumb Cake ink sponged around the edges, and the larger sentiment also has a little spritzing on it with a Lucky Limeade marker. 
Since my darling angels that made me a mother are begging for breakfast, I'll give you the shorthand version for the rest of the layers.  :} 

Delicate Doilies Sizzlit, Lucky Limeade card stock

Hearts a Flutter Framelit, Tea For Two DSP

Pretty in Pink button, Lucky Limeade Baker's Twine

Pretty in Pink grosgrain ribbon,  Paper Daisy

Papillon Potpourri stamp set, Elegant Butterfly punch, Bitty Butterfly punch

Basic Pearls 

Happy Mother's Day to all of our mothers, in our homes and in our hearts, and to all those who have "mothered" us through the years. God bless you!  

Teacher Appreciation Week - Friday

Whew! I made it... five gifts (well, ten since they're for two different teachers) in five days. See the smoke coming from my paper trimmer?   ;) 

All of the gifts were fun to make, and the teachers deserve them very much! Both of my boys have talented, kind, helpful teachers. We are so blessed! 
I'm not sure how I will live without the Fancy Favor Bigz XL die. I was actually shocked to find this "go-to" Big Shot die on the Retiring List. Well, I won't exactly be "living without"... it will go into my vault!
Anywho, I assembled the Fancy Favor box to hold gardening gloves and seed packets. The largest flower (Mixed Bunch) is stamped in Melon Mambo ink onto Twitterpated DSP and punched out with the Blossom punch. The other two flowers (Fruit & Flowers) are also stamped in Melon Mambo ink; one onto Blushing Bride card stock, and the other onto Whisper White card stock. 
I've seen the sentiment "thanks for helping me grow" added to a nice flowering plant. That would have been a super gift, but as I mentioned in the other "teacher appreciation gift" posts, the boys are the delivery service for all of these. And they ride the bus to school, for about twelve entire minutes. Boys can do lots of things in twelve minutes! Can't you just picture the dirt trail from their bus seat, down the steps, into the school, down the hallway... Ummm yeah, seeds work just as well with this sentiment. I created the sentiment using My Digital Studio, and then trimmed it to fit. Easy peasy! To make sure it all arrived inside the Fancy Favor box, I slipped the gifts into Gusseted Cellophane Bags and tied them closed with Melon Mambo Scallop Dots Ribbon.

And now... the conclusion to Aaron's animal alphabet book! I hope you found some inspiration for your classroom and/or punch art creations in this book.

 

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- 

Teacher Appreciation Week - Tuesday

I love how paper-crafting can turn something ordinary into something adorable. And giving it as a gift... well, that's just awesome! 

For Teacher Appreciation Week, I thought it would be nice for the boys to bring little treats wrapped up in cute packaging. I'm trying to keep the gifts small and light enough so they don't get destroyed during the twelve whole minutes on the bus.  ;)  The gift for Tuesday is strawberry flavored gum, wrapped in Real Red DSP. 
To ink the strawberry stamp (Fruit & Flowers): I inked the berry in Real Red ink, used a Blender Pen like an eraser to remove the red ink from the leaf area, and then colored the leaf and stem with a Lucky Limeade Marker. 
The image is punched out with the 1-3/8" Circle punch, then layered over Lucky Limeade card stock die-cut on the Delicate Doilies Sizzlit. A doubled bow of Lucky Limeade Baker's Twine adds the perfect finishing touch. 

In my last post, I started sharing Aaron's ABC animal alphabet book. I know several teachers who will like these, and I also know several punch art fans who will get some cute ideas. Here are a few more of the pages... 

 

Teacher Appreciation Week - Monday

Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU to all the teachers out there! That's right folks... it's teacher appreciation week. My boys will be bringing cute little gifts to their teachers this week. Here's what they took on Monday: 

This is super easy to create! I wrapped some Sunshine & Sprinkles DSP around a box of fish-shaped candy, and adhered it together with Sticky Strip. The polka-dot ornament from Delightful Decorations is stamped in Daffodil Delight and punched out with the Ornament punch to create the fish body. A flower from the Boho Blossoms punch is folded in half to create the side fin. (I used a retired flower punch for the other fins.) And the googlie eye just makes me smile! 

As a former Kindergarten teacher (and current substitute teacher), I could not resist sharing an AMAZING project my son brought home. I know that all of my readers who are teachers for the "little ones" will want to make this book next year! And for those of you who love punch art, there are lots of ideas in this project. 

The students created a page when each letter was introduced. Now, at the end of the school year, Aaron's teacher has laminated every page and with two binder rings at the top, assembled a book for each student to keep. The animals are adorable, and of course remind me of cute punch art animals.  >>>Remember the walrus ordeal??  ;)  
Be sure to check back throughout the week as I share the rest of the teacher appreciation gifts and animal alphabet book!

sketch happy... again

Two posts in one day???! Whoa, my little speck of the craft world has turned upside down! But I found a nifty sketch, and it was one of the cards I made yesterday, and I really want to share it, and I have so much stuff to share next week, and the weekend is coming so you might want an idea for an easy card...    ;)

There you go - my take on Retro Sketch #61. I stamped my greeting from the Trust God stamp set in Crisp Cantaloupe (ah yes, a new In Color, yay!) onto the 3-1/2 x 4-3/4" layer of Whisper White card stock. 
After tying Wisteria Wonder Baker's Twine around the 1-1/2 x 4" strip of Patio Party DSP twice, I attached the DSP layer with Dimensionals. Two punched hearts were the only embellishment I needed to finish up this simple card.  So, what do you think?

sketch happy

Yay, yay, yay! I had a good chunk of time to stamp yesterday!! It was fabulous. I made a ton of cards, and tried out a few sketches. Here's what I came up with for the Paper Players Sketch 143:

I chose all of my papers from the same package (Patio Party), so my card came together very quickly. The two Paper Daisies and the Summer Starfruit Dahlia layer nicely, and are adhered with my favorite liquid glue. 
Do you spy something new and fabulous??? My sentiment is from the Label Love stamp set, which coordinates ever so nicely with the Artisan Label punch.
Well, I'm off to sub again today... Kindergarten - the BEST! Don't have too much fun without me!   :}

introducing IBJ sketch #16

If you've hung around my blog for a while, you know how much I love a good card sketch. I even like to create them for myself - and for you, too! Let me introduce you to IBJ (INKlings by Jenn) sketch #16: 

Clean, simple, and easy to stamp a card in minutes. My fabulous upline had a fun team meeting in April... We had an array of stampin' goodies to work with, and some of my card sketches as inspiration. Here are some of the cards made with IBJ sketch #16: 

Fun, right??? I'm looking forward to our meeting in May, where each of us brings our own, new sketch. I can't wait!!

saying farewell to favorites

While I do get super excited when a new Stampin' Up! catalog is about to start, sometimes it's hard to say goodbye to some of my favorite retiring products. The Build a Blossom stamp set and Blossom Petals punch are two coordinating goodies I'm having trouble letting go of. They will most likely make their way into my "vault."  :} 

I like how you can make a special, elegant flower that's sure to cheer anyone up! The stamp set has both flower and leaf images that fit perfectly in the punch. 

When assembling the flower, I like to punch out a scrap circle to have a base for adhering the petals. 
One of my favorite flowers to make with these goodies is a poinsettia. It looks nice on cards, scrapbook pages, and gifts!

And buried in my computer files was a video tutorial I made a while ago showing you how easy this is to make! 

Don't you just want to make some right now!!  ;)  I love how amazing the flowers turn out. Make a few for your friends and they will think you are the craftiest person they ever met.  :}  

Be to to shop for all of your favorite retiring goodies before they are all gone!

happy 2nd birthday, Olive Jane

Today is my sweet little niece's 2nd birthday! I'm looking forward to celebrating with her tomorrow at her big birthday bash. Of course Aunt Jenn made coordinating tags and a special birthday card!  :} 

I chose Pretty in Pink (a retiring color), Pear Pizzazz (a returning color), and Basic Gray for my colors. The birthday cake (Make a Wish stamp set) looks so pretty after die-cutting with a Labels Collection Framelit, and adhering some Basic Pearls. 

Having the age number on birthday cards for little ones is just too cute, so I stamped and fussy-cut a number 2 (from the Memorable Moments stamp set), and adhered that to a Pear Pizzazz 7/8" Scallop Circle. Technically, the Baker's Twine is Lucky Limeade and not Pear Pizzazz, but I'm hoping Olive won't notice that subtle difference.   ;) 

Birthday gifts should have tags that coordinate with the card, right??? It was super easy to make the coordinating tags by using the same colors and DSP (Twitterpated), as well as incorporating some of the same design elements. 

I die cut the top edge of the tag with a Labels Collection Framelit.  *** Tip: if you want to use a Framelit to create a decorative edge, turn the handle on your Big Shot just enough so that only the portion you want trimmed gets cut, then turn the handle the other way to back up the platform. 
I used the same embossing folder on the card and tags. *** Tip: use the embossing folder after die-cutting or your texture will get smooshed. The Memorable Moments stamp set has that nice stitched image to fit perfectly in the Famelit, and I like the font of the greetings in this stamp set. I added a stamped number 2 (Number It) to the tags as well, and I used the same embellishments (Basic Pearls) on both projects. 

I can't wait to give Olive a great big hug and watch her open all the presents. Two is a fun age at gift opening time, since they now know exactly what those bags and boxes are all about!