12 Days of Holiday Savings!

These might be the most exciting 12 days of December with select Big Shot dies and vinyl sheets for the Big Shot on sale! The 12 Days of Holiday Sales begin today and runs through December 22.

Some of the items introduced in this sale are new colors of Décor Elements vinyl sheets. There are 18 new colors to choose from, and they make great projects when you use them with Big Shot dies. Consider pairing the Clear Décor Elements vinyl sheets with the Tulipe Bigz die to create an etched-like design on a vase. Or use the Decorative Accent Bigz dies with the Old Olive Décor Element vinyl sheets to enhance a frame. The combination of Big Shot dies and Décor Elements vinyl sheets is sure to take your creativity to a new level!

Tell your husband!!! Shop now --- sale is only until Dec. 22nd!

Click here to view the Big Shot Specials list!

Have you been Naughty or Nice?

Some special ladies will be receiving these in their Christmas stockings this year filled with a Stampin’ Up! gift certificate!  They must have been really good this year to be getting one of these, don’t you think? 

Add some simplicity to your holiday shopping.  Give the gift of creativity this year!  Contact me to get your Stampin’ UP! gift certificate. Gift certificate with above holiday card (colors may vary)can be sent directly to recipient or to you!

Recipe
Stamps: Four Holidays
Inks:  Basic Black
Paper: Whisper White, Cardboard, Gold Cardstock
Accessories: Crystal Effects, Chunky Glitter, Big Shot, Big Shot Texture Plates, Gold Elastic Cord, Dimensionals, Ornament Punch
Technique: Big Shot Texture

Enjoy!

Peace on Earth

I’ve been wanting to play with this little polar bear from Cold and Cuddly for awhile now.  Well…I had the chance today!  I just love how he looks all embossed in silver sitting on a snow bank looking out at the falling snow.

 

Recipe
Stamps: Cold and Cuddly, Four the Holidays, Snow Swirled
Inks:  Versamark, Night of Navy
Paper: Night of Navy, Whisper White
Accessories: Silver Embossing Powder, Heat Tool, Dimensionals
Technique: Tearing, Heat Embossing

Enjoy!

Autumn Splendor

I love Autumn.  This is my favorite time of year.  I have fond memories of jumping in a pile of leaves and that is the inspiration for this fall themed card. 

I have been playing with photo paper, alcohol and reinkers and this is just one of many cards that I have created using this fun technique.  I cut out one leaf and adhered it to Chocolate Chip Paper and then re cut the leaf with a slight Chocolate Chip edge.

Recipe
Stamps: Autumn Splendor
Inks:  Chocolate Chip
Paper: Crushed Curry, Chocolate Chip, Glossy Photo Paper
Accessories: Chocolate Chip 5/8” Grosgrain Ribbon, Sponges, Alcohol, Cotton Balls, Paper Snips, Reinkers – Crushed Curry, Chocolate Chip, Pumpkin Pie and Dusty Durango, Dimensionals

Please leave a comment and let me know what you think!

Enjoy!

Goblins, Ghouls and Spooky Embellishments

Don’t be surprised that that you won’t see any stamping today.  Believe it or not I do have some other talents hidden away.  LOL!  This past weekend, I created a Halloween costume for my little ghoul!  I am not sure if I can say little now that he turned 9! Don’t you just love his “Yes, I am dead”, face?

It is truly amazing that although I didn’t use any stamps, I did use some of my Stampin’ Up! products on his costume!  Did you know that the Black Grosgrain Ribbon was just perfect to tie his ghoulish black hooded robe around his neck?  I bet you wouldn’t even think of sponges at Halloween would you?  Well, the Stampin’ Up! sponges cut into wedges was the perfect tool to create this ghoulish face!

Wishing you loads of Halloween fun!

  

Sugarless Halloween Treats

Halloween is synonymous for sweet treats! Well, this little treat is perfect for school children or avid readers! This cute little gift contains four bookmarks held together with a little belly band.  When you slide the “Happy Halloween” belly band off the gift, it reveals the “Trick or Treat” greeting on the front bookmark!  Each bookmark is perforated so that it can easily be removed from the group.  A great gift to give or share with your friends!

Recipe
Stamps: 115370 Teeny Tiny Wishes, Holiday Best (Hostess Level 1), 115460 From the Crypt, 111764 Eat, Drink and Be Scary, 113490 Baroque Motifs

Inks:  Jet Black Stazon, Versamark, Old Olive

Paper: 102851 Basic Black,100730 Whisper White, 115677 Cast-a-Spell Designer Series Paper

Accessories: 108362 Crop-a-dile,109133 Black Embossing Powder, 112082 Wide Oval Punch, 112082 Large Oval Punch, 114889 Scallop Oval Punch, 116630 Modern Label Punch, 104390 1/2” Circle Punch, 1/4" Circle Punch (Retired) , 106958 Cutter Kit, 100082 Basic Black Marker, 103579 Paper Snips, 109027 Basic Black 1/4" Grosgrain Ribbon, 103579 Paper Snips, 104430 Dimensionals, 104294 Sticky Strip

Enjoy!

Spooky Tastes

Day 6 – Holiday Haunts Stamp Camp – Test Tube Box

This project is another version of my Inspiration Box that I created for the Holiday Blog Tour and for my Holiday Haunts stamp camp.

This clever little box is specially created to hold 3 test tubes less than 3/4” in diameter and less than 5” tall including the cork. Unfortunately, I am unable to tell you the vendor…so just make sure your test tubes are approximate in size.

These test tubes contain jelly beans perfectly colored to match that wonderful Cast-a-Spell Designer Series Paper – Don’t you just love that when everything matches?  What do you think will happen when you pop one of these beans into your mouth?  I think the green one will turn you into a frog, the orange beans will turn you into a pumpkin and the purple ones? Well, I think they will turn you back to normal!

The box lid is attached and is perfect to hold the treats in as well as keep all the goodies inside the box when it is closed.

Recipe
Stamps: Eat Drink and Be Scary
Paper: Cast-a-Spell Designer Series Paper, Pumpkin Pie, Lavendar Lace
Ink:  Jet Black Stazon
Accessories: More Mustard 1/4” Grosgrain Ribbon, Dimensionals, Fire Rhinestone Brads, Paper Snips

The box was one of my featured projects at my stamp camp and everyone that attended received the directions for the Inspiration Box with this camp.  If you couldn’t attend the stamp camp and are interested in receiving the tutorial and cutting guide, you may purchase it from me via PayPal for $3.95. Be sure to include the email address that you would like to receive the PDF.

Enjoy!

Spooky Sounds and Sights

Day 5 – Holiday Haunts Stamp Camp - CD/DVD Matchbook Holder

This fun little project is a matchbook that contains a sugarless treat for your favorite Halloween buff or for those grandparents that are always looking for the latest pictures of this years Halloween costumes!  Great for storing or giving photos or music CDs, or DVDs that you plan to watch on Halloween with a friend close by!

The matchbook securely holds the CD or DVD inside without fear of it falling out.  That cute little belly band holds the flap in place when it is closed and stays in place when open so that you can still see that fun little Spooky Treats Rub On.  Do you love it as much as I do?

Recipe
Stamps: From the Crypt
Paper: Cast-a-Spell Designer Series Paper, Basic Black, Basic Gray, Night and Day Designer Series Paper (Mini)
Ink:  Jet Black Stazon
Accessories: Wide Oval Punch, Spooky Treats Rub Ons, Sticky Strip, Creepy Green colored CD/DVD, Silver brads, Paper Piercer, Mat Pack, 1-3/4” Circle Punch, Dimensionals

Enjoy!

Boo to You

Day 4 – Holiday Haunts Stamp Camp Projects – Boo Pennant

If you enjoy decorating your home over the holidays, a pennant is the perfect answer to mixing a little bit of “fun” to any holiday.  This fun pennant was shown at Convention this year and I saw a quite a few renditions of it since then. 

The Bigz Pennant Die (113483) makes this an project easy to create.  Add the Serif Essentials Alphabet (113464) and you are ready to create a pennant with any words to complete your holiday decorating!

Recipe
Stamps: Sweet Centers (Mini)  
Paper: Cast-a-Spell Designer Series Paper, Basic Black, Old Olive, Pumpkin Pie
Ink:  Jet Black Stazon
Accessories: Basic Black 1/4” Striped Grosgrain, Big Shot Machine, Stampin’ Up! Pennant Die, Serif Essentials Alphabet Die, Paper Cutter with Scoring Blade

Enjoy!

Trick or Treat

Welcome to day three of my week of Holiday Haunts! 

These little gems were created using the Fancy Favor Big Shot Die.  Another rather quick and easy project that includes the wonderful little treat cups found in the Holiday Mini Catalog! 

A fun little trick that I discovered when cutting these boxes is that you can actually use an 8 1/2 sheet of paper to create one box…so even if you have run out of the 12 x 12 in the color you need…don’t fear you can make it work with the smaller size sheet!

The great thing about holidays is that many candy manufacturers create specialty candy for the holidays.  These little skulls, bones and pumpkins were the perfect accompaniment to the little treat bag.

 

Recipe
Stamps: Sweet Centers (Mini),  
Paper: Cast-a-Spell Designer Series Paper, Basic Black
Ink:  Jet Black Stazon
Accessories: Treat Cups (Mini), 1-1/4” Striped Grosgrain: Old Olive, Basic Black and Pumpkin Pie, Horizontal Slot Punch

Enjoy!

Halloween Spice

Welcome back! This is day 2 of my Holiday Haunts projects!  If you have missed a day make sure you go back to check out the previous days projects.

I love creating cards, but sometimes events call for a 3D item!  Halloween parties often involve special projects that can hold a special candy surprise inside.  This little tombstone style matchbox can hold a bit of candy corn, a little candy bar, cash or “body parts”!  I found gummy “body parts” at a local grocery store…they fit perfectly in this matchbox!  Who wouldn’t just howl when they found a nose, a brain, a foot or a finger upon opening this little box of Halloween fun!

Creating projects with Big Shot Dies cuts your creation time down to minutes!  How many Matchboxes can you cut in 5 minutes?

Have some fun spicing up your next holiday project! Hope to see you back here tomorrow for some more Halloween fun!

Recipe
Stamps: From the Crypt, Sanded(Background), Teeny Tiny Wishes 
Paper: Basic Gray, Rich Razzleberry
Ink:  Basic Gray, Rich Razzleberry
Accessories: Big Shot Die Cut Machine, Extended Cutting Pads, Stampin’ UP! Matchbox Die, Paper Snips, Dimensionals

Enjoy!

Hauntingly Fun

Halloween is one of those holidays that allow you to decorate with bats and spiders even though the rest of the year you would scream and run for the vacuum or a broom if you saw them in your home!  In fact, the huge hairy, 20-million-eyed spider I saw today was dead in its tracks when I came upon it today – literally!  LOL! 

I thought you might like to see a couple of the projects that I created for my Holiday Haunts stamp camp this past month.  I will be posting 1 project each day for the next 6 days.  I hope it inspires you to create your own Halloween fun this year! The projects will increase in difficulty as we progress through the days.

Cards are a quick and easy projects to get that cauldron of ideas flowing.  These cards are perfect, sweet and simple ideas to let the little and big kids in your life know that you are thinking about them at this time of year!  I love creating in different colors – don’t you just love mixing up concoctions of colors?

Recipe
Stamps: Baroque Motifs, Holiday Best (Hostess) 
Paper: Cast-a-Spell Designer Series Paper, Old Olive, Pumpkin Pie, Perfect Plum, Whisper White
Ink:  Old Olive, Pumpkin Pie, Perfect Plum
Accessories: Stampin’ Write Markers: Old Olive, Perfect Plum, Pumpkin Pie, Dimensionals, Ribbon Originals – Orchard, Tombow Multipurpuse Adhesive

Enjoy!

Stampin’ Addicts Holiday Mini Blog Tour

   

Welcome to stop #20 of the Stampin' Addicts Happy Holidays Blog Tour! I will be showcasing the beautiful Charming stamp set shown on page 32 of Stampin’ UP!’s Holiday Mini. This tour will take you through more than 20 different blogs to showcase many of the new and exciting products in the new Stampin' Up! Holiday Mini Catalog. These products will be available for order starting September 1.

This tour runs from Saturday, August 29 to Monday, August 31.

If you've come here via Paula’s blog, I am sure you were thrilled with her great ideas for the Decor Elements & Wood Blocks….it gives me the inspiration I need to create the ones I have here at my home already!  If you're just jumping on from here, have no worries! The tour will circle around to the beginning, so you can see all of the wonderful and inspiring projects!

You may click on any of the photos to view a larger version.

It may be easy to miss the Charming stamp set in the Holiday Mini, but it is ideally sized to make elegant jewelry within the exclusive line of Simply Adorned Charms.  Even though I didn’t have the Charms to create with, I found this set wonderful to use with our Hodgepodge Hardware accents and our Pretties Kit due to its size and stylish images. 

My first project is a tiny 1.5” x 4.75” x 1” self-designed box. A bottle cap attached to the underside of the Hodgepodge Hardware is inset within the box top and holds the mini medallion image.  The hardware is flush with the top and the bottle cap actually sits within a 1 1/4” hole in the box top. I love the look this creates when viewing the image within the hardware!

Recipe
Stamps: Charming
Paper: More Mustard, Soft Suede, The Write Stuff Specialty Designer Series Paper, Whisper White
Ink:  Chocolate Chip, Chocolate Chip Craft
Accessories: Hodgepodge Hardware, Mistletoe Ribbon Originals, Soft Suede, More Mustard, Old Olive – Markers, Paper Snips, Crystal Effects, 1” Circle Punch, 1 1/4” Circle Punch, Dimensionals, Clear Embossing Powder, Fire Circle Rhinestone Brad (Disassembled), Bottle Cap (Recycled)

My second project is a 4” x 4” card.  I was inspired by the Simply Adorned Charms. I created my own, “necklace” that I attached to this little card.  The Hodgepodge Hardware was distressed until it became almost Kraft colored.  I love the final result!

Recipe
Stamps: Charming, Medallion
Paper: Kraft, Elegant Eggplant, Old Olive
Ink:  Elegant Eggplant, Old Olive, Old Olive Craft, Chocolate Chip Craft (to distress the hodgepodge)
Accessories: Hodgepodge Hardware - Vanilla, Kraft Taffeta Ribbon, 1” Circle Punch, 3/4” Circle Punch, Corner Rounder, Dimensionals, Clear Embosssing Powder, Sponge, Sanding Blocks

My final project is another self-designed box that can contain a special surprise inside.  The lid is attached so that upon closing you have an enclosed little gift box to give any special little embellishments or treats.  The box lid is perfect for pouring out these embellishments when it is time to create!

 

Recipe
Stamps: Charming, Itty Bitty Backgrounds
Paper: Night of Navy, Bordering Blue, Naturals Ivory 
Ink:  Night of Navy, Bordering Blue
Accessories: Pretties Kit, Whisper White Taffeta Ribbon, Bordering Blue Reinker, Stamp-a-ma-jig, Sponge, Bordering Blue, Night of Navy and Old Olive Markers, Wire

I hope you enjoyed my stamped creations using the Charming stamp set! Use the arrows below to navigate to the next stop on our tour, where Barbara will be showcasing yet another great item from the Holiday Mini Catalog – the Simply Adorned Charms – the perfect accompaniments to the Charming stamp set!

These links will remain active until 11:59PM PST on Monday, August 31st.

Enjoy!

Celebrating 40 years - Ruby Anniversary

So there are many ways to create a card, but when it is something special a whole lot of time and effort go into making that perfect card that you hope will become a keepsake.

The Keal-side of my family are celebrating 40 years of married life together this coming weekend! What a wonderful occassion to celebrate and we are lucky to be spending it together!

Now, I am sure you can imagine how this went..."Linda, you are in charge of the card." I am sure many of you cardmakers are given the same types of orders...oops I mean requests by your family and friends. LOL!

This card took me almost 4 hours - contemplating what would be perfect for this creation. So don't feel bad if it takes you a bit of time to create that perfect creation when it is for a special event. Easy cards are fun to create...but it is also fun to put the love and time into your card when it is for someone special.

Recipe

Stamps: Flores Suaves (Celebrando Creatividad), Matchbox Messages, Simple Serif Numbers and Letters (Retired), Woodgrain background stamp, Teeny Tiny Wishes See why it is important to have lots of stamp sets? HeeHee

Paper: Soft Suede, Ruby Red, Very Vanilla

Ink: Soft Suede, Ruby Red

Accessories: Paper Snips, Kraft Taffeta Ribbon, Soft Suede Polk Dot Ribbon, sponge daubers, build-a-brad, Ruby Red Marker, Ruby Red Reinker, Wire Works (Retired), Paper Piercer, 1/2" Circle Punch, Sticky Strip, Dimensionals

I made the butterfly bodies by wrapping the wire around the end of the paper piercer and feeding one end back through the body to create the antenae.

Enjoy!

One Hot Summer Day

I know it has been some time since I have been here, but with a crazy schedule, Noah being home from school and vacation...I have been caught up in family fun! These past few days I have been busy designing for my upcoming classes and clubs. I am giving you a sneak peak of one of my upcoming club projects for my July and August gem clubs. If you like what you see and you are not a member of one of my hostess clubs then contact me today. I have some current openings that are sure to fit your schedule!

This project is a cute little 3D treat holder that I used for this project. I saw the ice cream cone idea at Theresa Momber's blog, Crafting The Web. This project can easily accomodate 3 x 3 mini cards too! A cello bag is all you'll need to package up your little gift. (Don't get any ideas about putting ice cream in it!) LOL! I hope you like this project as much as I do!

Confucius Say

I love eating chinese food, in fact it is one of my favorites, but the best part was always reading my fortune at the end! I just love all Asian-inspired stamps and they usually end up in my growing stamp collection. This project was created for a daily challenge over at Stampin Addicts and uses one of the newest Hostess Level 2 stamps that will be available on July 1st. The challenge was to use the Emboss Resist Technique. I decided to use some of the current In Colors and include my favorite new In Color - Soft Suede, that also will be available starting on July 1st.

I really like the simplicity of this card. Not too much going on, so it shows off the wonderful technique of embossing!

Project Recipe:

Stamps: Asian Artistry (Hostess Level 2 - 2009-2010 Idea Book and Catalog)

Ink: Versamark, Kiwi Kiss, Baja Breeze

Cardstock: Whisper White, Soft Suede (2009-2010 Idea Book and Catalog)

Accessories: Clear Embossing Powder, Dimensional, Crafter's Tool Kit (Piercing Tool and Mat Pack), Brayer, Heat Tool

Enjoy!

Wonderful You

This is a quick little project that was created for a challenge on Stampin Addicts. My box is a tribute to the Wonderful You stamp set. It is on the Last Chance List along with all the 2008-2009 In Colors and these items will not be in the catalog in July. If you are interested in this great two-step stamping set or any of the In Color products...the time to get it is now! Visit my website through the link on the left and you can make your purchase on-line. Of course, you can always contact me and make that purchase too!

I also used the new Circle Scissors Plus circle cutter. I love circles and this is a great tool to cut out various circle sizes from 1" to 6".

This great little project will hold a bundle of 3"x3" (love note size) cards and envies or you can place a little bundle of your favorite treat inside!

Project Recipe:

Stamps: Wonderful You

Ink: Tangerine Tango, Kiwi Kiss, Basic Black

Cardstock: Tangerine Tango (Textured Cardstock - 12 x 12), Tangerine Tango, Kiwi Kiss, Whisper White

Accessories: Tangerine Tango Striped Ribbon, Large Oval Punch, Circle Scissors Plus, Paper Snips, Dimensionals, Word Window Punch, Sticky Strip

Enjoy!

Sneaky Peeky

Hey there!

Can you believe that I have two postings in one week? I think that might be a record!!!! Well, I have been very busy talking to my friends - both old and new! I have found that most of my days lately has been spent talking and not as much stamping. I created this lovely card yesterday with some of the new In Colors that I received on Tuesday. I used the sketch challenge found on Splitcoaststampers #231 for the layout - I hope you like it! Feel free to leave me a feel good comment and let me know what you like about my newest creation. Thanks for stopping by and checking out what I have been up to!

Project Recipe:

Stamps: Animal Stories, Circle Circus, Family Phrases

Cardstock: Dusty Durango, Whisper White

Ink: Dusty Durango, Crushed Curry, Soft Suede

Accessories: 3/4 Circle Punch, 1" Circle Punch, Sponge, Dusty Durango Dotted Ribbon, Dusty Durango, Crushed Curry and Soft Suede Marker

Enjoy!

Summer Fun

Here are a few projects that I created using the Just Beachy, Lazy Days Wheel and the Great Friend sets, found in the Occassions mini. These sets were very easy to combine to create some one of a kind summer projects!

Project Recipe: Kool-Aid Gift Holder

Stamps: Just Beachy, Great Friend (Occasions Mini Catalog)
Paper: Baja Breeze, Walk in the Park (Occasions Mini Catalog)
Ink: Baja Breeze, Basic Black
Accessories: 1 3/4" Circle Punch, 1-3/8" Circle Punch, Grommets, Baja Breeze Striped Ribbon, Paper Snips, Scoring Tool

I thought this beautiful Walk in the Park Designer Series Paper print looked like underwater plants.



Project Recipe: Sunshine Fun



Stamps: Just Beachy, Lazy Days Wheel (Occasions Mini Catalog)
Paper: Tangerine Tango, Close to Cocoa, Summer Sun, Whisper White
Ink: Tangerine Tango, Creamy Caramel, Summer Sun Marker
Accessories: Chocolate Chip Marker, Blender Pens, Button Latte, My Way Punch, Paper Snips, Mini Glue Dots, Dimensionals




The "Sunshine" from the Lazy Days wheel was created by rolling the wheel in Tangerine Tango using a baby wipe across the bottom of the word and using the Summer Sun marker across the bottom to create the two-tone.
Project Recipe: A Note For You



Stamps: Just Beachy (Occassions Mini Catalog), Sweet Little Sentiments (Hostess Level 1)
Paper: Tempting Turquoise, Whisper White, Pink Flamingo Designer series Paper, Basic Black
Ink: Tempting Turquoise, Kiwi Kiss, Basic Black
Accessories: 1- 3/4" Circle Punch to create mask, Word Window Punch, Sponge






These Mini Occasion stamp sets are available through June 30th.

Enjoy!