Cinema Day, Awards & the Last Day of school~Stamped gifts for the Teacher & kids

What a whirlwind the last week has been! We wrapped up the end of school and are officially on Summer Vacation!

I thought I would share some of the things I was busy with. Our school has "Awards Day" for all the students. All of the 1st grade classes decided to have "Cinema Day" after the Awards. The children were given a list of movies to sign up for, they got to choose which movie they wanted to see and there were 4 movies shown at the same time. Since the classes were all going to be co-mingled I could not just do cupcakes for my son's class, I did then for ALL the 1st graders. We also sent bags of popcorn for the children during the movie. I did hand colored tags on ALL the bags of popcorn I sent, I found this adorable stamp called "Night at the movies" from Lockhart stamps, then I was lucky enough to find these movie themed cupcake picks online to coordinate. I sent 90 cupcakes to school!
The middle picture is a movie gift we made for my son's teacher for Cinema day. You can't see much of the stamped items in the picture but I used the same stamp and made belly bands for some microwave popcorn packs. I added some yummy movie candies~Reese's, Pixie sticks, Red vines licorice, Dots & Good & Plenty. I also put in some of our favorite popcorn seasoning, we actually take ours to the movie theater with us for our popcorn. Kernal Seasoning's White Cheddar.
You can get a few of the flavors at Walmart. I got some Popcorn holders and the larger bucket and added some fancy shredded paper inside, it made for a great Cinema day teacher gift!
The next day the whole 1st grade had a BBQ field trip to a huge park, we had all the first grader classes playing in a creek at the same time! What a day! The kids had a great time but the parents were WORN out! Now to survive summer!

Well I am off to check out the pool! We just had a pool put in and it is being filled today! I will be back tomorrow with a new project! A card box with 6 cards & envelopes!

Have a POOL day!

Water Bottle Drink pouch holders~Soccer team~Stampin' Up

I have made these water bottle drink mix pouches/holders for so many occasions. This time I made them for my little guy's soccer team! The teams colors are blue & green and they are the "Owls".

I was so excited to see that there was blue owl designer paper in the Good Morning Sunshine DP set! The blue dot DP seen behind the soccer ball is the back side of the owl DP.

I love the cute "Just Soccer" stamp set from Stampin' Up! The sports themed stamps are perfect for the kids team sports. We have assigned snack days so I made these up and put Gatorade Propel drink mix in each pouch to hang on the water bottles.

I have done adult versions for demo's and parties but they are WONDERFUL Birthday Parties! You can make them in whatever color or theme you need! There are so many drink mix choices these days, I usually put the Crystal Light White peach tea mix for my adult holders.
I am almost done with a photo tutorial for making these but I have to run to a soccer game right now! I hope to put the tutorial up later today!


Have a SPORTS day!

Pulling a Rabbit out of the hat~Followers Choice~boxes, bags, 3-D, Altered projects Oh my!,

~Before I forget! I would like to thank Tip Junkie for featuring my Father's Day project! If you get a chance be sure and take a peek at their fabulous blog!

Did I ever mention I LOVE making special cakes? I love working with fondant and gumpaste. This is a cake I made for my little guy's last birthday, We hired a magician and had an all out Magic show party. Yes, the bunny is edible as are the dice, wand, stars etc. I hand sculpted him from a combination of fondant and gumpaste. I only do cakes as a hobby for friends and family but I LOVE the whole themed idea and making ALL the goodies to go along with it, be food, paper, decorations, you name it! Would you guys like to see themed party ideas or just the paper side of it like invitations, cards? I'm trying to decide if I should be posting more about the recipe and idea side to go along WITH the paper crafts I often do. This is your chance to let me know!

I thought today I would put forth a request to my readers! I have so many project ideas bouncing around in my head it really is hard to pick which one to put on the blog! I have found that lately as my families schedule gets so busy with the end of school activities , I have been blogging the things I make for challenges.
So that said, I would like to hear from YOU, my readers! What kinds of projects do you want to see, what kinds of tutorials are you looking for? Now that we are in between holidays & school is almost out, do you like to see ideas for your children's sport teams? Birthday party favors? Babies, Weddings, pool parties?

For my family & friends I tend to like to make gift ware, altered and 3-D projects. However I make cards on a daily basis.

I have had some questions from some of you and I will try to answer them here!

Yes, I DO take orders for custom announcements, invitations, party favors, wedding favors. I do also make custom themed sets for gifts. I also have a machine embroidery and sewing business so I sometimes incorporate sewing and embroidery on my cards and gift items. I have not really blogged about how to machine embroider on card stock , I was not sure if it was something there would be a lot of interest in. I know there is a lot of interest on the recipient end but I was not sure how many paper crafters also had embroidery machines and would be interested in tutorials.

Now is you chance to let me know! Just leave a COMMENT on this post and I will try to put your ideas into blog posts and tutorials. If I use your idea I will be sure to mention whose post it came from AND if you have a blog I will be happy to link to it in the post. So be sure and leave your id, email & blog info in the comment section OR feel free to EMAIL me if you do not want to post.

I will be back this afternoon to post a fabulous project I just did for my Son's Soccer team!

Have a FABULOUS day!

Altered tin~Mini Dessert Bucket into planter~Cheep Talk, Good Morning Sunshine!

SCS Challenge WT218~Alter a tin

Yesterday I mentioned that the UPS man brought me a big box of new Stampin' Up goodies! I thought I would share this project today since I used a new stamp set and some of the designer paper that I got from the current promotion (buy 3 packs of DP or 12x12 card stock and get one pack FREE, you can mix and match!) I couldn't pass that promotion up!

This a tin mini dessert bucket from a restaurant. I put an unaltered one in the picture so you could see how it started out. My son loves to bring these home and then he soon loses interest. The fun part is that I did not actually plant anything in the tin bucket. I found these mini dessert tins are the perfect size to slide a peat pot into! So we planted our seeds a couple weeks ago into a biodegradable peat pot and waited for them to sprout. These are watermelon plants in this one. Once they have started to grow you can make your bucket and then simply slide the peat pot inside. Now it is ready for gift giving! The recipient can then slide the peat pot out and plant it right into the ground! The tin can then be saved!


For this project I used the following:
Cheep Talk Stamp Set #113204
Good Morning Sunshine designer paper#113966
Pacific point card stock #
Pacific point classic ink #111837, kiwi kiss, so saffron
Striped Kiwi Kiss grosgrain ribbon 5/8"#111372
Sticky Strip
Dimensionals
Paper Crimper


Have a SUNSHINE day!

Poppin Good Birthday~Walk in the Park SC228

House of Mouse~Poppin Good Birthday

I have not been into my House of Mouse stamps in quite awhile. I have missed coloring them!
Today's sketch challenge gave me the perfect opportunity to break out my copic markers and koh-i-noor pencils. I used mineral oil to blend my pencils, starting with the darker color first.

Card stock colors are So Saffron, Pretty in Pink, Bashful Blue and Whisper White.

Both Dp's are from the Walk in the Park collection which you can find in the Occasions Mini Catalog.

Present image is from the SU Holiday Blitz stamp set. This is a great set with something for each Holiday/Occasion. I seem stamps from it quite often!
The ribbon accent is So Saffron.

The UPS man just brought me my latest Stampin' Up goodies! I am off to play with some new papers! Don't forget to take advantage of the Buy 3 get 1 free designer paper promotion! It ends May 31, 2009!



Have a Happy Day!

Manhattan Flower Textured Impressions Die~Yellow Rose CC218

Yellow Rose of Manhattan~Color Challenge 218~Summer Sun, Kiwi Kiss & Only Orange.

I just received my new Manhattan Flower Textured Impressions Die! It had been back ordered and I am actually still waiting for a package to arrive with all my Manhattan DP's and ribbons! I had to take advantage of the "Buy 3 packs get 1 free" promotion. I was going to wait to try this die out but when I saw today's color challenge on SCS I decided to try it on yellow.

I was very "impressed" (haha) with the quality of the embossing on this die! I did not have to add any extra shims! This was a very simple card, after running the embossing folder with my Summer sun card stock through my Big Shot, I used the Kiwi kiss, Summer Sun & Whisper White Stampin' Pastels to color the embossed image. I added a bit of dazzling diamonds glitter to a few spots with my glue pen.
The sentiment is punched out with the oval punch and I used Summer Sun pastel to rub the edges. Only orange cs on the new scalloped oval punch. Ribbon is the Whisper White organza!

Have a SUNNY day!

Bandanna technique~True Friend, Boho Backgrounds kraft card

WHAT? A card with no Designer Paper??

It's true! No Dp was used int he making of this card. :-)
Yesterday I was challenged to "try a new technique" This was to stamp an image and then doodle around it with a white gel pen to make it resemble a bandanna!

You can try this with ANY color card stock, then choose a stamp and stamp it all over in black OR a color similar to the color card stock your using. Then get your white gel pen and start making dots, dashes & squiggly lines.

For my card I used kraft card stock and used stamps from the True Friend #110378 and Boho Backgrounds #114940 in black Stazon ink. I doodled with my opaque white gel pen #105021. I also used black & whisper white card stock. The ribbon is So Saffron #111364.
I stamped my sentiment & larger image in riding hood red. The larger image was cut out and doodled with black ink then a die cut flower and gem were added. I will be adding another color combination in this technique soon!

Give it a try!

Have a CREATIVE day!

Inspiration~ Vintage French Cherries~IC217 Bella Rose & Kraft Paper Card

Today splitcoaststampers had an "inspiration challenge" (IC217).  We were told to a website~Bonjour mon coussin~and choose a cushion as an inspiration for a card.
This is the cushion I chose as my inspiration!
I started with kraft card stock , then added riding hood red & kiwi kiss card stock and ink.
I used my corner rounder punch on the card corners and to scallop the kiwi kiss accent card stock.  I ran some kraft & ridinghood red through my Big Shot using the scalloped oval nestabilities. To these ovals I added doodle dots in chocolate chip & white. 
I used the cherries fromt he Tart & Tangy stamp set for my image , again in ridinghood red with chocolate chip, kiwi kiss and garden green accents. I also used chocolate chip ink on a sponge dauber to give the edges an aged look. I did this on all my ovals, card edges and my twill tape.
The vintage looking gingham paper is from the Bella Rose paper collection. The sentiment is from the Oval All stamp set along with the scalloped oval & oval punches. I popped my sentiment & image up on dimensionals!

Have a FAMILY FUN day!

Bonkers the rehabbed Squirrel & tutorials

A lot of you know that it is a "zoo" around my house & that we have rehabbed an orphaned baby squirrel we named Bonkers.

Bonkers came to us in our back yard at the end of last fall, the tiniest little thing (According to a rehab manual he was about 5 weeks old)  He inserted himself in our lives by hopping on top of my husband's foot over and over, demanding he pick him up. At first we were running from the little thing because we had never seen a squirrel behave this way. We had no idea he was a tiny baby at that time. Since we do have exotic pets, I called our vet and talked to him and he said it was ok to pick him up etc. It turns out that squirrels are usually up for a few hours in the morning and then again in the afternoon/evening but they nap most of the mid day in nests. Well this little guy had been running frantic in our yard for a couple days. Come to find out he did not have a  nest, so he just didn't know what to do. When I found out squirrels at his age can not even climb a tree (not till they are 12 weeks old!) and he was not even old enough to hold up his own tail, I felt so bad. We went out and picked him up, he literally fell over, passed out from exhaustion! I will have to dig those pictures up.

We set him up a nest in an old Bunny hutch and started learning how to raise a baby squirrel. It was very important to me that we did it in a way that he could go back to being a real squirrel when he was old enough.

Well I am happy to say Bonkers is a "teen" now and we released him to live with other squirrels (in our back yard LOL) and he set up house in the 100 year old Maple tree in our back yard.  I can't say that he is a "normal" squirrel because he thinks I am his Mommy and he comes to be fed by me on a schedule twice a day. We play the peanut game in the late afternoon. The other squirrels "laugh" at him because his version of stashing food is to place it in my son's wagon or my flower pots instead of deep burying it in the dirt LOL Of course they come along later and eat all that has hidden.
He is quite demanding, I left the peanut game to come in the house and I came back to see him waiting for me at eye level on the screen door yesterday. You can see avocado is his favorite veggie, I was LOL that he had little avocado chunks on his nose.

I am working on the candle caddy and  popsicle card picture tutorials and hope to get them posted this evening/tomorrow morning.  I will edit them in the original posts for the project.

Have a GREAT day!

Walk in the Park Candle Caddy Box & Card

After yesterdays Mother's day project with the 1st graders, I had 6 candles left over! When I saw the WT217 (make something with Kraft card stock)challenge on Splitcoaststampers today I came up with this idea.

I designed the template for this box to be a candle caddy but I may use it again for other items. I made the divider inserts and they can be adjusted to hold other items, I have a few more things in mind.
I was really happy with how the handle came out.This would be a great gift set for a friend or Mother's Day!

I hope to have time to put up a tutorial on how I made this project soon. I took a few pictures at the beginning of laying it out. It's hard for me to write a tutorial on something new as I am designing it. Now that I have worked out the kinks I can go back and do directions. These last 2 weeks of school are so hectic. We have several games and performances in all the extracurricular activities.
The base to the card and box are kraft card stock, I used kiwi kiss card stock for accents & the designer paper is ALL from the Walk in Park set.

I also used every one of the stamps in the Great Friend stamp set. Both the designer paper pack and stamp set can be found in the Occasions Mini Catalog.  You can order these items by clicking my "Order Online " button to the right.
Remember that right now you can order 3 sets of designer paper and get your 4th pack FREE!

Mother's Day Gift Box~Explosion box with flower top made by the 1st grade!

I wanted to share the project that we made in my Son's 1st grade class today!

I took the Mother's Day Explosion Box with flower top and modified it a bit so the 1st graders could make them with a candle to give their Mom's as a gift!

I had to simplify them in some areas so that we could get them all made in a short period of time.
The measurements & instructions are the same but we omited the squares of DP & window on the inside and changed the tags to circles.

I used the 1 3/8" circle punch for the card stock and 1 1/4" circle punch for the white paper, then I stamped "My Mom" on one tag and we had the children write little love messages to their Mom's on the other 3 circles. I also changed the flower top from the paper flower to some store bought flowers. The paper flowers were just too complex and tine consuming for the kids to do. I bought some cases of Banquet candles with glass holders (12 in a case for about $6) and we used some strips of designer paper adhered with sticky strip around and covered the seam with a paper punched flower. We let the children choose the DP they wanted on their candle holders.

All in all it was a great day, the children seemed so happy with what they had made for their Mom's. I thought the 1st grade version of the Explosion box came out great! The candles fit perfectly inside the boxes without any size adjustments from my tutorial. I was thinking a grown up version of the candle holders would be to put some rub ons or etching on the glass holders!
I've put the original box pictures and the modified version side by side so you can see the changes!

Have a FUN day!

Texture plate & Stampin' Pastels Wedding card~ Fun & Fast Notes CC217

The joy of Stampin' Pastels! (#105542)
The great part of having a set of Stampin' pastels is that I know I have something in all 4 color groups right at my fingertips. The pastels are a great bargain for the price. I have found that I use them a lot to match my coloring with card stock. If you have been slowly collecting markers and ink pads to get all the wonderful SU colors, the pastel set and blender pens come in so handy!

I designed this card for a color challenge, in the end I loved the layout I came up with but its not my favorite color combination. The CC217 color challenge was to make a card using Garden Green, Ballet Blue & Cameo Coral.

I thought I would share it because I love the texture (Texture backgrounds 1 #114512 ) & layout. I also love the wedding cake image from the Fun & Fast notes #113500. I colored the cakes with Stampin' Pastels#105542 in Cameo coral, garden green & ballet blue. I added some dazzling diamonds glitter over the blue on the cake plates.

I would make this card again maybe just changing the card stock accent colors. I think mostly white with a light gray or silver card stock would be really lovely for this layout.
I also used a bit of our Whisper White organza ribbon, a paper flower dusted with Cameo Coral pastel, and a pearl center.

I thought I would also share a funny little video. I have a nine year old Persian cat, he does this funny thing to my husband every night when he begs to get on his lap. I kept trying to catch it on video and I finally we did.





Well I am off to the school to help the 1st graders make explosion boxes with candles inside for Mother's day! That's a whole lot of explosion boxes! I have modified them a bit to make it easier for the kids to make (no paper flower on top, we are doing silk flowers on top) will share some pictures of our finished gifts!

Have a GREAT day!

Clean & Simple Card~Bold Brights~He Loves me, He Loves me not...

He Loves me, He loves me not, He LOVES me!

I had the idea for this card when coming up with a CAS challenge card. It is such a simple but fun card to make! (CAS13 on SCS)
I used my Bold Brights card stock #105548 and my Whisper White card stock.

Cut White card stock for a 4 1/4" x 5 1/2" inch card

Punch out 6 Yoyo Yellow circles with the 1" circle punch.

Punch out 6 Pixie pink flowers with a flower punch.

Cut a piece of super thin green ribbon or card stock for your stem, I used another piece tied in a knot for my leaves. You could also stamp a stem if you have a stem stamp.

Using a 2 way glue pen # 100425 do the center of your flowers in a circle with your glue then add dazzling diamonds glitter #102023. Shake off excess glitter.

Adhere flowers to center of yellow circles, (I slightly bend my petals up for dimension) now you can pluck your petals off! Just like a real flower.

I used a stamp from the SAB Yummy set.



Have a LOVELY day!

Father's Day Shirt Cuff card ~Inside picture & poem

I had a few requests to see what we have done to the inside of the shirt cuff card and the poem we used.

Here is a view of the inside~a picture I took of my guys at the Cadillac Graveyard outside of Amarillo TX. This is one of my favorite Father & Son pictures.

The poem is by an unknown author.

Footprints

"Walk a little slower, Daddy,"
said a child so small.
"I'm following in your footsteps
and I don't want to fall.

Sometimes your steps are very fast,
Sometimes they're hard to see;
So walk a little slower, Daddy,
For you are leading me.


Someday when I'm all grown up,
You're what I want to be;
Then I will have a little child
Who'll want to follow me.

And I would want to lead just right,
And know that I was true;
So, walk a little slower, Daddy,
For I must follow you."

~ Author Unknown


Hope that helps!

Basic Black Monogrammed Note Card~Inspired by Faviana Prom dress~IT178

Today's card is a little different in that I combined two splitcoaststampers challenges into one card, I used Just Rite DIY monogram stamps Times New Roman & designer paper from The Glitter Stack.

The challenges were WT216~to use SU basic black card stock and make a card & IT178 to use a Faviana Prom dress as your inspiration for a card.

You can see the dress I chose as my inspiration here~ Faviana #6162.

I love the inspiration challenges, if you have never tried one before you should give it a go! You can find them on Saturdays here.

This is a pretty clean & simple card. I thought our new Designer hardware basic jumbo grommets fit the challenge perfectly. You can find them in the Mini Occasions Catalog , #114348. I added a 1/2" circle punch of the glitter paper to the center of my grommet.

Have a RESTFUL Day!

Father's Day Shirt Cuff card & gift matchbox ~Sewing on cardstock

I made this fun shirt cuff card and matchbox for my little guy to give his Daddy on Father's Day. We will be adding a picture I took to the inside of the card~it is of the 2 of them walking down the trail to the Cadillac Graveyard.

I added a matching matchbox to hold a little gift~it would be a great box for a tie tack or cuff links! I used the new matchbox die for the Big Shot. For the outside I used Baja Breeze card stock along with the Matchbox messages frame stamp in chocolate chip ink. The tags are 1 3/8" circle punch in chocolate chip cs, 1 1/4" circle punch in confetti cs. The tie stamp is from the Holiday Blitz stamp set and I sponged the edge in chocolate chip. The inside of the box is made with the striped Parisian Breeze dp with a bit of the 1/4" chocolate chip grossgrain ribbon for a pull.
For the shirt cuff card, I cut 2 pieces of card stock, one in the stripe & one in confetti cs. Cut at 8 1/4" long & 3 1/4" wide. Then use the corner rounder punch on the top 2 corners. Gently score, (you don't want a deep score since it will not be a flat fold)both pieces at 2 1/2" and 6 1/4". You will be folding the shorter flap to the center and overlap the longer side on the outside. Adhere both pieces together with sticky strip. Now topstitch with the sewing machine, using your presser foot as your guide, line up the edge of paper with the side of the presser foot, make sure you have the same color thread in your bobbin as your using for topstitching. Stitch all the way around the edges. If you have a button holer foot you can make a simple button hole with your sewing machine, I then stitched the button onto a spare piece of cardstock, using my sewing machines button foot. Use a dimensional to add the button to the top center of the button hole(I did not cut the center of the buttonhole out since I was not going to be able to actually button it. Then add a sticky velcro dot to the backside to close the card.
The tags are the same size as on the matchbox in baja breeze and confetti. The stamp is also from the Holiday Blitz set and inked in chocolate chip.

Be sure to take advantage of our great new promotion! Buy any 3 sets of designer paper and/or 12 x 12 cardstock and get a 4th set FREE! (You can mix and match DP & CS)

Have a GREAT day!

Masculine Birthdays Count ~ Walk in the Park ~ Occasions Mini Catalog

Since today is the FINAL DAY for the Get Connected promotion in the Occasions Mini Catalog, I thought I would share a card I made from all the goodies from that catalog. The stamp set I used is one I earned free in the promotion.
The designer paper is Walk in the Park #115123, the card stock is Kiwi kiss, basic gray & whisper white.  I used one of the brand new Designer Hardware Basic Jumbo Grommets in whisper white #114348 along with Taffeta ribbon in basic gray #109064.
I used the stamps from the Birthdays Count Mini Note Kit #116210 which I earned free in the promotion (this is one of the sets you can choose from the catalog on pg 208) They are inked in

kiwi kiss and basic gray classic ink.
I also used the pocket die by Sizzix in my Big Shot, this lets my sentiment slide in and out on the front of the card.
Scalloped & 1 1/2" circle punches were used to create the circle for the grommet.
I love this card so much that I am going to make one with a Father's Day sentiment.




Have a PRODUCTIVE day!

CC216 Black & White Lotus Birthday Card~Big Shot embossing folder & Sizzix Die

Today's Splitcoaststampers color challenge (CC216) was "Real Black Olives" Make a card using Stampin' Up card stock in Real Red, Old Olive, Black & Whisper White.

I did most of this card on my Big Shot! I began by using one of my new Simple Impressions Embossing Folder~Border Dots by Sizzix on my Whisper White cs. The Old Olive Cs was cut on my Big Shot with the "Scribbles Swirls" die by Sizzix, I added Real Red accents using the same die. I used my ziggy glue pen to glue the swirls on. The card corners were rounded with the corner rounder punch.

My stamped sentiment is from a set of Amy Butler stamps called "Lotus Greetings" and inked in Stazon black. I used the ticket corner punch on my stamped piece and adhered it to black cs using dimensionals. I finished it up with some red & olive sticky gems and a piece of black organza ribbon.

I really love how classy this card came out, it would be a great card for a man or woman. with just a few changes it would make a really lovely invitation or announcment!


Have a Great day!

Cookie Tower Gift Box with Window~Holds 18 cookies! Oval All stamps

Better late than never, right? I finally got my pictures of the Cookie tower box uploaded!

For a long time I have been wanting to design a box that would hold enough of my secret recipe Milk Chocolate Chunk Pecan cookies for gift giving.

For my cookies I use a cookie scoop so they all come out the same size. I have included a picture showing the scoop I used since this box was designed for that size cookie. These are cull sized cookies not mini cookies.

My cookie tower box stands 9 1/4" tall and will hold 18 of my cookies! I will be doing some holiday versions of my new box design (especially Christmas).  My friends love receiving these cookies and I think my new box will make them into a nice gift now!

I also made a shorter version (4 1/2" tall)  of the box without a acetate window for a smaller amount of cookies or other goodies.

In the picture there are 6 cookies (in their own clear bag to keep the box clean).

I used our new "Oval All"  stamp set along with the new scalloped oval punch.  I also used our new window sheets for the window. The dragonfly and butterfly were a BIGZ die that I cut on my Big Shot.

I will be providing more details on this project in the coming days!

Have a YUMMY day!

Blog Candy Winner! Congrat's Linda!

 Thank you to everyone who took the time to leave a comment (and or follow my blog) to enter my first blog candy! I really appreciate all the lovely comments!


Congratulations Linda! (comment #7 out of 15 entries) for winning my very first Blog Candy! You win a raspberry tart class kit, Stampin' Up Classic Ink pad (color of your choice) and an incentive stamp!  Please email me with your information in the next few days so I can get these items shipped to you!

Popsicle invitation cards & Sour Cream Party Favors

Creamsicles!

Orange, Lemon, Lime, & Cherry~YUM!

We had glorious sunshine today! It got up to 80! We went outside, had a picnic lunch & popsicles! Then we hooked up Mt.Tiki Soki! My son's volcano water toy. we had great wet fun! (I don't know what is with that price on Amazon because we bought ours for under $30. Maybe because they aren't being made anymore??)

I turned to my citrus & bright colored papers. These popsicle cards are so CUTE! They can be made into great party invitations for birthdays or pool parties. They also make great cards for children.
I have even made them scratch n sniff on the fruits! (I will put up scratch n sniff instructions later this month.) The kids love the scratch and sniff fruit!

The sour cream container party favors can hold so many different treats! I have made these adorable containers for so many holidays & occasions. They are so easy to make!

I used the Stampin' Up Tart & Tangy #111514 stamp set.
The card stocks are from the Bold Brights collection #105548, as are the inks.
The tags are made with the scalloped punch #109043, ( for Sour cream tags 1 1/4" #104403. & 1 3/8" #104401 circle punches.)
For the popsicles you will also need a corner rounder punch #109047 & a horizontal slot punch #105089
Dimensionals
Popsicle stick
Ribbon

For Popsicle cards~
Cut colored cardstock 4" by 5" and score at 2 1/2", fold for card
Cut a piece of whisper white card stock for inside at 2 1'4" by 3 3/4"

Use your scalloped circle punch on upper right card corner by only punching out the corner like a bite mark, sicne the punch will not go through both layers of the card at once, do the front, then close card and line your punch up exactly to the first punch marks and punch the back side out.
Now use your corner rounder punch and do all remaining corners of your card and your white card stock. (except for the bite corner)

Using dotto or a repositionable adhesive, place white card stock inside the card lining up and again using your scalloped circle punch line it up exactly with the punch marks on the colored card stock, then pull your punch out about 1/8 of an inch and punch. This will leave the white "bite mark" sticking out further so it looks like a dreamsicle. Now remove your white card stock.
Using your horizontal slot punch open your card and center your HSpunch in the center of the bottom edge of the back of the card. Slide punch in all the way and punch, pull back just a bit (about a 1/4" below first punch) and punch a second time. You should now have 2 slots punched out for your popsicle stick to slide into. After sliding your popsicle stick in, add 4 dimensionals to your white card stock and adhere over the popsicle stick.

Punch out a stamped Tart & Tangy image with your scalloped circle punch and adhere to the front of your card with a dimensional. Tie a piece of ribbon to your stick!


Have a POPSICLE day! We did!

Sweet One~Baby Shower favor & Tri fold Card WT215

Embossed Tri fold car with Glitter Window technique~

Wow! I have gone from one extreme to the other since yesterdays Bold & Bright card! Today I was challenged (SCSWT215) to make a card using ONLY white card stock! I decided I needed to do up a baby boy card and when I was done I created a Baby Shower favor to coordinate. I used my new Matchbox Die & Matchbox messages stamp set from the Occasions Mini Catalog.

This card could easily be adapted into a baby announcement for a boy or girl. It would also be very easy to make it a photo announcement too.
I have been emailed a few times about doing custom announcements and yes I do take custom orders for invitations and announcements.

I started with white card stock that I turned into a tri fold card, I ran some whisper white cs through my Big Shot with a texture plate then I used my corner rounder to scallop the edge. Once my edge was scalloped I used my Stampin' Pastel in Bashful Blue to color the edge, from there I added some glue and dazzling diamonds glitter. I adhered this to the outside. Then I used my stampin' pastels and did a few of the embossed hearts with same treatment as the edge.
For the other side I ran a piece of whisper white through the big shot with the Swiss dots texture plate, then I used my finger and rubbed bashful blue pastel lightly over it so the embossed dots would get some soft color.

Now for the fun! I used the glitter window technique for the glitter flowers. I really wanted to do hearts here but my heart punch was nowhere to be found so I settled for my flower punch. This technique is very simple. Punch out your desired shape with your punch. Then on the back side cover over the opening with a piece of clear packing tape with the sticky side facing up. Now turn your card over and sprinkle your glitter generously, tap off excess! That's it! Now you have a glitter window!

I used whisper white organza ribbon to close my card, adhering it only under the scalloped tag and then wrapping it around the card to tie closed. The tag was made with the new scalloped punch & matchbox messages stamp set. Ink & pastels are all done in Bashful blue.

The matchbox baby shower favor & tag were made with the new Stampin' Up Matchbox die, matchbook messages stamped flower border with dazzling diamonds glitter. Bashful blue & whisper white cardstock.

Have a PEACEFUL Day!

Got Sunglasses? Bright Boho Friend card SC225

I must apologize for not posting in the morning like usual! I know a lot of you have said you check my blog in the morning! This week my Son is on Spring break and my schedule is out the window! I'm finding that I have to wait till his batteries wear out before I have some quiet time to post, this seems to be at bedtime LOL

OK so today's card is a "bit" bright but I was ready for some summer color! Seems like I had been on a roll with pinks lately.
A couple of things brought this card together~
This was a sketch challenge on SCS (Split Coast Stampers) and I really liked the layout. I also had a delivery of new stamps from the UPS man and I was anxious to use them! I wanted to see if I could make a card I liked without using any designer paper, only card stock and background stamps.
Since I spent part of my childhood in the Southwest I wanted to bring in the warmth of those beautiful sunsets on the mesa and the bright happy color of turquoise. I did some distressing on my whisper white by tearing it then fraying the edges, I rolled it back a little for the flowers to peek out. I used a few red gems and some dazzling diamonds glitter for a bit of sparkle.

Recipe~
Bold Brights Card Stock: #105548

• Tempting Turquoise card stock
• YoYo Yellow card stock stamped & sponged with apricot appeal ink
• Only Orange card stock stamped & sponged with Ruby Red ink
  

Stamps

• Boho Backgrounds stamp set #114940 (background dots, background flowers & sentiment)
• True Friend stamp set # 110378 (turquoise & red flowers cut out)
  

Accessories~

• 1 1/4" circle punch
• sticky gems
• paper cutter
• bone folder
• adhesive
• dimensionals
• Dazzling diamonds glitter
  

Have a GREAT night!

Cards using the Big Shot~CC215~Changito

I used today's Split Coast Stamper color challenge (CC215) to make a birthday card & play with some new goodies for my Big Shot #113439.

The color challenge was to make a card using the Stampin' Up colors of Pink Pirouette, Rose Red & Basic Gray!

I started by running my pink pirouette card stock #111351 through my Big Shot with a flourish texture plate.

I also cut & embossed my Red Rose & Whisper White card stock scalloped ovals in the Big Shot using my Nestabilities. On the Rose red oval I added some doodle dots with my white gel pen. My birthday cake stamp is part of the Fun & Fast notes stamp set #113500, I then colored the birthday cake with my Stampin' Pastels #105542 and topped it off with a bit of dazzling diamond glitter # 102023. I also used the Whisper White Organza ribbon #114319

My basic gray dot designer paper is part of a Hostess only reward. You can earn this by hosting a party or submitting orders totaling $150 (before tax and shipping)! Don't forget! This is in addition to the Occasions Mini Catalog promotion going on this month!

**I had a little extra time today so I snuck in another color challenge card. I really wanted to play with some more of the new dies I got for my Big Shot. I love Changito Monkey and is silly antics. I thought he was perfect for this funky retro frame die. I also ran the frame back through the Big Shot with the vines texture plate to emboss. The sentiment is from the new Great Friend stamp set in the Occasions mini catalog.  I added some kaiser pearls in white and a gem brad to the die cut flower. I colored Changito with my copic markers.

Have a FANTASTIC day! don't forget to leave a comment somewhere to be entered for my BLOG CANDY!

The "Hybrid" box~Gift Bag Project Kit~Don't forget Blog Candy!

I finally got pics of the box version of my hybrid template. I wanted a box that was as large as I could get on a sheet of card stock (8.5x11) and had very little waste. With a couple different folds on the lid you can make it a gift bag. The gift bag version can be made with paper or card stock. You will recognize the bag version from my previous post "From the Garden".

These are available in a Class Project kit by mail for $15.00 plus $2.00 shipping by first class mail US only. Please use email to inquire if shipping outside of the US is available.
The kit contains materials to complete 4 projects (2 each)
BUTTON IS FOR US ORDERS ONLY PLEASE

The "Hybrid" kit contents:

• Full color step by step picture instruction booklet to make both my box and gift bags
• Materials to complete 2 boxes and 2 gift bags (please note Stamps/inks are NOT included)
  
• 4 full sheets Stampin" Up confetti card stock
• 1/4" chocolate chip grossgrain ribbon for 2 bags
  
• 4 vintage brads
  
• string for closure
• chocolate chip card stock for trim
• 4 So Saffron round die cut hang tags
• 4 chocolate chip 1/5" circles
• 8 so saffron 1/2" circles
• 4 confetti 1 3/8" circles
• 4 confetti 1 1/4" circles
• 2 sticky velcro dots for gift bag closure
  

The box/bag stands 4" tall

PLEASE NOTE: We are not allowed to provide stamps/inks or stamped images. You will need to provide the following to make these projects:

• paper cutter/ruler
• sticky strip/adhesive
• bone folder

• stamps of your choosing (I will list the stamps I used in the pictures, I will discount the class kit to $10 if you purchase the stamp set through my demonstrator website HERE)
• corner rounder or scalloped punch for edges (optional)
  

• Ink pad (and or markers/pastels to color in flowers, this depends on the look you want)

I used the following stamps in the picture~
Gift Box~Stampin' Up Friends 24-7 stamp set (flower blooms) #113218, sentiment on the tag is from the Matchbox Messages Stamp Set #113800
Ink is Classic Ink pad in Chocolate Chip #100908
I colored in my flowers and stems with the Stampin' pastels #105542 in barely banana and old olive, you could also use markers, colored pencils or ink with blender pens.

Gift Bag~Friends 24-7 stamp set (flourish, flower bloom, "here for you" sentiment)
flourish was inked in Sahara Sand classic ink pad, "here for you" sentiment in Baja Breeze classic ink, flower blooms in chocolate chip classic ink, colored in with kiwi kiss and baja breeze classic ink with blender pen)
If you have questions please email!
Don't forget to read yesterday's post about the Blog Candy this week!

Have a FUN day!

Leave a comment for a chance to win blog candy!

We had the best day outside, so I decided to do a second post today! We took the ferrets and our French lop ear house rabbit "Truffles" outside to play. We got the cutest picture of Truffles standing up.

OK so in celebration of Spring finally getting here, everyone who leaves a comment on ANY post on my blog for the next week will be put in a drawing for blog candy! Blog Candy will be a complete Raspberry Tart Class Project kit plus a couple surprise goodies! You can see the Raspberry Tart Class Kit in a previous posting.
I will use Random.org to pick the winner!

If you sign up to follow my blog OR you place an order through my Stampin' Up demonstrator website you will get an extra entry!

Happy Spring!

Italian Brunch & Botanical Blooms!

It's such a lovely Spring day today so I thought I would share a picture of the Italian Brunch I made this morning! After weeks of snow and rain we have a beautiful sunny day and were able to eat outside on our new deck. I had seen these recipes on the Today show over the past couple weeks and decided they would all go together for a lovely outdoor brunch.

These recipes were so easy and came out so lovely! I have already come up with a alternate southwestern version of the baked eggs in ham cups.

Baked eggs in ham cups use the thin ham as the liner for the muffin tin, then you pour in your raw egg, drizzle a bit of pesto, top with mozzarella, a cherry tomato and sprig of parsley. After you bake them they pop out like a cupcake! The salt from the ham seasons the egg just right!
I made them like the recipe for my family but for mine I scrambled the raw egg and they come out great that way also!

Then we had almond crusted Ciabatta bread french toast, Oh my this is going to be a family favorite since we love marzipan and almond anything! We topped with powdered sugar (my 6 year old got a little carried away with that LOL) and then real maple syrup from vermont.

For dessert we had Mascarpone cheese cupcakes with strawberry glaze. These cupcakes are so light, fluffy & moist! The glaze is crushed strawberries and confectioners sugar. These would be great for showers. The recipe called for making mini cupcakes but we made full size cupcakes.
If you would like the recipes for these awesome Brunch items you can find them HERE on the Today Show's website.

Cupcakes are HERE

Next time we are going to try a Southwestern version of the Ham cups and use green chile and cheddar in scrambled egg and top with pico de gallo and a sprig of cilantro!

I also made this Botanical Blooms card that covered 2 challenges. One challenge was to make a card that had a frame on it, the other was to use a Stampin' Wheel, an image stamp & one sentiment stamp.
I used the Sale A Bration Botanical Blooms stamp set for this card, It is a 2 step stamp set. In my Stampin' wheel I used the the "Bella's Bloom" wheel stamp.
Designer Paper is Raspberry Tart
Card stock is Rose red, Whisper white, Pretty in Pink & Kiwi Kiss
SU classic Ink is Rose Red, Pretty in Pink, Kiwi Kiss, Certainly Celery.
BIG SHOT~I used the texture plates #1 set with the big dots on my white card stock, the embossed oval frame was also cut on my Big Shot.
Sentiment was cut out with the oval punch
Certainly Celery ribbon



Have a YUMMY day!

From the Garden~Friends 24/7 One Sheet Gift box/bag hybrid & card

Freinds 24~7 Projects

We finally had some much needed SUN today! I designed this new "bag" template last night. It is actually made from card stock and is sort of a box/bag hybrid. I will be offering the instructions to this as soon as I have time to take tutorial pictures. It is the perfect size to give seed packets or other goodies, it is 2" across the bottom. It is a "one sheet" box/bag.

I used 5 of the 6 stamps in the Friends 24/7 stamp set on these 2 projects. Item # 113218 & you can order them here on my demonstrator website,





 
The color palette is Baja Breeze, Kiwi Kiss, Sahara Sand & Chocolate Chip. I also used the Confetti card stock. Also available on my demonstrator website.

I will be posting more details when I have my class kits ready! I am still working on the Raspberry Tart class kits that will be available by mail soon!

Have a SUNNY day!

April Class Projects~Rasperry Tart Boxes & Cards

I'm on my second day of bed rest, as ordered by the Dr. I'm trying to be good & stay on the couch. I had hubby move my stamping goodies to the den AND the UPS man brought me new goodies yesterday, so now I am not so bored. I am looking forward to getting back on my feet!

These are a few of the goodies I am offering in classes this month, this set is all done with the Raspberry Tart DP and my new stamp sets & die from the Occasions Mini Catalog.

I will be offering this class by mail in the next few days, you can email me if you are interested in purchasing the kit by mail. The kit will include full color pictures and instruction booklet, all card stock, designer paper, die cuts, ribbon, string and I am happy to punch out the circles and ovals if you do not have those punches.
Please remember we are not allowed to offer SU stamped images or ink. If you place an order for the stamp set through my online Demonstrator site I will discount the class kit.
Not included in classes are stamp sets, ink pads, adhesive/sticky strip. I will have more details on the kit in the next day or 2.

Raspberry class includes instructions & materials for ~

2 Match Book slider boxes ~ Embossed card stock, Die cut, includes the die cut tags. 1 in pink embossed with mini dots , 1 in Kiwi embossed with vines
2 3x3 mini note cards
1 "for you" card 4.25" x 5.5"
1 Flower thank you box ~flower die cut included
1 bonus printed template for spring box


Not Included~Stamp sets used for these projects are Great Friend # 113792, Matchbox Messages #113800

Have a GREAT day!

Father's Day Gift Box & Tags~Striped Tie For Dad

It's never too early to start planning for Father's day! I designed this fun box template so it was big enough to hold an actual tie or a couple monogrammed handkerchiefs.  Of course it could also hold a good amount of candy or treats.  The square part of the box shown here is 6" long by 2" wide and 2" tall. This is not including the tie on the top which is slightly longer and wider at the bottom. The set of tags can be added to the gifts or used on top of the box. I hope to be offering a Father's day kit that will also include a matching card soon!




Color palette~Baja Breeze, Red Ridinghood Red
So Saffron, Off White.
DP~SU Sweet Slumber
Stamps~SU Holiday Blitz
Punches~ 1/2" circle, 1" circle, 1 1/2" circle.
Square Gem brad in blue
Template by V. Hardwick




Have a PEACEFUL Day!

Dahlia Paper flower Tutorial

Here is the picture tutorial on how to make the Dahlia paper flower I used on the top of my explosion box.

You can use a 1 1/4" circle punch or a 1 1/2" circle punch (I used the 1 1/2" to make the flower be large enough for my box top)

Make sure you use 2 sided designer paper and punch out 8 circles. Then 1 circle of card stock to use as your base.


Use your bone folder to make your folds crisp on the petals.

Fold each circle in half in both directions so you have quarters to use as your fold lines.
In steps 3 & 4 you have turned your petal over.








This box used Stampin' Up Red riding hood card stock, Bella Rose DP.


Have a Good Friday!

Mother's Day Gift Box~Explosion box with flower top

A card and gift box all in one! This explosion box is a great little gift box since it opens up to show a card sentiment. You can put any sentiment you wish on each of the inside squares. It's great for siblings to each have their own little side to write a love note to Mom! I added a acetate window to one side of my box, but you don't have to if you want to keep the gift inside a surprise!
I am making mine to hold mascarpone and strawberry mini cupcakes so I wanted a little window.
The Dahlia flower on top is actually a separate project and I will do a separate tutorial on it.

What you will need to make the basic explosion box:


Card stock cut 7 1/2" x 7 1/2"
scored at 2 1/2" & 5" on both sides.

Designer paper cut 4 1/8" by 4 1/8", scored at 3/4" on each side

4-5 squares of DP cut 2 1/4" each (5 of DP if not making a window, 4 of DP and 1 of acetate if making window)



Assorted punched out scalloped circles, circles and flowers for decorating.


Assorted stamps/messages

adhesive, sticky strip, bone folder, ruler, paper cutter.

For my box I used Regal rose card stock , delicate dots Dp, pixie pink ink, Holiday Blitz stamp set, scalloped punch, 1 1/2" circle punch, certainly celery ribbon, gem brads, flower punch.

I will upload some tutorial pictures for the box tomorrow as well as a tutorial on how to make the paper Dahlia flower that I put on top.

Update! here is the photo tutorial for the explosion box, flower tutorial coming soon!

Have a SUNNY day!

Parisian Breeze Gift Card holder with Mini Notes

Parisian Breeze Designer Paper #113993
I originally designed this card for a color challenge (Bashful Blue, So Saffron & Close to Cocoa)
The gift card is 5x7 and inside holds four 3x3 mini note cards. This makes a super cute gift for a friend. They can use the mini notes inside. The sentiments on the large card says "A little something for you" & is from the SAB Yummy stamp set. The mini notes inside says 1)Thank you, 2)Best Wishes, 3)Fabulous Friend, 4)Just for you. This is the new "Oval All" stamp set from the Occasions catalog. They coordinate with the new scalloped oval punch.

The large card features Parisian Breeze designer paper, bashful blue card stock and So saffron ribbon. The bashful blue was cut from the SU exclusive Top Note die for the Big shot. The flower is the "Layered flower #3" die & flower center is from the buttons #5 sizzix die. It was topped off with Dazzling Diamonds glitter.

Mini notes are cut from So Saffron, Bashful Blue, Close to Cocoa & Whisper white card stock. They are stamped with the Stampin' around wheel using the Bella's border stamp. I colored the Oval All stamped punches with the Stampin' Pastels.






Have a productive day!

Spring Flower Pot Card~Bella Rose

I made this card for SCS Challenge TLC215. The flower pot is so cute & easy to make. You can add any kind of flowers you like to the card that slides inside. I used the layered flowers #3 die in my Big Shot for my flowers. The DP is SU Bella Rose and card stock is Kiwi Kiss, Pink Piroutte, Red riding hood Red & Whisper white. The Kitty & mouse are a cuttlebug die.
The inside sentiment was stamped in Kiwi Kiss & Red riding hood red ink with the Freinds 24/7 stamp set.
I also used Dazzling diamonds glitter, Whisper White organza ribbon, white gel pen & dimensionals.

You can order the Bella Rose designer paper and other supplies HERE at my online demonstrator store








Have a Great day!