Sneak Peeks!

Today's post is a swap card I made using the new stamps from the soon-to-be-released Occasions Mini Catalog. This stamp set is "Abundant Hope" and is so pretty, I think. The design of the card is from an example in a Stampin' Up! catalog from 2008. I changed colors and think this simple card is such a pretty Easter card. I stamped it in Brown Stazon ink and colored it in with Stampin' Write markers. Easy Peasy.

Happy New YEAR!

Lip Balm and Stampin' (A Yummy Combination!)

I know I'm always saying it but, REALLY, stampers ARE the nicest sort of people! Recently, I "met" another demo online, Ethleen, who is such a generous and sweet person! She sent me a couple of tins in a size I didn't have and sent me a little gift of a lip balm that she had made. She also gave me a website for a source to get all the supplies to make MY OWN! (OH MY GOSH!)

Now you would think that making your own beauty products would be really difficult but I had SO much fun making these. My daughter gave them to her friends for Christmas. The labels were stamped with one of the new stamps in the upcoming Occasions Mini Catalog. Then we packaged them up in two different ways. The first was to wrap it in cellophane and tie with some grosgrain ribbon. The tag was stamped with one of the images from the Hostess Set, Christmas Punch, which coordinates with the punch so it can be done very quickly! These pictures are terrible because I took them in my kitchen at night so I hate you can't see how really cute these little gifts turned out.

The others were packaged up FANCY! The treat bags from Wal-Mart have a container of Tic-Tacs, a container of our Peppermint Lip Balm and a special notepad. The notepad is so cute and so fun. I purchased notepads that were 4/$1.00 at the drugstore. They are all attached to each other but have their own cardboard backing. I took them apart, punched two holes in the top using the Crop-A-Dile, and tied a ribbon through the holes so that there's a bow at the top. I stamped the same "Merry" image on the bottom right. Finished off with a bow around the treat bag, these little goodies are so fun!

Here's where I ended up purchasing a complete do-it-yourself kit to make lip balms. http://www.pvsoap.com/kit_lipbalm.asp I made some in the little pots and some in the tubes. SO SO FUN!

Sneak Peek of the new Occasions Mini Catalog

Thought you might like a little peek of what's coming in the Occasions Mini Catalog to be released January 5. Stampin' Up! is introducing some brand new products then including Clear-Mount Stamps, a new Punch Design and, shown here, Stitched Felt Embellishments. I've always been a fan of the stitched felt and crocheted embellishments so I was pretty excited about this particular one!

I made this card using the Vintage Vogue Stamp Set and the Very Vintage Jumbo Wheel. I made a hair barrette out using the Sweet Pea Stitched felt flower pieces and this card is a great way to give it as a special valentine gift. The barrette uses three separate parts of the Sweet Pea set and stitched them together using embroidery floss. The set comes with 8 three-petal flowers, 20 french knot circles, 16 leaves and 8 six-petal flowers for $7.95. You could make eight barrettes just like this one out of the set and still have leftover pieces. Uh, where can you find a whimsical and trendy hair barrette for a dollar? Stay tuned! I can't wait to show you what else is coming! Be sure to subscribe to regular updates to this blog by entering your email in the space provided in the right sidebar. You'll receive an email with the post in it.

I also made this little love note using the same set of felt flowers. Can't you just imagine a whole "pile" of these little valentines going to your honey and your own little sweet pea children or to the kids at school? I just love them! Leave me a comment and tell me what you think.

The colors coordinate with Rose Red, Pretty in Pink, Old Olive and Chocolate chip and the design will go beautifully with the Sweet Pea Designer Series Paper Stack also COMING SOON!

Use Your Big Shot and Give a Little

Aren't these the cutest little gifts? They are lotions from AVON and I got them for my "other neighbor's" girls. (That's right, I live on a street FULL of little girls!) My friend, LuAnn Emery, sells Avon and is a wonderful Stampin' chick! You can purchase these little lotions from her HERE and they're only $.99! So So cute! Oh, and by the way....she did NOT pay me to endorse these lotions or decorate them and put them here. As a matter of fact, she doesn't even know that's what I've been up to. I just know you're gonna send me a note saying "WHERE did you find those little bottles?" so I'm just heading you off at the pass!

These are some really quick and easy gifts to fix up. I used the Big Shot and the Box #2 Die. I ran the Pumpkin Pie card stock through the machine first and then used the 1-1/4" circle punch to create openings in the lid of the already cut and scored box. Easy Peasy!

If you've followed along closely the last few days, you know I've put together several boxes. Although basic boxes are pretty easy, it's hard to mass produce them because of the time consumed. But, using the Big Shot Machine and a die, I can make a custom box in seconds!

Click HERE to learn more about what the Big Shot can do.

And don't forget the 12 DAYS of Stampin Up Sales going on now. Lots of Big Shot dies are on sale right now! Click Here to shop online now.

Magnets from Post the Other Day

Many, Many of you have sent messages requesting information on where to find the glass pebbles that were used on the magnet sets I made in this post. Click HERE to purchase the exact pebbles I purchased that Andrea Walford recommended. The Stampin Up 1-3/8" circle punch fits these perfectly. Click HERE to purchase one of your own.

Shake it all you want -- You'll never guess what's inside!

Now I know there's some DARLING little gift card holders out there and heaven knows I've made a few (copying someone else's cool design of course!) but the thing that I DON'T like about them is that the "giftee" already knows what it is BEFORE they even open it. Totally ruins those last few days of the Christmas week when everybody's peeking in closets and shaking their presents trying to figure out what it's inside! Now I hate surprises if I know they're coming TO ME but I LOVE to torment a teenager! So, today's little project is all about FOOLING your gift recipients! The box above is actually a gift card holder but looks like something else. I used the shaker card technique to decorate the box.

Check out the inside of this nifty box.

Yippee, my son will say! See, he was thinking it was a duct tape wallet or something else ridiculous that is so NOT on his wish list! Here's the low-down:

Follow the basic directions in the post below to make a box using these dimensions:

Box Base: 8-1/4" x 9-1/2", Score at 2-1/2". Assemble bottom using Sticky Strip.

Hint: Use a heavier weight card stock like the Designer paper shown which is To The Nines DSP.

Box Insert: 7-1/4" x 8-1/2", Score at 2". This is the part that the gift card "sits" in. I used the slit punch to make the little slits that hold the card in. YES, it punched through the tabs too but you can't see it. Score it and remove the four corner squares. This piece just slides down into the box. (No need for sticky strip.)

Box Top: 5-3/8" x 6-5/8", Score at 1". Assemble the top just like you did the bottom. Here's where you can get creative and add embellishments or "fancy treatments." I basically made a shaker card for my box top. Here's another example...

I hope you have fun with these boxes. Wouldn't they make a neat way to give jewelry or a family recipe even?

A Gift for Everyone on Your List

I know what you're thinking right now....same ole, same old. But that's because you don't know what's inside this cutey pie little tin! If my friend, Stephanie, were here, she would talking up a storm to these little guys! "What? You want to come home with me? Oh, I'd love for you too! Wouldn't you look so sweet on my refrigerator holding up my child's artwork? You sure do!" (Um, Yeah. Stephanie and her projects really do talk to each other. I have witnesses.)

Now I would love to brag and tell you how smart and creative I am and pretend that this whole thing was my idea but you know better! This is my take on on the projects Andrea Walford featured on her Twelve Weeks of Christmas emails. I don't think you can still access any of the individual projects but she has made a dvd available of all the projects, I think.

The tin above contains twelve glass magnets and is my Christmas version. The reason I made a slew of the them is because you don't have to be really smart to do them! Here's the secret:

Pick any pack of Designer Series Paper and punch a 1-3/8" circle out of EACH of the designs. DUH! There's no coordinating or thinking involved. And Stampin' Up has already told you what papers go with it so go wild! Make your own! Here's a ton more that I made this weekend for gifts. Some of them are retired paper. If you really like one, contact me and I'll put together a kit for you to be able to make it.

Petal

Pizzaz DSP

Night &

Day DSP

Tall Tales

DSP

Bella

Bleu DSP

Urban

Oasis DSP

Kaleido-

scope DSP

Hope you like my gifts for everyone on your list! Please leave me a comment. It's gets a little lonely in cyberspace, you know! I'll pretend you're here and you can pretend I made you a glass of sweet tea.

Don't Forget the Packaging!

For those of you who made the "NOEL" wall hanging (see the sidebar for the blog post), you have probably been struggling with how to gift it. Promise me you didn't do something tacky like throw it in a Belk's box with tissue paper and wrap it! Swear it.

Here's the wall hanging I put in this particular box...

I decided to use a shorter holiday word so that the whole thing could be hung on a refrigerator. The scallop squares, scallop circles and letters were cut using the Big Shot Machine. (Be sure to check out the awesome sales Stampin' Up! is offering on lots of Big Shot dies and accessories! Click on "Specials" above to learn more.)

Here's a up-close pictures of each square....

I was so pleased with how this box turned out and the thing is you can use the instructions for this box and cater it to your own needs! Here's another example of a similar box using a window sheet for the lid. The lid was made about 1/8" smaller than the box to allow it to be tucked in instead of sliding on top. I put a piece of DSP inside to "hide" the surprise~!

So, here's the basic square box-building instructions for any box:

1. Determine the width and length you need the box to be. (Mine needed to be about 5" square.)

2. Determine how deep the box should be. I folded up the wall hanging and measure how deep I would need a box to be. It needed to be about 1".)

3. Next, figure how big to cut the card stock. Take the first measure and add the second measurement twice. So, mine was 5" + 1" +1"=7"

So, my paper was cut 7" square.

4. Figure where the score lines should be based on the depth of the box. Mine was 1" deep.

So, my paper was scored at 1" on all four sides.

5. Cut on score lines according to the diagram and assemble the box bottom by folding in the flaps.

6. To figure the dimensions for the box top, you will need to decide if your top will slip over the bottom or inside the bottom like in the window sheets top example above.

For the box top to slip over the outside, add 1/8" to the length and width measurements. Repeat directions to determine how deep you want your box lid. I made mine 1/2" in the first example above.

For the box top to slip inside the box bottom, subtract 1/8" to measurements. So mine was cut to 6-7/8" x 6-7/8". Repeat directions to determine how deep you want your box lid. I made mine 1" so that it would slide all the way to the bottom.

ANY QUESTIONS? Please contact me. I'm certainly not an engineer or an English teacher so if my directions are clear as mud, let me know! I'll try to help.

Click Here To Shop Online

December Scrapbook Class--DO IT AT HOME kit!

The Sunny Day Simply Scrappin Kit is a fun, funky combination of colors and patterns! I love it for those pictures of the kids playing, birthday parties, summer vacations and so on. The colors are Old Olive, Tempting Turquoise, Pumpkin Pie, and Pink Passion. It has birds and flowers and trendy designs included in the die cut stickers and designer papers and is a scrapbook kit you will want to include in your album.

The kit shown here includes the Simply Scrappin kit and all of the extra card stock needed to complete five 2-page layouts or a total of 10 pages.

It would make an awesome album to gift to loved ones. Collect those summer vacation pictures and put in a pretty album. So thoughtful and personal when you add your own journaling and special notes.

If you are local and can pick your kit up, there is a discount of $6.00 to allow for the shipping costs. Enter the discount code "LOCAL" to receive the deduction on the fees.

DEMOS~ You may purchase only the class instructions in a pdf format if desired. The instructions include ordering information, a cutting guide, pictures and detailed instructions to complete the pages. ***As a Christmas gift to you, purchase this kit and receive the Christmas Jingle Scrapbook class instructions at 1/2 off!*** Enter the discount code "CHRISTMAS" in the Christmas Jingle order form to receive the discount or email me and let me know that you would like both classes and I will send you one paypal invoice.

CLICK HERE for even more information or purchase your kit below.

Other Kits Available - - See the left sidebar for a complete listing of kits available!

Stampers make the best friends!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I know, I know!  It's a theme for this week - -

Tonight was the monthly Technique Tuesday class which has just about turned into an official downline meeting.   I had a wonderful time visiting with the gals and eating cream puffs (I know I know....calories!) 

So it appears that stampers truly are the nicest group of girls and make some of the nicest friends. 

Thank you to my customers, my downline and my friends.  Merry Christmas!  I look forward to many more hours stamping and laughing!

Stamps
• Friend 24-7 Stamp set
• Friendly Words Stampin' Around wheel
Paper
• Confetti White card stock
• Old Olive card stock
• Really Rust card stock
• So Saffron card stock
Ink
• Chocolate Chip Classic Stampin’ Pad
• Close to Cocoa Classic Stampin' Pad
• Old Olive Classic Stampin' Pad
• Pumpkin Pie Classic Stampin' Pad
• VersaMark® pad
Stampin’ Up! Accessories
• Clear Stampin’ Emboss® powder
• Dress Up Ribbon Originals
• Clips assortment
• Blender pens
• Heat tool
• Scallop Square punch
• Sponge daubers
• Kind Thoughts Flourish stencil

Stampin' Up! has some of the nicest people!

I've been dying to share this card with you today because I just got it in the mail and was just torn up over how truly caring everyone at Stampin' Up! is. I was just promoted to Senior Supervisor which is so exciting to me and this card was sent to congratulate me!

The card was sent by Rett, an employee at Stampin' Up! who was assigned to me as a personal business coach to help me navigate all the ins and outs of being a demonstrator and to grow my business. I was excited to have him but LET ME TELL YOU! He is just the most positive, uplifting and encouraging person! And this card is the proof! He has offered the best advice and most creative ideas and the neat thing is -- it all WORKS!

So, Rett, if you're reading this post, THANK YOU! You have meant the world to me.

Interested in joining my little band of stampers?

Want to earn money while doing something you enjoy?

Learn about how to become a part of a truly special group of people and enjoy the benefits of working with Stampin' Up!

Click HERE to learn more!