Sunday, October 31, 2010

Simple Punch Card

A quick Sunday post = a quick punch card.

Actually this card started out as something else, but I made a mistake and needed to cut some paper off of the left side of the card front, so instead of starting all over again, or throwing it out completely, I punched a piece of Brights Designer Paper with the Scallop Ribbon Border punch and placed it on the left side making it look like this is what I wanted to do all along.  So now the card has a unique front opening!  It doesn't really matter that the front of the card is smaller than the back, no one else will know that that is now what you intended to do in the first place.

The rest of the card was made with five punches from the Decorative Label punch.  The punch with the sentiment was also sponged with Daffodil Delight and Melon Mambo ink for added dimension.

To make today's card I used the following:
Cardstock:  Whisper White #100730
Designer Series Paper:  Brights Paper Stack #117155
Ink:  Daffodil Delight #119667, Melon Mambo #115656
Stamp Set:  Occasional Quotes #117048 wood mount, or #120142 clear mount (Hostess Level 3)
Punches:  Decorative Label #120907, Dotted Scallop Ribbon Border #119275
Accessories:  Sponges #101610, Dimensionals #104430

Saturday, October 23, 2010

Reindeer Food

I was looking for some new ideas of items to have at a Craft Fair, and saw these bags that SU demonstrator Debbie Henderson made.   I changed the embossing folder and reindeer stamp to make my own similiar bags because I thought they were really cute, and a fun idea for kids.

I ran a piece of Whisper White cardstock through my Big Shot Machine and used the Top Note Die for the bag topper.  I embossed this piece with the Petals-a-Plenty embossing folder.  The reindeer is from the Silhouettes Stamp Set, and he was punched and layered on top of a piece of Real Red Cardstock to make him stand out.  I filled a medium cello bag with 1/4 cup of oatmeal, and 1 capful of red and white sugar crystals.  I attached the cute saying to the outside of the bag with snail adhesive. 

Stamping Tip:  I thought the small cello bags were too small for the bag topper, and the medium ones just a bit too large, so I cut 1 inch off of the medium bags to make them the perfect fit.

To make today's project I used the following:
Cardstock:  Whisper White #100730, Real Red #102482
Ink:  Chocolate Chip #100908
Stamp Set:  Nature Silhouette #111542
Punches:  2 3/8" Scallop Circle #118874, 1 3/4" Circle #119850
Accessories:  Big Shot Machine #113439, Top Note Bigz Die #113463, Petals-a-Plenty Embossing Foler #116824, Snail Adhesive 3104332


Friday, October 22, 2010

Hot Chocolate Anyone

Adding the Sweet Treat Cups to the center of your Fancy Favor Box and you have another holiday gift, great for teachers, secret santa's, friends, and more.

To start I took a piece of 12 x 6 Real Red Cardstock and ran it through my Big Shot using the Fancy Favor Bigz Die to get the box.  Before I put it together I stamped snowflakes all over it in random order.  I then took my 1 3/4" circle punch and punched a hole in the center of the front of the box and placed my Sweet Treat Cup filled with mini marshmallows.  I layered a piece of 3 x 3 Real Red cardstock behind the Treat Cup to keep it in place.  I used Sticky Strip to put the box together, added the handle  which was a left over piece of cardstock from when I cut out the box.  I added a tag, put in the hot chocolate and some Hershey Kisses tied in a small cello bag.  Thanks to fellow SU demonstrator Kimberly for this great idea.

To make today's gift box I used the following:
Cardstock:  Real Red #119940, Whisper White #100730
Stamp Set:  Snow Swirled #111690, Tags til Christmas #120847 wood mount, or #122269 clear mount
Ink:  Whisper White Craft #101731, Baja Breeze #111833
Punches:  1 3/4" Scallop Oval #119854, 1 3/4" Circle #119850
Accessories:  Big Shot Die Cutting Machine #1134439, Fancy Favor Bigz xl Die #115965, Extended Cutting Pads #113478, Sticky Strip #104294, Sweet Treat Cups #116802, Crop-a-Dile #108362, Silver Brad #104336 (for the handle)

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Top Note Halloween Treat Bag

Halloween is almost here, and the Top Note Bigz Die makes a cute bag topper for those special treats.

I took some Basic Black cardstock and ran it through my Big Shot using the Top Note Bigz Die.  I then embossed the cut die with the Square Lattice Embossing Folder for some added texture.  The pumpkin was made by punching three ovals with the 1 3/8" Oval Punch, and layering them together.  I sponged some Soft Suede ink onto each oval for added dimension, and the leaf was punched from the Two-Step Bird Punch.  I placed the candy in a small cellophane bag, punched two holes with my Crop-a-Dile and Pumpkin Pie Grosgrain Ribbon keeps it all together. 

To make today's Treat Bag I used the following:
Cardstock:  Basic Black #121045, Pumpkin Pie #105117, Old Olive #100702, Whisper White #100730
Stamp Set:  Teeny Tiny Wishes #115370
Ink:  Pumpkin Pie #105216, Soft Suede #115657
Ribbon:  Pumpkin Pie 1/4" Grosgrain #109030
Punches:  Word Window #11957, 1 3/8" Oval #119863
Accessories: Crop-a-Dile #108362, Small Cellophane Bag #103104

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Holiday Bundles



Click the Holiday Bundles link under Promotions to see the Holiday Items from both the Mini Catalog and current Idea Book on sale for 20% off regular price.  E-mail me if you have any questions, or go to my on-line store to place your order and have it shipped directly to your home. 

Fabric Headbands

A new twist to my headbands - making them with both fabric and foam.  Great for the holidays!

To make the headband on the left I first cut a piece of Big Shot Fabric Adhesive large enough to cover the two smaller flowers from the Flower Folds bigz xl Die.  I then cut a piece of fabric the same size from Candy Cane Christmas Designer Fabric.  I ironed the adhesive onto the fabric, and then ran both pieces through my Big Shot.  Next I took some red craft foam, ran this through the Big Shot and then layered both cut pieces and ironed them together.  A glue gun, a retired button, and it all gets put together in a snap. 

The headband on the right was made in the same way, the difference is in the Die.  For this headband I used the two smaller daisies from Flower Daisies #2 Bigz Die. 

Using the Fabric Adhesive Roll is what really makes this easy.  Just peel the transfer sheet off, iron your fabric, die cut onto your project, and the rest is up to you.  Experiment and have fun seeing all of the great things you can do with fabric.

To make today's project I used the following Stampin' Up! supplies:
Designer Fabric:  Candy Cane Christmas #121715 (Holiday Mini)
Accessories: Big Shot Fabric Adhesive Roll #122194 (Holiday Mini), Big Shot Machine #113439, Flower Folds Bigz xl Die #115970, Extended Cutting Pads #11347, Flower Daisies #2 Bigz Die #114520
Embellishment:  Real Red Corduroy Button (Retired) 

Non-Stampin' Up! Materials - Glue Gun, Craft Foam, Headbands

Monday, October 18, 2010

Remember When

Remember When  - that saying leaves so much to the imagination, and this is one card that could be used for  many different occasions.  I love making cards before I really need them.  It is fun  playing around with different colors, stamp sets, and papers and seeing all of the many possibilities.

The card base is Wild Wasabi cardstock that I embossed with the Vintage Wallpaper embossing folder.  The matte layer is Soft Suede cardstock layered with three cut pieces of Woodland Walk Designer Series Paper.  The saying is stamped in Wild Wasabi ink on Very Vanilla cardstock, and layered on a piece of Soft Suede, and adhered with dimensionals. 

To make today's card I used the following:
Cardstock:  Wild Wasabi #108641, Soft Suede #115318, Very Vanilla #101650
Designer Series Paper: Woodland Walk #117389
Ink:  Wild Wasabi #109014
Stamp Set:  Word Play #120308 wood mount, or #120651 clear mount
Accessories:  Big Shot Die Cutting Machine #113439, Vintage Wallpaper Embossing Folder #120175, Dimensionals #104430

Thursday, October 14, 2010

No post for a few days.  Spending the day with my grandchildren, then off to the beach to celebrate the wedding of my good friends daughter.  Check back next week for more stamping ideas and techniques.

But before I go a few notes about upcoming promotions coming to an end:
...Clearance Rack items while supplies last or until October 18th
...Free Greenhouse Gala Tote for anyone who signs up to become a Stampin' Up! demonstrator promotion also endsOctober 18th. 
...Additional  FREE stamp set for anyone who signs up under a demonstrator who attended Regionals also ends.  Therefore, if you sign up by the deadline of 10/18 you will receive in addition to the Tote, a free stamp set  called Eat Chocolate from the up and coming new mini catalog coming out in January. 

So if you were thinking about joining my team and doing what I love doing, you can e-mail me for a password and go to my website to sign up and order your own Starter Kit to start your own journey of fun and creativity, and great discounts too!  A lot of great values ending soon.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Monday, October 11, 2010

For the Newlyweds

With three weddings to attend in the next 6 weeks I needed to get busy making some wedding cards.  I'm never too sure how feminine to make the cards because usually the recepients are a man and a woman, so I try to add colors that add some masculine tones too.

I started with a base of Pear Pizzazz cardstock and then followed with a layer of Whisper White, Concord Crush, another layer of Pear Pizzazz and then a final layer of Whisper White which was stamped with my images.  The flowers are from the Fifth Avenue Floral set, and I used the masking technique to layer them as I stamped.  (See technique by going to Masking under labels).  I thought the flowers were a little plain by themselves so I added a touch of Pear Pizzazz to the centers and to some of the petals using my Pear Pizzazz marker.  The trim at the bottom was made by punching Concord Crush cardstock with the Scallop Trim  Border punch.  My trick to making it layer the way I want it is to cut a larger piece than what you need so you can trim the ends to fit nicely over your cardstock.  I added some Whisper White taffeta ribbon to this and thought it would also be a good place for the sentiment. 

For today's card I used the following:
Cardstock:  Pear Pizzazz #119795, Concord Crush #119792, Whisper White #100730
Stamp Set:  Fifth Avenue Floral #113734, Teeny Tiny Wishes #115370
Ink:  Concord Crush #119785
Marker:  Pear Pizzazz #119801 (In-Color Marker Set)
Punches:  Word Window #119857, Scallop Trim Border #11840
Ribbon:   Whisper White 3/8" Taffeta #109070

Saturday, October 9, 2010

Rainbow of Ribbon

Rose Red 1/4" Grosgrain Ribbon
Original Ribbon color Whisper White

Elegant Eggplant 5/8" Satin Ribbon
Original Ribbon Color Whisper White

Marina Mist 5/8" Organza Ribbon
Original Ribbon Color Whisper White

Melon Mambo 1/8" Taffeta Ribbon
Original Ribbon Color Whisper White

Tangerine Tango 5/8" Victoria Crochet Trim
Original Ribbon Color Very Vanilla

Baja Breeze 3/8" Taffeta Ribbon
Original Ribbon Color Whisper White

Well that was fun!  I took my original ribbons in various sizes and mainly Whisper White - except for the Crochet Trim which has more of a Very Vanilla look - and took some of my favorite ink colors and dyed them to make a rainbow of ribbons.  It was really easy to do, and with the exception of a few inked fingers, not too messy either.  To dye my ribbon I first cut a strip long enough to be used for a card layer, laid it flat on top of the ink pad, and while holding one end in my fingers and laying a Stamping Sponge on top of the ribbon, I pulled it across the top of the ink pad.  I did this several times until I got the color I wanted.  You can make it lighter or darker depending on your preference.  My favorite has to be the Organza Ribbon that I inked in Marina Mist.  I always loved this ribbon in Whisper White, but now it really has topped my list dyed to match some of my favorite colors.  Try it and you will be surprised at how easy it is, and how many more choices you now have for all of your favorite projects.

To make the ribbons I used the following:
Ink:  Rose Red #101778, Elegant Eggplant #105210, Marina Mist #119668, Melon Mambo #115656, Tangerine Tango #111834, Baja Breeze #111833
Ribbon:  Whisper White 1/4" Grosgrain #109025, Whisper White 5/8" Satin #114616, Whisper White Organza #114319, Whisper White 1/8" Taffeta #119262, Victoria Crochet Trim #118481, Whisper White 3/8" Taffeta #109070
Accessories:  Stamping Sponge #101610

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

Clearance Rack Wow!

Just wanted to post another reminder on all of the great NEW retired items listed on the Clearance Rack.  There are over 10 pages of great bargains, but items are available only while supplies las.  Click on the Clearance Rack link listed under Promotions on the left hand column on my blog to take you to my on-line store.  I spent last night going over the list several times before I placed my own order and was lucky that only two of the items I wanted were out of stock.  So take advantage before it is too late.



Saturday, October 2, 2010

Off to Regionals!

Today I am going to Baltimore, Maryland to attend Stampin' Up! regionals.  I have no project to post today, but look forward to sharing with you new techniques and ideas that I bring back with me.

Have a great weekend.

Friday, October 1, 2010

Holiday Headbands

Grab your Big Shot and you are on your way to making some really cute Christmas headbands. The Big Shot Die Cutting Machine cuts through paper, vinyl, fabric, chipboard, cork sheets, and so much more.

To make the headbands I used the Flower Daisies #2 Bigz Die, some glittery felt, and a hot glue gun.  So easy and quick to make.  Just one of the great projects you can make with your Big Shot!