Holiday Spirit with Old Family Pics!

Seems my standard intro to blog posts is, "so busy, haven't had much time to create or post" ... well, finally had some time last weekend to use some of the elements in the Country Living Holiday stamp kit. Of course, now I want to make more to give away ... but this one I'm keeping!

Oh, before I started I created a "charger" placemat from a 12 x 12 piece of cardstock. The edges were cut with the scallop punch ... a few snowflakes stamped in Whisper White craft ink and done!


First step, "paint" the chipboard frames by sponging on some Whisper White craft ink ...


Next (after letting the craft ink dry), coat the surface of the chipboard frames with a think layer of Tombo multi-purpose glue and cover with Dazzling Diamonds glitter ...


Then, cover the solid squares of chipboard with pre-cut designer series paper. I used the Tombo glue again ... and roughed up the edges a bit with a sanding block ...


Glue your picture to the back of the glittered frame, and attach to the front of your designer-series paper covered chipboard! Punch a hole in the top (I used a Crop-A-Dile) and add a loop of ribbon ...


The pic above is my Grandpa Lee (mom's side) and below are Grandma Rose & Grandpa Fred (dad Fred's parents) ...


This is me and my dad (Arvis) when I was about 2 ...


And, the whole family crew including a picture of my Grandma Blossom (mom's mom) and my great-grandmother Meri (Grandma Rose's mom) in front of her tinsel Christmas tree ...



Next step, string them on a garland and find a place to hang 'em in my house ...

Cheers!

Halloween Pumpkins ...

Happy Halloween! Had dinner with family recently and decided to make a lil' Halloween treat for my niece.

It started with the Big Shot ...

... and the Pumpkin die ...


After a few more dies (Pumpkin Faces, Naturally Serif and the Top Note Bigz Die) I was able to put together this Halloween bag of jack-o-lanterns and treats.


The designer paper is from Stampin' Up!'s Ghostly Greetings package and the spider on the cellophane bag is from the Halloween rub-on set, Chills & Thrills.

She had fun playing with the pumpkins ... and liked the spiders, too!

Rockin' Some Halloween Cheer ...

One of my favorite holidays is just around the corner. Perfect reason to use my new 'Just Jawing' stamp set and 'Chills & Thrills' rub-ons ...



The Card:
The skull and 'You Rock' greeting are both from the 'Just Jawing' stamp set. I stamped the skull on shimmery white cardstock using Basic Black ink and then colored in the the hearts with a Real Red marker. I stamped the greeting with Versamark and embossed with clear embossing powder. After cutting out the skull (paper snips work great) I adhered it to the card using a few stampin' dimensionals to give it a bit of depth.

The Candle Holder:
I picked up some glass votive candle holders at the local craft store and used the 'Chills & Thrills' rub-ons to decorate the glass. Quick & Easy!

Think I need to by some pumpkin candles ...

Bag o' Treats ...

Earlier this year, I made some "bag ties" using punches. It was the perfect thing to revive for the Halloween season to create a lil' bag o' treats ...



For this project, I used:

Stamp Set: Batty for You
Cardstock: Basic Black, Shimmery White, Tangerine Tango
Punches: Scallop Circle, 1 3/8" Circle, 1 1/4" Circle, Double Rectangle

I stamped the image with Versamark ink and embossed with black embossing powder. The whole thing was tied on to a small cello bag with a piece of black grosgrain ribbon.

Here's the original Valentine's Day project including some step-by-step pictures.

Swapping out images and colors this bag decoration can work for any occasion! In fact, someone in my stamp class last month said "Wedding Favors" -- excellent idea.

Spooky Spider Treats

October! Can't believe it's here. The year is going by entirely too fast. But, on the plus side, October means plenty of excuses for Halloween stamp projects (of course, I got headstart last month with the Boo Banner).

No better way to get the trick-or-treat season started than with a Spooky Spider candy jar. This was so fast & easy to make -- the perfect project for my time-crunched schedule.



The ingredients:

• Spooky Spider Décor Elements (small)
  
• Eat, Drink & Be Scary stamp set
  
• Shimmery White, Kiwi Kiss and Tangerine Tango cardstock
  
• Tag Punches (small & regular)
  
• Tangerine Tango 5/8" striped grosgrain ribbon and a bit of black hemp twine
  

But, of course, you can't have a candy jar and leave it empty ...


A bit of a close-up on the tag, embossed with black embossing powder ...


and the Spooky Spider striking a pose in front of Halloween colored M&Ms ...



Putting the vinyl wall decal on the glass jar took about 5 - 10 minutes (and that was moving slowly as it was my first time using the décor elements). The tag was another 5 minutes or so (quick & easy thanks to the tag punches).

If you want to make your own jar, Stampin' Up! is offering the Spooky Spider décor elements in 3 sizes (and, you can order online thru my site, too!)

I'm taking this jar into work to provide a lil' Halloween spirit (and, so I don't eat all the M&Ms solo)

Cheers!

Boo! It's Fall

Where did Summer go? The stores are now filled with fall colors and Halloween treats. To get in the spirit, I spent some time playing with my Big Shot to create my own decoration - Boo!


To create 'Boo' banner, I used the smaller pennant from the Stampin' Up! exclusive Pennant Bigz XL die - popping out pennants in Basic Black and Ghostly Greetings designer paper. The green accent is the created by simply folding the designer paper over - with a pattern on both sides, an accent paper is built right in!

The letters were made using the Serif Essentials Bigz die and chipboard. I sponged Basic Black craft ink onto the letters before applying chunky glitter in black. Tombow multi-purpose adhesive works great for gluing glitter and adhering the chipboard letters to the pennant.

Final touch, adhere striped gosgrain ribbon in Kiwi Kiss using sticky strip.

Happy Crafting.

Wow Flowers & Flores Llamativas ...

Greetings from the tail-end of the 3-day weekend. Here are a some cards I created using the new Wow Flowers stamp set and its counterpart in Stampin' Up!'s Spanish Catlog, Flores Llamativas. Being a native Californian, I like having stamps with sayings like 'muchas gracias' so I was happy to see more Spanish stamp sets coming out. All of the cards are made using colors from the new In Colors collection.

Birthday Wishes ...


On the Left:
Stamps: Canvas for the background, all other stamps from 'Flores Llamativas'
Colors: Baja Breeze, Pacific Point, and Whisper White
Accessories: Clear Button, Rhinestone Brad, Ribbon in Baja Breeze,
Punches: Scallop Circle, 1 3/8" Circle, 1" Circle, Word Window

On the Right:
Stamps: Canvas for the background, all other stamps from 'Wow Flowers'
Colors: Pink Pirouette, Riding Hood Red, and Whisper White
Accessories: Clear Button, Rhinestone Brad, Ribbon in Pink Pirouette
Punches: Scallop Circle, 1 3/8" Circle, 1" Circle, Word Window

Thank You ...


On the Left:
Stamps: Canvas for the background, all other stamps from 'Flores Llamativas'
Colors: Tangerine Tango, Kiwi Kiss, Barely Banana and Whisper White
Accessories: Clear Button, Rhinestone Brad, Ribbon in Tangerine Tango
Punches: Scallop Circle, 1 3/8" Circle, 1" Circle

On the Right:
Stamps: Canvas for the background, all other stamps from 'Wow Flowers'
Colors: Tangerine Tango, Kiwi Kiss, Barely Banana and Whisper White
Accessories: Clear Button, Rhinestone Brad, Ribbon in Kiwi Kiss
Punches: Scallop Circle, 1 3/8" Circle, 1" Circle

Tips:

• To creat the large scallop, use the Pennant die and Big Shot die cut machine


• To create a flat rhinestone brad embellishment, cut the prongs off using craft & rubber scissors and attach the rhinestone top to the button using a glue dot.


• To make the 'Muchas Gracias' stand out on the Tangerine Tango cardstock, stamp with Riding Hood Red.

Enjoy ...

Sparkle Card

Had some fun with my new Big Shot last night and made a quick retro-inspired card ...

First, cut a few images with the Sprarkle sizzlits die (this image reminds me of a '60s wall clock). I used some scrap pieces of Basic Black and a piece of Orchid Opulence. This is a great way to use up scrap pieces of cardstock!


Next, assemble the card (told you it was quick)...



I used Kiwi Kiss for the main card body, rounding the corners with the Corner Rounder punch. Along the left, I attached a small strip of Baja Blue cardstock. The Sparkles were glued down using a few dots of Tombow Multi Purpose Adhesive. For the center dots, I punched smaller circles using the 1/4" Circle punch and popped them up with small bits of Stampin' Dimensionals (I cut one dimensional into 4 pieces). The final touch ... add the 'way to go!' rub-on from the School Days set.

I'm thinking a set of these cards in different color combinations would be fun to make ...

Big Shot Arrives!

At work today one thought kept entering my mind, "The UPS guy is delivering my packages today." Sure enough, when I got home, here's what was waiting for me in the Stamp Garage ...


And, inside, my Big Shot!



Of course, I had to play ... no particular project in mind, I just wanted to learn how to use the Big Shot and my new cutting and embossing dies. It was so easy; within minutes I was hooked. Here are just a few of the test items I popped out using Big Shot.

First, testing out an embosslit embossing die ... this one is a special edition for Stampin' Up!'s 20th Anniversary year.


It embossed and cut out the scallop image in one pass!



Next up, I tried out one of the extended dies. I used a scrap from a piece of 12x12 cardstock for this one. In one side ...


Out the other ...


The result ... a set of scripted words perfectly cut. I would never attempt this with scissors or an exacto knife.


And, of course, I had to test out the ability to die-cut materials other than cardstock. Enter -- a scrap of leather. The result -- a leather monogram K!



I want to play some more with the Big Shot ... but have to get some sleep before work tomorrow. *sigh*

Stampin' Up! has partnered with Sizzix to offer a Big Shot specially designed for Stampin' Up! plus exclusive dies that coordinate with Stampin' Up! stamp sets in addition to other Sizzix dies (Sizzlits, Embosslits, Extended dies, Bigz dies, and Bigz XL dies). Stampin' Up! dies will work with your Sizzix Big Shot ... and Sizzix dies will work with your SU! Big Shot. Time to play!

Stampin' Up! Convention Photos

Whew! Finally had a full weekend at home - my first since early July - so was able to get caught up on a few things while waiting for my new stamps, punches and Big Shot to arrive. I mounted some stamps from convention (while doing laundry) and sorted thru some designer paper. And ... ta-da! ... created photo galleries from my Stampin' Up! Convention pictures. The galleries include lots of photos from the main stage presenations featuring lots of cute project ideas. Be sure to check out the great home decor items made with the Big Shot (Day 3).

Day 1 Photo Gallery

Just one photo from the Day 1 gallery ...


Awards Night Photo Gallery

Just one photo from the Awards Night gallery ...


Day 2 Photo Gallery

Just one photo from the Day 2 gallery ...


Day 3 Photo Gallery

Just one photo from the Day 3 gallery ...



Hope you enjoy the photos and get some stamping ideas!

Home Office Decor Ideas ...

There were so many great ideas at the Stampin' Up! convention this year -- I wish I could have taken a couple extra weeks off from work so I could just play in the Stamp Garage. Here are just a few Home Decor ideas featured -- wish my computer spaced looked like this!


This desk and chair are decorated using the 'Organic Outlines' Decor Elements vinyl wall decals in white ...




The file folders are decorated using 'Urban Garden' designer series paper ...


Small pieces of designer series paper were also used to add a backdrop to the photographs and the walls were stamped using the 'Organic Outlines' stamp set ...



Looking forward to some Stamp Garage playtime this weekend!

Bunch o' Thanks ...

A quick note before the weekend ... the stamp set 'One Smart Cookie' has returned in the 2008 Fall/Winter Idea Book & Catalog. So happy to see it! This set was in the Spring Occassions mini catalog and I had a lot of fun creating with it so glad others will get a chance to play now, too.

Here's a quick card I created using the grapes and 'thanks a bunch' stamps from the set. Nice thing is - the images and text are on different stamps so it's easy to mix and match the lil' pictures and sayings.


Punches: I used the new Stampin' Up! Scallop Edge punch and the Corner Rounder punch.

Color: The color is Orchid Opulence ... cardstock, classic ink (for the text) and a marker to fill in the grapes. The grapes on the background are actually stamped in Versamark because I wanted them to be slightly lighter than stamping with the Orchid Opulence ink -- but still match the color (Versamark ink is perfect for this!)

Techniques: Before coloring the grapes, I stamped them in Versamark and embossed with black embossing powder. To add a bit of texture, I sponged some Orchid Opulence on the cardstock.

Accessories: Keeping the card simple, I added a small piece of black gingham ribbon and a silver brad.

This card is now on its journey through the US Post ...

Convention Make and Takes ...

Home! (well, for one night at least. I fly out for a biz trip tomorrow)I'll be sure to start putting together my convention photo galleries when I get back - but first, I wanted to share the two last make and takes from the Stampin' Up! 2008 Convention.

Both of these projects use the new 'Eastern Blooms' stamp set. The box is made from a 9 1/2" x 6" piece of Pink Pirouette card stock. To decorative top is a 12" x 2" piece of the new Bella Rose designer series paper edged with the new Scallop Edge punch.


This box holds 5" x 3 1/2" note cards and envelopes.


My favorite part of this project was making the rosette. It's an 11" piece of 1 1/4" gorsgrain ribbon in Pink Pirouette gathered with a running stitch along one side. The edges are covered in a thin layer of Crystal Effects and Chunky Stampin' Glitter in silver.


The next project is a bookmark made from a scalloped square from On Board Essentials, a 20" piece of 5/8" striped grosgrain ribbon in Pacific Point and a couple new Filigree Designer brads.



A fun gift idea!


And, now that I'm home, I was able to take some better pics of the other make-n-take projects. Here they are again ...

Inspired by Nature ...



Flight of the Butterfly ..



Eastern Blooms ...



I'm thinking bookmark stocking stuffers might be a good idea this year ...

I'll post a rosette tutorial when I'm back from the biz trip ... Cheers!