inkinoutsidethebox

baby booties

2011-11-19T11:00:00.000-08:00

one of the guys I work with just found out that they are expecting a boy, and he is thrilled! I wanted to make a card for them and found a great card by lynn starzl that I cased, changing the colors and just a little bit more. I used certainly celery and pool party (my favorite new color), and added some mini pom poms to the bakers twine just for fun! I cut one of the lacy pieces from the flirtatious dsp and flipped it to the white side as a background.

glimmer paper WOW

2011-11-13T14:06:00.000-08:00

ok, I think it's a wow, I hope you do too. I used permanent markers to color some glimmer paper and it turned out alright, but I wanted to make it work using only SU! products, so I tried something new (to me at least) and I think it's gorgeous!
first I cut glimmer paper and sprayed alcohol on it, then used reinker in drops randomly around the paper in different colors (you can use all one color too).

I started turning the paper and adding more alcohol to make it run more.

if I had too much of one color in an area, or if it was too dark or I didn't like that color, I just blotted it with paper towel, and added another drop of another color if I needed more in that area, adding alcohol as needed to keep it moving.

once I liked my paper, I dried it with the heat tool, but as it dries, the silver glimmer comes out more and the colors fade to the back, and the color still seemed to come off on my fingers. so instead of drying it, I added a layer of clear embossing powder while it was still wet, then dried it with the heat tool, and the color popped right out.
I re-sprayed it with alcohol and added another layer of embossing powder and then heated it to melt the embossing powder (paper on left is dried with heat tool only, paper on right shown with embossing powder).

I found 3 layers made the whole surface smoother, spraying alcohol before adding the next layer of embossing powder, since it didn't stay warm long enough to do the normal reapplying and heating of embossing powder.
the added benefit is that you can spray the backing of the glimmer paper and peel it right off so you can use your new colored glimmer paper with punches, or leave it and use our dies. on my card, I used both the intricate snowflake and the border punch (with the backing peeled off), and they cut very easily.

medallion wreath

2011-09-08T14:13:00.000-07:00

here's my take on the medallion wreaths that are popular now, and shown in the SU! holiday mini catalog. I was inspired by cindee wilkinson's gorgeous wreath (www.justspongeit.blogspot.com), and she encouraged me to make a holiday one. I used the holly berry bouquet dsp in the holiday mini and some first edition dsp, since they'd used that in the christmas box kit SU! gave to us if we had a recruit in july. I have a few things that I need to share from that give away, but those will be in future posts. all my medallions are scored in 1/2" increments, and I used the small cropadile hole punch and tied them off based on heather summers' brilliant video (www.stampwithheather.typepad.com) on how to keep them together with out having them "pop". my strips were all various widths, 1/2", 1", 1 1/2" and 2". most were snailed together to end up with a 24" long strip, but there are a few that I did as 12" strips. those medallions end up more open, and you can see the paper more easily.

I stacked the medallions and staggered them to cover the base more evenly, adding northern frost and snowflake #2 die cuts randomly, since that's what snowflakes do :)

for the base, I used the carboard that was in the flirtatious dsp pack. it's thicker than the white cardboard, and was still easy to cut, but is definitely strong enough. I added a piece of dsp to the cardboard with our anywhere glue stick to blend in with the rest of the wreath (in case there were "bald spots"), then cut it down to 10" x 12". I made the frame 2 1/2" wide all around and cut the center out. pretty easy! the medallions take a little time, but the whole thing came together very quickly once that was done.

holiday mini swap

2011-09-05T15:03:00.000-07:00

for the life of me I could NOT get a good photo of this card, but it's pretty darn cute in person if I do say so myself! I used real red on the base and always artichoke for the next layer embossed with the new snow burst embossing folder available in the mini catalog. I also embossed a separate red oval with polka dots for the center of the frame made with the GORGEOUS silver glimmer paper. I stamped stitched stockings in always artichoke ink ON always artichoke cardstock, and then punched it out with the new stinkin' cute stocking builder punch, then re-punched holly berry bouquet dsp for the toe, heel and cuff. I added bakers twine at the top and to give it a little EXTRA charm, jingle bells on the ends. they are so cute! I ripped a line of mini glue dots, about 10 at a time to be manageable, then put the bells on each glue dot individually. when you pick up the strip to use them, they really jingle pretty well. I had to smile while I made this card!!! hope you enjoy it too! now I have to figure out what to do with the silver glimmer paper left over ovals! can't be a bad thing...

control freak pre-order swap

2011-09-03T14:56:00.000-07:00

this was a swap I did awhile ago when we were allowed to pre-order certain items from the new IB&C. I used ALL new in colors (love them!) lucky limeade, pool party (I think my favorite, I missed cool caribbean a lot), and island indigo. I stamped delicate doilies in white craft ink and scattered them around, and used the BACK side of the flirtatious dsp doilies, cutting each one individually. being a control freak swap I also used an embossing folder, pearls, punches and ribbon. the quality that those ladies put out is amazing. I got a lot of beautiful swaps in return!

matchbook style album

2011-09-01T09:17:00.000-07:00

I made this darling matchbook album in about 10 minutes (maybe even less).

the tutorial is available on the sudsol site and there are great step by step instructions and photos. the project was made by jen clendineng (thanks for sharing, jen).

I made it super simple by using beyond the garden dsp instead of stamping anything.

I used crumb cake cardstock on the inside, but I think in the future I'd use white, I think it would coordinate better. I chose not to stamp anything on the inside, figuring when you fill the album, you could do it then, and in the meantime, if you did it in a class, it would be a fast, easy project. it's not going to hold much, but a fun day out with friends could easily be documented and then given to show how special the day was. fun, quick project!!!

aloha

2011-08-31T22:56:00.000-07:00

tonight I was playing with the small oval punch (I think it's the one that retired) and the owl punch, and I came up with this hawaiian inspired card. I stacked the small oval halves in early espresso and chocolate chip to make the trunk of the tree, and cut snippets out of the always artichoke ovals for fronds. I punched a 1 3/4" circle in so saffron and sponged it with pumpkin pie for the setting sun. the card is daffodil, pool party and sahara sand. I used beyond the garden dsp for the bra (cut from the largest circle in the owl punch) and I used the flower trio punch (also retired, but you could use the itty bitty flower shape) for the lei. I randomly snipped fringe for the skirt. instead of trying to glue those tiny pieces for the pupils of the eyes, I used a permanent black marker on some pearls and added those. hope you like it. I miss hawaii, so whenever I can take myself back there, it's always a good memory!

ella turns 8!!!

2011-07-23T12:05:00.000-07:00

ella is 8 today, and I made this super quick card to commemorate the day. I used a sheet from big top birthday dsp to make the background and accent and the big top birthday quick accents for the tag, and used the happiest birthday wishes hostess set for the sentiment. I'm not very good at making the whirlygig things, I'll have to practice! I used a 2" square of dsp and cut from each corner in to close to the center, then added holes for the rhinestone brad with the pokey tool. putting the brad through the holes and then through the center is where I had trouble. everyone else has really nice looking results. I really need to practice! after I made ella her card, I made her birthday "cake" with meatloaf and mashed potatoes, with crumbled bacon on the sides. she loved it. I have many more pictures of the "party" on my puppy blog www.thedogshonesttruth.blogspot.com if you're interested!

gerbera daisy

2011-06-24T09:37:00.000-07:00

while I was on a roll with valita's flowers, I put together some gerbera daisies from the in color 6x6 hostess dsp pack. I used the same background technique as I did with the other flower cards, and added a couple of pearls to the center that I had colored with a brown permanent marker. the center isn't very accurate, but it's fun! the daisy was made with the daisies #2 sizzix die.

open sea

2011-06-22T14:07:00.000-07:00

here's a new card I did for a recent "summer mini" swap using the open sea stamp set, nautical expedition dsp, and the cherry cobbler/white baker's twine. I took the cardstock choices directly from the dsp, using cherry cobbler, not quite navy and early espresso. it was pretty bland looking initially, then I added the pearls on the compass and bottom side and added the happy birthday (again with pearls) using the modern label punch. I would have made it a father's day card in general, since the nautical theme lends itself to a more masculine card, but the happy father's day stamp I had didn't fit in the word window punch, so "happy birthday" it was! sometimes necessity
IS the mother of invention.

more gorgeous florals

2011-06-19T08:47:00.000-07:00

here's another picture of those gorgeous flowers all together (not being vain, they are gorgeous and it's thanks to valita, not me), and since I always make things and give them away instead of saving one for me, I made a "sample" card that had ALL of the flowers on it too! it's a little overwhelming to give as a gift, but it's nice for me to look at and know that I can go back to those and make more if the right occasion comes up.

stack and store caddy

2011-06-18T09:05:00.001-07:00

I think these things are brilliant and I have 4 of them, mainly because I don't get rid of anything and I think 2 of them are full of retired items, like brads and eyelets. also when I buy multiple packs of something, I tend to separate them out so I can use all of one thing when I'm doing a swap. anyway, I love them, but I spend an awful lot of time spinning that thing around trying to find what I need and sometimes have more than one of the same thing in 2 different places so I order more when I still have a bunch (sound like anybody else out there?). the other day I thought to myself "I could use that flat space next to the container to mount one of each thing". now I'm guessing that SU! already thought of that, and probably everyone else already does it, but it finally just came to me. I used the retired pop up glue dots since they're "meatier" and super sticky, and I'm really happy with how they turned out. I've already utilized it since completing it, and did inventory at the same time, combining containers when I could. hope this helps someone else, I know it will keep me from being totally frustrated!

more florals

2011-06-09T16:28:00.001-07:00

these were the other cards I made for the luv2stamp group birthday celebration. valita's blog, www.valitasfreshfolds.blogspot.com showed how to make the easter lilies, then I adapted it with pumpkin pie cardstock, tangerine tango sponged in the center and smooch spritz in log cabin to make the "freckles" of a tiger lily. I know they usually aren't so random in real tiger lilies, but I liked how it turned out on my interpretation. I cut 2 pieces of cardstock down to 9 3/4 x 8 1/2 and scored it at 2" all the way around to make a box with a lid to hold the card 1/4" larger than the card size so it was easy to get in and out, and 2" high to accommodate the height of the flowers on all the cards.

floral birthdays

2011-06-04T09:18:00.000-07:00

several ladies from our luv2stamp group are having lunch today to celebrate 4 birthdays. unfortunately, I have to work, but I wanted to recognize everyone's great achievement (I mean really, consider the option) in making it through another year, and wanted to do something special. I wandered upon this amazing blog, www.valitasfreshfolds.blogspot.com, and had to try several of the flowers that she has video's on. she does amazing work, and explains things really well, so even I can make them! the fuchsia was a little time consuming, but was pretty straight forward. I made several at one time. the large heart punch was used for the leaves, and the 5 petal flower punch was used for most of the fuchsia, along with the large scallop circle (for the center). valita has some amazing tips for doing the stamen, you should definitely check out her video's. the rose was made with the owl punch - the hardest part was cutting off his legs! once again, the video was very helpful in putting the whole thing together. I added some ribbon roses that I colored with reinkers and an aqua painter. I hope they'll like their cards. thankfully, they'll be hand delivered today, since they'd never make it through the mail. tomorrow I'll show you the other 2. I used the hostess pack of 6x6 in color dsp prints to make the top notes, and you can get one whole and more than half of another out of each piece, so I cut several of the pear pizazz and mixed the prints for a fun background. hope you enjoy! now go visit that other blog, you'll see what I mean!

trying new things

2011-05-20T17:27:00.000-07:00

I decided to try a couple of things I'd seen lately. an easel card, and the punch technique framing the front of this card. I really like how the frame turns out. it starts with a 3" square, and then you take the dotted scallop ribbon border punch and center it on each side (I hope SU! adds more of these to the new catalog). it allows a small piece to stay intact and act as the background layer for your center piece. I used the fabulous florets stamp and added crystal effects and dazzling diamonds glitter (lousy picture, sorry) and rhinestones (can't get enough of those). I got the instructions for the easel card from sandy hancocks blog (thanks sandy). love this beyond the garden dsp. my sister and I sat down and made several cards with all the different patterns.

oops

2011-04-29T13:33:00.000-07:00

I just made these bookmarks from the new flower fest stamp set (available in the summer mini) and they were fun to put together. of course when I was finished I realized I had made them all upside down, since you should view them when they are hanging out of the book and not looking at them straight on! oops... thankfully the control freak swap group has a bunch of classy ladies who haven't pointed that out to me (or, my pink slip is in the mail LOL). this is what I was working on when I realized we could make similar things that the fun flowers die made while waiting for it (on backorder). I added vintage tags, buttons from the regals, brights and subtles collections, the twine (which was knotting up until I made the holder), and rhinestones as dew drops on the lattice embossed leaves. I never seem to go for the in colors as much, so it was good to use pear pizzazz (sponged with old olive to tie it in with the olive grosgrain ribbon) on the leaves, and for the flowers I used blushing bride, peach parfait and poppy parade. I had to mix up the colors a little (instead of all one color for the whole swap) so I could get as many button combinations out of what I ordered, rather than having to order 20 containers of the same thing (I still ordered 7). plus I think it looks pretty as a whole "meadow" of flowers! I decorated both sides, with the buttons and tag on one side and the button and twine bow on the other. I just thought it looked unfinished otherwise, but practically speaking, if you were using it for a bookmark, being flatter would make more sense. SO, the next thing is to figure out what a double sided, upside down bookmark can really be used for, except just something pretty to look at! hope you enjoy, and learn from my mistakes.

recycled button containers

2011-04-14T11:09:00.000-07:00

we decorated some plastic containers at one of patty's classes, and the other day when I was making a bunch of things for a swap, I was using the hemp twine, but it was getting all twisted and took on a life of its own, so I punched a hole in the side of one of our decorated containers, added a grommet/eyelet, then rewound the twine on my fingers. I pulled the inside end (the end I started winding) through the grommet, put the lid on, and could pull out just what I needed to cut. it kept everything clean and orderly, and recycled!

birthday card

2011-04-14T10:32:00.000-07:00

using the flowers I made up the other day, I created a birthday card for someone at work who saves all the cards I give her (pretty sweet). I used a big button for the center (from the occasions mini), with hemp twine for the bow and one of the amazing key charms (which I hope make it into the new ib&c). I had the leaf sitting on the table from another swap I was working on, and the happy birthday left over from yet another swap, and they somehow managed to "work" with this card. she loved it! I think I'll make a few more with the extra flowers I have, just so I have some cards on hand. I can always leave the sentiment last, so I can customize it for a thanks, sorry or birthday card. I think this design works for all of those occasions.

fun flowers die waitlist

2011-04-12T13:59:00.000-07:00

there are a lot of people waiting for the fun flowers die in the SU! occasions mini catalog (backordered until may), but in the meantime, you can use the 2 3/8" scallop circle, fancy flower and 5 petal punches to create something similar.I used the springtime vintage dsp (one of my favorites, also from the occasions mini) and made a whole bunch of these in nothing flat! I love this paper, it doesn't look like everything goes together, but when you start mixing them up, there isn't a bad match up in the bunch! I punched a few of each out of each of the prints, then just started stacking. I curled the edges with my bone folder to give them a little life, and now I can put together a whole collection of cards. I used a variety of centers - buttons, ribbon roses, rose adornments, ribbon. it was a lot of fun and really fast. I have to make a couple of birthday cards, and I'm pretty sure I know what I'm using:)

patty's cupcake bracelet

2011-04-11T14:24:00.000-07:00

so the gift in the brown box is none other than patty bennett's bracelet I made with the cupcake punch and create a cupcake stamp set. I showed you the cupcakes I made earlier with shrink plastic, and now I've added the keys and charms to fill out the bracelet. I'm giving it to patty early so she can take it with her on her cruise (her birthday is in may). the center heart is punched out of the red glitter paper and then glued back to back so it's pretty on both sides. it floats around nicely in the charm. in addition to the keys, I added our simply adorned charms in clear, black, pink and pearl. these are a lot nicer than I expected. it's so hard to tell in a catalog. they are also pretty big. I sure hope she likes it. I love the way it turned out!

gift

2011-04-11T14:19:00.000-07:00

I made a simple belly band with rich razzleberry satin ribbon for a gift using the brown boxes our bracelets and charms come in. I added a button and a ribbon rose to fancy it up (both from the SU! occasions mini). stay tuned to see what's inside the box!

birthday

2011-03-17T12:06:00.000-07:00

I did this swap awhile back for a luv2stamp group meeting swap. I used the party this way stamp set and it came together pretty easily with the addition of the celebrations dsp and quick accents. the scallop border and 2 sizes of scallop circles made it super fast and easy. what a good way to make invitations quickly when adding dsp and accents.

cutest cupcake EVER

2011-03-14T07:50:00.000-07:00

as I've said before, I LOVE shrink plastic, so I had to find a way to use the absolutely adorable cupcake punch with shrink plastic, and I think I found it. I stamped the cupcake images onto frosted shrink plastic with the create a cupcake set and our classic ink, then punched them out. I punched a hole in the cupcake base and 2 in the cupcake top with the smaller of the 2 holes in the cropadile, then shrunk the pieces down one at a time with my heat gun. I added 7mm jump rings to connect the top and bottom of the cupcake, and then the top to the lobster claw. I made these to be bracelet charms, but you could also connect them to wires and make earrings. I added a colored rhinestone (with permanent marker) to each cupcake to simulate a cherry. I think they turned out really well. LOVE them!!!

christmas in march?

2011-03-10T12:03:00.000-08:00

ok, I'm a little behind, all these things were in the holiday mini, aren't currently available and have no business being here, but I wanted to post it anyway. I really liked how the monochromatic look added so much to the simple card. it could be easily adapted to a spring layout. maybe I'll challenge myself to that too. stay tuned...

sentimental journey

2011-03-07T11:24:00.000-08:00

I loved this set that was in a previous mini. it's been so long, I don't remember when. obviously it's not currently available, but wouldn't it be great if it were in the new big catalog that comes out in july! I don't usually have great luck with picking sets that carry over, but I buy what I like and that makes it ok for me. this was also a control freak swap! I'm glad that for the most part, when I go back and look at what I've done, I'm pretty happy with how things have turned out. the control freaks are such a hugely talented group of women, that I feel added pressure to do my very best when we have swaps (and feel totally unworthy of belonging, but as long as they'll have me, I'm staying!). I've had a few clunkers that don't work, no matter how many times I tweak it, but regardless, usually I hear encouraging words from these ladies. that's the other very cool thing, no matter how busy they get, they take the time to encourage and appreciate each other. the blog tours they have every month are absolutely amazing, and you should definitely take the time to take the tour! I get so many ideas from them. I probably won't be on a tour, I can't imagine being able to link to anyone (computer delinquent here), but once you find one blog, you can get through the entire tour, they're that good at setting the whole thing up.

artistic etchings and thoughts

2011-03-04T06:59:00.000-08:00

this is another card for a control freak swap I did awhile back. I was looking at the photos on my memory card, thought about posting this, then had to go through the catalog to remember the right name for this set. I don't know if you're like me or not, but when I get the new SU! catalog, I go to the back first, where all the embellishments are, where all my money will have to go initially, then I go through from front to back. while I was looking through the catalog today, I realized there are so MANY sets I have that I either have never used, or haven't used in ages. I must admit, with the addition of the clear sets, I haven't bought anything in wood that I didn't have to buy in wood, and since the clear sets work in such a nice amount of space, I usually go right to those when I want to stamp something. plus the added bonus is that our clear blocks are SO comfortable and feel SO nice to stamp with. I've stamped for a long time and had other blocks, but these are SO worth having. I haven't used the old ones since I got ours. with the addition of mini catalogs, I will also go to all the new stuff, rather than using something I have. don't get me wrong, I will still buy everything I can!!!, but I'd like to challenge myself to not only start blogging more frequently, but also to using sets that I've forgotten about. I figure if I post that, I'll feel a need to not let myself, or anyone who comes to check in on me, down. so, back to this card! I LOVE shrink plastic, wish we sold it, because I'd be happy to buy it from myself rather than having to get in the car and drive somewhere to see if they might have it in stock. I stamped the key image on tan shrink plastic, then cut it out and shrunk it down to add to the heart with a mini glue dot.

scissors

2011-03-01T07:42:00.000-08:00

these were so much fun to make, and look so cute, I couldn't stand it! all I did was punch the short wide heart from the heart to heart punch in black, and the word window punch in brushed silver, then cut the word window in half, then half again, to get the blades. I used the retired slot punch to make the finger holes in brushed silver, and added a silver brad to bring the whole thing together. I used one dimensional to add it to the card. fun!!! I used the big shot multi-purpose adhesive sheets to adhere all the little slots I punched out (thanks to my sister ellen, who did that while I was doing another part, or making breakfast, I don't remember). it was super easy, once they were all on the sheet (I'd cut a piece to work with something smaller) they came off super easy and stuck really well.

pattern pieces

2011-03-01T06:30:00.000-08:00

I try to use 100% SU! when I can, but I was out looking for tissue paper that was about the same color as sewing pattern pieces and time was running out. it was christmas time and everything had a pattern on it (not the right kind of pattern - reindeer, snowflakes - you get the picture). so my solution was to use white tissue paper that I spritzed with alcohol and crumb cake reinker. I also added a little spritz of soft suede reinker with alcohol (I think that part was way too subtle). if anyone wants to try coloring tissue, it's super fast and easy, but you should use smaller, easier to handle pieces of tissue. I did it with full sheets, and once it was wet with alcohol, it took on a life of its own! I tore a little, but I had so much it didn't matter. once it dried I stamped it with the pattern pieces stamp in basic black, then cut it out. these looked so cute in my pile, light and airy! dumb things make me happy. I used 1/2 of the pattern, and crinkled it up for dimension. too cute!

oh sew sweet

2011-02-28T06:55:00.000-08:00

I made a card for a swap I was in with the oh so talented control freaks using a few different things from the "oh sew suite" suite in the SU! occasions mini catalog. there were too many great choices, I couldn't limit myself to just one! I love the embosslit for the buttons. I can see so many things to do with that, I just need the time to play. the paper is great, the fabric, wow! I think the pom poms are so darn cute. I wanted to have my main piece look like a sewing table (like mine would always be, things stacked, jumbled around, messy).

I was really happy with how it turned out. next time I'll tell you how I did the pattern pieces and the scissors. super fun and easy! thanks for visiting again, it's been WAY too long for me!

mug shot

2011-02-26T12:00:00.000-08:00

just found this picture and thought it'd be great to add as louie's "mug" shot!

"bone" folder

2011-02-26T11:38:00.000-08:00

I was talking to patty about this the other day, and I think I've blogged it in the past, but just wanted to bring it back for a smile. dear sweet louie got ahold of this one day and added his own special touch to it. thankfully I have others, but in a pinch, I think it'd still work. I'd never have to worry about someone else claiming it, even with out the initials on top!

colored rhinestones

2011-02-26T09:37:00.000-08:00

while playing one day, I really wanted a different colored rhinestone for a card I was working on. I tried to make one with our SU! markers, but being water-based, the color came right off on my fingers (then I was really happy it was water-based). I tried reinkers with crystal effects, but all I got was a mess. I finally found that permanent markers work super fast and easy, and now I can have any color I want, they stay sparkly, take no time to dry, and I can make just as many as I need with no leftovers to get lost! I had a huge selection from a set I got at an office supply store, and pretty much every color turns out well. the lighter ones are pretty subtle, but against a white card, I think they'd show up ok.

bouquet bunch #2

2010-05-03T05:30:00.000-07:00

ok, not the best photography, but I really liked how the leaf bunch looked as a background. what a fun new set! I used soft suede and old olive, with basic black for the highlight. more kisses notes too. love them!

bouquet bunch

2010-05-02T05:23:00.000-07:00

I used the elements of style set for the swirly background, and the kisses notes for the stamped bouquet bunch image. I know these are gone now from the occasions mini catalog, but they are so convenient for stamping a small image on a decorative piece, I hope they come back in the new catalog in july! I used more mustard ink on summer sun paper, and cameo coral for my small background. I'm sure going to miss that color!

dog update

2010-05-01T07:19:00.000-07:00

I went down to clovis last week to visit my sister ellen, and to go to the clovis rodeo. what a great time we had. I brought the dogs with me, of course, and they made themselves right at home by finding their spots on the bed right away. it was a little tougher than usual since I have a king sized bed at home and we had to all share a queen sized bed at ellen's, but we survived and actually got a fair amount of sleep. they love their aunt ellen and had a great time romping.

elements of style #4

2010-04-30T07:20:00.000-07:00

ok, by now I'm sure you can tell I really like this set. I actually stamped 4 of this image on a single sheet of confetti white cardstock, then watercolored them all different colors. I thought this summer sun and old olive combination felt like a "simple" card, so I left it pretty plain. I think the image really stands on its own and doesn't need too much embellishment.

elements of style #3

2010-04-29T07:16:00.000-07:00

I love the new elements of style stamp set in the SU! summer mini catalog. I was doing some watercoloring on confetti white cardstock, and love the roses that have this color combo, so I made up mine with cameo coral and summer sun. I'm sure going to miss these 2 colors!

elements of style #2

2010-04-28T07:09:00.000-07:00

while I was playing in the stamp room with the elements of style stamp set in the new summer mini catalog from SU!, I started cutting random pieces apart, and tried this card. I used lovely lilac and old olive, and the scallop trim border punch from sale-a-bration, which will be around in the new catalog in july! yay!

elements of style

2010-04-27T10:02:00.000-07:00

I woke up early this morning and decided to spend a little time with the new elements of style stamp set from the summer mini catalog from StampinUp!. I used confetti white cardstock and black staz-on ink so I could water color with the aqua painter. on this card I used rose red and old olive. I cut the completed image into 1 1/4" squares and mounted them on old olive card stock and rose red cardstock. I used the melon mambo ribbon to complete this card. what a great new set!

easter baskets

2010-04-02T17:34:00.000-07:00

in addition to the rag bags that are so popular, I got some easter fabric and made small easter baskets for the kids of coworkers. I didn't tack or "x" the individual panels, since I didn't think these were going to get the use that the regular purses do, so they went even faster. my coworkers are sure that the kids will be carrying them around as spring purses for awhile, and that makes me very happy. I used ribbon from last year's SAB stuff for the handles, and also one striped one (that was my favorite). super fun and quick and easy.

2010-03-14T18:29:00.000-07:00

this was a "test" card I made when I was playing with my new stuff. I sponged the bride paper for the strip with the butterflies, the large oval with the vintage label stamp, and the rectangle with le francais stamped. I was just playing, and added the baby rhinestones from the eggcellent easter kit to a butterfly.

hi, my name is sharon, and I'm an addict

2010-03-12T11:36:00.000-08:00

hahaha! I am SO addicted to these rag purses, I spent a fair amount of time at the fabric store the other day and found some cute buttons to use in the center of each square as an accent. just wanting to try other ways of personalizing the purses. I'll be getting to those shortly.

in the meantime, I also bought some felt in 2 browns and a pink, to coordinate with the stitched felt sweet pea flowers. I made the bag with single layers of felt, except where I added both inside and outside pockets, using the browns to make a checkerboard look, and the pink on the sides. it's pretty easy for it to stand up on it's own without batting.

I added the felt flowers with a glue gun, and they didn't take any time at all. I think I'm going to use big grommets for the handles to attach (since it's a single layer), or maybe the preformed handles you can get at the fabric store. these are TOO much fun and highly addictive. use caution!

rag purse

2010-03-11T16:32:00.000-08:00

the wonderful rag purses are making the rounds, and all that I have seen so far use an "x" sewn through the scallop squares to keep the cotton batting in place. well, my sister ellen and I took a class 20+ years ago to learn how to make a "tied" quilt, so I wondered if it would work. I think it does! I wanted to add some extra bling, so while I was at the fabric store, I found some crystals that I tied on to the centers of the front scallops. it's hard to see, but it's nice and sparkly in person. I kept the outside black and white, but instead of using the same fabric to back the squares, I went for something with a little more punch, so it would show on the edges and compliment the tied yarn. it also makes a super cool inside!

I added pockets to the outside to hold my cell phone and keys which were super easy to add, and if I'd thought about it sooner, I would have added some to the inside as well. oh well, next time. I really liked doing the tied part, because it made it super easy to sit and do while I was watching television, then have a pretty easy time of sewing once all the pieces were ready. this one hasn't been washed yet to make the edges "raggy", but I think it'll turn out fine. I'll let you know if it's a problem!

vintage label

2010-03-10T16:21:00.000-08:00

hi, my name is sharon. oh wait, I HAVE done this blogging thing before, it's just been ages. I made this card with the vintage label set. I wanted to do something a little different than a label, so I figured out how I could use as many of the stamps from this set at one time (3). I liked it so much I used it for my swap with the wonderful control freaks!

polar bear

2009-12-02T17:27:00.001-08:00

I was playing with some punches after seeing a really cute gift tag with a comical polar bear and this is what I came up with. his face is made from the ornament punch, and so is the top of his hat. his ears are 3/4" circles, and his nose is a piece of a scallop circle. the word window punch and flower trio finish his scarf and hat, and his eyes and smile are free hand.

time flies again

2009-10-19T14:00:00.000-07:00

wow, I know it's been ages, and when I see the date of my last post, I feel guilty. I can guarantee that I'm not going to get much posted this week, since it's one of the craziest weeks at work ever, but now that I'm pretty much in one location, I'll try my best to contribute more.

One of my ways of trying to help, is finding another use for the ornament punch in the new SU! mini catalog. sure, it's easy to find a use for it during the holidays, but to make it worth purchasing, it has to have some other uses. I've seen some great ideas from other people, using it as a fish, acorn and vase, but when I saw it, I immediately saw strawberry! yeah, I know, we're looking into that weird brain. Anyway, I thought it would make a great strawberry, so I did this card for Patty Bennett's stamparama event just a couple of weeks ago. I also incorporated a few of the SU! exclusive sizzix dies, scallop square and lattice. I added smaller strawberries on the lattice using the small oval (cut in half) and one of the flowers from the boho blossoms punch. the 5 petal punch was used on the big strawberry foliage, as well as a flower from the pretties kit and a summer sun corduroy button. of course I had to top it all off by spritzing it with shimmer paint. It sure adds a lot to a card. thanks for being patient with me!

falling leaves

2009-07-26T05:07:00.000-07:00

This is my favorite card so far from Patty's challenge, using Falling Leaves and Elegant Eggplant rick rack. I stamped the leaves individually and cut them out, then formed the wreath and layered the leaves with dimensionals.

autumn traditions dsp

2009-07-25T05:01:00.000-07:00

I love this new DSP, and I think it's great that you can create a card that doesn't need much stamping at all. When I'm in a hurry, that's what I'm looking for! I used Kraft and Elegant Eggplant cardstock, and the 1 1/4" and 1 3/8" square punches with DSP and Elegant Eggplant cardstock (loving that eggplant!).

birthday girl!

2009-07-24T16:13:00.000-07:00

Here's my beautiful 6 year old! She's waiting, she knows it's coming. Ella turned 6 yesterday, so I thought I'd share what we did for the festivities.
This is the famous (in our house) meatloaf birthday cake. I cook 2 meatloafs in cake pans, then frost with mashed potatoes between the layers and on top. I added a little gravy to make it more special this year. It sure smelled good. Louie got in on it too, and there wasn't a speck left on that plate when they were done (big surprise).

I'm looking forward to leftovers myself!

elegant eggplant

2009-07-24T06:54:00.000-07:00

I used the Bright Blessings jumbo wheel to get the "blessings" sentiment for this card. There are so many possibilities with this wheel, I'm loving it! I also used one of the leaves from the Falling Leaves set, then added a strip of DSP from Autumn Traditions (love this paper) and Elegant Eggplant rick rack from the Orchard Ribbon Originals. Simple, but I think it's a great color combination. I don't use Elegant Eggplant often enough, I see that changing!

more sharing

2009-07-23T05:49:00.000-07:00

This second card I made from Patty's challenge uses the jumbo wheel again, inking each sentiment individually to make them stand out, then cut it down to 5 1/4", then cut it into strips and mounted it on DSP, and added different width strips to fill the entire card surface.

goodies

2009-07-22T16:37:00.000-07:00

Patty Bennett posted a challenge to her Luv2Stamp group in June, to come up with shares from the new pre-order things, and we'd get our name in a hat for every 5 entries. I was one of the winners, and I got some items to make more shares with! How fun is that! I got the Falling Leaves stamp set and Bright Blessings jumbo wheel, along with the Old Olive 1 1/4" striped grosgrain ribbon and Autumn Traditions DSP. This card utilizes the DSP and Old Olive ribbon, and I inked the wheel with individual markers to get the sentiment. It's a very versatile wheel, each image can be used individually, and will be great for the holidays!

animal stories album

2009-07-10T13:32:00.000-07:00

I thought I'd make a cute little album using all the new In Colors cardstock and polka dot ribbon, and my bind it all. I used each of the images as a tab for a colored page,
then alternated the pages so each animal had a page to itself. I cut the cardstock at 4 1/4" x 5 1/4" for the base (so it could fit inside an envelope with the bind it all coils), then I cut 2 of the pages at 4 1/4"x 4", and 2 at 4 1/4"x 4 1/4". The 2 top pages (stamped with the giraffe in soft suede) were cut at 4 1/4"x 2 5/8".

cat/owl

2009-07-08T13:24:00.000-07:00

There is one stamp in the Animal Stories stamp set that has people wondering if it's an owl or a cat. My first thought was cat, but apparently, most think it's an owl. The great thing is, it can be used for either. For this card I made it a cat, and used the thumping technique to make it a calico cat, with dusty durango and soft suede markers.

I made a second one and cut it out, then layered it on the first image with a dimensional. I added the old olive grass and mounted it on dusty durango and soft suede cardstock. Too cute. Oh yeah, to make it a cat, you have to draw in the tail and whiskers.

patty's pot

2009-07-06T07:14:00.000-07:00

I had a great time playing with the Razzleberry Lemonade DSP and Patty Bennett's tutorial of how to make the cute small pot. I used markers and spritzed the stamp to get the watercolored flowers, and loved how the pots turned out, using both sides of the same DSP. The one with the terra cotta looking base had less water and came out much sharper, and I cut some extra blossoms to add dimension. The striped bottom base card had a wetter stamp, and gave a softer, more smudgy look. I used melon mambo, crushed curry and dusty durango markers for the flowers on both, and old olive for the stem. I think this DSP is perfect for giving 2 different looks to the same pot, subtle, but really nice.

happy 4th of july

2009-07-04T06:03:00.000-07:00

I hope everyone's having a great celebration today. I'll be working, but I had a great time playing with the Animal Stories set, and made this cute card using that same Versamark technique on the Tall Tales DSP, then backed it with Rose Red and Brilliant Blue cardstock (ok, that's my red, white and blue for today), then another layer of Tall Tales DSP and then Chocolate Chip cardstock. I thought it was really fun that the Versamark happened to be stamped right where a section of the rose red owl/cat happened to be, and came out perfectly on the giraffe's nose. Pretty cool. Enjoy the day, and take a minute to thank all our military personnel and their families for what they sacrifice for all of us.

chrysanthemum

2009-07-03T06:57:00.000-07:00

On this sample with the Kind & Caring Thoughts Hostess set, I used the same watercolor technique, but it ended up a little muddy, so after it dried a little, I went back and restamped to get a little more detail, no spritzing this time. I used Melon Mambo and Old Olive markers for both the background and the image itself, then used the scallop edge punch to embellish the bottom of the Whisper White cardstock, and added the new Melon Mambo Polka Dot grosgrain ribbon.

kind and caring thoughts

2009-06-30T06:38:00.000-07:00

On this card I used Soft Suede and Rich Razzleberry cardstock (one of my favorite combo's), and Rich Razzleberry Polka Dot grosgrain ribbon for the base. I used Rich Razzleberry and Old Olive markers on the chrysanthemum, then spritzed it with water and quickly stamped it twice. The second (lower) flower turned out really cool I thought.
I finished it off with the spiral punch and a clip from the Clips Assortment. The sentiment is also from Kind and Caring Thoughts, and was stamped in Soft Suede.

last stair step, for now

2009-06-29T06:26:00.000-07:00

For this last stair step card, I wanted to try using DSP for the base, and it works just fine, just be careful not to score as hard as you would for regular cardstock, or you'll have little cut pieces of paper instead of a stair step card (wonder how I know that?)! I used the eyelet border punch to make the ocean waves, and even used the little cut pieces from that punch to make the ripples on the first level. I used Bermuda Bay cardstock and ink for most of the whales, and used Versamark on DSP for a couple of extras. I cut the clouds out of the Tall Tales DSP and stamped the "just for you" from the Teeny Tiny Wishes stamp set on the whale in front in Soft Suede ink. ok, that's it for stair step cards for now. Hope you try them, they're really fun.

stair step #2 - look out!

2009-06-28T06:19:00.000-07:00

I spent most of the time humming "Pink Elephants on Parade" from Fantasia on this card. Once again, I used the Animal Stories stamp set and versamark on Razzleberry Lemonade DSP for my "technicolor pachyderms", and Tall Tales DSP for the other elements. I added a cut skewer to the tree in the middle row to keep it sturdy. It's only attached by its "trunk" (no pun intended, well, ok, maybe a little bit). Soft Suede cardstock is the base for this card.

stair step card #1

2009-06-27T06:08:00.000-07:00

I've never made a stair step card, but once I got started I had to make 3, it's that addictive. It's a very simple process: start with cardstock cut to 5"x10 1/2", then score at 1 1/4", 2 1/2", 4 1/4", 6", and 8 1/4" and accordian fold the paper so you have 3 peaks and 2 valleys. Then you can do pretty much anything to decorate. My first card uses the Tall Tales DSP and the Animal Stories stamp set. I cut a couple of images out of the DSP and layered them onto the different levels of the card base, then took one part of the DSP and ran it through the big shot with the top note die for my "backdrop". I stamped the giraffe with the versamark technique and cut him out, and that pretty much finished this card. I used the gorgeous rich razzleberry cardstock for this one.

versamark

2009-06-26T06:00:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to share something I started doing, and I haven't noticed it being done before, but I'm sure it has, there are just SO many talented and creative people out there. So, if you've already done this, boy are you smart!!! I started using bold stamp images in Versamark on the SU! DSP, then embossing it in clear embossing powder. After it cools, I use the sponge daubers to outline and define the image, then cut or tear it out and use wherever. Here are three examples, in addition to the card I posted the other day with the bird from the Wings of Friendship Level 2 hostess set.
These are also sneak peaks of 3 projects I'll be posting in the next few days. Stay tuned!

razzle dazzle

2009-06-25T06:05:00.000-07:00

Still playing with the new sneak peak pre-ordered items from SU! This card uses the Razzle Dazzle stamp set. For the base of the card I stamped the floral image in Bermuda Bay ink on Bermuda Bay cardstock, then for the next layer I used Razzleberry Lemonade DSP, and added the Bermuda Bay floral and the Melon Mambo floral. I stamped off the Melon Mambo so it would be more subtle. I used our eyelet border punch along the side, then added the floral stamp on top, layered with Crushed Curry and Melon Mambo. I colored the stamp with the new In Color Markers (love those, I think I've said that before), then added the sentiment in Bermuda Bay on Melon Mambo cardstock, and outlined it with more eyelet border around the Modern Label punch. I'm having too much fun, and I should be unpacking!

circle circus

2009-06-23T06:57:00.000-07:00

I made this card using the new Circle Circus set with Crushed Curry and Dusty Durango cardstock and ink.

I embellished it with Antique Brass Jumbo Eyelets and Vintage brads. I used the new Modern Label Punch to imitate hinges, and the scallop circle punch to use as a closure.

hostess set

2009-06-21T05:56:00.000-07:00

The last of the Luv2Stamp challenge is a card I made with the Wings of Friendship Level 2 Hostess Set and the Razzleberry Lemonade DSP. I stamped the image with Versamark ink onto the DSP and embossed it with clear embossing powder. I then used ink daubers to smudge Crushed Curry, Soft Suede and Rich Razzleberry ink around the image and the edges of the torn DSP.

To mount it, I used Rich Razzleberry as a base, then stamped another one of the images from the set in Rich Razzleberry onto Crushed Curry cardstock, then stamped the sentiment in Soft Suede onto Crushed Curry cardstock and punched it out with the Designer Label punch and backed it with a 1 3/8" circle punch. I thought it gave the image an old wallpaper sort of look.

top note box

2009-06-20T05:31:00.000-07:00

I tried 2 techniques with this share. First was making a Top Note Box, second was the quilt technique. What better way to try out 2 new things than to use brand new Razzleberry Lemonade DSP! I've seen this quilting technique several times and wanted to try it, but just hadn't gotten around to it yet. It's so simple, but looks great. Using the 1 1/4" square punch, cut 2 squares of each of the 6 patterned papers. That gives you all twelve designs since the paper is two sided. I used snail to mount the 12 squares onto a piece of Whisper White cardstock, then ran it through my Big Shot with the Top Note die. Now if you want to make a card, you'd mount the "quilted" Top Note shape to a card front, then decorate from there. In making the top note box, you'll repeat the process, so you'll have 2 quilted top note die cuts when you're done. I used the new Rich Razzleberry cardstock to build the box. I cut a 1 1/2" x 11" strip of cardstock and scored it at 2", 5", 7", and 10" which leaves a 1" tab to adhere the box shape. Before gluing, I scored 1/2" along the entire length of the cardstock and added sticky strip, cutting at each score mark. Once the box is formed, remove the red liner and center the box onto the quilted top note shape. Repeat the process with another 1 1/2" x 11" strip, adding a 1/8" to each score mark - 2 1/8", 5 1/4", 7 3/8", and 10 1/2", this time leaving 1/2" for the tab. Adhere this box to the white side of the second top note shape so the quilted pattern is on top and slide this box over the other one. I decorated the top with the new Circle Circus stamp set in Melon Mambo and Crushed Curry cardstock and ink, and punched those out with the Scallop Circle punch and the 1" circle punch. I added a white scallop Circle behind the Melon so it would stand out more and added the Crushed Curry Polka Dot Grosgrain ribbon. Fun project!

holidays already?

2009-06-19T06:21:00.000-07:00

Continuing with Patty Bennett's Luv2Stamp Group challenge, I used the new Autumn Days Stamp Set to make a very simple card. I used the absolutely fabulous and finally available (soon) In Color MARKERS to color the pine cone with Soft Suede, and to keep it exclusively new, the Bermuda Bay marker for the pine needles. I then stamped it on Soft Suede cardstock and added the Thinking of You sentiment from the Kind and Caring Thoughts Level 3 Hostess Set, also stamped in Soft Suede. To add a little sparkle, I outlined the image with Tombow glue and sprinkled Dazzling Diamonds all over.

bleaching

2009-06-18T06:09:00.000-07:00

Last year for convention, I made cardstock rings using the small tag punch, and included all 48 colors, our neutrals, and the 6 in colors for the 2008-2009 year. In addition, I made a few complete rings that I stamped with bleach, using the Dreams Du Jour stamp set, and gave those to some special friends, my sister included. It's really a great process, and shows a lot of interesting base colors in our cardstock. I use this reference a lot to make up color combinations for cards I'm putting together. This year, all I have to do is replace the In Colors with the new 2009-2010 colors. I also used the new Circle Circus stamp set for the bleaching process, and added one of the new In Color Polka Dot ribbons to show those off too. My sister Ellen and I had a great time making these, and since all we're doing is replacing 6 colors, it went super fast.

moving/unpacking

2009-06-17T18:55:00.000-07:00

I thought I'd show you the status of the craft room: everyone thought it was a great idea to move all the boxes into the "spare" room - little did they know that I get more use out of this room than almost any other (draw your own conclusions).

So, my darling sister Ellen came up to help me try to get through some of this, and the two of us built this shed in the backyard (Rubbermaid Big Max). Not bad for two middle-aged women! It's 7'x7', and took us a whole lot longer than we thought, and did a fair amount of physical damage, but we did it.Once we had that finished, we started moving boxes out of the future craft room and into the shed so there would be room to move around and start putting shelving up. Even though it's coming up on summer, it's pretty foggy in the morning, so just putting boxes outside would have been a big problem, and who knows what damage could have been caused. Note the SU! box on top, boy did I use a lot of those. I don't have a total count of boxes, but there's a huge number that are marked CR (craft room). Way too general though, so it's going to take some time to get through them all. I'll keep you posted on the progress of the room - shelving next!!!

sorry

2009-06-17T12:47:00.000-07:00

I'm involved in a very long and drawn out move, so I haven't had a chance to post anything. Things are looking up and I hope to be up and posting regularly pretty soon. In the meantime, I received my box of new goodies from Stampin Up! - preview items from the new 2009-2010 catalog (available early for demos) - and Patty Bennett issued a challenge to her group. We need to post 5 projects using new products to our group website, and in return, we'll have a chance to win free merchandise from the new catalog!!! Couldn't pass that one up, so here's the first of my new product shares:

I'm really fond of the bleaching technique, as you'll see with my next post, so I tried bleaching on the new Melon Mambo cardstock with the Razzle Dazzle stamp set, then offset the stamp and restamped it with Melon Mambo classic ink. I mounted it on Melon Mambo cardstock with Razzleberry Lemonade DSP (love it!), then used the new Modern Label punch with another stamp from the Razzle Dazzle set, and inked the edges of the punched out image with Melon Mambo ink.

Thanks for your patience, and I hope you'll visit again soon. Now that I have a whole box of new things, even if everything else is in carboard boxes, I'll find time to do something crafty.

sar project

2009-04-25T10:00:00.000-07:00

This is my StampARama project for Patty Bennett's Luv2Stamp Group. I usually make a card, but I wanted to do a 3D item, and I had a lot of pens and pads left over from a Christmas project I did. Since our project is supposed to take 10 minutes or less, I decided I'd better do the Big Shot work in advance. I used the Bold Brights color family to make this as Spring-like as possible, and I think it turned out really happy (if that makes any sense)!

I've noticed that Stampin Up! has a LOT of things to use for the centers of flowers, so I wanted to utilize those a bit. I figure I should have used full sized legal pads, since I didn't even get close to using everything possible, but I think these would be cute to show off at workshops and maybe sell a few additional items!

Each person will get a transparent envelope with the completed flowers and leaves, and also a pad and pen. I used the Walk In The Park DSP for the butterflies and cut paper for the pens, and they'll be able to pick through to find the color combo and match they like best. I think this would make a fun class project. The flowers were each attached with a dimensional, and I used mini glue dots for the leaves.

happy birthday patrick

2009-04-22T18:29:00.000-07:00

I had this idea for a "wallet" for my brother in law's birthday card, and I know I've seen a few in the past, but this morning I sat down and built one from scratch. It turned out a lot better than I thought it would. I love it with the croc embossed look, and since I used textured cardstock, it actually has a really nice feel to it, sort of like leather.

I used chocolate chip textured cardstock and a small piece of the medium weight window sheet (now on sale in the Stampin Up! Occasions Mini Catalog) for the inside, and for the outside I added Versamark and clear embossing powder, then drew lines through it before heating it.
The completed "card" has a couple of fast food restaurant gift cards, some cash, and my sentiment in the ID section. Pretty fun to make, and very easy. I'll add the Sonic gift card tomorrow when I'm driving down to their place to enjoy the Clovis Rodeo and celebrate Pat's birthday. The dogs are coming too, so you know they'll have a blast!

just beachy

2009-04-14T16:45:00.000-07:00

This is a card I made for a recent swap from the SU! Occasions Mini catalog, which has some great items available until June30. I used the Just Beachy stamp set, as well as the Lazy Days jumbo wheel, and the new Jumbo Grommets. I used a jumbo uninked cartridge, and added drops of reinkers so the whole thing was covered, then wheeled it onto cardstock to get the rainbow effect. It worked out well, I was worried it would give a "muddy" effect, but the colors didn't bleed too much, and looked pretty good (I thought). I also used the SU! texturz plates on a couple of the circle punches, and although it's hard to see, I used one of the "leftover" acrylic circles from the build a brad kit on the fish in the upper left corner. It looks like a pool of crystal effects, but no waiting for drying time!!! To keep the ribbon from buckling, I did flatten 2 of the teeth on the grommet, so it wouldn't pierce through and wrinkle the ribbon. I hope you like it, I thought it was bright and summery.

Jason is 18!

2009-03-27T08:11:00.000-07:00

If you spend any time on Patty Bennett's blog (doesn't everyone), you'll know it's been a very traumatic week for her. Her son Jason just turned 18! I can't believe Patty has an 18 year old son, but I was fortunate enough to be invited to his birthday party and there were a bunch of nice kids celebrating so it must be true. I gave Jason a gift card, and knew I wanted it to be in a skinny tin, since I took a class where his mom showed us how to use them for that (and I still have a bunch of skinny tins), but they were pretty girly, and I know that wouldn't be appreciated, so I used the Stampin Up! Tailor Made Simply Scrappin Kit to make it as manly as possible.
I also used the now retired Form and Function background stamp to stamp the front of the tin with Not Quite Navy craft ink, then embossed it with clear embossing powder. I haven't found anything that will keep embossing powder off the rest of the tin (I cleaned it with alcohol and used the embossing buddy), but since it's clear, it looks fine. Using the heat tool on metal gets really hot though, so be careful if you attempt it.

For my final attempt to make it as guyish as possible, I die cut Jason's initials using the tag shaped self adhesive die cuts in the Tailor Made SS kit with the Serif Essentials alphabet and also in kraft cardstock, so I could float the letters on the belly band. I was happy with how it turned out. Not girly at all.

matchbox bunny

2009-03-25T05:33:00.000-07:00

I've been having a great time making matchboxes with the new die available from Stampin Up! on April 1st. I had to make a bunny version. Ellen and I were making a 3 high chest of drawers and she found these bunny heads that were from a kit I had years ago, using pom poms and pipe cleaners, all of which are still available. After constructing 3 matchboxes and sticky stripping them together, we made a band to go around the three, and a handle to make it more like an easter basket.

We decided to add the head, and of course, a tail.

Here's what you can put inside:

Fun addition to Easter projects!

another purse

2009-03-24T17:25:00.000-07:00

I found this tutorial on Becky Roberts site, http://www.inkingidaho.blogspot.com/, and Ellen and I just had to try it while we were creating this past week at her house. I think we duplicated it almost exactly, we used non-SU! ribbon for the handle, since Ellen didn't have anything that coordinated, but I think the polka dotted pink is great! We also used the kiwi kiss corduroy button for the closure (love those). Check out Becky's blog, and follow along to make your own!

scallop envelope purse

2009-03-23T17:06:00.000-07:00

I was going through a lot of email the other day, and I saw something like this, but when I went to recreate it, I couldn't find the post, or remember exactly how it was put together, so I made it up from there. I started with 2 scallop envelope die cuts, cut the bottom tab down to about an inch, then added a strip 1 1/2" wide along the sides. I used sticky strip on the envelope tabs, and it came together easily. I added the word window punch to the front of the purse with 2 brads, and then added another word window punch to the center of the back of the purse with a mini glue dot and another brad. I pinched the sides in to get a crease, but in the future, I'd probably try to do that before putting it together. I think it would look neater. The purse was a little bulky and wouldn't stay closed just by tucking the tab through the front, so I added another brad so it would catch on the cardstock. It stays together nicely now. I want to try this in a few more colors and a couple of other textures and probably in some DSP as well. I'll let you know what I come up with. I attached the grosgrain ribbon (from SAB) with a couple of coordinating brads. Too cute!

dog days 2

2009-03-22T09:22:00.000-07:00

During our walk by the creek at Ellen's, the dogs got a little fresh water bath. Louie was herding Ella from the far side of the creek back to the side Ellen and I were on. They had a blast!
Ahhh, success! Those were 2 very wet dogs, and why is it that when they are soaking wet, they choose THAT time to come and give you kisses???

matchbox heart

2009-03-21T16:45:00.000-07:00

The new sizzix matchbox die is available through Stampin Up! on April 1st. In the meantime, I've been making a few different things to show how versatile it can be. This is a very simple box to put together, once you have your die cut pieces, and for this box, I used the Stampin Up! full heart punch and a piece of acetate to show the pretty colors of the Easter candy inside. These would be great party favors, and you could use any punch to set the theme! I used one of the prints from the Bella Bleu DSP, and the Very Vanilla print would be gorgeous for a wedding favor (minus the Easter eggs).

clear matchbox

2009-03-20T15:38:00.000-07:00

OK, I have a lot to say about the new matchbox sizzix die available April 1 through Stampin Up!

First and foremost, I LOVE it! It's the easiest thing to put together once you have your pieces, it comes with extra label pieces, you can stack them and make little chests of drawers (wish I had this when I was into Barbie's), and I'm sure that once everyone has a chance to work with them more, the possibilities will keep on coming in. It works just as well with DSP or cardstock, with mine I did need a different shim, and remembering that it's longer than 12", it did require 2 pieces of 5 1/2"x6 1/2" to put under my "sandwich", but once I figured that out, I made several, and I'll have a few different ideas for a couple of days, so please check back!

Now, with that said, I thought it would be fun to make one with the clear (medium) acetate also available April 1 through Stampin Up!, and use a clear bead from the Pretties kit as a drawer pull. In fact, I thought about making a stack of 3, but I put myself through so much torture, I stopped at one.

FIRST problem was locating clear acetate. I looked everywhere, was sure I knew where I'd put it, but didn't see it, checked several other locations, went back to location I was positive I'd left it, and all I saw was cardboard (any of you with me yet?). I did a little swearing under my breath, wandered around a little more, went back again, this time picking up cardboard, thinking acetate might be under it. Finally looking at cardboard, I realized that what I had in my hand was indeed the acetate I had purchased, but with it being clear, with tissue between it, I thought it was just left over cardboard. OK, problem solved, I cut acetate into 5 1/2" x 6 1/2" pieces, I have four, and have kept tissue between sheets so I don't lose them.

SECOND problem, knowing that acetate can scratch, and hearing people talk about how the multiple cuts into their cutting plates can sometimes leave ridges on their cardstock, I open up a brand new set of crystal clear extended cutting plates (any smiles out there?). I put one plate down, set the die down, go searching for acetate and can't find it.

THIRD problem, clear acetate with white tissue on a white table is nearly impossible to see. So I finally find it and set it onto the die, which is remarkably easy since it's see through and quite clingy, so it slides right into place. Then I go to put the top plate on, which is also very staticy (is that a word?), so the acetate moves and I lift the top plate off and can't find acetate (now very nicely clinging to clear cutting plate). I finally get it back together and get it cut.

OK, from here it's just my observations. The acetate is pretty thick and I just used the medium weight one. I used the cardboard the acetate came with, because with the way my Big Shot is calibrated, regular cardstock wasn't giving me any score lines. The cardboard worked great and I was able to see and score everything. On mine, the score lines needed to be reinforced by using the bone folder. Otherwise, the box wouldn't stay together. Once I scored and creased with the bone folder, it stayed pretty well. The addition of something in the box made it a lot easier to keep together (in this one I have 6 Easter Rolos-pretty colors). Sticky strip on the side of the cover worked really well, and is nearly impossible to see. I used crystal effects to adhere the bead, and once it had a chance to set up, it stayed just fine. In my picture it's still a little wet, so it's a little cloudy.

Having experienced what I did and knowing what to expect, I may make more, they look really cute, and I can't wait to figure out what to do with the labels that I got with each cut. I did waste a couple, since it took me awhile to get the right thickness in shims, but using something else as a test wouldn't give me the same thickness, so I don't know how else to test it. I can say that even with the cardboard thickness, none of my score lines came close to cutting through, so I can use the wasted cuts on other projects. I hope my experience will help you in your attempts. The good thing is, I'm still smiling!

dog days 1

2009-03-19T21:21:00.000-07:00

I was able to take a couple of days off from work to go down to Coarsegold, CA (between Fresno and Yosemite) to visit my sister, do some crafty things, and give the dogs a nice mini vacation. Ellen and Patrick (my brother in law) have a gorgeous piece of property with a seasonal creek.
She and I spent a fair amount of time sitting at the table making things (I'll show you soon), but we went out one morning with the dogs to "hike" down to the creek and enjoy how beautiful the day was getting to be.
The dogs (Louie and Ella) had a great time wandering around, investigating cow pies (Ella), barking at the horses (mostly Louie), running in the water (both), and just being loose. At home they are couch potatoes (in fact both are snoring on the bed right now), but when they are here, not only do they get spoiled rotten by Aunt Ellen and Uncle Pat, they get to go pretty much anywhere they want. We did take precautions so they wouldn't interfere with the pregnant horses (no matter how big they are, the horses are a LOT bigger) or the cows (closed a gate), but it was great watching them run. Each morning I'd take them to the front pasture and Ella would run from one end to another chasing squirrels and just being a happy dog. Louie would follow her a short way, then turn around and come back to me (he's really very lazy). He watched her closely, and if she seemed to be having too much fun, he'd trot down to her and see what she was doing, but mostly he watched. Part of what was so great for me to see them enjoying themselves so much was the recovery of Louie from 4 ACL surgeries, and Ella's recovery from a spinal cord stroke last year. Truly amazing and inspiring.

more daisies

2009-03-03T05:42:00.000-08:00

I had so much fun making the daisies for my Luv2Stamp swap, I made more with the Regal Rose Patterns Pack DSP II Hostess paper. I haven't decided what cards to make with them yet, but they look so fun just laying there, I had to take a picture or 2. I set up 12 build a brads, then snailed the DSP in place and added the clear domes. I thought they looked cool by themselves. I think it's really interesting how different these daisies look when you use different colors.

fifth avenue floral too

2009-03-01T05:25:00.000-08:00

This idea just came to me the other night, and I really like how it turned out. I sort of wish I'd thought of this earlier so I could have used this for my swap. I used the bleaching technique for the background paper on night of navy, then stamped a single rose and used heat and stick (my first successful time) with new fine galaxy glitter in champagne. I added our new eyelet border and a small strip of the taste of textiles printed kraft pinstripe. Love that paper! I can't wait for the new manhattan flower embossing folder (available today), I'm sure I'll be making more samples then!

fifth avenue floral

2009-02-27T22:21:00.000-08:00

I love this set, and I love how the change in ink colors gives it a whole different look. This is a card I made for a recent swap, and I'm not sure I really love it, but I wanted to try a faux silk technique and what I thought was an original idea, of adding a faux embossed look to it too. I added a large heart under the tissue (upper right corner), so when the tissue is layered on top, it doesn't stick.

Pina Colada

2009-02-23T05:02:00.000-08:00

The second stationery box I made (designed by Jackie Topa, as described in the previous post)also used a now retired Simply Scrappin' kit, Pina Colada. I love the simply scrappin' kits. They are so versatile, and this one especially had so many die cuts, you could design for weeks on what came with the kit. I'm amazed at how different the boxes look, just by using different printed paper. I think Jackie did an amazing job figuring this out, and I really want to thank Dannie Graves for explaining it as well as she did on her video tutorial. Once I knew what to do, they came together surprisingly quickly.

I also made a pinwheel for this gift bag, and thankfully, pinwheels are not limited to Christmas time, so I can use them with our SU! gift sacks, and always have just the right touch!

Summer Home

2009-02-21T16:31:00.000-08:00

I made a couple of these stationery boxes at Christmas time, using different Simply Scrappin kits. These were designed by Jackie Topa, and I watched a great video tutorial by Dannie Graves before I attempted my first one. They look like they should be difficult, but were pretty easy to put together and looked really nice (I think) when they were completed. This first one, with the now retired Summer Home Simply Scrappin' kit uses great "in colors", baja breeze, kiwi kiss and riding hood red, in addition to chocolate chip.

I also used some of the printed paper in the kit to make a cute pin wheel for the bag decoration. I learned how to do that on Sandy Hancock's blog.

You sure can learn a lot from all the great demonstrator's out there who are willing to share.

rustic rooster

2009-02-20T07:32:00.000-08:00

I think I like this set because it gives me a feeling of the french country side. I made this card using the Patterns DSP in Riding Hood Red, as well as Riding Hood Red and Basic Black card stock. I also embossed it and used Creamy Caramel to give it a tea stained look. The addition of the word window punch and a brad, as well as the Riding Hood Red taffeta ribbon, really helped balance everything for me. I like the post mark in the oval punch, layered onto the designer label punch too.

skinny tins

2009-02-19T17:16:00.000-08:00

Before the end of the year when I was trying different things with the skinny tins, I had experimented with craft ink and clear embossing powder. I think they turned out nicely, and I used a couple of them for gift certificates during the holidays, and will probably continue with them for birthdays and other occasions (there's a wedding coming up soon). I also made a few with a sizzix embosslit alphabet called pink lemonade, which I think is retired now from their collection. It makes great embossed letters on a cut out circle. I used our SU! 1/2" circle punch on some magnetic adhesive backed sheets that I got at Staples (the kind that are the size of business cards, so you can make a magnet out of your personal cards), and backed each letter with a magnet disc, then added them to the inside of the skinny tin (they stick great and don't slide around). You can then spell whatever you want and mount them to the outside of the tin, changing it whenever you want. The tins stand up if you don't shut them completely, and you can view your creation whenever you'd like. I apologize for the quality of the pictures, embossed letters and the shiny tin surface make it pretty tough to get anything viewable!

where does the time go

2009-02-19T16:05:00.000-08:00

I can't quite believe it's been so long since I posted anything, and yes, once again, I'll try to do better. This is a swap I made for our upcoming Luv2Stamp group meeting. I had so much fun making a sea of flowers from the Tangerine Tango Patterns DSP and the Sizzix Daisies #2 die. I used the center of the middle sized daisy for the build a brad center, so I didn't even have to do any extra punching. I'm still trying to mix "in colors" while they're still current, so I used the Tres Chic background stamp in Pacific Point, and the Kiwi Kiss card stock as another layer. I love the striped grosgrain ribbon (also in Tangerine Tango).

love you much

2009-01-01T23:12:00.000-08:00

this is a card I made with the new Love You Much bundle from Stampin' Up! I really like the "storefront" look I've seen on a few samples from other sets, so I decided to make this look like a bakery, with cookies lined up in the window. I had a few cravings for sweets while making this one too, I might add! The cookie sheets were made with the "L" from the love, and the cookies were made with the new heart to heart punch, which is currently available in the bundle, but will be in the new Spring/Summer 2009 catalog as well. Some of the "cookies" were decorated with Crystal Effects and Dazzling Diamonds, and others were decorated with the pink Bead Duo, adhered with Crystal Effects. I made a string of lights around the window with the signo gel pen and dazzling diamonds mixed with crystal effects.

I made a topiary tree also using the heart to heart punch and three different greens, certainly celery, garden green and old olive (upside down), the word window punch for the trunk, and the round tab punch, cut in half and curled at the edge for the pot. I used the same colors for the shrubbery, adding kiwi kiss too. The flowers are described in an earlier post (dazzling diamonds and tinted crystal effects).

puppy christmas

2008-12-27T05:51:00.000-08:00

The dogs each got a squeeky chew toy from Aunt Patty, and in true Ella fashion, she spent the better part of the evening ripping the polyester out of the snowman to get to the squeeker, then destroyed that and went back to the "carcass". She'll carry that around forever, now that it's cleaned out. She greets me every day when I come home with one of her toys, always has.

Louie on the other hand, has always played nice with his toys, until Ella gets ahold of those too, and destroys them. He's more of a paper shredder, and this made him very happy.

In the end, my living room looked like it had snowed, and I had one very tired puppy!

merry christmas

2008-12-26T09:45:00.000-08:00

well I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas, and now we're on to a Happy New Year as well.

My wish for everyone is a healthy, happy 2009 with plenty of time to stamp and create!

pinwheels

2008-12-24T12:40:00.000-08:00

I went to Sandy Hancock's blog, http://www.sandystamper.com/ and learned how to make this easy pinwheel! Now I'm hooked. I hadn't made one before so I punched the pieces and sat in front of her tutorial to make sure I got it right, and voila! How cute are these? I think they'd be great any time of the year for birthdays, and right now, they take on a snowflake look. Maybe it's just that the house is so cold everything feels like snow!

All you need is 8 large tag punches and a 1 3/8" circle to adhere them to. I added the dimensional with glitter to the center instead of a smaller circle punch that Sandy had used. Follow her directions in folding, and it comes together super fast. I made a couple of others as gift bag decorations, and I'll show you those in the next couple of days, along with what was in the gift bag! Stay tuned...

where has the time gone?

2008-12-23T13:19:00.000-08:00

this has been a busy week, and I just realized I haven't shared anything, so I thought I'd show you one of my Christmas cards that I made. I kept it simple since time is always short at this time of the year. I used Stampin' Up's jumbo wheel Snow with white craft ink, the Sizzix snowflake die, and Not Quite Navy and Confetti White cardstock.

For the center of the snowflake, to give it a little festive touch, I used a dimensional dipped in Dazzling Diamonds!

For the inside, I used the Bold Snowflake jumbo wheel, our new 1 3/4" circle punch cut into a spiral, and added the Sizzlits snowflakes. I used the Punches Three hostess set for the sentiment.

skinny tins, part 1

2008-12-16T05:51:00.000-08:00

I was playing around with the skinny tins, and found that they look great when you stamp them with Craft ink and emboss them with clear embossing powder. I used the Bella Toile background stamp, and Garden Green and Chocolate Chip Craft ink on these 2 tins. Be very careful if you try this, the tins get SUPER hot when you heat the embossing powder. I found it was best just to hold it by the bottom part and let the top hang while I was heating it, then set it down to cool for a couple of minutes. I think I need to play around with this using different colored Craft Stampin' Spots and some different stamps. good thing I bought a few while they still have them. Stay tuned to see what I did with these!

fast, easy & inexpensive

2008-12-14T09:27:00.000-08:00

what could be better. These took no time at all, and I think they'll make great little gifts. I made a bunch of these with Stampin' Up! Holiday Treasures and Ski Slope DSP, and took them down to my sister. Then I realized I needed something for my co-workers, so I used more of the papers from Patty's 6x6 DSP split! Those are really coming in handy, and they are a great size for making almost anything! I got my paper pads at Staples, and they are 5" across, so I cut a 2" x 5" strip to adhere across the top, and attached it with Sticky Strip. I put one sticky strip on the front of the pad, then put the other on the paper, so I could line it up on the pad, crease the paper around the top, then release the other, once I had it all perfect.

For the pen, I used a strip of DSP that was 3 1/4" x 1", rolled it around a skewer, then put in in the barrel of the pen.

I love these pens, they're the only ones I've found that unscrew at the bottom so you can insert paper.

You can make 2 sets with one 6x6 piece of paper, plus an extra pen if you want! Pretty efficient, I think.

my view from the craft room

2008-12-13T10:47:00.000-08:00

I took this from the front porch, but I can see it from the craft room and the office. My sister Ellen & I give my mom credit for beautiful sunsets, and this one was gorgeous!

coaster calendars

2008-12-12T11:17:00.000-08:00

I saw these calendars on Connie Babbert's blog, www.inkspiredtreasures.com and wanted to make some while my sister was here, so she could take them home and offer them in her gift boutique at her store, All of Me, in Clovis, CA. We used papers from a 6x6 DSP split that Patty Bennett offered back when the Fall/Winter catalog came out. Since I'm assuming we'll have all new papers in the Spring/Summer 2009 catalog, we decided this would be perfect.

We couldn't get the clips to stand upright, like Connie's did (maybe our clips were smaller?), so we clipped them at the bottom and used the clip like a stand.

Since Ellen had to take these home on the train, we left everything flat, and stored the clips back in their original boxes.

We used 4" square chipboard coasters, cut the paper to fit and used one of SU!'s retired corner rounders which fit the edges perfectly, then adhered the paper with the Stampin Up! Anywhere Glue Stick. We used calendars that Connie recommended at www.skybluepink.com, and attached them with snail. We used a 1 1/4" x 2" strip of the same DSP, and attached it to the binder clip with Sticky Strip. We added a couple of ribbons to give it a little dimension, and helped use up some retired product (I sure hope they bring organdy ribbon back, small and large widths). Once we took our pictures, we labeled the boxes so that Ellen wouldn't have to take the time to match everything up, once she got them to the store. I just loved how the clips looked all lined up!

We had a fun time working together in the newly organized (but still a work in progress) craft room, and they didn't take too long to put together. We made 50 altogether, and I kept one so I'd have something on my desk to take the place of the one we made in Patty's class last year!

snail

2008-12-09T07:44:00.000-08:00

I must say, I LOVE snail adhesive! Whenever I have "free money" from orders, and don't have anything in particular that I want, I stock up on snail, adding a few here and there. While I was working on my craft room in my spare time these past few weeks, I finally corralled the majority of it into one bin. I think it looks like I can hold off on any more snail orders for a little while. But doesn't it look great???

post it holders

2008-12-07T04:58:00.000-08:00

I can't remember whose site I saw this idea on, but they were so cute, I wanted to make some. They start with a 4x6 acrylic frame, I added DSP and the tree or snowflake, then added some sticky strip to the back of the post-it pad and adhered it to the front of the frame. The holiday post-its were at Target in the dollar spot. I'm going to add a ribbon through the top of the frame and tie a pen to it, just haven't gotten to it yet.