Friday, December 30, 2011

Stampin' Addicts Occasions Mini Blog Hop

Welcome to stop #2 on the Stampin' Addicts Occasions Mini Catalog Blog Hop.  If you're hopping in order, then you've just come from Tanya's Tinkerin' in Ink blog.  Isn't she clever?  I love what she did with that Doily Sizzlet.  If this is your first stop, no worries.  We are linked together in one big loop so you won't miss a thing. If you get lost at any time head on over to the Stampin' Addicts for a complete list of participating bloggers, or just to chat it up!

This Occasions Mini Catalog introduces some brand new things to the Stampin' Up! Big Shot repertoire and I'm excited to share two of those products: Adorning Accents Edgelits Dies and the coordinating Adorning Accents Textured Impressions Embossing Folders.  Edgelits are wafer-thin dies that let you see exactly where you are placing the design before you cut a border on your project. The set in the mini comes with two different designs. The coordinating embossing folders add texture to those borders to make them even fancier. The embossing folder set includes three different designs.  I'm featuring three projects today with these and other products from the catalog. As always, you can click on the picture to get a better look.

The first card features one of the Edgelits fancy borders and the coordinating embossing folder.  I just love this shape and the texture!  The dotted line above that is from the Bordering on Romance set which also coordinates perfectly with the Adorning Accents sets.  You might also notice the new Twitterpated Designer Series Paper and the fabulous 3/8" Pleated Satin Ribbon on the card, also from the mini catalog.  And all three of my projects also feature the Loving Thoughts stamp set from the mini, which has quickly become my go to greeting stamp since I its arrival.  I will provide more details and a different card with the same layout on Monday.


For this one, I used the scalloped Edgelit to make a fancy border on this card box and on the cards inside as well.  You might be thinking to yourself, why would I want this when I have a punch that does the same thing?  If you look closer, you can tell that the scallops are also scalloped on this design which makes it even fancier than what you can get from the punch. The box also features more of the Twitterpated paper and the pleated satin ribbon.  I have more detailed pictures of the box and cards that I will share on Wednesday so you'll definitely want to come back then.

The third Adorning Accents Textured Impressions Embossing Folder doesn't have a matching Edgelit, but embosses a band of small hearts on your project.  Here I used it with the brand new Hearts Framelit dies to make an old school Valentines.  I love the Framelits as much as the Edgelits and I'm sure you will see a lot of them throughout the hop.  The Pleated Satin Ribbon makes another appearance here as well as the Loving Thoughts and Take It To Heart Stamp set. I will share more details of this project on Friday.

I hope you have enjoyed this look at these fabulous new products.  I have loved using them the past few weeks and I know you will love them too!  Thanks for stopping by and be sure to come back next week for a closer look. Next stop on the blog hop is Twila's Stamp a Little Longer with a look at a great Valentines set called P.S. I Love You.  Happy Hopping!


Monday, December 19, 2011

A Very My Digital Studio Christmas: Take Two

I hope to have some more previews from the Occasions mini to show you later in the week.  But for right now, the Christmas Crazies are in full swing around here.  I really need one more day between now and Christmas but since that's NOT going to happen, I'm starting to take things off my list -- like sleep.

I try to send out a hand-stamped Christmas card to all my friends and family at least every other year.  Since they pretty much all got one last year, I decided to cheat a bit this year, and design a traditional photo card instead using My Digital Studio.

Colors: Cherry Cobbler, Island Indigo, Lucky Limeade, Whisper White.  My Digital Studio Kit: Savor the Season
This went together very quickly.  I used the 5x7 postcard to start the project and used one of the photo layouts that My Digital Studio already provides and modified it a titch.  I love that I could include pictures from several of the big events in our lives this year but also a nice family portrait. 

I will admit that I cheated just a bit too.  Instead of using Stampin' Up's fabulous print service, I uploaded it to a big box photo center and ordered 5x7 prints.  That's another great thing about My Digital Studio: for the best prints, you can order direct from Stampin' Up! but you can also print from home or use a different photo service.

I hope you all have a wonderful week and that you can take time during this busy season to remember the important things in your life too.

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

A Very My Digital Studio Christmas

I don't want to give too much away because I'm never sure just who will stop by and read my blog, but it is a very merry My Digital Studio Christmas around here.  Today I want to show you some sneak peeks of the album I just finished last night for my parents' Christmas present.  (They don't know what blogs are so I'm pretty sure I'm safe to share.)

First a little back story.  I am the middle child of five siblings -- all are married and have children ranging in age from 15 to not even born yet.  We are scattered from the San Fransisco Bay Area to Houston, Texas and points in between.  Circumstances have kept us from all being in the same place at the same time since my oldest was about six months old. Four of the five of us have been together at different time since then, but there was always someone missing -- that is until this past summer. Finally, everyone was in the same place at the same time for almost three whole days.  Twenty-five of us under one roof and it happened to be mine.  It took a lot of planning and coordinating but it was ALL worth it in the end to see the cousins get acquainted and become friends and to get to hang out with some of my favorite people.

So for Christmas, my parents are getting a scrapbook of the event all neatly put together, printed and bound using My Digital Studio and Stampin' Up!'s print service.  In my humble opinion, this is the only way to create scrapbooks of events or vacations because it makes it so simple and fast. (Fast is relative because it still took me the better part of three days to put together, but if I had done it by hand, it would have taken me weeks.)

Here's a look at some of the pages from the album.  These are two page spreads in an 11"x8-1/2" album.  You can click on them to get a better look:



I used the Noteworthy Hostess Digital Content CD for the entire album.  I did add a few random stamps from Greatest Moments, Fabulous Phrases and other word stamp kits.  I love this kit and it was really easy to work with to create an album. 

You'll notice my pages are very square and symmetrical.  I know that's not everyone's favorite way to scrapbook, but it makes putting together 38 pages very quick and easy.  A tip that I used on this and is a great way to use MDS is to fill a page with various-sized photo boxes and get them lined up just the way you want them before you start adding pictures to the boxes. Trust me, it's much easier to resize and work with photo boxes than it is with the photos themselves.

I can't wait to give it to them Christmas morning.  They will be here with us for the first time in several years.  I know my Dad will love it!  I have a few other Christmas projects in the works with My Digital Studio that I'll be sharing over the next few weeks.  Are you using My Digital Studio for your holiday gifts or cards?  I'd love to hear about it?

Monday, December 12, 2011

Sneak Peek: Occasions Mini Catalog

Maybe it's a little too early for Valentines Day.  But I did get a little time to play this weekend with my new stamps, paper and Big Shot items and I wanted to share.  I'm so excited about all of it, but especially the new Big Shot Framelit Dies that we will be selling starting January 4. These wafer-thin dies make it easy to cut out pre-stamped images, just like punches.  And each set come with six different dies that layer on top of each other.  A papercrafter's dream come true!!!  Here's the first card I made with these this weekend:

Colors: Blushing Bride, Cherry Cobbler, Whisper White.  Stamps: Take It to Heart and Loving Thoughts.  Big Shot: Hearts Collection Framelits.  Tools: Heat Gun.  Accessories: VersaMark Stamp Pad, Cherry Cobbler Embossing Powder, Vintage Brads, Whisper White 3/8" Taffeta Ribbon.
Take It to Heart and Loving Thoughts are both new stamp sets in the Mini Catalog too.  Take It to Heart coordinates perfectly with the Heart Framelits.  And I know I will be using Loving Thoughts A LOT.  It has 11 sentiments that are just perfect for almost any occasion. This started out as a card for a swap, but then I got the idea to put the ribbon ruffle around the larger heart and well, that's a lot of ribbon for an eight person swap.  It does give the card a little something special though. But now I still have a swap to design with this stamp set.

One of the perks of being a Stampin' Up! demonstrator is getting product free for meeting various goals.  I received Take It to Heart free for participating in Stampin' Up's! Worldwide Week of Workshops. I also received the Antique Brads for free for booking workshops during a book-a-thon.  And those weren't the only free things that came in this order.  I love this company!  If you'd like more information on joining Stampin' Up! please contact me, or visit my Demonstrator Website: paula.stampinup.net.


Friday, December 9, 2011

Merry & Bright - Take Two

While I've been frantically finishing up some December classes and special orders, I haven't had time to stamp anything new for about a week.  This weekend I enter full-on swap making mode though because they are due in Maine in 10 days.  Eek!

But I do have another Merry & Bright card to share with you today.  The more I play with this set, the more I love it.  I'm feeling a little bad for all the other stamps that are getting over looked while I played with this one last week.  This is for my simple Christmas Card class I'm doing for a customer tonight.

Colors: Old Olive, Cherry Cobbler, Very Vanilla.  Stamps: Merry & Bright.  Big Shot: Vintage Wallpaper Embossing Folder.  Punches: Decorative Label.  Accessories:  Old Olive Grosgrain Ribbon, Pearl Jewels.
My preorder for the Holiday Mini including some Sale-A-Bration exclusive items arrived yesterday.  I'm head-over-heals in love with some of the new products and can't wait to start showing them to you.  Look for a special sneak peek next week.

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Polar Party

I've confessed my love for Christmas Stamps before.  This is one set that immediately caught my attention when I first saw the catalog.  I *know* polar bears and penguins aren't found in nature together, but they are just so darn cute.
Images (c) Stampin' Up 2011
 The first card I made was a simple one featuring the Northern Flurry Embossing folder and our Shimmer White Card Stock.  You can't tell from the picture, but the shimmery card stock is so pretty.  I added the rhinestones for a little more bling too.
Colors: Island Indigo, Shimmer White, Pool Party and Lucky Limeade.  Stamps: Polar Party and Four The Holidays. Big Shot: Northern Flurry Embossing Folder.  Accessories: Black Stazon Ink Pad, Rhinestone Jewels, Island Indigo and Pool Party Ruffled Ribbon.
The second card features the trees from the the set.  They are just so darn cute. I colored them with blender pens to give it more of a water-colored look.  They fit perfectly inside the 2-1/2" circle punch.  And that scallop is actually one of the medallion shapes from the Perfect Pennant die. The card is a "z-fold".
Colors: Old Olive, Blushing Bride, So Saffron, Early Espresso, Whisper White.  Stamps: Polar Party.  Big Shot: Perfect Pennants Die, 3" circle.  Punches: 2-1/2" circle.  Accessories: Black Stazon Ink Pad, Blender Pens, Early Espresso Quilted Satin Ribbon, Rhinestone Jewels.

My preorder from the Occasions Mini Catalog arrives tomorrow!  You know what that means, it won't be long until I'll have some sneak peeks for you!

Monday, December 5, 2011

Sparkly Snow

Sorry for my unintended week off.  Things were a little crazy around here last week.  I had a full schedule Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday and planned to use Thursday to get caught up.  But then we had a little "wind event" that day.  And when I say little, I mean big.  And when I say big, I mean the equivalent of a  category 2 hurricane.   We were lucky and only lost several of our roof tiles and some of our fence and were without power for about 10 hours.  Others lost much more so we feel very blessed.  But it sure disrupted our everyday life for a few days.  Then we left town for the weekend to go see our best friends, the Butlers, bless their new baby. Only to come home to another "wind event" warning.  Whew!  What a week!!

So I know you came to see a project, not my excuse for not sharing any last week.  This is a simple card I put together for a customer who asked for a card class for her family and friends this week.  I love to use Iridescent Ice Embossing Powder with White Craft Ink for snowflakes.  It really gives them a lot of shimmer, just like real snow on a cold, sunny day. 
Colors: Not Quite Navy,, Pool Party and Whisper White.  Stamps: Snow Swirled.  Punches: Scallop Oval. Accessories: Iridescent Ice Embossing Powder, Rhinestone Jewels, Not Quite Navy Taffeta Ribbon.
I'm trying to figure out how it got to be December 5 all ready.  I have one tree up but not decorated yet.  But that is it.  My goal for today and tomorrow is to get the house all decorated for the holidays.  Wish me luck.  And no more wind!

Thursday, November 24, 2011

Stampin' Up's own Black Friday Event

Stampin' Up knows this is one of the biggest shopping weeks of the year.  And they are offering a great sale on some products that I know you will love.

I know it's cheating to repost somethings I've already posted, but I have a good reason.  Remember these little cuties?

Right now the Candy Wrapper Die is on sale during Stampin' Up's Online Extravaganza for $26.36.  That's a 20% savings.  How much do I love this die?  Remember, I made 25 of these little guys.  (See this blog post: Candy Wrapper Countdown.) It really is one of my favorites.  It's my go-to die when I need a cute little box for a quick treat.

Stretching way back into the archive now -- anyone remember this one?

Colors: Basic Gray, Baja Breeze, Pink Pirouette.  Stamps: Flight of the Butterfly.  Punches: Butterfly and Scalloped Border.  Accessories: Basic Gray Taffeta (retired).
Isn't that a fun card?  Flight of Fancy is on sale for $15.98 -- that's 50% off!  One of the great things about this set is Stampin' Up sells a punch to go with so you don't have to cut out that butterfly.

There are several stamps sets on sale, including a couple of Christmas sets as well as Big Shot items, fabric, My Digital Studio downloads, embellishments, Decor Elements and much, much more.  So what are you waiting for?  Head on over to paula.stampinup.net and place your Online Extravaganza order right now!   Sale ends November 30 at midnight.   You can combine sale items with clearance rack and other merchandise too on the same order (like maybe the things to make my Christmas Card Kit).  For my local customers, I will be placing an order on Saturday evening if you'd like to save a little on combined shipping.

And if you are venturing out to the bricks and mortar stores this weekend, good luck and stay safe.

Wednesday, November 23, 2011

My Digital Studio for your Thanksgiving Table

Happy day-before-Thanksgiving!  I know I won't be back to my blog until after the holiday so I just wanted to let all my blog readers know how thankful I am for you!  I hope you and your family have a blessed Thanksgiving filled with family, friends, food, (maybe some football) and fun.

I also wanted to share two fun items I made for the Thanksgiving table a few weeks back.  (I will admit, this isn't what we're having for Thanksgiving this year.  This Thanksgiving it's just the four of us so we're going out to eat this year.)  But if I was having dinner at my house, these name tents would be on the table:
Colors: Soft Suede, Very Vanilla, More Mustard and Pool Party. Digital Kits: Hand-Penned Holidays Stamp Set, Spice Cake Designer Series Paper, Grosgrain Ribbon and Antique Brads.
The second thing is a menu card.  Several years ago, I worked in the Governor's Office here in Utah.  One of the things I learned to love there were menu cards on a table for a formal luncheon or dinner.  They just add such a special little touch to the table and make it feel more formal.

Colors: Soft Suede, Very Vanilla, More Mustard and Pool Party. Digital Kits: Hand-Penned Holidays Stamp Set, Spice Cake Designer Series Paper, Grosgrain Ribbon and Antique Brads
Don't forget, now through November 30, you will get $40 in free downloads if you purchase the My Digital Studio Express software.  The difference between Express and the Standard My Digital Studio is the amount of content that comes with it and the fact that you can download it from my online store (NO SHIPPING!).  With the free downloads, it's like getting the full version for half price.  Visit my store at www.paula.stampinup.net and click "shop now" to get yours today.  And don't forget to check out the other great deals happening during Stampin' Up's Online Extravaganza!

Monday, November 21, 2011

Christmas Card Kit

Would you like to send out handcrafted Christmas Cards this year but feel like you are running out of time?  I have a quick and easy solution for you!  Using the Christmas Lane Simply Scrappin' Kit from the Holiday mini and a few other supplies (some you may already have on hand) you can easily create 48 Christmas cards in just a few hours. Look at the stack that I made in one afternoon:



Here are just four of the 24 different cards I made. Because the kit contains two of each of the sticky die-cuts, you make two of each card to get 48.
But you might be thinking, of course you made them quickly, Paula.  You make cards all the time.  But I have a deal for you that will make it just as easy for you.  If you order the Christmas Lane Simply Scrappin' Kit from my online store or directly from me, I will email you a .pdf file with directions and a picture of each card so you can copy them if you'd like.

Here is a list of all the supplies I used to make the cards.  I tried to limit myself to just a few supplies so you could easily make them at home (and you may already have some of these things in your stash):

Christmas Lane Simple Scrappin' Kit (item 124007) $21.95
Whisper White Card Stock (item 100730) $8.50 
Cherry Cobbler 1/2 Seam Binding (item 120992) $6.95
Basic Rhinestones Jewels (item 119246) $4.95
VersaMark Stamp Pad (item 102283) $7.50
Cherry Cobbler Stamp Pad (item 119669) $5.95

I also used the small "Merry" stamp from Pennant Parade (clear mount item 122742 $16.95, wood mount item 122740 $21.95) stamp set and the "Merry Christmas" from Christmas Greetings (item 115448 $10.95) but you could easily substitute other holiday greeting stamps you already have on hand.  One has to be fairly small but the other can be any size.

You will have leftovers of pretty much everything when you are done with your cards to use on other projects as well.  And you could substitute a Cherry Cobbler marker for the stamp pad to save yourself a little money too.  Don't need 48 cards?  You'll have even more leftovers to make tags, scrapbook pages and much more.  And don't forget the envelopes.  Stampin' Up sells them in packs of 40 (item 107301) for $6.50.

So head on over to my online store (and check out the fabulous Online Extravaganza sale while you are there), give me a call or drop me an email and order yours today.  I will be placing an order on Saturday of this week if you would like to save a little on shipping.

Online Extravaganza - November 21-30

It's back!!  Stampin' Up's! annual Online Extravaganza begins today!  Don't miss out on these amazing deals. Hurry, because two of the items are only on sale for 24 hours: The Simply Scored tool and the Sweet Pressed Cookie Stamps.

Other items featured on the sale include a ribbon bundle, several stamp sets, four different Designer Series Fabrics, decor elements, digital downloads and much, much more!

One of the items I'm most excited about is the My Digital Studio bonus offer.  Purchase My Digital Studio Express for $39.95 and get your choice of three download bundles valued at $40 each FREE!  That's like getting the full My Digital Studio for 50% off.

You can browse all sale items at my online store (click SHOP NOW) or view a .pdf list of all sale items. (requires adobe acrobat - a free download).  Local customers: if you'd like to take advantage of combined shipping for your order, contact me ASAP.  I will be placing an order on Monday, November 21 and on Saturday, November 26 to take advantage of these great deals. My Digital Studio offer must be placed online only (but no shipping is charged since you will just download it to your computer). 

Friday, November 18, 2011

My Digital Studio Contest

About a month ago, I entered the My Digital Studio Contest on MydigitalStudio.net.  I had to submit a scrapbook page and a card. It was right before I was leaving for vacation and I never did quite get the page the way I wanted it, but here is what I submitted:

Colors: Lucky Limeade, Island Indigo and Whisper White.  Digital Designer Series Paper: Night and Day. Digital Punches: Decorative Label. Digital Stamps: Daring Adventure. Digital Accessories: In Color Buttons, Silver Brad.

Colors: Island Indigo, Pool Party, Basic Black and Whisper White.  Digital Designer Series Paper: Night and Day.  Digital Punches: Key Tag and Wide Oval.  Digital Stamps: Bliss.  Digital Accessories: Satin Ribbon, Antique Brads.
One of my favorite techniques in My Digital Studio is to play around with the opacity of objects. You can see how I did that with the stamps, but I also did it with the Night and Day Paper on both projects. After I picked the background colors, I laid a punch over the top of them and filled them with a patterned paper from Night and Day.  This one works best because it's black and white.  Then I adjusted the opacity on it so it looks like a completely different Designer Series Paper in a different color.

I learned that technique from MyDigitalStudio.net.  There are all kinds of videos and tips there for you to learn too.  Don't own My Digital Studio?  You can download a basic version of the software from my online store.

And just a reminder:  if you are making My Digital Studio Christmas gifts like I am, the deadline to get those projects to the printer is December 7 for guaranteed Christmas delivery.  I know I need to get busy.

Also, Stampin' Up's Online Extravaganza is almost here.  Starting Monday, November 21, Stampin' Up! will have amazing deals on several items and bundles and maybe even a deal on My Digital Studio?  You'll have to come back Monday to see!

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Gobble, Gobble, Gobble

I know a lot of people complain about how Thanksgiving gets overlooked in our rush to Christmas. Halloween comes and goes and then it seems like everyone starts to focus on Christmas.  As a crafter, I do that as a survival tactic.  Holding a Christmas Class in December isn't going to cut it most of the time.  So I start my Christmas crafting even before Halloween.

But I do LOVE Thanksgiving.  There is something about a day set aside to thank God for all the goodness in our lives, to gather with family, friends and feast on our bounty.  It probably doesn't hurt that my birthday sometimes falls on Thanksgiving too.

So today, I'm sharing with you a Thanksgiving project instead of a Christmas one.  I made these turkeys for the Sweet Treats Cup Swap I hosted at Convention this year:

Colors: Riding Hood Red, Pumpkin Pie, More Mustard, Old Olive, Soft Suede, Early Espresso.  Big Shot: Scallop Circle #2. Punches: 2-1/2", 1-3/4" and 1-3/8" circles, modern label, Owl and Cupcake Builder Punch. Accessories: Sweet Treat Cups.
I know I looked at a few other punch art turkeys to inspire this but took ideas from all of them to create this.  I used the Owl Builder Punch for the eyes and beak (it's the heart) and the cupcake punch (the flame from candle) for the waddle. I inked all the pieces to give it a bit more dimension too.  Wouldn't they be cute sitting on your Thanksgiving table?

And it's been a while since I shared with you a song.  So in honor of the Christmas crazies that strike earlier and earlier each year, I'm going to share a song by one of my favorite acappella groups, Straight No Chaser, that celebrates the time between Halloween and Christmas.  Enjoy!

Monday, November 14, 2011

WWSD?

WWSD?  That's become my new mantra in my stamp room.  It means "What would Shelli Do?"  See, I like to think that I'm a pretty OK stamper when it comes to basic cards and 3D items for my class participants to recreate.

But, when it comes to the vintage/shabby chic look, I need some more practice and Shelli Gardner, the founder and CEO of Stampin' Up! is a master at these things.  She makes the most beautiful creations with all the little extra special touches on them.  She goes a few steps further on things than I usually do.  So when I've been working on some over-the-top projects the past few weeks, I ask myself, what would Shelli do? And then I try to add a few extra special touches to the projects just like Shelli would. How has it worked?  I'll let you be the judge with these ornaments:
Colors: Very Vanilla, Cherry Cobbler, Early Espresso and Always Artichoke.  Stamp Set: Pines & Poinsettias. Big Shot: Square Scallop Duo.  Tools: Simply Scored. Punches: 1-1/4" circle punch, Curly and Modern Label, Jewelry Tag.  Accessories: Markers, First Edition Specialty Designer Series Paper, Champagne Glass Stampin' Glitter, Antique and Metallic Brads, Victoria Lace, Velvet Stitched and Quilted Satin Ribbon, Seam Binding, Pearl Jewels and Vintage Trinkets, Shimmer Paint.
Just the list of accessories I used alone is about twice what I would normally have used on any given project. So maybe that is a step in the right direction. It's hard to tell from the picture, but when these were all put together, I spritz them with a combination of Shimmer Paint and rubbing alcohol so they really do just sparkle.  They'd look so pretty on a tree or as an extra special gift tag.

These were inspired by some ornaments I saw on Kimberley VanDiepen's stampinbythesea.com.  I'm offering them at my class this next weekend if you want to make some of your own. Last day to RSVP is tomorrow, Tuesday, November 15.   I also plan to make several more both for my own tree and as gifts this holiday season.

So when you find yourself with a project in front of you and you just aren't sure what it's missing, just ask yourself, WWSD?  I hope it works for you too.

Friday, November 11, 2011

Merry & Type

I have a confession to make.  I love stamps.  (Maybe you already knew that?)  But not just any old stamps, but Christmas stamps.  I have a lot of them.   And every year I swear I am NOT going to buy a single new Christmas stamp set because I already have more than I can show during one holiday period.

This year was no different.  Stampin' Up didn't retire a lot of Christmas stamps last year so I still have several current, perfectly nice Christmas images.  But when I started planning for my Christmas card class, I just couldn't bring myself to use the same stamps I've had for years.  I wanted NEW and I wanted it NOW!

Thank goodness for FREE rubbah!!!  Through a few fortunate turns of events, I won Christmas Lodge at convention, then got Snow Much Fun for the So Shelli challenge and Polar Party for a focus group.  So three new Christmas stamp sets should be enough, right?

WRONG!!!  On my order for supplies, I had hostess dollars to spend (yep, demonstrators get hostess benefits too.  I love this company).  I debated what to do with them and looked at a lot of other non-Christmas stamp sets that are still on my wish list.  But guess what I ended up with instead  -- another Christmas set:  Merry & Type.  And I'm so glad that I did because I just LOVE it.

Here are two cards we'll be making with it at my Christmas Card and Gift Crank next weekend:

Colors: Very Vanilla, Early Espresso, Riding Hood Red.  Stamps: Merry & Type.  Accessories: Letters to Santa Designer Series Paper, Early Espresso Grosgrain Ribbon, Pearl Jewels.

 You probably notice that this isn't a regular cut card.  It is a modified kick stand card.  Kind of a fun design that is simple to make but adds just a bit of "wow" to the card.
Colors: Whisper White, Old Olive, Early Espresso, Riding Hood Red.  Stamps: Merry & Type.  Big Shot: Petals-a-Plenty Embossing Folder.  Punches: Postage Stamp and 1-1/4" square.  Accessories: Letters to Santa Designer Series Paper, brads, markers.
For this one, I just wanted a simple card that would be fast to produce.  I love the stamp that looks like a postage stamp.  And it matches the paper so wonderfully.


Also, November 11 is a big day in my family.  This would have been my grandfather's 94th birthday but he isn't here to celebrate with us any more.  But it is also the 15th anniversary of me becoming and aunt for the first time. So Happy Birthday wishes to my cute niece Emma today too.

And of course, a big thank you to the men and women who have served our country so valiantly over the years, and to their families as well.  Not a day goes by when I am not amazed by the sacrifices of so many on my behalf.  Happy Veterans Day.

Wednesday, November 9, 2011

Stocking Die for the Big Shot

I was stamping with my friend Missi several weeks ago and I was talking about what I was going to do for my Christmas class.  I had just finished my Halloween banner and I knew that I wanted a different banner for Christmas.  That's when the idea hit me: string stockings together from the brand new, super cute Holiday Stocking Big Shot Die.  I finally had a chance to get it on paper:

Colors: Riding Hood Red, Old Olive, Early Espresso, Whisper White.  Big Shot: Holiday Stocking Bigz L, Serif Essentials Alphabet.  Punches: Five Petal Flower, Large Oval, 1/2" Circle, Postage Stamp.  Accessories: Espresso Quilted Satin Ribbon, Old Olive Scallop Polka Dot Ribbon, Brads, Mini Clothes Pins, Brights Buttons, Letters to Santa Designer Series Paper, Glitter Paper.
I love the little clothes pins that hold the stockings in place on the ribbon.  I forgot I bought these and almost ordered more before I found them in my extra embellishment drawer.  And I need to give another shout out to Missi for suggesting the embellishments on the cuff of the stockings too.  It needed a little something and her suggestion was right on.

I also wanted to offer a card made out of this cute die but then came across one on the internet that turned it into a gift card holder.  I wish I could find it again so I could give credit to the creator. (I really need to be better about writing down where I see things.)

Colors: Marina Mist, Cherry and Whisper White on Left.  Real Red, Garden Green and Whisper White on right. Stamps: Four the Holidays. Big Shot: Holiday Stocking Bigz L Die, Snowburst Textured Embossing Folder. Punches: Word Window, Scallop Border Punch, 1-1/4" Circle.  Accessories: Buttons, Bakers Twine, Ribbon.
On the back side of these, the Word Window punch creates a slot for the gift card to slide into like so:
Isn't that clever?  I will be offering both of these projects at my Christmas Card and Gift Crank on November 18 and 19.  You can check out all the details here: http://paulastamps.blogspot.com/p/christmas-crank-class.html

Monday, November 7, 2011

Snow Much Fun!!

Remember a couple of months back when I won the So Shelli challenge?  Maybe not?  Well, the only really important part of winning it was the free RUBBAH that came with the honor. I told you almost six weeks ago to stay tuned to see what stamp set I won.  Well, I'm finally ready to show it off: Snow Much Fun!  It's also fitting that I share these today because we had our first snow of the season this weekend too.  We don't get as much snow in Farmington as my Salt Lake Valley friends do, but we did get enough for my boys to get out and play. 

Colors: Pool Party, Island Indigo, Riding Hood Red, Whisper White.  Stamps: Snow Much Fun. Punches: Snowflake. Accessories: Markers, Glitter Paper, Crop-A-Dial, In Color Designer Brads, White Grosgrain, Island Indigo Ruffled Ribbon and Riding Hood Red Taffeta.
I based this on a really cute swap I got at convention from my good friend, Missi.  Her's was Halloween-themed and held pop rocks.  I modified it just a titch to put a cocoa packet and candy cane inside for a cute little gift for a co-worker or friend.
Colors: Baja Breeze, Poppy Parade, Basic Black, Whisper White.  Stamps: Snow Much Fun and Curly Cute. Big Shot: Polka Dot Embossing Folder.  Accessories: Crystal Effects, Basic Black Grosgrain Ribbon


The colors for this card were based on another swap I received at convention that I just loved from my friend, Mary Ann. I loved how the black really makes the card pop.  I changed her layout quite a bit but the stamped scene is pretty close to hers too. 

I will be offering both of these projects at my Christmas Card and Gift Crank on November 18 and 19.  You can get all the details here: http://paulastamps.blogspot.com/p/christmas-crank-class.html

Saturday, November 5, 2011

Digital Scrapbooking Day!

Now through November 7, Stampin' Up! is offering four free digital download kits for My Digital Studio.  Don't have My Digital Studio?  You can also use the downloads in other software.

Just this morning I started playing with the free downloads.  The templates make it quick and easy to create these in just a matter of minutes:

This one is from the Home for the Holidays download.  It would be perfect for a post Christmas Thank You card.

I used the page templates from the Delight in the Day download for this.  Such a cute page and all you have to do is add the photos and journaling and you are done.

The Neutral Delightful Digital Tape download is perfect for boy pages and you all know I need a lot of boy pages around here.

Don't miss out on this fun offer.  To get the downloads, simply fill out this survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/DigitalDay  and for more information about My Digital Studio, visit MyDigitalStudio.net.

Friday, November 4, 2011

Lotion and Lip Balm Holders

I had a special request to figure out a box for a bottle of lotion in the same vane as the hand sanitizer holder.  The hand sanitizers make a nice small gift but sometimes you need to give a little more than that for a neighbor, close co-worker or teacher.

So I set off to make one.  Here is how it turned out:


Colors: Old Olive, Early Espresso, Riding Hood Red, Whisper White.  Stamps: Merry & Type.  Punches: 1-1/4" and  2-1/2" circles, Medium Oval, Decorative Label.  Accessories: Simply Scored, Olive Satin Ribbon, Riding Hood Red Taffeta Ribbon and Rhinestones. Other: Super thin craft magnets.
Then one of my demonstrator friends showed me a picture of some lip balm holders she was making for a boutique and I had to try them myself too:

.

Colors: Old Olive, Early Espresso, Riding Hood Red, Whisper White.  Stamps: Merry & Type.  Punches: 3/4" circle punch, 1" square and postage stamp.  Accessories: Simply Scored, Riding Hood Red Taffeta Ribbon. Other: super thin craft magnets.
And of course, I showed you the Hand Sanitizer last week too:


I've had lots of questions about how to make these so I'm going to provide you with the measurements and scoring instructions for each of these.

LOTION BOX

  • Take a piece of 3-1/2" x 11" card stock and place it in the Simply Scored the long way.  (piece A)
  • Score piece A at 3/4", 2-1/2", 7-1/4", and 9"
  • Take another piece of 3-1/2 x 11 card stock and place it in the Simply Scored the long way. (piece B)
  • Score piece B at 6" and 7-3/4"
  • Fold on all score lines the same direction
  • On piece A, fold the 3/4" section down and punch a hole in the middle of the second section with the 1-1/4" circle punch (the punch will take a notch out of the first section too as shown in the picture:
  • Place strong adhesive, like Sticky Strip, to the opposite end of piece A (the 2" piece at the end) and adhere to piece B (the 6" section on piece B should line up with the fold on the 2" section of piece A as shown in the picture):
  • Place strong adhesive on the first section of piece A. (The 3/4" one with the partial circle punched in it.
  • To "square" the box so that it is nice and even, fold the box as shown in the picture and adhere the tab down:
  •  Finish your box by embellishing it as you desire.  To hold the box closed, I use super thin, neodymium magnets underneath the layer of Designer Series Paper on the box.  You can get these at your local craft store or do a search online.  I used two glue dots on the bottom to hold the lotion in place.
I won't go into as much detail for the Lip Balm and Hand Sanitizer holders because they use basically the same instructions, only they use one strip of card stock:

LIP BALM HOLDERS:

  • Cut card stock to 1-1/2" x 9-3/4".
  • Place on Simply Scored the long way and score at 1/2", 1-1/2", 3-1/4", 4-1/4", 7, and 8
  • Fold along the score lines going in the same direction.
  • Fold the first flap under the second flap (1/2" into the 1" section) and punch a 3/4" circle in the center of the second section (again, you'll get the notch in the 1/2" piece but that doesn't matter).
  • Place strong adhesive on the 1/2" flap, fold and adhere to the longest panel as shown above in the last picture.
  • Embellish your box as you desire. I used the same magnets on these and I placed a glue dot along the bottom of the lip balm to hold it in place.
HAND SANITIZER HOLDERS:
  • Cut card stock to 2" x 11
  • Place on Simply Scored the long way and score at 1/2", 1-1/2", 3-1/2", 7-3/4" and 8-3/4"
  • Fold along the score lines going in the same direction.
  • Fold the first flap under and using the large oval punch, punch an opening in the center of that second section.
  • Place strong adhesive on the first 1/2" flap, and fold and adhere to the longest panel as shown above.
  • Embellish your box as you desire.  Again, I used the same magnets.  You don't have to use a glue dot to hold these in place, they will stay by themselves.
I will be offering the lip balm holders and lotion holders at my class on November 18 and 19.  Watch for more details soon.

Wednesday, November 2, 2011

Stocking Builder Punch

Imagine, if you will, that you are sitting in a room full of rubber stamp-crazed women and an executive from the Stampin' Up! home office is sharing sneak peeks of products from the Holiday Mini Catalog.  The crowd is oohing and ahhing over all the pretty things.  And then she introduces something that the crowd goes wild over.  It really doesn't take much to cause this, but this time it's over the introduction of a matching stamp set and punch that makes Christmas Stockings.

That really happened at convention in July in Salt Lake City.  It's easy to get swept up in the madness and suddenly need absolutely everything in the Holiday Mini catalog.  I tried to pace myself but did break down and use some hostess benefits on some supplies I was ordering for a class to get these really cute items.  And last week, I finally got around to using them.
Colors: Marina Mist, Night of Navy, Whisper White. Stamps: Stitched Stockings, Warmest of Wishes. Punches: Stocking Builder Punch. Big Shot: Snow Burst Textured Embossing Folder.  Accessories: Mini Jingle Bells.
Just about everything on this card is from the Holiday Mini Catalog: the stamps, the punch the embossing folder and those really cute little jingle bells.  This is one of the cards that will be featured at my Christmas Card Crank November 18 & 19.  The Jingle Bells on it make it a little difficult to mail so you will have the option of placing the rhinestone jewels on it instead.

Colors: Real Red, Garden Green. Stamps: Stitched Stockings.  Punches: Stocking Builder Punch. Accessories: Sliver Glitter Paper, Garden Green Grosgrain Ribbon, Mini Jingle Bell, Cello Bag.
This was the project we made at Lynne's workshop the other night.  It was a huge hit and so simple to make.  I could easily be persuaded into offering this at my Christmas Class too.  Or get your friends together and host your own workshop and we can make these there!  With Stampin' Up offering extra hostesses benefits to qualifying workshops, now is a great time to do it too.

Colors: Pretty in Pink, Certainly Celery, Whisper White.  Stamps: Stitched Stockings, Tiny Tags. Punches: Stocking Builder Punch, and Jewelry Tag.  Big Shot: Polka Dot Embossing Folder. Accessories: Vintage Trinkets, Subtles Designer Paper Pack
I wanted to show a project at the workshop that used this stamp set and punch but not for Christmas.  I've seen this punch used for so many things, but the baby booty so so simple and so cute!  I used a safety pin from the Vintage Trinkets embellishments to pin a little tag to the booties to add to the cute baby factor.

I hope you can tell just how much fun and how versatile this stamp set really is and why the convention crowd went a little wild when they showed these.  I love anything that makes my life easier and stamps that match punches definitely do that. You can order your own set right now by heading over to my online store.  The Stitched Stockings in clear mount (item 123784) is $19.95 and wood mount (item 123782) is $27.95.  The matching Builder Punch (item 124095) is $16.95.