Happy Halloween!!!

I thought it might be kind of fun to take a look back at all the Halloween projects I've done for classes over the past few years.  Do you see your favorite? I hope you have a fun and safe Halloween this year.  Coming this week a sneak peek at Christmas projects.

Hand Sanitizer Holder

On Wednesday, I showed you one of the projects for Tammy's class. Her second request was for a teacher gift.  I was running out of time to get something designed before I left for vacation so I reached into last year's Christmas Projects and decided to offer the ever popular Hand Sanitizer Holder.  I hope they are as big a hit with Tammy's friends as they were at my class last year.

There are a few different patterns and tutorials for these floating around on the internet.  For these, I used the directions from the amazingly talented Kimberly Van Diepen's blog stampinbythesea.com.  I like them because you can get four out of one sheet of card stock and the Simply Scored tool make them super easy to make too.

Colors: Old Olive, Riding Hood Red, Whisper White.  Stamps: Warmest of Wishes. Punches: Decorative Label Punch, Medium Oval Punch. Tools: Simply Scored. Accessories: Letters to Santa Designer Series Paper, Riding Hood Red 3/8" Taffeta Ribbon, Gold Brads.  Other: super thin neodymium magnets, hand sanitizer

If you are interested in hosting your own workshop or private class for your friends, let me know. Time is running short to get classes in before the Holidays so let's get it on the calendar now.

Mini Album/Photo Display

Sorry I took Monday off.  We got back from vacation on Sunday night and I just couldn't get myself out from the piles of dirty laundry long enough to post on Monday.  But I'm back now!

My dear friend Tammy is graciously inviting all her friends and neighbors over for a private stamping class next week.  She told me exactly what she wanted and I went to work trying to make it happen.  :)

She asked for a mini album/fold-out photo display that would make a great little add on gift for grandparents.  I had made some of these a few years ago for a boutique and that is where she got the idea.  They measure 4"x12" and scored every 3" and accordion folded.

The hard part for me with these things is trying to make them gender neutral enough that you could put boys' or girls' photos on it and that a man could put it on his desk without getting ribbed by his coworkers.

Here's what it looks like from the outside when it's all folded up:

And here is what it looks like open without the photos in it:

I added photos of my cute nieces to it and then gave it to her to show her friends before I took more pictures. Oops!  There is another project for her class to and I'll show that on Friday so come on back.

SUPPLIES:

Colors: Soft Suede, Pool Party, River Rock, More Mustard and Very Vanilla
Stamps: Fabulous Phrases
Punches: Jewelry Tag, Round Tab, Small Oval, Curly Label, 1" and 1-1/4" Circles, Modern Label and Word Window.
Big Shot: Top Note Bigz Die and Square Scallop Duo Bigz Die
Tools: Simply Scored
Accessories: Spice Cake Designer Series Paper and Buttons, Very Vanilla Seam Binding, Soft Suede 3/8" Taffeta Ribbon, Pool Party Ruffled Ribbon, silver brads, Neutral buttons

Perfect Pennant Cards

Today, I promised a closer look at the cards I made for last weekend's Stampin' Addicts Big Shot Blog Hop.

The first card came to me early, early one morning in the moments between sleep and awake.  Obviously the blog hop was on my mind that morning a few weeks back.  When I have these early morning inspirations, they don't always turn out.  Fortunately, this time it did:

Colors: Garden Green, Real Red, More Mustard, Whisper White.  Stamps: Kidoodles and Christmas Greetings. Big Shot: Perfect Pennants Die.  Accessories: Garden Green Grosgrain Ribbon, Brads, Many Marvelous Markers.

A few details to point out about the card.  I love this little elf.  He's the whole reason I purchased this set, even though the set cover several card-giving reasons.  I sponged the edges of the paper to make it pop a little more.  Love that simple, yet messy technique.  I used the medium-sized pennants to really bring the focus on that cute elf.  And last, I ran the ribbon through the scallops to provide an anchor to the elf image too.

The other card I made actually came to me as I was writing my blog hop post.  I realized I didn't have a project that featured the smallest pennant or the other medallion shape.  So voila!  This is what I came up with at the last possible minute:

Colors: Melon Mambo, Lucky Limeade and Blushing Bride.  Stamps: Easy Events.  Big Shot: Perfect Pennant, Circles #2 Die.  Punches: 1-3/4" circle and Word Window.  Accessories: Many Marvelous Markers, Rhinestone Brads, Whisper White 3/8" taffeta ribbon, Dazzling Details.

I love how the small pennants made the harlequin design on the card.  The points don't exactly meet up perfectly in the middle so I put the brads on there to cover up the overlap.    I fed the ribbon through the holes in the scallops to soften the look of the card just a bit.  Lastly, I added the Dazzling Details Glitter Glue to the "frosting" on the cupcake to add a little more bling.

So as you can see, the Perfect Pennant Die is very, very versatile and perfect for so many different projects.  I'd love to see what you've created with this die.  Post a link in the comment section (or just leave me a little love if you wish).

Perfect Pennants Take on Fabric

Here is a closer look at the "quilt square" I made for this past weekend's blog hop.  I had a lot of nice comments on it so thank you.  I have attempted quilts before and I come from a long line of quilters, but I gave up sewing several years ago so my skills are pretty rusty. 

But I LOVE the Spice Cake Designer Series Fabric.  It reminds me of my grandmother.  So I really wanted to give this a try.

I apologize that I did not take pictures of this as I was putting it together.  I wasn't sure it was even going to work when I started because nine pieces of paper cut with the same die does not produce the same result (the seam allowance makes up the difference.  So being unsure, I just jumped right in with the sewing machine and started sewing them together.  Luckily it worked. The only advice I would offer if you are going to use this die to make these triple windmills, is to trim the point off of them, just a titch. 

The other random concern I had was that most quilt blocks I know anything about have an even number of sides.  This shape has nine sides.  How the heck was I going to be able to do anything with that?  So I decided the easiest thing to do was to applique it to the fabric instead of trying to figure out a border for it. 


Once I got it on the square, I noticed this ribbon sitting next to my desk.  I knew it belonged on there somehow.  If I ever learned how to do mitered corners, I had completely forgotten how to do them.  So thank goodness Al invented the Internet.  Google knows all, right?


The button in the center was added for two reasons.  First it just looked so cute.  Second, due to my rusty sewing skills, the center wasn't quite perfect.  But I love these big buttons more than I ever thought I would.  So I put a piece of ribbon through it and used a little fabric glue to adhere it.

I'm still not quite sure what I'm going to do with this thing.  A pillow?  A wall hanging?  If you have any great ideas, please share them in the comment section. 

STAMPIN' UP! SUPPLIES:Spice Cake Designer Series Fabric and Buttons, Soft Suede 1-1/4" Striped Grosgrain and 3/8" Taffeta Ribbon. 

Paula's Pefectly Pink Princess Pennants

I hope you had the opportunity to check out the Stampin' Addict Blog Hop this weekend.  Isn't there some amazing talent on that site?  If you missed it -- it's not too late.  The posts are deep linked together so you can still hop along.  You can start here.

I promised a closer look at my Princess Banner today so here it is.  First, I knew I wanted to make banner when featuring this die because I love banners and that is exactly what the die is designed to make.  But I'm not entirely sure why I picked to make a pink princess banner.  I am the mom of two boys.  I grew up with four brothers.  So I've never really been surrounded by pink and princesses.  Heck, I don't even know what I'm going to do with this banner.  But my family has a trip to Disneyland planned so maybe I'm just getting my inner princess on. :)

Here is the banner.  Sorry the picture isn't better.  I think I've figured out how to get decent pictures of cards and small 3D projects, but banners are really hard for me.  You can click on the picture to see it a little clearer:

 

Here is a closer look at the end pennants.  

 

Notice how I ran each pennant through the Big Shot with the Polka Dot Embossing Folder to give it some texture.  To each of the end pennants, I added a lollie and a flower button.

Here's a closer look at the letter pennants:

The letter pennants feature the 2-3/8" scallop circle and 1-3/4" circle punches.  I used the Simple Letters Die and cut them out of the silver glitter paper that is in the Holiday Mini catalog to give it some fun sparkle and shine.  On the ends of these pennants, I also used some more flower buttons to the tips.   And notice the trim on the edges?  Here's a look at the back:

To achieve this look, I used the Pinking Hearts Boarder Punch on thin strips of card stock and glued it along the edges of each pennant.

And of course, you need the supply list.  Here you go:

COLORS: Melon Mambo, Lucky Limeade, Pink Pirouette 

BIG SHOT: Perfect Pennants & Simple Letters Dies, Perfect Polka Dots Textured Impressions Embossing Folder

PUNCHES: 2-3/8" Scallop, 1-3/4", and 1" Circles and Pinking Hearts Border

RIBBONS:  Very Vanilla 1/8" Taffeta, Pink Pirouette 3/8" Taffeta, Lucky Limeade 3/8" Ruffled Ribbon

ACCESSORIES: Silver Glitter Paper, Rose Red, Old Olive and Pretty in Pink Buttons

TOOLS: Simply Scored, Crop-a-Dile

Stampin' Addicts Big Shot Blog Hop: Perfect Pennants

Welcome to stop #8 on the Stampin' Addicts Big Shot Blog Hop! If you've hopped on over from Sharon's Created By You then you've already seen the fun things she did with the Bitty Box Die.  If this is your first stop on the blog hop, no worries.  All the blogs are looped together so you won't miss a thing.  If you get lost at any time, you can also hop on over to Stampin' Addicts for a complete list of all the participating blogs or just to chat it up.

I love alliterations almost as much as Stampin' Up! does.  So when it came to picking a die, Perfect Pennants seemed like a natural choice for a stamper named Paula. The options with the great shapes on this die are endless.  Even as I was taking pictures, I thought of a couple more fun uses for it that will have to wait for another day. I'm going to share four projects with you today and then I'll share more details on each next week.  (Click on any picture to see a larger version).

I love to make banners so I knew I needed this die.  So naturally, my first project for this hop is exactly what Stampin' Up! envisioned when it was designed: a banner.  The largest triangle on this die is 4-1/2" tall and about 3-1/2" wide.  So you can make longer words with it than you could with the previous pennant die Stampin' Up! offered which was significantly larger. I also used the big shot to texture each pennant with the polka dot embossing folder.  Come back on Monday to learn more about this banner and how I put it together.

One of the great things about the Big Shot steel-ruled dies is they cut so many different materials - including eight layers of fabric at once.  Here I used the Big Shot to cut some of Stampin' Up!'s Designer Fabric with the largest triangle.  After sewing them together, I appliqued it to a square of fabric and added a border of ribbon.  I'll have more details on this project on Wednesday.

Not only does the die offer three different pennant/triangle shapes, it also has two scalloped circle medallions on it as well.  This card features the midsized triangle and one of medallions.  Another great thing about steel-ruled dies is the ability to have a lot of detail.  Notice the medallions have the cute cut outs in the scallops.

This second card features the smallest of the three triangles and the other medallion.  Next Friday, I will share the details of both of these cards.

As you can tell this is one die you will definitely want in your Big Shot repertoire.  Thanks for stopping by today and be sure to come back for a closer look next week.  Now you can hop on over to Betty's Kitty Stamp for a look at another of my favorite dies: the Candy Wrapper.  Happy Hopping!

Ode to my Big Shot

Maybe you were expecting a lyrical poem with a title like that.  But I am no poet, so I thought maybe I'd spare you a really bad poem with rhyming words my first grader suggested and jump right to the chase.  This weekend is the Stampin' Addicts Big Shot Blog Hop and I am really excited to share with you the projects I have been making for it.  Eighteen stampers/bloggers will each feature a different Big Shot die and you will really get a look at how versatile this little machine really is.

If you are a regular here on my blog, then you already know how much I love my Big Shot.  I have had several die cut machines over the years so when Stampin' Up! first added the Big Shot to their line up I was skeptical.  But once I got my hands on it, it was love at first cut.  I gave away one machine, put another in my kids' craft box and put the other in the storage room.  But my Big Shot sits next to my craft table and I use it almost every time I craft.

You can cut over 40 different materials with the steel-ruled dies made for the Big Shot. I'll admit I have probably only tried six or seven different materials myself, but I love having options.  And I love that the Big Shot also can add texture to your projects using the Textured Impression Embossing Folders, Texture Plates or Letterpress Plates. It also makes 3D projects quick and easy by cutting and scoring boxes at the same time.

The icing on the cake would be to get this baby for FREE!!!  Join Stampin' Up! this month and you can get your very own Big Shot for free with your starter kit.  Then you too will learn to love it just as much as I do.

I know what your thinking, we didn't come here to have you gush over the Big Shot, we want to see some projects!!!  Well here ya go:


First, some of those easy boxes I was telling you about.  I made these as a prize for one of my classes last spring but I never got around to sharing them here:

Colors: Chocolate Chip, Certainly Celery, Bashful Blue and Pretty in Pink.  Big Shot: Match Box Bigz XL Die and Fun Flowers Bigz L Die. Accessories: Retired Designer Series Paper, Pearl Jewels.

And a card featuring one of the Textured Impressions Embossing Folders that I just love: 

Colors: Early Espresso, Whisper White, Always Artichoke. Stamps: Four Frames, You're A Gem.  Big Shot: Framed Tulip Embossing Folder.  Punches: Decorative Label and Small Oval.  Accessories: Paisley Petals Designer Series Paper, Always Artichoke Seam Binding, Gold Brads.

Be sure to come back on Friday for the Blog Hop so you can see my creations made with the Perfect Pennants die, as well as all the other projects.

A Yummy Recipe and Sketch Challenge

A big thank you to all the people who came to my Spook-tacular Stampin' Buffet this weekend.  I hope everyone had as much fun as I did.

I had a lot of requests for the recipe for the Chicken Enchilada Dip I served this weekend.  But before I share that, I figured since this is a stamping blog and not a cooking blog, I should share a card first.  This was last week's Stampin' Addicts Sketch Challenge.

Colors: River Rock, Pear Pizzazz, Soft Suede.  Stamp Sets: Thankful Thoughts.  Punches: Oval.  Accessories: Spice Cake Designer Series Paper, Spice Cake Buttons, and Pear Pizzazz Seam Binding.

And now for the recipe:

Chicken Enchilada Dip
2 chicken breasts, cooked and diced
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 small can green chilis
1/2 cup sour cream
4 oz. cream cheese
1 cup shredded cheese (I use a four cheese Mexican blend)

Blend all ingredients together and place half of recipe in a "Little Dipper" crock pot.  Heat and serve with tortilla chips.  Refill crock pot as needed.

I've never done it, but I'm guessing your could used canned chicken in this recipe.  And if you needed a lot of it all at once, you could probably put it in a larger crock pot too. Just watch it, because it will start to burn after 3 hours or so.  I did use low fat cream cheese and sour cream in it this time too.

I know someone gave me this recipe, but I can't remember who and I'm fairly certain I modified whatever recipe they gave me to the one above.  I've served it now twice at Stampin' Buffets and it has been a huge hit both times. Enjoy!

EEK!!

I have one more Halloween project to show you.  (Well, I really can't promise it's the last since Halloween is still three weeks away but it's all I already have made to show you.)

Supplies: Basic Black Craft Ink; Iridescent Ice Embossing Powder, Heat Tool, Big Shot Serif Essential Alphabet, Wicked Cool Stamp Set, Stazon Black, Just Eat Cake Designer Series Paper.  Chipboard scraps and frame from unknown source.

This project was inspired by a fellow Alhambra High Alumnus and Facebook Friend, Jody Piper.  She actually put each letter in it's own frame and spelled BOO in addition to EEK.  But I knew somewhere under the stairs in the storage room I had a few of these frames which would be perfect for this type of project.

One of the things I just LOVE about having my own Big Shot is the instant access to chipboard letters.  I still have random packages of letters from before my Big Shot days and I always hated that I had to buy multiple packages so that I could spell things like "eek" and "boo".  Now I just cut out exactly what I need. Remember, if you join my team this month, you get your own Big Shot free!!

I made these all sparkly by sponging them with Basic Black Craft ink and then sprinkling Iridescent Ice Embossing Powder and heat setting them. I love how chipboard turns out with this technique.  (I will admit to sprinkling them with Dazzling Diamonds Glitter the first time instead - which by the way does NOT work so don't try it at home.  I actually knew it wouldn't work, but I had some in a little unlabeled container and I thought it was embossing powder.  I couldn't figure out why it wouldn't "process" and just blew off the letters.  So learn from my mistake please.) 

I tried to find some more frames like this so I could offer it at my Halloween class this weekend, but I don't really remember where I bought them and I did a little hunting around and couldn't find anymore.

Thanks Jody for the inspiration!

Triangle Box Tutorial

I promised to post this last week but didn't have a camera to take the pictures.  Now that is resolved and I can show you step by step how to make a triangle box. 

You can use any size rectangle to make these boxes.  The longer the rectangle, the skinnier the box.  I generally use a 4-1/4" x 11 sheet of card stock so I can get two out of each sheet of card stock.

First step is to put your card stock on your Simply Scored board and score in half.  So for a 4-1/4"x11" piece of card stock, you would score it at 5-1/2".  I used a white gel pen on the score lines for this tutorial so you could really see where it is.

*SIMPLY SCORED TIP:  My eyes do not see a straight line and those little 1/8" score lines, while super handy, are very hard to keep straight for me especially when scoring at a diagonal.  To remedy this, I took a white gel pen and ran it down the score lines I use the very most: 4-1/4" and 5-1/2".

Next, you want to turn your card stock the other way and find the center point of the rectangle.  For the size I made, that would be at 2-1/8".  I just put a little notch on the paper - you can do a little indent with your score tool, or mark it with a pencil.  Again, I did it with the gel pen.  It's that little tiny mark at the top.

Now you need to run a score line from the middle notch down to that middle score line.  This is where the white lines on my score board come in really handy. 

Then turn it the other way and do the same thing.  Then repeat the last three steps on the other side.

Now you are ready to fold.  Just fold the box along all the score lines towards the center of the box. 

To close the box, just fold it up the middle line and gather the sides in together.  You will want the flaps of the front of the box on top of the flaps from the back.

To keep the box closed, take your Crop-O-Dile and punch holes through both sides as shown in the picture.

Then thread a piece of ribbon through the holes as shown in the picture. 

 Then pull it tight and tie a knot or bow.

 

Now use your imagination to decorate your triangle box and turn it into anything you dare.  I would
love to hear your ideas for what you plan to turn them into (or maybe what you already have) here in the comment section.  Thanks for stopping by!  I promise to have another fun project to show you on Friday!

October Promotions

Sorry I went MIA last week.  My much beloved camera died.  It's been coming since our Yosemite trip in July but finally gave up the ghost.  So I spent most of the week researching the latest in digital point and shoot cameras and trying to decide what to buy.  I'm horrible at making these kinds of decisions so it takes me a really, really long time to figure it out.  Happily, my husband forced me to buy one on Saturday so I can get back to my life now.

I'm back this week. And since it's the first of the month, there all all kinds of new things going on with Stampin' Up! for me to tell you about.

First, Stampin' Up's offering a special this month in honor of World Card Making Day.  Purchase any two Simply Sent Kits and get a FREE coordinating Stamp Set.  The Simply Sent and Coordinating Stamp Sets are on pages 192-193 of the Idea Book and Catalog.  Each kit contains 8 coordinating cards bases, accents or embellishments, and envelopes for between $11.95 and $13.95 each.  The coordinating Stamp Sets each have 2 greetings in them and you have your choice of three different sets. They are great for making quick cards and make wonderful gifts.

Stampin' Up! is offering one of its best recruiting promotions ever this month.  Join my Stampin' Up! team this month and get a free BIG SHOT die cutting machine!!  The starter kit is already an amazing deal, containing over $345 of merchandise for only $175.  But if you include the value of the Big Shot, you get $445 worth of merchandise for only $175.  Don't want a Big Shot (GASP!!!) or already have one, choose $100 in catalog merchandise FREE!

One of the great things about being a Stampin' Up! Demonstrator is the freedom to build your business your own way.  If you don't want to order anything but the starter kit just for the great deal, you never have to place another order again and you get to keep everything that comes in the kit (although you will want to because your first order over $150 in the first 45 days is 30% off.)   But if you want to make it a business, you can do that too.  And if you reach certain milestones in your first six month, Stampin' Up! will give you a $175 cash bonus -- making your starter kit free. Contact me today for more information.

And iIf you've never checked out the Stampin' Up Clearance Rack, now would be a GREAT time.  Stampin' Up! has just added several recently retired items to the the Clearance Rack but they are only available online (not at a workshop or class) and only available while supplies last.  Save up to 60% on ribbon, Designer Series Paper, Big Shot accessories, and much more.  You won't want to miss out on these great deals.

Now I just have to figure out how to get the pictures OFF my camera and I can post the Triangle Box tutorial I promised last week.  Stay tuned!