Bells and Boughs

One of the current Stampin' Up! specials features the Bells and Boughs stamp set and the Deck the Halls Designer Series Paper.  I took out several of my die cuts and made this quick and easy card.  Cherry Cobler and Almost Artichoke card stock coordinate with this DSP perfectly.  I used Versamark and gold embossing powder along with the arways artichoke, cherry cobler, crumb ckae and more mustard markers to color the image.  Enjoy!

Holiday Purse

This purse pattern from Becky Roberts at Inking Idaho is a great addition to your stamping resources, and I decided to make it using the Candy Cane Designer Series paper.  The picture doesn't do it just, but the sparkle in the pape

r adds such a festive flair to it.  I used garden green, real red, and whisper white card stock as the coordinating colors.  The Oval All stamp set was used for the greetings along with the large oval and scallop oval punch.  I ran the Whisper White through the polka dot embossing folder to give it some dimension.  What a perfect teacher gift, co-worker gift or something to bring to the party host during the holidays.  Enjoy!

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Royal Blog Candy Winner

Thank you all so much for visiting my blog during the Royal Blog Tour.  I hope you make a habit of coming back on a regular basis.  The winner of the blog candy is Ola.  She wrote:

"I love the gift card holder.... all of your creations are gorgeous!
Thank you so much for sharing & the chance to win!!!"

I will be emailing you to get your mailing address so I can get this to the post office.

I also wanted to post an item I sold at a craft fair I participated in this past weekend.  I love these file folders and used directions I had gotten several months ago to put these together.  The directions were given to me at my upline's meeting, and I just created the ones shown here by using that sample, but I did look online just before I posted this and found a tutorial HERE.  I used the Pawsitively Prints II DSP to add a little more interest to the folders.   The small legal pads fit perfectly into the pocket created by the folds.  They would be great to use for grocery shopping--coupons on the left side, list on the right.  I think they will make great teacher gifts.  Enjoy!

Royal Blog Tour

Welcome to the next stop on your journey through the Royal Blog Kingdom. As one of the princesses, I must say I am thrilled you decided to accept the invitation to visit my special spot in the castle. As you stroll through this beautiful countryside, you are sure to see many wonderful sites. I really hope you enjoy this one.

I am very excited to share my creations with you in my first ever blog tour. When I was asked to pick a Stampin' Up! set to use, I decided to challenge myself by choosing one that was somewhat out of my typical stamping mode so I choose Countryside. This set has a masculine flair and lends itself well to water coloring. I spent many hours sketching ideas, stamping, and starting over so here is what made the final cut. Enjoy each of the samples and make sure you sign up for some blog candy after the last one.



It is so good to finally have fresh water available in the castle. This next sample uses the water pump image, and it made me think of pumping water from a well so why not make a Get Well Card. The right side with the image on it opens up as does the real red piece of card stock on the left. I used the Curvy Verses set on the inside to convey a get well message.



Now I might want to give the handsome prince a gift card for all his hard work around the castle so I used the top note die cut along with the Woodland Walk Designer Series paper to make this next sample. I used cajun craze measuring 4 1/4" by 6 1/2" (scored at 2" on each side). I used my markers to color in the image and fastened it shut with a circular velcro dot.



Some princesses follow the rules all the time, but I sometimes need to think outside the box a bit and that prompted me to create some "diva chickens" to display on a faux film strip. Who said chickens need to be traditional colors anyway!



I hope you enjoyed your stop at this end of the Countryside. This definitely challenged my creativity, but we all need to step out of our comfort zone once in a while. I am giving away some blog candy for U.S. residents visiting this tour and in order to qualify for it, you must
1. provide me with your name and email address so I can contact you if you are
    the winner by emailing me (see email me on the right side of my blog) or
2. leave a comment with your name and email address



Now it's time to travel to the next stop on the Royal Blog Tour. Happy Traveling!

Final Royal Blog Tour Clues

Here are clues five and six for the Royal Blog Tour.  Can you figure them out?  Did you submit your guess for the chance to win some great prizes?

Join me on Friday, November 5-8 for my stop on the Royal Blog Tour.  

Royal Blog Tour Clues

Here is clue number three for the Royal Blog Tour.

And how about clue number four.  Any ideas yet?

Royal Blog Tour Clues

The Royal Blog Tour starts in a few days--November 5--and here are a few clues to help you toward your chance to win some great prizes.

Watch for two more clues tomorrow.

Bells and Boughs

Here's another gift box with cards using the Bells and Boughs stamp set along with the Deck the Halls Designer Series paper. The Scallop Envelope die makes this a quick and easy gift item to make. You can see the first one of these I made here with the "fall theme" using Day of Gratitude.



Stamp Set: Bells and Boughs
Card Stock: Whisper White, Always Artichoke, Cherry Cobbler
Markers: Cherry Cobbler, Always ARtichoke, More Mustard
Other: Cajun Craze and Early Expresso Markers, Early Expresso 1/8" Taffeta, 2 3/8" Scallop and 1 3/4" Scallop Punches, Deck the Halls Designer Series Paper, Scallop Envelope Die, Polka Dot Embossing Folder, mini glue dots

Day of Gratitude Gift

My craft show is just a few weeks away, and here is another item for the table. I modified a design at Dawn's Stamping Thoughts where she made a cover for post-it-notes. I wanted to do a similar design with the half of a small legal pad so I changed the 7 3/8" x 3 1/4" base to 7 3/8" x 8 1/4". Check out her video tutorial here as it is very easy to follow.


Stamp Set: Day of Gratitude
Card Stock: Cajun Craze, Always Artichoke, Very Vanilla
Stamp Pads: Cajun Craze, Versamark
Other: Cajun Craze, Always Artichoke and More Mustard Markers, Dotted Scallop Ribbon Punch, Autumn Spice Designer Series Paper,

Day of Gratitude Gift Box and Notecards

My stamp club met at my house on Tuesday night, and this is one of the items we made. It's great for cards and Ghirardelli chocolates fit nicely in the box, too.



Stamp Set: Day of Gratitude
Card Stock: Cajun Craze, Early Expresso, Wild Wasabi, More Mustard, Very Vanilla
Stamp Pads: Cajun Craze, Early Expresso, Wild Wasabi, More Mustard
Other: Cajun Craze and Early Expresso Markers, Early Expresso 1/8" Taffeta, 2 3/8" Scallop and 1 3/4" Scallop Punches, 1 3/8" and 1 1/4" circle punch, Autumn Spice Designer Series Paper, Scallop Envelope Die, Square Lattice Embossing Folder, mini glue dots

Organize Your Recipes

I have had these metal tins in the basement for several years and finally decided to pull them out of the box and make something. With the holidays approaching, I thought I would make a few gift items to have on hand. I used the Pawsitively Prints II Designer Series Paper to cover the tin and clip board and accent the recipe dividers. I used modgepodge to adhere the paper to the clipboard and sticky strip on the tin.










The alphabet set Lovely Letters Alphabet was used to stamp out RECIPES. I created a Word file with the different categories of recipes and used the Round Tab Extra Large Punch to punch out the dividers. I was pleased to discover the clipboard fit inside the box for easy gift giving. Enjoy!

Autumn Splendor

Fall is in the air in Minnesota, and the colors in my neighborhood are beautiful. This inspired me to make this card for my sister.

Stamp Set: Autumn Splendor, Perfect Punches
Card Stock: Garden Green, Very Vanilla, Cajun Craze, Chocolate Chip
Markers: Garden Green, Cajun Craze
Other: Word Window and Wide Oval Punch, pearls, Square Lattice Embossing Folder, Crystal Effects, sponge, dimensionals
Stamp Pads: Garden Green, Cajun Craze, More Mustard

I wanted to add dimension to the card so I cut out two of the oak leaves and two of the maple leaves along with a set of acorns. I used dimensionals to raise them up and then added crystal effects to make the leaves shine.

Holiday Series--Stamping 411 Challenge

I guess it's time to start gearing up to holiday stamping so here is the first of several posts using the Bells and Boughs stamp sets from the Holiday Mini Catalog along with the beautiful Deck the Halls Designer Series Paper. I was inspired by the Stamping 411 Weekly Design. I wanted to achieve a "vintage look" for this card so I colored the pearls with the cherry cobbler marker. Of course, the color doesn't adhere in a uniform way and looks somewhat peeled off like an antique bead would look.



My color combination for this card was Almost Artichoke, Cherry Cobbler and Crumb Cake along with a little Very Vanilla. I love the new Chantilly Crochet Trim. It gives it such an antique look.



Enjoy the sample and your weekend.

Scallop Punch Flower

I saw the idea for this card somewhere online, and I want to thank whoever was my inspiration. I wish I had written it down. Anyway, I used my 1 3/4" and 2 3/8" scallop circle punch then cut between the scallops to get the petal effect.



With summer winding down in Minnesota, I then decided to change the color scheme for a more fall look. Enjoy!







Stamp Set: Perfect Punches
Card Stock: Card 1--Whisper White, Melon Mambo, Delightful Daffodil, Pacific Point; Card 2--Very Vanilla, Delightful Daffodil, Tangerine Tango, Crumb Cake, Always Artichoke
Ink: Card 1--Delightful Daffodil and Pacific Point Markers; Card 2--Delightful Daffodil Marker
Other: Polka Dot Embossing Folder and Scallop Oval Punch; Card 1--Pacific Point Corduroy Brad (retired), Melon Mambo Polka Dot Ribbon (retired); Card 2--Chocolate Chip Corduroy Brad (retired), Chocolate Chip 5/8" grosgrain(retired)

Take Note

I have been really busy the past few weeks getting back into the swing of teaching, adjusting to the early morning start time, and getting ready for my very first craft show. I have been making these altered composition books and thought I would share them with you today.

I used the Greenhouse Gala Designer Series paper and cut two pieces at 6" x 10" and one piece of coordinating card stock at 4" x 10". I used lots of monoadhesive and attached the DSP to the edge of notebook and then added the card stock. I did trim the edges a bit and added a ribbon. The coordinating pens are filled with DSP as well.

I'll be sharing a few other projects as I get them completed. Enjoy the rest of the weekend.

Friends Never Fade Meets Perfect Punches

I am really liking the color combination in the card. Cajun Craze was not my favorite color but when you get the right colors to use with it, it really works well. The Greenhouse Gala Designer Series Paper has such a wide variety of colors and patterns, it can be used so many different ways, and the Friends Never Fade stamp set is one of my favorites.




Stamp Set: Friends Never Fade, Perfect Punches
Card Stock: Cajun Craze, Crumb Cake Whisper White
Ink: Cajun Craze, Crumb Cake and Marina Mist Markers
Other: Wide Oval Punch, Marina Mist 1/8" Taffeta Ribbon, Scallop Trim Border Punch, Greenhouse Gala Designer Series Paper

Holiday Mini Catalog

Could Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas be right around the corner? The new Holiday Mini released today has a wonderful supply of stamp sets, papers, embellishments, etc. to help you get ready! Grab a cup of coffee or glass of ice tea and enjoy a walk through the Holiday Mini. I'll be posting samples from the catalog over the next few weeks. Enjoy!

Thoughts and Prayers

Every six to eight weeks, I hold a 10-10-10 Card Workshop at my home. This involves up to 10 stampers, making 10 all-occasion cards that take about 10 minutes each to make. This is one of the cards we made, and I'll be posting the rest of the cards over the next few days. If you live in the Minneapolis area and would like to join me for the next 10-10-10 Workshop, just email me by clicking on the link to the right.

This card design was inspired by the Stamping 411 challenge last week. I made the card but never got it posted. Oh well, I'm back to work after a great summer and sometimes the day just gets by me before I get everything done on my list. Anyway, enjoy the sample and your week.




Stamp Set: Thoughts and Prayers
Card Stock: Garden Green, Very Vanilla, Early Expresso, Crumb Cake
Markers: Early Expresso, Crumb Cake, Garden Green
Other: Woodland Walk designer series paper, Medium Scallop Die, White Gel Pen, Circle Scissors Cutter

Just Believe

I am going to put the Just Believe stamp set away for a while, but here is just one more sample before I do. Like the previous post, I used the Woodland Walk DSP. I just love the colors in this package of paper. This time I also included a matching envelope following the video instructions from Mary Fish at Stampin' Pretty. Enjoy!




Stamp Set: Just Believe
Card Stock: Cajun Craze, Very Vanilla, Chocolate Chip,
Markers: Garden Green, Cajun Craze, Crumb Cake
Other: Woodland Walk Designer Series Paper, 1/2" Chantilly ribbon, Basic Pearl Jewels, sponge

Just Believe

Here's my favorite new set again--Just Believe, and I combined it with the Woodland Walk Designer Series Paper. I designed this card for a card club trade I participate in on a monthly basis, and it was well received.



Stamp Set: Just Believe
Card Stock: Wild Wasabi, Very Vanilla, Chocolate Chip, Poppy Parade
Markers: Wild Wasabi, Chocolate, Crumb Cake
Other: Woodland Walk Designer Series Paper, Modern and Word Window Punch, Poppy Parade, 2-way glue, dazzling diamonds glitter, Poppy Parada 1/2" Stitched-Poly ribbon, Beautiful Wings Embosslit Die, Basic Pearl Jewels

Curtain Call Color Challenge Act 44

This week's Curtain Call Color Challenge was a great one that I really enjoyed putting together. It fit perfectly with the Build A Bear Workshop Pawstively Print II Designer Series Paper.







Stamp Sets: Simply Said, Heard From the Heart
Card Stock: Tempting Turquoise, Whisper White, Daffodil Delight, Poppy Parade
Stamp Pads: Tempting Turquoise, Poppy Parade
Other: 1 1/4" square and corner small punch, circle ice brads, Build A Bear Workshop Pawstively Print II DSP

Upsy Daisy--CCMC 112

This morning I decided to get up early and stamp before I went to work. My inspiration was the color challenge from Create With Connie and Mary. They are two very talented stampers!



So here is the card I came up with. I love the new dotted scallop ribbon border punch and, of course, there is nothing like a little glitter to bring an image to life. Enjoy your day!









Stamp Set: Upsy Daisy
Card Stock: Basic Black, Pacific Point, Bashful Blue, Delightful Daffodil, Wild Wasabi, Whisper White
Markers: Pacific Point, Bashful Blue, Delightful Daffodil, Wild Wasabi
Other: Dotted Scallop Ribbon Border punch, Scallop Oval and Large oval punch, 2-way glue, dazzling diamonds glitter

Elements of Style

Sometimes I just like to color! It takes me back to when I was a kid and loved getting all those new crayons at the start of school. I enjoyed it again when my kids were little and love incorporating it into my stamping once in a while.



Stamp Set: Elements of Style
Card Stock: Delightful Daffodil, Blushing Bride, Baja Breeze, Whisper White
Stamp Pad: Basic Black, Delightful Daffodil, Baja Breeze, Wild Wasabi, Pink
Other: Blender Pen, 2-way glue, dazzling diamonds glitter, Blushing Bride 1/2" stitched-poly ribbon, Scallop Oval Punch, Large Oval Punch, Small Oval Punch, 1" Circle Punch, sponge

Box It Up

I found a tutorial for this cute little box on the right at Tina's My Therapy, My Creations so I made one using some Designer Series Paper from a few years ago when Tangerine Tango was an In-Color. I then decided to increase the size to accommodate a little bigger gift or more candy!





Here are my changes from Tina's tutorial for the larger box .

Start with cardboard covered with cardstock at 4 3/4" by 4 3/4".
Use the large scallop die to cut out the two large circle scallops.
Cut the designer paper at 11 1/4" by 2 1/2" and 11" by 2".
Score at 1/2" lengthwise and cut as outlined on the tutorial.
Cut the inner circles with the Circle Scissors Cutter using the 12th line from the center.
Adhere the large scallop circles to the designer series paper circles using crystal effects.

Enjoy!

Just Believe--Sample 3

The Just Believe stamp set continues to be front and center on my stamping table so I decided to try a different color combination to showcase this set.

Stamp Set: Just Believe
Card Stock: Regal Rose, Tempting Turquoise Crumb Cake, Garden Green, Whisper White
Markers: Regal Rose, Tempting Turquoise Crumb Cake, Garden Green
Other: Square Lattice Embossing folder, Word Window and Modern Punch

Elements of Style

I love this color combination--Elegant Eggplant, Marina Mist, and Melon Mambo which I used in this simple card. It took me only about 10 minutes to put this one together.

Stamp Set: Elements of Style
Card Stock: Whisper White (3 3/4" x 5"), Elegant Eggplant (8 1/2" x 5 1/2"), Marina Mist (4" x 5 1/4")
Stamp Pads: Elegant Eggplant, Marina Mist, Melon Mambo
Other: Basic Pearls, Large Oval and Scallop Oval Punch, White Organza Ribbon