Warm Wishes

Of all the packs of Designer Series Paper Stampin' UP! has produced this year, only ONE of them has a Very Vanilla base. I had to get creative so the cards for my Boot Camp class wouldn't be all be white!

Here's what I did:

Some of the papers in the Merry Little Christmas DSP pack are just Old Olive and Basic Black, so they work great for use on a Very Vanilla base.

This is one of the note cards (they're available in Very Vanilla now!) and I added a layer of Merry Little Christmas DSP. I punched out a circle of Old Olive and stamped the sentiment from Cookie Cutter Christmas in Real Red onto Very Vanilla Cardstock.

The teeny little ornament is from Carols of Christmas and the Real Red Solid Ribbon is just the right finishing touch!

Here's the sketch we all used this week:

Don't forget to check out what the rest of the crew have been up to HERE.

What do you think?

STAMPS: Cookie Cutter Christmas, Carols of Christmas
INK: Real Red
PAPERS: Very Vanilla Cardstock; Merry Little Christmas DSP
ACCESSORIES: Punches, Ribbon, Basic Rhinestones, Stampin' Dimensionals, Glue Dots

Happy Stampin'!

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Merry Christmas!

Don't look at me like that! When I created this card last week, it was exactly THREE months to BOXING DAY! That means that in three months from today, it'll already be NEW YEARS!

Have you started your Christmas Cards yet? That's one bonus of being a Stampin' UP! Demonstrator...since I'm planning for classes, I get a jump start on my Christmas Cards each year...and you're just gonna LOVE this year's line up!

Anyway...this week at the Paper Craft Crew we were tasked with a Tic-Tac-Toe Board:

And just to change it up a bit, I actually used a whole row...you know...instead of jumping around all over the place - LOL!

I chose the top row: vintage, baker's twine and something new. Now, I realize that the two stamp sets I used aren't exactly *new* since they've been available since September 1st (August 1st for Demonstrators), but up until last week, I'd been so busy that they hadn't even seen ink! I know! CRAZY!!

Here's the card I came up with:

I actually started off with the Merry Music Specialty Designer Series Paper as my jumping off point this time and went from there. I've always thought of sheet music as "vintage" (maybe because I'm getting old and took piano lessons as a child? Who knows!), but the sheets in this DSP package are white and white is NOT vintage (IMO). So...since I had some Soft Suede Ink on the table, I went to town with my sponge...then I went nuts with my scissors distressing the edges of the DSP and even tore a piece off - GASP! I just LOVE the way it turned out!

I stamped the tree from Ready for Christmas in Always Artichoke and cut that out using the accompanying dies and my Big Shot. And that got some ink around the edges too.

Then I cut out a strip of Very Vanilla Cardstock for my sentiment. And that got some ink around the edges too. :) Do you see a theme here??

I attached the DSP to the Soft Suede Cardstock and wrapped my Very Vanilla Bakers Twine around it before attaching it to my Always Artichoke base.

Don't forget to check out what the rest of the crew have been up to HERE.


What do you think?

STAMPS: Ready for Christmas, Merry Cafe
INK: Always Artichoke, Cherry Cobbler, Soft Suede
PAPERS: Very Vanilla, Soft Suede and Always Artichoke Cardstock; Merry Music Specialty DSP
ACCESSORIES: Big Shot, Dies, Baker's Twine, Basic Rhinestones, Sponges, Stampin' Dimensionals


Happy Stampin'!

It's the most WONDERFUL time...

...of the year!

It's Christmas in July...but also all the back-to-school stuff is starting to show up - LOL!

I love summer, don't get me wrong...but I LOVE routine even more and CRAVE back-to-school time when everything runs "tickety-boo" and everyone has a place to be at a certain time of day.

Anyway...today's card has NOTHING to do with back-to-school, but EVERYTHING to do with my "Christmas in July" class on July 29th.

Here's just one of the cards we'll be creating:

If you're coming to class, you'll be THRILLED to know that I have ALREADY fussy-cut all the little reindeer. :)

I started off with a base of Soft Suede and added a layer of Whisper White. To that, I added a small square of Be Merry Designer Series Paper (new in the 2017-2018 annual catalogue) and a smaller square of Whisper White Cardstock. I added the little reindeer and the sentiment from the Merry Mistletoe set.

The tree off to the left is from the same set and it was stamped onto more Whisper White Cardstock and cut out using the Big Shot and the smallest of the circles in the Stitched Shapes Framelits set.

The finishing touch was a little bit of linen thread tied into a bow...because who doesn't love linen thread??

Don't forget to check out what the rest of the crew have been up to HERE.

What do you think?

STAMPS: Merry Mistletoe
INK: Soft Suede and Garden Green
PAPERS: Soft Suede and Whisper White Cardstock; Be Merry DSP
ACCESSORIES: Big Shot, Stitched Shapes Framelits, Linen Thread, Mini Dimensionals

Happy Stampin'!

Christmas Scene

Truth be told, I should have done this in November when I actually got the kit, but time CLEARLY got away from me...because here we are on December 19th and I'm JUST getting to it. *sigh*

The Paper Pumpkin Kit for November contained the most adorable Christmas scene cards:

With the help of a LOT of Stampin' Dimensionals (they're in the kit) I created this adorable little Christmas scene and I just LOVE IT!!!

Now...the good news is, if you're already a Paper Pumpkin subscriber, Stampin' UP! is releasing the REFILL KITS for purchase (in case you need more) and you can order them right HERE. But they're only available while supplies last, so don't wait!

Happy Stampin'!

Get to knitting!

It wouldn't be Christmas if there wasn't a last minute project on the sticks!

Have a GREAT Saturday everyone!

By the numbers...

HUZZAH!!

I am FINALLY done the hubby's Christmas cards for his office...it's a good thing he's cute, because YIKES! Talk about a labour of LOVE!

Here's what I used:

• 18 sheets of Soft Sky Cardstock
• 9 sheets of Night of Navy Cardstock
• 9 sheets of Whisper White Cardstock
• 2 packages of Watercolour Paper
• 2 sheets of Designer Series Paper
• 25 yards of Night of Navy Baker's Twine
• 160 Stampin' Dimensionals
• 36 Glue Dots
• Too much SNAIL to count

And here's the FINAL result:

It was a LOT of work, but I LOVE the way it turned out! Now...anyone want to buy a Merry Mice Stamp set in clear mount? ;)

What do you think:

STAMPS: Merry Mice

INK: Staz-On for stamping; Cherry Cobbler, Soft Sky, Night of Navy and Sahara Sand for colouring

PAPERS: Whisper White, Night of Navy and Soft Sky Cardstock; Season of Cheer DSP (retired)

ACCESSORIES: Aqua Painter, Baker's Twine, Stampin' Dimensionals, Glue Dots

Happy Stampin'!

Surprise!

Today's "not a card" is one of my favourite quick and easy packages to make. A little bit of Designer Series Paper, a stamp and a die cut or two and you're good to go!

We made smaller bags at class, but you could totally apply this principle to a larger bag. Then again, good things come in small packages, right??

You can purchase the bags at any big box craft store and they come in several different sizes. They're usually available in a "baker's dozen" (13 bags), so you should be able to design lots of different gift bags, depending on which DSP you choose.

The strips for this bag are 2", 1 ½" and 1" wide. You could adjust the length to suit your needs. They were punched using the Triple Banner Punch. This is a fabulous punch, because you can use it with three different widths of paper...so it's like getting three punches in one - BONUS!

The "Surprise!" is from the Tin of Tags stamp set. It was stamped in Real Red onto Whisper White Cardstock and cut out using the Big Shot and an oval die. It was adhered to a Real Red piece of Cardstock also cut out using a scalloped oval die and the Big Shot. You could use any stamp really. It doesn't even have to be a Christmas gift bag. It could be for any occasion throughout the year. Why not buy that baker's dozen of bags and create 13 different designs?

What do you think?

STAMPS: Tin of Tags
INK: Real Red
PAPERS: Whisper White and Real Red Cardstock; Candy Cane Lane DSP
ACCESSORIES: Big Shot, Dies, Punch, Stampin' Dimensionals

Happy Stampin'!

Little bits of paper

I teach classes. Once a month. And in those classes we use a LOT of Whisper White Cardstock. And most of it is cut 4" x 5 ¼" as we use it for the inserts in our cards.

That leaves a LOT of ½" x 11" and ½" x 4" pieces of Whisper White Cardstock laying around. I mean A LOT. Like HUNDREDS of those little strips! I can't possibly use them all, so a bunch of them just end up in the recycling.

But at this time of year, I'm thankful for all those little bits that I DO keep!!

Because they make adding skinny little sentiments to the front of cards MUCH easier!

Happy Stampin'!

So close I can taste it!!

Well...not really since I've never been one to eat paper...

The Night of Navy Baker's Twine was the LAST element I needed to add to the mice - WOOHOO!!! Now I just need to assemble (everything is already cut) and add a sentiment and I'm DONE!!!

This is the latest I have EVER completed my hubby's cards...my desk and table are a mess and I can't wait to get them OUT the door! HUZZAH!!!

Happy Stampin'!!

A tale of two tags...

Or gift enclosures...what do YOU like to call them??

During our class a couple of weeks ago, one of the projects we created was a simple fold-flat box. The original idea comes from Sam Hammond (an AMAZING UK Demonstrator) and I just made it a little bit bigger!

The beauty of this little box is that you can make a whole bunch of them and store them flat till you need them! And they're just the perfect size to hold a few little treats. A ½ dozen small chocolates, maybe 2 or 3 cookies (don't forget to use grease proof paper or wrap them in our cellophane bags before putting them in the box) and you're all set to present a quick little gift!

And speaking of little! Check this out!!

Isn't it just SO adorable! Like last weeks post, you get the box, the adorable little tag above and this one out of just one sheet of 8 ½" x11" cardstock:

The teeny tiny tag is just 1 ½" x 1 ½" and it has just enough space inside for a name and that's about it! The larger tag (gift enclosure) is 3" x 3" and has a little bit more room...maybe you can add "Love you" or something along those lines.

What do you think?

STAMPS: Peaceful Pines, Tin of Tags
INK: Real Red
PAPERS: Whisper White, Real Red and Crumb Cake Cardstock; Candy Cane Lane DSP
ACCESSORIES: Punches, Basic Rhinestone, Sponges, Stampin' Dimensionals

Happy Stampin'!

What do YOU think??

I couldn't decide which colour my little mice should be, so I coloured one in each of the colours I thought made sense and sent the image to my husband and a couple of friends to see what they thought.

But everyone had a different opinion!! I know which is *my* favourite and I ended up using the one my husband preferred since they're his cards.

But...what do YOU think?? Do you have a favourite??

Let me know in the comments, and I'll do a random draw! The winner will receive a Merry Mice Christmas Card!

Happy Stampin'!

Merry Mice

I'm at a craft fair this weekend, but I wanted to show you what I've been up to with the mice! Check it out:

I started by colouring in the little hats using my Aqua Painter and Cherry Cobbler Ink. Tomorrow, I'll need your opinion so stay tuned!!

Happy Stampin'!

Merry Mice!

Oh! Aren't these the cutest things EVER??

I'll be using this stack of adorable little mice for my husband's Christmas cards this year (PLEASE don't remind me how late I am! Last year I was DONE by the middle of October - GAH!)

And here's a DEAL!!! The Merry Mice are part of the Year-End Close Out! And the Photopolymer Set is discounted to $17.60! You can't beat that. And if you order RIGHT NOW, you'll still have time to use these adorable mice for YOUR Christmas Cards. Be sure to use hostess code: BGF2QQUJ at checkout for a chance to earn FREE Stampin' UP! products.

Stay tuned...I'll show what I did with the mice in an upcoming post!

Happy Stampin'!

Tag! You're IT for 3-D Thursday!

OH. MY. GOSH! Can you believe that it's ALREADY December 1st? Where did the time go!! I'm pretty sure that it was just yesterday that I was enjoying New Years Day brunch with my family and here we are with just 24 shopping days till Christmas. WHAT??

Anyway...as promised, here's the rest of the project that goes along with yesterday's tag:

Don't you just love the little box? It was created with a 6 x 6 piece of Crumb Cake Cardstock using the Envelope Punch Board. You can create all the tags AND the box from just ONE sheet of 8 ½ x 11" Crumb Cake Cardstock. Talk about getting bang for your buck!

The box was wrapped with a 1 ¼" x 8" strip of Candy Cane Lane DSP and then I added the "This is for you" sentiment from the Tin of Tags stamp set. It was stamped in Garden Green and punched out before being added to a larger Garden Green Circle. Be-dazzling is a MUST at this time of year, so that was accomplished with three rhinestones. The circle was then added to the front of the box with Stampin' Dimensionals.

Here's pic of all the tags together:

Do you have a favourite? Let me know in the comments below and I'll do a random draw from all the comments and send the winner ALL of the tags in the set!

What do you think?

STAMPS: Tin of Tags, Candy Cane Christmas, Cookie Cutter Christmas
INK: Crumb Cake, Cherry Cobbler, Garden Green
PAPERS: Whisper White and Crumb Cake Cardstock;  Candy Cane Lane DSP
ACCESSORIES: Punch, Markers, Whisper White Bakers Twine, Washi Tape, Basic Rhinestones, Stampin' Dimensionals, Glue Dots

Happy Stampin'!

Merry Monday Gingerbread!

I'm coming to you a little later than normal today, because yesterday we celebrated Thanksgiving with my husband's family and things were a little hectic, so I didn't get the chance to set my post up for today.

No matter! I'm here now! :)

Today's post is a card we created at my Christmas Boot Camp a couple weeks ago, and while I *know* I'm totally biased, it's my absolute favourite!

Check it out:

Stinkin' cute, right? That cookie cutter punch was the first thing I ordered from the new Occasions catalogue when it came out - I pretty much ordered the WHOLE Candy Cane Suite because it was JUST. SO. ADORABLE.

First off, I sponged EVERYTHING and then I started off with a Crumb Cake base and added a layer of Early Espresso. I used the Envelope Punch Board to create the little tab element and stamped the sentiment in Real Red.

I love the Real Red Baker's Twine in the Holiday Catalogue! It comes as a TWO pack with Whisper White/Real Red sparkly twine too!

And how seriously adorable is this bow tie?? I mean REALLY!

And last but not least, the inside of the card with more sponging.

What do you think?

STAMPS: Cookie Cutter Christmas
INK: Early Espresso and Real Red
PAPERS: Whisper White, Crumb Cake and Early Espresso Cardstock; Candy Cane Lane and Neutrals DSP
ACCESSORIES: Punch, Envelope Punch Board, Bakers Twine, Markers, Sponges
Happy Stampin'!

Tin of Tags!

You're going to LOVE this little set!! And if you're coming to Boxes, Bags and Tags on November 12th, guess what?? It's part of your $45 class fee!



Happy Stampin'!

Merry & Bright

Today, I have just a quick little card for you!

We'll be creating this card (among MANY others!) at my Christmas Boot Camp on October 1st, 2016. You're coming, right??

What do you think?

STAMPS: Holly Jolly Greetings
INK: Soft Sky, Dapper Denim, Min Macaron
PAPERS: Whisper White & Soft Sky Cardstock
ACCESORIES: Basic Rhinestones

Happy Stampin'!

Let it SNOW!

OH. MY. GOSH. If you thought the snowmen from a few weeks ago were cute, this adorable little penguin will do you in for SURE! Another Paper Crafts Crew Sketch was just the ticket for this little guy.

We started off with a base of Smoky Slate and added a strip of the polka dot DSP from the Neutrals Paper Stack. That was followed by layers of varying sizes in Night of Navy, Smoky Slate and Whisper White.

The (completely adorable) penguin was stamped in Basic Black and his little feet and beak were coloured in using the Pumpkin Pie Marker. His hat was stamped in Real Read and a touch of glitter was added using Dazzling Details.

You can check out the rest of the crew here.

What do you think?


STAMPS: Snow Place
INK: Basic Black, Real Red, Versamark
PAPERS: Smoky Slate, Night of Navy and Whisper White Cardstock; Neutrals DSP
ACCESSORIES: Big Shot, Die Cuts, Markers, Dazzling Details, Stampin' Dimensionals


Happy Stampin'!

Merry Christmas!

Tomorrow is class day! It's also the first day of Fair December, so it should be exciting! I'll help my daughter set up at the Fair in the morning and then spend a couple of hours with her, then it's home for an afternoon class and Team Meeting - PHEW! I just wore myself out thinking about it!!

If you're still counting (and haven't fainted dead away just thinking about it!), there's only 21 days till Christmas! That's right - a mere THREE weeks! Are you ready??

Today's card is another quick and easy one (because you KNOW you've got a last minute party that's going to come up and you're GOING to NEED a card!) and should have you ready to go in under 10 minutes!

You'll start off with a base of Cherry Cobbler Cardstock. Before you add your Old Olive layer, you'll adhere the Designer Series Papers from Season of Cheer and Merry Moments at an angle and then snip them off so they're the right length. Doing this AFTER they're stuck down takes the guesswork out of it and doesn't leave you wondering if you've trimmed the pieces too short.

Your trees will be stamped in Old Olive Ink onto Old Olive Cardstock (using the tree image from Lots of Joy) and punched out using the Tree Punch found in the annual catalogue. One tree was adhered with SNAIL and the second was adhered using Stampin' Dimensionals.

The sentiment was stamped using Cherry Cobbler Ink and the whole image/sentiment panel was adhered to the card front using Stampin' Dimensionals.


What do you think?

STAMPS: Lots of Joy
INK: Cherry Cobbler, Old Olive
PAPERS: Cherry Cobbler, Old Olive and Whisper White Cardstock; Merry Moments and Season of Cheer DSP
ACCESSORIES: Tree Punch, Stampin' Dimensionals


Happy Stampin'!

Noel

Recently, Stampin' UP! announced that there would now be retiring lists for each of the catalogues throughout the year. As a demonstrator, this is great news as it allows me to sell off retired product immediately without having to wait a year for the next same catalogue to be published. As a stamper who loves her stuff, I'm sad.

The Happy Scenes Set is retiring. :( The GOOD news is that the Hearth and Home Thinlits Dies will continue to be available through the Occasions Catalogue and you're just going to LOVE the new set that goes with it! Yes, I've seen it. No, I can't show you. Sorry. So...you can either bundle it now and have a stamp set that you can use all year...or bundle it on January 5th, 2016 and have an equally amazing set to play with. SO many options!

Today's card (which we'll also be doing in class on Dec. 5th), started off with a base of Cherry Cobbler Cardstock. I added a layer of Very Vanilla and then a layer of Home for Christmas Designer Series Paper. Banners were created using Cherry Cobbler and Mossy Meadow Cardstock.

I created a tag using Very Vanilla Cardstock and stamped the tree image from Happy Scenes using Mossy Meadow Ink. The "Noel" was stamped in Cherry Cobbler Ink. I added a length of Natural Chevron Ribbon which was tied with a piece of Linen Thread. The tag was then attached to the front of the card using Stampin' Dimensionals.

The finishing touch was two Home for Christmas Enamel Dots.

What do you think?

STAMPS: Happy Scenes
INK: Mossy Meadow and Cherry Cobbler
PAPERS: Cherry Cobbler, Mossy Meadow and Very Vanilla Cardstock; Home for Christmas DSP
ACCESSORIES: Ribbon, Linen Thread, Enamel Dots, Stampin' Dimensionals

Happy Stampin'!