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'!

When you throw out the one piece you needed...

Well...that was a bit of a fail! Not totally and EPIC fail, but still...

Today's card was supposed to have a dragonfly on it, just like Monday's. But as I was tidying up after Monday's crafting mess, I must have accidentally thrown out the other dragonfly I created. *sigh*

So today's card took a different turn, but I LOVE the way it turned out!

Our sketch this week has a circle on it (just like Monday's card), so that's why I had the dragonfly in mind, but alas....

Here's the sketch:

And here's the card:

The Blooms and Bliss Designer Series Paper is STILL my all time favourite from the Annual Catalogue...but stay tuned! I have a NEW favourite in the Occasions Catalogue and I just know you're going to LOVE it too!!

For the card, I started off with a base of Soft Sky and added a layer of Mint Macaron. The next layer is a piece of Whisper White and a piece of Blooms & Bliss DSP and that got a ribbon wrap before being popped up on Stampin' Dimensionals and added to the front of the card.

The image sentiment panel is a colour washed piece of Watercolour Paper and I stamped on it using an image from the Better Together Stamp Set and Island Indigo Ink. I doodled around the outside edge with my Mint Macaron Marker and attached it to piece of Mint Macaron Cardstock which was diecut with the Layering Circles Framelits. The smaller circle is was created the same way.

Here's a close up of the button:

I know the button is retired (sorry!) but it was just too perfect to pass up! I tied some Whisper White Baker's Twine to it and attached with a glue dot.

And everyone knows that diamonds are a girls best friend, right? Guess what?? So are RHINESTONES!

I just love adding these things to just about ANY card! :)

And last but not least...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!


What do you think?

STAMPS: Better Together
INK: Island Indigo
PAPERS: Whisper White, Mint Macaron and Soft Sky Cardstock; Blooms & Bliss DSP; Watercolour Paper
ACCESSORIES: Big Shot, Layering Circles Framelits, Button (retired, sorry!), Bakers Twine, Basic Rhinestones, Markers, Stampin' Dimensionals, Glue Dots

Happy Stampin'!

Year End Closeout!

Year end Closeouts on NOW! Click the image below to be taken directly to my online store.

Be sure to add hostess code: BGF2QQUJ before checking out for a chance to win FREE Stampin' UP! products!

Products available only while quantities last!

Something Old....

Something New...

I've had a LOT on my plate lately, but I'm getting it all done. I wanted to wait till after I was done with my craft shows for the season to start playing with new goodies from the OCCASIONS catalogue (which starts on January 4th, 2017). My last craft show for the season was yesterday, so this morning I got out the new toys and made this:

The "something old" is the paper that I used as well as the little sequins (I can't find my darn rhinestones in the mess I've created leading up to all the craft shows!) and the something new is the DRAGONFLIES!! Oh. My. GOSH! Just wait till you see this new set! You're going to LOVE IT!

Something borrowed is the technique I used to colour my dragonfly wings. We learned it at On Stage and I just love it! I inked up the wings (they're a separate piece to the actual dragonfly skeleton) in Soft Sky and then sponged on some Mint Macaron in various places. Awesome right? I just love the way it turned out! And I love that no two dragonflies will ever be the same.

Here's a close up of the wings:

On the circle behind the dragonfly I did a watercolour wash using Soft Sky and Mint Macaron. There's a wee bit of Night of Navy on there too, but it's pretty subtle. You can see it better in person, so you'll just have to come to my Open House on Sunday January 8th, 2017 to check out this card and several others I'll be making over the next couple of weeks!

Something blue is my Soft Sky Card base.

What do you think?

STAMPS: Dragonfly Dreams (available Jan. 4, 2017)
INK: Staz-On, Soft Sky, Mint Macaron
PAPERS: Whisper White, Mint Macaron and Soft Sky Cardstock; Blooms & Bliss DSP; Watercolour Paper
ACCESSORIES: Big Shot, Detailed Dragonfly Thinlits, Aqua Painter, Sponge Dauber, Fancy Frost Sequins (only available till January 3rd, 2017), Stampin' Dimensionals, Fine Tip Glue Pen

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'!

Christmas is in the air!

Today, we're playing with colour!! I was going to use all the colours on LAST week's card, but that didn't pan out, so you get them today! Red (Cherry Cobbler), Green (Garden Green) and Crumb Cake! I don't know about you, but I think these three colours pretty much SCREAM Christmas!

Today's creation is part of a set that you'll see tomorrow for 3-D Thursday...so you'll just have to be a little bit patient. :)

We created the set at my class this past weekend and I'll be selling some extra sets I made at my upcoming craft fair (Fair December in Mississauga, ON) this weekend.

Here's just one of the five tags we made:

The base of the tag is 2" x 5" and it was punched with the scallop tag topper and corner rounded with the Project Life Corner Rounder.

The layer of Whisper White is 1 ¾" x 4 ⅛" and each of the corners were rounded as well.

Then I stamped the images from Candy Cane Christmas in Garden Green, Cherry Cobbler and Crumb Cake. And...TADA! A tag!

I added doodling around the edge and the 8" of Whisper White Baker's Twine can be used to attach the tag to your gift.

Don't forget to check out what the rest of the crew have been up to HERE and don't forget to come back tomorrow for 3-D Thursday and see the rest of the project!

What do you think?

STAMPS: Candy Cane Christmas
INK: Garden Green, Cherry Cobbler, Crumb Cake
PAPERS: Whisper White and Crumb Cake Cardstock
ACCESSORIES: Marker, Whisper White Baker's Twine

Happy Stampin'!

The end is near!!

Today is the LAST day for the Online Extravaganza! 

Today is also the ONLY day for these deals! 

Don't miss out!

SHOP HERE!

Use hostess code: AVQCTWM2

Time's almost up!

Time is running out!!

SHOP HERE!

Use hostess code: AVQCTWM2

Did you get it??

Some products only available in LIMITED quantities 

so don't delay!

SHOP HERE!

Use hostess code: AVQCTWM2

Christmas Cheer!

I bet you were tired of the pink, eh?? I thought I'd give you a break and move on to some Christmas stuff! But don't get too attached to it - LOL! I'm in Paris at the moment, but when I come back, I've got NEW toys to play with - WOOHOO!!!

Here's today's sketch:

And here's my take on it:

I took some liberties as is often the case with sketches...and you can too! Sketches are inspiration to get the creative juices flowing, so have fun with it!

My base is Cherry Cobbler with a layer of the Specialty This Christmas DSP. I then added another layer of Cherry Cobbler with some Very Vanilla onto which I stamped the main sentiment. The sentiment is from the Tin of Tags Stamp Set which is one of the stamps available as part of the 25% off stamp set promotion running until November 30th, 2016.

Next up was the PEARLS!! I was going to add the largest of the three sizes from the Basic Pearls package, but I'm all out - EEP!! Not sure how that happened, but I'll definitely be ordering MORE!

And then...there was just a touch of Wink of Stella! You can *just* see it on the largest snowflake on the right of the image above. I need to order some Gold Wink of Stella too. The wish list is NEVER ENDING!

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

What do you think?

STAMPS: Tin of Tags
INK: Cherry Cobbler
PAPERS: Very Vanilla and Cherry Cobbler Cardstock; This Christmas DSP
ACCESSORIES:

Happy Stampin'!

It's HERE!!!!

Here we go!!!

These prices and bundles are available for 24 HOURS ONLY!!

SHOP HERE!

Use hostess code: AVQCTWM2

Get what YOU want this Christmas!

The Annual Stampin' UP! Online Extravaganza is coming to a computer near you!

Shop online from November 21st through to the 28th with DOOR CRASHER Specials on the 21st and the 28th.

Products discounted up to 40% with specially created bundles for this event ONLY!

SHOP HERE!

Use hostess code: AVQCTWM2

Details:

• Promotion Period: November 21 - 28, 2016
• Discounted items/bundles available on all order types (customer, workshop, starter kit, and online).
• You must use the bundle item codes provided. Discounts will not be applied if individual item numbers are entered separately. 
• Some bundles have been created exclusively for Online Extravaganza and will not be available after the promotion ends.
• There is no minimum purchase required in order to receive the discounted price. 
• Additional products from current catalogs may be purchased on the same order.
• Discounts range from 10-40 percent and may vary per market. Note: While some retiring holiday products may be discounted during the retiring list promotion in December, no discounts will be greater than the discounts being offered during Online Extravaganza.
• Online Extravaganza includes two 24-hour sales.
         * The first 24-hour sale begins at 12:01 AM (MT) on November 21 and runs through 11:50 PM (MT) that same day.
         * The second 24-hour sale begins at 12:01 AM (MT) on November 28 and runs through 11:50 PM (MT) that same day.
• Paper Pumpkin kits and products on the future holiday catalog retiring list, except stamp sets, are only available while supplies last. 
• All products that are while supplies last have been noted in the Online Extravaganza deals list.

Celebrate!

Or "SALE-A-BRATE" depending on your preference! :)

While today's card doesn't use any ACTUAL Sale-a-Bration items, I *do* have a box sitting by my front door with a Sale-a-Bration set in it! You'll have to wait to see that one though...

For today's card, I *did* use a set that will be available in the Occasions Catalogue beginning in January, so that's a bit of a sneak peek for you. :)

I hope you don't mind the pink theme I've been going with lately! If not, awesome! If so...the good news is, there's no more of it on my desk, so next week, you might just get something different! :)

I started off with a base of Melon Mambo and added a layer of Basic Black followed by a layer of Whisper White which I stamped with the "Celebrate" from the Love Sparkles Set. It was stamped in Smoky Slate which I stamped off first.

Then I added some stars with stamped off Melon Mambo.

For the focal image, I stamped the cake from Endless Birthday Wishes onto Whisper White Cardstock and added the little banner with a sentiment from Love Sparkles.

Just like the sketch, some bakers twine was wrapped around the top of the card:

And here's a peek at the inside:

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

What do you think?

STAMPS: Endless Birthday Wishes, Love Sparkles
INK: Smoky Slate, Melon Mambo
PAPERS: Whisper White, Basic Black and Melon Mambo Cardstock; Pop of Pink DSP
ACCESSORIES: Bakers Twine,

Happy Stampin'!

It's beginning to look a lot like CHRISTMAS!!!

And I paid attention this time and didn't even go off script - LOL!

I know...shocking! Check it out:

Ok...so I was a *little* off script...stay tuned for the Washi Tape. :)

I used the same colours I had out from last week...because let's face it, I was in mad prep mode for On Stage Ottawa and barely had time to BREATHE let alone come up with a clever colour combination - LOL! Plus...I've always wanted a PINK Christmas tree!

Check out that Gold Metallic Thread! I just LOVE this stuff (and now have it in all four colours)! It's so easy to use and adds a touch of whimsy to the cards. Don't you think?

I was in sponging mode at On Stage - you can see the video HERE - and decided to carry it over for this card. I like the way Smoky Slate add some contrast, but is still subtle.

There's that WASHI!!! I added two strips of Washi from the Pop of Pink Suite to carry the colour combo to the inside of the card.

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

What do you think?

STAMPS: Lovely as a Tree (a classic!) and Jar of Cheer
INK: Blushing Bride, Melon Mambo, Smokey Slate
PAPERS: Whisper White, Melon Mambo, Basic Black and Smokey Slate Cardstock
ACCESSORIES: Sponges, Gold Metallic Thread, Glue Dots, Stampin' Dimensionals

Happy Stampin'!

There it is!

I was going to use today's sketch for my son's birthday card, but then life got in the way I didn't even get a chance to make him a card - ACK!!!

I left off the lace and moved the bakers twine/button over to the right and here's what I came up with:

Oh...my...GOSH! I love it! Do you love it too?? It was totally last minute (like it was too dark to get a decent shot, last minute), but I'm totally thrilled with it!

My base is Smoky Slate and then I added a layer of Basic Black. The top layer is Melon Mambo which was stamped using images from the Touches of Texture Stamp set and Melon Mambo Ink.

I stamped the same splatter image in Smoky Slate (stamped off) onto the image panel on the left. The floral stem was stamped in full strength Smoky Slate and then coloured in using Melon Mambo and Old Olive Ink.

I stamped the sentiment in Melon Mambo Ink too.

Here's a close up of the button detail. The button is retired (sorry!), but the Baker's Twine is definitely available to order. And instead of using washi tape, I just tore a couple of strips of paper. Cool, eh?

And last but not least, here's the inside!

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

What do you think?

STAMPS: Touches of Texture, Endless Thanks

INK: Smoky Slate, Melon Mambo

PAPERS: Whisper White, Basic Black, Melon Mambo and Smoky Slate Cardstock; Pop of Pink DSP

ACCESSORIES: Gold Button (retired, sorry), Bakers Twine, Markers, Glue Dot

Happy Stampin'!

Whole30 Update!

Whole30 Update:

Thursday, I finished my first #whole30. I say "first" because I've already got another one planned and considering doing #whole30forlife. We'll see how that plays out.

Yesterday, I could have eaten literally ANYTHING I wanted. There's a reintroduction plan, but I hadn't decided what exactly to reintroduce first!

So I went to work with Whole30 compliant food in my lunch bag. And I ate dinner at work and it was Whole30 too. And when I came home, I made pizza (well, Delissio made it, I just put it in the oven) for the kids. And I had a sliver (like literally 1/24th of the pizza) and it was gross. It didn't affect me adversely in any way, it just didn't seem "right".

I think tonight we'll have burgers...I'll skip the bun. It's AMAZING what you can get used to in 30 days.

I can now drink black coffee. It's not awesome, but I can do it. I can drink black tea too...I prefer the stuff from David's though. A little Electric Lemonade with the added punch of maté is fabulous in the morning.

I started back to the gym - CONSISTENTLY. I'm aiming for 21 days straight (that's how long it takes to form a habit), so as soon as I'm done my tea and this update, I'm outta here! Today is day 6.

As for the NSV (non-scale victories), I have more energy, my pants are looser, I sleep better at night and I just generally feel better! Oh! And I had to get one of my rings resized from a size 5 to a 3.75!!! Crazy, right??

In the picture, you can see the progress I made. It wasn't huge, but it was progress in the right direction. I'm not ready to share the "whole story" which is why there's post it notes covering the "scary stuff".

As of this morning, I'm down another 3 lbs. And I PROMISE you all again that I am NOT starving myself! I'm eating healthy food, making good choices, moving my body (way more than I was!) and just doing what feels RIGHT.

My friend Caroline and I are staring a Whole30 on November 7th (yeah, I outed her...but she's already told lots of people, so it's all good) and would be thrilled if you'd like to join us.

Go to the library, read the books, find the info online. It'll change your life.

Happy Saturday!

Birthday Part 2! Except Not....

October has SO many birthdays in it in our family and two of them are celebrated in our house! But...this weeks sketch just SCREAMED Christmas at me, so the birthday card will have to wait till next week.

Here's the sketch:

I never did get around to making my son a birthday card - OOPS! But he had a GREAT birthday with his favourite meal (maple-glazed ham) and favourite dessert (chocolate roll cake) and he got all the things he asked for, so it all worked out. :)

The part of the sketch that screamed Christmas is the striped element on the left hand side. As soon as I saw it, all I could see was Christmas Washi tape!

So here's what I did:

This is a single layer card (ish) which means that there are no additional layers of Cardstock or Designer Series Paper beyond the base. This "ish" is because on a TRUE single layer card, I would have stamped the image directly on the base. Close enough, right??

The image in the circle is from Jar of Cheer and I stamped it in Basic Black Archival Ink and then coloured it in using my Cherry Cobbler and Garden Green markers. The sentiment is from Tin of Tags - you can get just the sentiment set or order the Tin of Tags Project Kit and have THIRTY tags for your gifts this year and then use the sentiments on your greeting cards as well. WIN-WIN!

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


What do you think?

STAMPS: Jar of Cheer, Tin of Tags
INK: Basic Black Archival, Garden Green
PAPERS: Thick Whisper White and Whisper White Cardstock; Candy Cane Lane DSP
ACCESSORIES: Big Shot, Dies, Washi Tape, Stampin' Dimensionals

Happy Stampin'!

Hey Foxy!!!

This set is just too adorable for words...it's a good thing there's a video. :)



Happy Stampin'!

Boxes, Bags and Tags...oh my!

The gift bag punch board is perfect for creating little bags to use for small gifts over the holiday season. Why not make one today?

Carrie will show you how:



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'!