Embellish

Mini Photo Tutorial: side-opening "Book Box"

Ready for a quick project? This one's a total no-brainer, so easy that I only need two photos to explain it. Hardly worthy of the name "photo tutorial," huh? But I really like the great size and easy style of this side-opening, book-shaped box, and I wanted to share it with you.

You'll need just two pieces of paper--one full sheet of cardstock for the base, and one 5.5x6 inch piece of either double-sided DSP or cardstock for the lid. I used Poppy Parade cardstock and the Holly Berry Specialty DSP that's in the 2011 Holiday Mini Catalog. Did you know it has four glittered sheets that come with it? Yeah, baby! If it needs to hold up for a while, or be reused, though, either use cardstock for the lid or back the DSP with cardstock.

Score the full sheet of cardstock on your handy-dandy Simply Scored board on the long side at 4.75 and 6.25 inches. Turn it 90 degrees to the short side and score at 1.25 and 7.25. Snip up to the folds and use Sticky Strip to assemble the open-ended box.

Use the Wide Oval punch to notch out a little of the top side (open end to the left) for ease of getting the gift or cards or whatever in and out, as shown below.

Easy, huh? Doesn't get much simpler than that! The lid is even easier. Score it on the shorter side at 2 and 3.5 inches. If you want, you can use a border punch like I did here, the Scallop Edge punch. You can use velcro dots to close, or a ribbon like I did (Poppy Parade, attached with Sticky Strip).

Attach the lid with Sticky Strip as well, and then embellish to your heart's content! This box holds a LOT--what you see in the photo is a full pack of 40 envelopes. So you could stuff a lot of cards and envelopes in here, or there's plenty of room for a bunch of Sweet Pressed Cookies, or a homemade s'mores kit. Oh yum, does that ever sound good! Now I need s'mores. Or fudge. Fudge would definitely do.

Portrait Gallery scrapbook page

I have the new Peek A Boo Frames die for the Big Shot, and I couldn't wait to dig in and find some other uses for it besides the Christmas Cues Advent Calendar (view it here). I love how this scrapbook page for Scrap A Stack Club turned out! How fun it will be to fill with little random pictures of the kids, cousins, school friends, or even those tiny little vintage photos that were taken from too far away and all the people look like ants.

Ours was a birthday page, with a little cupcake from Easy Events, and I kept the coordinating second page to complete the spread SUPER simple, since this one was so busy. I enjoyed the unusual color scheme of So Saffron, Elegant Eggplant, Daffodil Delight, Wisteria Wonder and Very Vanilla.

Don't know if you can see it in this photo or not, but I added texture to the headline after I cut it out on the Big Shot, with an embossing folder. Just another way to help a headline pop and change things up a bit! And the long scallop trim is from the Tasteful Trims XL die.

If you're local to me and want to start scrapping with our existing group, or start a new group with you and your friends, I'm totally ready and willing to help you get that going! We can set it up either with a flat fee per person, or as a hostess club where each person purchases a minimum order per month. I take requests for the pages, for stamp sets and techniques, and I give lots of Big Shot training along the way. Let's do it!

Stampin' Up and the Today Show Toy Drive

One of the things I appreciate most about Stampin' Up is that they believe in making a difference in the lives of others--whether they're demonstrators, employees, the people who use our products, or children in need of a way to express their creativity. And Stampin' Up puts their money where their mouth is! It's not just a pretty saying on the wall of the home office.

Since 2005, Stampin' Up! has been honored to participate in the TODAY Show's Holiday Toy Drive. This year, Stampin' Up! will be donating over $500,000 worth of stamping and paper crafting products. In conjunction with the donation, Stampin' Up!'s Shelli Gardner will make an appearance on NBC's TODAY Show on Tuesday, December 6. Be sure to tune in and watch Shelli with Hoda and Kathie Lee--it's always very short and she hardly gets a word in edgewise, but its fun to see!

Shelli will be blogging about this fun (and somewhat nerve-wracking) experience in New York City. If you haven't been to her blog yet, it's a MUST! www.soshelli.com There are even challenges you can enter and win free stamp sets from her personally, whether you are a demonstrator or not!

 

Red Front Door Christmas cards for the neighbors

I was practically giddy when this card turned out exactly as I had envisioned it! That doesn't happen terribly often, you know! While messing around Saturday in preparation for my Try It Tuesday: Simply Scored Edition class tomorrow night, I came up with this cute little red door Christmas card and thought how perfect it would be to give to the neighbors along with a little MDS calendar postcard for their fridge or purse that I am making up this year using the cool new "insert calendar" feature in My Digital Studio.

It wasn't hard to do at all, thanks to the Simply Scored tool, and it fits in a regular envelope, to boot. I'll post a tutorial on it after the class--those of you who didn't RSVP for it will just have to wait, but I will indeed share. It's easier than it looks, I promise! How's that for a big tease? Make sure you check my newsletter, local ladies, for my event schedule--or better yet, schedule a workshop, and we'll make this card there, appropriate for any upcoming holiday or season.

Wet Leaves--spritzed adaptation of the faux silk coffee filter technique

Unfortunately I have the sad occasion to make two sympathy cards this week. I'd been playing around trying to develop this technique, and I think the look of wet November leaves catches some of the nostalgia for summers spent as those who remain behind face their season of sadness. I love fall and am always sad to see it end, even while getting excited for Christmas ahead, so I thought I'd share this one last fall-themed project today.

I liked the look of the leaf piece so much that I almost didn't even put a saying on the front, but in the end went with this understated sentiment from Blessings From Heaven. The spritzed adaptation of the Faux Silk technique a beautiful look, and fairly easy to do. Grab those coffee filters and give it a try! Click here to see the original Faux Silk with Coffee Filters photo tutorial. I used the Gently Falling stamp set's solid images, with More Mustard, Cajun Craze, and Early Espresso inks, to stamp on the tissue paper before doing the technique. After the Faux Silk was all completed, I added some additional steps.

First, I spritzed the whole thing with plain water. This caused the leaves to spot and run, and gives you a lot of blurred edges and different color gradients--greens, blues, almost purples. If your spritz didn't turn out quite like you were hoping, you can go back in with an Aquapainter to add water in more precise areas. But casual and messy is the key here (as with so many of my favorite techniques!) so don't let yourself get too caught up in it.

Then I stamped the coordinating outline images over the leaves in the same color, to retain some of the idea of the form of the leaves, as some of them no longer looked terribly much like themselves. It's not a super precise technique either, due to the wrinkles in the faux silk.

This card will never turn out the same way twice--I love the individual artistry of each "canvas." I hope you'll take a moment to try this technique some time soon, maybe for a masculine birthday card.

An unusual Christmas color combo

How's this for an unusual Christmas color combination? Riding Hood Red, Pear Pizzazz and Blushing Bride all come together to make this Vintage-Nouveau Christmas card with my beloved Christmas Lodge stamp set.I was inspired by the now-retired Holiday Treasures double-sided papers I bought on the Clearance Rack. Click here to go straight to my shopping website and see the Clearance Rack and the Online Holiday Extravaganza!

I tell ya, I've been having more fun with that set! between the mica flakes, the new embossing powders, and the yummy seam binding ribbons we have, I can't remember EVER being this inspired by a Christmas set before. The ideas just keep tumbling out. Be sure to pick up your set before the mini catalog ends on January 3rd--and if you want to use it for cards yet this year, feel free to swipe any of my designs to give yourself a head start. There's still plenty of time to make and send your own cards this year, and save money and have fun! Ok well maybe not necessarily save money... but definitely have fun! : )

Try It Tuesday: Simply Scored & Card Keeper Box

Super excited for the final installment of "Try It Tuesdays" for 2011, where we'll be making this adorable Scallop Square Lidded Tall Box amongst other cute and clever scored items! Stay tuned for the new schedule of Try It Tuesday classes coming up at the end of December. I cannot WAIT for you all to get your 2012 Occasions Mini Catalogs in the mail from me, so you can see for yourself the fabulous four products I have decided to concentrate on this spring for the Try It series! But for right now, I can't even HINT at what they are--you'll just have to wait until my pre-order comes for a peek. And the best part of all? The Occasions Mini Catalog runs during SALE A BRATION--whoo hoo!!

This coming Tuesday night's class is at 6:30 at my house and features the Simply Scored board and the Card Keeper (on pages 7 & 35 of the Holiday Mini Catalog, respectively). My Try It Tuesday classes are just $10, or free if you decide to purchase the desired item--a total STEAL for you guys, because this week's lucky participants are going home with a decorated Card Keeper box of their very own. I am SO impressed with the sturdy construction and ease of decorating these boxes and divider panels, that I wanted everyone to get their hands on one!

Wanna join us? I have enough boxes for ONE more person to come! Early bird gets the worm--call me ASAP at (920) 261-3962.

The Sounding Joy

Had to share these gorgeous cards by my adopted downline Diane from our demo meeting,  using the Sounding Joy stamp set. I think they are some of the best I have seen using that set. Look at the great use of pearls on the ruched ribbon above. Diane has a knack for using the Basic Rhinestones and Basic Pearls in ways I wouldn't think of normally.

Especially love the black and white and Baja Breeze one with the Silver Glimmer Paper! Sigh... I guess I need to order the Big Shot scallop circles die used as a mat on these cards--I love this look. Thanks for sharing, Diane.

 

Super fun and inspiring demo meeting!

Ok, ya'll are just gonna have to sit tight a minute while I brag on my peeps! My demonstrator team is doing so well! Four of them promoted this month, and all together we gained 16 new members with that free Big Shot special. Their sales are all doing so well.  Allana even managed to sell over $1,000--with a brand new baby born in October! Our meeting for the month was just one exciting announcement after another. I gave out over $300 in points and prizes!

We had a ton of fun stamping, snacking and chatting--Cristy B and Michelle B brought cute Make N Takes, and I had this Holiday Stocking banner for everyone to make on the Big Shot. We had a Fancy Fold challenge, and my favorite was this amazing card of Cristy's:

So cool and clever! I'm going to ask her to demo it at our January meeting, maybe a Valentine version. I think it's probably one of those cards that is best seen in person! If you'd like to be a guest at that meeting, just let me know : ) I think this idea would make a cute hidden journalling box for a scrapbook layout, too!

If you're a Stampin' Up demo in the area, you're very welcome to join us. Our annual Christmas party is December 10th at ten a.m. here in Watertown. We're having a potluck luncheon and a shoebox swap, and it's always tons of fun! Email me if you would like more details--it's so good to get together with new friends who share the same papercrafting passion. [email protected]

Wisteria and roses

More with my old/new recent fave technique, faux silk (tutorial here). I decided to see what it looked like with dark paper instead of neutral behind the tissue, and it's kinda cool! You see even more of the grain and texture of the tissue paper, and the wrinkles become even more pronounced.

I made these wedding/anniversary cards for the craft fair season--one this Saturday at Ixonia Elementary, come and see me!--using the Elements of Style stamp set, with a sentiment from Teeny Tiny Wishes. The card base, DSP and ribbon are Wisteria Wonder, with the mat and ink being Concord Crush. I colored the flower images in quickly and easily using the Stampin' Pastel chalks, a nice light technique on the fragile tissue paper.

This card is nice and flat and would mail well. it's fun to create cards with tons of dimension to them, but not always practical! Here's a TIP for you--if you own the personal Paper Trimmer, put your card in the envelope and see if you can slide it through the track where the blade runs without touching the plastic sides. If you can, it should be fine at the Post Office. If it catches at all, you're going to need additional postage and you also might want to put a piece of plain cardstock, run through the crimper, into the envelope to protect the embellishments. We all want our pretty creations to arrive intact, after all the effort and love that goes into them!

Nov 2011 demo meeting contest winner

We had a fun challenge for last night's monthly demonstrator gathering--to use non-traditional Christmas colors for our swaps. Jane Brotski was voted the winner, with this fabulous Soft Suede and River Rock card made on the Big Shot with the Holiday Stocking and Lattice dies. She used the Christmas Lodge set for the saying, with shirred Very Vanilla seam binding ribbon and Antique Brads to finish it off. Lovely!

I also really liked this one by Christine Bedford, who just joined our group last month. That's the wood sheets from page 216 of the 2011-12 Idea Book & Catalog that she used on the focal point!

Kathy Arnett also did a super cute job on this Concord Crush and Pear Pizzazz card, made with the Pennant builder punch and Perfect Pennants stamp set. Clever!

Stick around all this week for more inspiration from our meeting... we had a great time, with ideas and inspiration flowing fast and thick! If you'd like to be a guest some month, just let me know. Come and see what kinds of things Stampin' Up demonstrators work on when there's no customers around!

"Perk Up" easy get well card

My friend and downline member Penni reminded me of this cute and simple paper piecing technique the other day and gave me the idea to combine it with the Morning Cup set. I love the result! It's often the simplest techniques that make the card, don't you think? The teapot and teacup are made by stamping on a flowered piece of the Domestic Goddess papers, which are then cut out and adhered over the top of the same stamped image on your cardstock.

And, of course, it's hard to beat the great new In Colors used in the Domestic Goddess suite--Calypso Coral, Pool Party, Dafodil Delight and Basic Gray. Loved pulling it all together with the Calypso Coral ruffled ribbon and Printed Brads, too.

Next time you're tempted to cut your regular old rectangular or square focal point, try punch it out in a circle instead, like I did here with the 2.5 inch circle punch. I matted it with the 3 inch circle die for the Big Shot for extra visual impact. It's a nice, unexpected way to change up a layout that would otherwise be quite ordinary. Don't have the 2.5 inch circle punch yet? Well, then, give me a call! Or click here to visit my shopping website and remedy that situation right away!

You Suit me to a Tea

Demos got to see the new Occasions Mini Catalog online today for our exclusive pre-order period, beginning soon, and the word on the street is that it's really something spectacular! I knew it would be back in September when I was given this Tea Shoppe set at Founder's Circle--and couldn't wait to see what else was going to be in that catalog!

Stampin' Up didn't disappoint--I can't give you any more details than that! Sorry! Suffice it to say my mind is "percolating" with ideas for the upcoming Try It Tuesday season.

I made a bunch of these for my fall craft fair season, and they've been a hit. I stamped the large teacup and then made a slit with my Cutter Kit and Mat Pack to slide a real tea bag in. I replaced the ugly string tag with a cute one of my own made with the little oval punch. it's just stuck on the card with Dotto removeable adhesive so that the tea bag can actually be used by the recipient. And then I put each one in a Clear Translucent envelope so the tea would stay fresh.

Now, wouldn't you like to get one of those from a friend?

if I lose my train of thought a few times in this post...

...it's because of the difficulty inherent in concentrating while Storm Troopers are thundering up and down the stairs. Dan's 10th birthday party is in full swing one hour in, pizza and root beer obliterated, movie abandoned and the wrapping paper anihilated. I'm hiding in the bedroom with the computer now for fear of getting trampled, or arrested, or shot!

All this is highly entertaining, especially the overheard remark from one boy, "Man, your house is a lot cleaner than mine." Don't worry, I was unable to discern which of your children made that observation!

The party distracts me from the fact that my baby boy turned ten Wednesday. The "little" is no longer applicable... something that should have been clear from the rapidity with which he outgrew his clothes. But it snuck up on me, and now the observation that I have less than 12 inches on him brings home in a new way that his time with us is limited.

So what's a mom to do? Post embarassing bathtub baby photos on Facebook, certainly... but also something I've been wanting to do, which is pose Slushie for a scrapbook layout.

Slushie has been with us since nearly the beginning. When I quit my job as fast as I could after Daniel was born, I got a farewell gift certificate, and part of it went for a cute little plush doggie. It became his constant companion and was soon inseparable from this flannel blanket, made by a lady in our church. They're both still extant, the doggie and the blankie, although looking considerably worse for wear.

Old Slush moves towards a cushy someday retirement in a memory box and my boy inexorably grows into young manhood, each at the same speed. I'm reminded of the saying, "Time is a constant companion who reminds us to cherish every moment, for it will never come again." I can't slow down the clock, but I can live in the moment, neither wishing it away or wishing it back... and take pictures. Lots of pictures. Of old toys and new, of little boys and little joys as well as young men and milestones.

Stamps I wish they made

"Optimists say the cup is half full. Pessimists say it's half empty. Either way, it's not going to be enough coffee."

--from my friend Jan's FB status

A Beautiful Season

As soon as I saw the stamp set "A Beautiful Season" in the new Idea Book & Catalog in July 2011, I knew it was only a matter of time before it followed me home. I love everything about it--the bird, the holly, the sayings, the fact that it goes with the Curly Label punch--it just makes me happy all 'round! Here's the images that come with the set, and here is a link to it in my shopping website...

I designed this card for mass-production. I know I'm normally going to want to watercolor the bird for special cards, but for my November 21st Christmas Club ladies and my Stamp A Stack ladies this Saturday (last day to RSVP, BTW!!) we're going with this Bravo Burgundy stamped on Crumb Cake, accented with always Artichoke and a little Early Espresso.

I've really enjoyed coming up with a WIDE variety of cards for Christmas Club. I think everybody had at least one favorite each meeting, and the joy of having so many designs is both in not getting bored to tears making them, but also getting to pick and choose who gets which design based on what you know about your friends. This card will be perfect for the bird/nature lovers I know.

Well, no rest for the wicked, or the not-perfect-but-forgiven, either, so I have to scoot! Thanks for all the well-wishes on the craft show on Saturday. I sold over $500 worth of cards, banners, pages and little goodies. It was a blast! Many thanks to all of ya'll who stopped by and got sucked in... I mean, took home some lovely creations... I'll have to log some more creating time before the next one, at Ixonia Elementary on the 19th.

It's a tough job, but somebody's gotta do it!

Craft Fair craziness

It's officially craft fair season for me, beginning bright and early tomorrow. Sorry for the sporadic posts this week! I've been stamping my arm off, but too busy to take photos. I'm also making multiples mostly, so while a lot is getting done, it doesn't mean a lot of pictures necessarily. Let's hope all this hard work pays off!

If you're local to me, be sure to pop in tomorrow from 10-4 at Maranatha College and see my two booths. I have hundreds of cards and about 40 12x12 spreads for sale, scrapbook samples from my Scrap A Stack Club. Those always get snatched up quick! Come early for the best selection of cards, too. Today I made a bunch of Blossom Boxes, based on the design I made for my Convention 2011 presentation. Good memories! The box was a hit at convention--hope everyone likes them tomorrow, too.

I have tons of packing left to do, so be sure to toddle over next week and see what all I made. I have been one busy girl! Cross your fingers for me!

Excuse me while I have a little crisis

My baby turned eight today. That's it, you know, the cut off for pretending you still have a little kid. I begged and pleaded with her to stay seven forever, but at 6:47 this morning, she inexorably turned eight without any say-so from Mom.

Both kids were born the first weeks of November, so we do a party for each of them every other year (it also always manages to fall on my busiest week of the year apart from Sale A Bration). Dan's the lucky one this year. Since we had a half day of school on her actual birthday, Natalie got to pick a buddy to come for the afternoon and she grabbed her only girl fellow classmate, Camille. Natalie's tall for her age and Camille's very petite, so they make a cute pair!

I bet you can't guess who decorated the cake, huh? We started off the morning with the whole family piled in her little bed, reminiscing about the day she was born, who was there, who called who with the news. Then we had chocolate chip pancakes and opened a wowie-kazaam of a present--just the one this year! I believe it's full title is "The Ultimate Dream Castle." Many thanks for Grandma Griffin for the birthday loot that made it possible.

It's assembled (at the cost of a sore wrist and a cut finger) but I need to snap a picture of it and add it to this post. She loves it, and the sound effects aren't too horribly annoying, and only about 25 of the fifty micro-mini accessories are already AWOL, so it's a success all round.

One more picture just because our backyard is particularly golden and splendiferous right now. In the late afternoon light it was practically incandescent. Another glorious Wisconsin fall day... not too many of those left. Better cherish them, and tuck the fat golden leaf and the memory away in a drawer to pull out again on a rainy day. Kind of like a scrapbook of a certain little not-seven-anymore girl who will never be quite again the same she was yesterday.

"We have this moment to hold in our hand,

And to touch, as it slips through our fingers like sand.

Yesterday's gone and tomorrow many never come,

But we have this moment-- today."

NEW! Sweet Pressed Cookie Stamps

Stampin' Up! is introducing the brand-new Sweet Pressed Cookie Stamps--food- and kid-safe stamps you can use with your favorite shortbread cookie dough. LOVE IT! What a great gift this would make, and how fun to serve stamped cookies at your next stamping party! How cool that it comes with two recipes, too.  Order yours today!

Item	Description	Price
125152	Includes solid wood handle with three interchangeable stamp images (Jack-o-lantern, snowflake, heart), two recipes, and tips for use	$16.95

Birchwood Christmas Lodge

SO enjoying the Christmas Lodge set! I tell ya, I have been hard pressed to use anything else lately, even though I am desperately creating all kinds of things for the various upcoming craft fairs. All I seem to want to do is make Christmas cards this year!

This card will be made at both the final Christmas Club of 2011 on November 21st, and the Christmas Card Stamp A Stack on November 12th. I love how the little bit of birch-tree-patterned paper from the Frostwood Lodge DSP pack just really makes the card. You can't see the glittering snowbanks in this photo, but I also used Dazzlin' Details on the lodge.The new stripes embossing folder for the Big Shot adds to the woodsy feel, too.

There's still time to sign up for the Stamp A Stack! You can make anywhere from 10-60 cards, of six different designs. Everything is pre-cut and ready to go--the hard parts are done, and you just sit and have fun. Call me today to RSVP--I have to put the order for the cardstock in very soon, so don't delay!