MONDAY

Wishing everyone a blessed Christmas Day.  May the birth of our Savior gives us hope for a future of love and forgiveness.  What an awesome gift we have been given.

 

FRIDAY

Well, I have been virtually non-existent this week so I am going to share a few projects today that I have been working on.  All are quick and easy.

Here are some easy envelopes I made for my grandchildren that hold a certificate inviting them to the Broadway Show Lion King in the spring.  Hope they want to go!  I know I sure do.

I used the Envelope Punch Board to create the envelopes.

The next projects are some money envelopes for my sons-in-law.  They are hard to buy for so money works well.  They also got one other gift.  My granddaughter also is receiving one because she will be starting an on-line college course in January and wants money to buy a new laptop.

The last projects are stockings from the November Paper Pumpkin.  Oh, my goodness, they are adorable!  I love when Paper Pumpkin gives us projects other than cards.  I have seen many ways to use these stockings.  Some have even been transformed into other things, like snowmen!  To get the embossing on the stocking, you just spray lightly with water before running it through the Big Shot.  I have seen people use spray starch or hairspray instead, but the water worked fine for me and it is less messy. It is a little hard to see in the picture, but it worked well. There were 10 in the kit and I used them for different people.  These 3 will go to my three neighbor children - filled with a Hershey bar and a candy cane.

Now to get ready for Christmas Eve with the daughters and their families.  Today I have been working on some Christmas minute-to-win-it games.  Can't wait!

FUN FOLD FRIDAY

Here is a cute gift card holder I made for our church staff members.  These were given by our Presbyterian Women's group.

This opens by lifting the flap or top of the "box".

Here are a few other pictures of the inside and how it opens and then I will give you dimensions.

• The main card base is 4 x 11 so you can two of these out of a sheet of card stock.  Score this piece at 4 - 5 1/2 - 7.
• Valley fold on the 4", mountain fold the center score and valley fold the 7". Put some Tear and Tape or Fast Fuse in between to hold it together.  This creates the "pocket" for your gift card.
• Using your retired Word Window Punch or your Classic Label Punch, punch side by side (overlapping) holes on the fold of the inside flap so that your gift card will fit inside.  Measure your gift card first so you are sure you are making your opening large enough. The third pictures shows you what this should look like.
• Slide your gift card in the slot and create an inside message for your card.
• The top of the present measures 4 1/4 x 4 1/4 and is scored in half at 2". 
• Adhere half of this piece to the back of the base card so that it can be lifted up to open like a gift.
• Adhere a few pieces of Velcro to hold the top flap down.
• Decorate with DSP and ribbon however you would like.

For some of the cards I used the little Mini Bows that are in the Holiday Catalog.  They looked really cute and saved time by not having to make the bows with the bow punch.

I am not actually sure where I got this idea so I am sorry for not giving credit.  If you type in "present gift card holder" on Pinterest you can see a couple of different versions.

WEDNESDAY

Sorry, I'm behind on posts!
I have been working on a gift for 2 friends.  I wanted to use the eclipse technique so here is what I came up with.

I also wanted to use the beautiful Year of Cheer DSP.  I used a retired angel stamp and heat embossed it in black first. The snowflakes are from the Seasonal Tags Framelits using Silver, Gold and Copper Foil Paper. I did cut the letters out of the DSP and then cut another set of letters out of black, gluing the two together before I adhered them to the card.  I popped the letters up a little with Dimensionals instead of just layering them on the black paper. You can also use the Foam Adhesive Strips instead of Dimensionals.  It might have been a little more popped up with that product. I wish the J in Joy showed up a little better.  It kind of got lost in the black embossing, but it will have to do.  You can find directions for doing the eclipse technique, if you don't know how, by going to you tube and typing in eclipse technique.

Have fun trying this technique on your own.

WEDNESDAY

I was SO excited at our Joyful Heart Stampers meeting on Saturday.  The secret gift I received was from Deb Paisie and that is ALWAYS a good thing!  I won the adorable shrinky dink necklace that I shared with you a little while ago.  I'll show it again, just because it is so cool!

Hopefully, you can click on it to make it larger so you can see it even better.  The necklace was in this cute snowman box.  This box would work for a number of  gifts - money, gift certificates, socks, a scarf, jewelry, or anything fairly flat and not too large.

I believe it was a very inexpensive box.  The hat is made from a Dollar Store sock with the end cut off.  Tie ribbon around the hat to pull it closed and wrap ribbon around the box for a "scarf".  The nose is a piece of cut cardstock.  The buttons are 1/2" punched circles.  The eyes are smaller punched circles with black rhinestones (HC) in the centers.

I'm feeling pretty happy.  Now I have to find the perfect shirt or sweater to wear with the necklace so I can show it off.

MONDAY

Today I am sharing a project I made for a secret Christmas gift exchange at our Joyful Heart Stampers Christmas dinner/meeting.

To make this I used the retired Bigz Die letters.  I have the present Framelit Letters, but they were a little smaller than what I wanted.  I also used the  retired Banners Framelits and the two sided doilies that are now retired.  The rest is current:  Year of Cheer DSP, Snowflakes from the Colorful Seasons Thinlits, Gold and Silver Foil Paper and Dazzling Diamonds Glitter Paper for the snowflakes, and rhinestone jewels.

I used the next to largest Banner Die. The small banner in between the letters  was measured at  3 x 1 1/2" and one end was punched with the Triple Banner Punch.

You could make the same large banner pieces using the present letter framelits and cut your own points at the bottom.  I think I might make one for myself if I have enough DSP left.

FRIDAY

Absent Wednesday - Sorry!

I have been trying to work out how to place my computer on my work table so I can live stream t.v. while I stamp.  After all, it is the Christmas season and I can't miss all the Hallmark love stories!  I have a t.v. in my stamp room, but it is very small and is behind me so it isn't much good for watching. Last week I set up a t.v. lap tray, but decided it took up too much room and didn't do what I wanted.  Yesterday when I was in Hobby Lobby I saw this cool shelf/storage piece that I thought would work.  So I went back today and purchased it and it was 50% off.  Yea!

Here is what it looked like originally:

I thought the shelf on the top would be perfect for my light and my laptop and the section underneath would work for my paper cutter, Simply Scored Tool and some other flat items.  The only problem was that the back was open, so whatever I put in there would slide right out the back.  SO. . . .

I took two pieces of the heavier cardboard from our DSP, put them together with packing tape and then cut the whole thing the size I needed to cover the back.  Then I covered it with retired DSP.  I poked holes in the top and bottom of the covered cardboard with the Crop-o-dile and attached the cardboard to the shelf with Mint Macaron Twine.  Here is what the back looks like.

And here is the front with the new backing:

Here is the new shelf with some of my goodies stored in the bottom.  I LOVE it!  Notice that it is NOT a Hallmark movie on the screen - just me, taking a picture.

Now I don't have to reach on the floor to get my paper cutter or Simply Scored.  I also put my foam mats and acrylic mats in the space.  There are a few things hiding under them also that I use occasionally. I can even slide my Stamp n Scrub back under a little out of the way.  I'm proud of my innovation and I'm sure I can find a few more things to put inside.

MONDAY

Two posts today, because the BIG news from Stampin' Up is that today is Cyber Monday and you get FREE SHIPPING on ALL products! 

Click on the SHOP NOW button at the right side of the blog, get the hostess code from the top of the website page, click on SHOP NOW again and "take it away" by adding all your goodies to your cart.  Even if you don't need any stamps or great items from the Holiday Catalog (which I can't imagine!), it is a great time to order those staples that you need for stamping.  Make your list, check it twice and order what you need.  If you have any questions, feel free to contact me.   Sale ends at 2 a.m. MT.

Have fun shopping!

The second regular post is a picture of the treat holders I made for our family for our Thanksgiving dinner.  I know Thanksgiving was on Thursday, but my family could not get together until Sunday, so that is what we did.  A good time and yummy food were had by all.

I used the stamp and thinlit from the Colorful Seasons set for the front of the box and then colored them with our Stampin' Blends.  The little box is very easy and is made with Pumpkin Pie c.s.  

• You start with a piece of cardstock measuring 3 x 3 1/2.
• With the 3 1/2 side at the top of your Simply Scored, score at 1" and 2 1/2".  
• Turn your c.s. with the short side at the top and score at 1" and 2".
• On the 2 short sides, cut up on the score lines until you meet the next score.
• Put some Fast Fuse on the end pieces and fold up to make your box.  So easy.

I filled mine with two Hershey Nuggets.  Of course, these can be made for any occasion when you change up the stamped image.  Try one.  So easy and fun.

FRIDAY

Here is another Christmas project for you to try.  It is a hot chocolate holder and I will be giving these to my 26 sorority sisters at our Christmas dinner.

These are both the same except for the diamond in the center of the snowflake.  I had these extra large jewels left from several years ago.  In order to get the jewel to be red, you just color it with our new Stampin' Blends.  They are so awesome.  They are alcohol based markers so coloring pearls or jewels is a breeze.

First of all, thanks to Dawn Olchefske for the pattern.

• Start with a 5 1/2 x 8 1/2 sheet of cardstock, scored in half at 4 1/4.
• The next step is to make a score line at the corner.  Using your retired diagonal plate for your Simply Scored is the way to go, but I couldn't find mine anywhere, so here is the tip for scoring without it.  Lay the left corner of your c.s. piece at the 6" mark at the top of your Simply Scored and move your bottom right corner to the 8" line.  Then make your score line at the corner by coming down from the 10" mark at the top.
• Next you need to lay your c.s. into your Winter Wonder (snowflake) Embossing Folder (HC) by lining up your c.s. with the bottom and side edge of your folder on the side of the c.s. that is scored at the corner.
• Fold your scored corner to the INSIDE of the c.s so that your embossed snowflake is now on the front.

• Put a strip of Tear and Tape along the bottom edge of the inside of your holder and close your holder by creasing on your center score.  You now have a sealed bottom so your cocoa packet does not fall out.  
• I also added a snowflake from the Seasonal Layers thinlits as the center of the embossed snowflake.
• Punch two holes along the open edge so that you can thread your ribbon through in the next step. I used my Crop-o-dile.
• The final step is to place your packet in your holder and put your ribbon through the holes to add your candy cane.  I have also seen a treat tube placed in the ribbon filled with mini marshmallows instead of a candy cane.  Here is a picture of how to thread your ribbon through.  I used the ribbon from the MINI Tinsel Trim Pack (red and silver) for my tie.  It worked GREAT because it pulled tightly and held to the candy cane without making a double knot.  My piece was 9" long.

WEDNESDAY

Sorry I missed Monday.  I came home from the stamping retreat and continued to work on projects, forgetting to post.  Here is another project I worked on.  These will be for the other bell ringers (40+) in our Bell Fest concert on Dec 10.

This is always an easy treat holder to go to when you need a bunch.  It can be used for any occasion by changing the DSP and the embellishment or message.

If you have never made one, you start with a piece of DSP measured at 6 x 6, which means you can get 4 out of a sheet of DSP.

Next, fold your paper corner to corner to create a triangle shape.  

Then bring the left point across the triangle to the right side and crease.

Bring the right side of the triangle across to the left side and crease.

No need to use any adhesive when you crease well with your bone folder.

Pop open a little and put your treat inside.

SO EASY!

Supplies used: Merry Music Specialty DSP, Quilted Christmas 1/4" Ribbon (both in the Holiday Catalog), Gold Foil Paper, Bell Punch, Glue Dots.

Each treat holder will hold one peppermint, one chocolate bell and one gumdrop bell.  

I wish you all a wonderful Thanksgiving.  Hopefully you are able to spend some time with friends or loved ones.  Peace to those who may be suffering or remembering the loss of a loved one during this holiday.  Blessings to all, thanking God for all He has done.

FUN FOLD FRIDAY

Here is a cute little pencil holder that I will be making for the 20+ first graders who I help with kid writing one day a week.  It can hold 4 pencils and can be adapted for any holiday or occasion.

Here are the dimensions for making:

Thanks to Dannie Graves for the idea and the dimensions.  So cute and so easy!

After finishing this and taking a picture, I added one more thing.  I had a lot of little mini jingle bells left from last year's products and decided to hot glue one in the middle of the antlers of each of the Rudolphs.  Turned out cute.

WEDNESDAY

I am working on some samples of projects I can work on at our scrap and stamp weekend.  This is a treat box I will be making for the members of my bell choir.

Of course I used the Mini Pizza Boxes from the Holiday Catalog to hold the treats.  I LOVE these little boxes.  I hope they hold them over when the catalog ordering period ends.  I used some retired DSP so I could get rid of it, but there are lots of other current Christmas DSP papers you can choose from.  The message is from The Little Things Stamp Set also in the HC.  I colored the images with the new Stampin' Blends.  They work great.  I have to find some more things to color.  I used the Circle Framelits and the Stitched Framelits also.  The cutest little thing is the Mini Bow, found in the HC.  They come in red, white and green and you get 45 in a box.  I needed to use them for a project that would not have to go through the mail.

Inside the box will be some bell shaped chocolates and bell shaped gumdrops plus some mints.  I will hand them out at our combined Bell Fest on Dec 10th.  Everyone will need a little hit of sugar during our day long practice session.

On Friday I will share another project I will be working on.

MONDAY

Just a little late this morning.  I had a Bible Study and got up late.

I know it is a little early for Christmas, even though we see it everywhere in stores now, but I am working on getting my Christmas card ideas together.  I will be going to a scrap/stamp weekend beginning this Friday so I need to have my ideas ready to go so I know what supplies to take along with me.  I am trying desperately to use items I ordered earlier so that I don't have a lot of left-over Christmas items when the holidays are over.

Here is the first card.

For this card I used the Swirly Snowflakes Die for the top border. The embossed snowflakes on the left side are part of a retired embossing folder.  I put Wink of Stella on them (not sure if that shows up)

The "peace" is cut from Silver Foil paper, but is also a retired thinlit.  The ribbon across the top is the Silver Metallic Edge Ribbon in the AC (pg 199).  This ribbon is so pretty and comes with a gold edge also.

Jewells help to finish off this pretty easy card.  I get bored with making all of my Christmas cards the same so there will be more samples to come.

FRIDAY

First of all - DISCLAIMER!
I will explain the corners in a minute.
This was a 50th anniversary card I made to send to my college roommate.  It looked great until tragedy struck.

Here goes - I wanted to take a pic of the card for the blog, but I forgot and put it in the envelope.  In order to release the glue on the envelope flap I placed it in the microwave.  Right away it sparked and started to burn on the corners!  Lesson learned - never put anything in the micro that has metallic paper on it.  I am sending my roomie an explanation because I refuse to do this whole card over again.  It is now even more unique than ever.  I know their anniversary was great, despite the card!  What a great milestone, but it seems just like yesterday.

Supplies used:  Gold Foil Paper and Glimmer Paper, Vanilla c.s., Bloomin' Heart Thinlit, Number of Years Stamp Set and Large Numbers Thinlits, Gold Embossing Powder. 

WEDNESDAY

The second Christmas card we will be making at the retirement community is just a fun, general one with Christmas colors.

For this card I used Cherry Cobbler c.s. embossed with the Oh My Stars Embossing Folder.  The other side of the front is a piece of Be Merry DSP.  The ribbon is last year's silver Sale-a-bration ribbon. The message is from the Snowflake Sentiments (H.C. pg 35) and the Silver Foil snowflakes are from the Swirly Snowflakes Thinlit Dies (H.C. pg 35).  I also used the scalloped edge Layering Oval Framelits and the Stitched Shapes Framelits.

I hope the stampers will find these cards fun and easy to do.

MONDAY

At the end of the week I will be sharing some card making at a local retirement community.  They want to make a Christmas card so here is the first one we will be making. This is the religious one.

I tried to make it easy since I am not sure the people have stamped before.  The Foil Designer Acetate is adhered to a piece of Night of Navy c.s.  I did this so that when they stamp their Bethlehem city, they won't have to worry about where the left part of the stamp ends.  It will be covered with these pieces.  A piece of the Year of Cheer Washi Tape is added to the edge.  The city and the message are stamped with Sahara Sand and Mary and Joseph are stamped with Night of Navy.  I will cut this out for them using the Big Shot.  I will already have the star cut out of Gold Foil Paper.

Of course, the stamp set is Night of Bethlehem.  Love this stamp set and matching framelits!

On Wednesday I will show you the other card.  I'm off to jury duty today, so hope it goes well. 

FUN FOLD FRIDAY

Today's post will highlight a diorama card.  At our Proverbial Stamper's meeting last night, Cheryl George demonstrated how to make these cards.  Even though they look difficult, they are very simple and the basic design can be stepped up to be really cool.  Here are Cheryl's samples:

Here are the directions:

Fold the cardstock and the DSP in opposite directions and then glue together.  You can decorate an inside layer or stamp right on the inside layer, depending on the color of the card stock base and what you want your final result to be.

I am anxious to try some of these myself.  Let me know how you make out and "thanks to Cheryl"!

WEDNESDAY

On the road home from the beach and didn't get to a Monday post.  Here are some Halloween favors I made for my sorority sisters for our long weekend shopping beach trip.  I used the Mini Pizza boxes and lots of stamps and embellishments - some retired and some current.  I LOVE these little boxes.

Sorry, the second pic is a little blurry, but I already gave them away so I can't retake the pic.

Hope everyone had a good Halloween and you weren't  too scared!

FRIDAY

Here is card #3 from the stamp-a-stack:

This card was a little labor intensive, but I love it and I love this set!  Supplies used:

Archival Black Ink, Versa Mark Pad and Gold Embossing Powder, Night in Bethlehem stamp set and matching framelits (HC), Gold Foil Paper, Year of Cheer Specialty Washi Tape (HC) (this stuff is gorgeous!), Very Vanilla Cardstock.

There are so many wonderful cards you can make with this set.  Order one for yourself by going to the Shop Now button on the right and then see what beautiful cards you can make.

WEDNESDAY

First stamp-a-stack is done and it has been a long day!  Here is another card that the group made:

Supplies used:  Cookie Cutter Christmas stamp set and matching punch (AC), Starburst Punch (AC), Labels to Love stamp set and matching Everyday Label Punch (HC), Banner Triple Punch (AC), Be Merry DSP (AC), retired twine, inside messages, deer from DSP, Stamp and Write Markers, Real Red and Tranquil Tide Ink.

Christmas is just around the corner.  What Stampin' Up products do you want for Christmas?  Go to the Shop Now button and choose what you would like.

MONDAY

I have been working hard on the Christmas stamp-a-stack cards.  I switched up doing 5 of 4 different cards to 4 of 5 different cards because I had too many ideas.  Since the second stamp-a-stack will be the Watercolor Wishes Kit I don't have to come up with as many ideas this year.

This first card I ended up loving, although, originally, I wasn't sure I wanted to use lemon lime twist for Christmas.  Here is the card:

I used the Seasonal Bells stamp set, retired embossing folder and silver twine, silver glimmer paper, metallic edge ribbon (LOVE this stuff), and Merry Music Specialty DSP.  One down and 4 to go!

FRIDAY

Things have been busy this week and I haven't had a chance to post.  I have been working on a few things, but I will share next week.

Here are some treat boxes I made for my grandchildren for Halloween.  I used the boxes that were in the Oct Paper Pumpkin.  Then I used an old tree die, punched out a 1 3/8" moon, and punched out a cat using some retired orange glimmer paper. I also used the black jewels from the Holiday Catalog and put a dab of white in the center with the White Gel Pen.

Now I need to make a few more for several neighborhood kids.

Come back next week and I will share some Christmas stamp-a-stack cards.

FRIDAY

My last card for the week and another stamp camp choice is a Halloween card.  I love Halloween, but many do not.  So this card is simple, but not spooky.

Once again I used the Painted Autumn DSP, the Black Shimmer Ribbon, Oh My Stars Embossing Folder, Classic Label Punch, Teeny Tiny Wishes Stamp Set, Cat Punch, and Stitched Shaped Circle Framelit.  I used mini pearls for the cat's eyes and Rhinestone Jewels for the cat's collar.  There are also some Black Rhinestone Jewels at the top, which are in the Holiday Catalog.  Soft Sky and Tangerine Tango are the cardstock colors.

This card would even be nice for any cat lover - doesn't have to be used for Halloween.

WEDNESDAY

Another October stamp camp card:

This is a very simple card, but simple is often so pretty.  The pumpkins are cut out from the Painted Autumn DSP.  Cardstock colors are Tangerine Tango, Smokey Slate and Black.  I used the Layering Ovals Framelits, the Black Shimmer Ribbon, and the Layered Leaves Embossing Folder.  The message is from one of my favorite retired sets - Simple Salutations. 

MONDAY

I am at the beach again - this time on a golf trip.  Doesn't look like the weather is going to cooperate, but what can you do?  The cards this week are cards for October stamp camp -  Just quick posts while I'm away.

This card uses the Painted Harvest Stamp Set, Painted Autumn DSP, the Leaf Punch, and the Decorative Ribbon Border Punch.  Ink colors are Daffodil Delight,  Crushed Curry, Old Olive (stamped off to be a little lighter), and Chocolate Chip.  Cardstock is Crushed Curry.

This set is so great and can be stamped with so many different colors for the flower.

FUN FOLD FRIDAY

Well, I finally tried a double z fold card.  Easy and fun and I liked how it turned out.  I also will tell you about a fun technique that I used to make the leaves.

Now, to tell you about the leaves.  They are much prettier, brighter and shiny in person.  To start you need a piece of Glossy Cardstock, which Stampin' Up is carrying again.  I used a half sheet, but you can use whatever size you want for your project. 

• Drop a drop of re-inker on the glossy cardstock.  
• Immediately dab it with your sponge to spread it out a little.  I tried rubbing the re-inker with the sponge, but did not like the way that turned out.  You do need to dab right away or you may get a small dot where the re-inker was placed on the paper.
• Continue this with as many colors as you want.  I used Daffodil Delight, Old Olive, Tangerine Tango, Cherry Cobbler, Early Espresso, and Pumpkin Pie.  This is perfect for getting varied colors for leaves, but could be used for other objects also.  Here is what your cardstock will look like:

• It is best to let this dry before trying to use.  You can dab it with a tissue to help it dry more quickly, but you will lose some of the vibrant color if you do.  When it is completely dry, rub over it lightly to remove any residual ink.
• When it is dry, you can either stamp an image onto the paper using Black Archival Ink or you can just cut out your framelit images without stamping.  I actually think I liked the leaves better without the ink outline.  My second piece of Glossy Cardstock was also brighter than the first one I did.

• I went back and cut out the little leaf framelit in the spaces I had left.

This was so much fun.  This will be one of the stamp camp cards for October and the leaves are all ready to go.  Try this and see what you can come up with.