Unfrogettable Stamping!

Last hurrah for the Occasions Mini catalog

   I hope you have enjoyed the products offered in the Occasions Mini catalog as much as I have!  Isn't this Big Shot Elegant Bird die great?  If there is anything left on your wish list, please be sure and order it TODAY since the catalog will be ending at midnight.  Some of these products will appear in our new catalog that will be debuting on June 1^st, but we are not told which ones… why take a chance?  Get those items now while you still can!!  The best way to order is through my online store here.  While you are there, be sure and check out the retiring products and the Clearance Rack for even more savings!  Your combined order will ship directly to you and if you spend $50 or more you will earn a free single tutorial from me (choose one here) as a thank you.  If you reach $150 in product you will get to choose an additional $25 in Stampin’ Rewards merchandise for FREE from Stampin’ Up!

Here are some samples featuring Occasions Mini catalog items to inspire you…

Mixed Bunch stamp set and coordinating Blossom punch

 
Apothecary Art and Loving Thoughts stamp sets with Big Shot Labels Collection Framelits

 
Sweet Cake stamp set and Sweet Shop Specialty Designer paper

Paper Doily Die and Candy Conversations stamp set

Blossom Builders designer flower kit and blushing bride pleated satin ribbon (card by Jennifer Rawlings)

You're My Type stamp set (CASE of card by Rachel Yurkanin)

Don't delay... order these today!

In the spotlight: I {heart} Hearts

I wanted to share some of my favorite projects featuring the I {heart} Hearts stamp set that is retiring next month... even though this set features a bunch of hearts, it isn't just for Valentine's Day as you will see!  Enjoy! 

If you would like to purchase this set (available in both clear mount and woodmount), please contact me or place your online order here.

   

 

Happy Valentine's Day!!!

I hope you are having a wonderful Valentine's Day and that your sweetie gave you something nice.  My DH surprised me at midnight last night with a handmade card and gift certificate to my favorite coffee shop!!  I didn't get a chance to make Valentine's cards this year for Brandon's classmates (swim meet this weekend), but I did manage to create some candy bar holders for my kids' swim coaches... they love chocolate and it's always fun to present candy in a more jazzed up way using my Stampin' Up! products.

This project started with a piece of real red card stock cut to 8-1/2" x 8".  I stamped all over the card stock with 2 images from the I {heart} Hearts stamp set using real red and chocolate chip ink.

Next, I laid my candy bar (one of the extra large ones) inside and figured out where my sides would come around (the width is the 8-1/2" side) and put sticky strip along one side and in the center at the bottom.

I sealed up the sides and bottom and then ran the bottom part of the pouch through my crimper to add some texture and security to the base.

After crimping the bottom, I stuck my small oval punch inside the top part of the pouch and punched out a half-oval on one side in the center and then lined it up on the bottom to create a matching half-oval (this makes it easier to pull the candy bar out).  I turned the punch upside down but photographed the punch right-side up so you could see which one I used.

To embellish, I attached an 8" piece of chocolate chip scalloped dotted ribbon to the front of the pouch and then brought it around and taped it down to secure (this will be hidden by the owl).

To create the owl embellishment, use whisper white card stock and punch out with the 2-3/8" scallop circle punch and use the owl 2-step punch with chocolate chip and a scrap of real red patterns stack DSP. 

Glue everything down with Tombow multipurpose adhesive and add some googlie eyes.  Attach with stampin' dimensionals to the front of the pouch.

And you're done!

Robbin's Valentine's Day workshop projects

Robbin invited some of her friends and family over to my stamping studio earlier this week for a fun Valentine's Day workshop.  I demonstrated how to make the altered picture frame above and then gave it to her as part of her hostess gift for having the class.  The medallion was created using the new Designer Rosette Bigz XL die for the Big Shot currently featured in our Occasions Mini catalog.  I showed everyone how I created the embellishment as well as how the rest of the picture was put together.  Here are some close-ups below...

 

Another project that I demonstrated was this easy sour cream container which holds chocolates.  Do you remember seeing it in my post on Thursday when I shared Melody's party projects?  I love it when I can use a project for several stamping classes!!

The last thing I demonstrated was the emboss resist technique with this fun Valentine's Day card that I CASE'd from my good friend Karla Anders (it was her Fabulous Friday project for our Sisters in Stamping blog yesterday - she gave me a sneak peek earlier!!).  This was also the make-n-take for all the guests who attended.  The colors include cherry cobbler, pink pirouette and whisper white along with the Sprinkled Exressions Sale-a-Bration stamp set (FREE with a qualifying $50 order!).

If you are interested in hosting a private class and learning how to make fun projects like these, please contact me to schedule a date.  I have several class options available so please email me for more details!

Hearts galore!

Melody and her friend Mary hosted a Valentine's party for their friends yesterday and asked me to come up with some projects for the guests to make.  Melody had seen my post from Leadership and fell in love with one of the Sale-a-Bration display projects and also requested an easel card and sour cream container to hold some chocolates.  Above is the easel card - it features the red and silver glimmer paper, the Paper Doily sizzlit from the Occasions Mini and several punches.  The only stamping on this card is the sentiment from the Candy Conversations stamp - I cut the words apart from the hearts and double-mounted the set on the wood block to give it some greater versatility.  The cool thing about an easel card is that it closes flat to 4-12" x 4-1/4" for mailing in a regular medium envelope (see picture below)...

In addition to the card, everyone made this sour cream container which they filled with an assortment of Dove chocolates and Hershey Kisses (yum!).  It starts with a quarter sheet of crumb cake card stock that was stamped with the I {Heart} Hearts stamp set and textured with the Houndstooth impressions folder.  The "Be my Valentine" sentiment is from the Delightful Dozen stamp set and fit perfectly in the scallop oval punch (love it when that happens!).  I closed the container with poppy parade ribbon - makes it easier to get to the chocolates inside without having to destroy the pretty packaging.

The next project is a heart pocket made from the Petal Cone bigz die that I photographed from one of the Leadership displays.  Although it looks like DSP, the naturals ivory and calypso coral card stock were stamped with images from the Sale-a-Bration stamp set Fresh Vintage using poppy parade ink.  Pretty, right?!  The "love you" on the tag (also from the petal cone die) is from the Short & Sweet stamp set.  I taught everyone how to make a fork bow with the poppy parade ribbon and a giant fork... they loved it!  Melody had found some large antique keys at a store and we wrapped ribbon around each with a tag that said "Key to my Heart" (from a retired stamp set) and slipped them inside the hearts.  Add a note to your sweetie and this is a great Valentine's gift!!

We had such a good time - the food was wonderful, the ladies were all dressed in various shades of red and Melody had decorated the table with a great Valentine's theme.  There were even fun Valentine's goodies in a heart bucket at each seat.  I thoroughly enjoyed myself and feel like even those who had never stamped before had fun making these projects!!  Thanks for a great time, Melody and Mary!!

If you'd like to host a themed party like this one with several make-n-takes, please contact me to find out about pricing and availability.

Fabulous Friday Valentine's Day project

Can you believe it's Friday already?  I'm not sure what the weather is like where you are, but here in Central Virginia we have had temperatures in the upper 60's and low 70's all week with sunny blue skies and we are loving it! 

Our Fabulous Friday theme over on the Sisters in Stamping blog this week is Valentine's Day and I decided to try something new and come up with some punch art for my card.  This gnome card took a ton of punches to create - petite pennants builder; ornament; large, wide and small oval; full heart, modern label, word window, owl, decorative label and itty bitty punches.  I just sponged the background lightly with bashful blue and certainly celery ink to keep it simple and the sentiment is from the Delightful Dozen stamp set.

For more Valentine's Day card ideas please be sure and visit the Sisters in Stamping blog today after Noon EST.

Ghirardelli chocolates all wrapped up for Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day is coming up and it's always fun to take little chocolates and dress them up with my Stampin' Up! supplies.  That is the theme for Fabulous Friday over on the Sisters in Stamping blog this week.  My downline Wendy had shown me a picture of a wrapped up Ghirardelli chocolate and asked me to help her figure out how it was made (sorry, I didn't catch a name so can't give credit to the originator of the design).  Above is my version of it.  This one features baja breeze card stock along with riding hood red - both colors are featured in the strip of DSP from the Twitterpated package found in the Occasions Mini catalog.  The heart embosslit is a Big Shot item and so are the scallop envelope die and the finial press embossing folder.  If you would like to purchase any of these products, please click here.  Remember, every $50 you spend earns you a FREE exclusive Sale-a-Bration item now through March 31st!!

I have taken pictures of how to put it together below... I am working really hard to get ready for my Open House tonight so no time to write up instructions.  Hope you can follow along!!

card stock cut 6-1/2" x 4-1/4" scored at 3-1/4"

Don't forget to visit the Sisters in Stamping blog for even more inspiration!!

Rachel's private stamp-a-stack

I met with Rachel and her friends at their church last month for a private stamp-a-stack class and these are the cards that they made (2 of each).  Above is a card that I CASE'd from Jennifer Cotton - I received her swap at Leadership and thought it was beautiful.  It features the Bliss stamp set (SAB - earn it for FREE with a qualifying $50 order through March 31st) with not quite navy, early espresso and crumb cake.

This card is a CASE of one that my downline Jamaica Conner designed for our team shoe box swap meeting last summer.  I love the Always stamp set and it is so beautiful with the color combination of naturals ivory, baja breeze and soft suede.  The Framed Tulips impressions folder for the Big Shot is one that I can't live without now... get yours while it's still available in the Occasions mini catalog!

The final card was this Valentine's card that I CASE'd from my downline Sherri Gough.  It features the Valentine Defined stamp set from the Occasions mini catalog and the heart is punched out of red glimmer paper, also found in the mini!!

If you would like to host a private stamp-a-stack class for your and your friends give me a call! 

March 2011 Demonstrator of the Month, part 2

Today I'll be showing you some cards created by my downline and featured Demonstrator of the Month Sarah Eller - if you missed yesterday's post where I shared her bio and some great 3-d projects please be sure and check it out!

Here's what Sarah said about these super-cute cards:

These are pics of my Valentine cards, which I'm including just to show how fast and easy these are with DSP and our cute ribbons and stamps.  I love the Friends Furr-ever stamp set because of my Scottish Terrier, Sugar Rae.  I made Valentines for all "her" friends this year, like the little 2-year-old boy next door who loves her in spite of the fact she always barks at him!  I also took a picture to show how I run the envelopes through the tulip embossing folder as well as the cards.

Aren't they great?  And I never even thought to run my envelopes through the Big Shot but what a fantastic idea!

These are two cards that Sarah created for friends who both recently lost their beloved pet cats.  She used the Elegant Soiree DSP and the C is for Cat stamp set.  They are so beautiful and were greatly appreciated I am sure.  I wonder how she got her kitty to pose like the stamp image?!

Thank you to Sarah for her wonderful creations!  I'm thrilled she's a member of my team and look forward to being inspired by her future projects.

If you have enjoyed her projects, please leave her a comment here - Sarah doesn't have a blog of her own and I want her to feel the love!  Thank you!!

Happy Valentine's Day!!

Happy Valentine's Day to you!  I had the priviledge of presenting a Valentine's Day class with the lovely ladies of The Williams Home earlier this month.  Each participant made two cards plus a cute matchbox holder filled with Hershey's chocolate nuggets.  The card above is a CASE of one I received at Leadership from Susan Peters. Don't you love the real red striped grosgrain ribbon?  Everyone loved this card and it was so sweet watching the ladies decide on just who they wanted to send it to :-)

Here is card #2 - it is a CASE of one I received from my friend Max Conrad at Leadership.  Hers was a wedding card but I just changed the sentiment to make it a Valentine's Day card.  I really love the rich color combination of very vanilla and cherry cobbler and the elegant lines impressions folder adds wonderful texture.

This is a great way to package Hershey's nuggets - each matchbox holds four perfectly... it's as if Stampin' Up! used the dimensions of them when creating the Big Shot die!  I wrapped each nugget with a small strip of DSP just to dress it up a little.

I hope you have a love-filled day!

Products used with today's projects include: