Tote Full of Blooms - Stampin' Up!® Impressions Abloom

  I was just playing around with some supplies the other day and came up with this tote with flowers popping out.  The Notes & Totes bundle is so cute and I think it's really fun paired up with non-beachy type things like flowers.  You could really put whatever you want inside for a really personalized card.  The flowers from Impressions Abloom are so pretty in Petunia Pop and give a really cheerful look to this design.

  This color combo of Pool Party, Petunia Pop and Shy Shamrock just seems so summery to me!  I used Shy Shamrock for the card base, then stamped my flowers, stems, and leaves onto a piece of Basic White and added the texture details with the coordinating dies.  I lightly blended the edges of the Basic White with Pool Party ink to soften them just a bit.

 I used a piece of Floral Impressions DSP and Pool Party cardstock for the tote bag.  A Petunia Pop bag scarf is added to help tie in the flower color.  The sentiment is part of a larger one and I just trimmed off the bit I wanted and added it with dimensionals to the edge of the bag.

  If my kids were still of the age where I was sending in end of the year teacher gifts this would have been a perfect card I think.

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

All of the supplies used to make this card can be purchased in my ONLINE STORE.

Stamps: Impressions Abloom (Online Exclusive), Notes & Totes

Ink: Petunia Pop, Shy Shamrock, Pool Party, Daffodil Delight

Paper: Shy Shamrock, Basic White, Pool Party, Floral Impressions DSP (Online Exclusive)

Accessories: Impressions Abloom dies (Online Exclusive), Notes & Totes dies, dimensionals

Sweet Strawberry Birthday - Stampin' Up! Sweet Strawberry

   After what seems like a morning of one 'business-y' thing after another and each seems like it takes longer than the last I'm finally to the 'more fun' part of my day with sharing a card.  I was inspired by the layout at Freshly Made Sketches and will get this one shared over there just under the wire.

  This one looks better in person as my poor photography skills plus a cloudy day did nothing to help the colors come through but I hope you get the idea!

  This is a CAS design starting with a Whisper White thick base.  I cut a circle to use as a mask then used one of the new blending brushes and some Balmy Blue ink to blend some ink softly around the mask leaving a nice open circle in the center.

  I stamped the big sentiment from Pretty Perennials in black right across the circle and then embossed the little one in white onto Basic Black cardstock and popped it with mini dimensionals.

  The strawberries, stems and flower are all stamped and punched out and layered to the side of the circle to follow the sketch.

  The flower has some glitter in the center by way of Dazzling Details and is popped on a dimensional.  A baker's twine bow highlights the side of the birthday.

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Sweet Strawberry, Pretty Perennials

Ink: Memento Black, Versamark, Real Red, Garden Green, Granny Apple Green, Daffodil Delight, Balmy Blue

Paper: Whisper White thick, Whisper White, Basic Black

Accessories: Circle die, blending brushes, Strawberry Builder punch, Small Bloom punch, dimensionals, Dazzling details

Happy Hello - Stampin' Up! Happy Tails

 I'm running out of things to start my blog off with since I haven't done anything different in 2 weeks!  We're starting off week 3 at home and I can say we are definitely in a routine.  I did attempt to make bread of the weekend so I guess that's different!  Yeast and I don't tend to get along but we needed some rolls to go along with our sausage, peppers and onions.  It was an easy recipe and the rolls tasted good but they didn't end up like sub rolls, more like small hot dog buns!  Oh well.  I will try again another day and see what happens!

  On Saturday I worked on finishing up a set of cards to send out to my bible study group so I didn't stamp anything new.  You can see the design here.  Yesterday I had a bit of time (haha) so I worked on a design for the Freshly Made Sketches challenge which closes this afternoon.

  I was looking through my DSP for something to use on this sketch and so much of what I have is floral or nature-y and I wanted something a bit more graphic.  I came across a bag of scraps of a Sale-a-Bration DSP from several years ago; Bubbles & Fizz DSP.  Yes, I had to google it to figure out the name!

  I paired up the DSP with the sweet pup from Happy Tails and kept my layers minimal and used some stitched dies for some interest.  On the inside I stamped some more hearts and the sentiment "keep calm and wag on".  I think that will come in handy in the coming weeks!

 Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Happy Tails, Itty Bitty Greetings

Ink: Basic Gray, Versamark, Bermuda Bay, Calypso Coral

Paper: Whisper White thick, Bermuda Bay, Whisper White, Smoky Slate, Calypso Coral, Bubbles & Fizz DSP (retired)

Accessories: Stitched Rectangles dies, Stitched Shapes dies, Dog builder punch, black embossing powder, dimensionals, Pineapple Punch 1/8" grosgrain ribbon

Check Out This Book Tutorial - Stampin' Up! Check You Out

When planning for my classes I like to do a mix of techniques, fancy folds and basic cards as I have all levels of stampers attend.  Some of my stampers have been stamping way longer than me and I don't want them to get bored with the same old things.  So enter the fancy fold book pop up card!

 

  I love the Check You Out set and thought it was the perfect pairing for the fancy fold pop up book card.  I kept the front very basic since there is a lot going on inside the card!  It may look very familiar as I really just re-did this card in new colors.

  

  The Woven Threads DSP is perfect for this themed card as I think the designs lend themselves to old book endpapers.  And a little sponging with Sahara Sand ink helps too!

  How cool is that?? The inside opens up and there is a little book!  To see a video tutorial check out this video by Frenchie Stamps.  She does her cutting and scoring a little different than I did so see below for step by step pics using the Simply Scored instead of just a paper trimmer/scorer.  I switched this part from the video because I was doing it in a class setting and wanted it to be as straight-forward as possible without so much moving and lining up on the same tool.

  First things first are the measurements of the papers.  Using one sheet of 12 x12 DSP you can get 2 of these cards made including the DSP panel on the cardfront.

Card base - 8 1/2 x 5 1/2

DSP Inside - 8 1/2 x 5 3/8

Book Pages - 3 1/4 x 2 (2)

                      3 1/4 x 7/8 (2)
DSP Layer Front - 3 1/2 x4 3/4

  Ready to see how 2 cuts and a few scores makes this fun card?

1)  fold your large piece of DSP in half like a card base and open back up so you have a fold down the center (I forgot that part on my sample in the pics until halfway through the photo shoot!)

You want to find the one inch mark at the top of the cutter as well as along the blade guard.  Find the 7.5 inch mark as well.  You can see them marked with the pink flags in my pictures.

2) Line up DSP on the paper cutter (with cutting blade in place) with short side along the top of the cutter at the 1 inch mark

3) Find the one inch mark on the clear cutting guard and line up the cutting blade at that point without pressing down to the paper.

4) Press the cutting blade down and cut just down to the 7 1/2 inch mark

 I highlighted with a marker where the cut was made.  You should have a strip cut but still attached at the ends.

5) Turn the DSP and do steps 2-4 along the other long side of the paper

  This is what your DSP should look like after the second cut.

Move on to your Simply Scored.  There are 2 sets of scores.  One set inside the cut lines shown with the pink flags (1, 2, 6 1/2, 7 1/2 inch marks) and on the outside of the cut lines shown with the green flags (2 1/2 and 6 inch marks)

 1) Line up your DSP with the long side at the top of the Simply Scored

2) Score INSIDE the cut lines at 1, 2, 6 1/2, 7 1/2 inches (shown with the pink lines/flags below)

3) Leave DSP in place and score OUTSIDE the cut lines at 2 1/2 and 6 inches at the top of the DSP (shown with the green lines/flags below)

4) Turn DSP so the opposite long side is at the top of the Simply Scored and repeat step 3 OUTSIDE the cut lines

 

  That's it!  Once you see where the different cuts/scores are it's a pretty simple design.

I suggest using some scrap copy paper for a practice once or twice before committing to DSP but it really isn't as hard as it looks as long as you take your time to line up at the proper places.

  See the above picture of the inside of the card to see where the folds go up or down.  Use glue and not SNAIL adhesive so you can get the edges lined up and have a little wiggle room to reposition if you have to.  You just need the glue on each short end just until the first score mark. You should have a little edge of the card base showing all around the edge of the DSP on the inside.

  Decorate the inside and outside however you'd like.  This is a great fold for book lovers birthdays, book club events, Teacher Appreciation, Library/Librarian appreciation or just a cute "checking on you" card.

  I hope these photos are helpful to see how things get lined up for this fold.  Please let me know if you have any questions. 

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Check You Out

Ink: Pretty Peacock, Soft Suede, Rococo Rose, Terracotta Tile, Sahara Sand

Paper: Terracotta Tile, Whisper White, Woven Threads DSP

Accessories: Stitched Shapes dies, dimensionals, paper trimmer, Simply Scored

What a Cute Dino - Stampin' Up! Dino Days

  Sometimes when I set out to design a card for class I have no plan other than to make an "easy" card.  While I think my classes are doable for all levels of stampers sometimes I can have projects that require a bit more time or are technique heavy so to balance those projects sometimes a card is just simply... simple.

  Which brings us to today's card that we made at my July stamp club.  It's just basic stamping, basic die cutting and a basic layout.  I think the Dino Days stamp set is super cute and I just wanted to make a cute card that would balance out the other 2 class projects that were a bit more involved.

 See.  Simple. Basic. Cute.  At least I think so!  Nothing fancy or over the top here just a nice balanced card with some fun colors taken right from the Dinoroar DSP.  The only things to note for this card is when die cutting the back spikes for the T Rex there is a wider than usual "extra" band to the side of the spikes, this extra is so that you can have room to adhere it to the backside of the dino image.  If it cut right along the stamping it would be too narrow for adhesive.

  I gave my stampers a choice of a few of the sentiments that come in the set or to use the Itty Bitty Birthdays stamp set.  A few of those sentiments reference "old" and "age" so for the right person you could tease a bit that they are as old as a dinosaur!

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Dino Days

Ink: Pool Party, Old Olive, Mango Melody

Paper: Pool Party, Old Olive, Whisper White, Dinoroar DSP

Accessories: Stitched Shapes dies, Dino dies, white baker's twine, dimensionals

 

21 Balloon Group Thank You - Stampin' Up! Balloon Celebration

  So I don't know how it happened but I now have a rising 6th grader!  Holy cow middle school in the fall!?!  We celebrated the end of the elementary school years last week with a bunch of fun activities and a "moving up" ceremony for the 5th grade class.  It was really cute seeing the kids dressed up and being celebrated as well as receiving lots of wells wishes for moving on to middle school.  How did 6 years go so fast?

  Along with all of the fun last week of school stuff we had to celebrate the teachers one more time and give them a good send off into their well deserved summer vacation.  The room mom for Ryan's class was putting together a gift for the teacher and she asked if I could make a card that all the kids could sign.  Of course I can make a card....but one large enough for 21 kids to sign?  Well I'm always up for a challenge!

  99.99% of my cards are the regular A2 size and that is certainly not big enough for 21 kids to sign.  I ended up using a full sheet of Fresh Fig cardstock folded in half for the card base.  The next issue was what to put on that big, wide open, blank cardfront!  It was quite inimidating having so much space to fill.  I think that's why I don't do any scrapbooking...it's just too much area to work with!  So I browsed my stamp sets and thought balloons would be cute and would work with several colors.  And I could easily fit 21 balloons; one for each kid!

  I used a Whisper White panel for the background for the ballons.  I used the Simply Scored to score a line all around the edge for some extra detail that didn't take away from the clean look.  The balloon strings were stamped at the bottom in black.

  The balloons are outlined in black and filled in with stamped off Tempting Turquoise, Fresh Fig and Lemon Lime Twist.  After punching out all the balloons I played around with the layout and layering trying to get a balance of colors and dimension.  Some of the balloons are popped with dimensionals to help keep this large card from looking too flat.

  The balloon strings are tied off with a Fresh Fig 1/2" Finely Woven ribbon knot adhered with a glue dot.

  It was reported to me that the kids thought the card was cool and filled in every square inch on the inside with their messages to their teacher.  I call that a successful project! Challenge complete!

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Balloon Celebration

Ink: black, Tempting Turquoise, Fresh Fig, Lemon Lime Twist

Paper: Fresh Fig, Whisper White

Accessories: Balloon Bouquet punch, dimensionals, Fresh Fig Finely Woven ribbon
  

Teacher Appreciation Pocket Card - Stampin' Up! Cool Treats

 This week we are celebrating all the fabulous teachers my boys lucky enough to have at their school.  I can't let the week go by without making some cards to say thank you.  The Cool Treats stamp set is perfect to go along with a gift card to Brusters Ice Cream for all those great educators.

  I designed a quick and easy pocket card and made 9 of these in no time.

  I pulled my colors right from the coordinating Tasty Treats DSP.  And as of this blog post, the paper is still available.  The stamp set and framelits are carrying over to the annual catalog but not at the bundle price which saves you 10% so if you're digging these ice cream and popsicle cards don't wait to order the bundle.

  I used my envelope punch board to create the pocket out of Crumb Cake cardstock.  I just folded in and adhered one of the small flaps to leave the top open.  So easy!  I used Tear Tape to adhere the flaps.

  The belly band is a strip of the Tasty Treats DSP with a Peekaboo Peach scalloped circle.  On top of the scalloped circle is a Whisper White circle which I layered my triple scoop ice cream cone.

  The cone is stamped in Crumb Cake with the crosshatch pattern added in Soft Suede and then cut out with the Frozen Treats framelits.  The scoops use (from the bottom up) Peekaboo Peach, Watermelon Wonder and Pool Party ink.  The scoops are cut out and the Pool Party scoop is popped on a dimensional.  

  The strawberry is stamped off in Real Red with the accents stamped in full strength Real Red.  The stem is Pear Pizzazz.  I hand cut the strawberry and adhered it with a dot of 2 way glue.

  The pull out is Watermelon Wonder with a layer of Whisper White for the stamping.  Pool Party is used for the greeting from One Big Meaning.  Another cone is stamped like the one on the pocket and I did some masking for the scoop.

  I punched a hole in the top for the pull and added some retired cotton Pool Party ribbon tied with a retired Calypso Coral baker's twine bow.

  Now I just need to have the boys write out a little note to the teachers and add the gift card.

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Cool Treats, One Big Meaning

Ink: Pool Party, Peekaboo Peach, Watermelon Wonder (retiring), Crumb Cake, Soft Suede, Real Red, Pear Pizzazz

Paper: Crumb Cake, Whisper White, Peekaboo Peach, Watermelon Wonder, Tasty Treats DSP (retiring)

Accessories: Frozen Treats framelits, Layering Circles framelits, corner rounder, envelope punch board, dimensionals, Pool Party cotton ribbon (retired), Calypso Coral baker's twine (retired)

Garden in Bloom Birthday - Stampin' Up Garden in Bloom

  It was Ryan's teachers birthday last week and of course I can't let an occasion go by with out making a card to celebrate!  She loves the color purple and working in her garden so I went with that theme for the card.  It went well with the garden center gift certificate and purple gardening gloves that we got her.

  I have a horrible tendency to forget about stamp sets once the new has worn off and the next catalog has come out or the next major holiday is looming on the calendar.  I don't love them any less but they just end up on the bottom of the stack and I don't reach for them as often.  Garden in Bloom was sadly one of these sets until I decided to use it for this birthday card.  And I'm reminded why I love it again!

  The base is Whisper White and then a slightly smaller layer of Basic Gray.  I embossed the flower and leaves in white for the background.

  The top layer of Whisper White is embossed with the Elegant Dots embossing folder and layered over Rich Razzleberry cardstock.

  The sentiment is stamped in Basic Gray onto Delightful Dijon cardstock and then flagged. The flower and leaves are stamped in Basic Gray onto Whisper White.  The flower was filled in with Rich Razzleberry and the center with Delightful Dijon and the leaves with Old Olive.  I hand cut them and layered them over the edge of the sentiment.

  Then I used my Wink of Stella pen and colored in the flower petals.

  Definitely take a look at your stamp sets and pull out an old favorite and give it some love!

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Garden in Bloom

Ink: Basic Gray, Rich Razzleberry, Old Olive, Delightful Dijon, Versamark

Paper: Whisper White, Basic Gray, Rich Razzleberry, Delightful Dijon

Accessories: white embossing powder, Wink of Stella, dimensionals, Elegant Dots embossing folder

All Occasion Jar of Flowers - Stampin' Up! Jar of Love

One of the reasons why I think the Jar of Love stamp set has been so popular is that you can make so many different kinds of cards with it.  The different sizes of jars as well as the variety of flowers and all the accents makes it easy to make a card for any occasion.

  I needed to have a few blank cards on hand to be able to pop in the mail quickly so I grabbed the Jar of Love set and started stamping.

  The card base is Soft Sky and then a narrow strip of A Little Foxy DSP in nice soft Smoky Slate.

  I stamped the water stamp in Soft Sky on Whisper White and then added the greenery stems in Pear Pizzazz.  The jar is stamped in Basic Gray onto vellum for that transparent glass jar look.  The lid was also stamped in Basic Gray.  The flowers are Flirty Flamingo with Watermelon Wonder centers.  I cut all the shapes  with the coordinating Everyday Jars framelits.

  The jar is adhered over the water and stems by just a small bit of adhesive where the flowers and lid overlap it so you can't see it through the vellum.  The flower are popped up on dimensionals.

  I'll add a sentiment when I need to mail the card so I can use it for anything!

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Jar of Love

Ink: Soft Sky, Pear Pizzazz, Basic Gray, Flirty Flamingo, Watermelon Wonder

Paper: Soft Sky, Whisper White, A Little Foxy DSP, vellum

Accessories: Everyday Jars framelits, dimensionals

Teacher Flower Tag - Stampin' Up! Festive Flower Builder Punch

  Last week was Teacher Appreciation week so I made a few personalized tags for the boys teachers.  I tied the tags around vases of flowers which I didn't get a picture of because as usual we were rushing to get out the door.

  But here are the tags on their own.

  The tags and flowers were a good size and super easy to make. 

  The base is Kraft cardstock, the names were cut with the Little Letters thinlets (soon to be retired - Boo!) out of Mossy Meadow cardstock.  I used candy dots for the period.

  One teacher loves sunflowers so I made a sunflower for her tag.  The Festive Flower punch made really quick work to make 2 layers for each flower.  The sunflower is Hello Honey and the pink is Rose Red.  Once I had 8 petals for each layer I used the Simply Scored to score a line on each petal and then folded them for dimension.  The edges are also sponged lightly with the respective ink colors. 

  The centers of the flowers are punched circles and embossed with the Decorative Dots embossing flower (also soon to be retired!).  The raised dots are colored with gold Wink of Stella for a little sparkle.

  I used Very Vanilla striped ribbon from the Holiday catalog to tie the tags around the vases.

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: none

Ink: Hello Honey, Rose Red

Paper: Hello Honey, Rose Red, Mossy Meadow, Early Espresso, Kraft

Accessories: Festive Flower builder punch, circle punch, Decorative Dots e.f., Gold Wink of Stella, Little Letters thinlets, dimensionals, candy dots, striped ribbon

Libraries are Awesome! - Stampin' Up! Botanical Builder Framelits

  This week is National Library Week so I wanted to make sure that our school librarian and library assistant felt appreciated.  I put together a few little items in a cute bin to let them know we love the library and all that they do to encourage our school community to read and love books.

  I took my colors from a picture I saw on Pinterest and made a card and a matching covered notepad for each of them.  My photos are not the best since I snapped the finished items early this morning before school but you can still get the idea.

  The card uses the Sale-a-Bration set Botanicals for You and the Botanical Builder framelits.  The colors: Melon Mambo, Old Olive, Soft Sky.

  

I used the same colors to cover the notepad and used the largest flower and leaf framelit along with the Little Letters Thinlets.  This is a quick and easy project but looks so great.

  

In the basket I had a small candle, some chocolates, a flowering plant and the covered notebook.

 

  Not the best picture but it was 6:30 in the morning! 

  Don't forget to say thanks to your librarian and library workers this week.  Many libraries are holding special events and activities to celebrate so definitely check them out!

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Botanicals for You

Ink: Melon Mambo, Old Olive, Soft Sky, Basic Black

Paper: Melon Mambo, Old Olive, Soft Sky, Basic Black, Whisper White

Accessories: Botanical Builder framelits, Little Letters thinlets, oval framelits, ribbon & twine, rhinestones, dimensionals

Basket of Apples Thank You - Stampin' Up! Sprinkles of Life

  Well we are deep into the first week back at school!  It's taking a bit of adjusting getting used to having to be up and out the door earlier and having homework to do in the afternoon but the boys seem to be doing ok.  I think by Friday night we will all be pooped and ready to relax!

  I saw the Stampin' Royalty challenge which is to make a back to school themed card so I went with it.  I like to show my appreciation to the boys teachers, past and present by giving them all a card at the start of every school year.  I hope to convey all my appreciation for taking such great care with the boys over the years and how they've created such a great foundation for learning.  I think you can never say thank you enough and that goes double for our teachers.

  I used the Sprinkles of Life stamp set and coordination Tree builder punch to make this card.  It's not a new idea but it's so cute and really shows the versatility of this set that I couldn't resist making my own apple card.  I'm sure teachers are over the whole apple/teacher thing but it's still a cute card right?

 The base is Garden Green and then a piece of the Schoolhouse DSP.  I created the basket using the bottom of the cupcake stamp and stamped it onto Crumb Cake cardstock in Soft Suede ink.  The basket handles are made with the candle stamp with the flame cut off.  I attached them to the basket with a mini silver brad.

  The apples are stamped in Real Red ink onto Real Red cardstock and punched out.  I used the chalk marker to give a little bit of highlighting to the sides.  The apples and basket are mounted onto a tag cut with the Tags & Labels framelits.  I used the heavy weight Whisper White for the tag to make it more substantial.  

  I used a bit of linen thread and some NEW (!) Striped Ribbon from the Holiday catalog to finish off this tag.

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Sprinkles of Life

Ink: Soft Suede, Real Red

Paper: Garden Green, Schoolhouse DSP, Heavy Whisper White, Crumb Cake, Real Red

Accessories: mini silver brad, Tags & Labels framelits, linen thread, Striped ribbon (Holiday catalog)

Built for Free Using: My Stampin Blog

Stampin' Up! Sneak Peek! - You've Got This

Well my preorder and catalog finally arrived yesterday....right when I needed to start cooking dinner! Of course right?  While last night was busy for our family I was able to make a quick project with one of my new stamp sets and a few of the new In Colors.

  It was late when I finished it so the lighting stinks and I was taking the photos with my phone but I think you'll get the idea!

  I made this tag using the new set You've Got This.  What a great set!  I nice large flower and a fun crosshatch/sanded kind of background stamp, along with a few sentiments.  I just used the flower on this project.  The tag is one that opens (just cut your cardstock to 4 inches across then fold in half and then punch like usual with the scalloped tag topper punch).  This is nice to be able to write a longer message inside.

 The flower is stamped with Stazon then colored with Blender pens and the new Watermelon Wonder, Delightful Dijon and Cucumber Crush In Colors.

  The scalloped oval is punched out of Cucumber Crush and the thank you is layered on top.

 I tied the tag with the new 1" Dotted Lace Trim in Watermelon Wonder.  The box is one of the wood mount clear cases that you can buy in packs.  I filled it with 13 assorted cards for a Teacher Appreciation gift.  I made 2 of these for the boys teachers.

  It was fun working with these new products and I can't wait to have more time today to play!

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: You've Got This (new 2015-2016 catalog!!), Many Thanks (retiring)

Ink: Stazon, Watermelon Wonder, Delightful Dijon, Cucumber Crush (New 2015-2017 In Colors!!)

Paper: Very Vanilla, Cucumber Crush, DSP (retired)

Accessories: 1" Dotted Lace Trim, oval punch, scallop oval punch, Scallop Tag Topper punch, blender pen, clear wood case

Monkey Trouble Thank You

  I am a firm believer in thank you notes so I think that's probably the kind of card that I make most often.  I wanted to make a card for Alex's teacher just to let her know that we appreciate all that she does for the students.  She has her room decorated in a monkey theme because really, what is more appropriate for a room full of 21 first graders right?  So I went with some cute little monkeys for her card.

  The sketch is from CAS(e) this Sketch which gives very cool simple layouts to design with.  Sometimes it's hard to keep it clean and simple but I did it this time!

  Nothing complicated in this card, just some fussy cutting for the monkeys and then the paper pierced banner which is hard to see in the photo.  The monkeys and banners are popped up with dimensionals.

  Here's a better view of the monkeys and paper piercing;

  Have a great Monday!

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Zoo Babies,  Lots of Thanks

Ink: Baked Brown Sugar

Paper: Tangerine Tango, Baked Brown Sugar, Very Vanilla, Retro Fresh DSP (retired)

Accessories: banner punch, Coastal Cabana twine, paper piercer, dimensionals

Super Hero Teacher Treat

  It's the first day of school here in our neck of the woods so of course there was some celebrating with stamping!  The school is using a super hero theme for the year so when I heard that I was thrilled that I had bought the Calling All Heroes photopolymer set a few months ago.  I made some sweet treats for teachers and staff.

  The scallop tag topper punch made quick work of the folder which holds a Ghirardelli chocolate square because I'm sure the teachers will need a sweet treat at the end of the day!

  The Calling All Heroes set is awesome because it has all the stamps to make different super hero faces, a city scene, "ka-pow" word bubbles (or whatever you would call them!) and an awesome alphabet.

  I hand cut the mask and the banner and popped up the hero with dimensionals.  This was a super fun project to make.

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Calling All Heroes

Ink: Pacific Point, Black, Real Red

Paper: Pacific Point, Whisper White, Hello Honey, Silver Glimmer (retired style)

Accessories: scallop tag topper punch, circle punch, Star framelits, Real Red cotton ribbon, dimensionals

Chalkboard Teacher Thanks

  Here is a little thank you that I made for the teachers at the boys' school for Teacher Apprecation week.  I know teachers can always use some magnetic clips so I wanted to incorporate a little gift to go with the thank you.  The washi tape covered clothespins with a strong magnet attached to the back seemed like a good idea!

  I made about 14 of these to give to the regular classroom teachers as well as all the other teachers and staff my kids have regular contact with.

  The chalkboard technique was the perfect thing to go with for this project.  First, I cut out black cardstock and thin cardboard (from the DSP packs) with the Top Note die.  Then I used the awesome "thank you" from the Dude, You're Welcome kit and embossed it on black cardstock with white embossing powder.  I smudged some white craft ink across the black cardstock to mimic chalk dust.  Next,  I punched a hole in one end for the ribbon and tied it off with some Sale-a-Bration thick baker's twine.

  I used a white gel pen to write a message to each teacher and then finished it off with 2 washi covered clothespins.  I glued on tiny but super strong magnets to the back.  Functional but cute!

  We made a similar project at my What to Washi class a few weeks ago.  We used DSP instead of the chalkboard technique but the clips were the same.  It's a great little thank you gift for anyone special you'd like to recognize.

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Dude, You're Welcome

Ink: Versamark, white craft ink

Paper: Basic Black, thin cardboard, Watercolor Wonder DSP (bottom project)

Accessories: Top Note die, Retro Fresh washi tape, Epic Day washi tape, clothespins (non-SU), magnets (non-SU), assorted ribbon
 

Washi Tape Tealights & Candle Holder - Sunday School Teacher Gifts

  A few weeks ago I did a "What to Washi" class with my customers.  We had a good time creating some cards and gift items using washi tape.  One of the projects was tea light candles with a matching glass candle holder.  This is such a quick project that you can keep the supplies on hand and make one up when you need a little something for a hostess gift, thank you or birthday present.

  I decided to make up a batch of these to give to the boys' Sunday School teachers to say thank you for "Shining Their Light" all year long.  The Gold Watercolor Wonder washi tape from the Occasion catalog was the perfect look for these.  And I'm happy to let you know that this item is carrying over into the new 2014-2015 catalog which is coming soon!

 The most narrow roll of washi tape fits perfectly around the base of these dollar store tea lights.  Just wrap it around the metal cup and snip for a clean finish.

  We packaged the lights in one of the 4"x6" cello bags with a piece of Brushed Gold cardstock.  I didn't take a picture of it but the underside of the cardstock is decorated with the washi tape as well.  To finish off the little package just roll the edge and tape it down with another piece of washi tape.

  For the glass candle holder I just alternated the 3 different tapes all the way around the 4 sides.  I used the paper snips to get clean cuts.  You could use all the same design or just 2....whatever you want...it's that simple!

  I couldn't get a good photo but when the tea light is lit the pattern of the washi tape stripes looks really cool.  These candle holders would be perfect to make if you had to host a dinner or wanted to change up your look for different seasons and holidays with investing in a ton of new items.

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: none

Ink: none

Paper: Brushed Gold cardstock

Accessories: Watercolor Wonder Designer Washi Tape, 4x6 cello bags, Tea light candles (non-SU), glass candle holder (non-SU)

Happy Back to School!

After a whirlwind of a summer the boys started back to school yesterday.  I am the proud mother of a kindergartener and second grader!  They were super cute and seemed to have a good day at school except for being super tired and one misplaced lunchbox!

  Love those reflective strips on the back packs don't you?

  I always try to make a quick little gift for the boys teachers for the first day of school to wish them luck (I think maybe I should have made 2 for Alex's teacher!!).  This year I made some covered mini legal pads with a matching pen.  Easy peasy!  I had a stack of these mini notepads leftover from this project and and this class.

 

 
 I used up some old textured Chocolate Chip 12x12 cardstock that I had been hoarding  saving for the perfect project.  The new color collection packs of Core'dinations cardstock is a great substitute if you need cardstock with a subtle texture.  I also used up some of the retired metallic brads that seem to breed in my accessories drawer!

  The old supplies were paired up with some new.  I love the new Sweater Weather DSP (in the Holiday Catalog).  There are great patterns in this pack and I think many of them are perfect for guy cards as well as autumn.  Nice rich, fall colors that will translate to many different projects.

I was thankful that the Wonderfall stamp set and coordinating Autumn Accents Bigz die carried over to the new catalog.  I didn't play with them nearly enough last fall so I'm glad I get a second chance with them.

Here are the cutting and scoring instructions to cover a mini notepad that measures 5 x 7.  I got mine at Office Max but I'm sure you can find something similar at other office supply stores.  Just measure the notepad before cutting your cardstock!  Here's what I did for mine:

  -Cut cardstock 5" x 8"
  -Score cardstock at 3/4" and 1" across the short side.  This makes a little flap to wrap over the binding and adhere to the back of the notepad.  I used some sticky strip and it holds great!

  Told you it was easy!  Now decorate the front any way you'd like.  For reference my strip of Sweater Weather DSP on the cover is 2 1/4" wide and 5" across.  And the DSP strip on the inside to cover up the "Office Max" on the binding of the notepad is about 1 1/4" x 5".

  I made matching RSVP pens by slipping a small tube of matching DSP into the barrel and then wrapping a length of hemp twine around the cap (to coordinate with the hemp twine in the buttons).

  Now that we are back to a routine I hope to blog much more regularly!  I have some summer class projects to share and of course we're coming up on the next Fab Friday challenge.  I've missed sharing with you all this summer!  Thanks for sticking around and checking out what I have shared even though it's been few and far between!

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Wonderfall, So Happy For You (retired Sale-a-Bration)

Ink: Tangerine Tango, Crushed Curry, Chocolate Chip, Sahara Sand

Paper: Textured Chocolate Chip (retired), Very Vanilla, Sweater Weather DSP

Accessories: metallic brads, buttons, hemp twine, Autumn Accents die, mini notepads (non-SU), Pentel RSVP pens (non-SU)

Sunday School Teacher Gifts

  Our church's Sunday School program ended for the summer a few weeks ago.  As with any church so many of the positions are volunteers using their time and talents for God's work.  Our Sunday school teachers are no different.  They are there every Sunday for most of the year teaching our children and we, of course, wanted to thank them for their time and dedication to this important church ministry.  The boys each had 3 teachers this year and several of them were guys so I needed to come up with something that wan't too gender specific.

  Matt and Ryan had gone out one Saturday to do some errands so I asked that they stop at a local greenhouse and pick up some potted gerbera daisy for the gifts.  Once they got there Matt texted to say that the daisies were really big and that they found these other house plants called prayer plants.  How much more perfect can you get and they were even more gender neutral then the daisies!  Sold!

  I made very simple plant stakes to stick right into the pots.  A few bright, cheerful colors and some wooden skewers and we were in business!

    In the interest of time (and space!) I wrote out the sentiment and had the boys sign their names.

  So easy and I love that these sweet little plants are called prayer plants!

  Guess what Mr. Brown delivered to my house this morning??  Yup, you guessed it….My first order from the new 2013-2014 Stampin' Up! catalog!  Woo Hoo!  If you're local to me and need a copy of the catalog just give a shout!  If you're an online friend you can check out the catalog through my website.  See the side bar there --------> for the link!

  I can't wait to play and show some of the fun new products that Stampin' Up! has for us this year!

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Bright Blossoms

Ink: Pacific Point, Pumpkin Pie, Melon Mambo, Daffodil Delight, Gumball Green

Paper: Whisper White, Pacific Point

Accessories: wooden skewer, sticky strip

 

Week of Goodbyes

  Last week was a whirlwind of the final days of preschool for Alex and all the activities that go along with it, some illness, last stamp club of the 2012/2013 catalog and all the other every day stuff.  So blogging definitely fell by the wayside while I was holding everything else together!

  Not only did Alex finish preschool but we also had to say good bye to a very dear teacher of his that is moving away over the summer.  She was Ryan's very first preschool teacher and both boys benefitted from her kindness and enthusiasm when she became the full time music teacher.  We will certainly miss  her and all that she brought to the preschool.

  Of course I had to make her a little goodbye and good luck gift to let her know how much we will miss her.   There are several large patches of clover on the grounds of the church and school and over the years we've found several four leaf clovers.  Alex and I were lucky enough to find a few good ones that we dried and pressed.

  I used some retired textured cardstock and mounted the best looking of the four leaf clovers in a shadow box frame.  I used just a really light coating of spray adhesive on the back of the clover and just pressed it to the cardstock.

  Not the best photos but I forgot to take any until right when I had to get it in the gift bag and head to school!

 I used just a small layer of Gumball Green cardstock in the matting and then a small Gumball Green ribbon knot to highlight the four leaf clover.  It was the perfect color to go with the clover.

  So we said good by to a favorite teacher and to preschool…..what do you think, is this kid ready for kindergarten in the fall??

First Day of School - September 2012

Last Day of School - May 2013

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?