Blog Candy Winner!

We have a winner!  True Random Number Generator Result: 3 (Powered by RANDOM.ORG)

e_donaldson said...

Congrats on having a successful blog! I hope you enjoyed the game, we didn't get to watch it because we didn't have MSNBC :( so we tried to watch it online in Russian haha. My fiance is from Michigan too. He was quite please Rafalski (sp?) made 2 of the USA team's goals! Woot. I came across your blog just on a google blog search and love it! Love your ideas, keep up the good work :)

February 23, 2010 10:14 AM

Please contact me with your snail mail address and I'll get your goodies on their way to you!

USA ... USA ... USA!

Happy Together

We got another 4" of snow here last night.  Everything is so white and clean.  It's beautiful to see ... from inside, looking out the window, in my fuzzy robe, with a cup of hot chocolate in my hands - you get the picture.  But going out in it?  Ick!

I've been waiting to use this new set - Happy Together!  I got it FREE through Stampin' UP's Sale-A-Bration event.  This week's Stamping 411 sketch was the perfect solution.  Thanks ladies!

I just love these little quails.  To me it's retro and makes me recall an old favorite ... The Partridge Family!  I stamped momma and her chicks in Chocolate Chip ink on Whisper White and punched them out with Circle Punches (1" and 1 1/4").  Momma assumes her rightful place on top of a Sage Shadow circle (1 3/8") and a Chocolate Chip Scallop Circle where everyone can see.  The chicks are playing in the flowers created from our Pretties Kit and Felt Flower Fusion.  Of course a little gem in the middle adds a bit of sparkle.

 

The greeting looks like a pennant and is raised in the middle with glue dots on each end.  The Chocolate Chip Double Stitch ribbon helps me keep to the sketch!  This little guy is tucked inside.  I hope he finds his way home!  One more day for your chance to win my BLOG CANDY ... see post below!

Bling For You

Greetings friends!  While putting away my Stamp Camp supplies, I realized I have a lot of chipboard pieces.  I mean A LOT of chipboard pieces!  It's high time I use some, don't you think?  Here's my latest project.

The colors in the retired DSP dictated the theme of the card.  Barely Banana, Tempting Turquoise, and Very Vanilla stand out while Garden Green is used for the greeting.  How do you like the BLING?  I used Sticky Strip on a chipboard and dunked it in our turquoise Fine Cosmo Glitter.  It's super fine and has fantastic coverage.  This fine glitter comes in sets of 5 colors.  We have chunky glitter too.  You can see the collections in our catalog - just click the link on the left and search on "glitter".

The ribbon is retired.  The button is from our Playground collection and is adhered with a glue dot.  The string is our Linen Thread.  Half pearls in the lower right corner are from our Pretties Kit.  I think they make the card look a bit more elegant.  You'll recognize the die cut shape as our Top Note Bigz die.

I sewed Vellum Cardstock (which I had added a texture first) to the bottom half of the card.  Its sooo easy to add stitching to a project and it really makes the card have that chic "homemade" look.  You can see the For You greeting (part of Vintage Labels) and the Scallop Trim Border punch in our Sale-A-Bration catalog.  See how you can get these products FREE by clicking the SAB link on the left!

That's it for now.  Don't forget to post below for a chance to win the BLOG CANDY!

Blog Candy!!!

Wahoo!  I'm so excited!  Today is going to be a GREAT DAY!

First, we saw a ROBIN!  Yep, that's right .... I couldn't believe it either.  We have 8 inches of snow coming tomorrow and that little guy is going to regret coming north so early.  However, with the number of bird feeders in my backyard (Brendan's science experiment), that robin may be cold but he's going to be fat too!

Second, Olympic Men's Hockey is on tonight and it's USA vs Canada!  Anyone who knows me knows that I LOVE HOCKEY.  So if you're looking for me later I'll be happily stamping away in my craft room with my "Wing Nut" hat on watching the game.  Now there's a picture!

Third, I'm celebrating my blog reaching 1,000 HITS!  I was quite undecided about starting a blog.  I thought the work would be over whelming.  I thought that I couldn't come up with great projects like other blogs I've seen.  I thought that no one would visit!  And here I am with 1,000 HITS!  So it's time for some BLOG CANDY!  One week from today, on February 28th at 12 noon, I will gather up all comments linked to this posting and draw a random number.  That comment will win my BLOG CANDY!  I will then contact you for your address and send your goodies in the mail. 

Pictured here are a Baja Breeze Classic Stampin' Pad (still in the original wrapping), A Little Bit of Happiness - set of 4 stamps (unmounted), 2 yards of Baja Breeze striped ribbon, and 2 yards of Baja Breeze stitched ribbon. 

Your comments are priceless.  They are the words that keep me coming back with more projects!  I can't tell you how uplifting your words of encouragement are and I THANK YOU!

To make things a bit more fun ... how about leaving a comment naming your favorite Stampin' UP set  or accessory!?  I'll put together a project using your favorite and post it at a future date!  So, before you move on to another blog, put another load in the washer, or get back to your stamping ... leave me a comment for your chance to win!

Stampin' Campers Project!

I can't believe it has been nearly a week since my last post!  You probably thought I'd fallen off the edge of the earth.  Actually I was finishing a novel called "The Help" by Kathryn Stockett.  If you are looking for a new book ... this is a great read!

On to today's post ...

Pictured below is what I would have to say was a favorite at today's Stamp Camp.  It's a gift card jacket with adorable 4x4 gift cards and envelopes inside!  Isn't it wonderful?  I found the "card jacket" idea on Laurie Schmidlin's blog.  She has step-by-step instructions and photo's too!  Mine was made from Basic Black, Crushed Curry, and Whisper White.  Others that were made today substituted Bermuda Bay or Melon Mambo for Crushed Curry.  They were so rich and gorgeous!

I used the filigree heart from our Always stamp set. Embossed it with Black Detail powder on Whisper White cardstock and cut it out. The black heart was created with a retired punch and paired with a Summer Sun Corduroy button tied with black hemp.

The sentiment is from Vintage Labels - a beautiful set available through our Sale-A-Bration event. Place an order with me for $50 in merchandise and you can choose this set or another of our SAB rewards - FREE! Just click on that little link to the left and you'll be taken directly to my website where you can place an order.

The DSP paper came from our Nouveau Chic collection.  Tres' chic, don't you think?  We used it to line the envelopes too!  Color coordinated polka dot grosgrain ribbon was matched to the In Color cardstock selection which "tied"  it all together (teehee ... a little pun there).  And if course the inside couldn't be left naked!  

For the gift card I used our Fresh Cuts Notes coupled with our 5-Petal Flower Punch.  It's all explained on an earlier post which you can access here ... http://creativestampingideas.blogspot.com/2010/02/fresh-cut-notes.html.

I hope you enjoyed today's project.  Leave me a comment and let me know what you think!

Stop by tomorrow for a chance at some BLOG CANDY!  WAHOO!

Stamping 411 Sketch

I'd like to take this opportunity to tell you about Stamping 411!  The blog is full of fantastic ideas and there are LOTS of Stampin' UP! samples.  There just aren't enough hours in the day to do all that I want to do!  I need a week's vacation ... you can have my food delivered to my craft room!  Wouldn't that be heavenly?  Here's the sketch from last Friday.

I've wanted to try one of these flowers FOREVER and here is my chance!  I punched 8 layers of DSP with my Scallop Circle Punch.  They are all from the same DSP but since ours is double sided and color coordinated, I simply flipped over every other one.  Voila!  Stack them up and then take your Paper-Piercing Tool and punch a hole right thru the middle.  Be sure to put the rubber mat from our Mat Pack underneath!  A Silver Brad holds them together but I covered that up with a Glue Dot and one of our Fresh Favorites blue buttons.  More buttons from our Sherbet collection add to the whimsy.

The DSP paper, stamp set, and ribbon are retired.  The crazy stitching is easy to do on your sewing machine when you are trying to watch the Olympics at the same time you're paper crafting!  The greeting is from Whimsical Words in our Sale-A-Bration catalog as is the Scallop Trim Border punch.  See the link on the left?  The colors used here are soft ... Very Vanilla, Barely Banana, and Bliss Blue.  I guess I'm anxious for the pastel colors of spring!

Watch for a blog candy give away soon and thanks for stopping by!

It is Chocolate Chip ...

I couldn't stand it any more.  I just had to show the "real" colors used in my hot chocolate ( ok ... coffee) card below.  I downloaded  another copy of the original photo and this time I didn't use "auto adjust".  Thankfully my Chocolate Chip actually looks like Chocolate Chip.  WOOHOO!

I've decided my Valentines gift this year is a photo tent and lamp.  I'm sure my husband will be thrilled that he selected such a thoughtful gift!  Isn't it amazing how he always buys the perfect present?!?!

Marshmellows anyone?

I hope that this posting finds everyone happy and healthy!  Have you seen any of the winter Olympics yet?  My mother was 100% Dutch so I had to cheer for them during the men's speed skating event that took place this evening.  They won and set a new world's record too!  While the athletes were speeding around the track, I was happily paper crafting.  When I look back at all the different types of crafts I've done it's mind boggling.  What is really amazing is all the craft supplies I've accumulated over the years!  So, I thought to myself, why not put it all to use?

On today's project you will see that I have used floss stitched over top of the steam rising from my cup.  And to dress things up a little, I sewed on some seed beads along the front of the cup.  Call me crazy but it was really fun!  And I LOVE the results ... it add a "new" texture that I can see myself using again in the future.  I got LOTS of seed beads!  (I can see my Stamp Campers sweating bullets right now ... LOL!)  It's a perfect way to embellish my cards and use the supplies I have on hand!

Don't forget about the inside of your project!  You can see that my dreamy cup of hot chocolate is actually coffee.  (Since I despise coffee ... I'll continue to think chocolate.) 

Another new trick I tried today was "Auto Adjust" on my photo editor.  Looking at the results, I thought it improved the quality of my photo.  The white was definitely whiter and I liked that.  It wasn't until just prior to posting that I realized that my Chocolate Chip card looked like Basic Black!  But my Chocolate Chip cup looks fine!  ARGH!  Ah well, now I guess it is coffee and not hot chocolate! 

In addition to the floss and seed beads  I used ... Sweet Pea DSP; Chocolate Chip and Pumpkin Pie cardstock; Watercolor Paper and Crayons; Pun Fun stamp set; Stazon Jet Black ink; Aquapainter; Antique brads; Dimensionals; Designer Label, 1 1/4" Circle, Modern Label, and Word Window punches.  I hope this inspires you to try something new!  Thanks for visiting!

February's Stamp Camp has been rescheduled...check my website to the left for updates.

Fresh Cut Notes

In yesterday's post I told you that I have been playing with our delightful Fresh Cut Notes kit.  Here's what I've prepared for you!  TADA!

I used scraps of our retired Night and Day background paper.  Another black and white print paper we currently sell is in the kit Guest Book.  Not only do you get the papers but all those embellishments too!  First I attached a 4" x 4" square of the black/white pattern to the front of the card.  From the inside I used an exacto knife to cut out the petals.  Since the petals are already pre-cut from the card this was super easy ... a lot easier than it sounds.  I used our 5 Petal Flower punch to create a flower from our Melon Mambo cardstock.  That was attached on the inside of the card front.  A 4" x 4" piece of Basic Black cardstock was mounted to the inside also.  This step "sandwiched" the Melon Mambo flower.  The polka dot ribbon is also Melon Mambo.  Don't you just LOVE that Stampin' Up products coordinate?  You can get our colors in cardstock, ink, ribbon, buttons, Designer Series Papers, brads, etc.  What could be better than that!? 

The inside uses the "Happy Birthday" from Well Scripted  found in our Occasions Mini Catalog.  I'm kinda GAGA over that font!  You can see I even included the stamp and clear block in my picture! 

I hope you've enjoyed today's inspiration.  I'm sure you can come up with even more ideas on how to embellish our Fresh Cut Notes as well as our Elegant Notes and Pendant Notes too!

Details regarding February Stamp Camp are found on my website.  (There is a link to the left.)

For the birds ...

I fell in love with our Two Step Bird Punch the moment I saw it.  So you would think that I would have been playing with it ever since it arrived.  I guess I felt a little intimidated or it was more like I had so many ideas in my head I didn't know where to start.  So, here's my first project and I think I know why I loved it so much!  So what do you think?

This punch makes it soooo easy!  I used scraps from our new Sweet Pea Designer Series Papers.  Added a few buttons that are in the Pumpkin Pie family and a greeting which keeps the circle theme in mind.  The words are from Whimsical Words - a FREEBIE through our Sale-A-Bration event.  The circle punches are 1 1/4" and 1 3/8".  I also used our Modern Label punch with Pumpkin Pie cardstock.  The result was too long so I cut the middle out and taped the two ends to the back side of the circles before I mounted them to the front of the card.  That's the little scallops that stick out each side of the circle.  A Pumpkin Pie Grosgrain Ribbon ties it all together.

During our Sale-A-Bration event there are three easy ways to earn FREE product!

• Purchase $50 in merchandise and earn one FREE Sale-A-Bration product of your choice.
• Host a workshop of at least $300 and earn one FREE Sale-A-Bration product in addition to the generous hostess benefits.
• Join Stampin' UP! during Sale-A-Bration and choose a FREE stamp set (valued up to $47.95) from the Idea Book and Catalog.

Click on the Sale-A-Bration link to the left to learn more!

I hope you can visit again tomorrow when I'll have another new project to show you.  I've been playing with our Fresh Cut Notes!  Thanks for stopping by.

Pun Fun and a Birthday too!

Sometimes life gets too busy to do all the things you want to do.  I've been trying to get back to my paper crafting for days but other responsibilities have pulled me away.  Well, "No More!" I say!  Finally, tonight I got some "me" time away from the world and this is what I came up with.

Created with our Pun Fun stamp set, this card greets you with a cheerful Happy Birthday!  And everyone gets in the act, even your friendly neighborhood skunk.  Of course mine is a lovely shade of pink.  If you're going to stink it's best to look cute doing it!  Am I right?  The greeting (held on by a Library Clip) is from our Well Scripted set, which comes in both wood block mounted and clear mount.  I recommend a D sized block if you choose the clear mount set. 

Of course I had to use the Stamp-A-Ma-Jig to get everyone lined up.  (You didn't think I eye-balled this did you?)  I stamped Watercolor paper with Jet Black StazOn and used an Aquapainter with Watercolor Crayons to color it all in.  The background paper and matching striped ribbon are retired Baja Breeze.

Our corduroy buttons are fantastic!  They add dimension yet are soft to the touch.  The package comes with buttons and two sizes of brads.  The larger corduroy brads are used here.  Perfect for this card!

Pun Fun and accessories used on this project are available in our current Idea Book and Catalog (see the link on the left).  The Well Scripted stamp set and clear block are featured in our Occassions Mini Catalog (yep, that link on the left too).

I hope this post inspires you to make some "me" time for yourself too!