Holiday Mini Blog Hop

Welcome to stop #6 on the Stampin' Addicts Holiday Mini Blog Hop! This Blog Hop features 22 Stampin' Addicts members who are sharing their creativity with us. Each stop will feature products from the Holiday Mini Catalog that goes live September 1st!

If you are following the hop in order, you just came from Krystal's blog Krystal's Cards and More where she showcased gorgeous projects using the set Paisley Prints. I love that set (one I got at convention for free!) and Krystal did an awesome job showcasing the set. 

Today I am showing some ideas using the wheel that coordinates with Paisley Prints--it is called Paisley Party.   

The first project I have to show are these simple tags. These tags use the masking technique and came together in a matter of minutes.  I see myself using these not only for tags on presents, but also to add to plates of goodies or small gifts for neighbors, teachers, etc. And they are simple enough that I could easily mass produce them--even during the busy holiday season.  

A couple of hints:  I used my Ornament Punch to punch the image from a post-it note.  The I stuck the ornament shape to a 2 1/2" by 2 1/2" square of Whisper White card stock.  (The sticky of the post-it note keeps it in place.)  I inked my wheel and rolled it over the card stock.  I kept wheeling until I covered the entire paper.  I spritzed with Vanilla Shimmer Smooch Spritz, and then took the coordinating marker and carefully traced around the ornament shaped sticky note.  Then, I peeled the stick note off.  

I layered the ornament/paisley layer onto a scallop square---which is actually another sneak peek from the Mini Catalog.  There is a new Scallop Square Duo Bigz Die that has two scallop squares on the same die (this is the larger of those two scallop squares).  

The next project I made was a card, and although it may be hard to see exactly how I used the wheel here, I promise I did.  :)  This card uses the faux shaving cream technique.  

I inked my solid heart stamp (from the set I {Heart} Hearts) with Blushing Bride ink and then I inked my wheel with Real Red.  I placed the wheel on the stamp and twisted.  I repeated several times.  This is one of those techniques that will produce unique results each time.  

The sentiment is from the set Fabulous Phrases, and the button is one of the Big Designer Buttons (Candy Cane collection)--also a new item from the Holiday Mini Catalog.   And how did I get those big gorgeous scallops?  From another new item--the Tasteful Trim Bigz XL Die.  :-) 

And last but not least, a 3-D project. This is a treat holder made using the Scallop Square Bigz Clear die.  I used the Paisley Party wheel around the edges of the Scallop Square and layered with a square of Cajun Craze.  The pumpkin is from the coordinating set Paisley Prints.  I decided to put cinnamon in this treat holder, but most of the time I would add some sort of candy or chocolate.  This is one of those perfect items when you need 'a little something'.  

Thanks so much for stopping by today! I hope you've been inspired by these projects.
 
Next on the Blog Hop is Sara over at Lily's Ink Pad. She will be showcasing the stamp set Day of Gratitude.  Go check out her gorgeous creations, and then continue on in the Hop to see more projects showcasing items sets from the Holiday Mini catalog.  

Next Stop on the Blog Hop ----->

Stampin' Celebration #17

What a fun birthday inspiration piece this week for the Stampin' Celebration Inspiration Challenge!  The cupcakes with the flowers caught my eye, so here's what I created:  

I chose the colors Perfect Plum, So Saffron, and Pretty in Pink.  I stamped the So Saffron layer with the Dot, Dot, Dot stamp, and spritzed all of the Pretty in Pink with Vanilla Shimmer Smooch Spritz.  The sentiment is from the new set Word Play.  I used my Illuminate Smooch Pearlized Accent Ink to add some sparkle to the star in "wish". 

For the base of the cupcake I hand cut the shape and then ran it through my crimper (now there's a tool I haven't used in awhile!).  The top of the cupcake is most of a 2 3/8" Scallop Circle Punch.  And last but not least the flower is from the Itty Bitty Shapes Punch Pack. 

I've already used this card for one birthday party, and I'm planning to make up a few more just to have on hand since I always seem to be short on birthday cards.  :-) 

Thanks so much for stopping by today.  Make sure to head over to Stampin' Celebration to see what the other Design Team members have created this week!

Stamps:  Word Play and Dot, Dot, Dot

Ink:  So Saffron and Pretty in Pink and Perfect Plum markers
Paper:  Perfect Plum, So Saffron, Pretty in Pink, Soft Suede, and Whisper White

Accessories:  2 3/8" Scallop Circle Punch, Corner Rounder Punch, Itty Bitty Shapes Punch Pack, crimper, Vanilla Shimmer Smooch Spritz, Illuminate Smooch Pearlized Accent Ink

Cajun Thanks

Another simple card using the single stamp So Many Thanks!  The color scheme for this card came directly from the Color Coach (the Pear Pizzazz page).  I used my Pear Pizzazz, Cajun Craze, and More Mustard markers to color directly on the stamp.  After stamping I punched out the image using my 1 3/4" Circle Punch. 

The 1" Pear Pizzazz circle was stamped with the Dot, Dot, Dot stamp.  Too add a little texture, I crumpled 1 3/4" the Cajun Craze circle and then smoothed it out again.  I used the Cutter Kit to distress the edges of the Whisper White and Pear Pizzazz layers.  To help keep the Mini Library Clip in place, I added a glue dot right behind it. 

Thanks for stopping by! 

Stamps:  So Many Thanks
Ink:  Pear Pizzazz, More Mustard and Cajun Craze markers
Paper:  Pear Pizzazz, More Mustard, Cajun Craze and Whisper White
Accessories:  1 3/4" Circle Punch, 1" Circle Punch, 1/2" Circle Punch, Mini Library Clip, Linen Thread, Cutter Kit, Dimensionals

Stampin' Celebration #16

This week over at Stampin' Celebration we are celebrating Anniversaries. How appropriate that my husband and I celebrated our 9th anniversary this week! In some ways it is hard to believe we've been married that long, and in other ways it seems like I've known my wonderful hubby forever. Either way time flies when you're having fun. :-)


So, here's the card I created for this week. It ended up being a little more simple than what I was planning, but everything I tried to add just didn't work. Anyway. . . . I've seen the idea to use the wing from the Two-Step Bird Punch to create a tulip, but until now I haven't actually tried it. The stem and leaves for my flower also come from that same punch.

The sentiment comes from one of my favorite word sets All Holidays. The colors I picked are Cherry Cobbler and Garden Green. For me Garden Green was kind of a pleasant surprise that came from the Color Renovation. I don't actually remember ever using Garden Green before, but I like the way that it coordinates with several of the new colors. So it's like another new color for me!

The card base is actually a thick Window Sheet. I ran the front of the card through the Big Shot with the Perfect Polka Dots Embossing Folder. I wanted to mimic the fun glasses from the inspiration piece. I adhered the Garden Green layer to the Widow Sheet with Sticky Strip, and then the White layers are all on the inside of the card (also adhered with Sticky Strip).

Now that you've seen my take on this week's challenge, take a peek at the Stampin' Celebration blog to see what the other members of the Design Team created this week. And then be inspired to create something yourself!

Stamps: All Holidays
Paper: Cherry Cobbler, Garden Green, Whisper White, thick Window Sheet
Ink: Cherry Cobbler
Accessories: Perfect Polka Dots EF, Big Shot, Two-Step Bird Punch, dimensionals, Sticky Strip

Fancy Box of Thanks

As I promised, here's another project using the single stamp set So Many Thanks! I started by creating the box using my Big Shot and the Fancy Favor Die. I did trim off the decorative edge of the die. Before I assembled the box, I used my stamp-a-ma-jig and Pretty in Pink marker to stamp the row of hearts along the bottom of the box. Yes, those little hearts are from the same stamp. :-)

After I assembled the box, I used my Crop-a-Dile (smallest hole punch) to punch the holes along the top. Then I threaded the 1/8" Early Espresso taffeta ribbon through the holes. With a different piece of ribbon and set of holes, I tied the bow so that it went through the front AND back layers of the box--holding it closed.

For the tag, I markered and stamped the image with Rich Razzleberry, Pretty in Pink, and Early Espresso. I did add some Crystal Effects and Dazzling Diamonds to the little hearts. I also spritzed the Rich Razzleberry Scallop Circle punch with Vanilla Shimmer Smooch Spritz.

Stamps: So Many Thanks
Ink: Rich Razzleberry, Pretty in Pink, Early Espresso
Paper: Rich Razzleberry, Pretty in Pink, Whisper White
Accessories: Big Shot, Fancy Favor Box Die, stamp-a-ma-jig, 1 3/4" Circle Punch, 2 3/8" Scallop Circle Punch, Crystal Effects, Dazzling Diamonds, Vanilla Shimmer Smooch Spritz, 1/8" Early Espresso taffeta ribbon, Linen Thread

Baja Thanks

I hope you aren't tired yet of seeing samples using the single stamp So Many Thanks--because I still have a few Display Samples left to show you! This card using the same color scheme (right from the Color Coach) that I used for the Birthday Milk Cartons I made last month. I love the way these colors go together, and it will definitely be one of my 'go-to' combinations.

This card is quite simple. I started by stamping the image with So Saffron, and then stamped it again on scrap card stock in both Poppy Parade and Baja Breeze. Then I just cut out select words from the Poppy Parade and Baja Breeze pieces so that I could layer them onto the So Saffron image. To add a little interest, I popped a few of the words up using dimensionals.

I used the Cutter Kit to distress the edges of the So Saffron layer, and added the ribbon. That's it!

Stamps: So Many Thanks
Ink: So Saffron, Poppy Parade, Baja Breeze
Paper: So Saffron, Poppy Parade, Baja Breeze, and Whisper White
Accessories: Whisper White Grosgrain Ribbon, Cutter Kit, dimensionals

Stampin' Celebration #15

Welcome to week #15 of the Stampin' Celebration Challenges! This week it's all about going back to school. This year 'going back to school' has a whole new meaning for our family as my oldest child is starting kindergarten! It's really hard to believe that Erik is old enough to go to school! I'm definitely going to miss him, but it'll be fun to spend some one on one time with my daughter too.

So, I love office supplies. There's just something so fun about them. So for the school week I knew I definitely had to incorporate a few of the office supply items that are hanging around my craft room just begging to be altered. ;-) The colors I picked for the ensemble are Tempting Turquoise, So Saffron, Chocolate Chip, and Real Red.

The first item I altered was the junior size legal pad. A simple thing to do, but makes a great gift idea. The flower was created using various punches and a Tempting Turquoise button from the Brights Collection Designer Buttons. After I used the Fancy Flower punch to punch the So Saffron flower, I stamped it with Versamark ink and the Solid Stripes stamp.

Here's a close up of the top of the legal pad. I used the new Dotted Scallop Ribbon Border punch to add the Chocolate Chip strip, and then I covered the bottom layer of scallops and dots with 1/8" Real Red taffeta ribbon.

I'm not sure if this is a useful picture or not, but I wanted to show how I assembled the giant paper clip. I actually used a little bit of Crystal Effects to adhere the front flower to the clip, and then I used 4 dimensionals (in stacks of 2) to adhere the back flower to the front one. You can't see the 2nd stack of dimensionals because they are hiding behind the clip.

And last but not least, here's the inside of the little post-it-note holder. The post-it-notes are 1 7/8" by 1 7/8", and I used a stack about 1/4" thick. I used my Crop-a-Dile to punch the hole through everything at once, and then added a binder ring and ribbon. I'm planning to put one of these in my purse for all those times I need a little piece of paper to jot down a phone number or other information.

I hope you've enjoyed these projects! Make sure to go check out the Stampin' Celebration blog to see what the other Design Team members have created this week. There are some great projects you won't want to miss!

Stamps: Solid Stripes, Razzle Dazzle (for the word 'dream' on the clip)
Ink: Versamark, Chocolate Chip
Paper: Play Date Designer Series Paper, Real Red, Tempting Turquoise, So Saffron, Chocolate Chip, Whisper White
Accessories: Dotted Scallop Ribbon Border Punch, Extra Large Fancy Flower Punch, 1 3/8" Circle Punch, 1 1/4" Circle Punch, 1" Circle Punch, Jewelry Tag Medium Punch, Cutter Kit, Bright Collection Designer Buttons, Real Red and Early Espresso 1/8" taffeta ribbon, 5/8" Early Espresso Grosgrain Ribbon, 1/4" Real Read Grosgrain Ribbon, Linen Thread, Junior Legal Pad, large paper clip, post-it-notes, binder ring

Ribbon Box

Today I have another item to share that I created for the Convention Display Boards. Many of you who have stamped with me know that I *love* making these little matchboxes. I think my Matchbox Die is the one I use most often with my Big Shot--although my Milk Carton die is giving it some competition. :-)

Anyway, I used the set Just Believe and Daffodil Delight, Old Olive and Night of Navy markers to color directly on the stamp. After stamping, I added in the sentiment with a Marina Mist marker. Then I reinked the frame part of the stamp (with Night of Navy) and stamped again. I carefully cut out the second frame, and used little side scraps of my dimensionals so that I could layer the frame and give a little dimension.


As I was trying to decide what to fill the matchbox with, I came upon the idea of filling it with samples of ribbon. I was pleasantly surprised to find that 3 ribbons (each 5/8" wide) fit very nicely side by side. As I was making this, I imagined it as being a nice hostess gift.

Thanks for stopping by! See you tomorrow for the next Stampin' Celebration challenge!

Stamps: Just Believe
Ink: Daffodil Delight, Marina Mist, Old Olive, and Night of Navy markers
Paper: Daffodil Delight, Whisper White, thick Window Sheet
Accessories: Old Olive and Whisper White satin ribbon, 1/8" Daffodil Delight taffeta ribbon, Marina Mist grosgrain ribbon, Big Shot, Matchbox Die, dimensionals

Better Late Than Never!

I finally made it home from all of our travels! We had a wonderful time visiting with family--both my children were sad to leave their grandparents and cousins behind! Of course one of the highlights of the trip was attending the Stampin Up Convention! It's been a few weeks now since I attended, but I thought it would be fun to post some pictures anyway. Believe it or not I took almost 800 pictures! So I of course won't be showing all of them, but a few. :-)


One of the first thing you do at convention is to pick up your new bag complete with free stamp sets. :-) Not everything in the picture was inside my bag when I picked it up, but I did get everything in the picture for free at some point during convention! Several of the items in this picture are actually sneek peak items from the upcoming Holiday Mini Catalog!

Another highlight of convention was the Display Boards! There are rows and rows of boards packed with ideas. This is where most of my picture taking occurs. :-) It was fun to see my name on the list as a demonstrator providing samples for the boards. There are many talented stampers on that list (including many current and previous Artisan Award winners) so it was an honor just to be including in the list with them!


Here's a close up of one of the boards that had a few of my projects on it. You can see a picture of my cute little girl in the top left scrapbook page. :-)

Other highlights of convention include Memento Mall (a store SU! sets up where we get to go shopping), Make & Takes (we have to stamp of course!), Flower Power Party, and several General Sessions and lots of classes. It's always fun to see the awesome ideas that everyone presents and hear stories from other demonstrators. I always leave convention with SO many ideas.


Another fun treat was the Color Confections Candy Product Showcase. Part of convention is being able to see the new products in person, and this year SU! really out did themselves. They don't just throw the products up on a shelf, but rather they created an absolutely adorable candy shoppe! So fun!


And last I just have to show this picture--there are lots of people at convention! Before I signed up to be a demonstrator, I don't think I even knew that having the opportunity to attend events was a perk. But, it is now one of my favorite parts of being a demonstrator! I always leave every event with more friends than before I went. And as much as I love stamping, I cherish the friendships I have created through stamping even more.

Would you be interested in attending an event like this? Ask me how. :-) I hope you enjoyed seeing a little 'snap shot' of convention!

Stampin' Celebration #14

Look at this yummy challenge over at Stampin' Celebration this week! This week is all about male birthdays. Once again I don't have anything to share with you, but the good news is I'll be back and ready to go next week! I'm heading home today--wish me luck as I fly from Salt Lake City to Houston with two little ones in tow. :-)

Make sure to take a minute and go check out what the other members of the Design Team created with this inspiration piece. And then it's your turn! Create something inspired by these pictures and upload it to the Stampin' Celebration website.

Flowers Awashed

Today I have a card to show that uses the set Awash with Flowers. I started by stamping the line art flower with Early Espresso on Naturals White card stock. To 'color' the flowers I inked the coordinating bold stamp with Early Espresso and then stamped off 1 or 2 times on scratch paper. Before I stamped the image, I used a sponge dauber to add some Champagne Mist Shimmer Paint directly to the stamp. So then when I stamp, the image has a nice shimmer. It's always hard to capture shimmer in photographs, but I tried to capture some of it.



Around the edges of the Naturals White card stock, I used my Cutter Kit to distress, a sponge to add ink, and my sponge dauber to add a bit of Champagne Mist shimmer paint. I layered that onto Crumb Cake, added the 1/8" Early Espresso taffeta ribbon, and then used dimensionals to adhere to the Early Espresso card base.

Finished card size is 3" by 6", and it fits into one of the small open-ended envelopes (page 171).

Thanks for stopping by!

Stamps: Awash with Flowers, All Holidays
Ink: Early Espresso
Paper: Naturals White, Crumb Cake, Early Espresso
Accessories: 1/8" Early Espresso taffeta ribbon, Champagne Mist Shimmer Paint, sponge dauber, sponge, Cutter Kit, dimensionals