Stampin' Celebration #65

 
Hi all!  Happy Spring and Happy April 1st.  :-)  It's time for another Stampin' Celebration challenge!  This month  I had fun creating a 3D project.  I starting by using the picnic basket as my inspiration and then incorporated the flowers/basket as I went along. 

This basket started as just a plain white one that was meant to be embellished--it had been sitting on the desk in my craft room for quite a while and was just begging to be used.  I used some typing paper to trace one side of the basket and then used that as a guide to cut out pieces from Gumball Green card stock.  I did each side separately, so I cut out 4 pieces. 

Before I adhered the green pieces to the basket, I created the Early Espresso lattice-looking lines.  I created the lattice by first scoring (at 3/4" increments) in both directions, then folding along each score line.  While one line was folded, I ran the line through a Versamark ink pad. After unfolding, I heat embossed with Early Espresso Stampin' Emboss Powder.

The flowers were created using the Floral Frames framelits and Boho Blossom punch.  I wrapped the plastic handle with Daffodil Delight Seam Binding ribbon and then added the Early Espresso Taffeta ribbon over the top. 
 

To get the grass and flowers to 'stand up' instead of just flopping around, I cut a piece of card stock and then took an exacto knife and cut little, random slits.  Then I just poked the grass through the slits.  The 'platform' that is holding the grass is just set into the basket--it isn't actually attached to anything. 

Anyway, hope you enjoyed this project!  And, I hope you'll be inspired to play along with us at Stampin' Celebration.  And also remember to take a look at what the other design team members created!

 

To follow along on this month's Blog Hop, simply click the links below:

Allison Ohran -Sweet Impressions (you are here)

Cori Kozak - Creative Chat

Erica Cerwin - Pink Buckaroo Designs

Erin Gonzales -Hand Stamped Style

Rochelle Gould - I stamp, I create, I have fun!

Jenny Peterson - Lakeshore Stamping (taking a break in Grand Cayman this week!)

Stampin' Celebration Inspiration Challenge

You have until April 25th to play along. And don't forget to check back on the 15th for some more inspiration.  :-) 

Ink:  Versamark
Paper:  Gumball Green, Daffodil Delight
Accessories:  Score Tool, Early Espresso Stampin' Emboss Powder, Embossing Buddy, Heat Tool, Daffodil Delight Seam Binding ribbon, Early Espresso Taffeta ribbon, Pearl Jewels, Neutral Designer Buttons, Boho Blossom punch, Floral Frames framelits, Big Shot

12 Days of Christmas--Day 1--Tree Frame

Well it's been fun but crazy past couple weeks!  I've had Stamp-A-Stack classes, a class at my church, a craft bazaar at my daughter's preschool, and my regular Stamper's Club--a whirlwind of stamping.  :-)  So that means I have been stamping a lot and have lots of projects to share with you!  Most of what I've been doing is Christmas-related, so I thought it would be fun to do a '12 Days of Christmas' series on my blog.  So for the next 12 days I'm going to schedule a post with a Christmas project.  Just in case any of you are last minute crafters and need ideas--or for those who like to plan ahead for next year! 

 
The idea for this tree frame actually came from the Holiday Catalog--the gift bag on page 7.  I thought that was such a cute idea, although I figured if I went to that much work I wanted it to be framed, instead of on a bag that would probably be tossed.  :-)   I simplified a little and changed things up just a bit. 

These frames actually ended up being quite simple to make, and I made them with a group of ladies who have never stamped before--they were pleasantly surprised at how easy these were to put together. 

A couple notes of notes. . . When punching the 'wreath' and the star out of the middle of the scallop circle, start with the inside (smallest punch) first and then punch the outside (largest) second.  It is much easier to line up that way!  And, all of the Cherry Cobbler was sprayed with a mix of Frost White Shimmer Paint and rubbing alcohol. 

See you tomorrow for the 2nd Day of Christmas! 

Stamps:  More Merry Messages
Ink:  Early Espresso
Paper:  Crumb Cake, Cherry Cobbler, Gumball Green, Early Espresso, Very Vanilla, Be of Good Cheer DSP
Accessories:  1 1/4" Scallop Circle Punch and Merry Minis Punch Pack (both new in the Holiday Mini Catalog), 3/4" Circle punch, Circles #2 Origionals die (for the larger Early Espresso Circle), Big Shot, Naturals Designer Buttons, Hemp Twine, Certainly Celery button (discontinued), Cherry Cobbler ribbon (discontinued), glue dots, dimensionals, 8X10 frame

Owl Magnets

 
There's still time to play along with the Stampin' Celebration challenge this month!  My mid-monthspiration for you this time around are these adorable little owl clothespin magnets. 

I've been making these little clips and packaging them to sell at a craft bazaar/fundraiser for my daughter's preschool.  I have a variety of different colors, themes, etc but these little owls are one of my favorites. 

I used Mod Podge to adhere the Designer Series Paper to the clothespin, and dimensionals to adhere the owl on top. 

 
To add the magnet (it's a rare earth magnet, so it's stronger than it looks given its size!) I used Crystal Effects.  Simple and sweet--a great stocking stuffer gift idea. 

You have a few more days to be inspired to create a project!  Link your creation to the Stampin' Celebration so we can see your project. We will choose the "Pick of the Party" at the end of the month. We can't wait to see what Stampin' Celebration inspires you to create!

 

 

Paper:  Spice Cake DSP, Early Espresso, More Mustard, Pool Parry, Very Vanilla

Accessories:  Owl Punch, Clear Envelope, Clothes Pins, Mod Podge, dimensionals

Nautical Expedition Tins

Today I'm back with some more photos and details for the second project that I posted during the Stampin' Addicts Summer Mini Blog Hop.  You can see my original post HERE.  Today I'll show some close ups of the Mini Scrapbook Tin that I made showcasing the Nautical Expedition Designer Series Paper that is found in the new Summer Mini Catalog.  

Above you see the outside of the tin. These tins can still be purchased from Stampin Up--but only on the Clearance Rack in the online store--meaning only while supplies last.  I added a belly band to the tin with a 2" strip of Basic Gray card stock, a 1" strip of Nautical Expedition DSP, and some White Baker's Twine.  The center globe image is from the stamp set The Open Sea--a coordinating set.   I hand cut around the globe image and then layered it onto a Cherry Cobbler circle I punched out with the 2  1/2" Circle Punch.  

When you slide off the belly band and open the tin, this is what you see:  

I think that ship image--again from the set The Open Sea--is one of my favorite.  I love how much detail is has, and yet how crisp it is.  Notice the little Tab Pull in the top right that is a small piece of Twill Tape looped.  When you pull on that you see:  

And a closer look at the pages of this mini scrapbook: 

The pages are 4 3/4" tall and 4" wide.  I started with two pieces of Whisper White card stock that were 4 3/4" by 12" and then scored at 4" and 8".  I accordion folded them and adhered the last section of one to the first section of the next to make a continuous accordion fold.  I used Sticky Strip to adhere the card stock to the tin.  

Thanks for coming by!  These little Mini Scrapbook Tins are easy to make and make great gifts.  I hope this gave a better look at this project.  You should be able to click on any of the pictures for a closer (enlarged) look at the projects. 

Stamps:  The Open Sea

Ink:  Early Espresso, Basic Gray

Paper:  Early Espresso, Cherry Cobbler, Basic Gray, Whisper White, Nautical Expedition DSP

Accessories:  Tin, White Baker's Twine, Early Espresso/White Baker's Twine, Cutter Kit, 1 3/4" x 7/8" Oval Punch, Round Tab Punch, 2 1/2" Circle Punch

 

Stampin' Addicts Blog Hop: Nautical Expedition DSP

 Welcome to stop #3 on the Stampin' Addicts Summer 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 Summer Mini Catalog that goes live May 1, 2011!

If you are following the hop in order, you just came from Holly's blog Rubber Redneck where she showcased gorgeous projects using the stamp Hello Blossoms. I just loved Holly's adorable projects! 

Today I am showing some ideas using the Nautical Expedition Designer Series Paper.  I love working with Stampin' Up's DSP, and I was especially drawn to this pack of paper since it lends itself easily to both masculine and travel projects.  

My first projects is a set of cards.  I thought this could make a fun gift for a guy in your life or someone who is leaving for a vacation or moving. I kept the cards pretty simple and let the Designer Series Paper be the star of the show.  I also used the new Postage Stamp Punch that is found in the Summer Mini Catalog.  I almost didn't pre-order the punch, but now of course I'm so happy I did.  :-)  Another new product I used is the Baker's Twine.  If you follow my blog regularly, you know I use a lot of Linen Thread and Hemp Twine--so of course I knew I would love the Baker's Twine! 

The very top right of the above photo shows the folder that holds all of these cards.  When the cards are all tucked away inside this is what it looks like:  

My next project is a scrapbook in a tin.  These tins can be found on the Clearance Rack in the online Stampin' Up Store.  For the outside of the tin, I created a belly band with Not Quite Navy card stock, a strip of Designer Series Paper, some Baker's Twine, and an image from the stamp set The Open Sea (also new in the Summer Mini Catalog). 

When you open the tin, you pull out a little 'paper accordion' with plenty of room to add pictures and journaling.  

I think this would be a fun mini scrapbook for a special vacation or even to give as a Father's Day gift with pictures, love notes, etc. Using the DSP and the coordinating card stock colors made this an easy project that came together quickly.  I also added a few more images from The Open Sea stamp set and some more of the Baker's Twine.  

Thanks so much for stopping by today! I hope you've been inspired by these projects.  I will be back later with more info on these projects and well as a closer look at some of the details.  Note:  you should be able to click on any of the pictures to see an enlarged image.  

Next on the Blog Hop is Carmen over at  Stamping Addiction.  She will be showcasing the stamp set The Open Sea.  Go check out her awesome projects, and then continue on in the Hop to see more projects showcasing products from the Summer Mini catalog.  

       <----Previous Blog                    Next Blog---->

More Fabric--Towels

As promised I'm back with another project featuring some of the Stampin' Up fabric.   A few months back one of my club hostesses requested a fabric project.  I didn't necessarily want to make a project that involved sewing, (not my area of expertise!) so I decided to have everyone make a towel.  It was fun because each person got to choose their own fabric and Big Shot die that they used to make a customized towel.  Some of the dies that are fun for this project are flowers, circles, or alphabets (for monograms). 

For this towel I used the Sweet Stitches Designer Fabric and the Tasteful Trim Big Shot Die.  I cut a strip of fabric as long as the towel and then ironed on some of the Fabric Adhesive (found in the Occasions Mini Catalog on page 39).  At that point I put the fabric on the die folding it a couple times so that it would come out as a continuous piece of fabric.  After running it through the Big Shot, I ironed the fabric onto the towel.  Very easy!  Of course you can also add some machine stitching or use some of the coordinating Big Designer Buttons to further embellishment if desired.  A fun gift idea! 

Accessories:  Sweet Stitches Designer Fabric, Towel, Fabric Adhesive Roll, Tasteful Trim Die, Big Shot

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

Lots of Baby

Yes, it really is me again! Thanks for sticking with me even though it's been awhile. It's been a very crazy few months here at our house. The 'highlights' include computer problems, H1N1 for the whole family, 2 rooms in our house flooding, and two visits to the ER--one for my husband's ankle and most recently for me. . . . My visit came after I was mopping my kitchen floor and woke up to find myself flat on my back with my almost 2 year old daughter running over to try to put my glasses on. After a scan it was confirmed that I 'only' had a concussion. So if you've ever wondered if housework is dangerous. . . . Now you know! ;-) Despite everything that has happened, I am happy to say that everyone (and our house) is now feeling much better!

On to the crafting. . . . Last week I was able to fill a special order for a lady who wanted to make a baby shower she was throwing for her friend really special. Here are pictures of most of the items that I made for her. You can see the master list below of all the supplies I used.

My inspiration came from the Delicate Dots Designer Series Paper (now discontinued). The gender of the baby is unknown, and I like this paper because I thought it was gender-neutral and had a delicate feel that was perfect for a baby.

This project series is also a good example of why I love Stampin Up. . . It is so easy to make coordinated projects! I started by choosing the Designer Series paper, which gave me my color pallet. Next I added the matching inks and accessories. Then it was easy to create coordinated projects that give a cohesive feeling to the party decorations.

The picture at the very top shows the nugget boxes that were the favors for each guest to take home. I used the Stampin' Up! Matchbox Big Shot die and the stamp set Matchbox Messages to make these.

This is a tin that I decorated to be part of the main table. The star is a piece of chipboard covered with Certainly Celery card stock. You can purchase these TINS from the Clearance Rack over at Stampin Up for only 99 cents each!

Inside the tin, there is an accordion 'book' that has different pockets. The accordion sits on the main table with the tags. Each of the guests can write some baby advice, a note to the mom, or anything they like. They put the tag in one of the pockets, and then after the party the accordion book with all the personalized tags goes back into the tin and makes a nice gift for the mother.

This Top Note die box was a gift for the grandmother. How thoughtful of the hostess to include a gift for her! The box holds 8 Hershey Nuggets individually wrapped with coordinating papers. The 'charm' is just two stars punched from Brushed Silver card stock and then embossed with Silver Stampin' Emboss powder three times. After embossing, I glued the stars back to back and used my paper piercing tool to poke a hole and thread the linen thread through.

Here is the frame that was also part of the main table. I left the right and left sides open for the mother to fill. She could include the shower invitation, a baby announcement, and/or baby pictures. The words are actually custom Decor Elements that are on top of the glass. I used part of a Decor Elements Sheet, spray painted it shiny silver (despite what it looks like in the picture!), and then ran it through the Big Shot using the Billboard decorative strip.

And here is a close-up. The white star is a rub-on. This could also be adapted to make a cute card layout too!

And last, here are the Food Name Cards. The flowers were made using the Trio Flower punch.

Since the length of this post is already so long, I didn't include all the creative details. If you do have questions about any of these projects, please contact me.

Stamps: Matchbox Messages

Ink: Certainly Celery and Pretty in Pink markers

Paper: Delicate Dots DSP, So Saffron Patterns DSP, Brushed Silver, Window Sheets Medium, So Saffron, Certainly Celery, Whisper White

Accessories: Whisper White 5/8" satin ribbon, linen thread, Bashful Blue 1/4" grosgrain ribbon, Certainly Celery 1/4" grosgrain ribbon, Very Vanilla 1/4" grosgrain ribbon, Certainly Celery twill ribbon, So Saffron grosgrain ribbon, 1/4" Circle punch, 1" circle punch, Trio Flower punch, Star punch, Tag Corner punch, Corner Rounder punch, Sizzix Big Shot, Matchbox die, Top Note die, Billboard die, Decor Elements Sheets, paper piercing tool, dimensionals

Today I have a very quick project to show you. I love this type of project--it gives you a nice handmade gift for someone in literally minutes! This was one of the projects we made at my Valentine's bundle class.

I wrapped the Riding Hood Red card stock around the candle and used Sticky Strip to adhere the paper to itself. (Although you can, I didn't actually adhere the paper TO the candle, just around.) Next I wrapped and adhered the Candy Land Designer Paper.

For the tag, I stamped with Riding Hood Red ink on Very Vanilla card stock. I used a blender pen to color the heart Pink Pirouette, and then a 1" circle punch to punch out just the center of the image. I layered it on a 1 1/4" Riding Hood Red circle and tied it to the candle with Riding Hood Red Taffeta Ribbon. So easy. :-)


Tomorrow I will have another Valentine's project with a tutorial, so check back!

Stamps: Love You Much

Ink: Riding Hood Red, Pink Pirouette
Paper: Riding Hood Red, Candy Land Designer Paper
Accessories: Blender Pen, Riding Hood Red taffeta ribbon, 1" circle punch, 1 1/4" circle punch, 1/8" circle punch, candle (Ikea)

Way too long. . . .

Obviously it has been WAY too long since I've posted!! In an attempt to make it up at least a little, :-) I thought I would post some pictures of a couple of the things that have been keeping me busy over the last while.

This year I participated in two Holiday Boutiques--one at an elementary school and one private show. My overall best seller for this year were votive candles--the candles and glass are from Ikea. I first created these to fill a special order, and have since made quite a few more! I used the stamp set Deer Friends and lots of punches.


Stamps: Deer Friends
Ink: Chocolate Chip, Close to Cocoa, Brocade Blue, Real Red, and Old Olive
Paper: Chocolate Chip, Close to Cocoa, Brocade Blue, Real Red, and Old Olive, Whisper White
Accessories: Crystal Effects, Dazzling Diamonds Glitter, Real Red 5/8" grosgrain ribbon, Brocade Blue 5/8" grosgrain ribbon, Old Olive 5/8" grosgrain ribbon, dimensionals, scallop circle punch, 1 3/8" circle punch, 1 1/4" circle punch, and the 1" circle punch, 1/16" circle punch

Another project I did with the stamp set Deer Friends were some Martinelli bottles. I found these 'mini' bottles of sparkling apple juice at a local grocery store and knew they would be good for something. :-) I originally made these up for gifts for the members of my Stampers 25 Club, but made a few extra as well to sell. As you can see the tag part is almost the exact same as I did for the votive candles above.



Stamps: Deer Friends
Ink: Chocolate Chip, Kiwi Kiss
Paper: Chocolate Chip, Kiwi Kiss, Very Vanilla, Kiwi Kiss and Riding Hood Red Patterns Designer Series Paper
Accessories: Crystal Effects, Dazzling Diamonds Glitter, dimensionals, 1" Double-Stitched Chocolate Chip Grosgrain Ribbon, 3/4" Twill Tape, Alpine Ribbon Originals, 1 1/4" Riding Hood Red/Very Vanilla ribbon, Linen Thread, scallop circle punch, 1 3/8" circle punch, 1 1/4" circle punch, and the 1" circle punch, cutter kit

Another best seller this year were some jars that I decorated with the bulk Decor Elements. I got the taller jars (back row--hard to see in the picture) at Michael's and the smaller ones at Ikea. Sorry for the strange picture, but I can't take another one as I sold all of them. . . . :-) This will be a project I will definitely do again as they were so quick to make. We also made these jars at my Technique Club last month.

Accessories: Rose Red and Chocolate Chip Decor Elements, 1/4" Rose Red grosgrain ribbon, 1/4" Chocoloate Chip grosgrain ribbon, 1/4" Whisper White grosgrain ribbon

Check it out!

Wow, well this is an exciting day! With the new month here, there are LOTS of new promotions and products available from Stampin' Up! The picture above shows one of the new products available--Phase 2 of the Decor Elements.

Anyone who has been to my house in the past month has probably already seen this. :-) I was lucky enough to win this "Season of Thanks" Decor Element at convention from the Prize Patrol! I just had to get a shadow box frame and a garland so that I could make up the idea they showed us at convention. This was a really fast project. I added the paper to the back of the frame, filled the frame with the leaves, pine cones, and flowers, and then applied the Decor Element to the top of the glass.

So what is a Decor Element? It is self-adhesive vinyl art. (Kind of like large rub-ons.) You can apply the Decor Elements to walls, mirrors, windows, etc., or like I did above, picture frames. Very versatile! If have questions about Decor Elements, or you'd like to order this Decor Element or others, please contact me.

Other Promotions!

***Stampin' Up! is celebrating its 20th Birthday! In celebration they are offering 20% off select birthday stamp sets with a minimum $20 purchase. Click HERE or on the flyer to the right for more information.

***The birthday flyer also shows a special product offer. While supplies last, you can buy a single large-tip Aqua Painter for only $7.25.

***If you've thought about hosting a workshop, now is the time! During the month of October and November, if you host a workshop totaling $350 or more, you can choose any stamp set in the Catalog Sampler for free! This is in addition to your regular hostess benefits! Click HERE or on the Sampler at the right to see the sets that you can earn for free. Contact me today if you would like to schedule a workshop.

***Also, the Holdiay Mini Catalog is here! Click HERE or on the right to check out all the fun new products and stamp sets that will get you ready for the holidays.

Catch all that?!? Let me know if you have questions about anything! Happy October!

Tic Tac Toe Anyone?

A while ago I was at Target and noticed that they had some fun travel games for kids that came in little tins. It got me thinking that it would be fun to make something similar, and this is what I came up with. I started with an empty Accents and Elements Tin (the larger kind that the Flower Fusion come in). I chose Real Red and Brilliant Blue since they seemed like perfect colors for a children's game, and I used the new stamp set Wow Flowers. After you slide off the belly band, you open it up and there's storage on the right side for all the pieces and the left side is where you play. I drew the lines with a Sharpie poster paint marker that just happened to be the perfect color.

Here is a side view of the game piece. I started by stamping the images in Brilliant Blue and Real Red on scrap Whisper White paper and then punching them out with the 1 3/8" circle punch. I put them face down in Xyron adhesive (I didn't use the Xyron machine, just the adhesive) and then stuck them to the flat side of the vase fillers (found at Target). Since the vase fillers aren't perfectly round, I trimmed where necessary around the edges. Then I attached the magnet with a large glue dot.

I think this would be a perfect gift idea for any child. Even though my son isn't quite old enough to understand the idea of Tic Tac Toe, he still loves playing with the magnets and having a little tin to carry them around in!

Stamps: Wow Flowers
Ink: Real Red, Brilliant Blue
Paper: Real Red, Brilliant Blue, Whisper White
Accessories: A&E Tin, scallop circle punch, 1 3/8" circle punch, 1 1/4" circle punch, corner rounder, large vase fillers, large glue dots, magnets, Sharpie poster paint marker, Xyron adhesive