Flower Patch Gift Set

I just loved the adorable little journal shown on page 155 of the now retired 2014-15 catalog, but it took me a while to actually make one! The little grid journals are now retired, as well as a few of the other things I used, but there are always current products available to recreate something similar.

The little journal and card fits perfectly inside the decorated Chevron Gift Bag...these little bags are still available but they are now only available in plain kraft...ready for you to stamp any design you wish. These little bags are actually part of this weeks Weekly Deals offering.

The coordinating birthday card uses one of my favorite new embossing folders...Elegant Dots.

Colors used: Crumb Cake, Whisper White, Pool Party, Calypso Coral, Crushed Curry, Bermuda Bay & Pear Pizzazz.

Thanks for visiting!

Wicked Wednesday - Bite Me Treat Bags

One more day left before the Trick-or-Treaters come looking for goodies! We live out in the boonies so we never get any kids that come to our house. Instead, I delivered some homemade treats yesterday.

 
I used the Blue Ribbon, Bite Me & Toil & Trouble stamp sets along with Witches' Brew papers to top off these cute chevron printed Tag a Bag Gift Bags.

I was able to fit a ziplock filled with 5 medium sized homemade peanut butter cookies into each bag.

The cookies are thick & chewy, so if you have a flatter cookie I think you could actually fit more of them inside the bag. Here's a closer look...

Another cute idea for the Bite Me set is to make cupcake picks...

You could also use the skull and crossbones from the Toil & Trouble set to do the same idea.

To purchase the Bite Me stamp set or any of the other products used here, please visit my online store.

Have a wicked sweet day!

Merry Little Christmas Gift

Lets see if the rule "three times the charm" works for this blog posting. On Monday morning I was in the middle of creating this post and the power went out. We were without power for several hours. Yesterday I thought I would try again...but then the cable went out for several hours. What the heck? Monday it was raining and yesterday it was unseasonably cold, but not the type of weather you would expect to lose power?? Oh well, here I am trying a third time...hopefully it works!

I've been trying to share this little set we made at my Christmas in July class...so here goes...

I think the little Tag a Bag Gift Bags are so cute with their printed chevron design. I dressed up this bag with the Season of Style DSP and a tag created using the Merry Little Christmas stamp set. The decorated acrylic frame fits easily in the bag.

One of my favorite new accessories has got to be washi tape...I can't stop using it! Here I used the Season of Style Washi Tape on both the frame and the tag. With that being said, my absolute favorite new accessory has got to be the gorgeous new Frosted Finishes Embellishments...they are absolutely gorgeous! One is used here as the finishing touch in the center of the silver embossed snowflake created using the Snow Flurry Bundle.

Well...here I am on the home stretch of this post. So far so good...still have power and cable service. So it looks as if three times is the charm! Thanks for visiting me today.

Bells & Boughs With Ornament Keepsakes

This is one of the Christmas cards we made at my Christmas Card Class earlier this month. It is also one of 4 cards that I designed to send out to our family & friends this year.

The Raspberry Ripple layer was stamped with the pretty pine & poinsettia image from Bells & Boughs. The ornaments were all stamped in Wild Wasabi and cut out using the Holiday Ornament Framelits. The "Merry Christmas" sentiment is from the Mixed Medley Hostess Set available from the Holiday Catalog. This card was one of the favorites at the class...I hope my family & friends I sent it to liked it as well.

Here are some cute & quick tags I made for bags of cookies I took to my cookie exchange party. I used sparkly white embossing powder on those. They really dressed up my cookie bags.

I still have baking & wrapping to get done...so I better run!

Quick & Pretty Gift Bag

Hopefully you have most of your Christmas shopping done and are now getting ready to wrap your gifts. Please don't tell me you are all done and even have them wrapped! Today I want to share a quick and beautiful way to give a small gift.

This is one of Stampin' Up's Treat Bags, which are on the Clearance Rack in my online store right now. All I had to do was fold it into shape and decorate. It's the perfect size to hold jewelry, home baked goodies, or other small treats. I added a bow made from Purely Pomegranate Satin Ribbon (this was also on clearance, but I think it is now sold out.) and a gift tag using the Delightful Decorations stamp set and matching punch. In just a few minutes I had a beautiful bag to hold some homemade candy.

Have a delightful day!

Just Believe in Elements of Style Gift

The past couple weeks I've been busy preparing for our annual Halloween Party...working on costumes, decorating the house and creating our invitations...so my blog has become very neglected. I can't wait to show you the Halloween invites I made, but I just got those out in the mail a couple days ago and don't want to post those here yet because a few of my guests look at my blog from time to time. Instead I have a little thank you gift I made for a friend a while back and never posted.

I had a whole bunch of photos for her from our annual girls weekend along with some goodies from Bath & Body Works. So I stamped a large cello bag (from Bath & Body Works) using White Stazon and the pretty swirl stamp from Elements of Style.

I made a little box to hold the photos using a piece of Certainly Celery card stock which I also stamped with the swirl stamp from Elements of Style. I used the 1 - 3/8" circle punch to cut a notch in the top so the photos were easy to pull in & out of the pouch.

The label for the photo pouch and the little thank you card attached to the bag were quick and easy to make using the Just Believe set. I finished the gift by adhering some adhesive backed Rhinestone Jewels and tying on some Baja Breeze ribbon.
Have a wonderful weekend!

Wrappin' it up!

I always like to incorporate my stamping into my gift packaging when I can. This year for many of the women on my gift list I went to Bath & Body Shop and bought lotions, soaps and other products in my favorite scents and packaged them in stamped cello bags along with soft fuzzy slipper socks. Here is how they turned out.
Bath & Body Works gives the large cello bags if you ask for them. (they also gave me gift tags and ribbon printed with their name, but I opted to make my own tags and use wired ribbon) I stamped the entire cello bag, front & back, using White Stazon and the Serene Snowflakes stamp set. It doesn't show up the best in my photos, but I was really happy with the way they turned out. (click on pic for better view)
I also stamped some Ziploc containers and created matching tags for the cookie exchange party I hosted this past weekend. Again, I used White Stazon and the Serene Snowflakes stamp set to stamp on the plastic containers.To create the snowflake tags I stamped the image using White Craft ink onto Bordering Blue cardstock and embossed them using Winter Wonderland embossing powder. I punched them out using my 1-3/4" circle punch and adhered that to a scalloped circle cut from Shimmery White card stock using Nestibilities and my Big Shot. I finished off each tag with an adhesive backed rhinestone adhered to the center of the snowflake. Here's a photo of all the yummy cookies before we exchanged them.
I still have a few more gifts to wrap and some grocery shopping to do...so I better run! Have a wonderful day!

Framed Snow Swirled

I told you I've been getting a lot of use out of my Snow Swirled set! This is a little something I made for my upline & downline this year. We had our little stampin' Christmas get together last night, so I can show you without ruining the surprise.
The white frame was decorated with Ski Slope paper and a small Felt Flurry with a Build-a-Brad center. The tree was embossed with glittery white embossing powder...and really sparkles in real life.
I made the gift bags out of a catalog sized envelope. They each have a snowflake cut out of a 4" coaster using the Big Shot and the large Snowflake die. They are embossed and then added a Snow Flurry and rhinestone brad to the center.
I also put a little sampler pack of some embellishments together and tied it with a cute little punched reindeer tag. I'll tell you how I made him tomorrow. For now I need to run...so many more Christmas projects I need to get done...so little time! Have a great day!

Top Note Harvest Frame

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving day! We enjoyed a delicious dinner at my Mom's house yesterday. Both her and my Step Dad always put so much effort into creating such a wonderful meal for the family each year, so I always try to create a little something for my Mom as a little thank you. Last year I made her this Thanksgiving planner with place cards and napkin rings. This year when I was trying to think of what I could make I remembered this adorable project I had seen while blog hopping. Here is my version of Gretchen's awesome Top Note frame.

I covered a piece of the small On Board Book Basics with some Haiku paper, centered the Top Note die where I wanted it and then ran it through the Big Shot. I sanded the edges and then gave them a distressed look by adding ink along the edges. I added a pocket to the back by cutting a 6 1/4 x 4 1/4" piece of More Mustard card stock and then cut a half circle from the top using the 1 3/8" circle punch. I also created a little stand for my frame by cutting out a piece of chip board using a tag die and the Big Shot. I attached these pieces to the back using sticky strip. Here's a photo of the back so you can see what I'm trying to describe.
To embellish the frame I water colored the Indian corn image from Harvest Home and cut it out...boy, was it fun cutting out those curly little husks! I had to use my X-acto knife for that part. I also cut out a button using the Button Sizzlet and then embossed it with Glassy Glaze. I attached it to the stamped sentiment using Linen Thread. Along the left side of the frame I tied on a piece of More Mustard grosgrain ribbon. The oak leaves were cut out using a leaf die and the Big Shot...have I told you how much I {LOVE} my Big Shot???! I added veins to the leaves by laying them on my foam mat and "drawing" them on using the stylus. I attached them with glue dots and also added some hemp twine and a maple leaf brad I've had in my stash for a while, and I was done...until yesterday morning when I realized I didn't have a gift bag...So I whipped up a matching bag-a-lope using a catalog sized envelope rolled with the Harvest wheel. To decorate the front I added a little envelope cut with the Scallop Envelope Bigz die. On the front of the envelope is a punch out using the Cute & Curly punch bundle which is on sale right now at 30% off. The handles are made from Creative Twist paper ribbon...not sure if they even make it anymore...but I still have some hanging around my craft room.

My Mom loved her little gift and much to everyone's delight, I forced them to pose for a group photo around the dining room table so that my Mom will have a photo of everyone to slip into her new frame. Now, I'm thinking Christmas frames...

Stamp Something Red, White & Blue...

...and it can be anything but a card! That was the challenge made by the talented stampers over at the Stamp Something blog this week. That challenge was just perfect for me to try because I had to make a gift bag for a birthday/4th of July celebration I am going to tomorrow. The gift is for my super sweet Auntie who loves to stamp. (hopefully she will not look at my blog!) During SAB she was torn as to which set to choose because she loved the So Many Scallops set, but did not have the scallop punch. I can't wait to give her this...she will be so excited!


I used a white lunch bag that SU! used to sell. I cut about 3" off the top and then stamped it all over in Pomegranate ink with the cute flower stamp from Boho Backgrounds. The quilt-like pattern on the front was created by stamping the medallion from the same set several times on different colors and punching out with the 1- 3/8" square and 1- 1/4" circle punches. The tiny center was stamped on white and punched with the 1/4" punch. The center piece is layered on a double punched scallop to create a star-burst pattern. (see photo below) I also used my Boho Blossoms punch to cut out the center flower, and then the 1/2" circle to cut out the center for the build-a-brad. Can you tell I LOVE my punches!? I'm super excited to get my scallop border punch that will be out in the next catalog. Demos were able to order them on a pre-order starting on July 1st.

Here's a photo to better show you what I was describing above on how to use the scallop punch to create the star burst.

To do this, punch out your scallop, then use a post it note as a handle to reinsert the scallop shape back into the punch, turning it a bit created a pointed edge.

While I was at it, I also created this little Boho Bag-a-lope to hold a little something for a friend of mine. Isn't it cute? I was amazed the first time my upline showed me how to make a cute little bag out of a regular old envelope. Whoever first came up with that idea is a creative genius in my book!

I still need to make my Aunt's birthday card, so hopefully I'll have time to post it tomorrow morning. If not...Have a wonderful 4th of July holiday!

Stampin' Up! Christmas Party

I sure had a busy stampin' weekend! After holding my last hostess club meeting for the year on Friday night, I spent Saturday getting ready for a Christmas party for my SU! demo group. Five out of six of us were able to get together, have lunch, visit, talk a little business, swap some cards and do some stamping. We had such a nice afternoon!

My upline and I made these peek-a-boo boxes filled with M&M's for everyone...they turned out so cute! Directions for the peek-a-boo boxes can be found here where I posted a Halloween version. We also gave the group a Pretties sampler kit which we packaged in these little gift bags I made for everyone. They are just like the ones I made here, only I used the Horizontal Slot punch at the top and added some wired ribbon for handles. Both the boxes and bags were made using the Mistletoe wheel & Punch Pals. Colors used are Mellow Moss & Ruby Red.After we swapped our cards using the new Level 3 Hostess set ~ Time Well Spent, we had lunch and then we made the coaster calendars that I posted here on Saturday for our make & take project. This is my upline Karman showing the cute swap card she made for everyone, while Beth Anne looks on.
This is my downline ~ Jodie & Bea showing their coaster calendars. Sorry you're a bit out of focas Bea...I'm still getting the hang of using my new camera!
Jodie made Karman and I this beautiful holiday journal using the Holiday Harmony Double-sided Designer Papers and Theater Ribbon Originals. I just love it! Now I'm kicking myself for not purchasing that paper pack while it was still available! Thanks again for such a thoughtful gift Jodie!
Tomorrow I will share the wonderful swap cards we exchanged. Everyone did such nice work...can't wait to show you! For now I need to go and finish my Christmas cards!

Festive Punch Pals and a Dashing Snowman

Here are the other half of the workshop projects I showcased at the mother/daughter workshop this past weekend. The 2nd card I did was using the cute snowman from Punch Pals and some of the Dashing designer paper. This is another quick and easy card, but with the use of punches and the designer paper it looks more detailed.

Tip: When water coloring snowmen, I have found that Soft Sky is the perfect color to add a bit of shading & shadowing on my snowmen. I feel just a hint of color adds that little detail and really finishes him off rather than leaving him plain white. Don't forget to add a bit of shadowing underneath him to ground him...we don't want floating snowmen!

A hostess gift to the mom half of the Mother/Daughter team was a Christmas version of card candy using Punch Pals & Festive Favorites. These two sets work so well together! I figured she could use the pieces on her scrapbook pages, cards or even on gifts if she chooses to. On this one I even stamped the cello bag with White Stazon snowflakes. I just got the white Stazon so I had to try it out, right?!

For the make & take project everyone had a choice between two styles of bag-a-lopes. I showed you the floral version yesterday, today I will show you the other choice. These were made using 6x9 catalog envelopes. First cut the flap off, then score on 3 sides at 1". (not on open end) Wheel with your design of choice, embellish and fold into shape. This is a fun project that can create all sizes of bags depending what size envelopes are used and how you cut and fold them. The past several years I have made lots of different bag-a-lopes at Christmas time for my Christmas cookies.

Have a great day!

Big Bold Polka Dot Birthday

I had a Mother/Daughter workshop over the weekend. Most of the daughters were little girls around 10 years old. They were so cute, and I had so much fun teaching them how to stamp! They were such an attentive audience and I could tell they really enjoyed the projects we did. One of the cards I demoed was this one using the Big Bold Birthday set. Of course I had to use pink and other bright colors since that's what most little girls like! (and some of us big girls too!) It was a nice change because I've been using mostly all Christmas colors the past few weeks.

This card was really quick and simple. The background polka dots (on the Regal Rose layer) were stamped in White Craft. The Turquoise layer is from the Petals & Paisleys designer paper pack, as well as the striped piece that I added in place of ribbon. The hardest part to this card was cutting out the candle! This is such an easy set to work with and it's great because it has so many pieces.

I gave my little hostess I pack of card candy I made using the set In the Spotlight. Since each piece is mounted on acetate using a pop dot or temporary adhesive, she can easily peel them off and use them in her scrapbook or on cards. I also made a pack of card candy for my grown up hostess as well. Hers was made using a combination of two of my favorite Christmas sets: Punch Pals and Festive Favorites. I'll share that and the other card I demoed at her workshop with you tomorrow.

For the make & take project, we wheeled envelopes and then I showed them how to fold them into a bag-a-lope. they got to choose between a bag with flowers or one with snowflakes. Both bags used the All Through the Year set. The bag with flowers used the matching wheel: Garden Annuals.

Have a great day!

Oh Hoppy Day!

I've been seeing the cutest creations using different Stampin' Up! punches in the SCS Gallery lately. One idea that really stood out to me was the cute little frogs some made using the oval and circle punches. I have a friend who is crazy about frogs, so when it came time to make her birthday card, I knew I had to try one!

I used Celery card stock for most of the frog, Banana for the circle on his belly, and Olive & White for his eyes. After I punched out the Celery shapes, I sponged the edges with Olive and stamped the spots using the polka dot stamp from Polka Dots & Paisley. I used my Olive marker to draw his little smile and a bit of rose pastel to create his rosy cheeks. Can you tell which punch I used to make his little feet? It is one the flowers punched from the Spring Bouquet Flower punch and I just cut it to make toes. I think he looks awful cute sitting there on the lily pad background, don't you think?

To make the background, first I had to borrow the lily pad wheel! (Thanks Bea!) I wheeled across the bottom of the Caribbean card stock using VersaMark ink and then used the poppin' pastels technique to add color. I added some highlights to the flowers and pads with my white gel pen. Then I sponged some clouds using white craft ink.

I had a gift for my friend and now I had a card, but I forgot to get a gift bag while I was out. No problem! I just created one using a white catalog envelope and the lily pad wheel. To attach the handles I punched slots using the Horizontal Slot punch, and used a bit of hot glue to hold them in place. I like to use wired ribbon for the handles because it holds shape better than grosgrain does. The color was a bit off, but I still think it turned out cute. A gift bag just wouldn't be complete without a gift tag and matching tissue, would it? So I pulled out a couple more of my punches (I just LOVE my punches!) to create the tag and then rolled the tissue with the lily pad wheel and celery ink.

I can't wait to hear the little spring peepers peeping away in the pond by our house, but until then I guess I'll just have to be happy seeing a punched froggie. By my last few posts I think you can tell that I have Spring fever! I think I officially caught it when my Spring Mini order arrived last week...the stamp sets, paper (the backdrop in my photo is the new Petals & Paisly paper) and other goodies I got are so much fun! I'll have more to share soon. I hope you have a "hoppy" day! ;-)