Trick or EEK!

Happy Halloween! Popping in to share a quick and easy project today to show how a stamped tag and some ribbons can make your treats look simply spooktacular!

The items I used here are retired, but you can use any of your favorite stamps, punches and ribbon to do the same. 

I saw the witches finger dipped pretzels on Pinterest and just had to make some. I got the green colored candy melts from the baking section in my local craft store and after dipping I added a sliced almond to the end for a creepy looking nail. I drizzled on extra melted chocolate to create a the knuckles. 

Lovely Oak 100th Birthday Card

Today, on Memorial Day as we remember those in who have sacrificed so much for our freedom I thought I would share a story about a WWII Veteran who will be celebrating his 100th birthday very soon. 

For his 100th birthday on June 6th...which comes 74 years after he was miraculously pulled off a Normandy-bound boat on D-Day, Michigan WWII veteran Isaac "Ike" Fabela has just one wish, his family said...Mr. Fabela will be anxiously checking his mail, as the happy and humble vet hopes to rack up 100 birthday cards from well-wishers across the country.

Today I am sharing the card I made for him, and I'm hoping that maybe you will also take a little time to send him a card as well. (address and link is at the end of this post)

I thought it was fitting to use Stampin' Up!'s oldest and one of the most beloved stamp sets- Lovely As A Tree for his card. I used the Tailored Tag Punch to create the border on the left side of the card. Crumb Cake, Early Espresso and soon to be retired Dapper Denim were stamped using the Hardwood stamp inked in Whisper White. The Mossy Meadow main panel was stamped using the oak leaf image from the Lovely As A Tree set. The oak tree image was watercolored using an Aqua Painter.

To embellish the card I used Linen Thread and one of those wooden shapes that were offered in the Holiday Catalog a couple of seasons ago. The sentiment is computer generated since I didn't have a suitable sized sentiment to use.

I am sure that Mr. Fabela will be surprised with all the wonderful birthday greetings he is sure to receive in honor of his special day. He sounds like a kind-hearted and wonderful man...can you imagine all the stories he has lived to tell? If you would like to read more about his story please visit this link.

Thanks to all who send him a card:

Ike Fabela
C/O Nick Rodgers
PO Box 3112 Montrose, MI 48457

Lastly, I would like to say thank you to all of our service men and women and their families for the selfless life they've pursued.

Daisy Delight Boxed Set

Here's a set of cards using the Daisy Delight stamp set and coordinating Daisy Punch.

I used some favorite (now retired) DSP along with the Hexagon Embossing Folder and embellished each one with a Faceted Gem and 1/8" Gold Ribbon.

The set of three cards with stamped envelopes fits inside one of the Acetate Card Boxes featured on page 13 of the Holiday Catalog.

I made a little tag attached with some ribbon and it made a nice little gift.

Thanks for visiting today!

Easy Gift Tags

I've been busy wrapping gifts and getting ready for Christmas...as I'm sure most of you also are. Such a busy time of year! I made a bunch of cute, yet easy gift tags for all my packaging. I think they turned out nice and really kicked up my Dollar Tree wrapped gifts up a notch. (why spend a bundle on wrapping when it just gets torn off and thrown away, right?) Take a peek ...

I used punches and dies to cut out Stampin' Up! card stock to coordinate with my wrapping paper. Each die cut shape has a circle punched from the gift wrap.

I attached the tags to the gifts with curling ribbon.

Here's a closer look at a few of the tags.

Some are embellished with Basic Rhinestones and Frosted Sequins.

All are stamped on the back with plenty of room for a greeting and names.

If you have not yet finished your Christmas shopping, and you have paper crafters on your list...GREAT NEWS...

FREE SHIPPING from Stampin' Up! all day today! Get those stampers on your gift list a special gift OR treat yourself to something!

Daisy Delight Thank You

One of my favorite new bundles when the catalog premiered in June was the Daisy Delight Bundle. It was so popular that the punch was backordered during the demo pre-order! It was still not available when I put in my first new catalog order, so I waited and got it along with stuff from the Holiday Catalog.

Not only is the the Daisy Delight stamp set and the coordinating Daisy Punch awesome, the gorgeous Delightful Daisy DSP is totally drool worthy! I used three of the prints here on this card. It's one of those packs where each and every sheet is just prettier than the next! 

If I had to pick six favorite patterns from the pack it would be these six...but here's a look at the flip sides.

Beautiful...right? I thought I'd share these photos as it's hard to tell sometimes when just seeing them in the catalog. (click on photos to see full size) Trust me...they are even prettier in person! So make sure and add a pack of the Delightful Daisy DSP to your next order.

Have a DELIGHTFUL weekend!

New Year Party Wishes

HAPPY 2016!!! 
Wishing you a peaceful New Year filled with happiness, good health and much creativity!

This card was created using the new Party Wishes stamp set available on January 5th in the Occasions Catalog. There are balloons, cupcakes & candle images in this set which all coordinate with the Party Punch Pack of punches!  While there is a "happy birthday" sentiment included in this set, the word "HAPPY" used here is actually from the Celebrate Today stamp set...because it was way easier to just ink up the single word rather than using markers. Plus, Celebrate Today is a photopolymer set so it was easy to line up.

On the Basic Black layer I used the new Confetti Embossing Folder. Then to make it look even more festive, I used Silver Dazzling Details to add some sparkling confetti dots and attach a few Bermuda Bay Sequins.

Colors used: Bermuda Bay, Melon Mambo & Crushed Curry

January 1st not only marks the start of the New Year, but it is also the anniversary of starting this blog. Can you believe that it has been 9 years today since my first post!? I can't! But it's true, I first starting sharing my cards & more back in 2007. At that time I didn't know for sure if I would stick to it, but thought it would be fun. I never dreamed that 9 years later I would still be at it! Thanks to all who stop by and visit...it's always nice to get the occasional comment (that isn't SPAM! lol) or email from you. 

This little look back at the past has given me an idea for a new weekly feature I would like to try...each Friday I will do a Flash Back Friday post featuring one of my favorite retired stamp sets. I have kept so many of my favorite sets from years past but don't get the opportunity it use them as often as I would like.

CHEERS to 2016! Lets make it a GREAT year!

Love Canvas

Here's a special little Valentine gift I made for my hubby. I started with an 8x8 canvas, but everything else I used (besides a paint brush) was Stampin' Up!

To color the canvas I used a wash of re-inkers blended into each other. After that dried I sponged some hearts onto the background using the Heart Decorative Mask and a Sponge Dauber. Then I stamped some swirls from Everything Eleanor using the Aquamarine Chalk Ink and "tried" to add some of the tiny honeycomb  designs from the Basic Butterfly set to the background as well. Most of those didn't turn out like I wanted, so I blended them in with a damp sponge as best as I could. The background got a little muddy at bottom due to this, but I didn't want to start over so I went with it.

I wanted to add Pool Party to the color combo and that was easy using the two DSP packs I chose...both Typeset and Stacked With Love DSP have black and white patterns that makes it easy to sponge to fit whatever color scheme you can dream of. See the little Calypso Coral colored banner at the top of the canvas...that was sponged to add a pop of color.

The various sized hearts, cut using the Heart Framelits, the Tea Lace Paper Doily, and paper rose created using the Spiral Flower Die all add a romantic touch which is perfect for Valentines Day. As is the pretty font used for the word "love" in the Hello Life set that I used on the banner to the right of our photo.

I printed the photo in a sepia tone and then added a little Pool Party sponging to the background behind the palm trees and a little Crisp Cantaloupe and Crumb Cake around the edges as well. The photo is popped up with layered dimensionals.

When painting the canvas, I continued the color to the sides as well. The ribbon and Bakers Twine from the banner are continued around sides and secured in the back. I colored the rhinestone in the center of the Something Borrowed Embellishment with my Coastal Cabana Blendabilites Marker to finish off my canvas with a little sparkle. I may also add a few rhinestones as well.

Have a nice weekend and a Happy Valentine's Day!

Birthday Keepsake Mini Album

Frequent visitors of my blog may remember that this past November I shared a mini pocket album made using the envelope punch board and the All Is Calm products along with the Festival of Trees stamp set. Today I have another mini album to share...this one with a birthday theme!

I made this album the same way as the All Is Calm Album, I just changed up the papers and stamps. I used Basic Black for the base and bright, fun colors from the Brights Collection...Melon Mambo, Tangerine Tango, Tempting Turquoise and Old Olive.

This keepsake album was a gift for a good friend who celebrated her 50th. The papers I used are all retired, but they were perfect for the photos from this fun party. I printed my photos wallet sized - 3x4 so that they would fit the pages.

Each page has a pocket with a pullout to include additional photos and memories. Here's a look at the pages pulled out...

Each side of the pocket pages have photos or journaling...just need to be sure to not make those pages over embellished or too thick so that they fit into the pocket easily.

I included fun facts of things that happened the year she was born along with a CD with all the photos I took at her party. She loved the little album, and I had fun making it.

While I no longer have kits available for the All Is Calm Album, I do have the tutorial available, here. Once you know how the album goes together, it is easy to change the theme to fit any occasion. It makes a wonderful gift that is sure to be cherished for years to come.

Calm Festival of Trees

I just love the Festival of Trees set combined with the All Is Calm products! Here's another Christmas card using these items.

This one really has some shimmer & sparkle thanks to the Dazzling Diamonds Glimmer Paper used for the snowy hill, the Silver Sparkle Dazzling Details used on each of the trees & the Basic Rhinestone Jewels on the Bitty Banner. Adding a bit of pretty silver metallic shine is the All Is Calm Washi Tape along the bottom and a bit of 1/8" Silver Ribbon added to the center of the bow.

The pretty snowflake patterned DSP is from the All Is Calm Specialty Pack.

For now, I am happy to only be seeing make believe snow...I'm not ready for the cold Winter weather yet! Today is going to be in the mid 50's and they are saying this will be the last we'll see the warmer temps for a while. ENJOY your day!

Flippin' Friday: Color Me Autumn Flower

It's been a while since I did a Flippin' Friday post...and today is Friday! I have a flip card...so why not!? I thought a cute flip card was the perfect opportunity to use some of the Color Me Autumn Washi Tape.

I pulled my color combo of Cajun Craze, Crushed Curry & Blackberry Bliss from the pack of Color Me Autumn Washi Tape found in the Holiday Catalog...perfect for a fall Birthday.

The Hardwood Background stamp used on the Crushed Curry panel gives it a rustic look which I think goes right along with the Autumn feel.

Have a fantastic Friday!

Summery Butterflies

In honor of these last few days of August, I created this card that feels like summer...

From the color combo of Strawberry Slush, Daffodil Delight & Coastal Cabana mixed with Basic Black & Whisper White to the butterflies from the Papillon Potpourri stamp set it reminds me of carefree summer day watching the pretty butterflies fluttering around the garden.

Summer sure went by too quickly...enjoy the long holiday weekend!

Happy New Catalog Day!

YES! Today is the first day we can finally order from the new Stampin' Up! catalog!

My local customers had the opportunity to stop by and pick up their new catalog and do a couple make & takes using new items. Along with their new catalogs I included a few goodies including these magnetic bookmarks made using the beautiful new In Colors.

I stamped the striped image from Gorgeous Grunge using each of the new In Colors onto Whisper White card stock. Then punched out one of the cute flowers from Petite Petals stamped in the coordinating card stock. This was matted onto one of my favorite new colors...Lost Lagoon. There's a small magnetic strip glued inside each of the folded book marks to hold a favorite page in the new catalog. (I like to keep mine on the first page of the color families.)

I'll be sharing the make & take projects in my next posts. Gotta go now so I can work on my first catalog order!

How Much is That Cupcake in the Window?

This past week I've had both computer issues and then a power outage. Add in being super busy getting ready for my first new catalog event, and that equals a very neglected blog.! Sorry about the lack of posts. There's only a few more days left to order from the Occasions Catalog. I'm really glad I added the Another Great Year stamp set to my collection! It won't be available after June 1st...(along with many other great items). Here's a cute window card I made a while back using the little cupcake image.

I was so excited creating this card, but once completed it was an epic fail...I didn't have any SU! Window Sheets on hand, and instead created the window using a transparency sheet. After all my hard work creating this card it wouldn't stand up because the transparency sheet I used was too light weight & flimsy. In order to make it work, I had to alter my design.

I prefer the original design, but at least this way it stands on it's own. Note to self: Put Window Sheets on my next order! Here's a closer peak at the water colored cupcakes.

The little awning was created using the Word Window Punch and it adhered using mono adhesive at the top and Stampin' Dimensionals at the bottom. The added detail at the window frame was created using the Needlepoint Embossing Folder...which sadly is on the retiring list. Use it a lot to add a little extra detail.

Hope your weekend is a sweet one!

Epic Vacation Pages

I cannot believe it's already been a week since I've posted! I've been doing a little re-organizing in my stampin space now that we know what is retiring. I need to get ready for those new In Colors and other goodies that are on their way here! I did a little scrapbooking over the weekend and planned to share my pages...but I have had a really bad sinus headache the past few days. With so much pressure around my eyes I haven't felt much like getting on the computer. I'm feeling somewhat better today, so I wanted to share my some vacation pages created using the Epic Day Designer Series Paper.

Back in March we took our son to Florida to celebrate his safe return from Afghanistan. He was deployed for almost a year, and missed so many holidays including Christmas and his birthday. As you can imagine, it was so nice to spend a whole week with him relaxing and having a good time! Unfortunately, our oldest son couldn't get away from school and his clinical training to go with us...otherwise it was the perfect vacation.

I like the way my title turned out. I cut a piece of chipboard using the Bigz Typeset Alphabet for the "&" and the R's were stamped using the Morning Post Alphabet. (both the alphabet dies and stamps are retiring...so if they're on your wish list...better get them while you still can!)

The phrase "Just a little" was printed from my computer, as was the journaling. To grunge up the Very Vanilla card stock a bit I used the Gorgeous Grunge stamp set. I also used it here and there on the DSP as well.  On one of the punched hexagons I used the Remember This Rotary Stamp to include the date. Here's a look at the other page.

The hexagon border shows many of the patterns included in this paper pack...the colors and map prints are perfect for tropical vacation photos. It was fun punching out and arranging the hexagon shapes...kind of like doing a puzzle. I sponged the edges using Basic Gray ink. The On Film Framelits show a few selfies of my hubby & I lounging in the hammock one evening. I even cut down the larger frame to fit the photo of our son. I held it together and hid the seams with Epic Day This & That Washi Tape and an arrow cut with the arrow framelit. (included in the On Film Framelits)

Here are both the pages together...

I almost forgot...today is Tuesday! Which means...new Weekly Deals and new digital downloads...check them out!

Thanks for visiting today. I hope you will stop by again soon...my pre-order will be here soon, so I'll have fun stuff to share!