Simple Gifts

These are 2 of the simple gifts I put together this year for some of the teachers at my kids' schools. Now that Parker is in middle school he has several teachers and Jenna has a music teacher, library teacher, gym teacher, and a teacher assistant that works in her classroom. These are great as little thank you's and also work well as hostess gifts. The Deer Friends ones are chocolate covered peppermint patties. The candles are so simple to make. Stamp a snowflake image on tissue paper, cut it out and punch a small hole in the middle. Place the image on the candle with the wick thru the hole. Use your heat tool to melt the image into the wax and when it's still liquid sprinkle some dazzling diamonds on top. I have tested these candles and you can burn them, but as always, do not leave burning candles unattended! Both are packaged in SU cello bags and I used the top note die for the bag toppers.

Three for Three!

We made this great little gift card holders on Sunday. I got the pattern from Angie Juda (Chic n Scratch). I made one small modification. Hers called for a piece of cardstock 11" by 4 1/2". I changed it to 4 1/4" so we could get 2 out of a single piece of cardstock. She has a tutorial on her blog. They are very quick and easy to make.

Club Card #2

Look at me go...posting 2 days in a row! LOL! This is the other card we made at my club workshop yesterday. I like to use non-traditional

colours for many of my Christmas cards. This is Tempting Turquoise with Orchid Opulance. I also have a small snowflake punched out with the 1" circle and an orchid layer (1 1/4" circle) on the inside of the card. And I LOVE snowmen! They are so much fun to colour.

Club Card

This is one of the cards we made at my club workshop today. I got the idea from Ann at http://www.stampinchic.com/ . I used dimensionals to pop the top 2 layers of snow as well as the middle tree. The stamp set is Pattern Pines (hostess set) as well as the sentiment from Short & Sweet. Trees are in Real Red. It's hard to see but the background has a bit of blue pastel for the sky. The torn paper also has dazzling diamonds along the edge. Hopefully I will post again soon! It has been such a busy fall and then we took a holiday to Maui which was amazing!

Crimp It

I made the heart card this summer after seeing it on Jill's blog (see my list) and used it at a Stamp-a-Stack. So cute and simple. (And a single layer..woohoo for less cutting!) Then this week when I was trying to come up with some Christmas cards for a stamp-a-stack I thought I could just change it up a little and turn it into a Christmas design! Loved the results.

Love this punch!

I cased this card out of the Holiday Mini catalogue. White base with Bashful Blue layer that I ran through the BigShot using the polkadot texturz plate. Ornaments are stamped in Old Olive, Real Red and So Saffron. Ribbon is Old Olive. One ornament (green) is on dimensionals. I also added texture to the flap of the envelope so they totally coordinate!

Double Flap Card

These cards are fun and simple yet look like you spend a lot of time on them. Got the idea from Dawn @ Dawns Stamping Thoughts. Here is a link to her video tutorial.

Love the Sparkles

I have seen a couple cards similar to this and knew that I had to try it. Love the results! These were made using the sticky pages from SU and the new ornament punch. The punch was a little tough to get thru the pages at times but it wasn't too hard. The sentiments are embossed with silver.

Instructions:

Punch ornament out of sticky paper

Cut ribbon or cord for the ornament to "hang" on and a tie around piece if you want one.

Remove the white backing from the ornament (sticky) and place on cardstock with the string pieces underneath

Using a cutting blade and a ruler cut strips through the orange/red sticky layer

Peel one stripe off and cover with glitter. Repeat for each strip.

You could also make this ornament using sticky strip. Just punch an ornament out of white cardstock and cut strips of sticky strip for it, trimming right at the edge of the ornament. SU has a thin sticky strip but it is also available at craft stores in a wide width.

Long Time No Post!

I can't believe it's been 2 months since my last post! Wow. Time sure flies. Just after my last one we went on a holiday and when we got home it was time for the kids to start school and I was back working full time. Needless to say I have hardly done any stamping except for a couple of workshops I have hosted. This card is from one I did in September. It is pretty much a case from one of the examples in the Holiday mini. I LOVE the new ornament punch! The background is embossed using the bigshot. We also embossed the flap of the envelope to match!

UPS Woes

So, my latest shipment of stamping stuff was delivered on Thursday. Unfortunately it is nowhere to be found. Boo! I am still waiting to hear from SU/UPS as to what they are going to do about it. UPS says it was delivered to the front door (which is odd b/c they always leave it by my garage door) and we have searched everywhere for it. I don't believe that anyone would have taken it as we live on an acreage and I was home about 15 minutes after they say it was delivered. So now I have to play the waiting game which makes me very unhappy. Not only do I have customers waiting on their orders I had some fun new toys in that box! Sigh...

Here is a picture of my new puppy eating. I guess he was really pooped out so laying down was the way to go. He is such a good boy and we love having him in our home. And on a really positive note I have lost about 3 pounds since we got him just over a week ago. Taking him for 2 walks a day is a great way to get exercise! I just can't say no to those big brown puppy dog eyes!

Happy Friday!

Just another DSP card! This one uses Baja Breeze and the Priceless stamp set. Been so busy this week driving Parker to and from golf camp and working on wedding invitations. I hope to do some stamping this weekend and get back on track. Happy Friday!

Top Note Layer

This is the first card I have made using only a portion of the top note die. I found this in my scrap bin and must have misaligned the die when I cut it as a small part of it was missing. So, I cut it a little more and used it as a layer on this card. The stamp set is a retired level 2 hostess

set called Echoes of Kindness. Also uses Soft Sky designer paper & double stitched ribbon along with a small piece of sheer ribbon that I just cannot think of the name of and I am too lazy to go upstairs and check! It, too, is retired. :)

I have a lot on the go today. I have some ladies coming over to work on some cool explosion boxes for an upcoming reunion plus I have wedding invitations to print and put together for some friends. (Laundry...what's that?!) I will show you both in the coming days.

This stamp set is so much fun. This is yet another "use up the DSP" card. I really like how it turned out but it looks like my owl on the left is falling off. Guess he needs a little more snail. Anyway, just used circle punches for this one. I also stamped, coloured, and cut out the party hats and added dazzling diamonds to the tops. Card and ribbon are Bashful Blue. Used Only Olive to watercolour the owls (but just on regular cardstock.)

And I am happy to report that Xedo had a great night last night so we are feeling much more rested. We had a blast with him yesterday. Jenna decided she would hit some golf balls in the backyard last night and it turned out to be the best game ever. She hits the ball and Xedo brings it back. He was so excited. I think it also helped to tire him out!

Time for a Drink

After last night I could use a drink...but preferably coffee. Xedo was a really good boy but was out of sorts. He would lay down and then be up 10 minutes later looking for a new spot. He's a big guy and is not very graceful when it comes to laying down (thunk!). So far today he's been great and just adores the kids.

"Olive" this martini stamp and think it looks super with this DSP. I ordered the Cottage Wall DSP last week and am looking forward to its arrival. In the mean time I need to continue to use up my old stuff. If you have any great ideas on how to use up LOTS of DSP let me know! Hope you are having a wonderful day.

Xedo!

We finally got a dog! We promised the kids once we moved to the acreage that we would get a dog...but then we needed grass. We have some grass now so it was time to get a dog. I decided I felt better about adopting a rescued dog rather than buying one from a breeder. We looked into one rescue place last week and have been waiting for 5 days to hear back from them. We got tired of waiting so the kids and I took a trip to the humane society in hopes of finding a puppy. When we got there we were told they had no puppies left. Bummer. We decided to look around anyway. The kids wanted every dog we saw but I was far more selective and didn't really see one that caught my eye. I had pretty much given up hope when a staff member walked by with a cute black dog. We followed her and checked him out. Soooo cute and playful! He is about 2 years old and is a lab retriever cross of some kind. He was a stray but clearly had a family at some point. They named him Johnnie at the humane society but we changed his name to Xedo (like Tuxedo...he's all black with some white on his chest). So far he is a great dog. Very exciting day for him and us so everyone is pretty tired.

Baja?

Another card using up some DSP! This uses the Baja Breeze paper and the Priceless stamp set. The butterfly is stamped in Pink Pirouette, cut out and mounted on dimensionals. It's hard to see in the picture but the antennae and body of the butterfly are in dazzling diamonds. I also used the eyelet border punch on the DSP strip on the left.
Funny story: When I was making this card my 7 year old daughter asked what colour I was using. "Baja Breeze," I replied. "Pffft!" she said. "Baja isn't even a word!"

Summer Drink

Mmmmm...the perfect summer drink. I am trying desperately to use up some of my DSP. I've made a whole pile of cards using this type of layout. It's pretty simple but I think looks great. The card base is Rose Red and the DSP is retired. Ribbon is Rose Red 1" double-stitched grosgrain. Stamp set is Cheers to You. Edges are roughed with the cutter kit and done up with dazzling diamonds. If you don't have the cutter kit from SU you really should get it.

Baby Bug

I made these using the new Cute as a Bug hostess set. So cute! I had them done up without the scallop border and then decided they needed a little something else. Love this punch! I had a request to do some baby cards at my next stamp-a-stack so I thought I would start playing around. The designer paper is retired but I am really trying to use up some of my DSP. I have a ridiculous amount and have promised myself I won't buy any new stuff until I use some of what I already have.

Fabulous Boxes

I love these boxes! I watched Dawn Griffith's (Dawns Stamping Thoughts) video on how to make these awesome boxes and then made a whole pile of them. They are easy to make and they get easier the more you do! Click here to watch the video. The ones on the left aren't quite done yet but I thought I'd show them anyway. As Dawn mentions, you can easily fit 6 cards with envelopes inside. These will make great gifts!

Weather Woes

Phew! He have had some crazy weather here. On Saturday evening we had a crazy thunderstorm with hail that ripped into hundreds of houses here. Thankfully our new home is fine but our home in town that we are renting out to a friend was damaged. :( Lots of hail holes all over the back of the house as well as to window frames. And our gazebo is no more. It was sad to drive down the streets and see house after house ripped to pieces. Ours isn't bad compared to some. Our neighbor on one side has much more damage than us and on the other side they have no damage at all. It's been really warm the past couple of weeks but has now cooled down and is supposed to stay that way for a few days.

3 of a Kind

These are samples of the last card we will make at my stamp-a-stack on Friday. They all use the same DSP, just different sides. It's retired but who cares! The colours are great: tempting turquoise, green galore, and apricot appeal. I also used the flowers from One of a Kind and the Boho Blossom punch. A couple also use the Word Window punch. These samples show how simple it is to change up a card & make it your own!

Cupcake Case

This is another card we will be making at the stamp-a-stack this Friday. I cased it from Alesha at A Little Scrapbook Therapy (click here to see her card). Please ignore the hideous colouring job on the cupcake stand and the crooked sentiment. I was in a hurry to finish it and made a mess! Ugggh! I am somewhat of a perfectionist and that kind of stuff drives me nuts. Looking forward to making a new one on Friday! Colours are Bermuda Bay with Melon Mambo and basic black. I also added some Crystal Effects to each of the cherries on the tops of the cupcakes. I think this would look good with some kind of texture on the Melon Mambo layer...polka dots or something might be fun.

Beer & Football

Here is another card we will be making at this Friday's birthday stamp-a-stack. A truly masculine card...beer & football! The card is whisper white with a layer of kraft that I ran thru the Big Shot using one of the texturz plates and tore at the bottom. The footballs (from Just Football) are stamped in Close to Cocoa and the beer in black. I used my pastels in More Mustard to colour the beer. They are punched with the 1 1/4" square and the small tag and then layered over the larger punches. Finally, I used some black twine to finish it off. Oh, and the sentiment is from the Family Phrases set. I also used the "Cheers to you" sentiment on the inside.

Decor Elements!

I am so happy with how these turned out...I must get more! I put these butterflies from the Stampin' Up decor elements line up in Jenna's room this afternoon. It was so quick and easy. I have decided I am going to buy 2 more packages and take them up and over her door and to the next wall. I am also going to get more for other places in the house. These are the medium Flutter butterflies.

My Family

Just had to share these pics of our family that we had taken on Thursday night at the Karting for Cancer fundraiser my husband held. :)

So Proud

No time to stamp these days. We had hyrdoseeding done on Monday and I have been spending the better part of my days watering. It has been hot here all week (between 28 and 32 degrees Celcius which is about 82-90 for my American friends) and we have had no rain. But there is some in the forecast for tonight so my fingers are crossed!

Anyway, the 2nd picture was taken yesterday at the Rexall Edmonton Indy. My husband and son shaved their heads as part of a cancer fundraiser. My son's friend was diagnosed with cancer this spring; that's them in the top pic. My husband's company is sponsoring Alex Tagliani's car this weekend so we had Alex out to the event. Yesterday we spent some time at the track and were even able to tour his trailer and hang out there. Very cool! He is a super guy and we sure hope he does well on Sunday. The kids and I may head out again tomorrow to watch.

New Ribbon is Ready

If you ordered a ribbon share it is ready to go! I used to cut the ribbon and put it in a ziplock bag. Wasn't very pretty. Then I saw this idea on a couple of blogs and thought it was fantastic. I just used the heavy cardstock that comes with the designer paper. I cut it 3" wide for a single share (3 yards) and 6" wide for a double (6 yards). I used my 1" circle punch to punch out the notches. I didn't measure; just eyeballed it. It was so easy and looks great. I will do another share if I get at least 4 more people interested. You get 3 yards of each of these great new colours for just $20. (Canada only) You can either pick it up from me or I will mail it right to you for an additional $2.

It is a cool and rainy day here so I expect to do some stamping. I also promised my daughter I would show her how to use the sewing machine. Now that I have a huge studio I can leave it set up and use it for card and scrapbooking. Yay! Hope you have a great day.

Wow!

I just got a sneak peak at the new 2009 Holiday Mini Catalogue and all I can say is WOW! There are hostess sets (including a snowman...yay!), amazing holiday stamps, designer paper, a digital scrapbooking kit and Build-A-Bear stamps and dies for the Big Shot. It is amazing!

Stampin' Up also has a great deal of the week! I know I will be getting some of these great brads. I have the circle ones but have not gotten around to getting the squares so this is the perfect opportunity. I am placing an order on Saturday so please let me know if you want to order anything.

SAS Spoiler

We will {likely} be making this card at my upcoming birthday stamp-a-stack on July 31. I say likely because I could change my mind at any time! I got the idea from Splitcoaststampers but made a few little changes. This is the first time I have done the "rock and roll" technique. It is so easy and I think my stampers will like it. To do it just ink up your stamp in one colour and then rock and roll the edges in a darker colour. The results are awesome. Just be sure to stamp with the lighter colour first so you do not ruin your ink pads!

The stamp set is Priceless (along with the "wish big" from Short & Sweet). Colours are Pretty in Pink, Lovely Lavender, and Certainly Celery. I used Dazzling Diamonds in the centre of each lavender flower and used the piercing tool to create the butterfly's flight pattern. I would like to try this card in a couple different colour combinations.

Beary Cute

I just love this Bear from Under the Stars. I made these 2 cards while trying to come up with a Stamp-a-Stack card. Neither one is quite right but I am getting there. I have a hard time coming up with SAS cards as I can't quite keep them simple enough. Both have elements from cards I saw on Splitcoaststampers. The top one uses one of the texturz plates from SU and the cutter kit to rough the edges. I love that thing! The second one uses the Sanded background stamp and the letter and number are from Simple Serif Mini Alphabet & Numbers which is apparently now retired since I could not find it in my current catalogue. Bummer. Anyway, Both cards use Very Vanilla and Close to Cocoa. The top one uses a small piece of Creamy Caramel for the oval layer and the bottom one uses Really Rust. Both bears are colored with pastels. I like these because they work for anyone...kids, guys, and ladies, too!

Jenna's Card

This is my seven year old daughter Jenna's version of my card from yesterday. Isn't it gorgeous? I love the colours and how the pink and blue mixed to make purple. It uses Melon Mambo and Bermuda Bay with Garden Green for the stem & leaves. She is very proud of her card and was so excited to hear I was going to put it on my blog. "But you're going to say that I made it, right?" was her first reaction! Gotta love kids!