When seeking inspiration at the Target Dollar Spot, do not bring your impatient, quick-to-bore, post-open heart surgery husband with you.  His incessant toe-tapping, pacing and heavy sighs do not bode well for creativity.

I love when things come together.  Creativity has not been my friend lately, so I took matters into my own hands today and went looking for inspiration.  I went to Michael's to see what they were giving away after the holiday and came across the cutest heart-shaped ceramic bowls.  They weren't on sale or in the clearance bin, but they were only a buck a piece!  I <heart> those dollar bins!  They came in 3 colors - red, pink and white.  I bought a red and a white one once I realized how awesome the new rub-ons would look on them.   I've only completed the red one, but wanted to show you what they looked like plain.  They only measure 3x3-1/2, so they are perfect for small gifts for the one you love (or even those you don't love...Oh, I'm just kidding!).

At the top of the bowl, I used one of the small "trims" that came on the rub-on sheet.  It was simple and dainty enough to make a nice accent along the top.  The trim wasn't quite long enough to go all the way around, so I added another sentiment on the back, just to tie things together.   One the front, I added, "The Sweetest Thing" which was a perfect fit for this size bowl and a perfect sentiment for a candy dish.

                                                                                  Here's a tip before you apply your rub-ons.  Make sure you clean or wipe the surface really well to remove any residue or dust.  It will make a big difference as to how well the rub-ons adhere to the surface.

If you've been intimidated by rub-ons up to this point, don't be!  They are so easy to use and add a nice touch to anything with a flat surface.  Stampin' Up! has an awesome assortment of rub-ons in the new catalog.  Give 'em a try!

...my stamping mojo.  I haven't put a stamp to ink in almost a week and my creativity is paying the price.  Has that ever happened to anyone else?    Grrr...it is so frustrating!  I suppose rubber stamping can parallel so many other things in life in that if you don't do it all the time or "practice" consistently you can lose that edge.  Well, I've lost it and am having a hard time finding it!

The bummer about this is that I came into my craft room with the best intentions.  I have new SU stamps and supplies all around me and do you think anything remotely creative could be accomplished?  Not a chance.  This isn't the after Christmas "comeback" I was hoping for, but I suppose something is better than nothing.

I have two cards for you today.  Both use the new Ginger Blossom Designer paper that Stampin' Up! will offer in the new catalog.  I think the new paper is so beautiful and soothing.  The color combinations are great as well.   As you can see, there's not too much to this card, but fortunately with this new paper, it doesn't need a lot (good thing for me since I didn't have much to give).  This uses a new stamp set called Embrace Life.  It's a 5-piece set that will retail for $23.95.  I love the sentiment - "embrace life".  I wish I would remember do to that more often.

The second card uses the same paper  - Ginger Blossom.  Now that I look at it again, I realize the only stamping on this card is the Canvas background stamp - which you can barely see!  Sheesh!  But, I did add a little somethin' extra in the bottom right.  I finally had a chance to play with the Build-a-Brads.  Now these things are COOL!  Take a closer look and you'll see that I used the new rub-ons (the white flowers) on Ruby Red paper then punched them out with the 1/2" circle punch.  I attached the cardstock onto the brad with a glue dot then added acrylic bubble on top.  These things are really clever and add some really great dimension to a card or scrapbook page. 

Thanks for stopping by.  I'm off again to find my mojo.

Things will start to get a little hectic around here starting tomorrow so I wanted to post my final Christmas project tonight while my sanity was still in tact.  This was another project I did as part of a swap a few months ago.  I found these great little dry erase boards at JoAnn's in their dollar bin. They came with the dry erase marker and a couple of magnets.  Using Stampin' Up! Dashing Designer Series paper (now retired) and Sticky Strip, I was able to adhere the paper around the edges and onto the marker.  You probably can't see it very well in the photo, but the marker is also covered in clear beads for an added touch.  The beads were also adhered with Sticky Strip.  The snowman and snowflakes are from the stamp set Merry and Bright that was available in the Holiday Mini Catalog. 

In the lower right corner I added a photo corner using Stampin' Up!'s photo corner punch with a few brads just to balance things out.  The bow at the top is the new 5/8" grosgrain ribbon.  The quality of this ribbon is fantastic and looks great on projects or cards.

So, this is it.  The last of my Christmas posts.  I'll be back after the holiday anxious to show you more of the new stamps and accessories that Stampin' Up! will be releasing in January.  The new catalog is fantastic.  To purchase your own copy of the catalog, contact me today.  You won't want to wait too long to get this in your hands.

I wish all of you a very merry and blessed Christmas.

~Mary Ann

One of the many perks of being a Stampin' Up! demonstrator is a monthly publication we receive that is packed full of ideas and inspiration.  In the stamping world, whenever an idea (not our own) is copied or duplicated we call that a C.A.S.E. which translates to Copy And Share/Steal Everything.  Admittedly, today's post is a C.A.S.E. of a card that was published in that magazine.  I was drawn to this card immediately.  I love the layout, colors and it's simple and clean lines.  My favorite piece of this card?  The rub-ons!  Look closely at the bottom of the card - those adorable flowers are rub-ons!  Stampin' Up! is now carrying a complete line of rub-ons in white and black (one of each color per pack).  All of them coordinate with at least one stamp set in the new catalog and look great on cards, scrapbook pages or home decor items.  These are so much fun to work with.  Do yourselves a favor and try using rub-ons if you haven't already.  They're a great addition to your creation and the possibilities are really endless.

This card also showcases new designer paper (the polka dots) and new stamp sets called Celebrate Everything and A Beautiful Thing.

I'm going to have one more Christmas project to show you before the weekend is over, so be sure to check back.  After the holiday, I look forward to showing you more new products from the Spring/Summer catalog.

Happy Stampin'

~Mary Ann

I had a few more Christmas gifts to get today and one stop included the Verizon store.  While I was cashing out, I was really intrigued by a cute little box they had displayed on the counter.  I finally asked the girl what it was and she told me it was a gift card box.  Take a look:   Is this stinkin' cute or what??  Due to the enormous amount of money I had just given her (that's a different post altogether), she had no problem giving me one (actually two) at my request.  When I got home I tore one apart to take a look at the pattern.  Not too complicated, but the best part was that it fit on a 12x12 piece of paper!  Now before I get inundated with requests for the pattern, I will tell you in all honesty it would be easier for you to get an actual box for yourself from any Verizon outlet. You will need to trace and cut out an unusual pattern and it helps to have the original pattern for it.  So once I got everything traced, cut and scored, look what I was able to come up with! This was relatively easy to make - just a little time consuming with the cutting and scoring, but once I knew what I was doing it came together quickly.  The inside pocket is a lot bigger than it appears and can hold much more than a gift card (or a gift certificate like I used).  It's a very clever design...I wish I came up with it!

Anyway, if you have the opportunity to try this, let me know how yours comes out!  I'd love to hear from you.  For those of you wondering what paper I made this from, I am very excited to tell you this designer paper is from the new Spring/Summer Stampin' Up! catalog and it's called Bali Breeze.  It is SO beautiful.  In fact, all the new papers are awesome.  The new catalog is beyond amazing.  If you haven't reserved a copy of the new catalog with me yet, please do so soon.  I expect to have customer copies within a week.  I will have a separate post regarding the new catalog coming in the next few days.

I will be posting a card I made with a new stamp set and accessories from the new catalog soon.  Check back again to get a sneak peek on some of Stampin' Up!'s new products.

Thanks for stopping by.

~Mary Ann

With only a week or so before Christmas, I recognize I only have a few more days to post my favorite Christmas projects.  Today's cards are cards I made for a demonstrator swap several months ago using the Dashing designer series paper.  This card fold is one of my all-time favorites.  I like this card because it isn't a traditional card fold.  The unique thing about this card is that is offers two "pockets".  The top pocket holds the greeting or sentiment and the bottom "pocket" is the perfect size for a gift card or picture.  I typically put gift cards in mine, but the options are really limitless.  This fold requires a 8.5 x 11 piece of paper and the final card size becomes 5.5 x 4.25 which is the standard A2 card size.  To help secure the card, I attached two jumbo brads along the side.  Both of these Christmas cards also showcase the Merry and Bright stamp set which was offered in the recent Holiday Mini Catalog.  The last card in this post is a double pocket card I made for my neighbor's birthday in October.  I wanted to show you how versatile this fold is for any occasion.

Thanks for stopping by!

~Mary Ann

I am very blessed to have met some fabulous people as a result of my affiliation with Stampin' Up!  I am now into my 6th year with SU! and the friendships I have made are too numerous to count.  Many of my SU friends are scattered about the county and besides email, SU events are the only opportunity we have to see and communicate each other.  One of my dearest SU friends is Kelley.  Kelley is funny, kind, generous, talented and among other things, a source of my inspiration.  Every now and then, I get "surprises" in the mail from her.  Today's featured project was a recent delivery and I am very excited to share it with all of you. 

Just in time for the holiday, check out this Holiday Organizer!

Check out the inside too!  This is where it is REALLY cool...

Can you tell what it's made of?  Any guesses?  It's a regular 'ole, everyday, garden-variety two-pocket folder!  All Kelley did was fold it accordian style and cover it with SU Designer Series Paper (Dashing - my favorite).  Inside each pocket holds valuable information such as a calendar, an envelope for receipts and a pocket for coupons and another pocket to hold lists for your favorite gift recipients.  Who doesn't need one of these at this time of year!  I know I do!

Thank you, Kelly!  You ROCK!

With less than 2 weeks before Christmas, many of you may be to the point of wrapping your gifts.  For a hand-made touch, try one of these simple packaging options.  The box is an origami box (remember all of those origami shapes we used to make as kids??).  Thes best part about this box is that adhesive is optional!  Click here for a step by step tutorial of the origami box.  Once you try it and see how easy it is, you won't stop making them!

The gift tote is a project that I learned at the recent Stampin' Up! Regional convention held here in Orlando.  It is so clever and is perfect for small gifts or even gift cards.  Here's a picture of the inside:

If you are interested in the directions for this tote, leave me a comment below with your email and I will send them to you.  Both of these projects were created using the Blizzard wrapping paper and brown satin ribbon that was available in the holiday mini catalog (now expired) .  The purse handles were secured using Jumbo Eyelets (I love these!).  The snowflake on the front of the purse is chipboard covered in Chocolate Chip craft ink and then embossed with Irridescent Ice embossing powder.  It is SO sparkly in real life (is "sparkly" a real word??) These totes are a little more time consuming than the origami box, but as you can see, the results are worth it.  Here is another one I am working on (still a work in progress) but instead of wrapping paper, I'm using Dashing Desgner paper and red grosgrain ribbon for the handles.

Enjoy!

If you liked these projects, please let me a comment and let me know!

Make sure you check back tomorrow so I can show you an AWESOME holiday organizer my friend, Kelley, made me.  You won't believe what it's made of!!

Stampin' Up! has just released the retiring accessory list from the Fall/Winter catalog.  The items on the list below are available for a LIMITED TIME ONLY!  Because of the limited supply of these items, I will post periodic updates of what is still available.  If there is something on the list that you would like to add to your collection, contact me today at [email protected] so you don't miss out on this last chance opportunity! 

Retired Accessories List

Retired wheels and accessories are available while supplies last, so make sure you place your orders no later than January 1. Items listed in RED are no longer available.
Last updated 12/10/07 at 4:00 PM (MT)