I have a fun treat holder to show you today.  With Halloween quickly approaching this holder is perfect for a few little treats and a special note too.

 
This measures 3.5 x 7 and the top pocket is deep enough to hold a full size candy bar.  I used the smaller candy bars for one simple reason.  If I bought the full size bars I....would eat them.  There is less guilt in eating the bite-size bars :)

 
The bottom pocket is 3" deep - ample room for a spooky sentiment.

 
I have a template and tutorial that I will post by the weekend.  This is a super-easy project and it only takes a piece of paper measuring 10.5" by 7". 

Off to get ready for my stamp club tomorrow! 

Thanks for visiting.

I spent the last two days with 100 other Stampin' Up! demonstrators at a fun event called Stampcation - an opportunity for demonstrators to relax, have fun and of course, stamp!  I had the privilege of meeting some awesome women who have inspired me for years. It was a really great event.  I know I had fun because now that I'm home, I'm completely exhausted :)

Part of the event included a shoebox swap, which essentially means to create a card that someone else designed and all the essential components to make that card are found in a shoebox (or something similar).  Below is the swap that I brought:

 
This card uses an image from the Countryside stamp set.  I really like the detailed images in this set because they lend themselves so beautifully to watercoloring.  Coloring is so relaxing for me and when using watercolor paper, the process is very forgiving. It's hard to make a mistake with watercolor paper.

 
My favorite element about this card is the Designer Frames embossing folder.  The inside of the oval frame fits the XL Oval punch perfectly!  After I colored the image on watercolor paper, I used the punch and adhered it to the center of the frame.  The other embossing folder using on the card is Perfect Polka Dots. Embossing folders are a quick and easy way to add texture and dimension to your projects. The complete card recipe can be found below.

I have a number of things to show you this week including a clever double pouch candy holder for Halloween. It's super easy to make and works great with Stampin' Up! designer series paper. Come on back and see for yourself!

Thanks for visiting.

 
Card Recipe: Stamps: Countryside; Ink: Black Stazon, Basic Gray, Old Olive, Soft Suede and Bashful Blue; Paper: Watercolor paper, Soft Suede, Old Olive, Early Espresso, and Spice Cake DSP; Accessories: Early Espresso Quilted ribbon, Perfect Polka Dots EF, Designer Frames EF, XL oval punch, and Aquapainter.

I mentioned in yesterday's post that I have been hibernating in my craft room over the last few days finishing up a multitude of projects for various events. Today I want to show you one of the swaps I made for a demonstrator event this weekend.  It was an ambitious swap only because I had so many other projects pending, but I LOVE making the paper medallions so I was determined to get this swap done.

 
Once I was done with this card, I realized there wasn't an ounce of stamping on it!  Yikes!  But, hey, it's got a whole lot of other things going on.  My Big Shot and Simply Scored became my best friends. I'm pleased with the results.  My hope is the swap recipients will like it too. I only had to make 20 of them but midway through the process I had wished I was done.  But, I persevered!  Well...and I recruited the help of my husband.  He wouldn't let me take a picture of him, but not only did he use the Big Shot to cut the "J" and the "Y", but he also folded the majority of the medallions.  He said as long as he could continue to watch football, he would do what he could to help. Deal!!  Best. Husband. Ever.

The medallions were made with 1" x 12" strips of Holly Berry designer series paper.  Using my Simply Scored tool, I made 1/4" score lines along the entire length of the strip.  I made an accordian fold with on each score line and attached the ends together with Sticky Strip.  After carefully forming the paper strip into a medallion, I adhered it to a 1-1/4" circle using hot glue.  This kept the medallion laying flat and it only took less than a minute for the glue to bond.  I then flipped the medallion over and added the center flower which was made from the Boho Blossom punch and the Itty Bitty Shapes punch and secured them together with a mini silver brad. Voila!  A paper medallion!  I suspect you might be seeing a few more of these from me in the future :)

Back to my craft room to finish another project. C'mon back tomorrow to see what else I've been working on.

Until then,

Card Recipe - Stamps: NONE!; Ink: NONE!; Paper: Very Vanilla, Wild Wasabi, Real Red, Holly Berry DSP; Accessories: Simply Scored, Big Shot, Tasteful Trim die, Serif Essentials Alphabet, Backgrounds 1 texture plate, Boho Blossoms punch, Itty Bitty Shapes punch. 1-1/4" circle punch, silver mini brads and glue gun.

I love surprises - especially when they come in the mail. I got one yesterday and it completely made my day. Take a look:

 

This adorable card is from Cassandra.  I met Cassandra and her friend, Carolyn, a few weeks ago.  They located me on the demonstrator locator with Stampin' Up! and since then, we have met a couple of times and they recently attended a Stamping 101 session.

Here's where the "feel good" part of the story comes in.  Cassandra was introduced to Stampin' Up! years ago - like nearly 10 - and she has had some of her former purchases tucked away in a box in the garage. She tells me in her note that as a result of the Stamping 101 class she was "totally re-inspired" to stamp again!  Isn't that awesome? In return, I received this adorable thank you card and she even stamped the INSIDE of the card!  Cassandra, thank YOU for making my day. This was the best piece of mail I've received in weeks.

I have been tucked away in my stamp room over the last 5 days working on various projects.  It's been fun, but I have been scrambling to get everything done!  I have a demonstrator event this weekend so come back tomorrow so I can show you one of the swaps I've been working on.  I even had the husband involved!

Have a great day.

I did something today I have never done before.  I participated in a color challenge.  What is a color challenge?  It's when you are given specific colors to create your project.  Other colors can also be used, but the challenge must include the given colors.  Today's colors are Old Olive, Cajun Craze and Basic Gray.

I found these colors hard to work with for some reason.  Cajun Craze is not a color I'm drawn to so to be "forced" to incorporate it was tough for me.  But, I was up for the challenge and here is what I came up with:

I used the Easy Events stamp set, colored it with a blender pen and ink and popped it up on dimensionals.

 
I also used the Leaves #2 die cut to create a leaf to mimic the leaves on the clock.  In addition, I used the Perfect Polka dots embossing folder to add a little texture.  Fortunately for me, I had some designer series paper that had today's colors in it - Frightful Sight. While the intent of the paper was geared towards Halloween or Fall, the nice thing about Stampin' Up! designer paper is that one of the two sides can generally be used for any occasion.  Today's card is a perfect example.

Thanks for stopping by and taking a look! 

I had the pleasure of crafting with a group of women at the Renaissance Senior Center in Orlando yesterday.  They were so welcoming and made me feel right at home.  The majority of the women were working on scrapbook pages, but there were a couple of card makers too!  It really was a fun way to spend a few hours of my day.  Here's a great group shot of my new friends:

 
I really had no idea what to expect when I got there, but I quickly realized there would be as much socializing as there would be crafting!  I learned some great tips, new product ideas and met some incredibly talented women.  I hope they meant it when they said I was welcome to come back because I will be!

Thank you, Ladies for a great day!  I look forward to seeing you again!

I intended on making a Fall card today but found myself gravitating toward Christmas again.  While I wouldn't initially consider the Creative Elements set  to be a Christmas/Holiday set, the big flourish image was ideal for my background.  I combined this with the Pines and Poinsettias set  from the Stampin' Up! Holiday Mini Catalog.

 
Color was kept to a minimum with the intention of emphasizing the focal point of the pine cones.  It's a little difficult to see in the photo, but if you look closely you can see I used Dazzling Details on the pine cones to give the appearance of snow/ice. And what about that frame?  This is part of a two-piece Big Shot embossing folder set called Designer Frames.  They're so versatile and a lot of fun to use. 

I am invited to a scrapbook crop tomorrow at a local senior community center.  While I don't fit the age requirement, my friend assured me that I would be welcomed anyway.  It will be fun to meet new people and check out their community craft room.  I'm certain these ladies will teach me a thing or two as well.

Thanks for visiting.  Have a great day.

Card Recipe:

Stamps: Creative Elements (122647/122645), Pines and Poinsettias (123764/123762), Four the Holidays (116921); Ink: Soft Suede, Cherry Cobbler, Garden Green; Paper: Very Vanilla, Cherry Cobbler, Soft Suede; Accessories: 1-1/4" circle punch, 1-3/8" circle punch, designer frames EF (123130), Cherry Cobbler seam binding (120992) and Dazzling Details (124117)

The stamp set, Not So Seriously, cracks me up.  It has sarcasm, humor and some great images. It's a perfect set for making cards that are to be light-hearted and fun.  I made this thank you card for a new friend and customer (Hi Carolyn!).  She's young and hip and I thought she would find humor in it.

 
With a bit of watercoloring and paper piecing, I think my little lady came out pretty snazzy. Her dress is made from the Cheerful Treat hostess designer paper and the image is stamped on watercolor paper.  The addition of a few accessories like mini brads, 1-1/4" striped grosgrain ribbon and dotted scalloped ribbon border punch all added texture and interest. 

Here's a better look at her dress:

 And, here's a quick look on the inside:

 
 
Thanks for stopping by today.  Have a great day!

 
Card Recipe:

Stamps: Not So Seriously; Ink: Black Stazon, Crumb Cake, Chocolate Chip, Melon Mambo; Paper:Basic Black, Whisper White, Cheerful Treat DSP, watercolor paper; Accessories: mini brads, 1-1/4" striped grosgrain ribbon, dotted scalloped ribbon border punch, perfect polka dots embossing folder, big shot.

I'm having a hard time deciding what holiday to focus on these days. While Halloween is coming first, I have managed to skip over three months and jump right to Christmas and Hanukkah!  That's alright...I'll get to Halloween shortly.

Jan Tink made a beautiful holiday card using traditional Christmas colors.  I loved her layout and especially the use of the stocking builder punch (124095). I cased her card, but instead of using the usual green and red, I wanted something more feminine - something Victorian.

Pink is my favorite color and for years I put up a Victorian Christmas tree.  It had beautiful pink and white lights, amazing vintage ornaments and all things girly.  It was my favorite tree. This card reminded me of my Christmas tree from days gone by.

In Jan's original card, she had the stocking hanging from a snowflake.  Since I live in Florida and don't intend to see a snowflake at Christmas, I used the flower from the Blossom Bouquet Triple Layer punch instead. The snowflake on the stocking is about as close to snow as I want to get.

A fun, new product in the Stampin' Up! Holiday mini catalog is Dazzling Details (#124117).  For only $2.50 you can add a whole lot of bling to your projects.  Here is a close-up of where I used some:

 
Left alone to dry a few minutes, Dazzling Details creates dimensional sparkle with no mess.  It has a great narrow tip that makes applying it very easy.

For the complete card receipe, please see below.

To place an order in my on-line store, please click here.  Don't forget to check out the Clearance Rack while you are there!  There are some great bargains to be found.

Thank you for visiting!

Recipe:

Stamps: Stitched Stockings (123784/123782), Holiday Happiness - sentiment (120792/120786); Ink: Soft Suede, Pink Pirouette; Paper: Soft Suede, Pink Pirouette, Very Vanilla and Beau Chateau DSP (122357); Accessories: Chantilly ribbon (118480), Dazzling Details (124117) and Blossom Bouquet Triple Layer punch (122464).

After weeks and weeks of thinking about it, I finally made time to participate in card sketch challenge.  The sketch I followed today was from Create with Connie and Mary.  It's an awesome sketch and I knew exactly what stamp I was going to use when I saw it.

 
 
I finally inked up the Shalom stamp (#121315), available on pg. 19 of the Stampin' Up! Idea Book and Catalog.  This stamp is so pretty, I have a dozen ideas running through my head on how to use it. In addition, I finally broke into my new Silver Glimmer Paper (#124005)!  Wow, this paper is so nice to work with...and, the glitter stays in place!

For some added interest, I pleated the Marina Mist patterns DSP (#117152) along the bottom using my new Simply Scored Scoring Tool (#1222334) and then wrapped a piece of 5/8" white organza ribbon (# 114319) along the middle and secured it with an antique brad (#117273).

To order any of these items or to check out other great items in the Stampin' Up! Idea Book and Catalog, click HEREto go to my on-line store.

Thanks for visiting.