Razzle,Dazzle Purse

Hi there!  Is it Winter already?  We got about 2 inches of snow yesterday!  It's not even Thanksgiving yet!  What's up with that?  Wednesday our furnace went out (isn't that always the way when it's really cold?).  Bright and early Thursday morning I made calls to find someone to come repair it.  We were actually thinking about replacing the furnace until the guy said it wouldn't be installed until this week.  I don't think so!  A new part was needed, which the repairman had delivered here.  Unfortunately, it didn't fit so we had to go another day without heat until the right part was obtained!  Friday I already had a brunch date planned with some friends.  Let me tell you, getting ready was no picnic - especially getting in and out of the shower!  Brrrr!  When I returned later in the day, we had heat!  Yes, finally!!! 

OK, time to tell you about this adorable little purse, which was made with a paper bag!  You can watch the video directions HERE on Kristin Wilson's blog.  It's easy to make and has a lot of WOW factor.  The fastener/closure was made with the 1-1/4" Scallop Circle Punch by Stampin' Up! using Rich Razzleberry cardstock.  Hadn't used that color forever!  The starburst (or sun) image from Kinda Eclectic was stamped using Rich Razzleberry ink on a scrap of white cardstock.  The center portion of the image was then punched out with a 1" Circle Punch and adhered to the scallop circle.  Of course, a rhinestone had to be added for some bling.  It was just the right accent.  A girls gotta have her bling!  The embossed panel was achieved with the Lovely Lace embossing folder from Stampin' Up!  I've had this folder for several months now - had to blow off the dust.  Lol  This was the first time to use it.  Love it!

That's it for now.  Come back tomorrow and the next few days to check out some projects that I was able to complete over the weekend.  Thanks for stopping by today!  You're always welcome here!

Gorgeous Grunge

Hi there!  Gosh, I can't believe it's already the middle of the week!  I'm on my way out the door so this will be a quick post.  I CASEd this card from Adriana Benetiz click here to see her card using the Gorgeous Grunge set in a unique way.  I wanted more of a starry night feel so chose to use a different color pallet - Marina Mist and Midnight Muse.  The sentiment is from Sweet Essentials and the star image is from Pennant Parade.  I used Dazzling Details on all of the stars except the one by the sentiment, which has a rhinestone.  Then I decided to step it up a bit......

Here a Midnight Muse card base was used for the stepped up version.  I wanted the "streaks" to be more centered and decided to use Dazzling Diamonds on the stars.  Unfortunately, they don't show up very well in the photo.  A rhinestone was still used on the star by the sentiment.

Ok, must get going to visit a friend in the hospital.  Thanks for stopping in today!

Patterned Occasions Get Well

Hi there!  Hope you've had a good week!  The last couple of days got really busy.  I'll post about it later but first, the card.  I totally CASE'd (Copy And Share Everything) this card from Deana Schultz when we Demonstrators were at Pam D'Urso's last month for a stamping weekend.  I don't know if she CASE'd it as well.  It's a quick card, which is always nice.

All Stampin' Up! supplies used unless otherwise noted
Stamps: Patterned Occasions (retired)
Paper: Crumb Cake, Cherry Cobbler, White
Ink: Crumb Cake
Other: Crumb Cake taffeta ribbon, rhinestones

OK, for my story.  Yesterday I was getting things ready for our granddaughter's visit - putting dinner in the crock pot, a bit of housekeeping, and bill paying.  Then hubby's friend stopped by so I visited with him until it was time for me to leave to pick up Miss M.  Later that evening we went to our youngest daughter's softball game.  (31 and still playing softball)  Her fiance was there with their dog, Rocky.  After the game, they stopped by our house to drop off Rocky.  We are dogsitting for the weekend.  Now, for those who know us real well...this is BIG!  We've never had pets - except a gerbil and some fish.  Our son and I have allergies.  I must say that this dog (an English bull dog) has such a cute personality and is well behaved.  Guess who he's been following around?  Yep, me!  He even waits by the door for me when it's shut.  (I don't want him in the rooms where I sleep and work 'cause those allergies never went away!  In fact, I'll be taking some allergy medication before going to bed tonight.)
Today Miss M had to be at her daycare by 10:30 to go on a field trip, I then had lunch with our son, stopped to buy some  printer ink, and the last stop was to get my hair trimmed.  Rocky was so happy to see me.  Guess "grandpa" wasn't giving him much attention.  lol  Kids and dogs, you gotta love them for their unconditional love.

Tomorrow is Sally Nusbaum's shoebox swap.  I'm ready to hang out with my stamping peeps all day!  With that, I'll sign off now to get everything packed.  Have a great weekend and thank you so much for coming by today!

I'm Back With a Get Well Card!

Hi there and happy Friday!  I'm back - for those of you who happen to check my blog!  Things got a bit crazy when I returned home Sunday evening from Pam D'Urso's Little House on the Prairie stamping retreat. We had NO power due to the storm that went through our area last Friday!  (Fortunately, our power was restored Monday evening around 6 pm.)  So I had a lot of catching up to do going through/responding to emails and cutting cardstock for our Card Buffet this coming Sunday.  Sure glad I wasn't around for most of the power outage.  My poor hubby endured those long days and nights with no TV or microwave.  It was more like the real Little House on the Prairie here than at Pam's!  lol 
Speaking of the retreat, we had a blast!  Pam and Steve are the BEST hosts!  Lots of fun, food, laughter, and late nights!  Just love hanging out with these girls!  We had a great time playing Bingo Friday & Saturday nights.  Saturday was our shoebox swap, which is where you provide everything in a shoebox for the others to reproduce your card.  There were also demonstrations using products from the new 2013-14 Stampin' Up! catalog and a couple of fun techniques.  We had it ALL going on!  Besides the shoebox projects,  I made other cards that I am able to share with you.  The one shown above was CASEd (Copy And Share Everything) from Deana Schultz.  Not sure if this was her original design or if she CASEd it.  The Patterned Occasions stamp set was offered as a freebie during Sale-a-bration.  I really didn't get a chance to use this set and lately, there's been a need for get well cards.  Talk about perfect timing!  The supplies are listed below.

All Stampin' Up! supplies used unless otherwise noted.
Stamps: Patterned Occasions
Paper: Crumb Cake, Cherry Cobbler, White
Ink: Crumb Cake
Other: Perfect Polka Dots embossing folder, small heart punch, Crumb Cake taffeta ribbon, rhinestones

That's it for now.  Need to finish cutting paper and packing up for Sunday.  Thanks for your visit today - and every day!  Have a great weekend!

Manhattan Flower Wedding

Hi there!  Hope you're having a great day.  My day started with a migraine but it's better now thanks to medication.  Turning the a/c back on helped some, too.  Tomorrow our temps will be back down in the 70's for a high.  Crazy St Louis weather!
I want to share with you a technique I saw on the TOPICS (Demo only) blog.  It seems most of the members of the TOPICS reside in TX - with Penny Thomas being the "ring leader".  lol  Penny is Pam D'Urso's sister and up-line.  Pam happens to be my up-line.  They are both wonderful people and I am fortunate to have them as friends!  So.... here is the card showing this cool technique using the Manhattan Flower embossing folder as a wedding dress - or a party dress!  This was Jan Spencer's "Project Share" presentation at the TOPICS July meeting.  What a clever idea.  Thank you for sharing, Jan!

When you look at the embossing folder, it is the bottom flower.  You'll have to trim away the top petal to form the bodice.

Stamps: Word Play
Paper:  White, Black, Night & Day DSP (retired - but available in Clearance Rack)
Ink: Black
Other: Manhattan Flower embossing folder, Wide oval punch, rhinestones, pearls, 1/4" black satin ribbon (non-SU!)

Cheers to You

Hi there!  Hope you're having a great week.  I have a quick post showing you an anniversary card I made at Pam D'Urso's Demo Stamp Camp a few months ago.  It is perfect for a special couple who is celebrating their first anniversary on Saturday.

The stamp set and DSP used are now retired.
Stamps: Cheers to You
Paper: White, Beyond the Garden DSP (from the 2011 Summer Mini)
Ink: Black
Other: Black 5/8" satin ribbon, rhinestones, Dazzling Diamonds

Helped my friend, Jayne Singleton, last night at her make n take table at the "Women's Night Out" vendor fair held at the "Y".  It was such a rewarding feeling to see each person's expression when they made a card the first time.  It was a fun evening.

OK need to get back to my projects.  Thanks for stopping by today!

Got My Eye on You, Crow!

Hi there!  Back into the weekly routine today.  Hope everyone had a safe holiday weekend.
Yesterday the weather was great.  Turned off the air and opened the windows.  Even cleaned my stamp room plus a bit of rearranging.   I was also busy working on some stamping projects.  Some can't be shown just yet - they're for Stamp Camp on the 25th.  If you'd like to join us that Sunday, please contact me at the information on the right side bar to reserve your spot.
Here is something I can share with you.  I saw the "eyeball" bubblegum at the store and thought it would look "creepy" in the clear plastic bucket I already had.  Well, I  couldn't stop there.  I had to get my crow ready for Halloween!  

I picked up the crow last week at the craft store on a whim - and the crow from the Holiday Mini in mind.  The Mini catalog crow is all decked out in her Halloween couture.  My crow isn't the flashy type and doesn't have a pretty box to sit on - only a bucket of eyeballs!  I may decorate the bucket later, but for now it is what it is - nothing to crow about!

SU! Products used: Wicked Cool stamps, dotted scalloped ribbon border punch, rhinestones, Itty Bitty punch pack, Newsprint DSP (retired)

Lots to do yet so must run for now.  Thanks for peeking in and have a stampin' good day!

August Stamp Camp Cards

Happy Monday to you!  Hope you had a great weekend.  I certainly did.
Took the trash out earlier and oh my gosh, what a gorgeous day!  Hope you get the chance to enjoy it.

Saturday I had a great group of Stampers and want to take this opportunity to thank everyone again for coming!  You gals are the best!
There were a few "situations" that had to be dealt with but everything worked out in the end.  Whew!

This first card is made from two sets that will no longer be available after Wed - Fabulous Florets and Swirls & Curls Verses.  So if you want these sets, order them now!  If you need a Demonstrator, please contact me at the information on the right side bar.

My friend, Laurie, suggested this card.  I thought it was a nice card... but after making my prototype, I LOVED it!  It ended up being my favorite.  Plus it will fit just about any occasion and it's relatively quick to assemble.  Thanks again, Laurie!

All Stampin' Up! supplies used unless otherwise noted.

Stamps: Fabulous Florets, Swirls & Curls Verses (Both sets only avail until Aug 31, 2011)

Paper: Black, White, Baja Breeze

Ink: Black, Baja Breeze

Tools: Top Note die, Vintage Wallpaper embossing folder, scissors

Other:  1/4” Black ribbon (non-SU), sponges/daubers, dimensionals, glue dots

Inspiration: Debbie Henderson  http://debbiesdesignsblog.blogspot.com  posted Jun 8, 2011

 

Moving on, the next card also showcases a set that will only be available until August 31st. This is Strength & Hope and SU! is donating $2 from the sale of each set to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.  Not only is this for a worthy cause, it is also a beautiful set!

Dawn Griffith was the inspiration behind my card with a little tweaking of the layout.  Love the color combination she used!   

Stamps: Strength & Hope

Paper: White, Pacific Point, Old Olive

Ink: Pacific Point, Old Olive

Tools: Circle punches = 1-1/4” & 1-3/8”

Other:  Rhinestones

Inspiration: Dawn Griffith on www.dawnsstampingthoughts.typepad.com  posted May 4, 2011 

The third card is a birthday card made from the Petal Cone die.  I trimmed off the tab, then cut the cone in half.  The score line of the flap was placed at the 2" mark on the trimmer and the bottom sliced off to make a cupcake liner!  A separate piece of Crumb Cake card stock was run through the Big Shot to make the "frosting".

Stamps: Create a Cupcake, Teeny Tiny Wishes

Paper: White, Pretty in Pink, Very Vanilla, Crumb Cake, Chocolate Chip, Cherry Cobbler

Ink: Crumb Cake, Chocolate Chip, Cherry Cobbler

Tools: Petal Cone Die, crimper, Perfect Polka Dots embossing folder, Dotted Ribbon Scallop border punch, 5/8” circle punch

Other:  Crystal Effects, dimensionals, Black marker, Signo white gel pen, acrylic block

Inspiration:  Diane J Ouellette on “Stampin Connection” April 28, 2011 (Sorry, this is a Demo only web site)

Don't forget to stock up on Designer Series Paper!  The DSP promotion - buy 3 packs, get 1 free also ends on the 31st.

Hope you enjoyed the little tour today.  I'll have the remaining cards tomorrow.  Take care and thanks for peeking in today!

Strength and Hope Great Friend

Happy Friday everyone!  Thought I'd post a card made last week with the Wednesday girls.
A Whisper White 4" x 5-1/4" panel was embossed with the Framed Tulips embossing folder and then layered on an Early Espresso card base.  The focal piece is another layer of Whisper White (edges inked with Cherry Cobbler) on an Early Espresso mat. The butterfly and swirly image are from the "Strength & Hope" stamp set.  The sentiment is from the retired set "Great Friend".  There was some spray used giving it a speckled effect but I don't know the brand or color.  It was something one of the girls had with them.  The color spritzer would achieve the same look but, of course, I didn't have it with me! 

Stampin' Up! supplies used unless otherwise noted.
Stamps - Strength & Hope, Great Friend
Paper - Early Espresso, White
Ink - Bashful Blue, Cherry Cobbler, Night of Navy
Other - Framed Tulips embossing folder, Basic Rhinestones, dimensionals, color spray (non-SU!)

Thanks for coming by today and have a great weekend!