With Sympathy Card with Sneak Peeks!

There is new stuff coming!! The Occasions Mini starts on January 4th, and boy, are there some great things in store for all of us!
I got my box of pre-order  goodies the first week of December and have been dabbling with the new stuff ever since. I am in LOVE with the Labels Framelits dies.

This is the first project I made with my new goodies. Someone had just ordered a sympathy card, and this was just perfect. The sentiment is from a retired hostess set from a few years ago, but the rest is NEW! I was able to cut the card base with the new dies to create a fun shaped card. SO much potential with these lovelies :)
I stamped the main image in Early Espresso on a scrap of Daffodil and then trimmed out the banner, then stamped the sentiment on it. It is popped up on dimensionals also. Lots of layers on this card. I ♥ layers.

• Stamps: Apothecary Art, Warmest Regards (retired), Woodgrain BG
• Paper: Crumb Cake, Early Espresso, Naturals White, Daffodil Delight
• Ink: Stazon Jet Black, Crumb Cake, Daffodil Delight
• Other: Gold Lame' Smooch Pearlized Accent Ink, Big Shot with Labels Framelits, Stampin' Dimensionals, Sponge, Champagne Mist Shimmer Paint

It does fit nicely in an envelope also.
I believe this ended up going to the widow of one of the police officers that worked in the ER I work in. He had retired last year and had advanced Parkinsons disease. His widow is one of our receptionists and it has been a really tough year for her.

Ok, now on to some fun news!! The Stampin' Addicts Occasions Mini Blog Hop starts on Friday! Be sure to come back for all of the amazing projects with all sneak peeks of the goodness to come!!

  http://www.stampinaddicts.com/forums/general-stampin-talk/8666-join-us-2011-occasions-mini-blog-hop.html

Merry Christmas Every One!

Well, I hope it has been a very Merry Christmas for everyone! I know it has been for us. We spent Christmas Eve at the Neyssen's (Jamie's mom & stepdad) and nearly everyone was there. Amazing! It was so fun watching the little kids open their presents, and holding the new baby, Madison. She is 1 month old, and so sweet! And I have been trying to get a good family photo for our Christmas card this year, and I finally got one! This evening jsut as the sun was going down, lol!

Here we all are. We are all smiling and not wearing our coats at 31° F. Yup, we are Minnesotans :)

And who can resist this face! Shelby got blocked in between the piano and the tree as we were passing out the presents. What a sad little puppy dog face!

And what is a post without a little project. I made this little purse last month with some of the scrumptious Spice Cake fabric and lined it with muslin. my Amazon Fire fits in it quite well :)

Inside there are a couple of nifty pockets. I was able to use just one fat quarter of this print to make the bag. So cool :) I found the pattern on Etsy.com

Ok, time for this girl to go to bed... I must work in the morning and 5:30 comes mighty early :)

Frosty Gift Card Holder

Well, I just finished one of the many Christmas celebrations for this season! This one was with my Mom's side of the family. It was my turn to host this year and my house got a cleaning it had been sorely needing for a long time now. You know, stamping usually takes priority over scrubbing walls and cupboards ;)

And now it is time to get back to stamping! I got a great big box full of pre-order goodness earlier this week and have not had a chance to do more than assemble the stamp sets (all 15 of them), put everything away, and make a sympathy card for a co-worker (she needed to give someone else the card).

I did want to show you more of what we did at club this month also. This is a gift card holder I came up with.

I used the prongs of a mini brad for the closure, which works really well! The embossing was so yummy on the card we made, I just had to keep using it :) There is White and Pewter on this card.

• Stamps: Snow Swirled
• Paper: Bashful Blue, Whisper White
• Ink: Bashful Blue, Whisper White, Versamark
• Other: Simply Scored, Decorative Label punch, Corner Rounder punch, Paper Piercer and Mat Pack, Silver Mini Brad, Embossing Buddy, White Detail embossing powder, Pewter embossing powder, Heat Gun, Stampin' Dimensionals, Big Shot with Snow Burst embossing folder

Here is the inside of the gift card holder. It is very easy to make, so you could make as many as you need for the season very quickly!

For the gift card, you will score across the bottom 1" from the edge, then at 1" and 4¾" the other direction. 

You can get 3 gift cards from one 8½x11 sheet of paper with this template. I hope you all have fun making these!

December Club Card & We Have a Winner!

First off, the winner for the Blog Candy is Miriam Pratner! Congratulations Miriam! Be sure to email your mailing address to me so we can send your candy :)

I got a little carried away with the embossing this month, but is sure is pretty! I couldn't resist adding more stuff either. Those little joggle bells were just begging to be used. :)

Don't mind the wet corner... and don't leave your projects on the kitchen table. Bad things happen to paper on kitchen tables....
This was a great way to do some emboss resist.  When I finished this, I just had to add the white sowflake in the middle. The snowflake told me so. ;)

• Stamps: Winter Post, Christmas Greetins
• Paper: Crumb Cake, Old Olive, Whisper White
• Ink: Versamark, Old Olive, Tempting Turquoise, Real Red
• Other: Cherry Cobbler Baker's Twine, Mini Jingle Bells, Square punch (any size will work), sponges, Stampin Dimensionals, Corner Rounder punch, Big Shot with Northern Frost die, needle, Embossing Buddy, Heat Gun, Pewter embossing powder

And you get a peek at the inside here. I also stamped the sentiment from Christmas Greetings and embossed that too.

I got my preorder package for the Occasions Mini and Sale-A-Bration today. It is going to be so hard to wait until after Christmas to share stuff with you! I already made one card with my new goodies. I still have to do Christmas stuff yet though, so I better learn to alternate, lol!

USWDAF Blog Hop~CD Envelope Treat Holders

Welcome to the Hop! We are going to blow you away with all of the awesome projects and tutorials this weekend! I am so pleased to be part of this very talented group of women :) Everyone has such amazing ideas!  

Dec 2-4,

2011 Holiday

Up on the Rooftop

Blog Hop!!

* The FABULOUS UStamp with Dawn and Friends!! Design Team will have awesome projects for you to enjoy at their blogs!! 

* Every project will include a link for a downloadable PDF tutorial.

* Every Designer will have BLOG Candy at their blogs and YOU could be a winner!! 

*We will have FUN Creative Challenges where you can share your projects

*LIVE Chats with prizes

* Talent Search...would you like to be considered for a Guest Designer spot for the UStamp with Dawn & Friends!! Design Team?? Get your Holiday MoJo going because details will be announced Dec 2nd.

I am stop #25 on the hop and if you are following in order, you have just come from Betty Traciak's blog where she shows us a gorgeous Window Box Display!

For my projects, we will be using Window CD Envelopes to create treat holders with a gift card holder attached to the back. This gift card holder is also a stand alone project, and we can never have enough ideas for gift card holders, can we?!

This is the first version of the project. Love those little snowmen! They remind me of marshmallows :)

And this the gift card holder on the back. Don't miss the tutorial, I have a nifty idea for the closure!

Here is the second version of this project. I couldn't stop with just one, lol!

And the gift card holder for this one. 

Can't you just see these being used for teacher/coach/busdriver/neighbor gifts?!

As a Special Thank You for stopping by my blog I am giving away BLOG CANDY!!

Please leave a comment about my project to be entered for a chance to win a great goodie bag of current Stampin' Up! products.  I will randomly select a winner to be announced on Tuesday, so please check back to see if you are the lucky recipient!

AND there's MORE...LOTS MORE!! 

• You have the opportunity to get the downloadable PDF Tutorial for my project FREE!! It's a GIFT from UStamp with Dawn and Friends!! Woohoo!! See the blinkie below to access the FREE Blog Hop Website.

• In the Spirit of the Holiday Season, you have the opportunity to get in on "Special Holiday Pricing" for the upcoming UStamp with Dawn and Friends!! SCORE!! Event. The Stampin' Up! Simply Scored Tool is HOT STUFF and SCORE!! will feature 40+ projects, all created using the Simply Scored Tool. SCORE!! is a MUST NOT MISS Event!! See the blinkie below to join and get in on the Early Bird savings.

And now for the most exciting giveaway of the season...

Everyone that joins the new and exciting upcoming event - SCORE!! - with "Special Holiday Pricing" will be entered into a Drawing to win 1 of 3 FREE Passes for an ENTIRE YEAR of UStamp with Dawn and Friends!! events!!

YES!!

You read that right!!

YOU could win a whole year of UStamp with Dawn and Friends!! events FREE!!

***Special Holiday Pricing of just $19.99 ends Dec 8th*** 

Winners will be announced on Friday, Dec 9th. 

  Click the Blinkie below to join SCORE!! with Special Holiday Pricing

and a chance to win a FREE Year of UStamp with Dawn and Friends!! events!! 

Click the blinkie below and you will be taken to

THE UP ON THE ROOFTOP BLOG HOP WEBSITE!!

Of course it's ***FREE*** to join and

there you will find the tutorials for ALL the blog hop projects,

PLUS live chats, challenges and more prizes!!

You will even have an opportunity to be considered for a spot as a Guest Designer!!

Yes!! It is all FREE, so tell all your friends and

join the fun with UStamp with Dawn and Friends!!

Ok, on with the show! You can click on the banner above to get to the tutorials for this event. And to continue on with the hop, use the links below.

Christmas is Coming!

Christmas is coming, Christmas is coming! I love this time of year, but there never seems to be enough time to do all of the things I want to do for Christmas! This is the card we made for November club. We will be having club on Thursday this week for December and I can't wait! More fun with the girls!!

I had just gotten Merry Winter when we had club this month and I couldn't wait to use it. Those little snowmen have been working hard for me too :)

• Stamps: Merry Winter, Borderlines
• Paper: Naturals White, Poppy Parade, Early Espresso, Crumb Cake
• Ink: Poppy Parade, Early Espresso, Whisper White, Poppy Parade DSP
• Other: Scallop border punch, Doily triple punch, 1" circle punch, 2½" circle punch, 2-3/8" Scallop circle punch, Stampin' Dimensionals, Dazzling Details glitter glue, Paper Piercer and Mat Pack

 Love hoe the snowmen sit on the sled! And the polka dots work jsut beautifully on the Crumb Cake strip! I used the Dazzling Details in the centers of the snowflakes, the buttons on the snowmen, and the dangly ends of the snowmens' hats. And of course, I inked all the edges with an Early Espresso marker!

Now, don't forget to come back tomorrow for the UStampwithDawnandFriends Blog Hop. You will not want to miss the fun!

Summer! Matchbox Mini Album

I have a bunch of awesome pictures from a visit with my niece and nephew this summer and I wanted a fun way to share them with their mother. I saw this style mini album on the Workshop Wow DVD I bought at convention this year and it fit the bill.

These colors are just perfect for luscious summer memories :) This one is sized for wallet sized photos, but you could really make it any size. Plus, I just used a leftover from a different project to make the main body of this mini album :) The leftover was 3¼"x11"

1. Score the 11" piece at 4¼", 4½", and 9½".  
2. Stamp with the Woodgrain background stamp.
3. Use the Scallop border punch on the the bottom flap and 1" wide x 3¼" long strips of coordinating colors. Adhere strips to flap.
4. Cut a 3"x3½" piece of Early Espresso. Then a 2¾"x3¼" piece of Naturals White. Stamp the white piece as shown. Adhere this to the front of the matchbook, allowing room for the part that will tuck under the flap.
5. Cut a 1-1/8"x2-3/8" piece of Early Espresso and a 15/16"x2-3/16" piece of Naturals White. Punch corners with Corner Rounder punch. Stamp your title on the white piece and adhere to the Espresso piece. 
6. Punch out 2 of the 4 petal flowers with the Itty Bitty Shapes punch pack 4 petal flower punch. Set flowers on mat pat foam and push down in the centers with the handle end of your paper piercer to add some dimension, adhere to each other offset. Punch out 2 leaves/branch shapes with the Build A Bird punch, trimming off or not punching out most of the long part of the branch. Adhere to the back of the flower. Apply a Rhinestone to the center of the flower. Adhere to the title piece. 
7. Adhere title piece to the mini album cover with Stampin' Dimensionals.
8. Cut out desired number 2¾"x4½" pages, I used 6. Embellish as desired.
9. Fold bottom flap up, insert pages, and tie a ribbon around the flap to secure the flap closed. I then used a little Sticky Strip under the ribbon to ensure it does not slip off. Now you can tuck the cover into the flap!

This will even fit into an A2 envelope! I am sure it will cost extra to mail though :)

Here are all the pages tucked into the mini album. I call this picture Shake Your Booty!! Fun with the Slip-N-Slide.

I did put pictures on both sides of these pages, so there are 12 in this little album. I like it so much, I may have to make one for me! I did have to get 2 of each print, cuz that's how they sell wallet size pics where I get my pics processed. 
Wouldn't this make a wonderful Christmas card for someone special? Different colors and theme of course, lol

• Stamps: Borderlines, Woodgrain BG, Season to Season (retired)
• Paper: Calypso Coral, Lucky Limeade, Poppy Parade, Early Espresso, Naturals White
• Ink: Calypso Coral, Lucky Limeade, Poppy Parade
• Other:  Scallop border punch, Itty Bitty Shapes punch pack, Build A Bird punch, Corner Rounder punch, Mat Stack and Paper Piercer, Lucky Limeade Ruffled ribbon, Basic Jewels Rhinestones, Sticky Strip, Stampin' Dimensionals.

USWDAF Knock Out Punches- To Go Punch Kit

I am excited to share my next project for UStampwithDawnandFriends! It is a really fun and useful project if I do say so myself :)

I frequently bring stamping supplies with me when we go out of town for the weekend to visit family. I do projects with different family members and I just can't stand to be idle, so it gives me something to do while everyone else is taking naps etc :) But I always want punched shapes and punches take up so much space and weight so much! I came up with this solution. I bring pre-punched shapes in neutrals and the colors I am most likely to use and put them in small containers all ready for me to use! I even recycle by reusing existing containers. And there is a gift bag to put them all in if you want to give these away to a crafty friend.
The event this is for is the Knock Out Punches event and it is going full swing right now! My project is being featured today, so if you want the details of how to do it, head on over and get signed up for the Knock Out Punches Event.

Grateful Leaves Tag

As promised, another tag! My hubby says this is too detailed to be just a tag, that it should hang on a banner or something, so that you can use it all season. Wasn't that sweet of him?! It was another use of scraps from my scrap bins, and I thoroughly enjoyed creating it, even the fussy cutting :) I think if I could get away with it, I would probably use the Woodgrain background stamp on every project I ever create. I just get such a warm cozy feel from it! I live in a log house, we have two woodstoves to heat our home, and I grew up in a woodworking household, so it is "ingrained" in me! Get it? Ingrained! I know, I am so corny, but hey, this is my blog. I can be as corny as I want!

The more Mustard shape is actually from the Peekaboo Frames die, and I love that shape. You don't have to use the door :) I am so happy this leaf stamp set made it into the main catty. But I would not be surprised if it retires this year to make room for some other fantastic leaf stamp. They must know by now that I will buy every leaf and snowflake stamp that Stampin' Up! creates. I just cannot help myself! 

I used my blender pen to color the leaves with More Mustard and Cajun Craz and there is still a little bit of Champagne Shimmer Paint on my blender pen from a previous use and it added a touch of shimmer to the leaves that is just perfect in its subtlety. I did not manage to catch it with my camera though.

• Stamps: Autumn Splendor, Grateful Greetings, Woodgrain BG
• Paper: Naturals White, More Mustard, Cajun Craz
• Ink: Early Espresso, Sahara Sand, More Mustard, Cajun Craz
• Other: Scallop Trim border punch, 1¼" Square punch, Corner Rounder punch, Big Shot with Peekaboo Frames die, Sponges, Signo White gel pen, Stampin Dimensionals, Blender Pen

Frosty Pinecone Tag

Almost time to start cranking out those Christmas tags! It is so fun to add a gorgeous tag to a gift to jazz up your presentation and it uses up lots of scraps :)

It's so satisfying to reach into my scrap bin and start pulling out pieces to use on a project, and when they work so well together. And through the magic of punches, this came together VERY quickly. The pinecone image is inked up with markers and a little "snow" was added with the Illumination Top Coat Accent Ink.  I am never so glad for my stash of stamps as Christmas time :) The hole in the top is the circle punch from Itty Bitty Shapes punch pack, which really is a must have.

• Stamps: Pines & Poinsettias, Christmas Greetings, Winter Post
• Paper: Cherry Cobbler, Naturals White, Red Glimmer paper
• Ink: Cherry Cobbler, Garden Green, Chocolate Chip
• Other: Scallop Trim border punch, 2-3/8" Scallop punch, 1¾" circle punch, Scallop border punch, Itty Bitty Shapes punch pack, Stamp-A-Ma-Jig, Cherry Cobbler Baker's Twine, Stampin' Dimensionals, Illumination Top Coat Accent Ink

I tried to catch the shimmery snow on the pinecones, but it looks so much better in real life. There may be more tags making appearances here soon ;)

Tea Stains and Leaves

Playing with leftover buttons, I had to make some birthday cards for this month. I have, sadly, still not sent any of them out...must do that! I also finally started to play with the Distressing Kit. Love It! Knew I would, just didn't pull them out until now :)

I think I may have overdone the distressing ink, and I used the Tea Stain and the Mahogany. Had fun with the different punches too :) How fun is it to find new ways to layer them together for a great focal point?!

This is the inside of the overly distressed one :) I believe I used Bring on the Cake and I think it fits really well.

This is the less distressed version. A little clearer and crisper. I might have to keep one of these to pet :)

Inside is a little more simple too, but I still like it. Really like it! It is not always about the layers :)

•  Stamps: Gently Falling, Bring on the Cake, Happiest Birthday Wishes
• Paper: Naturals White, Soft Suede, Pool Party, River Rock
• Ink: Soft Suede, More Mustard, Pool Party, Pear Pizzazz, Tea Stain, Mahogany
• Other: Big Shot with Buttons #5 die, Designer Label punch, Doily Triple Layer punch, Distressing Essentials kit, Early Espresso Baker's Twine, Stampin' Dimnesionals

Dem Bones, Dem Bones!

Another spooky card for you, since Halloween is almost upon us! I am especially drawn to this skeleton guy, maybe it is my career as a nurse, or the macabre sense of humor I was born with that makes me fit in perfectly with my fellow ER nurses and cops, lol! Just ask us about full moons! Or not ;)

This card was the first one I made with this set. I made it blank so I can use it for whatever I want. Over the Hill birthday, Halloween, or just themed to the season Thinking of you.

I dressed it up a little with the Dazzling Details on the spider web and the Baker's Twine. I cannot believe I lived this long without Baker's Twine! It adds such a great touch without the bulk!!!

• Stamps: Piece of Poison, Wicked Cool
• Paper: Peach Parfait, Soft Suede, Whisper White
• Ink: Peach Parfait, Soft Suede, Early Espresso
• Other: Big Shot with Spiderweb embossing folder, Dazzling Details, Signo white gel pen, Early Espresso Baker's Twine, Champagne Shimmer Paint, Sponge, Stampin' Dimensionals

Spooky Surprise

OK, I am not sure how I missed posting these, but I guess this is a better time to post them than in August anyway! I participated in a swap for the Holiday Mini and I picked Pieces of Poison to do my swaps with. I really wanted to use a few new things and wanted to do something cool with the Peek A Boo die, so I came up with this.

But I realized that we demos want cards we can demonstrate using just one stamp set.. less overwhelming to our customers that way :) I mean, we demos have it all, or almost all. But our customers haven't been converted to demos yet, so they are a little more limited.  So....

This is what I actually did for the swap. Only one stamp set used for the whole thing! I have a thing for Crumb Cake if you all haven't noticed this yet. And I must say, I was mighty pleased with this card :)

The cupboard has some Stripes embossed doors on it complete with little knobs! Those mini brads are awesome! I did some stitching with my sewing machine around the edges for some more detail and texture. Really easy to do now that I moved my sewing machine up to the stamping/crafting area.

There he is, that smiling ghoul to greet you! So let me know which is your favorite!

• Stamps: Hello Doily, Hand-Penned Holidays, Piece of Poison
• Paper: Old Olive, Soft Suede, Crumb Cake, Naturals Ivory, Rich Razzleberry DSP (Bold Pack)
• Ink: Old Olive, Crumb Cake, Early Espresso
• Other: Big Shot with Peekaboo Frames die and Stripes embossing folder, Designer Label punch, 1-1/4" Square punch, Paper Piercer, Silver Mini Brads, Distressing Tool from Cutter Kit, Stampin' Dimensionals

• Stamps: Piece of Poison
• Paper: Old Olive, Soft Suede, Crumb Cake, Naturals Ivory, Rich Razzleberry DSP (Bold Pack)
• Ink: Old Olive, Crumb Cake, Soft Suede
• Other: Big Shot with Peekaboo Frames die and Stripes embossing folder, Designer Label punch, 1-1/4" Square punch, Paper Piercer, Silver Mini Brads, Distressing Tool from Cutter Kit, Stampin' Dimensionals