A New Ink on Life

ARRRRRRR!

 
Just a quick post today but I wanted to share a page I did of my youngest's Halloween costume! I just love how quick and easy it is to create a scrapbook page in the MY DIGITAL STUDIO program from Stampin' Up! Although I must admit I did do lots of "fussing" over this page, but so worth it for the result! I changed the picture from colour to black and white and played around with the different "textures" you can add to the page with the virtual stamp sets and punches. What is also great is that SU! has released some more digital downloads to add to the program and they are great Christmas themed ones-perfect for this time of year. You can check out all the amazing images and accessories that are included in this program by viewing them HERE.

I must admit that after this Halloween I think it is becoming my favourite time of year! There is quite the story behind my little one's costume as I had a very cute pink poodle one already for her to wear but when she saw her older brother and sister's costume she wanted to be an "arrrrrr" too lol! You can click on the picture to view it larger and see the journaling. So this was what I quickly came up with on Halloween day and she too was a pirate. I will share a few pages of the others kids and the three of them together over the next few days-they are way too cute!

If you have any question about this page and what papers and accessories I used from the program please feel free to send me an email.

Have a great day and happy creating!

Christmas Cheer

 I know you are probably thinking what is up with the post title? Well anytime I receive a gift card it usually gets a big cheer from especially if it's to my favourite spa lol! Seriously though, they have a great challenge going on over at the PPA blog for creating a project with a Christmas theme so I made this gift card holder with my stamp club this month. I love how quick and easy these holders come together and decided for this one I would use the traditional colours of green and red. Old Olive and Real Red are such perfect colours together and really impart that Christmasy feeling. Of course I could not make something with out using Chocolate Chip and love how it creates a more mordern twist on a traditional colour combination.  I used a few different stamp sets to create the images and sentiments for this gift card holder. The snowflake and and  mini poinsettia swirls are from the Level 1 Hostess set Pattern Pines currently found in our Holiday Mini. The large sentiment is from the beautiful A Cardinal Christmas and the To/From from the Level 2 Hostess set Christmas Punch.

Well that's it short and sweet lol! I know that the directions for making one of these types of gift card holders are all over the internet so I'm not going to post the dimensions but if you have any questions I'd be more than happy to share!

Happy Stampin'!

Simple Box and Notes Stamp Club Project

 

 

  Here is a close up of the bow that I made on the note card. I love Stampin' Up's Whisper White Note Cards as they come in a pack of 20 with envelopes for only $8.95! And with them measuring 3 1/2 x 5 they make such a quick cute card! My club ladies are always complaining about how they hate to tie bows but love having ribbon on there cards. For this bow I just used 3 different size pieces.

I wrapped a 4" piece of Real Red Grosgrain Ribbon around the Christmas Cocoa DSP and then folded another 4" piece over on both ends attching it to it's self with Mini Glue Dots. Next I used a 3" piece and did the same thing but also attached it to the other looped piece with the glue dots, put a white button from the Button Latte pack stuck it on with those fabulous glue dots! Easy Peasy and the result is so pretty!

I designed the box to match the card and can easily hold 8 cards with envelopes! For the main image the Cardinal from A Cardinal Christmas was used and the base of the box is Soft Suede Cardstock and Christmas Cocoa Speciality Designer Series Paper-one of my favourites! The lid is made from Real Red Cardstock and embossed using the Big Shot and the exclusive Petals a Plenty Folder. And the yummy Satin White Ribbon was used to tie it shut. This would make a great gift filled with thank you notes or all occasion cards.

Hope everyone is enjoying there day and "see" you soon!
  
 
 

It's My Day!

 

 

   

Here's a sneak peek of my project that is posted on UStamp with Dawn and Friends today. Looks cool right? Well the best part is when you open it, but you have to join to find out! There is still time to sign up and you will have acess to 28 different tutorials for the next few months.

Have a great day and I have some more gift giving ideas coming your way tomorrow!
 

Making New Friends and a Special Gift

     
  
  
Just in case nobody has noticed, I just LOVE this stamp set! So when I joined an international swap through UStamp I just knew Friends 24-7 was the stamp set to use. One of the best parts for me about  being a part of UStamp with Dawn and Friends is not only do I get to be on a design team with amazingly talented designers I have made some fabulous new friends who are just as crazy about Stampin' Up! and paper crafting as I am!

This card was made for my swap sister Dee and I thought the sentiment was just perfect for the occasion and I just love using the edge of the Curly Label Punch to create the decorative edge on the Sahara Sand piece that the sentiment is stamp on. It's so simple to do but adds so much. The base of the card is Confetti White cardstock and I randomly stamped the damask image with Sahara Sand Classic Ink. I then stamped the flowers on Water Colour Paper with Basic Brown Classic Ink and water coloured it using Always Artichoke, Cameo Coral and Regal Rose Stampin' Write Markers and my Aqua Painter. The matte is a piece of Textured Soft Suede Cardstock and I then attached two Kraft Corduroy Brads. I love those yummy brads and buttoms-definately a must have! The circles are cut out using my Circle Scissors Plus and Glass Mat and the bird image was stamped using Soft Suede Classic Ink. I did a lot of sponging on the card with Close to Cocoa Classic ink to give it a classic vintage look. Oh and of course I used the detressing tool from the Cutter Kit; a tool I can not live with out!

This is the Skinny Tin that I sent her gift items in. You can purchase these tins in the SU! Clearance Rack section of my WEBSITE here. I wish I had gotten a better picture before I had to send it off, I embossed the snowflakes from the Serene Snowflakes with Silver Embossing Powder on the front of the tin,then decorated it with the beautiful Christmas Cocoa Specialty Paper and the awesome Merry and Bright Rub-Ons both found in the Holiday Mini Catalogue.

And these are the goodies I put inside! Again I used the Merry and Bright Rub-ons, Specialty paper (this time I used the Flocked pattern-it's so soft!), Ornament punch and  and coordinating cardstock. Wow I barely did any stamping on this whole project! I must say the Rub-Ons are a fantastic and quick way to whip up a card or gift item. You can view a jar that I made using the same papers and Rub-ons pack in this post HERE. Oh and those cute little tags were made using my Sizzix Big Shot Machine-the ultimate tool for any paper crafter and SU! exclusive Two Tags Die. 

Dee received her package yesturday and I am so glad to have made it for her. Have a great day evryone and happy stampin'!

Holiday Stamp- a -Stack

     

Wow things have been crazy around here but I promise I will have a whole lot of new projects posted over the next week that you are going to love! 

Just wanted to share some cards from my upcoming Christmas card class. I am so excited to be able to host a Stamp a Stack class at a local school again this year. We will be having a whole lot of fun with Christmas tunes, refreshments and of course Door prizes!

If you live locally and are interested in attending this class please check out my demonstrator website HERE for all the details.

 

This card uses the Delightful Decorations Stamp Set, and matching Ornament Punch from Stampin' Up's Holiday Mini and the beautiful Platnium Shimmer Paint. Oh and the flocked Cocoa Specialty Paper is heavenly!

 

This one has the beautiful image from A Cardinal Christmas Stamp Set and was inspired by the amazing Andrea Walford.
 

I really am out of my comfort zone with this card and was inspired by one made by the very talented Heather Summers. I just love the Serene Snowflakes Stamp Set, also from the Holiday Mini. The combination of the blues, purples and silver is so striking. 

 This final card is made with one of the first stamp sets that I had ever bought! Season of Joy is a wonderful Christmas set and and has such beautiful images. I just love the way SU! exclusive Petals- a- Plenty Textured Impressions Folder for the Big Shot matches the flowers on the image.

Thanks for stopping by and look forward to sharing more holiday idea this week!

 

Think Pink

  

 Well here I am finally posting, such as life is, it has been a crazy busy week and a half and with my little one sick all of my time has been spent tending to her. Enough about that, I am so excited I finally got to stamp today, although it was a quick card and was made because my daughter needed a birthday card for a party that she was going to tonight. I went to one of my favourite challenge blogs Pals Paper Arts for inspiration and this weeks challenge is "In The Pink", in support of Breast Cancer Awareness. And what girl wouldn't like to recieve a pretty pink card?!

I started with a Kraft cardstock base for a very clean and simple look plus I really love Kraft. The Designer Series Paper is from the Pink Flamingo pack and unfortunately because the lighting was not great I don't think you can see in the picture, but I used my Paper Crimper on it to give some texture to the design. Then I pulled out one of the first stamp sets I ever purchased; Garden Whimsy. I just love the whimsical images in this set with all the light swirls and dots. The butterfly was stamped using one of the very first techniques that I learned as a new demonstrator (2 years ago yesterday since I held my first stamp and signed up on the spot!); the Rockn' Roll Technique. I remember being wowed when I first saw this done, even now it is sometimes fun to go back to the basics. The two colours I used were Pretty In PInk Classic Ink then I lighty rocked the edges of the inked image in Cameo Coral Classic Ink. I stamped the butterfly slightly of the paper on Whisper White and the matted it on Cameo Coral. Then using my Eyelet Border Punch I created a decorative edge from Whisper White and attached it to the right side of the matt. And my favourite part of this card has to be the Pretty In Pink Taffeta Ribbon. I used my Sticky Strip to bunch up the ribbon and attach it to the card. The Kraft Corduroy Button was threaded with a very thin strip of Chocolate Chip Cardstock and attached with a Dimensional. "Friend to Friend" is from the stamp set Teeny Tiny Wishes and was inked up with Chocolate Chip Classic Ink.

There you have it a quick Pink card and finally a post. I really hope to get back to a regular posting schedule soon. Thank you for visiting and be sure to check out the PPA Challenge this week as they are giving away some great Blog Candy and raising awareness for the fight against Breat Cancer. 

Enjoy Today

 

I just love the Holiday Mini and in my opinion is anything but Mini! There are so many beautiful stamp sets and accessories that it was hard for me to narrow down what I was going to order from it- so I basically had to get it all! (NO,no I did refrain-some.)  But I knew as soon as I saw the set Autumn Splendour I just had to get it. What I really like is the versatility of the leaf images and because they are line art you could get a really beautiful result watercolouring them as well. For this card I just chose to stamp them in the colours More Mustard, Dusty Durango and Crushed Curry with Classic Ink. Fall is such a gorgeous time of year and I really wanted to capture it with this card-all too often we hurry through the day consumed by a list of things to do and don't take the time to enjoy today. Lately I have really being feeling that way so I am on a mission to learn how to work SMARTER-NOT HARDER and enjoy more of the blessings I have around me! (Yeah I know it will be hard but I AM determined to get more organized LOL!)

This card starts off with a base of Confetti White Cardstock that I stamped first using my Woodgrain Background and Creamy Caramel Classic Ink I then stamped the leave images over top. For the main image layer I wanted to incorporate added texture and did this by first crinkling up a piece of Soft Suede Cardstock really well. I then carefully peeled back one of the corners and separated the cardstock, being left with two pieces that were almost "sueded" looking on one side. This is called the " FAUX SUEDE" technique and was the first time I had tried it. I have got to say it really works with this type of card and will being doing it again, plus I am left with 2 pieces to play with instead of one! The sentiment is from the set Hope Happens and was inked up using More Mustard and stamped on Confetti White and I lightly sponged Soft Suede Ink all over. I think one of the best elements on this card are the little Acorns because they were stamped on SU!'s really cool Wood Sheets then punched out with the 1 1/4 Circle punch. I sponged the edges of the circle with More Mustard. These Wood Sheets are just so fun to work with and can easily be cut to size using SU!'s Table Top Cutter, punched out or ran through the Big Shot. I also just had to add some Dusty Durango Polka Dot Ribbon,Vintage Brads and Linen Thread to finish the card off. The panel was then attached to the card base with Dimensionals.

Hope you take the time to ENJOY your day and thank you for stopping by!
   
 

Ustamp Pass Winners and My Lil' Pumpkins!

 
 
  
Okay is this not just the cutest?! I know I am biased but I just love these pictures of my "little pumpkins!" Today Stampin' Up! released New Digital Downloads for the My Digital program and I just knew that they would be perfect for these pictures that were taken this past weekend at the pumpkin patch. The new downloads include CAST A SPELL DESIGNER PAPER and PUMPKIN PATCH STAMP SET that I have used here, as well as a few others. Be sure to check out my WEBSITE to view all the new downloads and while you are there don't forget to check out the current CLEARANCE RACK items-there are some really great deals!  Well we all had a great time and picked out our pumpkins that we will carve a few days before Halloween. And the kids just love all the farm annimals, especially the baby bunnies. They were sooo cute and only three weeks old. I lots more pictures from our weekend adventure and will have more pages to show later that are just as cute LOL!

So now on to the fun part-THE USTAMP PASS WINNERS! I just loved reading all of the comments left about your holiday traditions and want to thank you all for sharring them. There are definately some that I will add to my tradition list for this year too!

I used Random Generator.Org and if I wasn't so technically challenged I would post the result here from the website, but since I am challenge (technically and other wise lol!) I will just have to post the numbers here....... 6  and 14

Ilene B. said:

Our tradition now since our sons have their own families is Christmas Eve dinner and opening gifts. Thanks for the chance to win the pass to UStamp, it's an awesome prize!

Joanne Murray said:

My favourite holiday tradition is the 'treasure box'. On Christmas eve, we have a chest filled with little goodies for each person at supper. The hostess goes around the table with the chest, giving each person their treat. It's so much fun!

Yippee ladies! Please email me so I can get you your "pass" as UStamps starts tomorrow! Can't wait to "see" you there. And I hope that those of you that did not win will join us as well. It will be so much fun to "stamp" with new friends from around the world!

Have great day everyone!

Tick or Treat- Yummy Blog Candy

 
Okay well it may not actually be candy but I know you will love it anyway! (and yes there is still REAL candy at the end of this post with the cute and easy treat holder I made with my Stamp Club this month)What could be better than a free pass to UStamp with Dawn and Friends?  Having 2 to give away! Yes that's right Dawn has given me TWO FREE passes this time and let me tell you, you will not want to miss this event. I am so excited and blessed to again be on the design team as a Creative Crew Girl besides the likes of Becky Roberts and Linda Hansen and so many other talented Designers.  The projects this round are simply AMAZING as always but not only that, this time they are all geared towards the Holidays so what better time than know to join the fun!

What is UStamp you ask? For those of you that may not know you can visit HERE to learn all about it. But if I was to sum it up in just a few words I would have to say-FUN, SHARING, FRIENDSHIP and of course STAMPIN' UP! Projects.

So all you have to do to enter is answer the following question and leave your answer in the COMMENTS section:

"What is your favourite Holiday Tradition that you share/do with your family?" 

Mine would have to be decorating the tree with the kids. Although I must admit that after they go to bed I do move a "few" of the decorations around LOL! But the "stress" of it not being perfect is so worth the look on their faces when it is all done and we turn on the lights-priceless!

Can't wait to read all your answers BUT REMEMBER you have only from now until the night of Wednesday OCT. 14th to enter and then I will randomly draw TWO people to recieve a FREE PASS!

Now on to my cute Halloween Treat Holder. This little matchbook is so quick and easy to make and I couldn't resist doing a little punch art pumpkin to sit along the bottom of the fence.

      

  

The measurements are really simple and I first saw it HERE on Kristine's blog and just loved how cute and easy it was to make. I changed up the measurements a bit and this is how I made it:
 

My Basic Grey cardrstock measures 3"x8 1/2" Scored at 1,4 3/4 and 5

I used my Frightful Fence Jumbo Wheel to wheel the fence across the front in Basic Black

I used Old Olive and cut the "grass" using the 1 1/4 Square punch alternating the angle of the punch corners to get the jagged shape and sponged it with matching ink. I then attached one piece to the Basic Grey and then the other piece with Dimensionals so my cute little Jack o Lantern could fit between then as if it was sitting on the grass.

For the Jack o Lantern I used Pumpkin Pie and my Large Oval Punch, then sponged all the ovals' edges with Soft Suede ink. The "face" is a stamp from Autumn Harvest.

The sentiment is from the Level 1 Hostess set Holiday Best and I stamped it in Basic Black then punched it out with the Scallop Oval. I then punched Old Olive cardstock out with the Modern Label Punch, cut it in half so it would fit behind the Scallop Oval and achored it with Basic Black Brads.

Thanks for looking and I can't wait to read everyone's comments!