Monday, October 31, 2011

Masculine, Clean and Simple

Just the way I like my man. :-)
This is one one of the cards we're making in the Masculine Cards class later this week. I love the addition of black to make things "pop".  And black and blue look great together....unless it's on my shin. (Note to self: Either figure out how to be less clumsy in the dark, or quit drinking liquids after 6:00 p.m. so you don't have to get up at night.)


Stamps: Totally Tool, Tool Shed
Cardstock: Basic Black, Whisper White, Baja Breeze, Pacific Point, Watercolor Paper
Ink: VersaMark, Jet Black Staz-On, Pacific Point Classic, Daffodil Delight and Basic Gray Stampin' Write Markers
Accessories: Stampin' Sponges, Gold Brads, Stampin' Dimensionals

Thursday, October 27, 2011

Simply Sent Christmas

Here's a quick and very easy card, using the Simply Sent Everyday Elegance note card kit. Remember, there are only four days left on the 'buy two Simply Sent kits, get a stamp set free' deal!


Stamps: Teeny Tiny Wishes
Cardstock: Not Quite Navy, Pocketful of Posies DSP, Simply Sent Everyday Elegance kit, Silver Glimmer Paper
Ink: Not Quite Navy Classic
Accessories: Snowflake Punch, Basic Rhinestone Jewels, Stampin' Dimensionals

Friday, October 21, 2011

Aaand Another Any Hero Card

Here's another Any Hero card made with the digi stamps from K 'n K Designs. Six of these will be shipped to Sandy at OWH tomorrow!

Any Hero Cards

I confess, I haven't been much of a user of digital stamps. I like the hands-on feel of inking up a rubber stamp and carefully positioning it on cardstock. :)  Plus, I'm *ahem*, somewhat addicted to Stampin' Up!

What got me to change my mind was the fundraiser for Operation Write Home going on at K 'n K Designs. ALL of the proceeds from the sales of these specially-designed stamps (minus PayPal fees) will be donated to OWH to help with shipping costs, estimated to be about $13,000 over the next few months!

Well, Operation Write Home is a cause near and very dear to my heart, and the digis were so darn cute, I just couldn't resist. This is one of the images in the bundle. (I added "OWH" to the label using Publisher.) :-) Since my Copics have been seriously neglected for a few months, I used them to color the image, then added Crystal Effects to the spilled water and the dog's nose for some shine. Tucking six of these into the box for OWH!

Notice the little "OWH" on the label? I added that using Publisher. :-D

Christmas in October

Here are my October cards! I'm still on track to have all my Christmas cards finished by next month, so I won't be stressing about them during the holiday hustle and bustle. (Yay me!)

Stamps: Winter Post, Petite Pairs
Cardstock: Cherry Cobbler, Crumb Cake, Shimmery White, Cherry Cobbler DSP
Ink: Jet Black Staz-On, Cherry Cobbler Classic, Crumb Cake Classic, Basic Black Classic, Blush Blossom Stampin' Write Marker
Accessories: Snow Burst embossing folder, Big Shot Die-Cut Machine, Crumb Cake 3/8" Taffeta Ribbon, Basic Rhinestone Jewels, Blender Pens

Thursday, October 20, 2011

10 For 10


Or, Ten 4 Ten....or 10-4-10. Any way you look at it, it's a great deal! This Saturday, October 22nd, at 10:00 a.m. is the 10 for 10 Christmas Card Class. Come and make ten cards for the low price of only $10.00! Everything you need to complete the cards is included, except the adhesive. (Stampin' Up! Snail Adhesive or something similar is recommended.)

Call or email to reserve a spot, so I know how many kits to prepare!

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

SUO Challenge #30 - Treats!

The challenge this week over at SUO Challenges* is to make something to hold a treat. This is definitely the time of year when little edible treats are handed out, and I don't mean just for Halloween, either!

My little pop-up treat started with my trusty Big Shot and the Matchbox Die. That little matchbox is so stinkin' easy to assemble, you could make a bunch of them in no time at all. They could be decorated to use as party favors, or as place markers for your Thanksgiving (or Christmas, or Hanukkah) table, or as wedding favors (tied with a bit of tulle, perhaps). The possibilities are nearly endless!

The Hershey Nuggets tucked inside were wrapped with 1"x3" pieces of Frightful Sight Designer Series Paper. The wrapping slips off to get to the manufacturer's wrapper.

Hershey has a policy about putting "other" wrapping on their products. It's okay as long as it isn't completely adhered over their label, rendering it unreadable by the consumer. You can read more on their policy here.  Just something to keep in mind, if you wanted to sell pre-bagged or packaged goodies at a craft fair or fund raiser!

* If you are considering joinging in any of our challenges, please, please be sure to follow the guidelines and use Stampin' Up! products ONLY! And that doesn't just mean stamps, embellies, and cardstock - it means tools as well. We've had to disregard some fabulous entries because Nestabilities were used (and yes, we can tell), or the entry was posted BEFORE our challenge was posted. Don't let your fabulous creation be disqualified!

Monday, October 17, 2011

Alchemy!

Or, how I turned Silver Mini Bells into gold. Free Smiley Courtesy of www.millan.net

It's really very simple! All you need is a VersaMark pad, Gold Stampin' Emboss Powder, a Heat Tool, tweezers (to save your fingers from certain doom), and Silver Mini Bells.

Grasp the bell (where you would run a string through) and press it firmly on the VersaMark pad. You want to roll it all around so it is completely covered with ink.

Now dip the bell in the Stampin' Emboss Powder. Make sure it is thoroughly covered with the powder.

Heat with a Heat Tool until the powder starts to melt, rotating the bell around to heat all sides.

Voila! You can do it with different colored embossing powder, too.  Want Cherry Cobbler bells for your holiday project? Make 'em! Need a few Melon Mambo bells for a girly project? Make 'em! Your only limitation is the colors of embossing powder.

Now, don't you wish you had ALL the colors? (Pssst! You can order them from my Stampin' Up! website. Click HERE to shop!)

Friday, October 14, 2011

BIG SHOT BLOG HOP!

Greetings, and welcome to the Stampin' Addicts Big Shot Blog Hop! We are featuring some of the wonderful things you can do with this AWESOME tool. After you see the fabulousness, you're gonna want one of your very own, and you can get one for FREE - just ask any of the bloggers on this hop how!!!

I am stop #16 (of 18) and if you are following the hop in order, you just landed here from Tanya's page, where she is featuring the Buttons #5 Die. (Click HERE for the complete list.)

My Big Shot accessory is the Holiday Stocking Die. I love everything about Christmas, and just had to have this die as soon as I saw it! And my first project is a Christmas card (what else?)!
As you can see, the die cuts the stocking, cuff, toe and heel pieces which makes it fun to mix and match. (See those tiny gold bells? I magically turned the silver Mini Jingle Bells into gold. Come back Monday to learn how!)

The next project can be either a gift for someone naughty or nice, or an ornament to decorate a door or tree.
It's fun to use non-traditional colors sometimes, and using Pool Party for Christmas just made me giggle. One doesn't usually associate swimming pools with Christmas.....well, unless you live in the Southern Hemisphere!

My last project shows that this stocking die can be used for more than just the holidays. Here is an adorable baby bootie card that could be used as an announcement, baby shower invite, or a congratulations card.
I've even seen this die turned upside down and made into a stick horse! I had lots more ideas, but ran out of time, so be sure to check back periodically. I may just wow you with this Holiday Stocking Die in the near future!

Thanks for stopping by! Up next is Adriana's blog. She's featuring the Stocking Accents Die, the companion for this one!








This blog hop was organized by the good folks at Stampin Addicts, a friendly forum for folks fond of Stampin' Up! Come join in the mayhem...I mean, fun and creativity!  It's open to demonstrators and and regular stampers - anyone that loves Stampin' Up! Pssst! Be sure to check out the gallery when you're there!

Wednesday, October 5, 2011

SUOC29 - Leaves!

Happy hump day! We're halfway to the weekend, woohoo! DH and I plan to go to the local Oktoberfest, so I'm glad the (much needed) rain that is coming tonight will be gone by then.

This is the card for the SUO Challenge #29, using leaves on your project. They don't have to be autumn leaves, but since this is my favorite time of year, I naturally gravitated toward them!

After heat embossing the leaves and acorns on watercolor paper, I colored them with markers, blending the colors with an Aqua Painter. Then, after drying and cutting out, they were spritzed with Gold Smooch Spritz. The Top Note was dry embossed with the Stripes embossing folder and sponged on the edges with Cajun Craze.

Stamps: Autumn Splendor, Hand-Penned Holidays
Cardstock: Early Espresso, River Rock, Very Vanilla, Well Worn Designer Series Paper
Ink: Early Espresso and Cajun Craze Classic Stampin' Pads, Soft Suede, More Mustard, Tangerine Tango, Cherry Cobbler, and Cajun Craze Stampin' Write Markers
Accessories: Big Shot Die Cut Machine, Top Note Die, Stripes embossing folder, Hemp Twine, Antique Brad, Stampin' Sponges, Stampin' Dimensionals

Sunday, October 2, 2011

WOW!

If you know me, you know how much I love my Big Shot.  Free Smiley Courtesy of www.millan.net  I use it for so many things - from die cuts with the Bigz dies (cuts lots of different materials), to Sizzlits and Embosslits (and Spellbinders dies, too), to embossing with the embossing folders, to inking the embossing folders....you name it, I've done it!  And if you're stumped for ideas about how to use it, come back for the Stampin' Addicts Big Shot Blog Hop Oct. 14-16 for tons of ideas on how to make the most of this fabulous tool!

So, how would you like to get your very own "Mr. Big" for FREE? Just click the image above for more info, or contact me with your phone number and I'll call you!

And to sweeten the deal, I'll throw in a free Stampin' Up!® embossing folder of your choice to get you started! That way you can start using it immediately, creating beautiful projects.

Already own the Big Shot? Then you can choose up to $100 in free products instead.

Seriously, what are you waiting for??? If you opt for the free products, you'll end up with about $445 worth of goodies for just $175!

Call me and join my team today!

Saturday, October 1, 2011

Gently Thankful

There were a few left-overs from the leaves I used for the SUOC28 fall colors challenge, so I turned them a thank-you card for my father's oncologist. No little useful bits go to waste in my craft room!

Stamps: Gently Falling, Curly Cute
Cardstock: Naturals White, Watercolor Paper, Early Espresso
Ink: Early Espresso and River Rock Classic Ink Pads, Pumpkin Pie and Soft Suede Ink Refills, Soft Suede, Pumpkin Pie, and Cherry Cobbler Watercolor Wonder Crayons
Accessories: Early Espresso 5/8" Satin Ribbon, Glimmer Brad (In Colors Collection), Dazzling Details Glitter Glue, Aqua Painter, Square Lattice embossing folder, Big Shot Die-Cut Machine