Stampin' Addicts 2012 Occasions Mini Blog Hop

Hello, and welcome to the latest Stampin' Addicts blog hop! We are featuring items from the new Occasions Mini catalog that starts January 4th, and boy oh boy are there some fabulous new goodies to showcase! If you started at the beginning, you just hopped here from Rhonda's blog, where she showed the Bordering on Romance stamp set. That hinged card was cute, wasn't it? I am stop # 5 on the hop. You can find a complete hop list here, in case you need it.

I chose the Mixed Bunch stamp set, which has a lovely Blossom Punch to match! The first card has a 3-D blossom made by stamping and punching the flower image three times, then moistening them with water and "scrunching". I think red, black, and white look so sophisticated together, don't you?

Stamps: Mixed Bunch, Thank You Kindly
Cardstock: Whisper White, Poppy Parade
Ink: Basic Black Classic
Accessories: Blossom Punch, Big Shot, Vintage Wallpaper folder, Cherry Cobbler Dazzling Details, Basic Black 5/8" Satin Ribbon

The next card is kind of a cute, funky little thing, using one of the smaller stamps in the set. These flowers were punched using the Blossom Bouquet Triple Layer Punch.

Stamps: Mixed Bunch, Bring On The Cake
Cardstock: Basic Black, Whisper White, Calypso Coral, Wisteria Wonder, and Lucky Limeade, Berry Blossoms DSP, Calypso Coral, Wisteria Wonder, and Lucky Limeade In Color DSP
Ink: Basic Black, Poppy Parade, Concord Crush, and Old Olive Classic
Accessories: Calypso Coral, Wisteria Wonder, and Lucky Limeade Baker's Twine, In Color Designer Printed Brads, Blossom Bouquet Triple Layer Punch, lollipop sticks (non-SU)

And the last project is a gift set of 3x3 cards (and envelopes) in a Scallop Envelope box. The butterfly was made by trimming down the punched flower and adding pearls for the body. Cute, huh? Glad you think so, because that gift set is blog candy! Just leave a comment and you're entered to win (US addresses only, please). Winner will be announced Monday.

Stamps: Mixed Bunch, Petite Pairs
Cardstock: Baja Breeze, Island Indigo, Riding Hood Red, Whisper White, Twitterpated DSP
Ink: Island Indigo
Accessories: Big Shot, Scallop Envelope Die, 1" Square Punch, Postage Stamp Punch, Pool Party Baker's Twine, Pearls Basic Jewels, Island Indigo 3/8" Ruffled Ribbon, Calypso Coral 1/8" Organdy Ribbon, Modern Label Punch, Decorative Label Punch, 3/4" Circle Punch, 1" Circle Punch, 1-1/4" Circle Punch, Blossom Punch

Thanks so much for stopping by! I hope you were inspired. :) Your next stop is Heidi's tea-riffic blog. (Teehee!)

When you have a chance, be sure to check out Stampin' Addicts, where the motto is "Positively creative! Positively Stampin' Up!"  Positive attitudes AND creativity abound there, and all Stampin' Up! fans are welcome, whether you're a stampin' newbie or a seasoned demo.

"Occasion"ally, I Get an Idea

The 2012 Occasions Mini is chock-full of new products in addition to new stamp sets. One of those new items is the Hat Pins on page 18. Hat pins have been showing up a lot lately on vintage projects, mostly with pearls and beads threaded on, or trinkets hanging off. I wanted to see if I could make an easy ribbon blossom that could be used not only on a card or decorated box, but as a brooch or even *gasp* on a hat! (Imagine that!)


These little gems couldn't be much easier to make, and would definitely add some WOW to any project.  Start with a length of ribbon - how long depends on the type of ribbon. The heavier or wider it is, the longer you should start out with. For the light weight Seam Binding Ribbon, I used a 6" length. The Satin Ribbon was about 8-9", and the Striped Grosgrain about 14".  You can play around with it and see what works best for you.

Fold the ribbon in half to find the mid point and insert the hat pin there, very close to the edge. Now you will move down the ribbon and pierce with the pin, alternating sides. How far apart the piercings are again depend on the weight and width of the ribbon. The Seam Binding was about 3/8"-1/2" apart, The Satin a bit more, and the Striped Grosgrain about 1" apart.

Pierce from the top of the ribbon on one side, wrap the pin up and over opposite side and pierce from the top, and so on. Keep alternating sides until you get near the ends.

Near the bottom, pierce from the top, then bring the pin back up from the bottom about 1/4" away. When you scrunch up the ribbon to form the rosette, it will tuck the raw ends under. Do the same for the other end, too.

At this point you can add ribbon "leaves" if you want. To hold it all together, thread a bead on the pin and push it up to make the rosette. Add a drop of Crystal Effects between the bead and the ribbon, then poke the pin (all the way up to the bead) into something sturdy to hold it all in place until the C.E. dries. (I use the scrap rubber from a stamp set.)

After it has hardened, manipulate the "petals" into a pleasing shape and you're finished!

Be sure to check back tomorrow for the Stampin' Addicts Occasions Mini Blog Hop, featuring more new products and fun ways to use them!

The Punch is the Thing - SUO Challenge #35

Hello, Stampers! This week's challenge at SUO Challenges is another fun one.....make a punch the star of the show on your creation! At first I was a bit baffled, but then I remembered how many wonderful punches Stampin' Up!® has, and then it came easy.

With Christmas over, now my thoughts are turning to Valentine's Day, so naturally a Valentine's-themed card was necessary. It was hard just letting the punches be the focus, and not adding a stamped image or ribbon and embellishments! Three different punches were used on this card, as well as two items from the 2012 Occasions Mini.

This card is going to Operation Write Home!


Stamps: Take It to Heart (avail. 1/4), Curly Cute
Cardstock: Blushing Bride, Riding Hood Red, Basic Gray, Whisper White, Twitterpated DSP (avail. 1/4)
Ink: Basic Gray Classic, Basic Black Stampin' Write Marker
Accessories: Bird Builder Punch, Owl Builder punch (tiny heart),  Full Heart Punch, Rhinestones Basic Jewels, Square Lattice embossing folder, Big Shot