What's Up Wednesday

Happy Wednesday! I'm the hostess for today's What's Up Wednesday Challenge on the MFT Forum at Splitcoaststampers. The challenge is to use your MFT stamps to make your own designer paper!

To create mine, I grouped the mugs from Hot Stuff together on an acrylic block, then I stamped them repeatedly on a "solid" piece of Bittersweet paper in Chocolate chip craft ink. I heat embossed with clear embossing powder to create a textured design on my background paper.

I finished the card by paper piecing the dress on the focal image and coloring the rest with Copics. I sponged around the image panel and sentiment with SU! Pink Pirouette ink. The ribbon is from May Arts.


Before I go, I want to share the card I made for yesterday's SCS Color Challenge. I had a busy day yesterday and didn't get a chance to post it! I love the beautiful summery color combination. I needed to make a sympathy card, so I used the set Comfort & Peace by Gina K. Designs.

The background was embossed with my Cuttlebug and Floral Screen folder. I used the Top Note Die on the cardstock and Bella Rose dp. I inked the image with SU! markers, and I sponged around the image and sentiment. The beautiful May Arts ribbon perfectly matched the challenge colors!

Guess what?? Tomorrow begins previews of the All That Scraps March stamps! They are so cute and springy -- I hope you'll stop back to see 'em! Thanks so much for visiting with me today!

Have a great day!

Christina

Cammie's Heart to Heart Blog Candy

Hi, everyone! Have you seen the Heart to Heart Blog Candy on Carolyn King (Cammie)'s blog??? HOLY COW -- so many generous companies and individuals donated $1000 worth of prizes! Cammie's grandmother recently passed away after living with Alzheimer's, so she is doing amazing things to help the Alzheimer's Association and caregivers! Gina K. Designs recently released Carolyn's set, Whimsical Autumn. Cammie is giving 100% of the proceeds to the Alzheimer's Association in memory of her grandmother. But she didn't stop there! Since Sunday, September 21, was World Alzheimer's Day, Cammie wanted to do something special for all the caregivers of Alzheimer's patients. In order to have a chance at her AMAZING blog candy, you have to make a card for a caregiver. Here's my card, made with Whimsical Autumn.

The layout is Julee Tilman's Mojo Monday Sketch #54. The paper is from the Botanicabella Collection by Graphic 45 -- I picked it up at my LSS last week. I embossed the red background panel with my Cuttlebug and Leafy Branch embossing folder. I colored the image with a blender pen and SU! inks, then I outlined the image and added a shadow with my Cool Gray Copic marker. I sponged the edges of the image panel with More Mustard ink.

Here's a closeup of the apples -- see how shiny they are? I added some Crystal Lacquer to them after I colored. They look good enough to eat! :)

My husband's grandmother had Alzheimer's, and I have friends who have watched their parents suffer with it. It's a cruel disease, and it affects so many people. If you haven't already visited Cammie's Blog, please do it! She is truly an amazing lady, and she is surrounded by some fantastic and generous friends! Help her help the Alzheimer's Association and the caregivers!

Thanks so much for stopping by today -- have a fantastic day! :)

Stamps: Whimsical Autumn (Gina K. Designs) Ink: Basic Black, More Mustard, Riding Hood Red, Close to Cocoa, Always Artichoke (SU!) Cardstock: Always Artichoke, Riding Hood Red, Whisper White (SU!) Paper: Summer Sonata (Graphic 45) Other: Scallop Edge Punch, Blender Pen, stamping sponge, Rich Regals brads (SU!); Cuttlebug, Leafy Branch embossing folder (Provo Craft); Crystal Lacquer; organdy ribbon; dimensional foam

Megan's Card and Some Awards

Hello! Happy Saturday to you! Here's a card I made for yesterday's Limited Supplies Challenge at SCS. The challenge was "A Little Something" -- something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue. I made this card for Megan, who has her first Cross Country meet today. Go, Megan! Here are the "somethings" in my card:

Something Old: I stamped the shirt on old SU! paper, Spring Flowers.
Something New: I used my new set from Gina K. Designs, "Little Tees."
Something Borrowed: I "borrowed" THIS DESIGN from Carolyn King.
Something Blue: Megan's school colors are blue and gold, so I used blue cardstock and ribbon.

I used Circle Nestabilities around the image, and I used two Cuttlebug folders -- Spots & Dots and Swiss Dots. I used SU! oval punches on the sentiment. I'm really happy with it -- and I hope it brings Megan luck! :)

Now, I have a couple of awards to show you...

I received this award from two people. Mauna from Ink~Paper~Scissors gave it to me about a month ago, but I forgot to post it -- so sorry, Mauna!! I received it again this week from Denise at The Crafty Den. Thank you so much, ladies!!

This award came from my ATS Design Teammate, Jeanette Fincher. You can visit her at her blog, Lagniappe. She's very talented, and she's a sweetheart, too! Thanks, Jeanette! :)

That's all for me today! I hope you have a great weekend planned! Thanks so much for stopping by today -- have a fantastic day! :)

Dusting Off My Pencils!

Hi there! Happy Thursday! I made this card for today's Ways to Use It Challenge at SCS. The challenge is to use colored pencils. Mine hadn't seen any action for quite a while, so this was a fun one for me! The image and sentiment are from Summer Harvest by Gina K. Designs. I really love this set -- especially this time of year when so many summer fruits abound! I colored the image with Prismacolor Pencils blended with OMS.

Isn't this Summer Picnic paper perfect? I'm so glad it's in the new SU! catty! I used Circle Nestabilities for the image and matting. I added brads to the sentiment and Dew Drops to the corner of the patterned paper. The dotted ribbon is from Michaels.

Tomorrow there will be another ATS Blog Hop -- you can win a $5 gift certificate to All That Scraps! See you then -- thanks for visiting today! :)

Stamps: Summer Harvest (Gina K. Designs) Ink: Brilliance Graphite Black (Tsukineko) Cardstock: Bashful Blue, Real Red, Whisper White (SU!) Paper: Summer Picnic (SU!) Other: Circle Nestabilities (Spellbinders), Prismacolor Pencils, odorless mineral spirits, Earth Elements brads (SU!), Poinsettia Dew Drops (Robin's Nest), dotted grosgrain ribbon (Michaels), dimensionals

Comfort & Peace

Hi there! It's been a busy few days around here, and I haven't had enough time to stamp! I did get this card finished today, though -- I needed a sympathy card for a friend whose mother died after suffering a stroke. I'm sure I'm not alone when I say that sympathy cards are difficult to make. We certainly don't like the reason we have to make them, and often it's not easy to find the right words to say. That's why I love this set from Gina K. Designs, Comfort & Peace. The sentiments go beyond the standard "with sympathy," and they say what I would express in person.

For this card, I combined this week's SCS Sketch Challenge and Color Challenge. Now that Groovy Guava is retiring, I'm actually starting to like it! It figures, huh? I stamped Linen on the Sahara Sand card base and distressed all the edges of the panels. I added piercing, ribbon, and half pearls. The little dragonfly is from the CHF set Nature Silhouettes.

I'm going to have a busy weekend of stamping -- I have C.C. Designs previews to finish! Also, I get to post MFTeasers beginning Monday, since I'm the My Favorite Things August Guest Designer!! Woohoo! So many great new sets to share with you -- I can't wait! Thanks for visiting today -- I hope your weekend is a great one! :)

Stamps: Comfort & Peace (Gina K. Designs), Linen (SU!), Nature Silhouettes (CHF) Ink: Groovy Guava, Sahara Sand, Basic Black (SU!) Cardstock: Sahara Sand, Groovy Guava, Whisper White (SU!) Paper: Afternoon Tea (SU!) Other: Pretties Kit, paper piercer & mat pack, Cutter Kit (SU!); white organdy ribbon

Christmas in July!

Well, it's been another day of me being Taxi Mom to teenagers, so it's been another day of no stamping time! No worries, though -- I have this card to share with you! And it's a good thing, too, because I could use a little cold weather around here! We've had temps in the 90's all week, so it's time for a little Christmas in July! This is one of the cards I made for Jen del Muro when I was the Guest Designer for i{heart}2stamp back in December. I can show it to you now! I've been hanging on to it, because I liked it so much -- have you ever done that?

I love this set, Got Snow?, from Gina K. Designs. The images are so sweet! I'm a big fan of snowmen, so I purchased this set as soon as it came out. I watercolored the images with SU! inks, and I used BasicGrey Figgy paper.

I embossed the olive panel with the Cuttlebug Spots & Dots embossing folder, and I tied the ribbon through two Jumbo Eyelets. I added Stardust Stickles to the snow, and I placed three snowflake eyelets randomly on the design. I sponged the edges of the image panel and sentiment with Soft Sky ink, and I mounted the panels on dimensionals and pop dots.

You know, just looking at this card makes me feel cooler! Tomorrow is going to be a good day -- I have nowhere to go, so I'm gonna do some stamping! I have a couple more ideas for some Christmas in July projects, so I hope you'll stop by to see them! Stay cool, and have a great day! Thanks for visiting today! :)

Stamps: Got Snow? (Gina K. Designs) Ink: Basic Black, Old Olive, Tempting Turquoise, Cranberry Crisp, Soft Sky (SU!) Cardstock: Soft Sky, Old Olive, Cranberry Crisp, Watercolor Paper (SU!) Paper: Figgy 6x6 pad (BasicGrey) Other: Cuttlebug, Spots & Dots embossing folder (Provo Craft); Jumbo Eyelets, Aquapainter, Soft Sky stitched grosgrain, lg oval punch, stamping sponge, Stampin' Dimensionals (SU!); Stardust Stickles (Ranger); snowflake eyelets, pop dots

For Dad

Hello! Happy Father's Day to all the Dads out there! Here's the card I made for my Dad. The card size is 4.25" square. I used the stamp set King of the Grill by Rupa Shevde for Gina K. Designs. I paper pieced the golf bag and colored the stamp with SU! markers. To create the golf ball, I ran a piece of white cardstock through my Cuttlebug in the Tiny Bubbles folder. I punched out a 1 1/4" circle and flipped the cardstock over so the bubbles were inverted. It looks just like the dimples on a golf ball, don't you think? I matted it on a 1 3/8" Ballet Blue circle. The tabs were made with a SU! Large Oval punch -- I cut it in half to create the two tabs. Then I tied some natural hemp twine through them. I added some Rich Regals brads, and that's it! I like the clean, simple design -- just right for a masculine card.

Next week I'll be cramming a lot into a few days -- I'm going to create as much as I can before we leave next weekend for our Disney Cruise!! I'm already knee-deep in laundry, and I haven't even begun to pack! It'll get done, one way or another! ;) Thanks so much for stopping by today. Have a fantastic day! :)

Stamps: King of the Grill (Gina K. Designs) Ink: Basic Black Cardstock: Really Rust, Ballet Blue, Whisper White (SU!) Tools: Cuttlebug & Tiny Bubbles embossing folder (Provo Craft), lg oval punch, 1 1/4" circle punch, 1 3/8" circle punch, 1/8" handheld punch (SU!)Accessories: natural hemp twine, markers (Chocolate Chip, Creamy Caramel), Rich Regal Brads, dimensionals (SU!)

A Peacock and a Card

Happy Friday! Another late post, another busy day! I went to the Cincinnati Zoo with Anna and her kindergarten class today. We packed a lot into a few hours! I think love was in the air among the animals today -- the male monkeys were putting on quite a show, and the peacocks were strutting their stuff! The peacocks and peahens roam freely around the zoo, and rarely have I seen so many males with their feathers extended. I snapped a photo of one of them -- isn't he beautiful?

Anyway, I have a Mother's Day card to share with you. The image and sentiment are by Gina K. Designs. The flower image is from the set Comfort and Peace, her "Free with Three" set this month. The sentiment is from Kindred Greetings for Her, part of her Kindred Spirits line of stamps. The background is the Scalloped Lace Backgrounder by Cornish Heritage Farms. I won the backgrounder during CHF's Backgrounder Blitz a couple weeks ago! Woohoo! :)

The card design is pretty simple. The backgrounder is stamped in White Craft ink. I inked the flower image with SU! markers, and the sentiment is stamped in Basic Gray. I embellished with some ribbon and Primas, and that's it!

I'm off to another volleyball tourney with Megan tomorrow -- it's gonna be another long day! I hope you have something fun planned for your weekend! Thanks for stopping by today -- I really appreciate your visits and comments so much! :)

Stamps: Comfort and Peace, Kindred Greetings for Her (Gina K. Designs), Scalloped Lace Backgrounder (Cornish Heritage Farms) Ink: White Craft, Basic Gray, Certainly Celery (SU!) Markers: Pretty in Pink, Pixie Pink, Certainly Celery, Green Galore (SU!) Cardstock: Certainly Celery, Pretty in Pink, Pink Passion, Whisper White (SU!) Paper: Sultry 6x6 pad (BasicGrey) Other: flowers (Prima Marketing), silver brads (SU!), Mega Oval Punch & Giga Scalloped Oval Punch (Marvy Uchida), White gel exel pen (Marvy), dotted organdy ribbon (May Arts), sponge, dimensionals

I'm So Excited!!!!!!!

Have you been to Gina K.'s Blog today?? Did you see?? I'm Gina K.'s Guest Designer this month!! YIPPEE!!!!!!!! Click HERE to see it! :)

A Tulip for Mom

It's not often that I get ahead of the game with my card making, but I actually have a Mother's Day card finished already! I used Spring Blooms by Gina K. Designs. I inked the tulip image in Groovy Guava and Garden Green ink, spritzed it with water, then stamped it on watercolor paper. I then took my Aquapainter and inks (Groovy Guava, Cameo Coral, and Garden Green) and filled in the image with color. I rounded two corners and sponged the edges with Soft Sky ink. The tag is from Gina K's Bling & Dazzle Plastic Tags. I covered the tag with paper, sanded the edges, and stamped the sentiment in Chocolate Chip ink. I did some freestyle stitching on the background paper and embellished with ribbon, cord and brads.

Please stop back tomorrow -- I have something very exciting to share with you! Thanks for visiting today -- have a great day!! :)

Stamps: Spring Blooms (Gina K. Designs) Ink: Groovy Guava, Cameo Coral, Garden Green, Soft Sky, Chocolate Chip (SU!) Cardstock: Soft Sky, Chocolate Chip, watercolor paper (SU!) Paper: Afternoon Tea (SU!) Other: Bling & Dazzle Plastic Tag (Gina K. Designs); Chocolate Chip 7/8" grosgrain, Horizontal Slot Punch, Gold Cord, Gold Brads, 3/16" Corner Rounder, Stampin' Dimensionals, Stamping Sponge (SU!); sewing machine & brown thread

Spring Daffodils

These are some of the daffodils in bloom around my home right now. I love daffodils -- they're some of the first flowers of spring, and they let us know that better days are ahead! They inspired me to make this card:

I used the daffodil image and a sentiment from Spring Blooms by Gina K. Designs. I stamped them in Basic Black ink and colored the daffodil with SU! markers. After coloring I used an Aquapainter to blend and soften the colors. The blue and striped papers are actually one piece of paper. They're part of a sheet from the Monograms collection by American Crafts. Each sheet has a solid side with a letter/monogram, and the other side has patterns, solids, or a combination of both. This piece is from the "V' sheet. Since today's Ways to Use It Challenge is to use eyelets, I pulled these eyelets from my stash. They're Large Oval Eyelets by SU!, retired a few years ago. I still have quite a few left, so I figured this would be a good time to use them! I added a little sponging, ribbon, and white dots to finish the card. It's a pretty simple design, but I wanted the focus to be on the daffodil!

Thanks so much for visiting today. Have a great night -- the weekend is just around the corner! :)

Stamps: Spring Blooms (Gina K. Designs) Ink: Basic Black, Regal Rose (SU!) Markers: Summer Sun, Yo Yo Yellow, Certainly Celery, Old Olive (SU!) Cardstock: Regal Rose, Summer Sun, Whisper White (SU!) Paper: Monograms (American Crafts) Other: Large Oval Eyelets, Regal Rose 7/8" grosgrain, Stampin' Dimensionals, Aquapainter, stamping sponge, Scalloped Circle Punch, 1 3/8" Circle Punch, stamping sponge (SU!); White Gel Excel pen (Marvy); striped grosgrain ribbon (May Arts)

Spring Flowers

Happy Spring!

Yesterday was officially the first day of spring, so I thought I'd celebrate with some spring flowers. I made this card with Carolyn King's latest stamp set by Gina K. Designs, Framed Flowers. All ink is from Stampin' Up!. The cardstock is Crafters Select White by Papertrey Ink. It's the perfect weight for white card bases. The paper is, of course, For Peeps Sake by Imaginisce (are you tired of seeing it yet?). I used some of Gina K. Designs new Bling & Dazzle -- Pastel Button Babies and Plastic Tag Assortment. These plastic tags are so much fun to work with -- you can stamp directly on them, color on them with Copics, or cover them with paper like I did on this card. I applied the paper to the tag then sanded the edges. I inked just a portion of the sentiment stamp with a Close to Cocoa marker, then I stamped on the paper covering the tag.

For the main image, I inked the flowers using Soft Sky ink, then drew around the edges with a Bashful Blue marker. The leaves were inked with Gable Green and Green Galore markers. I added a little sparkle and dimension to the flowers with some Baby Blue Stickles. The frame was stamped in Close to Cocoa ink. I added some SU! Itty Bitty Backgrounds around the image and sponged the edges. The grass was inked with Gable Green, Rock-n-rolled in Green Galore, stamped, and cut out. It is mounted on dimensionals. I added the Button Babies to the corner -- aren't they so cute? The ribbon is light blue dotted organdy from May Arts, and the copper cord is from SU! (retired).

I love how soft and springy this card looks. It would be great for a birthday, thank you, or just because card. It's good to have a few of those cards in my stash! I hope you're inspired to make something "springy" -- thanks so much for stopping by today! :)

Another Post on a Snowy Day

THIS is what it looks like in my backyard right now. The snow is still falling -- 8-10 inches (possibly 12) by tomorrow. The kids are all home, Anna's doctor's appointment was cancelled, and Megan's volleyball tournament tomorrow has also been cancelled (whew!). I usually don't get a chance to post twice in one day, but hey -- there's not much else to do!! Since today's Limited Supplies Challenge is quick mini cards, it didn't take long for me to put this one together. I combined it with the Color Challenge that Cammie posted on the Gina K Designs forum at SCS. This card is 4" square. All images on this card are from Gina K Designs. The focal image and sentiment are from Baskets of Happiness, and they are stamped in Brilliance Graphite Black ink on SU! Shimmery White cardstock. I used Scalloped Frames & Doodles on the scalloped circle. The image is colored with Copics, and I sponged around the circle with Certainly Celery ink. I need to get a little spring wherever I can right now, so this card will have to do! :) I think that's all for me today -- if the snow keeps falling, I just might have several projects to share tomorrow!!

Stamps: Baskets of Happiness, Scalloped Frames & Doodles (Gina K Designs) Ink: Certainly Celery, White Craft (SU!), Brilliance Graphite Black Cardstock: Certainly Celery, Lovely Lilac, Shimmery White (SU!) Paper: Prints Sampler (SU!) Other: Copic markers, Giga Scalloped Circle Punch & Mega Circle Punch (Marvy Uchida), dotted ribbon (May Arts), 1/8" handheld punch, Stamping Sponge, Stampin' Dimensionals (SU!)

My First Window Card!

Happy Friday, everyone!

Today all of my kids are at home AGAIN -- snow and ice came through overnight AGAIN -- is it spring yet?!? Chris took our SUV to work, so I'm pretty much stuck here. Maybe some of that laundry will get done...

Anyway, here's the card I did for yesterday's Ways to Use It Challenge at SCS. Believe it or not, this was the first time I'd done any type of window on a card. When I was cleaning and purging last weekend, I found some transparency sheets in a box of office supplies, so I guess the time was right!



Here's how I created the card. I attached the patterned paper to the card front, and I attached a piece of Whisper White cardstock to the inside of the card. I then opened the card and placed it face-up on a cutting mat. I cut a circle (about 2 1/4") out of the cardfront using a Fiskars Circle Cutter (my Marvy punch wouldn't reach to the center of the card). Then I cut the same size circle from a piece of Lavender Lace cardstock and put the cardstock aside. I adjusted the circle size on the cutter and cut a slightly larger circle from the transparency sheet. Before attaching the transparency, I closed the card and stamped the pot of flowers (from Baskets of Happiness by Gina K. Designs) through front circle onto the white cardstock. I then used a Quickie Glue Pen to adhere the transparency to the card front over the center circle. Then I went back to the Lavender Lace cardstock. I used Scalloped Frames and Doodles to stamp the doodles around the cut-out circle in White Craft ink. When the ink was dry, I took a Marvy Giga Scalloped Circle Punch and punched around the stamped doodles, giving me a scalloped frame for my window. I attached it over the transparency on the card front.

Are you still with me? Now for the fun stuff...

I took the word "smile" from the Eastern Elegance rubons and applied it to the transparency, so it is visible over the pot when the card is closed. Then I opened the card and colored the image with Copics. I added some Stardust Stickles to the flower centers, and I stamped the sentiment in Basic Black ink below the pot, so it is visible only when the card is open. I tied some white organdy ribbon around the bottom of the card to finish it.

Whew! This really was fun, and I love the way it turned out! I see more window cards in my future -- I don't know what took me so long! Thank you so much for stopping by, and I hope you have a great day planned -- stay warm, everyone! :)

Stamps: Baskets of Happiness, Scalloped Frames & Doodles (Gina K. Designs) Ink: Basic Black, White Craft, Brilliance Graphite Black Cardstock: Barely Banana, Whisper White, Lavender Lace (SU!) Paper: Posies Glitter Pack (DCWV) Other: Copic Markers, Circle Cutter (Fiskars), Giga Scalloped Circle Punch (Marvy Uchida), Eastern Elegance rubons (SU!), Stardust Stickles (Ranger), white organdy ribbon

How Sweet It Is!

Hi there! I hope you are well! We woke to two inches of snow and school delays, but ALL the kids went back today! No more sick ones!! YAY!

Have you been to Splitcoaststampers today? Did you see today's Wednesday Tutorial? Do you recognize the tutorial author?? It's ME!!! Beate saw my hanging treat box here on my blog, and she asked me if I'd write up the tutorial for SCS!!! How could I say no to her?!? Can you tell I'm just a little excited?!? Breathe...

I do have a card to share today. Yesterday I was visiting Tricia Traxler's blog, Simply Stamping, and she had a challenge to use polka dots. Since I am trying to use some of my neglected supplies, I pulled out some retired Au Chocolat paper and paired it with Gina K.'s Stamps for a Cause set, How Sweet It Is. $7 from each set sold goes to help those who live with Diabetes. Gina is truly one of the most generous people in the stamping world!

The ribbon (from my friend Traci) pulled the card together for me. I colored the image with Copics and added some sparkle to the cherry with some Xmas Red Stickles. I didn't have brown brads, so I made my own "sugar coated" ones: while holding them with tweezers, I tapped them onto Chocolate Chip Craft ink, dipped them in Iridescent Ice EP, then used a heat tool to set it. I made the scalloped edge on the dotted paper by removing the paper guide from my corner rounder. I rounded the ends of the sentiment panel with the corner rounder as well.

That's about it! Thank you so much for visiting today -- I hope your day is a great one!! :)

Stamps: How Sweet It Is! (Gina K. Designs) Ink: Basic Brown, Chocolate Chip Classic, Chocolate Chip Craft (SU!) Cardstock: Chocolate Chip, Pretty in Pink, Very Vanilla (SU!) Paper: Au Chocolat (SU!) Other: Copic markers, Marvy Giga Scalloped Circle punch and Mega Circle Punch, brads, Iridescent Ice EP, heat tool, Xmas Red Stickles, ribbon, corner rounder, stamping sponge, stampin' dimensionals

Valentines for the Classroom

Whew! I finally finished the Valentines for school! Caroline needed treats for her preschool class, so this is what I made for her. I wanted to do something that was cute but easily mass-produced, and the images from Hugs and Kisses (from the Kim Hughes Collection by Cornish Heritage Farms)were just what I needed! The bags are small cellophane bags from SU!. Cardstock is Pixie Pink, Real Red, and Whisper White. Ink is Pixie Pink, Real Red, and White Craft. I used a corner rounder on the toppers. The dots on the scallops were done with a Marvy white gel pen.

I apologize for the terrible photos -- it's been dreary all day, and I think my camera needs new batteries!!! :(

A few weeks ago I saw this post on Cammie's Blog, and I knew I wanted to make this bottle. I just loved the look of all those m&m's inside! :) For this project I used stamps from Gina K. Designs. The solid heart is from the Stamps for a Cause set Love You to Pieces, and the sentiment on the lid is from Punchy Words. The large heart was a perfect stamp to use for today's Wednesday Tutorial on SCS -- Faux Shaving Cream. I used Pixie Pink and Real Red ink. Cardstock is Real Red and Whisper White. The paper band around the bottle is BasicGrey Romani.

This gift is going to Megan's teacher, who also is a family friend. She's a huge Starbuck's fan, so it's only appropriate that her Valentine treat should come in a Frappaccino bottle! ;)

Valentine projects are always fun to make, but I think I'm ready for some spring projects now! What do you think? Thanks for visiting today -- have a fantastic day!! :)

Teacher Gifts

Today is Caroline's last day of preschool before Christmas. I made two of these sets for her to give to her teachers. The template for the gift card holder came from Nancy Morgan's blog, Paper Smiles. They are SO cute and so simple to make! I loved how she used the cord through the eyelets to tie hers closed, so I did that on mine as well. The candy bottle is a recycled Starbucks Frappaccino bottle (it gives me an excuse to buy them *wink*). I used my Fiskars Circle Cutter to cut a 1 1/2" circle to cover the lid, then I sponged the edges with Real Red ink. The little poinsettia on top was made with the Spring Bouquet Punch (I'm so sorry it's retiring). All paper is SU!'s Dashing (also retiring). The images are from Gina K. Designs -- Punchy Words and Festive Labels. I think these sets pair so well with the Dashing dp to make fun projects!

Next on my "to do list" -- Cookies for our neighborhood exchange tomorrow night. Hopefully I'll have some fun packaging to show you!! :) I hope you are having fun with your holiday preparations, too! Have a great day -- thanks for stopping by!

Stamps: Festive Labels, Punchy Words (Gina K. Designs) Ink: Real Red, Old Olive (SU!) Cardstock: Real Red, Very Vanilla (SU!) Paper: Dashing dsp (SU!) Other: Giga Scalloped Circle Punch & Mega Circle Punch (Marvy Uchida); Spring Bouquet Punch, 1 1/4" Circle Punch, 1 3/8" Circle Punch & Scalloped Circle Punch (SU!); Silver Cord & 5/8" Real Red grosgrain (SU!); Circle Cutter (Fiskars); star eyelets (CTMH); stamping sponge; dimensionals; paper piercing tool

A Personal Touch

Hello!

Last night we had Chris's company Christmas party. Every year he gives those in attendance a bottle of wine and a restaurant gift card to take home. I wanted to add a personal touch to the wine bottles, so I turned to my Festive Labels set by Gina K. Designs. What I really wanted to do was to use her Waterproof Labels to create a personalized label for each bottle, but the labels on some of the wines he chose were too long to be covered properly. So, I did the next best thing, which was to create a gift tag for each bottle. I did three different variations -- 21 tags total. I'm pretty happy with how they turned out! It was a simple thing that made a big difference in the presentation!

Today we're getting our first "snowstorm" of the season. It's really coming down, and it's so beautiful to look at. Kyle, Megan and Anna were outside having a blast, and they just came in to have some hot chocolate and sit by the fire. Today is Caroline's 4th birthday, so Chris took her out for a Birthday Breakfast (he does that with all the kids). It's going to be a laid-back, wintery day -- I'm looking forward to just enjoying time with my family today! I hope you have a wonderful day, too -- thanks for stopping by! :)

Stamps: Festive Labels (Gina K. Designs) Cardstock: Whisper White, Cranberry Crisp, Old Olive (SU!) Ink: Cranberry Crisp, Old Olive Other: Mega Circle Punch & Giga Scalloped Circle Punch (Marvy Uchida), Old Olive 5/8" grosgrain, gold cord, 1/4" circle punch, sponge

Gift Card Holder - A Tutorial

Chris is always buying gift cards for clients and friends as thank-yous. He came home with one the other day and said, "Do you think you could make something to put this in?" Hmmmm..... ;) He realized that the envelope the store provided would not be satisfactory enough for his obsessed paper-crafting wife.

I know there are a lot of templates and tutorials out there for gift card holders, and I've used many of them. For this one, I thought I'd just use the same template as the store envelope, so it could be tucked into a gift basket or placed inside another card or envelope. I'm not one who likes to reinvent the wheel, so I simply took apart the store envelope and got my template from there. Here are the measurements and instructions, in case you'd like to do the same thing!

Start with a piece of cardstock 8" x 3 3/4" (I used Blue Bayou).

With the cardstock the long way in the trimmer, score at 1/2" and 3 1/4" (that's 1/2" from the edge on each side). Turn the cardstock horizontally and score at 3 1/2" and 7".

Using the score lines as a guide, cut out the sections on the top and bottom corners. You will be left with center flaps on each side, You will also have a short top flap and a long bottom flap.

Round the corners of the top flap.

On the long bottom flap, take a circle punch (I used a 1" punch) and punch a half-circle on the edge in the center.

Fold along the remaining score lines, then bring the side flaps in. Apply Sticky Tape or other strong adhesive to the side flaps.

Fold the bottom flap up and adhere.

Now embellish any way you want! I used Figgy 6x6 paper on the front and back. The pieces I used were 3 1/4" x 2 1/2" and 2 3/4" x 2 1/2" (you can get both from one 6" x 2 1/2" strip of the paper). The stamped image is from Punchy Words by Gina K. Designs. I used Old Olive and Chocolate Chip markers to ink the image, then I stamped it on Very Vanilla cardstock. I punched it out with a 1 3/8" circle punch, then matted in on Cranberry Crisp punched with the Scalloped Circle Punch.

I applied Chocolate Chip grosgrain to the flap and adhered the scalloped circle over it. Then I just brought the ribbon around the back and tied it closed.

It's really not much work, and it looks better than the store envelope, don't you think? ;)

That's all I have for today. Tomorrow is Friday already -- where did the week go? Only 19 more days 'til Christmas, and I have so much more to do!! Thanks for stopping by -- have a great day! :)

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas!

Happy Friday, everyone! I hope my American friends had a blessed Thanksgiving! I guess today officially marks the beginning of the Christmas season -- at least around my house! I traditionally start playing Christmas music and decorating for Christmas now, and the weather here has finally cooperated so I can get in the mood! Those 70 degree temperatures are a thing of the past -- we woke this morning to 30 degrees and snow showers! I'm not a big fan of the cold, but really -- it was time!!! Here's a card to help put you in the mood, too! I had a chance to check out Julia's Ways to Use It challenge she posted yesterday. The challenge is to use stitching on your project -- machine, faux, rub-ons, whatever! I combined the challenge with some great images from Gina K. Designs and my BasicGrey Figgy paper, and I love how it turned out! This tree always reminds me of the Charlie Brown tree -- it's sweet and simple but full of Christmas spirit! I inked the tree and sentiment with SU! markers, then I colored in the pot and shadow with Prismacolor Pencils. I lightly sponged Soft Sky around the tree panel, and I machine stitched around the Figgy paper.

This is truly my favorite time of year -- the sights, sounds, and smells of the holidays just make me happy! I hope to share some fun ideas with you over the next few weeks! Thanks so much for visiting today -- have a great day!! :)

Stamps: Punchy Words, Spirit of Christmas (Gina K. Designs), En Francais (Stampin' Up!) Ink: Old Olive, Soft Sky, Markers -- Chocolate Chip, Old Olive, More Mustard Cardstock: Old Olive, Chocolate Chip, Whisper White Paper: Figgy 6x6 paper pack (BasicGrey) Other: Scalloped Circle Punch, 1 3/8 Circle Punch, Corner Rounder, Vintage Brads, stamping sponge, stampin' dimensionals (SU); ribbon (May Arts); white gel pen (Marvy), sewing machine & brown thread