Oh, Baby -- More MFTeasers!

Happy Wednesday, everyone! It's the final day of MFTeasers, and today's sets are all about babies and mothers. I have a lot to share today, so let's get started! :)

I used the sets Baby Bump and Baby Bump Additions to make this gift set for a mother-to-be. The paper is BasicGrey's Green at Heart.

I paper pieced the bags and her top, and I colored the rest with Copics. The ribbon is from Birthday Blast Ribbons.

I made some lavender soaps and placed them in a flat bottom gusset bag, then I attached the tag. I placed a row of Baby Braddies in the scallops on the tag. I just *love* those braddies! :)

My next project is a card featuring a sentiment from Clearly Sentimental about Babies. This is one of my favorite quotes about children and motherhood. Whether your kids are babies or teenagers, it is SO true! The sketch is for today's Wednesday Stamp Club -- Cindy and Frances always have such great sketches to play with!

I used some of my beloved October Afternoon paper, and I did a lot of machine stitching. I added four Baby Braddies to the corners, and I used Cuttlebug dies to make the flower.

Be sure to stop by Kim's Blog after 11 am for a list of all the MFT designers who have teasers today! I can't wait to see what they've done with these great sets!

TONIGHT is the Release Party -- I hope to see you there! I'll be back here tonight for the Shop and Hop as the sets go live at 10:00 pm!

Thank you for stopping by today! I do appreciate it so much! See you all tonight! :)

Christina

Coffee? Tea?

Happy Wednesday! Today's project is one I created for the September MFT Release, but I forgot to blog it here before now! I used the Who's That Girl set called Coffee? Tea?. I'm a coffee lover, and I have many friends who are coffee lovers. I also have a lot of tea-lovin' friends! This set is just SO perfect for cards and gifts for all those special people!

I had picked up the coffee candle at Hobby Lobby, and I gave it a decorative band and a tag. The pocket card holds a Starbucks gift card. I love the gorgeous, autumn colors in this Botanicabella paper by Graphic 45 -- perfect with my coffee theme! :)

Here's the inside of the card...

And here's a closeup of the candle tag. I heat embossed the mug image and cut it out. All coloring was done with Copics.

Have you seen Mr. Roboto, the September MFT Kit? It's so cute and SO much fun! I posted this month's MFT Kit Challenge over at Splitcoaststampers -- you can find it HERE. I'll have my kit samples to share with you later on this week! :)

Well, I'm off to begin a busy day! Our afternoon and evening will be filled with practices, a Brownie meeting, and parent mini night at Megan's high school! I need to get a few things done before then!

Thanks so much for stopping by today -- I appreciate it SO much!

Have a wonderful Wednesday!

Christina

ATS Preview: School Days

Happy Friday, everyone! Today I have a preview of the set School Days by C.C. Designs. I used some Provo Craft paper, gingham ribbon, black hemp twine and buttons to make this mini journal and bookmark. I colored the images with Copics.

Be sure to stop by the All That Scraps Blog to see more previews of the new sets! All the new releases will be available Monday, August 3 at 10:00 pm!

That's it for today! Thanks for stopping by!

Have a fantastic Friday!

Christina

Garden Journal and Seeds

ETA: I used Random.org to choose the Blog Candy winner -- congrats to #50, JenMarie!! JenMarie, email me or PM me through Splitcoaststampers so I can give you the code for your free mini set! :)

Hi there! You've made it to my stop on the My Favorite Things Release Blog Hop! If you've just come from my friend Carole's blog, welcome! If you haven't seen all the projects so far, go back to Kim's blog and start from there!

I used Spread a Harvest of Hope (illustrated by Annie LePoint) to create this garden journal and seed pack.

I covered a 5x5" art journal with paper and sanded the edges. The other panels on the front were distressed, and I added some machine stitching too. I colored the image with Copics and sponged around the edge of the image panel. The ribbon is from the Summer Collection Ribbon Nest, and the buttons are from the Cup o' Buttons Summer Collection.

I used my gift card holder template to make the seed packet. I used the same paper as on the journal, and I did some more machine stitching.

Inside the packet is a small cello bag filled with seeds. These are cilantro seeds, harvested from my own plants last year. It's a great way to "Spread a Harvest" to friends and family! :)

Well, you've made it through the MFT Blog Hop! I'm your last stop! Now it's time for the BLOG CANDY!! Just leave a comment here on this post for a chance to win! I'll randomly choose someone to receive a code for a free Mini Set ($9 value). Just think -- Bubble Bunny or Spread a Harvest of Hope could be yours free! Tomorrow (Wednesday, 7/15) at 9:00 pm Eastern I'll post the winner on the MFT Member Company Forum!

Thanks so much for hopping along with us! :)

Christina

Remembering

Happy Friday, everyone! I have one more Verve preview for you today! This set is called Forever in Our Hearts, and it is a must-have set. Sympathy cards are often difficult to make, but the beautiful sentiments and images in this set make the task much easier.

I used BasicGrey Urban Prairie paper, organdy ribbon, and Prima Caboodles flowers to make my card. I embossed the background paper with my Cuttlebug and Swiss Dots folder, then I stamped the leaf image over the embossing to create an interesting texture. I stamped the leaf again on the patterned paper to create a continuous image, then I arranged the flowers over the stamped leaves.

On the inside of the card, I used the smaller leaf image and another of the beautiful sentiments from the set.

You can see more samples of this set at the Verve Stamps Blog. While you're there, you can find out how you can win your own set! Don't forget -- all the new stamps will be released tonight immediately after the Release Party at Splitcoaststampers.

Before I go, I wanted to tell you about Megan's adventures getting home last night! She flew from Nice to JFK in New York, and she was due to arrive at CVG 7:30 PM. Due to the terrible storm that hit around 7:15, she was diverted to Indianapolis, and she was scheduled to arrive from there at 9:00. So we waited. Because of the backlog of flights which were diverted, refueling was delayed, and we watched the arrival time on the monitor change -- from 9:00 to 9:39, to 10:00, to 10:46, which is when she actually landed. Then, as we (and 30 other girls and their families) were waiting for luggage, and waiting, and waiting, we heard the announcement that their carousel was moved from #4 to #1. So, we finally retrieved her luggage and headed out of the airport around 11:20 PM! But, she's home safe and sound, and she had a wonderful time! :)

That's it for me today -- thanks so much for visiting!

Have a fantastic Friday! :)
Christina

What's in My Jar?

Hi there! You've come to my stop on the MFT Hop Around the Block! If you've come from Carole's Blog, welcome! If you haven't seen all the projects so far, head back to Kim's Blog and hop along from there! Go ahead... I'll be here when you get back! ;)

I am so excited about this mid-month release, because we'll change the way you gift! We're all looking for cost-effective gift ideas, and MFT has found PERFECT PACKAGING!

Sets being released: Time for the Bubbly Label, Teacher Label (mini sets that retail for $9 each)
Other products being released on May 20th (midnight):
*Stephanie Fizer Papers - School Collection digi paper pack ($2.95)
*Jars sized to fit label stamp sets (sold in packs of 4/$12)
*Eclipse Masking Sheet packs ($3.95)
*Adornments Shimmer brads (8-10 each pink, 8-10 cream, and 16-20 white)

What's in my jar? I created a teacher thank-you gift -- a jar of inspirational teacher quotes. I am a teacher by profession, so I am fond of all things teacher-related. I just flipped when I saw the Teacher Label set and Stephanie's school papers, and I couldn't wait to use them together!

I went online and found some great teacher quotes (click HERE and HERE). I pasted them into a Word document, printed it, and sliced it up! Then I filled the jar! On the label, the sentiment was stamped in white craft ink onto BasicGrey dp and heat embossed with white detail EP. The books and ruler were colored with Copics, cut out, and popped up on dimensionals.

As a last-minute idea, I made a coordinating jumbo clothespin memo clip. See the striped paper in the clip? It's another of Stephanie's patterns! :) Both buttons are from the Cup o' Buttons Spring Collection.

Okay, you've seen what's in my jar, and now you get to see what's in Amy's! I'm sure it will be something fabulous! :) Thanks so much for hopping by!

Christina

Snow Bunny Gift Tag

Hi! Happy Tuesday! Today's MFTeaser is a BIG gift tag for a hot cocoa gift set, and I had a lot of fun making it! Snow Bunny Flopsey takes center stage on the tag. I was happy to discover that I still had some pieces of the SU! Winter Bright Simply Scrappin' Kit lying around, and they were the perfect complement to the red mug! I colored with Copics and added Stickles to the ground line.
Here's the entire set -- there are cocoa packets and peppermint sticks in the mug, as well as a container layered with mini chocolate chips and marshmallows. I purchased the round container at All That Scraps. The ribbon came from Michelle and Laura at Paper Addiction.

I stamped a mug image from Hot Stuff and paper pieced it to coordinate with the large mug!

Now, I just have to decide to whom I'll be giving this gift! :) Tonight at midnight we'll have the MFT Blog Hop to celebrate the release of the new sets! You're guaranteed to see some eye candy! Then, come to the MFT Forum tomorrow (Wednesday) night at 9:00 pm for more MFTeasers, challenges, and fun! The new sets will be released at 10:00 pm!

Thank you so much for stopping by today! I hope you have a wonderful day -- see you all later! :)

Stamps: Snow Bunny Flopsey Hot Stuff (MFT) Ink: Brilliance Graphite Black (Tsukineko) Cardstock: Real Red, Wild Wasabi, Bashful Blue (SU!) Paper: Winter Bright SS Kit (SU!) Other: Ciao markers (Copic); Rectangle Nestabilities (Spellbinder); Snowflake punches, Lace edge punch (Martha Stewart); Bashful Blue brad, Jumbo eyelet, circle punches, scalloped circle punch, paper piercing tool, stampin' dimensionals (SU!)

Teacher Gift Sets

Hello! I have Caroline's teacher gifts finished! I was up waaaay too late last night, but I just couldn't stop until they were completed!!

You may not know this about me, but I am a teacher by profession. I have a Bachelor's Degree in Elementary and Special Education, and I have a Master's Degree in Elementary Education. I haven't had my own classroom in 16 years, and my profession is now SAHM, but I still love "teachery" things! That's why I have so much fun making gifts for my kids' teachers -- I know how hard they work, and I want them to know they're appreciated! When I saw Kim Hughes' set Making The Grade at Cornish Heritage Farms, I HAD to have it!! All the images used on these gift sets are from that stamp set. And, how perfect is this Summer Picnic paper?!?

The inspiration for the projects came from two places. For the note cards, I cased Valerie Stangle's (11Valerie11) set HERE. I just love her style -- so clean and fun -- and I fell in love with the set she made! I changed it up a little bit by using different images and papers -- but the layout is basically the same. I packaged the notes in a clear box from Papertrey Ink. I've seen the little clipboards around quite a bit, but most recently by Jen Javorsky. I added some little tags and a stamped apple. And yes, I did stamp each one of the sheets with that apple -- I'm insane.

There are so many fantastic teacher projects out there right now -- you don't have to look far for inspiration! I'm off to Caroline's end-of-year picnic this morning -- it's hard to believe her first year of preschool is over! Thanks so much for stopping by today -- have a great day! :)

Stamps: Making the Grade, Lined Paper Backgrounder (CHF) Ink: Basic Black, Bashful Blue, Real Red, Pumpkin Pie, Old Olive Cardstock: Bashful blue, Basic Black, Old Olive, Whisper White (SU!) Paper: Summer Picnic (SU!) Other: 4x4 inch chipboard coasters (purchased at All That Scraps), binder clips (Staples), clear box (Papertrey Ink), sticky notes, silver cord, gingham ribbon & striped grosgrain ribbon (SU!), black brads & Real Red brads (SU!), dimensionals

Abby's Gift Set

Here's the completed gift set for my niece for her first birthday. The card is the Limited Supplies card from yesterday's post. I made a coordinating frame and bag topper for the hair bows. My friend Traci has her own hairbow business -- these little hairbows are just the cutest! All supplies (except the frame and ribbon) are from Stampin' Up!.

To make the frame, I covered the front and the chipboard "1" in Spring Fling Paper (*love* it!). I left the back natural. I sanded all the edges. I stamped the flourish from Priceless twice in White Craft ink and heat embossed with white embossing powder. I added a flower from the Pretties Kit and a Soft Subtles brad to the chipboard and adhered it to the corner with dimensionals. I tied ribbon between the two patterns of paper, making a bow on one side.

Here's a helpful hint: when tying ribbon around frames of this kind, be sure to tuck ribbon into the grooves so the photo will lie correctly in the frame. I used glue dots to hold the ribbon in place in the grooves.

To make the bag topper, I folded a piece of the paper in half, then cut around the front circles to make the scallops. I used staples to hold it together on the bag, then I applied a strip of the dotted paper across the front to cover the staples. I used markers to ink up the stamp from So Many Scallops (Sale-A-Bration), and I punched it out with a Scalloped Circle Punch. I attached it to the center of the dotted strip, and that was it!

Well, I'm off to a volleyball tournament with Megan -- it's a two-day tournament, so it's looking like there won't be much time for stamping this weekend! I hope it's a great one for you -- thanks so much for visiting! :)

A Trio in Pink

Hello! I can't believe today is Thursday already -- the weeks just seem to fly by! I want to take a few minutes to share these cards with you. I made them as part of a Pink Ribbon Basket that my friend Traci and I are donating to our school's big fundraiser. One of our teachers is battling breast cancer, so we thought it would be an appropriate basket to donate. There are twelve cards total in the set -- four of each design. I wanted to keep with the "pink ribbon" theme but also make them appropriate for any occasion, so I didn't use a stamp set designed strictly for breast cancer. Instead, I used two sets by Cornish Heritage Farms: Silhouette Blooms I (from The Kim Hughes Collection) and Essential Expressions Classic (from Mona Lisa Moments). Each card has a different sentiment on it, stamped in Walnut Stain Distress Ink. The photos don't do them justice -- the light colors really got washed out when I photographed them! They're prettier IRL -- I promise! ;)

I used some of the same elements on all the cards in order to unify the set: Pretty in Pink cardstock, scalloped edges, pink dotted ribbon, and floral images. I pulled the colors from the BasicGrey Romani papers. Since it's an auction item, and I don't know who the recipient will be, I didn't want to over-embellish the cards, but I wanted to make them interesting. I added some piercing to the scallops and sponging to the white panels, and the focal panels are mounted on dimensionals. The set will be boxed in a clear box from Papertrey Ink, and it will go into the basket with all the other "pink" items! Actually, I'd better get started on that now -- we need to get the basket wrapped and ready for display! Thanks for stopping by today -- have a fantastic day! :)

Stamps: Silhouette Blooms I, Essential Expressions Classic (Cornish Heritage Farms) Ink: Pretty in Pink, Pumpkin Pie, Apricot Appeal (SU!); Walnut Stain Distress Ink (Ranger) Cardstock: Pretty in Pink, Pumpkin Pie, Whisper White (SU!) Paper: Romani (BasicGrey) Other: Corner Rounder, 1/8" handheld circle punch, paper piercing tool & mat, Pretty in Pink marker, Gable Green marker, Stamping Sponge, Stampin' Dimensionals (SU!); Giga Scalloped Circle Punch, Mega Circle Punch, Giga Scalloped Oval Punch, Mega Oval Punch (Marvy Uchida); Cupcake Sugar Coated brads (Doodlebug Designs); pink dotted organdy ribbon (May Arts)

Grandma's Christmas Gift Set

Hi, everyone! THREE more days.....

Here's a gift set I made for my Grandma. For her Christmas gift, I wanted to make her some monogrammed stationery to go with her favorite perfume. As luck would have it, I had some Au Chocolat paper I had been hoarding, and it is a perfect match! I made twelve cards, six of each design, and stamped the envelopes to coordinate. Also as luck would have it, Ballet Blue is a perfect match to the blue border on the perfume label. All stamps and the clear box are from Papertrey Ink.

This project doesn't have lots of layers or fancy techniques, but I'm really happy with how it turned out. That's one of the things I love about papercrafting: you can take just a few supplies and create something that is custom-made and beautiful. And, it comes from the heart. That's why we do what we do, right? :)

I'm taking a few days off from stamping and blogging so I can enjoy them with family. I want to wish all of you a happy and blessed Christmas. May Christ's birth bring joy and peace to you and your families. I'll see you all next week. MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Stamps: Ambassador Monogram, B&C Monogram Edition, Holiday Sweets (Papertrey Ink) Cardstock: Very Vanilla, Ballet Blue (SU!) Paper: Au Chocolat (SU!) Ink: Chocolate Chip, Ballet Blue (SU!) Other: clear box (PTI); Scalloped Circle Punch, 1/3/8" Circle Punch, 1/4" circle punch, Very Vanilla Taffeta Ribbon, 5/8" Chocolate Chip grosgrain ribbon, Very Vanilla medium envelopes (SU!)

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

Journal and Bookmark

Good morning! Today we woke up to see our first snowfall! Not much, maybe 1-2 inches, but it was a pretty sight! I just wish it wasn't so cold! It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas! :)

Here's a project I worked on yesterday. This is a composition journal that I covered with SU! Brocade Background paper. The darker decorative portion on top is actually another pattern of the paper that I cut around and adhered over the first piece. All the stamped images are from Papertrey Ink. The journal lettering is from Trajan Monogram. The letter on the bookmark is from Ambassador Monogram, and the dotted squares and circle are from Borders & Corners - Monogram Edition. The images were stamped with Old Olive and Chocolate Chip inks. I sponged around the journal and panel with Close to Cocoa ink. Embellishments are 5/8" Chocolate Chip grosgrain, a brown Bazzill Bitty Blossom, and two Silk Road Primas. The brads are from Making Memories.

I created the bookmark by sandwiching one end of the ribbon between two SU! Scalloped Circles. the center circle was made with a 1 3/8" Circle Punch. There is a "T" on the other side as well.

I'll be giving this set to my friend for Christmas (I hope she's not reading this!). One more gift to check off the list! :) Thanks for stopping by today -- have a great day!

Friendship Set

Happy Sunday! I hope your weekend has been a good one. I survived Anna's birthday party -- it was a lot of fun, and all the girls were so cute and well-behaved! I was glad I had Megan and her friend Katie here to help, 'cause there was a lot going on! They made foam doorhangers and crowns, ate pizza, and decorated their own cupcakes. I think Anna had a great time!

I haven't had much time for "fun stamping" this weekend, due to the party and some other things I can't tell you about yet (shhhhhhh). I do have something to show you, though. I had submitted this set for publication a couple months ago. It wasn't picked up, so I wanted to share it with you now! I purchased the unfinished frame at Michaels (about $2), and covered it with some gorgeous K&Co. paper. I sanded the edges and distressed them with Ranger Walnut Ink. "Friendship" is a rub-on I found in my stash. The card also has K&Co. paper. The stamp I used for both is my beloved image from Garden Silhouettes (I told you it was my favorite), stamped in Old Olive and River Rock. I also used it to do the tone-on-tone background on the card. The sentiment on the card is from Blossoms Abound.

Since the set wasn't picked up for publication, I can use it as a gift this Christmas! There's the silver lining... :) Thanks for stopping by!!

Stamps: Garden Silhouettes, Blossoms Abound (SU!) Ink: Old Olive, River Rock, Basic Black (SU!); Walnut Distress Ink (Ranger) Cardstock: River Rock, Very Vanilla (SU!) Paper: K&Co. Other: Antique Copper Brads & Jumbo Blossoms (Making Memories); sage organdy ribbon; copper cord (SU!), rub-on

Girls Night Out!

My friend Traci and I put together a Girls Night Out ensemble to be used as a silent auction item for an upcoming fundraiser. I wanted to show you my contribution. The container is the Celebrations Bowl from Southern Living at Home. It is shaped exactly like a martini glass! Inside the bowl are six note cards/invitations with coordinating envelopes and six drink charms. I also added a Cranberry Nut Mix from Dean and Deluca. Once Traci adds the Cosmopolitan Mix, glasses, and sugar rimmer, we'll be in business!

Here is a closeup of the card and envelope (you can click on any of the photos for an even closer look). When I was at Michaels yesterday, I picked up a box of textured card fronts with envelopes from DCWV. The color I used on my cards is a perfect match to Regal Rose. I added some Petals & Paisleys paper to the bottom, and I used All in a Row, stamped in Tempting Turquoise, to create the faux stitched border at the top. I then tied Tempting Turquoise grosgrain around the middle and attached it to the So Saffron card base. The image is Cosmobella, from Stamping Bella. The sentiment is from The Cat's Pajamas. I smile every time I read it! Both are stamped in Basic Black ink on Whisper White cardstock. The sentiment was punched out with a 1 3/8" Circle Punch. I sponged Regal Rose around the image panel and sentiment. Both are matted on Tempting Turquoise. The sentiment mat was punched with the Scalloped Circle punch, and I added dots with a Marvy white gel pen. I colored Bella with Prismacolor Pencils and I paper pieced her shirt with the Petals & Paisleys paper. Both the image panel and sentiment are mounted on Stampin' Dimensionals.

I used the same martini glass image on the envelope and drink charms. It's from Village Arts Press, and I found it in the Michael's $1 bin. To make each charm, I stamped the martini glass and the sentiment from Stamping Bella on a Confetti White circle tag. I again used the Prismas to color each martini a different color. For the final touch, I applied Crystal Effects lacquer to the entire glass -- it intensified the colors and made the glasses look more realistic! I added Silver Cord for the tie-ons.

I can taste those Cosmos now! Do you have a favorite martini flavor? Mine is the Lavender Cosmo -- complete with the Lavender sugar rim! :) Have a great Friday!

All products Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted.