Whatever Wednesday - Berry Nice Thank You Note

Yes, I am still alive and kicking.  I've just been doing other things besides stamping.  I actually am gearing up to start stamping again - I definitely miss it!

Did you get any gifts this Christmas?  If there's somebody you want to thank, here's a cute thank you note card that you can make!

The Berry Christmas stamp set takes center stage on this card.  I have stamped the bird, the leaf, and the "make merry".   I also have diecut the Poppy Parade cs with the scallop square Bigz clear die and punched the Always Artichoke cs using the scallop trim border punch on one side.

Colors are Poppy Parade, Always Artichoke and Certainly Celery.  Have you seen the Designer Series Paper In Color Pack in the Idea Book & Catalog?  It is a Hostess Level One item.  I have owned this item for quite some time and have not used it much until now.  It is awesome!  The papers are patterns of this year's current In Colors!  I've decorate this particular card with a striped Poppy Parade patterned paper.

Not sure whether I will post before the new year, so it'll be a surprise for both of us.  But, I will definitely be back in action in the new year!

Linda 

A Joyful Christmas

Merry Christmas Eve!

I guess time and holiday goodness moved me off-track with blogging.  I told you two weeks ago to "check back next week".  Oops.  It's been two weeks and I have not posted on my blog!  I hope you haven't missed me too much.  Be assured that there will be plenty of fun and creative ideas posted in 2011!  In the meantime, I may have sporadic postings before the end of the year.  We'll see.  For now, I have been focusing solely on holiday preparation peppered with many moments of relaxation and enjoyment of the family home all together!  Pure joy!  I love having all the birds in the nest, home from college and from out of town.

Christmas Eve is my favorite day of the year!  I am in the midst of last minute party preparations,, including the dipping of chocolate covered strawberries (yum!),  celebrating, and hoping that a few more snowflakes fall to add to the magic of the season!

I wish you a blessed, healthy, and memorable Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.  I hope you are surrounded by loved ones and, if you cannot be with those you love, I hope that treasured memories bring you comfort and peace. 

Joy to you at Christmas!

Linda

Map It Monday - Christmas prep

Here's my map for this week - not a card map - I've been mapping out my holiday to do list:

make lists
shopping for gifts
plan holiday events & menus
shopping for groceries
make favors for my party
prepare for & host holiday party
giftwrapping
stamp Christmas cards
write in Christmas cards
address, stamp & mail Christmas cards
make Christmas Eve party and Christmas Day food list
begin shopping for Christmas Eve party & Christmas Day
have a glass of wine
get my hair cut
make some handmade gifts
find a Christmas tree
lights on Christmas tree
decorate Christmas tree
Bake butter cookies
Bake Gingerbread cookies
decorate all cookies
Buy chocolate for dipped confections

and the list goes on and on and on and on......

I am taking a little break from posting on my blog.  Check back next week!

Happy Holiday Season!

Linda

Fast Friday - Merry Designer Label

I am having trouble believing that after today, there is only ONE MORE Friday before Christmas Eve!  If you haven't mailed your Christmas cards yet, perhaps you may want to stamp some fast and easy ones, like today's posting!

This Wild Wasabi card is wearing retired Ski Slope designer series paper.  Layered punched cs pieces are centered on the card and adhered with dimensionals.

Have a terrific weekend before Christmas!

Linda

Think About Color Thursday - Poppy Parade, Always Artichoke, Pear Pizzazz

How did I forget Thursday?  I just realized that I forgot to post yesterday.  So much to do & so little memory.  So, if you were looking for my Think About Color Thursday post, here it is.  I suppose I could have moved on without it, but I was thinking the other day about color combinations that look nice for the Christmas holiday season.  The colors create a stunning holiday color palette!

Poppy Parade, Always Artichoke, Pear Pizzazz

This Pear Pizzazz card was diecut with the Scallop Square Bigz Clear Die, laying the card's folded side so it doesn't overlap the scallops.  As long as the fold is insde the square, that edge will not get cut. 

I then layered a square of Poppy Parade cs, Pear Pizzazz and Always Artichoke onto the card.    The striped dsp is a Level One Hostess Item from the current IB&C - In Color Designer Series Paper Pack.  The Berry Christmas Stamp Set is used with Poppy Parade classic ink.  The layered "merry bird" element is adhered with Stampin' Dimensionals.

Such a cute little card!

Linda

Whatever Wednesday - brown box

First of all, I must apologize for the blurry photos recently.  I seem to have misplaced my camera & memory card, so I have been taking pics with my cell phone.  Not the best quality.

Here's a little gift box I made.  We made a similar item at a recent stamp camp. 

I began with a 12 x 12" Chocolate Chip cs and scored it on all four sides at 4 inches.  I cut slits into the scored cs that enable me to assemble it into a box. 

Now, use a bone folder to make sharp creases into each score line.  Apply adhesive to the flaps & fold up to assemble this box.

Then, decorate the box as desired.  I punched a Cherry Cobbler cs border for along the top of this box using the Dotted Scallop Ribbon Border Punch.

For the box front decoration, I hand cut a Whisper White tag and rolled it through a crimper tool.  I used additional Whisper White cs to create the "merry" tag with the Stampin' Up Merry embosslit. 

The Cute Christmas stamp set (current 2010 Holiday Mini Catalog) is ideal to create great gift tags - I stamped the candy canes image with Cherry Cobbler classic ink onto the white tag.  I punched two Chocolate Chip scallop squares using the scallop square punch and layered then underneath the tag. 

I adhered another Dotted Scallop Ribbon border to tie the tag in to the box decor.  A few dimensionals, a punched hole and a splash of 1 1/4" wide striped Chocolate Chip grosgrain ribbon finish it off!

An unlidded box (yes, unlidded is a word - I looked it up because it just didn't sound right!) can be a quicker alternative than standard gift wrapping paper and bows.  Will you give a gift this year in a box like this?

Linda

Tuesday Tips - Easy Gift Card Holder

I made a gift card holder today using a standard A2 sized envelope.  I cut down the envelope's height and width so it was open on both the top and right side edge.

A strip of Real Red card stock is scored, folded, and adhered on both the front and back of the envelope over the open edge on the right side.  This little red cs strip secures the card so it doesn't slide out from the side of the envelope.  A few other score lines are added to that Real Red strip to give it detail. I made an angled cut on the upper right corner of the envelope so it's easier to grasp the gift card and so the gift card peeks out of the envelope.

I embellished the project with a curly label that had been cranked through a crimper and then cut in half.  A Real Red corduroy button is adhered with a glue dot onto the curly label.

Did you notice the little fluffy pom-pom on the end of Santa's hat?  It is a half pearl from a Stampin' Up Pretties Kit!  It fits perfectly!

This gift card holder is fairly quick to make, so if you want to give the postman or hairdresser something special, make a cup of tea & sit down to stamp!

Linda

Map It Monday - Cute Images

The card map layout this week allows me to fit several images onto one card front!  I suppose when you just cannot choose which cute stamp to use, use them all!

I stamped the Marina Mist cs top edge with the ornament stamp from the Cute Christmas stamp set.  I then matted that Marina Mist cs onto my Whisper White card.

I then cut three Whisper White rectangles - one huge one and two tiny ones.  I stamped some of the other images from the Cute Christmas stamp set.  I stamped in Pear Pizzazz, Real Red and Marina Mist classic inks.  I also stamped little snowflakes above the trees.  Stampin' Up offers several stamp sets with small snowflake images, in case you don't have any.  Take a look at the catalogs online!

The three rectangles are layered onto Real Red cs and adhered to the card front.  I layered a message onto some Marina Mist and Real Red scallop circles.  A dimensional gave it a lift off the card.

Linda

What Do You Think?

So, how do you like my new blog design?  I think it is beeeeautiful!   :)

Happy Weekend!

Linda

Fast Friday - Polka Dotty Gift Box

I made this adorable polka dotted gift box & the ladies at stamp camp got to make one too.   I started with a prescored, ready-to-assemble, white gift box.

I punched circles with the 1 3/4" circle punch.  I choose a color combination of Riding Hood Red and Old Olive, so I used a mix of solid cs and designer series papers in those colors.   The circles were adhered to the box on all four sides so they become polka dots!   Too cute!

I scrunched a puffy bow & adhered it with a glue dot on the top of the box.

Another 1 3/4" Riding Hood Red cs circle becomes a gift tag, with the slot punch used for a hole to slide some silver cording through.  The cording is slipped through the big red bow for the tag to hang.

This project literally took 5 minutes to make!

Linda

Think About Color Thursday - Real Red, Garden Green & Whisper White

Apparently the plan on this post was to include Garden Green as a color.......after the fact i am looking at this post & am enlightened to the fact that the Garden Green must be on the bottom of this project.  No need to squint to find what's green here......there is none.  :)
 

Think About Color Thursday's Color Combination.........  What else?   Real Red, Garden Green; Whisper White

We made this cute little set of gift tags in a box at last night's Stampin' For Christmas camp.  Isn't it sweet?

Linda

Whatever Wednesday - Ginger and Swirls

I found these gingerbread people that I had stamped a few years ago with some Christmas supplies.  Aren't they cute?  So, I decided to cut them out and place them on a card.

The Season of Joy stamp set's swirl stamp is stamped in both Old Olive and Real Red classic ink to coordinate with the clothing I created for the Mr. and Mrs. Ginger.

The Dotted Scallop Ribbon Border Punch is punched through Real Red cs.  The strip adorns the bottom edge of the card.  The bottom edge of the Whisper White card is also punched with the Scallop Edge Border Punch. 

The message is created by stamping the Christmas stamp from the retired Holiday Best stamp set, and then cutting around the words in the rectangle.  It is then layered onto an Old Olive large oval.

I hope you like it!

Linda

TODAY ONLY - Stampin' Up Demonstrator Kit Half Off!!!

Don’t miss this deal!

TODAY ONLY you can still purchase the Standard or Digital+ Starter Kits

for only $87.50 - this price is 50% off regular kit price of $175

($310 value in your kit!)

Have you been thinking about taking this journey with Stampin’ Up?

TODAY IS THE PERFECT OPPORTUNITY!

Call 440-289-6715 until midnight to purchase your own Demonstrator Starter Kit!

And, one more thing…..

50% off sale ends today

ONLINE HOLIDAY SPECTATULAR SALE

That sale includes My Digital Studio, 

Stampin' Up's Digital Projects Software!

Why not give digital or hybrid scrapbooking

a try for less than $40!!!!????!!!!

I'll be up late, just in case you are interested!

Linda

Tuesday Tips - Extra Gift Tags?

Do you have extra gift tags?  I had a few extra gift tags from last Christmas.  Why not place them onto a card to make a holiday thank you card or Christmas card?

The card is die cut with the scallop square Stampin' Up clear Bigz die from Whisper White card stock, and then the card front is dry embossed in the Square Lattice Textured Impressions Embossing Folder Die.

A strip of coordinating dsp is adhered to the card front, and then the prepared tag is adhered with Stampin' dimensionals.

Linda

Map It Monday - Cute Merry Canes

Well, with the Thanksgiving weekend only a memory, we are now officially into the Christmas holiday season!  My posts for the next month will be mostly holiday related, so put on the holiday tunes and enjoy the ride. 

The dsp on today's card is from the Merry Moments designer paper package (2009, retired).  I punched various sizes of circles with circle punches and adhered the circles onto Very Vanilla cs for an interesting background. 

Real Red cs and Real Red classic ink on Very Vanilla cs look beautiful together!  The candy cane image is from a new stamp set called A Cute Christmas from the Holiday Mini.  The "Merry Christmas" message is part of the Season of Joy stamp set located in the Idea Book & Catalog.  

Other punches used are the widest oval punch and the modern label punch.

Linda

Fast Friday - Fast Holiday Gift Tag

This week's Fast Friday post is as quick a gift tag as you can make.    Stamp the little snowman tag stamp from the Christmas Punch stamp set in Baja Breeze classic ink, and then punch it out with the small tag punch.  Layer it onto Old Olive cs that has been punched with the large tag punch.  Punch a small hole and insert silver cord or ribbon!

If you are not shopping today on this Black Friday, why not stamp your gift tags for gifts you will give this year?!


Linda

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Yes, it is a Thursday, however, today's post is not about a color combination (Think About Color Thursday will be back next Thursday).

My message to you is a simple one on this Thanksgiving Day!

thankful.........for you.

Blessings,

Linda

Whatever Wednesday - Buttoned Up Pumpkin

Thanksgiving is here at least - here's a pumpkin card to help you celebrate.

My favorite part of this card is the grouping of embellishments on the leaves.  I grouped a brad, two buttons, and a hemp twine bow, each one matching a color on the card.

Paper piercing down the side with the help of a mat pack and adorned edges on a Night of Navy cs mat make it even prettier!   The Night of Navy edges are punched with the Scallop Trim Border Punch and the Scallop Trim Corner Punch.  If you need a refresher in how to align these punches to create a professional looking piece of scalloped cs, just let me know!

The stamping of the pumpkin and leaves is done with a Stazon Jet Black inkpad on watercolor paper.  The watercolor paper resists buckling when wet, so it is the best paper choice when watercoloring with an Aqua Painter and Watercolor Wonder Crayons!  And, those are the products that I used to color here.  The new Watercolor Wonder Crayons will be available for purchase within the next few weeks!  Stampin' Up is changing suppliers and has been awaiting the return to inventory of this awesome product, so let me know in the near future if you want to add them to your Christmas wish list.

Here's another card that would look nice colored with Watercolor Wonder Crayons!

Linda

Tuesday Tiips - Layer Dimensionals

Did you know that you can stack Stampin' Dimensionals?  Today's card has several layered elements.  Take a look at how the two rows of punched circles on today's card are each at different heights above the card surface.  This look is created by using "stacks" of Stampin' Dimensionals.

How is this done?  It's as simple as it sounds.  A message on your card might be adhered using one layer of dimensionals, yet an image could be adhered on the same card using two or three stacked Stampin' Dimensionals.  Since the Stampin' Dimensionals have paper backing on both sides, it's easy to do.  Remove the backing on one side of a dimensional & apply to the back of what you want to adhere.  Then, remove the backing from the flipside of the dimensional & press on another un-backed dimensional.  Now you have a double decked dimensional sandwich!  You can stack even three or four dimensionals, depending on how tall you want the element to sit on your project!

This is what my card looked like after I stacked the More Mustard cs circles.  The lower row has only one layer of dimensionals, whereas the row that sits slightly higher has two layers of Stampin' Dimensionals.

The Soft Suede dsp layer uses three layers of dimensionals, raising it above all the punched circles.  Sometimes I actually need to think about how many dimensionals to add, to make sure an element is even and level! 

The tip for this week:  layer dimensionals!

Give it a try!

Linda

Map It Monday - Pumpkin Cupcake

This week's map is for a simple, quick card.  It could've been posted for Fast Friday!

On a tall Pumpkin Pie card, I adhered Tempting Turquoise patterned dsp near the fold of the card.  I stamped some fun birthday images on Whisper White cs rectangles & positioned them in the center of the card!

 

Lastly, I punched a column of holes on the card front with a Crop-o-Dile & laced Tempting Turquoise one quarter inch grosgrain ribbon through the holes.  I first tied a knot in one end.  After lacing, I tied a knot in the other end and trimmed the ribbon close.

Linda

Fast Friday - Dimensional Giraffe

A baby giraffe card is today's Fast Friday post.  I have used a retired stamp set.  This card would look terrific stamped with any of these stamp sets:  Baby Bundle,  Fox & Friends,    Teddy & Train, or the cute-as-a-button Bear Hugs stamp set.  You can copy the layout, pastel colors, and even the punch shapes, yet you can change the image and message - different animal or different words on the circle!

The Scallop Border Punch creates a nice decorative border along the bottom edge of the card.  The So Saffron patterns dsp "background", bottom border, and modern label are a nice change from the same look in plain card stock. 


A few details are added with some paper piercing and Stampin' Dimensionals for the main image.  This card wasn't as quick as some of my Fast Friday cards, but it is still a card that can be made with minimal paper products, one color ink, and a few punches, which is what makes it a fairly quick creation.

Linda

Think About Color Thursday - Soft Suede, Sahara Sand and Whisper White

Here is a sympathy card that we will be making at an upcoming stamp camp in 2011.  Isn't it gorgeous!?!  These two colors truly look elegant together.  Sorry for the short posts lately - so much to do, yet I want to share the love.

Have a great day!

Linda

Whatever Wednesday - Grateful Apple Cider Comeback

The retired Apple Cider designer series paper makes a comeback today, along with the True Friend stamp set.

The "grateful" message comes from the Falling Leaves stamp set in the IB&C. 

Just a quick post today - looks like you have yet another thing to be grateful for. :)

Linda

Tuesday Tips - Dotted Scallop Ribbon Punch

What would you think about a paper punch that could magically transform a long and thin scrap of card stock instantly into a piece of ribbon?  Like this.....

Well, there IS a punch like this available - the Dotted Scallop Ribbon Punch!  You can see this punch, and Stampin' Up's other paper punches, on the Stampin' Up website (or on page 200/201 in Stampin' Up's current catalog)!  You can make your own "faux ribbon" with this punch for your cards and projects!

Here is a card that we stamped at the October stamp camp for Sweetest Day.  You might recognize it. ;)   See the little pink strip across the top?  The Dotted Scallop Ribbon punch created it!

Thank you to my friend Teri for this card inspiration.

 

I like that this punch actually makes little holes in each scallop and that you can see through the holes to the color underneath!  These details on the "faux ribbon" are so pretty on a card!

Let me know if you want one of these punches!  

Linda

Map It Monday - Sweet Pea Teddy

 

What could be cuter than a teddy bear image for a little baby?  Today's card is stamped with the tiny teddy from the All in the Family stamp set and the "sweet pea" image from the So Cute stamp set.

Here is the interior of the card.  This card map layout is a great one for a peek-a-boo hole.  I decided the mini teddy was the perfect image to peek at!  If you don't want a peek-a-boo hole, simply adhere a circular embellishment or punched circle in that spot on the card front.

Fast Friday - White Butterfly

Is this card bright enough for you?  Go ahead - get your sunglasses!  It's not only a fast card, but it sure is a colorful one!

 I diecut a butterfly for this card, but you could also stamp a butterfly.

I adhered a few bright strips of dsp, then adhered a layered flower and the white butterfly.  The diecut flower is layered with punched circles from two colors of card stock. 

Have a terrific weekend!

Linda

Think About Color Thursday - White, White, and More White

Think About Color Thursday - Color Combination for this week?......White, White, White (& maybe a splash of red!)

I have created this exquisite holiday tissue box cover with Whisper White cs exclusively!  The picture doesn't even do it justice!!!  It is truly gorgeous!  There are faux pearls on the top, which totally glams it up!  You can make one too at the December 1 "Stampin' For Christmas" Stamp Camp!!!!! 

here is the side view

Whatever Wednesday - Trees for the Season

I've been stamping some Christmas holiday projects lately.  Here's one of many that I hope to post in the next six weeks!

The message  piece on the front of the card is stamped with retired Stampin' Up stamps.  There are so many lovely new stamps, but I do enjoy breaking out the retired stamps in my studio often enough!  The circle on which the images are stamped is created using a circle cutter.  Stampin' Up's Circle Scissor Plus is available in our Idea Book & Catalog.  The stamped circle is adhered with Stampin' Dimensionals to the card. 

I have created my own designer paper on the Garden Green cs layer by repeat stamping the holly leaves from the Berry Christmas stamp set.   It was fun to create this one-of-a-kind "designer paper" - I have used Garden Green classic ink, so it is "tone on tone".

The bottom border is created with the Scallop Trim Border Punch. 

Linda

Tuesday Tips - Starburst

Last Tuesday I posted a card that had a starburst design and today I will show you how to create that starburst.  This is the card - you might remember it from last week.

Basically, the equation is:

plus

equals

That's right!  Now, create a starburst of your own!

1.  Punch a 1 3/8 inch circle, leaving a little room around the punched area.

2.  Now, center the 1 3/8 inch SCALLOP circle punch around the hole you just punched & then punch here.

3.  Now you have this little scalloped ring:

4.  Put a few dots of temporary adhesive on the back of this scalloped ring & adhere it to a piece of printer paper.  Make sure you use multipurpose printer paper because you want a paper thinner than card stock.  The photo above is actually the scalloped ring adhered to the multipurpose paper.

5.  Now, align the scallop circle punch with the scallop circle on the paper, then rotate the cutting surface just slightly so the scallops are about a half a petal misaligned.  Go ahead & punch.

6.  You should have a starburst ring that is still attached (temporarily) to the multipurpose paper, like this:

7.  Carefully remove the backing & you have your starburst!