Here I am!

Student Teaching has kept me very busy lately, which is why I haven 't posted for a few weeks, butI finally had a little time this weekend to stamp a few things for a craft fair coming up this November.

Here are some pictures of some office supply packages and post it note holders.

Happy September!

It's the first day of September and even though I started school two weeks ago I always think of September as being the beginning of the school year.

I'm in week two of student teaching and I'm having a blast. The 3, 4, and 5 year olds keep me very busy all day so when I have free time in the evening I'm usually too tired to make cards or I'm coloring some pictures for a lesson.

I received a beautiful card in the mail today from my good friends in Port Angeles, Washington. I thought I would share it with the rest of you. Look at the front of the desk, it has my name! Too cute! Thank you John, Corrine, Meagan, and Brandon! They also sent me a pack of teacher stamps!

The new Holiday Mini Catalog is now available! If you have not received a copy in the mail to a look on the right hand side of my blog, you can click on the picture of the Mini Catalog and it will take you right to the website.

More ideas...

Look at these cute ideas Meredith has come up with for the Round Tab punch! Can you believe how many things you can create with all of the Stampin' Up punches? I just love the apples, they are perfect for a back to school card or a Thank You card for a teacher.

Oval Punch

Here are some more cute ideas from Meredith, this time using the oval punch.

More Punches!

Still nothing new as I am in the process of unpacking, but check out all of the fun things you can do with the Designer Lable Punch!

I finally made it

Hello again! I made it here to the land of 10 million acres of corn (aka Minnesota). Since I'm still unpacking my stuff I don't have anything new to show you that I have made, but I do have some punch sheets that I will be sharing with you over the next few days that another demonstrator, Meredith Burnsed, has created. Meredith is so creative and you will be amazed at what she has created with her Stampin' Up! punches. Please feel free to e-mail me if you have any questions about how something is made.

Favors

It's been awhile since the shower, but I just realized I haven't posted the favors I made so I thought I would post them.

I found a template for them on another blog, but I can't find the link right now. If you recognize where these came from let me know and I will post the link.

Recipe:

Stamps: N/A

Ink: N/A

Paper: Bashful Blue

Accessories: Soft Subtles eyelets, crop-o-dile, 1/4" Chocolate Chip grosgrain ribbon, small cellophane bags.

Thank you gifts

My summer has come to an end :(. I had quite a few Stamp Camps, Technique classes, and Scrapbooking classes these last few months and I had two very loyal customers (one of them was my mom) who attended every single class. I thought I would make one of the suitcases from Becky's Traveling Trio set for each of my customers and include some matching cards to go with the suitcase. I am so pleased with how they turned out!

If you have any questions on how I made anything or what I used please don't hesitate to contact me.

Monkey Tower

Joana and I made some "It's a Boy" favors to give out after Nathan is born. We put a few Hershey's Kisses that are covered in blue foil and say it's a boy inside the small Stampin' Up! cellophane bags and tied some bashful blue 1/4" grosgrain ribbon, then we put the bags inside of the boxes we made using the Big Shot (boy do I love that thing!!).

Recipe:

Stamps: Monkey Business, I can't remember the name of the roller right now

Ink: Bashful Blue, Chocolate Chip

Paper: Whisper White

Accessories: Small cellophane bags, 1/4" Bashful Blue grosgrain ribbon, Big Shot

Gift box

Last Saturday I went to baby shower #2 for Nathan. Another friend of Joana's hosted this shower over in Seattle.

I had this little monkey and pair of socks I bought for Nathan awhile back so I made a box and set them inside. The instructions for the box can be found on Becky's website. She has some amazing step-by-step tutorials that you can buy at a very reasonable price.

Recipe:

Stamps: Monkey Bussiness, Everything Baby

Ink: Chocolate Chip, Bashful Blue

Paper: Chocolate Chip, Bashful Blue, Whisper White

Accessories: Key Tag punch, Small and Large Tag punches, double stitched chocolate chip grosgrain ribbon, Hemp

Techniques Class

Throughout the summer I have been doing a techniques class. This last Tuesday was the last class of the summer. Here are the two cards my customers created after learning their new techniques.

The first technique was watercoloring roses from the Fifth Avenue Floral stamp set. Patty does a great tutorial if you are interested.

The next technique was the mosaic technique. I learned this from a fellow demonstrator. It's a great way to use up DSP scraps that you just can't seem to throw away.

Mosaic directions

1. Cut up 1/2" strips of Designer Series Paper (DSP) into small pieces. The pieces do not need to be the same shape or size.

2. Arrange your pieces onto a sticky sheet of paper (I used a mailing label).

3. Once you have arranged your randomly cut scraps onto the sticky paper sprinkle embossing powder over your sheet. Shake off the extra powder and emboss with your heat tool.

4. Add to the front of your card and embellish as desired.

Baby Buggie

Here is the card I made Joana for her shower. I got the idea from this adorable card.

Recipe:

Stamps: Riveting

Ink: Bashful Blue

Paper: Bashful Blue, Whisper White, Bashful Blue DSP

Accessories: Eyelet border punch, Scallop punch, 1 3/8" punch, 1 1/4" punch, Whisper White taffeta ribbon, Big Shot scallop circle die

By looking at the card that Liz made I just kind of made up my own version. If you are interested in how to make the card let me know and I'll try my best to walk you through the directions.

Baby Shower pictures

Here are a few pictures from the baby shower on August 1st. Everyone had a great time and Joana and Steve recieved some wonderful gifts for baby Nathan.

My mom and I stamped the white paper tablecloths with monkeys and bananas so the table wasn't so plain looking. Stamping on a paper table cloth is a great alternative to confetti.

All of the food was prepared by both grandmas and one of many great aunts.

Land of the Free because of the Brave

Here are a few quick cards I made with my new Hero jumbo wheel. I used the same layout as the Thanksgiving cards I made, I just changed the colors and instead of using the scallop punch I tore the edges.

Stamps: Hero jumbo wheel

Ink: Real Red, Not Quite Navy

Paper: Real Red, Whisper White, and Night of Navy

Accessories: N/A

Hot, hot, hot

It has been incredibly hot these past few days here in the Pacific Northwest and Joana's baby shower is this Saturday. I found this cute fan at Michael's in their $1 section. Since Joana's theme for the baby's room is monkeys I thought this would be a perfect way for her to keep cool and still go with the theme. :)

The monkey is colored in Close to Cocoa and Creamy Caramel, the bananas are So Saffron, the palm tree is Chocolate Chip, Old Olive, and Mellow Moss, and the grass or leaves beneath the tree are Always Artichoke.

Gotta love the Big Shot!

This week I'm teaching Vacation Bible School at my church. Normally we just give kids a "Hello, my name is..." sticker, but that just wouldn't do so I decided to make some nametags with my fabulous Big Shot.

I've been busy with last minute touches on the baby shower, getting ready for the craft fair, planning for VBS, and a few other things so my mom cut out all the top notes for me, attached the stickers, set the eyelets with the crop-o-dile. She also put some cardboard behind the foam to give the nametags a little weight and also so they wouldn't bend.

Recipe:

Stamps: N/A

Ink: N/A

Paper: N/A

Accessories: Foam sheets, stickers, Top Note die, crop-o-dile, eyelets, string, and cardboard

I better go rest up so I have enough energy for my 13 Kindergarten and First graders tonight!

Gift bags

I've shown these gift bags in the past, but these are the most recent bags I made for the craft fair. I did 6 of the bags on the left and 10 of the bags on the right. The bag on the left was made using some retired DSP (Holiday Treasures I believe).
If you think the bag on the right looks familiar that is because it is the front cover of the Holiday Mini catalog from last winter. I had 10 catalogs left over and I thought they would make cute bag covers. The To/From stamp is from Winter Post. The ribbon is Riding Hood Red (retired), but in our current catalog we do have other colors available.

Thanks for stopping by!

More Craft Fair items

Here are a few shots of some post it note holders I made for the craft fair. I used an L shaped picture frame that I purchased at Walmart for $1 each. I tried to make a variety so I used different scraps of Designer Series Paper (DSP). I included a pen with each holder and then packaged it in a large Stampin' Up! cellophane bag. We made these for my Rub ons class and my customers loved them. I decided not to add any rub ons because the DSP was busy enough that it didn't need it.

Recipe:

Stamps: N/A

Ink: N/A

Paper: Variety of DSP

Accessories: picture frame, post it note, pen, cellophane bag

Quick and Simple Thanksgiving cards

I just got my Bright Blessings wheel in the mail the other day and wanted to try it out. These cards are very simple and took about two minutes to make.

Recipe:
Stamps: Bright Blessings Jumbo Wheel
Ink: Dusty Durango/Soft Suede
Paper: Soft Suede, Crushed Curry/Dusty Durango, Old Olive
Accessories: Scallop punch

Thanks a bunch

In a previous post I showed you the thank you cards I made for Joana and Steve to give out after the baby shower. Of course I couldn't just give them the cards, I had to made a box to put them in. I found the instructions on the Stampin' Up! demonstrator website. I'll post the instructions for the box in another day or so.

I didn't have a lot of the ribbon left so I just tucked the edges up underneath the top of the box.

Recipe:

Stamps: Tags and More (?)

Ink: Bashful Blue

Paper: Kraft, Whisper White

Accessories: Tag Punch, Chocolate Chip Grosgrain Ribbon

Craft Fair items

While I've been away I've been making lots of items to sell at a craft fair coming up this fall. Over the next few days I'll share all of the things I've made so far.

These are a few Get Well packages I made. I used the large Stampin' Up! cellophane bags and filled them with kleenex, Halls, a package of chicken noodle soup, and a hand sanitizer wipe. I found the kleenex at Michael's and used the color from the polka dots to cordinate with the bag topper. The tag that the get well sentiment is stamped onto is from the Matchbox die for the Big Shot.

Recipe:

Stamps: Garden Greetings (sentiment), Fifth Avenue Floral

Ink: Taken with Teal, Melon Mambo, Green Galore

Paper: Bermuda Bay, Melon Mambo, Green Galore, Whisper White, Black Stazon

Accessories: Large Stampin' Up! cellophane bag, stapler, sponge dauber, Matchbox die

What a deal!

Each week during the month of July Stampin' Up! is offering a special deal. This week Square Fire Rhinestone brads are on sale for $6.99 (regularly $10.95). There is no limit to how many you can order so go ahead and stock up before the price goes up on Sunday!

I'm housesitting at my best friend's house this week so I don't have anything new to show you, but once I am able to upload pictures onto my computer I will have LOTS to post. I've been working on items to sell at a craft bazaar this coming Fall. Yesterday I made 10 Thanksgiving cards with the new Bright Blessings Jumbo wheel, 6 Halloween cards with my favorite Halloween set, Batty for you, 4 cards using the new Hero Jumbo wheel, 4 desktop post it note holders that I can't wait for you to see, and 16 Top Note gift bags!!

Today I'm going to be working on some Christmas cards! Hi ho, hi ho, it's off to work I go....

Keep it simple

I was playing around with with my Stampin' Up Simple Flower embosslit the other day and made this quick and simple card. I usually add a sentiment to my cards, but I liked the simplicity of this card without a phrase.

Recipe:

Stamps: N/A

Ink: N/A

Paper: Baja Breeze, Chocolate Chip, Whistper White, Bella Rose DSP

Accessories: Stampin' Up! Simple Flower Embosslit, Clear rhinestone brad, Eyelet border punch

*sorry the picture is a little fuzzy, I seem to be having camera issues lately.

Blessings

Lately I've been working on cards to sell at a local craft shop. Usually when I sit down to make a card I make at least 5 of each design (sometimes more if I'm feeling very ambitious, or if the layout is really quick). Today I made some baptism cards using the Special Blessings stamp set. When I saw this card on Splitcoaststampers I just had to duplicate it and I ended up making 5 girl cards and 5 boy cards.

Recipe:

Stamps: Special Blessings

Ink: Chocolate Chip, Bashful Blue, and Pink Pirouette

Paper: Whisper White, Bashful Blue DSP, Bella Rose DSP

Accessories: Dimensionals to pop up the cross

For Nathan

Here is the banner I made for the baby shower. I'm going to hang it above the doorway at the home where the baby shower will be held. Joana and Steve can hang it above the crib if they want to or just put it in his baby book.

Recipe:

Stamps: N/A

Ink: N/A

Paper: Chocolate Chip, Bashful Blue DSP, and a non Stampin' Up! blue

Accessories: Big Shot Pennant die, Chocolate Chip 1/4" grosgrain ribbon, jumbo eyelets, and some dies from the local Scrapbooking store.

It's been awhile...

I haven't been very faithful with my blog posting lately and I'm sorry. When I first started my blog I made a promise to myself that I would try to post everyday. Obviously that promise has been broken, but I'll do my best to stay on top of things from now on.

In an earlier post I showed you the baby shower invitations that I am making for my best friend's baby shower. Click here to check out the invitations. The cards above are the Thank You cards for Joana and Steve to send out after the shower. They are decorating baby Nathan's room in monkeys so I thought these cards would be appropriate. I made quite a few samples for Joana and Steve to choose from. Steve liked card #1 and Joana liked card #2 so I made 12 of each.

Recipe for card #1:

Stamps: Monkey Business

Ink: Chocolate Chip and So Saffron

Paper: Certainly Celery, Barely Banana, Chocolate Chip, and Whisper White

Accessories: 1 3/8" circle punch and scallop punch

Recipe for card #2:

Stamps: Monkey Business and Sanded background

Ink: Chocolate Chip and Certainly Celery

Paper: Chocolate Chip, Certainly Celery, Bashful Blue, and Whisper White

Accessories: 1 1/4" and 1 3/8" square punches, and spiral punch

Check back tomorrow and I will show you another item I am making for the shower!

Happy Birthday Little Brother!

Today my "baby" brother is 22 years old. Unfortunetly I haven't made his card so I don't have anything new to show.

Sending you a big "clue hug" Chris! LOL!

Still here...barely

Sorry for the lack of posts the last few days. I've been making cards, hanging out with friends, and most recently I've been in bed fighting the flu. I'm hoping to be back to normal soon. In the mean time here is a card I made well over a year ago.

Recipe:
Stamps: Serene Spring
Ink: Black Stazon
Paper: Whisper White, Chocolate Chip, unknown retired DSP
Accessories: Watercolor Pencils, Blender pen, Hardware

Today is the first day you can order out of the new Stampin' Up! catalog!! There are some great new products in the catalog. Be sure to contact me if you would like to place an order, book a workshop, or purchase your own catalog!

Stamping Space

In an earlier post (click here to see) I showed you my stamping space in my apartment. Now that I'm home for the summer I've had to reorganize my things and I finally have it just the way I want it. My best friend wanted to get rid of a bookcase she had in the guest bedroom because that bedroom will soon be turned into the baby's room. I gladly accepted the bookcase because I thought it would be perfect to organize all of my stamping items.

Thanks for looking! I've got to go finish setting up for my Garden Greetings Stamp a Stack that I am hosting tonight.