Happy New Year everyone!!

Hello everyone!  Happy new year!  How are you?  I have missed you all so!  But, as I'm sure you can relate - the holidays took over my life.  Since my last post, we have done three thanksgivings, four family birthdays (including mine (:  ), five christmas celebrations, six craft bazaars, and a few holiday parties.  Mix that all in with last minute prepping and shopping - and you get chaos.  This year, I will be more prepared.  (Don't we all say that??)

The Occasions mini catalog starts on Wednesday, and I have to say - I'm just loving it!  There are so many fabulous products in there, especially for the big shot.  The biggest surprise for me was the framelits.  They come in a label shape, and a heart shape - and I just love them both.

Today's card features the label framelits, and the Rue Des Fluers stamp set.  I love the vintage feel it has.  Please be sure to let me know what you think!

SUDSOL Blog Tour

Happy November everyone!  Are you ready for the holidays yet?  Or are they coming up too fast for you to keep up?  For me it is the latter...  You are probably coming here from Jane at Stamp with Jane.  I love the projects she is showcasing today!

I am honored to be participating in SUDSOL's 7th blog tour.  Today we are featuring Holiday Items.  All items featured in this tour are demonstrable ideas - meaning they are great things for sharing with  your customers!!
Are you a Stampin' Up! demonstrator who is looking for creative & business ideas at your fingertips?

If so, SUDSOL is for you!

SUDSOL (Simply Unique Demonstrators Sharing On Line) is a online community of Stampin’ Up! demonstrators dedicated to providing creative and professional information 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.   All demonstrators regardless of location, regardless of the support you are getting elsewhere,we are here to support you 24/7.

We feature:

1. An extensive samples gallery
2. Business forms and files
3. An email loop to share creative and business ideas
4. A partnership with John Sanpietro, Certified Professional Development Coach and author of, "Stamping Is My Business!". Which includes articles exclusively for SUDSOL Members, and specials on his coaching classes. Check out his site here

… and more! 

We encourage you to take our 2-week free trial to find out for yourself how SUDSOL can support you.

To start your free two week trial - click the banner on my sidebar.  :)

Now, onto my projects.  I have three projects for you today.  I have an ornament, a banner, and a gift card holder.

First I'll share my ornament with you.  

                              

I made this ornament with a 1.5x12in piece of Old Olive paper.  I used the Eyelet Border punch on one side, and then scored every quarter of an inch using our new, fabulous Simply Scored.  I then punched out a Riding Hood Red circle - and embossed it using our Snow Burst embossing folder.  After I had the medallion put together, I ran over all the "mountain" edges with Dazzling Details.  The image is from 25 Days & Counting, from day 25.  I also added a bit of Dazzling Details to the star.  I have used Very Vanilla Stitched Velvet Ribbon.  I love how surprisingly sturdy this ornament is!

Next I have my banner.

This mini banner was super easy to put together.  I cut out the chipboard and Frostwood Lodge Designer Series Paper with my Perfect Pennants Bigz Die and my Big Shot.  I love that the Big Shot is strong enough to go through 29 different materials.  When I was cutting out this paper, I was able to cut out all nine patterned paper pennants at one time!!  I then punched my scallop circles out of Early Espresso, and the circles out of Marina Mist.  I ran the Marina circles through the big shot with the Square Lattice embossing folder to give them a bit of texture.  I stamped all nine letters in Christmas in Cherry Cobbler on Whisper White.  I cut out each individual letter, and popped them up on the Marina Mist circles with Stampin' Dimensionals.  After I had each letter assembled, I added a bit of glitz.  I used Dazzling Details to put dots on each scallop, and completely covered each letter.  I used the Crop-a-Dile to punch holes in my pennants, and tied them together with Early Espresso 1/8" Taffeta Ribbon.

Last, but certainly not least - I have a gift card holder.  I found the pattern for this gift card holder on SUDSOL.  Their amazing pattern library is just one of the many perks of being a SUDSOL member!  You can see this, and other patterns on SUDSOL in the Creative Library by signing up for a FREE trial - click this link Join me on SUDSOL - Your 24/7 Upline! I have showed these gift card holders at three different classes so far, and everyone loves them!!  They are especially great with the holidays coming up!

This is what it looks like closed.  A cute little wallet.

Here it is opened.

CONTINUE on the Blog Tour
Jane Hignite	SUDSOL

My first milk carton box

When I was working on my Operation Write Home card last night, I knew right away I wanted to make a coordinating box.  What a better time to try out the hexagon milk carton boxes that everyone has been raving about.  I had quickly put together the base of one sometime ago, but as it was my first one, and I wasn't quite sure what I was doing - it turned out pretty crooked.

For this one, I was much more careful, and it turned out pretty good.  I made the panels on each side to coordinate with the card from yesterday, and also used the fabric as ribbon again.

Please be sure to leave a comment and let me know what you think!  Thanks!!

Hopping Just for the Fun of It

Thank you for hopping today with us, “Hopping Just for the Fun of it”.  Today’s theme is Halloween / Fall Happenings, Do hop thru our fun hop this Saturday featuring Fall and Halloween projects..... Plan on visiting us each month, the next hop will be the first Saturday of the Month, Nov 5.  You may of came today from Stop #4, Krafting with Karen.  I haven't seen her post for this hop yet, but she has lots of neat things on her blog - I'm sure her post is great!  (Did you see her Cat in the Hat?  So cool!)  I happen to be Stop # 5 of 16 stops along the way this month.

I have a couple different projects to show you today.  Fall is my favorite season, and so I tend to make quite a bit of fall things.  :)  

The first project I have uses those fabulous skinny cellophane bags from the holiday mini.  

I was pretty happy with how these turned out.  I made quite a few as donations for goody bags for a crop I was a vendor at last week.  They were a big hit, and because people saw them used, I sold quite a few.  

My second project is what I did for my make n take at that same crop.  It was adored by many, but a bit too involved for a quick make n take at a crop.  I am using the card next week as one of the projects we will be doing at a retirement home that I just started teaching monthly classes at.

Don’t forget we love comments if possible.  To continue the hop, the next Stop # 6, is my friend Patrice over at My Little Patch of Dirt.  I am sure you will enjoy her project this month.  If you should happen to get lost anywhere thru the hop, you can go to the main blog, Hopping Just for the Fun of it.  Thanks for hopping with us.

 

Operation Write Home Blog Hop

I am so happy to be a part of Operation Write Home's World Cardmaking Day blog hop.  OWH is an organization that you can mail your home made cards, and hand written letters to.  They package and mail boxes of cards to our troops, so they have something to send home to their families.  You can find out more about their work, and how you can get involved here.

The theme for this hop is holidays.  Did you know we are down to twelve shopping weekends until Christmas?  I didn't - and the thought makes me a bit anxious.  I have been planning on making every single gift we give this year... but I haven't started planning yet - let alone actually working on them.  Time to get my behind into gear huh?

For this hop, I decided to try something I haven't done yet.  Fabric on my cards.  I am really happy with how it turned out - I hope you like it too!

The picture didn't turn out well, but it was late - and I was in a rush, so it didn't leave me many options.  Please be sure to leave a comment and let me know what you think.  Thanks for stopping by!!

All Holidays Blog Hop

Thank you for hopping today with us, “Hopping Just for the Fun of it”.  Today’s theme is ALL HOLIDAYS, meaning just that, we all need to have cards ready for just that special holiday ahead of time or maybe we will have a test card first, before making all the cards needed for the holiday... Plan on visiting us each month, the next hop will be the first Saturday of the Month.  You may of came today from Stop #10, InkPaperStamps.  I happen to be Stop # 11 of 18 stops along the way this month.


I wanted to try using the same set to make multiple holiday/occasion cards.  I was pretty happy with what I came up with - be sure to let me know what you think!  So, I have to tell you - I have had this set for a few months.  It some how slipped my mind that our fabulous rubber stamps now come die cut - and I was just dreading cutting these circles out.  Once my brain turned back on and I realized I just had to pop them out and stick them on, I was super excited about using them!!  I know everyone else has had this set for years, and are probably over it by now - but man, I am in love!

I used Circle Circus and Teeny Tiny Messages for each of these cards.  They all have the same basic layout, and were all embossed after I stamped them.  I am completely addicted to Stampin' Up!'s embossing folders, I don't think I am even capable of making a card without them.  

Don’t forget we love comments if possible.  To continue the hop, the next Stop # 12, is Stamping with Janice.  I am sure you will enjoy her project this month.  If you should happen to get lost anywhere thru the hop. you can go to the main blog, Hopping Just for the Fun of it, or use the following list here below.  Thanks for hopping with us.

00 start        Hopping Just for the Fun of it
1                  Bluegrass Stamper Studio 
2                  Life with a Wiener Dog
3                  Stamper Shirley
4                  The Creative Stamptuary
5                  Stampin' and Scrappin' News
6                  Stamin Ldyglfr62
7                  RaissaStamps
8                  Stampin' Fevre
9                  My Little Patch of Dirt
10                InkPaperStamps
11                Scrappy Stamps and Ink   
12                Stamping with Janice
13                Technostamper
14                My Creative Impressions                
15                Pretty Inky                   
16                Artful Imagination       
17                The Love of Stamping 

SU Stars Blog Hop - Fun Folds BLOG CANDY!!

This weekend I am participating in a fun blog hop for a group I belong to called SU Stars.  It is a group on Yahoo for Stampin' Up! demonstrators.  If you are a demonstrator, head on over and join the group!  There are lots of kind, fun, supportive women there, and we have lots of fun!  You can join here: SU Stars.

The blog hop this month is for fun folds.  You are probably coming here from Monica's Add a Little Dazzle.  She always has gorgeous projects going on, and I can't wait to see what she came up with for this month's blog hop.  If you started here, you can go to the SU Stars home blog, and start from the beginning, or just loop all the way around - up to you.  :)

I have two cards for you.  The first is a Christmas card.  Big surprise there, right?  I wish Christmas wasn't so stuck in my brain - but it is.  (Maybe that means I'll actually be ready for it this year?)

Here is my closed card.  I wanted to keep it simple.  I had most of these pieces left over from a Christmas card kit Stampin' Up! sold a few years ago, and now that Wild Wasabi is a current color again - I have decided to use them up.  

The Bashful Blue snowflake on the left holds down the Real Red flap.  

I stamped a bit on the inside of the card.  I've seen quite a few people do that lately, and it just adds such a nice touch.

Now, onto the next card.  For this card I wanted to try a hidden message card.  A few weeks ago, I went away with a few girlfriends, and one of them had made one of these cards.  That was the first time I had ever seen one before.  I knew as soon as I saw it that I wanted to make one for this hop.  I forgot to ask my friend how she did it.. but google came to my rescue.  :)  I got directions from Vicki's blog.  If you email me, I'll send you a link.  I  knew as soon as I started working on this that I wanted it to be a birthday card for my best friend Jen.  Her birthday is coming up in a few weeks, and I want to be ready.  I know by posting the card here - that she won't be surprised when she sees it, but she will be surprised when she reads the hidden message, and that is good enough for me. 

This is what the card looks like on the front.  There are many elements just to this front that are unusual for me.  I do not usually emboss DSP.  But I love this!!  I also usually have a hard time using the pearls (or rhinestones) that come in a line, and don't usually use that heart punch.  And I usually only use the poppin' pastels technique once a year - guess this is it!  I am so happy I was able to use so many things that are uncommon for me, and still love the outcome!

This is the inside.  I am just loving the Bella Chateau DSP that Stampin' Up! has this year!!  I knew I liked it, but had no idea how much I loved it until I started using it.  I wanted my greetings to pop off of the DSP, so I stamped them on Very Vanilla and punched them out with the scallop square punch.  The squares looked a bit plain, even with their scallops (ha, ha, ha) - so I decided to give them some ink.  I punched out the small oval on a post it note, and positioned it in the center of the square.  I then sponged some Pink Pirouette ink in the oval.  I sponged the outside of the squares with Marina Mist.

To find the hidden message, you want to fold the center of the inside up into a point.  Then, using your two thumbs, gently separate the middle.  

When you are finished, the secret area is now visible.  The three Marina Mist squares here are hidden at all times unless the center is opened like the picture above.  The stripes DSP (which is the back of the Marina Mist damask pattern on the greeting portion of the card) are visible on the back of the card.  So, if you want your message to be truly secret - put it on the cardstock!

I am so happy to be offering blog candy again this weekend. (as I have done with each blog hop in the past)  Leave me a comment, and tell me whether or not you have tried these hidden message cards before or not.  I will put the total number of comments in at random.org, and the winner will be notified via email.  (So be sure to leave me some way to contact you!)  The blog candy drawing will be open until 11:59pm PST on Sunday. Be sure to check back on Monday to see who the lucky winner is!

For your next stop in the blog hop, you will be going to see Shelly at Stampin' & Scrappin' News.  Shelly has an adorable card up for you to see - so be sure to check it out!  

We have big plans this weekend.  I have been pulling junk.. oops, I mean priceless treasures out of my basement all week.  We are having a yard sale this weekend.  Wish me luck!!  

We will wrap up the weekend by having dinner with the in-laws. (Someone remind me to make the pie!  I keep forgetting...)

This is a Triple Berry Pie  I made earlier this week.  I need to make another one to take to the in-laws.