Winter Clipboard

I can't believe I waited so long to alter this 9 X 9 clipboard from Stampin' Up!. It was so easy and here it has been sitting in my cabinet for the last 6 months. I am definitely going to have to get some more of these because they can make wonderful presents for Christmas. It literally took me 15 minutes from start to finish to complete this. Now I just have to get Colin and Evan to the mall to take their picture with Santa so I have something to put on it.

I started with a piece of sponge and I just rubbed Real Red craft ink on the top of my board. It took all of a minute and it covers wonderfully. Craft ink is something I am just starting to acquire and I don't know why I haven't used anything but Whisper White for the last year. It is so rich in color and covers chipboard so nicely. I also like to emboss my letters before I cut them out because it is actually easier to cut and the letters have so much more depth and dimension to them.

From there I took pieces that have been leftover from my Winter Bright Simply Scrappin' Kit. I used the Stampin' Up! glue stick to adhere the paper to the chipboard and then ran over it with my bone folder to make sure there were no bubbles and that the paper was in full contact with the clipboard. When I had my paper where I wanted it I took a sanding block and lightly sanded the edges so that everything is nice and even and it has a slightly distressed look to it. From there it was so easy to add the die cut stickers to my project. On the bottom I have Favorite Winter Traditions across the bottom. This way I can change out pictures all winter and keep the clipboard on display.

Dare to be Different

One of these snowmen is a little different than the others, can you tell which one? That reminds me of a Sesame Street song. I added some Pumpkin Pie buttons and copper Stickles to the middle snowman to make him stand out a bit more. This is a Little Single Bit called Little Snowman that will be released on December 7th by C.C. Designs. You can find these stamps at All That Scraps, along with the Sugar Coated Brads, Piggy Tales designer paper and Stickles.




Stamps: CC Designs Single Little Bit - Little Snowman
Paper: Artesian Pool Grass Cloth, Avana Exclusive Prisim, Grean Tea Orange Peel, Bazzill Coconut Smoothies, Piggy Tales - Peter Peter Pumpkin Eater collection
Ink: Soft Sky, Sahara Sand, Palette Noir, Pumpkin Pie, Basic Gray
Accessories: Sugar Coated Brads Blue Jean, dimensionals, AquaPainter, Copper Stickles

Dashing Box

Yesterday I came across this tutorial for an oval box and I just had to try it out because it looked so simple and easy. It is simple and easy, but along the way I had somehow cut the wrong size ovals so this is actually my second box. The first one I had stamped, but I didn't want to do the same thing twice so I added some Dashing designer series paper to the outside of my box instead. I think this is absolutely adorable! Wouldn't you love to receive a present in a box just like this? I know I would.

These last two days I have been helping a friend of mine from college get her house in order for a Historic House walk this weekend. I haven't had time to do much myself at home. This is actually the first new thing I have made since Sunday. I miss my daily stamping and crafting time. My hope is that tomorrow I can sit down and finish my Advent calendar. I got my number stamps yesterday and they are all mounted and ready to go. I also want to get some of the SCS challenges done, so hopefully there will be some more variety in my cards. I do have one more of the cards that is going in my tin to share with you, so that will post tomorrow morning, but from there on out hopefully it will be less repetitive.

Jenn

Snow Pals

Lulu loves her new snow pal and takes great care in building him. This card matches Lucky on his sled but I added a few Prima Mini Me's in Aqua along the side of the image to add a little more interest. I am having so much fun with this new set. You can have your very own on December 7th. Head on over to All That Scraps and check out the new Winter Playtime set from C.C. Designs. You won't be disappointed.



Stamps: CC Designs Winter Playtime
Paper: Tempting Turquoise, Basic Gray, Grean Tea Orange Peel, Bazzill Coconut Smoothies, Piggy Tales - Peter Peter Pumpkin Eater collection
Ink: Palette Noir, Certainly Celery, Almost Amethyst, Going Gray, Soft Sky, Basic Gray
Accessories: corner rounder (retired), 1/8" hole punch, AquaPainter, Prima Mini Me's Aqua, Mini Glue Dots, May Arts Two tone light blue ribbon

Penguin Parade

This is Lulu and Lucky's newest buddy. This penguin is so adorable and is so much fun to color in. He will be part of the Winter Playtime set that is going to be released on December 7th by C.C. Designs and can be purchased at All That Scraps.

I used the same materials on this as on my decorated tin. I did add Copper Stickles to the penguins beaks to give a bit more flair to my card. The bottom is stamped with one of the sentiments from this set Happy Winter.


Stamps: CC Designs Wintertime Fun
Paper: Artesian Pool Grass Cloth, Avana Exclusive Prisim, Grean Tea Orange Peel, Bazzill Coconut Smoothies, Piggy Tales - Peter Peter Pumpkin Eater collection
Ink: Palette Noir, Basic Gray, Basic Black, Tempting Turquoise, Certainly Celery, Pumpkin Pie
Accessories: AquaPainter, Copper Stickles, May Arts Turquouise Brown Striped 5/8" grosgrain

Waterfall Class

This Sunday I have my last Hostess Club meeting for this catalog period and I promised that I would do a Waterfall Card. Now I have seen samples on Splitcoaststampers and I looked at the tutorial before, but I never realized how neat this card was until I held one in my hands and tried it out. All I have to say is WOW! This is actually the first one I have ever made and I think I will stick to this design and stamp set for my class as well.

I started with a Blue Bayou cardstock base and layered it with Soft Sky and Blue Bayou designer series paper. My paper strips are made from Soft Sky and I used Whisper White for my image layers. I simply stamped the images from Wishing You Cheer on the first two panels and then broke the sentiment up in half for the last two. It is soooo easy once you have your pieces cut and ready to assemble. The only part that made me think a bit was where to put the adhesive to hold the strip in place. I just held my paper in place and pulled the strip to see how it would flip and I had it figured out in seconds.

I didn't want to overwhelm this post with pictures so I added the progression of the card as it is flipping through the rest of the images in the side of the picture. You can click on the photo for a closer look.

Jenn

Have you heard?

All That Scraps is looking for 6 new design team members for a rotating Design Team! You can find all of the information here.

Jenn

Wintertime Hi!

Lucky got a brand new sled just in time for Christmas and is ready for some snow. I think he is just adorable. I stamped him in Palette Noir ink onto Coconut Smoothies cardstock twice. I colored him in with Close to Cocoa and Chocolate Chip ink. I then used one image to add more dimension to his head and hand. Both of those layers are popped up onto dimensionals. I wanted to make Lucky look like he was rushing down the hill. I then colored in the sled with Ruby Red ink and his scarf with Pumpkin Pie. I then used Copper Stickles to add some sparkle to his scarf. I had never used Stickles before today and I am hooked. It is so easy to control the flow and it adds so much dimension and texture to your project.


I am also in love with this May Arts Textures and Two Tones Light Blue ribbon. It sparkles and shines perfectly and is so easy to tie in a perfect knot. Plus it matches perfectly with the Piggy Tales designer paper. This is from the Peter Peter Pumpkin Eater collection and has been so much fun to work with.


This is the first of four cards that is inside of my Accents and Elements Tin.


Stamps: CC Designs Winter Playtime
Paper: Tempting Turquoise, Basic Gray, Grean Tea Orange Peel, Bazzill Coconut Smoothies, Piggy Tales - Peter Peter Pumpkin Eater collection
Ink: Palette Noir, Close to Cocoa, Chocolate Chip, Ruby Red, Pumpkin Pie
Accessories: corner rounder (retired), 1/8" hole punch, AquaPainter, Copper Stickles, dimensionals, May Arts Two tone light blue ribbon

Where has time gone?

This weekend has just flown by and I am now just sitting down to stamp for the first time in what seems like weeks. On Friday I was greeted by my new Design Team kit from C.C. Designs and in it was a cute new set featuring Lulu and Lucky called Winter Playtime. I knew I'd make it a top priority when I finally had a chance to stamp. I am working on a tin of cards to give away as a Christmas gift. You can never have enough Winter cards to send out just to say Hi! when the weather is blustery cold and dreary.

I started with a plain Accents and Elements tin that I had left over from the Spring Mini catalog from Stampin' Up! Sadly I still have the accents in it and the sheets are almost full, but since I just ordered a bunch of empty tins I figured I better start experimenting. I have 4 cards that are 4 5/8" X 5 1/8" inside. I will show those to you later as I am still working on the finishing details. I wrapped a piece of Artesian Pool Grass Cloth cardstock around the center then added a strip of Avana Exclusive Prism cardstock. To make it look like ribbon I cut a strip of Piggy Tales designer series paper from the Peter Peter Pumpkin Eater collection. It matches the May Arts Turquoise Brown striped 5/8" grosgrain ribbon perfectly!

I then focused my attention on the main image panel. I used Chocolate Chip cardstock by Stampin' Up! then layered it with Green Tea Orange Peel Cardstock and stamped my image on Bazzill Coconut Smoothies cardstock.

This is Lulu and her Snowman image from Winter Playtime, that will be available for purchase on December 7th at All That Scraps. The set comes with 3 image stamps, 3 snowflake stamps and 2 sentiments. I colored my images in with various SU! inks using my AquaPainter. I then masked my image and stamped my snowflakes. To finish it off I sponged the edges of my cardstock in Soft Sky ink before putting the layers together and attaching it to the belly band of my tin.

It felt so good to sit down and stamp. I feel like I have been slowly coming down with a cold, so I have been resting a bunch. Hopefully as we start a new week the cold will be in the past. I sure hope so because it is no fun to take care of two energetic boys when I am feeling tired and physically drained. Have a great Sunday!

Jenn

Let it Snow and a Colin Funny

We don't really need the snow. I was just kidding about that, but there are flakes floating in the air. This is one of the Jumbo Paperclips that I have been selling at my last few Vendor Fairs. I simply took the scallop punch and punched two pieces of blue bayou cardstock. Onto that I put a layer of Wintergreen designer series paper. I then sandwiched a jumbo paperclip in between with some E6000. Let me tell you that stuff stinks - literally, but it works so well. I then stamped the snowman from Punch Pals, colored him in, cut him out and popped him up on a dimensional. So simple and easy and everyone asks for more.

This morning Colin is yelling at me that he doesn't want a girl Christmas tree and I can't for the life of me figure out what he is saying. He then goes on to say "But the tree has a skirt on. Next year take the skirt off and put Christmas tree pants on instead so we can have a boy tree!". That gave me a good laugh.



I hope you all have a happy and safe Thanksgiving!



Jenn

Getting Closer to the Finish Line

I'm so close, yet I have so much more to do on this project. At this point I am stalled. I am waiting for my Big Deal Numbers to be delivered and that won't be until Monday. I have hung it permanently on my wall for now. I am so happy with the way this is all coming together. Today I decorated the tins by wrapping paper around the base and then adding the scallops in Soft Sky, Blue Bayou, Certainly Celery and Always Artichoke. I then layered a 1 3/8" circle of coordinating Wintergreen dsp to each one before I attached them to the board with Velcro dots.

I did get some more Jumbo clips stamped today. I had a few orders from the last Vendor Fair I did and today I got a call for more. This time I did get a photo of them and I will save that post for tomorrow. We are celebrating Thanksgiving at my parents. I have my sweet potatoes baked and now I'm ready to make some Sweet Potato Casserole. My brother who hates sweet potatoes even eats this one. It is very yummy!

Colin is getting sick. He started with a cough yesterday and today I feel something settling into my chest and am achy all over. I hope it's just a 24 hour thing. I have another Vendor Fair on Saturday and I can't afford to be sick. To top it all off it has been dreary and rainy all day today and tonight we may get 1 - 3 inches of snow. It was just 67 degrees two days ago. I am not ready for this at all.

Have a great Thanksgiving and check back tomorrow for the Jumbo Clips.

Jenn

Friendly Butterfly

Introducing the newest member to my rubber family - Time Well Spent. What a wonderful gift! This is a new Level III hostess set that was sent as a gift to all active demonstrators. It is so cute and I am already in love with it.

I didn't have much time to stamp lately so I decided I had to sit down and do something today. I am so out of my groove right now and I think it's because it's been so long since I actually stamped. Sure I've played with paper, but it hasn't involved ink as of lately. I used Beate's Weekend Sketch Challenge for this card and used today's Color Combo Challenge - Wild Wasabi, Pretty in Pink and Whisper White. I did throw in a little Regal Rose too. The base is wheeled with my Jumbo Whimsy Wheel in Wild Wasabi classic ink. The sentiment is stamped in Regal Rose. I then colored Friend in with my Versamarker and the flowers with my White gel pen before adding Vintage brads with my paper piercer. The rest is fairly simple to figure out.

Tomorrow Colin has his Thanksgiving program at school and I can't wait. It is sure to be real cute.

Jenn

Wintergreen Paper Bow Ornament

You have probably seen those wonderful designer paper bows floating around on various blogs and Splitcoaststampers. I decided to take mine one step further and created a three dimensional ornament by sticking two of these bows together. I followed this tutorial to make the bows. After both bows were complete I added a piece of 5/8" Certainly Celery grosgrain ribbon and attached the bows together using sticky strip. Now instead of using the bows on packages I am going to use them to decorate my Christmas tree. I can't wait until the entire tree is full. On Christmas eve, or before if my tree is full, I will take a picture of my wonderfully decorated tree with all of my Stampin' Up! ornaments.

Today has been one of those days. Evan had his 2 year check up and had to go in for the normal lead tests. They have such a hard time finding his vein. He was stuck 3 times by 3 different people all while I had to hold him down kicking and screaming. I don't blame the poor guy, but I think this may be the last one he has to go through, or at least until next year.

We had some time between the pediatrician appointment, blood work and having to pick Colin up from school so we came home for a bit. I saw a piece of dirt on the floor, thinking we carried it in on our shoes. I picked it up to throw it out only to find it wasn't a piece of dirt, but a big fat hairy black spider. I couldn't throw it out fast enough. UGH! Not only do I hate spiders, but I actually picked it up. Next time I spy a piece of dirt my vacuum will have to come to the rescue. Never again will I make the mistake of picking up a spider.

Jenn

Scallop Punch Paper Ornaments

These scallop punch ornaments are so quick and easy to make and the best part is that they are kid friendly, and in my house that is a huge plus. I am not the original creator of this idea, but if you are let me know because I'd love to give credit where credit is due.

Step 1: Punch 8 scallop out of designer series paper

Step 2: Fold your 8 punched scallops in half.

Step 3: Take 2 scallops and glue them together and then continue gluing on the others as you make your way around the circle. Leave your last section unglued to add the ribbon.

Step 4: Run glue down the center of your scallops. Add a length of ribbon. I double mine over and tie a knot at the bottom.

Step 5: Glue the last two sections together to complete the circle. Display your ornament for all to see.

Happy 2nd Birthday Evan!

Today my baby turns 2 and is no longer a baby. We are expecting guest anytime so this is just a quick post to show off one of the scallop Christmas Ornaments I made today. I have a lot more to make. We actually set up our tree yesterday. I haven't put one up in years because the boys would just knock it down. We now have to sort through everything and see what type of ornaments we have. A few years ago our cats sent the tree crashing down and lot of ornaments broke. We have a much larger tree so hopefully they won't do that again. However, to be on the safe side I figured paper ornaments will be the best.

Have a great day! We are off to celebrate.

Jenn

Ornaments

The other day Colin and I sat down to make some Christmas ornaments based on the tutorial at Splitcoaststampers. These are so fun and so easy. Plus they look a lot better than my picture shows. I got 6 glass ornaments at Michael's for $2.50 and a bag of snow for $1. Colin was so confused by the bagged snow. He kept asking why it wasn't melting. The it's not real explanation wasn't working so now it's magic snow.





I cut the transparencies with my coluzzle to the 2" circle size. I then stamped the image on the front, colored in with Sharpie markers on the back and then used my blender pen and Whisper White Craft ink to color in the back. I then embossed mine with Crystal Clear embossing powder. It melts super quick and you need to make sure you don't melt the transparency. I then threaded through a piece of silver cording through a 1/8" hole punched at the top of the circle.





To get the image inside I rolled up the transparency and put it through the top opening. The rolled paper wasn't working for getting the snow in, so I put a little in my powder pal and dumped it in that way.





Colin even decorated his own.



I followed the instructions on his and used White embossing powder. I think both the white and crystal clear work equally well with this project.


Stamps: Punch Pals
Ink: Jetblack Stazon, Sharpie Markers, WW Craft
Accessories: transparencies, snowflakes, heat gun, white ep

Labor of Love

I am so excited about this project even though it is not even close to being finished yet. However, since it has taken up a good deal of my stamping time I thought I'd share. All of the directions are on Splitcoaststampers in a tutorial written by Beate.

So far I have used a 16 X 20 blank canvas from Michael's. Make sure you have a coupon because I didn't realize that they are not cheap. My designer series paper squares are Wintergreen paper and are matted on Always Artichoke. The header is made from a piece of Wintergreen designer series paper and the flowers are just two of the 5 petal punches with a jumbo eyelet and a large Ice Rhinestone brad in the center. I stamped my letters on Whisper White cardstock in Chocolate Chip craft ink and embossed with crystal clear embossing powder. The squares are held on with sticky strip, the flowers with dimensionals and the letters have been taped up with my ATG gun for some extra staying power. I used 5/8" Certainly Celery ribbon for the hanger and reinforced my sides by stapling it on with my big industrial stapling gun.

Today I am going to start on the little tins, but the numbers will have to wait until my Big Deal numbers arrive. I found the tins at Michael's as well in the wedding section. I didn't expect them to come in a nice big container so I walked right past them a couple of times.

We have a busy weekend ahead of us, so if I'm MIA for a day you will know why. Tonight is our Dinners by Design night. I love not having to cook dinner. Tomorrow we have to go to Costco to get all of the food for Evan's party and on Sunday my baby will be 2 years old!

Snowflakes Fall

You're probably thinking this sketch looks awfully familiar. LOL! Well it certainly is the same sketch as my last two cards featured here. When it works, it works. I really like this sketch and it is fun to play with.



This card is also made from paper from the Winter Bright Simply Scrappin' Kit, except for the Blue Bayou and Whisper White. I wanted to try out another of the Elzybells stamps I borrowed from my mom. At this rate of making individual Christmas cards I may be able to send a different one to everyone on my Christmas list.



I highlighted her wings, halo and snowflakes with a Sakura Gelly Roll pen. They are all super sparkly in real life and I wish I could capture that in my image. This card is a 4 1/2" square.




Stamps: Elzybells
Paper: Winter Bright SS Kit, Blue Bayou, Whisper White
Ink: Jetblack Stazon, Pretty in Pink, Blush Blossom, Close to Cocoa, Soft Sky
Accessories: Basic Black Stampin' Write Marker, Sakura Gelly Roll Pen, AquaPainter, dimensionals, coluzzle, 3/16" corner rounder, 5/8" regal rose grosgrain

All Wound Up

That is what I literally was yesterday making this card. I took a stab, pun intended, at Japanese Stab Binding for the Try a New Technique Challenge yesterday. I started with a 5 1/4 X 10 1/2 piece of Pretty in Pink textured cardstock. I scored it at 5 1/4" and then scored it at 4 1/4" to leave room for the "spine" of the card. If you are interested in learning more about this technique you can check it out here.



Most of my paper on this card is from the Winter Bright Simply Scrappin' Kit except for the Bashful Blue and Whisper White layers. I used the two new C.C. Designs sets, Lulu's Sweet Delights and Lucky's Christmas Wish. Both of them can be found at All That Scraps.



After I finished the front of my card I started on the stab binding. I used some Martha Stewart ribbon that was sent to me as a present. It was the only ribbon I had that would be narrow enough to use with the 1/8" holes. I started in the center hole with my binding, worked toward the bottom and then backtracked to do the top holes. While the ribbon looks nice on it now, it would twist and turn a bunch, so I was all wound up in it. However, I think this is a very cool effect!



Does the layout look familiar? Once again it is Beate's Weekend Sketch Challenge, but with an oval instead of a circle.




Stamps: Lucky's Christmas Wish, Lulu's Sweet Delights by C.C.Designs
Paper: Winter Bright Simply Scrappin' Kit, Bashful Blue, Whisper White
Ink: Basic Gray, Real Red, Wild Wasabi, Pretty in Pink
Accessories: 2 Way Glue, Dazzling Diamonds, AquaPainter, coluzzle, 3/16" corner rounder, dimensionals, Martha Stewart Ribbon, 1/8" hole punch
Techniques: Japanese Binding

Punchy Snow Globe

I think he is too cute not to share today! I was completely inspired by a card on My Paper World. I saw this snowman and thought I'd try to make one on my own. As you can see this is on a much larger scale, but I think he turned out super cute. The snowman, snow, hat, eyes and buttons are all made with Stampin' Up! punches. The snow globe, mound of snow and base of the globe are made using my coluzzle. The trees are from Punch Pals and are stamped in Timber Brown stazon, colored in with Wild Wasabi and Chocolate Chip and set up on dimensionals.

I kept the rest of the card really simple as not to take away from the punches.

Jenn



Stamps: Punch Pals
Paper: Blue Bayou, Soft Sky, Whisper White, Basic Gray, Basic Black, Pumpkin Pie, Basic Black
Ink: Timber Brown Stazon, Wild Wasabi, Chocolate chip
Accessories: 1 1/4, 1 3/8, 1/4 circle punches, double hole punch, small tag punch, coluzzle, aquapainter, dimensionals, red gingham ribbon

So Sorry

As I sat down this weekend and stamped I decided to try out Beate's Weekend Sketch Challenge, which can be found here. I usually shy away from circle layouts, that was until I got my Coluzzle and I love it! I had a bunch of other circle cutters, but I wasn't fond of them at all. One was a Cutter Bee Curvy Cutter and the paper always slipped leaving me with a very odd shaped circle, another was from Fiskars and both were bought before I signed up to be a Stampin' Up! Demo.

I chose to use So Much because it is the only stamp set I have that has a large circle element in it and I knew it would be perfect, plus I don't pull this set off of the shelf much. The main circle layer and flowers are set up on dimensionals. I also can't use this flower without adding a Jumbo Eyelet in the center.

Have you ever tried to exercise with your kids? I really wouldn't suggest it. When I use my treadmill Roger has to be home to watch the boys. I won't even let them in the room while it is running after I saw an Oprah special shortly after Colin was born where a toddler had his finger ripped apart by the belt. That was something I would have never thought of before I saw that special although it does make sense. But on Tuesdays and Thursdays I usually like to do something different. Today I had the idea of having the boys do Pilates with me. While Colin liked rolling like a ball and all of the other stuff, Evan found it more fun to push and pull on me so I got twice the workout. I not only got Pilates in, but I got some weight lifting in getting him off of me after he jumped on me time and time again. I think I am in major need of a gym membership that features a child care setting. LOL!

Jenn


Stamps: So Much, Fundamental Phrases, All in a Row
Paper: Purely Pomgranate, Basic Gray, Soft Sky dsp, River Rock, Groovy Guava
Ink: River Rock, Basic Gray
Accessories: coluzzle, mat pack, crop-a-dile, jumbo pewter eyelets, dimensionals

Who Dares to be Fabulous?

StampOwl from SCS certainly does! Yesterday she was the Featured Stamper and I chose this card from her gallery to CASE.

I decided to keep the layout the same, but I changed the color scheme, background stamp, omitted the Cuttlebug embossing (I don't own a Cuttlebug), and distressed the edges of the main image.

I was feeling better last night and actually stamped 3 cards! It was a great feeling to stamp because I wanted to stamp and not because I had to restock. Today we are all doing much better so thanks for all of the well wishes. I still feel like I could sleep for the next few days, but hopefully I'll have a surge of energy tonight like I did last night. I haven't sat on a couch for a good part of the day in a long time, and it was nice just to watch cartoons and read books with the kids.

Today maybe I'll actually have time to unfold my treadmill and get some exercise in.

Jenn


Stamps: Fabulous Flowers, Tres Chic, Adia Cloth
Paper: Purely Pomegranate, Blue Bayou, River Rock, Basic Gray, Whisper White
Ink: River Rock, Purely Pomegranate, Basic Gray
Accessories: Dimensionals, Sponge, 1/16" hole punch, Vintage Brads, Cutter's Tool Kit

More Vendor Fair Pictures

We are all under the weather today so I will leave you with a quick picture of more of my Vendor Fair items. Pictured are my Gift Tags, Reindeer Food, Snowman Kisses, Snowman Soup, Paint Cans, Journals and Jumbo Clips.

I hope you all have a great Sunday! I'm back to the couch to lounge and recouperate.

Jenn

Jumbo Clips

I just got home and unpacked but I had promised that I would show you what my Jumbo Clips looked like. I took a few photos this morning of my set up at the Vendor Fair and I found that I have no good direct pictures of them, so this will have to do. I was going to take a photo of one when I got home, but I actually sold out of them and have orders for more. Last week my big seller was my gift bags, this week it was the Jumbo clips. I wish there was a way to figure out what is going to be the hit of the day before the actual fair.

To make the Jumbo Clips I took my scallop punch and punched out two pieces of cardstock. I then punched Soft Sky Designer Prints paper and Dashing Designer Series paper. I used SNAIL to adhere the designer paper to the cardstock. I then sandwiched them onto the Jumbo Clip with E6000. After they were waiting to dry I colored in the Penguin from Punch Pals and the Snowman from the same set. I cut each out and mounted them to the clips. I put the snowmen heads up on dimensionals but just used SNAIL to put on the penguins.

Also seen in this photo are my bags of Snowmen Kisses. I opted to use Hershey Kisses because I wanted wrapped candy. I wish they made little individual bags of marshmallows. I then made the topper to my bag with Soft Sky cardstock, Blue Bayou for the mat and Whisper White for the main image layer. I colored in the snowmen from Festive Favorites.

I'm hungry and tired so I'm going to run. I can now relax a bit until after Thanksgiving in terms of mass producing things.

Jenn

Gift Tags

Tomorrow is another Craft and Vendor Fair for me. Last weekend I sold out of a bunch of Gift Tags so this week I am busy making some more. I am trying to keep on top of everything, but it is harder than I thought with two kids. Last weekend I just had my tags packaged in a cello bag tied up with a ribbon, this week I changed my packaging after I saw this awesome tutorial by Andrea. Wouldn't these be so cute stocked on a shelf in a store? They'd be the first ones I'd grab. I did have to change my dimensions since I have larger cellophane bags, but the concept is the same. Instead of tying my ribbon all of the way around I used my Crop-a-dile to punch the largest hole, and then put the ribbon through before tying a knot.

Last night I also made a ton of the jumbo paper clips. I had bought some at Walmart months ago, but that was before Stampin' Up! came out with it's scallop circle punch. Let me tell you that punch is the best for making the toppers! I will show you how they turned out tomorrow. I don't know how much actual "fun" stamping I'll get in today. Roger is home sick, Evan was up all night and I have a ton to get done for tomorrow. Thank goodness it's a 3 day weekend and my next Vendor Fair isn't until after Thanksgiving, so hopefully I can catch up on challenges on SCS. They are my favorite and I hate falling so far behind.

Jenn

Blog Candy Winners

I used Random.org to choose the winners of both of my blog candy contests.

The winner of the sketch Challenge is #6

The Stamper's Touch said...
Fun sketch Jenn!! I will use this one more often. Here is mine:http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/gallery/photo/715037?cat=7227Linda (aka studbo)

The winner of my 50K Hits Blog Candy is #44

Tracy said...
Wow, congrats on 50k! I know I've been checking in daily for months now. Just love your cards and altered projects. I can't say which SU set I'd hate to see retired because I actually own only one set right now.

Linda and Tracy, please contact me at startstampin@comcast.net with your snail mail address and I will get your goodies out to you.

Thanks again to all of you who visit and leave comments. I read each and every one of them. You are all too sweet.

Jenn

Cherish

When I saw yesterday's sketch challenge the first set that came to mind was Carte Postal. I searched and searched, and finally came to the conclusion that I gave the stamp set back to my mom and sister. I then thought it might be neat to actually use my Build-a-Brads that I purchased recently and figured they'd fit perfectly in the center of the diamonds.

My card base is Blue Bayou and layered on top of that is a piece of designer paper from Baroque Backgrounds. I used my ticket corner punch on all four corners. From there I worked on my diamond pieces. I stamped the flourish from Baroque Motifs in Soft Sky after stamping off once. I sponged the edges of the Whisper White diamond layer with Blue Bayou ink and then layered it on the Blue Bayou mats. They still looked a little bare so I used Basic Gray ink and the argyle stamp from All in a Row on all of the edges.

To stamp my main image panel I stamped the flourish again in the same fashion as the diamonds. I then stamped cherish in Soft Sky ink using my stamp-a-ma-jig to get the placement the way I wanted it. I then stamped it just once in Blue Bayou in the center of the rectangle layer. To finish it off I stamped the smallest flower in Purely Pomegranate after stamping it off two times so that it is nice and muted. I added the All in a Row Border and then the Groovy Guava ribbon from the Sherbet Ribbon Originals. I stapled the ribbon on in loops.

My horizontal piece was sponged in Blue Bayou ink and after I had placed my images the way I liked them I thought it would be neat to have a row of paper piercing that was centered between the diamonds.

Today is another busy busy day. I have a Vendor Fair on Saturday and I am rushing to finish up my bags of Christmas Tags and get everything else back together. I have two more over the next few weeks as well. Since this is my first year doing this I had no idea how much I needed to prepare. Evan has playgroup at the YMCA and Colin has Music class this evening. If I could only figure out how to get a few more hours crammed into my stamping time I'd be very very happy.

Jenn

Please remember I am going to use Random.org to chose my 50k Blog Candy Winner as well as my Anniversary Sketch Challenge winner today at noon. You still have 4 hours to enter both of these for your chance to win.


Stamps: Baroque Motifs, All in a Row
Paper: Blue Bayou, Baroque Backgrounds dsp, Basic Gray, Whisper White, Soft Sky
Ink: Soft Sky, Blue Bayou, Purely Pomegranate, Basic Gray
Accessories: Build a Brad, 1" hole punch, crafter's tool kit, 1/16" hole punch, sponge, staples, Ribbon Originals Sherbet, ticket corner punch

Double Pocket Bag for 3 X 3 Cards

At the end of September I posted a tutorial on how to make the Two Pocket Bag from a 12 X 12 sheet of designer series paper based on a demonstration at Stampin' Up!'s Louisville Regionals. We were told that you could make these bags out of any size of square designer series paper, but wanting to just do it the easy way I stuck with the 12 X 12 dimensions.


Lisa Somerville of Splendiferous Creations was a genius! She sat down and figured out the dimensions to make a bag that would fit the 3 X 3 note cards. I have been meaning to make a version with her dimensions, but time has not been on my side lately. I did sit down and make one today. I think that these are so cute! If you'd like the directions to make the Double Pocket Bag for 3 X 3 cards then please visit Lisa's blog by clicking here.


Here is a side by side photo of both the 12 X 12 Double Pocket Bag and the 9 X 9 Double Pocket Bag, so that you can see the difference in size.

Now I am off to figure out what is going on with my camera. The settings are all messed up and my photos are not turning out how I like them. I think I have to go back in and tinker around with the White balance settings. I remember it being a frustrating experience finding everything in the millions of menus last time, so here is to this time being easier.


Jenn

Super Easy Christmas Card

I was browsing through the latest issue of Papercrafts magazine and I was inspired to create this. It is so simple and easy which makes it even better. I used C.C. Designs stamp set called Lucky's Christmas Wish which is available today at All That Scraps. I simply layered a piece of Pretty in Pink textured cardstock that was sponged in Regal Rose ink on a Wild Wasabi base. I added a strip of striped paper from a Winter Bright Simply Scrappin' kit and stamped the tree on matching patterned paper from the same kit in Basic Gray ink. I cut out the trees, added some Dazzling Diamonds (which I wish would photograph better) and stamped my sentiment in Real Red ink. I added two brads from a package that I picked up in the Target $1 spot about a month or so ago. The card is super sparkly in real life and I wish you could see that in the photograph. I made this card in about 5 minutes, so it's a perfect candidate for your massed produced Holiday cards.



Jenn




Stamps: Lucky's Christmas Wish by C.C. Designs
Paper: Wild Wasabi, Pretty in Pink, Winter Bright Simply Scrappin' Kit
Ink: Basic Gray, Real Red
Accessories: 2 way glue, dazzling diamonds, Target $1 spot brads, 1/16" hole punch

Lulu and Lucky

Tonight is a big night for Lulu and Lucky because they are going to be released for purchase at All That Scraps. They are both part of the new Little Bits sets. Each set will have 5 - 7 stamps and they will be released on the 7th of each month. You can order these unmounted with EZ foam attached or wood mounted. More information is available here on the C.C. Designs Blog.

I think Lucky is simply adorable in his santa hat. He is so much fun to color in and the possiblities are endless. He comes with a Christmas Tree, wrapped presents and two sentiments.

This is Lulu and she certainly is sweet, and not just because she comes with her own candy in tow. Lulu's Sweet Delights is a set of 7 stamps and is also part of the Little Bits line. There are two sentiments and 5 image stamps in this set. She coordinates with Lucky perfectly. The images mix and match easily to give your Christmas cards even more design possibilities.

Be sure to head on over to All That Scraps tonight at Midnight and pick up Lucky's Christmas Wish and Lulu's Sweet Delights by C.C. Designs.

Stamps: Lucky's Christmas Wish by CC Designs
Paper: Soft Sky, Winter Bright SS Kit dsp, Ruby Red, Basic Gray
Ink: Basic Gray, Wild Wasabi, Close to Cocoa, Chocolate Chip, Ruby Red, Soft Sky, Blue Bayou, Pretty in Pink
Accessories: small oval punch, 1/16" hole punch, Target $1 spot brad, watercolor brush

Stamps: Lulu's Sweet Delights by C.C. Designs
Paper: Soft Sky, Winter Bright SS Kit dsp, Ruby Red, Basic Gray
Ink: Basic Gray, Wild Wasabi, Close to Cocoa, Chocolate Chip, Ruby Red, Pretty in Pink
Accessories: small oval punch, 1/16" hole punch, Target $1 spot brad, watercolor brush, dimensionals

50,000 Blog Candy

I can't believe that I've gotten to 50,000 hits. I was actually past that when I logged on this morning. I couldn't have gotten here without all of you, so to say Thank You for your kind comments and for visiting my site I am giving away this blog candy. I have an altered journal, the Horizontal Pocket card that is pictured in my last post, 3 packages of Studio g Clear Stamps and some stamped Elzybells images (not pictured). To enter leave a comment on this post stating which current Stampin' Up! set you would hate to see on the retired list come December 1st. I will leave this open until Thursday at noon, when I will use Random.org to pick a lucky winner.

Good Luck and Thank You!

Jenn

Horizontal Pocket Card

Today's Try a New Technique Challenge was to make a Horizontal Pocket Card, and you can find directions here. To make mine horizontal instead of vertical, I scored my 5 1/2 X 8 1/2 piece of cardstock at 4 1/4" and at 1 1/4". I rounded all of my corners with my 3/16" corner rounder and then took the guard off to make my scallop border. The front has a piece of diagonally striped Dashing designer series paper and is tied with a 5/8" Real Red grosgrain ribbon. I sponged the edges with Old Olive ink and stamped my pine needles in Old Olive just on the flap of the card.

I didn't want to over power the design of the card so I tried to keep in nice and simple. The insert slides into the pocket on the card. To make the insert I rounded the corners and then sponged them with Old Olive ink. I added a round tab punch of River Rock cardstock, a piece of Dashing designer series paper and a Vintage brad. I stamped my imaged in Old Olive and Real Red ink. I love the simplicity of this design. Sometimes simpler is better.

Look for some 50,000 hits blog candy later today! I am so excited that I have had so many hits over the last few month. And to celebrate I will share some of my goodies with you.

Jenn

A Quick Check In

I thought I'd check in after not being home for 2 days. My craft fair on Saturday was a lot of fun and I find myself facing the week in between craft fairs having to restock a lot of my items. I never thought it would be such a huge success and I sold out of Gift bags in the first 15 minutes! I have a lot of work ahead of me in the next week, but I will find sometime to stamp just for fun.

Today we made these little treat boxes at my monthly Hostess Club meeting and everyone seemed to enjoy making them. I simply printed the pattern onto Blue Bayou cardstock, cut it out and then stamped it with the swirl from Season of Joy. I then layered a Wild Wasabi scallop circle and the flower from Season of Joy is stamped in Purely Pomegrante on Whisper White. Both embellishments are up on dimensionals. My boxes got a little smashed in transport back home with the fifty million other things crammed into the car, but I still like them smashed and all.

I hope you had a great weekend and I promise to get caught up on blogs and checking out the Anniversary card sketch entries.

Jenn

Anniversary Sketch

I finally had a minute to sit down and stamp today. I am down to the wire for this craft and vendor fair tomorrow so I was busy folding a bunch of Double Pocket bags to sell. I think they will make excellent gift card holders for the holidays.


I figured since I put up a Sketch Challenge for my First Anniversary month I might as well complete a card with it. This is Lulu's Sweet Delights from C.C. Designs. This set with 3 images and 2 sentiments will also be released for sale starting November 7th at All That Scraps. Isn't she sweet? I made a nice pile of Gum Drops for her to sit on. I made a lot of masks for this one. As I was deciding what color she should be my gray and white cat Gilbert cuddled up in my lap, so he was the deciding factor. I didn't want him to get jealous.

The base of the card is Old Olive and I used a piece of Basic Grey Fruitcake for the background and horizontal strip. Lulu and her candy mountain is stamped on Very Vanilla in Timber Brown stazon and matted on Purely Pomegranate. I used Basic Gray, Purely Pomegranate, Summer Sun, Old Olive and Pretty in Pink with a watercolor brush. After I cut out my holly leaves I highlighted the edges with Always Artichoke to make them stand out a bit more. I can't wait to see all of the wonderful creations you guys can come up with.

Jenn

Autumn Leaves

Even though it feels like we went directly from Summer to Winter here in Illinois I am still enjoying making Autumn themed cards. This was made using this week's Sketch Challenge on SCS. This sketch went perfectly with the idea I got from the Fall-Winter Collection 2007 for this set. I have been wanting to stamp the leaves in fall colors and then punch them out with my 1 3/8" square punch. I thought it was a neat effect and this sketch was the perfect opportunity to try it out. It all came together really quickly.


I simply stamped my acorns across the bottom of my card and rotated the stamp each time I stamped to get a random pattern. I then layered my Really Rust layer and my designer series paper. After I added my leaves I thought the card still needed a little something so I added a brad on which I wrapped Linen thread around. I stamped my acorns in Creamy Carmel and Chocolate chip before cutting them out. I sponged the edges with chocolate chip and I think they almost look real. I then curled the acorns slightly with my bone folder to give them a bit more dimension and then popped them up on dimensionals. I think the dangling acorns are my favorite part of this card.

Jenn


Stamps: Autumn Fest
Paper: Close to Cocoa, Really Rust, Outlaw dsp, Chocolate chip, Very vanill
Ink: really rust, old olive, creamy caramel, chocolate chip, close to cocoa
Accessories: 1 3/8" square punch, vintage brad, 1/16" hole punch, linen thread, dimensionals

My First Anniversary

Can you believe that I just really started stamping a year ago? I can't. The time has just flown by. November 2006 was when I took the plunge and signed up to be an Independent Demonstrator for Stampin' Up! I was so nervous. I wasn't sure if I'd like it or if I'd even be good at it. Now I can't imagine my life without stamping. I have met so many neat people both online and in real life just because we share a passion for this craft. My official anniversary isn't until November 30th, but I want to celebrate throughout the month.

Here is my first anniversary challenge to you. I hope you enjoy this sketch and I can't wait to see what you create. I will use Random.org on Thursday morning to pick a winner. The winner will receive an assortment of 6 X 6 designer series papers that I have built up over time. My area is getting too crowded, so I am going to share my stuff with all of you.

If you upload your cards to SCS use the keyword: jdansc01 which simply stands for Jenn D Anniversary Sketch Challenge #1. Post your finished creations in the comments area for your chance to win.

SCS Submissions

Jenn

Introducing Lucky!

Isn't Lucky cute? I think so! This is a new Christmas set from C.C. Designs called Lucky's Christmas Wish. This set, and another, called Lulu's Sweet Delights will be available for purchase on November 7th at All That Scraps. This set is so much fun. It has 3 images and 2 sentiments that will be perfect for your Christmas cards and tags. You can see all 3 image stamps on this card and one of the sentiments.

I started with a piece of Basic Grey Fruitcake paper pulled my color combination right from it. I also decided to make another z-fold card. I think they are so much fun and my paper cutter just seems to score them for me.

I colored in my images with classic inks and a watercolor brush. I punched the gifts out with my small tag punch. I stapled on some basic black ribbon and set it up on dimensionals. It holds the card closed, but I love how it pops when the card is opened to reveal the sentiment.

I'm sure you will be seeing more of Lucky and watch for some sneak peeks of Lulu too over the course of the next few days.