Ears to You treat bags

I wanted to make some quick and easy treat bags for Halleigh’s Easter party at school, so here was the result. 

I punched the yellow piece using my Oval Accents clearlit and my Big Shot.  Since I was out of my paper doilies, I just used some silver doilies I got at the dollar store.  I finished it with the Ears to You stamp on some Whisper White (I guess I punched the e off of this one!)

I colored the bunnies with Daffodil Delight, Melon Mambo, and Wild Wasabi and punched that out with my 2 1/2” circle punch.

Stamps:  Ears to You

Ink:  Daffodil Delight, Melon Mambo, Wild Wasabi

Paper:  Whisper White, Daffodil Delight

Accessories:  Retired SAB ribbon, treat bags

Best of Flowers: Remake

I started not to show this picture, but I just love the contrast of color in the flowers on the stamped image today.  I made the exact same card as the last post, I just used a different flower stamp this time.  Look at how gorgeous the two tones of pink look on those flowers!  What a magnificent flower stamp!  Clean and simple again….that’s my husband’s favorite!  Well, maybe not pink! 

Stamps:  Best of Flowers

Ink:  Blushing Bride, Early Espresso, Regal Rose, Pear Pizzazz

Paper:  Whisper White, Blushing Bride

Paper: 

Best of Flowers

I made this card the other night – I wanted a clean and simple thank you card that was easy to duplicate. 

I used some retired Blushing Bride paper and a few markers to ink up my stamp and the card came together rather quickly!

I will make note that the hydrangea stamp and the daisy stamp (from Upsy Daisy) are both significantly smaller than the original stamps that Stampin’ Up produced a while back.  Needless to say, I still love this stamp and am happy to play with it on a smaller scale!  I love coloring the flowers on the hydrangea with markers and seeing the end result on a piece of Whisper White paper – it is just an absolutely gorgeous image!

Stamps:  Best of Flowers

Ink:  Blushing Bride, Regal Rose, Early Espresso

Paper:  Whisper White, Blushing Bride

Blast Off into a 1st Birthday Party!

Where did the last week go?  For that matter, where did the last year go?!?!?  My sweet baby boy turned one yesterday!  He started walking and got three teeth just in the last week – it’s like he went from a baby to a big boy all at once!  Yikes!

So for his first birthday party, I went with the whole Blast Off theme.  We do at home birthday parties and like to play up the theme with little play areas and themed thank you gifts, so we had fun with this theme – girls and boys!

Here was the cake that I made for this party.  I found a Wilton cake pan in the children’s section at Michaels for this party.  It was a small pan, so I made a two layer cake out of one cake mix.  I added the flames by taking the peel apart twizzlers and attaching them to a toothpick to poke into the end of the cake – I thought that was the safest way to not mess up my icing!

Here was the little smash cake I made for Owen – he mostly just played with it and got icing everywhere! 

Here are some little Rocket Cakes I made for the kiddos – they were not anything special, just a simplified idea I saw on Pinterest….I always have more ideas than I have time to create!

I just took a Little Debbie Ho Ho cake, a swiss roll, and a Hershey’s kiss and glued them together with icing!

And because I’m one of those silly moms who like to make foods that go along with the theme, here are a few that I had – Astronauts in a Blanket, Moon Pies, Meteorite Mix, Star Bursts, Milky Ways, and some Rocket Fuel.

 

I ordered a mat for the floor to catch the inevitable mess that comes from a new cake eater!  He mostly got it on himself and not the floor! 

I saw this idea on Pinterest and added my own little touch.  I used those silver CD bubble mailers to create my treat bags.  I added an alien with three googly eyes with my Blast Off stamp set.  The Daffodil Delight smudges are a stamp that came in the Paper Pumpkin kit this week. 

Here are the treat bags – I always get rubber duckies for the little ones, no choking hazards there!

For the bigger kiddos, there was an assortment of space themed goodies to take home and play with!

I was afraid the weather would not cooperate, so I had lots of indoor activities for the children to do, but it was actually quite nice, so they mostly played outside!  I had some hats for them to decorate and a few other activities.  Here is Owen’s birthday hat I made for him.

Here is the card I made for him – lots of glitter and lots of glue! 

I made a little mini album this week with a Bo Bunny kit that I found on sale at Archivers a few months ago.  Nothing special about it…just quick and easy – I put it together in one evening.

Those little spaceships were a big hit with all the children – they loved flying them around the house!  And the little ones liked chewing on them, of course!

Overall we had a great party and a happy little boy!

A Stampin’ Up thank you!

I don’t know how I was so fortunate, but the last time I placed an order, I received a little thank you from Stampin’ Up – I believe Tom is the name on the little card.  It wasn’t much, just a tiny little piece of Whisper White paper with a butterfly stamped in Wisteria Wonder and a Basic Rhinestone in the middle. 

Well, all of you who know me know that I don’t throw anything like that away!  I turned it into a card!  It was so easy!  I just put some Stampin’ Dimensionals under it and put it on a scrap of Lucky Limeade paper.  Voila!  DONE!

More Divided Protector Pages!

Here is another page I made using the other side of the divided protector page I made recently.  I used more of the same Tea Time DSP, I just changed up the look of the page.

I couldn’t resist highlighting those sweet little feet with a stamp from the Baby Moments stamp set.  I just adore those feet in the stamp set.  Well, really, I just adore my baby’s precious little toes! 

You’ll also notice the Artisan embellishment kit has a few pieces interspersed throughout the page – the crumb cake die cut I stamped on is from that kit.

I took the other side of the doily and cut it to go across two spots at the top.  I just loved that picture of my husband and our daughter in the water jumping that frigid wave.

I took some 4X6 pictures and cut out some 1 1/4” squares from them to create a mini collage here.  After rounding the corners of the outside edges, I laid it on a scrap of paper from another project I made a while back. 

Stamps:  Creative Elements, Baby Moments

Ink:  Midnight Muse

Paper:  Very Vanilla, Tea Time DSP

Accessories:  Artisan Embellishment kit, Calypso Coral baker’s twine, 1 1/4” square punch, corner rounder punch, Paper Doilies

Guest Designer: Hannah Vaught

My hostess for our monthly stamp club this month is Hannah Vaught.  Since I always try to leave a little thank you note in their bags each month, she decided to make me one in return.  And it was so lovely, I had to share it with you!

See?  I knew you would agree with me!  Hannah made this honeycomb background using the new Pool Party Core-dination paper – it has a marvelous sheen to it, I think.  She added a little bit of the Madison Avenue DSP from Sale-a-bration and some of last year’s Calypso Coral organza ribbon.  Her stamp and diecut are from the Hearts a Flutter bundle. 

Isn’t it lovely?  I thought you would like it!

Divided Page Protectors–gone to the beach

No, I’m not gone to the beach….I WISH I was!!! 

I decided to intersperse these divided protectors with regular 12X12 protectors to create my vacation album from last year and have finally gotten to the end of it…..9 months later! 

These pictures are from the beach day at Virginia Beach.

I used the newest Tea Time DSP for this layout – I took the idea from the demonstrator magazine, Stampin’ Success.

I couldn’t resist the silly journaling spot about all the baby clams Halleigh wanted to bring home….talk about stinky! She gave them a bath – yuck!

Just a little doily spot with the Collage Curios stamp set.

 

Stamps:  Collage Curios

Ink:  Bashful Blue, Midnight Muse

Paper:  Tea Time DSP, Very Vanilla

Accessories:  7/8” scallop circle punch, 3/4” circle punch, Paper Doilies, Basic Pearls, Boho Blossoms punch

Best of Love: Read My Lips

Here’s another card made from a Best of Stamp set – this time I used the Best of Love stamp set.

This card is mostly made from scraps.  I used the Melon Mambo and Basic Grey color combo to go with Daffodil Delight this time.  It was super duper easy to put together.  And who doesn’t just LOVE this image!!!

Stamps:  Best of Love

Ink:  Melon Mambo

Paper:  Daffodil Delight, Whisper White, scraps of retired DSP

Celebrate Birthdays

I decided to make a little birthday card the other day with my pop-up posies kit.

I used the Calypso Coral and Baja Breeze combo to go with the Daffodil Delight paper.  This was a quick and simple card to make, too!  I just stamped the present off one time and added a few flowers.  I filled the middle with a Calypso Coral brad. 

Stamps:  Best of Birthdays

Ink:  Calypso Coral, Baja Breeze

Paper:  Calypso Coral, Daffodil Delight, Whisper White

Acccessories:  In Color Brads, Pop Up Posies kit

Project Life: February

Well, you may have already seen my attempt to do a month at a time version of Project Life this year.   So far there are a few things that I love about this album.

a – it’s digital – I don’t have to print anything until I’m finished!

b – while the monthly layout is laid out for me, it is not set in stone, so if the embellishment is going to fall over someone’s face, I can move or remove it!

c – it’s digital – I can work on it anytime I want for just 5 or 20 minutes and there’s no clean up!!!

d – there are lots of picture spots and journaling spots, so I don’t feel the need to add more pages

e – did I mention that I love digital scrapbooking?!  I also love physical scrapbooking, but I love the option of making digital books!

Okay, so on with the show!

So…here is February – our regular Valentine’s tradition – Donato’s…with a little bit of heart shaped doughnuts from Dunkin’ Doughnuts added for good measure!

Notice that set of tags hanging down from the important details?  It was hanging down over Halleigh’s face, so I moved it over underneath the important details tag and left the journaling empty there.

Just a few more pics – Owen has started playing with balls – rolling and throwing them.

Halleigh and I made a shirt for the 100th day of school.  Halleigh and Julie went to American Girl day at the library.

Paper Pumpkin– Your Creativity Carriage Awaits!

Sweep away the mundane-your creativity carriage awaits!

I'm Paper Pumpkin . . .

I come to your door each month (a fully decked-out creativity carriage). I'll help you to escape your life with some paper fun.

I come in a sweet box, but you'll really love what you find on the inside:

All the stamps, ink, paper, and accessories to create pinable projects. Create stuff like cards, journals, décor, and more!

Paper Pumpkin by Stampin' Up! is a new monthly kit program that anyone (even you) can enjoy!

Get Started

It's so easy to get started. Simply sign up for the program starting Monday, January 14 by visiting www.mypaperpumpkin.com and click Get it. Every month a new, surprise project kit arrives at your doorstep. Just think of the anticipation of creating a fun project to pin, showoff, and share with your friends and family-every month!

The very first Paper Pumpkin will arrive on your doorstep starting in March-if you sign up before March 10.

Of course, you'll want to know more. So here's the nitty gritty:

• Each month we send you a unique, surprise kit with a project-cards, journals, décor, and more! (We've even color-coordinated, measured, and cut everything for you!)
• Each kit includes stamps, ink, paper, and accessories-everything but adhesive.
• Each kit gives you and your customer a 30-minute creativity escape.
• We will ship your Paper Pumpkin on or around the 15th of the month.
• You need to sign up for a kit by the 10th of the month to get that month's kit. If you sign up on the 11th of the month, your first kit will come the next month. (Let's say you sign up on May 10th, we'll send your kit around May 15th. If you sign up on May 11th, we'll send your first kit around June 15th.)
• A Paper Pumpkin membership is $19.95 per month (and shipping is included!) The commissionable amount is $14.95 for each Paper Pumpkin.
• There's no commitment, you can cancel your monthly Paper Pumpkin at anytime. You can also skip a month if you want.
• Starting in early March, we'll offer a Try-It kit if you'd like to try Paper Pumpkin for one month.

Here's How You Order

Sign up for your monthly Paper Pumpkin starting Monday, January 14 by visiting www.mypaperpumpkin.com and click Get it.

Starting in early March, you can try Paper Pumpkin for one month by visiting our online store.

A Free Gift in Your Very First Kit

The Welcome Kit is the very first Paper Pumpkin you will receive in your first month of membership. The Welcome Kit includes a free gift-a clear acrylic block!

February scrapbook pages

Here are my scrapbook pages from the month of February (finally!).  I kept it short and simple for these pages!

I wanted to focus on one of my favorite new stamp sets in the mini catalogue, Oh Hello.  That is exactly what I said when I saw that stamp set, Oh, Hello!  Love at first sight!

Here I just stamped the chevron oval stamp in Pool Party and the flower in Midnight Muse.  I cut it out with the Oval framelits and added a FREE Pool Party button to top it off.

I also wanted to use the new doilies – they are so elegant and just perfect for use with the Papillion Potpourri stamp set and matching butterfly punches. 

Stamps:  Oh, Hello, Papillion Poutpourri

Ink:  Pool Party, Midnight Muse

Paper:  Crumb Cake, Soft Suede, Comfort Café DSP, Midnight Muse, Pool Party

Accessories:  Linen Thread, Pool Party button (SAB), Paper Doilies, Butterfly and small butterfly punches, Ovals framelits

NEW! Photopolymer Stamps!

Stampin' Up has searched long and hard for just the right material to be able to introduce completely clear stamping. And now I'm excited to announce that we now have wood-mount, clear-mount AND photopolymer stamps! The top-quality photopolymer (not the thin acrylic, which is often flimsy and does not wear well over time) has just enough give to create a perfectly stamped image every time-- and with the introduction of our new firm-foam pads, that's a match made in heaven!

Fans of clear stamps have loved our clear-mount option. You're also going to love this amazing new option from Stampin' Up, making papercrafting easier than ever! even us old red-rubber wood-mount die-hards are excited, because we know Stampin' Up has done their research and brought us the best clear photopolymer stamps on the market today.

Why try photopolymer stamps?

• They're entirely transparent for perfect placement every time!
• They are durable. The photopolymer material is designed to last.
• These stamps stick amazingly well to our clear blocks.
• They're age tested. They won't yellow or cloud up over time.
• They're easy to clean and care for. They also take up ridiculously little space!
• They use FDA-approved food-safe material. Just in case Junior thinks they're candy.
• They're super inexpensive! Our debut set, Designer Typeset has 57 images for just $13.95a.

Here's a quick (and hilarious) video of Stampin' Up employees trying to describe what photopolymer is.

Quick thanks card

I have lots of retired paper…..lots!!!  Needless to say, when I sell some of my old stamp sets on Ebay, I try to add a quick little thank you note with each item just to say thank you and add a personal touch.  Here is one of those cards I made recently out of my scraps.  

I got the color combo from the color coach – not one I would have put together. 

I used the Pretty Postage stamp set to create the thanks and punched it with the postage stamp punch.

Quick and cute! Plus, the ribbon was free from Sale-a-bration!!!

Stamps:  Pretty Postage

Ink:  Tangerine Tango

Paper:  Daffodil Delight, Concord Crush

Accessories:  Tangerine Tango ribbon (SAB), Postage Stamp Punch, 1 1/4” square punch

Stampin’ Up Basics Online Class

New to stamping or interested in becoming more professional at it? This fabulous online course "The Basics" from Stampin' Up covers all sorts of techniques every stamper should know. There are 34 different projects with instructions and complete supply lists, and everything is printable so you can work on them at your own pace and file the sheets in a binder for later use. There are even coordinating You Tube videos!

The online class is divided into six categories:

• stamping basics (seven projects)
• the Stamp A Majigg (four projects, video)
• masking (four projects, video)
• embossing (seven projects, 2 videos)
• markers & watercoloring (six projects, video)
• Big Shot and punches (six projects, 2 videos)

Each section is designed to take you from the simplest, most basic use of the technique or tool and gradually layer on more advanced techniques, with tips along the way. The instructions are simple and precise, and you can view the videos an unlimited number of times, stopping at starting at will.

So whichever way you like to get your inspiration, it's there. And at only $14.95 and downloadable to your computer or laptop, it's easy and affordable to have inspiration at your fingertips wherever you go!

Plus,  you can earn Sale-a-Bration products for this purchase!  I’m trying it out today!!!

Click HERE to purchase The Basics class on my shopping website. (Item #133385)