Welcome to the Stampin' Addicts Holiday Mini Blog Hop!

Well, the blog hop is over, and it sure was a lot of fun for me to see how many people stopped by to visit!  I had  about 1000 hits to my blog over the three days of the hop!  I'm now zeroing in on 25,000 hits, where I'll offer up some blog candy to say thanks to those of you who come visit my little corner of cyberspace.  I left the links at the bottom of this post active so you can visit Kat's and Holly's posts from the tour.  I loved Kat's pinwheel flowers that she made using the ornament punch.  Too cute!  And let me tell you, I'll be CASEing Holly's snowflake card in those rich brown tones - love it!  Here's the  text from my stop on the blog hop...

My stop on the blog hop features both sets of rub-ons available on September 1 from the Stampin' Up! Holiday Mini Catalog - Icicle (116804), as well as Merry and Bright (116801). The rub-ons sell for $10.95 and contain two sheets of rub-ons, one in white and the other in silver. I'm also featuring an individual stamp available from the Holiday Mini called A Brand New Year (116838), which sells for $8.95.

My first project is a home decor project. I found this cute frame at our local Target. It fits a 4 x 6 picture perfectly. I used the silver Icicle rub-ons to accent the frame, and made a mat using Brushed Silver and Whisper White card stocks. Isn't it cute?

Next up is a card I created to highlight the rub-ons. I've always wanted to make an acetate card, and I knew it would be perfect to show off the rub-ons. I used a medium Window Sheet cut to 5 1/4 x 10 1/2 inches, scoring it in half (it fits nicely into a medium square envelope). I added white Icicle rub-ons to the acetate to frame the main image. The card front then uses Brushed Silver, Bashful Blue and Night of Navy card stocks. The ornaments were stamped on Whisper White card stock in Bashful Blue and Brocade Blue inks, using Delightful Decorations (116517, $21.95), and punched out with our new Ornament punch (116794, $15.95), both available in the new Holiday Mini. A white Merry and Bright rub-on adorns the foremost ornament, punched out in Night of Navy card stock and popped up with stampin' dimensionals. Serene Snowflakes (115438, $20.95), new in the Holiday Mini, is stamped behind the ornaments in White craft ink. Inside I added a sentiment from the Merry and Bright rub-ons on Night of Navy card stock. This was a fun card to make!

The next project I'd like to share with you is a mini garland that I created using mostly Icicle rub-ons (a few of the small snowflakes came from the Merry and Bright rub-ons). The garland was created using Night of Navy card stock cut into tag shapes, topped with the Jumbo Snowflake punch using Brocade Blue, Bashful Blue, and Whisper White card stocks. The chipboard letters are from On Board Loads of Letters. I covered them with White craft ink, sprinkled them with Iridescent Ice embossing powder, and then heat set them. They are attached to each panel using mini glue dots. The panels use Night of Navy, Brocade Blue, Bashful Blue, and Whisper White card stocks, along with Bashful Blue Patterned designer series paper. Each panel is accented with the rub-ons. Silver and clear rhinestone brads add a little additional 'bling' to my garland. This is my favorite project that I created for the blog hop.

My stop on the blog hop ends with the individual stamp, A Brand New Year. I wanted to use black and gold, creating a 'black tie affair' kind of look for my card, so I stamped the image in VersaMark ink onto Whisper White card stock and embossed it in gold embossing powder. The new Groom Specialty Paper complimented the stamped image nicely (matted with Brushed Gold), but pairing it with Basic Black card stock just didn't give me the look I was after. I decided to stamp the edges of the Basic Black card stock with VersaMark ink and then emboss with black embossing powder, giving me that glossy look that fit with the Groom Specialty paper. The Tag Corner punch and gold brads accent the stamped image. I popped up the main image with stampin' dimensionals and put the black 1/4 inch black grosgrain ribbon behind it. Inside I used a sentiment from Teeny Tiny Wishes and added accents from Priceless, all stamped in VersaMark ink and then embossed in gold.

Thanks for stopping by!  I hoped you enjoyed the projects I created for this fun blog hop - I hope to participate in another in the future.

Just Too Cool!

It's really cool when you see your work featured on another stamper's blog.  This week, it happened to me TWICE and both posts were made on the same day!!  I had emailed Becky Roberts about the milk containers I'd made recently, and she asked if it'd be ok to post mine on her blog.  Of course, I said sure, I'd be honored!  Here's the link on Becky's site that shows my milk cartons (and check out her oh too cute 'sea of backpacks' she made for Teacher Appreciation at her son's school!).  Well today, I was looking through a bunch of blogs that I have bookmarked but haven't checked in a while.  I stopped by Sherrill Graff's site, Late Night Stamper, and she's got several of my projects and cards on display.  How cool is that?!  Here's the link to check out Sherrill's site.  Happy end of your week, and be sure to stop back by this weekend for the Stampin' Addict's Holiday Mini Blog Hop!

Sneak Peak

How about a sneak peak from the upcoming Stampin' Addicts Holiday Mini Blog Hop?!  Here you go:

Don't forget to stop back between August 29 and 31st to see all of the creations my fellow Stampin' Addicts have created for your viewing pleasure.

Halloween Swap Card

I went grocery shopping this afternoon (oh, joy!) and guess what they had out?! Halloween candy! I found the candy corn and bought a bag so I could finally finish my team Halloween swap (ok, and to have a little for snack for myself, too). It's hard to see in the picture, but the black card stock was actually embossed with black embossing powder to give it a shine and make it pop a little bit. The paper is Cast a Spell DSP, Basic Black (embossed using VersaMark ink and black EP), Old Olive, and Pumpkin Pie card stocks. The Pumpkin Pie CS is stamped with Itty Bitty Backgrounds in Pumpkin Pie ink (love that stamp set). The sentiment and main image where both stamped on Whisper White in VersaMark ink and embossed with black EP. I punched out the sentiment (from the great level 1 hostess set called Holiday Best) with the key tag punch and put it on a piece of striped orange ribbon. The image surrounding the treat cup is from Sweet Centers, a new stamp set that utilizes these cute treat cups. You'll find it in the new Holiday Mini catalog from Stampin' Up! that starts on September 1, along with the treat cups, available in a pack of 12 for $2.95. There are also padded envelopes for the treat cups that would fit the standard-sized card that I made above (3 for $2.95). The 1 3/4 inch circle punch does a perfect job making the opening for the treat cup to fit into. I hadn't planned on getting the Sweet Centers stamp set, but SU! made a great promotion - if you spent $75 in stamps from the Holiday Mini, you could get Sweet Centers for $5! Well, I'd already picked out $84 in stamps from the Mini, so there you go! The Sweet Centers stamp set comes with a petal stamp and leaves so you can create cute flowers with treats in the center, as well as a heart image for Valentine's Day, a hot air balloon, and an ornament topper. The set regularly sells for $29.95 - so glad I picked it up for $5!

Bella Bleu Milk Box Carton

I finished my other teacher gift today - this one's for my daughter's 6th grade teacher, who our older daughter had for both 5th and 6th grade. I have mints, chocolate candies, a small bottle of lotion, and some Crystal Lite individual serving pouches to put into the boxes. I hope she'll like it! It's interesting how the Not Quite Navy card stock looks more like Brilliant Blue in this picture - I'll have to photograph it again, but this time not under fluorescent lighting. I love how the bow turned out, and I really like adding the DSP to the sides of the box instead of stamping them. Hope you like it! Have a great weekend.

Stamp Camp Project

I decided I wanted to do a milk carton project for my first stamp camp of the new school year. I'm going to offer a few different designs, but my current favorite is the one I made last night, featuring Cast a Spell DSP. I didn't really like this paper all that much when I first saw it, but after seeing it in the DSP binder that we created last month at my upline's team meeting, it has grown on me! I think it's because I'm not a skull and crossbones kind of gal, and at first didn't really like the skull images in the paper. For this project, I used Basic Black, Old Olive, Pumpkin Pie and Perfect Plum card stock, the Cast a Spell designer series paper, Pumpkin and Old Olive grosgrain ribbon, striped pumpkin ribbon, and punches - scallop circle, key tag, 1 3/8 inch circle, and 1 1/4 inch circle. I used a circle jump ring from my beading/jewelry making stash to attach the scallop to the handle (tied the ribbon through it). I forget the name of the stamp I used (I'm posting this from our local coffee shop this beautiful Saturday morning) - but it's one of the new level 1 hostess stamps. I'm also working on a Bella Bleu version of this project, to give to my youngest's teacher when we go over on Tuesday for 'Roadrunner Roundup' where we turn in paperwork and she gets to drop off her school supplies and choose her desk. I've got the holder done and the milk carton boxes nearly done. If it doesn't clear up tonight, we'll be staying home (had planned to head out to our astronomy club's property to do some observing tonight, but right now it's not looking so good) - if we do, I'll be able to finish Mrs. M's milk carton tonight instead of on Sunday.

I'm still working on my team Halloween swaps for our meeting next weekend - I haven't been able to find any candy corn or black and orange jelly beans yet to put in the little cup that goes with the new Sweet Centers stamp set that will be available along with other wonderful things in the Holiday Mini, coming September 1. I'll post that card as soon as I finally get it all together.

Don't forget to stop by next weekend - the Stampin' Addicts Holiday Mini Blog Hop will run between noon on August 29 through the late night hours of August 31, just in time for the kick-off of the new Holiday Mini catalog from Stampin' Up! on September 1 - and yours truly is excited to share the projects with you that I made for my stop on the blog hop. Until then, happy stampin'!

Holiday Mini Blog Tour

Just a reminder that the Stampin' Addicts' blog hop, featuring items from the upcoming Stampin' Up! Holiday Mini catalog, is coming up on August 29 and will continue through the 31st. The mini goes live on September 1, and I'll bet you'll see lots of great projects featuring products from the Holiday Mini! I'm soooo excited to be participating - so be sure to stop by next weekend!

Went back to work a week ago, which is really getting in the way of me stamping!! I'm working on my Halloween swaps for our team meeting on August 30. Since I ended up getting Sweet Centers due to the too-hard-to-pass-up deal SU! was offering demonstrators who spent $75 or more on stamp sets from the mini, I decided to create a treat card using the new treat cups that coordinate with the Sweet Centers set, along with the new Cast A Spell designer series paper. Haven't picked up a treat to put into the cup yet, so although I have my card designed and cut out, it's not assembled yet - you'll have to wait a bit longer to see it! Have a great rest of your week, and as always, thanks for stopping by today!

Something I Can Share...

This weekend, I finished my fourth and final project for the upcoming Stampin' Addicts Holiday Mini Blog Hop (August 29 - 31). I feel a sense of relief knowing that they're done before I head back to work tomorrow. The only thing left to do now is to photograph them, which I'll do when I've got some good lighting to work with.

Tonight I finished a project I started last night. I was inspired by Jenny's beautiful wreath, and wanted to make one of my own. I didn't want to flat out copy hers, so I did change a few things. I used the small and medium daisies from the SU! Daisies Big Shot die, using So Saffron card stock. I assembled the daisies and then sponged some So Saffron ink on the petals. The centers are Chocolate Chip courderoy buttons/brads. I was having a tough time keeping the buttons/brads in the center of the daisy, so I punched a circle punch that was a little larger than the circle in the daisy die cut (1/2 inch circle for the small, 3/4 inch circle for the medium size) and adhered that to the back of the daisy. After punching a hole in the middle, it was much easier to keep the button/brad centered. I adhered the daisies to the wreath with dimensionals. The wreath was made using a compass. It measures approximately 8 inches in diameter. I took two of the backing sheets that you get in a pack of designer series paper and glued them together as Jenny did (I always keep these - they've come in handy many times in the past). I then covered it with a piece of Chocolate Chip Patterns DSP. The leaves were made with the SU! Leaves #2 die, punching out from some retired Old Olive Patterns DSP I had on hand, as well as from some textured Pumpkin Pie card stock. I used a piece of the So Saffron ribbon for the bow (the So Saffron ribbon came as part of the Ribbon Bundle back from Sale-A-Bration earlier this year). I left the center part blank. You could put anything there that would fit with chipboard letters. I'm putting our last name on mine, but the ink is still wet. Thank you, Jenny, for the inspiration! I should reshoot this during daytime (it's a little before midnight as I post this), but I couldn't wait to share! Hope you have a great rest of your week!

Holiday Mini Blog Hop

I'm soooo excited to be participating in my very first blog hop! The wonderful folks over at Stampin' Addicts are having a blog hop the last weekend in August, from Saturday, August 29 through Monday, August 31, and I signed up to participate! This blog hop will feature items in the new Holiday Mini catalog from Stampin' Up! that you can begin purchasing from on September 1. Tonight I set aside some time to work on my projects and I managed to get two of them done. I'm excited to share them with you, but you'll have to wait until the blog hop! I have one or two more projects to create for the blog hop, and it will be soooo tough to not post them until August 29, but good things come to those who wait, isn't that what they say? Thanks for stopping by today.

Razzleberry Lemonade Milk Carton

Made some time to stamp today! I wanted to work on one of the milk carton kits from the tutorial I purchased a while back from Becky Roberts over at Inking Idaho. I wanted to use some current product, so I chose to use the Razzleberry Lemonade DSP for my milk carton, along with Melon Mambo, Rich Razzleberry and Crushed Curry card stocks. I was inspired by Dayanna's color choices on her Cute Candy Box post. I stamped the boxes with the Razzle Dazzle stamp set using the same ink color as the card stock of the box. This is one of the gifts for my youngest's teachers, and also a future stamp camp project for the ladies I teach with. I plan to make at least two more, one with Bella Bleu DSP and one with Cottage Wall DSP when I have a chance.

Summer's quickly coming to a close for me, with less than a week now before I have to report back to work. I hope to have more to share with you between now and then, but my craft room's a mess and I would really like to have it neatened up before I go back. Thanks for stopping by today!

Anniversary Card

My DH and I recently celebrated our 18th wedding anniversary. I wanted to use my new Medallion stamp, and I came up with this. I used Blue Bayou and Baja Blue for the cardstocks, along with Baja Blue ink with Craft White stamped over the top to create the embossed effect. It was also my first time using the jumbo grommets. He really liked the card!

Jeanne's Cake

We had our team meeting today at Jeanne's. It was great fun - we made a cute milk carton container set that Becky Roberts has a tutorial for. I had purchased the tutorial last winter but had yet to make one, so it was fun to make one as our project during our meeting. Jeanne had two varieties available, and I picked the summer-looking Tart & Tangy set that she had all cut out and ready for us. Jeanne walked us through each step as we put together our milk cartons and we had a great time chatting while we were working. FYI - Becky's tutorials are great - you get lots of pictures and directions for a fantastic price. I also purchased her terrific tote tutorial and had fun making the tote over spring break (still need to make the cards, though).

This month's meeting was a special one because Jeanne's birthday is tomorrow, so we brought her hand stamped birthday cards, there were balloons and flowers, and I baked her a gluten-free cake. I used some of the cake decorating tools I'd purchased from our local cooking store after taking a holiday cupcake decorating class with our youngest last December. I took the poinsettias we'd learned to make back in December and turned them into sunflowers with chocolate chip centers. It was a lot of fun to decorate for our fantastic team leader, and yummy, too!