'All Wrapped Up' Gift Card Holder

What a pretty little 'package' for a gift card.

I am sure the recipient will be just a pleased to get the 'package' as they will the gift card inside!

The bow is made from two different sizes of the Oval punch.

Too cute!

Easy Christmas Tree

This is my kind of Christmas tree! No dropped needles.

It is made using strips (6" x 1") of designer paper, pinned onto a Styrofoam cone. That's it!

If I could just figure out how to hang lights on it, my Christmas decorating would be done!

Christmas Anything But a Card Stamp Camp

I look forward to this camp all year because I love making 3-D projects.

This camp is set aside just for those fun little holiday items.

My sister, Penny Thomas, (please visit her blog, she is an awesome stamper! http://www.penguinstamper.blogspot.com/), gave me this idea, back in the spring, using the Mini Milk Carton die, #117310. I thought it would be fun to 'winterize' it. Punch a 1 1/4" circle #119861, on one of the sides, insert a battery operated votive and add a pretty roof. The holly and cardinal are from the Two-Step Bird Punch, #117191. The Designer Paper roof is 'Deck the Halls', #120810, with the scalloped edge punch, #119882. Makes it looks so cozy inside.


This little Santa is fat enough for you to put goodies inside him. He is a triangle shape and would look pretty on the tree as an ornament too. His face is fashioned from various punches, and is quick to put together. I stole this from my friend, Judy Sumner, who gave me this shape as a witches' hat on Halloween. Love it! His nose and cheeks are 'flushed' because he's been putting packages in his sleigh,
and baby, it's COLD outside....it really is!

I named this camp, Anything But a Card....I kinda lied. This is actually a card, but since it has a job, I couldn't pass it up. Have you ever made a 'Slider' Card with the Word Window #119857Punch? This is along that same line. I saw a beautiful card made by a fellow stamper and friend, Kirsteen Gill, http://www.creatinwithkirsteen.com/ using the stamp set Bells & Boughs #120831, focusing on the bells. She used the 3/4" Circle Punch #119873, pennies, and Dimensionals #104430. The bells seem to be ringing when you hold the card. I just loved it and reduced it for my gift card holder.

Isn't this cute? It's a little triangle that keeps Kisses snugly inside. How nice would this be to find on your desk at work, or to give to that someone you want to show appreciation, maybe a waitress, barista, or hairstylist?

I snatched this idea from a wonderful stamper, Carrie Kliethermes.

Clever lady! Thank you, Carrie!

Not sure where I saw this idea. Probably on our fantastic demonstrator website.

(One of the MANY perks of being a SU Demonstrator.)

It is simply two little tea light votives and a box of matches all wrapped up for the holidays in our Candy Cane Designer Paper. To get the image on the wax candle, stamp tissue paper, (the kind you use for stuffing in gift bags), punch it out, along with a hole for the wick. Slide it onto the candle and melt the image onto the wax with the Heat Tool #100005. Place the little goodies into one of our medium Cellophane Bags, #102572, and fancy it up with a topper of some kind. I used a Top Note die #113463, folded in half and tied up with satin ribbon.

Tah-Dah!
Many thanks to all the stampers I stole from this month! Keep the ideas coming! Valentines Day is coming and I need ideas!

:o)

Top Note Reindeer Box

Rudolph has gone Top Note vintage this year.

I found a similar idea on Angie Juda's blog. If you are a fellow stamping blog-surfer, you KNOW Angie Juda. She is AMAZING! I like her idea of making the Big Shot Top Note into a little box. And the punch art Rudolph is just so stinkin' cute sitting on that gorgeous Deck The Halls Designer Paper.

You could put all kinds of little trinkets in there. For instance, packets of hot chocolate, cookies, candy canes, diamond bracelets, diamond earrings, diamond rings, gift cards to a jewelry store.......

Oh, sorry. Kinda got carried away there for a minute.

Pumpkin Wagon

I know Thanksgiving is over and we are on our way to Christmas, but I just had to show you this little paper wagon before I put it away. I saw one on a blog somewhere and of course, I wanted to steal it. But she was selling the template, and I wanted it NOW! I'm kind of impatient... Anyway, I pulled out my card stock and started playing with a template of my own. This is what I came up with. Don't ask me to reproduce it, I have no clue how it got to this point. But it did, (must have been the card stock angels), and when I was finished, I piled my little punch pumpkins inside. Not bad, if I do say so myself!

Treat Cup Snow Globe

Where do I begin with this little gem?

Originally created by Ilina Crouse,

my heart melted when I saw it, and I knew I had to CASE it

(copy, steal, whatever... it's what I do best).

It uses the single stamp called Sweet Snowglobe (#120868) found in the Holiday mini catalog. The sentiment is from the set called Bright Christmas (#121687), also in that mini.

The Treat Cup (#116802 ) combined with the stamp makes the little scene really come to life. The 'snow' is actually Chunky Glitter (#108797).

Makes me think of the song "Over The River And Through The Woods....."

Please Pass the Pumpkin Pie

HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE!

'Fall' In Love With Stampin' Up! Open House

Last weekend, I held an Open House in Champaign, Illinois, where we have a huge, wonderful family. I wanted them to see what it is that I actually do, since I talk non-stop about Stampin' Up. It was a lot of hard work, but luckily for me, I had the help of four 'elves'. My brother-in-law, Jimmy, his wife, Beverly, my daughter, Megan, and my husband, Steve. I couldn't have done it without them. They made it fun for me, and I think the family members that dropped by enjoyed themselves too. I heard more than once, "I thought Stampin' Up! was just cards!"

The cards are a very big part, BUT, Stampin' Up! is so much MORE than cards!

We had so much room to move around, visit and talk 'stampin'!

The tables received lots of oohs and aahs, but that paper cake was a big hit!

Halloween and Thanksgiving cuteness.

Simply Adorned jewelry samples.

Loving the Christmas colors.

' Thank You for Coming' goody bags.

They loved the Make-n-Takes and Big Shot demonstration!

Three of my four 'elves'.

Left is my daughter, Megan, (aka Sweet Pea), my brother-in-law, Jimmy, (with that beard, wouldn't he make a great Santa?), and Steve, my husband, (probably checking football scores on his cell phone). Beav, my sister-in-law, is arranging the displays on the tables. She is AWESOME!

Thank you four so very much. I appreciate your help and love you for it.

By the way, what are you doing next spring...I want to do it again!!!!!!!!!!!!! = ^ )

Mini Christmas Album

I love it when you can make cuteness from an unexpected source.

(I'll get to that in a minute.)

An example, is this mini Christmas album.

I saw this project on the Demonstrator's website, and had such fun decorating each page.

There are four 'sleeves' with tags that pull out ready to hold special pictures, sentiments, journaling, maybe a holiday recipe. Or, as my brilliant friend, Jayne Singleton, suggested, how about placing different gift cards in each sleeve?

Like I said, brilliant!
The sleeves are held together with two binder rings that I've made pretty with lace and ribbons to match the Jolly Holiday Designer Papers.
Gotta have some bling, too!

One of my all-time favorite stamp sets, sadly retired.
That little snowman always makes me smile.

Snowflake punch.

Have you guessed what each sleeve is made from?

Wait for it...........

.....Paper towel rolls, or toilet paper rolls!

I know, not very glamorous, but oh so cute.

Wouldn't you like to have access to such a creative source like the Stampin' Connection?

It's just for Stampin' Up! demonstrators, and you can become one for 50% off, only $87.50!

Now, through November 30, you can start your stamping business or kick up your hobby by becoming a demonstrator. Contact me right away, and let's get you started on making your life a little happier!

NOW Is The Time to Become a Demonstrator!

Let's get you started today!

It's not going to get any better than this!

Christmas Card Stamp-a-thon 2010

One of my favorite events of the year is my annual Christmas Card Workshop. I start looking for ideas, literally, the summer before. I change my mind over the course of the next few months, several times, until I have it chiseled down to five or six favorites.

Traditionally, I tend toward the more whimsical type of Christmas card. This year, with the deep new colors and nostalgic designer papers, my choices were more vintage. I am so happy with how they turned out this year. I think my stamping friends liked them as well. We had a great, chilly day stamping, snacking, listening to Christmas music and enjoying the company of each other.

I saw a version of this beautiful card on my sister, Penny's blog http://www.penguinstamper.blogspot.com/, last year, and filed it away, knowing I would have to make it too. She always has the prettiest cards, and I use her as a resource constantly.

The base card stock is Bashful Blue, with Whisper White Craft ink on the flourish stamp from Baroque Motif stamp set. On top we placed a die-cut Top Note, stamped with the Simple Snowflake, again in Whisper White Craft, heat embossed in white. With a very light touch, we daubed at the snowflake with Bashful Blue ink to soften it and placed a rhinestone in the center. The sentiment is from the set called Heard From the Heart.

Thanks, Penguin!

The base card is Real Red. The Shimmery White card stock is embossed using the Texturz Plate called Flourish, from the Big Shot. The swirls of the embossed background along with the shimmer of the card stock seem made for each other. The tiny sentiment is from the set called Short & Sweet. Just the right touch here. Then, just like a pretty package, the Real Red Satin Ribbon ties it up with a bow.

This is such a rich looking card, but so very simple. The base card is Very Vanilla, as is the Satin Ribbon and the Victoria Lace. The designer paper is from Deck the Halls and adds that rich Always Artichoke color. The sentiment is from Teeny Tiny Wishes, stamped in Cherry Cobbler.

I thought I had my cards all ready to go and then I came upon Heather Klump's blog, http://hlkdownstairsdesigns.blogspot.com/, and quite literally scrapped one of my choices for this one. Hers has a cute button in the middle of the punched snowflake, but since my event was in THREE days,and I had no buttons, I pulled out the pearls, because I wanted to do this card so badly. I think she is one of the most creative demonstrators I have ever met! And I feel it was an honor to steal from her! = ^ ) Thanks, Heather for inspiring me everyday!

This is a one-layer, Clean and Simple card. Sometimes less is MORE! We masked the Crumb Cake ink in the center using sponges and then with Always Artichoke and Cherry Cobbler markers, colored the holly stamp from the hostess set called Peace on Earth. With Cherry Cobbler ink, we placed the sentiment just below.

Thanks to all who came. You always make it fun for me.

And the food!

OMG!

(Did you know that you can put chocolate chips in pumpkin cookies? Fantastic!)

Thanksgiving Place Cards or Picture Holder

I just love this!

You could use it as place card holders on your Thanksgiving table!

Or, how about placing a picture in the little paper clip?

I found this little gem on our demonstrator sharing website and ran for my punches.

Recipe:

Extra-Large Scallop Circle Punch #118874, Two-Step Bird Punch (for the leaves) #117191, Decorative Label Punch #120907, Peach Parfait Card Stock (In Color) #119794, Old Olive Card Stock #100702, Crumb Cake Card Stock #120953, Pumpkin Pie Ink Pad #105216, Soft Suede Ink Pad #115657, Stamping Sponges #101610, Elegant Thank You Stamp #114484, Sticky Strip #104294

Additional: Small Paper Clip and a Penny! (placed inside at the bottom adds weight to prevent it from tipping over.)

Be careful while making these....they are addicting!

Kristine's Workshop Samples

Kristine and her family and friends got together for a holiday workshop. Judging by the laughter, I think they had fun!

This card was quick to make, but so pretty.

A tiny pearl placed on the ornament is such a pretty touch.

Don't forget to stamp something pretty inside too!
I think this one was a favorite.
We tore a strip of Whisper White card stock to make it look like a snow drift.
Then highlighted that torn edge with Dazzling Diamonds.

It sparkles, just like snow!

All the cards were placed in a cellophane bag and tied up with a bow.
When you add a pretty tag, it's a nice little gift for someone special this holiday season.
If you would like to get your friends together for some holiday stamping fun, let me know! Workshops are FREE!