Happy Easter!

No post today, I'm a little sad about it, but just haven't had time to craft the last couple of days :(  I'll have a great post on Monday though, I plan to spend a good part of today in my craft room, perhaps I'll steal some time tomorrow too.  Have a very happy Easter!!!!

Thanks for looking, see you soon!!!!

A Basket Of Ducks and Bunnies

Literally!  A basket of ducks and bunnies!  Just in time for Easter!  It occurred to me on Tuesday that I should have some treats to give out this year.  You know to family, friends, teachers, etc.  So I gathered 2 helpers.  Megan and Logan and I got to work.  Well Megan and I did the ducks while Logan was in school and Logan and I did the bunnies while Megan napped.  But it was all done in one day and really didn't take very long.  Probably all together about an hour.  The bunnies actually went much fast, Logan is a better helper than Megan, well maybe not better but doesn't get distracted as easily. 

 

These little triangle boxes are fun, quick and easy.  If you've never made one they're really easy and I'll refer you to Julie's blog for full directions, plus you'll see where I got my inspiration :)  My boxes are little different, I started with a 5 1/2 x 4 piece of cardstock.  So mine are little bigger, but you can make them as big or as small as you want, once you get the triangle box down, you'll never stop!  I've made them into Santa's for Christmas....reindeer would also be cute....note to self 'must remember this come Christmas time....'  The bunnies have a scallop circle tail on the back too :)  The boxes are filled with little Easter chocolates.  YUM!

 

Here's my happy little helpers:  "Look Mama I found a bag of candy on your desk!"  By the way you might notice in the pictures that Megan has no pants on.  It's a long story as to why there are no pants, but to make it quick, she didn't want to wear pants and after 20 minutes of tears and screaming I agreed that the pants were optional :)

Yep that would be her sneaking a handful of candy, not just a piece or two but a handful!  She doesn't think I'm looking, much less taking a picture.  See why she kept getting distracted.  But who can blame her, it's a bag of chocolate!

Some did manage to get into the boxes.  You'll notice in her other hand though she's keeping a tight grip on a few pieces :)

Some even made it into her mouth.  She has about 3 Hershey Kisses in her mouth when I took this picture :)  And her fingers are covered in melted chocolate from cramming them into her mouth. 

Ahhhh, now here's a helper at work.  Sticking ears together!  What a trooper he is, and isn't even distracted by what's left of the candy......don't worry he got his fill of candy too once that bunnies were all stuffed :)  So that's how I spent Tuesday, and now we have a basket full of treats!

Thanks for looking, see you soon!!!

Jot This Down

I have the final two projects to share with you that my guests got to make at my class on Saturday. The first is the 'non-card' item that they got to make. I'm slightly obsessed with notebooks. I just found a whole drawer full in my closet, apparently I hoard them. But they're all decorated and so cute! Maybe I should write more stuff down :) Maybe then I wouldn't forget so much :) They all personalized their notebooks with their initials. It's hard to tell in the picture but there's a little tree embossed with clear on the bottom.

In pictures it doesn't have quite the impression that it has in real life. In real life the subtle embossing, the sparkle and shine and texture just make the notebook so classy and fun! I love it! It's always fun to emboss!

Finally the last card that they made was this fun card with the squished bottle cap. If you haven't squished a bottle cap, what are you waiting for??! You just put it through the big shot and let the the big shot do all the work :) I love the black and white on this card! So fun!!! Make sure to check back tomorrow I have an adorable post going up!!! You won't want to miss it!!!

Thanks for looking, see you soon!!!!!

Two For One

I'm sharing two cards in today's post, so I guess it's kind of a two for one day :)  These are two of the cards that my guests made at my class last weekend.  All together they made 4 projects, 3 cards and 1 non card item.  The class had some projects that were a little more detailed and took a little extra time.  Something I normally don't do at a class but thought for this special class it would be perfect.  The first card is with the super cute Ears To You Stamp.   I love these little bunnies!!!  The bunnies are all cut out!  and then poped up on dimensionals.  The button is super cute and really finishes the card.

The next card is a favorite of mine!  I love this vintagy feel and everything works so well together!  I used the notecards for this card.  I LOVE THE NOTECARDS!!!  They're such a good deal too, you get 20 notecards and envelopes for only about $6!  It's such a bargan!  I used the newsprint DSP and the doily for this card.  It really adds to the vintage feel and that little flower from the flower trim ribbon is the perfect accent! 

One more thing before I go!  All of Stampin' Up!'s fabric is 50% off this week only!!!!  Stock up, plan some projects!  But don't wait!!!  You only have until Sunday to get the fabric 50% off!!!! 

Thanks for looking, see you soon!!!!

Huge Class, Huge Thanks!

On Saturday I had, probably one of my biggest classes ever!!  I was so touched that so many of my customers and downline came to celebrate my 10th anniversary with Stampin' Up!  I had a crowd of about 20, which is almost double what my normal classes are!  It was great to see so many people!!  Don't these cupcakes look yummy!  We'll get back to those later!

First I wanted to give gifts to everyone who came!  I wanted to show my appreciation to them, so everyone that came got to take home a whole package of rhinestones and some of our super fun doilies!  We use rhinestones all the time at my classes (probably next to dimensionals it what my customers see the most of).  The doilies are just fun!  Plus they also got some of our soda tops too!  They used the soda tops for a project, the doilies and rhinestones were theirs to take home and enjoy :) 

That's alot of packaged rhinestones!!! The tags were made in MDS of course!  Would you expect anything else!!!  I had been working for a week on all the little touches for this class.  Mostly at night after the kids went to bed :)  Gotta get it done when you can!

The cupcakes were really yummy!!  I did not bake the cupcakes!  I was asked that over and over again!  While I do think I'm a fairly good baker, I'm not good at icing the cakes or cupcakes.  They never turn out quite right :)  So the cupcakes were purchased!  Truth is I probably wouldn't have had time to make them even if I wanted too.

I did however make the little toppers!  Aren't they cute!  I used a 12x1 piece of cardstock, scored every 1/4 inch then accordion folded them.  Glue the ends together so you have a circle and then flatten it out.  I used a glue gun to adhere them together.  It dries fast and it holds!  I used MDS again and printed out the center and then used my circle punch to punch them all out and stick them to the finished lollies.  I'll share with you the projects made at my class tomorrow and Wednesday, PS I LOVE THEM!!!!  You'll want to check back!!!  

Thanks for looking, see you soon!!!!

Ready To Go!!!!

Twenty packets ready for my 10th Anniversary Class tomorrow!  Still lots to do today, see you next week!!!!

Thanks for looking, see you soon!!!

Who Knew?

Color me surprised!  Who would have ever thought that Cajun Craze and Tangerine Tango go together so well!  Stampin' Up! knew, this was a color combo pulled directly from the color coach.  If you had left it to me though, these two colors would never have met :)  They look great though, Tangerine Tango is the lighter color in the flower and stamped over that is Cajun Craze. 

Two step stamping is such a fun techinique.  It lets you feel like an artist with little work.  Just look at the flower, it's so pretty, looks almost painted and the hardest part of this card was cutting out the flower :)  Stampin' Up! has spoiled us with punches and framelits so when you actually have to cut something it's a little sad :)

Thanks for looking, see you soon!!!!

Biking With Friends

Isn't this a sweet card!!?!  This card uses the Ronald McDonald set Moving Forward.  I hadn't used it in a while so I thought I'd break it out again :)  I love the images in it, they're so fun and whimsical.  I used my markers to color the little bike.  I made it a conscience effort to use all five 2012-2014 In Colors :)  The white on white is such a big trend in cards but I had to add a splash of color in there. 

I used some pearls on the flowers and some mini brads on the wheels.  Don't they make a fun addition?!  Of course a little embossing changes the entire look of the card :)  Hate to keep it short and sweet today but lots more prep to do for my class this weekend! 

Thanks for looking, see you soon!!!!

Pros And Cons

This card is super duper simple.  But the whole point of this card was just to test out Stampin' Up!'s new Photopolymer Stamps that arrived on my doorstep yesterday.  I did this card and just played in general with the stamps and I'll give you my personal list of pros and cons, keep in mind this is my personal list and mine only.  This isn't SU's opinion nor any other demonstrator's opinion :)  I'll start by saying I'm a fan of the wood stamps, always have been, always will be.  So lets get started, let's do the pros first......

...They're clear, I mean CLEAR!  You can see right through them and right where you're going to stamp.  Though even with this feature, I still manage to stamp crooked :)  They're super sticky.  These stamps stick to your clear blocks easily and don't budge.  They're inexpensive, this trial set that SU is offering is only $13.95 for a set of 57!  Seriously!  Overall they did a good job stamping, there are a few inconsistencies but that could be attributed to my stamping, you know how much pressure to use etc.  And finally, there are no ghost lines, I tested this to no end.  I made sure the stamps were super inky, even on the edges and center where you normally wouldn't want ink, then I pressed and held really hard and it left no extra lines.  (I did do this with the larger images, I haven't really tested the smaller images and ghost lines yet.)

 

Let's get to the cons.  I'm not a fan of the packaging.  They come between two piece of window sheets in a cello bag.  In thinking of long term use and storage, I can see the bag ripping, plus in my room I store my stamps in a cabinet and use the labels on the side of the boxes to identify the sets, so this cello bag won't work.  I'll have to buy the empty clear cases to store the stamps.  They're pretty stinky, I'm pretty sensitive to smells (at least since both of my pregnancy's-it's one of those things that never went away), it's a strong paint smell-not a fan of that :(  Finally I want to do more research on the photopolymer material.  I just can't see it being earth friendly, which is of some concern to me.  I know my pro list is longer but I'm still not sure I'm convinced that I love these new stamps.  I don't think that they compare to our quality rubber.  If I had to choose I'd choose wood and rubber stamps every time :)  I hope I was a little helpful.  I'd LOVE to hear what you think, please leave me a comment and let me know. 

 

Thanks for looking, see you soon!!!!

An Egg-celent Card

We're in the final days of Sale a Bration!!!  The last day to get your free Sale a Bration products is FRIDAY!  Don't wait!  This years selection has been great!!!  I know I'll miss the DSP the most!!  I adore that DSP and the colors-stock up now!!!  On to today's card!  It's a sweet little Easter egg!  The inspiration for this card came from......you guessed it...Pintrest....I think I have a problem :)  I bet many of you have the same problem :)  I used the Oval Framelits for the egg.  I used the largest regular oval, (the largest one is the scalloped one, clearly I didn't use that one, the next size down though).

The Build a Brads in the Spring Catalog are so fun and elegant!  You just add your own DSP, stamped image, whatever you want in the center, then add the clear 'cover' for it and viola you've made a custom brad!!!  Isn't that awesome!!!?!!  This brad is not only pretty, it's also functional....you see because of this brad the top of the egg......

...can open for you to write your greeting! Fun!!!  The bottom part of the egg (DSP) is adhered down to the white cardstock.  The top part of the egg swings open and closed.  So cute and fun!!!!  That's it for me today, it's a busy week around here!  Logan heads back to school today after Spring Break and I'll spend the week prepping for my HUGE class this weekend!!!  I'm so excited for my class, we'll be celebrating my 10th Anniversary with SU at this class and next week!!!  WhoooHooo!!  Have a great Monday!

Thanks for looking, see you soon!!!!

Hoppin' Through Spring

It's blog hop time!  I'm so pleased to be part of this blog hop featuring the ever talented demonstrators from our Ladybug group.  You might have just landed here from Michelle's blog.  She's so creative!  This month's theme is Easter or Spring.  So how about some fun bunny cards that are sure to bring a smile to anyone!!  These sweet little guys measure 4x4, so they're cute and compact, the perfect addition to any Easter basket!!!

I used the oval framelits for the ears, feet and to get his mouth rounded.  The rest are punches.  The eyes are the 3/4 and 1/2 inch circles, the nose is the small heart, the teeth are half of the 1 inch square punch and the bottoms of the feet are the 1/2 inch circle punch.  I also added a 1 1/4 inch white circle to the back for his tail :)

So the card is super cute and opens when you lift his head up, ok that sounds strange...please refer to the photo :)  To get this I used a 4x10 piece of cardstock and scored at 2 and 6.  Aren't they adorable!!!  I just LOVE THEM!!!  Of course you could do them in any color to fit your Easter decor :) 

The fun doesn't stop here, it's time to keep hoppin'!!!  Next up is Amber!  She's sure to have some amazing projects to show you!!!

In case you get lost along the way here's the blog hop line up. 

Ruth Norton-YOU ARE HERE!!!!

Amber Wilson
Kay Jantz
Camelita Wasson
Cassie Rogers
Michelle Carrion

Thanks for looking, see you soon!!!!

One Last Swap

Last week I showed you all the swaps from our meeting, well all but one!  I held back on sharing this swap because I thought I was going to duplicate it for my class this month.  As much as I LOVE LOVE LOVE this card I decided to use a different card that I also love!!!  You'll see all the projects from my class soon!!!  This swap was done by Amber, so it's no surprise that I love it-I love all her work!  Hate to keep it quick but it's another jam packed spring break day!!!!

Pun Fun!

This card makes me so happy!!!  The puns just make me laugh!!  It's so cute and clever!  No, I'm not the original creator of this card.  But after I saw this card I HAD to buy this stamp set, Spring Sampler.  Yep that one card led to me purchasing an entire set!  But I've found lots of other uses for that set too, so I'm a happy stamper!!  I seriously can't look at it without laughing, I think I'm a little nutty, you would be too if you spent every day with a 2 year old.  You'll find almost anything hilarious :)  When I was making this card I knew I wanted it to be-interactive in some way.  So I tried lots of fancy folds and other things and in the end the card works because it's simple.  The more I tried to complicate it the less it worked. 

 

But I did cut a little hole out of the front of the card and put the greeting inside.  That's made all the difference in the card.   The greeting had to be printed out on my printer so it just didn't look right on the front.  Once I put inside and cut the whole the entire card just came together.  Anyway, that's my little bit of entertainment for this lovely Wednesday! 

Thanks for looking, see you soon!!!!

Coffee Anyone????

When you get coffee in a cute purse, there's nothing else to love is there.  Although I'm not a coffee drinker, so I would prefer my purse filled with tea or hot cocoa.  Of course all of this is prior to adding water ;)  These sweet little purses hold 2 K-Cup coffee's.  Isn't that just adorable!!!??!  What a fun little gift!!!  I think I'm going to make these for Dan's co workers.  I'll have to modify them for the boys though :)  They have a small office and don't make coffee everyday.  Not everyone drinks it, some bring their own, but they do have a couple Keurig Machines and you're welcome to bring in your own coffee and cup and fill it up. 

Look how fun and adorable!!!  Yay!!!  I just love this little purse!!!  I'll list the dimensions below for this 2 cup one and also for a 3 cup one.  I saw this on Pintrest (where else?) and made my own version.  Mine is pretty different from the one on the link, but I think, easier and quicker :)  Plus I added a handle, it's now a purse-and really doesn't that make all the difference?!  I used a bunch of Sale a Bration products on this project: The stamp set (Patterned Occasions), the DSP, the ribbon), we're almost to the end of Sale a Bration make sure you get your free products before the 22nd when it ends!

Here's all the dimensions, if you have further questions please email me or leave me a comment on this post, please though if you comment leave an email address so that I can reply to you :)  First up the 2 cup purse:  4 1/2x11, score on the 11 side at 3 1/4, 5 1/4, and 9.  For the insert to hold the coffee cups, 4 1/4x4 1/4 score one side at 1/2 and 2 1/2.  Use the 1 3/4 circle punch to punch your holes and attach with sticky strip inside the purse.  The 3 cup purse measurements are:  6 1/2x11, score on the 11 side at 3 1/4, 5 1/4, and 9. For the insert to hold the coffee cups, 6 1/4x4 1/4 score the 4 11/4 inch side at 1/2 and 2 1/2. Use the 1 3/4 circle punch to punch your holes and attach with sticky strip inside the purse.  I used some sticky velco to hold my purse closed.  Enjoy!

 

Thanks for looking, see you soon!!!!!

Boxes To Go!

Welcome to Spring Break!  Logan is off from school this week.  It's a much needed break for all of us.  With last weeks crazy busy schedule this week will seem down right boring-PERFECT!  The only thing we have on the schedule this week is a trip to the zoo.  Other than that it will be a week of sleeping in (probably not), stamping (we'll see) and resting (not if Megan has anything to do with it).  Well my plans sound good, check back with me on Friday and see how my break went :)  In the mean time here are two quick boxes you could whip up in no time.  The first one really is super easy and fast!  It's from the Boutique Boxes Kit in the spring catalog.   

Besides adhesive, this kit has everything you need, this box was put together in mere seconds, no joke!  They're that easy!  The buttons are included too!!!  This box is small but don't let the size fool you, you can still fit many treats in there and it's the perfect size for a gift card!  How great is that!!!?!?!

The next one requires a little more work but it's such a cute box it's worth it!  I used the candy wrapper die and used brads to hold it closed.  The bunny is made with only a few punches: the small heart for his nose, the 1/2 inch and 3/4 inch circle punches for the eyes, and the ears are the oval punch and petal punch.  Isn't it cute and simple!!??!  Perfect for Easter baskets!!! 

Thanks for looking, see you soon!!!!

Swaps.....Finally!

Thanks for sticking with me this week it's been crazy!  I have to admit I had Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday's posts done last week!  I knew this week would be crazy but I thought I'd be able to pull it together enough to get a post done for Thursday, boy was I wrong!  So what have I been up to, since clearly I haven't been stamping???  Well as Co Director of my church's gallery I've spent the week there (literally the entire week, all day!) hanging and going through almost 200 pieces of art to show in our gallery.  But it's up now---whew!  Thank goodness we only do this every 3 months :)  But even with my busy gallery life I did manage to make it to our demo meeting on Tuesday night.  It was a shoebox swap, meaning everyone brought the supplies to make the cards and we spent the night stamping and chatting.  So here are the cards from the swap, I'll warn you, they're pretty awesome!!!!  You can see the card that I did for the swap here. 

 

Enjoy!!! 

 This is Karen's swap.  Isn't it a great masculine card?!?  I know I struggle to find masculine cards all the time, this one is perfect!!!

 

This Carmelita's card. She used the chalkboard technique, isn't it cool!!?  I love it!!   

This is Kay's card.  Another good masculine card! 

This is Michelle's card.  Looking at this in the picture I noticed I forgot to trim my Baja Breeze circle,  it's supposed to be straight on the edge of the card-oops!!  I'll make sure I do that before I mail it!  But isn't it a great card!!!?!

This was Kathy's, even though my bike is stamped crooked-that's my fault-I still love it, the sponging is so cool!

This is Vickie's card.  This card is so sweet and cute!  This is a fun set, I might have to get......

This is Angela's card.  I love that we had to color the cake.  I just love watercoloring, why don't I do it more often......????

This is Cassie's card.  Isn't it so pretty and elegant??  I love the DSP and flowers and colors, well everything!

Finally this is Stephanie's card.  Isn't it fun!  So many fun colors and textures together!!!

 

Thanks for looking, see you soon!!!!