Tag Archives: Stampin Up

Feb19

A Birthday Basket

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A Birthday Basket

I needed a birthday gift.  But it had to be a stampin’ birthday gift cause it was for a stampin’ friend…

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And I had just received my new Spring Occasions Catalog worth of stuff so, I thought I’d play around…

Here’s the card:

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The words for this card are from the Celebrate Today stamp set.  I love layering them one on top of each other…

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Sorry, but I cut the flowers.  They’re from the Best Day Ever Salebration Stamp Set (which is FREE with a $50 purchase).  And, do you notice the little heart??  It fits PERFECT in the scallop border punch.

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For the gift, I just got a gift card, which is a universal delight.  But, to jazz it up a bit, I made a gift card envelope with the gift card framelit (which is still available, btw).  And, I wanted to present it in something special… so I put together the berry basket.  IT IS SUPER CUTE.  LOVE THE BASKET (and stay tuned, there will be more baskets in the future).  The DSP used here is also the SAB Best Year Ever DSP…

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So, there… The birthday Basket.

You know you want one…  🙂

Feb13

You have less than 24 hours….

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You have less than 24 hours….

Valentine’s is coming. And if you are like me, it’s one of those holidays that just kind of sneaks up on you (confession: they all sneak up on me). But I’m trying to do my due diligence and send out fair warning. VALENTINE’S IS TOMORROW. Ladies. Feel free to forward this to your husbands as well. Valentine’s. Day. Tomorrow.

Anyway, I enjoy this holiday cause it’s not as stressful as Christmas. And its a fun holiday cause chocolate is generally the food of choice when celebrating it. Which is fine by me.

So, in prepararion, Isaac needed some treats for his classmates. And so we made some.

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Okay. Lots.

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Isaac was my sprinkle-putter-on-er.  Yes. That is the official title.  These are those wafer cookies, strawberry flavored, of course. Dipped in almond bark. And heart sprinkled. And when I ran out of cookies, we switched to grahams. Both of which are delicious when covered in sugar and then more sugar.

And here is what they look like all packaged up:

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Its hard to see the candy. But they’re in a fry box and the tag is made with the super cute cheerful critters stamp set.  Blendabilities makes coloring this super easy…

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And here are some more fast, easy valentines that you can get together before tomorrow:

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And

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Both are from the You Plus Me Stamp set.

If making them isn’t an option at this point, and you live on Maui… Then head over to Perfection Bra Fitting. In Wailuku… On Central.  See Terri.  She has some of my hand made valentines in her store. And all you will have to do is sign the insides. Super easy. And if you are interested in her services (her incredible brafitting services) let me know. I have a coupon for you to get $5 off your purchase (for first time customers). Fittings are free. And she is amazing.

So. Happy Valentine’s Day to you.

Jan26

Happy Valentine’s Decorating!

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Hello!!

Today’s post is very special… I was invited to be part of a ‘Creative Blog Hop’.  The rules are, post and then link to 2 people who post a week later….  And use Stampin UP! products.  Then, after the bulk of my post, you will find my answers to questions about my ‘creative process’.  I was invited my my friend and downline, Anne Matasci.  You can go see what she posted HERE.

So..

Here is my first project….  This pillow with the heart garland.  I happened to see his pillow on etsy and though, “HUH.  I could make that.”  So, I did.  I bought the fabric from a local fabric store.  I like it cause it is burlap like, but not as rough and smelly as burlap.  I LOVE decorating with burlap.  But, hate the feel and smell…  So… This is a close second.  It’s way softer and not at all stinky…  When I saw the pillow on etsy, I immediately wondered if the framelits could cut felt.  WELL.  They can!!  (fyi:  This is not a manufacturer suggested use for framelits).  However, I had no problem cutting mine.  And, the magnet platform for the big shot made it a breeze.  I used the silver baker’s twine to make the hanging string…  Was going to use black, but then thought the little thread of silver would be a nice pop…  (and, if I had it to do over, I’d probably  just buy a premade pillow case instead of making one…just cause the fabric was super stretchy which made it WAY hard to work with)

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Here is a close up….

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The next project I made was this Valentine’s Banner.  I decided to use the “Love Never Fails” phrase from I Cor. 13… Just cause I thought it would be something different to hang up, but still Valentiney…  I used the chalk board banner kit…WHICH I LOVE.  Everything is pre-made and ready to go…  I had the stencils left over from the canvas banner kit so I used those to make the letters….And, I made the letters with the white chalk marker rather than chalk.  That way, it was more vibrant.

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You can see, I cut LOTS of hearts out of felt.  And, I used the banner framelits to make the embellishments on the sides and between the words.  The magnet die makes it SUPER easy to cut the heart out of the center of the banner.  For the heart garland, I used TONS of felt hearts and got out the trusty glue gun and went to gluing… Here, I used the linen trim (retired), but any flat ribbon would work.  The flat ribbon was great cause it was wide enough to keep the hearts from twisting all over the place.  I originally wanted a silver button in the center of the hearts, but that made them fall forward.

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Full Confession:  I decided to do a little Valentine’s decor…becasue I never really got Christmas decorations up.  AND, at this moment, I have a spring banner over the entry way mirror, a days of gratitude banner (thanksgiving) up on the back wall, and a ‘JOY’ marquee sign that never got taken down from Christmas, ALL gracing my living room.  We like to celebrate all the holidays.  At the same time.  Or something.

And, I didn’t want to just leave you with Valentine’s decorations… so here are a couple paper crafts…

This one is a little treat holder I made with the gift card enclosures.  Super fun…  SUPER fast!!  You can make up a pile of these in no time and pass out to friends and co-workers for Valentine’s!!

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And, here is a card.  Notice the heart.  Again.  I think that poor little framelit got quite the work out….

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This is from the ‘Hello LIfe’ stamp set in the Occasions catalog…  and that paper, is the DSP called ‘Typset”.  It’s thinner than the usual DSP and makes crafting fun.  It has a different feel but is gorgeous.

Now, on to the questions…

1.  What are you working on?

Huh…  well, I have a pile of mason jar drink cosies that need to be finished.  But, the projects for this post consumed my weekend.  I don’t feel like I ever have enough time for all my projects… the littles take up LOTS of it (The Littles:  Zeke and Hannah, my 9 month old twins).  I have a LIST of things I want to do…which include the Baby’s first year album for said littles, and a project life album.  OH.  Christmas Thank Yous.  I need to get out the Christmas Thank you cards.  Which may be combined into Valentine’s Cards.  Valenmas Cards.  There.

2.  How does your work differ from other’s in your genre?

I like clean and simple.  Honestly, I think I don’t do as much of it as I would like, just because I think it is TOO simple for most of my stamp customers.  And, I’m constantly trying to explore how to use the tools I have in new ways (like the framelits for cutting felt to make some decor items…)  I am currently in LOVE with layering white on top of white (talk about clean and simple)  and deep mats on the layers (getting away from the traditional 1/4″ size difference between layers on cards and doing maybe a .5″ or .75″ mat…I know, pushing the boundaries, but still…)

3.  Why do you create what you do?

The simple answer to this is that I have a need to have it… for example, I made the above items intentionally for this blog hop.  It worked out well, cause I wanted some Valentine’s items to decorate with and that worked out perfectly. But, being honest again, it probably wouldn’t have been made if it weren’t for the deadline of this particular blog hop.  It would have ended up like the Christmas garland I started.  Which is still in a bag in the craft closet, half finished….  So, deadlines seem to necessitate my creations.  I LOVE working with people to make invitations or announcements.  It’s a puzzle, to figure out what someone wants, and to get it done!  And, I love the process, and making people happy with what they get.

4.  How does your creative process work?

Well, it usually starts with me seeing something and going, “HUH.  I CAN MAKE THAT”.  I inherited that from my mother.   She does that too.  And, so do all my sisters.  Sometimes it looks like what I thought, sometimes it doesn’t.  But, there have been LOTS of times when it doesn’t turn out how I originally saw it, but I love how it turned out anyway…  And, being that I live 5000 miles away from my mom and sisters, I’m VERY thankful for MMS so that I can send pics of the projects to ask them questions.  And, to brag when something actually works out…

 

Thanks for stopping by!!  Thanks to Anne for nominating me!!  Next week, Feb 2, be sure to check out Cindy Fodor  at Stampthelove.com  and Maria Pane at StampinandscrappinwithRiRi.com

And TODAY… go check out Cheryl Hamilton, createwithcheryl.wordpress.com and Andi Potler at absolutekreations.com

 

Jan22

Twitterpated

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Here’s another card I made for a swap… This one is from the Spring Occasions mini catalog… “You Plus Me” stamp set..   It’s a fun little stamp set. And I love the coordinating paper and washi…. But anyway…. This card has the new chalk board paper on it.  It’s a nice paper and with the chalk ink pad… Works very well…

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This is a black card base with the white layer… That is hard to tell in the photo… But I love that little stapler. And I seem to be using it on everything!!

Check back on Monday!  I’m going to be part of a Creative Blog Hop… I’ll have some exciting projects for you!

Jan13

Life gives you lemons….

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Make a card!  What else did you expect??!!

So, the story behind this is SU has just started their annual Sale-A-Bration promotion.  And, for every $50 you spend. you get a free stamp set….  WELL.  Every year, just before this comes around, one of my upline hosts a SAB swap.  And, I like to participate.  However, this year, I didn’t even get a chance to look at the stamp sets before I signed up for the swap because it was in the thick of Christmas Crafting (which for me, is from November until Dec 25 in the wee hours in the morning…)  So!  I just chose a set based on the name.  And, this set is called “A Happy Thing”.

 

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Lemons for me are a very happy thing!  I have a lemon tree that I just LOVE.  Fresh lemonade is one of my favorites.  Along with lemon squares, lemon butter, Lemon brownies…  I have a whole pinterest board devoted to it.  This lemon was fun to color with our blendabilities (Stampin’ Up version of copics). markers… cause you can shade them… and you don’t get those UGLY marker lines, but get the saturation you want that you can’t get with pencils…  I’m learning the blendabilities.  And, cannot figure out where they’ve been all my life.  Coincidentally, you can choose some of the blendabilities sets as the free item for SAB as well…

Anyway, if you are interested in learning how to get some SAB sets of your own, contact me!!  It can be a happy thing for you too!

 

Jun21

Graduation

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Graduation

There are many unique traditions in  different locals and Hawaii isn’t immune. One of the lesser known cultural traditions is that holidays and celebrations can last months. It is perfectly acceptable to tell someone Happy New Year in February or March. I vaguely remember giving and receiving a Christmas gift in April. And Graduation Celebrating can last all summer. So. In Hawaii, this post is right on time.  🙂

Anyway. I needed a graduation card.  One thing I do with my stamp customers is have monthly club meetings*. That’s where we get together. Eat. (Always eat…delicious, delicious food) and stamp! It’s a highlight of my month. And for the last 2 years, one sweet young lady has attended with her grandmother. I’ve always been impressed with this because…well… let’s just say we are a bit more advanced in terms of…a..hem… well. You get it.  But I’ve always enjoyed watching her and her grandma interact and just enjoyed the relationship they shared. I can’t speak for them, but I just imagine this was just a special time for them to share together.  Anyway….  this is who the graduation card is for…

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And since this is part on an extended celebration…cause I’m known for my extended punctuality… this was my first creation with the new in colors. (They’ve been sitting on my stamp desk for a month.)

I love them.

BlackBerry and Hello Honey. Now doesn’t that just sound delicious??

Here’s the color combo: basic gray, sahara sand,

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I used the Pomp and Circumstance that was in the Occasions catalog. Sorry… its unavailable now. But you could substitute just about anything. There is a great set in the current catalog called Bravo that would be perfect.

I used the banner framelits to do all the layering. And the DSP is from the Moonlight Prints Pack.  Lets discuss Prints Packs for a moment.  SU has just started these in the last couple occasions catalogs and they are wonderful. It’s a pad of 48 sheets of paper that are 4.5×6.5  You get 4 each of 12 double-sided designs.  It’s great for little pieces of DSP on cards when you don’t want to cut into a whole piece of 12×12.  I love it!  And, they’re only $6.95.

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Of course, I needed an envelope.  Envelope punch board to the rescue!  I made this out of the Smokey Slate.

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And I wanted to make a money holder cause I know that is the perfect graduate gift.

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For the money slot, just cut a panel slightly smaller than your card inside and glue on 3 sides. Then punch any shape you wish…I used the oval…about half way. This gives a space so the bills peek out and you can grab them easily.  You could redo the sizing easily and make this fit gift cards as well.

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And there you go!

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Happy Graduation Jenna! Best of luck to you!

 

*We are forming stamp clubs that will begin in August! If you are on Maui and are interested in friends, good food, and stamping, contact me and I will give you details!

Mar13

BLOOM!!

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Welcome to the next installment of the Pin-worthy Blog Tour…  This month’s theme is Eggstra Creative!!  It’s supposed to be Easter, but I decided to take more of a Spring-y approach just because I wanted to make my decor to last longer than the Easter holiday…
So, I decided to use the banner kit from the SAB catalog as a starting point or this project (it’s FREE with a $50 purchase!!  Heartfelt Banner Kit, 133514)  I must confess, I’ve been bitten by the banner bug.  Had a WONDERFUL time with them at Christmas, loving them still now.  They are so fun to make and these kits make it SO easy…
Anyway. You should have seen me trying to get good pictures of this.  I’m not set up for many things much bigger than cards…

The SAB brochure shows using the paper clips to attach photos to the banner.  Which is an excellent idea.  But, I wanted to spring it up, so I cut out scallop circles (sorry, this particular die was retired, it is the large scallop on the 2 scallop die).  And, embossed them.  Then, I cut out the letters for bloom and put it them on.

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I was super inspired by the cover of the latest issue of Stampin’ Success (one of the many perks of being a demonstrator) and their creped filter paper flowers.  So, I had to make a few.  That’s where the ideas for the flowers came from.  I used the Fun Flowers Bigz die to make the flowers, as well as the 7/8 scallop circle punch, and the Itty Bitty Shapes Punch Pack.  I died the flowers by dipping them into rubbing alcohol and reinker.  Then you smooch and scrunch, and ruffle and fluff.  They are fun to make while you are watching TV…

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Here it is hung up on the mirror in my entry way…  And, the bottom is the wreath kit from the Spring Occasions catalog… They go well together…  These would be fun to make and send to someone as a nice piece of decor for their home… Mine is gonna be boxed up and shipped out soon… just to send some spring to someone special!!
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Thanks for stopping by!! Next on the list you will go see what The Maui Stamper (my dear friend, Anne) has for you!  Click the button below.  Or, everyone is listed if you need…
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Crystal Kondo – http://wp.me/p2l6Qe-gu
Pam Staples – http://wp.me/p3p2VA-Il
Jeannette Swain   bit.ly/1iCY9NL  
Janet Wakeland  – http://wp.me/pHIQD-6l6
Mar1

March Madness

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March is HERE…  and that means at MOST… 9 weeks till the dynamic duo make their appearance.  So, madness is upon us in more ways than one.  (I used to refer to March Madness as the NCAA basketball tournament, but now it is that period of craziness right before twins are born and we decide to make major changes to the house…  so… madness…)

Anyway, you wanna see the March calendar!!  SO, HERE IT IS!!

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I LOVE THESE COLORS.  Strawberry Slush, Coastal Cabana, and Daffodil Delight.  And the Flower Shop stamp set makes it a perfect way to welcome spring!!  (though from what I understand, a majority of the country is still experiencing winter….  and to you, my condolences…come visit us in Hawaii… perpetual summer…)

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Here is a close up.  This was the fastest little calendar to make!!  And so much fun!!

Go check out what Maui Stamper and Create with Cheryl have for you…

Feb27

Stumbling upon a World Treasure

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So. I bought the World Treasure stamp set when this catalog came out. And I bought a lot of other stuff. So, it kinda got pushed back on the shelf. Then I re-stumbled upon it and decided I needed to do something with it. I just love the peacock in the set. And bold colors. So…. here is what I have for you today… (I think the design is a modification of something I got off pinterest. But I can’t remember quite where right now)

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I decided to make a set of cards using the all the stamps from this set… makes a great little gift!

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A word set compliments this little bundle…

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I love the flowers….

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These words came from the World Treasures stamp set itself…  a little ribbon and some rhinestones… and you are finished! Now, I did layer white on white which I used to think was dumb. But it does add depth and dimension. So. I no longer think its dumb… :). Anyway… enjoy…

Feb13

Change

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Change

I guess they say that the only constant is change.  And, CHANGE IS A COMIN’.  There is a lot of changing going on around here.  Namely that my craft room, right now, looks like this:  (this is super embarrassing)20140213_062519

And, this is where it is going, thanks to my wonderful, hardworking husband. But, it’s not quite finished.  So, I can’t move in  yet…

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And, this is the reason for the HUGE change:

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They are now much bigger than in this picture, but we can’t get one where they BOTH fit in the screen.  Coming Soon.  And, in order to get ready for them, we needed a nursery.  Which means craft room moves…  SOOOO….  today’s post is some Nursery Decor!!  And, you’re getting a sample of an MDS project cause I don’t think I could find a single stamp at this moment…  let alone embellishments and adhesive.  (refer to photo above)

I saw these beautiful, for lack of a better term, tiles, on pinterest.  (OH, pinterest…)  It was an idea for a baby room that had 18 individual blocks with different pictures and geometric prints (these happened to be prints of original artwork).  And, it was super cute.  And, I thought, hummmm… I can do that.  I don’t know if it is my Kansas upbringing, or desire to not spend money (that must not be it, cause I do like to shop) but when I see a craft project I always think:  HUMMMM.  I bet I could make that….  And the challenge was issued…  (Here’s my finished product)

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In order to make my own tiles, I decided to buy some 5×5 stretched artist canvases.  These happened to be the ‘deep ones’.  (I think they are 1.5″ deep–so they will stick off the wall some).  I painted them with brown acrylic paint.  The cheap stuff you buy for 1.29…

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I made 18- 4.5×4.5 images in My Digital Studio (I put 4 on a 12×12 layout).  I decided to have them printed through the Stampin’ Up Print services primarily because I don’t have a color printer.  Also, because I knew the colors would be exact and that I could get it on the ‘heavy’ paper.  I think it cost me a total of $15 to print it all…   I trimmed them out and then grabbed a bottle of the “hum…I think I can make that girl’s best friend”:  MODGE PODGE.  And stuck them down.  I put several layers over the top cause I wanted it to have that ‘depth’ and texture that brushing Modge Podge on has…

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And here are some close ups:

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I had to vary the images because this Dynamic Duo is made up of one boy and one girl.  And to simplify life, they have to share a space for a while.  (Heck, they are sharing a space now, so I figure they wouldn’t mind.  And, their new space will have much more room. And cute stuff on the walls).

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I love the tool in MDS that you can recolor embellishments and paper to match whatever you are doing.  I did that a lot with this project…

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Anyway, my plan is to have 3 rows of 6 tiles on the wall (kind of like the original photo).  I don’t have them up yet, cause there is some prep work to do in the new nursery first.  But, soon…

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this banners and pennant tour (albeit, not much of a banner or pennant here…. but home decor none the less.)

You are off to see what The Maui Stamper, Anne Matasci made.  Click the icon below:blog-tour-pinworthy-next

Tamra Davis    http://www.theCardLadies.com/loving-the-stampin-up-banners/
Connie Diebler http://www.conniestamps.com/2014/02/february-pinworthy-blog-tour.html

 

 

Anne Matasci http://wp.me/pCcBw-1xl
Audra Monk http://thecraftyyogi.blogspot.com/2014/02/garland-banners-and-decorations.html
Maria Pane
Andi Potler  http://www.absolutekreations.com/2014/02/13/remarkable-pinworthy-blog-tour-banners-garlands-pennants-galore