My Heart Card!

About a week ago I came across a blog with lots of cards made with our punches. Ann does an amazing job making some of the most beautiful flowers. I thought I would try my hand at this card. I changed it up a bit, the heart is made with the XL Two-Step Bird Punch, using the leaves. I lost track of how many I punched out, but I just thought it was stunning. Ann had 2 Chickadees in the middle of her heart. I decided to add the pearls instead. I have to say, that its been a while since I used Sahara Sand card stock. I love the way my card turned out. You can get the details on Ann's original card here.

Frames, Frames and More Frames!

While cleaning up my craft room, I found several photos of my grandkids, nieces and family photos that I had not put up yet. Some I've had for over a year. I know, bad grandma! I also came across some frames I had bought and not used, but they were the cheap ones, so I thought, time to dress these babies up and get these photos hung.......finally!

This is a great way to take a cheap frame and make it a nice frame. I found this frame on clearance at the "M" store for $7.99. It had to be fixed as the joint as one side had come loose. My husband did that for me with a staple gun. Then I took one of Stampin' Up!s stencils and some stenciling paste (I've had this a while, and think I bought it online somewhere) and made this frame a really nice frame. The stenciling paste is like frosting, you just fill up the stencil and with a flat edge take off the excess and very carefully lift up the stencil, let it dry and you can even color it like I did in the last frame. Make sure you wash the stencil off right away.

This is my grandson, Anthony. Isn't he a cutie?

This one I added buttons to the frame. It is a white plastic frame. Sorry the photos aren't very good. It was hard to get a decent photo. I even stamped on this one with Stazon Ink.

This last one is one of those $3 frames you can get at Walmart. I stenciled on the flowers with stenciling paste, let it dry and then took a sponge dauber and colored them a bit. Totally makes a cheap frame a nice frame. These photos are my granddaughters, Jocelyn and Gianna taken last year.

My daughter saw them for the first time today. She loved how they came out. Sorry, Jen, these are MINE! I think she might want to do this to some of her frames. You just need a flat surface, which these all had.

Birthday Card!

Isn't this card GORGEOUS? While I was at Leadership I celebrated my birthday. Lisa Lange my new friend made this card for me. She used the new Blossom Petals Punch and the Build a Blossom stamp set on page 12 of the Occasions mini catalog. Lisa also used the Framed Tulip embossing folder, (my fav).

Thanks again Lisa for this beautiful card!

My Swap Card for Patty's Luv 2 Stamp Meeting

I cased my swap card from Kimberly Van Diepen and then put my twist on it.

My card base is Crumb Cake and I embossed using the new Framed Tulips embossing folder found on page 28 of the Occasions mini. One of my most favorite items in this catalog. Seems I can't make a card without using it.......I used Soft Suede to highlight the tulips. The center part of the card is Very Vanilla. First I embossed the flourish using the Sale-a-bration Bliss stamp set, in clear embossing powder and then using a sponge, I added my Baja Breeze ink on the Vanilla c/s. Next, I used the En Francais Back Ground stamp in Soft Suede. I stamped it off then stamped on my Vanilla card stock. If you take a kleenex or paper towel you can take off the ink on the embossed image. Added my Crumb Cake Seam Binding ribbon and stamped the Bliss in Soft Suede and punched it out with the Scalloped Oval punch.

On Kimberly's card she did not use the Framed Tulips or the Bliss sentiment. I just felt it needed a little something. I love the Vintage cards that Kimberly makes.

Cupcakes Again!!!

Check out these cute cupcakes. Kay Sha has the tutorial on her blog. They were so fun and easy to make.

For this one I used Chocolate Chip card stock embossed with the dots and then added one of the Fleurettes II that can be found on page 188. I Used re-inker and water to dye the Fleurette.

This one I embossed with the Elegant Lines embossing folder on page 214, added some pearls and another Fleurette dyed with Cherry Cobbler re-inker.

This last one has pearls and then a piece of our Pretty in Pink Satin ribbon gathered up with another pearl on top.

Cupcake Necklace

Can you guess what I used to make this cute necklace? How about our Beveled Windowpanes in the Occasion Mini catalog, (page 28)? The background stamp I got for FREE, through Sale-a-bration. Since I didn't want the image to over power the necklace, I stamped off before stamping on my Vanilla Card Stock with Early Espresso ink. I used the Cupcake Punch, (page 22) for the cupcake and a red Glimmer Brad. The ribbon is Baja Breeze Seam Binding, (page 16) and I added one of our Trinket Keys, (page 24) to finish it off. You can get instructions to make the necklace itself from Patty Bennett's Blog.

I'm thinking my granddaughters would like one of these necklaces........

I Cased One of Shelli's Prize Patrol Cards!

At Stampin' Up's! Leadership Conference in January, Stampin' Up! announced that with each prize won there would be a hand stamped card inside. So I decided I would case Shelli's card. I didn't have the stamps she used so I changed the stamps, but kept everything else the same, (I think).

The card base is Crumb Cake. I wheeled in Crumb Cake using the Romance wheel and stamped in Baja Breeze in this one, (Rose Red in the other one) the flourish stamp over part of the wheel. Then added a 1" piece of Springtime Vintage dsp. On each side of the dsp I used the Scalloped Edge punch in Crumb Cake. Added the Easter Wishes from the level 2 stamp set in the Occasions mini. This was stamped in Early Espresso onto Confetti card stock and punched out with the Scallop Oval punch and popped up with dimensionals. I tied a bow and stuck that on with a mini glue dot and gathered the ends by fraying and pulling one strand. And for the final touch added one of the Vintage Flower Adornments in the mini with mini glue dots.

I almost forgot, I used the color spritzer tool (page 195) with my Early Espresso marker to add some splatter to my card.

Who wouldn't want one of Shelli's cards? I know I would cherish it forever...........

My Little Fashionista!

This is my granddaughter Gianna. She ALWAYS comes over dressed so cute. She picks out her clothes and they always match right down to her purse and jewelry. She was playing in my craft room last week and just couldn't resist getting a photo of her. The only thing missing is her black boots.

East Chocolate Card

Patty Bennett (my FABULOUS upline) sent me this cute card for promoting to Manager. I loved how she added Manger and the box to be checked off on this stamp. Great idea for customizing this stamp.

So, since I liked, no loved this card so much, I decided I would case it go inside a gift basket I made for a scrapbook event I was a vendor for. Inside the card, is a gift certificate for a Stampin' Up! Party for the person who won the basket and 4 of her friends. I changed mine just a bit, but still love how it turned out.

Sweet Stitches Pin Cushion

Every week I get together with a few other ladies and we sew, or quilt. We had a little party on Wednesday for Lynne's birthday (which is today) and so, I wanted to make Lynne a little something. I thought a pin cushion would be perfect.

I used our Scallop Circle die, #113468, and one of our Sweet Stitches fabric pieces. With my sewing machine, I ran a stitching line all the around close to the edge with the large stitch width. Then gathered it up.

I had bought these spice jars at Ikea a couple of years ago and new it would be perfect for this pin cushion.

Instead of using batting I used crushed walnuts (you can get this at a pet store)as we were told at Leadership this was better than batting. I put a small amount inside a knee high nylon. After I got the right amount of walnut shells in the knee high I tied it in a knot and cut off the excess nylon. I hot glued that down with the knot under neath (so you can't see it). Then I was ready for my scallop circle. I put this over the nylon & walnut shells and adjusted the gathers until it looked even. Then carefully with a hot glue gun, I glued it down. I thought our new Pom Pom trim finished it off nicely.

I wanted to use one of the Sweet Stitches brads and those fabulous BIG buttons, so why not cut the legs off the brad, hot glue it to the button and hot glue that onto the jar? The Happy Birthday is from the Curly Cute stamp set. Another of my favorites right now. And you have to have CHOCOLATE, right? So I filled the jar with Hershey Kisses. I think Lynne loved it!

Scrapbook Page of my Granddaughters!

I think this is my first share with all the great products in the Sale-a-bration (SAB) catalog.

I started with Rose Red card stock, stamped in Versamark the flourish from the stamp set, Bliss and the butterflies in Melon Mambo, in the opposite corners of the dsp. The Bliss is added to Whisper White card stock with Melon Mambo ink and punched out with the 1 3/8" circle punch and mounted on a scallop circle sticker. Added 2 pieces of 6 x 6 dsp from the Ice Cream Parlor collection and then my photos of my granddaughters in each corner. This dsp also comes with stickers, so I added the flower strip and a few more of the stickers. Then came the buttons, I added some Linen Thread before adhering them with a mini glue dot.

The last element I added was a flower using the Fun Flower die in the Occasions mini catalog. I die cut them in Daffodil Delight, Melon Mambo, Pacific Point and the flowered dsp. used my bone folder to curl up the edges. I put a dimensional between each flower layer and finished the flower with another button. Added my journaling.

So, the dsp, stickers, buttons & stamp set were all FREE. For EACH $50 you spend, you can pick out an item from the Sale-a-bration mini catalog, no limit.

I added the 12 x 12 piece of Rose Red card stock and the flowers were cut out of card stock as well. Everything else was FREE! How cool is that?