Stampin Up Circle Monogram Stamp

Not a card maker or crafter, but want to find an easy way to step up your cards and gifts?  Stampin Up is now offering a monogram stamp to add creativity to all that you do!  The new photopolymer personalized stamp can be used as address label or anything else you want to personalize.  It also gives a wonderful personal touch to gifts and goodies. Here are just a few customization ideas (for you or for the perfect gift):

• Address stamp
• Thank you
• From the classroom of (for a teacher gift)
• From the kitchen of
• Made with love
• This book belongs to (great gift for new college students)
• From the desk of
• Just married
• Save the date
• Birthday Party
• Promote your business

You will need to order Clear Block B (item #117147 $5.95) to adhere your stamp to.  Want to place an order? Go to www.stampinup.com and create a login in account.  You will be able to customize your stamp.  Also, click on "Find Demonstrator" and enter my last name and zip code "Pollard 19802" and I will receive credit for your order! Please contact me with any questions.

Have a great weekend!!

A Little DIY

So happy Spring is finally here, although for me, it brings my dreaded allergies.  I haven't been in the card making mood lately.  I've had some pain in both my wrist and elbow, which has pretty much stopped me in my card making tracks.  I still love crafting, but I've had to scale way back and look at other outlets.

I recently went shopping for a spring wreath. I was shocked at the prices.  I decided a wreath would be my next project. After some looking online, I decided to make this paper wreath.

 

This wreath is made from brown paper bags.  I used a roll of tape as my pattern to cut a circle. I bought a 14" styrofoam wreath and had to cut out about 200 circles.  No kidding.  I could have used a circle punch but it's heavy and hurts my arm.  I then folded the circles over a pencil eraser, added a dab of glue from my hot glue gun, and placed the circles on the wreath.  I added the red flower, since this one is for a friend of mine and her front door is red.

 

This next wreath is made from Stampin Up's! Burlap and Blossoms wreath kit.  The kit comes with a cardboard circle to use to make the actual wreath.  I decided to punch my kit up a bit, by adding the flowers to a grapevine wreath (purchased online from Hobby Lobby for $3.99).



The flowers come in the kit and are made from pre-cut circles.  I thought "kit" would mean this is a quick and easy project.  So not the case, because there is a lot of flower assembly required.  I like the finished product and my co-worker (who I made this for) really loves it, so mission accomplished!

Project Life by Stampin Up!

 

Stampin Up announced yesterday that they have teamed up with Becky Higgins to bring a new way of scrapbooking.  Project Life is here!  Read more:

 

We are so so so excited to let you know we’ve partnered with the amazing Becky Higgins to bring you the real deal—authentic Project Life products, now in exclusive Stampin’ Up! colors and designs.

If you’ve somehow missed the Project Life craze and are wondering what it’s all about, we’ll fill you in: it’s a super simple, totally affordable way to get your photos into albums: you just slip your photos into Photo Pocket Pages and add designed cards. It’s a back-to-basics approach to documenting your life. In a nutshell, it’s all about spending more time making memories and less time scrapbooking them.

You’ll be able to order a selection of Project Life products starting May 1! And with the launch of our new annual catalog on June 2, you’ll be able to buy from our complete line of Project Life products

 

 

 

 

The bottom line is that Project Life will make scrapbooking easier and less time consuming to do.  Imagine having a kit that will allow you to scrap all of your precious memories quickly and easily!  I think simplicity is one of the main reasons people don't complete scrapbooks.  Project Life is here to take care of all of that. 

 

You will be able to order products on May 1st.  As a demonstrator, I will be able to order products this coming Monday, April 21st.  Don't want to wait? Become a demonstator now and start your Project Life scrapbooks early!  The full line Project Life products will be availble in Stampin Up's new catalog, which comes out in June.

Pop Up Box Card

Hi Guys! It's been awhile since I've posted.  I think the winter and snow took away some of my creative mojo.  We had a welcome break this weekend on the East Coast, so I did a bit of stamping yesterday.  The latest trend seems to be pop up cards.  I played around with a pop-up box card yesterday.  Check it out:

My favorite part of this card is that it lies flat and fits into a regular sized envelope.

I think these are adorable for kids birthdays or any occasion.  Mother's or Father's Day, Easter.  Love it!

Modge Podge and Coffee....

So, I broke down and bought the "Perfect Blend" stamp set.  I have been looking at it since it first came into the 2013-2014 catalog.  As a coffee lover, I probably should have bought the set sooner, but I didn't.

 

Once I added the set to my wish list, I googled ideas for it.  Imagine my surprise when I found Brandy Cox's idea to use actual coffee on the card (see here) !!  I placed my order and WAITED for the stamp set to come.   Here is my version of the card.

You may be wondering, how the devil do you put coffee on a card?  Has anyone ever heard of "Modge Podge"? It sounds like something from my past as an arts and crafts camp counselor, but I can't recall with certainty.  But modge podge is the answer to how do you get the coffee to stick to the paper.  Modge podge really makes the paper curl, so it was a bit of a challenge.  Right now, I have coffee grounds all over my craft space, but it smells so good.  I can't wait to send a few of these cards to my friends and fellow "caufee" lovers.

You may also notice the hexagon "texture" on the white overlay.  How did I do that? Well, I bought this:

This is Stampin Up's "Texture Boutique", which allows you to dry emboss patterns on card stock.  I only have one pattern, so I plan to use it a lot. 

Valentine's Cards

I was finally able to find some time to play with my ink and stamps!!  I focused on Valentine's Day and all of the new items I ordered and a special birthday card for my cousin, whose birthday is on Valentine's Day.  First the 2 Valentine's Cards.

This card uses the Banner Blast greetings set from Sale-A-Bration.  It is free with a $50 purchase and also comes with a punch for the banners (also free with a $50 purchase).  Let me say, this set and punch were both a little smaller than I envisioned.  Also, the idea of hanging a string banner to put the tags on was easier in my mind than in actuality.  Since it's a pretty simple card, I wanted to punch up the white background. Using my Diagonal Score Board (for the first time), I did a 'stripe' pattern on the white background.  

 I wish I could say that this card was my original idea, but it isn't. I saw a version of this on Dawn Griffith's web site and she got the idea from someone in her down line.  I'm not sure why I love this card so much.  Maybe its the simplicity of the Crumb Cake and Red card stock.  Or the actual inking the blocks and using them as stamps themselves.  Or maybe it's the Eiffel Tower stamp and Key from the "Follow My Heart" stamp set.  Or the little heart from the Owl Builder Punch.  Not sure, but this card is for my hubby.  I love it and will be using this same design for birthday cards for 2 of my friends who love all things about Paris.

 

I posted this card before, but used some of the new items in my last order to take it up a notch and make it into a birthday card.  I added a strip of Red Glimmer paper and the greeting is from the "Really Good Greetings " set and says, "finally a day that really is all about you".  I punched a little heart from the Owl Builder Punch and added it.  And I have to admit (again) I only bought the Owl Builder punch for this little heart, so I'm happy I use it so frequently.

Okay, so there are my Valentine's card shares.  I have ONE more to share with you.  Part of is is drying and I am waiting for one last thing to finish my card (and I'll share that "last thing" with you as well).  Once it's all assembled and properly completed, I will be sharing. 

Batting 1000

At least I think that's the correct term.  I titled my post this way because I hit 1,000 blog hits.  Actually, it's 1,008!! I'm very excited!

I had an order from Stampin Up that was supposed to come last Friday and my plan was to create all weekend.  Unfortunately, my order didn't show up until Monday.  So while I did create, it wasn't with all the new "stuff" that I ordered.  Here are the cards I made with what I had on hand:

The first is a sympathy card.  I decided to make this one kind of bright and happy. 

I also played around with the Happy Watercolor stamp set from the Occasions Catalog.  The first card was featured in the Stampin' Success magazine.  I think this will make an adorable set of Thank you cards.

This card is a take off on the black and white card I made a few weeks ago.

I'll be back with some Valentine's cards.  I'm sooo excited to share them with you!

More Epic Day

I don't make many masculine cards.  I make them as I need them, never have them 'on hand'. I have my hubby, son, uncle and 3 nephews so you would think I would be ready, but nope.  Truth be told, lately, I'm not ready for ANY birthday's.

While working on my card from yesterday's post, I came across another really great sheet of paper.  This one has hexagon's on it, and it looks like there is a map layered on top of it.  Since this is coordinating paper, I used the same pool party piece from yesterday's card, some linen thread and created this card.

I don't know if it's "decidedly" masculine, but it leans more towards that than feminine.  At least I think so.  The base of the card is Crumb Cake which is a great go-to when you don't want to use white or vanilla.  I used the oval punch to stamp the sentiment and wiped the oval right on the ink pad, to get the effect on the edge.  I plan to pop out a few more of these, varying the colors, to keep in my stash.  I think next time, I'll layer some solid paper underneath the DSP.  Hmm...I think the creative juices are flowing.

Inspired By Designer Series Paper

Hi everyone! Hope you enjoyed your day off (if you had the day off) and reflected on the man and the reason we are celebrating today.  I believe Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. would have been 85 years old.  Let us never forget what he fought and ultimately died for.  I thank God that He blessed us with this man, who gave so much for all of us.

I was able to spend part of my day in my craft space.  A co-worker of my friend asked me to make 3 cards for her, along with some other coordinating items.  I was a little sick of the cards I was making, because they weren't my original ideas.  We Stampin Up demonstrators are big on "CAS", create and share.  But I needed to step it up.   I needed some inspiration and I got it from a pack of Designer Series Paper (DSP).

The Epic Day This and That DSP is probably my all time FAVORITE paper, ever.  I really don't like DSP, because it comes in 12x12 sheets and I never use it or even like all of it.  But I love every sheet of this paper.  However, instead of using the paper, I kept it in the wrapper and would look at it from time to time. Not that I can't buy more, I just didn't want to use what I have.  Saturday, I picked up the pack and shuffled through it and saw this piece in Pool Party, with a little basic gray and white, kind of 'distressed'.  I have been DREAMING about this paper and how I would use it ever since.

So, today, I pulled out a sheet of this paper, a sheet of Pool party, black and just sat there. The card came into view, then I pulled out...wait for it...yep.  Regarding Dahlia's.  My card took a few twists and turns, tried some things, put stuff on, took stuff off and this is my final product.

The picture is a little washed out (using the camera on my phone).  But the dahlia is stamped in pool party ink and layered.  Only the top layer has crystal effects added to it along with a little dazzling diamonds for some "bling".  I used the Owl Builder punch for the 2 little hearts.  The red heart gives the card just a 'pop' of color.  I love the finished product!!

Valentine's Day Crafts

I know it's only January 19th, but in the craft world, it's time to make Valentine's cards and gifts. Actually, in the craft world, it's probably late in the game and we should be starting Easter cards by now.

I no longer have the pressure to make Valentine's treats for my son. He's now 11 and it's a bit "baby-ish".  But I have to share with those who may need something for their kids class the cute items that Stampin Up has.

The first is "Monster Hugs".  These adorable monsters come in pink or blue and can be used to hold candy and put a message on the back.

These are so cute!!

Another idea is something I did last year.  I used M&M's and made treat bags, which are really easy to give out.

I'm in the process of making a few Valentine's cards and I'll be posting those, hopefully by the weekend.  I have an order coming with lots of new things I can't wait to share with you all.

More Dahlias

I don't know if I've said this before, but Regarding Dahlias is probably my favorite stamp set, ever.  Every time I need to make a card, it is my go-to stamp set.  Each time I make a card with the set, I think I'm going to make 20 more of this same card, change the greeting, and use them for the year.  But each time I sit down with the set, I come up with something new.   Which is probably why I can't keep a stash on hand.  Such a vicious cycle, lol.   So, here are the latest cards I made with this set.

This card uses Very Vanilla card stock.  The flower is stamped in Cajun Craze and cut out.  I used some designer series paper, Modern Medley to make the bands.

I wish I could take credit for the idea of this card, but I can't.  I found this card on Meg Loven's web-site (click here).  My card is not exactly like hers, but I totally cased the effect of the flower.  The Dahlia is stamped 3 times and cut out.  Each flower is cut a little smaller and a lot different than the other.  They are then covered in Crystal Effects.  I allowed them to dry overnight and then stacked them together with a stamping dimensional.  I love the 3-D effect of this card.  I was just fussing about not having any Valentine's Day stamps but I think this card would work quite nicely for that.  And I only need a couple anyway.  I cannot wait to make more and change the colors!

New Project...not so much

A week ago (or more), I blogged about my "new" project which was decorating my craft space.  A couple days after that, I shared that I found the book case and it was on the way.  It was supposed to arrive last night.  I checked UPS this morning and found out they returned my shipment to the sender (Overstock.com) because the book case was damaged during shipping.  I called Overstock.com and was told, oops sorry, we don't have anymore of them in stock, we will send you a refund.  While I'm not happy about this turn of events, I know everything happens for a reason.  Maybe its not the time for me to take on a re-decorating project, with my son's school schedule, band and basketball.  Maybe I can find something cheaper and locally, a true "DIY" project.  Whatever the case, this is not going to get me down. Okay, it did for a little bit, but not too long.

That being said, I needed to make some cards.  My card share today is my play on the colors "brown and turquoise" using my favorite Regarding Dahlia's stamp set.  As I was flipping through my "O" Magazine, I saw an ad for La-Z-Boy.  I used that color palette and made this little note card and envelope.

To be honest, I have no idea why I didn't make this into a regular sized card.  Maybe because I grabbed some scrap pieces of Early Espresso and some leftover Sweater Weather designer series paper from the Holiday Catalog.  I put this on white card stock.  I love the card so much, I'm going to make a bigger size set of note cards for myself. I always need note cards!!

Eastern Elegance

I am in love with the Eastern Elegance Designer series paper.  It's always a challenge for me to use up all of the sheets though.  It comes in size 12x12 only and I usually don't use the paper up. I promised myself that I would use as much of this paper as possible.  I was checking out Brian King's blog (click here) and saw an idea he had for using this paper.  I love his use of layers and layers of card stock, although its not something I do very often (I always think, how much will this cost to mail).  So here is my take on the card I saw:

This card uses Smokey Slate,  Summer Starfruit and Whisper White paper.  I embossed my sentiment in gold (from the Happy Watercolor stamp set).    It's a 5x5 card and I will be making a coordinating envelope with the envelope punch board so that I can send this out.

Happy Watercolor

Hi Everyone!!  How is 2014 going for you? So far so good for us.  We received 9.4 inches of snow on Friday and are still digging out today.  I was smart enough to take a personal day on Friday, "just in case".  As I enjoyed my snow day, I poured over the new Stampin Up! Occasions catalog and Sale-A-Bration catalog and the items that I bought.  As always, I was inspired by the new colors, stamp sets and the cool embelishments.  While I'm waiting for my bookcase to come, I decided to get cracking and putting some of these ideas I have on paper.

I did manage to take down the Christmas tree yesterday and do some cleaning.  So today, I was able to make some cards.

The first thing that inspired me was a challenge from the the Paper Pals Art challenge.  Each week, this group presents a challenge badge of colors and you are to come up with a card. I never formally entered this challenge, nor have I ever used the color badges, but this particular one really struck me.

I don't think I would have ever thought to combine these colors.  As a matter of fact, I know I wouldn't have.  But I saw these colors and thought of the new Happy Watercolor stamp set that is in the Occasions catalog and this is what I came up with.

I have to apologize, my camera is dying so these pictures aren't all that clear.  I LOVE the gold embossed on the blue, with a little gold peaking around the blue piece of paper.  I just adhered this to white card stock.  I think its pretty sharp, but its also pretty simple. 

This is a card that I first saw on Mary Fish's web-site (www.stampinpretty.com).  This is made on the 3 1/2 x 5 note cards.  I made a set of 5 of these and gave them to a friend of mine for Christmas. I hope she enjoys using them as much as I did making them.

I think the pearls really add a classy touch.  I plan to make more of these for my personal stash.

The Project Begins

Hi everyone!! I thought this post would be my space in its current condition.  I spent last night cleaning up and organizing my space, in preparation for the real organizing. But I'm still not ready to show it to anyone.  I also did a lot of purging of stamps and some old designer series paper that I bought and don't use, don't like and don't need.  I will be putting those on Ebay, but if anyone is interested,  let me know and I'll send you a list.  I also cleaned out a box that has been sitting under my table for close to 3 years. I found the proper home for most of it and got rid of the rest. 

Anyway, I found the shelf.  I think this was the hardest part.  My space wouldn't allow for the 16 cube shelf (and I can't find one that size that will fit my budget), so I found this 9 cube shelf at Overstock.com.

I did remain true to myself, in that I haven't purchased a ton of card supplies, so I don't think I'm going to need the 7 extra cubes.  You don't miss what you don't have right?  I'll be able to stack 2 photo boxes in each cube on the top shelf, which will be a total of 6, so that will be plenty of space for my embelishments, embossing supplies, markers and ink refills, adhesive and ribbon.

I'm also looking for the lidded storage boxes and I think I found them at Ikea, I'm just not sure of the size and won't know for sure until the cabinet arrives which should be in a couple of weeks. These boxes will hold my scoring plate and cutting tools & paper piercing tools, and one for my stamp sets.
I think I have my color palette, but it will really depend upon the fabric that I select to cover the photo boxes.  Hopefully, I will figure that out soon.  I found fabric on line which I think is perfect.   

The bottom row will hold paper, catalogs and magazines and I think I may have one cube left.  I was planning to buy some magazine holders, but they are expensive.  So I figured out a way to make them.  I'll be posting that idea as well.

I'll be painting, hopefully this weekend (probably just the one accent wall for now).

So far, I've spent $139.  I think I may stay under my budget.

Now that my current space looks 85% better, I'll be posting pictures of that soon.  So stay tuned!!

Happy 2014!!!

Happy New Year!!  2014 promises to be a great year--at least I hope so.  Many of us spent the early hours of the new year in reflection of the last year.  The goals we set and things we wanted to do and maybe we didn't get to them.  I spent some time reflecting on my blog.  I realized that when I started this blog, I said that it would be some where for craft ideas.  However, somewhere along the way, I got addicted to card making.  Not too many other crafts happened.  And in the process of the card making, my creative area became a tad cluttered.  No, I take that back.  My creative area is a hot mess.  I use a small section in our finished attic for my space.  Our home was a fixer-upper and while we tackled many, many MANY big projects, I just never got around to decorating the attic.  Right now, we iron up there and there are some great storage areas where I keep decorations and clutter (more on that later).  So, I decided for 2014, I would get ORGANIZED.

Planning to take full advantage of the after Christmas sale at Michael's I was going to outfit my space with storage cabinets, another table, some rails to hold my punches, etc.  So I took some measurements and realized, I just don't have the room.  So, I started a search, ended up on Pinterest (don't you just LOVE Pinterest) determined to find 'something' that would work. I had no idea what that something would be.  And then....I found this.....

I have no idea who this beautiful space belongs too, but I just LOVE it.  So, my mission, and I have chosen to accept it, is to turn my attic space into this.  And I hope to do it for under $200.

I already had luck, finding the cabinet that will fit in the space.  I spent New Year's Day at Home Depot, picking paint swatches for my wall.

My next post will be my area as it is now.  I actually took pictures of it, but I'm WAY too ashamed to share them.  It looks like a hurricane went through, over and around my craft area.  As I start to clean up, straighten up and purge, I will share photos.

Wish me luck!