Stationary Box

Yesterday was the second round of Gift Camp.  I look forward to this camp every year, although I spend many months worrying if the projects will be as satisfying to everyone as last years, or the year before that, or the year before that... The stationary box was one of the projects this year I included and although it was a bit frustrating at first with some of the scoring and cutting, it was a great project and they turned out so beautiful!  One of my friends requested that I do this project in the gift camp and coincidently I received one in a swap at convention from Donna Henley.  The pattern from the box can be found here.  Here's the sample I made for the class:

I think some of the boxes left without being photographed (camera shy at such a young age!), but here are some of the great boxes that were created.  If you need details on supplies, e-mail me and I'll be happy to fill in the gaps.

It's been awhile since the first camp, I think this one is Jeanette's.

I think Mary Alice's.

Teri's

 

Nancy's

Ashley's

Lucinda's

I'll make corrections as my wonderful stampin' friends refresh my memory!  And, I'll post the others if I can get pictures of them.  Aren't they beautiful??!!

So Thankful!

Happy Thanksgiving! I love Thanksgiving because it is the perfect holiday (in my humble opinion)...there is no expectation of gifts, so no stress about finding the right present, just the gift of presence! Don't get me wrong I love presents...in fact, feel free to send me presents any time you want! I just love that we all recognize at least once a year to be grateful for all that we already have, not necessarily what we are about to receive! Like many others, I feel blessed that I have so much to be thankful for: I have two beautiful and vivacious children, a truly caring and loving husband, 2 devoted dogs who love us unconditionally, 2 cuddly cats who allow us to be in their lives, extended family who love and support us no matter what we do, and countless friends to laugh (and sometimes cry) with who have become much like family! I am grateful for all the people who give of themselves so we all can live safely (soldiers, police, firefighters, etc)! In a time of uncertainty in our economic world, I feel fortunate to have a job that I love and that is secure and that stretches me intellectually...I truly learn something new every day. After my recent trip to Ohio I am also reminded of how thankful I am to be living in Texas where snow and sub-freezing weather is so rare!!! And, of course, I'm grateful for stamping and the art of paper crafting in general! I have learned that even I can be creative and I'm quite sure I have been spared countless hours and thousands of dollars in therapy! (However, it really has impacted my ability to maintain a clean and clutter free home!) And then there are all the people I have been so fortunate to meet who share the same passion for creating! I am grateful for all of you! (especially if you are still reading!) Lastly (or at least for now), I am grateful for my health. I'm so happy I have the opportunity to wake up each day, breathe the wonderful (and usually warm and sunny) fresh Texas air, and do whatever is in store for the day! Isn't life great??

For those of you just visiting my blog for the ideas....here's a project we made at stamp club this month that suits the day.

This is a card portfolio made with large envelopes. Unfortunately, when we made this I didn't realize that Stampin' Up! no longer carries this size of envelope, but if you can't find them at your favorite craft or office supply store, SU does carry a large square envelope that works as well. You attach the two envelopes together and insert these note cards and matching envelopes into the two pockets.

I forgot to snap a picture of the inside of the portfolio, so if this doesn't make sense e-mail me and I'll try to give you improved directions! The cards were super simple. This project uses the Season of Friendship and Thank You Kindly stamp sets. The Autumn Vine DSP coordinates perfectly with the stamp set and the colors are pulled directly from there: Sage Shadow, More Mustard, Really Rust and Chocolate Chip. Circle Punches make putting the whole thing together fast and easy!

Happy Thanksgiving to all of you. I'd love it if you would leave a comment and share what you are thankful for!

Holiday Extravaganza Sale!

Images © 2008 Stampin’ Up

Oh my...just in time for your holiday shopping...what a great sale! You can take advantage of this via my online store, or by e-mailing me your order, or if you are attending the Holiday Gift Camp 2 this Saturday! Quantities are limited...I'm sure you'll find the perfect present for all the creative crafters in your life - or for you! Click here to see all the bundles!

More Holiday Cards

We made these cards in October at the Stamp a Stack!  Sorry the pictures are a bit shadowy.  I have to pay attention to what time I take pictures.

Stamps: Snow Swirled; Paper:Bashful Blue, Night of Navy, Whisper White, Brushed Silver Cardstock; Ink: Versamark, Bashful Blue, Night of Navy Classic Ink; Accessories: Silver Embossing Powder, Pretties Kit, Whisper White Taffeta Ribbon, Elastic Silver Cord, 1 1/4" Circle Punch, 1 3/8" Circle Punch, Double Rectangle Punch, Snow Blossom Punch

Stamps: Holy Triptych; Ink: Stazon, Versamark; Paper: Elegant Eggplant, Shimmery White, Brushed Gold Cardstock; Accessories: Gold Embossing Powder, Watercolor Wonder Crayons, Aqua Painter.

Stamps: A Cardinal Christmas; Ink: Always Artichoke, Riding Hood Red Classic Ink; Paper: Always Artichoke, Confetti Cream, Riding Hood Red Cardstock; Accessories: Riding Hood Red/Very Vanilla 1 1/4" Grosgrain Ribbon,  Big Shot, Top Note Die, Chunky Essentials Glitter, Tombow Multi Purpose Adhesive.

Stamps: Jolliest of Holidays, Season of Joy; Ink: Basic Black Classic Pad, Real Red, Basic Black, Blush Blossom, Pretty in Pink Stampin' Write Marker; Paper: Whisper White, Real Red, Basic Black Cardstock; Accessories: Vintage Brads, Hodgepodge Hardware (retired), Chunky Essentials Glitter, Black Grosgrain Ribbon.

Bonus card: I made this one as part of a swap with some of my favorite demos!:

Stamps: A Cardinal Christmas; Ink: Stazon, Riding Hood Red, Kiwi Kiss, Chocolate Chip Reinkers; Paper: Chocolate Chip, Shimmery White Cardstock, Ski Slope DSP; Accessories: Alpine Ribbon Originals, Big Shot, Scallop Circle #2 Die, Stampin Dimensionals, Stampin' Sponge

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

We've been busy!  Here are the cards from the Stamp a Stack in November:

Stamps: Punch Pals, Best Yet; Paper: Bashful Blue, Close to Cocoa, Whisper White, Tangerine Tango Cardstock, Frosty Day DSP; Ink: Close to Cocoa, Bashful Blue Classic Ink, Tangerine Tango, Kiwi Kiss Reinkers, Basic Black, Bashful Blue Stampin' Write Markers; Accessories: Key Tag Punch, Large Tag Punch, Small Tag Punch, Soft Subtles Brads, Alpine Ribbon Originals.

Stamps: Winter Post, Holiday Collection, Heard From the Heart; Ink: Chocolate Chip Classic Ink, Whisper White Craft Ink; Paper: Riding Hood Red, Chocolate Chip, Kraft Cardstock; Accessories: Riding Hood Red Striped Grosgrain Ribbon, Designer Label Punch, 1 3/8" Circle Punch, Scallop Edge Punch, Stampin' Sponges, Stampin' Dimensionals.

Stamps: Many Merry Messages, Winter Post; Ink: Baja Blue, Chocolate Chip; Paper: Chocolate Chip, Whisper White Cardstock, Ski Slope DSP; Accessories: Big Shot, Top Note Die, Join in the Cheer Decorative Strip Die, Build a Brad, 1/2" circle punch, Little Felt Flurries.

Stamps: A Christmas Cardinal; Ink: Black Stazon Ink, Not Quite Navy, Kiwi Kiss, Riding Hood Red Reinkers, Pumpkin Pie, Chocolate Chip Stampin' Write Markers; Paper: Not Quite Navy, Baja Blue Cardstock, Watercolor Paper; Accessories: Baja Blue Striped Grosgrain Ribbon, Little Felt Flurries, Ice Circle Rhinestones, Large Oval Punch, Aqua Painters, Stampin' Dimensionals.

Here's a bonus card that we made at Stamp Club.

Stamps: Holiday Collection; Paper: Whisper White, Bashful Blue, Night of Navy Cardstock; Ink: Night of Navy Classic Ink; Accessories: Ticket Corner Punch, Filigree Brads, Circle Ice Brads, Big Shot, Snowflake #2 Die, Sparkly Felt from Hobby Lobby.  The Big Shot cuts through FELT!!!!  Very exciting!

I just realized I haven't posted the holiday cards from October's stamp a stack.....boy you have missed out on a lot!  Coming soon...more holiday cards and the Gift Camp projects!

Let the Countdown Begin

This was supposed to be yesterday's post, but alas, I ran out of hours in the day! So really it should say 31 days. How fun is this?? I put this together very quickly on Saturday afternoon after unpacking some Stampin' Up! boxes that were delivered while I was away. This is the small Christmas Countdown Decor Elements found on page 4. This is obviously in red, but it is also available in Old Olive and Chocolate Chip. The board is a dry erase/bulletin board combo that I just happened to have lying around in my craft room...REALLY! I'm sure it was destined for some other equally awesome project, but it looked perfect for this one. For those of you with no hoarding issues I believe you can find this particular one at Hobby Lobby for under $10 or at your favorite craft or office supply store. I covered the bulletin board portion with retired Certainly Celery Prints Designer Series Paper. Since becoming a regular member of Designer Paper Hoarders Anonymous I have begun tapping into my stockpile of beautiful paper. Through this marvelous program I have learned that there will always be beautiful paper available...I can use what I have and I can order more and even if it is not exactly the same, it will be very lovely and I will be OKAY! Christmas Countdown comes with numbers 1 - 25 so you can begin your countdown on December 1st every year. Some brilliant demonstrator mounted her numbers on a magnet sheet and cut them out so she can countdown starting December 26th and go year round! Loved the versatility of that idea...hated the thought of cutting. Another demo punched her numbers out with the wide oval punch and EUREKA...that is right up my alley...you know how lazy I can be! So, I applied the numbers to the Certainly Celery DSP and punched them out with the wide oval punch and punched out a piece of the magnet paper (which already has adhesive on it - how convenient) and it was completed so easily!

I made a scalloped envelope using Real Red Prints DSP (also retired) and my Big Shot to hold all the extra numbers. I took some large felt flurries and put a Build a Brad through them and also punched out a 1/2" circle of magnet to attach to the back to add some fun decorations.

I'm sure these won't hold up anything but themselves, but that small piece of magnet is perfect! I hadn't really finished the board (and I may still add some decorations), but my kids already decided what the bottom was for:

Their wish lists!!! They promptly sat down to compile their list of most desired Christmas items just to add to the countdown board! Parker wants me to make another one to countdown to his birthday (December 22). I told him he'll just have to practice his math skills! I used Real Red 5/8" grosgrain ribbon to hang my board. You can apply the Christmas Countdown to a tile, to a wooden frame, or anything else you can find! Let the countdown begin!