MINI CUPCAKE BOX

This project makes me want to make some cupcakes so I can fill the box! Wouldn't this be a cute gift for someone special???? Toward the end, I was wishing that I had done a few things different because I wasn't pleased with how my colors came together but, now that I have a sample, I can do a better job next time. SU products used to create this box include: Big Shot, Go Go Boots alphabet dies, Decorative Accent die, "Crazy for Cupcakes" stamp set, Chocolate Chip, Bashful Blue, Kiwi Kiss, Pretty in Pink, Pink Pirouette, and Whisper White card stock, Chocolate Chip marker, Chocolate Chip and Bashful Blue 1/4" Grosgrain ribbon, 1-3/8" Circle Punch, and Banbury designer paper. Notice the faux stitching on the Decorative Accent die cut? That tiny detail really made a difference in the look of that embellishment.

JUST BUZZIN' BY (AGAIN)

This is a card that I made for a swap, and it was quick and easy! I stamped the bee and hive images onto watercolor paper and then used SU's Watercolor Pencils and a Blender Pen for the coloring. Inside the card, I stamped "have a honey of a day" and the honey pot image from the "Just Buzzin' By" stamp set.

JUST BUZZIN' BY WITH A VIEWMASTER CARD

I'm having such a fun day! I came in here to clean up (makes me giggle to write that) and, of course, I got side-tracked. I'm listening to my blog music--do you ever listen to my music? Do you enjoy it? I absolutely love the power of music and the way it can totally "take you back" to days, some of which don't seem nearly as long ago as they really were. There's something about the song, "Life in a Northern Town" that is so me! Another song that has been a favorite forever is "Lady." Anyway, I wanted to share my two-hour project with you . . . this ViewMaster card. I've made a ViewMaster before, but this one was a bit different because it uses the big Scallop Circle (Sizzix die), and there are other things that make this one different than what I've made, therefore it was more challenging. Notice a portion of the scallop circle on the right of the card? As you spin it around, the image in the small circle window changes.

MEET JAYJAY & THE COOLEST BIG SHOT PROJECT!

Is this the coolest Big Shot project or what????? OMG! I don't want anything to happen to JayJay, my little bird! This wasn't at all difficult to make (if it was, you wouldn't be seeing it), but there was a degree of intricacy involved in its creation. Being that I suffer from PDD (patience deficit disorder), believe me when I tell you this is a cool project that anyone can make! Would you believe it took less than 30 minutes--from start to finish, including card stock selection--to complete this project? I just used two Sizzix dies . . . Scallop Circles #2 and Bird w/Leaves & Flower. The Coluzzle was used to cut the holes from the center of the circles, and then a few dabs of glue here and there hold it all in place. The two circles are joined by small slits which interlock the joining circles. If you must know, this project wasn't born in my head. I saw a picture of a similar project earlier this week that someone else made, but my JayJay project really is much prettier than the one that inspired me. ;-) Really, it is!

POCKET SILHOUETTES - QUICK CARD

I needed a quick card this evening, and this was it! Oh, so quick and easy! This card was designed to fit a small (approx. 3.5" x 6.5") envelope, and I used a stamp set, ink pad, and scraps that were already on my desk. The bow was even tied already and laying on top of my ribbon scraps! The only thing that wasn't on the desk was a big enough piece of Pink Pirouette for the card itself. I love it when a project comes together this quick!

NEED ANY MAILBOXES?

Is it a bad thing to go in your stamp room and discover things that you forgot you had? I know I purchased these mailboxes over a YEAR ago with the intention of using them for Valentine's projects. Apparently, I forgot to use them and kind of remember telling myself that I'd use them for Christmas instead. Well, I missed that holiday, too. So . . . these mailboxes are up for grabs at $1 each (the price I paid). There are 4 red ones, and 13 white ones. There are some faint scratches on, I think, two of the red mailboxes, but that shouldn't be an issue if you plan to cover them with designer paper. On all of these mailboxes, the lids are attached. There are trace amounts of dust, but I'm not charging any extra for that. Besides covering the mailboxes with designer paper, you (or the kiddos) can use rub-ons or anything with adhesive. You could even cut shapes with your Big Shot to stick on them! FYI . . . use punches and die cuts to decorate the flag! Just let me know if you'd like any of these, and I won't keep re-discovering them!

CRAZY FOR RASPBERRY TART CUPCAKES

This card features SU's gorgeous "Raspberry Tart" designer paper, Regal Rose textured card stock, and a paper-pieced cupcake. I added a few spots of assorted Stickles to the cupcake but, before it dried, I managed to drop it on the floor. And you KNOW it landed face down! It was one of those moments where you gasp, of course, and maybe an ugly word gets uttered, and you wonder what's the best way to pick it up without doing more damage. After all, the places that should be right-side-up and drying are upside-down where you can't see them! Argh!!!! Smeared Stickles, smeared language . . . it all gets mailed anyway. The stacked layers behind the cupcake were cut with the Big Shot from Spellbinders' new "Labels Two" dies. I've had them for a little while and decided to take 'em for a spin. Have I mentioned that I love the Big Shot? That little machine will do it all! I'm offering another round of my "Big Shot Layaway Club" during February and March. It's a GREAT time to make the purchase because you can earn extra freebies from SU during Sale-a-Bration. Also, when you purchase the Big Shot starter kit from me, you get a FREE "Big Shot 101" class and a "quick tips" guide that tells you just about everything you need to know about using this machine!

"GAME NIGHT"

Last Monday, I went to a demonstrator meeting and made these two projects. The box, of course, holds a deck of cards. The score pad was created with two rectangle coasters, decorated with "Jackpot" designer paper and SU's brand new "Game Night" stamp set. It has a stack of blank pages inside and was wire-bound with a Bind-It-All machine. The "Go Go Boots Alphabet" dies were used with the Big Shot to cut the letters for "Score" from Basic Black and Real Red card stock. Wouldn't this make a great little treat for your card-playing pals? I think it would also be a fun "road trip" gift for the kids just before heading out on vacation--something to keep them busy in the car!

BIRTHDAY GIFT FOR LAURA

If you keep up with my blog, you often read about "my friend, Laura." My boys (husband and son) laugh at me because I always say, "My friend, Laura, . . ." as if I've never mentioned her before or they won't know who I'm talking about. Anyway, Laura has a birthday, so I put together this ensemble for her. It's hard to know what to send to a person who has everything, so I decided to use my favorite designs from the "Holiday Treasures" designer paper to cover a journal, the ink pen, and the band around the tin. Inside the tin are five plastic test tubes that she can use with projects--she can even use the tin! HAPPY BIRTHDAY, LAURA!!!!

VALENTINE "TEST TUBE" TREAT

For this project, I used the brand new "Love You Much" bundle, which includes the "Love You Much" stamp set, Heart to Heart punch, and "Candy Lane" designer paper. This bundle is 20% off through the end of January. I have some extra test tubes for sale for $.40, and the cork stopper is included. The tubes are 4" and have a round bottom. For my project, I filled the tube with M&Ms. Other Stampin' Up! products used to create this project include Close to Cocoa and Riding Hood Red card stock, Scallop Circle, 1-3/8" Circle, 1-1/4" Circle, and 3/4" Circle punches, and taffeta ribbon.

NECESSITIES BOX

This is a "box of boxes" that I made for a friend's birthday. I filled the interior boxes with an assortment of die cuts from foam, paper, chipboard, etc. By the time I finished putting the whole thing together, I was a bit lost for ideas of how to fill it. ;-) I don't know if I'll ever make another one, but it came together pretty well.

HANGING HEART "BASKET"

Repeat after me . . . "I must have the Petal Card die." When I ordered this die, I knew that I wanted to make heart "pockets" with it. I wasn't sure how else I would use it, though, but here it is . . . yet another clever, cute use! Two of the "petals" on each side have been folded and adhered to a strip of card stock, and that strip has become the basket! Best of all, this project took about 15 minutes to make--from the time I decided how I wanted to decorate it, which card stock and paper to use, etc.

"SOCK MONKEY" VALENTINE

There's a challenge on one of the demo groups for masculine Valentine cards, and I finally decided to accept the challenge today. I wanted to use a stamp set that no one else had used and, since the obvious choices had already been taken, it was up to me and Sock Monkey to get creative. While this design has some feminine touches, I think it's an okay masculine card. You can't tell from the picture, but I used a craft knife to cut slits above and below the monkey's "hand" and threaded the hemp twine through the slits. His heart "balloons" are adhered with Stampin' Dimensionals. The most fun part about this card is the easy peasy heart-shaped pocket! I used the Sizzix Petal Card die and just folded up two of the "petals" at the bottom to give this piece a heart shape and to form the pocket! How cool is that???? I used the Scallop Edge punch to create the Chocolate Chip swiss dot ric rac. In case you can't tell, the small white card in the heart pocket is folded in half so a greeting can be written on the inside.

TWO SYMPATHY CARDS

Yesterday, I had to make sympathy cards. For the first one, I used the retired "Botanical Garden" stamp set. The image is black embossed and colored with SU watercolor pencils. For the second card, I chose the soon-to-be-retired, "A Light Unto my Path" stamp set. This was the easiest card I've made in a very long time--it has NO layers, other than the Not Quite Navy strip of card stock along the folded edge. I love this lighthouse image and will hold onto this stamp set for a bit longer. It's very handy for masculine cards! This card is for Armond. He and Ella Gray were married for many, many years, but she passed away around Christmas. Ella Gray was one of "those" ladies . . . the kind who had the most cheerful, sweet look, always a smile, and contagious laughter--she kind of chuckled when she laughed. I can't remember a time when I never knew Ella Gray, and I used to think that she was a relative. Instead, she was just a really special person. I never saw much of Armond and probably couldn't pick him out of a crowd, but I know that he took very good care of Ella Gray in the end and that he misses her dearly. She was the light in his life.

MACARONI SHAKER CARD

My favorite day of the year is Christmas Day because my family gathers at my house. We don't do anything remarkable--we just kick back, snack, and enjoy the day. It's always so much fun . . . and funny. This year, as I was stirring cheese sauce for the macaroni, my mother said that I should be using a spatula instead of a fork. Huh? She always used a fork . . . until she secretly started using a spatula!! My husband heard the tail end of this conversation and chimed in that I would be better off to use a whisk. A whisk???? Now I know that I'm not an expert in anything kitchen-related, but did these two really know what they were talking about? Eenie, meenie, miney, moe . . . I chose the spatula. Boy, did that seem awkward, and I managed to slosh the sauce here and there onto the stove. My mother said that it was because I was stirring the way that I swing (a porch swing) and rock (a rocking chair) . . . too fast. LOL! A few days later, mother visited my great-aunt Betty, who lives in an Assisted Living facility, and she was saying that she got to go home and make dinner. During the conversation, mother told her about my macaroni, and Betty laughed and said that she always uses a big spoon to stir the sauce!!! So . . . the idea for this card was born. This is a shaker card with macaroni noodles (uncooked, needing no sauce) in what's supposed to look like a measuring cup. There's no stamping at all on this project. The cup was cut with the Cricut, and everything else was designed on the computer. Betty will get a kick out of this card! She's a really special person! You can read more about her in other posts on this blog. In the meantime, I'm going to try to learn more about cooking, but it will surely help if my mother won't change the rules. BTW, when Renee and I were little, my mother always had us break the cheese into small pieces so it would be ready to go in the pot. Guess what? I learned a few years ago that cheese doesn't have to be torn into small pieces--mother just assigned that task to keep us busy. All this time, I thought it was a requirement and it kept me busy for YEARS! I even used to have Chadrick tear the cheese! LOL!!!!!