FROSTY'S GOT HEART

Now that my parents and grandmother have received their cards, I can post this one.  After Christmas, I needed to make the two cards, and I wanted a snowman since it snowed on Christmas Day when my family traveled to my house.  The snow almost ruined things that day . . . at first, my mother called to say that they couldn't come, and then my sister wasn't sure if she'd venture out.  I was so disappointed, but I knew that my niece and her little family were coming.  And then my mother called to say that they were on their way, and everyone else showed up so it all worked out!  Patty Mickle shared the perfect card on one of the demo groups, and I pretty much followed her lead when I made my cards . . . my only additions were the snowman's heart and the sentiment stuck in the "snow".  Since we had a lot of food on Christmas Day, this 3D snowman with a rather large body was quite appropriate!  Best of all, this was a very quick and easy card to make!  Stampin' Up! products used to create this card include:  Certainly Celery, Basic Black, Whisper White, Real Red, Pumpkin Pie, and Early Espresso card stock, rhinestone jewel, Dazzling Diamonds glitter, white gel pen, "Thanks Snow Much" (retired) stamp set, "Snow Swirled" stamp set, and the following punches . . . 1-1/4" square, Word Window, Boho Blossoms, Heart to Heart, 1-3/8" Circle, 1-3/4" Circle, and Snowflake.

VINTAGE "CLEARLY FOR YOU" CARD

This card was inspired by the Valentine card in the back of the Holiday mini catalog, although my focus shifted a little.  To create this card, I used Stampin' Up!'s brand new "Clearly for You" stamp set, "Springtime Vintage" designer paper, and Baja Breeze glass glitter.  I {heart} glass glitter!!!!  I also used a rhinestone brad, vellum card stock, crochet trim, and the following punches:  Scallop Oval, Large Oval, Scallop Edge Border, and the tiny oval punch from the Holiday mini.  This is a great little stamp set, so go ahead and add it to your wish list.  And don't forget the fun glitter and designer paper!

"CLEARLY FOR YOU" CANDY WRAPPER

Is this a cute box or what?  When I first saw the "Candy Wrapper" Bigz L die in Stampin' Up!'s Holiday mini, I thought I could do without it.  That was until my friend, Laura, sent me a cute box that she had made, and I am now in love with this box!  It's a great little size and is so easy to jazz up.  To decorate my box, I used the following Stampin' Up! products:  Rose Red and Very Vanilla card stock, Vanilla taffeta ribbon, glimmer brad, "Springtime Vintage" designer paper, Flower Fusion Sizzlits die, small oval punch, linen thread, and the brand new "Clearly for You" stamp set.

GLITTERY VALENTINE

It's not that I'm ready to fast-forward to February, but I did want to design something with Stampin' Up!'s chunky glitter--I love this stuff!  It goes on easy, and the left-overs pour easily back into the container.  Other Stampin' Up! products used to create this card include:  Rose Red seam binding (brand new product in the upcoming Occasions mini), "Love You Much" stamp set, Heart to Heart punch, Itty Bitty Shapes (heart) punch, Scallop Trim Corner punch, Rose Red, Pink Pirouette, and Whisper White card stock, Crystal Effects, and Stampin' Dimensionals.  I used a two-step process with the glitter . . . I first applied the green glitter to the leaf, and then applied the pink glitter to the letters.

ADDICTED TO WHAT????

My name is Regina, and I'm addicted to lip moisturizer.  Seriously.  I keep it in the stamp room, the kitchen, the bathroom, occasionally in the hallway and, of course, in my purse.  If I change purses and, God forbid, forget lip moisturizer (preferably, Blistex Lip Medex), I can hardly function and become immediately convinced that my lips are chapped.  I can put it on as I leave the bathroom and, when I walk by the kitchen, I'll put it on again.  Sometimes I will start to put it on without realizing, until I touch my lips, that I just put some on!  Not only am I addicted to lip moisturizer, the act of applying it has become a habit!  For the past several months, I've had a difficult time finding my favorite brand.  My son realized that I was seriously protective of what little Lip Medex I had when he asked to use it, and I held my purse open until it was returned.  So . . . he found a store that sells this highly coveted product and purchased all of this for me for Christmas (excluded from the picture is the one that I put in the kitchen).  I laughed so hard when I opened this gift!!!  Under the tree, they looked like sticks of dynamite the way he had "stack-wrapped" them (and with duct tape), and I couldn't imagine what it could be or where he'd tucked the fuse.  This is the best Christmas gift, and I might just be able to share for a little while.   For now, I must place these little gems in a secretive, secure place.

"WELCOME CHRISTMAS"

I had three different designs for my holiday cards this year, and this was probably my favorite of the three.  It was easy to make, and I think the "window" design really compliments that particular image from Stampin' Up!'s "Welcome Christmas" stamp set.  To create the window, I used a magnetic Sizzix die which was made to use with a Movers & Shapers XL die.  All I had to do was cut my 8.5" x 11" card stock in half, place it on the die, run it through the Big Shot, and the die scored the card and cut the window!

"DECK THE HALLS" FRAMED ART

One of my favorite projects during this holiday season has been the framed art pictured here.  One of my favorite projects (and a favorite for my customers, as well) was an 8-1/2" x 11" framed art that we did some time ago using "Parisian Breeze" designer paper, and several of us were interested in a collage using Stampin' Up!'s "Deck the Halls" designer paper.  Designing this one was a lot of fun, but what I liked best was the larger size, which made it easier to incorporate some fun embellishments that would be easy to see.  Merry Christmas!!!

VALENTINE OWLS

This cute treat holder is one of the projects I designed for my January Inkerbelles' class.  It will hold a mini candy bar, and the following Stampin' Up! projects were used to create it:  Very Vanilla, Riding Hood Red, and Basic Black card stock, Two-Step Owl punch, Two-Step Bird punch, Word Window, Heart to Heart, and Modern Label punches, rhinestone jewel, "Grateful Greetings" and "Teeny Tiny Wishes" stamp sets, and "Love Letter" designer paper.

ORNAMENT CARD

My husband called from work today to say that he needed a Christmas card for a co-worker.  Since I had already signed, sealed, and mailed all of the holiday cards that I had made, I had the pressure pleasure of "having" to play with stamps and stuff.  I can't take full credit for the idea of the ornaments--I saw a card recently that was made by another demonstrator, and I loved the easy peasy circle-punched ornaments.  For my card, I used the following Stampin' Up! products:  Chocolate Chip, Old Olive, Pink Pirouette, and Whisper White card stock, 1-3/8" circle punch, Brushed Silver card stock, Scallop Oval and Wide Oval punches, clear rhinestone, "Priceless" and "All Holidays" stamp sets, Square Lattice embossing folder, white taffeta ribbon, and Eyelet Border punch.  Of course, I have plenty of holiday cards on my card trees (for display), but I totally enjoyed the opportunity to finally make this ornament card.  This card was so quick to make and would have been a perfect choice for my assembly-line card production. 

GLITTERED GREEN AND MERRY



Woohoo!  One of my Cricut projects is featured . . . and pictured . . . in this week's newsletter!  Just wanted to share because I always get excited when I make the news!



ANOTHER "OCCASIONS" MINI SNEAK PEEK

It seemed like such a waste to toss the leftovers from the earlier card that I made, so I used some of them to make this card.  Of course, two of Stampin' Up!'s new builder wheels ("Pleasing Polka Dots" and "Delight in Gladness") are featured on this card, as well as the swirly image from the "Elements of Style" stamp set.  Other Stampin' Up! products used to create this card include Whisper White, Crumb Cake, and Rich Razzleberry card stock, glimmer brad, white taffeta ribbon, Designer Label punch, Scallop Trim border punch, and pearl rhinestone.

"OCCASIONS" MINI SNEAK PEEK

A Stampin' Up! order came today--FUN!!!!--and in it were a couple of new products from the upcoming Occasions mini catalog, so I took them for a spin . . . literally.  New products featured on this card are the Pleasing Polka Dots and Delight in Gladness builder wheels.  I also got a triple cell uninked cartridge, which I inked with Early Espresso, Old Olive, and Rich Razzleberry ink.  I placed the two new builder wheels and the Striped builder wheel (from the current catalog) in the jumbo handle with my newly-inked cartridge and wheeled the images onto Whisper White and Crumb Cake card stock.  I then cut the images apart so that I could use both colors of card stock on this card.  You'll notice that I cut the word "LOVE" from one of the wheeled images, layered it onto Old Olive and Rich Razzleberry card stock, and added a Bitty Button, which was backed with a piece of Rich Razzleberry card stock that I punched with one of the Itty Bitty Shapes punches that matched the shape of the button.  Before adhering the button, I threaded Linen Thread through it and tied a cute little bow.  Other Stampin' Up! products used to create this card include the Eyelet Border punch, white taffeta ribbon, and a striped piece of paper from the Level 1 (hostess) In Color Patterns Pack.  Now is a perfect time to add some builder wheels to your wish list!  I especially like the Delight in Gladness wheel because of the assorted word art.  BTW, if you like the Bitty Buttons, you can get a FREE pack of them when you purchase the "Filled with Love" bundle.  For more information about this promotion, visit my web site. 

"DECK THE HALLS" RECIPE PAGE

In one of the demo groups, the subject of a cookie swap was recently discussed but, for obvious reasons, it wasn't practical to send cookies.  Instead, it was decided to swap recipes, and all of the 8x8 pages were to be designed with Stampin' Up!'s "My Digital Studio" (MDS) program.  Now, I truly dislike cooking, but I love recipe swaps, and I love MDS!!!  Pictured is the page that I designed for the swap using (all digital images found on MDS) "Deck the Halls" designer paper, Cherry Cobbler seam binding, antique and colored brads, and an image from the "Bells & Boughs" stamp brush set.  The recipe book was completed last week, and there are over 100 pages in the book, lots of great recipes, and some awesome MDS design ideas. 

JULIE'S BEEN PLAYNG WITH "MY DIGITAL STUDIO"

Today is the last "Feminine Fridays" post for this year, and Julie has a "My Digital Studio" card to share with you--it's her first MDS project!  Be sure to visit Julie's blog to see the whole card.  Julie and I will resume the Friday fun in January!

HOLIDAY GABLE BOX

I have had the hardest time this year trying to find boxes for the gifts I need to wrap, and it's been quite frustrating!  I vaguely recall tossing boxes into the trash last year, thinking that I was doing myself a favor by not having to find a place to store them.  Believe it or not, I was looking at some gift bags at a store last night, and they were priced at $5 to $8.  WTH????  For a bag????  I've about decided that the best solution is to give gift cards.  Some people don't like gift cards because they assume the giver didn't put enough thought into the gift, but I beg to differ.  Good Lord, who could not love a gift card--a gift that doesn't take a lot of space in your purse, certainly isn't too heavy to carry, and you can use it whenever you'd like--for whatever you'd like.  My only problem with gift cards is that I sometimes forget that I have them.  So . . . while looking for a little box this evening, I remembered that I had this really cute Sizzix "Carry All Box" die.  I LOVE this die . . . the box is really easy to assemble, and it's a very generous size!  Inside the box, I have three envelopes, cut with Stampin' Up!'s Scallop Envelope die.  Other Stampin' Up! products used on this box are Riding Hood Red textured card stock, 1-1/4" striped Riding Hood Red ribbon, rope and hemp twine, and tag and circle punches.  How do you like the fringed ribbon around the box?  To create it, I took a strip of the 1-1/4" striped ribbon, folded and adhered it to itself, leaving a small edge which I used a piercing tool to fringe--the tool just pulled the strings out easily. 



A TALE OF TWO TREES

 Today I have two trees to share with you . . . one is a "wild hair" idea that I got while frowning upon the many boxes of holiday decorations that were taking up valuable space.  I decided to do nothing about them; instead, I pulled this little tree from one of them and used the Cricut "From My Kitchen" cartridge to cut some decorations for it.  It turned out to be a whimsical, yet festive, decoration for my kitchen/dining area.  The second tree that I'm sharing was created with Stampin' Up!'s "Candy Cane Christmas" designer paper.  It's a very simple card--square, of course--and one that's easy to duplicate.  Card stock colors are Baja Breeze, Whisper White, Early Espresso, and Real Red.  I used the "Grateful Greetings" stamp set for the sentiment, the Eyelet Border punch, silver Glass Glitter, and a rhinestone jewel.  Easy peasy!

HOLIDAY WREATH

Several days ago, I posted a holiday wreath card HERE.  This is the card that inspired that "downsized" version.  I had high hopes for making multiples of this card because I loved the simple, yet appealing design but, after punching enough branches to make one wreath, I changed my mind!  I think I wore out the punch because it got tougher and tougher the more I used it.  If I am to make multiples of this card, I will have to begin soon to punch a few branches every so often so I will end up with a bunch by next year's card-making frenzy.  Stampin' Up! products used to create this card include Always Artichoke, Soft Suede, Real Red, and Very Vanilla card stock, crochet trim, "Merry Details" Sizzix die, Jewelry Tag punch, and "Tiny Tags" stamp set. 

HOLIDAY WINTER SCENE

Isn't it funny how you have a plan to make four or five special cards but then, after you get started, you realize that you'll be lucky to complete just one?  Ha!  That's exactly what transpired with the idea and intention of this card.  It definitely turned into one of those 12-hour projects but now that it's all done, the copy cats won't take nearly that long.  To create this card, I used the "Christmas Noel" Cricut cartridge, and doesn't it have gorgeous scenery images?  Stampin' Up! products used on this stair card include silver cord, rhinestone jewels, Dazzling Diamonds glitter, sentiment from "Grateful Greetings," and  Stampin' Dimensionals.  I had planned to get my holiday cards in the mail today, but I still have a few more to make and must decide if I'll make more of this design.  I wish I had a "pause" button on the holiday countdown so I could get caught up! 

ST. VALENTINE INTERRUPTS ST. NICK

I recently got Stampin' Up!'s "Love Letter" designer paper and was anxious to take it for a spin, so I had to interrupt the Christmas card assembly line to make room for a little Valentine dilly.  This is a fun tri-stair card, and I have been wanting to make one of these for the longest time!  I have a couple of Cricut cut files for cards like this, but I've never taken the time to figure out how to score and fold them.  To make this card, I used my trusty Fiskars paper trimmer and a score tool.  Stampin' Up! products used to create this card include:  "Love You Much," "Teeny Tiny Wishes," and "Grateful Greetings" stamp sets, Tag punches, assorted heart punches, 2-3/8" Scallop Circle, 2-1/2" Scallop Circle, 1-3/4" Circle, Modern Label, and Word Window punches, Sizzix "Billboard" alphabet die, distressing tool, Vintage Trinkets and, of course, the "Love Letter" designer paper.  Remember . . .  if you click on any of the pictures, a larger one will open.

MY "FEMININE FRIDAYS" QUICKIE

Boy, did I goof this week!  A little while ago, I looked at the clock and made a mental note that it would soon be midnight.  And then it hit me . . . ACK!!! . . . I'm supposed to post a project for "Feminine Fridays"!  It's not as though I haven't known for a week, but I've been busy with too many irons in the fire lately.  Last week, Julie presented a mission for me to use designer paper to cover something, and I literally (except for the tissues) used items that were laying on my desk to create the Travel Tissue Cover pictured here.  I have been working on my Christmas cards and had just finished using my Cricut Expression and the "Winter Woodland" cartridge to cut the reindeer (17 of them!!!!).  Also for my cards, I had stamped and punched the oval sentiment from Stampin' Up!'s retired hostess set, "Christmas Punch."  I added Crystal Effects around the punched oval and sprinkled it with Champagne Glass glitter.  Doesn't it look great?  The designer paper is from Stampin' Up!'s "Deck the Halls" collection, and that gorgeous red ribbon is also from Stampin' Up!  A few days ago, I was experimenting with a "Bow Easy" that I had cut from chipboard with the Cricut, so the pretty little bow was just resting on the keyboard, waiting for me to need it.  I've never thought that I worked very well under pressure, but I will be the first to pat myself on the back for getting my act together in a moment of panic.  I will now set this post to publish on my blog on Friday, December 10th, at 12:05 a.m.  I'll bet the Crystal Effects on my oval sentiment won't even be dry by then!  Happy Friday to you!!!

GLITTERY MITTENS

Sharing two quick cards and, yes, they're square!  Stampin' Up! products used to create these cards include:  "Candy Cane Christmas" and "Deck the Halls" designer paper, Baja Breeze and Crumb Cake  card stock, felt flurries, rhinestone jewels, Real Red 1/4" grosgrain ribbon, and Scallop Edge Border punch.  I used the Big Shot to cut the Spellbinders' mitten die from glittery felt, and it's way more glittery in person than it appears in the photo.

HOLIDAY FRONT DOOR

Today I made five of these superdeeduper quick cards, and the simple design is quite nice when you need a small stack of them.  The hardest part is getting the four "panels" lined up, and I don't think any of mine were perfect.  The stamped sentiment is from Stampin' Up!'s "Home for Christmas" set.  I used a combo die and embossing folder from Cuttlebug to create the wreath, to which I added dots of Stickles.  Other Stampin' Up! products used to create this card include Very Vanilla and Always Artichoke card stock and Always Artichoke, Early Espresso, and Crumb Cake ink. 

JULIE'S "FEMININE FRIDAYS" PROJECTS

It's time for "Feminine Fridays," and my good friend, Julie Beaulieu, has some projects (yes, more than one) posted on her blog today.  I apologize for the not-so-great sneak peek photo.  I LOVE the paper that Julie used for her project, and I think I might still have some in my stash.  I am reminded that I need to use my papers--new and retired, and her project is also a great holiday gift idea!  There wasn't time this week for Frankii to help Julie video-record my "mission" for next week, but I do have a mission.  Woohoo!!!

EASY TRIFOLD

I hope you're not getting tired of seeing cards created with Stampin' Up!'s "My Digital Studio" software.  I'll admit that I've been kind of stuck on MDS lately.  I actually came in here to close the program and, somehow, got sidetracked and interested in trying one of the designer trifold card templates.  This is the "Play Date" design, and I thought it looked really good, so I only added a couple of things . . . the double row of stitching at the top, (digital) punched hearts, ribbon, button, and the inside greeting.  Having never designed one of the MDS trifold cards before, I wasn't sure how the printing would do, but it turned out great!  This is definitely a designer template that I'll go to again and again when I need a quick "pick-me-up" kind of card!

DIGITAL "WINTER POST" CREATION

Pictured here is a card that I designed recently with Stampin' Up!'s "My Digital Studio" software.  Being a 100% digital design, this card features the following Stampin' Up! images:  "Winter Post" and "Baroque Motifs" stamp brush sets, Snowflake, Curly Label, and Scallop Edge Border punches, antique brad, crochet trim, red brads, and Crumb Cake, Early Espresso, Very Vanilla, and Cherry Cobbler colors.  I am very pleased with this design and how quickly/easily it was to complete.