"MAKE-IT-SNAPPY-MONDAY"

Short and sweet . . . that's what makes this card a perfect MISM project!  I was working with the Silhouette Cameo yesterday and decided to try the cut file for that pretty flower.  I'm thinking that, besides being pretty on this card, it would be gorgeous on a gift package, too.  Stampin' Up! products used to create this card include Whisper White and More Mustard card stock, lace tape, glimmer brad, and the sentiment is from the March My Paper Pumpkin kit.  Have a great Monday!!!

CUTE GIFT ENSEMBLE INSPIRED BY DOC MCSTUFFINS

Giving a birthday gift to a little one, or know of a little one who is feeling under the weather?  Doc McStuffin is here to help!  This new TV show is all the rage with kids, and who doesn’t love a little punch art?  Create these simple "Doc" inspired creations for your little cutie for party favors or as get well gifts!!  Niki designed this cute project, and her tutorial can be found at Craft Project Central.

FREESTYLE FRIDAYS . . . JUST. BE. HAPPY.

Happy Friday . . . that magical day of the week that sometimes seems like it will never get here.  Other times, I wonder what happened to Monday through Thursday.  This week has really gotten away from me, and I have felt so unproductive.  To be honest, I think I'm in the clutches of the funk monster.  It occurred to me late last night that it was my week to share a Freestyle Fridays project, and I panicked!  With Julie's blog post last week, she challenged me to create something yellow this week.  The Bashful Blue card stock layer, complete with the grass, tree, tire swing, and clouds, was lying on my desk (yet another something that I started but hadn't finished), so I added the three punched flowers and sentiment using Daffodil Delight card stock and then adhered the completed layer to a Daffodil Delight card.  I really like this card, and I think the tire swing and the sentiment (from Stampin' Up!'s "Pursuit of Happiness" stamp set) combine nicely to remind us to cherish the memories of simpler times in our lives and to not get too hurried and stressed--just. be. happy.  Thanks for stopping by, and have a wonderful weekend! 

COUPON KEEPER

This Coupon Keeper, with a stash of emergency cards, is a must for every woman’s car!  The Coupon Keeper has four pockets for coupons, a pad of paper with a pretty matching pen, and a large clip that holds everything together.  The keeper also has four beautiful cards with envelopes that are neatly tucked inside for those times that you need a card at the last minute.  Chris designed this handy project for Craft Project Central, and her tutorial was posted there yesterday.

 

QUILT CARD FOR ROSE

I'm sharing today another birthday card that I made for one of my grandmother's quilting friends.  Her name is Rose, so the charm seemed like a fitting addition.  Stampin' Up! products used to create this card include Whisper White, Lucky Limeade, and Rich Razzleberry card stock, "Floral District" designer paper, Lattice die, ribbon, Baker's twine, and Square Lattice embossing folder.  This card also features faux stitching (piercing, really), which is easier to see in the close-up photo below.

"MAKE-IT-SNAPPY-MONDAY"

A clean and simple expression of sympathy . . . that's what I created for this week's MISM project.  I began with a narrow strip of Whisper White card stock, which was sponged with Daffodil Delight, More Mustard, Pumpkin Pie, Certainly Celery, and Soft Suede ink to create the background.  The stamped images are from Stampin' Up!'s "Thoughts & Prayers" stamp set.  Other Stampin' Up! products used to create this card include 1" Circle and Modern Label punches, designer button, and Baker's twine.

FLORAL SCRAPBOOK WALL-HANGING

Do you have an extra special family picture that you’d like to display, but are getting tired of the plain-frame look?  Here’s a way to show off your family picture and your creativity!  This is a 10" x 10" scrapbook page inserted into a shadow box.  Putting a photo into a shadow box enables you to use a lot of dimension that would normally be too fat for a scrapbook album!  This project can easily be customized to the colors of the room you want to display it in. 

Christy Fulk designed this project, and her tutorial is available at Craft Project Central.  Aren't her flowers GORGEOUS?????  I personally love her pop of bright colors, which frame the black and white photo very nicely!  Great job, Christy! 

"FREESTYLE FRIDAYS"

It's Julie's turn to share a Freestyle Fridays project.  She needed a baby card for a co-worker and, since the mother-to-be doesn't know whether she's having a boy or a girl and because she doesn't like pink, Julie chose a non-traditional neutral color palette.  I really like it because it has an antique/vintage vibe, which is a favorite of mine.  To see the whole card and learn more about it, please join me in visiting Julie's blog.

"OH, WHALE!" GIFT PAIL FOR BABY

This adorable whale set makes the perfect wrapping for any baby shower! The neutral colors are perfect for a boy or a girl!  Add a special gift inside, and you are ready to go!  

Heidi King designed this adorable gift ensemble.  Not only would this make a pretty gift, it would also decorate the nursery!  Heidi's complete tutorial is available at Craft Project Central.

PORTABLE STORAGE FOR FRAMELITS & EMBOSSING FOLDERS . . . AND MY NEW "PIN-THIS-ON-IMAGE-HOVER" BUTTON

SHOUT OUT TO MY AWESOME SON, CHAD . . . I am SOOOOOO excited about the new Pin-This button that my son designed for me!  I think he is a Photoshop genius, and he makes it look so simple!  When I explained to him that I wanted an active pin it button to show up on blog photos when a mouse/cursor hovers over them, he sat down and got busy.  That part happened quickly, but then we started talking about the custom button that I'd like to have.  And he did it!!!!  And it's the coolest thing!!!!  All you have to do to see it is just hover your mouse pointer/cursor over a blog post photo.  I just hope no one steals the image--that would make me sad (and then mad).

And now . . . for a photo that's hover-worthy (yes, I made that up) . . . If you love attending crops and retreats or need a way to transport your embossing folders and Framelits to workshops, this is the project for you!  This portable storage folder takes up little room and will help you to be organized and take more supplies with you!  You’ll be able to store 12 embossing folders and 12 sets of Framelits in this one little folder!

How about that?  Two acts of genius to share in this one blog post . . . my son's awesomeness and now this project, which was created by the talented Kris McIntosh.  The tutorial for this project is available at Craft Project Central.  As usual, there are some wonderful tutorials this month!

"EPIC DAY" QUILT & SEWING THEMED CARD

You know how it happens.  You sit down to create a special card, not really sure of anything other than a starting point (hopefully), and the next thing you know you are falling in love with what you're making--simply WOW'd that you are the one who has created it.  That's exactly how things happened with this card.  My precious grandmother asked me to make two special birthday cards for quilting friends who have upcoming birthdays and, knowing how special her quilting friends are to her, I knew the cards had to be awesome.  Best of all, I didn't have to worry about bulk and dimension since the cards will be hand-delivered, and that is a card-maker's dream! 

If you're thinking that I seem conceited about this card, I promise that I am NOT that kind of person.  I think it's okay to like love something that you've made, and it's a rare occasion when you are surprised with each step of the process as you see it finally coming together.  Stampin' Up! products used to create this card include:  

Card Stock:  Very Vanilla, Basic Black, Crumb Cake, Pear Pizzazz, Baja Breeze

Designer Paper:  This and That Epic Day (I ♥♥♥ this paper!!!!)

Ink:  Can you believe there isn't a drop of ink on this card?

Stamp Sets:  There is no stamping on this card.  What?????

Sizzix:  Dress Up Framelits dies

Accessories:  Baker's twine, designer button, Vintage Faceted designer button, Stampin' Dimensionals, distress tool, pearl jewels, ribbon

HYBRID "MAKE-IT-SNAPPY-MONDAY" CARD & A WINNER!!!!

Big oops!!!!  With my Friday blog post, I was supposed to announce the winning name for the free one-month subscription to Craft Project Central, but I totally forgot to do that.  The winner is LAURA LIPE, whose comment was:  "Love your projects, Regina. The tissue box would be perfect sitting out all the time! Love the colors and patterns!"  Congratulations, Laura!  I will be in touch to get the required information to get your subscription underway.

 

For today's MISM project, I chose to use Stampin' Up!'s My Digital Studio software to design a quick card using the brand new "This and That Epic Day" digital images.  This is such a fun kit--one that is full of trendy images, and I love the colors and paper designs in this kit!  After printing the design onto Whisper White card stock, I trimmed it to size and added that cute button sporting a linen thread knot.  I used textured card stock that's similar in color to Pool Party, added a layer of Basic Gray card stock, topped that with a doily (remember the ones that I picked up at Red Robin?), and then adhered the printed design to finish the card.

Have a happy Monday, and I hope that you are breathing a sigh of relief that tax day is almost over!

HYBRID NOTE CARDS

I have a small set of hybrid note cards to share, and they were soooooo quick and easy to make!  What really makes me happy is that the file is saved, which means that I can whip up more of these cards whenever I want.  I can even tweak the design if I so desire.  Speaking of the design, this is a picture of the page that I designed using Stampin' Up!'s My Digital Studio (MDS) software:

My intention was to print the page onto Whisper White card stock, cut it into four card fronts, and color the images as desired.  I ended up not using the image on the top left, so I'll choose something different when I make more of these cards.  I used Bic markers to color the images, and added a piece of Stampin' Up!'s Natural Trim ribbon to each card.

Digital Designer Kits featured on these cards:

~  Chevron
~  Earth Laughs
~  Tea Time II
~  Enjoying Everything
~  Sunny Day

The background was created by using the following digital stamp brush sets:

~  Fundamental Phrases
~  Bunch of Backgrounds
         ~Well Worn
         ~ Sanded
         ~ Wonderfully Worn

Digital punches that I used include:

~  Perfect Pennants

~  Labels & Tags

I wasn't sure how the printed images would hold up to the marker coloring, but I think they turned out very well, and coloring was a lot of fun!  Stampin' Up! has (drastically) discounted the price on the MDS software so, if you don't already own it, what are you waiting for????  You can use THIS DIRECT LINK so you can start making some quick note cards, too!

OWL BOX & COORDINATING CARD

Do you have a friend(s) that loves owls or need a fun and funky gift set in a hurry? This Owl Box with six different card designs and matching envelopes is bright enough to cheer up anyone’s day!  Make it for yourself or as a fun gift.

This adorable project was designed by Amanda, and her tutorial is posted at Craft Project Central.

 

"FREESTYLE FRIDAYS"

Happy Friday!!!!  It's my turn to share a Freestyle Fridays project and, following Julie's mission from last week, I was to create something black and white without a flower(s).  Oh, she really knows how to make things difficult by not allowing flowers at this time of year, but I did what any clever stamper would do . . . I stared at my vast collection of stamp sets and purposely chose this one (Artistic Etchings) that didn't have any flowers so I wouldn't make an oops!  Choosing the stamp set must have been the hard part because everything else about this card just fell into place.  I randomly stamped images onto the front panels of the black gatefold card and heat-embossed them.  Of course, this subtle detail barely shows in the photo, but it adds just enough interest to the card.  I think black & white cards could become a favorite of mine.  Stampin' Up! products used to complete this card include:

Stamp Set:  Artistic Etchings

Ink:  Black, VersaMark

Punches:  1-3/8" and 1-1/4" Circle punches

Accessories:  Black and white twine

► Julie, thank you so much for the challenge!

"FAMILY" CANVAS & CARD

Treasured family memories will be beautifully displayed on this vintage-style canvas!  With space for three photos, this lovely piece is a beautiful gift for Mother’s Day or to keep and display in your own home.

I just love all of the pretty details on this ensemble!  Leena Girsa did a fabulous job designing this project, and her awesome tutorial is available at Craft Project Central.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DADDY!

Today is daddy's birthday, and this is the card that I made for him.  I tried and tried to think of what kind of card I wanted to make, and I finally decided that I just had too many choices and not enough time.  I used my Gypsy to design this shaped card, and all of the layers were cut with my Cricut Expression machine.  The image is from the "Art Deco" cartridge, which I (im)patiently waited to purchase for what I considered a decent price.  I've probably had the cartridge for two months (maybe three--or more), and this is the first time that I've used it.  Isn't it funny how you think you just have to have a certain something, and then you don't even use it for a while?  I really hope daddy's card shows up in his mailbox today, and I wish him a HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY (and many, many more)!

MISCELLANEOUS PROJECTS

As a member of the Creative Team for a Bulk Buy group, I recently had the opportunity to design a few projects featuring some of the current bulk buy items.  If you are interested in any of the fun products shown in the following photos, let me know!  The current bulk buy opportunity ends on Friday, April 12th.

Glassine bag featuring a tag created from Stampin' Up!'s "This & That Epic Day" designer paper collection.

Heart-shaped tart tin as a gift box topper.  Stampin' Up! products featured on this project include Champagne Glass glitter, flower trim, Twitterpated designer paper, and "Loving Thoughts" stamp set.

Wooden spoon featured on a muslin bag filled with soup packets.

Key fob

Wristlet key holder

"MAKE-IT-SNAPPY-MONDAY"

I needed to make a birthday card yesterday, and the finished card happened to be a perfect one for today's MISM project.  Since I was making the card for the owner of the Carolina Quilt Market (a consignment shop where I get to display cards for sale), it seemed fitting to make this quilt card with a pinwheel design.  I'm not a quilter and don't always see how quilt designs get their name, but you'd think that I would recognize a pinwheel when I see one.  Nope!  I didn't see it until I had just about finished this card.  Actually, once I placed the satin pleated ribbon across the center of the design, that's when I finally was able to see not one, but FOUR pinwheels!  Go ahead and laugh--I had to laugh at myself, too.  Stampin' Up! products used to create this card include Baja Breeze and Whisper White card stock, Fancy Fan embossing folder, Vintage Trinkets (button brad), 3/4" Square punch, Baja Breeze satin pleated ribbon, and This & That Epic Day designer paper.

WOOHOO!!! MY PROJECT TUTORIAL IS POSTED AT CRAFT PROJECT CENTRAL TODAY!!!

There are some things that every desk needs, and they definitely should look good!  This desk set includes a postage stamp dispenser, tissue box cover, and a frame that can be used for a photo, favorite quote, or a calendar!  Use your favorite designer series paper collection to create the items in this desk set!  These three items are so easy to make that you will probably look forward to making a set for each season!

I was really excited about this desk set because all three projects are so useful!  For the past year or so, I've been using one of those cute little postage stamp dispensers, and it was time for a new one.  With your $10 subscription to Craft Project Central, you'll have access to my tutorial and all of the others that are posted this month.  If you'd like to win a FREE one-month subscription, just leave a comment on this blog post.  I'll draw the winning name on Friday, April 12th.

"FREESTYLE FRIDAYS"

Happy Friday!!!  I'm really late posting Julie's Freestyle Fridays project today, but isn't it pretty?!?!  I made the mistake of seeing it on her blog before I started this post, but I would have recognized that flower from Stampin' Up!'s "Blooming with Kindness" stamp set because it's one of my favorite!  I'm glad to see that I'm not the only one who still uses the "French Script" background stamp and, like Julie, I also wonder why it was replaced with "En Francais".  Be sure to visit Julie's blog so you can see the whole card and to also enjoy the really cute photos of her furry son, Frankii.  He's so handsome playing in the snow!!!  I'm sure she would appreciate a little comment love, too.  ;-)  Have a great weekend!!!

SHADOWBOX & CARD

This pretty shadowbox made of card stock boxes is a fun way to make customized home decor and is also fun to make as a special gift for someone who loves crafting and can appreciate the thought and time that went into making this beauty!  It’s also a great way of showcasing some pretty crafting products! 

This gorgeous project was designed by Monika Davis, and her tutorial can be found at Craft Project Central.

THIS & THAT "EPIC DAY" JOURNAL

Stampin' Up! has shared a new product line--This & That--which will be in their next catalog and is offering the opportunity to purchase some of the coordinating products.  My Epic Day journal, designer paper, washi tape, date stamp, and designer stickers arrived this week, and I decorated the journal last night.  This is definitely going to be a fun product line, and I am especially in love with the idea of quick and quirky scrapping important moments and stuff.  My obsession with stamping and paper crafts was actually born about ten years ago from a desire to begin a scrapbooking hobby; however, I soon discovered that I didn't enjoy the planning process or the fact that my photos (lots of them) were temporarily out of photo albums and . . . well . . . scattered.  That marked the end of my organized photo albums, and it still displeases me to know that I never went back and organized the photos in an orderly fashion.  I can sit down and spend a lot of time figuring out how to make a box or a labor-intensive project but, for some reason, scrapbooking doesn't come that easily for me.  With the Epic Day journal, I love that there are no rules, boundaries, right or wrong ways to do things and, especially, I am excited that it's okay to just slap a piece of memorabilia on a page with a piece of washi tape or haphazardly jot down the favorite lyrics to a song on whatever page I happen to open. It's okay (preferred, actually) to do it quick, and quirky is going to be stylish!  I'll have to pace myself for quality even though I am so anxious to study this journal once it's full. 

The first order of business was to decorate the cover.  I even practiced the quick and quirky style and didn't spend much time over-thinking the details of what to do or what to use.  I began by randomly spritzing a few colors on the cover, and then I added some of the new designer paper, stickers, and washi tape.  I outlined some of the hexagons and then used a sponge dauber and Soft Suede ink to dirty it up.  I have a feeling that it's going to eventually show signs of wear and tear, and that's all good.  I'm impressed with the This & That products that I purchased.  The journal's coil binding provides plenty of growing room, the covers (front and back) are thick and durable, and the pages are so pretty!  There are two pockets in the journal, and it comes with two decorative envelopes that can be used to hold special items or "for your eyes only" items.

You can learn more about (and order) the This & That product line HERE.
ENJJOY FREE SHIPPING ON ANY STAMPIN' UP! ORDER APRIL 6-8.  FOR ONLINE ORDERS DURING THE MONTH OF APRIL, PLEASE ENTER THIS HOSTESS CODE:  2SKHVCDE

"HAPPY TRAILS" AND "BUNNY TAILS"

On Sunday, the family got together at my house to celebrate Easter, my daddy's birthday, and my husband's MBA.  I wanted to add to the festivities by having some party favors, so I created the "Happy Trails" trail mix holders in honor of daddy's birthday and the bunny tags on the dish towels for Easter. 

Is that a cute boot or what?  I loved the spur because it reminded me of the time when my young son just had to have some spurs for his boots.  I ended up having to use a marker to draw the stitching and detail on the boots because it didn't show up well when I cut them (using my Silhouette Cameo) from textured card stock.  I used the Cricut Expression to cut the treat holders and the "Happy Trails" labels, and the bunny tags were created with the following Stampin' Up! products:  Very Vanilla and Chocolate Chip card stock, 1-1/4" Circle punch, 1-3/4" Circle punch, Top Note die, Fancy Fan embossing folder, Blossom Petals Builder punch, and Very Vanilla Flower Trim.

For daddy's birthday, I made this (quite shabby) table saw gift card holder.  Normally, I wouldn't post a photo of such a shoddily-constructed project on my blog, but I spent a couple of HOURS on this one and, by golly, it may not look like much, but it works like it should.  I got the tutorial from craftprojectcentral.com and, even though I've been working with tutorials for at least ten years, this one was intense.  It was well-written and easy enough to follow, but there were a lot of parts and steps, several of which I had to re-read a few times.  By the time I had finished, I was very proud that it worked--you slide the "piece of wood" through the saw blade and, in the process, the gift card comes sliding out at the back and just under the table top.  I had to apologize to daddy for a few construction issues, but I plan to make another table saw this week so that he will have one worthy to display.

Overlooking its faults, it's quite a cool gift!

"MAKE-IT-SNAPPY-MONDAY"

Today's MISM project totally took me by surprise.  About 30 minutes ago, I realized that I didn't have a project to post and no ideas.  I looked at my massive collection of stamps and decided to just choose one.  "Moving Forward" which is Stampin' Up!'s current Ronald McDonald House Charities stamp set.  Although it took a few minutes for the muse to kick in, this card wouldn't take hardly any time to re-create.  Stampin' Up! products used to create it include Whisper White, Calypso Coral, and Lucky Limeade card stock, Pinwheel die, glimmer brad, rhinestone jewel, Itty Bitty Shapes Punch Pack, Finishing Touches Edgelits die, and Sycamore Street designer paper.  I used washi tape to create the ruffle along the bottom of the designer paper which, upon adhering it to the card, I noticed had been cut crooked.  Ha!  Gotta love how easy it is (sometimes) to add a little embellishment to hide an imperfection.

SCALLOP SQUARE SPOTLIGHT ON CRAFT PROJECT CENTRAL

The popular Scallop Square Bigz die has been out for a while, but there are so many new, cool, and fresh things you can create with it!  This project will show you how easy the Scallop Square makes it to create a Lidded Window Sheet Box, an Open-Top Handle Tote, a Slide-Out Pocket Card and a 4-Way Treat Holder!  Any of these would make a great favor and invitation for all of your parties!

If you own the Scallop Square die, you will definitely acquire a new love for it after following Julie Beltramo's tutorial, which is available at Craft Project Central.