FAMILY COOKBOOK & CARD

Recipes are something special that get passed down through generations.  Keep all of those special and secret family recipes in this lovely cookbook, complete with category dividers.  Why not make an extra to give all of those handwritten recipes?  This project includes a coordinating card!

This ensemble, designed by Amanda, is the BONUS project at Craft Project Central.  Qualifying for the bonus tutorial is easy . . . just subscribe to two or more months in a row, put the Craft Project Central badge on your blog, or refer a friend to the site.  When your friend subscribes, just let us know!

ELEGANT CLUTCH PURSE FOR "MAKE-IT-SNAPPY-MONDAY"

Hard to believe that this elegant clutch purse is made from paper, huh?  I wanted to make something the other night, but I wasn't sure what I wanted to get into.  This little purse was the chosen project.  It was supposed to have handles but, after using velvety and glittery paper, I thought it might be best if I left it as a clutch.  From a distance, it looks like something not made from paper.  I'll show you the inside, but don't judge too harshly because I didn't spend a lot of time to make it worthy of being seen.

Just look at all of that space!  This purse is a very impressive size that could be costly to fill as a gift because it would hold a LOT of small items.  I should stay away from earrings and choose a hand towel (or two) instead.  ;-)

YAY, YOU!

I don't like to openly express how pleased I am with something that I've made, but . . . I was very pleased with this card because the design literally fell into place--straight from my head.  Two dreams--in less than two weeks--came true for my sister recently. 

#1 - She got a car (Volkswagen Beetle) that she's liked since the first Herbie movie

#2 - Her teaching license finally arrived, along with a job offer for the coming school year.

And so the idea for this card was born.  What could be a more appropriate way to congratulate her than a Beetle loaded down with teacher/classroom items, all the way down to a pencil tied to the hood and a "hearts" banner draped across the luggage rack?  The most important thing that she has always taken into a classroom--and will continue to take with her--is a heart filled with love for the children fortunate enough to land in her classroom.  She is not new to teaching but, in an effort to better herself and provide (hopefully) a higher level of job security, she spent two grueling years dedicated to earning her teaching degree.  It was quite a monumental feat while working full-time and sharing her time with children, grandchildren, and day-to-day responsibilities and obligations, but I guess it's safe to say that she is finally becoming what she always wanted to be.  I'm happy for and very proud of her, and all I have to say to the students who end up in her classroom . . . "lucky you"!!!

A STRAWBERRY BASKET FOR MAMAW

How cute is this little strawberry basket?  I recently purchased some Silhouette cut files from svgcuts.com, and this basket was one of the included box cards and the first one that I wanted to make.

I used retired Stampin' Up! designer paper on the flaps and decorated each simply with a button and twine (retired from Stampin' Up!).  An extra piece of card stock was cut for each of the bottom panels, and I embossed them with a basket weave texture using a Lifestyle Crafts embossing folder.  A dotted embossing folder was used on each of the strawberries, which were lightly sponged with Soft Suede ink.  A rhinestone jewel was placed in the center of each of the blossoms, and I used the medium Daffodil Delight Stampin' Blendabilities marker to color the jewels.

I love that box cards fold flat for mailing, but I hand-delivered this one yesterday since it had some extra bulk from the buttons, jewels, and twine.  The berry special hello sentiment was created on the computer, and the you make me smile sentiment is from Stampin' Up!'s A Round Array stamp set.

NAUTICAL PARTY ENSEMBLE

With summer here and the beach in mind, use this ensemble for your next party.  Whether it's a summer birthday, a pool party, or a BBQ, this tutorial is perfect for helping you decorate!

This festive project was designed by Heidi King, and her tutorial can be found at Craft Project Central.

PURSE-SHAPED GIFT CARD HOLDER

My mother celebrated her birthday on Monday with her friends in the quilt club.  They do things a little different in that the person with the birthday brings the cake, party favors, etc.  She had planned to give gift cards to her friends and asked a few weeks ago if I could make a holder for them.  I had a cut file for the Silhouette to make this cute little purse, and it seemed perfect.  I tried to choose designer paper that looked "quilt-y" and thought a button in the center of the flower was a nice touch.  Sometimes when I'm asked for a certain kind of project, I have a really hard time coming up with something.  It was a piece of cake to make eight of these little purses, and the quilt ladies loved them.

WATERCOLOR STAMPING

Learn how to use ink and stamps four different ways to create a wonderful water colored look with four different card designs.  Gift this set with a box that features a lid with a clear window so you can show off your water colored card creations.

This colorful project was designed by Amanda, and you can find her tutorial at Craft Project Central.

"MAKE-IT-SNAPPY-MONDAY"

For today's MISM project, I created a design (photo above) in My Digital Studio using the following digital content:  1-1/4" Square punch (shaped into a rectangle), Blossom punch, Butterfly Shape 1 punch, and a text box using Xiomara font from my computer.  I love that font for digital designs that I cut with the Silhouette Cameo or Brother Scan n Cut because the letters are connected and decently spaced apart.  What I wanted from my digital design was to create a card layer that I could scan into the Scan n Cut machine (hence the dark gray background) with a cursive "hello" sentiment, and a flower attached to the "h" so that it would--when cut--be connected to the sentiment.  At the last minute, I decided to add that pretty butterfly in the top right corner.  So I printed the digital design, scanned it into the machine, and this is the card layer that it cut:

After lifting the cut elements from the paper, I adhered it to a Whisper White card front and then adhered the "chads" that were cut from each of the loops (h, e, l's, and o) and added a few glimmer paper accents.  This card layer would actually be considered the "negative", and following is what I did with the "positive" cuts:

Even though I started out with the intention of making the previous card the focus of today's project, I had more fun creating the above card with the cut butterfly and floral hello elements.  Stampin' Up! products featured on this card include Pistachio Pudding and Wisteria Wonder card stock, Glimmer paper, white gel pen, Chevron embossing folder, Itty Bitty Shapes Punch Pack, and retired 1/4" grosgrain ribbon.

SCRAPBOOK PAGE CLOCK GIFT SET

It's always time for scrapbooking with this personalized clock!  Use pictures from any occasion for a one-of-a-kind gift.  This ensemble includes a coordinating card to complete the set.

How cool is this project?!?!  It was designed by the talented Yapha Mason, and you can find her easy-to-follow tutorial at Craft Project Central.

"PICTOGRAM PUNCHES" & PAPER PUMPKIN FOR CHAD'S BIRTHDAY CARD

Today is my son's 23rd birthday and when I sat down to make his card, I used a few things that were already on the desk . . . Stampin' Up!'s Pictogram Punches stamp set and the June My Paper Pumpkin kit.  Is it sad that I often do that when I need a card--use what's already on my desk?  Earlier last evening, I opened the kit, made a pinwheel, and quite liked it.  The papers in the kit are pretty and obviously designed to celebrate the 4th of July, but they're manly, too.  Since I didn't have to mail Chad's card, it didn't matter that I used a bulky pinwheel on it.  The Whisper White stamped strip features the celebrate sentiment from the kit, and the star images are from Pictogram Punches, as is the "You're a star" sentiment.  I used the star punch from Itty Bitty Accents Punch Pack to cut one of the stamped star images to place on the sentiment tag and then wrapped Baker's twine around the left end and tied it in a bow.  Obviously, this is an oversized card--5" x 5-1/2".  Other Stampin' Up! products used to complete this card include Real Red card stock, and my ink colors are Real Red, Night of Navy, and Smoky Slate.

ELEGANT BIRTHDAY SET

Looking for a special and unique way to dress up a birthday gift?  Make these elegant pieces and present your gift in a classy way.  These fun medallions make the perfect embellishments!

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

HEXAGON BOX TUTORIAL

The featured tutorial on SCS today is my Hexagon Box, and you can check it out HERE.  Dina Kowal has a cute bloopers video on her blog HERE with a few "issues" she faced while making the tutorial video.  Some other hexagon boxes that I uploaded to the SCS gallery are as follows:

My mother recently gave me a "dancing flower pot"
that fit perfectly in the top of this box.

Using the Candy Box Punch Board, you can make hexagon boxes like these, and you can make them taller, too!

"MAKE-IT-SNAPPY-MONDAY"

Today's MISM project features three new Stampin' Up! products . . . Bloom with Hope Hostess stamp set, Bordering Blooms stamp set, and Itty Bitty Accents Punch Pack.  The stamped flowers were colored with Daffodil Delight Stampin' Blendabilities Markers, and a pearl jewel was placed in the center of each of the punched flowers.  Don't the punched flowers look pretty on that stamped border?  The Old Olive card is an odd size (3.75" x 5.5") that was apparently cut (and unused) for another project, and I thought it would be perfect for this sweet card.  After stamping and coloring the flowers, I used the Ovals Collection Framelits dies to cut the colored image and the Daffodil Delight oval-shaped mat.  A piece of Daffodil Delight Seam Binding tied in a knot seemed like a perfect finishing touch.

"WORK OF ART" TREAT BAG COVER & GATE FOLD CARD

This darling treat holder is easy to assemble and makes a great gift.  Add a coordinating greeting card for just the right touch!  These would be great to make for a vendor show or a class!

More and more, I am falling in love with Stampin' Up!'s new Work of Art stamp set, thanks to projects like this one designed by Laurie.  Her tutorial for these two projects can be found at Craft Project Central.

LULLABY BABY SHOWER ENSEMBLE

What can be more fun than planning a baby shower and welcoming a new member of the family?  Coordinate your party favors and gift bag using the Lullaby designer series paper, and send the mom-to-be home with a mini album she can use to record the memories.

I love the non-traditional colors that Buffy Cooper used when designing this project!  Her complete step-by-step photo tutorial can be found at Craft Project Central.

"BLENDED BLOOM" FOR MY MOTHER

My mother's birthday is this weekend, and this is the card that I made for her.  I actually made two cards and let my grandmother choose which one she wanted to give, and I'll post photos of the other card soon.  For this card, the floral image (Stampin' Up!'s Blended Bloom) was stamped onto Whisper White card stock, colored with assorted Stampin' Blendabilities Markers, and then tossed aside while I waited to decide if I should just throw it away.  When I uncovered the pretty flower and while I was thinking of how I wanted to use it, I couldn't even remember what I didn't like or why I had wanted to put it in the trash.  I'm guessing that I wasn't pleased with the blending, feeling that I should have spent more time on it.  In addition to using the Daffodil Delight Blendies, I had added some Pumpkin Pie for darker tones and could have "worked it" a little more.  I'm sure it was very late at night (wee morning hours, most likely) when I was coloring the flower and trying to talk my eyes into opening wider.  In the end, I was glad that the colored bloom had been spared.  By the time I finished choosing the papers, adding the paper doily and that awesome Mossy Meadow 3/8" Stitched Satin ribbon, I was quite pleased with the card and its feminine flair.  Extra special HUGE birthday wishes to my mother!  She's really wonderful in so many ways!!!

CUSTOM CUPCAKE QUARTET BOX & CARD

Make this custom-made cupcake box that will fashionably hold a quartet of cupcakes!  It's made with every detail in mind, including a perfectly fitted insert for each of the four cupcakes to sit in and the cute decor for the box that's topped off with a gold foil bow.  With the coordinating "Hey there, cupcake!" card, this gift is ready to give!

This festive project was designed by Julie Beltramo, and her tutorial can be found at Craft Project Central.  Have you started your subscription to this month's awesome tutorials????

"MAKE-IT-SNAPPY-MONDAY" . . . AND A WINNING NAME

Today's MISM project features a couple of brand new Stampin' Up! products and some that aren't so new:

Stamp Sets:  Pictogram Punches, A Round Array

Ink Pads/Markers:  Hello Honey, Lost Lagoon, Mossy Meadow 

Sizzix:  Chevron embossing folder

Punches:  Itty Bitty Accents Punch Pack, Hearts Border, 1" Circle, 7/8" Scallop Circle

Accessories:  Hello Honey 3/8" Stitched Satin ribbon, rhinestone jewels

Isn't this a fun design?  It's oh-so-simple, but it has (I think) just enough visual interest.  I am really liking the Pictogram Punches stamp set and coordinating punches--it's just so easy to use, and I have a feeling the Hearts border punch is going to be a favorite because I've already found myself reaching for it to use on every project.

WINNER!  WINNER!  WINNER!

With my June 1st blog post (HERE), I offered a FREE subscription to the Craft Project Central tutorials this month.  The one and only easy requirement to get your name in the drawing was to leave a comment HERE, and I promised to announce the winner today.  And the winner is

Trish Pardue

who wrote, "Wow, Regina’s done it again. This set is fantastic: very elegant and classy. This is a fantastic use of the stamp sets involved. Saying well done doesn’t even come close!!!!"  Huge thanks to EVERYONE who left a comment--your kind words were much appreciated!  CONGRATULATIONS Trish!  If you'll email me at randari at hotmail dot com, we'll get your subscription started. 

FLORAL BOX CARD SET

Everyone needs a card now and then, and this card set would be a great gift to give to anyone.  The flowers are made with Stampin' Up!'s new Blended Bloom stamp and color with Stampin' Blendabilities Markers.  Large enough to hold six cards and envelopes, this set would make a great card class.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again . . . Christy Fulk has quite the talent for designing colorful projects, and she did a fabulous job on this one!  Her complete tutorial can be found at Craft Project Central.

NEW PRODUCTS & A SKETCH CHALLENGE

I was out of town yesterday . . . knowing that a box of goodies from Stampin' Up! was waiting for me, and it wasn't easy trying to keep my mind off of that.  Anxious to start using some new products, Craft Project Central's Creating Pretty Cards - Sketch Challenge #36 provided the perfect jumping off point.  If you click the link to the sketch challenge, you'll find this fun sketch designed by Christy Fulk:

Did you know that for every ten cards submitted for the Sketch Challenge, Craft Project Central will choose one winner who will receive a FREE one-month subscription to the site?  That would be a fun prize!  

Stampin' Up! products featured on my card include:

Stamp Sets:  Pictogram Punches, Life's Adventure, Bordering Blooms

Stampin' Classic Pads:  Hello Honey, Mossy Meadow, Blackberry Bliss

Stampin' Blendabilities Markers:  Daffodil Delight, Old Olive, Rich Razzleberry

Card Stock:  Hello Honey, Mossy Meadow, Whisper White, Blackberry Bliss

Punches:  Itty Bitty Accents Punch Pack, Hearts Border

Accessories:  Rhinestone jewels, Hello Honey 3/8" Stitched Satin ribbon

Are you ready to create a card for the challenge????

MOONLIGHT MAGNET BOARD SET

This Moonlight Magnet Board Seet is a great way to brighten up your office!  It features a magnet board, coordinating magnet box with six magnets, and a small card for gift giving.  Use this set as a gift or to do some organizing in your office.

"Moonlight" is the name of one of Stampin' Up!'s brand new small paper stacks, and Michelle Wecksler, the designer of this project, created quite a useful ensemble with some of the papers!  Her complete tutorial for this project can be found at Craft Project Central.

"TRAVELER" MASCULINE CARDS & TREAT SET

I'm excited to share the project that I designed for this month's awesome collection of project tutorials at Craft Project Central.  Following is the introductory description that I wrote for my project:  Some of the most challenging projects for stampers and paper crafters are the masculine ones, and this ensemble features four card designs that the men in your life can appreciate, as well as a gift card holder and a treat pouch/bag that you will enjoy making—and others will enjoy receiving.

Stampin' Up!'s new Traveler stamp set works beautifully for creating anything masculine, and I used a handful of additional products to embellish each project in this ensemble.  If you haven't checked out Craft Project Central or subscribed, you are truly missing out!  I have a FREE subscription that I will give to one lucky winner.  To be entered in the drawing to win, all you need to do is visit Craft Project Central and leave a comment on the JUNE 1, 2014 blog post where you see a photo of my project.   The winner of the free subscription will be announced on June 9th with my "Make-It-Snappy-Monday" blog post, so you have one week to get over there and leave a comment.  Be sure to come back and visit my blog on Monday, June 9th, to find out if yours was the winning name.  ;-)