HAPPY STAMPER SCISSOR CHARMS

I don't think I've shared my t-shirt charms, but these were made for the ladies who attended last month's class.  On two of the supply packets below, you can see the front and back of the charms--the front had a heart image from Stampin' Up!'s Tie Dyed stamp set, and "happy stamper" (from the Custom Tee stamp set) was stamped on the back.  I began by using the coordinating die to cut a handful of t-shirt shapes from Polyshrink.  The images were stamped using StazOn ink, a hole was punched at the shoulder of one sleeve, and then I used my Heat Tool to shrink the images. 

 

I can't take credit for this cute idea.  It came from Randi Collins.  She used her oven to do the shrinking, but I had inconsistent success with that and better luck (and control) with my heat tool.  I wish that I had seen this project idea earlier so that I could have put more thought into decorating those adorable die-cut t-shirts, but I was in a hurry to get them completed on the afternoon of my class.  Although Stampin' Up! is retiring these cute t-shirt products, I plan to hold onto mine so that I can use them again and again.



MAY BONUS PROJECT: "AHOY, THERE!" BIRTHDAY PARTY PACK

Birthdays are FUN! So let’s celebrate the next one with a cool nautical theme. This set is perfect for anyone at any age. The pieces are very easy to make, and they add a nice touch to your party. Use a paper folding technique from your childhood and make a paper boat to hold some sweet treats along with a cool greeting card, a treat holder, and a cute bookmark.

This month's Bonus project at Craft Project Central was designed by Monika Davis, and it is so very adorable! 

Do you know how to earn the Bonus project?  It's quite simple . . . just subscribe to any of the subscription packages at Craft Project Central (3-month, 6-month, or 12-month). 

ALL GINGHAM'D UP

I love gingham, and I recently found a few packs of pretty colors of gingham paper hiding in my cardstock drawer.  Today I noticed that one of them is a perfect match for Stampin' Up!'s new Tranquil Tide.  This particular color wasn't on my radar yet . . . until I paired it with the paper when I set out to design this card for my aunt, who recently took a tumble down her basement steps and has been hospitalized with injuries.  She deserves a pretty card!

 

 

Guilty as charged if you're thinking that the front of the card is busy, but I just couldn't stop adding to it.  My only design plan was to create an acetate front with a top and bottom border of gingham paper and, as you can see, I ended up basically covering the majority of the acetate.  It's been a while since I've let a creative muse take the driver's seat and, whether or not the card is too busy, I am pleased with where the muse took me! As a matter of fact, I liked this card so much that I stood it on my desk so that I could look at it all day.  I'm a bad niece, I suppose, but it will definitely go in tomorrow's mail.  Definitely!

 

The card features a stamped sentiment, cardstock, rhinestone jewels, and linen thread from Stampin' Up!, assorted Spellbinders dies, and a Martha Stewart border punch was used to decorate the bottom border on the inside.

 

[putting it in an envelope now]

 



WINE LOVERS GIFT SET

What Wine Lover would not want to be the recipient of this adorable gift set? This tutorial comes with the wine bottle template that holds four notecards and envelopes, a cute little crate that holds four coasters, homemade wine charms, and a cheese box that holds chocolate!!! This set showcases the Tuscan Vineyard and Here's To Cheers Stamp Sets!

How cute is this ensemble?!?!  The designer, Judy Strickling, didn't forget anything, and you can find her tutorial at Craft Project Central.

CARDS WITH MATCHING ENVELOPES

Maybe I've mentioned before that I sometimes enjoy decorating envelopes to match the cards that I mail.  Sometimes the envelope is stamped/decorated in a way that doesn't match the card, and I think that's okay, too . . . it's still a fun piece of mail for someone to receive.  Today I have three cards and envelopes to share:

 

 

The first card features Oh So Succulent stamp set, Succulent Framelits, and Succulent Garden designer paper.  Once I saw this bundle on Stampin'  Up!'s retiring products list, I felt inspired to see what I could create with it.  I had only briefly used any of the products, but I enjoyed working on this card and envelope for a friend.

 

The second card features Stampin' Up!'s Work of Art stamp set, which is one of my favorites!  It is one of the most versatile stamp sets that I have ever worked with, and the wood-mount stamps in my set have the look of inky love (aka stains).

 

 

While looking through my project photos, I found an example of a decorated envelope that doesn't match the card.  I made this for Aaron Stamper, a young fellow battling cancer who you can read about HERE.  The card, which I totally copied from Rose Castillo, features a sailboat that rocks back and forth.  Thank you, Rose, for sharing such a fun and genius design.

 

 



"HAPPY BIRTHDAY GORGEOUS" MOTHER'S DAY CARD

See those pretty flowers?  You love them, don't you?

 



I don't know what kind of flower they are, other than gorgeous and oh, so easy to stamp!  In the Happy Birthday Gorgeous stamp set, there are actually two sizes of those two-step-stamping floral images, and I purchased the stamp set solely for them.  When I sat down to make Mother's Day cards, the first thing I had to do was make a list of how many cards I would make.  Happy Birthday Gorgeous made it quick and easy to stamp the design, and I cannot put into words just how much I loved using the chosen images.  This particular stamp set is loaded with assorted images and sentiments, and I'm sure I haven't yet begun to scrape the surface of all of its versatile capability.  I didn't take a photo of the envelopes, but I stamped each of them, too.  Following are the other Stampin' Up! products featured on this card:

 

Cardstock:  Pink Pirouette, Whisper White, Berry Blast

Ink:  Powder Pink, Peekaboo Peach, Berry Blast, Sweet Sugarplum, Always Artichoke

Stamp Sets:  Gorgeous Grunge, Happy Birthday Gorgeous

Sizzix:  Stitched Shapes Framelits

 

Did you add Happy Birthday Gorgeous to your wish list? 



"PERFECT MIX" GIFT SET

In this tutorial, you’ll make a cute gift set for any baker or cook using the Perfect Mix Stamp Set. You will learn how to decorate the gifts with pretty tags, make a coordinating card and then make a fun sampler to hang in the kitchen. Who wouldn’t want a gift like this?

This is truly a fantastic ensemble featuring a really fun stamp set!  The tutorial for this ensemble, which was designed by Jen Sootkoos, can be found at Craft Project Central.  Have you subscribed yet?

CREATING PRETTY CARDS - CARD CHALLENGE #71

I finally had a chance to create a card for Creating Pretty Cards - Card Challenge #71 over at Craft Project Central.  The sketch, designed by Buffy Cooper, looks like this:

 

Click HERE for the free card tutorial

 This is the card that I designed for the challenge:

 

 

My card features the following Stampin' Up! products:
Cardstock:  Soft Sky, Calypso Coral, Whisper White
Ink:  Soft Sky, Calypso Coral, Always Artichoke, Crumb Cake, Basic Black Archival
Stamp Sets:  Garden in Bloom, Touches of Textures
Punch:  Decorative Label
Accessories:  Burlap ribbon, Rhinestone Basic Jewels, Stampin' Dimensionals, Aqua Painter

DID YOU KNOW . . . For every ten cards submitted for the sketch (HERE), a winner will be selected to receive a free one-month subscription to Craft Project Central.  The winner(s) will get to select the month of their choice!  So, if there are 15 card submissions, one winner will be chosen from all submissions.  If there are 40 submissions, there will be four winners, etc.  I hope you'll consider creating a card and joining the challenge!  It's a fantastic way to get your name in the hat for a free subscription to a month's worth of awesome tutorials!

 



GARDEN WORKBENCH & CARD

If you love gardening, or have a friend/relative who gardens, they would love receiving this adorable workbench and matching card. The workbench features potted plants and flowers, complete with gardening tools, gloves, and mud boots. The card matches the workbench and, as all gardeners know, a gift from the garden is a work of HEART. This project fits the bill. The workbench is a cinch to put together. The pots, plants, and tools are all hand cut, but oh so worth the effort!

I am in love with this project and can't wait to make a garden workbench of my own!  The tutorial for this awesome and creative project, which was designed by Sandy Mott, can be found at Craft Project Central.

CRAFTING FOREVER . . . AND A WINNER!

My preorder from Stampin' Up!'s 2017-2018 catalog arrived yesterday, and I was so anxious to see what I had ordered!  During the preorder period for the big catalog, demos can choose from a selection of products.  You'd think the wish list couldn't be too long since the entire new product offering isn't up for grabs, but I worked my wish list so much that I had forgotten what ended up on the order.  Honestly, when I tore into the box, I thought "That's all I got?".  My budget had to make room for paper and ink pads, and I didn't even get all of the paper that I wanted--barely scratched the surface, actually.  One of the stamp sets that I tried to mark off the list but just couldn't do without is Crafting Forever, and this is my first creation with the images from that set:

 

Each of the brand new 2017-2019 In Colors are featured on the twine in this order . . . Fresh Fig, Tranquil Tide, Powder Pink, Lemon Lime Twist, and Berry Burst.  Cardstock colors are Crumb Cake, Lemon Lime Twist, Berry Burst, and Whisper White.  Additional Stampin' Up! products featured on my card are Rhinestone Basic Jewels and Linen Thread.

 

WINNER! WINNER! WINNER!

In my May 1st blog post HERE, I promised to announce on May 7th  the winner of the FREE one-month subscription to Craft Project Central.  I really wanted to have a new product project to share with my announcement so . . . apologies for the delay.  I appreciate all of the kind comments!  Random.org chose #3 . . . GEORGETTE VALLIERE, you're the winner!  Contact me at randari at hotmail dot com, and we'll get your May subscription started.



FEMININE & MASCULINE MULTI-PURPOSE JOURNALS

With summer just around the corner, you are sure to need a beautiful and functional journal for those upcoming vacations, projects and anything else you care to write about! Whip up one or both of these gorgeous Multi-Purpose Journals for yourself for the special man or woman in your life! The coordinating cards make these perfect gifts!

 

The tutorial for this handy project, which was designed by Julie Warnick, can be found at Craft Project Central.  Have you started your subscription yet?  The projects this month will not disappoint!

 

CREATING PRETTY CARDS - CARD SKETCH #71

Each month in addition to the great 3D projects that Craft Project Central has for you, they also host a monthly card challenge – Creating Pretty Cards!! To help you recreate the sketch each month, they also provide a free Sketch Mini Tutorial! This mini tutorial has information about how the inspiration card (using the sketch) was created, supplies used, and basic measurements!!  For every ten cards submitted, they’ll pick one winner of a free one month subscription! The winner(s) will get to select the month of their choice! Head over to Craft Project Central to learn more and submit your creation!!

This month's sketch was designed by Buffy Cooper, and didn't she create a gorgeous card?!?!  You can find the actual sketch and her tutorial at Craft Project Central today.

ARTFUL ENVELOPES

Today begins a brand new month of awesome tutorials at Craft Project Central, and the project that I designed is featured today.  I'm so excited to share it!!!  For the past little while, I have enjoyed exploring various ways to decorate envelopes with creative lettering and/or stamps to make them another element of enjoyment for the recipient of my cards.  I am, by no means, an artist--I just think an interesting envelope is part of the fun of receiving a handmade card.  Following is the introduction that I wrote for my "Artful Envelopes" project:

 

After you have created the perfect greeting card for someone special, doesn’t it deserve to be mailed in an envelope that’s also a work of art?  While this tutorial will show you how to make a nice selection of cards, the part that you will enjoy the most are the assorted artful envelope techniques!  This tutorial also includes some helpful U.S. postage tips and pointers for sending your artful envelopes.

 

 

As you can see from the photo, the tutorial (step-by-step instructions with photos) includes a coordinating card for each envelope.

 

Would you like to get your name in the drawing for FREE access to this month's awesome tutorials?  It's quite easy!  Just click this link and leave a little comment about my project.  On Monday, May 7th, I will draw a winning name from those who have left a comment, and the winning name will be announced right here on my blog.  Be sure to come back on May 7th to see if you're the winner!