AWESOME QUILT PURSE

My sister sews, and I don't.  When I told her about a pretty quilt purse that I'd seen recently, she agreed that we should make one.  She came to my house two days ago with her sewing machine and fabric and let me choose which fabric to use for our first purse.  All that I knew about making one was that we would use the Big Shot machine and Stampin' Up!'s Scallop Square die to cut the squares, and I kind of panicked when she asked about instructions.  Huh?  I thought someone who sews and had made purses before would just know how to make one.  Apparently, that's one more thing about sewing that I don't know!  We got a good laugh about it, and she was a really good sport about figuring out what to do.  Just look at this BEAUTIFUL purse she made!!!!!!!!  We agreed that it needed to be decked out, so we used some Stampin' Up! ribbon to add even more shabby to the chic.  I also pulled out the Swarovski crystals, which I think add a subtle touch of bling!  The last addition was the beaded Prayer Box charm, which I love.  We had some other ideas that, hopefully, will end up on future purses.  All in all, I have had a lot of fun with my sister while her hobby and mine blended to create this pretty purse which, by the way, I get to keep!  Am I lucky or what????   

ETA:  This is the interior of the purse.  Isn't it cute??????

WOOHOO!!!!

Remember this card?  I first posted it to my blog in November.  I was so excited this evening to learn that this card has been highlighted in the Cricut Chirp newsletter!!!!!!!!  This is the third or fourth project of mine that's been highlighted, and I just wanted to share my excitement.  There's no money or great prize . . . it just feels good when a fun project gets recognized in some way.  ;-) 

DECORATIVE VINYL

You say, "What the heck is that?"  What you're looking at are vinyl die-cuts that I used to decorate the glass door of this particular storage cube in my stamp room.  For the second photo, I put a piece of white card stock behind the glass so the vinyl accents would show up better.  I think it looks quite good!  I used Stampin' Up!'s "Tulipe" die (minus the three little dots at the top since one of them got stuck in the die) and a non-Stampin' Up! Sizzix decorative accents die for the corner adornments.  This was such an easy project, although I must admit that I was nervous about placing the vinyl on the glass.  I used transfer tape (which comes with Stampin' Up!'s vinyl) on three of the cuts, but I just "peeled and stuck" the other two corner pieces and they went on fine.  I don't recommend that you just try to fly without the transfer tape because it is definitely needed for larger and/or more intricate cuts or for cuts that essentially have to be pieced together, such as with the Tulipe die, letters, etc.

BLOG TUNES

In the past, I believe I have kept my holiday tunes through New Year's, but I'm ready for a change!  Instead of going back to the "regular" list of songs, which I change regularly, I decided to share another playlist that I often enjoy.  I call it the "oldies" because they're songs that I enjoyed during my tween, teen, and young adult years.  I hope you will enjoy these songs, too!  ETA:  If you can think of other songs that I should add to this playlist, do tell and I'll try to find them.

CUTE BOX, CUTE TAGS

I said that I was ready to create non-Christmas projects, and that's exactly what I've been doing.  For this really EASY PEASY box, which has a 1/2" depth, I used Stampin' Up!'s Curly Label Movers & Shapers die with the heart-shaped magnetic die to cut the window.  Other Stampin' Up! products used to create this project include Whisper White card stock, "Sending Love" specialty designer paper, a polka dot window sheet from the "Night and Day" paper collection, Finial Press embossing folder, "Tiny Tags" stamp set and coordinating Jewelry Tag punch, Chocolate Chip grosgrain ribbon, and Linen Thread.  Inside the box are three mini candy bars which have been wrapped with the glittery designer paper. 

VALENTINE SCENE

It's not too early to think of Valentine's Day, and this is a fun little card showcasing a few of Stampin' Up!'s new products, such as the following new stamp sets:  Love Bandit, Well Scripted, and Tiny Tags.  There's even a punch that coordinates with the "Tiny Tags" stamp set!  I also used a brand new heart punch for the little green hearts at the bottom of the card.  Card stock colors are Naturals Ivory, Rose Red, Always Artichoke, and Certainly Celery.

STAMPED & STENCILED TILE

This gift item, which is a 6x6 tumbled decorative trivet/tile, is probably the last Christmas project that I'll post this year, and I can't say that I'm sorry to cease the thought and process of holiday creations.  It's been fun, but I'm ready to create non-Christmas projects for a while!  To decorate this tile, I used Stampin' Up!'s "Kind Thoughts Brocade" stencil, "French Script" (retired background stamp), and Chocolate Chip and Old Olive Craft ink.  I had a few minor issues with the tile but, all in all, I think it turned out really nice.  To decorate the gift bag, I used "Dasher" and "Four the Holidays" stamp sets, and Stampin' Up!'s Eyelet Border punch. 

FINAL TALL BOX GIFTS

Here they are . . . all ready for the family on Christmas Day.  Christmas is my favorite time of year, and I love hosting a "kick back" family day on December 25th.  It's kind of become a tradition.  Our family used to always celebrate Christmas on the 25th but, as the family grew, we had to share that day with others and it just didn't seem right for me to not be surrounded by my family on "THE" day.  So, I changed that.  The other thing that I like to do on the 25th is have a little treat for each of the families, and these tall boxes hold this year's treat.  There's not a lot of Stampin' Up! product on these boxes; other than the ribbon, I used Stampin' Up!'s Large and Scallop Oval punches for the name markers.

HOLIDAY TALL BOX

How cute is this box????  Unfortunately, I'm prohibited from writing much about it, but I will say this . . . Cindy McVey to the rescue!!  I was in need of a tall box for some Christmas gifts, and Cindy was johnny-on-the-spot to design this one (according to the measurements I provided) and shared the cut file at no charge!  I'd love to tell you what this box was designed to hold, but I can't since a couple of people who read my blog will be getting one of these on Friday.  All I had to do was choose the card stock, holiday decoration, add some ribbon, and call it done!  The world's a nicer place (and holiday projects get done lickety-split) with friends like Cindy!

MINI MILK CARTON "BIRDHOUSE"

One of the new products that Stampin' Up! is offering in the "Occasions" mini catalog is the Mini Milk Carton die, which I have already loved.  I've designed  mini milk cartons with it and also a coffee pot.  Today's design is a birdhouse, although the idea wasn't born in my head.  I think it was Janet Wakeland who shared a picture of this die used to create a birdhouse.  I didn't do too much in the way of decorating this project, but I used two other brand new Stampin' Up! products . . . the Scallop Trim Border punch, and the Two Step Bird punch.  There is but one flaw with this project, and it happens to be a big one . . . I didn't leave a way to get into the box without tearing out the bottom or top.  I might need to just punch a hole in the top, thread some cord through it, and call it an ornament.