FAUX DESIGNER PAPER

A few posts ago, I mentioned that I rarely use sentiments of thanks, so it just figures that I'd need a "thank you" card. The Office Manager at my son's doctor's office has been sooooo very helpful in getting a claim filed (again and again and again) correctly and properly so that the insurance would review and approve it. This claim was generated over a year ago for lab work, and I know the Office Manager could very well have sent me to deal with the lab, but I'm so glad that she didn't. This claim, if not paid by insurance, would have cost me $350, but I knew the lab work was a covered service. And it was--finally! So, for using her experience and connections to save me a ton of run-around and further aggravation, I made this card to send to her. I absolutely love the faux designer paper technique, and isn't Stampin' Up!'s "Friends 24-7" stamp set just awesome? Other Stampin' Up! products used include Whisper White, Elegant Eggplant, and Soft Suede card stock, Iridescent Ice embossing powder, VersaMark, Soft Suede, Brocade Blue, and Certainly Celery ink, Organza ribbon, Modern Label, Word Window, and Scallop Oval punches, and the handy dandy distressing tool.

FALL HELLO FOR AUNT BETTY

I made this card a few minutes ago to send to my Aunt Betty.  She lives in a retirement home and seems to get a little down (emotionally) during this time of year.  I know this card isn't exactly cheery by color or design, but I hope it will add a splash of Fall decor to her room (she keeps my cards on display--HA!) and cheer her up by knowing that I'm thinking of her.  Stampin' Up! products used include Chocolate Chip, More Mustard, Whisper White, Really Rust, and Always Artichoke card stock, More Mustard 1/4" grosgrain ribbon (retired), "Loads of Love Accessories" stamp set, and Sizzix Leaves #2 die.  And yes, this is yet another square card.  ;-)

ADORABLE SNOW FRIENDS

I pulled out some retired Stampin' Up! products (and other items) to create these two "snow friends" cards.  I just need cooler degrees so I can put them in the mail to special people who could use a warm hug in a card!

PUNCH PURSES

I can't take credit for the idea of these purses as I saw them on another blog, but aren't they adorable?  My project is a card, but these purses, created from several Stampin' Up! punches, would be the perfect embellishment for a gift card holder.  Stampin' Up! products used to create this card include Whisper White, Real Red, and Basic Gray card stock, flocked "Christmas Cocoa" designer paper, Curly Label, Wide Oval, Small Oval, Round Tab, 1-1/4" Circle, 1-3/8" Circle, Modern Label, Eyelet Border, and Word Window punches, Texture Plate, Silver Brads, and Organza ribbon.  Goodness!  All spelled out, that sounds like a lot of products!  Ha!

IT'S EARLY FOR A TREE, BUT . . .

I couldn't resist getting this white tree for my stamp room.  I had already decided that I wanted to use jewel-colored ornaments, but the ornaments I had purchased were way too big for this little tree.  That turned out to be a blessing in disguise, as I was able to use the Big Shot and some Stampin' Up! dies, punches, and card stock to dress up this tree . . . using the same colors that I had wanted to use.  The tree still looks like a bit of a mess as I need to move some things around, but you can at least see how well the die-cut and punched pieces did a great job of dressing this tree!  I haven't decided what type of tree skirt to use, but I figure there's still time for that.  ;-)

90th BIRTHDAY FRAMED COLLAGE

In a couple of weeks, we'll be celebrating my grandmother's 90th birthday, and I put together this photo collage for her.  Actually, she probably won't care to look at photos of herself, but family and friends who attend the party will enjoy it.  Unfortunately, I don't have a lot of photos from the earlier years and some of these aren't that clear, but Stampin' Up!'s "My Digital Studio" worked like a dream cropping the photos without compromising the quality.  And trust me . . . some of these pictures were REALLY cropped to a tiny fraction of the original photo's size!  Since I couldn't get a borderless collage print, I decided to add the journaling, which was inspired by something my son said about mamaw several years ago when I asked how he'd describe her.  He said, "She's really nice, and she never gets mad."  Sooooo true!  I can't think of a time in my life when I ever saw her angry or heard her raise her voice.  How many people do you know who fit that description?  Finally, the frame.  When I saw it, I had to have it even though I had already purchased a frame for this project.  I couldn't figure out why this frame seemed so important . . . until I finished.  Mamaw has often talked about mountain trips she enjoyed and walking along creek beds.  That immediately came to mind when I stood back and studied the finished project.  The colors in the frame look so much like rocks in a creek (they even look wet!), tree trunks in the woods, leaves that have been lying on the ground for a while, and sticks that she may have picked up and tossed--or larger ones used to steady herself while walking through the woods.  Yes, this frame is perfect, and I now know why.  BTW, the ribbon on the frame is some that she gave to me!  I almost forgot to mention one design detail . . . because of the colors in the frame, I opted to use a mix of sepia and black and white tones for the photos, which I think ended up being a great choice!

FELT SNOWFLAKE, NON-TRADITIONAL HOLIDAY COLORS

I love this color combo for the holidays!  I wanted to make a snowflake card, but I also wanted to use Sage Shadow since the ribbon had been getting velvety (some people call the velvet "dust").  Stampin' Up! products used to create this card include Blush Blossom and Sage Shadow card stock, white felt (for the snowflake), Snowflake die, clear rhinestone brad, "Snow Swirled" stamp set (sentiment and snowflakes stamped on the Sage Shadow layer), "Nouveau Chic" designer paper, Eyelet Border punch, Basic Black ink, and 1/4" Sage Shadow grosgrain ribbon.

HOLIDAY EMBELLISHMENT JAR

Customers who attended my Holiday Stamp Camp last week got to make one of these cute embellishment jars, which could hold a variety of goodies!  This project features a sample of Stampin' Up!'s Definitely Decorative vinyl designs, "Merry" embosslits die, "Merry Details" Sizzlits die, wide striped ribbon, and silver cord.  Since the embossed "merry" didn't show up well on my tag, my customers got to use designer paper for their tag and then sanded the embossed word to reveal the white core, which made the sentiment more noticeable.

I THINK IT'S CALLED A TENT TOPPER

This is an easy-to-make card which, I believe, is known as a Tent Topper. Stampin' Up! products used to create this card include "Holiday Lounge" designer paper (it's not just for the holidays), Taken with Teal, Sahara Sand, and Whisper White card stock, Petals-a-Plenty embossing folder, Scallop Circle, Wide Oval, and Scallop Oval punches, "Sincere Salutations" stamp set, and markers to ink the sentiment stamp.

PROCRASTINATION OR ADD?

I love this video! Welcome to my day-to-day life!