WITH SYMPATHY . . . WITH CRICUT "CREATIVE CARDS"

After deciding to not go out and shop on Black Friday, my sister and I couldn't resist (actually, I may have insisted that she accompany me).  I don't know if it's a good thing or bad that sales start before Friday, but Renee and I went to a couple of stores very late on Thursday night.  It was a great experience--NO crowds and hardly any waiting in line.  One of my purchases was Cricut's Creative Cards cartridge which, until I really looked at in the store, hadn't been of any interest to me.  This is the first card that I made with images on that cartridge.  I love the bird cage and the shape of this trifold card and, obviously, I love that all of the hard design stuff (card shape and mats and layers) has already been worked out.  Stampin' Up! products used to enhance and complete the card include Itty Bitty Shapes (scallop circle) Punch Pack, pearl jewels, Teeny Tiny Wishes and So Sorry stamp sets, Bird Builder and Modern Label punches, silver brad (retired), and Brushed Silver card stock.

 Unfortunately, there was a need for this card, and I hope that it was well-received.

"LET IT SNOW" DECOR

Decorate for winter with this lovely Let it Snow frame, complete with snowflake.  There is even a card so you can gift this set to someone who is wishing for snow.  Although it looks complicated to make, it's easier than it looks.

When I first saw this project, which was designed by Amanda, my first thought was "Wow!"  It definitely has a striking presence, and I look forward to trying to make one of my own.  The tutorial can be found at Craft Project Central.

"MAKE-IT-SNAPPY-MONDAY": LAUNDRY LEDGE ART & A WINNER!!!!

In a recent blog post, I mentioned that I had recently purchased quite a few Silhouette cut files (during the Black Friday sale), and I used one of those cut files, which you can find HERE, to create this mini 3D laundry art for the ledge above the doorway by my laundry area.  I actually hadn't paid much attention to the Ledge Village cut files and then stumbled upon the designer's blog.  I was so intrigued at that point that I had to try at least one of her designs (and ended up purchasing a few more).  To give you an idea of the size, the house is approximately 4" tall.  I apologize for the poor quality of the photo but--trust me--the project is a nice, subtle decoration for the ledge.

I promised last week that I would announce the winner of the FREE one-month subscription to Craft Project Central, and that lucky lady is . . . MARSHA E., who left this comment, "Love your thank you ensemble. It is so bright & cheerful. Any crafter would welcome a package like this!"  I appreciate everyone who took the time to leave a comment!!  Marsha, if you will email me at randari at hotmail dot com with "CPC Free Subscription" as the subject, we'll get your subscription set up.

HOLIDAY NAPKIN RINGS & PLACE TAGS

Don't you just love having a pretty table during the holidays?  These napkin rings, using the Joyful Christmas stamp set, are so easy and quick to create and will add a little glitz to your decor.  The mini muslin bags make unique place tags for the table, and they hold a special treat for guests.  

One thing that I especially like about this project, which was designed by Buffy Cooper, is that these items can be made way ahead of time and used to decorate the dining room in the meantime.  The complete tutorial can be found at Craft Project Central.

"FREESTYLE FRIDAYS"

Can you believe that it's Friday again . . . already?  The days seem to be rolling past even faster than usual, and I still don't have my Christmas tree up.  That's beginning to bug me.  I didn't even get my Freestyle Fridays project completed until the wee hours yesterday morning.  With her post last week, Julie Beaulieu issued a mission for me to create something with Stampin' Up!'s Strawberry Slush, and my project should include ribbon.  Since part of my Black Friday shopping included the purchase of a lot of Silhouette cut files, I decided to choose one for my project . . . a mini tissue box.

This is the cutest little box, and I happened to have one pack of tissues on hand to put in it.  I had a hard time deciding how I wanted to decorate it, and I discovered that I don't have a lot of "get well" stamps.  It occurred to me to just make it pretty, without giving too much attention to sickness, but then I laid hands on Paper Trey Ink's Comfort Food stamp set and remembered that I also have the coordinating dies.

I'm thinking that I should purchase some more tissues because these little boxes will be great stocking stuffers!  I can decorate them generically--just pretty--to be slipped into a purse or bookbag, left out on a desk or table, handy in a car, etc.  Best of all . . . the box is a snap to assemble!

Have a wonderful weekend, and get those Christmas trees up and decorated!

CRAFT PROJECT CENTRAL - SKETCH CHALLENGE #30

Each month, there's a fun sketch challenge at Craft Project Central, and I had the opportunity to design the sketch and tutorial for Creating Pretty Cards - Card Challenge #30 this month.  

The Sketch

The card that I created for the sketch tutorial

It's really a fun and easy little sketch!  I used it this morning to create this card:

Why don't you create a card, too?  For every ten cards that are posted HERE, a winner will be selected to receive a free one-month subscription to Craft Project Central.

THANK YOU GIFT FOR STAMPERS & FREE SUBSCRIPTION TO CRAFT PROJECT CENTRAL

The project that I designed for Craft Project Central this month is featured today, and I'm excited to share it here.  This is the time of year when we (especially Stampin' Up! demonstrators) like to come up with useful gifts for customers, neighbors, co-workers, etc. to thank them for their business, loyalty, and friendship during the year, and I think a gift that gives creative inspiration is quite perfect.  The ensemble that I designed features the perfect box to hold a sampling of assorted card stock and designer paper, and an assortment of embellishments are the perfect fill for the small container.  My tutorial includes instructions for creating the 3-D floral topper on the container wrapped with washi tape and, of course, the greeting card.

I have a free one-month subscription to Craft Project Central to give away, and it's really easy to be entered in the drawing.  All you have to do is go to Craft Project Central and leave a comment on the December 4th post that features my project (the same photo as the one in this blog post).  I will use random.org to choose the winner and will announce the winning name with my Make-It-Snappy-Monday blog post on December 9th.

"MAKE-IT-SNAPPY-MONDAY"

Today's MISM project is a quick and fun card featuring the following Stampin' Up! products:

Card Stock:  Pool Party, Whisper White

Designer/Specialty Paper:  Winter Frost, Silver Glimmer

Ink:  Pool Party, Island Indigo

Stamp Sets:  Designer Typeset, Another Thank You, Snow Day

Sizzix:  Label Card Thinlits, Northern Flurry embossing folder

The Label Card Thinlits dies (card, die-cut label, and sentiment banner) make it fast and easy to whip up an interactive card.  I love that the die for the sentiment banner scores the fold lines!  It's not easy to tell from the photo, but I used the banner image from Designer Typeset to stamp the banner in the top left corner, and I also stamped the back of the designer paper so I could cut out the pretty flags to complete the banner and give it some "wow".  The snowman, of course, is from the Snow Day stamp set.  I started to put his hat on his frosty little head, but then it occurred to me that it would look cute on the die-cut Whisper White label.  Although I made several of these with the "thanks" sentiment, this particular design would be just as cute for Christmas cards.  I hope the ladies who received these cards were pleased, and I might be making more of them since it's almost time to start mailing Christmas cards.

If you would like to purchase any of the products used to make this card (or any Stampin' Up! products), just click the link with the shopping cart in the right sidebar.  If you place an online order, please don't forget to enter the current Hostess Code, which can always be found in the top of the right sidebar.  Stampin' Up! has decided to take away the capability for demonstrators to enter the code when customers forget to enter it and, unfortunately, the place to enter the code is in an easy-to-overlook location on the ordering web site.  Of course, I can always enter your order for you and have it shipped directly to you. 

Have a stampin' good day!

CHRISTMAS GIFT PACKAGING

It's time to start wrapping those Christmas gifts, and here are four packaging projects to help you out.  They are all made with the Envelope Punch Board and Winter Frost designer paper.  Two of the packages are perfect for treats, one is a pretty way to package gift cards, and one is perfect for a little gift.

Aren't they adorable????  Christy Fulk designed this beautiful ensemble, and it appears that she has something for most of your gift-giving.  Her complete tutorial can be found at Craft Project Central.  As usual, the project line-up this month is outstanding, and now is a great time to start your subscription for a month's worth of awesome .pdf tutorials.

FESTIVE FLURRY WREATH - BONUS CRAFT PROJECT CENTRAL PROJECT

Nothing brings in the holidays like snowflakes and glitter.  Highlighting the wonderful Winter Frost designer paper and the Festive Flurry bundle, brighten up your door with a shimmery, glimmer wreath.

Isn't this a beautiful wreath????  I have resisted Stampin' Up!'s Festive Flurry bundle, and I know that this project is going to try to twist my arm.  Lauri Ingram, the designer of this project, did a great job, all the way down to the pretty snowflake in the center!  The tutorial for this project--a BONUS tutorial--can be found 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!