Announcement with a Cherry on Top

I'm on a design team! and it's for a company that specializes in my newest passion--digital stamps! Check out all the adorable digi stamps at Lindsay's Stamp Stuff. What I especially L*O*V*E about this store is that you can purchase the digital images as singles or many of them are offered in sets.

If you haven't tried digital stamps yet, what ARE you waiting for? They are super easy to use and especially versatile. I made this sweet cupcake so that it would take up the majority of the space on the project, but I'm thinking now about using this same image to create a card with "inchies". Digital images are so easy to resize, Lindsay had my order to me in a matter of minutes (no waiting for the UPS guy), and they are a breeze to print, color, and cut.

Okey dokey, here's all the details. This image is called cherry on top. After sizing it, adding a sentiment, and printing it out, I colored it with my copics. I decided it needed a little sparkle, so I added opal shimmerz and pink stickles to the icing. This is a treat bag for one of my 7th grade girls who has a birthday today, so I definitely wanted it to shimmer and shine.

I'll be bringing you more great images from Lindsay's Stamp Stuff, so after you visit her store, check back soon to see what I've been up to. Have a sweet day with a cherry or two on top everybody!

Project Recipe

Paper: SU Ridinghood Red CS, SU Sweet Nothings PP, GinaK white Pure Luxury CS

Stamps: Lindsay's Stamp Stuff Digital stamp Cherry on Top

Ribbon: SU Real Red grosgrain ribbon

Accessories: Spellbinders scalloped circle nestabilites, Cuttlebug, SU eyelet border punch, SU slot punch, Paper Studio pink button, Scor Pal, copic markers. Ranger stickles, Shimmerz opal

An Old Dog Learning Some New Tricks

I'm taking a little break from crafting while I work through an online class called "Bling Out Your Blog". It would probably be easier to just find someone who already knows what they're doing and purchase their services, but always the DIYer, I had to give this a go. I'm not very patient, so there is always the risk I'll get frustrated and toss something out a window. We'll see! Hopefully, in a couple of days I'll be feeling more comfortable about what I'm doing on this thing and I'll be back in the blogging saddle! Fingers crossed, people!

A Colorful Template Challenge

Lauren Meader has a new challenge. This week it's a color challenge. Check out the purse she uses as the inspiration piece. I liked the purse so much I wanted to "recreate" it complete with colorful blooms!
In honor of PTI's April blog hop which features Lauren's Timeless Templates, I used Lauren's Rounded Wrap-Up to create a "purse" of my own. This is the perfect size for a little gift of lipstick and lipgloss. Stick a small mirror or compact in there, and you have a wonderfully packaged gift for someone in need of a little treat! I used my cuttlebug and flower dies to cut out the blooms and used the PTI set Beautiful Blooms to accent some of the flowers and stamp the sentiment. Just couldn't resist adding a little stickles glitz for added sparkle. And I am loving my new PTI Green Tea Leaves Patterned Paper.




















Project Recipe:


Paper: (All paper is PTI except where noted) Lemon Tart, Spring Rain, Pure Poppy, Green Tea Leaves, SU Basic Gray


Stamps: PTI Beautiful blooms


Ribbon: PTI Pure Poppy Twill ribbon


Accessories: Cuttlebug machine flowers dies, Spellbinders Label Trio (for handles), Ranger Stickles Glitz in Ruby Slippers

Blooming Birthday

I put aside the Copics and picked up the ole watercolor wonder crayons and my blender pens to create this fence post full of blooms. It's been a while since I've used any watercolors. Don't know that I'm feeling all that great about my watercoloring skills these days, but it could be that I've just gotten used to using my copics. I stamped this image with a versamark pad and embossed with gold embossing powder. Something made this a difficult project to photograph and I'm wondering if it isn't the shiny gold embossing.
My PapertreyInk order arrived today, so I had to incorporate this beautiful paper into the project. This will make its way to my mother-in-law tomorrow and hopefully it will arrive in time for her birthday. Happy Birthday, Abi!
Project Recipe
Paper: PTI Lavendar Moon and Ripe Avacado CS, PTI Friends Till the End PP, watercolor paper
Stamps: The Stampin Place Morning Glories. Make an Impression sentiment stamp
Ribbon: PTI Plum Pudding satin ribbon
Accessories: SU Wonder Crayons, blender pens, versamark ink, gold embossing powder, embossing gun

A Birthday Drive By

I've got a younger sister celebrating a birthday this weekend. Since she plans to take a road trip out of town for her birthday, I thought this little "Huggabugg" by Stamping Bella was just perfect. (If Stamping Bella ever goes digital with her images, I am a goner. I'll have to mortgage my house to buy them ALL!) I used Lauren Meader's Saturday Sketch Challenge for the overall design subbing out die cut flowers for the squares she had as a background layer. The paper I used was a free pack I got a while back at Archiver's. I'm glad I'm finally using it. Trying so hard to break the "hoarding habit"!

Happy birthday, Sis! By the way she's only about 9 1/2 months younger than me, so for the next 2 1/2 months, I get to rub it in that we are the same age! Love that!

Project Recipe

Paper: WeRMemoryKeepers Promenade Paper Pack (Archivers), PTI White CS, PTI Berry Sorbet CS

Stamps: Stamping Bella Love Beetle Huggabugg, PTI Handwritten Notes

Accessories: Copics, Sizzix dies, Cuttlebug, Circle Nestabilities, 1/2" circle punch

Timeless Template Challenge Part 2

Administrative Professionals Day (sometimes referred to as Secretary's Day) is Wednesday. We have one school secretary, but we also have a couple of other ladies that help out the staff and perform duties similar to those performed by the secretary, so that means I need to have three gifts ready for Secretary's Day. At the moment, I've got one.

Lauren Meader posted a template challenge this weekend, and I decided to use her challenge to help me create this project. We were to use the label of a bath product as inspiration for our gift packaging. Lauren provided a link to Bath and Body Works Bath Lotions which had gorgeous flowery, fruity labels. But I'm a big believer in using up what you've got whenever possible and what I had was some sets of Mary Kay Satin Smoothies hand scrubs, hand lotions, and moisturizers.

The labels as you can tell are pretty plain. So I got my inspiration from

the color and used Lauren's My Timeless Template From the Desk Of for the packaging.

I created some coordinating flowers to add to the packaging with my paper punches. Then, I filled the package with items for any professional's desk: a small silver frame, a couple of pretty pens, a "jazzed up" legal pad, some small flower-shaped note pads, and of course the hand lotions. Hope these ladies know how much the staff appreciates all their hard work!

Project Recipe

Paper: PTI Melon Berry CS, PTI Vintage Cream CS, My Mind's Eye DSP

Ribbon: Sheer Creations (WalMart?)

Accessories: PTI My Timeless Template From the Desk Of, 5 Petal Punch, various flower paper punches, Kaiser Scrapbook rhinestone, Fiskars Apron Lace border punch

Timeless Template Challenge

Okay, I've decided to enter the project from the previous post in Lauren Meader's Timeless Template Challenge. The challenge is to use one of her templates and design it around a bath product label. Check out her blog for the details of the challenge and a link to some inspiration. Now the label on the baby bath soap was not overly pretty or inspiring, but I did pullthat green from the label and top of the bath product, so maybe it counts. Anyway, I worked long and hard on this project and really wanted to link it to the challenge. Check out the post below for all the project details.

By the way, I'm working on another project that's for Secretary's Day and I really did get the color inspiration from some hand lotions and scrubs that I had and decided to use in the gift. I also used Lauren's own challenge project as my inspiration for some added flowers to the packaging, but more on that later!

A Basket to Welcome Baby

One of my co-workers has a new baby girl and I wanted to put together a little something to welcome her. I had decided to use one of Lauren Meader's Timeless Templates to house the gift items. If you haven't tried these templates, then run to Papertrey Ink and check out all of them. There are even a couple of free ones. I bought this little basket template but was kind of afraid to use it because of the weaving involved. That was a real waste of worrying because Lauren makes it so easy even I could do it!

Now, originally I was going to include a traditional stamp and sentiment on the front of this basket, but before I finished putting together the stamped image and matting, I checked the DareU2Digistamp challenge blog and the challenge for this week was to use pink and green! So naturally since I was halfway there anyway, I decided to use a digital stamp so I could link this project to the challenge. I've used this stamp before for a couple of challenges, but I had to use it again because it was just perfect for the occassion especially after adding an appropriate sentiment. You can find this digi image and lots of others at Little Paper Shop. I love how you can reduce or enlarge digital stamps, add sentiments, and print for coloring. For only $1.50, I've really gotten my money's worth and then some from this stamp.

I used the SU Matchbox die to create this little box for some baby hair clips. I raised three boys and hair clips never entered the picture, so I just had to include some in this gift set. I got all giddy picking out the pefect ones. I included one on the box label because it was the perfect embellishment!

Project Recipe

Paper: SU Pretty In Pink CS, SU Tea Party PP, GinaK Pure Luxury White CS

Stamps: LPS Baby Chick digi stamp

Ribbon: PTI Spring Moss

Accessories: Dress It UP Button Fun Large Button, Oval Nesties, Threading Water border punch, Copic markers, SU Matchbox Die and Cuttlebug, PTI Timeless Templates Basket Basics, ScorePal

Birthday Cupcakes

I finally finished this card for my very good friend Wyndi. Her birthday is Sunday, but her special present is on a UPS truck at the moment and won't be here until Monday afternoon, so I guess she'll have to be a few hours over 30 before she can play.

I made this card for the Little Paper Shop color challenge. The colors in the challenge were So Saffron, Perfect Plum and Certainly Celery. I really loved this combination, but when I finished the card, it seemed, I don't know, a little too "bright". I decided to give it a more vintage, old-fashioned feel, so I sponged and stippled everything with Creamy Caramel to tone it down a bit.

Oh, and I used my new tool/toy the Pixie sewing machine. Now, I did take homemaking when I was in high school, and we did have six weeks of sewing, but we had to hire a professional seamstress to fix the hem on my circular skirt before I could wear it in the fashion show. (Yes, after I turned it in for a grade.) I might be a little challenged in the sewing department. But, I love the look of stitches that you see on so many cards and I had to give it a try. Once I mastered threading the machine (by far the hardest part), I was ready to go. I know I need to practice some more, but it's a start!

The stamp is a digital stamp from LPS called Jena Baking which I originally chose with Wyndi in mind. She loves to bake and is always bringing samples of her goodies to work to share with me. I gave Jena Wyndi's blonde hair, but I don't think we'd ever find Wyndi in that dress. Still those perfectly decorated cupcakes are exactly what you'd expect from her. Hope her birthday is as "sweet" as she is!

Project Recipe

Paper: SU So Saffron, SU Certainly Celery, PTI Plum Pudding, Gina K Pure Luxury White CS, SU Delicate Dots PP

Stamp: LPS Jena Baking Digital Stamp

Ribbon: SU Certainly Celery, twine, DMC floss

Accessories: Pixie sewing machine, stickles, copics, Making Memories Lemonade Blossoms and Buttons

Gardening Jeans

Copic Creations has a new challenge out--coloring jeans. This gardening set from CTMH was perfect for the challenge. It's a little too hot to garden in jeans in South Texas, but I wish I looked this good watering the yard. Oh well, I'm a pretty indifferent gardener anyway. My plants are lucky if I remember where the water hose is. At least this little lady looks good while she looks after her plants. This card went to my CTMH "dealer" Amy who sets me up with all the good stuff!

Tune in tomorrow as I finally finish my friend Wyndi's birthday card that I've been working on for three days (I kid you not). When you see it, you'll wonder what took so long, but, hey, I'm a little a slow and I had to go to the grocery store after work today which really cut into my creative time.

Project Recipe

Paper: PTI Melon Berry CS, CTMH Perfect Day PP, GinaK Pure Luxury White CS

Stamps: CTMH Ms. Gardener

Accessories: stickles, Imaginisce Ring Around the Rosies flower, Basic Grey glazed brad, copics

Some Lovin from My Oven

So, I haven't officially cooked the cakes yet. I will. But the paper I used for all three of these projects is some CTMH That's Amore, so that's some "lovin" even if it's not from the oven. I'm really excited about these for several reasons: (1) I love that paper, (2) I sewed on one of them with my new Pixie sewing machine and added buttons for a cute homespun look that I rarely accomplish, (3) I used a lot of punches and I'm definitely a punch girl! I am especially pleased with the layered flowers I created. The can with the silk flower on it also has some dew drops around the center band which you can't really see in the picture, but they add a nice touch. These are some more of my Easter Monday projects. Yippee! I actually got some work done while I was off.

Project Recipe:

Paper: CTMH That's Amore, SU Ridinghood Red, SU Kiwi Kiss, and SU Chocolate Chip

Stamps: PTI Tags for Spring, SU Yummy, SU Matchbook Messages

Ribbon: twine, PTI Vintage Cream

Accessories: various punches, various buttons, silk flower, dew drops, Pixie sewing machine

Easter Monday

Okay, I know this isn't officially a holiday, but our school district gave us this day off in addition to Good Friday. So, I managed to stay out of the stores and up in the craft loft all day today. That being said, I'm not sure I accomplished nearly enough for having the whole day to myself, but, nevertheless, I'm quite pleased with the day's accomplishments.

Some time back I bought several tutorials/templates from Becky Roberts of Inking Idaho. I finally printed them all out and decided I wanted to bind them so I could peruse them from my recliner rather than the computer. These are some really awesome templates, so I wanted to try to do them justice. And I finally had a project thick enough that I could use my 1-inch owires in my Bind-It_All. Maybe I'll add some ribbon to those wires now.

I also made some more cake cans which I'll post tomorrow. There are LOTS of birthdays in May, so I figured I better get a head start on those. Oh, and my SU Sizzix Matchbox Die came in today and I got to play. I'll post some of those soon, too.

I so can't wait for June 5th (last day of school!). I'm really hoping this blog will help me focus on using my supplies and creating lots of great projects!

Project Recipe

Paper: SU Manchester DSP, SU Always Artichoke, PTI Vintage Cream, SU Sahara Sand (inside cover and tabs), SU Baja Breeze (divider pages)

Stamps: Baroque Motifs, Great Friend (inside cover)

Accessories: Making Memories Lemonade Blossoms and Buttons, Cuttlebug Argyle Embossing Folder, Joann's bookplate, brads (unknown), Zutter Bind-It-All and Owires, Round Tab Punch, Dymo LetraTag

Chick with Bling

Just in time for Easter, I grabbed (not literally) my digital stamps from LPS to make a card for two challenges. Little Paper Shop has a sketch challenge going on right now. Check it out here. They are giving away free digital stamps to a random winner. And Dare U2 Digistamp has a bling challenge. I might have gone a little overboard on that one (ya think?). Yeah, I added Angel Wings Shimmerz to the egg after I colored it with copics, and then the blingin' flowers, and just couldn't stop myself, had to use DCWV glitter cardstock, too. This is going in my grown son's "Easter basket". Hope he's not offended! Easter hugs, everyone!
Project Recipe
Paper: SU Bashful Blue CS, SU Delicate Dots PP, DCWV Glitter CS, GinaK Pure Luxury White
Stamps: LPS Chick Egg
Ribbon: PTI Spring Rain twill, twine
Other: Paper Studio button, copics, Kaiser green rhinestone flower, Dress It Up Petals, Angel Wings Shimmerz

Lucky Ducky

Thought I'd show you another "cake in a can" project. I used a digital stamp from Squigglefly.com for this one. One of my co-workers had a birthday on Friday the 13th. So I wanted my gift to be about good luck. That's why I had to have this little duck in his raincoat (not that we've seen rain in South Texas in quite some time!) so I could use the phrase

"lucky ducky it's your birthday!" Digital images are just plain fun and Squigglefly has a lot of cute ones! If you haven't checked out Jackie Galloway's site for her cake in a can cookbook, be sure to do so...yummy.

Project Recipe:

Paper:Yellow CS (unknown), SU Bashful Blue CS, GinaK Pure Luxury CS in White

Stamps: Squigglefly.com digital image Rainy Day Charlie

Ribbon: PTI Spring Rain and Lemon Tart

Accessories: Swiss Dots Cuttlebug embossing folder, Nesties, Prima flower, Copic Markers

Forest Friends Birthday Treats

More birthday gifts for a couple of students. I wanted to use the same basic design and Pacific Point cardstock for each, but I was making one for a girl and one for a boy. I hope I was able to give one a masculine feel by distressing the paper and using the darker color combination. The little deer in this set is so cute, but junior high boys aren't crazy about "cute" (unless it's a girl). It's always such a challenge to go masculine. You have to hold back adding all the bling and flowers and you have to be so careful about ribbon. I colored some PTI vanilla twill ribbon with my copic to get a rust-colored ribbon.

My girlie treat bag has the pretty pinks and, of course, flowers to make it oh-so-sweet! Happy Birthday Angelica and Dillon!

I've been using these covered treat bags all year with my students. I got the idea from Julie Buhler. Check out her blog for the directions for this treat bag and a whole lotta fantastic projects and tutorials. She's totally amazing. And I'm sorry, but you'll probably be seeing more of these little treat bags. I've got over a 100 students. I really need to getting busy on the summer birthdays!

Project Recipe

Paper: SU Pacific Point CS, SU Really Rust, Pink Pirouette CS, Bella Blooms PP, Autumn Vine PP

Stamps: Forest Friends, On Your Birthday

Ribbon: PTI ribbon

Accessories: Fiskars Border Punches--Upper Crest, Scallop, Apron Lace, Imaginisce Ring Around the Rosies, Paper Studio brads, Word Window punch, Wide Oval punch

Bunny Treats

I give each of my junior high students a treat bag filled with animal crackers on their birthdays. I always try to keep with animal cracker theme by using an animal of some sort on the front. The little bunny here is from a TAC set called Spring Fling. I had wanted to include this in the Clean and Simple challenge this week at Splitcoast which called for using distressing. But this isn't a card and I did use several techniques on it, but I still think it comes across pretty clean. I distressed the edges of the patterned paper and sponged them. I also sponged the edges of the scallop circle. Anyway, happy birthday, Merideth!

Taking the Dare

I'm fairly new to digi stamping, but I'm really loving it. The stamps are inexpensive, easy to store, versatile, and so much fun to color in. This little cutey is from the Little Paper Shop. She's called Jena Baking. The sentiment which is a traditional stamp is from a Stampin Up hostess set. This is Jena at 100% but I could easily have resized her to make her bigger or smaller. I've created this card for a new challenge for digital stampers. Check it out here.

Project Recipe

Paper: SU Certainly Celery CS, Ridinghood Red CS, Rockabilly DSP, GinaK Pure Luxury CS

Stamps: LPS Digital Jena Baking, SU Sweet Little Sentiments

Accessories: Copic Markers, Dress It Up Petals, SU Certainly Celery ribbon

Birthday Cake in a Can

Here's my can all ready for the cake I just finished cooking. It's a lemon cake. I make these for all my co-workers at the junior high where I teach. Jackie Gannaway has this fabulous little cookbook with recipes for quick and easy cake in a can. You just use cleaned out 14-15 oz. tin cans. Check out this cookbook and others here.







This is the can with a cake and candle inside. It's all wrapped for delivery to the birthday girl in the morning!
Project Recipe
Paper: Tea Party DSP, Regal Rose, Whisper White
Stamps: Yummy, Lovely Labels
Accessories: Making Memories Blossoms and Buttons, Imaginisce flower, Regal Rose ribbon
Tools: Fiskars scallop border punch