Having a Whale of a Good Time!

One of my co-workers has a birthday this Saturday, so I baked a couple of cookies and created a mini pizza box to put them in. Then, I just needed someone cute to have the honor of wishing the lucky lady a very happy birthday.

And who cuter than Wally Whale! Of course, since he's in the ocean he needed some sparkling water  to float in. So, I added a clear layer over my image and covered the lower part of it with Stickles. To cover the adhesive on the clear cardstock and to make it seem like we are looking at him out of a port hole, I cut a circle in my patterned paper before layering it over the image.
Now, Wally's all ready to deliver my birthday message (created with MicroSoft Word)! For only .99 you can create a whole lotta cuteness for very little money. Be sure to head to Sweet N Sassy Stamps to see all the new stamps including Wally.

Verve Blog Party Challenge 4

It's another mini pizza box, aka. cookie box! If you don't get this, be sure to read my previous post. I make these little boxes and fill them with a couple of homemade cookies which I give to my coworkers on their birthdays. Talk about perfect timing, too, because the Verve Blog Party Challenge Four was to create a mini pizza box! I do these all the time, but how fun to be able to enter this one for a chance to win some Verve treats for myself!
This box is for one of our male coaches, so I tried to avoid all the froofroo (sp?). I used some Core'dinations Spell Caster Color Core Cardstock and then "went to town" with a sanding block. Do you think he'll appreciate that it's distressed, or do you suppose he'll just think I gave him a "heavily used" box??? Men! Who knows! He's a basketball coach, so I thought this old Basic Grey patterned paper looked kinda like a worn out basketball and I added some crazy stitching on it, too. Our school mascot is a bulldog so I heat embossed some doggie paw prints to the paper. The sentiment is from the Verve Birthday Surprise stamp set. I used a couple of circle punches to give the feel of a basketball bouncing. This is finished off with two ribbons tied into a knot (no bows for the dude!).
I'm off now to finish baking some cookies to go in the box!
Project Recipe
Paper: Core'dinations Spell Caster ColorCore CS, Basic Grey PP
Stamps: Verve Birthday Surprise, Rubber Stampede 0218 Paw
Accessories: embossing powder, EK Success 1.75" Circle Punch, SU 1 3/8 Circle Punch, sewing machine, PTI Terracotta Tile Saddle Stitch ribbon, PTI True Black Twill ribbon

Verve Blog Party Challenge 3

And onto Verve Challenge Number Three! This Blog Party challenge included using embellishments that begin with the letters in V*E*R*V*E. I used two E's, an epoxy sticker and embossing and an R, ribbon. I also dragged out the Cricut for this one. Now I've spent a fortune on my Cricut, the software and cartridges, but I don't use it near as much as I should. Still, I thought I could create a great band for my recycled glass jar. This is a used candle jar which my mother completely cleaned out for me. I filled it with some delicious candies and then went to work on the band.
I used the Mini Monograms cartridge and my Design Studio software to weld the oval shape and the square into a band. Then, I created a coordinating mat for it. I used the Verve Believe stamp set for the flower which I stamped and then heat embossed and filled in with copic markers. I put an epoxy sticker in the center of the flower and added a cute red bow.
I missed one of my coworkers birthdays last week and feel just horrible, but I had had a crazy week and just couldn't get my little cookie box finished before school let out for the holiday. So, to make it up to her, I'm giving her the jar of candies and my usual "cookie box" which is just a mini pizza box filled with a couple of homemade cookies. Since, I was giving her both, I made them a coordinated set. On the top of the box, I stamped the sentiment from the Verve Birthday Surprise stamp set and heat embossed it. Then, I added another of the red bows. Hope she'll forgive the tardiness of the gift!
Project Recipe
Paper: SU Ridinghood Red CS, DCWV Nana's Kitchen Stack PP
Stamps: Verve Birthday Surprise and Believe
Accessories: Cricut, Mini Monograms cartridge, Design Studio software, cuttlebug, Spellbinders Classic Oval and Scalloped Oval dies, embossing powder, SU Large Oval Punch, PTI Pure Poppy Satin Ribbon, ColorBok epoxy stickers

Pretty in Pink

Isn't the cardstock on this mini pizza box just amazing? And you cannot see it in this picture but it's glittery, too. This cardstock is from the DCWV Garden Party Stack. All the papers are gorgeous and shimmery/sparkly...my favorite.
Did you notice the balloons? The scrolls and swirls go perfectly with the paper, although they would look gorgeous with any paper. This is a set from Verve called Birthday Surprise, so pretty and elegant. I stamped the image with black craft ink and then heat embossed clear embossing powder. After that, it was just a matter of quickly coloring in the balloons with my copics.
Again, I don't know how well it shows up, but I embossed the black strip in the background with my textile embossing folder and my cuttlebug. Then, I just added a pretty ribbon and this pretty box was all ready for a cookie for a special birthday girl.
Project Recipe
Paper: DCWV Garden Party, SU Black CS, GinaK White Pure Luxury CS
Stamps: Verve Birthday Surprise
Accessories: ScorPal, SU Scallop Oval Punch, SU Large Oval Punch, Cuttlebug, Textile embossing folder, Spellbinders Oval Die, Zing Clear embossing powder, heat gun, PTI Berry Sorbet Satin Ribbon, copic markers

Fun And Funky Sunrise

I don't generally do "funky" since I don't know how to do it very well, but Lindsay's Stamp Stuff is releasing a new set today called Funky Forest and I thought I would do something in honor of the new set.
The digital tree stamp I used here is my favorite of the trees. You can purchase the tree as an individual stamp, but now it has a whole set of friends to go with it. Be sure to check it out. There's a whole page full of images and sentiments for only $5.
After WCMD, I got kinda tired of making cards. On top of all my WCMD cards, I had to make a couple of male birthday cards, and, well, I just got a little burnt out. So, I decided to make a birthday cookie box for one of my co-workers. I cut the sun out with my Cricut (Accent Essentials) and freehand cut some hills which I embossed with the Cuttlebug Swirls embossing folder just for added "funkiness". I printed out the same tree image three times in three different sizes and colored with my copics before cutting them out and popping them up on the hills with foam adhesive. Simple, fun and a little funky!

If you didn't come here from Lindsay's blog, be sure to go over there and see what she's done with the new set....AND.....as always, she has a freebie for you! Also, be sure to check out what the whole design team has been doing. I'm always inspired by what they come up with. I wish they all lived next door so we could get together and work on projects! They are amazingly creative. Lindsay must be rubbing off on us!

Project Recipe
Paper: SU Tempting Turquoise, SU Apricot Appeal, GinaK White Pure Luxury CS, Coredinations Flower Power CS
Stamps: LSS Funky Forest
Accessories: Cricut, Accent Essentials, Cuttlebug, Swirls embossing folder, copic markers, ScorPal

Button Balloons

Just a quick little post to show you one of the projects I got done this weekend. I've been really busy updating my blog, working on some projects for my papercrafting group, and organizing the craft room. I have a co-worker who has a birthday today, but I will be giving this to her tomorrow at school. I finally inked up this Papertrey Ink set called Everyday Buttons. If you haven't seen this stamp set yet, it's cleverly designed to coordinate with buttons of all colors and sizes. I threaded a little embroidery floss through the buttons before adhering them to the stamped balloon strings. The sentiment is also from this stamp set. Inside is a couple of delicious cookies for the birthday girl. For more information about and examples of the mini pizza box, see my earlier posts.
Project Recipe
Paper: SU Basic Black CS, PTI White CS, PTI Bitty Dots
Stamps: PTI Everyday Buttons
Accessories: cuttlebug, Spellbinders Labels One Die, buttons (source unknown), PTI Lemon Tart Satin Ribbon

Dragonfly Delight

Awww! Last day of the long holiday weekend! I've managed to do a lot of crafting this weekend even though my son and his girlfriend have been staying with us. It's been great seeing him, but all the extra cooking has really worn me out (of course, any cooking wears me out!). Anyway, they have just headed back toward Dallas and I have headed up to my craft room.
I prepared this little mini pizza box for one of my co-workers who has a birthday today. These little boxes are super easy to make and you can find the tutorial on SCS. Inside I have placed a very large, high calorie, birthday treat!
The recipe for the Coffee House Cookies can be found on Lauren Meader's blog. I baked up a large batch and keep them individually frozen so I have one ready to go whenever a colleague has a birthday. Now, even though I've only given out a few so far this school year, my stash is getting a little low. I wonder how that has happened (hee, hee, like I don't know).
The Copic Creations Challenge blog challenge is to use your favorite copic color combination. Lately, I've really been "feeling" the purple. I don't know if I have one favorite combination, but thanks to this SU Cottage Wall paper, I've been really drawn to the purples and greens. So I printed out the beautiful dragonfly digistamp from Lindsay's Stamp Stuff, and grabbed some purple and green copics to color her in. I added shimmer with my Spica Atyou Glitter pens.
The Digital Tuesday Challenge of the week was to add pearls and lace. The lace was created with a Martha Stewart border punch and the pearls are a combination of Kaiser pearls and Making Memories pearl brads. Got those pretty flowers at Hobby Lobby this week at half off. I know no one does flowers quite like Prima, but these are looking pretty good for Paper Studio!
Project Supplies
Paper: SU Rich Razzleberry CS, SU Old Olive CS, SU Orchid Opulence CS, SU Cottage Wall DSP, GinaK White Pure Luxury CS
Stamps: Lindsay's Stamp Stuff Dragonfly, PTI Tags for Spring (sentiment)
Accessories: copic markers, Spica Atyou Glitter pens, Making Memories Wedding brads, KaiserKraft pearls, Paper Studio Spare Parts paper flowers, Martha Stewart Lace Doily border punch, SU 5-Petal flower punch, scorepal

Cookie in a Box

Last school year I gave each of the staff members a cake in a can on their birthdays. This year I decided to make a cookie in a box (a mini pizza box to be exact). There are lots of tutorials out there for this box and probably Splitcoast is the best place to find the tutorial and examples. Inside my pizza box is a scrumptious, large Coffee House Cookie. I found the recipe on Lauren Meader's blog. I made sure I taste tested them before giving them to anyone (wink)!
The image on the top of the box is a Cute Daisy May (Sheet 51). I used the Cute Daisy May Challenge for the week on this project. The challenge was to make words (sentiment) the focal point. Those Daisy May's are so cute, it's kinda hard for anything else to share the spotlight, though. At best, I may have given the sentiment equal billing with the image which is colored with copics.
I barely got this project in under the deadline for the challenge but I was really busy yesterday assembling a little gift for the first day of school for all the staff. I'll post those later so you can see what I was up to. This is going to be a busy week as we get the kiddies tomorrow and school gets into full swing. Hope your week zippy!
Project Recipe
Paper: DCWV Nana's Kitchen Stack, SU Pretty in Pink, PTI Lemon Tart CS, GinaK White Pure Luxury CS
Stamps: Cute Daisy May Sheet 51, SU Sincere Salutations (sentiment)
Accessories: copics, cuttlebug, Spellbinders Oval Nestabilities dies, Imaginisce Ring Around the Rosies pink flowers, Prima yellow flowers, Basic Grey glazed brad, buttons and twine, Martha Stewart butterfly punch