Tea For Two and Two for Tea

My craft room is all clean and organized! I used some gift cards I got for Christmas and bought a file cabinet and a chest of drawers but I still needed to clean out and toss. I tend to look at packaging and think "What can I do to 'jazz' that up and use it for something else?" Now, that's a great way to go green and save some green, but it doesn't take long to hoard quite a stash of boxes, cartons, crates, jars, and baskets. I determined that I must start actually using and creating with this "stuff"! So with that in mind, I reached in a drawer and pulled out a sturdy plastic box that once upon a time held some smaller plastic boxes. I decided that this would make the perfect container for gifting some delicious teas.

I filled this with some of my favorite teas, but I won't really give these away as these are too hard to come by around here and I like them too much to part with them, but there's plenty of room in this box to fill with an assortment of teas. Now, for the best part...the outside packaging...

Closed and tied shut, this gift is now ready to deliver to a cherished friend or helpful neighbor. I used the card sketch from the Tuesday Morning Sketch Challenge. LSS is sponsoring this week's challenge so be sure to check it out and enter for a chance to win a prize from LSS.
The cute coffee cup (think tea cup here) is from the Lindsay's Stamp Stuff Coffee Talk digital stamp set. I love how easy and fun this cup is to color in with copics. Grab this set for only $5 and earn a free stamp from the store. Speaking of freebies, be sure to click on over to Lindsay's blog. She has a habit of offering free stuff on Thursdays! Then, grab a cup of coffee or tea and hop around to see what the rest of the design team has been up to this week. You're sure to be inspired. Oh, and don't forget to try the challenge at Tuesday Morning Sketches. Have a zippy week, all!
Project Recipe

Paper: SU More Mustard CS, GinaK White Pure Luxury CS, My Mind's Eye PP

Stamps: LSS Coffee Talk digital stamp set

Tools: cuttlebug, Spellbinders Deckled Rectangle Nestabilities dies, EK Success corner rounder, copic markers, Prisma pencils

Embellishments: Prima flowers, PTI Ocean Tides grosgrain ribbon, SU Love & Happiness rub-ons (sentiment), Paper Studio Spare Parts brown brad assortment

Air Mail

Aww! How tweet! This little birdie is another cutie from the LSS Love Grows Here digital stamp set. He's all set to deliver a little Valentine's love to someone special. I colored him in with my copics and prisma pencils. Then, I grabbed some scraps from the scrap drawer. The scalloped heart is a new EK Success punch that I just love, paired with a Paper Shapers (also by EK Success) medium heart punch. I took a large yellow button and ran some ribbon through the buttonholes which I then tied in a simple knot. A little more ribbon for a pretty bow and some tiny buttons and this sweet card was done! I love when a project comes together this easy.
Good thing it was a quick, easy project because I've started my master's classes and I've got lots of reading and writing to do on top of my regular work and my hobby (passion). I'm not sure how often I'll get to hang out in the craft room over the next few months but I'm gonna grab whatever time I can. But for now, I'm off to do some required reading (good thing it's good reading!).
Project Recipe

Paper: Scraps (?), SU Razzleberry Lemonade, GinaK White Pure Luxury CS

Stamps: LSS Love Grows Here

Tools: Cuttlebug, Spellbinders Classic Rectangle Nestabilities, EK Success Scalloped Heart punch, medium heart punch, bow easy, copic markers, prisma pencils

Embellishments: PTI Lemon Tart Satin ribbon, PTI Scarlet Jewel Extra Fine Polka Dot Satin ribbon, buttons

Bingo

Panic set in today when I really LOOKed at a calendar and saw how close Valentine's is getting. I'm determined to have a treat for each of my one hundred students for this holiday. I didn't do it for Christmas and consoled myself with the thought that I most definitely would do a Valentine's Day project for them and our 40 plus faculty/staff. Now, I'm wondering when this miracle is going to occur! But I'm definitely in the mood for Valentine's. As a warm up I created a couple of great cards that I can send to friends, anyway!
I used the same digital stamp for both cards but went in a couple of different directions with color.

My first one shows the Love Grows Bingo digital stamp from the LSS Love Grows Here digital stamp set. I print the image out on pink cardstock, added a little extra color and shimmer with a Spica pink glitter pen, and then added the cute red punched hearts. The pink patterned paper in the background is some old SU paper that I've been hoarding! The bow is a strip of fabric I had in a jar for no telling how long...I think it's left over from an old scrapbook project. Do you love the scalloped heart under the sentiment? It's a new punch...LOVE IT!

For the next card, I went for the more dramatic red and black. It's my favorite of the two.

I printed out the same Love Grows Bingo digital stamp but this time on white cardstock. I, then, colored "love" in with a Spica lipstick glitter pen and added more of the punched red hearts for a winning card! I matted the image with both red and black and gave each mat a lattice border.The background paper is some Scenic Route Sonoma paper. I used a red felt heart that I won in a drawing at a scrapbook store a long time ago. See, it does pay to hold on to stuff!

Now, I did have a third card to show you using a different image from the LSS Love Grows Here digital stamp set, BUT my memory card reader went kapoot (sp?) on me and that' a trip to Walmart to replace it...maybe later this week I can get that one up. I am so loving this stamp set. If you haven't bought it yet, be sure to visit Lindsay's Stamp Stuff and check it out...really cute images there! Lot's of other goodies in the store to help you get ready for Valentine's or any other occasion you find yourself needing a card!

Also, be sure to go over to the side bar and visit Lindsay's design team for more inspiration and don't skip Lindsay's blog because there's always a great project and freebie!
Project Recipe

Paper: SU Real Red, Pretty in Pink, Black CS, SU Berry Bliss DSP (retired), Scenic Route Sonoma PP, PTI White CS, DCWV glitter pack

Stamps: LSS Love Grows Here digital stamp set, PTI Heart Prints (sentiment)

Tools: EK Success Scalloped heart punch, Paper Shapers medium heart punch, Martha Stewart Lattice border punch, small heart punch (unknown), Spica Atyou Glitter pens, ink/sponge

Embellishments: red felt heart, scrap faabric, Ribbon FX black checked ribbon (Hobby Lobby)

Old-Fashion Charm

Wanted to use my favorite cardstock color, SU's Sage Shadow, and create a card with little old-fashioned appeal. I took some GinaK Tan Leather Pure Luxury cardstock and did a little heat embossing to create the flourished background. I had some Cosmo Cricket Wanted chipboard pieces that incorporated these colors, so I added the chipboard photo corners to the corners and put my sentiment on top of an oval chipboard piece from the set. The sentiment is from the Verve set Fairy Tales. I stamped it with brown craft ink and then heat embossed it. I wrapped SU's wide striped ribbon in chocolate chip around the base and tied a bow. I love that this looks like an old photo.
I had a very productive weekend. I got my craft room semi organized. I so need to add on to this room! I did complete several cards and a few other projects which I'll show you later in the week. The weather was also great this weekend which helps my mojo...I do love some sunshine! Have a great week!
Project Recipe

Paper: SU Sage Shadow cs, GinaK Tan Leather Pure Luxury cs

Stamps: SU Baroque Motif, Verve Fairy Tales

Tools: heat embossing powder, heat gun, SU Large Oval punch, SU Scalloped Oval Punch

Embellishments: SU Chocolate Chip Striped Grosgrain ribbon, Cosmo Cricket Wanted chipboard

Peacock Proud

Turquoise is such a rich color! I especially love turquoise jewelry. And, how cool to be a peacock and get to be "dressed" in turquoise all the time. One of the Verve release week challenges was a color challenge: turquoise, grey and black. So I grabbed this gorgeous image from Lindsay's Stamp Stuff called Flourished Peacock. I used some blue green copics and Aqua Stickles to give the peacock hints of color and loads of shimmer. I didn't have a black flower so I created one with a copic marker and an airbrush kit. Then, I spritzed some glimmer mist on it to give it a slight sparkle, too.
Lindsay's got a couple of new sets in the shop. Be sure to pop in and check these out. If you're looking for a good sale, head over to My Grafico where everything, including Lindsay's great designs, are 25% off today and tomorrow.
Need more inspiration? Be sure to check Lindsay's blog and all the ladies of the fabulous design team! The cold weather is keeping us all indoors heating up the craft rooms with creative energy!
Have a zippy kind of day!
Project Recipe

Paper: SU Taken With Teal, Basic Grey, Black CS, GinaK White Pure Luxury CS, DCWV Winter Glitter Stack

Stamps: LSS Flourished Peacock, Verve Birthday Surprise (sentiment)

Tools: Cuttlebug, Embossing Folder (Morrocan Screen), SU Modern Label die, SU Modern Label punch, Cuttlebug  Ornamental die, Martha Stewart Arch Lattice border punch, copic markers, copic air adapter, air compressor

Embellishments: Prima wildflower, PTI Dotted Satin ribbon, black and aqua Ranger Stickles, Paper Studio Spare Parts brad assortment

From the Heart

I have really depleted my stash of birthday cards, so when I decided to participate in the Viva La Verve Sketch Challenge last week, I knew I had to make a birthday card. I know it looks like it should be a Valentine's card or something but the card reads "From the heart (cover)...a very happy birthday (inside)". I love this little cherry image from a new set at LSS called Love is in the Air. I colored it with my copics. The sentiment stamps are from Verve. I added a little embossed piece to this and created a "ribbon" with my Martha Stewart Lattice border punch. My absolute favorite aspect of this card is the great gingham paper in the background. I designed the whole card around that paper. This is from the DCWV Farmer's Market Recycled Paper Pack. I hope I can part with this when the time comes...
Project Recipe

Paper: DCWV Farmer's Market PP, SU Real Red and Always Artichoke CS, SU Rockabilly DSP, Ginak White Pure Luxury CS

Stamps: LSS Love Is In the Air, Verve Thankful Hearts

Tools: cuttlebug, embossing folder, Spellbinders Deckled Nestabilities dies, EK Success Medium Heart Punch, Martha Stewart Lattice border punch, copic markers

Cuttin Up with Shutt-erfly

My Cricut is a smokin'! And I've fallen in love with it again. Yes, Provo Craft is finally releasing cartridges more frequently and are even offering more affordable options, but that's not what's rekindled the romance with my Cricut. No, there has just been a rash of designers offering better and better SVG files for cutting with the Cricut and SCAL (or the new Make the Cut). You can see some great projects I've made with SVG cut files from LSS  here, here, and here. But the project I created today is from another 3D template designer--Lauren Meader of My Time Made Easy. Lauren's started a new company offering mainly digital products and featuring templates for creating great and easy 3D projects.

This template is called Shutt-erfly because of its unique closure. I chose not to feature the top closure, but instead focused in on the daisy which I also created using another SVG file called Flutters and Flowers from My Time Made Easy. I have unlimited cuts from the files, and they can be resized to fit whatever project I'm working on.
I just think these SVG files are a much better investment than cartridges which I never seem to use. Of course, in case you can't tell, I'm very partial to gift packaging and love the ease of cutting these with a machine instead of a pair of scissors!
Project Recipe

Paper: SU Rich Razzleberry, SU Orchid Opulence, SU Old Olive, SU Cottage Wall DSP

Stamps: My Time Made Easy All A Flutter

Tools: Cricut, SCAL, My Time Made Easy Shutt-erfly and Flutters and Flowers SVG cut files, SU Tag punches (large and small), Martha Stewart lattice border punch

Embellishments: Recollections brad (Michaels)