Build A Bear

A friend called the other day and wanted to know if I could work up a design for her daughter's birthday invitations. The party theme was candy and I thought what could I do? Luckily she was having a party at a place called The Lollipop Shop (completely new to me!) and at their parties you can choose a stuffed toy/animal, actually unstudied, and then stuff it with candy! Can you say sugar buzz for a lifetime...unless they are the size of a Beanie Baby :-) Well when I heard stuffed animal I immediately thought of the SU! Build A Bear dies and stamp set then became quite disappointed as I have not yet ordered any BAB items. Got on the phone to my friend and rescuer Rita. She saved the day by letting me borrow her dies and her brand new unused stamp set. I felt rather guilty by breaking in her new stamp set first. As it turned out, I only used the dies and get to return her stamp set new as the day she received it. I made the lollipop from WW card stock and the shaving cream technique aiming for the swirly effect of those gigantic lollipops kids are always attracted to and then added a touch of Stickles for some sparkle. Yes, I know the greeting is not SU!, but it was all I had. My friend picked up the invites today and seemed pleased with the result. Now to work up a design for her other daughter's birthday in December...party theme=winter so I'm thinking snow flakes or maybe the snowmen from the More The Merrier set. The most awesome thing about this invite is that the birthday girl has chosen NOT to ask for presents, but ask her guests to bring items for Project Night Night. This organization puts together small totes with a blanket, book, and stuffed toy for children at homeless shelters. This young lady truly has a heart of gold. If you get a chance go check out the website www.projectnightnight.org. Once again, thanks for taking the time to share my blog.

Holiday Gift Market

Every November our church holds a gift market for missions. The past 2 years all of the items were fair trade products ranging from food, jewelry, and home decor from places like Vietnam, India, and other countries. This year, "crafty" church members were encouraged to donate some their art works so I pulled out my stamps to do my part.

Even though there are only 7 tags showing here, I made 8 different gift tags packaged in cute 2-4-6-8 boxes, that I neglected to take a photo of :-(
I made my own shimmer mist using SU!'s shimmer paint and rubbing alcohol in a mini mister and it added just a hint of sparkle to my tags and boxes. I also used some of the SU! silver elastic cording on each tag.

I just love this Snow Swirled set, it is so elegant! I have also found a new love....Spellbinders Nestabilities. I decided I really wanted to design this card with ovals and have not purchased the oval Bigz die yet so off I went with a coupon to one of those big box store and got my first Nestie. Sorry this picture and the next are a bit on the dark side.

I have loved this Cardinal since I purchased him last year and finally got around to using him. This frame was actually the remaining piece after cutting out the oval for the above card. I just had to use it for something so I ran it through my Big Shot using the Petals A Plenty Embossing folder and then layering over WW cardstock. Then using my Stamp-a-ma-jig and Staz On stamped Mr. Birdie and watercolored with reinkers and a blender pen.

My third card was the Holy Family stamp set on the shimmer cardstock using Night of Navy. I embossed the star and Baby Jesus' halo in gold and layered the trimmed Top Note on a gold Top Note.

I ended up with 6 boxes of cards, packaged 6 to a box, 2 of each design, in a clear acetate gift box (yes, I made those too) and was very happy to find out that all six sold!! I really liked the gift box that I stumbled upon and it held 6 cards and envelopes perfectly. Check out Tracy Schultz's blog at www.whoistracy.com

Well, thanks for looking and hopefully I will be back in the next day or so to post pictures of a birthday inivitation I made with the Build A Bear die cuts.

Happy Halloween!

Hope everyone is getting ready for a spooktacular halloween! I am still waiting for my 7 year old to decide on a costume, can we say wait til the last minute? My 4 year old dressed as a "struschion worker" (yes, that is construction worker for you & me) for the preschool party yesterday; don't you just love the way the little ones pronounce words?! I usually try to give something other than candy at school so I altered the size of Angie Kennedy Juda's (http://www.mychicnscratch.com/) Halloween treat holder to fit a mini bag of pretzels.

I also changed up the scallop edge a bit by cutting out tiny little triangle pieces from the scallops to make some a little more boyish and used the Eyelet Border punch for the girls. My other change was to use a 5 1/2" x 1/4" piece of cardstock for the handle rather than ribbon. I figured that was a good economic move as we all know the kids care about what is inside and not the packaging.

Thanks for looking and Happy Haunting on Saturday night!

For My Wonderful Mom-in-law....A Brag Book

My mother-in-law's birthday was a couple of weeks ago and my husband and I struggled for ideas for a gift. We finally decided a copy of all the preschool/school pictures we have would be perfect. I put together this little brag book showing our 2 boys chronologically since my oldest started preschool.

This is the first picture of the boys while both were attending the same preschool. My oldest was 4 and my youngest 13 months. When my husband looked at this picture the other day he said "hey, look at chubby". Just makes you want to go pinch a fat little baby roll!

This was last Spring's photo op. Oh, how grown my boys look!! Jack was in kindergarten and this was shortly before his 7th birthday. Ethan, in his very cool pose...and how they got him to do that I would like to know, was 3.

My little man's first grade picture with a spot holding for Ethan's fall photo. They were taken last week and I just got my information to go in and look at the proofs online today. The book is made from my enormous stash of chipboard coasters (I think I have a lifetime supply) and the retired SU! Primary Colors scrapbook kit. I removed the rhinestones from the brad base to add a little pop to the cover. I had so much fun creating this and it went really fast, but I almost feel that it is under embellished...but a 4x4 coaster does not leave a lot of room for additions :-( Now we can't wait to get together to give Mom her gift! Thanks for looking!!

Had to Post the Real Thing

Okay, my OCD kicked in. I had to post the "real" thing rather than just my sample piece. See what I mean when I say that I embellish and change as I create? Please tell me there are others out there that do the same thing!


Close up of the bubbles. I used Waterfall Stickles and after it dried I top coated with Crystal Effects. I used a variety of DSP patterned papers and I tried to upload the picture to show you, but every time I try to upload the picture it mysteriously turns from a horizontal shot to a
vertical view. Needless to say it is beyond me at the moment. When I figure it out I will add it to the post...hopefully :-) Thanks for looking, again.

Finally Posting!

I have finally gotten around to posting again...wow, that was a long break! I got a call on Wednesday for some last minute party favors for this Saturday and this is what I came up with. My customer had seen some other candy bar wrappers I had done and wanted to know if I could adapt to the occasion. This is just your standard Hershey bar wrapped in retired Pink Pirouette DSP and embellished with PP ribbon. The stamp set is the retired Bubble Queen (thank you Cheri for letting me borrow it and Rita for bringing it to me!). This was my sample and as always I find some other way to embellish as I progress. On the final design I used Waterfall Stickles on the bubbles and after it dried I topped it off with Crystal Effects and I love how it turned out...sparkly (is that a word?) and shiny. I changed the tag a little by using the SU! Tag Corner punch rather than the Ticket Punch shown here. When I emailed this sample to my customer she told me I must have read her mind because it was exactly what she had in mind. Don't ya love it when a plan comes together?! Needless to say I am a bit tired today as I stayed up to about 3:30 am getting these done; my 3 y/o has a birthday party to attend at 10:30 this morning and then I am to work with my husband's company this afternoon so we can get a job completed and ready to invoice (and it is a labor intensive job). Perhaps I shall sleep well tonight. Thanks for looking and hope everyone has a wonderful weekend. Rubber hugs to all!!

Another School Year Has Ended

I cannot believe I am now the parent of a First Grader...where has this year gone? This past Wednesday was the last day of kindergarten for my 6 y/o and we wanted to give each teacher on his team a small parting gift. When I made these flower pot cards I used the Sizzix Embosslits and the soon to be retired In Colors. The edges of the the flowers and leaves are inked to add some dimension. On the back of the pull out card we attached a Starbuck's gift card; very appropriate as there is a Starbuck's within very close walking distance of the school. In side we put travel size bottles of lotion and body spray in a very relaxing and peaceful scent. As much as I was unhappy with the gift bag in my previous post I soooooo love these gift bags and almost didn't want to let them go :-) As always, thanks for looking and have a great weekend!

Better Late Than Never

Unfortunately punctuality has never been my strong point but my motto is better late than never! At the school my 6 year old attends each grade level is taught by a team of teachers. If you have been reading my blog you will have noticed 2 previous posts for birthday gifts for his kindergarten teachers, therefore 3 separate posts, one for each teacher. My hubby gave me a chuckle when I told him I was working on another teacher b-day gift. I think his words were like "How many birthdays do they have?" I think he focused more on Jack's homeroom teacher and not realizing there were 2 more teachers making Team Saturn...good thing there are moms to keep these things straight, huh? This was a very quickly thrown together gift bag...can't say I am completely happy with it, but at least it's better than the plain white bag it started out as.

I haven't made a 2-4-6-8 bag in a while and found it to be the perfect little holder for a little birthday chocolate.

Another chipboard coaster Post-It Note Holder and matching pen. This one is covered in Certainly Celery DSP and I FINALLY got around to using my Sticky Letters and Green Micro Beads from the Duo pack. Even though each teacher pretty much got the same items I tried to make each one a little bit different.

I will definitely be making more of these little boxes! It's one of Lauren Meader's templates called the Desk Top Organizer. I have seen this hold pieces of notepaper (as pictured), A2 cards/envies, candy, and even a baby-shirt; talk about versatility. You can find Lauren's templates at: http://www.papertreyink.com/timeless_templates.html
I used an Avery template for a 4.25x5.5 postcard and printed the Note From XXXXX on my laser printer. I used the Teacher's Pet stamp set and ABC Images stamp set on the lower right hand corner. Hopefully the next time I make these the procrastination bug will have departed my life and I will color in the images for a little extra pop. The monogram was made with the JustRite stamper and borders and layered on a 2" scallop punch. Thanks for looking!

Got the Flower Pot Bug

Well, it seems I have caught the bug too! Seems everyone is making this adorable flower pot cards. I was really surprised how easy they were to make.


The card on the left is made with Pink Pirouette and will go to my 3 y/o's lead preschool teacher while the Pacific Point goes to his assistant teacher.


On the back of the insert I have attached a little envelope to hold a cash gift. The children will present the cards tomorrow at their end of the year class party. There are a ton of tutorials and examples on line for these cards so try your hand at making some...I think they can become addictive! Thanks for looking

Back At Last!

It has been quite a while since my last post. I've been busy working on a scrapbook elements swap and coming up with an idea for 120 invitations! This needed to be a Hollywood themed invitation for another teacher appreciation luncheon. Hopefully the above photo will fit the bill...filmstrip and stars. Thanks to my ridiculously large Sizzix die collection I was able to make quick time cutting the filmstrip (not really as it probably took an hour PLUS to cut 120 of them)and of course the stars were punched with the SU! punches. I did adhere the stars with dimensionals for a little pop. My next project is to to come up with a party favor to coordinate with the invitation. I was thinking along the lines of the new SU! Matchbox Die filled with nuggets, but I think that will be too time consuming and costly for their budget. Then I had an "aha!" moment just a little bit ago. Now I am leaning towards making Hershey bar wrappers with the Walk of Fame motif. Once I figure it out I will do another post. Until then...happy crafting!!

Part 3, The End, I Promise!

This is the coordinating gift bag to hold all of the goodies. This image was also stamped on watercolor paper, but this time I used the Watercolor Wonder Crayons.


I made an A2 card box to hold the six cards and envelopes and made the top from acetate to give a little glimpse of the goodies in side. The bottom is made out of Elegant Eggplant with a band of Whisper White stamped in EE using the Watercolor Vine Jumbo Wheel. I am sure you have noticed that I did not put any sentiments on the cards. No, I didn't forget, I just wanted Jenny to be able to use them for any occasion she chooses.


Well of course you have to have coordinating envelopes. I don't usually do this, but always admire it when I see it on other posts. Even though all the cards vary in shades of purple all the envelopes are the same. It was probably close to 3 am when I was wrapping up and at that point this was good enough!


It's a Peek-A-Boo box......


Peek-A-Boo it's chocolate....you can't have a birthday without chocolate, can you? I hope you have enjoyed this little trip through Teacher's Birthday Land :-)

Teacher Gift, Part 2

Here's the second installment of the teacher's birthday gift. Looks like I will have to make it a triple play to get the last of the pictures in. The post-it-note holder is made from chipboard coasters covered with DSP and bound together with the Bind-It -All and of course there is a matching pen. I had to use the 1" O-wire as I was out of the 3/4" which would have been much better and the only local store that carries it was out as well. I have been hoarding my Hodgepodge Hardware so I decided to step up the cover with Jenny's monogram and the HH.

This card was actually posted earlier, but as I have a habit of doing, I embellished a little more after the initial picture was taken. The center of the Filagree Flower Designer brad uses a Circle Ice Rhinestone Brad.

Jenny's favorite color is purple so I am sure you have noticed the "theme" going on here. I tried something a little different by stamping in Craft white and then mixing together SU! White EP, Iridescent Ice EP and Dazzling Diamonds Glitter then heat embossing. The glitter efffect does not quite come through in the picture.

Nothing fancy here except a rather blurry picture, sorry. This is a second stamping after coloring with markers and misting then stamping on watercolor paper. Around the edge is faux stitching and then double matted on circles using the wonderful Circle Scissor Plus. Another piece of HH was used but I mixed together some Crystal Effects with a little reinker to color the inside of the ribbon slide. The background is the En Francais stamp. I also removed the Circle Ice Rhinestones from the brad part and adhered with glue dots. I will get the last installment out in a little bit and then we'll put this project to bed! Thanks for looking.

Kindergarten Teacher Birthday Package Part 1

Ahhhhh, the sweet smell of success! I am finally finished with birthday present for my 6 y/o's kindergarten teacher. I really had a good time making this birthday package. For some reason, I had this overwhelming desire to use the Upsy Daisy set and along with the teacher's favorite color of purple the theme was set. The complete set consisted of a matching spiral bound notepad and pen, a chipboard coaster spiral bound post-it-note holder with matching pen, set of 6 gift boxed Upsy Daisy cards, and of course chocolate in a peek-a-boo box. I will post the second half of the gift set in my next post...hopefully a little later today. Oh, I almost forgot. I also altered the gift bag to coordinate with all the other goodies and included some stickers made for grading papers. The card designs were parital CASEs from Splitcoast with a "Dawn tweak" here and there. I sure do appreciate all the talent that Splitcoast showcases.

Thankful Thoughts

Okay, I am either late for last year or early for this year...you can decide. I am still uploading past projects as I have still not finished my current birthday package for my 6 y/o's teacher. Usually I get my second and third winds after everyone goes to bed, but here lately I have turned into an absolute couch potato and every other kind of lazy vegetable come 9 o'clock! I really must do better. Back to the project at hand...I made these little treat bags for my 3 y/o's Sharing Feast at Preschool this past November. This is a school wide feast where all the classes meet in the Fellowship Hall and celebrate before Thanksgiving break. Of course you will recognize the Top Note die used for the bag topper and it was actually stamped with the small background stamp in the Thoroughly Thankful set. The turkey is made from various colors of cardstock using the Scallop Punch. I included the recipe on the back of the snack bag with the meaning of each ingredient to remind us of our beginnings and our many blessings. Thanks for looking!

CASEing Again

Just sitting here finishing my Monday night routine with CSI: Miami and thought I would upload some pictures of this year's Sale-A-Bration cards. These were pretty much a direct case with a minor tweak here and there. I did these cards for a shoebox swap in January. Well, I really need to go make a birthday gift for my 6 y/o son's teacher...nothing like waiting til the last minute, huh? Hope everyone had a thoroughly enjoyable Easter weekend!

Altered Journals

I made these altered mini journals last year for the preschool teachers of my then 2 y/o. My oldest son did not have Ms. Robin and Ms. Tammy since he didn't start until he was 3, but these two ladies were such awesome teachers and I am so grateful my little Ethan was able to spend a year with them! I am now getting ready to alter some mini spiral bound notepads. There is a really good tutorial for these by Angie Kennedy Juda at http://chicnscratch.typepad.com/stampinacademy/2008/03/notepad-tutoria.html

Once I get the new ones made I will post some pictures. I hope everyone has a wonderful Easter weekend!

Chipboard Coaster Photo Book

When my hubby got elected to the board of directors of the IWCA he started to do a lot more traveling so I wanted him to have a little piece of family and home to take with him on each trip. I made this little book out of heavy weight chipboard coasters from the American Coaster Company. The DSP is now retired and the name completely escapes me, but I believe it was one of the western themed papers. I hinged the coasters with pieces of chocolate chip grosgrain and then covered with the DSP. Inside I placed some matted family photos we had taken at our last church directory photo shoot and embellished with some rub-ons and a personal note. The book folds in a zig-zag manner and closes with a grosgrain ribbon tied in a bow.

In February my DH was in Atlanta for the annual IWCA convention, March 19-April 1 he worked in Asheville, NC, this evening he left for Winston-Salem, NC and will return on Saturday evening, April 30-May 2 he'll be off to Houston, TX....and this is just for the beginning of 2009. Considering I made this book 2 years ago you can imagine how many travels it has been through!

Retired But Still So Cute

When my oldest son was turning 5 (2007) he decided to have a pirate themed birthday

which thrilled me so I could use my Ahoy Matey stamp set. I was so sad to see it retire last

go round :-(

I had the best time making these and received so many compliments from the parents of the invited children. It was the first time of having a birthday party at our home and even though it was a pretty involved deal with it being a pool, bouncy house, water slide, hotdog/hamburger cookout party it was so worth it. Jack and his friends had such a great time! Last year we did a rock climbing party at an indoor climbing gym and it was really nice to leave all the setup and clean up to someone else. Okay, I was bummed that I could not find any stamp sets to make the invites and had to resort to using the gym's clip art invitations.

We have another b-day coming up in June and have yet to decide what a soon to be 7 year old may want to do this year. Maybe I can pull out my stamp sets and he can pick a theme from one of them...yeah, right!

Something for Mom

Yes, I am a SU! addict, however I can be inticed by other stamping companies...guess that means I am an equal opportunity stamper! I fell in love with the Williamsburg, VA area as a child and for a couple of years after college I lived and worked there as well. I found these stamps by Impression Obsession and made these cards for my mom quite some time ago. They are very detailed stamps perfect for watercoloring. I was asked by Mitra Friant, the owner of IO, if she could post these on her website as examples. Needless to say I was overwhelmed though quite pleased. I also have several lighthouse/seashore stamps from IO and as the colonial stamps remind me of my days in VA the coastal stamps remind me of the years I lived on the Outer Banks of NC. For anyone interested you can find Impression Obsession at

http://www.impression-obsession.com/

This day has been a special day for me. My hubby, 3 y/o son, and I were treated to lunch out by my in-laws for my birthday. I am so lucky to have such wonderful in-laws and it can never hurt when your M-I-L likes to stamp and craft too. Then the afternoon was spent chatting, playing with Ethan, relaxing, getting a SU! order, attending a positive end of quarter parent/teacher conference for my 6 y/o son, and then dinner out. I received several email birthday wishes from stamping friends I have never personally met. This day has reaffirmed all the blessings of friends, family, and the small things in life I am so fortunate to have and I am very grateful to be so blessed.