Teacher Gifts

One day after school this past week, the kids made chocolate pretzels for their teachers. You can see the fun they were having here. They looked great in their cello bags and the treats were tasty!!! We put the pretzels in cello bags, folded them over, and stapled them shut. The designer series paper (retired) is cut at 4" x 4", folded in half, and the bottom edge is punched with the eyelet border punch. We attached the DSP to the top of the cello bag using SNAIL adhesive. The large tag was punched from Chocolate Chip CS. The small tag was stamped with the tag image from Happy Heart Day stamp set stamped in Regal Rose ink on Whisper White CS. It was then punched out with the small tag punch, attached to the Chocolate Chip tag, and attached to the bag topper with a dimensional.

Happy Valentine's Day!!!

Card Recipe: CS: Kraft, Chocolate Chip, Pretty in Pink; Stamps: Polka Dot Punches, A Happy Heart; Ink: Chocolate Chip; Accessories: Eyelet Border Punch, Full Heart Punch, Heart-to-Heart Punch, Dimensional, Stamp-a-ma-jig, Chocolate Chip Grosgrain Ribbon

Princess Bedroom--Thanks SU!!!

Thanks to Stampin' Up! my girls' room is looking more and more like a princess room. With the release of the new catalog, they introduced these FABULOUS new decor elements. My MIL had found the castle at a local event and shipped it to us. It was a perfect match for the girls' room...but a bit lonely since it was the only thing on the ball besides the border. As soon as I saw the new decor elements, I ordered them. As soon as they came, we put them on the wall.

It was somewhat of a last minute decision to put the frog on the opposite wall so that's why the dragon looks a bit out of place but I still like the frog here. As soon as Stampin' Up! starts offering custom wording, I'll have something printed about princesses to put above the frog and between their Disneyland mouse ears.

Be sure to take a look at the decor elements brochure today and figure out how they'll work for your decorating needs.

Challenge Thursday--Progressive Scrapbooking

We all scrapbook different size albums at times. One of the quickest ways I've found to switch in between sizes is to do progressive scrapbooking. At last weekend's workshop, one of the make-n-takes was this fun 6x6 scrapbook page.

I then showed it bumped up to an 8 1/2 x 11 by just adding some sponging on the Whisper White edges and adding a die cut title.

Lastly, I showed it put on a 12x12 page by stamping the left edge and adding 3 square pictures.

Give it a try and let me know how it works for your scrapbooking!

Kiddos' Valentines

Thanks to the rain on Monday valentines were completed for classmates...

Sydney's was made with retired designer series paper that I cut with the Big Shot Scallop #2 die. Just simply wrapped it around the pencil, stapled it, and covered the staple with the tag from the stamp set "Happy Heart Day" that had been punched out with the small tag punch that was popped up with a dimensional. (The other two wrote her name on all the tags, thankfully!!)

J.R.'s was probably the fastest valentine. He stuffed the jar of playdough in the cello bag, folded the bag over, and stapled the top. I cut 4"x4" pieces of a retired designer series paper (boy colors that he insisted on), folded them in half, and adhered them to the top of the cello bag with SNAIL adhesive. He then added a tag from the stamp set "Happy Heart Day" that had been punched out with the small tag punch that was popped up with a dimensional.

We had actually started Sierra's valentines last week but then when she got sick she just didn't have the motivation to do anymore. We cut the Box #2 die using the Big Shot. We were going to wheel hearts all over the box but just didn't have the time or energy to do it so we just went with plain boxes. I put the boxes together for her with just one little piece of sticky strip. She added the playdough jar, closed up the box, and attached a popped-up heart tag that she had punched out with the Full Heart punch that she wrote her name on.
Now we're ready for the Valentine Day celebrations!!!

Technique Tuesday

Often at Monday Madness, the ladies want to make birthday cards. This card has been CASEd quite often in one way or another. The "key" to this card is the "sprinkles" that are created with the beads on top of the frosting.

First we stamp the cupcake in a waterproof ink. Next, watercolor the image in the colors desired. The next step is to apply Tombow Multipurpose Adhesive to the sprinkle stamps. The last step is a bit time consuming but worth the effort...place a bead over each spot of adhesive. You could also just apply the adhesive all over the frosting and then pour on the beads for more of realistic sprinkled-cupcake. Make a sprinkled cupcake and then comment here so I can see your creation.

Bleach as a stamp pad

This original idea came from a demo meeting a few years back at Melissa's house (my upline). I've always enjoyed using bleach on background stamps...each color of cardstock is so different when you bleach it. I like to apply bleach to a background stamp with a sponge. The key is to not apply too much bleach. The front medallion can either be stamped on a paper towel that has drops of bleach on it or use the sponge method like the background stamp. Bleach makes an awesome "distressed" look so I find I use it most for masculine cards.
Card Recipe: CS: Basic Black, Bravo Burgundy; Stamps: Sanded, Baroque Motifs; Ink: Basic Black; Accessories: Metallic Brads, Crimper, Dimensionals, Sponge, Bleach

Twin Skaters

My son attended a birthday party for his friends that are twins. The sketch for these cards came from Taylored Expressions TECC54. I always love Taylor's sketches...but time hasn't allowed me to play with the sketches for awhile. Here are the "twin" cards I made for the skater boys...

I love the new "Family Accessories Too." I already LOVE "All in the Family" so this was the PERFECT addition to this stamp set! I can't wait to use the crown on a girl card or scrapbook page.
Here's the wrapped gifts w/ their matching envelopes...
Cards Recipe: CS: Really Rust OR Summer Sun, Close to Cocoa, Whisper White; Ink: Really Rust, Summer Sun, Close to Cocoa, Going Gray, Basic Brown, Blush Blossom; Stamps: All in the Family, Family Phrases, Family Accessories Too; Accessories: 1 3/4" circle punch, Circle Scissors Plus, Glass Mat, Aquapainter

Gift Wrap Recipe: Stamps: Happy, Happy Birthday Jumbo Wheel (retired); Ink: Creamy Caramel Jumbo Cartridge; Accessories: Jumbo Handle, White Wrapping Paper (retired)

Bleach Shadow Stamping

As I was preparing to teach my bleaching class this week, Stampin' Up! posted a new "how-to" video tutorial about bleaching...perfect timing or what?!?!

This is stamped first in Chocolate Chip and then again in bleach. It doesn't matter where you line the stamp up to stamp over your first image because it creates a beautiful shadow no matter where you use it!
Card Recipe: CS: Regal Rose, So Saffron; Ink: Chocolate Chip; Stamps: Upsy Daisy; Accessories: Chocolate Chip 1/4" grosgrain ribbon, Cutter Kit, Bleach

Bleaching

The next few days you'll see projects created with different bleaching techniques. This was the focus of our club technique night this month.

One of the easiest ways to use bleach is to emboss an image and then "highlight" inside the embossed image using bleach. You can apply bleach with a q-tip, a dried-up blender pen, or even by filling your aquapainter with bleach. Just be sure to rinse your blender pen or aquapainter after you project is completed. The bleach will eat away at whatever you "store" it in so be sure to only store it in it's original container.
Card Recipe: Cardstock: Elegant Eggplant, So Saffron; Stamps: Dreams du Jour; Inks: Versamark; Other: Big Shot, SU! Backgrounds I Texturz plates w/ matching pads, Elegant Eggplant ¼” Grosgrain Ribbon, DRIED blender pen, bleach, dimensionals