July 28, 2016

Happy Birthday Pardner!

Hi All!

I had fun with today's card. My co-worker Jane, often asks me to make special cards for her family and friends. She provides me with background information about the recipient and away I go. This card will fill her most recent request.


This is a photo of Jane's nephew as a youngster. He LOVED his cowboy boots and for some reason, Aunt Jane still has them. A couple weeks ago, Jane's nephew was in Texas and tried on some mighty expensive cowboy boots that he fell in love with but would never buy due to the cost.

At the upcoming birthday party, Jane is wrapping and giving her nephew his childhood boots along with this card. The next package will be from the family who all contributed to the mighty expensive cowboy boots. She has already scripted what she is writing in the card as a lead up to the big gift. It will be a wonderful surprise for him and I think he'll get a chuckle out of the card.

Some of the products used in this card include the Large Numbers Framelits, Hardwood stamp and linen thread.

Time for me to mosey off. Thanks for stopping and until next time, take gentle care!




July 26, 2016

A Crate of Goodies

Hi all!

My last post highlighted the Fruit Stand DSP. This is a fun suite of products and you'll see more to come. If you check out page 148 of the catalog that features this suite, you'll see the small crates. I've seen them on Pinterest and thought they were pretty dang cute.

A couple weeks ago I made treat holders for mini Hershey bars to hand out at a staff meeting. I brought home the leftovers and was trying to figure out what to do with them.

My son, Michael, currently has a prescription that is quite costly and is not covered by insurance, so I searched online for coupons and took them to the local WalMart. The pharmacy staff at this WalMart have gone above and beyond in finding every possible discount for me. They've been able to save me about $400 per month on this scrip. 

Now is when the crate comes in. I thought of the pharmacy staff in my figuring on what to do with the treats, but needed to come up with a cute container to hold them - tah dah - the crate!


I used the Hardwood stamp on each of the pieces - love how it turned out. I figured out how big I needed the space to be to hold the number of treats I had, then determined how high I needed the sides. So, if the space I needed was 3 x 4 and 2.5" high, I cut my cardstock 3' wide by 9" (4 + 2.5 + 2.5) long and scored 2.5" from each end. The slats are 1" wide by 5' long and scored at 1/2" from each end. I added Tear n Tape to the 1/2" pieces to attach them to the sides of the crate. Because my crate needed to hold some weight, I reinforced the bottom and side slats with pieces of cardboard cut from a DSP stack.

The pharmacy staff loved the treat. The pharmacist told me the 'girls' were taking photos of it, but he just enjoyed the chocolate, something for everyone! It's so much fun to give, isn't 
it?



Don't Forget!

Bonus Days have started


Thanks for stopping! Until next time, take gentle care,


July 22, 2016

Hooray for Fruit Stand!


Hi Stampers!

I first saw the Fruit Stand DSP on a Center Stage live stream video. Center Stage is an international Stampin' Up! event held twice a year. The main event moves every six months from a location in Europe to one in the South Pacific and then to Salt Lake City, Utah, which is home base of Stampin' Up! In addition, there are local events held in multiple locations in the countries that are not hosting the main event. For those of us who are not able to attend, many of the sessions are live streamed so we can get in on the action!

Anyhoo, that's when I first saw and fell in love with this DSP and the stamp set. They just sing summer! 

Here in my little corner of Wisconsin, we look forward to the Michigan peach truck. The local freebie shopper advertises the location and approximate time the truck will arrive. You need to arrive early or you may miss out. Everyone piles out of their vehicles when the truck pulls in. The fruit is picked, packed, loaded and sent on to Wisconsin; you can't find anything more fresh! Over the years I've learned to slice the peaches and then pull each section off the seed. If you bite into them, you have juice running down your chin. There is nothing better. The truck typically makes two stops several weeks apart in each of the surrounding communities. It gives you an opportunity to enjoy the fresh fruit without it spoiling. YUM!!!



So I think that's why I reached for the peach DSP! This card uses Daffodil Delight for the base and a layer of Tangerine Tango. I cut the DSP 4 7/8" x 3 5/8" and layered it at an angle. The sentiment comes from Confetti Celebration, one of the stamp sets I received from my day of stamping with Lisa Pretto and the InkBig gang. I inked up the stamp with Versamark, then inked it with Crushed Curry ink, stamped it on Whisper White, covered it with Clear Embossing Powder and heat set it for a real pop of color.


TIP: Did you know that you can emboss ANY color using the method I mentioned above? HOORAY for that technique!!

I layered the sentiment onto Pear Pizzaz, used some burlap ribbon, a vintage button tied with a linen thread bow and have a fresh birthday card!



This is the card I originally intended to make. Oops! I didn't mean to cut the DSP in THAT direction. It's off to plan B and the birthday card in the vertical orientation above. There is no such thing as a mistake in paper crafting - it's called  'an interpretation'! This is a good example of using the same layout but in different ways. The stamp I used here is from the Tin of Cards set. Be sure to give this 'two for' a try!

Thanks for stopping. Be sure to check back to see my crate of goodies! Don't want to miss it? Sign up to receive an email with each update. Simply enter your email address in the column on the right.

Until next time, take gentle care,










July 19, 2016

Last week I shared a graduation card I made for Billy. In addition to that milestone, Billy also attained the status of Eagle Scout. His project was a beautiful arbor and bench, fully landscaped and set on a walkway in town. The beautification committee has been working hard to spruce things up in town. The PGA tournament is being played next year at a local golf course, so everyone is working to 'paint the town'!

I couldn't let this big event for Billy pass without a card and gift. 





The card is CASEd (Copy And Share Everything) from fellow Pal, Kim Jolley. I should have made the blue piece bigger to get better proportion, but I decided that I'm being an impressionist and just left it as is! I used the Swirly Scribbles Thinlints for the flag. Remember, this detailed die requires the use of the Precision Plate. You can use the framelits without it, but removing the cardstock from the die is MUCH easier with the specialty plate.

The box is made from Real Red cardstock. I purchased a cut glass paperweight that features the head of an eagle. I measured it and designed the box for a perfect fit. I used Whisper White satin ribbon, a few scraps of Real Red and Night of Navy vintage ribbon and added a bit of sparkle with the sequin trim. I thought it matched the theme of the celebration, don't you?

Thanks for stopping. Be sure to pop back in next Tuesday when I'll be featuring a birthday card using Fruit Stand DSP. I love that stuff!

Until next time, take care,


July 18, 2016

NEW! Thoughtful Branches Bundle

ThoughtfulBranches_Share-2_Jul0516_NA

ORDER AN EXCLUSIVE, LIMITED-TIME BUNDLE!  AUGUST 2-31 ONLY!
  • You will be able to order the Thoughtful Branches exclusive, limited-time bundle between August 2 and 31 (while supplies last).
  • IMPORTANT!  All exclusive items associated with this promotion will be available until August 31 (or while supplies last).
    • See the Thoughtful Branches Bundle here!
    • You may use your Bonus Days coupons on the Thoughtful Branches Photopolymer stamp set, Beautiful Branches Thinlits Dies, Thoughtful Branches Bundle OR ANY Stampin’ Up! products (excluding Starter Kits and Paper Pumpkin subscriptions – new prepaid Paper Pumpkin codes can be redeemed).
PicMonkey Collage

July 17, 2016

Bonus Days

Stampin' Up! Bonus Days are Here!




BONUS DAYS!  JULY 7-31.  EARN IN JULY.  REDEEM IN AUGUST!
  • For every $50 (on a single order, price before shipping and tax) you spend between July 7 – 31,  you’ll earn a $5.00 Bonus Days coupon that you can redeem between August 2 – 31, 2016.
  • An email address is required to participate in this promotion; Bonus Days coupon codes can only be delivered via email.
  • IMPORTANT!  Save both the email containing your Bonus Days coupon codes AND write down the coupon codes in a safe place. Codes cannot be re-sent if the email is lost, and lost codes cannot be recovered.
    • Bonus Days coupon codes can be redeemed for any product, excluding Starter Kits and Paper Pumpkin subscriptions. New prepaid Paper Pumpkin codes can be redeemed.
    • There is no limit to the number of coupons you can receive per order or throughout the duration of the promotion. There is no limit on the number of coupons you can use on an order during redemption.
If you have any questions, don't hesitate to reach out to me.

Happy Shopping


July 12, 2016

Graduation Season

Hi all,

We have another graduation party to attend tomorrow. My son Michael has been celebrating every weekend with a different friend. This weekend I'm invited to the party too! Billy and Michael were baptized on the same day, attended Sunday school and Confirmation classes together. Our families have grown very close over the years. The boys go to different schools. I made the same card for each of them, but used their school colors. It's so hard for me to believe these boys are college bound this fall.



The Large Numbers Framelits made putting this card together a snap. The background stamp is vintage and one I like to use to add texture to a large space.

I forgot to take a photo of the inside before writing in it - oops!











Geometry was never a strength, so figuring out the motar board, took me a few tries. 



I cut a 1" length of card stock, placed it in my trimmer and cut it on a diagonal.












I flipped the cardstock, lined up the diagonal side at 1" and made the second cut.










For the bottom of the hat I cut a rectangle 1" wide and maybe 2" long. I slid one end of the rectangle into the 1 1/2" round punch and punched to get the round shape on the bottom. 









I trimmed the rectangle to fit behind the mortar board. A White Perfect Accent colored with a black Sharpie was placed in the middle of the hat.

An easy and fun little accent!




Hope you enjoyed today's card and mini tutorial. Stop back next Tuesday to see another creation for Billy!

Until next time, take care,