Even the Naughty deserve something nice....

As I've talked about before, we moved into a new neighborhood last summer. Our kids are in hog heaven! There are 18 kids on our street, and only 1/2 the lots are occupied! So, needless to say, we are Kid Central! So, when i saw this post on Pinterest for Candy Cane Playdough, I thought what a great gift this would make for all our neighbors!

 I did these two last weekend as a trial run. I need a litl eplaydough making practice. Or maybe just playdough twisting practice. What I really need to do is buy a jar with a larger mouth! This is why we do trial runs, right? Anyway, I chose a very appropriate tag...

 If you live around LOTS of kids, you know what I'm talking about! It's great to have so many friends, but we are forever putting out fires! OK, figuratively.. LOL! :-)

I tied the tag and cookie cutter on with White Twine and Real Red Striped Grosgrain Ribbon. The fabric is Candy Cane Christmas Designer Fabric. Tag was made using the Tags till Christmas Stamp Set, Real Red ink, Red Glitter Paper, Wild Wasabi CS. I punched two large tag punches and layered them so it was one wider tag base. I also used the 1 1/4" square punch and the Scalloped Square punch. I also sprinked Dazzling Diamonds into the dough!!

Hope my neighboor friends enjoy this fun (and CHEAP!!) gift!

Hand Stamped Sentiments inspired Advent Calendar

The trees are done! My new addiction this year is this incredible shiny MESH! Ahhh! Love it!

Anyway, I digress.... This week's challenge at HSS really gave me the kick in the pants I needed to finish one MAJOR project I was avoiding. Can you tell what it is.....????

No, not my beautiful tree! The Advent Calendar Ladder down at the bottom! Whew! What a monkey off my back! I thought my girls were going to pack up and move to the neighbors if I didn't have this thing ready in time!

Thanks to Hand Stamped Sentiments, I don't have to worry about that!

Now that Thanksgiving is over it's time to break out all those Christmas decorations! This week is an anything but a card challenge so what better time to make a Christmas ornament or make something using ornaments! Let's start decking the halls!

Rules and Deets:

• You may use ANY BRAND of products to create your project.
• Use keyword HSSABAC95 when uploading to public galleries.
• We would appreciate a link back to our HSS site.
• Incorrect links are not eligible and will be deleted.
• INLINKZ will close at noon (CST) Monday, December, 5th
• Artist Picks will be announced on Tuesday, Tuesday, 6th
• Join us for a new challenge every Tuesday.

Three girls each wanting their own Advent Calendar. Whats a mom to do? That's 75 trinkets, and 75 "containers!" I was going to blow my whole Christmas budget on this one tradition. So, I locked myself in the Batcave and dug through drawers and boxes until I got this idea.

These are the little round container Stampin' Up sends their embellishments in. Love them! And, yes, I have been hoarding them! I didn't have enough empty ones, so I did have to combine a few embellishments, but it was worth it! (These are also really cheap and can be purchased by themselves from SU!)

I punched any red and green DSP I had scraps of (mostly form the DSP stacks) using the 2 1/2" Circle Punch,. Then, punched the large Scallop Circle out of Very Vanilla. The ornaments were punched our of the red Shimmer paper as well as some Christmas DSP. Last but not least, I stamped each of the numbers from the SU Countdown to Christmas set. These were punched using the 1" square.

I glued a loop of retired Real Red Grosgrain on the back of each one.

The girls don't get their own. Mama just couldn't cut it! Maybe next year! I combined their trinkets together,. Hopefully there will be no throwdowns in front of the advent calendar each morning! Eek!

I wove some twine through the slats of a little ladder I actually already had and hung each one with a clothespin. This was a super fast project, done in under 2 hours (including mounting the stamps, and opening all those darn Squinkies!)

So, what kind of "ornament" can you create? It doesn't have to be an ornament, but maybe have some kind of ornament punch or stamp on it! Give it a try and maybe scratch one of your projects off your list!

Good luck and don't forget to come back and show us!!

Scrapbook Sunday!

I missed Scrapbook Saturday y'all! My bad.. I have been home since Friday, but have been a mad Christmas Decorating, Christmas Shopping, School Project Making Fool! I'm exhausted!

But, I do have a page to share!

 Sasafrass is the name I have for my youngest.. She acts sassy and silly, so it just seems to fit!

 The design is very simple. Three scraps of SU's DSP in Regal Colors.  I stamped a flower, stacked a few buttons and added some simple words.

 Punched circles help to add some fun along the edge. Matching buttons are always my go to embellishment.

And I didn't have enough letters in one alpha. so I mixed them! Love this look!

Hope you have a great start to your week!

Candy Cane Christmas

I was so excited to see the Candy Cane Christmas Designer Fabric on sale at Stampin' Up's Extravaganza! It is so cute! I have been wanting to use some fabric for my stamp clubs and this is the perfect opportunity!

Today's card is inspired by the colors at Inkspirations and the sketch at Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge.

 I ran the fabric through the Big Shot using the pennant die. I also ran some felt through as well. I sewed around the edges, snipped the edges to make them rough and glued on a few embelishments!

Stamps: Four the Holidays
Ink and Paper: Real Red, Baja Blue, Whisper White, Frostwood Lodge DSP
Other: Candy Cane Christmas Designer Fabric, Big Shot, Pennant Die, Holly Jolly Buttons, Jingle Bells, Crystal Effects, felt

Hope your ready for Thanksgiving! We leave today to meet up with family in East Texas. Can't wait! Happy Thanksgiving!

HSS #92- Winter Wonderland!

Well, it's been a muggy 82 today here in South Texas while I shopped all day for Christmas! Boo! But, I hope where you are, you are enjoying more seasonable appropriate weather!

I'm ready for something like this:

Hand Stamped Sentiments # 94
As we are getting ready for this wonderful season we want to see how you integrate this festive inspiration WINTER WONDERLAND into this weeks project. What does this phrase mean to you, show us with your project- anything from a card, scrap page, 3-D item, even home decor projects, YOU CREATE!!

I have not loved "pool Party" until today! This soft turquoise is just beautiful with Crumb Cake and crisp Whisper White!

I also used the heck out of my Dazzling Details! I LOVE this stuff! It is so easy to use, unlike regular glitter glue. The tip is very fine and you have better control of it. Also, I have no experienced one bubble or clog since I began using it months ago!

And, isn;t this ribbon yummy! It is called Pool Party Ruffled Grosgrain and is 3/8" Very easy to work with.

I also ran my Whisper White Craft pad all around the edges to give it a frosty feel!
The DSP is from the Domestic Goddess set. Border Punch is the Scallop Ribbon Punch. To create the circle frame, I first cut the scalloped circle out using the big shot, then I punched the middle out with the 2 3/8" circle punch.

Stamp Sets: Jolly Bingo Bits, Merry Winter, Frame It

Now, if I can create a winter card in the middle of what feels like a South American Rainforest, then you have no excuses!! Make sure you come back and link up with us at Hand Stamped Sentiments!

Can't wait to see what you come up with!

Online Extravaganza- HURRY!

It's here! Stampin' Up's Online Extravaganze is legendary! And this year is no different! But, don't hesitate! Today there are two items that will only be on sale for 24 hours!

Simpl Scored- $23.96

Cookie Press Stamps- $13.56

Plus, a bunch of other great products that are up to 60% off!

Treat yourself to an early christmas present- Go to my online store to see what all is included.

Happy Shopping!

Scrapbook Saturday- Pinterest Inspired

Pinterest has become my new go to for everything! I mean, I no longer google, I Pinterest! It is fabulous! My only frustration is that if the person who has pinned the picture has not labeled it as the thing it is (Fall Scrapbook Page) and labels it instead something they feel (Love this!, Awesome!, etc), we won't be able to find it. But, I guess that isn't really the purpose of Pinterest, is it? But, for the most part, I always find what I am looking for!

This week, my little girls had their school Thanksgiving feast. Since I have a fabulous printer, I printed the pictures I took immediately! Then, I headed to Pinterest and searched Thanksgiving Pages. Found nothing great. So, I began clicking here and there and found THIS page and THIS art activity. And, voila- INSPIRED!

See that little "Mayflower"? That's Emma's hand I traced onto Soft Suede CS! Cute! And, I have her little hand print preserved forever! I also used it as my journaling block!

All my embellishments are form my stash..random things I can't credit to any company.. Just cute stuff I stash away for just the right time!

And these "lollies?" I didn't make them. All thought do make them, I don't like making them. These were premade and in a little package I bought SWEET! ;-)

So, that's my latest creation! Today I am preparing for tomorrow's Christmas Card Making Marathon! I am so excited! I have been baking today with ingredients like White Chocolate, Cranberries, Cream Cheese, Peppermint... All Pinterest finds as well! Tomorrow night, I will show you everything I made. Have a great SATURDAY!

One sheet wonder...

I found this cool little treat holder on Pinterest a while back and had done nothing with it. Honestly, it looked complicated. But, I finally gave it a try with some of Stampin' Up's new Holly Berry paper and Whoa! Cu-te! And so not complicated at all!

You fold it up and it holds cookies or candy or whatever! ONE SHEET! The original artist has directions, so I won't repost them here. It does get a little confusing, so I may make a video this weekend if you all are interested!

I also want to let all my Stampin' Up friends know that the Thanksgiving Extravaganza begins this weekend! Woot! Last year it was amazing! This year, there will be some great deals the whole week, and then some things that will only be discounted for 24 hours! I love a good flash sale! So, make sure you stay tuned here and HERE so you don't miss anything amazing!

Details:
When:  Sale will begin Monday, November 21, 2011, and run through Wednesday, November 30, 2011.


Log in to my Online Store on Monday, November 21, to take advantage of great savings, like FREE digital downloads valued at $40 when you buy My Digital Studio Express, 60 percent off select Designer Fabrics, and 30 percent off an exclusive ribbon bundle!

In addition, there will be two items on sale for 24 hours only (November 21, 12:01 AM – 11:59 PM [MT])—so make sure you don’t miss the first 24 hours of Online Extravaganza!

The wrong card..

This is the card I created for the HSS challenge... The one that was an old challenge, but I thought it was the current challenge. Oh well, I will use it anyhow!

 Stamps: Delightful Decorations, Petite Pairs
Ink and Paper: Cherry Cobbler, Real Red, Gold, Whisper White
Other: Ornament Punch, Basic Rhinestones, Cherry Cobbler Twine, Small oval Punch, Pewter Embossing Powder, Heat Gun, Quilted Cherry Cobbler Ribbon

 The ornaments were stamped on white, then I punched the Cherry Cobbler out where the stamps would be. So, they are recessed. And, the one in the middle is popped out, so it's really three layers!

And the oval punch is covering up the original sentiment I stamped crooked! Great little trick!

It's almost FRIDAY! Hope you make it! :-)

12 Days of Jokes

First, ,I want to say I am a total LOOSER. Today is Hand Stamped Sentiments Day. Yes, I did the card, several days ago. It's super cute. However, when I went to link up last night, I realized I did the wrong challenge. Sigh... Loooooo-ZER! Sorry HSS girls. Really, I feel terrible!

So, even thought I failed, you can still join in! Please jump over to Hand Stamped Sentiments and check out what all of those beautiful designers came up with!

OK, that being said, I do want to show you my latest project for U Stamp With Dawn and Friends. It's a set of 12 cards that feature simple punch art. Each one has a Christmas joke inside as well! I created these with my kids' lunch boxes in mind, but I also thank they would be fun for kids to make and give out!

All of the directions, as well as supplies and a PDF of the jokes can be found at U Stamp With Dawn and Friends!

A membership fee is required, and with that you will receive a TON of full color PDF Tutorials for projects featuring SU Punches. And there are some AMAZING projects this go round!

Santa Gift Card Holder

I spent some time today coming up with a few more designs for the Christmas Card Making Marathon. My challenge has been to come up with something beautiful, yet easy to reproduce. I think this one fits the bill!

 It is a normal card base 11" X 4 1/4, scored at 2 and 7 1/2" The black belt is adhered under the top flap and then two white scalloped piece under that. When you flip open the top....

You have a gift card holder! Simple! And Cute!

Stamps: Delightful Dozen
Ink and Paper: Real Red, Whisper White, Basic Grey, Basic Black, Gold Craft Ink
Other: Big Shot, Tasteful trims, Curvy Label Punch, 1" square Punch, Medium Oval Punch, White Pen

Please let me know if your interested in the Christmas Card Making marathon next Sunday!

Have a great Monday!

Scrapbook Saturday!

Good morning! We had these fabulous pictures made a couple of weeks ago and I couldn't wait to scrap them! This is my middle daughter Emma. She is 4. And full of LIFE!

 I found a page online and pinned it to Pinterest (FOLLOW ME!) and couldn't wait to lift it!

I have no idea who made these papers... They are random and from my scrap box... Pretty together though right?

 This page is way easy. Just uses your scissors to snip rectangles into banners, layer them and your done! Oh, and ink the edges of course!

There are still a couple of spaces in my Christmas Card Marathon next Sunday! RSVP NOW to hold your spot!!!

 I'm off to take this little angle and her sweet sisters to dance this morning. I'm a hunting widow. Again. Anybody Else? Sigh.....



In Review...

Hi everybody! It's been such a busy week that I have not gotten home in time to take pictures for the blog! I have projects to show you, I just haven't gotten home before the sun goes down so I can't take pictures! Uhg! I hate Daylight Savings Time!

Anyway, I thought I would show you a few of my favorite things from last November rather than leave the blog on an old post!


This fun card is made using the wing from the Two Step Bird Punch!

How about an adorable Pumpkin Place Card! FREE Tutorial can be found HERE!

Last November, I offered two Class Planners for Christmas Projects. They are still available and can be found HERE.

Last year's Scrapbook Club Layout was a fun one!

And, how about a Thanksgiving Wine Tag for that bottle of wine you'll will be taking to Thanksgiving Dinner?

I'll be back tomorrow with a new page for Scrapbook Saturday! It's a fabulous one (if I do say so myself!) Happy Veteran's Day to all those military out there!