Midnight Crafting

Festive Friday Noel

2012-03-08T22:12:00.001-08:00

Friday! We made it to Friday! Woot!!
AND It's a Festive Friday to boot!!

Happy Festive Friday! Terri Sproul hosts this hop the 2nd and 4th Fridays of the month to inspire you with Holiday cards. Join us and make a little each month, or tuck the ideas away to look back at when you do start your holiday card making, either way I know you'll agree there are some great ideas on the hop!

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Please continue to add to your inspiration as you hop along with us, and visit all the lovely blogs participating!
Next on the path is CYNTHIA. Enjoy!!
Happy Crafting!
~angie

To Buy Stampin' Up! Product, Visit My Store 24/7

Q&A Spring Bling with Glitter Options

2012-03-07T11:07:00.002-08:00

	Q&A Q: I really like glitter but I’m never sure about the best way to add it to my projects. Any suggestions? A: Got to love glitter! But using the right adhesive for the job is important so that you get the best effect for your project without having glitter everywhere! We have several great adhesive options for glitter depending on the look you want to achieve. Fast If you are looking for fast glitter, the 2-Way Glue Pen (#100425) along with Dazzling Diamonds (#102023), Fine Galaxy (#114286), or Fine Supernova (#114287) Stampin’ Glitter will be your quickest drying option. The fastest glitter in the west, though, is Glimmer Paper. This heavy-weight paper is available in Silver (#124005) and Red (#121790). Cut strips or use punches to create the ultimate in glittery accents with no glue required! Detailed When you want precise glitter placement, say when you are outlining an image or creating a row of small dots, you’ll love using Dazzling Details Glitter Glue. Dazzling Details is a bottle of super-fine glitter pre-mixed in a clear liquid glue. You simply squeeze it from the narrow tip of the bottle to add fine glittery lines, dots, highlights, or accents. Dazzling Details comes in the traditional iridescent glitter (#124117) or Cherry Cobbler (#125585). You will want to give projects with Dazzling details an hour or so to dry depending on how much you add. You can also use Dazzling Diamonds (#102023), Fine Galaxy (#114286), and Fine Supernova (#114287) Stampin’ Glitter with the 2-Way Glue Pen (#100425) or the fine tip of Multipurpose Liquid Glue (#110755) to add glitter details. Large Areas There are three great options for adding glitter to larger areas. Sticky Sheets (#114300) and Big Shot Multipurpose Adhesive Sheets (#120805) are 12” x 12” sheets that are great for cutting out, punching, or die-cutting, and then adding glitter. Or you can heat emboss a stamped image or cover a piece of card stock covered with VersaMark ink (#102283) using Iridescent Ice Stampin’ Emboss Powder (#101930). Another option for adding glitter to larger areas is to use Heat & Stick Powder (#100625) and the Heat Tool (#100005). Simply stamp your image with VersaMark ink, apply Heat & Stick Powder, heat with the Heat Tool, add your glitter, and then heat again. Glass Glitter Glass Glitter is available in Champagne (#120997) and Silver (#120995). It is beautiful and chunky and has great texture. But, because of the size, it needs a strong glue to keep it where you want it. Sticky Strip (#104294), Sticky Sheets (#114300), Crystal Effects (#101055), and Multipurpose Liquid Glue (#110755) are all good options for adding Glass Glitter to projects. Just note that, since Glass Glitter is actually glass, you may not want to use it on projects for children or projects that will be handled a lot. I think Glass Glitter really shines on décor projects where it will actually age and develop a bit of tarnish over time - beautiful! Be Dazzling Now that you know some of the basics of glitter and adhesives, you are ready to create dazzling projects! Whether you are adding super-fine Dazzling Diamonds, bright Cherry Cobbler Dazzling Details, Glass Glitter, or heat embossed Iridescent Ice images, your projects will really shine. Have more questions? Contact me today, I’m always happy to help with your creative process!

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Something Sweet Baby Bouquet

2012-03-03T17:20:00.002-08:00

I was excited to attend my friends baby shower a couple of weeks ago, but I wasn't quite sure what to get her for a gift. I decided to play it safe and give her a gift card, but I wanted to dress it up a little.

I used the Something Sweet stamp set (118589) with the Circle Treat Cups (116802) to make a gift card holder. I added it to a bouquet of washcloth roses, in the appropriate color and voila! Sweet gift that mom can hang onto for a while and enjoy - even after she has used the gift card for the nescessities.

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Festive Friday Pearl Paper Party

2012-02-24T00:01:00.001-08:00

Happy Festive Friday! Terri Sproul hosts this hop the 2nd and 4th Fridays of the month to inspire you with Holiday cards. Join us and make a little each month, or tuck the ideas away to look back at when you do start your holiday card making, either way I know you'll agree there are some great ideas on the hop!

This week was a de-stashing card:

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Some retired Designer Paper, some punched paper accents, some pearl accents, a little two-tone stamping and Voila!
Festive!

Please continue to add to your inspiration as you hop along with us, and visit all the lovely blogs participating!
Next on the path is CYNTHIA. Enjoy!!
Happy Crafting!
~angie

To Buy Stampin' Up! Product, Visit My Store 24/7
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Rolled Roses for the Teacher

2012-02-22T20:16:00.000-08:00

Another teachers gift, this was for Valentines Day...

Inspired by the sight of his dear teachers pencil bucket, with its down-to-the-nubs selection of pencils, I decided to do a pencil bouquet and make the flowers in her University colors. (Each classroom has chosen a College as their mascot for the year, ours is UCLA)

The flowers are rolled roses from 6x6" scrapbook paper. I had a couple sheets of the perfect blue - Brilliant Blue - and sadly that color is now retired, but I used up almost two sheets, so I do have a little scrap left! The yellow is So Saffron.

Hard to see them, but there is a Scallop circle base in green I punched out using the 2 3/8" scallop circle. I punched a small hole the size of the pencil, and then cut each scallop so it would wrap around the pencil where I glued it. Once the roses were made I used SNAIL adhesive to affix them to the scallop bases.

The vase is smaller, but it does hold a couple dozen pencils, some were Valentines themed, with a dozen roses. We do like bubs teacher, I hope she enjoyed the bouquet - she really does have "The Write Stuff"!

xoxo
~angie
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Festive Fridays Mixed Bunch

2012-02-09T21:48:00.000-08:00

Here we are again with another installment of Festive Fridays! Terri Sproul hosts this hop the 2nd and 4th Fridays of the month to inspire you with Holiday cards. Join us and make a little each month, or tuck the ideas away to look back at when you do start your holiday card making, either way I know you'll agree there are some great ideas on the hop!

This card is simple and super fast. I saw this layout over at mychicnscratch.com and thought it was beautiful for a Christmas card. The stamp set is Mixed Bunch from the Occasions Mini, (out now!) and the colors used are Lucky Limeade and Pool Party. The sentiment I used is from a retired set.

Festive Fridays Mixed Bunch

The beauty of this stamp set is the coordinating punch, which saves you time and looks gorgeous. I popped the snowflake off the solid strip of Lucky Limeade with dimensionals.

Please continue to add to your inspiration as you hop along with us, and visit all the lovely blogs participating!
Next on the path is BRENDA. Enjoy!!
Happy Crafting!
~angie

To Buy Stampin' Up! Product, Visit My Store 24/7

Q&A Join During Sale-A-Bration

2012-02-07T13:25:00.000-08:00


	Q&A Q: What happens if I become a demonstrator during Sale-A-Bration? A: When you join the Stampin’ Up! family during Sale-A-Bration, you not only get the Starter Kit at a huge discount, but you eligible to get your choice of a package of Designer Series Paper or a Digital Download each month of 2012. Here’s the scoop: Discounted Starter Kit It’s a bit of a secret, but the Starter Kit is the best deal in the entire catalog with more than $425 worth of stamping products and supplies for only $215 During Sale-A-Bration, the Starter Kit is an even more amazing deal since it is on sale for only $150. Plus, you get a bonus gift each month when you place a demonstrator order! 10 Free Designer Series Papers or Digital Downloads You know how special you feel when you receive a card or a gift for no particular reason, just because someone cares? Well, you can have that feeling up to 10 times in 2012! When you join Stampin’ Up! during Sale-A-Bration, you can receive a free package of Designer Series Paper or a free Digital Download each month of the year. You can select your choice of Designer Series Papers ($13.50 or less) or Digital Downloads (any price) starting the month after you join! That’s an additional $135.00 value added onto the already amazing Starter Kit bargain! Here’s the nitty-gritty on the free goodies: Each month you can choose to order Designer Series Paper or a Digital Download for My Digital Studio, and you can switch back and forth so you aren’t committed to one format for the whole year. Of course, you’ll only continue to receive the free products from March-December 2012 as long as you remain an active demonstrator (shipping fees may apply). Online Sign-up Since you don’t want to miss out on a single month of free Designer Series Paper or Digital Downloads, you can sign up online right now! It’s the fastest and most convenient way to get started! Whether you sign up online or by traditional mail, you can customize your Starter Kit so you can receive the products you love most! You can substitute the stamp sets, card stock, and ink colours, for like products so that you get your kit your way! What’s Next? Does the idea of joining Stampin’ Up! sound interesting, but you are afraid of a big commitment? There aren’t any big scary commitments. Once you purchase the Starter Kit, it is yours, end of story. When you sign up during Sale-A-Bration, you have until June to make your minimums in order to remain active, or you go inactive. That’s it. Nothing scary, and no penalties or sales requirements to keep your kit. You choose how to make Stampin’ Up! fit you, your way. You can remain an active demonstrator by placing the minimum order each quarter, build a business to support large or small goals, or go inactive if you choose. Whatever you choose, you don’t lose anything because you started out with such a great deal on the Starter Kit, plus you’ll get your extra free products each month in addition to access to all of the great Stampin’ Up! demonstrator resources. Think of your first few months as a trial period, an opportunity to see what it’s like to be a Stampin’ Up! demonstrator. I think once you join, you’ll love it and want to stay! Questions? Please contact me today, I’m happy to talk over the opportunity with you!

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Q&A is a regular section of my monthly newsletter.

To sign up for my Newsletter, Project Samples, and Promotions

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Festive Fridays Branching Out

2012-01-26T21:03:00.000-08:00

TGIF - yes, I am SO thankful it is Friday!
Thank you for hopping by on the Festive Friday Blog Hop! Terri Sproul hosts the hop the 2nd and 4th Fridays of each month to showcase Christmas Cards. There is a list of the participating blogs at the end of this post, I hope you'll take the time to visit and enjoy the festivities!

This week I am sharing a card that I think would be good for the holidays, but also great to send in the winter - unless you don't care for the snow! Then, maybe it would be good to send in the summer... when its hot. And you wish it would snow, but you have forgotten how much you really don't care for the snow. Or something like that....

This card is made using the emboss resist technique. I stamped the Branching Out tree in Marina Mist and Versamark on White cardstock, and embossed with Clear embossing powder. The snowflakes from the same set (Branching Out, retired) were stamped in Craft White ink and also embossed with Clear embossing powder. I used a sponge to apply Bashful Blue ink to my scene, and then stamped the Real Red bird image (also from that set). Then the tree scene was mounted onto Marina Mist and Bashful Blue cardstocks, rounding the corners on all layers.
Whew! And that was just the center of the card!

The same snowflake stamp was used with the Craft White again, to stamp across the Marina Mist cardstock on the card base, and embossed with Clear powder. I stamped the sentiment from the Punch Pals set onto the bottom of the card, and added some white accents with a Signo Gel Pen.

And then I called it Done!

This set is retired, which is a shame - its quite lovely I think! However, you could use this fabulous technique with any of the available winter sets, it makes for some striking snowflakes!

Please continue to add to your inspiration as you hop along with us, and visit all the lovely blogs participating! Next on the path is BRENDA. Enjoy!!
Happy Crafting!
~angie

To Buy Stampin' Up! Product, Visit My Store 24/7

Whatcha Workin' On? ~ Wednesday

2012-01-25T17:51:00.000-08:00

Well, I guess we know what my summer project is: refinishing that table!

Everyday Enchantment...

I just can't get over how pretty this paper pack from Sale-a-bration is! I think I find something new to love about it every time I look at it. The color combos are so fresh and bright, yet feminine and soft, and goodness! Versatile - I can see the colors lending themselves to some nice masculine cards as well!

Everyday Enchantment #126154 - just a great pick, when you get to choose your Sale-a-bration FREE product...

More information on the Sale-A-Bration event HERE.

This week was my moms birthday and I was searching for ideas for a good card to make her, when I ran across this beautiful layout over at http://www.cardsscraps.com/. I shamelessly CASED the card. I made an matching envelope for it. And wouldn't you know it?! I put the card in and sealed it before I took any pictures... as they say on Twitter: SMH!

At least my Mom liked it.

So today I used my crafty hour to make a couple more cards. And lucky you, I took photos!!

Here they are:

Sale-a-bration 2012 Everyday Enchantment and Outlined Occasions

The card base is Pool Party, the Designer Series Paper is the beautiful Everyday Enchantment pack, and I accented it with some Cameo Coral card stock. The Flower is from the Blossom Bouquet Triple Layer punch #122464 and the brads are from the Everyday Enchantment Ribbon and Brad Pack #127279 - also another Must Have from the Sale-a-bration brochure! The second card is almost identical - I used a different brad for the center of the flower:

SAB 2012 Outlined Occasions and Everyday Enchantment

The sentiment is another SAB (Sale-a-bration) set Outlined Occasions # 126016. I stamped it in Black and then used my Blender Pen #102845 with the Pool Party, Calypso Coral, and Lucky Limade ink pads to color in the letters and confetti. I still buy some markers, but usually I will just buy the ink pad and use my Blender Pen to color images. On one hand this is very economical, but the real truth is I am just not that good at coloring and I do not do it very often, thus my lack of a marker collection. One of those things I would like to work on, but probably won't make it to the top of the list. Now you know.

I also have a couple more projects I'm working on, the first in que being my card for Festive Friday this week - hope you'll come back and see that one on Friday. And I will be adding the refinishing of my craft tables to the list for the warmer weather. Haha! I suppose I should add to the list the "reveal" of my craft room - I don't think I ever posted any photos. It is still a work in progress, but at least after a year in the works it can now host visitors!

One thing I really liked about the original card was that the complete design includes decorating the inside of the card. That really finishes a card off, in my opinion, adding a small coordinating design element to the inside. For these cards I will be making the matching envelopes and adding a flower or a strip of the DSP to the inside of the card.

But that will have to wait for after dinner and baths and story time and bedtime for those little crafters of mine... back to Mama mode!

Happy Crafting!

~angie

Sale-a-bration Time, Come On!

2012-01-24T18:01:00.000-08:00

[SU] Sale-A-Bration Has Begun!

Did you know Sale-a-Bration has begun? It is our most anticipated sale of the year. What makes Sale-a-Bration so great? Stampin’ Up! and I want to show you our appreciation by spoiling you with extra products. Sale-a-Bration is all about that something extra. This sale offers three easy ways to earn · · { free products } · ·

I invite you to Sale-a-Brate with me by downloading the Sale-A-Bration Brochure (PDF 3.3mg), making your wish list, and contacting me today to attend or schedule a workshop.

Happy Crafting!
Angela Bodas
Your Stampin' Up! Creative Coach

· · { three easy ways to earn free products } · ·

	ORDER

	Spend $50 and earn one free Sale-A-Bration product of your choice.
	SHOP ONLINE

	HOST

	Host a qualifying workshop and earn Sale-A-Bration products plus hostess benefits.
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Festive Fridays 2012 Quilting

2012-01-12T21:00:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the 2012 edition of the Festive Friday Blog Hop hosted by Terri Sproul. This year, as we did last year, we are hopping the 2nd and 4th Fridays of each month to share Christmas Cards we've made. Hopefully we'll inspire you -- to keep Christmas in your heart all year, AND build up a nice stack of cards you can use when it comes time to celebrate the holidays!

To start the year off, I am sharing this faux quilted card:

I made this card using the Postage Stamp punch on a scrap of retired Designer Paper. I punched 6 squares, then cut one square into 4 triangles. I positioned the punched and cut pieces onto another scrap of coordinating retired DSP creating the look of a Quilt, and then mounted all that onto a piece of Old Olive Card stock. This "quilted" piece was then mounted onto a Real Red card stock base that I had stamped Merry Christmas in Chocolate Chip Ink, from the Hand Penned stamp set. I finished off the card with some white accents using my uni-ball Signo Gel Pen, and a Real Red button from the Designer Button - Brights collection. The bow is scrap embroidery floss.

This is an easy card to make using scraps, but also would make beautiful coordinated sets for gifting, using your favorite patterned papers. You could also use it year round - change your color scheme, and swap your sentiment to Love, or Missing You, or Thinking of You... even Welcome Baby! To me, the quilt says home and comfort, making for a card with a lot of warmth.

Add this quilted piece to your Scrapbook page, and you've added a special warmth to your layout. Versatile - use it on holiday or baby pages. You can use it as presented here - about 1" squares, or up-size it and create spaces for photos using 4x4" squares. Embellish with faux or real stitching, buttons or bows.

Please continue to add to your inspiration as you hop along with us and visit all the lovely blogs participating, but next on the path is BRENDA. Enjoy!!

To Buy Stampin' Up! Product, Visit My Store 24/7

Q&A Where to Begin

2012-01-09T11:11:00.000-08:00


	Q&A Q: I have a friend who would like to start stamping with me and I’d like to give her a gift to get her started. What are the best things for a beginner stamper to have? A: Sharing the fun of stamping with a friend is one of the things that Stampin’ Up! is all about. There is nothing like the joy of seeing the sense of accomplishment and joy that a new stamper feels when she first discovers the art of stamping. What a great thing for you to experience with your friend! Some of the basic supplies a new stamper needs are stamps, ink, card stock, and tools. Stamps As much as we may want it all, we have to start somewhere! For new stampers, I suggest a versatile set, like the Easy Events (#116958 wood-mount, #123225 clear-mount) stamp set. It includes images and greetings for a variety of occasions. Plus, the Easy Events stamp set is ideal for your friend to test out simple techniques like coloring, or stepped-up techniques like watercoloring. Ink New stampers don’t need the full spectrum of colors in order to get started. A couple of ink pads in versatile colors or favorite colors are a great place to start. One of the ink pads I recommend most is Jet Black StazOn (#101406). The quick-drying, permanent black ink is versatile for many images and perfect for a variety of techniques that new stampers will want to try. Another great ink pad to consider is the VersaMark pad (#102283). Since VersaMark is a clear ink, it creates a slightly darker watermark-type effect when stamped on most any color of card stock. A Color Collection of Stampin’ Spots is another budget-friendly option for beginning stampers who like a lot of color options. Each Stampin' Spot Color Collection includes anywhere from 8 to 11 ink pads that are 1” square in size. Card Stock Not all paper is created equal! Most of us have learned by trial and error that there is a difference. Help your new stamping friend avoid the frustration and expense of poor-quality card stock. She’ll appreciate the crisp images she can achieve with our ultra-smooth Whisper White (#100730) or Very Vanilla (#101650) card stock. Pair the Whisper White or Very Vanilla card stock with an assorted pack of card stock from one of the Color Collections and the Neutrals Collection, and your friend will have the basis for many beautiful creations! Tools It seems obvious, but it is important not to forget the basics like a Paper Cutter (#104152) and a SNAIL adhesive (#104332) along with a couple of refills (#104331). Once you have those basics, consider fun and functional tools like our great punches. A couple of circles that can be layered together are a great place to start because circles are a very pleasing and versatile shape that you can't cut by hand without making yourself crazy! (You know what I mean if you’ve tried it!) Got to have it all?! Do you know the best-kept secret deal in the Stampin’ Up! catalog? It’s the Starter Kit. Yep - with stamps, ink, card stock, and basic tools, the Starter Kit is valued at $345, but only costs $175, making it a steal-of-a-deal and an ideal way for new stampers to get all the basics in one affordable bundle. Plus, when new stampers join Stampin’ Up!, they’ll have a whole host of great online resources, including an amazing online community of demonstrators for training, ideas, and support. Talk about having it all! Contact me today to find out more about the Starter Kit, including the limited-time extras and discounts available only to new team members who join during Sale-A-Bration!

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33 Birthday cards on the wall...

2012-01-04T23:11:00.000-08:00

33 Birthday Cards... Take one down, pass it around.... well. Something like that! :-)
My friend and I got cahrayzee in the craft room today while our kids played. It was fun, I am cleaning out all my folders and keepers, and came across these One Sheet Wonders that had all the DSP paper cut - just had to get some card bases, coordinating card stocks, and the white part to stamp. So I put my friend to work {LOL} and we stamped and assembled this fine group of cards! We had to break for husbands and dinner and that sort of thing, so I finished hand coloring the cards and doing the final assembly by my lonesome, but I am pleased!

Bam! Thats how you get a crafty year rolling! I believe this will take me halfway to my OWH goal for the month, and I still have time to get crackin' on the slew of Birthday cards I need for personal use!

It was a bit tricky finding ink and coordinating paper to match this retired Designer Series Paper, (I'm sure my friend thought I was bonkers) and then deciphering my notes on how all the pre-cut strips actually assembled into cards... well, thats what friends are for, right? They still like you, cahrayzee and all!

Happy Crafting!
~angie

Birthday Mojo

2012-01-03T19:08:00.000-08:00

I've penned all the birthdays of my friends and family into our calendar this year with the intent of actuallymailing their cards this year! (we'll just forget about last year, now shall we...) Looking out just to June, that means I am in need of 40 cards so far. And... that doesn't even include the ones I'd planned to make for Operation Write Home! Or to just have on hand in my card stash!! -gulp-

Even ((ahem)) re-purposing some cards I may have on hand, that still leaves quit the pile of Birthday cards I need to make! So I think I will declare January to be Birthday month, and get to making!

For this card, to get the "mojo flowing" in the craft room, I played along with the Mojo Monday sketch. What do you think of the results?

Mojo Monday #222 - Fabulous Birthday

I used Daffodil Delight, Rose Red, Early Espresso, and Regal Rose card stocks; some Rose Red Designer Paper; and the sentiment and cupcake are from the Create a Cupcake stamp set #121982. A fun little set for birthdays. The sentiment reads "There's something fabulous about your birthday {must be you!}" Sweet, huh? The bling was from the kids stash. ((Hahaha - yes, my kids have a stash!)) This one is an OWH card, but I like the layout enough to try it again, so perhaps some lucky calendar date of mine will get a card just like this!

Mojo Monday Sketch Challenge #222

If you'd like to play along with the crowd at Mojo Monday, or just want to see what everyone else made of the sketch, go visit them at mojomonday.blogspot.com Every Monday they offer a different challenge sketch, and the first Monday of the month they offer prizes for playing along!

Hope you're having a super start to the week,

Happy Crafting!

~angie

Holiday Mini 2011 Last Minute Must Haves

2012-01-02T15:32:00.000-08:00

Its about to disappear!!
That mini catalog we've loved since September!
The last day to order from the Holiday Mini Catalog 2011 will be tomorrow January 3rd, 2012!!!
There are a few awesome items that will carry over into the next mini catalog (the simply fabulous Simply Scored Scoring Tool #122334 and accessories - see page 7) but for the most part, you need to get your order in STAT to get these items!
If you'd like to download a copy of the Holiday Mini, please click on the image in my left sidebar.
You can also see all the items in my online store, click on the Shop Now link at the bottom of this post and then click on the Holiday Mini link in the left column there.

My top 10 items to get before they're gone:

It's a Wrap Holidays (wood mount: #122770 or clear mount: #122772) page 14

Its A Wrap Holidays

A set of 7 adorable stamps to decorate your mini-chocolate candies, or to add borders to scrapbook pages or cards. Versatile, includes any-time "4 You" or "Love" - great for weddings, shower favors, or teachers gifts; as well as St Patricks Day, Easter, Thanksgiving, Halloween, and Christmas. There are a dozen tutorials for cute candy gift boxes, baskets, and bags - these would add a great finishing touch to your project.

Mica Flakes (#124115) page 21

The Shaker Frames (124155 pg 38 - CARRYOVER!) will still be around, but the mica flakes may not be. These are delicate and shimmery, perfect for the ideal snow globe effect, and really a very optimal alternative to glitter ((you know how I am about glitter!! :-/ )) I suggest a little tub or two of these to keep on hand.

Holiday Damask

Decor Elements Holiday Damask (#125635)

and Happy Holidays (#124153) page 25
Tuck these pretties away and be ready to decorate next year. Easy to use vinyl pieces, and I think these are really beautiful designs. I would also like to point out the red of the Damask print would be amazing for Valentines Day, if you wanted to have a transitional piece to stage your decorating on. It would be beautiful on an old window, handing behind your entry table, or added to canvas - very mobile. It could be the backdrop for your Christmas, New Years, and Valentines displays.

Stampin' Card Keeper (#124107) page 35
This was a great gift idea for the holidays, for sure, but you know it would make your life easier through the New Year too! Perfect to get organized for the new year, or an amazing gift to make and keep on hand for birthdays, thank you gifts, or teachers gifts. Very customizable, you can dress it up or down according to your need. Also good to store cards wrapped with ribbon, or color samples, or scraps of paper.

Designer Printed 6x6 Ring album Cherry Trim (#124008)
and Simply Scrappin Kit Christmas Lane (#124008) page 26

Cherry Trim Album

Perfect time to grab a couple of these to save all those memories of the past holiday! You could also get a book ready for next year, and be ahead of the game on your scrapbook - or use it as a guest book for all those parties? Lots of options... Also to note, the Album would make a delightful Valentines offering, or to save those sweet memories of how you've celebrated over the years. Its a great color that works well for masculine gifts, but you could also dress it up to be a bit frilly and girly.

Mini Jingle Bells (#124116) page 30
Dashing all the way! How adorable and precious are these little jingles?!? A really special embellishment to any page or card, the bells really ring. Use them on paper crafts, or add them to your sewing projects or home decor crafts. Just unique, and so very tiny!

3/8" Quilted Satin Ribbon (Cherry Cobbler #124105 or ~~Early Espresso #124104~~ sorry - sold out!) page 30

Cherry Cobbler Quilted Satin Ribbon

I love to get ribbon from the mini catalogs because it is so unique, this ribbon is just deluxe! Great colors for those masculine cards, and a really elegant finish make it definitely one of my favorites. Edited to add: The Early Espresso is gone already, grab some of the Cherry Cobbler - you won't be disappointed!

Hand-Penned Holidays (wood mounted: #124310 or clear-mounted: #124312) page 15
A set of four sentiments, with beautiful flourishes that will add elegance to any project. Great versatile set, it does include "With Love" and "Give Thanks" that you can use all year long for birthdays, anniversaries, thank you cards, and notes. A really stylized "Happy Halloween", and a sweet "Merry Christmas" round out the set and will work well on cards or scrapbook pages or gifts during the holiday seasons.

Hostess: Warmesst Of Wishes

Hostess Set Warmest of Wishes page 5
(with qualifying $150 purchase of Stampin' Up product,
see page 4 for details:
#122670 wood mount or #122672 clear mount)
I hope you'll get the chance to get this adorable set, I love when the stamps coordinate with punches and this one is a set of 5, where 4 of the 5 stamps coordinate with a punch! Wheee!! The pennant is a perfect addition to the pennant collection, and the wreath is just adorable, and how on earth can you pass up the sweet little trick-or-treat owl!?! Great Hostess set, as usual, but it will be gone soon!

To get these products from the Holiday Mini Catalog, you must place your order before 11:50 PM Mountain Time, Tuesday January 3rd. If you are waiting till the VERY last minute, be aware that there is always a mad rush at the end... and possible sell-outs on some of these great products - don't say I didn't warn you! If you would feel more comfortable placing an order with me personally instead of using our easy online ordering, please don't hesitate to contact me - I am happy to help you, and we still have a little bit of time! My info is on my store page:

Shop Now at my online store

Items that will carry over and be available in the future:

Birthday Celebrations

2012-01-01T20:16:00.000-08:00

New Years Day is actually my half-birthday (does anyone celebrate those?! I believe in celebrating :-) so my card today is a Birthday card. And really, there is always a need for Birthday cards, isnt there?

This card is easy, but full of texture and warmth. I used the Build a Cupcake punch to make the cupcake, candle, and "confetti". I also used the large Scallop Circle punch for tha background, and then used a technique called "Embedded Embossing". I layered all the punch pieces onto cardstock, and then used an embossing folder on the whole thing. I used the Square Lattice Embossing Folder for this card.
The sentiment is stamped before embossing, and is from the Upsy Daisy stamp set. I used Black, White, and Pool Party card stocks and Pool Party ink.

I hope the new year brings you many days to celebrate!
Happy New Year & Happy Crafting!
~angie

Linking up to Operation Write Home Sketch Challenge #102

and ColorQ Challenge #117 - thank you for the inspiration!

Candy Cane Coffee Gift

2011-12-15T23:11:00.000-08:00

Quick - need to make some little gifts to have on hand but don't want the usual Candy Canes? How about these darling coffee singles? My friend went to a craft show and bought some of these. I saw the wrapping paper in the dollar bin at the supermarket, and I could not resist making a few of these to hand out.

Sweet Treat - coffee single wrapped like a candy cane

Candy cane pattern wrapping paper

Coffee Single (Via or Folgers brand)

Tag

Ribbon

Tape

I made my tag, you could easily use a regular gift tag.

The stamp set used is retired, but you can use the current you could use the current stamp sets:

Morning Cup 116988 or Every Little Bit 117096 or even Itty Bitty Bits 117056

I stamped, then punched that out with the Circle punch; and mounted it onto a red Scallop punch piece.

Trim your wrapping paper to cover the coffee single, mine was about 2.75" x 7"

Wrap around coffee, and tape closed. Roll the bottom and tape, shake your coffee down to the bottom of one end, then roll the long end to form the curl of the "candy cane"

Punch hole in tag and tie onto middle with ribbon.

the hardest part will be finding the candy cane wrapping paper

Hand out to those deserving of a nice break from the holiday madness, or maybe in need of a little caffine to get them thru the madness :-) Regardless, I'm sure you can think of someone who would enjoy a cup!

stash a few for the office, drop some to the lunch ladies

Happy Crafting!

~angie

Q & A Quick Affordable Gifts

2011-12-09T17:55:00.000-08:00

Crafting Handmade Gifts


	Q&A Q: Do you have suggestions for quick and affordable gifts? A: People love getting handcrafted gifts. The saying about the thought being what counts is so true. You don't have to spend a fortune or eons of time making thoughtful gifts. Read on to find out about ideas for Food from the Heart, Inexpensive & Impressive, and Fast & Fabulous gifts you can create in the twinkle of an eye - but don't tell Santa he has competition! Food from the Heart We all love the comfort and thoughtfulness of homemade goodies around the holidays, and honestly, any other time, too! One of my favorite gifts to give (and receive) is the timeless Mason jar filled with a family cookie mix and recipe, soup mix, baked cookies, fudge, candies, cocoa mix, etc. This inexpensive gift is great because it's personal, it doesn't need to be dusted, it fits anyone, and it's a snap to create. Simply create a belly-band around the jar using Designer Series Paper or stamped card stock. Then add a bit of ribbon around the neck of the jar with a hand-stamped tag, fill with goodies, and you are done! I like using the From the Kitchen Of (#114964) stamp set to include the recipe for the treat included in the jar. Another great option is a big, oversized mug decorated with Decor Elements and filled with a special flavored coffee or tea bags. Add a Decor Element to the mug, then tie a ribbon with a hand-stamped tag around the handle and you have a great gift. The Letters to Santa Decor Elements (#124195) are a great option because they include lots of images that are perfect for the holidays, there is a coordinated stamp set for a tag, and they are a great value. Inexpensive & Impressive Gifts don't have to cost the world to be impressive. Purchase inexpensive scarves and/or gloves (sometimes even in $1 bins) and dress them up with fun embellishments. You can use Designer Fabric or ribbon to create a colorful ruffle. Add a whimsical flower using the Big Shot to die cut Designer Fabric, fleece, and felt. Create a coordinating brooch that can be pinned to a jacket for a fun, coordinating look! Quickly stitch on buttons in the recipient's favorite color for a stylish look, or a whole rainbow of colors for a fun and vibrant look. The Tasteful Trim Bigz XL die (#120893) is great for creating fabric accents and ruffles. The Flower Folds Bigz XL die (#115970) is one of many options for creating flower brooches and accents. Another thoughtful gift is a stack of hand-stamped cards. Make a whole set of cards with a monogram or an assortment of all-occasion cards. Tie them together with a ribbon and a hand-stamped tag and you have a fast and useful gift. Fast & Fabulous Simply Adorned Charm necklaces are one of my fast and fabulous gift items. They are ideal gifts to give to mothers, sisters, friends, daughters, etc. No worrying about sizes makes it easy, and the style can be customized to any preference, and can also be easily changed. It takes next to no time to create a couple of inserts customized for your friends and family. Create inserts with a monogram, simple floral images, seasonal inserts, or any of a huge variety of options. When you consider the nearly endless possibilities and the ease of changing the look, you'll appreciate the amazing value and thoughtful personalization that this gift offers! Because the Simply Adorned charms and chains come in gift boxes, just tie a ribbon and add a hand-stamped tag to enjoy stress-free gift wrapping! It’s not too late! These are just a few of the many possibilities for heartfelt, last-minute gifts that let you share your creativity and the true spirit of the season. Imagine how special your friends and family will feel when they receive the special gift you designed and created just for them! Contact me today for more ideas and to get any supplies you may need, and you'll have those last-minute gifts checked off your list in no time!

© CraftyPerson Production. Images © Stampin' Up! Q&A is a regular feature of my Monthly Newsletter - Sign up today to recieve ideas and inspiration, tips and tool information all directly to your email.

Festive Friday Snow Swirled Season

2011-11-24T22:16:00.001-08:00

Oh you've made it... its FESTIVE FRIDAY!

Festive Friday was a Blog Hop happening the second and fourth Friday of each month, showcasing Christmas cards. This will be the last hop for 2011, but never fear - Festive Fridays will be back! Look for it in the new year, starting off another year of prepping for your holiday rush a little each month!!

If you're joining me directly, don't miss the beginning of the hop over at Terri's Blog. If you've joined me from Brendas blog, You're hoppin' along just fine! There is a link to all the fine blogs at the end of this post,

Its crunch time - the cards should be out fairly soon in the mail, I hope you're ready! I know I am!!

This week, its a return to traditional colors and my favorite set Snow Swirled #111690.

I used some of the Letters to Santa Designer Series Paper #122349 and Old Olive and Riding Hood Red card stocks. The cute sash is a scrap of retired Ridinghood Red that I had in the bottom of my bin - I almost didn't have enough! They do actually have a similar ribbon in multiple colors available though - check out the 1/8" Taffeta Ribbon (pg 195 of the catalog). I distressed the edges of the DSP and the white,

The sentiment is actually taken from the Season of Joy #110384 set (another favorite :-) and punched with the ever awesome Modern Label Punch #119849. The green accent on that was added by punching the sentiment in Whisper White, and then punching a blank in Old Olive;

then you cut the Old Olive piece in half and layer each half onto an end of the white.

I mounted the sentiment with Stampin' Dimensionals #104430, always good for some nice layers.

and now we can truly say:

Wishing you and yours the very best this holiday season,

thank you so much for hopping along with us this year!

Please enjoy the inspiration on the hop and continue over to Becky at BC Designs!

Merry Christmas,
and may all your Fridays be Festive!!
~angie

Festive Fridays Scallop Circle Ornament

2011-11-10T21:00:00.000-08:00

Its that special Friday again -- a FESTIVE FRIDAY!

Festive Friday is a Blog Hop happening the second and fourth Friday of each month, showcasing Christmas cards. We are rounding out the year, this is the last month in 2011 for our hop!

If you're joining me directly, don't miss the beginning of the hop over at Terri's Blog. If you've joined me from Brendas blog, You're hoppin' along just fine! There is a link to all the fine blogs at the end of this post,

This week - as deadlines approach - its back to a tried and true card:

This is a card made from a folded card base cut on the Big Shot with the Scallop Circle die (#113468), you can see the top edge is where the fold is placed just inside the die, so the card will still open. The top is capped with the Round Tab punch (#119864) that creates a double sided "Ornament" card. Embellish with sentiment, ribbon, some pattern paper cut in the die as well, and you have a quirky little card to cheer someones holiday.

Variety can be created with different papers and sentiments, and of course you can bling up the embellishment - these are obviously a simple version!
You could add a cropped photo (they are a good 4.25" diameter) or some buttons or layers for more texture, or get elaborate with your detail and add some die-cut swirls or images. Pick your favorite ornament off the tree, and recreate a version to send out!

These are a great project for a group, adults or kids, to make; and as they have ample room inside for signing, a great card for a group to send as well.

Please enjoy the inspiration on the hop and continue over to Becky at BC Designs, the Holidays are just around the corner!
Have a Festive Friday!
~angie

Q&A Making Gifts for the Holidays

2011-11-04T00:29:00.000-07:00

Q&A

Q: I’m thinking of making gifts this year. What do you suggest?

A: Handmade gifts are always popular because they show the heartfelt thought and effort that you put into choosing and creating the perfect, unique gift. Advent calendars are fun gifts to give and create ahead of the holidays, and gifts like a set of cards, homemade treats with decorated bags, holiday banners, and calendars are ideal for a variety of people and budgets.

Advent Calendars

The ever-popular tradition of opening a door a day to get a piece of candy, a special quote, or even a suggestion of a fun holiday activity can be made even more fun when you create a custom Advent calendar. The detailed Advent calendar on page 36 of the Holiday Mini Catalog uses the Peekaboo Frames Bigz L Die (#124587) and the 25 & Counting stamp set (#123792 wood mount, #123794 clear mount). This makes a great format for sharing the Christmas story or suggesting holiday activities like cookie baking and decorating the tree. If you prefer a different type of Advent calendar, try the Matchbox Bigz XL Die (#114890) to die cut Frostwood Lodge Designer Series Paper (#124002). Stack and glue the boxes in a square or in the shape of a Christmas tree and fill each box with small gifts or candy.

Budget-Friendly Tasty Treats
For less expensive gifts that are perfect for neighbors, co-workers, or for children’s classes, you can make homemade candy or cookies and package them in our skinny Cellophane Bags (#124134). Add a stamped topper to the 1” x 8” tube and you have a unique and yummy gift that anyone will appreciate. For larger items, we also have rectangular cellophane bags in three sizes: 3” x 5” (#103104), 4” x 6” (#102757), and 6” x 8” (#102210). Or create quick & easy, custom decorated boxes using our Kraft Gift Boxes (#124106) as your starting point. Wrap with our 1-1/4” Striped ribbon and add a hand-stamped tag and you have a great gift.

Personalized Gifts
For those special people on your list, you can step it up a bit and create a custom holiday banner using the Holiday Stocking Bigz L Die (#124098) and coordinating Stocking Accents Originals Die (#124099). Use die-cut or chipboard letters to put a family name or a message like “Joy” or “Merry” on the banner with one letter per stocking. String the stockings on a Satin ribbon with the adorable and functional Mini Clothespins (#122942). And everyone needs a great calendar for 2012. You can create a custom calendar using our digital paper crafting software, My Digital Studio (#118108). The great thing about using My Digital Studio to make a calendar is that you can completely customize each page with your favorite designs or use one of our designer templates to save time. Make the calendars extra special when you add photos of your family members on their birthday or anniversary dates. Plus, you can design once and print as many as you like! Or design once and then just tweak it a bit to customize the calendar for different families!

Handmade Joy
There is a joy to creating and giving a handmade gift that is extra special. Store-bought gifts just don’t have the same heart as something that you designed and created with someone special in mind. Plus, you get the added benefit of slowing down and enjoying the experience of creating that gift without having to fight crazy mall crowds or stormy winter roads! Contact me today to plan your holiday gifts and you can get started with the fun and festive process of creating your heartfelt, holiday gifts!

© CraftyPerson Production. Images © Stampin' Up!

Festive Fridays Snow Swirled Embossing

2011-10-27T21:00:00.000-07:00

Its that special Friday again -- a FESTIVE FRIDAY!

Festive Friday is a Blog Hop happening the second and fourth Friday of each month, showcasing Christmas cards. We are rounding out the year, theres only a few more hops!

If you're joining me directly, don't miss the beginning of the hop over at Terri's Blog. If you've joined me from Brendas blog, You're hoppin' along just fine! There is a link to all the fine blogs at the end of this post,

I got out the heat gun to warm my cold hands this week (hahaha! yes, it HAS been cold in California) and tried out an embossing technique I've seen. It uses only clear embossing powder, and the effect ended up rather festive, if I do say so myself:

Snow Swirled Embossed

I stamped the swirls from Season of Joy (#110384) onto white card stock using VersaMark ink (#102283), then embossed with Stampin' Emboss Clear Powder (#109130). I then inked up and stamped off the tree from the same set in Soft Suede and stamped it over the embossed sections. Then, I used my Blender Pen (I dont have a Versa Mark marker) to add Versa Mark to the (completely dry) stamped tree images, then embossed with more clear powder. This protects the white areas in the image., when you go to the next step.

See the shine of the embossing? Pretty in Person, honest!

Next, I sponged Bashfull Blue across the field of the card, then added some Marina Mist sponged around the edges. The emboss-resist technique uses a brayer, for more full coverage, but I think the sponge worked well and gave a similar soft look. I used my Blender pen once more to pick up some Marina Mist ink and add it to the underside of the swirls, accenting the curls of the swirls. The Real Red Grosgrain Ribbon (#109034) is accented with 3 Brads from the Metallic collection (#119741), and I stamped a sentiment in Real Red ink. Mounted, and voila! Ready to send some Festive Friday greetings!

Embossing, Accent, and Ribbon detail

A fun technique, I like the soft water-color effect and the pearlescence of the swirls and trees is rather pretty in person. Here is an alternate Winter Greeting I did as well:

Please enjoy the inspiration on the hop and continue over to Becky at BC Designs, the Holidays are just around the corner!

Have a Festive Friday!
~angie

Festive Fridays Pennant Parade

2011-10-13T21:55:00.000-07:00

Its that special Friday again -- a FESTIVE FRIDAY!

Festive Friday is a Blog Hop happening the second and fourth Friday of each month, showcasing Christmas cards.
If you're joining me directly, don't miss the beginning of the hop over at Terri's Blog. If you've joined me from Brendas blog, You're hoppin' along just fine! There is a link to all the fine blogs at the end of this post,

The holidays are zooming closer, I can feel the days ticking away... but I have a good stash of cards, and I am close to finalizing my family card, so I am in good spirits (haha!) for this time of year. This week I'm showing another pennant card.

Merry Pennant Parade

I'm loving this new set (Stampin Up! #122742 - and not just because the item number has all 3 of my lucky numbers in it! Go -22-7-42!) but I love the versatility of the set. Obviously pennants, but included is the little tree stand, a star, flower/snowflake and some sentiments for pretty much any occasion... whats not to love! But wait!! it Also coordinates with the Petite Pennants Builder punch! No tedious fussy cuts here, only instant gratification in a quick punch! Holidays, Birthdays, Teacher appreciation, you name it and a banner would be darling for it -- even scrapbook layouts! LOVe - iT!!

I took a traditional layout and added the flags to the bottom. I originally had it across perfectly straight, but then tilted it to add some spunk... it does fit straight, it was just a bit too traditional for my mood at the time. I cant decide if its kind of "beer commercial" or "Macys Parade" looking or not, but I think its a fun little card. Merry Merry Merry, Enjoy!

Please enjoy the inspiration on the hop and continue over to Becky at BC Designs, the Holidays are just around the corner!

Have a Festive Friday!
~angie

Dollar Store Crafts - Potpourri Character Vase

2011-10-09T20:38:00.000-07:00

I take my kids to the dollar store once every couple of weeks as a reward for good behavior, its fun to see what "treasures" they find and I am amazed at the variety our local Dollar Tree has... I had seen a post on Twitter about Halloween crafts, and so when we went to the store a while back I picked up the supplies to make these cute Character Vases. Mine are a little different, $7 for everything as I had nothing on hand for these, but they are a little festive touch that would make cute gifts!
Its a versatile idea, it could be adapted for almost any holiday given a change in ribbon and character - some pumpkins or scarecrows for Thanksgiving or a Harvest theme, eggs or bunnies for Easter, hearts or angels for Valentines Day, Christmas ornaments or figures, even Birthday accents if you have a month of birthdays like we do... perhaps a hostess gift or little thank you to a friend... love the idea :-)

Here are mine:

Dollar Store Spookiness

I have a little witch on the left there, and a Vampire on the right. The characters are spooky, but not at all scary - great for our house. The potpourri I got is cinnamon, its very faint, so perfect if you were not looking to overwhelm anyone. You could probably spice it up with some oils, but it works for us.

The goods: $5

Oops - forgot something... needs a little ribbon I think!

$1 for this pretty pumpkin ribbon - wire ribbon, so you can fluff it up a bit

This would be an easy craft for kids too - simply fill your jar, position your character, and add the ribbon. They have quite the selection of glass vases and jars, you really could get a collection going if you wanted! I would check early for the characters though, they went fast - when I went back for the ribbon, there were none left! Snooze ya lose at the dollar store, I tell ya!

Happy Crafting!
~angie

Q&A Printing Cards from My Digital Studio

2011-10-04T23:11:00.000-07:00

Q&A

Q: How do I print cards using My Digital Studio?

A: My Digital Studio allows you to design a variety of card styles including traditional cards in several sizes, postcards, and even tri-fold cards. You can print cards on your home printer or through our professional print service. The easiest option, and the one with the best results, will be using the professional print service.

Printing at Home
Once you design your cards in My Digital Studio you can print them at home, but it is a bit tricky since every printer operates a bit differently and prints colors differently. Even good-quality printers may not give the high-quality print and color detail that you’ll get with professional print services. When you design a traditional card in My Digital Studio, it actually has four pages - front, inside left, inside right, and back. It is great to be able to customize all four pages, but it makes printing at home more complicated. The easiest way to print at home is to print just the front of the card, cut it out and then layer it onto a card body just like you do when making a hand-stamped card. This also has the benefit of giving you a heavier weight card body since most printers cannot handle heavyweight card stock. To print the full four-page card at home, you’ll need to do a bit of experimenting with how your printer prints. You’ll need to print pages 1 and 4 (front and back) then re-insert the paper into the printer to print pages 2 and 3 (inside left and inside right). The trick is knowing if you need to just flip the paper over, or if you need to flip and rotate the paper. Each printer is different, so it will take some trial and error.

Professional Print Service
You’ll be the happiest with the results you get from the professional print service. The professional print service neatly prints high-quality images on heavy card stock and includes a heavy-weight envelope along with the card. You simply upload the card using the link in the My Digital Studio program, tell us how many copies you want, and all the work is done for you. Plus, with our professional print service, the colors are guaranteed to match the Stampin’ Up! colors. So if you want to add on embellishments like punched images, buttons, or ribbon, they will all coordinate as they should.

New Bulk Pricing
You’ve seen the $5-$7 cards in card stores. But how often are those cards exactly what you want? Now, with My Digital Studio and the new bulk pricing, it is easier and more affordable than ever to print your custom-designed cards just as you want them. Make your custom Christmas cards or baby announcements with photos and your personalized greeting. Design a card with your monogram or a variety of birthday, thank you, and blank cards to have on hand for any occasion. You’ll save on printing and shipping costs when you order a group of cards instead of just a couple, making your custom cards even more affordable.

© CraftyPerson Production. Images © Stampin' Up!

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