I recently participated in a Big Shot Fabric Swap on Stampin' Addicts. I received mine today and they are amazing! I'm so impressed by the creativity. I created 2 projects - the first being a luggage tag made with the Stampin' Up! exclusive Top Note Die.

I was thrilled to find vinyl colors in (close to) Stampin' Up colors. I used Ballet Blue, Crushed Curry and White. You can see the front and back of the tag in the picture. The back has a transparency pocket for your information. The front is embellished with the Daisies die in White and Crushed Curry, with a Chocolate Chip Corduroy button center. Chocolate Chip grosgrain ribbon for the tie is looped through an Antique Brass Jumbo Eyelet.

I had no problems at all with die cutting the vinyl. The dies easily cut them. I did however, have some issues trying to sew it. The blue didn't take kindly to me trying to stitch around the Top Note shape. The fabric really pulled too much at me pulling and twisting around the curves. I ended up doing a simple straight stitch just inside the curves.

Supplies: Sizzix Big Shot, Top Note Die, Daisies Die, Antique Brass Jumbo Eyelets, 5/8" Chocolate Grosgrain Ribbon, CropADile, transparency, sewing machine, vinyl fabric.  
 

Once again, Stampin′ Up! demonstrators have shown what Stampin′ Up! is all about by making a difference in the lives of others. Worldwide, demonstrators sold 13,587 of the stamp sets that were set aside for Haitian relief. From each of those sales, Stampin′ Up! will donate $2 to the Red Cross’ Haiti Relief and Development Fund. That’s over $27,000 donated to people who desperately need your help.

I'm so pleased to have been a part of this effort by matching the donation for my customers. Thanks to everyone who participated!

Pauline Daugherty Williams 1912-2010. My husband's grandmother passed away this week. Although we knew it was coming as she'd been ill, the news is still hard to accept. Today is her funeral. Intellectually I understand that our bodies aren't made to last forever. And hers lasted nearly 98 years. I simply didn't want her to leave. She was an amazing woman - all 4 foot 10 inches of her lol. She and her husband lived and worked the family farm. She was also a teacher, having taught a one room schoolhouse for a time. She survivied a flood, the Depression, losing an infant, her husband, and so much more that I'll never know. She was a private person, but she did love sharing stories of her grand and great-grandchildren. I'm very grateful that my kids are old enough that they will keep their memories of her.

We have already received many cards of condolence - some of which are hand-stamped. These mean a great deal to my family, thank you.

I got sidetracked by a swap that wasn't cooperating and didn't get my post up this morning - Oops! First off the fun stuff. Random.org chose comment #29 as the blog candy winner. That is Heidi! You will be receiving an email shortly. Congrats!

Now on to the projects. I've seen so many super cute die cut flower pins lately, so I decided to tweak that just a bit and make them into package toppers.

I'll start with the one on the right. It's your basic white paper lunch bag. I grabbed some newspaper before it got to the recycling bin and brayered just the top layer with Melon Mambo. I then die cut multiple layers with both large flowers and stacked them, randomly alternating the plain newsprint with the colored. A round of Melon Mambo cardstock backs the flower to add stability. A Fire Rhinestone brad centers the Filigree Brad. I then die cut the flowers onto a scrap of white and used that as a stencil to sponge the bag with Melon Mambo and Basic Gray. The birthday sentiment is on a dimensional.

The brown paper package is my favorite project of all! I took color inspiration from my scarf   and used Rose Red, Rich Razzleberry and Chocolate Chip. I cut the layers with the Scallop Circle and Scallop Circle #2 dies. With my paper snips, I cut each scallop towards the center. Once I layered all the colors together (basic black round on the back for stability), I secured them with a Flower Designer Brad, then fluffed all the "petals". I love how it turned out! The package itself is a reused box wrapped with my Stampin' Up! brown filler paper. If you've ever received your own box from Stampin' Up!, you know that they use this brown paper as a filler. I've talked about reusing this paper before: Green Christmas and Going Green.  I smoothed it with my hands and wrapped the box. Finished it off with some 5/8" Chocolate Grosgrain Ribbon.

Supplies: Rose Red, Rich Razzleberry, Chocolate Chip, Basic Black and Melon Mambo Classic Inks, Brayer, Scallop Circle die, Scallop Circle #2 die, Flower Layers with Leaf die, Sizzix Big Shot, Paper Snips, Whisper White and Basic Black cardstock, Filigree Designer Brads, Flower Designer Brads, Pop-Up Glue Dots, 5/8" Chocolate Chip grosgrain Ribbon, Sponge. Packing Paper, White lunch sack.

I hope you enjoyed all of my Green Birthday projects!  
   

These easy to make paper balloons are a fun and easy alternative to traditional latex or mylar balloons. There are lots of video tutorials available on the web. When I came across these I had flashbacks to elementary and junior high school and all hours I spent with friends making little folded paper creations! (Come on, admit it, you did too!)

You want to be sure to use lightweight paper. The two larger balloons are made with Sweet Pea 12x12 Designer Series Paper available in the Occassions Mini Catalog. The medium balloon is Cameo Coral textured cardstock. I cut a 12x12 piece down to 8x8. The smallest balloon uses the Sale-A-Bration Neighborhood Designer Series 6x6 Paper. The small and medium ones were sprayed with Shimmer Mist (Champagne Shimmer Paint mixed with rubbing alcohol). This achieved 2 things - it added shimmer, and it made the paper more pliable. I have gas heat in my home and all my papers are so dry right now, which makes them harder to work with. You could even stamp or wheel on regular typing/copy paper. USE YOUR BONE FOLDER! This is the tip I can't stress the most. Unless you are using copy paper and can get a crisp fold with just your fingers, you must crease your folds as much as possible.

Once you have your pretty reusable balloons, you're ready to decorate! Place them in bowls, scatter them across your table, or attach a ribbon or string and hang them up.  

Supplies: Sweet Pea Designer Series Paper, Cameo Coral textured cardstock, Neighborhood Designer Series Paper, Champagne Shimmer Paint, Rubbing alcohol, spray bottle, bone folder.

If you had a chance to visit my blog over the weekend - thank you! I hope you enjoyed the Stampin' Addicts Birthday Blog Hop. Over the next few days I'll be providing details about the projects I created.

While visiting a friend a couple of years ago, we decided to stop in her local scrapbooking store. The store owner had bins of letters that she had die cut from soda cans. I thought it was brilliant! At the time I didn't own a die cut machine, so I had to file the idea. When I was thinking about ideas for my Green theme, I knew this was a perfect project.

Die cutting soda cans isn't difficult, but you do need to be careful. Wearing gloves is a good idea! Use a pair of metal use scissors or snips and cut off the top and bottom of your can. Then cut a piece large enough to fit the die you are using. To shadow the letters I added dies in Real Red cardstock behind them. Be sure to use an appropriate glue for the letters - I used tombow multi. You can get color inspiration from the cans or match up someone's favorite drink in a project for them.

The Medallion image shows a technique called Emboss resist. I clear embossed the Medallion stamp onto Whisper White cardstock and then sponged Real Red classic ink with a sponge dauber. Then wipe off the excess ink with a tissue.

I added the Filigree brad to the Basic Gray ribbon to tie together the Medallion image and the swirls on the soda can letters. The happy birthday tag finishes the card.

Supplies:Medallion and Teeny Tiny Wishes stamp sets, Real Red, Whisper White and Brushed Silver cardstock, Real Red Classic Ink, Versamark ink, Sponge dauber, Word Window Punch, Modern Label Punch, Stampin' Up! Alphabet Simple Letters dies, Sizzix Big Shot, Filigree Designer Brads, Basic Gray Taffeta Ribbon, Tombow Multi Adhesive, Stampin' Dimensionals. 

Welcome to the Stampin' Addicts Birthday Blog Hop weekend! StampinAddicts.com is a free website dedicated to supporting Stampin' Up! stampers and demonstrators alike. Our motto is "Positively Creative! Positively Stampin' Up!" If you have not been to Stampin' Addicts, you should check them out as soon as you finish the Birthday Blog Hop! And be sure to give me a shout out - I'd love to see you there! My screen name is kandicejo and I happen to know that there will be a STAMP JAM going on this weekend at Stampin' Addicts with Challenges and Stampin' and lots of Inspiration!

The blog hop posts will remain active until midnight February 21. After that, many hosts will be posting detailed pictures, instructions and supply lists. Be sure to bookmark your favorites and visit next week and go back to visit next week.

Now on with the party! I am stop #20. No worries if you get out of order, you can see the complete list HERE.  If you are traveling the hop in forward order, you have just arrived from Jason's blog, Jason's Stampin' Pad. Better known as Stampindad, Jason has created some amazing elegant birthday creations. I love the use of Thoroughly Modern DSP.

I am showcasing Green Birthday items. It's all about being green these days. No, no. Not St. Patty's Day, Dr. Seuss, or Kermit. You know the famous triangle - Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. Whether you are baby stepping your way into being green or are a full-blown crunchy earth lover, I hope you find inspiration from my projects.

First up for your viewing pleasure is a birthday card. The letters are die cut from empty clean soda cans.

Supplies:Medallion and Teeny Tiny Wishes stamp sets, Real Red, Whisper White and Brushed Silver cardstock, Real Red Classic Ink, Versamark ink, Sponge dauber, Word Window Punch, Modern Label Punch, Stampin' Up! Alphabet Simple Letters dies, Sizzix Big Shot, Filigree Designer Brads, Basic Gray Taffeta Ribbon, Tombow Multi Adhesive, Stampin' Dimensionals.  
   
My next offering is a packaging duo. The layered flower package toppers utilize yesterday's news. You knew it was good for something, right? Brown packing paper from my many (ahem) Stampin' Up! deliveries is great for wrapping your gifts.

Supplies: Rose Red, Rich Razzleberry, Chocolate Chip, Basic Black and Melon Mambo Classic Inks, Brayer, Scallop Circle die, Scallop Circle #2 die, Flower Layers with Leaf die, Sizzix Big Shot, Paper Snips, Whisper White and Basic Black cardstock, Filigree Designer Brads, Flower Designer Brads, Pop-Up Glue Dots, 5/8" Chocolate Chip grosgrain Ribbon, Sponge. Packing Paper, White lunch sack. 
  

Last up - Paper Balloons! Balloons scream birthdays. These are easy to create and are reusable.

Supplies: Sweet Pea Designer Series Paper, Cameo Coral textured cardstock, Neighborhood Designer Series Paper, Champagne Shimmer Paint, Rubbing alcohol. 

Be sure to check back after February 22 for how-to's on all the projects I created. And what's party without prizes? Leave me a comment with your email address for your chance to win the Melon Mambo Layered Flower package topper plus 1 yard of the new Black Satin Ribbon from the Occassions Mini Catalog. Winner will be selected randomly from all entries submitted by 11:59pm (ET), Sunday Feburary 21. If the winner does not respond to the prize notification email within 3 days, a new winner will be selected.

Next up on the blog hop is Jennifer's blog, Stampin' on the Fly. (You may know her as jentimko)She will be showing you some limited supply projects. They are gorgeous and perfect for the beginner stamper or anyone wanting to get back to the basics.   

My scissors. My poor, dull, mistreated scissors! I've been a demonstrator for nearly 5 years and my rubber scissors and paper snips have never been sharpened. I've managed to miss the sharpening clinic at my local fabric store for 2 years now. This year would be different. I was shopping in there a few weeks ago buying supplies for a Big Shot Fabric swap and saw the announcement - Tuesday February 16. I promptly put it on my calendar. I felt like the postal carrier - neither wind nor rain nor sleet nor snow. Yep, we had snow. Plenty of it. A school snow day in fact. Not only am I packing (carefully) my scissors, but my children (also carefully) as well. Children who have been cooped up in the house for nearly 2 weeks of snow days.

The fabric store is not one of my usual haunts, especially with children in tow. Thanfully they were quite enthralled and eager to help me in my endeavor to choose just the right fabrics. Thirty minutes later, we had 2 fabrics for my swap, 1 fabric for a nephew gift, I had discussed scrapbooking and die cutting fabrics with the manager who cut my fabrics, no tantrums or threats, and I had SHARP scissors! I could hear the sigh of relief from my blades. Or maybe that was just me. They were sharp and shiny and well lubed and ready for duty. Moral of the story - take care of your tools!  Or you'll have to take care of them and your children. Walking to the sharpening clinic in the snow. Uphill. Both ways.

PS - Happy Birthday to my honey! I'm sure he's not reading now, but I still am compelled to say it. I'll be making your card sometime today :)

This month's Club Hostess asked me to make a masculine birthday card for one of their make-n-takes. I had just received Bitty Birthday as a Sale-A-Bration reward so I decided to use it. One of the new options for SAB this year is the selection of big catalog items! For me as a demonstrator, it's a great tool since I can continue to use the sets for workshops after SAB is over.

I wanted the card to be bright and fun and not the typical dark colors usually associated with masculine cards. I stamped the images using Staz-On black, the preferred ink for use with watercoloring. I then punched the images out with the Curly Label Punch, making 2 of the images slightly off-center. I colored with my Aquapainter and markers. I created a pallette of colors on a plastic stamp case by scribbling the marker on it, then picking the ink up with the aquapainter. When I'm done I simply wipe off the case. I also used the Neighborhood Designer Series Paper that's available as a SAB choice. The Black Satin Ribbon is new - available in the Occassions Mini Catalog. Very yummy and fun to work with. No bows or knots on this one since I'm trying to keep it manly ;)

Supplies: Bitty Birthday stamp set, Sahara Sand, Bermuda Bay and Confetti White cardstock, Neighborhood Designer Series Paper, Black Staz-On ink, Aquapainter, Many Marvelous Markers in assorted colors, Curly Label Punch, Black Satin Ribbon.

You too can earn SAB rewards. For details see my Previous Post.