Blog Candy Winner!!!!

I don't know how to copy the little chart from Random.org into my blog, everytime I try it comes out like this:

True Random Number Generator Min: Max: Result: 10

But anyways, so the winning comment was #10 by Wendy Hawkinson:

Wendy Hawkinson said...
What nice blog candy! Speaking of candy, I will be sad when the holidays are over, but my waistline will give a sigh of relief. Thursday will be a real button test for my jeans. LOLI hope you are enjoying your Voila set--I've seen a couple really cute creations on your blog using the little chef. :) Have a great Thanksgiving,Wendy Hawkinsonwww.gotrubberwillstamp.blogspot.com
November 24, 2009 9:15 AM

Congrats Wendy!!!

Whooo's going to be your Valentine???

This week's Late Night Stamper's Challenge is to make Valentine's Day Cards! Its a nice break from all the frantic Christmas/Holiday Cards I'm sure we've all been making, don't you think?? I made this cutie-patooty card with the Owl Together Stamp Set from the Big Catalog.

I began with a Whisper White Cardbase and layered Textured Real Red Cardstock over top. A Whisper White Satin Ribbon adds a nice contrast to the texture of the paper. My little owl and sentiment were stamped in Jet Black Stazon on Whisper White Cardstock and cut out and matted on Chocolate Chip. I colored my owl with my Stampin' Pastels and a Blender Pen. The owl and sentiment were then adhered to Real Red cardstock that I Paper Punched with my Piercing Tool and Mat Pack. This was layered on Whisper White and Chocolate Chip Cardstock and adhered to my card! Too fun!

I hope you will join us over at Late Night Stampers if you aren't yet a member, if you love Stampin' Up! you'll fit right in! Then you can play these super fun Challenges too!

Don't forget, today is your last chance to take advantage of the Online Extravaganza, with discounts from 30-50% off! Click here to visit my Online Store to place your order today, all orders through my store receive a FREE Scrapbook Wallet Tutorial!

Refuge and Strength

My mom came to visit for Thanksgiving and I asked her to bring a few of her stamp sets so I could help her make Christmas Cards...one ofthe sets she brought was Refuge and Strength which has been on my wishlist for a long time but never seems to make my order. I took the opportunity while she was here to make these cards with it (forgive the photography, she loved the cards and took them with her and I barely had time to snap some quick pics on the dining table before she stuck them in her purse!!)


This first card was made my stamping my verse and cross in Soft Suede on Very Vanilla Cardstock. both were matted on Soft Suede cardstock and adheres to textured Very Vanilla cardstock on a Kraft Card base. (Stampin' Dimensionals help Pop the verse above the cross layer.) A quick Soft Suede Polka Dot Grosgrain Ribbon finished off the card.


This second card started with a scrap of Sage Shadow paper I had...I stamped my cross image in Versamark for a watermark effect. After it dried I stamped the sentiment over top it in Jet Black Stazon. This was matter on Basic Black cardstock. My cardbase was Whipser white, layered with Basic Black and more Whisper White. A Sage Shadow Grosgrain ribbon adds the perfect touch!

I really love how these cards turned out, its always fun to play with new stamp sets! I'd just love your feedback as well! Don't forget to check out the Online Extravaganza through tomorrow to get your Stampin' Up! merchandise 30-50% off. Every online order gets a FREE Scrapbook Wallet Tutorial! Also, scroll down to Tuesday's post to leave a comment and be entered to win my Blog Candy!!

A Masculine Expression....

Here is a masculine card I made for this week's Clean and Simple Challenge to use the Sponging Technique. I really like the way this card turned out!


My card base is Kraft cardstock scored at the top. I first sponged my Whisper White cardstock with Old Olive cardstock, then Shimmer White. I allowed this to dry and then stamped my image from Herb Expression in Jet Black Stazon overtop. This was matted on Chocolate Chip and adhered to the card. A Garden Green Grosgrain Ribbon adds a simple accent along the bottom (I skipped a bow or knot for a more masculine look.)

I hope you enjoy today's card and are having a great weekend! Don't forget to check out Stampin' Up's awesome Online Extravaganza with savings of 30-50% and scroll down to Tuesday's post to enter to win my Blog Candy!

Another Clean and Simple Card

I think when it comes to my stamping I seem to go in "waves." Sometimes I am on a roll creating very ornate, complex cards...and then, well I get in a place where I seem to only want to make Clean and Simple style cards. And thats where I seem to be the past few days..perhaps as the holidays are ramping up and I have more on my plate I make my stamping more simple?

I like this card because I feel like it has a warm, spring-like feel to it, which is a nice feeling to have with the dreary weather I've had lately.

I hope you all are enjoying your holiday weekend and please don't forget to visit my Online Store to take advantage of Stampin' Up's Online Extravaganza, with prices 30-50% off! Also, with every purchase you will receive a FREE Scrapbook Wallet Tutorial from me! Also, scroll down to Tuesday's post to enter to win my Blog Candy!

A double post day!

I very rarely post twice in one day but as I said earlier, we aren't doing our Thanksgiving until tomorrow so I had some create time today and wanted to share this simple but super cute Christmas card I made using the Its a Stretch set.



My card base is Whisper White scored on the top. I layered over this Real Red Textured cardstock. I stamped my stocking image in Jet Black Stazon on Whisper White, Read Red Textured, and Old Olive Textured cardstock and used my Paper Snips to paper piece the various parts of the stocking. I love paper piecing...although it can take some time it gives a different effect of just coloring, especially with the textured cardstock. To give the white areas of the stocking more "ooph" I added Crystal Effects (also on the ornament to give it some dimension!) I matted my stocking on Old Olive after the Crystal Effects had dried and adhered to the card base over a piece of Whisper White Satin Ribbon. I love the contrast of texture between the satin ribbon and all the textured cardstock!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving to you all! We're actually doing our big meal tomorrow so its just a big day of football for my husband and stamping for me at our house today, but I thought it apt to share a Thanksgiving card I made for this week's Diva's Coffee Break Sketch Challenge.


Its a very simple card but I think it shows off our awesome Stampin' Up! textured paper really well, and sometimes the most simple cards can be the best ones!

I hope you all have a great day, don't forget to scroll down and enter to win my Blog Candy!!

Pop Up Christmas Greeting

It looks like an unassuming card at first glance, but pull the tab and you get...


...an awesome Free Standing Pop Up card! I haven't made one of these in forever and due to a lack of stamping mojo felt the need to do something different today!


I used textured Soft Suede cardstock for my base and embellished with Christmas Cocoa Specialty Designer Series Paper. My stamp set was Snow Swirled, stamped in Soft Suede and the card was finished off with Whisper White Satin Ribbon and a Jumbo Grommet!

A great tutorial for this type of card can be found here.

Don't forget to check out my Online Store for the Online Extravaganza, Stampin' Up Special Bundles and discounts up to 30-50% off! Also, be sure to scroll down and leave a comment on yesterday's post to enter to win my Blog Candy!

BLOG CANDY!!!!

How about a little candy to celebrate all the good food coming up later this week?? I have some great blog candy for you-the retired Darling Dots stamp set, and THREE partial rolls of ribbon-Riding Hood Red, White Organdza, and Kiwi Kiss/Vanilla Satin!!


All you have to do to enter is leave a comment on this post, I will draw the winner from all comments next Monday morning!


Don't forget to visit my Online Store to check out the awesome deals for Stampin' Up's Online Extravaganza! There are great bundles and deals 30-50% off!! Plus, everyone who purchases from my Online Store through the 30th will receive a FREE Christmas Scrapbook Wallet Tutorial!

A Little Love....

I have been Christmas-crazy for months now and decided that I needed a break, so I created this Valentine's Day card...a nice dose of pink was just what I needed!


I began my card with a Kraft card base scored on the top. I embossed my flowers from Fifth Avenue Floral with Versamark and Black Stampin' Emboss Powder on Pretty in Pink and Regal Rose paper and matted the images on Basic Black. A Basic Black grosgrain ribbon and sentiment from Teeny Tiny Wishes finished me off for an elegant and simple card!


Psssst....do you know what today starts?? Stampin' Up's Online Extravaganza! All this week you can order amazing deals up to 50% off! Visit my online store to place your order today! As an added bonus all online orders received by me between today and Sunday night at midnight will receive a FREE Exclusive Christmas Scrapbook Wallet Tutorial! These would make awesome gifts for friends and family members! All tutorials will be emailed next Monday morning so click here to start shopping!

Clean and Simple, Warhol style!

Want an easy card to make but a bold statement? Combine your old friend Pocket Silhouettes with heat embossing and bright colors for a "Wow" card in no time at all!


I simply cut four rectangles of cardstock out of Crushed Curry, Old Olive, Melon Mambo, and Bermuda Bay; stamped each with Versamark and a different image ad then embossed with White Stampin' Emboss Powder. The images were arranged Warhol-style on a Whisper White cardbase and a Crushed Curry sentiment finishes it off!

I hope you like this card, happy Sunday!!!

Dasher Gift Card Holder Tutorial

I had a workshop on Thursday evening and just couldn't make my mind up on what kind of project to do for my Make-and-Take until I browsed the Splitcoast Stampers Galleries and saw a cute as could be Dasher Gift Card holder made by Marie Shaughnessey. I used it at my workshop and it went over great. Now you can make one too using my YouTube Tutorial!



Isn't it adorable?? How nice to make a gift card more personal!



You will need a 4.25 by 11" piece of Chocolate Chip, 2.5 by 3" and scrap of Real Red, 2.25 by 2.75 and scrap of Very Vanilla, 12" Real Red 5/8" grosgrain ribbon, Dasher stamp, the Merry Christmas stamp from Teeny Tiny Wishes, Modern Label Punch, Word Window Punch, 1/2" Circle Punch, Sticky Strip, and adhesive.



I hope you enjoy my video!

Shimmery Bella Toile

As some of you may have guessed, I seem to be a bit in love with Stampin' Up's Bella Toile Background stamp right now...I can't help it, I just love the look of elegance it gives any project! Today I decided to use it with my Shimmer Paints for this friendship card:



I inked my stamp up in Old Olive (Hint: I ink my background stamps by turning the stamp upside down and pressing the ink pad onto it rather than pressing my stamp down onto the ink pad, this lets me see that I'm getting enough coverage.) I then took my White Shimmer Paints (from the Holiday Mini Catalog) and applied it over the Old Olive with a sponge. I stamped this onto Very Vanilla Cardstock. I matted the stamped background onto Old Olive cardstock and applied to a Very Vanilla card base. My sentiment and frame are from the Great Friend set, I cut it out using my Paper Snips-they are perfect for detail cutting! I matted this onto a piece of Textured Old Olive Cardstock and rounded the corners with my Corner Rounder Punch. Three Very Vanilla Brads finish it off!

This Shimmer Paint is so versatile...you can mix it with some alcohol in a spray bottle and spritz your paper for an all over shimmer, mix it with reinkers to create your own shimmer ink, sponge it as I did here and here, the possiblities are endless! Its the perfect way to add some pizzazz to your holiday projects!

New Dasher Tile and Gift Box Tutorial!!

Here's another great gift idea for this holiday season that is easy and inexpensive to make, and is sure to be a big hit! A handstamped display tile in a matching gift box! (Tile can be used as a coaster as well!)


I am offering a complete tutorial on creating this tile and matching gift box for only $5.00! You will receive a 10 page PDF file containing step by step instructions for making this gift set, complete with 17 pictures! These are easy to mass produce and fast to make, so purcahse your tutorial now by clicking the "Buy it Now" button below. Please allow up to 24 hours to receive your tutorial by email as they are sent Manually! Don't forget to check my right sidebar for more of my fast, easy, and inexpensive gift tutorials for this holiday season!

A Clean and Simple Trio and an MDS Gift Project

I like to try various challenges I find online and Clean and Simple (CAS) Challenges are usually my favorite. Many people don't realize how hard it is to make a Clean and Simple design! Here are three cards I made recently for CAS Challenges on Splitcoast Stampers.



This Winter Themed Card was made with a Whisper White card base matted with textured Bermuda Bay Cardstock. My image is from The More the Merrier Hostess Set, colored with my Blender Pens and Ink Pads, and then matted on Pumpkin Pie cardstock. I really liked this color combination!




This card was for a Sketch Challenge and consists of the star image from Patterned Pines (Hostess set in the Holiday Mini) stamped in Rich Razzleberry, Bermuda Bay, and Melon Mambo and punched out with my 1/2" Circle Punch. The sentiment is from Teeny Tiny Wishes, stampe in Rich Razzleberry.





This card is my favorite, it was another sketch challenge and I used the Playground Designer Buttons to create a bold yet simple look. The sentiment is from Many Merry Messages.


I'd also like to share with you this gift I made for my Father and Stepmother using My Digital Studio. It is a framed picture representing all of their grandchildren.


I printed the sentiment and image using MDS on Whisper White cardstock. it was very cool to use the digital All in the Family Stamp Set rather than the real one because I could adjust the size of the children to better fit the actual sizes/ages of the kids (mine are the two on the left! I love that there was a curly headed one for my younger son, he's just full of ringlets!)

I hope you like today's project and cards! Its snowy here in Kansas and my kids are under the weather so we're stuck inside....lots of stamping to be done! I have a special project I'm working on for you all for tomorrow!!!!

Mojo-licious Sketch Challenge

The Pals Paper Arts Theme Challenge last week was Christmas and this week's Mojo Monday Sketch Challenge was just what I needed to inspire my entry-lots of layers! I love both Clean and Simple Cards and very intricate cards but sometimes lack inspiration to design layered cards. Thats why sketch challenges are such a blessing!


I really love the way the card turned out, especially the banner attached with the Mini Library Clip...I got those babies on sale during one of the Deals of the Week last month and have been using them left and right!!

My card base is Very Vanilla Followed by a layer of Chocolate Chip and Real Red that I embossed with my Big Shot and Texturz Backgrounds 1. The patterned papers both come from the Christmas Jingle Simply Scrappin' Kit and my stamped tree and star are from Patterned Pines. The sentiment is from Berry Christmas, both sets are in the Holiday Mini Catalog.

I hope you like my card, please let me know if you have any questions about it!

Damask Christmas

I love this flocked Damask paper from the Christmas Cocoa Specialty Desinger Series Paper in the Holiday Mini catalog! I loved it so much that I could barely use it at first because I felt like I couldn't find the right combination of colors to compliment it and show of the gorgeous texture of the paper. I finally realized it looks best to me when combined simply with Whiper White, Basic Black, and Real Red as it is here in this Christmas Card and Pillow Box Gift set.



For my card I simply layered Basic Blac and the flocked paper on a Whiper White card base. My sentiment from Many Merry Messages was stamped in Jet Black Stazon on Whiper White cardstock and layered on Basic Black. A 5/8" wide Basic Black Grosgrain Ribbon finishes off this bold and elegant card! A matching pillow box is the perfect container for a small gift to accompany the card.

We also used this flocked paper to make cards for Veterans at the Eisenhower VA Center yesterday for the charity Still Someone. Look at these amazing cards the volunteers came up with:


Thanks to the generosity of our volunteers and those who donate supplies to Still Someone, we were able to make 147 cards yesterday for the veterans! Way to go guys!

Simple One Layer Card

Here's a simple no layer card I made last night. I was trying to figure out a way to use up some of my scraps, which were building up and starting to stress me out with their clutter!

I simply took some small scraps of paper and cut them into squares and rectangles and tied them up with Silver Elastic Cord from the Holiday Mini Catalog. I then stamped my sentiment from Many Merry Messages in Rich Razzleberry using my Stamp-a-ma-jig for perfect placement. It doesn't get much easier than this! I hope you like it, I'll be holding my charity cardmaking event today, I can't wait to tell you all about it and show you all the wonderful cards our volunteers make for the Veterans!

Crafting for a Cause

I've been very busy this week getting everything ready for tomorrow's Still Someone Charity Cardmaking event in Leavenworth, Kansas. I have prepped materials for over 100 pre-designed cards which volunteers will be making. The first design features the Delightful Decorations stamp set and Christmas Cocoa Specialty Designer Series Paper from the Holiday Mini Catalog, it also features a sentiment from Many Merry Messages:


The other designs are very similar but allow for volunteers to mix and match to create their own, it features The More the Merrier Hostess Set. I used the small stamps from Delightful Decorations to create my own patterned paper! Coloring was done with Stampin' Write Markers, whcih will allow each volunteer to further customize their card!



I will also have a TON of materials for anyone who wants to get creative and make whatever they please! I hope you all like the cards, and I really hope that the veterans like them next month! Thanks for looking!

Oh, I almost forgot, I made a video tutorial for the Top Note Box I featured the other day per some requests I had:

You can't go wrong with a Peacock!

You really can't go wrong for a simple and elegant card when you use the Peacock image from the Stampin' Up! Very Thankful set. This set is located on the very last page of the catalog and for every purchase of the set, money is donated to the Ronald McDonald House to help sick children and their families. So, when you buy this set, not only do you gain a gorgeous set of four thank you sentiments (and who doesn't need those?) but you're helping a great cause!


This thank you card was sent to a very generous demonstrator from South Carolina, Jean Warren, who recently donated over 75 cards to Still Someone, the charity I work with. Jean's cards will be delivered to the Eisenhower Veterans Administration Hospital next month!

I wanted to make a Jean a special card to show my utmost appreciation for her donation, so I started with a Whisper White card base and layered Basic Black and textured Bermuda Bay cardstock on it. I then layered Bermuda Bay Polka Dot Grosgrain Ribbon over Basic Black 5/8" Grosgrain Ribbon to wrap around my textured cardstock, I love the way that turned out! My peacock was stamped in Jet Black Stazon (for a crisp image I prefer Stazon over Basic Black) and then layered on a mat of Basic Black.

I love the color scheme of this card, its simple but bold.

What I used:

Stamps
Very Thankful p.209 Idea Book and Catalog (IBC) 115338

Ink
Jet Black Stazon p.190 IBC 101406

Paper
Whisper White p.155 IBC 100730
Textured Bermuda Bay (assorted pack) p. 155 IBC 115719
Basic Black p.155 IBC 102851

Etc
Basic Black 5/8" Grosgrain Ribbon p.183 IBC 115605
Bermuda Bay Polka Dot Grosgrain Ribbon p.182 IBC 115610
SNAIL Adhesive p.192 IBC 104332

I tried something new today with listing the materials, catalog numbers and page numbers of the items I used. I would love your feedback on this-if you find it helpful or worthwhile I will continue to do this at the end of my posts, however if it really doesn't interest you please let me know as it is a bit time consuming! Please leave feedback!!

Oh, and I have to tell you all that I had a little sneak peak at Stampin' Up's offerings for the New Year and you will be blown away, I'll be sharing some sneak peaks starting in December!

Stamping Candles Video Tutorial

Due to popular demand, I've created a YouTube video tutorial on hand-stamping candles, I hope you all enjoy it, and remember, I'm always open to suggestions on tutorials you'd like to see! I'm working on one for the Top Note Box I hope to share with you tomorrow.

Christmas Jingle Simply Scrappin' Kit

I'm not too much of a scrapbooker, as evidenced by my poor effort on my second son's baby book but Stampin' Up! really takes the headache out of designing beautiful, cohesive scrapbooks with their Simply Scrappin' Kits. Here is the kit when you receive it...doesn't look like too much yet, huh?


But look at the wonders inside!!! 2 sheets each of 12 by 12" Textured cardstock in Very Vanilla, Real Red, Old Olive, and Chocolate Chip; 3 sheets each of double sided 12 by 12" Designer Paper, and 6 sheets of self-adhesive Die Cuts!


Even being a bit scrapbook challenged, I put together this scrapbook page quickly and easily! (I blurred my children's faces.)



I also used the kit to whip up these 4 cards in less than 15 minutes! How's that for fast and easy for your Christmas Cards this year?

Don't forget these Simply Scrappin' Kits are for more than just Christmas, you can see all of our kits on pages 164-167 of the Idea Book and Catalog or by clicking here and clicking the Shop Now Button in the upper right corner. You'll find the Simply Scrappin' Kits listed under the "Paper" header.

Mojo Sketch Challenge

I made this card using this week's Mojo Monday Sketch Challenge.


I was a little nervous with my colors at first because I've been in straight Christmas mode for so long now that it was hard to break out of the red/green thing, I did purple and green instead!



In the end I love the way it turned out, perfect for one of the five gazillion birthdays I have coming up in the next month!

To make this card I used a standard 4.25 by 5.5 Whisper White card base. On this I layers a 4 by 5.25" Rich Razzleberry layer, a 3.75 by 5" layer of Cottage Wall Designer Series Paper, then one rectangle of Whisper White matted on Rich Razzleberry and one of Old Olive Textured Cardstock on Rich Razzleberry. My 1 3/8"Circle PUnch clipped my Old Olive Cardstock to make room for my silver Mini Library Clip and also punched out the cute cake image from the Voila Stamp Set (watercolored with my Blender Pen and Orchid Opulence Classic Stampin' Pad) The cake was matted on a Scallop Circle punched from Orchid Opulence. The card was finished off with a sentiment from Happy Everything stamped in Rich Razzleberry and Old Olive.

I hope you like today's card! I'll be working on a Free Tutorial for yesterday's Top Note Box so check back soon!

Late Night Stamper's Challenge 45: Holiday Gifts!

This week's Late Night Stamper's Challenge is to make holiday gift projects, yesterday's Bella Toile Candle and matching gift box fit the bill for the challenge, and again today I'd like to share another stamped candle and gift box set. (I can't get enough of stamping candles lately!!)


I made this Top Note gift box with my Big Shot, Stampin' Up! Top Note Die, Kraft cardstock, and some scraps of paper I had laying around.


The Real Red Grosgrain Ribbon (currently my favorite!) really adds a pop to the box, along with the Merry Moments Designer Series Paper. My sentiment is from the Berry Christmas set in the Holiday Mini Catalog, punched out with the Word Window Punch and matted on a Real Red Modern Label Punch.


This box was very easy to make and you can easily change the dimensions to make it taller or shorter to fit a variety of small gifts. I made some small stamped votives for my gift box.


These votives were stamped with the smallest snowflake from Snow Swirled and the Noel Sentiment from Many Merry Messages in Real Red Ink.


I hope you like this project, don't forget to scroll down to see yesterday's candle project as well. And on my right sidebar you'll see my Berry Christmas Gift Set Tutorial, which would also make a great gift this holiday season!

A Beautiful Gift Idea

Here is a great gift idea for you for this Holiday Season (or really year round!) Stamp a candle with your favorite Stampin' Up! stamp and make a matching box-its a fabulous and inexpensive personal gift!

Here are some close ups of the candle and box:

To purchase a 10 page PDF Tutorial with Step-by-step instructions and 19 photographs for this project for only $5.00, just click the Buy it Now button below. Please allow up to 24 hours to receive your tutorial via email.