A New Twist on Photo Holders - November 2007

I made a bunch of these binder clip photo holders for the gals who attended my first workshop. It was a small group and it was a last minute thing but I wanted to show them that you could make things other then cards. Although they were very simple, I think they were a big hit. In the second picture you can see where I put a bag topper to illustrate how the clip would hold a photo.

RECIPE:
Paper: DP Rose Red
Accessories: Large Binder Clip, White Taffeta Ribbon

January Technique Class - 2008

I made these items at my upline's January technique class. I love the the different ideas she comes up with and really hope that I can get a class going similiar to hers. I like the different card layout we used this month to make the first card, but my favorite project was the little lantern we made. These would be perfect for home decor or even decorations for an outdoor wedding. All that would need to be added would be some christmas lights or a flameless candle and it would be "WOW"

Card 1 Recipe:
Stamps: Sweet Celebrations, All in a Row
Paper: Going Grey
Ink: Basic Grey, Real Red, Wild Wasabi
Accessories: Scallop Punch, Circle Punch, Red Gingham Ribbon, Heart Chipboard, Chunky Glitter, Crystal Effects, Stamp-a-ma-jig

Lantern Recipe: (I will create and post a tutorial on how to make this lantern at a later date)
Stamps: stitched exotics
Paper: bali breeze DP, Whisper White
Ink: Purely Promgerate
Accessories: brads, 5 petal punch

Card 2 Recipe:
Stamps: Time Well Spent, Baroque Motifs, Make it Count
Paper: Going Grey, Tempting Turquoise, Very Vanilla
Ink: Basic Grey, Tempting Turquoise
Accessories: Turquoise Grosgrain Ribbon, Dimensionals, Scoring Blade

Wedding Album - December 2007

I finally got the wedding album and surprise completed for my cousin & his wife done. They got married in a wonderful and beautiful ceremony in April 2007 down in the hills of Kentucky. I was lucky enough to be able to attend and had a blast. I wish they lived closer because even though they're distant cousins in relation they are so close in family ties & love. Anyway... after having such a wonderful time in Kentucky visiting and partying I decided I needed to make a surprise for the newlyweds and this album is what I came up with. It took me several months to get it all put together and make the final decisions on what I should do on each page but I think it turned out wonderful and the new bride absolutely loved it.

BOOK RECIPE:

I have bought a bunch of the 7 gypsies board books that I used to make this album. I have found them at several online stories and ebay for reasonable prices. I'm sure some of the local craft stores carry them as well but at the time I bought them I hadn't found the ones I wanted at the local stores I have, so I went online.

To make the book I used a combination of current and retired Stampin’ Up stamp sets including but not limited to doodle alphabet, butterfly of happiness, world tour, in the spotlight, sidekick sayings, perennial friendship, that’s nice, and define your life. The paper and inks used were Petals & Paisley DP, Certainly Celery, So Saffron, Tempting Turquoise, Almost Amethyst, and whisper white. I used mainly craft ink because of the embossing but some classic was used. To add the sparkle I used both Dazzling Diamonds Glitter and Iridescent Ice Embossing Powder. Last but not least I used a wide variety of Stampin’ Up paper punches.

Family Board Book - March 2007

Back in March my upline held a special class where for a small fee we were given a package of Petals & Paisley DP and a board book. We also received the other little pieces of paper that were needed for embellishments.

I still haven't added the pictures to the book but at least it's done except for that. I will be adding the pictures shortly. I am in the process of cleaning the craft room and getting my photos and everything organized in it.

I loved working on the book and though I've only shown you 1/2 the pages the other pages of the book are actually just coordinating paper and the place where the pictures once decided on will be able to go. I also have to do the journaling but I'll wait until pictures have been decided on before I can do the journaling. This is the main reason I have such a hard time scrapbooking ... I can't decide what pictures to put in the book and stuff.

These books are very fun to make and I've since made and put pictures in another book for my cousin's wedding. It was a big hit and I'll post the pictures of that album in another blog entry.

December Technique Class - 2007

Another month of Christmas projects created during my upline's technique class.

Working on all these Christmas projects definitely helped me get into the Christmas spirit and come up with some new ideas for next year when I get ready to make some gifts for my friends and family. I wish more of my family understood the hard work and energy that goes into making a gift so that they actually enjoyed the gift a bit more but oh well... such is life I guess.

I think my favorite projects were the gift bags. I think the little bag with the tags is so cute and could definitely be changed to fit any holiday or celebration. The same goes for the big gift bag but the tags were something new to me so I really was in awe by them.

Banner Recipe:

Paper: DP Dashing, Real Red
Accessories: On Board Accents, Ribbons, Dimensionals
Difficulty (1-Easy 5-Advanced): 1

Tag Bag Recipe:

Stamps: Perfect Presentation
Paper: Wintergreen DP, Whisper White, Brushed Silver
Ink: Old Olive, Basic Black
Accessories: Circle & Scallop Punches, Corner Rounder
Difficulty (1-Easy 5-Advanced): 1

Gift Bag Recipe:

Stamps: Jumbo Snowflake, Big On Christmas, Snow Wheel
Paper: Whisper White, Night of Navy, Retired DP
Ink: Silver Encore, Basic Black, Night of Navy
Accessories: Corner Punch, SU Markers, Silver EP
Difficulty (1-Easy 5-Advanced): 1

November Technique Class - 2007

November was another month filled with Christmas projects that would make great gifts.

Though I liked making the gift card holder i found it to be a bit tricky and think that there are other gift card holders out there that would work better and be cuter. That's my personal opinion though for what it's worth. I did like the marble tile and actually bought some of them to try to make some more as gifts. I didn't end up having enough time or the craft ink in the colors I wanted to make them for gifts this year but next year I think I'll be making a few for some different people. I really like the set we used here but I don't know if I would use it for anything else and don't really want to spend the money to buy it for just this one project. I'm sure some of you understand where I'm coming from.

Like the past few months entries. We also made a card using the reverse Joseph Coat technique but I loaned that card to my friend with the others before getting a picture of it. Once I have gotten that card back I'll add it to this entry.

Tile Recipe:

Stamps: Peaceful Wishes
Ink: Craft Ink - Real Red, Chocolate Chip, Handsome Hunter, Almost Navy
Accessories: Marble Tile, Embossing Powder
Techniques: Marble Tile
Difficulty (1-Easy 5-Advanced): 2

Gift Card Pouch Recipe:

Stamps: In the Spotlight
Paper: Au Chocolate DP, Whisper White
Ink: Old Olive
Accessories: Build a Brad, Tab Punch, Large Eyelet, 5 Petal Punch, Ribbon
Techniques: Gift Card Packet/Pouch

October Technique Class - 2007

My upline had a Christmas in October Technique Class so all the projects were winter/christmas related. I loved it and was really inspired.

I ended up loaning out two of the projects to another friend before I got pictures taken so once I get those back I'll add them to this post. In the mean time I hope you enjoy the sparkle tag punch burst ornament.

I love this project the most and have made a few more since then. I plan on making a ton more too in the colors of my living room so they can go on my christmas tree next year. I wanted to make them for this year but didn't end up having enough time so it'll have to wait until next year. The other times I've made them I gave them as a hostess gift at my workshop so no picture of that one. It looked the same as this one so you're not missing out that much. The other time I just did the star part and attached it to a wedding card. I unfortunately gave the card away at the wedding before taking a picture of it. I'm going to try to replicate it for another wedding I have coming up so I'll take a picture this time and get it posted in a separate blog entry. This are sort of tricky to make but are actually really easy once you get the hang of it. You'll need both tag punches that SU sells. The easiest way to do them is to punch out the small punch and then punch the big one around it like a frame. Once you get the little punched tags you attached them to the vellum with glue. I got lazy on the engagment card and just ran them through my Xryon machine. This makes it all alot easier but you have to be careful not to tear the frames apart. I will post a tutorial with photos to make these in another blog entry sometime soon.

August Technique Class - 2007

Here are the cards we made in my upline's August Technique Class. It was a month of different techniques using Vellum. I loved this class and even considered using the candles in wine glasses as a center piece for my friends wedding. After talking to her she's decided to use something else so that's not going to happen but I still think these would work really well for centerpieces at weddings or other events. The other card that isn't shown her right now was loaned to a friend before I got a chance to take a picture. Once I get it back and get a picture taken I'll add it to this post.

CARD RECIPE #1:
Stamps: Double Line Doodle
Paper: Vellum, Carol, Doodle DP
Ink: Black Stazon
Accessories: Embossing Stylus, Corner Punch, Ribbon, Crystal Effects
Techniques: Vellum
Difficulty (1-Easy 5-Advanced): 1

WINE GLASS TOPPER RECIPE:

Stamps: Garden Whimsy, Baroque Motifs
Paper: Vellum
Ink: Purely Pomegranate
Accessories: Dazzling Diamonds, Corner Rounder
Techniques: Vellum
Difficulty (1-Easy 5-Advanced): 1

Floral Coasters for Christmas - January 2008

I love these coasters that I made for my good friend Colleen for Christmas. I know I am really late in getting them to her but she is very understanding and loves them so it was well worth the work and the wait.

I made them using acyclic blocks I got from www.kitchensinkstamps.com. I then used SU Crystal Effects to glue the Dew Drops around the edges and top. I got the Dew Drops at Kitchen Sink Stamps as well. I decided that the coasters needed a little lip to catch the condensation from the cups so I put the Dew Drops on the top edge. I then used my Xyron machine to attach the paper and chipboard coasters to the acyclic blocks. I love the way the flowers turned out. I had seen many different designs where people had stamped an image on designer paper and then cut out the section they wanted and attached that to another piece of paper with the same stamped image. Using this idea I stamped the flower from SU's Embrace Life set onto various colors of the designer prints paper and then cut it out. I then attached it to another piece of designer series paper. I love these coasters and plan on making a lot more for myself and friends in the future. I might also have some on here soon for sale and or prizes for the different challenges.

September Technique Class - 2007

I made these projects during the September Technique Class that my upline held.

I love the way the little bag turned out. I would never thought it would be so easy to make but it was. They are so easy I would consider making some to pass out to trick-or-treaters but I don't really want to spend all the money on the supplies to do that when I don't know how many I would need to make. I would make them in small batches though for different gatherings with friends, family, co-workers, etc. though.



I also love how the scrapbook page turned out. I'm not much of a scrapbooker yet but I'm working on it so the more page ideas my upline provides during class the more interested and excited I get about working on some myself. I haven't finished this page completely yet but at least it has a photo on it which is better then the others I've done at class.

The Rustic Bathroom Is Finally Finished - October 2007

I made this piece of wall art for my mom's newly re-designed bathroom. The floor now has leaves on it, while the shower curtain is stripes in various rustic shades including More Mustand, Real Rust, and Handsome Hunter with some Gold too. Mom decided to go with solid towels in More Mustard and Real Rust or as close as you can get to those. I think she needs another piece of artwork or a bigger picture frame for the wall this is hanging on but really like how it all came together. I'm still not a big fan of the floor.

The other pieces are just tiles that we picked up at Kohl's that applied Gold EP too so they would match and tie into the rest of the room a bit better. I think my mom wished there had been more then just the 2 leaves to pick from, but at least she got some choice on the other picture.

Now to just get mom's other bathroom decorated. I think I'll enjoy it much more since it's in my favorite color... tempting turquoise.

Altoid Tins Are For More Then Just Mints Now - May 2007

I made these tins for a good friend to sell her jewelry in at a Memorial Day Craft Fair. I made 5 of each design.

TIN RECIPE #1:

Stamps: Butterfly of Happiness, Rough Edges Alphabets
Paper: Enchante DS, Very Vanilla, Pale Plum
Ink: Elegant Eggplant
Accessories: Spring Moss Grosgrain Ribbon, Altoid tin, Sticky Strip, Glue Dots
Techniques: Altered Tin

TIN RECIPE #2:

Stamps: Butterfly of Happiness, Rough Edges Alphabets

Paper: Enchante DS, Very Vanilla, Mellow Moss

Ink: Handsome Hunter

Accessories: Hunter Grosgrain Ribbon, Altoid Tin, Sticky Strip, Glue Dots

Techniques: Altered Tin

Doodle Photo Album - March 2007

I made this nice little photo album at the local demo meeting. It definately looks harder then what it truly is to make. I plan on making some more but will first have to get the little envelopes or come up with some sort of subsitute for them.

Album Recipe:
Stamps: doodle this, doodle alphabet
Paper: marigold morning, old olive, basic black, real red
Ink: basic black, marigold morning
Accessories: ribbon, staples
Techniques: photo wallet