Spotty Birthday~~

Today's project was made for a special girl on her 15th bday! My kids are going to a party tonight, so I wanted to make something special for the birthday girl! I was at my local craft supply store this week, and they were closing out the $1 items for .47 cents! I picked up several things to alter and give away. This lined journal type thingy was the same bright yellow as SU! Yoyo Yellow, so I decided to go bright. I think it is fitting for a 15 year old girl don't you? The stamp sets I used here are ancient SU! Girlfriend Accessories and an old hostess set that doesn't even have a label. I didn't always keep labels like I have done for the last 10 years or so.

I also stamped several of the same images and others from this set on many of the lined pages inside just to dress it up a little. The ribbons just make it fun and finish it off! I wanted to carry the polka dot theme through to the gift bag, so I just chose the same colors of CS I had used on the book and punched out several circles in different sizes, and adhered with sticky tape. You NEED sticky tape!

Now that I am putting this post up I realize I need a gift card to match too! You'll just have to use your imagination on that......think polka dots!

I have classes this weekend, so it may be Monday before I am able to post again. I hope you have a fun filled family weekend!

~~Stamping Smiles~~

Shelli

Paper Pretties~~

Well aren't these little fellas so cute! This was my first attempt at the sour cream container and it was super fast and easy! If you have a crimper, some sticky tape and DSP, you can make one! Head over HERE to see a tutorial on how you can make one too! They went together so fast and easy.....perfect for a little pick me up filled with candy or some small treat!

The gorgeous DSP I used today is by Heidi Grace. It is a wonderful double sided paper, so the inside of the container is nice too, not just boring white! The button and ribbon are PTI and the tag and circle punches are SU!, as is the ink and solid CS.

I love 3-D stuff these days, and if you are attending Boxes Bags and Tags (HERE) this weekend, you will love them too! (We are not making this project this weekend.....just some wonderful others!) With fun little gift packaging, it is easy to make the simple look exceptional!

If you want an inexpensive way to dress up almost anything, check out these by Lauren_Meader sold over at PTI. She is the Queen Supreme of all things 3-D! If you purchase a template by her from PTI, you download it to your computer and print it out as many times as you like. No shipping, no tax, just $5 and you get access to it NOW! No waiting for Mr. Brown to come next week! Her stuff is all her designs and she is fantastic (and pretty darn sweet to boot!) Check them out! I have purchased them before and I am very happy with how easy they are to use.

Have you mailed a card this week to brighten someones day? If not, do it now! You will bless the receiver and you will feel good too! Don't put it off~~~

~~Stamping Smiles~~

Shelli

Shameless CASE~~

Remember when I explained CASE? Copy and share everything! Well, this is a prime example of shameless CASEing! As SU! demonstrators we receive a magazine monthly from SU! full of ideas, techniques, and inspiration galore. This months issue arrived Monday and I instantly fell in love with the cards by Amy Rohl. Her classic style is eye catching and gorgeous!

I changed very little about her card. She used a different texture background than what I have, and a different circle stamp and flower, but other wise, it is all her!

She has done for me what I hope to do for you....inspire to create! This year the motto for SU! is Inspire Create Share. I adore this motto...it really encompasses what we try to accomplish as demonstrators. Inspire others to be creative and share their creations! As customers and fellow stampers, I would add that my goal for you is to encourage. Encouragement in the written word is a lost art these days. We get junk mail in our mail box as well as our inbox. We get bills, we get ads....all these people want something FROM us. Why not make some one's day or even week by sending them a card from your heart. Whether or not it is drop dead gorgeous is beside the point. That you took the time to A. make them something and B. encourage them by sending it out is priceless!

~~Stamping Smiles~~

Shelli

Flower Power~~

Happy Monday! I hope you got some stampin' time in over the weekend! I enjoyed mine~~

Today's card is (almost) all SU! The SS is older. It is called Watercolor Garden. It has long been one of my favorites because of the softness in the edges of the images. I ran the Lavender Lace CS through my cuttlebug with the Stylized Flowers folder. Then I just corner stamped the white and added some ribbon. Ta-Da! Super easy!

Same thing in Buckaroo Blue (retired)! Here the ribbon is PTI Enchanted Evening, which matches Buckaroo quite nicely.

I enjoy a layout that I know I can put together quickly, and this one gets used a lot! Think about starting a sketch book or folder on your computer where you can store images of sketches you like. Then draw from it next time you need some inspiration!

Lastly, I am currently frustrated with my ribbon storage. Any ideas? Leave me a comment!

~~Stamping Smiles~~

Shelli

Coffee time~~

Anytime is coffee time, for me anyway! I always say "I'm pretty sure there will be coffee in heaven, cuz I think God understands about coffee!"

This is some more PTI for ya! This set is called Warm Wishes and comes with a variety of fun sentiments and options for the coffee cup. Tea and cocoa words are included as well. Those gorgeous wood buttons are PTI as is the twine they are tied on with. I tie the twine through the button and then I use a glue dot to adhere the button to the card. This works better than Tacky Glue IMO because glue dots do not need time to dry. You can find them at your craft stores (use a coupon) and even Wally World.

Kraft CS seems to be my new favorite neutral. I like it better than white or cream. It seems sort of rustic I guess. It goes with any color and is softer than the starkness of white. White is great when you want a POW, but sometimes you don't, so there's Kraft. I get my Kraft from SU! It comes 40 sheets to a pack and is a great weight for CS. Try it, you'll like it!

Here's another one I decided to throw in to show case the Kraft and this fun PTI set. There you can see the cup options. My CS and ink is SU! (my main squeeze) but some of the images from PTI are hard to resist!

Have a happy Sunday! I am looking forward to time with friends today! Hug your family, let em' know ya love em'!

~~Stampin' Smiles~~

Shelli

Talk is Cheep~~~

Greetings friends! I hope your weather is as gorgeous as mine! It's hard to wanna be inside stamping when the weather is so warm and sunny, but I manage (wink*)

I have three cards for you today! Yesterday I pulled out Cheep Talk by SU! and decided to just go with it! Sometimes I do that.....I just create with one stamp set for a while, it might be a couple hours, or maybe a couple days! It's fun how ,once you get some idea's, they just keep flowing when you stick with one particular stamp set.



This one I tweeked from a card by Dawn Easton HERE. I subscribe to her blog, and she is one fantastic stamper! I obviously took her layout (AKA skecth) and changed up the colors and added the half circle. This technique is called CAS (copy and share) I also call it cheating! When your stamping mojo is hiding somewhere, it is nice to fall back on others blogs and websites like http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/ for inspiration! Have you ever heard the phrase "there are no mistakes in stamping, only opportunities to embellish!" Well, if you have been to my classes or clubs, you have heard it form ME! This card also uses the "cover up" technique. You mess up, you cover up! Easy! What you don't know (until I tell you) is that half circle actually covers up a crooked greeting that I stamped there on the pink CS! It was crooked so I simply covered it up with the half circle and a straight greeting!


This card I CAS'ed from HERE. She used a circle cutter I think, but I used punches. I'm not sure if her opening goes all the inside like mine does, but that's what I saw when I first looked at it. My circle goes to the inside of the card, allowing you a peek in. The bird is adhered to the front of the card and therefore stays put when you open it. Only the branch (and a greeting) are inside! Cute huh!


Lastly, this little gem is all me. No copying here, I finally got inspired and made my own! The layout is simple, and a "go to" kind of sketch. The tiny tag is a cuttle bug die and the ribbon is PTI, and the border punch is EK success, but the rest is SU!

So there ya go! Now, even if you are not a stamper, take today to mail a card to a friend or family member. The mailbox at my house is always full of bills and ads.....both wanting my money....it is such a joy to receive a kind word in the mail! Brighten someones day by making them smile at the mail box! Just do it!

~~Stamping Smiles~~

Shelli

Boxes Bags and Tags!

This months class (for you locals) is appropriately titled Boxes Bags and Tags! We will be making a total of six projects that I think you will enjoy using immediately, or having on hand for future gift giving~~

The first is a baby themed gift bag. Now don't panic! There will be about 5 paper choices for this bag if you don't want yours to be baby themed. I found this paper and thought it was so adorable, that I bought it in pink and blue.....to cute! Your bag can be a more general theme if you want! This bag also includes a 3x3 gift card to complete the onsomble!

This photo shows the Box in a Bag with matching 3x3 card and the Explosion Box. Once you lift the lid on that green box, look out! Hence the name Explosion Box! (no animals were hurt in the testing of this box.....and no real explosions happen either.....honest!) This box also includes the little hanging tag made with SU! punches!

The above photo shows 3 of the six projects you will be making for just $15. The two small boxes are called Pillow Boxes, and made using a cutting die from Sizzix. The go together fast and easy! You will have other color choices as well for those. Next is the Top Note Die Bag, also made with a Sizzix die sold exclusively by Stampin' Up! Both are small and just perfect for candy and small gift items (candy included for class!)!

Class dates and times are as follows: Friday August 28th at 6 PM and Saturday August 29th at 9:30 AM. Cost is just $15 and all you need to bring is your favorite dry adhesive! Email me to sign up. At this time I am not offering classes by mail, sorry! Maybe in the future~~~

Thought for the day: Why does everything bad for you taste good and everything good for you taste....well....not as good? It doesn't seem fair!

~~Stamping smiles~~

Shelli

Blazing Buttons!

Todays card was made using a FAB set from Paper Trey Ink (PTI) Called Everyday Button Bits ! I adore this set so very much! No, faithful followers, this is not Stampin Up! But I can't resist a good PTI once in a while!

The dots in the back ground are another a PTI set called Background Basics II. I used a Versa Mark pad and clear embossing powder to achieve this look......fun huh? This way I do not add color to the card stock, only an eye pleasing texture. The fun little tag is a Cuttlebug Die. The ribbon and buttons are from PTI and the cardstock is from SU! Old Olive and Barely Banana.

There is never enough time in the day to do all the things you want is there? But one thing I am sure of; if I did not have to eat, I would have so much more time and money! I mean think about it.....eating takes time, then there is planning grocery lists, shopping, putting away food, cooking and cleaning up after it! And the money part.....think of the stamping stuff you could buy with all the money you spend on food! Hahaha! When time is limited (and when is it not?) rely on simple layouts and your stamping time will be far more profitable.

~~Stamping Smiles~~

Shelli

Let the paper do the work~~

Today's card showcases a little technique I like to call, cheating.

This super simple card uses SU! Designer Series Paper for the bulk of its beauty! Sometimes the DSP from SU! is not semetrical, and is made more for scrapbookers. But that does not mean you cannot use it to make interesting cards too! Simply look at the DSP, decide what part you want on the front or your card, and use your paper cutter to select just the right part! Then coordinate with matching ribbon and an accent, and voila! Done! Fast and easy.....one of the best ways to be.

I used Real Red card stock, Flamingo DSP, some black ribbon from who knows where, and the FAB punches form SU! Ta-da!

~~Stamping Smiles~~

Shelli

Here I am!

Well, I finally made the jump. After much encouragement from fellow bloggers and stampers, I have joined the crazy world of stampin' and bloggin'! I am looking forward to connecting and creating with the best of em'! Join me as we Live, Love, and Stamp together!

~~Stamping Smiles~~

Shelli