Well Wishes~~

Quickie card for a sick friend today! I used Kraft CS, Cocoa ink and marker, a Martha butterfly punch and four colors of CS: Pretty in Pink . Barely Banana, Certainly Celery and Bashful Blue. I first stamped the greeting, then I cut a scrap piece of CS 1 3/4 by 5 inches long. I traced around it with a Cocoa marker, not quite connecting the corners, or touching the words. I added dots in the corners and ta-da! Super simple. You will need to adjust the size of your scrap CS according to the image (like the butterflies) that you choose. Just get out a ruler and guess at it! I popped up the wings a tiny bit by only using 2 way glue on the butterflies spine. I am not sure how it will survive the mail, but it looks good now!

Take a few minutes today to send someone a mailable hug! A homemade card is a hug with a fold in the middle!

~~Stamping Smiles~~

Shelli

Cocoa Cone~~

Today's fun-ness is not a new idea, it has been floating around the blog-o-sphere for some time, BUT I have not made one before. Yeah yeah, I am slow when it comes to trends. I usually catch on to something about the time 'everyone' else is moving on to the next thing......but that's when you get the best stuff on clearance right?
I was on THIS fantastic blog the other day, when I ran across THIS post! I had questions, and Traci was so sweet and kind to help me find what I needed. Be sure to check out her SU blog!

These cone bags were a steal at Hobby Lobby for just $1.99 for 25! I filled them with 3 heaping tablespoons of hot cocoa, a few chocolate chips, several marshmallows and ta-da! Add a cute tag and you have a fun gift for someone! These are great for Christmas, but since that is over for a while, how about a winter pick me up. Mug or no mug, this is cute! (I did cut about 4-5 inches off the top of the bag as it was far to tall for the cocoa.....)

My tag was made with a Cuttlebug folder, and old Marvey scallop square punch and some PTI ribbon. Any tag you can create will work out fine. I also plan to fill these bags with some candy like Skittles, or M&M's. Can you see Valentine M&M's with a cute heart tag? What else can you put in the cone bag?

I really need to get back to cards. I haven't made one in a while.......3-D has been my thing! Maybe I should make some Christmas Thank you Cards??????????????

~~Stamping Smiles~~

Shelli

I have been wanting to try my hand at these fun gift card holders, but just hadn't done it yet. So since I had time today and I was itching to get into my craft room and do something NOT Christmassy......I made this!

The DSP is retired Bella Rose by SU. I adore it paired with Chocolate Chip!

As you can see, the card has a belly band. I used Old Olive 1/4 inch gross grain ribbon around it, but adhered it with a touch of glue on the back so that when the belly band came off, the ribbon would not be lost. The sentiment inside is also retired.

Here it is with a gift card inside. This one actually mine, a Christmas gift from friend! Do you have Christopher and Banks? It is a fantastic store and their clearance racks are the best!

I followed the directions from HERE. If you don't have the wide oval punch, you can also use the word window (punched twice to make a larger opening) or any number of punches so long as you slice off the fold to allow for the gift card. (This will make sense once you get to making one) Also, be sure to adhere the folds together BEFORE yo slice the fold off! Trust me!

Just decorate the front and inside any way you please, and ta-da! I honestly made this start to finish in about 15 minutes. Super simple~~~

I am ready for some non-Christmas stamping, how about you? It was fun to have a constant theme to work with, but I am ready to move on! Winter is still in full swing (unless you live in Florida or Southern California) so prepare for snow flakes and what-not still!

Send a card, bless a life!

~~Stamping Smiles~~

Shelli

Last Minute Gift Bag~~

These gift bags were so fun to make! I made a sold quite a few in the boutiques that I did last month. This one was made specifically for a friend who adores pink! Pink is not usually a color I go to for Christmas, but that is one of the fun things about paper crafting, customizing your gifts! I got the DSP from my LSS and matted it with Pretty In Pink CS. The ribbon, button and twine are from various sources. I wanted a cute little tag to match, so I thought it would be fun to punch out the head of the one of the reindeer and layer it. (I promise no reindeer were actually hurt in the making of this bag..........)


Inside were some fun gifts as well, but the only one I snapped a photo of is the nugget tin from last post. I actually made a candle (like the ones a few days ago) with the same DSP and reindeer tag to co-ordinate with the bag!

So, how are you holiday plans going? Are you ready? Christmas is just a few days away! We decided to take a break from all the activity last night and we watched a movie as a family. Now if you have teens, you know how hard it can be to get them all home at the same time and to sit still. But we did it! It may be the last time this week until Friday, but it was nice. Except when my daughters boy friend called from Kuwait, we were all together! (he is there with the Army for another week, then on to Iraq......) Naturally, it was important that she take the call!

Thank a soldier (and their family) this season. It is hard to be away from home and family all the time, but especially at Christmas.

~~Stamping Smiles~~

Shelli

Merry Nuggets~~

So I have this friend who is crazy for pink.....like really crazy for pink! And chocolate, but who isn't right? So with a little DSP and a cool PTI nugget tin, I killed three birds with one stone, as it were. The third being her Christmas goodie! These nugget tins are awesome! I need to replenish my supply~~

I cut the DSP 1 inch by 3 inches, wrapped it around the Hershey Nuggets, adhered with Sticky Tape and ta-da! These are fabulous for any time of year. just change out he DSP (or make your own) and you are on your way!

This Christmas, don't forget to be kind to the cashiers where you are shopping. Smile and ask how they are. Many have to deal with cranky customers all day long, so you can brighten their day easily. Tis' the season!

~~Stamping Smiles~~.

Shelli

Candle Eye Candy~~

I adore making these candles! I made them last year with the girls in Project Parade, and since then I have made a few that are not for Christmas. Can't you just see them with Happy Birthday paper and theme? So fun, and dare I say, inexpensive! They pack a lot of wow with out a lot of dough! These are 3 inch pillar candles that you can get just about anywhere, including the $ store! I simply matted some DSP with CS, (use sticky tape to adhere the ends together) and add ribbon! The bags they are in, are clear treat bags from the craft store as is the twine cording on top.

I added a touch of bling to the tag and tied it on! You can also add a glass pillar plate easily, but it will not fit into the bag with the candle. You would need a bigger bag. These are fast and easy gifts......have fun!

My shopping is mostly done, but not the wrapping! How about you? Where are you at? Drop me a comment and let me know!

~~Stamping Smiles~~

Shelli

List of excuses~~

Hello blogging friends! Your long lost stamper is back~~at least I hope so! I cannot believe how long it has been since I have updated my blog. As per the title of this post, I do have a long list of excuses though......let me share them with you now!

November was a month of much stamping and many deadlines. I had two boutiques that I participated in and there was SO much "work" to be done to prepare for those. I stamped constantly, it seemed. (do you feel bad for me? I bet not....) Then as soon as I finished that, I spent 12 days preparing for my Project Parade event, which went famously! Again, a ton of prep work! I committed to not sharing those projects on line so that those attending could be surprised. So November was busy with much stamping, but little I could share on the blog.




Then Black Friday my daughter and her hubby and the Gran-Baby-Belly came for a visit, which was fantastic! After they left I had a few very bust days of "normalcy" (whatever that is) before the power went out in a huge freak snow storm here at camp! It went out Monday night at 9 PM and stayed off until Thursday afternoon at 4! We spent those three days staying elsewhere as our house was FREEZING! They were busy days, coming and going from the house to collect clothes for the next day, care for the pets, and so on. I am happy to report we are all home, warm and there is coffee again!




So thank you for sticking it out with me and I trust you will check back soon as I WILL have stamping to show you! Before all the power issues, I was able to place an SU order, and I got 3 new stamp sets and punches and what not to create with! Can't wait to play!

So, I am trying to to freak out that Christmas is 14 days away, as I have much shopping and crafting to do in the mean time. I hope you are faring better than me!

Ta ta until tomorrow!

~~Stamping Smiles~~.

Shelli