Tuesday, September 29, 2009

ANNOUNCING THE NEW STAMPIN' UP CLEARANCE RACK!!

Oh, happy days! Stampin' Up has just launched its new Clearance Rack Section in their on-line shopping store!! All of the items in this section are retired and discontinued. These products are now listed at substantially reduced prices. This is not a short term promotion, but rather a regularly featured online section. These items will be changing continuously and probably will sell out quickly, so make sure you check it out when ordering online. I'm doin' the "Happy Dance"!

Gift Card Holders Tutorial and Challenge

Gals, there are only 56 shopping days left until Christmas. I have never been a big fan of gift cards ( I've always enjoyed giving a gift that's wrapped in pretty paper, bow and all) But gift cards have become ever so popular, especially when time is a factor, or simply don't know what to get for that someone. They also make great "Thank You's" by the way of your fav drive-thru, or coffee shop, even gas or grocery gift cards are a nice way of showing someone you care. You can find gift cards now, practically everywhere you shop, anything to save on time. And if all of the malls are closed, and it' late, you can probably find a popular gift card at an all night store or gas station...how convenient! So, what better to have as a challenge, than a "gift card holder". Here are a few I've made ( I just love this version because they are very quick and simple):




There are many versions of gift cards that I've seen. However, I find that I like this one because it is so versatile, and simple to make. For the challenge you can follow the tutorial below, or create one of your own versions....we like new ideas here.





Below are the measurements and supplies needed to make this Gift Card Holder:

Gift Card Holder with Belly Band

Cardstock Base:
7" x 4.25" (Scored at 4.5" and 1.5" on the long side)

Designer Paper:
1.) 4 5/16" x 2 5/16"
2.) 4 5/16" x 1 5/16"
3.) Optional 4 5/16" x 2 13/16" (This layer is for the back of the holder. I like to use this especially to hide the backs of the brads. So make sure you wait to put this layer on after you've attached the brads on the inside of the card holder)
4.) Optional 4 5/16" x 2 5/16" (This layer is for the top half of the inside. I like to stamp a sentiment and small image here)

Cardstock for the Belly Band:
9.75" x .75" (Scored at 4.25" and 8.5")

Additional Supplies:
2 Mini Brads (Its difficult to see in the photo, but the brads are placed on the inside flap, to secure the ends where the gift card will be placed eventually. I prefer the tiny mini brads, so they don't mark up the inside of the card as much as the larger ones can)
Scalloped Circle Punch
1 3/8" Circle Punch
1 1/4" Circle Punch
To Have & To Hold Stampin' Up Stampset
So Many Scallops Stampin' Up Stampset
VersaMark Ink Pad
Gold Embossing Powder
Heat Gun
Cuttlebug Embossing Folder ( I prefer to emboss the belly band. But you do have to run it through in sections, a couple of times. On this Card Holder I used the Script Embossing Folder. On the Baby Gift Card Holder I used the Tiny Bubbles, and for the Butterfly Holder I used Swiss Dots)

If you'd like to see more of these, Belly Band Gift Card Holders, go to the right side of my blog, and under the "Labels" heading, click on Gift Card Holders.

GO PACK, GO!


The Packers will be playing against their rival, and Brett Favre on Monday. GO PACK, GO! We HAVE to win this one!

Monday, September 28, 2009

Hi, to all my friends and family,
Well, the shower, for Amy, has come & gone. All of the preparation, and work was well worth it. Once I sat down to watch her open all of the wonderful gifts she received, I was able to take a deep breath, and just relax. I think it is actually meant for moms to give their daughters baby showers....because you put all of this time and effort into getting things ready for the shower, that you don't have time to think. Don't get me wrong, I have been more than excited about little Emily's soon to be arrival, but first now it has actually sunk in, that in just a few short weeks, we will be holding that little bundle of joy, and once again the sweet aroma of baby powder will be present. Now, I am sooooo very excited.
On the lighter side....a few mishaps. I'm sure some of you will have to giggle at this one. Right before going to the church hall to decorate for the shower, I stopped to pick up some helium balloons. I had 5 sets of 3 for table top decorations. I got outside with the balloons (I should've taken each set of 3 to the car separately) and the wind started to blow them all around. They were wrapped around my neck....I can see it now....headlines in the local paper...."Woman strangled by balloons!" Once I got to my car, a stranger offered her help. Oh, and by now the ribbons from the balloons, were also tangled into my earrings, as well. I got into the car and pulled, and she pushed. What a site to see! I was able to shove them all into the back of the Carolla, so that at least I could back out of my parking spot. Okay, then I got to the hall, with the balloons. They were so tangled....it was worse than trying to untangle fishing line with a bobber. But my aunt Lois and I, and with the help of Lao, my son's g/f we got them free. We had to untie all of the knots from the weights, and try and pull each strand out. Some of them were knotted up, but with a little patience we got them loose and refastened. By now I was sweating up a storm. Once all of the guests arrived we started playing some games that I had planned. The last game was Baby Bingo. I had purchased 5 sets of Baby Bingo cards. So, obviously, each set would be the same and there would be 5 winners calling Bingo on one call. I had planned for that with all of the door prizes. What I wasn't counting on, was 10 winners on one call. OMG!!! What to do. When planning the shower, I thought I should get some extra gifts, and did, but only 2 extras. These poor guests won, and didn't get a gift. I feel terrible. All in all, everyone had a great time, it was so nice to see some family that I haven't seen in awhile....and Amy had an awesome shower....something to tell baby Emily some day.

Monday, September 21, 2009

Oh, Baby...Diaper Fold Pouch

Hey, Crafty Ladies,
I just wanted to say, how great it was to see so many of your smiling faces at Ethnic Fest this past weekend. And I had the opportunity to meet many new friends. I just love making "pretties", but more so, sharing it with all of you. It is so much fun, doing what we do. But the best part, is that when we give a hand crafted card or gift, it comes from the heart.
So, are you ready for this week's challenge? I must say I've been busy as a bee, so excuse me if I don't participate. I'm still finishing the favors for my daughter's baby shower....I've got a few done, and have quite a lot more to do. But I should have them all done by Thursday. Then I'll have to get the food items prepared..., not to mention shop for the food tomorrow.

I made these diaper favors from felt pieces, and just added some ribbons, charms, and a baby pin embellishment. The felt pieces were cut into a triangle from 7" squares. The tags are from an awesome company by the name of Wilton. You purchase the tags, or invitations, or announcements, and then go to their website to print them out perfectly. (a really neat idea...wish I would've thought of something like that). They are filled with candy hearts, in a baby theme. Some of the hearts say, "Peek-a boo", and "Baby Talk" and "Hugs & Kisses"...
I am melting a butterscotch baking chip in the bottom of one, for a door prize. How fun is that?
Now, back to the challenge...And as always, feel free to combine this with Ronnie's color challenge. There's nothing better than a "2 For".
And keeping with the baby theme, here is a new layout for a card. It is a diaper fold...now, it doesn't have to be in a baby theme or colors....it's all about the fold. And as always, those who participate in the challenge will be treated to a special gift. Scroll down to view this excellent tutorial by Beate on Splitcoast Stampers, and then let your artistic juices flow:


Diaper Fold Pouch
by Beate Johns


Create a cute little pouch out of one piece of paper.

Supplies


One square piece of lightweight card stock or double-sided patterned paper

Scoring tool

Embellishments (optional)

Step-by-Step

Step 1
Fold paper in half diagonally.


Step 2
Take one of the lower corners of your triangle and fold it over to the middle of the other triangle side


Step 3
Take the other lower corner of the triangle and fold it over to the middle of the opposite side.


Step 4
Take one layer of your top corner and fold it down to create your pouch.


Step 5
Decorate and fill your pouch.


You can fill this with candies, a note card, or use it as an envelope for invitations. Also, you can alter the size. By making it smaller, you can use it as a card front. Or by making it larger, you can fill it with bigger goodies.

To give you some ideas, here is a link to some examples of this fold on Splitcoast Stampers.

Friday, September 18, 2009

Make & Take at the Ethnic Fest in Two Rivers

I just have to do it! I've decided I am going to offer a "Make & Take" at the Two Rivers Ethnic Fest tomorrow. We won't have much space at all, so I will just have one example. So, you can leave your creativity at home, and enjoy the festival. I'll bring all of the materials...you just do what you do best! See ya' there.

Ribbon Challenge

So far, we have 2 of our friends joining the Ribbon Challenge.

This is Linda's gorgeous card. She Criss-Crossed the ribbon giving it a bulletin board effect. Great job on the challenge. She said that you can place brads at every cross point, also. Nice for placing memorabilia, or photos. Love it, Linda.

And Ronnie also submitted a card for this challenge

Look at the all of the intricate detail! This is amazing! I don't know if I could part with this.

Super job, gals!

Now, is everyone ready for Ethnic Fest tomorrow? I will be there. I'm not certain where they will place my table. From what I've heard is, that everyone is being squashed a bit. There will not be any vendors in the center of Central Park. I will also be sharing my spot with Paula. She is a vendor I met in Mishicot. She sells beautiful, handcrafted jewelry. Stop by and say "hi", if you're up and around.

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Good Mornin' Sunshine!


I made this yesterday, with all the great sunshine we've been seeing around, I couldn't resist! Again, I used the Magic Gamsol technique to color the main image. There is Stickles for the ribbon on her "big" hat. And I used some scalloped shears to make the waves beneath her. This brings to you lots of sunshine. The sentiment, one of the papers is Summer Sun from SU, and the DP is Good Morning Sunshine. Phew....hope I don't jinkx us!

Monday, September 14, 2009

All of Us Dogs Birthday Card


Here is just a basic, simple birthday card I created today.

Sunday, September 13, 2009

Saturday's Ribbon Challenge

No takers on the challenge, this week, Ladies. And the free stamp set is still waiting to be handed out. So, if you'd like to still participate, you still have time....tick tock, tick tock, tick tock... The challenge, if you didn't get a chance to check it out, was all about RIBBON! You know you have it, you know you love it. Either bring in to the market your fav way of using ribbon, in any other way than a simple bow, or send me a pic. If you want to be really creative find a new way of using your ribbons. For those of you peeps who participate in the challenge, I have a nice surprise waiting for you. If you don't mind, I am going to change up on how I'll be giving out the free stamp set. I originally posted the first to enter the challenge would receive it...but I really don't think that is a fair way of doing it....so, I will do a little raffle for those who participate. Does that sound a little better? I think so, anyway.

Did you all see Ronnie's post about her horse, Ms Kitty? She is just beautiful...(both Ronnie and Ms Kitty, that is). And Ronnie is also a skilled rodeo gal...playing in competitions. Whenever I've gone horseback riding, I get a sore A*@! with bruises, none the less. I remember when I was a kid, my dad took us kids horseback riding at Whitnall Park in Greendale. Half way through the ride, we stopped to let the horses rest. I got off okay, but as I did....the horse stepped on my big toe, and would not budge. I didn't want anyone to know...so I was trying to coax the horse to get off of my toe. They aren't light, and it hurt! Eventually, the tour guide saw this and just pulled the horse by the lead to get him off of my foot. Phew! I still remember the horse's name...it was Sparky. Just thought I'd throw that little bit of jargon into this post.

Hope to see you this week at the markets. Happy stampin'!

Friday, September 11, 2009

The Art of Denmark Night at Blossom's and Steve's Cheese

Ronnie Swetlie and I spent a lovely evening at the "Art of Denmark Night". We were invited by Tammy Smits, who owns Blossoms, a fabulous floral and gift shop, adjoining Steve's Cheese. She hosted the event, inviting local artists to display and sell their creative works. Ronnie, from Paper Creations who does some awesome work with altered arts and scrapbooking, will be opening up her store here, in Two Rivers, tentatively in the late fall. Everyone had such a great time last night. And unbelieveably, the weather cooperated. Tammy sold brats with sauerkraut, and served "samples" of wine directly in front of the store. There was an array of talent and creativity. Some of the local artists displayed and sold items such as "One of a Kind Handbags", garden stepping stones, art sketches, and paintings, jewelry, wood working, 3D photography, and then we had our tent set up with handcrafted greeting cards and scrapbooking art. And yes, of course, there were fresh veggies. Jennifer Larsen, owner of "All About the Cake" offered samples of scrumptious bakery from her shop. Towards evening's end, we could not resist going into the store, "Blossoms and Steve's Cheese" to get some freshly made cheese curds(they barely made it home...squeeky fresh) and salt water taffy. This was Tammy's second Art of Denmark Night this year, and it was a great turnout. She is definitely the hostess with the mostest. You have to check out her floral shop, "Blossoms". She also sells some beautiful, gifts and crafts, that will really impress. She will soon be selling some of my handcrafted greeting cards in her store, which will add a personal touch to any gift. But, we had an awesome time...and will definitely be back, both to shop and for future events as vendors.

And to our TR gals....hope to see you on Saturday at the Farmer's Market & Crafts. I am offering a challenge to all you crafty ladies. Ribbons, ribbons, ribbons....we all have 'em, and we all love 'em. It is what sometimes gives that finishing touch to our projects. So, whatever you have on hand....organdy, grosgrain, gingham....whatever size you choose. Let's see your favorite way of using your ribbons...or if you are really creative, find a new idea for using it....bring in your inspirations on Saturday at the market, and I will have something special for you. Be the first, and I have a free Stampin' Up stamp set for you to enjoy.

See ya' all Saturday....weather permitting of course.

Tuesday, September 8, 2009

Come Home Soon Digital Image


This is Harley the Hound. This is my first time using a digital image, and really found it to be quite a nifty idea. You can size the images to any size you desire, right on your computer. I colored him in using watercolor pencils and Gamsol, and blending stumps. The ovals are dies. The border is an embossing border folder. Cardstock is Baja Breeze, Chocolate Chip, Whisper White, and non SU DP. I popped his jowls....aren't they the cutest??

Friday, September 4, 2009

Links to Other Creative Sites

To all of my crafty friends:
Stampin' Up has required all demonstrators to sign a new IDA agreement. We are no longer allowed, as demonstrators to share links on any of our personal sites, to other companies that sell competing products. Therefore, I regret to inform all of you that I have had to delete any links to some of my favorite sites. Many of them had wonderful tutorials, ideas, and creativity, that I only wanted to share with you. To continue as an active demonstrator, I have signed the agreement, and since removed any links that I displayed on my site. I still am able to share the creativity of these purchased items, for you to view, but unable to relay to you the name of the brand or where I purchased them from. I would be glad to share any of this info with you, when asked, but again, I'm unable to share it on my site. Thanks for your understanding, because I want to be able to continue giving you the opportunity to purchase Stampin' Up from me.

Shelly

Thursday, September 3, 2009

Farmer's Market Anya


I created this for one of the local vendors at our Farmer's Market. She wanted to thank her workers for the hard work they did harvesting all of the veggies. Love them veggies! And I am sooo lovin' this little Anya! Again, I used the Gamsol Magic technique, with water color pencils, Gamsol and Blender Stumps. The leaves are a punch. I used the Stampin' Up Scalloped Edge Punch, Mat Pack for paper piercing, oval and scalloped oval die, ribbon, button, and dimensionals.

Tuesday, September 1, 2009

Stenciled Embossing


Here, after cutting the die, I ran it through to emboss it, using the embossing mat. Once cut and embossed, I left the die cut butterfly in the die, and sponged ink onto the raised portions of the embossing. (as if it were a stencil) I tried different variations, of color(s) and papers, but liked the Not Quite Navy on the Pumpkin Pie cardstock, the best. The patterned paper is non SU, card stock is Bordering Blue, Pumpkin Pie and Not Quite Navy; The ovals are made using the scalloped oval and oval, and were also embossed. (run through die machine using the embossing mat). Brads and ribbon for embellishments.

My September Special: POP, POP, POP... Stampin' Up Dimensionals FREE!

Let's get POPPIN'!! I am giving away 1 pack of Stampin' Up Dimensionals for every 3 packs of Stampin' Up cardstock, for the entire month of September. You know we all love to "pop" our images, layers, and embellishments. So, "pop" on over to my Stampin' Up website, and get your "Freebie". This is an unlimited offer, from me to you...so, for every 3 packs of card stock, you get 1 free Dimensionals.
 

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