Stamping Sunday Blog Hop- Lots of Happy Birthday

Good morning stampers!  I'm excited to announce that today I am a guest blogger for the Stamping Sunday Blog Hop.  How cool is that?  I was really excited when Sara invited me to participate.  I was actually on vacation in Disney World when she asked and it totally made my day!  

The hop this month features either the Perennial Birthday Project Kit or the Lots of Happy Card Kit....using it in a way other than it was intended.  Of course I chose the Lots of Happy Card Kit.  Why you ask?  Simply put- I adore that kit!  The contents are absolutely amazing.  Especially the black and white striped paper!  LOVE IT!

I created 2 projects for the hop.  A card and an impossible box.  I'm really happy with how they turned out and I know my friend will LOVE them just as much as I do!  Her birthday was actually last Thursday but that's ok- she will get them at her birthday celebration on Tuesday.

Up first is the beautiful birthday card.  As I used Pink Pirouette Stampin' Blends to color the flowers on the image I thought it fitting to also use Pink Pirouette Card Stock.  I used the Lemon Lime Twist Stampin' Write Marker to color in the leaves.  It's a little difficult to see in the picture but I colored some of the leaves a few times to make them look darker than others.  

Here is a closeup of the front of the card.  The iridescent and black sequins add the perfect finishing touch!

This is the impossible box.  What exactly is an impossible box?  It's a one piece box/lid.  Simply pull up on the top to open!  Once open- the box is large enough for some candy treats or other small trinkets.

Here you can somewhat see the top appears to be "caved" in.  That's just the opening in the box!  It's pretty cool actually!  It's a self closing box so there is no extra ribbon or adhesive necessary to hold it closed.  

This is a closeup of the front of the box.  For the sentiment- I first stamped the sentiment in Memento Black Ink and stamped it onto a piece of Whisper White Card Stock.  Next I inked up the floral image with Smoky Slate Ink, stamped it off onto my grid paper and then stamped it directly over the sentiment.  Did you see the Pink Pirouette Organza Ribbon?  That was created using the White Organza Ribbon from the Occasions Catalog.  I colored it using the Pink Pirouette Light Stampin' Blend Marker.   To finish it off, I added a few coordinating embellishments.  SO cute and oh so fun!  Easy to create too!

I hope you have enjoyed my projects today!  Please continue along on the hop with us!  Simply click the link in the blog roll to visit the next blog!

Happy Sunday!

Fancy Friday Blog Hop- Color Challenge

Hello there and welcome back for another Fancy Friday blog hop.  Today we have a color challenge! We are creating with  Pool Party, Night of Navy and Emerald Envy.   I must admit- this was a little difficult for me.  I use Pool Party all the time but the other colors- not so much.  It's not that I don't like them- they are just not the "go to" colors for my style.  

I actually kinda like what I came up with!  I was a little surprised but it's not as bad as  I thought it was going to be!

I used Pool Party for the card base and as I was browsing my extensive stash of Designer Series Paper- I came across the perfect piece for my card!  It's from the Naturally Eclectic DSP and it is Night of Navy in color.

All images stamped for this card are from the Butterfly Basics stamp set.  Each of the leafy images was stamped onto a Whisper White scrap and fussy cut. To add dimension to the card, I folded the butterfly wings up to make them pop off the card.  

Please continue along our hop!  Up next is the amazingly talented Erica Cerwin!  Click the next button below to see what she has created to share today!

Sweet Valentine Rosebuds

Are you ready for Valentine's Day?  I've been busy preparing lots of fun things for the special day.  I've already shared several cards and now I'm sharing the little adorable treats that I will be gifting to my co-workers and favorite baristas at Starbucks.  This design is not my original idea.  It was created by fellow Stampin' UP! demonstrator Julie DiMatteo.  (Click her name to go to visit her site for the video tutorial).  

The little rosebuds are so easy to create!  They hold one Ferrero Rocher chocolate.  These are the perfect little treats for Valentines Day.  I mean don't we all love chocolate and roses?  It's a 2 for one deal!  Not only does the recipient get an awesome chocolate treat but they also get a beautiful rose.  

Here are some close-ups of how they look.  The ones above were created using Real Red and Pink Pirouette card stock.  The leaves were cut using the Leaflets framelits and Old Olive card stock.  

Since I work with both men and women- I wanted to create treats that were somewhat masculine.  That's where the Real Red and Daffodil Delight rosebuds come in.  Some rosebuds were created using Melon Mambo card stock as well.  

This rosebud was created with Pink Pirouette card stock but the petals were sponged with Melon Mambo ink to make them two-toned.  

Aren't they just the cutest?  Just think- you can get 6 out of one sheet of 8-1/2" x 11" card stock!  That's a lot!

Thanks for stopping by!

OSAT Don't Go Breaking My Heart Blog Hop

Hey there stampers!  It's time for another OSAT Blog Hop!  Are you as excited as I am?  I LOVE hopping with this fabulous group of Stampin' UP! demonstrators.  

I have 2 projects to share today.  The first was inspired by and is pretty much a CASE of a card that Shellie Gardner shared at OnStage this past November.  I've made a few changes however for the most part- I kept it the same as Shellie's.  

This view shows what the card looks like when it's opened.  This card looks harder to create than it actually is.  To make things a little quicker,  start with a Whisper White Notecard.  Cut off approximately 1/4" from the two side edges (the notecards measure 3-1/2" x 5".  After trimming it measures 3-1/4" x 5" when folded on the score line).   This allows the Classic Label Punch to punch directly in the center of the card.  

Using a sewing machine- stitch the sentiment and the heart together into the center of the card.  To close- simply fold both sides of the heart together and insert through the opening on the front of the card.  Easy peasy!

The idea for my second project comes from my friend Becky.  She created a tiny box like this last year and when I went searching for ideas- this one popped up!  It couldn't be any more perfect to coordinate with my card.  

The box is pretty tiny measuring in at 2" when complete.  The rectangle opening was cut using the Stampin' Trimmer.  In keeping with the same theme as my card above- the heart was also sewed to the box.  As the box is only 2" it doesn't hold a lot but it does hold a good amount of conversation hearts or M&M's (or a Ghirardelli chocolate square). 

No need to worry about the treats falling out as the box is secured tightly when closed.  It's a fun little treat!

I hope you have enjoyed my project for this month!  It's been a fun one to create! 

Happy Stampin'!

Fancy Friday Blog Hop

Hello there and welcome to another Fancy Friday Blog Hop!  Our theme this month is "Mail it Monday".  This was a challenge to create 2 avid and fancy cards with coordinating envelopes.  

Since Valentine's Day is rapidly approaching I thought it fitting to get a head start on my Valentine's.

  

This card is my favorite card....ever.  The combination of Whisper White Craft Ink on the Crumb Cake Card Stock is pretty but that striped heart with teeny tiny Real Red roses- LOVE!!!!

The roses were created using a Real Red Card Stock scrap and the 3/4" Circle Punch.  Simply spiral cut the circle and roll it up!  Add a Pearl Basic Jewel for the center for an extra special touch!

As you can see from the picture- the envelope is very basic.  I added a small strip of Petal Passion DSP to the flap.  I would have gotten more creative but I didn't want the envelope to be prettier than the card!

My second card is actually a CASE of a card that I created last year for one of the Artisan Design Team hops.  I loved the design and thought it would look amazing as a Valentine.  Guess what- I was right!  Look how cute it is!

Just as before- I used a Crushed Curry scrap and the 3D Dynamic Textured Embossing Folder that creates Hexagons. It creates the perfect bee's wax.  To add more dimension- I used Stampin' Dimensionals to help separate the white layer from the honeycomb.  The bees were stamped 4 times and cut out using the coordinating Detailed Dragonfly Thinlits.  I colored each body with the Crushed Curry Stampin' Write Marker.  The wings were colored with Soft Sky.  A Mini Stampin' Dimensional adheres the bees together.  After the bees were assembled I applied several layers of Clear Wink of Stella to make them sparkle.

See the adorable sentiment?  I created it using the Bloomin' Love stamp set.  It started out as a simply Be Mine sentiment but since I have bees on my card my sentiment needed to say Bee Mine!

The envelope for this card was created using the Butterfly Basics stamp set.  I carefully stamped the honeycomb image all over the front of the envelope.  Stamped a bee and added some teeny tiny hearts.

Thanks for stopping by!  I hope you have enjoyed my projects!  Please click the NEXT button below to be visit the lovely Rochelle.  Please click the  NEXT button to travel along with us!  Thanks for stopping by!

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Monday Montage #108

Hello there and welcome back for the bi-weekly Monday Montage blog hop. I'm so happy you joined us!  Be sure to visit all 9 stops to see what other amazing designers have created to share with you.

For my projects tonight I have chosen to use the Petal Passion Designer Series Paper and two of my favorite stamp sets from the Occasions Catalog-  Heart Happiness and Sure Do Love You.  Since I love to make Valentine's- I thought it would be the perfect time to start!

For the card- I began by using a 4" x 5-1/4" layer of Petal Passion DSP.  I then sewed along the edges.  You'll notice that on both the left and right sides of the card I sewed a zigzag pattern to add interest.

I love all the little details in the gold heart above.  It's a solid stamp however if you look closely- you'll see that the heart itself is made up fo lots of little hearts connected together to form a larger heart.  

For the little milk boxes- I am not the original creator of those.  I CASED The Paper Pixie.  She created a mini video tutorial and shared it on her page. If you need the tutorial- be sure to click above.   

The little milk cartons are so simple to create and SUPER cute! 

On some of the hearts- I used the Heart Happiness Stamp Set and the Sweet & Sassy Framelits to create smaller hearts (but with patterns).  To do this- I simply stamped the larger striped heart and cut out a small heart from the center of the stamped image.

Here's a close up so you can see just how tiny they are!  I made a bunch for my co-workers for Valentine's Day.  I LOVE them because you can get 8 from one sheet of 12" x 12" paper.  That makes them pretty inexpensive when needing to make multiples!

Won't you join us for the rest of the hop?  Simply click the NEXT button to go to the fabulous Elizabeth Price or click the BACK button to head on over to the lovely Cathy Casey.  Thanks for stopping by!

Sale-A-Brate the Occasions Blog Hop

Hey there stampers!  Surprise! I have joined the One Stamp At A Time Blog Hop Team!  I'm so fortunate to be able to hop with such a talented group and I cannot wait to see what everyone has to share this month!  

To start the year off, we are Sale-A-Brating the Occasions!  Our projects this month focus on items from the Sale-A-Bration and Occasions Catalogs.  For my projects I chose my new favorite stamp set from the Occasions Catalog.  It's called Bubble Over.  This set is a series 17 stamps with sentiments and images to match.  I also used the coordinating Bottles & Bubbles Framelits as well as the Bubbles & Fizz Designer Series Paper.  

This set consists of 4 mini cards- each measuring 2-1/2" x 4-1/2".  These are the new Whisper White Narrow Note Cards & Envelopes.  Not only are they adorable but they are perfect so stick in lunch boxes, shirt pockets, on top of the pillow....anywhere really!  What a great way to let someone special know that you're thinking about them!

These are the four cards.  Some of the bottles were stamped with the Bubble Over Stamp Set and some were die cut from the coordinating Bubbles & Fizz DSP.

It's a little difficult to see in the picture above but I have used the new Glitter & Clear Epoxy Shapes to add a little something extra to the card.

One of my favorite things about the Bottles & Bubbles Framelit Dies is the straw.  You can't really see it in the picture but if you look real close- there are ribbed marks where the straw bends making it more realistic.  Way too cute!

Don't want to have an open bottle on your card?  No worries!  There's a bottle cap framelit for that!  I used the Champagne Foil Sheets to create the bottle cap on the card above.  Super cute!

The colors in the suite are awesome!  They are fun, bright and cheerful!  They are Basic Gray, Bermuda Bay, Calypso Coral, Daffodil Delight, Lemon Lime Twist and Whisper White.  With these colors something can be created for just about anyone!

I couldn't create a set of cards and not make a cute box to store them all.  The Lots to Love Box Framelits Dies create the perfect storage solution!

The picture below shows what the box looks like when it's open.  Since the box is only around 3/8" thick- it will store approximately 4 cards and envelopes.  It will hold less if each card has a lot of embellishing.

I hope you have enjoyed my project for this month!  It's been a fun one to create! 

Happy Stampin'!