Decorating Canned Gifts

Good Friday Morning! Goodness, how did we get to the first Friday in October already?!??!?!

Today, I'm doing a crossover post; if you didn't know, I started a review blog a few months back. Today's post is a review of this lemon curd; if you're interested, or just curious :D, please go check out Life's Little Pleasures! :) (Punches, DSP, and twine are © Stampin' Up!®)

Do you see what I did?!?!? Using the big shot and the scallop circle die, I cut that fabric for the lid insert in 30 seconds. And you can cut 5? 10? at a time. It will depend on your fabric thickness and what types of fiber you use. My mom got a fabric remnant box at a garage sale; I picked out the ones I wanted to use, and we passed on the rest of the remnants to someone else. But I got like 200 or so lid inserts from just a few remnants!

The label's just as easy. Because the curd needs to be refrigerated, none of the adhesives will easily stick to the jar. So, I used the decorative label punch and the modern label punch, with Whisper White card stock and Summer Smooches Designer Series Paper for the label. I hand-wrote the name of the contents, and the date of its making, onto the label and put them together with some SNAIL. I punched a 1/8" hole on either side, and used Cherry Cobbler Baker's Twine to go through and tie the label on the back of the jar.

SUPER easy, and that was just without any planning. You could DEFINITELY get coordinating Stampin' Up! fabric and DSP for ALL your gifts. These would also make great merchandise for a fall bazaar, if you have things to sell!

OK, I'm OUTTA here. :D Have a WONDERFUL weekend! Be sure to take the time to STAMP something! :)

Be Well, Mary!

I hate saying goodbye. Don't you? One of my favorite songs is Boyz2Men's "It's So Hard" - you can listen to it by clicking on the title, if you don't know it. (I love a capella music, anyway. :D)

ANYWAY. Earlier this month, it was time to say goodbye to a dear friend and a great customer, Mary. She retired and moved to Iowa to be nearer her son and his family. And I'm SO glad she was able to do that; they're great people! :) But I miss Mary.

This was my little gift for her; I didn't spend a lot of time fancying up the topper, because those are the In Color dahlias, and I wanted her to feel free to take that tag apart and use them. :D

So, you see here another use for those great gusseted bags that are in the Holiday Mini. They're really nice bags; I was impressed with them! They're not going to tear or break easily, so you can load them up if you want. :)

OK, I'm outta here. Have a WONDERFUL weekend, and be SURE to make the time to stamp SOMETHING! And don't forget the ribbon special going on this month! If you want to take advantage of it, order now!!!!!

It's the most wonderful time of the year! :D

Hello, dear friends! How was your Thanksgiving? Did you enjoy time with friends and family? Did you take the time to make memories? Don't forget to journal anything you might want to remember - especially if you're gong to scrapbook your day. :)

OK, on to today's share! This was one of the projects from GIFTS FROM THE ♥ this year. We filled the tin with a heritage candy recipe of my grandmother's, peanut butter potato candy, and then made the belly band for the tin. I think it's really pretty!

Those are the sparkle brads from the Holiday Mini! The ink was actually a bit darker on the "homemade and to die for" stamp, but that's the way it turned out in the photo. Oh, well. :D

OK, I'm outta here - cleaning and decorating today, with the cleaning being a necessarily huge (and EVIL!) job. ;)

Enjoy your weekend, my friends! Don't forget to take the time to STAMP something - Christmas is only 29 days away!

Today is the day!

Good morning! I take off this afternoon, and I SO cannot wait. :D I know you're going to enjoy the guest posters, which start MONDAY. We have cards AND 3D items to show off; you're really going to enjoy it, I just know it. LOL! I'm repeating myself, but I'm really excited! :D

OK. Today I'm going to show you one of the projects from the Big Shot & Fabric class we did. This wasn't my FAVORITE, but it would look awesome in a little basket with some bread to go along - it's a jam bag. And yes, each person got a jar of homemade preserves to decorate and take home with them. Don't you wish you would have come??? :D

The reason I wanted to show you this bag today is because it features the DECK THE HALLS fabric from the Holiday Mini! You can see all three patterns that come in this pack - and you also get directions for five different projects to do with your fabric!

We had a great time working with fabric. I'll show you the other two projects tomorrow, and then MONDAY is the big day. :) Feel free to leave comment love for me while I'm gone, and I hope you'll leave some for my guests AND go visit their blogs!!

Have a WONDERFUL day! Take the time to STAMP something!!!

It's Christmas Eve!!!

We've had a wonderful visit with my wonderful sister so far, and the men are all out getting our traditional foods for the next 24 hours, then they'll go finish their shopping this afternoon - and so our traditions continue. :)

Let me share a quick wrapping idea with you, in case you've waited until the last minute.... :D This is from our GIFTS FROM THE HEART, too, so no specifics - but you'll probably be able to figure it out pretty easily.

I LOVE our treat boxes!! They're a GREAT deal, very economical, and can be dressed up quite easily - or used as-is. :)

I WILL be here tomorrow with my Christmas card for y'all; the Twelve Weeks for the last one will be only delivered via email.

MERRY CHRISTMAS! "Glory to God in the highest, and on Earth, peace, goodwill toward men."

Now, go stamp something! Quick! :D

Happy Christmas Eve Eve! :D

Yeah, we do that in our family - at least my baby sister and me. :D I can't wait to see her - she'll be here any time!!!! :D

So, for today, I'm going to give you a quick gift idea. :)

SUPER easy!!!!! This was from the class GIFTS IN A FLASH. It's a 4x6 clear acrylic frame - you can get these at any big store. We cut a piece of card stock the size of the frame, ran it through the Big Shot - there's NOTHING like the Big Shot for fast, easy gifts!!!! - and highlighted the embossing with ink. Tie a ribbon around it, and stick on a post-it note. DONE. :D

See how easy? You could make them for any occasion, any color combo - you can stamp the post-its if you have time, to personalize the gift. Your imagination is the limit!:D

OK, I'm gonna run. ENJOY YOUR DAY - and take the time to STAMP something! :) Merry Christmas Eve Eve!

Are you relaxing yet? :D

No, me either.:D But I'm definitely at the point where I start saying, "Yeah, I still need to do this thing on my list, but those four can not happen and life won't end...." :D

Don't forget - today is the LAST DAY of the 12 Days of Christmas Sale! Click on the sidebar image to go shop now! :) (And, dear Santa, if you're listening, I REALLY, REALLY want that Timeless Type Alpha Die Set for my Big Shot!!!!!!!!!!!!! AUGH!!!!!!!!)

Today, I'm sharing a fun project I did for a cookie swap - first the group shot, then one closer-in. Remember you can always click on the photo to get it the full size I uploaded it! :)



This was a project we did at the Gifts From the Heart class, as well - just in a different color. See?

You'll need the Fancy Favor die and your Big Shot to make these. Here's a clue: there are TWO of the Fancy Favor box/bag pieces put together to make this!

On both, we used Christmas Cocoa Specialty DSP (Still available in the Holiday Mini, until January 4! I LOVE THIS DSP!!). I just love the way they came out; I also gave one of the originals to my UPS delivery guy yesterday, to thank him for all the deliveries he's made here this year. :D

The card you see attached to the cookie swap packages is the recipe; I used a fancy font, so the card had to be BIG. As a dear friend tells me, I like "loopy" fonts. :D So, I just made it so it matched, and attached it to the package. :D

I LOVE to hear people OOOOH and AAAAAH over things I've made. :D Corrine helped me make the ones for the cookie exchange while she was here; it was a fun way to introduce her to stamping, and get some help, AND get the boxes made in advance. :D

OK, I'm off to do some more Christmas things. :) My sister and BIL get here tomorrow! Yea! I hope and pray that you're taking time now to BREATHE, and to enjoy the beauty surrounding you. Count your blessings, especially the small ones. They add up so quickly - we just need to take the time to SEE them. :)

BE BLESSED - and please, take the time to STAMP something! :)

WEEK ELEVEN of the 12 Weeks of Christmas!

Gracious! Seven days from today is Christmas!!!

Be sure and open your email today to see what's in the box! This was a LOT of fun to design; I hope you enjoy it. :)

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!! Have a wonderful weekend, and be SURE to take the time to STAMP SOMETHING!!!!

Happy Ninth Week of Christmas!

Is time FLYING, or is it just me?!?!? With Thanksgiving this late again, it's only four short weeks until Christmas Day! I hope the emails are helping you get some great ideas!

This one is actually my mom's suggestion - and it turned out so awesome! LOL!

Have a WONDERFUL weekend! I'm SO grateful for YOU!!! :)

Time to start baking for next Sunday's Christmas Open House! But I'll be taking the time to stamp something - I hope you will, too! :)

Yes, it's the day before Thanksgiving...

but I'm showing you something for Christmas. SHOCK, huh. :D I promise, tomorrow is a Thanksgiving something - and a little contest for some lucky early bird! But that's tomorrow. :D

Here's today's share!

It's a tea towel that we stamped with craft inks, then heat set to make permanent! You could give this one as a gift - the tea towel as a tea towel, or use it as a basket liner. Right now, it's draped over a display like a shelp runner in the Inspiration Station! :) The tea towels are VERY inexpensive. I used the snowflake from BERRY CHRISTMAS and the "Season's Greetings" from MANY MERRY MESSAGES. The snowflakes WOULD have been one of our beautiful blues, if I'd thought ahead enough. But I didn't, so they're Chocolate Chip. :D
The words are in Real Red craft ink. After we stamped all the way around, we flipped the towel over and ironed on the back side with a hot, dry iron to set the ink. SUPER easy, great gift, and fun to do! What MORE could you ask as a day-before-Thanksgiving idea? :D

Have a WONDERFUL day! I hope you're taking time to ENJOY yourself! Are you stamping your placecards for the table? Me, either. :D It's all I can do to find a CHAIR for everyone who will be here! LOL! BE BLESSED!

Week SEVEN of the Twelve Weeks of Christmas!

I think. Or is it the eighth? LOL!

ANYWAY. This week's item uses MY DIGITAL STUDIO, but it's EASILY convertible to using stamps and ink - and I change my themes on the clock in the studio often! :D

It was a LOT of fun to do this project, and it's really cool in real life.

Enjoy the email! :) If you have questions or comments, please don't hesitate to contact me!

Enjoy your weekend! Christmas is coming FAST - I hope you're looking forward to Thanksgiving with your family! :) But don't forget to take the time to STAMP something, too...!

Lifesaver Gift Card Video Tutorial!

Here it is! I promised I'd try to get it done this weekend! :) If you have ANY questions, please let me know!!!

Good morning!

How are you this fine Thursday? Having a great week? Can't wait until tomorrow? Or both? :D


Well, I got a pre-order in yesterday; if you're a long-time customer of mine, you should have received your Occasions Mini - which goes live April 1!! - in the mail. Perhaps you noticed the new MATCHBOX DIE for the Big Shot? Oh, YEAH. You KNOW I had to have it. :D I've had a couple of questions about its size already, so here we go!



I just threw this one together, so I could play a little. :D I'm still designing for tonight's class! AUGH!

Anyway. :D That's Riding Hood Red Designer Series Paper, and the organdy ribbon. This die goes together super-simply - but if you're using Whisper White for the inside part of the box, I would recommend shimming it - the card stock's thinner than the others, and doesn't show score lines well AT ALL.

I LOVE the labels on this die, too! This is the biggest of the three. I see LOTS of potential for them!

Measurements of the box are (in the orientation I have mine): 2-3/4" tall, 2-1/4" wide, and approx. 3/4" deep - it will hold 4 Hershey's Nuggets, but not Nestle Treasures. :D

Keep your eyes open! You'll be seeing a lot of this one. :D Now I've got to jet - TOO much to do for tonight.... :D Have a WONDERFUL day - and take the time to STAMP something!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm late, but it's still Friday! :D

Just a quick show-n-tell of a gift I gave a girlfriend from the theater for Valentine's Day; a decorated mailbox, three notecards plus one I wrote on for her, and one of the pillow boxes I showed you how to do in my last video. All colors are Whisper White and Riding Hood Red; this color is really growing on me! Just in time for me to have to say goodbye when the new Idea Book comes out in July! LOL! There's also a little Pirouette Pink on the flag of the mailbox. It's such a DELICATE pink!

That's all. If you have any questions, go ahead and leave me a comment!!! I'll be back Monday to show you what we did at workshops this weekend! Don't forget - if you're local, I have a MIXED BAG QUICK CARD CLASS Tuesday night/Wednesday morning!!

Have a wonderful weekend! Enjoy your time with friends and family!!!

Put a little SPARKLE in your heart! :D

Hi! I hope you're having a wonderful week - it's WEDNESDAY! Halfway through the week. Got big plans for Valentine's Day? :)

Well, last night was our Crystal Effects class, and that "stick..." brand has NOTHING on what we did last night!!! You can sparkle a whole BOTTLE of CE with any of our fine glitters if you want - or use an empty embossing powder jar to mix a bit of each in.

We mixed red SU! glitter with CE, then used either a paintbrush or its handle to freehand the "drops", and I did the hearts freehand, too. We do them on wax paper, and allow them to dry thoroughly - no putting fingerprints in them!!! :)

Tonight, I peeled them off the wax paper and put them on Whisper White card stock after I ran the card stock through the Big Shot (Yup, I hear that - I DO love it!:D) with my SU! exclusive Texturz plate. (This is a 3"x3" card.) The sparkly elements are stuck on with a TINY bit more Crystal Effects. The white card stock is 2.75" square, and the Basic Black is 2-7/8" square. The Real Red card stock card is cut 3"x6"; it's a great card for a gift or to include with flowers or candy. ;D

If you try making some sparkly elements, let me know what you do! I'd LOVE to see what you do - and you can always CONTACT ME or CLICK HERE to go shop now and order some more Crystal Effects and glitter! Let me know what you're stampin'! :D

I promised, and here it is! :)

So, this is a tin I wrapped in a piece of the JACKPOT DSP, and cut a Top Note die - exclusive to Stampin' Up!, you know ;). Then, I cut two Naturally Serif alphabets from Very Vanilla, and created the saying on the front.

The "card" is made with the Curly Label punch, and punched from a different piece of the JACKPOT DSP.

The notebook is covered with yet another piece of the JACKPOT DSP, and when this paper retires, this is going to be a gift set for my dad! I'll put the notebook in the tin, along with a mechanical pencil and a few decks of cards! :) Super-easy, inexpensive, and custom-made for my dad. He'll LOVE it.

Keep on coming back - lots to show, so little time to do it in.... :D

BETTER YET, order some toys to play with, and show me what YOU are stamping!!!!!!!!! :D

We're home! :)

WOW, am I glad to not be in the car! :D We put 1600 miles on our car in six days. Let's just say that's a LOT of sitting. LOL!

While we were with Kenn's cousin in Wichita, my sister-in-law, Susan, celebrated a big birthday. Kenn suggested that she'd like a journal when I asked him, so here we go! :)

Colors are obviously Chocolate Chip, Close to Cocoa, and Very Vanilla. The ribbon is the ONLY thing I used that isn't current; I LOVED the satin ribbon from the 2007 Holiday Mini, and since I still had some.... :)

The spine's paper is from the current promotion/sneak peek from the NEW IB&C coming out MONDAY!!! The big mat is cut with the Top Note die; the letters are from the Natural Serif die. The smaller punches are the curly label, as well as CUTE & CURLY, the set that coordinates with the punch.

I think it was a hit, and I liked it myself. :) Susan is a big hiker, and everything except the ribbon is FLAT, so she can put it into her backpack, etc. It feels GOOD to make a gift special for someone!

I'm going to try to get some more posts set up like have the last week, so you'll have something fun to come check out every week day while I work on the OPEN HOUSE projects for next Monday, as well as birthday cards for Saturday's BIRTHDAY BONANZA. :)

What are YOU stamping?? You ARE stamping, aren't you?!?!? :D

Happy Monday!!!

I hope you had a fantastic weekend!!! I spent it with a head cold. :) But I'm also working on big things for the Hostess Appreciation Luncheon this coming Saturday - you'll see things from that NEXT week. :D I'm not spilling the beans!!!

What I WILL do is share. :D

I made this matching card and box/bag for a dear friend for her birthday - Hi, Jan! :)

The paper is wonderful - it's the Holiday Treasures designer series paper from the Idea Book & Catalog. Jan LOVES flowers, but doesn't care much for Christmas. :D This paper has a subtle snowflake on it, but the flowers are gorgeous. So, I decided to use the paper. :D

Here's the tutorial for the treat box, from Di's blog. I've made a couple of them, actually - here's one I did for my Tennessee Stamper's Retreat Secret Sister.

Aren't they fun??? They're a great size, hold lots of chocolate ;D, and are super-simple.

Think CHRISTMAS GIFTS, everyone - they're made from card stock, so they're sturdy, and would be a great way to package a hostess gift, etc. Thanks, Di, for the great tutorial! :)

OK, I'm off - LOTS to do today!!! - but I really want to hear from you! What are you stamping???? You ARE stamping, aren't you???? ;)

Be watching for BLOG CANDY on November 1!!!! I can't wait! :D

Trick or Treat!!!

Hi, everyone! I'm back from my weekend - weary and unpacked. :D It was a lot of fun, but I'm back and hard at work already.

I wanted to show you one of the things I gave my Secret Sister at our retreat!

Isn't he adorable?? I've been inspired by several different bloggers for him, but the final design is all my own. :) He was about 8 inches tall, and held a large Lindt candy bar. It's all punches, sponging, free-handing, and free-cutting!

Colors are Old Olive, Bordering Blue, Basic Black, and Whisper White. I used my white gel pen to put the reflection into his eyes; isn't he a docile-looking Frankenstein?!?!? :D

I'm going to run again - I have to keep stamping, to have new things to show you! What are YOU stampin'?!?!??!?! Goodness! I certainly hope you're taking the time to STAMP something!!!!!!!!!

A couple more Big Shot projects!

These are PILLOW BOXES, made with the Big Shot and the pillow box die. Imagine that! :D The one on the left is cut from the Level One Hostess Gift Paper Pack, kraft color. It's got a belly band made of kraft card stock, and Pretty in Pink grosgrain ribbon. The tag is a large circle punch, punched from kraft card stock, layered with the scallop square punch turned on an angle to fit the SINCERE SALUTATIONS greeting on it - I am SO stoked this works with this set!!! - in Pretty in Pink. I stamped and sponged it with Chocolate Chip. SUPER easy, and so cute!

The pillow box on the right is cut from Taken With Teal card stock, and embellished with snowflakes that are diecuts, too. The punched tag is the large oval punch, stamped with a sentiment from HUGS & WISHES and edged with Taken With Teal ink, as well.

These projects are SO EASY with the Big Shot! You could crank out a LOT of party favors, wedding favors, Christmas gifts - literally! :) Contact me today to get your Big Shot!

And for goodness' sake, take time to STAMP something - then bless someone else with your stamped project! :)