Stamping Around Nametag

Quick post - I'm in Philly stamping away. Thought I'd share the nametag I created. What a toughie when you have 9 letters in your name!!

I'm happy with how it turned out and can't wait to see everyone else's 2 1/8" x 3 3/8" creations :)

Oh Baby

While heading east for the Stamping Around event, my stampin pals are celebrating the upcoming birth of a new baby girl. Here's the card I made that was inspired by the gift bag I purchased at Target.

Had a lot of fun shopping for a little baby outfit and surprisingly thought a lot of the boy things were cuter!

Etsy Inspired

Finally!!! I've had a chance to join in on the Etsy Inspired Challenge! And what a fun week to join - the etsy shop being featured is Vivikas....and the little felt dolls are CA-UTE!!

I chose this fun little bat as my inspiration - his name is Frederick :)

And here's what I came up with - a little thank you for a student who gave me a little Halloween treat:

I realized today that this card matches the treat bag my gift came in - purple w/a bat!


Well, I'm going to run because I'm getting ready for the Stamping Around event in Philly.....wahoooooooooooooooooo!! Did I mention that I was excited? I'm hoping to set up a few autoposts before I leave.

Extra!! Extra!! Read All About It!

The current CARDS blog challenge is to use newspaper in your design. I had a bunch of ideas, but none of them seemed to work for me...the problems mainly were surrounding the newspaper being too thin to get a good cut from the punches I wanted to use. I started this last night and came back to it tonight. I have a list of other things to do, so I'm moving on - maybe I'll come back to the challenge later...if I have time.

I added some stickles to the cherries on the tree - I thinkin' I would have had more mojo if I chose a more seasonal image. It's hard to switch gears!

Also, I'm getting ready to go to the Stamping Around Philly event this Friday! Wahooo - I'm soooo excited. I need to create a nametag for the event & get some projects done before I go...not to mention pack! I'm hoping to schedule some posts, and I know I'll have some fab things to share when I return :)


Details:
Stamps - Basic Grey
Paper - kraft, white, black
Ink - Chocolate Chip, Versamark; Copics
Accessories - ribbon (Offray), button (New Leaf - PTI), black embroidery floss, white Gelly Roll pen, black Sharpie, Stickles, Labels One nestabilities, newspaper

Rubber Romance Gift Card Holder

I love stamps that you can use for many occasions. Judy is Giving Gifts is just that type of stamp! It would work for Christmas, birthdays, Mother's Day, baby showers, bridal showers....okay, do you see what I mean?

I made this little gift card holder featuring the oh so stylish Judy. Be sure to bop over to the Rubber Romance Blog where you can check out my tutorial.

Plus - don't forget about the sketch challenge that's going on at RR....you have until Nov. 9th to complete your card!



Details:
Stamp - Judy Is Giving Gifts (Rubber Romance)
Ink - Tuxedo Black (Memento); Copics
Paper - Rich Razzleberry, Pink Pirouette; dp - Lemonade collection (Basic Grey)
Accessories - Swiss Dots embossing folder, scallop edge punch, Rich Razzleberry dotted ribbon, pearls

Tuesday Trigger - Olive the Other Owls

One of my favorite Christmas books to share with kids (until the cartoon came out) is Olive the Other Reindeer. Every time I use Old Olive ink or cardstock, I think of this and laugh....or in this case - hoot!

This week's Tuesday Trigger (at Moxie Fab World) is based on the cutest olive and cream owl pillow from CB2. Courtney Baker (of Everything But The Kitchen Sink fame) provided this week's trigger and it was a lot of fun....be sure to check out Courtney's blog!!

here's how I was inspired:

I embossed some foil to place behind the owls - like the gray pillow form. It's a fun & easy technique - not great for photos because of the glare. I wish (after seeing the photo) that I would have added some machine stitching - do you do that too? Think of something to add or change after you've photographed - it usually happens mid-blog for me and I'm too lazy to fix it. Maybe one day - when I have more time :)


Details:
Stamps - Friendly Forest (Colorbok)
Ink - Old Olive, Chocolate Chip
Paper - Kraft, Very Vanilla
Accessories - aluminum foil; houndstooth embossing folder, button, ribbon, button twine, scallop circle nestie

MyGrafico Monday - Color Challenge

Good morning!! It's Monday, and guess what......I'm at home!!! I'm having a new furnace installed, so I'm really excited about having a day to sit in my craft room while the installation is going on!

And with every Monday (and Wednesday on the challenge blog), there's a new MyGrafico challenge. This week, we have a color challenge for you --- create a card with PURPLE, CERISE, AND GOLD plus add some bling to your card.

The DT used this fun MyGrafico set by J.D. Designs. You could win it by participating in the challenges this week.

I was excited with the concept for this one because I was able to create a funny card. This is the one thing that I miss about store-bought cards.

Hee Hee!

I also wanted to let you know that MyGrafico is currently searching for its next design team. If you're interested, you should check out the information on the challenge blog.

Hope to be back later with another post....there's lots on my to-do list and I'd hoping to share some of it :) Have a great day!!


Details
Stamps - Arabian Paradise (MyGrafico)
Ink - Copics
Paper - Eggplant Envy, Melon Mambo, white
Accessories - gold cording, pastels, sentiment computer generated (Greg's Other Hand)

Caramel Apple Kits

A few years ago, I made witches' shoes for my students. I filled them with witches' toes (cheese puffs), and they were a huge hit...especially because of my thing for shoes! I didn't think I could top that, but I did last Valentine's Day with the iHeartpods. They're still talking about them.

Let me tell you - having the same students year after year can be wonderful. You see them grow up and accomplish so much. But it's a pain when it comes to gifts!! There's so much pressure.

While this little treat may not be super impressive, it did get some ooooh's and aaaahh's (thanks Glossy Accents!). I had lots of questions about how I got the "caramel on the apple" - here take a looksie:

I made these fun caramel apple tags to attach to a caramel apple kit - a cellophane bag with apple, tongue depressor, and individually wrapped caramels. I created the template and hand cut the apples and drippy caramel. Squirting Glossy Accents on 12 of these puppies sure did hurt my hand, so please excuse the air bubbles - at that point I just wanted to get them done :)

The kids liked them; and for those who insisted on eating the apple & caramels right away, they wanted to keep the tag. I guess that shows their approval. When they brought up the iHeartpods & Witches' Shoes, I knew that I didn't get there yet. And the fact that they didn't mention their owl treat bags from last year, I know I was off the mark a bit then too. Well, at least I can repeat projects every 6 years :)

Embellish....Hot Diggity Dog

The most recent challenge over at Embellish magazine was to use light pink, fuschia, gray, and some bling. Here's the inspiration piece.

I've been wanting to play, but I've had a lot going on this week. I was determined to do so tonight and came up with a cute idea. Unfortunately, I think I should have left it as an idea until I wasn't as tired. The card seems like it's missing something. I think I'll play around with it when I have some more energy :)

Off to bed...stay tuned for my harvest party treats that I'll post photos of tomorrow.


Details:
Stamp - Poodle (Snag 'em Stamps - Perfectly Posh collection)
Ink - Starlight Silver Brilliance
Paper - Raspberry Fizz, Sweet Blush (PTI)
Accessories - gemstones (Hero Arts); black grosgrain ribbon

Hootie (minus the Blowfish)

couldn't resist the title :) - I remember sitting in the cafeteria as a college freshman watching this new band called Hootie and the Blowfish....I wonder if the lead singer regrets that band name since most of us only know him as Hootie :)

Here's another Halloween card with some more of my Imaginisce paper...I'm not sure if I'll make any more - it'll depend on time. I've already cut out a bunch of images that I love. It's also a matter of taking those images and translating them into cards - which isn't always the easiest thing after a long day at school. I've been bouncing from science fair projects to Quiz Bowl practice to Greek mythology to math dictionaries (which my 4th graders begged me to allow them to make....oh my word!!) and around 5 other topics. Crafting is definitely stress relieving, but I wish my brain was more productive by the time I get out the paper & glue!

Did you notice all of that stitching? I added it all by hand. I would have preferred to break out the Singer, but my mom is borrowing my sewing machine right now to make a new Christmas tree skirt. She's had it for over a month and a half - and I left word that I wanted it by the weekend :) It's so funny how I don't ever think of using something when it's here, but the moment someone borrows it I need it desperately! The stitching is perfect for the current challenge over at the CARDS blog.

I finally got a new calendar and began to write down all the due dates of challenges & submissions that I hope to participate in. I've wanted to do this for awhile, so hopefully now that I have I can stay on top of things better! Hope you're all enjoying the beautiful fall weather!


Details:
Stamps - none
Ink - none
Paper - Spooky Town (Imaginisce), Bitty Star Basics (PTI)
Accessories - embroidery floss, dimensionals

Trick or Tree

Just a quick post.

On Saturday, at my Copic class/stamping get-together, I picked up a bunch of the SpookyTown line paper by Imaginisce. I love the funky images and decided to cut some out. Here's one of the cards I created using the tree image:

I did a lot of distressing on this card - I think it looks great with the Halloween theme. Can't wait to show you some more of the Halloween cards, but I'm heading to bed - my allergies got the best of me today and I'm awfully tired :(



Details:
Stamps - none
Paper - kraft, Bitty Star Basics (PTI - Thanks again, Kelley), gold (DCWV), Monster Mash (Imaginisce Spooky Town)
Ink - Tea Dye Distress Ink (Ranger)
Accessories - circle punch, ribbon

Free Broom Rides

I won this adorable set by Pink Cat Studios on World Card Making Day through the Limelight design team challenges. I couldn't wait to ink it up.

It's just a simple card - perfect for mailing & not upseting the post office with a bumpy envelope ;) I stamped the sentiment "Scary, Scary, Screamy, Screamy. Happy, Happy, Halloweenie" on the inside of the card - this may be my favorite part of the stamp set.

I have to finish up a few more Halloween cards this week - I bought some new Imaginisce paper on Saturday, so I can't wait to use it :)



Details:
Stamps - Itty Bitty Halloween Stamps (Pink Cat Studio)
Ink - Tuxedo Black (Memento); Copics
Paper - kraft, black; dp - Paper Pizazz & Imaginisce
Accessories - gemstones, embossed curve punch, black felt pen

MyGrafico Monday

It's Monday - time for a new challenge week at MyGrafico...remember, each week we offer two challenges for you to choose from and there's always a free set up for grabs!

Here's the set we're giving away this week:

And the challenge is to: CREATE A THANK YOU CARD USING DRY EMBOSSING ON THE CARD. Here's what I came up with:

I used my oval nestie to create an embossed frame on my card. I thought these would be great to create a box set - possibly with different colors of flowers.

Remember, you have until Sunday night at 10pm PST to add a direct link to your card on Mr. Linky on the MyGrafico Challenge blog - Can't wait to see what you come up with!!


Details:
Stamps - Mix and Match Stems (MyGrafico), sentiment stamp
Ink - StazOn; Copics
Paper - white
Accessories - polka dot ribbon, oval Nestabilities

No Sew Tote Bag

Today I crafted with something besides paper - oh my!! I'm so happy with the result and wanted to share it with you.

I made a no-sew tote bag:

Isn't the red & cream houndstooth marvelous?! I was watching an old episode of Martha that featured these bags. All you need is a yard of fabric, binding for the handles, a stapler, and duct tape. To make a sturdier bag, you can apply iron-on vinyl to the wrong side of the fabric. It was super easy!! Just make sure to have a good stapler - if I make anymore, I'd bring home this fabulous stapler I have at school. It's a big bag, so I'd cut down the sizing as well. I'm thinking of making some as gifts then using it as a gift bag. You can check out the instructions here - be sure to watch the video to see how to create the gussets.

Copic Class

Hi again - it's been awhile :) I've been busy, busy, busy! It looks like this week is going to be another busy one, too! I started on my Halloween treats for my students - I'm almost finished with them, so be sure to check back to see them...they're ca-ute!!

Saturday was my monthly stamping get together. This time, we changed our meeting location to a local stamp store. It was great! Plus, they were offering a Copic class that morning. Even though I had to give up some of my work time, it was nice to go through the techniques. We made four cards - two of which I completely screwed up....I'm horrible with spraying/spritzing anything. One card required alcohol spritzing - I had ink bleeding everywhere. The other used the airbrush system and just wasn't my thing.

Here are the two other cards from the class:

The cards are cute - not necessarily my style/colors. I think I'll definitely use a couple of the techniques just not alcohol spritzing :)

Rubber Romance Sketch Challenge

There's a new sketch challenge posted at the Rubber Romance blog, and I think you should join in on the fun!! You have until midnight (EST) on November 9th to get your card done, and you could win a marvelous Rubber Romance Prize.

Here's the sketch:

and here's my take:

This is Bunnie Girl - and like me she's not a morning person, but still maintains that diva status!! I added fun flock to Bunnie's robe and a little light green shadow for her eyes. I loved this Basic Grey June Bug paper (Shirley Temple) and decided to distress a lot of the other elements on the card to coordinate with the dp. My favorite distressing has to be with the orange embossed cardstock. Did you know that you can create this really cool effect by sanding cardstock after it has been dry embossed? All you need is cardstock with a white core base - like DCWV (Die Cuts With A View). I think it gives the card a great look.

Well...if I want to be more of a morning person tomorrow, I better wrap this up. Hope you're all doing well - I have lots going on here and hope to chat more about it tomorrow! ciao :)


Details:
Stamps - Bunnie Girl (Rubber Romance)
Ink - Tuxedo Black (Memento); Copics; Walnut Stain Distress ink (Ranger)
Paper - Basic Grey June Bug-Shirley Temple; goldenrod (DCWV); Melon Mambo & Bravo Burgundy (SU!)
accessories - Pink brads, Circle Nestabilities, Sizzix embossing plates, brown fun flock (SU!)

RRRuffles Have RRRidges

The current challenge over at Moxie Fab World is all about Ruffles. Do you remember those Ruffles Potato Chips commercials? I remember when we learned to trill our r's in Spanish & French and how that's all we'd say!

Here's my take on the challenge:

I ruffled the ribbon by gathering it on one side - which is super easy!! My flower is created from the security envelope that came with this month's gas bill - I just love the design!! I also stamped the kraft base with PTI's text background before rounding the corners and adding the cardstock letters.

Gotta get some sleep - my class is Skyping another class in North Carolina tomorrow.

MyGrafico Monday Goes Retro

I dvr'ed the marathon of Mad Men a few weeks ago and just started watching it...I'm not sure if I like it or not yet, but I can say that I'm lovin' the retro style. This is the same reason that I love to watch Bewitched - if some paper companies could just replicate Samantha's wallpaper, we'd be in business!!

This week MyGrafico is going retro, too! With our two challenges (remember, one on Monday and one on Friday), a lucky winner will receive the Vintage Appliances set by Zenware. If you've popped by my blog before, you've seen some creations with this set...yep, I love it!!

So to win this fun set, all you need to do is create a card/project/LO using POLKA DOTS and the colors RED, WHITE, and TURQUOISE.

Here's what I came up with:

I may have overdid the polka dots...ummm - my name is Stephanie and I'm addicted to polka dots :) Enjoy your Monday!

Details:

Stamps - Vintage Appliances (MyGrafico); Polka Dot Basics II (PTI)

Ink - Copics; Fresh Snow(PTI), Walnut Stain (Ranger)

Paper - Kraft, Bermuda Bay, yellow tablet; dp - Imaginisce

Accessories - Binding Edge border punch (EK Success), dimensionals, black brad, sentiment computer generated

Embellish Magazine - Circle Card Challenge

Holy Moley!! Almost forgot about the Embellish challenge!! Thank goodness for Google Reader :)

Here are the challenge deets:

and here's what I came up with:

super simple, but I like it...probably because I like the combo of olive & soft blue. I was really excited to find some ribbon that went with the olive/blue combo. It has red in it, so I couldn't use it here....but I bet you'll be seeing it soon :)

Strip Show

Bet my title got your attention!! Now.....get your head outta the gutter. I'm talking about the strips of dp behind the main image on the birthday card I made for my aunt. I added strips behind the main image on another card and couldn't wait to use the 'technique' (if you can call it that) on another card.

My aunt loves Maxine cards from Hallmark, so I wanted to create something humorous for her. I thought this sentiment & image was perfect! She really liked it, so mission accomplished!

It was a long day today - memorial service for a friend's husband, a Tastefully Simple party, and some shopping with a friend. The weather here is miserable, so I'm looking forward to a warm, cozy day making cards tomorrow. Hope you're having a wonderful weekend!!