Candy -- And Lots of It!

Time for some candy!  Mm-mmm.  I just love candy.

What's your favorite kind?  Do you like stuff like licorice?  How about hard candy, like suckers?  I had a post about decorating suckers right here.

Are you crazy about chocolate?

I like almost all kinds.  I guess I've just got that sweet tooth.

a belly band around a candy bar decorates it nicely

I was given a box of Hershey candy bars and asked to personalize them for Pat, a person in our office retiring this week.

I knew that most of the colors being used in the decorations were primary colors, so I used the Parkers Patterns paper - on this bar you see a great Chevron pattern.  That is actually a Cherry Cobbler paper on the bottom.

It was a great retirement party.  The candy bars were spread down the middle of the tables so people could take one if they wanted.
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Retired - Suckers

Lots and lots of projects!

That's what my week has been like.  How about yours?

Well, like I said, it's been a week of working on projects for other people.
Like this:

lots of suckers

We held a retirement party for one of my co-workers, and I was asked to do something with the sucker package.  They wanted them to be "bigger" and have writing on them.

I typed up - some with pictures, as you can see - words that had to do with retirement and put that on one side of the suckers.  The other side, I made sure there was a bit of bling because Pat (our retiring person) is all about bling.
work

one of my personal favorites

I liked this one because Pat's always tired.  And she has bright strawberry blond hair, so I thought the little lady on the couch looked like her.

A fun example of how all those stamping supplies of punches and paper can be used for more awesome stuff than just stamping.

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Video Tutorial - Quick Card

Oh, yeah!  It's Wednesday . . . and that means I've got a video for you!

Using the great Parkers Patterns, this quick and easy card comes together nicely and will work for any occasion.  The Designer Brad is a great accent you can use with oodles of cards and other projects.

Card Making, Made Easy

You can see my post about the card and the supplies used right here.

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Will Spring ever be Sprung?

This morning when we were lying in bed right after the alarm went off, my hubby mumbled something about lots of snow outside during the night.

Sure enough!  There was quite a bit out there this a.m.  Still is, but it's melted off the roads some.  I cannot believe that it's the end of March and still such winter weather out there.

The view right outside of where my husband works this morning

How crazy is that?  In some parts around here, the people where I work got around 4 to 6 inches overnight.

Brrrrr!

What's it like in your neck of the woods?

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Parkers Patterns Weekend

Have you had a crazy weekend?  I have!  Shopping (grocery, that is -- nothing fun like clothes or shoes or even crafting supplies!), cooking, cleaning, church . . . gee, lots of things that begin with "C".

I did have time to make some cards, a video about that card, and some candy belly wrappers for a co-worker who is retiring.  I'm also making some lollipop covers for that same co-worker's retirement party.

Busy, busy.

Enough of that . . . here's the card:

A great card - super easy to make

a close-up of the great designer brad

 I hadn't really played around with the Designer Brad before -- but I'm hooked now!  It's great!  I really like making the center whatever I want it to be and getting to have it coordinate and add to my project.  Love it!

What I used:
Card stock - Not Quite Navy, Cherry Cobbler, Daffodil Delight
Designer Series Paper - Partker's Patterns
Punches - 1-3/4" Circle, 1-1/4" Scallop, 1-1/4" Square, 1/16" circle, Itty Bitty Shapes
Stamp set - Sassy Salutations
Ink:  Early Espresso
Rhinestone Jewels, SNAIL adhesive, Stampin' Dimensionals

As usual . . .

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Just For the Record

Just for the Record

Just For the Record . . .  this is a fantastic Simply Scrappin' kit!  I love these things and use them for waaaaaay more than just a scrapbook page.

Adding a stamp set . . . like Loving Thoughts

Loving Thoughts Stamp Set

and you've got magic just waitin' to happen!

Chevron is super on-trend right now - and it looks great with this ripped material.

What I used:

Stamps
  • Loving Thoughts stamp set (#125843 wood, #125845)

For the Record Simply Scrappin’ Layout Kit (#126900)


Ink
  • Classic Ink Pad - Riding Hood Red (#126968)

Tools
  • Paper-Piercing Tool (#126189)
  • Stampin' Pierce Mat (#126199)
  • Big Shot w/ Multipurpose Platform (#113439)
  • Perfect Polka Dots Textured Impressions Embossing Folder (#117335)
  • Stamp-a-ma-jig (recommended) (#101049)
  • Simply Scored Scoring Tool (#122334)
  • Paper Snips (#103579)
  • Paper Trimmer (#126889)
  • Bone Folder (#102300)

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Top This! -- Treat Bag Topper Tutorial

Oh, yeah!  It's Wednesday - I've got a video for you.

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Boo! It's the Paper Pumpkin!

Got my paper pumpkin today!

There were instructions, ink, stamps -- everything I needed to make four cute cards with envelopes.  The cool think is, though, I can easily envision making more cards using this as a springboard for ideas.

Even the box was nice.

Such cute cards!

A bunch of nice embellishments.

Great new sentiment . . . can see that being rather handy . . .

And even decorated those envelopes!
It only took me a few minutes.  And now I'm gonna let someone know I'm thinking of them.  And, of course, it's even better when I give them a card that was hand created, don't you think?

The kit coordinates with Basic Gray, Dffodil Delight, Lucky Limeade, and Tempting Turquoise.

Very nice.  I'm glad I got it.

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Loving Thoughts - Scrapbooking

I’m often asked about what stamp sets are best for scrapbookers. 

Alphabet sets always come to mind first since they allow you to create any title you want in any color you want. And if you need 5 letter “A"s, that’s okay (and you won’t have a whole stack of “X"s that you never use!). 

But one of my favorite stamp sets to recommend is the Loving Thoughts stamp set. Why? Because it has great sentiments that are perfect for scrapbooking and can also be used on cards and gifts.

A great page all ready for pictures!

We all love it when you can create a variety of projects with one stamp set! With sentiments like: “Memories”, “Create”, “With Sympathy”, “Dare to Dream”, “Thoughts of You”, “Forever & Always”, and five more, there's variety for many scrapbook pages, card projects, and gift-giving for years to come!  You can see the "Dare to Dream" on this page here:

Scrapbooking is so easy with the Simply Scrapping Kits!  Love it!!

Tip: Use the Stamp-a-ma-jig to stamp your sentiments just how you want them on your scrapbook pages.

What I used:

Stamps
  • Loving Thoughts stamp set (#125843 wood, #125845)

Ink
  • Classic Ink Pad - Riding Hood Red (#126968)

Tools
  • Paper Snips (#103579)
  • Paper Trimmer (#126889)

Preserving Memories Kit

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It's the Maine Thing - Scrapbooking

Whoo Boy!  Where do you want to go for vacation?

Do you have a favorite spot?  Do you have somewhere you go every year?  Or maybe you're the type who's saving up for something really special.  Maybe you're happy with a "staycation".

A few years ago, our family headed to Maine.

I scrapbooked a bit of it at Stamper's Club when we took a really great card and also used it as a springboard to begin a scrapbook page.

So here's the card:

And here's the page:

It was a vacation full of adventure.  We rode on the four-masted Margaret Todd

 Love those pennants for a bit of a fun!

 Saw lots of Atlantic Puffin when we went whale watching.  What a rainy, windy time that was!!  I never saw so many people get seasick at one time  before in my life -- and I hope I never see so many seasick at one time again, ever!  Still, the Puffin were so much smaller than I had thought they would be.  Don't they look kinda like penguins?

 Here's a shot we had taken right before our ride on the Margaret Todd:

 I love the Notes wheel.  I think this strip ties in the card and the pictures beautifully, don't you?

We also went kayaking on the Atlantic while we were in Maine, not to mention hiking around the Bubbles.  Bar Harbor is a wonderful place.  We ate seafood and blueberries to our hearts' content.  Without a doubt, a great place to go back.

What I used:

Card stock:  Real Red, Whisper White, Tempting Turquoise, Basic Black

Stamps:  Aviary, Pennant Parade, Notes wheel

Inks:  Tempting Turquoise, Real Red, Basic Gray, Basic Black

Punch:  Pennant Builder Punch

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Vintage Variety

What do you think when you hear, "vintage"?

I love vintage style -- maybe not so much in my clothes.  I'm more modern than that, but in cards?  Whoa!  That's another matter.

This card will make 'em say, "Wow!"

I used several stamp sets with Stamper's Club to have some fun with these vintage-style cards.

love how that tire looks almost whole

A lot of it has to do with the "aging" that you do around the edges using Soft Suede ink and a Stampin' Sponge.

An "echo" of swirls

  We used the Big Shot and Embossing Folders, along with some punches to add lots of style to this great card.  Everyone who sees this card takes it and right away has said, "Wow.  Cool card." And then they begin to feel it.  Love those kinds of reactions.

Texture, texture

What was used:

Stamp sets:

Postage Due, Lacy and Lovely, Everything Eleanor

Ink:  

Basic Black, Black Staz-On, and Soft Suede

Card Stock:

Very Vanilla and Basic Black

Punches:  3/4" Circle, Postage Punch

Embossing Folders:  Perfect Polka Dots; Vintage Wallpaper; Houndstooth

Other:

Stampin' Sponges, Paper Snips, Stampin' Dimensionals, SNAIL adhesive and refill, Big Shot.

CASEd from Stamping and Blogging

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Easter Q & A

Q: I’d like to make some treats and decorations for Easter, but I’m not sure what. Do you have any suggestions?

A: Spring and Easter are coming up quickly! This time of year we think about the weather warming up and start looking forward to spring flowers. Spring also brings to mind holidays like Easter and Mother’s Day, and small gifts for teachers at the end of the school year. Stamping and paper crafting have virtually unlimited possibilities, but some of the most popular are tags, treats, and baskets. Read on to get your creativity blooming this spring!

Tags & Décor
Tags are a quick and easy way to personalize gifts, holiday tables, and Easter baskets. Tags can be made for:
• Spring themes with small stamps like Spring Sampler (#125510 wood, #125512 clear).
• Floral themes with the Secret Garden stamp set (#129141 wood, #129144 clear) and coordinating Secret Garden Framelits Dies (#129372). You can save when you bundle the stamps and framelits together in the Secret Garden Bundle (#131100 wood, #131099 clear)!
• Easter themes with the A Little Bit of Spring stamp set (#126009 wood, #126011 clear) or use punches to create punch-art bunnies, chicks, eggs, and more!
• Family events with the Amazing Family stamp set (#129189 wood, #129192 clear).

Treats
A little special packaging makes even a simple and small gift feel special and heartfelt. Try creating a quick and pretty small box using the Fancy Favors Bigz XL die (#115965) and the Tea for Two Designer Series Paper (#129311). Fill it with homemade candy, small gifts, or seasonal candy like jelly beans or chocolate eggs. Or fill a Small Cello Bag (#102757) with homemade cookies and make a quick topper by folding the tag from the Pop-Up Posies Designer Kit (#131395) in half. Decorate the tag topper with one of the beautiful flowers from the kit and stamp “just for you” using the stamp included in the kit and you have a very special gift!

Baskets
Store-bought baskets can be decorated with stamped embellishments, torn fabric bows, ribbon, and tags. Or create your own basket using card stock. This small basket features the Mixed Bunch stamp set (#125535 wood, #125537 clear) and the coordinating Blossom punch (#125603). The Dragonfly is created using Vellum card stock (#101856) that has been stamped and heat embossed with Iridescent Ice Stampin’ Emboss Powder (#101930). The body is created from the Word Window (#119857) and 1/2” Circle (#119869) punches.

Let Your Creativity Bloom
I hope some of these ideas for tags, treats, and baskets have given you a few seeds to help your ideas grow and bloom into beautiful handmade gifts and décor this spring! As always, I love to brainstorm ideas with you and can demonstrate some spring-themed projects for you and your friends. Just get in touch with me!

Embossed Aviary Advantage

If you're like me, you get excited about the little details that turn a project from nice to "WOW"!

Textured Impressions Embossing Folders are one of my go-to tools because they let me quickly add that pop of "WOW" without a lot of extra bulk.

The Perfect Polka Dots Textured Impressions Embossing Folder is one of my favorite designs because the polka dots are . . . well . . . perfect!  They work for everything from baby to masculine and vintage to modern -- talk about versatile!

Whether on cards or as accents on a scrapbook page, I think you'll love that little bit extra you'll get from a simple crank through the big Shot with a Textured Impressions Embossing Folder!

What I used:
Stamp set - Aviary (#116956 - wood;  #120462 - clear); Music Notes Wheel (#120327)
Cardstock - Basic Black (#121045); Whisper White (#100730); Tempting Turquoise (#102067); Real Red (#102482)
Ink - Real Red (#126949); Basic Black (#126980); Black Ink Refill - for wheel (#102512)
Basic Rhinestones Jewels (#119246); Stampin' Dimensionals (#104430) SNAIL adhesive refill (#104331); Perfect Polka Dots Embossing Folder (#117335); Big Shot Die-Cutting Machine (#113439); Stampin' Round Handle (#102971); uninked Stampin' Around Cartridge (#101529)

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Going Back to Basics

Sometimes we need to go back to the beginning . . . the start of it all.

That's easy to do with stamping, because the basics are the place where it all begins.

This technique is called "Stamping Off"

Layering the ink is all it took to go back to basics on this card.  I CASEd this from the new online class that is being offered by Stampin' Up!.

Wanting to be sure the "Hello" sentiment stood out, the Midnight Muse images were first stamped off on a scrap piece of paper before stamping on the card.  That way, the Hello image is darker and stands out nicely.  This technique adds value to what you have because the inks can create more than one color.  The Midnight Muse ink is the only blue used here, but it looks like two.  They don't blend together and still look good since the circle image is a lighter shade.

It was so easy to do, of course, I created several to give away!

What I used:
Stamp set - Lacy & Lovely (#122885 - wood; #122887 - clear)
Cardstock - Midnight Muse (#126843); Whisper White (#100730)
Ink - Midnight Muse (#126860); Sumer Starfruit (#126991); and Tangerine Tango (#126946)
Ribbon - Summer Starfruite 3/8" Stitched Satin Ribbon (#126846); Buttons (#129325); and Basic Pearls (#119247)

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