Valentine Hoot Box and Mini Card

Using my SU bitty box and envelope die with my sizzix big kick, I created this adorable gift box and card set for Valentine's Day. The owls are from Sassafras' Olivia & Pals clear stamp set, the flower petal is an older SU punch, the heart is a Marvy scallop heart punch and backround flower is also a Marvy Punch. The cardstock is a personal favorite collection called Classic K McKenna from K&Company along with Soft Vanilla from Stampin' Up!® and Tan CS from The Paper Co. Other supplies used: Brown satin ribbon, light and dark pink rhinestones, Chocolate Chip ink, Regal Rose Marker, stamping sponge (to distress edges), Glue Glider Pro with high tac adhesive, Glue Arts' ribbon adhesive and mini adhesive squares. I displayed this project at the CHA Craft SuperShow this past Saturday. This is a close up view of the gift card and box top. Scroll down for more photos.

Some design notes: I used mini adhesive squares to make & attach the ribbon loop under the punched flower. If you don't own this punch, you can substitute with a similar size flower. To create the 2 toned owl, I stamped once in chocolate chip, then once using the Regal Rose brush marker to color and stamp. I trimmed out the heart shaped face and adhered to stamped brown image. I trimmed around owl shape and mounted to layers on mini gift card. For edging on card, I used a stamping sponge dipped into ink pad. I drug along CS to distress. I freehand cut the mini pink heart from the wing portion of the owl I stamped in Regal Rose.

Don't forget to dress up the outside of the envelope. Here I used the scallop heart punch with a lightly patterned solid CS from the collection so I could write the name of the person I was giving it to inside the heart. Again, I edged in brown ink to make it pop!

This shows a view of the inside of the mini gift card with the ribbon wrapped around the inside. I added a tiny verse from a retired SU set, called Be Mine, but you can add in your own stamped verse or set up a message on your computer and print out. I edged Vanilla CS with rose marker.

My CHA Travel Experience

I am back from the CHA Craft SuperShow and retailers tradeshow in Anaheim inspired by the creativity that surrounded me. I had demonstrating Glue Arts' adhesives while leading make-n-takes at the consumer and retail shows on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. It is always great to see the wonderful Glue Arts gang and get to hang out together for a few days. Participating in the PJ Party Live event Friday night brought stares (at our pajamas & slippers) and fulfillment in showing crafters how to make a winter hat mini album. My experience at this year's CHA show ended with a day of walking the show and getting creatively inspired by the wonderful new products and talent that surrounded me. Here is a peek of my travel diary. I will post show previews later this week. If you want to veiw the captions, just click on the slide show to view at larger size in Picasa.

From One Coast to Another

Today I head to Anaheim, California for the Craft and Hobby Association (CHA) Consumer Super Show and Retailer’s Show. I can't wait to see all the crafty goodness. I will be participating in the PJ Party Live hosted by Tiffany Windsor on Friday evening. See my earlier post with a sneak peek of the winter hat project we will be doing. I will be at the Oh My Crafts booth helping with make-n-takes earlier in the day as well as on Saturday. Then the retail show starts Sunday, where I will be working in the Glue Arts booth. Monday, I will get to walk the show and see what fun products will soon be released. Then, Tuesday I travel home to my family and pooch, whom I will be missing and sending loving until I return from one coast to another!

This card is one I created for my Father-in-Law’s birthday. Hope it inspires ideas for a masculine birthday card. I wanted to send him some warm Birthday wishes in the month of December. I promise to post some more projects when I return.

50 doesn't mean you're a fossil!

When coming up with a name for this card creation for my brother-in-law’s 50th birthday, I thought it would be humorous to poke a little fun at being archaic at the age of 50. This card utilizes the faux fossil technique using reinkers, glossy stock and rubbing alcohol so it just made sense to call the card Fossilized 50th Birthday. The numbers are from an older Inque Boutique set, Shari Numbers, which is a favorite of mine to use for momentous birthdays. The Stampin' Up! verse on the inside is another personal favorite for birthday wishes! Hope these ideas inspire a great card idea for a special birthday recipient.

Wild Winter Roadtrip Recap

Just had to share some fun photos from our holiday trip to Philly, right as the big 23" snow storm hit the northeast. We looked liked the Grizwald's with a trunk that looked like a Jenga game, but Dan insisted on taking his all wheel drive car even though my trunk is bigger. Dare you pull anything out, it might fall on your head. {you will see in the pictures} Try not to laugh too hard at these Floridians who tried to pack lightly while knowing that we were about to enter the frozen zone, which by our standards is anything over 50 degrees! LOL!!!

{the snow photos are from our Dunkin Donuts detour in Virginia after driving 16 straight hours and hitting unplowed roads in Fredericksburg- and yes, Dan was smart to insist on us taking his car. We passed many 2 wheel drive SUVs stuck on the side of the road. Fortunately from Washington to Philly the roads were plowed.}

Did I forget to mention that we brought the dog along? This was Bella's first long road trip and she aced it with the help of Kai's chenille pillow spanning the leg area in the back seat! Princess Bella lounged across the back seat dining on Chic-fil-A wraps, waffle fries and ice chips (of course she grubbed my dinner!) There was no avoiding it, and once you see some of the photos you will understand how I couldn't resist her begging. I have some more hilarious shots from this adventure, but I am saving some of those for scrapbook layouts!

{You know what happens when you are cooped up in a car too long...you get a little loopy! The girls gave Bella hairdos and dressed her in the hat Kylie wore most of the roadtrip. I think Bella arrived the only one well rested. Dan drove the whole way with no sleep! He is a true road warrior.}

Nineteen hours after leaving home, we arrived at our destination, my sister’s house in Ardmore, PA to a blanket of white snow and a huge family welcome from my sister, brother-in-law, niece and parents. We only slept a few hours that day, but I think it took me until Christmas Day to truly wake up!

It only took 17 hours driving straight through to make it home, and I could barely keep my eyes open, but as we were just a few exits from home, the sun rose...what a welcome sight and a perfect ending to an awesome trip!

{For about 3 days following our trip, my DH was experiencing caffeine detox from all the coffee he drank to stay awake. Just another tale from the adventures of our life. Belate Happy New Year wishes to all!}

I'm baaaack!

I am baaaack now in more ways than one. Yup, I know I have been missing in action on my own blog {how pathetic is that!}, but it started with being sick twice between Thanksgiving and Christmas and constantly playing catch up throughout the holiday mayhem. Then, you factor in a 2 week haitus to Philly to see family, including the 19 hr. trek during a record-setting snowfall in the northeast and a 17 hr. return trip requiring blink eyedrops about every two seconds of the last 4 hours and as many caffeine drinks that my bladder would allow given our limited stops. Yes, December began and ended in the blink of an eye, but I promise to do multiple project postings to show you what creative things I have been up to during my absence!

As you may know, the big Craft and Hobby Assocation Winter show in Anaheim, CA is fast approaching. This is a peek at the winter hat mini album I created and will be presenting with Glue Arts at the Inspired at Home Pajama Party Live event. So whether or not you are one of the lucky attendees making this at the CHA Craft Super Show special event, you check throw on your PJs and slippers and check out the live broadcast of this event!

Since everyone's budgets are pinched tighter by holiday spending, ya'll are probably ready for a sale. If you have been wanting to try out Glue Arts' adhesives, now is the time. Save 10% from now until the end of January using the promo code JAN10 during checkout.

Friends...noteworthy of thankfulness

As Thanksgiving Time nears, I got to thinking about things that make me grateful, and one of those things are true friends. I have made many friends over the years, and looking back at those incredible connections always makes me grateful. That is why I chose to share this card and envelope set called Noteworthy Thanks — a great set to send to a friend. It uses Stampin’ Up!’s chocolate chip and Baja Breeze color combination with Illuminated Wheel, Pocket Silhouettes Stamp Set, scallop square punch, brown grosgrain and white satin ribbons and a large turqouise button. I hope that it springboards your creativity in creating a matching notecard or thank you to send to one of your friends.

A Talented Friend

I have a wonderfully talented friend who credits me for introducing her to stamping and scrapbooking through my Stampin’ Up! demonstratorship. She has gone on to become a demonstrator also and is not only filling my shoes, but overspilling them with talent. I am finally getting caught up on posting these wonderful projects she designed for us to create at a workshop at her Stamping Oasis. One of the cards, I call Flourishing Elegance. You will know which one...it is so chic and beautiful! The second card, I called Take A Spin. It is a spinner card created using the fast and easy to use Simply Scrappin’ Stickers along with some punches and stamps. The third project, I call Twick O' Peek. It is a gorgeous Halloween box with a peek-a-boo diecut window in front. Hope these inspire you to create wonder creations based on Ree’s ideas. Click here to check out her blog.

Gingerbread Recipe Album

Well, it has been a little while since I posted some creative inspiration, but I have been busy crafting and plan to share some of my favorite projects with you! Here is a fun one I designed for Glue Arts' design team involving a Gingerbread chipboard diecut, some diecut squares using Stampin’ Ups die with my Sizzix Big Kick and some other fun embellishments. It is a recipe album ready for filling with your own recipes and/or photos...a heart-felt gift. I have pdfs of the paper pieces and tag art available upon your request. For project instructions, click here to go to the Glue Arts website. Here are a few more pictures of the project...

A Perfect Family Harvest

Looking for a clever Fall layout to include some fun photos and facts about your family members? Then check out this Harvest theme layout I did for Glue Arts using their adhesives, my computer for the title and journaling along with K & Company cardstock.

Here is a closeup on the title and paper piecing...

I have a template for the paper piecing and a file for the title available as pdfs. Email me if you are interested in those. You can check out the step by step instructions on Glue Arts’ website.

Fall is in the Air

Pearls of Kindness Card

Grateful Imprints Card

Want to create some Fall cards? Then just pull out some Fall colored patterned papers, inks and solid colored cardstock, some dies or punches, some stamp sets from Stampin’ Up!® and get ready to create. I used the Circle Circus set on the bottom card to create my only pattern with real rust ink and the Grateful stamp from the Falling Leaves set. The top card uses the verse from Heard from the Heart set. The patterned paper used on both of these is the Autumn Meadows Designer Papers from Stampin' Up!

A “Boo” Can Sometimes be a Good Thing!

O.K., so life has been super busy, hectic, full of tricks and not enough treats lately (except if you count the couple hours stolen at the beach yesterday with just the right amount of sun, a cool breeze and surfers to watch, wooo, much needed)! I know I am posting this project too late to make in time for this Halloween, but now you can feel less pressure by working on it for next year. Here is a link to the instructions on Glue Arts’ website. I am totally in love with Cosmo Cricket’s Halloween collection and had to create something fun with it. I got inspired by some paper mache letters I spotted on sale at JoAnn's before Halloween and the creativity grew from there in working with the Cosmo papers and stickers. I hope this is a boo that you will say “Yay” to!

Here are some close up shots, below, of the individual letters.

The RIP tombstone was also a purchase from JoAnns to add to the spooky setting. It has brought a smile to my face every time I have passed by it going in and out of the door.