New in our shop!

From Adriel:

We've had the panels done for this organizer for a couple of weeks now and finally got it all assembled! We used the beautiful Razzleberry Lemonade DSP from Stampin' Up! and it has a bright, rich, autumn look to it. My mom found that super fun button and it adds some fun to it! =) You can find this new coupon organizer in our Etsy shop HERE. Thanks for looking! =)

I've Been Creating!

From Adriel:

In the last post that I authored, I was expressing my feelings of missing being creative. Well, I've had some time this past week to do some creating and I've really enjoyed it! My mom and I have a fun event planned for our stamping friends next month that will include smoothies, gift tags and Bunco! All the details are going to be in September's newsletter, so look for that on our blog soon!

I've been working on an assortment of gift tags and have just been playing around with some ideas. The one above I made using the new set, Charming, that will be available to order on Sept. 1st out of the Mini Catalog. I really like this set and the mini medallion that I used on this tag. I have more tags to show you, but blogger is acting up again and won't let me move my pictures around. They all get stuck at the top! I'll have to save the others for another time. Anyway, happy Saturday to you and thanks for stopping by! =)

Misting with Markers

From Heidi...I was making tags today using the new Hostess Stamp Set "Of the Earth." This little set creates a very organic look. Since the stamps are solid stamps, not outline, they're great for embossing, or using with techniques like Misting, which is what I used to create the soft watercolor look on these tags. I used the Earth Elements Stampin' Write markers: Old Olive, Summer Sun, More Mustard, Creamy Caramel, and Not Quite Navy. The "Thank You" is from last year's "Note of Thanks," which was stamped in the new In-Color, Soft Suede onto Kraft CS. Thanks for letting me share!

Another Flip Book Album

From Heidi...
We have a fun class coming up next month creating a Flip Book Album, so I've been working on a prototype for it over the last few days. I didn't want to get bogged down with a lot of stamping, but I still wanted it to look fun and worth the time people would put into making it. So I turned to my computer and designed some graphic lines on my computer for the journaling. I also created several themed announcement pages, as we want to offer various themes for the books, like Birthday, Travels, Friends, etc. I then created words in various fonts, colors, and sizes that would fit within our punches. This took a bit of time, but now it's done and we can use these graphic templates over and over.
We're using punched flowers and corners...my husband came up with the cutest idea to use for the corners on this book. He took the 5-petal flower punch and punched 2 of the petals at a right angle. The petals make a fun photo corner.
I hope you enjoy a couple of pictures I took of the Flip Book. Using some of the retired DS paper we've had for awhile helped us use up most of our old In-Colors CS - Blue Bayou and Baja Breeze. The only stamping done on this album is the center of the Belly Band. Thanks again for looking :-)

Too Busy to Create...

From Adriel:

Sadly, it's true! It's not that I wouldn't like to be creating. Sometimes there are just those seasons in life that aren't condusive to a "creative" outlet. But I must express and confess that I've been missing being creative.

My husband and I own a Tropical Smoothie Cafe restaurant in Tempe, AZ. (If you live nearby or visit the area, stop by and say "hi" sometime!) I have been helping out at the store more than in the past. Don't get me wrong, 1 or 2 days a week for a few hours isn't all that bad. The work there and interracting with the crew and keeping my feet wet in the operations can be enjoyable at times, even! Somehow, though, creating a smoothie or a wrap or sandwich just doesn't satisfy my creative side. The closest thrill I get in "creating" there is adding something different to a smoothie recipe, or putting a King Caesar on a flatbread. I must admit that it was quite exciting today when a lady called 10 to noon wondering if her catering order was on its way for a delivery at noon... we thought we were delivering it at 1pm! Talk about a major food fight as we feverishly assembled 40 sandwiches in as little time as possible. Exciting may not be quite the right word in that instance... stressful is a better description. =P I don't know exactly how this story fits in with what I'm trying to say, but I just had to share that! LOL!

I'm looking forward to some time coming up soon to create again. That being said, I wanted to share some fun ideas I've seen using the new Medallion stamp from Stampin' Up! We just recently got this stamp and have yet to play with it! Enjoy the ideas! =)

Medallion Christmas Card by Kris from Kween Bee Kreations:

Medallion Love Card by Anthonette of Chavez Designs:

Medallion Butterfly Card by Andrea from Supercraftygirl:

I'll be sharing some of my own creations with you soon! Have a great day! =)

Happy Hello

From Heidi...The picture says it all...Hope you have a great day!

Just a Hi

From Heidi...
We've not been able to post as much as we'd like over the last few weeks...but we're still here and still stamping and creating. Sometimes I wish I had 3 extra days in a week. I've been busy getting my son enrolled in the community college for this semester. What started out as going in and simply taking a placement test for one class, turned into a full 2-year scholarship and enrollment. It's a surprise and a great blessing at the same time! So, between that and life and our stamping classes, it's not left much extra time. Stay tuned because we've got more fun stuff coming! Hope you all have a great day :-)

Enjoyable Class

From Adriel:

We had a great time stamping with our stamping friends this past Thursday at our afternoon and evening classes. The response to our celebrate summer cards was very positive and our ladies enjoyed getting creative and making those "yummy" cards! It was fun and I enjoyed seeing everyone, especially some of those whom I hadn't seen for a couple of months. =)

We'll be seeing a lot of our ladies again this coming Tuesday for our special Stamp-a-Technique class where we will be doing brayering. I haven't done all that much with brayering, so this was fun to try something new and create for. Here's the card I will be teaching.

I used a circle template and brayered ink over the card stock and then stamped with a couple of the stamps from Circle Circus, along with some sponging. I don't usually stick to such a limited color combo, but it really worked nice for this card and I like the results. =)

Thanks for stopping by! Hope you're having a nice day. =)

Flip Album Details

From Heidi...

Great news! I posted my Baby Boy Flip Album on Etsy yesterday and it's already sold! That was fast. Whoever gets it is really getting a cute photo scrapbook, I loved the decorative papers that are on it. I kind of hate to part with it, which is a great incentive to make another one. I picked up some really sweet Baby Girl decorative papers last week, so will create a Baby Girl Album this time.

Here's the general dimensions and pictures. I started with a tutorial created by Sue Jones, a Stampin' Up Demo, and changed the dimensions and folds to economize on card stock.

Supplies: (1) 12x12 CS 1; (2) 8-1/2x11 CS 2; (2) 8-1/2x11 CS 3 (you'll need extra CS for decorating pages); Sticky Strip, Snail Adhesive

1. CS 1 - 6x12", score at 2-1/2, 3, 9, 9-1/2, fold on score lines. This creates the Base. NOTE: THIS PICTURE SHOWS THE LEFT BLUE PANEL AS CS 1, BUT IT'S REALLY CS 2...sorry!

2. CS 2 - Cut 2, 5-1/2x11", score each piece at 5-1/2", fold on score line, attach folded pieces to the album base flaps, this creates the front and back covers and front and back inside pages. NOTE: THESE PICTURES ARE OUT OF ORDER..Picture 1 goes with Step 3 and Picture 2 goes with Steps 1 and 2...also in picture 2 the left blue panel should be labeled CS 2 not CS 1...I would change all of this, but blogger won't let me move my pictures...frustrating! Sorry!

3. CS 3 - Cut 3, 4-1/4x11", score each piece at 2-3/4, 8-1/4, and fold at score lines. Attach these 3 pieces of cardstock together end to end. This creates the Inside of album

4. Attach the Inside CS 3 to the center panel of your CS 1 Base.

5. You've finished the basic album and you can now decorate the pages.

It's Thursday Already?!

From Adriel:

Hi to all of you! This week has gone by quickly... it's Thursday already! Has this week gone by fast for you, too? =)

Right now we're a couple hours away from our afternoon card making class! I'm looking forward to making these fun summer cards with our gals. I think they will enjoy making them! =) Here's what we'll be making today!

My mom and I have been working on some fun stuff that I'm looking forward to showing you! We got our new stuff from Stampin' Up! earlier this week... the Build-a-Bear stamp set (so cute and it got us planning a new class!), the Gobble, Gobble stamp and the Autumn DS paper (can't remember the name)... my mom and I spent part of Tuesday evening designing for our Thankful Table class. We were very happy with our results and will share those soon! =)

We were also contacted by our city's Park & Rec. to see if we were interested in doing a nature journal class at a nature park near us. We've got a couple of dates for that class scheduled now and will be working on the design for that soon. Should be fun!

How about you? What's been happening with you this week? Let us know and thanks for stopping by! =)

Stamp-A-Technique Card Trio Class

Join us this coming Tuesday, 8/18, for our Brayer class. We'll be making this trio of cards using the brayer and ink.We're offering this class at two different times:

1-3 PM (6 spots available)

7-9 PM (4 spots available)

Cost: $10

Hope you can make it!

Baby Boy Flip Album

From Heidi...I'm still here...I've been busy writing instructions for our upcoming classes and also creating this adorable Flip Album for my son's guitar teacher's new baby boy. This little book has 7 to 8 separate photo pages with places for journaling and special notes, along with an announcement page. I found some cute girl DS paper that I can't wait to use on the Baby Girl Flip Album I've got planned. I'll pass on more details throughout the week. Until then I thought I'd share a couple of pictures with you.

Elegant Favor Box

From Adriel:

I usually can move my pictures around, but Blogger has been acting up on me lately, namely with pictures, and the picture is stuck at the top of this post. (I don't know why I feel the need to explain the placement of the photo, but I just do). I made this box using my Matchbox die for the Big Shot. I also used a stamp from the Matchbox Messages set. My daughter, Kayla, likes to make these little boxes. She's becoming quite the stamper and paper crafter!

Speaking of my daughter, she was fine the day after her day of being sick with the flu. We prayed for her and I really believe the Lord touched her body and helped her get well quickly. She was pretty sick on Saturday, with vomiting a few times in the early AM and not eating very much for the entire day and just sitting with the fever & chills and a stomach ache. She was not herself at all, as she is very energetic and perky and cheerful most of the time. Sunday she was hungry and was back to herself. I was surprised at such a quick recovery. I thanked the Lord with her Sunday evening. =) I know that God's answer is sometimes "no" and we don't always understand and He is still worthy of our praise and worship. But sometimes His answer is "yes" and I just wanted to give God the credit and glory He deserves. God is a good God, no matter what His answer is. =)

Not Much Going On...

From Adriel:

Well, today definitely looks different than I would've thought it would look like.

My 8-year-old daughter woke me up at 3:40am this morning letting me know she had thrown up. What a way to wake up... after asking her a few questions, I found out she had thrown up in her bed. Yuck! Okay, I needed to get up and change the bedding. Then she told me she was sorry, but she had missed the toilet. What?! I tackled the bedding first... red colored vomit is not a pretty sight, let me tell you. Threw the soiled linens in the washer and started it. Took a peek at the bathroom. OH MY GOODNESS!!! It was all over the toilet seat, and was sprayed on the shower curtain, the floor and the wall. I guess we were dealing with projectile vomit! I wanted to cry. I didn't even know where to start cleaning it up! I left the bathroom to compose myself and process the mess... I also needed to spray the carpet by Kayla's bed, because, yes, the mess was on the carpet, too. Where wasn't it? =P My husband woke up around that time and helped me out with the mess. Cleaning up vomit is not on his top favorites (is it on anyone's?), so this was very nice of him. =) Well, got the mess cleaned up, but the poor thing threw up a couple more times during the early morning and I think she must have the flu. Anyway, I know you wanted to know all of this, so that's why I'm sharing! =D

Really, this is just what's going on... for real! I'm sure you feel like eating that yummy lunch or dinner you were planning on making right after you were done on the computer. Sorry! =P

Have a nice weekend! If you go out, wash your hands! I guess there's something going around. =)

Sunbeam Note Cards

From Adriel:

Kristina Werner showed an awesome tutorial on her blog about a paper crafting technique that was so inspiring! When I saw it, I wanted to make it! The Razzleberry Lemonade DSP from Stampin' Up! worked beautifully for this technique and I love the cards!!!

I didn't follow her instructions completely, as I did not overlap any of the paper. I wanted to get as much as I could out of the paper I cut. What I ended up doing was cutting 4 different patterns the size of the card stock backing I intended to use. I made little marks on my card stock backing where I wanted the paper "beams" to go and I then put my DSP squares over the card stock backing and made pencil marks in the same places. I then used a ruler and a hobby blade to cut at each mark. I ended up with 4 "beams" out of each DSP square. I then arranged these on card stock backing, making sure I got my paper beams as close together as possible so there were no gaps. I thought this turned out great and I didn't end up wasting any paper and actually ended up with 4 cards instead of 1!! =D Anyway, had to share because I love them!! =D

These cards and a couple other items from our Etsy shop were featured on DutchTouchBeads blog today! A big thanks to Jenni!! You can find the feature about us on her blog HERE! Go visit them and get a peek at their jewelry! =)

Stampin' Up! August Promos

August 1 - 31

Spend $35 on stamp sets from the Growing Up section of the 2009-2010 Idea Book and Catalog (pages 74-90) and receive a FREE package of Designer Buttons - a $7.95 value! There's no limit to the FREE buttons you can earn. For each $35 you spend on Growing Up stamp sets, you will receive a free package of Designer buttons. Eligible buttons are listed below:

• 116313 - Playground Designer Buttons - $7.95
• 116312 - Sherber Designer Buttons - $7.95
• 114333 - Button Latte Designer Buttons - $7.95

Birds

From Adriel:

I saw this bird idea using punches on SplitCoast awhile ago and saved it to my favorites. We've got a card class coming up at Tumbleweed in the fall using punches, so I decided that this would be a fun card to make for that class. =)

The bird bodies were made using the wide oval punch, the wings were made using the scallop oval punch and the beaks were made using the 1/2" circle punch.

The colors for this card:

Crushed Curry

Barely Banana

Lovely Lilac

Whisper White

Kraft

Soft Suede

Thanks for visiting us today! Have a great day! =)

For The Cook

From Heidi...
I finished this fun "For the Cook" gift set for an upcoming class and wanted to share it here on our blog. It includes a Flip Recipe Album with 6 tabbed food category dividers, 6 magnetic cookbook bookmarks, and a "For the Cook" card punched and embellished in the shape of an apron. This will make a really fun class. Can't wait!

Basic Supplies:

From the Kitchen SS

Wow Flowers SS

CS: Rose Red, So Saffron, Basic Black

DS: Bella Rose, Non-SU paper

Accessories: Chip board, ribbon, notebook rings, brads, eyelets, blender pens, Computer-Printed Images

I made 2 gift sets, and have 1 listed in our Etsy store. Thanks for looking and have a great weekend!

Tutorial for Making Your Own Patterned Paper

From Adriel:

Today I wanted to share a quick and easy tutorial with you on how to make your own patterned paper using rubber stamps, ink, sponging and color spritzing! Next time your needing some background paper or printed paper of some sort, use the supplies you have and put them to good use!

You will need the following supplies to make the paper I will be showing you today, but you can use different stamps and ink to achieve different results:

Whisper White CS
Razzle Dazzle set
More Mustard ink pad and marker
Summer Sun ink pad
Color Spritzer Tool
Sponge

1. Stamp the large floral image in a pattern on the Whisper White CS using Summer Sun ink.

2. Use the color spritzer tool with the More Mustard marker on the stamped surface. Add as much speckling as desired.
3. Sponge More Mustard ink on stamped surface all over. Apply lightly and go back over areas to darken if desired.
4. Ta-da!! Your patterned paper is now ready for you to create with!

5. I took it a step further and crumpled up the paper and used it on this card.
Isn't that fun?! Okay, now you try it out and show us what you create using this technique!

BTW, I will be putting the card I made up for sale in our Etsy shop within the next day or so!

Cottage Wall 3x3 Cards

From Adriel:

I was inspired by the cute little 3x3 card in the new Stampin' Up! catalog on page 18 (sorry, don't have a link to the picture). We recently ordered and received the Cottage Wall DS paper from Stampin' Up! and it worked beautifully on this card design. I love this assortment of DS paper... it's very pretty and sweet. =)

I did two designs, both nearly identical to one another. I used the largest image from the Fifth Avenue Floral set in VersaMark in the lower corner of the DS paper and embossed the image with white embossing powder. I used the lovely "for you" stamp from the Fresh Cuts set in VersaMark, followed by white embossing powder and punched out with the large oval punch. I then layered this on top of coordinating cardstock punched with the scallop oval and the wide oval punches.

Simple Recipe:

Whisper White CS

Certainly Celery CS

Old Olive CS

Pale Plum CS

Rich Razzleberry CS

Cottage Wall DS Paper (love it!)

Fresh Cuts stamp set

Fifth Avenue stamp set

VersaMark ink pad

White embossing powder

Little pearl stickers from Michaels... brand unknown

Boho Blossoms punch

Cottage Wall DS Paper from Stampin' Up! #115671

You can order supplies from Stampin' Up! by clicking HERE! =)

Thanks for stopping by! Have a great day!