"Gin Blossom Class Card 2"

Here is the other gin blossom card for the class. The other one is a couple posts down. It's the same but opposite. If that makes sense. LOL They will be making one of these and one of the other one. The main image is popped up on dimensionals. Tomorrow I will post all of the projects for the class. I hope they like them and want to take more classes. I really love this paper.

Stamps: Garden Silhouettes, Noteworthy
Paper: River Rock, Gin Blossom Designer Paper, Whisper White
Ink: River Rock, Basic Black
Accessories: Dimensionals, Gold Brads, Stamp-A-Ma-Jig

"C Is For Cookie"

You might remember I made these last year for my daughters birthday treats in

kindergarten. Or not. LOL Anyway, Katie is turning 13 this week and they do birthday parties at lunch. When it is your birthday you bring some kind of treat for your friends. She asked for the CD wrapper cookies. I bought the CD sleeves at Wal-Mart. They come 50 in a pack. I wrapped the giant cookies in saran wrap and also put a napkin inside and taped it closed. On the front, I printed "From Katie" off of the computer in SU colors to match the paper. Super easy and the kids think it is cool.

Paper: Brilliant Blue, Glorious Green, Yo Yo Yellow, Real Red, Only Orange, Whisper White, DCWV Polka Dot Paper From The Summer Stack
Accessories: CD Sleeves, Giga and Mega Scallop Circles, SU Circle Punches, Saran Wrap, Napkin, Giant Cookie.

"Stamp Class Cards"

These are 4 birthday cards for my stamp class. They will be making one of each. I know I have posted two of these before but I thought what a perfect card for them to make. I wanted to do a card that I could make different colors but the same design. This one seemed to pop into my head.
Stamps: Fiskers Clear Stamps
Paper: Night of Navy, Ballet Blue, Summer Sun, Cameo Coral, Perfect Plum, Pale Plum, Rose Red, Regal Rose, Basic Black, Whisper White
Ink: Basic Black
Accessories: Cuttlebug, Embossing Folders, Silver Brads, SU Markers, SU White Gel Pen

"Stamp Class Card"

Here is another card for my Parks & Rec class. I wanted it to be horizontal but I couldn't find a stamp set and design that I liked. I am happy with this one though. The image is popped up with dimensionals. They will be making one of this card and one of the same design just the opposite colors of designer paper. I will scan that one when I am done. I need to borrow my demo's river rock ink for that one.
Stamps: Garden Silhouettes, Noteworthy
Paper: Ruby Red, Gin Blossom Designer Paper, Whisper White
Ink: Ruby Red
Accessories: Dimensionals, Gold Brads, Stamp-A-Ma-Jig

"Card Class Gift Items"

Here is what I came up with for the gift items part of my class. This will count as 4 projects. They will be making a wrapped Hershey bar, gum holder, 2 peppermint sammiches, and Hershey kiss tent with 3 kisses. I found the perfect kisses too. They are dark chocolate raspberry and the wrapper is silver with red hearts. I bought everyone the tin bucket from the $1 spot at Target and some paper shred so they can take it home in something and give it away if they want. I also have cello bags to wrap it up nice with a bow if they want. On the bottom of the bucket is the stupid price tag that for the life of me I can't get off without leaving a bunch on the bottom. So I took my Giga scallop punch and punched out a scallop circle and glued it on the bottom. I'm sure they will love this cause when I used to take the class my favorite part was the gift items. I am going to try to do at least three per class.
Stamps: Happy Hearts, Everyday Flexible Phrases
Paper: Real Red, Pink Passion, Whisper White
Ink: Real Red, Pink Passion
Accessories: Hershey Kisses, Hershey Bar, Crimper, 1 1/4 & 1 3/8 SU Circle Punches, Giga and Mega Scallop Circle, SU White Gel Pen, SU Scallop Circle, Word Window, Tacky Tape, Trident Gum, York Peppermint Patties

"Stamp Class Card"

This is one of the cards I am doing for my card class. It is completely cased from notimetostamp which I rarely do. But I fell in love with her card and thought the ladies in the class would too. I wanted to do a different size card and this is perfect. It is 3 1/4 x 6 1/2 which I have never made before. These fit in the small open ended SU envelopes. I did change the colors and the ribbon and she used Dazzling Diamonds on the hearts, which I love but I don't know if I will have time to bring out the heat gun. And stickles wouldn't dry in time so that's out. So I used the Sakura Glitter Pen. It is the perfect replacement for stickles. It is a pen so it is dry in seconds. The class is a stamp a stack so they will be making two of this card. I will get the rest of the projects done and posted so you can all see what I am doing for my first class. There is a total of 13. Whew! This will get me started on what it feels like to be a demo.
Stamps: Happy Heart Day
Paper: Basic Black, Regal Rose, Whisper White
Ink: Basic Black
Accessories: SU Markers, Sakura Glitter Pen, Big and Small Tag Punch, Silver Cord, 5/8 inch Regal Rose Grosgrain, Small Hand Held Circle Punch

"Joy Fold Invite"

Katie is turning 13 and this is her invite. I have never made a Joy Fold card before so I wanted to try it on these. I like how it turned out but I'm not to crazy on the colors I picked but they work. I stamped the cupcake on the pattern paper and cut it out and adhered it to the cupcake. I also added diamond stickles to the cherry. Gotta have those stickles.
The dimensions for this card are. 5 1/2 x 4 1/4 for the base. Which is gable green. The lavender piece is 8 1/2 x 4 and scored at 3 1/4. Adhere the lavender piece to the Gable green base. The inside gable green piece is 8 x 3 and scored at 3. Adhere that piece to the lavender. The scallop circle is glued on one half and the gable green piece slips under some of the scallops to keep it closed. It really is a fun card when it is finished. Here is a picture of the card when it is opened.

Stamps: All Year Cheer II, $1 Cupcake Michael's Stamp
Paper: Lavender Lace, Gable Green, Whisper White, DP
Ink: Lavender Lace, Basic Black
Accessories: Stamp-A-Ma-Jig, SU Markers, Stickles, SU Scallop Punch, SU Circle Punches, Scor-Pal

"Stamp-A-Ma-Jig Tutorial"

I have been asked what single product I have that I can't live without. Hands down it is my stamp-a-ma-jig. I use it every time I stamp. I had a corneal transplant a few years ago due to a serious infection which makes it hard for me to see sometimes and to stamp a straight image. I also own some stamps that I bought used that weren't mounted straight as well as some that I mounted that aren't straight. The stamp-a-ma-jig is the key. I made a tutorial for those of you who don't have one or have one that is still sitting in the box because you don't know how to use it. Mine sat in the box for about 6 months before I broke it out. I thought it looked confusing. It really isn't. So here is how you use it.

Line up two sides of the transparent sheet next to the stamp-a-ma-jig. You can do it on the right side too if you are left handed. Or on the top. It doesn't matter as long as two sides are lined up.

Slide your stamp down the side of the stamp-a-ma-jig and stamp your image on the transparent sheet

Remove the stamp and now you can see how the stamp will stamp.

Line up the transparent sheet on the cardstock that you are going to stamp on. This stamp is a little crooked because it was made this way. I don't want it to be crooked on my paper so I will line it up so the bottom of the cupcake is straight.

When you have the image where you want it, line up the stamp-a-ma-jig

Now remove the transparent sheet and hold down the stamp-a-ma-jig so it doesn't move.

Stamp your image onto the cardstock, making sure to line the stamp up on the two sides of the stamp-a-ma-jig.

Now you have a perfectly straight image.

"3X3 Cards and Box"

We made this at my stamp camp last month. I do not have a template for the box. Sorry. I think they are cute. And if I would have had better organization, I would have made all the definitions match a little better. We completed the project over three months. One month we made two cards, the next time we made the box and a couple more cards, and last month we finished it up with a couple more cards. Which I can't find for the life of me. There should be 6 cards total. They are hard to see so here is a close up of the cards.

We stamped the headline alphabet in soft sky and the definition in chocolate chip. Great color combo. This was also my first time using the 5/8 inch wide grosgrain. I love it. If you don't have any you have to get some. It is very nice to work with and adds the right touch.
Stamps: Headline Alphabet, Define Your Life, Seeing Spots, Think Happy Thoughts
Paper: Soft Sky, Old Olive, Whisper White, Wintergreen DP
Ink: Soft Sky, Chocolate Chip
Accessories: SU Scallop Punch, SU Circle Punch, 5/8 Chocolate Chip Grosgrain Ribbon, Soft Sky Double Stitched Ribbon,Velcro Dot, Stamp-A-Ma-Jig

"SCS So Cal Stamp Mania 5"

Who's going? I'm going. This will be my 4th one. I can't wait!! It is a 7 hour drive for me, which is fine. I love the drive. It's a straight shot so that helps. Lots to look at too. Many orchards. Fruit, nuts, and vineyards. Gorgeous mountains and a couple of pretty lakes that you can see from the freeway. I plug my i-pod in to the radio and sing the 80's music until I loose my voice. Good Times. I have a routine now. I stop at the same places on my way down for gas and to eat and to shop. I bring a big suitcase, medium suitcase, my paper tote, and regular tote with my can't live without supplies. All for stamping. And a small suitcase for clothes. I bring all my inks. At least 10 of each color cardstock un cut and 4 of each color cut and folded into cards, all my punches, markers, cuttlebug, and pretty much anything else you can think of. I will take a picture this time. You will die. But I have to bring it all in case I need it right? I stamp all night Friday night. Get up Saturday, have breakfast stamp a little more, go to stamp mania all day. Meet the girls for dinner. Go back to the hotel and stamp all night. Get a few hours of sleep. Wake up Sunday morning, have breakfast, put all my stuff away and pack up the car. I hit the Fabric Barn on my way home to get ribbon and I like to stop at the Michael's in Burbank too.
If you want to sign up here is the link to the thread.

So if you are going, find me and say hi. I would love to meet you. I have met some great ladies through past events and look forward to seeing them each year. Last year there were ladies from Hawaii, Missouri, Texas, and of course Karen from Canada who is joining us again this year. So c'mon and sign up, I will see you there.

"Have you seen my mojo?"

I can make a mean gift set or gift item but why can't I make a card? I think it would have been cute until I started adding things. Like the photo corners and the stickle dots on the photo corners. What was I thinking? I am going to go ahead and blame this one on my 5 and 6 year old. They both said how beautiful it was and that it didn't need a thing. Clearly they were wrong. I think I have lost my card making mojo. I will have to break out my sketch challenges and try to make something cute. I need to make birthday invites for my Katie. She is turning 13. I hope I can come up with something way better than this stinky card. LOL
Stamps: Wild About You
Paper: Bashful Blue, Gable Green, Whisper White, DCWV Glitter DP
Ink: Bashful Blue
Accessories: Photo Corner Punch, Stickles, White Grosgrain Ribbon

"Coaster Calendar"

Here is a coaster calendar that we made at stamp camp. It is a two sider. One side is 2008 and the other is 2009. I don't know if I will keep it like it is. I might throw a magnet on the back of it and hang it on the fridge. After we glued the paper in the coaster, we sanded the edges. It is hard to see that part.

This is the other side of the calendar. The 2009 calendar was printed on the computer and cut out. I am not sure what number set we used either. And like a dork, I forgot to use the stamp-a-ma-jig so my numbers are crooked. I decided to make a 2,4,6,8 box with a lid just for the photo. I might fill it with something and give it away. But mostly I just wanted to see if I could make lids for the boxes and it turns out that I can.
Stamps: Time Well Spent
Paper: Fall Flowers, Really Rust, River Rock, Whisper White
Ink: Basic Black, Really Rust
Accessories: Coasters, Jumbo Eyelets, Guava Stitched Ribbon, Silver Brads, Calendar, SU Markers, Sanding Block, Crop-A-Dile, White Organdy Ribbon

"Busy Busy Busy"

I don't' have anything to share today. I have been so busy. I have been asked to do two more tutorials for the Scor-Pal. I am truly honored. There are no words for how excited I am. They will be in the February/March online magazine. I will post the link when it is up and running. So today I was busy doing my tutorials.
I also have more big news. I am going to be teaching stamp classes at the parks and rec. I am totally nervous. I have taken the classes before but I have never taught one. It is a stamp a stack so they have to leave with 12 projects. I hope they like what I came up with. I am going to do a Valentine gift set with 5 different wrapped candy items and I bought them all one of those cute tin buckets from the $1 spot at Target to put them in so they can give it as a gift. I am also doing a cris cross card, 4 birthday cards, 4 different colors but the same design, and two more cards that they will make two of each. They are actually leaving with 14 items so I hope they are happy. So today I cut and scored (with the Scor-Pal of course) everything for the class. I am still waiting for some supplies so I can prep the last two cards. So that is what has been going on with me. Whew. I plan on sharing soon so stay tuned.

Q & A..."How I take my pictures"

I have been asked about how I take my pictures of my items and cards. Here is what I do for my cards. I have a 8 1/2 x 11 sheet of basic black cardstock. I took my cutter and cut a slit in the paper just enough to slide the card back through. Then I scan it and crop it. That is how I get the perfect black background around my cards.

For my gift items. I have a black towel that I drape over the couch cushion and partly on the floor. I take all my pictures during the day with as much natural light as I can. If I use regular lights, the pictures are more yellow. I also do not use a flash.

My husband got me a photo studio in a box to take pictures of my stuff. It came with two backgrounds. One blue and one grey. I don't like either one. I am going to get the black and white ones and then I will start to use that. It is really awesome. It comes with lights and a camera stand and is so easy to set up. You get the perfect lighting and it works great. I just don't like the backgrounds so it sits in my room.

So that is how I take my pictures.

"Teeny Tiny Milk Cartons"

Are these the funniest things evea? I crack up every time I look at them. They are so cute and tiny. My demo showed me a bucket of Starbursts the other day and asked me to come up with some kind of container for them. I thought about it all that day and thought maybe like a box with a handle, or some kind of slider box like the nugget boxes. My wheels were turning. I couldn't sleep that night and the only thing going through my mind was what am I going to put these Starbursts in. Then it hit me. "Teeny Tiny Milk Cartons". That would be perfect. So this is what I came up with. This particular kind of Starburst is called "California Baja" so I matched the boxes with the colors of the wrappers.

Stamps: Mini Medley
Paper: Brilliant Blue, Green Galore, Pixie Pink, Real Red
Ink: Brilliant Blue, Green Galore, Pixie Pink, Real Red
Accessories: Starburst Candy, Gingham Ribbon, Stapler, Scor-Pal

"My Nephew's Valentine's"

I made these for my nephew to pass out at preschool. My plan was to cut, score, and decorate them and send them to my sister back in Minnesota and she could add the candy. That was the plan. I had them done for about a week now and I kept looking at them just sitting there with out candy. I couldn't help it. I had to finish them. They are sort of boy colors so I think he will feel comfortable passing them out. I can always make my girls treats girly pink.

Here are the directions. I used the Scor-Pal to score these. It is so fast to do them. It literally took 3 minutes to score 25 of these. I scored the paper while it was still 8 1/2 x 11 and then cut it. If you don't have a Scor-Pal you have to get one. It ROCKS!!

Cut the cardstock 8 1/2 x 3. Sore at 5 inches and 1 inch. Decorate the front, attach the candy with a staple and close. You might want to put another score line next to the 5 inch scored line. They didn't close like I wanted them to. I think it was because there was a lot of air in the M&M package so it made it a little thick.

Stamps: Happy Heart
Paper: Brocade Blue, Orchid Opulence, Whisper White
Ink: Orchid Opulence
Accessories: Scor-Pal Mega Scallop Square, Stapler, Mini M&M's

"Best Friends Box"

For Christmas, my best friend Shelly back in Minnesota sent me a cool tin box full of Cherry Cordial Hershey Kisses (my absolute favorite) and also in the box was some stamps and cool accessories. Ok, not sure why I had to tell you about the candy. It really isn't pertinent to the story. LOL Anyway, Shelly sent me this best friends stamp and I decided to make her something and use the stamp. I have wanted to make one of these boxes with the flap forever so I thought it was a good time. Here are the directions on how to make the 2,5,7,10 box. It was soooooo easy. I am going to fill it with something and send it to her. Hmmm..... Maybe celery sticks. She isn't really a chocolate lover. Just kidding I can't send her celery sticks. They would wilt before they got there. LOL She loves coffee so I think I will send her coffee.

Stamps: Inkadinkado
Paper: SU Fall Flowers DP,Wild Wasabi, Really Rust
Ink: Really Rust
Accessories: Scor-Pal, Wild Wasabi Stitched Ribbon, Fiskers Scissors, Rectangle Hole Punch

"Pull Out Gum Holder"

I was looking around the house the other day trying to find something to alter when my daughter grabbed some gum. I snatched it out of her hand and thought..."This is perfect!" I took the container apart and measured it so I would have a template. I put it together and slid the gum in just to make sure it was the right size and the gum fell out the bottom. I know my measurements were correct but I think my box was just a slight bit bigger. So I made another one and added a bottom so it was a box with one end open. Just like the wrapped hershey bar.

Stamps: Happy Hearts, Party Punch
Paper: Regal Rose, Rose Red, Whisper White
Ink: Regal Rose, Rose Red
Accessories: Scor-Pal, Eclipse Gum, Crimper, White Grosgrain Ribbon, Round Tab Punch

Here are the directions on how to make the gum holder.

"Rain Rain Go Away"

This is what we woke up to this morning. We are getting a bad storm here in Sacramento. 60 to 85mph winds. We pretty much get the same storm every January. A couple years ago we had the section to the left of this one blow down. The poles are rotten and they just snap at the ground.

I took the girls to school and when I came home there was another section down. The wind and rain is going to be bad all weekend. They said that tomorrow is going to be worse than today. Today is also garbage day. Everyone's cans are all over the streets. I had to get out of my car twice in the mile drive to the school to move cans so I could drive down the street.

Now three panels are down and I am thinking that the whole thing is going to go by tomorrow. I think I have a plan to get back home to Minnesota. I am going to pack a small bag for everyone and give them all umbrellas. Then the wind can blow us back home. Sounds like a good plan ha? HA HA HA HA. I have to laugh to keep from crying.

"Valentine Gift Set"

This is the finished Gift set that I made for an order. I love it! I found the tin buckets at the $1 spot at Target and they match perfectly. I put some red paper shred in the bucket and wrapped them in a small cello gift bag from Michael's. I might have to get some more tins and do this for the kids teachers. This set contains a M&M pull up holder, gum holder, and nugget box. I just love the colors for Valentine's Day don't you? Here are the directions for the M&M pull up holder. The colors are different but you get the idea. Here are the directions for the 3 nugget, nugget box. Here are the directions for the gum holder.
Stamps: Happy Hearts, Every Day Flexible Phrases
Paper: Real Red, Pink Passion, Whisper White
Ink: Pink Passion, Real Red, Orchid Opulence
Accessories: Trident Gum, Word Window, Tacky Tape, SU Circle Punches, SU Scallop Punch, Velcro Dots, Hot Pink Organdy Ribbon, Hershey Nuggets, Address Labels, Silver Cord, M&M's, Red Grosgrain Ribbon, Rectangle Punch, Hand Held Circle Punch, Tin Bucket, Paper Shred, Cello Bag