Candlelight Christmas Gift Bags

I always love to see regular plain brown paper gift bags dressed up with a little TLC!

Andrea Walford provided an easy tutorial on making these using the Snow Flurry Bigz die, Merry and Type stamp set and the very beautiful Candlelight Chrismtas DSP.  I purchased my bags from Walmart and adjusted the measurements to suit the bags.  Andrea's original one was in the green; I then tried making one using the red sheet of DSP from the same package of Candlelight Christmas DSP.  I also used a sentiment from Elements of Style for the centre of the large snowflake.   They really are quick and easy to make up!

Just fill them with a gift of your choosing and you have a super way to give a gift "Stampin' Up!" style!

Have fun creating fun packaging for your Chrismtas gifts!

Happy Stamping....

Cindy

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Ornament Keepsakes - CASEs

It's easy to see the first photo is a replica of the one on the front of the 2012 Holiday Catalogue.   I used some retired silver chord instead of the linen thread and this sample used a different DSP for the rosette.  Otherwise, I think it's the same.

I did this lovely ornament as a class and to show the versatility of the stamp set and dies, I made several cards to show as samples.

The rest of these photos are cards I made using the designs of other Stampin' Up! demonstrators. Thanks to the creator of each card.  I went to the Demonstrator resource Stampin' Connection for some inspiration!

I love the colours for this card.  Crumb Cake, Early Espresso, Chocolate Chip and Very Vanilla.  I was happy to get to use my music notes wheel which does not seem to get much love for some reason!  I found this card on Splitcoast Stampers; the poster didn't give the name of the person who designed it - she sure did a great job!

 I made a bunch of these and included them in a workshop order as my "thank you".   I think it's gorgeous!  CASE'd from Anne Laflamme.

When I saw the card I used to CASE I was so happy because I would get to use some of the retired vanilla velvety ribbon!  I really should make a bunch more so that I use it again!  I changed the ornaments so I could use the ones from Ornament Keepsakes but the ones the original designer used (Tree Trimmings - now retired) were perfect!   CASE'd from Patty Gorka.

This was actually the first card I made with this stamp set.   Cards similar to this one have become quite popular.  I can see why!  Love the new Holiday Frame Embossing Folder!  I gave one of these cards to each person who took the ornament class. CASE'd from Lee Ann Barrett.

I probably changed more on this one than the others.  I stamped the holly branch from Watercolor Winter in StazOn black and coloured them with blender pens.  The ornament was stamped and cut out with the matching die. The sentiment was from Joyous Celebrations.  The Lacey Brocade Embossing Folder is becoming a new favourite!  I used some retired 1/4" old olive grosgrain ribbon to adorn the ornament.  CASE'd from Rachel Woollard.

It has been fun delighting in the creations of other stampers!  Thank you all for sharing!  

Cindy

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Word Play - Tidings of Comfort & Joy

As a trial Stampin' Up! is selling individual stamps from a selected number of stamp sets.  The set Word Play has 12 awesome stamps for various occasions.  This Christmas one can be purchased for $6.25 (#132303) until January 2, 2013.  These were my "thank you" cards to put in with my club orders this month.

I used the Cherry Cobbler Embossing Powder on my image.  I love the look that a little heat embossing gives.  The white doily is the reverse side of paper from the doily sheet in the now retired Flirtatious Speciality DSP.    I ran my Gumball Green panel through the Big Shot with the gorgeous Lacey Brocade embossing folder found in the 2012 Holiday Catalolgue.

I used a sketch from Sketch Frenzy Friday for my card.  I changed it up just a little.

As we head into the Christmas season I wish you "tidings of comfort & joy"!!

Thanks for stopping by!

Cindy

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No Peeking - Paper Piecing

No Peeking is a fun little set found in the 2012/2013 Stampin' Up! catalogue.  The paper is from Snow Festival.  I love the Tiny Tags set; such an easy way to add a sentiment.

I was designing a card for the 2012 Hamilton Regionals in Aug. and this was my first sample.  I had to change it up a bit for the actual swap because I didn't have enough of the little pearls to make 25 cards!

This is the actual swap I made; much better lighting in this photo:

Here are the images you get with this set..aren't they the cutest!!

See Page 23 of the catalogue for actual image sizes.  These are a lot smaller than the actual stamp size.
126290 Wood $29.95
126292 Clear $21.95

Hope you have been busy making your Christmas cards!

Cindy

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Make a Mitten

Make a Mitten found in the 2012/13 Stampin' Up! Holiday Catalogue is just too cute!  The mitten builder punch makes cutting them out a snap.

Change up the colours and you have a great winter birthday card.  The new Gumball Green In Color is perfect with the Cherry Cobbler DSP from Snow Festival.  I used the small banner in Itty Bitty Banners and just cut it out freehand.  The little star in the centre of the snowflake is from Chock Full of Cheer.  This was a fun class card.  I just discovered when doing up this post that the snowflake die is no longer available....oops!

A set of these mittens done up in a colour from a winter photo would look great on a scrapbook page.

Measurements:  DSP:  3 1/4" X 4"
Image piece:  2 1/4" X 3"
Mat:  2 3/8" X 3 1/8"

Hope you have fun with your Make a Mitten stamp set and co-ordinating mitten builder punch!

Thanks for stopping by!

Cindy

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Mouthwatering - 2012 All Sets Canadian Swap

My first ever swap!  I often see swaps, but they are always in the states and I never wanted to commit to one because of the length of time for them to get there by mail.  So when Wanda Dodds, a fellow Canadian demonstrator organized one I decided to JUST DO IT!  I got back 18 different cards to help inspire and motivate!

I love the Mouthwatering set!  I had already stamped the popsicles with the old felt stamp pads, but decided to try out the new foam ones and they stamped so bright and clear!  I did use the Melon Scented Embossing Powder; smelled good enough to eat LOL!

The photo below has a slight variation.  I did the card in a class of teenage girls and I wanted to simplify the process, so I used the Tasteful Trim die in place of the Seam Binding Ribbon.

In the first photo I used the Woodgrain background stamp to make the sticks - had to keep all products current for this swap!  However, I just used the retired wood sheets for the second one.

Stamp Set:  Mouthwatering, Fabulous Phrases, Woodgrain

Paper:  Lucky Limeade, Whisper White, Crumb Cake, Floral District DSP

Ink:  Tangerine Tango, Rose Red, Crumb Cake, Basic Black

Accessories:  Rose Red Seam Binding Ribbon/Tasteful Trim Die, Word Window Punch, Melon Scented Embossing Powder, Versamark, Labels Collection Framelits, Big Shot, Dimensionals, Wood Sheets

That's probably the last I'll see of popsicles under the spring!

Happy Stamping!

Cindy

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Punch Art Class - Dog, Snowman, Horse

Some very fun punch art!  Templates and/or instructions were from:

Dog:  Michelle Suit

Snowman:  Heidi Boos

Horse:  Jackie Topa

These are class projects and are easy and fun to do!  Each dog seems to have its own personality and you can make the horse more life like by giving it more sponging!  I did add a little glitter to the door of the frame on the snowman by using the little tree punch with glitter paper.  When I post individual photos, I'll make sure the  completed one is shown!

I kept the card bases simple so that it didn't take too long, but you could have a lot of fun creating backgrounds.  I'm going to try putting the dog in a doghouse card!

I'm off to Nanaimo for a couple of weeks.  So no stamping for me for a bit!

See you soon.

Cindy

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2012 Hamilton Regionals Swap

I'm so excited to have so many beautiful swaps to share.  Here is the second; this one is by Cindy Lim Dennis.  I sat with Cindy at the Regionals.  I love the beautiful pearlized look of the background!  I think it is so elegant!  I'm anxious to try out my new Holiday Frame Embossing Folder!

She shared the supplies; so here they are!

Card stock:  Elegant Eggplant, Whisper White

Ink:  Elegant Eggplant, Marina Mist

Other:  XLarge Oval Punch, Scallop Trim Corner Punch, Holiday Frame Embossing Folder, Rhinestone Basic Jewels, Champagne Mist Shimmer Paint, Brayer, 3/8" Taffeta ribbon

Stamp Sets:  Christmas Lodge, Winter Memories

It's such a lovely card and I love the non traditional colours Cindy used.  September is a perfect time to get started on those Christmas cards.  Thanks for the inspiration Cindy!!

Happy Stamping!

Cindy

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Hamilton Regionals 2012

Hamilton Regionals were a lot of fun.  As a first time attendee I quickly learned that you really get a lot of fun swaps!  I also need to make WAY more next time!

So here is the first of many that I hope to post in the coming weeks.  This card front was made by Jackie Foley and I just love the little flowers.  I'm going to have to play around and try to make them.  Very cute!

Also used was the new woodgrain embossing folder and the  little leaves sizzlit,   I'm not quite sure if she used the Stampin' Up! baker's twine or not because the colours are not quite the same as those available.  At any rate they turned out awesome!

Until next time...happy stamping!

Cindy

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Reason to Smile - Scrapbook Layout

8" X 8" scrapbook layout CASEd from my Demonstrator Business Web Site; featuring July's promotion for a $5 stamp set with a $60 order.  Have you used your Reason to Smile stamp set yet?

Need a quick page?  Here are the measurements for the accent strips on my page:

Island Indigo: 5 1/4" X 3/8"
Baja Breeze:  5 1/8" X 1/2"
Wild Wasabi using scalloped edge punch  (finsihed size):  4 1/2" X 1/2"

Of course, you can change the size to something that suits you.  They are just a guidline.

Also used:  Neturals Buttons and White Baker's Twine.

My photo was 5" X 3 1/2"

Now it's time to have some fun with the new products from the 2012 Holiday catalogue.    My computer is in for repair, so once it's back I'll start posting more samples.

The summer is flying by!!  Keep Stamping!

Cindy

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Reason to Smile - Delicate Designs Folder

Yet another Reason to Smile!  I love the touch of colour with the strip of Designer Series Paper and Beautiful Wings butterfly.

I did mask the lower flower for placement and used the Stamp-a-ma-gig for the two step stamping.  The little row of butterflies with the blue trim is from a section of a sheet of paper for the Patio Party DSP package.  I also used a strip of the same paper for the inside of the card.  So pretty!

Here are the supplies:

Stamp Sets:  Reason to Smile, A Word for You

Paper:  Whisper White and Patio Party DSP,  Raspberry Ripple card stock

Ink:  Old Olive, Baja Breeze, Midnight Muse, Basic Black

Accessories:  Beautiful Wings embosslit, Delicate Designs Embossing Folder, 1/8" Whisper White Taffeta Ribbon

Once again, here is the flyer for the July Promo; Stamp set is $5 with a $60 purchase.

The weather has been quite warm in this neck of the woods!

Stay Cool.......Stay Calm!!  Enjoy the day!

Cindy

My REASON TO SMILE

There is an awesome promotion going on for the month of July.  You can purchase the Reason to Smile stamp set for $5 with a $60 purchase.  There is a photo below that shows all the stamps in this set.  You can also go to the link in my side bar.

My card was inspired by another demo as well as the card of page 83 of the catalogue.

Stamp Sets:  Reason to Smile, Music Notes wheel, Tiny Tags and Kindness Matters

Paper:  Crumb Cake, Whisper White, Be of Good Cheer DSP; Subtles DSP paper stacks

Ink:  Basic Black, Rasperry Ripple, Pretty in Pink, Crumb Cake, Gumball Green

Accessories:  White Twine; Jewelry Tag Punch, Edgelits

Dimensions:

Card Base:  8 1/2" X 5 1/2" scored in half

Panel Piece: 3 1/4" X 4 1/4" Whisper White4

Polka Dot DSP:  3 1/4" X 2"

Scalloped Piece:  3 1/4" X 1 1/2" - used grid paper to line up my edgelit in centre of paper - held on with sticky notes

Happy Stamping!

Cindy

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Sunny Fun - FMS41

Oops, can't believe it has been a month since I last posted! YIKES! I have been making a few cards,  just haven't posted them.


Sunny Fun is a retired set, but so suitable for the lovely weather we have been having!  I used a sketch by {Freshly Made} Sketches to get me started.


Otherwise, all products are current. I used the Polka Dot Parade DSP and also used the colours from that pack to make my card.


Measurements:
8 1/2" X 5 1/2" scored in half - Marina Mist
5 1/4" X 4" Whisper White
2 1/2" X 4 3/4" @ of Polka Dot Parade (Pumpkin Pie and Old Olive)
4" X 2" Whisper White image piece
4 1/4" X 2 1/4" Marina Mist - image mat


Stamp Sets:  Sunny Fun and Itty Bitty Banners


Accessories:  Bitty Banners Frameits, Brights Mini Brads, 1/4" Stitched Grosgrain Ribbon - white


Inks:  Marina Mist, Daffodil Delight, Rich Razzleberry, Pumpkin Pie, Old Olive


Here is the sketch I used!

So, take a stab at using this fun and easy sketch to help make quick and easy cards.

Enjoy your summer...

Cindy

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Dog Punch Art - Belated Birthday

Isn't this punch art dog just the cutest!!!  I love him!  The inside of the card says "a little late"  This is a workshop card so I kept the card design simple, seeing as all the time will be spent creating this little pooch.

The dog punch art is another brilliant creation of Jackie Topa.  She did a great job coming up this guy.

Stamp Sets:  On Your Birthday, Pennant Parade, Wood grain

Punches:  xl oval, wide oval, large oval, 1 3/4" circle, 3/4" circle, 1/2" circle, heart, heart to heart, scallop oval, pennant, Itty Bitty, slot, word window

Thanks for stopping by!

Happy....punching!

Cindy

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Betsy's Blossoms - Blossom Punch

 A little peek at a new stamp set Betsy's Blossoms debuting in a couple of days.  This is from the Clean and Simple Stamping Blog, FTL 192.

When River Rock was an In Color I remembered seeing a colour challenge using River Rock and Basic Block.  All the samples were stunning together!   When experimenting I first tried just a black and white card, which I wasn't happy with it.  I then remembered the River Rock and Basic Black colour combo.  I still love it!

The punched flower with this stamp set was inspired from a sample by Dawn Sonju I saw on a Stampin' Up! website.  I just cut out an additional flower from the set and used it for the centre of the flower.  The main panel and the flower are raised up on dimensionals for a little added interest.   There is also one of the large rhinestones for some bling!

Here is the sketch...give it a try! I cut my black matting piece to

 4 1/4" X 3".  The white piece was cut just 1/8" smaller; as apposed to the regular 1/4".

Thanks for stopping by.  Happy stamping!

Cindy

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Pines - Mojo Monday 242

Pines is a set that has long been retired.  But I needed a masculine card so I thought it was good choice for this neck of the woods!  I also used some retired embossing powder.  The paper is Well Worn and seemed a good fit.

I've only done the Mojo Monday challenge a couple of times, so thought I'd use it to get me started on this card.  I just flipped it on its side.  An embossed strip was used as an accent piece along with some old hardware.

It really does come together quickly when you use a sketch!!  If you haven't already, give them a try!!

Here's the sketch I used....just sideways!

Thanks for stopping by!

Cindy

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Crazy for Cupcakes Holder

Aren't cupcakes fun!?

Crazy for Cupcakes is retiring at the end of May.  This cupcake holder is featured on page 67 of the 2011/2012 Idea Book & Catalogue.  I think they made theirs with a box die, but I didn't have one, so I found a great tutorial on Janine Tinklenberg's blog that allowed me to recreate the catalogue sample.  She gave it the fun title of "Cupcake Throne"!

The new catalogue has lots of fun new stamp sets.  I'll have to see what I can do to make a new "throne" with a new stamp set!

Happy Stamping!

CIndy

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Sweet Shop DSP and Stickers

This series of cards were made from the Sweet Shop Designer Series Paper and Sweet Shop Stickers.  I purchased the stickers, but was unsure if I would ever do anything with them.   I saw some cards by  Deena Boos, a Stampin' Up! demonstrator, that I thought were just as sweet as the paper itself, so I used hers as my inspiration for a couple of them and followed her design on some as well.

I made a dozen cards total, making them all a little different.  This is just a sampling.

Today is the last day to purchase either the paper or the stickers!  They are from the 2012 Occasions Mini and did not make it into the new catalogue.  It was a fun series of papers to play with.

Thanks for stopping by and Happy Stamping.

Cindy

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Summer Smooches Notecards

I am loving doing these little 3" X 3" notecards.  Probably because they are quick!  I think they would be perfect to tuck in a little thank you gift.  Stampin' Up! also sells the little square envelopes to go with them.  But you could also make your own with the new diagonal scoring plate.

My paper daisies were daubed with white craft ink.  It barely makes a difference, but for some reason the ink gives the paper daisies a cleaner look.


Stamp Set:  Bright Blossoms
Punches:  Postage Stamp, Boho Blossoms, Blossom Builder (leaves in centre card)
Paper:  Summer Smooches DSP, Daffodil Delight, Whisper White, Island Indigo
Other Accessories:  Paper Daisies, brads, dimensionals.


I think all these products will still be current in June!


Thanks for stopping by!


Cindy


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OUT WITH THE OLD! RETIRING ACCESSORIES LIST 2012

So here is the RETIRED LIST!


Available while quantities last.  There are many products on sale, so order soon to avoid disappointment.  Items with and "*" are being reconfigured and will re-appear in the new catalogue with some changes
All other items are not returning!


The new catalogue will be coming out June 1.  Let me know if you would like me to reserve a copy for you! I can hardly wait to see what they have in store for us!

I was trying to get this to come up as a hyperlink, but the whole document showed!  So, I am hoping you are able to enlarge it a little for better viewing!  Some of this computer stuff is a bit of a learning curve for me LOL!

Well Worn Young Vermillion

Young Vermilion...retiring at end of May.  He's only $9.95 wood mount #124092.

I chose the Well Worn Designer Series Paper and pulled out the Cajun Craze colour for my base of the card and the Not Quite Navy for my mat.  The bird was stamped with Early Espresso on Very Vanilla cad stock.  Tiny Tags stamp set was used for the little tags.  Hemp Twine and metallic brads were used to embellish this masculine card.

I have seen many lovely cards done with this stamp set.  I'm sorry to see it go, along with many, many others!  But it won't be long before we get to create with new images in the new catalogue!!  You can view the retired list by clicking on the Going Going Gone image on my side bar.

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask.

So, have some fun, get creative!

Cindy

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Purse-onality with Summer Smooches in Real Red

Just a short post today.  I'm getting ready for our local Mining for Memories scrapbooking convention.  But I wanted to get at least one of the pictures of the purses up.

I love it in red!  Reminds me of summer picnic!  The flower was made with the five petal punch and the boho blossoms punch.

Ahhh....thoughts of summer!

Cindy

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Purse-onality with Summer Smooches

Some very fun purses made with Summer Smooches DSP.  This DSP is a sneak peak which is available for purchase  for the month of April.  Then it disappears and will be available again in the new 2012/2013 catalogue, which comes out June 1.  

Call me to order yours today!

Credits:  Purse instructions were by Becky Roberts.  The card was CASEd from Sandi MacIver.


I'll upload individual photos of the purses  and cards in a few days, once I get photos of them.


Don't forget to check out the RETIRING LIST

http://www.stampinup.com/ECWeb/ItemList.aspx?categoryID=921


Thanks and GET CREATIVE!!


Cindy


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Send Me Soaring - Latch Card

A clean and simple look with a fun opening use the gate fold and Scallop Oval Frame.  Just adhere the scallop part to the top half and the oval part to the bottom part.  Easy to do!

Send Me Soaring is available until April 30 in the Occasions Mini.  Hope this set makes it to the 2012/2013 catalogue, which comes out June 1 !!

This set also makes me yearn for the sweet days of summer when the warm winds bring out kids and their kites.

Happy Stamping!

Cindy

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Fresh Vintage

With the end of Sale-a-bration in just a couple of days, I thought I'd add this photo of a card made with the Fresh Vintage stamp set from the Sale-a-bration brochure.  This card is a case of a card by Beth Adams, another demonstrator; she also provided the measurements to help make it a quick and fun card.  I changed the colours and the sentiment.  It's not really that easy to find a sentiment to fit the 1 3/8" circle punch!  But I did find this one from the Elements of Style stamp set.

These are the measurements that Beth provided.  My image piece was smaller - 3 1/4 X 2 3/4.  All my black matting was 1/8th of an inch smaller.

Elegant Eggplant card stock
- Card base measures 5 1/2" x 11"

Basic Black card stock
- Layer measures 3 3/4" x 3 1/4"
- Strip measures 1 1/2" x 4 1/4"

Old Olive card stock
- Strip measures 1 1/4" x 4 1/4"

Whisper White card stock
- Layer measures 3 1/2" x 3"

Fresh Vintage Stamp set
Elegant Eggplant and Old Olive Stampin' Write Markers
Scallop Circle and 1 1/4" x 1 3/8" Circle punches
Designer Jewels - Rhinestones

Hope you have enjoyed this year's Sale-a-bration!!

Happy Stamping!

Cindy 

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