IT'S GREAT TO BE GREEN!

I think everyone knows how much I love my punches, and this little frog is sort of a re-design for me. A couple years ago I made some swaps with this little punch frog and he held a little candy in his belly. Well, recently Jackie Topa shared an idea to make this frog with a Heart Treat Cup, and I loved it! She made a "Let's Celebrate" card with some little butterflies from the Wonderful Wings Embosslit and then made a great tree stump for her frog, but I decided to make a St. Patty's Day frog so that I could share it with some of my clubs this month. This is what I came up with, and I think he's adorable!

I used the Go Green stamp from the Occasions Mini Catalog, and the Heart Treat Cups, which are currently a Stampin' Up! special. I also used the Inspired By Nature stamp set for the grass. I added some little shamrocks from the Stampin' Up! incentive stamps that Stampin' Up! demonstrators can order. The heart shape was cut with my Movers and Shapers Big Shot Die. For the colors I used Whisper White, Green Galore and Glorious Green. I filled my little heart up with green jelly beans; but for clubs I think I'm going to use M&Ms maybe??

Here are the punches I used: Face, Large Oval Punch; body, Wide Oval Punch; Legs and Belly, Small Oval Punch; Eyes, 1/2" Circle Punch and for the Feet I used one of the flowers on the Boho Blossoms Punch and cut it in half. I did sponge all the edges of these pieces with Glorious Green.

I shared this card with my Demo. group last night, and I think everyone had fun making it~~well, atleast they had some chocolate in case they didn't enjoy it!

CARD ORGANIZING TOTE PROJECT!

WARNING~~THIS PROJECT IS EXTREMELY ADDICTING AND VERY LABOR INTENSE!!

A little while back when I had a play date with a fellow demonstrator, she showed me a card organizing tote she had made, and I loved it! Thank you so much for your inspiration, Keri!! I immediately thought it would make a great holiday gift. I asked to borrow hers so I could see if I could figure it all out. She shared some great tips with me, and after many hours of playing with it, I finally had it "perfected" to just what I wanted! Of course, I had to make a few different totes along the way, adding minor "adjustments" as I went, but it was well worth it, because I adore how they turned out!

I have a wonderful friend whom I love for many reasons, and one of them is that she indulges me whenever I get crazy ideas into my head (which, I'm certain she would say, is often). She agreed she would like to make some of these for holiday gifts also. AND we have embarked on preparing them "assembly style" so we can put them together at an upcoming all-day event! Please wish Lisa and I well as we put many, many hours of love into these awesome gifts!

I have added a few most posts below which show the card organizing tote in more detail.

CARD ORGANIZING TOTE WITH PARISIAN BREEZE DESIGNER SERIES PAPER!

This is the first card organizing tote I did, and I ended up having to make some "adjustments" to my front pocket so that it would hold a 3x3 post-it note pad or some 3x3 note cards. I also decided on larger pieces for the insides and bottom so it would hold more cards.

You can see the accordian folds on the side, which make up the little pockets to hold your cards and keep them separated.

I also have added some paper/cardstock beads to the ribbon on the sides so you can easily slide your tote open and shut. These are the same sort of beads the I used to make bracelets with last year. For the bracelets I used Designer Series Paper, but I decided to use cardstock for this because I thought it would be a little sturdier.

CARD ORGANIZING TOTE INSIDE!

Here is what the inside of the card organizing tote looks like. I have the "perpetual" type dividers for each month that I printed and then cut to fit my dividers and put little tabs with the month on the side. I also printed a tab to punch for the other side that says Christmas, birthday, thank you, etc.... for those people who prefer to sort their cards by "event" rather than by month.

LOVELY LINES RUB-ONS!

For Christmas I got a Kindle, and I absolutely love it! My son got me this great black leather cover to put my Kindle in, and it needed a little face lift. SO, I added some Lovely Lines Rub-Ons to it. I think it turned out really cute! The Lovely Lines Rub-Ons are part of the Stampin' Up! Level 3 Hostess Set called Lovely Flowers Bundle. It comes with some gorgeous Lovely Flowers Designer Series Paper and a stamp set too.

FUN WITH MICHELLE'S NEW TOY!

Michelle got a new toy that she let me play with, and I'm definitely hooked now! She ordered the Petal Card Big Shot Die, and I had an absolutely delightful time coming up with lots of little things to make with it. The posts below are just a few of the quick things I made while she was visiting. I cannot pick a favorite, but they were all very easy to make, and the Designer Series Paper and other Big Shot Dies I used made them very quick to put together. If you are an "entertainer", this Big Shot Die is an absolute must have. You can get lots of different looks with it and you can make boxes to hold candies, bath salts, candles.... the possibilities are endless with this die!

SWEET PEA PETAL CARD BOX!

This is really where the NEED to have the Petal Card Big Shot Die began! Several demonstrators got together a few weeks ago and went to a Stampin' Up! event that Ronda Wade hosted. We made this awesome little box at the event, and I was hooked on this die! I'm so glad Michelle had already ordered it, now all I had to do was wait for it to arrive so I could play with it!

PETAL CARD DIE HANGING HEART!

Isn't this just the sweetest little hanging heart? I know my neice is going to love it! I used some Designer Series Paper from the Sweet Pea pack that is available in the Stampin' Up! Occasions Mini Catalog. This paper pack is huge, and it is all so gorgeous that I can't pick a favorite piece. When you fold up two "petals" on this Petal Card Big Shot Die, it looks just like a heart. I added some Jumbo Eyelets on the edges and threaded some satin ribbon through it so my heart could hang! The Butterfly Big Shot Die was the perfect accessory for the front too.

PETAL CARD DIE MEETS CHOCOLATE!!

These little candy holders are absolutely the easiest things to make. I took some Designer Series Paper that was FREE from the Stampin' Up! Sale-a-Bration catalog. I just used my Petal Card Big Shot Die to cut the DSP, then folded up three sides and taped them together; tied them with some satin ribbon (available in the Stampin' Up! Occasions Mini Catalog) and added some chocolate! This was so easy to do that it made me want to go get a huge bag of chocolate and just make them all day long~~of course, I'd need to get two bags of chocolate so I could eat one as I "worked".

PETAL CARD BOX WITH COTTAGE WALL DESIGNER SERIES PAPER!

I love the Cottage Wall Designer Series Paper Stampin' Up! sells, and I think it is so cute on this little box. For this box I actually used four Petal Card Big Shot Dies, and then put them altogether. The White Satin Ribbon is from the Stampin' Up! Occasions Mini catalog, and it is addicting! These boxes would be great for a baby shower or a wedding shower. You could decorate them and put names on them for the table setting. The possibilities for this little box are endless!

PETAL CARD DIE BOX WITH SCALLOP EDGES!

This little box would make an awesome little hostess gift; or you could use it to hold little goodies that are special to you. The Petal Card Big Shot Die is the top of the box. I also used my Stampin' Up! scallop circle punch. The Designer Series Paper is from the Stampin' Up! Mini Occasions catalog, and it is awesome! I added a little Chocolate Chip Satin Ribbon to tie my box shut. The ribbon is available in the Occasions Mini catalog too.

PETAL CARD BIG SHOT DIE BOOKMARK!

This one is a cool little bookmark. You just slip it over the corner of the page you're reading, and it will hold your spot. I used the Petal Card Big Shot Die from Stampin' Up! and the Tilted Hearts Big Shot Die to make it, along with some dotted DSP. This is a great bookmark for all my friends that love reading, and it was so easy to make!

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!

For our demonstrator group get together last week, Yvonne was sick, so it ended up being just Michelle and I. Since it was so close to Valentine's Day, we did a few projects to celebrate! Michelle made this great Love Train from a pattern she purchased from Gretchen. Now these gals are very talented!!

How about the little purse treat holder? Well, Michelle put some little candy hearts in it for me~~you're way too kind, girlfriend! I must say I love the way she spoils me. BUT the best part, this little purse is an empty brad container. Talk about turning trash into a treasure!

MONOGRAM STATIONERY CLASS!

Here is the box/stationery holder and the monogram stationery card that we will be making at the Monogram Stationery Class I'm having on February 22nd. Cost of the class is $20, and you will be making your box/stationery holder and five cards to put inside it. You will also receive envelopes for your five cards and the box/stationery holder pattern! Tomorrow, Friday, February 12th, is the last day to RSVP for this class! Please contact me if you need a spot!

TOTALLY TOOLS!

This is one of those great masculine stamp sets that Stampin' Up! sells. It is called Totally Tools, and it was a customer request for my club this month.

For this card I used my Watercolor Crayons and stamped with Black StazOn ink so that it wouldn't smear when I added my water. I used a little bit of Designer Series Paper from the new Sweet Pea stack that is available in the current Occasions Mini Catalog. This pack of paper has so much paper!! I used the sentiment that simply says "celebrate" so that it can be used a birthday card or a retirement card or a Father's Day card.

BEAUTIFUL WINGS EMBOSSLIT!

Last weekend when I went to a Stampin' Up! event, I received this wonderful swap from Krista Edmiston, and I loved it. I was so inspired by it, that I decided I had to share it with my customers. On Krista's card she used the Trio Flower Punch and a little black brad, which were awesome and looked great, but I needed to incorporate some of the new products from the Occasions Mini Catalog.

For the card I came up with I used Krista's layout and colors, and then I swapped out her punch for the Beautiful Wings Embosslit.

The card base is Basic Black cardstock with a layer of Basic Gray cardstock and I put it in my dotted embossing folder and ran it through my Big Shot. I used Pretty in Pink cardstock to make my butterflies. My cardstock was cut to 2 1/4" x 2 1/4" and I put it inside the Beautiful Wings Embosslit and ran it through my Big Shot. I sponged a little Pretty In Pink Classic Ink on the embossed parts of all the butterflies, and used a little Linen Thread on my biggest butterfly. The words are from the Well-Scripted stamp set.

We're going to make this card at The Wright Club this Friday night!

MARSHMALLOW VALENTINE TREAT!

These truly wonderful yummy chocolate covered strawberry cream hearts are my favorite Valentine treat. When I saw this little treat holder for them, posted on Andrea Walford's blog, I knew I had to make one. For sure, if I package them real nice, I won't eat them; right?

I didn't want to have to use 12x12 paper like Andrea did, and I wanted a little bit more of my candy showing, so I made a few "adjustments" to Adrea's pattern. I also used the new Designer Series Paper, instead of stamping/making some background paper like Andrea did (that was because I am basically very lazy ;o). Thanks, Andrea, for the inspiration.

Okay, here are the deets: I used the Sending Love Specialty Designer Series Paper and the With All My Heart stamp set, both in the Occasions Mini Catalog. I also used Pretty in Pink and Very Vanilla Cardstock. I stamped the sentiment with Real Red Classic Ink and used my Modern Label Punch to punch it out. I added a little Pretty in Pink Satin Ribbon (also available in the Occasions Mini Catalog) to the front. After all, you can never accessorize too much!

Here are the measurements I finally settled on for my little holder. The outside covering is 3 1/4" x 9 1/4", and I scored the 9 1/4" side at 4 1/4" and 5". For the little piece of cardstock that holds the marshamallow candy, I cut my cardstock to 6 1/8" x 3 1/2", and then I scored three sides of that piece of cardstock at 3/4" and 1 1/2". After I scored this piece, I cut out both scored corners. I folded this piece on the score lines and attached it to the inside of the outside covering with sticky strip.

This was very easy to do, and they turned out so cute. My son liked it so much he even asked if he could take one to Michigan State this weekend. Huumm, does that mean he has a girl in mind he'd like to give candy to? OR (and more likely) does he want a snack for the road trip??

FLOWER FOLDS PIN!

Last week when we had our demo night get together, Michelle shared with us this beautiful flower pin. We made it by running material through the Big Shot using the Flower Folds die. I think this is so stinkin' cute! Now I want one for my winter coat, my stamping bag.... of course this one is going on my denim baseball cap.

SCALLOP CORNER PUNCH!

This card idea was inspired by Tamie Ackerson. She is a very talented lady that I had the pleasure of meeting at a stamping get together last Saturday. I love this idea of using the corner punch for something other than a corner! I will be teaching my hostess club gals this little trick on Friday!

For the card I used the new Vintage Vogue stamp set from the Occasions Mini Catalog. It's one of my favorite stamp sets. And, of course, I am still loving the satin ribbon, also in the Occasions Mini Catalog. I also cannot get enough of those Well Scripted words from the Occasions Mini Catalog!

Can you tell I am addicted those two mini catalogs and ALL of the products in them?

MY WINNING SWAP!

This card was totally inspired from Jackie Topa, and I love her whole fence idea using the Medium Jewelry Tag Punch. The punch is available in our new Occasions Mini Catalog. Last Friday my dear friend Lisa came over and we shared a bottle of wine and put 28 of these cards together. I took them to a swap on Saturday, and I won the prize for the best swap card.

Along with the Medium Jewelry Tag Punch, I also used the Wonderful Wings Butterfly Embosslit and the Vintage Vogue stamp set from the Occasions Mini Catalog. The sentiment also from the Occasions Mini Catalog, and it's called Well Scripted.