Very Merry!

Here is another card I'm thinking of using this weekend at my Private Stamp Camp. I love these felt snow flakes and there are so many in the tin I won't have a problem sharing a few of them! This felt chocolate ribbon, as well as the snowflake, is in the current Holiday Mini Catalog so they will only be available until January 18th.

The patterned paper is from the pack called Holiday Treasures in the regular catalog. I love its funky colors and designs- festive and Christmasy but with a twist!

Stay tuned tomorrow, for an easy, snowy gift card holder!

SUO Supplies:

Stamps: Short & Sweet

Cardstock: Kraft, Riding Hood Red, Baha Breeze, Holiday Treasures

Ink: Chocolate Chip

Accessories: chocolate felt ribbon, Felt Flurries, Round tab punch, chocolate grosgrain.

Day 2- another Christmas card

So, yesterday I said I rarely CASE (means copy) something exactly... well, I've done it again, nearly! This beauty by Silke Ledlow has also been flagged as a favorite for a while. The things I've changed were not necessarily for the better, but for necessity. I do not own the same snowflake stamp, and the jumbo eyelet (which I adore) is not by Stampin' Up! We do have jumbo eyelets, just not that color (yet- there's always hope!).


I believe I used a different color of red, inadvertently, and may just change that since I think hers is just perfection! The white paper I embossed on is our Shimmery White cardstock and adds a lovely sheen in person! I hope my ladies like it as much as I do!

Thanks for stopping by!

SUO Supplies

Stamps: Snow Burst, Best Yet

Cardstock: Pink Pirouette, Riding Hood Red, Basic Gray, Shimmery White

Ink: Silver, Pink Pirouette, Basic Gray

Accessories: Basic Gray Taffeta ribbon, silver EP, silver diamone brad

The Holidays are upon us!

If you are looking for some last minute Christmas cards to make, look no further. For the next several days I am going to feature Christmas cards that I will be presenting at a Private Stamp Camp this weekend! This first one is a FAVORITE and the horse theme was requested by my hostess.



Normally I search far and wide for inspiration -pulling a bit from this and a bit from that. However, for this first card I found a card saved to a folder on my computer entitled "Cards to CASE!". Although a few tiny details are different, I have kept it almost identical, which is kind of rare for me. Here is the original, in all its glory, by Heather Nichols (AKA Pinefeather on SCS). I have had this card saved to my favorites for two years!



Anyway, here is my version. My green layer is Always Artichoke as opposed to True Thyme, and obviously I used the horse image from Wanted instead of the snowflake. Not that I don't like the snowflake- I DO!- but I am using snowflakes on two other cards and wanted to incorporate the horse that was requested.

Here are the SUO Supplies:

Stamps: Wanted, Warm Words, Paisley

Cardstock: Kraft, Bashful Blue, Always Artichoke

Ink: Chocolate Chip, Whisper WHite, Always Artichoke

Accessories: White EP, Artichoke button, linen thread, sponge, distressing tool

Oh boy...

..have I been gone a while! Sorry about that! We always go out of town for Thanksgiving then the laundry gets piled up and of course holiday hecticness (is that a word?) has set in! Anyway, today is Wednesday and time for my weekly Diva Coffee Break Design work. This week's challenge is to use the color combination Riding Hood Red, Summer Sun, Garden Green and Pumpkin Pie. My first thought was *ugh* but I don't know why- I mostly like these colors. The garden green is my least favorite I suppose and I don't use Summer Sun like I used to, but the RH Red and Pumpkin Pie are favorites!

Anyway, I really like how my card turned out. Of course I didn't spend a ton of time on it because it's due today and I just started it this morning. I also have a ton to work on today so...

I used the Sending Happy Thoughts Simply Sent Kit because I love it, and you should too! ;) Also whipped out the crimper which I do periodically, as well as a rhinestone brad, the scallop edge punch, Word Window punch and my beloved Polka Dot background. Oh, and that ribbon- comes in the kit!

In order to have the sentiment showing through the Word Window I used the SAMJ (stamp-a-majig) to line it up precisely to stamp. This tool is a wonderful thing to have IF YOU USE IT! Practice makes perfect too- so don't be afraid of the SAMJ.

Thanks for bearing with my extended absence. I'll try not to make a habit of it. This weekend I have a rather large Private Stamp Camp (yeah Carol!)- potentially 14 people so I'll be furiously designing and cutting Christmas cards for this fun group to make! That's what you'll be seeing from me the rest of this week most likely.

See ya soon!

~Kristin

Diva Coffee Break Design Challenge #103!

I'm a bit late with all the excitement of today's start to the Stampin' Up! Holiday Extravaganza Sale, but here is my design for today's Diva Coffee Break Design Challenge. This is our third, and you can hope to see a new design every Wednesday!

Unfortunately I am in need of a sympathy card today, so this will go out in the mail right away.

I thoroughly enjoyed this sketch and do plan to use it again. I haven't peeked at my fellow DCBD designers' cards yet so I could do this totally without inspiration. It is always fun to see how we all come up with such different designs based on the same sketch or colors.

Today I used the Wonderful You stamp set, as well as a few retired sets: Wonderful Regards & French Script. The designer paper is Urban Garden (part of one of the bundles for sale today coincidentally), and the cardstock is Baha Breeze, Not Quite Navy & Whisper White.

Other supplies I used are the new wide oval punch, Satin Kiwi Grosgrain, Square Ice Rhinestone brads (aren't they lovely?!?), a sponge and the distressing tool. Also, in the center of the flower as well as around the edges of the white piece I applied a tiny touch of two-way glue with Dazzling Diamonds.

I actually redid this a few times- the main flower image and the greeting. The ribbon was a last minute addition and my DD (who gives her input on everything) isn't so sure about that part. What do you think?

Thanks for stopping by! Have a great Thanksgiving weekend and stay safe! I may be MIA for a few days...

~Kristin

Today's the Day!

Here's the BIG NEWS! Up to 50% off on select bundles of fabulous Stampin' Up! product! Don't miss it- quantities are limited. Click here to view the items in each bundle and to place your order at my Stampin' Up! website then click Shop Now.

Be back later with my Diva Coffee Break Design Challenge!
~Kristin

Don't Miss The Spectacular Stampin' Up! Holiday Extravaganza Sale!

It's TOP SECRET! Even Stampin' Up! Demonstrators don't know yet but the excitement is in the air! Here's what I do know: For a limited time- Nov. 26-Dec. 1- we (you & I) can purchase any of the select Holiday Extravaganza bundles at a special promotional price--up to 50% off!

I also know the supplies are limited so this is a "while supplies last" sale, but it's the first of its kind since I've been a demonstrator (since 2004)!!! This sale is designed for you to conveniently place your orders on-line through your demonstrator's website.

Notice the link to the right? I have it linked to the On-line Store on the SU website for now since the official start isn't until tomorrow. I'll have a more precise link with DETAILS tomorrow!

Since this starts tomorrow, take a minute TODAY to register on-line. I've linked my website- you need to click Shop Now and then click Customer Login. This only takes a moment, but you'll be glad you did it ahead of time. You want to register, and enter your demonstrator's name, so that you pay 10% less than if you don't enter a demo's name. If you don't have a demo, enter my name (Kristin Moore) from Ohio.

If you have any questions feel free to let me know. I will be available electronically to help out!

Stop back tomorrow for all the great details! Thanks for visiting me today!

~Kristin

Still playing...

Who doesn't need more Christmas cards? I know I generally send everything I've made so I'll keep making them right up to the last day almost. I rarely send out multiples of the same card, I just get bored making them in mass production mode. This year I will have some duplicates- those that didn't sell, but most of mine will all be different.

Here's another one I did this weekend, again using the Frames with a Flourish set as well as the Holiday Treasures DSP and the Home for the Holidays set from the current mini catalog.

Carstock colors used here are Sahara Sand, Riding Hood Red, Always Artichoke and Very Vanilla. Thanks for stopping by!

~Kristin

Christmas JOY

I've been wanting to use a few of my new goodies lately and finally got around to it last night. These Little Felt Flurries Accents & Elements are just so cool! I was concerned there wouldn't be enough in a pack, but there's are tons- in Riding Hood Red, White and this Baha Breeze! I combined all my felt flowers (Flower Fusion 1 & Too) in one tin so I could put these in their own tin (they come in a baggie if I remember correctly.)

To adhere them I just used a tiny touch of the Tombow Mono Multi glue (with the green lid), but you could also use a brad on many of them or a glue dot.

The frame stamped here is from Frames with a Flourish, which is a new set for me- FREE from SU as a contest prize! I chose it for my scrapbooking but decided it is great for cards too! The letters are from the Lovely Letters alphabet, one of my favorites!

Other items used here (all by Stampin' Up!) are the Baha Breeze grosgrain, Fire rhinestone brad and Holiday Treasures DSP, as well as some Very Vanilla and Riding Hood Red cardstock. TFL!

~Kristin

Chocolate & Chateau Bella Rub-ons!

Ooh, my two favorite things! Yes, I love rub-ons, there I said it! I especially love them in my scrapbooks because of the possibilities with them! So I made these two cards for today's Limited Supplies Challenge on SCS. Also, since rub-ons are currently 20% off with a $20 order from SU I just had to play around with them and show some samples! This first card is using a layout from Becky Carafa- she has perfected the clean and simple style on cards and is often inspiring me! The focal point sentiment which fits perfectly in our Curly Label punch is a rub-on in the Chateau Bella collection, as well as the flourish thingys on the white part, and the rows of dots below the ribbon!

The second card is using rub-ons from this same collection, which just happen to perfectly coordinate with the Bella Rose Designer Series Papers in the SU catalog! This time I wanted to emphasize that all SU rub-ons come in more than one color. In this case, chocolate and white. The oval sentiment and the chocolate rose at the bottom are both rub-ons. Notice how the chocolate rose overlaps the edge of the pretty patterned paper? That's one of the reasons I like them so much- they can go nearly anywhere.

Inside this card I also used the white rose and leaves (next pic). On this I also used the felt ribbon in the current Mini Catalog as well as the Top Note die with the Big Shot. I've been getting more use out of that Big Shot than I ever dreamed, and I only have TWO dies so far!

These rub-ons come in 12" long packages so some are designed in long strips which are perfect for edges and borders on 12x12 scrapbook pages. I recently purchased the school set (can't remember name right now?!) and will do some pages with it before long- I can't wait because I really don't have much school themed stuff otherwise.

OK, that's enough blah blah blah. Hope you like! Go pull out your rub-ons if you haven't in a while. What? Don't have any? Then don't forget to check out the promotion that is going on right now! Thanks for stopping by!

~Kristin

Holiday Treats- Frosty Won!

OK, I had this scheduled to post on Saturday but am posting it NOW instead. TFL!
So I've been experimenting with some holiday project ideas for my daughter's first grade class. I looked long and hard before finally deciding to design something on my own. Nothing seemed just right as far as difficulty level and time. During my search I tried many things. Obviously Frosty won, but here are the rest of them.

The middle two (Frosty and Santa) are both bookmarks. The santa on the left is a Sour Cream Container what you can fill with goodies (Hershey Kisses preferred) then hang on a tree. The one on the right is called a Triangle Box which can be made in many sizes and also hold kisses or other various chocolates (yes, I suppose diamond earrings could fit as well!). He also has cord tied through the top so he can hang as well.

Both of these treat boxes are pretty easy (if you can measure, cut and score which I realize not everyone can) but they involved sticky strip and lots of parts which I didn't think would be ideal for first graders. Actually, I'm sure they could handle it, I'm just not sure I could handle helping 21 6 & 7 year olds do them.

Anyway, check out the tutorials I linked if you want to try one. Here are a list of punches I've used for these:

For the Santas: 1 3/8" circle, 1/2" circle, 1/4" circle, scallop circle, scallop square, word window, 5 petal flower, 3/4" square, 1/4" square. Spring Bouquet.

For Frosty: 1/4" circle, 1/2" circle, large tag, Spring Bouquet, small star. Also used red gingham ribbon and sponge dauber (formerly used with red ink), black marker.

Thanks for stopping by again!
~Kristin

Editing to add: The bookmarks are made with an 1/8 sheet of paper (2 1/8"x5 1/2"). That way you can get 8 out of one sheet of paper! Leave it to me to be economical. HTH!

Cookie Sheet Calendar Accessories

Well, I didn't get as many done as I'd hoped but here are all the accessories I've made so far for my calendar. And I have to say, now that it's been hung up for a whole day I really like it! My kids and DH noticed it right away and want to touch it and play with it. Only regret so far is that the magnets I used aren't that great so my numbers fall off when little fingers are touching it- ugh! I may just break down and buy a pack of the more expensive magnets and fix it up right so I'm not constantly losing my pieces & parts!

Some other ideas I want to make are: First day of school & last day of school (or First day of summer break), a flag for holidays like Memorial Day, Veterens Day, 4th of July etc., I'd love to find a tooth stamp for Dentist Appointment, santa, heart and believe it or not I do not have a stamp that says "Anniversary"- at least not one small enough to punch with a circle. Did you notice the arrows with "No School" on them? That's for having multiple days off in a row, like for Christmas I can just mark the first and the last pointing towards each other. (OK, I know, I'm such a nerd. That's what my DH will probably say.)

What ideas can you think of that I need? I plan to go through my calendar and add them as I need them. That's the fun part of this project- you can change the parts and even months and numbers out if you get sick of them!

I should mention here that everything you see is SUO with one tiny exception (that I can think of) and that is the star shaped gold brad on the chipboard star. If you don't recognize something then you can assume it is likely retired.

Thanks for visiting and for all the sweet comments- they make my day!

~Kristin

(PS- sorry, I cannot figure out why my paragraphs are all run together today. Ugh!)

Diva Coffee Break Designs #102

OK, so here is my second challenge for Diva Coffee Break Designs, and my first use of the Party Hearty stamp set. Boy did I struggle with this challenge- I love the colors, don't get me wrong. But I'm not used to fitting so many in one design.

Well, I think the only reason it works on this card is because of the row of hats. The large scallop is from the Circle Scallop #2 die for the Big Shot. In fact, I used both sizes- see the smaller one peaking out from behind the large circle?

Anyway, the other things

I used here are the Happy Birthday jumbo wheel, the 1/8" circle punch, 3/4" circle punch (for center image which is raised on a pop dot), the new 1 3/4" circle punch from SU (our biggest circle punch) and the square punch to make the pennant look on the row of hats. Ooh, not to mention the markers in our colors.

Anyway, that's enough details probably. Thanks for stopping by!

Coming tomorrow- Cookie Sheet Calendar Accessories!
~Kristin

Edited to add: much better picture!

Another layout and a FUN FUN Project!

So here's the last layout I completed this weekend. It's not super creative or over the top special, but it's done and I'm satisfied with it (although don't put it past me to revisit layouts in the future to make updates and additions). In 2004 we took a fun one-night tent camping trip (we've since upgraded to a pop-up!) with the kiddos. They had a ball since they didn't have to do any of the work. This is my son's album so I focused on the fun pictures of him. For this I used the Simply Scrappin' Kit called Out & About (retired) which has lots of outdoor themed stuff and is perfect for our family and for boy pages too!

Next up- something I've been working on in my spare time for quite a while now. I am finally to the point where I can share it, although I have plans to add to it and share those maybe even later today. This is a Cookie Sheet Perpetual Calendar!

I've always wanted to try this once I saw them on Splitcoast. I even had my DH make a special trip to the store to buy the cookie sheet for me (mine look hideous!). Anyway, I used a Modgepodge-type stuff to adhere all the layers of paper to the sheet. The numbers (yes, I lost my 2) and all the special days are on magnets so they can be moved and arranged. I did the basic calendar layout with days of the week on my computer and just printed it. So much easier than measuring and drawing lines for me.

This is all adhered on the backside so the other side has a storage area to hold all the extra months and special events magnets. I've used the old paper pack called Spring Flowers as it matches the earthy tones in my kitchen and the rest of my hosue better than anything else I've got.

I am going to work on more of the "extra" magnets to mark birthdays, holidays etc. today. I have some on the bottom and on the back right now, but I have a list of ideas for more I came up with last night. Once I get a bunch done I'll photo those and upload for you to see. Thanks for stopping by today!

~Kristin

YES! I scrapped!

I know- I planned to all week and only got around to it on Friday, Saturday and Sunday! With the snow on the ground already it was a good weekend for it. And guess what- I got 8 pages done!

Now, before I post them I need to make a few disclaimers: first- I don't necessarily scrapbook in 100% SUO (Stampin' Up! Only). I know that's why some of you come to my blog because it is normally SUO. However, I can safely say that nearly everything is from Stampin' Up! because that's about all I have. When I stray it's due to the gobs of old papers (or an occasional embellishment) I have since before becoming an SU demo. Second- I still stink at taking good pictures of my pages. Sorry! I just don't know how to improve- I'll keep plugging away at it though. And I accidentally left the date on on my camera so it is showing up on every page- ugh!

So on this layout the background paper is not SU, but everything else is from the punches to the buttons, paper, stamps, ink, chipboard and gel pen! Oops, just noticed, the title is rub-ons from Making Memories too.

This is a fun page from a day at my son's schools playground (this was 4 years ago!). I wanted the papers to reflect the fun pictures and activities in the pictures. This Designer Series Paper (DSP) is called Jersey Shore and it was in the last SU catalog but no longer available. I also used stamps: Be Happy, Big Deal Alpha and Rough Edges Alpha. Colors are Wild Wasabi, Brilliant Blue, Pumpkin Pie. Also used punches: 1 1/4" circle, 3/4" circle, Word Window, 1 1/4" square. Other: chipboard & ribbon (blue ribbon is from Offray).

Last but not least- At the Beach! For this page I used some of the last remnants of a very old Simply Scrappin' Kit called Island Blossoms. I only used the papers, none of the stickers for this page because they all had pink in them and I was avoiding pink since this is my son's book. The only thing that is not SU on this layout is the title. Those letters were on a single sheet, in squares that have to be cut (or punched in this case) out to use. I don't remember who they are by but they are very old, and yes, maybe a bit dated as well... but that's one way I challenge myself- to use up OLD stuff and try to find a way to like it again! It's fun and a way to be resourceful instead of wasteful- try it!

So, I know I said I got 8 pages done and I did, sort of. The last layout is still laying on my table waiting for journaling and final touches. Maybe I'll post it tomorrow. Thanks for stopping by!

~Kristin

A fun color combo and sketch challenge!

So this week the color combo challenge and the sketch challenge on SCS were both great but I had to combine them... well, decided to combine them. I love this color combo- makes me like Pacific Point so much more than I did! And who doesn't love Celery and Basic Gray?!! Once I got these colors out I was inspired by them to pull out my Whale Wishes stamp set which hasn't seen ink in a while. I've always loved tropical fish so these sets call my name.

I rotated the sketch, more due to a paper trimming error than anything else. I'm glad I did though, I think it works this way with the fish. The "bubbles" on the Pacific Point cardstock are in white ink with the Itty Bitty Backgrounds set that I haven't reached for in ages it seems. My plan was to use gray squares on the left, but I really like the contrast between the celery and pacific so that's how the scallop edge in Basic Gray came about. Funny thing is I LOVE Basic Gray and would normally design the card around it as a more prominent feature. That's why you gotta love challenges- they always get you out of the box!

Play along some time- they are fun! Glad you're here!

Stampin' Up! Supplies

Stamps: Whale Wishes, Full of Life, Itty Bitty Backgrounds
Paper: Pacific Point, Certaily Celery, Basic Gray, Whisper White
Ink: Certainly Celery, Pacific point, Whisper White
Accessories: square punch, 1/2" circle punch, scallop edge punch, basic gray taffeta ribbon

~K

Wonderful You!

Here's another card for you today! I made this with leftovers laying on my desk from the card I made yesterday... designing seems to happen for me that way- by accident!

The black accents, flower & punched sentiment piece, are both embossed with black so they really stand out. This looks so much sharper in person. The flower panel is on dimensionals so the dimension shows more in person too.

The blush blossom piece is wheeled with the matching wheel to this set in Sahara Sand ink, then scalloped and pierced.

To get that same blush blossom color in the flower I decided to scribble inside the lines with my Watercolor Crayon (isn't it nice that those crayons come in SU's colors?!) then blend it with the aquapainter. I love the sheen it has IRL- very cool.

This is one of those cards that took me longer than it should have. I had ideas, then changed them, then didn't like it and had to keep working at it until I finally ended up with something I like. Anyway, thanks for stopping by. I hope you like it too!
~Kristin

Stampin' Up! Supplies

Stamps: Wonderful You, Cute & Curly

Cardstock: Basic Black, Kraft, Blush Blossom, Very Vanilla

Ink: Sahara Sand, Basic Black

Accessories: Watercolor Wonder Crayons, Black EP, Scallop edge punch, Curly Label punch, small oval punch, black brads, aquapainter, paper piercing tools (Crafter's Tool Kit!)

My First Blog Team Work!! (DCBD101)

Well, if you are super sleuthy you may have figured out by now that I have been asked to join a Design Team of sorts- the actual title is "Inspirational Blogger". The group is called "Diva Coffee Break Designs" which I will probably be referring to as DCBD for short. The Lead Diva, Heidi Michel asked me if I'd be interested so here I am! My job description includes making a card using the sketch or color combo Heidi comes up with each week- that's it! Therefore, from now on each Wednesday I will be posting her sketch or color combo swatch along with the design I came up with. I'm not going to try to totally outdo myself each week- I'm assuming I was asked to join based on my typical style so that's what I'll stick to.

Anyway, for our first ever Diva Coffee Break Designs Challenge (DCBD101) the sketch looks like this:

I figured you are getting tired of anything but a card these last several days (and weeks really) so this is for you for sticking with me! I started out with these three colors then just adjusted and moved and switched around until I found a combination I liked.

The base is kraft which I love but haven't shown much love lately. The blue strip is the In Color Pacific Point which I have really neglected. I like the color, but have trouble combining it so it isn't overpowering. In this case I roughed up the edges and toned down the color with some vanilla craft ink on Canvas background. The main image is stamped on Blush Blossom and embossed in vanilla embossing powder. The grass was stamped in blossom before I stamped the flowers. One end is torn, the entire thing is sponged and the three vintage brads added. This piece is raised on dimensionals and the sentiment large oval is raised even more! Finally, I used my very last strand of twill tape to finish it off.

I ended up really liking this color combo and think I might just work with it again while it is still sitting here.

Glad you stopped by!

~Kristin~

Last round...

(oh boy, now that Jose Cuervo song is going through my head!) ...of pictures from my Craft Fair. Here's a few more of the items I made up for Saturday. The pictures aren't the best because I was really running late on Friday (for set-up) and took these lickety-split!

In order, these are Jumbo Paperclip Bookmarks which I sold all but one, 2x2" square tiles (sold several of these- not sure of exact count- maybe 10-15), Bag Tags- sold very few of these, and a Birthday Thank You Note Kit- only made one and sold it. This turned out to be a good idea and I wished I'd made more. The cupcake stamp was on sale last month and there are lots of cute ways to use it. For this kit I made one cupcake up, and the rest I just stamped on white cardstock then left them blank so the child could color them and fill out the details.

I have two more pics that won't fit on this post so I'll add those next and that will be the end of it, promise!

BTW, everything used in these pictures was Stampin' Up! with a few exceptions, like the tiles, paperclips and plastic tag sleeves which SU doesn't sell. I also did resort to using some ribbon from my non SU stash as well. Everything else, including all stamps, paper and ink are SU! I also just noticed the 2 candles in the first picture- those have the small Decor Elements on them that SU demo's can buy to demonstrate.

Last but not least...

So these are all the extra gift bags I made up leftover from my Christmas Stamp Camp last month. These all sold except two. And last, I found three flat marbles in my stash (these were all the rage for me last year) so I whipped them up into magnets but they didn't sell.

OK, that's all for craft fair jazz! Tomorrow I'll be posting my first effort at being at design work for a fun blog group. Stay tuned and thanks for stopping by!

~Kristin

Good Monday Morning!

All right- I finally have uploaded some pictures and cropped and digitally altered to make everything appear better than it really is. LOL! Except me- I'm so unphotogenic so I probably won't even be uploading that picture!

Here's my table with my DD working for me. She does like to help, but she also likes to shop at the other booths which is one reason I don't make much at these things. Ha ha! The pillows on my table are my mom's- she makes the best luxuriously soft pillows for babies and kiddos (my kids LOVE them!) and they are completely washable. My daughter was hoping none would sell so she could have everything left!

Next up are the long-promised domino necklaces. I'm kind of torn about these things- they are pretty and fun to make but I also really struggled coming up with a way to make sure the ink was permanent and didn't rub off. I ended up spraying them with tons of coats of the same sealer I use on my tiles, but I'm afraid they will still scratch off if tested too much. My only option left that I might try is embossing the entire piece with clear EP. However, now that I have the ribbon and jewelry findings on each one I don't want to take those off, so not sure if I'll do it at this point or not.

A few of these I painted with a coat of Luimere- that shiny paint that SU used to carry. Mine is a little chunky now due to age and a crack in the lid, but it still worked and I actually liked the texture it added. Also, the Lumiere helped keep the craft ink in place and not rub off!

Well, I'll save the rest for another day. Thanks, as always, for stopping by!

~Kristin

I'm back I'm back!

Finally, what a relief, the craft fairs are behind me! I have tons of pictures to share and plan to scrapbook this week (yippee!!) so I may just schedule a bunch of pictures I took of last minute preps for fair and then I'll maybe have some pages to post next week. Think it'll work?!?

Hey, remember the domino necklaces I've talked about for what seems like decades? Well, I busted my tail getting them done on Friday to take them with me to sell and you'll never guess! I LEFT THE STINKIN' ROTTEN THINGS ON MY DESK AT HOME!! So, I still have all nine of them. Oh well, my stuff went over well at my last class so I'll either get them out for my next one or else I've got all my teacher's gifts and stocking stuffers done already (and it's not even Thanksgiving yet!).

So, here's a picture of the (stupid) necklaces: Oh geez, don't shoot me.... I haven't uploaded them yet. I seriously went to insert here and no picture. OK, so I'll go do some serious uploading and modifying and I'll be back in a bit. Thanks for stopping by!
~Kristin

PS- Hope you had a great weekend!

"Green" Ornaments!

Yes, I know they're not actually green, but they are both made with recylcled materials! I don't know about you but I have GOBS of ribbon! And I use it- enough to empty a spool every now and then. I got the idea from a few fellow stampers over the years (in other words I have no idea where or from whom) but the gist is to save the cardboard and or plastic centers from the empty ribbon spools. I have several laying around, but some I've saved for so long the cardboard is too beat up to use (the edges show a bit even when covered with paper). I've also added fabulous felt snowflakes to these, a bit of bling with some glitter, and rhinestone brads on the large ornament! Complete them with ribbon or cord to hang from the tree.

Anyway, the large one I made with giant chipboard snowflakes from a pack I bought from SU last year. These are similar to the chipboard pieces available in the Holiday Collection Stampin' Kit right now through the end of the year or while supplies last! Check out this kit, if you haven't already. It is featured in the December 2008 issue of Country Living magazine in an EIGHT PAGE spread! The kit not only includes dozens of chipboard pieces, but also beautiful die cut designer papers , an exclusive stamp set and many many other items to make lovely ornaments with a hand-made feel!

Wow, look how that turned into a plug for the current promotion and I hadn't even planned on that!

Top Note Place Cards

I'm not sure if these will sell, but they were quite fun and easy to make and I figure, heck I'll use them for our holiday dinners if they don't. The first batch were made with all Earth Elements colors, the Pocket Silhouettes set and the words Give Thanks from Fancy Flexible Phrases- of course the Top Note and scallop & circle punches as well! Easy peasy!

The Christmas set was made using Punch Pals, Punches Three & Snow Flurries stamp sets as well as the Holiday Treasures papers (in the regular SU catalog, not a mini). I really like this set of holiday papers- they are traditional with a twist- to go a bit unconventional you can pull out the rose or baha breeze or play up the fun patterns! For these I also added the square scallop punch and the 3/4" circle punch. Thanks for stopping by! And let me know if I've inspired to try these out!

If you don't have the Top Note die (and Big Shot) I'd be glad to have them shipped directly to you just in time for the holidays - an early gift from Santa maybe!

More tomorrow, be sure to stop back!
~Kristin

3x3 Gift Box with Notecards

I spotted a tutorial on Splitcoast yesterday by Lauraly to make this cute little 3x3 gift box and thought I'd try it out. I'm still looking for cute ideas that I think might sell at my last craft fair this weekend. For this one I used the Bella Rose Designer Series papers.

For the top of the box I used the scallop edge punch on a square, which obviously didn't work out real well on the corners. I'm not sure how to get that just right... The felt flowers in the center are from Flower Fusion Too. The punched circle behind them is the new large circle punch, 1 3/4". I also added a vintage brad to the center and some Riding Hood Red ribbon around the box lid.
So far I've made 5 notecards to fit inside, but it appears I could easily fit 5 more at least! I may just do that, make more to fill it up then add envelopes. At this point I'm not sure how much to sell this for- it is not hard, but is a bit time consuming. But I LOVE how it turned out!

Stay tuned because the rest of the week will be scheduled posts with a few ornaments, some place cards for Thanksgiving and Christmas, as well as possibly my domino necklaces (Finally!) and maybe even some bookmarks. We'll see!

Thanks for stopping by!
~Kristin~

Good morning! Anyone else love the fall time change?!? What a great way to start the day- feeling well rested!

Anyway, I did this card for the Inspiration Challenge (IC152) on Splitcoast Saturday. I choose to be inspired by one small panel on one of the inspiration pieces so it is quite a bit different than the subtle earthy hues that many others did.

I really wanted my Real Red flowers to be much more bold and bright and pop even more, but my Real Red Craft spot is in desperate need of a reinking! (It's on my next order.) I used the Striped Wipe technique again with reinkers in basic balck, brilliant blue and Cool Carribean. Funny thing is, when I was all done I matted it on Ballet Blue because that looked best.

The flowers, as well as the sentiment piece, are embossed with clear powder over basic black and real red craft ink. Then the grass was stamped again in black after the Striped Wiping was complete. The scalloped True Blue Friend piece is punched out and raised on a dimensional.

Well, this isn't my best work but I wanted something to share with you today. I have my last Craft Fair this weekend so I'll stay busy with that stuff this week mostly.

Thanks for stopping by! Enjoy the beautiful weather this week!
~Kristin

My Crocodile Hunter & Pink Poodle named Fifi

Geez, anyone else think this time of year is so crazy busy... and it doesn't seem to end until January! Anyway, I haven't stamped in a few days but I have taken tons of pictures.

Here are my kiddos in their costumes for Trick-o-Treat. I had a Crocodile Hunter & a Pink Poodle complete with a chipboard and rhinestone dog tag and the name Fifi spelled out with rub-ons! That's the best I've been able to do with my supplies in the last few days.

Would you believe that these are about the most creative we've ever been with costumes! I can create on paper, but forget brilliant ideas for Halloween! I'm usually a last minute, whipping-something-together-and-rushing-out-the-door, kind of gal!

Here's about the only picture I took while the Amish crew put our new roof on. It looks so great- I am going to go out and take an "after" picture this morning. They did the entire thing including tearing off the old one, in two days flat! They are workers! They even put my shutter back up that came off in the big winds that damaged our roof and rebuilt a section of the little brick landscaping wall (at left) that had fallen over!

It was neat having them around, hearing their strong German/Amish accents and even having their horses tied up in our garden. When they were all done they invited us to their home to "help" them with their chores. They raise white-tail deer and my son and husband were really interested in the whole thing. Unfortunately, I didn't get to go because DD had a birthday party. They said we're welcome back anytime and we'll get a tour of their home next time. Neat!

OK, back to the real deal of stamping on my next post (I hope!). Hope you didn't mind the little tangent for now. Thanks for stopping by!
Kristin