Teacher's gift

 Its that time of year when we make calendars, notebooks and gift boxes to say thank you to teachers. Whether it's just thanks for putting up with my child for 4 terms or thanks for something more, or like me you just like wrapping up parcels of chocolate, biscuits and tea bags in cardstock and ribbons.

So this is what I have made today. A kind of emergency kit for the school day.... what every teacher will appreciate: a strong cup of tea, gingerbread biscuits and some chocolate !

Recipe:

Whisper white and cherry cobbler cardstock

Ink: Early Espresso, cherry cobbler and Gumball green.

Stamps: Scentsational Season, Musical notes wheel,

Builder wheel: Snowflake party and Good cheer.

Tools: Blossom punch, small scallop circle, snow flake die, Big shot.

Word window punch.

Scallopped tulle ribbon: cherry cobbler and Crumb cake.

Simply scored tool.

Crafters Anonymous Chatterbox project

 Every Monday evening I try to be home and log in for the Crafters Anonymous classes... I miss them ocassionally and then I feel I have to catch up by making the project in the next week using the tutorial.

This one is called the chatterbox.

Remember those little paper folded thingies which had numbers and messages on the inside?

 To give you an idea of measurements the outside cardstock square is 2 1/2" wide, the patterned paper inside squares are 4 by 4 inches.

When yo open it up it looks like this.

You can add small photos and a greeting inside, like a mini album or Christmas card.

 Surprisingly easy to make (just scoring and folding) ... It is a  beautiful way to show off our new Designer Series papers: this one is Comfort Cafe.

Colours are Midnight muse, Summer Starfruit, Pool Party, Soft Suede and the lovely Cajun Craze ... which I prefer to call Terracotta or Red Ocre as that is more what it looks like.

 Here it is half open and another look at the front because I have used a brand new stampset called:

Affection Collection.

This will be a fabulous stampset for Weddings, Anniversaries, Friendship, Valentines ... baby cards because of those gorgeous angel wings with a heart in the centre.

Baby Prints...

One of my long time school friends (that I met when I was 8 years old) is going to be a grand mother!
I am sending the mum-to-be a card and baby gift in advance... can't wait for the new arrival.

A close up of the card I made.
I got to play with my new "Delicate designs" embossing folders and the "Adorning Accent" edgelit, that from the first time I saw it, looked like a pregnant tummy and breast. (to me, anyway).

 I have rocked, rolled and sponged the ink on these hands. They make me think of the many times I hand printed my own little baby's hands to measure her growth for her baby book.

 Open the card and I have stamped congratulations from the "Itty bitty banners" set.
Don't these little feet just make you say "ohhhh!"

 And then they pop up on strips of acetate held on with a few well placed glue dots.
Only a month to go I believe, so baby jelly bean is probably kicking his mum silly by now.
Next, I made a Clam shell box from the Crafter's anonymous tutorial.

 The "B" could stand for BABY or the first initial of his name.

I have used the new "Morning Post" stampset punched out with the postage stamp punch. Tied on with some Baker's twine and a ruffled ribbon in the minty blue of Pool party.

 And when you slide off the belly band and open the  box...

 There's a cute little singlet inside that says:
" Will smile for food."
They didn't have ... will smile for mummy's milk!
I will have to start stamping my own singlets very soon.

I had so much fun today making these two projects... and the baby isnt even born yet!

Pretty in Pink "Baby Prints"



Its a girl!

So pull out the pretty in pink and the whisper white cardstock.

I can't resist welcoming a new baby into the world with a card and a little gift.

Lots of white and pink ribbon and pretty bows in tafetta and polka dots. 

I've just realised I didn't take a photo of the inside of the clam shell box.

So use your imagination ...

Inside is a printed singlet saying "Milk Junkie: milkaholics anonymous"

Recipe:

Stampset: "Baby Prints" (set of 7 stamps) $38.95 clear mount $48.95 (wood).

Congratulations is from "Curly Cute".

Ink: Pretty in Pink, Melon Mambo.

Cardstock: Pretty in Pink and Whisper White.

Ribbons: White organza, scallop polka dot (melon mambo) and thin tafetta (pretty in pink).

Tools: Polka dot embossing folder, Big shot machine, Ribbon edge punch, scallop edge punch.

The Paper Party continues...

May is Stampin' Ups paper party month where you can buy 3 packs of Designer series patterned paper and get a fourth pack FREE.

OR join up as a hobby demonstrator and get a pack of patterned paper

 every month

 until the end of the year!!!

I want to sign up again just for the free paper.

$170 gets you there.

Call me, phone me, text me: 0468 877 125 soon, as it only lasts till 31 May.

I will email you the order form and once it's posted you will be receiving your starter pack and papers.

Isn't this an elegant wrapped package?

I got this idea from our Elite stamper's team training...

Did I mention I am also going to the Inksomniacs Team Training this Saturday night?

Want to join me? 

This gorgeous little package is made so easily with the Simply scored scoring tool.
With the scoring tool you can score the paper in a 5, 10, 5, 10, 1cm pattern and fold it top and bottom to make a gorgeous box.

The curved front of the flap is made with the edgelit die (run through with my ever handy Big shot machine).

The embellishments are:

 some Real Red Ribbon.

and two Blossom punched flowers in Poppy Parade cardstock

held on with a Fire ice square brad.

Have a workshop this month and I will make you one of these with goodies inside.

Or order some Papers and make one yourself.

a CASE of the Catalogue!

Only a few weeks left of the holidays ... I have been neglecting my blog, so sorry - am having a lovely family and friend time, doing some scrapbooking and card making, just making up the days as they come along.

Now just before Christmas I was flipping through the main Stampin' Up! catalogue and remembered how much I liked this box and tag.

Now I had bought the two tags die and the Fancy Favour box die with this project in mind -

I hope you like my interpretation of the project on page 145.

 It is more than a gift box as you can keep your pens, scissors, tags and ribbon scraps in it.
Just looks so special covered in the Flirtacious Designer fabric ... I dont think I can give this away, not yet.

I have used the gorgeous Glimmer paper (sponged with Melon Mambo ink).

The 5 petal punch makes a lovely bloom in First Edition paper held together with a Vintage brad in the centre.

 The decorative label "wings" are sprayed with my homemade shimmer paint "mist".

 I have tied the gift tag with a piece of fabric (just torn from the edge of the fat quarter) and tied a key trinket charm to the top.

The "kindness matters" stampset is so beautiful I want to stamp pink and Soft suede butterflies on everything...

 See what you can make with a few big shot dies, some gorgeous fabric and a pretty stampset?
I enjoyed making this box and it is a substantial little trinket holder on my table.
Any questions or thoughts? Leave me a comment below.

Star ornaments for the tree

 Since I received this beautiful Christmas star ornament from Daryl Clapham. I have been working on a CASE (copy and share everything).

I have worked out the basics and am now making a few to give as gifts or as decorations.

 Here is my first one stamped in Poppy Parade ink - I have stamped the Contempo Christmas tree, cut it out with my sharp snips and pasted it on a piece of square embossed cardstock and the ribbon is Calypso coral ruffled. I think it complements it nicely.

 Here's the other side with the words and some snow flakes.

And here is the star ornament opened.

 Its made with five squares of patterned paper. Each one is only 3 inches square and you need some ribbon and a bead with a large hole or a ring like I have used here.

 Here it is in Concord crush stitched ribbon, patterned paper and ink.

 I mixed up the patterned paper squares to get a more decorative star ... if you have lots of christmas patterned paper you could decorate a whole tree.

Time for a Teacher's gift

This  year we had one of the only male teacher's in Jessie's school so no flowers and butterflies on the teacher's gift this year...

 I thought about boxes of chocolates and christmas ornaments,

then we decided on a pen and note pad holder to put on his desk.

 The stampset is

 "Zoo Review".

There's a lion, giraffe, zebra, penguin and polar bear so we went for an African animal theme, with lots of mud splatters and script on the background from the

 "French folliage" stampset.

My favourite set for making a vintage style in Early Espresso and Soft Suede inks.

The only pen I could find was bright orange so I have attached it with a piece of Pumpkin Pie Wide grosgrain ribbon and a silver brad.

And for the frame in the background I have used "notably ornate" in Early espress ink.

The arrow shaped post-it notes are stuck on the clear acrylic photo frame that I picked up for $2 each at a stationary shop.

Now to make a matching Thank you card...

School holidays ...

School holidays come around very quickly don't they?

Here's my Jessica enjoying a Mini hot chocolate by the Beach on Monday ... the weather has been such a mixture: sunny and warm one moment, overcast and raining, windy then warm again.

 We have been having a lovely few days... Jess makes her own things and I get to cook with her, eat with her and make my own projects.

And here is a Big shot project i made with a good friend last week -

The scallop circle Easel card with cup cake, ribbon and rhinestone cherry ...

 Soft Suede and Melon Mambo are a gorgeous combination: like strawberries and chocolate.

 Perhaps Jess and I have been eating a little too much of the Hazlenut and chocolate fudge icecream together? The elegant lines look like swirls of melting ice cream to me.

The Cupcake punch and cupcake stampset is from the current Winter mini catalogue.

And ,you can still order the XL scallop circle punch from the Summer mini carry over list.

Another Crafter's Anonymous project - Tea caddy

I look forward to Monday night classes over at Crafter's Anonymous...
You never know what the project is going to be. 
Prior to the class we receive a list of supplies needed and only get to see the completed project towards the end of the class - it's very exciting!
So enough chat - here is what we made:

 I chose to use the Lap of luxury Designer Series papers: Just love how they combine Concord Crush and Pretty in Pink.

 The Box is made out of a piece of 12 x 12 Cardstock, patterned paper and some contrasting cardstock for the top and bottom. Reinforced on the base and lid with some thin cardboard (from the DSP packaging).

 The Tea caddy would hold a whole box of Tea bags... I just chose this brand because they were purple and matched my colours.

 My box opens with a hinged lid at the top so you can continuously add more if you wish to.
This one is definitely for tea bags as the stamping is from the lovely "Morning Cup" set.

A quick dab of water colouring and Stampin' Write marker work and I was done.

Recipe:

Cardstock: Concord Crush 12x12 smooth, Pretty in pink, whisper white.

DS paper: Lap of Luxury

Stampset: Morning Cup Clear mounted

Inks: Concord Crush.

Markers: Pretty in pink, marina mist, daffodil delight.

Aquapainter (for water colouring)

Word Window Punch, XL Scallop circle Punch.

Sponges, Sticky strip, snail and Dimensionals.

A CASE of Julia Leece Purse Bag

When you find something cute and special sometimes you just have to have one of your own.
This is the case with Julia Leece's bag - you can see her original here.

CASEing that gorgeous little bag that Jenny made.

I so loved the square shopping bag that Jenny Adams sent me I just had to have a go at CASEing it. (That's Copy And Share Everything: CASE).

 My version is in Cherry Cobbler cardstock and Nature walk Designer series paper.

It's a gorgeous little bag (or is it a box?).

Made with an A5 piece of cardstock (21cm x 12cm).

Scored at 3cm, 10cm, 13cm and 20cm, (leaving a 1cm edge to seal the box)

Then turn and score at 3cm from the bottom edge.

If that doesn't make sense, send me an email and I will give you detailed instructions. You can make nearly any shaped box by varying the score lines.

This one is so textured because I ran it through the

Big shot machine

 using the Vintage Wall paper embossing folder.

The Enjoy is from the new "Youre a Gem" stampset in the Autumn Winter mini and the Paris stamp is from the "French Folliage" stampset.

The miniature paper daisy has been sponged with Cherry Cobbler ink and has a rhinestone in the centre and the handles are made with chocolate chip taffetta ribbon.

It looks even better when you fill it with chocolate!