A Little Treat

One of the new products from Stampin' Up!'s 2014-2015 catalog is the uber cute hamburger box die (contributing to my Big Shot obsession that I wrote about yesterday!).  It was number one on my "had to have" list!  I was able to play with it this week, and here's what I did:

Are those not the cutest?!  Here's a view from above:

Of course you can put anything inside, but I put in a little bag of mini starbursts....yum!  I thought they would go with all the colors of the papers!  Speaking of the papers, I used some old stock (and coordinating flowers) I had of Konnichiwa from Basic Grey, but the stamps and twine are from Stampin' Up!  I can't wait to use these for Christmas gift boxes!  Oh, the possibilities...!

Have a great weekend,
Denise

Big Shot Obsession

Have I mentioned that I absolutely love cutting dies?  I'm almost to the point where I only buy stamp sets that have coordinating dies, and I rarely make a card anymore without using a die in some way.  My favorite tool is the Big Shot, a sturdy hand-cranked desktop contraption that enables one to take paper crafting far beyond the conventional approach that stamps, ribbon and punches previously provided.

In the following card, I used three different dies, an embosslit and a paper punch:

The Big Shot has taken my card creating to a whole new level.  I don't know how I ever made cards without it!!

All products, except the "hello there", are from Stampin' Up!  "Hello" is from WPlus9, which has a coordinating stamp set.


Have a great weekend...I'm sure you'll find some time to create during it!

Smiles,
Denise

I Lost my Heart in Heidelberg

Thank goodness for the new free, on- line magazine, Create by Scrapbook Generation!!  It focuses mainly on scrap booking, but also has card and tag ideas.  It is totally getting me out of the scrap booking rut I was in.  In each issue, they highlight a scrapbook company (this month it's Pink Paislee), and showcase a few sketches and all the different things you can do with one sketch.  They invite readers to make their own layout based on a sketch from that issue, and then submit it to their Reader's Gallery for a chance at publication.  This is the second time I was lucky enough to have the layout I submitted selected for print!  So exciting!!  Here it is (shown on page 217 in the June issue):

With all their fresh ideas, I've been happily scrapping my recent vacation to Germany! Why don't you try submitting one of your creations?

Magazine hint:  if you want to download it, click on the "share" button and an option for download will pop up.

Thanks for looking -- hope you get some create time in soon!
Best,
Denise

The 45 Record Card and Jacket

The other day, Deb Valder posted a card and envelope that look just like an old 45 record and jacket.  Immediately I knew I had to case it!  I have very fond memories of those days.  I even remember the first 45 I bought -- "Build Me Up, Buttercup" by the Foundations!  Anyone remember that one?

Anyway, here is my take on the 45 record card and jacket:

Is that not the cutest?  I'm going to give it to my brother, who listened to Casey Kasem every Sunday back in the 70's!  I want to make a bunch of these to have on hand for my friends who remember the days of the 45!

All the products I used are from Stampin' Up!, except the paper for the record jacket.  The stamp set is Blue Ribbon.  All the information on how to make it are on Deb's blog.

Here are some more views:

Thanks for stopping by, and hope you get some time to create today!

Smiles,
Denise

Oh, What Fun!

The other day I came across the 52 Card Christmas Throwdown website.  It was one of those rare "aha" moments -- the music started playing and angels hovered above me!!!  I absolutely LOVE Christmas, and I start obsessing about making my Christmas cards in April or June -- no kidding.  I'm still not sure what exactly the title of the blog means, but basically, this has one challenge/week, each with a Christmas theme.  I was born to do this!!!

This week's theme is Rudolph/Reindeer, so here is my submission:

Thank you for visiting, and hope this inspires you to start your Christmas cards early!!

Best,
Denise

America the Beautiful

Even though it's my second favorite holiday (after Christmas), I don't usually make 4th of July cards. But I had an idea in my head that I wanted to try out, using the Work of Art stamp set from Stampin' Up!  My original idea morphed into what you see here.  I also used the Christmas Star single stamp from last holiday season, and I think the blotches stamp is from the first Paper Pumpkin kit!  It's hard to tell, but "America the Beautiful" is embossed.

Hope this inspires you to celebrate the 4th in your own creative way!

Best,
Denise

Asian Screen Card

My oldest "child" is working and living in Japan.  She loves the people and the culture.  I make and send a lot of cards to her, so when I saw a "screen card", I knew I had to make one for her.  Here's my take on it:

I used all Stampin' Up! products, including the Decorative Label Punch for the legs.  It only takes a  6 x 12 piece of cardstock that's scored and folded at 3", 6" and 9".  For a good video on putting it together, check out Deb Valder's website (at the link, scroll down for the video). 

Thanks for checking this out.  Hope you find some time to craft today!

Smiles,
Denise

Love and Sympathy

I keep some stamps on hand just for sympathy cards.  It's unfortunate when you have to make one, but it's nice that you can do so, as I think you're sharing part of yourself with the recipient.  Guess that's true for all hand-made cards!  Anyway, I needed a card for my cousin whose father passed away.  I didn't want anything too flashy -- something nice but dignified.  Here's the result:

All products used are from Stampin Up!, and the dark color is the new Blackberry Bliss.  Luscious! The stamp set is Love and Sympathy -- a bargain set ($11.95 for clear mount) that fortunately has not been retired!

Hope you have a creative weekend!
Denise

Nautical Love

The other day was my 4th wedding anniversary!  I wanted to make a special card for my husband, and since he loves sailing, I ended up putting this together:

I made the sailboat using a Die-namics die, and everything else is from Stampin' Up!  I think he really liked it!! It's great to be able to make special cards for the special people in your life!

Have a creative day,
Denise