Pillow Box Treats

I've only got a few minutes to post... I'm still trying to get caught up showing you some things I made for Valentine's Day! Here is another idea I saw on how to make the Pillow Box a little differently.

Right after you use the Big Shot to cut out the box, you use the Heart to Heart punch on it to create the heart "windows". Here's a better look:

Then you can stamp a cute little tag and tie it all up. Again, I only used some SNAIL on one of the long edges and none on the ends. The ribbon holds the ends closed.

A simple little treat to make up real quick when you need to give someone a little happiness (aka: chocolate)!

Pillow Box Recipe:
Stamp Set: Love You Much
Ink: Riding Hood Red
Cardstock: Whisper White, various DSP (use whatever you have!)
Accessories: Riding Hood Red Taffeta ribbon, Silver Elastic thread
Tools: Word Window punch, Heart to Heart punch, Pillow Box Die, Big Shot

Valentines for the Boys

Sorry for the delay in posts... but I warned you that may happen! The good news is that today we officially have a contract on our house. That's pretty amazing considering we haven't even listed it yet! Some friends of ours are interested in buying it, so let's all keep our fingers crossed and hope that it turns out as planned... in which case, we may be Denver-bound a little earlier than originally planned. But that's okay - we truly figured that the hardest part about this whole process was going to be selling this house. The Lord must really want us in Denver, ya think?

As promised, here are the Valentines I made for my three wonderful sons:

I took the basic format of the card we made at my Valentine Workshop (you can see it here). This first one was for Mason, using Kraft cardstock and Mellow Moss ribbon (you'd think it should be Artichoke, but the Moss actually matched the paper better)...

The one below was for Morgan, using Sage Shadow cardstock and ribbon...

And this last one was for baby Maddox, again using Kraft cardstock, but with the Kraft taffeta ribbon instead of grosgrain...

All three of these used the glorious new Designer Series Paper called To The Nines. It's a thicker, cover-weight cardstock, and it's very yummy to work with! For the bear, I used the Confetti White cardstock along with an Aquapainter and the ink pad lids. Such a fun set to color!

Card Recipe:
Stamp Sets: Under the Stars, Family Phrases
Ink: Black StazOn
Cardstock: Kraft, Chocolate Chip, Sage Shadow, Confetti White, To The Nines DSP
Accessories: Mellow Moss grosgrain ribbon, Sage Shadow grosgrain ribbon, Kraft taffeta ribbon
Tools: Scallop Circle punch, 1-3/8" Circle punch, 1-1/4" Circle punch, 1/16" circle punch, The Tearing Edge, Dimensionals

Classroom Valentines

Once again, my boys and I made their school valentines... you can view this post to see what we made last year. This year, I pulled out the handy-dandy Big Shot and let the boys crank away! ...seems that thing is finding it's way into all my cards lately! I forgot to take pictures of the boys in action... darnit (I love to prove to you that boys DO like to stamp!), but they did, indeed, help me make these. Here is the final result:

We kept things simple and didn't do a whole lot of embellishing (kids are just gonna rip 'em open anyway, right?!). The tops of the bags are held closed with the Big Note Die and staples - easy peasy! Inside, we added a candy treat and a small note made with the Scallop Envelope Die.

I just love this little envelope - it's perfect for tucking inside a gift bag, or sliding under the ribbon of a wrapped package, or for hiding love notes under your husband's pillow...

...or for making little Valentines for all your kids' classmates!

Obviously, I used some retired Prints patterns - but the little 6" x 6" blocks of paper we get as a Hostess Level I reward are PERFECT for projects like this!

I still have two more Valentine posts to share with you but first I gotta patch up some chipped paint and pack a few more boxes... oh, and maybe do a couple loads of laundry, feed some hungry kids, scrub some toilets... you get the idea.

Valentine Recipe:
Stamp Set: Holidays & Wishes
Ink: Real Red
Cardstock: Tempting Turquoise, Real Red, So Saffron, Lovely Lilac, Whisper White, Prints DSP
Accessories: Whisper White grosgrain ribbon, Small Flat Cellophane Bags, staples
Tools: Heart to Heart punch, Big Shot, Scallop Envelope Bigz Die, Top Note Bigz Die

My Dad... My "Valentimer"

I hope everyone had a wonderful Valentine's Day and has already consumed all the chocolate that was given to you. I don't know about you, but the longer the chocolate lingers around my house, the grouchier I become because I am constantly forcing myself to resist it... a losing battle most of the time. Therefore, I eat it quickly, savoring every bite, and then I do a few situps to control my shame.

Last Wednesday night I held my annual Valentine Workshop and here is the card we made:

Once again, I brought out the handy-dandy Big Shot and showed them how easy it is to texturize the cardstock with our Texturz Plates! Here's a closer look:

I absolutely love this diamond pattern, and since Stampin' Up! retired the old Print Pattern background stamp, I'm just tickled pink to have this alternative - I think it looks better, works perfectly every time, and there's nothing to clean up!

Since I already made a card for Michael (you can see it here), I decided to give this one to my dad. When I was a kid, my dad always gave us a box of chocolates and a card on Valentine's Day... and we called each other our "Valentimers" which came from my childish mispronunciation. It's a precious memory, and I wanted to continue the tradition by giving him this card and the matching box we made shown below:

This box was made using the using the Big XL Die called Box #2! This die makes it SOOOOOO easy! You only need ONE small piece of Sticky Strip to make it stay together, as the bottom folds up securely without adhesive. It is just too cool, and I highly recommend it!

We also got creative and textured the box before we folded it up. Here's a closer look:

Lastly, I wanted to show you the other option I gave the ladies for the card in case they preferred a more classic look. Here's a picture of it, but I only temporarily adhered the pieces on so you could see... that's why the ribbon doesn't thread through this label:

I still have yet to show you the cards I made for my kiddos... yes, I've been busy stamping away last week... utterly turning my nose up at the stacks of empty boxes I'm surrounded by! Can you tell which task I enjoy more?! ...and you may have noticed that I used grid paper as my backdrop this time? That's because I didn't feel like taking the time to clean up my stamp table for the photo shoot! ...hey, it's all about priorities, right?!

Valentine Recipe (cards & box):
Stamp Sets: Card 1 - Under the Stars, Family Phrases; Card 2 - Always, Sweet Thing (retired)
Ink: Black StazOn
Cardstock: Close to Cocoa, Chocolate Chip, Riding Hood Red, Confetti White
Accessories: Riding Hood Red Taffeta ribbon
Tools: Designer Label punch, Horizontal Slot punch, Scallop Circle punch, 1-3/8 Circle punch, 1-1/4 Circle punch, Big XL Die Box #2, Backgrounds I Texturz Plates, Watercolor Wonder crayons, Aquapainter, Stampin' Pastels

Michael's Valentine

Since Michael's still out of town, I thought it a good time to get his Valentine done... the heck with the packing, right?! When I saw the Hit the Road set in the new catalog, it was first on my list of things to get. And that's saying a lot when there was about 87 things on my list. (...there was actually more than that, but I don't want to sound greedy).

I knew this one would be perfect for our family since my husband is a cyclist. He's even turned our older boys into cyclists, and Maddox is a pro on the unicycle (just kidding). But since we're going to be "hitting the road" soon... here's his 6" x 6" Valentine:

I have to mention that this whole Colorado move was Michael's idea... and being as how I've kept him here in Texas for 17 years, it's time I take my fingernails out of the porch railing and let him lead the way out. Actually, I don't have a porch railing... maybe the more appropriate phrase would be "it's time I take the padlock off my stamp room door"... In any case, on the inside of this card, I put a note about how "I'd follow you anywhere!" (Those suitcases are filled with stampin' supplies, by the way.)

This is actually 3 different stamps - the truck, the suitcases, and the bicycle. I wanted to get the suitcases AND the bicycle on the top of the truck, so I used my Stamp-a-ma-jig and masked the suitcases so I could get the bike behind them. This means I stamped the suitcases onto the truck first, then stamped them onto some scratch paper, cut them out, and then laid them on the final stamped image so they would be "protected" when I stamped the bicycle. I used my Watercolor Wonder Crayons for the most part, but in spots where I wanted more vibrant color, I grabbed some ink right from the ink pad lids.

And what about that gorgeous Designer Series Paper?! It's from the Rockabilly Specialty pack, and it's gorgeous! The stripes are glossy, so it adds dimension and texture with no effort at all.

Well, folks, I best get back to these boxes... if Michael comes home and sees I've locked myself in here all week, I'll have some splainin' to do.

Card Recipe:Stamp Set: Hit the RoadInk: Black StazOn, Old Olive, Ruby Red, More Mustard, Basic Black, Chocolate ChipCardstock: Chocolate Chip, More Mustard, Ruby Red, Watercolor Paper, Rockabilly DSPAccessories: Riding Hood Red Striped grosgrain ribbonTools: Heart to Heart punch, Cutter Kit, Watercolor Wonder Crayons, Aquapainter, Dimensionals

Blastin' Off in Bubble Wrap

Yes, I'm back. Didn't expect me, did ya? I wish I could say that last post about me cutting back on my blog was a bunch of hooey, and that I'll actually greet you here at 10:23pm sharp every night... but my husband is a lot more fun to have a late night love affair with than this computer. Sorry y'all! But... he's out of town tonight. So I threw aside the boxes and bubble wrap (no fun jumping out of boxes wrapped in bubble wrap when Michael's not here)... and decided to make a card instead.

A good neighbor friend of mine came down the other night so she could play with my Watercolor Wonder Crayons and decide which color family to get (of course I told her she simply had to have them all). During our play-time, I colored a couple of these rockets from Pun Fun. I'm not sure why I decided to color this little guy Turquoise and Eggplant, but I did... maybe it was so I could show her TWO different color families - yes, that's me... saleswoman extraordinaire. In any case, this is what I wound up with:

My favorite part about this one is the cool texture in the background... Talk about a love affair? That Big Shot and I have somethin' pretty special going on. Don't tell Michael.

Here's a better shot of the background:

And, just in case you wanted to see the fruit of my labored sales pitch, here's a close up of the rocket, in all it's multi-color-family glory.

She only bought one color family this time... maybe I oughta stick to the bubble wrap gig.

Card Recipe:
Stamp Set: Pun Fun
Ink: Black StazOn
Cardstock: Tempting Turquoise, Naturals White, textured Elegant Eggplant, Watercolor Paper, Rainbow Sherbet DSP
Accessories: Tempting Turquoise grosgrain ribbon, Bold Bright eyelets
Tools: Big Shot, Stampin' Backgrounds Texturz Plates, Scalloped Edge punch, Watercolor Wonder Crayons, Aquapainter, Cutter Kit, Dimensionals

The Forces are Moving

I need to take a moment today and let you all know about some exciting things going on in the Force household...

As the title states, the Force family will be making a major move in early June. We will no longer be Texans... but will make our new home near Denver, Colorado! As if this weren't enough of a change, we are also going to be a homeschool family when we get there! Nothing like shakin' things up a bit, huh?! If you are a regular reader of my blog, you have probably caught on to the fact that we are a pretty tight family... and we are all very excited about the new adventures that these changes will bring our way!

I am making this news public now for two main reasons:

#1- I needed to let you know that my blog will, unfortunately, have a much lower priority level as we embark on this exciting journey. I have a LOT to do over the next few months, and unfortunately stamping does not rank very high in the "must get done" category! (The horror!!) However, stamping is my creative outlet, and therefore very important when it comes to keeping me happy (happy mom = happy family, right?!). For this reason, I am confident that this cut-back will only be temporary. Just know that you can count on seeing my creations as often as I am able to make them. That's about all I can promise.

#2 - I am hoping that by making this public I will find some new fast friends in Denver! Certainly a few of my readers live in that area?? If you do - or if you have in the past - I would love to hear from you! As we are looking into the different areas surrounding Denver, your input would be very valuable to us. (and if you sell it well enough, maybe we'll move in next door :)

This may be new news to my local readers - I'll be SO sad to say goodbye to all of you. I will be having a couple final events here at my house in the next couple of months - one of which will be my annual free Valentine card workshop this coming Wednesday evening! I will also hold a final goodbye hoop-lah at some point where I'll have lots of Make & Takes, goodies to eat, give aways... oh, and some bargain prices on my retired sets so I don't have to take them with me! I'll keep you posted via e-mail, as I do hope you'll come by and visit one last time. With that said, I would be honored to remain your Stampin' Up! demonstrator even from Colorado. As always, I will be just a phone call or e-mail away, and I can always have your orders shipped directly to you... and with our 24-hour online catalog, you really don't even need me at all!! ...okay, let's not go that far.

So there it is. Nuthin' but the cold, hard facts. I'm not sure when my next post will be, as I must begin packing, searching for a new home, and continuing my heavy research on homeschooling, but I do hope you'll continue to check in on me!! ...and let me hear from you!!

Stampin' Hugs...

Come Make a Valentine!

It's that time again! Valentine's Day is upon us, and if you're like me, you like to make an extra special Valentine for your sweetheart. Every year about this time, I hold a FREE workshop where we make a card that I design especially for the occasion! There is no cost for this workshop, and no minimum order - although you may decide to place one to take advantage of our wonderful Sale-a-Bration event! In any case, it's a fun time to come visit, share some yummy desserts (bring one if you'd like), try out some new Stampin' Up! products, and get inspired along the way!

This event will be held at my home next Wednesday evening, February 11th at 7pm. I do require an RSVP so I know how many card kits to prepare. Please let me know by the end of the day on Tuesday!

I do hope you can join us!

Gift Certificates - The PERFECT Gift!

Valentine's Day is right around the corner! Tell the sweetheart in your life to contact me so he can get you exactly what you want... a gift certificate for Stampin' Up! products! ...and, if he gets it in the amount of $50, then you'll be able to get a FREE stamp set on top of it through our Sale-a-Bration!

Here's an example of the Gift Certificates I make - but for Valentine's Day, of course I'd make it more Valentine-y... is that a word?

If you prefer, I would be happy to contact your sweetie for you and tell him about this great gift idea. Just let me know!

Embossing with the Big Shot!

Oh... I'm having F-U-N now!! I just got in some new stuff and finally got to play with it a little bit today... I'm going NUTS over the cool new products we can use with the Big Shot - primarily the new Texturz Plates and the Embosslit Dies... in just a matter of minutes, I whipped up this card:

Oh, my gosh, it was so easy! I used one of the Texturz Plates from the Backgrounds I collection, along with the Simple Flower Embosslit Die. The Big Shot textures, cuts, and embosses with ease... and all I had to do was adhere it all together! Here's a closer shot so you can see the embossing a little better:

So far, this is the only card I've made... I wanted to sit down and share my excitement with you before I played any more! ...okay, I gotta go now - that Big Shot over there is staring at me. :)

Card Recipe:
Stamp Set: Short & Sweet
Ink: Riding Hood Red
Cardstock: Riding Hood Red, Pink Pirouette, Kiwi Kiss
Accessories: Kiwi Kiss Satin Ribbon, Button Bouquet, Linen Thread
Tools: Texturz Plate Backgrounds I, Simple Flower Embosslit Die, Big Shot

Sale-a-Bration 2009!

It's here! Sale-a-Bration 2009 has begun! From now through March 31st, there's something here for everyone...

Customers: For every $50 you spend on catalog merchandise, you can choose a FREE item from the Sale-a-Bration brochure. Click on the image above to view the selections.

Hostesses: Host a $300 workshop and receive a FREE item from the Sale-a-Bration brochure! ...or just place a $300 order and choose 7 FREE Sale-a-Bration items in addition to the regular hostess benefits!!

Recruits: Join my team and choose any set in the regular Idea Book & Catalog for FREE!! (up to $47.95 value) In addition, the Starter Kit price is 15% off! For only $169 you can receive over $355 worth of products and begin this wonderful journey that I have been on...

To top it all off, when you place an order of ANY amount through my website from now through April 30th, you will receive a FREE Spring Summer 2009 Idea Book & Catalog! If your order reaches $50 before tax & shipping, you will start earning your Sale-a-Bration sets, and if your order reaches $150, you'll also earn hostess benefits! Click on the catalog image here, and then click on "Shop Now" in the upper right-hand corner of my website.

The new online catalog is super easy to use, you can shop anytime - day or night, and it even gives you great project ideas while you browse!

What are you waiting for?! Happy Sale-a-Brating!!