There are a couple of companion cards to this one that I'll have to show you next time... I got a boat to catch!
We used various punches to make the facial features and hair. Here are a couple close-ups:
We filled ours with M&Ms!
Enjoy the rest of your week!
...and I love how you can leave one end of the top unglued so they can pop it out just like a real carton! In fact, I didn't glue the top at all, I just clipped one end shut!
I stamped the bottom with the signature stamp (before folding, of course!).
And although I made several different "looks", these were the only two designs I decided were "blog-worthy"!
Again, if you have any questions about how these work, feel free to drop me an e-mail.
And here's a close-up of my favorite - the little monkeys:
So, regardless of whether these bookmarks actually found their way into a book, or if they were promptly discarded into the bin, it's beside the point. The point WAS... to STAMP, by golly! And for the record, I LOVE the new clear mount stamps!! How 'bout you?
Now, one of the things that keeps me from blogging is the time it takes to edit the photo, add the watermark, and then track down all the supplies I used to make the cards so I can include it in the post. I'm okay with the editing part, but I wanted to get your thoughts on how horrible it would be if I did NOT include a list of supplies? If you really like a card and can't determine what I used, you can always leave me a comment and as long as you give me a way to contact you, I will ALWAYS respond and answer your specific questions. Would that be okay with you? ...if there's even anyone out there that still reads my blog! :) Let me know your thoughts.
Isn't it just adorable?! Here is the inside...
I'll tell you more about that "trap door" in a minute. Next is the one I made for her brother:
Here's the inside of that one:
Now, in order to get the candy out, I have found that the simplest way is to make a little "trap door"... this idea came from my friend, Tiffany Bauer - a very talented stamper. Thanks, Tiff!
It's not hard to do... but it's way too late for me to go into detail. Tiffany has a video that you can watch, and I just slightly modified her idea. If you have specific questions, leave a comment with a way to contact you and I'll get back to you when it's NOT 12:23am. :)
The one above is my favorite of the three... it uses an Old Olive and More Mustard color scheme with some Bordering Blue thrown in (I think that was the blue - I don't have the card anymore. Either that or Brocade).
This one (above) wasn't as vibrant as it looks in the photo - it really was nicer looking. It's a Pumpkin Pie, Cameo Coral, and Certainly Celery combo, with some Lovely Lilac (again, I think that was the color... I really must get these posted BEFORE I mail them out!). 
Finally, this last one was Pale and Perfect Plum with Old Olive and Rose Red. The wheeled Very Vintage background showed up well on the Pale Plum.
First of all, the new Occasions Mini Catalog is in full swing! If you haven't received your copy, please let me know and I can get one out to you. Stampin' Up! just keeps outdoing themselves... this time, we get CLEAR STAMPS! Yippee!! I have had the opportunity to play with these, and I am hooked. All of my stamps from now on will be clear! Stampin' Up! really did this right... they wanted to be sure their clear stamps would provide the same quality images as the wood blocks, so they used the same foam backed rubber and designed it to stick to clear acrylic blocks! I promise you, the quality has not been sacrificed one bit! As an added option, you can afix a label to the BACK of your rubber stamp so it will show through the acrylic block. 
And storage... Oh, the storage is a dream!! The boxes are the same size as your typical DVD boxes! And as if that weren't enough reason to entice you to give them a try... how about this? They're CHEAPER than the wood mount! Of course, the wood mount stamps are not going anywhere... you just have a new choice from now on. If you haven't tried our clear stamp sets yet, give me a holler and I can help you pick one out with the appropriate clear blocks. Simply telling you about it can't do it justice...
I also need to let you know that we are smack dab in the middle of Stampin' Up!'s biggest annual promotion - Sale-a-Bration! This is the time of year when you get LOTS of freebies! For every $50 you spend, you get to choose a FREE stamp set! They've made it even better this year, because in addition to the new Sale-a-Bration stamp sets, they've also added a list of over 75 stamp sets from the main catalog of which you can pick and choose as your freebies! To view this list, click on the flyer at left and proceed to page 11. It is also a great time to become a Stampin' Up! demonstrator, as you can enjoy a 15% discount on the starter kit and also receive an extra FREE set of your choice (valued up to $47.95) from the Idea Book & Catalog!
Moving right along, Stampin' Up! is doing their part to help the victims of the earthquake in Haiti. For every I {heart} Hearts stamp set they sell through the month of February (either wood OR clear), they will donate $2.00 toward relief efforts. This stamp set is adorable, and perfect for this time of year... and weddings, and anniversaries... so it's good all year round! Click on the flyer at left for more information.
Lastly - and I'm a little late in letting you know about this one, so hurry if you're interested because they are available only while supplies last - for a limited time, you can enjoy these Heart Shape Treat Cups! They coordinate perfectly with the new Sweetheart stamp set (click on the flyer at left to view full size) and the Full Heart Punch. Grab some padded envelopes (require extra postage) and send these out to your dearest Valentines! Look at the darling cards you can make:
Before I forget, I also have one more Ribbon Share available as well as two Accessory Shares. If you are interested, view this post for the details and contact me for payment information.
The snow is our gorgeous Shimmery White cardstock. Can't see the sparkle in the photos, but it's there! As I mentioned before, this stamp is so perfect for our family... take a look:
Michael prefers the more "traditional" colors, so I also made some in Old Olive:
We are enjoying a truly white Christmas... something we rarely, if ever, experienced in Texas. In addition, we all went ice skating on the lake! That was a definite first for us! I hope that you spend the next few days joyfully celebrating our Savior's birth surrounded by those you love. 
Nothing fancy... but I did wad up the stripe in back to age it a bit. I like that technique. Okay, I'd stay and chat, but there's about 3 baskets of laundry on the couch that won't fold itself, sticky dried up juice spills on the kitchen floor, a 10-year old wandering around instead of doing his schoolwork, the dog is ringing the bell to be let out, and I have about 50 people coming over this afternoon for a Birds of Prey presentation (no joke... heaven knows where they're all going to park)! :)
I added some clear rhinestone brads for bling, along with some silky smooth satin ribbon.
As you can see in the picture, the "ornaments" on the tree are done in silver so they sparkle a little bit. 
This next one is the one I made for Maddox:
I'm still working on Mason's (in my spare time - HA!!), but here is the fabric he and I picked out for it:
Fun, fun, fun! Sorry for you card-only folks... but this just goes to show you that there are so many great hobbies out there! Life's too short to have only one...
