Christmas gift box....

This turned out so great...if I do say so myself. It is supposed to be a cupcake box, but I made it to fit a really sparkly ornament. For the box, I used real read for the base and some of the sparkly dsp from the Winter Mini. The little ornament is a clear glass ornament that is coloured with re-inkers. Add a little dazzling diamonds, and you have a lovely hostess or teacher gift.

Want to learn how to make this? Well, I will show you how on Wed Nov 17th. The fee for the class will be $5.00. What a deal. You will all make the box, and the ornament. Please rsvp so I can purchase the glass ornaments.

Hope you had a happy Halloween. We had less than 30 kids this year. A combo of not so nice weather, Sunday night, and the fact all the kids in our neighbourhood have grown up, made for a very quiet night.

Devil's night...

Time for some Halloween fun. Here are 2 luminaries I made using the fancy favour box for the Big Shot. This die is so versatile. The center is punched out and I added a piece of velum with a black Owl and the twig from the bird punch. Instead of candles I used a battery operated flicker light. These are totally copied off of the Internet...I am so sorry, I don't remember who I copied. The little witches hat was made at our Demo night. It is made with some of the black waffle paper in the Winter mini.

Hope you have a spooktacular Halloween, and that all the kiddies have a wonderful time.

Feeling Pink....

How do you like the new design? It is so dull and dreary outside, I thought this new design would offer a fun and refreshing change. Plans are shaping up for the big event "Save our Hooters". The deadline for final registration is fast approaching, so let me know asap if you are attending. A stamp set, paper, door prizes, 10 cards, a bonus project...and lots of fun, all for a great cause. Hope you can make it.
The sample is another card from the shoe box swap. I added an extra layer and the black ribbon. This is so elegant. The stamp set is "Snow Swirled" and has a great sentiment, and 3 really cute snowflakes, in addition to this tree. The tree is actually coloured with 2 different markers and gives a great 2-toned impact.

Geting ready for Halloween

Get ready to say BOO! Here is a fun little card...and no stamping...ink up your brayer, get out your punches, and let your imagination go wild.

Ghost is made with the owl punch, just cut off the little legs. Pumpkin is made from the large oval punch. By using different sizes of oval punches, you can vary the size of your pumpkins. I like to distress the edges with a little ink.

I started out with a brayered background but you could easily sponge if you use a light hand & rubbing or washing with your sponge instead of dabbing.
1. Brayer apricot appeal classic ink onto Whisper White card stock (4" X 5 1/4") from the top right corner down into the cs.
2. Place a 2 1/2" circle mask (sticky note punched) over the area brayered with Pumpkin ink.
3. Brayer marina mist ink over the mask from the top edge of the WW card stock down.
4. Brayer (or sponge) old olive from the bottom edge of the WW card stock.
5. Sponge on a bit of Baja Breeze ink between the Concord Crush & Garden Green inked areas to blend.
6. The base of the card has a hand-cut curved hill from Black card stock.

And the bride wore...

A dress made from the butterfly punch! If you want to make the most of your punches you must visit Ellen's Blog...in a word INCREDIBLE. I look at a punch and see the shape, she takes the shape and makes people, characters, animals..you name it she can make it. This Bride was made with the butterfly punch and the heart punch for her arms. Check out Ellen's blog for tons of inspiration.

Enjoy your night...what plans do you have for this weekend? Let me know...

Save our Hooters...and the winner is....

Drum roll please...the winner of the early bird draw is Dawn T. Dawn, you have won ANY stamp set from the catalogue. There is still plenty of time to register for this amazing event.

These little Hooter Houses are full of treats. The milk carton die is so versatile, and who can resist those little owls??

Have a wonderful evening...and please check back here often for more projects and updates on Save our Hooters. You never know when I might sneak in a picture of one of the projects we will be making!!!

Tea bag Favours

As I mentioned we hosted a Bridal Tea for the shower on Sunday. We encouraged everyone to bring their favourite tea cup, and to share it's story over a cup of tea. These are the favours I made. Easy, peasy...and a great way to use up retired paper.

Here is the how to:
Cut strips of paper 3.25 X 9"
Score at 6 and 9". On the last fold, cut a diagonal strip, then adhere the flap down, to create a pocket. Decorate as you see fit.

On the inside I used a stamp that says "A woman is like a teabag, you don't know how strong she is until she gets into hot water!"

For all the strong women in my life...this is for you! Have a cuppa on me.

Wonderful Weekend.

WOW..what a fantastic weekend. Yesterday I was at Cropalooza from 9-almost midnight, creating and stamping with a roomful of creative Women. So much fun and so much accomplished. Over the next week I will share what I got done.

Today we honoured my niece Kaitlan with a Bridal Tea shower. There were 100 ladies sharing tiny sandwiches, and their favourite tea. Everyone brought their own teacup and shared stories of why it held special meaning. We really are so blessed to have such great family and friends, as Kaitlan was showered with very generous gifts.

The project I am showing you today is how to use the Big Shot to make a fabric covered star. For this example I used some of the Candy Cane fabric from the winter mini. This is my first stab at a tutorial...please let me know if you have any questions or need clarification.

Step 1. Measure off and rip a 3" strip off the longest edge of your material. Then cut that strip into 5" lengths.
Step 2. Using a piece of chipboard (I use the white backing paper from our designer series paper)cut into 3 x 5" pieces.
Step 3. Using a glue stick...yep, that is correct, a glue stick, attach the fabric to the chipboard.
Step 4. Run each piece through the big shot, using the star die. Make sure your fabric is up!
Step 5. Using Tombo glue, attach each petal of the star together. As you can see in the pictures, I use office clips to keep them together while the glue sets...this is a very quick process. Leave the clips on while you decide how to embellish your star, by that time it will be dry.

These are great as a tree topper, or wouldn't they be cute with a letter in the centre spelling out a child's name. Your imagination is your only limit.

Please let me know if you make one of these stars. Also, let me know if you need to order a Big Shot and this die!!!

More from the quarterly meeting...

Wednesday was my first experience with a shoe box swap, however I sure hope it isn't the last. Everyone designed a card, then made enough packages for 10 others to complete the projects. All the cards rocked. Here is another of my favourites, using the Jolly old Saint Nick stamp set from the Holiday Mini, and the new bigz die, tasteful trim. The die will cut through not only paper, but it does a fantastic job on felt and other material as well.

Today I am off to Elmhurst for a full day of crafting with Karen and Lisa, and 30 other ladies....what a great place to spend a lovely fall day, and what a wonderful way to spend a day....crafting!

Enjoy your weekend, and if wireless works, I will upload pictures and a project using the star die for the Big Shot. That was the project I demo'd the other night, and forgot to take pictures of the finished product!!!

What a wonderful night!!

Last night I had the pleasure of joining some of my fellow demos at our quarterly meeting. Alicia offers prizes and incentives, we have a demo theatre, and last night we did a shoe box swap. Over the top fantastic cards. All the ladies did a wonderful job of putting the packages together, and I came home with 10 cards. Over the next few days I will be sharing some of these creations.

I also did one of the demos using the star die for the Big Shot...AND...I didn't take any pictures of my projects...DOH! That means, I will need to make some more, and show you how easy they are to make...

How lucky was I to make one of our new Stampin' Sound Cards. These are shown in the winter mini, and sell for $7.50 each. You can record your own message for a truly personal keepsake. This design actually does double duty, and holds a gift card.

This is going to be such a fun weekend. Saturday I am in Ingersol with Karen and Lisa at Cropalooza, then Sunday, spending the day with friends and family honouring my niece Kaitlan at her bridal shower....Enjoy your weekend.

REMINDER..pre-pay for the Save our Hooters event by tomorrow, and you will be entered into the early bird draw. The prize is ANY stamp set in the catalog...what a great deal.

Save our Hooters Update

Wow...what a great response we are getting for our Save Our Hooters Event. In a word, "THANKS" the power of one is incredible. Working and creating together we can make a difference in fighting this terrible disease.

Remember, the early bird special...everyone who pays before this Friday, will be entered into a draw for ANY stampset in the catty! What a fantastic offer. I will be making the draw on Sunday night....so be sure to get registered for the wonderful event.

There are some great bundling offers right now...including a bundle with the the stamp set we will be using. So, in addition to the set, you will also get an almost full pkg of designer paper. I will pre-cut what we need for your projects, and along with the stamp set, your package will include the remaining paper.

All this for $40.00

Have a wonderful day. My card today uses some dsp in the fun new in-colours poppy parade. The butterfly punch makes a quick and easy embellishment, add some glitter and you are done!

Give Thanks...

I stumbled across this on yahoo this morning, so thought I would share. We are spending our day at a demo derby watching my nephew Justin go for his last spin in his Geo...we are betting he won't be in the derby very long! At supper we will gather as a family to celebrate with food, fun and thanks. When someone is taken from you in a sudden manner and at an all too young an age, it is sometimes hard to be thankful. Today however, we will give thanks and say a Happy Birthday Lydia...you would have been 25 this weekend, we love you and miss you, and give thanks for the time we had with you!

Canadian Thanksgiving, held on the second Monday of October, has origins dating back to a 1578 homecoming feast for explorer Martin Frobisher when he returned to Newfoundland after his search for the Northwest Passage. However, like Native Americans to the South, Canada's First Nations people celebrated harvest festivals long before Europeans came to North America.

The purpose and frequency of Canadian Thanksgiving has fluctuated over the years, but the current commemoration date was set in 1931. After WWI, Armistice Day and Thanksgiving had both been celebrated on the Monday falling during the week of November 11. In the 1931 the holidays split and Armistice Day became Remembrance Day. The holiday is statutory for all provinces except Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland and Labrador, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia.

For Americans our version of the holiday seems quirky, fitting in the same category as pronouncing the letter "Z" as zed, calling soft drinks "pop" and paper money in multiple colours.

In the U.S., Thanksgiving originated in 1621 as a three-day harvest feast celebrated by the Pilgrims at Plymouth Colony and incorporated prayers to survive the winter ahead. During the American Civil War, president Lincoln proclaimed Thanksgiving a national holiday to be celebrated on the final Thursday of November. Today the holiday is held on the fourth Thursday of November.

The American holiday is now focused on family reunions, NFL football games and, of course, turkey. Over the years, Canada's holiday has come to mimic U.S. celebrations - with family and food taking centre stage.

Canadians spend the weekend preparing for the ordeal of winter in the best way we know how - letting all cares beside the doneness of the turkey melt away and enjoying time with those we love.

Check out the new clearance items

Good Morning Friends. Make sure you check out the new items on the clearance rack. There are some fantastic deals on paper, ribbon, ink, big shot dies and more. If you click HERE, it will take you to my demo site. If you aren't Logged in, you will see 2 prices. To get the lower price you need to create a profile, then log in. It is a simple process and once you see the amazing prices I know you will be doing some shopping.

If you have any issues or questions, let me know. There are limited quantities, so don't delay!!!

Joy Fold Card

Good Afternoon Friends, a quick post to show you the card the club gals made in September. It is a square, Joy fold card. The directions are right off of Splitcoaststampers. There is a video, as well as the directions for this fun little card. Scroll to the bottom of the tutorial for the directions to make the square card. We also made a one sheet wonder box, just in time for Thanksgiving (I already gave mine away!)

Thanks for stopping by...I am fighting a double ear infection, and waiting for the prescription to kick in. Hopefully this will be my only cold this season!

Breast Friends

These naked little Hooters are a reminder that Oct is Breast Cancer awareness month. Be sure to do a breast self exam on a regular basis.

Save our Hooters is shaping up to be a great event. My Hubby's company is donating some cash, so the grand prize draw will be a $100.00 shopping spree from the Stampin Up Catalog, or the Holiday mini!

Check out the details in the previous post, or on Facebook!