Thursday, June 12, 2008

Father's Day Scrapbook Pages


I've decided to make Dave a Father's Day scrapbook album with pictures of the boys. I think he'll love it, but of course I've waited until the last minute! I'm off to a pretty good start, though, mostly thanks to the super easy Simply Scrappin kits! Wow! They sure make putting a page together quick and simple. Here's one using the Summer Days kit. Very bright and fun! Here's another using a retired hostess from the last catalog, Creative License. It's definitely great for a boy theme.
The top photo, however, features the East Coast Prep DS paper, Bold Bright buttons, and some misc embellishments. You can click on any picture to enlarge and check out details.
I'll add more pictures as I get them put together. The next one will be a "Gabriel page" using the Boho Blend Simply Scrappin' kit!
Scrapbooks, even small albums, make great gifts for loved ones. Preserving memories is absolutely priceless! If you're trying to come up with a Father's Day gift for Sunday, consider scrapbooking something! If not an entire album, you can always choose one or two pictures and stamp or embellish around them. Frame something or create a card around a picture! Be creative and have fun!

"You're So Nice" Card


Here's a pretty card using a current hostess set Sweet Dreams + the Afternoon Tea DS paper. I love the flower image in this set because it's so simple and makes an easy image for a card. I used markers to color the flowers and stems. The words are from part of the greeting stamp in this set.
Stamps: Sweet Dreams
Paper: Afternoon Tea, Groovy Guava, Wild Wasabi, Soft Sky
Ink: Green Galore, Sage Shadow, Cameo Coral
Other: Circle punches, Photo corner punch, heart brad (non-SU)

Wednesday, May 28, 2008

More Garden Whimsys for the kit


Here's more cards for the Garden Whimsy card kit. I had previously posted 2 others back in March--here. The card pictured above is a 4x4 size. Very cute. These colors make a pretty palette: Wild Wasabi, Regal Rose, Certainly Celery, and a bit of Rose Red. My sample, however pictures Really Rust in place of the Rose Red, which is an alternative that you can try, if you like.
The last one is a standard 4.25"x5.5" size card. Simple yet pretty. I didn't use the Rose Red for the base or 2nd butterfly's ink in this sample either. However, the kit includes the Rose Red, which I think is much prettier. Use the celery marker to ink the small butterfly as well as the words.
All supplies received with the kit will be pre-cut and seperated for each card design.
Other: circle & scallop punches, photo corner punch, paper piercing tool, rhinestone brad

Saturday, May 3, 2008

Voila!


Here's a fun recipe book that I made for a bridal shower gift. I used a 5x5 On Board journal and Apple Cider Designer paper to cover it. The chef from "Voila" is perfect for this project. I pieced his clothing from the designer paper to add some color and design. I used the "From the kitchen of" stamp set for the actual recipe cards. The round tab punch works well for the category dividers.
Everything really came together for this gift when I found this adorable little chef kitchen timer. And coordinating towels topped everything off.

Blooming With Happiness!

What a fitting name for bridal shower card! I love this retired hostess set and can't bring myself to part with it. This dress image is dainty and pretty and perfect for special occasions.
I like this card overall, but I wasn't super happy with the ribbon. I left it as a last resort. However, I love the small pearls down the scalloped edge. Definitely a "bridal" effect.
Stamps: Blooming with Happiness
Paper: Soft Sky, Soft Sky Prints, Whisper White, Pretty in Pink
Ink: Basic Black, Regal Rose, Barely Banana, Sage Shadow
Accessories: Pearls, taffeta ribbon
Other: Marvy Giga punches, corner rounder (for scallop)

Tuesday, April 29, 2008

My Version of the Carousel Note Purse

Yes, after receiving all of my supplies, I've finally been able to put together my version of Jan Tink's incredibly adorable Carousel Note Purse! This was such a fun project for me. I'm really excited for the ladies who are participating in my class next week to try this out too. We will also be making 2 cards and it's not too late to sign up, if you're interested.
I specifically made my purse for a Mother's Day gift for my mom. I think she will love the Afternoon Tea designer paper's colors! I'm going to fill it with pictures of the boys, which I know she'll love:)
This purse will hold at least 5 pictures. The green and guava cardstock mats on each side of the folded out purse will each hold a 4"x3" picture. The Soft Sky cardstock mat in the middle will hold a 4.5"x2" picture, and the 2 pull-out carousel notes will each hold a 4.75" circle picture. These notes convenientally slide into the actual envelopes that come with the carousel notes, which are the base for the whole purse.I used my CM circle templates to cut the cardstock and will use them for the pictures as well. However, if you have the Coluzzle or another circle cutting tool, that should work fine too. Below are some closer pictures of each side of the opened purse as well as the middle. You can click on any of them to enlarge.



The purse is actually larger than I thought it would be; front and back are 6.25"x6.25". I used 3 carousel notes and 2 envelopes + lots of DS paper and cardstock. Here's a picture of the back. The embellishments can certainly be personalized the way you want them, which is the fun part! Here's the supplies I used:
Stamps: Live Your Dream, Baroque Motifs (cherish), & retired So Very (sweet)
Ink: Soft Sky, Wild Wasabi, Groovy Guava
Cardstock: Chocolate Chip, Soft Sky, Wild Wasabi, Groovy Guava
Designer Paper: Afternoon Tea
Punches: Circle Punches, Photo Corners, 5-Petal Flower, Boho Blossoms, Designer Label, Round Tab
Other: brads, jumbo eyelets, hodgepodge hardware, double-stitched ribbon, paper piercing tool

Tuesday, April 22, 2008

A Pretty Thank You Card

I LOVE the new Afternoon Tea designer paper! It's so pretty! I've already used it on several pages of a scrapbook. In fact, the Soft Sky and Wasabi green printed papers are perfect to add to a sweet baby boy's album. I also love my new "Live Your Dreams" stamp set, which I used on this card! It coordinates so great with this paper. What an easy card! I think I'll be using this set alot! In fact, this is the set I'll be using to make my Mother's Day cards and scrapbook purse. My carousel notes should be here tomorrow! So check back soon for pictures of my project....

Friday, April 18, 2008

Cute Kid's Cards


Kids love to give and make their own cards. Here's 2 little sets that I made which would be perfect! The images are stamped in black and ready to be colored with crayons or markers. I used kid-appealing bright colors and simple embellishments. The "God Is Love" stamp set is great for this idea. I also used one of last year's SAB sets "Very Punny."

Tuesday, April 8, 2008

I'm still playing around with the Love and Happiness rub-ons from SAB. They are really new to me, as I haven't used rub-ons before. However, they're really growing on me! I've had fun with these projects! I think the rub-ons really jazzed up these votive holders, giving them color and texture. I added the coordinating ribbon to complete the look.
The card is basically CASE'd from "sparklegirl" on splitcoast. What a resource of ideas! If you haven't checked this website out yet, you really need to. I have a link on my sidebar. Anyway, I changed a few things on my version. I really like the colors and the "patchwork" look. The big flower and the words are both rub-ons. This card is going to my grandma in Ohio who's recently been in and out of the hospital. I hope it cheers her up. Here's what else I used:
Rub-ons: Love and Happiness
Paper: whisper white, real red, old olive, bashful blue, pumpkin pie, tempting turquoise
Other: 3/4" punch, red brads, paper piercing tool/mat,
As a side note--I recently ordered the rub-ons that coordinate with the Boho scrapbook kit, so I'm looking forward to "branching out" into that area too! I will most definitely post pics!

Wednesday, April 2, 2008

Spring Solitude


I love the name of this set and of course it's perfect for this time of year! This is a hostess set from the current SU catalog. I've really been wanting to play around with it and just recently got the chance. I basically CASE'D it from the catalog sample picture-a great source of inspiration! Although the card requred alot of cutting, it's worth it because I think it turned out to be really pretty; perfect for a variety of occassions.
Stamps: Spring Solitude + retired sentiment stamp
Cardstock: Old Olive, Whisper White, Blue Bayou + East Coast Prep Designer Series paper
Ink: Apricot Appeal, Olid Olive, Chocolate Chip, Real Red, Not Quite Navy
Other: 1-1/4" punch, hodgepodge hardware, apricot appeal grosgrain, Fresh Favorites I button
I also made a mini notepad book, using this set. I made a couple of these not too long ago. Check out my older post here. Inside the book is a small legal notepad. Very simple to make. Let me know if you'd like the pattern.
Stamps: Spring Solitude
Ink: certainly celery, choclate chip, almost amethyst
Paper: almost amethyst, wild wasabi, whisper white, so saffron, & retired designer series
Other: silver mini brads, wild wasabi double-stitched ribbon, scallop circle punch, 1-1/4" + 1-3/8" punches.

Softspoken Thoughts

-'

It's always an unfortunate time when sympathy cards are needed. Here's one that I made today. The LeJardin paper easily lends itself to a quiet theme. I pieced together several patterns of the double sided paper for a different look. This card is perfect for writing special thoughts or verses on the inside.
Stamps: Refuge and Strength, Happy Harmony (retired)
Ink: Creamy Caramel, Brocade Blue
Cardstock: River Rock, Brocade Blue, Very Vanilla, So Saffron
Le Jardin Designer Series paper
Other: Brads, Photo Corners punch

Thursday, March 27, 2008

A Special Easter Card

My son Zeb made this special Easter card for me and his dad! He is quite a good artist and a very thoughtful son! Here's a picture of Zeb and Gabriel on Easter morning.

Friday, March 21, 2008

Tart & Tangy Kit

Spring has arrived and summer is just around the corner! How about celebrating with a bright and fun card kit!
The Tart & Tangy Kit
Tart & Tangy stamp set (4)
Summer Picnic Designer paper (1/2 pack)
On Board clipboard (4-1/2"x9")
Paper, ribbon, & embellishments for the following projects:
8 Cards, Notecard box, Clipboard, & 1 surprise project
Class date will be Monday, April 14th. Please have the fee to me by March 29 to participate in the class. Otherwise, I will take orders for this kit through May.


Optional supplies include: Real Red, Pumpkin Pie, Old Olive, and Bashful Blue markers ($3.25ea).



Friday, March 14, 2008

More Easter Ideas!


Here's cute little pail from Walmart that I altered for an easy Easter gift! I used Regal Rose ribbon and of course the cute little chick from "A Good Egg" set. The pail is filled with candy and stickers for my secret sister at church.
Every Wednesday, Splitcoast has a project or technique tutorial with step-by-step instructions and pictures. Check it out here. Yesterday, I tried the cute little peek-a-book treat holder and have decided to add it to the Easter projects for our class on Monday! Here's a picture of the inside, however, I didn't have the little chocolate bunny treat to put in it, so you'll just have to imagine! This is really cute and very easy! I'm also posting a picture of another Easter card we'll make. It's very soft and simple and I love the message! Please email me to sign up for the class. Check out some of the other projects we'll also make--here. This weekend is your last chance!

Thursday, March 13, 2008

Simply Scrappin' "Home Again"


I had so much fun putting this album together! The pictures are from our Jamestown/Yorktown trip back in October. If you ever get the opportunity, it's a great trip, especially for kids; very educational! I thought the colors in this kit (Old Olive, Chocolate Chip, River Rock, & Bordering Blue) really complemented my pictures and the whole "colonial" theme. The Simply Scrappin' kits make scrapbooking soooo easy because everything coordinates! It's also fun to add special mementos from your trips or even postcards. They can make your album even more unique and special!
Thanks to the 7 ladies who participated in my class on Friday. It was fun to see so many creative ideas! Our next class will be sometime in April (possibly the 11th), and the last day to order your kit will be March 29. I know alot of you were anxious to try some of the kits you saw others using! Email me for more details!

Thursday, March 6, 2008

More Easter Class Projects

Can you believe Easter is March 23? This year is actually the earliest Easter any of us will see for the rest of our lives! The next time Easter will be this early will be the year 2228 (220 years from now)!
With that said, how about a fun class featuring the adorable “A Good Egg” stamp set? I originally wanted to offer this as a pre-order class where you would get the set + supplies, but didn’t get the info out in time. However, feel free to order this set, if you’d like. I’m sure it will be useful for many Easter’s to come! Here's a few of the projects we'll be making. I'm also going to include at least one card using a religious favorite retired easter set of mine, "Glorious Gift". After all, that's what Easter's all about! Please email me (maliamarie20@yahoo.com) for info and to reserve your place in the class or to purchase project supplies & instructions.
DATE: Monday, March 17
TIME: 6pm
DETAILS: 4 cards (including a peek-a-book treat holder), gift bag, & small basket for goodies!

Wednesday, March 5, 2008

Spring Card Kit


Here's part of the spring card kit I promised. It uses the Garden Whimsy set. I'm still playing around with a couple of the card designs and colors, but here's two that I'm pretty happy with. I love the Regal Rose, Soft Sky, and Wild Wasabi together! My goal is to stick to only 3 ink colors, one of which will be a marker. However, I want to try to bring in a few additional cardstock colors for variety. I will post the other cards and a 3D item asap!
The Garden Whimsy Card Kit includes:
Stamp Set: Garden Whimsy
Classic Stampin' pads: Regal Rose + Rose Red
Stampin' Write marker: Certainly Celery
Cardstock/ribbon/embellishments to make 10 cards + 1 surprise

Tuesday, March 4, 2008

Wild Wasabi Promotion-through April 30


Due to a miscalculation of cutting and scoring over the holidays, Stampin' Up! is offering a cardstock pack of Wild Wasabi for only $3.95! For a limited time, you can purchase a pack of 16 sheets of 4-1/2"x11-1/2" (scored at 1-1/8" & 5-5/8") textured Wild Wasabi cardstock. This is an awesome color! I use it all the time, plus, it's soooo springy! It's great for cards or projects especially this time of year. And the added convenience of pre-cut and scored cardstock is awesome!
Click here to download a project idea and instruction guide.
Contact me to order your pack today!

And the winner is......

Pam Bishop! Congratulations on winning the embellished bitty book album! You can thank your grandson, Zeb, for pulling your name out of the bowl! Six names were entered into the drawing. Thanks to everyone who ordered! I really appreciate your business! Stay tuned for another drawing based on orders later this month.