No new posts for awhile

I just wanted to let everyone know that I won't be posting on my blog for about a month or so. We are in the process of moving, and I am not stamping. I hope to get back to it when we get resettled. Be patient. Thanks for checking things out on a regular basis.

Melissa

A poor scan of this stationary box.

Here is the stationary box I made to go with the cards below. I used one of the boxes the Papertrey Ink stamps come in. It works great. You can snuggly fit about 8 cards and envelopes in there. I just made my own band with 12 x 12 papers, added a matching Pretties kit flower, and voila. The scan doesn't do it much justice at all. I'll try to photograph it and repost the picture later.

Inspirational cards

I made these this week. So easy and I was wanting to do these for a friend and to give to the ladies who go to the monthly Bible study classes at our church. I wanted them to have some cards to use to encourage others, and let them know they are being prayed for. So here they are. I used the LeJardin papers and corresponding colors. I used Papertrey Ink stamps (Everyday blessings) and retired Stampin' UP! Elegant Inspirations.

Blues, browns, and chocolate

Here are the other two vases I made. One with chocolate nuggets and one with "colored" glass marbles. I need to make more marbles and then figure out how to get them in the vase with the glass facing out and not the paper. I am thinking I might need to glue the marbles flat side together to achieve this. I took flat glass marbles and lined the flat side with 3/4" circles of the colors I used: chocolate chip, blue bayou, creamy caramel and soft sky. Love those colors together. So pretty.
I used soft sky designer prints paper for the nuggets, and the flower centers were stamped with the Little flowers set from Stampin' UP!.

A vase with flower appeal

I had an idea to do this with a vase. These vases I bought a couple of years ago for a stamp camp and didn't use all of them. Their shape make them very hard to work with, but I figured you could still do something with them. So here is one version. I will post another I am working on as we write this. I am redecorating my living room in chocolates, blues, and taupe and I thought I would make something to match that as well. This one uses the Bali Breeze papers, and holds some wrapped Hershey's nuggets. I used 1x 3 inch strips to cover the nuggets. The flowers are from the designer paper, and the small olive flowers in the center actually are from the same designer paper and fit the new boho blossoms punch perfectly. Yeah. And with the way I punched them out, I got the even smaller flowers for the centers on the nuggets. Woohoo!! Two usable items from one punch out. Love it. So here is the first vase. These vases scream for rub-ons too, so if you got some from Sale-A-Bration or have bought some, try them out.

Patriotic Star Boxes

I found the pattern and directions for these super cool star boxes on the Scor-pal website, and had to try one for 4th of July and patriotic purposes. I love that I am an American and I have the blessing of being a citizen of a FREE country. I am most distressed when I hear of people who hate this country and that even some of our own citizens feel this way. They hate the conservative foundations our Founding Fathers shed their blood to give us. They hate the freedom to succeed our country affords us, and want the federal government to have more and more control over our lives. I am most distressed in the liberal ideas that have so heavily taken root in our government on both sides these days, and are so heavily taught to our children in school. I pray that my children will still have as much freedom and opportunity as I have enjoyed and that they will not be denied their right to express their faith in our sovereign God, whom the Founding Father's acknowledged was a key foundation to keeping our freedom: self-government without faith and self-control provided by the Holy Spirit is not freedom at all, but a license to hurt others and infringe on others rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

Now I will get off my soap box, but I am deeply concerned with where I see our country's government is heading if a lot of us who are conservative and love what our country has been founded on don't step up and speak out and vote accordingly. I am also deeply grateful for all who have and still are fighting for our freedom and this great country. So in this light, I was inspired to create this box. I used the new Free and the Brave set from Stampin' UP!. It is a wonderful set. I used Western Sky paper as well as Blue Bayou. The twill tape is stamped with the help of the Stampa-ma-jig and was a bit tricky, and it bears the message "what love is to the heart, freedom is to the soul". Colors are ruby red, blue bayou, and white.

Product coordination for Spring/Summer 08 Catalog

Spring Summer Designer paper colors:
Azure: Brilliant Blue, Very Vanilla
Bali Breeze: Old Olive, Pumpkin Pie, Rose Red, Taken with Teal
Berry Bliss: Close to Cocoa, Pretty in Pink, Purely Pomegranate,
Cutie Pie: Bashful Blue, Basic Black, Certainly Celery, Rose Red, So Saffron
East Coast Prep: More Mustard, Real Red, Tempting Turquoise, Wild Wasabi
Fall Flowers: Old Olive, Really Rust, Soft Sky, Sahara Sand
Flowers for You: Certainly Celery, Lovely Lilac, Regal Rose, Tempting Turquoise
Ginger Blossom: Cameo Coral, Groovy Guava, Ruby Red, River Rock
Jersey Shore: Bashful Blue, Brilliant Blue, Pumpkin Pie, Wild Wasabi
Le Jardin: Always Artichoke, Bashful Blue, River Rock, So Saffron, Very Vanilla
Notebook: Kraft, Soft Sky, Very Vanilla
Olive Press: Old Olive, Very Vanilla
Porcelain Prints: Blue Bayou, River Rock, Wild Wasabi
Prints: Monochromatic papers available in Almost Amethyst, Always Artichoke, Blue
Bayou, Brilliant Blue, Certainly Celery, Close to Cocoa, Groovy Guava, Lovely
Lilac, More Mustard, Old Olive, Pumpkin Pie, River Rock, Rose Red,
So Saffron, Soft Sky, Tempting Turquoise
Spring Break: Blue Bayou, Old Olive, Pumpkin Pie, Soft Sky
Spring Fling: Certainly Celery, Pretty in Pink, Sage Shadow, So Saffron
Spring Silhouettes: Certainly Celery, Soft Sky, Very Vanilla, Wild Wasabi
Western Sky: Blue Bayou, River Rock, Ruby Red, Soft Sky


Ribbon Originals colors:
BeAchfront
Rickrack (1/4”): Whisper White
Zigzag (3/4”): Sahara Sand
Pleated (5/8”): River Rock
Gathered grosgrain (5/8”): Very Vanilla
Velvet (3/8”): Basic Gray

District
Striped grosgrain (1-1/2”): Pumpkin Pie
Diagonal striped (5/8”): Certainly Celery, Whisper White
Striped grosgrain (5/8”): Basic Gray, Whisper White
Checkered (5/8”): Blue Bayou, Sage Shadow
Solid grosgrain (3/8”): Sage Shadow

fAiry tAle
Jacquard flower (3/8”): So Saffron
Stitched grosgrain (1”): Rose Red
Looped (3/4” loop to loop): Certainly Celery
Gathered grosgrain (1”): Regal Rose
Grosgrain (3/8”): Almost Amethyst

Jersey
Striped grosgrain (5/8”): Basic Black
Zigzag twill (3/8”): Real Red
Grosgrain (3/8”): More Mustard, Wild Wasabi
Wide striped grosgrain (1-7/16”): Brocade Blue
Twill (3/4”): Wild Wasabi

sherBet
Wide striped grosgrain (1-7/16”): So Saffron
Looped (3/4” loop to loop): Groovy Guava
White polka dot (1/2”): Purely Pomegranate
Velvet (3/8”): Mellow Moss
Gathered elastic (5/16”): Soft Sky, Very Vanilla

theAter
Looped (1-3/8”): Always Artichoke
Velvet (3/8”): Close to Cocoa
Reversible satin (1/4”): Old Olive, River Rock
Gathered elastic (5/16”): Old Olive, Very Vanilla
Satin (15/16”): Chocolate Chip

Spring Cleaning... stamps for trade

I can't outright sell these stamps because they are current Stampin' UP! merchandise. However I can trade them for other things. Below is a list of stamp sets I want to find a new home for. Please let me know if you want anything I have listed, and we can work out a trade or something. I am spring cleaning and trying to get rid of unused stuff and replace with things that I would use more. Thanks.

I have the following current sets for trade:

Be Happy (20.95)
It's Your Birthday greetings set (30.95)
Word Search background (17.95)
Doodle this (31.95)
Doodle wheel (8.50)
Pick a petal (27.95)
Everyday Flexible Phrases (41.95)
Hugs and wishes (17.95)

I also have the retired small straight up alphabet and numbers (19.95) I would sell these for $12


Okay here is an update: I have some older IN Color papers and inks I would like to find a better home for: Ink pads are $4.50, refills are $2.00, and paper is $.10 a sheet for 8 1/2 x 11 and $.18 per 12x12. (the paper is regularly $.20 each for 8 1/2 x 11 and $.28 for 12 x12 )

Buckaroo blue ink pad, ink refill, and papers (approx. 16 sheets 8 1/2 x 11, and 8 sheets of 12x12)
Marigold Morning ink pad and refill and papers (approx. 35 sheets 8 1/2 x 11 and 9 sheets 12x12)
Vintage violet ink pad and refill and papers (23 sheets 8 1/2 x 11 and 11 sheets of 12x12), and an unopened spool of stitched vintage violet ribbon (this color does go with almost amethyst as a tone on tone option). Ribbon is $6.75

I have a crop and go bag. It is a large one with pockets and pen holders and dividers for taking lots of materials to a scrapbooking crop. Or use it as a demonstrator bag to take your customer packets, pens, and other supplies you need. $20


Also would anyone be interested in old issues of Papercrafts magazines? I have a ton from about 2005 and 2006. I have enough ideas I can't possibly accomplish in doing from my demo magazines, Splitcoast, and other sources, that I really don't need these. For those of you who are paper craft junkies though, there are a lot of good ideas, esp. the holiday issues. So let me know if you want any of these.
I also have some other idea books you might like with quick card sketches in them. There are some Take Ten books (cards in 10 min. or less with lots of Stampin' UP! sets used) as well. I have about 8 of these from 2006 and before. Again good layout ideas and color combos.

Magazines are FREE.

Preschool teacher gifts

This is the envelope album I am making for John's preschool teachers. I am making two, one for each teacher. I used the Primary Colors Simply Scrappin' kit. I am so bummed they retired this simply scrappin' kit. I guess not as many people ordered it as they wanted to keep it on hand. It is a great kit for School projects. Anyway, this is a larger version of the envelope albums I have done before on the blog. The scrapbook pages will have the students picture on the front ( I didn't want to publish on the web any little one's pictures, so you won't see a finished page), and then what they love about each teacher on the back. This really isn't hard to put together. The kits make it so easy. I hope the teachers love them. Makes for a good end of the year present, and something to remember all of the children well.

Supplies used: my ABC's upper and lower case alphabets, my ABC's wheel, All in the Family, Teachabella.
Primary colors simply scrappin'.

colors: brocade blue, real red, more mustard, and wild wasabi


Just a note: yes, I know that the little boy has no arms! I haven't added them to what I stamped today. Just trying to get the idea posted. I have to color in the little girls and boys I stamped today as well. Don't worry. I know I need to add arms and color. This is for early posting purposes only. I'll update the photo later.

Card class kits... an update and a reminder

I have enjoyed making my card class kits and making better use of my stamp sets. I wanted to post an update and a reminder about these kits:

Office card class kit is no longer available for purchase because the designer paper and accents and elements tins are no longer available.

Baroque/Tapestry card class kit is not available as is. I would be willing to bundle the Baroque motiffs, baroque border wheel, Spring Silhouettes paper with soft sky and wasabi ribbons or kraft taffeta ribbons. You could get precut cardstock for month 2's projects. This option will be available until the new catalog comes out in August.

Tart and Tangy card class is only available until May 31st as that is when the Spring mini catalog ordering period ends. Based on my supplies of designer papers, I might be able to offer a prestamped card kit for a limited time after this.

One of a Kind and Embrace life kits will be available as long as the printed papers are available. So we'll see when the new catalog comes out in August.