Save the Hooters!

Last night I was browsing online and came across this Stampin' Celebration Inpiration Challenge.  (SCIC21)I loved all of the pinks in the inspiration photos and I knew I wanted to make something special for Breast Cancer Awareness Month. I initially started out thinking of a card using the owl punch. I wanted to put the pink ribbon of hope on the owls. Then I decided that I would make an Owl Birdhouse using the Mini Milk Carton Die. What better way to say, "Save the Hooters!" then with owls. I made the Ribbon of Hope on the Owls using the 'and' sign (&) from the Billboard Sizzlet Decorative Strip Die. I just cut off the bottom of the "&" and turned it over.

The roof is made out of the Stampin' Up Wood Sheets. I first made a base for the roof out of a piece of 2 inch by 4 inch Chocolate Chip cardstock. Then I cut out seven pieces with the Clearlits Scallop Rectangle Die and Used the long edges to layer the roof. I made the Ribbon of Hope little flag banner by punching a star and cutting off the ends, then glueing them to a piece of linen thread. The owls outfits are made with the DSP In Color (level 1 hostess pack).

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and I will be participating in the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure for the 4th year in a row. My dear childhood friend of 30 years is a breast cancer survivor. Throughout her recovery she always kept the most positive attitude. She has a bumper sticker on her car that says, "Save the Hooters!" Purchase anything pink from me or my Stampin' Up! website between now and October 31st, and I will donate 10% to the Susan G. Komen For the Cure Foundation. This milk carton die is filled with Pretty in Pink corduroy buttons and will be a door prize at my World Card Making Day crop. Enjoy your journey, whatever that may be!

More Decor Elements Spooky Things

I'm going with a black crow/raven theme for Halloween this year.
Yikes! The birds!!!  Got these at the dollar store, but had to share how awesome they go with the vinyl on my bookcase. The Decor Elements vinyl images (Holiday Mini page 8) come in a set of 10 for $14.95. I've used 6 f them so far . . .

Happy Haunting!

Big Shot Letterpress Plates by Stampin' Up!

It's the First Day of Fall! Featuring: Paisley Printed Leaves Using Markers

I love using my Stampin' Write Markers on my stamps. This Technique uses the Stampin' Write Markers to place multiple colors on the image, which I think is perfect for these paisley leaves.

1. Use a Stampin' Write marker to apply ink only to the desired parts of the image. Use the side of the marker, rather than the tip to prevent wear and tear on your marker.

2. Add other colors if desired. It's best to start with your lightest colored marker first on the stamp then use darker colors so that the darker colors won't "contaminate" your lighter colored marker.

3. Breathe on the inked stamp to remoisten the ink with your breath before stamping onto paper. You can also mist the stamp with a light spray of water for a cool effect.

On the first leaf I used, Crumb Cake, Daffodil Delight and Pumpkin Pie. The second leaf is colored with Cherry Cobbler and Pumpkin Pie (doesn't that sound delicious!). I stamped a paisley image and punched it out with the Medium Jewelry tag and stamped "thanks so much" in Cherry Cobbler from the Tiny Tags set (page 130 IBC). I punched out the flower shape behind the button in Pumpkin Pie with the Itty Bitty Shapes punch pack and added a Bitty Button. These come in clear and you get 64 buttons for $4.95. That's about 7 cents a button. Cute cute cute! I used Crystal Effects to glue the button in place. The sentiment is held onto a bow (made out of 1/4" grosgrain ribbon in Pumpkin Pie) with a safety pin from the Vintage Trinkets on page 187. Happy Fall Y'all!

Simply Adorned Baubles

These new baubles from Stampin' Up! are such a great addition to the bracelets, charms and chains. They come in black, clear and pink crystal 5/8", and the 1/2" vanilla pearl for $3.95 each plus tax and shipping. I made the Happy Witch 1 by 1 1/4" charm insert with the Fang-tastic stamp set. The black raven was Pam Morgan's ideas from convention and uses the Dark & Dreary stamp set. I accented the necklaces with a piece of 1/2" Raven Lace Trim and 1/2" stitched-poly ribbon in Peach Parfait. I laced a piece of 1/2" Chantilly Crochet trim through the bracelet and tied off pieces for a vintage look.

Trick-or-Treating Owls

I just had to dress up these owls for Halloween! The one on the left is a bat and his little buddy is a ghost. This card is easy to assemble, but it uses a lot of different punches. Here is the recipe:
Paper: basic black, basic gray, whisper white, pumpkin pie, early espresso, soft suede, marina mist, bashful blue, Designer Series Paper Pack - In Color (level 1 hostess set - for the bat-owl's chest)
Ink: basic black for the trick or treat bags
Punches: Bitty Bat Large, Two Step Owl Extra Large, 1 3/8" circle large, Extra Large Decorative Label
Accessories: Lots of Tags (Sizzlits 4-pack), Texturz Plates Backgrounds #1
Stamps: Fang-tastic (for the trick or treat bags)
Please leave a comment and let me know what you think. Now...what should I be for Halloween? I think I will be the paper fairy again.

One Sheet Wonder Technique Using Artistic Etchings

I have a little exercise for you... Think about your upcoming card needs in the next few months. Next, sort through all of your stamp sets and find sentiments which meet those needs. With the one sheet wonder technique you can quickly make 10 cards using one stamp set with a collage effect. It really helped me make the most out of my stamping supplies and knock the dust off of some of the sentiments I haven't used in a while. With this technique, you make your own designer background paper out of one piece of plain 8 1/2 x 11" cardstock. Turn this and 6 sheets of cardstock into 10 simple cards in less than an hour. Kimberly Morris taught me this technique during a Late Night Stamper event after Convention. You can download the instructions free on her blog HERE. I can't wait to try this technique with the French Foliage stamp set in the Holiday Mini. Contact me if you are interested in making these at a private workshop. Cost is $10 per person or free with any stamp set purchased that evening. Minimum of five attendees. Here are some close ups of the cards:

Deck the Halls Designer Fabric Pins and Bookmarks

Stampin' Up! just introduced a new high quality cotton designer fabric line. Each includes three coordinated designs in an extra-wide fat quarter size and comes with a detailed instruction booklet highlighting five projects you can create using the fabric. I've created these pins and bookmarks using Deck the Halls which coordinates with the Vintage Christmas suite. I cut the fabric with my Big Shot and the Flower Folds Bigz XL Die. The pieces are layered and glued together with fabric glue and embellished with the Vintage brads and other accessories. The biggest pin features one of the Simply Adorned small circle charms.

Cupcake Pan Countdown to Christmas Calendar

A little Candy Cane Christmas inspired by the Holiday Mini Catalog.



I got this idea from Melissa Stout, The Stamp Doc.
I took a mini (24) cupcake pan, and tied old olive striped ribbon on top. The openings are covered in Real Red and Garden Green cardstock 2 3/8" scallops. Then I covered the scallops with Candy Cane Christmas DSP (page 33) in 1-3/4" circles. I layered the circles with the numbers cut out with my Big Shot. Just add strips of magnet to the back to hold the circles in place. Fill the tin with little pieces of candy, spices, recipe tips or sprinkles, then remove the circles to begin the countdown til Christmas. This would make a nice hostess gift for those Thanksgiving feasts.

Bigz Candy Wrapper Die - 2 Different Folds

These candy wrappers are so fun and easy to make. I CASE'd page 9 of the Holiday Mini Catalog, but what I want to show you is that you can fold the ends a couple of different ways. There's the traditional candy wrapper fold like the one with the skull rub on in pear pizzaz, or the easier flat ends, like the one with the Midnight Raven stamp. I covered some mini chocolate bars with my leftover pieces of Nite Owl DSP. Sandy Hancock has a great tutorial on the folds HERE.

Don't Drink the Decoration Pop

Yes, I had to make pop for decoration. While I was embellishing the cardboard pop holder below for the BINGO game (that we can actually play with now that I've properly photographed it), I had to embellish the pop like Stampin' Up did on page 6 of the Holiday Mini Catalog. I love the Spooky Night rub ons! Wait until you see the candy wrappers I CASE'd from Convention in the next post. For the pop container I used Nite Owl DSP, covered the top of the pop with the new waffle paper (p. 8) and tied it with the hemp twine. I used the skull rub on to make it look creepy. They go on glass so smooth! This would make a fun hostess gift for a friend's Halloween Party. The Bacardi Silver mojito wine coolers already have a cool bat on them ;-)

Family Game Night Using Night Owl DSP

One of the sheets of the Nite Owl Designer Series paper in the Holiday Mini catalog has four BINGO sheets on the back. I cut them out and laminated them. My 1st grader stamped a bunch of spiders (from the Dark & Dreary stamp set p. 7 of the Holiday Mini) and we punched them out to use as BINGO markers. We also used the new bat punch to make more BINGO markers. I decorated four of my old embellishment containers to keep the punches in with the new Midnight Raven stamp (page 41 of the Holiday Mini). We then embellished a paper soda pop holder to contain the game and all of it's contents. It's complete with a score pad and embellished pen.

Nite Owl Designer Series Paper Tags

These festive tags can also fit in a 3 x 3 envelope. I used the Nite Owl DSP and the Dark and Dreary Stamp Set. I got the idea from page 6 in the Holiday Mini. I added a black rhinestone to the Raven's eye.

Mini Milk Carton Halloween Die

This little milk carton die is the perfect size for teacher treats or party favors. I wrapped it in a piece of Nite Owl DSP and used the new dotted scallop ribbon border punch in pumpkin pie and the new bat punch. I added a rhinestone to the bat for some bling and made a bow out of the new 1/2" lace trim attached with a mini library clip and a glue dot. The Boo sentiment is stamped with the Tiny Tags set and punched out with the coordinating Medium Jewelry Tag punch. I attached it with a piece of linen thread.

Book to Look Incentive

If you book a workshop with me in the month of September or October you get to pick one of the little spider web envelopes which contains a coupon for various items listed in the Holiday Mini catalog. I will order your item when the workshop closes. The little black spider web box is made with the scallop envelope die. Four of them adhered together make the box. First I used Basic Black cardstock and ran it through the Spider Web embossing folder. Then I used a sponge dauber and wiped over the web with Platinum Shimmer paint. I used the same paper for the envelopes. I stamped the spider on the box with From the Crypt and added a new black glimmer brad. For the card I used Sahara Sand embossed with the spider web and sprayed with Silver Foil Smooch Spritz. I added the spider stamped from the Dark and Dreary set and attached a black rhinestone to him.