Don’t keep them in the dark!

If your friends and loved ones are already agonizing about what to give you this Christmas, please help the poor dears out by telling them!  And if it’s stamps, ink, and paper you want, I’ve got just the way to tell them:  My Wish List for Santa.  Think how happy you’ll be when you open their gift and can honestly exclaim, “It’s just what I wanted!”

A new month! New camp projects!

I always wanted to stamp these skaters on a window sheet, and now I have.  Stampin’ Up!’s Thick Window Sheets are perfect for the Big Shot, and here I cut them with the Circles #2 die.  It’s amazing, really, to go through material like this.  I don’t know how I ever paper crafted without the Big Shot, quite honestly.  As you campers know, I use it all the time!

The image of the skaters isn’t blurry, it’s a shadow cast because the window sheet is raised up a bit over the scallop circle.  I love that effect.

This is one of our camp projects for November.  Wait till you see this flocked Specialty Designer Series Paper in person — oh, have you registered for camp yet?

Stamp:   Winter Post (p. 35)

Ink:  StazOn Jet Black, VersaMark

Paper:  Basic Gray, Christmas Cocoa Specialty Designer Series Paper (Holiday Mini p. 21), Whisper White

Other:  Window Sheets (Thick), Big Shot, Scallop Circle and Circles #2 dies, Heat Tool and Stampin’ Emboss Powder (Iridescent Ice), Mistletoe Ribbon Originals (Holiday Mini p. 33), Stampin’ Dimensionals, 1/16″ hole punch

Merry trees

I’m sorry I don’t have the name of the stamper who inspired this card.  I loved her eyelet border that gave the feeling of snow drifts and the over-sized snowflakes.  I did my sky on vellum to soften it a bit, and added a little bling.  I am one who loves to cut out these little images.  These are simple — just straight cuts!  For advice on cutting curves, see my tip here.

Stamps:  Patterned Pines (Holiday Mini p. 4), Warm Words (p. 141)

Ink:  VersaMark, Whisper White Craft, Old Olive

Paper:  Bashful Blue, Old Olive, Certainly Celery, Vellum Card Stock (p. 159), Whisper White

Other:  Embossing Buddy, Heat Tool and Stampin’ Emboss Powder (White), Square Ice Rhinestone Brad (Light Blue), Eyelet Border Punch, Taffeta Ribbon (Whisper White), Stampin’ Dimensionals

Waylaid by fruit

Before

Yesterday I had planned to work in the studio in the morning.  Since I work from home (stamping is my business!), I need to structure my day so I don’t spend too many hours on the Web or doing non-productive things.

DH had other plans for me, however, and so together we “worked on the apples” we got from his brother.  They have a wonderful orchard on the Burgin family farm, and this year was particularly bountiful.  Our SIL was begging us to take bag after bag, and I couldn’t refuse.

DH pared and I cored and chopped, filling a 6-quart pot.  While they cooked on low heat, we dropped the cars off for oil changes and went for a brisk (fast and cold) walk.  When we got home, the apples were done, I mashed them and put them on the porch to cool, and we repeated the procedure.

After

That bowl in the first photo was an antiquing find several years ago, up in Mount Horeb, Wisconsin.  I was immediately smitten by its deep tangerine color.  It was more money than I wanted to pay for an impulse buy, but I had a little birthday money burning a hole in my pocket, and we negotiated a price that didn’t hurt quite so much.  It’s really big (those apples were huge) and perfect for fall.

And yes, I have a thing about old bowls.  If you only knew.

Camp project #3

One of our other camp projects in October was this wreath, built on a coaster and backed with a magnet.  They were each different, but beautiful!  You can’t miss with autumn colors, and the texture on the leaves added lots of interest.

Stamps:  Holiday Best (p. 13)

Ink:  Really Rust (brayered on coaster), Dusty Durango

Paper:  Ruby Red, Pumpkin Pie, Crushed Curry, Always Artichoke, Bravo Burgundy, Really Rust, More Mustard, Old Olive, Very Vanilla

Other:  Big Shot, Scallop Circle #2 die, Leaves die, Brayer, Texturz plates (Distressed, Friend, Squares, Weave), Wide Oval punch, chipboard, magnet

All done, at least this one

To be perfectly honest, there were times when pushing to finish my first My Digital Studio project was not at all pleasant.  I accidentally deleted a page — the most perfect page ever! — and didn’t realize it until I had saved the project.  If I ever have the idea that I can whip together in just a few days a scrapbook for some event (DH’s big birthday next August?), someone slap me, please.  I loved working with this program, but it’s hard for me to force creativity under pressure!

But nothing teaches you how to actually use something like actually doing it.  And because I had imposed a deadline on myself, I was sitting in front of the computer too much.  And getting grumpy.  For me, a layout starts with a picture that tells a story.  Before we totally switched to digital photography, and when we had a camera without a zoom, our photos were just ho-hum.  Or worse.  So I was looking through envelope after envelope of pictures.  And some brought laughter and tears.  That slowed me down!

Anyway, it’s done.  And now I’m thinking of projects I can create — like something special for DH’s birthday!  Here’s an idea:  start now!

Holiday Gift-Giving Guide Promotion

From November 1 through January 4, you’ll love the convenience of our Holiday Gift-Giving Guide!  With gift ideas for kids, teens, neighbors, and more, it’s your one-stop shop for all your holiday needs. Plus, for each $50 you spend on products in the guide, you’ll get a Décor Element for FREE (up to a $16.95 value)!

Click the link at left (or HERE) to download the Guide.  Need the Décor Elements brochure?  You’ll find it HERE.  Then make your list and check it twice!

Dasher goes gold

If you’ve stamped with me, you know I love Stampin’ Up!’s Iridescent Ice embossing powder.  With just the right amount of glitter, it is perfect to accent an image stamped in Encore Gold metallic ink.  That’s what we did on this card the other night at Mary Lou’s workshop.  The metallic ink dries faster than craft, but stays wet enough to emboss.  We used that same technique on this card in September.

This is also the first card we’ve done in a workshop or camp that uses the spray created with a few ounces of rubbing alcohol and a few drops (blobs) of the beautiful Shimmer Paint featured in the Holiday Mini.  (Please, please, please, don’t discontinue this product!  This world needs all the bling we can give it!)  It’s subtle, almost adding a feeling of depth to the solid card stock.  I’m just sorry I can’t capture that in a photo.

Oh, and if I can persuade Mary Lou to share the recipe for her fabulous Ho Ho Cake, I’ll post it here!

Stamp:  Dasher (p. 208)

Ink:  Encore Gold

Paper:  Soft Suede, Specialty Designer Series Paper (Christmas Cocoa; Holiday Mini p. 21), Brushed Gold (p. 159), Whisper White

Other:  Shimmer Paint (Champagne Mist, Holiday Mini p. 27), Big Shot, Oval Scallop and Ovals dies, Stampin’ Up! Backgrounds I Texturz Plate (Flourish),  Heat Tool and Stampin’ Emboss Powder (Iridescent Ice), Elastic Cord (Gold; Holiday Mini P. 27), Taffeta Ribbon (Whisper White), Stampin’ Dimensionals

 

 

Camp project #2

Here’s another of our October camp projects, using a new technique for camp:  spotlighting.  It’s very simple to do.  Stamp an image once on a panel without any additional coloring, then again on a scrap.  Color that scrap, then punch out the area that will be in the spotlight.  Assemble with one or more mats and pop up off the plain image (take care to line up the images).  A textured panel and faux stitching creates more interest — done!

Stamps:  Gifts of the Earth (p. 15 Holiday Mini)

Ink:  Stampin’ Write Marker (Really Rust)

Paper:  More Mustard, Really Rust, Creamy Caramel, Naturals Ivory

Other:  Watercolor Wonder Crayons and Aqua Painter, 1⅛” and 1⅜” Circle Punches, Paper Piercing Tool, Mat Pack, Big Shot, Texturz Plate (Distress), Stampin’ Dimensionals

How to tie a bow

If you have trouble creating a nice ribbon bow, view this video and see how Kristina Werner does it.  Then, get yourself a length of ribbon and try it along with her!