It’s Tuesday, even if it is Christmas Eve, and here are the new Weekly Deals from Stampin’ Up!
And here are the new My Digital Studio Downloads for December 24! If you don’t have My Digital Studio, you might want to try it out for the New Year!
Click Image above for PDF of downloads
You can purchase any of these downloads and more in my Stampin’ Up! Online Store!
It’s been a busy few days getting ready for Christmas and my work isn’t done yet! But I did take time the other day to make these cute little Ghirardelli chocolate holders mixing old and new Stampin’ Up! products! Can you guess what is what? The holder is made out of the brand new, upcoming Scalloped Tag Topper Punch, which will be in the new Occasions Catalog beginning January 3, 2014. The old is the bit of designer paper I used on the tag. It is left over from the pretty Christmas box I finally made last Christmas, which, for awhile was on the Clearance Rack. The kit started as some kind of incentive from Stampin’ Up!, then was sold, and then the remaining ones were in the Clearance Rack. Shelli Gardner and her daughter Sara even made a video as they assembled their own boxes.
I got the idea for the chocolate holders from another demonstrator, Mary Fish, although I used a different punch. There is another one with an angled top! Of course I also used the Christmas Ornament Punch in the Holiday Catalog to punch my stamped ornaments from the Christmas Collectibles Stamp Set.
To make the Ghirardelli Chocolate Holders, cut a piece of card stock 5 1/2″ x 2″. Score at 2 5/8″ and 2 7/8″. I stuck each end of my paper into the new tag punch to get the fancy scallop and then folded on the scored lines. I folded back the Ghirardelli Chocolate foil and adhered with a Mini Glue Dot on each side to hold it onto the tag. Then I folded up the front part of the tag and tied with Cherry Cobbler Baker’s Twine. And then I decorated the front with the old designer paper (can’t think of the name right now!). Of course you could use any scrap paper and for any season or occasion.
And this is what the inside looks like:
And here are some matching tags I made. All these things plus a store-bought ornament went inside the box I was sending someone.
You can visit my Stampin’ Up! Online Store HERE. Be on the lookout, my regular customers, for your copy of the new Occasions Catalog and the Sale-A-Bration catalog coming in your mail! Don’t let them get lost amongst the Christmas mail and hubbub!
This is an oldie but goodie for Christmas Fudge that I came across in my stash of past projects. I thought as things get even more hectic closer to Christmas, perhaps you can make use of this idea for a gift! Just type up this poem and adhere it to a big chocolate bar which is already wrapped. You could do it with one of those gigantic chocolate bars that might feed a few people! It makes a fun gag gift! (Or maybe it’s not so much of a gag?!) And who wouldn’t enjoy a big chocolate candy bar even if it has a silly poem attached! Keep your holiday sane!
It’s Tuesday, December 17 and here are the current Weekly Deals from Stampin’ Up! Lots of fun things this week! Who can’t use some large gift boxes around the house that you can decorate (or not) for any occasion? The Build A Banner Kits have been really popular -get the Refill Kit plus the Christmas Banner Accessory Kit, plus you can certainly make your own designs! Use them for birthday parties or showers or holidays. The bows, the ribbon and the album you can use any time. Or use the album for the holidays and get the Season of Style Journaling Tags to help you with your pages – or use some for cards!
Have fun shopping! Just go to my Stampin’ Up! Online Store to order. Be sure to check out the Clearance Rack for bargains, the new Valentine products (get a head start), and everything under “New Arrivals“.
This weekend I finally was able to make some Christmas cards. This year I am making about ten cards of each design. The only difficult part will be when I start signing and addressing the cards in deciding to whom I want to send what design! I like making different designs because there are so many cute ideas out there. Of course I can’t possibly make them all, unless maybe I made a different card for each person. But since I didn’t start back in July, I can’t do that!
One group of cards will have this Snow Day snowman on the front. Pictured above is a tag I made with an extra snowman and oval die-cuts from the Ovals Collection Framelits. The scalloped edge is the largest framelit. I wanted to use it so I decided it could be a tag and the message could be written on the back.
Now if you want the features and accessories for the Snow Day snowman to be closer to perfect placement, you might want to use the Stampin’ Up! Stamp-a-Ma-Jig, It comes with a plastic sheet on which you stamp and then wipe off with some water or Stampin’ Mist and a paper towel (unless you use Stazon!). If you have a stamp set with which you will want to use the Stamp-A-Ma-Jig a lot, it makes more sense to make a permanent sheet using a piece of Vellum Card Stock. Just cut a piece of vellum (or more) and use the Stamp-A-Ma-Jig to stamp in each corner. If you use different colors of ink, you can stamp OVER some images and keep it to one sheet! Then just keep this vellum sheet in the case with the stamp set and you don’t have to restamp these images.
Here is the plastic sheet that comes with the Stamp-A-Ma-Jig.
I bought my Stamp-A-Ma-Jig way back when I first started stamping. Now they are black for Stampin’ Up!. You might think it is a confusing tool to use but there are good instructions and once you use it, you’ll understand. It’s very useful in certain stamping situations even for people who don’t have to have perfect placement all the time.
Try the Stamp-A-Ma-Jig! It’s a great tool to have in your stamping arsenal just in case you need it!
Don’t forget the Weekly Deals ending today and the new Valentine products you can buy now and get a head start (if you are finished with Christmas!). Just go to my Stampin’ Up! Online Store.
Are you still working on making your Christmas cards? Or just starting? Here’s one I made pretty easily. You could use this idea for a Christmas card, a Christmas scrapbook page element, or a tag. Just use the Snow Day snowman for a winter theme. The word Merry is die cut with the Expressions Thinlits Dies. To make it easy to use this die, place a piece of wax paper in between the die and your card stock and the very thin word will be easier to get out. There are also tiny holes in the die which you can poke through with a pin or Paper-Piercing Tool to help release the die cut. To adhere the word to the card, I used the 2-Way Glue Pen.
I found with the Snow Day snowman, it is nice to use the Stamp-a-Ma-Jig and a piece of vellum card stock to stamp the accessory stamps on so that you can keep the vellum in the stamp case and reuse it. I even stamp over another image perhaps with another color ink so I can just use one sheet of vellum and have all the pieces right there. You still can eyeball the stamping of his buttons or face or arms, but for those of you or those times that demand perfect placement, the Stamp-a-Ma-Jig really helps!
Of course you can’t really have a snowman without a little bit of glitter for sparkle, so with my 2-Way Glue Pen and a sprinkling of Dazzling Diamonds Glitter my snowman has a bit of pizzazz!
The snowman and snowflakes are all stamped in Soft Sky ink for this card. And for his scarf, a few bits of Real Red 1/8″ Taffeta Ribbon adhered with Mini Glue Dots (smooshed up a little bit on the sides to fit the narrow ribbon).
If you need some stamping supplies, just visit my Stampin’ Up! Online Store or contact me for help with your order. Don’t forget to check the Weekly Deals and the Clearance Rack for additional savings!
Click to enlarge flyer.
Stampin’ Up! has just released TWO new photopolymer stamp sets. They are named Countless Sayings 1 & 2. Lots of words to use for all kinds of projects, cards, scrapbook pages and more! Both these sets will be great for Valentines Day projects as well as many other occasions. These photopolymer stamp sets are only available while supplies last, and two sets have sold out already, so they aren’t kidding! Click on the stamps image above to see the flyer. Click HERE to go to my Stampin’ Up! Online Store to shop for these sets and other photopolymer stamp sets. Don’t forget to check out the Weekly Deals and also the Clearance Rack that had new items added to it the other day.
I’m sure you have seen these curly paper wreaths made out of designer paper all over the internet. I finally made one, but just in case it didn’t go well, I made this first one with some retired paper, Be of Good Cheer, from last year I believe. This paper, as I write this, is on the Stampin’ Up! Clearance Rack, so if you like it, you can get some!
I need not have worried because there is nothing to making this wreath! I used a 10″ styrofoam wreath. It would be a good idea to start with making a hanger out of some string or ribbon for the top of your wreath – I forgot! I didn’t keep track of how many sheets of paper I used since some were probably partly used so maybe I used parts of many sheets. I’ve heard that it takes about 4 sheets of 12″ x 12″ designer paper cut into 1/2″ strips. Then all you do is curl the paper using your Bone Folder. You actually do not have to make it that curly with your bone folder. Just get the paper slightly curled and then you can wind the strip up better and tighter with your fingers. Then just take a straight pin and insert into the center part of that strip and pin onto the wreath! If you are putting on a decorative rosette or big bow or something, you might want to attach that first to the bare wreath. My bow is made from the Cherry Cobbler 1″ Grosgrain Stitched Edge Ribbon in the Holiday Catalog.
When you first start pinning on the curled strips of paper, it may seem like a daunting task and not really look that great. You might even think “this isn’t going to turn out to be anything good”, but don’t despair! Just keep working, pinning on those curled strips. Maybe you want some tighter and some looser. There’s no need for perfection on this wreath! Just keep pinning on the strips all over the front and around the sides. No need to put any on the back since that part is not going to show. Just keep going until you feel it is quite full enough and you don’t have any bare spots. Be sure to look toward the inside of the wreath and make sure that is all filled in. It’s a project you can do while watching TV.
Here is the backside of the wreath. You can see the styrofoam wreath I used.
Look through your stash of designer paper and try one out. And if you need more paper, there is the Clearance Rack on Stampin’ Up! for great deals or the current Stampin’ Up! catalogs for the newest papers! The wreath looks quite lovely when you get it finished so I really encourage you to make at least one! I can’t wait to get started on another!
Get ready for the Stampin’ Up! Clearance Rack Blitz on Tuesday, Dec. 10th. I don’t have any information yet but all you need to do is check at my Stampin’ Up! Online Store “probably” after midnight Stampin’ Up! time (Mountain Time Zone) and see if they have added new items. Clearance Rack items should be UP TO 80% off, only available while supplies last! Don’t dilly dally! Check and see what goodies they put up!
Also, check out the new Weekly Deals that come out on Tuesdays! These deals run through next Monday night.
You might consider these current products as well, if you want to add to your order:
Everyday Occasions Cardmaking Kit
Anything from the Stampin’ Up! Annual Catalog or Holiday Catalog!
Have fun shopping and let me know if you have any questions!
Little did I know that today is officially “Christmas Card Day”! December 9 honors Sir Henry Cole of England who created the first commercial Christmas card in 1843. Apparently Sir Henry was a very busy man and since the custom was to hand write each Christmas card back then, he just didn’t have time. He hired a London artist to design a card for him to send his friends. The center panel was a drawing of a family celebrating, each side panel has a charitable scene. The London artist, John Calcott Horsley, made 1000 lithographic copies of the card but Sir Henry Cole colored each one by hand! (too bad he didn’t have Stampin’ Up! markers and Blender Pens!)
I was going to declare today National-Make-Your-Christmas-Cards Day, but I guess I don’t need to! We’ve already been inspired by Sir Henry Cole! He was busy too, yet he got his cards sent out! We can do it too!
Do the “assembly line” method: Cut, cut, cut; score, score score; stamp, stamp, stamp; punch, punch, punch! Not only do you not have to think what comes next, but you get into “muscle memory” so your hands just do it automatically! It’s the fastest way to make a bunch of cards. And you don’t have to make ALL your cards the same. If you like several designs, make ten of each design. That’s what I will do! Make sure you have envelopes and stamps, too!
The post office would like you to mail by December 21 for Priority Mail in order for it to arrive by December 24. Did you know you can do almost everything online instead of going to the post office? It is one of the most amazing inventions of my lifetime to eliminate standing in line at the post office! One time, honest to goodness, I was the ONLY person in the line and I STILL had to wait for someone to wait on me!!! I know, some post offices are better than others, but mine has always been slow (except on Saturday morning right before closing! You want to see great and speedy customer service?!)
For anything you need for making Christmas cards (except postage stamps!), please visit my Stampin’ Up! Online Store! (If you wait until tomorrow, I hear there is going to be a Clearance Rack Blitz!) But check out the Weekly Deals available only until tonight!
The Christmas Collectibles ornament stamp set of course is perfect to have for making your own Christmas cards. Even better if you have the Christmas Ornament Punch #132152 to go with it. And you can have both in the Bundle and save 15%. Or you can buy each one separately. It’s so easy to just stamp the ornament shapes and punch out and stick on a Christmas card. If you want to take it to the next level, add some rhinestones or pearls to the ornaments or tie a little bow on top.
This card started out with the red striped paper from Seasons of Style Designer Series Paper going to be the layer with Whisper White over it. I decided to cut out the center to save some paper to use another time since I love it. Well, once I had that “frame” I really liked it as a frame! I decided to just insert the ornaments within the frame rather than just having the stripes be a decorative border. Next I decided to pop up the frame with Stampin’ Dimensionals and have the ornaments be “3D” as well, just hanging from the top of the frame by the Cherry Cobbler Baker’s Twine. The twine is adhered to the back of the frame using Dimensionals as well as on the back of the ornament. But then I discovered that if the ornaments were going to freely hang, they might get flipped around and the backside would show. So I stamped three more ornaments, punched out, and glued on the back so either side can show on the card. Probably not a card you want to mass produce but easy enough to make for someone special.
Have you made your Christmas cards yet?
Make this easy paper mache star Christmas ornament for your tree or for a package decoration that the recipient can keep as an extra gift! Look in your stash or go to the craft store and get some of those paper mache ornaments like this star. Cover with designer series paper and embellish and you’ve got yourself a lovely Christmas ornament!
I just traced around the star on a piece of Winter Frost Designer Series Paper. This particular sheet has a shiny foil look to it so it is especially beautiful! If you pay attention to how you are tracing the paper and which direction you traced around the star you might get it to fit exactly right! Otherwise, place it so that it fits the best on your ornament and if there is any excess you can trim it off with your Paper Snips or retrace a little. Just get it as close as you can. It doesn’t have to be perfect! Adhere the paper to the ornament with some Tombow Multipurpose Glue making sure it sticks well along the edges.
Put the same or another pattern of paper on the backside. Also adhere a narrow strip of designer paper around the side of the ornament. Mine was about 1/2″.
And then decorate to your heart’s content – or even leave it plain depending on your paper. I made a rosette out of a 12″ strip of designer paper. I think it was about 2″ wide and scored with my Simply Scored Tool every half inch. I glued the ends together and then scrunched it into the rosette shape and adhered with a blob of hot glue in the center. Then it was ready to go on the front of the ornament with another blob of hot glue. The finishing touch was the beautiful Frosted Finishes Embellishments.
Look in your stash and see what you have! It’s cold and frosty across a big part of the country, including Houston – well, cold, not frosty (yet!) – so a good day to stay in and make Christmas ornaments, cards and crafts! Enjoy!
Two days ago I happened to change the TV channel to NBC and the end of the Today Show was on and here was Sara Douglass, daughter of Shelli Gardner, Founder and CEO of Stampin’ Up! Every year Stampin’ Up! donates to the Today Show Toy Drive. Sara says in the video that the company is donating $650,000 in papercrafting products to the Toy Drive! This year, though, Stampin’ Up! didn’t tell us in advance that they would be on the show so it came as a complete surprise! Shelli wasn’t there herself as she is still recuperating from her horse accident a few months ago (quite well, I believe!) and Sara has had experience doing it in the past anyway. It’s great to know Stampin’ Up! is making such a generous donation and getting national exposure to the company. And I love the scrapbook pages Sara is holding up! Sara always does great presentations on stage at Convention and she does a good job in her television appearance as well representing Stampin’ Up!
Click to Shop
It’s Tuesday so it’s a new Weekly Deal from Stampin’ Up! What jumps out at me? The Hearts Collection Framelits Dies!! We may be totally focused on Christmas right now, but you know Valentine’s Day will be “up next” after New Years. Go ahead and get some Hearts Framelits now on sale so you’ll be ready to cut those Valentines in February!
Of course don’t miss ANY punch and Scallop Circle Punches are always fun! And how many Fun Flowers have we made out of paper and fabric? The Fun Flowers Bigz L Die is great to have. Make some beautiful fabric flower pins and sell them! Merry Minis Punch Pack – I certainly love the little star! And the little ornament shape and tree are perfect for your cards right now! The Paper Doily Sizzlits Die is gorgeous to make although it takes a little patience sometimes to perhaps poke out the little pieces! But sometimes you cover part of it with another layer and don’t need to punch out all the pieces! It’s beautiful to have in your collection. Wisteria Wonder Chevron Ribbon – kind of like punches, you might as well have it! The Chevron ribbon in the different colors is beautiful and great to use. And for you My Digital Studio fans, another download, especially on sale, is always welcome – Think Back Photobook Templates. This download has questions to ask parents, grandparents, anyone, to find out about their life and get the memories flowing so that they can be recorded for your family history. I can’t tell you how valuable and treasured this information will be to you when your loved ones are no longer with you.
If you don’t have My Digital Studio, you can do a 30-Day Free Trial OR you can go ahead and purchase the My Digital Studio Software because it is only $19.95. It really is quite a deal. You get the software plus a TON of content to use in your projects. And it’s not just about digital scrapbooking AT ALL! Make cards, invitations, home decor, photobooks, framed art and more!
Check out the new My Digital Studio Downloads for this week HERE.
Yesterday I gave you a heads up on items from Stampin’ Up! that would be 30% off today only! In fact, today is the last day for the entire Stampin’ Up! Holiday Sale so be sure to check that list one more time! Think outside the box and perhaps find things you can give as gifts to someone else. But, of course, don’t forget YOURSELF!
CYBER MONDAY SPECIALS
# 132172 Envelope Liners Framelits Dies (not just for making pretty envelope liners!)
#132171 Expressions Thinlits Dies
#132159 Holly Jolly Greetings Simply Sent Kit
#132176 Snowflake Season Simply Sent Kit
#129324 Large Rhinestone Jewels
#132147 Extra-Large Gift Box
Just go right now to my Stampin’ Up! Online Store, check all the categories in the left sidebar of the store’s page so you don’t miss a thing! Let me know if you have any questions or need help ordering. I’m happy to put the order in for you.