Making a Paper Bow and a Gift Box

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Paper Bow Gift Box

Stampin' Up! announced recently that they would be putting little flyers in the order boxes, so this is the one I got in my most recent order. I think it is a great idea, a little bonus for our customers (and us!). Mine was about how to make those paper bows that we often buy in gigantic bags.  I've seen directions around the internet on how to make them, but until I got these directions from Stampin' Up! I didn't really stop and make one myself.

Amazing that you can make a pretty bow just out of several strips of paper and glue! My first one is a tiny bit wonky but it's not very noticeable…probably just to me.

I also took one of the Kraft Gift Boxes #124106 and decorated it with the brightly colored International Bazaar Designer Series Paper #126920. I measured the sides of the box and cut my pieces of paper just 1/8" smaller on two sides, allowing for a narrow margin of the Kraft Box to show.  Since all the paper coordinates, I could choose anything I wanted to.  The box was the perfect size for a bracelet I was giving my friend. It's good to keep some of these Kraft Gift Boxes on hand for all those gift-giving occasions!  Be sure to add them to your next Stampin' Up! order!

You can get anything you need at my Online Store here….and maybe you will get a bonus flyer in your package from Stampin' Up!

Paper Bow Strips

Kraft Gift Box and Paper Bow

Make Your Own Christmas Gift Cards

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Snow Festival Designer Series Paper Squares

Did you know that the Snow Festival Designer Series Paper #126908 in the Holiday Catalog has a sheet that looks like this in the package? I think the first thing everyone thought when they saw it was "gift tags"!  Just cut the whole page apart into the individual 3"x3" squares and mount on 3"x3" Whisper White cards (3" x 6" folded in half).

Snow Festival Christmas Gift Tags

Now these are just basic…and just fine!  If you want, you can punch a hole and tie on ribbon. You could stamp some greetings and adhere to the front if there isn't already a greeting.  You could probably jazz these up even more….maybe add some glitter! Make a bunch and put them in a cute gift box for a present to someone.  Who doesn't need more gift tags?!

To get your paper, card stock, adhesives and ribbon, just shop online at my Stampin' Up! store here!

A Nice Christmas Gift for Someone: Fancy Friends Kit

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Do you have someone on your list that you like to get a different kind of gift for or do you have a crafty friend who isn't really into stamping yet? Maybe your daughter wants to give some gifts to her friends or you want something for your babysitter.  Here's an easy kit that anyone can do and end up with something she can be proud that she made!

Get everything you need in the Fancy Friends Kit to make six cards for only $15.95 (item 132319)! If six isn't enough, add Note Cards to your order (item 107311). Extra rhinestones are already included in the Fancy Friends Kit.

If you remember a survey Stampin' Up! did on October 1st on Facebook asking everyone to choose a kit they liked, Fancy Friends was the winner! This is the first viewer's choice kit!

Watch the video below and see how to use the kit! Then add it to your order at my Online Store today!

 

Lovely As A Tree Christmas Card

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Lovely As a Tree Card

What would Christmas be without a Lovely As A Tree card? This stamp set was popular when I started stamping with Stampin' Up! over ten years ago and it is just as popular and beautiful today!  Talk about a timeless classic!  If you don't have Lovely As A Tree in your stamp collection, you really need to get it. It could retire some day (gasp!!) but I hope not any time soon! I've made countless Christmas cards similar to this….just stamp the tall evergreen, stamp it again without reinking…and repeat. Then just SQUIGGLE side to side from the top of the tree to the bottom with the 2-Way Glue Pen and sprinkle on Dazzling Diamonds Glitter.  Elegance as easy as can be!

Stampin’ Up! Christmas Keepsake Box Kit

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Christmas Keepsake Box

Stampin' Up! came out with this Christmas Keepsake Box a long time ago…maybe over a year ago. First it was an incentive gift, but then they began selling the extras. Now you can find them on the Stampin' Up! Clearance Rack. These boxes are SO beautiful when you make them I can't believe they have any left.

I've had mine for awhile…sitting out so I wouldn't forget it…the retired stamp set not put away…ready to go any minute….well, that minute finally came the other day! It didn't take too long to put together and isn't hard for as elaborate as it looks.  I watched the video that Shelli Gardner and her daughter Sara made while assembling this Christmas Keepsake Box, which is entertaining enough in itself! And then I started working on my box, looking back at the video if I wanted. You can follow their directions exactly, but it doesn't matter if you do it differently or mess up on something. It will all look beautiful in the end! I actually have my bow and flowers on the opposite end of the box than what the directions say….I guess I put the centerpiece on upside down!  But it doesn't matter!  The only thing mine is missing is to apply some spray adhesive and sprinkle on some glitter. I'm sure it will really add the finishing touch!

If you would like to add a bargain to your Stampin' Up! order, just head to the Clearance Rack and add Item #129024. I can only assume a product is still available in the Clearance Rack as I write this; everything in the Clearance Rack is while supplies last and could disappear at any time.  But what a great gift box to make as a gift itself for the holidays!  Put a few handmade cards or a special gift inside and the recipient will be wowed!

Just go to my Online Store to place your order for any supplies you need for your Christmas and holiday giving!

Ornamental Elegance Kit…Order Yours While Supplies Last!

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Ornamental_Elegance_Banner(1)

If you have admired the beautiful paper ornament on the cover of the Holiday Catalog, here is your chance to get a kit to make TEN of them! What great gifts for people and it saves you the work of stamping and cutting out all the ornament shapes! I made one from scratch and it certainly wasn't hard but it took some time to use the framelits on each shape. If you don't need all ten ornaments, then you can use the shapes as tags for your packaging.

The Ornamental Elegance Kit (132832) is $14.95 and includes:

  • Die-Cut Cardstock Elements
  • Cherry Cobbler 3-1/2" Scalloped Tulle Ribbon
  • Natural Linen Thread
  • Vintage Faceted Designer Buttons 
  • Large Pearl Basic Jewels

Stampin' Up! has added a new category in my Online Store called "New Arrivals" so that is where you will find the latest things!

 

Scentsational Season Card

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Scentsational Season Mug Friend Card

Scentsational Season is such a cute stamp set in so many ways! There are so many ideas for cards and gift ideas for the holidays.  But the coffee mug in the set can be used for cards other than Christmas, as I have done on this card. You can make it a "Friends" card, "Thinking of You", "Get Well", "Encouragement", even "Thank You" for after the holidays. Just change the greeting to whatever sentiment you want to express.  

The Holiday Collections Framelits are really nice to have and you can purchase the stamp set and framelits in a bundle saving you some money. But if you don't have the framelits, the stamps work just as well for stamping! The paper on this card is from the cute pack called Festival of Prints Designer Series Paper Stack #126904.  The word "Friends" is from Sweet Essentials Stamp Set.  And what would we do without all our colors of Seam Binding Ribbon?! 

Holiday Packaging Bundles Video from Stampin’ Up!

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Here's a cute video for you from Stampin' Up!  Just the other day they put out these special bundles of bags and tags and ties for you to help with your holiday wrapping at at a 20% savings. There are two bundles to choose from!
SU Petite Treats Bundle
Petite Treats Bundle  #132770   Price:  $13.50   Value:  $16.85
SU Trimmings and Tags Bundle
Trimmings and Tags Bundle  #132769    Price:  $13.50   Value:  $16.85
If you would like to place an order for these items or any other products, please do so at my Online Store HERE.  And you're always welcome to have me put your order in for you if you prefer.

Watch Sara Douglass on the Today Show Donating to the Holiday Toy & Gift Drive

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Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

 

Here's the clip of Sara Douglass, Shelli Gardner's daughter, appearing on the Today Show presenting the Stampin' Up! donation of $300,000 in paper crafting supplies to their Holiday Toy & Gift Drive.  This is the fourth year in a row that Stampin' Up! has participated. Sara was on with Hoda Kotb and Kathie Lee Gifford. She did a great job….but surely the Today Show realizes they should have Sara or Shelli on for a longer segment to do some stamping! I hope someday we will get to see what projects Sara had in her hands that she didn't have time to show!

Stampin’ Up! Holiday Packaging Bundles

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Stampin' Up! Bundles

A new idea out this morning from Stampin' Up! for wrapping a gift!  Make your holiday gift wrapping and packaging a little easier with these cute bundles at a discount. Click on the image above to enlarge. Order easily from my Online Store!

Trimmings & Tags Bundle
Item 132769
$13.50 (a $16.85 value)

Includes

  • Gusseted Cellophane Bags (25 bags; 5" x 3" x 11-1/2")
  • Snow Festival Designer Printed Tags (25 double-sided tags; 4-1/2" x 3-1/8")
  • Cherry Cobbler 1/4" Sweater Trim (10 yards)

 

Petite Treats Bundle
Item 132770
$13.50 (a $16.85 value)

 
Includes

  • Glassine Bags with die-cut edges (10 bags; 3" x 5" x 1-1/2")
  • Handmade Holidays Stitched Felt (8 pieces)
  • Gumball Green 3/8" Stitched Satin Ribbon (10 yards)

This special runs from today, Nov. 29th through January 2….but if you like these, I would order as soon as possible.

If you are looking for cute ways to package little gifts and treats for friends. co-workers, teachers, neighbors and even family, these take all the thinking and gathering out of your day!  You get everything you need for wrapping a gift for Christmas (except the treat!) and you're ready to go! 

Place your order today at my online store and get these bundles shipped to you in plenty of time for all your holiday gift-giving!

 

Sara Douglass for Stampin’ Up! on the Today Show Today!!

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Sara Douglass, daughter of Stampin' Up! CEO and cofounder Shelli Gardner, will be delivering Stampin' Up!'s donation of $300,000 in paper crafting supplies to the 19th Annual TODAY Show Holiday Toy & Gift Drive today, November 29, 2012. Here is a photo I took last January at the Stampin' Up! Leadership Conference of Shelli and Sara on stage. I'm sure Sara will do a great job representing Stampin' Up! I only wish they would give her more than about two seconds to talk about Stampin' Up!  They don't know what they are missing!!

Sara will be featured during the fourth hour of the TODAY Show with Hoda Kotb and Kathie Lee Gifford (generally 10 AM [EST]). Be sure to check your local listings, however, as the fourth hour airs at various times depending on the market.

Shelli is with Sara in New York for the show but says she is relieved that Sara will be the one on TV! I can't wait to watch!

Donations will be distributed to the following organizations:

  • Action for Boston Community Development Inc., Boston, MA
  • Arizona Helping Hands, Inc., Scottsdale, AZ
  • Boys & Girls Clubs Harford County, Belcamp, MD
  • Cathedral Community Cares, New York, NY
  • Children's Toy Closet, New Haven, CT
  • Harlem Children's Zone, New York, NY
  • Help USA, Brooklyn, NY
  • Hispanic Federation, New York, NY
  • Making a Difference Foundation, Virginia Beach, VA
  • Oklahoma Conference of the United Methodist Churches, Oklahoma City, OK
  • Operation Homefront, San Antonio, TX
  • Phipps Houses, Bronx, NY
  • Project Sunshine, New York, NY
  • South Central Los Angeles Regional Center, Los Angeles, CA
  • The Christmas Box Intl., Salt Lake City, UT
  • St. Margaret's Center, Lennox, CA

Stampin' Up! invites those demonstrators who live in the New York City area, to come join them on the plaza outside the TODAY Show studios!

Hope you can watch this morning!!

 

 

Stampin’ Up! Clear Blocks–Doorbuster Bundle! Fun to Play With!

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Stampin' Up! Clear Block Bundle House
If you love stamping with clear-mount stamps, I hope you have plenty of Stampin' Up! clear blocks.  But if you don't, you can order them today at my online store for 20% off during the LAST DAY of the Stampin' Up! Online Extravaganza! These blocks are so much fun! Look at the house you can build!!  If you have several of them together, they make the neatest sound as you jumble them together! They really make a neat clinking sound together!  Oh, and besides stamping with them, you can make a pool of ink on them to pick up with your Aqua Painter or Blender Pen. You can also place several stamps on a big block at once
Today the Clear Block Bundle #118491 is one of the 24-Hour Specials on the Online Extravaganza! 
Clear Block Bundle

If you don't like the sound of your blocks clinking around in a box or basket, be sure to order the Clear Block Storage Caddy #120279 today. It's on sale for 20% off!
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And last but not least, as they say….the last "doorbuster" today is the Stack & Store Caddy #109127. I've had mine for years to hold all my containers of embellishments. You can actually use more than one, probably, so if you want to get it on sale, today is the day!  It's the LAST DAY of the Stampin' Up! Online Extravaganza!
Stack & Store Caddy
There are plenty of great deals on the Online Extravaganza and today is your last chance!  Don't wait until the last minute tonight to place your order! Some items are already getting low and the wait for the back order might be awhile.
Two items running low are the Scallop Edge Punch and the Petite Pocket Die. The Rhinestones may already be backordered (according to an order I had last night). You can put them on your order but there might be a wait.
It's not on the Extravaganza, but the Texture Boutique Embossing Machine is sold out! Just so you know!  Stampin' Up! only had 4000 to sell and they are gone!
So rush right over to my Online Store (be sure you see my name in the right-hand top corner) and check out all the items on the Stampin' Up! Online Extravaganza! Sale ends

Making a Christmas Wreath Card with Paper Scraps

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Wreath Card
I saw this idea in a papercrafting magazine although that one was made with washi tape and I used paper scraps! It just caught my eye! I'm not sure I would make a bunch of these cards, but to make one or a few it would be fun.
First I cut some strips 3/4" wide from the pack of paper in the Holiday Catalog called Festival of Prints Designer Series Paper Stack.  This is a fun pad of designer papers to have since they all coordinate and are small to use on lots of projects! I made the first ones 1" long and the red polka dot batch 3/4" long for the top layer. I suggest playing around with your wreath pieces until you see how they fit together, how big of a wreath you want, what will fit on your card layer or project. In the end I used 9 of the longer pieces and "scootched" them closer together. The red ones probably the same number.  At first I was going to do the same green print but it didn't show up well enough on top although I might have tried dimensionals.
Once I had it all laid out on the card layer, I realized I didn't want to take it all apart to glue it (or even put it on Very Vanilla card stock like I intended to do!) so I left the pieces where they were and just slipped a dot of Multipurpose Glue underneath each piece. That would be enough to hold them and if I wanted, I could ruffle up the tips of the pieces.
Wreath pieces
Wreath glue

I just added a  Cherry Cobbler Seam Binding bow and stamped a greeting from Teeny Tiny Wishes. This would also make a nice embellishment on a scrapbook page, too, if you just made the wreath!
Don't forget the Stampin' Up! Online Extravaganza continues tomorrow, Tuesday and Wednesday….thru Nov. 28th.  Be sure to do a little shopping and get your bargains. You may add any other merchandise on to your order as well, including Clearance Rack and MDS Downloads.

Shop the Stampin’ Up! Online Extravaganza for Bargains….and No Camping Out!

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Online Extravaganza 2012

With Black Friday pretty much extending through the whole weekend, today being Small Business Saturday and Monday being Cyber Monday, this is quite the weekend for shopping. I've always thought it was rather crazy when people would camp out right after Thanksgiving dinner to be first in line on Black Friday, but this year that has been taken to new extremes.  Here there were people camping out ALL WEEK in line at Best Buy to be first in line to buy that $200 TV or whatever doorbusters they thought they had to have. In fact, one family that was interviewed said this is now their Thanksgiving tradition….they have their Thanksgiving dinner while camped out in line in front of the store!!!  Really???!!

Well, Stampin' Up! makes shopping way easier than all that!! You don't have to camp out in front of Stampin' Up! or even my house to get some good deals on Stampin' Up! products! The Stampin' Up! Online Extravaganza started early before Black Friday, and to give you plenty of time goes on past Cyber Monday….until Wed. Nov. 28th. You'll be able to get any of the discounts from 20% – 50% off at your convenience either online or by contacting me….with no camping out on a sidewalk! And I bet your Stampin' Up! purchases will be much better quality than the deals that some of these stores are offering! There are no cheap versions of stamping supplies made just to get you "in the store" in hopes you will buy something bigger and better. It's all the same stamps and accessories we can always buy, backed by the Stampin' Up! reputation, just discounted to make shopping fun!

Don't miss out on these discounts!  Even though they are out there longer than a weekend, don't let the time pass.  They will end on Wednesday, Nov. 28 so don't wait until the last minute and risk a computer snafu or unexpected company or something else that happens to prevent you from ordering!

Shop the Stampin' Up! Online Extravaganza right now from the comfort of your computer chair!   No tents on sidewalks! This is shopping at its best!

Sweet Pressed Cookie Stamps…Easy Cookie Baking!

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Sweet Pressed Cookies

It may be Black Friday, but if you are not into that shopping craziness it would be a good day to stay home and read over the Stampin' Up! Online Extravaganza shopping list! There are so many great bargains on there, discounts from 20% – 50% off regular price! You'll notice that one set…Special Events…. of the Sweet Pressed Cookie Stamps is on the list at 30% off!

It's been over a year now that Stampin' Up! came out with these Sweet Pressed Cookie Stamps! I'm not an experienced dough baker…..I can mix up some cookie dough and then drop globs on a cookie sheet and bake, but I've never been good with cookie cutters and rolling pins and all that. But the Stampin' Up! Sweet Pressed Cookie Stamps are easy to use! I had a friend coming from out of town and of course I was making these at the last minute in between trying to finish cleaning the house….so I was under a lot of pressure!  Normally that would guarantee the 'fancy" cookies not turning out at all. But, honestly, I whipped these out with no trouble and they tasted great!  I'm not saying I took time to make them look REALLY nice (like trimming the edges if I didn't get the stamp centered properly), but they turned out! That's all I cared about….having some home-baked cookies that tasted good!

Sweet Pressed Cookie Stamp one

These still basically met my "drop cookie" method of baking….just take a glob of dough, roll it in a ball, put it on the cookie sheet and stamp! The main tip is to ALWAYS dip the stamp into a bowl of sugar (or maybe flour) EACH TIME before you stamp and you won't have much trouble with dough sticking to the stamp.

I didn't take much time for decorating either which would have been nice!  I might even have some special cookie glitter (not to be confused with Dazzling Diamonds Glitter!!), but there was no time for that.  I just sprinkled on some cinnamon sugar and some sprinkles and called it good!

Sweet Pressed Cookie Stamp with Sugar

              Sweet Pressed Cookie Stamp with Sprinkles

The recipe comes in the box with the stamps, and the cookies are delicious.  My friend even commented that they lasted well over a couple of days (since we really didn't eat them all the first night!)

Before you start your holiday cookie baking, consider these Sweet Pressed Cookie Stamps from Stampin' Up! While all the designs are fun, it is the Special Events set that is on sale right now during the Stampin' Up! Online Extravaganza 30% off! Add them to your Online Order HERE.

Sweet Pressed Cookie Stamps

Holidays Sweet Pressed Cookie Stamps #125152

Special Events Sweet Pressed Cookie Stamps

Special Events #126903

Occasions Sweet Pressed Cookie Stamps

Occasions #127081