Quick and Easy Tags

Need some quick and simple tags for last-minute gift wrapping? I love the ornate, intricate, layered tags I see all over the blogosphere, but I hate the thought of them being swept up with all the wrapping paper and tossed into the recycling! These little guys come together in no time flat, with a few scraps, punches, and dies.





Thanks for stopping by!

Supplies:
Stamps: Winter Post, Many Merry Messages, Serene Snowflakes
Paper: Crumb Cake, Very Vanilla, Whisper White, Bashful Blue, Silver Glitter
Ink: Crumb Cake, Early Espresso, Chocolate Chip, Marina Mist
Accessories: Northern Frost Decorative Strip die, Two Tags die, Scallop Circle Punch, 1 3/8 Circle Punch, Linen Thread, elastic cord

Happy Holidays!

Wow, I can't believe I've been absent from my blog for such a long time. It's not that I haven't been crafting, but the photos of what I've been making just haven't seemed to make it onto the blog lately. I do have a good excuse though...




We are so excited to be expecting our first child at the end of May! This holiday is certainly a special one, as we enjoy the special traditions of the season and dream about what new traditions we will create as a family in the years to come.

Thanks for stopping by!

Supplies:
My Digital Studio (MDS)

Happy Howl-o-ween!

Happy Halloween! I was playing in the Paper Cottage today and came up with this fun Halloween card. The Bitty Bat punch is retired, but is currently available on the Clearance Rack, while supplies last.

Thanks for stopping by!

Supplies:

Stamps: Warmest Wishes (hostess), Howl-o-ween Creeps, Teeny Tiny Wishes

Paper: Pumpkin Pie, Basic Black, Whisper White, So Saffron, Old Olive, Rich Razzleberry, Chocolate Chip

Ink: Black Staz-On, So Saffron, Pumpkin Pie (marker)

Accessories: 1 3/4'' Circle Punch, Word Window Punch, Modern Label Punch, 2 Step Owl Punch, 2 Step Bird Punch, Bitty Bat Punch

Clean and Simple Easy Events Cards

Easy Events is one of the stamp sets I got with my Stampin' Up Convention registration. It is such a versatile set to have in your collection! The images are clean and simple, so I thought they would lend themselves well to a set of clean, white on white cards. There are eight images in total in this set, and the ladies who attended my Easy Events class made eight cards altogether, one with each image. The images are coloured in with Stampin' Pads and Blender Pen, and I used either Crystal Effects or Dazzling Diamonds/Two-Way Glue Pen for a bit of embellishment.

Thanks for stopping by!

Supplies:

Stamps: Easy Events

Paper: Whisper White, Perfect Plum, Soft Suede

Ink: Perfect Plum, Chocolate Chip, Certainly Celery, Soft Suede, Rose Red, Black Staz-On

Accessories: Crystal Effects, Dazzling Diamonds, Two-Way Glue Pen, Perfect Polka Dots embossing folder, Finial Press embossing folder

Sweets for the Sweet Mini Album

Here's another adorable project using the Sweets for the Sweet stamp set from our last group meeting. It's a simple mini album with pockets for photos, keepsakes and journaling, all held together with a belly band. What a fun way to remember a summer trip, or even to make with a child to hold all those special summer memories.

Thanks for stopping by!

Supplies:

Stamps: Sweets for the Sweet

Ink: Lucky Limeade, Crumb Cake, Island Indigo

Paper: Pool Party, Crumb Cake, Island Indigo, Lucky Limeade

Accessories: Colour Spritzer, Linen Thread, Dazzling Diamonds

Sweets for the Sweet

This adorable card was one of the make n' takes from my upline's recent demonstrator meeting. It was also one of the make n' takes on the Stampin' Up 2011 Alaska Cruise incentive trip. It uses all five of the new In Colours, as well as the Sweets for the Sweet stamp set.

Thanks for stopping by!

Supplies:

Stamps: Sweets for the Sweet, Curly Cute

Ink: Wisteria Wonder, Lucky Limeade, Calypso Coral, Pool Party

Paper: Lucky Limeade, Calypso Coral, Pool Party, Island Indigo, Whisper White

Accessories: Linen Thread, Crimper, Metallic Brad, Paper Piercing Tool

Back from a Break

Hello stampers! I can't believe July has already come and gone! I got busy at the beginning of July preparing all my swaps for Stampin' Up! convention, then I was away at Convention, and since then, I've been busy hosting some students from Japan and showing them around Vancouver. Check out where we went yesterday: Lighthouse Park in West Vancouver. It is so breathtaking there! We hiked through shady trails surrounded by old growth forests and picnicked on the sun drenched rocks with the ocean breeze cooling us. As a local, you sometimes forget about all the great places close to home, and I love playing tourist in my own town when I host visitors. I didn't intend to be away from my blog for so long, but I'm back; thanks for your patience!

Today's card is a swap I did for an organized swap at Convention. The swap was organized by my friend and sideline, Ida Chan. Thanks Ida, for organizing such a great swap! At Convention, you can swap anytime with anyone else who is swapping cards, and you can also sign up to participate in organized swaps that have a theme or focus. The focus for this one was "Birthday" and I got so many beautiful cards back in return. I'll try to show some of them in the coming days and weeks.

Thanks for stopping by!

Supplies:

Stamps: Word Play

Paper: Bashful Blue, Crumb Cake, Whisper White, Melon Mambo, Old Olive DSP, Melon Mambo DSP

Ink: Bashful Blue, Marina Mist, Old Olive, Melon Mambo, Daffodil Delight, Pumpkin Pie

Accessories: Hemp Twine, Cupcake Punch, 1 1/4 Circle Punch, 1 3/8 Circle Punch, 1/16 Hole Punch, Scallop Circle Punch

Spiral Punch Sandcastle

I cased this card from Dawn Olchefske; when I saw it on her blog, it just made me smile. I never would have thought of making a sandcastle with the spiral punch! If you do not yet have this fantastic punch, you have a few more days to get your hands on it as it retires at the end of the month. The greeting set I used on these two cards is Define Your Life, and it also retires on June 30.

Thanks for stopping by!

Supplies:

Stamps: Define Your Life

Paper: Bashful Blue, Crumb Cake, Daffodil Delight, Whisper White, Early Espresso

Ink: Early Espresso

Accessories: Spiral Punch, Word Window Punch, 1 3/8 Circle Punch, Scallop Circle Punch

Go Canucks, Go!

*Note: The image above does not belong to this blog.

If you live in the Vancouver area, you'll understand what this card is all about ;) For those of you who don't, allow me to explain. Our city is in the midst of hockey playoff fever right now. Our local team, the Vancouver Canucks, are poised to win the Stanley Cup for the first time in the team's forty year history! Needless to say, Vancouverites are pumped and the energy can felt all around the city!

This card is for my hubby's birthday today. He's always been a huge Canucks fan, so when I got to work on his card yesterday, I knew I wanted it to Canucks-themed. This is the team's "stick in rink" logo that is on their jerseys, and the "wish big" sentiment from Word Play is SO appropriate; we are all "wishing big" for our beloved Canucks to take home the cup!

Thanks for stopping by!

Supplies:

Stamps: Word Play

Paper: Whisper White, Pacific Point, Garden Green

Ink: Not Quite Navy marker, Daffodil Delight marker, Garden Green marker

Accessories: 1 3/4 Circle Punch, 3/16 Corner Punch, slot punch (retired)

Beveled Windowpanes Baby Card

I am so delighted to share this card with you today. My sister gave birth to a beautiful baby girl two weeks ago, and this is the card I made her. I love these Beveled Windowpanes; they add such a special touch to any card or project. Did you know they are still available to order? Yup, a special selection of products from the Occasions Mini Catalogue, which officially 'ended' at the end of April, is still available through the end of June. I sure hope the windowpanes make it to the new catalogue, which will be released July 1. The card is on a base of Pink Pirouette, with a layer of Crumb Cake on the card front. The sentiment is from Define Your Life; this set is a must-have, and it retires at the end of June!

Thanks for stopping by today!

Supplies:

Stamps: Tiny Tags, Define Your Life

Ink: Pink Pirouette, Early Espresso

Paper: Pink Pirouette, Crumb Cake, Very Vanilla

Accessories: Beveled Windowpanes, Crumb Cake Seam Binding, Linen Thread, Beautiful Wings embosslit, Framed Tulips embossing folder

Last Chance Lists Are Here!

Dates: June 1-30, 2011 (select items while supplies last)

Details
It's time to say goodbye! Hundreds of products from the 2010-2011 Idea Book & Catalogue and Definitely Decorative brochures are retiring to make room for all the new products in the new catalogue coming out on July 1st! Now is the time for you to get them before they're gone.

Discontinued Stamp Sets can be found HERE.

Discontinued Accessories can be found HERE

Discontinued Definitely Decorative products can be found HERE.

Discontinued stamp sets, Stampin' Up! will manufacture to fill demand. However, the accessories are first come first served, so don't delay in ordering!

Baroque Motifs Wedding Card

I had the honour of attending a beautiful wedding last weekend, and this is the card I made for the lovely couple. The wedding colours were pink and silver, so those were the colours I chose for the card. I attached the scallop square vellum piece with two mini glue dots, which I then concealed with the rhinestones.

Thanks for stopping by!

Supplies:

Stamps: Baroque Motifs

Paper: Pink Pirouette, Whisper White, Cardstock Vellum, Brushed Silver Cardstock

Ink: Pink Pirouette, Versamark

Accessories: Silver Embossing Powder, Vintage Wallpaper Embossing Folder, Scallop Square Punch, Basic Jewels Rhinestones, white satin ribbon and ring accent (non-SU!)

National Scrapbooking Month Promotion

Celebrate National Scrapbooking Month with Stampin' Up!

From May 1-31, get 30 percent off a variety of scrapbooking products, including select

• Stamp sets! (click HERE to see the 30% off stamp sets) **note: the prices shown are the regular prices
• Digital downloads!
• My Digital Studio print products!

In addition, join Stampin' Up! as a demonstrator during the month of May, and you'll get 30 percent off the Digital+ Starter Kit! The Digital+ Starter Kit contains over $375 worth of high-quality Stampin' Up! products, including our innovative digital designing software, My Digital Studio--and during this special promotion, you'll pay just $150.50!

But that's not all! When you join the Stampin' Up! family, you can also purchase the Stampin' Memories Add-On--an additional $95 worth of scrapbooking products--for just $42. With the Stampin' Memories Add-On, you'll get

• A stamp set
• A package of card stock
• A package of Designer Series Paper
• A package of Quick Accents (self-adhesive die cuts)
• A Designer Printed 12" x 12" Album

The Stampin' Memories Add-On is usually priced at $60, but when you join the Stampin' Up! family during our National Scrapbooking Month Promotion, you'll get an additional 30 percent discount.

Contact me today to place your order or to join as a demonstrator.

Fun Flowers Mother's Day Card

One of the great perks of being a Stampin' Up! demonstrator is that every month I look forward to receiving a monthly demonstrator magazine in my mailbox. It is always full of the latest and greatest tips, samples and techniques. I was flipping through the latest issue the other day, hoping to get some inspiration for a Mother's Day card for my grandmother. I wanted something eye-catching and fairly bold, as I knew Grandma would have trouble seeing tiny details. When I saw a version of this card, I knew it was the one. I changed the original card by adding the baker's twine, a fun new product from the Summer Mini Catalogue. Haven't received your Summer Mini Catalogue yet? Contact me for a free copy.

Thanks for stopping by!

Supplies:

Stamps: Well-Scripted (retired), Punch Potpourri (level 1 hostess)

Paper: So Saffron, Cherry Cobbler, Old Olive, Crumb Cake

Ink: Early Espresso, Crumb Cake, Old Olive marker, Real Red marker

Accessories: Dotted Ribbon Border Punch, Cherry Cobbler Baker's Twine, Fun Flowers die, Blossom Petals Punch (for leaves)

Nature Walk Easter Basket

I made this basket last week for Easter using the gorgeous eggs image from the Nature Walk stamp set. This set is only available for one more day in the Occasions Mini Catalogue. It's not a set that I would define as my usual style, but I love the mix of images in it and have found it quite easy to use. I coloured the eggs with my Stampin' Write markers and glazed them with a layer of Crystal Effects. The basket itself is simply four scallop envelope die cuts adhered together.

Thanks for stopping by!

Supplies:

Stamps: Nature Walk, Teeny Tiny Wishes

Paper: Baja Breeze, Crumb Cake, Soft Suede, Whisper White

Ink: Baja Breeze, Early Espresso, Blush Blossom marker, Baja Breeze marker, Crumb Cake marker, Blushing Bride marker, Pear Pizazz marker

Accessories: Scallop Envelope die, Crystal Effects, silver brads

A Slice of Life Teabag Holder

Happy Easter! I hope you are enjoying Easter weekend. It is a beautiful spring day here, and I can't wait to get outside to enjoy it.

I have a quick and cute teabag holder to share with you today. I cased it from Caroline Skinner, who has a great tutorial for it. As you can see I made two versions, one that closes like a card, and a more simple one. Both are equally adorable. The stamp sets I used, A Slice of Life and You're a Gem, are available in the Occasions Mini Catalog only until the end of April. I used the lovely seam binding ribbon in Very Vanilla and gathered the ends to create some ruffles.

Thanks for stopping by!

Supplies:

Stamps: A Slice of Life (level 1 hostess set), You're a Gem

Paper: Soft Suede, Blushing Bride, Whisper White, Blushing Bride DSP

Ink: Soft Suede, Blushing Bride, Early Espresso

Accesories: Decorative Label Punch, Corner Rounder Punch, 3/4'' Circle Punch, 1'' Circle Punch, 1-3/4'' Circle Punch, Very Vanilla Seam Binding

A Slice of Life Sympathy Card

I've had this Hostess Set, A Slice of Life, for a while now, but only just gotten around to playing with it. It is a great set with simple images for colouring and paper piecing. This card measures 4-1/4 by 4-1/4. I coloured the flowers with my Baja Breeze marker and added a dot of Marina Mist in the centre of each flower. I stamped the vase on a scrap of designer paper, cut it out, and adhered it. The Pear Pizazz Seam Binding is so soft and easy to work with. A Slice of Life is available as a Hostess Level 1 set in the Occasions Mini Catalogue only until April 30.

Thanks for stopping by!

Supplies:

Stamps: A Slice of Life, Teeny Tiny Wishes

Paper: Naturals Ivory, Whisper White, Baja Breeze, Pear Pizazz DSP

Ink: Black Staz On, Baja Breeze marker, Marina Mist Marker, Pear Pizazz Marker

Accessories: Pear Pizazz Seam Binding Ribbon, Button Latte, Hemp Twine

New Items on Clearance Rack!

Head over to the Clearance Rack right now to check out all the amazing goodies that have just been added! There are tons of great deals to be had, including Mystery Grab Bags. $18 for $72 worth of product - you can't beat that!

Petal Cone Cupcake Card

I've been having lots of fun with the Petal Cone Die. When I saw the idea for this cupcake card on Corinne Somerville's blog, I knew I had to give it a try. Anyone who knows me, knows I love "cute" and this little cupcake card fit the bill. It is so simple to make with the Petal Cone die, and the Pompom Trim and Glimmer Paper cherry add just the right touches.

Thanks for stopping by!

Supplies:

Stamps: Teeny Tiny Wishes

Ink: Early Espresso

Paper: Early Espresso, Melon Mambo, Old Olive, Brights DSP Stack,

Whisper White, Red Glimmer Paper

Accessories: Basic Pearls, Decorative Label Punch, Petal Cone Die,

Crimper, 3/4'' Circle Punch, Word Window Punch, Pompom Trim

Fox & Friends Baby Cards

Hello stampers! I have two similar baby cards to show you today. I love the super-cute animal images in the Fox & Friends set, and giraffes are such a popular theme for babies right now. I used the inlaid embossing technique for both cards. To achieve this look, simply adhere punched shapes onto a piece of cardstock, then run the cardstock through the Big Shot using the Square Lattice embossing folder. You can use any embossing folder for this technique, but the Square Lattice is my favourite because it has so much texture.

The first card is a gift card holder. I forgot to get a photo of the inside, but it is the same as the one I made here. The front of the card is folded in half, with a slot for the gift card punched out with the Word Window punch.

Thanks for stopping by!

Supplies:

Stamps: Fox & Friends, Family Phrases, Tiny Tags

Paper: So Saffron, Chocolate Chip, Whisper White, Early Espresso, Soft Suede, Crumb Cake

Ink: So Saffron, Early Espresso

Accessories: Chocolate Chip Satin Ribbon, Hemp Twine, Jewelry Tag Punch, Square Lattice Embossing Folder, 2 3/8 Scallop Circle Punch, 1 3/4 Circle Punch

Fun Flowers, Part 2

As I mentioned in my last post, I am LOVING this new Fun Flowers die. These flowers are such a fun, easy way to add texture to any card, box or 3-D item.

I used two flower images from the Vintage Vogue stamp set on the card base. The sentiment is from the same set as well.

Thanks for stopping by!

Supplies:

Stamps: Vintage Vogue

Paper: Soft Suede, Old Olive, Concord Crush, Very Vanilla, Crumb Cake Designer Paper

Ink: Soft Suede, Old Olive, Concord Crush

Accessories: Old Olive satin ribbon, Scallop Edge Border Punch, Basic Pearls, 3/4'' Circle Punch

Fun Flowers, Part 1

Hi Stampers! I had a fabulous time at Stampin' Up's! Vancouver Regional Convention yesterday. The event totally exceeded my expectations; the presentations were excellent, the make n' takes were the best ever, the swaps were top notch, and we were even treated to a 3pm snack of cupcakes! Stampin' Up! treats its demonstrators so well, and I feel lucky to be a part of such a great company.

On to the card; today's card uses the new Fun Flowers die, available in the Occasions Mini Catalogue. It's a Bigz L Die, and offers great value as you get three big, beautiful flowers and two centres from one die. I cased this card from Mary Fish, and she has a video on her blog to show how easy it is to add dimension and a wow factor to your projects with these flowers.

Check back soon for another card using these Fun Flowers!

Supplies:

Stamps: Short & Sweet, Tiny Tags

Paper: So Saffron, Chocolate Chip, Chocolate Chip DSP (retired), So Saffron DSP (retired)

Ink: Chocolate Chip

Accessories: Fun Flowers Die, Jewelry Tag Punch, Basic Pearls

Valentine's Treats

I'm just getting around to posting this now, but I thought I'd share with you some little Valentine treats I made for a staff luncheon we had at school. These little milk cartons were fun to make and share, and with the help of the Big Shot, easy to mass produce. I filled each of them with five dark chocolates; I love the size of these little chocolate rectangles from Costco. They nestled in those mini milk cartons perfectly!

Thanks for stopping by!

Every Little Bit Baby Cards

My dear friend is due to give birth to a baby boy any day now. I am so excited for her, as she already has an adorable little girl, and her family will be complete with the arrival of her baby boy. I made her a set of thank you cards that will come in handy for the gifts she will be receiving.

She loves teddy bears, so I knew this super-cute bear from the Every Little Bit set would be perfect for these cards. Actually, I have to admit, this bear image convinced me that I had to have this set. Look at him in this close-up; how could I resist?!?

Every Little Bit has 28 image stamps in total, and they are all just as cute and versatile as this little bear. They fit perfectly in the Stampin' Up! punches; I punched the bear out with a 1'' circle punch and popped him up on a Scallop Square. It was a cinch to watercolour him quickly with ink and a blender pen. I kept the layout very simple, and made five Chocolate Chip cards and five Crumb Cake cards. I also made a simple box to put the cards and envelopes in and wrapped the whole thing up in a cello bag. I hope she likes them!

Supplies:

Stamps: Every Little Bit, Short and Sweet, Family Phrases

Ink: Crumb Cake, Chocolate Chip, Early Espresso, Pretty in Pink

Paper: Crumb Cake, Chocolate Chip, Bashful Blue, Whisper White

Accessories: Blender Pen, Scallop Square Punch, 1'' Circle Punch, Piercing tool, Mat Pack, Chocolate Chip Satin Ribbon

Artistic Etchings Gift Card Holder

I was looking for an idea for a gift card holder recently and came across this idea on LeeAnn Greff's blog. I love how it uses a standard sized card (4 1/4 x 5 1/2); you just need to score and fold the front of the card in half lengthwise and use the Word Window punch to create the slot.

I heat embossed and cut out the gold crown, and used my Colour Spritzer tool on the Very Vanilla layer.

Thanks for stopping by!

Supplies:

Stamps: Artistic Etchings, Short & Sweet

Ink: Early Espresso, Cherry Cobbler, Crumb Cake, Versamark

Paper: Crumb Cake, Very Vanilla, Early Espresso, Cherry Cobbler

Accessories: Colour Spritzer, Early Espresso 1/8'' Taffeta Ribbon, Gold Embossing Powder