Ohhhhhh Bella Girl.......

My personal card stash is BARE, nuthin' there! I desperately needed to stamp some birthday cards and some general friendship cards. I had colored these Stamping Bella stamps some time ago so I pulled them all out and got to work PRONTO! But first I created this *graphic* image type card using a Lizzie Anne circle Happy Birthday stamp and some other word stamps that I've collected over the years. Oh, and the new backgrounder lined paper stamp that Lisa Strahl designed for Cornish Heritage Farms. I dearly love stamps that are graphic in nature........word stamps, office type supplies, grid paper, lines, circles, shapes. And I really love word stamps that incorporate images in them or make a design like this Lizzie Anne circle stamp used on the card below. Oh, and the tab punch by Stampin' Up!, LOVE it! The card below was inspired by a scrapbook layout I saw on the Two Peas website. Always gotta stamp the envy too.
Then I moved on to my Bellas using a similar layout with the lined paper backgrounder stamp on a simple white base card. I haven't used a white base card in forever but I love the simplicity of it. You can zoom in to see all the different sentiment stamps I used. Don't you just love to see an entire little collection of cards together. That just makes me HAPPY! I love when I get to mass produce. And NO ONE else gets these cards, they're all mine to send out to friends and family. Here's some close up shots of some fun details. I used the SU! tab punch to make a file folder look on this card. *the good stuff* stamp is from Creative Imaginations. All scallop layers are from Spellbinders. Coloring is done with Copics.
How bout this little flag I made on this card below. I simply stamped a sentiment, cut it out with scissors and snipped the ends to make a little flag...attached with a flower brad.
And this sentiment from Stampin' Up!, I love it. I stamped the matching *thank U* sentiment on the inside of the card.
Well, my table is a wonderful mess now, piled up with colorful scraps and all kinds of word stamps. I was not a good girl......I left my mess out! So today, I have to clean that up and then I promised Jordan that we'd make some Valentine decorations. She's been patiently waiting since I told her last night. I better get to movin' girls, I can't keep my girl waiting!!

Tip of the day: When you use satin/silky type ribbons on your cards, the ends fray right? I use a clear glue on the cut ends and let it dry. This keeps the ends from fraying any further. There is actually glue formulated to use on fabric and I remember using something called Fray Check in college on my sample boards, do they still make that? Any ol' clear glue will work though.

Texture Embossing with Spellbinder's

Oh my gosh, I'm doing lots of experimenting with my Spellbinder's Nestabilities (Nesties) and look what I've come up with for today......TEXTURE EMBOSSING! It's so simple it's not even funny. And the possibilities are endless as to what you can use to emboss. For these samples I used a scrap piece of mesh type ribbon. Check out how beautiful Karen Lockhart's new HYDRANGEA stamp looks on this card. I textured the entire stamped image and then airbrushed the image while still in the Nestie rectangle template. Then I took a sanding block and rubbed over the ink to soften the edges and reveal more of the mesh look. I love it!! It just adds so much texture and adds to the soft country feel of this card. The card layout was inspired by a layout in the Stampin' Up! catalog. I also airbrushed the Prima flower to match my card stock a little better. A Dew Drop is in the center of the flower. Patterned paper by SU! Image colored with Copic Markers. I did the same embossing on this card but kept the inking to a light distress color. It's still very textured looking but with a softer look. This stamp is from Karen Lockhart also and is called COTTAGE FLOWERS. I think I have made summer bouquets that looks exactly like this, in the canning jars and all. I call them wild flowers........my farmer dad always teases me that I *sure got a nice jar of weeds there*. He tries to kill 'em and I'm putting them in flowers vases and think they're beautiful! Same card layout here with the stitching and ribbon. Patterned paper by My Mind's Eye. Image colored with Copic Markers. Slight water coloring around flowers and jar done with SU! Watercolor Wonder Crayons.
Soooooooo, you wanna know how to texture emboss with your Spellbinder Nestabilities? Okay, okay already. I'll tell ya. Here's the Spellbinder's sandwich for embossing, starting with the bottom layer:

white spacer plate

embossing object(mesh, lace, textured material, wire, threads, real flowers, leaves, etc)

Nestabilities die template with cut shape still in tact (I used a rectangle). You will have already stamped/colored your image and cut your shape with the die template. Your die will be placed down with the cutting side up and stamped image facing down on the embossing object.

tan embossing mat

white spacer plate

Run this sandwich through the Wizard and when it comes out, you'll have an embossed image on your shape. The outside edges will be embossed too, it does it at the same time. You can then airbrush the image or sponge with ink. You can sand over the embossing to bring out the texture and soften the edges. You can brayer over the embossing with a light colored distressing ink. And SOOO much more......I've only begun to scratch the surface of embossing with the Nesties/Wizard. I hope you try it!!

Crafty Secrets Prize Winner!!

Cathy, try emailing me again, I forgot a letter!! :)

Drumroll please..................the name of the Crafty Secrets give away winner is CATHY!! Congratulations Cathy!! Please email me at stamplady@satelephone.com with your full name and mailing address. Your goody package will be mailed out directly from Crafty Secrets! Woohoo!! And thank you to everyone who entered their name for the drawing, I had over 350 replies!!!

Cathy said...
WOW this is one AWESOME candy giveaway. I just love your vintage look on your cards. Pick ME ME ME...I have to have these stamps! Thanks for a chance and Happy New Year!cmeyers@hughes.net

Microwave Sweet Party Mix...Yummo!

Update on Candy Stand Kits: The kits are sold out at this time but Ellen has ordered more supplies, woohoo!! You can check back at the link...Ellen will put them on preorder and will ship them out as soon as the supplies arrive to her.

The two tiered stand that I have my Valentine decorations in was purchased at at store here in Kansas called Nell Hills. If you're ever in Atchison or Kansas City, you should definitely spend a few hours there. It's my favorite place EVER to shop!

Note: Be sure to sign up for the Crafty Secrets give away if you haven't. I'll be drawing a name tomorrow afternoon/early evening so check back to see if you're the lucky winner!!! Scroll down to my January 2nd post and leave a comment to enter for the prize drawing.

Today, I would love to share with a few things from my home. I always like to decorate for the holidays, my girls love it so much. So I thought I would show you my Valentine set up. I keep it pretty much to a few areas, one being a two-tiered stand that I keep on my dining room table. I put some shredded filler stuff in each tier basket and then just filled the tiers with all sorts of Valentine decorations. It's definitely a mix and match of *stuff*. That's what I love about this stand, I can just group together items of similar colors and/or themes and it makes a pretty fun decoration......without all these little items scattered around my house like Easter eggs!!

Here's the top tier of the stand. Those cute tea towels are from Target this year. Here's the bottom tier of the stand. The little tins tucked in the back will have little candies and treats for the girls on Valentine's Day.
And here's one of my most beloved recipes of all time.......YES I'm going to share it with you. YES, I should write a book, I KNOW!!! LOL!! The photo below shows a photo of a cute bunny rabbit my mom sewed many years ago, she is so special to me. And the little bowl she's holding holds a big batch of my SWEET PARTY MIX. It's so easy to make, doesn't take a lot of time and it's totally addicting!! You can add in seasonal colored M & M's to match any holiday, sports team colors or party theme. My friend Carmen gave me this recipe at a scrapbook outing and it's been a huge hit ever since!!

One of the main reasons I wanted to share this recipe at this time with you is because if you've purchased my CANDY STAND KITS at Ellen's store, a cupful of this in the treat bag with Valentine colored M & M's would be a perfect treat!!! (You can see my kit posts if you scroll down a bit). I'm going make a double batch and do this for Valentine gifts to teachers. So be sure to print off the recipe below, purchase your Candy Stand Kits from Ellen (they're going fast but I think there's more to come!) and you will be on your way to becoming one of the coolest gift givers in your neighborhood!!

Here's the recipe, Enjoy!!!!!!!

Microwave Sweet Party Mix

6 T margarine
3 T light corn syrup
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 large bag plain M & M’s (seasonal if you want it for the holidays)
1 jar honey roasted peanuts
4 cups Corn Chex
4 cups Rice Chex


Melt margarine, syrup and brown sugar in microwave for 1-2 minutes. Add baking soda and stir. Pour over cereals. Stir and cook in microwave for 3 minutes, stirring every minute. Pour onto waxed paper and let cool. Add ½ bag of M & M’s and ½ jar of peanuts. I usually double the recipe. Enjoy!!

Note: Use a glass dish if possible, as the liquid mixture gets really hot and will melt your plastic bowls.....trust me.

NOTE: Stay tuned for even more ideas and uses for the Candy Stand Kit....think baby and wedding.

Candy Stand Kits

Note: Since I've been posting something almost every day, be sure to scroll down to check out the latest blog entries: Valentine's Inspiration Station, Crafty Secrets Drawing...don't forget to sign up, and yesterday's Spellbinder's embossed frame cards.

Spellbinder's Help: Several of you are having with your dies slipping around in the *sandwich*. I use the Wizard machine and the plates that come with it. They are really thick and once my dies and cardstock are in place, I squeeze the sandwich together really firmly with my hand. Then I place it into the Wizard while cranking the handle. Once it gets moving through the rolling bars, it stays in place really tightly. Are you using other die cutting machines? I'll ask Ellen and my Spellbinder's friends to see what suggestions they can offer. Stay tuned, okay.

I'm so excited for today's post! I know how you all love my gift ideas so I'm happy to be able to offer a kit for you which is available at Ellen's store under Class Kits. The kit is called the Candy Stand Kit and I can't wait to give these little treat bags away to teachers, friends and family. In the kit, you get 12 cello bags, 12 candy stands, 2 sheets white card stock, 2 sheets pink card stock and enough of the polka dot ribbon to finish all 12 Candy Stands with some to spare. And of course instructions are included along with some great gift ideas. The additional items that I used are listed at the bottom of the kit so you can easily add them to your order if you'd like. The Lockhart stamp that I used is the Stamp of the Month called Tart of Hearts and I think it's just adorable. It's on sale this month only so be sure to pick that up this month for the best deal.

This little treat bag is so cute and unique. Can you imagine the look on your co-workers' or family's faces when they see this sitting on their desk or table? It will be so dang cute they won't want to open it! I've listed some packaging ideas for you below and I've got even more ideas up my sleeve so stay tuned. I hope you enjoy it this Valentine's Day!!

Treat Ideas:
Pink and brown M & M’s
Valentine themed foil covered candies, mini candy bars, gum packets, Pez dispensers
Pink Jelly Bellies
Chocolate dipped pretzels
Stacked cookies
Homemade candies or party mixes

Craft Supplies:
yardage of ribbon
buttons
Copic Markers or Glitter Pens
Stacks of embellishments in jars (Dew Drops, eyelets, brads, etc)

Fun Items:
Hair bands, ribbons, barrettes
Jewelry
Pencils and erasers

Spellbinder's Embossed Frames

Reminder: Don't miss out on your chance to enter for the Crafty Secrets drawing. Check the previous post and just post a comment. Also, many of you have enjoyed my Valentine's Inspiration Station....if you missed it be sure to scroll down more to view that post. I'll be doing lots of Valentine projects with products from my Valentine stash. Stay tuned.

Meanwhile, I've been doing some new things with my Spellbinder's Nestabilities Templates and of course I'd love to share my ideas with you. If you'd made the investment of the Spellbinder's Nestabilities (Nesties, as my friends call them) then you'll love to know that the Nesties and the Wizard can do SO much more than just cut and emboss card stock.

Today I'd like to show you my Nestie scallop frames. As shown below, I used a square die template and a scallop square die template. First, I stamped and colored my image. I used the cute new Stampin' Up! set called Happy Heart and colored the elephant image in with Copic markers. I cut the image with a square die template that let my entire image stay in tact. Next, I picked a scallop square that was larger than my square with the image . Test which ones work by just placing the dies on top of each other to find the right sizes. I then cut and embossed a brown piece of card stock with the scallop square die template. Using the same square die template that I cut my image with, I cut and embossed a square out of the scallop cut brown piece of card stock. Now I have a brown scallop frame to place over my main image.

While my scallop square frame still had the plain square die template in place, I used a brown Copic marker and airbrushed the scallop edges. As you can see below, this left the embossed square a lighter brown, while the scallops are a darker brown. Just a subtle touch but it really makes the embossing stand out. To assemble all the pieces, I lined the back of the scallop frame with Stampin' Up! dimensionals. Then I just placed this over my main image square. This frame and image takes up most of the card fronts, but I think it's such a cute look.

Here's my two finished cards below. The Happy Valentine's Day sentiment is cut from the tag image and raised up on SU! dimensionals also. The frames looks SO cute and dimensional in real life. I can't wait to make more with circles and ovals.

Card supplies: Stamp images from Stampin' Up!, Copic markers and airbrush system, Wizard and Nestabilities from Ellen's store, SU! ribbon, patterned paper from Love Elsie (Eclectic Paperie), SU! dimensionals.

Crafty Secrets New Set and Blog Candy!!!

Crafty Secrets is releasing a new stamp set and it's gonna be a favorite!! It's called Sew Special and comes with a TON of sewing related stamps, 30 different stamp images, woohoo! I'll add links soon when I find out exactly where you can purchase the set. Click on the link HERE to view the full set and other samples.

Here are some fun samples that I made using this new set and Crafty Secrets patterned paper.



And check this out below. Sandy at Crafty Secrets is doing some awesome give aways. This one includes a Seasonal Booklet, Cotton Scraps, Sweet Chips Chipboard Outfits, the Cherubs stamp set ANDDDDD the new Sew Special Stamp set!!!! You definitely want to sign up for this. A winner will be selected on January 9th. Ohhhhhh, it's just too good to be true!! Be sure to leave me a comment......just say HI MISH or tell me what's up!!

Valentine's Inspiration Station

Happy New Year everyone!!! I wish you all the best year ever, filled with extraordinary days, lots of good memories and tons of crafty creations!! You may have heard me talk about what inspires me, where I get ideas from and my inspiration stations. Well, here's my latest Inspiration Station set up. I use this Pottery Barn shelving collection that I got at ridiculously low clearance prices (thanks for the heads up last year from my friend Cami!).

So what's an Inspiration Station, you ask? This is the space that I have created in my craft room that I place all supplies that currently inspire me. This time I chose Valentine themed goodies. I gather up all of my Valentine themed papers, stamps, embellishments, ribbons, etc and place them all in one little spot. It's easily seen so I have a visual reminder of what I want to use. I go through all my drawers and baskets and piles (ick, I hate piles) and pick out things that fit the theme. Then the great part is, I can then go *shopping* in my own craft room. My Inspiration Station looks like a little boutique shelf and I just head over there when I want to create a project. I have told ALL of my friends about this and they just love the idea. It really helps to get out those already purchased and probably much neglected supplies that you've stashed away. Plus it just looks cute!! So my wish for you this year is to get organized, get inspired and get to stampin' and creating!!

Here's a little plate that I keep in my craft room. I piled it up with a few single stamps, Tim Holtz Distress Crackle Paint, Dew Drops from Ellen's store, Stickles, eyelets,etc.

I hung ribbon spools from a piece of pink netting and created a garland across my bulletin board. I also used cute pink and brown thumb tacks(from Target) to hang little single acrylic stamps. I just love stamps with brackets by the way!

Here's some cute K & Company chipboard stickers that I can't wait to tear into. Those will probably go onto Valentine notebooks at some point and time.

So how do you create your own Inspiration Station? It's simple: just find a space in your crafting space and get started! If you don't have a lot of space, you can use a nice basket that you can tote around to where you craft. Shelves work great to display items as well as bulletin boards to tack things up. The idea is to get your supplies out where you can SEE them. Remember......we're visual people here, we need to SEE our stuff!! I hope you try to my idea, I can guarantee you that you'll be INSPIRED and probaby surprised at all the supplies you've been tucking away. You'll probably even save some money because you'll have an entire collection of goodies to use....and you might just realize that you need to use up some of those supplies you've been hoarding! No HOARDING in 2008, use it up!!

Speaking of shopping...stay tuned for my THEMED SHOPPING topic. Another fun way to get inspired!!