Not Just A Gift Box

At first glance this may look like a gift box.  After all, it's got four sides, attractive designer paper and a pretty bow.  It's square shape could conceal any number of gifts.  Not this time.  Take a look-see here:

As I was poking around Splitcoast Stampers tonight, I came across this adorable "explosion scrapbook box."  And I immediately thought:  "I can do that."  I seem to be in a scrapbook mood lately (and I'm not even a scrapbooker).  I guess it's because I've got those nieces and nephews graduating from college and high school this year.  I keep thinking about the days when they were cute little babies and all they wanted was to snuggle on auntie's lap.  Now, they want full-time employment and I can't help them with that! 

And so I keep thinking about capturing those baby-moments (and their growing-up moments) in scrapbook pages.  I'm not sure that I'll be making these pages for their benefit or mine, but I know I'll enjoy taking the trip down memory lane.

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you have time to stamp today.

Island Floral Flower

I've been dying to use my Island Floral Bigz die and I finally got the chance this weekend (yay ,me!)!  First I tried making the totally cool flowers that were in the Summer Mini, but I was not at all pleased with the result so I have to experiment more with the technique.  I did find a lot of examples where the flowers were curled on the edges so that is what I decided to go with here.  The clean and simple layout of the Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge seemed just the thing for my flower and I added a simple Verve sentiment. 

Thanks for stoppng by!

Graduation Gift Card Holders

My sister asked me to make some gift card holders for the Safe Grad Night event in my old home town.  It's basically a big party at the high school to try and keep the young graduates from drinking and driving.  There are prizes, hence the gift card holders.

This one holds four gift cards and is loosely based on this card.  I just love this stamp of the graduates feet.  So cute.  Here's the inside:

I also made a sample that holds one card.

I've tried a couple of other designs to hold two cards, but I have not been happy with any of them.  I think I've lost my graduation mojo somewhere.  Maybe if I clean up my stamp room, I'll find it.

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you have time to stamp today!

Beach Party Verve Challenge Number 3

How boring.  I made a card using these colors a while back.  In my defense, I will say "so what?  These colors are awesome!"  Not to mention that I had some scraps of this dp left over and I hated to let them go to waste.  So I made this card. 

I would like to give this card to my sister who turned forty-something-close-to-fifty this week, but I'm not sure she will enjoy the humor.  We can be so sensitive about our age.

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you have time to stamp today!

Beach Party Verve Challenge Number 2

I think I'm distressed!  I'm not sure I've ever made a distressed card before so here you go!  I absolutely love this scratchy chocolate chip designer paper and I have been hoarding it for a long time.  Then suddenly when I sat in my stamp room and I contemplated what I was going to do with this latest Verve challenge, I realized this paper would be perfect to go along with a distressed card.  This is what I came up with.  Not too bad I say to myself...

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you have time to stamp today! 

Summer, Here I Come

There are some new challenges over at the Verve forum on Splitcoast.  It's been a while since I've participated (in a somewhat vain attempt at actually winning some stamp sets), but the colors Julee used for the sketch challenge layouts just called to me!  They scream summer, hot sun, and fun and I couldn't resist.  So far I've only done one, and who knows if I'll be able to do the other four but I thought I'd share this one anyway.  I managed to follow the Pals Paper Arts challenge 38 too.

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you have time to stamp today!

Gift Box

As I have mentioned with the past few posts, I attended a Stampin' Up! worskshop on Saturday where I learned quite a few new things.  One thing I was anxious to try was the super-sturdy gift boxes demonstrated by Donna Centamore.  If you have never checked out her blog (which I highly doubt is the case), then run (don't walk) there now and see all her fabulous creations.  One thing that she loves doing (and excels at) is making all kinds of creative gift boxes.  This is my humble attempt at a gift box using the soon-to-be-retired pale plum.  This box measures 4-inches square so it is large enough to hold all kinds of gifts.

I feel the need to confess:  the roses on this box are beautiful.  But they are a pain in the {you know what} to make.  First you've got to break down the fibers of the cardstock to make it easier to bend.  I've tried running it against the edge of my desk, running it through the paper crimper, running it against my bone folder.  Apparently, no matter what method you choose, you need to do it for about two weeks in order to break the fibers down to some kind of manageable level. Then you've still got to bend them to your will.  They don't want to be bent.  They fight you every step of the way.  You try coaxing, wrapping them around dowels, squishing them between your fingers until you just give up and say "they look good enough."  Thankfully, once you put them together they do look good enough, but the journey is almost a little bit too much.  For these roses (once they were "good enough") I decided to give them a blast of smooch spritz.  It was very satisfying.  I think I won this round.  We'll see what happens in the future.

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you have time to stamp today! 

Mini Book

Some time ago I stumbled across this adorable mini book and bookmarked the tutorial for future use.  Well, the future is upon us, my friends.

I managed to incorporate the Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge and Curtain Call 26 color challenge as well {bonus!}.

Yesterday I attended this fabulous Stampin' Up! workshop and one of the things we made was a mini scrapbook album in a mini rectangular tin.  My good friend Donna thought that this would make a nice gift for my niece who is going to be graduating next month.  What a fabulous idea I thought, until I remembered that I have TWO nieces graduating next month.  I couldn't possibly give this to one of the without something similar for the other.  Enter this mini book.  It is super adorable and I can't wait to fill both albums with pictures of both of them as they grew up.  One is graduating from college and the other from high school (they are sisters) and I couldn't be more proud to be their aunt.  Here is the inside of the mini book.  (Please excuse the images of the inside of my light box.  (I knew I should have bought the bigger one when I had the chance)!

Spring Fling 2010 presented by My Star Stampers

I had so much fun today!  I got up bright and early this morning and drove to Holliston, Massachusetts to attend a Stampin' Up workshop extravaganza.  We had three special presenters each demonstrating something exciting and fun.  First was the uber talented Donna who showed us some creative (and sturdy) gift boxes.  Next was Lynn Larson who does amazing things with the big shot and fabric:  fleece, wool, felt, you name it.  I can't wait to try some of the things she showed us.  And last, but hardly not least, was Donna Griffith who is the Demonstrator Training Specialist from Stampin' Up!  That's right I actually met someone from Stampin' Up!  {Pinch me please!}  She showed us some really cute ideas for the sweet treat cups.  I never really paid much attention to them before, but one of the projects she did was so cute, and simple and would make a really cute favor for a party.

Here they are displaying totes they were given as thank yous made from the scallop square die.  From left to right is Donna Griffith, Lynn Larson and Donna Centamore.

Speaking of the scallop square die and totes, Donna Griffith made this fabulous tote in honor of her visit to Massachusetts on Patriots Day.  I just love this and I {think} I might try and make one.  The scallop squares were cut from old jeans.

I wish the picture was better, but I think you get the idea.

I took pictures of the samples.  They were really all so fabulous.  Unfortunatley some of my pictures came out blurry so I can't post them.

These are made to fit in the Simply Adorned charms:

And finally, a photo of the talented ladies that put this event on and made it such a spectacular time. I am aware that this took a tremendous amount of time and energy and I couldn't possibly thank them enough. 

They announced that the Fall Fling will be on October 9th. I have already cleared my calendar!

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you have time to stamp today!

SSSC64 Graduation

I've got two nieces and one nephew graduating from college and high school next month, so I was very happy to see a couple of graduation stamps in the new SU! summer mini.  I made this card using this week's Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge.  I haven't decided who is going to get it though!

I've got a bunch of sneak peeks here.  The stamps are in the mini as well as the designer paper and the embossing folder.  Thanks for stopping by and I hope you have time to stamp today!

MOJO133 Watercolor Trio Sneak Peek

I almost didn't do this week's MOJO sketch.  Inspiration was just not coming to me, then this morning I decided to just give it a try.  I had no real plan in mind, so I just kind of looked around until I found something that I hadn't used in a while.  That something turned out to be rose red designer paper.  Then, I just had to try a new stamp from the Summer Mini, so I chose Watercolor Trio.  Such a pretty stamp set.

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you have time to stamp today! 

Bridal Shower Favors

Dottie, a high school friend of my husband asked me to help with some bridal shower favors for her step-daughter.  The colors are black and white with pink accents.  I've spent the last two days in my stamp room making some proto-types and I have been having so much fun!  Here are some of the things I've made.

I have to send the pictures to Dottie so that she can decide which one she likes best. I think she's expecting about 150-200 people at the shower so I tried to make favors that weren't overly complicated.  After all, we're going to have to asssemble these babies at some point!

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you have time to stamp today!

Easter Matchbox Treats

We are having about six (or seven) people over for Easter dinner tomorrow, so I decided to make everyone an Easter favor.

I made these using some more of the Spring Showers (or Spring Flowers) retired designer paper.  I filled them with Hershey's nuggets wrapped in more designer paper.  The center of the flower is a build-a-brad (and now I'm just about out of them {drat}).  I had so much fun making them!

We had some glorious weather today!  I think it's going to be just as wonderful tomorrow so we are going to have our Easter dinner outside on the patio.  I spent quite a bit of time today cleaning the patio furniture and getting the cushions out of storage.  Hopefully Mother Nature will not let us down!

Happy Easter everyone!

SSSC62 On Your Birthday

I managed to accomplish three things with this card...

First, I completed the Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge for this week.  Second, I used a long-retired designer paper called Spring Showers that I have always loved, but was too afraid to cut!  And third, I used one of those adorable corduroy buttons that I have been hoarding!  And look how cute it is in the middle of that flower.  The perfect accent, I say to myself!

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you have time to stamp today!