Easter Gifts Challenge for HSS63!

Hello blog friends!  How are you all?  I know it's been a few days since I've last posted and I really am still around...it's just a tad bit hectic.  You know that saying "when it rains, it pours"?  Well, I'm getting quite a dose of it at the moment, and alas, it has not left me with much time to stamp!  So, you'll have to forgive me if my postings are a bit sparse this upcoming month.  With lots of deadlines and moving parts on the work front, I'm having to make some sacrifices on my time posting to the bloggie blog.  Anywhooo.....how about some fun with this week's Hand Stamped Sentiments Challenge?  The theme is Easter, so what a perfect time to finish up those cards and gifts for friends and family, AND play along in a challenge, too?!  Here's a look at the project I made...a couple of fun and easy Pillow Box favors with a bit of a vintage flair...

What do you think?  I really do love the pillow box die - so versatile!  I think the die works great on DSP as well as solid cardstock - you can whip up a quick little gift in a jiff with these.  I used the Springtime Vintage DSP and the pretty sentiment from the Easter Blooms stamp set.  Hope you like it!  Here's one more picture for you so you can see the upright and horizontal versions I made of these pillow boxes - either way, they make a pretty presentation!

Hope you like them.  I would love for you guys to play along with us!  Make like a bunny and "hop" over to the Hand Stamped Sentiments blog to check out more inspiration and get you psyched up to create your fun Easter Themed project!  Have a fab day!

Pinkalicious for this week's HSS Challenge 62

Hi there peeps!  How's your week going?  Well, I wish I could just take a sec to catch my breath - lots of things going on in the work and personal fronts...but that's for sharing at another time..all good though.   :)

Since time is of the essence, I will be short and sweet today sharing this week's post for Hand Stamped Sentiments Challenge 62.  The theme is Pink-a-licious:

I made a little gift set that's a quick and easy little something for a hostess or friend.  Hope you like it!  Here's a look at the box and one with the tags inside.

Isn't that flower on the top of the box so FUN?  I learned how to create it from one of the projects over at UStamp With Dawn and Friends' Big Shot Brilliance.  Super cute, don't you think?  As for the box, it's super easy to make.  Start with a 7 1/2" x 10 1/2" piece of cardstock and score the 10 1/2" side at 2 1/2", 5", 7" 1/2, and 10.  The 1/2" flap left over is where you'll glue the seam of the box.  On the 7 1/2" side, score at 2 1/2" - this will form the bottom of your box.  For the lid, start with a 4 9/16" square and score each side at 1".  Fold at the score lines and cut at the 2 top and bottom verticle lines up to the 1" score lines.  Assemble box and use the Multipurpose glue to adhere.

Here's the inside of the box - the tags fit perfectly!

Hope you liked my quick and simple project!  Now it's time for you to play along and create ANY project that uses PINK!  Hop on over to Hand Stamped Sentiments and check out all the fun projects from our talented DT team :)

Have a great day!!  By for now!

shadow box fun for this week's HSS Challenge 61!

Hi all!  It's Tuesday, so that means it's time for this week's challenge over at Hand Stamped Sentiments.  And, what a fun challenge it is!  Have you ever made a shadow box card?  Well, I think I may have made one once or twice EVER, so I was really glad to rediscover this fun card style this week.  Take a look at the challenge inspiration photo:

It' such a fun and festive presentation and I love that it can prop up on your desktop like a little mini stage.  It took me a bit to come up with an idea, but once I figured it out, the assembly was a snap.  Wanna see my full card?  Here you go:

It really is such an easy card to make, but packs a lot of wow to it!  My card is a super simple one to put together, too.  I had fun with punches making this little faux store front window.  I used the Decorative Label punch, Itty Bitty punches, and the 1 1/4" circle punch to create my awning, believe it or not.  All you need to do for the awning is start off with four 2"x1" strips of cardstock.  Then, you'll want to thread through the strip into the 1 1/4" circle punch so you can trim off one end of the strip to create a "scallop."  I then adhered these 4 pieces onto a strip of cardstock, aligning my scallops, then trimming off the excess on the straight edge side, and trim the side edges at a slant. Once I had the awning the way I liked,  I popped it up with dimensionals.  For my store front window, I used the decorative label punch.  You'll want to center the punch on the cardstock and insert the cardstock as far as it will go into the punch, then punch out the cardstock and repeat on the other side.  The resulting window is a fun curvy rectangle that you see on my store front!  Here's a look at the card from the side view:

All you need to do for this card is have 2 pieces of  a quarter sheet of cardstock (4 1/4" x 5 1/2" size).  Then score the ends at 1/2" and 1" on both sides and crease.  This is what gives your card dimension.  Punch out a shape on the front of the card and stamp on the back piece of cardstock, or create your scene - whichever you prefer!  Finally glue the ends together using the Multipurpose glue or sticky strip to ensure that the card stays together! Embellish the front as you like, and then you're all done!  It's a piece of cake...or chocolate, as you can see on my card {heehee}.  Here's the recipe for you:

{All you need is Chocolate Birthday}

*Stamp Set: Create a Cupcake, Eat Chocolate

*Cardstock: Sweet Stitches DSP, Whisper White, Regal Rose, Blushing Bride

*Inks: Chocolate Chip, Melon Mambo

*Accessories: Decorative Label Punch, 1 1/4" Circle Punch, Itty Bitty Punches, Basic Rhinestones, Dimensionals

Now isn't this challenge worth giving a whirl just to try a new or different technique?  Or, maybe you're a shadow box pro - how about you share your talents and link your card so we can all ooohh and ahhhh!  Hop on over to the Hand Stamped Sentiments challenge and check out what the rest of the fabulous and creative DT came up with!  Thanks for popping by for a visit.  Have a great day!



Blossoms are a bloomin' for HSS Challenge 60!

Hi there blog peeps!  Ready for this week's challenge at Hand Stamped Sentiments?  It's flower filled and fun!  How do you like the little snippet of my card so far?  I went with a retro-ish color scheme that's a little out of my element, but I'm pleased to say I'm really happy with the outcome!  Before you see the full card, let's take a look at the HSS inspiration photo:

Doesn't that look fun?  I'm a big fan of ranunculus, so I love this inspiration image.  Now, here's a look at my full card:

How do you like my retro blossom tribute?  I have been wanting to do this color combo since I saw a a textile pattern in this palette last year.  And, more recently I also saw this cute retro jacket from BodenUSA in the same color scheme:

{photo from bodenusa.com}

It's a little funky and maybe even a little on the bold side, but I like it!  Hope you do, too.  Now, back to my card -I used all kinds of fun flower punches and dies.  The large white flower background is from the Island Floral Bigz die and the Melon Mambo flower layered over top is the Fancy Flower Extra Large punch.  For the black flower centers an smaller Melon Mambo flowers, I used the Boho Blossoms punch, and then used the Itty Bitty Punches for the cute teeny blossoms.  I had fun with the Basic Pearls as my flower center embellies - I used all 3 sizes.  And, to create my backdrop, I used the Top Note Die on the textured More Mustard cardstock.  How about the cute little punch I used for my sentiment?  Do you recognize it?  It's a modified version of te Decorative Label Punch!  I loved the idea I got from Mary Fish's blog post, that I had to give it a try.  Here's one parting look at my card:

{Retro Island Blooms}

*Stamp Set: Teeny Tiny Wishes

*Cardstock: Textured Melon Mambo, Basic Black, Whisper White, Textured More Mustard

*Inks: Melon Mambo

*Accessories: Top Note Bigz Die, Island Floral Bigz Die, Boho Blossoms Punch, Itty bitty Punches, Decorative Label Punch, Basic Pearls, Basic Rhinestones

Thanks for peeking in today!  Would love for you to play along with us this week at Hand Stamped Sentiments.  How about hopping over to check out all the fun blossom inspiration projects from the rest of the DT and then sharing your own creation with us?  Can't wait to see what you all come up with.  In the meantime, leave me a comment and let me know what you think of this color combo - love it or no?  You can be honest :)

spring is in the {AIR!} at HSS Challenge 59

Hello there bloggie friends!  I'm happy to say I have gotten over my little sick spell and I am finally back to normal - YAY!  It's so not fun being sick.  AND, I've also discovered that it's definitely much more fun to craft when you're in good spirits!  So, with that in mind, how about we take a peek at this week's challenge over at Hand Stamped Sentiments, shall we?  You got a peek at my card above, now let me show you this week's inspiration photo:

Doesn't this collage just conjure up all things SPRING and pretty?  I think so!  It's chock full of happy and bright images of this beautiful season. {Plus - can I get a woot woot for the LONGER DAYS?!} As you can probably gather, I got some of my card inspiration from the eggs and the green and yellows found throughout the photos.  Here's a look at my full card:

What do you think?  Hope you like it!  I used the pretty decorative eggs from the Easter Blossoms stamp set, which I am really growing fond of!  The eggs look lovely and delicate in these soft pastel colors.  I added just the teeniest of embellies - the tiny pearls from the Basic Pearls pack.  So sweet!  And, my new fave stamp set is the Four Frames stamp set, which I'm previewing here...it's a set of frames that coordinate with the decorative labels punch.  Yummy!  If you're a fan of the decorative label punch, then I think you'll absolutely LOVE it :)  Here's the recipe for you:

{Springtime Eggcitement}

*Stamp Sets: Easter Blossom, Four Frames

*Cardstock: Crumb Cake, Whisper White

*Inks: Blushing Bride, Pear Pizzazz, Daffodil Delight

*Accessories: Framed Tulips Embossing Folder, Decorative Label Punch, Daffodil Delight Satin Ribbon, Basic Pearls, Itty Bitty Punches, Tasteful Trim Bigz XL die, Stampin'Dimensionals

Now that you got your dose of spring, I hope you'll come and play along with us.  Pop on over to Hand Stamped Sentiments to get some more inspiration from the DT and get your creative juices flowing!  I really do love seeing all the submissions...hope yours is one of them :)

Have a fabbie day, dear friends.  I'll catch you guys later!

a St. Paddy's day {beverage} for this week's HSS Challenge

For this week's Hand Stamped Sentiments challenge, I was tasked to create a card set using this week's Go Green St. Patrick's Day theme.  While St. Paddy's day probably doesn't conjure up a hot cup of coffee for most, I decided to "buck" the trend, so to speak. I have Sandy Hancock to thank for this fun coffee cup design!  She made the cutest samples, I just had to case it!  First, here are the deets to this week's challenge:

And now, here's a look at one of my Grande cups of java:

Isn't that so fun?  I have to say I'm getting great use of my In Color 6x6 DSP stack!  I used the Pear Pizzazz DSP patterns for my cups.  I then also dusted off my crimper to create my coffee sleeves.  The Lucky Shamrock stamp from the Occasions Mini catalog made the perfect logo for my cups.  I'm telling you - these cards were so fun and easy to make, I think you guys should give it a try!  Here are the quick instructions for you:

1.  Start with a 4" x 11" piece of cardstock as your base and fold it in half.

2.  Mark off a 1/2" from both edges at the base of the folded card.  Use the paper trimmer to trim from the top corner to your hash mark - this will create your coffee cup shape.

3.  Cut a 2 1/2" x4" piece of Crumb Cake cardstock and run through your crimper.

4.  Adhere a piece of 5"x4" DSP and your crimped piece of cardstock on top of your coffee card.  Once you adhere both pieces, trim the excess cardstock off using your paper trimmer.

5.  For your lid, cut a 4 1/4" x 1" piece of Whisper White cardstock.  Score lengthwise at 1/4" to create your faux edge on your lid.  Round the top 2 corners and adhere this piece onto your card with dimensionals.  You're done! 

Give it a whirl.  You'll see for yourself how fun these are to make.  Who knew that whipping up 4 cups of coffee could be such a blast?! Hope this inspires you to play along with us at Hand Stamped Sentiments this week.  Check out what the rest of the DT has in store for you and create a project to share with us!  Have a great day :)

Sweet Blushing Rosette Parade Pizzazz box

Hi there!  You're probably thinking - what a crazy blog title!  Well, it's appropo I think because I repurposed the colors from this week's Hand Stamped Sentiments challenge into another fun project.  I have to say I am hooked on this color combo...AND the cute In Color DSP stack!  Blushing Bride, Poppy Parade, and Pear Pizzazz  -  it truly is such a YUMMY combination!  So, about my project. Believe it or not, I was inspired by the explosion box concept, but wanted to create a shallower box, so this is what I've come up with.  The cool thing is that this cute little box is made out of two 6"x6" pieces of DSP, so you can make a BUNCH of these from the DSP stack!  Isn't that awesome?  Here's what you see when you open the box...

It fits this adorable little calendar {yes - I'm hooked on making those, too!}

Are you wondering what the dimensions of these projects are?  Wonder no more, dear friends! The box base is the full 6"x6" piece of DSP, scored at 1" on all 4 sides.  Then for each of the corners, score at a diagonal, so that when you fold the score lines, you get something that looks like this:

For the top of the box, cut the 6"x6" piece of DSP into a 5 1/2"x 5 1/2" piece of DSP, then score on all sides at 3/4".  You'll want to cut the the 2 score lines on the top and bottom and then glue the ends to make your box, so that the top securely fits on the base. As for the little calendar, You'll need a 7 1/2" x 3 3/4" piece of cardstock and score the long side at 1 7/8" and 3 3/4".  Super easy peasy!  As for the pretty rosettes an leaves - those fun flowers were made from the Table Setting Bigz XL die, which I just recently got and already LOVE since it makes the rosettes a snap to create! 

Here's a look from the side of the box.  You can see that the top is a quarter of an inch shorter than the base of the box.  Now one last, thing - how about that top note die?  I love making this shape with the top note!  Basically, you create your top note die, then place the die cut piece over the top note die again, turning it a quarter turn, and run it through the Big Shot.  Viola!  You get this fun shape!  Hope you guys liked today's post.  Here's a parting shot:

Isn't this such a sweet little package?  Try it out for yourself!  And, if you want to use this same color combo, come and play along with us at Hand Stamped Sentiments and post your finished project! Would love to see your take :)

Enjoy the rest of your Friday!  Toodles for now :)

HSS Color Challenge #57

Hello there blog friends!  Happy March!  Boy is this year flying, or what?  Well, in any case, it's time for this week's Hand Stamped Sentiments challenge and we've got a fun color combo for you to try out.  What do you think of the card snippet above?  I have to say I had fun putting together my card for this week's color challenge using these pretty In Color colors.  Here's a look at the details:

Do you want to see what my full card looks like?  Here it is:

Now how fun are those colors?!  I wouldn't have typically thought of putting them together, but I do like the outcome.  I got to play with the In Color 6x6 DSP papers that are from the Hostess Level 1 set.  I just opened the pack and LOVE all the pretty prints!  For good measure, I even created a second card in a slight variation:

The cool thing is, these cards were really easy to put together, yet the DSP instantly dresses them up a bit.  And, just so you can see them both side by side, here's one last picture:

What do you think?  It was my first time to use the For You stamp from the Punch Bunch set (Sale-a-bration), and I really love the sweet little poppy flowers on it.  I think the overall color scheme reminds me of summertime.  That Poppy Parade color just makes me smile!  Here's the recipe for you:

{In Color Prints For You}

*Stamp Set: Punch Bunch

*Cardstock: Shimmery White, In Color 6x6 DSP, Whisper White

*Inks: Pear Pizzazz, Poppy Parade, Blushing Bride

*Accessories: Scallop Circle Punch, 1/2" Poppy Parade Poly ribbon, dimensionals

 Hope you like it!  Now try out this cute color combo and play along with us this week at Hand Stamped Sentiments!  Hop over to the site for some inspiration from our creative DT, and then add your own take on the challenge.  Have fun! :)

Springtime Butterfly {to die for!} for this week's HSS Challege 56

Hello there, blog friends!  Did you have a nice President's day weekend?  Hope so.  I have to say it was great to have a 3 day weekend to catch my breath for a quick second.  It has been soo busy busy for me behind the scenes!  Thankfully, I had some down time to do some crafting and got to make this fun card for this week's Hand Stamped Sentiment's Challenge 56, which is to create a card using a die cut:

I got the idea for this cute butterfly easel card from Bronwyn Eastley and I had to give it a try!  Here's a couple more pics for you:

This little easel card fits in a 3x3 envelope, so it makes a sweet little note to give to someone to brighten their day!  I used the Easter Blossoms stamp set to stamp the sentiment on the butterfly, and used the pretty blossom branch to stamp the envelope flap.

One last look for you - I tied the tiny tags in the inside of the butterfly card with the linen thread.  What do you think?  I really like the color palette and the dainty little flowers on the Springtime Vintage DSP add that soft vintagey feel.  Hope you like it!  Here's the recipe for you:

{Springtime Butterfly}

*Stamp Sets: Easter Blossoms, Tiny Tags

*Cardstock: Textured Early Espresso, Very Vanilla, Springtime Vintage DSP

*Inks: Baja Breeze, Crumb Cake

*Accessories: Beautiful Butterflies Bigz die, Scallop Oval Punch, Large Oval Punch, Jewelry Tag Medium, 1/8" circle punch, Linen Thread, 1/8" Early Espresso Taffeta Ribbon, 3x3 envelopes

Now, I'd love it if you guys played along with us this week!  How about giving it a whirl?  Would love to see the cards or projects you come up with using dies!  There are so many possibilities!!  Hop on over to Hand Stamped Sentiments and check out the creative inspiration from the awesome design team!

pocket full of Birthday Wishes for HSS #55

Hi all!  Did you guys have a nice Valentine's Day?  Hope so.  Today, we've got this week's Hand Stamped Sentiments Challenge - a fun pocket sketch card.  I made my card using one of my favorite color palettes - pink and green.  In this case, I used Pink Pirouette, Melon Mambo, and Old Olive.  Wanna see the sketch for this week?

You can substitute the pocket with any shape you'd like to use.  For my pocket, I chose half of a Top Note die.  I love the curvy top note shape, so it made just the type of pocket I was going for.  I added the fun felt flower, which I die cut using the Blossom Party Originals die cut.  I love these flowers!  And, of course,  let's not forget the fun Pom Pom embellishment - so pretty and fun!  I also used the sweet little Basic Pearls to embellish my scallop border framing my sentiment.  Isn't that Birthday Sentiment font so cute?  It's from the Bring on the Cake stamp set, which is chock full of Birthday wishes!

How do you like the card?  Would love to hear from you and get your feedback!  Here's the recipe for you:

{pocket full of Birthday Wishes}

*Stamp Set: Bring on the Cake

*Cardstock: Old Olive, Pink Pirouette, Melon Mambo, Whisper White, Very Vanilla, Jolly Holiday DSP

*Inks: Melon Mambo

*Accessories: Top Note Bigz Die, Eyelet Border punch, Certainly Celery 1/8" grosgrain ribbon, Melon Mambo Pom Pom Trim, Blossom Party Originals Die, Subtles Buttons, Basic Pearls, Scallop Border punch, Elegant Bouquet Embossing Folder

How about playing along with us this week?  Would love to see your take on the sketch!  Just head on over to Hand Stamped Sentiments to play along.  Plus, you'll get to check out all the amazing cards from the talented design team, too!  Hope you'll play this week!

Hand Stamped Sentiments Ribbons and Lace Challenge!

Hi blog friends!  Are you ready?  I was so excited about this week's challenge over at Hand Stamped Sentiments!  It's a ribbons and lace challenge...and I love me the ribbons, so this was lots of fun. 

As you can see, this is the 2nd of of my square crumb cake cards this week, too. {I love this 4 1/4" square sized card!} I also got to play around with a new technique (for me, that is). It's making the layered rosette flower out of scallop circles.  For a first flower, I'd say I'm still in my experimental phase since I think my flower shaping skills have definite room for improvement, but I think I've learned some tricks about putting one together.  First of all, I punched eight 2 3/8" scallop circles to create the flower.  Then another key trick is to use a hot glue gun to nest the petal layers together.  Once I have it down to making these rosettes how I like it, I may put together a tutorial for you...we'll have to see :)  Here's one more look at the card for you:

I used the Pear Pizzazz seam binding ribbon to create the rouching.  I have to say that seam binding is such a DREAM to work with! Not only does it stay nicely on the sticky strip, but it really is super easy to put into place, too.  And for my lace, I used the pretty Victoria Crochet Trim.  I think the Vintage Wallpaper embossing folder makes the perfect background for that shabby chic look, which I am such a fan of these days.  How about the recipe for you?

{Ribbons and Lace Easter Wishes}

*Stamp Set: Something to Celebrate {Occasions Mini Hostess Set}

*Cardstock: Crumb Cake, Very Vanilla, Subtles Patterns DSP {In Pretty In Pink}, Pear Pizzazz

*Inks: Crumb Cake, Early Espresso

*Accessories: Vintage Wallpaper Embossing Paper, 2 3/8" Scallop Circle Punch, Blossom Punch, Scallop Oval Punch, Basic Pearls, Pear Pizzazz Seam Binding, dimensionals, sticky strip, hot glue gun

Hope you liked this project...now how about heading over to Hand Stamped Sentiments and playing along with us this week?  Can't wait to see what you come up with!

Hand Stamped Sentiment Card Challenge, Sweet Valentine!

Hi all!  I have some exciting news to share with you....I am so delighted to announce that I've been invited to be a designer for the Hand Stamped Sentiments Design Team!! Woot woot!!   They're a fabulous group of Stampin'Up! gals that have a card challenge blog and I am so excited to be a part of the team!

So, today marks my very first card contribution as part of the DT.  The theme this week is to create a project using a black and red color palette, so I thought I'd create a little heart bag using the Petal Cone die.  And, I knew from the start that I wanted to use the Love Letter DSP, which I haven't used in a while!  It's one of my faves though.  Wanna see the full project?

The Petal Cone die (Item 121810, $32.95) makes a perfect little heart bag!  Just the right size for a special little gift {wink wink!}  A little hint for all the hubbies and significant others out there - heehee!  GREAT things come in small packages...{am I right, ladies!}. I used the yummy Glimmer Paper for my heart and just a teenie bit for the Dotted Scallop Ribbon trim.  Then of course, I had to do some embellies - I went with the Antique Brad and also used the banner from the Petal Cone die for my "faux ribbon."  Isn't that so fun?  It really is a great die cut!  Here's a closer look at the die - you'll see it's pretty versatile!:

I love that the Glimmer paper coordinates with the Glimmer Brads - such a fun touch of bling to this vintage-y Valentines pouch, don't you think?  Another fun punch I haven't used in a long while is the Spiral Border punch, which I think is a great pairing with the newsprint pages from the First Edition DSP.  I gave the overall project that aged look by inking up the edges with the Soft Suede craft spot.  The cute sentiment is from the Something to Celebrate stamp set {Occasions Mini Level 2 Hostess set}. To finish it off, I did the handles in the Very Vanilla seam binding.  What do you think?  Hope you like it!!  Here's the recipe for you:

{Petal Cone Sweet Valentine}

*Stamp Set: Something to Celebrate

*Cardstock: Love Letter DSP, First Edition DSP, Glimmer Paper, Very Vanilla

*Inks: Real Red Classic Ink, Soft Suede Craft Spot

*Accessories: Antique Brads, Full Heart punch, Petal Cone die, Spiral Border punch, Dotted Scalloped Border punch, Glimmer Brads, Seam Binding

Wanna play along with us?  We'd love to see your take on this week's challenge!  Hop on over to the Hand Stamped Sentiments site to check out all the DT projects and find out the deets for the challenge.  Thanks so much for visiting.  If you'd like to leave me a comment, I'd love to hear from you! ;)  Bye for now.