Graduating and Transformations and Decor

This morning my daughter is graduating preschool.  Before I had kids, I thought these types of events were silly.  I mean, I see graduating from potty training because everyone benefits from that, but isn't it just an expectation that anything you start in life, you should finish?

Using that logic, I sure hope at some point I graduate from scrapbooking 2014.  It's something I have started and restarted and come back to you and dove into and though I had done a lot of pages this week, I still can't seem to get through the Summer of 2014.

Which is a good problem to have.  We had so much fun last summer that I have thousands of pictures to go through.  Sometimes I wonder if I'm paying enough attention to what is happening around me or if I take photos to make sure I can come back to it later when I have time - but we never have time, do we?

That's a lot of pondering first thing in the morning but I guess I have to take these reflection moments when I can, before the kids are both up and the day becomes about what I can do for them to help them leave happy and healthy lives.  Before I start doing dishes and looking over the mess of this and that's on my counter to see my pile of photos from 2014 staring at me, saying "Someday, you'll get to me and that is okay.  Enjoy that egg on your shirt first and that raspberry that Michael threw in your hair a moment ago when you weren't looking...."

Today's project has nothing to do with scrapbooking or graduation but does have to do with big life events, so I'm still kind of on track.  I recently worked on invitations and decorations for a country chic bridal shower.  Lace and burlap are not my thing.  Calypso Coral is not my thing.  So of course I said yes because sometimes you need to take a risk to remind you that you are really good at this creative thing you like to do.

The invitations were embossed using the Something Lacy background stamp and pull out of a pocket made of Kraft cardstock that is wrapped with the ribbons.  The banner has her lovely name blocked out but was printed on the printer and punched out with the Itty Bitty Banner framelits.  Didn't they turn out great?

Because it was an around the clock shower, I also made some prototypes of tags.  We ended up just putting these on the bottom of the invites but I thought this was a cute one to share for future reference.  Again, more of the banners and used up each scrap of burlap.

She also saw a banner online with a saying she liked: From Miss to Ms.  Isn't that cute?  Wish I'd thought of that for my shower.  I used the xxx die and my Big Shot to make the banner pieces and the retired Serif Essentials alphabet for the lettering. 

Because I'm in love with my butterfly thinlits and I liked the idea of transforming from a Miss to a Ms, I had to add butterflies to this project.  I chose to emboss the spacer pieces with the Calpyso Coral Embossing powder and add a butterfly to it using the scraps of Kraft cardstock left over from the invitations.  I also created a scalloped circle center for each one using 6 pieces of Calpyso.  These embellishments are layered and attached with a mini silver brad.  Then I sprayed them with what was supposed to be rubbing alcohol but turned out to be water (thanks Callie for telling me after I started) but they still crinkled nicely.

 

We also did 12 strings of garland in Night of Navy, Calypso Coral, Kraft, and Gold Glitter.  I don't have a picture of those but they turned out as colorful as my language was as I made them. Turns out sewing machine, novice seamstress, and gold glitter paper do not a match made in heaven make.

 

There are a lot of retired supplies on these projects so get them before June 2nd at my online store if you want to make your own:

• Calypso Coral Embossing Powder
• Party Pennants BigZ Die
• Something Lacy Background Stamp
• Celebration Basics Kit

I hope you have a great day and weekend of memory making like Callie will have at graduation and Jessica will have in this life as a beautiful Miss turning into a Ms.

 

Have a craftastic day,

Stacy

Sprinkles of Life, Sprinkles of In Colors

Today's project is another sneak peek from the new catalog and another attempt at a make-n-take for my Catalog Launch Party on June 2nd.

Some of you may know that Stampin' Up! partners with the Ronald McDonald House Charities and has given over $1M to support them.  Each year, the company designs a stamp set that sits in the back of the catalog.  When someone buys the stamp set, $2 goes directly to the charity. This year, $3 from each sale goes to the charity!  So you can see why I'm so excited at how CUTE and how BIG this stamp is this year, along with the extra dollar being donated.  And, because it's photopolymer, you get a lot of bang for only $16!

This stamp set also coordinates with the Tree Builder punch in the catalog which mean a lot of fun is ahead!

Today's card is stamped on a Project Life grid card like yesterday's.  This time I stamped the base using Memento Tuxedo Black Ink and punched out using the 2 1/2 Circle Punch.  I stamped the top on the polka dot Cherry on Top DSP and punched out using our great Tree Builder punch.  It's layered with a dimensional.  The saying at the bottom is the scrap of the grid card left over one I punched out the image and it's also on dimensionals.  And the strip is the 3" left after using some on yesterday's card.

 

 

When I saw this stamp set, I immediately thought of Project Life.  I could use it to create potted flowers and use with the layout of Callie planting flowers this Spring.  I could use it as an ice cream cone and use it with the photos of her at Baskin Robbins after school with Nana and Papa.  I could use it for cupcakes and document our baking endevours at Christmas.  I could use with the rain cloud and create a cute card to go with her puddle pictures.  You can see that once my mind got going, I couldn't get it to stop.  Those samples are ones I'm showing at my launch event and will post next week.

 

Have a craftastic day,

Stacy

New Catalog Launch Event & Inspirations

June 2nd marks the beginning of our new catalog season and I'm so excited to start playing with all our new offerings.  As demonstrators, we are eligible to pre-order certain supplies and get a head start playing with the In Colors and other on trend products!  With birthday season upon us, I wanted to get some supplies to make birthday cards and to show off the new In Colors at my New Catalog Launch Party on June 2nd.

Today's card was one I designed for a potential make-n-take for my event.  At that event, I'll be talking about Project Life, In Colors, hostess changes, and new product like the Cotton Paper.  This card ties back into all those topics!  Besides all the new product listed below, this card features a Project Life grid card for the center stamped element.  It makes it easy to line up your saying stamps and was one less cut for me to make when designing the card!  Just ignore the little slip on mine (my son grabbed my leg as I was stamping!)

The new products are this card are:

• The Happy Birthday, Everyone stamp set is a great new hostess offering!  Besides the sayings featured above, you also get the following: to an amazing woman, to my darling, to a wonderful man, to you, and love.
• The scalloped flower in the corner is made by punching 4 layers of Watermelon Wonder Cotton Paper and attaching them together with a mini silver brad.  Then you just crumple and they come together for a great little embellishment.  And they lay flat but pop back up easily so no extra postage! 
• The strip of DSP on the side is from the Cherry on Top Designer Series Paper Stack.  It is a super fun set of birthday and celebration DSP featuring several new In Colors!
• The card and ink are Watermelon Wonder, one of our new In Color offerings.  This color is darker than Calypso Coral and is bright and beautiful. 

If you are local and want to have your hand held through the catalog and enjoy good company and doorprizes, come join us on June 2nd.  Leave me a comment and I'll give you the details.

Have a craftastic day,
Stacy

Kidlet Creations with Paper Pumpkin

Today I wanted to share Callie's creations using the May 2015 Birthday Bundle kit from Paper Pumpkin.

This kit was offered to new subscribers for only $5 in May.  I signed Callie up so she could get her own kit to play with and to use for her friends birthdays.  How could you beat 4 bags and 6 cards for $5?  Plus no hassle taking the kids to the store since it came to your door - that made this offer priceless!

The new offer is to sign up for Paper Pumpkin as a new subscriber and get the first two months for 50% off!  Sign up here and enter promo code SAVE50!

I love watching Callie create.  It's probably my favorite part of being a demonstrator.  She loves to gush over my creations and I love to see how her mind works with all my supplies.

Michael is still in the "eat supplies" stage so I look forward to seeing what he comes up with when the time is right.  He has mastered that dexterity thing though picking dimensional backs up off the floor!

Remember to use your supplies with the kidlets in your life.  They love the creative process and even if they ruin something, they will have fun doing it.  They offer a constant source of inspiration!  When I think of Stampin' Up!, I think of family and creativity - my two favorite things!

Have a craftastic day,
Stacy

May 2015 Paper Pumpkin - Birthday Bundle Cards

Paper Pumpkin offers a lot of inspiration and opportunity for creative success.  You can sign up by June 10th and save 50% on your first two months!  Learn more about this fantastic program here!

Today I'm sharing the cards I made using the May 2015 Birthday Bundle kit.  My apologies in advance for the mess in the background - it's been raining here for several days which means no good light for photos and children constantly underfoot that cannot go outside!

While I adored the card that came with the instructions, I knew that there was potential to play and that is my favorite thing about this great kits!  Instead of getting that overwhelmed feeling I occasionally (um, just occasionally) get in my craft cave, I just sit down with the box and see what happens!

Here is the card that came with the kit - adorable, eh?  Who wouldn't love to get this in the mail? 

This one was made using the balloon from one of the bags and cutting the end of the Celebrate banner off.  I also used a scrap of the thread from one of the bags and unraveled it to just use the white.

Yesterday I posted the bag with the card attached to the front.  This card was made using the "back" of that card that was cut off.  I used the rock-n-roll technique on the balloon.  To do that, you ink it up and then stamp it off on scratch paper.  Then you will roll the edges in the ink pad again and stamp!  I used the other piece of scrap thread, this time removing the white strands, to put on the top of the tag.

Another things I love about photopolymer stamps is that you can align them easily.  This camp is using scraps that were left over and my scissors.  Callie thought this one was fun!

I wanted to play a little with one of the cards to see if I could do a fancy fold.  In this case, I just folded the card inside out and then folded back the blue panel.  I layered the circle on with dimensionals but the one on the striped piece is attached with adhesive so the sentiment can be hidden until the recipient opens the card.

 

 

Finally, whenever we have die cut elements to a kit, I like to play to see if I can make stencils.  In this case, I used the Stampin' Spot to color inside of the balloon scrap.  I could have used a sponge for a smooth image but I liked the "texture" that came from using the ink directly. 

 

I hope that you found something that helped inspire you.  Remember that I commit to coming up with several ideas using the Paper Pumpkin kit each month so that you can make the most of your supplies. 

Check back tomorrow to see what Callie and her 4 yr old mind made when I turned her loose with this kit!

Have a craftastic day,
Stacy

May 2015 Paper Pumpkin - Birthday Bundle Bags

Have you heard of Paper Pumpkin?  I usually say it's a kit that comes right to your door but I've come to realize it's more than that.  It's a kit that allows you to spark your own creativity or fill up your artistic tank using someone else's inspiration.  It's an amazing deal.  It's you time in a box.

As for details, the kits are designed to be completed in 30 minutes or so but I've found it's usually 90 minutes to complete everything in there.  They come with instructions, project/card supplies, ink, and photopolymer stamps.  They do not always include adhesive though most of the kits in 2015 have included all that you need.  The stamp set is exclusive to the Paper Pumpkin program and helps you build up your inventory with great sets whether a new crafter or experienced artist!  The first month you join, you get the kit for that month but with the clear block that will be needed to use with the stamps that come in other months. 

These products will be on trend and the kits will be either cards or 3D.  Part of your pumpkin adventure is that you don't know what you will get until it shows up at your door!  And, if you get a kit that isn't up your alley, put it together and give it as a gift to someone for the holidays or birthdays or just because!  Or you an defer or cancel at any time.  That cost is $19.95 per month plus tax and is charged on the 11th of the month.

But until June 10th, you can get two months for HALF OFF!

Go to https://mypaperpumpkin.com/en/?demoid=80380 to sign up today!

Want to get an idea of what you could be making?  This month's kit was called Birthday Bundle and included a five piece stamp set, Island Indigo Stampin' Spot, and supplies to make 4 bags and 6 cards.  Today I'm posting the bags and will post the cards over the next two days.

The bags come with yellow tissue paper to highlight the balloon cutouts in the bag but I didn't want to crinkle mine before I used it next weekend for all my birthday parties!  Also, I made all of today and tomorrow's projects is just under 2 hours while my daughter was making her two cards.  :)

This first bag is what is included in the instructions.  Adorable, eh?  I love that the Celebrate stamp works perfectly in those banners so I can use it for other cards and crafts!

For this bag, I wanted to stamp on the balloon directly (I needed the banner for a card I'm posting tomorrow).

A tip for the twine.  It says to cut to 18" in the instructions but what if you don't have a ruler?  I threaded the long piece of ribbon in the bag and when both the ends were at the bottom of the bag, I cut.  This was a little shorter than 18" but gives you plenty to tie and also leaves a little bit to use for other projects!

When you put together everything, there is a few extra tags.  I used my Island Indigo marker and inked just the "Happy" from the Happy Birthday stamp and stamped the tag.  I then unraveled the spare twine I had left after threading the bags and tied the white twine into a bow to attach it to the bottom of the balloon.  Now I can use this one for anything - like Callie's preschool graduation but I don't think the gift she wants is going to fit in there....

This final bag was my favorite.  I wanted to see what I could do with the bags if I covered up the balloons.  Maybe for Father's Day or another occasion that didn't scream birthday!  So I cut one of the cards in half and trimmed it to 5 1/4 x 4.  I then attached it to the front of the bag using adhesive.  I cut one of the party strips down to attach on the front and then used the piece I trimmed off the card to make a banner to put under it (that Island Indigo strip.)  The image is up on dimensionals.  It would make a great card layout too.... :)

Keep those little strips that you trim off as there are all sorts of ways to use them, as you will see with the cards tomorrow.

I hope you enjoyed my creations and that you'll join me for next month's kit!

Take care,
Stacy

Mother's Day Recap - Flowers Galore

I hope that everyone out there had a great Mother's Day.  I was able to enjoy the sounds of my children's voices at a very early hour as they couldn't wait to tell me Happy Mother's Day.  My oldest (who is 4 1/2) made me breakfast in bed (with daddy's help) and gave me her adorable projects from preschool.  I got to work on photos and planted a raspberry bush in my grandma's memory.  I will get to celebrate with my own mother later but I did get to celebrate that evening with the world's greatest mother-in-law.  It's been so nice having her live closer and my kids are all the better for it!

For Mother's Day, I wanted to make the Build a Bouquet for each of them. But they are hard for my tiny hands and I have a hot glue gun problem - my little fingers just gravitate towards the molten glue.  My husband chose Mother's Day to ask me why I'm always stressed out when I craft if crafting is supposed to be my relaxing time.  Good point.  That happens when I'm working on something outside of my range and these flowers fall into that part of my craft spectrum.  However, if you use our great glue dots, you can put these together much more easily and only use the hot glue gun to glue the base of the flowers on.  I'm happy to report that no swearing occurred during this batch of flowers thanks to that tip and I actually enjoyed making them.

(Notice the catalog that the vase is sitting on?  Yep, the new 2015-2016 catalog that my Mother-in-Law always gets early for Mother's Day!  Isn't it pretty????)

The tags were easy!  :)  I wrapped a small piece of our frayed burlap ribbon around a vase from my grandma's collection and then used the crochet trim to fasten it.  I love Herman Hesse as a writer so it's extra special to me to have that little bit of quotation on there too.

As for the card, here is where it got very relaxing again.  The Painted Petals stamp set is by far my favorite of the moment.  I love the layered flowers and the sayings are so much fun.  I will miss this one when it goes.  I used the Mother's Day stamp from Antique Collectibles, a retired set from several years ago, and accented the flowers by coloring the Basic Pearls with my Crumb Cake Blendabilities (insert moment of silence here for the death of this product line... for now...)

Supplies for the card:

• Cardstock: Crumb Cake, Very Vanilla, Soft Sky
• Ink:Crumb Cake, Soft Sky
• Stamp Sets: Antique Collectibles (retired), Painted Petals
• Accessories:  Neutral Buttons, Linen Thread, Fringe Scissors, Basic Pearls, Crumb Cake Blendabilities (discontinued), Adhesive, Scissors

Overall, whether the projects are easy or hard, whether they leave scars or smiles, the process of crafting is a therapeutic one.  Stamping is an art.  Stamping is a release.  Stamping is a way to show people you love that you are thinking about them enough to make them something pretty.  That's why I do what I do and why I love it so much.  Just like my mother and mother-in-law and grandma.  All make me the best version of me and I'll always be grateful.

Have a craftastic day,
Stacy

Sew You Paper Pumpkin Projects

A few words about Paper Pumpkin before I jump into my projects because there is an exciting promotion going on!

Kits are designed to be completed in 30 minutes or so, most of the time.  They come with instructions, project/card supplies, ink, and photopolymer stamps.  Lately they have also included adhesive!  These products will be on trend and the kits will be either cards or 3D.  Part of your pumpkin adventure is that you don't know what you will get until it shows up at your door!  And, if you get a kit that isn't up your alley, put it together and give it as a gift to someone for the holidays or birthdays or just because!  That cost is $19.95 per month plus tax and is charged on the 11th of the month.  But not today....

 

FIVE DOLLARS?  And you get a stamp set, supplies for 4 bags and 6 cards, plus an ink spot and it's mailed to you.  Click below to take advantage of this by 6:50pm MST on Saturday, May 9th.

 



Sign up here: https://mypaperpumpkin.com/en/?demoid=80380

For a full video of the March kit, Sew You, check out this YouTube video.

Now onto the projects!  When I saw the March kit, I thought of the thank you notes I needed to make for my son's birthday and thought it was perfect since I needed 7 of them and the kit came with 9!  The cards were a standard mailing size and flat so no extra postage needed!  After sewing 7 cards straight, I realized my hands are out of practice and I needed to come up with something else to show my customers, especially those with arthritis that may prevent them from doing that sewing.  The look of the project from the kit was ADORABLE but it was also way more than the typical 30 minutes the kits used to take.

Here was the standard project and a different card layout using the same supplies. 

The kit wasn't just for thank you cards though.  The stamp set came with a TON of images to help with any occasion.  As a tip, don't forget to clean your stamps after you use them and put them away.  I left my ink on these on my craft desk and some of them are going to stay that pretty brown forever now...

Now, I've posted a lot of really cute samples with this kit in Pinterest.  But I am just SOOO proud of this project and proud of myself for getting some photos of my son up on the wall to go with all those pictures of his sister.  We don't want him thinking I play favorites but his sister has a LOT of wall space real estate in this house!

 

 So this project takes the following supplies: 4 envelopes, 2 polka dot cards, 1 striped card.  I used fast fuse to hold mine together since it would be hanging.   Current subscribers can buy refill kits which is what I used to create my mini envelope décor item!

 

To do the base, adhere the flaps of each envelope to the one on top of it.  For the top envelope, pierce two holes using the needle and thread through a piece of the string.  Then tie the ends in knots and fold the top flap of the envelope down about 1/2" to cover the string ends.

 

To finish the base of this project, just cut the polka dot cards in half and put into the envelopes.  You can put photos on the front and then journal on the back.  These photos are wallet sized.  They slide in and out easily because there isn't much dimension added with the photos.

For the top envelope, I stamped the word bubble on the striped paper and cut it out so that the triangle at the bottom was removed.  I inked the edges with the ink spot and did the same to the Hello piece after I stamped it. It's up on dimensionals and the cute epoxy star is included in the kit.

For this flap, I did the word bubble the same way but left it so it worked for a "caption".  I inked the "Happy" from the happy birthday stamp on a scrap and cut out.  It's up on dimensionals as well.

For the bottom two flaps, I cut one of the striped cards in half.  For the top envelope, I attached the card to the envelope so the photo with journaling goes on the inside.  The YOU on the die cut is done with a black marker for those that don't want to do the sewing.  I loved the look and the heart epoxy sticker is also in the kit.

The last envelope is the 2nd half of the striped card folded accordion style.  Inside are more photos from our photo shoot. I inked up just "You're A" from the stamp and cut them out.  The gem epoxy sticker is also in the kit.  Since I wanted to use the string somewhere, I used it to tie the booklet shut.

I know that I'm biased.  My son is the cutest boy I've ever seen and these photos enhance that (in my motherly opinion).  But to have a project that came to the door and worked for his 1 year photos and his 1 year thank you notes was ideal.  If you are local and love these photos as much as I do, you can set up a sitting with Heidi Hagman too (www.heidihagmanphotography.com).

 

I hope you sign up to join me with Paper Pumpkin.  You can see more information about the program here: http://craftasticdayswithstacy.blogspot.com/2013/07/join-my-paper-princesses-club.html

 

Have a craftastic day,

Stacy 



Love You A Lot Paper Pumpkin Samples

I'm finally caught up on my Paper Pumpkin samples and am so excited to share them over the next two days, which means two HUGE posts!  I'm starting with April because I noticed a few things that will help you with other kits you receive (or maybe you already knew these tips and I just needed to ask...)

Have you heard of My Paper Pumpkin?  It's a kit that comes right to your door!

Kits are designed to be completed in 30 minutes or so.  They come with instructions, project/card supplies, ink, and photopolymer stamps.  They do not always include adhesive.  These products will be on trend and the kits will be either cards or 3D.  Part of your pumpkin adventure is that you don't know what you will get until it shows up at your door!  And, if you get a kit that isn't up your alley, put it together and give it as a gift to someone for the holidays or birthdays or just because!  That cost is $19.95 per month plus tax and is charged on the 11th of the month.  But not if you sign up by 6:50pm MST on Saturday, May 9th.

 

Five dollars for the stamp set, ink spot, and supplies to make 4 bags and 6 cards?  Seriously?

Sign up here: https://mypaperpumpkin.com/en/?demoid=80380

April's kit was called Love You A Lot and came with the stamp set below, a Pacific Point & Crushed Curry ink spot, and enough supplies and adhesive to make 8 pockets and cards.  You can see this kit via this YouTube video.

Let's start with a few tips.

1 - A lot of our kits come with twine or ribbon that needs to be cut into 10" strips for the instructions.  Did you know that your Paper Pumpkin kit comes in a box that is 10" long?  Use it as your ruler!

2 - Lining up photopolymer stamps doesn't have to be hard.  If you have a patterned paper in the kit, lay your uninked stamps on the pattern and then press the clear block on top - that will keep your stamps straight.  

If you don't have a pattern, just find a straight edge of a piece of cardstock in the kit and use that!

3 - Don't forget to line things up before you assemble.  If you only want a specific item to show, lay all the pieces down like this first. Then ink up your stamp and it will have perfect placement.

Now for the project ideas.  I really like the project that came in the kit.  With Father's Day around the corner, I wanted to get those cards done first for my kids so they can focus on their "creative" projects for daddy.

This project is just like in the instructions.  So cute, eh?

Now my youngest is trying to perfect his scribbles but he's not old enough to write in his daddy's card.  I thought that it would be fun to use the front for one of his new 1 yr pictures and stamp the inside with his Father's Day message.  (Note: If you are local and looking for a great family photographer, check out Heidi Hagman at www.heidihagmanphotography.com.  You'll see more of her adorable work in tomorrow's post!)

I needed something for my dad to go with his football tickets and book so I cut one of the envelopes in half and made a corner bookmark out of it.  I cut up one of the blue cards and layered it on the front and wrapped the twine.

Now my Mother's birthday is also in June so I cut another envelope to make a smaller pocket and put it on the front of kraft bag.  Then I did some simple stamping using the set an made her a card for the front.  Now I have a decorated bag AND a card (so I guess I should get crackin' on a gift to fit in there!)

Finally, it's Teacher Appreciation Week.  I knew what I wanted to get the teachers in Callie's life but not how I'd find the time to package it.  So I made these simple cards and printed off Amazon gift cards with the same sort of daisy image on them.  Is that cheating? 

So this one kit gave me Father's Day, Teacher Appreciation, and Birthday option.  It would work for Mother's Day too but since both my mother's get this kit, I thought I'd try to make their cards with another set (see them on Sunday!) 

Speaking of Mother's Day, remember that pre-paid subscriptions are a GREAT gift for Mother's Day.  You can even print this adorable gift card to go in one of these envelopes if you are a current subscriber!

And, as a subscriber, you can also buy refills for this kit here.

Finally, for other great ideas using this kit and past kits, check out this great site.  These designers do a fantastic job with their kits and each has a unique style allowing something for everyone!

Have a craftastic day,
Stacy