THE FRAME THAT WASN'T

Hi all! Well, I promised you all yesterday that I would show you the frame I made for Tony's Grandma BUT I got it all finished, proudly showed it to my husband, and promptly packaged it all up in the shipping box and FORGOT TO TAKE THE PICTURE!!! LOL - sometimes I wonder where my head is :-) So, instead of the frame, I have a workshop card to share that I did with my workshop gals last week! It was quite the crowd with 16 of them all packed around three tables - I could have used more of ME, heeehee! We had a great time though, there was lots of laughing, and everyone enjoyed the projects which is ALWAYS my goal! I have been doing so much stamping of holiday stuff that I decided to make a project that had nothing to do with the season, lol!  This card uses two separate stamp sets:  one is a hostess set called Precious Butterflies and I absolutely love it! The other is the Creative Elements stamp set, which we used to stamp on the patterned paper itself. The base of this card is Poppy Parade card stock, and the patterned paper comes from the First Edition Specialty Collection - Yummy! We punched along the edge using the Eyelet Border punch, and then sponged the edges with Early Espresso ink. The images are stamped on Naturals Ivory in Poppy Parade and Daffodil Delight inks, then backed with some Not Quite Navy card stock. The sentiment is stamped on Daffodil Delight card stock in Not Quite Navy ink, then punched out using the Large Oval punch, and popped up on dimensionals. We tore the edge of the patterned paper (some of them had a tough time with this, they thought it was too pretty, lol) then added a small Navy designer button. Last, we used some of the Daffodil Delight Taffeta ribbon across the top of the card, and it looks so pretty!! Love that ribbon, and in every color too :-) A simple but pretty card that is perfect for workshops! I hope you like it too!! If you like the products you see here, you can purchase them in my online store OR contact me and I am happy to take your order! Don't forget the Precious Butterflies set is a hostess only purchase so if you are in love with this one (I am!) then give me a call and let's get your workshop booked! I will leave you the recipe, and then I am off to make some more pretties for my Hostess Appreciation event this weekend - can't wait to spoil those ladies :-) I hope your day is fabulous and you take some time to create something!
Card Recipe:
Paper - Poppy Parade, Not Quite Navy, Naturals Ivory, Daffodil Delight card stock, First Edition Specialty Designer Series Paper
Inks - Poppy Parade, Daffodil Delight, Not Quite Navy classic inks
Stamps - Precious Butterflies (hostess set), Creative Elements
Tools - Eyelet Border punch, Large Oval punch, sponge, dimensionals
Accessories - Daffodil Delight Taffeta Ribbon, Designer Buttons

SUPER CUTE MINI BOOK

Hi stampers!! I hope someone is reading this, I know I took quite the hiatus!! I was battling quite a bad sinus infection which ended up going into my chest and caused me all kinds of grief! And, just when I was getting over that, I caught a bad head cold that I am currently at the end of  - sheesh!!! So, I am back on track and have TONS to show you this week!!! Today I want to share a cute mini book I made for one of my husband's staff that is leaving for a new job. He wanted something they could all sign and then add pictures to from her going away party so this is what I came up with! I got to attend the party as well and she loved the book, which made me happy :-) I have several pages to show you so what I will do is list  the main products that I used as I show you the pages. As always, if you have any questions, feel free to email me, and I will do my very best to answer them! This first pic is of the cover - it's an accordion album so it is held together by the Daffodil Delight wide striped grosgrain ribbon on the side. I used Pacific Point card stock as my base for the whole album, and the patterned paper is all from the Beyond the Garden Designer Series paper collection.  I used several stamp sets in this album; the ones on the front cover come from the BFF stamp set, and the Friends Never Fade stamp set. Although you can't tell from the pic, I sprayed the accordion flower with Frost White Shimmerz - looks so pretty IRL!

In this mini I tried to keep a similar theme going for all the pages as there are some on the front AND back pages of this book. So, I am going to show you the front pages as I repeated the themes from the front onto the back. These first two pages show how I did the pockets and tags for them all to sign and leave little notes, and then there are places for pictures as well! I used the Kindness Matters stamp set, and the Just Believe stamp set for the images and the borders on these pages.  I also used the Triple Layer flower punch, I just love that! The ribbon is the yummy Tangerine Tango Scalloped Polka Dot ribbon, which you will see throughout the book. The border on the pocket was made with the Eyelet Border punch, one of my favorites that I tend to reach for over and over. There are some blingy items on this page as well - I used some of the Antique brads as well as some rhinestones and pearls - a girl has got to have bling, right??

These two pages have lots of room for journaling and also for pictures. I used my Scallop Circle die on my Big Shot to create the pull-out from the right page, which can hold two pics all on it's own. The stamp sets on the right hand page are from the Vintage Vogue stamp set.  As you can see, the pocket on the left side is a repeat pocket - I did these all the same throughout the mini and it looks great! It gave a lot of continuity to the book, and the other pages really added the pop to the book with all their different elements!

These two pages are once again showing two pocket pages, one of which should look familiar *wink* The right side is another pocket similar to the last one, but with different images. These come from the Friends Never Fade stamp set, a great set that can be used for many, many different occasions! The Eyelet Border punch was used along the diagonal of the pocket as it was on the last page I showed you!

These are the last two pages of the book, and they are primarily for placing pictures. Lots of stamping going on here as well! The butterflies are from the Kindness Matters stamp set - I just stamped them on Whisper White card stock, cut them out, and then placed some rhinestones down the center of them. I also used the Just Believe stamp set on the left page, adding some cute little pink flowers punched out with my Bitty punch.  And of course, I added some pearls :-) The outline of the Scalloped Square shape is left from the Scalloped Square you see on the front of the album cover - I hate to let it go to waste so I used it here. Another stamp set used on the right page is called My Friend, and it is one of the first stamp sets I purchased from this catalog, I just love it! Lots of fun images to play with :-)  So, there you have all the pages (some I did not show as they are duplicates of ones you see here) of the cute mini I made for a going away gift! This is the best part of being a scrapper and stamper, that I get the chance to make these handmade gift items for people - I just love how much they appreciate them - much better than a sweater, don't you think??!! Although, I tend to give both, lol!  If you like any of these items you see here, you can purchase them in my online store, or contact me and I will be happy to take your order. I hope the pictures are clear enough for you to see, there was not the best light when I took them, and well, I don't have the book anymore to get better ones, lol! I will be back tomorrow with a frame that I made for my husband's grandma who turned 86 yesterday! Yep, another handmade gift item :-) Until then, I hope you have a wonderful Monday, and take time to stamp something!

A LITTLE SNEAKY PEEK :-)

Hi all!!! I hope you are having a fabulous week - I can't believe it's already Wednesday, this week is flying by! I have been super busy getting ready for yet another craft show, class, and workshop this weekend! And, I am still fighting this awful sinus infection, although I am hoping I am on the downhill side of it now. Sheesh - three rounds of antibiotics and it's STILL here! I don't have time to be sick, lol! I have a super cute Halloween mini book class on Friday night (if you are local and want to attend, I still have a few seats left) and so I thought I would give you a peek at the cover - I can't show you all the pages until after the class since they paid for it :-) I used the Pick Your Poison Designer Series Paper and the Piece of Poison stamp set from the Holiday mini - both are so much fun!! It's a 6x6 mini chipboard book, and has twelve pages chock full of fun images, embellies, and of course places to put those special Halloween pictures!  It is held together by metal rings decorated with lots and lots of our ribbon(not shown here). There are four images featured here from the stamp set including the title.  The spiderweb is stamped in Basic Gray classic ink and the spider is stamped over top of it in Black Stazon on Naturals Ivory card stock. That fun accordion flower was super easy to make using my Simply Scored, which you can also find in the Holiday mini.  If you don't have  this tool, you NEED one - it is soooo fabulous and opens up a whole new way of doing all your scoring quickly, and accurately! The skeleton is stamped in Black Stazon on Peach Parfait card stock that was distressed using my distresser tool, then sponged with black ink. The title is stamped in Black Stazon on Naturals Ivory card stock that has been sponged with Peach Parfait classic ink.  And, you know me and my pennants, I had to do it again, lol! It is mounted on dimensionals so give some added depth to the cover. The ribbon is Peach Parfait twill ribbon - love it!!! So, this is just the cover - imagine what is on the inside!! *wink* Once I have held the class, I will show you all the fun pages inside :-) If you NEED any of these products featured here (and you know you do heeheee!) you can purchase them in my online store or contact me and I will be happy to place the order for you!  And remember, you can still take this class if you are local, just give me a shout and I will reserve you a spot! Today is laundry day so I will be doing some fun crafty projects in between folding and putting away, lol! Have a wonderful day and make sure you take some time to be creative, it's good for the heart :-)
Cover Recipe:
Paper  Peach Parfait, Naturals Ivory card stock, Pick Your Poison Designer Series paper
Inks - Black Stazon, Basic Gray, Peach Parfait classic inks
Stamps - Piece of Poison
Tools - Simply Scored, Distresser Tool, 1 1/4 inch and 1 3/8 inch circle punches, dimensionals, sponge
Accessories - Peach Parfait Twill ribbon

PRETTY NETTING

Good morning all!!! Well, it's not such a great morning for me - seems I have a nasty sinus infection, probably from all the extreme changes we have had in the weather lately.  It went from 93 one day to 60 the next, back up to the 100s and now below 60 again - I mean, really??? No wonder everyone is sick :-( However, I have so much to do that I can't let it keep me down, so I will be off to see the man with the good stuff later on today, lol!! In the meantime, I thought I would share my second swap card with you! I was signed up to do the Netting background stamp, but since it IS a background stamp, I used other sets on here too :-)  I wanted a nice, bright, and cheery card so I went with Tangerine Tango card stock for the base, with some Daffodil Delight and Pacific Point accent papers, and I love it!! The Netting stamp is done with Tangerine Tango classic ink on Whisper White card stock to make it really pop! Then, I used the flourishes from the BFF stamp set - such a fun stamp set, I can't believe it took me this long to ink it up!  Doesn't it look like a patterned paper?? I love making my own, so fun!! The main images and the sentiment are from the Hostess stamp set Precious Butterflies - Looooove it!!  I stamped them on Whisper White card stock, and then softly sponged Pacific Point ink over the top.  I backed the image with a Scallop Circle that I cut out on my Big Shot. The sentiment is stamped on Wild Wasabi card stock, then punched out using the Decorative Label punch, and popped up on dimensionals over a piece of Old Olive thin grosgrain ribbon.  I was worried that it would look funny mixing the greens, but nope, looks great!! I again kept it simple since I needed to make so many of these, but I think it turned out pretty, and I hope my swap group likes it too *wink* If you like any of the products I used here, you can purchase them all for yourself in my online store! Or, if you would rather, you can contact me and I will be happy to place the order for you :-) Now, I am off to get ready for the doctor, ugghhhh!! I hope you all have a fabulous day, and take time to be creative!! See ya manana!!!
Card Recipe:
Paper - Tangerine Tango, Daffodil Delight, Pacific Point, Wild Wasabi, Whisper White card stock
Inks - Old Olive, Pacific Point, Daffodil Delight, Tangerine Tango classic inks
Stamps - Netting background stamp, BFF, Precious Butterflies(hostess set)
Tools - Big Shot, Scallop Circle Die, 3 1/2 inch Circle Die, Designer Label punch, Dimensionals, Sponge
Accessories - Old Olive thin grosgrain ribbon

IT'S A SWAP!

Good Monday morning stampers!! I hope you had a fabulous weekend! Mine was extremely busy with the Card Buffet and a workshop - whew!! I don't think I really had time to register it was the weekend, lol! And, it's now October - can you believe it??!! I can't - the months are flying by :-) Pretty soon it will be....oh, never mind - I don't want to go there, LOL!!! One of the things I love to do is swap - it gives me samples of some wonderful cards with different styles and great techniques that I may not have done in awhile or may be new to me.  I recently participated in a swap where we had to sign up for a certain catalog set and we would then get different set samples back! Since the swap is now closed and sent back, I can share one of the sets (I did two) that I chose with you today! The set I chose was Established Elegance because I love the vintage look and feel to this set, and wanted an excuse to try out the typewriter, heehee! The base of this card is Soft Suede card stock and I paired it with the beautiful Beau Chateau Designer Series paper -isn't it yummy??! I kept the card fairly simple because I needed 20 of them, but still wanted that WOW! factor :-) I stamped the typewriter in Soft Suede classic ink on Naturals Ivory card stock and then I cut it out.  I then popped it up on dimensionals over a square of the same card stock that I stamped with several of the other images in this set using Blushing Bride classic ink. I inked the edges in Soft Suede ink, rounded the corners, and then adhered the whole thing to a Scalloped Square that I cut out on my Big Shot(did you know you can get one of these FREE??).  I also folded down one of the corners and added a vintage brad, and stamped another one of the beautiful images in the corner using Soft Suede ink.  I then decided to stamp my sentiment (from the Petite Pairs stamp set) on another piece of Naturals Ivory and roll it like a scroll coming out of the typewrite - cute, right?? Lastly, I added some Victorian Lace ribbon and the card was done! Like I said, simple - but still very pretty, don't you think?? I hope the swap ladies like it :-) I had fun making it, I love to design cards just because! I have another swap card since I signed up for two, and I will share that one tomorrow :-) If you like the products you seen here, you can order them in my online store, or contact me and I will be happy to take your order for you! Also, don't forget about all our wonderful specials this month - click here and you can see them all in one place :-) Now, I am off to work on some of my craft fair projects and some workshop items - very busy day here in the Hobson stamp studio, lol!! I hope you all have a wonderful day, and I will be back tomorrow, promise!! In the meantime, I hope you take the time to be creative, it does the heart good!!
Card Recipe:
Paper - Soft Suede, Blushing Bride, Naturals Ivory card stock, Beau Chateau designer series paper
Inks- Soft Suede, Blushing Bride classic inks
Stamps - Established Elegance, Petite Pairs (sentiment)
Tools - Big Shot, Scallop Squares Duo Die, Corner Rounder, Ticket Corner Punch, dimensionals, sponge
Accessories - Victorian Lace, Vintage brads

WANT A FREE BIG SHOT OR A $100 SHOPPING SPREE??!!

Happy October everyone!!! YAY! It has finally started cooling down here in Northern Cali - 70s in the forecast all week here - whoohooo!!! I had a wonderful day yesterday celebrating World Card Making Day by hosting a Card Buffet where there were all sorts of different cards to stamp for a $1 per card - it was sooo much fun!! Lots of people came, and there was lots of laughter, stamping, and just a great time!! This past week has been CRAZY busy, and I have been fighting a pretty bad sinus infection BUT I wanted to let you know today of the exciting news from Stampin' Up!  This month - it is AMAZING!!!! Check out these specials - they are going to blow your mind :-)  See that picture above?? Yep, it's true - a FREE BIG SHOT, WHOOHOOOO!!! Here are all the details:

From October 1st-31st anyone who signs up to be a demonstrator will have their choice of a FREE BIG SHOT OR A $100 SHOPPING SPREE - YOUR CHOICE!!!! WHOOHOOO!!! - ISN'T THAT AMAZING!!!! In addition, the new-demonstrator starter kit (an amazing deal for only $175) contains $310 worth of stamp sets, card stock, ink, accessories, and all the business supplies you need to get started!!! And, if you want to customize this kit so that you get the stamps YOU want, the inks YOU want, etc. you can also do that!

SO, ARE YOU READY FOR YOUR FREE BIG SHOT??!!! Simply click here and you are on your way to an unlimited amount of creativity, a wonderful new family of stampers, and FUN!!! But hurry, this offer is only good until October 31st, and just like all the witches, warlocks, ghosts, and bats they will be gone :-) AS AN ADDED BONUS, IF YOU JOIN MY TEAM DURING THIS PROMOTION, YOU WILL BE ELIGIBLE TO JOIN MY NEW RECRUIT BIG SHOT CLUB!!  You will learn all kinds of wonderfully fun ways of using your Big Shot so YOU can get the most out of your new toy :-)
 

If you have any questions or want to know more about being a demonstrator, please don't hesitate to contact me! You can email me or call me at (530)589-6900 - I am happy to chat with you about how wonderful it is to be a demonstrator :-)

Have a wonderful Sunday!!

MORE CHOCOLATE FUN!

Good Monday morning!! Well, so far so good, lol!!! I had a wonderful weekend although no crafting time BUT I think sometimes it's good to step away and do some other fun things like SHOPPING :-) Although I did some crafty shopping, heehee!!! Got some frames for Christmas presents - now just to get them done :-) Hopefully I will be able to share some of those soon! Today I am going to share another one of our chocolately projects we did in Chicks and Chocolate class last week! This is a cute little candy holder that has a cello bag full of treats inside! The base of this project is Concord Crush card stock and I have decided this is a PERFECT color for Halloween projects, lol! I love it paired with the Daffodil Delight card stock as it is here!  The flap of the holder is border punched with the Scallop border punch, and then Daffodil Delight grosgrain ribbon is threaded through the entire holder to keep it closed.  As you can see, there are several layers on the front, including a piece of very fun patterned paper from the Frightful Sight Designer Series paper pack.  It has bats all over it with spider webs, super cute!! The image is stamped on a 3 inch circle cut on the Big Shot and nests inside a 31/2 Concord Crush circle also cut on the Big Shot.  The image itself is stamped in Black Stazon and is from the House of Haunts stamp set - one of my favorite Halloween sets! The sentiment and bats are from the Wicked Cool stamp set, and pairs perfectly with the house! It is stamped on Daffodil Delight card stock, then punched out with the Modern Label punch.

The real fun part of this little holder is the inside - that's where the chocolate is!! Well, it is if your teenagers don't see the chocolate - no more in there now, LOL!!  This is a side view of the holder so you can see how it holds the treats. There is a medium cello bag secured inside the holder with red sticky tape, and because the cello bag has a resealable flap, this little treat can be refilled again and again (well, if you want *wink*) It actually holds quite a bit of candy and could hold a couple of mini chocolate bars, lots of m&ms, and of course the hershey kisses you see here! This is a wonderful little treat holder that makes a great gift for your kiddos or your sweetheart - I plan on making a bunch of these for Tony to take to work and hand out to some of his staff members.  Well, I didn't REALLY plan on it, he begged me to do it, heehee!! I can't resist that man so yes, I will do that for him! He only needs FORTY of them, ROFL!!! It will be fun to do and I can play around with different images and such!! I hope you like this cute little treat holder! If you like the products you see here, you can order them in my online store, or you can contact me and I will be happy to take your order for you! I will be holding another Chicks and Chocolate class for Christmas treats as well, so if you would like to make these fun holders with me and some other stampy friends, watch the calendar for the class listing :-) Now, I am off to the post office to mail out some cards to friends (love to send handmade cards) and get ready for the week! Have a wonderful day, and I hope you take some time to create something!! I will be back tomorrow with the last two chocolate treat holders! Until then, happy stampin'!
Treat Holder Recipe:
Paper - Concord Crush, Daffodil Delight, Whisper White card stock, Frightful Sight Designer Series paper
Inks - Black Stazon, Daffodil Delight stampin' write marker, Concord Crush classic ink
Stamps - House of Haunts, Wicked Cool
Tools - Simply Scored, Big Shot, 3 and 31/2 inch circle dies, Scallop border punch, Modern Label border punch, Crop-o-Dile, Red Sticky Tape
Accessories - Cello bag, Daffodil Delight grosgrain ribbon