Homemade Projects

Thanks for coming back for further descriptions of the Stampin' Addicts Sale-a-Bration Blog Hop projects, featuring the stamp set Homemade. The first project is a baked goods ensemble.

Here is a close-up of the frosting, made by applying Tombo multipurpose glue, coating with a 1:1 mixture of Dazzling Diamonds glitter and white embossing powder, and heating.

The card was a CASE of Nancy Littrell's card.

Stamps: Homemade; Paper: Real Red, Whisper White; Ink: Real Red, So Saffron marker; Accessories: White embossing powder, Dazzling Diamonds glitter, 1-3/4" Circle punch, 2-3/8" Scallop Circle punch, Real Red striped ribbon, Daffodil Delight taffeta ribbon, Linen thread, Finial Press embossing folder, Big Shot, Dimensionals, Tombo multipurpose glue.

Here are all the fun no-calorie treats, inspired by a past cover of the Stampin' Success magazine, and a great excuse to make some of these goodies!

Information on the chocolates box can be found on this post.

For the cupcake, I used the Perfect Setting die for the cupcake wrapper. Inside there is a cupcake paper, which you could hide a small gift. The top was created by sewing each layer of ribbon into a rosette by using a running stitch along one edge of the ribbon and pulling to gather. I attached the ribbon layers and button to a 2-1/2" circle of cardstock to make the "lid". For the cupcake box, I followed this tutorial by Becky Roberts.

And some pictures of the final fun project in the grouping, the explosion box with a paper cake.

The cake and box took about one week, on and off, to make. A labor of love! It has pink taffeta ribbon wrapped on the bottom layer, texture from the Texture Plate Kit #4 on the middle layer (the woodgrain-type pattern), and Perfect Polka Dots texture on the top layer. 3-3/4 x 1/8" strips of Regal Rose paper was quilled and attached around the middle layer. And the Rose Red rosettes were created by punching various-sized circles, cutting a spiral, rolling and dipping into Dazzling Diamonds.

Cupcake and Box - Stamps: Homemade; Paper: Old Olive, Daffodil Delight, Whisper White, SAB Ice Cream Parlor DSP; Ink: Daffodil Delight, Pumpkin Pie; Accessories: Pumpkin Pie striped grosgrain, Daffodil Delight grosgrain, Pumpkin Pie button, Linen thread, Jumbo eyelets, Window sheets, 2-3/8" Scallop Circle punch, 1-3/4" Circle punch, Perfect Polka Dot embossing folder, Perfect Setting die, Big Shot, Dimensionals.

3-D Cake and Box - Stamps: Homemade; Paper: Pink Pirouette, Pretty in Pink, Regal Rose, Rose Red, Old Olive, Very Vanilla, Springtime Vintage DSP; Ink: Rose Red; Accessories: Linen thread, Rose Red seam binding, Pretty in Pink taffeta ribbon, 2-3/8" Scallop Circle punch, 1-3/4" Circle punch, 1-1/4" Circle punch, 1" Circle punch, Itty Bitty punch pack, Rhinestone jewels, Pearl jewels, Vintage Flower adornments, Dazzling Diamonds glitter, Sponge, Stylus, Little Leaves die, Perfect Polka Dots embossing folder, Texture Plate Kit #4, Scallop #2 die, 3-D Pop-Up Cake die, Big Shot, Dimensionals, Two-way glue pen.

Thanks for stopping by!

Stampin' Addicts Sale-A-Bration Blog Hop

**Please note: if you are looking for the Paper Crafters Sampler 3-D Cross Gift Box blog hop, starting on Saturday, please go down to the next post.**

Welcome to the Stampin' Addicts Sale-a-bration Blog Hop! Have you seen the SAB catalog yet? For each $50 spent, you can choose a free stamp set or accessory pack from the SAB catalog. Not only are there eight great offerings, which were showcased previously by my hopmates, but there are 69 sets from the main catalog listed on the back page. Any of the main catalog sets valued at $14.95 or less - I love that!!

If you have been following the blog hop in order, you have just come from Kim's blog featuring the stamp set Bliss. Kim always has over-the-top beautiful projects!

Today I will share some projects using the single stamp from the main catalog called Homemade. This is a great stamp to use around the holidays or anytime you want to snazz up a little lovin'-from-the-oven gift for a friend.

So the obvious choice for this set is for baked goods. Hubby whipped up a zucchini bread for friends, so why not dress it up with some ribbon, a little stamped tag, and a coordinating card?

On Monday, I'll have a close-up and description of how I made the frosting on the cupcakes.

Since I am not a baker, I created a few things that would last a little longer, look just as yummy, and have no calories! In fact, this is what I love about papercrafting - the colors are just good enough to eat!

Inside the explosion box, you'll find...

And this single stamp is perfect for a baking scrapbook page!

After the fact, I realize Little Missy is eating frosting out of a store-bought tub. Too funny! Ok, I admit, it wasn't all homemade... but there was a mixer involved!

Come back on Monday for more pictures, further descriptions, and supplies lists. If you aren't yet a member of Stampin' Addicts, you can sign up here. Make sure you check out the next stop to see what Barbara at Creative Stampin' Spot put together using the single stamp For You Flower. She made some amazing projects.








The complete blog hop listing:

1. Rhonda (rhondag) -- So Happy for You
2. Jennifer (SunflowerStamper) -- Punch Bunch
3. Twila (tjdstampsalot) -- Ice Cream Parlor DSP & Quick Accents
4. Joyce (bronocomom) -- Digital Content CD
5. Sarah (willsygirl) -- Sweet Summer
6. Kim (s1itcher46) -- Bliss
7. Heidi (hlw966) -- Homemade
8. Barbara (cre8tivestamper) -- For You Flower
9. Lisa (genesis) -- Tiny Teacup
10. Adriana (escape2stamp) -- Always Elegant
11. Krystal (skdeleeuw) -- Wellness Wishes
12. Yapha -- Bear Hugs
13. Carmen -- Extreme Skateboard
14. Holly P. (HollyLogic) -- Forest Friends
15. Jennifer (jentimko) -- Funky Four
16. Holly K. (catrules) -- Ornate Blossom
17. Cindy (CindyE) -- A Flower for All Seasons
18. Tanya (tanya27) -- Itty Bitty Bits
19. Sara (lilyinkpad) -- Tart & Tangy
20. Kandi (kandicejo) -- Fine Flourish
21. Cheryl (lovetostampandscrap) -- Thank You Kindly

Thanks for stopping by!

PCS Cross Gift Box Blog Hop

Welcome to the Cross Gift Box blog hop, the first Paper Crafters Sampler hop of the year. You may have arrived here from Kelly's blog. She has some gorgeous creations! Welcome and glad to have you here!

Easter Wishes is the theme for February's Paper Crafters Sampler, and the exclusive template for this box is included in the issue. This box is perfect to hold a little Easter gift, party favor, or a gift for Confirmation or other special religious event. So come hop along to check out the design team's take on the template. The contributors to this month's issue will also be sharing sneak peeks of their projects in the upcoming days.

I was so pleased to make a religious project, especially focusing so strongly on Christ. Sadly, I don't make these type of projects very often. And after all, Easter is the most wonderful holiday of the Christian calendar. I found a beautiful ceramic box on etsy, which I tried to recreate, staying with a vintage theme. I just love the sentiment from Just Believe, which I made into a small bookmark. I had immediately thought of God when the set came out.

Stamps: Vintage Vogue, Sense of Time, Just Believe, En Francais BG; Paper: Crumb Cake, Early Espresso, So Saffron, Peach Parfait, Old Olive, Very Vanilla; Ink: Soft Suede, So Saffron, More Mustard, Peach Parfait, Old Olive, Soft Suede marker; Accessories: Sponges, Old Olive satin ribbon, Crystal Effects, Color Spritzer, 1-3/4" Circle punch, 2-3/8" Scallop Circle punch, Crop-o-dile, Little Leaves die, Big Shot, Cross giftbox template.

Next up along the hop is our fearless leader, Melanie. She really knocks my socks off! :) If you get lost, go to Paper Crafters Sampler's website for the hop participants' links (left-hand margin).

Thanks for stopping by!

3-D Thursday: I've Created A Monster

Little Missy sure did get into decorating for Christmas. As Valentine's Day rolls around, she wanted to buy a wreath for decorating. We spent some time, literally one hour after Mr. Brown brought the new toys, cutting out hearts with the Scalloped Heart of Hearts embosslit. And she had to have at least one Glimmer paper heart punch out.

Well, I've been decorating the Valentine's wreath (below), and she needed to decorate her bedroom too! A crafting monster has been born... She had a great idea of stringing up her collection of hearts. Here is her creation.

For the wreath, Little Missy wrapped the ribbon. The paper hearts didn't add a nice touch, so we ditched them for the felt rosettes instead.

Accessories: Red satin ribbon, Pearl adhesives, Felt, Table Setting Die, Big Shot, Tombo multipurpose adhesive, Grapevine wreath.

And I've been wanting to make some felt heart confections. The directions can be found in the Paper Crafters Sampler trial sampler.

Accessories: Felt, Sweet Pea felt pieces, Faux pearl string, Punch Windows Movers & Shapers, Big Shot, Tombo multipurpose adhesive.

Thanks for stopping by!

Is My Card Plane?

I saw the ColourQ challenge this week, and there was mention of how hard the color combo was, so I took that challenge on. And, sad to say, I was in a hurry, which means my card turned out not-so-good. Perhaps it will inspired someone to do a better job?

In my morning stupor, I let the brayer sit on the cardstock Doh! But I forged on. Hard to see, but I added some stitching behind the plane.

Stamps: Plane & Simple, Lovely as a Tree, Warmest Regards; Paper: Crumb Cake, Cajun Craze, Rich Razzleberry, Whisper White; Ink: Crumb Cake, Cajun Craze, Rich Razzleberry, Peach Parfait; Accessories: Brayer, Sponges, Brads, Square Lattice embossing folder, Petal Cone die, Big Shot, Sewing machine, Thread, Dimensionals.

Now go show me you can do it better! :) Thanks for stopping by!

Who Doesn't Love A Deal?

It's the most wonderful time of the (Stampin' Up) year... Sale-a-bration is here!!! Click on the catalog icon below to check out the SAB catalog.

There are several ways to join in the festivities -

{Shop} - For each $50 you spend in Stampin' Up products (and they have the BEST products!), you earn a FREE item out of the SAB brochure. On top of the four stamp sets, accessories, papers, buttons, ribbon, My Digital Studio digital content CD, and even chalkboard decor element, there is also 69 stamps from the main catalog (see back page) to choose from!

{Host} - This is the best time to host a workshop, for both your guests as well as extra SAB incentives for you, so be sure to book your workshop today!

{Join} - But that's not all! Sale-a-bration is a great time to sign up to be a demonstrator. During SAB, there is 15% off the starter kit, plus SU is adding $50 bonus bundle to each starter kit!

Item	Page	Description
121620	165	Color Coach (or multiple languages Color Coach)
120806	183	Something Special Simply Sent (or any Simply Sent kit)
117114	183	Live, Laugh, Love Stamp Set (or any Simply Sent Stamp Set valued at $12.95 or less)
119883	202	Heart to Heart Punch (or any punch valued at $17.95 or less)

Why wait? You know you love the stuff!! Click here to check out more and start your own business!

Thanks for stopping by!

SUOC11 Valentine's Day Challenge

Today over at SU-Only Challenges, we are celebrating Valentine's Day. The challenge is to make a Valentine's Day project. Pretty wide open, huh?

My daughter is really getting into Valentine's Day. In fact, while making this card, she came along and said, "Hey, I was going to make that card." So here is her version.

For mine, I know the tree doesn't look full without some leaves (although that's not how it looks outside my window). Rather than stamping the leaves, I cut them out and glued. I know, cra-zy! I love, love, love this glimmer paper from the Occasions mini! It just looks so fabby!!

I tried a bunch of different ribbons with my layout, and I was going to go without, but Hubby preferred the simple taffeta bow. For once, I listened to him.

Stamps: Season of Friendship; Paper: Regal Rose, Old Olive, Very Vanilla, Love Impressions DSP; Ink: Early Espresso, Old Olive; Accessories: Sponge, Scallop Edge punch, Heart-to-Heart punch, Red glimmer paper (love it!), Perfect Polka Dots embossing folder, Big Shot, Sewing machine, Thread, Dimensionals.

Thanks for stopping by!

Ready For Cherry Blossoms?

Well, I am! Darn you guys at Stampin' Celebration! You got me again. I had to play hookie a bit from my regularly scheduled programming to play along.

Once the main panel was done, I needed some layout inspiration.

My glue was totally misbehaving, but I pressed on. Let me tell you - you have to get a pack of these buttons from Sale-a-bration! I LOVE them!

Stamps: Eastern Blooms; Paper: Pink Pirouette, Regal Rose, Very Vanilla; Ink: Regal Rose, Chocolate Chip marker; Accessories: Sponge, Rose grosgrain, Linen thread, Itty Bitty punch pack, Small Oval punch, SAB Ice Cream Parlor button, Pearl jewels, Perfect Polka Dots embossing folder, Big Shot.

Thanks for stopping by!

Scrapbook Friday: Ice Cream Scrappy Page

I created a page for my daughter's baby book, which documents milestones and cute events, rather than pictures. The journaling area takes up most of the space on the page. I used one of my favorite summer cards as a layout for the scrapbook page.

Here's the card:

And the scrapbook page:

I blocked out the journaling for privacy, but it's there. The fun ice cream image was popped up for dimension.

And here you can see the result of inking up the Texture Plates Kit #4 texturz plate with Cameo Coral ink and running the cardstock through the Big Shot.

Stamps: Sweet Scoops, So Very; Paper: Rich Razzleberry, Cameo Coral, So Saffron, Whisper White, Sweet Pea DSP, Razzleberry Lemonade DSP; Ink: Cameo Coral, Rich Razzleberry, So Saffron; Accessories: Piercing tool, Rich Razzleberry ribbon, Corner Rounder punch, Scallop Trim punch, Circle Scissors Plus, Perfect Polka Dots embossing folder, Texture Plates Kit #4, Big Shot, Dimensionals.

Thanks for stopping by!

3-D Thursday: Princess Panorama

Good morning, Peeps! I came across a princess panorama a while back, and just fell in love! Being quite an involved project, I put it on my to-do list, and there it sat for a long time. This past holiday season was time to start knocking some of those items off the list.

I basically started following Julie's lead, with lots of sponging and glittering, making a few changes here and there. But then there was a deviation in the plan. Originally this was going to be part of the princess bedroom, by framing and hanging it on the wall. A little work of art! Little Missy has loved playing and making up stories with the little die cuts, and it was a bit of an issue to permanently glue them down. In fact, it could be heard, "No, you can't glue them down!" So I hatched a different plan...

I created and glued down the background elements, and glued the whole 12 x 36" piece to thin sheet metal (insert hubby to help with this part*). I had an excuse to buy a new fun tool to laminate the animals and people. The idea was to glue them to strong magnets, so she could role play with them as she wishes. Well, wouldn't you know no various types of glue in this house sticks to smooth laminate plastic (insert several test iterations here). I sanded down spots on the back of the laminate pieces and attached magnets with Sticky Strip (haha, got to use a portion of my Ph.D. thesis here. Who would have thought?).

Hubby built the custom frame for it. Here's Little Missy playing with the WIP (work in progress).

All the pieces and parts, excluding the 12 x12" backgrounds, sky, and grass, come from the retired Build-a-Fairytale die cut kit. ETA: The metal sheet was 28 gauge 24"x30" sheet metal from a local hardware store, I believe galvanized steel.

Thanks for stopping by!

Love Letter Valentine

Good morning, All! I've seen a bunch of samples of the valentine image from Greeting Card Kids and Love Letter DSP paired together, and they seem like a perfect match. I thought I would try my hand at one as well. I used the Mojo Monday layout #167 as a starting point.

I paired Love Letter DSP with Newsprint DSP for a lovely vintage look. After some zig-zag stitching, the edges were sponged with Riding Hood Red ink. I am really loving making circle layouts with my Circle Scissors Plus.

The girl was watercolored, and the dimensional rose was made following this tutorial. I sponged the edges of the Riding Hood Red rose with Cherry Cobbler ink. A shade darker ink works best for sponging the roses.

Stamps: Greeting Card Kids; Paper: Riding Hood Red, Very Vanilla, Love Letter DSP, Newsprint DSP; Ink: Riding Hood Red, Crumb Cake, So Saffron, Blush Blossom, Cherry Cobbler, Black Stazon; Accessories: Sponge, Aquapainter, Fine Galaxy red glitter, Circle Scissors Plus, Floral wire, Birds & Blooms die, Big Shot, Sewing machine, Thread, Tombo multipurpose adhesive.

Thanks for stopping by!

Stylish Blogger Award!!

I received the Stylish Blogger Award from a fellow blogger Kim P.; what an honor!!! Kim consistently plays along with challenges, bringing focus to some unique color combos, as well as doing some amazing work away from stamping. I really admire her for that!

There are three simple rules for this blog award:

1. Thank the person who gave the award, and include a link to her/his blog.
   
2. Share 8 things about yourself
3. Pass the award on to 8 Stylish blogs, and let them know!

So....here are 8 little tidbits about me (more than you need, I'm sure!):

• I live in New York, moved here under protest in high school. I am a Midwest girl at heart! I feel like George in "It's a Wonderful Life". When am I getting out of here?
  
• I am a SAHM by choice, enjoying every moment with my daughter... or WAHM, since stamping in my job. After working/schooling my way through my two older sons' childhoods and losing a baby, I'm not missing this one!
  
• My husband is Dutch. We met in school, and he came back for me (awwww!). I've been replaced by Little Missy in his heart, but that's ok. She is the apple of our eyes!
  
• I have a Ph.D. in Physics.
• I beat depression and doldrums by exercising... A LOT... regardless of weather. I love swimming, running, and mountain biking. And I compete in these disciplines quite often. I don't sit still very well.
  
• I spend WAY TOO much time stamping! :) It was only suppose to be something to get me by while I was pregnant and not allowed to exercise.
• Down deep, I am a minimalist. Crafting, storing, hoarding totally goes against my grain, and drives me crazy quite often! I keep my craft area very neat and organized.
  
• I am a Christian who could use a lot more churching!
  

Now, let me share with you some Stylish Blogs where I often some amazing ideas! It is hard to limit the list to 8...trust me, I visit many, many more! If you have received this award before, just kick back and enjoy it again!

• Jennifer Timko - great designs, beautiful bows, and a kind-hearted person... she's got it all!
  
• Dany - her style is a little different than other blogs I visit, very refreshing, and she's got great scrapbook pages too!!
  
• Holly E. - she has a full life with her special-needs son and still finds time to create and run a weekly challenge, which I love!
  
• Cindy E. - her designs are just beautiful!
  
• Tanya - I love all the 3-D and home decor Tanya creates! I have never made a wreath before I met Tanya.
  
• Lisa - her work is always polished and lovely, and I have CASED her so often I can't count!
  
• Lydia - who I had the pleasure of meeting in IRL a couple years back. Even though she had taken on a big roll on Splitcoaststampers, I appreciate her keeping the "little people" up to date on Leadership happenings, as well as just bringing us fun artistic tidbits every day!
• Cindy Major - I would love to meet Cindy someday! She has fabulous designs, a scrapbooker at heart, and was so kind to give me advice via email when I was going to give my first Stampin' Up event presentation.
  

So, ladies, pass it on... Hope you enjoyed this little tour into my crafting world. Thanks for stopping by!

Let It Snow...

We've been doing a bunch of sledding and xc skiing here, with three snow storms in three weeks.

I love decorating the house with snowflakes, especially in January when all the Christmas decorations are gone. I know, it's cold, it's miserable. To help get through the doldrums, I embrace snowflakes, and we usually try to get away once a month. I really look forward to these weekends! We will go xc skiing in a couple weeks. So along those lines, I finally ordered some Flurry Decor Elements, both white and Bashful Blue. I split them up, mixed and matched, to apply to the front door both this year and next. From the inside -

From the outside -

And Little Missy taking a picture of me taking a picture of her. :)

And on a snow day, it's a perfect time to create create a card I've been saving to make this time of year... sledding Build-a-Bear. .

This card is created using the tutorial by Barb at Stampin' in the Country. Click on her Build a Bear Workshop label; she's got lots of great bear ideas!

Stamps: Lovely as a Tree, Season by Season, Serene Snowflakes; Paper: Certainly Celery, Close to Cocoa, Chocolate Chip, Going Gray, Bashful Blue, Basic Black, Very Vanilla, Whisper White; Bashful Blue, Baja Breeze, Soft Suede, Night of Navy, Old Olive, Versamark, Chocolate Chip marker; Accessories: Sponges, Stampin' Pastels, Iridescent Ice, Dazzling Diamonds, Two-way glue, Silver beads, Hemp twine, Linen thread, Stylus, Scallop Circle punch, Wide Oval punch, Boho Blossom punch, Word Window punch, Bear die, Beary Essentials die, Big Shot.

Thanks for stopping by!