Circle Circus Birthday Card

I CASEd this card from Mary Fish in December when my mojo was still broken, but am just getting around to posting it now. It is a nice masculine birthday card and I like all the elements Mary brought into her original card. I didn't change a thing!

Can I? Pretty please?

start showing some valentines, that is? I didn't want to have too many valentine posts, but last week I made a ton of valentines for a charity auction (good luck, Emily!) and posted them on Friday. Hopefully they will make the New Hope center in New Jersey some nice cash! I also posted some in my etsy shop, since I was in a flurry of creative activity last week. This week the weather has been nasty and seems to have sapped my mojo.

Here are two of the little ones that I made--the set is actually called Very Thankful and is this year's Ronald McDonald set (for every set sold, SU! donates $1--it's also a SAB set, so you can get it for free with a $50 purchase! SU! is still making the donation even for SAB sets--how nice is that??) Anyway, I just thought that the turtle and the little boy belonged on valentines, so I used my markers to leave out the thanks sentiments on each stamp.

Supplies:
Real Red, Night of Navy, Summer Sun, Pretty in Pink, Old Olive, Whisper white cs, Candy Lane dsp (retired)
Very Thankful, Teeny Tiny Wishes, Sweet Sentiments (retired) stamps
Markers
Wide oval punch, silver brads, dimensionals

Dunkin' Donuts anyone?

Today is a day I think I'd rather just go back to bed, but alas, I have children, so I'm up, if not ready to face the world exactly. Maybe some decaf coffee will get me going--Dunkin' Donuts was giving out a great coupons for free and cheap(er) coffee last week, so maybe I'll bundle up the boy for the cold and we'll go on a DD run!

I've been working on sketch challenges this week and trying to get them all posted by the various deadlines has proved challenging in and of itself! So forgive the secondary post for today. Today's card features a color challenge from Curtain Call (Act 14) and a sketch challenge (somewhat modified from Karen Giron. I actually started out with a sketch based on a card from Pockets of Inspiration.com (Melanie Schulenberg), the original of which I can't find right now, but had nothing to do with the look of my card--I just liked the layout. Anyway, Karen's sketch was pretty similar, so I fiddled a bit here and there, and there you go. This color combo was tricky because the amythest and blue are so close in shade. Forgive the photo--for some reason when I photograph light colored cards in my light box, they want to come out more sepia toned and I have to adjust the color when I edit; sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't! I probably should just invest in a few Ott lights for the box and have done with it.

Supplies:
Almost Amythest, Bashful Blue, Orchid Opulence, whisper white cs
Of the Earth (hostess set level 1), Itty Bitty Backgrounds (SAB), Vintage labels (SAB), En Francais
Almost Amythest, Orchid Opulence, Bashful blue markers, versamark
1/4" grosgrain ribbon
circles die/Big Shot (borrowed)
paper snips
rhinestone brad
small oval and modern label punches, open scallop border punch (SAB)

Stamping 411 Sketch Challenge

Happy Thursday! I'm so excited that my mojo is working again after so many months of being stuck creatively--I'm enjoying all the new sketch challenges I'm finding and I'm thinking about cards and layouts and ideas all the time. What a relief to scratch the itch on the right side of my brain! Today's card uses the Stamping411 Sketch challenge, which I discovered a few weeks ago, but haven't had a chance to try until this week. So here is the sketch:

I keep a post it on my desk with good color combinations that I want to try and the top of my list was certainly celery, pale plum and bashful blue. Then I decided to use my Branch Out stamp set for the image and the rest just came together from there!

I had seen a card from Cathy Snipes that used purple in the leaves and thought that was pretty, so my leaves have certainly celery and pale plum, and then my birds are bashful blue with a little brocade blue plus blender pen for shading. I did get a little button happy in the corner there, but I think they add a nice dimension to the card. I also got a chance to ink up my Sanded background stamp for the first time and I have to say, I LOVE it!! It makes the regular Pale Plum cardstock look like the textured cardstock we sell. Since I stamp on a budget, this is an important feature to me!


Supplies:
Certainly Celery, Pale Plum, Bashful Blue, Whisper White cs, Certainly Celery dsp (retired)
Branch Out, Teeny Tiny Wishes stamps
Soft Suede, Certainly Celery, Pale Plum, Bashful blue ink
Blender pen, sponges
Sherbet and Latte buttons
mini glue dots

Round or Square?? Mojo Monday + Curtain Call Color Challenge

We've had weird weather here the last few days--Monday it was so muggy and almost warm that I didn't need a jacket at all, (plus it rained like the sky was falling--the kind of rain that makes me worry that our roof might not be able to take the pounding!) and then yesterday it was chilly and sunny. Go figure. My son loves to be outside and we had errands to run downtown, so he was happy as a clam to be with all the people walking around and checking everything out. He has taken to hailing every cab he sees by flinging his arm in the air and shouting "Hey!" But enough two-year-old antics. On to today's card.


I saw the curtain call color challenge (Act 13) on someone else's blog last week and thought I'd like to give it a try--pixie pink, pumpkin pie, whisper white and basic black--but didn't have time last week to do the challenge. When I saw the Mojo Monday sketch challenge this week, however, I knew that it would be the perfect starting place to do the color challenge. The Mojo Monday sketch offers the option of either a square or round card, and since I don't have a Big Shot (yet!) to make the base for a round card like that, it had to be a square one! I'm not always a fan of square cards--it is difficult to find envelopes that fit them properly and ill-fitting envelopes offend my sense of order. I know, I've got problems. :)


But I do know that 4 1/4 square cards fit okay in a standard A2, so I decided that was the size to go with. It took me a couple of tries to get the right layer order (I started out with a pixie pink base, but that just didn't work!) and to get the buttons to look right, but I'm pleased with the result.


That's why I like sketch challenges--they push me out of my zone to try new things! The new thing I tried on this card was to use the rhinestone from one of the rhinestone brads and adorn the center of the white latte button with it. I've seen lots of other people do this (most recently, Mary Fish) but hadn't been brave enough to destroy a rhinestone brad. Turns out it is very easy! Just pull apart the legs of the brad, then use a letter opener or something with a slim edge to pry up the prongs and you have a nice rhinestone, ready to use!

Slider Card

We made this card at our last downline meeting for the Philly Inkers--Ann Marie Urban came up with the design, although sliders have been around for a while. They are actually surprisingly easy to make--you just need two pennies, some dimensionals and the word window punch and you are good to go! The part that slides on this card is the scallop circle. I think maybe I went a little crazy with the hearts at the bottom--Ann Marie's original design was a bit different, but oh well. Gotta make it my own, right?

Charmed by the Ornament Punch Vase

I've seen lots of people use the ornament punch that was in the holiday mini catalog to make vases, so I don't know who to credit with the original idea, but this card was CASEd from a splitcoast stamper--I liked all the delicate blues on the flowers. Kind of reminded me of pansies or something. I made the shading by thumping my marker on the parts I wanted darker. It's a little hard to see but the vase is also stamped with the fleur di lis from the same Charming set in Night of Navy.

Supplies:
Whisper White, Night of Navy cs
Charming, Pocket Silhouettes stamp sets
Markers: Old Olive, ballet blue, night of navy
Night of Navy grosgrain ribbon

Tart and Tangy Sweet Treats

I made this sweet little matchbox after seeing a post by Joanne Travis of Sleepy in Seattle--she used a pillow box, but I liked the bright colors of the Tart and Tangy background that she used. I put some rainbow colored hard candies inside and voila, an easy little treat box. It's not often that I pull out all my Bold Brights for a project, but this one was fun.

Supplies:
Whisper white, yo-yo yellow, glorious green cs
Tart and Tangy, Teeny Tiny Wishes stamps
Real Red, Only Orange, Yo-yo yellow, glorious green, old olive, chocolate chip and regal rose inks/markers
white gel pen
scallop circle, 1 3/8" circle and 1 1/4" circle punch
eyelet/crop-a-dile
embroidery thread
yellow stitched (non-SU!) ribbon

Mercy's Tuesday Sketch #57

Ever have one of those days where from the moment you are dragged out of bed in the morning you know that the day is going to go badly? Yesterday was that day. My son's night time diaper burst, leaving gel crystals everywhere and while my husband was sweet and tried to take care of it without waking me, he made more of a mess trying to clean it up, so out of bed I came to help deal with the crisis. Waking up soaked put my son in a testy mood and he was screeching like a pterodactyl all day long. Oy. So by the time we wrangled him back into bed for the night, I was ready for some serious stamp therapy! Luckily, stamping usually has a zen kind of effect on me, so by the time I went to bed myself, I had stamped all my stress away. I love this job! :)

I've never tried one of Mercy's sketches, although another stamper whose blog I read does them faithfully every week, so this week I decided to give it a go. I got the idea to use the Sweet Pea felt flowers with the Thoughts and Prayers vine stamp from a Late Night Stamper, but the rest of the design is my own. I used some old Rose Red dsp I had in my 6x6 file and the rest came together very quickly. I will say those felt flowers are nice because your color scheme is already chosen for you--simple! I like the details on the pink flowers and how everything coordinates so nicely together. Did you know that a package is only $7.95? You get a ton of flower embellishments in the package, so it is really a good deal. You can find it in the current occassions mini catalog on pg. 32.
Supplies:
Rose red, pretty in pink, old olive, whisper white cs, rose red dsp
old olive ink, rose red marker
Thoughts and prayers, sincere salutations stamp set
sweet pea felt flowers (occ. mini)
mini glue dots
sponge
open scallop edge punch (SAB)

Sweet Sunday Sketch #52

Another sketch challenge, this time Karen Giron's Sweet Sunday Sketch #52. An eleventh hour posting if ever there was one! I realized at 9:45 PM EST that I had until 10:00 PM MT to get the card made, photographed and posted. Yikes.

I was inspired by the stamped image that Diana Gibbs used on this card, but used a color scheme I saw in a recent magazine picture that included a pale pink and bright yellow that seemed to me to translate into Pretty in Pink and Summer Sun. With Karen's great sketch, the rest just fell together!

Supplies:
Pretty in pink, very vanilla, certainly celery summer sun cs, sending love specialty and certainly celery dsp
Pretty in pink, summer sun, certainly celery, close to cocoa markers
Define Your Life and Of the Earth stamp sets
Open Scallop edge punch (SAB)
Very Vanilla satin ribbon (Occ. mini)

Mojo Monday #122

I've been creating a storm this week after the floodgates blocking the creative juices in my brain finally broke on Monday. So exciting to be working with new stamps and actually using sketch challenges again! I've not done a Mojo Monday sketch in AGES! I actually started out with Loads of Love (a new stamp set to me!) and didn't know what I wanted to do with it layout-wise. I turned to Mary Fish's excellent Mojo Monday sketch this week and voila, a nice semi-masculine valentine! As the mother of a boy, I find myself on the the look out now for more masculine type valentines. I'm particularly fond of the 5/16" silver brads in the hub cabs--just gives the card a little extra somethin'-somethin'. The color is a little off on the truck--the gray isn't nearly as dark in real life as it looks on the photo. I made 6 of these for a charity auction (5 for the auction and 1 for my etsy store for reference) and let me tell you, cutting out all those hearts was a little picky! But I love the effect of the cut out, so worth the trouble, if you ask me.

Supplies:
Whisper White, Real Red, Pretty in Pink, Creamy Caramel cs, Good Morning Sunshine dsp (retired)
Loads of Love stamp set
Pretty in Pink, Chocolate Chip ink, Creamy Caramel, Close to Cocoa, Going Gray, Pretty in pink and Real Red markers
Red 1/4" grosgrain ribbon
1 1/4" and 1 3/8" square punches, corner rounder punch
5/16" silver brads
dimensionals

finally!

After months of feeling yucky and completely stuck creatively, yesterday and today have been really good days for me! Yippie! I credit the decaf coffee, but really, I just woke up on the right side of the bed both days, I think. Getting to sleep in a bit both days didn't hurt either! Thanks, dear hubby for dealing with the boy.

So yesterday I worked in a frenzy on wedding invitation samples for my etsy store--I'll be posting those in the store and here over the next few days. I photographed them this afternoon, but still need to edit and watermark them. Tonight, I'm working on valentines! I got a B-I-G box from Stampin' Up! last week with SAB goodies in it (plus a few other niceties!) and I'm excited to break out the new stamps and punches and get to work. But what about today, you say? I'm glad you asked! Here is another card that I made in December after the Christmas card making flurry was over. It used up the better part of the Bella Bleu dsp I had left (time to reorder!) and the Charming stamp set (still available through April!). It is CASEd from splitcoast, so if you are the originator of this one, leave me a comment and a link and I'll fix it!

Supplies:
Very Vanilla, Not Quite Navy, Sahara Sand cs, Bella Bleu dsp
Charming stamp set
Soft Suede, Not Quite Navy ink
Scallop circle, 1 3/8" & 1 1/4" circle punches, scallop edge punch
Blue square ice brad
Kraft taffeta ribbon
Paper piercer/mat pack

Thinking outside the box

I got the idea for this card from somewhere else, but the layout and basic design are my own. The other stamper, whose name I can't remember just now, used the largest snowflake from Serene Snowflakes to make a cross by markering up only part of the image. I thought that was a great idea and that it would make a great baptism or christening card (her suggestion as well!). I decided to use a blue color palette, since it seems that this set screams blue to me, and stamped the snowflake in Night of Navy and then sponged around the edges first with brocade blue and then again with Night of Navy to give it depth. Added a large rhinestone brad to the middle (not my original idea) for pop and then thought about how to put the card together. I had some navy blue satin ribbon left over from Christmas presents received (I just can't throw away nice ribbon) and the layering came together fairly quickly. My original orientation was the opposite way (up and down) but I decided that I liked the ribbon and cross side by side. Good thing I didn't try to stamp a sentiment under the ribbon or I would have been in trouble! So I guess you could orient this card however you like.

Supplies:
Night of Navy, Brocade Blue, Whisper White cs
Serene Snowflakes stamp set (retired)
Night of Navy, Brocade blue ink
Navy satin ribbon (non-SU!)
Clear rhinestone brad, sponges

Charmed by a Cottage Wall

CASEd this card in December using the Charmed stamp set. Very easy card, and I like all the purples together. I will say that little half-back pearl at the top is pesky--it keeps wanting to migrate on me! The original card was a birthday card, but I find I like to use generic sentiments unless I'm making a card specifically for someone or something so I turn to my "just for you" stamp quite a bit!

Supplies:
Whisper White, Rich Razzleberry, Kraft, Pale Plum cs, Cottage Wall dsp
Teeny Tiny Wishes, Charmed stamp sets
Rich Razzleberry ink and marker, Old Olive marker, Soft Suede ink
Half back pearl (small), mini glue dot
white satin ribbon (non-SU!: saved it off a package and upcyled it!)
Scallop and large oval punch

Night and Day Rich Razzleberry

I saw a version of this card on the blog "Just Sponge It! by Cindi" and decided it was a neat way to use the Night and Day dsp, which is black and white. I had some pieces left after a Twilight project last fall and decided to use a scrap on this card. I sponged a little Rich Razzleberry in the flower centers and around the edge of the oval and card front, stamped and punched the sentiment, added ribbon and I was done! Easy-peasy. The whole card took make 10 minutes to make and would be a fast card to mass-produce for a gift.

Supplies:
Whisper White, Rich Razzleberry cs, Night and Day dsp
Rich Razzleberry ink
Teeny Tiny Wishes stamp set
Scallop and large oval
sponge
Rich Razzleberry polka dot grosgrain ribbon

Ice Skating in Bermuda Bay

I made this as a last minute addition to my Christmas cards, but since it is more winter-y that Christmas-y, I thought I could sneak it in now. :) It is CASEd from somewhere, and the only thing I changed was the snowflake--I used the Winter Post snowflake rather than the simple snowflake with the punch. I like my version just as well, though! What drew me to the card initially was the unusual color combination--I've not done well using Bermuda Bay in very many cards, and this was a nice bright happy card. The finished card measures 4.25x4.25 and fits great in a standard A2 envelope.

Supplies:
Whisper White, Bermuda Bay, Real Red cs
Winter Post stamp set
Whisper White craft, Bermuda bay marker, Real red classic ink
Clear rhinestone brad, paper snips, scallop border punch, Bermuda Bay polka dot grosgrain ribbon

Kickin' It Stampin' Pretty Style

It's a bright day here (contrary to what some might think, it is most certainly *not* always sunny--we actually get more rain than Seattle!). Despite the sun, I'm getting a slow start today. Had a sleep study done night before last and let me tell you, that was miserable--talk about sleep interference! So I'm still getting caught up on sleep--I'm starting to be convinced that parenting is some kind of weird sleep deprivation study and I'll never catch up until my kids are in college! I even slept so long on one side last night that my leg fell asleep so that when I got up at some point to use the facilities, I fell down the stairs. Oops. Gave my hubby a heart attack, but I was fine. I caught myself with my hands and it was more a slide down two steps. Bruised my ankle and my ego, but nothing else. I did that a few times when I was pregnant with my 2 year old and scared the pants off myself and my husband! But enough about that--you want to see a card, I know!

This is copied from a card that Mary Fish posted sometime last fall. I actually CASEd a few of Mary Fish's cards last month, using borrowed sets from here and there. This card convinced me that the Embrace Life stamp set needs to be pretty high on my wish list! I've got a lot of ideas for it I love the clean look that Mary used on her card. I changed the black ribbon for vanilla, but otherwise kept everything else the same. I kind of like how the ribbon change lightens up the card.

Supplies:
Very Vanilla, Basic Black, Melon Mambo cs
Embrace Life stamp set
Basic black ink
black brads (vintage brads set)
very vanilla ribbon
modern label, 1 1/4" and 1 3/8" square punches
Paper piercing tool/mat pack

Inspired by Nature Emboss Resist

I made this card in mid-December following a tutorial from Maryann Scott. I didn't have all the ink pads that she used, so I had to tinker a bit, but I think this card turned out well. I ended up sending it as a sympathy card to a friend from college who lost her grandmother just before Christmas and was quite bereft. It was nice to be able to send an extra special card to her and it reminded me of why I like doing this--being able to send the right card to someone when needed is a great gift that allows me to exercise my creativity.

One little technical note that I thought was a cool idea: the base of the embossed panel is Old Olive brayered over with close to cocoa, chocolate chip and Not Quite Navy. That is how the coppery patina is achieve on the background and was the thing that attracted me to this card initially.

More Black Magic

Okay, I think this is the last Black Magic card for a while. This one is again based on a card from Aunt Karen, I think I just changed the color of the brads. This card made me long for a Big Shot to cut out the ovals perfectly for me--I used a template and cut all but the Black Magic piece by hand. Can you say aggravation? At least the black magic part could be punched with the wide oval. The other nit-picky thing about this card was that I didn't have Ruby Red ink in a pad (only the marker) so the background took a LONG time to complete.

Supplies:
Charmed stamp set
Ruby Red, Whisper White, Chocolate chip ink
Ruby Red, Chocolate Chip Whisper White cs
Whisper white grosgrain ribbon
wide oval punch/oval template
colored pencils/white gel pen
pewter brads (non-SU!)
paper piercing tool

Thinking of You in Pink Pirouette

I sent this card along with one of the bereavement blankets in early December--I'm finally through the massive list of requests (whew!) and am not planning to take any more requests for a while. When I first started making them last summer it was a great way to pay forward a few of the many kindnesses we received in the wake of Philip's passing.

Since late summer, however, I've had some trouble with my hands since (they are very dry and cracked) and knitting has gotten extremely difficult for me. Until that clears up (and none of the doctors I've seen about it can seem to get to the bottom of it) I think my knitting needles will have to take a long rest.



I love the pink and black combination--the basic layout and color scheme is based on a splitcoast stamper's card, but I changed a few details like the background and stamp set used. I again used the Charmed medallion to make my own dsp (thanks for the ideas, Aunt Karen!) and Black Magic on the flower. I'm slowly working my way through the scraps of Pink Pirouette I have left (I love that color! I wish they would bring it back...sniff, sniff) and am now down to a few card fronts and some smaller scraps that I'll have to be creative to use.

Remembering Philip

Today we remember our first born son, Philip, who went to be with the Lord three years ago today.

Memory Eternal!

Are you ready to be "Charmed"?

The next few days feature cards I made with the borrowed Charmed set in December. The stamp set was in the Holiday Mini, but is also available through April 30, 2010 as a write-in. If you love this set, contact me at juliana.bibas@gmail.com for ordering details!

Today's card is CASEd from "Aunt" Karen Barber, who is my upline's upline's upline (confused yet?) Tara is my direct upline (my stamping "mother"); Claire is Tara's upline (my stamping "grandmother") and Aunt Karen is Claire's aunt and upline (which makes Aunt Karen my stamping "great grandmother"). Anyway, Aunt Karen is known both for her watercoloring and for perfecting a technique called "Black Magic."


In this technique, you stamp with white or vanilla craft ink on dark cardstock (black, brown, dark blue, dark green, etc) and use colored pencils to color it in. Aunt Karen's twist on this technique is to add white gel pen highlights to the finished product, which really makes the card pop. I had some fun with her technique in December, mainly using the Charmed stamp set because the little flower is just perfect for Black Magic. Aunt Karen is also fond of making her own dsp using small stamps, so I followed her lead on this card and used the medallion in the same set to make the pattern on the Not Quite Navy layer.

The second photo I took using flash so that the detail on the background flowers would come out a bit better. I think I need a stronger light on my light box!

Asian Artistry Stamped Candles

I made these as a Christmas gift for my sister, who loved them! I got the idea from Renae Wilson and thought the colors and stamp set would be perfect for my sister's home decor.

I did three candles and made the middle one double sided, which is why there are two pictures of it. I personally like the little red bird best, but my sister liked the flower and dragonfly best.


Here's a mobile photo she sent of the arrangement on her dining room table.


Stamped candles are easy-peasy to make, but you have to watch out for burned fingers! (I burned mine a few times on these!). Stamp your image on the shiny side of tissue paper that matches your candle (in this case, white). Color your image with markers if desired--this is tricky because the paper is so fragile. Make sure you aren't coloring on a surface you care about. I had a craft mat under my paper when I was coloring because the red bleed was pretty bad. Cleaned up easily, however.

Cut out your images close to the edges but it doesn't need to be precise. Put your images where you want them (you may want a dab of two way glue pen on the candle or just wet your finger and wipe the candle to make them stick). Cover with wax paper and apply your heat tool until the wax starts to melt. Don't overheat or the images get yellow spots and scorch. It should look sort of shiny when hot enough but not too hot.

Gently peel off wax paper and smooth any edges that might have come up. Let cool and repeat with other images. You need to do one image at a time and change wax paper each time you do a new one because the paper gets waxy. There are lots of great step-by-step video tutorials on stamped candles, so if my quick and dirty tutorial doesn't do it for you, just google it and you'll probably find a more detailed one!

Blowing Leaves, Direct to Paper

I made this card the same day that I made yesterday's card, also following one of La Zindorf's tutorials. This one uses zero brayering and is all direct to paper (using the corners and edges of the stamp pad to directly apply ink to the cardstock). While all the fall leaves are long gone by now, I still think the card kind of evokes a wintery feeling, so it is appropriate for a cold January day! I love how Michelle often uses the Baroque Motifs flourish to symbolize wind in her cards--she helps me think outside the box with my stamps. :)

A meadow in the woods: Direct to Paper

I used one of Michelle Zindorf's excellent tutorials to make this card in December. I had borrowed Kristin Kortonick's Charming stamp set (I think I mentioned it last month) and had just gotten Branch Out (did I mention how much I love this set??)

The day I sat down to make the card, however, I was kind of on the outs with my brayer (still am, come to that...) but wanted to make one of her cards, so this was perfect. All you do is use the corners and edges of your stamp pad to make the suggestion of shapes and landscape. The card, like Impressionist paintings, looks a bit better at a distance. I'm really pleased with how it came out and my New Year's Resolution (one of many) is to try more of Michelle's tutorials.

Occasions Mini and Sale-A-Bration start TODAY!!

Yippie and hip-hip horay, Sale-A-Bration starts today! Sale-A-Bration (SAB) is that special time of year when every $50 you spend (before tax and shipping) gets you a free stamp set! This year there is even a punch in the brochure, plus more than 75 sets from the IBC to choose from, in addition to the exclusive SAB sets.

Click the images on the side bar to browse the SAB brochure and the Occasions Mini-Catalog. These are large pdf files, so be sure to give your browser adequate time to download the document. SAB runs from January 5-March 31, 2010, while the Mini runs from January 5-April 30, 2010. The Occasions Mini-catalog features lots of great new products from felt flower accents, epoxy brads, pink and red cordouroy buttons and brads (love it!), new punches, and, of course, lots of great new stamp sets. Contact me at juliana.bibas@gmail.com for more information or to place an order.

Having said that, today's card features all new products from the Occasions Mini--the dsp even has glitter! And now the wonderful satin ribbon comes in 8 colors in addition to whisper white, how about that for great? The card was designed by Kristin Kortonick and we made it as our make-n-take at our December Philly Inker's meeting. I think it would make a sweet Valentine, don't you?

Supplies:
With All My Heart stamp set (Occ Mini)
Sending My Love dsp (Occ Mini)
5/8" Real Red Satin Ribbon (Occ Mini)
Pretty in Pink epoxy brad (Occ Mini)
Real Red and Pretty in Pink classic ink
1 3/4" circle punch, 1 1/4" circle punch, 1" circle punch

Christmas packaging

I know Christmas is over for almost everyone, but Thursday, January 7, is the day that the Eastern Orthodox Church celebrates the Nativity of the Lord.

Most Orthodox Churches world-wide follow the Julian calendar, which is 13 days behind the modern Gregorian calendar currently in civil use and in many Orthodox Churches in America.

Our family attends a church that still follows the Julian calendar, so we will celebrate this week with 12 days of feasting after! I promise this is the last of my "holiday" posts--I know I am ready for something else by now!!

I wanted to show some of the packaging ideas that I used this year for various gifts. I got some good ideas from other stampers for gift card packaging and treat packaging and made some modifications, so I can't take credit for originality--just tinkering!


The top two are gift card holders and are made from Stampin' Up!'s medium envelopes, folded in half with the envelope flap cut off on the one side and scalloped on the other. These are quite easy to make and are perfect for even those gift cards that don't fit in a "standard" gift card holder. Plus they are good for using up those pesky dsp scraps! These holders also gave me an opportunity to use the images from the Yuletide set (retiring today!)--they are small and detailed and the perfect accent on something like this.

The bottom two are coffee packet holders. The tin I clear embossed with the Branch Out stamp set and then put dsp scraps on the inside and stuck the Starbucks Via 3 packs on either side with mini glue dots. This was part of my MIL's Christmas gift this year. The last one I made for my husband's grandmother and it contains the larger packet of Starbucks Via. I modified a template from (I think!) Julie Davidson. Hers contained a Mrs. Fields cookie and was smaller than the Via package, so I had to get a little creative in tinkering with her idea. I also used the same idea to make a quick gift package for the lady who helps me keep my house clean. Again, great idea for using up scraps!

Bert and Ernie join my Punch Pal Gang

As I think I've mentioned a time or two, the Sesame Street Punch Pals party invitations that I made have been very popular in my etsy store--I think I made 5 or 6 sets of quantity orders this fall! Let me tell you, that is a lot of little eyes and noses to punch out and glue together. I always had in mind to expand the repertorie to include other Sesame Street characters and this week I had the chance to make up Bert and Ernie for a customer who wanted them for party favors. While I think the hair would have been better using Boho Blossoms for the punch, I don't yet own that one, so I made do with the scallop oval. It works. I'm pretty pleased, actually, and now am looking forward to attemping Kermit the Frog and Grover, among others.