A Passion for Stamps

FREE Digital Ensemble CD-Stampin' Up! Hostesses Limited-Time Option!

Have you heard about the new holiday season Hostess Promotion? It's a digital hostess ensemble cd called Savor The Season!  You can earn this ensemble free by hosting a qualifying workshop or by placing an online order of $150 US-It's valued at $16 in hostess dollars!   Check out some of the things included (click on image to enlarge):

 

 

 

 

This kit includes:

• 10 Designer Series Paper patterns
•  4 new punches exclusive to this ensemble
• 36 piece stamp brush set
•  a variety of embellishments
• 2 greeting card templates
•  1 postcard template
• templates for tags, labels, boxes, and a banner

Here are some of the amazing projects you can make from this cd:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To learn more about creating these beautiful items, watch this video created by a Stampin' Up! employee:

 

 

The punches that create lovely bows and treat boxes seen above,  will not be available after December 31, so contact me today to get all the details on how you can earn this wonderful ensemble as part of your hostess free dollars!

Passionately Stamping,

 

 

Would You Like to Receive My Monthly Stamping & Scrapbooking Newsletter?

 

 
Tree, Thoughts & Prayers Decor Elements (wall vinyl)



Hi stamp enthusiasts!

Are you a rubber stamping or scrapbooking enthusiast?  Do you share my passion for new ideas for making Stampin' Up! cards, scrapbook pages,  gift items?  Would you like to learn new stamping card or scrapbook techniques or tips to using crafting tools?  Would you like to stay on top of the classes I offer?  Maybe you have papercrafting questions you would like some answers to?  

If you answered YES to any of the above, then you will love my monthly A Passion For Stamps Newsletter that I send out to customers on my e-mail list!  The newletter includes everything I've already mentioned plus so much more-all of which are exclusive to my subscribers! 

Here are some of the features of the newsletter that as a subscriber,  you will receive every month:

• a CARD project (or two) 
• a SCRAPBOOK PAGE
• a TECHNIQUE (or two)
• a 3-D, HOME DECOR  OR GIFT project (or two)
  

**THE ABOVE ITEMS ALL INCLUDE A PHOTO, SUPPLY LIST, AND STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS!

• a Tool Tip (or several)
• a Featured Product of the Month
  
• New Product information
  
• Stampin' Up! News & Promotions
• My Upcoming Classes and Events
• Exclusive Specials, Discounts or Coupons
  
• Important Links
• Customer Q&A
  

It's truly a newsletter worth receiving and--it's FREE!  It's a way to keep my customers informed and to offer things I don't offer anywhere else.

If this sounds good to you,  now is the perfect time to subscribe to insure that you will receive my October Newsletter which will be coming out in the next few days!

TO SUBSCRIBE TO A PASSION FOR STAMPS NEWSLETTER:

Just add your e-mail address to the JOIN OUR CUSTOMER MAILING LIST BOX on the left sidebar! Enjoy!  Until next time...

Passionate About Stamping,

Halloween M&M Stix Goodies Double as Fall/Thanksgiving Home Decor item!

I love decorating the home for holidays...starting with Fall-don't you?  Here's a great idea for you!  While making some halloween M&M Stix treats with stamps, punches, inks, papers M&M candies and Stampin' Up!'s NEW 1"x8" Cellophane Bags,  I  decided I needed something to put the candy in!  I decorated a vase using Stampin' Up! fabrics and buttons, then accidentally created a wonderful home decor item for the table in my foyer!  I now have instant home decor that can be switched out for Fall, Halloween and Thanksgiving-lasting for three months!  (I loved the idea so much, I already made one for Christmas too!)  It also makes a terrific hostess gift!  Here's what the end result looks like:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Isn't it lovely?  It's really quite easy to make this!  Fall/halloween M&M's weren't out yet when I created this, so I purchased regular M&M candies and separated all the colors out into different dishes.  (The red and green I saved for the Christmas M&M Stix).  The orange, yellow and brown were all used for this treat container and my hubby and I ate the blue ones!  Try making some with the kids-just add some Apple Cider and you already have a snack on hand for them that they will love! (kids love to eat while they create, just like us adults do!)  Here is what you will need:

SUPPLIES (all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted)

STAMPS:  Batty for You (116576), Falling Leaves (115386)-greeting & candy topper                              

INKS:  Classic Black Pad (101179)

CARDSTOCK:   Basic Black (121045),  Pumpkin Pie (105117), More Mustard (100946), Old Olive (100702),  Various scraps of Designer Series Papers

ACCESSORIES:  Cellophane Bags (124134) -1" x 8" (50 per pkg),  SNAIL Adhesive (104332),  eck the Halls Designer Fabric (121716), Tangerine Tango 1/2" Scallop Dots Ribbon (124144),  Designer Buttons (Regals 119744 and Brights 119747), Various Markers, Various sizes of the circle punches and 1 3/4" Scallop Circle punch (119854)

OTHER:  Vase or small jar, M&M's-large bag

To make it quicker and easier to get the M&M's into the cellophane bags: 

 Make a funnel from copy paper, that fits into the top of the cello bag-then drop one M&M in at a time, alternating the colors-just make sure the bottom candy lies flat and the rest will stack up right on top.   It works beautifully and fills up quickly!  It takes about 20-24 M&M's per Stix to fill each cello bag.

The tops of the bags have an adhesive strip closure.   Leave room at top so you can add the topper.  The toppers were made with increasing sizes of  Stampin' Up! circle punches, including the Scallop Circle punch.  layer your cardstock pieces on top of each other then end with a front and back that can be adhered together, with the candy stix in the middle. 

Decorate your vase, add a bunch of M&M Stix and you are ready for all those trick or treaters and Halloween!  When Halloween is over, change out the theme for Fall/Thanksgiving and you can still have a lovely item to grace any room in your house till Christmas!  (make those now too,  then just change your vase ribbon and button colors and you'll be ready with a holiday display till New Year's!)  This could be an ongoing decoration you leave out all year round!  Enjoy!  Don't forget to let me know in a comment here, how yours turn out...or e-mail me a picture of your creation and maybe I will feature it in a future blog post! 

If you would like to order any of the supplies to make this project,  please email me or you can order online here.  To check out our products or view any of our catalogs, click on the rotating catalog images on the right sidebar of this blog.

Until next time.....

Passionate about stamping!

 

 

Mistletoe Market Craft Fair In Franklin NJ was last weekend!

I apologize to my readers for not blogging for a few weeks. It could not be avoided.

This fall has been extremely unpredictable..and very traumatic for our family, due to some unusual and totally unexpected and upsetting happenings.   Things are looking brighter now,  so hopefully I'll be able to keep up with my blogposts.  

If you are a subscriber to my monthly newsletter, you are aware that our family has been through some tough ordeals of late.. and you learned about some of the classes I held and that I was once again participating in some craft fairs this holiday season.  (if you are not a subscriber to my monthly newsletter, you can easily become a subscriber by adding your email address to the link on the upper left sidebar).  As a subscriber, you will also currently receive any remaining weeks of my exclusive Twelve Weeks of  Christmas Projects Events posted every Wednesday.

Thanks so much to my customers and others for your patronage who came out to see me last weekend for our Fourth Annual Mistletoe Market Craft & Consultant Fair Event at my church-First Presbyterian Church of Franklin in Sussex County NJ. 

I did very well there,  and am looking forward to my next craft fair at Wallkill Valley High School in Hamburg on December 4. 

I meant to take to a picture of my table...but totally forgot, or I would include that here on this blog post!  I was busy most of the day with customers, so it went right out of my head..

I love doing this fair at my church, because not only does it help our church, but I really enjoy making projects for Thanksgiving, as well as Christmas. 

 

THANKSGIVING BLESSING MIX JARS for sale!

I created my own version of the Thanksgiving Blessing Mix as a JAR instead of a baggie project (which was what was originally created several years ago)  and it has always been popular at my shows ever since! It makes a terrific Thanksgiving Hostess Gift!  I was inspired by the idea originally shared online on this site and  I change it up a bit each year, based on what Stampin' Up! Designer Series Papers I have on hand.  I've used other ideas from others which I shared in previous years and have modified. This year, I was trying to use up some of last years papers...but also added some from this year-unfortunately I didn't take  a pic of them...so here are some views of those using last years papers with different ribbons:

Front of Jar

Top of Jar

Back of Jar

 

  Contents of Baggie

I've sold out of all these offered at Craft Fairs...but if you ORDER NOW-by November 16th, I can have extras made up and ready to pick up by the 23rd (for those local to Northern New Jersey) or ready to mail out by the 20th. (this fee can be adjusted per your state laws).   Blessing Mix Jar is $6 (plus add priority shipping & handling of $6.50 per jar).

Please email me or call me no later than November 16th and include the state I'm shipping the order to.  Orders limited to the United States only.

Happy Harvest!

 

Stampin' Up! 2010 Holiday Mini Catalog!

Design-a-House Décor Accents

Our brand-new Design-a-House chipboard house is so versatile! From Christmas village, to gingerbread house, haunted mansion, or Build-A-Bear Workshop playhouse, these cute houses will delight you all year round!

Chipboard houses can be decorated to suit any season or style. The included template will help you embellish as much or as little as you like with Designer Series Paper, ribbon, and more! The size of a finished house is approximately 6-1/4" x 6" x 5".

 

Haunted House

Stamps

    * Dark & Dreary

Paper

    * Basic Black Card Stock
    * Cajun Craze Card Stock
    * Old Olive Card Stock
    * Rich Razzleberry Textured Card Stock
    * Wicked Fun Specialty Designer Series Paper
    * White Vellum Paper
    * Waffle Paper Assortment 2

Ink

    * Basic Black Classic Stampin' Pad
    * Distressing Essentials
    * Basic Black Stampin' Write Marker
    * VersaMarker
    * Vanilla Shimmer Smooch Spritz

Accessories

    * Fine Galaxy Stampin' Glitter
    * Black Stampin' Emboss Powder
    * Circle Scissor Plus
    * Color Spritzer Tool
    * Bitty Bat Punch

Have a SPOOKY time!

 

Mistletoe Market Craft Fair In Franklin NJ is back again!

Just a quick post to let you know that I will once again have my Stamp Table at the Mistletoe Market Craft Fair! I hope you will be able to come out and join in the FUN! More info at a later date! Please mark this date on YOUR calendar now...

DATE:  November 6, 2010

TIME: 10 - 4:00 P.M.

LOCATION:  First Presbyterian Church, 11 Main Street, Franklin, NJ 07416

C0me and visit us! Do your Christmas Shopping at your one-stop Christmas Shopping Fair!

More info to follow...

Lions, punches and BUNNIES-OH MY!

Well, I'm gearing up for my punches class this weekend...just returned from a great weekend on Long Island with my dad, followed by some fun with Jan and other demonstrators on my S.O.S. Team in Connecticut. We had a great time-stamping, sharing, eating, laughing and just plain old fun with the girl's at Jan's Rubber Room! This was the first time I got to see her new stamp room, which is just amazing!

Jan and I both had projects planned for everyone to make. Mine was a Stand-up Bunny Card inspired by Jackie Topa that is just so cute, and Jan's was a Bunny Top Note Treat Box filled with grass and jelly beans-made with the Top Note die! If you come to Punch Art Card Class you will make them, but TODAY is the last day to sign up, which you can do by clicking on the CALENDAR on the  right sidebar. Here they are:

      

Heather decided to make her bunny into a WALRUS!:                                                   Isn't this creative?

Another Punch Art Card Class project is this adorable LION M&M                                  card made with the Heart Treat Cups:

(and you don't have to rip the card open to get the candy out!)

Aren't they all adorable? At class you will learn how to make                                      these cuties and a few more other punch cards! Remember                                           to register for Punch Art Card Class today!

Have a great stampin' day!

A Big Shot Project-Candle Gift for a Friend!

I'm so excited because this weekend, I'm going to visit my dad on Saturday who lives at my brother's house on Long Island NY  (my dad had a stroke right before Thanksgiving and I couldn't see him till now). I haven't seen him since May, when we went to Manhattan for our new nephew's baptism.  

On Sunday I'm going to catch the Ferry at Orient Point to New London, CT then drive to Pawcatuck to visit Jan Eno, a dear friend and one of my directs in my Stampin' Up! downline-and I look forward to visiting with some of the girls in her downline and stamping with them this weekend!! I will be staying at Jan's until Monday, and I wanted to make her a thank you gift for her hospitality; so I decorated this candle using the Fabric Floral Embellishment I made with the Big Shot in my previous post:

Here's a photo of the back:

and a close-up:

It just so happened that the colors of the fabric matched up perfectly with our Polka-dot IN color ribbons, and the buttons and rhinestone brads coordinated as well! I embossed the saying on tissue paper, wrapped wax paper around it then heat embossed the words onto the candle.

Because of the fabric, this candle cannot be lit as it is. Before I attached the embellishments, I lit the candle and let it melt down a bit in the center. Then I inserted the Tea Light candle into the melted wax. Now the candle can be lit because the flame will stay in the middle, and the candle is protected by the metal tea light holder! When it burns out, it's replaceable!  Here is a photo from the top, so you can see how it looks when it's done:

To make this candle, I used all Stampin' Up! products:

STAMPS: Spring Song saying (115074) $15.95

INK: Taken with Teal Craft Pad (100617) $7.50

PAPER: none

ACCESSORIES: Stampin' Up! Flower Folds die (115970) $42.95 on page 201 of the current Stampin' Up! Idea Book & Catalog; Summer Sun Corduroy Buttons (114343) $9.95; Circle Ice Turquoise Rhinestone Brads (109111) $10.95; Crushed Curry (115614) and Bermuda Bay (115610) 1/2" Polka-Dot Grosgrain Ribbons $9.95;Sticky Strip (104294) $6.95; Extended Cutting Pads (113478) $19.95; Big Shot Die-Cut machine (113439) $99.95; Clear Embossing Powder (109130) $4.75; Heat Tool (100005) $29.95

Non-SU: about 1/4 yard coordinating fabrics (3-4 assorted); White Pillar Candle and base; Tea Light Candle

You can purchase these products ONLINE to make this candle right now from my website stampwithdeb.stampinup.net, and you will also qualify for several FREE Sale-A-Bration products! So what are you waiting for? Be a Big Shot with Fabric too! Or, sign up now for my next Big Shot class in March and make this candle, and more fabric projects with the Big Shot! I can't wait to show you!

I hope you've enjoyed this project-thanks for stopping by!

Stampingly yours,

What we stamped at January Jamboree!

I just LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the new products in the Stampin' Up! Occasions Mini Catalog and the Sale-A-Bration brochure, don't you?

The Last weekend of January I held my first annual January Jamboree class....didn't come? Here's what we made:

  ...a Love You card, sympathy card, Friend Mini Milk Carton

and a Birthday all-in-one treat box!

I created this floral sympathy card using the Faux Silk Technique(the bumpy white textured cardstock) -one of my favorite techniques:

Notice the new Scallop Trim Border Punch (118402)? This is one of the FREE products you can get right now during our Sale-A-Bration event with an order of at least $50! There is also a matching corner punch too! (available for purchase in Occasion Mini Catalog) Don't you just love the silk ribbons? and now they come in different colors!

Here is the same card showing the scallop punch used on the top and on the side. Which do you prefer?

This card also utilized the Big Shot die cut machine, and Polka Dot background (hard to see), the new Extra Large Fancy Flower punch, Sending Love Specialty Designer Series Papers! Isn't this so bright and cheerful? I could have used hearts, but just had to try the new floral punch!

 

The new Mini Milk Carton Die used with the Big Shot Machine is SO adorable! Here it is featured with the NEW Vintage Vogue stamp set, Sending Love Specialty DS papers and a rhinestone brad and grosgrain ribbon to finish it off! So many great NEW products!

The last project was this pretty Birthday box showing both sides of the designer papers, and using different bow designs and button colors. Can't really tell from the photo, but the Specialty paper is glittered! Oh, so chic!

 

Here the box is opened-the lid is attached-VERY cool! Fill it with Hersey's kisses or whatever you like, and it's the perfect gift for a Birthday--or Valentine's Day!

So--don't you wish you came to January Jamboree?

I'd love to hear what you think of these projects...and all the wonderful new products Stampin' Up! came out with!

Be sure to check out my future classes and events on the Calendar to the right....

or, visit my website to view events and to shop for any of these products 24-7!

Come back and see me tomorrow,

My new venture-Handpainted & Personalized Snowbaby Ornaments!

I'm sorry I've been away from my blog for so long...lot's has been happening! I had several fall/Christmas craft shows, holiday stamp classes, meetings for various things, church duties, and my dad also had a stroke right before Thanksgiving...he is doing much better now, in a facility where he is receiving Physical Therapy for his right side, where the majority of the damage occurred.

I've been making and selling personalized Glass Ornaments for the holidays! I sold some of these last year at Craft Fairs, and received orders for more this year. If you follow me on Facebook, you know I posted yesterday that I'd share some photos of the SnowBaby Christmas Ornaments I've been making and fulfilling orders for this holiday season. I hand paint the faces, and personalize the ribbon on the hat with the name of the child, year and/or First Christmas, etc.  I also offer a beautiful coordinating holiday keepsake box with the child's name and year, to help identify and organize this ornament, and facilitate safe storage for years to come!

Here are some photos of recent ones I've made:

 
 

 Baby Boy & Baby Girl Glass Ball Ornaments;

Faces are hand-painted; tags for the year are provided, and can also be added to the ribbon if requested. The cheeks have a hint of color and will sparkle from the iridescent ice glitter when touched by the lights from your tree.

These are the coordinating keepsake boxes to store your treasured ornaments for years to come!  The interlocking closure is made with Designer Series Papers.  Each box has the name of the child on the front,  as it appears on the ribbon on the ornament. A gorgeous white silk ribbon and tag saying a "A Gift for you-Merry Christmas"finishes off the packaging!

The box is filled with a festive paper filling to protect the ornament during storage.

 

 Close-up view of the top of the box featuring the lovely white silk ribbon and bow, and the tag-to give it a finished look!

This close-up view shows how beautifully it is packaged and ready for gift-giving!

Here is a close-up of the ornament:

I will be taking orders for this product, as well as At Home Class Kits, Finished Product, and Retired Stamps which will all be available for purchase fom my new online store, Passionstamper's Boutique- which will open in early January 2010! 

Please email me if you are interested in more information about this product. If you would like to place an order for these lovely ornaments for Christmas 2010, please place your order(s) early in the year, as these are now in high demand!

Details such as ordering, personalization, price, shipping etc. will be will be available online on my new blog Passionstamper's Boutique and orders can be placed starting on January 3, 2010, when a link to the new site will be provided.

Be on the lookout for a Winter Storm Online Holiday Sale tomorrow afternoon in lieu of a Holiday Open House, should we receive the storm now being predicted!

Classes for 2009 have now ended. I will be resuming them in January 2010. Please visit this site again soon for updates to my class schedule.

You can also shop the Stampin' Up! ONLINE store 24/7! Now thru 12/22 you can get some deals on Sizzix Dies! I hope you are enjoying these last days before Christmas arrives! Please contact me should you have any questions and I'll be happy to assist you!

My Holiday Big Shot Class Projects

I held my Holiday Big Shot class the other night and it was alot of fun! I provided attendees with a list of the 50 Materials that can safely be used with the Big Shot die cut machine...pretty impressive stuff! I also provided individual Instruction Sheets for each project, with the Supply list of stamps and acccessories PLUS the Big Shot Sandwich for each, as it can be confusing at first. Also included was a template for the Bigz #2 die showing how to fold, apply adhesive (only in one place-and it holds the box together) and assemble the box.

Here are the projects we made:

This card was made using the Petals-A-Plenty Textured Impressions Folder and the lovely Delightful Ornaments stamp set from the 2009 Holiday Mini Catalog. The Bermuda Bay cardstock is one of this year's new IN Colors-one of my favorites! Another favorite paper of mine is the Specialty Bride Paper found in Stampin' Up!'s main Idea Book & Catalog. The shimmer paint gives dimension to the ornament and compliments the specialty paper as well.

The next project we made was this adorable SNOWFLAKE EMBELLISHMENT...no stamps needed for this! We used the Originals Snowflake #2 Die with On Board Book Basics and FELT-one of the Fifty accepted materials to use with the Big Shot machine. I accented the center with a clear Rhinestone brad and a Filagree Designer brad (love these!)

Next we made a double Handled Gift Box (shared by stamping sister Diana Gibbs). We used Box #2 Die, and Christmas Cocoa Designer Series Paper and Grateful Greetings tag (both from the Holiday Mini Catalog). Can you tell I just adore this new mini catalog? In my opinion, it is the BEST one Stampin' Up! has produced yet!

Of course this box looks kind of empty, so we adorned it with the Snowflake Embellishment previously shown above! Doesn't this just dress up the box and make you want to fill it with goodies?

Using the Movers & Shapers Curly Label Die here, we stamped the poinsettia from Season of Joy and then added Crystal Effects to the petals...this really accentuates the flower! The Stamp-A-Ma-Jig assures exact placement of the flower-critical for this design!

Here is the grand finale: Dasher using Texturz Plate with Foil! Oh my goodness..how absolutely STUNNING it is to pair up foil and the Harlequin Texturz Plate! Just one more of the accepted materials that can be used with the Big Shot machine! 

There you have it...a great class showing various materials and dies with this incredibly versatile die cut machine! To learn more about the Big Shot machine and dies, and see some wonderful samples of projects, click HERE, click on SHOP NOW, then select DIE CUTS from the menu. I hope you can join us at other classes. I am going to be offering the Big Shot class regularly, because there are so many wonderful dies to try, and with up to 50 materials to try them with, we will never run out of projects to make!

Don't forget to check my Events Calendar for other upcoming classes-it will be updated tomorrow with classes for the rest of the year.  The next class will be a Christmas Card Stamp-A-Stack making 20 cards with matching envelopes! I'll post more about that tomorrow, so see you then! Thanks for stopping by,

Four-piece Chocolate Nugget Box Gifts from Stampin' Up! Matchbook Die!

Well I'm getting ready for the 2009 Mistletoe Market Craft Fair at my church this Saturday October 24 from 10-3...if you happen to be in the Northern New Jersey area, specifically Sussex County, come and look us up! Go here for the website of the First Presbyterian Church of Franklin for it's location and phone number. This is our third annual event. Be sure to stop at my table to shop and chat, do a Make & Take, and don't forget to ask me for a door prize slip-I'm giving away a set of ten Christmas Cards to one lucky winner! There will be other drawings too during the day, and great food brewing in the kitchen, so come and get a head start on that holiday shopping!

I've been getting my projects ready for the Craft Fair, and working on 3-D projects. If you've been following my posts the past few days you know that I'm hooked on the Big Shot™ Die-Cut machine from Stampin' Up!, so I pulled out my Bigz XL Matchbook Die that arrived awhile ago. I've been anxious to play with it, but just hadn't been able to find the time, so it was fun giving it a try. I came up with this *sweet* little 4-piece Hershey's Nugget gift box:

 

The photo is a bit fuzzy, as I was up late working on this last night, (and I was seeing fuzzy myself by the time I took this photo), but I did a great job NOT getting a glare from the clear window sheet cover, didn't I? If I didn't tell you, you wouldn't even know it was there, would you? It's almost invisible! But it is there, a simple wrap around cover... I wanted folks to be able to see what was inside, because if you have ever done Craft Fair events, I'm sure you've experienced little children who just LOVE opening things...they are so curious and inquisitive, so they just HAVE to find out what's inside boxes when they have lids on them, and it's always when you are busy helping someone else too! I think since I'm covering the nuggets with such pretty paper and leaving the shiny edges of the candy wrappers exposed, that it's nice to show off the inside with clear packaging.

I used the Holiday Lounge Designer Series paper from Stampin' Up! (of course) and just love all their double sided-papers! You can see the Hershey's candies are wrapped in both sides of the paper (four fit PERFECTLY inside this completed matchbox!)

The die makes a little box, the wrap around lid, plus three tags, one of which is shown here. The DSP actually has little starry snowflakes on it, although you can't tell because I photographed this straight on, standing up so you could see the candies and the tag. I decided to try the Snowfall printed clear Window sheet over the white tag to carryover the snowflake theme.

Here is a rundown of how to make this project:

1. First I laid out my DSP over the box on the die; then I covered the lid with a piece of window sheet, and laid down the Snowflake window sheet over the tags, ran it through the Big Shot™.

2. Next I covered the tags with white cardstock and ran it through the machine again.

3. I stamped the greeting with ink on the white tag, then layered the snowflake tag over the white tag, so the words are visible through the snowflake window tag.

4. I assembled the box and lid according to the directions that come with the die.

5. Cover the chocolates with strips of the same designer paper.

6. I used Taken With Teal layered over a wider strip of Silver Metallic cardstock for the belly band, punched a hole in the tag and pulled the silver cord through the tie before tying the bow. 

I will make some of these, but then I'll switch to other colors and DSP for variety.

These are fun to make, go together pretty quickly and are easy-the result is SWEET elegance, so I'm sure they will sell well at the Craft show.

I hope you've enjoyed this mini tutorial...if you would like to order the supplies to make these, just email me and I'd be happy to let you know what you need!  If you would like some other project ideas check out some here.  Don't forget to leave a comment and let me know what you think of this project-and if you make some, I'd love to see it!

Have a great stampin' day!

Thanksgiving Stamped Hostess Gift

Thanksgiving is approaching and it's one of my favorite times of the year! It's a day when our family members are all home together to share in the holiday feast. It conjures up scents of turkey & stuffing roasting in the oven, and the house is filled with the aroma of baked pies and other goodies...I can feel the warmth of the kitchen with candles lit just thinking about it! It happens to be my son's favorite day too....all the food, relatives, followed by football game. (This year, my birthday also happens to fall on Thanksgiving-November 27th!)

It may be the last Thanksgiving we can all be together--as our son is seriously considering joining the Coast Guard, so he can follow up on his education in the Law Enforcement field, as well as obtain knowledge and experience while serving his country. He is currently in college but this will probably be his last semester, as he will most likely be going to Boot Camp next year. Thanksgiving is my son's favorite holiday-so this one will be very special for us all, as we may not be able to all be together for the next one.

This time of year also brings to mind the many blessings we have to be thankful for. As I work on projects for craft fairs this fall, I make sure I also have a few for Thanksgiving. I love the concept of a Thanksgiving Blessing Mix which makes an excellent little gift to bring to the hostess when you visit family on Thanksgiving Day! Two years ago, Stampin' Up! partnered with Country Living magazine which featured a spread in their magazine for Thanksgiving decorating. I loved the stamp set that was featured that year, and even used one of the sayings in this year's blessing mix that I put together for Thanksgiving. Last time I made the blessing mix with everything in a cello bag and topper. This time I wanted to do something a little different, so I found this cute little jar to decorate and fill:

If you follow my blog, you know I am sucker for punch art, so I knew I wanted to use punches to make my turkey. I got the idea for the turkey design from a card I saw (made by Cynthia Stember) mentioned here on Patty Bennett's blog and just expanded on it. The feathers were made with half a scallop punch on various colored cardstocks, then sponged around the edges. I used dimensionals between every layer so the turkey really pops out and attached the whole thing with Pop Up Glue Dots. (the dimension is hard to see in this photo-but the turkey really stands out nicely!)  I made the pumpkin with three small punched ovals and pumpkin pie cardstock and attached with dimensionals...

I hand drew the cornucopia on cocoa cardstock that I first stamped with Aida Cloth (a retired SU background stamp) and added a 1 3/4" chocolate chip circle behind the turkey for dimension. The bow was added with a glue dot to the top of the cornucopia.

I used the Coluzzle to make the large circle behind it all with More Mustard cardstock.

I cut a strip of Autumn Vine Designer Series paper and attached that to the jar.
This paper is so pretty and is double-sided, so it shows on the inside of the jar, too!

I printed the Thanksgiving Blessing Mix from my computer onto mustard cardstock, then used the slot punch to attach it to the back of the jar with (retired) SU ribbon.

This is the Thanksgiving Blessing Mix-I added all these ingredients to cello bags which were then sealed and placed inside the jar.

I cut a circle for the top of the jar, again using the Coluzzle, and added the saying. and sponged the edges.

I finished off with a ribbon around the top.

Here is the same designer series paper used in the above jar, but in reverse.  It was fun to change the papers and accessories for a different look.

These jars were a good seller at the Misteltoe Market Craft Event at the First Presbyterian Church of Franklin NJ that I just participated in this past weekend. (I've been busy for awhile getting ready for this fair-that's why I haven't been posting to the blog lately). I had some half-finished jars that I didn't bring with me, that I wished I had completed!  I am offering those I have left for sale to my local customers or to anyone who is willing to pick them up. Contact me at 973-827-2893 if you are interested in purchasing this lovely Thanksgiving hostess gift. The jars make a great home decor item that can be refilled every year! Offer good only while supplies last....

This year, Country living is partnering with Stampin' Up! once again-not for Thanksgiving projects, but for Christmas ones! I'll save that for my next post!

TURKEY POOP

Another project I offered at the Mistletoe Market Craft Fair this year was Turkey Poop-very similar to what I did last year, but simplified:

Do you really want to put a smile on a loved one's face? I highly recommend this humorous alternative to the more serious hostess gift above-it really makes a great gag gift! These are quick and easy to throw together and would be adorable at the place setting of your guests this Thanksgiving...

At the craft fair, two elderly ladies stopped by my table; this item caught their eye-and as they read it they suddenly burst out laughing and just kept looking at each other, laughed some more until tears were running down their faces!

Sometimes the simplest things bring the most pleasure....let me know if you would like to purchase any!

CUSTOM MESSAGE TILES

I wished I had made more of this cook serving up the turkey...but all the tiles my daughter and I have made so far, are "one of a kind".  I knew this one would be snatched up...and I was right! (there was a glare when I took the picture)

I will not be making more of this design this year, but next fall I plan to make a bunch of these.

I will be selling Message Tiles all year long in my online store...soon! My daughter Kelley helps me make these and has come up with some adorable ones! Each set includes the frame and Dry Erase Marker which is conveniently attached to the top of the tile for easy accessibility.

I have a few of these that we use around the house. When I first put one in the foyer, my nineteen year old son left me a note on it that said: "Mom-this is stupid". Well for something so stupid, need I tell you who now uses these more than any other family member to leave us messages? You guessed it! I have one in the foyer and one in the kitchen-they really come in handy...and it's easy to use-just erase with a tissue!

If you have any particular themes you are interested in, please let me know and I will try to accomodate your personal interests. I also make these up as wedding gifts. If you are in the Hardyston NJ area, come and visit me at the Wallkill Valley High School annual Booster Club Holiday Craft Fair on December 6 if you would like to purchase these as Christmas gifts, as I will have some there for sale.

Thanks for visiting!

HALLOWEEN Photos-and more stamped treats!

Well Halloween is over! We don't get many kids at all-just about 10 who were mostly our immediate neighborhood kids. We always buy waaaaayyyyy too much candy to give out to the trick-or-treaters (but my family ends up gobbling it all up, of course! LOL)

Here are some photos of our foyer decorated for halloween and a few stamped projects on display:

Cornstalks, mums and pumpkins are a must for the front deck!

My daughter painted the pumpkin face-her first! We usually carve the pumpkins out but this year, we opted to paint them instead.

This is the table in the foyer all decked out and ready for the hoards of trick-or-treaters...ha, ha! (a whopping ten!)

The huge spider is usually hung in a web, but we ran out of time this year and just hung it over the mirror. It was very effective...we had some baby spiders that we would put in the web, so we put them on the lamp instead. Timmy, one of our neighbors youngest, was eyeing them because he LOVES spiders so we ended up giving him the babies...(we can always buy some more next year). At least we know they will be loved...

The pumpkin on the lower shelf is actually a soup turine with a matching ladle I purchased from QVC last year...(don't know where the ladle is-guess I hadn't put it in the bowl yet when this photo was taken). It's beautifully painted and I love to display it from September through Thanksgiving. I actually use it for homemade soups which I intend to make a lot of this year! There's nothing that compares to the warmth of a cup of hot homemade soup on a frosty bone-chilling day, to warm you up from head to toe!

ok...back to halloween....

This is the basket of pixie sticks I jazzed up with punched circles and the scallop punch using stamps from Batty for You-what a great set to make halloween treats with! The next photo will show a close-up of them.

Do you see the BOO boxes in the background? I made these last year with Creepy Crawly Designer Series Papers-and chipboard letters, Dazzling Diamonds Glitter and ribbons. Can you make out the stamped images on the letters? You guessed it-Batty for You stamps....I'm so glad they are still in the catalog and haven't retired!

Here are the Pixie Sticks close-up. They were quick and easy to put together-alot of punching and stamping, then sandwich them together over the top of each pixie stick...I had the leftover treat bags from awhile back so I used them, wrapped some jute around with my blog info tag, and that's it! Simple, quick and easy-that's all I had time for, but it's amazing how kids love these! (even our 15 year-old teenager! She is eating the leftovers I didn't use))

Here is a close-up of the pumpkin tureen I mentioned earlier...isnt' it beautiful?

The message tile next to it is one of the projects I'm making for craft fairs I have coming up-Mistletoe Market at the First Presbyterian Church of Franklin (in northwest NJ) on November 8 and Wallkill Valley High School's annual Booster Club Holiday Craft Fair in Hardyston on December 6. If you are local, come see me! It's a nice day and a great way to get a jump on holiday shopping for some unique and interesting gifts!

This is the Spooky Spider Jar I made with Decor Elements. I can't wait to try some other Decor Elements images! This was perfect because it coordinated with our "spider" theme. (Notice the basket with candy has spiders/webs on it too!) We're not into the gore and graphic halloween stuff...but spiders are ok, even though in reality, I absolutely detest them! We have Cave Crickets in our basement-have you ever seen them? I hadn't-until we noticed them in our basement one day...they really creep us out because they are HUGE, have VERY long thick legs AND--they JUMP!! Imagine finding them in your washing machine and when you look inside-they jump up into your face! HORRORS! (no wonder I have nightmares-who wouldn't!) We keep getting rid of them but there are still some in the basement-hopefully they STAY IN THE BASEMENT..and do not migrate to the rest of the house, or I'll have to move out! I remember I told one of my good friends (she's our neighbor) about them-she had never heard of them, and said how bad could they be? I challenged her to GOOGLE Cave Crickets-and when she saw a picture of what they look like, she couldn't believe it! She said she will never set foot in our basement again....(can't say that I blame her!!!! LOL) Unfortunately, our washing machine is down there so I have no choice!!!!

Let's move on to a much more pleasant topic-fall leaves and pumpkins! This is one of my message tiles up close. What do you think? I am making a bunch of different tiles to sell...I'll post more photos of them at another time.  I like to get creative and really add detailed artwork to these.  Do you see the colored jute bow I added to the pumpkin? We have this one in our front foyer, and another in the kitchen. They come in handy (saves on writing pads!) and I use Dry Erase markers which clean up easy with tissues.  What's nice, is my family actually USES them! This tile will also be displayed through Thanksgiving because the saying is  appropriate for this season of thanks!

That's it for today. I hope you have enjoyed this little peak into our Halloween home decor (and you thought stamps were only for card-making!).  Thanks for stopping by....Have a lovely weekend!

Decor Elements-My Halloween Goodies Jar

Another fairly new product of Stampin' Up! that I am enjoying is Decor Elements. I found this taller jar at one of the craft stores and decided to use SPOOKY SPIDER (only available for purchase until October 31, 2008) on the front. These vinyl designs are available in three sizes and two colors-I chose to use the smallest size in black. I added some older SU! ribbon I have leftover and some bows to decorate the jar further. I created the baby spider tag at the top of the jar by using several circle punches-and cut the legs freehand, added them to punched cardstock and voila! Here is my goodies treat jar filled with Twizzlers all ready for the Trick or Treaters on Halloween....

Do you LIKE IT? Spooky Spider is available only thru October 31, 2008-but you can buy it now and get a big jump on your decorating for NEXT year! For all the details, just click on the following link:

Spooky Spider ordering information

or check out the:

Spooky Spider Flyer

but don't wait...Spooky Spider isn't hangin' around after October 31, 2008!

These Decor Elements are SOOOOO easy and fun to use! And they aren't just for wall decorating either, as you can see! I can't wait to try more of the designs which are now available in different COLORS since Phase II of Decor Elements has been unveiled....

Don't know what Decor Elements is all about? Maybe this link will help:

What is Decor Elements?

To see everything currently being offered in this product line, click on this link:

Decor Elements Brochure

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Sizzix Big Shot-Halloween Basket

With only a few days to spare before Halloween, I can finally share this adorable little halloween basket I made with the Sizzix Big Shot Baskets & Blooms Die!

If you haven't heard, Stampin' Up! has partnered with Sizzix and now has some terrific exclusive dies as well as the Big Shot machine! I can't believe how easy this machine is to use and the cute projects that can be made with this product! This is the basket I made:

I had so much leftover Creepy Crawly Designer Series Papers from last year (I LOVE this paper) that I decided to use some of it for this project. The stamp set-Batty for You,  is a carryover from last year and I just love this little set too...so I was thrilled to be able to continue using it this Halloween for my projects!

I used this as a Hostess Gift during October, but it is a great little basket to fill and give to your favorite Trick or Treaters too, by varying the stamps used...or how about making one for a friend, spouse or co-worker? Just change out the papers and stamps, and this idea can be duplicated for any holiday or occasion during the year. The infinite possibilities.....

If you have any baskets you have made with this die, I'd love to see them!

If you have no clue what the Sizzix is (I didn't really know what it could do until SU! started offering it) you can learn all about it, how to use the Sizzix Big Shot and the 50 different surfaces that are acceptable for use with the Sizzix by clicking HERE. You can even shop online now...from this link! (but that news is for another post!)

It's GREAT to be back to blogging again! I've missed you! I welcome your comments!

Thanks for looking,

CARD & BOX USING RETIRING STAMPS

I pulled out a stamp set called All Through the Year which will be retired from Stampin' Up!'s 2008 Spring-Summer Collection after August 10. I really love the Summer Picnic Designer Series Paper which is two sided so I used the cherries from All Through the Year with it and came up with a card and this matching 2-4-6-8 box:

Created by Debbie Van Gieson Images © Stampin' Up! 1990-2008

I am really going to miss the set and I'm sure the paper will probably be on the Retired Accessories List coming out on July 21....

The "gift package" was made simply by folding over the top of the designer paper to reveal the design on the other side of this two-sided decorative paper! Then I wrapped the ribbon around it, tied it in a bow (can't do bows? See this post HERE for bow tying help!) and attached it to the Real Red cardstock with SNAIL Adhesive.

I think it would be helpful to do a tutorial or two showing how to get that sparkling cherries affect on both the card and box using Heat and Stick powder (makes a great embelllishment), and how to make a 2-4-6-8 box! But it's very late so that will have to wait till another day! Don't forget to check back again soon!

Happy Stampin'!

Boatload of Love Box in the Bag-a downline gift!

I really enjoy making these Box in a Bag projects (and this is what it is called, because there really IS a box in the bottom of the bag-see the photo below as proof!). To learn more about these, read THIS POST.

Here is another one I made as a gift (shhhhhhh!) for Jan (one of my first level downline) who has been an inspiring leader to her team, a supportive downline member, and most importantly-a dear friend for many years. I hope she doesn't see this before she receives it in the mail! Even if she does, what's IN it will still be a surprise (so I'm not telling you what I'm putting in it!) I'd love to hear your suggestions though!

 

                                                    IMAGES © Stampin' Up! 1990-2008

I had so much fun making this one! I try to make gifts with nautical themes for my downline, because our team name is S.O.S. Team (for S.aving O.verwhelmed S.tampers)..I use images of lighthouses, beachy ocean, tropical, fish (starfish), and boat type images such as life rings and anchors. Sooooo....having explained that, you'll understand why I had to have the Boatloads of Love stamp set  from Stampin' UP! (love that Boat with the life rings and anchor!). As I was going thru my vast assortment of Designer Series papers, I knew as soon as I saw this Cutie Pie paper that this was THE one I wanted to use and the ideas just flowed from that point on... (Its amazing how different the colors and designs are in this package!) I love it when that happens...

Here is the INSIDE-as you can clearly see, there IS a box on the inside at the bottom which explains the name of this project:

Pretty cool, huh? Ok-on to some of the details up close:

Created by Debbie Van Gieson Images © Stampin' Up! 1990-2008

The boat is watercolored with Aqua Painters and Classic Ink Pads on Watercolor Paper, then cut out and added above the scalloped edged bottom. The boat, life rings and anchor are all stamped again, tediously cut out and raised with Stampin' Dimensionals and Crystal Effects for a fun 3-D effect.

Created by Debbie Van Gieson Images © Stampin' Up! 1990-2008

 The clouds are stamped in White Craft ink and embossed. I painted the chipboard letters with white acrylic paint, then used the aqua painter and reinkers to color them blue. The Life rings, anchor and clouds as well as the On Board Lots of Letters Chipboard are all finished off with Crystal Effects to make them "pop".

Created by Debbie Van Gieson Images © Stampin' Up! 1990-2008

I LOVE embellishments and this time I need something more nautical....so here is what I came up with...
I used Textured Wild Wasabi Cardstock and the Round Tab punch, then added eyelets with the Crop-o-dile and looped (retired) Bella Fancy Fibers loosely thru them, knotting them at the ends.  I decided to made the nautical knot with roping (instead of using ribbon) to add to the seafaring touch! 

I am pleased with how this project it turned out!  So--what do you think?

I truly had so much fun making this..I should have made two! As difficult as it will be to give this one-of-a-kind creation away, it was made with love, for someone I admire who is very deserving of special recognition-in case Jan doesn't realize it, she has been a loyal, caring friend and I just want her to know how much I have appreciated our friendship over the years.

Here are the supplies I used to make this project:

Stamps: Boatload of Love
Ink: Wild Wasabi, White Craft, Ballet Blue, Brocade Blue,Versamark Pad, Black StazOn
Paper: Cutie Pie Designer Series, Bashful Blue, TEXTURED Wild Wasabi, Watercolor
Accessories: Crop-o-Dile, Eyelets, 1/4" Circle Punch, Round Tab punch, Crystal Effects, On Board Lots of Letters, Sanding Block, Ballet Blue Ink Refill, White EP, Heat Tool, Aqua Painter, Slit Punch, 1/8" Circle Punch, Sticky Strip, Mini Glue Dots, Paper Snips, SNAIL adhesive, (retired) Bella Fancy Fibers

Non-SU: white acrylic paint, roping

To view all Stampin' Up! products used in this project, visit the Stampin' Up! ONLINE CATALOG. Just click on the photo link on the left sidebar. Fortunately for me, the Boatload of Love stamp set is NOT on the retirement list!!!  It's a great set!

I'd love to hear your comments...don't forget my BLOG CANDY posted awhile ago will EXPIRE at midnight on June 29! Follow the instructions in THIS POST to be in the drawing to win this awesome Stampin' Up! candy I'm giving away at 9:00 a.m. EST on JUNE 30!

Happy Stampin'!

Chipboard Jumbo Clips!

Here is another project I did last year using the round chipboard discs from On Board Accents to make these fun jumbo clips:

I sandwiched the jumbo clip between two of the chipboard circle disks and used Crystal Effects to bond them together! There were a variety of punches used to make these clips. Punch art is so much fun! Another day I'll post a bunch of samples I made last year at one of my upline's meetings in Sparta NJ...

Do you have punch art you would like to share? If you send me your favorite, I'd be happy to feature you here on my blog with your creation! Leave me a comment or e-mail me your creation.

Have a great stampin' day!

Passionstamper

Chipboard-9x9 Clipboard Photo Frame

Still need some gift ideas to make? Here's one I also did for our S.O.S. Team Camp using once again, D.S. papers...I love them! This time products from the Fall-Winter 2008 Collection that I used are Le Jardin D.S. papers, the new 9x9 clipboards and the Chipboard, plus one of our In-Color ribbons Wasabi Double Stitch! This project makes a nice gift and doubles as a photo! I didn't use a real photo, but made a quick copy with regular copy paper, just to show how it can be used as a picture frame you can hang on the wall!

Here it is clipboard without the photo insert...

   

and here it is with the photo insert!

I have no clue why these photos are coming up so small, but if you click on them, they get huge! I must have edited them differently...

At the top of the frame over the clip is actually a butterfly (if you look closely you will see it). I decided to play around with the hardware, Pretties flower and punches to make it. This is a fun project to do and it doesn't take too long to do either. You can't see it in the photo but there is also a subtle hint of glitter swirled lightly around the background papers for a touch of sparkle!

Have you tried using any of Stampin' Up!'s clipboards yet? FUN project! Why not order the products you need then give it a try? My 6th Christmas Special and instructions for this 9x9 Clipboard Photo Frame are HERE.

Christmas Special #5-Baroque Motifs Box

Todays project is a lovely box that is easy enough to create without a template. What a nice way to package up a gift for the holidays, a birthday or other occasions! Think of the beautiful things you can create!

This is one of the projects I came up with for our quarterly S.O.S. Team Demo Camp in July. The camp is designed for the demonstrators to learn new projects and then teach them to their customer base. This project uses alot of the new products in the Fall-Winter 2007 Collection which is retiring at the end of December, so check the updates on the sidebar for the Retired Stamps & Accessories Lists and make sure you have everything you need-or you can place an order for any of the retiring supplies by December 31.

I love the Baroque Motifs set and the Brocade Background Designer Series papers together! This set is so elegant, it seemed appropriate to also use the Pretties Kit to dress it up! Other newer products used in this project are the Theatre Ribbon Originals and the Round Tab Punch!

If you don't have the 5-in-1 Card Cover Template yet, you NEED this simple tool-you would be amazed at the cool things you can make with it!

Today's Special? I'm giving away free copies of the Stampin' Up! 2008 Spring-Summer Collection!

To find out how you can get one for free and to view the Instructions for this lovely Barque Motifs 5-in-1 Template Box, click Here

Christmas Special #4 Snowman Soup

I just finished up my Stocking Stuffer & Last Minute Gifts Classes last week...didn't make it to class? I've already shared the origami tree chocolate bar; here are the other items we made and the number of each we made:




Frosty the Snowman Soup! (2)

Elegant Christmas Origami Hershey Treat Bar (1)

The Weather Outside is Frightful!-Holiday Candle (1)


Merry & Bright Peek-A-Boo Peppermint Box (1)

CHRISTMAS SPECIAL #4-Frosty the Snowman Soup!

Each person made (2) cello bags! Each cello bag included Mocha Cappuccino Cocoa, Peppermint Candy Cane and Hershey's Nuggets! YUM! This is a yummy treat when a person adds the peppermint candy to a cup of cocoa..top it off with Hershey's Nugget and you have the makings of a VERY delightful warming and loving treat to serve after:

• ice-skating!
• hockey!
• snow-tubing!
• skiing!
• sled-riding!
• shoveling!
• ANY winter sport!
• at home movie time!
• create your own occasion!
  

To learn how to make this simple SNOWMAN SOUP PACKAGE-Click below:

SNOWMAN SOUP PACKAGE

I offer a Stocking Stuffer & Last Minutes Gift Class every year to my customers...(and we make different things each year, of course). They love it and so do I! It forces ME to come up with fast, easy gifts that we can use to slip into stockings, adorn gift packages with or to have on hand as terrific surprise little gifts that we can "whip up" in a moments notice..  (well...maybe in half an hour to an hour or so...) and give to those unexpected friends and family that sometimes pop-in during the holidays! I have a wonderful story that explains how this tradition found it's beginnings...

My FESTIVAL OF GIFTS STORY

My brother Kevin was FAMOUS for popping in on us TOTALLY unexpectedly!

It started many years ago when he was single, but he was so sporadic about it that we were ALWAYS taken by surprise when he showed up without warning with a new girlfriend-just in time for Christmas! (of course!) Back then he lived in South Jersey...and had a different girlfriend every other year! We were NEVER prepared-but he also didn't show up regularly!

I remember one year in particular that stands out in our memory-our son was around 11 and our daughter-7 (the magical years)...it was Christmas Eve and we were all getting ready for the Christmas Eve service at our church (my kids were both in the children's choirs so we had to get there about 45 minutes earlier for them to practice before the service).

We were in our typical "mad family rush"-hoping to just make it in time! I was in the tedious process of getting my daughter's hair brushed evenly so I could pull some of it up with a fancy holiday bow. We had just finished the whole process of getting her dressed in her new  holiday outfit, and of course, those TIGHTS I used to struggle with...followed by getting on those new black patten leather shoes-the whole works! (If you've raised girls, you definitely know where I'm coming from!)

Meanwhile, I was dealing with what every mom of a daughter can identify with-frantically trying to get her ready, while in between, I was trying to also get my own hair done (by now, it was already dry!) apply make-up (in stages, of course! in between taking care of daughter, getting church offering envelope & check written) remembering to throw on pantihose, and everyone hears me ranting "where IS that perfume", and "I left those earrings here-where are they now????"!  This is just some of the "frantic mantra" that was projected to no one that was really listening...my husband (who was always the first one dressed & ready to go) was frantically trying to get our son ready to go, (he makes everyone frantic when he starts urging us to all get moving...). All of a sudden-THE DOORBELL RANG!

Now we live in the country...so we usually know when someone is expected, and we are off the beaten path, so we don't expect vagrants....our neighbors usually call if they need something first, so of course-we all stopped and looked wide-eyed at each other-with the same question running thru each of our "almost ready" heads: "Who could possibly be here on Christmas Eve at a time LIKE THIS?"

Everyone expected "someone else" would get the door...so my husband finally gave in and went to see who it was. So I go back to doing my daughter's hair, and at possibly the most critical moment when I finally get it all ready for that hair clip, suddenly we hear "Hey Kevin!-what are YOU doing here?"  Of course that's ALL the kids needed to hear...and off they went to greet their beloved and long lost uncle who "wasn't gonna make it up for the holidays"..... (remember?) leaving mom with brush in hand and hairpins in her teeth...thinking "oh Lord-how will we EVER get there on time now...."

Don't misunderstand me-I was truly THRILLED to see my brother, (we hadn't seen each other in a few years) but after all the hugs were exchanged, all these things started running thru my head:

• yikes-where will they sleep?
• oh no-we don't have presents for them!
• do we have enough food for two extra people?
• there goes our peaceful, Christmas holiday....(my brother is a chatterbox! although I absolutely love him dearly!!!)
• oh my goodness-my brother is actually HERE for Christmas!!!!!!!
• the kids are gonna go NUTS tomorrow! and.......................................................
• THANK YOU GOD-for such a wonderful, unexpected surprise!

But, what actually came out of my mouth?????

"WE HAVE TO GET TO CHURCH, FOLKS!!!!!! "

Well,somehow, we made it to church JUST IN THE NICK OF TIME, and guess what happened? Kelley got sick-and didn't sing! She was SO excited that her tummy just took a tumble...and my brother didn't get to hear her sing! But it was still the most special Christmas Eve I will ever experience...not to mention the HUGE impression, UNKIE KEV (no it's not a typo-that's what they called him! made on my kids! He had gifts for them, and us...and we haven't had a Christmas like that-since!  (kind of like those old Christmas movies you see on tv this time of year...)

By now you are thinking "how sweet" but WHAT IS THE POINT OF THIS STORY?" The point is simply that this is how "Festival of Gifts" originated! My daughter and I stole some time to make some holiday ball ornaments that I had taught at classes-to give to Uncle Kevin and Aunt Debra...and that's how the whole idea of "Festival of Gifts" was born!

Now, every year I plan a bunch of gift items (some home decor projects, some quickie gifts like these) for an annual Festival of Gifts event that I have been doing for yearssc...until this year-I opted to offer classes instead of holding the Festival of Gifts event, because I decided to be a participant as a crafter/consultant at some local craft fairs and just couldn't imagine how I could do it all! (but I think we'll manage to do BOTH next year with good planning! It's amazing how easy it can be when you plan it ahead of time! )

This has become a tradition in our family...my daughter and I have always enjoyed coming up with holiday projects for our family members, church school teachers, hairdresser etc. (we now MAIL them to Unkie Kevin & Aunt Debra if THEY SAY they can't make it up!). But-these projects have become the gift items we offer at our Festival of Gifts Events, Craft Fairs and/or classes! I can recall my husband and son commenting that it's like "Santa's Workshop" here about six weeks before Christmas while the Festival of Gifts Event is going on! When the Craft Fairs, classes and Festival of Events are all over, my daughter and I keep the stamp studio bustling right up until a few days before Christmas-making more gifts for our family and friends!  You can find us in there tinkering away making our gifts...embossing, masking, sanding, painting, eyelet setting, snow frosting,  gluing,  glittering,  hammering, and having a blast!

And after all, isn't this what Christmas is all about too? We have THE BEST TIME discovering and creating, making memories-together...(although my daughter shys away from the camera-which makes it tough to catch these ONE-TIME ONLY memories that I of course, want to scrapbook, I will always treasure these times we spend together getting ready for the holidays! It's a time that we've come to really cherish..someday I'll present her with an album that captures times like these! Shhhh.....

Christmas Special #2 Wrapped Candy Bar Treats

WELCOME-to my 6 Specials of Christmas! If you check back here each day, you'll find cool project ideas and/or a special purchase offer-until December 14!  If you like any of the projects, there is a special offer when you order the products to make the project or, I'll sometimes offer a kit you can order that includes supplies-so you can make and assemble the projects yourself! Are you ready? This project offers 2 different designs:

These are so pretty in person...and I just find it so relaxing to make them. They are super easy and go very quickly once you learn how to make them, even though they look very tedious...a wonderful project and impressive gift! Are you ready to learn how to make them? If not, you can always purchase the finished product!

Click on CHRISTMAS SPECIAL #2 Wrapped Candy Bar Treats to learn more...

MORE Craft Fair Projects...

The Wallkill Valley Craft Fair is a pretty big one in our area...there was alot of traffic all day long. Again, I forgot to take a picture of my table BEFORE things started selling and being shifted around, so it doesn't look as nice as when I first started out! This time I used some crates because I had a smaller table and had to find a way to make everything fit on it..crates also give a nice sense of depth as well as provide a way to display things at eye-level for the shoppers!

My biggest seller was the nugget boxes and the chocolate bars-this time I make Christmas ones using one of my favorite holiday sets-Festive Favorites! (I'm so relieved that this set is NOT on the retired stamp list) I got this idea from another stamper (but I can't remember who to give proper credit). The box slides open, revealing a holiday greeting! I love the idea of spelling out the word "Joy" with the wrapped chocolate nuggets!

here the nugget box is closed.... 

and here it is opened!

I must have taken this photo before I decided to add a red brad to Rudoph's nose on the tag! (It was a cute addition) The tag is stamped with to: and from: on the back.

I had fun with Hershey's chocolate bars! At my last craft fair, I had the bars decorated more for adults, so this time I also added one for kids-I figured parents would be looking for stocking stuffers for their children...and so they were! I've seen various versions of the Santa Bars so I used the basic idea and changed mine to be alittle different by adding Liquid Applique to Santa's beard. I also tried cutting the beard into many strips and curling the tips, which takes alot more time to make. (I don't have any more of those left so I can't provide a photo). I think I prefer the look of the liquid appliqued beards anyway...

Stamps: Festive Favorites, Perfect Presentation (Level 2 Hostess Set)

Cardstock: Real Red, Glossy White, Whisper White, Basic Black, Brushed Gold, Glorious Green, Pretty in Pink, Blush Blossom, Kraft

Inks: Glorious Green, Basick Black, Real Red, Versamark Pad

Other: Heat & Stick Powder, Iridescent Ice Embossing Powder, Heat Gun, Stampin' Pastels,  Scallop Punch, Corner Punch,
Daubers, Liquid Applique (non-SU), Circle punches: 1", 1 3/4", 1/8", 1 1/4", Square Punch, Gold Elastic Cord, SNAIL adhesive, Sticky Strip, Crimper

Wow-it doesn't look like it, but alot of products went into the making of these...

A FEW TIPS: the moustache was made with a circle punch-then cutin half; the Scallop Punch was used to make the pom-pom on the hat; the bottom of the beard was made using a corner punch!

I'm really into the punches this year...there are so many cool things you can create with them!

The Perfect Presentation set is hostess set-it will be retired because the new collection will have all new hostess sets you can earn! It's not too late to get this set-simply gather together $300 in orders from you and your friends, and you will earn it! But only until December 31!

I'll be back later with more projects I made for the craft fair to share, so check back again soon! (...domestic duties are calling out to me!). And don't forget to leave a comment so I know you have been here to visit!

Thanksgiving Card & Hostess Gift?

I wanted to do some things with turkeys for Thanksgiving...for the Mistletoe Craft Show I did last Saturday. You know, something cute that folks can give to their hostess who is serving up a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner next week, so first I made a turkey card! I think Pick a Petal is such a wonderful and versatile set-and this card is the perfect example!

Tom Turkey's feathers are made from the petals-turned around the opposite way you would make a flower...imagination that! I think it's cool when you can do that with a stamp...use it in a different way than what it was intended for!  I used the Kissing Technique to make the feather designs, punched the turkey's head with a 1" Circle Punch (sponged the edges with More Mustard Classic ink pad and cut the bottom freehand from a  scrap of Kraft cardstock (not too shabby...hey?)  The eyes are drawn on (or you could use the 1/8" Circle Punch), and the nose was made from a triangle cardstock scrap and reshaped.  Caramel Gingham ribbon is tied around his neck before attaching with Stampin' Dimensionals over the feathers.

I created the background using Kraft Cardstock and Creamy Caramel ink with the Flannel Plaid Stamp (the background stamps by Stampin' Up! are terrific!) They are actually bigger than a standard 5 1/2" x 4 1/4" card so you don't have to ink the stamp twice and try to match it up...just one time gets the job done! I really like the Flannel Plaid stamp-you'll see me using it again for holiday cards-nothing like plaid for a real holiday look...

The Corners were done with a new punch from Stampin' Up! called Photo Corners Punch. It's really cool because it punches two different size corners so you can layer them on top of one another, as I did on this card...the Happy Thanksgiving greeting stamp is from the Holidays & Wishes stamp set-a simple little 6-piece stamp set with three holiday stamps and three wishes.

I really like the look of this card-it's very......country-ish, don't you think? Living here in North Jersey in "God's Country" (yeah, that's how the folks here in Sussex County refer to it here in our neck of the woods)  you come to appreciate that special "country" look...after all, they even filmed a movie at the Homestead Restaurant a few miles away and Tom Selleck played the star role!!!! (and to think-I missed it! I didn't get to see him!) They used an old horse-drawn carriage and the spot made a perfect western set...

...but before I go off on that subject, let's get back to turkey talk! Speaking of turkeys, and  living in the country, it seemed real appropriate to come up with a genuine Turkey Poop gag gift (you know, there are all those "poop" themes stampers love to make like...snowman poop, and reindeer poop, and it goes on and on (NO, I'm really NOT making this up!).  Well anyway, I came up with my own little fellow atop this cello bag of candy corn and his sad poem, and here he is:

You wouldn't believe how POPULAR this stamped gift was! I came home with only a few...and I made alot of these little critters!

This little guy is made COMPLETELY with punches....I just love punch art (can you tell???). I used the large Oval Punch, the 1/14" and 1 3/8" punches, and various Earth Element colored cardstock attached some googly eyes with glue dots..and can you guess what I used to create his webbed feet? If you go to the Online Stampin' Up! Catalog, you'll find the answer in the section with all the punches! You'll be amazed at yet another product that is so versatile, you can make turkey feet from it!  Stampin' Up! also carries these small flat cello bags that are PERFECT for so many cute little gifts...and of course to finish it off, I used our wonderful new Crop-O-Dile to punch a hole thru all the layers to insert the red grosgrain ribbon. (All  products are Stampin' Up!)

I hope you dazzle everyone with your turkey creations this Thanksgiving holiday...I think I'm getting a little "punchy" myself and in looking at the clock, I can see why! I can't believe it's 2:00 a.m. (EST)!!!! (I could swear it was just 10:00 when I started stamping and blogging! Time really flies when I'm stamping but it's AMAZING how fast it also goes when I'm BLOGGIN' about STAMPIN'!  Time for this country stampin' bumpkin to hit the hay!

2007 Mistletoe Market Craft & Home Consultant Show

I took a break from posting while I prepared for this first annual craft fair at the First Presbyterian Church of Franklin, NJ 07416 this past Saturday....

I haven't done a craft fair in awhile,so this year I decided to give it a try! The day started out with SNOW! The first snowflakes of the season came down on Friday night into Saturday morning-how appropriate for the holiday show!

There were about 40 vendors there with quite a variety of crafts,gifts and  products...Of course I was there with my Stampin' Up! table-here is a photo of half of my table (I must have been interrupted and never took a picture of the rest of the table!)

Here are some of the items that were great sellers:

Christmas Fudge-These were made with beautiful new Stampin' Up! Designer Wrapping papers found in our Holiday Mini Collection-so easy to make! The tags were made using both the Mini Tag & the Tag Punches and some of the `1/4" ribbons and also the new Purely Pomegranate Double-Stitched Ribbon which I just love! The poem is perfect for those last-minute procrastinators...these were very popular and I almost sold out of them! We will be making these at my December Stocking Stuffers & Last-Minute Gifts class-they make great stocking stuffers, too...if you are in the Hardyston NJ area, you may want to check this class out-but hurry..sign-ups for this weekend's classes end this Wednesday. There are later classes in the month in case you can't make it to this one.

Apple Spice Nugget Box-Closed

Nugget Box-opened

This was another hit-these were intended as nice little hostess gifts to give at Thanksgiving...I will definitely need to make some holiday themed nugget boxes for my upcoming craft fair at the Wallkill Valley High School Holiday Craft & Gift Show on December 1 in Hardyston NJ! This is also another featured item at my December Stocking Stuffers & Last-Minute Gifts Class!

Clear Magnets in a Tin-closed

Tins-opened; inside are four clear fridge magnets-a cute way to hold papers and artwork on your fridge! These were actually designed by my 14-year old daughter who decided to help out! These papers are retired from last year...but I like them so much-I was glad to have some leftover to use for this project. We will be making these at our November Holiday Gifts & Home Decor Classes using Stampin Up! current Designer Series papers

Tomorrow, I'll show you some other items I made for the Mistletoe Market Craft Fair.

Please leave a comment and let me know what you think of these projects..I love feedback-it lets me know there are actually folks out there READING this blog!

I will tell you more about the Mistletoe Market later and will provide you with a link to the First Presbyterian Church and next year's craft fair dates etc. so if you are a crafter or a Home Consultant in the Northern New Jersey area, you can sign-up to participate in our event too!

Stampin' Up!® PAPER PARTY PROMOTION!

Stampin' Up! is having a Paper Party Promotion to kick off the upcoming holiday season! This month's Stampin' Up! Special of the Month is a Buy Three Get the Fourth-FREE Deal...three of what, you ask?  Why-Stampin' Up!® Designer Series Paper packs! This is a great way to get four packs of the same paper, or a variety-just in time for card-making, gift wrapping & tags, and scrapbooks for the holidays! 

These pretty 12 x 12 papers have double-sided designs featuring Stampin' Up! patterns and colors. Each package contains 12 sheets, 2 each of 6 double-sided designs. There are ten various themes to choose from in the Fall/Winter Collection  and don't forget to check out the pretty Holiday Harmony Designer Series (also double-sided) paper offered in the Holiday Mini Collection  which will be available only thru the end of November! I love the selection Stampin' Up! has come out with...here is a project I created for a class I offered recently-a scrapbook in a box, using Le Jardin D.S. paper. To find out about other classes and upcoming events I offer, visit my Events Page of my Stampin' Up! website!

This is the box closed. It is embellished using Stampin' Up! On Board Accents Chipboard, various punches   including the very popular Scallop Circle Punch and also a lovely Rhinestone Brad in the center of the embellishment!

When opened, the pages spill outward-with plenty of space for alot of photos and journaling!

None of the pages are attached-they are each decorated with D.S. paper (that is Buy 3-Get 4th FREE right now!). It's all ready for me to add fall photos and journaling for a wonderful "box of memories" or, this would make a very nice holiday gift for that special someone...(if I can part with it!)

I made a coordinating card to go with it to:

The stamp sets used in the card are Illuminations and Season by Season. The "C" in Cherish is embossed and raised so it stands out. The Illuminations stamp set is so pretty and elegant looking!

During November, I will be featuring some of these papers at my demonstrations and classes to give you other great ideas for these wonderful papers...

To view all the Designer Series papers now, you can go to your own Stampin' Up! Catalog or this
ONLINE CATALOGS link to shop.

HOLIDAY
WISH LIST:   Would you like to add Designer Series papers to a holiday wish list? Follow these steps:

1. Just download this document : HOLIDAY WISH LIST

2. Jot your items on the wish list and complete the form.

3. Add your contacts so I can follow up with them later! This is THE BEST way to get stamping and scrapbooking supplies YOU want for the holidays this year!

TO PURCHASE THE PAPER PARTY PROMOTION SPECIAL NOW, select four Designer Series Papers from the Fall/Winter Collection or the holiday paper in the Holiday Mini Collection-you pay only $9.95 each for the first three packs (plus tax and shipping)-the fourth is FREE! The promo code for this product special is 111878.  To order, E-MAIL ME.

My October Hostess Gift! Acetate Treat Box...

Isn't this a neat idea? I originally learned about this adorable box from Susie McCormick who used it for Halloween Treats...I thought it was such a cute idea I decided to tweek it by adding the name of my hostess, and filled it with candy corn and seasonal Hershey's kisses-my October hostesses received this as one of their gifts for hosting an in-home party! (Hostesses can also opt to have their Stampin' Up! parties at my home Stamp Studio). I used a retired Stampin' Up! Designer Series paper from last season called Halloween Night for this particular acetate treat box because it had a really cute candy corn design, but you can easily subsitute any of the papers in the current Creepy Crawly DS Paper package or Pumpkin Pie Prints DS paper too and it would be just as adorable!

I also used the cute stamps from the Batty for You stamp set and Pumpkin Pie Grosgrain ribbon, several circle and square punches and Short Order Alphabet letters..I basically used Sticky Strip as the main adhesive so it would hold together well.

Click HERE to learn how to make one of these. You can also come and make a thanksgiving themed box at my Harvest Time Thanksgiving Class in November! To learn more about this and other classes, visit my Events Calendar which is updated periodically.  To order any of the above products, simply email me

ACCORDIAN SCRAPBOOK KIT

What's nice about being a demonstrator are the wonderful friends we make along the way. Some of the members of our SOS Team of demonstrators attend events together that other demonstrators do such as the INKredible Team's Spring Fling and Fall Fest events. I always take pictures at these events-but at last year's Spring Fling event I made sure to get a picture of each demo on our team that attended so I could make up an Accordian Book Kit. Here it is:

Cover-Accordian Book Kit-closed

Accordian Book Kit-opening first section

Accordian Book Kit-opening second section

Accordian Book Kit-opening  side panel to reveal rest of team photos

These accordian book kits are so wonderful to give as gifts-they fit into a regular envelope and hold 8-10 pictures...Stampin' Up! offers these kits which include enough materials to make 2 books per kit, an instruction sheet and 3 each of 2 colors per package (6 12x12 sheets total). There are six color assortments to choose from! I'll be teaching this at a class later in the month, so sign up to receive my newsletter for all the information.

The kits have many small tabs, tags and pieces so you can custom your scrapbook with little pull-outs and tabs for more photo storage! Here is an example of what I'm referring to:

See the ribbon above? When you pull it to the right, it reveals a tag that is hidden in the pocket! This is a great add-on for journaling or a small photo..

I've used alot of accessories such as buttons, Hodgepodge Hardware, Twill Tape etc. to add visual interest. I love making these little scrapbooks...they don't take long either so it's practical when you want to finish a project in an afternoon. If you would like to place an order for these, remember that during February you can get a FREE Sell-A-Bration set with every $50 purchase-but this special ends soon so take advantage of it before time runs out!

Of course if you would like to join the fun, consider becoming a demonstrator on our team! We are a friendly, sharing group-the more, the merrier! And during February only, we have that wonderful mini kit that is only $99 so if you are looking for a budget way to join Stampin' Up!, this is the best time to do it! For more info about this special, click HERE! As an added bonus for signing up during February, you will receive the stamp set shown below, called Polka Dots & Paisley-absolutely FREE in addition to all the other wonderful products included in the kit..to see this cute set click on this link:

http://www.stampinup.com/us/documents/polkaDotsPaisley.pdf

This is the adorable set Stampin' Up! gave to all it's demonstrators as a GIFT during December-now you can get it for free too! Email me for more information. I just love being a Stampin' Up! demonstrator! It's so rewarding and the most fun job around! (I must love it-on February 23 I will be celebrating 11 years as a Independent Demonstrator for this terrific company!)

PERSONALIZED NOTEPAD TIN

I was originally inspired by the very creative Michele Laycock when she posted this tin made by Sharon Bridwell, (yet another creative stamper):

                                                                                          

                                                                     

                                                   

I love these DVD tins purchased online from Effectuality Inc so I created mine using Recollections Designer Series Paper! (Yes, these are my favorite! I am really hooked on these papers!!!) This was one of the projects I taught at my last Demo Class for my SOS Team downline demos in the fall...and they all loved it! What's great about these tins is they can be altered and used for SO MANY different things...this is not the last you will see of me using these!

                                       

I love Stampin' Up!'s Monogram letters, and I thought these would look great on this tin to personalize them! The flowers are punched out using the Spring Bouquet Flower Punch to accent the Monogram, and various bows. Twill Tape, Hodgepodge Hardware, the oval punch and letters punched out with the 1/4" circle punch make it easy to spell out a first name to further personalize the notepad tin cover.

I own a Carl Cutter which works beautifully to cut down a Jr Notepad that fits inside the tin. The matching RSVP pen is attached with ribbon and Crystal Effects so it cannot be separated from the tin, and the final touch is a pocket of background paper to make a pouch for stamps, or this case, I use it so I always have a few business cards on hand with me wherever I go. The inside of the tin is decorated with coordinating papers in the Recollections Designer Seriers Papers for an overall classy look. I added the papers to the top of the notepad too, as a final touch. I LOVE making these! I will be offering this as a class in spring if you want to come and make this along with some other terrific projects! projects...   

I intend to use the Recollections Papers when I organize my Stampin' Up! office, on everything from pen holders to file folders!

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             

GIFT FROM SHELLI & Chipboard Coaster Box

Stampin' Up! demonstrators received a lovely and unexpected SURPRISE for Christmas from the Co-founder and CEO of Stampin' Up!-Shelli Gardner!  She sent us all one of the stamp sets from the upcoming Spring Mini Catalog-Polka Dots & Paisley! I have been waiting for an opportunity to play with this very cute set, so here is my first project: A Chipboard Coaster Box:

                         

This is a sample of a upcoming class project! It was also a project I did with my S.O.S. Team group at a demo camp. The box features Sarah Designer Series Paper & Spring Bouquet Flower Punch from Stampin' Up!  This makes a great note paper holder, pen holder and even works great when filled with tissue paper or a gift in a cello bag! 

I think this set will be very popular-I know it already is with me! I'll be working on more projects with this set and can't wait to place my order for the Spring Mini Sets-they are AWESOME, and you are going to LOVE them! Did I mention that you can order from the Spring Mini Catalog starting March 1 thru JUNE? That's right! In my next post I'll update you on some other changes Stampin' Up! is implementing!   If you would like to receive a hard copy of the Spring Mini Catalog, contact me and I'd be happy to send one along to you. Otherwise, you will be able to view it online which can be accessed from the link found under my Stampin' Up! Links... starting March 1!