Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Fancy Pearls

I think I'm in love with the Pearls now!  Not that I don't love the Rhinestones anymore, but I opened my package of pearls and I think you're going to be seeing a lot of little pearls in the next little while!!!  Seriously, the packs of Rhinestones and Pearls that are in the catalogue now are a MUST HAVE on your accessories wish lists people!  You need them!!!

One would think that after making 500 of the Fancy Favours (see this post), I would be sick of them...and I am, but at my To Die For class this month featured that die and we did some super fun projects, and I'm going to share them over the next few days!  And, then I'm going to put away my Fancy Favour Die for a while!!  *grin*  I will say that I've cut way more than 500 of these out and my die still cuts and scores like it did the first time I used it.  And, I'm still using my original extended cutting pads!  So you can see, they last for a LOT of cuts!

First, my color combination for today.


Not only do you need the Pearls & Rhinestones, you also really need the new Color Coach.  It's the most fantastic tool ever!  At my scrapbook club, we were flipping through the colors trying to decide what to use for one of the layouts when we came across this one.  Isn't it purty?!?  We have a blast at my Scrapbook Club.  If you're interested in joining one contact me today for more info!


I know...be still your heart.  LOOK AT THOSE FABULOUS PEARLS!!!  But wait, it gets better!


Two words...LOVE IT!!!  Ok, so I can hear you now..."Lisa, that can't be the Fancy Favour, it looks nothing like it", "Pretty please show us how to make that".  Well, I'm here to please, so I did up a tutorial for you!  Before I show you the tutorial, I have to say that I didn't come up with this idea.  These little beauties (not so embellished) were on the tables at one of the classes at Convention this year.  There's ideas everywhere you turn at Convention!

So, you start with your Fancy Favour and you want to just cut off the fancy edge on the top.  This step is optional.  I did this because I wanted to scallop the edge.  If you want to leave the fancy edge the die makes, just skip this step!


Then, you want to take one of your border punches and punch along your now straight top edge.  I chose the Scallop Edge Border Punch.  After you've punched the edge,  you want to score it.  I put the edges of the scallops at the 3/4" mark on my paper cutter and then scored it.


Now you need to do some cutting.  You want to cut down the score lines from the scallop edge to the long score line you just made.  You also want to cut the little scallopped piece from the top of the tab.  Then crease all your score lines really good...this is important so that you have a nice crisp edges on your box.  If you don't crease along your score lines really good, you end up with a funny looking box!


Add some glue to the tab to make it one continuous piece (kind of like a square tube!) and the glue the tabs on the bottom.  Ack!  I think I could put these together in my sleep!  *wink*


When it's all glued together, it should look like this.


I tied ribbon around the top of my box to keep the flaps down, and embellished my box with some of the In Color DSP, and some punched flowers from the Level One Hostess set, Punch Potpourri.

You could put all kinds of things in this box and it would make a great gift for someone special!  I chose to make some matching cards for my box.  I used the same color scheme as the box and each of my cards uses an image from the Punch Potpourri set.


Each of the cards has some little pearls on it...even though you can see them in the picture on the heart card, I promise they're there (they're just itty bitty)!

Next month I am featuring the Alphabet Bigz Dies at the To Die For class.  Click here for more info!

That's all for today!  I will be back tomorrow with another Fancy Favour idea for you.  Have an inspired day!

Monday, August 30, 2010

500

500  is a lot...let me tell you, when you actually see 500 of something it's HUGE!  Especially when it's wedding favors!  For the past couple months I've been working on 500 wedding favors for my cousin's wedding.  My Big Shot arm is hurtin' and I think the muscles are now bigger in that arm than the other, my fingers have been sticky, I think I can now say I'm an expert at tieing knots and my fingers hurt from tieing that many knots, but they're finally finished!  YAHOO!!!!!

500 little black boxes. I did them with the retired Groom DSP and the Fancy Favour die.  I think Keivn will be happy that this table will be out of the living room when I'm not doing classes!!!


500 pieces of Whisper White Satin Ribbon.




And, the finished product.


I'm really excited for how they turned out.  They are super cute, yet elegant!  I can't wait to see them on the tables for everyone at the wedding.  They're having a Candy Bar, so we can all fill our little boxes with whatever kind of candy we want.  Fun!  I know my boys are going to LOVE that!!!

Have an inspired day!

Sunday, August 29, 2010

It's Official

At the end of June I officially paid off our van.  Paid for totally by money I earned with Stampn' Up!.  What a FANTASTIC feeling!!!!

Now, I really think that Honda should send out a certificate or a card or something congratulating people on such a momentus occasion...then again, they're probably missing the interest I was paying over the last three years!

Since no card came from Honda, I made one for myself.


Cute, eh?  Ok, so I didn't actually make it for myself, it's for a friend!  But, I still think that Honda should send out cards for this occasion!

I dusted off used the Priceless set for this card with Melon Mambo, Old Olive and Night of Navy ink.  For this simple card, I used my favorite Note Cards with Envelopes!  The Old Olive grosgrain finishes it off nicely and the congratulations was from the "A Word for You" set.  I just colored the word I wanted with a Night of Navy Stampin' Write.

I was so thrilled with the way this one turned out that I made a bunch more and then made some more masculine ones.


I use the Circle Circus set with Night of Navy, Basic Gray and More Mustard ink.  My sentiment is from the Fundamental Phrases set.

ETA:  The ribbon is wrapped around the whole front of the card.  I made a slit in the fold with my hobby knife for the ribbon to slide through.  When you do this be careful not to tie your ribbon too tight or the front of your card will buckle!

Well, that's all for today!  Have an inspired day!

Saturday, August 28, 2010

Explore. Dream. Discover.

That's part of a great Mark Twain quote and the title to my scrapbook layout for Scrapbook Saturday today.


Like usual, I started from a sketch, and, like usual, I went waaaaaaaay off from the sketch!  I'm thrilled with the final layout!

Here are some close-ups of some of my favorite parts of the layout (other than the pictures of my sweet little boys!).


The leaf embellishments.  I just stamped the leaves from the Paradise set in Old Olive on Naturals White and punched them with the 1 1/4" square punch, then mounted them on some punched Night of Navy Squares.


The sort of title!  I cut the letters with my Big Shot and the Go Go Boots alphabet dies.  I also attached a piece of Naturals White carstock behind my picture and added a couple Daffodil Delight brads (lovin' these!).  It's the perfect place to stamp something...in this case I stamped the date.


To connect these pictures and pull some Daffodil Delight onto this page, I used my Photo Corner punch and put some of the small photo corners behind two corners of each of the pictures.  If you scoll back up to the full layout picture, take a look at how I rounded the outer corners only of the group of pictures on the left hand page.  I love the way that turned out!

So, my color combination...I wanted to go with Navy since I knew it would go well with the pictures.  I checked out Night of Navy on my new color coach and when I turned it over one of the combinations was Night of Navy, Old Olive and Daffodil Delight.  Absolutely perfect!

I'm so excited with the way this layout came together and it felt good to get back to scrapbooking!

That's all for today.  Have an inspired day!

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

World Card Day-Stamp Out Breast Cancer

Good morning!  I'm so excited to make the official announcement about my World Card Day event this year!

World Card Day-Stamp Out Breast Cancer
Saturday, October 2, 2010
10am-4pm

Lethbridge Center Mall, Conference Room 5

Fee:  $50 (must be received by September 20)

Your registration fee this year includes the following:
-a $5 donation to the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation
-the So Many Thanks stamp
-15 projects
-lunch and snacks
-a fun game with prizes

And, the first 20 people to register will receive a special gift...a super fun and cute re-usuable shopping bag designed with the flower images from the Play Time collection!

We will have a few items available for our silent auction and all proceeds will be donated to the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation.

I CAN NOT wait for this event!  It's always a blast and this year will be no exception!  We only have 30 spaces open for this event and registration closes on September 20 (all registration fees MUST be received by then). 

You can register with me in person or by clicking the link below to register online through PayPal.





I hope to see you and your friends at this fantastic and fun event! Have an inspired day!

The "S" Word

I know, I'm playing with fire, but I want to show you the second card that was made at my last Holiday Headstart class a couple weeks ago.  Pssst...it's a snow card (yikes...I just want to say that if it snows now, it's not my fault!!!).

Supplies:  Snow Swirled, Short & Sweet sets; Bashful Blue & Marina Mist classic ink; Marina Mist, Shimmery White, Brushed Silver & Bashful Blue cardstock; Platinum Shimmer Paint; Stampin' Sponges; Big Shot & Vintage Wallpaper embossing folder; Mini Library Clips; Marina Mist 1/8" Taffeta Ribbon; Glue Dots; Curly Label Punch

Check out that embossing detail.  It's done with the Vintage Wallpaper Embossing Folder.  It's a fantastic  embossing folder that gives such a deep impression.

The snowflakes were stamped on Shimmery White cardstock and the silver snowflakes are stamped with Platinum Shimmer Paint.  With is mounted on a piece of Brushed Silver cardstock this card has so much shimmer it's almost blinding!


Well, that's all for today.  Remember, if it snows, it's not my fault!!!  Have an inspired day!

Monday, August 23, 2010

Upcoming LA Stamper Classes

I've totally updated my business website with a new look and some classes right into December! The classes in November and December are still missing some information, like prices, but as we get closer to those dates more information will be posted.

I'm also trying super hard to get my PayPal buttons to work (grrr...it's been frustrating!) so you can register online for classes. In the next couple days, watch for some info on upcoming classes and hopefully the ability to reister online for those classes. Bear with me...I'm not the swiftest when it comes to technology!

Please click on the "Event & Class Resgistration" link at the top of my blog for more into or go check out my calendar on my business website here.

Home Sweet Home

This Mantle Message class was pretty popular, so I'm offering it again for those of you who missed it!  Here's a look at the project.


You will be able to choose the color you want your houses to be!  The fee for this class is $15.  Please contact me today to reserve your spot, or click on the link below to register online through PayPal.





Have an inspired day!

Thankful

In my lastest Mantle Message class we did the word "Thankful" and used some great new product from the upcoming Holiday Mini.


We used the new Autumn Spice DSP...it's yummy in real life and a definite MUST HAVE for your collection!  We also used some of the new punches (look behind the 'k' for the punched pieces).  Here's some close-ups of the letters so you can see the detail.





I think the "a" and "l" were my favorites!  I had a group of 6 ladies over to make this project and I think they had a blast (expect for a small incident iwth a Cows Candy and another small incident with a Paper Piercer!!!).  The mess on the table kills me...I should have taken a before the class and during the class picture, but all I have is a during picture.


Have an inspired day!



Saturday, August 21, 2010

A Tough Life Lesson

It's a rainy, dreary day.

As you know we have two cocker spaniels...an old one and a puppy.  Well, the old one, Bailey, has been going downhill for quite a while now...she's almost 13!  Last fall, she got quite sick and while she got through it, we decided that if she were to get sick again we would put her down.  She's been slowly losing her sight and hearing as well as her bladder control.

When we woke up this morning it was clear that it was time.  She was not well and so we made the very difficult decision to put her down this morning.


The worst part was that when I took her into the vet she was wagging her little tail...

Needless to say, it's been a rough morning for our whole family, and I'm sure the next couple days will be difficult as well.  Bailey was not just a pet, she was part of our family.  We've had her since she was 6 weeks old and the boys don't know life without her.  Before we got Oliver, Taylor asked us for a pet many times.  Each time we would say we already had a pet, Bailey, and he would reply with "she's not a pet, she's just our Bailey".  We will miss her terribly, but we know she is in a better place where she can run after her frisbee again and has mountains of puppy treats to eat whenever she wants to.

Thursday, August 19, 2010

Monkey, monkey, monkey!

My sweet little nephew turned one at the end of May.  He had a sock monkey themed party, so I carried on with the theme and made him a monkey card.  Now, I don't own the sock monkey set...I'm in the camp who are a little freaked out by that sock monkey! Since I don't have the sock monkey stamp, I made due with the sweet monkey from Fox & Friends.  Take a look.

Supplies:  Fox & Friends, Fundamental Phrases stamp sets; Early Espresso classic ink; Crumb Cake, Early Espresso & Marina Mist cardstock; Neutrals brads; Scallop Circle & 1 1/4" Circle punches; Stampin' Dimensionals

My color scheme is Crumb Cake, Early Espresso and Marina Mist.  Super simple, but a perfect quick card for a sweet little boy!


Have an inspired day!

Monday, August 16, 2010

Swap Inspiration

So, I told you about our traditional "Roomie Shoe Box Swap" at convention.  Well, my good friend Kim had a great card for the swap, and I took the layout and used it for a Christams Card for my Holiday Headstart Christmas Card class last Friday.  Take a look.


The one on the left is the swap card and the one on the right is how I made it into a Christmas card.  This is what I love about swapping and SU!  It's so easy to take a card, change a few things and have a totally different look.

Here's a closer look at my Christmas card.

Supplies:  Delightful Decorations & Many Merry Messages stamp sets; Cherry Cobbler & Old Olive classic ink; Early Espresso Stampin' Write Marker; Cherry Cobbler, Crumb Cake, Old Olive, Very Vanilla & Early Espresso cardstock; Stampin' Dimensionals; Rhinestones; Early Espresso 1/8" Taffeta Ribbon

And, here's a closer look at the ornament details.



I'm so excited with how this card turned out.  I think I may use this as my Christams card this year!

Busted!  Did you notice that two of the pictures have bling and the other doesn't!  This is the crazy way my mind works...not always logical, but I get the job done!  I originally made the card without the bling and then took the picture and then left the card overnight.  The next morning I decided it was missing something and went for the AWESOME rhinestones we now carry.  It looks waaaay better and more finished with the rhinestone and since you get, like 400 or something like that, per package for only $6 (CAD) you can put them on everything!!!!!  Anyway, after I added the bling I had to take more pictures to show you my fabulous creation.  I apparently need look closer at the pictures I edit and post!

Have an inspired day!

Sunday, August 15, 2010

Start Simple

When you lose your mojo, I think the best way to get it back is to start simple.  And, what better way to start than with Simple Card Sunday!  So, how did I get my mojo back?  Well, I started by doing this...


I spent a few hours cleaning and organizing my stamp room...and I'm pleased to say it still looks like this on my desk!  Step two is to get your self some assistants...you know, to help with the tough stuff.  Here's my assistants.


I know!  They're cute, but not that helpful.  In fact they're a bit distracting...they snore and Ollie buggs Bailey to play and then she growls at him to go away.  Really, not much help!

Seriously, I started with a sketch from Clean & Simple Stamping.  The sketch I chose was from a few weeks ago, but it was fantastically simple and just what I needed.  Here's what I came up with.


Super simple!  Sorry about the quality of the picture...I guess I shouldn't take pictures at midnight!!!  After I finished up this card, I was inspired and came up with two more.  Check them out.



So, there you go!  Super simple and I think I got my mojo back!

Have an inspired day!