Tootsie Pop Kids Valentine

Are you still searching for just the right Valentine to create for your little one's class Valentine exchange?  Well, I highly recommend this one.  A friend of mine saw it on Pintrest and created a bunch for a little person she knows.  The idea was so cute I just couldn't pass it up for my own niece.  And my nephew liked it so much we made a much less pink version for his class too.  It gives me yet another reason to be an advocate for capping class sizes! I've now assisted in the creation of about sixty of these little beauties.  My aspiring stampers helped me with the Big Shot (and with keeping count of how many flowers we needed to make).  They loved cranking the dies through and keeping track of how many we made.  This project was the final straw in my battle to not buy the Fun Flowers Bigz Die.  I've been resisting for years (literally) and keep seeing fun projects where you just have to have this die.  So, now I can rest easier knowing that it is mine.  :)  Along with the Fun Flowers Die I needed the now retired Daisies Die (you can still get it through Sizzix no worries) to make the completed flower.  Of course, I also curled each piece using my bone folder for a more flower like effect.  Then it was time for Eleanor to add her own touch.  She stamped all the sentiments herself and wrote her name on the back of each sentiment too.   She is, after all, an aspiring stamper. The little photo shows the finished project.  Of course, it's a bit blurry as excited five year olds have a heck of a time keeping still for photos!  Her mom came up with the great idea to load the flowers into a basket with a bit of florist foam.  Now they are completely portable and ready for the party on Thursday. I hope her classmates enjoy them as much as we did!

Stamp Camp Hello There

This card from Stamp Camp West uses a new stamp set and a new set of framelets from the Spring Catalog.  I completely dismissed this set until I used it for this card.  Simply lovely.  I think it would make an excellent sympathy card although it's also cheery enough to work for almost any occasion.  My favorite part about making this card was the inside.  It's typical for me to stamp an image on the liner of a card, but rare for me to do anything else.  Adding the satin ribbon (a real winner from Sale-a-bration) and punching the bottom edge of the liner makes for a much more complete finished product.  It's inspiring me to take more time with the insides of my cards from here on out.  There is plenty of room for both creativity and a message to the recipient.  I would do well not to forget that.

Stamp Camp Feel Goods Vase

There are extra points for creativity for this card.  Isn't it just the cutest?  And where, you may ask, did they find the stamp & framelet for that little vase?  Well, that's simple.  It's actually the top of a Christmas ornament from the Holiday Ornaments collection.  Isn't that clever?  All the credit goes to Rochelle Heart from Stamp Camp West.  ;)

And check out the creativity involved in transforming the simple flower from Nature Walk into quite the colorful bouquet.  I was excited to pick out my own bits and pieces to create the flowers.  I'm sure each person at Stamp Camp created something different.  That's one of my favorite parts of stamping!
 
As promised yesterday, this card also features the International Bazaar designer paper.  It has quite the different feel though, don't you think?  It's one of the things I love the most about Stampin' Up designer paper packs--- you can make so many very different projects all from the same pack.

Stamp Camp World Treasures

Here's another Stamp Camp creation to share with you!  This time it features the International Bazaar product suite.  Tomorrow I'll show you another card that uses the same designer series paper to a very different effect.  Doesn't this one just shout "spring" to you?  Perhaps I'm rushing things a bit, but I'm longing for the cheerfulness of spring cards.

Along with the cheerfulness, I also love the simplicity of this card. It was quick and easy to make (thanks to new oval framelets and the ever essential punches) but still really pops.  Of course, any sentiment from the Fabulous Phrases set would work.  That truly makes this an "all occasions" card. ;)

I don't order the full World Treasures stamp set because I ordered the peacock stamp while it was available as a single stamp.  Now, I'm starting to rethink that decision.  Those flowers are pretty keen.  Now there is a whole new bunch of single stamps available   Interested in checking them out?  Reply to this post & I'll send you a flyer.

FTL 226/ Bloomin' Sketch

Today, I decided to try out a new sketch challenge.  I discovered the FTL sketches over on Clean &Simple Stamping yesterday and couldn't wait to try out this one.  So, I woke up early and got it mostly together before I left for work.  Sure haven't done that in a while!  Of course, I stamped the little flower about a dozen times with different color combos before I decided on this sort of batik look created with three different markers.  And, I'm still doing battle with my iphone to create super clear images...it looked great on the phone, but less so here. Bare with me while I figure out technology.  ;)

The set featured here is my very favorite from the Sale-a-bration offerings--- Bloomin' Marvelous.  Oh, and it's helped out a bit by the leaves from Very Vintage.   You'll forgive me for them being retired, right?  They are just such a perfect match!  I used some of my paper piercing mats (I now buy all that they put out) to add a little extra flare while keeping things simple.  I think the FTL sketches will be good for me.  They seem simple yet elegant.  It's good for me to remember that less really is more from time to time!

Stamp Camp Chalk Board

Okay, first things first with this one.  I need your help.  This card is another of the creations I made at Stamp Camp West.  The only really weird thing for me about SCW is that I'm often in such a hurry that I don't actually find out what set I'm stamping with.  I just grab the assigned stamp and go!  So, please enlighten me.  Which stamp set did I use here?  Extra credit to who ever can straighten me out.  I've searched the catalogs and come up blank.  Thanks in advance for your help!  Clearly it's one of the few sets I don't own. ;)

Even if I don't know which set I used, I know I had a great time creating this chalk board effect.  It's a little different than the one from yesterday.  For this card, we put Craft White ink on large acrylic block & spritzed it with a bit of water.  Then, we sponged some  Basic Black cardstock to create the chalk board.  The stamped images are done with full strength Craft White and not embossed.  There are so many uses for chalk board cards.  You can already see the contrast with the card from yesterday.   It would also make a great technique for a kid card, or a teacher card, or perhaps a coach.  Lots of options!

Stamp Camp Carry On

This was such a fun card to create!  I owe another huge thanks to the ladies over at Stamp Camp West.  There were a couple of cards that featured a chalk board technique (stay tuned for another one tomorrow) and I got a kick out of them.  It's amazing what you can do with a little White Craft ink & Basic Black cardstock.  This one features one of the hostess sets that I actually don't have--- Carry On.  Of course, now that I've made this lovely little card with it, I'm going to have to remedy this situation.  ;)

The rest of the images come from the Language of Friendship set.  It's an automatic favorite because its images are designed to fit punches.  We all know I really DO have to have all the punches, so it's an automatic winner in my book.  Just think...if you order the punches & the stamp set you're all set to get something free from Sale-a-Bration.  Or, if your wish list is a bit longer, you could spend $150 get the hostess set, more free hostess goodies, THREE Sale-a-bration items, and a pack of Silver Glimmer Paper.  Oooooh, you've just got to love that much free stuff!

It's a Napkin/ Color Throwdown #227

     Ok, this was the most fun I've had crafting in ages.  It's always great to stretch by trying a new technique and I've been itching to try this one since Stampin' Up Regionals this fall.  While there, I watched Connie Ingram demonstrate this sparkle extravaganza.  It's hard to capture just how glittery the main image really becomes using Connie's stampin' magic.  When I saw the color pallet over at the Color Throwdown, I knew this was the perfect match!
   
     You start with a pretty, but ordinary paper napkin.  Cut it to about the size you want & then use adhesive sheets to adhere it to a piece of cardstock.  Now it's like uber designer paper.  Then comes the fun part--- use heat and stick powder to coat the whole thing in Dazzling Diamonds glitter!!    The result is more sparkle than you can shake a stick at!

      The Perfectly Penned sentiment set adds words with just the right level of elegance for this creation.  Who knew how much fun you could have with napkins!

Stamp Camp Bloomin' Marvelous

See, I told you that you would see more of the Honeycomb Folder! This time, we sponged just the embossed bits with a little Crumb Cake ink to give the whole piece a bit of a distressed look.  Fun, huh? Granted the main background texture is "contraband" but this is such a lovely little card that I wanted to share it with you anyway.  It's another excellent creation from the ladies over at Stamp Camp West.  It features my favorite of the Sale-a-bration sets for this year--- Bloomin' Marvelous.  I just love the little butterflies!  Some folks insist that since the tiny tag on this card says "love" it must be a Valentine, but I disagree.  I think it's so important for us to send one another love all through the year, not just on the designated day.  Goodness knows we need it!