Stocking Punch Baby Bootie

I know, I know... it's just days before Christmas and this is so bot a Christmas card. I do have a good reason to insert a baby card in the midst of my Christmas projects though. Yesterday Stampin' Up told us that the wonderful Stocking Punch from the Holiday Mini Catalog will not be in the new catalog some summer. It's gone for good after Jan 3rd. Well, one of the things I love about this little punch is that it can be used for more than just Christmas cards. I've used it for gift tags and the like, but I hadn't had the chance to make anything totally non-Christmas with it yet. I had to make the card while I still could! So, out came my Stocking Punch to make this super cute little baby bootie. Wouldn't it make a great congrats card or a super fun baby announcement? I even made my own little pom-pom out of bakers twine. Aren't you proud? If you've been thinking about how much you like the punch, but were going to wait to get one to use for next Christmas, please don't wait! It will be gone after the Holiday Mini Catalog sales period ends & I know I'm still holding on to mine even though it will be retired!

Not Just for Xmas/ Mojo Monday #215

I find myself feeling a bit frustrated when I look at the number of holiday stamp sets & toys I have. They're all wonderful, but I hate that I can only use them for a few months out of the year. To make it all better, I like to find different ways of using them in non-holiday projects. There are TONS of ways to use our Ornament Punch for example. Well, this card uses two typically holiday products in a very non holiday way. First off is the Holly Berry Bouquet designer paper. One of the reasons I was attracted to it in the Holiday Mini Catalog was because several of the "B Sides" of the paper are floral--- a far cry from most Christmas paper. I don't know about you, but I often don't use up all my Holiday Mini paper before Christmas is over. Then, I'm sort of stuck with it. Sometimes I can add a little red & white to my Valentines projects, bit it's often a stretch. Not so with Holly Berry Bouquet! The second product featured in this card is actually the Northern Flurries Embossing Folder. Can you see where I used it? Look closely. The wonderful little flowers near the sentiment were a happy accident I discovered when trying to make small snowflakes for my last card. If you punch out the center of the small snowflakes on Northern Flurries using the Scallop Circle Punch Pack punch, you get these charming little guys. Whew, now my snowflake folder isn't just for the winter months! Maybe we can make this card next month as a sort of New Year's card. The sentiment works & it's great to be reminded of how versatile our holiday toys really are!

New Stamps + New Ribbon + New Folder + New Color = Fun!

I got to use all sorts of new toys on this creation. :) Yesterday I showed off one of my convention make & takes using the new Raining Flowers set. Today's card was my first attempt at using it here at home. At convention, I learned a fun new technique for making Stamp-a-ma-jig use even easier. Look for it in the bin for this card at class! In addition to using my new stamps, I got to use some of the super fun polka dot scallop ribbon. Isn't it just stinking cute? At first, I stamped the sentiment directly on the card front, but that just didn't feel quite right. So, out came one more new toy--- the Designer Frames Oval Folder. Add in a little Calypso Coral to make the flower pop & you have a card with a whole bunch of something new!