How did it get to be July?!

Wow! I can't believe it is July already! What happened to June? I am really sorry that I didn't post much last month. I do have a few exciting announcements and a (hopefully) fun new tutorial for you. Maybe this will make up for last month being so slack!

So let's get right to it! First, some announcements...

The new 2009-2010 Stampin' Up! Idea Book and Catalog is here! Woot! It is oh so dreamy! You can order from it now! Like NOW! You can go to my website and click on the shop now button at the top. I really think this year's catalog is one of my favorites! After you go take a look-see, be sure to come back and check out my tutorial below.

Also while you are over on my SU website, be sure to check out the awesome new promotion called Summer Fun. The first thing you will want to check out is the Special of the Week! This week's special is the scallop edge punch. A must have tool! And it is on sale this week only for $10.99. Be sure to check back each week of July for a new special.

Ok, now for the tutorial. On page 14 of the new catalog there is a Hostess Stamp Set called Christmas Punch. It is a set of 7 stamps that are for making gift tags. They coordinate with several of our punches, including the scallop oval, wide oval, and tag punches plus others. The sample for the set is a little divided box that holds 4 sets of tags. I have seen some other examples of the box on sites like SCS. However, they all have only the 4 sections. I wanted to have a box that I could put 6 tags in, because there are 6 stamps that make tags in the set. (The 7th stamp is a to/from stamp.) So I set about creating a box with 6 compartments. I hope you like it! Now, let's get started.

You will start with an 8 1/2 x 11 inch piece of cardstock. From this you will cut the following pieces: 6 x 6 1/2, 5 x 1 7/16, and 2 pieces at 7 15/16 x 2 3/16. This first picture shows you how I fit all the pieces onto the 8 1/2 x 11 cardstock. I slid them apart a bit so you could see the edges. Please excuse the puzzle - I ran out of space to take pictures. sorry! Maybe one day I'll be all rich and famous and will have a room, a big room, all to myself. And I will spend all my time in there crafting and taking amazing pictures and listening to music that is not by Miley Cyrus or the Jonas Brothers.... well, maybe the Jo Bros can stay, I do like that Love Bug song ... but I digress.
Now for the scoring. Score the 6 x 6 1/2 piece at 3/4 inch on all 4 sides. Score the 5 x 1 7/16 inch piece in half (it's right around 3/4 of an inch). Score each of the other two pieces at 1 1/2, 2 1/4, 3, 4 5/8, 5 3/8, 6 1/8. (That is 6 score lines on each of those 2 pieces.) They will look like this:

Next, we will fold and assemble. Fold the 5 x 1 7/16 piece in half. (Later I added some adhesive on the inside to make it sturdier.)

Fold the 2 rectangular pieces into mountain folds. Like so:

You will need to cut 4 slits in the 6 x 6 1/2 piece at the edges to make the corners. Then you will fold up the flaps and use a strong adhesive (like SU's sticky tape) to make the box.

And now for the inserts. I ran a bit of snail (double sided adhesive) along the bottom of the inserts. I flipped each piece over and put the snail on the 3 flat spaces. This will help make the box stronger. Put in one insert, being sure to get it lined up in the corners, and smooth over where the adhesive is. Add the long middle piece next. (the 5 x 1 7/16 piece) No need for adhesive here. Then add the second folded insert, smoothing over where the adhesive is again. This should all make a nice snug fit. And look like this:

I put some tags in there just for the picture. These tags weren't finished or anything.
Now to make the cover. I used a window sheet (or transparency) that I cut to 5 1/8 x 11. Score along the 11 inch side at 2 7/8, 3 5/8, 8 1/4, and 9 inches. Fold on all of the score lines using a bone folder to be sure to get very crisp folds. You will have about a 1/4 inch overlap left to add the adhesive. This will make a sleeve to slide over the box. It's a bit hard to see here, but you know, maybe one day I will be rich and famous and have a room.... oh, you know....

And there you have it. Now all you have to do is fill it with tags and finish it off with some ribbon or what have you. Here is my finished project:


Now, go forth and make one of your own. And if you have an 8 year old, be prepared to answer the "Why are you working on Christmas stuff in July??" question. Because I can. Because I am dreaming of cooler weather. Because I can't wait for Daddy to buy everything on my Stampin' Up! wish list! I'm sure you'll think of something.

All right. I am done for today. I really hope you enjoy this tutorial and that you find it useful. I would love to hear your comments! And as always, I hope y'all have a Stamptacular Day!

Just checking in!

I am sorry that I haven't posted in so long! I am still on vacation and having a great time. I promise I'll be back in the routine soon!

In Stampin' Up! News... I can't wait for the new catalog that will go live July 1! There are way too many new and exciting things. Stamp sets, accessories, kits... it is one of the best idea books yet! Plus, I now have my copy of the new Definitely Decorative catalog and let me tell you... I want 95% of it! I can't wait to try some new vinyl projects. There are some super cute Halloween and Christmas images in this issue.

I hope to be back in the swing of things next week. I have missed my stamps! All those fun new goodies... just sitting there... calling to me! I am having withdrawals! So I hope that I will have some time to create and share soon. And I want to thank those of you have stuck with me these last several days!

I hope y'all have a Stamptacular Day!!

It has been a Monday all day today.

That's something my Dad says... or some variation of it anyway. Me: Hey Dad! How are you? Dad: Fair to Partly Cloudy. Me: Well, it *is* a Monday. Dad: Yep, aaaaall day today. He's got this great dry sense of humor, he's quite witty. There are a lot of other little saying he has and when I was a teenager I was sooooo embarrassed when we would go to a restaurant and the waiter would say "Hi, I'm Susie Q, I'll be your server tonight." and my Dad would say "Hi, I'm Bill, I'll be your customer tonight." Most waiters laughed (or at least chuckled a bit, thinking of the tip I'm sure), but I hated it when he did that. Now that I have kids, I find myself saying some of the things he used to say. (But I *don't* do the waiter thing!) I'm sure I embarrass my kids, too, but, hey, they'll get their turn one day. I have been thinking about the Monday phrase a lot today, because a lot has happened. We have been with out internet for most of the day. I thought my DS, the 10 year old IT guy, was going to have a breakdown! He couldn't get it fixed before he had to go to camp for the day, but he did finally get it fixed for me late this afternoon. I think it's a bit pitiful that I was somewhat lost with out my internet today! I don't do technology very well. I like to be able to sit down and check my email and a few websites, blogs, etc. And if it doesn't work exactly as it did the days before, I am lost! Sad. I know. I am trying to learn though. I even unplugged and replugged some wire thingies and flipped some switches and even rebooted the computer. (All of which got me nowhere, but at least I tried right?!) Also, my son locked my keys in the car today and I didn't have an extra set. I had to call the DH to come home and take the blank key (it's a long story!) to a dealer here in town so they could cut me a new key. Thankfully I had the title to the car (because they won't cut a key with out proof of ownership) and the extra blank key so I didn't have to call a locksmith. That would have cut into the stamp budget! We had some other minor things happen today, but this post is already too long and quite possibly boring! :) But hopefully you stayed with me, because.....

Since I didn't have internet, I actually stamped! I only got a couple of cards made, but I am super excited about them. These are more sneak peak samples because I used my new SU goodies!

The first one uses a stamp set from the mini occasions catalog. You can shop from that catty now over on my SU website. Most everything else is Sneak Peak stuff!
Isn't it just too cute?? I love that little deer! The cardstock is Soft Suede, Crushed Curry, and Whisper White. The DSP is from the new Razzleberry Lemonade set. The ribbon is the new soooo yummy polka dotted grosgrain. It will be available in all 6 of the new In Colors starting July 1st when the new Idea Book and Catalog is released, as will all of the other Sneak Peek items. I used the new Modern Label punch too! I used the window word punch for the sentiment and then mounted that onto Soft Suede (used the new punch). I am loving it! It's hard to tell here, but the main image and the sentiment are both raised. This was a simple and quick card to make and I think it turned out great.

For this next one, I was inspired by a new purse I recently purchased. It has all these great bold colors and I was looking at it the other day and realized that the colors are all SU colors! How exciting! So I went to work using the colors of the purse as my inspiration. And this is what I came up with:
Don't 'cha just lurve it?? Don't 'cha?? Ok, so maybe I'm a little biased, but I Lurve Lurve this one. This is a 5 1/2 Square card. I used Dusty Durango, Tempting Turquoise, Green Galore, Chocolate Chip, and Night of Navy inks, Dusty Durango, Temping Turquoise, Chocolate Chip and Whisper White cardstock, Dusty Durango ribbon and several punches (Scallop circle, 1 ", 3/4 ", and 1/2 "). I used the new Circle Circus stamp set and the Thank You Kindly set.

I actually made one more card today, but it is headed out in the mail tomorrow for my secret sister. I don't want to upload it until after the secret sisters have been revealed at the end of next month. :) So you'll have to wait on that one a while longer.

OK - so now I have to head off to bed. This week is another crazy busy one. I think the whole summer might be that way. But that's OK by me. I like a certain level of busy~

So, as always, I would love to hear your comments and I hope y'all have a Stamptacular day!! Thanks for dropping by!

It's a rainy Thursday here....

...which is really ok with me for today. Why? Because I got my new 2009-2010 Stampin' Up! Idea Book and Catalog in yesterday!!!! WOOT!! I am sooo excited!
and this is how I feel when I look at it! It is so beautiful! I just know you are going to love it too. So it can rain all day for all I care, because I've got my nose buried in the catalog. Taking it all in... *happy sigh*.

Now, I also got in an order of sneak peek items from this new catalog. As demonstrators, we are given the opportunity to order a few items early. That way we can get them home and play with them and get things ready to share with you! There were a few stamp sets and some accessories, as well as all of the new In Color Line available for us to purchase. Unfortunately, I haven't had much time to play with my new items. In fact, I only had time to make one card. Wanna see it?

Isn't it the cutest? This is the new Lots of Bots stamp set. I think it is great for boy cards or masculine cards in general. And we know how hard those can be. I embossed the robot and the sentiment in silver and then watercolored the little guy in. I used some of the new DSP also. This one is called Razzleberry Lemonade. Doesn't that sound fun? The cardstocks are two of the new In Colors... Rich Razzleberry and Bermuda Bay(these are also the colors I used for the watercoloring.) I used some of another new color, called Dusty Durango, to sponge on the edges of the white cardstock.

I can't wait for some more time to play with the new goodies and to share them with you. But I have company arriving today, so I'll have to wait a couple of days.

Don't forget to check out the Last Chance List and scoot on over to my website to shop for these stamp sets before they are gone for good! And while you are there, don't forget to check out the Occasions Mini Catalog items as well. Many of those are not in the new catalog. One of my favorites, Soft Summer, is going to be retired. Here's a card I made using the set. I was very pleased with the way this one turned out. I hope you like it too.



Ok, I better go finish cleaning the house before my company arrives! I had to put down my new catalog for a while. That was hard! I am already making my wish list!

And as always, I'd love to hear your comments and Have a Stamptacular Day!

Last Chance!!

First, I can't believe that it is already June!!! How did that happen?? Crazy!

Second, it is already time for the Last Chance List! The brand spankin' new Stampin' Up! catalog will be released July 1. That's only one month away. Just a measly 30 days! But before the new catalog is released you still have a chance to get some stamps and accessories from the fabulous current catalog!! Stampin' Up! released the last chance lists last night at 2 AM EST. And I got up to be there for the release! (Crazy? maybe. Exciting? YES!) I have added a button to the stamp set list in my side bar. The stamp sets will be available for order until June 30. HOWEVER - don't miss this part - the accessories will only be available as supplies last and a lot of them will sell out FAST! So you will want to get right over to my website and get to shopping for those now!

More exciting news!!! There is also a great promotion for June Hostesses. You can find more info about that on my website also. While you are there, be sure to contact me to get your workshop booked right away!

I plan on uploading a few projects that I have made with the sets that I own that are retiring. But there is a lot going on, so please be patient with me and look for those a little later this week.

Thanks!! I hope y'all have a stamptacular day!!

I'm finally back!!

Wow, it has been a whirl wind couple of weeks around here. But now the kids are out of school for the summer and they are so excited! Me, on the other hand... well, I wouldn't say that I am as excited as they are. I do enjoy the summer, but the older they get, the more the kids bicker. And I hate listening to that! Maybe I should find another summer camp or two to send them to. No, I really do want to spend time with them. They just grow up too fast! We did enjoy our time at the beach. The weather was great after about noon on the second day. So they played in the ocean and the pool, and we ate lots of yummy food, did a little shopping, a lot of relaxing, and even took in a movie. We took them to see Night at the Museum 2. I went in with low expectations, but I ended up really liking it. It was pretty funny. The 3 year old even seemed to find a lot of it funny. After it was over he looked at me and said, "dat big guy keeped telling de udder man hey dum-dum, you bring me gum-gum." and then he just cracked up! It was so precious. I really enjoyed our time away, but sure hated to come back and start all that laundry!! How is that that we came home with more (dirty) clothes than we took?? At least it seems that way. lol Anyway, I'm glad to be back and I have lots and lots of fun stuff to share, so I'll get to that now. Happy??

I'll start with the gifts I made for the teachers. Remember the notepad covers I talked about a few posts ago HERE? Well, I made one for each of my DD's 2nd grade teachers. Here is the first one.



Here is the second one:



and after I thought I was finished, I decided it needed a lady bug. So I made one with a few punches and added it to the cover. then I drew on the antennae with a black marker. sorry the picture is blurry.


For my DS's 6th grade teachers, I made little gift bags. I based them on the Easter gift bags I made earlier. You can see that post HERE. I had purchased gift cards to Sonic for each of them and then added that to the back using the slit punch. I filled the bags with M&Ms because 1) Who doesn't love chocolate? and 2) I though the colors went very well with the papers I was using. So here they are.

Here you can see the candies on the inside and the gift card on the back.




They were a lot of fun to make and everyone seemed to really appreciate their gifts.

Speaking of gifts... a friend had a little baby shower recently. I wasn't sure what I wanted to get her, so I went off to the store to see what caught my eye. I saw this super cute Lion onesie and decided that was what I would get. I also bought a little rattle to go with it. When I got home, I set out to make a matching card and a gift box to hold it all. Here's what I came up with:
This is the onesie and the matching card. I made the lion with several punches. The card template I found HERE at Lauren Meader's blog. She has some really cute onesie cards. I've seen them made before, but I really liked her basic tutorial. Then I just matched the colors, etc with the onesie I had purchased.

Here's just the card

and here's the box. I put a tiny bit of adhesive on the back of the card and just attached it to the top of the box. Cute Huh??

So there you have it. Hahaha. I hope all of these pictures help make up for not having posted in so long! And ... as always, I would love to hear what you think!! I hope y'all have a Stamptacular Day!!

Happy Memorial Day!

Hey Y'all! My family and I are still enjoying our time at the beach. The weather improved and we have had two days of sun!! We are headed home tomorrow, so I'll be back to post later in the week. Hope all of you are having a wonderful Memorial Day!! Don't forget to remember and honor those who have served or are serving our country so that we may continue to enjoy our freedom!

Have a Stamptacular Day!