Feb 6, 2012 | Cookie Stamps, Demonstrator, Occasions Mini 2012, Stampin' Up! Events |
Hi Stamper’s! Well it’s cookie time – at least around here I have been making cookie dough and cookies using the Stampin’ Up! Sweet Pressed Cookie Stamps. The Occasions mini added 3 new designs – a flower, clover, and a bunny – ready for the spring. I made cookie dough last weekend and everyone at my PAWS downline meeting got to stamp a cookie and make a little cookie pouch to put it in –
This idea was shared at the Leadership conference. One problem with packaging cookies is that they have they leave a greasy spot on paper because of the butter in them so I thought this idea was really great. This was from Donna Griffith’s on stage presentation – she lined the Designer Series paper with wax paper – how do you do it – well it is easy – you use the multi-purpose adhesive sheets that we sell.
I cut the piece of Designer Paper to fit inside the 4×6 cello bag. Then cut a piece of the multi-purpose adhesive sheet to the same size. Peel one side off the adhesive sheet and adhere to the top of the Designer Paper (the side that you want to see). Now cut a piece of wax paper (I cut mine bigger this time). Peel off the other side of the adhesive sheet and add the wax paper on top of the designer paper. Use a bone folder or decor elements applicator to smooth out the wrinkles and then trim off the extra edges. Now you have wax paper covered Designer Paper and you can put your cookie on top without it staining the paper.
For this pouch – insert the wax covered paper into the bag, insert the baked cookie, punch two holes with the crop-a-dile, add ribbon, then add a tag.
I made cookies again this weekend to take to an open house on Sunday. While making them I took some pictures and here are some tips on what I did. First I used the Shortbread cookie recipe that comes with the Sweet Pressed Cookie stamps. I did have to add more flour to my recipe – I think I added 1/4 cup more. I live where it is humid and I think that is probably why I need more flour – that just my logical guess since Stampin’ Up! is in Utah and they said the recipe is perfect for them but their climate is much dryer than mine.
There is my cookie dough. Then what I do is put the extra sugar on a plate and I use a cookie scoop to make balls of dough – roll them in my hand, roll them in sugar and then put them on a tray. I roll all the balls and then stick the tray in the fridge to cool.
Last weekend I made them a couple of hours ahead and this weekend I made them the night before. I had to let them sit out a little longer this weekend so they would be soft enough to press. I use the cookie press to press each ball of dough – then I use a biscuit cutter to cut them into a nice circle. You don’t want to press them too thin though. And if you get one that doesn’t turn out – just roll it back into a ball, roll it in some more sugar and then do it again. If dough gets stuck in the cookie press use a tooth pick to get it out before doing the next cookie. I hand washed the silicone pieces but it says they are dishwasher safer. And then just wipe the wooden handle clean.
The cookies were really good. Have a sweet day!
Oh one more thing – when I came home last night – Ryan had been working on a school project – he has out card stock, snail, dimensionals, cutting mat and craft knife, paper trimmer, Stampin’ Write Markers, the gel pen, and lots of tools from Greg’s workshop. He is suppose to be finishing it today to take to school tomorrow – I’ll have to take a picture once the creation is complete – and I better check my supply of card stock and dimensionals to see how much he used.
Feb 2, 2012 | Cards, Occasions Mini 2012, Sale-A-Bration 2012, Stampin' Up! Events |
Thursday at Leadership was a busy day – the opening general session was full of information. Our afternoon was full of breakout classes and a Share Fair – this was something new and part of the My Way theme. We had lots of breakout classes to choose from and the first one that I went to was Why Women Buy and presented by Carrie Cudney. Women notice the details more than men and we examine all the available options before making a decision. Women are more people oriented than men and are more verbal – women talk about people, about the people in their lives and they are what is most important in any situation.
Next we headed to the Share Fair – there were 8 or 9 different areas set up with various speakers touching on different topics. Every 30 minutes we moved to a new area and listened to a new speaker. We all chose different things to listen too based on our interests and what we needed for our own businesses. I listened to Effective Business Tips – which had lots of good information that I shared at my downline meeting on Saturday. My second session was on Online Business – some of this I am already doing and I learned a few things to add – so on my list is to try my hand at videos – I’m not sure when but at some point I hope add videos to my blog. Another session was PR & Marketing and also Vendor Events. I am participating in one of those this Sunday before the Super Bowl – I just sent the information out in my newsletter and it is also on my events schedule on my website. I listened in on a few other sessions and then headed out to browse the Demonstrator Resource Center – Stampin’ Up! had lots of samples on display and then we had all of the demonstrator entries into the Stamping Contest. Here are a few pictures –
My Digital Studio Display
My friend Cindy Schuster was selected to create projects for the MDS display - one of her projects was a family cookbook.
Bakers Twine - how cute are these?
Valentine projects using the Heart Framelits
Sale-A-Bration - Fresh Vintage and Everyday Enchantment
After are day of classes was done we regrouped and then headed out on the Riverwalk for dinner. Except we got side tracked by a taping of Extreme Makeover Home Edition. We had heard earlier in the week that one night we might see the Christmas lights turned back on for a special taping. Well it turned out to be Thursday night and we decided to stay in the amphitheater as part of the taping. Its a special episode that will not air until December. At the end Lee Greenwood sang God Bless the USA. The show was about wounded warriors and building them new homes.
they gave everyone flags to wave - Becky, Monika, Michele, Linda
Extreme Makeover Home Edition Designers
Ty Pennington
Lee Greenwood preparing to sing
It ended up being a long night and a really late dinner – we ended up at the open 24 hours Mexican restaurant – I don’t remember the name.
A long fun day.
Feb 1, 2012 | Cards, Occasions Mini 2012, Stampin' Up! Events |
My third day in San Antonio and the official start of the Stampin’ Up! Leadership Conference. It was Thursday and we started with everyone in the Theater for the opening general session. Our theme this year is MY WAY.
Stampin’ Up! CEO and cofounder, Shelli Gardner, welcomed everyone. One of the first announcements was about a re-design of the Stampin’ Success Magazine – an exclusive magazine just for demonstrators. All of the changes that I saw look really exciting and the March issue will be the first one. There was a leadership march on stage for anyone that had a promotion during the last year. So I got to walk for my Manager promotion.
Donna Griffith made an announcement of a brand new product that will be available in March – a Diagonal Score Plate accessory for the Simply Scored Tool. It will be easy to create your own envelopes and here is a cute little card idea that she showed us –
Something everyone looks forward to at Stampin’ Up! Events is the Prize Patrol and my friend Michele was one of the lucky winners of a Diagonal Score Plate –
Michele Diagonal Score Plate Prize Patrol
This years Leadership had a large number of All-attendee prize patrol give-a ways – that meant we all got a prize – one included a brand new stamp set from the next catalog – along with a package of the large pearls from the Occasions Mini Catalog.
Monika & Linda - prize patrol
The morning was full of more announcements including changes to our Catalog program. Our current Idea Book & Catalog will be ending May 31st with a brand new annual catalog starting on June 1, 2012. That is one month early than past years. We will also be switching to two seasonal catalogs instead of the 3 mini catalogs. Each seasonal catalog will run for 5 months with the Holiday catalog starting in August. There won’t be a summer mini this year. And the seasonal catalogs will be bigger too.
Lunch at leadership is always a nice affair with service by waiters, nice linen table cloths and napkins and a fancy dessert – yummy cheese cake today.
There was so much going on that I’ll have to finish the day in another post! I’ll be back tomorrow with more.
Jan 31, 2012 | Big Shot, family, Occasions Mini 2012, Thank You |
Today is the last one. The last radiation treatment for Greg’s Mom. I’ll be going with her in just a few minutes.
We are so very grateful that the doctors caught this so early, that her surgery went so well, her recovery was quick and her radiation treatments have been quick. And now it is the last one and we can celebrate with her that all is well and she will live a long and healthy life.
Greg’s mom asked me to make some chocolate covered strawberries to take to the treatment center today. So I made them last night –
But being that I am a Stampin’ Up! Demonstrator I needed to create something pretty for the packaging. I placed them in a white bakery box and then added some ribbon and a pretty label to the top.
I used my new Framelits Labels collection and the Apothecary Art stamp set both in the Stampin’ Up! Occasions Mini Catalog. The label image is stamped on Very Vanilla card stock with Soft Suede ink. The flowers were colored with Pink Pirouette Stampin’ Write marker. Then I have a Pink Pirouette layer and finally Soft Suede – all the layers were sponged with Soft Suede ink.
I added the vintage button brads to hold the label onto the ribbon. And finished with pearls in the flower centers and some butterflies.
I hope everyone at the radiation center enjoys this little thank you treat. They were all so very nice and took such good care of Greg’s mom.
Jan 30, 2012 | Cards, Occasions Mini 2012, Sale-A-Bration 2012, Thank You |
One of the stamp sets that all the Leadership Attendees received was called Mixed Bunch. I used it to create this card.
I wanted to use the little butterfly brads that are in the Brad Pack that you can get free during Sale-A-Bration. There are five different brad designs in the pack and my favorite are the little Soft Suede butterflies. This card has a Soft Suede card base and then a Crumb Cake layer. On this layer I stamped the flower images from the Mixed Bunch stamp set and the small medallion. I also used the splatter from the French Foliage stamp set. everything was stamped in Soft Suede ink. The flowers were colored in with a Crumb Cake Stampin’ Write Marker. I added the butterfly brads to the center of each flower. On one flower I added a Jewelry Tag with the “thanks so much” from Tiny Tags stamp set. And finished the front panel with a piece of Very Vanilla Seam Binding that I tied in a bow.
I’ll be back tomorrow.
Jan 26, 2012 | Big Shot, Cards, My Digital Studio, Occasions Mini 2012, Scrapbook Pages, Stampin' Up! Events |
here are the pictures from the rest of the Make&Takes –
Dreams to Plans Decor
This one is a printed page that was created in My Digital Studio and then we embellished with card stock, ribbon and flowers and some distressing ink. It belongs in an 8×10 frame so that you can hang it on your wall. I don’t have a frame for it yet.
Jar o Cards
This is the Jar o Cards – we did not get jars at the leadership conference but I happened to have a wide mouth mason jar at home. The jar is supposed to have cards inside – here is the card –
Stick the cards and envelopes inside the jar and give as a gift to a hostess. Pretty cute idea don’t you think?
Thanks box
This one was a fun idea – it is the Fancy Favor box on it’s side and then you make a slightly smaller box to slide inside of it. Then a belly band to wrap around it. Tuck a little treat inside and this could also be a hostess gift.
Wonderful You Scrapbook
This one is and 8×8 scrapbook page. So imagine a picture in the middle of it. I thought I would print a picture of myself – maybe one from Leadership if I can find a good one and put it on there. The little tag on the right side is a place to write the date and/or place. We had several projects that used skewers this time for little pennant flags.
I think that was it for the Leadership Make&Takes – as you can see there were a lot and it wasn’t meant for you to finish them all there. Since I was a helper I had to make mine ahead and that means they are all finished – yeah!
Have a nice day – it is rainy here – a pretty yucky kind of day. I’m finishing up scrapbook layouts for my class on Friday, then my downline meeting on Saturday night and I have workshops on Sunday night and Tuesday night. Lots going on! So if I don’t post don’t worry – I just ran out of time. But I will try to get something up every day. And if I don’t these last two posts had lots to look at and provide inspiration for you. Bye for now.
This idea was shared at the Leadership conference. One problem with packaging cookies is that they have they leave a greasy spot on paper because of the butter in them so I thought this idea was really great. This was from Donna Griffith’s on stage presentation – she lined the Designer Series paper with wax paper – how do you do it – well it is easy – you use the multi-purpose adhesive sheets that we sell.
There is my cookie dough. Then what I do is put the extra sugar on a plate and I use a cookie scoop to make balls of dough – roll them in my hand, roll them in sugar and then put them on a tray. I roll all the balls and then stick the tray in the fridge to cool.
Last weekend I made them a couple of hours ahead and this weekend I made them the night before. I had to let them sit out a little longer this weekend so they would be soft enough to press. I use the cookie press to press each ball of dough – then I use a biscuit cutter to cut them into a nice circle. You don’t want to press them too thin though. And if you get one that doesn’t turn out – just roll it back into a ball, roll it in some more sugar and then do it again. If dough gets stuck in the cookie press use a tooth pick to get it out before doing the next cookie. I hand washed the silicone pieces but it says they are dishwasher safer. And then just wipe the wooden handle clean.
