Aug 11, 2011 | Cards, Inspired by Nature, Stampin' Up! Convention, Tutorial, uStamp |
Sorry about that – I created the tutorial and then sent it to be converted and it took so long! Not sure why, maybe because I have a lot of pictures. Anyway I have the tutorial for making the Masked Frame card that I posted yesterday.
This idea was something that I saw on a crafting blog while searching the internet earlier this summer. I wanted a unique and different idea for my card that I was creating for the UStamp swap at Convention. This was something that I haven’t seen on any of the Stampin’ Up! blogs so I wanted to try my hand at it. I did have several attempts and trying different combinations of stamp sets and colors before I finally landed on this one. So here is the tutorial click here.
Have fun trying this out!

Jul 27, 2011 | Big Shot, Cards, Rock 'n Roll, Stampin' Up! Convention, Tutorial |
On our first night in Salt Lake City my roommates and I attended a Shoebox Swap – I already wrote one post about it – Click Here – and shared the card. But I wanted to give you the instructions on how I made this card. I call it a peek-a-boo card – because the inside of the card peeks through to the front. Here is the finished card again –

And now some instructions on how to actually make it –
1. Cut the base of the card which is So Saffron to 4-1/4″ by 10″ and score at 5-1/2″ so you have a card that opens on the right side with a short front.
2. Use the 2-1/2″ Circle Punch and push it all the way in from the end of the short card front to punch the circle. Here is a picture.
So you end of with this. Basically I cut down the front so that I could get the punched hole close to the center then I build the front of the card back up.
3. I stamped the front with the Creative Elements stamp set and spritzed the front of the card using a Color Spritzer and my Stampin’ Write Markers – So Saffron and Soft Suede.
4. To build up the front of the card I used a strip of Cherry Cobbler that was stamped with the border image, and a strip of Soft Suede that was punched with the Scallop Trim Border Punch. Glue the two strips together and then glue them to the front of the card lining up with the back to make the front of the card be even.
5. To finish the front I cut a Scallop Circle using the Big Shot Die Cut machine and the Scallop Circle #2 die – the larger circle is the one I used. This was cut from Soft Suede card stock. Then insert the scallop circle into the 2-1/2″ Circle punch – push it all the way in and then center it to punch the circle. I centered it by having about 3 scallops show out on either side of my punch.
6. Then glue the scallop circle to the front of the card matching it up with the circle that you punched out of the front. This creates the frame.
7. To create the flower I used the Rock ‘n Roll technique – ink the flower first in So Saffron ink and then roll the edges in Soft Suede ink. Stamp on Whisper White and cut out. 
8. To finish the inside of the card I cut a Whisper White circle using the Big Shot Die Cut machine and the 3″ Circle punch. Stamp this piece with the vine image in So Saffron, the create image in Soft Suede, add spritzing with the Stampin’ Write markers, and sponging around the edges. Glue the cut flower to the circle.

9. Finally cut some butterflies with the Big Shot Die Cut machine and the Beautiful Wings Embosslit – the tiny one is glued to the inside circle and the large one has Linen Thread wrapped around the center and then attached to the front of the card on the frame using a Stampin’ Dimensional.
Hopefully all that makes sense and the pictures help you understand.
And how about some pictures of us at the actual shoebox swap –

Tuesday night Shoebox Swap

Dawn and Cindy at the Shoebox Swap

Monika and Michele at the Shoebox Swap

Sherri the swap organizer at the end of the night resting her feet
We had a lot of fun! And got a lot of great cards in the process. The room is divided into two sections so we stamp all the cards on one half of the room and we get finished cards for the other half of the room. Sherri has snacks for us and gives away prizes! I won a package of the Big Top Designer Series paper.
Thanks for visiting!

Mar 24, 2011 | Big Shot, Bingo, Designer Series Paper, My Digital Studio, Occasions Mini 2011, Scrapbook Pages, Stampin' Up! Events, Tutorial |
Look at this cute mini scrapbook using the Sew Suite product line from the Stampin’ Up! Mini catalog. This was a project that the fabulous Bonnie Thurber showed on stage at the Leadership Conference. I sent Bonnie a message asking if she could give me the dimensions and she did! So I was able to recreate it and used it as a Make&Take project at my downline meeting this month. So here are the details for this little project. There are 4 pages that are glued to an accordion folded spine that creates the top where the chipboard letters are glued on to. The spine and all the pages are Early Espresso card stock. To create the spine you need a piece that is 8″ x 5-1/2″ then score it at every 1″ to create the accordion – so that is 1″, 2″, 3″, 4″, 5″, 6″, and 7″. Fold that into an accordion. I’ll come back to how to finish the spine at the end. Now I’ll show you each page from the bottom up –
So here is the back page – cut the Early Espresso to be 6″ tall by 5-1/2″ wide. Cut a piece of the Sew Suite Designer Series paper to be 5-3/4″ tall by 5-1/4″ wide and glue it to the back page. Take the back page and glue it to the back flap of the accordion fold. Here is the next page
For this page cut the Early Espresso to be 5″ tall and 3-3/4″ wide. Cut the Sew Suite Designer Series paper to be 4-3/4″ tall and 3-1/2″ wide. Attach this page to the next step on the accordion towards the left side. On this page there is a flower – it is the Flower Fusion Sizzlet cut from Tangerine Tango. The center is one of the buttons from the Button Embosslit cut from Daffodil Delight. I’ll tell you how I did the words in a minute. Ok next page –
This one cut the Early Espresso to be 4-1/4″ tall by 3-1/2″ wide. Cut the Sew Suite Designer Series Paper to be 4″ tall by 3-1/4″ wide. Attach this page on the next step of the accordion toward the right side. For this page wrap a piece of Linen Thread around it and tie on one of the Sew Suite Big Designer Buttons. Then add some of the buttons cut with the embosslit from Tangerine Tango card stock. And the next one –
This page cut the Early Espresso to 2-1/2″ tall by 4″ wide. Cut the Sew Suite Designer paper to 2-1/4″ tall by 3-3/4″ wide. Attach to the next step of the accordion centered over the other pages. Now to finish up the front of the accordion –
Cut a piece of Sew Suite Designer paper to be 5-1/2″ wide and 2-1/4″ tall – then score at 1″ from each side – leaving 1/4″ in between – this piece will wrap around the spine – glue it to the back of the spine and then to the front. Cut a 5-1/2″ piece of Tangerine Tango card stock and punch it with the border punch Dotted Scallop Ribbon. Glue this under the front flap of the scrap book. I used a piece of On Board Chipboard and cut the letters using the Big Shot and the Simple Letters die set. Cover the letters with Early Espresso Craft ink using a sponge dauber. Well I should have told you this part first – I would recommend cutting out the letters putting the ink on them and set them aside to dry while you do everything else. You can use the green bottle glue or crystal effects to glue those to the front flap.
Now the words – Bonnie used the stamp set Fabulous Phrases for her example (and she used precut chipboard letters from one of the packs in the catalog). I don’t have that stamp set so I thought – hey I can use it in My Digital Studio and print them out – well the stamp set isn’t yet available in MDS either – so instead I chose a font that I thought was similar and just add text boxes in MDS. To make sure I had the size close I added a Word Window punch in MDS to see that my words would fit. I printed out a sheet of words on Whisper White card stock. We punched them out with the Word Window punch and layered them on a Modern label punched out of Tempting Turquoise.
Now I just need to add pictures and it will be done. How cute is that?
Is today’s Bingo piece going to be the one that makes you the winner? Here it is……

images copyright Stampin' Up!
Have a great day today!

May 7, 2010 | Blog Tour, My Digital Studio, Occasion Mini 2010, Tutorial |
Royal Blog Tour Project 2 – Herb Seed Journal
My second project from the Royal Blog tour is an Herb Seed Journal. This is based on the design of a matchbook. I originally created a small version of this project (I’ll be sharing that in the future) for something else and decided to adapt the idea to this. I’ve already shared instructions for my other two projects – #1 Card set and #3 Flower Pot – so if you missed those they were posted earlier this week.
The base is a piece of Kraft card stock – it measures 12″ x 5″ and is scored at 5″, 5-1/2″, 11″, and 11-1/4″. The small flap becomes the bottom where the bags are attached. I stamped the images from the Herb Expressions set along this flap in Chocolate Chip ink and I sponged all the edges.
To decorate the front I used a piece of Certainly Celery (4-3/4″ x 4-1/2″) – sponge the edges with Certainly Celery, then a piece of Chocolate Chip (4-1/2″ x 4-1/4″) – emboss using the Big Shot and the Finial Press Embossing Folder and sponge the edges in Chocolate Chip.
Then I added a piece of the 1-1/4″ Striped Chocolate Chip Grosgrain Ribbon with a piece of Certainly Celery underneath that was scalloped on one edge. On top is a piece of Certainly Celery Satin Ribbon tied in a knot. The herb image was stamped on a piece of Very Vanilla and colored with Stampin’ Write Markers. Punch out with the wide oval and sponge the edges. Can you tell I like to sponge the edges? Attach this to two punch outs of the Designer Label punch from Kraft card stock (sponge edges). And then add another wide oval punched from Lavender Lace. Attach with Stampin’ Dimensionals next to the knot. I’ve actually decided this front would be a pretty card so I may go back and use this same design just as a card.
The inside consists of po
ckets made from the Glassine Bags in the Occasions Mini Catalog. These were each cut to be 5-3/8″ long. I used the 1-3/4″ circle punch to punch a half circle notch out of each opening. When you do this put a piece of scratch paper or card stock behind to help the punch cut through. Because of the texture of the bag sometimes it bends instead of cutting so you need something else under it. On the outside of each envelope I stamped the herb image and colored it in with Stampin’ Write Markers. For this project I used Certainly Celery and Lavender Lace. Stack the 4 bags together and attach to the bottom flap of the cover with two Chocolate Chip jumbo brads – I used the 5/16″ size.
Inside each pocket I have a card that includes places to keep track of your seeds and a packet of seeds. I created the journal card using My Digital Studio. I cut the Kraft card stock to 5-1/2″ x 4-1/4″ and printed them on my printer. Then I actually cut them again down to 4-3/4″ x 4-1/4″ to fit in the envelopes. I sponged the edges just a bit too.

CLICK HERE if you would like the pdf file of the seed journal card – you may have to play with your printer to get it to print the way you want it – I set my paper size to be 5-1/2″ x 4-1/4″ and test it on regular printer paper before printing on card stock.
You can keep the seed packet and the journal card in the pocket so that the following year you’ll know what you bought, what you did, what worked and what you need to change so you will have lots of herbs.
Well that is the last of my Royal Blog Tour projects. I hope that I gave you enough information and instructions that you can recreate them if you like. I enjoyed making them and being part of the tour.
Thanks for visiting!

I’m a Guest Designer at Create with Connie & Mary: Summer Edition – its not too late to join!
May 4, 2010 | Blog Candy, Blog Tour, Create with Connie & Mary, Embossing, Tutorial |
Royal Blog Tour Project 3 – Flower Pot
I hope you enjoyed the Royal Blog Tour – I know I did. Since I wasn’t able to give you all the details for my projects during the tour I’m glad you were able to return to see them now. Today I’m going to give you more information on my flower pot project. I haven’t done a tally yet but lots of people liked this one.
I went through several pots and several different ways to get the effect that I wanted. Stamping the image on the pot wasn’t too big an issue but getting the color on the flowers and the leaves was the trick for me. I tried a couple of things and then ran the pot under water to see what it would do – since you would have to water your plants I needed the pot to be able to get wet and stay the color I made. Finally I got the results that I wanted! And it turned out cute – don’t you think? And now you want to know what I did don’t you – so this was my final solution.
- Stamp the image in Chocolate Chip Craft ink – on this small pot I did have to roll the stamp carefully around the pot since it isn’t flat to get the full image. Just go slowly and make sure you are touching the stamp to the pot both at the top and the bottom. The Lavender image is narrower and probably wouldn’t have the same issue. Then cover in clear embossing powder and heat set.
- Use the Lovely Lilac Stampin’ Write Marker and color in the flowers – quickly cover with clear embossing powder and heat set. Now if you have craft ink in one of the purple shades then do what I did for the leaves (see the next step). I didn’t have any purple craft ink so I had to use the marker.
- Use a small paint brush and a drop of Old Olive Craft ink – and paint the leaves inside the outline. Let Dry.
Inside the pot is a bag of soil – first put in a ziploc bag and then inside one of our large cello bags tied with Old Olive Satin Ribbon and I added a tag with some Linen Thread. Then I stuck in the packet of seeds.
I also had this idea to make a plant marker – again the trick was what to do to let it get wet and not ruin it – so paper wasn’t going to work. I went down to my craft closet to get a big wood craft stick and saw that I had some wood squares left from an old scout project – that was my answer. And here is how I made it (and it is waterproof – the water rolls right off):
- Stamp the image in Chocolate Chip Craft ink on the square piece of wood, cover with Clear Embossing Powder and heat set. Don’t do it too long or you could burn the wood – or at least make it turn brown.
- Color the leaves and flowers with Stampin’ Write Markers – I used Old Olive and Lovely Lilac.
- Add the name by using a clean stamp and use a Black journler only on the name and stamp it on the wood.
- Cover the whole front of the wood piece with VersaMark ink and Clear Embossing Powder and heat set. If you wanted you could do the back of it too – I actually didn’t but now that I think about it I probably should have.
- Use Crystal Effects to glue the wood to a large wood craft stick.
I think this little flower pot would be a great little teacher gift – tell the teacher thanks for all the “thyme” they spent with your child this year. I did something similar years ago when my boys were younger. Or cute for Mother’s Day – use it for center pieces by actually planting a flower in it instead of the soil and seeds.
I hope you like this little project!

I’m a Guest Designer at Create with Connie & Mary: Summer Edition. Join today!
This week on Create with Connie and Mary we are having a “Tropical Party”! Every day during this week the team has created a project using the items that coordinate with the tropical set, die and paper! Mary found the footnote flip flops at a local store and just KNEW they would be PERFECT for a special project! And since we just HAD to do something with them…we are sharing them with YOU!
Leave a comment on the blog below on the given day and be entered into the drawings to win one! Each of us have two to give away. CLICK HERE for all the details and how you can get ADDITIONAL CHANCES TO WIN.
Tuesday May 4th – Connie Babbert – Inkspired Treasures
Winners will be announced for everything on Saturday, May 8th. To find out if you are a WINNER…you need to check the Create with Connie and Mary site no later than Friday, May 14th and send us your mailing address. Good Luck!
Apr 27, 2010 | Create with Connie & Mary, Scrapbook Pages, Summer Mini 2010, Tutorial |
Preview Week for Create with Connie & Mary is here and I’m so excited to share my first project!
BLOG CANDY ALERT!!! You can enter to win a FREE Subscription! I’m giving away a Free Subscription TODAY (Tuesday April 27th) – you have to leave me a comment on this blog post to be entered to win – you have until 11:55pm tonight to be entered in the drawing to win one free subscription. Each of the designers is giving away a free subscription this week so come back each day and I’ll tell you where to go to enter to win.
I originally made this project about 3 years ago and used it as Mother’s Day gifts that year and for a swap at convention. It is still one of my most favorite projects and since it has been several years since I have made one I decided to revisit my Scrapbook in a Box project. This one features the new Elements of Style stamp set that will be available in the Stampin’ Up! Summer Mini Catalog that begins on May 1st.
If you follow my blog you know that right now I am doing a lot of bird watching – I currently have 4 nests in my yard – and I have been taking lots of pictures of the birds these last couple of months. So I decided that was what my scrapbook was going to feature. And I LOVE how it turned out!
I have written a tutorial on how to create this Scrapbook in a Box – so hop on over to the Create with Connie & Mary to download this tutorial for FREE. And to see what the inside of the box looks like – I just love it!
I’m so glad you stopped by today – I can’t wait to CREATE more projects for you! Don’t forget to leave a comment for a chance to win a FREE subscription!

I’m a Guest Designer at Create with Connie & Mary: Summer Edition going on now – don’t miss out!
I’m also a princess on the Royal Blog Tour: April 30 – May 3rd – visit my blog to take the Royal Tour.