merry and bright...

It's hard to believe Christmas is only days away... there is still so much to do!

Lots of wrapping to finish, cookies to bake, candy to package and- as always- just a couple more cards needed to tuck into those goodies.

I've got a clean and simple card that fits the bill!

Tammy Tutterow's Merry & Bright stamp was perfect to play with. It is SO stinkin' cute!! I stamped it onto some green patterned paper and again onto a plain white card stock, then once more onto a red-framed label. A little fussy-cutting and layering and it was done. Colored pencils took care of the details on the white layers. The fun little tree lights and star topper are rhinestones!

CAS is a style I admire but find difficult to mimic. Once I added a simple ribbon and some decorative photo corners I was satisfied with the overall level of embellishment. 
"Less is more" is really tough to do!!

This stamp would also work perfectly stamped onto some shipping tags, colored in and tied up with pretty ribbon- what a nice way to finish off your gifts.

Wishing you all a holiday filled with love and laughter!

xo,

be merry...

'Tis the season to be merry. 
It's also the season to be short on time but wanting to make a few gifts to share with those you care about. Don't panic. 

If you find yourself needing a little crafting time to unwind, here's the perfect little project to fill it with!

With nothing more than a small box (mine is an extra Tim Holtz Configuration box), some scraps of paper and chenille stem, plus a charming rubber stamp... you'll be done before you can finish baking that batch of sugar cookies for your neighbor. 

I adore this image from Tammy Tutterow and continue to find ways to use it. Here I have stamped it onto white cardstock, filled it in with colored pencils and fussy-cut the entire thing out. 
Time out for a cookie or two from that first batch.

Once that was done, I glued some gold chenille stem around the outside edge. Maybe just one more cookie (who's counting??)

The entire embellished image was glued onto my box, after covering both the inside and outside with scraps of cheery holiday paper and edging it with more chenille stem.
OK, one last cookie.

 The final detail is a hanging loop made from a simple swirl of chenille stem. 

That's it! If you hurry you can whip up a dozen of these to tie onto those trays of cookies...
There are still some left, right??

xo,

take note...

I love a Travelers Notebook... yes I do. There is something about the size- it's perfectly proportioned.

Yes, of course you can buy the blank inserts for your book but why would you want to do that when they're so easy- and fun- to make?? Plus it's a great excuse to use up that paper you've been hoarding, right?

Here is one I made for a trip we took this past weekend. Most of the time my inserts are only 4-6 pages and I find that works perfectly for me. I like to machine stitch the pages together but staples will also work.

The blank pages are covered with scrapbook papers and postcards...

Journaling cards and tags... 

... and pockets!
This particular pocket is made out of a menu but I've also used programs from plays or events, book pages, brochures... with the Scoop Pocket die from Tammy Tutterow, it only takes a minute to create your pocket.

Waterfall flips are always a great way to display a bunch of photos but I could never figure out how to put them together until I tried this die from Tammy. She makes it so simple because the crease is already there and there are different edge designs to choose from; now the hardest part is deciding how many layers I want to use!

Once the base pages are put together you can go to town filling it with pictures, journaling, business cards and any little pieces of ephemera you pick up along the way... the more you fill it, the more it will spark memories when you look back through your pages.

Happy hunting!

xo,

welcome wee one...

It's always sweet when I get the chance to make a baby card for someone special- and this stamp from Tammy Tutterow made it even sweeter.

Welcome Wee One!

I'm head over heels in love with this darling set of stamp with it's matching die. 

If you've ever tried to fussy cut a delicate sentiment then you'll really appreciate having a die that does it for you- perfectly, every single time. It's amazing how quick and easy it is!

 

Combined with a whimsical sheet of paper (look at those little puppies!), small bits of trim and my sewing machine... I was able to put this card together quickly. 

... almost too quickly! I had so much fun I ended up making a few more. 
You never know. 
*wink*

xo,

I feel a party coming on...

A party? Heck yah it was a party! 

I spent 3 days this past weekend with a bunch of friends at an awesome crop at It's All About The Scrapbook in Dixon, CA. Those ladies really know how to throw a party!

This stamp from Tammy Tutterow was EXACTLY how I was feeling all weekend long!

It's fun, it's colorful, it's full of happiness... it's a party!

After stamping and coloring the image, I used my trusty sewing machine to add some pizzazz with orange and turquoise silky thread in a straight stitch around the edges. If you haven't tried stitching on your paper projects, you've GOT to give it a go- you'll be hooked.

In addition to the darling stamp in this set, you also get a die for the multiple layers of the party hat which makes it so easy and quick to add dimension. 

A couple sequins and some platinum Stickles lightly added for a little sparkle- and I was done. This card was really fast and fun to make! 

Party on, people.

xo,

falling for you...

Fall. It's the most beautiful time of year!
As soon as I saw this stamp I KNEW what I wanted to make with it. 

I have a huge stash of candlesticks- they're perfect for so many craft projects. True, I'd never used one as a stand for a chunky canvas- but... it worked!

Using a chunky 8-inch canvas, I slapped a single coat of chalk paint onto it. So far, so good. Next I needed to add the cute image from Tammy Tutterow's Fall For You stamp. I have to admit, my first try was unsuccessful. I stamped directly onto the canvas and it was a disaster. 

My second try wasn't much better- I stamped onto a piece of paper, intending to lay it over the top of the canvas. It was vanilla. Totally dull. 

Then I decided to stamp it onto a sheet of old pattern tissue. I loved it- and hated it too. The print on the tissue made it difficult to see the stamped image. 
OK, number three into the trash.

Finally I brushed a single coat of gesso over the tissue, let it dry and then stamped over that. It was perfect!

Using a leaf die from Tonic Studios, I cranked out a couple dozen from mixed printed papers in all the beautiful shades of Fall that I love so much. It was quick work to arrange them into a wreath around the central stamped image.

One last detail- Nuvo Cryatal Drops in brown to give the impression of nailheads around the edge of the canvas.

After that, all that was left was to glue the canvas  onto the top of the candlestick. 

I loved the look of the slender candlestick with the heft of the canvas on top- and now I can't wait to make another one... thinking about varying heights of candlesticks and different sizes of canvases... oh, the possibilities!

xo,

sweet heart...

There are a few things that I love to use over and over again in my projects- sheet music, doilies and hearts. 

Hearts, hearts and more hearts!

Well I've just found a new love- stamped sentiments that come with a die to cut them out! Ohhhh yessss... Tammy Tutterow's stamp & die sets are here! 

I. AM. IN. LOVE.

Also fresh off the press from her is this sweet heart die. There is almost no place a heart doesn't work! This one is the largest in a set of three and I know they're gonna be very well loved in my stash.

I layered it over a doily die from Tim Holtz and embellished the whole thing with leaves and tiny flowers from another new set- Bitty Posies. Aren't they just darling?

 ...but, the best thing ever is the sentiment! I love fussy cutting but let's be real- cutting around little letters can be a bit time consuming, not to mention a huge cramp in the hand. All you do with these is stamp, lay the die over the top and crank through your machine. 

Perfection. 
Every time.

Now that IS sweet.

xo,

love, mom...

Gift cards are always fun to give to my daughter and now that she's a starving grad student she really appreciates them!

I wanted to give her the latest stash of cards in something other than an envelope so I whipped up a little altered Altoid tin.

Chalk paint sticks to everything- so it was no surprise that it worked great on tin; two coats was all I needed to completely cover. It took longer to let the paint dry than it did to complete the whole project.

For dimension between the layers of ribbon, rosette and punched circle, small pieces of chipboard are perfect.

Tammy Tutterow's Tiny Sentiments stamps from Happy Grams 3 are becoming very well-loved by me! They're a great size for just about any card, tag, pocket, etc. 

This one already had a cute button on the stamp but I couldn't resist adding a real one over the top of it; a few more buttons on a stick pin was the final embellishment. I love an excuse to stick a few buttons in wherever I can.

You can never have too much happy (or too many gift cards from your Mom!)

xo,

journaling on the fly...

My anniversary is coming up and The Mr. and I have a little getaway weekend planned. I wanted to be able to gather some of the memories from our trip without a lot of fuss- a kind of "journaling on the fly".

A little mesh bag filled with notebook, pen and a glue stick is all I am planning to take, along with my tiny Fuji Instax printer. There might also be a couple little rolls of washi tape thrown in for good measure. 

My notebook had heavy card stock pages that were completely bare. Some pretty papers and my work horse Tab Die Sets One & Two from Tammy Tutterow were all it took to add some interest to the edges. I pulled out some mini stamp sentiments to stamp random quotes on both the tabs and some of the blank pages.

I made a half dozen pockets from the Notched Mini Envelope, Tabbed Mini Pocket and Window Mini Pocket. They'll be perfect for tiny treasures- a business card from a favorite restaurant, little notes, fortunes from our cookies from lunch.

Some pages were left plain but others were very lightly stenciled using Tammy's beautiful new stamps from Stencil Girl. It looks dark here but the color is really just barely there, perfect for writing right over the top.

I love this design- it reminds me of cross-stitch.

Another glimpse at one of the tiny pockets tucked in between a page, just waiting for a little something.

This all-over leaf design is so cute!

I can't wait to fill it with snippets from our weekend's adventure!

xo,