December Blog Hop

Welcome to our December blog hop: Joyful Christmas Wishes! This month, our hop is featuring 3-D items or gift wrapping/packaging ideas using our wonderful Stampin' Up products.  I just wrapped up classes on this little gem of a banner.  My crafty friends and I made several types of banners using the Simply Created Christmas Banner Kits.  Some chose to create "Joy", "Joyful", "Peace", "Merry", and "Noel".  I can't tell you how much I absolutely LOVE these kits, and I will be super sad if they are not carried over into the new mini-catalog season!  Get them while you can (only until January 2nd!)!

Recipe:
Simply Created Banner Kit
Simple Created Christmas Banner Accessory Kit
Pool Party reinker (misters)
Bermuda Bay reinker (misters)
Smoky Slate ink pad w/sponge dauber (lettering)
hot glue gun
sticky strip
(LOTS of ribbon tying patience!!!) :)

Another project I saw on YouTube the other day was this adorable "Cracker" gift box.  I got to use my Scoreboard and the new Envelope Punch board to create this fun little gift!  Using the Season of Style DSP stack, I took one sheet of 4 1/2" x 6 1/2" paper and scored it lengthwise at 1", 2", 3", & 4".  I turned it the opposite way, and scored at 1", 1 1/2", & 2", then again at 4 1/2", 5", & 5 1/2".  After that, I pre-folded all scores.  Then, I got out the envelope punch board and lined up the project on the 6 1/2" length side with 1 1/2" and punched, then again at 5" and punched.  I folded that row over, and continued with 1 1/2" and 5" punching all the way to the bottom (DO NOT punch the tiny side for adhesive).  I used sticky strip to adhere the small flap side, then pushed the ends together and tied ribbon on to keep the goodies inside.  (Hope this makes sense.) 

 Recipe:
Envelope Punch Board
Score Board
Season of Style DSP Stack
Sticky Strip
Gumball Green ink
Very Merry Tags (bah hum bug stamp)
Artisan Label punch
Cherry Cobbler Seam Binding
Linen Thread


Thanks for stopping by, and have a very Merry Christmas!!!  Next, please visit Too Cool Stamping!

Stampin Grandma http://stampingrandma.blogspot.com/2013/12/december-blog-hop.html

The Flying Stamper http://flyingstamper.blogspot.com/2013/12/december-blog-hop.html

Olivia Loves To Stamp http://oliviastamps.blogspot.com/2013/12/december-blog-hop.html

Stamping With Pearl http://stampingwithpearl.blogspot.com/2013/12/december-blog-hop.html

Scrapper Frog’s Blog http://scrapperfrogcindy.blogspot.com/2013/12/december-blog-hop.html

Too Cool Stamping http://www.toocoolstamping.com/toocoolstamping/2013/12/december-blog-hop.htm

Simple & Creative Corner http://thesimpleandcreativecorner.blogspot.com/2013/12/december-blog-hop.html

Stampin With Darla and Sisters http://stampinwithdarlaandsisters.blogspot.com/2013/12/december-blog-hop.html

Holiday Blog Hop

 Welcome to the Holiday Blog Hop!  I'm so glad you could join us, and I hope you've been inspired with lots of amazing projects!  You should be joining us from Stamping with Pearl.Remember, you can order supplies for any project you see here, from your Stampin' Up Demonstrator!  Happy Hopping!!!


The first project I want to share with you today, was made using the amazing Stampin' Up Simply Created Banner Kits.  It's November, and there are so many things to be thankful for!  I hope this inspires you!

 Thankful Banner Recipe:
Simply Created Banner Kit
Cajun Craze Cardstock and Reinker (Stampin' Spritzer)
Crushed Curry Cardstock and Reinker (Stampin' Spritzer)
Gumball Green Cardstock and Reinker (Stampin' Spritzer)
Chocolate Chip Cardstock and Reinker (Stampin' Spritzer)
Early Espresso Ink pad and Sandable Cardstock
Sweater Weather Designer Series Paper
Autumn Accents Bigz leaf die
Designer Rosette Bigz LX die
Woodgrain Embossing Folder
Argyle Embossing Folder
Chevron Embossing Folder
1 3/4" Circle Punch (stabilizer on rosettes)
Linen Thread (bows on leaf bundles)
Naturals Designer Buttons (leaf bundles)
Vintage Faceted Designer Buttons (leaf bundles)
Sponge Dauber (for lettering)
Sticky Strip Adhesive
Glue Gun/sticks
Bobby Pins (to make leaves and rosettes detachable)

I hope you like the banner!  Moving on to my second project, I made this Thanksgiving card to send to some family. 

 Here's the recipe:
Crumb Cake card base
Sweater Weather DSP
Chocolate Chip Cardstock (cut into a "v")
Very Vanilla Cardstock (sentiment and turkey)
Soft Sky Cardstock (under turkey)
Seasonal Sayings (Thanks is for Giving stamp)
Harvest of Thanks Stamp Set (turkey)
Deco Labels Collections (die)
Circles Collection (turkey and layers)
Dimensionals
Burlap Ribbon
Baked Brown Sugar ink pad

 I hope you enjoyed your stop on this hop!  Up next, please visit
  Too Cool Stamping (Angie)

 1.              Stampin’ Grandma(Sherry)

2.         The Flying Stamper (Deb)

3.         Olivia Loves to Stamp (Olivia)

4.         Scrappy Stamps and Ink (Nichole)

5.         Stamping with Pearl (Pearl)

6. YOU ARE HERE---  Scrapper Frog (Cindy) 

7.      Too Cool Stamping (Angie)

8.       Stamping Creations with Rachelle (Rachelle) 

9.    Simple & Creative Corner (Tina)

10.       Stampin with Darla and Sisters(Darla & Nancy) 

Fall Blog Hop

Welcome to the Fall Blog Hop!  You are right in the middle of the hop, and I'm so glad you joined us!  Here's a fun Halloween card I made!  I hope you like it!







Recipe:  
Bootiful Occasions stamp set
Whisper White Cardstock (base & small oval)
Elegant Eggplant Cardstock (top of card)
Witches' Brew DSP
Basic Black Cardstock (large oval)
Chevron Embossing Folder
Ovals Collection Framelits
Jet Black Staz-On (boot)
Stampin' Write Markers: Tangerine Tango, Summer Starfruit, Rich Razzleberry (boot)
Rhinestone Basic Jewels



Here's a sneak of our fun Friday "Spooky Banner Class"!

Recipe:
Build a Banner Simply Created Kit
Halloween Banner Simply Created Accessory Kit
Tangerine Tango Reinker (spritzer)
Summer Starfruit Reinker (spritzer)
Basic Black Reinker (spritzer)
Sticky Strip (rosettes)
Houndstooth Embossing Folder
Scallop Circles
Dimensionals
Glue Dots
Hot Glue Gun/Glue

 

I hope you enjoy the rest of the hop!  ~Hoppy Crafting!

In case you missed us from the beginning, here's the list of participants for the Fall Blog Hop:

1.         Stampin’ Grandma (Sherry) http://stampingrandma.blogspot.com/

2.         The Flying Stamper (Deb) http://flyingstamper.blogspot.com/

3.         Olivia Loves to Stamp (Olivia) http://oliviastamps.blogspot.com/

4.         Scrappy Stamps and Ink (Nichole) www.scrappystampsandink.blogspot.com

5.         Stamping with Pearl (Pearl) www.stampingwithpearl.blogspot.com

6.         You are here--->  Scrapper Frog (Cindy) http://scrapperfrogcindy.blogspot.com/

7.         Crafty Tam (Tammy)  www.tamsdigiworld.blogspot.com/

8.         Too Cool Stamping (Angie) http://www.toocoolstamping.com/

9.        Stamping Creations with Rachelle (Rachelle) http://www.stampinwithrachelle.blogspot.com/  

10.    Simple & Creative Corner (Tina) http://thesimpleandcreativecorner.blogspot.com/

11.            Stampin with Darla and Sisters (Darla & Nancy) http://stampinwithdarlaandsisters.blogspot.com/

Halloween Happiness...again!

I can't get over how stinkin' cute and versatile this "Halloween Happiness" stamp is from Stampin' Up in the new Holiday catalog!  I have used it on several projects, and love it!

Here's the recipe:
Halloween Happiness stamp
Pumpkin Pie Stampin' Write Marker
Gumball Green Stampin' Write Marker
Basic Black ink pad
Basic Black cardstock (scallop)
Gumball Green Cardstock (base)
Pumpkin Pie DSP
Whisper White cardstock
Pumpkin Pie ink pad +sponge dauber (edges)
Dimensionals (pop up white w/pumpkins)
Scallop Edge Punch (black cardstock)
Corner Rounder (white edges)

~Hoppy Crafting!

Birthday Celebration

I  made this fun birthday card, using the Stampin' Up "Simply Sketched" stamp set and the new SU Sweater Weather DSP.  I love how the Crushed Curry makes it so cheerful. 

Here's the Recipe:
Sketched Birthday stamp set (hats & celebrate)
Banner Framelits
Crushed Curry base
Summer Starfuit Ribbon
Dazzling Diamonds Glitter (tops of hats)
SU 2-Way Glue
Strips Embossing Folder (White)

~Hoppy Crafting!

Lovely Wagon

Here's a sweet card for a good friend.  I used Stampin' Up's "For The Birds" stamp set for the image and colored it in.  I thought that offsetting the squares on the cloud embossing folder really made a cute look.  I used Daffodil Delight and Marina Mist for the card layers.  ~Hoppy Crafting!

Lobster Lovin'

I LOVE this "By The Tide" stamp set from Stampin' Up!  Here's a card that I recently designed for stamp class.  I used the new Bermuda Bay cardstock, along with some Midnight Muse as a torn accent. 
The lobster is a little tricky to cut out, but looks amazing when you take the time and add dimensionals!  I would really recommend trying it!  ~Hoppy Crafting!

Secret Garden

I used the Secret Garden stamp set and coordinating Secret Garden Framelits Dies to create this card.  After stamping each of the flowers, I used a sponge dauber to create a soft look of color on the main flower element.  I hope you like it!  ~Hoppy Crafting!

Banners for School

Ohh....emmm....Geeee!!!  I am so in L-O-V-E with the NEW Stampin' Up Build a Banner Kit in the new Holiday Mini Catalog!!!!  In just one day, I seriously got my mist and daub on!  (Yes, I'm craft-geeky, and I know it!) I used EVERY SINGLE BANNER in BOTH the Build a Banner Kit, AND the Banner Refill Kit!  That's almost 40 banners, people!
One of the projects I worked on, besides the super secret Halloween and Christmas ones, was to make some banners to decorate my classroom.  I used lovely chevron and polka dot stencils for the Smoky Slate and Daffodil Delight (mixed with a tad of Summer Starfruit) pennants.  For the letters, I attempted the mini-mister for the "learn" banner, but loved the control I had, using the sponge daubers on the "read" and "grow" banners.  For all three, I used Gumball Green.  The "Learn" banner is also outlined in a black Sharpie, because I couldn't stand how undefined the letters were by misting them.
I used the 3/4" Smoky Slate Chevron ribbon to string each pennant on, and tied a loop at each end to be able to hang them up.  Hope you like them!

Here's a quick look at the Simply Created Build a Banner Kit.  It includes the Chevron, Striped, and Polka Dot masks, as well as a blank shield, and all 26 letters of the alphabet.  There are 18 pennants, jute twine, and a mini-mister.  The easiest way I found, was to fill a mister with approximately 25-30 drops of reinker (to achieve desired color), and fill the rest with 70% Isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol.  I also covered all of my surface with newspaper, and had several sheets of paper towel handy to wipe masks as I finished with them.  When I was completely finished, I washed all masks in the sink, and then let dry. 

~Hoppy Crafting!

Hot Glue Flowers?

I've had the Stampin' Up Simply Pressed Clay and Buttons & Blossoms Simply Pressed Clay Molds now, since about when the new catalog came out.  I've been getting really good at making the normal flowers with the Simply Pressed clay, but kept wondering if I could use other mediums in the molds.  It just so happens that I'm not the only crafter who wonders that!  I ran a quick Google search, and found a great video by this lady who actually used her hot glue gun to make the Buttons and Blossoms! 
I HAD to try it!  It's pretty easy.  The biggest trick is filling your mold to avoid as many air bubbles as possible.  When cooled (which takes no time at all), these babies pop out like a dream!  I may even have to try some of the colored and glitter glue sticks I have!  My silicone molds have been fine since using the hot glue, but I'm sure this isn't recommended by Stampin' Up, and it probably voids any warranties.  But, if you're like me, you like to live on the edge and try new things!  Have fun with this and let me know any good tricks you come up with!  ~Hoppy Crafting!

Paper Pumpkin

 Have you heard of Paper Pumpkin?  It's a new subscription-type paper-crafting surprise that comes in the mail for you each month, from Stampin' Up!  It's normally $19.95 per month, but from now, until August 31st, YOU can get it for only $10/month for each of your first two months, by entering PROMO CODE: PUMPKINDEAL

Look at the amazing value in this bundle!  This is the welcome kit!  You get a clear block (size D--an $8.50 value), an ink spot, two stamps, and four cards with envelopes!  SO worth signing up!  The best part is, that after two months, you can choose to continue the service for $19.95, suspend for a month, or cancel with no further obligations!  Of course, I hope you see the value I do in this amazing product and continue.  :) 
Join Now!
OR here's my link: 
 https://mypaperpumpkin.com?demoid=2112232


Make sure to enter the promo code and me as your demonstrator.  Enter your personal payment information, and mailing preferences, and submit.  You will get a confirmation e-mail.  Your card won't be charged until around the 10th of each month, and it's only $10, plus tax.  Sign up today!
 Here are some fun designs that I came up with, while playing with my first Paper Pumpkin kit!
~Hoppy Crafting! 

Convention Clipboards

I made these two fun clipboards for my upline and I to use during the upcoming Stampin' Up Convention.  For the top one, I use the new Eastern Elegance Designer Series Paper, and for the bottom (because Deb's favorite colors are pink and brown), I used the brown from the new Sweater Weather DSP and pink from retired Sparkles and Sprinkles DSP. 
These boards were super easy to make! I inked the edges, and then used Mod-Podge to adhere the gorgeous papers.  I used the torn paper technique to add each layer.  I also ended up using about three coats of Mod-Podge over the tops to seal them.  I decorated the backs, as well, and finished off the tops with coordinating ribbon and a loop to hold a pen (sorry, no pic!  Packed them and forgot!....soooo much to do to prepare for convention!).  I think they'll work well! 
~Hoppy Crafting!

Happy Birthday, Kelly!

Birthday wishes to my dear friend, Kelly!  I don't want to wreck her surprise, so here's what I made for her a year ago, with the Stampin' Up set "Mixed Bunch" and the blossom punch.  Also used, were the Adorning Accents embossing folders & coordinating Adorning Accents Edgelits, as well as the Labels Collection Framelits, all from Stampin' Up!  ~Hoppy Crafting!

Snow Much Fun!

I've been having a ton of fun as a Stampin' Up demonstrator!  This was a make and take from a recent card class that I held.  I used the "Snow Much Fun" set, with "Be of Good Cheer" designer series paper, whisper white cardstock, and cherry cobbler Baker's Twine.  I also used the Smooch Illuminate pearlized topcoat for the buttons and some snow highlights. 

December 25th Swap

 Rounding out my swaps for the Stampin' Up Regional Event, I decided to use these gorgeous ornaments from the Holiday Ornaments Framelits set, and the Window Frames Collection Framelits dies.  I used the paper piercer and the Festive Paper Piercing pack, to create the holes around the Windows Frames.  I had to add the lovely polka dot designer paper as a banner.  Hope you like it!  ~Hoppy Crafting!

Daydream Medallions Swap!

 I'm SO excited to attend my first Stampin' Up Regional Event, soon!  In preparation, I'm feverishly cutting and assembling my swaps.  I came up with this gorgeous "flower" idea, using the set Daydream Medallions and the Floral Frames Framelits.  I'm using Lucky Limeade, Summer Starfruit, Basic Black, and Basic Gray, along with a piece of designer paper from International Bazaar.  I have distressed the Lucky Limeade layer, and used the Scallop Trim Border punch on the Basic Black.  Hope you enjoy!  ~Hoppy Crafting!

Sympathy

Seems like I've been making a lot of these types of cards lately, and getting more requests for ideas for Sympathy cards.  I guess it's a fact of life, but loss is always so hard.  Stampin' Up needs more sympathy-type sentiments.  I pulled these images from retired sets "Thanks for Caring" and "Forever Young" I also used the extra-large Oval punch from SU for the sentiment. ~Hoppy Crafting!

Baby Toy

I made this baby card using a pink base, then layered it with a brown background, which was punched with the SU Scallop border punch at the bottom, and tied with some of the retired stitched poly ribbon.  I also used the white gel pen to faux stitch a border.  The sentiment was stamped using the SU Itty Bitty Banners set, and cut out with the new SU Bitty Banners framelits.  I also cut another larger layer of brown to add behind it. 
For the toy, I punched a 2 1/2" circle from white cardstock, then cut it in half for the base.  I used SU Pretty In Pink ink and the SU Elizabeth stamp to stamp the pattern on the base.  The rings of the toy were all punched using the SU Word Window punch.  How did I make it longer and shorter?  Very carefully!  :oP  For the longer layer, I measured the width of a word window that was already punched, then cut a strip of paper that would fit.  I fed it thought the bottom of the punch, not the normal slot, then held part of it out of the punch to punch the first end.  When the one end had the rounded edge, I took it out, and fed the opposite side into the punch (from the bottom again), then cut at the desired length.  A Quik Stick or reverse tweezers can be extremely helpful in this process!  The smaller ones were easier, because I just had to shorten them, and didn't have to worry about accidentally cutting it off before it was long enough.  I cut one last white Word Window to put up at the top of the toy, and then I was finished!  Hope you enjoy!  ~Hoppy Crafting!

Happy Birthday, Bro!

I made this birthday card for my brother!  It was another good reason to use the Stampin' Up set "The Open Sea", which I am IN. LOVE. WITH!!!!  I found the background paper from Imaginisce and loved the travel/vintage/masculine look.  I wrapped that with some Denim Twine from The Twinery, and layered it onto a SU Basic Gray base. 
Next, I cut Spellbinders Reverse Wonky Rectangles (S4-307) in three sizes, out of SU Crumb Cake, SU Marina Mist, and White.  I stamped the Crumb Cake layer with the captian's log, in Staz-on Black.  Next, I took the Marina Mist layer, and stamped the globe all over it in Black, also.  Finally, I took the white layer and stamped the ship on it in Staz-On Black.  I swiped the sizes of the layers on the ink pads to add dimension, then I got out my SU blender pen.  I used the blender pen to pick up ink from the ink pad lids, and shade/watercolor the ship and water.  I used Poppy Parade, Soft Suede, and Crumb Cake on the picture.  For the "stormy/cloudy" sky, I used a sponge with some SU Basic Gray. 
If you've never used the blender pen, they're SUPER easy!!!  I like to carefully squish the lid of my ink pads into the top before opening, then you have a palette of color to work with.  You cold also use a drop of reinker in the lid.  Carefully dip you pen into the color, and, Voila!  You essentially have a paintbrush, without all the mess!  Cleanup is easy, too!  Just use a scrap piece of paper and swipe your blender pen on it until it runs clean.  Easy-peasy, and look at the effect!  You'll look like a watercolor master!  :o)  ~Hoppy Crafting!

Mickey Birthday

Happy 3rd birthday to a Mickey Mouse fan!  He didn't turn out too shabby, if I don't say so!  I used my Mickey Cricut cartridge to cut Mickey, and used some Sizzix Dies to cut the "#3".  After layering, adding packages and some awesome twine, I used the Stampin' Up stamp set "Itty Bitty Banners", and their coordinating die cuts "Bitty Banner Framelits" for the Happy Birthday.  I also used an embossing folder to add character to the background.  ~Hoppy Crafting!