Valentine's Day Basket

I have to admit that I have not been stamping much lately. This DRP paper that I have to do this quarter is starting to eat up all my time. A minimum of 50 pgs does not sound like a lot. Wish me luck as I attempt to finish this by the end of March. Enough with the excuses lets get to the reason why you are here.

I need to give you a little bit of some background information. I am involved in a monthly stamp club. My best friend Jennifer runs the club. I have been recruted as her helper. For the last two months of the previous club (which ended earlier this month) I had been presenting the projects. Now with the new catalog and a new club we decided to split the 6 months and alternate everyother meeting. So, for this upcoming club I am incharge of the meetings in the beginning of March, April, and June. The sad thing is that I alread have the main non-card ideas picked out and designed for my three club dates.

This project, a Valentine's Day Basket, was created for the club we had earlier this month. Jennifer and I figured with the Love You Much promotion that was going on through SU! that we needed to focus on those items. This basket was made using the Big Shot and the Basket and Blooms die. Another reason I am helping with the club is the fact that I have the Big Shot. The Big Shot is a blast to use. I absolutely love all the projects you can create with it. Lately I have been more into the 3-D items then cards. And that will be proven more with the other ideas I have for the next three clubs. You will just have to wait and see what they will be.

Recipe -- Stamps: Love You Much -- Paper: Very Vanilla and Candy Lane DSP -- Ink: Riding Hood Red -- Accessories: Bis Shot, Basket and Blooms Die, Scallop Punch,
Pink Pirouette reinker, Blender Pen, Linen Thread

Flying By

This week has been flying by. I have started my last class before I eran my Masters Degree. The class is my thesis class although the university calls it a Directed Research Project (DRP). For this week we needed to turn in our topic. It has taken me since Tuesday to decide on a topic and I have decided to focus on a section of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. I know, I know it is a boring topic, but it is something that has always intrigued me. I am not sure when the professor will have his comments back to me, so it is a waiting game to see if the topic will be approved.

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I can not believe it has been almost a week since my last post. The time has just gotten away from me. Between following the blogs from Leadership and getting ready to start my last class of my Masters program the week just flew.

On to the challenge. Yesterday the challenge that was posted on Splitcoast was to make an origami box. I have to say that I enjoy the technique challenges a little more that the other ones Splitcoast offers. For a while now I have been into making items other then cards, also known as ABC (anything but a card). I focused my box around Easter. You will see this technique again. All that is required (per the link) is:

• 12 X 12 piece of patterned paper (double or single sided pattern) for the no-glue Origami Box (fold instruction to the right)
• 2 sheets of double sided paper - 5 1/4" x 12" (for the cover, if you are making on of these)
• One sheet of lightweight chipboard - 5 1/4" X 12" (again, for the cover only) (I used the backing from a legal sized note pad)
• Craft glue or glue stick (for cover only)
• Ribbon (for cover closure, or you may use another type of closure)

This is so simple to make you will want to make this for every occasion.



Recipe -- Stamps: TAC I Love Easter -- Paper: Blush Blossom, Whisper White, and Petal Patch DSP -- Ink: Burnt Sienna -- Accessories: Bis Shot, Top Note Die, Circle Nestabilities, Crop-a-dile, Eyelets, Certainly Celery Ribbon, and Copic Markers

???

What it is 5:00 already????? Where does the time go? I know - it goes out the window when there is chatter about the new upcoming SU! catalog. SU! is holding their Leadership conference in Florida today through Friday and the attendees are receiving their new catalog. Therefore everyone is on Splitcoast trying to get a glimpse of the new catalog before it goes live on January 19. Well, according to the attendees (I am not one of them ) SU! has put a hush hush on them with pictures of the new items. At least we are all able to discuss what is in the new catalog. How am I going to make it until January 19. This is going to be torture. All I can hope for is that I receive my complementary catalog soon. One can hope.

Swap Card Preview #6

Here is the last preview for the Year of Cards Swap. This one was a fun group. It was called the Miscellaneous group with the subcategory of Just Because. When I saw this category, my mind first went to the Best Yet hostess set from SU!'s Fall/Winter 2008 Catalog. There is a stamp in there that says "Just Because I Care". Now, after making the masculine cards I needed to go girly with this one and that is exactly what I did.


In my opinion this card epitomizes girly - pink and bling all the way. I combined two sets when making this card - Close as a Memory and Best Yet. I thought the bundle of flowers from the Close as a Memory set worked so well with the design. Now for the bling. I found these "crystals" with a sticky back at Wal-Mart before they discontinued their huge craft and fabric sections in the stores around me. they are so cute if you want to add just a little bit if bling to a card and like I said they are already sticky on the back. No more glue!!! Again, I hope everyone how gets this card will enjoy it.

Recipe -- Stamps: Close as a Memory, Best Yet -- Paper: Whisper White, Regal Rose, Pink Pirouette, Sweet Always DSP -- Ink: Regal Rose, Garden Green -- Accessories: Markers, Taffeta Whisper White, Crystals

Swap Card Preview #5

MASCULINE cards are the hardest ones for me to make. As I said before, it is hard for me to get out of the girly mode of card making to make a masculine themed ones. I think this one came out very well. This design is the one I will be using for my Dad's, husband's, and grandfather's birthday cards this year.

Here it is the dreaded (not really) Masculine card for the Year of Cards swap:

Once I signed up for the masculine category, I was in panic mode to find some designer paper that was not golf related. I had a golf stamp set (my dad loves to golf) at one time and made argyle shirts to put on the card. So, that was the only masculine paper that I had and it was not going to go with the design I was picturing. I scoured the Internet to find some paper and I finally found it through Scrap Simply Called Cosmo Cricket "Wanted" and used the "Doc Holliday" pieces. My next step was to make the image look like it belonged on a masculine card. I roughed the edges of the cardstock up with my scissors and them used Cat's Eye Chalk to add the edge detail. Not to toot my horn that much, but I have to say that I am pretty impressed at the job I did with this card.

Recipe -- Stamps: For Father -- Paper: Chocolate Chip, Really Rust, Very Vanilla, Wanted DSP -- Ink: Black -- Accessories: Markers, Jumbo Eyelets, 5/8 Grosgrain Chocolate Chip Ribbon

Swap Card Preview #4

Ok, this group was the hardest one for me. Wait a minute, no, this was one of the two hardest groups for me. I decided to push myself and attempt to think outside of the box. One of the groups in the Year of Cards swap for Life's Changes and Events. I decided to challenge myself with making a card for the New Home selection. Once I saw the selection I knew I had the perfect stamp set - Papertrey's Boards & Beams (I just love this set). It was just going to be a matter design.

Well, here it is:

I knew I wanted to cut the house and the trees out. So I did that and then I started to play with the design. My master design was to make the house look like it was on about 5 acres of land. That would be my dream!!! I tore the Baja Breeze and sponged it with Whisper White to make it look like the sky line with clouds.

My only hope is that everyone who will be receiving this card will love it.

Recipe -- Stamps: PTI Boards & Beams -- Paper: Certainly Celery, Baja Breeze, Very Vanilla -- Ink: Pallette Burnt Sienna and Whisper White (Clouds) -- Accessories: Corner Rounder, Copic Markers, and Brads

Swap Card Preview #3

Here is another preview for the Year Of Cards swap I am involved in. Like I said I have six spots for this swap.

So here is card number 3:

There is not too much of a story to go along with this one. My mom and I would always try to get some "sassy" birthday cards for each other and when I started stamping it seemed like all I was making were sappy, cute, girly cards. That will be changing this year. Since I found this set by Little Paper Shop I have no reason not to be sending my mom sassy cards for her birthday. It take a special person to be able to handle the sayings and I am sure my mom can.

Recipe -- Stamps: Little Paper Shop's Still Hot Granny -- Paper: Whisper White, Sweet Always DSP, Regal Rose, Close to Cocoa -- Ink: Black -- Accessories: Watercolor Pencils, Brads, 5/8 Grosgrain Regal Rose Ribbon

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!