Snuggling in a Sweater & Sipping Cider: Gift Pouch

An excuse to wear a warm sweater and drink hot cider is always welcome, so as I was demonstrating this cute card on Facebook Live today (despite having no sound for the first minute), my friend suggested that it would be a perfect pouch for a hot drink, and I concur...so here it is as a pouch:

It's simply a landscape card with the opening at the top and the sides sealed to create a pouch.

I was following the #GDP054 sketch from the Global Design Team (turned it on it's side) and playing with the fabulous new Cable Knit Dynamic Designer Textured Embossing Folder (and it's a mouthful!). It's so *snuggly* you'll just want to rub your hands across the embossed paper over and over again. 

TIP: Spritz your card stock on both sides with water before putting it in the folder and remember to only use ONE plate on top when running it through the Big Shot. Your "sandwich" will look like this (from the top to the bottom): 

Product List

143263

140386

143537

141991

120953

141996

119685

126966

138995

Walking Through a {black & gold} Winter Wonderland

How do you feel about Christmas cards that aren't the traditional Red & Green?

I tried a little "out of the holiday color box" card with the (sadly) soon-to-be-retiring Wonderland stamp set and I think it is quite elegant:

To create the stars on the background, I squoze 5-6 drops of multipurpose glue into an empty button or brad container and added a few drops of water, then mixed it with an Aqua Painter. Then I tapped the Aqua Painter on my hand over the top of the embossed card stock so it splattered all over it. Finally, I sprinkled gold glitter over the splatters and shook off the excess. 

On this version I used gold baker's twine in the button, but I can tell you the gold cord trim is MUCH easier to thread through the holes. 

For a .pdf tutorial of this card, click here! 

Thanks for ordering from my Stampin' Store and don't miss the Online Extravaganza going on right now through November 30, 2015: Click below to shop!

The First Gift of Christmas

The gift I am most grateful for was the FIRST gift of Christmas.

#sharethegift

Make Your Own Gift Boxes (and Tutorial)

Artwork by Josee S. 

Have you experienced frustration in finding small gift boxes that are the right size for your gifts? The Gift Box Punch Board from Stampin' Up! is the solution and can create boxes in various sizes up to 4" on each side!

To download the .pdf tutorial for the snowman-adorned box at the top, click here.

Invite Christmas JOY and Extravagant Ooops

Let's start with the "Ooops"...how did I NOT tell you about the Stampin' Up! Extravaganza sale here on my blog? Probably because I put it on my Creative Juice Facebook page and thought I had covered my bases >:p

And yes, today is the last day!! (Click on the image to shop in my store) 

Sorry for that...but to make up for it, let me tell be the FIRST to tell you that there will be a new year-end closeout sale on the Clearance Rack from December 5-January 5!  I may be late for one, but at least I'm early for the next one :D   Unfortunately, they don't overlap, but there are some awesome deals in both. And of course there are new weekly deals every Tuesday...they show up over in the right column --->

On to the Tuesday Tutorial! This is an ornament I created that could also double as a small wreath for your door:

The "wreath" is actually a candle dish from Ikea and has felt bumpers on the back, so it won't bang against your door. It's super easy to make, too! Download the tutorial here and invite some JOY into your house this Christmas season.

Ornamental Pine Christmas Wishes Card

Look no further for an elegant holiday card that is simple enough to mass produce for a long Christmas Card list! The color combination of Lost Lagoon and Pear Pizzaz is so festive, too. Simply click on the image to download a .pdf tutorial...

Original Card by Jackie B.

If you are averse to cutting out a lot of little ornaments, this video tip on my Creative Juice by Loni Facebook page will show you how to use your 1-1/4" circle punch to make it easy!

A Dusting of Diamonds and Non-Traditional Christmas Colors!

Getting ready for my last Christmas Card Class and I saw the Friday Mashup from last week, so I decided to use it as inspiration for one of the cards we'll be creating: It uses some non-traditional holiday colors (Island Indigo, Garden Green and Rich Razzleberry) but turned out pretty festive! I hope you can see the Faux Diamonds (or Diamond Dust technique) over the "Merry"...I've told you about this super easy sparkly technique before here and here.  Just can't get enough of it because the BLING sings to me!

Built for Free Using: My Stampin Blog

If you are in the Utah County area and would like to come to my Christmas Card Class this Saturday morning (November 15, 2014), please RSVP before Thursday night!

Starburst: Merry & Bright

Ooops...I missed last week's Tuesday Tutorial, so I'll share two this week (kind of).

It was my pleasure to demonstrate the Starburst (or Sunburst) technique last week at Jill Olsen's Stamp Together in St. George and these are some of the cards I showed how to make:

Wanna know what's cool about these cards? I made 4 starbursts all at the same time by cutting a stack of 4 pieces of paper! I used the awesome tutorial by Sharon Cheng here. Seriously easy...go watch it now and remember the measurements for the DSP are 3"x4". The first card stock layer is 4-7/8" x 3-5/8", and the next layer is usually 5-1/4" x 4", then the card itself (a half sheet of 8.5" x 11" paper, folded in half). 

I cut the star with the Stars Framelits and Big Shot, then scored with my Simply Scored board (on the silver side) of the star from point to opposite indentation, on all points. Then just fold and mount on some Stampin' Dimensionals :) So shiny!

They are even sparklier in person!

Built for Free Using: My Stampin Blog

In case you can't get enough stars, check out the new Many Merry Stars Kit from the new Holiday Supplement...and the fun project ideas for this and other products on the Pinterest board HERE.

Christmas Card Buffet and Planning Guide

Sending warm wishes for the holidays? Now is the time to plan and prepare! 

 

(Click image to download planning guide)

Helping to make your holidays happier, I'm holding my first Christmas Card class 

next week in Spanish Fork, UT and you have two times to choose from: 

Tuesday, October 14 at 7 p.m. or Wednesday, October 15 at 10 a.m.

You'll create 4 different cards for $10* and I'll have everything prepared for you to stamp and assemble, all you need to bring are scissors and adhesive! 

*4 cards isn't enough? RSVP for two sets and save $2

Call or text me at 801-376-8685 to reserve your spot and one for a friend by October 12th

Wrap Up the Holidays (Open House)

All my great intentions for blogging last week were drowned out by the snow and cold that hit Utah. I guess you could say the snow quenched my inner desire to do.....anything. All I wanted was hot cocoa, my fuzzy slippers and a good book. On the bright side, I did finish reading two books and decorated my house for Christmas!

Back in business now, I've played around a little with some Christmas projects and here is a close-up of a Merry card I created with some Designer Series Paper, Silver Foil Sheets and the Big Shot:

Have you been wrapping your gifts and stuffing your stockings? Hard to believe Christmas is just 15 days away, isn't it? If you are feeling stressed at the hustle and bustle, I invite you to come nurture your creativity for just a few moments at my

Wrap Up the Holidays Open House

Wednesday, December 11th

Stop in to be infused with holiday joy anytime between

10 am to Noon ~OR~ 5 to 7 pm

• Free Make-&-Take: Gift Tube & Tag
• BOGO Stamp Sale (Buy One Get One FREE)
• Holiday Displays, Gift Ideas, Clearance Rack Specials
• Warm Drink & Refreshments

Stop by for a minute or an hour for a little MERRY in your Christmas:
1637 Calpac Ave, Spanish Fork, UT

Christmas: Gingham Style!

I've been mulling over how to use Gingham for Christmas (and the Friday Mashup challenge) and this is what I came up with this morning:

Card Recipe (All Supplies from Stampin' Up!):
Stamps: Best of Christmas Stamp Set (Item #134384)
Ink: Island Indigo
Paper: Crumb Cake and Cherry Cobbler card stock, Gingham Garden Designer Series Paper (129310)
Accessories: Christmas Ornament punch (132152), Cherry Cobbler 1" Stitched Edge Grosgrain Ribbon (132135), Linen Thread (104199), Big Shot (113439) and Modern Mosaic Embossing Folder (129984)

So Glad

Oh, Anne! She's my kindred spirit :)

Know what else is great about October? Stampin' Up! specials bigger than a giant pumpkin!

And here's the "Best Of" Christmas set, available in my store now!

But hold on to your hats, because there is MORE! 

For 2 weeks only (starting on October 7th) you can join Stampin' Up! for JUST $25!!!

You read that correctly...only $25!

To celebrate our 25th Anniversary, SU! is offering this amazing opportunity for 14 days...and it's a wonderful chance to get your feet wet and see if our "family" is a good fit for you :)

I will be sharing more about this offer as the time draws closer, but CIRCLE October 7th with RED pen on  your calendar!

Now Serving Leftovers: Card Candy!

Why is it that the word "leftovers" has a negative connotation? This is a thought I'm pondering this morning because I am believe that so many things are BETTER the second time. Seriously: Spaghetti is soooo much tastier when left overnight (or two) and the flavors meld together! Even though the number of people in my household is dwindling as the kids grow up and move out, I continue to cook for an army JUST SO I can "cook once, eat twice". At this moment, there is leftover chicken & rice in the fridge for dinner tonight and a sausage/vegetable skillet ready to reheat for tomorrow's supper! It makes me happy knowing I just have to push the button on the microwave and have a meal ready to serve :)

So when I had "leftover" 2" squares from the Sampler Swap, I thought about the term "Card Candy" instead of leftovers: Many stampers create Card Candy as little focal points that can be created ahead of time and stuck on a card whenever they are needed. And what a fitting term, as they create SWEET little morsels:

They were super easy and quick to put together with a little card stock and DSP (Designer Series Paper). Looking at them now, I doubt you would think of them poorly as "leftovers", huh?

So maybe we need to coin a new term for food: I'm thinking "Supper Starters", "Meal Marzipan" or "Sweet Seconds". What do you think?

Sensational Seasonal Samplers

My Stitched Stamper family of SU! demonstrators held a "Sampler Square" Swap for the upcoming holidays. Each of us created a 2" square to trade using a set color palette and here are the finished projects, mounted on Designer Series Paper for a 12x12 frame.

Halloween (using Witches' Brew DSP from the Holiday Catalog):

Fall/Thanksgiving (using Sweater Weather DSP from the Holiday Catalog):

Christmas (using Season of Style DSP from the Holiday Catalog): 

Wouldn't this be fun to do with your friends? To order supplies to make your own, visit my Stampin' Up! store!

If you are swapping with friends, invite everyone to participate, because it's great to have "leftover" squares...see what I did with them here :)