Got My Creative Mojo Back!

Hello, my crafty friends!

You may not have realized (unless you're one of my Facebook friends) that I had lost my creative mojo. Well, thanks to a little (okay, A BIG) inspiration I found in a recent Papercrafts magazine I believe I have found my mojo! Take a look:

Not having any of the exact supplies that were used in the inspiration card, I had to get creative! I created the patterned paper using a stamp from the Circle Circus stamp set--isn't it amazingly similar to the inspiration paper? I was pretty impressed with myself for being able to eyeball stamp all of the circles! Nope, no stamp-a-ma-jig used here! To carry the tempting turquoise color throughout, I decided to color the centers of the circles.

As you can see, I decided to add some color on the butterflies too. The butterflies are 3 of the 5 diecuts that come from the Beautiful Wings Embosslit Die that is NEW in the Occasions Mini catalog (available on January 5!). They are cut out of whisper white card stock and then I used the embossed designs on the butterflies to add color to make them POP. I simply used a black stampin' write marker on the top and bottom butterflies. And I used a neat technique to add the pumpkin pie color to the middle one. Check out the close-up and you will see there's a shine to the spots on the butterfly along with the brad and centers of the circle stamps:

All I did, was add a drop of Pumpkin Pie re-inker to a bit of Crystal Effects, stirred it up and used the ball end of a straight pin to dot it on where I wanted it.

You may wonder why I created a mirror image of the inspiration card. Well, that happened out of a happy accident while I was putting the card together. I went to punch the corners of the various blocks before attaching them to the card front and, wouldn't you know, the very first corner I punched ended up being on the wrong corner! Thankfully it was an easy fix to flip the layout.

I'm excited to have my creative mojo back. There is another card I made this morning using more new products in the Occasions Mini that I will share with you next time. So be sure to check back soon!

Hope you'll be Happy Stampin' into a Happy New Year!

Pretty Packages... well, how about a decorated Tin?!

In thinking about what I should blog about next, I thought, Hey, I haven't shared the projects we made at my Pretty Packages class! Oh, and I have that tin that I decorated to put a gift in for my hubby. Well... somehow, I made 3 of each of the projects (9 total) for the class (one as a sample and one at each of the 2 classes as I demoed the steps)... but didn't manage to take a picture of any of them before I mailed them off with presents inside! Luckily, I did remember to take a picture of the tin. So here you go:

Here's a close-up angled picture so you can see the poinsettia. You may recall I used this same flower on a tag, but in case you missed it... it's made by layering several of the 5-Petal Flowers punched out, rotating each one slightly. For this one, I decided to use 3 old olive brads in the middle.

The belly band is simply wrapped around the tin loosely. That way, it will just slide off when my hubby opens it on Christmas morning.

I think I may have one of the boxes from my class around here somewhere. If I can find it and get a good picture of it, I'll share it with you.

Happy Stampin!

A Friendly Birthday Gift

Last weekend, my kids and I had made plans to go out to eat with another deployed family. Our date had been set for a couple weeks. Through the magic of Facebook, I discovered that it would be my friend's birthday the day before our dinner date. Knowing how she must feel without her hubby on her birthday, I decided to make her a special gift. Here it is!

I took a simple junior legal pad and an RSVP pen and decorated them!


If these stamped images look new to you, YOU'RE RIGHT! THEY ARE NEW! The set is called Vintage Vogue and it is a sneak peek from the upcoming Occasions Mini! This set happens to be clear-mount... a new option coming in January! The stamps are still made of our high quality, deeply etched rubber & foam... the additional option of the clear-mount sets just come with a repositionable backing that can be used with clear blocks (instead of wood), making it easier to see where you're stamping! It also cuts down on the space it takes to store the stamps. These sets come in a DVD style case. Oh, and another key advantage... they cost less! I can't wait for you to see them up close and personal, once the new mini catalog goes live on January 5!

Here's a close up of the card:

The 5/8" satin ribbon is new too! It comes in 9 colors!

Of course, you can't give a pretty gift without pretty packaging...

The bag was repeatedly stamped with a single 1" x 2" (approx) flower & vine image to create a climbing vine. I rotated the stamp to give it a meandering "vine-y" feel.

I hope y'all are finding time to relax and enjoy yourself during the holiday season. Sorry I've been lax in posting lately. Now that my Christmas cards are signed, sealed & delivered and most of my crafting projects are done or I've sent an IOU and am very close to completing them... I promise I'll be back to post some more projects before Christmas.

Happy Stampin!