My son's graduation is in the pocket!

I have to make this post a quicky.  My oldest son is graduating from high school this afternoon.  My, how time flies! 

I wanted to show you the graduation cards I've been making.  I'm getting lots of mileage out of the Pocketful of Posies DSP.  There are so many gorgeous papers in the pack that are good for all sorts of occasions--both masculine and feminine. 

The stamp is retired from a few minis ago.

Paper/Ink: Pocketful of Posies (RETIRING), Basic Black, Whisper White, Baja Breeze

Punches: Crop-A-Dile (RETIRING), 1 1/4" & 1 3/8" circle

Accessories: Eyelets (retired), Black Satin Ribbon (RETIRING)

It's the same pocket design as yesterday's card, just a little smaller.  I started with a 6" x 10" piece of card stock, scored at 3" & 6".  This size card fits in our Small Open-End Envelopes that are retiring from the current catalog. 

You can check out all the retiring products on my website!  Don't forget, all the retiring accessories and decor elements are only available while supplies last, so get them while you can!

If you're interested in getting a copy of the NEW 2012-2013 Annual Catalog, let me know! I can either have one mailed to you for $5 or you can pick one up from me (in Pensacola) for free!  It goes live at noon on June 1!   

Happy Stampin!

Brenda

850*466*3585

bbstampin.at.yahoo.dot.com

A Pocketful of...

Well, I stamped again yesterday... and the day before that and the day before...  You could say I'm on a roll!  It helps that there are so many card giving occasions in May and that I've scheduled a stampin' farewell party on May 24!  BTW, you're invited!  My house in Pensacola (email me for the addy) between 1-3pm!  The make-n-takes will be featuring some of the retiring Stampin' Up! products.  If you can't make it but would like to place an order, contact me or order online.

I'm not going to show you the make-n-take projects (yet), but I will show you the birthday card I made for my hubby...

Stamp Set: Delightful Dozen

Paper/Ink: Pocketful of Posies (RETIRING), Baja Breeze, Early Espresso, Night of Navy, Whisper White, Crumb Cake

Punches: 1 3/4" & 1 1/2" circle, Decorative Label

Accessories: Night of Navy 1/4" grosgrain ribbon (RETIRING), Mini Library Clips (RETIRING)

Big Shot Die: Timeless Type Junior Alphabet Sizzlits (RETIRING)

I didn't realize it while I was making it, but it's fitting that I used the paper I did on this card--Pocketful of Posies.  No, my hubby isn't a posy... what is a posy anyway?  No, because inside the card I made a POCKET!  See!

I needed to design the card around being able to fit an 8 1/2" x 11" folded piece of paper.  So I trimmed a 12" x 12" piece of cardstock down to 10" x 8 1/2" and scored it at 4 1/2" 8 1/2".  To create the window, I punched the Decorative Label punch twice, overlapping about 1/2" to create a longer opening.  The pocket edges are secured with eyelets (long retired), set with the Crop-A-Dile (RETIRING).  You could also use brads or staples.

Well, I hope you've been on a roll with stampin' lately too!  If not, come to my party next week and I'll do my best to inspire you!  I have a few other events scheduled for June & July too.  Check MY CALENDER for the details.

Happy Stampin!
Brenda

A Quick Gift Idea: Personalized Stationery Gift Set!

Happy New Year, my crafty friends!

I want to share a last minute gift I created last month. As the hours were winding down before we were to leave on our Christmas vacation to visit family, I needed to come up with a gift for my husband’s grandma. Knowing she’s one of the few people who still enjoy sending and receiving handwritten letters, I thought what better gift than to create a set of personalized stationery for her!

Having just received my preorder for new stampin’ goodies from the Occasions Mini catalog, I wanted to use the Framed Tulips Textured Impressions Embossing Folder (Pg 28/121809/$7.95). It would add the perfect touch to a set of monogrammed note cards.

I suppose I could have just wrapped the note cards in some pretty ribbon and left it at that. But I decided to make a little something to hold the cards, envelopes and coordinating pen instead.

The base of the notecard folder was created out of a single 8 ½ x 11 sheet of card stock.

• Score at 2” and 2 ¼” along one of the long edges, then turn 90 degrees and score at 5” and 5 ½”.

• Cut out the 2 ¼” x ½” scored section to create the flaps inside the folder. Cut at a slight diagonal along the inside edges of the flaps (see picture below).

• Secure the outer edges of the flaps with eyelets (brads or staples could also be used).

• Decorate as desired.

The monogram is stamped using the Lovely Letter Alphabet set and then punched out using the 1" circle punch.  That is then layered with a 1 1/4" circle and 1 3/4" scallop circle.  I snipped in between each scallop for the monogram on the cover of the folder to add a bit more texture.
 

 
I hope this inspires you to create a quick gift for someone special.  Before you do, be sure to tell me what you think!  Your comments are what motivates me to continue blogging!  Thanks!

If you haven't already, be sure to check out the NEW Occasions Mini Catalog!  Click HERE to start shopping!

Happy Stampin!
Brenda

Crappy Gift Certificate Dilemma

About a month ago, we were invited to a new friend’s birthday party. Not knowing exactly what kind of stuff he likes, we decided to go to a local restaurant to get a gift card. We had never been in this particular bagel/coffee shop, but the ads we've seen for it make it sound pretty hip and cool… and they recently started offering pizza… who doesn’t like pizza?! So just a few hours before the party, my hubby and I went to the shop and asked if they had gift cards. The young woman behind the counter said “Sure!” So we asked for one for $20 and I also ordered a bagel sandwich meal (YUMMM!). We went and sat down while we waited for the order to be ready. Eventually, I got my meal in a to-go box and we were still waiting on the “gift card”. Several minutes later, a manager (or maybe it was the owner) came over to our table and handed us a wad of 4 pieces of paper and said “We were having a hard time getting the $20 certificate to print, would this be okay?” Then we looked down and noticed that he had handed us four $5 gift certificate like things that had obviously been used—they were a bit crumpled. We looked at each other a smidge perplexed, but said “Okay” and walked out, happy to get on with our day. On our way home, my hubby and I contemplated going back to return the certificates… instead, since it was a rainy day and I was ready to get home so I could eat my sandwich, I told him I would do my best to make them look more presentable…. after LUNCH!


So, here’s what I came up with:

And a peek inside:

I already had the card made, so I used that for inspiration. Instead of settling for a simple legal sized envelope, I decided to get out a handy dandy paper lunch sack and snazzy it up. I trimmed it down to size, leaving a little extra so I could punch the scallop edge and fold it over. To make it look less like a lunch sack, I cut a 3/4” x 12” strip of Old Olive Textured Card Stock and wrapped it around the top of the bag and secured it in the back. I simply stamped all over the bag. For the inside (most important snazzying part), I cut two 2” (or maybe 1 ½”) x 12” strips of the same card stock. From there, I just folded one of the strips at about 1” or 2” to wrap around one end of the wad of certificates and then attached the other strip to that flap to create the other side. I trimmed them down to about an inch or two longer than the certificates—so just a bit stuck out from the bag. Then I stamped and handwrote the labels, attached them and tied a ribbon to hold it all together. The card on the front of the bag is in a Clear Translucent Envelope, attached with some Glue Dots.

Since I’ve been a bit lax with posting on my blog, the stamp set I used on this project, Tropical Party, is no longer available for you to order. It’s from the Summer Mini… But the cool new Decorative Label punch that I used on the insert is available in the new Holiday Mini! As you can see, it mats the Wide Oval Punch nicely. Check it out on the SHOP NOW page of my website.

So, if you ever need to snazzy up a wad of recycled gift certificates, feel free to use my idea! Please note that I made sure to put the least crumpled certificate on the outside of the wad. :)

Happy Stampin!

Brenda

Eggs in a basket...

Here's a project I came up with for my Spring Fling classes this week.

It's an Easter spin on the flower pot pocket card. If you've never seen that type of card, instead of the eggs, there are flowers. Since I don't have a large flower punch or die, I decided to use the wide oval punch to make a basket of eggs instead. Here's what the tag looks like pulled out:

Stamps: Teeny Tiny Wishes
Accessories: Wide Oval Punch, Jewelry Tag Punch, Scallop Trim Border Punch (SAB), Perfect Details Texturz Plate, Organza Ribbon, Razzleberry Lemonade DSP & Paper Trimmer with scoring blade


Basic directions for making the basket:

• Score a 8 1/2" x 3 1/2" piece of card stock at 1 1/2" and 5".
• Fold the shorter flap forward to create the brim of the basket and the other flap back.
• Punch edge of brim with border punch.
• To create the side angles of the basket: Mark at 1/4" from each side at the bottom fold. Unfold brim (keeping the rest folded) and then use a paper trimmer to cut straight from the fold of the brim to the marked edge.
• Fold the brim back down and run entire thing through Big Shot with texturz plate.
• Punch a bunch of wide ovals out of designer series paper--I used 7 on this card.
• The outside layer of the tag measures 2 3/4" x 4 3/4", inside layer is 2 1/2" x 4 1/2".
• Place tag inside basket and arrange eggs as desired--keeping in mind the size of a standard 4 1/4" x 5 1/2" card so you will be able to use a standard envelope. Using a piece of grid paper or template under your card will help with that.
• Carefully remove tag holding all the eggs in place and then attach eggs to tag starting with the eggs in the back, being careful to only put adhesive where they will attach to the tag. Be sure to remove any excess adhesive so the tag doesn't get stuck in the basket forever.
• Tie a 15" piece of ribbon around the brim of the basket, this holds the whole thing together. Embellish as desired.
• Tuck your tag in the basket and enjoy!

Don't forget, Sale-A-Bration ends on March 31! If you like the border punch I used on this card, be sure to take advantage of this promotion to get it for FREE before it's too late! If you don't know what Sale-A-Bration is, check out the link to the brochure----> Basically, you get to choose something for free out of the brochure for every $50 you spend!

Sale-A-Bration is also an awesome time to take the plunge into becoming a Stampin' Up! demonstrator! The starter kit is discounted 15% and you also get to choose an extra stamp set (up to $47.95 value)! Contact me if you would like more information about becoming a demo.

Happy Stampin!

Brenda Bromen

Brag Book... this one's for a Grandma.

The daughter of a friend of mine (from one of my stitch groups) just recently had a baby. When she was asked if she had pictures to share, my friend gave all sorts of excuses as to why she didn't have any... even though her new grandson was several days old and she was actually at the birth! Knowing that I was going to be seeing her again at a luncheon a few days later, I quickly whipped up a clear envelope Grandma's Brag Book:

Boy, was she surprised! Coincidentally, she had actually just gotten pictures back from the printer before coming to lunch and there were just the right number of pictures for the pages I included in the book! So, instead of people fingering all of her precious grandson's pictures, she was able to pass around this book. I have to say, it was a proud moment for both of us. :)

Here's a closer look at the tag. Notice the new punch I used, it's called Modern Label. It's new in the 2009-2010 Idea Book & Catalog and will be available for you to order on July 1! I also used the Billboard Decorative Strip Die (& the Big Shot) for the title on the book. It's not a new die, but I don't think I've shared a sample of a project I've used with that.

Happy Stampin!

Hoard No More! ...well, at least for this Pop-Up Graduation card.

How many of you buy things on impulse and then are either afraid to use them because they cost "a lot" and it has to be a pretty special project or once the items arrive, you just can't figure out what to do with them? Well, I have a stack of stuff like this... mostly accessories. Coincidentally, before I found out this item was going to be retiring, I decided to break into my long hoarded pack of Hooray Designer Hardware. As a bonus, I also used some grommets (also hoarded) from the Occasions Mini on the same card! Check it out:

I saw the idea of using the Top Note die to create a gift card holder on the inside of a card on Shelli Gardner's blog. She mentioned that Stampin' Up! gave their employees cards that actually had a place for 2 gift cards inside (dinner & a movie). Neat idea, huh?! I only needed a slot for one gift card for the graduate I plan to give this card to, so I had to attach it differently that it was on my inspirational card. Here's what I came up with:

It's pretty simple... I folded a 5" piece of card stock in half (the length doesn't matter, but should be at least 4", depending on how deep you want to make the slot that holds the gift card) then set the folded edge 1/2" - 1" in on the short side of the Top Note die and ran it through the Big Shot. At this point, you can decide how much of the gift card you want showing and then score the same distance in on both sides. This creates the flaps that hold the card slot in place. I then used Mono Adhesive to attach those flaps to the inside of the card. I also added a little adhesive inside the edges of the folded area (beside the card slot), so the card would fit more snuggly. Clear as mud?

Happy Stampin!

Peak-A-Boo Pocket Cumpleanos Card

Do you have a teenage son? If you do or ever have, you may know how complicated life with one can be. My 15 yr old son was invited to a birthday party awhile back and I was excited to hear that the boy who invited him was in his Spanish class. Why, you might ask? Well, I have this Spanish stamp set called Flores Ilamativas (Spanish version of Wow Flowers) that I have been dieing to use! When I mentioned this to my son, he rolled his eyes and said "You don't have to do that!" (meaning, DON'T... YOU'RE GOING TO EMBARRASS ME!) I kept pushing, as most teenage boys' moms do... and said, "No, really, I'd like to!" He said, "Why do you HAVE to use a Spanish stamp?!?!?!?!?!!!!!????!! He's not Spanish!" See, it's not that he didn't want me to make a card for his friend, he just didn't want it to be... different. Well, I was determined to use the Spanish stamp set... so I said I'd make a card and he could either use it or not... I DIDN'T CARE! (yes, I used that attitude... and YES, I REALLY DID CARE) Well, here it is (sorry for the blurry pictures):

I tried to make it as simple and non... different as I could. But I couldn't help but do a little peak-a-boo window with the circle stamp. And, since he would be giving the boy cash, I figured a little pocket out of the Scallop Envelope Die would be perfect! I cut away the scalloped flap, of course... that would have been too girly.

Here's a close up view:

When I proudly presented the card to my son, he exclaimed "Why did you HAVE to make it with a Spanish stamp??!!?!?!?!?!!!" Other words were exchanged and I stormed off WITH my card! Well, right before we were to leave for the party, my son came to me and asked where the card was and said that he could probably use it. I told him where he could find it (no, not there) and off we went to the party. Of course, I couldn't make eye contact with him as he walked up to the house or get out of the car to meet the kid's parents or anything... but he used MY CARD!!! :)

After the party, I did ask him what the kid (and his parents) thought of the card and I got the "I dunno." sigh...

Hope you're happy stampin!

Brag Book... a great Mother's Day Gift!

With Mother's Day just around the corner (May 10), I recently held a class for this project:

Stamp Sets: Great Friend, Baroque Motif, Define Your Life, All Holidays
Accessories: Big Shot, Serif Essentials Alphabet die, Scallop Circle die, Background 1 Texturz Plate, Jumbo Eyelets, 5/8" grosgrain ribbon and sanding block.
~
Using clear translucent envelopes for the inner pages gives you a place to simply slip in 4x6 photos for a wonderful Mother's Day gift that any mom or grandma would LOVE to show off! You could even step it up a notch and create mini scrapbook pages. If you'd like to give this project a try, check out the tutorial for the basic brag book construction on SCS.

If you haven't noticed the April Special flyer to the right, be sure to check it out. When you order at least $40 in products from the Occasions Mini catalog (before s/h & tax), you will get to choose a stamp from page 208 of the Spring-Summer Idea Book & Catalog--up to a $9.95 value--for FREE! You can also earn a free stamp from that page if you host a workshop with $150 in sales (along with the usual hostess benefits)! If you'd like to place an order or host a workshop (in your home or via catalog/email), please give me a call or shoot me an email... or order online through my website. This offer ends April 30!

Happy Stampin!

Pop-Up Gift Card Holder

Happy New Year, Y'all!

Here's a birthday card I made for my nephew:

Sneak Peek at a new Stamp: A Little Somethin' (Rock Star image) a Level 2 Hostess set

I had seen a gift card holder idea using a typical flat store gift card that was held in the middle of the card--slid inside a flap created by an extra fold. I can't recall the first place I saw the idea, but it has been stored in the back of my mind for awhile. That was my original plan when I decided to get a gift card for my nephew.

Well, once at the store, I found this awesome gift card maze game and couldn't pass it up. I still wanted to use the same card concept, so I had to improvise the design. Here's what I came up with:

Here's a close-up:

The maze is held in firmly with the sticky adhesive that originally attached the gift card to the store card--similar to glue dots.

Stamps: A Little Somethin' (Level 2 Hostess set--new in Spring-Summer 09 Catalog)
Seeing Spots
Celebrate Everything
Calendar Alphabet & Numbers
All Holidays
Ink & Card Stock Colors: Pacific Point, Kiwi Kiss & Naturals White
Accessories: Large Star & Star Punches
My Way Punch
1-1/4" Circle Punch
Crimper


Happy Stampin!
Brenda

Bag it and Tag it!

Here's a Bag-A-Lope we made at the Packages & Tags class:

What'a "bag-a-lope" you ask? It's a bag that you make out of an envelope by cutting off one end, scoring it on the other 3 sides (on this bag, we scored 3/4" in from each edge) and puffing it out into a bag. Click here for a basic tutorial.
Here's a close up of the tag. We used Little Felt Flurries & Filigree Brads.


And finally, a gift card tag made with Moose You (which is also retiring... sniff, sniff... I just LOVE this set!):

I got the idea for the layout of this card from my blogger friend Tracy.
And here's a close-up of Rudolph's nose:

Tip: to prevent the ends of the brad from catching on the gift card, I taped over them with a piece of scotch tape.


Thanks for looking! And, as always...

Happy Stampin!

Pocket Silhouettes

Have you checked out the Never-Before-Seen Stamps Sale? There are 10 great stamp sets at 15% off until September 30--see the link on the right for the complete list. One of the sets I have been playing with lately is Pocket Silhouettes. It's on sale for $16.11 (reg. $18.95). I have 3 cards to show you!

The first card uses the stamp off technique, where you stamp one image with a fully inked stamp and then stamp again without re-inking, creating a lighter shade of the original color. It's a simple card using Very Vanilla, Elegant Eggplant and Always Artichoke card stock, classic ink pads and ribbon... can you say "COORDINATE!"? I distressed the strip of Elegant Eggplant card stock by crumpling it up (a great way to get out any frustrations of the day) and inked the creases, then sponged around the Very Vanilla layer with Always Artichoke ink. For the ribbon, I wrapped a piece of Always Artichoke ribbon around the front of the card stock strip and then tied on small pieces of the three colors of ribbon.


This is another relatively simple card using the Top Note Bigz die in the Big Shot. The base of the card was folded and sent through the die-cut machine leaving the folded edge intact. The front of the card is just adhered directly to the base. Along with the Pocket Silhouettes stamp set, I also used the square background stamp from the Fresh Cuts set with Whisper White Craft Ink. "Thanks so much" is stamped directly on the white taffeta ribbon using Basic Black classic ink.


My final card has a creative fold that creates a pocket inside. I "cased" this fold idea from a card I saw on splitcoaststampers.com.

It's a 3" x 3" card. I started with a 3" x 9" piece of card stock, scored and folded it at 3" & 6", then I opened it up and scored from the top of the 3" scored line diagonally to the bottom of the 6" scored line. Here's the tricky part: on that diagonal scored line, fold the right half of the card back (away from you), then fold the last 3" section up. This should create the diagonal pocket. Now all you have to do is use your favorite adhesive to secure the non-pocket edges and decorate.

I used the Round Tab Punch for the... tab on the pocket insert. Of course, the ever versatile Scallop Circle Punch and 1 3/8" circle punch work perfectly for the focal point on the front of the card. The Chocolate Chip arrow type accent came from a scrap of the Bella Rose DSP I had leftover from another project using the Top Note Bigz die. The colors used are Chocolate Chip, Tangerine Tango, Riding Hood Red, Naturals Ivory/Very Vanilla.

As you can see, with these 3 cards, I'm set for thank you cards. :) The other saying that comes with this set is "friend to friend". If you like the Pocket Silhouettes stamp set, be sure to take advantage of the special price! You can either contact me directly to place an order, or go to my official Stampin' Up! website and place your order ONLINE! I'd love to send you one of my thank you cards for placing an order. ;)

Happy Stampin!