You need Strength & Hope when you're being pelted with lemons!

The saying goes: "When life throws you lemons, make lemonade." 

Soon after my last blog post, I got pelted with what felt like a crate full of lemons... I was diagnosed with breast cancer.  Never saw it coming...

But, in true craft-obsessed fashion, when I was going through the cute pink and brown tote bag stuffed with all sorts of breast cancer related items (that the Breast Health Nurse gave me to welcome me to the world of Breast Cancer) and found a simple cardboard notebook... I thought, HEY!  I can alter that with the Strength & Hope stamp set!  It's a stamp set especially designed to support breast cancer research after all!  And so I did:

Here's a close up of the butterfly.  It's hard to tell, but it is heat embossed using Rose Red Craft Ink and Iridescent Ice embossing powder. 

I have to tell you that this has been the most useful notebook! I bring it to all my appointments.  It's great for writing down questions to ask the doctors and taking notes so I can keep it all together in one place. 

My new best friend, Nurse Michelle, made a great point:  "If you have to have breast cancer, you might as well get all the free stuff you can!"  You know, make lemonade out of lemons!  So, I did! 

This would be a great time for me to remind you to do your monthly self breast exam.  GO AHEAD... no one is watching!  :)  Seriously though, having discovered the lump that turned out to be breast cancer myself, I am and will continue to be the posterchild for self breast exams!  I had a routine mammogram back in October (right after my 40th birthday) and this lump did not show up!  As a woman with dense (or lumpy bumpy) breasts, I learned that mammograms alone are not full proof for discovering breast cancer early.  You have to take your health into your own hands... literally! 

In case you'd like to support The Breast Cancer Research Foundation, consider purchasing either a Strength & Hope stamp set or digital kit.

BCRF receives $2 from every set and kit purchased!  Click HERE to place your order!

Happy Stampin!
Brenda

Scrappin' Recipes

As I continue with the National Scrapbooking Month theme during May, I'll show you a fun way to organize your special family recipes. Unless you're a Bush (from the baked bean company), then you'll want to add a lock and key to this idea. :) Since my recipes are not secrets, I like the idea of creating a pretty book and scrapping mini recipe pages.

I started with a 6x6 ring bound scrapbook. This is one of Stampin' Up!'s albums and I'm predicting it will be soon retiring, since it's Mellow Moss--a retiring color. So, if you want this exact album for your own recipes, order it now (105391) through my website! I chose a ring bound album so that I can add and rearrange my recipes easily. A post bound album would make that more complicated.

The cover is decorated with Decor Elements. The flower is a Demo sample. If you were to host a workshop with me, I could start the process of decorating your recipe album with one of these. Give me a call! The title was cut out using the Timeless Type Junior Sizzlits Alphabet Dies (115951) and a roll of Chocolate Chip Decor Elements sheet (114337).

Now for the pages. I used the From the Kitchen of stamp set (114964) for the recipe cards. The rest of the pages are decorated with card stock, designer papers and stickers from a Simply Scrappin' Kit. There is really no wrong way to do this. Treat your recipe like a photo and SCRAP IT! Since they're small pages (6x6), they are fun and easy to create. It would also be a great way to use up scraps you have leftover from other projects.

I will say that this Recipe Book only contains my very special recipes. They may not be secret, but they are definitely tried and true recipes that my family loves. Who wants to spend all that time and energy scrappin' a crappy recipe?! NOT ME!

Happy Stampin & Scrappin!
Brenda

Mini Post-It Note Journal Cover

As promised, I'm back with a project idea to share. This was a project we did at my Spring Fling class last month. Covering post-it notes is by no means my original idea, but I can say that I painstakingly figured out the measurements to this cute little journal-style post-it note cover:

I used half of a pad of mini post-it notes. The measurements can be adjusted depending on what size and the amount of post-it notes you use. Starting with a 5" x 2 1/4" piece of chocolate chip card stock, score the card stock at 1 1/2", 1 3/4", 3 5/16" and 3 9/16". Yes, the 16th's of an inch matters. I tried using more standard measurements, but the post-it note pad just didn't fit right. You really want it to fit snugly in the book.

So, once you've scored, then you fold it up like a book with the shorter of the 2 flaps on the outside. Like this:

If you'd like, punch the 2 outside corners with the Corner Rounder Punch. Add extra adhesive on the post-it note pad before attaching it inside the book so it won't go anywhere. To get the Velcro lined up just right, put the 2 sides together and attach the rough side to the flap. Then remove the backing for the other side and simply close the flap and press firmly to adhere in place.

I decorated the cover by cutting a piece of designer series paper to the size of the outside flap--about 1 3/8" x 2 1/4". BTW, I used the Sweet Pea paper from the Occasions Mini on this project, which is no longer available. The bunny is from the Forest Friends stamp set. He's punched out using the large oval punch and layered with a Scallop Oval.

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These make wonderful little gifts and are a great way to use up some of your scraps. Be aware, once you start making them, they will multiply like rabbits!

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Happy Stampin!

Brenda

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!

Snazz Up Those School Photos!

I'm guessing many of you get those silly school photos of your kids and wonder if there's a way to actually make them look good. Well, I had some of those silly pictures of my sons to send to my hubby in Kuwait and had to do something to snazz them up. So I made this:

This is the front and I just stamped directly onto the blank coasters, as I would a card. The saying is from the Service & Sacrifice stamp set (115992), it's punched out with the Wide Oval Punch (112082) and layered with a curly label cut out from the Movers & Shapers Curly Label Die. The background is stamped with the Medallion Background Stamp(115223) and swirl from Baroque Motif (113490).

There are 3 coasters tied together with ribbon. The holes were punched out with the Crop-A-Dile (108362). To get them all lined up, I punched 2 holes on one coaster to start--using the movable edge guide to make them the same distance from the edge. Then I laid that over the other 2 coasters (one at a time) and punched. For the middle coaster I flipped the coaster over, lined it up with one of the other pre-punched coasters and punched again. The grosgrain ribbon is simply tied into knots to hold them together. I used the Tailor Made Simply Scrappin' Kit (114326) to decorate the inside.

The pictures are attached with clear corner photo tabs (from my stash) so that my hubby can remove them and put them in his wallet if he'd like.

This would make a great gift idea for grandparents. If you don't have a stack of blank coasters sitting around, you could use the On Board Book Basics Small (110712) or scrap cardboard cut to size with a craft knife. Don't forget! Christmas is coming and this would be a quick and easy gift! Go to my website or contact me directly to place an order for the supplies you need to get started!

Happy Stampin!

Jet-Lagged and Checking In

I'm home! Did ya miss me?

Boy, was our trip fun! If you didn't read my last post, my family and I went on an Alaskan cruise! We could not have been luckier with the weather--13 days of no rain, warm temps and lots of sunshine! It was almost like my hubby paid Mother Nature to make Alaska the most perfect place in the world so that I will want to move there some day! Whale-watching, zip-lining, climbing (not me), hiking, tram-riding, SHOPPING, dancing, and EATING are just a few of the things we had a blast doing. I did get a bit of knitting in--some on the ship, but mostly during our travels to and from the cruise. Of course, I managed to find almost all the yarn shops at every port we docked at! LOL Thanks for being so patient, family!

After being away for 2 weeks, I'm climbing a mountain of laundry and catching up with stuff around the house. But I wanted to check in and let you know I'm still alive! I haven't done any stampin' in the last couple weeks, so I don't have anything "new" to show you. However, I do have a project from about a month ago that I hadn't posted yet. It's an end-of-the-year teacher gift (an altered notebook, pen & gift card set).

Close-up of the Designer Hardware:

Even though our big summer vacation is over, my busy-ness is not! Here's what I've got coming up:

One week from today, we will be moving to a new house about 4 blocks away. It will be a week-long ordeal--with the packers & movers doing most of the heavy lifting--thank goodness. But once everything is moved, my "job" of cleaning, unpacking and getting everything in order will begin. I will have about 4 days to do all that and then I'll be heading to the....

STAMPIN' UP! CONVENTION in Salt Lake City, Utah!!!!! I am so excited! I can't wait to come back and share all the exciting new ideas with you! Just so you know, I'll be in Utah August 5-9.

A couple weeks after I return home my kids' summer vacation will come to an end and my hubby will be deploying to the middle east. Soooooo, I will do my best to post regularly... but just understand why, if it's not as regular as you'd like. Feel free to post a comment once in awhile to keep me motivated... ;)

One more thing, in case you hadn't already seen it on my website. Here's this week's "deal of the week":

If you've ever thought about getting the Vanilla Hodgepodge Hardware kit, now is definitely the time to get it! You can't beat $18.99! With 200 pieces in the kit, that's less than 10 cents a piece! This sale is only good through July 26, so don't wait! Hurry over to my website and SHOP NOW!

Happy Stampin!

Brenda

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!

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.
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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!

A Pretty Card and Altered Journal... and final farewell to SAB!

Today is the last day of Stampin' Up!'s biggest promotion of the year: Sale-A-Bration! Here's one last card I made using a stamp set I received FREE: Polka Dot Punches.

I made this card for my niece, Carrie's birthday. The flower is from the Pretties kit and was colored using Baja Breeze ink and a dauber.

It doesn't coordinate at all with the card, but I also made Carrie an altered journal:

As you can see, I used another flower on the cover--I left this one white. You may recognize the patterned paper from another project I recently posted. It's from a retired scrappin' kit and I thought the sage shadow and brown combination would be perfect for my niece.

Here's the inside cover:

I used a Top Note die to frame a gift card on the inside front cover. Several layers of scallop circles from the Birds & Blooms Sizzlit dies are attached (with a jumbo brad and adhesive) to the bottom of the ribbon bookmark.

Happy Stampin!

Altered Bitty Book Gift

I have been hoarding this chipboard bitty book kit for quite some time now... well before it was put on the retiring accessories list. When my crafty friend's crafty daughter invited me to her tween birthday party, I thought it would be the perfect time to break it out from hoarding hiding and decorate it for someone who will truly appreciate it!

You may have guessed... her name is Kerri. Well, Kerri's favorite color combination is blue and brown, so when I dug through some of my other hoarded stash (of retired scrappin' kits) and found this paper, I knew it would be perfect for Kerri's gift. The K is cut out of a Sticky Sheet, using a Serif Essentials Alphabet die and the Big Shot. I combined some green and blue cosmo fine glitter to create the perfect shade of "greeny blue" to coordinate with the paper, which I believe is Sage Shadow. I left the inside pages (alternating sage shadow & chocolate chip card stock) blank and gave her some stickers from the kit and some coordinating gel pens to decorate them as she'd like.

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An early sign that I had picked the perfect color combination was the fact that Kerri was wearing these exact colors at the party! By the way, it was so fun seeing the reaction from Kerri and all the other girls (including my crafty friend, Genean) when she opened it... sort of a GASP! and jaws dropping. You could say I was doing a happy dance inside. :) Living so far from family (who I normally craft gifts for) I don't usually get to see the reaction when my handcrafted gifts are opened. Definitely makes it worth the time and effort that goes into making them.

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I have to say, since I only have boys (12 & almost 15 years old), it was quite an experience going to a crafty "girl" party. Their final activity of the night was altering Stampin' Up!'s skinny clipboards and they had a blast! They couldn't wait to bring them to school to display in their lockers. As I was helping them with their craft, one of the girls even said "Hey, Ms. Brenda, I need to have you come to my party!"

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I am Happy Stampin! Hope you are too!

Get Ready for the New Year: Make A Calendar

Here's a calendar I made for my sister:

This was one of those last minute projects that I added to my to-do list and was able to complete in about a 3 hour span of time. I somehow forgot to take a picture of November (hopefully I didn't forget to make November). ;)

I used the Create-a-Calendar kit from the Holiday Mini catalog by trimming the calendar section to a 4" square and using the designer paper side of the leftover pieces to decorate the pages. The pages are 5 1/2 x 8 1/2 (half of a regular piece of cardstock). The pictures are wallet sized prints (2x3). I left some of the pages blank so my sister could add her own pictures.

Once I completed all of the pages and covered a piece of chipboard with cardstock for the base, I used the Crop-A-Dile to punch holes for the binder clips (being sure to line them all up). Because the pages had several layers, I punch the holes on each page separately. For re-enforcement of the holes on the base (chipboard), I attached jumbo eyelets.

You can't see the very top of the calendar, but I created a hole for hanging in the center of the chipboard base. Measuring carefully, I marked a 1/2" line in the center so I could punch a series of smaller holes along the line to create an oblong hole. Then I punched a large hole in the top center, so the calendar would hang straight--just like you find on a lot of hanging packages from a store.

Happy Stampin!

Brenda

Decor Elements Monogrammed Journal

I'd like to share a journal I decorated with a monogram from Stampin' Up!'s Decor Elements line:

This is a super quick project. I found the plain black journal on the clearance rack at Borders Book Store. After applying the monogram , I figured it needed a little something else, so I pulled out some satin ribbon and my much hoarded Pretties Kit and add just the right touch to make the cover... well, Pretty! Here's a close-up:

This may not be the most practical embellishment for a book that will be stored on a bookshelf, but I think it would be oh so inspiring to write in at bed time if it were laying on my bedside table. By the way, each letter comes in a pack with an upper and lower case letter, so I have an upper case B leftover to use on another project.

Happy Stampin!

Inspiration Journal

I have another project to share with you that was inspired by the Stampin' Up! Regional seminar I went to last month:

A well-known, awesomely creative man in the Stampin' Up! circle, Jaron, shared this idea with us. You start with a coordinating piece of card stock for the base and punch a bunch of various sized circles out of a pack of Designer Series Papers (I used Urban Garden).

Starting in the center, you put a whole circle. From there, you use the circle punches to take bites out of the other circles so they will fit (like a puzzle) around the other pieces. It doesn't have to be exact, but I did find it a bit putsy. Before I glued anything down, I first placed all of the circles. Thank goodness the ceiling fan wasn't on full blast! ;-)

In order to get the circles all the way to the spiral edge, I carefully removed the spiral binding prior to attaching the card stock base. The spiral punch made the binding holes. If you try this, make sure you remember how it goes back on... the first time I put it back together, I put the spiral on upside down.

Jaron uses his book for his inspirational journal. He cuts out pictures from magazines and takes pictures of whatever inspires him, then attaches them to the pages of his journal. He includes notes of whatever colors, accessories, stamps, etc. that he's inspired to use (all Stampin' Up! products, of course). I LOVE THIS IDEA! I'm already inspired wherever I go. I usually use post-it notes or whatever scraps of paper are nearby to sketch my ideas or write my notes on... I love the idea of having one place to keep them all!

I want to remind of you one of the projects I posted back in August where I showed you my inspiration and the card I made from it:

Aren't the colors a perfect match?!

Now... go find some creative inspiration and get Happy Stampin!

Altered Journal

Being a mom of 2 boys, I'm always curious what girls these days really wants for a gift. I have 9 nieces between the ages of 16 and 2 and they all live too far away for me to keep up with the things they really like. When it comes time to sending gifts for birthdays or Christmas, I often times take the easy way out and give gift cards for a store I've heard their moms talking about--with a handmade card, of course!

Well, my oldest niece, Emmy, had her 16th birthday yesterday. I can't believe she's really 16! Feeling a bit ambitious, I decided to make her a gift... an altered journal. Although we don't see each other very often, one thing I do know about Emmy is that she's not your "typical" girly girl... so I figured anything pink was out. The Spring Break designer series papers seemed pretty cool, so I went with that. It's retired from our last catalog. What do you think?

As you can see, I also made a coordinating card that will be tucked in the pocket on the inside of the back cover of the journal. (Yes, this is a late gift for Emmy...) Inside the card, there will be "a little something" extra. ;) I hope she likes it!

Aside from the cardstock and designer series papers, I used the Big Shot Diecut Machine, Serif Alphabet "E" die, Pretties kit, eyelets, Frames with a Flourish stamp set, and All Holidays stamp set.

Happy Stampin!

Top Note Bigz Book

Check out my latest craftin' project! After finding this awesomely creative idea from the brilliant Lisa Somerville (a fellow demo), I ran to my craft space and created this little book using the Exclusive Stampin' Up! Big Shot Top Note Bigz Die (which happens to be available for you to purchase starting tomorrow, Sept 1).

The front and back covers are cut out from chipboard coasters and covered with Bella Rose Designer Series Paper and Chocolate Chip cardstock. The stamp set I used is Dreams du Jour. I used whisper white cardstock for the inner pages, but you could use copy paper for a journal or additional pieces of chipboard for a more sturdy album. My crop-a-dile came in handy to punch through the chipboard and all the layers of the inner pages for the binding holes.

In order to make some pink satin ribbon, I rubbed white ribbon over the Pink Pirouette ink pad. Makes for inky fingers, but looks oh so good! Just be sure to clean your fingers before going on to the next step.

By the way, who says you have to get dressed before noon on a lazy weekend morning???

Oh, hey, don't forget to leave a comment sometime this week to be entered in my drawing for blog candy!