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

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!

Mission "Emboss"ible Projects

Here are a couple of projects we made at the Mission "Emboss"ible classes I held last week.

The chipboard heart was embossed several times. First it was inked with Rose Red craft ink, sprinkled with Iridescent Ice embossing powder and heat set. Then Versamark Ink was applied and it was embossed with clear embossing powder (at least twice), to create a smooth look. A tip for heat embossing small items, attach it temporarily to a scrap piece of cardboard to use as a handle to keep your hands at a safe distance from the heat tool.

Here's a closer look:

The rose from the Fifth Avenue Floral set was stamped onto Shimmery White card stock using Basic Black craft ink and embossed with clear powder. The technique for adding the color is called Reinker Spread and was demoed at a Stampin' Up! regional seminar by Connie Ingram. It involves 3 colors of reinkers, an aqua painter, and spray bottle of water. You really need to see this one in person to appreciate how shimmery and gorgeous the colors are!

You may have also noticed that I used the Manhattan Flower Textured Impressions Die on the Kiwi Kiss background.

MY SCRAPBOOKING GOAL UPDATE: I don't want to make excuses for not having a layout to share with you from this last week... but... things came up. My sweet hubby's birthday is today and I spent several days making him a hat (while he wasn't looking). After seeing this hat and recalling that we live in Texas, you may wonder "What the...?"

Well, he's been watching Out of the Wild: Alaska on The Discovery Channel and he was inspired! LOL! Actually, we are also going on a trip to Alaska this summer and he felt he just HAD to have a flap hat! So I dug through my yarn stash and knit him one! I certainly hope the temps aren't cold enough for him to really need it while we're there. Although, I think it brings out the blue in his eyes. Love ya, Hon! :)

Back to my excuses... err, I mean non-excuses for not having a layout to share with you... I was also busy making 4 dry erase message boards for my son's Sunday School teachers:

AND, my calendar was also full of social events, a vet appointment and classes. I did "scrapbook" in the technical sense of the word when I prepped for a class that I have coming up on Monday--making a paper sack mini album. Unfortunately, I can't share a picture of that project since it will be a gift (in the near future) for a special someone who reads my blog. :)

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I promise, I will be Happy Scrappin' in the coming week... I hope you will be too!

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!

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

Chipboard Picture Frame

I'd like to share another gift I made. This one is for my husband's grandma... Here's what she'll receive in the mail in the next few days:

You may recognize the wrapping paper and ribbon from last year's Holiday Mini... yes, I'm a hoarder. ;) The tag is made using the Fresh Cuts stamp set.

When she opens the package up, here's what she'll find:

Inside I've created a frame for my sons' school pictures:

I think this is a great way to create something extra special out of those little pictures.

The base of the frames are chipboard, layered with cardstock and Urban Garden DSP. The hinges are made using 2 strips of ribbon sandwiched in between the chipboard and outside layers of cardstock/paper. Here's a close-up:

The stamp sets I used are Inspired by Nature and Calendar Alphabets & Numbers.

To get the different colors on the floral image, I used the marker to stamp technique. Since the Baja Breeze color doesn't come in a marker, I use the edge of the ink pad to color the petals of the flowers before I colored the middle of the flowers with a Not Quite Navy marker. To get the textured look, I bounced the markers on the image to create a sort of pool of ink in those spots. Give it a try!

Happy Stampin!

Regional Seminar & SCS Dinner Fun!

I went to my first Stampin' Up! event yesterday--the San Antonio Regional Seminar--and had a blast! It started off with general swapping while we waited to check in and receive our make-n-take supplies and stamp set. Here is the swap card I made with the Love Owl-Ways stamp set and Frosty Day DSP from the Holiday Mini:

I only made 15 cards--but I am extremely happy with the 15 cards I swapped for... many neat ideas and great samples from stamp sets that I don't already have that I can display at my stampin' events.

Over the next 7 hours, my friend, Jennifer and new friend, Kathleen and I made 6 awesome make-n-take projects, listened to inspirational demonstrators and received all sorts of creative project ideas and business tips. At the very end I even met Sherri Gardner, the Co-founder and CEO of Stampin' Up!. She is such a sweet lady... so down to earth and real.

(Jennifer, Shelli & Me)

A few hours later, I went to dinner with a bunch of my SCS (splitcoaststampers.com) demo friends. It was so much fun! Meeting everyone in person was such a neat experience.

Here's my long awaited SCS dinner swap card made with the Happiness is a Journey stamp set & Urban Garden DSP (along with many other supplies):

The dry erase board I made for a door prize was a huge hit! The winner, Elizabeth, even did a happy dance. :) I used the Bella Rose DSP, Serif Essential dies with the Big Shot, Flower Fusion Too & rhinestone brads.

If you ever have a chance to attend a Stampin' Up! Regional Seminar (either as a demo or a guest), I would highly suggest it! I can't wait to implement all the wonderful ideas I received in my own creative projects and in my business. Keep an on my schedule of events for upcoming classes.

Happy Stampin!

Altered Clipboards

Well, I had a wonderful birthday! Aside from the Serif Alphabet that my husband gave me, would you believe that I got a "lifetime supply" of gel pens?! My sister gave me an awesome gift that any scrapbooker would drool over--100 gel pens (including every color of the rainbow in metalic, pastel, neon, glitter, pearlescent...)! I haven't done much stamping or scrapbooking in the last couple days... but I did knit (one of my other crafting passions) on my birthday.

Here are a couple projects I made a little while back that I thought you'd enjoy. They are 2 versions of a similar project--one using supplies from around the house and the other using one of Stampin' Up!'s wonderful accessories.

As with most crafters, I have a stash of all sorts of things "I might be able to use for something". Just ask the movers, that most recently packed and carried all my stash, just how much I have! I guess you could say crafters have been "green" since before "green" was cool--why would you want to throw "it" away when you can cover it in pretty paper and create a beautiful gift?! :)

Well, digging through my drawers and bins, I found a couple clips and a chipboard coaster to use with this project. I covered the coaster & binder clip base with Stampin' Up!'s beautiful Bella Rose Designer Series papers, then embellished them with stamps and ribbon. You could do something similar with a piece of sturdy cardboard. This is a great project to display a special photo or message.

With the same idea in mind but sort of upgrading the project to the next level, I used one of Stampin' Up!'s chipboard clipboards and decorated it similarly to the above project. I also used the Crop-A-Dile to add a couple Jumbo Eyelets to the bottom left corner. This project would also be a pretty way to display a photo, but it could also be a wonderful "to do" or shopping list holder! I kept the embellishments on the main part of the clip relatively flat, just in case.


Now, go dig through your own stash and see what you can make!

Happy Stampin!

Top Note Accordian Book

Another reason why I had such a wonderful day on Friday.... I had a play date with my stampin' friend, Jennifer. Boy, what an experience to have 2 creative minds working together!

Soon after Jennifer walked through my door, she couldn't wait to try an idea that came to her on the drive over. Finding some "scrap" paper, she went to town with her idea on my Big Shot... Her brilliant idea was to accordian fold paper just small enough to fit between the edges of the Top Note Bigz Die and then punch it out to create an accordian style book or card. Between the two of us, this idea evolved over the 4 hours she was at my house. You could say we were Happy Stampin! :)

Here is the book I made:







You would not believe all the different things Jennifer and I came up with to make out of the Top Note Bigz Die! It's another one of those "thinking out of the box" moments. When you have a chance to give the Big Shot Die Cut Machine and Top Note Bigz Die a try, be sure to take a closer look at the scrap pieces! Check out the cover of my book and you'll see a couple scraps that made the brackets on the sides.

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!