Sunday, November 30, 2008

SPEAKING OF THE "LOVE YOU MUCH" BUNDLE . . .

This is a Valentine card that I created using the "Love You Much" bundle which includes a gorgeous pack of Candy Lane designer series paper, the Love You Much stamp set, and the Heart to Heart punch. This bundle of products will be available at a 20% discount from December 23 through January 31, but demonstrators were able to go ahead and purchase the bundle. Naturally, I had to play with it! On this card, you can see some of the bundled products!

CALENDAR CARD

What a fun project and a useful gift! This is a card that will fit in a regular A2 envelope. Of course, these can be decorated in a number of ways, but I kept mine simple since it was the first one I made. I plan to make a few more of these to send instead of (or with) a Christmas card. SU products used include Chocolate Chip card stock, Chocolate Chip Poly Twill ribbon (retired), "Afternoon Tea" designer paper (retired, but still gorgeous), and punched hearts from a BRAND NEW punch that will be available in SU's Spring/Summer catalog. It will be part of a bundle available sometime this month (sorry, I should have done my homework before working on this post), but I know that it's called the "Love You Much" Bundle. Using the three punched hearts surely made this a quick project, and I love the variety of shapes and sizes of the three hearts!

A SUNFLOWER FOR MAMAW

My sweet, sweet grandmother will be 89 y/o on Wednesday, and this is the card that I'll put in the mail for her tomorrow. She is very special to me, and I hope she'll like this card. I used a brand new Spellbinders die (Sunflower Set Two) for the main image, and I sponged the cut pieces with More Mustard, Old Olive, and Close to Cocoa ink. I even tied a pretty Natural Hemp Twine bow! It amazes how most of my customers really dislike the hemp twine, but I love it! What better way to add a natural accent to a project??? I'd be lost if SU discontinued it. Well . . . maybe not lost, but I'd be disappointed. If you have an extra birthday card lying around and would like to help shower my grandmother with birthday wishes, contact me for her address! I know she'd love to find a mailbox full of greetings. I just wish I'd thought of this sooner.

Friday, November 28, 2008

MR. TWIGSTER TRIANGLE BOX

It's that time of year . . . the "most wonderful time of the year" . . . time to bring out the holiday tunes and work a bit faster on those holiday projects! Those who attend my Holiday Stamp Camp will get to make a triangle box, but it's not this design . . . it's even cuter!

Thursday, November 27, 2008

MORE FELT FLURRIES

How's this for an easy Christmas card? These little "flurries" are the best, and I have my
downline to thank for talking me into buying them. Thanks Michelle!! The felt flurries can be found in the Holiday mini catalog--in two sizes. Believe it or not, the ones that I used on this card are the little ones. Best of all, you get 69 snowflakes in this package, and they're not nearly as little as you'd think they'd be! BTW, the big white snowflake is a die cut from the Sizzix Snowflake #2 die.

Sunday, November 23, 2008

"VILLAGE CHRISTMAS" CRACKED GLASS

"Village Christmas" has always been my favorite Thomas Kinkade work of art, so I was thrilled to be able to purchase this stamp a year or so ago. There's a "sister" picture to this one, but I can't recall the name of it. It's the view from the other end of the street. Anyway, there's just something about the vintage feel of this picture that calls to me, and to see it in all its glory in a gallery is stunning! Chadrick was quite young when I used to drag him into the gallery at Carolina Place mall. As I tried to study all of the detail in the art, Chadrick's little hands would just twist the light button and have the best time making the lights brighter, dimmer, brighter, dimmer. If you've never visited a Thomas Kinkade gallery, you really should put it on your list of things to do. I don't recommend that you abuse the dimmer switches, though--the gallery personnel really don't like that. Anyway . . . as you can imagine, this image would be quite challenging to color, so I mostly enjoy it in its monochromatic glory. Today, I decided to try a cracked glass technique, but I didn't get as many "cracks" as I would have liked. If you click on the picture, a larger view will open so you can better see the technique. SU products used to create this card include the Big Shot and Top Note die, Chocolate Chip satin ribbon (retired, but still gorgeous), Glassy Glaze embossing powder, VersaMark ink, Chocolate Chip ink, and Chocolate Chip and Very Vanilla card stock.

FUN WITH "LITTLE FELT FLURRIES"

Quick Card - a card that can be created without a lot of effort, time, or frustration.
Yep! This one is definitely a quick card! I used the Big Shot and the Scallop Circle die to create the card, a Coluzzle was used to cut the designer paper circle and, of course, the most dazzling of all . . . those adorable felt flurries! This may very well be one of the holiday designs that I use for my Christmas cards this year! BTW, this card fits a regular A2 envelope, and I used the "Little Felt Flurries" found in the Holiday mini catalog. Even though these are the little ones, they're not as little as you'd think! They're a perfect size for cards, boxes, gift bags, tags, etc., and you get a BUNCH of these beautiful flurries! If you'd like to order some, just visit my SU web site at www.regina.stampinup.net, and click on the "Shop Now" button in the top right corner!

Thursday, November 20, 2008

SOMETIMES IT'S BEST TO LEAVE WELL-ENOUGH ALONE

Yesterday, I was working on some designs for my Friday workshop. This was one of them; however, I thought the card needed something. I think it was an omen that the ribbon kept falling off. I have NEVER had ribbon fall off a card before when adhered with a glue dot! I'm still not sure what a good fix would have been, but this is no longer a project for the workshop! Maybe a red bow would have been all it needed.

JINGLE ALL THE WAY WITH DECOR ELEMENTS

How do you like this project? I purchased the Jingle all the Way Decor Elements from SU, and I had a hard time deciding how to use them because there are SO MANY choices! I finally--late last night--decided to create a holiday frame, but I didn't want it to be so busy that all elements got overlooked. Ah ha! It occurred to me to use Holiday Treasures designer paper for the presence of texture and color. On the front of the glass, I applied the Decor Elements vinyl (a bit crooked--ARGH!!!) and also the pieced Poinsettia. The striped ribbon wraps around the glass. I guess you could say this is a "on the glass, behind the glass, outside of the glass" framed project! LOL! My friend, Karin, recently purchased the Sizzix Poinsettia die and since she doesn't have her Big Shot yet (she's in my Big Shot layaway club), she let ME borrow it!!!! How awesome! I wonder how she'll like what I did with it?

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

HOLIDAY STAMP CAMP

Does this look like a project line-up that will jump-start a variety of your holiday creating??? What you can't see are the two BONUS projects that I have planned! I'm really excited about this stamp camp! I have two card designs planned, and my bonus projects are gift-related so this is truly an event that provides ideas and instructions for many of your holiday creative needs! The stamp camp will be held on December 7th, sign-up deadline is November 23rd, and the fee is $27. If you're unable to attend the stamp camp and would like to have the completed projects, the cost is $37. Make plans to join me!!!

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

ANOTHER CRICUT CARD



I took the Cricut to work with me again today and made this card to send to my niece. I actually needed to send her a thank you card and, since she's pregnant, I thought she'd enjoy getting "a wee note" in the shape of a baby carriage. I think this is my favorite "Wild Card" cartridge creation yet!

MINI MAGAZINE HOLDER

Shhh . . . I'm supposed to be getting ready to go to the shop, and I should have 30 minutes behind me by now of trying to coax my thin hair into doing something nice, but I wanted to get this project posted to my blog. First things first, you know . . . I have priorities! Anyway, this is a mini magazine holder (in case you can't tell). I've been seeing these things everywhere and was anxious to make one, but I was disappointed about not liking to make it. I'm sure you've had those projects before . . . you love the end result, but they're just not fun to make? Maybe I should try another one before I make my final decision. I didn't make this for anyone in particular . . . it's just one of those "gotta make at least one to see how it's done" kind of projects. I guess I should get on with the shampoo now.


Tuesday, November 11, 2008

HOME FOR CHRISTMAS

I started out to create a card with this stamp without coloring the image, but one thing led to another and the next thing I knew, I had the markers out! Ha! Believe it or not, this image is NOT difficult to color! For added interest, I decided to add some Flower Soft to the snowy "puffs" on the tree and also on the wreath. I'm including a close-up picture so you can see the detail. I think it turned out really well! BTW, the Flower Soft is not a SU product. SU products used to create this card include "Home for Christmas" stamp set, Creamy Caramel, Riding Hood Red, Handsome Hunter, and Very Vanilla card stock, Rope Twine (holiday mini catalog), Chocolate Chip Craft ink, Clear embossing powder, heat tool, and assorted markers.

ORNAMENT CARDS

These two cards were created with the Cricut and the Big Shot. The ornaments were cut with the Cricut, and the embossing on the silver card stock (by SU) was created with a Cuttlebug embossing folder and the Big Shot. SU products used to create these cards include Bravo Burgundy, Whisper White, Real Red, and Basic Grey card stock, silver brad, silver elastic cord, Scallop Edge punch, 5/8" Bravo Burgundy and Real Red grosgrain ribbon, and "Hugs & Wishes" stamp set.

IT'S THE WILDEST THING!

I had to work at the shop today, so I took my Cricut with me and had a blast! Since my "Wild Card" cartridge arrived yesterday, I was anxious to play with it. This is a card that I made to send to my grandmother for the birthday money she gave me. It's kind of hard to tell, but the layered flowers are actually the front of the card and the "many thanks" sentiment is glued to one of the flower petals. The cartridge that I was using, Wild Card, has various card designs and includes a coordinating envelope for every card. How sweet is that???? I love the grassy cuts on this envelope and probably should have cut them again from a different paper, but it was taking a bit of time to learn as I went along so this card and envelope will just have to do.

Tuesday, November 4, 2008

ANOTHER "SNOW SWIRLED" CARD



I love the stamp set . . . the designer paper . . . and the shape of this card, but what does it need????

SNOW SWIRLED

This is a recent creation with "Snow Swirled." The designer paper that I used is from the Ski Slope collection (AWESOME designs!!!!). I really like the Baja Breeze and Chocolate Chip colors together, and that felt ribbon is the PERFECT addition to add warmth to Winter projects! If you'd like to get it for your projects, it's the Alpine Originals ribbon in the Holiday mini catalog! The designer paper is also in the mini catalog!