Stampin With Frances

Skinny Bag Valentine Share

There are so many ways to show I Love You to your special someone. But what about the friends and acquaintances who are not THE SPECIAL ONE?? Today's share is a quick Valentine goodie that you will want to give to just about anyone. I will be taking these to the doctor office to share with the staff and also to my physical therapy office. They will surely enjoy being remembered in this simple way. Hmmm... I might need to hang one of these on the mailbox for the mail lady. I am sure that you will come up with a bunch of people to share these treats with.

 

The treats in this first photo were made for a swap that I participated in and I love how the Glitter DSP looks in that super cute Scalloped Heart of Hearts embosslit die. I ran squares of this gorgeous paper through the Big Shot using the embosslit. I love how the little bumps give the hearts just a bit of extra sparkle. I hope you can see them as clearly as I can IRL.

      

This second photo shows the skinny bags that my granddaughters and a friends son put together for their school friends. I took advantage of my time with my girls since I might not be with them again before Valentines Day. I added a close up of the Scalloped Heart of Hearts so you could see the detail.

These were so simple to make and they had great fun. I can't decide which they enjoyed most, working the Big Shot or eating the treats! I think their friends will enjoy them too. We used M&M's and Conversation hearts to fill them. The toppers were made with Pink Pirouette punched with the 1 3/4" Scallop Circle Punch and then hearts punched with the Big Shot. The toppers were put together with Glue Dots and Dimensionals making it extra easy for young hands.

 

This last photo shows the 3-D swaps that I made for Leadership. I think that all of the designs are great and as you can see, the options for toppers are truly endless. And this is just one holiday! Think of all the other times you can give these goodies out........ decorated for the season.

 Thanks for stopping by today and have a happy stamping day!

Hugs and Kisses

This sour cream container is one of the easiest things you can make and it looks great in our new Specialty Designer Series Paper "Love Impressions". You can find this paper in the new Occasions Mini. The X's and O's are just perfect for a container to put Hershey's Hugs and Kisses in.

All of these are made with just one sheet of DSP. What could be better?? Cut the 12 x 12 DSP into 4"x6" pieces. Then punch with the Heart to Heart Punch. I used a cut cello bag to line the inside of the punched area (wouldn't want to lose any treats). Then I created the container. I will have to put a simple tutorial together. It is easier to show the steps with photos than it is to tell it in words. I'll try to get this together for you tomorrow, so be sure to check back!

This makes a great treat for co-workers or your childrens friends and even without a tag it speaks volumes. Have a great day and remember that comments are greatly appreciated!

 

What does 51 card fronts look like??

Why do I care what 51 card fronts looks like? Well, I went to Stampin'Up!'s Leadership Conference and this is what I prepared for a swap that I participated in. I had a grand time learning things about my business. But besides the learning part of the conference, there is great fun to be had by swapping ideas with other demonstrators. I love participating in swaps because I get so many wonderful ides that I can then use in my business. Being a demonstrator does not require you to know it all. We help each other out by sharing our ideas. Join my team of demonstrators and I will be your number one helper!!

This photos shows all of my card fronts.

  

Here is close-up shot of my card design.

 
I also participated in a swap with my friend Cindy Umbach and this is the card that I sent to her swap.

 
I love the look of the ribbon pleated accross the stamped image, but I wasn't up to doing another 51 of those so I did change things a bit for leadership.

Both designs use the same colors but are assembled just a bit differently. I love the soft spring colors on them and was very pleased with the new embossing folder that can be found in our new Occasions Mini catalog. If you love it as much as I do, then you can order yours by clicking here!

Material List:

Tulips Embossing Folder (121809), Easter Blossoms Stamp set in clear (121905), Pear Pizzaz cardstock, ink and ribbon and Pretty in Pink and Pink Pirhoutte markers. The card base is Naturals Ivory cardstock (101849). I like to use this or the Confetti cardstocks when I want that neutral color to my card base because these are heavier than Whisper White or Very Vanilla and give the card base more body.

Thanks for stopping in today and be sure to leave a comment about  my work! Your thoughts are appreciated.

 

And the winner is....

Yes, the blog candy winner has been selected. Now to count to the selected number and see who the lucky winner is.....

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The name appears to be...... Kathy Thisted!!

I am sending an email your way to get your mailing address. Congratulations!

I want to thank each of you who took the time to leave comments on my work. Please check back to see new projects and be sure to look at the past posts. I will be posing instructions for my projects soon. Just have to put some tutorials together.

I'll be back later today with some card sharing. Have a happy stamping day.

Royal Blog Tour

Welcome, welcome to my humble castle. It is so good of you to stop in for a visit today. During your visit you will get to see my ideas for using the stamp set ALWAYS. This set has a nice variety of stamps that can be used so many different ways. But it seems that I have gotten stuck in a "Wedding" rut as you will see when you stroll through my tour post. But who doesn't like weddings?

For my first project, I decided that I wanted to create a mini album to give to my dad. It has just turned a year since my beloved mother passed away and I know he is lonely. So in my mother's honor I created this little album to give to my dad to remind him about how precious their first years were together. Since blue was my mom's favorite color I used my favorite blue, Marina Mist. The Designer paper is Elegant Soiree. Even though the DSP uses Baja Breeze as it's main blue, I noticed that the Marina Mist blended well with the DSP as I assembled this project. The frame of the album uses the Tri-Fold card style as its base  - actually there are 2 of those connected with a base and then fronts added. I really like the way this base allows you to tell a story with your images and photos. The colors of the Elegant Soiree DSP also blended well with the black and white photos that were used. I tried to keep this album from being too frilly as it was for a man, but I couldn't help adding flowers here and there with accent brads and some Dimensionals to create depth. I hope he likes it. 

 

The front of the album highlights the lacy heart from the Always stamp set and is stamped in Marina Mist to coordinate with the album base. The hearts were stamped twice, cut out and then outlined with punched and crimped strips of Very Vanilla cardstock. The Pinking Hearts punch is just too sweet with all of those teeny tiny hearts. I love the way they frame the cut out hearts. I mounted the embellished hearts with Dimensionals (the second heart is raised on two layers of Dimensionals). Then I layered the Marina Mist and Soft Suede cardstock to create my front piece. Very Vanilla 5/8" Grograin ribbon will keep the album closed and secure until my dad wants a peek at his love of many years. The two hearts on the front reminds me that for 57 years their two hearts beat as one. You too can inspire this thought in your scrapbook pages.

 
One thing about Stampin'Up! stamp sets, they allow you to enhance any kind of lifetime event. I guess I was in a wedding and married kind of mood because my next project is a wedding favor using some very fun skinny bags. I filled the bags with Jordan Almonds and some pastel candies that I found at Walmart. Do you love candy? Both of them come in such a variety of colors that you are sure to be able to match the wedding colors! Speaking of colors, isn't it fun to see the variety of Stampin'Up! colors used in these wedding favors? What is your favorite color? I created a simple Heart embellishment to tie to the bag and then they are ready to place at each guests' spot. Now your friends will have a little embellishment they can add to a scrapbook page with their favorite photo of this special wedding.

 

 
Of course if you are going to have a wedding, you need an invitation. My next project is one that I cased from a sideline, Sherahl Weedon, who just recently designed these for her daughter's wedding. I loved the layout of the basic invitation, but I made it my own with the Always stamp set. I also put my Big Shot into action with the Elegant Lines embossing folder and of course the finishing touch is the oh so pretty Basic Pearls. Don't you just love how easy it is to accent your work with this new embellishment that Stampin'Up! added to this year's catalog? I find myself using them everywhere.

 

 

 
I hope that you have enjoyed this little visit into the world of weddings and the inspiration that can be found using the Always stamp set. Don't forget that you can use this set for cards also LOL! I will be posting the directions for these projects next week, so check back to see how I did it! I might even be inspired to add some cards made with this lovely stamp set.

Who likes Blog Candy??

I'm offering these two stamp sets for one lucky person!! All you have to do to participate is:

1. Leave me a comment letting me know what you think about my work.
2. Email me your name and address so that if you win, I know where to send the stamp sets.
   

That's all there is to it. Email me here: hickoryfah@comcast.net. When the tour is over, I will use a random selection tool to choose the name of the lucky winner from all of the names who kindly leave comments.

Thank you for visiting and I hoped you enjoyed your time here. Be sure to check back so you can get the instructions on how to make these projects yourself. I'll be sharing patterns, sizes and a complete product list.

Untill the next time, travel safely.......

 

 

 

Bags, Tags and Boxes

November 20th is the date to remember! I have an awesome workshop scheduled that you won't want to miss. We will be making a series of Bags, Tags and Boxes, just like the title states.

Each gifting container is unique and will be a fun way to share your gifts. This first box is specially designed using the gorgeous striped paper from the Specialty Designers series paper pack Candy Cane Christmas. I have a trick to make the DSP into a sturdy box that will easily house your special gift.  I just love this pack of paper and I have been having fun designing tags and various containers. Each class attendee will learn how to make this specialty box as well as a matching gift tag.

But that is not all. How about this great bag? It uses the Jolly Holiday DSP pack found in the Stampin'Up! catalog. Such a cute bag and so easy to assemble. The tag is perfect for tempting the receiver. I know I would want to peek inside as soon as I saw it! It will definitely need some custom stamped tissue paper.

I will be sharing a few more of the boxes, bags and tags that I have created. Contact me by email to reserve your spot and to get class fee and payment information.

Until then, you have a treat in store. Tomorrow the Royal Blog Tour begins. You won't want to miss this opportunity to visit some great blogs, see some awesome stamping projects and have the opportunity to win Blog Candy along the way. Check back tomorrow to find out how you can view this tour.

Have a happy stamping day,

 

The Gremlins are back!

It is so exciting to be able to share with you today the scrapbook pages that I recently completed. Now, I can't take credit for the idea since they were totally cased them from my sideline Josette Cunningham. But these little Gremlins were just too cute to not take a stab at. Remember the movie? It was scary when the Gremlins received a treat so of course my little guys are begging for treats! The lurking ghosts are amazed at the antics of those pesky little Gremlins.

 
Here are the pages separately so you can see the layout a little better.

 

 

It is amazing to see how many different ideas people have come up with using the Owl Punch. I am sure that other people have also created these fun little guys, but I saw it first with Josette. The different Halloween DSP packs that are currently in our line were used for my selection of colors. I added the Razzleberry and Marina Mist to give the pages some brightness even though I did not use the sheets of DSP which included those colosr. But you can try your own combination of DSP and see what different look you come up with. I know it will look great! The colors were very similar to what Josette used because I liked her pages so much.

Here are close-ups of some of the elements.

 

 
You can't tell very well by this photo, but I used some of the smallest rhinestones from the Black Flourish Designer Jewels found in the Holiday mini catalog.  They make great eyes on the bat. Do bats have eyes? Oh well, mine do!
 

 
Here are Josette's pages. I think they look great too! Or I wouldn't have been inspired to copy them.

 
   

The items used on these pages include:

CS: Old Olive 12x12, Cajun Craze, Basic Black, Razzleberry, Whisper White, Marina Mist.

DSP: Night Owl, Wicked Fun Specialty

Punches: Owl Punch, Bat Punch, 2 1/2" Circle,  Large 1-3/4" x 7/8" Oval punch.

Other: Big shot, Spider Web Textured Impressions Embossing folder, Circle Die, Dimensionals, White Gel Pen, Black Flourish Designer Jewels;

Markers: Old Olive, Basic Black.

I can't wait to get photos of all my grandchildren this weekend so that I can fill these pages up. Then I will repost so you can see how it looks with photos in the photo mats. Sometimes it is hard to visualize how a page will look without all that color that the photo mats show.

I hope you have enjoyed these little guys. Let me know what you think about my work by leaving a comment.

Be sure to visit my stamping store to purchase the supplies you need to complete your own set of pages!

Thanks for stopping by and have a happy stamping day!

 

 

 

Owl Punch with Playdate

The cards I am going to share with you today were ones that were made at one of my club meetings. I created the sample using the Owl Punch and the Designer Series Paper Playdate. I used the basic colors that are found in the DSP so you will see Real Red, So Saffron, Old Olive, Tempting Turquoise and I used Chocolate Chip for the owl and card base because an owl should be brown right?? Below you see the sample that I shared with my ladies. Of course, they usually have to modify something to make it their own. We all do that don't we?? This card was inspired by a Mojo Monday sketch but I didn't stick entirely with the sketch so I have not included it, besides I can't remember which one it was!!

  
So these are the cards that they came up with using the same ingredients. It is fun to see how people will change things. One person wanted to give this to a nephew when graduated so they changed the year, another used it for a birthday card highlighting the birth year. Another one was bothered by the year appearing in a square so they decided to put their date in a straight line. I love them all! How about you??

  
 
 
 
 
 Thanks for stopping by today. I'll be back tomorrow with another share, promise!

Be sure to leave me a comment so I know what you thought!!

Have a great stamping day.

 

 

Sweet Treat Christmas Cards

I have a few stampers who will be joining me later today to stamp a few special cards. Here are 2 of them. I have cased them from our catalog with just a few minor deviations using items I had on hand even though some of them are retired.

  

I hope you enjoy! I will be sharing in a few days just exactly how these cards were made. I make my treat cup cards so that you can get to the candy without tearing up the card.

Comments are greatly appreciated! Thanks for looking.

Punch art bunny scrapbook pages

Today I want to share with you some of the scrapbook pages that my scrapbook ladies have made at club. This set goes back to Easter. The idea was spawned by a card designed by Jacki Topa. I love punch art and I just knew that her bunny needed to go on a scrapbook page. Very often my extended family meets the Saturday before Easter and the children (of which there are many) get to enjoy an Easter egg hunt. The photos shown on these pages go back fours years, but I can still see in my minds eye that yard filled with all the eggs - it looked like a mine field. I so love watching the excitement of the little ones when they are first learning the joy of "finding" a hidden egg and then discovering what goodies that special egg holds.

I chose to use soft colors for these pages and the white picket fence and adorable bunny just make the pages.Here are a few close ups of the details. I just have to "finish" my pages by journaling. I always do that later when I have a clear space of time to collect my thoughts and put them into words.

Here is a list of the materials and tools used:

Stamp Set: Eggcoutrements (118556) from the Spring Mini

Cardstock: So Saffron 12x12 (119947); Certainly Celery 12x12 (199925); Bashful Blue (119973); Whisper White (100730); Pretty in Pink (100459); Basic Black (); Almost Amethyst (retired); Ballet Blue (retired); Tea Party DSP (retired);

Accessories: Certainly Celery Craft Ink (105165 refill); Clear Embossing Powder (109130); Heat Tool (100005); Full Heart Extra-Large Punch (119883); 1 3/8" x 5/8" Oval Large PUnch (119863); TEo Step Bird Extra-Large Punch (117191); Word Window Large Punch (119857); Jewelry Tag Medium Punch (117190); Pretty in Pink Taffeta Ribbon (109067); Basic Black Stampin' Write Marker (100082); Big Shot Die-cutting Machine (113439); Timeless Type Junior Alphabet (115951).

Putting these pages together reminded me of how special that day was and what joy family brings to our lives. I encourage you to go find some photos and create your own memory.

Comments are greatly appreciated!

Have a happy stamping day.