Asian Artistry Notebooks

I just LOVE making these little notebooks. They measure 2-1/2" x 2-1/2". They are perfect for the purse!! I sell a lot of these at craft fairs. I'm hoping to have a bunch made for this falls craft fair.

For my notebooks I used the "Asian Artistry" dragon fly stamp by Stampin' Up! My challenge is to use all the images in that set and so far so good!!! I have two stamps left, one image stamp and one word stamp. I should be able to combine the two and my challenge has been met (first time in very LONG time!!!).

These little notebooks are fun to make because they allow me to use the smaller stamps. And of course I had to use the new in colors, Rich Razzleberry, Bermuda Bay and Dusty Durango. The first notebook I did was the Razzleberry one, then the Bermuda Bay one and when I got to the Dusty Durango one I decided that the Razzleberry was no longer my favorite color in this new group, it's now the Dusty Durango!!! LOL Who knows what my new favorite color will be tomorrow?? LOL The more I play with these the more I like them. Not that I didn't like them from the very beginning but I tend to favor a color. Or two!! LOL

To make these notebooks I cut my card stock and my copier paper 2-1/2" x 2-1/2". The white piece on top with the image on it was cut 2" x 1-7/8" I couldn't make it perfectly square because of the coil. Cutting it square made it look like it wasn't centered. I stamped the image in the same color as the card stock. Then I stamped the dotted image from the "Itty Bitty Backgrounds" set. It was stamped using VersaMark and I embossed it in gold. Then I sponged in the edges. I got most of the ink off the sponge and rubbed a little bit of color on the dragonfly. As simple as that!!! Now if I'm going to sell them I have to add the Stampin' Up! copy right stamp on the backs.

Thank you SO much for visiting today,
Wanda

Asian Artistry Notebook Weekend Project!

There's nothing more fun to do with a notebook than to alter it!!! I LOVE altering notebooks. I ran across one I had picked up at Michael's. They seem to have these in their dollar spot all the time. What is on the front is of no interest to me when I purchase them. All I care about is that it has an ink pen with it!!!

This notebook is FULL of fun "new stuff" by Stampin' Up! The background paper is from the new decorative paper pack "Razzleberry Lemonade."

To stamp my image I usually take the entire stamp to the paper cutter. I measure the block and cut my card stock that size. Most of the time it is accurate enough! The image is from the new level 2 hostess set "Asian Artistry." I'm working my way through the whole set. I have SO many sets that I have only used one or two items in it. I'm going to try harder with this new catalog to get to use all the images in each set I buy!!!

I even got to play with the new matching markers!!! That was such a brilliant thing Stampin' Up! did. No more blender pen and washed out colors. Nice and solid right from the marker!!! Such a deal!!! I used the new markers to color in the image. I used the Bermuda Bay for the leaves and the Crushing Curry on the bird. Once it was stamped I took the writing end of the marker and drew in a little Dusty Durango on the beak and I used the Soft Suede on the eye and to outline the wings, tail feathers, legs and just a bit under the belly.

I sponged the edges using the Rich Razzleberry ink pad. I layered it on top of a piece of Rich Razzleberry card stock. That is one of the prettiest colors I've seen in a long time. I got a feeling I will be ordering a LOT more of that color in the next year!!!

And for a final touch I added 3 pearls from the Pretties kit. And it was ready to tape together.

To cover the notebook I just set the notebook on top of the decorative paper and marked it with a pencil and headed on over to the paper cutter and cut what I needed. If you are going to alter a lot of these notebooks you will want to do the decorative paper individually. Every notebook is not cut exactly the same.

These are fun things to do for a Make & Take or great Hostess or Customer Appreciation gifts. The sell at craft fairs and are a great Stamp Camp item to do! They are just a lot of fun!!

Thank you SO much for visiting today,
Wanda

THE New Stuff!!!

I missed the Wednesday Sketch Challenge. Hubby and I went on an overnighter to Sleepy Eye. We went to see the Jeffer's Petroglyphs. It was extremely fascinating. The only bad part of the trip was the Petroglyps were all there really was to see. There was not a lot to do there. We did drive to New Ulm to have dinner oh and we stopped at this Wal-Mart store to pick up a game to play to occupy our time that evening. This Wal-Mart was UNREAL. It was not a not a Super Store, it was a Super Mart. The place had 4 doors to it!!! The left end had a liquor store, the 2nd section had the grocery store (HUGE) the 3rd section had the usual "Wal-Mart" stuff and the other end was the garden center. I took a photo of it, actually it was 2 photos because I couldn't get it all in on one picture!!! I was amazed at how big it was. Oh and I spotted a Dollar Tree there and hubby being the SUPER nice guy that he is stopped there for me!!! It was ok, not as big as out Dollar Tree here but I managed to find a few things to buy!!! LOL It was a nice short getaway!!! Hubby was between releases at work so he was able to take a bit of time away. The weather here was still cool enough for me to go outside!!! LOL Which was good because there was a bit of hiking up a trail to see the carvings.

Ok, onto my post!!! My Stampin' Up! pre-order items came today!!!! Of course I had to order the "in colors" kit! But I did not use any of them in this card. And NO, I'm not saving or hoarding them for the future!!! LOL I was just TOO anxious to play with this fun Level 2 Hostess set I ordered. I thought it was such a pretty and versatile set. And the flower fit SO well in the sketch focal area! Oh and yes, I did actually cut that flower out. UGH!!! It took a while to do but it was SO worth it!!!

Oh and the markers also come in the in colors now, how cool is that??? I was SO thrilled when I saw that!!

I started my card out with Basic Black for the main part of the card. Then I set a layer of white on top. The white had been sent through the Cuttlebug "Dotted Swiss" folder. Then the strip layer went on. The decorative paper there is from Stampin' Up!'s "Tea Party" package. I just LOVE that paper. The purple on the very top layer is also from that pack of decorative paper. The green squares are don using Certainly Celery.

To do these sketches I usually just measure the printed out sketch. It prints out exact size so it's easy to get measurements. Sometimes I just hold my card stock to the sketch and use my fingernail to make a little mark on it and then head on over to the paper cutter and cut it to the nearest whole line on the cutter. I do that because it makes it easier to cut the black layers for under it.

Like I mentioned, the flower was cut out. I had stamped it using black StazOn. I cut it out and then I colored it in. I was going to color first but I opted to wait and do that because the last time I colored with a blender pen and then cut the image out the ink smeared. SO to avoid that from happening again I decided to just cut and then color and I was very pleased with the results. The image stayed clean! I used Pretty in Pink for the flower, Barely Banana for the inside of the flower and Certainly Celery for the leaves and stems.

I glued the flower in place in the focal area. I have this wonderful glue pen. It's got a tip on it like a ballpoint pen. They are by the Sailor Corporation. And it's a 2 in 1 pen meaning that if you use it right away it will stick permanently but if you wait then it will be a removable adhesive. Oh and it's got a blue tint to it to know if it's still wet and is in a permanent state. If it is clear that means the glue has dried enough and you will be able to reposition the piece. Well, I really didn't want to have to reposition this piece. I had a feeling I had to get it right the first time because if I were to move it the fine stems would tear. I set the flower in place but was a bit too far to the left and the leaf stick a bit over the decorative paper. But that's ok, it still looks fine there, just not perfectly on the DP like I really wanted.

If you have time I highly recommend you give this sketch or one of the other 231 sketches a try!!! They are SO much fun!!!

Thank you SO much for visiting today,
Wanda

Fun Notebooks!

I still have notebooks left and one was sitting out on my worktable. I gave it some thought and figured I would see what I could come up with on the spur of the moment. I glanced over at a stack of stamp sets I don't have cataloged yet and saw the Stampin' Up! "Branch Out" set. I have played with it before but not quite enough to set it aside and move on!!! I want to play with it enough that when it retires I will not feel so bad about seeing it go. I've had too many sets I didn't play with enough and the next thing you know they are retired. I know that doesn't mean that after the retired date they won't ink up anymore!!! And there are some that I hang on to. Actually a lot more than just "some!"

These little composition notebooks are a lot of fun to alter! And this tree fit perfectly on it too!!!

I did use a retired stamp on this notebook. It was the "Canvas" background stamp. I love that stamp to give my pieces an aged look. I stamped that in Creamy Carmel, I had stamped it off first than stamped the background on my piece of card stock. I then added the tree followed by the swing. The swing required me to get out my Stamp-a-ma-jig!!! Ever since Sue showed me how to use it I have used it a lot!!!

For the leaves in the tree I used Certainly Celery and Garden Green. They seemed to go well together. It gave it a fresh look, not quite like spring because of the darker green but not a summer look either. I added some Pretty in Pink and Lavender Lace butterflies. I sponged the edges with a makeup sponge. Those fine foam sponges sponge a lot different than the round foam ones do.

I found a piece of brown velvet paper and used it on the spine of the notebook. I forgot I had this paper stuff. It has such a fun soft feel to it. This really was a quick notebook to cover. I have more to do at a later date. Maybe when the new catalog comes out I will find something fun in there to don the cover of a notebook or two!!!

Thank you SO much for visiting today,
Wanda

A Fishy Card!

As you can see I'm still playing with the Stampin' Up! "Just Beachy" set!!! It's just got SO many fun images in it!!! I hope it will be in the new catalog!!

While I was shopping at Lowe's the other day I always look in the paint department. I'm still on the search for a color for the guest bedroom. I'm not sure what color I want it to be yet. First I have to paint the ceiling. I know what color that has to be. I just don't have the time right now to do it. Which is ok because once that is done then the walls will need to be painted and like I said, I don't have the time for that right now!! But I always like to look at the paint samples to see if a color will jump out at me. I figure when I see the color I will know. No color has really popped out at me yet. Maybe once the ceiling is done and I shop more seriously it will happen. Who knows? But when I was at Lowe's the other day I must have been in a green mood because I brought home 4 samples all in the green tones. The one sample I used here matched the Always Artichoke card stock enough to use it on a card!!! I don't usually do paint chip cards but this idea just popped into my head when I set the sample on the wall in the bedroom!! I took the sample off the wall and took it to my workroom to stamp on it!!! And of course the "Just Beachy" set came to mind!!

I like this little fish the best of all. I think because it's got a seriously scary look to it compared to the other fish in the set!!! This little guy looks like he means business!!!

The "Happy Birthday" is from the Stampin' Up! "Viola" set. I'm SO glad they didn't retire that one. There's a few things I still want to make with it before I say good bye to it.

The background of the card, on the white card stock is stamped with those cute sandals. I used Always Artichoke ink and stamped off once. I sponged the edges on the white pieces with Always Artichoke. When I had finished putting the circles together and set in place I thought it needed a bit of "something" else. The "Happy Birthday" was not big enough to fill in the whole area. I was going to just add some paper piercing on the circle but I thought it could use a little more, something with some texture to it. And the brads came to mind. Fortunately I had some Always Artichoke ones left!!! They were enough to fill in the area with out making it look like you were trying to fill in the area!!! LOL

This would make a great masculine card for birthdays or even Father's Day (changing the wording of course). It would make a great fishing invitation too!!! Isn't it a fun card?

When you are stamping on paint chips you do need to be careful. Stamp on it like you would stamp on the glossy card stock. These paint chips are smooth and you can smudge the image. I also used black StazOn ink. I wasn't sure if the regular black ink would dry or not and with only one chance at it I didn't want to take any chances!

These types of cards (on paint chips) are quick cards to make!!! Gotta LOVE that!!

Thank you SO much for visiting today,
Wanda

Salty Sandals!!! Weekend Project

Here is another "Weekend Project" that won't take you all weekend to do unless you are making TONS of them!!! These are so fun and quick you may want to make TONS of them!! I find they make great little fun "girly" gifts. Who doesn't like a reason to soak in a nice hot tub for a while???

I used the Stampin' Up! Box #2 Die. This is one of those dies that I sure do get a lot of use out of. I am hoping they come out with one that opens from the side instead of the top. That way I can have the window at the top and it will display bon bons or whatever!!

This was a fun project for me to do because bath stuff is right up my alley!! The simple bath salt recipe can be found here. I like to use this recipe because I usually have the "stuff" in the house to make it!!! Mix them up and set them aside in a container with a lid. You don't want dust in it. Plus you want to contain the fragrance.

Then I cut out my box. I did have to cut out the window with an X-acto blade. I wasn't able to use a punch to do it because of the top and bottom being designed the way they were. Not that there is anything wrong with their design, it just isn't meant for what I wanted to do with it.

After I got it cut out I used the Stampin' Up! "See You Around" jumbo wheel. I stamped it in Bashful Blue ink on Bashful Blue card stock. Then I took the white gel pen and filled in some of the open circles. I just wanted the box to have a bit more color and "depth."

I glued the window in before I glued the side flap to the box. I used a clothespin to hold the flap in place to dry. While the glue was drying I stamped the sandals using the stamp from "Just Beachy" set. Aren't they just adorable??? I colored the flower in using YoYo Yellow and the straps and edges were colored in using Bashful Blue. I glued them in place as you see in the photo.

I then took 2" x 3" zip baggies and filled them with the bath salts. The box holds 3 of them. I took 1/4" white grosgrain ribbon and tied it around the box. It wasn't enough, the box looked like it needed just a little something more. SO I got out the flower punch and punched 3 flowers using white card stock. I took the end of the gel pen and pressed the flowers onto a piece of 1/4" thick Fun Foam. Then I colored the edges with the YoYo Yellow marker and I made a dot of yellow in the center. I drew some lines on the flower to show petals. It was easy to see those "lines" because the paper crinkled just right when I pressed it in the Fun Foam with the gel pen. I glued the flowers on the upper right corner and It brightened up the box and left it with a more completed look. Now it is ready for gift giving. These would make a great Stamp Camp project, Hostess Gift, Customer Appreciation Gift, Make N Take and Slumber Party Projects/Gifts.

If you are going to make these to sell you will need to use the Stampin' Up! copyright stamp on the box (probably on the bottom). And you will need to type up the ingredients and instructions. Be sure to include something about not intended for children under 5.

Isn't it a fun project? You can be SO creative with these things!!! I'd LOVE to see what you do with them!!

Thanks SO much for visiting today,
Wanda

My Sister's Anniversary Card

Next week is my sister's wedding anniversary and I thought I should make her a card. I had a card in mind but it didn't quite turn out the way I wanted it to. The rings look a bit silly to me. In my mind it had a very elegant look.

She likes the Brilliant Blue so I went with that card stock. The words were done on the computer. I didn't have a "Happy Anniversary" stamp that would fit in the oval. I printed out a full page of them so I can use them on future cards.

I'll put a nice gift certificate inside and it will distract from the outside of the card!!!! LOL

I used a Cuttlebug folder for the dry embossing on the white. I like the looks of this one for wedding and anniversary cards.

The more I looked at this card as I was typing up this post I decided to redo it. I just did NOT like those rings.

SO I went with Bravo Burgundy because I had wide ribbon to match. The only Brilliant Blue ribbon I had was the 1/4" stuff and that was just TOO thin.

Now you tell me, don't you like it much better without the rings??? That big bow seemed to be a bit more elegant looking than two gold tone rings.

Thank you SO much for visiting today,
Wanda

Sharing Something Silly!!

The other day I had been shopping for something for my poor splitting fingernails. I saw the French manicure polish and thought I would give it a try. And believe me I did give it a try. Many tires!!! I just couldn't get those tapes to stick well enough to not let the white polish bleed under it. SO after I went through almost all of the tapes I was desperate. I gave it some thought and decided I was not going to go to the store and buy a package of the tapes for $5.00. I thought that there has to be something around here I can use.

White mailing labels came to mind. SO I got out my Stampin' Up! punches and found one that had the right arch to it. It was the 1-1/4" one. I punched out a few strips with it and applied it to my nails. OMG, it worked SO much better than the store ones. I was worried that it wouldn't come off the nail without leaving residue behind but they came off cleanly!!! I was thrilled. Do you know how many nails one sheet of address labels will do??? Over 50 depending on how thick you punch them. I made mine a bit thicker (wider) than the original ones. That way I could slap on the white polish and not be so restricted to space as with the store ones. Now don't look at my cuticles. It's my nails that I need to tend to right now, the cuticles will come later when the nails are repaired and healthy! Oh and I found a cute sticky flower for the nail. I had it in a drawer that I was going to use someday on my nails. Well, someday came!!! LOL They almost look natural!!! I had plenty of practice with those strips!!! LOL

SO, now you know what I do with my spare time!!! LOL

Just another use for the Stampin' Up! punches!!!

Have a great day and be resourceful!!
Wanda

Another Butterfly!

I ran across this stamped image I had done a month or so ago. It was just sitting around waiting for me to figure out what to do with it. It was made using the stamp from the Stampin' Up! "Thoughts & Prayers" set. I thought it would be fun to work in the new butterfly punch with this image. I was going to add it where the "thank you" is but after setting it there I realized that was a BAD choice!!! Trust me on that one it looked REALLY dumb just sitting there!!! LOL

First I will tell you how I did this fun muted image. I stamped the image on white card stock using the VersaMark pad. Then I took a Q-Tip and tapped in the colors. I used Garden Green and Regal Rose chalks here. Nothing more than that. After you get the image colored you just take a paper towel and gently rub the excess off. Click on the photo to see the image enlarged. You will see the marks on the white from rubbing off the excess chalk. You can remove most of that by using an art gum (kneadable) eraser. I like to stretch it a bit and warm it up. Then I form it into a cone so I can get into those tighter areas. I will probably use the eraser on this card before I send it off. But for now I left it so you can see that smudging it like that is not the end of the world. It still looks nice with it on there. It gives the image a muted look. Erasing that gives it a cleaner look. It's your choice on what you would like to do with it when you are done using the paper towel on it. Oh and be careful not to rest your hand on the chalked area while you are working on it. You will smudge it a lot more than you want plus you will carry the chalk on your hand to the next area you move your hand to. So you are not only dealing with smudges but shadows from where your hand touched last.

The "Thank You" was done using a custom stamp I had made. I used the oval punches for my layering there.

I ran the Regal Rose background piece through the Dotted Swiss Cuttlebug folder. One of my favorite folders in the world to use!!!

Now onto the cute butterfly. This punch has two different styles of butterflies. Actually it has 3. There is a tiny one too that I have not played with yet. Though I think the body part will be WAY too big for that little butterfly. I think it would be fun to put all 3 of them on a card. I'll have to give that one some thought. For this butterfly I punched the larger wings out of Pink Pirouette and Pretty in Pink. I sponged the edges in Pretty in Pink and after I taped them together I added some white gel pen dots!! And then the body which I punched out of Chocolate Chip. I did punch a 1/2" circle and used it as a base to tape the wings to while I was putting it all together. I did have to trim the circle after I set the large wings in place. It showed past the head of the butterfly. It was easy enough to trim, I just had to snip a wedge out of it. To affix it I just taped the circle base to the ribbon I added and it was done. I like this butterfly much better than the other one. Oh and the other one was put on upside down!!! It was difficult for me to tell which end was up on that one. This one was much easier to tell!!! Plus I like the upper part of the wings on this one. I think this punch was not only a fun investment but a good one too!!!

Thank you SO much for visiting today,
Wanda

A New Toy!

I totally forgot I had ordered this cute butterfly punch. There was a box in the mailbox today and I just thought it was something that hubby had ordered. I set it on the counter and just a while ago I looked at the box and the rest of the mail and I saw that it was for me. I had mixed emotions about the box then. I wanted to be discrete about it, I didn't want hubby to know I purchased yet another item that won't fit in my workroom!!! LOL

I opened the box and saw the punch and headed right to my workroom. Which was a good thing because I hadn't posted anything yet today. I was SO busy with "spring" house stuff that I totally forgot about my blog!!! I am exhausted from all the things I'd been doing today. First I watered my flowers. I HATE outdoor work but the temps were not bad but it was windy and I got a pretty good misting from the sprayer.

I took the windows out in the kitchen and cleaned them and the screen. Those windows are not easy to get out and require a knee on the counter for leverage. I don't like having the windows out because I have this vision of a bird flying in my house and then bird poop everywhere while the cats chase it around the room. Doors open all over the place for the bird to escape the instead of the bird leaving the cats do. Such an imagination!!! LOL

I had to clean the blinds too. SO that meant taking the valance down. I got it down and the blinds went in the bath tub. I soak them in Avon bubble bath. I have done that for YEARS and it cleans them SO well. I hang them on the window over the tub, it has a crank handle and the blinds hang there so I can rinse them off and let them dry there for a bit while I finish cleaning and putting the window back together.

Well, in cleaning those blinds I notice that the bathroom blinds were actually "dirty." We have had some pretty windy days and there was actually fine black dirt in my bathtub from it blowing in. We usually leave that window open all the time (until the air conditioning comes on). SO I soaked those blinds in the bubble bath.

Then I had to take the top glass from the security door and put the screen in. But the screen needed to be washed so I had to clean that first. Well, while looking at the door I thought today was just as good a day as any to start painting that door. It is black and the house trim is dark brown. We had purchased some dark brown Rustolium for that door a couple of months ago. SO I had to clean the door and sand a few rusty spots first. The door was much harder to clean than I had anticipated. It has a design in the bars and I had to get in there with a scrubby brush. UGH. I got it all clean and let it dry. In the meantime I removed the top glass and was going to put the screen in but realized I couldn't because I would probably get paint on it and I really did need to paint both sides of that door. I got the top part of the door done. Well, not completely, just the scrolling part and the bars on the door. I didn't do the outside, it is something that has to be done all at once. No top half or bottom half there, the metal is smooth and one long stretch there. It's that design in the bars that takes so long to do and I still have the bottom half left to do! UGH. That job was a lot more work and time consuming than I thought it would be.

Then the next thing I know hubby is home. I still had blinds in the bathtub and we had to go pick up my car which had to go back to the shop because the new breaks made a new noise. Hubby said, "apparently they thought we said change the grinding noise to a clunking noise instead." And charged us $630 for a new noise!!! LOL

We got back home and I had to make dinner. Blinds still in the tub. SO while that was cooking I finished cleaning the blinds and as soon as I get this posted (they should be dry by now) I will be hanging them back up!! I'm exhausted!!

Now let me get back to the fun part here. This cute butterfly. It's a punch that has it all. There are a couple of different style wings, small circles and the body. I punched out a set using Pirouette Pink and Pretty in Pink card stock. The body was cut out using Chocolate Chip card stock. I sponged the wings with Pretty in Pink. The top wings were curled a bit using the edge of the scissors. I added some white dots using my gel pen and I taped it all together.

The tree is from the Stampin' Up! "Thoughts & Prayers" set. I stamped the tree in Certainly Celery and then took the Chocolate Chip marker and colored in the trunk and branches. The tiny flowers are from the "A Beautiful Thing" set. I used the Sizzix Scalloped Oval die for the frame around the tree. And the frame was made using a piece of decorative paper from the "Bella Birds" package. The butterfly punch is by the McGill company. I'll show you other butterflies more once I play with this one more!!!

I am going to have a LOT of fun with this butterfly!!!

Thank you SO much for visiting today,
Wanda

Relax & Enjoy! Weekend Project

Here's a fun and quick gift to make and it won't take you the whole weekend to do it either!!!

To make the box I used the Sizzix die cut Box #2. This is one of my most favorite die cuts. I get a LOT of use out of this one and I'm sure when it comes time for Christmas gift wrapping I will be cranking out a few more of these boxes!!! My bracelets will fit nicely in them, plus homemade candies (I plan on making a window in the box for them!!!) and other candies!! It will be a LOT of fun to do and quick too!!!

Ok, onto my project. I cut the box using Lavender Lace card stock. Then I took the Stampin' Up! "Whimsy" jumbo wheel and wheeled on Lavender Lace ink. I used the "Enjoy" from the "Enjoy Every Moment" stamp set and again I used Lavender Lace ink. It was easy to stamp the words on because the wooden block was SO close to the size of the side of the box!!! I didn't have to eye it much at all. Gotta LOVE that!!!

For the little round "relax and" I did that on the computer and punched it out using a 1/2" circle punch. I sponged the edges and taped it in place in the center of the "O". I added the fun bath bag and closed the flap. I tied a ribbon around it and it was ready to go. Oh, if you are planning on making these to sell you will need to not only add the Stampin' Up! copyright stamp but also you will need to add the ingredients and use directions. I would place them on the bottom of the box. It will give that closure flap a bit more stability.

I had purchased these fun bath bags. The outside of the bag feels like paper but I think it is made of some type of soap. It dissolves in the tub along with the contents. How cool is that???

These make quick gifts and maybe a fun thing for the teens to do as a project for their sleepover!

Such a fun project and a great gift!!!

Thanks SO much for visiting today,
Wanda

Wednesday Sketch Challenge

The Sketch Challenge didn't come in until really late last night so I didn't get a jump start on it!! When I finally remembered it this afternoon I went online and had a look at it. Fortunately it was fairly simple one and this is what I came up with!!

I used the Stampin' Up! "Tea Party" decorative paper and "A Flower for all Seasons" set. I colored the flower in using markers and a blender pen.

The layers carried the background enough but I did add a piece of Pirouette Pink that I ran through the Dotted Swiss Cuttlebug folder. It just needed a little splash of color back there. I originally had Certainly Celery all cut and ready to go but I didn't like it. The card seemed drab. I wanted it more bright and cheery looking. It's bright and cheery!! This card can be used for quite a few occasions. AND it was a quick card to make too!!! Gotta LOVE that!!!!

If you have some time, head on over to SplitCoastStampers and give it a try!! The people there are SO nice and they leave great comments for your post!

Thank you SO much for visiting today,
Wanda

An Elephant Never Forgets!

Do you think that is true??? That is questionable. I've never really given it much thought. I suppose I could just Google it and find the answer. There's SO many answers to things in Google!! But I don't have the time to research that!!! Maybe when I'm old and have nothing else left to do!!!! LOL

I had purchased some small 4" x 3-1/4" composition notebooks for altering. I had them on a shelf for a long time and when I was looking for something else (isn't that how it always goes?) I ran across them. I took them off the shelf and decided to do something with them right away. I almost had to because when I put the stuff back on the shelf I set things on it nicely and I didn't make room for the notebooks to go back there!!!

I had purchased some black Duck Tape from Menards. Yes, it was actually called "Duck" Tape. I thought it was Duct Tape!! But not this stuff. It's a bit shinier than I wanted it but it did the job it was intended to do so I over looked the shine!!

To alter the notebook I first cut the decorative paper the size of the notebook minus a little for the black seam/tape backing. I taped the decorative paper in place and then added the Duck Tape. It was a bit wider than the original stuff that was on the notebook and I could have trimmed it but I actually liked it wider.

Then I had to think of what to put on the cover. I had picked out a flower from the Stampin' Up! "Sweet Stems" set. But I had just used that set and thought I should move on to something I hadn't used before.

As I was looking in the few sets I have that I have not put together yet I saw the elephant in the "Teacher's Pet" set. I used Brocade Blue for the contrasting color. I used a blender pen and the Brocade Blue ink pad and colored in the elephant. I sponged the edges and layered it on top of a piece of Brocade Blue card stock.

I had a stamp made with the word "remember" on it and used that for the wording on the front. It just seemed appropriate!!! I punched it with the small oval punch, sponged the edges and layered it on top of the oval scallop piece of Brocade Blue. I taped it in place on the front of the notebook. I think it turned out pretty cute. I was going to add a bow or brads but after thinking about it, if this was to be put in a purse any raised items could rip off or get hung up on "stuff" in a purse or drawer so it was just best to leave it as simple as possible. Well, this is surely simple!!! And these were very easy to do too!!! The hardest part of these was locating the "Duck Tape" at Menards. I don't remember where in the store we got them, hubby found it for me!! I also bought white. There were a few other colors but I passed on them. I wasn't sure if I would really use them or use enough of them to justify the purchase. SO I just stuck with black and white. Though I am having second thoughts about having the white!!! We'll see what we can come up with using it!!

Altered notebooks are always fun to make and make a great gift. They are also a great Stamp Camp item. They are fun as a Make & Take too. Plus they make nice little Hostess Appreciation gifts and Customer Appreciation gifts!!! And best of all they are great to have in your purse when you need to jot down a note or a card design idea!!!

Thank you SO much for visiting today,
Wanda

A Little Bit Sweet!

I was looking through my stamps after I saw the retired list today and I ran across the Stampin' Up! "Sweet Stems" set. Sweet is such a perfect word for this set. So I thought I would use it on a card.

Then I was looking through my emails and one of the blogs I subscribe to had a cute layout that I though would work for this set. The blog belongs to Daniela and it's called "For the First Time." I like to follow her blog. She has some cute cards and other items but mostly I love to see the photos of her son. He's now a year old and she posts photos of him all the time. This little guy has a full head of hair, he was born with it!!! My son was bald until he was 2!!! Poor little thing!! LOL We have a photo of him at Christmas time, he was a bit over 3 months old and the way he was sitting he looked like Uncle Fester from "The Adams Family!" LOL Well, that is what my sister told me he looked like. I didn't think so. He was a cute baby!! I'll have to find that photo and share it with you (my son will LOVE to see that on the Internet!!! LOL).

Anyway, back to my card. I had some pieces of "Bella Birds" decorative paper sitting out and thought I would use that for this card. And I also had a piece of the Bordering Blue card stock sitting with the decorative paper so it was meant to be!!! Or was I just too lazy to find something different?? LOL I went with Daniela's layout and I put the decorative paper at the top of the card. I had punched out the scallop and attached it below the decorative paper. I covered the "seam" with some wide grosgrain ribbon I had gotten at The Dollar Tree. What I did with the ribbon was I wrapped it around the decorative paper and the scalloped piece (that were taped together) and I taped it on the back. Then I taped all that to the front of the card. I took a piece of white thread and tied the ribbon a bit to make it gather so the bow I attached to it would look like I tied it on. I didn't want to tie the bow on because it really does pull to hard on the band of ribbon and doesn't lay nice. I attached the bow with a couple of glue dots.

I stamped the tall flower from the "Sweet Stems" set. I punched it out and sponged the edges with Bordering Blue. Then I punched out the scallop oval and sponged the edges too. I was about to tape it in place and I realized the background looked too blah so I took another stamp from the "Sweet Stems" set and used Bordering Blue ink and stamped it over the card stock. Then I taped the oval in place. If I were to make another one I would stamp all over the card stock first. You can tell closer to the scallop that it could use a bit more stamping there. But I did get it close enough.

This was a fun card to do and I really do LOVE this layout. I am always in favor of layouts that allow you to get by using a small image to make your card complete. This card can be used for many occasions!! I like that too!! Oh and it was a quick card to make too!!! Ya gotta LOVE that!!!

Thank you SO much for visiting today,
Wanda