Baby Bundle Baby Card

One of my fellow demonstrators had a baby girl earlier this month and I had not gotten a card out to her and her hubby. It was just such a busy month with Christmas decorating, Christmas cards, shopping, wrapping gifts, baking and a birthday the day after Christmas to deal with too! I had every intention of getting a card out with the Christmas cards but it just didn't happen. I did get the envelope addressed in hopes of whipping up a card. I don't like to "whip up" a card. I do like to take a little time and put some thought or research into it. For this one it was the research. I searched SplitCoastStampers and found a card very similar to this one, it was done by jillastamps. I liked what I saw and modified it just a little bit. You can see the original one here. I just thought this card had a clean look to it and a bit of simplicity to it too! It was easy enough to make but not "simple." You can't call a card simple when you use 4 different punches on it, right??? It was easy to do. I just love that little teddy bear in the circle.

Thank you SO much for visiting today,
Wanda

Greeting Card Kids Notebook

I am SO sorry that I forgot to post something yesterday. That is a first in all of these years of blogging. Our Christmas is always so busy and crazy. I try to post a couple of days in advance (secret is out now!!!) so I can tend to the holiday things and not have the blogging on my mind or my long list of things to do. We have a busy Christmas eve with going to extended family stuff. Then we have Christmas day here with the gifts and dinner which always follows dishes and messes! And then the 26th is hubby's birthday so there is more celebrating too. So today is my day to recoup, regroup and supposedly relaxing. My plans for the day (which began at 4:30 am because I could not sleep! - great way to start the day!!!) are to pick up the living room for starters. It's such a mess with bits of wrapping paper, boxes and gifts all over the place. A load of laundry must be done or I'll get behind on that. But remember I LOVE to do laundry because that means I get to be in my workroom until it's done!!! Nothing like being sent to your room to escape and have fun while doing the laundry! Then there's dishes and cooking (UGH!). I need to clean up my workroom. Someone sure made a mess in here! I'm such a messy stamper! I REALLY want to finish a bracelet I started and I'll share that with you when it's done, it's SO cool!!! And the last thing I would like to accomplish today is a graduation card. My niece graduated from college on the 23rd and I had to take a card from my stash. On a normal occasion that wouldn't be such a big deal but it was the only graduation card I had on hand!! SO I do need to make some new samples and put them in the samples drawer. Wish me luck on completing all of those tasks. Oh and the Christmas celebrating isn't over yet. We still have one more Christmas party/get together to attend. Then maybe we can relax and enjoy the remainder of the holiday season! I do LOVE seeing the Christmas tree in the living room and all of the decorations and wonderful red and green colors. The living room always looks so drab once we put all of the Christmas stuff away! And the living room sure looks a lot bigger too!!!

But for now I want to show you a fun notebook I created using my Zutter punch binding machine, the "Greeting Card Kids" set and the new "Love Impressions" decorative papers. I LOVE notebooks and I LOVE to alter notebooks too. It was actually fun to create the notebook from the ground up! I am going to be selling my Zutter punch machine. I have only used it twice so if you are interested in the details please email me.

I started out with some really firm cardboard. I think it came on the back of my watercolor paper tablet. It's very thick and firm. I cut it 6" x 6". Don't ask why, I have no idea why I wanted to work with a square. I'm not a big fan of squares as it is!!!

On the front piece of cardboard I glued a piece of Real Red card stock. While that was drying I cut some copier paper to fit the notebook.

Next I decorated the front of the notebook by adding a layer of Basic Gray card stock. Then I added the soft pink dotted decorative paper from the "Love Impressions" pack. On top of that I added the heart border strip and another piece of decorative paper from the pack. After I got those pieces in place I stamped and colored the little girl and worked the layers to fit.

The words came from a custom made rubber stamp. I punched it out with the oval stamp, added a larger oval layer behind it and then the scalloped oval layer. Then I punched the cover and back. I added the paper and then the wire binder.

This was a very fun notebook to create and personally, I think I like creating them from the ground up as opposed to altering an already made one.

Don't forget the annual New Year's Day Blog Candy!!! It will be extra special this year because I am celebrating a belated Blogoversary, the New Year and my birthday!! We won't discuss how many candles but I'll give you a clue - the fire extinguisher is a good thing to have on hand with that many candles!!!! LOL

Thank you for visiting today,

Wanda

Holiday Hoopla!

Yup, it was a busy holiday! I missed a posting but I do have one I will be putting on a bit later so please stop back!

Hope your Christmas was a special one!
Wanda

Merry Christmas!

Just a quick post here and a wonderful photo to share with you.

I hope you have a wonderful Christmas! I took this photo one night last week when we were driving around looking at the lights on people's homes. I loved the vibrant lights on this cute little tree and begged hubby to stop so I could take a picture. Because it was night the shutter speed was very slow and I didn't get a real crisp photo. I'd have to take the tripod out and set it up to get a nice picture. I don't think the home owner's would care for that. So this photo will have to do. It has a wonderful stillness to it, a peacefulness to it and a very Christmas look to it! I hope you can see the beauty in this much as I did. I think you maybe able to click on it to get a closer view. I hope so, it's SO pretty.

Merry Christmas to you all!
Wanda

Christmas Cards

Can you believe tomorrow is Christmas day? It sure came quickly. I just got my gifts wrapped yesterday and some baking done. I didn’t bake as much as I usually do mostly due to lack of time. But that’s ok too, we don’t need all of that stuff around here anyway.

Today I have a few cards to share with you. They are all made by my friend and fellow demonstrator Denise W! She's an excellent stamper. I love the clean look of all of her cards. It is kind of funny, after you do a few swaps you can begin to tell who made what card by the style. We all have our own style and after a while you can tell who made what card! Anyway, I hope you enjoy the cards!

Have a Merry Christmas,

Wanda

Santa Christmas Card

I almost forgot to get this post done for the blog!!! I was SO into wrapping gifts, cleaning and baking that I almost forgot about my blog!! Oh and I went out shopping. Yup! Me! I never do that and the sad thing was I really didn't need anything. Just hadn't been out shopping much this week and I guess I needed my spending fix! I did find some clear Christmas bulbs on sale so I can do some beading around them. I had beaded a bulb last week and I forgot to take a photo of it before I wrapped it up. SO forgetful. But it's not like I'm not going to be making anymore.

Anyway, onto this beautiful card. This card was made by Leah. She's a fabulous stamper and don't let her tell you any different. This card does not have any stamping on it! It's all done with decorative papers and stickers. I LOVE this whole concept. Sometimes you just need to step away from the stamps and ink and do something different. And see what a beauty the "different" is? I think it's absolutely gorgeous. The colors are so pretty. Oh and there is a lot of thought and planning that goes into a card like this too. You do need to cut the layers proportionately! Plus I love how she did the ribbons here too. You tie the two colors together in the center and then tape them in the back. Isn't it just adorable??? It adds SO much to the card.

Thank you Leah for letting me share your fabulous card with everyone!

And thank you for taking the time to visit today during this busy season!!!

Wanda

Wednesday Sketch ChallengeCreate a Cupcake

I had to take a break from wrapping Christmas presents to play with today's Sketch Challenge. I totally forgot about it. I have lost track of the days!!! I was SO into wrapping gifts and I really did want to get them done this afternoon but it didn't happen I have 5 more to wrap and I'll finish them when I get done posting this. Then clean up all the wrapping paper and paper scraps on the floor. Then the fun part of cleaning the house for Christmas begins. I have 2 things left to bake so that will be done too. Maybe I'll do the baking later tonight. I baked last night until almost 1 am. I'm SO far behind on everything this year and I don't like to add stress to my holidays!!

Ok, onto the stress-free card. I LOVE doing the Wednesday Sketch Challenge and really only find it a challenge when they throw in a square card!!! Though I have gotten better at them too! This card is not square. It had a nice quick and simple layout so I could whip the card up quickly. I needed a birthday card so this worked out nicely.

The base of my card is Real Red. The layer #2 is a piece of decorative paper from the "Love Impressions" pack. the #3 layer is a piece of Real Red card stock that was run through the Big Kick using the Dotted Swiss embossing folder. And the #4 layer is a piece of Pirouette Pink card stock. I used the "Create a Cupcake" set and the "Build a Cupcake" punch to put the card together. I did add a piece of black ribbon to the #3 layer. I wanted to use Basic gray ribbon but I was surprised that I didn't have any so I looked it up to order it and there is none to order. Bummer!! So I had to use black.

This was a very fun sketch and if you have time (take a break and make some time for you), play with the sketch too!

I was informed that I had my blogoversary last month and I totally missed it. I began blogging on here in November of 2006!!! WOW, that is a very long time. SO for the Blog Candy I will be combining it with the New Year's Day Blog Candy and make it a VERY nice gift!! SO be sure to pop in on New Year's Day to see what I have for the drawing!

Thank you SO much for visiting today,

Wanda

Candy Cane Christmas Decorative Paper Box

I am SO into making these fun little stocking stuffers. As the days get closer to Christmas I am finding myself getting more creative. Why is that? Where was this creativity a few weeks ago? I think I work better under stress!!! LOL

I had picked up this cute little snowman nail polish at the grocery store a couple of weeks back. I thought my niece would love it. It did come in lots of colors but I chose this silver one because it seemed like it would be something my niece would like.

But I didn't want to just give her the polish as is. I HAD to make a box for it. And of course I had to use the Candy Cane decorative paper (I printed it out from the download that I had purchased). I cut the box, folded it, added a window and glued it all together.

The box was cut 6-1/4" x 5-1/4". On the long side I scored it every 1-1/2". There is 1/4" left, that is for the flap that is glued shut. In the short side score it at 1-1/2", flip it and score the other side the same. I punched a circle for the window, added a piece of Window Sheet and glued it in place. I then glued the 1/4" piece followed by the bottom flaps. I added the nail polish and glued the top shut. I added the cute snowflake, a pearl and then tied a ribbon at the top.

It's SO dressed up now and a lot cuter than just adding it to the stocking as it was!!! Gotta make them work for the gift ya know!!! LOL

Thank you SO much for visiting today,
Wanda

Jolly Bingo Bits Box Weekend Project

Can you believe it's only 5 days until Christmas? I've still got some baking to do an gifts to wrap. PLUS I have to clean the house too!! I love Christmas, I just wish it didn't come with all those extra time consuming things!!! Ok, enough of my whining, on with the project for today!

This was a very fun box to make. I used the Sizzix die Box #2 to make the box. It cuts it out and scores it all in one step. I cut my box out of Whisper White card stock. Then I stamped the cute peppermint candy from the "Jolly Bingo Bits" set on using Real Red ink.

Before I put the box together I cut the hole out in the center. The hole was too big to use a scallop die punched out for an edge around the circle so I just colored around it using the Real Red marker. You can decorate the box any way you like.

Before I put my box together I did add a piece of Window Sheet to the circle. The peppermint soap is wrapped in cellophane but I just like using those Window Sheets. It gives those openings a nicer look. They have more of a quality look to them. Plus I've made some items without the Window Sheet and I find when I pick them up my thumb tends to "fall" into the opening. And without them I think they have a cheaper look to them. SO I take a whole two minutes to cut a piece of Window Sheet and glue it in. It's SO worth the time.

After the Window Sheet was put on I glued the box together. Actually with this box you only glue the one side seam. The bottom and top fold shut. I inserted the soap and closed up the box. I tied a red ribbon around the box and liked the way it looked. It's got a nice sweet clean and simple look to it. Another item for the stocking. Can you get enough stocking stuffers??? LOL

Thank you SO much for visiting today,
Wanda

Peaceful Season Christmas Card

This is one of the cards I had put together at the Diva Day Shoe Box swap! This card was designed by Sue L. Our glorious leader!! I love the clean and simple look to this card. I don't know if you can see it or not but the berries on the card are colored in with red and then Crystal Effects was put over it to give it some dimension. It's such a pretty card, isn't it?

What is SO cool about this set is that the fancy words come with it!!! I really liked the wording on this set.

The colors used here are Cherry Cobbler, Whisper White and Garden Green. They are the most perfect Christmas colors!

I almost forgot to mention, this card was VERY quick to make too!

Thank you Sue for such a beautiful and fun card!

Tomorrow I have another Weekend Project gift item for you to see!

Thank you SO much for visiting today,
Wanda

Scallop Trim Border Punch Box Weekend Project

When I was out Christmas shopping I found this cute little "Twinkle" Santa sucker. It's a red gum drop with icing on it to look like a Santa. I thought it was absolutely adorable!! I did cut the sucker stick down a LOT, almost 9 inches!!! The sticks on those kinds of suckers are REALLY long. I have purchased these in other shapes too. I had gotten orange slices, ones with apple shapes in the center, I even found them in the shapes of a baby carriage!!! How cute is that?

For this box I cut the card stock 4-1/4" x 6". On the short side I scored it at 1", 2", 3" and 4". Then I turned it and scored each end at 1". I cut the score lines in one inch and then cut away that little tiny rectangle piece on the two corners. You don't need them. If you forget to cut them you'll know, the flap will be too big.

After scoring and clipping the score lines I folded all of the score lines. Pre-folding them makes it easier to put the box together. I decided I wanted to use a circle punch for my window but I didn't have a small enough punch to make a nice size viewing window so I took the 1-3/8" circle punch and punched the hole on a fold. It makes the window look bigger and you can view more of what is inside doing a corner window!! I discovered that a few projects ago and LOVE it. I've done corner windows before out of necessity but never realized how much more you could see the stuff on the inside! After making the window I cut a piece of Window Sheet and glued it in place over the punched circle opening. I did pre-score the sheet first. I glued it in place and set it aside to dry.

In the meantime I glued the box together and decorated the outside of it. I added the Santa and sealed the box shut. It's now a GREAT stocking stuffer from Santa!! I've added a link to my other stocking stuffer items.

There's not a lot to these and they are pretty quick to make too!

After seeing this posted I was thinking that I should have made that box look like a chimney!!!

Thank you SO much for visiting today,
Wanda

Jolly Bingo Bits Card

I am SO bad at lining things up without the Stamp-a-ma-jig! I bet you never would have guessed that by looking this card?

This card was made by Amy for the Diva Day shoe box swap using the "Jolly Bingo Bits" set. Now on Amy's card the candies were in a nice line and she didn't use the Stamp-a-ma-jig! She thought we all could stamp straight and even!!! I may have gotten it straighter had I stamped the center candy first instead of stamping from left to right!!! Oh well!!! Like I tell everyone, it's handmade card!!!

I just thought it was cute and those little candies are just adorable. I love the color too (Real Red) the whole card has such a Christmas look to it! And it was a CAS (clean and simple) card to make too. If you are not into the candies, that set has a bunch of other images that are just as fun to use.

Thank you Amy for such a fun card to make. I'm SO fortunate to be among such great stampers!!! Our group is a very fun one too. Lots of nice gals and a great leader (Sue!!!). She spoils us rotten!! And we LOVE it!!

I have another fun "weekend project" for you tomorrow so be sure to stop back and see!

I thank you SO much for visiting today!
Wanda

Northern Flurry Snowflake Pick Weekend Project

Ok, as I promised!!! Here is the gift I had made for my dear friend Ann for her birthday! It's a candy bouquet. A blue candy bouquet!!

The first thing I did was tried to buy all the wrapped blue candy I could!! I found Dove, Tootsie Rolls, Toffee and Lindt round chocolate candies.

Next I cut various lengths of wire. I plugged in my glue gun and as it was heating I took my glass container and lined it with a piece of silver Mylar (like tissue paper but made of Mylar). Once I got it centered I removed it, put some hot glue in the bottom of the container and added the Mylar. Next I glued in place a piece of Styrofoam.

Then I took the wire pieces and glued the candies to the wire. I added some iridescent shreds on top of the Styrofoam and then I placed the candies in the Styrofoam and kept adding until it looked full and fairly even around the container.

I used the Stampin' Up! "Northern Flurry" die and cut out a few snowflakes. I glued them to the wire and stuck them in the bouquet along with a few silver colored "greens". It was a very fun gift to make and I can see myself making some for Valentine's day and for other occasions too!!! Can you see this as a baby shower center piece??? Lots of possibilities here! As long as there are colored candies to use as your theme you can pretty much cover any holiday or event!! Have fun making these!

Thank you SO much for visiting today,

Wanda

Bold Blossom Sketch Challenge Card

This is the card I made for this weeks sketch challenge at SplitCoastStampers. I especially liked it because it was a simple one and this week I sure can use "simple" in my life!!! It's just crazy here and with Christmas coming up next weekend (10 days, but who's counting?? LOL) I'm trying to scramble to get things done. I took a break to stamp and I stamp some while the gals are here with me. I LOVE having the ladies come over to stamp. It's a time to unwind, regroup, chat and have fun!! Then when they leave it's back to the old grind!!! UGH

Ok, enough about that. Here is my card. I just followed the sketch and cut out the pieces accordingly. I wasn't sure what set to use and my mini pre-order arrived yesterday and the stamp sets were just piled on the counter so I thought I'd dig through the and see which one would work with this layout. "Bold Blossom" won!!! I needed a birthday card and this was just perfect. The only thing I didn't really like about doing this was, it looks like a spring card and there is no way that I am ready for spring. Yes, even with the frigid temps we have right now, I am not ready for spring. I need some warmer winter, just enough to get the snow to stick together. NOT this sub zero stuff. BRRR. My fingers are cold down here in my workroom!! But I still am not done with winter!

SO this spring card is the last you'll see until after Christmas (though I can't promise!!! I did purchase a few other ones in my pre-order!).

If you have time, play with this sketch. There's lots of stamps that will fit in that image space!

Pop back tomorrow to see the FUN gift I made for my dear friend Ann!!!

Thank you SO much for visiting today,
Wanda