by Susan Itell | Sep 30, 2013 | Stamp-a-ma-jig, Super Easy |
Let's all have a GREAT week! I hope that everyone is coming off of a great weekend…mine was great – I had an Open House with 8 other Direct Selling Companies that was super fun….and my husband is making great progress as we mark his 1 month since his injury!
We both appreciate all of the great wishes we have received but I am here to tell you….being in a wheelchair for a month when you are used to being super active as really been an eye opener experience for both of us and he has the BEST attitude in the whole world so this card is for him! Just a couple more weeks until he can start to progress with therapy!
We both love yellow and the color of So Saffron is always soooo pleasing to your eye! I wanted to use a stamp set that I have not used in a while and since I am "guilty as charged" for not playing with the "real" washi tape…I thought using the Tape It Stamp Set would be a fun twist for this Monday!
Let's get to this super clean, crisp – fun card! John loves blue and I have been using Night of Navy so much for thank you cards for him to send – I thought Pacific Point would be a fun and fresh twist!
- This card is a regular A-2 card but scored at the 5 1/2" mark and then the white was cut 1/4" smaller…4 1/4" X 5 1/4"
- Because the type "A" stamper I am…out came the Stamp-a-ma–jig to make sure I had the placements of the "tape"…just right! (you could easily 'eye-ball it")…don't be afraid to overlap!
- Using a scrap piece of whisper white paper to stamp the "happy day" image from the Happy Day Stamp Set (dah!) and then pulling out my main man, Mr. Big Shot with the help of his friend Chalk Talk Framelits…the card is coming together! Isn't this a great stamp set!
- Popping it up with Stampin' Dimensionals was the way to go to make it come front and center! I just love these little gems!
- The envelopes came to life with a bit of pizzazz with the help of the Subtles Designer Series Paper…love – LOVE all of the collections! It truly makes it sooooo easy to find the perfect finishing touch to your card! The Envelope Liner Framelits make the task of lining an envelope a breeze!
I know that there are times that it is hard to come off of a weekend and get back into the new week ahead but I hope that this card has brighten your day! Just think of all of the fun colors you could do with this!
I like having just 2 colors as the focal point….it really brings out the crispness of the card!
It wouldn't be right not to thank you for being soooo darn tootin Stampin' sweet in popping by my blog yesterday! I know that I am blessed to be a PAL and I always enjoy being Mary Fish's guest stamper…but I will say – WOW…..I hope that the are chocolates left in the store!
Please, please email me if you need any help and also tell your friends and family about my blog and subscribe so you can get a daily dose of inspiration from me!
Ordering from my site is a cinch….click above and shop away! I will be there for you and I love to spoil my Stampin' Up! customers…..this is such a fun company….with fabulous products…and the BEST people in the world!!!!
Have a "happy day" day and until tomorrow!
by Susan Itell | Sep 27, 2013 | Super Easy |
I feel like this stamp set is one that I needed! When I sat down to design you a card today, I wanted to use a Stamp Set that I have not used before and this spoke to me! It is called "Spread the Joy" and I think this particular image just does that!
Take a moment and read the wonderful message it says….I think it sums it up…we have lots to be grateful for…to smile for…to have joy…and to never stop growing! Below you will see in (bold italic) the message that this stamp set was inspired by…..doesn't this make you love Stampin' Up! even more!
Spread
the Joy, by Emily M. from the Stampin' Up! home office, is the first
winning stamp set from In With You, our new stamp set design challenge
beta program.
In April, Stampin' Up! employees were given
the challenge to create a "bucket list" stamp set. Emily "wanted to make
a set that could be versatile and usable for lots of different things."
Employees fell in love with her design and voted the set to victory!
I think this is so super that Stampin' Up! is doing wonderful programs/challenges to the home office! Let's get to this fun and easy card!
Because the shape of this stamp is so long and narrow, I thought an odd size card was the only way to go!
- The card is a 6 1/2" square scored in half!
- The Raspberry Ripple card stock is 2 7/8" X 6 1/2" and then I scores both of the narrow sides with the Stampin' Trimmer to create a bit of interest ( if it is hard to see…just click on a picture and it will be much bigger)
- The white stamped image piece is 5 1/4" X 2 1/2" stamped in Raspberry Ripple.
- A simple "Susan knot" attached with a mini glue dot was the finishing touch to the card!
That's it!!! This IS a card to make several of as the message itself sums it all up and when you need a card to say "just because", "thanks", "hang in there"….this would be perfect! I love the other stamps in this set and I am excited to create some inspirations for you!
Please let me know how you liked this! I thought the simplicity of it was just great! Using just 2 colors works and it sure does cut down time!
PRODUCT ALERT!!! – Stampin' Up! let demonstrators know that the Envelope Punch boards are running low in supply and they do expect a back order!
This is such as great tool and the price is great….just $19.95! We know that it was frustrating when the magnetic platform was back ordered….so to avoid this – please click here and place an order today!
With the holidays fast approaching, this envelope tool makes it a cinch…and a WOW factor!
I hope that you love this stamp set that I have showcased today….and I hope you have a fabulous Friday!
Until tomorrow……
by Susan Itell | Sep 23, 2013 | Love, Super Easy |
We all have special friends…and I needed to thank a very special couple…the god-parents to my children…and a dear friend since Nursery School…and a true memory maker as there is only one Haven and Brandon!
Saturday night, they came over and brought not only the most AMAZING dinner, they brought John a fun and unique gift that he is fascinated with…a "Fly Tying Kit" for Fly Fishing…when he woke up this morning, he went right to his book to "take it all in" before he put his fingers to action!
There is only one Haven (I call her blondie-blonde!!!)….and I knew that a clean and classic card was needed! She is truly one of a kind – a true classic and we are blessed to have so many great memories and "life" mile stones together!
Today's post came from my "surfing" the Pinterest incredible site and I found a card made from SU Demonstrator, Jill Franchett and she was "paying it forward" from another SUD that inspired her! Naturally I needed to make it my own and I think I did a great job for my dear friends, Haven and Brandon!
Let's get to it!
Let's start by asking a question…
When was the last time you went to the color of Sahara Sand?
This is a "sleeper" color but by all means should not be over looked as it is a great neutral and now that we have the super Envelope Punch Board to make an envelope…please consider it as it's a keeper!
The base is a regular A-2 card and then In Color Designer Series Paper was the POP factor (Haven loves blue) and that was cut at 4" X 5 1/4".
The white card stock was cut at 4" X 3" and then stamped with the Chalk Talk Stamp Set (2 days in a row…I used only 1 stamp set) WOOT-WOOT! and I stamped it in the yummy color of midnight muse! The 2nd image was stamped in Sahara Sand!
The quick and easy punch with the X-Large Oval Punch…so quick and easy and then I punched out 2 of the midnight muse to frame the stamped oval! Is this simple or what! Less is best and this is a prime example of a Clean and Simple Card!
I did use my favorite tool to make this happen correctly - the 1st time and not waste both time and paper! The Stamp-A-Ma-Jig to the rescue made this card come together super fast!
Two other "classic's" of Stampin' Up! are Basic Pearls and my Stampin' Vitamins….Stampin' Dimensionals were the pop factor to make this card come to life!
Envelope time….an 8" X 8" square was the 1st step to this envelope! Isn't it super cool to be able to make your own envelopes!?!? It is a cinch with the Stampin' Trimmer and the Envelope Punch Board. LOVE IT!!! I chose to line the outside of the envelope as I know Haven adores blue and I knew she would love seeing the outside lined!
Well…that's it for today…
I hope that I have inspired you and I hope that YOU can think of the "special someone in your world"...and if you have not seen each other lately or live far away….pick up the phone….send an email …..whatever – just do it and say hi…say I'm thinking of you….say I appreciate you….say I love you!
Remember….please tell you friends about my blog and if you have not already done so…subscribe to my blog so you will not miss a daily dose of inspiration from me!
Tomorrow is a special post, I had a little help from a friend….a cyber friend that asked me a ? and then figured it out herself and did a FABULOUS job!!!! I am excited to share with you her "works of art from her beautiful heart!"
Until tomorrow!
by Susan Itell | Sep 21, 2013 | 3-D Projects, Love, Super Easy |
I haven't made a card for John the past couple of days so this will be by his bed when he wakes up! He is 6 ' 5" and being in a "twin" bed…yet a hospital bed is not the most comfortable! (at least they put an extension on the end)
We laugh and say we feel like the Walton's saying goodnight….he says goodnight Eddie ( a dog)….goodnight Murphy (a dog),goodnight Jack (another dog) and then when he gets to me as I feel like a princess in our big bed and I respond…goodnight "John boy"!!!
We are finding lots of time to laugh and I do hope that continues on! Many, many thanks for all of the well wishes, inspirations and simple gestures you have been sending my way!
Now to the card….this card I knew the minute I saw it….I was going to CASE it! The idea was shown to me by my dear friend and huge helper to my blog, Patsy Wagonner. Please click here if you would like to watch her incredible video on this "Shadow Box Technique"
Patsy is one special person and I adore her calmness, ability to teach and I just marvel her work! I actually like hers a lot better than this card that I did (mine is too much of one color) but I knew that it would be perfect to give to my hubby!!! Please try this as it is super fun, kinda different and the best part…no extra postage!!!
Let's get going:
- The card is a regular A2 card size and the Real Red is5 3/8" X 4 1/8" and then the white is 5" X 3 3/4".
- TIP ALERT: with the red piece…I used the Ticker Duo Punch to use for the tags (actually I punched 4 sets of them for future use….great way to save paper as it will be covered up!
- The Polka Dot Parade paper is cut at a 4" square…folded in half….folded in half! Next is super easy, just look at the pictures for a guide and you will be good to go – if not….email me and I'll be happy to help you! Read the text on the pictures for a guide….HAVE FUN!!!! A bone folder is needed – I think it is very important to have crisp and clean edges!
See how easy that was….and better yet – how FUN it is! You can flip flop to whichever side you like better…polka dots just make me smile!
- I simply took a 2 5/8" square piece of white and stamped my image that was from the Crazy Mixed Up Love Stamp Set and masked off the sentiment and BAM – done!
Next, I wanted to share with you by showing you a side view of this card and how I incorporated a tag with the card – do you remember how I masked off the sentiment? Well this time, after I cleaned off the stamp and then used I just used the real red marker and stamped the sentiment on a scrap of paper and then punched it out with the Word Window Punch and then adhered it to the tag! Adding a bit of bakers twine gave it a cute and fun flair!
Envelope time….well this was easy-peasy as I was already using an envelope that Stampin up made…all I needed to do was whip out the Envelope Liner Framelits and my man, My. Big Shot and bingo-bango….done!
Now to the best part…look how this super sweet card fits perfectly into an envelope and because you always used your bone folder like I asked you to….it will POP right up when you pull the card out! Now I ask you….IS THIS CUTE OR WHAT!
I hope that this posts puts a smile on your face and I know that when John sees it – he will be touched and have a smile! "We DO blend well" and he is the BEST Dad, husband, brother, son and friend in the whole wide world!
I thank you for taking your precious time in checking out my blog and I know that there are sooo many incredible Stampin' Up! Demonstrators out there…and I am soooo happy that you popped by today!
Go have a great day and know that I am an email away and I would love and be honored for you to join my Stampin' Up! Train and have a fun and inspirational ride!
Until tomorrow!
by Susan Itell | Sep 17, 2013 | Congratulations, Super Easy |
Everyone deserves a 2nd chance and this 2nd chance is for a 4 legged little guy named Rosco! If you follow my blog, I am a huge animal lover and when my son called me to say he was adopting a dog…how could I not be more thrilled!
I am the very 1st that truly believes that if you take on the responsibility of caring for an animal than you go into it with a total commitment! This is my son that has lived in China for the past 4 years and he had to leave his cat behind with a friend and has missed having an animal!
Like MOTHER like SON…I received a call that he was going to adopt a dog from Arkansas and he lives in Boston. There are soooooo many wonderful organizations and incredible volunteers that help these helpless animals from being in shelters that they would be euthanize!
I am a huge believer in adopting a dog if possible to give them a 2nd chance – another reason I am so proud of my sons research, love and dedication he did in finding Rosco! I still do not have pictures other than his adoption picture as he is waiting to get him and it is 10 :15 p.m.
The drivers have been making stops from Arkansas ending in Maine with uniting dogs to wonderful people that have been screened to be given a new chance on life! I truly hope that you have the opportunity to meet a person that has the heart that these people have…a true gift!
Enough of the story…lets get to the card!
This card was an inspiration from my upline, Mary Fish, and I can remember the day I saw this card….I knew I would be making it one day! Making a few changes to make it with my touches, I think it is super cute! Click here to see a video Mary did that is a huge help!
The card size is A 4 1/4" square card and the 2nd layer is 4 1/8" square with the corners rounded and then the "paw part" is a 3 1/8" square!
As you can see in Mary's video…using the designer paper is a key to making this easy! One additional flair I added was to mat a piece of Chocolate Chip Card Stock to the back and then again punched out the shapes!
The "heart" is from the Heart Framelits (the 2 smallest) and the "pads of the paws" were made with the Small Oval Punch!
When you "punch" out again….take your paper snips and clean up any chocolate chip (if that what you are using for the mat color) from behind….it's easy as you would not have any adhesive there….just put the adhesive on the edges! (I rushed a bit and you can see a hint in one of the pads but it is really not a big deal to do) and I think it makes it POP!
Stampin Diminsionals all over make the whole card come together and give it the total fun factor!!!
The clean and classic sentiment came from the carry over stamp set of Sweet Essentials, one of my all time favorites – just love the clean and classic lines but still has a fun flair!
The envelope was naturally made with the super new and fun must have tool, the Envelope Punch Board! The envelope color I thought was perfect and it is from the Sweater Weather Design Series Paper….very classic!
Where did the cute dog bone come from? Confessions of an honest blogger! I could not resist these brads I found at a craft store….I broke off the ends and used mini glue dots to adhere it!
I will pop back on and post some pictures of Rosco…I am sure he is very tired as it has been a long travel with lots of stops along the way…my fingers are crossed and my heart is happy for my son that his new little buddy will get there safely and it all works out!
This is one thing I love about blogging, I can intertwine my life stories into the Stampin' Up! life that I adore as well. It is simply the best to be able to do what you love and at the same time help others reach your goals!
Keep stretching up to reach…I'll be here for you!
Until tomorrow!
by Susan Itell | Sep 15, 2013 | 3-D Projects, Halloween, Super Easy |
Now are these little gems cute or what!!! I know that I have not shown you a Halloween post for a while and I simply was sooo excited to share this fun and SUPER easy post…..oh – "post it" post today! ha-ha!
The best thing is…they come together super fast…they are super cute, and they are super practical as we all know how many times we use "post it's"!!!
These would be a great little gift for your office workers, your children, your hairdresser…I cannot think of anyone (unless you are a toddler that would rather have candy) that would not love these!
Another "keeper" about these practical gems is that from 1 sheet of card stock you can make 4 of them! I say WOOT-WOOT to that and trust me…when you make them up….make up a bunch! I bought a 12 pack of post-it notes and whipped 12 up in no time!
Now if you do not like the halloween theme…no worries – you can use any stamp theme….I did this as a "hands on" project for a day of papmering for Breast Cancer Survivors and we did them with flowers…these ladies had a ball making them and were soooo darn tootin' proud of the end result!
Let's get started on the "how to's"! There are a couple of key products that you need and PRESTO, they will come togeter fast! I have a TON of pictures ( sorry for so many) but I figured that it makes it easier for you to CASE away and PLEASE…..send me a picture of your creations – I truly love to see your work and get feed back from you!
These 3 items you need for sure!
- your Stampin Trimmer, (this is a 2 for 1) as you will cut your paper and then also score with it…
- you need sticky strip (I truly believe when you are making 3D projects…use this adhesive as it really gives the stongest hold…
- you need the Tombo Multipurpose Liquid Glue (remember…a LITTLE goes a long way so be careful when using this…the "type A" in me hates to see this ooze out!
Hang on…let's have fun!
- The base strip is 2 1/4" X 8 1/2" and then score at 2 5/8", 3 1/8", 4 5/8", 6"
- Fold and score the lines…scores 1,2,3 get folded in and scored…the 4th score line gets folded and scored in the opposite direction….(you can do it – I know I was challenged at 1st !!!)
- Sticky strip time…peel off the "post it" bottom sheet and put 3 strips of sticky strip on the bottom and then adhere this to the base…it will be towards the bottom!
- Mono glue time!!! EASY DOES IT….no big blobs!!! This is the BARGAIN adhesive that we have…$3.95 and it is super strong…get it right the 1st time of placement because it is not forgiving!!!
- Presto…here is the side view!
- Remember when I said that you can get 4 cuts out of a piece of paper…what you are left with is a 2" strip! Perfect…to decorate you need a 2" square! I like to decorate with a contrasting color…but what I did was make them in both black and pumpkin pie so I alternated and also used the Witches Brew Designer Series Paper.
- Here is a parade of pictures of the samples….enjoy!
Wasn't this fun! The other key punch I used was the Bracket Label Punch! This makes it!!! A simple stitching around the punched piece adds the bling needed…..I also used Stampin Dimensionals to give it a pop and lift!
Please CASE this and have fun!
Another thing that you can do is….share my blog with your family and friends. I love blogging and I also love inspiring you! Spreading the word of my blog is the best form of a compliment to me! As the saying goes…
"Word of mouth is the best advertisement one can have"
Please let me know what you thought of today's goodie! I am an email away and even though I have been not the best in responding to your great comments – I am trying to get to you one by one! My hands have been full with my dear hubby!
You can click here to order directly from my blog…..have a fabulous day and I am sure that many of you will be going to the office store to get your "post it's"!!!
I realize that there are many choices and options…I want you to know
that I appreciate you following my blog and telling your friends! It is
not only an honor…but it s joy to be your Stampin' Up! Demonstrator!
Until tomorrow!
