by Susan Itell | Oct 10, 2016 | 3-D Projects, Halloween |
Happy Monday…..sorry for the late start but I think that this quick post will make you see why I say….SINGLE stamps are SUPER! For those of you that have followed my blog for a while you know I love single stamps!
WHY? – Well….they usually carry a BIG PUNCH and they are affordable. Right off the bat, 2 stamps that are singles that have been retired but will always live on Randall Lane are Vivid Vases and the Watercolor “Thank You” (do you remember these keepers?)
Halloween is right around the corner but you still have time to order this stamp and make a super cute yet fun project like I am showcasing today! Let me shed some light as to the method of my madness (YIKES – when you hear it…..you will see why I needed something easy and fast) I made this super easy and just stamped it with one color, Pumpkin Pie!
Are you ready for this?!?!?!?! I am on a Board of Directors for a local Cemetery. My Dad is also on the board and he was very proud and honored when I accepted the position. This Thursday, the cemetery is having its 150th year celebration (and it is a big deal). It is going to be a wonderful event as we are also breaking ground for a new garden which will add so much to the history that is already there.
For probably the past 8 Wednesdays, I have had a meeting at 1:45 to go over details (John teases me on Wednesday mornings…..don’t forget your meeting) 🙂 The Governor is coming and is the key note speaker and drawing point. Right across the street is an Elementary School and the president of the Board thought that it would be a great idea to have some kids come and sing a song to open up the event!
We all agreed and it was fine with the principal. I said, I think that we need to have a little something for the kids as a that you (they are 4th graders) and I volunteered to do so . Last Wednesday at our meeting I asked, do we have a number of kids that are coming? – READY FOR THIS…..she looked at me with a cute face and said between 60 – 70.
I THOUGHT I WOULD FALL OFF MY CHAIR
Plan B needed to go into place and that is what this post is about! I still knew that I want to do something fun and festive that they would like but I needed to make it easy on me as YIKES – this many?
The moral of the story is….this was doable. I actually did them all last night while watching the debate! I am sharing this with you because if you participate in Treat or Treat in your neighborhood, or take treats in for a school party, or even take a big basket into your office to spread some unexpected Halloween FUN, these are fun to do and soooooooo affordable!
I did purchase the dot glassine bags when they were on clearance (love them – I think I bought them all up as they are perfect for BIG cookies) 🙂 but have no fear, we still sell glassine bags.
I was able to use up scraps of white paper to do the stamping…a quick fussy cut and onto a 2 3/4″ square – DONE!!!!! (you can get 12 black squares out of one sheet of paper) I used the envelope punch board end to round the corners (I think that is the best corner rounder we have)
In the bags I put a small snack size bag of pretzels and then a Rice Krispie Treat – this is a perfect “little something” and they will like it! It was super affordable all the way around and I am sure that there will be smiles! The quick and simple bow made the perfect finishing touch!
That’s it for today…I hope that I have shown you that making a difference does not have to be fussy, time consuming or expensive. It is all about the thought and I also am a HUGE believer about how it is presented – a fun and festive presentation always set the stage!
See you tomorrow….I have a Tuesday Tip for you that is an important one!
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by Susan Itell | Oct 9, 2016 | Christmas, Step it up Sunday! |
Woot – woot…I admit, I was super afraid that I could not “add to or should I say, step up yesterdays card” but I put my thinking cap on and I think that you are going to like it….Out of the gate, I vote for today’s card as I love, LOVE the simple yet classic touch of “gold” from the gold foil sheets. Just the wee bit of gold does the trick for me!
Now I know…it is not about me – so….which one do you prefer!?!? Side by side, you decide!
Here are the “FUN” products that I used…basically it is the same layout as yesterday, just a change up of color and some added stars (from the below bundle) I had many questions as to how I did the die cut slash line = easy ….it is in the Greetings from Santa Framelits (2nd picture below)
This was super easy to do as I found the middle of the red piece…made the cut. Next, to both ends I drew a line 3/4″ and made another cut and lastly just “eye balled it” to make the middle cuts!
I have a confession, all I had were scraps of the gold foil sheets so I just had to make the best of it. (It is funny, I think that this is a smarter way – USE UP THOSE SCRAPS ~ no need to use a big piece of the foil sheet.
I did find that the tear -n – tape was the perfect adhesive to anchor the gold strips and then also to hold the red piece to the base!
Enjoy the below pictures. It is hard to get a good picture of the gold foil paper but I think that you will see and “get the” elegance it gives. O think that this card would be super beautiful with Always Artichoke, Very Vanilla and the Gold Foil.
Do you see the stars?!?! They are also from the Greetings from Santa Framelits! (This is a super fun offering)
Here is the envelope fun! Today I decided to add the gold foil strip to go hand in hand with today’s card. There is just something about gold and Christmas….classic, clean and fun!
There you go….thoughts???? This is a super easy card to make in the masses and every year I try to pick several of the cards that I make to “mass produce” for my personal sending…this is one of them = I just love everything about it….probably because it is so simple!
Thanks for your time…I deeply appreciate you popping in. Please tell your family and friends about my blog – word of mouth is the best! I love what I do and I live inspiring YOU!
O.k. – here is your story! I know that it is long but I think it will make your heart happy 🙂
Do you remember that last weekend I had a blow out on my trailer while I was driving to see Hannah with her horse? Click here to read about it if you missed it as it will warm your heart to know that there are “good and kind” people out there.
On my way back home from Durham a week ago, Fred asked me to stop at his shop to make sure that the spare tired I had was good and he was going to put it on the rim and mount it back where the spare goes on my trailer. I told him that I would be ok but he insisted for me to call him when I was leaving Durham as his shop was about an hour away.
Now remember, this is a Sunday – he is closed but he said that he lived about 10 minutes from he shop. He said that he was doing nothing but watching Football. I called him, and we met. He took off the blown out tire off the rim and put the new tire on the rim (picture of the tire below) – you can see why I was scared…
In talking while he was doing this we had many great discussions…One was, I asked him what was his favorite Foot Ball Team…he said with a smile, I am a die hard Redskin Fan. I smiled back and said that is great BUT…..we are Ravens Fans. (I actually do not follow football a bunch, I just like to see John have some “down time” enjoying watching a game)
Well…..last Friday(just 2 days ago) was the BEST DAY – do you remember I said in my post that I was going to help my PEEP at a Golf Tournament that he was in charge of for work? Well I did and the weather was just spectacular and the venue was picturesque.
When I arrived to the course my jaw was hanging with the beauty that I saw. There was nothing but mountains and beautiful scenery as far as I could see. The weather was crisp and you could just start to see that the leaves were starting to change. I couldn’t help but have some guilt inside as I was so ALIVE with the beauty of the day and then to think that Hurricane Matthew was going on….
I found my son and was a proud Mama and said, “Mom here….reporting for duty” He smile as I had a big bag of “to do’s” with me (just in case). He said , “Mom I am putting you on Hole #10 and you are going to do a Marshmallow Shoot when the people come to your hole.” I thought, WHAT THE HECK?
Well…IT WAS A HOOT. Before they hit their “regular shot” I greeted them with a big bowl of HUGE marshmallows that they were to have FUN with. Now you know me, I am all about having FUN and I wish that you would have seen some of these guys faces (some people that gold WAY TOO SERIOUSLY) I explained the game and told them that who ever hit the Marshmallow the furthest from their foursome would win a sleeve of balls and then who ever hit the furthest over all would win a BIG prize at the awards ceremony at the end of the day.
I wish that you would have seen their faces and hear the comments. It really made me laugh as I heard, “I have never hit a Marshmallow before…Should I use a Driver or a Pitching Wedge….Should I stand the Marshmallow Up or lay it on the side…..” = It really was funny but I will say the best success was to tee it up using 3 tees and used a driver.
The end was THEY LOVED IT and doing something totally FUN like this really broke the ice with them. Inside I was beaming as my PEEP thought of the idea (so yes….he DOES have a creative gene in him) It was a hoot to see them have fun.
O.k. – to the point of this story. After the tournament there was a social event and award ceremony. There was also a table filled with silent auction items….and let me tell you…..Men do not take advantage of taking the time bidding at Silent Auction items…..if the wives were there….you betcha that those pencils would be going to town….
Well….there were Redskin Tickets….on the 50 yard line – 12 rows behind the Redskins….I PERKED UP! The only problem was – men liked to bid on the sporting events….(the other items were lonely) but the sport tickets were hot.
I was sooooooo excited to see Johns team drive up after they finished and I ran over to him and said, There are Redskin Tickets at the auction. He looked at me like – o.k. …why????? You know that I am a Ravens fan – I said, I want to get them for Fred. John is a GREAT MAN, he got it, he beamed as well.
I told him that there are several of us bidding on them….he said, just don’t go near the table….I will check it out. Well he did, and he made it happen! I was like a kid in a candy store. This was a WIN-WIN for all of us…..
We made a great donation to the School where all 3 PEEPS went to…..I was able to to do something for someone that was an angel to me….and he (Fred) was OVER THE TOP EXCITED as his son’s Birthday was the day before the game.
As I left to drive home I called Fred and told him…we talked on the phone for over 20 minutes and he was so excited. When I learned about his sons Birthday I thought, this is sooooo ironic. What a great Birthday gift and the fact that a Father/Son can go and enjoy a special time together. He said that he has never been so close to a team (the tickets are at a great place) and the family that donated them are always so gracious to the school.
The moral of the story is…never stop trying…never stop believing…never stop making a difference…as you never know how things will turn out. There are super simple things we can do on a daily basis like a simple smile….that does make someone know that you care.
I was so happy that I was fortunate to do this for Fred. Trust me, our paths will cross again. He is a beautiful person that has a wonderful and kind heart. He reminded me, “Please tell Hannah if she needs anything to call me” – and you know what….I would feel 100% comfortable in her doing so. Witht his crazy world out there, it is great to know that there are people that “get it” ….
Now guess what the BIG PRIZE was for the overall Marshmallow winner…..James has a “Smore’s maker” with Graham Crackers, Chocolate Bars and more Marshmallows…..again my heart was skipping a beat as all I could think of was….HE GETS IT TOO – my son thought OUT OF THE BOX and made people laugh and it was an “ice breaker” for stress…..I am a proud MAMA BEAR.
Sorry for the LONG post but I hope that it touched your heart – now go make a difference today!
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by Susan Itell | Oct 8, 2016 | Simple Saturday |
WOW – it feels GREAT to be back on our weekend posts! I think that I have a clean and classic card for you that hopefully will make you smile. I know….I know, I am a clean and classic gal. To many, it might be boring but to me ~ I think that it carries a BIG STATEMENT….
I hope that you will pop back tomorrow to see what I do to make some changes (I admit, I have not created it yet….and I hope that I can make it stepped up as I really like this)
This 2 Bundles/Stamps were the special ingredients to make this simple card. I invite you to look at the sets and see that there are elements that are timeless. I was actually on the fence about both of them and then when I sat down and looked at the details….I felt like I was on THE VOICE and HIT THAT BUTTON (p.s. – I love show) 🙂
I admit that when I first saw that Santa framelit, I did not “get it” but once I could see and appreciate the details I thought BRILLIANT – what a fun card! You will see me posting about this in the future.
Below you will see some close up pictures of the details! This framelit that cuts out the details is just FUN and placing a piece of Real Red behind it make the POP happen in a second! LOVE IT and I will use it for many other clean, simple and classic cards!
The other element that is a keeper is the Real Red Bakers Twine…..this is a duo that is fabulous as it is perfect for Christmas but it will be great for Valentines as well and guess what – it can be yours FREE with a $75.00+ order with me this month.
The envelope liner makes the card come to life and it sets the tone for the card. I admit, I miss the envelope liner framelit that we used to have…..so I have to do my best in sharing you an easy way to make FUN happen. FUN happens when you just try to make things different. People do notice….if you have not tried it – do it….and I am sure that your friends will comment on what a beautiful envelope you sent!
See you tomorrow – I hope that I can make you happy! I have a HAPPY….actually – SUPER HAPPY story to share with you! My heart was skipping many beats at the golf tournament yesterday and I cannot wait to share it with you…!
Have a great day, please continue keep the Hurricane Matthew victims in your thoughts and prayers. See you in the morning!
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by Susan Itell | Oct 7, 2016 | Halloween |
I hope that you are smiling 🙂 Now this is my kind of card…a fun and sweet Halloween card. This is a 4 1/4″ square card and it would fit in a regular envelope but you know me…I adore my envelopes so I made one with the envelope punch board.
The inspiration for this card came the MINUTE I saw the Holiday catalog! Please do not forget to CASE the amazing ideas that the concept artists from Stampin’ Up! creates for us! Below is the picture that inspired me for today’s card! I just love it and I knew that I could “tweak it” to make it into a card.
I know that som of us have learned the hard way and have not bought the offerings as a “bundle” when they are offered. This IS available as a bundle and the way that I look at this one is…..it is a classic and one that you can use at other times of the year (like the tree and fence) and as bundles go – this is an affordable one!
Please know…if you have a product that is NOT in the catalog…it doesn’t mean that it is not a “keeper” (as I like to call it) and trust me, I have many, MANY stamp sets and framelits that have been retired but YEP, I still use them as I love them ~ I simply do not blog about them as it would not be fair for you not to be able to purchase them.
Below you will see a parade of pictures for you! From one sheet of this FUN orange plaid paper, you could make 9 of these cards as this piece is 4″ X 4″ and then really….scraps is the name of the game to pull together the bulk of this card.
I love this first picture as you can see how I “lifted” the circle fun but left the branches hang off the edge, it looks fun and the detail of this tree is wonderful
I adore how this bakers twine ties. It is so soft and subtle to work with and I thought that it was the perfect accent to the card. I used a simple glue dot to anchor it in place!
Below is your 411 photo to pin! I say…SUPER CUTE – what do you think?
Please continue to keep the areas that are being affected by the Hurricane in your thoughts. This is terrible. I simply cannot imagine the turmoil. My heart goes out to everyone, I simply cannot imagine.
Today I am putting on my Mom hat – Middle PEEP has asked my to help him as he is in charge of a Gold Tournament today….YEP, when a PEEP asks – I go…..with them being adults – I love the fact that they still reach out to dear old Mom!
Tomorrow is Simple Saturday and it is also the card that you will receive with a $35+ order! (I know, I know – I need to update the offerings for this month….I am playing catch up but I will get to it)
Enjoy the day….
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