Matchbox Die "Fantasy Tower"

Hey there~ I am SO excited to share with you this modified 'Fantasy Box'. I was first inspired by this Matchbox Die tower and had added it to my fav's to CASE later....and while watching the Superbowl yesterday I started stampin' the night away...this was SO much fun to make~ I had to revise the measurements to make mine work...see bottom of post for instructions. I know now what my hostesses this month will be receiving!! Here are some close-up pictures:

The colors SCREAM spring and make me all warm and fuzzy!! I love this stamp set...it's from the Occasions Mini Catalog (pg.31). The samples shown in the catalog are very cute but...there was NO way I was about to cut out that butterfly!!

Supplies needed:

Stamp Set: Bold Blossom (123232 W, 122232 C)

Card Stock: Whisper White, Old Olive, Daffodil Delight, Melon Mambo

Ink: Old Olive, Melon Mambo, Daffodil Delight

Accessories: dimensionals, 3/4", 1 1/4", 1 3/8" circle punches, extra-large decorative label punch (120907), linen thread (104199), sweet stitches designer big buttons (122302), daffodil delight 1 1/4" striped grosgrain ribbon (119770), 1/16" handheld punch (101227), Sizzix Bigz XL Matchbox die (114890) and

SAB (Sale-a-Bration): FREE Ice Cream Parlor (122242)

Directions: 1. cut out a total of 4 Matchbox die boxes (you will not need the outside sleeves) 2. Tower: cut CS to 4" x 11" and score at 2 15/16", 5 5/16", 8 1/4" and 10 5/8". Lid: 4 3/8"x 3 3/4" score at 11/16" on all 4 sides. Adhere boxes as shown spaced at each inch. Decorate as desired.

The drawers inside the tower are filled with embellishments: buttons, brads and ribbon~FUN!

Contact me if you have any additional questions or to schedule your workshop so you can have one of these cuties!!

Happy Stampin'

~Erin

Extreme Snowboard!!

February has always been a busy month for me. Especially since it's a short one~but that's okay because I am SO ready for spring! The quicker the month goes by the better!! No I didn't make a card for Groundhogs's Day...and thinking it's not looking like I'll make any to celebrate President's Day either... BUT I will be busy making TONS of birthday cards. Several family members (including my own) are during this month and a bunch of friends too. Hmm...9 months ago must have been a busy month too!!

Here today the one I have to share is for my son's friend's birthday party. I received an order today of lots of goodies and because of Sale-A-Bration's wonderful promotion I received this set FREE!!

It's called Extreme Snowboard and it's great for boys and teens...I didn't have any other stamp sets that were screaming 'cool' boy stamp set...and with the recent weather we (and about 1/2 of the country) have been having it was perfect!!

Click here for a great tutorial by Michelle Zindorf. I loved her card...and mine isn't even close...I actually am not friends with the brayer..I like to use sponges better. It was so much fun I even decided to stamp the envelope!

Here is the inside:

Remaining card details:

Stamps: Extreme Snowboard (115177), Plant Hope (120540 C, 117042 W), Bring On the Cake (121958 C, 121899 W)

Card Stock: Whisper White, Kiwi Kiss, Basic Black

Ink: Bashful Blue, Basic Black

Accessories: Styled Silver Hodgepodge Hardware (111325), sponges (101610), cutter kit (106958), modern label extra-large (119849)

Have a great day!

~Erin

It's a pillow..it's a card~it's a pillow card!

I know what you are thinking...what a tacky title on my post! Over Christmas I kept seeing those 'pillow pets' all over the place and would sing the catchy little tune when the commercials came on...but they never made my kids Chrismtas 'wish-list'! Anyway...this card feels like a little 'heart' pillow. Click here for a great tutorial to give you an idea on how to achieve this look. Here is a picture of the inside (pardon my hand). The Melon Mambo piece of card stock has covered the punched out heart shape, fabric, batting and cover~ta-da!! This card could be used for Valentine's Day or any other occasion for a friend. I think besides the fabric...which I 'sew' LOVE my favorite element on the card are the delicious BUTTONS!! Just wait until you see what I'm making with the buttons next~it's going to freak your freak out!!

Here are the remaining supplies used.

Stamp Set: Love You Much (113756) available in wood mount only

Card Stock: Naturals Ivory, Melon Mambo

Ink: Melon Mambo, Early Espresso

Accessories, Kraft taffeta ribbon, sticky strip, Early Espresso Stampin' Write marker, glue dots, Big Designer Buttons (122301 Springtime Vintage, 122302 Sweet Stitches) and Sweet Stitches fabric (121818)

Take a Spin!!

I am sure that all of you know by now that http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/ is a great site for inspriation and excellent tutorials (besides of course my blog ) so my next card was inspired by a topper card shown here. I LOVE the new game spinners in the Occasions mini~ they are a MUST have!! They coordinate with a new stamp set (shown here) called Take a Spin (121937 W, 122015 C). The topper part of my card was made by using the Top Note die (113463) after it is cut out once, turn it centered and run it through your Big Shot again~ I know genious!! Nope...not my idea but happy to share the technique...you can make a cute star like medallion by continuously turning it and cutting it out. I know that Kimberly Van Diepen made a video showing it awhile back. My Basic Gray CS card base is a 4 1/4" square and I layered both Pumpkin Pie CS and Peach Parfait over it. Hard to tell from the photo but the Peach Parfait piece was embossed using the Square Lattice embossing folder (119976). Added some Pumpkin Pie 1/8" taffeta ribbon (119253) and lastly punched out a few Whisper White candles using the new Build a Cupcake Punch (121807) another MUST have item! I also punched one out on the inside of the card:

Great thing is it still fits inside a standard size envelope!!

Click here to shop 24/7 for supplies used. Let me know if you have any questions, off to play with more buttons!

Stay warm, safe and think 'spring' I hear they are calling for some more ice with a HUGE storm headed our way...YUCK!

Stampin' hugs~Erin

Occasions Mini goodies (Stamp Camp treats)

So...where to begin?? This past week was crazy~ the kids only attended school on Tuesday since Monday was a teacher work day and then the remaining days during the week were cancelled due to the inclement weather. Being from Rhode Island...where it snowed WAY more then here in Virginia...often makes me laugh when they cancel school~ seriously for an 1" of snow?? Or sometimes they have called it on a forecast and it didn't snow a bit!! The kids enjoyed it, for we did finally get some accumulating snow...about 9" here in Winchester. I hear they are calling for more next Tues./Wed. so that means I'll be here in the basement keeping warm with my space heater at my little piggies stampin' the days away!!

Currently there are two different 1000 piece puzzles on my dining room table...one is completed and waiting to be glued together while the other is sitting there waiting to be finished. So the pictures I have taken are from the basement and I laughed as I uploaded them to the computer...my sheep's tag 'Baa' is in a few of them.

Anyway...here are the projects that we made at my last Stamp Camp. This one was SUPER easy made out of an envelope. Yup~ an envelope!! You seal it first...and cut the top using the scallop edge punch. Inside I filled it with some shredded scrunched up Very Vanilla CS and an almonf Hershy bar. The outside was stamped using the Eat Chocolate stamp set (122006 C, 121931 W). I added a Chocolate Chip belly band and 1 1/4" striped grosgrain ribbon (cut in half). Added a clip from the Clips Assortment pack (112580) and added a punched heart (117193) with the red glimmer paper (121790). Lastly I added some Log Cabin smooch spritz (119921). This project was inspired from pg. 22 of the January's Stampin' Success (a demontrator only publication). If you have any questions, just ask!!

I made covered Mr. Goodbar chocolate treats for every participant that brought their catalog. The paper used here is called Sweet Stitches (121781) and coordinates with these cute little fabric covered brads (121880). Stamped the image using the same Eat Chocolate stamp set (love this set!!) The dimensions for the DSP were 5 1/2" x 7 1/2". Belly band dimensions: 2 1/2" x 5 1/2". Decorate as desired. Here is a close-up picture:

Have you ever heard of the Rules of Chocolate??

1. If you have gotten chocolate all over your hands, you are eating it too slowly.

2. Chocolate covered raisins, cherries, orange slices and strawberries all count as fruit so eat as many as you want.

3. The problem: How to get 2 lbs. of chocolate home from the store in a hot car? Solution: Eat it in the parking lot.

4. Diet tip: Eat a chocolate bar before each meal. It'll take the edge off your appetite and you'll eat less.

5. A nice box of chocolates can provide your total daily intake of calories in pne place. Isn't that handy?

6. If you can't eat all your chocolate, it will keep in the freezer. But if you can't eat all your chocolate...what's wrong with you?

7. If calories are an issue, store your chocolate on top of the fridge. Calories are afraid of heights, and they will jump out of the chocolate to protect themselves.

8. If I eat equal amounts of dark chocolate and white chocolate, is that a balanced diet? Don't they counteract each other?

9. Money talks. Chocolate sings.

10. Chocolate has many preservatives.Preservatives make you look younger.

11. Q. Why is there no such organization as Chocoholics Anonymous? A. Because nobody wants to quit.

12. If not for chocolate, there would be no need for control top pantyhose. An entire garmet industry would be devastated.

13. Put "Eat Chocolate" at the top of your list of things to do today. At least you'll get one thing done!!

Here is another card using another stamp set called Thanks for Caring (121961 C), (121901 W). I find that it's hard to make 'Sympathy' cards...for obvious reasons...it's never for a good cause :(

So you have to make them pretty~ and let them know you truly care!! This is a 'joy' fold card and it uses lots of goodies from the Occasions Mini catalog. The base of the card was embossed using the Framed Tulips embossing folder (121809). The flower was punched out with Springtime Vintage DSP (121782). Added a button and linen thread and here is a peak at the inside:

I will share the other two cards we made tomorrow..expecting a girlfriend ina bit to make some hand-made Valentine's..can't wait to share those with you all too!! Until then..happy stampin' and stay warm!!

~Erin

Love is in the air!!

I was inspired to make this wreath after talking to my girlfriend Jean (howdy Jean!!). She mentioned that she was going to try to make one of these paper wreaths using some Valentine's Day DSP and I have not ordered mine yet (I know...shame on me!!) So I grabbed some of my new FAVORITE DSP called First Edition (121878) tied a black satin ribbon at the top and added some 'L-O-V-E' ~ now I need to grab the rest of my Valentine's Decor.... and decorate!! So..stay tuned and see what else I come up with...can't use last years paper (I might start twitching!!) So...off to order some new goodies!! Okay, now be honest have you ever ordered something twice or more?? I mentioned that I am about to place an order?? Well...I was going throught my inventory of card stock and deciding what next to order from my never ending 'Wish List' and I realized that I had the stamp set Eat Chocolate on there twice!! I was SO close to ordering it again!! I was so happy the other day when I came across it...looking for the perfect stamp set to use for my candy bar treat!! I think I might have little 'Stamper Elves' in my basment...and hey that's okay...me like!! So there it was, sitting on my shelf waiting for me to play...it's the little things in life that make me all warm and fuzzy! Note: (sorry about blurry picture but since I didn't want to take away from the stamped image...I chose to de-boss the image) Candy Bar Treat Directions: CS base measures 5 1/2" x 5 1/2". Score at 1", 1 1/4", 3 1/2" and 3 3/4". Apply sticky strip to hold closed and decorate as desired....pretty quick and simple!! I used a couple goodies to dress mine up: Stamp Set: I {Heart} Hearts, C 118571 W117010 Ink: Early Espresso, Blushing Bride Card Stock: Whisper White, Chocolate Chip Accessories: Pretty in Pink Grosgrain (109032), silver brads (104336), small heart punch (117193), Elegant Bouquet embossing folder (115964), paper piercing tool (116631) Getting ready to film another video tutorial...I am SO excited and can't wait to share with you all my fabric Valentine's hearts!! Happy Stampin' ~Erin

My Second Video Tutorial!!

Yes...finally I made another video tutorial!! I can't believe that it took me as long as it did...but it's here!! Thanks so much for your patience!! In a previous post I shared with you some fabric rosette rings that I made (click here for the post). I had promised to make a video showing how, so today I pulled out our newest fabric from the Occasions Mini Catalog and went to work.

Above you will see the three designs you get from ordering our Springtime Vintage fabric (121817)...they are so much prettier in person. In addition there are some really cute ideas from Stampin' Up! that use this fabric. Click here for a PDF that you can download and use. (There are really cute ideas on there...can't wait to try them myself!!) Promise me you will not laugh...I hope to get better the more I practice...and I am already getting started on the next one!! Hint: Also uses our fabric and great for Valentine's Day gifts!! So here is a close-up picture of the ring (sorry it's a bit blurry...and that my hand is so pale and hmmm...I desperatly need a manicure!!) LOL! But otherwise...enjoy my video!!

Happy New Year!! Filled with Love Promotion!!

Happy New Year folks!! I have been telling myself to post, post, post something...anything on this blog and never found that I had the time!! I then decided to wait until the new year, so here we are~ a few days later.... ta da!! I had decided to wait until today's date (January 4th) since it's also when the Occasions Mini Catalog is available to order from!! Have you seen it?? You can download the online version by clicking the catalog at the right (or the link created in the text). If you would like me to send you a copy in the mail just send me an e-mail with your address!! All I can say is WOW!! It's hard to pick a favorite item, there are 'sew' many to choose from! There are these stamp sets called Sew Suite (121933 W, 122009 C) and Button Button (122026 W, 122040 C) and a jumbo wheel called In Stitches (121946) and FABRIC to match~ I would say that these goodies are my latest favorites from the 'Oh Sew' Suite Collection (pg. 32).

Here is a project I made using the some of our newest fabric called Sweet Stitches (121818). I cut the fabric using the Big Shot and Scallop Square die (115950) and adhered it to the plate using 3-M spray adhesive. I took another picture to show the plate..the edges are raised and will make a great 'catch all' in my craft area...especially for our new Designer Buttons!! Now...on the top of this post I added a picture of the Filled with Love Promotion (Dec. 17th-Jan. 24th). With this bundle (available in either clear or wood-mount) you will receive the Filled with Love stamp set and the Love Patterns DSP PLUS a pack of Bitty Buttons...so contact me today to order your bundle and get filled with love~and bitty buttons!! Or shop 24/7 on my website.

Happy Stampin'~ Erin