Chocolate recipe box

This is a Chocolate recipe box that I intend to sell.  I wanted to do something w/ chocolate, and this turned out completely different than how I envisioned it in my head!  I love when that happens!

Have a STAMPTASTIC day!!!

Kid invitations

Here is a picture of the invitations that I made for my children's birthday invitations.  All 3 of my children were born in June, so we celebrate once with one party.  They are still little, so they don't mind right now.  I'm sure it won't always be this way!  LOL!

Americana recipe box

Today I would like to share a recipe box that I made for my husband's secretary that is retiring.  Today is her last day, so I needed to get this one done before he left this morning!  I think I went to bed around 2:30am.  But, I finished it!  I would have gotten it done earlier, but I took my grandmother to meet my uncle, w/ my parents yesterday afternoon.  So, the rest of my day was spent on the road!  So, I'm not complaining that I was up that late!

Anyway, so this secretary is very much into Americana type stuff. Since I'm not really into that, I don't have a whole lot to choose from, craft wise. So, I really had to use my imagination on this box! And try to remember what I've seen at antique stores and such.

This is the whole box.

This is the front.  The heart is really hemp twine and punched out holes.  I cut out a circle w/ my nesties w/ a piece of acetate and adhered the stars.  All the stars featured are from Ornaments and Stars by Kitchen Sink Stamps.  The dog is also from Kitchen Sink Stamps, Kittens and Pup.  I created my own fence.  The grass is felt and die cut from MFT Die-namics!

This is the top of the box.  The letters that spell out recipes are from the Stars nesties.  The cardinal is from Kitchen Sink Stamps.

Here is the inside!  The words are from Recipe Fun by Fiskars.

Have a STAMPTASTIC day!!!

Time for another recipe box! LOL!

Another thing I've been working on are some recipe boxes that I'm going to be selling!  I'm so excited about the prospect of selling my wares, however, I'm a little worried that they won't sell.  Because history has shown that things that I create that I love, no one else cares about.  So, I'm trying to be neutral and doing my very best and hoping that that will be enough to sell and make a name for myself.  Cross your fingers!  Mine are!

So, this recipe box that I have created here uses a color that I have hated since the beginning of my love affair with Stampin' Up!.  Taken With Teal.  I think it's a very loud color, and no matter what, I could not find a color that would be compatible with it.  Until now.  I have learned that when the ink has dried, the color that is left is a very soft subtle color.  It worked WONDERFULLY with the Linen Closet (DCWV) paper that I chose to go on this box.  I used the Daisy from Kitchen Sink Stamps, and a flower from Garden Silhouettes (retired SU! hostess) for the front and top.  And I used a die from My Favorite Things, and I have discovered just how versatile it is!

Have you purchased the new Ric Rac die from My Favorite Things?  Together w/ the grosgrain die, you can make ribbon to match EVERY SINGLE PROJECT using paper!  AWESOME!!!!!  Ok, so anyway, with the ric rac die, you can cut your paper w/ the die and use that exact size, OR (my favorite word!), you can move the die so that one side is in the middle of the paper you just cut, and split it in two!  So, you have two smaller pieces of ric rac!  AND, you can also use the negative part of the die, the sides to create a completely different look!  That's what I did on the TOP of this box!  Take a look!  On the back of the top, I did this, and then decorated w/ that garden flower and daisy again.  And if you look on the inside, I used smaller pieces of ric rac to add a little character and detail to each label!  Do you see what I'm trying to say?
I also used My Favorite Things Scallop Edge as well on the bottom of the front of the box!  Another AWESOME die that I just could not live without!  Hahahaha!

And there you have it!  I'm a changed stamper, now that I have discovered Taken W/ Teal again!  I'm telling you, I gave my TWT c/s away, and I gave my ink pad to my daughter because I was SO not ever using that color!  The ink pad has now been given a place of honor w/ the rest of my ink pads!  LOL!

My friend Wendy LOVES this color, and actually has her living room and kitchen painted TWT, and it looks SO nice!  So, now I finally see why she loves this color!  And is sad to see it leave the SU! color family.

Have a STAMPTASTIC day!!!

It's been a long time!

Wow, has time flown!  LOTS has been going on, and I haven't had time to upload my pictures!  I'm still not finished uploading, but, I'll get there eventually!  I am helping my mom get ready for my sister's bridal shower tomorrow, and lots to do to get ready for that.  I only have two things left, but they are very time consuming things, so I need to hurry this post up!  I wanted to post SOMETHING soon, as I have 60, read it 60 followers on my blog!  And I don't want you to leave!  LOL!

So,  here we go.  My grandmother had asked me to make a graduation card for her to send to a cousin of ours that just graduated from high school.  I don't know what the school colors are, so I kept it very neutral - black!  It worked, and my grandmother loved it!

Then it was Father's Day and I made two cards for my dad, one from me, and one from my kids:

And then my stamping friends and I celebrated our friend's birthday, and we have a long standing inside joke about owls, so I had to include one on my card!  Turned out pretty cute, if I do say so myself!

That's it for now!  If you ever need any information on any of my cards (if you actually LIKE something that I have created), just email me and I'll get you the info!

Have a STAMPTASTIC day!!!

Get well card for a friend

Yesterday evening my family and I went to visit a friend of ours who is recovering from having surgery, removing many cancerous masses all through his body.  He and his wife have been through quite a lot lately, and we just wanted to call on them and let them know that we are here if they need anything.  Since we were visiting, I thought I would make a quick card.  I was watching my kids play across the street today w/ the neighbor kids, and was just messing around w/ Kitchen Sink Stamps' Winter Cardinals.  Maria, from KSS, had made a card on her blog using blues to make a bluejay!  I LOVED it and the image stuck w/ me, and so I attempted to make my own!

Here is the full card.

And here's a closeup of the bird.

Here's my recipe:

Bluejay:  3. Onyx Black, 2. Paris Dusk, 1. Paris Dusk s.o. and wipe the beak and talons clean and ink the beak w/ the tip of Dandelion, and the talons w/ Onyx Black, 4. Onyx Black

Branch: 1. Cottage Ivy, 2. Olympia Green, 3. Rich Cocoa

Have a STAMPSTASTIC day!!!

Getting ready for the 4th of July!

So, in less than a month, our country will celebrate the 4th of July!  What an exciting time!!!  My family and I LOVE celebrating the 4th in Washington, DC!  We love walking around the Smithsonians, visiting the Capital Building and other sites.  This year we are going to go and visit Mt. Vernon for the first time!  My son has become quite attached to Pres. George Washington.  Everything he learns turns into a pop quiz for my husband and I!  And he LOVES it when we answer incorrectly!  He wants to be smarter than us!  What kid doesn't?!  So, we are going to Mt. Vernon for him!  Plus, my husband and I are history buffs, so going there is right up our alley!

ANYWAY, Vintage Image Crafts has a new challenge up where you are to make something patriotic using their digital vintage images.  They have freebees as well as pages of images that you can purchase for a very low price!  Very reasonable!

I picked up this Uncle Sam image and when I printed it out, I didn't realize it was going to be quite so tall!  So, I cut him out and then stood him on my desk for the rest of the day, not really knowing what to do with something that tall!!!!  The next day, my idea came to me!  I'll just decorate a pencil holder!  Actually this is a set of 3 cups w/ lids that came in a nice case, all boy motif.  It was for my son when he was born, but we never really used it, as his room is red, white and blue (go figure!), and these cups were yellow and orange, and soft subtle colors.  So, they have been in my "someday I'm going to use this" pile! 

I took the outfit of Uncle Sam to use as my inspiration for the rest of the cup, as I wanted it all to go together!

What do you think?!  I actually am using this as my new cup!  As luck would have it, the cup I HAD been using suddenly broke in half when I tried to jam just ONE MORE PEN in the mix!  So, perfect timing!!!

Thanks for stopping by!  Have a STAMPTASTIC day!!!

A Berry Special Clipboard!

My daughter was in the 3 yr. old preschool program this year.  And every day that I took her, every Tuesday and Thursday, she would cry and carry on like I was leaving her forever.  Well, it was all an act because as soon as I was gone, she would stop crying and go and play w/ her friends.  But before I left she would cry - no tears, mind you -  and hook onto me like a leech and never come off!  The teacher had to pry her off of me!  EVERY TUESDAY AND THURSDAY!  Except my birthday!  She actually went in with a cool head and went right to the table after kissing me goodbye!  Shock and awe!  So, anyway, I wanted to make something special for her teacher since she had to put up w/ my daughter's dramatic theatrics every day!  And I don't know her style, as she is always picking up her kids and taking them to this, that and the other thing.  So, I get the feeling that she doesn't have a whole lot of time for herself.  And I know that every teacher has every apple thing known to man kind, so I thought I would do berries instead!

The berries are from Kitchen Sink Stamps' Berries and the peach is from KSS Peaches.  The white c/s w/ blue (Pacific Blue!) and green stripes: stripes are from KSS Plaid Plus.  LOVE that set!!!  Totally a keeper!!  The green paper is from Jenni Bowlin's Core'dinations Cardstock stack.  LOVE that paper!  LOL!

Enjoy your weekend!

Have a STAMPASTIC day!!!

Clocks - are they masculine?

Back again w/ a quick card made for my dad.  We celebrated his birthday this weekend by spending the day at his and my mom's pool!  FINALLY, they listened to their kids and had a pool put in!  I think they love it more than we do!  Hahaha! 

Anyway, I always struggle w/ male cards, and when I sat down to make his card, I wasn't sure what direction I wanted to go to.  Then, I went through my new vintage paper from Graphic 45 that I found at a local scrapbook store, and found the clock paper.  I found my direction!  The stamped clock and hands were from a set I found at Michael's. The "H" and "B" are from My Favorite Things' Alphadots set.  The "to U" is from Kitchen Sink Stamps' Mix It Up alphabet set.  I also used black and Kraft c/s.  Onyx black ink.  Hardware from Tim Holtz.

Have a STAMPTASTIC day!!!

Preschool Graduation!

Hi there!  I'm sorry I've been MIA for SO long!  It's been quite interesting and busy these last few weeks.  W/ the end of school came lots of events, programs, play dates, and exhaustion!  Thank God summer has arrived!  I need a break!
For graduation for my son's preschool, I was asked by his teacher to make something for each student.  She told me what the morning class was doing, so I took that idea and ran w/ it.  I bought 4x6 frames and used some Kitchen Sink Stamps (apple from School Days and graduation cap from Graduation).  Oh and the ABC123 is also from School Days.  I made a chalk board in the back w/ black paper and stamped the ABC123 w/ Frost ink.  I stamped and cut out all the apples and graduation caps, 18 in total.  The picture and green c/s behind was cut from Labels 13.  Cool shape to work with!

I hope that you are enjoying your Memorial Day and the end of a wonderful school year!  Get ready for summer!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Have a STAMPTASTIC day!!!