Happy New Year!!

With 2007 just a few hours away, we're getting really close to Sell-A-Bration!! We just got home from a lovely New Year's dinner and I thought I'd steal a few minutes to post a couple great Sell-A-Bration cards! These were both made by Lucie, a demonstrator in my downline, for a couple of swaps. She dropped them off to me yesterday and I was so impressed!

The first card features the Happy Harmony Sell-A-Bration stamp set. She's also used the new French Flair background stamp from the Winter Mini Catalogue on this card - I like how she did just a strip of this so it didn't overpower the card. She used Stampin' Write Markers on the flowers - Mellow Moss for the stem, Pretty in Pink for the flowers which she then outlined in Rose Red to give them some dimension... very nice! Lots of sponging on this card which adds great texture along with the Linen background stamp that she used behind the greeting.

Isn't this second card fun? I love how the punched out circles are layered on this card. Lots of details here... The Cheesecloth background stamp on the Cool Caribbean card reminds me of a fish net. She has used the Spot On jumbo wheel to create a nice background for the fish punches to sit on. The fish have been coloured with the edges sponged and then the Diamond Dust technique was used on them to add some sparkle... I just talked about this technique in my last newsletter and I know many of you have done it in classes before. The fish are layered on Taken with Teal card stock. The fish stamp and the greeting "Best fishes!" are from the Sell-A-Bration set called Very Punny.

The Sell-A-Bration brochure is now online. You can see it here. There are six different Sell-A-Bration rewards that you can choose this year - five stamp sets and one Simply Scrappin' Kit. Customers select one free Sell-A-Bration reward with every $75 of Stampin' Up! product purchased! Hostesses also benefit, selecting one Sell-A-Bration reward for each $450 in workshop sales - this is above all of the regular hostess benefits! And, if you sign-up as a Stampin' Up! demonstrator during Sell-A-Bration, you can select any stamp set (value up to $57.95) from the 2006-2007 Idea Book & Catalogue free! Contact me (bevennis@shaw.ca) for more information or to book a workshop! Sell-A-Bration starts on January 1st and runs until February 26th.

Happy stampin'!

Bev.

(All images copyright 1990-2007 Stampin' Up!)

Gift Card Holder

Here's a great idea that I received from a demonstrator in my downline, Robin. This would be perfect to present a gift card to someone... The first photo is of the gift card holder closed. Notice how Robin used a piece of Hodgepodge Hardware at the bottom to hold the flap closed. You could probably also tie a ribbon around the package or use the slot punch if you don't have a piece of Hodgepodge Hardware.

The next photo is with the top flap open. I like how Robin stamped this part... She has used the Carte Postale stamp set from the Winter Mini Catalogue along with the French Script background stamp on her gift card holder.

This last photo is of the package open and you can see how the gift card is inserted into a little pocket inside.

Let's see if I can give you some dimensions on this so you can make one... The main piece of card stock (in this sample, Chocolate Chip) is 5 1/2" tall x 8" wide. It is scored 2" from the top and 2" on each of the sides. Then the squares on the top left and right are cut out and the bottom rectangles are also cut out, along the score lines. The piece of Mellow Moss card stock that Robin used on the front is 3 3/4" wide by about 3" tall after it was ripped at the bottom (you would need to cut it a bit longer to leave enough to tear if you want to do this. The pocket inside is 3 3/4" wide x 2" tall secured on three sides - I would use Sticky Strip on this to be sure that it holds well. Robin added a piece of ribbon across the top for a nice accent. Closed, the little package measures 4" x 3 1/2". If you need better instructions, let me know! Remember, you can click on any of the photos to see them enlarged.

Happy stampin'!

Bev.

(All images copyright 1990-2007 Stampin' Up!)

Butterfly of Happiness

This is the card that I stamped for my December card swap with my downline group... I love the colours on this card - Cool Caribbean, Lavender Lace and So Saffron accented with Basic Black and Very Vanilla.

I really like how the butterflies pop off of the card and thought I'd give you a couple tips on how I made them. It's a bit difficult to see on the scan, but there are two different colours on the butterflies - Cool Caribbean wings and a Lavender Lace body. To do this, I inked the stamp first in my Cool Caribbean pad. Then I coloured the Lavender Lace on with my Stampin' Write marker. I did the same on the words - inking the whole stamp in Cool Caribbean and then colouring the word "love" in Lavender Lace with the Stampin' Write Marker. Before stamping, I breathed on the stamp to re-moisten it. I wouldn't want to be colouring one colour on top of another too much as it will transfer colour onto the marker - I always make sure that I ink with the lightest colour first. When I was making several of these, I just wiped off as much of the Cool Caribbean ink as I could with my finger before colouring the Lavender Lace on to help save my Stampin' Write Marker. It was a bit finicky and messy but worth it! Then I coloured my marker out on scrap paper when I was finished and it refreshed back to the correct colour in just a few swipes.

I used the "splatter" stamp from Itty Bitty Backgrounds with Lavender Lace and then So Saffron ink before cutting the butterflies out. Here's a tip for when you are cutting something out... use sharp scissors - our Paper Snips are awesome - and then instead of moving your scissors to cut around the image, hold your scissors steady and move the card stock. You will likely get a much smoother cut.

After I cut the butterflies out, I gave them some dimension by curling their wings. I did this by wrapping the wings around a Stampin' Write Marker. Then, to help keep the shape of the wings, I cut a Dimensional in half and put it behind the curved wings.

The other thing that I needed to watch when making this card was where I put the adhesive to attach the vellum paper. I just put a little spot in the centre of the square so that it would end up covered by the butterflies and would not been visible on the finished card.

My inspiration for this card came from a card that I received from another demonstrator, Roz. Here's the card that she created... I changed mine just a bit and added the ribbon.

Happy stampin'!

Bev.

(All images copyright 1990-2006 Stampin' Up!)

Happy Boxing Day!

I hope the holidays have been wonderful for you! We had a lovely Christmas with our family... spoiled by Santa and his elves, great food and a nice day! Today has been a relaxing day... I think I almost enjoy Boxing Day as much as Christmas Day!

I just lined up all of the handmade cards that we received over the holidays and took a couple of photos. Thanks so much to everyone who thought of us and sent a beautiful card - each one brought a smile to my face as I opened them and then displayed them all on our fireplace mantle.

With another holiday season over, I'm looking forward to stamping other cards... As much as I love Christmas, by the time the end of December comes, I'm ready for a change from Christmas cards! And, of course, we have Sell-A-Bration to look forward to starting on New Year's Day... five great new stamp sets and a Simply Scrappin' Kit to choose from. The Sell-A-Bration brochures have been arriving over the past few days... watch your mailbox! I'll be stamping a few samples in the next few days to share with you.

Before I close this year's holiday cards, I just wanted to post this adorable Santa card that may be familiar to some of you... I got this idea from the Stampin' Up! demonstrator web site and fell in love with it instantly! Lots of punching to make this fun card. We went into production on this card and managed to make 75 in total... thanks to lots of help from Mom!

Happy stampin'!

Bev.

(some images copyright 1990-2006 Stampin' Up!)

Card swap

Here are some more cards from my downline group's December card swap... What a creative bunch!

This first card was stamped by Deb using the Remembering You Simply Sent Card Kit. This kit, along with the five others featured in the Winter Mini Catalogue, makes stamping cards quick and easy!

Stacey's creation is made with the Petal Prints set - I don't often use this particular stamp in the set so I was happy to get two cards with this stamp in this swap.

The other was made by Sonia and also features the new Enchante Designer Series Double Sided Paper. Unfortunately, the colours were lost in the scan of this card.

Alicia's card also uses the Petal Prints set in a different and fun way! She stamped and then cut out the outline of the flower. The little bee is from Friends Are Like Flowers and the greeting is from the new set in the Winter Mini called Small Sayings. Notice how Alicia did the flower stems by piercing the card stock.

Suzanne also used the leaves from Petal Prints in her card along with the French Script and Weathered background stamps and two hostess stamp sets - Springtime Stems and Warmest Regards. The Hodgepodge Hardware piece and ribbon add a nice touch to this card.

Melanie's card uses the Snowflake Spot set. She added some Dazzling Diamonds Glitter on the main snowflake - nice to have some sparkle. I like how the Word Window Punch pieces were added with Brads to accent this card.

Hope you enjoyed these cards. I still have one more to share and will do that soon - it's a neat card and requires some photographing for you to see it... hopefully tomorrow!

Happy stampin'!

Bev.

(All images copyright 1990-2006 Stampin' Up!)

Flaky Friends

In the early fall, I had a class with a group of stampers who are quite experienced and always looking for new ideas and techniques. I designed this card with the Faux Mother of Pearl technique to do with these stampers - I was really pleased with the card. I managed to include it in a couple of other classes and people really seemed to like it. I had suggested to my husband that it might be a good card for us to make for our friends and family this year and he asked me if I could make it in brighter colours. So, I tried this second card with Ballet Blue and Real Red card stock in place of the Bashful Blue. Isn't it amazing how the same layout can look so different by just changing the colours?

We both liked the end result and I was ready to go with it, but as Christmas came closer and closer and my cards were not yet started, I decided that I needed to simplify our card... The Faux Mother of Pearl technique is not difficult, but it can take a bit of time and I was concerned that I wouldn't get them all finished before Christmas. So, we continued to think of different designs and then decided to go with a layout that I had stamped last year and we both really liked. In the end, I'm not sure I actually saved time with this card, but we were very happy with the outcome.

I'll be back tomorrow to share some more cards from my downline swap with you...

Happy stampin'!

Bev.

(All images copyright 1990-2006 Stampin' Up!)

Shakin' & Spinnin' Snowmen!

I wanted to send some fun cards to my "little" cousins this year. Okay, they aren't so little anymore... They're both grown up and on their own now, but they'll always be my "little" cousins.

So, before I sent them off, I took a couple quick (and I do mean quick because the box was about to close and be rushed off to Greyhound) photos. This first one is Lindsay's card and was a brand new design that just came together as I was making it. I didn't really even have an end result in mind - just knew I wanted to make a shaker card with a snowman. This is what pressure helped me accomplish! It was a little tedious to cut around the snowman, but I really like the end result with the micro beads in behind the snowman and the snowflakes stamped on the background of the shaker box. This card is stamped entirely with the It's Snow Time stamp set which is one of my favourites.

The card I sent to Ryan will be familiar to some of you who have taken my Movin' and Shakin' class. It's a spinner card... I think this one was my own design last year - after a while, it's hard to remember what I came up with myself and what was inspired from someone else's creativity! : ) It's an easy card to make and so fun to play with! Using the Word Window punch to make the opening for the spinner really simplifies spinner cards. This card used the Frosty stamp set - a classic set that I've used in so many ways over the years.

My official card count is now 218 sent! I'm pretty much finished for this year... just a few ready to drop in the mail tomorrow morning and then a couple that will be delivered in person. Phew!! Pretty impressed with this accomplishment!

Happy stampin'!

Bev.

(All images copyright 1990-2006 Stampin' Up!)

Wild Rose

Here are a couple of cards from my December downline card swap... We had our Christmas dinner tonight which was wonderful - so nice to see everyone, enjoy a delicious meal and exchange cards.

These are just two of the cards that I received in the swap - I'll post more in the next few days. Both of these cards are made from the stamp set called "Wild Rose" and they are both so beautiful! The first one was created by Lucie and the second by Maggie. It's interesting that they both chose to add ribbon from the Prep School Ribbon Originals package. Very nice additions that tie in nicely with the colours they have used.

My big accomplishment today was making coasters for my family Christmas gifts... I've been wanting to do this for a couple of years and finally accomplished it this year!

I'll be back soon with more cards from this month's fantastic swap... very inspiring creations!

Happy stampin'!

Bev.

(All images copyright 1990-2006 Stampin' Up!)

Brrr...!

This is a Christmas card that I received this week from my friend and downline, Melanie. Such a cute little card with so many details... The main stamp set on this is Bundle Up. Isn't it cute how the little mittens are attached with hemp around the neck of the sweater? The stamps have been coloured with Brocade Blue and Old Olive Stampin' Write Markers to stamp them in the two colours. What you likely don't notice in the photo is that she has spritzed these pieces with Pearl Ex (mixed in non-aerosol hairspray) to give them some sparkle. These are all attached on Dimensionals on top of a piece of Brocade Blue card stock that has been crumpled (just take and crumple it in your hand then smooth back out - if you find that it's too hard to crumple like this, spritz it lightly with water first and it will soften the card stock a bit). This piece was then accented by rubbing the Brocade Blue ink pad directly on it. The Snowflake Spot set was used to stamp the background piece in Brocade Blue and Old Olive. This piece is aged with some brown ink around the edges, it looks like Creamy Caramel applied with a sponge and then the card stock was run right on the pad to get the edge darker. The little greeting is from the hostess stamp set called Riveting. It's punched out using the 1 1/4 inch circle punch and mounted on a piece of Brocade Blue that was punched out with the 1 3/8 inch circle punch and then the 1/4 inch circle punch makes the hole in the centre . She's used the Vintage Violet Stitched Grosgrain ribbon to finish this all off. Wow! I had to include the envelope in the photo because I thought it was so cute how she had stamped it... You can click on the photo to get a larger view and see more of the detail.

Well, my cards are nearly all finished... Yay! I've been determining the mailing order based on where people live... the further away, the sooner the card was mailed. All I have left now are people in BC, mostly on the island, so I should make it on time this year! : ) Once I get to the mailbox today, there will be 100 exactly that have left here!

Thankfully our power came back late on Friday night. I had to cancel a beginners stamping class since stamping by candlelight did not sound very safe! We're lucky to have ours back though because there are people just up the street a bit that don't have theirs yet. It's incredible to see all of the big trees that are down on the sides of the highway out here.

I am taking a break today though and heading up to Chemainus for the dinner theatre. The play is "A Christmas in Wales" so I'm looking forward to it! We're staying overnight and will be back tomorrow to continue stamp, stamp, stamping!

Happy stampin'!

Bev.

(All images copyright 1990-2006 Stampin' Up!)

Twas the Week Before Christmas

This brought a smile to my face this morning... I hope it does for you also!

Twas the week before Christmas, and the house was a hush

Save the stamping of rubber in a last-minute rush.

The card stock was cut with precision and care

In hopes that a greeting would soon be stamped there.

The children were tucked in their beds around eight,

But now it's ten-thiry....How'd it get so late?

And I in my PJs with bleary red eyes

Had finally arranged all the stamping supplies.

It started out simple..it does every year

Just make a few cards for friends who are dear.

I pressed ink to paper, it looked crisp and clean

A sprinkle of powder, heat to a sheen.

When what on my green Christmas card should appear?

Why, a tiny gold Santa with sleigh and reindeer.

On pigment! On powder! On heat from a gun!

Now ribbon and glitter! Can I make eighty-one?

"I can do it!" I said with all of my might

And looked at the clock - 'twas well past midnight.

I went straight to stamping out card after card.

"This might take all night, but at least it's not hard".

But after I finished, they looked a bit lame.

I didn't want fancy, but these were too plain.

And then in a twinkling, a thought came to mind.

"I'll just dress them up, and then they'll be fine".

So I went to my craft room and looked all around,

Then back to the table with all that I'd found.

My Fiskars I brandished, I wasn't a quitter,

And soon I was covered in emboss powder and glitter.

The cap of my marker I held in my teeth.

I'd lay in some colour or maybe gold leaf.

My broad little face was all beaded with sweat.

But I wouldn't give up - well, at not least yet.

There was glue on the table and ink on the floor.

I laughed at the site, though my fingers were sore.

I did not complain, just kept up my work.

When more things went wrong, I did not go berserk.

When finally finished, one card about six,

It looked pretty good after all of my tricks.

"I'm keeping this one, my work on it shows"

So clutching my card, up the stairs I arose.

I crawled into bed at the crack of dawn,

Creativity all spent, motivation gone.

But make no mistake, I promise one thing:

You'll all get your cards, but not till next spring!

--Author Unknown

So how are your Christmas cards going? I'm up to 69 completed now... I dropped my first batch in the mailbox this morning... yay!! Sometimes I actually have a hard time letting go of my cards as I drop them into that big red mailbox!

We woke up without power at home this morning so depending on how long it's out, finishing my Christmas cards off may be even more of a challenge!

Happy stampin'!

Bev.

(All images copyright 1990-2006 Stampin' Up!)

Getting there!

My posts will probably slow down a bit over the next couple of weeks as Christmas preparations take over my time... I've just finished writing our annual Christmas letter to insert into our cards. It's always nice to reflect on the past year. I started saving our Christmas letters in 2000 so each year I skim through our highlights from years past. So many memories to reflect on!

So, let's talk stamping! My Christmas cards are progressing well. Although still disappointed that he doesn't get to use the "little hammer", my hubby has been doing some colouring with me... some of the colouring is "whimsical"! I have managed to get 52 cards finished so far. I snapped a photo tonight of the production line. I'm never able to do all of one piece and then move onto the next - I have to jump around or I get bored. So things are in all different stages right now - colouring is nearly done, some pieces are mounted on the mats, more mats need to be cut, vellum pieces need to be stamped...

I've been wanting to share this adorable card with you. It was made by another demonstrator, Suzanne, for our last swap. As soon as I saw this card, it brought a smile to my face! Such a fun little card using the hostess stamp set called "Blooming with Happiness". Did you ever notice how they used this set to make the flowered background for the circle on the tag on page 15? I thought that was brilliant when I noticed it. I must remember to do a card with that in the new year. Okay, back to Suzanne's card... I like how she did the faux stitching in the corners - she didn't worry about piercing the paper - just drew the stitches on with the white gel pen and they look great! And the ribbon just adds such a great touch to this card. So cute!

I think that I've managed to change the setting on my blog to allow comments without having to set up a Blogger account... I'd love to hear from you if you have a comment or question to leave on any of my posts.

Well, I better get some more cards done!

Happy stampin'!

Bev.

(All images copyright 1990-2006 Stampin' Up!)

Snowmen... and Christmas cards

Okay, I love snowmen... We finished our Christmas decorating inside the house this weekend (the lights still have to be put up outside and we're waiting for the snow to melt to put out our big inflatable snowmen). We have snowmen everywhere! It's so much fun to open up those boxes of Christmas decorations and find the treasures that are stored inside.

It's probably no surprise that snowmen have also been featured on many Christmas cards... This is my fifth year making our cards and snowmen have been the theme for three of those years, including this one! I just recently came across my first year's Christmas card. I had only been stamping for about five months when I designed this card. It was made with an all-time favourite set - Frosty. This set is one of my most used! I'm still pretty proud of my design - relatively simple, but fun!

This next card using the Holiday Woodcuts set was our card two years ago. It wasn't until I was well into production that I realized how much work this card was! My husband helped though (I have photos of that somewhere...). He learned how to set eyelets that year... when I asked him if he would help me this year, he asked if he was going to get to use the "little hammer" again! I had to break the news to him that this year's card doesn't involve eyelets.

So, this year, the snowmen from Flaky Friends will be sending our holiday greetings out to our family and friends. Here's the scary part... I just started our cards TONIGHT!! Can you imagine? Okay, I know some of you are done (I've received several BEAUTIFUL cards in the mail already - thank you!). I'm betting though that there are at least a couple of others out there scrambling to meet the deadline like I am... Okay, we can do it! I know I'll make it in time and feel a great sense of accomplishment. And, of course, I'll be saying "next year, I'm starting earlier!"

Well, I'm putting down my card stock and markers for the evening... I hope your Christmas cards are going well.

Happy stampin'!

Bev.

(All images copyright 1990-2006 Stampin' Up!)

Like It a Latte

I'm sitting enjoying a cup of Chai tea as a relaxing end to my evening and thought I would post a couple of cards featuring my new favourite set - Like It a Latte. These were both made by Liane for our card swap...

I really like the sentiment on this first card: "Sending warm thoughts your way." The muted colours on this card are beautiful - Buckaroo Blue, Chocolate Chip, Cranberry Crisp and Sahara Sand. Liane used the Linen Background stamp on the Buckaroo Blue and it gives the card nice texture.

This next card is fun... There's a strip of the new Loves Me Designer Series Paper in the background. Another great sentiment on this one: "Nothing's better that a good friend with chocolate."

You can see the whole Winter Mini Catalogue here.

Happy stampin'!

Bev.

(All images copyright 1990-2006 Stampin' Up!)

Just blogging...

I just thought I'd share a couple of cards with you tonight... This first one uses the Frolicking Frogs stamp set. The little frogs in this set just make me smile! They are so cute. I love the ribbon on this card. I hope you have a "hoppy day!"

The next card uses one of my favourites - Petal Prints... I really like the layout of this card, which was created by another demonstrator in my downline, Stacey. The colours she chose are perfect - Rose Red, Regal Rose and Mellow Moss stamped on Naturals White card stock. The greeting from Curvy Verses adds some fun to this card.

Happy stampin'!

Bev.

(All images copyright 1990-2006 Stampin' Up!)

Email challenges

I just wanted to post briefly to say that I'm finding out now that I had some email problems last week - I'm blaming it on the snow! I've had a couple of customers forward emails on that they sent and hadn't received a reply... if you sent something and didn't hear back from me, your email must not have made it through the winter wonderland to me. Please send it again and I will reply as quickly as I can.

Thanks so much!

Bev.

Loving it...!!

The new Winter Mini Catalogue is out and I'm really loving lots of the stamp sets and products in it! I participated in a swap with some demonstrators from the lower mainland and my cards arrived on Friday... Wow!!

I'm feeling really inspired to stamp with the "Like it a Latte" set. This first sample was stamped by Liane - I like how she used the new Loves Me Designer Series Paper and also coloured the straw to match. The best surprise with this card is that the brown piece on the front is actually a Pocket Note - it lifts up to reveal a little "thank you" note inside. These little notes are so cute to add to the front of a card...

The "Big Pieces" stamp set is a nice addition that coordinates with the "Little Pieces" set in the main Idea Book & Catalogue. This is a unique Christmas card that was made by Pam... I like the colours - Real Red and Old Olive. You could easily adapt this layout to suit other occasions by changing the colours and the greeting.

I'm so thrilled that we now have a Small Tag Punch which layers perfectly with the Tag Punch. This next card uses the "Tagger's Dozen" stamp set - notice how Alison used the Small Tag Punch in a unique way by punching it through the front of a Pocket Note so that you see the stamp through a punched tag shape.

Roz created this last card using the "Butterfly of Happiness" set. The soft colours of this card are beautiful. She has added Dazzling Diamonds Glitter to the card and I particularly like how she highlighted the word "love" in the quote with a 2-Way Glue Pen and glitter. She's also added it to the outside edge of the tag and the centre of the flower on the tag.

Happy stampin'!

Bev.

(All images copyright 1990-2006 Stampin' Up!)

Just announced

Wow!! I was just on the Stampin' Up! website and they've just announced a new special for the month of December - six different stamp sets at half price with a $45 minimum purchase! Check it out here. The stamp sets included in this special offer are:

* Love Ya Bunches

* Rough Edges Alphabet

* Merry

* Tag Time

* Mini Mates

* Sketch It

These would all make great gifts for a stamping friend... or for yourself! : )

And, Stampin' Up! has also announced that the In Colour Stitched Grosgrain Ribbon that was introduced in the Holiday Mini Catalogue will continue to be available through the catalogue year - meaning it will be available until June 30th, 2007! Hooray!! I absolutely love the Stitched Grosgrain so am thrilled to hear this! This ribbon is available in 3 colours - Cranberry Crisp, True Thyme and Vintage Violet. You can see it on page 5 of the Holiday Mini Catalogue.

Happy stampin'!

Bev.

(All images copyright 1990-2006 Stampin' Up!)

Great Gift Idea

If you haven't had a chance to see the new Simply Sent Card Kits in person, I have to tell you that they are fantastic! They come with everything that you need to create 10 cards - 5 each of 2 different designs. And, there are additional card ideas on Stampin' Up!'s website! The card stock is pre-cut and the stamps are die-cut... which means all you need to do is mount them on the wood blocks! I haven't had the chance to actually play with any of the kits yet, but I'll be posting some card samples in future posts when I get time to create!

These kits would make great gifts for beginner and experienced stampers... New stampers will love how easy it is to get started when they have everything they need and experienced stampers will love that they can make some quick cards with a new stamp set! To see all six of the kits available, click here. The kit pictured here is called "Good Things".

Happy stampin'!

Bev.

Snow Day!

Today was a snow day for us! We couldn't get out of our driveway... it took almost 2 hours of shovelling to decide that though! So, I was able to stay home and STAMP today!! I don't have anything new to share with you though because I was making cards for the craft fair so I was just duplicating cards we've made before.

I thought I would end my day with a quick post to show you the card organizers that we did this weekend... It was the first time I had made these and the first time I taught the class. These are really nice tins to store hand-stamped greetings. I really enjoyed the class because everyone made their tin the way they liked - selecting their own paper, ribbon and embellishments.

These projects started with plain, white lunchbox style tins. We covered it with Designer Series Paper, painted the top and then decorated them. Here's a picture of the inside of mine - we also created little dividers to put inside. If you missed this class but are interested in making a card organizer, please email (bevennis@shaw.ca) to let me know and I can try to schedule another class before Christmas if there is enough interest.

I did have to take a break from stamping... my husband put on Christmas music this afternoon which was the sign that he was wanting to bring out the Christmas decorations... So we spent a few hours on that project - not done yet, but well on our way. It was neat to be decorating with the snow falling! I love getting all the decorations out... we've been invaded by snowmen! Here's a photo of how things looked in our neighbourhood this afternoon - this is taken from our driveway. The sun made a very brief appearance which made for a beautiful picture!

Hope you had a safe, warm day!

Happy stampin'!

Bev.

(All images copyright 1990-2006 Stampin' Up!)

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow...

It started snowing at about 3:00 this afternoon... the ground is now a blanket of snow. It's beautiful!

So, it was the perfect time to stamp packages of snowman soup! This was an idea that came from a demonstrator in my downline, Suzanne. She made the package that's at the top of this post.

I wanted to play with some different colours, so I stamped mine in Brocade Blue. Here's what you need to make your own snowman soup:

1 package of hot chocolate
1 dozen (or more!) miniature marshmallows
1 small candy cane
1 piece of card stock cut to 4 1/4" x 11"
1 medium flat cellophane bag
1 10" piece of ribbon
stamps, ink, adhesive, scissors and a punch

Stamp the piece of card stock. Then score it at 1", 5 1/4" and 6 3/4". Fold to make package. Put the hot chocolate, marshmallows and candy cane into the cellophane bag - I folded the top of the hot chocolate package down a bit so it fit better. Then fold the top of the cellophane bag down so that it fits inside the card stock package. I ran some SNAIL adhesive inside the package to hold the cellophane bag.

Next, you'll need to punch holes in the top to thread the ribbon through. I used the rectangle hand held punch for this. You are going through 3 layers of card stock plus the cellophane bag so it takes some strength - if you aren't able to go through all of this at once, punch through the front flap first, then lay it down and punch in the same place through the other layers. Thread your ribbon through and tie a bow on the front. Attach your stamped image to the front. I printed "Snowman Soup" onto the Whisper White card stock first then stamped the snowman family from Flaky Friends.

This would make a great little gift, maybe a stocking stuffer or a little decoration on a table... Or, use it in place of a card - you could tie a little tag onto the front to add a greeting and sign it. I think everyone would love having a mug of snowman soup!

Happy stampin'!

Bev.

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