Just Give Me Stamps...

Quick Little Cider Holder...

Happy Monday to you!  So, do you have all of your Christmas shopping/preparations finished?  I think I am probably 3/4 done.  I always tell myself that I want to be completely finished by December 1st so that I have lots of time to just enjoy the time with my family...but I have yet to make it happen!  LOL!  I've decided that if I get half of everything else done then I will be happy.  I always have to remind myself that it doesn't have to be perfect to be memorable!  :-)

 

I received an envelope from Claire (owner of Waltzingmouse Stamps) the other day and when I opened it, I literally squealed with delight!  Inside was the brand new Little Box Labels set!!  It's designed to create boxes and various holders.  Well, you know how much I LOVE making boxes!!  I have several projects planned out in my head already!  LOL!

First things first though...I need to finish up making my Christmas gifts!  LOL!  For this little holder, I combined some of my most favoritest (if that isn't a word, it should be LOL!) things ever:  Kraft cardstock and Vellum!!  I embossed the snowflake (all images are from the Little Box Labels set) in white on the Vellum cardstock.

I almost forgot to tell you what inside of my little holder!  LOL!  I picked up some of these gourmet cider packets at a local store, thinking that they would be perfect for teachers, Sunday School teachers, and neighbors!  I have several of the tags finished already (it's SOOO wonderful that Claire makes these labels Nestie friendly...not only are they decorative, but QUICK to assemble!!  :-) so I should be able to finish up the other 7 or so in no time!

Well that's all from me this morning...but I will be back later today with something else to share!  :-)  OH, and we had the YUMMIEST chicken dinner last night (definitely not a fat free kind of meal though)...I will share the recipe later today as well!   Hugs, Laurie

 
Stamps:  Little Box Labels (Waltzingmouse Stamps)
Paper:  Vellum c.s. (PTI), Kraft c.s. (PTI)
Ink:  White caft (SU!), Moulin Rouge (Palette), Versamark
Accessories:  White e.p., Button, Riding Hood Red ribbon (SU!), White crochet lace (May Arts), Fiskars border punch, String, Nestabilities Labels 5
 

Taylored Expressions Release Day!

It's release day at Taylored Expressions!  There are four brand new sets available:  Discover Your Wings, Sweet Occasions, Crafty Cuppie, & Crafty Expressions!

 It's also the day that the Taylored Expressions Newsletter comes out, and this time I have the privilege of being the featured designer!  :-)  If you haven't yet signed up for the newsletter, you can do so from the home page of the Taylored Expressions store!

This is the project I created for the Newsletter.  In the interview I describe my design process...and this card is a good example of the steps I go through in creating!

I used the new Discover Your Wings set to create this colorful card...that and some Versamagic Dew Drops (I love to emboss), Spellbinder's tags, buttons, and a Quickutz embossing folder!   

All of the above cards and box (Taylor's Perfect Package box) were created using the new Discover Your Wings set and the Bloom & Grow Card Kit!  These new kits contain everything you need to create a coordinating gift set...the packaging included!  :-)

Here are some close-up pictures of the cards....

 

And here's a picture of it all wrapped up (using some of the beautiful ribbon included in the Bloom & Grow Kit)...

 
  
Come blog hoppin' with me to see what the Baker's Dozen girls have cooked up with Crafty Cuppie and Crafty Expressions today.

Charmine
Dawn
Donna
Jackie
Jami
Jodi
Karen G.
Karen M.
Nancy
Sankari
Sharon
Taylor

Be sure to leave some love along the way because one lucky commenter will win a Crafty Cuppie stamp set! How cool is that?

All you have to do is leave a comment on each Baker's Dozen blog today for the best chance to win! One lucky winner will be chosen at random from all of the comments on one of the blogs, but the trick is that nobody knows which blog it will be! You have until 6am PST on Saturday to enter. The winner will be announced Monday morning on Taylor's blog.

Thnanks for stopping by!  I hope you have a wonderful weekend!  ~Laurie

Dream Big...

Hi there!  I know, I know...two posts in one day!  I guess I just have lots to share!  :-)  If you are here looking for my Taylored Expressions Sneak Peek card, please scroll down or click HERE!

Have you been enjoying all of the JustRite projects the Stamper's Dream DT has been sharing all week?  Well, today I've got one more JustRite project to show you...

 

My card may look complicated, but really this was a simple card to make!  I was completely inspired by this gorgeous Webster's Pages patterned paper, and wanted to cover up as little of it as possible!  I also thought that the butterflies on the paper would look wonderful with this Dream Big image from the new Just a Note set from JustRite Stampers!

I embellished with a punched border, stitched edges, lace trims and butterfly, & a few pearls.  That's it!  Super easy!  :-)  Make sure to check out Michelle & Silke's blogs...they've got more JustRite eye candy for you to see!

Thanks so much for stopping by!  I hope you have a wonderful day!  ~Laurie

 
Stamps:  Just a Note (JustRite Stampers)
Paper:  Dark Chocolate (PTI), Webster's Pages patterned paper)
Ink:  Chocolate Chip Craft ink (SU!), Antique Linen Distress Ink
Accessories:  Clear Detail e.p.,Circle Nestabilities, Pearls, Sewing machine, Martha Stewart border punch, Crochet trims, Butterfly, Prima flowers
 
 

 

Taylored Expressions Sneak Peek - Sweet Occassions...

 It's day two of the December Taylored Expressions sneak peeks!  Today, the Baker's Dozen is sharing projects made with Sweet Occasions (available tomorrow, December 4th at 8 am PST)!  This super cute set was created in collaboration with non other than Jami Sibley!!  Congrats, Jami!!  :-)

 
 
 My card was inspired by this very colorful and fun patterned paper (from Cosmo Cricket's The Boyfriend collection).  The Choice Buttercream c.s. is embossed using my Quickutz Polka Dot embossing folder.  Of course I had to add some Stickles to the cherry and the frame...I mean, it's almost impossible for me to not create a card without it!  (((Grin)))

Come blog hoppin' with me to see what the Baker's Dozen girls have cooked up with Sweet Occasions today...

Charmaine
Dawn
Donna
Jackie 
Jami
Jodi
Karen G.
Karen M.
Sankari
Sharon
Taylor

Be sure to leave some love along the way because one lucky commenter will win a Sweet Occasions stamp set! How cool is that?

All you have to do is leave a comment on each Baker's Dozen blog today for the best chance to win! One lucky winner will be chosen at random from all of the comments on one of the blogs, but the trick is that nobody knows which blog it will be! You have until 6am PST on Friday to enter. The winner will be announced Friday morning on Taylor's blog.

Thanks so much for stopping by!  Hugs, Laurie

 
Stamps:  Sweet Occasions (Taylored Expressions)
Paper:  Choice Buttercream c.s., The Boyfriend Collection (Cosmo Cricket)
Ink:  Rich Cocoa Memento ink
Accessories:  Copic markers, Christmas Stickles, Polka Dots Quickutz embossing folder, Red grosgrain ribbon (SU!), Paper piercer, White gel pen

Taylored Expressions Sneak Peek - Discover Your Wings...

Today, the Baker's Dozen DT is sharing sneak peeks of the soon to be released Discover Your Wingsset (available for purchase on Friday, December 4th at 8 am PST)!

Every three months, Taylored Expressions comes out with a new "Giving Tree" set, as well as a new charity to support.  When you purchase this beautiful set (illustrated by Nancy McKinney), Taylored Expressions will donate $7 to Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep.

The Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep Foundation is a charity that administers a network of almost 7000 photographers in the US and 25 other countries who volunteer their time to gently provide a helping hand and healing heart to families who have suffered the loss of an infant by offering gentle and beautiful photography services in a compassionate and sensitive manner. NILMDTS is there for parents and families to help them in their healing, bring hope to their future, and to honor their child. They believe that it is through remembrance that a family can truly begin to heal. Taylored Expressions is honored to help support the work of this wonderful charity. I encourage you to go to their website and learn more about their wonderful work.

For my card, I chose to use the large floral silhouette image.  I decided to try my hand at the Stamping with Bleach technique...and I just LOVE the soft lemon-y look that it produced on my Kraft cardstock!  I kept the design very simple, adding just some lace trim, ribbon, pearls, & some subtle shimmer on the flowers.

Come blog hoppin' with me to see what the Baker's Dozen girls have cooked up with Discover Your Wings today.

Charmine
Dawn
Donna
Jackie
Jami
Jodi
Karen G.
Karen M.
Nancy
Sankari
Sharon
Taylor

Be sure to leave some love along the way because one lucky commenter will win a Discover Your Wings stamp set! How cool is that?

All you have to do is leave a comment on each Baker's Dozen blog today for the best chance to win! One lucky winner will be chosen at random from all of the comments on one of the blogs, but the trick is that nobody knows which blog it will be! You have until 6am PST on Thursday to enter. The winner will be announced Friday morning on Taylor's blog.

Thanks for stopping by!  ~Laurie

 
Stamps:  Discover Your Wings (Taylored Expressions)
Paper:  Kraft c.s. (PTI), Anna Griffin patterned paper, Choice Buttercream c.s.
Ink:  Ocean Tides (PTI), Antique Linen Distress Ink
Accessories:  Bleach, Spica Glitter pens, Pearls, Lace trim, Ric-Rac, Lemon Tart satin ribbon (PTI)

A Peek Into My Stamp Room...

If you are here looking for my project for JustRite week, please scroll down or click HERE.

Over the past few months, I've received quite a few requests to see pictures of my stamp room.  Well, I've been putting it off because it seems there is always something I want to organize or change first.  I've finally realized that there will ALWAYS be something that needs to be organized/changed!  LOL!  So, today I took some pictures of my stamp room...

This is the view from the door...

This is the view to the left...

I've created a separate page full of photos of my stamp area, including close-up shots of my embellishment drawers!  I've also included info on where I purchased my furniture, as well as many other details!  You can find the link under the "Pages" header on the left sidebar, or you can click HERE.

I'll be back tomorrow morning with another project to share with you!  Thanks for stopping by!  ~Laurie
 
 
 

God's Grace...

It's JustRite week at Stamper's Dream again!  All week the Stamper's Dream DT will be sharing projects made with the brand new JustRite release...including the new square stamper! 

Speaking of the new Square Stamper....(teeheehee), that is exactly what I used for my project today!  :-)  The new bordersare absolutely gorgeous...all of them...and I had quite a difficult time deciding which border to use first!  I started by stamping the square border onto some muslin fabric using Versamagic Chalk ink.  I then stitched around the edges and then frayed them a bit.  I decided that I didn't want any sentiments on the outside of the card, so I added an embellishment (Webster's Pages Silhouette) to the center of the border.

  

For the inside, I mimicked the front design, but kept the main background layer cream colored instead of the dark patterned paper (better for writing on).  The oval sentiment is from the JustRite Thinking of You set.  The corner punch (I used it on both the front and inside of the card) is from Tonic (it's called the Corner Fleur).

You will find some more JustRite inspiration over at Denise & Michelle's blogs!

Thanks so much for stopping by!  I hope you have a wonderful day!  ~Laurie

Thank You...

Hi there!  Did you see all of the amazing cards the Diva's created for the Verve Thankful Hearts blog hop?  No?  You still have time to check them out...as well as be entered to win the ENTIRE Verve November release!!  Just head over to Julee's blog, Poetic Artistry, to read about how you can be entered, as well as see some wonderful eye candy!  :-)  

 
 
For this card, I used the new Thankful Accents set.  I wanted to try out a new color combo (at least it's new to me :-) of Navy, Olive, Teal, & White.  I don't remember where I was...but the other week I saw a pattern that contained these colors so I jotted it down in my "to try later" notebook.  For the circle, I just found a small bowl in my kitchen and traced around it (more of my "high tech" tools :-).  The center sentiment (also from the Thankful Accents set) is cut out/embossed using the Label Nine Nestabilities. 

I'm a little late in sharing all the deets on the amazing Paper-Crafting sale going on...but you should really check them out!  LOTS of fun stuff and great prices!!  :-) 

• Stamper's Dream:  30% off all JustRite Christmas stamps, many other items marked down as well!  Just visit the Sales & Specials page to see all that's on sale!
• Taylored Expressions:  15% off everything in the store!  Just use coupon code TEBlackFriday to receive the special discount!
• Verve Stamps:  Special weekend sale (through 11:59 Mountain on November 30th)!  You can see everything that is on sale HERE!

 Well, that's all from me tonight!  I hope you enjoy the rest of your weekend!  :-)   ~Laurie

 
Stamps:  Thankul Accents
Paper:  Choice Snow White (Taylored Expressiosn), Enchanged Evening (PTI), Old Olive (Su!)
Ink:  Bermuda Bay (SU!), Enchanted Evening (PTI), Old Olive (SU!)
Accessories:  Bermuda Bay polka dot ribbon (SU!), Buttons, Button twine (PTI), Sewing Machine, Labels Nine Nestabilities, Swiss Dots embossing folder, Mini rhinestones, Martha Stewart border punch
 

Thankful Hearts Blog Hop...

 

It’s new release time at Verve and we’re topping off our Thankful Hearts Blog Party with a blog hop featuring three new sets that just released, all focused on thankfulness. If you’ve been hopping and arrived from Mercy's blog (link to the person above you on the list), then you’re right where you should be. If you’ve just happened by, then you’ll want to hop on over to Poetic Artistry to start from the beginning!

And to make this hop even sweeter, we’ve got a special treat hidden along the way for one lucky commenter. So if you see something that makes you smile, be sure to give a little shout-out in the comments for a chance to win our entire release!

 

I used the brand new Thankful Hearts set to create this quick & easy thank you card!  After I stamped the row of hearts image in black (I stamped it five times), I quickly stitched down the center of them...giving the appearance of the hearts being on a line.  It's hard to see from the photo, but I used my Scor-Pal to create embossed lines between the vertical rows of hearts.  After rounding the corners, I added a tag (sentiment also from the Thankful Hearts set), a chipboard heart covered in glitter shards, & a bow with a button!

Thanks for hopping by! Next up on the hop is Teresa... 

 
Stamps:  Thankful Hearts
Paper:  Rustic White (PTI), Pure Black (PTI)
Ink:  Versafine Black Onyx
Accessories:  Clear Detail e.p. (Judikins), Pink Glitter Shards, Black/Cream polka dot ribbon, Black button (PTI), Rustic White string (PTI), Mini rhinestones, Sewing machine, Scor-Pal, Corner Rounder punch

It's Party Time!!

Happy Friday everyone!!  We had a wonderful Thanksgiving...lots of food and some wonderful new memories!!  :-) 

Today there is HUGE party going on over at the Verve blog!  There are challenges (not to mention P*R*I*Z*E*S galore!!) being posted every hour, as well as the brand new sets being revealed!  Fun, fun, fun!!  Tosh & I have a sketch challenge up (you can see the sketch HERE).  Here's the card I made using the sketch...

I used the soon to be released Thankful Accents set.  Isn't that circle image just GORGEOUS?!!?!  Mmmm, mmm!  Speaking of circles...I added mine to my card even though the sketch doesn't contain a circle.  That's what I love about sketches...they are meant to inspire not restrict creativity!

I hope you get a chance to play along!  One lucky participant will win a $25 gift certificate to Verve!!  You can find all the details as well as the Mr. Linky gadget (where you link your creations to) HERE!

Thanks for stopping by!  ~Laurie