Just Give Me Stamps...

Bella BLVD meets Silhouette Chipboard!

Happy Sunday friends and a very Happy Mother's Day to you!  Today I have a couple of fun projects (and a card) to share with you! 

Silhouette's May Promotion is now in full swing and I had the honor to create some projects using one of their newest products - Silhouette Chipboard! 

One of the projects that I couldn't wait to create using the Silhouette Chipboard was a gift container! The heavier weight lends itself nicely to holding heavier gifts! I started by cutting out the Fruit Basket shape using my Cameo, assembling it, and then adding some white wash paint over it. I decorated it with a strip of Bella patterned paper, Ciao Chip, and a Button Market button!

The shape file that I used is called 3-D Bushel Fruit Basket. 

Here's a peek at the tag that I included with the basket.  I will be giving this to my three boys' bus driver.  :-)

For my next project I created a little Baby mini album! I cut out album pages using my Silhouette Cameo and some Silhouette Chipboard. I then cut some Baby Boy pages using the same cut files. Both the front and back have different patterns (all from the Bella Baby Boy collection). I decorated the front of the Album using some coordinating Baby Boy Ciao Chip pieces, Alpha+Bits Stickers, a couple of Saltwater Feathers, and a Star Button.

The name of the cut file that I used for this album is called 3 Tabbed Mini Album.

I love adding both dimension and texture to my cards, so the idea of being able to create my own custom chipboard pieces really appealed to me! I used my Silhouette Cameo, Silhouette Chipboard, and various Bella patterned papers to cut out the tree and heart shapes for my card. For embellishments, I added a Miniature Card Sentiment and two Button Market buttons!

The names of the cut files that I used for this card are Echo Park Tree and Hearts Set.



You all know how much I love my Cameo!  It's such a wonderful tool for scrapbookers and stampers alike!  If you've been thinking about purchasing either the Silhouette Portrait or the Silhouette CAMEO, now is a great time to make it happen. You can find these great chipboard promotions HERE, with prices lasting until May 15th.

 

Thanks for stopping by!  Hugs, Laurie

 

 

Tulip Basket
Birthday Girl: Miles of Smiles; Sophisticates: Sprinkles & Lace Punch, Ciao Chip Icons, Miniature Card Sentiments; Button Market: Hot Pink Flowers

Baby Mini Album
Baby Boy: Momma's Boy, Borders, Baby Boy, It's a Boy!, Alpha+Bits Stickers, Chipboard Icons; Feathers: Saltwater; Button market: Stars

Super Great Friend Card
Birthday Girl: Miles of Smiles, Party Dress; Sophisticates: Sprinkles & Lace Ice, Sprinkles & Lace Punch, Miniatures Card Sentiments; Love And Marriage: Smokeys in Love; Button Market: Pink Flowers

Reverse Convetti New Release Blog Hop...

Can you believe it’s finally here?!! It’s the day you’ve all been waiting for—REVERSE CONFETTI’S VERY FIRST Release Day is today! To get things started, we invite YOU to hop along with the Confetti Crew and a few other talented stampers that are helping us launch this fabulous new stamp company!

The hop started over on the Reverse Confetti blog, and you should have made it here from Kelly Lunceford's Blog. It would be worth your while to start at the beginning of the hop, so you don’t miss a thing. We have tons of inspiration for you to see using Reverse Confetti’s first 4 brand new stamp sets!

For my project today, I tried something a little bit different!  My daughter had done something similar to this (without the stamping) in her art class and I was eager to try it out!  So, with a little directional help from her I created this little wall decor.  :-)  I started by replacing the paper around the crayons and then hot glued them to the canvas.  Then, using a hair dryer, I heated the crayons until they started running.  After the wax drips were what I wanted them to look like, I let them cool. 

I embossed the sentiment (from the new Dream in Color set - which is available NOW) and layered it onto the crayons.  For embellishment, I tied on a ribbon and added some coordinating sequins.  And then, just for fun, I sprayed the whole project using some Calico Shine spray.

I hope you’ve enjoyed hopping with us today. Be sure and hop with us on the 8th of EVERY MONTH for more REVERSE CONFETTI inspiration! Now it’s time to hop on over to Tiffany Johnson's Blog. If you get lost along the way, you can find the hop order and list of all the participating designers over on the Reverse Confetti blog. Celebrate the creative side of you!

 

Thanks for stopping by!  Hugs, Laurie

 

Countdown to Confetti - I Like You!

Welcome to day three of the very first Reverse Confetti Sneak Peeks!  Today the Confetti Crew is sharing projects made with the soon to be released set - I Like You !  All four of the new sets will be released this coming Wednesday, May 8th!

For my project, I covered a Swiss Hazelnut chocolate bar with some much prettier wrapping!  :-)  I started with some K & Co. patterned paper and then layered on my focal image (two different sentiments, an ampersand, and a dotted line all from the new I Like You set).

For embellishments, I added some buttons, a flower, pearls, and two different ribbons.

 

We have a little something for YOU! Leave a comment on my post today for your chance to win a $25 Gift Certificate to REVERSE CONFETTI! You have until 1 pm EST on May 7th to leave a comment. (Only one comment per blog per day, please!). The winner will be randomly chosen from all the DT blogs and Sneak Peeks for May 5-7th and announced on the Reverse Confetti blog at 5 pm EST on May 7th. Good Luck!!

 

Make sure to check out the Reverse Confetti Blog for a complete list of links to more I Like You Sneak Peek posts!

 

Thanks so much for stopping by!  Hugs, Laurie

 

Bella BLVD CHA Altered Projects...

 

Hi again...and happy Friday!!  The Endless Inspiration is continuing over at the Bella BLVD blog!  Today they are featuring the altered projects that I made using the brand new Love & Marriage collection!

For my first project, I made a paper wedding cake!  I don't remember the exact dimensions of this, as I sent it off before CHA (the first few days of January) but I believe it was at least 18" tall.

I started by creating three round boxes (cut file is from the Silhouette Store) using the three neutral patterned papers from the Love & Marriage Collection.

Here's a view from the top!  I made lots of paper flowers (cut files from the Silhouette Store) using three different patterned papers (also from the Love & Marriage collection).  For some extra fun, I added in some white flourishes.

To make the flower, I first curled all the edges a bit and then rolled the flowers up around a paint brush handle.  I then used hot glue to secure the flower.  To hide the hot glue (and to add some bling) I added some sparkly glitter to each of the flower centers.  For the leaves, I used another patterned paper from the Love & Marriage collection and cut them out using my Silhouette Cameo.

I have to admit it...this was my favorite CHA project to make!  The colors in this collection are just SO pretty!

Another flower project...this time a wedding bouquet!

I started with a styrofoam ball.  I glued several bamboo skewers together (after sticking them into the styrofoam) for the handle.  There is probably a better way to do this, but that is what I had on hand.  :-)  I then covered the entire styrofoam ball with punched out vellum flowers as I did not want the bare styrofoam visible in between the rolled flowers.

To pretty up the bamboo skewers, I covered them with white satin ribbon.

Again, after I rolled each of the flowers up, I added hot glue to secure them.  I then added glitter to the center of each of them.  After they were dry, I used straight pins to secure them onto the styrofoam ball.

My third and final project is a little personalized tin that holds favors! 

I covered Lifesaver mint rolls using various patterned paper pieces from the Love & Marriage collection.  These didn't need very much paper...and you could cover a lot of mint rolls with one 12" piece of patterned paper!  :-)

Using some of the sticker letters from the Love & Marriage collection, I spelled out the phrase "Mint to Be".  :-) 

To finish the project off (and tie it in with the other projects that I made) I paper flower that I had left over from the wedding cake!

 

To see more Love & Marriage inspiration, make sure to check out the Bella blog!

I'm so glad you stopped by!  Hugs, Laurie

 

 

Wedding Cake
Love & Marriage:  Vows, Smokeys In Love, Cake Tasting, Cute Cuts, Esther Flemming Floral, Turner Hall Ballroom

Wedding Bouquet
Love & Marriage:  Turner Hall Ballroom, May Eighteenth, Cake Testing, Esther Flemming Floral, Cute Cuts

Mint Wedding Favors
Love & Marriage:  Vows, Smokeys In Love, Cake Testing, May Eighteenth, Turner Hall Ballroom, Esther Flemming Floral, Cute Cuts, Just Write Journaling Stickers, Alpha + Bits, The Wedding Party Miniatures;  Designer Tape:  Gray Chevron

 

2012 Favorites Part 1...

Hi friends!  I just love all of the 2012 favorites posts!  When I sit down to look through my posts, I always have a hard time picking just one project for each month so I decided to pick three!  :-)  So, here are my favorites from January through April...

January

Click HERE to see the original post for these Glitz stacking boxes.

Click HERE to see the original post for the Glitz Be Brave card.

Click HERE to see the original post for the Dream On card.

February

Click HERE to see the original post for the Glitz Tag Book.

Click HERE to see the original post for the Waltzingmouse Merci card.

Click HERE to see the original post for the Waltzingmouse Butterfly card.

March

Click HERE to see the original post for the Paper Smooches I {heart} u card.

Click HERE to see the original post for the Verve Praying for You card.

Click HERE to see the original post for the Paper Smooches Let's Party card.

April

Click HERE to see the original post for the Paper Smooches wedding card.

 

Click HERE to see the original post for the Waltzingmouse Big Day card.

Click HERE to see the original post for the Paper Smooches Thanks card.

 

Thanks so much for stopping by today!  I'll be back tomorrow with some more favorites! 
~Laurie

 

December Paper Smooches DT Blog Hop...

It's Pep Rally week and we are here today to share a sampling of the Paper Smooches January stamp release with you!  The three NEW clear stamp sets will be available to purchase at 12:01am, Eastern time...on January 1st.  You will find them HERE. 

To add extra fun to our blog hop...we are offering up a prize!  Just leave a comment on any of the five design team blogs listed below for your chance to win one of the three new stamp sets!  (you do not need to comment on all blogs to qualify)  You have until midnight MT on Friday, December 28th to leave a comment.  Please check all five blogs on Saturday, December 29th to see if you are one of the five lucky winners.

Emily Leiphart

Heidi Van Laar

Kalyn Kepner

Laurie Schmidlin

Teri Anderson

Paper Smooches - see the first peek of a NEW product that will release in January at CHA

To increase your chances of winning:

1. Leave a comment on this blog post

2. Tell us that you Facebooked about our blog hop

3. Tell us that you Tweeted about our hop

4. Tell us that you posted on your blog about our blog hop

(which means that you have up to four chances to win on each blog)

For my project, I altered a mini notebook using the new Nine Lives set!  I happen to have a cat lover in my family, so I was so excited to see this set!!  I used three different images and one sentiment from the Nine Lives set.

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Hugs, Laurie

 

 

Stamps:  Nine Lives (Paper Smooches)
Paper:  On Trend collection (Crate Paper), Vintage Cream (PTI)
Ink:  Tuxedo Black Memento Ink
Accessories:  Copic Markers, Circle punches (EK Suxcess), Heart Punch (EK Success), Twine, Buttons, Rhinestones

 

Huge Hugs & Kisses...

Hi friends!  Sorry I've been so neglectful of my blog lately.  I've been super busy getting ready for Christmas (as I'm sure most of you are as well)!

Speaking of Christmas, I have a quick and easy gift to share with you today!

I boxed up some Caramel Hershy Kisses using a clear box, a strip of patterned paper, and some wrinkle ribbon!  For the tag, I used three sentiments from the new We Connect set from Paper Smooches.  To make it a little bit more festive, I added a wee bit of glitter on the edges. 

Well, off to do some more baking!  I hope you all have a great day!  ~Laurie

 

Good Things Are Going to Happen...

Hi there!  It's my turn to share with you how I answered this month's Diva Dare!  This month we dare you to show us your new creations inspired by projects made by Verve fans! Any little project made by someone other than yourself or one of our design team members works! To get your wheels a turnin', the Divas will be posting their Fanspiration creations using our newly released products every weekday over at the Verve Blog!

Not only is there a lot of eye candy for you to see, but there are a couple of opportunities for you to win some seriously awesome prizes!!  You can read all about it on the Verve Blog.

To say that I had a hard time choosing just one project to use as my inspiration was difficult is a huge understatement! Wow! You all are SO creative!! I finally decided on Stephanie's beautiful Miss You Like Crazy card! I just adore the fun, bright colors...not to mention the fab layout (which happens to be a Mojo Monday sketch)! :-)

Instead of a card, I turned my project into a little homemade notebook. I have filled up my other notebook that I have been using for sketches and thought it was time to make another one. I used the Brighter Days set (along with the cute little stitches form the Borderline set) combined with the following dies: Pennant Trim, Curvy Bookplate, Scalloped Flowers, & Leafy Sprigs. I chose the Good Things are Going to Happen sentiment...because honestly I thought it was perfect for a sketchbook! LOL!

Thanks so much for stopping by!  Hugs, Laurie

 

Stamps: Brighter Days, Borderline (Verve Stamps)
Paper:  For the Record 2 (Echo Park), Rectangle chipboard (2 pieces), Index cards, Vellum c.s.
Ink:  Black Onyx Versafine Ink, Chai Ink (PTI)
Accessories:  Pennant Trim, Curvy Bookplate, Scalloped Flowers, Leafy Sprigs dies (A Cut Above by Verve)
Daffodil Delight grosgrain ribbon (SU!), Oval Nestabilities, Corner Rounder, Buttons, Button string, Clear embossing powder (Judikins)

Gift Packaging - Glitz Style...

Hi there! 

I love paper!  Not just any paper, but beautiful paper!  :-)   And when I think about giving gifts, I can't imagine anything better than handmade packaging using the beautiful paper that i love so much! 

I have found that making the packaging ahead of time is so helpful...especially when I'm in a hurry!  :-) 

For my first gift bag, I started with some scraps of patterned paper (from the Dance in Sunshine collection) and then layered on a couple of Whatnots, a Glitzer, and an Epoxy Sticker (all from the Dance in Sunshine collection).

On top of the Glitzer, I added a button that I found in my stash.  I SO love Glitzers!  Stickers with bling already in them...be still my heart!

To top it all off, I tied a bow and added a Giant Rhinestone to the center.  Just look at that sparkle!

My second gift bag features papers and embellishments from the Happy Travels collection.

Here's a close-up of the focal image.  I created it by layering a Cardstock Sticker over some patterned paper and an inked distressed doily.  I then layered a stamped sentiment (from the Happy Travels Clear Stamps) over a Glitzer.

To finish the bag off, I added a couple of different ribbons and a tag stamped with a sentiment that could be used for any occassion.  And of course, some more bling!  :-)

Thanks so much for joining me here!  I hope you get a chance to create something beautiful today!  ~Laurie

 

Happiness Gift Bag
Glitz Design Dance in Sunshine Damask Paper
Glitz Design Dance in Sunshine Glitzers
Glitz Design Dance in Sunshine Epoxy Words
Glitz Design Dance in Sunshine Epoxy Words
Glitz Design Dance in Sunshine Giant Rhinestones

Happy Travels Gift Bag
Glitz Design Happy Travels Papers - Stripe, Planes
Glitz Design Happy Travels Journaling Cardstock Stickers
Glitz Design Happy Travels Clear Stamps
Glitz Design Happy Travels Glitzers

Pencil Gift Boxes...

Happy Wednesday to you!  First, I want to apologize for not sharing the photos of all of Alison's birthday cards yet.  She has taken some of them to school to put in her locker, and I wanted to make sure and capture all of them.  She gets out early this week so I will make sure and do that this weekend!  You all were SO generous both with your cards and your encouraging words!  She really was overwhelmed (in a good way)!  I will also update you all on how she's doing.  I'm on a bit of a time limit today, so I will share that when I post the birthday cards.  Please know that your kindness has truly blessed us!!!!

I like to keep little gifts on hand for when the need arises (friend birthdays, hostess gifts, and little thank yous).  A long time ago, I created a pencil box gift (you can find the tutorial HERE) and thought it would be fun to revisit that and make some more.  If you are interested in the measurements I used on this box, I just increased the two 1 1/4" sides to 2".  There is just a bit of wiggle room left in the box but I was feeling lazy and 2" was easier to do.  :-)

I scored some gorgeous pencils on my last Michael's shopping trip for exactly this purpose.  I LOVE the gray polka dots..so chic!  I did alter my original pencil box to fit 6 pencils instead of 4.  To decorate it, I added some die cut felt flowers and an embossed sentiment (from Verve's Words of Wisom set).

My second box, I purposely did not add any sentiments (so I can give it for any occasion).  I decorated it with a paper rosette, some felt flowers, ribbon, and a crystal button. 

Thanks so much for joining me here today!  I hope your day is filled to the brim with happiness!  ~Laurie