teacher sets

I thought I'd show you how far I've got putting together teacher gifts. I've still a way to go but I'm getting there!

The card I blogged about here and the pencils in their holder here. The box is a quick number from a spellbinders die and I will be adding to it that little leather apple keyring. Phew! So I guess the main thing you haven't seen is the notelets. So here's some photos of those.

A wrapped some crumb cake card and a bit of twine around a few notelets. There are two one layer designs within the set. The first is a CASE of myself from here.

And another one where I attempted to selectively ink the various bits of the pencil.

I will keep you updated when I get a bit further. I think I need to add a tasty treat or two next!

there she goes sneak peeks day 3

As we carry on There She Goes sneak peeks I'm hoping you have arrived here from Corinna's blog, but if you want to join in the fun, or get lost on the way, please refer to the There She Goes blog for the complete Blog Hop list and details.

I was so excited when I saw the next set in our There She Goes sneak peaks. Torico included unbelievable cuteness in an advent set called No Peeking!

No Peeking! is a 6x8 set that includes 53 stamps and will sell for $24. Yes you read that right - 53 stamps and we are talking cute, cute, cute!

In our family we have a wooden drawer advent which we use every year, so I didn't want to use this set as a traditional advent as such. However, I wanted it to work alongside our current advent. You see during the week I pop a small treat into the relevant drawer of the advent for each child and we leave it at that. However, on the weekends when we have more time we have a treasure hunt! I create a series of clues geared to the age of the child. The first clue is left in the relevant drawer. In the morning there is lots of charging about and puzzling over clues until finally the treasure is found. And this is where this stamp set fits in. I've used the set to create little pillow boxes. A different one for each child which will be filled with a little treat or two and will be the hidden prize at the end of the treasure hunt. Phew, I hope you followed that! Here's some pictures.

Supplies: Stamps - There She Goes no peeking!; Card - Stampin' Up lucky limeade, Bazzill; Paper - Stampin' Up brights designer series paper patterns stack; Dies - Spellbinders circles, labels 9; Twine - The Twinery; Copics

Rudolph for my youngest because he just loves cute!

Santa for my girl.

Very mature trees for my eldest!

Would you like to win the new No Peeking! stamp set? Here is what you need to do- visit the Trendsetter’s blogs that are participating in each of the blog hop challenges below and comment on their creations as you go. One of the Trendsetter’s blogs (from each hop day) will be randomly chosen as the ‘it’ blog and a winner will be picked using a random number generator from the comments left on that Trendsetter’s Blog Hop Challenge post. You will not know which blog has been chosen so the more you comment on the better your chances are of winning new stamps! The Blog Hop Challenges will be open until 5 PM Eastern Time Saturday October 29th with the winner being announced during the release party chat.

Now it's time for your next stop on the hop - Holly's blog.

case study challenge 63

Oh my word, I can't believe that at CASE study it's our final week with our October muse Niki Estes! To send us off in style we have this beauty to CASE for the week.

I honed in on the square card, combination of die cuts and centered focal point and this is what I came up with. 

Supplies: Stamps - Stampin' Up tags til Christmas, tiny tags; Ink - Colorbox cranberry, Versacolor pinecone; Card - Stampin' Up real red, old olive; Jewel - Stampin Up; Twine - Stampin' Up; Punches - Stampin' Up ornament, tiny tag

I'm afraid I'm going to be boring you plenty with Christmas cards at the moment! I try and get a good start on them through October to take the pressure off as the busy time approaches. Using Niki's inspiration I was able to add another one to the done pile!

Pop by the rest of the girls to see how Niki inspired them:

Chupa (owner)
Amy
Andrea
Clare
Cristina
Debby - that's me!
Jean
Julie
Teneale
Teresa

there she goes sneak peeks day 2

Wohoo, it's time to share another sneak peek from There She Goes up and coming release. Hopefully you have arrived here from Corinna's blog, but if you want to join in the fun, or get lost on the way, please refer to the There She Goes blog for the complete Blog Hop list and details.

Today we are sharing a delicious new set from Torico called Bon Appetit!

Bon Appetit is a 4x8 set that includes a total of 31 stamps and will sell for $18. There are so many possibilities with this set, but as soon as I saw this little chef and the tower or cupcakes I knew they were a match made in heaven! I'm not a great cook by any means, but I do bake a mean fairy cake so I thought this tower of cakes was very "me"!

Supplies: Stamps - There She Goes bon appetit; Card - Stampin' Up tempting turquoise; Twine - The Twinery; Stickles; Copics

I kept the design very simple , just letting the images shine and adding just a pop of colour in a mat layer and some twine.

Would you like to win the new Bon Appétit stamp set? Here is what you need to do- visit the Trendsetter’s blogs that are participating in each of the blog hop challenges below and comment on their creations as you go. One of the Trendsetter’s blogs (from each hop day) will be randomly chosen as the ‘it’ blog and a winner will be picked using a random number generator from the comments left on that Trendsetter’s Blog Hop Challenge post. You will not know which blog has been chosen so the more you comment on the better your chances are of winning new stamps! The Blog Hop Challenges will be open until 5 PM Eastern Time Saturday October 29th with the winner being announced during the release party chat.

Now it's time for your next stop on the hop - Holly's blog.

there she goes sneak peeks day 1

It's time for There She Goes sneak peeks folks and have we got an amazing release this month! Now I'm hoping you have arrived here from Corinna's blog, but if you want to join in the fun, or get lost on the way, please refer to the There She Goes blog for the complete Blog Hop list and details.

To start the ball rolling we have two new sets to show you today.

The first is a wonderful autumn set filled with a variety of leaf images and a lovely autumn sentiment. Autumn is a 3x4 set that includes a total of 13 stamps and will sell for $7. Let's crack on with some pictures!

As soon as I saw this set I knew I wanted to have a panel of leaves across a card front in shades of autumn. I love the details on the leaves - circles, polka dots, grids, stripes - a wonderful detail. Oh and that sentiment has a great font combination.

Next up, Torico brings us a really cute stamp set that everyone will just love!

Friendbots is a 3x4 set with includes a total of 5 stamps and will sell for $7. As soon as my children saw this set their faces broke out in smiles! Such cute images. I can see myself turning to this set again and again.

I paired the robots from Friendbots with a combined sentiment "World's Best" from World's Best and "friend" from Friendbots.

Now it's time for your next stop on the hop - Holly's blog.

Would you like to win the new Autumn / Friendbots mini stamp sets? Here is what you need to do- visit the Trendsetter’s blogs that are participating in each of the blog hop challenges below and comment on their creations as you go. One of the Trendsetter’s blogs (from each hop day) will be randomly chosen as the ‘it’ blog and a winner will be picked using a random number generator from the comments left on that Trendsetter’s Blog Hop Challenge post. You will not know which blog has been chosen so the more you comment on the better your chances are of winning new stamps! The Blog Hop Challenges will be open until 5 PM Eastern Time Saturday October 29th with the winner being announced during the release party chat.

treat bag

Hello, just popping in briefly to share a little treat bag I made. Let me start by saying I love the witch holding her slightly crazy pinwheel, however I've been less keen on the bag. Maybe it's because it's white which I usually love as a base but the bag just isn't working for me at the moment :(.

Supplies: Dies - Lil' Inker Designs pinwheel, Spellbinders circles, pinked circles; Cricut mini monsters; Card - Stampin' Up pumpkin pie, basic black, green galore; Papers - Bo Bunny grease monkey tread; Wire; Buttons; Brad

However, I wanted to share this here because even though I'm not entirely happy with it, I just love that pinwheel dressed up for Halloween!

Have a good week! I'll be back tomorrow with the start of the There She Goes sneak peeks - see you then!

Boo!

My card today is for the next occasion on the horizon - Halloween. Are you all prepared yet? I'm getting there, which feels so good - some cards made, some tags for treat bags, some new decorations and some work on costumes. Note how I use the word "some" - you can never have enough Halloween goodies in my book! Anyhow, on with some pictures.

Supplies: Stamps - There She Goes hauntingly delightful; Inks - Memento tuxedo black, Ranger peeled paint distress ink; Card - Stampin' Up basic black, pear pizzazz, crumb cake; Paper - Stampin' Up designer series paper stack; Ribbon - Stampin' Up pear pizzazz; Twine - Stampin' Up; Copics - 0, T0, T1, T3, T5, Y000, YG11; Dies - Papertrey Ink tag sale 3, Spellbinders circles, pinked circles, labels 9

The weather today is very dull, so please excuse the quality of the photos. I'm guessing this is my lot now the weather is turning and the nights are drawing in. Perhaps you can see better in the photo below, I inked the edges of the focal piece with peeled paint distress ink. Add in the use of a chunk of patterned paper and this card is quite different for me.

It's always good to try something different though!

Have a great weekend!

happy birthday

Ok I know that's a pretty tame post title but it's all I can come up with this time! Let's move quickly on to some pictures!

Supplies: Stamps - Waltzingmouse frame it, Stampin' Up four frames; Inks - Colorbox moss green, Versamark; Card - Stampin' Up sahara sand; white embossing powder; Die - LID fringe flower; Punch - Stampin' Up; Ribbon - Papertrey Ink royal velvet ribbon

I love Lil' Inker Designs fringe flower die and wanted to try it out on a different medium. I backed some pretty fabric with iron on fusible interfacing to give it a bit more stability and then cut a flower from it. The result is sooooo pretty! I backed it with some folded ribbon and a die cut. I embossed a sentiment on to some sahara sand card - this colour is proving to be my second favourite for card bases - behind white of course!

Such a simple card but it packs a big punch in my opinion.

Short and sweet from me again today! Have a great weekend!

for your inspiration #16

This is my second post today so please scroll down for my CASE card.

Well it's the third Thursday in the month which means it's time for another photo from For Your Inspiration!

Aren't the colours amazing! I was drawn to the autumn colours and amazing misty turquoise light in the distance. I kept my colours autumnal and then added a pop of turquoise ribbon.

Supplies: Stamps - Waltzingmouse Stamps birthday wishes; Inks - Versacolor pinecone, magenta, Martha Stewart meyer lemon; Card - Stampin' Up early espresso, sahara sand, cherry cobbler, old olive; Papertrey Ink rustic white; Dies - Lil' Inker Designs sentiment flag, Papertrey Ink tag sale 3; Twine - Stampin' Up; Ribbon - Papertrey Ink hawaiian shores

Here's a closer look.

Don't forget to pop by the rest of the team and see how they were inspired.

Debbie

Debby - that's me!
Keva
Michelle
Peggy
Sara
Steph

Edited to add:

I've had a couple of questions regarding the tag - it's a Papertrey Ink die that I just love and use A LOT! I cut it with my cuttlebug - B plate, card, die and finally C plate. This sandwhich works like a charm for me but was helped with some new plates a little while ago.

case study challenge 62

Phew, I'm back! Sorry things have been quiet around these parts but we took the children down to visit my family and then flew off for a few days in the sun! We had a totally relaxing time which was just what we needed. We are now home to some rather wet and windy weather which has left the mountain tops covered in snow and we are 25 degrees cooler than on our holiday!
As the weather turns it gives me the perfect opportunity to indulge in a bit of crafty time! So how about this fabulous card to get you inspired.

Yes, this is the latest installment from our CASE study challenge muse this month Niki Estes. I was hopping around in delight when I saw this card as I'd already saved a copy in my favourites folder! Great design and fabulous colours - you know me I love green! Weirdly though, when I came to CASE it I went with a muted palette! GASP! I suppose the main reason was the opportunity to use this lovely sunflower stamp from Papertrey Ink - it fitted so well with the original design.

Supplies: Stamps - Papertrey Ink simple sunflower, There She Goes sentimental birthday; Inks - Martha Stewart meyer lemon, Verscolor pinecone, Stampin' Up old olive; Card - Stampin' Up sahara sand; Die - Papertrey Ink spiral notepage; Ribbon - Stampin' Up pumpkin pie

Except for my colour choices I think it's easy to see how I was inspired.

Well, now it's your turn! Take a look at the rest of the Design Team and then play along!

Chupa (owner)
Amy
Andrea
Clare
Cristina
Debby - that's me!
Jean
Julie
Teneale
Teresa

I'm keeping my posts short and sweet this week as I try to catch up after our trip - how do so many jobs accumulate after such a relatively short time away!

Have a great day!

case study challenge 61

Yey, it's CASE study time! Continuing on with inspiration from our fabulous muse Niki Estes we have this beauty to play with.

Using Cristina's approach of picking a few items and running with them, I loved the neutrals with a pop of colour, the cream panel and the sentiment strip. This is my take.

I really liked how this card turned out and usually at this time of year I try and make a start on my Christmas cards, so I made not one card but a dozen!

Short and sweet for me this week. The children are off school for their October break - enough said!

Please pop by and see the rest of the team:

Chupa (owner)
Amy
Andrea
Clare
Cristina
Debby - that's me!
Jean
Julie
Teneale
Teresa

don't worry

Flying in here with a quick post. How about this for a super simple, super quick halloween treat.

We have a huge number of trick or treaters so I wanted something that was quick, easy and cute! The tag is a spellbinders one added together with a cute image and sentiment from There She Goes' hauntingly delightful set that the kids will love and this treat is sure to bring some smiles! I left the image uncoloured and just outlined it lightly with a grey copic to make it pop a bit. I have made 60 of these tags so far and will set up a treat packing station closer to Halloween!

Have a great day!

operation julie's smile

I am so glad that you joined us on this amazing blog hop for Operation Julie’s Smile.  If you came here from Teresa’s blog, then you are in the right spot.  If not, you may want to start from the beginning at the Sweet Stamp Shop’s blog and take your time.   You have ALL WEEKEND to hop with us and win prizes!
First up, here's my card for the hop. I broke away from my CAS roots a little with this one LOL! I think it was those yummy My Mind's Eye papers that got me away from my white cardstock!

Supplies: Stamps - Lil' Inker Designs acorn sentiments, rainbow & cloud sentiments; Inks - Versacolor pinecone; Card - Stampin' Up soft suede, sahara sand, early espresso; Paper - My Mind's Eye lost & fonund two sunshine; Dies - Lil' Inker Designs acorn, sentiment flag, Papertrey Ink tag sale 3; Ribbon - Papertrey Ink aqua mist; Twine - The Twinery cappuccino

The creative blogging community is coming together this weekend to help one of our friends, Julie Ranae.  You may know her as the Design Team Coordinator for many wonderful companies from bakers twine, die cuts, rubber stamps and more.  What many people don’t know about Julie Ranae is that she has had some pretty major dental surgeries in her lifetime due to medication she had to take as a child.  It was in her plans to think about having all of her teeth  replaced at some point in the next 5 years, a decision that was pretty easy to plan out.  But then it happened…she chipped her front teeth on a weekend a month ago. The dentist told her there was no way to save them & that it was his recommendation that she give in and have them all her teeth removed soon, but for that day, they needed to get her front teeth done so her gums could begin to heal. He said he would 'work out payments with her to have ALL this work done...but when she called to make her appt for the first step of impressions, they told her the amount of money that was needed and that the 'payments' applied only to the two teeth that were extracted that day. Her husband Paul was with her & that too, was his understanding as well. So this is how she has found herself in this situation…Needing at least $4000 to get started and another $3000 to finish the process…a total of $7000.

Nicole Rixon, owner of Sweet Stamp Shop put together this benefit after finding out about this situation and before Julie Ranae knew it, it took flight!
Because she is an event organizer by trade, she has taken on the job of organizing all of the blogs in this hop as her way of ‘working overtime’ for what she needs, the same as if she were able to work overtime at an outside job to pay for the work to be done.
It is the goal of all of these generous friends & sponsors to help make this situation more do-able for our friend so that she can share a brand new smile with all of us soon.
If there is anything you can do to help with a financial donation, there is a donation button ready for you to click.  Any amount is appreciated and ALL DONATIONS will be eligible for prizes from our sponsor pool of over $2500.

I hope you enjoyed your stop here on the hop!  The next stop is Keva’sblog.  Make sure you leave a comment here before you go so that you can have a chance at the amazing prizes up for grabs and if you can, please make a donation so we can help bring back a new smile for our friend.

With a blog hop this large there could be a break somewhere in the chain, so please bear with us and if need be refer to the complete list of blogs on the Sweet Stamp Shop Blog where you will also find the list of sponsors for the hop.

dollar find friday

Over on the There She Goes blog today I am having my first go at a Dollar Find Friday post! I thought I'd share here too.

Over the last wee while I've been keeping an eye out for an inexpensive something which can be made into something so much more using my stamping supplies. Finally I spied a simple pack of 12 pencils from the supermarket. I thought they'd be great dressed up as a little teacher thank you for the end of the year. Here are my supplies:

Pencils, 5cm strips of pool party card cut with scalloped scissors, 11.5 x7cm strips of white card, some berry sorbet ribbon and some teacher buttons and rosettes cut and stamped using the World's Best stamps and dies.

I attached the blue card to the white and scored at intervals down the length. The narrow scores are about 0.5cm wide and the wider pieces 2.3cm. This allows for a little box to hold 3 pencils. Finally I scored along the bottom and snipped the bottom flaps.

I made the open ended box, added the pencils and wrapped some berry sorbet ribbon around. I knotted the ribbon and held the top piece down with a glue dot.

Then I coloured the three rosettes and added them to the boxes with a very sticky dimensional glue dot. The teacher buttons were attached with dimensional adhesive too.

Finally here are my three pencil boxes - a simple gift but one I'm sure will be appreciated.

Supplies: Stamps - There She Goes world's best; Ink - Memento tuxedo black; Card - Stampin' Up pool party; Dies - There She Goes world's best, spellbinders circles; Ribbon - Papertrey Ink melon berry; Copics - 0 R20, R22, R24

I intend to make more projects to go with these over the coming weeks. Hopefully when the December craziness arrives I will already have a nice teacher gift set already completed.

Have a great weekend. Here in Scotland the children break up today for a weeks holiday! Yipee!