Aloha Stampers!

No, I haven't made any recent trips to Hawaii. Actually, I haven't made ANY trips to Hawaii - recent or not! But my friend Leslie has! She just got back from a family vacation to Hawaii and after looking at the pictures, I'm completely jealous! Since I'm such a great friend (wink, wink) I thought I'd make her a little something to show off all of those great vacation pics! (This project took me a couple of naptime stamping sessions to complete - that's why you haven't seen me since last week!)

This is a little tin that I found on clearance at the local craft store. There was a piece of scalloped cardstock glued to the front of the tin, but it didn't match my color scheme. I pulled it off and replaced it with a piece of patterned paper from the retired Jersey Shore collection. The letters are chipboard - the "m" is covered with a piece of patterned paper and backed with a piece of cardstock so it really stands out against the background. The "a" and the "x" were inked with my Whisper White craft pad.

Inside there is a little circular accordion book that folds up to fit perfectly in the tin. I decorated both sides of each circle with various designs of patterned paper and each circle has either a place to mount a photo, a place to journal, an envie for little keepsakes, or some sort of Hawaii-themed image. Here are some pics of the inside:

Squash Book

In addition to the thank you notes, I've also been working on the Stampers 6 projects for this weekend. The theme for this month is "Fancy Folds" - we'll be doing a series of projects that each feature some sort of fancy or unique fold. This project is called a Squash Book. Its a type of brag book made from 2 square chipboard coasters and a three pieces of cardstock that are scored and folded in a way that squashes down to a 4"x4" book.

The patterned paper is from the Jersey Shore collection. The main pieces of scored/folded cardstock are Wild Wasabi with Bashful Blue used as photo mats and Pumpkin Pie used as mats for the patterned paper. There isn't any stamping on this example, but you could stamp the reverse side of the Wild Wasabi for some added WOW when the book is opened! Another option is to substitute pieces of Whisper White cardstock in lieu of some of the patterned paper triangles - this would give you room to journal about each of the 4 pictures.

Once all of the pieces and parts are cut out and scored, it doesn't take very long to assemble the Squash Book. This book would be a perfect way to share memories from your family vacation this summer!!!

By the way...as I was typing this I realized that my big ole' preggy belly made its way into the picture of the unfolded Squash Book. Oops! :)

The last of the kit projects...

This past week's posts have been focused on the Tart & Tangy kit projects. So far, you have seen all of the cards that will be offered. Now its time to see the card box that is also included! I found the template for this box on a paper crafting website - its the perfect size for the 10 cards and envelopes that can be stamped and assembled with the Tart & Tangy Stamps in the Mail kit. The template is simple and the directions are pretty easy to follow. Add some patterned paper (the one remaining design from the Summer Picnic collection) and the box coordinates beautifully with the cards. This would make a great gift...or just a really cute way to get organized!!