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:

Organic Outline Card and Envie

Here is another project that I was able to squeeze in during naptime. When I first saw the Organic Outlines stamp set, I was really drawn to it because of the funky design but I wasn't sure how I would be able to use it. I went ahead and ordered it anyway. When I had my opportunity to stamp, I pulled out the stamp set, some new patterned paper, and a couple of the new In Colors and got started!

This layout is CASEd from a card I saw on Splitcoast. For this version I switched up the colors, the papers, and the greeting. The card base is Kiwi Kiss (LOVE it!) and the image is stamped in Baja Breeze and then matted in Basic Grey. The patterned paper is Urban Garden - not only is the color combo super-chic, this patterned paper coordinates with a number of new stamp sets like Upsy Daisy and Kindred Spirits. I used this retired birthday sentiment for the greeting because I thought it really fit the look of the card. I used some Basic Grey taffeta ribbon as well as one of my mini library clips for some extra umph!

One thing I really love to do is stamp the envelope to coordinate with the enclosed card. This stamp set is PERFECT for that - the outline looks fabulous when its stamped on the envelope.

Back to Stamping!

It seems like ages since I've had a chance to get in my craft room and stamp. Now that Aubrey is here (she was born on September 4th) we are adjusting to our new life and settling into a bit if a schedule. Yesterday, during Aubrey's morning nap, I was able to go downstairs and stamp a few projects. Since I'm a bit rusty and my creative juices aren't flowing freely just yet, I decided to keep it pretty simple.

This is a project that I CASEd from Splitcoast. The layout is super-simple and with the use of punches, this card goes together pretty quick. I broke out my Pink Pirouette cardstock and Classic Stampin' Pad for the first time. I just adore this soft shade of pink!!! I used one of my favorite baby sets, Nursery Necessities to stamp the stars and the greeting.

This card is for a friend of mine that just found out he and his wife will be having a little girl in February. They are in for such a treat!!

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! :)

Thank You Notes

Now that I'm officially unemployed (yay!!), I actually have time to create my own thank you notes for showers and such. Here are two different designs that I'm working on. The Certainly Celery thank you note is a little twist on one that I've done for a previous stamp camp. First, I wheeled the Nursery Letters Jumbo Wheel along the bottom of the card front. Then I layered a strip of Pretty In Pink scalloped cardstock in the middle of the card front, followed by the polka dotted patterned from the Spring Flowers collection along the top of the card front. The scalloped square was punched out with my Marvvy punch and then the punched star from Nursery Necessities was layered over it with dimensionals. Of course, I had to add some ribbon to make the thank you note complete!

The teddy bear thank you note was created by cutting a 12"x12" sheet of Pretty In Pink cardstock down to 3"x12" and scoring it at 6". The background was wheeled in Pretty In Pink with the Sweet Stars Jumbo Wheel. The teddy bear image from Bundle of Joy was stamped with my Basic Brown Classic Stampin' Pad and then watercolored with Close to Cocoa and an AquaPainter. I used a 1/8" hole punch to punch 2 holes under the chin of the teddy bear and tied a piece of Pretty In Pink grosgrain ribbon for a little pop of color. For the greeting on the front, I alternated between "adorable" and "giggle" from Warm Words.

I'm so glad that I have the opportunity to make my own thank you notes - I'm still tossing around the idea of making my own birth announcements. We'll have to wait and see how things go once our little bundle of joy gets here!!!

Update...

OK, first off let me fill you in on my Summer. My little brother got married June 21st. The ceremony was perfect - so sweet. The reception was an absolute blast - even for someone with a big ole' preggy belly! Then, once the wedding was behind us, it was time to really focus on little Aubrey Claire. We had THREE showers back-to-back. The first two were actually surprise showers - I know, how sweet right?!?

First, my Bunco group threw me a surprise shower after our June Bunco get together. Then, one of my monthly Stamp Camp groups threw me a surprise shower! I swear, I have the best stamp campers in the world - imagine my surprise when I come wheeling in with all of projects and stamping supplies only to find the room decorated in pink with presents everywhere. The third shower was thrown by my co-workers. My downline created these AWESOME onesies with the sticky cuts letters and cosmo glitter and decorated the room with them! She also stamped the guest and gift sheets. They really went out of their way to make me feel special!

I do have one confession to make though...with all of my wonderful friends spoiling me rotten, I wasn't able to keep up with creating my own thank you notes. So, I had to order printed ones! I know...GASP!!! I can honestly say I felt super-guilty about it. I wondered if I had hurt anyones feelings by sending them a printed thank you as opposed to one that I had hand-crafted!

As of Monday, my extended maternity leave has started (I know - YAY, right?). Now I'll actually have a chance to create some thank you notes, get the nursery ready, and relax!! Today is the first time I have stamped anything in at least a month, so I just had to upload it and show you all!!


This is a card that I created for my fabulous downline, Trish. (I hope I can deliver it with her present before she actually reads this post!) The card base is Chocolate Chip with a strip of patterend paper mounted on to textured Soft Sky cardstock.

I really wanted to cut out pieces of a flower bloom and mount them with dimensionals for a 3D look. So I chose this image from the Embrace Life stamp set. I stamped it with my Timber Brown StazOn pad - once on the main piece of Whisper White cardstock and a second time on a scrap piece. I used my Blender Pen to color in the blooms on both the main image and the image to be cut out. Once the ink was dry, I cut out a couple of the blooms and mounted them directly on top of their coordinate blooms on the main image.

I used a hat pin from the Pretties Kit as well as some Chocolate Chip satin ribbon to embellish the card front. The front of the card reads "Someone like you" and the inside of the card reads "should be celebrated everyday. Happy Birthday". I really like the way this card turned out - not too shabby for not stamping in a month!

Be Back Next Week....

My little brother is getting married this weekend...no free time for me! I'll be back next week when the festivities are over!!