Made by *B*

I had all good intentions of posting this yesterday (which would have made more sense!) but the day got away from me. I have pics of my little chunky dalmatian and my big kid clone trooper I will post later, but wanted to POP this idea on as it is quick and easy! (get it-POP-I am a dork, I know!)

This easy to make Halloween popcorn wrapper is just a tight piece of cardstock wrapped around the popcorn tightly. The pressure of the paper keeps it on and the popcorn can slide out of either end. The top is just a little flap that folds over and tucks underneath the main image (which is a mini card) to keep it closed.

Paper is Only Orange-but this would look so cute with designer paper as well! It is a quick and easy wrap to make up!!

Hope your Halloween was wonderful!

Who knew that when I got this set I would find a way to use it for just about everything? It is for sure my favorite stamp set this year. I can’t wait to see the new catalog coming out in January and see what other set becomes my number 1!

This card was made using the Cracked Glass technique from the Splitcoast Technique Challenge. The cracked glass technique is a bit time consuming-I did the big flower, and the 2 smaller layered pieces inside as well. The colors used are Groovy Guava and Wild Wasabi both for the cardstock and ink, plus Very Vanilla cardstcok. I inked up the big flower from Fabulous Flowers in Guava, and then used my SU! daubers to add in touches of the Wild Wasabi-I think the added color makes a big difference! All of the layers were smooshed into Versamark and then I used the Glassy Glaze to emboss and get the depth needed for the crackle. If you look closely you will see a bit of sparkle-I added that in the last time I embossed with irridescent ice embossing powder which is easily my favorite embossing powder (just ask folks who come stamp with me! LOL). A fire rhinestone brad in orange is in the center for a touch more bling.

This card folds open and the inside holds a gift card-perfect for anyone you need to gift! I am thinking I may bring this in to Camden’s teacher on Halloween with a pumpkin muffin and a Starbuck’s gift card since they have a teacher workday on Thursday and she would be able to actually sit down and enjoy a special drink without 2o kindergarteners vying for her attention.

Want to see how to do the cracked glass technique please check out Beate’s wonderful tutorial:

http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/resources/crackedglass.php

Today’s challenge was to share projects for teacher appreciation. Usually the parents pool our money to get a gift certificate rather than just individual gifts, but I also give a hanging basket or some type of flowering plant.

I had a cute little bucket from the Target $ spot I bought around Easter and used Doodle This to create 3-d flowers to decorate the bucket and the card that will hold the class gift certificate tucked inside.

The flowers are stamped and cut out 1st and then run through my Xyron and sprinkled with Dazzling Diamonds glitter. I love these 3-d flowers-and when you add some weight to them (either by Xyroning them or embossing them) they tend to keep their shape nicely!

Here is how to make them:

step 1

stamp flowers and cut out-run them through the Xyron and sprinkle with glitter

(can also use Versamark and emboss with Irridescent Ice EP)

Step 2-use your fingers to curl back the edges of each petal

Then your flowers will look like “spider flowers” LOL

Now comes the fun part!

Using the end of a pencil or flat end of a pen (I used the SU gel pen) push down in the center of the flower. This is what makes the flower *pop*.

Then you have a nice batch of sparkly dimensional flowers to use where you wish!

I used the SU! pop dots to adhere them to the bucket and the card. 2 small dots per flower.

Thanks for looking-I would love to see how you use the same 3-D flower technique!

(and a special thank you to my 5yo who took one of the pics and let me use his hand for step 3!)

I made this frame using the Target $ spot magnetic checker tin. I used it earlier (scroll down) to make some more elegant frames. This time I decided to use it to make a 3 dimensional card/picture frame for a birthday party we are going to on Sunday. The birthday girl is named Pacey and is the daughter of a good friend of mine and excellent stamper. I always try and make her cards special because I know they are saved.

 Here is the front:

and the inside:

Isn’t is adorable? (if I say so myself!)

I made it so the front is like the front of a card, and the inside has a white piece of cardstock that will remove easily. It says

*Take this out and place a picture of a cute 3 year old here!* so all they have to do is pop it out and add in pics of the b-day girl. 

 I love when a project in my head actually works, LOL

These little magnetic games are in the $ section at Target (my favorite store). I saw some posts on Splitcoast and decided tp pick some up. When my Au Chocolat papers came in from the Spring Mini, I thought they would be a perfect match!

Here is how they start-shiny metal tins with bitty magnetic checkerboards inside. I sprayed (and sprayed and sprayed) vanilla colored spray paint on them to cover up the bold colors. In hindsight-I should have used a primer 1st so that I would not have to do so many coats, and also just focus on the edges-but I had a different idea in mind when I started.

The I cut 4 squares of SU!’s Chocolate Chip paper.

Front 4 1/8″

Inside Left and back 4″

Inside Right 3 7/8″

I then layered the Au Chocolate papers for the out and insides-full  4×4 squares for the outside and a 2×4 strip for each half inside. The front is finished off with the “Family” phrase from That’s Nice which is popped up with dimensionals over the criss-cross chocolate grosgrain.

I like that it is a stamped project that my husband can put on his desk at work and not be too girly. I will put sepia pics inside so it will go with the brown  Au Chocolat papers. Thanks for looking! 

I have a workshop tonight for a group that has probably hosted and attended 25-30 workshops since I have been a demo-in fact they were my very 1st demo ever and they were pretty much hooked right away.

This is the hostess gift for tonight-a ribbon holder made out of (GUESS WHAT???)

A *VINEGAR BOTTLE* (who’d a thunk it?)

I was washing out a vinegar bottle this morning for the recycling when I remembered an adorable chili bottle I saw filled with candy. I decided that I would use that vinegar bottle for something, I just did not know what. SO when I started to make Lorrie her gift, the idea came to me!

I cut about 1/2 a yard of lots of SU grosgrain ribbon to start. Then I hammered a hole into the top of the vinegar bottle-big enough to thread the ribbon through but not so big that it will slide out. This way you can have the bottle on your desk with a nice stash of ribbon without all the spools being out.

I finished it by wrapping it in my favorite SU patterened paper-Dots & Dashes, and then used a chipboard tag (from the SU chipboard set). The negative part is covered in Pink Passion craft ink and embossed in irridescent ice, and the heart itself was covered in Crytsal Effects and the patterned paper again, then embossed over that,

I had to take a close up of the tag because it was *SOOOO* sparkly and happy looking.

Hope she likes it!

Valentine’s Day has come and gone, but Camden’s Valentine’s Day party at school was today-almost a week after Valentine’s Day. I wanted to give his teacher’s a gift, but all the candy is on super clearance, and it just didn’t feel “right.”

I was the dollar store the other day looking for tissue paper, when I saw these packs of cards/envelopes.   They don’t look like much-in fact I have probably passed them by on more than one occasion without a second glance.

BUT>>>

Take a background stamp and one of the Letterpress Alphabet Stamps for a monogram, and you suddenly have a cute gift for 2 special ladies who put up with (I mean cherish and adore) 18 lively 4 and 5 year olds every morning.

Happy Valentine’s Day (a week late!)