Lunchbox Note Die Valentines

When I saw these Lunchbox Note dies during Papertrey's January release, I thought that they would make ADORABLE Valentines for my oldest son's preschool class. I thought it would be cute with one of PTI's small glassine bags tucked inside with a little treat. Wouldn't ya know that those little glassine bags are the PERFECT size! So, this is what I came up with:

Here they are all grouped together. I love how coordinating projects look in groups like this!

This is the inside. There are 2 heart shaped Hershey chocolates in that little bag. Fits perfect. I did put a dab of re-positionable glue on the flap so the treats wouldn't pop open in transit to school.

This is a close up of the girls' treat. My son picked out the cupcake image from Tiny Treats: Valentines. I love that I got to decorate it all girly since I have 3 boys.

And this one is for the boys. It had to be approved by DJ to make sure that it was "boy" enough!

Thanks for stopping by!

Birthday Treat Cup

I made a fun little treat cup for a co-worker's birthday a few months back and just stumbled across the picture today. I actually really like how this turned out. Take a peek.

Sorry about the poor picture quality. I took this during the worst of my camera trouble last fall. I used Papertrey's 2010 anniversary set, Round and Round, and paired it with a great freebie template from Waltzingmouse Stamps. Its the same template that I used for treat holders at my sister-in-law's baby shower.

Get the template here.

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A Baby Card and a Gift for the Big Sister

My sister-in-law is due any day now. ANY day now. So, I made a baby card with little Marcus Isham in mind. I really liked how my thank you card for Amy turned out in the last post, so I kept most of the same design for this baby card. It also coordinates with the baby shower decor that I made earlier this month.

Simple and cute. That seems to sum up my style!

And, for my 9 year old niece, the big sister, I made some pony tail holders based on the ones that Maile Belles created a while back on her blog post here.

Maile used a flower die, but I used one of the dies from Papertrey's Limitless Layers 1 3/4" Collection.

I also did a star like Maile's.

Here they are together, just cuz they are so darn cute!

I packaged them very simply (hey its just gonna get torn up getting out the goodies anyways!) in a cellophane bag with a die cut of Stampin' Up's Top Note to seal it up.

I have it in my mind to make a onesie for little Marcus, but I am still experimenting with ink and felt. I hope to have it done this weekend (as I said, she is due ANY day) and then to post it if it is a success.

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Thank you, Amy!

The amazing and sweet Amy (adehave1 from the Papertrey forum) had a give away for a Heart Prints Sentiments stamp set. Well, I actually WON it! Let me tell you, I was so happy. I really never win anything. As if the prize wasn't enough, she also sent me this bright and cheery card.

I LOVE getting hand made cards! The sunny bright color really cheered up my snowy Wisconsin afternoon.

Well, of COURSE I had to make Amy a thank you card for the wonderful gift. Here it is:

Thank you again, Amy! I hope this card brings you a fraction of the happiness your card and prize gave me!

Thanks for stopping by.

One last card from last year

I found one last project while I was organizing my photos on my computer. I made this card for a friend's birthday. I used a sketch from Paper Crafts Go to Sketches special release from last spring. I used the sketch on page 88 by Go to Gal Kim K.

This was made before I discovered PTI and before I had my new camera. I apologize for the picture quality. All of the supplies are from Stampin' Up.

New projects coming soon!

Thanks for stopping by!

Valentines 2010

I was going through all the pictures on my hard drive and came across some projects I did for Valentines Day last year. Why not put 'em up on the ol' blog? I apologize for the picture quality, but they were taken before I got my new camera and light box.

First up is a fun project I modified from this blog post at Andrea Walford's amazing blog. She has a great video tutorial that shows you how to do the project step-by-step. I used Starbucks Frappuccino bottles rather than the plastic ones she purchased, so my measurements are completely different from hers. I don't have the measurements handy to post here, but if anyone is interested in them, let me know!

Open up the little tote for a yummy surprise!

This was a really fun project that I will probably repeat this year.

Next up is a banner that I made for my parents and in-laws.

I hand cut the letters because I don't have large letter dies. It was a labor of love. And, I do love my parents and in-laws.

To make the banner versatile, I decorated the other side in colors that are appropriate all year round.

Finally, a couple of cards that I made last year.

I made this for my friends who babysat my boys for me. I think it'd be cute for a teacher Valentine, too.

And, since I live in Wisconsin where there is still lots of snow on Valentines Day, I made this really cute snowman Valentine for my beloved husband. I got the idea, again, from Andrea Walford's blog. This snowman card is amazing! It also has a video tutorial.

I hope to have some 2011 Valentine projects to post soon.

Thanks for stopping by!

My New Light Box

Don't know if you could tell, but I was using white cardstock propped up with boxes for the backdrop of my pictures.

After enough complaining about my unprofessional pictures, my awesome hubby made me a light box. Look at the difference it made!

LOVE it! He made it from wood and white muslin, and it is rather large, but I still couldn't be any happier.

He used these instructions, but used wood instead of a cardboard box. We are going to add 2 more lights for the sides. We were getting a little bit of a shadow from just the one light on top.

Can't wait to take pictures of my upcoming projects! And, I NEVER thought I would say that!

Thanks for stopping by!

All About 1

One way of keeping my New Year's resolution for being a better blogger is getting more involved with some of the challenges out there. I have done the Papertrey Ink blog hop a few times, which was fun. But, I thought it was time to branch out and try a few more.

While I was checking out a few of my favorite blogs, I came across a challenge to get me going for 2011.

The one and only Ted (pun intended!) over at Happily Ever Crafter and the Papertrey Ink forum (where I met him), is having a challenge this month that celebrates 1-1-11. The rules are:

* ONE (1) base card (of any color)
* ONE (1) matting paper (solid or pattern is fine)
* ONE (1) stamp image (you can choose either image or sentiment, not both)
* ONE (1) ink color (Versamark for embossing can be your ONE choice)
* ONE (1) embellishment (ribbon, button, brad, flower, etc.)

Well, with my clean and simple style, I thought this would be easy. I was wrong! I use more elements on my projects than I thought!

But, here goes my contribution to Ted's challenge.

I used PTI cardstock, Dark Chocolate and Kraft. I used Versa Mark to heat emboss the tree image by Unity, and finished it off with some pink ribbon that I bought out of the discount bin at Michaels.

I'm not quite sure if I like it yet. It certainly qualifies, but that doesn't make it a good card. I'd love to hear what you think.

Thanks for stopping by!

Baby Shower

In my last post, I mentioned that I am co-throwing a baby shower for my sister-in-law. I made invitations, but due to camera issues, I wasn't able to take pictures of them. I have a new, fantastic camera now, and could take pictures of the coordinating prize bags and treat dishes that I came up with.

These are the treat cups. They will be filled with Hershey kisses and set out on the table for people to help themselves. I think that they kind of looked like a swaddled baby blanket. I was going to make individual favors, but, lets face it, this was easier! lol By the way, if you like this template, I picked it up FREE at Waltzingmouse Stamps. Just look under the Freebies section. Thanks Waltzingmouse!

Pictures of the door prize bag. I went to Bath and Body Works a few days after Christmas to pick out the prizes. Lots of stuff for 1/2 price or better. I picked up a bunch of goodies; candles, lotion, body wash, little hand sanitizers, and for the door prize, a mug full of sample scents. I wish I could win! ;)

More prizes in these bags.

These are made with the Favor It Three die from Papertrey Ink. So fun to use!

Love the way coordinating packages look all together!

I used all Papertrey Ink products except for the paper bags, which I picked up at Michaels.

I was checking out one of my favorite blogs, I Am Derby, and Michelle made a baby shower invite for her sister-in-law that uses the same teddy bear image that I used on mine. She also used polka dots, but not Polka Dot Parade that I used. Funny how things like that happen sometimes! I love how she designed her card to be a pull out.

Thanks for stopping by!

A New Year's Resolution

I actually have many New Year's resolutions. High on the list is to keep up my blog more. I haven't updated it in a couple months despite the fact I have done lots and lots of projects. In my defense, I have had some camera problems. However, my lovely parents got me a wonderful new camera for Christmas. I love it. My husband drools over it. And, the truth is, I don't have a clue how to use it to its full potential. But, I know enough to take some pictures of my latest projects.

The first one is a project that I made for my oldest son, DJ, to take to pre-school for a Christmas treat for his classmates.

I used the Top Note die from Stampin' Up along with their medium glassine bags. Very easy, and I like how they turned out. Wish I would've got a picture of them all grouped together.

The next, and last, project that I made is a simple Thank You card for out friends and family. They made this Christmas really nice for us, especially when money has been really tight for us this year. My boys were completely spoiled, and I couldn't have been any happier!

I used some Karen Foster design paper and some PTI felt to cut out snowflakes from Spellbinders Flake One dies. DJ said he liked it because it was a "boy card." Haha!














I'll be back tomorrow with some of the gift bags I made for my sister-in-laws baby shower that is on Sunday.