Happy Wednesday!
Not really sure what to do with myself today. Craig is back at work so it's just me and the girls (not gunna lie - I'm a little scared at the prospect of just me and them for 3 days this week and 5 next!!!) Oh sure, I have LOTS of projects to work on but you know what it's like - without some sort of pressure bearing down on you the motivation to actually do ANYthing just isn't there! Well, we'll see how it goes. I have a few ideas for my treats for my club girls, I need to design about 10 cards for upcoming parties, classes, Stamp-a-stack and so on ... need to prep for Sale-a-brations ... the list goes on and on. I'll take it slow and steady. My back is already screaming at me for sitting so long over the last few days so I had better behave.
Right! I promised you some new, NON-CHRISTMAS cards! I was so excited to pull out some new sets, paper and embelishments. I made our Thank You cards for the girls to send to everyone for their Christmas gifts. Yes, I wanted something bright, fun and new ... no Christmas here! ... Once I was done I sat back and looked at it ... and realized I had used red and green! ... and a STAR!!! *lol* Well, at least they are bright and cheery!
I also made a few Birthday cards with the left over DSP I had cut:
I think I managed a Clean & Simple card for once! I used some In Color DSP from last year (the little 6x6 hostess packs), the new Outlined Occasions (stamped in Poppy Parade) and colored slightly with Daffodil Delight and Pear Pizzazz (doesn't really show up here thanks to the fabulous camera I have!) The start and the flower are popped up with a dimensional and a jewel finishes off the flower. Quick and easy :)
Hope you have a fun day!
Tam
Welcome to my Blog - a place where you can learn how to make quick, cute cards using Stampin' Up! products!
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
Christmas Cards
Heidi Ho. Me again :)
I spent some time today de-cluttering the house. I took down some of the Christmas garland, bows, stockings and so on and tidied up my Christmas cards. I thought I would post some of the lovely hand made cards I received this year.
This one is from Jodi Kutz - it uses my favorite stamp set this year, Sounding Joy:
This one is from Lin Barry and Gert Coles:
Next we have Wanda Corcoran's. So simple and pretty!
This one is from my upline, Lori Waples:
This one is from Corina Michetti:
And finally - by FAR the most labour intensive card I've EVER seen is from my direct upline, Amy Barry - simply amazing!!
Thank you Ladies - they are all absolutely beautiful!
Pop in again tomorrow - I made a few cards using my new Sale-a-bration set, Outlined Occasions. Have a fun night :)
Tam
I spent some time today de-cluttering the house. I took down some of the Christmas garland, bows, stockings and so on and tidied up my Christmas cards. I thought I would post some of the lovely hand made cards I received this year.
This one is from Jodi Kutz - it uses my favorite stamp set this year, Sounding Joy:
This one is from Lin Barry and Gert Coles:
Next we have Wanda Corcoran's. So simple and pretty!
This one is from my upline, Lori Waples:
This one is from Corina Michetti:
And finally - by FAR the most labour intensive card I've EVER seen is from my direct upline, Amy Barry - simply amazing!!
Thank you Ladies - they are all absolutely beautiful!
Pop in again tomorrow - I made a few cards using my new Sale-a-bration set, Outlined Occasions. Have a fun night :)
Tam
One More Christmas Craft
Well MERRY BELATED CHRISTMAS!
I hope you had a FABULOUS day, week ... and month! I for one do NOT want December to end. This has truly been the most relaxing Christmas Season I have ever had and I just don't want to get back to the usual reality and day-to-day grind. I have had SO much fun crafting and playing. I hope you have too!
How relaxed was I on Christmas Eve? Well, we were having 21 people over for an Open House aroun1:00 p.m. Everything was prepped and ready to go by 11:30 sooooo ... what else is a gal to do but head down to the craft room and squeeze one more craft in! *lol* WAY back in AUGUST, when I saw the new Holiday Mini catalogue the only craft I had planned to do was to make little stockings with the Girls. We were going to make tree decorations with them and place markers for the Christmas table. So here it was Christmas Eve and the one craft I HADN'T made was the stockings. *lol* Half an hour later this is what I had:
I swear I could make 100 more of these - I just LOVE them!! They come together so quickly (with the help of a hot glue gun)! The only tricky part is getting the names spaced properly! I used some glitter glue I bought last year but the new Cherry Cobbler Dazzling Details would look fabulous too! I made these ones out of felt - they also work well with fun foam. Next year I plan to make more for the tree. TOO cute!
Soooo - that wraps up the Christmas Crafting season! Thank Goodness! I'm not gunna lie - I am now officially sick to deal of my Christmas stamp sets and colors. Bring on Valentine's Day and Easter I say! Heck ... how about a good old-fashioned Birthday Card??!! Oh ya - I am ITCHING to ink up all my new stamp sets. I had planned to get at them yesterday but instead I ended up reconfiguring my craft room. OMG I thought my head was going to explode! Michael's had the best Boxing Day special on their storage items. 50% off PLUS an additional 25% off. WELL! I had been thinking of getting their storage pieces for year now but it just never happend. Coincidentally, last week Craig (the best husband on the planet "TBHOTP") had offered to make new legs for my crafting table. You see I have a great craft table TOP but the legs were made of cardboard. Very sturdy and strong but a waste of prime realestate. Craig wanted to make legs with shelves, drawers etc to help me control the chaos in my room. Whilst I greatly appreciated his offer when I saw the sale I said "thanks but no thanks" - buying the ready-to-assemble ones would be cheaper and faster and, as I think most of you know by now, I am NOT a patient gal. So ... 7:30 a.m. off I trot to Michaels. I scored 4 storage units and was out before the Boxing Day nightmare began all proud of myself and excited to get home a start organizing. ... and then, about 3 blocks from home I realized that I didn't need 4 units - I needed 8! I only bought enough for the FRONT two legs of my desk. DOH! Stupid Head! I already had 2 other units at home from a few years ago so I technically only had to buy 2 more. Good thing - although I loved getting them for $15 instead of $40 each another 4 would really jack up the cost of this little project. Grrrr - yep, I had to go back. It wasn't too bad going and getting parked - it was the getting OUT that took forever! By the time I got home just after 11:00 am (a mere 4 hours after I started my little "pop out to the store") I was home and ready to roll. Craig assembled the pieces for me while I shoveled out my room. It was all set up and ready to organize an hour later. We took a break to go skating. It was +4 degrees outside - NOT the kind of weather to be inside on so off we went to St. Albert for a little fresh air and fun.
We had a great time ... well, until each of the girls had a good and proper fall ... then the fun was over, the tears started (and didn't stop for about an hour!) and the Christmas over-excitement, under-slept, over-sugared "fun" began. Home we went. Craig grabbed some McDonald's for dinner (yes, the healthy eating continues!) and all was well. I was happy as a little pig in poop for the next 3 hours. Craig just laughed at me each time I popped my head out of my room - I just had the biggest, dumbest grin on my face. I was truly in my glory! I still have to sort my 12 x 12 paper and properly go through all my forms, printed material and so on but the majority of it is done. Now I can play!!! I'll take some pics later and post them. Right now I gotta go drink some coffee. All this relaxation is making me tired!
Have a FUN day!!
Tam
I hope you had a FABULOUS day, week ... and month! I for one do NOT want December to end. This has truly been the most relaxing Christmas Season I have ever had and I just don't want to get back to the usual reality and day-to-day grind. I have had SO much fun crafting and playing. I hope you have too!
How relaxed was I on Christmas Eve? Well, we were having 21 people over for an Open House aroun1:00 p.m. Everything was prepped and ready to go by 11:30 sooooo ... what else is a gal to do but head down to the craft room and squeeze one more craft in! *lol* WAY back in AUGUST, when I saw the new Holiday Mini catalogue the only craft I had planned to do was to make little stockings with the Girls. We were going to make tree decorations with them and place markers for the Christmas table. So here it was Christmas Eve and the one craft I HADN'T made was the stockings. *lol* Half an hour later this is what I had:
I swear I could make 100 more of these - I just LOVE them!! They come together so quickly (with the help of a hot glue gun)! The only tricky part is getting the names spaced properly! I used some glitter glue I bought last year but the new Cherry Cobbler Dazzling Details would look fabulous too! I made these ones out of felt - they also work well with fun foam. Next year I plan to make more for the tree. TOO cute!
Soooo - that wraps up the Christmas Crafting season! Thank Goodness! I'm not gunna lie - I am now officially sick to deal of my Christmas stamp sets and colors. Bring on Valentine's Day and Easter I say! Heck ... how about a good old-fashioned Birthday Card??!! Oh ya - I am ITCHING to ink up all my new stamp sets. I had planned to get at them yesterday but instead I ended up reconfiguring my craft room. OMG I thought my head was going to explode! Michael's had the best Boxing Day special on their storage items. 50% off PLUS an additional 25% off. WELL! I had been thinking of getting their storage pieces for year now but it just never happend. Coincidentally, last week Craig (the best husband on the planet "TBHOTP") had offered to make new legs for my crafting table. You see I have a great craft table TOP but the legs were made of cardboard. Very sturdy and strong but a waste of prime realestate. Craig wanted to make legs with shelves, drawers etc to help me control the chaos in my room. Whilst I greatly appreciated his offer when I saw the sale I said "thanks but no thanks" - buying the ready-to-assemble ones would be cheaper and faster and, as I think most of you know by now, I am NOT a patient gal. So ... 7:30 a.m. off I trot to Michaels. I scored 4 storage units and was out before the Boxing Day nightmare began all proud of myself and excited to get home a start organizing. ... and then, about 3 blocks from home I realized that I didn't need 4 units - I needed 8! I only bought enough for the FRONT two legs of my desk. DOH! Stupid Head! I already had 2 other units at home from a few years ago so I technically only had to buy 2 more. Good thing - although I loved getting them for $15 instead of $40 each another 4 would really jack up the cost of this little project. Grrrr - yep, I had to go back. It wasn't too bad going and getting parked - it was the getting OUT that took forever! By the time I got home just after 11:00 am (a mere 4 hours after I started my little "pop out to the store") I was home and ready to roll. Craig assembled the pieces for me while I shoveled out my room. It was all set up and ready to organize an hour later. We took a break to go skating. It was +4 degrees outside - NOT the kind of weather to be inside on so off we went to St. Albert for a little fresh air and fun.
We had a great time ... well, until each of the girls had a good and proper fall ... then the fun was over, the tears started (and didn't stop for about an hour!) and the Christmas over-excitement, under-slept, over-sugared "fun" began. Home we went. Craig grabbed some McDonald's for dinner (yes, the healthy eating continues!) and all was well. I was happy as a little pig in poop for the next 3 hours. Craig just laughed at me each time I popped my head out of my room - I just had the biggest, dumbest grin on my face. I was truly in my glory! I still have to sort my 12 x 12 paper and properly go through all my forms, printed material and so on but the majority of it is done. Now I can play!!! I'll take some pics later and post them. Right now I gotta go drink some coffee. All this relaxation is making me tired!
Have a FUN day!!
Tam
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
All Clear
I just thought I post that I got the "all clear" from my breast biopsy a few weeks back.
Thanks all for your prayers and wishes
XO Tam
Thanks all for your prayers and wishes
XO Tam
Monday, December 19, 2011
One More ...
One more thing to share - these are the Teacher Gifts I gave this year - packs of 6 Christmas cards. I actually gave them to the teachers LAST Monday so they would have time to use them. All 5 of them (and 1 secretary) were thrilled to receive them and every one of them stated that they still had their cards to send out. I find it to be the perfect Teacher Gift - it's a consumable that everyone needs - and let's face it - every teacher has more coffee cups, candles and hand soap to last a lifetime *lol*
See you soon :)
\Tam
See you soon :)
\Tam
More Traditions
Wow! 2 posts in one day! I must be procrastinating on something *lol* ... actually I am - I still have to make my Mom's no-sew-blanket but I don't want to start it tonight so I'm trying to do all the other "little" jobs I have on my list so I can work on that non-stop tomorrow.
So - another little tradition I started a few years ago was making Christmas Wish List Books for the girls. I make each one a little 5 1/2" x 4 1/4" 5 page booklet for them to write down what they want for Christmas to leave out for Santa. They pick the stamp set(s) they want me to use and then I design and assemble the book. Here are this years' books:
The 1st one is Alicia's. Once again I used Night of Navy and Cherry Cobbler as my colours. The snowflake is from Serene Snowflakes. The sentiment is from Four the Holidays. I embossed the snowflake using Cherry Cobbler Embossing powder and used a swack of rhinestones (when it comes to cards / gifts for the girls I spare no bling!). To bind the booklet together I just used my Crop-a-dile to punch holes and then use the retired Jumbo Brads and threaded the Cherry Cobble seam binding through them and tied a bow. You can't see it but I scored all of the pages (using my Simply Scored tool!) at 3/4" to make it easier to open the booklet. I punched the snowflake out with the 2 1/2" circle punch and popped it up on dimensionals. I popped up the sentiment too, after using the corner rounder on the corners.
Rebecca's book is virtually the same except with hers I punched the 2 1/2" circle out of the front color and stamped the snowmen from Merry Winter on a scrap piece of paper and taped that behind the hole. You can't see it very well but I used Dazzling Details glitter glue on their hats and scarves for more sparkle.
The girls love their books and have spent a lot of time writing down every toy they come across inside it for Santa to ponder. Once Christmas is over I then flip the book over and write down what the actually GOT for Christmas. It will be so fun to look back on years from now. I love this little tradition :)
OK - one more project for today. Here is what I'm taking to school tomorrow for all the teachers and support staff:
I don't know about you but I can't read the tag from here. This is what it says:
So - another little tradition I started a few years ago was making Christmas Wish List Books for the girls. I make each one a little 5 1/2" x 4 1/4" 5 page booklet for them to write down what they want for Christmas to leave out for Santa. They pick the stamp set(s) they want me to use and then I design and assemble the book. Here are this years' books:
The 1st one is Alicia's. Once again I used Night of Navy and Cherry Cobbler as my colours. The snowflake is from Serene Snowflakes. The sentiment is from Four the Holidays. I embossed the snowflake using Cherry Cobbler Embossing powder and used a swack of rhinestones (when it comes to cards / gifts for the girls I spare no bling!). To bind the booklet together I just used my Crop-a-dile to punch holes and then use the retired Jumbo Brads and threaded the Cherry Cobble seam binding through them and tied a bow. You can't see it but I scored all of the pages (using my Simply Scored tool!) at 3/4" to make it easier to open the booklet. I punched the snowflake out with the 2 1/2" circle punch and popped it up on dimensionals. I popped up the sentiment too, after using the corner rounder on the corners.
Rebecca's book is virtually the same except with hers I punched the 2 1/2" circle out of the front color and stamped the snowmen from Merry Winter on a scrap piece of paper and taped that behind the hole. You can't see it very well but I used Dazzling Details glitter glue on their hats and scarves for more sparkle.
The girls love their books and have spent a lot of time writing down every toy they come across inside it for Santa to ponder. Once Christmas is over I then flip the book over and write down what the actually GOT for Christmas. It will be so fun to look back on years from now. I love this little tradition :)
OK - one more project for today. Here is what I'm taking to school tomorrow for all the teachers and support staff:
I don't know about you but I can't read the tag from here. This is what it says:
Look at the Candy Cane
What do you see?
Striped that are red
Like the blood shed for me
White is fro my Saviour
Who's sinless and pure!
"J" is for Jesus
My Lord, that's for sure!
Turn it around
And a staff you will see
Jesus my Shepherd
Was born for Me!
I found the poem on Stamin' Connection from fellow demonstrator Michele Reynolds - the girls go to a Catholic school so I thought it would be fun to attach it to candy canes (using the retired Tinsel Trim) on a tag. The tag is punches using a Cretive Memories punch from my pre-Stampin' Up! days. I tried to get it onto the Two-Tags Die but I would have had to have made the font smaller thatn I wanted it. I could have put it on the Scalloped Square die but it was getting to be more expensive and time consuming than I wanted to I used this punch instead. I like how they turned out - a little something for the teachers that was quick and easy - only took about an hour to do all 30 of them.
Right - that's it for today - I think those are all the projects I had to share. Next up I will be making and sharing projects using all my new toys from the upcoming Occasions Mini and Sale-a-brations catalogues. (But first I need to make that blanket for Mom .. after all, Christmas IS only 6 days away!!!)
Have a fun night :)
Tam
Christmas Traditions
Happy Monday!!! Yep - my favorite day of the week is here once again :) I gotta say, though - today I am a TOTAL waste of makeup! I'm sooooo tired! I realize I'm a bit of an over achiever AND a bit of a perfectionist but I like doing things for others and I like doing them well soooooo that naturally resulted in me gettingup at 5:15 am Sunday morning! The cat woke me up around 4:00 am and then my husband ketp me awake with his snoring so after an hour of thinking about all the things I had to do I figure I should just get up and DO them ... so I did! I got so many little but very time consuming things done! You know the things I'm talkin' about ... finding the bills ... seeing which ones need paying ... which ones HAVE been paid ... which ones are now overdue ... oops! Then finding the cheque book, seeing if there is any money TO pay the bills and then paying them. Cross referencing the credit card bill with the 6,000,000 receipts that have accumulated in the last 30 days of Christmas spending ... paying the bills ... filing the bills ... and then wondering how many air miles I just racked up ... so checking the air miles balance ... and then seeing what I can GET with that air miles balance ... and then figuring I need to spend about another $80,000 MORE on Christmas presents before I can earn enough air miles to even get out of the PROVINCE! That little project took the better part of 2 hours. I did another 2 hours of Stampin' Up! paperwork (thanks to the AWESOME Clearance Rack sale that is now going on!!) and then it was a blur of cleaning, sorting, washing, tyding, purging and crafting. I thought I should take a nap ... but what about dinner? Soup and sandwiches - seems simple enough but of course I couldn't just open a CAN of soup - oh no ... I decided to cook up the left over chicken and bones and make home-made chicken noodle soup. Nap time? Nope - I promised the girls that we would decorate the door so we did that. (Every year we warp up our basement and bathroom doors to look like presents. I remember doing this in Elementary School and loved it so it is now an annual tradition around here.) After dinner I did a bit of crafting and before I knew it 9:00 pm had rolled around. It took me a usrprisingly long time to fall asleep given how hard I went all day - I guess it just took a little longer to wind down. I LOVE this time of year. Yes, it is CRAZY busy but I LOVE that because the craziness is all fun stuff! Making Christmas cards, shopping for presents for others, wrapping, baking, making teacher gifts and little things to give away ... not because I HAVE to but because I WANT to! So many of us don't have time to do the "little" things for others that they are so thrilled and appreciative when someone does something nice or gives them a little something that it just makes my heart smile :) Yes, it means that I wake up at 4:00 am and can't get back to sleep but it's for a good reason and so I don't mind at all.
Right - blah, blah, blah ... wanna see a project or two? I now only have 6 minutes before I have to go get the girls so I better crack on!
Here is my FAVORITE craft I made this year. Every year I makes a special ornament for my girls with the year I made it. My plan is to give them a box of all these special ornaments when they move out and set up their own homes. They will have a tree filled with special keepsakes made by me or by them WITH me. I thought the little snowman ornaments would be this years' contribution but then I stumbled across these cuties:
Aren't they fantastic??!! You may recall my "Glitter Balls" ( check my tutorial back in October, 2011). They were made using re-inkers. These ones were made using "Pledge" Finish ... yep, the one for floors! Trish Miles, fellow demonstrator had shown us how to do these at our group meeting in December. I had heard of using the Pledge but hadn't tried it yet. Trish said the Pledge gave better results than the re-inkers so I had to try it. My first batch gave me terrible results - but I realize now it was because I didn't have enough glitter on hand. A quick run to my local craft store fixed that problem and then yes, I got great results. You do the same think with the Pledge that you do with the re-inkers but a) it isn't as messy as the Pledge is clear, not colored like the re-inkers b) it doesn't take as long as the Pledge isn't as thick as the re-inkers and c) it costs a lot less than the reinkers (the bottle which will last me about 56 years and 10,000 glitter balls!) was $6.50'ish. I used the black satin ribbon for the belt, the 1 1/4" square punch for the silver glimmer buckle and then used an exacto knife to cut slits in the glimmer paper to feed the ribbon through. I used sticky strip to attach the ribbon to the ball. I used the "eyes" from the owl punch for the buttons and stuck them on with mini glue dots. Soooo quick and easy ... and beautiful! I can't decide which balls I like better - the flat front ones or the all-round ones. Either way I love them, the girls love them and they will be a great addition to their boxes.
Right - school is out in 7 minutes - I was hoping to post another project but .... now you'll just have to come back ..
Have a fun day :)
Tam
Right - blah, blah, blah ... wanna see a project or two? I now only have 6 minutes before I have to go get the girls so I better crack on!
Here is my FAVORITE craft I made this year. Every year I makes a special ornament for my girls with the year I made it. My plan is to give them a box of all these special ornaments when they move out and set up their own homes. They will have a tree filled with special keepsakes made by me or by them WITH me. I thought the little snowman ornaments would be this years' contribution but then I stumbled across these cuties:
Aren't they fantastic??!! You may recall my "Glitter Balls" ( check my tutorial back in October, 2011). They were made using re-inkers. These ones were made using "Pledge" Finish ... yep, the one for floors! Trish Miles, fellow demonstrator had shown us how to do these at our group meeting in December. I had heard of using the Pledge but hadn't tried it yet. Trish said the Pledge gave better results than the re-inkers so I had to try it. My first batch gave me terrible results - but I realize now it was because I didn't have enough glitter on hand. A quick run to my local craft store fixed that problem and then yes, I got great results. You do the same think with the Pledge that you do with the re-inkers but a) it isn't as messy as the Pledge is clear, not colored like the re-inkers b) it doesn't take as long as the Pledge isn't as thick as the re-inkers and c) it costs a lot less than the reinkers (the bottle which will last me about 56 years and 10,000 glitter balls!) was $6.50'ish. I used the black satin ribbon for the belt, the 1 1/4" square punch for the silver glimmer buckle and then used an exacto knife to cut slits in the glimmer paper to feed the ribbon through. I used sticky strip to attach the ribbon to the ball. I used the "eyes" from the owl punch for the buttons and stuck them on with mini glue dots. Soooo quick and easy ... and beautiful! I can't decide which balls I like better - the flat front ones or the all-round ones. Either way I love them, the girls love them and they will be a great addition to their boxes.
Right - school is out in 7 minutes - I was hoping to post another project but .... now you'll just have to come back ..
Have a fun day :)
Tam
Friday, December 16, 2011
Where do I start?!
Hellooooooooooooooooo! I'm back! Yes, all the Christmas cards are officially in the mail so I get to "play" again! I have already spent half an hour rummaging through my box of BRAND NEW STAMPIN' UP! TOYS that came days ago. AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!! So many new things, so little time!!!!!!! Hee hee - I get myself into a stamping frenzy when I get lots of new stuff at once! I am suddenly stricken with MAJOR attention deficit problems .. I start making a card with stamp set #1 but then I spot stamp set #2 ... #1 is quickly pushed aside as I frantically reach for new paper and embellishments - as I reach for something else I spot yet another new item ... and on it goes. half an hour later I wonder why I can no longer find the top of my desk and have completely lost the plot on what I started to do in the first place! It's going to be a fun few weeks as I try to focus and actually complete a project *lol*
Now ... I tore myself away from my new toys to post a project ... but where do I start??!! I have so many to share! ... and of course, those who follow me regularly know I ramble on for 3 pages before I GET to the project ... and then the project itself usually has a 3 page story behind it. So ... maybe you better grab the beverage of choice, get comfortable and then proceed ... we may be here a while *lol*
RIght. (here comes the start of the story behind the card(s)) As we all know I struggle with cards that are "clean and simple". So imagine my delight when I attended our Stamping Christmas Party and we made this lovely, clean and simple little Christmas card:
Fabulous, isn't it? Yes, once again Tamye Dunbar (www.stampinfun.ca) managed to put together a card that I could easily copy and mass produce to send to my 70+ customers this year. So quick and easy! She used a 1 1/2" strip of Very Vanilla - ran it through the Snowburst Embossing Folder - stamped the Easy Events Christmas image in black Staz-on ink, colored it with Cherry Cobbler and Old Olive markers, added some pearls and Wa-low (Voila to adults ... Wa-low to my 6 year old!) Quick and easy. So I head down to my craft room the next day all ready to ctrack off 70 of these bad boys. Hmmm ... I think I would prefer it in Whisper White to the Very Vanilla. Ok - still quick and simple - just a color change. Well .. I just don't feel right sending out a card designed by someone ELSE to all my customers - it has to be a Tamara original. No big deal - we'll just change the stamped image. Well ... of course no other images were as simple ... or the right size ... or the right font. Hmmm - ok, we'll try using Merry Winter and a different sentiment - ya - one from Four the Holidays. How about this:
It's basically the same, right? I just turned it on it's side, stamped the sleigh and snowmen in Night of Navy and Cherry Cobbler ... added the sentiment. Hmm ... needed something - ok - some snowflakes from the Serene Snowflake set ... and then some rhinestones to their little hats. Wa-low! I copied Tamyes. Yep - quick, simple, easy ..... nope. I hate it. WHY is it that try as I may I can't bring myself to keep it simple? I'm always finding cards I love that are 1 layer, 1 color, simple - lovely. I make them and I instantly have to start adding something to it! I can make the identical card that I loved on-line but when I see it live I don't like it! Sigh. It's hard being me *lol*
Right - so - now I'm back to the drwing board. Quick, simple, mass producable ... is producable a word? Hmm - gotta look into that later ... ok - so - here was another card I fell in love with - it was from Dawn Olchefske (www.dostamping.typepad.com)
Isn't it FABULOUS??!! I love it! So ... off I set to make the exact same card. I made it 100% the same. Sat and stared at it. Hated it. Maybe if I changed the small white layer to the Silver Glimmer Paper. THAT would complete it. No. To sparkly. Hated it too. Right - what about if I COMBINE the layer idea of Dawn's card with the stamp set from Tamye's card ... ya ... let's try THAT:
NOW we're talkin! Of course you can see a few little details that just had to be added. Like the layers being slightly askew ... askew is a word, isn't it? Oh sure it is ... I some how don't think that's how it's spelled though ... hmm - better look into that too or Dad will be on my case ....Right - back to my story. So the base is your standard 5 1/2" x 4 1/4" but the layers are not my usual 1/4" smaller. This time I have the first layer at 5 + 2 ticks x 4 - the embossed layer is then 4 3/4" x 3 3/4" ... I think ... it's getting late and my math isn't what it was ... ANYWAY - I ran the top layer through the big shot with the snowburst folder then punched out the circle with the BIG 2 1/2" circle punch. I stamped the Easy Events image inside - popped the layer up on dimensional (THAT was fun ... NOT! I used 8 per card ... actually I used 4 "full" dimensionals in the corners and then I used "scraps" for the other 4 around the circle. I save all my dimensional sheets after they are all used up and then use the scraps for projects like this). I added the Cherry Cobbler Quilted Satin ribbon for a little pop of color. Speaking of color - had to then color the image (Cherry Cobbler & Old Olive - JUST LIKE TAMYE!) Hmm. Done? No - couldn't be. Let's add some Dazzling Details to each card too. Kill me now! Ok - so Tamye's quick and simple 1 minute card now takes a LOT longer, a LOT more paper and a LOT more wondering what the hell is wrong with me?! ... on the bright side ... I love it :) Yep - love it, love it, love it. So ... let's make 40 of them.
Right - so that's the story of my quick and simple card. Now .. I couldn't POSSIBLY send that card to my club girls could I? Well NO, Tamara - you couldn't do that! Every year you make and extra SPECIAL card for your "girls" ... (now if you are one of my club girls and you got the above card please don't be offended ... I simply thought that the above card suited your personal stamping style more than the following one ... and let's face it ... in the end I think the "quick and simple" card took more time and effort thatn the "over-the-top" card!)
So ... remember this birthday card I made for my friend a few weeks ago?
Well this little guy grew on me so I wanted to use him on my "special" card. After looking at the size of him for a while it struck me that he HAD to be used on an easle card. So - without further adeau (is that how you spell it?? Dad .... ?? I suppose I should mention here that my dad just shakes his head whenever he reads anything I write - my grammar and spelling make him twitchy. *lol* He and my mom are great spellers and great with grammar. I, on the other hand, suck. When I was in grade school they tought me to spell by sounding words out. Well ... as we all know the English language really doesn't spell the way it sounds so I was pretty much doomed from Kindergarten on. And my grammar? Well ... sorry Mr. Hurley - I loved you as a teacher but we all know how much you liked the grammar section in High School ... and that we only ever did the 1 or 2 weeks learning it right before finals each year. What chance did I have??!!) But I digress ... need a refill on that drink yet? I TOLD you to get comfy! OK - right - focus Tamara - the card. Here it is closed:
... and open:
... and from the side ...
Hee hee - isn't it cute? Yes, I made 32 of these ... I'm starting to bore myself with my ramblings now so I don't think I need to explain EVERY detail of it. You know how to make an easel card, no? Easy to figure out from the picture, I think. Oh, all right. Cut your sheet of paper the long way (4 1/4" x 11) - fold it in half and then fold one half inhalf again). I used the ribbon punch for the strip that holds the card up. I used my blender pen and inks to color the images. I used Cherry Cobbler and Night of Navy. Anything I missed? I don't think so - the snowflake punch and some rhinestones finished it off.
So - as I said before, and as I'm sure you can now appreciate ... It's hard being me. So hard, in fact, that I have now exhausted myself just telling you all about it so I'm off to bed.
I have more projects ... so keep comin' back for a look! (Just remember to do it when you have an hour to read my ramblings *lol*). Yes, I'm quirky and I know it ....
Have a fun weekend :)
Tam
Now ... I tore myself away from my new toys to post a project ... but where do I start??!! I have so many to share! ... and of course, those who follow me regularly know I ramble on for 3 pages before I GET to the project ... and then the project itself usually has a 3 page story behind it. So ... maybe you better grab the beverage of choice, get comfortable and then proceed ... we may be here a while *lol*
RIght. (here comes the start of the story behind the card(s)) As we all know I struggle with cards that are "clean and simple". So imagine my delight when I attended our Stamping Christmas Party and we made this lovely, clean and simple little Christmas card:
Fabulous, isn't it? Yes, once again Tamye Dunbar (www.stampinfun.ca) managed to put together a card that I could easily copy and mass produce to send to my 70+ customers this year. So quick and easy! She used a 1 1/2" strip of Very Vanilla - ran it through the Snowburst Embossing Folder - stamped the Easy Events Christmas image in black Staz-on ink, colored it with Cherry Cobbler and Old Olive markers, added some pearls and Wa-low (Voila to adults ... Wa-low to my 6 year old!) Quick and easy. So I head down to my craft room the next day all ready to ctrack off 70 of these bad boys. Hmmm ... I think I would prefer it in Whisper White to the Very Vanilla. Ok - still quick and simple - just a color change. Well .. I just don't feel right sending out a card designed by someone ELSE to all my customers - it has to be a Tamara original. No big deal - we'll just change the stamped image. Well ... of course no other images were as simple ... or the right size ... or the right font. Hmmm - ok, we'll try using Merry Winter and a different sentiment - ya - one from Four the Holidays. How about this:
It's basically the same, right? I just turned it on it's side, stamped the sleigh and snowmen in Night of Navy and Cherry Cobbler ... added the sentiment. Hmm ... needed something - ok - some snowflakes from the Serene Snowflake set ... and then some rhinestones to their little hats. Wa-low! I copied Tamyes. Yep - quick, simple, easy ..... nope. I hate it. WHY is it that try as I may I can't bring myself to keep it simple? I'm always finding cards I love that are 1 layer, 1 color, simple - lovely. I make them and I instantly have to start adding something to it! I can make the identical card that I loved on-line but when I see it live I don't like it! Sigh. It's hard being me *lol*
Right - so - now I'm back to the drwing board. Quick, simple, mass producable ... is producable a word? Hmm - gotta look into that later ... ok - so - here was another card I fell in love with - it was from Dawn Olchefske (www.dostamping.typepad.com)
Isn't it FABULOUS??!! I love it! So ... off I set to make the exact same card. I made it 100% the same. Sat and stared at it. Hated it. Maybe if I changed the small white layer to the Silver Glimmer Paper. THAT would complete it. No. To sparkly. Hated it too. Right - what about if I COMBINE the layer idea of Dawn's card with the stamp set from Tamye's card ... ya ... let's try THAT:
NOW we're talkin! Of course you can see a few little details that just had to be added. Like the layers being slightly askew ... askew is a word, isn't it? Oh sure it is ... I some how don't think that's how it's spelled though ... hmm - better look into that too or Dad will be on my case ....Right - back to my story. So the base is your standard 5 1/2" x 4 1/4" but the layers are not my usual 1/4" smaller. This time I have the first layer at 5 + 2 ticks x 4 - the embossed layer is then 4 3/4" x 3 3/4" ... I think ... it's getting late and my math isn't what it was ... ANYWAY - I ran the top layer through the big shot with the snowburst folder then punched out the circle with the BIG 2 1/2" circle punch. I stamped the Easy Events image inside - popped the layer up on dimensional (THAT was fun ... NOT! I used 8 per card ... actually I used 4 "full" dimensionals in the corners and then I used "scraps" for the other 4 around the circle. I save all my dimensional sheets after they are all used up and then use the scraps for projects like this). I added the Cherry Cobbler Quilted Satin ribbon for a little pop of color. Speaking of color - had to then color the image (Cherry Cobbler & Old Olive - JUST LIKE TAMYE!) Hmm. Done? No - couldn't be. Let's add some Dazzling Details to each card too. Kill me now! Ok - so Tamye's quick and simple 1 minute card now takes a LOT longer, a LOT more paper and a LOT more wondering what the hell is wrong with me?! ... on the bright side ... I love it :) Yep - love it, love it, love it. So ... let's make 40 of them.
Right - so that's the story of my quick and simple card. Now .. I couldn't POSSIBLY send that card to my club girls could I? Well NO, Tamara - you couldn't do that! Every year you make and extra SPECIAL card for your "girls" ... (now if you are one of my club girls and you got the above card please don't be offended ... I simply thought that the above card suited your personal stamping style more than the following one ... and let's face it ... in the end I think the "quick and simple" card took more time and effort thatn the "over-the-top" card!)
So ... remember this birthday card I made for my friend a few weeks ago?
Well this little guy grew on me so I wanted to use him on my "special" card. After looking at the size of him for a while it struck me that he HAD to be used on an easle card. So - without further adeau (is that how you spell it?? Dad .... ?? I suppose I should mention here that my dad just shakes his head whenever he reads anything I write - my grammar and spelling make him twitchy. *lol* He and my mom are great spellers and great with grammar. I, on the other hand, suck. When I was in grade school they tought me to spell by sounding words out. Well ... as we all know the English language really doesn't spell the way it sounds so I was pretty much doomed from Kindergarten on. And my grammar? Well ... sorry Mr. Hurley - I loved you as a teacher but we all know how much you liked the grammar section in High School ... and that we only ever did the 1 or 2 weeks learning it right before finals each year. What chance did I have??!!) But I digress ... need a refill on that drink yet? I TOLD you to get comfy! OK - right - focus Tamara - the card. Here it is closed:
... and open:
... and from the side ...
Hee hee - isn't it cute? Yes, I made 32 of these ... I'm starting to bore myself with my ramblings now so I don't think I need to explain EVERY detail of it. You know how to make an easel card, no? Easy to figure out from the picture, I think. Oh, all right. Cut your sheet of paper the long way (4 1/4" x 11) - fold it in half and then fold one half inhalf again). I used the ribbon punch for the strip that holds the card up. I used my blender pen and inks to color the images. I used Cherry Cobbler and Night of Navy. Anything I missed? I don't think so - the snowflake punch and some rhinestones finished it off.
So - as I said before, and as I'm sure you can now appreciate ... It's hard being me. So hard, in fact, that I have now exhausted myself just telling you all about it so I'm off to bed.
I have more projects ... so keep comin' back for a look! (Just remember to do it when you have an hour to read my ramblings *lol*). Yes, I'm quirky and I know it ....
Have a fun weekend :)
Tam
Thursday, December 15, 2011
Hang in There!
Hiya ... YES, I have LOTS of projects to post - I've been a crafting FOOL this week ... but I'm not allowed to post them until I get all my Christmas cards in the mail! 65 down, 21 to go! Hang in there - they're coming!
Oh ... and did you hear about the new sale?
From today until January 5th nearly 200 products are being added to the Clearance Rack in my Online Store -- with some being discounted up to 80%!!
Oh ... and did you hear about the new sale?
From today until January 5th nearly 200 products are being added to the Clearance Rack in my Online Store -- with some being discounted up to 80%!!
My favorite (and MUST HAVE) items are:
PUNCHES, PUNCHES ... look at all the punches!!!
- THE VALENTINE DESIGNER SERIES PAPER FROM LAST YEAR!!
- RIBBON!!!
- PUNCHES ... THE SPIRAL PUNCH ... THE PHOTO CORNER PUNCH ... THE BAT PUNCH ... DO YOU HAVE ALL THE PUNCHES YOU WANT?? GET THEM NOW ... ON SALE!!!!!!!!! (I think my head is going to explode !!!!)
- BUTTONS!!!!
- DID I MENTION THE PUNCHES? THEY ARE THE OLD STYLE (less chance of pinching your hands!!!!!)
TO GUARANTEE YOU GET WHAT YOU WANT:
Go to my website www.tamara.bertram@stampinup.net
- click on the "Shop Now" link in the top right hand corner
- click on the "Clearance Rack Blitz" link in the middle of the page
- Add the items you want to your cart and pay
- Your order will be shipped directly to your house
- You can order items from the current catalogues as well and if your order is $200 or more you will qualify for hostess benefits (i.e. at least $35 in free stuff!!)
If you have any questions you can drop me a line but I'm only home until 4:00 pm today!!
Friday, December 9, 2011
Snowman Ornaments
HAPPY FRIDAY!!!
Don't you just LOVE when you wake up, have NO idea what day it is and then as you "come to" a little more you realize it's FRIDAY??!! That happened to me this morning - woo hoo! (mind you, I LOVE Mondays so it wouldn't have mattered much if I was wrong but it was just great knowing that the weekend is upon us!)
I'm ckind of floundering today. I don't have any major projects hanging over me ... well, ok, I STILL have this Christmas Cards but HEY! it's ONLY Dec 9th .... I have a few days before it becomes top priority, right?
What I DID manage to work on was these little guys - AREN'T THEY JUST THE CUTEST THINGS EVER??!!! Hee hee - they just make me giggle every time I look at them:
They are SO quick and easy to make! In fact the girls made a bunch for family in about 10 minutes. MY kind of craft!! I got the idea when I visited a friend for coffee on Wednesday (hi Rox!). She had ornaments like these on a decoarative tree she has in her foyer. She bought them at Superstore. Well! I fell in LOVE with them and knew in an instant I could make them at home ... AND use up the 6 boxes of glass ornaments I had in my craft closet from last year. Just the day before I had pulled them all out and was trying to figure out what to make with them. Here they are! You fill the balls about half way with the Mica Flakes (or any other fake snow-type product), grab a pipecleaner, some pom poms and a glue gun and glue the pieces on. I then took a small orange pom pom and trimmed it in a triangle for the nose (gotta be careful not to cut too deep of the pom pom falls apart). Grab your black Sharpie, draw on the eyes and mouth and Wa-low! The cutest, fastest, easiest way to use up those glass balls ever!!
Hmm ... now what. Clean? Shower? Prep dinner? Paper work? Ahhh - the options are endless :)
Have a fun weekend - I'll post another project soon!
Tam
Don't you just LOVE when you wake up, have NO idea what day it is and then as you "come to" a little more you realize it's FRIDAY??!! That happened to me this morning - woo hoo! (mind you, I LOVE Mondays so it wouldn't have mattered much if I was wrong but it was just great knowing that the weekend is upon us!)
I'm ckind of floundering today. I don't have any major projects hanging over me ... well, ok, I STILL have this Christmas Cards but HEY! it's ONLY Dec 9th .... I have a few days before it becomes top priority, right?
What I DID manage to work on was these little guys - AREN'T THEY JUST THE CUTEST THINGS EVER??!!! Hee hee - they just make me giggle every time I look at them:
They are SO quick and easy to make! In fact the girls made a bunch for family in about 10 minutes. MY kind of craft!! I got the idea when I visited a friend for coffee on Wednesday (hi Rox!). She had ornaments like these on a decoarative tree she has in her foyer. She bought them at Superstore. Well! I fell in LOVE with them and knew in an instant I could make them at home ... AND use up the 6 boxes of glass ornaments I had in my craft closet from last year. Just the day before I had pulled them all out and was trying to figure out what to make with them. Here they are! You fill the balls about half way with the Mica Flakes (or any other fake snow-type product), grab a pipecleaner, some pom poms and a glue gun and glue the pieces on. I then took a small orange pom pom and trimmed it in a triangle for the nose (gotta be careful not to cut too deep of the pom pom falls apart). Grab your black Sharpie, draw on the eyes and mouth and Wa-low! The cutest, fastest, easiest way to use up those glass balls ever!!
Hmm ... now what. Clean? Shower? Prep dinner? Paper work? Ahhh - the options are endless :)
Have a fun weekend - I'll post another project soon!
Tam
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