It's time!!! It's the 20th of the month and the Freaks have their tour on!  I know I love to see what the fabulous Control Freaks have come up with.  This month we are giving you a sneak peek of items in the Occasions Mini and Sale-A-Bration brochures!  We're excited…and hope you are, too!  You've probably just come from Lisa Martz's blog...aren't her projects fabulous!  You can continue on around all 10 stops on the tour this month to get some wonderful ideas! 

My projects combine something in the Occasions Mini, Fashionable Hearts Embosslit Die and something from the Sale-A-Bration brochure, Everyday Enchantment Designer Paper.  I thought the two combined very nicely!  This would be a wonderful gift for Valentine's Day or a Wedding!  The idea could be used to coordinate with the bride and groom's colors.  I don't know if you can appreciate the depth and textures of the hearts…but it really is impressive, if I must say so myself!  lol!  The frame is an odd size…7 x 9…and I've had it forever, but you could easily adapt it larger or smaller as needed.  It was painted black, but I added some Champagne Mist Shimmer Paint with a sponge dauber over top of the black for a little "antique" look.  It shimmers in real life!

I used all the the different designs in the Everyday Enchantment Designer Paper package.  In addition to the Fashionable Hearts Embosslit Die, I used the Full Heart Punch for the bigger hearts.  Some hearts are adhered directly on the Very Vanilla cardstock background, while others are popped up with Stampin' Dimensionals.  I also used the flower from the Itty Bitty Punches to add in a little texture and the wonderful Pearls.  I used the Billboard Decorative Strip Die to cut out LOVE from Riding Hood Red, then adhered them on the Mini Vintage Tags.  There are also a couple bows made with the Everyday Enchantment Ribbon…a narrow sheer ribbon that is gorgeous!

With the extra hearts I had left over from the Fashionable Hearts diecuts and Full Heart punch, I created a matching card.  This time I used an upcoming Sale-A-Bration set, Outlined Occasions Stamp Set, for the greeting.  It was stamped in Riding Hood Red and colored with the Pool Party Marker.  I also ran the Very Vanilla background thru the Big Shot with the Perfect Polka Dots Impressions Folder (wish it was large enough to do the background in on the frame, too!)  The Very Vanilla is layered on Pool Party and then a base of Riding Hood Red cardstock.  I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE that it turned out how I pictured it in my head!

NOTE:  Imagine my surprise to receive my Stampin' Success today and see the cover!  Although not the same as my frame picture of diagonal hearts, the concept is the same.  Great minds, I guess!  lol!

OK…on to the next stop…my wonderful friend, Mary Brown at Stampercamper's Corner!  You are in for a treat with her projects!  Then continue on to all 10 stops this month!  Enjoy!  MERRY Christmas!

It's time for the November Tour de Freaks…brought to you by the Control Freak Swappers!  We have quite a few members who have joined recently…a couple are on the tour today!  We have a total of 13 stops for you.  You can start here and go around the entire tour until you end back here!  You've probably just come from the FABULOUS Wendy Weixler's blog!  Didn't you love her projects?  Our theme this month is Keep it Simple Stampers!  The cards and projects that have minimal layers and are easily to duplicate!

Now…I don't think I normally make "hard" projects…but, I also don't think the majority of my projects are "simple", either!  Either way, this Tour was a little bit of a stretch for me!  I hope you enjoy my "Keep it Simple Stampers" projects!  I have a snowman theme going on with Stampin' Up!'s Jolly Bingo Bits stamp set!

First up is a card that has been in my head for a while!  It really was pretty simple and came together quickly.  The hardest part was figuring out the layout of the circles…now I've done that for you!

I started with a base of Pool Party cardstock.  I stamped the little Snowman from Jolly Bingo Bits with Basic Black on Whisper White and punched them with the 1" Circle.  I colored their scarves with Real Red and Pool Party and the nose added with Pumpkin Pie markers.  I also punched 8 plain Whisper White 1" Circles, four of them I used the Naturally Serif Strip Die and cut out the letters of SNOW with Pool Party cardstock, they are popped up on the card with Stampin' Dimensionals.  Then I used the Northern Frost Strip Die and cut out five of the smallest snowflakes with the Silver Glimmer Paper and adhered them!  Finally, I punched out 3 of the Itty Bitty 3/8" Circles from the Silver Glimmer Paper.

OK…this one is even simpler, but the Red Glimmer Paper packs a lot of WOW into it!  I used Whisper White for my base card.  I ran the front thru the Big Shot with the Snow Burst Impressions Folder.  I added a strip of Red Glimmer Paper across the front.  Then I stamped the snowman from Jolly Bingo Bits in Basic Black and colored the scarf and face again with Real Red and Pool Party Markers…and nose with Pumpkin Pie.  I punched with the 1" Circle, layered it on the 1 1/4" circle of Real Red and a 1 3/8" Circle of Pool Party, then placed it with Stampin' Dimensionals on the Red Glimmer strip.  I stamped Merry Christmas from Petite Pairs in Basic Black on Pool Party and punched with the Curly Label Punch, then cut it in half and tucked it in the top of the Red Glimmer Paper!  That's it!  Pretty simple, huh?

But wait…I had to have a matching box, right?  So, I pulled out my faithful Box #2 Die.  I cut it using Pool Party cardstock, then stamped all over it with the snowflake from Jolly Bingo Bits.  I punched out the center with the Decorative Label Punch, then used that as a base for my tag!  I used the Northern Frost Strip Die again and cut out one of the larger snowflakes with the Silver Glimmer Paper.  I added another one of the snowmen punched with the 1" Circle punch and layered on 1 1/4" Real Red, then placed over the Silver Glimmer Snowflake with Stampin' Dimensionals.  I added the snowflake to the front of the Decorative Label tag, punched a hole at the top with the Crop a Dile and attached it to the Real Red Satin Ribbon Bow with Cherry Cobbler Bakers Twine!

So, all three of my projects would be easily duplicated for Stamp Clubs, Workshops or Classes!  Hope you enjoyed seeing them!  Next stop is the AWESOME Mary Brown's blog!!  She is the queen of Clean & Simple style, so I'm sure you will love her cards!  Have fun taking the Tour de Freaks!

Yes!  It is time for the monthly Tour de Freaks, brought to you by your Control Freak Swappers!  Is it your favorite day of the month?  It is mine!  I love to see what the other Control Freaks share with us!  They always have such wonderful ideas.  You've probably just come from the awesome Patty Bennett's blog…love her projects!  Or, if you are starting here, we have 13 stops and you go around the tour and end back here!  Remember, the tour doesn't officially start until the morning of August 20th, so not all links may be working yet if you get here earlier!

The theme this month is a sneak peek of the upcoming Holiday Mini!  I know most of my customers have received their copy in the mail within the past couple days!  I'm hearing LONG wishlists!  lol!  I featured the stamp sets Gently Falling and Hand Penned Holidays in my projects this month, along with the WONDERFUL Spice Cake Designer Paper.  I'm already ordering a couple more packages of it…LOVE it!  Quite frankly, though, I had trouble getting started!  Maybe it is a letdown after the wedding, or maybe just wishful thinking that summer isn't going to end!  I decided to do sunflowers to go along with my Gently Falling leaves for my ensemble. 

My first project uses one of the new Kraft Gift Boxes in the Holiday Mini!  They are a great size for small gifts!  I filled mine with a cello bag of candy corn!  They are nice and sturdy and at a price of $2.95 for 4 of them, a pretty good deal!  I covered each of the sides and top with Spice Cake Designer Paper, then wrapped the 1 1/4" Soft Suede Stripe Ribbon around and tied a knot on the front.  I went looking for a sunflower and thought that Blossom Party Originals Die looked the most like one.  I cut it with More Mustard cardstock, spritzed it with water and crumpled it, then added More Mustard Ink around the edges.  For the center, I punched a 1 3/8" Circle of Early Espresso, then ran it thru the Big Shot with the Square Lattice Impressions Folder.  I added Very Vanilla neutral flower button to the center and tied with the Early Espresso Bakers Twine so I don't have a "naked" button!  I stamped the smallest leaf from Stampin' Up!'s Gently Falling stamp set with Old Olive and then the outline with Early Espresso and cut them out.  The flower and leaves are popped up on the top with Stampin' Dimensionals.  I added the greeting from Stampin' Up!'s Hand Penned Holidays in Early Espresso Ink on Pool Party cardstock.  It really gives it a POP of color with the other all earthly tones.

I followed the same color scheme and design as the box on this card.  I did make a double bow from the Pool Party Ruffled Ribbon for this one!  I also used the Square Lattice Impressions Folder on 3/4 of the background Pool Party cardstock, leaving the bottom un-embossed so I could stamp Give Thanks on it.

The sketch this week from Stamping 411 inspired the design for this card.  Again, I used the same elements as the box and previous card.  Love how the Spice Cake Designer Paper patterns all coordinate together!  Stampin' Up! sure makes it EASY to create!

I hope you enjoyed my Sunflower projects this month!  Make sure you continue on the tour with the fabulous MARY BROWN!  She always has such fantastic ideas!

We're getting ready for this month's Tour de Freaks on July 20th!  Make sure to stop by and visit me and take the tour!  I'll be showing off the Control Freaks swaps I made for our Convention lunch get together!  Want to put the faces with the names/blogs on the tour?  Here is a photo of our awesome Control Freaks group at the Stampin' Up! Convention lunch this year!

Bottom Row:  List Mom Lisa Martz, Becky Roberts, LeeAnn Greff, Wendy Weixler, Dannie Graves, Joey Hartman

Top Row:  Patty Bennett, Liz Schulz, Mary Brown, Connie Babbert, Lorri Heiling, Kelly Powell, Dawn Olchefske, Jan Tinklenberg

Missing is Mary Polcin…she stopped by a little later to say hi!

I have tons more pictures of Convention…I loved the GROW theme they carried out in so many magical ways this year!  See the large flowers in the background?  Those were all over the convention space.  They had Decor Elements on the doors leading into Convention in those shapes…just a great theme!

It's time for the June Tour de Freaks!  You've probably just come from the OH SO FUN Jan Tinklenberg's blog!   Doesn't she do AWESOME work!  Our theme this month is using products from the Summer Mini AND the Demonstrator Sneak Peek products.  We have 11 stops for you with some FABULOUS designers!  Make sure to take the tour, it will loop you around to me again.  If you are arriving prior to June 20th, please note that not all links may be active yet.

For my projects, I went in extremes!  The first one is a FUN cardstock Beach Bag filled with bath products!  Wouldn't this be a great gift for someone with a summer birthday?  I'm showing off one of my favorite sets in the Summer Mini called Sunny Fun.  I love this lineup of kids on innertubes (but the flip flops and ice cream cone images are just as cute!)!  The beach bag is generous size…measuring 10 1/2" wide by 6" tall and 2" in width.  I have some full size bottles of bath splash, bath lotion, bubble bath tablets, scrub mitt and heel cream inside with room to spare!  The bottom is reinforced with extra cardstock to hold the weight easily.

I used one of the NEW In Colors cardstock, Lucky Limeade, for the beach bag.  The top of the pocket and handles are the Poppy Parade Ribbon…they are a nice weight for handles.  I love how the two bright colors complement each other!  I secured the handles on the front and back with Antique Mini Brads for some extre reinforcement.  I turned down the top of the bag about 1/2" and added the 1 1/4 Black Stripe Grosgrain Ribbon tab for a designer look!

I added the front pocket with a 4 x 5 piece of Watercolor Paper and I stamped the image from Sunny Fun with Black Stazon.  Then I used my Reinkers, Markers and AquaPainter to watercolor the images.  I added the greeting "Fun in the Sun" from the Sunny Fun stamp set, to the front of the pocket, too.  You could easily tuck in a gift card in the pocket for a little extra surprise. 

My next project is the opposite of summer weather…a snowman!  I used the awesome new Sneak Peek set, Snow Much Fun, for my card!  I was SO excited to see this fun snowman set in the new catalog!  I can't wait to use it for my Christmas cards this year!  I combined it with some new designer paper called Just Add Cake!  Even though it isn't a "holiday" paper, I love the colors and pulled them out to use on my card. 

The base is Marina Mist and I added a layer of Whisper White that I ran thru the Big Shot with the Perfect Polka Dots Impressions Folder.  I cut two 1/2" wide strips of Just Add Cake Designer Paper.  I used another new In Color, Calypso Coral, cardstock across the front and added the greeting from Snow Much Fun (I love when Stampin' Up! includes greetings in their sets!)  I stamped the snowman from Snow Much Fun with Black Stazon and colored with my Calypso Coral, Marina Mist, So Saffron and Wild Wasabi Stampin' Write Markers, then punched with the 2 3/8 Scallop Circle and layered on a Marina Mist 2 1/2 Circle.  I added two Rhinestone jewels for some added bling!

I hope you've enjoyed my projects!  Make sure to check out what the rest of the Control Freaks have done this month with the Summer Mini and Sneak Peek products!  Next stop is Dawn Olchefske's blog...I'm sure you'll LOVE her ideas!

Sharing creativity one stamped image at a time!

It's time for the WONDERFUL Tour de Freaks, brought to you by the Control Freak Swappers! Now…you've probably just come from Lisa Young's blog…weren't her projects fabulous?  Of course…all the Freaks do a WONDERFUL job with this blog hop!  Our theme this month is For He's a Jolly Good Fellow…masculine and Father's Day projects.  If you are arriving prior to May 20th, please note that not all links may be working yet.

This month I thought I'd feature The Open Seas stamp set for my projects.  I'm so happy that Stampin' Up! has a nice selection of masculine products in the Summer Mini!  Now…due to time constraints, I sort of combined these with items I am taking with me on the SU Alaska Cruise!  Woohoo!  The first card is one that I will hand over to Stampin' Up! to post on the boards on the ship.

I started with a base of Early Espresso cardstock and layered on Crumb Cake.  I stamped along the left side with the large globe in Early Espresso.  Then I placed a strip of Sticky Strip and ruffled the 1 1/4 Striped Ribbon that I cut down narrower and ragged the edges.  I stamped three of the anchors with Versamark and embossed them with a mixture of Gold and Silver Embossing Powders, then cut them out.  I placed them on a piece of Early Espresso cardstock that I ran thru the Big Shot with the Square Lattice Impressions Folder.  I punched a hole in the top of the anchors with the Crop A Dile, then pulled the Early Espresso Bakers Twine thru and adhered across the top.  To cover the ends, I punched the Modern Label from Brushed Gold Cardstock and stamped Happy Father's Day with Early Espresso ink on Very Vanilla and punched with the Word Window punch.  I layered it on top and added Silver mini brads at each end.  I was going for a award metal look with the hanging anchors!  The focal piece is layered on more Brushed Gold cardstock and placed on the front of the card with Stampin' Dimensionals.

For my second project, I again used The Open Seas, but I made this for a gift for my upline and another friend who also earned the Alaska Cruise Incentive Trip.  It has a masculine feel with that stamp set and Nautical Expedition Designer Paper and you could easily substitute the word "Alaska" with "Father"!  It's a Waterfall Mini Album that I made for them to place some pictures of the places we visit.  I hope I don't get in trouble that I "fudged" on the theme just a little bit!  lol!

I kept it pretty simple for a couple reasons.  One, I wanted something that could be duplicated for a class and two, you don't want the waterfall pages to get stuck on any embellishments.  The photos will make it even thicker than it is now and you still want it to work and close properly.

I only showed you a few of the photos because we have a limit on the number of photos we can post AND I'm VERY short on time before I leave!  I PROMISE that I will do a little tutorial with dimensions on how to put the Waterfall Album together.  It was pretty fun to make and not really hard once you figured out the mechanism!  I'll add photos of each of the pages, too!

Hope you enjoyed my projects…I'd LOVE to hear from you with a comment!  Next stop is the FABULOUS Mary Brown…I know you'll love her projects…I know I do!

Sharing creativity one stamped image at a time!

It's TIME!  Time for the Tour de Freaks, brought to you by the Control Freak Swappers!  This month we are featuring a SNEAK PEEK of the Summer Mini…all the new and exciting things that will be available on May 1st!  You've probably just come from Lisa Young's awesome blog, Add Ink and Stamp…isn't she SO talented?  If you started here, you can make the complete loop and return to me!   

OK…for my first project, I just HAD to use the new Blossom Bouquet Triple Layer Punch!  I can't WAIT to show my customers how this new punch works and the three different punch pieces you get from ONE punch!  I decided to make a long card, so I could show off a beautiful bouquet of the blossoms.  I featured only two of the punch designs for this card.

I started with a base of Soft Suede and cut it 8 x 9 and scored lengthwise to get a 4 x 9 sized card.  This will fit perfectly in a #10 envelope.  I added a layer of River Rock cardstock that I ran thru the Big Shot with the Vintage Wallpaper Impressions Folder and rounded the corners with the Corner Rounder Punch.  I did have to run it thru twice, turning it around the second time, so the longer length would be embossed.  I knew the center seam would be covered by the flowers anyway.  I punched several of the flowers in Daffodil Delight and several in Whisper White.  The Whisper White flowers, I added a yellow center punched from the Crop A Dile.  The yellow flowers I used my Paper Snips to cut slits in each of the petals, that allowed me to curl them out for a more natural shape.  In the center, I used the Boho Blossoms punch smallest flower, and cut slits in each of the petals, too.  It is glued to the center of the Yellow Flower with Mini Glue Dots.

I cut several stems…just long lengths of Always Artichoke cardstock and used the Two-Step Bird Punch to make lots of leaves to fill in the background.  I added the blossoms to the River Rock cardstock, tied a Whisper White Taffeta Ribbon around and tied a knot.  I stamped Just For You from Teeny Tiny Wishes in Always Artichoke and punched with the Small Oval Punch and adhered it under the knot with a Mini Glue Dot.

Next I made a coordinating (sort of) box from the XL Bitty Box and Envelope Die…it holds a sweet treat inside!  I had the thought to use the Scallop Duo Die (in the Summer Mini again!) for the top and bottom of the Bitty Box!  Has anyone seen this done?  I haven't…and it made a DARLING little box!

I cut the Bitty Box and two of the larger size in the Scallop Duo Die from Daffodil Delight.  I made up the box according to directions, but cut off the little tab.  I adhered one of the Scallop Squares on top and one on the bottom.  I cut a piece of the Beyond the Garden Designer Paper and wrapped some Daffodil Delight Taffeta Ribbon around and tied.  I used the new stamp set Pretty Postage and stamped "Thanks" once on Whisper White and once on Daffodil Delight with Tangerine Tango Classic Ink.  I cut the middle thanks from the Daffodil Delight and layered it over the center Whisper White one, then punched it with the new Postage Stamp Punch.  Those stamps are made to fit it perfectly!  I layered it on a 1 3/8 Large Square Punch of Pacific Point cardstock.  Finally, I had some of the flowers left from my card above, so I added one to the top of the box!  I think this turned out SO fun and gave me another use for my Bitty Box!  But…of course, I had to finish off the inside, too!

I cut the envelope on the Bitty Box Die from Tangerine Tango…again adding another flower.  I used a Stampin' Dimensional, so the flower actually helps hold the envelope flap closed while in the box.

Inside the envelope I made a little 2 x 4 card from Daffodil Delight and the Beyond the Garden DSP..so you could write a little note inside.  I did the same with the Thanks as I did on the box.  I also included a Ghirardelli Chocolate.  Both fit inside the Bitty Box perfectly!  You can't see, but I did line the inside of the box with the same Designer Paper as the top of the box and the card!

I hope you enjoyed all my projects and are enjoying the tour!  We have some FABULOUS stampers in this group, don't we?  Next stop is my good friend, MARY BROWN at Stamper Camper Corner!  You'll enjoy her awesome box set, I'm sure!

Sharing creativity one stamped image at a time!

It's time!  Time for the monthly Tour de Freaks!  Check out what the Control Freak Swappers have been up to this month!  You've probably just come from Lisa Martz's Blog…didn't you LOVE her projects?  If you are here prior to February 20th, please note that not all links may be working yet!
 

Our theme this month is Birthday cards and projects!  I had SO much fun with my creation!  It all started with some inspiration from Mercedes Weber for her mini gumball machine made with the Cupcake Punch.  Using her idea, I designed my Mini Gumball card for my Punch Class this month…then went on to expand the idea…

I started with a base of Pear Pizzazz cardstock and ran the front thru the Big Shot with the Perfect Polka Dots Impressions Folder.  I used a piece of the numbers pattern from Celebrations Designer Paper and layered it on Pacific Point cardstock.  The base of the Gumball Machine is the Cupcake Punch Base turned upside down and with the scallop edge trimmed off.  The black is the Small Oval Punch cut in half and a Silver Mini Brad.  The globe is the 1" Circle punched from Whisper White and sponged with Bashful Blue around the edges.  Of course, the "gumballs" are the sprinkles for the top of the cupcake on the punch.  The Real Red topper of the machine is the very top scallop of the frosting with a little sliver of cut cardstock added.  I added a square of Real Red cardstock in the background and stamped "Bring on the Cake" from Stampin' Up!'s Bring on the Cake stamp set.  I also added three more "gumballs" as decoration over the greeting!

So, I thought if I could make a mini gumball from punches, how could I made a JUMBO sized one for the front of a card?  Can you tell what the base of the gumball machine is????

If you guessed the Petal Cone Die...you are RIGHT!  It is just the center part of the cone with the round top trimmed off and turned up for the base and the point trimmed off!  I added the Basic Black Wide Oval Punch cut off and added a 5/16" Silver Jumbo Brad to the top…with some colored gumballs falling out.  The other mechanism for the machine is just a 1/2" Circle of Real Red layered on a 3/4" Circle of Basic Black.  The globe was cut with the 3" Circle DIe from Whisper White and the Medium Window Sheet (hard to see in the photo!)  I sandwiched the 1/2" Circle Gumballs between those two layers.  The top of the gumball machine is the round top I cut off from the Petal Cone Die and then a 3/4" Circle punch added behind it and a strip of Real Red cardstock for the front.  The check background is the Celebrations Designer Paper again.  The "From All of Us" from Family Phrases is stamped in Basic Black on Pacific Point and punched with a 1" Circle Punch.  I LOVE how this turned out!

So…I thought if I could do a large Gumball Machine card…how about a FAVOR, too!

I cut TWO of the Petal Cone Diecuts from Real Red, cut off the points and round top, turned it upside down and build a "pyramid" looking box with an opening at the top.  I did the front of the machine the same way I made the large card.  I used a Medium Cello Bag, filled it with gumballs, tied it off with 1/8 Pumpkin Pie Taffeta Ribbon, and formed it into a rounded shape.  I turned it upside down and placed the tied end into the opening of the box.  The top of the Gumball Machine hides the pointed edge of the Cello Bag…I sandwiched it between two layers of the machine topper.  Isn't it FUN, too?  I do LOVE it!  What a great party favor to use too coordinate with the card!  And you could easily expand the theme with cupcake toppers, invitations, whatever!

So…hope you enjoyed my Gumball Machine Birthday Theme projects for the Tour de Freaks this month!  Leave me a comment…I'd love to hear what you think about the projects!  You can continue on the tour to visit my good friend, Mary Brown's blog and her AWESOME projects, by clicking on the button below!  You'll circle around to my blog again when you are completely finished…there are 12 stops this month!  Have fun!

I used Stampin' Up!'s FILLED WITH LOVE stamp set!  TODAY is the last day to order the Filled with Love Bundle of stamp set and Love Patterns Designer Paper…and get a FREE package of Itty Bitty Buttons!  See here for more information and contact me to place your order!

It has 4 sides…I only decorated the front of this one.  You'll see from the template that there is a seam down the center of the back heart that holds it closed.  I added a little Sticky Strip in each of the heart scallops at the bottom to keep it closed and bear the weight of the candy inside.  The top is just lightly adhered with Snail so that you can get inside it easily, but it kept the heart shape.  The ribbon helps keep it closed, too!  I just used my Crop a Dile and cut thru the two layers of cardstock to punch the hole with NO problem!

One other tip…decorate the front before you make the heart box!  lol!  Ask me how I know!

Click on the template below to download the pdf file!  I printed the template on white cardstock, cut it out, then used it as a template to trace around the Real Red Cardstock.  Score on the lines, add Sticky Strip to the tab piece and adhere together to form your 4 sided Heart Box!  Depending on how straight you cut, you may have to trim up the heart scallops when you put it together.

Enjoy the pattern…hope you make one for yourself!

We're just getting started over at Create with Connie and Mary Occasions 2011 Edition!  It's a 5 week online subscription service for demos and customers featuring stamps and products from the new Stampin' Up! Occasions Mini and Sale-a-Bration brochures.  For $29.95 you get 30 projects…that is $1 a project idea you can use in classes or for making gifts!  There is a new project posted every day with a printable project sheet and an average of two fabulous step-by-step tutorials a week.  Our site stays up long after the session is done, so you will always have access 24/7 to the site and the tutorials. This week we are featuring  featuring the Bring on the Cake Suite of products!  To sign up or for payment information, please visit at Create with Connie and Mary!

Gosh…can you believe another month has gone by and it is time for the January Tour de Freaks?  We have 12 fabulous stops this month, brought to you by the Control Freak Swappers!  You've probably just come from Lisa Young's blog…don't you LOVE her work?  But, you can keep going around all 12 stops until you come back here!  The theme this month is Valentine cards, gifts and home decor!  Note:  If you are arriving here on the 19th, please note that not all links may be working yet.  The tour officially begins on January 20th.

So, for my first project, I did a little Hanging Heart candy holder box.  Actually, it really isn't too little…it is cut from a full size sheet of cardstock.  I'll put a link up to the pattern sometime next week so you can make one yourself!  It is hard to tell, but it has 4 sides of hearts!  Very fun.  I just decided to focus on one side with my design, but I did randomly stamped the large heart from Filled with Love (the bundle goes away on January 24th!) with Real Red Classic Ink on the Real Red cardstock.

I used several punches to decorate the front.  The Full Heart, Heart to Heart, 2 1/2 Circle and Small Oval punches.  I punched from the Love Impressions Designer Paper and the Glimmer Paper (LOVE it!)  I made a little "pennant" from Basic Gray, added the Be My Valentine from Filled with Love stamp set and punched with the Small Oval punch.  I added two large Rhinestones on each side of the greeting for some added sparkle!  This would easily fit a small gift inside or lots of candy!  I added the Pretty in Pink Taffeta Ribbon to the top with the Crop a Dile, so I could hang it from a doorknob or hanger!

EDIT:  You can find my template for the Hanging Heart Box HERE!

My second project is a Home Decor hanging that I picked up at a local craft store.  Here is what it looked like unfinished.

Here it is finished:

I laid the hanging upside down and traced the letters onto the Love Impressions Designer Paper, cut them out and glued to the black wood letters with Stampin' Glue Stick.  I sanded the edges to get rid of the excess DSP.  I tried to keep the hanging fairly simple…of course, I could have added lots more embellishments and ribbons.  Here is more of a closeup for you:

L – Fun Flowers Bigz Die, Red Glimmer Paper, Heart to Heart Punch (medium heart), Dazzling Diamonds, Multipurpose Glue

O – Real Red Taffeta Ribbon, Heart to Heart Punch (3 small hearts), Red Glimmer Paper

V – Real Red Taffeta Ribbon, Full Heart Punch, Naturally Serif Alphabet Strip Die (X-O), Red Glimmer Paper

E – 2 3/8 Scallop Circle punched from Love Impressions Paper twice, 3/4 Circle Punch, Red Glimmer Paper

The hanger I weaved Real Red Taffeta Ribbon thru the chain and tied knots on the ends.

OK…I hope you enjoyed my projects!  Now you are off to see the fabulous Mary Brown's projects!  She rocked it out of the park as usual!