Stampin' Up!

Create with Connie and Mary Challenge Party Favor

January 29, 2011 By Connie | 9 Comments

On Create with Connie and Mary Occasions Edition website, we are offering a Party Favor Challenge this week! Our Saturday Challenges are the only things that are shared on our personal blogs. All other projects are exclusively for Create subscribers. AND…our subscribers are the only ones who can win a chance of two $75 gift certificates or two FREE subscriptions to the Summer Edition. That's even MORE reason to join!

My favor was inspired by an organized Candy Wrapper Swap I received at Leadership. I updated it to use the Create a Cupcake stamp set and Build a Cupcake punch! I had some leftover Hershey Heart candies that I thought would work perfectly. I decorated the fronts of them with Sweet Stitches Designer Paper and the Small Heart punch and used the same DSP for the bottom of the "tray". The heart candies are adhered to a little "tray" with Mini Glue Dots. A cello pretzel bag keeps them secure. Then I folded a strip of cardstock in half and ran it thru the Big Shot with the Two Tags Die so just a portion of the tag was cut. It is stapled closed around the cello bag. I added a Baja Breeze Scallop Circle, then the cupcake on top. The base was stamped with Baja Breeze and the frosting with Regal Rose. I added a little Rhinestone Jewel to the center of the stamped bow and a Red Glimmer Paper cherry.

Isn't it FUN??? I love how it turned out! Make sure to check out what the rest of the Guest Designers did this week over on Create with Connie and Mary! And…while you are there…why not sign up? With over 30 projects for $29.95, that is about $1 per project with instructions for using in your classes or for gifts! What a DEAL! But, you don't need to be a demonstrator to join…customers LOVE us, too!

Create with Connie and Mary Thursday Challenge

January 27, 2011 By Connie | 15 Comments

It's Thursday and time for the Create with Connie and Mary Thursday Challenge! Today we have a GORGEOUS cake to use as our inspiration. These challenges are so much fun and easy to do! We hope you play along with us this week! Use the colors, the design, the pearls, the purse…whatever you see in the inspiration cake!

I chose to focus on the colors, plus the pearls! I started with a base of Blushing Bride cardstock and layered on the Blushing Bride (In Colors) Patterns Designer Paper. On top of that I cut the Two Tags die from Early Espresso cardstock and placed it down the top center. I added three large adhesive Pearls on the bottom.

I made a Scallop Flower out of Whisper White cardstock and added an Early Espresso Flower Brad to the center with a little Pearl inside of it. I made a large 1 1/4 Early Espresso Striped Ribbon Bow and tied it with Linen Thread to gather in the center. The bow is adhered with Mini Glue Dots and the Scalloped Flower added with two levels of Stampin' Dimensionals over top of the bow.

Finally, I stamped So Many Candles, So Little Cake from Stampin' Up!'s new Bring on the Cake stamp set in Early Espresso on Blushing Bride and punched it with the Wide Oval punch. It is placed over the top of the Tag die cut. We're featuring the Bring on the Cake suite of items this week over on Create with Connie and Mary Occasions Edition Subscribers Only website! We've seen lots of fun projects this week…it's not too late to join! You'll see all the projects we've already done this week AND see the next four weeks of projects we have planned using the Occasions Mini and SAB brochure!

Make sure to check out what the rest of our AWESOME Design Team did today for the Thursday Challenge over on Create with Connie and Mary, then add your creation to Inlinkz over there! We love to see what you do!

Build a Cupcake Criss Cross Box

January 25, 2011 By Connie | 23 Comments

I originally had thought to make these Criss Cross boxes, made from the Pennant XL Die, for a Candy Wrapper Swap that I did at Leadership. Inside the box is a wrapped Kit Kat bar! However, I changed my mind. I still think it is cute, so thought I'd share it here since it is Bring on the Cake Suite week over on Create with Connie and Mary! Our Occasions Edition subscription is JUST getting started! It's not too late to join!

Would you like a tutorial for this? If so, I may be persuaded to make one up! Leave me a comment and I'll see what I can do!

I did use the Pennant XL Die to make the box out of Daffodil Delight Textured cardstock. I didn't like the seam in the back, so I added a matted layer of Pumpkin Pie Textured Cardstock in the back. I wrapped around a strip of the new Sale-A-Bration Ice Cream Parlor Designer Series Paper. The Scallop Circle is from the Pennant Die also, cut from Pumpkin Pie textured cardstock. I layered on a 1 3/4 Circle Punch of Old Olive that I ran thru the Big Shot with the Square Lattice Impressions Folder. The base of the cupcake liner was punched from another pattern in Ice Cream Parlor DSP. The frosting is punched from yet another pattern, except I covered it with Versamark and then Iridescent Ice Embossing Powder to make it sparkle! I added a small Itty Bitty Punch Flower of Daffodil Delight and a Rhinestone Jewel in the center of it. The cupcake is popped up with Stampin' Dimensionals!

Inside, the Kit Kat Candy Bar is wrapped with another pattern in the Ice Cream Parlor DSP, and wrapped with Pumpkin Pie Taffeta Ribbon that is tied around with a knot. Can you believe I've used up almost an entire package of that Ice Cream Parlor DSP already!!! I can't wait to order more! TODAY is the first day of Sale-A-Bration…every $50 order you place, you can choose one of the selections in the Sale-A-Bration brochure! Make sure to place your ONLINE ORDER with me! I certainly appreciate your business!

Hope you like my Build a Cupcake Criss Cross Candy Wrapper box! I thought it turned out CUTE!!!

Heart Box Template

January 24, 2011 By Connie | 5 Comments

I promised that I'd share my Hanging Heart Box Template from last week's Tour de Freaks! Here is the Heart Box again. You could easily use Designer Paper instead of cardstock! It would make a great wedding favor or Anniversary box, too! Lots of ways you could use it! It also fits with the "Stamp Something" Challenge to stamp "something cute!" I think this fits, don't you?

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!

UPDATED 7/10/2012:

LOVE Stampin' Up! ribbon? Want all the colors? I have RIBBON SHARES available! 3 yards of each type and each color. See more details HERE!

ABC Game of Hearts

January 22, 2011 By Connie | 105 Comments

BLOG CANDY ALERT!

Wow! Can you believe it? Today is the LAST DAY of the Create with Connie & Mary Occasions Edition preview period! Over the past two weeks each member of our design team had a FREE special project to share…I'm the LAST one!. I am SOOO excited to be sharing my project AND BLOG CANDY…a FREE subscription to Create with Connie and Mary!!! See details below!

What do you get for your Create subscription fee? You get a new project EVERY DAY Sunday through Friday (with at LEAST TWO FULL TUTORIALS EACH WEEK) and a fun challenge on Saturday to join (and have the opportunity to win prizes at the end of the 5 weeks). For those projects not having a full tutorial, we provide you with an easy to download and print project sheet! HOW COOL IS THAT!

Today is the LAST DAY we will be offering a special subscription rate of $24.95 for 5 weeks of daily ideas using the stamps and products in the Occasions and Sale-A-Bration Mini Catalogs! This is $5 off the regular 5 week price of $29.95. Early Bird Pricing ends tonight, January 22nd at 11 pm EST! So DON’T DELAY! Head on over to the Create with Connie and Mary site to subscribe or click on the right of my sidebar!

I love altering 3D items and these Nugget Tins have been so much fun! I usually fill them with candy…but wanted to do something different with them! If you are like me, you probably have them in your stash! I used the Love Impressions and Love Patterns Designer Papers to make my game, along with the Naturally Serif Strip Die!

I’m not going to go into a lot of details on my project because, if you head over to the Create with Connie and Mary site, you will have access to a FREE FULL TUTORIAL on how to make my project. This will give you an idea of the type of projects and how we present the tutorials to our subscribers.

EVERY project comes with EITHER a step-by-step tutorial (like I’ve put together for this project) or a downloadable project sheet. This makes it easy for you to print off the material to use either personally or in your classes!

This was a quick and easy game to make! For younger children, you can have them spell the word from a selection of 4-5 letter hearts. For older children, they can learn their spelling words from the entire selection! I did make duplicates of some of the letters so that more words could be made. Oh…and I used a different designer paper (Love Patterns) for the vowels, so they could learn to distinguish between them!

And…I used hearts, but think of other dies you could use throughout the year! Wouldn't these be great to sell at Craft Fairs, too?

BLOG CANDY ALERT!!!!

Leave a comment HERE on my site for a chance to win a FREE SUBSCRIPTION to Create with Connie and Mary Occasions Edition! During this two week Preview Period, we gave away SIX FREE SUBSCRIPTIONS…I'm the LAST ONE today!

So…here is what you need to do…

First, leave me a comment HERE on this blog to be entered into my BLOG CANDY

Second, head on over to Create to Connie and Mary and download my FREE TUTORIAL

Third, subscribe to Create with Connie and Mary Occasions Edition during our Early Bird Special and receive $5 off the regular subscription price of $29.95. That is $24.95 for 5 FABULOUS weeks of exclusive ideas!

That's it! Hope you enjoy my project and make one for yourself!

Stamping 411 – Filled with Love

January 21, 2011 By Connie | 11 Comments

We have a fun, new sketch for you to try over on Stamping 411! Mine is pretty simple, I think, but couldn't think of how to jazz it up any more without starting over! I know I'll be smacking my head when I see all the lovely creations by the rest of the Design Operators!

And here is my card using Filled with Love Stamp Set:. Last chance on the Filled with Love Promotion…it ends January 24th!

I started with a base of Real Red, then layered on the Love Impressions Designer Paper. I stamped the word, LOVE from Filled with Love in Basic Gray on Whisper White, then layered it on Basic Gray cardstock. I punched the Small Heart from Real Red Glimmer Paper and put it in the center of the O, popped up with a Stampin' Dimensional.

I used the Pinking Hearts Border Punch on a strip of Red Glimmer Paper and put it under the focal point. I laid down Sticky Strip in the background and added my ruffled ribbon over top of it and secured it in the back of the Designer Paper. Finally, I added a Real Red large Button with a Pewter Glimmer Brad in the center for some extra sparkle!

Pretty simple card and somehow masculine looking with all the streamlined edges. I think I'll keep this one for my hubby for Valentine's Day!

Make sure to check out what the rest of the Design Operators did on Stamping 411! Then make your card using the sketch and upload it over there!

Filled with Love

January 20, 2011 By Connie | 8 Comments

We have a BIG day for you over on Create with Connie and Mary! Not only is it our Thursday Challenge, featuring a wonderful sketch, but you can also leave a comment for BLOG CANDY! No…not here…go to Create with Connie and Mary, look at the fabulous cards the Design Team have made, then leave a comment TODAY to win a FREE subscription to Create with Connie and Mary's Occasions Edition!

What do you get for your subscription fee? You get a new project EVERY DAY Sunday through Friday (with at LEAST TWO FULL TUTORIALS EACH WEEK) and a fun challenge on Saturday to join (and have the opportunity to win prizes at the end of the 5 weeks). For those projects not having a full tutorial, we provide you with an easy to download and print project sheet! HOW COOL IS THAT!

During the Preview period we will be offering a special subscription rate of $24.95 for 5 weeks of daily ideas using the stamps and products in the Occasions and Sale-A-Bration Mini Catalogs! This is $5 off the regular 5 week price of $29.95. Early Bird Pricing ends Saturday, January 22nd at 11 pm EST! So DON'T DELAY! Use the paypal button on my right sidebar to subscribe TODAY…before it is TOO late

So…here is this week's sketch. Make up a sample using our sketch, then upload your creation over on Create with Connie and Mary!

Here is my take on the sketch!

I used the fabulous set, Filled with Love, available as a bundle with the Love Patterns Designer Paper only until January 24th! With the purchase of both the stamp set and designer paper, you also get a free package of Bitty Buttons!

I used a base of Basic Gray cardstock. I cut a piece of Love Impressions Designer Paper in the XO pattern. I added Real Red sides punched with the Dotted Ribbon Punch. I wrapped some Real Red Satin Ribbon around and tied with a knot. For my focal point, I inked up the flower stamp from Filled with Love with Basic Gray on the stem and Real Red for the hearts and stamped on Whisper White. I punched it out with the Decorative Label Punch. I stamped Be My Valentine (again from Filled with Love) with Real Red next to the flowers. I layered the Decorative Label on the medium oval from the Ovals #2 Die and popped it up with Stampin' Dimensionals! Finally, I added two Rhinestone Jewels to the heart flowers!

Make sure to check out the Challenge Team samples AND don't forget to leave a comment TODAY (Thursday) on Create with Connie and Mary for your chance to win a FREE subscription to the Occasions Edition!

January Tour de Freaks!

January 19, 2011 By Connie | 16 Comments

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!