Sunday Stamps SSC73

We've got a sweet colour combo over at Sunday Stamps for the next two weeks - Tempting Turquoise, Pink Pirouette & Smokey Slate.

I typically would never combine pink and blue on a baby card, but I just love the way this turned out! I've been in a "use what I have" kick lately. I cut the sentiment on my e-cutter YEARS AGO (now you know I save everything!) and when I came across these cutouts, I knew I had to use them. Next, I chose a stamp set I never used a lot when it was current, but there must be a reason I keep it around, right? So I used it! I didn't want to use a lot of other products, so I accented with punches and scattered some jewels.

Hope you'll get a chance to play along with us. We always love seeing what people create. Don't forget to check out the other Design Team members for inspiration... and leave them some love too!

Until next time, stay crafty!
Steph

RECIPE:
Paper: Whisper White, Tempting Turquoise
Ink: Smokey Slate
Stamps: Baby Boutique (retired), Cuddles & Kisses
Tools: Postage Punch, Decorative Label Punch, Scallop Circle Punch
Accessories: Jewel Rhinestones
Challenge: Sunday Stamps

Brown Bagging It!

I'm just about to pack up and head to a show - the Conestoga Lodge Spring Bazaar, 55 Hugo Crescent in Kitchener, Ontario - come see me if you live in the area! ;)

Anyway, I'm always looking for crafty ways to package my products for customers. I don't like to use plastic bags if I can help it (in my everyday life and my business) and don't want to invest lots of money for some boring paper bag. So, with a little money (and sometimes a lot of time. ha.) I make my bags or jazz them up in some way. Check this one out:

Just like my business card, the bags are my source of advertisement when I'm not there. When I'm at a show and customers start walking around with these handcrafted shopping bags, they may get stopped and asked about it. It's just one more way I show my craftiness and care in the quality of products I sell.

I simply cut a plain-old brown paper lunch bag, added some DSP & twine for the handles. I came up with the smart and thrifty idea to add some reinforcement tabs to the holes to make the bag extra strong. I had this bag hanging for days with at least a couple pounds of product in it and nothing gave way!

Until next time (maybe today at my show?), stay crafty!
Steph

Try It Tuesdays

Happy April Fool's! Today's post is no joke, but you will fool people with your savvy ways. :) It's a short but sweet post today - all about trying to save paper & money!

When you have several layers on a project, try to see if you can conserve paper. In this case, I was able to stamp my sentiments behind an area that was going to be covered up by paper. No one but yourself will ever know this little secret.

Give it a try! Do you have any other ways you like to conserve and save money with your crafting supplies?

Until next time, stay crafty!
Steph

Card Candy Gold

A couple months ago we did a "card candy" swap amongst our team. It was a lot of fun to put together different embellishments. Once we swapped, I came up with the idea to challenge ourselves to use the newly swapped embellies on projects for the following month. Here is one that I came up with:

Do you recognize some of the card elements from my post yesterday? Most of this card uses pieces from the Good As Gold Card Kit that you can earn for FREE during Sale-A-Bration. Today is the last day to order and take advantage of earning FREE PRODUCT!

I cut pieces from one of the gold envelope liners to get my stripes and also punched stars from it. I pulled the card base colour from the embellishment to tie it all together. I just love how this turned out with all the sparkle & shine. Can you see the gold reflecting on my photo mat?! Awesome!

Until next time, stay crafty!
Steph

RECIPE:
Paper: Crisp Canteloupe
Stamps: Banner Greetings
Kit: Good As Gold (only available until today!)
Tools: Star Punch (from Merry Minis Punch Pack), Banner Framelits

Good As Gold

There are only TWO DAYS left for Sale-A-Bration, so I thought I'd share one of my favourite SAB item with you... but I didn't use it the way it was intended. ;)

The Good As Gold Card Kit includes everything you need to make 8 cards - 8 card bases (3-1/2" x 5"), 8 gold envelope liners, 1 sheet of gold foil tags, 1 sheet printed die-cut tags, 8 pieces of gold elastic cord (24" each), 8 pieces of Bermuda Bay baker's twine (24" each) & 8 envelopes. The value of the kit is $16.95 and you get it for FREE with any $60 order.

So why is this one of my favs? Well, I cut the cards in half to start to give me even more! These were two designs that I came up with and was able to make 8 of each AND that only used half of the kit!

Until next time, stay crafty!
Steph

RECIPE:
Paper: Naturals White
Kit: Good As Gold Card Kit (available during SAB only)

Sunday Stamps... on Thursday

Okay, so the week got away from me a bit. This past Sunday, we started another challenge over at Sunday Stamps. Hope you'll play along with us. It's a sketch challenge, featuring my sketch. After a small hiatus from the DT at Sunday Stamps, I'm glad to be back!

It wasn't until after I posted this to the team Blog that I noticed I extended my banner across the entire card. Oops! But I guess I can get away with it because you can still see the basic sketch principles there, right?

The card is pretty simple. I didn't want to distract too much from the clay flower. Isn't it gorgeous?! I dyed the clay before adding it to the mold. Gotta love the clay accents because they pack a punch AND they add little weight to a project. You know I'm partial to SU! Product, and while they have some awesome molds, I had to venture elsewhere to feed my clay addiction. :)

Don't be afraid... play along! Check out what the rest of the amazing DT ladies have come up with too and show them a little love. You have until April 4th.

Until next time, stay crafty!
Steph

RECEIPE:
Paper: Naturals White, Gingham Garden DSP, Whisper White, Primerose Petals
Stamps: Teeny Tiny Wishes
Tools: Punches - Word Window, Modern Label & 2-3/8" Scallop Circle
Accessories: Clay & Clay Molds

The Unforgettable Wedding Card

You may have seen the "card in a box" photos, videos and tutorials floating around lately. Aren't they so much fun?! I got to make my first one a couple of weeks ago at our monthly team meeting, thanks to my awesome upline Leena! A couple of days ago I wanted to make more, so I followed Frenchie's Video Tutorial for a refresher and I have not stopped making them since!

The basic idea is obviously not mine, but the designs are all my original work. This one was especially fun to make because of all the bling with various gold accents - heat embossing, glimmer paper, sequins & foil paper. I just love how the large heart acts like a mirror. :)

Until next time, stay crafty!
Steph

RECIPE:
Paper: Modern Medley DSP, Very Vanilla, Basic Gray
Ink: VersaMark
Stamps: Best of Brides & Babies
Tools: Heart to Heart Punch (retired), Large Heart Punch, Small Heart Punch, Big Shot, Chalk Talk Framelits
Accessories: Sequin Trim, Gold Foil Paper, Champagne Glimmer Paper

One Years Old!

I'm not going to bore you with tales of where I've been for the last month... let's just say I was hibernating! ha. I'll also say that life has been a bit rocky, but that I'm getting back into the swing of things and my crafty self is coming back to life!

Today my son turns one! I can't believe how this past year has flown by and today I wanted to share with you a simple project I whipped up in My Digital Studio.

I absolutely LOVE My Digital Studio! In case you're not aware, it's not just for scrapbooking! I often use it for projects such as this, but do all my fliers and business signage, business cards and more with it. With a quick click of the button, you can also easily share your projects with friends and family through email or social media. Gotta love that!

Without realizing it, I used the two Sale-a-Bration freebies on my project. That's good because then I can tell you that with every $60 order before March 31, 2014, you can receive a FREE product! Choosing the digital kits gives you a lot of "bang for you buck". The Hooray for Parties ensemble is valued at $21.95 and the One Big Sale-a-Bration 2014 ensemble is valued at $26.95. Talk about a deal, especially since you'll have them forever and can do so much with them!

Until next time, stay crafty!
Steph