Genius!

Well, I thought this idea was anyway! Check it out:

I'm always on the hunt for ideas... whether it's cards, design, organization, you name it, I'm looking for it! The latest hunt was for ideas on displaying my cards and other product for sale. My upline & friend Leena Girsa showed me her idea for display by using newspaper racks to display her product. I thought that was genius. I immediately went out and bought some (did I mention I was impatient when it came to implementing new ideas?!). They display product beautifully - most recently, they displayed product for the vendor sale I participated in to sell off gently used or new product. People even commented on how organized my table was!

Anyway, after seeing Leena's idea and purchasing some for myself, I walked up and down the aisles at Solutions (a home organization store here in Canada). I mean EVERY aisle. Even ones that I thought wouldn't matter. There were a few possibilities, but then I saw the shoe racks. Even better, I saw the above shoe display (yes, that's what it's for) on clearance because it was the floor model. What did I care?! It was in excellent condition! I think the sales reps were shocked to see me buying it... little did they know what I was going to do with it.

This stand is AWESOME! Each "basket" is somewhat closed off so that I don't have to worry too much about items falling through. A few cheapy baskets I bought fit perfectly and house all my tags and little sale items nicely. The baskets even move up and down to accommodate larger items, and best of all, it sits on a table top AND has a carry handle! What more can a gal ask for?!

The point is that when you're looking for new ideas, think "outside the box". It's something that was drilled in my head when I took Graphic Design, and I think that's a huge part of why I think the way I do sometimes. You never know where an idea will come from!

Until next time, stay crafty!
Steph

Mini Tags

Who doesn't need tags at Christmas? Well, I've made it easy with these mini tags... check 'em out:

Paper: Festival of Prints, Be of Good Cheer, Jolly Holiday (Retired),
Merry Moments, Whisper White, Very Vanilla
Tools: Ornament Punch, Merry Minis Punch Pack

I've created mini tags that are 2x2 to fit inside a little box. There are three styles and several different patterns included! The first two I just cut a 2x4 base and scored in half. The ornament I scored a piece of paper and then punched with the Ornament Punch. I used the Merry Minis Punch Pack shapes to punch out from one tag and then used those remnants to create another tag. No waste here!

I will be selling them at my Craft Show this Sunday... 20 per box. I think they'll be a bit hit!

What do you think?

Until next time, stay crafty!
Steph

WHISKing a Merry KISSmas

Today I have a kitschy project I made for my Craft Show this weekend! If you're in the Kitchener/Waterloo area and surround, I hope you'll stop by Edelweiss Tavern between 11 and 4 on Sunday, November 25th to see me...

This was just too cute an idea to pass up, but not sure how well they'll sell:

I created the tag in MDS. So simple! Then I cut it using my Framelits and added some texture with my Petals-a-Plenty TIEF. Before putting it all together, I stamped the pine branches from Watercolor Winter in Lucky Limeade, Old Olive & Pear Pizzazz. I stamped off once for each colour so it wouldn't be too bold.

What do you think?

Until next time, stay crafty!
Steph

Mini Bag of Candy

Today I have a super cute bag to share with you that requires no gluing... and is made from only one sheet of 8-1/2 x 11 cardstock! Oh, and you also don't need to cut anything. :)

Paper: Real Red, Whisper White
Ink: Real Red, Cherry Cobbler, Gumball Green, Early Espresso
Stamps: Layered Labels, Watercolor Winter
Tools: Big Shot, Labels Framelits, Scallop Oval Punch, Apothecary Framelits, Simply Scored
Accessories: Certainly Celery Grosgrain Ribbon (retired), Pearls, Dimensionals

This bag is super easy thanks to Silvey's Tutorial. Instead of adding handles to mine, I simply closed it up with a nice bow and decorated the front with a label. The inside is filled with yummy Werther's candies (26 to be exact). I plan to sell these at my upcoming Craft Show.

What do you think?

Until next time, stay crafty!
Steph

Gum Anyone?

Today I have another stocking stuffer I'm preparing for my upcoming Craft Show (November 25th). Who wouldn't like to receive a pack of gum in their stocking this year, when it looks like this!

Paper: Real Red, Whisper White, Basic Black, Basic Gray
Stamps: Delightful Decorations
Ink: Real Red
Tools: Big Shot, Petals-A-Plenty TIEF, Curly Label Punch, 3/4" Circle Punch

These are fairly easy to make... a little scoring, some cutting and a couple of punches and the project is complete! I think I might omit the punched hole at the top because not all my gum has that cutout, but other than that, I'm ready to make lots of this one!

Until next time, stay crafty!
Steph

Star Ornament

I made a bunch of these last year and am in the process of making them again. They are so much fun and a "wow" when people take a look at them.  There are different tutorials out there on how to make these, but I love Dawn Olchefske's tutorial here.

Ornament is kept closed with the button.

Ornament opening up.

Paper: Jolly Holiday DSP, Old Olive
Accessories: 3/8" Very Vanilla Ribbon, Brights Button

These ornaments are so simple to make and can be addictive too! I make them every year for gifts (they work great as a present decoration too!), my Christmas Tree (it's decorated with all handmade ornaments I've made over the years) and this year, I'll make them for my Craft Fair at the end of November.

I like to use a variety of patterned paper, but you can also use all of the same pattern too. Go watch the tutorial and give 'em a try!

Until next time, stay crafty!

Steph

Snowman Kisses

I know it's been a long time since I posted a card, but I had to share yet another stocking stuffer I plan to make for my upcoming Christmas Craft Show. These Tic Tac containers are floating all over the Internet, but I've never seen one using this stamp set yet. Check it out:

  

I'm calling my Tic Tac Snowman "Snowman Kisses", but you can also find them called "Snowman Poop"... complete with a poem. I preferred kisses over poop. :)

I used the snowman from Stylin' Snowfolk. I love this new stamp set because you can build your own snowman or snowwoman. There are tons of accessories, including mustaches and eyeglasses! I chose to keep him simple for this purpose.

I had to alter the dimensions of templates I found online to fit my Tic Tac container (from Costco) and used my 3/4" Circle Punch for the Tic Tacs to peek through. To finish off, I thought this snowman needed a top hat... and gives the project a bit more dimension, I think.

Until next time, stay crafty!

Steph

Easy Peasy Bookmarks

Like many other creations lately, this one too was inspired by Pinterest. Gosh, I love that site!

I would really like to use the Summer Starfruit ribbon too, but I haven't yet found a paperclip that matches close in colour. Maybe I just shouldn't match the ribbons to the clip and that would solve my problem! What do you think? Raspberry Ripple on a blue clip...

These are great for bookmarks or page dividers. All you need is a jumbo paperclip and about 4 inches of your favourite ribbon! Easy peasy.

This is one of the many ideas I've got going on for crafty items to make for my Craft Show in November... thinking to have lots of stocking stuffers for sale!

Until next time, stay crafty!
Steph

Santa Tags

Today I have a super cute Christmas tag to share with you. They are Santa heads and the beard opens up for you to write your little message!

Paper: Cherry Cobbler, Whisper White, Blush Blossom (retired)
Ink: Black Stampin' Write Marker
Tools: Punches: Scallop Border, 2" Circle (non SU!), 1-3/4" Circle, 3/4" Circle
Accessories: Dazzling Details, Cherry Cobbler Baker's Twine

How cute are these?! This is pretty much a total CASE from ones I found on Pinterest. The link led me to an Etsy page and the creator was Deanna Fioresi. The small changes I made to hers are adding the Baker's Twine for it to be a hanging tag, a larger scallop for the beard and the sparkles on the hat (that are really hard to see in the pictures).

To start off, I punched the following: 1 - 2" scallop circle (using a non SU! punch) in Whisper White, 1 - 1-3/4" circle in Blush Blossom, 1 - 3/4" circle in Whisper White. I punched a long strip using the Scallop Border Punch and just cut it as needed. The hat is a 1-3/4" x 3" rectangle, cut at a diagonal.

Next, I assembled the pieces together. I opted to trim the beard around the head because I thought it looked cleaner. I added some eyes and to add some sparkle, I used Dazzling Details on the pom pom and scallop parts of the hat. I squirted a small amount and moved it around with my finger to get the desired look.

Since I wanted these to be hanging tags, I added some Baker's Twine and the tag was complete! I will be selling these in sets of 4 at an upcoming Craft Show I'm doing in November. If you're interested in purchasing some, let me know!

Until next time, stay crafty!
Steph