More is More

Happy Black Friday!  Are you heading early for all the crazy sales? 

We drove by Best Buy at noon on Thanksgiving and there were already several tents set up out front.  That’s just insane!  Not being a morning person and hating crazy crowds I’ll be skipping all that excitement, but more power to you if you’ve got the fortitude!  LOL!  I’m thrilled to participate today in the Taylored Expressions Black Friday Blog Hop.  Taylor challenged us to decorate one of her awesome Perfect Package Card Boxes for a Christmas gift.  I truly LOVE these boxes and jumped at the chance to play with them again.

In the past I’ve used them for sets of hand made cards and I’ve always gone the quick and easy route for decorating the box.  These boxes are super easy to decorate with a little patterned paper and ribbon.  This time I wanted to just PLAY!  Do you ever want to just get supplies out and play with them, not worrying about how a project will turn out?  Well that’s what I did here.  I knew I had another box as a back up that I could simply cover with patterned paper if my project went horribly wrong.  LOL!

I definitely ran into some hiccups along the way, but I just kept going and it all worked out in the end.  In fact I’m thrilled with how it turned out – probably because I had so much fun in the process.

I started by laying the box out flat (I LOVE the way these boxes store flat so I can keep several on hand without taking up a ton of room!) and spraying it with Cherry Maya Mist.  I wasn’t sure if the finish of the box would take the Maya Mist and it sort of didn’t.  Guess I should have used gesso first, but I didn’t have any and honestly I’ve never used it before.  No worries, I just patted it down with a paper towel to remove the pooled up Mist.  Hmmmm…that started to create a cool textured look.  I let that dry for awhile and then came back with Gold Metallic Maya Mist and repeated the paper towel blotting.  I added a little more Cherry mist and more blotting.  I felt like a kid making mud pies.  Eventually I decided that the Mist might NEVER completely dry on the box, but again no worries.  I pulled out my Shimmer Mod Podge which had been purchased sometime back on a whim and never opened.  I figured Mod Podge could seal  just about anything, so I went to work with it on the Perfect Package.  Once the box was dry I had a reddish/pinkish/goldish/marbled shimmery finish.  Very fun, but I had NO IDEA where I was going to go from there. I went searching through my Christmas patterned paper and came up with 2 sheets of this vintage postcard paper by Flair that I picked up 2 or 3 years ago.  Now I had a direction!

I cut apart some of the postcard images and decopauged them on with the Shimmer Mod Podge that I so conveniently had already out.  Then I went to work with a package of Champagne Kaiser Craft Rhinestones – y’all know by now that KCRhinestones are just about my favorite things EVER!  I was debating about whether to leave it there or go forward with the snowflakes and sentiment.  I showed the box to Curt and said “Is this ok?  Can it be done here?”  To which he said “You really need something to balance out all of those rhinestones and you KNOW  More is More!”  LOL!  He was so right and so I proceeded!

The chipboard snowflakes were sprayed with the two colors of Maya Mist and allowed to dry.  (Tip:  Use the metallic colors as a base coat under the solids.  I know it sounds weird, but that’s what the directions suggest and I have tried it both ways and it does look better that way.)  The snowflakes were then attached to the box with a combination of glue dots and mini glue dots and then I added KC Rhinestones in Champagne and Lippy Red (love Lippy Red – kind of a pinkish/faded red tone.)  The SU tag sentiment was inked with 3 colors of SU markers and stamped onto Poison Ivory shimmer cardstock and punched out.  Then I covered it with Versamark and heat embossed with Halogram ep before attaching it to the large snowflake with a glue dot.  The finishing touch was some gold ribbon from a roll in my Christmas wrapping stuff. 

I plan to make some homemade goodies for the holidays, but in the meantime I thought this peppermint bark from Costco would do nicely.  Heck maybe I don’t need to make goodies.  This stuff looks pretty darned good and  I did spend plenty of time on the box!  😉  I plan to put a little note in the bottom of the box to let the recipient know that the box will fold flat for storage by simply pulling on the ribbon tab.  If you’re not yet familiar with these boxes you should know that the flap has a magnetic closure which is super nice!

***

Taylor has an incredible line up of talented ladies playing in this Blog Hop today.  I can hardly wait to see what everyone has done!  Let’s go check it out!

Alex Maldonado: https://fairyblossoms.typepad.com/
Amy Rohl: https://inkaboutme.blogspot.com/
Beate Johns: https://beate.splitcoaststampers.com/
Bev Gerard: https://savorthejourney.splitcoaststampers.com/
Charmaine Ikach: https://oodabugalley.blogspot.com/
Cindy Haffner: https://cindyhaffnerscorner.blogspot.com/
Debbie Olson: https://debbiedesigns.typepad.com/
Donna Baker: https://www.serenityinstamping.com/
Jen del Muro: https://iheart2stamp.com/
Jen Tapler: https://jentapler.blogspot.com/
Jenn Balcer: https://jbalcer.splitcoaststampers.com/
Jennifer Buck: https://thebuckstampshere.blogspot.com/
Jessica Diedrich: https://thewhimsicalbutterfly.blogspot.com/
Joan Ervin: https://stampingwithapassion.blogspot.com/
Joanne Basile: https://www.stampedbyhand.blogspot.com/
Linda Duke: https://www.lindaduke.typepad.com/
Lori Craig: https://loricraig.splitcoaststampers.com/
Rose Anne Reynolds: https://paperdelightz.blogspot.com/
Sankari Wegman: https://sunnysankari.blogspot.com/
Sharon Harnist: https://paperfections.typepad.com/
Sherry Cheever: https://sherrycheever.splitcoaststampers.com/
Taylor VanBruggen: https://www.tayloredexpressions.blogspot.com/

****Enabler Alert****

***Sale at Taylored Expressions
Now through Monday 11/30***

In honor of Black Friday and Cyber Monday (the two biggest shopping days of the year!), Taylored Expressions is offering 15% off everything in the store! Just use the promotional code TEBlackFriday upon checkout to receive the discount. You don’t want to miss up to 50% off all JustRite products, Buy 2 Get 1 Free on Tiny Twinkles, and the new TE Shirts & Aprons! Click here to go to Taylored Expressions to shop!

 Thanks for stopping by.  I hope you have a wonderful holiday weekend and happy shopping!

I need to get going to the office, so just a quick post to share a peek at another project we’ll be making in my classes on Thursday and Friday this week.

Here’s a set of cute and simple Christmas tags in a box made with the Big Shot matchbox die.  To go along with the tag set we’ll also make a little 3×3 card with envelope.  Fun, huh?  That matchbox is seriously tiny which is oh-so-fun!  This is my first time using it – so many possibilities.  🙂

I still have a couple of spots open for Friday night – if you want to come I need to know by tomorrow (Wednesday) morning. I’d love to have you!

I really have to run, thanks for stopping by.  Have a great day!

My November Stampin’ Classes are this week, so I wanted to give you a little preview of one of the three projects we’ll be creating.  I’ve been wanting to do skinny notepads for a really long time.  I’ve always loved the ones Michelle Wooderson creates and I finally got motivated for this class.  I have two versions and since I’m holding two sessions of class, we’ll do one at each session.

Aren’t they cute?  They would make a great little party favor or gift for co-workers, neighbors, etc…or just for yourself to keep in your car or purse during the busy holiday season.

I was tempted to order the new notepads from PTI, but honestly just didn’t get around to it.  I went to Staples and bought a 12 pack of Jr. Legal pads and had their copy department cut the whole stack in half.  When all was said and done including tax and the cutting fee, the skinny pads cost me about .44 each for a total of 24 and they are double the thickness of the ones PTI sells…so I’m happy.

In class we’ll be making 3 projects and I’ll share another one of them tomorrow. 

Registration for class is just $12.

Thursday November 12 at 12:30 in the afternoon – this class is sold out, but let me know if you want in as I might have one spot open up this afternoon.

-OR-

Friday evening November 13 at 7:00 pm  – I have a few spots still open for this session and will take registration through Wednesday morning at 10 am when I will begin cutting and prepping.

Please call or e-mail me if you’d like to come.  I’d love to have you!

Every once in awhile I like to go back and find a project I created when I was in the SCS Dirty Dozen three years ago (crimeny! has it really been 3 years?) and share it here on my blog since we’re allowed to share those exclusive projects after a year.  This time I not only pulled a project *out of the vault* to share here, but I actually framed it and hung it in my kitchen!  Here’s the card I made in September of ’06.

This is one my all-time favorite cards.  I can’t believe I don’t even own this stamp.  I had stamped this chicken and duck image several times at one of our SoCal girls get-togethers (I miss those!) and had it in my file.  I think it’s a Penny Black image.  The chicks in the background are from a Stampin’ Up! set.  I love doing paper tole and that’s what I’ve done with these ducks and chickens – stamped them several times, colored them, cut them out and layered them with foam tape.

I saved this card hoping that some day I would actually paint my kitchen red and be able to frame this card and hang it on the wall.  A year or two ago I found a black shadow box frame at IKEA and put it away with this card.  Well my kitchen is finally red and it was time to mat and frame this fun card!

Here it is matted with some Real Red and Shimmer White cardstock along with some black ric rac.

And here’s another view – you can click on it to see it larger.

It’s hanging on the wall right between the two doorways to the hall and the dining room/office.  It just makes me grin every time I walk by it.  Here’s a wider view so you can see where it is in the kitchen.  It cracked me up that on the wall to the left are two trivet/plaques of more realistic *artistic* roosters.  For some reason I just find the contrast funny.

Oh and you can see that I got the big Decor Elements *eat* up over the doorway as well!  This is available from Stampin’ Up! (through me of course!  *wink*)  When I first saw the DE stuff I didn’t think I’d be able to find a use for them in my very traditional house, but I have this one plus the *laundry* in Real Red in my laundry room.

They are pretty easy to put up and I’m loving them.  I keep looking through the DE catalog now to see where else I could use some.  I have to say that I bought a DCWV sentiment for our bedroom and it is almost falling off the wall.  I am not happy with that, but I love the sentiment so I plan to buy another one in hopes that the one I got is just defective.  Unfortunately I bought it at Linens ‘n’ Things when they were going out of business so I can’t return it.  The SU! ones seem to be so much better quality – at least in my limited experience.

I’ve ordered some fabric samples that I have high hopes for to be able to be worked into kitchen curtains.  I can hardly wait for it to arrive.  I was referred to the fabric source by a blog reader.  How cool is that?  I’ll show it to you when it gets here.  Thanks for stopping by.

Friday is quickly approaching and I’m looking forward to my monthly Stampin’ Up! Class and beginning a brand new round of Club.  The project I’m previewing today was inspired by one of my Club members – Barbara.  She’s so sweet and has made a couple of really adorable tags for me that I cherish .  She used photos of Curt and I and of Tessa from my blog and both tags are on my frig.  I thought it would be fun to do a tag project for class.

I purchased this pack of SU chipboard sometime in the last year, but had never used it.  This is the perfect opportunity.  Chipboard birdie and owl are covered with Cottage Walls designer paper and the extra pieces were inked with Old Olive Craft ink.  Some of them were then clear embossed and some just left to dry.  The tags themselves are just 2 layers of cardstock (Old Olive and Orchid Opulence).  The finished size is 6 3/4″ X 3 3/4″.  Each person at class will be free to copy one of these tags exactly or play with the supplies any way they’d like.  It should be fun!  Registration is closed for this Friday, but if you’d like to be on my customer mailing list for future classes please shoot me an e-mail with *SU Class Info* in the title.  My classes are usually the first or second Friday of each month and I occasionally hold a Wednesday or Thursday afternoon class.

Thanks for stopping by.

OK – I know that’s a silly title, but it’s just what popped into my head when I started to type up this post.  I realized I had one more card to share from the Taylored Expressions Spring Spectacular using the Dazzled Key Ingredients Kit.  I had already shared several last week.    Click here for all the details on this honey of a deal from TE.  These kits were all in limited quantity and it is my understanding that there are not many left of any of the four of them.  So don’t wait or you just might miss out – click here to shop.

It might be a little hard to tell in this photo, but that flower image comes pre-printed on a die-cut transparency.  How much fun is that?  The big blue label is a cardstock die cut.  Of course all the cardstock and dp comes in the kit as well, along with the ribbon.  The sentiment is from the TE stamp setA Year of Sweet Sentiments ans was punched using SU oval punches.  In the center of the flower I added a red Rain Dot.  I love those things!

This was a very quick card which is one of the really fun aspects of these Spring Spectacular kits – you really don’t even need stamps.  Of course they’ll work wonderfully with any stamp images as well!

And now onto the *dog* part of my post…we took Tessa to the vet this evening to get her checked out and get some info.  We are such novice dog owners after living with our birds for over 15 years – it’s pretty funny really.

Tessa weighs a whopping 4.5 pounds, which the vet said is the perfect weight for her size.  He said she only needs about 1/4 cup of food per day – wow!  He estimates her age at between 2 and 3 years and his guess for breed is indeed long haired chihuahua as was our initial guess.  For many reasons we had moved away from that thought over the past week (you should hear her deep little *woof woof* bark!), but the vet said that was his best guess.  I’m sure he knows more than we do in that area!  LOL!

They gave her her first round of shots and she needs to go back in 3 weeks for more and then will need to be scheduled to be neutered.  She did really well at the vet’s office despite having to wait quite awhile since they were running behind.  She did get really frightened for just a little while, but then calmed down.  When we got home we took her for a nice long walk.  Boy does she ever love that harness and leash!

That’s it for me tonight.  I hope you are checking out the incredible sneak peeks from Taylor and the Baker’s Dozen.  The TE Release will be Friday morning at 8am PST.  Taylored Expressions is releasing 5 stamp sets this time and I promise you – there is something for just about everyone in this release!  I’ll have a new release card for you on Friday.  Thanks for stopping by and thanks for reading about my dog.  I’m pretty over the moon and might prattle on a bit.  LOL!

Yep, after hardly blogging at all for the past two weeks I actually have two posts today!  And I’m excited about both of them.  This is post #2, so be sure to scroll down if you haven’t already seen my first post for today.  In this post I have not 1, not 2, but 3 cards to share with you!  No wonder I haven’t been blogging – I’ve been saving everything up for one day – LOL!

All three of the cards I have to show you feature elements from the Dazzled Key Ingredients Kit being released today at the Taylored Expressions Store.

There are four different kits being offered as part of the TE Spring Spectacular which debuts today.  These kits are in limited quantity and are an incredible steal at only $12.95 each!

My first card showcases My Mind’s Eye patterned papers, coordinating die cuts, solid color cardstocks plus ribbon all from the Dazzled Key Ingredients.  No stamping here at all – just a scrappy card.  The only things I added not included in the kit were a jumbo white brad and some liquid pearls.  The only punch used was my SU scallop border punch.  Easy-peasy 10 minute card.  Well…ok…did I actually make it in 10 minutes?  Probably not, but you could re-create it in less than 10 minutes!  LOL!

My second card is slightly larger than standard because I really wanted to use this fun frame die cut.  I thought it would be a great way to show off this cute Cuppie image from A Year of Sweets 2.

The image is colored with Copics and I just added some doodles and some Stickles for a sweet little scene.  This frame would also be super fun to create a shaker!

And here’s my third card created with the Dazzled Kit.  The flower is a cardstock die cut and I covered it with Versamark and heat embossed it with clear embossing powder to give it a thick shiny coating.  Again all the cardstock, patterned paper, die cut and ribbons are from the KI.  I added the sentiment from Branching Out punched with SU oval punches and some green and orange crystals.  The cardstock layer behind the flower was cut with a Spellbinders Label Two die.  One again super easy-peasy.

One of the super cool things about these kits is that each one comes with a full color sample sheet featuring cards created by the Baker’s Dozen girls, me and of course Taylor!  So you’ll have lots of ideas to spark your own creativity! To get all the details on these fun kits please check out Taylor’s blog.  And to see lots more samples let’s do a little blurfing: 

Oh and in my earlier post today I said I’d give more details about the supplies used on my Kona card….well have you realized yet that the patterned paper, cardstock and ribbon are all from this same kit?  It was sitting out when I started my Kona card and seemed perfect.  Plus there’s so much there, I could make a ton more cards before running out of stuff.  Anyway, it didn’t dawn on me till later that I kind of cheated since the Kona post was going up before this one.  Oops!  Well, it just shows even more so how versatile these kits really can be!

For those of you wondering about the pup in my post from a few days ago….she’s sitting in my lap as I type this.  More about her later.  Thanks so much for stopping by!