Inkychatter

Spooky!

Wow, I haven't blogged in about a year now.  I think that little break needs to come to an end.  I hope I can remember how to do this.

Fall is my favorite time of year. I have my delicious scents going in my Scentsy warmer with all those mingled smells of pumpkin, cinnamon and smelling so spicy! I am now a Scentsy Consultant so if you decide you want to partake of this deliciousness just let me know. I love that it is such a safe system and my house can smell so welcoming yet I don't have to worry about flames and soot and wax and smoke all over everything not to mention those blackened ugly half burned candles (did I snip that tip or do I have ashes all over everything???) just plug it in, turn it on and I have a night light as well as gently warmed wax releasing those fragrances all over my house. Okay, on to my share.

Today I have a cute wreath to share that was made from folded flowers.  These flowers are all over the internet and You Tube so if you don't know how to make them just check there or shoot me a note and I will tell you. The original idea came from somewhere online but I don't remember where I saw it, if it comes back to me I will share it. If it was your design then remind me and I will post it here.  There are several flowers of vaious sizes and depths. I cut them, folded them then hot glued the ends together before adding the embellishments. The wreath backing is nothing more than the cardboard from a pack of designer paper cut in a circle and another circle cut from the middle.  I picked up a package of embellishments from The Scrapbook Princess the other day just for this project as well as some really cute Halloween papers.  Some are just glittered circles, buttons, whatever I had on hand. I have a few feather boas from years gone by from an after Halloween sale so I snipped a few feathers to add to my wreath, then simply wrapped a ribbon around and hung it up.  Quite colorful and cute I think. Let me know what you think. Make one of your own and send a pic.  A Christmas wreath would be great too!

Off to do laundry now, then more crafting.

 

Chocolate Biscuit

                                          

I met my dear friend Sharon at the Chocolate Biscuit Tea Room for lunch so we could catch up on each others lives. Any restaurant with the word Chocolate in it has to be good and this one is no exception. I started off with a cup of delicious soup and then had a delicious casserole along with a sweet refreshing mandarin salad and pasta salad, I am such a freak for pasta!  Of course the big finish was the chocolate biscut, which is a fluffy biscuit covered in chocolate fudge sauce. Yum!!!!  This is a great little place  to meet for lunch during the holidays, or anytime really.  The people are so nice and accomodating and didn't mine when we moved our table so we could see the Christmas tree. The number isn't in the phone book due to an error on the phone company's part so here is the number and the sign on Main Street in Trussville so you can't miss it if you need to call to see when they are open. Or click on the link above to see the menu and a peek inside. 

                                                 

I gave my friend Sharon one of the nugget boxes I made and she loved it. It is on a previous post below or just click here. I have these hanging on my tree and they are wonderful for grab and go gifts for guests, friends, family, anyone who likes chocolate. Tie them on packages for a sweet tag. They can be adjusted to accomodate any amount of nuggets you like.

I have to get my Christmas cards in the mail TODAY!!!

 If I don't post again for a few days, have a wonderful Christmas!! Ho Ho Ho!!

 

Happy Stampin!

 

 

 

Christmas Christmas Christmas

Wow, it's cold for the south!  13 degrees today when I took the pups out for a walk. Needless to say I was wide awake when I came in so instead of going back to bed, which I will regret later, I am in my stamp room busy busy busy. I want to share a cute project with you.  

Nugget boxes are always a fun project to make and we did this one in Hostess Club on Saturday. It allows you to give a nice little gift to someone without investing a lot of money, and since we are all watching our pennies this year you can give lots of these little gifts without breaking the bank. This box looks nice hanging on the tree as an ornament so load up your tree and your holiday guests can choose one to take with them.  To make this box I simply lined up as many nuggets as I wanted in my treat box and measured the length and width and heighth. Cut the designer paper for the nuggets at 1" x 3".   You could even use teeny tiny wishes and stamp Merry Christmas on the nugget wrappers for an added detail.  For this 5 nugget box I made the box 5-7/8" x 2-3/8"  from Cherry Cobbler cardstock and scored at 1/2" all around. Snip the two ends to make the box flaps (I trim them so they won't be above the rim of the end flaps), fold and using a strong adhesive or stick strip (I use Tombow multipurpose glue) assemble the box. The clear cellophane wrapping is simply our treat bag cut up the center, wrapped and attached on the back with snail adhesive. This give your two box wrappers per bag.  Tie a bow, color a tag and you are good to go. If you need more detailed instructions let me know.  The naughty and nice stamp is from Tags Til Christmas in the Holiday Mini catalog (if you need one let me know) item #121169 for clear mount and 120847 for wood mount. There are several wonderful stamps for christmas including an ornament stamp that fits the ornament punch. The designer paper used on the top nugget box is from the Deck the Halls package. There is fabric to match so a ribbon could be fashioned from a torn piece of the fabric for a wonderful vintage feel. The nugget box shown below hanging on the tree was made from Candy Cane Christmas paper for the nugget wrappers and tied with a delicious Chocolate Chip satin ribbon. Anything with the word Chocolate in it has to be great!!!

 

 

 

That's all for today, I have a lunch date with a dear friend I haven't seen in a while and I need to get some things done before I go.  Have a wonderful week and stay warm.

Spectacular Sale from Stampin' Up! starts today!

 

 

Wow, My Digital Studio is half price! Fabric, stamps, bundles of brads and stamps and wheels, Decor Elements, Sizzix Dies and Emblosslits and so much more!

Stampin' Up! has put an assortment of things on sale just in time for Christmas shopping for yourself (don't we know what we want better than anyone!) or for that special friend or family member. Check it out! Shop online at my DBWS Stampin Up website now to get great savings! Time is limited so click on the link and start shopping! You can have it delivered directly to your door.  How easy is that!

Happy Stamping and Happy Shopping!  HO! HO! HO!

 

Ho Ho Ho! Merry Christmas!

I am loving these cool mornings. Wish I could snuggle up with a hot cup of coffee and read a book. But, it's a work day. I am off on Saturday though so that is a good thing! I have lots of stamping to do this year since it will be a large part of my gifts to family and friends.

Here is a one layer card done with Stampin' Up!'s Vintage Ornaments I, 117580, $14.95. The set includes two ornaments, one large and one small and two overlays, one for each ornament. I used the small ornament but not the overlay - instead I used the solid deer stamp from Winter Post, 111780 (wood mount only) $26.95. This set has great elements so check it out and add it to your "must have" library. The Post Card stamp is in this set as well as the snowflake.

Stamp Post Card stamp in upper right with Early Expresso Classic Ink. Using the ornament stencil as a guide position the ornament about a 1/4 to a 1/2 inch in from the left side. This will help you position the "string" stamp from Tree Trimmings, 116722 (wood mount only), $14.95, so that the ornament looks as if it is hanging from the string.  After stamping the string on your cardstock position the stencil so that the cap of the ornament looks like the string is tied to it. Stencil the cap and wire with Early Expresson and blend into Cherry Cobbler for the ornament using a sponge dauber, one for each color. Leave some cardstock in the center as is. I swirled in a circular motion around the perimeter of the ornament stencil.  Stamp the deer positioning the feet toward the bottom.  Last, stamp the snowflake stamp several times with Whisper White as shown. Leave to dry since the Whisper White is a craft ink and takes a bit to dry but this is a simple and quick card.  You can step this card up by attaching to a layer of Early Expresso or Cherry Cobbler and perhaps add a button or bling. Embossing the snowflakes or adding glitter would be a nice touch. You would stamp a small Merry Christmas at the bottom right using Christmas Greetings, 115448 (wood mount only), $10.95. This set has a wonderful saying that would be perfect to stamp on the inside as well

That is the first card.  I will show another tomorrow.  I have to get stamping now and get my December projects ready.  Have a great day!

 

 

Unbelievable Demo Kit Promo

Wow, what a deal!  For a limited time Stampin' Up! is offering the Demo Starter Kit, a $310 value,  for only $87.00! Start your own business for only $87.00! Be your own boss, work it as much or as little as you like, work it on the side to pay off credit cards.  If you are interested please contact me at gadgetgirlsu@gmail.com and let's talk about it!

Ok, now here is something pretty to look at:

 

 

Aren't these pretty Christmas cards!? I love the deep colors. We did the one on the left in our card class Monday night. I will be showing more cards as I get them loaded. More details if you want them but this is a pretty simple card. There are pearls on the ornaments but I didn't do a close up. Very elegant looking card.

I think I need practice posting to my blog from my phone...what a disaster yesterday! LOL!

But for now I am going to bed. I am a tired puppy.

 

Happy stamping!

Christmas Christmas Christmas

Hmmmm...who sent that empty post from my phone? I don't know, could it have been me? where have I been? Life happens, what can I say. This week I will be sharing Christmas projects that have been going on in my classes and just stamping I have done for myself. since I have no clue how to add a pictures on this thing I will end this post here but check back and I will have something for you to see.

Love Play Date? How Easy Is This!

Do you make lists? How do we get along without them! I make lists all the time. I love notebooks, because I need something to write my lists on. It can't be the back of an envelope, or a scrap of paper, I want a notebook and not an ugly notebook, a cute notebook so I can find it in a hurry. A matching pen is nice as well, but I didn't make one for this...yet. How do you like this cute little notebook!? Aren't those tiny mushrooms just as cute as a little fuzzy puppy! This took less than 15 minutes to make, start to finish. It is simply a composition notebook, you know the ones, discounted right now during the back to school sales.

This is what the notebook looked like before I started, kinda cute all on it's own with the flower design in black and white. I love black and white.  A few rhinestones on the flowers would be really cute! But, I am covering this one, so on we go!

 

This is the sheet of Play Date Designer Series Paper I started with. There are so many cute ones!

To measure the DSP for the front rather than measure measure measure, I simply laid the DSP on top of the notebook and with a pencil made a mark at the top,

 

and after sliding the paper up above the curved edge I marked the bottom edge of the paper. Then cut with the paper cutter.

I love Tombow Multipurpose adhesive for attaching paper to notebooks because it holds so well. A thin coat smeared across the paper all around the perimeter and pressed to the front of the notebook and smoothed out works great and holds really well.

I flipped the notebook over and trimmed the rounded corners with my paper snip scissors.  The straight edges I trimmed with my X-acto blade, quick, simple and clean. Make sure your blade is sharp and you have a self healing mat underneath or you could do damage to your table top!

 

If there are any rough edges sand with a sanding block until smooth. Keep in mind we have a new distressing kit, more on that later. Our DSP has a white core so sanding the edges will reveal this white core. Sponging or inking the edges is a nice look and although I am a big fan of sponging, I did not do that on this project.

 

Aren't these wood sheets wonderful! I punched the parentheses' with my Sizzix Hearts & Brackets die. They make a nice frame for my 2010 Notebook. Tombow Multipurpose adhesive holds them nicely on the page.

 

The numbers are cut out of a sheet of the Play Date DSP and is just the cutest numbers. I chose to make my numbers the year 2010. A sprinkling of rhinestones and voila!

If you don't care for mushrooms how about buttons?

So you see, a really cute notebook with little time and very little material. If you wish you can cover the back of the notebook as well using the same process and either DSP or Cardstock.

Check out the new mini catalog that started September 1st.  One of the best mini's ever! Halloween, Christmas, new dies, huge buttons, BINGO and more bingo! Check it out here and order here.

OK, it is late and I am tired, so I hope this all makes sense. If not, shoot me an email and I will answer any questions you might have.  I would love to see what you make for your own notebook! Good night and happy stampin'!

Scraps On My Table More Play Date

September is already here, so hard to believe. If the weather were cooler it would be easier to understand I suppose. I left my studio door open this morning while I worked and it was so pleasant. The little white dogs loved roaming in and out at will, exploring outside, then running inside to check things out, then back outside. I just love fall and can hardly wait until it is even cooler, meaning zero humidity!

I have another card to share with you as I take a break from creating and writing a tutorial on my upcoming class. Scraps on my table is something I do occasionally when I have pieces on my desk from cardmaking and these can make quick cards! I have been working on my Play Date classes and always have pieces left lying about, punches, scallops, DSP, etc.  The rules are, I have to use what is on my desk only, no cutting more paper to make it something other than what it is using the scraps.  I so love this Play Date paper because it is so fun and whimsical and summer is all about fun to me.  At the same time, some of the accent pieces have a school theme so it is perfect for this time of year. I am using the Designer Series Paper and the border punches along with my punches and a few Sizzix Dies to prepare a fun class of birthday cards. This class was inspired by Jackie Bolhuis from a demo she did at Convention and although I missed her demo I did see the photos and so something clicked in my little brain and off I went.  My cards have more stuff on them than hers and weigh about a pound a piece. LOL!  Not really, but they are happy cards and make me smile. Back to the card for today, here it is, the  little card made from my scraps.  When you see my class you will understand all these little pieces.  Watch my Calendar, Blog and Facebook Fan Page for more information on my classes for this, which will be in September. 

There are a lot of numbers in the Play Date paper so you could pick any number to put on here, but I had a 9 lying there, you know the rules! Love the bling and put a little on here just because I love it.  The base is Real Red Cardstock and the strip of flower Play Date Designer Series Paper. The scallop stack is a large scallop circle from my Sizzix Die Circle Scallops #2,  So Saffron scallop from the 2-3/8" Cicrlc Scallop Punch, Whisper White circle is from the Sizzix Die Circles #2 that is about 2" wide, incidentially, it is the same size as the circle from the center part of the circle and circle cut out you can make with the Sizzix Die Bigz Alphabet Simple Letters WXYZ Die. The Crumb Cake circles are from the 1-3/8" handheld punch, the hearts are from the Heart to Heart Punch and the small circles are from the 1/2" Circle Small Punch. The Happy Birthday Stamp is from the Afterthoughts set. Just love the "call when it's time for cake" part. LOL!

Would you like to learn to make fun cards for your friends and family? I can show you how when you have your stamping party at my house.What do you have to do? Bring your friends and family, tell them they are having a great night out learning to stamp their very own greeting cards. Bring a snack to share with them and have them bring something to drink in a non-spillable container (Is non-spillable a word?).  What do I do? I design two cute cards for you to make, put together a kit for each person attending, stock the table with supplies, teach you how to use those supplies, see the smiles as you make your cards and provide a catalog should you want to order some things for your self, then I do the clean up. So easy and convenient and you had a great time out! Call me or email me to hold your spot. I have only a couple of spots left for weekends and a few for weekdays so let me know at gadgetgirlsu@gmail.com.

Back to work for me, I have to finish my tutorials and the grandkids are coming after school so I must make busy!!!!

 

These are fun birthday cards we did at our class on Monday night. I think everyone's stash is a little better for it now. These were fun cards to make and focused on several things. Summer Mini stamp sets First Day, Tropical Party and King of the Grill were used and note these stamp sets are limited in their availability and only until the end of August, count 'em, 13 more days so grab that grillin' guy before he is gone and get that great school stamp set (which I used for a birthday card on this) and get those scrapbook pages for your child's first day of school done and in the scrapbook! For the Summer Mini follow the EASY BUTTON: Order here   The colorful Island Oasis Designer Series Paper is also in there, Item 117173,  $9.95 for 12 gorgeous summertime double sided sheets, 2 each of 6 designs and this paper is nice!  Our designer paper (scrapbooking paper) is heavyweight and is so great to work with. Treat yourself to some pretties for your hobby, you deserve it

Priceless ( item #115052, $28.95 for 11 stamps, that's a lot of stamps!) and Punch Potpourri (a hostess set only available for hosting a workshop, so call me!!)  were used for two of the cards and those are great sets too. Priceless has been around for a bit and is in the main catalog. I never tire of using it because it is versatile having a variety of images.  Punch Potpourri is great because we have a punch to punch out all the images instead of wearing your fingers out with paper snips! there are 4 stamps, a butterfly, three flowers, a bird and a heart. I love this set!  You will see more of it.

See those pretty half back pearls on the butterfly? Gorgeous new jewels we have now available in pearls and rhinestones and boy do those rhinestones SPARKLE!  And did I mention SO AFFORDABLE at only $4.95 a pack. Rhinestones (item #119246) and Pearls (item #119247) each have 150 jewels on them. I might as well order a dozen of each because they go on EVERYTHING almost. (Did I mention I have the rhinestones on my cell phone, so pretty!)

Let me know if you plan to be at Northpark Crop on Friday nite, August 20th and want to do my card class.  More birthday cards and maybe a couple of Christmas to get you thinking about the holidays. What always gets pushed to the side in the rush? The Christmas Cards and with the economy the way it is, a card may be the only present you will need to send because it will be so special since you made it yourself. What cards do people keep? Yes, the handmade ones! Put your phone number and email address inside as an added bonus and friends and family can always find you!

OK, have to run, having lunch with my uncle today.  Happy stampin'!

If you want to have a workshop here at my stampin studio just shoot me an email to gadgetgirlsu@gmail.com and we will arrange it. You bring a snack and I'll bring the fun! I can show you all sorts of things you need for your papercrafting!