Shoebox Stampers

Busy reading, not stamping! Oh no!

I know I normally post something stamping related on Wednesdays, but I received Twilight and New moon for Christmas and can't put them down!  I read Twilight Sunday and Monday, and started New Moon yesterday, and am more than halfway!  I am trying to slow down and savor them, but I just can't wait to find out what happens!

So hopefully I will finish the second book and will be back stamping soon!  I'll share some New Year's resolutions with you tomorrow.  Have a great New Years' Eve!  And if you're reading these books, let me know what you think!  It'll be like an online book club!

Wish shoe stampin' (and readin') fun!

Rebecca

Valentine's Already???

I know, I know, what right do I have to bring up the NEXT holiday, when you are still recovering from Christmas and all its exhaustion???  If you are like me and have had a rough month, it's probably because you, like me, had lots of creative things to do and you LEFT IT TO THE LAST MINUTE!!!  So I thought why not work early, especially since I had a swap due the end of the month, the theme is Valentine's Day, I just LOVE coffee, and what better combination than Valentine's Day and coffee?

 I used the coffee image from Pun fun for this fun (and heavily layered) card.  I really love when I can stamp a focal image on something other that whisper white or very vanilla, so this card was fun to make.  However, I don't like to cut things out, so this card was quite a challenge, especially since I had to make 12 of them!  (Did I tell you I don't like to cut things out???)  So I stamped the coffee cup on creamy caramel in chocolate chip ink and layered it on riding hood red and chocolate chip cardstock.  Then I stamped it again on riding hood red and pink pirouette to cut out the cup and the hearts.  After attaching the cup and hearts, I used the scallop edge punch on the strip of riding hood red and added riding hood red striped ribbon to the wide stripe of creamy caramel.  Finally I layered all of it on pink pirouette and chocolate chip and stamped the sentiment in chocolate chip. 

Stamp set: Pun fun  Paper: Chocolate chip, pink pirouette, riding hood red, creamy caramel  Ink: Chocolate chip  Accessories:  Riding hood red striped ribbon, scallop edge punch

I think I'll give it to my daughter - she and I love to share a cup of coffee!  Or maybe the baby who still loves coffee and will sneak gulps out of my cup AFTER he has finished his!!!

Wish shoe stampin' fun!

Rebecca

Did you get what you wanted for Christmas?

Now that the gifts have been opened, the wrappings have been cleared, and the stomachs are full, have you looked back on this Christmas yet?  Did everyone love everything you picked out for them?  Did everyone get what they wanted?  Did you???

I think I may have figured out why some of us crafters get forgotten on Christmas.  Sure, we get great things - clothing, purses, chocolate, dishes, appliances - but we tend not to get those wonderful crafting tools and supplies that we just LOVE!  You may ask why.  Well, here's your answer:

Twas the night before Christmas, I'm glued to the tree.
I'm wondering what Santa brought just for me.
Could it be cardstock or chipboard, silk flowers or lace?
Or a Big Shot, I said, with a smile on my face.
And that's when I heard him. "Hi Santa, " I said.
"You know....good little girls should be in their beds."
"I know I should Santa, and now I've been caught.
But I was just so excited To see what you brought."
"Well, let's take a look in this room where you work."
He shook his head quickly, And left with a jerk.
I heard him exclaim as he put it in gear.
"You've got enough crap, I'll see you next year!"

That is the story of my life (and yes, that is my room after the holiday craziness - what a mess)!!!  Hope you got everything you want, and then some! 

Wish shoe stampin' fun!

Rebecca

Merry Christmas!

Hope you and yours are having a great day, with just a bit of snow, enough for a white Christmas, but not so much that travel is tough.  Wishing you a joyous holiday and a blessed New Year! 

(This beautiful card is from my upline's upline's upline!  I love the colors - elegant eggplant, old olive & riding hood red, my favorites! - and the thought is SO nice!)

Wish shoe stampin' (and holiday) fun!

Rebecca

Love you much!

The Love you much promotion has started and it's a great one!  I know you are still prepping for Christmas, and maybe even thinking about New Year's, so I'll remind you of this one later again, and put more information on the side bar, but I wanted to share with you information about a great bundle Stampin' Up! has put together for the Valentine's Day!

From today through January 31, 2009 (that looks funny!), you can purchase the new stamp set Love you much, the new Designer series paper Candy lane, and the new Heart to heart punch (115405) for just $41.48 - that's 20% off the collection individually!  What a deal!  Mine should arrive any day now, and I can't wait to make the cards for Projects by Parcel Post to share what you can do with this set! 

Download Jan love you much bundle

When you are ready to purchase this bundle, you can use my online ordering or send me an email.  What could be easier???  Plus I'll send you several ideas with this set, FREE! 

Wish shoe stampin' fun!

Rebecca

Last chance for free shipping/retired discount!

Today is the last chance to get 10% off the retired list and free shipping with a $70 order!  It's easy - click on my online ordering button to the right, email or call me! 

Wish shoe stampin' fun!

Rebecca

Postcards for the holidays

We send holiday pictures of our kids to close friends and family and so I use cards for those holiday greetings.  But this year I created a postcard to send out to friends who don't need to see the mugs of my kids (how do you get three, just three, kids to smile pretty all at once - that's another post!)

The first one uses masking - I used our coluzzle and oval shape to cut out an oval from scrap paper.  After cutting my cardstock in 1/4ths, I laid the mask over the back of the postcard and stamped En francais in bashful blue ink.  Then I sponged bashful blue ink around the edges to further emphasize the oval shape.  Before removing the mask, I stamped a couple snowflakes from Snow swirled in brocade blue and bashful blue inks.  Then I removed the mask to stamp the large snowflake and the sentiment in night of navy. 

While I really liked this postcard, it was taking too long, so I made a few then switched to an easier version.  For this one I just stamped the snowflakes and sentiment in the same color inks, but then used the night of navy ink in a direct to paper technique.  Holding the cardstock, I brushed the ink pad against the edges to give it some interest.  Real easy and real fast!

So which one do you like?  And have you sent holiday postcards?  I'd love to see your ideas too!

Wish shoe stampin' fun!

Rebecca

While I was stamping...

I finally took some time last night to create my own holiday cards using some extra card kits from the holidays.  But instead of hiding in my craft room and creating them while listening to music (I really like My Chemical Romance and Three Days Grace, Beyond the Fall and Nickelback, though they aren't for the weak of heart), I put the kids to bed and pulled out my favorite Christmas movie of all time!

I just love this story - so cute!  And I know, it's not really about Christmas, but it happens over the holidays, so I say it counts!  And I've seen it so many times, I don't feel like I am missing anything if I have to look away to put down adhesive. 

So what do you do while you stamp?  Music?  What types?  Maybe a show or movie?  Maybe blessed silence?  Let me know!

Wish shoe stampin' fun!

Rebecca

Snow day number three! Need a project!

So today was snow day number three in a row and we are stir crazy!  (We actually got in the car to go to a friend's house and were stuck on the hill to her house!)  So later, when Ben went to take off a chain to his Christmas countdown, I realized that would be a great activity for Andrew! 

I punched a scallop from the Big Shot scallop die #2 in whisper white.  I had Andrew (who is three) wheel the Bold snowflakes jumbo wheel over the die cut in brocade blue.  Then he stamped "Santa" in real red ink using Short order alphabet.  We cut four strips each of real red and old olive cardstock to make the chain which we stapled together.  And now he's happy because he has a countdown chain just like (well, almost) Ben!  And it was easy - I just wish it had taken longer!

Stamp set: Short order alphabet & Bold snowflakes jumbo wheel  Paper: Whisper white, old olive, real red  Ink: Real red & brocade blue jumbo cartridge  Accessories: Scallop die #2, Big shot, staples

If you have ideas for kid activities, please share them!  The forecasters are calling for more ice early tomorrow in the St. Louis area, and since we're north, we usually get more!  So I really need some ideas!  Thanks!

Wish shoe stampin' fun!

Rebecca

On the twelfth day of Christmas...Recipe remodel

I made fudge!  This is the easiest fudge I've ever made!  This just uses two ingredients - baking chips (chococolate, peanut butter, caramel, white  chocolate) and icing (vanilla, german chocolate, chocolate fudge) and voila!  You have fudge!  First, melt the chips in a microwave safe dish, then stir until smooth.  Add the icing and heat for 30 seconds, then stir until smooth.  Pour into an 8x8 dish lined with aluminum foil and refrigerate.  Yum!  I have tried chocolate chips and chocolate fudge icing, and peanut butter chips and chocolate icing, and they are both amazing!

Then, to make it nice to give away, I cleaned out the icing tub and decorated it using our Ski Slope Designer Series paper and riding hood red cardstock.  I wrapped it in baja breeze striped ribbon and added the Cute and curly holiday sentiment, stamped in versamark on brushed silver cardstock and embossed with sterling silver embossing powder.  I used a lot of sticky strip to hold it all together!

To finish it off, I used the Big shot to cut a scallop from our Scallop die #2 in riding hood red and added a couple felt flurries on top, secured with a silver brad.  Easy and fun - I can't wait to give it away!

Stamp set: Cute and curly  Paper: Ski slope designer series paper, riding hood red  Ink: Versamark  Accessories: Felt flurries, Big shot, scallop #2 die, silver brad, baja breeze striped ribbon, silver embossing powder  Other: Icing tub

Wouldn't you just love some of this?  It's so easy you can make some, I promise!  If you try another configuration, share it with me! 

Wish shoe stampin' fun!

Rebecca