Shoebox Stampers

Elmo would be so proud!

I did it!  I shared my stamping and accessories with my daughter without too much fuss!  I had some kits left over from my Christmas in July class (here and here), so she and I made them together.  When I asked her who would receive her cards, she told me her girlfriends, "of course, Mom!" 

It's rather funny - you can see she created them practically the same as my samples.  I almost expected her to go her own way and do something different, but she kept to the plan and did pretty well.  This one is almost exactly like mine (she added the snowflakes from Snow swirled on both sides of the old olive base)...

while this one she moved her bashful blue striped ribbon to the center of the card. Do you notice anything else about this one?  We started on this one and had to set it aside so the whisper white craft ink would dry.  By the time we came back to it, she was bored and ready to move on.  Does it look thrown together?  The important thing is that she loves it, and she enjoyed creating it.

If you haven't stamped with your kids, try it out!  You might just find something fun to do together.

Wish shoe stampin' fun!

They grow up so fast!

We all know that - our kids are growing up so fast!  It seems that one day they are babies, then before you know it, they are teenagers and the days have flown by in between!  So to help you mark those milestones (and to prove to yourself you didn't miss anything but that they actually toddlers, pre-schoolers and more!), Stampin' Up! is offering a special edition Growth Chart in their Decor Elements line for just $24.95 during their Just for Kids Campaign.  Plus when you order your chart, you get a free applicator tool easy, to make application a breeze!

 

This special lasts until September 30, so you have time to decide you love it, then get one for all your friends!  It uses chocolate chip, old olive, and taken with teal, and features Stampin' Up! artwork (the birds are so cute!).  You can use my online ordering feature with number 117519 to have your chart sent right to your home, or you can email me.  You can Download Just for kids flyer for more information or view it here.

Wish shoe stampin' fun!

Just for kids and kids at heart!

August is officially "Just for Kids" with Stampin' Up!  During this month, when you purchase $35 from the Growing Up section of our catalog, you can choose one our Designer buttons for free!

 

This is a great chance to try our buttons that perfectly match our cardstock, papers, inks, brads and more for free!  There are so many options - maybe something for the princess (Princess Time 116720) or for the pirate (Pirate Time 116718).  Maybe something for a new baby (Nursery Necessities 113506 or Teddy & Train 115219).  What about a sports set, like Just Tennis, Just Soccer, or Just Basketball?  There are several sets from pages 73 to 90, so the hard part will be choosing which sets!

Item #	Page	Description	Retail Value
116313	181	Playground Designer buttons	$7.95
116312	181	Sherbet Designer buttons	$7.95
114333	181	Button Latte Designer buttons	$7.95

Use my online ordering feature or send me an email to place your order.  This promotion runs through the end of August - how young are you feeling?

Wish shoe stampin' fun!

Take your daughter to work day...

is easy when you work from home!  Grace sees me working often (I'm still figuring out how to separate family and work!) and has even helped me on occasion.  It's amazing how much they learn!  I thought I'd share something that shows just how much she absorbs without my realizing it. 

Ever so often, I'll take the boys upstairs to get ready for bed while Grace finishes her snack.  Sometimes she makes me a special snack (usually involving lots of calories I hadn't planned into my daily intake!) and surprises me with it.  This time she created a yummy drink (recipe to follow!) and circled it with m&m's and chocolate eggs.  I love how she decorated her 3-D gift - she could have just lumped the candy offering to the side of the glass, but instead repeated the circle in the glass by arranging the candy in a circle. 

She wrote up the recipe so everyone could see it and try it.  You notice how much chocolate she included???  While it was yummy, I needed another drink to follow that one (she actually warned me I would need it!). 

Are you taking your daughter to work?  I'd love to hear how it worked out!  It's amazing how much they pick up just watching what you do!

Wish shoe stampin' fun!

Teacher gift for Valentines'

While it may be a little late to make these for Valentine's Day for a teacher, you can definitely make these for someone just as deserving!  And you can make them with other things, like kit-kats or chocolate, but I used the small boxes of conversation hearts since everyone loves them and you can't get them any other time of year (unlike peeps!). 

 

Ben likes blue, so we used the new SAB paper bundle, Designer Dots, to create his wrapped goody.  I cut the paper 7 x 7 which fit pretty snug, but saved most of my paper for other projects.  I put some sticky strip on the ends (best done before enclosing goody as it's hard to get your fingers in there!), pressed closed, then crimped with our crimper.  Next, I put a bashful blue belly band around it, added the scalloped saying from Love you much in whisper white, bashful blue, and brocade blue punched with the scallop punch, 1 3/8 inch and 1 1/4 inch circle punches.  Very simple, but packs a punch (or should I say, some heart???).

Grace really liked the flowers in the Bella rose Designer series papers, so we went with riding hood red and pink pirouette as our color scheme.  The same idea as Ben but we substituted colors. 

I just love how they turned out and I know I'll be making more of these (wouldn't Ghirardelli chocolates be perfect for this?).  What did you make for teacher treats?  I'd love to hear from you because it seems there's always another reason for giving!  And make sure to check back early tomorrow - I will post a recipe for my FAVORITE cappuccino recipe.  YUM!

Wish shoe stampin' fun!

Rebecca

Valentine's from a boy's view

My son had to stay home Monday from school so I thought we'd work on Valentine's for his class.  I suggested a couple ideas and Ben chose dinosaurs (of course!) so I pulled out my Dino-mite! stamp set.  We went into my craft room and I asked him to pick out four to five colors...lovely lilac, regal rose, brocade blue, green galore, and riding hood red.  I pulled the ink pads then set up the Big Shot to cut out several top note dies in whisper white; Ben did all the turning (I wish you could hear his squeal of delight when the die cuts came!).  We set up everything at the table, he chose his colors for each dinosaur, and stamped the toppers.  I folded in half and took care of the sentiment using our wide oval punch.  He assembled them and wrote his name on the back. 

He showed his older sister last night and was so pleased by her reaction!  It's so sweet to share this with them and see their reactions when they are finished!  What crafts have you done with your kids?  I'll bet you won't forget them!

Wish shoe stampin' fun!

Rebecca

My daughter turns EIGHT!

It's amazing how times flies!  I can't believe my girl is already eight!  So we had a girlfriend party this past weekend - she invited her friends over to watch Enchanted, then cake and presents, then a craft until parents arrived.  And since we were doing a movie theme...

each girl had to have a popcorn bucket!  I used my cricut cartridge Bags, tags, boxes and more cut at 5 1/4 inches out of pretty in pink cardstock.  I wheeled So swirly in pretty in pink ink, then assembled.  I punched the scallop out of regal rose, then a 1 3/8 inch circle from pretty in pink, then a whisper white 1 1/4 inch circle stamped with Heartfelt thanks in those same colors.  The pretty in pink brad holds the whole decoration to the box. 

If you remember anything of my daughter's history, then you know she underwent open-heart surgery at just 18 days old for transposition of the great arteries, so, as you can imagine, hearts are her thing!  And it's SO convenient she was born right near Valentine's Day!  So I used a Valentine's mix and icing to create her cake in a heart mold (I think I have four or so of these!). 

And what's a birthday party without a goody bag, so I used the gable box tutorial on SCS again (can you tell I get attached to projects and create them again and again???) to create the bag and included a notepad, a couple heart erasers, Skittles, and Starburst.  I used regal rose cardstock for the base, then added lavendar lace and certainly celery (I really like that ribbon that comes with the Sale-a-bration bundle!), plus punched out hearts in the same colors with our new heart to heart punch to go over the flourish from Baroque motifs.  This would also work great for Valentine's Day, don't you think?

Now I have to start working on my son's birthday party, but what do you do for that???  Any ideas I'd love to hear them!

Wish shoe stampin' fun!

Rebecca

Mission: Valentine's Day

So here's the idea for my daughter's class.  I have lots of retired DSP that will work great and, better yet, Grace loves it!  This little pouch is called a diaper fold and uses just a 6x6 square of paper.  You can find directions here.  I used one of the hostess Patterns papers (which are already 6x6), a large and medium Pretties kit silk flower, a real red bloom, and a real red button (wouldn't the new Button bouquets be adorable?). 

I stuffed the pouch with a little individually wrapped package of candy hearts - I found these at Walgreen's and one package will cover her classroom, plus her teacher and anyone else (within reason!) she wants to surprise.  What I love is how easy they are to create - which means we can make 19 in no time!  Here are the rest of her samples (we ran out of the silk flowers, so cut some on the cricut).

Now I have to find something for my son - I'm thinking dinosaurs, since he loves them (in fact, most days will find him as Tyrannosaurus Rex on the playground!).  We're using the same little candy packages, but maybe a topper?  What ideas are working for you?  Share them with me!

Wish shoe stampin' fun!

Rebecca

Spittin' seeds in second grade

Every year, my children's school holds an auction, which raises a great deal of money for the school.  And each class creates a class project.  There have been mirrors, class cookbooks, quilts, birdbaths...really amazing stuff!  So this year the room mother for my daughter's class corners me and talks me into it.  So we created a watermelon bowl using their thumbs as the seeds.  I had never done ceramics before, and it was fun, but I don't need another hobby!

Then I took pictures of them eating a slice with a crazy watermelon bib I made (the boys were not happy about that!) and the kids wrote poems or stories about watermelon. 

My daughter's story/poem was pretty cute:

One day I saw a live watermelon!  I said, "Come here, Mr. Watermelon"  "Oh, no!" he said.  So I snuck up on him and ate him and that is the story of the watermelon.  Roses are red, violets are blue, I love watermelon and that is true.  Watermelon, watermelon, big and fat.  Watermelon, watermelon, and that is that. 

Finally I added a cover page using my alphabet stamps and my cricut cartridges Micky fonts and Doodlecharms and bound it with my rubicoil.  What a fun project!  I hope it earns the school some big money!

Wish shoe stampin' (and ceramics) 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