Sneak Peek!

Here's the Sneak Peek for tomorrow night's class! We'll be making this Criss Cross Box. The color is Sage Shadow, which I realized I haven't used in quite a while - and I Like it!! I always tend to gravitate toward Baja Breeze! I paired it up with some of the "To The Nines" Specialty Papers. (On another note, there's a super special for the month of May only with the Designer Series Papers and 12x12 Textured Papers! - I'll tell you more tomorrow!)

And, one of my favorite parts of this projects is the set, Holiday Blitz! That's where the 'dear dad' saying comes from. But those coming to the class don't have to make it a "dear dad' box because the Holiday Blitz has 27 other choices of stamps to put in the center of that circle! I love how you can create a layout and then change it so easily with the variety of stamps in that set! So, it can be a "my mom" box too! Anyway, with the fresh brownie bites in the cello bag they better be delivered to someone soon - or they'll be calling my name!!

Hope to see you tomorrow!

Julie

Finished Gift Bags

I did finish, and even deliver, the gift bags to my brother-in-law for his softball team. By the way, they're 7 and 8 year olds!

So, the stuff inside each bag is a wrapped jar of bubbles, a Lip balm folder with "Jello" flavored LipSmackers!, a covered notepad with side pen holder, a pull-out pouch with a pack of "strawberry banana" gum in it, and a wrapped Kudos bar. It seemed kind of funny to wrap Designer Series Papers around a Kudos bar and a jar of bubbles, but I just wanted it to look "together," if you know what I mean. I guess that's an anal-stamp person thing.

So, then I put their first initial on most of the projects, and their name on the topper. I hope they have a fun end of the season party. And, in a way, I'll be glad to not be there to see them get the bags. I know that sounds terrible! - but I'm sure there'll be lots of ripping and shredding to get to the goods underneath!! And sometimes that's hard to watch after all the work you put into it! But deep down I really hope they enjoy all the stuff! At least I did use up some of my retired Designer Series Paper - so I feel like I didn't splurge too much!

I hope you'll check back this week when I post some Sneak Peeks for Friday's Technique Class!

Julie

Just Beachy and What I've Been Doing All Week!

So, I wish I could say that what I was doing all week was "All Beachy" or least something to do with being at the beach - especially when it was so hot and nice earlier in the week. But here's the real scoop on my title above...

This card is from the Just Beachy set from the Occasions Mini Catalog. I got this card from one of my swapping buddies, Mary. I love how it turned out. I love the colors, based around the Manchester Designer Series Papers, and the super-cool Woody Car from the Just Beachy set! I like how she stamped the little fishies on the argyles too!

And Part 2... Here's what I've been working on most of the week! I know it's probably hard to see - but I'm making some goodie bags for my brother-in-law's softball team. He called me early in the week and asked if I could put together some goodies for the team. He didn't have any have-to-have things in it - just something to give them for their end-of-the-season party. I LOVE doing this kind of stuff - although I know I always want to keep adding a little more, and the "Oh, that would be cute" stuff! It's all good, except time usually constrains some of the details I like to obsess over!!

Anyway, I finally made decisions on the ideas so I've been in the "work mode" in reproducing everything times 12 for the last couple evenings. I made one sample gift bag (except the topper with their names) with all the goodies, and now I'm factory-line asseblying everything.

I hope to finish it all by tomorrow (he needs them by next Saturday). When I do I'll post a close-up of one of the finished gift bags, with all it's goodies. It was fun because everything I made was pretty much from the Technique Cards from our Friday Technique Classes!

Hope you're enjoying your weekend,

Julie

Another "Limited Supplies" Card!

Sad to say... this was the last card I made, and even sadder... it was last week, when I was on vacation! Oh well, I guess that's the way things work huh? It seems like Spring Break was eons ago! This week back to work has only been 2 days, but crazy so far!!





Anyway, I brought this set, Branch Out, with me last week. I only had my Valet Ribbon Originals and some different cardstocks and inks - but I like the simplicity of the set! Oh, I did have the Slumber Specialty Papers - that's the Riding Hood Red polka dot piece. The black ribbon (from the Valet Ribbon Originals) is super cool - it's like corduroy!



Glad I got this set! I hope to show you some more ideas with it soon!





Hope you're having a good week!





Julie

Simple Trendy Trees

Here's a quick and simplified card I made while I've been off work this week. I brought a few sets and not a lot of embellishments with me while we've been on "vacation" this week. I brought a couple sets with me that I haven't made time to use yet. But it was challenging to put together a card that I was really happy with since I didn't have all my brads, and buttons and other fun bling stuff. Probably when I get home I'll add at least some brads - maybe corduroy bottons?

I do definitely like working with this set Trendy Trees though. It's a nice clean look! I did add ribbon from the Valet Ribbon Originals - and I like how it works with the other colors.

Happy Friday!!

Julie

Easter Card on Tax Day?!

Sorry this picture is a little blurry! I know today is Tax day, and not Easter anymore, but I paid the taxes already - and I guess I'm wishing I still had the money I did when it was Easter! Anyway, this is the Easter card I made for my husband. I used the Fifth Avenue Floral set, along with the Easter Wishes saying from the All Holidays set. I stamped an extra flower and colored it, cut it and "dimensionaled" it up to add some "pop!" for the focal point. I also like that the Eyelet Border punch accents the Walk in the Park Designer Series Paper. I'm not sure that the card turned out very man-like, but I guess that's OK!

Hope you're having a good week,

Julie

My Nephew's 2nd Birthday!

My nephew is turning the big "2" this week, and I made this card to include with his gift. Unfortunately, we didn't make it for the party they had for him this past weekend because we were out of town! Anyway, I know they had a good time!!

So, I used a retired piece of chipboard "2" that I had. I covered it with Sweet Slumber Specialty Paper - love those colors! Then I coordinated the rest of the card parts to go with the striped Sweet Slumber print on the bottom edge. I used Barely Banana Cardstock and Brads. I also layered Riding Hood Red and Whisper White cardstock with Celebrate stamped on it (from the Celebrate Everything set). And the Baja Ribbon is from the Valet Ribbon Originals.

Thanks for stopping by,

Julie

Quick Easter Cards

I made a couple of these quick Easter cards to send to my nephew and my godson. Sometimes for boys it's hard to make cards, and not be too cutsie. But I think straight lines and not too many extras work. The pastel colors might be a little "if"-ie (is that a word? - you know what I mean?!). Anyway, I mean boys aren't really into pastel, but it is Spring and Easter!!

So, I used the Mini Catalog set, Eight Great Greetings again (I have a feeling you'll see this one in future posts a lot - with birthday, thanks, mom, dad, congratulations sayings; You can use it for everything. And great for quick cards!). Also, I used up some of my Sale-A-Bration Designer Series Papers and Ribbon. The cardstock colors are Kraft, Bashful Blue and Certainly Celery.

Have a great weekend!!

Julie

My other Oval All Swaps!

So here are my other two swaps with the Oval All set from the Occasions Mini! I'm so glad I got to make cards with this set - it's so versatile and I love the Scallop Oval Punch!! Above is one that I struggled with a lot - I had something in mind, but of course it came out very different from what I had planned. I'm pretty happy with it, it just wasn't what I had originally had pictured when I jumped in!

I used Riding Hood Red, Basic Black and Basic Gray for the color scheme. I also used the Texturz Plates from the Big Shot to give the background a little something extra!

This one is kind of a fun littel pull-out card. I used the Tea Party Designer Series Papers and coordinated everything around that! I accented with Almost Amethyst and Certainly Celery, and some Silver Brads. The little notecard just slips out from the pocket!

Esater Version of the Treat "Purse"

So, here's another version of the Treat Purse that we made in the First Friday Technique Class the other night! I made this one with an Easter Theme, and I think I could it be used for a boy or a girl - so it doesn't necessarily have to be called a Treat "Purse." That's why I made the straps sort of like suspenders - well kinda!?

I didn't leave the front open - kind of made it a little simpler - and then with coordinated Designer series papers covered chocolates for the treat inside!

The little Bunny Easter stamp comes from the set in the Occasions Mini Catalog called Eight Great Greetings. It's a super versatile set - and notice it's punched out with the Wide Oval Punch? Guess where I got the Scallop Punch to coordinate under the Wide Oval Punch???

It's two of the Scallop Circle Punches just layered underneath - and a clever placement of the ribbon to disguise the not so perfect centering of the two! But it kinda looks like a new punch huh? Too Cool!!

Hope you had a great weekend,

Julie

Sneak Peek for Tomorrow's Class!

So, I have to get busy cutting supplies for tomorrow, but I wanted to give you a little sneak peek of what's happening for tomorrow! I actually tried to post this yesterday, but the internet and I weren't getting along too well!! So, this is the little Treat Purse we'll make. It can easily be adapted for any ocassion by changing the papers. The cool thing is that cardstock needed for the basic purse itself is less than a full sheet - then you can use small pieces of designer series papers to "cutsie" it up! Of course, we'll be using other stuff too to "cutsie" ours up! I LOVE the double Corduroy button thingy - can't wait to show everyone tomorrow!

Thanks for stopping by,

Julie