Hoard no More!

Happy Tuesday! Did you have a good weekend? Mine was fantastic...I was spoiled by my boys on Mother's Day, complete with breakfast in bed and tickets to the symphony to hear Beethoven's Ninth. It was just incredible...I was moved to tears by the power and beauty of that mammoth work! My hubby and I even got to go out for dinner afterwards...such a treat!

Can you believe it is already the 15th of the month? We're half-way through May, which makes this teacher VERY happy! Not long till summer vacation and more time to focus on stamping and my business. Since today is the 15th, it is time for another Stamping Symphony blog hop.

This month we are focusing on the Last Chance List. There are so many amazing products going away in just two short weeks we wanted to highlight them one last time before they're gone for good. Today My post is about USING all of the pretty paper you've been hoarding in your stash. You know, the stuff that's just too gorgeous to cut? These projects will knock your socks off and get you using that beautiful paper rather than hiding it in a cupboard. Now, before I show you the projects, let me say that this is NOT my design. This ingenius idea is from the perfectly fabulous Rhonda Wade, so I want to give full credit to her for this fabulous idea. You can see the video Rhonda made that showcases how to make these bags HERE.

Now, ready to be wowed? Check these out...

These gift bags use two sheets of matching DSP and are SUPER easy to make! The large ones use two 12" x 12" sheets and the small one uses two 6" x 6" sheets. The best part? Each bag has built-in card holder so the card attaches right to the front of the bag. No envelope required and no additional decoration needed on the bag. Here's a closer look at each one:

This one uses the stunning Sweet Soiree DSP. It's a great choice because it is specialty paper and is a heavier weight, making this bag super-sturdy. You get one bag and one card out of two sheets of DSP! These bags are huge and measure 6" x 8", so there's lots of room for gifts. Here's the card on it's own:

I used the coordinating Cake Soiree stamp set to stamp the label on this card. Thankfully that set is carrying over to the new book! Did I mention that this is a full-sized 4-1/4" x 5-1/2" card?

I figured that with Father's Day coming it would be a good idea to have some masculine bags on-hand. This one uses the True Gentleman DSP. Here is the coordinating card...

Sadly both the DSP, stamp set and corduroy trim are retiring at the end of the month. Those cute buttons will be in the new catty, though:)

Now, I don't know about you, but I have LOTS of 6" x 6" paper kicking around too, so I thought I would give this idea a try with the smaller sheets. It totally worked! I simply halved all of the dimensions! How cute is this little bag and card?

I used the Tutti Frutti DSP and coordinating Fruit Basket stamp set, both of which are retiring on the 31st. Check out this adorable card...

I have to admit, I'm a bit addicted to making these bags. I may even start using them to deliver smaller customer orders! They're such fun! If you have a DSP problem (and you know who you are!) give these bags a try...it will seriously change your life :)

Now, be sure to hop on over to the next blog to more Last Chance inspiration. There are some super-talented Stamping Symphony players;)

1. Leena (You are here)
2. Sandy
3. Barb
4. Jennifer
5. Steph

Now, don't panic at the length of this product list...remember that this is for three different bags ;)


Product List

Sweet Soirée Specialty Designer Series Paper [145564] $17.00	True Gentleman Designer Series Paper [145593] $14.50	Sweet Soirée Specialty Designer Series Paper [145564] $17.00	Tutti-Frutti 6" X 6" (15.2 X 15.2 Cm) Designer Series Paper [145606] $12.50
Cake Soirée Clear-Mount Stamp Set [145745] $46.00	Truly Tailored Clear-Mount Stamp Set [145735] $26.00	Fruit Basket Photopolymer Stamp Set [145833] $20.00	Rich Razzleberry 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock [115316] $10.00
Old Olive 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock [100702] $10.00	Whisper White 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock [100730] $11.25	Night Of Navy 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock [100867] $10.00	Very Vanilla 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock [101650] $11.25
Tranquil Tide 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [144246] $10.00	Flirty Flamingo Classic Stampin' Pad [141397] $8.50	Lemon Lime Twist Classic Stampin' Pad [144086] $8.50	Old Olive Classic Stampin' Pad [126953] $8.50
Night Of Navy Classic Stampin' Pad [126970] $8.50	Real Red Classic Stampin' Pad [126949] $8.50	Pretty Label Punch [143715] $23.50	Everyday Label Punch [144668] $23.50
Classic Label Punch [141491] $23.50	Tailored Tag Punch [145667] $23.50	Big Shot [143263] $136.00	Sweet Cake Framelits Dies [145617] $44.00
Whisper White 1/4" (6.4 Mm) Organza Ribbon [145590] $8.00	Night Of Navy 3/8" (1 Cm) Corduroy Ribbon [145597] $10.75	True Gentleman Buttons [145596] $9.25

An In-Colour Valentine

Whew...what a busy 24 hours!  My workshop last night was terrific with my host earning a ton of free product and some super Sale-a-bration extras including a great reusable tote bag and a bundle of three SAB-exclusive products:  Fresh Vintage stamp set, Everyday Elegance DSP and the ribbon and brad pack.  Then it was home to unpack and repack for my monthly group at school.  After teaching all day today and then teaching my stamping class I rushed home to dinner and then out again to my son's first class of the new semester of Kindermusik!  Now I'm ready to drop...bath and bed are in my immediate future...but first I wanted to post a fun Valentine's card that I designed for my monthly group that met today.  It uses three of my favourite in-colours: lucky limeade, island indigo and pool party...not exactly traditional Valentine colours...check it out:

CAS Valentine (based on a layout by a fellow demonstrator on our online forum) using the Sweet Cake stamp set.

Inside view with sentiment from the P.S. I Love You stamp set.

One of the things I like most about this card is the colour scheme.  The island indigo, pool party and lucky limeade are all made using cardstock I received for FREE from the Sale-a-bration catalogue!  Nothing better than free stuff!  I used river rock for the card base, which is a colour I rarely use, but it works really well with the blues and green...so well that I fully intend to use this colour scheme again!  This card came together really quickly at my class today...and my ladies loved it!  It is the perfect Valentine to give to the man in your life. 
Now I am off to have a nice hot bath and get into my jammies...have a great evening and happy stamping!

Happy New Year!

Well, here it is a brand new year and to celebrate Stampin' Up has some fantastic new products to start your crafting year off right.  In just three short days the new Occasions Mini catalogue goes live, filled with tons of fabulous new goodies to tempt you:  Framelits dies (nesting dies that cut several different sizes of the same shape), Edgelits dies (dies that create decorative edges on your cards), and a gorgeous large doily die.  If dies are not your thing, there are plenty of new stamp sets, Designer Series Papers and embellishments to choose from (can we say pleated satin ribbon and scented embossing powders??).  I really had a hard time controlling myself during the pre-order...I truly wanted one of everything in the mini!
Now let's not forget that when a new mini begins, we must say good-bye to the previous one.  There are just three days left to order from the Holiday Mini, so if you adored those mini jingle bells as much as I did, you'll want to order your supply for next year's holiday crafting, as they will be gone after the 3rd.  As with any mini, there are some items that are carrying over; to see the Carry-over flyer click HERE.  (I have to say I did a little happy dance when I saw that the silver glimmer paper will be carrying over!)
Now on to today's post.  Since we are celebrating the birth of a brand new year I thought it fitting to feature a birthday card.  This one uses a ton of product from the upcoming mini and also works for this week's challenge over at Hand Stamped Sentiments.

Yummy birthday card for HSS# 99 using the Sweet Cake stamp set and Sweet Shop DSP from the Occasions Mini.

Now doesn't that look good enough to eat?  The best part is that it SMELLS just as good!  I used the new vanilla scented embossing powder on the icing of the cupcake to make this card smell absolutely scrumptious!  WARNING (to all you new year's dieters out there)...this stuff smells good enough to eat...when you're heating the powder to melt it you'll want to take a bite!  I used several new products on this card:  Framelits die for the calypso coral label that I then embossed using the perfect polka dots folder, the Sweet Cake stamp set, which I stamped in pool party and again in soft suede and then paper-pieced together to get the multi-coloured image, and Sweet Shop DSP (gotta love those cupcakes!).  There are also a couple of teasers from the Sale-a-bration catalogue, which starts January 24th.  The brad and the 1/8" organdy ribbon are both available as part of the Everyday Enchantment Ribbon and Brad pack you can earn for FREE during Sale-a-bration!  Conveniently, they both coordinate with many of the products in the mini...you'd think maybe Stampin' Up plans these things!
Honestly, the crafting possibilities in the new mini and the SAB catalogue are just endless...what a great way to start off a brand new year!