Surprise 30th Birthday

Friday my friend, Carrie, and I surprised our best friend Melissa with a party for her 30th birthday. It was held at a local restaurant, The Wooden Angel. I had never been there before, but the room they has us in was amazing! Carrie and I did candles and various shades of pink roses down the center of the table. It looked so great! We did rose petals and pearls on the cake table (which I don't have a picture of).

We put pearl strands in the flowers as well.

I was in charge of making the favors. I used My Digital Studio to create the little tags for the M&Ms (which were Valentines ones with the red sorted out--who knew there were so many red ones?!). These came together in no time with the scalloped punch. I tied the tulle off with some ribbon and pearls and that was it! I thought they turned out super cute!

Also, on a different note: this is the first post I'm doing from my phone using the Blogger app! Half of the problem with my lack of posting is the fact that all of my pictures are on my phone and I'm rarely on my computer. I don't know what made me check the App Store to see if there was a Blogger app, but I'm glad I did! Hopefully now you will be seeing more frequent posts as I will be able to blog while nursing Slevin at night! I have lots of orders coming in and have been busy working on all of the little details for Slev's birthday party :)

Halloween Decor

If you haven't already noticed, Halloween is definitely my favorite holiday. I'm not sure why...but I just love everything about it. I added to my decor this year with some homemade decorations that were super easy, super cute and super cheap!

First up are these yarn candy corns that I have in my bathroom. It took less than 10 minutes to make all three of them. You simply take a styrofoam cone and wrap it with yarn. I used pins to hold the yarn down when I switched colors. You just keep wrapping and wrapping, there's no right or wrong way! The top was the hardest part because the yarn kept sliding off the top. I would definitely recommend getting white styrofoam and not green just because a little bit of the top does show, but you can't tell at all unless you look really close up; however, I'm sure the green would make it much more obvious.

Isn't this adorable?? It's made from a small terra-cotta pot, a terra-cotta saucer, glass bowl from the Dollar Tree and a wood ball! I painted the pieces black, hot glued everything together and embellished it with some ribbon and an SU Spooky Treats rub on.

Do you notice the little glass block in the background?? Melissa's mom made that for me last year and gave it to me at my baby shower. It was one of the first things I put out this year and I'm going to be really sad to have to put it away!

Here is what my little chest looks like in my entryway. The lighting on this picture stinks, because it's so much cuter in real life. The banner is a printable that I found on Pinterest. I just printed, cut and stapled to a ribbon. The tree and Frankenstein light are a hand-me-down decorations from my mom, I got the frame at my baby shower and it has a picture of my son wearing a Halloween shirt, the middle frame is another Pinterest printable (a witch), and the bottles are two old Starbucks frap bottles that were spray painted black. The smaller one is embellished with a Spooky Treat rub on.  I finished it all off with some black cheesecloth.

The rest of my house is decorated with fall-like pieces, so they will be able to stay up through Thanksgiving. I need to come up with some new ideas to replace these ones now that Halloween is pretty much over. 

Enjoy your Halloween and Trick or Treat. Ours got moved to Saturday due to the weather forecast. My husband and I both have tomorrow off, so I'm excited to have a weekday off with my favorite two guys!

Halloween Party at the Rudy's

This past weekend I had two of my best friends, Melissa and Carrie, along with their husbands and kids over for lunch (Melissa has Mila who is 3 1/2 months and Carrie has Reese who is 9 weeks). It gave me an excuse to plan some sort of Halloween themed shindig, since it is my favorite! I kept it pretty simple and made Zuppa Toscana in the crock pot, garlic breadsticks, Italian sandwiches from Giant Eagle and then some miscellaneous treats and appetizers. Melissa brought a side dish and Carrie brough cupcakes for dessert. My favorite thing was my "pumpkin" cheeseball! Thank you Pinterest for the idea! hehe

I also had little gifts for the girls and their moms, which I couldn't just wrap up any old way! I got little Halloween books for the kids and candles from my neighbor who pours her own candles for Mis and Carrie. I thought they turned out super cute. Reese's name could have been spaced out a little better, but that's okay.

I used the Big Deal Alphabet set to stamp the names on tissue paper after wrapping the books and oval and circle punches for the pumpkins. The stems were cut and attached to the back and the little green squiggle is a pipe cleaner. I tied it off with some raffia. The candles were wrapped in small sandwich bags with half of a doily folded over the top. The stamp set was Holiday Best, which I colored with markesrs and I used the scalloped oval to punch it. I finished it off with a small piece of raffia and the tiny binder clips! Needless to say, they loved them! :)

Here is a picture of the spread. It's sort of blurry, but you get the idea. I wish I had taken more pictures.

And, about 30 minutes before they arrived, I couldn't figure out where to put the silverware. So I pulled out some old baby jars (I never throw them away, because you never know when one will come in handy!). I wrapped scrap ribbon around the top and punched out two more pumpkins. The baby food jars themselves looked cute, but I love adding extra details.

M&M Matchbooks

Hello Everyone! I'm so excited that it's Halloween week! Today's post is the first of several Halloween treats for staff at work. These M&M Matchbook's were cased from this post on SCS. I made a total of 30 to give to my Health & Fitness staff at the Y.

Stamps: Batty for You

Paper: Basic Black, Cast A Spell DSP

Ink: Basic Black, Pumpkin Pie, Old Olive, Elegant Eggplant

Accessories: Scalloped Circle Punch, 1 3/8 Circle Punch, 1 1/2 Circle Punch, Staples, Sponges

I ran out of M&Ms and had to use a few packs of peanut M&Ms and while they turned out okay, it was hard to get the belly band around the bigger candies.

Candy Corn Treat

You may remember this post where I told you about my aunt who recently found out she has cancer on her spine. Well, my mom and I went to visit her in Ohio this past weekend and I took this little gift for her. The template is the same one I used for the box in this post and an PDF for how to make it can be found through Papertrey Ink. The pumpkins were made using the Coluzzle and Large Oval Punches along with a little sponging to give it some depth. The stem was hand cut and the little green strip was rolled around a pencil to form the curling effect. The sentiment was tied onto the Pumpkin Pie ribbon with twine and was punched out using the Large Oval Punch and the Scalloped Oval Punch.

Stamps: Great Friend

Paper: Natural Ivory, Kraft, Pumpkin Pie, Chocolate Chip, Old Olive

Ink: Pumpkin Pie

Accessories: Large Oval Punch, Scalloped Oval Punch, Pumpkin Pie Ribbon, Old Olive Striped Ribbon, Twine

Halloween Treats #3

Here it is...all of the projects that we will be making next Friday (September 25) at my Halloween Treats class!! We will be making the Fancy Favor Box, the Criss Cross Box, one Petal Card Ghiradelli Candy Holder, and today's project...2 little Peanut Butter Cup witch hats. I saw this idea on SCS and knew I had to make them! They are made with the 3rd largest circle on the Coluzzle which is cut in half. I love when you can get 2 of anything from a single shape! The base is just a scalloped circle punched in the same color as the DSP. Again the Cast-A-Spell DSP was used...and no stamping! Talk about super easy for mass producing! These would be great little treats for your Trick or Treaters :)

Halloween Treats #2

Today I am sharing part two of my Halloween Treats class. These little guys were made using the Big Shot and seriously took 10 minutes to make both of them; therefore, this is a great project for mass producing. Both were made using the Cast-A-Spell DSP. The Frankenstein is from Batty for You and the tag is from Eat Drink and Be Scary. I do prefer the thicker Old Olive ribbon because it covers the little "hole" from the petal card better (see below), where with the thinner Pumpkin Pie ribbon, you do have to do a little finagling to get the knot in just the right place. The petal card will stay shut on it's own, however, the candy inside is just big enough to cause an opening.

Here is a view with the ribbon untied

And opened to reveal a yummy Ghiradelli chocolate! And the other side of the DSP is a fun surprise too!

Again, my class is September 25 and more details can be found on this post.

Halloween Treats #1

I couldn't wait to start prepping for my Halloween Treats class as this is my favorite holiday of the year! I will be sharing the projects with you over the next few days (if you get my newsletter, you already know what all of the projects are). The class will be held on Friday, September 25 from 6:00-8:00pm at my home and is $15--and all the candy is included! I know you're going to want to make all of these again to give out to teachers, co-workers, family, etc, so to sweeten the deal if you purchase a pack of the Cast-A-Spell DSP, I will knock $5 off! And if you bring a friend, you will be entered into a drawing for a free stamp set! RSVP by September 21.

The first box is a Criss Cross box and uses the Eat Drink and Be Scary Stamp set along with the DSP.

This second box uses the Fancy Favor die for the Big Shot along with the Batty for You stamp set and DSP.

Fancy Favor Made with 8 1/2 x 11

As you can see, today's bag is very similar to yesterdays... however, this bag was made using an 8 1/2 x 11 piece of cardstock instead of a 12x12 piece. I knew there had to be a way to do it and found the solution! Unfortunately, I didn't take pictures of the process, but the directions should be easy to follow for those occasions when you don't have a 12x12 of the cardstock you want to use!

1. Cut your cardstock to 6x11.

2. Cut the remaining strip to 6 x 2 1/2.

3. Adhere the small strip to the longer strip.

4. Line up the cardstock on the die so that the seam occurs AFTER the score line for the flap of the bag (if you lay it before the score line of the flap, you will have a seam on the front of your bag).

5. Run through the Big Shot and score creased lines.

6. When you fold your bag together, you will notice a small strip of paper that extends past the crease line of the flap. Simply snip this off at the score line and you can adhere your bag together!

Stamps: Holiday Best, Seasons of Friendship

Paper: Kraft, Whisper White, Old Olive

Ink: Whisper White

Accessories: Big Shot, Fancy Favor Die, Scalloped Oval Punch, Horizontal Slot Punch, SU Markers, Chocolate Chip Ribbon

Baby Shower Favors

Let me just start by saying that these were supposed to be Halloween favor bags...but, after opening all of my new goodies, I realized that the new Big Shot Die Fancy Favor only works with 12x12 paper! While I did buy a pack of the Halloween DSP (which is 12x12), I wasn't ready to use it just yet...so I decided to do a baby shower theme in honor of my cousin who's shower is in a few months. My aunt contacted me about doing invitations and favors, just haven't set anything in stone yet, so I thought I'd start throwing around ideas. These could also be adapted for weddings, birthday parties, graduations, etc! And they were SUPER easy to make! A 6x12 piece of paper and two pieces of Sticky Strip and you have this really cute little bag to fill with any kind of treat you like! You can also leave them open (without the ribbon) for an even bigger treat.

I used the retired Parisian Breeze DSP and the Fun and Fast Notes stamp set (which was one of the sets I got in my Starter Kit!). I made both of these in 10 minutes. Coloring the carriage took me longer than assembling the bag. Plan on seeing lots more of these!

P.S. I have been brainstorming a way to possibly use 8 1/2 x 11 cardstock. So if it works as well in real life as it does in my head, I will have a tutorial for you soon :)

Stamps: Fun and Fast Notes

Paper: Kraft, Whisper White, Parisian Breeze DSP

Ink: Chocolate Chip

Accessories: Big Shot, Fancy Favor XL Die, Horizontal Slot Punch, SU Markers, Chocolate Chip Ribbon

Granola Bar Treats

I'm having a staff meeting tomorrow for my Group Exercise instructors and wanted to give them a small snack to have during our meeting. I immediately thought of granola bars...but I couldn't simply just give them a plain g-bar (as Joe and I call them). Here is what I am taking to the meeting tomorrow:

Surprisingly, these didn't take long to make at all. In fact I made all 20 in less than an hour and a half. The most time consuming part was cutting out all of the butterflies. I'm really pleased with how they turned out. At first I was going to use some retired DSP, but Razzleberry Lemonade was too tempting and I caved!

Stamps: Great Friend

Paper: Whisper White, Rich Razzleberry Cardstock, and Razzleberry Lemonade DSP

Ink: Melon Mambo, Rich Razzleberry

Accessories: 1 3/8 and Scalloped Circle Punch, Polka Dot Ribbon

1. Cut DSP to 4 x 4 1/4 and wrap around bar (long side is the length)

2. Stamp butterfly onto scrap piece of Whisper White using Melon Mambo and cut out. Adhere to 1 3/8 Whisper White Circle. Adhere that piece to Scalloped Circle punched from Rich Razzleberry.

3. Stamp sentiment over butterfly using Rich Razzleberry ink.

4. Adhere to center of bar.

5. Tie Polka Dot Ribbon around top of the bar.

And voila! Super easy! These could also be done with candy bars, rice crispy treats, etc!

Best Wishes Pillow Box

It's hard to believe that this is only the first project I have made with the new In Colors, ribbon, and DSP!! This is another project for my July 17 workshop and I can't wait to show you how simple these little pillow boxes are to make! I used the In Color markers to color the stamp in Melon Mambo, Crushed Curry, and Rich Razzleberry. At first I thought the polka dot ribbon and DSP together would be too much, but I'm glad I didn't turn the ribbon around. This was also the first time I used my new Oval All stamp set. I love how it coordinates with the Large Oval Punch and Scalloped Oval punches...super super easy!

These would also make super cute favors for weddings, showers, or graduation parties and can be customized to any color theme (and filled with your favorite treat!)...just let me know!!

Stamps: Oval All

Paper: Melon Mambo, Whisper White, Rich Razzleberry, Razzleberry Lemonade DSP

Ink: Melon Mambo, Rich Razzleberry, Crushed Curry Markers

Accessories: Big Shot, Pillow Box Die, Large Oval Punch, Scalloped Oval Punch, Melon Mambo Ribbon

Punch Pal Piggy

Oink! Oink! That's "Happy Birthday Mom" in Pig! haha Why am I making a pig reference for my mom's birthday??? Well she LOVES pigs! She's collected them my whole life, so it was only appropriate for me to make her a pig-related birthday gift! This little guy was made using the large oval punch and coluzzle. I love his little piggy tail on the back! Inside holds a gift certificate. I made this a few weeks ago and couldn't wait to post it, but I know she reads my blog and didn't want to ruin the surprise!

Stamps: Sanded Background

Paper: Regal Rose, Chocolate Chip, Whisper White, Basic Black Cardstock

Ink: Chocolate Chip

Accessories: Coluzzle, Large Oval Punch, Big Shot, Top Note Die, Ribbon, Chocolate Chip SU Marker, Mat Pack, White Gel Pen, Small Craft bag, Sponge

For Top Note Bag:

1. Cut two Top Notes from Chocolate Chip using the Big Shot. Stamp Sanded BG stamp using Chocolate Chip ink.

2. Cut craft bag to fit inside the Top Notes. Attach one to one of the Top Notes.

3. Use the large oval punch to punch a handle in the Top Note and through the bag.

4. Adhere other Top Note to other side of bag. Line up oval punch with previously punched one to punch through the other Top Note. Tie handle with Chocolate Chip ribbon.

For Punch Pal Piggy:

1. Cut out two ovals using 4th largest circle on Coluzzle on Regal Rose cardstock. Also punch 3 ovals using large oval punch.

2. Sponge around edges using Chocolate Chip Ink.

3. Line up mat pack in the center of one of the 3 ovals to create snout. Color two with Chocolate Chip marker.

4. Free hand cut two half ovals out of Whisper White and two half ovals out of Basic Black to create eyes. Use gel pen to draw highlights. Adhere to back of snout.

5. Use dimentionals to attach snout to largest oval.

6. Take the other 2 ovals and fold the tops down to create ears. Adhere to back of largest oval and adhere to Top Note bag.

7. Take a small strip of Regal Rose and wrap around a pencil to create curly tail. Adhere to other large oval. Adhere to back of Top Note bag so that it lines up with the head on the other side.

4th of July Top Note Box

With 4th of July being next week, I thought I should pull out some patriotic colors and see what I could come up with. I have been wanting to try one of these top note boxes so that's what I decided to make. There was no stamping involved in creating this which was kind of strange. Let me know what you think!

Paper: Not Quite Navy, Riding Hood Red, Whisper White Cardstock

Accessories: White Gel Pen, Mat Pack, Big Shot, Top Note Die

The tutorial for the box can be found here. The stripes were formed by cutting 1/2 inch strips of Whisper White and laying them over the Top Note Die. The stars were created using a gel pen and the mat pack.

*I didn't have any candy to decorate or there would definitely be a treat inside!

How Many M&M's?

I'm going to be using this at the party I'm doing this weekend. I'm not sure what the prize is going to be for the person who guesses closest, but it will most likely be either Stampin' Up product or a gift certificate. We have a whole case of these frap bottles from Costco so I can't wait to make more fun things with them! As you can see I caught the Summer Love color scheme bug again! haha I figured it will be a nice example of how the DSP, rub ons, and Great Friend stamp set coordinate. It's hard to tell, but there is a piece of Baja Breeze ribbon wrapped around the center (the oval is covering it in the picture).

Stamps: Great Friend

Paper: Baja Breeze, Kiwi Kiss, Whisper White, Walk in the Park DSP

Ink: Cameo Coral

Accessories: Summer Love Rub Ons, Scalloped Oval Punch, Coluzzle, 1 3/8, 1 1/2, and Scalloped Circle Punches

Kiwi Kiss Fry Box

This is one of the projects I will be demo-ing at the party I have this coming weekend. I used the template from Stampin' Up's demonstrator site and cut it out using Kiwi Kiss. It was super simple and took max 10 minutes once I figured out what I wanted it to look like (that's always the hardest part!) I will definitely be making these again!! It is filled with six wrapped Hershey's mini candy bars and some crinkled Designer Series Paper to match.

Stamps: Great Friend

Paper: Kiwi Kiss, Basic Gray, Bashful Blue, Walk in the Park DSP

Ink: Basic Gray

Accessories: Ribbon, 1 3/8 inch Circle, 1 1/2 inch Circle, and Scalloped Circle Punches, Twine, Cello Bag

Wedding Cake

First off, I'm going to start by saying these pictures do not do this project justice!! I earned a spot in the APEX (A Positive Example) swap through Meg Loven due to my performance last quarter. I was super excited as this was my first quarter as a demonstrator :) The theme for the swap is wedding (cards, favors, etc). I, of course, had to do a favor because I love making little treat bags/boxes. I got the template from the SU demonstrator website. Since there are only 9 people in the swap (so far, but tomorrow is the last day, so I should be safe) I only made the bottom layer which consists of 11 slices. There are templates for a second and third layer to make a tiered cake. The slices open up from the bottom which reveals a little tab holding them together, so even after opening they can still be put back together in tact. I couldn't choose between chocolate and vanilla pieces, so I did both! The only thing that bummed me out is that since there is an odd number of pieces, my alternating color pattern got messed up and I ended up with two white pieces next to each other. I know I could squeeze another one in there if I wanted to though...but after 3 hours of making these, I was done for the night! I can't wait to have a reason to make this again (and would really love to do a baby theme!)

Stamps: To Have and to Hold

Paper: Pink Pirouette, Chocolate Chip, Whisper White

Ink: Chocolate Chip

Accessories: White Organza Ribbon, 1 3/8 Circle, 1 1/2 Circle, and Scalloped Circle Punches, SU Markers, Stampin' Pastels, Blender Pen, Dimensionals

Here is an example from the SU website of what a tiered cake would look like:

Click here for my sample of wedding invitations!

Easter Treats

With this being Easter weekend, I wanted to make a few more projects using the Egg-cellent Easter set before it has to be put away. Since I love to make treat boxes/bags that's what I decided to make. I plan to use them as door prizes at Kim's party tomorrow afternoon.

Nugget Box:

Stamps: An Egg-cellent Easter

Paper: Bashful Blue, Certainly Celery, Whisper White Cardstock and Sale-A-Bration Designer Series Paper

Ink: Chocolate Chip

Accessories: Certainly Celery Ribbon, Stampin' Pastels, 1 3/8 Circle, 1 1/2 Circle, and Scalloped Circle Punches; Blender Pen, Dimensionals

1. For the bottom of the box, score 5 1/4 x 3 3/4 piece of Bashful Blue cardstock at 1/2 and 1 1/8 on all sides.

2. Cut off the three small boxes that make an "L" shape in each corner. On the long side snip along the score line up to the 1 1/8 score line to create little flaps.

3. Apply adhesive to the outer side of the flaps and the inside of the other edges and fold the box together.

4. For the top of the box score 5 1/8 x 3 1/16 piece of Bashful Blue cardstock at 11/16, 2 1/4, 2 15/16, and 4 7/16.

5. Fold on the score lines around the box and adhere ends together. (If you don't fold it around the box before adhering, you might make it too tight for the box to fit inside.

6. For the nuggets, wrap 1 x 3 piece of Designer Series Paper around each candy piece.

7. Decorate box as desired.

Top Note Treat:

Stamps: An Egg-cellent Easter

Paper: Bashful Blue, Certainly Celery, Apricot Appeal, Whisper White Cardstock and Sale-A-Bration Designer Series Paper

Ink: Chocolate Chip

Accessories: Apricot Appeal Ribbon; Stampin' Pastels; 1 3/8 Circle, 1 1/2 Circle, and Scalloped Circle Punches; Big Shot; Top Note Die; Blender Pen; Dimensionals; Medium Cellophane Bags

1. Send scrap piece of Certainly Celery cardstock and Designer Series paper through the Big Shot machine using the Top Note Die.

2. Fold both Top Note pieces in half. Cut DSP Top Note in half. Stamp sentiment in top right corner.

3. Wrap Apricot Appeal ribbon around DSP and adhere.

4. Fill medium cello bag with wrapped nuggets. Fold bag to close and place inside the folded Certainly Celery Top Note.

5. Staple bag to Top Note making sure that the front of the staple is in the back and that the prongy side comes out the front.

6. Adhere DSP Top Note with ribbon to the bottom half of the Certainly Celery Top Note covering the staples.

7. Decorate as desired.