Hello friends!  Just Us Girls has a great photo challenge going on and this is the lovely photo we have to inspire you this week!

 

I took some inspiration from Kay Miller as well in this post.  I created a simple box and then die cut the gift box from purple checked paper and the bow from silver paper and adhered it to the box.  The sentiment was die cut three times and layered to make it more dimensional.  Easy peasy!

 

You can see more fabulous inspiration from the JUGs design team and our November guest on the JUGs blog.

 

Thanks for stopping by!

 

 Recipe

Paper:  Irresistibly Yours (SU), Gingham linen rainbow petite prints (Doodlebug), silver shine (MFT)

Accessories:  Wrap It Up die (PTI), Season's Greetings die (SSS)



Tissue Box Cover

Hi everyone!  I made this tissue box cover a while ago that my friend Diane Zechman designed a while back.  You can find the tutorial on Splitcoast Stampers here.  That one was made with a fall theme and I never changed it!  My plan was to make one for each of the seasons, but that never materialized.  So I finally made a winter themed cover. 

 

I searched high and low for some snowflake paper in my stash and I had lots, but most was in the 6x6 pads and I didn't have enough.  I found this old SU paper called Wintergreen which had just what I was looking for.  I used two different patterns from the pack and white cardstock as my base.  The lace is actually a lace tape that I purchased at AC Moore I believe.  The snowflake was cut from grunge paper and white cardstock, then glued together for some stability.  Then I covered it with glossy accents and clear rock candy distress glitter and a blue glitter dot.  These are just so pretty and actually very durable.  I forgot to take a picture of the top.  The top is cut with a decorative Spellbinder's die.

 

That's it for today.  Thanks for stopping by!

 

Recipe

Paper:  PTI white, Wintergreen dp (SU retired)

Accessories:  Lace tape, Let It Snowflakes die (MFT), clear rock candy distress glitter, glossy accents, glitter dot, Spellbinder's die





Resist the Temptation

My niece posted on Facebook last Sunday that it is just three months until Christmas. It is going to fly by, just like this month did! But I'm ahead of the game this year because of the Christmas Stampin' All Year Long challenges.  I have so many cards/3-D items in my stash that weren't there this time last year!  Yeah me!

This week we are sponsored once again by Perfect Presentation.  The challenge is called "Resist the Temptation"....no stamping!  With all the embellishments and beautiful papers out there, this was an easy one.

The template I chose to use is called Perfect Parcel.  This is the cutest little template!  I thought it was going to be bigger, but it's the perfect size for some candies inside.  I recently saw these candy corn candies in a caramel apple flavor and bought them because I thought I could use them for one of my Christmas projects.  This little template was the perfect one for it.  You can fit a nice bag of these in the box.  The colors inspired me to use this retired dp from SU called Holiday Treasures.  I can't get enough of this paper...LOVE it!  All I did was cut the template on my Circut with the red cardstock and the panels from the dp.  I then tied it up with this beautiful chocolate satin ribbon (also SU, retired I think).  I was going to put the poinsettia flower on the front of the box, but it didn't look right.  So I added it on top covering the knot.  The front then looked so plain, so I added crystals to the chocolate designs on the dp.  That's it!  Sooo simple and stunning!

If you want to see more inspiration from the CSAYL girls, stop by the CSAYL blog.  They never disappoint!  And if you play along with us, you will have a chance to win a template of your choice from Perfect Presentation!  Thanks for stopping by and I love your comments!  Have a great Friday!

Just Us Girls - 3-D/Template Challenge

Happy Saturday everyone!  I've been so waiting for this day!  I need a restful weekend!  It's been a crazy couple of weeks!  Anyway, I'm finally back with my beloved JUGs girls!  This week Maria has a great challenge for all of us.  She loves fall, as do I.  It is my favorite time of year.  I love the cooler temperatures, the colors, and my comfy sweaters!  So the challenge is to take a box you have around the house (think recycling) and alter it with a fall theme.  My friend Diane Zechman created a great tutorial for a tissue box cover which she posted on Splitcoaststampers in the resources section here.  So I used her tutorial and created this fall-themed tissue box cover.

I created the base of the box from crumb cake cardstock according to the instructions.  Then I used this paper from PTI called Fall Prints and Patterns to decorate it with.  I added the ivory scalloped crocheted trim around the lid of the box.  The leaves were cut with Cuttlebug dies and the pumpkin in the middle is a button.  I just cut the shank off of it so it would sit flat.  I then added some scrapper's floss that I curled.  This was a super easy project to create.  I think I'm going to make these for the secretaries at school because they've been so helpful to all of us 5th grade teachers that are new to the Middle School.  They really are the heart of the building!

Stop by the JUGs blog to see the fabulous fall-themed creations the girls created.  Don't forget that our JUGs team is looking for a new member!  You can see the details here.

Dana Gustafson

Elise Durenberger

Kathryn Berthiaume

Maria Levine

Pam Imholz

Monique Hansen, Guest Designer

Thanks for stopping by!

Just Us Girls #94 - It's in the Bag!

Hello there!  It's Saturday and time for another Just Us Girls challenge.  This week is our 3-D/Template challenge and the lovely Dana has a chosen a fun challenge...decorate a gift bag!  So many options with this one!

I went sort  of simple with this.   I started with a kraft bag (quite a large one...I wish it was smaller) and added a Vintage Cream layer and this beautiful dp from the Curtain Call Collection by Graphic 45.  I made the black rose using My Time Made Easy's Rambling Rose cut file. 

The label is another cut file from MTME called Cornice Trimmed Oval.  The sentiment is from Sentimental Occasions, also from MTME.  The ribbon is from SU.  I wish I had some of those pretty crystal flourishes that Dana and Elise use to fill up that upper corner...I think it would have looked so pretty! 

Want to see more designs?  Stop by the JUGs blog to see what the JUGs team and guest designer Christina MacLaren have done. 

Andrea

Dana

Elise

Kathryn

Kristin

Thanks for stopping by!  I'll be back with another post tomorrow!

Secret Angel - Day 4

Happy Thursday! Two more days until the weekend! Today will be a looong day for me as we have evening conferences and I'll be at school until 7:30 tonight (after teaching antsy students all day)!

Today is also day four of our Secret Angel gift exchange! Yesterday I got some Lindor Truffles...yum! This is what I packaged up for my Secret Angel today.So you are probably wondering what this is. I should have taken a picture of the gift first! It's a picture holder. The base looks like a Christmas present and there are three holders for pictures. I used the one sticking out of the bag for my tag. The dp is from the same pack I used yesterday: The Homemade Christmas Stack from DCWV. The "ribbon" is printed on the dp, but the buttons are real. The bag is called Box in a Bag and the instructions for it are on Splitcoaststampers. Really a fun and easy bag to make. I tied it shut with a ribbon (I actually cut the ribbon tails shorter after I took the picture. They looked too long to me!

The tag was cut on my Cricut with the Secret Surprise Label cut file from My Time Made Easy. I printed the label at 85% and the red mat at 95% in SCAL. So nice to be able to adjust them like that! I used the Secret Santa stamp set from MTME also for the sentiment.. I just love that stamp set!

That's it for today! Have a great day and we'll see you tomorrow!

Secret Angel - Day 2

Our Secret Angel gift exchange at work is in full swing! Today is day two, and yesterday I received a box of Snickerdoodle cookies! They aren't homemade, but they are sooo delish! I'm going to be snacking for a few days on those yummy things!

If you didn't see yesterday's Secret Angel gift I made, you can go here to see that post. Today I covered an Altoid box full of those candies that clear your head out in an instant! LOL!!I used another retired dp from SU called Frosty Day. I've always loved the non-traditional colors of this dp! I ran some bashful blue grosgrain ribbon around the perimeter of the lid and used Scor-tape to hold it in place.
The oval bashful blue piece was cut with a Marvy punch. The flower design was stamped in chocolate chip with a piece from Papertrey Ink's Borders & Corners Oval set, and the monogram was from PTI's Ambassador Monogram set. I added some star dust stickles to the centers of the flowers to bling it up a bit. Easy peasy!

I'll have another post tomorrow with the gift for Day 3, so please stop by! I appreciate your comments! Happy Holidays!

Secret Angel - Day 1

Hi everyone! Our Secret Angel gift exchange began today at work. We chose one of our co-workers out of a hat to secretly leave gifts in their mailboxes or on their desks for the next five days. I chose our assistant principal, Melissa, so you'll be seeing the cute gifts I'm leaving for her everyday on my blog this week. She hopefully doesn't know it's me (although I've become known for my boxes and cards around the school, so she may know!). This is what I left for her today.

I tend to like the container more than the gift! Inside this mini pizza box are three holiday post-it note pads. I thought they were so cute and we use them all the time at school! They fit perfectly into this box. (I have to admit I almost just wrapped them in paper and tied them with a bow, but I just couldn't!) This box takes minutes (literally) to make.

I cut a 6" x 11" piece of card stock and scored it on the short side at 1" and 5". Then turned it to the long side and scored it at 1", 5", 6", and 10". Then I just followed the rest of the instructions for the box. I cut a 3 3/4" x 3 3/4 " piece of dp (SU's retired Dashing) for the top, made this fab flower with the Tim Holtz paper rosette die, added the die cut ornament, tag (using a Spellbinder die and My Time Made Easy's Secret Santa set), and ribbon and was done! It took me all of 15 minutes to make! These are so nice for jewelry or any small gift. I just love these boxes because of the simplicity. And I'm in love with these paper rosettes! It looked so festive sitting on Melissa's desk, too! Thanks for stopping in today. I'll have my second Secret Angel gift posted tomorrow, so I hope to see you then!

Birdhouse Shower Favors

Happy Sunday everyone! I'm co-hosting a bridal shower for the fiancee of our good friends' son this afternoon. He is my hubby's godchild, so I wanted to do something special for them. Cindy is a lovely girl and I really like her. I offered to help her out with the wedding planning because her mom lives far away and everyone else was busy. I'm off in the summer, so I had tons of time! I even made their wedding invitations (which I'll share at a later date).

The shower is a very small one, so I decided to make these shower favors. I cannot take credit for them. I received one at our Western New York Stamping Event in May, made by my friend Tracy Harp and her helpers. I saved it for just this sort of occasion. Here is a group post of the five different designs I made (I made 20 in total).

Aren't they adorable? I used the Stampin' Up mini milk carton Sissix die and a 1" punch for the window. There is a piece of acetate blocking the opening. The roof is just a long rectangle nestie that was cut and then run through the swiss dots Cuttlebug folder. They were filled with Hershey Kisses (there are 9 of them in there) then held shut with a mini binder clip from SU. The bird is SU's punch (which I won at the Stamping Event...perfect!). I just used scrap dp for the body and scrap cardstock for the wings. Took a little time to make these, but they were super easy! Here's a closeup of one. I also purchased three actual birdhouses from Pier 1 for prize giveaways at the shower. They will adorn the tables until they are given away. I love homemade gifts and favors like these! They really make a statement with non-crafters!

Thanks for making a stop to my blog today! I love to hear your comments! They really make my day! Enjoy your day!

My Dear Friend

Hi all! I totally forgot to post this little project I did last month for the birthday of my best friend, Maria. I had the card done a while ago for a JUGs challenge, so I decided to use a My Time Made Easy template to make a box for her gift to go along with the card. Here's the complete project.You can see the information about the card here (but I will say the sentiment is from Paper Makeup Stamps). The box is made from the template The Flapper from My Time Made Easy. (I'm always amazed at how big these boxes are when completed.) I used perfect plum cardstock for the base and barely banana for the flap. The dp is the same as the one on the card.I used the floral image from So Sentimental to decorate the front of the flap, and a pretty pink satin ribbon to tie it up.I used a nestie on the top of the box and a sentiment also from So Sentimental . I swirled some perfect plum in on the inside of the shape and added some Prima roses that I also used on the card. I placed a Pandora charm inside the box. Such a pretty presentation and Maria loved it! We had a good laugh, however, because I put the card and this pretty box in the most ugly gift bag I had on hand! She couldn't believe I did that! LOL!!!

I have some other projects and cards that I had forgotten to post that you will see on my blog in the next few days. But tomorrow I have a special Just Us Girls post for our technique challenge. Please stop by then. I'll have some bridal shower favors to show you on Sunday that I made for a friend's shower. Too cute (but I stole the idea from another friend). I also made my friend's wedding invitations that really were beautiful, if I do say so myself! So make sure you stop by often! Have a great weekend!

Dare to Get Dirty Challenge

Hi everyone! Are you a member of the SCS Fan Club? If so, the Dirty Girl challenges started on Saturday and I saw this one today from my friend Holly (Toy on SCS) and had to play! If you aren't a Fan Club member, join! SCS is full of so much inspiration it's worth the $25 or so a year to join! You can find the details of this challenge here (we are supposed to keep the details of the challenge secret to those non-members so they are enticed to become a Fan!).

I love using the templates created by Lauren Meader (when she was designing for PTI and now for her own company, My Time Made Easy). This one is from MTME and it's called Trendy Tote! She makes them so easy to put together and has thought of every detail. I went super simple with this one! I started with the JUGs colors this week of orange, navy, green, and cream. I couldn't get something done in time to play with my team this week, so I decided to incorporate the colors into this project. I used SU's night of navy and certainly celery cardstock and Jersey Shore dp. I added the green and orange bling, the tag from MTME A Spot of Tea set, some star dust stickles on the tag, and certainly celery ribbon and was done! I cut the template out using my Cricut and SCAL program...done in a flash! Here's another shot of the side of the tote.My sister-in-law had surgery on her shoulder today, so I stamped the Thinking of You sentiment from the same MTME set. I'm going to fill it with some good chocolate and maybe a book or two. She's going to be laid up for about 6 weeks, so she needs something to keep her busy. Today I just filled it with some silk greenery in pots that I display on my kitchen window sill.

Thanks again for stopping in today! I hope your week is going well! I'm off to straighten the house and finish my laundry before going out to a new restaurant tonight with my best friend, Maria! See you tomorrow!

Just Because

***If you are looking for the Paper Makeup Stamps blog hop, please read this post then scroll down to the next post where you'll find the PMS post. Thanks! :-)***

I only have a few more posts to share with you before my DT spot on Artful INKables expires. I had an idea to make a cute little candy/mint box that you could give to someone "Just Because". Here's what I came up with using the new set Any Birdy Home?

In this set there are two flowers and one leaf to compliment the three beautiful birdhouses (see my posts using two of them here and here). Here is a way to use them individually. I just stamped three flowers and seven leaves, colored them, cut them out, and created this sort of swag on the top of the round tin container. I covered the clear lid with this dp from SU called Sweet Always. Since the lid is clear and I wanted the same dp to show on the inside (and not the other side of this piece), I put another piece on the inside of the lid as well. I took my colors from the dp to color the flowers. I like this combo! You can really see the star dust stickles on the flowers and leaves. The "Just Because" sentiment is from another new mini set called Fanciful Flowers.The sides of the tin were covered with SU ribbon in Melon Mambo and Pretty in Pink grosgrain. I put some Cadbury Mini Eggs inside the tin. You could also put some mints in there. I'll be back maybe tomorrow or Tuesday with a Think INK Tuesday challenge. My favorite type of challenge....a sketch! Thanks for stopping in and have a great week!

Mr. & Mrs. Whooty Love Owl

Hi all! I have something really cute to share with you today. I met with my friend Cheryl Rowley on Friday for some stamp shopping and I wanted to give her a little present (she always gives me something she's handmade...so sweet!). I knew her sister collects owls, so I decided to make two cute critters from My Time Made Easy. Here is Mr. & Mrs. Whooty Love Owl. I used the cut file from MTME called Whooty Love Owl and the Undercover template. I used my Cricut Expression and SCAL software (I'll get to that later) to cut the boxes and the all parts of the owls with the exception of the eyes and the bellies. I used the PDF files for those and traced the bellies on the Shutterfly digital paper. These were so fun to make! It was a little confusing to figure out all the pieces and the coordinating colors I was going to use, but once I got that out of the way and created the first one, the second one went together in no time! The one thing I added after I took the picture was regal rose and chocolate chip ribbon around each box. It looked so cute with the ribbon! Inside one of the boxes were some stamps I had for Cheryl. Lauren Meader has a couple on her blog that are adorable! On one, she used the Heart Stealer Raccoon cut files to create a skunk! So clever and cute!

Now I have a special offer for you. I was approached by Canda of Canda Craft to offer my readers a 10% discount on their entire purchase at her store. This is where I got my SCAL software (Sure Cuts A Lot). It's a software you load onto your computer that will work with your Cricut and any .svg files. My Time Made Easy sells all their templates and cut files in the .svg format. The SCAL and Cricut do all the cutting work for you! That's what I used when I cut out my Undercover box and the owl pieces for my project above. It's an amazing software! There are also many .svg files out there in the www (some free!) that you can download and cut (just do a google search)! The SCAL software also has many of its own shapes and such that you can use, as well. I haven't played with all the bells and whistles yet (I've only had it for about 2 months), but I've seen what it can do and I'm impressed! Lauren Meader has a tutorial here on her blog that you can view for more information.

So if you are interested, here is the information you'll need for the discount.

Coupon Code: JUGS315
Expiration Date: 3/15/10
Discount: 10% off ENTIRE purchase

http://www.candacraft.com

Long post, huh? I hope you visit Canda Craft and see if there is anything you can use with the discount! She has more items in her store that are stamping related, so take a peak! Thanks for stopping by and enjoy your week!

Just Us Girls Template Challenge

Happy Saturday, everyone! Today, the Just Us Girls team has a template challenge for you. You can use a template or create one of your own...we just want to see some kind of box/bag you might use for the holiday season. And it can be any holiday! Here's mine.

I went to an old favorite....box in a bag from Splitcoast stampers. I remember the first time I made one, I was amazed at how petite it was, but yet it holds a lot! I used a retired dp from SU called Holiday Traditions. That was one of my favorites because of the chocolate color I LOVE!! I paired it with Pink Pirouette (also retired). The bottom was created with a Martha Stewart punch and the handle on top is SU's round tab punch. The snowflakes were punched with another MS punch in the pink and Riding Hood Red (I'm using a lot of retired paper!). It's such an easy but eye-catching bag to make!

We all need some kind of packaging this holiday, so why not join our challenge? Mona has some great blog candy to give away too! Just link your direct post to Mr. Linky on the JUGs blog and use the code JUGS9 if you post to an online gallery. Be sure to stop by the JUGS blog and see what the girls have created. It would also be nice to leave some love on their personal blogs, as well!

Thanks for stopping in today and enjoy the rest of your weekend!
Recipe
Stamps: Cute and Curly (SU)
Paper: Pink pirouette, riding hood red, Holiday Traditions dp (SU)
Ink: Riding hood red
Accessories: Lace doily and snowflake punches (Martha Stewart), round tab and curly label punches (SU), glitter dots, riding hood red ribbon, sticky tape, glue dots

Artful Inkables Think INK Tuesday Challenge

Hi all! The Think INK challenge from Artful INKables is to use any technique or create any 3-D item you have never tried before. You can find the challenge here.

I tried the Matchbook Candy Holder Splitcoast Stampers featured on their Holiday Tutorial Blitz. It holds a Ghiradelli chocolate, but alas, I don't have any chocolate in my house! I'd eat it, so it is not welcomed in my home! LOL! So here is my empty Matchbook Candy Holder. I think these would be great favors for the holidays. I may make these for Thanksgiving at my in-laws. My DH's family always loves when I make things like this for them! This one is geared toward Christmas. I used the newest release from Artful INKables called A Bird's Song. I just love this set. The birds in them are so pretty, and there is a nice size nest in the set as well that I'm anxious to use! I colored the bird as a cardinal, but I think it may be a blue jay! Oh, well, I needed the bird to match my dp, SU's Christmas Cocoa. I've been using that dp quite often, in case you haven't noticed! I just love the red and soft suede together. So pretty! Here's the inside of the matchbook. This sentiment is also from A Bird's Song. It's such a pretty verse, don't you agree?

You still have time to play in this challenge. Just post a direct link to your project to Mr. Linky on the Artful INKables blog here by Monday, November 9. We'd love to see what you create! We may be inspired by you! And you have the chance to win a grab bag of Artful INKable stamps! How cool is that?

I'd love to hear what you think about my (empty) Matchbook Candy Holder! There's also a lot of action going on at Artful INKables that you can read about here. Thanks for stopping in today!
Recipe
Stamps: A Bird's Song (Artful INKables)
Paper: PTI white, real red, soft suede, Christmas Cocoa (SU)
Ink: Memento tuxedo black, soft suede
Copic Markers: E15, 27, 29, 33; R27, 39; Y38; W-1
Accessories: Nesties, brads, red-line tape, Scor-Pal, star dust stickles, crystal effects, dimensionals

Makeup for the Weekend Challenge

Want some makeup for the weekend? You will love the stuff the Paper Makeup Stamps DT have for you. We have a challenge for you just in time for Halloween...make a box or treat bag of some sort. I think all of us went with a Halloween theme for this and here is mine.I made a mini pizza box...such fun and so easy to make! I got mine from Jen del Muro a long time ago (last year sometime), but I'm sure there is a tutorial on SCS in the Resources section. I used a piece of pumpkin pie cardstock as my base, and the dp is from a Halloween stack from K&Co. Boy, this dp has seen some action this year! LOL!! It's really some great paper! The sentiment is from Spooky Sentiment and the bat is from Spooky Solids. I stamped the sentiment in black and cut and embossed in with a tag die. I colored the candy corn with copics. The eyes on the bat are black bling just to give it more dimension, and it's on dimensionals. I tied the black and white gingham ribbon around the perimeter of the box and tied a bow.

So why don't you stop by the PMS blog to get some inspiration for your creation? There's some fab treat bags to see! If you participate in our challenge, use the key word makeup4theweekend03 if you post to an online gallery and post your direct link to the PMS blog so we can see it! Thanks for stopping in today. Have a great weekend and I'll have another post later! See you then!