Mini Thumbprint Art Fun

(again, posting ahead while I have Internet access)

Here's a collection of cards from my To Replicate stash. They all use the "O" or "0" (that's letter O or numeral 0) from the retired "Alphablocks" sets. They are one reason I insisted on hanging onto the sets. These little critters were all inspired by the art and books of Ed Emberly who has the knack for turning the letters l, V, U, O, M, and W (any others?) on fingerprints into all sorts of images. These projects were especially fun for me because they fall under the Cute Little Things category. The blocks are about 3/4"square, so the little ovals are about 1/4" from top to bottom. Tiny! So, if you have "Alphablocks" or something similar or an intact pencil top eraser or an inkable pinky tip, think about making some prints and doodling them into cards. It's great fun and a cool scrap stash bustin' activity!

P.S. The punny greetings (oink! oink! and Best fishes!) are personalized stamps that I had Stampin' Up! make for me.

Ribbit, Slurp!

(posting early while I have Internet access)

Being on vacation, I'm having such a good time with my family...but I surely do miss my stamps. Here's a card using an old, old, long-retired set that while ignored remains one of my faves. I just love frogs and this one all dolled up wearing a ho-hum blase expression cracks me up! Once again, this is a card from my archives/to recreate stash. I want to make more of these for that Cards a la Carte supply!

I water colored the images using our Watercolor Brush and Ink Pads (doing CPR on the ink pad cases to get ink on the lid then picking up the ink with a watercolor brush). I'm certain that I can do a better job now with Aquapainters and layering colors. I still need to practice my water coloring techniques. Another fun thing about this card is that it's crimped after the artwork was done. I did not paint into ripples and such! I also like my stamped, heat-embossed button with real embroidery floss knots. It might me time to make a bunch more of those as well. The image is from either an incentive stamp or along-retired set. I'm thinking any of the images that would go with the 1/2" Circle Punch could work as well. Emboss a bunch then punch them out! Or, use the S'U! buttons that coordinate beautifully with our colors.

DDGG-Dazzling Diamondsed Grey Guiding

This is one of my favorite make and take cards that I did way back when I was a new demo in '99. I need to make more for my Cards a la Carte Stash. "Fabulous Flourishes" has been retired for awhile, but if you have it or another bold-line floral, you can recreate this look. It's rather impressive--showier in person--and not all that hard to execute!

Step 1:
Stamp floral images all over confetti cream panel using Going Gray Classic Ink. Start with biggest images then fill in with smaller ones and foliage.

Step 2:

Load Sponge Daubers (I call then olives) with Stampin' Pastels and scrub colors over the images. I use two colors for each image to give depth, for example a Summer Sun + Only Orange for the yellow flowers. You are using gray images to guide your pastel application, and when you're done, the gray will have picked up the colors. (Interesting trivia: I didn't invent this technique but I did name it!)

Step 3:

Buff pastel crumbs into and off the panel using a soft disposable dusting cloth. Even though disposable, these can be washed out, dried, and re-used.

Step 4:

Use a 2-way Glue Pen to draw over the formerly gray guide lines then bathe the glue lines with Dazzling Diamonds Glitter. You can work quickly or work in sections. If the images look over glittered, stop! Don't pick or fiddle with it as it'll smear. instead, allow the glue to set and dry then use the pads of your fingertips to gently rub over the glitter in circular motions to remove the excess.

Step 5:

Affix decorated panel to a mat and then the mat to card. Ooh and aah, put it into a Crystal Clear Envelope, then ooh and aah some more over your newly-created "$15 Papyrus" card.

White On!

I'm going through my archives of cards to replicate for my angel policy Cards a la Carte stash. This is one that definitely bears repeating. I created these for my friend Lillian whose husband threw her a surprise birthday tea party. I couldn't attend because I was giving a workshop then, however, I told Lil that I'd make her some thank you cards to use. Now, the glitter is Lil's touch! For some reason I thought she'd not like it, but I was wrong! While the stamps used for this card are retired, many of my customers have them..."Soft Swirls" background and "Vertical Greetings" done in White Craft Ink on the retired Positively Pink Card Stock. The white mat is Whisper White. Really, this combo of the opaque white ink on any medium or deeper colored card stock would work! The only hang up is to allow for adequate drying space and time as the craft ink can smear and takes awhile to dry. So worth it, though!

Friday Excursions

Yesterday we have an early lunch in Orlando at something new for us: an A&W Drive-In! We placed our order from the comfort of our car with the A/C running and a carhop brought us our food! The corn dog nuggets and cheese curds were a treat! I am both relieved and happy to report that we made it to Plantation, FL (outside of Ft. Lauderdale) in one piece. The drive down was beautiful scenery-wise but super-scary driver-wise. Florida folks just have a very different style of driving to which we're not yet accustomed. They don't seem to use turn signals when they change lanes. They are very comfortable weaving in and out of lanes, squeezing into tight spaces as they do so. They (big rigs included) also seem very comfortable speeding so closely that they can probably tell the time using the clocks on the dashboards on the vehicles which they're following. Whatever happened to the one car length per every 10 m.p.h. cushion rule? It's no wonder we've seen more accident scenes here than anywhere else. We saw four more today as we ventured from Plantation to Miami Beach and back. They even have signs along the highways here that accident vehicles need to pull out of the line of traffic. Yikes!

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We parked the car in Miami Beach and found the system of paying for time on a ticket that can be used in any space until expired very interesting. The kindest gentleman took the time to provide a patient tutorial for us and another party. It turned out that he works with the "meters" for a living. He wasn't even on duty! We then strolled up and down the main drag shopping for a place to eat. They all had things that looked super! The pans of paella were very tempting but we settled on a table under the misting fanned and canopied Foxcafe. Everything was superb! I took no pics--darn! Dewey ordered a delicious penne arrabiata. Greg had the gigantic shrimp cocktail with a spicy sauce with fresh horseradish. Jon had some delicious fried chicken wings with fries...he's easy to please. I had the most delicious lemon-olive oil salad dressing on seared tuna with roasted red peppers and was it arugula? Excellent food!

After lunch, we headed across the boulevard to the beachfront. This is the view to the left...

...and the view to the right...

and a view of the Woo Boys with the Atlantic Ocean behind them.

Here are a couple of views of the boulevard. Too bad I didn't capture for you the pic of the dude in the Pixie Pink thong stuffed with currency, scratching the rash on his cheeks...and I don't mean his face...or, the pic of the girls in a club dancing on tables...or, the pic of the overly-endowed mannequin with the revealing tank top to which G said, "Well, I'd say that was Dollycized!", and to which J said, "That's the biggest Barbie doll I've ever seen--ever!" Those pics, however, are etched in our minds. No biggie...we're from San Francisco!

The walk up and down the sidewalk here is very interesting because there are hostesses at every single establishment inviting passersby to eat at their restaurants. They showcase enticing sample platters of food and their menus and say how just about everything on the menu is 50% off.

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A hop in the car and the A/C blasting, we drove a short way to learn that...

the Holocaust museum turned out to be a Holocaust Memorial. We will have to take the kids to D.C. someday to visit the real one. It's supposed to be worth a stroll in here and they have songs playing, but there was no parking to be had. This photo will have to do. It depicts an identification number tattooed on the hand's wrist and the forearm is covered with starving, suffering bodies. Gregory and I read "Night" by Elli Wiesel in preparation for this visit. It's a very touching account of what happened in Nazi concentration camps from a boy's point of view, and a sobering reminder of all that we take for granted.

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A little more driving and we found ourselves in Little Havana.

Walgreen's Farmacia!

How rude of me to dig in without taking pics first. These were some of the pastries that we picked up at a local bakery. I was doing okay in rusty Spanish with the lady behind the counter to translate that the croquettes were de pollo (chicken) and that the turnovers were guava. The empanadas contained carne (meat). Then customers came over to help us. They were so friendly, asking us where we were from, and then telling us what all the yummy-looking items were. Pictured above are the rest of the best flan that Gregory and I shared along with an egg and sugar confection. The pink dot on the yellow ball was guava paste--yum! Apologies for the bite marks. They (the pastries, not the bite marks) would have gone well with a hot mug of tea. Yes, even in this heat!

Dewey drove some more then we pulled into another bakery called Versailles. I know it's famous, but where did I hear about it? Was it Rachel Ray? Anyhow, they had case after case of good eats. Ready-to-press Cuban sandwiches, jamon con queso (ham & cheese) which Gregory sampled. I loved that everything here had labels in Spanish. If I weren't so stuffed already, I would have tried the pineapple tarts. The pineapple sliced looked grilled and juicy and covered in glaze. The besitos chocolate (Chocolate Kisses) were tempting, but would have melted by the time we got to the car in the parking lot. It was so kind of the customer, summoned by name by the lady behind the counter, to come over with his mouth full of sandwich to tell us that the tall prosciutto sandwich was not one that they put into a sandwich press.

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We returned to Plantation for some quick shopping. While Dewey took the kids to Game Stop, I stopped at...

Michaels and took my sweet uninterrupted time looking at all the books and magazines. Picked up a Wilton cake decorating yearbook, the 25th anniversary issue of Vogue Knitting and a Card Creations issue with 288 ideas, 'cuz one can never have too many card-making ideas.

A quick spin through Costco ISO local delicacies that can't be found at home yielded just one thing: a jumbo jar of pickled sausage. Too bad they weren't issuing samples, or I'd have tried a piece. The salads at Costco were just too big for us three salad eaters, so we just got a big bag of Maui Onion chips and a container of edamame (soybean pods). We then opted to pick up a family feast at Boston Market to enjoy in our hotel room. Mr. Mac 'n Cheese was quite pleased. Too bad this Sheraton doesn't have the Disney channel since "High School Musical 2" premieres tonight. I'm sure, though, that they'll show it lots more, so the boys can catch it another time.

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We had another fun day in the tropics! I think it's funny, and maybe you will too, that I think the A/C in the hotel is too-too cold!!! We turned it down to 70, and still I had to sleep under the comforter last night. Uh oh...

Vacation Notes Catch Up

Dewey and I woke early this morning to pack up as we're checking out and heading to the Ft. Lauderdale-Miami area today. Time to post a catch up for our vacation journal before I forget what we did. Tuesday was another lovely day spent at Disney's Blizzard Beach water park. When it's this hot and humid, we love water parks! Our favorite ride is...I'm blanking on the name...but on where we climb, climb, climb up a series of stairs to get to the top of the mountain (where it's really scorching hot). If we're lucky, a cast member sprinkles us liberally with a hose. Then we hop into a family raft, sit down, and enjoy the longest, curviest, twirliest, wettest (water seeps into the raft from the bottom) ride. The stairs are lots of work in the heat, so we did it just once on Tuesday. Our next fave is the lazy river. We just sit in inner tubes and float about, unless the kids decide they'd like to tow and spin us. We saw the sweetest thing when a grandfather was gently taking his granddaughter to a relaxing ride along the lazy river. He was in the tube so that he could walk the river and his granddaughter was nestled against him, his hand shielding her eyes from the sunshine. He was softly singing her a lullaby. That has to win for The Best Nap Ever! Once we had our fill of the water park and a variety of Snow Balls--pina colada is yummy!--we returned to our sweet for a nice nap then headed back to Giordano's for a delicious dinner. Once we placed our order...boom! Torrential downpour with a few claps of thunder. The rain stopped just as we were finishing dinner, and things cooled down a bit. The Internet connection is the lobby was down, so I couldn't post anything on Tuesday.

Knowing that yesterday was our last Disney day, we headed back to the Magic Kingdom to do Splash Mountain again and again and again. We seem to have an affinity to water, don't we? The kids got to do the Indy Racing attraction which is similar to Autopia in Disneyland.

Herrrrre's Jonnie! He's inviting to drive me somewhere for a change. He kidded that we we're headed to Miami, but about five minutes later, we we're right back at #4 where we started. How it worked out that he got a *blue* (his favorite color) car is beyond me.

Speaking of blue cars, Dewey was able to upgrade our rental for one with more power. We had a terrific scare on Monday as a big rig nearly ran us off the turnpike. Dewey saw that the truck behind us was speeding up no matter what so he had to veer to the shoulder where we nearly ran into reflective safety sticks and the truck just tore past us without even veering to the left. Meanie. It's quite freaky here as we've seen accident scenes with emergency vehicles with flashing lights *everyday*. You have to know that we've been here for two weeks. This lil gecko was decorating our car when we were about to go to EPCOT. (Do you like it's tail, Simmy???)

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After our last hurrah at Magic Kingdom, we headed back for a good but too-short nap before having salad, corn, and leftover pizza for dinner. We then headed back out in the humidity (the heat wasn't so bad, but the humidity is cloying and makes it seem hotter) for a last run to EPCOT. This photo is of the landmark dome from the backside with the dancing waters fountain show set to music.

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We enjoyed the fantastic show by the young acrobats visiting from China. The kids got a kick out of understanding the entire welcome and introduction messages in both Mandarin and English. There was a unicyclist who balanced and stacked bowls on her head by kicking them up into the air and catching them with the ones already stacked there. To end, she added a cup and a spoon to the pile. Next was a set of twins--very strong twins--who did all sorts of ouch-eliciting comments from the audience. They made it look so easy. Seeing that I had trouble sitting down and getting up from the pavement to see the show, I have a very long way to go! The final act was what we think another set of twins and a sidekick. These boys, dressed in chefs' garb, were so cute as they juggled plates and cutlery. They spun plates and kept pulling out more tables and more plates till all were spinning. Fabulous!

We then enjoyed the 360-degree movie of China. Gregory was thrilled that the narrator was an ancient poet that he learned about in Chinese History from Tang Laoshi. We also enjoyed Impressions of France--beautiful scenery set to moving music. The line at the patisserie was far to long to warrant another pithivier purchase, so I'll have to try to find those at home.

Beautiful lotus pond in China. I took a picture of this in the late 80s when Dean and I ran away from home. (After he graduated from college, I took my big baby brother on a trip to WDW.) Hey, maybe when we get back, I can finally re-scrap that first trip to Florida along with this one!

Bragging on Pam Tsuzuki!

Pam Tsuzuki is a fellow Stampin' Up! Demonstrator, who's from Honolulu, Hawaii. Her upline is also from Hawaii but actually lives in SF, the next hill over from me. Small world! Anyhow, Pam and I have been e-mailing each other about blog things, Hawaii, etc.. I was so thrilled when Pam, en route from convention in Denver to visit her folks in San Jose and work in San Francisco offered to get together so that I could drool over her convention swaps. Isn't that the sweetest thing? We got together in my studio after our own family dinners. Wow! She had quite a nice collection of swaps! She also gave me these cards of her own creation. I'm sure you'll agree that she's quite a talented stamper with nice attention to detail and incredible color combos! Thanks, Pam! (T'anks also for da ono senbei and choc-mac shortbread cookies!)

spotlight technique

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check out the "smell my feet" H'wen medallion that goes with the orange baby foot prints--so clever!

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beautiful combo of In-Colors, double-stitched grosgrain ribbon, pearl pretties, stamps, and Designer Papers

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this card is my favorite...is it the Pretties' flower dyed to perfection with Chocolate Chip ink refill? the rich combination of papers, ribbons? the chic combination of boutique colors?...

...or that it opens, and ...

opens some more to reveal the special greeting? That's so easy! All of the above!!!

$15 Papyrus, fo' sure!

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Thanks for letting me brag on ya, Pam!!!

Glitter Got Your Ink Pads?

Ever get so zealous with the glitter that you do the syringe flick only to realize that you perhaps should have moved your ink pads out of the way? Amazing to see the flecks of Dazzling Diamonds glitter flutter ever so gracefully, as if in slow mo. to land so prettily all over your Real Red Ink Pad. Or, for some reason, that solid imaged flower just doesn't stamp down solidly...what's the deal? A few stray spots of glitter on that ink pad that end up on your stamp is all it takes.

Does you ink pad look like this?

(glitterful pad pic coming)

Do you have this?

(glitterful stamp pic coming)

Try doing this. Just press and pull till it's all picked up...even on a wet pad!

(pics of glitter being lifted off with lengths of adhesive tape coming)

Problem solved!

More Vacation Notes

I'm not sure I had much luck with the camera yesterday. I tried to do pictures of our trip to MGM Studios, but not many turned out. Maybe I didn't need to turn off the flash during "Beauty and the Beast"? Maybe I didn't use the right setting for the fantastic car stunt show. Oh well! We had a very hot and humid day at MGM and kept ducking into shops to cool off and to the rest room to wet our heads. The shows were fantastic, however! Lunch at the ABC Commissary was delicious--Cuban sandwich, stir-fried veggies & noodles which Gregory doctored up to perfection using the available condiment packs, fish and chips. The A/C was the best! We returned to the suite for a rest and relaxed dinner of leftovers then headed to DisneyQuest. The boys had a blast in the five-story building with all-inclusive simulator experiences and arcade games. It was lots of fun for me too until the noise level saturated my brain. The boys went back with Dad today and had a great time. I relaxed in the quiet, peaceful comfort of our room watching the "Poseidon Adventure" and tidying up a bit. I am happy to report that I've finally launched all 22,222 Blog Candies for which I received e-mails with snail mail addresses.

Add to this scene flashing lights, the sound of a gazillion arcade game machines, the plunking of skee balls, and the melody-lacking disco beat of whatever was playing with the volume and base turned all the way up! The boys (Dewey included) had so much fun they returned for another visit. Too bad I missed my camera as they just marched through the lobby, in the same descending height order with our dinner fixings to throw on the grill! Dewey had the gard bread, Greg had the hot dogs in the covered pot, and Jonathon had the tongs and his GameBoy DS! I need to sign off now, because they headed back to the room with the cooked food and are heating up the chili. After dindin we're headed out to catch the new Jackie Chan flick.

Got a Handle on the Entire Collection of Ink Cartridges!

While I have my Stampin' Around wheels in S'A! cases in my stamp set wall of shelves, I have my handles and cartridges neatly organized right behind my chair on my accessories wall of shelves. It's working very well...

White basket houses both standard and jumbo Stampin' Around wheel handles and a Wheel Guide while the photocopy paper box lid (note the perfect fit on the shelf) houses...

all 48+ S'U! exclusive colors of Classic Ink cartridges in both jumbo and standard. Somewhere I have a photo of a case which is an XS Stamp Storage case which I'll sneak in here later. I have these cases filed by color family palette with the standard cartridge's label facing up. These cases really cut down on the evaporation rate of the ink. I like having both the mama and the baby stored together in their own little cocoons. It makes pulling and re-housing much easier.

The hardest part of this was matching up the singles, deleting duplicates or really off-colored retireds, and labelling and filling the jumbo cartridges. So worth it! Now, to get those ready-made color labels from the catalog that I missed the first time around! You see, I never got around to do those labels on the computer or just doing them by hand. Then I found them in the new catalog. There you go: another example of why it sometimes pays to procrastinate. Those color labels will definitely help further organize this very complete library of ink cartridges. I'll have to still do labels for VersaMark and any retired colors, though. I think I can handle that! (pun intended)

Rose-Scented Pretties Update

I'm definitely ordering additional Pretties Kits to make more of my hand-dyed rose-scented flower pins. Just had to report that 1) I tested my hat pin on my hat here in Florida and it got drenched in several downpours and the dye did not fun...so the spray fixative on both sides of the flower parts does seal the color and prevent it from running, and 2) the hat pins are not very secure as my pin came off somewhere between Test Track (recall 65+ m.p.h. speeds) and The Land in EPCOT. Oh, well! Take it from my experience that perhaps the hat pins are good for cards and scrapbook pages, but that maybe sewing or hot gluing the posies to a traditional pin backing for jewelry-wearing purposes would be more secure. I enjoyed it while it lasted and hope that someone found it and is enjoying it too!

Postcards from Nepal & Africa

The days are running together so I'm taking advantage of some down time to park in the cool (I'm wearing my shrug) lobby where the wireless connection is available (most of the time). The kids are enjoying their new Gameboy DS cartridges, Dewey's probably watching sports, so I'm catching up on my bog and e-mails. Before I forget and cannot piece it together, on Thursday we spent a second day at Animal Kingdom to do some of what we missed the first day. It's a really neat park!

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Picturesque vista on the hike into "Asia". I just love that a little hike can bring us from Florida to the base of Everest!

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Local bazaar.

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Local ice cream parlor.

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Gregory's favorite new ride, that thrill-seeker--Expedition Everest. Jon went once in the morning then decided he had enough, so Greg used Dewey's and my FastPass.

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There are a few interesting things to see in the gift shop which doubles as the exit for Expedition Everest.

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This is the temple where we line up for our favorite short by very wet ride, Kali River Rapids. If it's a good run, one can get soaked! If not, then a quick trip to Splash Basin is also helpful.

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I believe this was the local ladies' room (aka Splash Basin) in disguise...

and this the men's.
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We departed Asia headed off (on foot) to Africa to procure FastPasses for the animal safari. Our air-conditioned luncheon was great...eating delicious food in an air-conditioned cafeteria, that is.

We joined forces with an adorable troup of scouts and headed off to see (and smell) some critters...

that's a termite mound!

We saw lots more animals but we were riding in a bumpy jeep that didn't pause much so I didn't take a whole lot of pictures. Well, I did but Dewey's head got into a lot of them.

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We concluded our visit with an enjoyable Circle of Life Lion King musical. No one can do it quite like Disney! The singers, acrobats, dancers, "animals" were most entertaining. Then back to Splash Basin so that we could make it back to the car. We made a pit stop to the Chick-Fil-A drive-through for a shared snack of a couple of original chicken sammies and a side of cole slaw.

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We freshened up, took nice naps, then headed out for dinner at Giordano's. It's the same outfit that Dewey remembers from his Chicago days. We ordered a thin crust cheese pizza for Jonathon who devoured half of it all on his own. The sausage, mushroom, tomato stuffed pizza for the grown ups was delicious! Dewey's already made plans for a second visit for the spinach stuffed pizza. Gregory and I are game. Jon looks forward to more of "the best" cheese pizza.

Vacation Scrapbook

Today we enjoyed a fantastic visit to Typhoon Lagoon. We're all for getting splashed...well, no, that's not accurate...we're all for getting doused with water when it's this hot and humid. High 90s with the heat index translates to 100+ degrees. This is certainly a change of pace. As we left the park at about 2-ish there was an incredibly long line to get into the park. They were having guests park on the grass as well as the cast members' parking lot.

Speaking of getting splashed and doused with water, I have to record what a magical day we had yesterday in the Magic Kingdom. We started the morning with two standy-by rides on Splash Mountain. The temperatures of the start of the day here far surpass the hottest part of the day where we come from, so getting wet right from the get go brought welcome relief. It was fun to get two rides in just like that!

As we exited Splash after our second ride of the morning, we were greeted by a special Disney crew that surprised us with the nicest gift! We received four of the last six Dream FastPasses of the day! Woo Hoo! This was a special badge with tabs that would get us through the FastPass lane once for each of the attractions at the Magic Kingdom that offer FastPasses! To celebrate, we let the boys ride on Big Thunder Mountain Railroad a couple of times while we rode Splash Mountain yet another time. We also obtained traditional FastPasses for Splash so that we could cool off once again after lunch before we left the park...excellent idea, Gregory!

The Pirates of the Caribbean attraction is very nicely done here and very different from Disneyland. The areas where the lines move are much more shaded and interesting, looking like a Spanish style fort. We appreciate any form of cooling that the parks provide while we're waiting in line.

The rear entrance to Sleeping Beauty's Castle. Too bad it appears that the Briar Rose storybook walk through was being refurbished. That's always fun. We enjoyed our FastPasses to Peter Pan's Magic Flight and Mickey's Phillar Magic--the best 3-D film attraction ever with no scary or stinky effects. We even did the Jungle Cruise with the funniest skipper ever; every single line that he uttered was hilarious!

We returned to our suite for a mid-day siesta and delicious dinner of grilled kabobs, grilled garlic bread, and corn on the cob then headed back to the park. I really do love having a kitchen in our suite with access to that gas grill out by the pool! It was even more humid, making it seem hotter, but we had to use those Dream FastPasses! The evening started with yet another ride on Splash. The kids did another round of Big Thunder. We got caught in the parade route, so we stuck it out to enjoy that--very much like the Main Street Electrical Parade at California Adventure. Stitch's Great Escape was cute only after I figured out how to lift the shoulder harness so I didn't feel as though I was being pinned down. We ended with the Monsters Inc. Laugh-something which was quite a delightful a live animation/audience participation deal. That was the most time we spent in any park in one day (because of the weather), thanks to those special Dream FastPasses. We only left three unused!

Ahhhh: showers and a good nights' sleep and our batteries were recharged for yet another fun Disney day.

Allison's Calling Cards

Allison has received her Blog Candy from me, so it's safe to post this. It seems as though she's one of the first to realize it when I update my blog. I designed these cards just for her because she designated her prize of monogrammed cards to be done for her mother. I made those, but just had to do something for Allison! I'm calling these Allison's Calling Cards. The idea is that Allison can write notes on these then leave them propped up somewhere in hostess' homes, next to a little gifts, if she so desires, for the hostess to find after the guests have left! Join me for this Punch-Along Friday!

I cannot get enough of my favorite, albeit retired, "Little Letters" alphabet set! I also cannot get enough of these new flower punches by S'U! I love-love-love how these flowers stay 3-D thanks to the support of congealed hot glue! They don't smoosh!

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You'd think I worked in a factory in a former life. Here's how I laid these correspondence cards out to do all the alphabet stampin'. Correspondence cards are layered post cards. Bottom layer is 4-1/4" x 5-1/2" in Perfect Plum. Top layer is 4" x 5-1/4" in Bordering Blue. "allison" is stamped in Perfect Plum Craft Ink.

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Here are the flower parts: (clockwise from 1:00) Snow Blossom in Lavender Lace, Trio Flower in Almost Amethyst, 5-Petal Flower in Elegant Eggplant, 1/4" Circle in Brocade Blue, Large Oval, socred and folded in Old Olive.

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Place all botanical bits on the mat in the Mat Pack and use the big end of the Stylus Tool to press the centers down, cupping the shapes. On the larger shapes, I ended up pressing at the base of each petal.

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Now, get out your trusty hot glue gun. Work carefully and quickly to apply the hot glue to the backs of the shapes and press the bases to the paper layer below. Do not flatten. Press things down using the end of your Stylus Tool. As the glue sets, it'll hold the flower's shape.

Gregory's 13th Birthday

Monday was a magical day for our family, especially for Gregory who celebrated his 13th birthday anniversary in the Magic Kingdom. The day began hot and muggy. We nearly passed out in the shade of a tree right before the park opened. The breakfast beverage of choice has become ice water! Anyhow, Gregory is soooo thrilled to be an official teenager! How time flies!

Singers greeted us with an opening ceremony at the Disney Mainstreet USA Railroad Station. How they can look so cheerful and happy in their costumes in the heat and humidity is a mystery to us. They are to be applauded.

Chip (the one-toothed chipmunk) and a couple of cast members.

The Woo Boys pose in front of Sleeping Beauty's magnificent castle which now houses a suite to accommodate overnight guests. Wouldn't that experience be a gas? As long as it's equipped with A/C...

Uh, sorry...I don't know this family and I didn't procure any photo releases but I was trying to get a picture of two attractions we decided to leave for the next trip. It was getting too-too hot after lunch. Our morning was pretty spectacular, though. Buzz Lightyear Astroblasters here cannot measure up to Buzz Lightyear's Astroblasters in L.A.--my favorite ride! The laser guns aren't very mobile and it was hard to aim or even know that we were aiming. There were also only circle targets, none of the squares, diamonds, and triangles like Disneyland. Still, I scored 120800-something points. How? I do not know! We then headed to Frontierland which is a much shorter hike than in L.A. and got in two standby rides on Splash Mountain (different/wetter than L.A. the last time we rode before they re-did it in April), two standby rides on Big Thunder Mountain Railroad (better than L.A.). We even did FastPass rides again for Splash and the boys did two rounds of Big Thunder. Then it was time for lunch--yummy--in a big air-conditioned cafeteria.

We stopped at Guest Relations on our way in so that Gregory could sport his b-day pin. The Disney cast crew were so good about wishing him a happy day! That was very nice.

Thrown in the slammer with Zorg, the villain from Buzz Lightyear.

Jonathon befriends a cute rodent.

Bon jour, Ratatouille! Come talle vous? (I dunno--I never took French!)

Merlin casts his magic.

The kids were thrilled to ride in the driver's compartment of the monorail on the way back to the parking lot. They were even given junior conductor certificates!

Such logic: Trees make air. Homework kills trees. Homework causes global warming.

Dinner at Joe's Crabshack was a treat. Jon polished off his entire cheese pizza and fruit side. Greg worked patiently and diligently on his crab feast and enjoyed each and every hard-earned morsel.

The servers at Joe's Crabshack take regular disco breaks. It's very fun to watch these young folks do things I never got to learn such as The Electric Slide. Is there a DVD or something now? They also took a T.O. to sing "Happy Birthday" to Gregory backwards! That's with their backs to him vs. "you to birthday happy"!

We ended the day with a quick tour of Downtown Disney. The spots of rain helped cool things down as did Stitch who spat water at the crowd. The boys each selected a stuffed animal to adopt: Gregory chose Thumper (for his cuddly cuteness) and Jonathon chose Stitch for his kolohe-ness (check out the welcome post if you'd like to know what that means).

Wednesday's Little Excursion

After spending the morning at EPCOT, speeding up to a thrilling 65+ m.p.h. on Test Track and eating our way through the French end of the World Showcase (I think I can say "pithivier" half as well as I can gobble one up), we freshened up in our suite then hopped in the car for a 50-mile jaunt to Titusville on the Space Coast. Oh, my! We weren't the only ones with that idea. Since we couldn't get tickets to view the launch pad at Kennedy Space Center, the next best thing was to view it from the coast.

I think we travelled much faster during our Disney Test Track voyage. I had time to get on the phone and call my brother as I spotted an identical personalized Florida license plate to his California one--IOOOIOO (binary code for "D" or is it "Dean"?). Same car too--only Dean's is not a convertible! These toll roads sort of bottleneck the traffic flow towards the toll booths, so our trip took a bit more time than we anticipated. Not quite knowing where we needed to be, we had to double back, park in a tire shop parking lot then cross a busy thoroughfare to join others in an empty lot with just minutes to spare.

I had just gotten a hold of my dad who was over at my brother's watching the launch. He said there was another minute to go and I had to hang up on him because as soon as he said that, the radios amongst the crowd were already at 3-2-1! Here are a few of the pictures that I took that turned out. Jonathon took a few as well which I will add if I can figure out if my camera cable will work with his. It was quite an exciting part of the trip!

Bright flare silently shooting upwards with incredible speed...the sound didn't get to us till about a minute after this shot was taken! What a thrill!

I think this was one of the better shots that I took as you can see the two jets of ignited rocket fuel. Oh, I sound so un-technical. Later, after we do our Kennedy Space Center tour, I'll correct my jargon. Shortly after this shot was taken, I took another and all you can see in the photo is vapor trail...what we saw was an upwardly mobile tiny, bright white "star" which was the shuttle after separation. Cool!

This is a picture of the vapor trail as it travelled inland. This was taken from our car after we headed back to where we left it, got ourselves situated with frozen waters from the cooler, and pulled out of the parking lot. What a memorable event to witness!

We enjoyed the scenery during the drive. We saw swamp-y wetlands adjacent to groves shared by pines and palms. Quite interesting! I kept thinking of those movies we used to watch in elementary school about the underground railroad and how folks used to cross swamps by foot under the cover of nightfall. I don't think I could dip my toes in there during the day, and definitely not during the night. On this morning's news, they issued a warning about infections to swimmers by fresh water amoeba. There are many, many little bodies of water here that appear quite full of life. We've seen lots of water fowl and concentric rings on the water's surface that make me think there are minnows or some other small fish snacking on gnats.

The 50-mile drive back to Kissimmee took a bladder-burstin' three hours. Lots of traffic! There are not many (any?) official pitstops on the turnpikes here at all! However, we saw many a minivan pulled off on the grassy shoulders on our way. Several little potty chairs parked right there on the grass with little, tiny bottoms parking on them. Ya do what ya gotta do. (No pun intended.)

Blog Candy Report

Since most folks get an accurate preview of the goods when they enter blog candy contests and players of my 11,111 Hit Blog Candy did not, I thought I'd record what I ended up making to post once I think everyone's gotten their goodies of a dozen MMMs. Here are additional ideas for Monochromatically Monogrammed Missives. Happy Show 'n Tell Thursday!

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For Cheryl...

Certainly Celery + Garden Green; special touches are folded Word Window tabs with an Old Olive Bradded Celery Trio Flower Punchies that've been sponged with Garden Green. Hint: be sure to wipe ink off the brads.

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For Donna (Allison's mother)...

Almost Amethyst + Lavender Lace; special touches are lavender silk blossoms snipped from sprays I used for my 1989 wedding favors. I just used a couple of Glue Dots near the flower bases to secrue them onto the appliques.

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For Pam...

Blush Blossom + Cameo Coral; special touches are my two-toned hand-dyed white flowers (very bottom of that post) from those same wedding favors secured to the appliques with--gosh, were they Barely Banana or So Saffron Brads? The 1/16 hand-held punch made it easy to place those blossoms.

Magazine Management

I adore these ingenious magazine holders that fit into binders. To me, I'd rather look at a bookcase full of the same binders of different things than a gazillion magazines and leaflets. Besides, when I want to look through my punch art booklets, I tend to pull them all off the shelf at the same time. Much quicker to pull out one binder full of punch art booklets.

Magazine binder spines

Shelves full of magazines and leaflets on the left; shelves of waiting binders on the right.

From stack of booklets to...

an all-in-one binder!

Same went for lettering books, Asian paper crafts, tea bag folding, clip art books, etc..

At least one shelf of magazines and booklets emptied into the bottom row of binders on the right! Ta dah!

DIY Aquapainter Blotter

I just love working with our Aquapainter Brushes. I like that the need for two cups of water(one for clean, one for dirty) is eliminated. All one needs to do is refill the fluid chamber. A little squeeze drips enough water over the brush bristles to rinse it. I developed my own way to make handy little blotters that do the best job of picking up excess wetness and color. They are made of quarter sheets of paper towels and binder clips. So simple!

Start with 1/4 of a sheet of paper towel. I start with mine in landscape format like this.

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Fold ends towards center so the blotter is now folded in thirds.

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Fold that third into half again.

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Then fold it in half the other way and pinch the raw edges together with a binder clip. I make tons of these at a time as they come in handy when I do my workshops and classes.

Studio Tour: SU FunAddicts HQ--Another Closer Look At Those Shelves

Here's a quick tour and look at how I've organized my ribbons and things (embellishments/hardware) on the shelves behind my seat at the stampin' table.

12 x 12 drawer units by Sterlite hold my fibers and ribbons.

This is the only drawer of currents...the rest is surplus (just a bit) and retireds.

I rearranged my two accessory caddies (sorry forgot the name and the caty's back in the suite) to hold only current hardware. I used the Stampin' Store (that's it!) containers to house my Hodgepodge hardware pieces as well. Love those spinning dealies! To the right of those spinners are my S'U! ribbon caddies, two deep. I pulled out all of the retireds and now have space for all the new taffeta's and wider grosgrains that I need to order. To the right of the ribbon caddies are my mini tabletop trash containers that I use during workshops. They come in very handy; they're just pencil cups by Rubbermaid.

What I love about my shelving units from IKEA (PAX, narrow, shallow) is that I can add as many shelves as I like, wherever I like. Here I have our retired Stampin' Store caddies two deep on three shelves to hold all sorts of retired and contraband and even homemade embellishments. It's so handy!!!

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That's it for this installment...more tours to follow...

A Closer Look at the Studio Shelves: Tools & Punches

Remember when I said that instead of packing for our trip that I spent the day reassigning all of my frequently used items from drawer units under my table to units on the shelves right behind my seat? That was a smooth move! It works so much better because I have easier access for both pulling things out and putting things away! Love it! Welcome to this week's Mission Organization!

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I didn't take a pic of the top drawer which holds miscellaneous office supply stuff right now: bins with pens, post it notes, business cards, etc..

Next drawer down: Crimpers, Card Stock swatch key ring, compliments of Pam Tsuzaki, assorted contraband tools such as scalpels and folders.

Next drawer: assorted scissors, packing tape for laminating my wood blocks, my SU Crafters Took Kit, and other tools such as my snap setter which I ought to move to my sewing area...after I compare it to my Crop-o-Dile for setting snaps.
Punch Drawer: assorted current SU punches. My best storage hint: use our jumbo (the biggest?) stamp storage case to store the smallest punches. My drawer holds them two containers deep! I also have multiples so that my make and takes go quickly with minimal waiting around for tools.
More current punches!
Yet more current punches!
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The adjacent set of drawers is all for retired and contraband punches that I've collected for years. I have one of those punch buddies that helps give oomph on the buttons for the punches without the thumb levers. It's stashed with the die cut equipment.

Note how my S'U! Table Top Paper Cutter fits so neatly in what would be otherwise unused shelf space next to the Sterlite 12 x 12 drawer unit! That's only one of the best things about it--that it takes so little space--the other things I like is that the blade won't need sharpening and that it'll cut multiple sheets of our sturdy card stock at one time!





My favorite ways to cut corners!

More Vacation Notes

Yesterday was lovely and pretty cool since we spent the better part of the day at Typhoon Lagoon. We entered the water park in the nick of time as the parking spaces were mostly occupied. Immediately after our initial round in the lazy river surrounding an island, floating on inner tubes, I overhead that the park was at capacity. Yep, it was wall-to-wall inner tubes. The pool with the big waves was also pretty crowded. But, we had no complaints as wait times were pretty manageable and the water was so refreshing. We also appreciated the fact that Typhoon Lagoon had lots of shade.

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Today, we braved the heat and spent the morning and early afternoon at Disney's Animal Kingdom. I am 110% positive that I'm not the adventurous sort and I would never hack expeditions in Africa or Asia as I had a hard time handling the sauna we call the Sunshine State. Dewey said it was 96 or so but that with the humidity it was the equivalent of 113. Uh huh! I kept drenching my head, re-wetting my neck cooler, seeking the shade of my SPF 50 fabric wide-brimmed hat, and ducking into air conditioned stores. The best part of lunch was the big cup of ice water!!!

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Da Woo Boys at the entrance to the park. Isn't it cute how they arranged themselves by height (and age)? I loved how the sign border was all green with brown details to form all sorts of animal images. Hard to see in this picture, I know.

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A short walk, and we were at the base of Everest. I got such as kick out of all of the neat props. A quick trip for Everest Fast Passes then we did the river expedition twice and got soaked--happily so! It was like a wetter but shorter, less bouncy Grizzly River Run (our favorite ride in California Adventure). I am such a good mommy! I went on Everest twice with The Gregster. I'd rate it as a better Matterhorn, but even though it's a shorter ride, I think twice is my limit. There's a part where we climb up the steep slope then there's no more track. The car then falls, going backwards fast in the dark. The Yetis were cute! We'll see if Jonathon would like to try it the next time we go. I think I'll sit in the air conditioned gift shop with Dewey.

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Tee hee... another shot of The Woo Boys headed to the Primevil Whirl. The kids *loved* that ride as it's a stepped up Mulholland Madness with spins. Dewey and I were good sports and tried it once. We'll park in the store while the kids ride it next time.

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Trying On Hats for Size

Jon posing with Stitch, his favorite.

Greg as Pirate Mickey--Arrrrgh!

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Gorgeous flora & fauna like this can only come from a tropical environment.

Very interesting and pretty plant that has both Pretty in Pink and Rose Red blossoms on the same plant!

The coloration on this lily was phenomenal. So Saffron, Apricot Appeal, Regal Rose, Rose Red. That might be something to try with that Diaper Wipe Tie Dye Pad technique.

Jonathon gets a hug from a dinosaur.
Macaw

Jonathon poses with the prettiest Blue Macaw. There were so many beautiful blues in those feathers...and the yellow accents on his cheeks and eyes (opposites on the color wheel) really popped.

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After a hot trek back to the car (my ankles felt like they were burning from the heat radiating off the asphault), drinking frozen waters that we stored in the cooler in the car, and blasting the A/C, we reflected upon our day. Despite the heat, it was a very good one!

Laurie Ann's Peek-A-Boo Halloween Box

I loaded several Halloween projects into the camera before we left on vacation. Being that it's Stash-Bustin' Saturday, I thought you might enjoy a different sort of open the box party. I designed this project last year as a stash-buster for a fun Halloween trick *&* treat. Why not get started early and enjoy the time to prepare these boxes ahead of time. I am delighted to share it with you, especially since the set I used, "Bitty Boos Too" made it to the Fall-Winter 2007 Collection! It's such a good one, that' I'm going to do a re-run of it this year. So, join me, if you wish for this stash-bustin' bash! Enjoy!

Here's a picture of my template done on the flimsy type of chipboard that backs packets of Designer Papers...or at least it used to. I think the new stuff is white. You can substitute Kraft Card Stock for the chipboard. The idea is to make it look like a shipping box from our favorite stamp company. Width = 8-1/2", height = 3-1/4", score top and bottom in 1", score right to left at 1" intervals. Trim top and bottom 1/2" pieces. Cut 1" sections along score lines on top and bottom, leaving the score lines on the middle of the strip intact. Use a piece of Sticky Strip on the flap. Then get ready to stamp with black ink and "Bitty Boos Too".

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Top View

Simply follow the direction of the stamps in the template pictured above to the the box flaps to look like this. After I stuffed the box, I folded the flaps in for this cute closure.

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Bottom View

For the box bottom, I wrote "packaging made with glee by Laurie Ann". I put it together just like a Stampin' Up! box, even using packing tape to seal the box flaps together!

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Side 1

Stamp a pair of witchies' feet then hand write "Trick or Treat, Smell My Feet!"

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Side 2

Stamp three black cats then hand write typical stamp company shipping carton sayings such as "this side up", "keep out of heat and direct sunlight", "contents' fragile"

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Side 3

I stamped a pair of pumpkins then hand wrote "a boo from The Woo"

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Side 4

Stamp three bats then write" Box 1 of 2"

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What's inside???

A gummy eyeball nested in some shredded paper!!! Gross, huh? Toldjya it was a good one!

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Happy Early Halloween! Now, go dig out or order that "Bitty Boos Too" set, and keep your eyeballs peeled for those gummy eyeballs! You'll be all set for some silly fun!

Woos Half-Baked

We had another good day yesterday...albeit extremely warm. We saw the local weather channel which cited the weather as 92 degrees, and with the humidity, it was the equivalent of 103 degrees. My brother reported that it was foggy at home. Where's that rain when we need it?

I was too hurried with the incoming crowd (and hot) to have Dewey and the boys step right to get his head positioned under Mickey's sorcerer's hat. Maybe next time. It's funny that I only took three pictures today. Whereas yesterday it was too wet for the camera, today it was too hot for me.

The environs suurounding the Star Tours attraction in Disney's MGM is far superior to that of Tomorrowland in Disneyland (Anaheim). Check out this forest that looks just like the movie scene!!!

I had to take a photo of this tee shirt. Cracked me up since we sometimes try to speak Yodaese.

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We made many deliberate pitstops during our MGM adventure to get into the restrooms to wet our heads. I had no shame! Better than me whining. The neck coolers and hats helped a bit, but the best help was drenching my hair and letting it drip all over. Aaah!

The kids enjoyed Star Tours. I recall times when the boys just made the height requirements. One Disneyland trip (over 5 days), I rode it with Gregory 19 times as he recited the entire dialog during the ride. There was the trip (over 5 days) that I rode it with Jonathon 21 times...same deal with the script. Jonathon knew which way to lean and when to do so! I guess that'll always be a family fav. We rode it only once today, not that they didn't try to get in an encore ride.

Sometime after lunch during the Indiana Jones Stunt Show, the heat really got to us. Dewey led us ISO popsicles which sustained us somewhat during our trek over the super-heated pavement to the car which we had in AAA preferred parking. We couldn't believe that it was actually cooler in the car without the engine and A/C on than it was outside at 1:46 pm.

Dewey was a doll and took the kids to the pool while I fell onto the bed for a nap. We all slept well. Dinner was per Jonathon's request: rotelli pasta with white sauce. Leftover salad, corn, and shish kabobs and fruit rounded out the meal. We decided not to push ourselves and try to return to the park. Instead, we let the kids nap and then lounge and we enjoyed a leisurely dinner. They enjoyed screen time (TV and GameBoys) in the evening.

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An observation: this morning we saw a convertible (rental, I hope) of girls driving on the freeway in front of us when they chucked a paper cup out of the vehicle. Florida may be hot, but it is beautiful with all these little bodies of water, neatly manicured slightly hilly grassy areas, shrubs and tress. So far, we haven't seen roadside or sidewalk litter (except for that one flying cup which must be picked up by now) and we haven't seen grafitti. That's very nice!

We're Having a Ball!

We're enjoying ourselves here in Florida. Yesterday was lovely--really--it rained most of the day and the showers surely kept things cool and relatively comfortable for us hot weather wimps. 89-cent rain ponchos from Target saved the day so we could keep our clothes dry and not freeze indoors with the A/C.

obligatory photo of 3/4 of the family under the famous Epcot landmark

Greg & Jon pose, in ponchos, with Figments (of your Imagination)

Gregory appeased the hunger of his soon-to-be teenager's tummy with a huge, yummy, moist, tender and may I be redundant, delicious smoked turkey leg from America in the World Showcase. We hoofed it in the evening--the rain had subsided--around the lake just to find the vendor that sold them. We must have walked at least 10 miles yesterday, because that's a walk from the parking lot to the lake and all the way around it--which we did twice!

Jonathon took his turn with the turkey club. That one leg was a high protein snack that fed our family of four. We gnawed upon it while we were waiting for the spectacular fireworks show.

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Highlights of Day 1:

• the rain that kept us cool and comfy
• that GM Test Track ride with a short wait
• the Mission to Mars ride with a short wait
• the World Showcase with short waits for rides
• refreshing Oolong Tea-Strawberry slush from "China"
• incredible French pastries in "France" (you were right, Lil!)
• the nap in our suite...well, the kids napped; Dewey and I made dinner
• dinner in our suite: the best corn-on-the-cob ever, shish kabobs grilled by the pool, rice, veggies & dip, chilled fruit
• return trip to Epcot for fireworks show along with that turkey leg snack
• showers and a good night's sleep

Blossoms Abound

I was absolutely thrilled when Blossoms Abound made it into the Fall-Winter Collection book! I love this set!!! Here, is a make and take sample that I taught at my workshops when the set debuted for a past mini catalog. Now, the Square Steps Punch for the corner treatments is no longer available. (Pouting) But, there are many equally beautiful treatment corners we can do. We made three separate diaper wipe tie dye style pads by dropping re-inkers in random spots all over the damp wipes. I cannot rave enough about how well it turned out to mix greens for the foliage, mix blues for the more solid blossom cluster, and mix purples for the blossom cluster details. This is a more complex look than simply stampin' with three colors. Try it in honor of Show 'n Tell Thursday!!!

The tie-dye/batik coloration is especially noticeable on the leaves. You need to drip the re-inkers on the pad then stamp immediately as when the ink is given a chance to sit a bit, the colors meld into one.

Whereas the first photo could be wisteria, the same stamp set can make lilacs! We discovered this versatility when a workshop guest accidentally stamped her greeting upside down. It ended up looking just as pretty--just a different variety of flower!

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Too bad I'm on the road, or I'd snap some pictures of how to prep diaper wipe pads.

Don't Even Try To Count My Stamp Sets!

Happy August Already! Here's a sneak peek at my stamp set "wall". I do not know how many stamp sets I have, but the vast majority of these are S'U! I have them in sections and consider this a WIP as I set about color coding them with strips of colored card stock. The Apricot Appeal ones are Alphabets. The Gable Green ones are Greetings. The Pixie Pink ones are Hearts. The Almost Amethyst ones are Definitely Decorative Florals and Botanicals. I have a ways to go and someday soon, hope to be done...mounting all sets, current and retired.

This collection is by no means a requirement to be a S'U! demonstrator, but it does depict the habit that my business supports. I also hang onto all my retired sets because I do a fair amount of angel work with them.

I thought it was pretty funny that nearly 13 year old Gregory very tactfully suggested that I ditch the Z Bar box which is hold spare strips of color-coding card stocks. "It just doesn't look so professional, Mom." Correct. But at least I know which shelf I put those strips of card stock!

The white baskets are great for organizing my smallest set cases. Much easier way to file them.

Here's the little Stampin' Around wheel corner. I need more of the specialty stamp cases as some of my new wheels are without homes. I need to refine my sorting job on these and designate which wheels are current vs. those that are retired.

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So, that's the WIP for this Wednesday...that I cannot work on other than to do some planning on paper. Oh, why not just plan it here? On the clipboard re: stamp set organization:

• check section sorting then alphabetize sets by shelf and case size
• flag all sets that need to be mounted
• re-label any sets that are now filed upright where the original labels are hidden
• designate which sets are retired
• mount sets!!!
• enter sets in collection on a database

Last Call for 22,222 Hits Blog Candy!

Checking in from Kissimmee, FL. It's not that hot because it's raining right now! Just looked at my counter and I've already surpassed that 22,222 mark, so it's time to give out the blog candy posted here. You all are fabulous blog readers!!! Now, I brought 22 of these templates and envelopes with me and have these cute slipper templates all ready to mail out! So far, only 9 takers have registered comments, so all who posted so far are winners! Congratulations! Please e-me at S.U.Fun.Addict@sbcglobal.net with your snail mail address and I'll pop yours into the mail for you. I will take the first 13 entries in comments to this post as winners. However, since I need to moderate comments before they're posted and you won't be able to tell if you made it in time, if there are more than 13 entries by the end of the day tomorrow, I'll also send you a template, but it'll have to wait until we're back in San Francisco. Thanks for playing!

Delicious Daffodil (Beautified Brownie)

Check out this too-too cute project! When my friend Phyllis and I were planning her workshop for this past Sunday, she relayed a request by one of her guests (Hi Gail!<--she reads this blog!) who wanted to see an idea for using our cello bags. Phyllis planned to bake brownies, enough for everyone to eat and to use for this edible make and take. Well, the brownies were de-lish and I think everyone liked this simple presentation for them! You can't see the brownie perhaps, but it is heart-shaped...we were saying that a flower shaped brownie would be cute too! Of course, regular rectangular brownies would fill out the cello bag nicely, but then there wouldn't be the scraps to have to (get to?) test...you know, for quality assurance. ;o)

Phyllis' Brownie Recipe: Betty Crocker boxed mix + heart shaped cookie cutter in a kitchen in the process of being remodeled. We were all impressed and appreciative!

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Laurie Ann's Daffodil Cello Recipe: Medium Flat Cello + Scallop Circle Punchie in Yoyo Yellow + 5-Petal Flower Punchie in Summer Sun + Snow Blossom Punchie in Only Orange + Certainly Celery 1/4" Grosgrain Ribbon. Form open-faced flower sandwich, using a bit of SNAIL Adhesive to tack the layers in place, draw a dot for the center, then use the new Crop-o-Dile to punch a hole--either 1/8 or 3/16 will work, wrap ribbon around filled cello bag, pull the ends through the hole, then tie a knot. That's it! Well, trim the ends, then that's it!

My Big Project

Whew! I did it! I finally overhauled the studio...well, not overhaul, but I did spend all day re-organizing contents of shelves and drawers so that my most frequently used current accessories all have easily accessible homes. When I say all day, I mean *all day*! So worth it! I still need to pack for the trip but will tackle that project in the morning.

True confessions: here's how my table looked 12 hours prior to my workshop on Sunday. It looked great as guests arrived, then looked somewhat similar to this picture (again) when the workshop was over. It dawned on me that I ought to move the frequently used items that were under the table to the shelves right behind my chair so that I can put things away more easily. I also needed to clear junk out of my make and take drawers. I like to have one drawer for each of my three workshop make and takes. However, at some point I must have done the Company's-Coming-Hide the Mess Maneuver. Anyhow, by dinnertime this is how I left my room...

floor cleared... table cleared... chairs cleared and in place...

shelves tidy and organized... 12 x 12 drawers organized. All ready for me to do more when we get back. This is just Bliss Blue! (I took lots of pictures, so I'll be posting mini tours from the road.)

If I Make It Pretty Will I Use It?

I snatched just a little bit of time to decorate a new mileage log for my new car. I'm hoping that by pretty-ing it up, I'll actually make a habit of using it. We shall see!

Here's the book! I like the scrapbook element collage style. The more I added, the better it looked!

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This photo depicts the book's humble origin. I picked it up at our recent and thorough visit to the office supply store.

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I ripped out a non-essential page to use as a template for the spiral binding, then I cut a matching dimensions piece of patterned card stock from the Sell-A-Bration Simply Scrappin' kit. Love the colors! Love the coordinating self-adhesive card stock die cuts with the artwork already done for me!

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Flip both pieces over so they're wrong sides down then superimpose the torn out template over the back of the new card stock cover. Use a pencil to trace the holes.

~~~ Use the 1/8" Hand-Held Circle Punch to punch the traced circles.

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Use the Paper Snips at about a 45 degree angle to cut slits from the inner edge of the cover to the holes.

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Use a Stylus Tool to nudge the slit edge fringe onto the spiral ring. Once the new cover is placed on the spiral, go ahead and SNAIL it to the original cover.

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Now the fun part: decorating it! Sorry, no pictures. Three of the above photos were taken with my left hand while my right hand held the tools. When placing die cuts, I need both hands and have not yet mastered aiming the camera and snapping shots between my shoulder and chin!

These Are Some Sweet Feet + Laurie Ann's Blog Candy

Today I played hurry up and catch up. I finally found enough small boxes to mail off my last, well first, round of blog candy as well as a couple of other little surprises for friends. Those will go to the PO tomorrow. I also did a little bit of designing for my workshop tomorrow and will post the projects in the near future. Something that I'm very happy about is the Saturday Stash Bustin' I accomplished tonight. I took food boxes that I've been saving and cut a bunch of my fun Hawaiian flip flop slipper card templates, first shown here, out of them! Yay!

I don't know how many of these I traced and cut--at least 50 of them. They are fun to have around for summertime stampin' fun.

Here's what the card looks like. Pretty darn cute, if you ask me! The top of the slipper could be stamped any way you wish. Here, I used "Little Pieces" with a VersaMark pad on Glossy White Card Stock. I allowed the images to dry then went over them with an inked up Brayer. If you're saying to yourself that to toe part could use a little dyed-to-match Pretties Kit posy piece, you read my mind!

Here, I pulled the card apart to show you the backside of the top layer. All I did was punch three 1/8" holes using the Hand-Held Punch then fed two lengths of Grosgrain Ribbon for the thongs, taping them down with adhesive tape. Be sure to leave enough slack in the ribbon for feet! SNAIL the slipper layer up--or better yet, use Sticky Strip and slap it onto a sole.

Here's my very realistic sole using the "Canvas" background stamp. I punched out three 1/2" circles out of the same background stamped card stock and sponged them a bit more to make them look like the undersides of real slippers. This is the surface on which to write your note. The finished slipper fits into our Small Open-End Envelopes beautifully!

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OK, now for the blog candy part. My last contest was to celebrate 11,111 hits. Thanks to your support, I've already reached 20K and am nearing 22,222 hits! When that happens, I will draw 22 names from comments left here. (Comments to this blog are moderated, so don't be alarmed if yours doesn't appear instantly--I have to approve them before they are published.) Those 22 winners will each receive a genuine recycled food box flip flop slipper template, hand traced and cut by moi! If you're game, go ahead and leave a comment with your full name or e-mail address. Don't be shy! One of my last winners won on her very first blog comment ever!!! Good luck!

Tag Punch Pretty Petal Wall Art

Here's another work of heart I made using my pretty petals made from our Tag Punches. These are also made with our Palette 'o Prints Designer Series Papers. The So Saffron pieces are made from the larger Tag Punch while the Almost Amethyst petals are made from the Smaller Tag Punch. I lined the Saffron petals up next to each other then used Mini Glue Dots to layer the Amethyst Petals in between the Saffron ones. The mid lines on the Saffron petals serve as the guidelines for the outer edges of the Amethyst ones. I think I have another new set of best friends: my flower punches. The Pretty in Pink Card Stock flowers are from the 5-Petal Punch. Snow Blossom Punch is in Lavender Lace. A single Trio Flower is in Barely Banana. Certainly Celery piece is 1/4" Circle. All center layers were cupped then hot glued to the piece. This keeps the dimension intact. Added mats of Certainly Celery (torn edges) and Perfect Plum atop our Brushed Silver Card Stock cut to fit a shadow box type frame from IKEA.

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out of the box

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inside the box, with glass and camera flash

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The look of a quilt block in a fraction of the time!

~Addendum~

I'm going to clean the glass on this then wrap it up give it to my quilt-loving neighbor, Sandy, for her upcoming birthday. She's re-decorated her entire bedroom in pink, and I think this piece with its Soft Subtles will look great against a pink wall. (Note to self: head back to IKEA and scoop up more of these frames in different colors if they have them!)

Pointy Poinsettia Self-Standing Card

This is an example of what you can make with my Tag Punch Pretty Petals. It's so beautiful that I turned it into a free-standing card that could decorate a fireplace mantel, desk top, bookshelf, windowsill...you get the idea! Because of the labor involved, reserve these for people that cherish your work. They're really gorgeous, and I think they're totally worth the time and effort! This work of heart appeases my craving for Asian art. We may no longer have the Asian sets as currently available, but we can create Asian art from the neat, new punches! Woo Hoo!

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Base is 3" square of Certainly Celery Designer Paper. You'll need 9 small tag petals. The center base which I use as a placement guide is a 3/4" circle punchie from a scrap piece of card stock.

Begin by opening the flaps on the tag corner (angled corner). Place a Mini Glue Dot right on the fold. It may be hard to see it in this photo, but it's right between to only two whole polka dots showing on the wrong side of the petal.

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Fold the loose flaps down and press them into the Glue Dot. Place another Mini Glue Dot over the two flaps, right on the mid line, close to the flat end of the petal base.

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9 petals fit nicely right around a 3/4" circle.

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Here, I used additional Designer Papers from the Palette o' Prints stack and punch out two 5-Petal Flowers from a So Saffron pattern, placing them over the flower center with glue dots to get the cherry blossom shape. Next, is a punch out from Snow Blossom in the same color as the petals, but I flipped the piece over so the polka dots show. Barely Banana single from the Trio Flower Punch is the next layer. Then a 1/4" Circle from a scrap of Certainly Celery Designer Paper. Drew some shimmer with the Gold-Silver Painty Pen. I used Glue Dots for each flower center layer. Those things are handy-dandy!

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Now, an oldie but goodie bonus...

To convert any card into a free-standing one, create a "W" for Woo-Hoo! out of a scrap of card stock. I can't think too hard, so I score the strip down the middle then choose a measurement further out, score again, then flip and repeat that same score measurement of the other end of the strip.

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SNAIL the easel in...and look...

It'll fold flat then pop open and keep the card standing upright without collapsing! Pretty cool! Oh, don't bother being impressed--I got the idea from some other scathingly brilliant demonstrator a long, long time ago.

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Actually, I think this is so pretty that it could stay out all year long!!! It's not that kind of red and green! Hmmm, maybe I need to punch a bunch of tags and bring those on my trip for vacation crafting!

Laurie Ann's Tag Punch Pretty Petals

We're giving the stamps a day off today. Having recently collected some books on tea bag folding, I was determined to find a way to use my Tag Punches to do a similar art. Success! Our Tag Punches along with our Designer Papers are a match made in Heaven. Go grab yours then join me for a very fun Punch-A-Long Friday! I'll show you how I taught myself to make pretty petal pieces with our tag punches! This is like making teeny weeny paper airplanes. You can make a bunch, then I'll do another couple of posts to show you what you can make with these petals!

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Step 1: Punch petals parts from Tag Punch

You can fit 5 of the smaller Tag Punch across 6" of Designer Paper. I'm using my Palette 'o Prints stack for these projects. You can also do the same process with the larger Tag Punch.

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Step 2: Make a Mid Line Fold

Simply fold the tag pieces in half, good side inside.

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Step 3: Make a Point

Wrong side up...fold the bottom edge of the tag to the mid line fold to form a point.

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Step 4: Sharpen the Point

Fold the folds you just made to the mid line to sharpen the point.

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Step 6: Form the Petal Base Point

You will fold the angled edges that form the tag corners to the mid line. I started the crease here. That 45 degree angle edge will meet the mid line above.

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Step 7: Check Your Formation

Your petals will look like this one.

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Step 8: Deepen Creases

Fold the petal in half and press the creases further.

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Step 9: Prepare to Flatten the Petals

Here's what the petal will look like from the top before you flatten it.

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Step 10: Flatten the Petal

There ya go! Good job! Now, take a breather and meet us back for a couple of projects you can make with these pretty petals: here and here.

Perfectly "Purseonal" Splenda & Tea Bag Stashettes

I keep missing my beloved Splenda sweetener when we travel. Not all coffee and tea vendors carry it. Same goes for my plain green tea. Well, hello? Why didn't I think of this sooner? I should make my own little "purseonal" pockets to stash my Splenda and tea bags!

This is the tea bag pocket I made today using some cute printed card stock in a Simply Scrappin' Kit that I acquired as a Sell-A-Bration gift. I "cheated" the 5 in 1 Card Cover template to get this smaller shape and size. That template is pretty versatile!

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Tucked into the back of the tea pocket is my Splenda pocket...it's not stuck on there, just tucked under the ribbon. This smaller pocket is just the mini card cover template used as is. I added an eyelet to the curved flap of the envelope and fed the ribbon around the envelope to tie a bow that can be undone and redone over and over again.

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Here's a close up of the front of the tea bag pocket flap. I did a double punch using our slot punch.

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Here's a view with the flap up. The ribbon is attached but out of the way so that again, it can be tied and untied over and over again. Not the flap liner from the template that looks so cute--it's from the Palette 'o Prints tablet. I love those self-adhesive die cuts that come in the kit. Just added a few circle punchies in colors to match.

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What's hiding inside? Tea! Check out that perfect fit! (Unplanned.) Now how is it that the tea bag matches? (Also unplanned.) (Sometimes it's good to fly by the seat of your pants!)

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A couple of packets of Splenda fit nicely in the mini card cover. They fit perfectly!

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Here's a photo of this marvelous template for those of you who don't know what it is. There are many ways to cut, score, and fold these nifty envelopes! Because I will be manipulating these envelopes, I made sure to use Sticky Strip to seal the seams. Hint: put your liner in *after* you assemble the envelope so it covers the side seam flaps!

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This is going to be a poorly visible diagram. Not sure you'll see the colors. In a nutshell, I move the template so that two perpendicular sides are right at the edges of the paper--therefore, the bulk of two cuts are eliminated. The horizontal line on the left and the curve are the red lines that you'd trace first with the template right side up. You'd also score the lines accordingly. Then to "cheat" the template, flip it over, face down. Trace another short seam flap to the right shown as the short horizontal line on the right and the vertical line on the right. Score lines as indicated. Next, fold the bottom line up to the flap line. Punch out half an oval for a little finger grasp reveal. Cut away the bottom halves of the seam flaps.

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That's it for now...I'm itching to get back downstairs and make more little "purseonal" accessories!

What is that Woo Up To?

Busy, busy, busy! This is the week that the kids are home just about all day long every day. Yesterday, we made a run to the office supply store where I found these goodies destined for stampin' stuff. Now, you ask, "What is that Woo up to?" Well, I have definite plans for these items. You'll see! It's kinda fun to shop each and every aisle with stampin' and orgainizing in mind!

New Day Runner briefcase style binder and inserts for 2008--that's all to get my life and business all organized. The rest?

• 3x5 index cards
• brushed stainless wall-safe steel hooks
• ladybug push pins
• mileage log
• special composition notebooks

Stay tuned for the results!

Glitter Tricks

It must've been all those darling cards that my grandmother used to select just for me. She would read all the inside verses to pick just the right one. Her card fronts usually had that breathtakingly pretty-pretty extra-fine glitter sparkle on them. I loved receiving those cards from her! Stampers who know me know that I love-love-love to glitter-ize my stampin' projects. I usually incorporate Dazzling Diamonds Glitter--the bling that goes with everything--on at least one make and take at every workshop. Guests usually leave with a speck or two of glitter on their faces; it serves as proof positive that a fun time has been had. Either that, or that guests did real "work" at the workshop! Here are a couple of simple tricks that I love to share that simplify getting glitter out of the small jar and depositing it on the freshly drawn 2-Way Glue and then returning the excess to the jar.

Punch a jumbo circle card stock shape (this one is Pink Passion) and fold it in half. Keep it in the glitter vat and use it as a scoop. It's perfectly fine to go for it and dump lots of glitter onto the wet glue because if you work over a "glitter gutter" system of two folded sheets of scratch paper, all excess glitter can be safely returned to its home. Shake the loose glitter off your project over the "glitter gutter". Next, "syringe flick" your project like you're a nurse getting rid of air bubbles out of a syringe. (See, I like to keep up my nursing skills.) If it looks like you overdid it with the blue eyeshadow, don't worry. Leave it alone and let the glue set. Meanwhile, lift up the top sheet of the glitter gutter, fold it in half and use the fold line as a spout. You may have to tap the paper to get the glitter down the chute. If there is any spillage on the bottom sheet of the glitter gutter system, repeat the process, working over the first sheet. When the glue is dry, you can gently buff off any excess glitter with the flat pads of your fingertips. Re-flick. Re-glitter gutter drain back into the jar.

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GlitterBugHugs!

Factory Grand Opening!

Confession: I'm near desperately seeking a portable, compact craft (or crafts) to bring on vacation with me. Three weeks of idle hands, away from the studio is too, too long! Enter my stash of paper raffia and wraphia. I'm talking two 20-yard cards, seven 10-yard cards, and 25 5-yard cards. I bought them to make knots to use on cards, but the idea no longer sends my heart aflutter. What can be done instead? What can send my heart aflutter?

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I came across the idea for chopping up my 235 yards of raffia in this fantastic embellishments book...

to make...

Wraphia butterflies and...

these cute paper raffia butterflies too! Now, these send my heart aflutter! In the photo above, to five of them I've attached tiny fresh water pearl bodies. You can see a better view in this photo directly above. I suppose my mobile butterfly factory is now opened for business!

Sweet S.A.K. Tags

Here's a recent S.A.K. tag that I created with a personalized stamp that was custom-made Stampin' Up! I'm not sure how large the picture will be on your monitor or how legible it'll be. There's a bumble bee next to four lines of text that say "Bzzz! This genuine S.A.K. contains art from the heart handcrafted just for you by Laurie Ann~GlitterBugHugs!" A S.A.K. is a stamped (or stitched) act of kindness. My intent is to package this sort of gift in a sack with this tag attached. I think they turned out pretty sweet!

I began with a 1-1/2" x 8-1/2" strip. I used the slit punch, inserting it all the way on one end of the strip. As with all of our punches, you'll want to punch upside down so you can see where you're punching. After you punch the slit, do not pull the paper out of the punch until you've pushed that smile shape back down just till you hear a little click when the paper is back in line with the sheet. Otherwise, that smile shape will get hung up in the punch and can jam it.

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Next, I gently folded the unpunched end so that it would fit into that smile shaped slit. I used my Bone Folder to crease the fold. Then I used our new 3/16" Corner Rounder Punch to soften the punched end of the tag. That smile shape is the perfect place for a 1/2" circle (the Basic Black piece). I made the sunflower shape by taking 90 degree snips into the petals on our new Trio Flower punchies. Those started with Barely Banana Card Stock. I sponged them with Yoyo Yellow using our Sponge Daubers. Popped Barely Banana Brads right through the middle of the sunflower and black circle "open-faced sandwich" where I poked a hole with a push pin on my Mat Pack set up. This way I didn't have to struggle with the 1/16" hole punch on such teeny tiny pieces.

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You cannot see the Black Eyelet that I set using the Crop-o-dile because it's hidden with our Black Grosgrain Ribbon. That tool is heavy, but it's powerful! I sponged the edges of the tag with Yoyo Yellow Ink and the Sponge Dauber. Then I had to get out the 2-Way Glue Pen and Dazzling Diamonds Glitter to put a little bling on the bee that I colored with Barely Banana and Yoyo Yellow Markers. I love that the Jet Black StazOn will not smear when I watercolor over it! Oh yes, I nearly forgot that I took a fine point permanent ink pen to that little brad in the center of the sunflower and added a bunch of sunflower seeds to it.

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There's space inside the tag to jot down a quick wish. I think the tag is very cute, and I cannot wait to S.A.K. some folks very soon!

Cute Scone (or Gift) Bag

I bought these cute cub sized handled gift bags to hold craft fair customer's card purchases. They also make a great presentation for home-baked goods. The tutorial follows.

I go for speed! The bag and the decorative bib panels are all wheeled all the way around! (The pattern on the body of the bag doesn't show up too well in this photo.)

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Take a flat gift bag...

open it up...

then expose and flatten the entire bag by reversing the gusset folds. Get Stampin' Around! It gets bumpy where the handles are but if you wheel slowly and press hard you'll be okay. To get the very bottom of the bag, place a piece of scratch paper under the folded flap so that the stamping on the bag underneath remains intact. Flip the bottom of the bag to the other side to expose the last side of the bag and wheel away!

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Here's a view of the bag...the gusset is stamped too!

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Next, we make the bib. This bag is about a 5" width. So, I used a regular sized top fold card template of 4-1/4" x 11", scored at 5-1/2". Place the fold near the handles and center the card over the bag. Make pencil marks outside of the handles.

Use the Word Window Punch to punch a slot along the top fold of the bib. Only punch half of the height of the Word Window--twice or however many times you need to make the slot wide enough.

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To finish, decorate the card with panels cut to fit. I cut mine 4" x 5-1/4" and ripped the bottom edge with my fingers. Stamp & color credits: bag body "Whimsy", panel "Autumn Dots", Close to Cocoa and Creamy Caramel Card Stocks, Stampin' Around Cartridges loaded with Close to Cocoa Classic Ink Refill, Headline Alphabet stamped with Close to Cocoa Craft Ink to spell out "EATS", letters dotted with Uniball Signo-Glo White Gel Pen.

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After I bake my scones, I'll pack them along with some tea bags in this adorable gift bag then slip the bib on then add a ribbon and a tag. Thoughtful little gift, eh?

Great Recipe: C&H's Lemon Cream Scones

I have to share this fabulous recipe for scones that I got off the back of a bag of sugar with you! It's so quick and easy and tasty! Traditionally, we have to cut cold butter into scone recipes. Now, do you remember ever taking cream and shaking it in a jar to "churn" butter? Well, this recipe uses whipping cream instead of butter. I've made my own variations as far as types of dried fruit and flavorings. It always turns out yummy!

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Ingredients

2 c. all-purpose flour

1/3 c. C&H Pure Cane Granulated Sugar

1 T. baking powder

1/4 t. salt

1/2 c. golden raisins

1 t. finely grated lemon peel

1 c. whipping cream

2 to 4 T. water

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Directions:

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees.
2. In bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
3. Stir in raisins and lemon peel.
4. With a fork, stir in cream and water as needed until it all comes together into a rough mass.
5. On a lightly floured surface knead dough 5 to 6 times.
6. Place on a greased cookie sheet and pat into an 8-inch circle.
7. With a sharp knife cut halfway through dough to mark into 12 pie-shaped wedges.
8. Bake 20 to 30 minutes, until golden brown.
9. Remove to wire rach to cool.
10. Cut into wedges while still warm, or cool completely before cutting.
11. Serve warm or at room temperature.
12. Makes about 12 scones.

More Lilybugs Hats

Just a little early Show 'n Tell Thursday before I send off the last of my batch of Lilybugs hats for the summer season before we head off to Florida. Thanks to SUFunAddict and Lilybugger Ros for delivering them for me!

I love-love-love the way this dotless "Dotty" turned out. I like it crocheted, but I really love the way this "Jiffy" (faux mohair) yarn by Lion knits up. Yay! I'm finally getting around to using my knit and crochet flower and foliage pieces. I ought to make this hat in adult proportions for myself--it's so me! Yeah, this soccer mom could use a cute hat like this one!

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This is a Boy "Dotty"--as in large 3-D dots that ended up looking like M. Mouse ears! I'm hoping that when it's placed on some baby boy's head it'll stretch a bit to show off my ribbing that is hiding, here on the mantle, next to my "pet" frogs.

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Crocheted preemie hat in a cute yarn. When I locate the pattern, I'll post it here. This one is tiny and it does indeed fit an orange!

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This is a WIP. I made these 6-petal crocheted flowers off a www.LionBrand.com website pattern and am trying to find a way to link them together to make hats. I got close this morning but frogged it because I know I can do better.

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Off to tidy up my Hook Nook. Time to give the yarn a needles a vacation too!

Rose-Scented Pretties, A Tutorial

If you're looking for a good time, I suggest you park yourself with a brand-new Pretties Kit and some Classic Ink Refills. I didn't want to stop at this one lovely rose-scented pin that I made. Cannot wait to make lots more!!! Shouldn't we all make time to smell the posies?

Isn't she lovely?

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I put some dots of Pale Plum Classic Ink Refill on a large plastic lid.

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Then I watered them down with our rose-scented Stampin' Mist.

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Using the tweezers from the Crafter's Tool Kit, I base-dyed my Pretties flowers.

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These are a superior quality silk-style flower! I made sure to get the flowers saturated on both sides. Even though they were wet, they held their shape very well.

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I love to shade things whenever possible to give them more of a realistic depth. I took a contrasting color, in this case, Blush Blossom Re-inker and my S'U! Watercolor Brush to paint some additional color from the flower center towards the tips of the petals.

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Then, I wanted deeper color along the edges and tips of the petals. So, I painted those spots with the watercolor brush and Perfect Plum Re-inker.

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Another spritz of Mist gives more rose scent and disperses the colors beautifully! If the colors are pooling, simply place the flowers on some scratch paper (or coffee filters!) to soak up the excess dye. You can also blot the wet flowers with tissues.

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The flowers above are wet; below, dry. The colors lighten as they dry.

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After they dried, I then decided that the layers needed more contrast so I over dyed the two smallest sizes with additional re-inker. The very center is Really Rust. The next layer was more Perfect Plum. You can blot and dab to get the color just right.

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I was very impatient to let the petals dry, but had no choice. To avoid the dye from running in case someone wearing this pin gets caught in the sprinklers, I sprayed both sides with a workable fixative. Stinky! However, once the fixative dried, the rose-scent resurfaced!

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I used a small Clear Rhinestone Brad from the Pretties Kit along with a Hat Pin blank. I found that if I push the prongs on the rhinestone brads in towards the stone, it'll lay flatter when the prongs are splayed.

I punched out five 5-Petal Flower punchies in Perfect Plum Card Stock to make a backing for my pin. I layered three of them with SNAIL then marked the very center. The Crop-o-dile made quick work of punching through all those layers. Over the brad prongs, I fed the four layers of flowers, then the hat pin loop, then the stack of 5-Petal Flowers. Splayed the prongs. Followed that with two additional layers of SNAILed 5-Petal Flower punchies.

Here's the back of my pin. I think this is a very professional finish. Plus, the petals are given some support.

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Want to make lots more. Note to self: buy more Pretties Kits!!! I'm addicted to dyeing flowers...yet another hobby added to my arsenal!

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And, since this is Stash-Bustin' Saturday, I played with some of the silk flowers (inferior quality) left over from my wedding. I used silk flower sprays on my potpourri and tulle favors. Bought way more than necessary. Anyhow, here are the results. I have a long way to go as I have a gallon sized Ziploc bag full of these things! I have some Hawaiian-themed plans for these...they remind me of the silk flower lei that I wore with a muumuu for Halloween one year...when I was in Kindergarten.

Cameo Coral + Summer Sun

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Have fun!