Inkspiration for Stamping and Scrapbooking

Christmas Tags

For those of you who are already done your shopping and ready to wrap (that's so not me!), perhaps you'd like a few ideas for gift tags for your lovely packages. I've participated in a few gift tag swaps over the years, so here are some gift tag ideas for you. Some of these are mine; many, of course, are not. And because these are meant to be used, most do not have the original artist's name on them(Yes I've used some of them...). If I post yours and you'd like credit, do let me know, and I'll edit it accordingly. Some of the sets or punches used may no longer be current, but that shouldn't stop you - use what you have to copy these, or allow yourself to be inspired by these, using them as your jumping off point! AND I'd love to see what you come up with, so take a photo/scan and email it to me, and I'd be happy to showcase you as my guest artist.

MMMM - chocolate!

The colour, I mean (of course!)

There's a theme here - snowman make cute images for gift tags!

And snowflakes look great on tags, too!

OK - one more for today. I'll post some more tag ideas in December.

What a great use for the All About You set!

REMEMBER it's the last day of November - that means it's

• -  the last day for the gorgeous Holiday Mini
• -  the last day for the amazing Paper special
• -  and the last day for free shipping

And that means you need to call/email me with your order now!

I'll be back tomorrow with the Retirement List - the anticipation mounts! And I'll have the first package from the advent swap to share with you too! See you here!

Happy stampin'! - Blessings, Ann

It's November 29th....

.... that means that you are running out of time! If you'd like to:

• take advantage of the paper special - buy 3 packs and get the 4th free
• participate in my retirement list contest - my newsletter subscribers know what this is all about. If you don't subscribe, you're missing out on contests, specials, tips & ideas...
• place an order for something in the Holiday Mini - most of the items in the mini are gone after November 30th.
• take advantage of the free shipping

I've got an order going in before the end of the month, so call or email me to tack your order on!

Have a super stampin' day!

Blessings, Ann

The packages were laid on the table with care...

... in hope that some demonstrators would arrive for the share!

Sorry, I'm not a great poet...

Saturday was an absolutely fabulous afternoon. I met up with Donna at Sandra's home (thanks for your hospitality, Sandra!) and met a whole bunch of of SU! demonstrators that I had heard of but never met. What a great group of women!

In addition to swapping out our advent packages, we stamped - of course! Donna had two fun projects planned for us.

This Christmas planner is made from a file folder.

It's covered with the SU! Blizzard wrapping paper. Patterned paper would work as well, I think. And, of course, it wouldn't necessarily have to be a Christmas planner, either. If you had another event that required a bit of organization, or even a trip where you need to keep excursion tickets or reservation information all together, this could be handy.

The inside covers become a place to put photos (either last year's Christmas, or this year's so when you refer to the planner next season, you've got some reference points or motivation to go on - hee hee!).

  Here is what it looks like fully open. See how there are places for lists, receipts, brochures, etc.

The tabs at the bottom done with the small oval punch and the designer label punch - clever!

These are labelled "gifts", "food", cards", and "events"  - but you could make them whatever is appropriate for your occasion. The inside is stamped with the Snowflake Spot in Bashful Blue and there's some dtp with Chocolate Chip.

Isn't this second project just adorable???

And easy, too!

This faux snow globe is made with a clear glass ornament, a transparency sheet cut to the size of the ornament and some patterned paper to create the base.

We stamped the snowman in StazOn ink because it dries on transparency sheets and other non-porous items. This snowman (from Merry and Bright, one of my favourites from the Holiday mini) is coloured, minimally, with permanent markers. The transparency is rolled up and inserted into the "top" of the glass ornament. The ornament is inserted upside down into the patterned paper tube-shaped base. There's some craft snow in there as well to finish the snow globe feel of it.

So fun, so simple and so adorable!

Thanks, Donna, for a really fun afternoon!

Here's a photo of the advent swaps: They are on a shelf in my home studio. The first one will be opened on December 1st, and then we'll open one each day right up to the 24th. So stay with me, and you'll get to see each one of them close up through the month of December!

Happy Stampin'! - Ann

P.S. If you are on my email newsletter list, this is the final day for my special!!!

On My Way to some Sweet Fun

I have a few favourite blog/websites that I love to check out for ideas. Last month, Dawn posted this cute little candy holder and I just knew that I had what I needed now for an advent swap I signed up for.

I participated in this advent swap, hosted by Donna, last year and was very pleased with the quality of the swap, so when she proposed she'd do it again, I decided I'd go for it again. The idea of this swap is that each participant makes 24 of the same thing, in this case, some sort of packaging idea. The package will contain a little sweet treat and/or SU! treat. The packages are numbered; for instance, my packages represent December 11th. Those participants who can control themselves, open one package each day from December 1st through to the 24th. At least that's the way it is supposed to work, but I think that last year, there were a few people who couldn't wait, isn't that right!?! At our house, Sarah helps me open them, so we do stick to one each day - she loves it. So do I!

Like Dawn, I am giving a York peppermint pattie inside this, so I also opted for the Merry and Bright snowman. There's something about the icy mint and a cold snowman that just seem to go together. And this is probably one of the last times I'm using this little set, at least for this season, since the Holiday mini ends VERY soon - November 30th. I guess we won't know until next July if it will go into the next Fall/Winter catalogue. OK, back to the project, I coloured the snowman (minimally - I had to make 25 of these babies, you know!) with SU!'s watercolour crayons and blender pens. The pompom is the SU! silver glitter, to play on the silver wrapping of the peppermint pattie. The snowman is punched out, layered onto sage shadow and then onto a scallop-punched piece of Wintergreen designer paper. I've had these scallop scraps kicking around here from a project I did earlier this fall, so I am glad to use them up. The artichoke front is stamped with the word block from Season of Joy, another Holiday mini favourite.

Here's a side view:

And here's a view of the inside:

ETA: I've sinced stamped "Be Merry" from warm words in silver below the candy and repeat stamped the small poinsettia from Season of Joy, also in silver, to jazz up the inside.

Today is the day we meet and swap our advent packets, and do some stamping, of course. I'll show you that next week.

Visit often in December when I'll share all the advent goodies as Sarah and I open them! :-)

Happy stampin'! - Ann

Wrapping UP the Holidays

If you are one of the many people who believe that the packaging is every bit as important as the gift inside, then this promotion is for you - and it starts today!

Here are the items available through this special:

Item Number	Description	Price
112409	Holiday Tag Bundle	$5.50
110380	Tags for All Stamp Set* (20% off)	$33.56
110264	Designer Gift cards* (30% off)	$6.27
109862	Chocolate Chip satin ribbon*	Buy 1 ($13.50), get 1 free!
109863	Purely Pomegranate satin ribbon*	Buy 1($13.50), get 1 free!
108333	Tin 3-Pack	$13.50
110228	Hand Selected Accents & Elements (25% off)	$11.21
102757	Medium Flat Cellophane Bags (50)*	$6.25

*This item is not part of Stampin' Up!'s discounted promotion. However, if you order this item in combination with another item(s) in the special, I will take 15% off (available in Canada only.)

Here is a list of what the Holiday Tag Bundle contains:

• 30 pieces of Whisper White cardstock cut to 2 x 4 1/4 inches
• 15 pieces of Real Red textured cardstock cut to 3 1/2 x 4 1/4 inches
• 15 pieces of Soft Sky  Prints designer paper, the dotted diamond pattern, cut to 3 x 4 1/4 inches
• 15 pieces of Real Red Zigzag twill tape, cut to 3 1/2 inches

That's a lot of stuff for just $5.50, and to think the cutting is all done already. All you have to do is stamp them and you've got up to 30 gift tags ready to use! Or you could use them to make 15 cellophane bag toppers that are perfect for neighbor or teacher gifts.

You'll find  lots of ways to add that personal and special touch to your gifts this year by clicking here - this is a link to several beautiful projects and the instructions for making them. I know you'll find that these are great idea starters!

A few more tidbits of info for you about this promotion:

• The satin ribbon offer (buy one, get one free) is good on both the Purely Pomegranate and Chocolate Chip ribbon. You may select any combination of ribbon for your free ribbon. For example, you can buy one Chocolate Chip and choose a second Chocolate Chip or a Purely Pomegranate ribbon for the free ribbon.
• The Tin 3-Pack contains three empty Accents & Elements tins. These tins have never been available for purchase separately.
• This promotion runs from TODAY until December 15th. Some items may sell out before that date, so don't delay, order today.

Don't forget, that there is free shipping when you place your order before November 30th. You can email me with your order.

Happy stampin'! - Ann

Christmas Gifts to Show You Today

It's been a busy few days - well, it's busy for everyone this time of year, isn't it? In spite of that, I've got some great stamped projects to show you. Most of these are for upcoming classes.

This first project isn't for a class (unless you want me to turn it into a class - just ask!). I was a little disappointed with the Holy Triptych glass block that I had reverse-etched. I realize now that this particular technique works much better with solid image stamps. So I experimented with the Snowflake Joy set on a plate first, to see if I'd like it better. SU! has even bolder snowflake sets but this is the one that I could my hands on. I am really pleased with how this turned out. The snowflakes are showing against the etching. Neat,eh?

So, since that experiment was successful, I went ahead and tried another glass block. I used the Snowflake Spot set again. There is a hole drilled in the back of the block and a string of blue mini lights inserted inside. This is lookin' pretty good, isn't it?

Even when it's not plugged in it looks alright. You can really se the green string in this photo but I think that it because there's an overhead halogen light.

Last week, I showed you the stamped and painted glass block I did last year. If you missed it, you can see it here. Because many of you have asked for an encore class, and since I no longer have the Silent Night set that the church came from, I had to come up with a new plan for this year. So here is this this year's version:

Isn't it a thing of beauty? I created this snowy landscape by using the masking technique to combine the Lovely as a Tree set with the Sleigh Bells Ring set.

Now that I've tried both swirling the primer and gliding the primer on, I prefer the swirling effect, so I will do that on all the blocks prior to the class.

Here is the unlit block:

Quite a striking scene, isn't it? And fitting for a snow day here in Waterloo Region.

I have one last project to show you for today. I've been experimenting with stamping on silk scarves. I think I will be making some of these for Christmas gifts for the women in our family. This one is a bit simple, but now that I've got a feel for it, I may get a little more elaborate on the next one.

This one uses the first set from this catalogue that I fell in love with, Baroque Motifs. I am really hoping we don't see it on the retiring list on December first.

Speaking of December 1st, if you received my last newsletter, you know that I've got a contest going about that retiring list. If you don't get my monthly newsletter, you are missing the latest Stampin' Up! news, great tips and ideas, myown personal specials, and contests - and it's all free. Just click on the box to the left if you'd like to subscribe.

If you are interested in joining, there is still room for you at the Silk Scarf class - Tuesday, November 27th 7:00 pm, and the Glass Block class - Wednesday, December 12th 1:00pm and 7:00pm. Just email me for more information or to reserve your spot!

Hope that you are feeling inspired to get your Christmas gifts started (or finished)!

Happy stampin'!- Ann

P.S. A very blessed and Happy Thanksgiving to our American friends.

This Just In...

Stampin' Up! has just announced another great promotion, in time for your Christmas projects - read on:

Wrapping Up the Holidays Campaign

With the holiday gift giving season approaching, we know that you will want to wrap your gifts in true Stampin' Up! style. To help you, we'll be launching our Wrapping Up the Holidays Campaign from Friday, November 23 through Saturday, December 15. This campaign will feature a number of existing catalog items, and a couple of new items chosen just for this offer. These items will include:

Holiday Tag Bundle (item 112409) A new item created just for this promotion!
This bundle includes several pre-cut pieces from the Holiday Glitz kit and makes 15 quick and easy toppers for gift giving.

Empty Accents and Elements Tin-3 Pack (item 112410) A new item chosen just for this promotion!

Tags for All Stamp Set* (item 110380) 20% off!

Hand Selected Accents & Elements (item 110228) 25% off!

Designer Gift Cards* (item 110264) 30% off!

Purely Pomegranate (item109863) and Chocolate Chip (item 109862) Satin Ribbon* Buy 1, get 1 free!

Below are items that you may want to consider adding to the sale items listed above to complete your projects:

Old Olive (item 100079), Real Red (item 100052), and Bashful Blue (item 105111) Stampin' Write markers
Celebration wrapping paper* (item 110147)
Real Red narrow grosgrain ribbon (item 109052)
Old Olive wide grosgrain ribbon (item 109054)
3/16" Corner Rounder punch (item 109047)
Cello bags, medium size (item 102757)

* Items marked with an asterisk are from the current Holiday Mini Collection, and are being held over. Only this and other items indicated will be extended through the campaign period while supplies last. All other Holiday Mini items will be available until November 30.

Stay tuned to this site for full promotional details on Friday, November 23. I'll have links to a flyer with project samples and instructions! Why not combine this offer with my weekend special? If you don't know about my weekend special, you need to sign up for my monthly newsletter - just click on the box to the left.

Happy stampin'! - Ann

Paper Stars

These caught my eye when the catalogue first came out - way back in July. There's a gorgeous photo of them, showing off our beautiful two sided patterned paper collections, on page 171.

Stampin' Up! posted a template for them earlier this month, when they announced the promotion for our designer paper.

Here's the link to the template.

Now that I've made a few, here are my tips. You have some options. If you'd like to make the stars in both sizes, trim your two sided paper to 8 1/2 x 11 and print the template directly onto the B-side of the paper. Then just cut on the outline, fold mountain folds on the solid lines and valley folds on the dotted lines.Note that you'll get two stars of the same pattern, if you do this only once. Alternately, if you'd like to make several stars of just one of those sizes, you could print the template onto copy paper. This is what I did. Then I cut out the smaller star, laid it on the designer paper, traced it and cut it out. I used the 1/16" hand punch to punch a hole in the template of the centre dot, and then used that dot to place a pencil mark in the centre of the designer paper star. Next I used the SU! cutter tool to score the lines out to each point. I scored these heavily, and then the lines to the joints between the points were scored more lightly. I folded the lines to the points as mountain folds, and the lines to the joints as valley folds. That's it. For those who are curious, the smaller stars are about 4" wide, and the larger stars will be close to 6".

Wouldn't a few of these in a flat glass bowl be pretty? Or scattered down a table runner? What about punching a hole and hanging them from the Christmas tree? Or stringing a few together to create a Christmas garland? What would you do with these stars? I'd love to hear from you - leave me a comment.

Christmas Gift Topper

OK - these are really simple to make. There's a fantastic tutorial over at SplitCoast that will teach you how to make these. The only thing I did differently from the tutorial was to use my Crop-o-dile to punch the holes on 4 at a time, instead of individually with the 1/16" punch. When you read the tutorial, you'll know what I mean.

I love them for using up strips and scraps of patterned paper. The order for my Stamp Club friends is in, and since our class this month incorporated designer paper, I thought these would make a special touch on their order bags. If you missed the post about what they made, click here.

Meantime, aren't these adorable?

I've photographed each one separately, so you can see them close-up.

Now to go bag the orders and decide who is getting which bow. Sarah will help me, I'll bet!

These are made with the Cerise paper.

These were made with the Dashing paper.

Remember the Pick a Pack of Pretty Papers sale is still on - but just until the end of November. Buy 3 and get the 4th pack of SU! designer series paper free. You can contact me anytime to order yours. AND shipping is free this month!

Go ahead and give this project a try - and let me know how you do.

Christmas Decor

Last year I held a really fun class where we made these:

Oo aahh!

This is a glass block that has been drilled at the back to insert a string of mini lights. The front was primed, stamped and coloured in with inks.

Isn't it beautiful?

In addition to teaching the class, I made several to give as gifts to our family. And I took orders for them already done for people who didn't have the time to make their own - you know how crazy busy December can get.

Back by popular demand, I am offering the glass block class again! I don't have this beautiful church stamp anymore, so I am working on another plan...

I have created this block:

This one uses the resist etching technique. This technique creates a clouded glass finish but leaves the lines of the stamped images in the transparent glass. I used the Holy Triptych set. I really like this block and feel the photo doesn't do it justice. The cord that the mini lights is really showing up in this photo, for some reason, but alas, my photography skills aren't good enough to eliminate that. I probably took a dozen pictures at different angles with different settings.... I hope you get the idea.

So, this year's glass block class is coming up in December on the 12th and you get to choose to come for the afternoon class from 1 - 3:30 or the evening class from 7 - 9:30. When you register, I also need to know if you'd like to do the stamped and coloured block or the etched block, so that I have the materials prepped. The cost of the class is $30.

If you would love to give these as gifts this year, but cannot make the class, I would be happy to take orders for them, the cost is $30 each. I will deliver to these areas: Palmerston, Drayton, Listowel, Elmira, St. Jacobs, Heidelberg, Kitchener, Waterloo, Guelph, Elora and Fergus and areas in between. If you are beyond this area, please add $10 for shipping.

Looking forward to hearing from you - let me know what you think of these projects!