Happy Heart Month!

Here's the calendar for February!



Just so you all know...
I'm not sure how often I will be posting for a few months. I have a few things I'm working on in life in general... simplify and declutter... and also some major family stuff I'm hoping will be in the works very soon.
Now, about the stamping stuff. I'm still reevaluating and trying to make a decision about which direction it will all be going. I haven't been content for a while with the current direction, and my MOJO has suffereed tremedously because of my inner turmoil. I still plan on doing crafting classes, but may be heading in a more all encompassing direction with that rather than just stampin' & papercrafts. We'll, see...
'Nuff said there... for now!
For those of you interested in classes.... I'll let you know, if you let me know what kinds of classes you would like to see or what classes you want to continue!! Do you want more cards? More techniques? More mini-books? 4x6 scrapping? Specialty cards? What else would you like to do?
Thanks!!


P.S. I will also attempt to do better at giving you the info on the items I post. So....
Calendar page "deets":
Stamps: TAC: T-2708 For All Seasons
Calendar: Just Stamp It
Paper: Sam's Club special, basic black & white CS
Ink: Noir Palette
Coloring: Prismacolor & OPT, glitter pen
Other: 1" BIA rings

Simple & Easy gifts...

...are not just for Christmas. But that does seem to be the time when we all post that kind of stuff.

Here are a couple of items that never seem to get old for quick cute gifts. Just change out the paper and stamps and.... presto, bango! Ready for a different Holiday or Special Occasion!

These are, I admit, the Christmas versions, so.... use your own creativity and see what YOU can come up with!!

Board book calendar

Every year my hubby brings home a calendar from work. The problem is... it's just HUGE. Too big to hang on my cupboard doors. Before we needed this montrousity because he was doing crazy shift work. Now it's a much easier schedule too keep track of... 2 weeks days, 2 weeks swing. I don't need a gigantic calendar to tell me that.

So, I came up with a solution.

I used a board book and carefully cut it apart, two pages at a time, then glued the seam together to get one long piece.

I used the calendar download from Heather and printed it on portrait paper rather than landscape. Perfect size!

The blue background at the top is perfect for a 4x6 photo which can be changed out whenever.

January 2010

Happy New Year!

Wishing all of you a properous, happy, and healthy new year to come.

This calendar uses the For All Seasons set in the TAC catalog. I'll post a page at the beginning of the month for the coming year.

Last minute Christmas Gifts...

It just wasn't my idea...

but when a friend needs help, I'm always on board.

So, Candy brought me this project and wanted to make more for Christmas gifts.

We've been having SO much fun. My craft room is an absolute disaster!

Lookie!!!

Are these just COOLEST PICTURE FRAMES YOU'VE EVER SEEN????

Well, I like 'em anyway!! Perfect for a 4 x 6 photo right from the camera!

Sneak Peek #1

Here are some peeks at a few of the cards we will make at the Stamp-a-Stack this weekend!!

I hope you are excited! It will be LOADS of FUN!!

Reservations are filling quickly! Call me now to reserve your spot!!

Thanks!

4th Annual Stamp-a-Stack Update

Due to several requests, I have decided to continue with the Annual Christmas Stamp-a-Stack this year.

Saturday, November 14, 2009 11:00 till ??
Memorial Hall in Hotchkiss.

RESERVATIONS MUST BE MADE BY NOVEMBER 10th!!!
This special event is limited to 20 people, so please, reserve your spot NOW!!
It is not an easy task to prepare supplies for this event especially since my help and time are limited at best anymore.

Make 20 Christmas/Holiday themed cards from 10 available designs for $25
(or free with a $50 purchase from TAC)
Snacks will be available, but if you would like to bring something to share, it would be appreciated!
Remember, everyone who attends will get a prize!

Watch the blog for "sneak peeks"

Witch Hat Candy Treat Tutorial

Supplies:
cutter
large and small circle coluzzle & foam mat
coluzzle swivel knife
decorator bag
black & white cardstock
8" black 3/8" ribbon
stamps & acrylic mount
ink (Noir & Orangerie shown here)
1 3/4" circle punch
1 1/2" circle punch
Not shown:
scissors
adhesive
1/8" punch
mounting foam
candy
Jar or glass

Directions:
1. Cut decorator bag down to 6" from tip.

2. Cut 1/2" slits about a quarter inch apart across the bottom (or open end) of the decorator bag.

3. Cut 2 circles from the black cardstock. (Iused the large circle coluzzle, 4th from the center. This will give you circles about 4" in diameter.)

4. On one of the circles, center the small coluzzle and cut a smaller circle out of the center. (Once again I used the fourth from the center, approximately a 2 inch diameter.)

5. Apply adhesive to one side of this circle with the cut out.

6. Open the decorator bag and one small section at a time, pulling the bag into the center of the circle, adhere the bag to the hat brim. (Hopefully you can understand what I mean from the picture. I used a jar to sort of hold or balance the bag while I did this.)

After you have the bag attached to the adhesive, you will need to apply adhesive over the bag that is attached to the brim of the hat. (You can use the edge of the jar to help with this.)
Fill up the bag with candy! Be careful not to get your candy stuck to the adhesive on the brim of the hat. (It also helps if you overfill the bag just a bit as the candy tends to settle after you turn it over.)

7. Attach the other circle and seal.

8. Turn your hat right side up!

9. Stamp your decorative element!

I used T- 3009 Glitter Goblins.

I stamped the image twice.

I punched the center out with the 1 1/2" punch and then inked the edges with Orangerie.

and then punched the base of my element out with the 1 3/4" punch.

I punched a small 1/8" hole for the ribbon at the bottom of my image and added some mounting foam and the center piece attached here.







Run both ends of the ribbon through the hole...

loop over the hat, tighten your ribbon and tie a decortive knot.

oooo! Almost done!

To make the spider charm to put on the tip of your hat you will need:

clear "shrinky dink" plastic

Staz-On ink

stamps (TAC-2600 Trick or Treat "retired" set used here)

1/4" hole punch
1/16" hole punch

thread

heat gun

heating surface (Iused a tile)

bamboo skewer (to hold the plastic while it melts)

a wood block (to flatten your shrinky dink, if needed)

Directions:

Stamp the spider and the saying on the plastic. (I stamped the spider on one side and the saying on the other.)
Punch out your image (1 1/2" circle used here)

Punch a 1/4" hole in your charm BEFORE YOU MELT IT.

Use a skewer to hold your image while you heat it. Remember the plastic will shrivel up as you heat it.

Thread some string through the hole on your shrinky dink charm.

Punch a 1/16" hole in the top of the decorator bag you used to make the witch hat. Thread your charm on and tie a knot.

Now you're done!!



Feel free to leave a comment if you have any questions!

DC fold out book

Many, many moons ago.... (okay, it's only been three years) our family took a trip to Washington
D.C. And now, finally, after all my good intentions to get these done the fall we came home, I'm finally going to finish these fold-out memory books for the kids.
This is my big plan for Saturday which I will be spending at the Scrappy Moose Retreat in Delta. It's their 1st Anniversary and the grand opening of their scrapping retreat!
Okay, enough about me...

Here are the details of the project...which is the real reason you peruse this blog, isn't it?
I used three 10" chipboard squares and seven "coordinating" pieces of 12" decorative paper.

The chipboard was cut as follows:
One left intact, as the back and base of the book.
The center pieces are cut in half to two 5x10 rectangles.
The top, or front cover is cut into one 7x10 and one 3x10 piece.
I'd provide the dimensions of the paper, but honestly, I didn't really keep track, exactly... but, I'll do my best here...
A: 8x11 for the large half of the front cover
B: 6.875 x 9.875 and 2.875 x 9.875 to cover the inside flaps of the front cover pieces on both sides
C: 6x11 for one of the inside flaps and 4x10 for the other side of the front cover flap.
D: two pieces 4.875 x 9.875 to cover the inside flaps.
E: One piece 6 x 11 for the other inside flap & to cover the chipboard letters on the front cover.
F: 9.875 x9.875 to cover the inside of the back cover
G: 11" square for the back cover.

The large pieces were wrapped around the chipboard (miter your corners) and the smaller pieces adhered the the "inside."


Sorry if that's not too clear.
I used eyelets and twine to create the bindings and tags leftover from paper packs that seemed to coordinate with my paper colors for my journaling.
I'm hoping to get all four of these done this weekend.
Please leave me a comment (which I love to read) if you need clarification on any of the instructions.
Have a great day and I wish you better success with your good intentions than I seem to experiece with mine, at least, more often than I'd care to admit!


...Oh! For you interested parties, and because you asked for it...
I'll get the directions for the witch hat posted soon! .... Stay tuned!

Treats for your Tricksters, Goodies for your Goblins

I spend a lot of time perusing the internet looking for fabulous ideas that I can use with stamps and supplies I already own. Especially now when more people are trying to save a buck rather than spend a buck. If you don't absolutely LOVE a stamp set, or can't justify it's usability, it's just not worth spending the money for it.

I just can't afford to always get the great new stuff. Maybe that is the reason why I don't get rid of my discontinued stamps. You know, the ones they don't carry in the catalog anymore? I know, as a demonstrator I'm supposed to push *NEW* stuff, but, that just doesn't always work with a particular project I'd like to create. So, I reach for my retired stamps frequently. Sometimes it takes the combination of new and used sets to get the final piece I really want. Most stamp sets just don't come with a great combination of images and sayings. (The big advantage with the creative cling backing on TAC's real rubber stamps is the minimal amount of storage space which enables me to be able to keep such a huge inventory of personal stamps!)

Monday night we will be making some treat ideas for our little goblins.

Hmmm..... but I found such great ideas, I had a difficult time deciding which ones to do....

Should we do something new?

Like this cute pumpkin basket? (I added the cute label on the handle ...with retired stamps.)

Or maybe this cute witch hat with a shrinky-dink spider charm? (a combination of current and retired stamps)

We could always stick with the tried and true favorites...

...a sour cream container (current stamp set)

...or maybe an M&M matchbook (current stamps)

...or a mini candy bar pull (current and retired)

...or a pixie stick pack (current and retired)

...or a candy corn envelope (new stamp, old EKSuccess punches)

We will be doing at least three of these on Monday, but which will they be?

See you at 7!

Back to School

I love the smell of freshly sharpened pencils. It has always meant Autumn to me, and "back to school" time.

I like to send a small gift to the homeroom teachers the kids will be working with this year. Since those cute small backpacks have been making the rounds on the stamping blogs, I thought this would be a great idea. I put small "Teacher Survival Kits" inside each one. I used one of TAC's retired sets to create a school related background.

I'm back! with LOTS of news!!

Yes, I've been a BAD blogger. But really, when people say, "Family First," do you think they mean it? Well, my life this summer has been all about putting family and family needs first. I did plan a few classes, which were very poorly attended ....or not attended at all. So, needless to say, I didn't really have much to post. Also, I started a new job in June too. Although it's supposed to be "part-time," at 30 hours a week and working till 6 p.m. it may as well be the full-time job it feels like! But, I must say, I really love my job, even if it has limited my time for my creative outlet.

So, the BIG news it that, after 13 years with TAC, I was actually asked to submit some samples for the stamp of the Month for September.

You can check out the ones TAC liked here.

And below are the samples they did not include on their website:

(The first two show outside and inside the card.....)

(So, sometimes, even when I use the preview tool, my pics and text come out kind of weird looking. Sorry about that!)

Here's the last bit of news.....CLASS INFO!!

Tech Tuesdays will continue the first Tuesday of the month. (I will just have to be better organized and of course, have better cooperation from my family.)

So, those dates are:

Oct. 6, November 3, and December 1 all at 7:00 p.m. Come & learn 2 techniques and make an instruction card for your book and a sample greeting card for only $5.

Monday, Sept. 28. Halloween Treats & goodies. 7:00 p.m. $10

Make 3 spooky treats for your special goblins!

Thursday, October 22. Matchbox Advent Calendar. $25

Most of you have seen the candy box.... this one is even bigger!!

Monday, November 30. Calendars. $20

Make 3 calendars, just in time for gift giving for the new year.

Monday, December 14. Frame it up $20

Just in time for those last minute gifts! A great way to display photos is always an aprreciated present!

All classes listed above are limited to 10 people. Reservation must be made at least 3 days prior to class.

Also, mark the date for the 4th Annual Christmas Stamp-a-Stack

Saturday, November 14 (time & location to be announced later)

Now, just keep in mind.... class dates may change due to school scheduling....

postcards are going out this week!

and one last photo.....

the reason I've been so busy this summer, and the big reason I went back to work...

Rebecca started at Pacific University in Forest Grove, OR this fall. Here she is on the beach.....

Just in time for DAD!

Toilet tube mini book for Dad's Day!

Just a sample of the book we will be doing tonight at class in the cave. I will actually get this one complete before Father's Day!

Sorry for the lengthy delays in posting....

My oldest survived High School and has graduated, #2 is moving on to Middle School, #3 and #4 have maintained a healthy "status quo" and between all the stress of other life altering events we hoped for but then didn't happen it seems that life is getting back to it's normal run of chaos in the Limone household!

Now...

Here are some quick instructions for the mini book:

Keep in mind that the size of the tubes varies from brand to brand and even sometimes from roll to roll.
Supplies:
Empty toilet tubes
Sanding block
Big Shot
Decorative papers & CS
Embellishments
Adhesives
Directions:
1. Flatten the tubes and sand off the excess toilet paper if needed. (It may help to run the edges over the edge of a table or to run through a BigShot. You can also rubberband a bunch together and let them sit for a while.)
2. Most toilet tubes can be covered with a 6 x 6 piece of paper. You will want to have enough paper to overlap the roll and each edge by ½ inch for a finished edge.
3. Punch holes with a Crop-a-dile, drill press, or the Bind-it-all on one side of the tube. You can finish the raw edges of your punched holes with eyelets. (If you punch with the Bind-it-all I recommend securely adhering the paper to the tube along the edge you will be punching.) Use binder rings or binding wire to put your pages together.
4. Make tags to go inside your tubes! My measurements were 2 ⅜” x 3 ¾” but remember tube sizes vary so you will want to measure & adjust to your tubes if needed.
5. Decorate as desired!

6x6 papers

Here is a shot of some simple cards I made using just one 6x6 piece of decorative paper cut into strips.

I'll be heading to Kansas next weekend and I'm hoping it will give my mojo the boost it needs. I admit I've been in a horrible funk that just doesn't seem to lift.

I would like to thank all of you who have visited my blog for all the great comments you leave. I appreciate it more than I can tell you!

MIA...

So, first I had computer issues, for what seemed like "all time and eternity" then the camera goes MIA with all the photos I had ready to post.


My DH thought it would be a good idea, since MY camera is the oldest that he & Bubba get to use it as their "fishing" camera. Okay, no problem.... except I still use it for my stuff too!!


Needless to say, after weeks of complaining... and somewhat searching... the camera turned up, in DH's fishing vest.... imagine that!! Me thinks he has "permanently" confiscated the "no longer MY camera" to be THEIR "fishing" camera. Time to come up with a plan B, I suppose.





Anyway....


Here is a photo of some of the cards I created w a y back in January. We used Joseph's Dreamcoat Technique to create the colorful trees.



Upcoming classes:
Tech Tues. on March 3 at 7:00 and
Stamp Camp on Wed. March 11 at 7:00.