Running With Scissors…

Today’s Flourishes preview introduces Gerbera Daisies.  Have I mentioned how excited I am about this month’s releases?  These are some of the easiest flowers to color because you can do just about anything you want with them.  Oh, how I love this stamp set!  At last, all the new sets will be available in the store after the release party, Friday night, Aug. 14.

Just a quick reminder:  Visit the Flourishes Newsletter today to see how you can have a chance to win this set, and to read up on the rest of the release details.

Today I’m having a little extra fun by participating in Sharon’s Stamp Simply Birthday Celebration.  Many of you are familiar with Sharon’s weekly Stamp Simply Challenges.  Well… today marks her 100th week of challenges!  So Sharon’s having a party, and everyone’s invited.  As part of the festivities she’s gathered up a group of designers who will share birthday ideas — cards, recipes, gift sets, all sorts of things.  Blog candies, too!  It’s all happening today.  For a complete list of links, please visit Sharon’s blog –> here.

I’ve made a gift set with the Gerbera Daisies as the focal point.  They’re such cheerful flowers, and perfect for a “happy” birthday gift.  The altered tin held a Fossil watch in its former life, and required only a new cover for the top and a band around it’s middle to cover the logo.  The existing colors of the tin were a perfect match for the card — lucky for me because I’d already made the card and then designed the rest of the gift set as an afterthought.

• I used Mod Podge, applied with a small foam brush, to adhere the papers to the tin (BasicGrey Urban Prairie).  I cut the paper for the top to the 16th of an inch and punched with a regular corner rounder — a perfect fit.
• I sanded the edges of the paper to transition it smoothly to the top of the tin.  See the divit around the edge of the lid — I sanded it down to bare metal to remove the existing painted-on pattern.
• I stamped the daisies on a square of Classic White cardstock, colored with Copics, and cut out all but the two sides that join at the corner.  The corner of the daisy image was then punched with a corner rounder, and the image was adhered to the top of the tin with Mod Podge.
• A final coat of Mod Podge was applied to all the paper surfaces after they were adhered to the tin.
• Note:  I did isolate the paper pattern for this composition with the daisies.  See how the butterfly hovers over the daisies?

I made simple bands for the soaps and stamped the butterflies on Classic White, punched with a Stampin’ Up! label punch.  The soaps are an exact fit in the tin when laid on edge, lined up in a row.  Had I known beforehand I was going to make the tin, I would have used matching silver embellishments on the card.  Here’s a closer look at the card with those fabulous Gerbera Daisies:

I think I’m in Heaven!  Wait till you see what the other designers have done with this set:  Christine, Cindy, Faith, Julie, Latisha, Laura, Stacy, Nancy

So… just to sum it up…

• Flourishes’ new sets will be available in the store tonight after the release party.
• Visit the Newsletter for details on the party, to have a chance at winning this set, and to hurry for your last day to participate in the pre-release challenge.
• Visit Sharon for lots of links to all kinds of fun things to see.

And one last thing:  If you played Flourishes’ Fit for Royalty challenge, be sure to check the Newsletter Saturday at noon for a little something extra.  You won’t want to miss it

Whew!  Lots going on!  Oh, and by the way… TGIF!  Have a great weekend and I’ll see you again soon!

Hello!  This is the 10th day of our Stamp Simply Celebrates party and this is my Featured Project day.  The idea of my project is to dress up existing packaging to turn it into something a little more special.  Dee and Jennifer are kindly sharing samples of this idea, too.

In addition to my project, you’ll find a wonderful project and challenge here at Joan’s blog where she makes a gift of soap and candles.  There are a lot of great samples for Joan’s project — check out these ladies:   LeAnne, Dee, AJ, Heather, Barb, Darlene, Janine, Sharon.   Also — Tammy and LeAnne have blog candy for you!  Lots of fun going on today!  You can find a complete list of all the activities here.

This is what I made:

And this is what I started with:

I altered the cocoa box and repacked it with the cocoa packs, candycanes and marshmallows.  It’s just a little something to take along on a visit — you know, like you’d take a plate of Christmas cookies or candy. 

This brand of cocoa can be found in any grocery store, always in this same box size, so just in case you’d ever like to make one, too, I’m sharing the exact dimensions and instructions for altering this box.  Whether you make it now or later, for yourself or as a gift, it’s a fun and easy project.  If you’re in a country other than the US, I’m not sure about the box size, so I’m sorry if this won’t work for you.  Here we go!

You’ll need:

• 2 pieces of designer paper 5 1/4″ x 10″ for box sides
• 1 piece of plain cardstock 7″ x 1 7/8″ for exterior box bottom
• 2 pieces of plain or textured cardstock 6 3/4″ x 10″ for inside lining/upper decorative flap
• 1 piece plain cardstock 2″ x 7 3/16″ for inside box bottom/lining
• Adhesive — my choice for a project like this is Mod Podge, applied with a foam brush (see below).  I purchased mine at Wal-Mart.
• Optional:  Spray gloss or matte sealer.  I sealed my box with an outer coat of Mod Podge and spray gloss sealer.  It does add some time to the project, but it gives the box a very nice finish.

Just a quick photo of the Mod Podge and spray sealer:

The first step is to cut the flaps off the box top.

The next photo shows the reverse side of the designer paper.  Score lengthwise along the lower edge of the paper at 1/2″.  Score 1 5/16″ from each end.  Do this with both sheets of designer paper.

Don’t forget the triangle cut for smooth and easy folding of the corners.  Adhere paper to box, keeping top edge of paper even with top edge of box.

Adhere the exterior box bottom, as shown below.  Since I photographed this after I’d applied the Mod Podge and spray gloss sealer, you can see the glossy finish.

For box lining and flap, score lengthwise at 2″ from one edge.  Score across each end at 1 5/16″ (one and five sixtheenth inches).  Punch or trim decorative border, if desired.  Repeat with other piece of lining.

Again, don’t forget the triangle cut.  Make this one long and skinny.  This cut is actually too wide.  Keep the gap very narrow.

Fold down the decorative border flap so it looks like this:

Note:  If you plan to seal the box with a coat of Mod Podge and spray sealer, it’s best to coat the box body and lining separately before adhering the lining.  Instructions for this process are on the product containers.

• Apply adhesive to the one broad side of the lining — the side that will fit against the box (facing front in the photo above).  Do not apply adhesive to outer border flap or to the skinny side lining flaps.
• Insert lining in box, as shown below, with the skinny flaps raised.  You’ll fit it like a cap over the top edge of the box.  Press broad side of lining in place and make sure it is secure before continuing.
• Apply adhesive to the skinny flaps and press into place.
• Repeat with other piece of lining.

Apply adhesive to interior box bottom lining and press into place.

The rest is just a matter if decorating as desired and putting it to use.  I wrapped a ribbon around it and attached a circle tag, using SU!’s retired Like it a Latte set and Spellbinders Nestabilities.

The finished box is very sturdy due to the lining, the outer covering and the folded-over border around the top.  It can be reused for other purposes, especially when sealed and finished so nicely with the Mod Podge and spray sealer.  My husband suggested it would be cute to keep the Christmas cards in, or to decorate another one for everyday to toss the mail into.

Now . . . I’ve got to get busy with the rest of my Christmas cards!  Have a great day!

Aren’t these flowers pretty?  They’re artificial, as you might have guessed.  I purchased them at Wal-Mart.

A trip to Wal-Mart after a tiring day at work is not one of my favorite things to do, so when I’ve put it off as long as possible and must finally go, I like to reward my effort.  The day I purchased these flowers I’d put Martha Stewart on my list — a trip down the craft isle is always a little something to look forward to.  I did go home with Martha in my bag but these caught my eye, as well.  It occurred to me how pretty these flowers would look on cards and other projects so I inspected them for feasibility.

As it turns out, they could easily be removed from their plastic stems.  One bunch yielded a nice crop of pretty pink flowers in two shades and three sizes.

Gosh, they look okay to me.

They each have a nice little hole in the center for inserting brads.

I think I love them!

Now, what to put them in?

I just happened to have this jar which was the perfect size — formerly artichoke hearts, now flowers!

The artichoke green lid might have looked better with a vintage theme but I felt like something a little more perky.  I was happy, at least, to find no printing or bar codes on the edges, which made it a lot easier to decorate.

I covered a Stampin’ Up! chipboard flower with BasicGrey Sultry paper and used retired Accents & Elements and Scrappin’ Kit self-adhesive trim for more decoration.  The word, “flower”, is a stamp from Flourishes’ Fantasy Floral Garden.

I’m thinking I may have to eat more artichoke hearts so I can line the shelves of my stamp room with a garden of pretty flowers.

Finally, I had to make a card to test out my flowers.  I wanted to avoid a floral image so I stamped a stack of Whipper Snapper presents for a birthday card.

I honestly don’t think they look like little old $1.97 Wal-Mart flowers at all.  In fact, I absolutely love them!  I know there are lots of beautiful Prima flowers available but, unfortunately, not in my small town.  We have only the most ordinary Primas — pretty, but ordinary.  While internet shopping has brought limitless options to my desktop, there’s a lot to be said for instant gratification…sigh…

I had so much fun with this project.  Just think of all the pretty blooms waiting to be picked on the Wal-Mart flower aisle!  I can guarantee I’ll be going back for more…

I should be making seasonal cards but I hope you enjoyed a little bit of summer in the middle of autumn.  This was an interlude of pure whimsey before I settle down to the projects I “need” to get busy with.  Those will follow in the days to come but maybe I can work in a flower or two…  I truly appreciate your time today and hope to see you again this week.  Have a wonderful day!

• Stamps:  Fantasy Floral Garden (Flourishes), Pile of Presents (Whipper Snapper)
• Paper:  Chocolate Chip, Kiwi Kiss, Pink Pirouette, BasicGrey Sultry designer paper
• Ink:  Palette Noir, Chocolate Chip, Pixie Pink, SU! markers for coloring
• Accessories:  Chipboard, Accents & Elements, Scrappin’ Kit (all from SU! and all retired), ribbon, Stardust Stickles, decorative brad, button, Wal-Mart flowers, Birthday Cuttlebug embossing folder, Scotch brand foam mounting tape

I know…the frame pales in comparison to the little girl it was made for.  This is Emily, my friend’s granddaughter.  She keeps me company on my desk at work where all I have to do is glance over at her and my load is suddenly lighter.

My project came about after I watched this video tutorial created by Flourishes’ Nancy Kirk.  It was very informative and I highly recommend it.  I came away quite inspired!  The tutorial is all about using Polished Pigment Powders.

To clarify:  Polished Pigment Powders are not the same as Twinkling H20’s.  The end result is the same, but the product used to achieve that result is in a different form.

• Twinkling H20’s are solid cakes of ready-to-use paints — just add water.  They’re watercolor paints with mica chips added for sparkle and sheen.
• Polished Pigment Powders are little pots of pure color.  If you were to remove every other ingredient from a pot of paint, this is what you’d have — pigment powder.  That’s why they’re referred to as pure color.  The Polished Pigment Powders also contain the mica chips that set them apart from ordinary pigment powders.

One benefit of the powder form is mileage.  You can cover a lot of distance with a little bit of powder, which made them ideal for painting my frame.  I spooned some powder into the lid of a plastic butter tub and mixed with Simple Solutions 2.  The directions say 1 part powder/2 parts Simple Solution but I didn’t measure — I just added solution until the consistency looked right.

The colors I used are from my collection.  Similar colors can be found here at Flourishes.  The chipboard flower is from Stampin’ Up!.  It’s kraft, or cardboard, color but the Polished Pigments painted over it flawlessly.  The ready-to-alter white frame was purchased at my local scrapbook store.  The photo size is 5 x 7.  Other details of the frame are as follows:

• Designer paper — BasicGrey Sultry 6 x 6 pad
• Cardstock — Stampin’ Up! Purely Pomegranate (retired, trimmed with Fiskars scallop edge scissors)
• Letters — Curlz Monogram Kit (stamped, cut out, then traced on one side with pink marker, colored over with Sakura Stardust clear glitter pen)
• Butterfly — Flourishes Butterfly Moments stamp set (brown embossed then painted with Twinkling H20’s)
• Accessories — Ribbon, rhinestones from Flourishes, button from my vast collection

Since I had a little paint left over from the frame I decided to finish it off with a card:

I painted a Cuttlebug embossed background and cut it into a circle with a Spellbinders die.  The card has mostly all the same ingedients as the frame — the designer papers are from the same Sultry pad.  I added copper pearls to match the copper cord which ties the tag to the ribbon.  The tag is stamped with a word and flower from Fantasy Floral Garden.

The butterfly is adhered to the scallop circle with tacky glue and there’s a little strip of foam mounting tape under each wing to assure they remain slightly lifted.

I know some of the other Flourishes designers have been working with the Polished Pigments, as well.  See Susan’s card here and be sure and check with Julie and Faith, too.

Have a happy day!

Spring is a time of renewal and new life and I guess that’s as good a time as any for Flourishes to release their new Rock a Bye Baby set.  I see such love and sweetness in these gentle vintage images.  I really do like this set.

There are four stamps in the set, all of which are shown here.  They’re perfect for coloring with soft chalks for the delicate shading and moon glow effect.  I kept to colors that felt vintage this time around but I’ll be looking forward to trying my hand at some different looks, as well.  The crescent moon on the tin was cut out and raised on dimensional foam tape.  I haven’t decided yet what might go in the tin.  Any ideas?  I think some baby soaps would be nice, or maybe an assortment of itty bitty socks or booties.

Here’s a little closer look at the card:

I used some starry, sparkly Disney vellum by EK Success to create a night sky for my background.  It’s adhered with double stick tape under the ribbon and behind the main image.  It’s further secured with the ribbon tied through a slot punch opening in the corner.  After I stamped the sentiment I trimmed around it and snipped the ends to make it resemble a stream of ribbon.  The ecru lace added an additional touch of vintage to the design.

Flourishes has released another set today, as well.  It features lilacs and magnolias and you may imagine it’s a set after my own heart.  I’ll be sharing a card from that set tomorrow.

Now, for a little excitement…have you heard Flourishes big news yet?  They’re no longer the three Flourishes ladies many of us have become familiar with:  Jan Marie Caruso, Nancy Kirk and Sharon Doolittle.  They’ve grown to four.  And who might that fourth Flourish be, you wonder?  Well…

Gosh, I think you should take a little trip right here to find out — I wouldn’t want to spoil her surprise!  I’m truly delighted at this news and I know all Four Flourishes are, as well!

You may also want to check Flourishes’ SCS forum Wednesday, the 14th, for another one of their fun contests with a very generous prize.  They’ll be announcing their big news there, too.  It’s BIG!  And I think it means big, wonderful, exciting things in store for all of us stampers, too!

Thank you so much for dropping in on me today.  Have a wonderful rest of the week!

• Stamps:  Rock a Bye Baby
• Paper:  Not Quite Navy, EK Success Disney vellum, More Mustard, So Saffron, Whisper White, SU! Spring Flowers DP (retired)
• Ink:  Chocolate Chip, Close to Cocoa, More Mustard
• Accessories:  Stampin’ Pastels for coloring, ribbon, lace, ticket corner punch, slot punch, Scotch brand foam mounting tape

Today I made this little altered Altoid tin and notepad set using a retired Stampin’ Up! Simply Scrappin’ Kit and some K&Company self-adhesive dimensional flowers.  The tin is tightly packed with stamping type goodies but can be used later for paper clips or whatever anyone might keep near their telephone notepad.   I don’t know why it is that I love altered Altoid tins so much.  I have quite a stash of them in all colors…wouldn’t dream of throwing one away.  It must be the treasure chest appeal of them.  I feel the same way about pretty notebooks.  A person can only have so many of either so I guess I’ll just keep making them for anyone I haven’t given a set to yet.

I sized the notepad around a Meade 3×5 scratch pad.  You can buy them in multi-packs in different colors.  They have a cardboard back and I designed the cover with a band to hold the pad in place.  When the sheets are all used up you can slip another pad into the band and keep the cover until it’s all worn out or you’re tired of looking at it.

To make the cover:

1.  Cut cardstock 3 1/4″ x 10 3/4″.  Score across at 5 1/4″ and 5 1/2″.  I also cut an 1/8″ strip of cardstock to adhere between the folds for reinforcement and lined the inside back cover with contrasting cardstock.

2.  Cut the band 2″ x 7″.  Center and adhere the band on the back cover about 1/4″ down from the fold and wrap it around to the inside.  It’s important to use the cardboard back of the Meade pad as a spacer so the band won’t be too tight.  Simply open the pad and lay the back on the cover, then wrap the band around it.  Adhere with Sticky Strip or your favorite adhesive.

3.  Decorate the front as desired.

I hope I have time tomorrow night after work to make another project.  The evenings are so short and I’m making quite a mess around me with no time to clean it up.  You know how that goes!  As of Friday, the 21st, I’ll be on vacation until after the first of the year.  Can you imagine how much I’m looking forward to that?  At least I’ll have time to wrap the last of the presents, clean up the house and maybe do a little holiday baking.  I plan to spend plenty of quality time in my stamp room before I go back to work, too.  I can’t wait!  Take care until we meet again!

Hello!  Well, I’ve had a busy but fun evening.  I finished this little gift box and card tonight in between baking blueberry muffins and running back and forth to greet the trick-or-treaters.  Oh, my goodness!  Have I ever seen some adorable costumes today!  Halloween is always quite a day at work with the costume and pumpkin carving contests and employees and patients bringing their little ones around for treats.  I’m sure this day is second only to Christmas when it comes to excitement and anticipation for the kids.

This Christmas gift box started out as one of those little white boxes that department store jewelry comes in.  I used Alene’s Tacky Glue to cover it with Bashful Blue cardstock and some of last year’s SU! Christmas designer papers.  The ribbon is adhered with Sticky Strip, with the ribbon ends tied through a pewter ribbon slide.  After the papers had been applied I sanded the edges to smooth, distress and soften them.  I sanded the cardstock, too, which made it soft to the touch as well as soft in appearance.

The beautiful Peace stamp by Flourishes was stamped on an oval of Whisper White with ColorBox Sky Blue pigment ink and embossed with Stampendous Stardust embossing powder.  This EP is very glittery with a silvery cast, yet transparent enough to allow the ink color to show through.  It’s one of my favorites!  This stamp set is one of my favorites, too.  I love how I was able to make such a wonderfully coordinated set with the image in two sizes.  I rarely mount a main image without matting it, but I liked the clean and wintery look with the ovals simply sponged around the edges with Bashful Blue ink. 

By the way, there’s a Christmas brooch inside the box.  It’s the Dove of Peace studded with multicolored rhinestones.  The gift is much more special now with a little simple altering of the package and a matching card.  Isn’t stamping wonderful?  I hope you had a nice evening, too!  See you again soon!

Stamps:  Peace by Flourishes

Paper:  SU! Bashful Blue, Whisper White and double sided designer paper

Ink:  ColorBox Sky Blue pigment ink, SU! Bashful Blue

Accessories:  Offray ribbon, silver cord, ribbon slide, slot punch, Creative memories oval cutting system, Scotch brand dimensional mounting tape

ETA:  Oops!  I almost forgot to tell you…a lot of folks were asking about the set Flourished Christmas.  You went to the Flourishes site and it simply wasn’t there.  The set was so popular they plum ran out!  However, they’re back in stock — hooray!!  What a gorgeous set that is!  Enjoy!

Part One:  Altered Items

This post is dedicated to Claudia F. and Andrea Mason and to everyone else who’d like to see more altered items.  I do have a category, listed to the right, called Altered States that includes every altered item I’ve posted.  There’s not a lot in there right now, but I’ll see what I can do about that in the future.  I’d also like to again thank Pattyjo and Mary R for the nudge toward chipboard.

I absolutely love altering these tins.  Truthfully, beginning to end, it’s a lot quicker than designing a card.  There are far fewer decisions to make.  My tin came from a friend but I found this site that sells all kinds of tins and other containers at wholesale prices.  This particular tin is priced at only 74 cents!  I now have a new love of chipboard, too, and even though I did take a peek in the Stampin’ Up! catalog, I’m not going to rush into buying every piece of chipboard I can get my hands on.  That was the old me.  The new me just cleaned her stamp room and doesn’t want to clutter it up again.

Before I go any further I’d like to address the ribbon spools.  The idea to alter them was completely inspired by Candy Williams (SCS user, cwilliams).  If you’re a Splitcoaststampers Fan Club member you can view what she did with ribbon spools here.  The functionality is different in that Candy dressed an empty spool to the nines and turned it into a gift bag tag.  Not just any old tag — more like an ornament.  Very cool!  The spools I altered are much simpler, ribbon intact, intended to be used as a ribbon spool — stacked, lined up in a drawer, thrown in a basket, hung on a dowel.  In this case, the two ribbon spools fit perfectly inside the tin to make a cute little gift.  I made this set for a doorprize for an upcoming Portland, Oregon SCS dinner.  I plan to decorate a gift bag for it, too, and include a couple of unaltered tins for the recipient’s altering pleasure.

To cover these Offray ribbon spools I just smeared Alene’s Tacky glue over the surface of the spool, then pressed it onto the cardstock.  I burnished it and let it set up for just a few seconds and then trimmed around the edges with scissors.  The center was cut with an exacto knife and all rough edges were smoothed with sandpaper.  I used wadded up toilet paper to smoosh ink onto the cardstock and stamped the surface with some little circles from Seeing Spots.

For the scalloped center I punched a 3/4″ hole in the designer paper, then punched with my Stampin’ Up! scallop punch centered over the hole.  Of course, I covered both sides of the spool in the same manner.

The cardstock on the top of the tin was applied in the same manner, with tacky glue, but the sides were adhered with Sticky Strip (red liner tape).  The chipboard flower was covered with the tacky glue process — smear, press, trim and sand.  I had mentioned before that I would photograph the process of covering chipboard but, darn it, I was having so much fun I forgot to take pictures — sorry!

Stamps:  Seeing Spots

Paper:  Pumpkin Pie, Lovely Lilac, Green Galore, My Minds Eye Kaleidoscope designer paper

Ink:  Same as cardstock

Accessories:  Stampin’ Up! On Board Blossoms & Basics chipboard, ribbon, scallop punch, 3/4″ circle punch

Part two:  Some questions answered

As I go along in my posts in the following days I’ll be trying to provide some of the things folks mentioned they’d like to see, such as the chipboard and altered items in this post.  I’ll also begin answering a few questions at a time.

Allison asked:  “Do you have any fav paper/stamp/embellishment companies you’d like to list?” 

Well, I do get all my cardstock from Stampin’ Up! because I like the weight of it and I love all those matching inks and accessories.  Their designer papers are fun, too, because of the coordinating colors and patterns.  BasicGrey designer paper is one of my favorites, but I use so many others, too — My Mind’s Eye, Wild Asparagus, Bohemia, Chatterbox…the list is endless!  As for embellishments, I get those here, there and everywhere and I couldn’t pick a favorite company but I find a lot of fun stuff at Paper Wishes.  Most of my ribbons come from Stampin’ Up!, Wal-Mart, Joann’s.  When I want to indulge in something really gorgeous I visit Jacksonbelle Embellishments.

Linda Beth Smith asked:  “I would like to know what kind of paper cutter you use or would recommend. I seem to go through a lot of cutting blades. I use the Fiskars cutter with the swingout arm. Is there a better cutter or one that is self sharpening?”

I have the Fiskars cutter, too, and used it for a long time, constantly replacing blades.  I finally took the plunge and got the guillotine cutter sold by Stampin’ Up!  I don’t know if it’s self-sharpening, but I’ve had mine for about a year and it’s not the least bit dull.  It won’t cut your fingers but it cuts through paper like butter.  It’ll shave off the tiniest sliver and still be straight.

Kammie asked:  “What do you do when/if you’ve lost your stamping mojo? Where do you find your inspiration?”

When that happens I usually just let it go.  It’ll come plodding back sooner or later.  If I make too many duds in a row I’ll take a short break, a day or two.  I’ll visit some galleries and blogs, leaf through Paper Crafts, go shopping at the local scrapbook store, talk with my stamping friends.  It won’t be long before all the colors and fun projects get me excited again.  Maybe I’ll just go look at my stash of designer papers.  Really, nothing gets me going like those designer papers!  A lot of folks will tell you that the challenges are a great way to get going again.  Gosh, I’d say the combination of a sketch challenge and some designer papers ought to do the trick.

Jan Scholl asked:  “Do you run with scissors or will you poke your eye out like mom’s always said?”

I know this question was asked in fun, but I’d like to answer it, anyway.  Figuratively speaking, I do run with scissors.  When I was trying to think of a name for my blog all the usual things about paper, stamps and ink came to mind but I wanted something different.  When I thought about the other paraphernalia used in stamping, scissors came to the fore.  Yep, I thought, that’s me — running with scissors.  It seems like I’m always stamping on the run — a little here, a little there.  I have a full time job and it’s not easy to work in all this stamping and blogging.  A lot of the stamping takes place in my head while I’m waiting for the opportunity to get to my stamp room.  Chances are that might be about 15 minutes before I leave for work in the morning, so I may just pull out a couple of designer papers, cut a card base, select a stamp set, throw some things in a bag to work on during break times.  Writing a blog post is the same way — I’ll write a little, save it, come back later.  Yes, I do run with scissors but it’s not my preferred method of stamping.  It is possible to find time for the things we love and once in a while I have the pleasure of some uninterrupted stamping time — Heaven!

Thanks for visiting today!  This was another rather lengthy post but, as always, there’s the option of just looking at the pictures or skipping to the end.  I used to subscribe to all kinds of gardening magazines and that’s mostly what I did with them — look at the pictures.  At least this is free!  We’ll talk again soon.  Have a wonderful day!

I went on a cleaning, tidying and clearing out kick this weekend.  I could have chosen a more fun or relaxing  Labor Day weekend activity, but I can’t say I regret how I spent my time.  It felt pretty good and looks even better.

When I was clearing out a desk drawer I found an old journal I started many years ago.  I’ve never been very good about keeping journals and this one ended after a few weeks’ entries.  It provided some very interesting reading after all these years, though.  It was begun at a time when we were living a little more hand to mouth than we do these days.  Our son was a school kid and we were struggling to work out a budget to deal with the new house payment we could supposedly afford.  One entry found me worrying how I was going to buy my son a new pair of shoes and still pay the bills and buy groceries.  The next entry described his shoes further deteriorated and my decision that he was more important than the bills…  I was glad to look back on that and feel proud and happy about the choice I made.  Needless to say, everything worked out just fine.

I thought I’d give journaling another try.  I didn’t want anything quite as large as a composition book so I picked up this smaller 5 x 7 notebook instead.  I was hoping I could use my SU! spiral punch for the cover but the holes didn’t line up correctly, darn it.  If you find yourself in that predicament sometime, the photo and explanation that follows may be helpful:

I first determined that the distance from the outer edge of the notebook to the inner edge of the hole was 1/4″.  I drew a straight line at the 1/4″ mark and placed my cardstock next to the binder as shown.

I simply drew dots at each spiral and then punched the dots with an 1/8″ hand held punch, aligning the edge of the punch with the line.  At each hole I cut a slit from the edge to the hole.  I could then slip the cover right over the spirals.  The white cardstock, by the way, is just for demonstration purposes.

The cover of my journal started out with Chocolate Chip.  I sponged the edge that would show with Chocolate Chip ink and wadded up toilet paper.  Yes, toilet paper — the TP technique.  For that tutorial, please click here.  The rest of it is BasicGrey Stella Ruby paper and Almost Amethyst cardstock, the latter also TP’d.  There’s some Chocolate Chip sponged around the edges for a little aging.  I used the heart from Gentler Times and a sentiment from All Year Cheer I, thinking one’s journaling is usually outpourings from the heart, although mine will be full of mundane day to day musings, I’m sure.

While I was at it I made a coordinating pencil holder from a Crystal Light container as well as an R.S.V.P. pen.  In case you’re not familiar with these pens, R.S.V.P. is just the brand name of this particular pen which lends itself well to this type of decoration.  I cut a piece of Stella Ruby 1″ x 3 1/4″, rolled it into a little tube and tucked it into the barrel of the pen.

This last photo shows the back cover of the journal covered with Chocolate Chip cardstock that I TP’d with the same color ink.  This technique is just the ticket for something like this because of the illusion of leather it gives your paper.

Well, that’s it for this week’s Ruby Tuesday project, the only thing I made this weekend.  I haven’t spent much time at all in my stamp room or on the computer these last three days and I know I’ve got some catching up to do.  I hope you’ve all been well and will have a wonderful week!

Stamps:  Gentler Times, All Year Cheer I

Paper:  Chocolate Chip, Almost Amethyst, Very Vanilla, BasicGrey Stella Ruby

Ink:  Chocolate Chip, Almost Amethyst, Creamy Caramel, CTMH Vanilla

Accessories:  Ribbon, swirl clip, 1/8″ hand held hold punch, Scotch brand dimensional mounting tape, spiral bound notebook, R.S.V.P. pen, Crystal Light container, Sticky Strip red liner tape, Alene’s Tacky Glue

I’ve never met a person more devoted to a color than the friend who will receive this gift.  You’ve probably guessed — her color is orange.  I probably should have wheeled the gift box in orange, too, but I thought it might wear out my eyes before I was finished.  I like orange, though.  I like all colors, but some in more moderate doses.

The handled gift box contains Barefoot Holler bath and body products, including foot lotion (how does that differ, I wonder, from hand or body lotion?) and this SU! It’s a Girl Thing set, long since retired, is the closest I could come to carrying out that theme.  I still love this set.  I guess the “girly” in me lives through these stamps because I’m not really the ruffly, fluffy, frilly, spike heeled kind of gal they represent.  Or maybe I am and I’m just supressing it…hmmmm…I’ll examine that later.

I used Lovely Lilac and Gable green with my Kaleidoscope (My Mind’s Eye) designer paper.  The box is decorated with the SU! Petals wheel in Lovely Lilac with a little strappy sandal charm hanging from the tag.  The shoes are colored with SU! markers.  I jumped at the chance to use more of my Sprites Primas, too.

You’re probably familiar with these gift boxes but just in case, I’ve included a photo of them in their packaging.  They come 12 to package, flat and ready to roll–so quick and easy!  I’ve purchased them at the Dollar Store, but also at Wal-Mart for not much more than a dollar.  I find them with the wedding decorations.  I love to do white gift boxes this way, too — the kind you buy flat and put together yourself.  Watching that design wheel out is like magic under your hand and they look so cute all tied up with ribbon!

I meant to tell you yesterday that I wasn’t doing Ruby Tuesday this week because of the SCS crash over the weekend that took the blogs with it.  I lost my Friday night post and wasn’t able to do my usual weekend posts so there was nothing between last Ruby Tuesday and this Tuesday.  All is well now, thanks to the SCS folks who probably didn’t sleep all weekend while I was happily stamping and Trudee was organizing her ribbons and Sherry was rewriting her post and…well…you get the picture.  Thanks for visiting!

To summarize:

Stamps:  It’s a Girl Thing (retired), Petals wheel — both Stampin’ Up!

Paper:  SU! Lovely Lilac, Gable Green, Whisper White, Lavender Lace, My Mind’s Eye Kaleidoscope DP

Ink:  SU! Basic Black & Lovely Lilac, SU! markers

Accessories:  Ribbon, gift box, both SU! tag punches, sandal charm from Wal-Mart, Sprites Primas from Jacksonbelle Embellishments, Scotch brand mounting tape