Little Notes

Hi everyone - it's Karen here. Back to school is BIG news here in the Giron house and my oldest just started her first day of first grade yesterday {sniff}. She is SO excited to eat at school everyday and so I thought I would make some fun little notes to stick in her lunch box on days she needs a little encouragement, or just to let her know I'm thinking about her. She's my little stamping buddy and every time I get new stamps, she is just as excited as I am to ink them up, so I'm taking her favorite Cuppie images and putting them on 3x3 note cards.

I stamped each image in Memento Tuxedo Black and colored them in with Copic Markers - I chose bold, bright colors because those tend to be the colors she chooses to make cards with and I know she'll love them. I added some Christmas Red Stickles to the tops of each cuppie to add some sparkly fun. I cut out the images with Circle Nestabilities and added the Scallop accent and then popped them up with dimensionals. I love this simple way to make my daughter's day special!

Here are some of the things I'm planning writing notes for:

Her birthday

Completing a difficult assignment

I'm proud of you {you float my boat}

Class party

Rewarded for good behavior {you're a good egg}

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Thanks for stopping by!
Karen

recipe -
stamps: sweet spring, beach bum, doctor's orders, sweet celebration
ink: memento tuxedo black, copic markers
paper: (all stampin' up!) tempting turquoise, yoyo yellow, real red, pink passion, whipser white card stock
accessories: circle & circle scallop nestabilities; white, yoyo yellow, red gingham grosgrain ribbon, christmas red stickles, stampin' dimensionals

Scrappin' with Key Ingredients!

One of my New Years resolutions was to get back into scrapbooking. It was my first passion, and it definitely lead me to stamping, and it is also something that my family treasures. So in keeping with my resolutions I wanted to share a page I did using the Easter Key Ingredients kit and Sweet Spring.

I have to say the Key Ingredients kits are fabulous for scrapbooking, because everything is so beautifully coordinated. And while the kit is sized for cards, I had no problem transferring them to my 12x12 scrapbook page, and they would work perfectly with 6x6, 8x8 or 8 1/2" x 11".

I started by creating a three panel backdrop with the designer paper in the kit. It was cut to 3 1/2" x 6, and layered on a panel of Frosted Teal cardstock from the kit. I rounded the corners because I was thinking it fit with the Easter Egg theme. I cropped the photos to focus on the subject, and add a little interest with their different sizes.

The eggs on the lower left were cut with long Oval Nestabilities out of the designer paper from the pack. The "chocolate" egg was decorated with ribbon from the kit, and the patterned egg has some gems added from my stash.

These pictures are from Easter three years ago, and just pulling them out got me reminiscing. My youngest still had her baby teeth, and I recall how reluctant I was to have her grow out of that gorgeous smile. Of course they grew in just as beautiful, but there's a mother's longing to keep her kids as, well kids. I wanted to capture them in "action" as well as posing, and the picture of the hands says it all. Small and sweet and industrious.

My journalling focuses on their different approach to decorating the eggs, and it's quite a reflection on their personalities that is still true today.

I stamped the cuppie painting the egg from Sweet Spring, and pieced in the egg so it would be decorated in Easter fashion. How perfect is that image? I wanted to include the bunny eared cupcake too, but I just couldn't figure how to fit it in. The flourish on the edge of the journalling is a Bazzill chipboard piece that was stamped in Vanilla and embossed with Irridescent Ice for sparkle. I wanted it neutral so I had a reason to add more of the fabulous ribbon from the kit.

The title is done with stickers, and I added a row of punched eggs using scraps of designer paper. I just thought it looked so fun! I think I might try to set a goal to get at least one scrapbook page done with each kit. I love that I don't have to go searching for all the matching items, because all the ingredients are in the kit!

Tomorrow is the start of the previews for Taylored Expressions new release, so make sure you have the Baker's Dozen's blogs bookmarked. You are going to love this release! Until then, have yourself a sweet day, and thanks for popping in!

Laura

Recipe: Stamps: Sweet Spring (Taylored Expressions) Paper: 12x12 Razzleberry Light(Prism), Frosted Teal and designer papers (Easter Key Ingredients kit), Naturals Ivory(SU!) Ink: Versafine Onyx Black Accessories: ribbon (Easter Key Ingredients kit), Oval Nestabilities (Spellbinders), letter stickers (David Walker), gems(various from my stash), chipboard flourish(Bazzill), dimensionals, corner rounder(SU!), egg punch(EK)

Jelly Bean Treat Bags

Hi everyone! Today I want to show you some party favors I made for my daughter's preschool Easter party. I bought some Smartie-flavored jelly beans at Giant and paired them up with this cute jelly-bean-lovin' cupcake from the Sweet Spring set. All three prism CS colors and the white grosgrain ribbon are from the Easter Key Ingredients pack.



These bags are really easy to make. Here's a quick tutorial:

- Cut a piece of colored Prism CS to 3-5/8" and score it at 1"


- Along the 1" scored end, use any edge punch (I used the Martha Stewart Doily Punch)


- Fill a 3" x 4" cellophane bag with candy and tape the top of the cellophane bag to your CS (under the punched edge)


- Add a white panel with your stamped image over the cellophane bag and under the punched edge. My stamped panel is cut to 2.25" x 3". Then just fold over the punched edge, punch a circle with a cropodile, and add your ribbon....that's it!

SUPPLY LIST ~
Stamps: SASI Sweet Spring
Paper: Prism CS from Easter Key Ingredients (Frosted Teal, Frosted Kiwi, Razzleberry Light), Choice Snow White CS
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Copics (E33, V91, RV21, Y11, BG10, YG03)
Accessories: White Grosgrain Ribbon from Easter Key Ingredients, Martha Stewart Doily Punch, Cropodile, 3" x 4" Cellophane Bags, Jelly Beans

Thanks for stopping by and have an awesome day!

You're Egg-stra Special!

I know that there are lots of people out there like me...not that much into all the techniques that are available to us stampers. I'm not saying that I don't like the way they look, but the process is what I don't enjoy. I stick to the basics and try not to make *too* much of a mess while creating...is that possible?!? Paper piecing is one of my favorite techniques and is so fun to do with all of the Stamp A Sweet Impression cupcake stamps. I like "dressing" them to match the rest of my card. This card uses stamps from the new set, Sweet Spring.

As you can see from this close up, I "dressed" the cupcake in the same designer paper (from the new Key Ingredients Kit) as the large background panel. To give it a little more depth, I colored in the indentations with pink Copic marker.

I hope you enjoy doing something creative today! Hugs~Jen

Egg-stra Special Cuppie card & treat

Here is a little 3-inch square card I made using Sweet Spring and some Easter Key Ingredients. The cardstock I used to make the card, favor box & liquid pearls are not in the key ingredients, but can be found in the Taylored Expressions store. Since the favor box comes with a window already die cut, I used a piece of vellum cardstock I stamped with the 'you're egg-stra special' sentiment so you can have a little peek of the goodies inside.

Ta-Da! Here are the treats inside - peanut butter/chocolate eggs nestled on some coordinating paper shreds!

Here's a tip on how you can create your own paper shreds to match your project if you don't have any like I didn't!

Hope you have an 'Egg-stra Special day & enjoyed my 'sweet' project.

Egg-stra Special

During the sneak peeks, you may have seen the egg box I made for a dozen Cadbury Mini Eggs. Well, Taylor asked if I thought the Taylored Expressions Window Favor Boxes would work for an egg box, and they work perfectly! As a matter of fact, it makes it MUCH easier because you don't have to fuss with measuring and cutting the box! All you have to know is how to create the egg insert!





So, here you go:


1. Cut a piece of cardstock measuring 5 3/4" x 3 1/2" and score the two ends at 1/4". (this will make the "inside" length of your egg insert 5 1/4" and able to fit inside the favor box)













2. Flip the cardstock over to the underside and measure and mark at the following:

The 5 1/4" side - 3/4", 1 15/16", 3 5/16" and 4 1/2" (make sure you measure from the score line you made and NOT from the edge of the paper)


The 3 1/2" side - 1/2", 1 3/4" and 3"

3. Now center your 5/8" circle punch at the intersections of the measured lines you drew and punch out your circles.

4. For the two middle, end circles, fold the 1/4" scored end before punching to enable the punch to reach.

5. Double stack dimensional tape on the underside of your insert. This helps to keep the center from "drooping" and keeps the insert in place.

6. Place insert into box.

7. Add eggs and embellish center as desired.

8. Embellish outside of box, add some acetate to the inside of the window and tie with ribbon!

I hope this helped you to create a simple and quick little Easter treat!

SUPPLIES USED: Stamps- Sweet Spring (Taylored Expressions); Ink- Onyx Black (Versafine); Paper- Pink Pirouette (SU), Easter Key Ingredients (Taylored Expressions), acetate; Accessories- Copic markers, Plain and Scallop Oval Nestabilities (Spellbinders), Taylor's Tiny Twinkles, 5/8" circle punch (Marvy Uchida), white grosgrain from Easter Key Ingredients (Taylored Expressions), window favor box