Had a Moment to Craft

I haven't had much time or opportunity to craft lately - well at least not in my craft room - I have actually been working on a digital project for the last week - and it is nearly done now. But today, I decided to take a few moments and make a card for the Elizabeth Bell Challenge for July (I know - it is August but this challenge is for the July challenge which ends today). the challenge was to make a Christmas Card - and I love doing Christmas in July projects - not that I have had time to do any - but it IS a nice thought! :) Anyway, I had gotten some whiff of Joy stamps - I think another win from another blog, but I can't remember - I chose Lizzie with Muff because to me it says winter and winter says Christmas! I started with a Cherry Cobbler base and added Always Artichoke as the base of my card front. I decided I wanted to make an easel card and had been thinking about this card for a couple of days. I knew I wanted to use the Deck the Halls DSP (now retired) on my card somehow. I had a piece of the paper - not wanting to cut into anymore of that gorgeous paper before I use up scraps and bits. I colored my image with my prismacolor pencils and then matted with the Cherry Cobbler. I don't use buttons very often, but decided I would use some of these rather large buttons. I also added some faux stutching around my image and also along the edge of the very vanilla cardstock. The card is much simpler than I pictured in my mind - but I think my mojo is waning right now - so this is as good as it gets.
I used the following supplies on my card:

Cherry Cobbler, Very Vanilla, and Always Artichoke Cardstock
Deck The Halls DSP
Bells and Boughs Stamp set
Lace Ribbon Border Punch
Linen thread
Soft Suede marker
Prisma Color Pencils
Lizzie with Muff image from Whiff of Joy
Deck the Halls Buttons
Thanks for stopping by to see my project.
~Paula~

A 'Cased' Design

Next week my middle daughter will be 18!! Where in the world does the time go? We are having a birthday party for her and she wanted a Hawaiian theme. After seeing these adorable notepad holders on fellow demonstrator Patty Bennett's site, I had the idea to make some of these as gifts for my daughters friends who are coming to the party. I used the Beyond the Garden DSP to make her invitations and decided that I would use this same paper to make the adorable notepad holders with matching notepad. I designed the insert using My Digital Studio (118108) and the Digital Downloads Beyond the Garden DSP (124109) and the Digital Download Fabulous Florets Stamp Brush Set (124110). I created the design to measure 10" x 6-1/2" however, I think the next time I make one of these, I will stretch the design to 10-1/2" x 6-7/8" to fit the Clear Mount Stamp Case (119105) a little better. I don't have a color printer, so I took it to Office Max and had them printed for me on just regular paper. They did an AWESOME job, I think! :) Once back home, I trimmed up the design so it would fit into the case and then slipped it inside the protective cover. I set about to finish the notepads - also purchased and trimmed at the office store. they are 5" x 8" and I had them trim an inch or so off the bottom so they would fit inside the case. I used a strip of the Beyond the Garden DSP to cover the store name on the top of the notepad and then added a bit of Daffodil Delight Grosgrain Ribbon (120928) using Sticky Strip.(104294)I like the finished look - it doesn't have alot of embellishments added to the design - but it is my first one and I think it turned out fabulous - more importantly, my daughter LOVES it and is excited for the party. These gifts will be given to her friends, but also a couple of the mom's that may come (or even if they don't, I will send one home with their daughters).
Now, the only thing with these is that I don't have extra cases, so I am having to remove my stamps from several sets and place an order for these cases. These would be awesome as gifts around the holidays. They are also large enough to take many notes and small enough to slip into your purse, so when you are looking for something to write on - you know it happens - you can just pull your fabulously fancy notepad out!! I hope you have enjoyed taking a peek at my 'cased' notepad case and perhaps you will take the time to make one and give it as a gift to one of your dear ones or friends.
Thanks for stopping by the spa today - it has been rather slow and the visit has been nice.

Note added: The total cost to make this project was $2.86. The only thing I didn't include in my cost totals was the strip of Beyond the Garden DSP used on the notepad.
~Paula~

Designer Series Paper

Do You LOVE Designer Series Paper(DSP) as much as I do? You know that I have been working on using up the paper that I have - but then Stampin' Up! entices me to just add to my stash. Well, I must say, it is a deal too good to pass up. You can check on the Sale here. But let me show you a few samples before you head over there - I LOVE the Beau Chateau (122357)this is one that I have on my list of Papers to get this month. Perhaps you like the Paisley Petals (122367) or Beyond The Garden (122342) - you have seen this one on alot of my projects lately. But there are so many more choices and if you order three - you get one for free - so now is the great opportunity to stock up as this sale lasts only until the end of the month.
~Paula~

Digital Creations

It has been awhile since I did anything with my digital stuff - so I decided to play with some new stuff that I got today. Doesn't this just SCREAM country to you? I love this house and would love it more if it was truly mine!! This is a sneak peak at what is coming in the new Stampin' Up! Holiday mini that will be coming out September 1. Let me tell you - there are a TON of fun new things to play with and I want almost all the Christmas stuff. I love to create in digital - and then use the very same stamps and create it in real life - on real paper - this is one I intend on doing when I get my hands on the set.
This is a short post - but I just had to share what I have been doing with digital today - and to give you a sneak peek of what is to come.
~Paula~