Up on the Rooftop Blog Hop

Welcome to the UStamp with Dawn and Friends!! Up On The Roof Top 2011 World Showcase Holiday Blog Hop.

If you have been following the Blog Hop from the beginning, you have just checked out Monika's fun Counting Down to Christmas card set.  Monika's project is a blast and I can't wait to involve my kiddos in the activities!  If you are just joining the Blog Hop, no problem, as you can start at any point. All the Designer's Blogs are linked together so you will be able to see ALL the FABULOUS projects we have for you.

My project is a Love and Joy Stocking banner. As soon as I saw the Stocking Builder Punch and coordinating Holiday Stocking Bigz die in the Holiday Mini catalog I knew that I needed to make a banner using them both.

Each stocking is unique just like the stockings our family has, each unique to its owner.  The letters sparkle right off of the stocking in person as they are coated with a few layers of Dazzling Details glitter glue.  Of course all things at Christmas need to be tied up with pretty bows, so each stocking is hung with care by a bow. 

 The ends of the banner are anchored with a shimmery snowflake poinsettia.  

 As a Special Thank You for stopping by my blog I am giving away BLOG CANDY!!

Please leave a comment about my project to be entered for a chance to win a great goodie bag of current Stampin' Up! products. I will randomly select a winner to be announced on Tuesday, so please check back to see if you are the lucky recipient!

AND there's MORE...LOTS MORE!!

• You have the opportunity to get the downloadable PDF Tutorial for my project FREE!! It's a GIFT from UStamp with Dawn and Friends!! Woohoo!! See the blinkie below to access the FREE Blog Hop Website.

• In the Spirit of the Holiday Season, you have the opportunity to get in on "Special Holiday Pricing" for the upcoming UStamp with Dawn and Friends!! SCORE!! Event. The Stampin' Up! Simply Scored Tool is HOT STUFF and SCORE!! will feature 40+ projects, all created using the Simply Scored Tool. SCORE!! is a MUST NOT MISS Event!! See the blinkie below to join and get in on the Early Bird savings.

And now for the most exciting giveaway of the season...

Everyone that joins the new and exciting upcoming event - SCORE!! - with "Special Holiday Pricing" will be entered into a Drawing to win 1 of 3 FREE Passes for an ENTIRE YEAR of UStamp with Dawn and Friends!! events!!

YES!!

You read that right!!

YOU could win a whole year of UStamp with Dawn and Friends!! events FREE!!

***Special Holiday Pricing of just $19.99 ends Dec 8th***

Winners will be announced on Friday, Dec 9th.

Click the Blinkie below to join SCORE!! with Special Holiday Pricing

and a chance to win a FREE Year of UStamp with Dawn and Friends!! events!!

Click the blinkie below and you will be taken to

THE UP ON THE ROOFTOP BLOG HOP WEBSITE!!

Of course it's ***FREE*** to join and

there you will find the tutorials for ALL the blog hop projects,

PLUS live chats, challenges and more prizes!!

You will even have an opportunity to be considered for a spot as a Guest Designer!!

Yes!! It is all FREE, so tell all your friends and

join the fun with UStamp with Dawn and Friends!!

***

AND last but certainly not least, it's time to hop on over to the next Designer's Roof Top, so please click the NEXT BLOG button, where you will find Caroline ready to share a delightful Holiday project with you.If you would like to hop back to Monika's Roof Top, please click previous blog.

Thanks again for stopping by and Happy Holidays to YOU!!

Oh and if you are interested in the Treat Boxes on the shelf above the banner, no worries all of the tutorials are still available in the I ♥ the Holidays!! session of Ustamp With Dawn and Friends!!

Pin It Now!

Gotta love the hostess sets!

I really love almost all of the hostess sets in this years catalog.  I love how they are all so achievable.  I was always bummed about atleast one of the level 3 stamp sets that I would never be able to earn.  Now I can earn them all!  I really like the images in the hostess set Aint Love Grand.  I have pulled it out a couple of times but have had a hard time using it on a card.  This is the first attempt that I am actually happy about.  I stamped the plane image with stazon ink on some watercolor paper and then colored it with an aquapainter.  I used Lucky Limeade and Pool Party for the water coloring.  The paper is from the Spice Cake DSP in the Holiday Mini, it is my all time most favorite paper yet from Stampin’ Up!  I’ve got a busy weekend ahead but a fun one, have a great weekend!

Pin It Now!

Trick or Treat

Wow, I cannot believe it has been a whole month since I have posted here to the blog.  Each of my 4 kids added one new activity to their schedules this school year.  When they asked about these activities I really only thought how it would affect each of their individual schedules and not the big impact on me.  Boy was I not thinking!  Then my DH and I went out of town on a business trip a week and a half ago and I think I am finally caught up on all of the chores.  I miss all of my time, but it is all worth it.  I guess that I have learned that I am going to have to actually physically try to schedule in a specific time to work on my blog and set some posts up in advance.  Or at least that is my goal to get something here to you on a more regular basis.  The good news is that I do actually have some things to share with you!

Today I have a card featuring the Trick or Treat Letter Press Plate for the Big Shot.  I really like the look of the de-bossed, inked image.  A picture will not do it justice.

I sure had a hard time getting the plates to work right, but after I watched the video on the Stampin’ Up! website and actually followed the instructions, it worked great!

Pin It Now!

Christmas Gift Card Holders

My second project for Ustamp With Dawn and Friends!! went live yesterday so I can share it with you.  It seems that each year I give more and more gift cards vs. actual gifts.  I always feel guilty about giving a gift card even if it is what the person really wants and has asked for.  So this is my way to ease some of that gift, fun homemade gift card holders.  All 5 items in this picture are different gift card holders.

.

My favorite one to give is the candy bar.  That way the recipient gets something sweet while they are waiting for the opportunity to go spend their gift card. 

     

Pin It Now!

Thanksgiving Treat Boxes

I am addicted to the candy wrapper die.  I just love it. Ok I have to admit that when I first bought it and cut out the first few boxes I wanted to pull my hair out and run away screaming.  I just could not get the folds right and the ends were bent and messy and the whole thing was just a mess.  So I put it aside and didn’t think twice about it.  After a few months of staring at my expensive dust collector I decided that I would tackle it again and this time I would be the one that came out on top!  I figured out the best way for me to assemble the die (see the current session of UStamp With Dawn and Friends!! for a video tutorial.)   Once I mastered the basic box I saw all of the potential these little cuties possessed.

My favorite out of this bunch is the corn.  It is just too cute?  My wonderful husband suggested making several sets of these as place cards at the Thanksgiving table with after dinner mints inside.  Brilliant! 

Pin It Now!

Finally!!!

I have some computer time and something to share.  Boy this summer has been a chaotic one for me.  I like being able to have everything planned out in advance and a set schedule but that is just not even coming close to happening.  It has just been busy with all of the little things this summer and I have loved the time with the kiddos.  But the good news is that school starts back in a week and a half and I am looking forward to some regular stamping time and a schedule.

Exciting Breaking News!!  Dawn has opened up the current session of UStamp With Dawn and Friends!! a day early! 

And to top it off one of my projects was shared today so I can share it with you!  It is a set of 10 Halloween Treat Boxes made from the Candy Wrapper Die.

  I had so much fun making these and it has been so hard to not spill the beans to anyone about them.  These are my 2 favorite:

To get all of the details to make the 10 boxes head over to www.ustampwithdawnandfriends.com to sign up!

Pin It Now!

Grandmas are the Greatest!

My Grandma is totally awesome, not only is she the sweetest nicest Grandma, she enjoys to paper craft.  She shared a fabulous idea with me that she had for the Elegant Lines embossing folder.  She thought of turning it into seaweed with little air bubble floating in it.  Genius! 
I loved the idea and thought it would look super cute with some punched fish. 

I sponged the embossed lines with Wild Wasabi ink to create the seaweed.  I really think that this card turned out cute and love the idea for the seaweed.  It is always amazing to me to see all of the different ways one product can be used in ways other than its original intended use. 
Ink:  Wild Wasabi
Paper: Marina Mist, Certainly Celery, Pretty in Pink, Whisper White, Basic Black
Accessories:  Stampin Dimensionals
Tools: Big Shot, Elegant Lines Embossing Folder, 5 Petal Flower Punch, Ornament Punch, Owl Punch (circles for eyes)Pin It Now!

Get Well Gift Basket

I love being able to drop a little something off for a friend who is under the weather.  Here is a gift basket that I put together for this round of Ustamp With Dawn and Friends!!In this basket I have some pick me up flowers with chocolate centers, a get well pennant, a yummy chocolate bar, several containers of cough drops, a travel sized kleenex holder, and a can of soup.  I might also tuck in a good book that I just finished reading that the recipient can borrow.        If you want anymore details on any of the items it is not too late to join this round of Ustamp With Dawn and Friends!!  There are still a few days left of live fun and you will still have access to all of the fantastic projects already posted.   Just click on the button on the right for the Big Shot Brilliance event. 

Pin It Now!

Beautiful Butterfly Accordion Book

My first project for Ustamp With Dawn and Friends!! was posted this week.  This session of Ustamp is focusing on the Big Shot, all of the Big Shot items will be used during this event (yes all 119 of them!)  My project is a little 3x3 accordion fold book/album.  This is what the inside of the book looks like and the belly band by itself. I had fun taking some of the same elements from the belly band and using them to create a card.  If you have not signed up for this session of UStamp you are really missing out.  Go check it out here.

Pin It Now!

Headbands and Hexagon Box

While I was struggling with my computer, my second project was posted over on UStamp With Dawn and Friends!! Oh My Word edition.  I used Stampin’ Up!’s beautiful Spring Time Vintage Designer Fabric to create some headbands.  This would make such a great Mother Daughter class since headbands are so popular.  Although they do involve a little sewing they are super easy.  Just a few straight lines.   I just knew I had to have some great box to put the headbands in and came up with this tall Hexagon Box. These are the 3 different headbands that I made for this project.I really like the way that the card turned out for this project.  The blossoms on the branch were colored in with versamark ink and embossed with clear embossing powder before sponging on the Baja Breeze ink.Here is a Mommy and Me shot.  My 8 year old made her headband with just a little supervision on the sewing machine and the 4 year old helped out with hers too.    

Although the live events have been completed it is not too late to subscribe to the Oh My Word Edition on Ustamp With Dawn and Friends!!  You can still access and down load all of the projects at http://ustampwithdawnandfriends.com. 

Pin It Now!

I’m Back!!! (and have a late DCBD sketch)

As I have shared my computer and I have not been getting along nicely as of late.  Well a week ago Sunday night things took a turn for the worse and we got caught in a cycle of error messages and restarts and it was just a mess going no where.  So we took the computer in to the “doctor” to get it fixed and the techs said it would be a day or two tops.  Well that turned into 4 days and then when we get it back home and start it back up, Windows wouldn’t even launch and it went to an MS DOS prompt saying that the system fan has failed and that it needed to be serviced, so right back it went.  We now have it back, running in tip top shape and we are back in business. 
During our week of separation I missed a posting for the Diva Coffee Break Designs.  This week was a sketch challenge.  This sketch actually came together quite quickly for me, something that usually doesn't happen with sketches and me.  This sketch and Stampin’ Up! designer series paper were made for each other.  It was really a no brainer in trying to pick out the patterns for the different layers with the wonderful coordinating paper. 
It is not too late to play along with this weeks challenge!  Give the sketch a try and post your link over on the Diva Coffee Break Designs Blog so that we can check out and comment on your creation.
Stamps:  Party This Way
Ink:  Pacific Point, Peach Parfait, Versamarker
Paper:  Celebrations DSP, Real Red, Whisper White, Bashful Blue, and Pacific Point
Accessories:  Iridescent Ice Embossing Powder, Stampin Dimensionals
Tools: Big Shot, 2 1/2” circle punch, 2 3/8” Scallop Circle punch, Perfect Polka Dots Embossing Folder, Heat ToolPin It Now!

Last Chance for Early Bird Sign Ups!

I can officially announce that I have been chosen again to be a designer for UStamp with Dawn and Friends!!  Big Shot Brilliance.  This round is going to be amazing. Not only is the Big Shot the most amazing tool, every project is going to be a Big Shot Project, every Stampin’ Up color is going to be used atleast once, but there are some amazing new designers this round.  Some of the name may be familiar to you, Linda Hansen and Jaron Winders, Jakie Topa and even Karen Burniston (designer of the pop up Cake and Christmas tree dies!).  Even the banner for this round us just so fun and happy!Don't forget to post your designs out in cyberspace, as I am still on the hunt to make a new friend to give away a free pass!

Here are some of the details from Dawn. 

Don't miss a day of the LIVE FUN!!

Opening Day Website Invites go out

March 18th, 2011

Last Project posted April 6, 2011

*****

EARLY BIRDS ARE AWESOME!!

Early Birds SAVE $5

PLUS

a Chance to Win 1 of 5 FREE Passes

for the NEXT Event!!

Early Bird Pricing ends February 28th

Join us now for only $19.99

Join us for UStamp with Dawn & Friends!!

Big Shot Brilliance!! Projects to DIE for 2011!!

EVERY Designer Project will include product(s) from the

Stampin' Up! Big Shot Product Line!!

Did you know that Stampin' Up! currently has a whopping

137 products in the Big Shot Line??!!

137 Big Shot Products Showcased

40+ Stampin' Up! Colors Showcased

40+ Unique Color Combo's with PDF Booklet

40+ Designer Projects with PDF Tutorials

40+ Cards with Hand Stamped/Embellished Envelopes

20 days of World Wide 24/7 Creative FUN!!

New Designer Projects Posted EVERY 12 hours!!

Live Chats, Prizes and a few fun surprises too!!

This is THE Biggest ONLINE Stampin' Up! Big Shot Event EVER!!

Pin It Now!

Birthday Party Try Outs

We have a birthday coming up so we are starting the design process for the birthday invites, decorations, favors and such.  This was a color combo that was not a winner for my almost 9 year old daughter.  I was bummed because I really liked the way these colors turned out.

This is just a real simple little party favor.  This is the Box #2 Die for the big shot.  I just simply stamped the birthday bakery hostess stamp set repeatedly along a strip of whisper white cardstock so that the cakes go all the way around the box.   So we are back to the drawing board when it comes to colors.  She is not liking anything we put together. 

Stamps: Birthday Bakery

Ink:  Basick Black, Melon Mambo, Real Red, Pumpkin Pie, and Wild Wasabi

Paper:  Whisper White, Real Red and Pumpkin Pie

Tools:  Big Shot, Box #2 Die

Pin It Now!

Another UStamp Swap

The Designers for Ustamp With Dawn and Friends did another swap this round .  (Oh My Word edition starts today!  It is never too late so sign up and there are some fabuolus creations this round that you will not want to miss!)  This was my swap that I sent out.

It is kind of funny that the swap that I sent out for "Oh My Word" - all projects have atleast one word on them, and my swap is wordless.  Well I guess you could count the background of the heart image as words, kind of.  I really like the simplicity of this card and can see it being used in several different situations as needed (the reason for the lack of greeting on the front).  The border on the circle is created with the double ribbon punch.  It had some how fallen behind my desk, still in it's wrapper feeling neglected.  I did a massive clean up and found it and LOVE it!  It is such a fun punch.  I hope that you all have a great weekend, I will be back on Monday with some blog candy for you!

Stamps:  Punch Potpourri, Bliss
Ink:  Cherry Cobbler, Early Espresso, So Saffron and Wild Wasabi
Paper:  Early Espresso, Cherry Cobbler, So Saffron and Very Vanilla
Accessories:  Vanilla 5/8" grosgrain ribbon, Stampin Dimensionals
Tools:  Big Shot, Framed Tulips Embossing Folder, 2 1/4" circle punch, Double Ribbon Punch, Full Heart PunchPin It Now!

Swap Around the World

During this most recent round of UStamp With Dawn and Friends, Dawn started a swap among the designers.  It was a one on one swap with also 2 extra going to Dawn.  All the desingers who wanted were able to participate and the extras would be made into a big bundle to give to one lucky winner!  Here is my card for the swap:

I really like how this card turned out.  It is a little different than I normally do because none of the layers are matted at all. It was hard to leave it that way but it really was better without the extra layers of matting.  It is kind of funny on the computer my eyes are having a hard time focusing on the greenery.  It keeps getting blurry because of the shadow stamping.  When I was looking at the card in real life I didn't have that problem.  In looking at it again I really showcased my love of the big shot.  I used it on four different elements on this card.  This stamp set and embossing folder are still my favorites.  I think that this would make a great all occasion card, but I did just recreate it and send it off as a sympathy card too.  I think it can go either way (happy or sad) depending on the greeting you stamp inside. 

Stamps:  Just Believe

Ink:  Pear Pizzazz, Wild Wasabi

Paper:  Rich Razzleberry, Basic Black, Whisper White

Accessories:  Basic Pearls, Pretty in Pink Satin Ribbon

Tools:  Big Shot, Scallop Oval Frame Die, Top Note Die, Beautiful Wings Embosslit, Elegant Lines Embossing Folder

Pin It Now!

DCBD #211

Welcome back to another Diva Coffeebreak Designs Wednesday.  This week was a sketch week.  And what a fun sketch it turned out to be.

I am trying to make use of some of my more neglected stamp sets and this is one that has not seen as much ink as it deserves.  I have used the bear images more than their sayings.

I stamped the bear first and colored her in with poppy and sahara sand markers.  Next I stamped the bear again on a piece of designer series paper and cut out the skirt part of the dress.  Then I stamped the image again on a post it note and covered the first image so that I could sponge the clouds in the sky.  (Since my post it note template was still sticky and in good shape I stuck it back in the box with the stamps to use again!)   I actually used a leftover frame from the scallop oval frame die, since my main oval was the middle part of the frame,  to use as my template for the clouds.  I sponged in some always artichoke grass and drew a few grass lines with the same marker.   The ribbon was whisper white but I colored it with my Poppy Parade marker and because I was in a hurry and couldn't wait too long for it to dry I wiped it with a baby wipe and a paper towel.  It did soften/lighten up the color some but I think it still works great. 

I hope that you feel inspired by the sketch and can play along with us at the Diva Coffee Break Designs Blog and share your creations with us.  Thanks!

Stamps: Beary Best Friends, Beary Nice Wishes

Ink:  Poppy Parade, Not Quite Navy, Sahara Sand, and Always Artichoke

Paper:  Whisper White, Poppy Parade, Not Quite Navy, Sahara Sand, and Poppy Parade Patterns DSP (Hostess Pack)

Accessories:  Whisper White Taffeta Ribbon

Tools:  Big Shot, Scallop Oval Frame Die, Scallop Trim Border Punch, Small and Large Oval punches, stampin’ sponge

Pin It Now!

A purse!

Just when I get on a roll on getting post up regularly something has to thwart my progress.  I had some issues with the usb port on my computer all of the sudden not recognizing the wireless internet adapter.  I finally got it figured out though, and I still can’t believe I did it all on my own.  I lost a lot of time troubleshooting the whole issue but I finally got the internet back up and running.  WooHoo.  Well back to the reason that you came here today, the stamping!

Actually today’s, sample has zero stamping on it.  It is a cute purse template that I got from Becky Roberts.  This is another item that we did at one of my classes.  It was fun to create and is a great little tote for a small thinking of you gift to give to some one.   The purse “buckles” closed with some sticky backed velcro so that you can open and close it with out destroying it. 

Paper: Basic Black

Accessories:  Real Red Epoxy Brads, White Gel Pen, Silver Brads, Sticky Strip, Sticky Back Velcro (non-su!)

Tools: Big Shot, Vintage Wallpaper Embossing Folder

Pin It Now!

Sticky Note Holder Tutorial

I was so lucky, both girls are napping at the same time.  I actually had time to sit down and do the tutorial.  And they are still asleep so I can actually post it!  This is truly a rare occasion in my house. 
These are so quick and easy to create you are bound to have fun making your own.  Here are two new ones I made while putting this tutorial together.
 (Of course I didn't notice when I was taking my picture that the pen is not pushed all the way in, but really it does and it it the perfect size for the holder.) After doing the tutorial using the blue cover above I tried sticking a “golf pencil” in and it slid right out, and that will not work in my bag, I need them to stay together.  I did make the dimensions a but different to accommodate the smaller pencil.  Then it was too small for a full pad of sticky notes so I just put in a half of a pad. 
Ok on to the good stuff, the Sticky Note Holder Instructions :
Supplies: Scoring Tool, Scissors, Adhesive, Cardstock cut to measure 3 ¼ by 7 3/8 inches,


Step 1: Score the long side of the cardstock at 3 1/8”, 3 ½”, and 3 7/8”. Burnish/crease the score lines to make them more defined and easier to work with.



 



Step 2: Fold cardstock “in half” at the middle of the three score lines. Cut a line at about 1 ¾” from the folded edges and stop at the next score line. Cut another line at about 2 ¼”.









Step 3: (In this pic the 3 ½” side is on the left.) Apply glue in the first 3/8” scored area skipping the small part between the two cuts. Fold over to glue together.






Step 4: Pop out the pencil holder (since you didn’t apply glue there it should fold out.)
Attach a sticky note pad flush with the top fold. Embellish!







These instructions were based on a mini gel pen like the one in the picture.

If you want to use a golf pencil, I found that it slides out easily so I adjusted the dimensions.
Start out with a 7 by 3 ¼ inch piece of cardstock. Score at 3 3/8, 3 5/8, and
3 7/8 inches. Everything else is the same. It does make a smaller cover so I only used a half of a sticky note pad (50 sheets).





Since I had some rare extra free time I had a chance to make the tutorial a document you can down load right here!
Holder # 1
Stamps: Cute By The Inch
Ink: Night of Navy, Marina Mist
Paper:  Whisper White, Marina Mist, Night of Navy
Accessories:  Whisper White 1/4” grosgrain ribbon, Dimensionals
Tools:  Big Shot, Vintage Wallpaper Embossing Folder, 1 1/4” square punch, Scallop Square punch
Holder #2
Stamps:  Eat Chocolate
Ink:  Early Espresso, Riding Hood Red
Paper:  Peach Parfait DSP (from InColor Hostess DSP stack), Whisper White, Riding Hood Red
Accessories:  Riding Hood Red Taffetta (retired), Sticky Strip

Pin It Now!