Boxes, Boxes, Boxes!

Well, I promised I'd be back explaining what I've been up to. Some of you may have figured it out from bits and pieces of earlier posts...

HERE's what I've/we've been up to:

De-cluttering. Organizing. Cleaning. Packing. Moving furniture. Staging. Cleaning. Cleaning. Cleaning.

Did I mention cleaning?? ;-)

We're in the process of selling our home, and I never realized how much work goes into that until now.  I'm pretty sure NO ONE realizes how much goes into it until they're in the middle of it, lol.

The multiple "cleaning" part doesn't mean that our house was crazy dirty, lol.  It does mean that we cleaned everything. But mostly it means anytime someone wants to come see it (aka "showing")...it has to be ready to be viewed - which can be difficult with young kids.  I may (or may not) have been a tad bit...ummm...picky about messing things up lately. ;-)

A few pieces of furniture moved out, and here's the part that's my own fault ---- the organizing. My thinking was "hey, if we're going to show each room, let's REALLY tackle each room...inside closets, drawers, everything - pack things away early if we can. Why do it surface-y and have to do it again later??"   Sooo...everything took way longer.

Knee-deep in preparation and a tad bit overwhelmed at times, I decided that something had to give...and that's why the bloggeroo has been pretty quiet these days. ;-)  I am just now finally feeling like I can breathe again. Hoping we've found a new routine - one that includes time again for creating and sharing (and maybe some rambling, too - wink).

Thanks so much for stopping by, for hanging in there with me - have a GREAT day! :)
Crystal

Fresh Poppy Thank You

I have a quick Thank You card to share with you today - made it a couple of weeks ago, I think. I've lost track of exactly when, lol. It's been a little busy around here, to put it mildly. ;-)  Next time I update, I'll show you what's been going on. :)

I actually sat down to work on the checkbook (on computer)...and then got sidetracked by the things I haven't been able to enjoy for awhile...Facebook, Etsy, and now the Blog. Haven't made it to Pinterest yet, lol.  I'd better get to that checkbook soon, but FIRST...on to the card:

FRESH Vintage (stamp set)
POPPY (color)
THANK YOU (kind of obvious, dontcha think?)

Since I've been low on time, we're talking a BASIC little notecard here, people.

Whisper White cardstock base, stamped repeatedly with Fresh Vintage (FREE during Sale-A-Bration!) in Poppy Parade ink.

Sending Many Thanks sentiment from Petite Pairs stamp set, punched with large oval, backed by a Poppy Parade punched scallop oval. Up on dimensionals, of course. ;-)

Well, what do you think?

Thank you so much for stopping by, and have a GREAT day! :)
Crystal

Cards & Gift...in ONE!

I've been so excited to share something with you. Since JANUARY!
I especially LOVE it because it's all my own - I was feeling inspired and love how it turned out! :)

I made it as a "Hostess Gift" for my SAB workshop back then, but planned on making another one for this week's workshop (scheduled for Feb 22). I didn't want to risk the upcoming Hostess seeing it before she should! lol

Well, the workshop was cancelled this week, so obviously the danger has passed, so now I can share it! :)

READY??!!  Ok.

  

I learned how to make a card holder on our Demonstrator Website - one of the many perks of being a Stampin' Up demonstrator!

Theirs wasn't decorated this way - this is my own design. Love it when the mojo is workin! :)

Would you like to see what's inside?

OK. :)

  

Four matching cards and four envelopes!

Want all the details??

OK. :)

Card Holder:

Cardstock: Early Espresso, Pool Party
DP: Everyday Enchantment (SAB - free!)

Accessories:  5/8" Old Olive satin ribbon, Adorning Accents Edgelits Die, Big Shot, Blossom Punch, Simply Scored, Everyday Enchantment Brad (SAB - free!)

Cards:

Cardstock: Very Vanilla

DP: Everyday Enchantment (SAB - free!)

Accessories: Beautiful Wings Embosslit, Basic pearls

Well, what do YOU think?  I'd love to hear from you! :)

Thanks so much for stopping by, and have a GREAT day!
Crystal

I {heart} Crafting

Working on a couple of Etsy orders this morning...

finding myself humming, excited to haul out stamps and ink
...and having FUN!!

Have I mentioned?

Just in case you were wondering. ;-)

What about YOU?

Do you like to craft?

If so...what's your passion?

Thanks so much for stopping by, and have a GREAT day! :)
Crystal

Twitterpated Baby

A strange title, isn't it? I just couldn't resist a play on words. ;-b
There's actually a very simple explanation.

I made a baby card.
Featuring "Twitterpated" designer paper. :)

See? That simple. :)
Would you like to take a look?  Ok.

Simply sweet. Love that kind of card. :)

Card base is Blushing Bride cardstock, then  Whisper White cardstock, then the Twitterpated designer paper, then more of the White and Blushing Bride again. :)

The main image is the stamp Packed for Baby from the Occasions Mini. I stamped it once on the Whisper White cardstock with Stazon Black ink, then stamped the buggy part again, colored it, cut it out, and put it on top of the white with dimensionals.

Finished it off with our White Satin ribbon, and you have a baby card!  I plan on adding this to my Etsy shop soon. :)

Well, what do you think?

Thanks so much for stopping by, and have a GREAT day! :)
Crystal

A Valentine Treat!

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!! :)

Thought I'd share what my daughter and I have been working on for the last couple of weeks (off and on). ;)  She really loved one of the Make'n Takes that I had the gals do at my recent SAB/Occasions Mini workshop, so that's what we did. I stocked up on Valentine M&Ms when they went on sale, and we got started.

Here's a view of the one my workshop gals made:

The Details:

* Cherry Cobbler cardstock, Whisper White cardstock punched with our Postage Stamp punch.

* Red heart is stamped with I {Heart} Hearts stamp set in Cherry Cobbler ink, then punched out with the Heart to Heart punch, and glued on. The smaller heart you see is Pretty in Pink cardstock punched with the Heart to Heart punch and glued on.

Insert M&Ms into plastic sleeve (SU's cello treat bags - a Holiday Mini carryover item), pull off backing, fold over. Fold tented cardstock over top, then staple. Add decor over top of staple, and VOILA! :)

Here's pictures of what my 2nd Grade daughter did - she changed it up a little! :)  Definitely knew what she wanted, no matter how much mom may have tried to talk her out of it (wink). You know what? She was totally right. So cute the way they are - she definitely has an eye for it. SERIOUS! I do ask her opinion from time to time, while I'm crafting, too.  I should've known they'd turn out cute. :)

What's the difference, you ask?

She wanted all RED toppers for the boys, and all PINKs for the girls. :) None of this mixing of red and pink. ;-)

Boys: Cherry Cobbler ink and cardstock

Girls: Melon Mambo ink and cardstock, Pretty in Pink cardstock

Before you get too excited, there aren't THAT many kids in her class. She wanted to add a few for her teacher, Principal, etc...

Here's a closeup of the backside. We stamped a "to/from" (from an old stamp set I refuse to get rid of), then she filled them all out.

Kinda glad to have all the piled-up treats out of the house now. ;-)

Oh, wait a minute!  You're wondering what my Pre-K daughter did for HER treats, aren't you?  I thought so. ;-)




Here's a little peek (yes, forgot to take an after picture):


We did the same thing my eldest (the now 2nd grader) and I did when she was in Kindergarten. Luckily, I wrote about it back then. :)

The only difference is a little bit off on color, and and I used red curling ribbon, curled...instead of what you see in this post HERE (contains a link to the tutorial, too!)


Well, what do you think? I'd love to hear from you! :)

Thank you so much for stopping by, and have a GREAT Valentine's Day! :)
Crystal

Birthday Wishes Butterfly

Hello again!

I'm finally back to share another sample I made for my SAB/Occasions Mini party last month. :)  I'll be honest, it's not my favorite...not my usual CAS style (a little busy for my taste), but you know what? That's ok - it showed what I wanted to show and I'm excited about the elements of it. :)

LOVE this paper. It's called "Everyday Elegance" and it's a FREEbie! :)  Sale-A-Bration is the best time to stock up on product, because you earn FREE product at the same time! :)

Back to the card...what else is there?  Pool Party seam binding ribbon! Tucked under the ribbon is Very Vanilla cardstock punched with our Scallop Trim Border punch.

The sentiment is stamped with Lucky Limeade ink with a stamp from Petite Pairs (love that set), then punched with our Large Oval punch.

And that butterfly. Where on earth did that butterfly come from???

It's handmade, of course! :)  First, I stamped one of the "flowers" from Mixed Bunch (Occasions Mini) with Pool Party ink onto Very Vanilla cardstock. THEN, I punched it out with our new Blossom Punch that matches the Mixed Bunch stamp set. THEN, I cut out a couple of the petals to make a butterfly!  As you can see, there are more layers behind the stamped layer...I just punched out some cardstock with the Blossom Punch, and repeated the same technique. Layered up, and there ya go! :)

What about the body of that butterfly? Where did I manage to procure that beautiful center? Well...here's another little secret for ya...they're our Basic Pearls! :)  I simply colored them with a mixture of crystal effects and Lucky Limeade reinker! That is the beauty of Stampin' Up - everything coordinates! :)

Well, what do you think? I'd so love to hear from ya! :)

Thank you so much for stopping by, and have a GREAT day! :)
Crystal