Fall Decorations with Stampin' Up!

	Q&A Q:  I want to make some fall decorations. Do you have any suggestions?  A:  Pumpkins are fantastic for fall décor! Pumpkins can be used through both Halloween and Thanksgiving. I have 3 favorite ways to create pumpkin décor: Washi Tape, Punched Pumpkins, and 3-D Paper Pumpkins. All three ways are mess-free and fun for the whole family. Washi Tape Pumpkins Washi Tape is all the rage in décor and papercrafting. It's fast and something you can even do with kids. Try decorating real fresh pumpkins or decorative pumpkins with the Halloween-themed Witches' Brew Designer Washi Tape (#132156). Create fun and colorful vertical stripes by alternating strips of different Washi Tape patterns. Begin each strip at the stem on top then wrap down the side and end at the bottom. Or create a spiral pattern by wrapping strips of alternating patterns diagonally around the pumpkin. Kids of all ages have fun creating jack-o-lantern faces - make yours from Washi Tape and avoid the mess of carving pumpkins! Punched Pumpkins Punch art is a great way to create fun accents for cards, scrapbooks, and décor. Create paper napkin rings, name tags for the Thanksgiving Table, belly-band type wraps for candles, or tags on yummy fall treats with punch art pumpkins!  Our Small, Large, and Extra-Large Oval Punches are perfect for creating pumpkins.  Punch three ovals of the same size from Pumpkin Pie or Tangerine Tango cardstock. Sponge the edges of the ovals to add depth and dimension. If you want even more pop, try stamping the punched pieces with a graphic patterns like Positively Chevron or using the Big Shot with the Houndstooth or your favorite Textured Impressions Embossing Folder to add texture. To create the punch art pumpkins, adhere two ovals side by side so they overlap slightly. Add the third oval centered over the other ovals. Use a Stampin' Dimensional to create a 3-D effect. Add a little sliver of Chocolate Chip or Soft Suede cardstock behind the top of the pumpkin to create a stem. Group several punch art pumpkins created with different-sized oval punches for larger tags or in a row around a candle. 3-D Paper Pumpkins Create 3-D pumpkins from strips of Witches' Brew (#132185) or Sweater Weather (#132184) Designer Series Papers or cardstock. Cut 8 strips 1" wide and 4" long for small pumpkins or 12 strips 1" wide and 6" long for larger pumpkins. Stack the strips for each pumpkin neatly. Punch 1/8" hole near both ends of each strip. Knot one end of a 12" or 18" ribbon. Thread the unknotted end up through the holes the bottom of each strip. Bend the strips gently to create a "C" shape. Thread the ribbon up from the inside of the "C" shape through the other punched holes. Knot the ribbon above the paper strips at the top of the "C". Fan out the strips to create the pumpkin shape. Create a bunch of pumpkins and use them to create a garland, fill a basket with various colors and patterns, or set at the table with a tag on each with the names of your dinner guests. Easy as Pumpkin Pie! I think you'll have fun creating all three types of fun and easy pumpkin projects. Enjoy ... and as always, if you have questions, contact me!
© CraftyPerson Production. 2013 Images © Stampin' Up!

Stampin' Up! Easter Treats and Decorations

 Q&A

Q: I’d like to make some treats and decorations for Easter, but I’m not sure what. Do you have any suggestions?

A: Spring and Easter are coming up quickly! This time of year we think about the weather warming up and start looking forward to spring flowers. Spring also brings to mind holidays like Easter and Mother’s Day, and small gifts for teachers at the end of the school year. Stamping and paper crafting have virtually unlimited possibilities, but some of the most popular are tags, treats, and baskets. Read on to get your creativity blooming this spring!

Tags & Décor
Tags are a quick and easy way to personalize gifts, holiday tables, and Easter baskets. Tags can be made for:
• Spring themes with small stamps like Spring Sampler (#125510 wood, #125512 clear).
• Floral themes with the Secret Garden stamp set (#129141 wood, #129144 clear) and coordinating Secret Garden Framelits Dies (#129372). You can save when you bundle the stamps and framelits together in the Secret Garden Bundle (#131100 wood, #131099 clear)!
• Easter themes with the A Little Bit of Spring stamp set (#126009 wood, #126011 clear) or use punches to create punch-art bunnies, chicks, eggs, and more!
• Family events with the Amazing Family stamp set (#129189 wood, #129192 clear).

Treats
A little special packaging makes even a simple and small gift feel special and heartfelt. Try creating a quick and pretty small box using the Fancy Favors Bigz XL die (#115965) and the Tea for Two Designer Series Paper (#129311). Fill it with homemade candy, small gifts, or seasonal candy like jelly beans or chocolate eggs. Or fill a Small Cello Bag (#102757) with homemade cookies and make a quick topper by folding the tag from the Pop-Up Posies Designer Kit (#131395) in half. Decorate the tag topper with one of the beautiful flowers from the kit and stamp “just for you” using the stamp included in the kit and you have a very special gift!

Baskets
Store-bought baskets can be decorated with stamped embellishments, torn fabric bows, ribbon, and tags. Or create your own basket using card stock. This small basket features the Mixed Bunch stamp set (#125535 wood, #125537 clear) and the coordinating Blossom punch (#125603). The Dragonfly is created using Vellum card stock (#101856) that has been stamped and heat embossed with Iridescent Ice Stampin’ Emboss Powder (#101930). The body is created from the Word Window (#119857) and 1/2” Circle (#119869) punches.

Let Your Creativity Bloom
I hope some of these ideas for tags, treats, and baskets have given you a few seeds to help your ideas grow and bloom into beautiful handmade gifts and décor this spring! As always, I love to brainstorm ideas with you and can demonstrate some spring-themed projects for you and your friends. Just get in touch with me!
© CraftyPerson Production. Images © Stampin' Up!

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Starter Kit Has Arrived

I never got to post this because I have been working with my kit nonstop this weekend. I received my kit Friday afternoon. I spent most of Friday just going through everything and becoming familiar with the contents. The funniest thing was before I even opened the box. Here's what the box had on it.
And boy was that statement true! There was extreme excitement!
Here are pictures of everything in the kit.
All of the contents inside the box

VersaMark - watermark ink - used to make tone on tone designs

Stampin' Scrub - used to clean stamps
Stampin' Pastels - chalks in all Stampin' Up! family colors
Classic Stampin Pads in red, pink, black, green and blue

Snail Adhesive

Stampin' Around Handle with Stampin' Around Wheel - Always in Bloom
Blender Pens - used to make watercolor effect
Butterfly Decor Elements

Box of 2009-2010 Idea book and catalogs
Stack of stamps - Bitty Birthday

Eastern Blooms

Define Yourself

Teeny Tiny Wishes

Elegant Thank You

Fun and Fast Notes

I didn't take pictures but the kit also included 3 stacks of 8 1/2 by 11 24 sheets of white, bold brights and soft subtle cardstock. It also included a starter DVD and CD that shows our digital scrapbook kit. Promotional catalogs, postcards and some other business catalogs were included. Finally there was a bunch of business forms to make customer orders at workshops.

It definitely has everything to help get started, but I am already planning on ordering some of the other supplies Stampin' Up! has to offer. For example I want the border and corner punches we have to offer. There are so many things I can do with these during my workshops. I am also a HUGE fan of Sizzix. I cannot wait to get some or all of these dies. Another great tool I will be able to feature during my workshops. And then there are the stamps. I have a feeling I will have a ton of these as well! I am going to wait for my first workshop at the end of February before I order anything more though.

I really look forward to using this starter kit to help me with my first workshop at the end of February.