Little Boo bibs...

I cracked open a pack of the Cast-a-Spell designer paper and created this bib card with the single Little Boo stamp from the back of the catalog.

Halloween is one of my favorite holidays! Something about the costumes and candy....

Anyway, I followed directions for the shape of the card from this blog, which included the Scallop Edge Punch at the bottom, use of the 1-1/4" circle punch for the next, as well as the Scallop Circle.

I also used the Word Window punch for the straps, with Earth Elements brads.

I think this kind of card would be a perfect invitation to a kid's birthday party! Have a great day... Kim and I are setting up for the Rubber Stamp and Scrapbook Expo today.

Chocolate treat box...

I wasn't sure what to expect with the new treat boxes Stampin' Up! offers, but now that I've decorated one I love them!

First of all, you get 5 of the bags for only $3.95. They are die-cut, coated, heavyweight card stock - perfect for giving food gifts!

I used some of the new 1-1/4" inch striped Chocolate Chip ribbon, along with the new Snowflake punch (Chocolate Chip card stock), then added a vanilla jumbo brad and "merry and bright" sentiment from the single stamp set Merriment, snipping out triangles at each end and sponging the entire strip before adhering it with dimensionals. That's it! Quick and easy.

The dimensions of the box (item 115690) like this are 7.03" x 11.75" and 2-3/8" wide at the base.

For All You Do accordion purse...

How cute is this chipboard purse with accordion sides? Very!

In addition to the paper and Old Olive grosgrain, images from For All You Do were stamped and cut out and adhered to the front. I used a Sizzix die Stampin' Up! carries for my initial - T.

It's hard to see, but there's paper piercing going from the "T" to the butterfly.

I especially love the way the circle brad acts as the bag closure, along with some linen thread.

This was one of the make & takes we got to make in Hawaii during the incentive trip there.

Autumn Days...

With temperatures in the 90s this week, I'm not ready for Autumn, though I love the colors and feel of the season itself.

This Dusty Durango Autumn Days card uses Crushed Curry, Dusty Durango and Soft Suede inks, along with Very Vanilla, Soft Suede and Dusty Durango card stocks. I used a Chocolate Chip jumbo brad to add interest to the polka-dotted ribbon, and roughed up the edges of the top two layers of card stock with the Cutter Kit.

The greeting is from Teeny Tiny Wishes.

Deal of the Week: Heart to Heart Punch...

Just a reminder - I'm not adding shipping or sales tax to the Deal of the Week, so this Heart to Heart Punch is only $10.99! E-mail me today with your order at ericandterry@comcast.net. Thanks!

Rich Razzleberry Razzle Dazzle card...

I'm a huge fan of the color purple, and Rich Razzleberry fits the bill.

This color is intense. It looks wonderful with Old Olive, Chocolate Chip and Basic Gray, among other colors.

Here, the flower image from the Razzle Dazzle stamp set is stamped in Rich Razzleberry ink on Whisper White card stock and adhered at the left to a cut-down card with the front edge punched using the Scallop Edge punch.

"It's Good to Dream" is a stamp included in the set.

Razzle Dazzle Stamp Camp...

At the Razzle Dazzle Stamp Camp this month, I offered a bonus card to anyone bringing someone I haven't met before. Both people got to make this card, which uses the Razzle Dazzle stamp set.

I used markers - Rich Razzleberry, Melon Mambo and Crushed Curry - to ink up the rubber on the flower image, stamped it on Whisper White card stock, and layered it on Melon Mambo.

I ran a piece of Razzleberry Lemonade designer series paper through the Big Shot using the Top Note die, and finished the card with a knot of Melon Mambo ribbon. The sentiment is from the same stamp set, inked in Melon Mambo and punched using the Word Window punch.

This photo shows a sideview of the gorgeous flowers made using the new Flower Folds die for the Big Shot.

This was added to a white gift bag after adhering an 8" x 6" piece of Razzleberry Lemonade to each side of the bag at the bottom, and another coordinating piece of the same paper (8" x 4-1/2") to the top.

I adhered a strip of Rich Razzleberry ribbon on each side of the bag, then adhered this layered flower with dimensionals. In the middle of the flower is a 1" So Saffron circle and a white jumbo brad.

To finish the bag, I ran some Razzleberry Lemonade paper through the new Tags die (using the slit tag), and tied a bow of Rich Razzleberry ribbon around one handle.

Next month's stamp camp features paper bags and Tall Tales designer paper.

2 more Razzle Dazzle stamp camp projects...

I'm a big fan of texture. This card uses textured Crushed Curry card stock for the flower (made using the Flower Folds die for the Big Shot), and I used a texturz plate on the Whisper White card stock.

I punched 4 1-3/8" squares from a couple pieces of Razzleberry Lemonade paper, and layered them on a square of Rich Razzleberry card stock. I added the flower, a 1-1/4" Rich Razzleberry circle, then a 1" circle from the dsp pack, and a white jumbo brad.

The "happy birthday" comes from the Teeny Tiny Wishes stamp set and was punched out using the Modern Label punch. It's layered on a larger piece I made using the Movers & Shapers die with one of the four Punch Windows pieces.

The final touch is a knot of Rich Razzleberry ribbon knotted in front.

Kim designed this decorative jar for the stamp camp. She bought a case of jars at Wal-Mart for approximately $8. She added three Rose Red decor elements flower (a demo bulk item), then used a mini glue dot to hold on the button.

In addition to the Melon Mambo knot of ribbon on the lid, there's a circle of that card stock on the lid, along with a flower from the Flower Folds die, and a polka-dotted circle stamped with the For All You Do stamp set and punched out with the 1" circle punch.

Sorry, I'll add a photo of the lid later.....

I also used Chocolate Chip decor elements (flowers again), along with a variety of colored buttons - celery, white and turquoise - with Soft Suede ribbon and the same lid design. That one proved more popular with my customers Wednesday by a 3-1 margin.

Stamp Camp project: Wings of Friendship...

With the new Finial Press embossing folder, this Whisper White card just feels cool.

I used Melon Mambo, Old Olive, Perfect Plum and So Saffron markers to color in the bird stamp from Wings of Friendship, a Level 2 hostess set. Then I added a wiggly eye with a mini glue dot, as well as popped up flowers (using dimensionals).

The "just for you" is from Teeny Tiny Wishes.

The designer paper is from Razzleberry Lemonade. It's layered on a strip of Melon Mambo that's been scalloped edged punched on both sides, with the scallops pierced. Then a knot of Melon Mambo polka dotted ribbon is the finishing touch.

Razzleberry Lemonade graduates...

Kim and I are spending today at Camp Leo, helping upwards of 80 seventh and eighth-graders with 6" x 6" squash books in four different sessions.

There's a photographer at the camp, and many of the kids have their own digital cameras, so this will make a nice keepsake for the campers to remember their week away from home and their new friends!

Today, I'm sharing a couple of quick 6" x 6" scrapbook pages using some Razzleberry Lemonade designer paper and the corresponding In Colors - Melon Mambo and Dusty Durango. These girls recently graduated from high school and are preparing for college in the fall.

If you find scrapbooking a challenge, you'll love making easy pages like these. I opened a new album and started inserting my brag book pages (what we call 6" x 6" pages) back to back in the book. It was neat to see how quickly the album came together, and how much time was covered with the pages I managed to do over the past couple of years. Each page is a snapshot in time.

Flower Folds & other dies...

There's no stamping on this card, though I did sponge some Soft Suede around the Crushed Curry and Dusty Durango layers.

I used an embossing folder on the Crushed Curry layer, and the "Hi" embosslit in Soft Suede, layered on Dusty Durango.

This flower uses 3 of the 4 sizes available on the Flower Folds die for the Big Shot. It's hard to tell in the photo, but there are score lines on each flower. I added a Chocolate Chip corduroy button in the middle and adhered the flower to the Soft Suede card with dimensionals.

Medallion meets Nouveau Chic...

This Basic Gray card features the Medallion stamp inked on a White Craft pad and embossed with white powder. A circle fire rhinestone is in the middle of it.

The Apricot Appeal comes out of the Nouveau Chic designer paper. I used 1/4" Apricot Appeal grosgrain, along with a scalloped piece of card stock. Each scallop is also pierced.

The Teeny Tiny Wishes stamp set provided the greeting, which was then punched out with the Modern Label punch and layered on card stock run through the Movers & Shapers die with the Punch Windows magnet in the same shape.

Save $10 on vanilla hardware...

All you need to do is e-mail ericandterry@comcast.net with however many tins of hardware you'd like! It's a great savings.

Wings of Friendship in Melon Mambo...

Wings of Friendship is a Level 2 hostess set with a great sentiment (on the card), flowers, and the bird on the flowering branch.

I used So Saffron, Melon Mambo and Rich Razzleberry for the ink on this card, along with a Mellow Moss marker and Basic Gray ink for the words.

The bird on the branch had to be colored with markers. I cut out the bird's wing and attached it again with a dimensional.

Both Whisper White layers are punched with the Ticket Corner punch, then layered on Melon Mambo card stock with some great Melon Mambo polka-dotted ribbon.

Ah Nuts! The More, The Merrier...

The More, The Merrier stamp set has something for almost every occasion. What do you need to do to get it for free? Buy $500 worth of Stampin' Up! product OR have a great 2-hour party with your friends?

If I were you, I'd opt for the latter.

This first card is Soft Suede card stock with a strip of Tall Tales designer paper, layered on Dusty Durango. A strip of Dusty Durango ribbon is adhered around the layers, then I added the knot as a separate piece.

The acorn stamp was stamped three times in Basic Brown and punched out, colored and adhered with dimensionals.

For the second card, I used the same colors, only punching out one acorn and this time layering it on a scallop circle.

I added white dots to mimic the Soft Suede ribbon above with a Uni-bal white gel pen. The layered are adhered to the Dusty Durango card with dimensionals.

Country Morning, Circle Circus, Medallion...

Though these stamp sets vary widely in style, they're great to play with - especially at a stamp-a-stack, which is where I used these designs.

The first uses the Level 1 hostess set (free with $150 order) Country Morning. It's stamped in Basic Gray and colored in with an aqua painter and ink pads. The Whisper White layer is on Rich Razzleberry with a mini library clip.

The top two layers are adhered with dimensionals to a 4" x 5-1/4" piece of Razzleberry Lemonade paper, which is adhered to a strip of Rich Razzleberry that's been punched using the Eyelet Border punch, then to the Crushed Curry card front.

The Circle Circus card pictured here uses only Bermuda Bay ink, card stock and ribbon. The saying comes from the Short & Sweet stamp set, which is then punched out with a large oval punch.

The Melon Mambo Medallion card is so simple - just stamped on Whisper White card stock with a Build-a-Brad in the center.

I used the 1/2-inch circle punch and Razzleberry Lemonade paper to punch out a flower, adhering it to the brad with a mini glue dot, then securing the clear bubble over the top.

The sentiment is from the Level 3 hostess set Kind & Caring Thoughts.

Window Sheet & polka dots...

A thank-you card like this would cheer up anyone, what with the Crushed Curry polka-dotted ribbon and butterly.

Kim used the Big Shot and the Beautiful Butterflies die to make the butterfly.

Still don't have a Big Shot? We take payment plans! Email us for details.

Butterfly trivia: An average butterfly species has an adult life span of 2 weeks or less. No adult butterfly can live more than a year. (Source: http://www.geocities.com/craigwright2/Trivia.htm)

Out of the Box elephant...

I fell in love with the adorable Level 1 hostess set called Out of the Box. This card shows three stamps from the set - the elephant, the spring and the box with crank.


I stamped the box and spring in Basic Brown, then stamped the elephant twice in Rich Razzleberry - once on top of the spring and the second time on a scrap piece of Very Vanilla. I cut out the second one and adhered it over the first with dimensionals.


The designer paper is Razzleberry Lemonade, with Rich Razzleberry ribbon.


I finished the card with "happy birthday" stamped in White StazOn. The sentiment is from the Family Phrases stamp set.

Beth's Grandma's Cherry Pie...

Okay, so normally there's nothing but Stampin' Up! projects on this blog. But once in awhile something so wonderful comes along, I just have to share. Such is the case with a cherry pie made by my neighbor, Beth (jokingly biting into the pie).

We got to chatting recently about fruit in my yard. I said we'd never eaten the cherries on our tree because they were so sour. That's when she said she had an excellent recipe - with a secret ingredient - for cherry pie her grandma used to make.

Beth was kind enough to share the recipe here:

Beth's Grandma's Cherry Pie

Filling (9-inch pie): 1-1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup flour
1/2 tsp cinnamon
4 drops almond flavor (secret ingredient!)

Mix 4 cups of pitted cherries with the filling ingredients and pour into pie shell. Dot with 1-1/2 Tbsp butter and cover with top crust. Slit the top crust and bake at 425 degrees for 35-45 minutes, until brown.

Or you can go with a crumble top instead of crust - 2 Tbsp firm, packed brown sugar, 2 Tbsp butter, 1/4 cup flour - mixing until it's crumbly, then sprinkling it on top of the pie.

Delicious! Thanks for sharing, Beth.

Owl: Animal Stories...

Kim came up with this sweet owl card using the Animal Stories and Teeny Tiny Wishes stamp sets, and a bunch of punches.

The owls are stamped in Dusty Durango and Rich Razzleberry inks and punched out with the 1-1/4" circle punch, layered on Rich Razzleberry with the 1 3/8" circle punch, and then onto a Dusty Durango scallop circle dotted with the Uni-bal white gel pen.

The sentiment (notice the additional "to friend" which was inked with a marker) is punched using the Modern Label punch (new!), then layered onto a Dusty Durango piece that's been run through the Movers & Shapers die with one of the magnetized dies from the Punch Window set for the Big Shot.