Last Minute Gift with Inspired Stamps

 

Wow! This is my last post before Christmas.  Are you feeling the pressure??  Never fear, the Inspired Stamps Design Team is sharing last minute gifts with  you today.   My project can hopefully be made without trying to wade through crowds of shoppers.  The only thing you might  have to purchase is the mini clothespins (Wal-mart office supply dept)  but if you bought some a few weeks back when I showed you the ribbon calendar, you just may have a couple laying around!

For the scripture card, I used a beloved scripture from Inspired Stampers Favorites #1 set.  I love vintage wooden spools and that is the base of this project.  The one I used is about 2" high.  just remove the old thread and adhere scrapbook paper around the spool.  If desired, cut a circle the size of the top and adhere it as well.  Decorate the spool as desired and then use a strong liquid adhesive to attach ONE side of the mini clothespin to the top.  If you glue both sides, you won't be able to open the thing!  ask me how I know-LOL!

For your recipient, you could give them a set of scripture cards to change out.  They can also be used to display a photo.  As I sign off for the holidays, let me say Have a Blessed Christmas!

Inspired Stamps Ornaments

 

Today I am sharing ornaments I made using wonderful Inspired Stamps.  Could your tree use a few more ornaments?  These were super easy and quick to create starting with inexpensive, plain paper maiche ornaments. The 1st one I made uses the beautiful Vintage Christmas Stamp Set.

 The next ornament uses one of the great 1.5" Circle Christmas stamps. 

My final ornament is my favorite!  I utilized most of the 1.5" Circle Christmas stamps on this block ornament. The ornament itself is covered with musical paper and then embossed with gold on all sides. 

Cluster not Clutter!

Inspired Stamps Christmas Decor

 

The Design Team is using Christmas Stamps from Inspired Stamps this week. I challenged myself to make a home decor item from supplies on my desk.  The result was a Christmas decoration that can be hung on a wall, the tree, a bedpost or even a door handle.

For the scripture, I used the Blessed Little Christmas stamp set.
I stamped the scripture on a decorative journaling card that's been in my stash for probably 3 years!.  The base of my project is a 7Gypsies vintage book cover that I bought ages ago and never made a book out of-
LOL. The star clip, burlap and evergreen wire are all this year's purchases and seemed to just "fit".  Hope you enjoy!  Why not clean off your desk and make something pretty for Christmas?

Quick and Easy Christmas Cards

Did you gobble 'til you wobbled?  I know I did-Thanksgiving offers so many yummy goodies I don't eat the rest of the year!  Now that you've had your turkey and said your thanks, it's time to get serious about making your Christmas Cards!!

The Inspired Stamps Design Team is sharing easy peasy lemon squeezy cards with you this week.  My cards are super simple but super cute, doncha think? The "tricks" I use to create several cards in a short amount of time are 

•  start with pre-made card bases in a neutral color
• cut all patterned paper for all cards at the same time
• limit embellishments to 2 or 3
• Use double-sided coordinating patterned paper
• use "dry" or super quick dry adhesive
• cut or punch all shaped paper at the same time 
• stamp all shapes at the same time and limit stamp choices- I used Vintage Christmas and 1.5" Circle Christmas

Once you have gathered and cut everything, start your assembly line. Don't complete cards individually.  You should adhere your patterned bases on all your cards before you move on to the next step.  In my case, the next step was to adhere all the 2nd patterned paper strips, then my adhesive ribbon, followed by the stamped images and finally the rhinestones.  Multiple cards done in record time.

other supplies: all CTMH

Happy 2nd Birthday Inspired Stamps!

It is hard for me to believe Inspired Stamps is celebrating its 2nd birthday as a company!  That means I have been privileged to be on the Design Team for 2 years!  It's been so much fun getting to use these inspirational stamps week after week!  How many exclamation points can I use in 1 paragraph?!  Apparently, an unlimited amount!!!!!!

This week we are, of course,  showcasing birthday cards.  I started with a premade and preprinted base from Michael's Mary Engelbreit collection.  That gave me time to spend making "Ruth" extra special.  The Winter Ruth stamp set has been a favorite of mine since she was introduced. She has 6 sentiments and 6 items she can hold in her mittens.  I chose the gift and birthday sentiment this time.  For her stylish coat, I stamped her on a patterned paper and then just cut out the coat and adhered it to another stamped image.  I did cut the snow mound and tree away to leave me with just Ruth. 

The sentiment is stamped on a piece of cork for her to stand on.  I placed 2 roses over the "ear muffs".  Hope you love her like I do!

other supplies: Close to My Heart Alcohol Markers, CTMH cork, pearls, ribbon and rhinestones.

Artiste Cards and Envelopes

Make adorable cards and envelopes with the amazing Artiste Cricut cartridge from Close To My Heart.  Ready to order HERE.

Inspired Stamps Thankful Card

 

This week we are sharing "Thankful" projects at Inspired Stamps.  I made this card for my Mom who is recovering from a stroke she had 2 and a half weeks ago.  We are so thankful it was caught quickly and that she is recovering well.  I learned that a stroke does not always have the classic symptoms.  She only complained of dizziness but because of the sudden onset and her advanced age, my sister whisked her to the ER.  If you have a loved one who complains of sudden, extreme dizziness and/or headache, don't hesitate to call an ambulance.  I love my 85 yo mom and am thankful that God has kept her and my dad in relative good health!  

For the card, I used the versatile stamp set Fall Gratitude.  I really like this set with its scriptures, sentiments, pumpkins and ivy.

 

 We will soon celebrate the 2 year birthday of Inspired Stamps on November 19 and so are offering a great coupon for you! Use it on multiple orders, no matter the size all month!

Inspired Stamps Tutorial: Ribbon Calendar

It's my turn to share a tutorial as part of the Inspired Stamps Design Team!  I am excited to share a fun Christmas gift you can make fairly quickly and inexpensively.  The ribbon calendar is my daughter-in-love's favorite thing I have made for her and she requests a new one every year.  I have used Inspired Stamps for my scripture panels.

 

These are the basic supplies you will need: 5- 6x6 decorative papers (I like to grab a 6x6 paper pad), 5- 5 1/2 inch heavy cardstock sheets, roll of ribbon, mini monthly calendars, mini clothespins or decorative paper clips or bulldog clips, assorted embellishments, stamped scriptures

 

Choose the pages for your scriptures and glue down your clips.  I really love mini clothespins and you can get a box for less than $3 in the office supply section at Wal-mart.  The clothespins allow you to change out your scriptures or even use photos.

 

 Set them aside to dry well.  Cut apart your mini calendars if needed and adhere to your other 3 panels as desired.  You can try to make up your own calendars with a computer program or do what I did and spend a $1 and download one here: http://www.artfire.com/ext/shop/studio/purpleponyart

 Now it's time for the ribbon!  Line up your panels so the backs are facing up.  Space them apart as much or little as you'd like and then take the ribbon and hot glue down both sides, leaving a loop for hanging at the top.  This photo shows the 2 bottom panels.  You only need to glue the ribbon to the top of the bottom panel. I glue all 4 corners of the other panels.

 

To make the back sturdier and look neater, adhere a card stock panel to the back of each panel over the ribbon. 

 Now for the fun part!  Get out your box of embellishments and go to town! That's my "pink" box! 

For your scripture panels, cut a decorative base or use a journaling box and stamp your scriptures and any decoration.  For the top panel, I used Inspired Stamps Strength Stamp Set. For the bottom panel, I used Favorites Collection 1 Stamp Set. On both, I used the doily stamp from Lovely Lace to decorate the edges. 

 I hope you have been able to understand my tutorial and that you will find some time to make a few of your own ribbon calendars!  The clothespins allow you to change out your scriptures or even use photos.

Help Those Affected By Hurricane Sandy

This is directly from Jeanette Lynton,  the owner of Close to My Heart.
 My heart goes out to all those who have been affected by Hurricane Sandy— those who have lost family members, homes, or whose lives have otherwise been disrupted by the storm’s effects directly or indirectly.

I have been hearing on the news that this storm is already being projected to be the fifth most expensive hurricane ever, with expense projections above $20 billion. With such a daunting recovery ahead, relief organizations are calling for generous donations to help defray some of the costs. I know that when we work together, we can make great things happen, and that's why I'm so pleased to announce that we are enhancing our November promotion. Here’s how it will work:

Our November promotion is called Capture the Date, Capture the Savings, and its key player is the November Stamp of the Month, which is a simply fabulous calendar set you can see pictured above. When you make a $50 purchase, you can get this stamp set for a mere $5 under our generous Stamp of the Month program. You can then purchase one additional stamp set from the Idea Book for 50% off. From November 1 through 30, we will be donating $1 from every sale of the November Stamp of the Month set to the American Red Cross for hurricane relief.
 Every dollar counts when it comes to these massive scale relief operations, which is why I hope all of you will participate in this month’s promotion in addition to whatever donations you make independently. Let’s work together to help our friends and neighbors move forward!  You can make your purchase at www.belindak.myctmh.com

October Inspired Stamps Sneak

Haven't you loved the Inspired Stamps Sneak Peeks so far?!  Antoinette has really outdone herself with these wonderful new stamp sets!  Today is finally my turn and I have been so impatient to show you these adorable snow people!  My dining room will be full of all sorts of sweet snow people for Christmas and these new characters will find a home among them.

The "Snowmen" stamp set includes several snowmen in various sizes and personalities.  It also includes colorable words to use. It's so special that I had to create an extra special card to showcase it!  This is a 6x6 card featuring 2 of the snowmen and one of the words from the set. There's not a lot of coloring to do when white snow is involved but I did add a bit of chill to our icy folk with a bit of blue sponging.  The musical notes are from the Sing For Joy and Choir Boy/Angel sets. 

For the scripture inside the card, I used Luke 2:14 from Blessed Little Christmas.  If you haven't seen the fabulous sneak peeks so far, head over to the Inspired Stamps Blog and take a look at the fun!

other supplies:CTMH Alcohol Markers, Clear Bubbles and inks.   Mini 8 Snowflake punch, paper from my stash, Tim Holz Tinsel

Simply Elegant Wedding Card w/Close to My Heart

A sweet couple we know are getting married in November and I needed a card for their shower.  Their wedding colors are black and red so that gave me a place to start.  I wanted a simple yet elegant card for this beautiful couple.  I used grey flannel and black card stock to cut out 2 hearts using the wonderful CTMH Artiste Cricut Cartridge.  The stamp I used is one of our $6.95 stamps that is designed to work perfectly with the cut out- "Love" is stamped in our new lovely Ruby ink.  A little bling completes the card!

Patch 'O Pumpkins!

We had a couple of days of cool Fall weather around here last week and it got me in the mood for all things pumpkin!  Of course, we have returned to the 80's now and I had to dig my shorts out again but I'm still ready for pumpkin season.

This card is a manifestation of that desire-LOL!  I used Inspired Stamps'  fabulous Fall Gratitude Stamp Set. If you want a bitty pumpkin or a big ol' pumpkin, this set has got 'em as well as great thanksgiving scriptures and phrases.  I used one of the scriptures and a baby pumpkin to create the background.

The corner ivy is also from this stamp set.  I stamped and cut several of the images and colored them with CTMH alcohol markers.  The big pumpkin was cut on the Cricut and then re-cut to add a hole for the candy cup. This is the back of the cup inside the card.

And this is the inside scripture:

Betcha your craving pumpkin pie right about now! For the stamps, head over to Inspired Stamps to get them in before Fall is gone and Christmas is here!

other supplies: Cricut Doodlecharm cart, CTMH Cricut Artiste cart, CTMH cup, pattern paper, cardstock, markers and inks

Embossed Inspired Stamps Card

 Ready or not, here it comes!  Christmas, that is!  We are sharing Christmas Cards with you at Inspired Stamps this week.

 

I adore the look of silver and white and the combination can create such simple elegance.  Again, with my new organization for my embellishments, it was easy to find the silver sparkle ribbon, satin ribbon and gems.  If you missed the photos of my organizational system, they are HERE. The beautiful stamps I used for this card are from the new Inspired Stamps Christmas Poinsettia set.  I stamped them all with Versamark ink and then embossed with silver embossing powder.  There are 4 paper layers to the front of this card, the white card base, the dry embossed white snowflake layer, another plain white layer rimmed with the glitter ribbon and finally the beautiful heat embossed poinsettia.  I think I will be making several of these for Christmas.

Here's the inside stamped and embossed with the same stamp set.  Please stop by the Inspired Stamps Blog and the rest of the teams' blogs this week to see other wonderful creations!

Inspired Stamps Card w/Tag

Hello Sunshine!  I hope this post finds you all happy and healthy!  Inspired Stamps asked the Design Team to use a tag in our project today.  Easy! Done!  Tags are such a great accent to do many projects.  They just seem like a happy embellishment to me.  Is that weird?  If so, call me weird:)

For this sweet tag, I used the new, versatile to the MAX Tags stamp set.  I LOVE this set!  It has different tag outlines and even a solid tag stamp that I used for the subtle green background on this tag.  The set fits all of Inspired Stamps 2 x 2 scriptures but also comes with several sentiments and a scripture.  If you have the CTMH Art Philosophy Cricut cartridge, you can even cut out the tag shape and then stamp it.

The leaves and scripture stamp I used is from the Thank You stamp set.  Blessings!

other supplies: Lost and Found papers, flower and washi tape from stash and CTMH Color Ready ribbon and inks

Inspired Stamps Stairstep Card

 I must admit I was apprehensive when Antoinette asked the Inspired Stamps Design Team to make a stair step card for today!  They always looked so complicated.  Guess what?  They're not! I just googled stair step card and found some great tutorials out there.  All you really do is make folds.  Easy peasy lemon squeezy!.

I used the following Inspired Stamps: Nativity Set, David's Shepard and the scripture is from Vintage Christmas.

other supplies:  ALL Close To My Heart: Pear and Partridge papers, cardstock, Scallop punch, Art Philosophy cartridge, stamp pads and alcohol markers

Embellishment Organization

 OK, I heard you all loud and clear-photo please!  I knew I would need to post a photo of my new organization system but was pleasantly surprised to see how many of  you actually READ my post:) and requested photos!  Thank you for letting me know I am not just throwing words into a vast black whole!

Anyhoo-this is my new system for organizing my embellishments.  I must say I have used more of my stash in the last couple of weeks than I had in the last few months!  Also, it takes up far less room than having everything in its own spot.  I simply took 12x12 clear cases and corralled everything by color-there's a jar of flowers, a jar of brads and buttons and a case of sparkles and tiny embellies but the rest is just tossed in the case-ribbon, journaling cards, stickers, etc.  Each case is by color-red, pink, blue, green, brown, white, yellow/orange, black/silver.  I am lucky enough that I found this unit that holds 5 cases on an "as is" table at Michael's a while back for $10!!!  It was missing a case-Yeah Me!.  The 3 drawer unit on top is full of my adhesives, tools and other necessities.  Then on top of that is 3 more cases of embellies.  This sits right next to my workspace.

I have always created projects by starting with color so this makes it incredibly quick to find what I need.  Another benefit is I can quickly see what colors I need to add to (yellow/orange) and what color I need to stop buying for now (PINK).  And it has made me branch out and use colors I neglect.  Before I had shelves of jars with buttons by color, flowers by color, drawers of sparkles by color, ribbon in drawers, etc.  And everything was all over the room.  I love the compact storage and that is within reach.  Hope this helps someone and that it was understandable.  Blessings!!

Inspired Stamps Shaped Card & Organization Tip

 Welcome to the Inspired Stamps Tuesday post!  Our assignment today was to create a shaped card.  I used a "top note" style shape.  Does anyone know why it's called that?  I sure don't!

I used the fabulous Fall Gratitude Stamp Set.  This set is just full of Fall goodness-punkins in all sizes, sentiments, vines and scripture!  On the front, I stamped the scripture and surrounded it with the vine.  I stamped 2 itty bitty punkins and then colored them in and covered with liquid glass.   On the inside, I had an "oops" I had to cover so I just made a smaller top note cut to stamp the sentiment and a 2nd punkin to overlay the bottom one.  Sometimes oopsies are a good thing!  Be sure you check out everyone's creations at Inspired Stamps Blog.

Organization Tip:  You will probably start seeing more clusters of embellishments on my creations because I recently revamped my organizational system for all my embellishments after watching a video of Stacy Julian.  Instead of having all my buttons separated by color in bottles, my flowers by color in drawers, larger embellies in other containers, etc, I took her advice and put ALL embellies by color in one container.  I used one 12x12 hinged clear cases per color and put all of  the bottles of buttons, tiny boxes of brads, etc into a case along with the loose flowers and larger embellies.  Now instead of having tons of containers spread around my room, I have 10 cases  stacked together.  I can just pull one case with browns or oranges when I know those are the colors I will be using. This allows me to have lots of choices in one spot.  It's AWESOME!

other supplies: ALL Close To My Heart: Artiste Cricut Cart, Alcohol ink Markers, cardstock, pattern paper and embellishments

Dining Room Redo On a Shoestring Budget

 

 Did you think I forgot about my dining room remodel?  I promised progress photos earlier this year and then progress slowed dramatically for a graduation and a busy summer.  The photo above is not about my cutie pie youngest son but it's so you can see a glimpse of the before pic of that wall.  The walls had been sky blue with white trim for the last 11 years.  It was from my "birdhouse" phase!  When we moved in, I started collecting the little dwellings and when word got out, birdhouses were the gift of choice for me by friends and family.  Our dining room became a virtual aviary!  I put up the cutesy fence and hung birdhouses on it and above it.

Hubby has suffered "in silence" for over a decade at every meal.  He hated the color and the decor.  I admit I was ready for a change as well.  Together, we came up with the color scheme of gray, black, white and red.  We do not believe in going into debt as we have been there done that and lost the t-shirt off our back!  So, we have been buying supplies as we can and DIYing it.  The dining room is almost done as of today after almost 8 months! 

This is one of the completed walls!  I love , love, love it!  All that's left to do is a new floor and we hope to have that finished by October.  I have made most of the decorations or purchased them on clearance or with a coupon at Hobby Lobby.  My favorite part of the room is the large metal clock from HL.  The photos on each side were taken by my sis on her trip to Seattle.  More photos and details later.