Show and Tell: Baby Shower Invite

Well, now that Christmas has passed, I'm focusing on the next big event - having the baby. I have about six more weeks to go and I swear each day goes by faster than the day before.

My best friend is throwing me a baby shower, and many months ago when I first learned that I was expecting, I decided that I was going to make the baby shower invitations. I came up with two designs using my nursery theme (monkeys and butterflies) and trying to match the nursery colors (green, brown, and pink). The first design is displayed in this post; I'll share the second design later.

A word of caution for those who insist on making their own baby shower invites - it takes a lot of time. :) However, I enjoyed it and I hope the recipients of these baby shower invites enjoy them. How can you not enjoy monkeys?

~Cita

Say Goodbye (Part 2)

As stated in a previous post (Say Goodbye - Part 1), Stampin' Up! will be discontinuing stamps on the dormant list on January 4, 2010. Although it seems far away, January 4 is just arou the corner (next week, in fact). So if you want any of these stamps, hurry on over to my website and order these before it's too late. Click on the Shop Now link and then search by product number (included below) in the "Search the Store" field on the left side of the page. Contact me if you have any questions.

Friend by Definition, 109425

Fun Flower, 114488

Garden Greetings, 113716

Glad Friends, 114490

Hit the Road, 113242

Lexicon of Leaves, 113710

Man's Best Friend, 113236


Ocean Commotion, 114423

Playful Petals, 113728

Polka Dot, 109276

Putt Putt, 111544

Quilt Quips, 113240

Really Retro,113754
Sip by Sip, 113403


Sweet Stems, 113726
That's Funny, 113250

Wonderful Watercolors, 113688

~Cita

Merry Christmas

Feliz Navidad! I hope everyone has a wonderful and splendid Christmas. This Christmas, I have family all over the place at my house. It makes for a full house, but a joyous time, and I am enjoying every moment of it.

Since I have now run out of days before Christmas, I wanted to share this one last Christmas card with you. I actually made this card way back in November for the November Ladybug Card Swap where we had to make a card that featured punches. I’m not very good with punch art, although I enjoy it when someone else comes up with it. And in this case, my gingerbread card was inspired by Patti Lee, who did all the hard work. Thanks Patti!


~Cita

A Christmas Treat

I know the saying goes that “it’s better to give than to receive,” and I’m in total agreement with it, but man, does it feel good to receive presents, big and small. And the present doesn’t necessarily have to be in the material form. Services and little things people do for me are great presents too.

So, I felt pretty excited when one of my stamping friends, Kathy, gave me this little treat for Christmas. Kathy is a huge fan of punch art, and I love how she used her punches to decorate this bag of popcorn. When she gave it to me, she pointed out how she used the stamp from the Christmas Punch hostess set, which she earned at the last workshop she hosted with me.

I loved Kathy’s design, and wanted to share it with you. Enjoy!

~Cita

Say goodbye! (Part 1)

Stampin' Up! has a little secret - they have a dormant list of stamps. The stamps on this list are still available to purchase, but they are not featured in the current catalogs. What's more is that we will have to say goodbye to these stamps as SU! will be discontinuing them after January 4, 2010. So, if any of these stamps are on your wish list, hurry on over to my website to purchase them before it's too late.

Back Woods - 1113407
Beautiful Baby -114492
Birthday Wish - 114486
Branch Out - 113200
Celebrations - 114496
Central Park - 113732
Classic Sketches - 113206
Classy & Fabulous - 113226
Easter Beauty - 113750
Bella Pascua-114024
Flowers in Silhouette - 114498
Font of You - 113405
For the Bride - 113216
Forever - 114494

This is only half the list; I will post the remainder later. Remember that these stamps will only be available until January 4th. To order any of these, head on over to my website, click on the Shop Now link in the upper right-hand corner, and then enter the stamp product number in the "Search the Store" box on the left side.

Happy Stampin'
~Cita

Gift Tags - So Simple!

I've said it before, and I will say it again - I LOVE the Big Shot. And the SU! Two Tags die makes cutting out and decorating gift tags easy and fun. This gift tag is CASEd from a gift tag we made during Convention, and they can easily be replicated using different types of stamps.

Gift Tag Details:

• Use the SU! Two Tags die to cut out the gift tag with Chocolate Chip cardstock.
  
• Stamp the Christmas sentiment in Chocolate Chip on Whisper White. This stamp is from the Hostess Level 1 Stamp Set, Holiday Best.
  
• Emboss the image using Clear Embossing Powder. To do this, I used the Stamp-A-Ma-Jig to stamp the Christmas sentiment in Versamark over the image I just stamped in Chocolate Chip. I then applied the Clear Embossing Powder to the Versamark image and used the heating tool to heat the powder.
  
• Use the Scallop Oval punch to punch out the image and then the Wide Oval punch to punch out a Real Red Oval. Layer the scalloped image onto the oval.
• Use a strip of Merry Moments DSP in the back and place the ovals on top of this. If you are a paper scrap saver, this is a great way to use small scraps.
  
• Thread some Old Olive Grosgrain Ribbon at the top and wa-la, you have a simple and easy gift tag.

You can write a nice little note in the inside of this tag or even use the inside to hold a piece of candy or maybe some mula!

Happy Stampin'
~Carmelita

Party like a Ladybug

As mentioned in my last post, the Ladybug Ink Christmas Party was Thursday night. It was pretty awesome, and the Ladybugs made some awesome gifts. I wanted to highlight the Ladybugs and their gifts so that the world can marvel at their talents. One of the things I love about all the gifts is that they portray the versatility of Stampin' Up! products and shows how you can use stamping skills to make things other than cards.

Kim made a gift basket with a whole bunch of yummy goodness. She even included a recipe book of all the things she featured in the basket.

Amber made this frame that can be used as an earring holder or a bulletin board. She included some handmade earrings that were made from SU! accessories. By the way, I blame Amber for part of my addiction. She was the one who introduced me to Stampin' Up! and is my upline.

Ruth made this fabulous bag. She used the Big Shot to cut out each square. I had a chance to steal this bag from a fellow ladybug and didn't. If I knew how to sew, I would attempt to make this bag. But me and sewing machines don't get along.

Michelle made this cute calendar frame using the Calendar Kit from the Holiday Mini. In the lower left hand corner the saying said "Don't put off till tomorrow what you can ENJOY to today." Or something like that. Sounded like an anti-procrastination saying. :)

Corrina made this magnetic dry-erase board with letter and flower magnets. She used the Big Shot and the Alphabet dies to cut out the magnets.

Karen made this beautiful apron using a Decor Elements stencil and classic ink. It's amazing the many things you can use the Decor Elements stencils for. I never would have thought of using them to decorate fabric and make a pretty apron.

Kim (whom we call Kim 3) made this lovely frame using decor elements and SU! accessories. I love the colors in this frame and thought that it would go great in my living room because of the colors.

Look closely at Pam's wrist and you will see two bracelets. Pam made these bracelets by using SU! DSP paper and making paper beads. I heard it takes a lot of patience to make one of these.

Barb made this basket of bath salts and bath powder. I was the recipient of this awesome gift. As Barb was giving me more information about each thing in the basket she reminded me that essential oils may not be good for pregnant women. I assured Barb that I wasn't going to be pregnant forever, and will wait until after Baby is born to delve into my gift.

Mindy made this tin of ornaments and cookie cutters. She had a little helper to display her handmade gift.
And then there was my gift - Christmas for Two. You can see the details for this project in my previous post.

Hope you enjoyed seeing what the Ladybugs created. I know I enjoyed the gift exchange and loved seeing what everybody created. I'm already thinking about what I can make for next year......

Happy Stampin'
~Cita

Christmas for Two

Last night was the Ladybug Ink Christmas party. We munched on some food and had a gift exchange of handmade gifts. There was certain criteria that was set for us about our handmade gift, and these criteria actually challenged me a little bit to get out of my stamping box and think differently.

Well, I decided to jump into a box in order to get out of my box. After prowling around on the web and walking through craft stores, I decided that it would be fun to make a decorated box with hot cocoa paraphernalia. My husband and I have been drinking a lot of hot cocoa these past few weeks, so my mind has been a little stuck on cocoa. Here's what I came up with.

I started with a tin and decorated it using the Holiday Lounge DSP. Dasher is embossed in white on Brushed Silver, and "Merry Christmas" is embossed with iridescent ice, which makes it all sparkly! The snowflakes are actually rub-ons from the Icicle Rub-Ons set. They look awesome against the Taken with Teal background.

I included two mugs so you can drink the hot cocoa and continued with the Dasher theme. Experimenting with a "make-your-own-rub-ons" kit (not from SU!), I was able to use Real Red and Taken with Teal Classic Ink and the Dasher stamp to make a rub-on, which I used to decorate the mugs.
I also made a little book that can be used to write your sweetie Christmas sentiments or can be used as a little scrapbook. I cut the covers with the Top Note Die using chipboard. I also cut the pages with the Top Note Die, but used Taken with Teal, Very Vanilla, and Real Red cardstock. The whole book is bound with Real Red Grosgrain ribbon. And of course I had to find some place in my project to use my current favorite set, Patterned Pines.

Finally, I added some packets of hot cocoa and spiced apple cider and placed it in the tin. The picture above shows the whole Christmas for Two ensemble. I was very proud of my creation. It was a lot of fun putting together.
Karen was the recipient of my Christmas for Two gift, and I was excited about the enthusiasm she showed toward it. This was my first big stamping project, and I'm glad Karen and her hubby can enjoy it.

~Cita