Look What You Can Do

Have I told you lately that the Big Shot is awesome? No?

Well, let me tell you, the Big Shot is awesome.

I love how you can use the Big Shot for a variety of different crafting projects. I generally use the Big Shot mainly for card making and scrapbooking, but sometimes there will be a miscellaneous project that I can use it for. Such as making a Flower hair bow.

My fabulous sideline Joanna Banta (who, by the way, made Rising Star in Stampin' Up!), taught the Ladybug group to make these Flower bows. We used material (toule, fabric, and felt), the Big Shot, and the Flower Folds Bigz xl Die to make these flower bows. We had the option of putting alligator clips on the back or pins. I made mine into a pin, but lots of the other ladies put alligator clips on theirs so they can attach the flower bows directly to their hair, to a headband, or to a beanie. As you can see in the picture below, my daughter Sybella had the honors of modeling the flower bow attached to the headband. Doesn't she look thrilled?


~Carmelita

Holiday Mini Catalog List of Awesomeness

When I first saw the Holiday Mini Catalog, I wasn't too impressed. However, the more I looked at it, the more I fell in love with the awesome product that is in it. Is it bad to fall in love with stamp sets. Probably, but oh well. I am anyways.

So here's my list of awesomeness for the Holiday Mini Catalog.

• Northern Hearts Level 1 Hostess Set. I want it, I want it, I want it. It's such a beautiful set and I have so many ideas of what you can do with it.
• 1/2" Lace Trim. It's in the Halloween section of the catalog, but this lace trim could be used for a variety of different cards. It's so pretty, and I'm anxiously awaiting for mine to come in the mail so I can try to use it in a Christmas card.
• Designer Fabric. I'm no quilter, but I'm still hooked on the Designer Fabric. I've been playing with the idea of using it on my scrapbooking pages. And Sybella could use a few new bows. This fabric is perfect to use with the Big Shot.
• Tasteful Trim Bigz XL Die. Oh the things you can do with the trim you get on this die. This would be a perfect die to have if you are big on scrapbooking. These trims will go great on scrapbooking pages. And of course you can use these trims on all sorts of cards and other papercrafting projects.
• Christmas Designer Series Paper. The two featured Christmas DSP - Deck the Halls and Candy Cane Christmas - are absolutely wonderful. They have two completely different color schemes, but they both scream Christmas in their own way. The Candy Cane Christmas paper even sparkles.
• Jolly Bingo Bits stamp set - This stamp set goes along with the Bingo Card stamp, but it's also great to have around for Christmas related stamping. With 24 stamps in this set, there's an image for all aspects of the Christmas season. There's a candy cane, Stanta Clause, a poinsettia, mittens, a candle, and a snowflake just to name a few images.
  
• Design-a-House Decor Accents - This is like a gingerbread house made of chipboard and paper. I'm super excited about this because I can decorate a house and not feel bad that I just wasted a whole bunch of food. (As I did when I made a gingerbread house a few years ago.) What's great about it to, is that you don't have to use it for a Christmas project. Decorate it for any type of holiday or use it as a playhouse.

I could actually continue listing things for awhile, but I'll stop here. What's your favorite product in Holiday mini?

~Carmelita

Teeny Tiny Wishes

There are so many events that happen during the year, and so many cards to send out for each occasion. Earlier this year I was so frustrated that I did not have some sort of "Happy Graduation" stamp. And then another time I realized that I did not have a "Happy Anniversary" stamp of some sort. And then ANOTHER time I was in need of a simple "Happy Birthday" stamp, and I had none. I think you get the point. I have hundreds of stamps, but I still don't have a stamp for every occasion. At least that was until I discovered the Teeny Tiny Wishes stamp set. Now I have a stamp for practically every event that can happen in a year.

So, in May I had several events that I needed a card for. I needed several graduation cards, a sympathy card, and a wedding card. So I designed one card and used that design for each occasion with some variations. What made this idea work so great was that there was a graduation, sympathy, and wedding stamp in the Teeny Tiny Wishes stamp set.

Here's the wedding card I made. I got this idea from a fellow demonstrator on Stampin' Connection (a benefit of being a demonstrator). I can't remember who it was, and I apologize to you and to the demonstrator out there.

Here's the sympathy card. Instead of stamping on the ribbon for this one, I stamped on card stock and used the Word punch to punch out the words.

And finally, here's the graduation card. I was super proud of myself for making this card as I was able to use the University of New Mexico colors (which is the university my friends graduated from). They loved it, and so did I; I almost wanted to keep it for myself.


Well, that's it for now. I definitely recommend the Teeny Tiny Wishes stamp set. It's worth it!

Happy Stampin'

~Carmelita

Tote-ally Awesome

I love it when Stampin' Up! offers extra incentives to become a Stampin' Up! demonstrator. Check this one out.

Become a Stampin' Up! Demonstrator between now and October 18, and receive the Greenhouse Gala Craft Tote for free! I had to pay $39.95 for mine. I wish I would have gotten it for free.

Here are some details about the tote:

• 100% twill nylon exterior; 100% nylon interior
• Dimensions: 15-3/4" x 7-5/8" x 8-7/8"
• Includes attachable shoulder strap for easy transport
• Center section fits 12" x 12" card stock, Craft Keepers, and Paper Cutter
• Outside pockets fit extra-large punches perfectly
• Outside flap pockets offer secure spot for accessories
• Back zipper pocket holds up to seven Stampin' Pads

You can even check out this video (yes, there is a video).

Contact me if you are interested in becoming a Stampin' Up! demonstrator or head on over to my website for more information. This is such a great deal; I wouldn't want you to miss out on this.

~Carmelita

Elements of Style

One of my favorite parts of being a Stampin' Up! demo is the monthly Ladybug Ink meetings. These meetings are conducted by my upline, Amber, and we get together, stamp, watch demos, and check out each others' latest creations. Each month, Amber usually prepares a make-and-take for us. This card is one of the make-and-takes from our April Ladybug meeting (I know, I am WAY behind), however, it's one of my favorites. Here are some details about the card.

• We used the stamp set, Elements of Style, which is such a pretty stamp set.
  
• We added texture to the card by using the Perfect Polka Dots Embossing Folder with the Big Shot.
• The image was stamped on watercolor paper. We then used the aquapainters to color the flowers.
• We used the eyelet border punch to punch the border at the bottom of the card.

For such a beautiful and elegant card, this is truly an easy card to make. If you are interested in becoming a Ladybug stamper and would like to participate in the monthly Ladybug Ink meetings, contact me.

Happy Stampin'
~Carmelita

Holiday Mini Catalog

It's been available since September 1, but I was enjoying the sunny beach of Cocoa Beach, Florida so I didn't get a chance to post it: the new Holiday Mini Catalog. So here it is. I am pretty excited about the stamp sets and products featured in this year's edition. I hope to post my Holiday Mini Catalog List of Awesomeness in the upcoming days, so stay tuned. In the mean time, enjoy your journey through the Holiday Mini Catalog.

~Carmelita