IT'S PUMPKIN CARVING TIME...

We're still in major construction mode here, so I thought I would share a little non-stamping Halloween cheer with you.  Today it was a gorgeous day here in Virginia Beach.  Unfortunately, I spent the entire day at the hospital with hubby while he was having some minor outpatient surgery.  When we got home, we found the girls and Jenni's friend Bill out back carving pumpkins!  We sat with them on the deck watching them add the finishing touches and enjoying the evening with them.  What a nice end to our day!  Here are the pumpkins they carved.  Aren't they great?

Bill                          Colleen                         Jenni

ONLY 1 WEEK LEFT TO GET YOUR FREE BIG SHOT OR $100 IN PRODUCTS...

A FREE Big Shot is a BIG DEAL! 

There's ONLY 1 WEEK LEFT to get your FREE Big Shot (or up to $100 in FREE Stampin' Up! products of your choice) when you join my Divalicious Demos Group and Stampin' Up!  WOW!  This AMAZING opportunity ends on Monday, October 31 (Halloween), so don't miss out!

This is the perfect opportunity for a hobby stamper who loves Stampin' Up! products to test drive everything we have to offer with NO obligation to purchase or sell anything further.  If you decide not to continue, you just allow yourself to delete.  However, you will have until March 31, 2012 to meet any sales minimums to continue and in the meantime can take full advantage of your demonstrator benefits and discounts.  I welcome both hobby stampers and business-minded demonstrators to my no pressure group!

The new-demonstrator Starter Kit—a steal at just $175 —contains over $345 ($444 with the Big Shot) worth of stamp sets, card stock, ink, accessories (and business supplies) that you get to customize —everything you need to start your new business.

WANT MORE INFO?   For more information on Stampin' Up!, Starter Kit contents, discounts, benefits, FAQs and exclusive resources that go hand in hand with the Starter Kit, please CLICK HERE.

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HAVE ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT THE FREE BIG SHOT OFFER OR BECOMING A DEMONSTRATOR?  Give me a call at 757-463-2714 or email me at YourStampTeacher@aol.com anytime.  I would love to talk to you!

AUTUMN SPICE CAKE NUGGET BOX FOR 6 NUGGETS...

As promised, I have the Six Piece Nugget Box to share with you today.  Since yesterday I had a Christmas box, Santa's Belly Nugget Box, I thought I would do a Fall themed box for the Six Piece box.  I also decided to emboss the sleeve of this box.

These adorable buttons are also from the Holiday Mini Catalog. They are so awesome!  Because they are so BIG, they are perfect for adding DSP or a sentiment to the center.  Build your own unique creation to accent your project!  I wanted mine to be very quick and easy.  So I just ripped off a piece of fabric (literally) from our Spice Cakes Fabric and tied it together with the button and some linen thread.  Voila, a super simple finishing touch for my nugget box.  If you would like a sample of these great buttons, check out my Holiday Mini Accessories Share on my Product Shares page.

The nugget wrappers are the It's a Wrap Holidays stamp set from the Holiday Mini Catalog.  See a picture of all the images at the end of the post.  They are so awesome for putting together quick favors, class gifts, etc.  I am definitely addicted to them!  Along with the It's a Wrap Occasions stamp set in the Idea Book & Catalog, you will have every holiday and occasion covered.

Also as promised, here are the measurements for cutting your card stock for the Nugget Boxes depending on how many candies you would like to be able to fit.  You may notice a pattern.  Each Box Bottom gets 1" longer and each sleeve gets 1" wider as you increase the amount of nuggets you would like to fit in the box.  All box bottoms are scored at 3/4" and 1-1/2" all around.  All sleeves are scored at 2" and 2-3/4" from each short side.  See the written directions here:  Santa's Belly Nugget Box.  Next week I will post a video on the boxes.

AUTUMN SPICE CAKE 6-PIECE NUGGET BOX SUPPLIES:

• Stamp Sets – It's a Wrap Holiday (W#122770 $27.95, C#122772 $19.95)
• Card Stock – Soft Suede Textured, More Mustard, Spice Cake DSP
• Ink – Cajun Craze
• Ribbon – Linen Thread (#104199, $4.50) 
• Fabric – Spice Cake (#124066, $9.95)
• Punches – 1-3/8" Circle (#119860, $15.95)
• Accessories – Spice Cake Designer Buttons (#124113, $7.95), Antique Brads (#117273, $5.95), Sticky Strip
• Tools – Simply Scored Scoring Tool (#122334, $29.95),

SANTA'S BELLY NUGGET BOX FOR 8 NUGGETS...

Tonight my upline asked me to do a demonstration at her Downline meeting.  I demonstrated the Simply Scored Scoring Tool - hands-down my FAVORITE product in the Holiday Mini Catalog!  It was definitely worth the wait and works so much better than any other scoring board I have used... and I have tried them ALL!

I chose to do a simple Nugget Box.  I love our Matchbox Die for holding 4 nuggets, but sometimes you want a box that holds more nuggets.  This box can be easily adjusted to fit any number of nuggets you like from four to ten, although I don't like to make them bigger than this without using a double layer of card stock.  No matter what size box you make, you will always be scoring at 3/4" and 1-1/2" all the way around your card stock.  You just use a different length card stock based on the bottom of the box (how many nuggets desired).  Tomorrow, I will show you a simple Six Piece Nugget Box and give you the beginning card stock dimensions for all four sizes.  Enjoy!

SANTA'S BELLY NUGGET BOX SUPPLIES:

• Stamp Sets – It's a Wrap Holiday (W#122770 $27.95, C#122772 $19.95)
• Card Stock – Real Red Textured, Basic Black Textured, Whisper White, Brushed Silver
• Ink – Real Red, Lucky Limeade Stampin' Write Marker
• Punches – Scallop Edge Border (#119882, $15.95), Curly Label (#119851, $16.95), 1" Square (#124094, $15.95), Large Tag (#119876, $15.95)
• Accessories – Sticky Strip, Velcro Dot
• Tools – Simply Scored Scoring Tool (#122334, $29.95), Crop-A-Dile (#108362, $29.95)

EIGHT NUGGET BOX DIRECTIONS:
BOX BOTTOM:
1.  Cut card stock for box bottom at 5-3/4" x 7".
2.  In the landscape position, score your card stock at 3/4", 1-1/2", 5-1/2" and 6-1/4".
3.  With your card stock in the portrait position, score your card at 3/4", 1-1/2", 4-1/4" and 5".  If you prefer, you can simply score at 3/4" and 1-1/2" all the way around the card stock.
4.  Cut off the three squares in each corner indicated by the red X's on the template above.
5.  Cut on the scored line as shown in red in the template above.
6.  Apply Sticky Strip to the INSIDE of all four long tabs.
7.  Turn the card stock over and apply Sticky Strip to the OUTSIDE of all four small tabs.  Be sure to use your bone folder to burnish down the Sticky Strip.
8.  Fold all score lines crisply with your bone folder.
9.  Remove the Sticky Strip liner from two of the small tabs (on the same side).  Fold the small tabs in and adhere the long side to the small tabs.  Repeat on the opposite side.
10. Remove the Sticky Strip liner from each of the long side tabs.  Fold over the long tabs to the inside of box covering the small tabs.
11. Remove the Sticky Strip liner from each of the short side tabs.  Fold over the short side tabs to the inside of the box.  Use a bone folder to get the card stock smoothly into the corners.

SLEEVE:
1.  Cut card stock to 4-1/4" x 8-3/8".
2.  With card stock in the landscape position, score at 2", 2-3/4", 5-5/8" and 6-3/8".
3.  Apply Sticky Strip to the OUTSIDE/RIGHT side of one short end of the card stock and the INSIDE/WRONG side of the other short end.
4.  Fold the card stock around the Box Bottom.
5.  Remove the Sticky Strip liner and adhere with the end with the Sticky Strip on the WRONG side of the card stock on the top.

I didn't include photos, as I am planning to make a video for the Nugget Box and post it next week.

A

BUBBLE, BUBBLE, TOIL & TROUBLE...

Jenni finally got a chance to come over and finish her version of the cauldron card!  Isn't it adorable?  She got the idea from a card in a magazine she saw while waiting to check out somewhere.  I'm not sure what DSPs she used as forgot to keep track.  I think they are mostly from the Patterns Designer Stacks.  Too cute!  Enjoy!

BUBBLE, BUBBLE, TOIL & TROUBLE SUPPLIES:

• Stamp Sets – Wicked Cool (W#118738 $19.95, C#120600 $14.95)
• Card Stock – Wisteria Wonder, Basic Black, Whisper White, Silver Glimmer Paper
• Ink – Tangerine Tango, Basic Black, Lucky Limeade Classic, Pumpkin Pie, Basic Black Stampin' Write Marker
• Punches – Two-Step Owl (#118074, $16.95), 3/4" Circle (#119873, $10.95), 1/2" Circle (#119869, $5.95), Word Window (#119857, $15.95)
• Accessories – Brights Designer Buttons (#119747, $8.95), Stampin' Dimensionals (#104430, $3.95), Sticky Strip, Small piece of cotton ball
• Tools – Big Shot, 3-1/2" Circle Die (#121811, $17.95), Crop-A-Dile (#108362, $29.95), Sponge Daubers

CAS FRIDAY, Halloween Bunco Skinny Bag Treats...

I needed to make some quick & easy Halloween treats for my October Bunco Game tonight.  Of course, I knew I had to use the FABULOUS new 1" x 8" Cellophane Bags (or Skinny Bags as I like to call them)  from the Holiday Mini Catalog.  They are so adorable and very economical (only 5 cents per bag) and they are FDA certified Food-Safe!  Love them!

I created various toppers for the bags and filled them with M&Ms, Pretzel M&Ms or Twizzlers.  I also made some other designs for a craft show I am doing next weekend and filled those with Halloween pencils and Pixie Sticks!  They are just too cute and so fast to make!  I am already planning my Christmas ones.  We will be making a similar Masked Owl Treat Bag tomorrow at my Spooky Stamp Camp.  Don't miss out!

Try out a sample of (10) 1x8 Cello Bags in my Holiday Mini Accessories Share!

Here's a close-up of the toppers:

HALLOWEEN SKINNY BAG TREATS SUPPLIES:

• Stamp Sets – Wicked Cool (W#118738 $19.95, C#120600 $14.95), Batty for You (#116576, $23.95), Dark & Dreary (W#120837 $19.95, C#121151 $14.95), Teeny Tiny Wishes (#115370, $36.95), Warmest of Wishes (Hostess in Holiday Mini Catalog)
• Card Stock – Basic Black, Whisper White, Rich Razzleberry, Pumpkin Pie, Cajun Craze, So Saffron, Lucky Limeade, Wild Wasabi
• Ink – Crumb Cake, Tangerine Tango, More Mustard Classic, Basic Black Craft, Basic Black, Tangerine Tango, More Mustard, Lucky Limeade Stampin' Write Marker
• Punches – Two-Step Owl (#118074, $16.95), 1-3/4" Circle (#119850, $16.95), 1-3/8" Circle (#119860, $15.95), 2-3/8" Scallop Circle (#118874, $16.95), 1-3/4" Scallop Circle (#119854, $16.95), Decorative Label (#120907, $16.95)
• Accessories – 1" x 8" Cellophane Bags (#124134, $2.50), Black Embossing Powder (#109133, $4.75), Iridescent Ice Embossing Powder (#101930, $4.75), Stampin' Dimensionals (#104430, $3.95), Sticky Strip
• Tools – Heat Tool, Big Shot, Circles #2 Die (#114526, $15.95), Spider Web Embossing Folder (#120889, $7.95), Sponge Daubers

TECHINQUE THURSDAY, Frog Wizard in the Witches Brew Punch Art Cauldron...

I have been waiting to show you this cute Halloween Punch Art card for a couple of weeks now.  Jenni had seen a cauldron card in a magazine somewhere that she wanted to case.  So I helped her come up with a cauldron for her card and she went about making her card.  I decided to take the same cauldron, but in a different direction--a punch art direction, of course!  I wanted to show them both at once, but I got impatient waiting for her to finish hers, so here it is!

I really miss the Halloween Hoot stamp set that retired earlier this year.   I loved to perch the little wizard frog on the edge of the cauldron.  So I decided to use it as my inspiration for this card.  But, this little frog wizard has gotten INTO the witches brew!  Hope he can conjure up some help with that wand to get himself out of the cauldron!  :o)

I brought several other techniques into my card beside the punch art.  I used a tone on tone version of the Faux Letterpress Technique to create subtle depth on the background.  I then sprayed White Shimmer Mist over the embossed background.  The eyes were punched from Basic Black and then I applied Crystal Effects to the punch piece and let it "mound" up.  When it dries, the eyes then have that glassy, realistic looks that frogs have.  Also, I unraveled the Hemp Twine to give the broom strands a curlier, more rustic look.

The potion bubbles are punched from the new Silver Glimmer Paper in the Holiday Mini Catalog.  Did you know you could color our beautiful Silver Glimmer Paper?  Although the shade will be more subtle, it takes color beautifully.  The quickest and easiest way is to sponge it with Sponge Daubers.  I sponged Lucky Limeade on the Silver Glimmer Paper.  See before and after photo below.  However, you can also use your Aquapainter to watercolor it or use the ink pad directly (some glitter will transfer to your pad) or color it with a marker.  It's gorgeous all on it's own, but now you can have Glimmer Paper in LOTS of different colors!  This paper is a definite MUST-HAVE!  Try out a sample of it in my Holiday Mini Accessories Share!

No punch art directions for this card as it is one of the projects from my upcoming Spooky Stamp Camp on Saturday. When Jenni gets a chance to finish her card, I will post it as well.  Enjoy!

FROG WIZARD IN THE WITCHES BREW SUPPLIES:

• Stamp Sets – Pennant Parade (W#122740 $21.95, C#122742 $16.95)
• Card Stock – Wisteria Wonder, Basic Black, Old Olive Textured, Whisper White, Rich Razzleberry, Silver Glimmer Paper
• Ink – Wisteria Wonder, Lucky Limeade, Old Olive Classic, Whisper White Craft, Basic Black Stampin' Write Marker
• Ribbon  – Hemp Twine (#100982, $2.95)
• Punches – Two-Step Owl (#118074, $16.95), 3/4" Circle (#119873, $10.95), 1/2" Circle (#119869, $5.95), Heart to Heart (#119881, $16.95), Large Oval (#119855, $15.95), Small Oval (#120908, $10.95),Word Window (#119857, $15.95), Boho Blossoms (#119858, $16.95), Petite Pennants Builder (#122361, $16.95)
• Accessories – Frost White Shimmer Paint in White Shimmer Mist (#116854, $5.95) and  70% alcohol, Crystal Effects (#101055, $6.25), Stampin' Dimensionals (#104430, $3.95), Sticky Strip, Small piece of cotton ball, twig
• Tools – Big Shot, 3-1/2" Circle Die (#121811, $17.95), Spider Web Embossing Folder (#120889, $7.95), Crop-A-Dile (#108362, $29.95), Sponge Daubers

TOOL TIP TUESDAY, Distressing Essentials & Vintage Ink Stains...

Distressing Essentials is a fabulous set of tools that were released last year.  I absolutely love this kit.  It features tools that make it easy to create a distressed, vintage appearance to your projects.  Some of the styles that distressing works well with are:  aged, vintage, steam punk, grunge, shabby chic, collage, nostalgic, antique, retro, Victorian, Edwardian, twentieth-century, mid-century, romantic, timeless and classic.

DISTRESSING ESSENTIALS INCLUDE:
■ Sanding block (3" x 3/4" x 1-1/2") and two-sided emery board (4" x 3/4") for distressing Designer Series paper or smoothing the edges of card stock or DSP that has been adhered to On Board chipboard
■ (3) Precision files (5-1/2") for sanding intricate die cuts and sanding in tight areas.  They also work well at curling up edges.
■ (4) Blendable, water-based vintage ink spots: Tea Stain, Charcoal, Mahogany, Navy
■ Flat Stamp (1-1/2") for applying ink to create an aged appearance
■ Comes in soft plastic case

TOOL TIPS:
■ Because vintage ink contains alcohol, they are not recommended for scrapbooking.
■ For an aged look, it is best to crinkle your paper into a ball, and then smooth it out.  When you dab the ink on the flat stamp and rub it over the paper, the ink will be heavier on the creases, resulting in a distressed look.
■ For a subtle ink stain look, try the flat stamp to apply the vintage ink.  It provides a softer look than applying the ink spot directly on the paper.  To intensify the distressed look, try misting the ink lightly with water before or after applying to the project.  The ink will dilute and bleed resulting in a vintage appearance.
■ When using a stamped image that you do not want to bleed, be sure to use a waterproof ink like StazOn on your stamped image.
■ Use an Aquapainter to apply the ink refills directly to a stamped image.  Be sure to use StazOn or waterproof ink to stamp your image.
■ Use sanding--both edges and top--to distress your project even more.

The one drawback of the Distressing Essentials was that there were no refills for the Vintage Ink Spots.  This was troubling for me because with spots, I used up my favorites quickly.  Because of this, I had trouble enthusiastically recommending this product.  However, I am thrilled to let you know that REFILLS ARE NOW AVAILABLE for all the Vintage Ink Spots!  Yippee!  Thanks so much for listening to customer and demonstrator suggestions, Stampin' Up!

Here are the shopping links and information to order your Vintage Ink Refills:

• Tea Stain Vintage Stampin' Ink refill  #125731, $4.95
• Charcoal Vintage Stampin' Ink refill  #125732, $4.95
• Mahogany Vintage Stampin' Ink refill  #125733, $4.95
• Navy Blue Vintage Stampin' Ink refill  #125734, $4.95
• Distressing Essentials  #118762, $19.95
  

HOW TO RE-INK THE VINTAGE STAIN SPOTS:
Re-inking a Vintage Ink Spot is different than re-inking a Classic Stampin' Pad or Spot. To create a distressed, aged appearance, a Vintage Ink Spot should be drier than a Classic Stampin' Pad. When it's too dry--that is, the ink applies more lightly than you like on your projects--you should re-ink the Spot. To re-ink your Vintage Ink Spot, do the following:

1. Using the eyedropper in the Vintage Ink Refill, apply ink one drop at a time in equal, thin stripes on the pad.  DO NOT saturate the pad--it needs to be drier than a Classic Stampin' Pad.  Let the ink settle into the pad for a few minutes before continuing. 
2. Using the edge of a credit card, drag the ink diagonally across the pad from corner to corner.  This will ensure that the ink is heavier in some places than others, which is necessary to create a distressed appearance.
3. Blot lightly with a paper towel to remove excess ink.

Here are a few examples of cards made using the Distressing Essentials:

 

3x3 THURSDAY, Awash with Pool Party Flowers...

Today, I am introducing a new occasional feature on my blog - 3x3 Thursdays!  I have become addicted to 3" x 3" cards (AKA Love Notes) lately and become obsessed with making them.  They are so adorable.  Because of their small size, they are excellent for focusing all the attention on a WOW technique.  They are the perfect size for gift enclosures, to tuck into a lunch box or briefcase, leave on a co-worker's desk, to include with a tip for a waitress, etc., or to have on hand for any occasion.  Lately, I have been using them to tuck in with customer orders. 

Today's card was designed by Jenni.  She is queen of the CAS cards!  She made a dozen of these to hand out to her customers at Starbucks where she is a manager.  She is quite enamored with the new Pool Party In-Color and Two-Step Stampin', so she really wanted to use that color and the Awash with Flowers stamp set, but otherwise keep it simple.  Isn't it adorable? 

This card was actually one of her "mistake" cards.  I wanted to show this one, to show you that there are not mistakes--only room for embellishment!  She stamped the thanks sentiment directly on the white card front under the flower for all the cards.  On this one, the sentiment was crooked.  So, she restamped it on scrap paper and punched it out and put in on dimensionals over the crooked one.  And it I hadn't told you, you would never know it was a "mistake"!  :o)

SIMPLY AWASH WITH POOL PARTY SUPPLIES:

• Stamp Sets – Awash with Flowers (W#117062 $39.95, C#120549 $27.95), Fabulous Phrases (W#117002 $37.95, C#120501 $26.95)
• Card Stock – Whisper White, Pool Party
• Ink – Basic Black, Pool Party Classic
• Punches – Scallop Edge Border (#119882, $15.95), Small Oval 
• (#120908, $10.95)
• Tools – Big Shot, Perfect Polka Dot Embossing Folder (#117335, $7.95), Stampin' Dimensionals (#104430, $3.95)

Another great aspect of 3x3 cards is that when using 12x12 card stock, you can get eight card bases from one sheet!  Here is a FREE cutting guide tutorial for you to follow to get the most out of your card stock:

HOW TO CUT 12x12 CARD STOCK FOR 3x3 CARD BASES:
1.  Cut your 12x12 card stock in half (6").
2.  With your card stock in the landscape position, cut one of the halves into four 3" strips (3" x 6" pieces).  Repeat with the other half.  You will now have eight 3"x 6" pieces of card stock.
3.  With your 3" x 6" card stock in the landscape position, score at 3".  Fold on the scored lines.  You now have eight 3x3 card bases.