Margie's Moments: 2007

Monday, December 31, 2007

Scrapbooking

Below are some layouts I have done from past vacations using rubber stamps and other techniques.

One of my goals for 2008 is to catch up on all my scrapbooking. I plan to start with my Christmas photos from 2007 and work my way back.

Scrapbook

Even plain white cardstock can be coordinated with your photos by stamping the background. The square images of the bottom were meant to represent the bricks of the ruins.

Scrapbook

This layout was made with the retired stamp set: Fishy Friends. The starfish border on the bottom is one image repeated by turning slightly each time to make them appear to be rolling.

The images were coloured with chalk for softness.

Scrapbook layout

The letters for the word "Beach" were cut from photos of the ocean using letters from a die cutting system (I imagine that a Cricut could be used). I added a shadow background behind the letters using a coordinating cardstock. This technique would also be great with photos of fall leaves.
The background paper has vellum over top and then another cut out piece over top to make the starfish borders.

Monday, December 17, 2007

Our Tree

This is our tree for 2007. It is decorated with feather balls, feather boas, gold poinsettias, birds and various red & gold balls.
The angel on the top is a gift from my 'Sista'. The Santa and sleigh are my favourite Christmas decorations.

Faux Icicles 2

This time I used the Stampin' Dimensionals to attach the front to the card and I like it much better.

See the first Icicle card below for more details.

Sunday, December 16, 2007

For your Holiday Table

This photo is from the Better Homes & Gardens website - 25 Easy Ways to Display Holiday Napkins.

Faux Icicles

The icicles were made by spreading crystal effects on wax paper in an icicle pattern and then sprinkling dazzling diamonds over top. After it dries, it can be easily removed from the wax paper and added to your project. I made mine a day ahead.

TIP: Place grid paper under the wax paper while you are making the icicles with the crystal effects to keep a straight line. You can also use the measurements on the grid paper to make the icicles the correct length for your project. Make sure to keep a solid band across the top wide enough to adhere the finished icicles to your project.

The windows were made with a square punch. First I punched 6 squares out of post-it-notes and positioned them on the card. Then I punched the squares on my card front over the post-it-note squares I placed on the paper. This makes it easier to get the positioning right.

The project is a bit bulky where the icicles are located so I think I would use Stampin' Dimensionals to attach the front to the card the next time.

The stamp set is Flakey Friends which is retiring this year. It has been one of my favourites.

This card really fits the weather today - It's snowing. The weather man has been predicting the worst storm in 60 years for the Toronto area this weekend. It's going to be a White Christmas!

Paper Trees

I wanted to use up some of my designer paper scraps so I made some Paper Tree cards. The snow was made by tearing Whisper White paper and then watercolouring the edges with Bashful Blue. The edges of the triangles for the trees were sponged with Old Olive. The tree trunks are made with the Word Window punch.

Wednesday, December 12, 2007

Fantastic!

What a day! First, I got the news that I won the November WoW contest for Stampin' Up Demonstrators. That means I get to choose 3 stamps sets of my choice for free. Yippeee new rubber on the way.
Then I came home and the UPS man delivered my box of pre-ordered stamps from the new Spring/Summer catalogue. More new rubber. What's a girl to do?
Stamp of course. Well, I hope to have some new projects ready to post real soon.

Sunday, December 09, 2007

Thank You for your comments

Thank you for your kind comments.

Sorry I haven't posted recently. I am busy preparing the house for my in-laws to visit from British Columbia for Christmas (that only happens once every 3 years). Today, we put up the tree and decorations. My DH got all the lights and special decorations up outside (waving snowman, wreath & star, which my father-in-law made).

I can't believe that crating all those boxes upstairs wore me out. Anyway, we are well on are way. Christmas baking for my cookie exchange next weekend, a little more shopping and wrapping and I am done :)

Yeah right - who is ever done!

I hate to admit it ... but my cards are not mailed yet and due to the downtown fire in Barrie last week (which is near the bus station), I didn't send our Childrens' gifts to Calgary yet either.

Normal holiday stress I guess.

Wishing you a happy holiday season!

Maggie May

Sunday, December 02, 2007

Ornament Gift Tags

I wanted to make some ornament projects with coasters but I didn't have round coasters so I used the plastic protector disk that comes in a package of blank CD's. Like a true crafter at heart, I have been saving them just in case I found something to do with them :)

These are gift tags that can be hung on the tree. The backs are signed and dated for a keepsake. I think I like the one with the gel pen stitching best so I will do both of them the same.

Saturday, December 01, 2007

Desk Set

This desk set includes an Altered clipboard and Chipboard Coaster gift box, Post-it-Note Holder and Photo frame. They all feature Brocade Background Designer Series Paper and Baroque Motifs stamp set.

It is a gift for Sylvia, Proprietor of the DOWN THE ROAD IRISH PUB. She will be surprised to see what you can do with beer coasters.

http://www.downtheroadpub.ca/

4x4 Card

The following projects are 4x4" Cards that feature the Fun & Fast Notes stamp set. They are also shown below as a set with a matching Designer Series Paper Bag.

Thanks for visiting :)

4x4 Card

Designer Series Bag with Cards

This bag (Centre of top row) was made with double sided 12x12" Designer Series Paper (Flowers for You) from Stampin' Up! Then I made 8-4" square coordinating cards with the Fun & Fast Notes stamp set. It makes a great gift for a teacher or someone else on your Christmas list.

To make the Bag:

Score the paper 1" from the top and 1" from the bottom and glue down. Then Score 3 1/2" from both of the opposite sides and glue closed (You will have a paper tube).

With the seam side out fold in half, score 3/4" from both sides of this fold in the opposite direction so you end up with a "W" (This makes the bag bottom).

Punch holes to add your ribbon handle and embellish your project.

Note: I included handmade envelopes to match the 4"x4" cards and added little stickers for sealing the back flap.

Designer Series Bag

Here is another bag with a top view of the finished project. Using double sided paper gives you a beautiful bag inside and out.

DECEMBER

Birth Month Flower: Poinsettia
Birth Stone: Blue Topaz

Important Dates:
Dec. 5 - Hanukkah
Dec. 22 - First day of Winter
Dec. 24 - Christmas Eve
Dec. 25 - Christmas Day
Dec. 26 - Boxing Day
Dec. 31 - New Year's Eve

Christmas Candy Tree

The photo above is a craft idea from the Better Homes & Gardens website (I did not make this). What a fabulous gift idea! They have lots of other Holiday tips as well.
Note: The video uses T-pins to secure the candy but I think I would use sticky strip for safety.

Retired List

The stamp sets listed above will be retiring to make space for the new Spring-Summer Collection. After January 2, 2008, they will never be available again. If there is something listed that you love and still don't have, now is the time to place your order.

Click on the image to make it larger.

Monday, November 26, 2007

Desperate Housewives Cartoon

A friend shared this with me and I thought it was really cute so I had to share with you!

Sunday, November 18, 2007

Wreath Making

Today I attended a wreath making class at the Wye Marsh, Midland. Here is my finished project.

Chipboard Gift Box

You can make great gift boxes using chipboard coasters covered with Designer Series Paper. This one was made using the Outlaw double sided paper and features Priceless, True Friend & Baroque Motifs stamp sets.

The holes are punched in the chipboard using a Crop-o-dile.

TIP: An easy way to thread the ribbon through the holes is to use a dental floss needle.

Trace the chipboard shape onto your paper and then cut it out only slightly larger than the finished size. You can trim it a little later. I attached the paper to the chipboard with Stampin' Up's glue stick and rubbed the surface with my bone folder to ensure good contact. Then I finished the edges with a sanding block and sponged them with Staz On Brown ink.

The box bottom chipboard square was glued into place with liquid glue (crystal effects works good too).

Then it is ready to be filled with treats.

Baroque Flowers

This card was cased from L. Schmidin. It features the Baroque Motifs stamp set. The flower centres were accented with a dab of liquid glue and dazzling diamonds. The colours used are: Rose Red, Regal Rose, Pretty in Pink & Basic Black. The paper is from Palette-o-Prints.

Another Poinsettia

Another try at the Stained Glass Poinsettia (See the first one below). This time I used gold paper in the circle layers under the sentiment and stamped the sentiment in gold emboss powder. I like this version better.

Monday, November 12, 2007

Horizontal Pocket Card 2

I really enjoy making these cards. It's nice to send a holiday greeting that includes a gift tag and a family favourite recipe.

Horisontal Pocket Card 3

Double Pocket Card 4

Pocket Card Tag

I wasn't satisfied with my first tag insert for the pocket card project so I tried again. This time, I used the left over pieces from cutting the 12 x 12" paper to 8 1/2 x 11" and mix and matched them with the 3 cards above.

Much better result!

Sunday, November 11, 2007

Stained Glass Poinsettia

STAINED GLASS is created by embossing an outline type stamp image on vellum and then colouring the image on the back side using the Stampin' Up Marvellous Markers.

This card features Doodle This and Perfect Presentation stamp sets. The background paper is from the palette-o-prints special earlier this year. The colours are: Certainly Celery, Old Olive, Rose Red and Summer Sun. Several circle punches and the fabulous scallop punch were used to make the medallion for the sentiment.

HAPPY STAMPIN'

Pocket Card Instructions 1

Here is the FRONT VIEW of a template for a Horizontal Pocket Card using a 8 1/2 x 11" piece of regular computer paper. Note that this will be the front of your project.

My project shown below, was made with 2 sided 12 x 12" Stampin' Up Designer Series Paper that was cut to 8 1/2 x 11". The scraps can be used to make and embellish your inserts.

The inspiration for this project came from a vertical pocket card template Kim shared with me at our downline meeting. I needed a horizontal project so I altered it to make a card to share a recipe with.

TO BEGIN:

1) Fold your 8 1/2 x 11" paper in half lengthwise, open it and then fold your paper in half crosswise. I find that this gives you more even sections.

2) Cut the line indicated above (only to the centre fold).

3) Make the first triangle fold shown in the top left hand corner. This only goes part way to the centre fold line of the card. Mine is 3/4 of an inch away from the centre fold (or approx. 2 cm)

Notice where the paste here is indicated on the template which will be mentioned again in Step 6 below.

Flip the paper over and go to the next photo to prepare the back side.

Pocket Card Instruction 2

This is the BACK VIEW of the template.
1) You need to make the fold shown in the top left corner. It goes completely down to the cut line.
2) Fold Flap "A" over in the direction of the arrow.

Pocket Card Instructions 3

View after Flap "A" is folded

Pocket Card Instructions 4

Flip the project over and fold Flap "B" in the direction of the arrow.

Pocket Card Instructions 5

Fold Flap "C" over in the direction of the arrow.

Pocket Card Instructions 6

This will be the finished project.

1) Insert a brad to keep the corner closed but only through the pocket flaps - you want the back flap to open so that you can add your sentiment to the card.

2) Add adhesive to the edge shown on the first view above (Front) where it is labelled "Paste here" to close the pockets.

3) Then make your two inserts. This can vary depending on the occasion of the card. The project below is a Christmas card so it includes a recipe and a gift tag for the recipient.

Saturday, November 10, 2007

Horizontal Pocket Card

This is a Horizontal Double Pocket Card. It features Holiday Thyme Designer Series paper from the last catalogue and Perfect Presentation, Holiday Tag Team and Holiday & Wishes stamp sets from the current catalogue. The colours used are: Always Artichoke, Bravo Burgundy & Mellow Moss. It is a Christmas Card that includes 2 gifts (see the photos below for more details).

This will be one of the projects featured in my Marker Club class this week!

Horizontal Pocket Card 2

Insert #1 is a Gift Tag to be used by the recipient to send their special gift.

Horzontal Pocket Card 3

The second insert is a recipe card. This recipe was provided by my Mother-in-Law and is a family favourite.

Horizontal Pocket Card 4

Here is the inside of the card ready for your message to the recipient.

Thursday, November 08, 2007

Quote of the Day

QUOTE OF THE DAY:

"It's amazing that the amount of news that happens in the world every day always just exactly fits the newspaper."
~ Jerry Seinfeld

Tag Punch Snowflake 2

Another snowflake card made with the Large and Small Tag Punch using Whisper White and Mulberry Paper. The centre is accented with a small red circle Rhinestone Brad.

Post-it-Note Holder 2

Another Post-it-Note project using Brocade Background Designer Series Paper & Baroque Motifs stamp set.

Sunday, November 04, 2007

November

NOVEMBER

Dates to Remember:

Nov. 11th - Remembrance Day

Nov. 22nd - US Thanksgiving

Flower: Chrysanthemum

Stone: Topaz & Citrine

Tag Punch Snowflake

Want to know how to make this snowflake? It was made with the Small & Large Tag Punches, Vellum & Shimmery White Cardstock. For more details, you have to come to Kim's Downline Meeting or attend one of my Stampin' Classes.

Thanks to "Shadow Mill" for the tutorial!

Desk Set

This is a desk set I made for a Christmas gift for a friend. It features the Brocade Background Designer Series Paper.

I am going to fill the box with surprises and later it can be used for pens etc...It was made by covering chipboard coasters with the paper. Then I punched holes in all four sides with my Crop-o-Dile so I could thread ribbon to hold it together. TIP: An easy trick for threading the ribbon is to use a dental floss needle. The stamp set I used to decorate it is called True Friend.

The Post-it-Note holder was made with an acrylic photo frame from the dollar store that I jazzed up with paper, stamps and double stitched ribbon.

I have a few more to make.

Post-it-Note Holder - Chipboard

I made this Post-it-Note Holder for my desk using chipboard coasters covered with Stampin' Up's Designer Series Paper: Flowers For You. The flower was stamped from the Pick a Petal set. The binding was made by running a strip of paper that I matted through the crimper. The edges are sponged. I installed the Jumbo eyelets with my Crop-o-Dile and added a red Circle Rhinestone for a little bling. Plus, I love red.

The project was made to co-ordinate with Altered Clipboard 1 posted in the October archives available on the left side of my blog page.

Post it Note Holder

Here is the inside of my Post-it-Note Holder

Wednesday, October 31, 2007

Altered Clipboard 2

I made this clipboard for my friend Tammy at Winer's.

What is Winer's? - Glad you asked!

It is one of my favourite places and where I bottle my own wine. So if you are like me and prefer your grapes in the liquid form and in a glass, go visit Tammy.

You can find her at Winer's - 555 Mapleview Drive West in Barrie, Ontario.