Hot Cocoa Kits...

I LOVE IT! Yes, I love it when I come up with a fun idea and it turns out the way I pictured it!

I purchased these acrylic boxes that had 3 tins of hot cocoa in each. I used 4 of the tins in my ice cream baskets and was trying to decide what to do with the other two when I looked at the container they came in ~ LIGHT BULB MOMENT! Woohooo! I added the fun polka-dot cups, the wire wisk that came with each box, some marshmellows and some peppermint chips! YIPPPPEEEE SKIPPPPPYYYY ~ easy Hot Cocoa Kits!

I used a great stamp set called Glad Tidings from Lizzie Anne Designs for this kit ~ way too fun! It's such an easy set to use. I also used a few images from another wonderful set called Holiday Cheer (also by Lizzie Anne Designs).

You gotta love Target ~ the Cocoa tins & the cups I found MATCH! I also found some other fun things that match this pattern too.

One kit will be for the kids piano teacher and I'm not sure who the other one will go to just yet ~ there are always those last minute gifts that I need. I've made a bunch of things this year & will just keep them on hand for teachers, office staff, our mail lady!

Supplies: Stamps ~ Lizzie Anne Designs (Glad Tidings, Holiday Cheer); Cardstock, Pattern Paper and Ink & Ribbon~ SU (Riding Hood Red & Kiwi Kiss) ; Nestabilities.

Merry Moosemas!

OK ~ I LOVE these Riley Moose images! They are way too fun ~ and so darn easy to color too. I've actually had them colored for months and just found them in the drawer the other day. I'm so glad I found them before Christmas was over!

Supplies Used: Stamps ~ Hanna Stamps (Riley Collection); Cardstock ~ SU & PTI; Pattern Paper ~ American Crafts; Embossing Plates ~ Cuddlebug; Ink ~ Palette & Copics; Ribbon ~ May Arts.

Today I want to say Happy 12th birthday Megan!
WOW ~ that went super fast!

I just found out that Amber from the i{heart}papers
Design Team is having blog candy this week.
Go check out her adorable card today and
enter for blog candy!

The twelth day of Christmas...

My true love gave to me... A card with 12 embellishments! That's what the challenge is today on the 12th and final day over on Paper Crafts Planet.

On my sweet little giraffe card, I used stamps from Our Craft Lounge called Treemendous Love. To correspond with the challenge, I used 6 buttons and tied 6 pieces of ribbon on them ~ so there you have it! So go take a peek at the cute cards over there & upload one of your own. Just make sure you put 12day12 in the tag .

My next happy little dog is also features stamps from Our Craft Lounge ~ it's the Pat the Dog set. This card wasn't part of the challenge, but I wanted to include it in this post anyway.

Supplies from i{heart}papers:

Stamps ~ Our Craft Lounge (Treemendous Love & Pat the Dog)

Ink ~ Palette Noir

Nestabilties

Pattern Paper ~ My Minds Eye ~Zest for Life & Paisley Patch

Holiday Family Gifts...

This year for Christmas, our family decided to give some super fun gifts ~ Ice Cream Baskets. I got the idea from Nicole Heady from Papertrey Ink & thought it was brilliant. Of course, I needed to put my own twist on the idea.

Basket:Stamp snowflake stamp around the band of the basket using a hybrid ink. Stamp round Holiday stamp (from Holiday Cheer set) on white cardstock & stamp sentiment in black ink in the middle. Cut out circle & red scallop circle using Nestabilities dies. Punch 1/8" hole & set red eyelet at the top of the tag. Attach to basket handle with red gingham ribbon.

Jar/Hot Cocoa/Hot Fudge Tags:Fill jars with toppings. Stamp round Holiday stamp (from Holiday Cheer set) on white cardstock. Cut out circle & red scallop circle using Nestabilities dies. Punch out layered circles & stamp sentiment in black ink & attach to center of large image. Attach to the tops of the jars with foam dots. Attach ribbon with adhesive around the band of the jar.

Gift Card Holder:Using the gift card or gift certificate as a guide for the measurement, cut cardstock and score so the cardstock is folded in thirds. Round the corners and stamp snowflake image inside and out in coordinating green ink. Close the gift card holder with a scallop circle and stamped image (Santa Hat from Holiday Cheer set).

Supplies Used: Stamps ~ Lizzie Anne Designs ~ Holiday Cheer and the snowflake from Build-a-Bauble; Ink ~ Palette ink (red, green and black,); Cardstock ~ red, white, and green; Nestabilities circle and scallop circle dies, circle punches, red gingham and stripe grosgrain ribbon, canning jars (Ball 1/2 pt. #61162 canning jars), ice-cream scoop, basket, bowls, 3 ice-cream toppings, hot fudge, hot cocoa mix, gift card to purchase ice cream.

Buh Humbug!

This card totally makes me laugh! In fact, I was giggling all while I was making it! I used the beaver from one of the new sets from Our Craft Lounge called Bubs the Beaver! Bubs doesn't actually come with a Santa hat; however, I really wanted to make a Christmas card with him.

I used the following supplies from i{heart}papers ~ Stamps ~ Our Craft Lounge (Bubs the Beaver); Hero Arts (Winter's Butterfly) background; Stampendous (Winter Family) Santa Hat. Scalloped Pattern Paper ~ Sassafras Lass Garland Galore; Ink ~ Palette; Glitter Pen ~ (Clear); Nestabilities.

On a more serious note ~ today I am a 3-year cancer survivor, which comes with some mixed emotions because it isn't a day I feel like I can celebrate yet. I'm happy to have come so far, to have it behind me (for the most part), and to have learned so much. I know God had lots of lessons for me in that experience (and still does) and I also met some wonderful people because of it. However, my life was totally turned upside down from it and I wish I could make the constant fear go away that it will return. I keep praying that as the years go by, the fear will subside a little.

I won't go into the details for that horrible day I was diagnosed, but I know I wouldn't have gotten through it without my wonderful friends Paula Wade and Michelle Yager. They stayed with me , played with my kids, and helped me get ready for my daughter's birthday party until my husband got home from being across the country. Paula & Michelle ~ I love you both more than words can say and I will always remember that you were there for me that day. Everytime I think of that day, I remember how both of you showed me the perfect defination of friendship. I hope that I've lived up to the honor of your friendship. As the months progressed into surgeries, treatments and a rollercoaster of emotions, I had (and still have) a great network of friends. So I say to my Shistahs ~ I love you girls & thank you!

OK ~ now that I'm bawling, I want to finish by saying ~ please, please, please ladies, make sure you are doing self exams and that you get your yearly mammogram. If you have a history of breast cancer in your family, please get checked out BEFORE you are 40. If you find something, and the doctor ignors it, find another doctor ~ you are your own advocate!

Your Wish...

Here's my last new Hanna card for this week. I saved it for today because it's Hanna Stamps turn over on Paper Craft Planet for the 12 Days of Christmas Challenge. (See the home page for all the instructions).

The challenge today is to make a card with a girl on it ~ well I think I have enough Hanna Stamps to fill the bill on this one! This set is called I Dream of Hanna ~ and it's SUPER DUPER FUN!!!

Did you notice the pretty pink pants? They are all shimmery because I painted them with pink Shimmerz Paint ~ VERY COOL!!!

So go get busy ~ I know you have some girl stamps ~ once you upload your card over at Paper Craft Planet, put 12day9 in the tag line. There will be some fun prizes for the winner!

Inchie Friday ~ Advent Calendar Photo Box

I have just been bursting at the seams to show you this project! I've had this fabulous Advent Box (from Karen Foster Designs), for about 3 months. I knew the second I saw it, I was going to use it for an Inchie Arts project! In fact, when I saw it, I grabbed it so fast that my friend Michelle was nearly knocked over! Sorry about that girlfriend!

Anyway, I just got these adorable Itty Bitty Christmas images by Lockhart Stamp Company & they are the perfect style for the Basic Grey Christmas paper I selected. This little snowman just happens to be my favorite (you will see him again).

The box measures 8" x 8" and has 25 individual pull-out drawers. They are perfect for hiding some special Christmas treats when counting down the days until Christmas.

Step 1: I cut out 25 pieces of coordinating pattern paper in 1.5" squares. Then I used my 3/4" circle punch to take a knotch out of the top of the paper. The drawers already come cut out. Then I attached the papers.

Step 2: I wanted this project to show some pictures of my kids and some of the Christmas traditions we have so I printed off 11 photos ~ size 1" x 1.25" & then trimmed them to a 1" square & attached them to an Inchie Arts white Inchie square. I placed them in various spots on the box.

Step 3: On six white Inchie squares, I stamped the Itty Bitty Check Border and then I added the cooresponding number for that box.

Step 4: After rearranging several times, I added small numbers to the rest of the boxes. I cut out either a red or a green 1/2" circle and stamped a small number on it in black ink.

Step 5: Next, for any box that didn't have a photo or a large number, I stamped an Itty Bitty image on an Inchie square and colored it with coordinating Copic marker colors.

Step 6: I attached all the Inchie squares with glue dots ~ (yes, I really did use 25 Inchie squares for this project).

Step 7: I added some bling with my glitter pen and my glaze pen ~ just to make the project sparkle.

Step 8: The last thing I added was a ribbon around the entire outside edge of the box and tied a bow at the top!

WOOHOOO! This is a project that will definately make me smile each year I pull it out! My kids will smile each day too when I open the drawers for new treats.

I hope you enjoyed my project as much as I enjoyed creating it!

Supplies : Inchie Arts ~ white Inchie squares; Paper ~ Basic Grey (Fruitcake); punches ~ SU; Stamps ~ SU & Lockhart; Ribbon ~ SU; Ink ~ Palette, Copics, atyou Spica glitter pen from i{heart}paper.

Happy Trails to you...

Can't you just hear the song playing ... "Happy Trails to you...until we meet again." These new Riley stamps will be coming out tonight at midnight as part of the December Hanna Stamps release. The van and trailer are actually 2 separate stamps, but they come together perfectly!

Don't forget to stop by the Hanna Stamps release party tonight from 7 to 9 pm ~ there will be all kinds of fun surprises & challenges.

Supplies Used: Stamps ~ Hanna Stamps (Riley Collection), Hero Arts ~ Alphabet; Cardstock ~ SU & PTI; Pattern Paper ~ Scenic Route; Ribbon ~ SU; Ink ~ Palette & Copics.

Ducky Christmas...

OMW ~ this is such a strange little card. What was I thinking ~ LOL! Well it's part of the challenge today over at Paper Craft Planet for the 12 Days of Christmas Challenge. Day 6 is Six Geese a Laying ~ but the challenge was to make a card with geese, ducks or eggs & this is what I came up with!

Supplies from i{heart}papers~
Stamps ~ Hero Arts (Playful Animals) ; Stampendous (Winter Family)
Glitter Pen ~ atyou Spica red and clear glitter pens

Hanna's Journal Set...

Well here we are on day #3 of the Hanna Stamps sneak peeks! As you can tell, I had fun playing with this new Slumber Party set! I found this boxed set at Target on the clearence rack for just a few bucks & knew that I would eventually do something with it. There are two journals, an address book, a pen and a keychain inside. The journals and address book already had cool patterns on them, so I just stamped the main images and stuck them on with super sticky tape.

I also added some bookmarks for the journals by using ribbon and some flower die cuts.

I love the pattern on this journal ~ now I need some pattern paper just like it!

Here is the address book ~ I thought it could use a bookmark too. I may give this fun set to my daughter for her birthday next week.

Supplies Used: Stamps ~ Hanna Stamps (Slumber Party & Things Hanna Would Say); Cardstock ~ SU, PTI; Ink ~ Palette & Copics; Nestibilities; Punches ~ SU; Ribbon ~ SU.

Check back later today for another post!

12 Days of Christmas Challenge...

Have you been over to the new site called Paper Crafts Planet (PCP). It's on online crafting community where you can start discussions, share information, show-off your work, join challenges and talk to many stamp companies and retailers. It's kinda like Facebook, but just for crafters.

This week over at PCP, they are having the 12 Days of Christmas Challenge. Each day there has been a new challenge based on the time-honored song. Today is Day #5 ~ which is normally Five Golden Rings; however, the challenge for today is to do something round. It could be a round card, circle pattern paper, circle stamps, Nestabilties, etc. The sponsor for today is Kate from i{heart}papers (IHP) & she is giving away a set of circle Nestabilties! Now that is a great prize!!!! So get busy and go upload some cards to the challenge today!

Here is my entry for the day ~ Christmas circle tags for treat bags!

I used a cute stamp set from Inkadinkado called Christmas Characters. I just love the fun images in this set.

I used my circle and scallop circle Nestabilities for the tags & some Stickles and my glitter pens to add some bling to the tags.

AND ~ just look at this adorable red and white twisted rope from May Arts ~ I LOVE IT!!!!

So go get busy and make something with a circle! And make sure you go back tomorrow to see what the new challenge is for day #6.

Supplies from ~ i{heart}papers (links are above):

Stamps ~ Inkadinkado (Christmas Characters)

Nestabilities ~ Circle and Scallop Circles

Stickles ~ Star Dust

atyou Spica Glitter Pens ~ Clear & Red

May Arts Red/White Twisted Rope.

Scroll Down for my Hanna Sneak Peek that was posted earlier today!

I Dream of Hanna...

Here is day #2 of my Hanna Stamps creations. This new set is called I Dream of Hanna and will be out this Friday, December 5th at midnight. As usual, there will also be a release party over on the Hanna Stamps forum at Splitcoast Stampers on Thursday night from 9-11pm (ET).

I think this little magic genie lamp is perfect for this fun two-toned birthday card so I used my Happy Birthday Cuttlebug embossing plate to add some texture. Look at the little rhinestone flowers ~ such a fun little accent! I used a metallic gold glitter pen to color in the lamp & stamped the "Make a Wish" sentiment with gold pigment ink and embossed it with gold powder.

My second card coordinates in the same shades of purple and gold ~ doesn't this remind you of the old show I Dream of Jeanne?

Come on back later ~ I have another post going up at noon!

Supplies: Stamps ~ Hanna Stamps (I Dream of Hanna), Lizzie Anne Designs sentiment; Cardstock ~SU; Ink ~ Palette, Copics, atyou Spica glitter pens, Encore gold; Cuttlebug embossing folders; SU punches; Nestabilities; May Arts Ribbon; Baubles; rhinestone flowers ~ Hero Arts.

It's HANNA time...

That's right ~ it's the first week of the month and that means it time for some new Hanna sets! Having a pre-teen daughter, I am sooooooooo excited about today's set and my projects.

This new set is called Slumber Party & it's perfect for my almost 12 year old! My first project is a simple little GNO card (Girls Night Out) ~ are you singing Hanna Montana yet? I used some fun pattern paper by Doodlebug Designs and I just love the hot pink, black and white together. It just screams pre-teen girl!

My next project is a super fun Slumber Party Invitation. It has three scallop panels that are tied together with a black gingham ribbon! I showed this to my daughter, Megan, and she was super excited about it. I used light-weight chipboard for each panel and put the hot pink textured cardstock on both sides to cover each one. This first panel shows that a party invitation is inside.

The second piece of the invitation announces who the party is for and that it's a slumber party - don't you just LOVE this great girly paper? I used pink Shimmerz paint for the popcorn bowl and the hearts on the pillow. The paint is translucent and shows just the right amount of color with bling.

The last panel of the card, shows all the important party details. I always make the invitations for my kids parties & this is among my favorites.

Here's a look at all three panels fanned out ~ cute, cute, cute!!!

Supplies Used: Stamps ~ Hanna Stamps (Slumber Party); Cardstock & Pattern Paper ~ Doodlebug; Ink ~ Palette & Copics; Ribbon ~ SU; Computer Font ~ Banner (Word); Shimmerz Pink glitter paint.

Cyber Monday at Our Craft Lounge...

For today only:
Purchase 2-3 stamp sets and receive 20% off Retail Price.
Purchase 4 or more stamp sets and receive 25% off Retail Price.
*This promotion cannot be combined with any other offer.
For questions, please e-mail info@ourcraftlounge.com

Happy Cyber Monday! Hope to see you at the Lounge.

I'll be back at 8:00am (ET) with my creations for the day!