Button Bracelet

     Quite often demonstrators share new ideas they have discovered with our Stampin' Up! products.  Several months ago, Patty Bennett shared a really cute button bracelet made with some now retired buttons.  She was kind enough to share a tutorial on how hers was made, so I copied the instructions and filed them away for future reference.
     Recently, my upline, Georgia Caulkins, held a class and invited her downline to attend and make bracelets from the current Stampin' Up! buttons.  Isn't this just so cute?  It was so much easier to make than I imagined!  Next time, though, I'll make mine just a little bit bigger, as I don't like anything snug around my wrists.  Thanks to my daughter, Elizabeth, for modeling the bracelet so I could get a good picture.
     If you are interested in learning how to make one of these for yourself, just give me a call at (309) 221-0978, or send me a message at tmustain@centurytel.net.  Stampin' Up! makes this so easy by offering us coordinating colors.  One package of buttons will make at least 2 bracelets, so don't delay.  These would make really cute Christmas presents, too.

Happy Stamping,

Twila

Holiday Mini Catalog begins Today!

     The new Holiday Mini Catalog is available for ordering today!  You'll love all the exciting new additions for your stamping, crafting and scrapbooking collections.  One of the newest tools available is the Simply Scored.  You will love this tool to score lines on your projects for easier folding.  Visit my website HERE to see the Simply Scored tool and all the great projects you can make.  Contact me for more information on how you can purchase this great tool!

     One program I do every month is teach a card class at a local assisted living center.  Most are not able to do any stamping, but they love the idea of making cards to send to their loved ones.  It is such a joy to see their happiness when they assemble the cards.  These are the cards we made last month.  Would you like to make cards or other gifts yourself?  I am looking to start new clubs this fall.  I am willing to do Hostess Clubs, or Stamp-A-Stacks.  Contact me for more information.


Until next time,

Happy Stamping,

Twila

Blessing of the Backpacks

     Yes, it's back to school time across the country.  Some children have already started school, sports practice has started at others, and the first day is just around the corner. 
     At church this morning, the minister asked all the children to bring their backpacks to church next Sunday for the "Blessing of the Backpacks"  The church we recently attended for many years used to have this ceremony for the kids just before the start of school.  A friend of mine made cute tags for the kids to hang on their backbacks.  So, being the creative person that I like to be (or borrowing of ideas,lol), I asked the minister if I could do this for the kids.  She really liked the idea, and asked if I could maybe include a few extras for the school supplies purchased for local drives.  These were pretty easy to make in just one afternoon.  This picture shows the front and back and these are also laminated for longer wear.
     These tags are made using a combination of current and retired products, which I will do when giving something away or making cards to sell, but not when I'm showing off new products to my customers.
     What I really like best about this kind of tag is giving children a reminder that God will be watching over them during school, and their church is standing with them in spirit during their day.
     May God bless all the children as they return to school, and may you have fun creating something to remind them that you are there for support and God is always there, too.

Happy Stamping,

Twila

Wedding Gift and reception decorations

Our niece was recently married in Montana and had a reception in her hometown of Kewanee, Illinois.  She'd been posting pictures from her wedding on Facebook, so I knew I wanted to make a special framed page for them as a wedding gift.  I found this frame at a big box store and knew it would work perfectly for what I wanted.  The paper I used in the background is now retired (boo), but is so elegant.  The white on white can be enhanced by sponging ink to bring out the pattern.  It beautifully frames the picture.  I used a similar paper for the name frame in the top right corner.  I sponged on the color, then ran it through the printer, and finally cut it out on the Big Shot using the Top Note Die.  I added rows of rhinestones for the final elegant touch.
     I also had the privilege of making the table decorations for the tables.  I didn't end up using my origianl plan, but came up with an alternate plan that worked out well.  Stampin' Up! has a new Pennant Punch that I used to make an awesome mini pennant for each table.  Getting it to stand was a bit tricky, but I found a way to make it work with the help of a sales clerk at a local store.  Each pennant has a letter to spell out the couples' names.  It was really cute up close.






The final decoration was a banner for the wall and simply said Congratulations Becky and Taylor.
The Bride was quite satisfied with how everything turned out. and fortunately I had enough supplies on hand to finish the project.

Know someone with a special occasion coming up in the near future?  Do they need decorations?  I love designing using my Stampin' Up! accessories!  Give me a call at (309) 221-0978 to get a quote for your special occasion.

Happy Stamping,

Twila

Framed Gift Giving

I was recently asked by a friend to make frames as wedding and anniversary gifts.  These feature the couples last name and the wedding and/or anniversary date.  She liked them so well, that she asked me to make her granddaughter a frame with her first name. The anniversary frame does have non-StampinUp paper and the birthday frame uses non-stampinup die cuts.  I'm pretty pleased at how they turned out.  They are also reasonably inexpensive to make, so if you're looking for a nice gift, consider one of these.  I charge $10 for each 5 x 12 personalized frame.  Let me know what your think.

Happy Stamping,

Twila

Graduation Invitations - A Hybrid solution

     My son, Jesse will be graduation soon, and because we didn't have the opportunity to order any of the 'official' graduation paraphernalia, I only made the invitations for his graduation party.  I started out in My Digital Studio for the main 'attraction'.  I knew I wanted neat printing for all the information, so I chose a stamp set called 'Introducing'.  A text box was added as a layer on top of the stamp set, with the text typed in according to the lines.  I adjusted the line spacing a little, though it didn't line up perfectly.  Now, what to do with the background?  We're talking an 18 year old boy, and frilly and fussy just won't do!  So, I came across another stamp set called 'Basic Black Texture', changed the color to Real Red, and adjusted the size to fit my project.  Yeah!  He liked it!
     Now to get enough.  I grouped all the parts of my project, then simply copied and pasted it three more times on the whole page, exported to a .jpeg file and printed.  Took a few steps to make it look the way I wanted it, but the final result was worth the effort.
     Jesse wanted Red and Black for his cards, so for the finishing touch, I mounted the printed invitation on black cardstock and added silver eyelets in the middle of each side.  I liked the look, and Jesse liked the finished product.  Mission accomplished!

Happy Stamping,

Twila

My Digital Studio Mother's Day Layout

I wanted the girls I babysit to be able to give something nice to their Mom for Mother's Day, so I started out by taking some cute pictures of them with my cell phone last week while we waited for my son to finish baseball practice.  There was a beautiful flowering tree, so I took a footlong branch full of blooms and managed to get great pictures of the girls with the flowers by their faces.  The background of the page is simply a picture of the blooms on the tree, with the opacity changed to nearly 20%.  I added the Mother's Day stamp and Baroque Motif stamp to accent Mom, corner punches at the top, mats around all the pictures, and connected the pictures with Vintage Flowers.  The corners of the pictures and the corner punches are all accented with rhinestones.  The Mother's Day verse is one I found online. 
     This was so easy to do, and took very little time to complete.  If I had thought ahead on this project, I would have had it printed by Stampin' Up! professional printing service.  Instead I printed it locally, which still looked nice, but wasn't centered on the page quite as well.  You can have as much fun as I did making your own projects.  There are also more options available for purchasing My Digital Studio.  Give me a call at (309) 221-0978 to find out more!

Happy Stamping,

Twila