StampMonkeys

Kid Stuff

Last week for kids crafts at the elementary school we did a little Two-Step Stamping...on cork! This project used a 3" x 3" piece of cork that I cut from a bigger sheet. I glued it on to some card stock and then punched a hole in the top for ribbon with my Crop-a-Dile.

The kids did all the stamping - we used Craft Ink, so I was VERY careful and helped them ink everything up - otherwise we would have had a HUGE mess! :)

I love how they turned out and so did the kids. The stamp set we used was Pretty Poinsettia, one of the retired stamp sets I have for sale! If you like it - let me know!

Speaking of kids...my now 4 year old made Thank You cards tonight for his friends who came to his birthday party. I helped a little with the cutting, but he stamped and glued the card stock together. He also drew pictures and wrote his name on the inside - so cute! He's quite the talent, don't you think? 

 

It's Definitely the Thought That Counts

Even though this was an idea I sent in my 12 Weeks of Christmas email this morning, I couldn't resist posting it here too. I'm sure that everyone could use a last minute gift idea for someone, right?

Isn't this perfect? It's something EVERYONE would use. It's creative. What's better than that?

Just in case you can't see the tag, here's a closeup:

Happy Wednesday!

Mismatched Homemade Christmas Tree

A lot of you may know that we're currently remodeling half of our garage and turning it into an office/studio for my Stampin' Up! business! (YAY!) In the process, we've moved a lot of things we used to store there into a storage unit temporarily.

Of course, as with anything else, our building is taking a lot longer than we thought, AND our Christmas Decorations that we put at the BACK of the storage unit (duh!) are pretty much inaccessible. (Though we are hoping to at least get to the box that has our stockings in it!)

So, being resourceful (and having a TON of craft stuff) we went to work decorating the tree with what we had. I'm so happy with the result that I might do this next year too! (Though my husband does say that he misses all of our "Rudolph" ornaments...)

Anyway, Stampin' Up! has put out so many gorgeous Designer Series Papers and other things, that I didn't have to worry about what would go on my tree!

First, there's the Ornament Punch (in this year's Holiday Mini - pick it up before it's too late!) I used this to make about 24 hanging paper ornaments. I punched 5 Real Red pieces and 5 pieces from Christmas Cocoa Designer Series Paper. Then I folded each in half and glued every other one to make the ornament - adding ribbon on the inside so I could hang it up.

Second, a few years back, we had Designer Series Paper that had been die cut to make ornaments. I only had the folded stars left, so I punched all of those out, folded them, and just placed them on the tree. On large red one ended up being the star at the top.

Third, I used the Snowflake Die and my Big Shot to cut a bunch of chipboard into snowflakes. Then I used spray adhesive to get them sticky on both sides and threw them into a paper bag with glitter inside and the kids shook them up. It was a fun (and MESSY) project, but the snowflakes sparkle like crazy and the kids had a blast making them. (I should have gotten Megan on video trying to crank the Big Shot - it was hysterical!)

Fourth, I also had a ton of retired Holiday Designer Series Papers from years past. So, I cut them up into 1" x 6" strips then made a paper chain out of them using my stapler. The papers don't match each other at all - or even the ornaments, but that's the charm of the whole tree!

Last, if you're ever wondering what to do with left over paper (other than paper chains) try making Moravian Stars with them! I've done this before, but not with double sided paper. I LOVE the result! There are a bunch of instructions on the Internet on how to make these, but I may put a video together to show you what I did if you're interested. They are so pretty - 3D stars with all different colors!

What do you think? Nothing matches, but it's still beautiful! (No, the lights weren't home made - heh - they were already attached to the fake tree that happened to still be here! I can't imagine what I would have done if I had to make the tree too!)

Keep the Kids Busy with This Project!

So you may not have ALL the punches I used, but you probably have a few, and the rest can be done with scissors!

I'm currently doing a 6-week after school crafts program at a local elementary school. This was our project yesterday - the kids LOVED it and couldn't wait to take them home for their Thanksgiving Table!

After I printed the "Happy Thanksgiving" on the card stock (using Adobe Pagemaker - I can send you a PDF version if you want. I just didn't have a Happy Thanksgiving stamp! *gasp!*), I cut the So Saffron card stock in half lengthwise. Then I scored at 3 1/2", 7", and 10 1/2".

Then I started punching - using every Fall color I have! :)

Here's what I used:

Body - 1 3/4" Circle Punch

Head - 1 1/4" Circle Punch

Tail Feathers - Scallop Circle Punch

Feet - Boho Blossoms Punch

Eyes - 1/16" Punch for the brads

Waddle - Horizontal Slot Punch

Beak - I just cut a small square from the card stock and folded it

Hat - I cut this out by hand from a simple pattern I made.

Just glue it all together (I used Anywhere Glue Stick) and enjoy! This project kept the kids busy for an hour because they were making three turkeys and needed a little help punching the eyes. (I had punched everything else out ahead of time for the kids.)

(Products used for this project.)

If you want to see a similar project, used for place cards, this was the one that was featured on the Your Parenting Info website, check out this cutie in my Art Gallery!

Enjoy! Happy Thanksgiving!

PS - notice how "filmy" my pictures look? I can thank my daughter and her little fingerprints for that. The camera lens has since been cleaned. :)

Simple Snowflakes...on a Candle?

Today's post coordinates with my 12 Weeks of Christmas that went out earlier today.

(Are you on my email list? Make sure you sign up so that you don't miss the last 5 weeks of ideas! If you're using a blog reader, click through to my website to fill in your email address and sign up.)

I've always loved doing things with candles - and I have to admit my first attempts weren't that great. Until I learned a few things about how to make a smooth candle, mine always looked drippy. (Of course, I told everyone that I MEANT for it to look drippy!) hehe

To see just what I did to make this candle and pick up a few tips, I've recorded a video and put it into the Techniques section of my website. Make sure you take a look! (Plus, you don't want to miss my "sick voice" on the video - I sound just lovely!)

(Products used for this project.)

Happy Wednesday!

Also, Thank You to all our Veterans - especially my Dad, who served in the Navy in Vietnam, and my Grandpa who was a Colonel in the Army in WWII. We owe our freedom to you and those who continue to serve!

Another Stamp Camp Project - Paper Gift Bag

Now that I take a second look at this, it almost looks a little TOO symmetrical AND that there's a bulls-eye in the middle of it. :)

The projects that my stamp campers made were much better! We made this cute little gift bag from a regular lunch sack, Soft Suede card stock, and Christmas Cocoa Designer Series Paper.

You can use any size lunch sack, just measure your card stock to the width of the sack and then as high as you'd like.

For this example, the paper bag was 5 1/2" wide, so I cut it to 4 1/4" high so I could make better use of my card stock and cut 4 front pieces from one piece of card stock. The back piece measured 5 1/2" by 6 1/4" and scored at 2" to make the front flap. After we attached it to the bag with Sticky Strip, we decorated!

Very simple and very cute!

(One tip I would give you is to punch the holes for the ribbon and attach it inside before you attach the back cardstock to the paper bag so that the ends are hidden.)

(Products used for this project.)

How Cute is THIS? Love this Party Favor Idea!

Or as we in New England would say....How FREAKIN' cute is this? :)

These little Sweet Treat Cups in the Holiday Mini Catalog are so much FUN! My mind is spinning with ideas for party favors, cards, and everything in between! How cute would it be to make a bunch of these as party favors and stick them in a bucket for a centerpiece?

So easy to do too - you do need the 1 3/4" Circle Punch to make the right sized circle. The cups come with sticky stuff on the back of them so you can stick them to paper without a problem (after your treats are in of course!)

I chose the colors from the Sleighbells Cotton Ribbon, also from the mini catalog. (This ribbon is SO SOFT too!)

The stick I picked up in a craft store (the cake decorating section) and just taped it to the Real Red piece of card stock, then mounted the Confetti White with the treat cup already attached with doubled up dimensionals. (I chose the Cookie Sticks (6" long), so they were a little thicker, that's why I doubled up.)

By the way - here's a hint, if you cut a piece of 3" x 3" card stock and push it in to the very bottom of the punch, the 1 3/4" circle punches out pretty much in the center of the paper.

(Products used for this project.)

PS - Hey Stamp Camp gals - you're making one of these this weekend! Woo Hoo!

One idea - Two Projects!

I'm having SO much fun with the Halloween Frights stamp set!

First, I made this card - so cute!  

Then...I made a scrapbook page using the same idea. (The picture was taken a year ago - I can't believe how little they were! Ryan looks like he wasn't all that happy to have his picture taken!) The page is a little busy - which isn't always my style, but it's fun don't you think?

When I started stamping (ages ago) I didn't think that I would be able to use stamps in my scrapbooks - but it's SO easy to take a technique or idea that I've used for a card and do the same thing on a scrapbook page!

(Products used for the card and scrapbook page.)

Yes, I am *that* Mom :)

Isn't this the cutest? I've loved the All in the Family stamp set from the time I first saw it; and now that it's part of the Decor Elements line, I had to put it on the car! (Who cares if the guys in the parking lot at New England Tech roll their eyes...hehe)

These are VERY easy to rub on glass, walls, etc. Plus, you can buy as many as you need to make up your family for only $3.95 each! (Dog and Cat too!)

Order any time - Enjoy!

Ducky Baby Shower Gift

Do you love this? I took this to the baby shower yesterday - so much fun!

I made a simple square basket with a 12 x 12 sheet of Designer Series Paper. It's really simple folding and I have a tutorial posted just in case you want to try it. (Actually, you can use any size square paper for it.)

(Square Box Tutorial.)

I added some grassy stuff, a cute ducky rattle and a gift card. Simple, quick, and SO CUTE!

Happy Easter everyone!

(Products used for Square Basket and Post for Duck Card)