12 Days of Holiday Sales from Stampin' UP

Hello!  Just wanted to let all of you that have a cutting machine like Cuttlebug or Sizzix [for Dies] and the Cricut [for vinyl for wall art & home decor in awesome colors NOT available in stores!!] that Stampin' UP has a great sale on select dies & supplies.  Please see my website for all of the items under 12 Days of Holiday Sales.  In addition, from ME only, I am offering to refund your shipping costs for any items you purchase from this specific sale, so it is a win/win!  Sales & free shipping, you can't beat that!  Sale only runs through 12/22 so you better hurry!

Think of the gifts you can create with the dies or use that as the gift itself for your crafting friends!

Thanks for reading my shameless plug.  :)  Hope you are getting ready for a Merry Christmas!
Amy Dearie

3 More Craft Shows to go!

I promise I will rest after Tuesday night!  I SWEAR!
Here is the listing of the last of my shows for the season.  Stop by if you are in the area!

Saturday. December 12th  10-4 pm
Yia Yia's Beads & Gift Artisan Market 10am-3:30pm [corner of McDonald Street & Tennessee]  [postponed from 12/5 due to the weather]

Saturday, December 12th  6-9 pm

Bridgewater Holiday Open House  off R 33  http://www.williamryanhomes.com/bridgewater/application/community_overview.php

December 15th
MOPS @ the Mall's Crafty Mom's Christmas 10:30am-11:30 am  All are welcome to come up and shop during this time with the 20+ local vendors!   Located at FBC @ the Mall 1010 E Memorial Blvd.  Lakeland 33810.

Hello Still looking for that last minute gift? 

Wouldn't it be easy if the items you needed were delivered right to your home or office with No Shipping Fees in the Lakeland area, of course!  :)  

For my Out-of-Towner-Friends: Shipping is available!

I am happy to deliver your order and even offer gift wrapping, if needed. 

    As many of you know, I have been selling my HandStamped items in various craft & art shows around town and I wanted to extend my product line to my area friends for your shopping convenience. 

[If you click on the picture, it will blow it up for better browsing. And let me know if you need the pdf emailed to you to see even better.  Thanks!]

Thank you so much for your time, friendship & support!

Amy Dearie

Stocking Stuffer Stampin' Class December 7th

By popular demand, come learn to make some of the items I have been selling at local craft shows, just in time for the Holidays!  These are items you coudl easily duplicate for additional gifts.

Monday, December 7th 6:30 pm Panera Bread North Lakeland

5 projects for $10 dollars! We will make 2 Christmas note cards, a Jumbo PaperClip Bookmark, “Rudolph’s Repair Kit”, Covered Popcorn Gift, & a tile magnet. [3X3 note cards not pictured]

Everything is precut and ready to assemble. All you need to bring is a tube of E-6000 adhesive.
Registration required by December 4th so enough kits are created.

The fun part should be trying to emboss the magnet in a restaurant!  haha!  Luckily they have plugs on most walls for computers. 
As this is a “Ladies’ Night Out” class, it is adult’s only. Class can be duplicated in your home for your friends, as well. Contact me for available dates!

Build a Bear Creations

Whew!  I swore I was going to drown in Build a Bears as I worked on these in bulk!  The cut out Build a Bears were created using the Sizzix Big Shot and the 2 BAB dies from Stampin up for the body & outfits.
Stampin' Up! Bigz Dies

• Stampin' Up! Bear (117977) - The extra muzzle, mouth, nose, eyes, and heart are great for adding layers and colors to your bear.
• Stampin' Up! Beary Essentials (117978) - Pieces include skirt, shirt, cuffs, jacket (2 pieces), pants, and boy and girl shoes.

The  accessories were from:

Stampin' Up! Sizzlits Dies

• Stampin' Up! Beary Boy (117981) - Pieces include baseball cap, satchel, satchel strap, and star.
• Stampin' Up! Beary Girl (117982) - Pieces include purse, belt, hair bow, star, and flower.

It was fun to create each of them, like playing with paper dolls [which might be the next project!].
Here are some of the ways I used these cut out guys:

A Frame-able 8X10 Christmas Page, ready for you to plug your picture into, perfect gift for grandparents, and sold at my craft events for $5.

 

Covered/Stamped Notepad with added Bear and mini gel pen to match.  Sweet gift for that young girl in your life.  $5

I also have the coordinating stamp set for BAB projects:

• Beary Best Friends (118052) - Set of 6 line art images perfect for coloring. Boy bear and girl bear hold different items for various occasions (balloon, flower, gift bag, party hat)

And here is a few of the projects I created using the stamp set.

 

Another Covered/Stamped Notepad with Matching pen, perfect for a purse. $4

A fairly original creation of mine out of necessity since I am always forgetting to bring something for Jesse to do when we go out.  My mom would bring a ziploc bag with a folded coloring page but this was more compact and much cuter! haha  It contains 10 coloring sheets, double-sided with 3 crayons.  Ties up nicely and ready to go.  $5

If you need direction/dimensions, please let me know.  All products to create these projects are available in my Stampin' Up online store.

Thanks for looking! 

3-D Tree Ornament

Can you believe how fast November is going?  I can't!
Wanted to share this quick little ornament that has been selling well at my craft shows.  It is made using the SU Full Heart punch, coasters, Designer Series Paper [retired SU] and some stamping.  I stamped JOY in this one, others have Merry Christmas.  I punched 3 hearts from the Old Olive cardstock.  I actually stamped a Christmas tree over and over in the old oilve ink but you can't quite see it in this pic.  Though it might need some depth/design.  I also ripped a wee bit of Creamy Caramel paper and rubbed it in Chocolate Chip ink for character to make the tree trunk.  I scored down the middle of the tree to get a crisp fold and then glued them together.  The star is a brad with the brad part snipped off.  A button could easily be substituted.  I covered a paper coaster with the DSP, allowed to dry, then buffed off the edges. I also rolled the edges in Old Olive Craft ink to give a finished look.  After all the adhering and stamping, I covered the entire thing in Triple Thick Sealant to make sure the tree would stand up to time.  I then adhered the ribbon loop to the back with E-6000.

If you already have this punch, this is a great project with little cost other than time!

Upcoming Craft Fairs

[Display at a recent show]

I am so excited about the upcoming craft fairs & events where I can sell my hand-stamped PaperCrafting gifts!  If you are local, come out and say HELLO!

Saturday, November 7th
Sandpiper Golf & Country Club 9-1  North Lakeland off N. Socrum Loop Rd. near Plantation Publix.  [My mom is running my table at this location.]
Cypress Lakes Golf & Country Club 9-2 Even-More-North Lakeland, off 98 N going towards Webster. [I will be there!]

Thursday, November 19th 6pm
FBC @ the Mall Women of Purpose Christmas Event [open to the public] $7 includes dinner, P & W time, and Shopping!  [contact me for ticket details]

Saturday, November 21st 9am -2 pm
Lakeland Harbor Mobile Home Park [on 33 [Northside] right across from  I-4 exit] next to car dealership

December 5th
Yia Yia's Beads & Gift Artisian Market 10am-3:30pm [corner of McDonald Street & Tennessee]

December 12th

Bridgewater Holiday Open House 6-9 pm http://www.williamryanhomes.com/bridgewater/application/community_overview.php

December 15th
MOPS @ the Mall's Crafty Mom's Christmas 10:30am-11:30 am  All are welcome to come up and shop during this time with the 20+ local vendors!   Located at FBC @ the Mall 1010 E Memorial Blvd.  Lakeland 33810.


If you hear of any others in the local area, please let me know!
Hope to see you at one of these this Christmas season!  Only 50 days left!  Yikes!  Better get to crafting!  :)

Holiday Dog Treats

Hello!  Anyone who knows us, knows we are crazy dog lovers.  So who better to do a treat bag for to sell at the craft fairs then dogs!?
Jack [9.5 YO Lymphoma Survior Max, 5 yo

To make the dog treat bags more special, I purchased Milk Bones then jazzed them up with "dog-safe" decorations.

I purchased white candy coating [lots of brands do it] from the baking aisle.  White "chocolate" actually contains no chocolate and is therefore safe for doggies since it doesn't contain the cacao that is bad for them.  In fact, you will find it will say "White Candy Coating" or White Chips" even though they sell them with the rest of the chocolate.  **Now if the dog had a sugar problem, these would not be for him, of course.

I grew up at Willy Wonka's, I always say, because my mom made chocolate and sold to area offices & other customers as a side biz for the different candy-coated holidays. So working with chocolate is second nature to me.  Definitely, warm in micro on low for small increments [like 50% power for 45 seconds at a time until it is melted and smooth,]
The sprinkles are also from the baking aisle for cupcakes.

I just laid the Milk Bones all out flat on sheet pan and drizzled them with the melted white coating back and forth then quickly sprinkled the confetti and placed the whole thing in the fridge to set up quickly.

If you live in a warm climate and the show was outside, you might have a prob but otherwise they should be just fine.  Definitively, don't leave them in the car ;). 

I actually got the treat bags from Target in the party/gift bag section and trimmed abotu 1.5 inches off the top.  Those were the perfect size for 4 small bones across.  They have the treat bags at Michael's, too, in the baking/Wilton aisle.

The topper actually utilized My Digital Studio.  I do not have this dog stamp set but it was included in MDS so I could print off the size I wanted [to fit the 1 3/8 punch].  The scallop punch utilized retired Christmas DSP from SU.  I also stamped dog paw prints on the back for a completed look.  For the greeting, I used the one that came with the set and stamped mini bones on it.  I  also did one for the holidays,  "Bark, Bark, Bark, [Happy Holidays!]".  I overlayed the text box with the holiday sentiment on the hydrant from MDS stamp set. 

I sold a ton of these at last week's fair at Christ UMC and hope to sell just as many or MORE at the fairs I have this weekend!

Recipe Holder

Hello! This is my latest creation for upcoming craft fairs. An Apron shaped Recipe Card Holder.
I created & cutout a template from poster board so the base would be a bit thicker than SU CS. Since they were handcut, each one is a little different than the next which I thinks adds to their charm. :)I then painted several coats of white acrylic paint to add to the thickness/sturdiness. For some I added additional painting of red or brown.
Then I added the embellishments: whether it was stamping, embossing or CS punch "pockets" with different cooking related buttons in them that I snipped the backs off of. I then sprayed Triple Thick Glaze over the front. I added an additional rectangle of the White HD CS that comes with SU CS for additioanl sturdiness. And then with E-6000, adhered the clothepin to the back. For the "Apron neck", I used matching ribbons glued on 1 side and then a small pice of velcro at the other side [all with E-6000]. I did this so they would work for folks with any kind of door handles.Since this was all from scratch and trial & error, they took many more steps & much more time than it probably would next time..if there is a next time! ;) hahaI plan to sell them at upcoming craft shows for $4. Wish me luck!

No Two Snowflakes Are Alike

Hello! Just wanted to share with you a recent project for Christmas ornaments. I have been selling them at my art/craft fairs but I think it would be a great project to do at home with the kids as sweet & simple gifts, tree decorations, or even package decorations.

Recently, Stampin' UP! added a "Clearance Rack" to my online store and since I LOVE a bargain, I definitely went to shopping! These projects use the Little Felt Flurries Accents & Elements & Big Felt Flurries Accents & Elements from that section.

I adhered them together with my fave adhesive for everything, E-6000. I am not sure if Elmer's/Tacky glue works on felt very well since, in my experience, it hasn't adhered well [thinking if you were to do this with kids]. Hot Glue would work on this project, except maybe for the finer cut snowflakes that need tiny dots of glue.

The Rhinestone Brads are from SU, as well, and I love these to add a little bling to cards, scrapbooks and now Christmas ornaments! The half back pearls are from the Pretties kit from SU. For the brads, I would cut down or off the "brad stem" part so that it didn't show through the intricate designs.

The hanging string is embroidery floss in gold metallic and/or platinum depending on the center embellishment.

Scrabble Tiles Necklace Pendants

Hello! Sorry for my break from blogging there for a bit. Back to business!
I wanted to show my latest little fun creation. After receiving one of these as a "Welcome to Steering for MOPS", I was inspired and encouraged to try to duplicate for my shows. Here is what I did..I am sure there are a ton of other ways to achieve similar results.
These little necklace pendants are created from Scrabble tile game pieces. Some people have the "game side" show but I chose to cover that part up so the back was plain wood. All papers are SU's Designer Series Papers, of course. The tile is about 3/4 inches by 3/4 inches so you definitely need a small decorative paper design.
The hardest part was finding the silver "bails". Luckily, [since I was on a time crunch] a local bead shop happened to have ordered them for someone else who hadn't picked them up yet. You can definitely find them online but for this first batch, I couldn't wait for shipping time.
I used E -6000 adhesive to adhere the paper to the front and eventually [after all glazing was done] to adhere the bail to the back.
After applying the paper onto the scrabble, I used Krylon's Triple Thick Glaze [in a jar]. I coated them about 12-15 times within one week to get the best glassy glaze look and strong coverage for the tile. I actually found the TTG at Pat Katan's in Ohio but a similar item/diff brand was in my local Michael's.
Some I embellished with SU [retired] flower punches for a 3-D effect and added SU rhinestone brads, as well. I recommend snipping off the brad part because I found it raised the flowers more than I wanted for coverage purposes.
These items are not recommended for wearing in pool or shower because though glazed heavily, it is still paper. And paper +water=bad news, in general. :)
I have been selling these at area craft shows for $6 & to friends for $5. I include a ribbon necklace with a button on one side and a loop [that could be adjusted to shorten] on the other side which I did for display or instant wear purposes. These would be great on a silver circle necklace, as well.
IF you are going to make these in bulk for gifts or selling, it is worth your time. For one pendant, the time & supplies are just too much~ IMHO. This would be a great gift though for all the ladies in your family and would be pretty inexpensive, once you found the bails.

*Note, if you don't have the Scrabble game, can't find it at yards sales or thrift stores or find a friend willing to donate, you can go on Hasbro.com and purchase "replacement" parts. It was around $6-7 for 100 tiles. When I run out of my donated ones, I will probably go that route, rather than buying a new game for $15 for no reason. Just trying to help! :)
Let me know if you have questions or I said something unclear.

Stamping on regular tile

Though my coasters are made on rough, unfinished tiles that are porous, here is an idea to use on the finished and much less expensive tile.

You still need to use the permanent Stayz-On inks. It is definitely a little more tricky because the finished tiles are little easier to slip/slide on. I recommend inking the stamp and placing it rubber side up and then pressing the tile into the stamp [generally opposite of what you normally do]. But everyone has to find their own groove. You want to leave at least 10-20 minutes for the ink to dry before handling it, in case you haven't used it in this manner before. The other thing is because it is generally smooth [whether matte or shiny], the ink is easy to scratch off. I recommend a triple thick clear glaze to either spray or paint over it. Available generally in the more professional paint areas of craft stores, though a bit pricey, it will preserve your work better than general clear spray paint. This also helps protest it from not only rubbing off but being wiped away if water/cleaner is used. I always have a note NOT to use water to clean. Though the ink is stated as permanent, it will wash away with water...thus a heavy duty sealant is necessary!

Featured in these pics are my 2 X 2 tile magnets and 6 X 6 trivets. I buy the heavy duty magnets so they really hold stuff well. The trivets are finished with thin foam squares on the back to protect the surface it is placed on. For your info, I sell the trivets for $7 and the tiles for $2.

Stamping on Fabric ~Baby Onesies

Looking for a way to add a little something to that plain shirt? Wondering how to make an easy, lower cost baby gift [rather than those speciality boutique prices]. And as I always say, "handmade gifts earn heartfelt thanks"!

This is one of my biggest sellers at the craft/art fairs I do. Baby Onesies! [They can come with a matching gift card on RQ]

First, I will tell you that you don't have to buy the overpriced small bottles of fabric paint.

You can use the kind that come in little bottles for around $1 and a larger variety of colors. Mostly they will say permanent on them. If you have ever worked on any craft project, spilled some on you and didn't wash it quickly, you know it really is permanent. Which is actually what led me to these...an oops! I love that!

I first did it for a tank I wore for the Stampin' Up Convention while I was pregnant with Jesse. When it lasted after numerous washings, I was sold! [Excuse the cheesy, very-pregnant smile. I was elated to see SU had used a card I submitted on their example board at a regional conference!] :)

I stamp the design, allow it to dry, and then heat set it with an iron and a thin kitchen towel over the design.

Brand Tip: I have found Gerber Onesies run smaller so I often get the Carters or Circo when I can find them plain.

I sell the onesies for $7 at my fairs and online. Special orders available.

Layout copying

This is a great way to come up with a design once and use it in a variety of ways. This particular Pick a Petal set is one that I purchased then rarely used. This one idea has given new use for the entire set!

Making a set of these with different greetings would make a great gift for teachers or Christmas!

I also added a 1 inch circle to the middle and, using our Stampin' Dimensionals, popped it up for height & interest. I covered it in 2 way glue than glittered. Then came back with the TomBow adhesive and outlined the edge and put a center dot and glittered again. Since the TomBow is thicker it gave an added dimension to the glitter effect and I LOVE my glitters!

Using Templates

This is an example of using templates to create pretty different looking cards. I was inspired by one of the latest "A La Card templates" from the magazine demos get from Stampin' Up [Stampin' Success].

I encourage you to look at cards in the Idea Books and other places and pick out the basic set up of the card and then replace with your own stamps, inks, colors & accessories! You can always copy a card exactly if you have all the exact materials [which I never quite seem to have]. But this is way to utilize what you have and not have to come up with it completely on your own!

Just some detail pics:

These cards utilize the new In Colors 09-10 but retired punches & sets. ;) I also used watercolor wonder crayons, aqua painters, glitters, brads & crystal effects.