Nugget Crazy

After seeing how easy it is to decorate chocolate nuggets for the holidays from Wanda's blog, I had to try my hand at it. I used a variety of stamp sets including Perfect Presentation (hostess set, Fall/Winter 2007), Holiday Tag Team (cutest snowman ever, retiring THIS MONTH), and Ornamassortment (retired) to stamp images on white mailing labels. I hand colored some of them with SU! markers and American Craft glitter pens I got at AC Moore ("Hi, my name is StampMom and I'm a glitter pen addict", LOL). Now I don't know if I can stand to give them away...

Happy Anniversary Peter & Kathy!

Just popped this card in the mail for my brother and his wife who are celebrating their 11th anniversary on Friday. The beautiful DP is Brocade Background, the stamp is from "Love and Joy" (mini catalog) and "always" is from Small Script (retired). I stamped the sentiments in Cranberry Crisp, using my Mat Pack to pierce around "always". A basic knot of Always Artichoke wraps the love image. The card base is non SU textured cardstock. A simple way to let the designer paper play a major role.

How cute are these Elves??

My little sister managed to upload pics of the boys, DH and me on the Elf Yourself website that's been floating around. I love this!

Snowman Soup Mugs

After finding a cute template for Snowman Soup mugs on Splitcoast Stampers (which I of course can't find right now, but here's another one), I decided to make these for little cousins and neighborhood friends. I traced the template onto the large cardboard piece that came with my Designer Papers and cut it out. Then I retraced it on Whisper White cardstock in pencil and cut it out with my fabulous Paper Snips scissors. Instead of wrestling with the inside of the handle, I just used my large oval punch to cut it out, which worked great. I'm still not happy with the smoothness of the edges, but what are ya gonna do?!

I stamped the mug all over with Itty Bitty Backgrounds in silver. The snowman from Holiday Tag Team (which is retiring this month!) is stamped in black Staz-On ink and colored with markers (Only Orange, Really Red, Tempting Turquoise). The snowflakes come from The Snowflake Spot and Holiday Tag Team. They are stamped in Bordering Blue, Silver, and a sparkly blue marker I found at AC Moore (by American Craft I think).

Inside is a packet of hot chocolate, chocolate kisses, and a mini candy cane. The Snowman Soup poem is printed from the computer on Confetti White cardstock, I clipped all 4 corners with my tag punch and I used my Double Circle punch to add ribbon (Real Red and Bashful Blue) to the top. Here's what it says:

When it’s so cold outside
that you holler and whoop,
it’s time to bring out some
Snowman Soup.
Pour your packet of cocoa
in a fun winter mug...
add some yummy snowballs &
find a place to get snug.
Now pour in hot water,
stir with the cane a time or two,
take a nibble of chocolate,
the Snowman Soup is
ready for you!

Thanks for looking!

Sparkly Snowflake

I've been watching a thread on Splitcoast Stampers about simple one layer cards and came across these by SCS member tigeriss. I was inspired to create this one for my mother-in-law to send out.

The large snowflake from The Snowflake Spot was stamped on whisper white cardstock in Bordering Blue ink, with "noel" from Small Script (retired stamp set) stamped below. I added a 3-D snowflake from Michael's in the middle for a little extra bling.

I think she'll really like it -- hope so, I made 5 of them!!

Five Fantastic Gifts Under $25

Just in time for holiday gift giving, Stampin' Up! is featuring five of their favorite crafting essentials. These items make ideal gifts, and best of all, they're perfectly priced for this season of giving!

Paper Cutter, $24.95
Whether you have a passion for scrapbooking, card making, or paper crafts in general, this portable and lightweight cutter is a must. It cuts paper up to 12" wide and has easy-to-read grid lines. Use item number 104152 to order this from me.

Big Flowers, $22.95
With eight fun images, this stamp set is great for year-round card making and scrapbooking. It also coordinates perfectly with our Circle punches and Little Flowers stamp set. This is item number 109405 when ordering from me.

Home Again Simply Scrappin', $19.95
Simply Scrappin' kits make scrapbooking and card making easy and fast. Kits include Designer Series paper, coordinating card stock and self-adhesive die cuts, ensuring your project will coordinate perfectly while saving you time. Order this from me using item number 109597.

Simple Serif Mini Alphabet & Numbers, $20.95
Alphabet sets are a core product when scrapbooking and card making. This set includes both alphabets and numbers! Give me item number 109429 to order this set.

Earth Elements Classic Stampin' Spots, $22.50
These 1" square ink pads are an affordable way to sample all the colors in a color family! Use item number 105551 to order these ink pads.

The Retired List is Here!

Stampin' Up!'s first semiannual retired stamp set list is here just in time for the holidays! Contact me today to purchase your favorite retiring sets as a gift to yourself or someone else on your list today before they're gone forever. Here's the timeline to purchase stamp sets that are retiring.

Stamp Sets: December 1, 2007 through January 1, 2008
Wheels & Accessories: December 10 until supplies run out

Retiring Stamps Details
* The retired list includes stamp sets that will retire as of January 1, 2008.
* There is no limit to the number of retired stamps you can purchase.

Retiring Wheels and Accessories Details
* The retiring wheels and accessories list is available online beginning December 10. You can order items from this list through January 1, 2008 or until supplies run out.

Dormant List Details:
* dormant list posts December 1, 2007 and includes stamp sets from the Fall-Winter Collection 2007 that are not included in the upcoming Spring-Summer Collection 2008. These sets can be found online and are considered current Stampin' Up! products. Items from the Holiday Mini will not appear on the dormant list, but they are not retired.
* Stamp sets and wheels from mini catalogs will not be included on the dormant list.