Blog Hop: Check Out the Holiday Catalog!

Holy moly, it's October! The weather's cooling off, days are getting shorter, and there are pumpkins EVERYWHERE -- sure signs that the holidays are sneaking up on us. Did you know there are less than 15 Fridays until Christmas?! Crazy! So even though I'd like to think that we have all the time in the world to prep for the holiday fun & festivities, it really is time to get started. For all kinds of awesome holiday inspiration -- from Halloween to Christmas and everything in between -- be sure to check out the Holiday Catalog from Stampin Up.

I made a cute little gift box with the new die in the holiday catalog, featuring silver Glimmer Paper handles & tag tied on with Cherry Cobbler baker's twine.

Perfect size for a mini pumpkin muffin! Or a good-sized hunk of homemade fudge. Mmmm. Must be time to start on my favorite part of fall -- baking!

What other fun things are you looking forward to this holiday season? Keep on hoppin' through our Blog Hop to see what other inspiration you might find. Thanks for stopping by!

"Get Well" Blog Hop

Welcome back! This month, with cold and flu season right upon us, we decided to do a "Get Well" Blog Hop. This way, you can get ideas for what to give that friend, neighbor, sibling, etc. who may be sick or just feeling down. I chose the topic this month, and it hit close to home as I found out (after choosing the theme) that both my grandmother and my husbands grandmother were in the hospital. So whether it's sniffles or surgery, these Get Well ideas will help you know just the thing to give your loved one a pick-me-up.

As anyone who's been around me much may know, my go-to way to help and comfort those around me who are in need is always through food. So this cute little "Get well" mug is right up my alley. It's filled with Hot Spiced Apple Cider mix, a pocket pack of Kleenex, and a handful of cough drops -- everything you need when you've got a case of the sniffles.

My husband and I had also made a quick "Thinking of You" card for his grandma, who was in the hospital. If I have time tomorrow, I'll add the picture of it here. For now, just know it was lovely.

Be sure to hop through to all the lovely blogs in our Hop to see what they have to share!

Farewell Gifts

Last week, I had the sad occasion of saying good-bye to some absolutely fantastic coworkers. See, I left my editing job (which is why the last few weeks have been so quiet -- tons of changes going on in my personal life!) and have switched over to an office manager job. But I'll always be an editor (and a book nerd!) at heart, and so I came up with some fitting "farewell gifts" for the wonderful people I was privileged to work with for so long. And what better gifts for book nerds than bookmarks?!

My friend Jessica made this one.
Isn't it adorable?!

This was my favorite. It just turned out so elegant!

Vintage birds & flowers 

That shiny blob thing? Yeah, that's what happens
when the pearls go through the Big Shot. . . Oops!

This one was for Heather. She loves pink and sparkles.
So why not throw in some butterflies too?

This was my attempt at a non-girly bookmark.

For my Whovian coworkers - a TARDIS one!

"Birthday Bash" Blog Hop! (And 2 challenges)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Does anyone else think of that old Frosty the Snowman cartoon every time you hear someone shout "Happy Birthday"? No? Just me, then.

Anyway, Welcome to our third monthly Blog Hop! Our theme this month is "Birthday Bash," and we're showing you some fun projects relating to everything birthday. I was stoked for this theme, because it gave me a chance to prep for all the upcoming birthday celebrations.

Be sure to check out all the fantastic blogs in our hop!

Hop Forward: Kris Kilkenny

Hop Back: Julie Davidse

Inspired by this week's Clean and Simple sketch challenge (FTL225), this is what I came up with:

The sketch had banners where I have the circles, but I've been doing so many banners lately that I wanted to change things up. Some great DSP and a fun Edgelits for the zigzag border, and I ended up with a pretty cute and simple birthday card (if I do say so myself).

I also stamped a quick, decorative circle behind the greeting. I stamped it in clear VersaMark ink and used clear embossing powder (heat embossing). So I linked up to this week's Late Night Stamping challenge to "Heat Things Up," too.

But a card wasn't enough! So I made a coordinating little gift bag to go with it.

Using the same colors and DSP, I made this cute bag topper in under 10 minutes (and that was while watching TV, so it was probably only 5 minutes of work). Quick, cute, and filled with candy -- the best kind of gift to make!

So there you go! A quick, easy card and gift. Go check out the rest of our hop, then get stamping to create your own fabulous birthday creations!

Hop Forward: Kris Kilkenny

Hop Back: Julie Davidse

Holiday Shimmer Hop! (Plus FM87)

To kick off the holiday season (welcome to December, everyone!), some fellow Stampin' Up! demonstrators and I decided to get together and do a holiday blog hop. We've all created fantastic projects to show off some of our favorite products and techniques, so be sure to check out everyone's blogs. Our theme? Shimmer! Totally perfect for the holiday season, huh?

I couldn't pick just ONE sparkly project (how could I, with so many fun options?). So today I have TWO cheerful, festive, and sparkly projects to show you: a card and a gift.

The sparkle on my "Merry" card is just in small bursts, but I really love the touch of "something extra" it gives the image.

Here's a close-up so you can see the sparkle a little better.
Don't you just love it??

Card Supplies:

Paper: Crumb Cake, Cherry Cobbler, and Very Vanilla CS; Be of Good Cheer DSP

Stamps: Greetings of the Season, Beautiful Season

Ink: black StazOn (base image), Soft Suede (greeting); water colored with Gumball Green, Basic Grey, Soft Suede; Cherry Cobbler Stamp 'n' Write© Marker

Tools & Embellishments: Scallop Square die (on the Big Shot) and Cherry Cobbler Dazzling Details, SNAIL adhesive (as always)

This next project is one I made for the Friday Mash Up challenge (FM87), which is to make a gift project and/or to use their inspiration photo. My project is a gift, and I used the silver glimmer paper like they did in their photo, so I kinda got both elements in there! I got the idea for the adorable candy tray from Stuck On Stampin's "12 Days of Christmas" projects from last year. So cute! The tag has a LOT of sparkle, thanks to the Glimmer Paper from Stampin' Up!, the tray is scored & folded cardstock, and the candy is simply wrapped with some of our Be of Good Cheer DSP. Perfect little stocking stuffer or neighbor gift, if I do say so myself!

Project Supplies:
Paper: Cherry Cobbler CS (tray base), Very Vanilla CS (tag), Be of Good Cheer DSP (wrappers), Silver Glimmer Paper (tag backing)
Ink & tools: Cherry Cobbler, Scoring board (tray), Large scallop circle punch, handheld (1/16") punch
Stamp: Tags 'Til Christmas
Other: Hershey's minis & "pretzel" cellophane bags (from the party store), Cherry Cobbler Baker's Twine, SNAIL adhesive (as always)

Hop Back: Julie Davidse

Hop Forward: Kris Kilkenny