All Things Alicia

Maximize the Designer Series Paper Deal with a Mini Scrapbook

Don't forget this month you buy 3 packs of designer series paper and get one free!  Here's an idea to maximize the paper without maximizing the budget.  Split it with a friend!  You can either each choose two packs and split the price, or, since each pack comes with two sheets of each of 6 designs, you can both get one sheet each of all the designs! 

If you haven't seen the video on my Stampin' Up! website you should check it out.  There are great ideas for mini scrapbooks.  Here's one I made with the Parisan Breeze paper from my inspiration station.  It's made the same way as one of the samples in the video, but with different paper.  I was waiting to post it because I wanted to add pictures, but I decided to wait for some more pictures to be printed, and I wanted you to see another sample before the sale is over.  Tomorrow!

This is the inside

 

This is the inside with tabs and hidden parts pulled out

 

Here's the front (not embellished yet)

  and the first opening

And all it uses is A SINGLE SHEET OF 12 X 12 CARDSTOCK for the base!

I embellished with ribbon, hodgepodge hardware, pretties kit, and two punches.

The Blog Candy Goes to....and a Fortune

Ina is the winner of the blog candy package!  Ina was chosen by the Random Integer Generator. Thanks for entering Ina and e-mail me with an address at [email protected] so I can send it off to you!  Ina Wrote:

Love being cheesy I love velveeta! Lovely box..love recycling and altering! Thanks for a cjance to win a rak by you! hugs,Ina

Posted by: Ina Ftacek | 05/25/2009 at 11:00 AM

 

... and good fortune for the rest of us...

OK, I really tried to take a picture of this but I couldn't get it so that you could actually read it.  Darn!  Hubby and I ate at P.F. Chang's recently.  Guess what my fortune was:

Something usual will happen to you at work or school this week.

 (red emphasis is mine)

Really?  Something usual?!  I can't wait!  Does that mean I'll change diapers?  Want to quit at least once?  Cook dinner?  Count the minutes till naptime?  Clean up something broken?  I can't wait to find out!

I mean, I know they have to be somewhat general so everyone's fortune can come true and the cycle of superstition can be perpetuated, but I think the fortune cookie factory is getting a little lazy.

A Card from my Inspiration Station

I figure this beautiful Parisan Breeze paper will be retiring next month since it has Baja Breeze.  Baja Breeze is an "In Color" so I'm assuming the paper will go out with the colors. 

 I was thinking about my next inspiration station.  I think in June I'm going to pull out all the stuff I have that's retiring and make my next station use it as a last hurrah.  Then I'll start a new station with the new catalog in July.  So my next one will be short lived, and will break my rules about purchasing things that coordinate since it will have a smattering of items that may or may not go together.  Still, I'm thinking this might become a June tradition for me.  Think of all the stuff we have in our stashes that gets used for one project, then tucked away never to be seen again.  I'm thinking it's actually a great idea just to pull it all out, shop from your stash, and see what you can do with it every now and then. 

I am still going to purchase a few staples though.  I need new blender pens (I realized while making this card).  I've had this set since I started stamping...about 8 years ago.  Wow!  They last a while.  I really did buy them at my very first workshop.  Maybe somewhere I still have the card I made while learning to use them.  I'll look for it and put it up if I find it.  I've also run out of two colors of cardstock. One of the few things I ALWAYS have on hand is all the cardstock and ink.  I think I'll also purchase a new tool (I really want the circle scissor) to help me find new ways to use my old items.  We'll see what I come up with in June.

So here's the recipe for this card:

Friends 24/7 stamp set

Cardstock: Kraft, Chocolate Chip, and Baja Breeze,  also, Parisan Breeze DSP

Valet ribbon originals, scallop circle punch, circle punch, white embossing powder and heat gun, dimensionals

Ink: chocolate chip, baja breeze, Versamark, black

I think that's all.  Oh yeah, it's a 5 1/4" square card.

Don't forget to check back tomorrow for the blog candy winner.

Sewing Reusable Grocery Bags

So I've been wanting to make my own reusable grocery bags.  Why?  Because I really do want to cut down on environmental waste by using them, but I don't want to buy those cheap looking ones in the stores.  I also have issues about paying to advertise for someone else.  I really don't want to pay money to carry around someone else's logo in a less than intriguing bag.  So I bought some fabulous Amy Butler fabric and found a pattern.  I found a pattern at burdastyle.com.  It's a place where you can get free patterns.  This one is a Charlie bag, but I cut the pattern down a little.  I felt the bag pattern was too big for groceries.  When you have fabric bags, they get packed full of heavy items, because they're better quality.  The handles shouldn't be falling off and the bottom shouldn't be breaking open.  I also decided to make these reversible.  Just because.

 

 

I got enough fabric to make two.  The other bag will be the same mod polka dot with the same flower print but a slightly lighter color variation.  Now that I've done one and tested it out shopping, I'm thinking I need to order more fabric.  I really love these when they're finished.  And now that I've been shopping with them, regular grocery bags annoy me!

Free Blog Candy and Box Inspired by Velveeta

Is that too cheesy?!  Ha!  I had to say it. The answer is, no.  It's not too cheesy because Velveeta isn't real cheese!  Still, the box was an inspiration for a project I made a few days ago that ended up as a gift container for onsies at a baby shower.   So I started with this:

 Then I pulled it apart and traced around it to make a template.  Some of the folded in edges were slightly cut off due to how the box fit on the paper, but it was still perfectly functional.

As you can see, I had to put in on a diagonal to get it to fit.  But it worked out nicely and I ended up with this:

Top View

 

 

side view

I put four onsies inside:

I used the Afternoon Tea Designer Series paper.  For the flower on top I cut out two of the flowers from the corners that were cut off the original sheets of paper and curled the ends.  Then I placed it over the ribbon with a dimensional.  The diagonal piece is also a leftover corner from the scraps.  I also used the circle punch to cut the center of a flower out for the tag and tied it on with twine.  The ribbon are leftovers from Sale-A-Bration so they aren't available anymore.  UNLESS...

YOU WIN THE BLOG CANDY!

 

The winner gets this package, which includes 5 sheets of the Tea Party designer series paper, a handled gift box that is ready to stamp or cover with paper and embellish, and 1 yard each of the so saffron and certainly celery ribbon I used in the box above.

I will use the random integer generator to pick a winner on Thursday, May 28th.  You have until Wednesday the 27th at midnight (pacific) to enter.  Simply leave a comment on this post and you are automatically entered, but please only enter once. 

 

Cards for Heroes Blog Hop

Want to hop around to more than 100 great stamping site today?!  Cards for Heroes is a non profit organization that sends homemade cards to troops for them to use.  Love that!  Today you can go to their site (www.cardsforheroes.org) and start on a blog hop to some great hand stamped cards.  You can also just go from here to the next person, joining the hop part way through.  Either way you should visit their site sometime to see what they do.  It's fabulous and so easy to be involved.  If you want to support our troops but feel like you don't have the time and know how, this might be just right for you.  Here's my card for the hop today:

It opens like this:

I used a sketch from my sketchbook to create this card.  I got the sketch ideas from Splitcoast Stampers, one of my favorite sites for ideas.  I decided to go patriotic, but generic enough to use for any occassion.  I used Stampin' Up!'s A Greeting for All Reasons stamp set.  The brad on the sentiment is from the hodgepodge hardware and has a star on it.  I left it blank inside so there is plenty of writing room.

Tomorrow I'll have a gift box I created for a baby shower using the Afternoon Tea designer series paper.  Remember that Designer Series Paper is on sale this month!  I'll also have some blog candy!

The blog hop starts today at noon (Pacific Standard Time) and goes through the weekend.  Hop along with us!   YOUR NEXT STOP IS KAY.  She has a FABULOUS "old glory" style card that looks like it uses direct to paper technique.  Just click her name in green to hop over to her place when you're done here.

Update on the Cupcake Box

I've had several people ask about the top of the cupcake box.  Here are my measurements:

The window sheet is a 7"x7" square, scored 2" in from the edge all the way around.

The circle inset for the cupcake is a 5 1/2" square, scored 1" in all the way around.

The circle itself is 2 3/8" in diameter, cut from the center of the inset.

Happy Stamping!

Tutorial for Sectioned Gift Box

This is a girlie version of the Father's Day Gift Box I showed in a previous post.  This is actually the same sheet of Parisan Breeze DSP, just inside out.  I love double sided paper!  Just in case you need a birthday, anniversary, or just because gift for someone not so masculine.

 

I'm thinking these would make a variety of great gift collections.  Think crafter, filled with supplies of the person's favorite crafting hobby (ie, crochet hooks, scrap supplies, etc...); or gardener with some garden golves, seed packets, etc...; bath or spa or pedicure kits; the list goes on and on.  This is where the personalization comes in.  Think of your recipient, and go from there.  And don't forget, a chocolate ensemble is always a winner!

I forgot to take step by step photos as I made this, so I made a tutorial in Word for you to follow.  You need the Designer series paper of your choice, and coordinating cardstock.  Also, any ribbon and embellishments you desire to amp it up a bit. You may download and use it as you wish, just give credit where credit is due!

Download Sectioned gift box assembly instructions

Download Tutorial for sectioned gift box

Date Night

Just in case you ever wonder what my husband and I do for date night:

 

I did pretty darn well for my first time shooting.  I had hoped to at least get some on the paper the target is drawn on, but I actually got almost all of them on the paper, and many in that little red center!

Father's Day Idea

 So I was fiddling around with my inspiration station and came up with this idea for a divided themed gift box:

 

  Sorry the photograph looks so yellow.  I was taking the picture at night and the settings weren't quite right.  This uses the Parisan Breeze paper from my inspiration station and the ribbon and curdoroy brad inserted into a button are from there too.  Here's a close up of the box part:

 

Think of the possibilities!

You could make a theme gift set for any type of guy!  Here are just a few I came up with:

The Executive:

a tie, special pen, engraved letter opener, gift card somewhere, etc...

The Handy Guy:

tools of many types, drill bits, tape measure, wrenches, rechargeable batteries for cordless tools...

The golfer:

golf balls, tees, those little pencils, ball cleaner, golf gloves, etc...

The fisherman:

lures, line, permit, etc...

The Sexy Guy:

cologne, something racy to wear for you, hair gel, etc...

The Gamer:

poker chips, cards, etc...

 

The list goes on and on.  What's going in my hubby's?  Probably some new ammo clips, ear plugs for the range, etc... I'm working on a free tutorial for this one.  Hopefully it will make a reappearance in a few days.