Valentine Gift Card Holder

 I should be doing chores around the house but crafting is much more fun! I made a Valentine gift card holder for one of my sons (Ok, maybe it really is for his girlfriend.) Both of my boys are in college which means I am always looking for little treats that I can send  to let them know that I'm thinking about them. I will  pop a restaurant gift card inside and send him and his girlfriend off on a little date (The Subway card is just a sample. They are not going to Subway for Valentines Day!)

I will put together a little video tutorial on how I created this 4 inch x 4 inch gift card holder. Maybe I can do that tonight if I get my chores done - LOL!

Sharon's Card

My friend Sharon just loves the quilt block cards that I have been obsessed with lately. Tonight she told me that her favorite pattern was the first one I ever made. I decided to throw together a quick card for her. Just thought I'd share.

I used night of navy and old olive cardstocks, both from Stampin Up, and some pattern paper from my scrap pile. (I told you I have hoarded a mountain of scraps :-)

Valentine Card

Tonight I took out all my Valentine's goodies and decided to have a little fun. I used the Spellbinders Heart Squares die and SU stamp set called P.S. I Love You to create a card. I also used  Basic Gray, Real Red, and Whisper White Cardstocks and a piece of 3/8 inch wide satin ribbon. The white layer was embossed with a Fiskars texture plate on my Sizzix Big Shot. Hope you feel inspired to make some Valentines of your own! :-)

Easy 3x5 inch Valentine Treat Bag

I showed a sample of this cute little treat bag about a year ago but never got aroud to posting a video tutorial. This project is super simple to make and is absolutely perfect when you need to give someone a "little something" or you need a quick favor.

You have probably already figured out that I hoard all of my scraps and the left over sheets from my paper stacks (yes, even the ugly ones!) This is my kind of project because it allows me to use things I already have (yahoo!!)  Hope you give it a try.

Easy and Elegant Invitation

My good friend ask me to help her design an invitation for a 25th wedding anniversary. The couple is planning to renew their wedding vows. The invitation needs to be simple enough to mass produce and may need to accommodate directions (for out of town guests) and an RSVP card (not sure about that yet) I thought a little portfolio style card with a belly band would work well so this is what I came up with.  I just love the silver embossing and the background stamping and the pocket is pretty roomy.  Remember this is a mock up so things aren't centered and the stamping isn't all that great but you get the idea.:-)

Enjoy, Vickie 

More Paper Quilts

I searched the internet for quilt block patterns and discovered  there are dozens of patterns that can easily be adapted for cards and most of them have really cute names :-). Naturally, I had to experiment. Today I made three more cards. The trick is NOT piecing together the quilt blocks. The hard part is definitely selecting pleasing color combination. I now understand why quilters spend so long laboring over pattern and color combinations. I will keep practicing!

Happy Scrapping,

Vickie

Double Frienship Quilt Block

      July Fourth Quilt Block

Modified Star Quilt Block

Paper Quilts

I have taken another long break but now I'm ready to post some new projects. I have always admired beautiful handmade quilts. Unfortunately I don't have the time, patience, or skill to make one of my own.

Vicki B posted a beautiful card on her blog It's a Stamp Thing - It looks like a paper quilt block. As soon as I saw it I became obsessed with trying to make my own paper quilt. I have tried lots of designs. Here are just a couple of my attempts.

Please email me if you know any other techniques or patterns. I am so addicted to this type of design.

Happy Scrapping,
Vickie

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Happy Thanksgiving! No, I didn't fall off of the face of the Earth. I have been really busy and haven't had much time to post lately. Today I thought I'd share a cute little turkey treat holder idea. They are super simple to make and don't require many supplies. Best of all the kids can even help with this project.

Happy Crafting,
Vickie

Wedding Card

A friend from work just got married. She used the colors green and brown in her wedding so I also use them on her card. This card was made using a pattern that I saw on an Australian scrapper's blog. If you are interested, just let me know and I will forward her info to you.

Happy Scrapping,
Vickie

Getting Organized for the Holidays

Ok, If you know me then you also know that I am an absolute nut about organizing my receipts at Christmas time! I can't tell you how many times I purchased gift items that didn't fit or were damaged and couldn't find my receipt to return them. A few years ago I decided that had to STOP, so I set about trying to force myself to get organized for the holidays. Now every year I make some sort of cute little receipt holder and I am diligent about putting my receipts in the correct spot. Problem solved :-) (well at least one of my problems is solved - LOL)

This receipt holder is 9 inches wide and 4 inches tall. It is about half an inch deep and has four pockets inside to hold my recieipts. The little tabs are labeled (I used letters instead of names this year) and It has been decorated just to make me feel happy. I usually leave the receipt holder somewhere that I have easy access to (like my glove box or on top of the refrigrator) and everyone knows that they are under penalty of death if they move it or examine the contents.

Happy Stamping,
Vickie

Smile Scrapbook Page

I made this scrapbook page using some papers from a K & Company paper pad. I was experimenting with making my own buttons and decided to incorporate one into this page. I also enjoyed layering up the different colors and textures to make the flowers for this page. I have a great picture of my son and his girlfriend that I plan to use on this page.

Hope this inspires you to make something creative with your own stash!

Happy Scrapping,
Vickie

Maine Scrapbook Page

On our recent cruise to New England and Canada we visited Maine and learned all about catching lobster. Did you know that each lobsterman has his own buoy colors?Those colors are used to identify where a fisherman has set his traps. I cut the lobster for this scrapbook page using the Cricut cartridge called Pack Your Bags. I cut the buoy by hand and had a blast distressing it to look like the real buoys we saw.

Happy Scrapping,
Vickie

Mini Halloween Card

Last night my plan was to finally clean off the desk in my craft room. Well, I found a cute little mini envelope and the whole plan got derailed! Next thing you know I was making a mini Halloween Card from the scraps that were lying around me. I had a great time and I know just who's going to get this card but I must confess - The desk is still a mess!!

Hope you enjoy today's project and that it inspires you to do something creative with the stuff in your stash :-)

Happy Crafting,
Vickie

Shaker Tags

Oh my, I have had so much fun playing in my craft room today! I have an enormous mess but I have enjoyed every minute. I saw some really cute shaker tags in my friend's craft book and decided to make some of my own. Through trial and error, I came up with the two tags pictured above. That cute little snowman with a belly full of snow (I mean chunkie glitter) just makes me happy and even I (the person who offically hates snow) love the snowflakes in my Christmas tree tag.

To make the snowman tag I used the Sizzix die called Snowman #2 and my 1 1/2 inch circle punch. To make the Christmas tree tag I used Christmas Cheer and Tags, Bags, Boxes & More Cricut cartridges. The snowflakes were made with an inexpensive punch. Hope this inspires you to create something that makes you feel happy :-)

Happy Crafting,
Vickie

Santa Clause Card

It isn't too early to start thinking about making Christmas cards! Every year I say that I am going to start making my cards earlier so I don't feel so rushed in December, but that never really happens. Today I made my first one of the year :-)

This cute little Santa Clause Card was really easy to assemble. It does use several different embossing folders and requires a little prep work ahead of time, but it's fun and easy to do. Want to know how I did it? Just watch the videos below.

Happy Crafting,
Vickie

Top Note Purse

If you follow my blog, you know that I LOVE my Sizzix Big Shot and just about every die that I have ever used! Today I will show you how to use a few different dies to create a cute little purse. This would be an awesome favor for a purse party or you could easily make it look like a diaper bag and use it for a baby shower. I have had so much fun playing with this little purse. Hope you give it a try.

Happy Crafting,
Vickie

P.S. The cardstock for the base should be cut at 5 1/2 x 6 inches just like it says on the screen in the video. I misspoke and may have created some confussion.

How To Line An Envelope

I really love the way that lined envelopes look but it always seemed like it was way too much work to create them. Today I am going to share a quick and easy technique for creating lined envelopes. You will NEVER say "it takes too long to do that" again!
Enjoy,
Vickie

Card Box

Today was a big day for me. I made my first ever video tutorial! It was kind of fun but I still have lots to learn about video editing. If you want to see how I made the card box pictured above, just click on the video link below. The card box is large enough to hold at least 6 fully decorated A2 size cards and envelopes (maybe even a few more) and would make an awesome and inexpensive gift this holiday season.

Happy Stamping,

Vickie

Cruise Layout for My Vacation Pictures

I have lots and lots of pictures from my recent cruise vacation to scrapbook. Today I finished this layout and tought I'd share. Now I just need to print my pictures. This layout has mats for three 4x6 inch photos and one 2 1/2 x 3 1/2 inch photo. I also included a little tag for some extra jornaling.

Happy Scrapping,

Vickie

Easy Little Tea Bag Holder

I haven't posted much lately because I've been on vacation with my family. Today I dusted off my craft supplies and had a little fun! I made a couple of different tea bag holders using stuff I had on my desk. Each tea bag holder is held together with a simple piece of ribbon and the fronts were decorated with stamps and punches. I inserted one of my favorite tea bags (it was a little too big so I just folded it a bit) but you could easily use candy or photos instead. Hope this inspires you do make something today :-)

Happy Stamping,

Vickie

Note: You can click on any picture to enlarge it for easier viewing