Valentine's Goodies and a Yummy Challenge!

Good morning friends! I hope you all are doing well and keeping warm! It is highly unlikely for us to receive snow here but we are expected to receive some tonight! It has been very cloudy and a bit breezy since the morning, I love days like this, just makes me want to relax!

[EDIT: 2-2-11 Scroll down to see my submission for Week 19 over at the Paper Variety!]

I finished up the schools' Valentine Candy Grams yesterday. I wish I could have done a little bit more, but just didn't really have much time. So today, I am sharing with you everything else I made in addition to the 144 3x3 Mini Cards that I made and shared with you in 2 earlier posts. Here is a shot of everything altogether. I have to admit that even though I enjoyed making everything, I am glad to be finished. I've spent every morning of the last week putting all this stuff together, it's time for a break! So, I hope you are ready for a long post!



To make my Pencil holders, I measured out cardstock to 3" x 2¾" and patterned paper from the Target Dollar spot to 2¾" x 2½". After rounding off all the corners, I adhered the patterned paper and used a small circle punch to punch holes, centered, in both ends of the paper. (I can't remember the size of the punch, it came together with a small butterfly punch and is from EK Success). Using 1 7/8" scalloped circles and 1" white circles, I stamped my images using the Tiny Treats Stamp set from Papertrey ink and colored them in using my Prismacolor markers. I used a glue gun to adhere the circles to the paper bases and then inserted the pencils. I got this idea from this month's issue of Scrapbooks Etc. Since I already had the stamp set, I had to try this out! I made 40 in total, they came out so cute! Target paper was $1 and the pencils were also from the Dollar Spot, so I spent ~$4.00 making these.







Using standard size lollipop treat bags, I made 30 of these little bags filled with 3 different kinds of chocolate hearts. The bag toppers are 3" x 3" and scored at 1½". The hearts are cut out at 2" using the Plantin' Schoolbook Cricut cartridge and I used a border scallop punch on the edges. I stamped "To and From" on the back of each bag topper, so I did not want to close these off with a staple. Instead, I ran a line of hot glue on the inside of the bag topper (top and bottom) and adhered the bags this way. Since the bags are plastic, they melted right into the glue for a secure hold. Just make sure you keep the glue away from the chocolates! I made a total of 30 of these, and only spent $4.74!







These are Charms Mini Lollipop Bunches. I found these mini lollipops at the Dollar tree and bought 4 bags. Each bag had about 23 pops in it, so I made 30 little bags with 3 lollipops each. These are the same lollipop bags that I used above. I inserted 3 lollipops upside down and secured them with 3 colors of curling ribbon, topped off with a mini Valentine tag. Again, only spent about $4.00 here.







I also made these Lollipop holders. Normally, I would make the matchbook lollipop holders, but I was running out of time and out of adhesive. So I made these instead. I cut out 3" x 3" cardstock squares, 2¾ " x 2¾ " patterned paper squares, and 1 7/8" scalloped cirles with stamped images. For these, I used glue dots to sandwich each lollipop between the squares and scalloped circles, and I added "To and From" on the back of each one. I made a total of 40 of these. I found the heart lollipops at Hobby Lobby for $1.99 each, but I also saw them at Walmart. So again, spent only about $4.00 here.







Now, on to the challenge! These are also part of my candy gram donations to the school, and it just so happens that the Challenge for Week 19 over at the Paper Variety is to make a project using this photo as inspiration:



So this is my submission for this weeks challenge! Using the exact same supplies and measurements as above, I repeated these bags using scallop circles and Sweetheart Conversation Hearts instead. Here, I spent $2.60 on the hearts, and was able to fill each bag with 6 large hearts and 15 small hearts. I made a total of 25 of these bags.







I think what I am most happy about at the end of this project is the fact that I didn't spend too much money. I love that I was able to create so many little things without having to worry about how much money I had spent. I do however think I need to invest in a new stamp set for next year though :)

So now that all of these are done and turned in to the school, I still have to make the treat bags for the girls' classes! I am now making 40 little "bags" using the Plantin' Schoolbook Cricut Cartridge, and I can't wait to finish these. The girls are going to help me fill them with goodies and write notes to their friends.

Until next time, be safe, be warm, and have a great week! Thanks for stopping by!

Blog Awards!

Hello fellow blogging friends. How was your weekend? Mine was ok, I had the day off on Friday and Saturday, the girls and I finally went to watch Tangled. It was a very cute movie, and yes, I may have cried a little.

Karla over at Made by Karla has won a blog award and was asked to pass it on to 5 people. I was picked, yay! How exciting, thanks so much Karla! I am definitely loving all her projects that she has posted up already, especially the beaded pins, what a great idea!



So I now have to pass on to 5 people, so many blogs to choose from, there are so many talented people out there, I literally spend hours and hours just browsing through all the wonderful projects that everyone shares. How in the world am I gonna choose just 5?! Well, here are my picks:

1.) Sarah Goke over at Simple Stampin' is new to the blogging world, but she is a local Stampin' Up! Demonstrator and has some fantastic ideas to share! Check her out!

2.) Vicky Jo at the Stamping Idea Corner is also a local Stampin' Up! Demonstrator, I love all her projects as well. I was able to meet her along with lots of other creative stampers at last years Holiday Stamp Camp, it was a lot of fun!

3.) With all My Heart has some fabulous scrapbooking layouts and projects, and she is part of a great blog hop, check her out!

4.) Sparkly Pink Star has some great sketches and videos for us to follow, very fun and informative, and she always makes such awesome projects!

5.) Since there are soooo many wonderful ladies on the Design Team over at the Paper Variety, I couldn't bring myself to pick just a few of them, so rather than give out the award to individual blogs, I give the last award to the PAPER VARIETY itself! You gotta check out the site, they have a new challenge every week and they offer up some great prizes! I love participating with them!

I hope you all take some time to visit them, get some ideas, have fun, become followers, you know the drill! I will be back a little later with some more Valentines goodies, have a great day!

More Valentine's Mini Cards

Hello again :) Are you ready for the weekend?! I sure am, I do work tomorrow, but at least I get out at 6pm instead of 10pm! Just finished up another 5 sets of Mini 3x3 Valentines cards for the candy grams!

There are a total of 16 cards per set. I made a total of 80 mini cards for this lot, and I have to admit, I wasn't too sure how they would come out since they are just primary colors, but I do like the outcome. I wanted to make sure to include some cards that are not as girly as traditional Valentines colors of pinks and reds. I used the Tiny Treats: Valentines Stamp set again from Papertrey Ink. I just can't get enough of these cute little stamps!

Once again, gathered all my supplies and cut all my paper beforehand. Each card is 3x3", the colored cardstock is 2x2" and the white cardstock mat is 1­¾ x 1¾". I stamped the bottom of each card using the polka dot stamp from TPC Studios Patterned Borders Stamp set. I used Stampin' Up Classic ink pads in Summer Sun, Only Orange, Glorious Green, Brocade Blue, and Real Red.



I adhered the white cardstock mat to the colored cardstock mat using TomboMono Adhesive and then stamped each image and saying in Inkadinkadoo's Black dye ink.



Here is one of the complete sets together. Each set is colored a little different but they all turned out pretty much the same! The idea for these little cards came from Amy Wanford here. She mixed the colors more than I did though, but they were really cute cards, I just had to make them!



This time instead of stamping the saying inside the card, I just stamped it on the front with the image so it wouldn't look so plain.









Is my desk the only one that looks like this? It's a miracle that I am still able to find things when I need them!



Next up I am making lollipop and pencil holders, as well as bag toppers. I am also thinking about making some Valentines Bookmarks as well, but I am not too sure yet. Anywho, have a great weekend everyone!

The Paper Variety Challenge...Again!

Yes, again, I love their challenges. AND ITS SPONSORED THIS WEEK BY ROBYN FROM MY PINK STAMPER! How fun, we get to create something PINK of course! The challenge this week is:



I have been super-duper busy creating Valentines Candy Grams for my girls' school this year. Like I said before, I must be a little crazy, gotta make a couple hundred mini cards and labels and bag toppers! So far, I have made 144 mini 3x3 Valentines cards using the Tiny Treats: Valentines Set from Papertrey ink.

Of course the key to mass producing something is to gather all your supplies and start an assembly line. I first used white cardstock (8½ x 11) and cut out 3x6" card bases. (I was able to cut 3 card bases out of each cardstock). I cut out my patterned paper at 2¾ x 2­¾". This patterned paper I actually found at the Target Dollar spot, they always have paper packs for the holidays there, I bought all that they had! The scalloped circle is 1 7/8" and the white cardstock circle is 1½".




Adhere your patterned paper center to each card using your choice of adhesive. I used TomboMono Adhesive tape runner.



Using the Tiny Treats: Valentine stamp set, I stamped one image per scallop circle using Inkadinkadoo Black Dye inkpad and colored them in with matching reds and pinks from my Prismacolor markers. I used Crimson Red, Ballet Pink, Pink, and Process Red.



I attached the scallops to the center of each card using dimensionals, and Voila! You're done! I made 4 sets of 16 mini cards with traditional Valentines Colors. I am also make 5 more sets of 16 cards using primary colors, more for the boys in the school. I will post those when I am done! So for this weeks Paper Variety Challenge, this is my submission!



Here are the cards close up. I just love using these Tiny Treats stamp sets, Papertrey Ink is releasing another one this month for BIRTHDAYS! I can't wait, its so cute!









Each card has a matching saying inside as well as "To: From:". There is also space for the kids to write there own messages if they want. I said I was crazy for taking on such a big project, but I have to admit its not so bad, I am having fun doing it!



Thanks for stopping by, have a great week!

The Paper Variety Challenge

I am so glad the Paper Variety is back with another challenge! And they have even more members on the design team now, those ladies are all super talented, congrats to all the new members that made the team and thanks to you all for providing another great challenge!

The Challenge:



For this challenge, I am submitting a 2 page Scrapbooking Layout of my girls playing with the snow at the park down the street. I used paper from The Paper Studios All Seasons paper stack and various stickers from My Big Ideas and the Paper Studio. I used my Cricut and the Plantin' Schoolbook cartridge to cut out the "Snow Much Fun" title. It's very rare for us to get snow here, so the girls had a blast!






It didn't take too long to finish this layout. Since I don't have a snowflake punch, I just used the stickers and it was finished pretty quick. I think I regret putting the Snowman stickers on there, but I never let myself change anything once a layout is finished, and hey, who doesn't love snowflakes?! We even decorated our hallway for christmas with them and they are still up!



This is the second post for today, scroll down to see the first! And don't forget to consider sending Winter Sims some Valentines Cards for her St. Judes Card drive this year, its a great cause, see the previous post for the link to her blog and the details!

Thanks for stopping by!

Happy New Year!!

I know, I'm a week late, but hey, I've been busy! I hope everyone had a fantastic holiday and a very Happy New Year!

I was on vacation for 10 days and went back to work this past Monday. I can say I didn't miss the place much, but hey, I still gotta support my own crafting habits, (clears throat) Sorry, I mean family. :)

Good thing is I still have to work 3-10pm, so while the girls are at school, I can spend as much time as I want in my craft space! I've been asked to help make Valentine's Candy Grams for my girls school. I thought it would be so much fun to do, I didn't even realize what exactly I had agreed to until it dawned on me that I would be making well over 300 different kinds of candy grams. I must be crazy. Any ideas?!

Oh yea! Remember that Inkadinkadoo contest through Scrapbooks Etc! that mentioned I had won here? Well, my prizes finally arrived about a month ago! I got the prize in 2 shipments, and man on man is there a lot of stuff! I have absolutely no space for it all! I received so many ink pads, its crazy! I have tried a few of them out, and unfortunately some of the ink pads that I tried actually fell apart :( But they are still usable, and once I invest in some proper storage for everything, I will be able to test out more products. Unfortunately, right now, this is how everything is stored!



Oh and don't forget-Winter Sims is having another St. Judes card drive for Valentines Day. We have the entire month of January to send cards out to her so she can mail them out on time to the hospital. You can find the complete details here on her blog.

On to another note, the daughter of a dear friend of mine [who tried for years and years and years to have a baby, was on the brink of adoption, and finally became pregnant last year, she's over 35 years old, we'll leave it at that :)] had her 1st birthday yesterday! There won't be a celebration until the weekend, but I made her a little card and a bracelet as well. I think it's the tiniest bracelet I've ever made!





I used Kraft Cardstock and patterned paper from American Crafts (The Goods Fleece Collections, a couple years old). The tickets are from EK Success, the Happy Birthday Stamp is from TPC Studioand stamped in Orchid Opulence from Stampin' Up!, the image stamp is from CardCraft and colored in using PrismaColor Markers, and the rub-on quote inside the card is from DCWV Girl Rub-On Quote Stack. Bracelet is made from various 4mm bicone Swarovski crystals and 0.925 sterling silver jewelry components.

Anywho, this is the first of two posts today, I took a break from the Paper Variety Challenges for a while since the holidays were just too busy, but I did put together a layout for this weeks challenge, scroll up to see more!

Thanks for stopping by, have a great weekend everyone!

Happy Holidays!

I have been super busy this past month, have had so many projects going on and so much to do getting ready for the holidays! I am so happy, this year my sister and her family from California are going to be visiting for a few weeks, as well as my dad from San Antonio, he will be here for a few days for the new year! I finally get to meet my only nephew out of 11 grandkids!!!

My LP gave me an early christmas present last night, a NEW CAMERA!! I am so excited, I've been taking tons of pictures and have only had it for one day! LOL I can't wait to do some scrapbooking after all this holiday mess is over with! Christmas is my favorite time of year, but man oh man, sometimes I just get myself into way more than I can handle, know what I mean jelly bean?!

Anywho, I have been anxiously waiting for this week since March, MY VACATION! It starts officially on the 23rd and lasts up to the 3rd of next year! So I am going to enjoy this time with my family and I will return with more projects to share next year. Can't wait to get started on Valentines goodies!

Until then, Happy Holiday and Happy New Year to you all!

The Paper Variety: Challenge Week 11

Hello fellow bloggers! I hope you all had a fantastic weekend! This week the challenge at the Paper Variety is super fun, I love all the entries so far! I can't wait to see which lucky blogger will win this time!

For my submission, I am sharing with you my Hershey's Nugget tins! I love these, they are the perfect little gift for a friend, co-worker, or teacher, and you can always alter the tins to whatever you like! For mine, I used patterned paper from the 'Tis the Season Stack from DCWV! I love this paper stack, everything coordinates and is so fun to use, did I mention I love it?!








Each tin holds 12 Hershey's Nuggets. For each tin, I used 2 or 3 different coordinating patterns. For the nuggets, each strip is cut 1" x 3". I tried using redline sticky tape, tape runner, and even glue dots to hold the nugget papers in place, but it did not want to hold! I eventually just ended up using Scotch tape to hold them in place, and hey, it worked! The paper wrapped around the tin is 3" x 9" and I used the scallop trim punch on each edge. I added some ribbon and a saying from the Tiny Treats Christmas Stamp Set and a tiny bell.

I made a total of 18 tins. I purchase my nugget tins here for a great price, they are a tinsy bit smaller than the ones from Papertrey Ink, but are less expensive and still fit 12 nuggets inside. I can't wait to give these out as gifts!

Thanks for stopping by, have a great week!

The Day After

I hope everyone had a fantastic thanksgiving holiday! I know I am still stuffed from all the great food that we made within our family! On Wednesday, we celebrated here at my house with a Ham dinner, and on Thursday, we visited both my mom and Angel's moms' houses for Turkey dinner! We sure ate a lot! (Or maybe just I did, owell, it was great!) I hope everyone enjoyed and is now ready to kick off the Christmas season!

Aspiring to Creativity is giving away some awesome blog candy, check it out and leave a comment, its a great lot of supplies!

I am going back in to work today, but just wanted to do a quick post to say hello and show some pictures from the last craft fair I did. This one was also a 3 day event at a local mall. This mall is a lot bigger than the last one I did, so I expected to make a killing, but unfortunately, I did not do so well. Everyone was going to the mall to do major shopping, but they were not exactly interested in anything that was being sold for the arts and crafts fair. I did okay, but I was definitely dissapointed in the outcome. Nonetheless, thank you to everyone who came out and supported me!

The table setup:


My life partner showing off the goodies. (He was with me the entire time, I can't thank him enough)




The jewelry:


Jewelry after adding prices tags


Cards, Nugget tins, Kids Treat Buckets, Rudolph Spares, gift tags and S'more kits!






Some Character Christmas cards, had to display these, came out really cute!


My earring stand. I love this idea, the rack is from Walmart, it is actually an organizer for kitchen pans!



I am going to do one last fair this year, but this one is going to be one day for a few hours at a local elementary school. I may need to lower prices a bit, I don't want to overcharge for a school. I definitely want to support them and hopefully I will make some good sales. I am excited to make some school related items to bring to the fair. I am going to be adding some cards and bookmarks, but I think that is it. Everything else I still have left over! This fair is on 12-3-10, so I will post pictures of that one when I am done there.

I hope everyone enjoys their weekend, bundle up, its getting colder!