Beachin' Ornaments

I said in my last post that I was busy making all kinds of holiday things while I was at the beach house.  For the Sacramento Scrapbook Expo we will be having another Stampin' Up! booth. Our design plan includes cards, 3-d projects, home and holiday decor, and pages all in three sections, Candy Cane dsp and fabric, Deck the Halls dsp and fabric, and Love Letter dsp. We will be including several Christmas trees.  One of which will feature the Deck the Halls dsp, fabric, color palette, and complimenting stamp sets and accessories. My ornament in today's post is one of a bunch. They were quick and easy and made from scrap strips. I love, love, love the glass shard glitter star and the pinned on tag. Those two touches really "sold" the look for me. Check the glitter out in the Holiday Mini Catalog; it's a great price!
 

One picture was taken out on the ocean beach side of the house so I had proof that it was made by the sea. The other was taken on the street side of the beach house. I took it there so you could see how it hangs.

One Last Treat!

Here is the last Halloween treat for the season. I made bunches of projects this year and have shared most of them over the past few months. I used the Matchbox die for the Big Shot as the base for this treat. I added a stamped greeting and a bow for a fast finish. I am happy with the greeting and it's striking softness (if that is even possible). I stamped the greeting on Whisper White, punched it out using the Wide Oval Punch and then sponged Pumpkin Pie ink around the edges and into the center. I think sponging is an easy technique that can easily go wrong. What I mean is I try to avoid getting blotchy spots by starting to sponge off the edge of the piece in a circling motion and work onto the piece toward the center. This is a sure way to get a more sophisticated and polished look.

Over the past three weeks I have been busy at the beach. I have been at Capistrano Beach all month and have made lots of Christmas things. But get this, not one of them is a card. I have made lots of ornaments, a gorgeous paper wreath, a stack of cute boxes, and even a garland. I have not shared them on my blog just yet because when I get home I want to add a few finishing details to take the projects to the "next level." Look for them next week.

So Fast & Fabulous

I added part of the Spooky Things Decor Elements to a white 8" x 10" frame and in less than three minutes had a great finished project. I used a piece of Nite Owl dsp as the backdrop and added a few basic rhinestones for sparkle.  For the raven to fit under the greeting just right I trimmed about a 1/2" off the bottom of the dsp before I cut it to the 8" x 10" piece to fit the frame. The grey pattern circle was punched using the 2 1/2" circle punch.

Shop the Clearance Rack and Save

The Clearance Rack is a great place for you to discover discontinued Stampin' Up! merchandise for fantastic prices. You can get preferred pricing if you order Clearance Rack items from my Demonstrator Business Web Site. You'll get the lowest shipping cost, lowest price, as well as earn hostess benefits/Stampin' Rewards for qualifying orders. Nothing beats ordering from my DBWS!

A New Take on a French Board

My friend Tami W. made this very awesome memo board. A while back we made one together to fill a hole in our Expo booth. We used a stretched canvas as a base for the board. We first painted the canvas with an inexpensive Apple Barrel paint and then added a little bit of stenciling. Once everything was dry we stretched a variety of ribbons around the front of the canvas. On the back we tacked the ribbon with a stapler and at each crosspoint we added a brad as a finishing detail. The brads are just pushed right through the canvas and then opened in the back. For this memo board Tami used the Deck the Halls fabric to make her flowers. The finished board is super gorgeous. You could make a larger one or a series of three to show off all your Christmas cards.

A Vintage Softness

The Deck the Halls dsp and Greeting Card Kids stamp set totally blend well to create a soft and gentle vintage style. I selected my cardstock colors, Crumb Cake and Always Artichoke, to match with the colors in the dsp.  A touch of green seam binding and a antique brad are fun accessories which enhance the vintage flair. But, my favorite finish to this card is the greeting. I used an image from the Bells and Boughs stamp set tucked in the bottom right to seal the vintage deal.

Halloween Goodies

A perfect purple Halloween color from Stampin' Up! is Rich Razzleberry. Pull some out to add to your projects. I don't know who is going to get this candy bar, but they better offer an awesome trick for this treat.