Ponderings of a mother.... and Valentines!

Right now, it is 11:45 PM, and my 4th grader, Jake, is finishing up his book report.  I don't know if I'm being a good mom for making him do a good job, or if I'm being a bad mom for not letting him get a taste of failure for the lousy paragraph he wanted to turn in...  So I've just finished the book he had to read, while he finishes the last paragraph, and I decided to blog a few of my favorite Valentine's day cards from Leadership. 
***I realized when I read this later, that it might have sounded like I read the book for Jake.  I did not, but I usually do read the books they have to so I can help when they have questions.  Kids have a hard time deciding what's most important to put in a report, and so they either want to put everything in, or next to nothing.  If I've read the book, I can ask more questions, like, "Does that part affect the story's ending?"  I hope you aren't thinking I read the book so I could do the report for him.  He did a fair job; no A+, but I hope he learns to not procrastinate (even though I still do!)

 Look at this cutie!  I love how the hearts are stacked, and the green heart is cut in half for the leaves....so clever, how people see punches in a whole new way!

 The You're My Type stamp set is so cute!  I loved all the ways this set was featured.....It was one of those in the mini that really didn't call my name when I did my pre-order, but I may just have to order it before the mini catalog goes away...

 The above card is interesting, the little LOVE tag belongs clipped to the mini clothespin, but I think I am going to have to steal this idea somewhere down the road... 

And below, how cute is that Hershey's kiss?  Now that we live near Hershey, I may have to send out some belated Hershey kiss Valentine's, or save the idea for next year before we move away!  If you are wondering how to get that shape, it is done with the Build a Blossom punch.

 I have a few more samples that I got as swaps, but I didn't photograph them yet, so I may save them for next year! I'm still getting the hang of this blogging thing, and the holidays keep sneaking up on me! Luckily, I only have about 7 wonderful people that regularly check on my humble attempts, so for now I'm okay with my slow progress.... I'll get better; I promise.

Framelits Valentine

These Valentine Treats are quick and easy!  And oh so cute!
I made them using the largest Framelits Die in the Labels Collection.  I got the idea from the front cover of the Occasions Mini Catalog. 

Let me show you what holds the candies... First, take Stampin' Up!'s Clear Envelopes, seal them, and then CUT THEM IN HALF!  This gives you two little cello bags that are just the right width to fill out the treat holder.

Put 6 Hershey Kisses in the envelope half, and then roll it down a little, and staple it closed.

Next, cut out the framelits.  You can get 4 framelits from each sheet of DSP.  As you can see, the envelopes are wide enough to fill out the treat holder. 

Take a mini glue dot and attach it to the stapled side of the clear envelope.  Attach the envelope to the framelit to keep it from sliding out of the holder.

Punch a hole with the 1/16th punch.  Then curve the edges up, thread the holes with Linen Thread, and tie it closed.  Leave your linen thread some length so that you can later tie a bow.

Stamp the Hearts from the Take it to Heart stamp set, with Poppy Parade ink onto Very Vanilla cardstock.  Using the Hearts Collection Framelits, cut your hearts out. (sorry, I know that sounds bad). 

To make the tags, stamp love onto a scrap of very vanilla, then punch it out with the jewelry punch,  Put a hole in the tag to attach it with the linen thread.

I also punched a little hole into the largest heart, and threaded the linen thread through it to make the heart stand up.  This worked great, but I still added a drop of Tombow glue to keep it in place for the trip to San Antonio.  The little heart was added with a glue dot, and another heart attached from the Fashionable Hearts Embosslits.



Here is a side view, and you can scroll back up for the front view again.

If you place an order for the:
Hearts Collection Framelits - $26.95
Take it to Heart stamp set - $23.95

Then you will have earned a FREE Sale-a-Bration item, and can get that gorgeous DSP to make lots of Valentine treats this year!

You can order here, at my website.

Valentine's Treat Bags!

Last year, I went to Leadership Convention in Nashville, TN.  Right now I'm preparing to go in San Antonio (I leave next week!).  It is tradition to have some sort of gift for your roommates, so I decided to make my roommates each a goodie bag.  I used 2 Fancy Favor boxes, cut with my Big Shot, and stacked them.  The bottom one is Early Espresso cardstock, and the top is Early Espresso DSP from the Neutrals stack.  Each bag then had a Kit Kat, Hershey bar, Hershey w/almonds bar, Reese's PB cups, and a pack of Orbit gum.

I decorated all of the candies so the goodies could slide out.  This way they could eat the candy, and then take the sliders home and wrap them up again.  **I now know that Hershey has a policy on covering their candy items, so the bar that has just the HERS showing is against the rules...the entire logo must be covered, so now you know too!  Each bag had a tag made with the Big Shot and some chipboard.  I put their first initial on it too.  These tags came in handy when we all got our convention bags...we were able to put our tags on them to find them quickly.  I like the size of this bag, but be careful; it holds a lot!  Perhaps I'll make a few for teachers gifts this year....I know I always welcomed large amounts of chocolate when they came my way way back when I was a teacher! :)

Ingredients:  Stamp Set: Retired, and I sold it, so I don't remember...
Papers:  Early Espresso, Blushing Bride, and Very Vanilla cardstock, Neutrals paper stack, In-Colors paper stack
Ink: Early Espresso
Accessories:  Big Shot, Scallop Squares Duo die, Tasteful Trim die, Timeless Type Junior Alphabet dies, Modern Label punch, Decorative Label punch, Curly Lable punch,Scallop Edge Border punch, Designer Label punch (retired), Blushing Bride ribbon, jump rings (non-SU)

Artistic Etchings makes Masculine Valentine

Today's card, perfect for Valentines Day, is a good one for giving to that special fella in your world.  The DSP is retired, but you could substitute our Neutrals Designer Paper Stack, or our First Edition Specialty DSP (24 double-sided sheets for $12.95!)  But anyway, the special feature on this card is the ruffled ribbon...for this card I used Basic Black Satin ribbon.  I put a little SNAIL (SU's in-line adhesive) on the end of the ribbon and attach it to the back of the card.  Then, with a glue dot, make a fold and stick it down....I did this twice, adding two folds to the ribbon.  Then, because the card is black, It helps to have an insert on the inside of the card, so you can write something in.  I like this simple layout, and could probably show you about a dozen other cards with the same layout...but they look totally different because they use other colors and stamps.

                                                   

Ingredients: 

Stamps:  Artistic Etchings
Cardstock:  Basic Black, Sahara Sand, Very Vanilla, Retired DSP
Ink:  Basic Black (or Stazon Black), Sahara Sand
Accessories:  Basic Black Satin Ribbon

Valentine's Day is coming soon

Well, it seems that being back home did not help me to stick to my routine of updating my blog...  I am hoping to find my groove here soon.  I will be attending Stampin' Up!'s Leadership convention in San Antonio, and hope to come back with lots of ideas to share with you!  Today's card is inspired by a Valentine's Day card sent to me by my friend Sarah.  Sarah is a fellow paper-crafter, and also a moving mom, just like me.  I think she sent me the card a few years ago, and I liked it so well, I made up a bunch, and sent these out as my own the following year!  I would love to re-create this card, using only current SU products, but then you probably wouldn't see it for a few days, LOL.  If you have the 3 heart punch and some pretty papers, you can make this card!  I love the little oval hardware, but you can leave it off, and just stamp onto the paper if you'd like.  Keep It Simple, Sweetie!  And if you have the new Sizzix Adhesive Sheets, you can put a strip onto the back of your pretty papers, and punch them....you have stickers!  So fast!

Ingredients:  cardstock:  Naturals Ivory, Riding Hood Red

DSP:  retired, and I forget!

Ink:  Chocolate Chip (or it might be Close to Cocoa)

Stamps:  Teeny Tiny Wishes

Accessories:  3 heart punch, Large Oval punch Flowers Embossing Folder, HodgePodge Hardware (retired)