A new wall hangin

Would you look at this thing??  You have no clue how completely in love I am with my recent burst of creativity.  I've been working on updating some of the decor in my living room.  I've put up some of Stampin' Up!'s fabulous Decor Elements in a couple strategic places but until today, I haven't had a single handmade item up as part of my decor...until today!

I can't say this is a 100% original idea.  I've seen similar projects in magazines and all over the internet.  What I did was use my favorite Stampin' Up! supplies to create my very own decorative handmade masterpiece.

So here's the scoop on how I did it.  First, I punched a whole bunch of Small Hearts out of the First Edition Specialty Designer Series Paper and just one out of some Cherry Cobbler Prints Designer Series Paper.  I layed a piece of vellum paper over top of a grid sheet and strategically placed the hearts onto the vellum using a half of a Stampin' Dimensional behind each one to give it some pop and character.  Before inserting the vellum sheet into the frame, I added a sheet of card stock behind the vellum.  I wanted a little more pop of color.  The vellum over top of the card stock really did the trick.

And I liked it so much, I whipped up one whith a bit more color.  This one will hang in either my stamp room or my office.  If I can't decide, I may just make another one :)

Get creative!  Make something special that you can display everyday.  It doesn't have to be super fancy, just super special to you!!

Fresh Vintage Joy

Ever have one of those days where you get that random creative inspiration but then...nothing.  I sat in my craft room tonight for well over 3 hours stamp stamp stamping, paste paste pasting, rip rip ripping apart.  I was struggling to get "it" out on paper today.  I wasn't feeling the colors, I wasn't feeling the stamps. I just wasn't feeling a whole lot of anything.  And then...

I went up to the Cloud and pulled down some Adele.  Man, that woman has some serious pipes!  Just so soulful, emotional, and apparently rather inspirational.  I grabbed an upcoming Sale-A-Bration set called Fresh Vintage and went to town on a Joy Fold card.  The colors in this card are Lucky Limeaide, Pool Party and Soft Suede.  Soothing, no?  Finally, a card that makes me happy.  Took long enough! Sheesh!

So ultimately, this is a bit of a sneak peek of Saturday's Thank You Uniquely class. Not only is it a Joy Fold, it's also a bit of a One Sheet Wonder. Oh, I also was able to incorporate Stampin' Up!'s new Large Pearls that made their debut in the 2012 Occasions Mini Catalog. So take that Lack-of-Inspiration Gremlin!  I have tunes :-)

Let it snow already!!

It was 60 degrees in Chicago yesterday on the 6th of January.  Seriously? Don't get me wrong.  If this is the worst of the winter, I'm all for it.  But being that I've lived here most of my life, I know darn good and well, we're going to get smacked...hard.  I just really just wish Mother Nature would just get on with it.  So in the meantime, I use Stampin' Up! to help will on the snow and real winter weather.

Shaker Frames (124155) were introduced in the 2011 Holiday Mini Catalog.  I love them.  I think they're pretty nifty.  They are double sided foam adheisve circles that allow you to make neat little shakers like the one pictured on the right.  Cover with a window sheet and fill with your favorite shakey stuff - glittler, beads, buttons.  The sky is the limit!  I wonder if I just sit here and shake this little snow globe enough the sky might actually open up and blanket my yard with a layer of white??

Materials
Stamps - Sweet Snowglobe (120868)
Card Stock - Whisper White, Marina Mist
Ink - Versa Mark, Marina Mist Classic Ink
Accessories - Shaker Frames, 1-3/4" Circle Punch, Silver Stampin' Emboss Powder, Window Sheet, Mica Flakes (Retired), Big Shot, Northern Flurry Textured Impressions Embossing Folder

Roses are Red...

I am in love with the paper roses I've been making for quite some time out of the Stampin' Up! ornament punch.  I've updated my original tutorial published on my old blog and wanted to share it again here.  These flowers are so quick and easy.  I enjoy making these while watching a little TV.  It's three dimensional punch art.  I totally love it!!

Go ahead and click on the link below to download the instructions.  When you make your paper roses, send me a photo to share on my blog.  You might also get a little surprise from me :)

Ornament Punch Rose

The Occasions Mini Catalog is here!!

Valentine Punch Art Anybody?

Anyone who has stamped with me for any length of time knows there are two holidays I just don't stamp for...Halloween and Valentines' Day.  I have nothing against Halloween. It's one of my favorites, actually. I think my issue is that by the time October rolls around, I'm so entrenched in Christmas there's just not time for ghosts and pumpkins.  Valentines' Day is another issue entirely.  I'm a lot like Cupid's Scrooge.  "Bah Humbug," I say to hearts and love and all that nonsense.  Shouldn't we be celebrating the people we love all through the year instead of on one miserable day when you can't find a seat in the movies and the only restaurant with an available seat is the run down little neighborhood shack with questionable sanitation practices?  Come on, folks! You can find heart shaped boxes of chocolate and roses by the dozen in April, August, and November, too!  However...

It's the New Year and I've decided to branch out and try something new...conformity!  Yes, it's happening.  I'm stamping for Valentines' Day this year!!  Full disclosure, I'm stamping for V-Day with an ulterior motive.  In several of my classes and clubs lately, we've talked about getting a new punch art class on the calendar.  So, I combine conformity and customer interest to give you Punch Me Out, Valentine!

Punch Me Out, Valentine will teach you how to make 6 adorable punch art "creatures" all from current Stampin' Up! punches, dies and colors.  Each punch creation will be used to create a unique project with a Valentines' Day theme.  No, the world hasn't stopped spinning. It's really happening!

Sunday, January 29
Starting promptly at Noon
Plan to spend 4 hours in this class
Cost - $20 for Korner Klub Members (hostess or fully paid technique klubs), $24 for all others
Please bring - Liquid glue (Tombo Mono Multi Adhesive recommended), Paper Snips, and rested hands!
RSVP no later than January 24
Register on my Meetup page here --> http://www.meetup.com/kellistamps4u/events/46538762/
  or by sending me an email

New Year Faux Tile

Happy New Year, folks!  I hope everyone had a safe and festive ringing in of 2012.  I spent the evening with some great friends and had a truly remarkable time.  As the first day of 2012 winds to a close, I wanted to share a remarkable card that I'll be demonstrating tomorrow during my Technique Notebook 3 class.  This card is made using a technique called Faux Tile.  It's a great techniqe that I've used often to create some fabulous cards.

My Technique Notebook classes run in three month groups.  We learn 4 new techniques each month and at the end of the session, we've got a fabulous notebook we can use as reference for the 12 great techniques we've learned.  We are currently right in the middle of the third technique notebook. Tomorrow is our next class and we'll be learning 4 awesome background techniques, Faux Tile being one of them. Technique Notebook 4 starts in March.

Off to bed with me.  Enjoy a little inspiration today and always.  New year.  New learnings. New adventures!