A 'wreath' card

I love it when a stamp set can serve multiple purposes.  Such is the case with the Delicate Doilies stamp set (p. 127 IBAC) and the Hello, Doily large stamp (same page).
Here's my take on a card I saw Dawn Olchefske make.

See how the doily becomes a wreath?  Love it!
I used Garden Green and Cherry Cobbler CS, along with Whisper White.

Use the larger scalloped square on the 2 squares die for the main focal piece.

Place your CS just partway into the embossing folder (Petals-a-Plenty/#116824).
Tip:
This is a top-fold card.  The card is opened up all the way and just the end of the top layer is inserted into the embossing folder.  You can't see it in the photo, but the back of my card is outside the embossing folder, hanging down.

It will leave a tiny line where the edge of the embossing folder was, but don't worry.  This will be covered up by your 1 1/4 X 4 1/4" strip of DSP.  I used Frostwood Lodge.

...and there you have it --- a quick and simple card to make for the holidays!  Happy stamping!

Side notes:
I had my party yesterday.  We had a good time.  We actually made this card as one of the projects.  Everyone did a good job.  Yes, I'm tired today but it's fun to entertain friends during the Christmas season.  They really liked the punch!  I decorated my punch bowl with Decor Elements.  I mostly use it at Christmas time, so I'll leave it decorated for now.
My party could have been a total disaster because, the night before the party, I had a terrible accident.  We went to the store and I was loading all the juices into the fridge in my studio, to be chilled for the party.  I dropped the large can of pineapple juice.  It landed so hard on my left foot (big toe area, of course) that it actually bounced up and came down onto my right foot --- right onto my bunion.  It hurt so much, I actually cried.  My big toe areas on both feet are pretty black now.  I will spare you any ugly photos:)  I was in a lot of pain at the party, but came through it.

Sunset Punch Recipe:
1 can frozen pink lemonade (add water as directed)
1 can frozen orange juice (add water as directed)
1 can pineapple juice
1 bottle cranberry juice
2 large bottles ginger ale
(ALL INGREDIENTS ARE CHILLED AHEAD OF TIME.)
Right before serving, add dollops of raspberry sherbet to float on top.

Speaking of embossing and party punch...
You can emboss your napkins, too!  This is quick and easy and a big hit at the party.

UPS --- Yay!!!
The doorbell just rang.  It was the fast 'jab and run' doorbell chime of the UPS man.  Yay!  This time, he was bringing my MDS projects I had printed.  They all turned out great!!!  If you haven't tried the My Digital Studio program yet, you really should.  You can go to the website (click on MDS image on the left side of my blog) and learn more about the program, as well as see some of the projects I've made using MDS.  It's so much fun and saves a ton of time.  Once you have projects printed, you can always add more embellishments to satisfy that need for extra goodies.

Happy stamping!

December 12 and counting...

On, Dasher!

Reminder:
DON'T FORGET TO SEND ME AN RSVP THAT YOU'RE ATTENDING MY PARTY THIS SUNDAY!!!  I WILL HAVE A MAKE AND TAKE FOR EVERYONE + A BONUS MAKE AND TAKE PROJECT FOR THOSE WHO RSVP.
EVERYONE GETS TO PLAY CHRISTMAS BINGO.  I WILL HAVE GAMES AND PRIZES, REFRESHMENTS, DISPLAYS TO INSPIRE YOU, CHRISTMAS CANDLES AND MUSIC AND MY CHRISTMAS BOUTIQUE.  PLEASE COME!!!

Today's post is one of my favorite projects from a couple of years ago.  Last year, I updated the background.  I'd used wrapping paper when I first made it because the box is much larger than our 12 X 12" sheets of DSP.  Last year, when Stampin' Up! came out with our fabric line, I recovered the back (inside) with our fabric.  It makes a great look.  For the snow, I used bags of filler from a craft store.  I then liberally sprinkled it with our Dazzling Diamonds glitter and it really looks like sparkly snow.  Sorry for the reflections and a few background distortions.  It's almost impossible to get a good shot of a project when it's behind glass.  I hope this gives you the idea.  Although the Dasher DE is retired, you can still get the a l carte stamp for Dasher.  He looks great embossed, too!  He is truly a noble creature.

I hope your holiday preparations are proceeding nicely and that you've been able to craft up some Christmas joy.  Happy stamping!

December 7 and counting...

Stampin' Up'! to the rescue for a great party!

Tomorrow, I'll be posting the first of my 'White Christmas' projects.  I can't wait to share them with you.  But first, let's finish up some Halloween projects I wanted you to see.

When I found out the boys would be visiting here right before Halloween, I wanted to plan a special party for them.  Since Benjamin can't really enjoy Trick or Treating due to his food allergies, I wanted to plan a special party for them that would last throughout their entire visit.  I used many Stampin' Up! products to help me create the games and activities.
We had a Bingo game, an Eyeball Toss, a Bat Fling, a Rat Race, a Fishing in the Witch Bog, a game of Boo, a ghost scavenger hunt, a Get to the Bat Cave game, masks to paint and lots more.  I had prizes along the way and kept them quite busy.  Notice the Decor Elements on the game of Boo.  I made up the game using the decor pieces.  They are attached to a heavy vinyl piece and I just rolled it up to save it for next year.  We had so much fun and created some special memories.  Maybe some of these ideas will inspire you in planning your next party.
Tip:  I ran out of time to sew beanbags, so I had my husband stop by the pet store and get the pumpkins, bats, eyeballs, rats and a spider.  Toby Joe seemed a little distressed that he didn't get them all for toys but he enjoyed watching the boys play with them.

Boo...

Pumpkin Pail Toss...

Taking a break...

mummy wrap:)

Fish the Witch Bog...

Eyeball Fling...

Add in a pumpkin or two...

Bat/spider Fling...

Sheer joy!!!

Find the Bat Cave...

Bingo cards / planning a marker project...

Olive Jane takes a break with her Uncle Chris...

We even had time for 'Boo at the Zoo.'

Aaron had this entire conversation with the pumpkin.  It was hilarious! 

All in all, a super fun series of activities!!!

Be sure to check back tomorrow for the first of my 'White Christmas' projects I'll be sharing!

Have a great day!

More Halloween Fun!

I am still working on more Spice Cake projects and will have more to post soon, but let's take a break from it today so I can share some of my recent Halloween projects with you.

Are you thirsty?  How about an eyeball martini?  Sometimes it's just fun to do something silly:)

We don't need olives for these martinis, just use an eyeball for each:)

When my grandsons were visiting, Benjamin finished up a jar of mandarin oranges.  As I was rinsing it out, I realized that it was never destined for the recycle bin.  What a cute little jar this is!  I knew I would have to decorate it.  If you're hungry, there are more eyeballs inside!

Don't forget that you can emboss your little coctail napkins.  How fun is that!  It's difficult to get a good photo of it, but the entire spider web is clearly etched into the smooth part of the napkin.

I can't seem to stop making these medallions.  With our new scoring tool, they are so quick and easy.  You'll be seeing lots more projects with medallions!

I made a couple of decorated plates using our Decor Elements.  Shelli had the cat on an oval platter on her blog and I loved it.  I already had a round plate and realized that the cat would fit perfectly on it.

I wanted a bit of bling on mine, so I added our rhinestones to his eyes.

A few days after I'd made my Scaredy Cat project, I received my Stampin' Success magazine in the mail.  It's our magazine for demonstrators and is a real perk for being a demo.  They had this owl project that I just loved.  I literally brought the magazine in from my mailbox, sat down and read it and came immediately to my studio to make my own version.  There are mini rhinestones all around the outside of the plate.

I added rhinestones to his eyes, too. 

The Stampin' Success project had a little medallion over his heart but I decided to make a larger one and put it on his tummy.  The 'happy halloween' is embossed with our new pewter EP.  You saw it in an earlier post on my owl card that we made at my Team Meeting.  I added 1 more touch of bling on the medallion.

Important info:
You'll find the Scaredy Cat on page 228 in our Idea Book and Catalog.  It comes in a group of fun Halloween Decor Elements that includes 2 spiders and 2 more Halloween greetings.  It's only $11.95 and comes in black or pumpkin pie.
You'll find the owl in the Holiday Mini on page 13.  It comes in a Decor Elements group of 7 pieces, including a large limb (so your owl can perch on it), a Halloween sign and more spiders!!!  The set is called Out on a Limb.