Create with Connie and Mary-Favorite NEW Product!

Hello friends! Welcome to a new year and new projects and inspiration! So excited to have you joining us every Saturday for 2021. Wishing you and your family all the best as we kick off 2021 with a renewed spirit and intention. My theme for 2021 is Make it Happen. I have big goals to accomplish this year!

Our first weekly theme is FAVORITE NEW PRODUCT! I have to say, it was almost hard to pick because there are just so many fabulous items in the new January to June Catalogue (or the JJ catty as some are calling it!).

I landed on the Fine Art Floral Suite. Florals just have so much potential as you can use them on every single theme in one way or another. I wanted to kick off my first project share in the Create with Connie & Mary Hop with a great gift or home decor idea using this suite.

I can often find these rustic frames with the built in clip at Homesense. I snatch them up whenever I can find them! They are perfect for embellishing with your favorite stamps!

I started with a large base of DSP from the Fine Art Floral collection and layered on a mat of Poppy Parade. I stamped the flowers from the Art Gallery stamp set in two colors for each flower. The large bloom is actually designed to work this way as there are two separate stamps. The cluster of blooms is only a single stamp with one extra stamp for layering. I decided to use a marker to tap on a darker color.

I used the colors in the DSP to guide the colors I used for the flowers. The flowers in this DSP were actually hand painted on a canvas! I love this paper especially the sheets that look like paint smeared on canvas, so I chose that piece to stamp my sentiment “You Make the World...” in Versamark with Gold Embossing Powder.

The sentiment is from the Beautiful World stamp set in the Annual Catalogue.

I added some Wink of Stella on top of the flowers for a little shimmer!

The Art Gallery stamp set only has one stem image so I stamped it in Old Olive ink on the same color card stock and then cut it apart to look more like leaves. The Fine Art Floral ribbon was also perfect to layer behind sentiment (cut with Stitched Circle Dies) to continue the gold theme on this project.

I stamped “You are Lovely” in Old Olive Ink on the coordinating card stock and cut it with a die from the Floral Gallery Dies. I added a couple more flowers underneath the sentiment.

After I took this picture I thought…it needs something! So I went back and cut the word “friend” in Gold Foil paper using the Well Written Dies (see the first picture to notice the addition!).

I was so happy to give this gift to my friend Tammy. We met on the Alaskan Incentive Trip and have kept in touch ever since. This is a picture of us on the Greek Isles Incentive Trip in the infamous Hospitality Room. I absolutely LOVED this trip and am keeping every body part of mine crossed that we can see each other again in Maui this spring!

I can’t wait to see the other members of the Design Team are sharing a their favorite new products. You can go BACK to see what Melissa has designed and NEXT to see what Connie has created! Please feel free to shop with me if you live in Canada! All of these new and amazing products will be available on January 5th. If you live in Canada you can shop my Online Store or use my Hostess Code at any time!

A Card a Day in December--Day #27

Hello friends! Well I am officially shifting gears from Christmas to New Years and am going to share some New Years projects now through Dec 31st. I am sure we will all be happy to say goodbye to 2020. It was a year of trials and tribulations and SO MANY AWESOME THINGS!! I think there are many things that are better and improved in my life! I hope you have a few of those things to add to your list too when reflecting on 2020.

I made this cute, STAMP FREE, celebration wand with my team at our last zoom party!

Some people call them lolli’s, some people call them rosettes, but no matter what you call them they are a just FUN!

Because this is a stamp free project it could be a great idea to make a version to create with your team in the future!

I started with two strips of 2 1/4 x 11 Smoky Slate card stock that I scored at 1/2 increments. You may have a slight piece to trim off at the end. Attach these two strips together with a strong adhesive. Now you should have one long strip of accordion style card stock.

HOT TIP: I think this tip might actually change your life (bold statement right?) as far as rosette assembly goes! Once you have your rosette scored, heat your hot glue gun. You will need a silicone mat. Pinch your paper closed as tight as you can and put a big glob of hot glue on the end of the squashed card stock—-as shown below and press the hot glue into the silicone mat to set. Once set remove and the glue will help your rosette stay flat (once you push the center).

You will also want to reinforce your rosette with a circle on the front and back.

After your have your basic rosette constructed you can decorate as your heart desires! Because I wanted to celebrate the NEW YEAR with my team and I wanted them to play with new stuff I decided to use the Snail Mail Designer Series paper from the upcoming January to June Mini Catalogue (or the JJ Catty as its been nicknamed).

I started with a large circle in Silver Foil and then layered a circle from the Snail Mail DSP.

I cut the ‘hello’ from the DSP! Isn’t that fun?

The label that 2021 is on is from the Potted Succulent Dies and the numbers are cut in Mint Macaron card stock using the Playful Alphabet Dies and Foam Adhesive sheets with some Wink of Stella on top (of course!)

I tied some ribbons around the handle (a basic dowel that is hot glued in place) to fancy it up and voila! The cutest little rosette you ever did see to welcome in 2021!

A Card a Day in December--Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas everyone! May your heart be full and full of gratitude for all that you have. I hope you all have a lovely holiday.

Now that my kids are getting a bit older I am taking some joy in creating a fancier Christmas table. This year I was inspired to make some personalized boxes for each person’s place setting. I am hoping to use these for a few years to come and will include a special gift inside each year.

I used the mini pizza boxes and created a wrap using the Heartwarming Hugs Designer Series paper. It is snug enough to stay on but easy enough to slip off and on.

I used the Wreath Builder dies in Mossy Meadow and Old Olive for the wreath and then added a banner in Real Red card stock. I cut everyone’s names with the Playful Alphabet dies and Foam Adhesive sheets. I added some sparkle with my Wink of Stella pen on top.

I wanted the mini pizza boxes to double as a gift card holder. We have entered that season of parenting when our kids have moved beyond toys and are happy to get clothes and gift cards. So each person will get a final gift card when we enjoy our family meal.

It easily attached the gift card with a glue dot and can reuse the lid again and again to add a gift card.

I am hoping this will become a new family tradition. I told my hubby to buy me a gift card and then had Summer sneak it inside so it will even be a bit of a surprise for me too!

I love personalized gifts and I think my kids will be excited to see their names on something!

I hope you are inspired! These could make cute place settings for any holiday occasion!

A Card a Day in December--Day #20

Hey friends! Today I decided to take a break from cards and show you some cute little stocking stuffers I made for my kids and hubby. We are some serious hot chocolate and chocolate lovers over here so I dressed up some fun treats Stampin’ style!

Thank you for visiting my blog today, my 20th share this month!

The mini acetate boxes fit a Keurig pod perfectly and I was able to find some hot chocolate ones..the best part is the color coordinates perfectly with the Heartwarming Hugs suite! It is the little things!

This suite is one of my favorites and one that I will keep around for future projects. I just love how the Warm Wraps dies have so many layering combinations.

The Warm Hugs stamp set is perfect for all of your latte, coffee and hot chocolate giving needs.

And really, what is cuter than a mini coffee cup?

If you do not have the Press On stamp set—add it to your shopping cart! It is the perfect accompaniment to this suite!

The Rectangular Tins are the perfect size to hold some chocolates! I added the Heartwarming Hugs Designer Series paper to the inside and outside of the tin and was able to round the edges with the Detailed Trio Punch.

I tied it shut with a little bit of Real Red Braided Linen Trim.

The Warm Hugs stamp set has a variety of sentiments and works fantastically with its partner stamp set Wrapped in Christmas.

I really enjoyed making these fun little treats to add to my families stockings!

A Card a Day in December--Day #17

Happy Thursday! I am so excited to share this fun combo project with you today! It is a cute decorated pizza box with a mini card and a gift card all inside! Talk about a small package packing a big punch! This is my 18th share in my A Card a Day in December, I hope you are enjoying everything I have shared so far.

I started by decorating the mini pizza box with a piece of designer series paper from the Heart Warming Hugs collection. I added a belly band of Mossy Meadow card stock with the cute little mini cups from the Warm Hugs stamp set stamped in the same ink color. When making a belly band you want it to be snug enough to stay on but loose enough to slip off and on (it would be sad if the recipient had to rip it off to get at what is inside).

I punched a 2 1/4 inch circle in Pear Pizzaz card stock and ran it through the Wrapped in Texture Embossing folder.

The little cup is from the Press On stamp set and is hand cut. I added a little decorative detail to the cup with a piece of DSP and some light coloring with the light Smoky Slate Stampin’ Blend marker.

The sentiment is stamped in Soft Suede ink on Crumb Cake card stock from the Warm Hugs stamp set.

On the inside I made a cute little 3x3 card with matching envelope. It has a Crumb Cake layer that is also embossed with the Wrapped in Texture embossing folder and another strip of DSP.

The to go cup is also from the Press On stamp set and looks cute with a little DSP coffee cozy on it. I added “I Like You a Latte” on Crumb Cake with a bit of marker spritz.

The 3x3 mini envelope is dressed up with a trio of little coffee cups!

The card is designed to fit in the bottle of the pizza box and the top of the lid has a gift card—a coffee one of course!

If you are looking for a last minute gift for a teacher, neighbor, or coworker I think this would be an easy yet adorable gift left on someone’s door step or mailbox.

Thank you so much for checking out my projects so far this month!