I have been sitting here AMAZED at how quickly the retiring Sizzix dies are going on the Discontinuing List!

And then I looked at the Clearance Rack and saw that the Stampin’ Up! Sizzix ‘Look Here’ die was still available!  I feel very bad–I just told someone who emailed me a few weeks ago, that we didn’t carry it anymore! Now I have guilt!!!

So the moral to this story is that while you are checking out the Discontinued lists… be sure to check out Stampin’ Up!’s clearance rack for things you miss but SU still has inventory in. There are some awesome deals there!  And don’t forget my online order special through the end of May… earn 20% back on your online purchases towards an order in the new catalog… read all about it here!

How did I make this card? CLICK HERE for the video on how to work with the ‘Look Here’ die by Sizzix, made exclusively for Stampin’ Up!  and by the way, the snowflake punch used in this card is retiring with this catalog… but good news, the stamp set, Delightful Decorations,  and coordinating punch is staying!

This set Pennant Parade (#122740 wood & #122742 clear) is primarily a birthday set but I got this idea Terry Wise in the 2011 Founder’s Circle Swap, where she uses a pennant stamp and the punch to make a Christmas tree… don’t you just love people who can think out of the box like that?!

The pennant was stamped three times in Old Olive on Old Olive cardstock and punched out with the ‘Petite Pennants Builder‘ punch (Order #122361) and glued back to back… well, actually each punched pennant was folded in half and glued side to side to side and the back consists of the left side of the left triangle and the right is the right side of the right triangle.  The colors are Old Olive and Real Red.

I punched out the greetings with the Jewelry Tag (Order #117190) and the narrow grosgrain ribbon is Old Olive.

Here’s another sample using the ‘Pines & Poinsettias’ stamp set… this one holds a gift card, sneakily tucked away under the front cover!

I love the natural colors… more than the traditional red & green.

I did a step by step photo tutorial to explain how it was put together, but it is basically folding in the front flap inside and then punching a slit and then tacking it down.  I’ll show you in the next four photos…

1. Fold in the front flap of the card and then open it
2. With the front flap open, punch a slit with the Word Window punch (you’ll have to punch it in the middle and then slightly to the left and then slightly to the right to make it as wide as you need)
3. Glue the sides down and make sure you don’t put glue in front of the slit or your gift card will get stuck (LOL!)
4. Press the front flap closed and you can see that you can fit a half of a gift card in it.  You will cover the gift card with a front panel (in this case, the red layer).

The cutting measurements and links to buy the accessories are below.  And right now (as this article is being published) there is a special going on in the ‘Clearance Rack‘ on my online store, up to 80% off select products… which means you have permission to take a moment and buy yourself some Christmas presents!

Pines & Poinsettias stamp set* (#123762 wood, #123764 clear)
*This is a limited edition Holiday Mini Catalog set (available only until Jan. 3, 2012
Accessories:
5 ½ x 8 ½  Crumb Cake cardstock #120953
5 ½ x 1 inch Early Espresso cardstock #119686
2 ½ x 3 ½ Vanilla cardstock #101650
2 ¾ x 3 ¾ Cherry Cobbler cardstock #119685
3 ½ x 3 ½ inch Cherry Cobbler cardstock #119685 for punching
3 x 3 Vanilla cardstock #101650 for stamping
1 3/8th inch jumbo circle #119860; 2 3/8th inch Scallop Circle #118874; Word Window punch #119857; Crumb Cake Classic Ink #121030, Sponge Daubers #102892, Glue Dots, Dimensionals™, Spice Cake Designer Buttons #124113, Very Vanilla 1/8th inch Taffeta Ribbon #119960
——-Sizzix ———————–
Sizzix Embossing Folders –
   Northern Flurry folder #120902
   Finial Press folder #115963
Sizzix Die Cutting Machine #113439, two clear cutting pads

Okay, I am still contemplating this as my Christmas card… I say ‘contemplating’ because I have yet to actually take action… and since it is about 10 days from Christmas (and even fewer days before *mail* will arrive to people in time for Christmas, I think I’m in big trouble, LOL!

But I promise you that this card is simple… and it is hard to tell from the picture, but the card is Whisper White and there is a second layer that is 3 3/4 x 5 and then a third layer (raised embossed with the Finial press folder) on top of that (popped up with Dimensionals).  The white ribbon is across the seam of the top layers and the bottom–and the greeting is on the bottom. Any horizontal greeting will do, and I think a good ‘Happy Holiday’s’ may suffice for my non-religious friends (if I can locate one!).

I do punch the ornament opening and then stamp the pinecones through it… it isn’t hard to do, but if you mess up, you can stamp it on a 2 x 2 inch white square and slip it under the punched layer (no one will be able to see!).  Takes the pressure off of getting it right each time… so what do you think?

Pines & Pointsettias (#123762 wood, #123764 clear) from the Holiday Mini Catalog (ends Jan 2nd)
Accessories:
5 ½ x 8 ½ Whisper White cardstock
3 ¾ x 5 Whisper White cardstock
3 ½ x 3 ½ Whisper White cardstock
Stampin’ Write Markers: Always Artichoke, Choc. Chip, Cherry Cobbler; Always Artichoke Classic ink; White Satin Ribbon 15” #114616; Ornament Punch #119847; Dimensionals™ #104430; Dazzling Details (glitter glue) #124117
——–Sizzix————
Finial Press embossing folder #115963; Sizzix Die Cutting Machine, Multi-purpose platform; Two clear cutting pads

If you hold down the SHIFT and click on the image, you can view it in a new window at full size (bypassing my lightbox plugin.  And as a bonus,  CLICK for larger left layout | CLICK for larger right layout

Happy December 1st!

And to celebrate 24 more days until Christmas, I am sharing a 2 page Christmas scrapbook layout with you.  All the materials used are listed below.

Holly Berry Bouquet Specialty Designer Series Paper #124004, Builder Stocking punch #124095,  Very Vanilla 12×12, Garden Green cardstock 12×12, Chocolate Chip cardstock 12×12, Cherry Cobbler cardstock, Doily Triple Layer punch #122465, 2 3/8″ Scallop Circle Punch #118874, Decorative Label punch #120907, XLarge Oval punch #119859, Eyelet Border Punch #119853, Northern Flurry textured embossing folders #120902, Sizzix machine w/multipurpose platform and two cutting plates #113439, Real Red 1/8th inch Taffeta ribbon #119251

And in the spirit of the holiday season, Stampin’ Up!  believes in making a difference in the lives of others–whether they’re demonstrators, employees, the people who use our products, or children in need of a way to express their creativity.

Since 2005, Stampin’ Up! has been honored to participate in the TODAY Show’s Holiday Toy Drive. This year, Stampin’ Up! will be donating over $500,000 worth of stamping and paper crafting products to the following organizations:

• Action for Boston Community Development Inc.
• Alliance for Children’s Rights
• Boys & Girls Clubs Harford County
• Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of New York
• Community Partners of Dallas – Rainbow Room
• Diocese of Saint Augustine
• Friendship Project
• Help USA
• Interfaith Nutrition Network (INN)
• Kids In Need Foundation
• National Council of Jewish Women, Cleveland Section – The Dignity Project
• Operation Homefront
• Puerto Rican Family Institute
• St. Luke’s Roosevelt Hospital
• Stephen Siller Foundation/Katrina Fund
• Welcome House
• Youthbuild USA

In conjunction with the donation, Stampin’ Up!’s Shelli Gardner will make an appearance on NBC’s TODAY Show on Tuesday, December 6. We are honored and excited to once again participate in this annual holiday tradition of giving back and making a difference!

This ‘stair step’ card made with the Christmas Lodge set is simple and pretty–and a major WOW in the 3D Christmas card department.

If you are reading this via email, you won’t be able to see the fabulous video that I created to show you how it was made.  BUT you can download the photo step-by-step instructions for this card (below).  If you are reading this via email, you can view the video in the article online here.

NEW– for a limited time, you can get the kit of supplies (pre-cut cardstock and embellishments) for this AND three other projects FREE for your $75 online order (Americans only, sorry!).  In fact there are a few different projects to choose from. Read all about this offer and get the project sets and required accessories HERE.

I just love these colors… Crumb Cake/Soft Suede/Black for a homespun Christmas card look.

The ‘metal’ embossed look is achieved by inking the relief (or raised impression) side of the embossing folder with a Whisper White Crafters Ink pad before running it through the Sizzix die cutting machine.

I have included the materials and measurements and have conveniently linked the materials to my store… hey, you can’t fault a girl for trying!

Set: The Sounding Joy (#121967 wood, 121979 clear)
Accessories:
5 ¼ x 10 ½ Crumb Cake cardstock (folds to Square)
4 ½ x 4 ½ Soft Suede cardstock
4 ¼ x 4 ¼ Basic Black cardstock
4 1/8 x 4 1/8 Crumb Cake cardstock
3 1/8 x 3 1/8 Soft Suede cardstock
3 x 3 Crumb Cake cardstock
Soft Suede Classic Ink Pad, Black StazOn™ Ink, Black Satin Ribbon 15”
Dimensionals™, Whisper White crafters ink
5 1/2 x 5 1/2 Square Envelopes
——–Sizzix————
Vintage Wallpaper embossing folder #120175
Sizzix Die Cutting Machine, Multi-purpose platform, Two clear cutting pads

I seriously LOVE this bird!  The set is the new ‘Beautiful Season’ (W #122680, C # 122682) from the 2011-12 Idea Book & Catalog but I do love birds anyway.

The awesome paper is ‘Frostwood Lodge’ from the Holiday Mini Catalog.  I was able to use the three different large plaids to make 108 of these cards.  The magic of it is that I am using only 2 inches by 4 inches of the designer paper on the front.

The Eboneezer method to making a holiday card (i.e., maximizing the materials).  The  ‘white’ layer in the background (on top of the card) is 2 1/2 x 4 inches of white cardstock pressed with Finial press Sizzix embossing folder.  It adds texture and, even better, I can get 8 of this size layer from one piece of cardstock with minimal waste.

And, as I said before, the plaid paper cut at 2 x 4, you get 18 per 12 x 12 sheet.  If you are doing the math, that leaves a space of about 1/2 inch between the top layer and the bottom one and I covered it with the 5/8th inch satin ribbon.  Aren’t I just SO resourceful?!

Oh, and did I mention, these are my Founder’s Circle swap.

This totally AMAZING catalog is here!!!  And there are just TOO MANY awesome things to say about it.  CLICK HERE for the supplies used in the samples on each catalog page.

BOOK YOUR IN-HOME workshop now!  Use my online booking calendar and invite me to meet your friends for a special total hands-on ladies night out.  My online calendar has my availability–coordinate with your friends first–and then book me and I’ll call you when I get your date!

The new mini includes many new accessories including the new Simply Scored… an amazing scoring tool, a Sizzix BIGZ L Holiday Stocking die (sample shown in the photo above) as well as an additional ‘coordinating’ Sizzix die ‘Stocking Accents Original Die‘ which has even more fun die cuts to create cool realistic holiday stockings!  Did I forget the XL Stocking Builder punch with the coordinating stocking set… ?  No, you really really have to check out the mini yourself–or better yet, have your friends over and I’ll show you!

And while I am going on and on about the Holiday stuff… there are wonderful Thanksgiving sets, designer papers and coordinating accents as well…

I apologize for Feedburner ‘kicking out’ two old posts from October yesterday–that’s not the first time, I know.

I hope you all enjoyed your Christmas and as a gift to my loyal followers, I am sharing a step-by-step PDF on how to make this lovely vintage distressed Christmas card (click on the graphic below to download the directions sheet).

I’ve had a LOT of fun with the new Distressing Kit that we carry! And it lent itself well to the awesome ‘Christmas Collage’ background stamp (#121279).

And you can’t tell from looking at the card, but after coloring and distressing, I spritzed it with the shimmer mist we now sell.

I have attached the step-by-step instructions PDF on how I did this card and it includes all the supplies that were used as well.