Monday, March 29, 2010

Animal Stories

Usually, the Stampin' Up! sets are "proportional." My DD wants to know "in what world are whales and owls...the same size?"

I used the round treat cup to hold a smattering of Dazzling Diamonds and water. Yes. Water. I sealed it up with a piece of acetate and it is holding beautifully. Great adhesive!  So it is a little snowglobe with a whale and dazzling glitter. And a fun pun sentiment! ha!  I used the Frost White Shimmer Paint to highlight the embossed swirls and to make the clouds in the night sky. Fun!

Sell-a-Bration is almost over. Really, now is the time and it is almost gone! Place a $50 order and receive your choice of stamp sets from a huge collection. Or join Stampin' Up! today or by end of business March 30 and save 15% on the starter kit and select an extra stamp set up to $47 value. Plus be eligible to attend exclusive events for demonstrators only. I hope I have shared with you the fact that SU welcomes "hobby" demonstrators--ladies who want to enjoy 20% discount on everything they order but are not interested in building a business. And SU welcomes ladies (and men!) who do want to build a business. Your choice!

Happy Stamping!
Dee Tollaksen

Sunday, March 28, 2010

Hippity Hoppity


How do you feel about the Treat Cups? Theoretically, I think they're fantastic!  A card AND a treat? What could be better? In practice, I end up having a little bit more difficulty making it work.

Mr Google Eyes here, has a little slide door inside the card that will let a niece or nephew open his belly and enjoy these pastel yummies. Since I had the drawer of punches open, I think I used them ALL!! A dab of pastel chalks on his face and a bit of journaling marker for the dopey smile. The paper is from the Sell-a-Bration Designer Series Paper.  The sentiment is from the hostess set Picnic Parade.

I am still trying to catch up on snail mail, email, friends and laundry. Maybe I'll share a shot of the resort with you. Want to see Bahia Principe Akumel in Riviera Maya, Mexico? Ok. Here ya go!

Saturday, March 27, 2010

Thanks

What a great time we had in Mexico. A week in Riviera Maya and I managed to avoid scorching and burning my pale and sensitive skin! Yea!  So if you see me in the next week or two, please don't tell me I hardly look tan. I wish wish wish I tanned, but I don't. And the sun was shining every day (almost)  and the temperature was lovely!

A big ol' box of stamps and paper greeted me, the orders from a workshop for Debbie and Mary. I whipped up some teeny thank you notes to drop in the orders, and they can be delivered today! I love this cute little stamp set called Picture This. It is a level 1 hostess set, shown in the mini Occasions Catalog.  Let me help you earn this set by holding a workshop or gathering orders among your stamping pals. Remember, just a couple days remain of Sell-a-Bration! Don't let the end of March creep on you and miss out on loads of extra free gifts!

Happy Stamping!
Dee Tollaksen

Monday, March 22, 2010

Pretty scallops



I love to see trendy techniques that we can add to our cards, using the tools we already own.  One of my favorite designers is Dawn McVey. She recently layered up numerous layers of designer series paper that had been cut with a scallop border punch. Well, I own one of those, you probably do too!  So I grabbed a pretty pastel sheet from the Sell-a-Bration pad (which you can earn FREE) and I cut it into 3/4" strips and scallop cut them all. Then I layered them all at the base of a coordinating-color card. So, barely banana over summer sun, shown here. I added a panel of barely banana that I had textured using a folder on the BigShot, added a punched sentiment, some very vanilla 3/4" ribbon and a summer sun button. Voila! Loads of texture that gives the eye lots of places to look, without being too busy or overdone.  Let me just say, I love it! Try it, I bet you'll love it too!

Come on over and stamp with me, and you can make your own version using my supplies! I'll be back from Mexico soon, just send me an email and I'll book you into my stamp room for some fun crafty activities.

Happy stamping!
Dee Tollaksen

Saturday, March 20, 2010

Two step stampin'


Absolutely love this two-step stampin' set! Greenhouse Garden just makes the most gorgeous flowers.  If you peeked in earlier this week, you saw the first project using this "homemade" designer series paper. Not an inch went to waste, and it ended up gracing this springy card.

Hope your weather is beautiful, while I am away on spring break, enjoying the beautiful ocean breezes of Riviera Maya, Mexico.

See ya soon,
Dee Tollaksen

Thursday, March 18, 2010

Travel Tag

I used to be blonde. When I was little and spent all summer playing outside, the sun naturally brightened my baby hair to a gorgeous shiny blonde. I mention this because sometimes I have a "blonde moment." And usually it is a very public moment. Mortifying!

Last major trip I took was to the Stampin' Up! convention and a group of us were traveling together. All the girls luggage rolled right off the conveyor at the Salt Lake City airport. Except mine.  I was looking, and watching, and everyone was helping me look for my black suitcase.  And of course, my black suitcase only exists in my mind. The actual luggage in use was green. Totally not black. Duh. So I have created this bright key chain to add to my luggage tag in an effort to avoid this particular "duh" moment when traveling tomorrow.
I used the Greenhouse Garden stamp set to make my own Designer Series Paper!  I love this two-step stampin' set. It doesn't require precision, and I'm great at non-precision stamping! Keep this set in mind for the spring, when Stampin' Up! brings us a new promotion. I believe this set will be available at a special price!  There's going to be lots of flowers in my future!

Happy Stamping!
Dee Tollaksen

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Circle Circus and Acetate


I really want to offer a class using acetate, but I'm struggling to pull it together. You're thinking, what? This is an acetate card, but in real life, this is not so good looking. The acetate is so FULL of static electricity, you cannot emboss the images, the embossing powder is all over the place on the card.  Maybe I'll try without the embossing, and just let the white craft ink dry. Which should be fabulous in a class setting. "Okay, ladies, stamp, don't smear anything, then let it sit for about six years while the ink dries on the non-porous surface."

Well, I like the concept, and I guess I just have to figure out the details.  If you have any sure-fire resolutions, please HELP me!

Happy Stamping!
Dee Tollaksen

Saturday, March 13, 2010

Things I love...

Chocolate is, indeed, one of the things I love. This card is definitely another!

This was inspired by a card featured somewhere in blogland, maybe the designer's name is Dena Piereault, I can't read her name in the watermark.  I'm sorry not to be able to give proper credit, if anyone knows her, please help me!!

I used the Big Shot to emboss just an offset section of my layer of Very Vanilla, then stamped in gold ink from Things I Love stamp set. This set is available as a FREE choice when you place a qualifying order during Sell-a-Bration. Just about two weeks left to take advantage of this special offer!!

Back to the card. . . then I used a sponge dauber to add Champagne Shimmer Paint over the embossed images. Too bad it doesn't show here, because it is FABULOUS!!  Then the square scallop punch provided the Soft Suede elements, some Soft Suede ink to make all the things I love, punched with an easy circle punch. Stunning in person, if I do say so myself.  So much so, that I think I will bring this as my swap card on Monday to my stamping group.

Have I mentioned that I'm off to Mexico in 5 days?  Well I am. Woo Hoo!!!  Lands End sent me my swim suit, which happens to be dark chocolate in color. How do you like that?  Fabulous! I'll try to schedule some posts to happen while I am away, but don't let me stop you from . . . . . .

Happy Stamping!
Dee Tollaksen

Thursday, March 11, 2010

Happy little raccoon

Why are raccoons so cute? I mean, really, I've done a lot of camping and raccoons are nuthin' but trouble!  Stampin' Up! has at least three darling raccoons in the product line right now, and I happen to have two of them on my stamp shelf!

This fella is from Picnic Parade, a level 2 hostess set in the Occasions Mini Catalog. I just love this set! If you are hoping to score this set at a discount at the summertime garage sale, just be forewarned that you aren't the first person to put this on your list.  It would be much easier to host a group of stampin' friends and earn it as part of your Sell-a-Bration rewards. Really. I do all the work and you get all the freebies!

This is a 3" x 3" card, usually used as a gift enclosure. A couple strips of designer series paper, a bit of coloring, some gorgeous satin ribbon and a little dot of felt from the Sweet Pea felt flowers set. Voila! Can you tell that the sun was shining brightly in my stamp room yesterday? Finally, a nice shot of a card in natural, bright sunlight!

Happy Stamping!
Dee Tollaksen

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Butternut Sage contest

Do you like a little contest? Well Donna over at ButternutSage blog is celebrating and looking for a few good projects.  This isn't a card, obviously, but maybe she will make an exception. It is a little pillow box in black with a bright green/blue shade of teal and some coordinating flowers.  See if she agrees that this qualifies for her contest!http://butternutsagedesigns.blogspot.com

Thanks for all the inspiration, Donna!
Happy Stamping,
Dee Tollaksen

Easel and blackboard card



So many  techniques in this easel card. By folding and using a little engineering, this card fits perfectly in a standard envelope, but sits beautifully on it's own to display the lovely card when it is received.  We stamped on black card stock with white craft ink, then colored with the Stampin' Up! watercolor pencils. Gives a chalky effect on as if on a blackboard. You might also notice the border around the blackboard, this lovely scallop punch does give a bit of a challenge for preparing the the cardstock. I'm working to tweak some measurements available elsewhere. I'm just not happy with the numbers that have been supplied. The label was left blank so that I could put a sentiment on the card when I have a specific recipient in mind.

Happy Stamping!
Dee Tollaksen

Monday, March 8, 2010

Reworked


This card features the Sending Love DSP from the current Occasions Mini catalog. It is so scrumptious, I want to use it on every project, while I also want to hoard it and keep it all for myself. I want my cake, but I want to eat it too!

I may have posted this pretty, sparkly card back in February, with a valentine theme. I had so many materials cut that I reworked it with a gift theme and we made them at a workshop Sunday. The medallion is from the Sell-a-Bration catalog. You can't buy it, you can only get it free and only for 3 more weeks!

Call me to book a workshop, there is still plenty of time to gather your friends and stamping pals together to take advantage of Stampin' Up!'s offers during Sell-a-Bration.

Happy Stamping!
Dee Tollaksen

Sunday, March 7, 2010

Bridal Shower Invites

Thank you to Zowie on SplitCoast, this card was chosen from among a bazillion "bride" cards.  A client is throwing a shower and wanted to make the invites, even though she has never stamped in her life and isn't a bit crafty. So I tried to guide her to a simple lovely invite, but she wanted beautiful and fancy. So this is the (almost) final version. It is beautiful and fancy. We had to track down this retired Stampin' Up! stamp set, but Laura N. F. found it at her Mom's and lent (is that a word?) it to us, which saved a buck! The hostess/client used Marvelous Markers to add color to the bride, pretty flowers and leaves, hair, crown. We had a group of six workers stamping, cutting, punching, tying, glittering and assembling cards last night. Eighty invites, yes, that's right, 80 cards, in 3 hours. Wow. That's all I can say, Wow. I did most of the cutting ahead of time, but still, 80 completed cards in 3 hours. Wowza.

Never let it be said that this craft is not for everyone! Grandma, neighbor, sister-in-laws, hostess and demonstrator + 3 hours of laughter and glitter = 80 fabulous invites!

Happy Stamping!
Dee Tollaksen

Saturday, March 6, 2010

Paper Piecing

Dacia Smith posted a fun paper pieced card almost identical to this version that I have CASEd (copy and steal everything) . It is an easy sample of paper piecing, because the little gifts are basically straight lines, so they are easy to cut out!  But all the rest of the card is lovely, with lots of punches in use!  If you are a punch fanatic, or you want to come take a class and try out all my punches, this card is for you!

The DSP (designer series paper) is from the free Sell-a-Bration pad and the gifts and sentiment are also a Sell-a-Bration stamp set called Happy For You.

Happy Stamping!
Dee Tollaksen

Friday, March 5, 2010

Flag Day


Recently, Jen Del Muro of SplitCoast  Stampers posted a tutorial on glitter and Crystal Effects. I was so excited, because I love glitter, but I hate the mess. The card sheds forever and the artist and recipient pay the price! This technique lets us enjoy the card without wearing the glitter!  Yea Jen!!

And then I saw this great card in Paper Crafts book "A Card A Day" resembling the flag. Kinda fun!  I'm sure I'll be sending it to my son, the Marine, as soon as all the gooey substances are sufficiently dry and hard!

What I have done is applied white glue, here I used Tombow Multi adhesive. I used a paint brush to spread an even layer of the glue on the cardstock. Then sprinkle your glitter, here we see Dazzling  Diamonds. Then grab your Crystal Effects and cover the whole piece with a layer of Crystal Effects. And now for the hard part. Walk away. This is so hard for me. I want to make my card! But crystal effects requires time. No. Don't touch the heat gun, it just bubbles up and makes a big mess. Of course I tried it, what a catastrophe!  Go shower and eat breakfast. And go to work. And when you get home. . . voila! Your glitter project is ready to complete! As long as work lasts at least an hour or two.

If your crystal effects is all dried up and sad, call me and we can get an order in for all this good stuff during March, while you can still earn a free Sell-a-Bration gift!

Happy Stamping,
Dee Tollaksen

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Custom Wedding Shower Invite


As promised, here is a card! Whoo hoo!

My friend Jeanne admires my work. She won't touch a stamp or ink, but she likes handmade cards and enjoys sending them to family and friends. So she is a customer, but not a stamper.  One of her nieces is getting married and Jeanne is hosting a shower. So I got the call to make an invite. The bride's colors are olive, deep yellow and coral. We need 25 invites. So when designing a card for multiple duplication, be wise in selecting a beautiful but easy design!

I did print the text for inside the invite, on the computer but printed it on Whisper White cardstock and adhered it to the card.  Then packaged them all up in a box made from DSP with some of the bride's colors.  Jeanne was quite pleased. Now she just has to address the envelopes and pay for postage!

Happy Stamping!

Dee Tollaksen

Tuesday, March 2, 2010

Mark Your Calendar!



If you have never attended a Shoebox Swap, it has nothing to do with swapping shoeboxes. The shoebox is just to carry your supplies!

Each stamper designs one nice card, then prepares all the materials to duplicate that card, bringing enough supplies for all registered stampers.  Usually 18 to 20 ladies attend, so each person brings enough for 20 completed cards. Then we all move around the room, making each card. When the day is over, you have enjoyed lots of crafty fun, you will have made 20 lovely cards and you’ll go home with a great door prize from the current Mini Catalog or Idea Book and Catalog.

If you aren’t sure what card to design and bring, Catherine or I will be happy to help you design or select a card. More details will follow, if you are interested.



Please mark your calendar and let us know if you have the date available. 

USA Hockey team wins Silver Medal!! Canada also performs quite well.

USA Hockey team wins Silver Medal. Canada team also performs quite well.

You all know that already. But the fun fact is that one of my best friends is from Canada, and she and her husband joined us to watch the game. We had a lot of fun ribbing each other about the possible outcomes.  Being from the Chicago area, we all took pride in our Blackhawk players being honored to play on the Olympic Teams.

This is a shot of our house, all decked out before the game.  We stuck American flags all over the front of the house, which welcomed our Canadian pals and set the tone for the afternoon.

Hope you found some time to stamp along to the Olympics.  I'll have a card for you tomorrow, promise!

Dee Tollaksen