Sunday, October 30, 2011

Baking a little love

Are you a fabulous cook? A bountiful baker? Or a holiday chef?

As much as I like to bake, the problem is that I also like to eat all the goodies. So I try not to make too many, or bake when I have an occasion to share!  The pillow gift boxes are perfect for sharing a few bites of fudge, a special cookie or a fancy brownie.

Of course they are perfect for a little jewelry, a bit of cash or the keys to a brand new car.  (If you're going to ask for a gift, go for something good!)

We will be making two of these at the Holiday Extravaganza on Sunday Dec 4, I hope you will be here to join in the fun! Just leave me a comment, a call or an email and I'll save you a seat!

Happy Holidays!
Dee Tollaksen

Saturday, October 29, 2011

Nip in the air

Have you been outside yet today? Here in Chicagoland it is starting to feel a bit nippy. . . might want to grab a jacket for running those Saturday morning errands.

Keep warm and spread a little cheer! These magic gloves are the best invention! We keep them in the glove compartment, in the hall closet, in the gym bag and in coat pockets. They're inexpensive and they give just the right amount of protection for scraping ice off car windows, walking the dog or running errands. They even work great as a liner inside a good mitten if you will be outside in bitter cold weather.

But best of all, they make a darling gift for a co-worker, teacher, neighbor, the guy who sometimes shovels your sidewalk or even the mail carrier. Tuck a gift card or a pack of hot chocolate inside for an extra treat!

Join me on Sunday December 4 for an afternoon of gifts and home decor at my Holiday Extravaganza. You will learn some new techniques, try some new products and go home with a bag full of gifts for the people in your life.  Just leave a comment, email me or give me a call to save your seat at this fun session of crafting. You can even purchase the class "to go" if the date doesn't work for you.

Happy Stamping!
Dee Tollaksen

Thursday, October 27, 2011

Wedding congrats

Here is a quick break from the Christmas projects. A lovely couple married recently and we were invited to the gala. Her bridesmaids wore this intense dark eggplant color, so I used it for their card.

It may be hard to see but the zigzag border has tiny hearts over each zig  then I repeated the hearts over the border in a variety of pink and purple cardstock and DSP.

Simple but elegant, with a couple layers of coordinating ribbon over the dark cardstock.

Anytime you need to fill that stockpile of cards so you can be ready for any occasion, just check out my class offerings, at right. Coming soon: all occasion cards, Christmas Extravaganza, 3D class.  What else would you like to see?

Happy Stamping!
Dee Tollaksen

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Easy Peasy Presents

Simple! You want simple, I'll give you simple. The narrow treat bags have been popular for a while now, and Stampin' Up! has caught up to the craze by offering a very nice package at a reasonable price. I have put jaw breakers, M&Ms, red hots and now pencils into my bags. This makes a cute little stocking stuffer or classroom treat. Maybe if we added a gift card for a bookstore or coffee shop it would even be a nice teacher gift or a little something for the boss?  Just a bit of ribbon and some stockings punched with the new handheld punch. Maybe you already own the ornament punch? Or the tag punch? Perfect!

Happy Stamping!
Dee Tollaksen

Saturday, October 22, 2011

63 days til Christmas

Stampers, there are only 63 days until Christmas. I know you want to give personal gifts; gifts that show you care; gifts that show how crafty you are.

Why not let me do all the planning, prep and clean-up? Come on over on Sunday December 4 and make 10 (WOW) great projects for only $30. Of course we will make this gorgeous countdown calendar. The beauty of this is that the chalkboard is on the outside of the glass and the glittery red paper is inside. Who cares? Well, you may have another event this year. . . graduation, wedding, baby, new cell phone. . . and you can change the event easily by swapping out the paper and printed sentiment!  Fun and easy!

You could even use it as a menu board, special event reminder, or whatever you might think up.

Just leave a comment here or shoot me an email and I'll save your seat at the Holiday Extravaganza.  Can't make it on Dec 4? That's ok, we can make a raindate for you or you can purchase the supplies to be mailed to you. Just speak up!

Happy Stamping,
Dee Tollaksen

Friday, October 21, 2011

Vintage stocking

How can you resist this beauty? The glittery ornaments hanging from the silky ribbon, the antique brad, and most of all, the fabulous stocking? Well, let me tell you, this stocking is also gift packaging: you can put a gift card, a Mont Blanc pen, a jump drive, diamond earrings or whatever expensive but teeny gift you may have selected.

The Big Shot and the stocking die make this project very easy but really pretty!

Attend the Holiday Extravaganza and you will make this and 9 other great giftable and home decor items at the bargain price of just $30. If you can't make it, let me know. I'm happy to offer a "rain date" or "to go" option for friends who don't live here in Chicagoland.

I know my friends and family will be getting this beauty in the ornament exchange, grab bag and on Christmas morning!

Happy Stamping!
Dee Tollaksen

Thursday, October 20, 2011

From our house to yours





Have you ever seen these darling little canning jars? I think they only hold 4 ounces, but it is 4 ounces of total cuteness!

I have dressed this one with ribbon, twine and a couple cardstock punches and die cuts. This is one of the projects you can make at my Holiday Extravaganza.  We will be creating a big box of gifts and presents and decor items. I hope you will be able to join us!

Just leave a comment or shoot me an email to save your seat!

Happy Stamping,
Dee Tollaksen

Tuesday, October 18, 2011


Elegant AND Sparkly



Remember that birthday last week? My DD had a milestone birthday. I broke out the silver glimmer paper. This is definitely a "stash" product : a paper that you MUST own, but then no project is worthy of, nobody is worthy of a card made with such an awesome product! You know the feeling. . . what if they don't appreciate the fantabulousness of this sparkly paper? What if they don't preserve this card in a place of honor? What if they just (gasp) throw it away?

Well, who cares. I have lots more of this sparkly paper. And I'm using it on Christmas keepsakes that I know won't get tossed out. And my DD loves the card and the envelope. They will never get tossed out. She will cherish them forever!  You can take the dare. USE your stash products. Get an ooohh and an aahhh from your loved ones!

Mark your calendar for Sunday Dec 4. I am offering a fantabulous day of crafting. More info coming SOON!!!

Happy Stamping!
Dee Tollaksen

Sunday, October 16, 2011

Holiday Wreath

Have you got some DSP (designer series paper) you're hoarding? Storing? Saving? This project will help you use some of the strips of DSP, and provide you with a gorgeous decor item for your front door, your kitchen door, your living room wall.  You just make a frame from cardboard and pull out your hot glue gun.

Imagine this with Halloween paper and some spider web stuff or Thanksgiving colors and a pinecone or two.  Maybe you have a wall that calls out for a bit of decor that  can match the season, this bit of textured paper and some sparkly glitter will fill the bill!

Give me a call or shoot me an email for a class in your choice of color scheme.

Happy Stamping!
Dee Tollaksen

Saturday, October 15, 2011

Clean and Simple

It's a clean and simple autumn kind of day.  The wind is blowing here in Chicagoland, so no need to rake those falling leaves, they're all in the neighbors yard by now.

A simple wreath of leaves makes this party invite festive and timely. This pretty stamp is in a hostess set in the mini catalog and is called Warmest of Wishes. It makes a card so easy! Just stamp, color the blank leaves and punch with the scalloped circle punch. Really easy peasy.  I have backed it with a little sentiment and then added some texture using the Big Shot and grosgrain ribbon.

This is the kind of design that makes party invites easy to duplicate in bulk. This might be a great way to invite your Thanksgiving guests!

Happy Stamping,
Dee Tollaksen

Friday, October 14, 2011

Give Thanks

Remember to live in the moment. Have you read your email today? Martha (yes that one) sent me a Black Friday offer today. Really? I don't know about you, but I haven't celebrated Halloween yet!

So I checked. It is 71 days til Christmas. That means we have 70 shopping days remaining. 70. Whew. Since I try to make a good part of my gifts, that means 70 crafting days remain.

How about you? Do you make some of your gifts? Do you have some ideas lined up?

Let's talk. I have some great ideas! Gifts, home decor, cards, gift cards and more!

Maybe you would like some new tools and supplies. Let's make a Wish List we can share with your loved ones. Call me. . .

Happy Stamping!
Dee Tollaksen

Thursday, October 13, 2011

Shut the Front Door

I'm ready for Christmas. Sure I am. Well, I'm ready to put a Christmas wreath on the front door. That's something, right?

The Stampin' Up! Simply Scorer made this wreath of medallions super easy. Long skinny strips of designer series paper TRANSFORM into these fun medallions, then I hot glued them to a cardboard circle, added a bit of glimmer paper in the centers, and popped a red ribbon bow at the top.

Bring on the holidays!

Happy Stamping!
Dee Tollaksen

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Oct 12, 1990, exactly 21 years ago today!



 Happy Birthday Gen! Those of you who know her will agree, Genevieve is one of the nicest people EVER! And I am ever so grateful to have been blessed with such a wonderful daughter.

 Today is her 21st birthday. We always get a good laugh when she asks what treat I have planned for her to take to school and share. When she was in kindergarten, I had one of those "blonde" moments and I neglected to prepare cupcakes or any kind of treat for her to share at school. I woke up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat and jumped out of bed to go bake cupcakes. But there was no cake mix in the house. Racking my brain, and the pantry, I found a brand new box of Fruit Loops.

When Gen woke up, she found a box filled with treat cups. I took clear plastic dixie cups, filled  them with Fruit Loops, wrapped each one in clear plastic wrap with curling ribbon at the top. All lined up in a gift box, curling ribbon, fruity colored cereal and poofy topped dixie cups. She was ecstatic. What a great treat for school! No one else has ever brought THIS treat before! And I was the hero, even though I felt like an idiot for forgetting it was her birthday.

So every year we have this big "plan" to take something fun and unique for her friends and classmates. Usually it is a last minute crazy run around the house to figure out what I have on hand that can work. Today I actually had a bag of Halloween candy and the kraft paper Stampin' Up! uses to pack inside our orders.  I flattened out the paper, ran it through the Big Shot and made square scallop pieces. I stamped them and made "21" squares from the 25 & Counting stamp set. I punched a little hole in the bottom and slid the lollipops into the little bag.   Gen can share these in her college classes today, and save a couple for the children she will see this evening when she teaches swim lessons.

Don't you think it is fun that she still wants these "pass out" treats at this stage of the game? I think this is it, really. At 21 we have to start treating her like an adult. Dang.
Happy Stamping!
Dee Tollaksen



Leaves of a Tree (4)

IRL (in real life) this card is so cute! Sometimes a photo just can't get the lighting right, no matter how I rearrange the angle, the lamp, the sun, the shadow of the photographer.

We have used Pool Party cardstock to cut a Top Note  shape and chopped off one end. Then stamped the Leaves of a Tree in white ink. In Pool Party ink I added the Friends sentiment and just a dash of the great ruffled ribbon in the same shade.

Remember that these cards were created for a class offered at the Panera restaurant. If I was at home, I would add some embossing powder. We used the clear EP last night and it added a nice gloss to the tree.

It is spectacular to be able to use one stamp to make such a variety of styles of cards! I still have a couple stamps available, if you would like a class by mail or want to stop in, just let me know. $14 for the stamp and all the supplies for these 4 cards (minus ink).

Happy Stamping!
Dee Tollaksen

Sunday, October 9, 2011

Leaves of a Tree (3)

I just love this stamp! Here it is stamped in Always Avocado, then a marker is used to make the trunk and branches Early Espresso. We used markers in celery and moss to color in some of the leaves, but not all of them. Just enough to jazz it up a little.  There is a Rich Razzleberry punch added on both sides of the tree panel, just to add a bit of color.

An "any occasion" card, just add a sentiment at the bottom, and this card is ready for a birthday, sympathy, just thinking of you, anything!

Happy Stamping!
Dee Tollaksen

Friday, October 7, 2011

Leaves of a Tree (2)

Sometimes, a fast card is a good card. When you are known as a person who makes their cards, you can't get away with a store bought gift card. It just has to be hand made. But there is often a time when the stash runs dry, and this stamp is just perfect for those times.

This 3x3" card is Very Vanilla paper with gold ink. I know Stampin' Up! no longer provides us with gold ink, but I bet a lot of you own some anyway, right? So ink it up in gold, stamp it a little off the edge and voila! Add a tiny sentiment and you're ready to go.

There is still room for you in the "Keep the Stamp" class next week. Check your calendar, maybe you can join us on Tuesday night or Wednesday afternoon. This is the best bargain in town!

Happy Stamping!
Dee Tollaksen

Wednesday, October 5, 2011

Leaves of a Tree (1)

How tech savvy are you? Being a geezer, I think I'm a little more savvy than some of my generation. Not a whole bunch, but a little.  I am blogging, I love Google Reader for cruising blogs, and I even use MeetUp to find new friends.

Last night my bff Catherine and I hosted a MeetUp for card makers. We offered a "keep the stamp" class featuring Stampin' Up! stamp Leaves of a Tree.

This sweet stamp is so versatile! Here I used the Big Shot to diecut some scalloped squares and we stamped in Early Espresso. Using the SU markers, we added a couple shades of green to the leaves, adhered some gold crinkle ribbon and white twine. Lovely, right?

Because we meet at Panera and I have to haul all the supplies, these cards are very basic, but as you'll see, quite diverse.

Stay tuned for cards 2-4 and let me know if you would enjoy a "keep the stamp" class.

Happy Stamping,
Dee Tollaksen

Monday, October 3, 2011

Buy 2, get one free!

During October, Stampin' Up! is giving away stamp sets! When you select two Simply Sent Card kits, you get to select one of these free stamp sets! Whoo hoo!

I'll be getting some. . . how bout you? These kits come with the base card, envelopes and the goodies needed to make them fabulous! Add the stamp set and maybe a bit of ink and you have a complete card kit. Fabulous!

Happy Stamping!
Dee Tollaksen