Saturday, September 29, 2012

Simply fabulous

 Do you feel a crisp snap in the air this morning? As much as I love a nice hot summer, stretching as long as possible, it is refreshing to see the next season coming, to feel change in the air.

I know you loved the fancy pumpkin I posted last week, but it looks like a bit of work. Where is that hot glue gun anyway? So here is a simpler version, that still looks fabulous but doesn't involve half the work.

Can you find your circle punch? Great. Use the biggest circle you have, cut about 10 of them, then chop off a quarter of each circle, exactly the same size and shape, but go wild using up all your orange/red/peach/coral scraps of card stock.



After you get them all the same size and shape, score right down the center, then fold them in half.

I used the white Tombo Multi purpose glue, it seems like the best choice. Just slather up one surface and match it up to another half-circle. Keep gluing til it looks like a big fan.
I am holding the whole fan in my hand here, and preparing to connect the east to the west.

Still using the same glue, I stuck a piece of paper ribbon in the top, and a few curled scraps of chocolate chip card stock.

Then grab that gorgeous gold glass glitter and go crazy!

You can handle this! But if you rather the mess be at my house, just call!

Happy Stamping!
Dee Tollaksen

Friday, September 28, 2012

No witches here

 Any holiday that is all about the candy, I am totally on-board!

It is a little overwhelming that the Halloween candy arrives in the stores before the kids are back in school, but where's the harm in a few M&Ms or bite size Snickers bars?

In the spirit of the season, I cooked up this ornament. It is a 3" square block, Stampin' Up! no longer carries them, but I had a set stashed in the back of a drawer.

I used some neutral DSP to cover the block, then had some fun with the owl punch, turning him on his head and converting him into a bat!

A couple of stamp sets were raided to find the Halloween sentiment, and the spider webs.  I cut them with the new label framelets and they fit nicely on one side of the block.

 The Simply Scored Tool makes it so easy to make these medallions. There is a crafty application for these every holiday! Monster Munchies stamp set from the holiday catalog offers us the darling little owl that stars on this medallion.

Now that I have the silicon sheet and a new hot glue gun, these medallions are a dream!

The final side features the spider web embossing folder with a couple cute spiders.

I bought some jewelry beads for the top of the ornament. They are shiny and sparkly and then I added a black bell to the bottom. This fun ornament will be hanging off my chandelier all October. I think I'll come up with one for Christmas next!

If you are interested in making one of these, just leave me a comment and we can make a kit or you can join me for an hour of crafting!

Happy Stamping!
Dee Tollaksen


Thursday, September 27, 2012

Million, seems doable considering

A million used to be kind of an unimaginable concept, but it seems like it gets used so much now that even a billion becomes something we have to comprehend.

So, thanks a million is now a concept I get to use regularly! I LOVE the collage style so popular in cards right now. I started with a die cut flower behind my DSP flag, added some gorgeous ribbon, some stamped medallions then a die cut butterfly. Pop on a dahlia and some simple stamping. It fits my clean and simple style, even though there is quite a bit happening here!

Happy Stamping!
Dee Tollaksen

Sunday, September 23, 2012

Simple, clean

Summer is waning, so I am making a few final flowery, summery cards to share.

The Perfectly Preserved stamp set includes the mason jar as well as this cluster blossom and the simple stem.

I embossed the jar before using the framelets and Big Shot to perfectly cut it out, then sponged Pool Party ink over it to simulate water in the jar.

Simple and clean looking, a very pretty summery card.

Enjoy today's sunshine, I'm afraid the winter will be just around the corner!

Happy stamping,
Dee Tollaksen

Friday, September 21, 2012

Summer Nights

Oh, how I fell for this Perfectly Preserved stamp set!!

And now summer is ending, Fall is upon us, and still, I keep seeing fabulous cards that use the jar in a whole new way!

This string of  lights in the canning jars just made me LOL! Had to CASE it and share it!

Hope it looks as great to you as it did to me!

Happy Stamping!
Dee Tollaksen

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Glue and Glitter, easy peasy!




 Truly, this wasn't so hard to make. Let me take you through it.

 I took a 12 x 8" sheet of DSP and scored it every 1/4". Then sliced it into 6 pieces, each 12" long:
3 at 1-1/2"
2 at 1-1/4"
1 at 1"
Then you fan fold on every 1/4" score line, back and forth, back and forth. It helps to have a TV in the room for entertainment.


 Get your hot glue gun warmed up. Clear your work space and place your new silicone sheet on the table, front and center. Once you have a strip all fan folded, squish it up and hold it in one hand and pile on the hot glue. Now smash that glue into your silicone sheet and hold it there.

Glance at the TV and enjoy the show for a minute.

Once the hot glue is no longer hot, go ahead and pick it up. It will come off the silicone like magic. Fabulous!

Oh, baby, so cool! I love this trick! Now your medallion cannot put up a fight and fall apart!

So put some hot glue along one fold of your medallion.

And you can now spread your medallion and connect the two end folds, completing the circle.

Well done! Now, just make a few more, making these medallions out of every one of the strips.

I recommend making some circles of cardstock and hot gluing them to the bottom of each medallion, just for stability.

I used white glue to add the Champagne Glass Glitter to the edges of each medallion, then hot glue to attach the medallions to each other.

The bottom medallion is 1-1/4", then all 3 of the 1-1/2" circles, then the last 1-1/4", with the smallest medallion at the top.

I used the Champagne Glimmer sheet to punch some leaves, a bit of card stock curled into spirals and a little bit of card stock rolled up to make a stem. I did use the hot glue to attach these elements.

This little pumpkin is so firm and solid, I am so happy! I'd love to get together with you to make these, just leave me a comment and we can sync our calendars!

Happy stamping,
Dee Tollaksen

Sunday, September 16, 2012

Enjoy it while it lasts

 In Chicagoland, we are a hearty people. And we have to be, because our weather is unpredictable and unforgiving.  But this year, we have had a mild winter and a lovely end-of-summer.

If you have good air conditioning, you may even have forgotten how hellatious (is that a word?) it was in July. But today, a beautiful sunny autumn day in the 70s. Enjoy it while it lasts!


In Stamp Club this week, we made this darling Chocolate Chip treat box, with Autumn candies inside. I CASEd (copy and steal everything) the Real Red box that was given to me at Leadership from Stampin' Up! It is quick and easy to cut on the Big Shot, goes together in a snap and looks extra nice in the Coredinations card stock that has a textured finish.

Peeking out of the candy dish is a mummy bar brought to me by Gina. She made a couple dozen of these cuties for her son to bring to school for Halloween. What a good Mom, already got the October homework done!

There is still one spot available in Stamp Club. If you are interested, just leave a comment!

Happy Stamping,
Dee Tollaksen

Saturday, September 15, 2012

There is a moral, if you read to the end.



Everyone who has a craft addiction also has some fabric, right? And we keep every last little smidgeon of it, because "it could be useful later." Right?

This darling fabric embellishment proves that we have been correct all along. I took a couple 6 x 1" scraps, twisted them up and used Sizzex adhesive sheets to create flowers.  All you do is twist twist twist, then roll starting from the center.





Here is Teresa demonstrating on her project from Stamp Club.
Just twist and roll and stick to the adhesive.

I had a bit of trouble the first time, resting my fingers to hold the whole combination, but when you rest your hand, it sticks to the adhesive, and the adhesive then comes up when you pick up your hand and then there isn't anything to hold the fabric. So be careful!


Here is one more shot of a nearly finished flower, still stuck on the adhesive:

You can just snip off the end of the strip whenever you get aggravated finished.

Then carefully pry the whole flower up off the adhesive and quickly press it onto your card. Some of the Stamp Club cards had flowers that were 2 inches wide and some of the cards had flowers that were 3/4" wide!

Moral: some people are willing to fuss with adhesive more than other people!

Happy Stamping!
Dee Tollaksen

Friday, September 14, 2012

Good Grief

Oh my goodness, what a day! Stamp Club started Wednesday and 18 people came to make a card, a tag and a box. Pictured here is the tag.

We spread out the fun over three meeting times, but still, 8 people stamping at once and chatting, snacking, laughing = lots of fun!

The tag is actually made from Kraft cardstock that is clear embossed. It is one of the Stampin' Up! designer series paper (dsp) offerings and has 6 different patterns in the set. We rubbed a Midnight Muse ink pad all over the tag, then wiped away excess ink. Everyone got to wear rubber gloves for this process and this certainly adds to the excitement of the day.  Also providing an opportunity to get inky, we sprayed the white paper flower! Using the new misting bottles, we added reinker to alcohol and sprayed away.

Do you see the darling Dahlia? It is in Summer Starfruit, but everyone got to pick their own color, the package offers all the In-Colors. The new ticket punch is just the right size for the sentiments in the Occasions Alphabet stamp set -- 26 great sentiments and every one of them fits perfectly in the ticket punch!

We still have room for one more person in the stamp club crowd. If you would like to attend a class once a month, make a $15 purchase of your choice of catalog merchandise, then I will give you a $25 hostess benefit once during the next 10 months!

Happy Stamping,
Dee Tollaksen

Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Stamp Club Special

Have you seen the new textured paper in the holiday catalog from Stampin' Up!? If you sand the surface, you will reveal the white core layer, providing some interesting texture for your card. If you emboss on the Big Shot first, you get AWESOME interesting texture. I went for the more subtle version here, but Stamp Club members may choose the more dramatic when they make this beauty today.

I livened it up with the new Champagne Glimmer paper and a nice big sentiment. So who is starring on this card? Is it the champagne? The sanded texture paper? OR. . . could it be the fabric flower?

These flowers are so simple! I'll try to take some shots while the ladies make these today and share tomorrow. You just need a 1" strip of fabric, maybe 15" long and a piece of super sticky sheet adhesive.  Simply twist the strip of fabric, stick one end down in the center of the adhesive, and start spinning while twisting until your flower is 1 to 2 inches wide, or you have used up the fabric. I popped a pearl into the middle, then stripped the paper backing off the adhesive and stuck onto the card. Awesome!

Happy Stamping!
Dee Tollaksen

Sunday, September 9, 2012

Game is. . . Tag!


 Framelets are definitely the star of the show today.

I used my labels collection framelets to cut a bunch of interesting things, including some gold ruffled paper and a bunch of cardstock, as well as some glimmer paper.

There was some stamping, some highlighting with Crystal Effects and lots of blue CS and ink.

When I added rhinestones to my label they looked odd with the gold paper layer, so I grabbed the new gold Stampin Dazzle marker and changed them to gold! Fabulous!

These will be great as focal point on a card, as a luggage tag on a back pack or as the highlight on a gift bag. I'm keeping them in reserve for just the right emergency!

Happy Stamping!
Dee Tollaksen



Thursday, September 6, 2012

Autumn Stamp Classes


Grab your calendar and make plans to get crafty! As always, if one of these sounds great but the date doesn't work, just let me know and I will be thrilled to book a date for you!

Wed, Sept 12: stamp club at 1 or 3:30 or 7 pm. If you still want to get involved in a monthly stamp club, just leave me a comment or give me a call, we have a spot for you!

Thur, Sept 20: Technique Class, 4 cards featuring the Perfectly Preserved stamp set. Come at 1 or 7 pm and create Mason Jar cards  for all occasions, just $20 for 4 fabulous cards and envelopes.

Wed, Sept 26: Halloween Ornament. Join me at 1 or 7 pm to create a fun Halloween themed block style ornament. Sparkly and festive, hang this décor item from your doorknob, chandelier or display as a centerpiece. Just $15 will save your spot.

Wed, Oct 10 stamp club at 1 or 3:30 or 7 pm

Thur Oct 18 at 1 pm or 7 pm: Create 4 Autumn and Halloween cards. Try a new technique, use some new Big Shot dies and be ready for your Fall events. Your $20 will save your seat.

Wed, Oct 24 at 1 pm or 7 pm: Fall Canvas! Create a lovely wall hanging to complement your Autumn décor. For just $15 learn how to make paper flowers and keep it for yourself or give as a gift. At just $15, this is a great bargain! The picture shown above is an idea of what we will make, jazzed up with fall colors.

Sun Nov 4: Park district Handmade Holiday Cards class at the Historical Museum, click here for more info & enroll!

Wed Nov 7: Park district class Handmade Tags & Thank You Cards at the Historical Museum click here for more info & enroll!

Sat Nov 10: Stampin Circle party Join my team and be my guest at our annual Holiday Party!

Wed Nov 14 Stamp club at 1 or 3:30 or 7 pm

Wed Nov 21 at 1 pm or 7 pm: Stamp a stack of Christmas Cards! Whether you mail cards to everyone or just give a few cards to special friends, this class is for you. We will make 15 cards that are beautiful but “reproducible” so you can make many cards without piles of supplies. For only $25 we will make 15 cards with designs you can copy at home . . . or not!

Are you enjoying the autumn harvest?

I used to plant tomatoes. I would weed, chase the rabbits out of the garden. Water. Worry about caterpillars and worms. And then I remembered that I don't like tomatoes that much.

So now, all my preserving is done right here, in the craft zone!

These critters are from a few different stamp sets, the jar is from Perfectly Preserved, my favorite set of all. I certainly hope it gets carried over beyond the current Holiday Catalog!

The owls, spiders and sentiment are from Monster Munchies. Normally I don't like to invest in a Halloween stamp set, it just isn't a holiday that requires much stamping, for me, at my stage in life. But Stampin' Up! gave us this set at our convention this summer, so I'm able to make a few cards for our mutual enjoyment. Also, the eyes are from the Make a Monster set. I squeezed Crystal Effects glue over them for the nice shiny effect. Fun!

Happy Stamping!
Dee Tollaksen

Tuesday, September 4, 2012

Moving Forward

Somehow, it seems like a clean and simple card, but there is also some fussyness going on here.

I used the Moving Forward stamp set, the sailboat is a nice solid graphic image, with a curly label punch behind it and a large blue circle backing it up. The curly label punch isn't quite wide enough though, so I snipped it in half, letting one half peek out the left and one peek out the right.

Then I snipped the sentiment into teeny pieces and used dimensional adhesive to give them some substance.

The final element here is a panel of Cajun Craze that has been border punched on both sides, a bit of narrow ribbon and DSP circles. These 1-1/4" circles were scored and folded at the 1/4" mark, on both sides, then butted up against identical circles of DSP from the International Bazaar collection.  Interesting result, isn't it? It is a little fussy to score circles, but not impossible!

On a personal note, my husband's surgery went very well. His pain is completely gone, now he just has to wait out the healing process. He has about a 6" incision in his skull with giant Frankenstein stitches, and substantial swelling, which is quickly diminishing.  But, no driving, no lifting of anything over 8 lbs (a gallon of milk) and some substantial pain from the surgery itself. So, no housework, no lawn care, no working. He can't even walk the dog alone, in case of leash jerking or tripping on uneven sidewalk. So we are just kinda hanging out, a bit restless. Especially since the terrible pain of the trigeminal neuralgia is completely relieved!  We are extremely grateful for all the prayers and good wishes and looking forward to getting back to normal!

Happy Stamping,
Dee Tollaksen