Tuesday, October 30, 2012

The weather outside is frightful

Well, Sandy has caused all kinds of devastation out east, and here in Chicago we're getting a taste of cooooold weather!

This pretty card is CASEd directly from the Stampin' Up! holiday catalog, as a request for a hostesses upcoming workshop. I had a good time figuring out exactly how to duplicate the card. Cute, right?

Happy Stamping!
Dee Tollaksen

Sunday, October 28, 2012

Fast n Fabulous

Sometimes I want to get a card done and I don't want to mess around with a technique or accessories or embellishments.

Today I grabbed my punches and DSP (designer series paper) and just created a design of circles layered and popped up across the top half of a card front.  Then I used one sentiment stamp for a little ink on the card.

Simple!

Happy Stamping!
Dee Tollaksen

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Crazy Color Combo

There is nothing better than gathering with friends and doing something fun. We had our monthly stamp meeting on Monday, this month 8 ladies attended, each bringing the supplies for one fab card. Laura had issued a color challenge, and it was fun to stretch my boundaries.

I used the Tasteful Trim Big Shot die to create the zig zag ricrac here, then repeated the colors in the scarves and hats of my snowmen. Once I got over the number of colors, it made sense to do some coloring!

If you are looking for a great group of stamping amigos, just let me know. We have a great time and we're busy planning our Christmas party. There will be a hand-made gift exchange that is always fabulous!

Happy Stamping!
Dee Tollaksen

Sunday, October 21, 2012

Labor of Love

So worth it! This labor of love will be a favorite of mine for years to come! I just wish I had a fireplace so I could hang this over the mantle!

I have been in and out of my craft room the past few days, just loving this project. I had it all spread out over the table, lots of red and green card stock and DSP (designer series paper), and ribbon and embellishments.  Whenever I had a few minutes, I would tackle one tag and go back to laundry or dinner or whatever duties called.


 I used the 25 & Counting stamp set to create the 25 day countdown, then just grabbed every punch and scrap I own. There are many retired embellishments shown, but the idea is that each little tag was easy to create and used just a bit of ribbon or a lonely brad or an old pearl. Each one could be decorated any way you please. Even though it is a big project in the end, each tag was a little bitty cutie patootie,



If you would be interested in making a Countdown Calendar like this, just drop me a line. I'll be happy to create a kit for you with the basic supplies! Or schedule a time for you to come and use my equipment and scraps to get started on your own project!

Happy Stamping!
Dee Tollaksen






Friday, October 19, 2012

Fabulous Friday

So much good stuff going on today and tomorrow, gotta love the weekend!

Next Wednesday I am offering a class to make this pretty holiday  wall-hanging. Super fun! And you have your choice of this holiday theme or an Autumn theme with beautiful paper flowers. Just give me a comment or a call and let me know you can join us, for just $15!

Happy Stamping!
Dee Tollaksen

Thursday, October 18, 2012

Super cute

Super heroes are pretty popular right now, I'm sure you can't get away from them!  So here is a cute little duck, that has no super powers. Well, he is super cute, right?

I made a baby blanket and some cute matching baby gifts for my niece to present at her shower last weekend, and after all the sewing and crafting, it seemed like a simple card was the way to go.  I used the watercolor crayons to color the duck, it didn't look blotchy in real life. It's funny what the camera does!

Happy Stamping!
Dee Tollaksen

Saturday, October 13, 2012

Pizzazz tag

Super simple, super cute! Just take a scrap of DSP (designer series paper) and fold it in half, stamp the Perfectly Preserved jar with the top of the jar near the fold, then cut the jar using the framelits on the Big Shot.

Zippity quick, you have a gift tag that looks like a million bucks. We added a little sentiment on the small oval punch, tied ribbon around the jar lid, which was also cut on the Big Shot, and attached it to the tag with a dimensional adhesive.

Now all we need is a cute gift! I'm sure you have a stash of cute jelly jars, put a gift card or some Halloween candy in the jar and your gift if set to go, in high fashion!

Happy Stamping!
Dee Tollaksen


Friday, October 12, 2012

Just a typical Wednesday

Q.  How much glitter does it take for 20 pumpkins?

A. Two containers. Of course, half of the glitter is stuck on the blouses, hands, glasses and hair of the Stamp Club members who were making the pumpkins. Plenty was on the table cloth and in the carpet too!

Each pumpkin has 10 circles of various orange card stock, all trimmed, scored and glued together, with a ribbon stem and curliques.  Don't even ask how much glue it takes for 20 pumpkins!

We had a great time creating them, and everyone survived! We even created a tag and a card after the pumpkins. I'll share them soon.

Happy Stamping!
Dee Tollaksen




Thursday, October 11, 2012

74 days

Are you counting yet? It is only 74 days til Christmas. Yup.

I am offering you a deal here, Carafes and Crafting. Pick a night and invite a couple friends to join us, I'll provide the crafts and you provide the carafe of wine. We will make beautiful, easy ornaments, and you'll enjoy a stress-free evening with your friends!

Call me now, or just comment right here and I'll call you!

Happy Stamping,
Dee Tollaksen

Thursday, October 4, 2012

Let's compare apples to apples

 Every month, I get together with a group of Stampin' Up! demonstrators. It is one night each month that I look forward to with great anticipation. We congratulate each other on our accomplishments, share business tips and Stamp!

Each demonstrator brings a card that can be used in a workshop or class, and we each get to make a copy of that card to take home and share with our friends and customers.

The first card here is Barbara's card, she used my favorite set, Perfectly Preserved, but cleverly left the canning jar off the card. I learned that there are great possibilities, even without the canning jar! LOL

I don't have all the same elements in my stash that Barbara used, so when I offered this card in a class, we used a bit different DSP and embossing folder, and switched up the colors a little. Maybe it gives you an idea of how you can CASE (copy and steal everything) a card without having to wait for your next order of supplies to arrive!

Happy Stamping,
Dee Tollaksen


Wednesday, October 3, 2012

An ornament for the real crafter

Have you admired the ornament on the cover of the Stampin' Up! Holiday Catalog? It is awesome. So awesome that I just moved right on, past it, not even going to try it.

But when you ask me to help you make it, and in a class format, with all your friends, I have to give it a look and figure it out!

Stampin' Up has provided a stamp set and framelets for cutting all the elements. But there are a lot of elements. When searching for an easier version, I found a recommendation to use DSP.  Brilliant!

I can cut 4 to 5 layers of DSP with the framelet, instead of one layer of stamped card stock. So now I can make one ornament with 5 passes through the Big Shot! That's totally workable for a class with all your friends!  Pull out your calendar and let's get it scheduled!

Happy Stamping,
Dee Tollaksen