A bit of Stampin' Up! jewelry!

What, not a card? All Stampin' Up!?  Right! We have these gorgeous pop bottle tops and we have these super cute charms, so I combined them, added a ball chain and. . . voila! A necklace! And it is so easy to do, I could make one for every day or every outfit!  I used a bit of white glue to adhere the punched image to the bottle cap, after flattening it in the Big Shot. Then I used Dazzling Details to cover the entire image, all the way to the edges of the bottle cap. When it was all dry I punched holes in the top and bottom, using my retired Crop-a-dile, added jump rings and connected all the parts.

FUN!
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Happy Stamping!
Dee Tollaksen

Keepsake keeper

Hoarding. Has this concept just recently become a media darling? I sometimes stumble across the Hoarders show when surfing the cable line-up, and it impossible to look away. Do you have a fear of being a hoarder? Is your ribbon collection threatening to strangle you? Is your paper stockpile starting to spillover? Do you have bits of this-n-that stuffed in your junk drawer?

I retrieved a sturdy box from my stash (a nice word for hoard) and made a Christmasy Keepsake Keeper. I can now keep a few pictures, some recipes, pretty scraps of ribbon or a broken ornament. Stash it all away then display on a shelf or as part of a tablescape.

I am imagining this same box in a spring color scheme, fall textures, maybe a graduation decor or a new baby with pink or blue ribbon. Maybe a booky theme, with all the scraps of book lists and recommendations that are falling all over my desk. Imagine one in white and lace for a bride!

I have a good stash of boxes, maybe you want to have a friend or two join you and I will bring all the supplies and we can make a couple of these Keepsake Keepers. Just leave a comment and I'll call you!

Happy Stamping!
Dee Tollaksen

Wedding Season!

Can't really tell in the photo, but the white flower is actually a negative image, there is a white panel, and  then the Navy panel has had the flower punched away. The beautiful sparkly silver glimmer paper definitely photographed well!

I used a wedding sentiment here, but this could easily be a sympathy card or birthday card. It definitely appeals to my CAS (clean and simple) style, no fussiness, no vintage altering.

Happy Stamping!
Dee Tollaksen

Color my world

It took me a long time, but I finally have fallen head over heels in love with Stampin' Up! Watercolor Crayons. This pretty panel was embossed using Early Espresso embossing powder,then I used the crayons to add dimension and depth with two shades of blue and the aqua painter tool. So pretty, fun and easy to do!  I am really sorry Stampin' Up! is discontinuing the crayons. Bummer.

The Secret Garden stamp set is tremendously versatile, but I will have to go back to my old ways of coloring, using the ink pads and blender pen. So sad.

Happy Stamping!
Dee Tollaksen

Go on, get going

Yes, it is graduation time. You may remember, I don't like to buy stamps that are super specific, like "happy graduation." This stamp can be used for a graduation, new job, wedding, promotion, any happy celebration. Today our class was for special occasions. I kept the card trendy, using the flag banner, made from DSP. It is a little masculine, but could easily be made more feminine with softer colors or a bit of ribbon. I don't use the silver cardstock very often anymore, but it is perfect for a graduation card.

Today is the announcement day for Stampin' Up! of what stamps and accessories are being retired in the new catalog. If you have a wish list going, shop early to avoid disappointment. When something sells out, it is gone! Stamps will be available all the way until the end of May, when the new catalog goes live.

Here are the links to the lists:
Accessory list

Stamp list

Happy Stamping,
Dee Tollaksen

Pretty Packaging

Is it just the gift, or does pretty packaging count? When giving a gift card or cash, why not make the packaging awesome? At stamp club this month, we used the Artisan Embellishment kit and a couple fancy tricks to make the Scallop Envelope into a beautiful gift envelope. The beautiful ribbon is in the Spring catalog and makes this look fabulous!

We used the oval punch to create the darling paper bow, such a simple technique, but new to all of us!

Next time you have a little gift to give, remember to add some lace, ribbon, DSP and a bunch of love!

Happy Stamping,
Dee Tollaksen

Over the Top!

Over the Top! As much as I love a good Clean and Simple card, it is  wonderful to take some time and make a card that is way over-the-top!  I spotted this treatment of the All Dressed Up framelets and had to CASE it.

There are four dresses all glued together with a bit of twine up the center, making a wonderful suspension on the face of the card.  Oh my, then I used the Secret Garden framelets for the ferns, there are more framelets used for the opening and frames on the face and interior of the card!

I used the pretty paper flowers from the Artisan Embellishments kit, a nice pop of texture. The new DSP from the This and That Sneak Peek has just the right shabby chic feel for this design.  Hmmm mmm good, I am just thrilled with this card!

Happy Stamping!
Dee Tollaksen

Spring Shoebox Swap final cards

 Okay, now we can move on. Have you enjoyed all the guest designers? I am thrilled to feature my fellow demonstrators and stamping friends. These two cards were brought by the host (me!) as a thank you to everyone who participated.

Sometimes Swap participants aren't able to finish all the cards at the event, so I am happy to post all the cards as a reminder of how the designer intended the card to look.

Happy Stamping!
Dee Tollaksen

Spring Shoebox Swap #15 & 16

Pam introduced everyone to the Stampin' Up! bottle caps. This little bit of bling adds shine, texture and is right on trend! I love the bright yellows and blues, plus another successful mix of DSPs!  Pam did so much of the work for us, die cuts, dry embossing and she flattened the bottle caps, so we just stamped and assembled. Beautiful!

Tracy embraced the CAS (clean and simple) design, sharing a monochrome color scheme and a square card. I love that she dug into her stash and brought this gorgeous red ribbon, so intricate, shiny and bold.

Isn't it awesome that we are all working with the same few elements: card stock, ink, ribbon and a few embellishments but we create such diverse and beautiful cards?!

I love my hobby, and I am so grateful for all the friends I have gained through it! One more post with cards from this event, then we're off to something new.

Happy Stamping,
Dee Tollaksen

Spring Shoebox Swap #13 & 14

Genetics vs Environment?? Are you born crafty or do you become crafty? For me, it is genetics, for sure!  This cute butterfly card was brought to the shoebox event by my Mom! Rita is definitely crafty! I was recently in her craft room after a long absence, and was tickled to discover the giant collection of paper, stamps, punches and tools she has accumulated!

We searched the web for inspiration and came up with this pretty white card loaded with details. We embossed the bottom of the card in the Big Shot, used butterfly punches and the ticket punch on the sentiment which is found in the Petite Pairs stamp set, and gorgeous Twitterpated DSP. Thanks for joining us, Mom, it was a great day!

Maggie heard about our event through the grapevine. She is a receptionist in a doctor's office. Jeanne was leafing through her Stampin' Up! catalog while waiting with her Mom for an appointment. One thing led to another, and Jeanne invited Maggie to join us at the Shoebox Swap. Isn't that the most fun! Maggie came all the way from Racine/Kenosha down to Arlington Heights to stamp with us. Her style was a fresh spot, so different from mine! Gotta love a bright, glittery pink flower! And it is always a pleasure to make a new crafty friend. Plus Jeanne earned an extra gift from me for bringing a brand new stamper to the shoebox.

Happy Stamping!
Dee Tollaksen

Spring Shoebox Swap #11 & 12

Don't you love when you have talented friends? I became friends with Laura when I joined Stampin' Up! and she is one of the most talented stampers I know. She is an engineer by trade, and I think her CAS (clean and simple) style may come from that inborn talent. They are appealing, the colors always work well together, there is a beautiful mix of shapes and plenty of white space for your eye to rest. Laura has a knack for mixing patterns, these 3 patterns are not all from the same pack, designed to go together, but they work perfectly! And the very straight lines of the DSP panels balance all the dots and circles in the patterns. LOVE it!



Louise has a style all the way at the other end of the scale. Her vintage/shabby chic card shows us that the eye can be pleased by a whole different set of techniques. She has a collage style DSP, she has inked the edges of her panels, a vintage sewing machine stamped onto textured paper, a bit of ribbon for even more texture, stamping on top of pattern: all combine for a beautiful vintage style card.

Funny that the two cards use similar color combinations and the results are so wildly opposite.

Just a few more swap cards to share, and we can start thinking about future events: Stampin' Up! convention is coming soon!

Happy stamping,
Dee Tollaksen

Spring Shoebox Swap #9 & 10

 Ready for an interesting technique? Kathy shared a messy FUN technique on this gorgeous butterfly card. Each stamper at the Spring Shoebox Swap event was provided with a panel of Crumb Cake card stock that is embossed: wood grain, flowers, or various designs. We then inked up the Swallowtail stamp -- a beautifully detailed oversize stamp -- and stamped the embossed panel. If you were patient, the ink would dry. If you were impatient, the ink got all over your hands. If you were impatient and resourceful, you could flip your card onto the placemat and blot the ink off. Since I was one of the last people to make this card, I learned the blotting trick and kept my hands clean! Whoo hoo, a gorgeous card and clean hands!!!

Kelly brought us this beautiful Mother's Day card. I am so glad to be all ready for this holiday. She has beautiful details taking this lovely card up into the fabulous strata. Notice the layers on the scalloped circle, color-on-color on the scallops, a layer of dotted circle and a top layer of the Rich Razzleberry emblem. Over on the right is a slim scallop border and highlighting the white panel is a border of paper-piercing. These details take a card from lovely to fabulous and I am so glad Kelly shared this design with us. (I think some of the thanks may go to Laura, Kelly's sister and one of my stamping buddies.)

Even though my Mom attended the shoebox swap, I think she will still be happy to get such a pretty card.

Happy Stamping!
Dee Tollaksen

Spring Shoebox Swap # 7 & 8

Anxiety abounds when the invites go out for Shoebox Swaps. "Is my card good enough?" "Have I got enough time?" "Can I afford all the supplies?"

It really is all about the FUN and social aspect, so I try really hard to alleviate all the anxiety. It is only 10 sheets of card stock plus some extra for layering to make 20 cards, and that just isn't that expensive.  It doesn't take much time to prep the materials, after you are satisfied with your design. And your design isn't that difficult, considering all the resources available on-line and from me!

Jeanne designed this beautiful triple-layer stamped birthday card. I always love a mono-chromatic card and this technique looks difficult but is actually very easy. Just line up your 3 white panels, with a teeny bit of adhesive keeping them together. Do your stamping, them separate the layers, insert your colored cardstock and adhere to card base. Simple! And beautiful!

Julie brought us the All Dressed Up card in yellow and grey. These are great together, but a new combination, not something you'll find in older samples and projects. I love the pretty belt of ribbon and the way she created texture using an embossing folder. Lovely!

You have until midnight tonight (Monday) to take advantage of FREE SHIPPING, don't miss out.

Happy Stamping,
Dee Tollaksen

Spring Shoebox Swap #5 & 6

 Everyone wants to be trendy, right? Thanks to Erica we enjoyed a twist on "unique folds" on a beautiful card she brought to the Spring Shoebox Swap.

It takes just a few seconds to score the paper and fold it in a new way but it takes your card to a whole new place! After folding the ends one-over-the-other we punched out a large circle at the fold. A scallop circle is adhered to the interior panel and it pops right through the large circle opening. Fabulous!

Not to mention that brown and pink are naturally beautiful together! A great card, keeping us on trend and adding a new fold technique to our collection.

Also keeping us right on-trend, Iris used banners and mix-n-match patterns. We were provided with more than enough samples of DSP, lovely textured paper for the base panel and some options in ribbon. Each Swapper could then personalize their card to their taste.

It takes a good eye to pull together these varieties, but the center banner has green and red, tying it to the base and the ribbon, the right panel is just green, tying it to the ribbon. The left panel is just blue, tying it to the sentiment.  There are flowers, stripes and dots, but just one on each of the banner panels. The three panels work well together because of their differences.

I appreciate that these ladies brought such lovely cards to the swap. When everyone makes the effort, we all go home with beautiful cards!

Remember that Stampin' Up! has loads of specials going on right now, but the FREE SHIPPING offer is good today (Sunday) and tomorrow only. Don't hesitate!

Happy Stamping,
Dee Tollaksen

Shoebox Swap #3 &4

 When brainstorming for the Shoebox Swap, I always recommend that you check all the creative outlets on the internet. SplitCoastStampers is the long time favorite, but Pinterest is definitely an awesome place to go for inspiration.  If you come visit me, I can always give you a peek at the demonstrator site, which is overflowing with projects, tutorials, hints and ideas.

Joan found her inspiration on SplitCoast. I adore the white space, I love a clean and simple card that has a lot going on. I love that she mixed two very different DSPs and how well they work together, then the beautiful dry embossing, two kinds of scallop borders and then the white flower matches the design on the DSP perfectly. What a great card!

Vicki brought us this U are. . . card. I want to point out how similar the color schemes are and how vastly different the two cards are!  I love the bright colors and how she modified the rectangles by just nipping the corners, it completely transforms the card! There is a design rule that suggests "remove one thing." When you think the design is perfect, go back and take away one thing. In this case, I think removing the corners is exactly right for the card, making the U shape of the stamp and the rounded shape of the corners work well together. I know the design rule isn't meant for changing an element as much as toning down the design, but for this card, it is a good rule to bring into play!

Don't forget that there is FREE SHIPPING on all orders, big or small, this weekend only, April 6 to 8! Get your orders in! Call me, email me or go online and shop at www.dtollaksen.stampinup.net

Happy Stamping!
Dee Tollaksen

Too much news to bear!

There is so dang much going on at Stampin’ Up. I can’t keep up with it all, I wish I could read your mind and tell you the one most important thing. . . wait, I think I feel it coming to me - - - - free shipping! Hooray! I hear you and I have it for you!

*** For three days only regular shipping is FREE. You can order one teeny thing off the clearance rack and shipping is FREE! Or you can order a basket full of heavy wood stamps and shipping is FREE. You can have it shipped to your house FREE or ship some to your Mom for Mother’s Day, FREE! 3 days only, Saturday to Monday, April 6 thru 8.

*** We are “freshening” the color collection, so you may want to order the re-inkers for your ink pads if your favorite colors are retiring and stock up on card stock! Regal rose, pretty in pink, bashful blue, certainly celery, baja breeze, riding hood red, bravo burgundy, not quite navy, more mustard and river rock are retiring.

***Sneak Peek products from the upcoming catalog include the “This and That” line of journals. We are featuring a 15% discount on a bundle including a journal, 3 rolls washi tape, stickers, date stamp and coordinating DSP.  I have just gotten my hands on this and it is fabulous: the high quality you have come to know from Stampin’ Up! and it is beautiful! Take advantage of the discount AND FREE shipping this weekend!

***Spring Surprise bundle is discounted 15% = = = when you order the sneak peek stamp set called Spring Surprise AND the coordinating punch, you can save 15% AND FREE shipping  during the special this weekend. 

***All the single stamps in assortments 3 and 4 have been made available until the end of July. These cuties are perfect for bumping up your stamp collection without breaking the bank. You can find them by going to www.dtollaksen.stampinup.net then click on SHOP NOW then STAMPS then SINGLE STAMPS. Very affordable, ranging from $5.95 to $7.95.

There is more, but I see your eyes are glazing over and you’re looking overwhelmed. Call me if you want more info or some help choosing!

Happy Stamping!

Dee Tollaksen

Spring Shoebox Swap #1 & 2

 I love gathering crafters together for a day of fun. In March I hosted a shoebox swap and we had a bunch of wonderful women gather to stamp and make cards. Each person designs a card and brings all the supplies to copy the design. The event is called a Shoebox Swap because we throw everything into a shoebox to transport--or a bin or a tub.

For the next few days I will share each of the beautiful cards featured at the swap.

Carole allowed us to heat emboss in gold. She shared some beautiful sheer ribbon and a gorgeous pink/green DSP. Isn't this a lovely design!

Debbie brought her Big Shot and let everyone try a nesting technique. When you align one Framelit inside another Framelit and cut the cardstock, you get perfectly nested die cuts. Then you adhere the large design on the left side of a gatefold card and the smaller die cut design on the right side of the gatefold. When the card is closed the die cuts lay perfectly flat and make one image, but when you start to open the card, the two elements separate and the interlocking designs come apart on opposite sides of the gatefold. Awesome card!

Come back tomorrow for a couple more cards!
Happy Stamping,
Dee Tollaksen

Turn down the contrast

There is no doubt, this butterfly stamp is gorgeous. Detailed, big and beautiful. But it is a new kind of stamping and I haven't quite figured out the design rules. My card looks thrown together, like the contrast of blue/black with the very vanilla is just too much contrast. Maybe if I had brayered some matching blue ink over the sentiment? A light coat of color to tone down the contrast?  Back to the drawing board. But the butterfly is gorgeous and deserves to be showcased, I'll figure it out and I'll share.

Starting tomorrow, we will see all the cards that were made at the Spring Shoebox Swap. Watch for the parade of cards and be ready to win a blog giveaway. All comments will be entered in a drawing for one of the door prizes left over from the Shoebox Swap. You have to comment to win, so tune in regularly over the next two weeks!

Happy Stamping!
Dee Tollaksen