Good bye Two Tags Die!

I am always excited about Stampin' Up!'s retiring product lists.  Out with the old means in with the new...and the new is always fun!  Every year there is always a few products that I mourn the loss of and this year, one of those products is my bloved Two Tags die.  I use this die for so many projects...I will definitely miss it!

This month my stamp clubs used it to make a fun little box.

And, here's a side view...

It's really a pretty easy project.  You make a box and then glue a scalloped tag to the front and back.  The box is made from a 3 3/4 x 3 3/4" piece of cardstock scored at 1" on all 4 sides.   You then need to cut like we always do so that you can fold it into a box.

I used the Best of Butterflies set for this project and stamped the tags as well as made a butterfly tag embellish the box.

We made some paper shreds by cutting some Soft Suede cardstock into thin strips, crimping and scrunching it and then putting it into the bottom of the box and then we added 2 Hershey Nuggets that were covered with Baja Breeze DSP.  I think a bottle of nail polish would fit nicely into this box if you wanted to give it as a party favor or a fun little something for a special girl in your life!

Have an inspired day!

I am always excited about Stampin' Up!'s retiring product lists.  Out with the old means in with the new...and the new is always fun!  Every year there is always a few products that I mourn the loss of and this year, one of those products is my bloved Two Tags die.  I use this die for so many projects...I will definitely miss it!

This month my stamp clubs used it to make a fun little box.

And, here's a side view...

It's really a pretty easy project.  You make a box and then glue a scalloped tag to the front and back.  The box is made from a 3 3/4 x 3 3/4" piece of cardstock scored at 1" on all 4 sides.   You then need to cut like we always do so that you can fold it into a box.

I used the Best of Butterflies set for this project and stamped the tags as well as made a butterfly tag embellish the box.

We made some paper shreds by cutting some Soft Suede cardstock into thin strips, crimping and scrunching it and then putting it into the bottom of the box and then we added 2 Hershey Nuggets that were covered with Baja Breeze DSP.  I think a bottle of nail polish would fit nicely into this box if you wanted to give it as a party favor or a fun little something for a special girl in your life!

Have an inspired day!

Baja Breeze Best of Butterflies

It's funny...I don't think I have used Baja Breeze for a long time and now that it's retiring I am finding that I'm using it a lot!  At my Best of Butterflies class a couple weeks ago, we made a super pretty Baja Breeze card which I am in love with.

I love everything about this card...the colors (Baja Breee and Basic Gray), the embossing (Vintage Wallpaper folder), the butterfly and the sentiment colored with markers and the pretty brad (from the Spring Catalog).

Have an inspired day!

It's funny...I don't think I have used Baja Breeze for a long time and now that it's retiring I am finding that I'm using it a lot!  At my Best of Butterflies class a couple weeks ago, we made a super pretty Baja Breeze card which I am in love with.

I love everything about this card...the colors (Baja Breee and Basic Gray), the embossing (Vintage Wallpaper folder), the butterfly and the sentiment colored with markers and the pretty brad (from the Spring Catalog).

Have an inspired day!

A Broken Heart

Those of you who read my blog regularly know that about a year and a half ago I suddenly lost a close friend and it rocked my world.  You can read about it here and here.  Well, today my world was rocked again.  My friend's widow tragically passed away yesterday in a scuba diving accident.  Him and his girls were spending the long weekend in BC relaxing.  I am numb with grief once again.  I can't believe that someone we just saw and talked to is gone.  Just when life was seeming "normal" after losing their mom, those two girls are now orphans and having to deal with the loss of another parent.  My heart breaks for them and for the extended family.

I am thankful that Kevin was able to come out of the hospital today and we can spend the day together sharing memories.  And, I know that my boys are in good hands with my mom until Kevin and I can get home tomorrow and comfort them too because I know all three of them are sad for their friends today.

I'm going to close by sharing a card I made yesterday at my friend Rose's house.  Kevin's night nurses were absolutely fantastic while he was in the hospital and he asked me to make some cards for them.  I chose to use nice soft colors (Pink Pirouette, So Saffron and a new In Color, Pistachio Pudding).

Hug your loved ones tight, tell those who mean the most to you that you love them, keep in touch with old friends, be kind and thoughtful and live with no regrets because you never know when something will happen that can change everything in an instant...you never know when something tragic will happen and someone you talked to just a few days ago will be gone.

Those of you who read my blog regularly know that about a year and a half ago I suddenly lost a close friend and it rocked my world.  You can read about it here and here.  Well, today my world was rocked again.  My friend's widow tragically passed away yesterday in a scuba diving accident.  Him and his girls were spending the long weekend in BC relaxing.  I am numb with grief once again.  I can't believe that someone we just saw and talked to is gone.  Just when life was seeming "normal" after losing their mom, those two girls are now orphans and having to deal with the loss of another parent.  My heart breaks for them and for the extended family.

I am thankful that Kevin was able to come out of the hospital today and we can spend the day together sharing memories.  And, I know that my boys are in good hands with my mom until Kevin and I can get home tomorrow and comfort them too because I know all three of them are sad for their friends today.

I'm going to close by sharing a card I made yesterday at my friend Rose's house.  Kevin's night nurses were absolutely fantastic while he was in the hospital and he asked me to make some cards for them.  I chose to use nice soft colors (Pink Pirouette, So Saffron and a new In Color, Pistachio Pudding).

Hug your loved ones tight, tell those who mean the most to you that you love them, keep in touch with old friends, be kind and thoughtful and live with no regrets because you never know when something will happen that can change everything in an instant...you never know when something tragic will happen and someone you talked to just a few days ago will be gone.

Tea for Two...Tea for You!

I love tea!  So, when I saw the Tea for Two Product Suite in the Spring Catalog, I knew I had to have it all!!!  The ideas started rolling around in my head and this one was one of the first I did!  I showed it for a demo I did quite a while back.

Inspiration for this project came from here.  I changed up the measurements a bit so I could use my Simply Scored to do the scoring!

Here's the template I came up with.  I've included a template for the box, lid and bottom of the box for you.

This tea dispenser will fit any standard tea bag that comes in a little sealed paper envelope.  And, it makes a great gift for any tea lover in your life!

Have an inspired day!

I love tea!  So, when I saw the Tea for Two Product Suite in the Spring Catalog, I knew I had to have it all!!!  The ideas started rolling around in my head and this one was one of the first I did!  I showed it for a demo I did quite a while back.

Inspiration for this project came from here.  I changed up the measurements a bit so I could use my Simply Scored to do the scoring!

Here's the template I came up with.  I've included a template for the box, lid and bottom of the box for you.

This tea dispenser will fit any standard tea bag that comes in a little sealed paper envelope.  And, it makes a great gift for any tea lover in your life!

Have an inspired day!

What a Week!

This last week has been a crazy emotional roller coaster!  My husband and I celebrated our 14th anniversary by driving 2 hours away from home for him to have a spinal fusion surgery done.  We were both nervous about the surgery.  And, to top it off, it was a busy week for me trying to get everything done that I needed to before his surgery and the 5 days I would be spending away from home and my sweet boys while with him until he's ready to come home.

I'm happy to say that his surgery went well and he is now on the long road to recovery.  He's still in the hospital, and will be for another couple days, but I've already noticed an improvement in the way he walks!  And, he has told me that his nerve pain is better (not gone, but much better) and he has some feeling back in his foot already!  Yay!  I am trying to be super positive that he will make a full recovery and be good as new in the next few months.

While in Calgary, I visited with my good friend Rose.  I enjoyed a wonderful dinner with her and her family and then I got to join her stamp club!!!!  I had a blast being the "student" that evening and meeting her club members.  They were all so welcoming and sweet!  It was wonderful getting to know all of them!

Like I did with my clubs this month, Rose's projects were a mix of retiring product and some sneak peeks of new stuff!

We made a fun box using the retiring Fancy Favor Box.  This is a die that I will definitely be missing a lot when it's gone!

We also used some fun new products...a new color (Strawberry Slush), 2 new stamp sets and the super fun new Simply Pressed Clay and the Clay Molds.  I made a button!!!!  So fun!

We also did 2 cards, but I'm only going to show you one today!  I'm saving the other because my clubs are going to make it next month with some super fun new products.

This card uses some of the Spring Catalog products (get them while you can...the Spring Catalog is done at the end of the month!) and a retiring color (Not Quite Navy).

It was a fun evening spent with a great friend...just what I needed!

Have an inspired day!

This last week has been a crazy emotional roller coaster!  My husband and I celebrated our 14th anniversary by driving 2 hours away from home for him to have a spinal fusion surgery done.  We were both nervous about the surgery.  And, to top it off, it was a busy week for me trying to get everything done that I needed to before his surgery and the 5 days I would be spending away from home and my sweet boys while with him until he's ready to come home.

I'm happy to say that his surgery went well and he is now on the long road to recovery.  He's still in the hospital, and will be for another couple days, but I've already noticed an improvement in the way he walks!  And, he has told me that his nerve pain is better (not gone, but much better) and he has some feeling back in his foot already!  Yay!  I am trying to be super positive that he will make a full recovery and be good as new in the next few months.

While in Calgary, I visited with my good friend Rose.  I enjoyed a wonderful dinner with her and her family and then I got to join her stamp club!!!!  I had a blast being the "student" that evening and meeting her club members.  They were all so welcoming and sweet!  It was wonderful getting to know all of them!

Like I did with my clubs this month, Rose's projects were a mix of retiring product and some sneak peeks of new stuff!

We made a fun box using the retiring Fancy Favor Box.  This is a die that I will definitely be missing a lot when it's gone!

We also used some fun new products...a new color (Strawberry Slush), 2 new stamp sets and the super fun new Simply Pressed Clay and the Clay Molds.  I made a button!!!!  So fun!

We also did 2 cards, but I'm only going to show you one today!  I'm saving the other because my clubs are going to make it next month with some super fun new products.

This card uses some of the Spring Catalog products (get them while you can...the Spring Catalog is done at the end of the month!) and a retiring color (Not Quite Navy).

It was a fun evening spent with a great friend...just what I needed!

Have an inspired day!