When you have some extra roof flashing...

Make tea light holders!  I've been threatening to try this project ever since I saw a shoe box swap of this style at convention.  I've seen tons of pictures of these cool tea light holders all over the internet so it's impossible for me to give credit to any one person for the inspiration.  I'll just say to whoever thought this up first, YEAH YOU!!  This was so much fun!

Ok, Kelli...what are you talking about?  Flashing is a roofing material used to weatherproof your roof.  You'll see it around chimneys or vent pipes. It's generally made of some kind of sheet metal.  The stuff that's pretty easy to find your local home improvement store is made of aluminum.  It comes in rolls with sizes from 6" wide to 14" wide and as long as 50 feet or more on a roll.  Most of it is silver in color but I was able to find a coated flashing that was brown on one side and white on the other. (If you need to know more about flashing, check out this Wikipedia link.)  For my particular project, I purchased a roll of flashing that is 14 inches wide (the same size as the Bigz XL dies) and 10 feet long.

To put this in the simplest of terms, I cut the flashing to 6" x 14" and put it through my handy dandy Big Shot using the Flower Folds die.  I ran each piece back through the Big Shot using an embossing folder.  I bent the small flower up and the large flower down, assembled them with some sticky strip and voila!  We have a tea light holder :-)  I know that sounds overly simplistic but I'm telling you, it was SO easy.

 A couple words of caution.  Flashing is SHARP!  I cut myself and didn't even know I was bleeding.  This is not a project for kids.  Also, you will probably need a card stock shim when you cut the flowers out.  Even through it's thick enough to go through with a cut, you do need a little extra push because the material is so thick.

Go try making yourself a great little tea light holder out of roof flashing!  I bet your hubby will be pretty impressed you 1) know what flashing is ;) and 2) figured out a unique way to use some of those scraps.  I really want to stamp on this stuff.  I'll report back with the results!

When you need a quick and easy card...

A piece of Designer Series Paper, a beautiful stamp and a ribbon can go a long way!  I needed a whole bunch of cards this weekend and this design was the winner.  Simple but pretty, I hope these cards get plenty of oohs and aahs.

Another plug for the new Color Coach.  If it wasn't for my Coach, I probably wouldn't have put Pear Pizzazz and Rich Razzelberry together.  The other color in that combination was Tempting Turquoise which, for the record, looks great!  (I made some of these cards in Pear Pizzazz and Tempting Turquoise...yummy!)

Card Recipe
Card Stock - Rich Razzelberry, Whisper White
Designer Series Paper - Greenhouse Gala
Classic Ink - Rich Razzelberry, Pear Pizzazz
Accessories - Rich Razzelberry 5/8" Grosgrain Ribbon, SNAIL Adhesive

Why I LOVE to Share What I Love

Anyone who knows anything about me at all knows how crazy in love I am with my new nephew.  He's a dream!  It's still hard for me to fathom the fact that I can love a child who isn't "mine" as much as I love this little man.  He came to visit me on Thursday so my sister could finish off her birth announcements.  It was so wonderful to just hold him and love him, and I even got him to crack a little smile.  I've always been astounded by how much little babies grow and change in such a short period of time. It feels like only yesterday that my babies were this size and now, I have one driving.  UGH!  Time flies by way too fast!

When I first joined Stampin' Up! as a demonstrator, my little sister wanted nothing to do with my "hobby".  She's not crafty and has no time to be...so she said.  She's not getting involved with anything I'm selling and especially not stamps. That's just "weird" and she's not interested!  It just so happened that she had some plans fall through on a Friday night and I had a last minute cancellation for a class.  "Come on over, sis!  I won't even charge you for the class." (The things you do for family!)  It was a great class for her to get her feet wet.  We made 60 cards out of a Simply Scrappin' kit.  Not a whole lot of stamping, just quick and easy card making.  Would you know, she had fun!  She had a whole slew of cards that she could now just pull out when she needed a birthday or get well card.  Amazing, isn't it?  She was just pleased as punch with herself.  She was sending them for everything under the sun.  Then I received one of those cards last October.  The inside read, "You're going to be an aunt!"

Today, my not crafty, not coming, not playing, NO WAY little sister is a member of one of my Korner Klubs, attends regular classes, and is the very proud creator of ALL of her birth announcements.  I'm so proud to see the beautiful announcements she was able to make all by herself!  **Note here...my watermark says "Created by Kelli Waters".  It should say "Created by Kelli Waters' Talented Little Sister"**  It's quite a big undertaking with all the cutting of the layers, sizing of the photos, and the stamping.  I love the way they turned out.  I really think she did a great job and the cards are phenominal!  No preprinted designs from a print house for my nephew...now way!  Her little guy's announcements are hand made with love! 

Share what you love!  That's what it's all about.  Afterall, you never know when sharing what you love with someone else may just turn into that same someone sharing what they love with you.

Korner Challenge - Bee Happy

As I sit here ready to create this post, I'm a little sad.  My youngest son started middle school this week and all of a sudden...I'm not needed for the "bedtime ritual".  Yes, I know he's getting older but there's something about being able to tuck him in that always made ME feel a little better.  It's hard to let them grow up when you still want to do the Mom things.  I might just have to sneak in after he's gone to sleep and make sure he's all comfy cozy anyway.  I am the mom and it will make me sleep a whole lot better!  But don't tell him that...please!

Up until this week, I've been participating in a sketch group.  I've been so pleased with the praticipation I've had from so many of my wonderful customers and downline!!  You guys have really been making some awesome cards. I love getting the emails and seeing the live samples of your creations.  It's been so inspiring that I've decided to bring you my very own Korner Challenge! It might be a sketch, it might be a color combination, heck, it might even be a fun 3-D project.  Rest assured, it will be a fun way for you to challenge yourself to use all of the wonderful Stampin' Up! products that we've come to love!  I plan to have them posted for Fridays but if you don't see it til Friday afternoon, don't shoot me!  I'm only human, afterall :-)  Email me a photo or keep bringing your creations to your classes and workshops.  Oh, and don't forget about the August challenge special!!

Given the developments of tonight, this card seems to be very appropriate. I just need to Bee Happy!! Daffodil Delight is definitely a happy color and the stamps in Every Little Bit are just too cute! Where did "happy" come from? Another new stamp set in the 2010-2011 Idea Book and Catalog, Fabulous Phrases. This great stamp set contains 30 individual words that you can put together to make, well, fabulous phrase!  What I really loved about playing with this card design was that I was able to use my awesome clear mount stamps to line up the bee and "happy" on the same block.  It made stamping ten of these little guys so easy.  It's just one more reason for me to LOVE the new clear mount option in our stamps!

So go forth and conquer this simple sketch.  Design your own background, add a little bit of what makes you happy, and make someone's day with a piece hand-made love!

A thank you treat

Coming soon to a Holiday Mini Catalog near you is the new Candy Wrapper Large Die for the Big Shot!  I am totally in love with this little treat!  I whipped up this little thank you gift in a matter of minutes using this great new die!  Filled with some tasty sweets, this little treat would make a great thank you gift at a shower, wedding or birthday party! The color combination for this little treat came right out of our fabulous Color Coach!  It's Crumb Cake, Cajun Craze, and Marina Mist.

Project Recipe
Card Stock - Crumb Cake, Whisper White
Classic Ink - Cajun Craze
Stamp Set - Perfect Punches
Accessories - Big Shot, Candy Wrapper Large Die, Marina Mist 1/8" Taffeta Ribbon, Silver Brads, Adhesive Rhinestones, Scalloped Oval Punch, Stampin' Dimensionals, Sticky Strip, Mini Glue Dots

A gift in a greeting

I love to send cards that give a little more than just a greeting.  I love including a bookmark with my cards.  This latest creation incorporates the bookmark right into the design of the front of the card.  I got this idea while I was attending convention this year.  I got a cool card from Bev Laechelt as a swap.  She had used a cool little rooster on the tag and a textured foreground on the card.  I thought the idea was so cool that I started designing one of my own.

The card uses the Word Window punch as a little insert for a great bookmark made from the Two Tags Big Shot Die.  How excited would you be to not only get a wonderful little greeting from a friend, but also a bookmark to pop inside of your Stampin' Up! catalog to mark your favorite stamp set!!  If you want to see a close up of either photo, you can click to get a larger image.

Card Recipe
Card Stock - Night of Navy, River Rock, Whisper White
Classic Ink - Night of Navy, River Rock
Accessories - Big Shot, Two Tags Bigz Die, Word Window Punch, Scalloped Circle Punch, 1-3/8" Circle Punch, Night of Navy 3/8" Taffeta Ribbon, Adhesive Rhinestones
Stamp Set - Just Believe

Sketch Challenge - August 20

This is my last post as a member of the Sketch Frenzy Friday group.  Today's sketch is brought to us by one of our stampin Friends from the other side of the globe, Roz Davidson!  This is a great, simple sketch that anyone can participate with. 

Card Recipe
Card Stock - Rose Red, Elegant Eggplant, Whisper White
Classic Ink - Rose Red, Elegant Eggplant, So Saffron, Marina Mist


I pulled out one of my favorite past classes for this sketch.  This card was made using a One Sheet Wonder and made my own designer paper out of the Circle Circus stamp set.  So easy and fun!!

The next stamper in this group is Kim.  Go to Kim's blog by clicking here. 



 

Simple and Bright

Sometimes I like a simple, basic card.  I think this Awash With Flowers card totally fits the bill.  It's simple, it's bright, and gets the point across quite well without any ribbon, buttons or brads -- making it 44¢ to mail!  This was another card we made during the last Korner Kards class.  It was a big hit!  There's a little bling on this card coming from the new Smooch Illuminate Top Coat.  There's just a bit on each flower but it really gives a nice, unexpected pop on this otherwise unassuming card.

Card Recipe

Card Stock - Pacific Point, Certainly Celery, Pumpkin Pie, Whisper White

Classic Ink - Pacific Point, Certainly Celery, Pumpkin Pie, Melon Mambo

Accessories - Smooch Illuminate Top Coat, Snail Adhesive

Stamp Sets - Awash With Flowers, Fabulous Phrases

Korner Kard Fun!

We had a great time during Korner Kards last night!  We made 5 quick and simple cards and even introduced a new stamper to the fun we have in Kelli's Korner! 

One of my favorite cards from last night was this fun little ice cream cone using stamps from Sweet Treats, a cute little set from the Summer Mini Catalog.  Who doesn't love ice cream?  This will be a great card for any kid or kid at heart!

The next Korner Kards night will be on Monday, September 20.  The cost to attend is $8 or you can place a $15 merchandise order and make the cards for free!

Have A Sweet Celebration Card Recipe
Card Stock - Tangerine Tango, Cajun Craze, Crumb Cake, Whisper White
Classic Ink - Tangerine Tango, Crumb Cake
Accessories - 2-1/2" Scallop Punch, 1-3/4" Circle Punch, Paper Snips, Dazzling Diamonds Glitter, White Gel Pen, 2-Way Glue Pen, SNAIL Adhesive, Stampin' Dimensionals.

Sketch Frenzy Friday - August 13

Welcome to another Sketch Frenzy Friday!  The day of the week I can guarantee myself that I'm stamping :)  Today's sketch is brought to you by Pam Browne.  Pam's not part of our "official" group anymore and we definitely miss her!  Thanks for the great sketch, Pam!!  It was a lot of fun to play with!

For today's card, I was focused on playing with color!  With Stampin' Up!'s recent Color Renovation, we have a whole host of new colors to play with.   Many of you may know that we're playing with "Bright Inspiration" at the end of this month during Super Set Sunday.  What a great color family for this card!  , I went right to my new Color Coach to find a great, new and kind of different combination to play with.  The creative combination of Pacific Point, Daffodil Delight and Rich Razzelberry was the winner!

With a special someone in mind who is going through some rough times, I think this bright card will certainly spark up her day!  The little medallion stamp is from Artistic Etchings (quickly becoming another of my favorite sets) and the sentiment is from Word Play (another becoming one of my favorites...are they all favorites??)  The Designer Series Paper comes from the Brights Designer Patters Stack.  The center of each medallion is adorned with one of the teeny tiny pearls.  Don't believe me?  Click on the photo for a bigger look.  They're in there and add just the right level of adornment!  Thank you, Stampin' Up! for giving us adhesive pearls and rhinestones!!  I, for one, LOVE THEM!!

It's time to travel to the next blog on our Sketch Frenzy Friday hop!  Kim is always sure to impress.  Check out her blog by clicking here.  To see the full list of Sketch Frenzy Friday bloggers, click here!

Happy Stamping!

Life is a matter of butterflies

I love the Beautiful Butterflies Big Shot die.  Of course, I generally love all things butterfly!  I decided to make a new card design for the cards that I pass out to new stamping friends when we meet in different places.  Inspired partly by one of the projects I worked on in Salt Lake City, I grabbed the Elements of Style stamp set and the Very Vintage wheel and got busy.

This card is based with Pretty In Pink and wheeled with matching ink.  The butterfly is stamped with the large flower from Elements of Style in Chocolate Chip ink.  The edges were sponged with Chocolate Chip and the centers of the flowers were lightly colored with Pretty In Pink and a sponge dauber.  Gold Smooch spritz finished off the inking for the butterfly.  Don't those flowers just go perfectly on the wings?  I LOVE this concept and have a sneaking suspision that this won't be the last set of cards I make with that butterfly :)

The satin ribbon is kind of a given for me.  It is absolutely my FAVORITE ribbon we carry.  This card uses Chocolate Chip ribbon, available to purchase only through the end of the Summer Mini Catalog.  Chocolate Chip ribbon didn't make it into the new catalog so be sure to get yours while you can!  The new adhesive pearls are definitely on the top of my list as favorite accessories!  I think these four pearls make a beautiful center for our fluttering friend.  On some of the other cards I made, I use the rhinestones.  Also stunning but this is definitely my favorite.

This will be one of the cards featured in this month's Korner Kards Klass!!  This is a fun class that you won't want to miss!  Be sure to check out my class listings for more details!!

Sketch Frenzy Friday - August 6

Welcome to another Sketch Frenzy Friday! This fun sketch was designed by Pam Browne. You can get to Pam's blog by clicking here.

I really had a lot of fun with this sketch because I went a little outside the box this week.  I'm bringing you a "project" instead of just a card!  Sketch challenges can be so much more than just cards.  They are great for layout inspiration for scrapbook pages, photo frames, home decor projects, and so much more!

Today, my project was a Star Book.  I made one of these fun books while I was in Salt Lake City at the Stampin' Up! convention.  Somehow, I had missed this little gem of a project in all of my paper crafting endeavors!  What rock have I been living under??  These have been so much fun to make!  A star book would make a fabulous brag book or even a really involved "card" to say you care A LOT.  So if any of you are at all like me, a Star Book is a set of pages put together in such a way that when it's open, it forms a star shape.  I really wanted to make a special project for my sister so she can show off photos of some of her travels around the world.  Artistic Etchings is a perfect stamp set to do just that!

I created this book using Cherry Cobbler, Basic Black and Very Vanilla  card stock.  This is swiftly becoming one of my go to color combinations.  Cherry Cobbler is totally my favorite new color!

This Star Book has six inside sections, each stamped with a simple design from Artistic Etchings.  It has plenty of room to add photos, sentiments, and memories!  I come from the school of thought that says you don't have to add loads of stamps and images to create a beautiful piece of art!

The cover of the book was designed with with Love Letters Designer Series Paper, some Vanilla Satin Ribbon and accented with the new adhesive pearls.  Just simple but still very elegant, I think!

When I did my blog scavenger hunt, I heard from several of the participants that they really enjoyed the challenge of playing along with some of the sketches.  My August challenge to all of my fabulous customers and Korner Krazy Stampers...play with sketches!  All of you who participate in at least one Sketch Frenzy Friday sketch challenge will be entered into a drawing to win FREE STAMPS!!  I've got a wonderful stamp basket that has a stamp set with somebody's name on it.  It could be yours!  Just email me a picture of your card or bring it with you to a club, class or special stamp event to be entered into the drawing!  You'll get one entry for every sketch you participate in this month!

Ok, so it's time for you to see all of the wonderful creations by the Sketch Frenzy Friday bloggers.  Kim is the next stop on the hop.  Go to her blog by clicking here. 

August Super Set Sunday - Bright Inspiration

It's time to visit our new color families during Super Set Sunday!  August's offering is the Brights family.  Who is part of that family, you ask?

Daffodil Delight
Pumpkin Pie
Tangerine Tango
Regal Rose
Melon Mambo
Real Red
Rich Razzleberry
Pacific Point
Tempting Turquoise
Old Olive

We will make a set of 10 cards that fit perfectly into Stampin' Up!'s Small Open-End Envelopes.  Each card will be made from a different color of the Brights family so you'll have a sample of each of these beautiful colors!  We will create a special box that will fit the cards and envelopes perfectly making this a great set to give as a gift as well!

With your class fee, you will receive materials to make all 10 cards, a package of Brights Designer Buttons ($8.95 value), and 1/2 a pack of Small Open-End Envelopes.  I will also provide you with a template for this great box so you can recreate this wonderful gift over and over!

Add materials to make a second set of cards, envelopes and storage box for just $10.  Don't want the envelopes?  A second set is just $5 more!  Bring a friend who has never been to a Kelli's Korner Klass before and you'll get a second set (without envelopes) for FREE!

RSVP and payment must be received by Saturday, August 20 to ensure timely delivery of class supplies.  You can pay via the Paypal link on my Special Class Registration page or you can email me for an address to send a personal check.

Happy Stamping!!

With 67 points the winner is...

Kathy S!!  Kathy is the only entry who answered all of the scavenger hunt questions correctly.  She also made some wonderful Conversation Heart candies in a cute little Valentines Day candy box (that I may have seen somewhere before :)  Kathy not only made a rose, she made it using the wax paper resist technique.  So beautiful.

Thanks to everyone who played along!!  We had way more entries than I had ever dreamed we'd have!  Because the response was so great , we'll be having regular contests!  Check back on Friday for details on the next fun blog contest :)

So you wanna know who the runners up are?  If you entered the Scavenger Hunt and particiapted in ANY of the extra credit questions, you'll be getting a fun goodie from me :)

Happy Stamping!!