CANDY CANES FOR KIDS

Remember how panicked I was about jumping into full-time employment after 13 years as a SAHM? In case you didn't know, I have been working as a Paraprofessional at an elementary school in our neighborhood since August ... working with special needs kids. Although I was completely out of my element at first, I have found a comfort level and enjoy the kids I work with tremendously! I work with the coolest kids! I spend most of my mornings in a first grade classroom, and let me tell ya' ... it's a BLAST! I am fascinated with this age group and find these kids quite entertaining! Before I left for my surgery, the first grade teacher asked the kids to make get well cards for me! OMG! These cards are so precious! I bet I've looked through them a hundred times and boy do they put a smile on my face! They are just filled with love and well wishes! I wanted to do something for each of the kids I work with and the students in the first grade class for the holidays, and when I saw Ashley Bowen's Candy Cane Cover, I knew it was just what I was looking for ... something easy to mass assemble and affordable.These are so easy! I just cut a piece of Real Red CS 2" x 3", rounded the corners with a Corner Rounder, and used the Slit Punch for the holes that the candy cane slides through. I used the stamp set Merry & Bright by stamping it in Jet Black Staz-On, and colored with Real Red and Old Olive Stampin' Write Markers. I added sparkle to the snowman's hat with Diamond Stickles. The snowman image was punched out with the 1 1/4" Circle Punch, and adhered to a Real Red 1 3/8" Circle Punch, then Old Olive Scallop Circle Punch. Each scallop was pierced with a Paper Piercer. I used Glue Dots to adhere the scallop to the Real Red CS. RECIPE
Stamps: Merry & Bright
Paper: Real Red, Old Olive, and Whisper White CS
Ink: Jet Black Staz-On, Real Red & Old Olive Stampin' Write Markers
Embellishments: Diamond Stickles
Tools: Slit Punch, Corner Rounder, 1 1/4", 1 3/8", and Scallop Circle Punch, Paper Piercer
Supplies: Glue Dots

CHRISTMAS MOJO

If I don't get to bed soon, I'm going to regret it all day at work tomorrow. I just couldn't go to bed without sharing this card first, so I'm going to make this post real quick.

This card uses Julee Tilman's Mojo Madness #56 Sketch, along with the stamp set, Merry & Bright (a personal favorite!), Holiday Treasures Designer Paper, and Little Felt Flurries from the Holiday Mini Catalog. The tree image is stamped in Chocolate Chip onto Holiday Treasures DP, then paper pieced. The snowflakes are randomly stamped in Baja Breeze by stamping off first.
RECIPE
Stamps: Merry & Bright, All Holidays
Paper: Holiday Treasures DP, Baja Breeze, Old Olive, Ruby Red, and Very Vanilla CS
Ink: Chocolate Chip and Baja Breeze
Embellishments: Little Felt Flurries, Ruby Red Brad
Tools: Circle Cutter (I used my CM CCS)
Supplies: Stampin' Dimensionals, Pop-Up Glue Dot

RAKS FROM LORRI AND KAREN

Yesterday was one exciting mail day! I received TWO gorgeous RAK's!

The first card I'm showing you is from my dear friend and SU Sideline, Lorri Heiling ... Confessions of a Stamping Addict. This is the card Lorri created on Sunday for the Featured Stamper Challenge (FS48) on SCS, caseing this card of mine. I was so surprised when I saw this gorgeous card posted on SCS because I've been trying to get Lorri to play along with the SCS challenges FOREVER! I was even more surprised when I received the actual card in the mail yesterday! Lorri is just one of the most thoughtful people I've ever had the privilege of knowing ... she wrote the nicest things inside the card, along with a friendship poem. For all the details on Lorri's card, visit it on SCS or Lorri's blog.
This next adorable card is from my friend, Karen Laub, nikesmom on SCS. Karen and I are band booster moms together, she attends my classes, and has a true passion for the art of stamping! I had given Karen the Merry & Bright stamp set from the Holiday Mini Catalog, along with the Real Red 5/8" Grosgrain Ribbon for her birthday/Christmas gift, and she (in her "creative Karen way") used both of them in a thank you card to me! How cool is that?! Karen's card is so cute! ... love that snowman image with the Dashing DP! I'm so impressed that she mailed thank you cards out (unlike my lame self!).

TWO WEEK BLOGGING BREAK

It's been quite a week here at the Riley house. John's Uncle Howard passed away on Tuesday and the funeral was held on Thursday. Please hold Howard's wife, Shirley, and their three children in your prayers. My Mom had emergency surgery on Tuesday and is doing well now. We are praying this will be the end of her streak of health issues.

I am staying on task preparing for the Christmas holiday and my company. My brother and his family are coming from Iowa to stay with us for five days. They haven't been to Arizona for a visit in 7 years, so this trip is much anticipated! I will be taking a two week blogging break so I can prepare my home, food, Christmas, etc. then enjoy their company while they're here (unless, of course, I find some free time to participate in a SCS challenge!). It'll be difficult to stay away from stamping, but am looking forward to getting things in order and having things "just so" for their visit!

If ... if ... if I don't post again before Christmas, please know that I wish each and every one of my readers a joyous holiday! I am so grateful for all the connections and friendships I've made this year through blogging. THANK YOU for checking in each day, THANK YOU for your kind comments and words of encouragement, and THANK YOU even to those of you who read and don't leave comments! I know you're there, because my counter keeps going up and up to unbeliveable numbers! Most of all, remember the Reason for the Season; the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ. See you in 2008, if not before!

Remember the altered Junior Legal Pads and tutorial in THIS POST using Dashing DP? I made several more using Wintergreen DP.

I found the Wintergreen DP a little more difficult to coordinate two different patterns than the Dashing DP, so in some cases I chose to use Certainly Celery Prints DP.

I made 15 of these notepads and gift pails as teacher gifts and friends' gifts. I purchased the white snowflake pails at the Target $1 Spot, and used my Crop-A-Dile to punch two holes in the front of the pail for the ribbon/cord to loop through. I tried to find items that coordinated with the Wintergreen DP (not an easy task!). Some things I did come up with: CO Bigelow Spearmint and Mint Lip Glosses from Bath & Body Works (a perfect match!), Candy Canes, and candies wrapped in silver wrappings.

MERRY CHRISTMAS my friends !!!!

IT'S THE LITTLE THINGS THAT MAKE ME HAPPY

I'm posting this at the risk of showing you my sick and twisted Stampin' Up! mind ! Yep, I'll admit it ... my mind works in Stampin' Up! stamp set designs and Stampin' Up! 48 colors + 6 In Colors, and you'll see that it doesn't take much to make me happy!

When you look at this bucket, what Stampin' Up! stamp set do you see?Do you see what I see? .... the Stampin' Up! stamp set Merry & Bright! See how the tree image is very similar to the one in the Merry & Bright stamp set? Do you also see Old Olive and Real Red?

How convenient for me that I found these little buckets at the Walgreen's on the corner! It just so happened that I had ordered a few Merry & Bright stamp sets for a few stampin' friends for their December birthdays, and had these Merry & Bright Wish Lists already made up with Dashing DP (in the colors of Old Olive and Real Red). I also included some coordinating Real Red/Old Olive 5/8" Grosgrain Ribbon, chocolate and red shred. I just dressed up the bucket by adding the snowman image in the scallop medallion with ribbon. I was so excited to give these to my stampin' friends! Note: Bear with me here readers ... I'm in Christmas mass assembly mode and obviously desperate for anything new and remotely interesting to post!

ALTERED CHRISTMAS WISH LIST TUTORIAL & GIFT IDEA

One evening last week, I whipped up these altered Christmas Wish Lists using jr. legal notepads for my fellow SCS'ers/Bloggers/Stampers/Friends, Nancy Morgan and Fran Sabad. There was a little "ELFing" going on on SCS, and I surprised Nancy and Fran with a bucket of Christmas goodies that included these altered notepads. These notepads were completely inspired by Heather Nichols' Holiday List Book HERE. Nicole's Wish Lists are adorable!!! Keep scrolling down for the tutorial on how to make these notepads, and a photo of Nancy and Fran's elfing goodies.These notepads were so easy to make that I'll be mass assembling many of them next week to give as gifts through the Christmas season! It would be very easy to alternate designer papers too ... I have big plans to use Wintergreen DP too! The notepads in these photos use Dashing DP.SUPPLIES NEEDED AND RECIPE:
* The notepad itself is a Junior Legal Pad purchased at my local office supply store (Staples or OfficeMax). They have a copy center, and all you do is ask them to cut the pads in half vertically. My office supply store charged me $1.00 to cut the entire package of pads.
Stamps: Merry & Bright, "HOLIDAY HAPPINESS" from So Many Sayings
Paper: Real Red and Old Olive CS, Dashing DP
Ink: Jet Black Staz-On Ink Pad, Real Red & Old Olive Markers
Embellishments: Dazzling Diamonds applied on snowman's body with 2-Way Glue Pen, Button and Embroidery Floss
Tools: Paper Piercing Tool/Mat/Template, Word Window Punch, Scallop Punch, 1 1/4" and 1 3/8" Circle Punches
Supplies: Sticky Strip, Glue Dots (for button), Stampin' Dimensionals (for main image)
Note: In my examples, there is paper piercing along the Old Olive horizontal CS strip above and below the Real Red horizontal CS strip, and on each scallop of the scallop circle. Stamp the snowflake image from Merry & Bright on random pages of the notepad. I did use Pumpkin Pie marker to color in the snowman's nose, and Blush Blossom marker to give the snowman rosy cheeks.

*Cut Real Red CS base 5 1/2" x 8 1/4", score at 2 5/8" and 2 7/8".
* The outside DP panel measures 2 1/2" x 8", then cut at 5" and flipped with the opposite side of the DP on the bottom.
* The inside DP panel measures 2 1/2" x 8".
* The flap that goes around the top of the legal pad measures 1 7/8" x 2 1/2", and scored at 7/8" and 1".
* I used Sticky Strip to adhere the notepad to the cardstock.

Here are some more coordinating goodies that I sent to Nancy and Fran; an altered jumbo paper clip and altered Hershey's miniatures.
This next photo is of the completed buckets of elfing goodies with plenty of chocolate and a few stamping necessities. I've had these tins for quite sometime (thanks Leah!), and used Sticky Strip to attach the Old Olive 5/8" Grosgrain Ribbon to it. The bow is separate and adhered with Glue Dots. The hanging pendant is the same image used on the notepads, and hung from the bow with Silver Elastic Cord.
Thanks for looking! I'm slowly getting over my annual "Christmas Freak Out"! I've been completely overwhelmed with to do's in my head the last few days, but am feeling better after getting the house decorated today! woohoo! One more thing to check off the list! As Joanne Basile told me last night, and Lorri Heiling told me this morning, "BREATHE IN, BREATHE OUT!".

NOVEMBER STAMP CLASS PROJECTS

Today, I held my Christmas Stamp Classes. Here are the projects we made, along with the recipes. Within the next couple of days, I'll be posting a tutorial on how I organize for my classes...be sure to check back!

JOY CHRISTMAS CARD
This card is a CASE of Chat Wszelaki's card HERE, (nitestamper on SCS). For more of Chat's artwork, visit her blog, Me, My Stamps, and I. I love this card, and here I go again complaining about the way River Rock photographs! It is much prettier IRL! The River Rock background piece is dry embossed with the Snowflake Cuttlebug Folder, and Gold Stickles (non-SU) were added to the snowflakes and to the "j" dot snowflake. I rarely use non-SU products, especially in my classes, but couldn't resist the bling that Stickles adds for the Holidays!

RECIPE
Stamps: Big Deal Alphabet, Season of Joy
Paper: Always Artichoke, River Rock, Purely Pomegranate, Very Vanilla CS and Holiday Harmony DP
Ink: Always Artichoke, Purely Pomegranate Classic Ink Pads
Embellishments: Purely Pomegranate Double Stitched Grosgrain Ribbon, Gold Brad, Gold Stickles (non-SU)
Tools: ½”, ¾”, 1” and 1 ¼” Circle Punches, Cuttlebug and Snowflake Embossing Folder, 1/16” Handheld Circle Punch
Supplies: Stampin’ Dimensionals, Pop-Up Glue Dot, Sticky Strip
Original Artist: Chat Wszelaki (nitestamper on SCS)

SEASON OF JOY CHRISTMAS CARD
This card is a variation of THIS CARD that I designed last month. Instead of stamping the Poinsettia from the Season of Joy stamp set, we used the 5-Petal Flower Punch to make it, along with three Old Olive Brads. Simply punch two Real Red flowers and one Old Olive flower, adhere together (staggered), and roll the petals around a pen for dimension. We stamped the star on top of the tree, cut out, adhered to top of tree, and added X-mas Red Stickles (non-SU) for bling.
RECIPE
Stamps: Season of Joy
Paper: Dashing DP, Old Olive, River Rock, Real Red, and Very Vanilla CS
Ink: River Rock, Real Red, and Old Olive Classic Ink Pads
Embellishments: Real Red 5/8” Grosgrain Ribbon, Old Olive Brads, X-Mas Red Stickles (non-SU)
Tools: 5-Petal Flower Punch, Paper Piercing Tool for brad holes , Scissors for cutting out Christmas Tree and Star
Supplies: Stampin’ Dimensionals/Foam Tape, Pop-Up Glue Dot, Sticky Strip, Mini Glue Dots


CHRISTMAS FIVE-IN-ONE TEMPLATE BOX and CHRISTMAS PAPER BOW
This box and bow were considered two seperate projects. You can find the TUTORIAL for the FIVE-IN-ONE TEMPLATE BOX by Beate Johns HERE, and the TUTORIAL for the PAPER BOW by Jessica Crawford HERE. We made this super easy holiday packaging using a variety of Stampin' Up! Double Sided Papers from the Wintergreen and Dashing Designer Series Paper Packs. I'll never purchase another bow at a store again!Don't forget ...... the November Stampin' Up! Special .... buy THREE DP Packs, get ONE FREE !!!

RECIPE
Paper: Wintergreen and Dashing DP and coordinating solid CS
Supplies: Sticky Strip, Scissors, Pop-Up Glue Dots, Brads, 1/16" Circle Punch or Paper Piercing Tool , Five-in-One Template

MERRY & BRIGHT GIFT CARD HOLDER

This gift card holder is CASEd from Nancy Morgan's original HERE. Nancy is known as ncmorgan on SCS, and her blog is Paper Smiles. The snowman is colored in with markers and Blender Pen for the Wild Wasabi, then Dazzling Diamonds were added with a Two-Way Glue Pen.Walmart carries a gift card this season that matches the DP from the Winter Bright Simply Scrappin' Kit and the snowflakes from the Merry & Bright Stamp Set. I'm told that iTunes also has a cool gift card that coordinates well with this holder!
RECIPE
Stamps: Merry & Bright, Fundamental Phrases, All Holidays (“Merry Christmas” inside sentiment)
Paper: Whisper White Gift Cards & Envelopes (pg. 169, item #107312) Gift Cards measure 3 7/8” x 2 ¾”, Envelopes measure 4 ¼” x 3”. Wild Wasabi and Real Red CS, Winter Bright Simply Scrappin’ Kit
Ink: Jet Black Staz-On, Real Red Classic. Coloring in Snowman -- Real Red, Pumpkin Pie, and Blush Blossom Markers and Blender Pen with Wild Wasabi Ink Pad.
Embellishments: Red Gingham Ribbon, Dazzling Diamonds
Tools: Paper Piercing Tool/Mat/Template, Scallop Circle Punch, 1 ¼” and 1 3/8” Circle Punches, 1/8” Handheld Circle Punch
Supplies: 2-Way Glue Pen
Note: Use Glue Dots to temporarily adhere gift card inside.
Original Artist: Nancy Morgan