Happy New Year!!

 

 

All of us at the Pansy Patch want to wish you and yours a wonderful Happy New Year!

 

Nancy    Rachel     Sarah

 

 



Medallion Christmas Tree

I didn't want to forget to post this great little tree!  We made a few of these and I loved how they turned out!  Fran Sabad did a great video on how to make them.  If you have some energy left after this week give it a try!

We finished the trees by placing them in a small pot trimmed with some ribbon, and then decorated them with some bows and small roses that I had in my stash.  I also had some small plastic stars that were just the right size, so we used them instead of making some out of paper.

We had a great Christmas and are looking forward to New Year's!  We had 2 inches of snow Christmas Eve.  When we left church it was snowing - it was beautiful!  We are expected to get another few inches tomorrow and it is getting cold!!!!  Have a great weekend!

Thanks for stopping bye,
Nancy, Rachel & Sarah

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

Rachel created this beautiful holiday basket at Girl Scouts and she wanted to share it with you!

We would also like to wish you a very Merry Christmas from all of us at the Pansy Patch!!

Thanks for stopping bye,
Nancy, Rachel & Sarah

                    

Hershey Christmas Trees

I always have Christmas at my house the Sunday before Christmas. This year I wanted to make a favor to put on the table for each person by their place setting.  While looking through Youtube, I saw this adorable video on how to make Hershey Christmas Trees  and knew this is what I wanted to make.

I was really surprised how quickly they came together.  Unfortunately, when you take out the candy the tree comes apart, but I salvaged these and put more candy back in them to take a picture which I hadn't done.  They were a big hit and I will definitely put them on my "keep" list.

We had a great time!  We always take the girls to church Christmas Eve and then have dinner at my daughter's and then on Christmas Day.  We had alittle snow yesterday and more is forecast for the next few days so it will be a white Christmas!

Thanks for stopping bye,
Nancy, Rachel & Sarah

Christmas Ornaments

Every since the SU catalog came out and I saw the cover with the Christmas ornament  on it, I knew that I wanted to make them - along with everyone else!  There are so many how-to videos on the web and I think I watched them all!  I did make one ornament with the stamps and I loved how it turned out, but I knew if I wanted to make a bunch of them that wasn't the best way to go.  I decided on using DSP scored every 3" and then folded together before putting through the Big Shot with the ornament die.  I found that I could die punch 5 out lenghwise which gave me the 20 cutouts that I needed.  Even better was that I could place the smaller die cut inbetween the larger cutouts to produce those 20 cutouts which enabled me to make an ornament out of one 12" x 12" piece of DSP!  I was in my glory!  I use scraps of DSP to make my rosettes for the center of the ornaments using my Cricut Cart - Ribbons & Rosettes.

I loved getting out all my embellishments and adding the finishing touches!  My next decision was how I was going to wrap them up.  I wanted to keep them lying flat and saw a great tutorial for a box to put them in on Stamp & Scrap withFrenchie.  I decided not to use the window sheets as I had too many to do and made the box for the top as well in a different color and stamped and embossed a Christmas wish.

To add a personal touch, I stamped a Merry Christmas greeting and punched it out using my large scalloped punch.  I wrote the year on it and a personal message as well and adhered it on the back of the ornament.  I was so happy with how they all turned out!  I did a dozen of them and already gave some out.  Every year I try and give my daughters and granddaughters some type of ornament for them to keep.  I love quilling and have made them several ornaments in the past.  This year it was the angels and these ornaments!

I would definitely recommend you make these ornaments!  I think the angels and these ornaments were my favorite things I made this year.  One note to myself - start earlier next year! Hope you have a great week!  If you have any questions, please feel free to email me or leave a comment. 

Thanks for stopping bye,
Nancy, Rachel & Sarah

Christmas Cocoa Pack

Over the weekend I finished making up these cocoa packs for my daughter to take to the Wellness Center for the clients.  Every holiday I make something and when I saw this video on Dawn's Olchefske's blog I knew this was what I was going to make this Christmas.

Supplies:

Stamps - Scentsational set with matching Holiday Collection Framelits Bundle - SU
Ink - Real Red, Garden Green, Chocolate Chip - SU
Paper - Chocolate Chip, Real Red, Crumb Cake, Whisper White, DSP - SU
Accessories - Big Shot, Scoring Tool, Dimensionals, Hot Cocoa Packs, Candy Canes
Emblishments - Rhinestone Jewels, Sweater Trim - SU

I fell in love with this stamp set and die when Rachel was using it to make her Board Game for school.  I also used my cricut cartridge George and Basic Shapes to make the 2 1/2" circles and candy canes for the stirring sticks.  You can't have hot cocoa without candy canes!  This is the first time I used the sweater trim and I really like it.  Very easy to use and to tie a bow.  Hard to believe that Christmas is just 2 weeks away!

Hope you have a good week.

Thanks for stopping bye!
Nancy, Rachel & Sarah

Christmas Angels

I fell in love with this project!  I love making angels for Christmas and when I saw this tutorial by Stamping to Share I knew I was going to make them - lots of them! 

Supplies:

Paper - DSP, Very Vanilla - SU, thinner paper
Tools - Big Shot Machine, Scallop Circle Die, Paper Doily Die and Scallop Circle   Punch - 2 3/8"
Embellishments - Twine, Buttons ( I found some with glitter in them), ribbons
Misc. - Ornament Hangers, Beads, Hot Glue Gun

After watching the video, I made my first angel and then was addicted and kept on making them.  These are all I have left as every time I turned around 1 or 2 were missing!

The only thing that takes time is taking out all the paper scraps from the doily die as mentioned on the video.  I found thinner paper than SU's in my stash and it worked much better, but I still had to run it through the Big Shot several times.  Since I wanted to make a bunch of angels, I decided to make all my doily die cuts first.  Then the rest of the process went quick.  I had a thought to use paper doilies but the ones I had were way too big.  I hope you enjoy this project as much as I did.  It is so great to see what starts out to be a plain piece of paper turn into something so cute! Have a great weekend!

Thanks for stoppig bye,
Nancy, Rachel & Sarah

Anniversary Card

In the midst of getting ready for Xmas, I needed to make a card for my daughter's anniversary.  I saw different versions of this card and changed it up abit.

Supplies:

Paper - Real Red, Whisper White and Be of Good Cheer DSP - SU
Stamps - Snow Buddies, Teeny Tiny Wishes - SU
Ink - Real Red and Garden Green color markers - SU
Accessories - Framelits - Hearts - SU
Punches - Word Window
Emblishments - ribbon

I started with an A2 size card (5 1/2" x 4 1/4") for my base.    My next layer measures 5 1/4" x 4".  I stamped out my snowmen, hats and carrot noses using my Stamp-a-ma-jig and then cut them out with my framelits.  Then I used the next size framelit and cut out the other piece of DSP.  I used my dimensionals to pop the hearts.  Then I tied my ribbon around the card and placed it on my base card.  I stamped my sentiment and punched it out and popped it up on the card using my dimensionals.  I really like how it turned out.  When my daughter got married on December 9, 1995 she wanted a Christmas Wedding - she got what she wished for - 9" of snow!  Hopefully we won't get that this year!

RACHEL & SARAH - DON'T SHOW MOM!!!!

It's going to be a busy week around here.  Hope yours is great!

Thanks for stopping bye,
Nancy, Rachel & Sarah

Flower Folds Metal Embossed Tea Light Holders

Here is the first of my Christmas projects.  My friend Denise and I made one and I loved how they turned out, so I decided to make some for gifts for the girls to hand out at Christmas.  I was surprised how quickly they came together.  I love how the embossing changed the look of the metal.

We saw these done by Monica Weaver.  She has a great tutorial and also a PDF file you can download with all the information.  She does amazing things with metal sheets!  The only thing I did different was glue on my tea light holder so it would stay in place.  I personally will use a battery operated tea light for safety.  The girls have already claimed some!

This post is my entry over at Cardz TV DT Challege #20 "To Die For" in which we have to use a die cut for our project.  Stop bye and check it out!

Hope you are staying warm!  Have a good weekend!

Thanks for stopping bye,
Nancy, Rachel & Sarah

Thanksgiving Fun & Recipe

We had so much fun over the Holiday weekend!  It's hard to believe that the girls are headed back to school today - even with the snow!  Sarah spent most of the weekend with us as Rachel ended up with a cough.  She drew this great picture and wanted to share it.  I loved how it turned out.

 

We made Pop Up Pancakes for breakfast yesterday - their favorite!  It is so quick and easy!

This recipe makes 24 muffins and I usually cut it in half.

1 cup milk
1 cup flour
6 eggs
1/4 cup melted butter
dash of salt
Preheat oven to 400 degrees and grease your muffin tins

I like to mix all the ingredients in my blender as it does the best job of getting it smooth.  Pour the mixture into your greased muffin pan(s) and bake for 15 minutes or until puffy and golden on top.  If they were well greased they should pop right out.  The puffiness will die down as they cool and will become more like a cup.  Now is the best part - the toppings!  Believe me we have tried everything on them!  We usually put on some butter, syrup, fruit and of course some whipped cream (which Poppy always has on hand).  I have even put on jelly and peanut butter!  Add some cooked bacon on the side and you're all ready to eat!

Sarah helped me get ready for Xmas - all the decorations are up and we are in count down mode!  I have some projects that I have already made for the teachers that I will be posting soon. 

Rachel is at the Dr.s office this afternoon - hope you feel better soon!

Thanks for stopping bye,
Nancy, Rachel & Sarah

Thanksgiving Card

I mentioned that I would be posting some Thanksgiving cards and here's another one.  I fell in love with this stamp and make several of these cards every year.  I'm always laughing while I'm coloring the turkey!

Supplies:

A2 Base card - 4 1/4" x  5 1/2"
Layer - 4" x 5 1/4"
Paper - Very Vanilla, Old Olive, Crumb Cake - SU
Stamp - Inkadinkado
Accessories - Spellbinders Petite Scalloped Oval Small & Large, Embossing folder - 
                      Stripes, Colored Markers
Emblishments -Bakers twine

Everyone is getting ready for Thanksgiving this week. It looks like we are going to have some nice weather.  Alot of cooking and eating to be done!  Have a good week and a wonderful Holiday!

Thanks for stopping bye,
Nancy, Rachel & Sarah

P.S. - I entered this card in the PPT Anything Goes Challenge #89.  Check it out at Cardz TV.

Curly Paper Wreath

I was checking out some blogs when I came across this Youtube video and fell in love with this wreath!  I wanted to make my other daughter a wreath but didn't know what until I found this video.  Here's how it turned out!

I made a fall wreath but you could make this for any occasion - any size!

Supplies:

10" wreath form
6 sheets of DS double-sided paper 12" x 12" cut into 1/2" lengths
Straight pins with metal heads
Bone Folder
Ribbon or seam binding

Before you start, check out the video from For Love of Paper.  When I was watching it and she said it was only going to take 1 hour to cut and curl I thought - yeah - sure!  So, I timed myself and it did only take me 1 hour to cut and curl the paper and another hour to pin the curls to the frame and tie the bow!  I couldn't believe that I made this wreath in 2 hours - even my husband was impressed!

I'm actually thinking about making myself a Xmas one if I get everything else done on my to do list!  It's hard to believe the holidays are upon us.  The girls have off a few days next week for Thanksgiving so I'm looking forward to spending time with them.  Have a good weekend!

Thanks for stopping bye,
Nancy, Rachel & Sarah

Clean and Simple Thanksgiving Card

I love a clean and simple card and this is one of those!  I saw this type of card on a few blogs and loved the look!

Supplies:

Paper - Crumb Cake - SU
Stamps - Leaf stamp - Michael's, Thankful For - SU
Ink - Creamy Carmel, Chocolate Brown - SU
Emblishments - lace, ribbon

I made an A2 size card - 5 1/2" x 4 1/4".  I used my leaf stamp that I had purchased from Michael's $1 bin and stamped it 3 times on the front of the card.  I love those stamps and the price is right!  I remembered I had this lace so it was time to clean out my sewing bin until I found it - LOL!  I then tied some 1/4" ribbon around the front of the card and stamped my sentiment on the front and inside and the card was done - clean and simple!

It's hard to believe that Thanksgiving will soon be here.  I always feel that this holiday gets neglected.  It seems like we always go right into Xmas after Halloween.....so, I will be bringing you a few Thanksgiving cards.  Hope your week is off to a good start and pray we will keep our electric through the next storm!

Thanks for stoppin bye,
Nancy, Rachel & Sarah

Paper Rosette Wreath

I love rosettes!  They can be embellished in alot of ways and used on many types of projects.  I made this fall wreath for my daughter for Thanksgiving and loved how it turned out!  There are alot of videos out there if you have never made rosettes and even a cricut cart which has alot of different rosettes you can create.

For this wreath, I used a basic 10" foam wreath and wrapped it in ribbon before I placed my rosettes.  You can adhere your rosettes to the wreath with hot glue, but I choose to use straight pens.  This method allowed me to re-position the rosettes if I choose to. 

I used three different sized rosettes.  The largest rosette was created using paper strips sized 1.5" x 12", the middle sized rosette was created using paper strips 1.25" x 10" and the smallest rosette was created using paper strips 1" x 8".  Score your strips at 1/4" each and fold the paper into an accordion style fold.  Adhere two strips together to create a continuous ring and then form your rosette.  I made about 36 rosettes but the amount will depend on how big or small your wreath is and how full you want it to be.

After the rosettes were formed, I inked up the edges and adhered some buttons for emblishments.  I then decided to add some ribbon to the bottom for extra decoration.  This is also a good way to use up some of your scraps.  Have a good weekend!

Thanks for stopping bye,
Nancy, Rachel & Sarah

Halloween Fun!!

Hope all are safe and surviving Sandy!  It was a big mess here all week - we just got our power back this AM but there are alot of people still without. Schools and work have been canceled for the week for most and gas is hard to find, and if you do the lines are very long.  We were lucky and only lost one pine tree on the side of the house but the devastation is great all over.  My Halloween was postponed to this Saturday, so the girls are looking forward to coming up and celebrating. Here are the girls dressed up for their Halloween last week.

 Rachel as a Cat!

 

 Sarah as Katy Perry!







My friend Denise sent me this recipe and I loved it!  The spiders turned out so cute!  The only change I made to the recipe was I used a yellow cake mix as that was all I had on hand.  Check out Skinny Taste for all the ingredients!  The girls went crazy over them!

My other contribution to the party was a big pot of Beef Barley soup.  I found this recipe years ago and when I want something to take to a pot luck or a party, I love to make this soup.  It always gets great reviews!

Recipe:

2 lbs. ground beef
2 medium onions, chopped
2-3 stalks of celery
3 cups water
2 cans (14 1/2 ounces each) beef broth
1 cup quick-cooking barley
2 cans (14 1/2 ounces each) diced tomatoes with garlic and onion, undrained
2 tsp. Worchestershire sauce (the girls prefer if I do not put this in)
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. dried basil

In a dutch oven, cook beef, onions and celery until meat is no longer pink and vegetables are tender; drain.  Stir in the water and broth; bring to a boil.  Reduce heat.  Add barley; cover and simmer for 10-20 minutes or until barley is tender.  Stir in the remaining ingredients; heat throughly.  I love to freeze the leftovers and have in my freezer ready for a day when I don't feel like cooking.  The problem is I usually don't have much leftovers!

Have a great weekend!

Thanks for stopping bye,
Nancy, Rachel & Sarah

Halloween Goodie Bags

I saved this post for the last one on Halloween as I didn't want the girls to see it on our blog before I gave the bags to them!  The weather on Friday was perfect for Treat or Treating, but I'm afraid it won't be so good this week on Halloween.  I can't believe we had snow last year and this year we are going to have a hurricane and a snowstorm combined! 

I saw this video at Cardz TV and knew I wanted to make the kids some for Halloween!  I must admit I was a little nervous at first as I have never done any stamping on material but it was really easy to do!  I surprised myself!

 

 





Supplies:

Muslin cotton bags - Stateline Bag Co. There are many other places on the web to   order these.
Stencil/template  - use any die cut design you want.
Stamps - Halloween sentiments
Ink - Momento Tuxedo Black, Pumpkin Pie - SU (Pigment Ink)
Accessories:  dauber

*****MAKE SURE YOU PUT A PIECE OF CS INSIDE THE BAG WHILE STAMPING AND LET IT DRY THOROUGHLY******

 I decided to use a dauber when applying my ink and I liked how much control I had with it.  I used the 6" x 8" bag and loved how it turned out.  It was the perfect size to stuff some candy, cards and goodies in for the kids.  I'm definitely going to decorate the smaller size for Xmas and add some bling to it.  It will be the perfect size for earrings, etc.

If you are on the East Coast stay safe and dry!

Thanks for stopping bye,
Nancy, Rachel & Sarah

Halloween Bat Card

I have made this card for the past several years.  I have seen many different versions of it but here is the basic setup.

 







Supplies:

Paper:  Black, Pumpkin Pie, Shimmering White & More Mustard - SU
Stamps:  any spider web, a sentiment (I used one from Spooky Bingo Bits - SU)
Punches:  Bat, Large Oval, Scallop Oval - SU

Make an A2 size card - 5 1/2" x 4 1/4" in black.  The second layer in shimmery white is 4" x 5 1/4".  The third layer in black is 3 1/4" x 4 3/4".  Cut 2 panels of one color at 1 1/2" x 3" and one panel of another color at 1 1/2" x 3".  I carefully placed my panels side by side and stamped my spider web randomly.  Then I adhere them to the CS putting the outside panels first and then placing the center one trying to leave equal distance between them.  I punched three bats out and placed them on the panels and then added my sentiment.  To finish off the card, I used my white gel pen and put a few doodle dots on the card.

The girls are all excited about Halloween and looking forward to treat and trick night. Have a good weekend!

Thanks for stopping bye,
Nancy, Rachel and Sarah

Halloween Lollipop Holders

Today I want to share with you what I found searching the blog.  I came across this website - My Favorite Things and saw their video of the Lollipop Treat and fell in love with it!  With two granddaughters, I am always making different treats for them, as well as for them to give away.  Alot of course involve lollipops!  I loved how they had the bundle which included the stamps and die.  The best part is that some of the stamps can be used for other than Halloween.  Here are some that I created for Halloween!

Here's a closer view -

You could also add more embellishments such as buttons, etc., but I know the kids are more interested in the lollipops than the decorations.  The other thing I liked about this treat was that I could use up some more of my paper scraps - always a good thing!  We hope to paint pumpkins this weekend and get ready for Halloween.  Their town has the celebration on the Friday before Halloween, which is this Friday, and my town has it on the actual day of Halloween, so the girls always get to celebrate Halloween twice - which they love!.  Hopefully, it won't snow like it did last year!  Have a good week!

FYI - I entered this project for Cardz TV Fall-o-ween Fun Challenge.  The challenge was to create a card, layout or craft project for Fall or Halloween. 

Thanks for stopping bye,
Nancy, Rachel and Sarah

Halloween Tree Card

Well, I'm still in my Halloween mode and I thought today I would show a card I made using one of my favorite stamps from "Stamps by Judith".  I had purchased this tree stamp at a stamp show awhile ago and have used it for many occasions with a variety of little peg stamps that Judith is known for. 

Supplies:

Stamps:  Tree Stamp (S13), Bat Peg Stamp - Stamps by Judith,
               Spooky Bingo Bits - SU
Ink:  Black Stazon
Paper:  Black, More Mustard - SU
Embellishments:  Ribbon

I first created my base card in black - A2 size - 5 1/2" x 4 1/4".  I stamped my tree on my second layer of  More Mustard - 5 1/4" x 4".  Then I decorated my tree using the Spooky Bingo Bits and peg stamp.  I used some scrap Halloween ribbon I had to decorate the bottom and put my sentiment on the inside.

Hope you are having a good week.

Thanks for stopping bye,
Nancy, Rachel and Sarah

Halloween Treat Baskets

Well, I'm knee deep in Halloween items and this week I'll show you an adorable basket made from toilet paper rolls!  As I mentioned earlier, I'm a saver of everything I think I can use for crafts and I have been saving paper rolls for years.  I've made alot of mini albums with them but never a basket until I saw this video from Chic n' Scratch .  She has alot of great ideas!  They really came together pretty quick.  Sarah is going to put these, along with other goodies, in bags for her teachers.

Supplies:

Cut the empty toilet paper roll into 1 3/8" pieces - usually I get 3 out of one roll
Black paper - cut at 5 3/16" x 1 3/8" - for the inside
DSP cut a 5 1/2" x 1 3/8" for the outside
1 3/4" circle punch - black paper
2 3/8" scallop circle punch - black paper
desired punch for handle

Make sure you check these measurements against your roll as some are different sizes!  I attached the inside first and then attached the outside DSP lining up the seams securing with score tape.  I then glued my black circle on my scallop circle and let it dry.  Then putting glue on the bottom edge of my roll, I attached it to the scalloped circle and held it in place until it dried a bit.  That process worked better for me.  I cut out a 5 1/2" piece of black paper and used my decorative punch and secured it on either side by using my crocodile and a brad.  I liked the handle on the inside.  I finished it off with some decorative cord.

This is a great way to use up all those Halloween scraps of paper!  In the picture is also some nuggets that I decorated with my SU -  It's A Wrap Holidays stamp.  I alway buy a bag of them at Sam's and depending on the holiday I stamp up individual labels (Avery Easy Peel - 1" x 2 5/8") and have them ready to put in different treat bags.  The main idea is to put them together right away so you don't eat the candy!  I saw this adorable stamp which tells it like it is:

Halloween Checklist

 

1.  Buy candy early so the selection is good.

2.  Taste the candy to be sure it's fresh.

3.  Buy more candy to replace what you ate.

4.  Make sure replacement candy is just as good.

5.  Buy a couple more bags, but that's it - no more!

6.  Aaaahhh!  It' Halloween and you have no candy!

7.  Turn off the lights and act like no one's home.

8.  Repeat steps next year.

 

Here's an update to the girls Halloween costumes - Sarah is still going to be Katy Perry and Rachel has decided to be a Lady Bug!  She has a Halloween dance at school next week so everyone is busy getting their costumes together!  Hope you have a good week!

 

Thanks for stopping bye,

Nancy, Rachel and Sarah

 

  



I Want My Mummy!

Halloween will be here before we know it.  I saw this adorable card and knew I had to Case it!  Mary from Cards TV made a video with complete instructions.  She used one of my favorite cartridges - Paper Doll Dress Up!

Here are the cuts:

Pg. 29 cut the body at 4 1/4" on blackout with black paper
Pg. 49 cut the Mummy at 4 1/4" with light grey paper
Make an A2 base card - 5 1/2" x 4 1/4" in black paper
Make the next layer - 5 1/4" x 4" in yellow paper
Make the next layer - 5 x 3 3/4" in DP
Pg. 49 cut the fence at 3"
Pg. 78 cut the grass at 1 1/2"

Put the Mummy on with a wobble and watch it dance!

Thanks for stopping bye,
Nancy, Rachel and Sarah

EEK - Spiders!!!

I saw these cute magnetic spiders and wanted to make them and surprise Rachel and Sarah!  They were so simple to make and I think they're going to love them!  I'm going to put them on their front door on the inside while they are in school and see what they say when they come home and find them!  Since neither one of them likes "bugs", I'm sure there will be lots of screaming and yelling!

Supplies:

Plastic Spider Rings
Scissors
Magnets
Hot Glue Gun

I used the black spiders from a bag of plastic spider rings I found at Michael's.  Then using my scissors I cut off the ring part.  My husband always laughs at me as I save everything - just in case!  I had saved some magnet strips off the paper pads that you put on the refrigerator doors.  I cut them in small sections, hot glued them to the part that use to be the ring area and it worked out perfectly - don't forget to use your rubber finger so you don't get burned!!  My daughter had put up her large spider on the door so the babies looked like they belonged!

Here's a closeup:

You can stick them on anything magnetic!  I made about 40 of them, so I may hide them in unexpecting places!  Have a good weekend - and watch out for SPIDERS!!!!

Thanks for stopping bye,
Nancy, Rachel & Sarah

Witch's Hat & Candy Broom

I just finished putting together another tray for my daughter.  The other week I saw a tutorial from Splitcoast Stampers on a Witch's Hat.  I just had to make it!  I loved how it turned out.  I thought I would have trouble wrapping the DSP around the cone but it worked out fine. Check out their tutorial at http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/gallery/.  Here is my version.

 



 In the new SU catalog there is a cute candy broom project.  There are instructions all over the web.  This is what I did.

 

Supplies:

 

2.5" x 5" DSP Paper

1" x 8" Cellophane Bag - SU

String, ribbon or cord as desired

Punches of choice

Sticky Strip, score tape

Twizzler Twists - save some for eating!

 

After you cut your DSP, place a piece of sticky strip about 1/2" down from the top along the length of the 5" side.  Cut strips on the top and bottom of the paper up to the sticky strip.  You don't have to drive yourself nuts - my cuts are about every 1/8".  Insert your twizzler twist in the cellophane bag and seal it.  Take off your sticky strip and place the cellophane bag with the twist seal on the top on the DSP and wrap the paper around the candy.  I used some 1/8" score tape to secure the end.  Then decorate as you wish.  I used some cord and wrapped it around the broom and tied my sentiment on it.  Here's my sample.

 

  



I thought what goes better with a Witch's Hat than some candy brooms, so I combined them together on my platter.  I think it turned out really cute.  As usual, the problem was that I kept eating the twizzler twists and had to go out and get some more!

 

Here's my finished platter.

 

 

Have a great week!

 

Thanks for stopping bye.

Nancy, Rachel & Sarah





 

Halloween Ghost Lollipops

I have been making these ghosts lollipops for years and each year I think I won't make them but they are back by popular demand!

I can't remember where I first saw the instructions but it is pretty simple.  I get a big box of pops from Sam's Club and white coffee filters.  I open up the coffee filters and stamp a face on each one.  This year I used a Peechy Keen Stamp that I thought was pretty cute!  I wrap the filter around the pop and I use a small plastic hair tie to keep the filter in place.  I get a huge big bag of them in CVS and have them around to braid the girls hair.  This makes it alot easier to wrap the 1/8" ribbon around them for some decoration.  My daughter is a nurse and every holiday I make up some trays for her to take to the patients.  The Halloween Ghost lollipops are always included.  The centerpiece is just a can that I saved and cleaned and wrapped with white seam binding and glued on some googly eyes.  I put some styrofoam in the center of the can to support the pops. One of several trays is ready to go!

Thanks for stopping bye,
Nancy, Rachel & Sarah

Halloween Bingo

The girls and I are always ready for a good bingo game - anytime and anywhere!  So Rachel decided to make Sarah and her Halloween Bingo cards.

Supplies:

Stamps:  Bingo Card, Halloween Spooky Bingo Bits - SU
Ink:  Black Stazon, Pumpkin Pie - SU
Paper: Pumpkin Pie, Very Vanilla - SU
Accessories: 1" Punch - SU

After a few attempts, Rachel found out that it was easier to place the paper on top of the large Bingo stamp to get a good image.  She used Pumpkin Pie ink on the stamp and then matted the Bingo card on a piece of Pumpkin Pie paper 5 1/2 x 6 using Black Stazon on the edges.  She filled in all the squares randomly from the Spooky Bingo Bits stamp set with Black Stazon ink and then stamped and punched them out using the 1" punch from SU.  She decided to use these to call from and candy corn as markers.  Needless to say, at the end of a game all the corn disappears! I loved how it turned out and now want her to make a Xmas one!

Update on Halloween costumes - Sarah is going to be Katy Perry - no surprise there!  She even has a pink wig to wear.  Rachel, Joe and I are still undecided.  We'll keep you posted.  Have a good weekend!

Thanks for stopping bye,
Nancy, Rachel & Sarah

Tea for Two

I saw this card in several blogs and knew I wanted to make it!  Anything with pansies or teapots I love!

Supplies:
Base Card: 4 1/4 X 5 1/2 - Wisteria Wonder SU
                   Layer - 4 x 5 1/4 - DP - Pansies
Stamps: Tea Shoppe SU
Ink:  Wisteria Wonder
Accessories: Floral Frames SU, circle nestibilities

After preparing my base card, I stamped out two of the tea cups and colored and cut them out.  I die cut a circle from my nestibilities and stamped my sentiment and then popped the tea cups up with dimensionals.  I decided to use my new floral frames I had just ordered from SU.  I used the 3rd one and I think it worked out great as a background!  I also used it on the inside with my sentiment.  I placed it where I wanted it and cut off the excess. My inside layer is 3x4" placed on paper just 1/8" bigger to give it some definition.  I added some pearls and ribbon to dress it up.  I made my flower by punching out a 1 1/4" circle and then using the small scallop circle punch  I punched around the circle which produced a scallop circle.  I sponged it with Wisteria Wonder and then cut between two scallops on an angle.  I curled back the edges using my quilling tool and then rolled it up to form a rose.  I let it relax to the desired size and punched a 1/2" circle for the base.  I then glued the outside of the rose together and glued the rose to the base and let it dry.  When it is completely dry cut the base circle close to the rose.  You can then bend back the edges of the rose if you need to.  I have a little jar of roses I keep on hand in different colors. I really like this technique.

Rachel and Sarah have me working on Halloween projects.  Have you decided what you are going to dress up as this year?  I want us to be something different this year but havn't decided what yet.  Have a good week!

Thanks for stopping bye,
Nancy, Rachel & Sarah

Retirement Card

My daughter asked me if I had a retirement card, so I checked out my stash.  I had made this card which I thought would be perfect at my friend Denise's summer stamping classes - Five Bichons & Me.

Supplies:

Card Base: A2 size
Stamps:  Summer Solstice and Sweet Little Sentiments - SU
Paper:  Whisper White - SU
Ink:  Rich Razzlebery, Baja Breeze, Certainly Celery - SU
Punches:  Word Window & Modern Label

First, I stamped two of the flowers with Rich Razzleberry and one with Baja Breeze and then cut them out.  I used Rich Razzleberry and lightly used my dauber in the center of the Baja Breeze flower.  Then I stamped the leaves with certainly celery and cut them out as well, and placed the three flowers and leaves on the side of the card using dimensionals so they would stand out. I also used Baja Breeze for the stamped butterfly.

When I make  a card, I usually never put a sentiment on until I decide how I am going to use it.  This time I used the Happy Retirement stamp and punched it out and placed it on the bottom of my card. This isn't my usual type of card but I liked how it turned out! Hope you are having a good week!

Thanks for stopping bye,
Nancy, Rachel & Sarah

Sunflowers Everywhere!

Before school started my husband and I took Sarah on vacation with us to the Finger Lakes in NY.  Last year we took Rachel to Vermont, so this year it was Sarah's turn!  We had a great time but we were so impressed with the acres of sunflowers that we found growing all over the place.  I had to stop and take some pictures from the road.  Sarah was also fascinated with a huge nest we saw on top of the electrical transmission lines.  We were told it was a "Golden Eagle's Nest".

On the way home, we stopped at the Treman State Forest and Sarah went swimming in the lake.  The attraction was the waterfalls.  She discovered that lake water is definitely colder than our friend's swimming pool!  It was really beautiful to see!

I will have to get caught up with my scrapbooking!  This Sunday is Grandparent's Day and we are looking forward to spending it with the girls.  Hope you have a great weekend as well!

Thanks for stopping bye,

Nancy, Rachel and Sarah

Emboss Resist Technique

I  have been wanting to do this technique for awhile.  There are alot of videos out there detailing the "how to".  I love the Hello Doily stamp from SU and decided to use that for my main image on my card.  First, I used my SU white craft ink and then heat embossed the image with SU clear embossing powder.  Make sure you let it cool completely.  Then I used my dauber with Melon Mambo ink and starting in the center rubbed lightly over the image.  I continued using a swirling motion until I was happy with the result.  I continued inking lightly and covered the rest of the card so it all blended together.  I also edged my card as well to give it more definition.  Then take a tissue and rub off any ink that is sticking to the embossed area.  I was really pleased with the results!

To finish decorating the card, I used the Tea Shoppe stamp set from SU.  Yes, after I stamped it, I cut it out!  I have to admit it wasn't that hard to do! I'm not a big fan of cutting out images!  I added some pearl emblishments to the cup and then the sentiment.  You could use this card for any occasion.  Usually I wait to put on a sentiment but I  needed some thank you cards for my stash.  Another one I made is done in Rich Razzeleberry ink from SU.  I would definitely suggest that you try this technique.  I think you'll be really happy with the results.

Rachel and Sarah have finished their first week of school and are getting settled back into a routine and all the activites that go along with it.  My house it definitely very quiet!  Inbetween visits, we are doing webcasts which is alot of fun!  I'm glad I traded in my 12 year old Gateway for a new laptop!

Thanks for stopping bye,
Nancy, Rachel and Sarah

Cookie Monster Bag Topper

It's hard to believe that Rachel and Sarah started school this week and our summer is over!  All the Mom's are always so happy the first day of school, but the Grandparents are sad!  Oh well, at least they have a long holiday weekend coming up!  I'm always on the lookout for things to make for the teachers, bus drivers, and friends in general.  I came across our favorite "Cookie Monster" at www.dawnsstampingthoughts.typepad.com.  She has a great video on how to make these and they came together really quick.  A great tip was using the back of a pencil eraser to make the chocolate chips in the cookie!  The girls enjoyed handing them out to their friends and teachers.  My only problem was trying not to eat up all the bags of cookies!

Thanks for stopping bye,
Nancy, Rachel & Sarah

Baggie Mini Album

Rachel and Sarah are at the shore for a few days, but before they left I made each of them and their friend some Baggie Mini Albums. I saw this technique on cardztv.blogspot.com.   She had a guest, Lynn Baker, who does a lot of kids crafts do a video and I just fell in love with the idea! The albums can be used for any occasion and I made the girls Seashore Albums. I used scrap paper I had laying around and they came together really quick. I love the idea of the plastic bags holding their precious memories instead of getting lost with all their treasures in their rooms. I’m sure I will see lots of shells and sand when they return.

Thanks for stopping bye,

Nancy, Rachel & Sarah