The Gifts I Made MY Secret Sister, Cassie

Well, what do you do when your Secret Sister is one talented lady and from Texas (everything's bigger and better in Texas ya know! lol)? Well - you kick it up a notch that's what!! So check out what I made for Cassie! Besides some purchased gifties: I made her a journal; a flower arrangement using my Big Shot, my inherited floral skills, and my luscious Corduroy buttons to make Daisies and Black Eyed Susans!, and then some lovely SU rub-ons for the lil watering can (I really scared myself with how well this turned out!! LOL); and I followed many of my talented stamping sisters (especially Gretchen Barrows) on the trail to creating the flower pot cards...and I really like how this turned out too!; and finally - a tin with a belly band and a Dahlia flower - that my own little baby Stephanie helped me make since I was short on time...Enjoy the pictures!

sorry - its a little blurry - take it from me though...

very beautiful IRL!

Check out this ADORABLE Santa!!!

I am going to have to research the lovely woman who posted this on Beate's list serve...but I CASE-d this....because it is SO STINKIN" CUTE!! It uses the Big Shot (available from Stampin' Up!) and the Top Note die ... It consists of 3 die cuts in Whisper White, Real Red, and Blush Blossom. I used the small 1/2" round punch for the holly berries, used the small oval punch on Handsome Hunter paper and then trimmed them up to look like holly leaves, the 1" round punch for his nose and the 3/4 punch for his mouth, and 1/4" round punch for his hat pom pom...I sponged pink cheeks and edged his nose with Pretty In Pink ink...and lastly, used some googlie eyes from the craft store...I kept the Santa on the candy cane stick but cutting a strip of whisper white 1 3/4 X 5 1/5, scored the piece at approximately 1 1/2 inches from both ends and then used the 1" round punch on both ends, and attached the middle portion of the white strip to the back of Santa. Then I was able to slip the candy cane stick through the two circles to hold it in place. The candy cane stick was one of those fabulous finds at the Dollar Tree, where they are 2 for $1....Put the whole thing in a clear gift bag and tied it off with Real Red grosgrain ribbon... DONE!!!! I am making them for my students and for my grand kids....they are so very quick and easy!!!! Try 'em, you'll like 'em!!! LOL

OK - fooled ya! I am still in Mexico - where we went for a destination wedding (see ReenS creations page and you can see the progression of hand made stuff and cool wedding things) Steph and Scruff are holding down the fort...she probably has a thousand friends over making stuff...but that's a good thing!!

Anyway - hopefully my Secret Sister DDSS#10 has gotten her package by now. These were the other gifts that I made her. I made a whole set for her. Its a matching Journal, photo album, paper clip, and little lunch box. I loaded the box with all kinds of hodgepodge and pretties. Then, my DH had found this little round box that is covered in shiny fabric, and he said, "Hey Reen - can't you stamp on this or put those things on it?" - things being the rub ons - and I was so impressed I bought it even though I didn't think it would work. But guess what? You're right!!! It did!! So I put rub on's like no tomorrow sista! Came out cute. I put a ribbon sampler from 2007 convention in it for my Secret Sis. Hope she doesn't have one already. Let me know what you think!

ONE more thing - from the Spring Fling...

Surprise! No - not home yet!!!

This little guy is different pockets where you see the ribbon. We made it using the white cardboard that comes in the back of your DSP paper. I LOVE using stuff like that! Its a very green thing to do actually, and we all need to do a bit more of that. YKWIM? But - too cute I say. My up up up there upline Tina Rosenkrans and her gals are just FAB and I love going to her events. Plus - I just love Tina! If you look in the dictionary, under the word "PIP" - it says Tina Rosenkrans. LOL

a Preview of my Secret Sister Gifts I am sending...

OK - so ... YILMS....do you ever just make stuff and scare yourself it comes out so cute?!?!? That is what happened with this...so I have to share it and pray that my DDSS#10 doesn't see it...I made a squash book using one of my favorite sets. I will have to post actual colors and the actual DSP - but I used regular coasters for this and all SU stuff....so ENJOY it....I have to make another one cuz I am gonna cry when I mail this puppy out!! (yes - pun intended - muwha hahahahah)

ps= YILMS = yes I love myself!! - as per JanTink on SCS

Check out what Queen Shelli has been up to...

Just a quick note to let you know that Queen Shelli (Shelli Gardner, CEO of Stampin' Up! ®) has noted on a TV show that it is big doings using stamps to dress up your home decor...so check out what she did on the local show in Utah...here is the link...Studio 5
Isn't she just great!?!?!

Two More Spring Fling Pics

Here are two more of the make and take items we made at my demonstrator event called Spring Fling. They are an envelope gift card holder and a little photo book made with chop sticks...too cute! Here are pics of the outside and the inside of both...ENJOY!

Here is some stuff from Spring Fling 08

Remember those lil paper games you played with your girlfriends - you know...to see who you would marry or even (gasp) kiss!!! These are those paper things - upside down! They hold candy nicely in our designer series paper! Anyway - Stephanie and I won both these holders at our Up up up-line Tina's Spring Fling 08...we had a blast and I have a few more things to post...but I have just posted my fingers off today and you will need to be patient and wait...LOL

My mother's Mother's Day gift

I wanted my mom's card to somewhat match the gift - so forgive me if I have posted a card with a retired set...I used the sunflower set (sniff, sniff)...however, the Designer Series paper is new, as well as the current sky blue in color paper...If you like the finale shot of the CD crate with flowers, I have more but they are listed on the ReenS Creations page ...Normally I would put retired stuff on those pages only, but I loved this too much and from the counts I see not everyone checks out the other pages as much...so ENJOY....cuz I adore this project!!

ABC Book

For those of you who went to convention last year, this item will seem familiar. I tweaked a project I had already done with a retired simply scrappin set - and since I wanted it to be current - I used this simply scrapping set that is current. I am sending it to a friend of mine up north as a sample for her business. I used the chip board, the on board bitty book and the Summer Days simply scrappin kit. If you use a dry erase marker - the kiddies can write on the plastic pages for practice and then wipe it off and redo again and again!!! Cute, eh?!?!?

Workin' on the Calendar

My up-line Tracy Altemose (true genius creativity) showed us this calendar a couple of months ago and I never had time to work on it...it is created with 2 chipboard coasters, and then fashioned with good ol' card stock embellished with SU's fabu Designer Series Paper and "stuff". I CASE'ed many pages - although altering the DSP and colors to what I have on hand or for what is current (except for the Halloween paper - all other DSP can be purchased now) - and altering some pages for those I wanted to change....like my favorite - the Dog Days of Summer for August!! Anyway - I do want to do a class on this, but will need to see how many of my customers are interested and then find out WHEN they want to make it. The beautiful thing is - I can print whatever calendar pages they want to work on as the date portion of the sheet is generated from the computer.

Here is the front cover - and to hold the calendar together, punched holes with the crop-o-dile and used the jumbo brads - then used two rings like those in a 3 ring notebook. Cute, eh??

Then here are the pages that are inside (Feb, March, June, July, and August were my ideas)

These are so stinkin' cute - I NEED to make many more!

Yes - I am home again - only been in 1.5 days this week! OK -nap time now - yet again!! Can't believe how much this illness has whipped me...Will post more later!

CASE 1 of Easter Gifts

Ok - just wanted to share with you 2 CASEs I used....the first one is from Cambria Turnbow - and I followed her directions at SplitCoast for the lil treat box...I made 10 of them for the grand kids and we put an egg with a brand new, blue colored $5 bill. Its just easier as everyone has different food allergies so our egg hunts contain change and the occasional bill...So here is the box...

Hey...a GIANT scallop!!!

So here is my take on a new use for the Stampin' Up!® scallop punch! Stephanie was getting ready for work on Sunday (poor thing - the hospital is ALWAYS open so she had to work on Super Bowl Sunday!)...and she wanted to display some type of team allegiance to the Giants (even though at heart she is an Eagles fan!) and so I said "hold on honey - I have an idea!!!!" She cut the ribbon, I whipped out my little alphabet and my scallop punch and WALLA!!!! Look how Stephanie represented for the Super Bowl!!



I had french braided her hair and since Steph wanted ribbons, I said that they actually looked like they could be for the Patriots too - and that's when the light bulb went off!! How Bout It???

Oh yeah - now I am 5'9" and I am standing right behind her shooting straight on...and yeah she's like 6'1.5" (she would prefer I not say 6'2"!)

Weekend work

Ok - so this is really what my daughter Stephanie did - while I cleaned the studio, got her materials, offered suggestions, put away the things I had from my Thursday evening class, and demonstrated to her....but it was fun none the less...So first - here are two altered notebooks - the new western paper (which I ADORE- already ordered more of it!) for herself and a small notebook for odds n ends....That ginger blossom DSP is great too!



Here is a grouping of the small notebook and a recipe box Steph did for her kitchen and a small candy holder - unfortunately I ran out of camera battery before I could take another photo so that's it of the candy...I did these at the class Thursday - it is 2 small pieces of card stock, with two scallops attached to the bottom, then eyelets set, ribbon through, two Hershey nuggets wrapped to match, sticky stuck to the card stock and WALLA! cute candy holder....My dearest upline Tracy taught me that one! Thanks Mama Bear!!



Inside the recipe box Stephanie made the dividers...by the way - box was $1 from Michaels...



and here is a close up of the box outside...yes - chip board flower, embossed white with a jeweled brad...and some hodgepodge...



Above are two travel mugs - one I believe is one from StarBucks Stephanie redid and the other is a small mug I found at the dollar store...and I will be offering a stamp camp with these in the project listings...its hard to see the flowers she punched - dang battery - should have turned the mugs for another "mug shot" (sorry BAAADDD joke but I couldn't resist!)




close up of the lil notebook again...



and last but not least, a gift for Stephanie's friend's lil girl Aliviah - so KIERSTAN STOP LOOKING! It's a surprise!

So - you wonder how could Stephanie do all these projects at a moments notice? Because I am the queen of collecting...you name it I most likely have 10 or so tucked away for a class "in the future"!! Trouble is, I end up just collecting - but one of my resolutions for 2008 is to get that stuff out and alter it!! WOOO HOOO!! You may be lucky enough to be in on any one of those projects!!!

I have been sooooo busy!!! Yi-haaa!

Ok guys - I was bad and ignored everything else this weekend and stamped my brains out....OMG did that feel GOOD!!!!! So let me have two posts here today - and once I get all my pics of my room uploaded to a slide show - you can see my fab-u stamp room....ok - get on with it you said!! OK- here goes...first, I wanted to create some special valentine's gifts for my DDSS9 for her reveal gift, and then a regular altered item and then I decided that I NEEDED an altered item for my very own all pretty...you can let me know what you think...

This is my pretty notebook, 8.5 X 11 size, using my left over Christmas DS paper...


Here is my baggie of peppermint patties - an idea I got from my big sis in DDSS9...



This lil gem is some Hershey's extra CREAMY milk chocolate hearts in a cello...



And this lil bugger is a small memo pad for your purse, using our NEW DS paper and many samples of our lovely ribbon....I like this and then I am nervous that it isn't as good as I think...of course my husband has American Idol on - and many of those nuts THINK THEY CAN SING! Makes me nervous when I THINK I CAN CRAFT!!!! Y'all will need to leave a comment to let me know whatcha think!

Happy New Year!!!

Well hello and Happy New Year's to ya! Wanted to share some of what I wrapped up the end of 2007 with....here is a SPECIAL Christmas card for my stampin' buddies....

Of course, I have only posted it NOW because I loaded Adobe Photoshop onto my computer so I could make and use the watermark you see.....I cannot tell you HOW MANY hours that took! And of course, I gave my Kodak digital camera to my daughter as I got a new one...never really thinking that I had to figure THAT out as well! I tell ya, this high tech stuff is going to kill me yet! But I am keeping up - slowly but surely! LOL Actually, I wanted the new camera so I could SEE the bigger display screen on the back of the camera! Shhh! Don't tell! I love the thing, but loading the new software took some doing and I HATE having to read the manuals...(hmmm, maybe in a past life I was a man??!!??) Shouldn't all this high tech stuff be pretty simple? Oh I forgot - it is - to teenagers!! LOL I also got a Shuffle (baby) iPod - who knows when I'll figure that out! I also have a new printer/scanner awaiting me - but again...too many hours spent on the J-O-B!! Ah, well, when I win the lottery...

Ok - nuff bout high tech gadgets and the lack of time! Here is a project my buddies and I did during Christmas break....

Next - I had to make my friend Judy's birthday card, as her birthday is 12-31...so since two of my girlfriends used this pin wheel that I showed them, I wanted to do something a lil different....AND my other girlfriend whose daughter has a pre-Christmas birthday stressed to me that birthday and Christmas HAVE TO BE different...just like it is for all of us who do not have a birthday close to the holiday...so you can see from the attached picture that I used bright and springy colors for Jude...I am very pleased with how it came out...I hope the picture does the card justice....


So you can see how busy stamping I was? IT WAS GREAT!!! My therapy....although, it would probably be cheaper to see the famous Dr. Phil!!! tee heee.....but we don't ever mention that to the DH do we?!?!?! Speaking of DH (dear husband!), here are the very late thank you cards from his surprise party in November!! I guess the late cards are the guests surprise!! I should write "back at 'cha!" Ok - can you tell I am tired! Now I am getting punchy - and when I think I'm funny - I know its BAAADDDD!!! Sorry! LOL So - you think these are masculine enough??



Then lastly - the other special card I made for my secret sis - who is going to know who I am if she sees this!! I made it casing a project I made at a Demo class...I think I should have used white as the base rather than the Blue Bayou,and I should have used a red jewel brad in the star/snowflake accent....but I still like it....I will need to snap a pic of the project that was made by by my ....hmmmm....up-line-ish INKredible sister....Jackie M....If I weren't so tired I would be able to spell that last name, but I daresn't right now...


OK - off to bed with me! Hope you all have a great 2008! (OOOOHHH a poet and didn't know it!!!) I plan on one! Apply the Secret!!! Good health, good cheer, good friends, good vibes, good business, good good good everything to y'all!!!!!