Very Simply Susan

Every month, a group of demonstrators get together and exchange sampler squares.  This month we did harvest, thanksgiving cards and I used the Painted Autumn DSP and Painted Harvest stamp set to create my sample square. And because I made an extra, I decided to make it a card!

This is one of those “everything but the kitchen sink” kind of cards.  But for a sampler that you will put into a shadow box framer later, you need something that has a lot of dimension to make it work.  The dies cut come from several sets and the leaves are stamped and die cut using the Colorful Seasons stamp set and Seasonal Layers Thinlits.

Once you cut out all the pieces, just start layering until you are happy with the result!  Sometimes, it takes me a few tries and other times it just all comes together.  I generally don’t glue down everything until I have a layout I like.  Then I make what I call a “prototype” so I have a sample to go by and get the other sampler cards to look as similar as possible.

If you are not doing samplers, I encourage you to give them a try.  You can see many examples on Pinterest.  They are quick and easy to do.  And because you are working on a small surface(the ones our group does are on 3/35″ x 3/35″ base card), you don’t need a lot of supplies.  And even better, once you are finished, pop them onto a 12″x12″ paper and into a shadowbox!  Now you have a great piece of home decor for the holidays!

Products Used In This Project

At the last demonstrator meeting, I agreed to show Memories & More.  I have been using Memories & More for card making.  I am not a scrapbooker, but I love the Memories & More cards for the artwork and the simplicity of using them. In planning what to show for this presentation, I decided to try some small shadow boxes.  I used DSP to line the inside of the shadow boxes and Memories & More cards to create the focal artwork. A few embellishments and I was done.

What is great about this project is that it showcases not only the Memories & More cards, but uses a lot of embellishments.  And most any of the designs used for the shadow boxes could be reworked for a card or a package topper.  I find there are so many more ways to use the Memories & More cards than just memory keeping. With a great collection of cards, transparencies and stickers, the Memories & more are an incredible value and a truly handy thing to have on hand for the holidays!  You never know when you might need a quick card, a gift tag or a gift topper.  You can do all that and more with Memories & More!

Here is a close up of the embellishments in the inside of the shadow box/

And I made another shadow box with more cards.

On the shadow box above, I used stickers from the card pack to the glass.  The snowflakes added a glittery look. Then I filled the shadow box with some “jingle bells” I found on sale at a local Micheal’s store.  The “Merry & Bright” letters on the card were colored in using a Wink of Steel pen.  You can see the glitter in the photograph, but it truly does add a nice touch.  Stickers from the card pack were added to every corner of the card to finish the focal piece.  A star from the Year of Cheer embellishments was tied to the bow with ribbon.  And to make the star “shine:, I added a rhinestone.

These shadow boxes were fun to make and did not take much time.  They are very small, about 6″ x 9”. I bought them unfinished and then painted them. On the green shadow box, I used an ivory paint and added drops of Old Olive re-inker to match a Stampin’ Up! color.

So, think outside the box and see what you can come up with for holiday day decor using Memories & More!  (and yes, the rhyme is intentional!)

Products Used In This Project

I haven’t been posting much lately and that is because October was a big travel month for me. I was gone part of the time for work, but the last 2 weeks, I was lucky enough to be traveling through New England to see the fall foliage!  A trip like this had been on my bucket list for a long time. So when a group of friends in St Louis suggested this trip, I was in!  I called my sister to see if she wanted to go and she was in too!  We don’t get to see much of each other during the year. She lives in Florida, my home state.  And I am in St Louis. So, this was a great way to have fun while spending time together. And because I was traveling with a group, I just had to create a gift for everyone! After all, this is a Stampin’ Up! must! The group had several scrapbookers, so I knew they would be saving lots from the trip to scrapbook later. A folio seemed like the perfect idea.

The inside of the folio is decorated with Paper Pumpkin and some retired fall themed paper.  I also made a few tags for journaling or adding keepsakes to. We got visitor stickers for a lot of the places we visited and my sister put those on the tags. Great idea! I am not much of a scrapbooker, but I do save memorabilia when I am on a trip.  This folio was perfect for stashing things like that.  Here is a view of the inside stuffed with things I saved during the trip.

I knew I wanted to do a travel folio, but I also knew I did not have much time.  Paper Pumpkin came to the rescue! I had lots of leftovers from September’s Paper Pumpkin.  One of the best perks about being a Paper Pumpkin subscriber is the stamp set and the leftover pieces. It is great to be able to create more. Here is a look at the September2017 Paper Pumpkin. Click on the image to learn more or become a subscriber!

I also took this Paper Pumpkin and created notecard sets using the Mini Pizza Boxes. You can see that project by clicking HERE!

The folios were easy to create.  I used the “My Memories Suite” software to make the front plate. The leaf is from an old “My Digital Studio” set.  It is amazing how often I still use that software. I miss it! Below is a closeup of the front cover.

But now the fun stuff! Pictures from the trip!!! I have been in and out of New England for years. One of my best trips was getting marooned on a business trip for a week in northern Maine. But these trips were always in the spring and summer.  I had never been in the fall.  This trip took us to all 6 New England states starting in Boston. The scenery and leaves were beautiful! And the weather was much warmer than usual. Mostly 70’s every day we were there. It could not have been more perfect.  It was a lot to do in just 8 days. But now that I am home and had time to reflect, this was one of those trips of a lifetime! I am glad I went.