Stampin' and Scrappin' With Kristin

Simple Baby Shower Favors

I also volunteered to make the favors.  I wanted something simple, something nice, but something that the guests could feel like they could throw away after the shower.  I found cute 4 oz cans online that I filled with Junior Mints (I {heart} Junior Mints).  I wrapped a 1 inch band of Nursery Suite DSP around each can.  I stamped the bunny image from the So Cute stamp set and the Thank You from the Baby Bundle stamp set.  I didn't color the bunny.  But, I did color the bow around the bunny's neck in So Saffron.  The bunny is stamped in Early Espresso.  The Thank You is stamped in Old Olive.

Simply Baby Shower Thank You Cards

So, in typical Kristin fashion, I was designing and creating 40 Thank You cards to give as a gift to my sister-in-law at 2am the morning of the shower.  So, I kept them simple.  I actually made these in an hour!

I used the Baby Steps stamp but cut the "Congratulations" sentiment off of the stamp.  I felt like I could do that since the stamp is under $10.  I can buy another and keep the sentiment on, right?  I used the "Thank You" sentiment from the Curly Cute stamp set.  I used Old Olive and So Saffron as the colors.

Nursery Suite Baby Shower

This past Saturday was my sister-in-law's family baby shower.  I was SO excited (not because I'm going to be an aunt again), but because I FINALLY had an excuse to make a diaper cake.  I've wanted to make one for years.  So, when everyone was signing up for things to bring/make, I was the first to volunteer to bring a diaper cake.  However, about a month later, I realized the diaper cake was listed under the "food" section.  I really want to know what they had in mind when they thought I was brining an edible diaper cake.  Luckily I said something, or there would be no cake at the shower!!! 

I was inspired by Tiffany Bauer's diaper cake at convention.  BUT, I didn't get a single photo of it.  I've stalked blogs and googled and couldn't find anything.  Then I thought it was my lucky day when I hung out at Founder's Circle with Tiffany!  She had just received her cake back from Stampin' Up!  She's not allowed to post photos of the cake but said she'd gladly take a photo!  WHOO HOO!  But, sadly, Tiffany's camera broke so there were no inspirational photos for me to use.  I was on my own.

I knew I wanted something simple.  I didn't like those cakes with all of the tacky rattles and bottles and toys hanging off.  I wanted something a bit more elegant and sophisticated.  Hopefully it's not boring!  I chose to use cloth, flat-fold diapers.  I liked them because I could easily control the height of the layers by folding them differently.  Plus, I didn't want shiny plastic diapers in my cake!  Brooke says she'd like to try using both kinds.  But, if she doesn't end up liking cloth, she has a lifetime supply of dust rags!!!

I used the Nursery Suite Specialty DSP for the patterned paper and the scalloped base.  The DSP comes with a scalloped circle!  It screams "Use me for a diaper cake!"  Brooke and Ed don't know what they're having.  When they ask my brother the ever-popular parent-to-be question, "What are you having?", his response is always "a baby!"  Duh!  That's my brother for you.  ANYWAY, I also used Old Olive, Whisper White, Early Espresso, and So Saffron Cardstock for the bands around the layers.  I used the Eyelet Border Punch to make a decorative trim.  I used the Old Olive striped grosgrain ribbon on the bottom layer.  I used the SU Bigz Die alphabet to cut the "baby" sentiment.  The chipboard hearts are actually from "On Board Mix & Match" chipboard collection covered in So Saffron cardstock.  And that's it!  I picked up the bear at a discount store where I found the cloth diapers, cut his boring black bow off, and replaced it with an old olive satin ribbon bow that matched the cake!

Here are some additional, close-up shots of the cake:

  

A Stampin' Up! Baby Shower

One of my customers recently held a baby shower for her daughter.  She made her own invitations, favors, and decorations using Stampin' Up! products.  She gave me permission to share them with you.  I'm sure you'll agree, she did a FABULOUS job!  Everything coordinated perfectly!

I love how Suzie used the Penant Die to make a sailboat banner!!  And, if you look closely, I bet the gift bag on the table was from Suzie as well!  Notice how the gift bag sailboat matches the banner!  Too cute!!!

Check out the cute favors she made with the Fancy Favor Die (yes, if you were wondering, Suzie is one of my Die Cut Divas)!  I love the DSP sails! 

Next up is the cake.  Isn't it cool how it even matches! 

Finally, the last picture is of the invitation.  I think she took this photo with her phone so it's a bit blurry, but you can still see how adorable they all were!

Sweet Pea!

A friend of mine at work recently asked me if I would hold a card class for her and some of her friends.  Of course I said yes!  They had fun figuring out what occasions they had coming up in the near future where they might need a card.  They requested a baby card and today's card is the one I designed.  You may recognize the layout.  I LOVE LOVE LOVE this layout.  It's so flexible.  I've used it over and over and over again.  I know I've posted other cards that use this layout previously.  I got the original idea from a swap card from convention last year.

This card uses the following supplies:

• Fox & Friends Stamp Set
• Little Angel Stamp Set
• Tall Tales DSP
• So Saffron Striped Ribbon
• So Saffron Card Stock
• Chocolate Chip Card Stock
• Whisper White Card Stock
• Old Olive Card Stock
• 1 1/4" Square Punch
• Square Scallop Punch
• Large Oval Punch
• Scallop Oval Punch
• Scallop Edge Punch
• Old Olive Classic Ink
• So Saffron Classic Ink
• Chocolate Chip Classic Ink

Cute & Cuddly Baby Card

I'm making an effort to stamp and actually SEND cards out to my friends, customers, and family!  I wrote a HUGE list of cards that need to go out....including those VERY late wedding thank you cards.  I know, I know...its almost unforgivable - Friday will have been 5 months!!!  But, today I made a card for one of my customers and Die-Cut Divas! 

I really wanted to use the new baby set out of the catalog, but I don't think I own it!  Surprising, I know!

Here are the supplies I used to make this card:

• Cute & Cuddly Stamp Set
• Sweetness Unlimited Stamp Set (New Under $10 stamp)
• Tea Party DSP
• Pretty in Pink Card Stock
• Whisper White Card Stock
• Certainly Celery Card Stock
• Basic Gray Card Stock (What was I thinking?  It matches one of the stripes in the DSP but I'm still not convinced it works.)
• Basic Gray Classic Ink
• Pretty in Pink Marker
• Barely Banana Marker
• Whisper White Satin Ribbon

Growing Up! Promotions

Check out these two great promotions for August!!!

Promotion #1 - Growth Chart:  Purchase the brand-new Décor Elements Growth Chart, only available August 1-September 30, and as an added bonus, receive a free applicator tool with your purchase (a $1.95 value).

Isn't this chart too stinkin' cute?  I wish I had a growing child so that I could have this charting their height!

Promotion #2 - FREE Buttons:  Spend $35 on stamp sets from the Growing Up section of the 2009-2010 Idea Book & Catalog (pages 74-90) and receive a FREE package of Designer buttons--a $7.95 value! Eligible buttons are listed below.

Item #	Page	Description	Retail Value
116313	181	Playground Designer buttons	$7.95
116312	181	Sherbet Designer buttons	$7.95
114333	181	Button Latte Designer buttons	$7.95

Cute & Cuddly Baby Card

Oh my gosh!  I think half of the women I know are pregnant!  Okay...maybe that's an exaggeration, but sometimes it feels that way!  I've been working on some projects that I can't post online so I haven't had a chance to stamp anything new that is postable.  That's when I realized I'd never shown you this card!  It was for my husband's (now my) cousin's baby shower - a week before the wedding!  No wonder I forgot to blog it.  It's impressive that I remembered to make a card!!!

Anyway, I LOVE this card.  I think it's because it has an insane number of layers of paper - and ribbon (there's three)!  And, I love all of the textures between card stock, DSP, ribbon, and vellum.  It was definitely a hit!  But, I'm setting the bar high with my husband's family!  They're going to be expecting over-the-top cards all of the time!

Here are the supplies I used to make this card:

• Pink Pirouette Card Stock
• Close to Cocoa Card Stock
• Chocolate Chip Card Stock
• Candy Lane DSP
• Card Stock Vellum
• Cute & Cuddly Stamp Set
• Pretty in Pink Stampin' Write Marker
• Close to Cocoa Stampin' Write Marker
• Corner Rounder
• Scallop Square Punch
• Eyelet Border Punch
• 1-1/4 " Pink Pirouette Grosgrain Ribbon
• 1" Chocolate Chip Double-Stitched Grosgrain Ribbon
• Pretty in Pink Taffeta Ribbon

Baby Shower Card

My friends Julie and Brandon are having a baby!  Yesterday was their baby shower.  I wanted to share with you the adorable card I made for them.  It uses tons of new Stampin' Up! tools - the Texturz Plates and the Circle Cutter!

I cut the Baja Breeze scallop using the Circle Scallop #2 Die.  I used the circle cutter to cut the Barely Banana circle.  Then I used the Circles #2 Die to cut the Whisper White Circle.  I'm falling in love with the circle cutter.  Once you get the hang of it, it's a piece of cake.  The trick is holding it down steady and using enough adhesive to hold down your card stock.  Anyway....back to the card.  I used the exclusive Stampin' Up! Backgrounds 1 Texturz Plates to emboss the polka dots in the background of the top layer of Whisper White.

The teddy bear image comes from Cute & Cuddly.  I stamped him in Close to Cocoa and colored him in with my ink and a blender pen using Close to Cocoa and Creamy Caramel.  I stamped the Welcome Baby sentiment from the Short and Sweet stamp set.  I love that little versatile thing!  Finally, I tied some Baja Breeze ribbon around the botton and voila!  A cute card!

I popped up several of the layers using dimensionals - especially between the top layer of Whisper White and the Whisper White card base.  I took a side-view photo so you could get a better idea of the dimensions.

Enjoy!