Sunflower Studio

BIG YEAR END SALE AT THE CAT'S PAJAMAS!

HOLIDAY HOSTESS GIFTS

Hi there stamping people.  I hope that you're all getting all of your holiday shopping done and finishing up any special hand crafted things.  I wasn't too productive in the "handmade" department this year and I still have a ton of baking to do and haven't even started that!  BUT, I did manage to squeeze in some hostess gifts for the ladies that opened up their homes to us this past weekend for our neighborhood progressive holiday party.  I have to ask myself...ONCE AGAIN...why I always wait until the last minute.  That's a mystery, though, that I may never have the answer to.

Anyway, I saw a post on another blog where they had made some shrinky dink snowflakes for a necklace and decided those would work for some wine charms.  They hand cut theirs but I used a Spellbinders die to make mine quick and easy.  Also used the toaster oven.  Boy does the shrinking part go quickly in that thing.  What took forever was getting the beads and stuff on the little wire earrings.  And, wouldn't you know, the first wires that I had must have been cheapies because they really didn't hold their springy shape.  I made 24 charms and then cut those wires and remade them on better ones.  Crazy, I know!

And then to showcase and make them presentable, I created little matchbooks to hold the wine charms.  The wood background and the sea blue/bright pink/red color combo popped into my brain one night last week.  Now I wonder if I saw that somewhere and only THINK that it was my original idea.  Anyway, it's all fun.  I used a variety of dies from PTI and then the SNOWFLAKE CUTUPS die and DIVINE TWINE from THE CAT'S PAJAMAS to wrap it all up inside a glassine bag.

MUSIC PILLAR CANDLE PARTY FAVORS

And here's the other project that's been going on this week.  We're having our annual neighborhood Holiday Party this weekend.  My neighbor Dawn and I put these together last night.  I fell in love with the Music Pillar Candles in the Pottery Barn catalog this year.  And then low and behold I saw some instructions HERE on the PURPLE ONION DESIGNS blog.  I love Purple Onion Designs stamps!  I knew right then that I had to give them a try and ordered the POD Early 1900s Music Background stamp.  They're really not that hard once you get the hang of it.  Michele at Purple Onion gives really good simple directions so definitely check that out!

 

GIFT CARD SLEEVE

Here's what I've been working on for the last couple of days....My DH was having a lunch for his employees today and giving them a nice bottle of wine and a Visa gift card (one of those that are packaged in a sleeve of their own so it's bigger, ya know, but still not all that purty).  Of course, he'd be perfectly happy to just hand it to them but I thought they needed to be spiffed up a tad.  So, I created a fairly quick gift card sleeve and then tied that to the bottle of wine with a big jingle bell and a paper ornament made with the PTI Vintage Ornament die.

Just quickly with some instructions for those who might be interested...click on the individual photos to see them larger.

1. The sleeve is 1/2 a sheet of cardstock (4-1/4" by 11").  Score at 3" and 8.5". 
2. I then used the FRAMED GREETINGS DIE-NAMICS die from MY FAVORITE THINGS to cut a window in the sleeve so that the card would show through.  To do this, I measured and created the patterned paper/cardstock layer for the front.  I eyeballed it to line up the die with where the words "gift card" would be on the GC and then cut this layer using my Big Shot Express. 
3. Then, I put this layered piece with the window on top of the center section of the sleeve (do not adhere yet) and ran the die/cardstock through the Big Shot again to cut the window in the right place.  Now you can adhere it all together.  I used foam tape to pop it up a little. 
4. I used a small piece of double stick tape at the top of the GC to hold it in the sleeve and then folded the top and bottom of the sleeve to the back. 
5. To hold it closed I used one of the die cuts that were made from cutting the window in the sleeve.  I stamped it with the frame and thank you greeting from that same FRAMED GREETINGS set and added a tiny tree stamp from PTI. 
6. Punch a hole in the top of the sleeve so that you can add ribbon or twine and you're done.

 

IT'S A SNOW DAY! {tcptues 139}

How about a TCP TUESDAY card actually on a TUESDAY!  Yeah, me!  I am so happy to share my card for this weeks sketch challenge from THE CATS' PAJAMAS.  ALMA is finishing out the last challenge of the year as this week's Hipster Hostess with the Mostess.  I'll be taking over once again as the sketch gal in twenty-eleven.  For now, what's not to like about THIS sketch?!  ---->>>

I matched up SKATING BUNNY with some lovely Basic Grey Figgy Pudding papers from my stash.  Ahh, you gotta love Basic Grey.  It's always been one of my fave companies.  Some of their papers just make me sigh.  {Not to mention those fabrics made with their patters from Moda....yeesh!}  Anyway, I'm hoping my vision of making the circle and vertical piece from the sketch into a Christmas ball translates to your eyes from my brain. 

Here's a list of CAT'S PAJAMAS products used in this card:

• Skating Bunny
• Big Scallop CutUps Die
• Glitzy Glitter
• Cherry Divine Twine

(The snowflake punch is from Martha Stewart.)

MY CHRISTMAS WISH LIST BOOK {sfytt}

This week's SKETCH FOR YOU TO TRY challenge is to once again to dig deep into the sketch archives and create a card using your favorite sketch. AND, this is our last sketch for 2010 AND changes are coming for SFYTT in the new year. We'll be going to one sketch per month but we'll feature it more than once. Also, the wonderful Kerry Johnson will be joining the team!

As for my post this week, I picked this sketch to try again...



Every year at Christmastime one of the first items for my to-do list is to put together my wish list and receipt book. It's a must have for me to stay organized in my shopping. This year's book uses red envelopes for each page. The front contains the list and the envie holds the receipts...perfect! I created chipboard covers and used the Bind-It-All to put it together.

I'm showcasing super cute new images from THE CAT'S PAJAMAS...the snowflake from the SNOWFLAKE GIRL set and the bunny in the tree from the YOUR GIFT set. I also fancied up a SNOWFLAKE CUTUPS DIE cutout with gorgeous GLITZY GLITTER.  



Make sure that you check in with all of the SFYTT gals this week...

Susan Liles
Amy Rohl
Amy Sheffer
Megan Lock
Amber Hight
Sony Christoph
Jodi Collins
Jenn Diercks
Kelly Lunceford
and Jen del Muro.

HOPE YOU ALL HAVE A FABULOUS AND JOYOUS CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR! 

(Sent from my iPad as an email to Typepad...so crossing my fingers that this actually works!)

SNOW PRETTY {sfytt}

Hey there, Holiday Shoppers!  Hopefully you're well on your way to getting all of your decorating and shopping done and you're just ready to sit down and stamp today.  Sounds good to me!  {For me, though, it's the little boy's 10th birthday.  WOW...how did he get so old so quickly?!  And he's having three other litle boys come over and spend the night.  Hmmm...who's great idea was that?!}

There are some changes coming over the river and through the woods for JEN'S SKETCH FOR YOU TO TRY.  Stay tuned for more details on that.  In the meantime, the SFYTT challenge for this week is to go back into the archives and choose a favorite SFYTT sketch and make your card with that.  See...how fun, right?  It's all up to you.  Which sketch challenged you most?  Which one were you dying to try but didn't have the time?  Now's the time to pick one and go for it!

I chose the sketch from March 6th of this year.  An oldie but a goodie!  I'm still inking up new images from THE CAT'S PAJAMAS.  This little cutie is from the JINGLE BELLS set.  These images are just sooo sweet.  AND...the lines are a bit bolder and they ink up and stamp so cleanly.  I love it when that happens.  In addition to the new stamp, I used the new BIG SCALLOP CUTUPS die, also from THE CAT'S PAJAMAS.  I am so diggin' that big ole bracket shape.  It's perfect!

Oooh, I almost forgot to mention...I also used SONY'S TCP TUESDAY COLOR CHALLENGE on this card.  I think there's still time to join in and post your card using Aqua, Ice Blue, and Lavender.  Post your card link over at Alma's blog to be considered for next month's Swanky Stamper title! 

Why not join us this week?  Take some time for yourself and do some stamping today.  Need more inspiration?  Click in with the other SFYTT girls to see what they've chosen to create today...

Susan Liles
Amy Rohl
Amy Sheffer
Megan Lock
Amber Hight
Sony Christoph
Jodi Collins
Jenn Diercks
Kelly Lunceford
and Jen del Muro.