Valentines Aren’t Just for Lovers

January 4, 2019January 4, 2019Leave a comment

The season of love doesn’t have to be limited to one single significant other. This is a wonderful time to recognize friendships as well, and I’d submit that your girlfriends might appreciate hearts and flowers much more than your man would!

This is a Valentine that you could add photos, notes or gift cards to, and is part of an envelope banner you’ll create at my “Craft Your HEART Out” class coming on January 26th, but it’s perfect by itself:

It’s an accordion fold that spills out when opened, with spaces to write personal notes, add photos, or insert gifts or gift cards into smaller envelopes:

Download the Tutorial HERE

The “All My Love” Designer Series Paper in the NEW OCCASIONS Catalog is richly romantic and you’ll think of so many ways to use it: For wedding cards, gifts, home decor, etc. And don’t miss the coordinating All My Love Ribbon Combo Pack.

You’re invited to attend my Craft Your Art Out class: Check out the details HERE!

You may fall in love with the whole suite of products!

Watermelon Banner: Sweet Summer Stamping

August 1, 2016April 26, 20173 Comments

Summer is slowing down, but the produce is perfect! We are swimming in peaches and apricots and I’ve enjoyed some delectable watermelon, too…and it’s a fruit, so completely guilt-free.

I was inspired by my friend Jeanna’s Summer & Sunshine framed art on her blog a few weeks ago and thus, when the TGIF “CASE your Fave” challenge came up, her craftiness was the first thing I thought of. And I love banners, so this was the brain-child that resulted:

They are super simple to create and I did a Facebook Live video to demonstrate how:
https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fcreativejuicebyloni%2Fvideos%2F1164855446870812%2F&show_text=0&width=400
Did you know I am LIVE on FB almost every Monday at 12:30 PM (MST)? I would love to have you join me in real time, so come on over and like my Creative Juice page!

To order supplies to create this project, visit my Stampin’ Store and use the hostess code in the right column to get a hand-crafted Thank You from me.

Party Hearty: Stampin’ Up! Makes it Easy to Plan Any Celebration

March 2, 2014Leave a comment

Get the party started! Begin with some printed invitations, choose a color and some embellishments, and you've got yourself a party! Make a banner, place cards, gift bags...the pieces are printed, die cut, and ready for you to personalize. It's simple, fast, and still totally YOU.  Watch it all come together here:

  

 You have lots of reasons to celebrate now you have seen how easy it is to put your party décor and invitations together. 

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Start your celebration here!

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A Banner Day (+Video)

February 19, 2014Leave a comment

Every living room, every work cubicle, every nursery, every school locker and every holiday needs a banner! It's as simple as this: choose your paper and ink, then stamp and cut using the Big Shot machine. Framelits dies make precision placement a snap, and you'll get perfectly cut shapes every time. 

  
Wood mount bundle #134815 (also available in clear-mount $143816)



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 Save 15% when you purchase the Perfect Pennants Stamp Set and coordinating Banners Framelits Dies together in the bundle 🙂 Then start making every day a BANNER DAY!

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5 Ways on Fridays: Thankful Tablescape Simply Created Kit

October 18, 2013April 26, 20177 Comments

The pieces of the new Thankful Tablescape Simply Created Kit (item 133463) in the Stampin’ Up! Holiday Catalog were designed to decorate a Thanksgiving table, but of course, people get crafty and find new ways to utilize the parts in unique ways, so come along as I share a few of my favorites! Leave a link to other awesome crafts using this kit in the comments.

1. Starting with cards, here’s a pocket card I created from the Tablescape kit following the

Create with Connie & Mary sketch 273:

All I added was a crumb cake envelope (for the pocket), a piece of Early Espresso card stock, a strip of 1-1/4″ Burlap Ribbon (132140) and I punched the circle using the 2-1/2″ circle punch (120906).

2. At SU! convention in July, Sara Douglass demonstrated how to create a Thankful Journal from the Tablescape kit, but my photos weren’t that great, so a quick internet search found another Sarah (Sagert) who had crafted her own…with some nice pictures of her lovely pages 🙂

3. Admittedly, I’m a sucker for anything in a mason jar, so Jessica Lewis’ simply sweet Thankful Jar immediately appealed to me! Can’t you just imagine filling this with reasons to be grateful?

The Birch paper and chocolate chip herringbone paper both come on a roll in the kit and are perfect for wrapping around a vase, jar or candle.

4. Allison Okamitsu (a very talented Canadian demonstrator) created the last two gorgeous home decor projects from the Thankful Tablescape Simply Created Kit. The first is a Thankful Banner and you see more of this beauty by clicking on the picture.

5. I love Allison’s style and her blog is “Nice People Stamp”. Haven’t met her, but it’s a given she’s one NICE person to share her talents! This is also her creation~A frame covered in the Birch-bark paper from the kit. Isn’t the banner adorable? Visit Allison’s tutorial for the frame HERE (or click on photo)

Thanks for checking out my 5 Ways on Fridays collection! Order the Thanksgiving Tablescape Kit from my Stampin’ Store to create some fabulous Fall creations of your own, then post a link to them in the comments so we can be inspired by YOU!
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Surprise Party

March 27, 2013April 26, 20171 Comment

Last week was my mother’s 70th Birthday. She is a humble, sweet, endearingly good and righteous elect lady in all ways imaginable. She would blush at that compliment and protest that she has many faults, but as her children, we don’t see any. We all feel greatly blessed to have had her as our mother!

My sisters decided that she needed a party…and it needed to be a surprise. And boy, was it ever! Dad played his part perfectly and convinced her they were going to a 50th Wedding Anniversary celebration for some friends. She felt a little mortified that there weren’t any other people in the hallway coming to wish the happy couple best wishes and was very afraid that when they opened the door, there would just be a handful of people sitting around a table:

We knew she wouldn’t want a big group, so it was just our family there to give her all the love she so deserves. My sisters really went over the top with tons of pictures of mom blown up all over the walls (“It’s perfect: She’ll hate it!” Megan gleefully proclaimed) and my contribution (since I’m 3 hours away and my family made it just in time for the party) was a Happy Birthday Banner.

While you can see it in the picture with my silly sisters, here’s the banner I made up close:

I was so tickled to have this picture with all my siblings and parents: I love my family!!

And the whole family (minus 4)):

Funny story: Megan baked Grandma’s delectable German Chocolate birthday cake and the DIVINE Almond Joy cupcakes. My son Braden is a pretty picky eater, but one bite of that cupcake and he ran to his dad and said, “DAD! YOU HAVE GOT TO TRY THIS!!! This cupcake was made by JESUS!” Certainly Jesus would have appreciated Megan’s baking skills and agreed that she is a heavenly baker 🙂 I’m not sure we lighted ALL 70 candles on the birthday cake, since they started lighting them from the outside circle. But it tasted delicious even with a layer of wax!

We played LANA JEOPARDY, broke open a pinata and a great time was had by all. Love you Mom!!

Credits:

World’s Best Mother: Lana Larkin

Oustanding Actor: Derrill Larkin

Party Planner Extraordinaire: Mindi Clove

Baker from Heaven: Megan Marchant

Pinata Provider: Ryan Larkin

Graced by His Presence: Mike Larkin

Man of the Hour: Russ Clove

Greatest Husbands in a Supporting Role: Neal Marchant, Cody Spendlove

Grandest Kids: Braden, Kamryn, Kaitlyn, Chandler, Abbey, Mia, Gregory, Emery, Nathan, Madeleine, Cole, Libby

Missing-in-Action: Alison, Kiersta, Kayson, Whitney

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Bridal Shower Open House

January 18, 2013April 26, 2017Leave a comment

Last week I had the pleasure of throwing a Bridal Shower for my new daughter-in-law-to-be (that made me feel old while I typed it). Kayson chose a beautiful young woman to marry and we are happy to welcome Whitney to our family!

This was the invitation which matched her wedding colors of Pool Party, Silver & White, and we threw in a pop of Melon Mambo, for fun:

The new Cloudy Day embossing folder (127022) was the perfect addition to the background! I found the umbrella stamp in the Carry On stamp set (a hostess set you can choose when you hold a SU! party) but there is also a really cute NEW stamp set in the Spring catalog called Rain or Shine that would be fun to use, too, in case you are making invitations and want to “borrow” this idea!

I hope you can see this adorable banner that says “WHITNEY”: we made it with the new Paper Doilies (129399) from the Spring Catalog and the Typeset Alphabet Die (127553) and the Big Shot, the flower punch from the Itty Bitty Shapes Punch Pack (118309) and a few Rhinestone Jewels, because you know how I feel like everything needs a little bling!

Her sister made red velvet cupcakes and we served our traditional warm “Shower Sandwiches” and fruit. That is Whitney and her mom in the background 🙂

Since it was Open House Style, we asked people to write advice or solutions to potential problems for Whitney’s book (above) and took pictures of Whitney with each of her guests to go into the book I created with SU!’s clear envelopes, card stock and DSP. For some awesome pre-made (and free!) Problem/Solution Printables get them HERE! The Label Framelits (125598) made it easy to cut all the advice papers, too, and this is my FAVORITE response:

We also asked guests to write their address on an envelope to make it easy for Whit to send “Thank You” cards and I created a stack of simple cards for her using the Million Dollar Moments set (another Hostess-only set from the Spring Catalog!)

Party This Way!

August 30, 2012April 26, 2017Leave a comment

I had such fun coloring the glimmer paper for my Holiday Swap Card that I wanted to share it with my Stamp Clubs! This was the card that they created this month using the Blue Ribbon Stamp Set (page 33 in the Stampin’ Up! Catalog):

I used the Pacific Point ink refill and a watercolor pen to color the glimmer paper and while it goes on dark, the colors fade a little after soaking into the paper and drying. You can also use your heat gun on a low setting to help it dry faster, but beware: It may melt the plastic coating on the back of the glimmer paper if you get it too hot! The card shows the regular silver glimmer paper (scalloped around the “Happy Birthday”) and the colored glimmer paper (blue ribbons hanging below).

Here are a few samples up close of three colors I’ve tried. Top: Pacific Point, Middle: Melon Mambo, Bottom: Elegant Eggplant. They are sitting on top of the regular silver glimmer paper.

Back to my Happy Birthday card…it matches perfectly the PARTY banner and birthday “cake” (using a battery-operated tea light) designed by my friend Pam Clyde (one VERY talented stamper) for the Late Night Stamper Reunion party this last July at convention: