Get Well Goody

I still have a few stamping friends who haven't seen The Angel Company's new Inspiration Book and Catalogue, including my friend, Kim. She has an awful cold, but I thought this might just get her mind off it for a bit, so I made her a little goody bag with the catalogue and this little treat. It has spiced apple cider mix & a mini package of tissues inside. It's decorated in cheery Miss Moxie paper.

The to-go cups are from Target and they have minimal printing on them. I just cut a strip of cardstock with a little bit of a curve and used a large tag to cover where the ends meet. A little of the coordinating Miss Moxie ribbon gives it just the right finishing touch. The tissues have a some of the matching Miss Moxie Cardstock, paper and some ribbon too. (If you like these colors, there's matching Miss Moxie hardware and an awesome Rockin' Roxie Matchbook Kit that has the same vibrant color scheme. It makes creating a complete mini scrapbook so easy and fun!)

I think I'm going to stock up on these get well supplies. The goodies are simple to put together and everyone seems to be getting the sniffles lately! (BTW, if you're curious about my reorganizing project, things are still a HUGE mess, but I'm making a *little* progress . . . .)

Manila Folder Book

Well, if you've been waiting for the details on the Manila Folder Book, here they are! It's a fun project that can be made into a pocket organizer, mini scrapbook--the possibilities are endless.

Mine features The Angel Company's new paper collection, Amberley Grace. I love the subtle colors. The stamps used were Artsy Elements from TAC and the upcoming February 2008 Vintage Stamp of the Month, Memories.


This project was adapted from an idea posted by Taylor Van Bruggen on September 20, 2007. Check out her blog here. She posted instructions and I have some that show the step-by-step details here.

View Album

Get your own

You can also print out the text instructions by clicking here. Hopefully it will inspire you to try your own Manila Folder Book! If you do, post a comment with a link to your project. I'd love to see what you turn your book into! Enjoy!

Festive Photo Ornaments

Well, if you haven't put away all your decorations and you just got your holiday photos printed, you might like to try this project today!

Isn't it cute? My friend Mary Leeson made this for me and I've been meaning to post a picture of it, as well as all the other awesome goodies she sent me during our Secret Sister Swap! I added little pictures and decided it was just the right size to hang on the tree. I love the idea of looking at past holiday memories as you trim the tree.

Mary made this by folding two sides of holiday paper toward the middle and letting them overlap. She sealed the overlap and then folded the whole piece in half, so that there were two pockets to put the cute tags. Eyelets hold it all together. I love it!

She also made me a larger version of this as an "All About Me" mini book with The Angel Company's Sands of Time Paper. Check out all the other TAC alterables and other goodies she sent me in the picture below and visit her blog to see the directions for that awesome box! Thanks again, Mary. I'm treasuring all the wonderful things you sent me!

More Asian Beauties from The Angel Company

*Edited to include recipe at end of post*
I got quite a few comments on the geisha from the mini composition journal I designed for the TAC catalog, so I thought I would share a couple other cards that used the same set: The Arts (from The Angel Company.) They are such elegant ladies and the set also includes five other Asian symbols and phrases. People have also commented on the cool little metal loops featured on some of my recent projects. They are hard to find, but TAC has them and they are only $3.50 for a package of 25. They are great paired with all of your paper crafts, but especially the Kamalaht Soar With It collection. (You can see pictures of these products that I mention in my posts, as well as order them by clicking on the links that I have attached to the product names, like the ones above.)

TAC is hosting a winter retreat this weekend in San Antonio. If you are an Angel who couldn't be there (like me) join me Thursday (1/10/08) through Sunday (1/13/08) on the Paper Wings Forum for an Online Escape! In addition to games and challenges, there will be awesome projects like the Manila Folder Book I'm presenting. I'll be online to answer questions and will offer a slideshow of step-by-step instructions. The whole weekend will be full of fun!

If you're not an Angel, stay tuned. I'll post pictures and instructions of my manila folder book soon!

*Mimi asked about my coloring medium. Here are more details on the cards:
Brown and Black CS with Kamalaht Paper
Colored with watercolor pencils, a Dove blender pen and ink (Palette Moulin Rouge and Versamagic Aspen Mist.)

Mini Composition Idea Journal

With the new year, I get excited about new papercrafting ideas. Here's a great place to jot them down. I used a mini composition book so that it would fit in a pocket or purse and it is covered with Kamalaht paper. An eyelet holds a little metal frame hanger, which forms a handy ribbon place holder. Photo turns hang from the ends of the ribbon.
The stamp is from The Angel Company's The Arts set and the letter stickers come in the pack of Kamalaht paper. There are light tan and dark brown letters, which seem to stand out better on most projects. I did run out of two of the dark letters: e and s. I was able to mix light stickers in with my dark ones by sponging ink right onto the stickers. This is a great trick to stretch your supplies. (By the way, I ink almost everything and the best applicators are TAC's hydra sponges. You get a bunch in a package and those can each be cut into wedges . I keep a little bucket of sponges in my work area in all the basic colors and they last practically forever!)
You'll see this little book again in TAC's 2008 Spring and Summer Inspiration Book and Catalog. I designed some Kamalaht and other samples for it and it has just arrived. I'm returning to Denver today from my holiday travels and will see it tonight for the first time! Stayed tuned for more info!

Christmas Verse Starbucks Book

I had so much fun swapping goodies in a recent Secret Sister swap with Mary Leeson (Check out her Blog Here)! She sent me some wonderful goodies, including a treat box she developed from a SCS tutorial. I'll get some pictures uploaded soon of the other great stuff she sent me. Here is one of the things I sent her. It's my version of a Starbucks Book in Mary's favorite color combo, blue and brown. I used the coffee sleeves that Starbucks uses on its coffe cups. I added tabs that count down the days in December until Christmas with a daily Bible verse. (The pages are 4.25" x 2.25") Faith is a big part of Mary's life, so I wanted to join her in celebrating what Christmas is all about. I got the verses from Heather Scott and they are passages that I think you'll find uplifting all year long. Heather has the file loaded here (Scroll down past Ginger Joy). I hope that the Spirit of the season fills your heart and your holidays are filled with blessings!

Peek-a-Boo Coluzzle Card Idea

Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to rush winter, but our new Ornamental Snowflakes seemed perfect for this peek-a-boo card. It looks complicated, but it's actually easy and fun to make. I started by making a semi-circle notch with a punch (quicker) and sanding my Matchmaker cardstock. Using this semi circle as a guide, I marked the place on my card and made this peek-a-boo window with my Coluzzle. The trick is to make a half circle on one side and then the next smaller circle opposite it. With a little nudge, the circle will hinge in the middle, making this cute window.
I used a punch for the white circle too (since I was making 20 for a swap) but all of the circle sizes could easily be made with your Coluzzle.
Give this idea a try and post what you come up with! Email me if you have any questions . . .


Edited: I was contacted by Jean in the UK (Hi Jean!), who was wondering if there were some other tools she could use. Here is my reply:
You could achieve the same look with the Creative Memories cutting system too, but it sounds like you usually improvise with things around the house to save money.


I'm a big believer in using what you have on hand! Other items you could try to get some different circle shapes would be lids to jars and jugs or bottles. You can trace the circles and cut them out with a craft knife. You might even keep your collection and number them in size so you have your own circle cutting system!

A good tip for the peek-a-boo card is to use a ruler or straight edge to make sure your circles begin and end at the correct place. That's very important for getting the circle to "swivel". Hopefully you can figure the rest out with the photo, but if not, send me another message. I'm happy to help!

Kamalaht Chalk Board & Embossed Stones

I made this chalk board a while back as a gift. It's a little bit of form meets function, with its cool Kamalaht accents. (I really wanted to keep it for my kitchen!)
It's also magnetic, so I made some little embossed stone magnets for it, starting with those polished stones you find in the floral section of the hobby store. I used black ink and Transcendence Embossing powder. You could use black powder, but I seem to keep Transcendence right within arm's reach. The great thing about it is you can use it with any kind of ink. You have to work fast with regular ink on paper, but you just stamp, sprinkle, heat and whatever color ink you are using has that glossy, raised look. The other nice thing is that those stray sprinkles of powder that manage to get left behind are clear, so they are almost unnoticeable.
Aside from magnets, I think these stones would make nice little "worry" stones with encouraging messages. You hold or rub your worry stone as you think or pray on your troubles and it helps you let go of worry.
Forget your worries and check out Heather's blog! She's giving out candy!

Kids Table Collection on the TAC Fall Supplement

I'm so excited to share some fun projects with you fromThe Angel Company's Fall 2007 Supplement! When I saw this set, Count Your Blessings, I thought about my kiddos around the Thanksgiving table. We always talk about what we're thankful for, so I made this My Blessings Coaster Placecard Holder. It's a great place for kids to write down their blessings while they are waiting for dinner. My blessings include my husband John, son Jack (8) and daughters Katelyn (6) and Lily (2). You can see a couple more of my projects within the supplement, including one of the kids and me in the kitchen. I hope you enjoy crafting and preparing for your fall holidays!

Spooky Treats

Here are a couple of cute treats for your little goblins! I made this treat with a metal tin that has a clear plastic top. I stamped it with StazOn ink and used Glaze Jelly Pens to color it in.
This adorable card and envelope was made by my friend Gwen Zimmerman. (We're in a swap together.) It uses Simply Spooky Halloween paper. Check out her instructions and other ideas for these cute 3x3 cards and the envelope template on her blog. I love this idea so much that we're casing her idea (thanks Gwen!) for the upcoming Mile High Angel Gathering! It's so fun now that the fall craft season has begun!

Hello Fall Emboss Resist Card

Well, you've probably noticed that I like emboss/resist techniques and here's another one that's similar to what people call Joseph's Coat. I used TAC's Rustic Chic and the miniature maple leaf from the Pressed Flowers stamp set. That paper is especially beautiful for fall, but I love using it all year long.
It's cooling down here in Colorado. Fall is definitely in the air. Perfect weather for getting back to our crafts, catching up on making cards and scrapbooking. Get on my mailing list for some exciting upcoming events!

Chipboard/Board Books

Check out my "Cute Kate" Board Book!
Supplies: Ribbon Words (T2287) and Running Stitches (T2610) Stamp Sets, Gentle Beginnings Designer Collection Paper(V900), ABC Frameworks chipboard(A10), Brown CS(V73), Burnt Umber Palette Ink(TT218), McGill Mini File Tab Punch(D881)
This book was so easy and fun! It uses less than 4 pages of paper, 2 stamp sets and 1 ink color. I love stamp stitching and using the ribbon words was so much fun, since it has such cute phrases and I was able to cut them up for even more versatility. Click on any of the item numbers above to pick up the supplies to make your own chipboard book, or browse the chipboard book section of my online shipping cart. You can also email me for one of my stamp stitching kits. On special for $29 (regularly $34), it gives you the stitches, block, ink and distresser used in my Cute Kate project. What a deal!
Jewels
Julie Griffith - Demonstrator/Manager, The Angel Company

Scallop Borders with Circle Stamps

I made a cute card today for an upcoming swap and I stole another idea from my friend Kim! (Do you want to come and steal ideas from her too? If you're in the Denver/Parker, Colorado area, come scrapbooking this Friday with us at church!)
I got one of my new sets from our new catalogue today called Blossom Builders and I used one of the circle flower centers to make this scalloped border! Isn't that fun? Scallops are so hot right now. You see them in borders, circles and squares, and you can make any shape you want. I found it easiest to follow a straight line with my ruler.
Don't have a circle stamp? Try this cool idea from one of my other creative friends, Jen. She does scallops with a circle punch! Isn't that neat? By the way, you know how you see great idea on someone's blog and you want to go find it later? Well, on Blogger, it's really easy to search for a topic. See the white blank and the "SEARCH BLOG" up in the top left hand side of the border? That's where you can search the whole blog for the topic you're looking for. So easy! Well, enjoy this tip and try it out. Post a comment and a link to your card so we can all check it out. Ciao!
Jewels
Julie Griffith - Demonstrator/Manager, The Angel Company

Starbook with the New TAC Hemingway Collection

I was inspired by the starbook we made at seminar to make this one from the new Hemingway Soar With It Collection from The Angel Company. My son Jack's personality is really captured by the stamp set, About a Boy. With our 8 new beautiful paper collections, TAC offers coordinated cardstocks, hardware and ribbons that make preserving your memories easy and so much fun!

My Girl Flip Book Featured in TAC Idea Book & Catalogue

It's here! The 2007 Fall Idea Book & Catalog for The Angel Company has just been unveiled! Among the 8 beautiful new paper lines was one of my returning favorites: Genevieve. It's the one I used to design this flip book of my daughter Katelyn, which was featured in the catalogue on Page 29. See the instructions here.

It's just one of the hundreds of gorgeous cards, pages and projects in our full-color Idea Book. Email me today for your copy!

One Sheet Treat Box

This cute little project has a ton of possibilities. From packaging candy treats to little birthday gifts, you'll find so many reason to make these fun boxes. See the slideshow tutorial here. It features the new Curls and Swirls set, which is my new favorite!

We're making this box plus 20 other projects later today at the 2007 Pre-Seminar Social that my fellow Angel, Avis, hosts. It's the first of four fun days surrounding The Angel Company's Annual Seminar in Kansas City. This one is extra special, since we're celebrating the company's 10th Anniversary!

Stay tuned for other fun announcements, including the unveiling of our new catalog!

Piercing, Dotting and Stitching with Embroidery Grid

I am busy getting ready for The Angel Company's Annual Seminar (next week), but I wanted to share with you a great technique that I'm using on one of my many, many swap cards I am making to trade. I learned this from my friend, Kim Singdahlsen, who organizes our monthly card-making event at our church. (If you are in the Denver area, you've got to join us and see these great ideas! Click "Get on my Email List" below for dates and directions for upcoming events.)
As you can see in the slideshow, (click the little Picasa logo to go see it full screen) plastic canvas makes an awesome guide for piercing, dotting and stitching on your cards. Our Souffle Pens are so fun. They add dimension and shine to flat and shiny surfaces. The technique on the colored cardstock is emboss resist (glossy paper, clear EP and brayered with Boudoir Blush and Claret Palette pads). The stamp set is Artsy Elements, which was a Jubilee Hostess Set that I hope comes out with the new catalog.
Speaking of the new catalog, I'll be out of town next week for its unveiling, but I'll try to keep you posted here with more techniques and ideas. Look for news from the new catalog at the first of July. . . .

Stamp Stitched CD Folder Book

You will love making this little book from CD folders, Matchmaker cardstock and A Little Whimsy paper. I got the idea from Heather Scott's Oz-Some Blog. I love her stuff! She gives all the instructions and pictures. I added a Heidi Swapp Floral (we carry the white ones and it's so easy to coordinate them to your project by sponging them with a little ink!) I also made a little button with my Ellison Big Shot and a little embroidery floss. Get everything you need to do this Stamp Stitching technique with my kit. It really gives paper crafts the look of frayed fabric and it's just sew much fun!

Abundance is . . .

. . . playing with your new rubber stamps from The Angel Company! I just got my stamps that were released as a Sneak Peek to our new catalog that will be out at the beginning of July. I couldn't resist the flowers in Treasure It, and the words in More Abundance are awesome. For the flowers, I used Boudoir Blush and Claret inks. I just love Palette ink. It's so vibrant. I also love how the flowers in this set look great with two step stamping the outside and inside or equally great just using the insides for a softer look. Speaking of soft, I was deciding on which green to use and settled on Versamagic Aloe Vera. That green is the definition of soft. If you'd like to get your own sneak peak stamps, check out my online shopping cart, or to hear the latest news, including when I schedule my new catalog unveiling, click "Get on my Email List" below.

Envelope Gift Bag for Card Set

It sneaks up on me every year. It's not that I forget to honor the teachers in my family's life. It's that I forget how many there are! Dance teachers, school teachers, Cub Scout leaders--yikes! Well, if you like to make cards like I do, what better gift than a card set?
Make this easy gift "bag" for your cards with a large envelope. (See slideshow for instructions.)
The cards I'm making are from my "Darling Details" card class, which I teach in my studio or your home. Techniques include Simply Stickles, Stamp Stitching, Charming Chalks, and Shabby Chic. Although the little details create that "finishing touch" they can be made in a flash, so you can make a pile of cards fast! Call me today to schedule a class!
These cards also feature our Bella Flor paper. You'll be amazed at how many cards you can make from one paper pack!