Wildflower Fields Sneak Peek

Posted on December 28, 2015 by Chris Slogar

There’s something old and something new in this project. The designer paper is the “something new” – it is Wildflower Fields from the upcoming Sale-a-bration Catalog, just one of the items that you will be able to choose to receive free from Stampin’ Up! with any $50 product purchase starting January 5.

Please contact me if you do not have a Demonstrator, and you would like to receive our new Occasions 2016 and Sale-a-bration Catalogs in the mail. A note to my local customers – I have catalogs available for pick-up, or I can mail them to you.

The “something old” is the tool I used to make the letters on these note pads. I used Perfect Print Alphabet Bigz dies to cut those letters from Calypso Coral. They are currently available in the Year-End Sale for $32.99 (originally $54.95). Click here to check out more great deals on our sale rack.

This project is a cover for a 5″x7″ mini memo pad.

I wrapped the top of the pad with a bit of designer paper, and then made a cover with Basic Black. I relied heavily on the Triple Banner Punch for my embellishments – strips of cardstock and designer paper. You can decorate with the papers and elements of your choice on a project like this.

Place an online order of $35 or more (before s/h and tax) using the current Hostess Code (see details at top of right column), and I will send you one of these note pads. Please make sure to allow Demonstrator Contact or send an email with your address so that I can mail this to you.

Thanks for stopping by – I hope you are having a wonderful holiday season!

“Bring on the Bling” Blog Hop

Posted on December 23, 2015 by Chris Slogar

Welcome to the Grand Vacation Achievers hop for December. This month’s theme – “Bring on the Bling!”

You may just be starting the blog hop here at my blog (Chris Slogar) or may have come from the person previous to me in the list. If you get off track at any time, the full lineup below will help you move along from blog to blog so you see all the projects.

Inspired by the theme, I created a card with more sparkle than usual for me, but I think it works for New Year’s.

The hard part of blogging about a card with a lot of bling is getting a good photograph. Usually, you can work around a single shiny element, but when the whole card is reflecting light…good luck!

Here’s another attempt…

This is a really fun and sparkly card, and it gives you a sneak peek at the Large Number Framelits that are going to be available in our Occasions Catalog starting January 5. They will be available bundled with a fabulous stamp set, “Number of Years”, and this bundle was at the top of my pre-order list.

I was able to heat emboss “HAPPY” on the foil. However, if you are going to try this, I recommend NOT using the embossing buddy. It makes the powder stick to the entire surface of the foil. This takes a steady hand, too – the foil is a slippery surface to stamp on.

The tassels on the party hats are bits of Silver Cording. I removed the threadlike core from the cording and frayed the ends. My tassels are made from two ends – there is a glue dot holding a folded length of cording just under the point of each hat.

Thanks for taking part in our blog hop, there are so many great projects here! Remember that currently you are at my blog – Chris Slogar – so check the blog hop line up list to see who is next, and enjoy!

Weekly Deals

Posted on December 22, 2015 by Chris Slogar

Here are this week’s Weekly Deals…

	Color Me Irresistible Specialty Designer Series Paper Item # 138439 Regular Price: $13.00 US/$16.00 CAN Discounted Price: $9.75 US/$12.00 CAN
	Silver Glimmer Paper Item # 135314 Regular Price: $5.00 US/$6.25 CAN Discounted Price: $3.75 US/$4.69 CAN
	Daffodil Delight 1/4″ Cotton Ribbon Item # 134559 Regular Price: $6.00 US/$7.50 CAN Discounted Price: $4.50 US/$5.63 CAN
	Be The Star Wood-Mount Stamp Set Item # 135731 Regular Price: $29.00 US/$36.00 CAN Discounted Price: $21.75 US/$27.00 CAN

Santa Curvy Boxes

Posted on December 18, 2015 by Chris Slogar

Our curvy boxes make adorable favors – to give you an idea of size, they hold up to 12 Hershey kisses each. These two Santa versions are fun for Christmas. You can make the belt buckle very quickly – I used a 1″ strip of Basic Black, a 1 3/8″ Silver Glimmer Paper square, a 1″ Basic Black square, and a length of three rhinestones.

The punch art Santa face is also easy, but you need a little more time to assemble the pieces. I have used some retired tools here, but you can substitute for them as need be. The hat is a Tree Punch, with a line of fur made with the retired Scalloped Square punch (punch one square, and then feed it back into the punch with a Post-it note to mirror the shape and create the scalloped line), and a retired Punch Pack flower.

Santa’s face is a Blushing Bride Large Oval, with Whisper White hair and beard pieces (1 3/4″ and 2 3/8″ Scallop Circles). His mustache is from the retired framelit, but I have also seen two Bird Punch wings used to create a mustache. His eyes are from the Owl Builder and the nose is a 3/8″ circle.

I will not be posting regularly over the next two weeks due to the holidays. I do plan to post some sneak peeks – I have been working with the awesome new Occasions and Sale-a-bration Catalog merchandise – but I will not return to my regular schedule until after January 1. Thank you for your support this year, and best wishes for a very Merry Christmas and Happy 2016!!

Gold Foil Joy

Posted on December 17, 2015 by Chris Slogar

This week’s colors are festive, and I thought they called out for one more Christmas card. When I see gold or silver in the color challenges, I love to include foil sheets.

If you find that you don’t get a smooth finish when cutting foil with your word thinlits, you may want to invest in a Precision Base Plate. I get much better results cutting against the Precision Base Plate. I have these pictures from a previous post that illustrate the difference.

The word on the right was cut on the Precision Base Plate, and it has a much smoother finish.

As for the challenge… it runs for two weeks, so plenty of time to play along! Check out Create with Connie and Mary for more inspiration, and to see the entries.

Lots of Thanks

Posted on December 16, 2015 by Chris Slogar

We can anticipate a need for a lot of thank-you notes at this time of year. I love the bright jewel tones in this particular pattern of our Season of Cheer designer paper, so I used it as the centerpiece of my thank-you notes. The designer paper is a 2″ square and the Mossy Meadow cardstock is a 2 1/4″ square.

I used our pre-cut and scored note cards for the card bases. The star is from a retired punch, but you could use the star framelits or even another shape. The Tree Punch would work well.

The greeting is from the Watercolor Wishes kit. Don’t forget that Watercolor Wishes makes a great gift for a new or an experienced stamper. New stampers will love that it is all-inclusive, and experienced stampers love the trendy look of the cards and the exclusive stamps. It makes 20 cards.

Watercolor Wishes Card Kit – Item 140406, $35

Thanks for stopping! Have a great day!

Built for Free Using: My Stampin Blog

Weekly Deals

Posted on December 15, 2015 by Chris Slogar

The End of the Year Sale is still in full swing, and the weekly deals are shown below. Please contact me if you would like me to place your order, or click here to go to my online store.

	Cherry On Top Cotton Paper Assortment Item # 138308 Regular Price: $7.00 US/$8.75 CAN Discounted Price: $5.25 US/$6.56 CAN
	Handpicked Framelits Dies Item # 137361 Regular Price: $25.00 US/$31.00 CAN Discounted Price: $18.75 US/$23.25 CAN
	Pretty Petals Designer Series Paper Stack Item # 138442 Regular Price: $8.00 US/$10.00 CAN Discounted Price: $6.00 US/$7.50 CAN
	Tag A Bag Accessory Pack Item # 138381 Regular Price: $8.00 US/$10.00 CAN Discounted Price: $6.00 US/$7.50 CAN

Snow Place Friends

Posted on December 14, 2015 by Chris Slogar

I was planning to shift gears and start using my Occasions preorder products this weekend, but “Snow Place” was still calling my name. I had a few more cards in my head that needed to be made with this bundle. At first, I thought I would be bogged down with the number of little pieces and framelits. The cutting goes quickly, though, since you can put so many different pieces on the magnetic platform at once. And putting them together is fun!

Here’s a closer look at my penguin skier…

…and my sledding snowmen. Have a great day!

Built for Free Using: My Stampin Blog

Here Comes Santa Claus!

Posted on December 11, 2015 by Chris Slogar

My friend Rose sent me a card that inspired me to make this one. Santa’s boots are Sweetheart punches, and the cuffs are portions of the Word Window. Santa’s legs are 1″ strips of Real Red, and the sack is the skull from the Boo to You framelits. The chimney is a 2 1/2″ width of Cherry Cobbler.

Here is Rose’s card:

She used a retired Stampin’ Up! set, and her Santa is mounted on a 2″ strip of Basic Black. The strip is stamped to match the background on the inside panel, and it is folded at the top to create a hinge. It is a really cute design!

Have a great weekend! Don’t forget to check out the End of Year sale – click here for details.

Year-End Sale

Posted on December 10, 2015 by Chris Slogar

Many items on the Holiday Catalog Retiring List are now on sale, while supplies last. Additional items have been added to the “Year-End Sale” category (which temporarily replaces the Clearance Rack) in the online store. Click here for the online store. Please contact me if you have any questions or would like me to place your order.

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