Monday, December 19, 2016

Love Bird Card - GDP067


Hello everyone!!! Welcome to the final week before Christmas! Are you ready? My shopping is complete but I have a bunch of wrapping to do. I have yet to start our family newsletter with photographs and stories from the past year ... it is looking like it will be a New Year letter rather than a Christmas letter this year. We will see what the week brings. I am trying to slow down a little bit and enjoy some time with my family to take it all in. 

Today I am creating for the Global Design Project Challenge #GDP067. The theme this week is "trees". My favorite tree stamp set is Sheltering Tree




Good luck on the week ahead my friends! Try not to sweat the small stuff! Enjoy the season.

Visit the Global Design Project to see what the design team has created for the tree theme. All week long our followers will be creating and sharing with #GDP067. You are always welcome to join the fun (full details over at the GDP).

Have a creative day,

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Thursday, December 15, 2016

White Christmas table center piece - Fancy Friday Blog Hop


It is Friday and one week until Christmas! If you are in the holiday party planning mood you will want to check out this mason jar table center peice that I created today for the Fancy Friday Blog Hop!
Our basement is our stampin' studio and has a long table that my stampers sit at to create. In December, I have Christmas parties for all of my monthly stamp clubs. We enjoy party treats and favors and I decorate the studio with Stampin' Up! party decor and fancy table center piece! 


I covered the table with a white table cloth. I do this every year and was getting tired of it. I spiced it up by running silver wrapping down the length of the table. It looks great!


The centerpiece candles are made with 1L mason jars. I tied Stampin' Up! ribbon around the throats and tied a knot. With a hot glue gun I added branches, white berries and mini Christmas ornaments (all from our local craft store).

I used the Pretty Pines Thinlits dies to cut some garland with Always Artichoke Cardstock. They too were tucked in and held with some hot glue. To hide the hot glue, and finish it off, I added Mini Jingle Bells and Christmas Trinkets Embellishments with a bow.




I filled the jars with Epsom Salts and purchased mini pillar candles to burn inside. I love how they dripped when they burned and pooled the wax on the Epsom Salts.

On Thursday I blogged the parties coordinating candy table, the party favors and party banners. Click here to see the post!

Up next on the Fancy Friday blog hop is Sue Plote.
Click over to Sue and she what she has created for you today!
Thank-you for visiting! Have a creative day,


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Project supply list

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Wednesday, December 14, 2016

A farewell from the 2015|16 Artisan Design Team


I just told my husband that I had to go and write my final Stamin' Up! Artisan Design Team blog post. He couldn't believe that the end was here. He was also a little sad for me ... the end to a dream come true. Can you believe that I have been on the team for nearly 2 and a half years!!!
I can not put into words the gratitude that I feel for the opportunity to serve on this team. It has pushed me creatively and has enriched my blog and business offering in ways that I could never of imaged. I have made lifelong friends from around the world - most that I have never met. We chat online with each other, we know about one another's families, we share our lives and, most of all, we love and support one another. Stampin' Up! is a magical thing ... it does all of this. I have so many customers and demonstrators that have become my dear friends over the last 10 years.

December is my time to spoil my customers. I wrap up my annual stamp clubs with a Christmas party for each club and I have Christmas party for my demonstrator team. Of course I do the party decor Krista style! Here is a window into the party prep for my December events ... 





The paper "bag stars" ... I had intentions of doing a tutorial or video but it so did not happen. I have been in the schools this week doing Christmas projects and cards with over 300 kids!!!!! (plus three adult night classes and the blog). I was inspired to create these with Glassine Gift Bags from The SITS girls blog! Check them out - I promise that they have a pin worthy tutorial so that you can create your own!

You may have spied that one of the paper bag stars is not stamped - this was a trial run. I used some retired bags from Stampin' Up!. It was too pretty not to share!


Before I glued my paper bags together I stamped the center of each one, front and back, with the Frosted Medallions stamp set using Basic Black Archival Ink. Just give it some dry time before you glue. I love this ink for the rich black image that is stamps but it does not dry instantly. I left mine for about 30 minutes while I stamped the matching banner.


I love me a candy table! I head to Bulk Barn Canada (a bulk shopping store that has the best candy selection ever) to purchase coordinating candy. I could not throw red candy into this mix! gasp! it just does not work people!


Each guest gets a little treat to take home. I made these little favors by cutting a 12x12 piece of Designer Series Paper into strips measuring 9-1/2" x 2-1/2". Score the strip at 2", 5", 6-1/2". Fold along the score lines.

I added four Hershey's kisses to a 2" x 8" Stampin' Up! Cello bag. I needed to trim it a bit but I just tucked it into the treat fold before I closed it and stapled it shut.





For my over the top napkin rings, I stamped the Frosted Medallions stamp set on Glassine Gift Bags (just like I did to create the paper bag star). After the ink sat a bit, I added some ribbon and sequin trim with glue dots. To finish it, I stamped the Celebrate from the It's a Celebration stamp set and cut it with the Duet Banner Punch.

I found the PERFECT napkins to tuck inside at IKEA. Talk about winning the crafting lottery!!!


I used White Stampin' Chalk Marker to write the Christmas Carol words on a piece of Basic Black cardstock that I slipped into the beautiful frame. I stamped some medallions with Smoky Slate ink and punched them. A quick zip through the sewing machine and I had the cutest little garland.



Gift bags also match - of course! The perfect finishing touch are the Christmas Trinkets Embellishments ... these are currently 50% OFF!!! (item 141997 = $5.25 CAD).


You are going to die over the center piece that I created for this party ... you will have to come back on Friday, December 16th to see it. I will be sharing it for the Fancy Friday Blog Hop. This hop comes to you the last Friday of each month (one week early in November & December because of the holidays). The Fancy Friday design team is comprised of amazing past and present Artisan Design Team Bloggers! You do not want to miss it!

A special thank-you to Kimberly VanDiepen for introducing me on the hop over the last year. I have been a KVD fan since I became a demonstrator. She was one of those designers that I was so scared to meet ... and now I can say that we are friends! pinch me!

Up next on the blog hop is the beautiful Marisa Gunn!
Marissa - I am so glad that we have become friends this year. 
You are a beautiful and talented spirit. You never disappoint and impress me each time!


You are going to want to follow the new 2016-2017 Artisan Design Team.
These ladies are going to inspire you for the next year!

Allison Okamitsu - Canada
AurĂ©lie Fabre - France
Cathy Caines - Canada
Dani Dziama - United States
Holly Stene - United States
Jennifer Sootkoos - United States
Jessica Winter - Austria
Katy Harrison - United Kingdom
Kimberly Van Diepen - United States
Louise Sharp - Australia
Maike Ulbrich - Germany
Martha Inchley - Canada
Mercedes Weber - United States
Mindy Bingamon-Backes - United States
Miriam van Eyden - Netherlands
Paula Dobson - New Zealand
Rochelle Blok - Australia
Shannon Lane - Canada
Sylwia Schreck - Germany
Tanya Boser - United States

Have a creative day!

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Monday, December 12, 2016

A card inspired by Architecture - GDP066


When I saw the In This World Stamp Set I immediately bought it! The stamp set has a stamp that is a portion of a floor plan and another with a door with dimension lines ... swoon! 

I met my bestie at a local Architectural firm in 1999 ... back when we were both draftsmen. God - that was a lifetime ago! We both since have left, I left in 2010 when we had our son and she left two years ago to go to another company. Last week the firm that it all started at closed its doors and merged with another company.


Even though it has been 6 years since I worked in that office I was still sad! That building holds a lot of memories for me, I grew up there (I started working there when I was just 19). Some of the best memories of my life are with that firm and the people I worked with. I went to go visit the office last month when I heard they were merging. I wanted to see the space and my friends one last time. 

I think this card is perfectly fitting today ...



My bestie celebrated her birthday recently and I used this set to create her a birthday card.


My design was inspired by the Global Design Project Challenge GDP066:

Visit the Global Deisgn Project to see what the rest of the international design team has created for you! You are going to love what we have in store!!
You are welcome to stamp along with us this week. Snap a picture of your project, share it on a blog or social media and link it to the GDP ... full details are over on the GDP site

Thank-you for visiting. Have a creative day!
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