Mocha Memories

Glitter it Up

2011-01-13T10:09:33-05:00

I have been enjoying some time with the kids this past week. We are just coming off of another snow break. They are saying that we have already passed our annual average snowfall. The kids are loving it, but I keep reminding them that they will regret it when they are going to school into June.

Anyway, I am finally getting some time alone at the computer to share with you some of the projects that we made at my hostess clubs this month.

We are thinking about Valentine's Day this month. A little early? No way! I need to give myself plenty of time to procrastinate. LOL Seriously, I know there are some planners out there that like to create cards and crafts ahead of time.

This card is simple and is created with only one stamp set but has plenty of pizazz. Notice the glitter? This scallop circle was punched out of Stampin' Up!'s new Glimmer Paper. All of the glitter and none of the mess! I love glitter, but generally when I use it even the dogs have a special sparkle to them afterwards.

Next time, I will show you how to create a flower pot of love - or at least a two dimensional version.

Be Inspired by Life,

Stamps: XOXO (121909-Wood, 121973-Clear)
Ink: Real Red (103133), Basic Grey (109120)
Cardstock: Basic Grey (121044), Whisper White (100730), Real Red (102482), Love Impressions DSP (121780), Glimmer Paper (121790)
Accessories: Stampin' Dimensionals (104430), Basic Black 3/8" Taffeta Ribbon (119962), 1 3/4" Scallop Circle Punch (119854), 1 3/8" Circle Punch (119860), Heart Punch (117193), Pinking Hearts Border Punch (117649)

New Occasions Mini is Out

2011-01-04T08:09:41-05:00

I wanted to send out a quick message today to let you know that the NEW OCCASIONS MINI is out. Make sure that you have plenty of time to look through this one and keep pen and paper close. There are SO many different styles and themes that there is something for everyone.

As always, if you do not have a copy of this catalog and would like to be added to my mailing list, email me and I will get you set up. (Don't forget that you will be needing a Sale-a-bration catalog soon.)

Off to have fun with my hostess club!

New Year - New Rewards - New Ideas

2011-01-01T17:49:10-05:00

Happy New Year!!

It is a new year with new resolutions and new goals. My daughter asked me just this evening why January 1st is such a big deal. I explained how it is the end of one year and the beginning of a new one, but more importantly that most of us use this time to set goals and resolutions to better ourselves and our lives. This brings me to one of my goals for the new year.

I have been so blessed with my Stampin' Up! business this year and blessed to get to know so many new people both local and long distance. This year I wanted to have a way to thank all of you that have allowed me to continue doing what I love. As of today, I have started a reward program for all of you that have done exactly that. There is nothing to keep track of - I will do all of that for you. You can just keep purchasing as you have and you will be on your way to a FREE stamp set (any price) from me. Please take a second and check out the details HERE. If you have any questions at all, please feel free to contact me. This is for you!

New Year - Check. New Rewards - Check. New Ideas - Well, new to me. I was browsing through one of my magazines during some down time and noticed a headline - Letterpress Coasters! The article was about a company that creates beautiful, colored pressed coasters, but my wheels were turning.

Yep - it works! I checked the thickness of the coasters I had on hand and noticed they were only a little thicker than the watercolor paper and the same consistency. I simply ran the coaster through the Big Shot just like the directions instruct you to with one exception. I did not use any tabs on the Multipurpose platform instead of Tab 1.

I decided to go one step further and add some color to the coaster with my Real Red Craft spot. I even tested the coaster with water and the ink did not run. I have to admit that I did run my heat gun over the ink for a few seconds before testing. Are those wheels turning? I hope so!

Be Inspired by Life,

Ink: Real Red Craft Spot (Brights Craft Stampin' Spots 119718)
Accessories: Big Shot (113439), Lots of Love Letterpress Plates (120983), 4" Coasters

The Last Sparkle of the Year

2010-12-31T06:55:33-05:00

I can not believe that it is New Year's Eve. Where has the year gone? I will be getting the last of my goals and challenges set for the year. With that said, I hope you join me tomorrow to see what is in store for all of my wonderful ladies for the coming year! I have a couple of new items that I would love to offer all of you - long distance AND local.

I want to share with you a card inspired by a wonderful lady, Sharon P., who requested some ideas for New Year's Eve cards. I wanted it to be something that you could create in a snap. I simply used a ruler and my hobby knife to cut the glass out of the top Night of Navy layer to reveal the Brushed silver layer beneath it.

I thought I was finished but my youngest daughter convinced me that it needed SPARKLE! I simply outlined the glass with Multipurpose Liquid Glue and sprinkled Dazzling Diamonds on top of that.

I again realized that I did not have a sentiment, but found the perfect one in the Seasonal Sentiments set (Today is the LAST day to order this set!). If I owned the set, I could simply ink up and stamp only the 'Happy New Year' portion (Omission by Marker technique).

I did not own the set in clear or wood mount, but I had already purchased it for my MDS. I still needed to omit the top portion of the sentiment. I added a square punch to the page, clicked on the sides of the square and pulled them until the square was large enough to cover the top of the sentiment. I filled the punch with Whisper White and VOILA! - Omission by MDS.

Thank you everyone for an amazing year and I wish the same for you in the year to come.

Card stock: Night of Navy (100867), Whisper White (100730), Brushed Silver (100712)
Accessories: Big Shot (113439), Perfect Polka Dots Embossing Folder (117335), Hobby Blade (102449), Cutting Mat (101087), Stampin' Dimensionals (104430), My Digital Studio (118108), Multipurpose Liquid Glue (110755), Dazzling Diamonds (102023), Glimmer Brads (121003)

Manly New Year to You

2010-12-29T18:52:32-05:00

One of my wonderful ladies asked me for a New Year's card inspiration recently. That was the first time I realized we do not have such a set or a sentiment solely for that purpose. I was really shocked - something Stampin' Up! DOESN'T have! I found some alternatives to the dilemma and would love to share them with you.

One option is to simply use '2011' as the perfect focal point. I had the idea first and then started looking through my stamps for a set that contained numbers. Wasn't I surprised to find that I do not own a single set with numbers?! (Well, I know what my next purchase will be.)

Not to fear - My Digital Studio is the perfect solution to such problems. Even if I did not own a set in My Digital Studio that contained numbers, I could buy one, download it and begin playing with the set in minutes. Instant gratification! I decided that the Schoolbook Serif Numbers would work perfectly. I just needed to make sure that they were proportional to the Decorative Label punch that I wanted to use.

This leads me to another extremely useful tip about My Digital Studio. When you add a punch (or any other element) to a project, it will be inserted 'true-to-size'. As you can see to the left, I just added the Decorative Label punch to a blank sheet and then resized the year to fit within the punch. (Hint: Don't forget to delete the punch background before you print it.) No more wasted paper trying to get the perfect size printout.

Interested in learning more about My Digital Studio? Email me or check out an entire on-line community devoted just to My Digital Studio.

Next time I will be using the 'Happy New Year' sentiment from the same page. It is 'Omission Stamping' - MDS style!

Until next time,

Cardstock: Basic Black (121045), Whisper White (100730), Cherry Cobbler (119685), Brushed Gold (120935)
Accessories: Big Shot (113439), Vintage Wallpaper Embossing Folder (120175), Extra Large Decorative Label Punch (120907), Photo Corners Extra Large Punch (119878), Stampin' Dimensionals (104430), My Digital Studio (118108), 1/8" Basic Black Taffeta Ribbon (119261), 3/8" Basic Black Taffeta Ribbon (119962), 1/2" Cherry Cobbler Seam Binding (120992), Waffle Paper Assortment 1 (120984)

More Ornaments in a Flash

2010-12-22T08:04:30-05:00

My kids are out of school and we are all home enjoying the holidays together. I do not get much done unless it includes the kids. But isn't that how it should be when they are young.

We are making candy today and probably wrapping the rest of the presents. So what have we been doing up to this point? Playing LOTS of board games and finishing up everyone's trees. Each child has a small tree in their room and they get to decorate it to their own taste.

I had some extra clear ornaments so I helped the kids design and decorate some ornaments to fill in their trees. The one above is created with Holly & Jolly Rub-ons placed directly onto the outside of the ornament. (HINT: You can tape the pieces down to help little hands.)

The ornament below was created with 1 3/4" Extra Large Circle Punch, Medium Transparency Paper, and more Holly & Jolly Rub-ons. You can punch several circles ahead of time and have them out for the kids to decorate how ever they like. Once they are finished, roll up the transparency paper and stick it through the top of the ornament.
Have any pieces left over from your Merry Trees Decor Elements sheets? Simply fill a square ornament with Designer Series Paper that has been run through a shredder and then your crimper. Adorn the outside of the ornament with your Decor Element. Kids will love to fill and they are easy to adorn!

I hope that you can find some time to create these ornaments or anything else with your kids today. They are only young for a short time and soon going to the mall will be more cool than spending time with Mom. Well, I am off to finish a couple of projects with my kids or play a game or two.

Happy Holidays!

Ornaments Made Easy With My Digital Studio

2010-12-08T17:22:22-05:00

I have so many of those clear glass ornaments (67mm) for crafting and I knew they really needed to be used. I also have some left over Ink Jet Transparency paper. Of course......

I decided to use My Digital Studio to design some decorations to place into the ornaments. I added several circle punch shapes (sized to 2-1/2") to a blank project page. I used these shapes to size the rest of the elements that I added to each circle.

For example, I added the Bethlehem stamp from the Come to Bethlehem stamp set to one of the blank circle shapes. I sized it down so that the entire image would fit and changed the color to Night of Navy.

For this ornament, I used the wreath image from the Welcome Christmas stamp set and the Schoolbook Serif Alphabet for the initial. I then used our new 2-1/2" circle punch to punch these images out of the transparency paper. I rolled the image up, slipped it through the opening and decorated the top. Complete! Wouldn't this be great as a place setting piece?

My Digital Studio made this so simple! I could change the image sizes to fit the ornaments I had, change the colors to match the ribbon I owned and buy the stamp images immediately if I did not own them already. If you have any other questions about My Digital Studio or this project, make sure to email me.

Tomorrow I will show you a few more ornaments that I had tons of fun making.

Be Inspired by Life,

For You While You Wait

2010-12-07T10:02:38-05:00

I was working, working and working on projects last night. I just could not stop. But guess what I did not get done?.......

I did not get any good pictures of the finished ornaments! I decided that I would what until this morning to get some good light and I will get them posted shortly. Until then.....

I have a special that I would love to offer all of those shopping today!

Through Mocha Memories (Shelley Hopps) only, you can receive 15% off of your SU! merchandise total when you place your order through me before 11 pm EST tonight, December 7th**.

** To receive your 15% off, you must live in the United States and call me (859-539-8010) or email me (Shelley@ShelleyStamps.com) with your order and address. I will calculate what your total is with the appropriate tax (tax and shipping for prediscounted total) for your area and email or call you back. At that time, I will request a credit card number (Visa, MC or Discover) or I can send you an invoice through Paypal.

Scallop Tag Boxes to Give Away

2010-12-03T18:21:04-05:00

We all loved the rag purses created with the Clear Square Scallop Bigz Die. Pull those dies back out so that we can create another scallop box just like the ones we created yesterday.

Need a refresher on how to create these boxes? Check out the instructions HERE. Just like the previous boxes, they were scored and cut between the second and third scallop. The only difference is that I created an insert to keep the ribbon and the tags separated. The insert is a piece of Candy Cane Christmas Designer Series Paper cut to 2-3/8" x 3-7/8". Score this paper at 3/4", 1-1/2", and 2 1/4" and fold to create the divided sections. I also had to adjust the Window Sheet cover for this larger box. I cut my Window Sheet to 2-3/8" x 3-7/8". I then scored 3/4" from each of the ends.

I stamped the front image of the tag first, punched it out and THEN stamped the sentiments on the back so that everything is lined up. Notice that the sentiment is created by simply inking up ONLY the "To:-From:" portion of one of the stamps. The easiest way to stamp the front image of the tags is to ink up the image with your Baja Breeze ink pad. Using a Kleenex (or your finger) wipe off "dec. 25" and ink up just that portion with your marker.

How fun! I can't wait to see what you all create!

Until tomorrow,

Stamps: Tags Til Christmas (120847-Wood, 121169-Clear)
Ink: Real Red (100052), Baja Breeze (111833)
Cardstock: Baja Breeze (111352), Whisper White (100730), Candy Cane Christmas DSP (120809)
Accessories: Big Shot (113439), Scallop Square Clear Bigz Die (115950), Medium Window Sheets (114323), Decorative Label Extra Large Punch (120907), Crop-a-dile (108362), Personal Cutter (104152), Sticky Strip (104294), Real Red Satin Ribbon (117286), Real Red 3/8" Taffeta Ribbon (119763)

No-Measure Boxes - How Easy!

2010-12-02T19:40:23-05:00

I love to make boxes but hate all of the measuring and precise cutting when I need alot of them. I have the answer.....

"scalloped boxes" created from any of the scalloped squares that you can cut out with the Big Shot.

I used the larger square of the Scallop Square Duo Bigz Dies from the Holiday Mini on my first attempt at these little boxes. I started by running some Baja Breeze cardstock through the Big Shot to create the base.

I then scored each side between the second and third scallop using my Personal Trimmer.

I then cut flaps on opposite sides of the square as pictured below.

Place Sticky Strip on each of the flaps and you have the base of your box - NO MEASURING.

These boxes are now ready to fill and are the perfect size for some little scallop images to adorn cards or small presents. I even put some Stampin' Dimensionals on the back of each one so they are ready to use!

Depending what you put inside your box, you may need something to help keep everything in place. I decided that I would cut some SU! Window Sheets to act as a cover. For my box, I cut my Window Sheet to 1-1/2" x 2-1/2". I then scored 1/2" from each of the ends and folded the ends down to create a cover for my embellishments. Finally, the bow holds everything in place.

Try these and experiment with where you score your box. For example, if you score the square between the first and second scallops, you will make a larger based box with shollower sides.

Tomorrow we will experiment with a different sized square scallop all together.

Be Inspired by Life,

Stamps: Tags Til Christmas (120847-Wood, 121169-Clear)
Ink: Real Red (103133), Garden Green (102272)
Cardstock: Baja Breeze (111352), Whisper White (100730), Candy Cane Christmas DSP (120809)
Accessories: Big Shot (113439), Scallop Squares Duo Bigz Die (120903), Medium Window Sheets (114323), Scallop Square Extra Large Punch (119884), Stampin' Dimensionals (104430), Personal Cutter (104152), Sticky Strip (104294), Real Red Satin Ribbon (117286)