IN an effort to remember the 1.5 million children who perished due to the Holocaust, the Houston Holocaust Museum is collecting 1.5 million handmade butterflies to be part of an exhibit currently scheduled Spring 2012.

I recently discovered this project - you can read about it HERE and I thought how fabulous this project is!  It's going to be breath-taking I am sure when they display the 1.5 million butterflies - all handcrafted and donated - that they will have received.

I am not sure of the official count of the butterflies they have right now, but I am going to add my butterfly to the bunch - and.....

IF ANYONE FOLLOWING THIS POST WOULD LIKE TO PARTICIPATE....YOU CAN  SEND ME A BUTTERFLY TO CONTRIBUTE, I CAN COLLECT THEM AND SEND THEM ALONG WITH MINE. I WILL DO SO BY NOV. 15TH.  Contact me at: bstampingbeehive@gmail.com


THE BUTTERFLIES CAN BE UP TO 8X10 IN MAXIMUM, AND OF ANY MATERIAL EXCEPT - DO  N O T   INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING IN YOUR BUTTERFLY PROJECT: 
    glitter  (awww shucks) 
     food items ( even dried pasta)


I can understand that.....glitter is hard to clean up and as we all know - it gets everywhere, and food esp. starch is attractive to bugs - those critters will attack the book binding glues - they are annoying!  So no food for the bugs! 


Well - so many worthy causes but this one will be wonderful for kids themselves to do - I can imagine they will have tons from schools from - everywhere!  It would be so lovely to live in Houston to see it for oneself.


Thanks for listening,
Beverly

Oh No! or Oh Yes! – whichever your feelings sway to….the last summer week-end is here!   Unless you extend it to next week-end before the students go to school…???

So that means, I must give up the third part in my series for decorating your table and of course, what celebration – esp. for the young at heart doesn’t have treats?

                   CANDY BAGS

Here is how I grabbed some economical candy and dressed it up!

           

Supplies:

no-name candy ( I am using a sugared fruit gummy)

cellophane candy bags

cardstock in co-ordinating colours

Stampin’ Up! “Yummy” stamp set & ink

Big Shot  + Bigz Die “Top Note”

Optional – slot punch, 1” circle punch, ribbon

Technique:

After running the Top Note die through my super-duper Big Shot a few times to press out several cuts, I folded the die shapes in half along the short end.  (if you don’t have a die-cutting machine – design a template on paper and trace & cut your own shapes) ..

I always practice stamping a new stamp but I have used this one many times….so lining up my stamp  to fit the folded cardstock, I stamped the phrase – which by the way is designed to fit the Top Note shapes exactly. Sweet.

Fill your candy bags with a scoop or two of candy, fold down and staple shut.  Place the folded die-cut over the top and with double-sided adhesive press it to stay in place – that’s it

                         

If you want – you can dress them up further by adding ribbon – I strung a couple pieces of ribbon through slots on each side. I used a circle punch and wrote the name of a guest or it could be the ‘birthday girl’ and attached to the front. 

There are many ways to go about this – design your own ideas :) However, it does elevate a simple treat into something special!!!

Enjoy the week-end !

xx Beverly

For more Big Shot projects – check out my classes!

Here is another  Monday card......I decided to use a picture on my card. One of my fav topics of choice - my daughter pictured here so long ago when she was young!

 I felt like doing folding and stitching - for a more homegrown look all around.  It's a little hard to see the folded, stitched paper ribbon I made underneath the vellum rectangle in the photo (try clicking to see the photo closer)....and then I pulled out my Daisy die for my Big Shot - so fun to punch out your own flowers!

Again hard to see but the colour of the flower's button is a soft blue -  subtle - which I love - soft vintage-mod!

 That's the one thing about crafting, you can switch it up day to day...one day bursting with bright colours, and the next day, quiet as a mouse...but each and every mood reflects you, so you are realling charting yourself and all that you are....something to think about. :)

Cheers!


Stampin' Up! Supplies:  Big Shot Bigz Die-Flower,Daisies #2.; Vellum; Very Vanilla cardstock; Button Bouguet.

Back for more…..and I will speed it up because the looooooong week-end is nearly here!  I want to laugh – and cry – because its another week-end, but our last of our official summer!!!  Feeling torn – BUT – there is no confusion about having great and fun options for easy table decorating!  So here we go! :)

Especially for fun times, today I am showing off a pop bottle recycling project!

Take your average  2 L soda pop bottle, label removed – an empty or one with the drink still in it – you will be decorating the bottle only so if you use an empty one,  fill it with homemade or store bought punch….OR….use it as a vase and make a cute display with a sprig of flowers, and leaves.  Easy!  Remember – your imagination can fill in where I leave off …..

CLICK ON PICTURES FOR LARGER VIEWS!

Supplies:

2 Litre Soda Pop Bottle;                                                       (2) 12x12” decorative papers                       adhesive;                                                                               Big Shot Bigz Flowers,Daisies #2 Die {substitute a fabric flower};                                                                                    small circle punch;                                                                                    flower sequin and brad;                                                                                      ink or chalk.                                                                                      [* Stampin’ Up! Supplies include Big Shot Die, punch]

 Technique  -

I will let the pictures show what I have done as it is fairly easy – but a quick run down would be: remove label from pop bottle and  cut paper to wrap and re-cover the bottle – this is the main band.

Cut a co-ordinating narrow strip of paper (#2) as the belt connecting to the flower.  I tore the edges gently all down the length for added interest.

Next – create the main focal point – the flower using the Big Shot and Bigz Die, Flower, Daisies #2.  I layered the flower pieces and held them together with a floral sequin and brad and attached it to the belt.

I followed the design from one of the plates – and chose my colours that way. To match the design of the plates, I inked on a  deeper blue to the edges of my lighter blue paper. I also brought in the deeper red with my choice of sequin and brad.

My theme – a real kaleidoscope of colours – its party! ! 

So with  the simplest of supplies – you can have a festive mood with the extra custom touches your guests will notice and enjoy!

Next ….stayed tuned!  Part 3!

*** Classes are available all year, contact me for details or follow my blog for monthly posting of class schedules or check out the links on the blog to my Stampin’ Up! Service Website – on the left column! Thank you!

I am going to show you a few ways to dress up some regular, boring - and even recycled - materials you have on hand for your next party! If your throwing some fun into the last of our summer long week-ends, this could really jazz up your table!

 I've chosen a summer theme -  but this could be for any time of the year - December, October, February... any holiday or festive party, home or at work, young or old - whatever suits your fancy! All you need is a little imagination to switch up the motifs for the occasion. In place of the frames, it could be simple tree shapes for christmas or a badge for the celebrated co-worker, bells for the engaged couple....just simple shapes will work best.

We did this recently ourselves - and it just sets the mood!  We all have everyday blah in our lives - lets dress it up a little!

I will show you several of the small projects one by one - then show them together at the end.
Here we go......:)

#1 IDEA -  PARTY 'NAME TAGS' ON DRINK STRAWS
This is a really nice way to customize drinks - using straws. From children's parties where the excited party youngsters (who often forget where they set their drink down) to elegant parties showing the 'special touch' you want your guests to feel.   And whether you want fun and colourful or glammed up for a more sophisticated event ( imagine them in black & silver with little diamond gems twinkling under the patio lights), these can be useful for so many events.    


Supplies: straws - bendable works best. 
                paper - cardstock in colours of choice.
                frame rubber or clear stamp
                stamp - floral, or any design of choice - small in size though. 
                 ink
                 ink roller-pen
                 brads - small or mini brads, or regular sized. Colour of choice. 
                clear mac-tac paper or acetate sheets ( adhesive-backed) for protection.
                      (in a pinch you can skip this if the name tags are not to be re-useable)


Method: 
Stage One
1) I used a 'frame' type stamp to make 2 frame images for each straw onto my colourful cardstock. I stamped them in white craft ink.  One frame is the front, the second frame will be the back of the straw name tags.
2) After they dried (craft ink should be left to dry a few minutes) - I cut them out along their outlines.  
3) I then wrote each person's name inside one of the frames - set aside to dry again. 
4)  I stamped a decorative flower image on the 2nd frame which is for the back. I used a tone-on-tone ink to keep it simple. 
Stage Two
When the frames were all dry.....
5) I placed some mac tac on each frame, squeezed it flat (no air bubbles or wrinkles) and trimmed.
6) I connected the front and back of each straw name tag together by using 2 silver brads. 


That's it!   For your party - slide each tag over a straw and set them together in a small vase or place them in a cup.  


Stay tuned - next we 'recycle' a familiar object into something fun to add pizzaz to the decorations! 


Supplies: Stampin' Up! Frames with Flourish stamp set;  Stampin' Up! cardstock - Bermuda Bay and Passion Pink; Stampin' Up! White Craft Ink Pad; silver brads; Signo uni-ball White Pen.

Ok - here I am! Another day - another post!

I was up late (as usual) in my craft studio and watching Youtube while I put together some new arrivals when I found a whole slew of colouring techniques regarding SU markers.

Things to know:

Like a good marker, it has deep colour which you can apply directly to paper for colouring stamped images -the effect is altered somewhat by your choice of paper.

Use STAZON INK to stamp your image if you need to insure no bleeding of the stamped image if it gets wet from the moisture of the markers.

You can achieve many different techniques using our markers - and here I will show you one. AND I will compare this technique to direct-to-paper marker colouring.

What I am using:

AQUA PAINTER BRUSH

4 Stampin' Write Markers - Regal Rose/Certainly Celery/Green Galore/So Saffron

STAZON BLACK INK

Whisper White and no-name non-glossy white paper

1.Direct-to-Paper Colouring (Fairy on the right)

On the glossy Whisper White paper - I stamped my first image and coloured it directly - marker to paper to get the full effect of the colours. I used yellow first, painted the edges of her wings with one green, and blended over top with the brighter second green (green galore) - and finally painted her skin with the pink, Regal Rose.

You can see she is very colourful - which is perfectly fine - it all depends on your final decisions for your project.

2. Using the Aqua Painter Brush (Fairy on the left with the dots above her wings)

a) prepare the tip of the wet aqua brush by sqeezing some water from its handle into the brush and just skim the brush onto your paper or cloth just so its wet (not dripping wet please!)

b) then touching the aqua brush to the tip of the marker brush, I applied the colour to her skin first - which came on very pale. I repeated this until I had the shading of her skin the way I wanted AND I repeated it over the circular areas to give her blushing cheeks.

c) next, I applied the yellow to the wings area, her dress, shoes and leaf headdress. Where I wanted it deeper in colour, I would just apply more.

d) I immediately applied the darker shade of green - Certainly Celery to the outside of the wings AND followed by the second green, Green Galore to blend the two.

So you can see yourself - the difference. I did the second fairy, with the aqua painter on the non-glossy paper but you can still tell that she is more subtly coloured with better blending than the more deeper shades of the direct-to-paper fairy.

Note - in real life, they appear brighter - sorry but my camera and reducing the size of the pics always grays them out somewhat.

I posted a pic showing the aqua-painted fairy on her own.

I also show how the marker works in pink - on the far right, is the marker itself - coloured over & over itself. Then over to the left is the marker with the aqua painter again - going from lighter to darker (by applying colour over itself) to get a range of shades.

Well - hope that helps you with your colouring projects!

If you want to learn more about this and other techniques - check out my Stampin' Up! website or the blog here or contact me for classes.

This morning's crafting  was grrrr-great because I luv, luv circles but esp. when they are partial-circles - don't ask me why, I am sure there is some deep psychological reason, so let's just stick with the fact I like them (wink!)...........so here it is!

I was feeling very girly or something - and decided part way it looked a bit..well, Victorian.

So then I really dug deep into my stashes and began throwing everything on....from stacking the sentiment - plus - and I am glad to say - I found a reason for this lace! It has been kicking around my ribbon basket ever since I purchased at a rummage sale {they are the best things for finding things like this on the cheap!}....so glad for that. I tacked it on with a bit of thread. {hate tying knots on my thread :(}....

And pink-corals were fun to work with - I am feeling a bit tired and sore today with a sore tummy and so these colours perked me up! And dare I say it - glitter! hehe!

Finally, I tried to create a Victorian mood with my photo - I have a number of shells around which I like to display differently from time to time - AND - that is my dear departed Aunt Isabel's brooch on display there, looks like so much of what we are wearing today really.

Hope you'all like visiting!

Cheers - and have a nice week-end! It's Friday! :)

Stampin' Up! Supplies: cardstock: Whisper White; inks: Melon Mambo (new!), Chocolate Chip; stamps: Love You Much stamp set, adhesive.

Hmmm.... the colours red, olive, black and a neutral?  What can we do? Well....here is what I came up with!

I imagined an invitation and then tucked inside - a small menu tag for the recipient to have an indication of things to come.....wouldn't this be lovely to receive?  Aaaah, if only I could be invited to have lunch under a beautiful gazebo....but I am lucky if I get invited to Tim Horton's - LOL - actually, I love coffee and a donut - I AM Canadian after all , ha ha!

Tutorial - CREATING A FLORAL 3D ARRANGEMENT. 
VASE = to create the vase and floral or leaf arrangement - use our OVAL PUNCH - and punch out an oval, and then trim the one end so its flat - that's now your vase's bottom. Next: trim the opposite end at a slight angle (or flat) - and there is your vase!  You can add some 'highlight' with our white gel pen (see supplies listed below) and/or add a small gem to add some 'twinkle'.
To create a lovely arrangement: stamp flowers or leaves or both, trim them around their 'outline' (doesn't have to be exact)....and you can glue them to the back of your vase and then use a glue dot to raise the whole piece above the surface for a fascinating look. People will really like this look!

Well - I think this colour combo is lush together - don't you?  Try it!

Stampin' Up! Supplies: cardstock = Textured Real Red. Whisper White; ink = Old Olive, Black, Real Red, White Craft; white gel pen = Uni-ball Signo;  colouring = Stampin' Pastels; stamp = dear friend; punch = large oval (created vases); misc.=ribbon, adhesive, glue dots.

Using up my old piles of scraps from years ago...big job....and I found I had a scrap pad of papers with co-ordinating colours....so that was good. Then into my Stampin' Up! drawers and I pulled out some of good ol' Bashful Blue to start with, and ended with my Big Shot's  Beautiful Butterflies die for my little butterfly whose landed in the center! A little bling and voila!

Hope you'll have a great day!

Cheers!

xx

If you'd like to try out a BIG SHOT - come to a class and try- before- you- buy! It's the best of both worlds, trying a new product and having fun! See you soon :)

Catch the flavour of summer with this card to send to a friend!

Roller wheels were used in two ways here – to add a flowery border on the card and envelope – and then again, to roll out star shapes which were trimmed and become the focal point.

Choose your greeting, add more colour with markers – another quick and simple card!

Here is the same stamp set as I used for the bookmark previous post – only this time its the cute buggy bug!

This stamp set is very adorable – and you can earn it free – read my posts just below to see how .

Anyways – the idea for “simple cards” is to create a card very simple and then you can take it from there.

I could have left this card at the stage where I just rounded 2 corners. But I thought it would be fun to add some pleating, a small ribbon accent and stamp the greeting in a colour to ‘tie in with the ribbon’ !

Hah! did you catch the pun – lol – I know, corny!

Cheers! :)

One summer’s day project coming up!

Stamp, stamp, stamp away ‘together’ ! They will luv!!! you to pieces for it! And if not,then they can enjoy the colouring! And why not – look at this guy – so much to colour!

Cut out a bookmark shape, layer it on sturdy cardstock, find some colourful ribbon – what-ever embellishments you’d like really…your children should be ever so pleased with themselves, as they should be! :)

Stampin’ Up! Supplies: Love Always stamp set, Love Bug {Hostess Level} stamp set, Whisper White cardstock, glitter. Misc. Supplies: DCWV paper, assorted ribbons.

Pamper yourself with a personal Stampin' Up! party or team up and order with a few friends. Stampin’ Up!’s Stampin’ Rewards and Hostess Benefits programs instantly kick in with a minimum product order of $200 and increase in $65 increments.

• Individual orders (including Online Orders) earn full benefits.
• All free hostess gifts and merchandise awards are available instantly with qualifying Online Orders
• Stampin' Rewards and Hostess Benefits are the same.  When you place an Online Order, Stampin' Up! refers to these benefits as Stampin' Rewards.  When you host a workshop, they are referred to as Hostess Benefits.
• BONUS – I may have a promotion myself going on at the time of your order – ask me for details!

Please contact me with any questions about Stampin' Rewards, either by email or or by using my CONTACT ME link (located  just above my picture).  I'm happy assist you in determining your freebies (before you place an Online Order – or through me directly).

EXAMPLES:

If you place a product order for: choose Hostess Level gift: and Free SU products for :

$200 to $264... Level 1 set …and $20!.

$395 to $460... Level 1 set OR a Level 2 set…and $45!.

$655 to $720… ( 3) Level 1 OR (2) Level 1 + 1 Level 2 OR Level 1 + Level 3….and  $80!

Note: Hostess Level Gifts can be chosen from the Hostess Stamp Sets or from selected Decor Elements (Definitely Decorative catalogue) whereas the Free SU products can be chosen from the entire catalogue offerings.

So how’s that for giving yourself - a bonus!

HOT TIP – in September we will be offering a sweet deal for Hostesses who wish to plan Holiday parties/workshops!  Get your “Wish List” out!!!!

.

Hello!

Why not throw together a small token of appreciation for your fav student with a hand-made journal and pencil? It's easy and looks nice if you wrap it in a card protector sleeve....looks polished that way!

Pencil is covered in one layer of soft paper, inked and rubbed for a distressed look and topped with matching ribbon (as per the journal)

Create a journal with pages stapled, or tied together or purchase a blank booklet if you can find one. I stamped this with Kindred Spirits, inked the edges...til I was happy with it. Of course, throw a gem on it - lol - where would I be without gems and glitter - I don't know! :)

Very low-cost but high in gratitude from your student - you'll see!

Hi all!

I don't know about you, but where we went yesterday was so hot - gosh, just melted in seconds flat in the sun! So we zipped in and out of the shade so it was nice after all. I ate watermelon which was being sold for 50 cents a slice to keep cool - I just luv watermelon! Its like a small gift from God!

Anyways I wore some new white pants, my daughter brought her new camera and so here are a few pictures to show off our day - hope you like them. :)

I have recently been waiting to try out some new directions in card-making....and while I am waiting for some new stamps to arrive, I decided I would make do by drawing a little person for a card.

First....I love reading up on old monarchies and seeing all their fabulous clothing, and so I looked at a picture of a painting depicting 3 daughters of King Henry III [whose wife bore him 12 children]. The painting was set in their country estate and showed his 3 youngest daughters.

So that was my inspiration....and I was particularly taken by the fact that the youngest daughter had the most fancy hat on of all the three! It was simply riddled with lace and plumes .....and so I drew my little lady here with an equal amount of plumes on hers!

The rest of the card is layered with a little of this and that, and I couldn't figure out how to add more colour until I thought of 'quilling'!!! It's where you roll up thin strips of paper and shape and/or combine them into decorative designs....I'm sure most of you have seen this technique. Can be really awesome! And... I have wanted to try this for a long time - so I did - very simply - but its my first go and I had a nice time making them while I watched some romantic things on YouTube, lol. I find that is the best way to do 'tiny' work, don't you?

I'm calling her Little Alexandria.

Maybe I'll try a boy next, :)

Here's my first real card using my "Look Who's Turning" stamp set as I mentioned in my last post....and my idea to put my Big Shot 'Bigz Scalloped Circle' came about because we were using it this past week-end {showing that post later - stay tuned!}.......and I think I came up with a pleasant idea of making different sized scalloped circles turn into the beginnings of a "baby rattle"!

I cut 4 scalloped circles - 2 large on my Big Shot, and then used a hand-held punch to cut out a smaller circle from the center of one of the big circles. Then the fourth was an even smaller scalloped circle cut from white cardstock. I used a hidden cardstock ring to raise the front of the card a bit. Hope that all made sense - lol

Using various shades of pink ink, I stamped my adorable octopus on Stampin' Up!'s Whisper White cardstock and then used their Large Scallop Oval to punch it out. Before layering it on, I used a hint of ink to create a pink shadow.

A strip of cardstock, another circle - and a few added images to the bottom, and my greeting and I was done. This took about 15 mins. Pretty good I'd say!

Hope you enjoy it!