How to Transform an Envelope into a Gift Bag

I made these gift/party favor bags ages ago. In fact, I think they are beginning to look rather dated. But every time I demonstrate how to make them, people are always "wowed." So I thought I'd put together a short video tutorial on them (see below.)

They are made with envelopes. You can make them from nearly any size and type. The ones in the photo above are made with some surplus greeting card envelopes. Sometimes you can purchase "left-overs" from an office supply or drug store (any store that sells greeting cards.) By "left-overs" I mean the cards get damaged or lost but the envelope is left. Just ask the manager if you can purchase them. I have also found bundles of them at thrift stores and garage sales. Or look in the back of a drawer or file cabinet. There always seems to be some strays around everyone's house.

More Convention Swaps to Share

I have some more swaps I received at convention to share with you today. (All stamps and supplies are from Stampin'Up!)

Isn't this card adorable?! I received it from Kris Steer, a demonstrator from Ontario, Canada. She put a lot of work in this. Check out all the paper piercing. And I'm not sure if you can tell from this photo, but Kris used the slit punch to "raise" the petals on the flower. Cool trick, huh? And I love the glitter on the eggshell. Oh, the stamp set by the way is A Good Egg.

I Love this "Merry Christmoose" card. It was created by Alex Maldonado. Aren't the ear muff's on the moose fun? They were created by cutting a small punched circle in half and connecting them by marker. Alex used a white gel pen to add the border around the oval. I also like how she tied the two ribbons together.

And finally, a very elegant card from Nicky Marling. She used the stamp set Always - stamping the heart images in Versamark on Brushed Gold Card Stock, then heat embossed them using Gold Stampin' Emboss Powder. "Love" (from set Wonderful Words) was also embossed. This is such a beautiful card and would be perfect for Wedding invitations.

Sharing Some Convention Swaps

A week or so ago (August 5th) I posted a photo of the pile of swaps I collected at the Stampin' Up! convention. I promised to share a closer look at some of them over the next few weeks. So here we go.

This is a 6 x 6 scrapbook page created by Terri Brenna. Isn't it too stinkin' cute! She used the Ahoy Matey stamp set and matching wheel. I don't have this set myself, but now I'm thinking I need it.

Here's a close-up of the parrot. I especially like the combination of punched shapes Terri used behind the image to create dimension.


Here's another clever use of punches. This card was created by Melody Castro. She used the small oval & the small tag punches from the SU! catalog. Notice she also sponged pink ink around the edges of the card behind the "dress". Nice touch I think. I also like how Melody combined the two different colors of ribbon for the "belt."
And finally (for today), another awesome card. This was created by Susan Jenne. Check out how she created the buttons. It looks like she embossed black card stock with some clear embossing powder to create the "shiny" effect and then used a paper piercer to create the holes. The tie and handkerchief were made with ribbon.

More on Toy Theaters

I was browsing the internet today and found this cool site for The Theater Museum in London. For those of you who haven't got enough of toy theaters from my last two posts - check it out. There is a toy theater kit and a toy merry-go-round kit that you can download and make. Here is the link.

I also wanted to mention this book, The Teapot Opera by Arthur Tess (Abbeville Press). It is one of my favorite picture books. I bought the book a long time ago. I'm not even sure if it is still in print. But in it Arthur Tess, a professional photographer, uses an antique Victorian toy theater and his collection of minatures and curiosities to illustrate "the birth of an idea and its journey toward artisitic fruition." Below are a few photos from the book. (Note: For a closer look, click on the image to see a larger one).

It's a totally cool book. Everytime I look at it I see something I missed before.Do you have a favorite picture/photo book? Love to hear what is it.

Toy Theater Samples

Here are photos of the theater projects I showed in the video. I call the first one "A Star is Born" and the second (as you can tell from the photo) "The Hunchback of Notre Dame." They are hard to photograph. I think it is because it is hard to capture the 3-dimensional aspect on camera. Not to brag, but I think they are much cooler looking in person. (You'll see what I mean if you make your own.)

Toy Theater Tutorial

This is a totally fun project with lots of possiblities. Hope you enjoy.

Convention Report - Part 2

The next exciting news I have to share is that 7 of my pieces were on the display boards in The Gathering Place at this year's convention. First an explanation: The Gathering Place is a large hall at convention where some of the best cards, scrapbook pages, and 3D projects submitted by demonstrators over the past year are on display. Everyone crowds around the displays to ew and awe, myself included, and to take photos. There were so many beautiful cards and creative ideas displayed I felt like my head was going to explode.

Anyway, I recognized 3 of my pieces when I was taking photos. I was totally thrilled! But it wasn't until I was downloading my photos to my computer yesterday when I realized that I actually had 7 pieces displayed. I guess I was so focused on getting photos that I totally missed seeing some of them. I was home alone at the time. I wonder if my neighbors could hear my squeals of excitement?

And finally, to close out the convention, at Saturday afternoon's general session everyone in attendance received this year's new Ronald McDonald House Charities stamp set: Say It with Scallops - thanks to the Men In Brown. I wish I had a better photo, but the convention floor exploded when an actual UPS truck drove on stage and out jumped several UPS employees who delivered the free sets to over 6000 screaming demonstrators. You can't imagine the noise.

I am so excited about this new Stampin'Up! year. And, of course, I'm already looking forward to next year's convention. But now I'm off to edit a couple of video tutorials I taped before I left for convention. I should have them posted soon. So stay tuned.

Me & My Convention Buddies

Here's a photo of me and my convention buddies: Joanne (left) and Kari (middle) as we wait for Saturday's general session to begin. This year was our fourth convention. We really have become great friends and I can't imagine sharing the experience without them.

SU! Convention 2008 Report - Part 1

Hi everyone! I'm back. We returned from the Stampin'Up! convention Sunday night around 11:00 PM. I'm still a little exhausted but bursting with ideas and, as always, totally jazzed for the upcoming year. (Stampin'Up!'s year runs July through June.)

One of the most exciting things we demonstrators look forward to at convention is a look at the new catalog and of course SWAPS! I can't show you the catalog yet. It will premiere on the Stampin' Up! website August 11th. But, trust me, it's beautiful as usual and filled with some really cool new stamp sets, gorgeous new designer series papers, and "got-to-have" accessories.

Here's a look at my swaps. I don't have a final count, but I received over 300. There's lots of beautiful work here by some really creative demonstrators. While I can't show every single one - that would take forever - I plan to share some of my favorites with you over the coming weeks.

And now for a summary of some of the announcements made during the convention.

• The premiere of Stampin'Up!'s newest product line - the Sizzix Big Shot with exclusive Stampin'Up! dies. Yes, we will be carrying the Sizzix Big Shot starting in September. I'll share more of this info. later.
• 24/7 online ordering. Starting this Fall customers can order Stampin'Up! product directly online. Again, more info. to come.
  
• Celebrando Creatividad, a catalog supplement featuring spanish language stamp sets, will premiere along with the new SU! catalog August 11th. There will also be spanish versions of Stampin'Up's website and demonstrator website.
  
• Shelli's Signature Collection will launch this fall. This collection spans the entire Stampin'Up! product line and includes Stampin'Up! co-founder Shelli Gardner's favorite products and some that she personally played a part in developing.
• Decor Elements Phase 2 - We got to see a sneak peek at some of the new Decor Elements that will be available this fall. In addition to new images, phase 2 will also offer new colors. Many of the new images are holiday related and will be available to customers beginning October 1st.
  
• Country Living partnership - For the second year Stampin'Up! will partner with Country Living magazine to offer an exclusive holiday kit. The kit will include stamps, designer paper, and accessories; and will be featured in a 20 page spread in the magazine's December issue.
• SoShelli.com - Stampin'Up! cofounder Shelli Garnder has started her own personal blog. Here is the link. You can visit her blog to find gift and project ideas, and a personal look at Shelli's family activites.

Well, I've got to catch up with some laundry and housekeeping. I'll post more photos and news later.