More Amore Designer Fabric Valentines Shirt

I admit it, I spend alot of time on Pinterest. :-)

I found this adorable tutorial for a Valentines Day shirt a while ago, and I knew if I could make peace with my stupid challenging sewing machine that it would be just too cute for the girl this year! Then I saw the More Amore Designer Fabric that came out in the Stampin' Up! Spring Catalog, and whooo! There it was. Had to make it. So, I did.

Perhaps you will too!



More Amore Designer Fabric - Stampin' Up!

The amount of fabric they give you in this set is generous, 3 extra-wide fat quarters, 18x27". I have more than enough to make a few of these cuties - and since I'm early this year maybe I will make some giftables...The tutorial was pretty easy to follow, though I did the flowers a little differently, more of a modified yo-yo type flower than the sewn ones in the link.

(arguing with my sewing machine, Me: 0 - Sewing Machine: 1) 

Amore Mio 

Have you had much luck making Pinterest crafts, or are you just collecting ideas? I find that a good tutorial is all it takes, though I am partial to "figuring it out" as well... I try to pin stuff that has links to How it was done, not just a pretty picture. The pretty pictures I just collect in my "when I have a spare weekend" collection. ;-) AKA : Never Will. Sigh. Maybe when I'm older...

Happy Crafting!
~angie

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Heart Felt Wreath - I did it!

Yes, Pinterest... All ideas and no execution, right??
Well, most of the time... But not today!!

My crafty group is getting together later this month to make these cool felt heart wreaths found on Pinterest, full tutorial online there... and I happened to be gathering the supplies so I had the felt on hand here. I am waiting on the 12" foam wreaths to come in stock ((call before you go, #justsayin)) but I did manage to pick up a little 9" one I thought I would make for fun.

And fun it is!
I am not big on hand cutting felt, and this project calls for ALOT of felt circles. I knew I had a circle die cut for my Big Shot.. (now, it IS retired - but you could totally use the current one, its a smooth edge 3" die, which would actually give you the look of the Pinned project) but I used Scallop Circle #2 and went to town cutting felt. I used just over a yard of a 72" bolt of felt, and with my crafty cutting I got two sizes of felt circles, just under 200 pieces each. The die has a 2" scallop circle, which I used on the wreath I'm going to show you, and it has a 3.5" scallop circle which I will use for the group craft and the 12" wreath.

I folded my felt to 4 layers - 4 is good! 5 is tough - Dont do six!

The Big Shot really did fine with the felt, I cut 4 layers at a time, and it took about 1 hour. Not bad - no tracing circles, or hand cutting with scissors... Yay! Time- saver!! Which was good, because the next step also took an hour!

The tutorial calls for pins to attach your felt to the wreath form, and I have no idea how that would work - I didnt get pins, and had planned on using hot glue. The hot glue worked just fine, and actually gave me some help in forming the look of the felt on the wreath. I think with the pins I probably would have needed more circles to get more coverage, but perhaps its the same idea... I followed the tutorial, with the exception of the scallop edge felt circles and the hot glue instead of pins.

It was easy, but it does take time. Plan a couple hours of work. I've also seen this with tissue paper, and wow - you could cut a zillion of those with the Big Shot! But the felt is a really neat texture, kind of warm and soft, like love should be... :-)

Looks like little roses! Love it!!

And don't worry about being too fussy about perfect scallops - I folded the "bad" edge to the inside, then used that as the glue edge for attaching to the wreath. Once on, you can't even tell!

(Ignore the boy's teeth marks there, he was "helping" me carry the form... sigh. Boys! lol)

I attached the hanger with hot glue also. When I was gluing pieces onto the front of the wreath I did about 3 across, sometimes 4, you just want to eyeball it - you definitely dont need to do alllll the way around the wreath. When its hanging it totally gives the illusion of being complete. You would need a bajillion more circles, and it would take twice as long... but you could, if you really wanted to.

And Voila!!! Beautiful (if I do say so myself) and easy to make!

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Best Of... 25th Anniversary Stamp Sets

And the exciting 25th Anniversary celebration continues with this news::

Best of 25 Years Stamps

As part of the Stampin' Up! 25-year anniversary celebration, we're bringing back some of our favorite stamp images from the last quarter century and combining them into 12 sets, which will release-one set per month-during 2013. Even better, along with some great classic images, each "Best of" set will also include a never-before-seen image!

Some things to remember: 

• All Best of stamp sets will include 3-5 images, including a never-before seen image, and will be priced at $14.95.
• While we are releasing just one Best of stamp set per month (with a new theme each month), all of the Best of sets will be available until March 31, 2014.
• A new flyer will be released every month for each new Best of set.
• All Best of stamp sets are available in Clear-Mount only.

While we are releasing just one Best of stamp set per month, all of the Best of sets will be available until March 31, 2014.

As a special incentive to collect the Best of stamps, starting in February we're including a collector's card and 25-year proof of purchase sticker with every Best of set. Collect six stickers, and send it in to redeem a FREE set of your choice valued up to $14.95! Free sets must be redeemed no later than April 30, 2014.

Here is January's collector set: 

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Paper Pumpkin Creative Project Kits

Sweep away the mundane-your creativity carriage awaits!

NEW It's Paper Pumpkin . . .
Right to your door each month (a fully decked-out creativity carriage).
To help you to escape your life with some paper fun. I come in a sweet box, but you'll really love what you find on the inside: All the stamps, ink, paper, and accessories to create pinable projects. Create stuff like cards, journals, décor, and more!

Paper Pumpkin by Stampin' Up! is a new monthly kit program that anyone (even you) can enjoy! Get Started It's so easy to get started. Simply sign up for the program starting Monday, January 14 by visiting www.mypaperpumpkin.com and click Get it. Every month a new, surprise project kit arrives at your doorstep. Just think of the anticipation of creating a fun project to pin, showoff, and share with your friends and family-every month!

Of course, you'll want to know more.
So here's the nitty gritty: Each month we send you a unique, surprise kit with a project-cards, journals, décor, and more! (We've even color-coordinated, measured, and cut everything for you!) Each kit includes stamps, ink, paper, and accessories-everything but adhesive. Each kit gives you a 30-minute creativity escape.

We will ship your Paper Pumpkin on or around the 15th of the month. You need to sign up for a kit by the 10th of the month to get that month's kit. If you sign up on the 11th of the month, your first kit will come the next month. (Let's say you sign up on May 10th, we'll send your kit around May 15th. If you sign up on May 11th, we'll send your first kit around June 15th.)

A Paper Pumpkin membership is $19.95 per month (and shipping is included!) There's no commitment, you can cancel your monthly Paper Pumpkin at anytime. You can also skip a month if you want.
Starting in early March, we'll offer a Try-It kit if you'd like to try Paper Pumpkin for one month.

Here's How You Order
Sign up for your monthly Paper Pumpkin starting Monday, January 14 by visiting www.mypaperpumpkin.com
and click Get it. Make sure you list me as your Demonstrator - Angela Bodas.
Starting in early March, you can try Paper Pumpkin for one month by visiting our online store.

A Free Gift in Your Very First Kit
The Welcome Kit is the very first Paper Pumpkin you will receive in your first month of membership. The Welcome Kit includes a free gift-a clear acrylic block!

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Spring is Here! { the 2013 Occasions Catalog, anyhow! }

Its still a little cold to be thinking "Spring" right? But ohhh, that Stampin' Up! 2013 Spring Catalog has come out - and its a BEAUTY! Some great new items I'm just be thrilled about!
I spent some time last weekend with my upline (and her upline, and a bunch of great ladies) crafting at a shoebox swap - and oohing & ahhhing over the Spring Catalog products and the Sale-a-bration items soon to follow (January 22nd!!). Crafting, conversation, and cool new stuff?! :: It was such a great day! ::

Here are the cards I took to share:

This one uses the sentiment stamp from the Sale-a-bration set Feeling Sentimental, with a banner of paper from the SAB Sycamore Street Designer Series Paper, as well as ribbons and a button from the Sycamore Street Ribbon & Button Pack. The white layer is embossed using the Textured Impressions Embossing Folder Cloudy Day, page 28 of the Spring Catalog. I cased the card from there, you'll notice. I die cut the embossed layer with the Labels Collection Framelit, and then used the new Simply Scored Borders Scoring Plate, page 26 of the Spring Catalog, to frame my die cut layer. The colors are Island Indigo, Pool Party, and Tangerine Tango.

This one is all Spring: it uses that already-popular Honeycomb Textured Impressions Embossing Folder, page 6, with some of the 1 1/4" Two Tone Ribbon in Pink Pirouette/ Rose Red, page 13, and the sassy stamp is from Feel Goods, page 21. I punched out one heart from the bottom of the honeycomb, then added a couple Pink Pirouette hearts I had punched out onto other spots. The ink is Always Artichoke, and I used Baja Breeze for the honeycomb layer, Pink Pirouette underneath, all on a Sahara Sand base. The two-tone ribbon had me a little confounded, I was expecting the ribbon to have both colors - Rose and Pink, one on each face of the ribbon... but that was wrong, the two colors are woven together (as it states in the catalog, d'oh!) so that the ribbon is a really rich color, not quite one or the other, but it goes well with both. Crafty! Its a nice feeling and substantial ribbon at 1 1/4".

And, I'll post a couple more later, these were my favorites of my shares.
I hope you're inspired to check out the newest catalog, you can download or view a digital copy HERE ( www.midnightcrafter.stampinup.net/catalogs )

Happy Crafting!
~Angie

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Q&A Chalkboard Technique

	Q&A Q:  I love seeing new techniques used for stamping. Can you tell me more about the Chalkboard technique? A:  You hit right on a very popular trend in the papercrafting world! The Chalkboard or Faux Chalk Art technique is a fun twist on the basic resist technique. It creates the vintage look of old chalkboards, chalkboard art, and advertising.  Here’s how you can create the Chalkboard Technique... Supplies:        Card Stock:  Basic Black (or use Garden Green or Not Quite Navy for the look of old green and blue chalkboards)      Ink:  VersaMark, Whisper White Craft ink, ink matching the color of your card stock      Other:  Heat Tool, White Stampin’ Emboss Powder, Embossing Buddy, Watercolor Pencils (White Pencil), Stamping Sponges, ruler (clear is best) Step 1:  Rub card stock with Embossing Buddy. Stamp images with VersaMark ink. Heat emboss with White Stampin’ Emboss Powder. (Try stamps such as: Amazing Family (#129189 wood, #129192 clear) pg. 7 of Spring Catalog or Forever with You (#126725 wood, #126727 clear) pg. 132 of Annual Catalog. Step 2:  Sponge edges of card stock with matching color to create contrast. Wipe off excess ink with tissue.  Lightly sponge around embossed images and in blank areas with Whisper White Craft ink. Sponge some areas darker and some lighter to create the look of chalk dust. Step 3:  Use a ruler or freehand draw lines through or above and below stamped images with the White Watercolor Pencil. Draw a border 1/4" from each edge of the card stock with the White Watercolor Pencil to create a frame around the chalkboard. Remember this is all “chalk” drawing on a board so being perfectly neat isn’t necessary! OPTIONAL:  If desired go back and shadow stamp over embossed images with Whisper White Craft ink. By stamping over, but slightly off center of the original image you create a blurred shadow effect. Allow craft ink to dry. Step 4:  Embellish with vintage items such as bits of Doily, ribbon, Delicate Details Lace Tape (#130966), Paper Doilies (#129399), Linen Thread (#104199), Baker’s Twine, buttons, or pieces from the Artisan Embellishments Kit (#129328).
© CraftyPerson Production. Images © Stampin' Up!

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