Cardinal Altered Notebook

This was a fun project for me. You've probably seen altered notebooks that I've made in the past. There is a TUTORIAL HERE that I did a couple of years ago.
For this one I used the cardinal image from JustRite Stampers Backyard Birds . I stamped the image on watercolor paper using Onyx Black Versafine Ink , embossed with JudiKins Detail Clear Embossing Powder then colored with Tombow Markers .

The designer paper is My Mind's Eye Holly Jolly, and the cardstock is Classic Red and Herbal Garden Prismatics .


I used Spellbinders Labels Seventeen to make the red and green strips behind the main image. Just cut and emboss each side of the paper with the long side of the Spellbinders die. This is what they look like before I assembled them.

Thanks for stopping by today. I hope your Thursday is terrific!

JustRite 12 Days of Christmas Blog Hop 11

Welcome to the 11th week of JustRite Stampers’ Wednesday feature, 12 Weeks of Christmas Blog Hops! Every Wednesday up until Thanksgiving some of your favorite designers will be joining some of the JustRite design team for a series of Christmas blog hops, showcasing JustRite’s entire Christmas Collection of stamps! Don’t forget that JustRite has some Christmas stamps in their newly released CLING line of stamp sets, too -- you can find them HERE. This week, the designers joining the JustRite design team are the Stampers Dream design team and a few other special guests!

For the month of November, we thought we would switch gears a little and throw in some holiday gift ideas using your JustRite stamps, so be watching for those, too, on November’s hops! And in celebration of JustRite’s Christmas Blog Hops, they have a huge surprise for you -- take 25% off All JustRite Original Christmas Stamps now through November 29 -- Don't forget to tell Santa!


For my project I decided to alter a notepad. Well actually, it was a 5" x 8" notepad that I had cut in half vertically at Kwik Kopy. So it's half a note pad! For instructions on covering the note pad you may see this Altered Notepad Tutorial that I did a while back. These are easy and inexpensive to make, and they make fabulous gifts for teachers or coworkers.

The stamp set I used is the new JustRite Sparky the Snowman cling mount set. I stamped on watercolor paper, colored with Tombow Markers and sponged the edges of the oval with Tea Dye Distress Ink . To embellish I used Mini Rhinestones for his buttons and his nose. I embellished the snow on the trees and his hat by using White Opal Liquid Pearls sprinkled with Crystal Ultrafine Glitter .

The layer behind the snowman was cut and embossed with a Scalloped Oval Nestability and Classic Red Prismatics . The top panel and the panel behind the oval are Labels Seventeen Nestabilities . I used Scor-Tape to adhere all the pieces for extra hold.

Please visit these designers’ blogs to see what fabulous JustRite Christmas inspiration they have for you on the hop today!

JustRite Inspiration Blog
Beate Johns
Debbie Olson
Michelle Rodgers <----You are here.
Sankari Wegman
Tosha Leyendekker
Kazan Clark
Lori Craig
Amy Sheffer
Stephanie Kraft
Denise Marzec
Michele Kovack
Carolyn King
Barb Schram
Jenn Balcer
Cindy Lawrence
Angela Barkhouse
Christina Fischer
Heidi Blankenship
Mariana Grigsby
Terre Fry
Teresa Kline

Thanks so much for stopping by today!

The Kindness of Others...

A few weeks ago I received a call from a customer who had a some questions about products in the store. Not at all unusual. It happens all the time. But this was different.
Her name is Ann. She is a very sweet lady, and we connected immediately. We shared a lot of stories with one another, laughing and chatting away! In the process of our visit I learned that in addition to card making Ann also teaches bookmaking classes. I have ALWAYS wanted to learn about bookmaking!!! Years ago I bought Yes Glue, an Awl, linen thread, and I already have a bone folder...all the tools of the trade. But that's as far as I ever got. (Now don't tell me that never happened to you.) So my curiosity about bookmaking spurred on the conversation even further. Now I was the one who had the questions for her!



Ann was scheduled to have shoulder surgery soon, but before her surgery she said she wanted to send me something...her most favorite book! She told me that she is of the age where she has realized that we all have something to share that could bring joy to others. And she wanted to share it with me.

I feel truly honored and privileged to have met Ann. She enriched my life in so many ways, and reminded me that we all should unselfishly share just a little bit more with others. I will treasure this special book forever, and remember her kindness fondly. Ah yes...the kindness of others!

This is a picture of the spine. Isn't it the most beautiful thing? It has 6 signatures, beautifully sewn and bound into this gorgeous binding.

I just had to share! Thanks for indulging me. And thanks to my friend Ann. She is truly an extraordinary lady. I am indeed blessed by so many of you. You know who you are. Thank you for the special meaning you bring to my life!

Recipe Album

Last weekend I was really inspired and finally took the time to make my recipe album. The inspiration came from the new gorgeous Jack & Jill paper collection by My Mind's Eye . My kitchen has red accents, and this paper collection has just the right touch of color to look really pretty sitting on my kitchen counter!
I used a Cardkeeper Album Kit to make the recipe book. What I love about it is that you can add many refills to it so it's an ongoing project. The sleeves hold A2 sized cards, and the plastic cover just lends itself to recipes since it makes the card splatterproof.

The letters for the title were stamped with Brayton 95 pt font from JustRite. Each was cut and embossed with a Spellbinders oval, then the edges were distressed using Pine Needles Distress Ink .


The main image is Lovin From The Oven from My Favorite Things. I paper pieced the dress, apraon and bowl using various papers from the Jack & Jill collection.

The chipboard accents are from the Maya Road What's Cookin Mini Chipboard set. I used Mono Multi Liquid Glue to adhere the paper to the chipboard, then lightly sanded the edges and distressed with a little Tim Holtz Distress Ink . The bow around the oven mitt is Red Burlap String from May Arts.

You may recall this recipe card I made a few weeks ago. Just wanted you to see what it looks like all protected in my recipe album. You can find the details of the recipe card in this Taco Soup post.

Thanks for stopping by today. I will be back soon with something new. Until then...

My Daddy's Pickled Okra

My dad has been gone for several years now. And it's funny how we hold on to things that remind us of those we love. It may seem kind of silly, but one of those things for me is Daddy's pickled okra. He always knew how much I loved it, and for many years he made sure my pantry was well stocked! I only have a few jars of it left now...and I know that there won't be anymore coming. So I admit that hoard them. If you are ever a guest in my home, PLEASE don't ask for Daddy's pickled okra. It's much to hard to me to part with. LOL!


To make Daddy's jar of pickled okra pretty, I used the new JustRite Preserves Borders & Centers set with a 2-3/8" Wood Stamper . Using Onyx Black Versafine ink, I stamped on watercolor paper, then embossed with JudiKins Detail Clear embossing powder. The stamped image was colored with Tombow Markers and a damp paint brush. I added a Mini Rhinestone to the center of each flower for a little bling!

To stamp the word "Okra" on the front of the label I used my JustRite Times Roman Uppercase and Times Roman Lowercase font with my JustRite Rectangular Stamper .

Instead of wrapping the designer paper all the way around the jar I made a "label" using my Long Rectangle Nestabilities . You can see it better in the picture below.

The designer paper is from the Cosmo Cricket Girl Friday paper kit. The cardstock is Prismatics Nautical Blue medium and light.



I wish I had Daddy's recipe, but to my knowledge he never wrote it down. After doing an Internet search, I found this Pickled Okra Recipe that sounds like it has all the right ingredients. If you try it, be sure to let me know!

The Dream Team has been busy at work making projects for this week. And haven't they done an awesome job??? Applaud! Applaud! Please be sure to see what awesome creations they have for you! Here is the schedule for today and tomorrow:

Thursday - Amy , Denise , Laurie , Cammie and me

Friday - Cammie , Charmaine , Kimberly and me

Thanks for stopping by my blog day! I hope you will join us tomorrow for the last day of JustRite week! Until then...

It's JustRite Week at Stamper's Dream!

The Dream Team has a whole week of surprises for you. We will be posting every day this week with projects using the NEW JustRite release!


My project today is using JustRite's Preserves Borders & Centers set. Using my 2-3/8" Wood Stamper , I snapped in the center and border, then stamped on watercolor paper using Onyx Black Versafine ink. I then embossed using JudiKins Detail Clear embossing powder and colored using my Tombow Markers .

The designer paper strip around the side is from the new Basic Grey Lemonade paper pad. The border above and below it was punched with my Doily Lace Edge punch from Martha Stewart. The cardstock used is Nautical Blue Prismatics medium and Sunflower Prismatics medium.

Be sure to see what the rest of The Dream Team has in store for you! This is the schedule for the whole week:

Monday - Amy and Cammie

Tuesday - Charmaine , Tosha , Laurie and me

Wednesday - Tosh , Laurie and me

Thursday - Amy , Denise , Laurie , Cammie and me

Friday - Cammie , Charmaine , Kimberly and me

Cutie Pie

The first thing that came to mind when I saw the JustRite Cutie Pie stamp was my little granddaughter, Ashlyn. So I decided to make a picture frame and embellish it.

I WAS going to give it to her daddy, but after much thought I decided that since he gets to see her every day, instead I would give it to *Uncle Bug*. Really, his name is Doug, but when the first grand was a baby he couldn't pronounce it and said *Uncle Bug* instead of Uncle Doug, it just stuck! So that's what they all call him! LOL!


I started with a piece of chipboard that I cut to 5" x 7". I covered the front with a piece of Intense Yellow Prismatics paper, then a smaller layer of Island Mist Prismatics dark. The designer paper is Girl Friday by Cosmo Cricket.

I cut and embossed her picture and the yellow frame behind it using my Curved Rectangles Nestabilities .

The Cutie Pie sentiment is from the Tiny Words & Centers stamp set by JustRite. It uses the 1-3/16" Wood Block .

The stamped sentiment was cut out with my Inverted Scallop Circle Nestabilities then layered on to a scalloped circle. All the flowers were made using the Dahlia Nestabilities by Spellbinders. I distressed them a bit with Tea Dye Distress Ink then added mini rhinestones to the flower centers and the Cutie Pie sentiment.

The flourishes were cut and embossed with the Flourish Accents Shapeabilities .



I covered the back of the chipboard frame with Island Mist Prismatics . To make my kickstand, I traced one from the back of a picture frame, cut it out of chipboard, then scored at about 1/2" from the top. After covering it with the Island Mist cardstock I attached it to the chipboard frame with Scor-Tape for a good strong hold.

Yes, I DO think *Uncle Bug* will love having this for his desk. :-)

Be sure to go to these blogs to see what the rest of the Dream Team has for you today:
Cindy
Cammie
Tosha
Denise
Kimberly

Thanks for stopping by. Enjoy your Friday!

Got Cookies?

Okay...I promise this is my last food post this week! But I had more cookies! What's a girl to do when she has cookies, JustRite Stamps AND Spellbinders Nestabilities ? LOL!


This cookie stack topper was made with a stamp from the Tiny Words & Centers stamp set and the 1-3/16" Wood Stamper .

I stamped on Iced Amethyst Prismatics cardstock, then cut and embossed with a circle nestability. The stamped image is layered with another cut with Inverted Scalloped Circle Nestabilities then layered to a scalloped circle nestabilities layer. I added a Mini Rhinestone to the flower center.

The flowers are cut from Dahlia Nestabilities and embossed using my Flowers Impressabilities . I distressed them a bit with Milled Lavender Distress Ink, then put them together using foam tape to pop them up a bit. The ribbon is 5/8" purple sheer by May Arts.

This cookie stack topper was made using the What's Cookin' Borders & Centers set and a 1-5/8" Wood Stamper . I used my Blossom Nestabilities to create the flowers.

In order to give them the pink edge, I cut one of each size from Intense Pink Prismatics cardstock. I cut each petal as shown and layered them on to the back of the pink and white polka dotted flowers. I just felt they needed more definition, and the intense pink edges did the trick.

I curled each of the petals around the handle of a paint brush, layered them using foam tape, then added a few Mini Rhinestones .


On the bottom of the Teacher Treats stack I used a sentiment from the Tiny Words & Centers set.

Here is a picture of this weeks goodies all together. You may notice that one cookie set is missing. Well, I DO get a little hungry when I'm stamping! LOL!

This is the schedule for the rest of the week. Be sure not to miss what the Dream Team has for you!

Thursday - Cindy , Laurie , and me

Friday - Cindy , Cammie , Tosha , Denise , and me

Thanks so much for stopping by! I will be back tomorrow with another JustRite project!

Yum!

This is a fun and easy project, perfect for a teacher's gift or co-worker. Any friend would enjoy receiving this yummy treat!

I used JustRite's new Homemade Treats Borders & Centers set with the 2 3/8" Wood Stamper . I stamped on watercolor paper using Onyx Black Versafine ink, then embossed with JudiKins Detail Clear embossing powder. The stamped image was colored using Tombow (water based) markers and a damp paint brush. I added Frosted Lace Stickles to the milk glass for a little sparkle.

I cut the main image with a McGill 1-11/16" circle punch. The Suede Brown Prismatics circle behind it was cut with circle Nestabilities.

The border was stamped on Baby Blue Prismatics cardstock. It was cut with my Inverted Scalloped Circle Nestabilities . The suede brown layer behind it was cut with circle scallop nestabilities. The brown sheer ribbon was layered with a narrow blue ribbon from my stash.

For the bottom of the stack I used a stamp from the Tiny Words & Centers stamp set with a 1-3/16" Wood Stamper . Again, I used my Inverted Scallop Circle Nestabilities and my scalloped circles.

Be sure to see what the rest of the Dream Team has for you. This is the schedule for the whole week:

Monday - Kimberly , Laurie , and me

Tuesday - Charmaine , Tosha , Cammie , and me

Wednesday - Denise , Tosha , and me

Thursday - Cindy , Laurie , and me

Friday - Cindy , Cammie , Tosha , Denise , and me

Thanks for stopping by today! I will be back tomorrow. I hope you will too.

It's JustRite Week at Stamper's Dream!

All week The Dream Team and I will be blogging with the JustRite Stampers new releases!

For today's project I used the new Homemade Treats Borders & Centers set with the 2-3/8" Wood Stamper . You all probably have those little mini loaf pans in your cupboard. The bread measures approximately 6" long and 2" high. No...I didn't bake! I got it from my friend's local specialty shop called The Wooden Spoon . They make gorgeous baskets of goodies, and some awesome breads, cookies and brownies. In fact, you will be seeing more of them in my posts later this week! Their brownies are my favorite...so I didn't get any of those. I KNEW I would have to eat them if I did. KWIM?


This is a view from the side. The designer paper I used is Penny Lane's Tiny Dancer by My Mind's Eye. The pink stripe is the reverse side of the pink and brown dotted paper. The cardstock is Pink Prismatics light and medium. I added mini rhinestones to the hearts for a little bling!


I measured around the mini bread loaf from side to side, and knew that my paper needed to be 6" long. The width of it is entirely up to you. Just keep in mind that it gets wider as you add decorative strips to each side of your main panel.

Since I added two border strips to each side, I decided to add a panel to the inside to be sure they all held together well. This picture is the inside of the strip which will only be seen when it's taken off the bread. I must encourage you to use STRONG adhesive because of the curve around the bread. I used Scor-Tape . And I was very generous with it. The last thing you want is for your gift to fall apart in the recipient's hands!


This is the bottom panel which goes under the bread loaf. It measures approximately 2" x 3.25". I scored at 1/2" from each side, then added Scor-Tape to each end so I could adhere it to the long decorative panel.

Now all you have to do is put your mini loaf on the bottom panel, and adhere the long panel to each side. You may have to adjust the length of your long panel depending on the height of your bread.

Be sure to see the other posts from the Dream Team. This is the schedule for the week:

Monday - Kimberly , Laurie , and me

Tuesday - Charmaine , Tosha , Cammie , and me

Wednesday - Denise , Tosha , and me

Thursday - Cindy , Laurie , and me

Friday - Cindy , Cammie , Tosha , Denise , and me

Thanks so much for stopping by! I will be back tomorrow with another JustRite project!

Teacher Treats

I had soooooo much fun making these Teacher Treat boxes for my grands! I think Teacher Appreciation Week is next week at their school, and they will be so excited that I've made something for them to give their teachers.

They both use the new JustRite What's Cookin' Borders & Centers set with the Harmony Circle 1-5/8" Circle Stamper . For the first one I used double sided paper from the Penny Lane Freebird collection by My Mind's Eye.



The second one uses cardstock, so I had to do a little decorating and embellishing to add color. I used a different paper from the Penny Lane Freebird paper collection. The ribbon is from my stash, and the rhinestones are by Kaiser Craft. The wavy border punch is by EK Success.



While blog surfing one day I found some cute boxes on THIS blog. I adapted the dimensions to fit the Hershey Bars. To make the boxes I started with a piece of cardstock that measures 5 1/2" x 6 1/2". I scored 1/2 inch on each end of the 6" piece, as you can see below. Please note that I used a different color cardstock to show this so the score lines would show up in the photos a little better.

I turned the paper and scored at 1", 1 1/2", 3 1/2" and 4".

I simply cut as shown in the picture below.
Add Scor-Tape , or adhesive of your choice. But make sure it's something that will hold well. Remember, the little darlings will be taking these to school, possibly even stuffed in their back packs! :-)
Fold the box, embellish, and insert your Hershey Bar! Simple, and oh, so fun to make!

Laurie , Cindy and Kimberly also have projects for you today! I assure you, you don't want to miss them!

Now, we have other business to take care of, don't we? The winner of Monday's Dreamy Treats!!! This is what I got from the random.org thingy!

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

134 4

Timestamp: 2009-04-02 00:43:23 UTC

Kim said...

Happy Blogaversary to you!!! How exciting!!! And you are so kind and generous to share with us on your special day! I would love the new Tiny Words Borders & Centers Set 1-3/16" that are coming soon! :) Thanks so much for the chance to win!
Hugs~ Kim

March 30, 2009 11:02 PM


Eveline said...

Congratulations on your blogoversary.
I would love the vertical stamper set.
Eveline.

March 30, 2009 6:04 AM

Please email me at michelle@stampersdream.com with your address so we can get these Dreamy Treats out to you. If I haven't heard from the winners by Saturday at noon CST, I will select another winner.

Thanks to you all for playing along! And REMEMBER, yesterday's "Guess What" Dreamy Treats giveaway is still live, so if you haven't yet commented for that one, be sure to do so.

Thank you for stopping by. I appreciate each and every one of you!

Dylan's Doodles

Last Christmas, Dylan (my 9 year old grandson) asked for note pads on his Christmas list. When I asked him what kind of note pads he wanted, he said, "Mimi, I just love to doodle and draw. So any kind will work." Needless to say, he received a plethora of note pads for Christmas from me, among other things! LOL!

Since then I've thought of Dylan's doodling, and decided to make him this special notebook using my new JustRite Stamper products!

First, I used my Harmony Rectangular Stamper and the Times Roman Font upper case and Times Roman Font Lowercase to write the word Dylan's. I stamped it on Neenah Classic Natural White using Jumbo Java VersaMagic ink.










I then used my Vertical Stamper (the narrow one) and the Times Roman uppercase and lowercase fonts to write the word Doodles. I stamped on my Acrylic Stamp Positioner . Then I removed the "D" from Doodles, inked the stamp and using the stamp positioner I stamped on the paper under Dylan's. Make sense? Perfect alignment...and so easy!


The notebook is one I found at Michael's for 66 cents! Don't you love a great deal? I covered it using Penny Lane Freebird paper from My Mind's Eye. I used my all time favorite Mono Multi Adhesive to glue all the paper down.

The stamps I used to embellish are from the Our Craft Lounge stamp set called Just Bugz . Aren't they adorable? I added some googly eyes and a little Stardust Stickles to the wings of the bug. I was doing my darndest not to make this girly. Do you think I succeeded? I can't wait to give it to him!!!


Just a reminder that we will have the Dreamy Treats giveaway going on. Be sure to see yesterday's post just below my Spellbinders post. You can win the JustRite product of your dreams if you're the lucky winner!

Ohhhhhh...I see that I just passed 150,000 hits on my blog counter yesterday. We must might have to do something to celebrate that tomorrow! :-)

Please be sure to visit Charmaine's blog to see what an awesome JustRite project she has for you today!!!

Thanks for stopping by! I will be back tomorrow with something new.

JustRite Gift Ideas

I don't know about all of you, but I am making a concerted effort to give a few more handmade Christmas gifts this year! It's just so much more personal, don't you think?

This monogrammed memo pad project was one I was supposed to post last week, but forgot! My bad!

It's such a quick and easy gift...and the perfect little stocking stuffer!

I found this little memo pad at my local Michael's in the clearance section for 50 cents! What a deal! All I did was cut a piece of Basic Grey Ambrosia designer paper to fit the front cover, and adhered it with Mono Multi Liquid Glue . I chose that paper because it matched the color of the naked memo pad. Therefore, there was no need to cover the little vine swirls on the side where the pen holder is located.

The monogram on the front cover was stamped with my JustRite Damask Borders Deluxe Kit using StazOn Pumpkin ink. I added a couple of Kaiser Craft Black Pearls to embellish and dress it up a bit. The monogram and layers were cut with my circle Nestabilities.

Now, how quick and easy was that???





This little post it note holder is one of my favorite quick and easy projects. And it's really an inexpensive gift for those you want to give a little something personal without spending a lot of money.

The cardstock cover measures 3.5" x 7.5". Score at 3.5" and again at 4". I adhered the back of the post it note pad to the cover using Mono Multi Liquid Glue . While it's drying you can make the front panel.

I used a sentiment and border from the JustRite Harmony Classic Oval I Ensemble . It was stamped on Pink Prismatics medium.

The designer paper is from the Basic Grey Eva paper pad. I cut and embossed it using my Labels Two Nestabilities .


The green layer of cardstock is Kiwi Prismatics medium, and the red cardstock is Blush Red Prismatics dark. The ribbon is May Arts Parrot Green Grosgrain .

I do so appreciate your stopping by to visit my blog. I have other things ready to show you later this week, so please do stop by again.

Until then...

Altered Notepad Tutorial

Since I've had several emails and a few comments about how to make this notepad, I decided to do a little tutorial. And because I'm home from work today for Veteran's Day, there is no time like the present!

I think these notepads are sometimes referred to as Junior Legal Pads. They are 5 x 8" in size. But actually you could use any size simply by adjusting the measurements of your paper pieces.

First I cut a piece of cardstock 5" x 8" as the base for my front cover. I used Stormy Prismatics light.


Next, I cut my Basic Grey Ambrosia designer paper. Since the paper is 6 x 6 and my notepad front is 5 x 8, I had to make a couple of little adjustments. You will see from the picture that I cut my dp at 5" to fit the width of the notepad. Then I cut it again at about 2". That is my bottom section. The top section of dp is approximately 4" x 5". What I am trying to accomplish is to stretch the paper so that the portions that will be covered by other paper is open. Make sense?

I adhered the dp to the cardstock base using Mono Multi Liquid Glue . It lets you wiggle the paper around to get the perfect placement, and when it dries, it's NOT coming apart!



The band of Ambrosia designer paper beneath my JustRite Butterfly medallion measures 1.25" x 5" wide. I cut cardstock to mat it using Stormy Prismatics light, Papaya Prismatics dark, and Blush Red Prismatics dark.

I adhered that piece to the top of my note pad using red line tape. All the stress is on that piece, so you want to be sure it's going to stay.




The designer paper piece folded over the top of the notepad measures 5" wide x 1.75". I matted it with cardstock measuring 5" x 2". That piece was scored at .75" and again at 1". Just because I like a lot of layers, I added one more piece to the side folding over the front. This was also adhered using red line tape.

I stamped my butterfly from the Harmony Circle Stamper III Ensemble on Neenah Natural White carstock. It was cut, embossed and layered using my circle nestabilities. And that was the last step in completing the altered notepad.

Since I've never done a tutorial before, I hope this was clear! If not, please feel free to email me if you have a question.

And don't forget to check out the adorable JustRite projects today at Charmaine and Kimberly's blogs!

If you haven't registered for the JustRite Christmas Ensemble Dreamy Treat, be sure to comment on my blog post below.

Thanks for stopping by!