Dannie's Designs

Control Freak Valentine Project Tour

It's the 20th of the month so that means it's time for the Control Freak blog hop!  If you're following along the tour, you just came from the amazing blog of Lisa Martz.

The theme for this month's tour is Valentine's Day.  I decided to be good (for once!) and not buy anything from the Occasions Mini catalog until I can get some free Sale-a-bration sets on January 25th.  It was a fun challenge seeing different ways I could use stamp sets I own to make Valentine's projects.  I used the Priceless stamp set and the Mini Milk Carton Big Shot die to make my first project.

Click here to view the tutorial on how to make the milk carton holder.  I found this heart paper in the Play Date DSP.  Each of the milk cartons is stamped with the swirl stamp (tone on tone) from the Priceless stamp set.  I stamped the hearts on Whisper White cardstock, cut them out and popped them up on dimensionals.  There are hearts on both sides of the milk cartons.  Each milk carton is filled with M&M's.

For my second project I made this Ghirardelli box (click here for the tutorial on how to make the box).  You can never have too much chocolate for Valentine's day.  The scalloped heart is from the Scalloped Heart of Hearts Embosslit die.  I turned it over so the bumpy side was facing down and then added the Whisper White heart that I punched using the Full Heart punch.

Slide off the belly band to get to the strawberry filled Ghirardelli squares inside.

For my last project I made a set of 3x3 cards.  If you click on the photo, you'll seen an enlarged photo with more details.  I think each of the cards is pretty self-explanatory except for the one in the middle.  The Pretty in Pink heart was cut out using the Scalloped Heart of Hearts Embosslit die.  It may not show in the photo, but the Real Red cardstock at the bottom of the card was run through the Big Shot using the Perfect Polka Dot Embossing Folder.

To continue along the tour, please click on the icon below to hop over to Jan Tink's fantabulous blog. 

Thanks for stopping by!

Milk Cartons
Stamps:  Priceless
Paper:  Whisper White, Pretty in Pink, Real Red, Play Date DSP
Ink:  Pretty in Pink, Real Red
Accessories:  Whisper White Grosgrain, Dimensionals, Mini Library Clips
Punches:  Small Oval
Big Shot:  Mini Milk Carton

Ghirardelli Box
Stamps:  All Holidays
Paper:  Whisper White, Pretty in Pink, Play Date DSP
Ink:  Real Red
Accessories:  Whisper White Organza, Dimensionals, Sticky Strip
Punches:  Full Heart, Ticket Corner
Big Shot:  Scalloped Heart of Hearts Embosslit

3x3 Cards
Stamps:  Priceless, Three Little Words
Paper:  Whisper White, Pretty in Pink, Real Red, Play Date DSP
Ink:  Pretty in Pink, Real Red
Accessories:  Whisper White Grosgrain, Pretty in Pink Taffeta, Real Red Taffeta, Dimensionals, Paper Piercer, Silver Brads, Glue Dots
Punches:  Full Heart, Scalloped Circle, Circle (1 1/4", 1 3/8"), Pinking Hearts Border, Scallop Edge Border
Big Shot:  Scalloped Heart of Hearts Embosslit, Perfect Polka Dots Embossing Folder

Tag Box Tutorial

I sat down this morning and finally figured out how to make my own patterns.  It was much easier than I thought.  I'm happy to say that I finally have the pattern and the tutorial done for my gift tag box that I posted last week.

Click here to download the pattern.  If you're having trouble downloading the pattern, hold your mouse above the words "click here" and RIGHT click on the link and select "save link as."  This will download the file straight to your computer and then you can open it.

This is my first pattern, so if you see anything that needs to be changed please let me know.  I made the pattern so it makes complete sense to me; however, that doesn't mean it will make sense to you.  If you have questions or suggestions on how to make the pattern more readable, please let me know.  

Now for the tutorial.  Cut and score all of the cardstock and the transparency as shown in the pattern.  Take the 3 1/2" x 5 1/2" piece of cardstock and fold it on the score lines so it looks like this.

The peak should be pointing up.  Turn the cardstock upside down and add a piece of sticky strip on the side of the peak.  It doesn't matter which side you put it on.

Remove the backing from the Sticky Strip and adhere the two sides together.  Burnish it with your bone folder to make sure it sticks well.  It should look like this when you're done.

As you can see, the right side is 2 1/2" wide and the left side is 2" wide.  That's exactly the way you want it.

Follow the steps above and do the exact same thing to the 4 1/2" x 2 1/2" and the 4 1/2" x 2" pieces of cardstock.  When you're done they'll look like this.

These three pieces make up the dividers in the box.  The piece on the bottom left is 2" wide and the piece on the bottom right is 2 1/2" wide.  Place the two bottom pieces on top of the top piece like this.

Once they are lined up, adhere them in place.  Make the box bottom according to the pattern and drop this piece inside.

Fold the transparency on the score lines.  Add a piece of sticky strip to one of the ends--it doesn't matter which one.  Wrap the transparency around the box, remove the backing off the sticky strip and adhere the two ends together.  Fill the box with tags, add some ribbon and you're done!  

Thanks for stopping by!

Holiday Mini Control Freak Swap

It's the 20th of the month and that means it's time for the Control Freak Blog Hop! 

If you're following along the tour, you've just come from Lee Ann Greff's blog.  If you're just starting here, there's a link at the bottom of this post that will take you to the next blog so you can see all of the fabulous creations.

The theme for this month's hop is the Holiday Mini Catalog.  I love all of the products in the mini catalog so this was perfect for me.  One of the traditions that I have with my children is that we make homemade gift tags for the presents we buy for each other.  We set aside a night and that's all we do--stamp, color, cut, glue, etc.  It's a lot of fun.  With that tradition in mind I *had* to buy the Tags til Christmas stamp set so we can make fun tags like these.

Isn't that a great stamp set?  I decided that my tags needed a box to go in so that I can give some of these away as a gift so I made this box.

I sat down and made my own pattern for this box.  I know you're going to ask for it, so please rest assured that I'll post the pattern and directions within the next couple of days.  UPDATE:  Click here to download the pattern.  Click here for the tutorial.

If you're having trouble downloading the pattern, hold your mouse above the words "click here" and RIGHT click on the link and select "save link as."  This will download the file straight to your computer and then you can open it.

The holidays are always such a busy time of year that I wanted to come up with a quick card that I could make in less than five minutes.

Isn't that cute?  It's a little postcard that doesn't open.  It's perfect for writing a quick note to a friend or for tucking inside a gift bag.  Quick, simple, and easy to duplicate.  

Are you ready to see what the other Control Freaks made?  Then click on the link below to hop on over to Ilina Crouse's blog.

Thanks for stopping by!

Tag Box
Stamps:  Tags til Christmas
Paper:  Whisper White, Cherry Cobbler, Crumb Cake, Always Artichoke, Marina Mist
Ink:  Chocolate Chip, Cherry Cobbler, Always Artichoke, Marina Mist
Accessories:  Window Sheets, Sticky Strip, Chocolate Chip Striped Grosgrain
Punches:  Decorative Label, 1 1/4" Square, Scallop Square, 1 3/4" Circle

 

Snowman Postcard
Stamps:  A Cute Christmas
Paper:  Whisper White, Baja Breeze, Blushing Bride, Real Red, Candy Cane Christmas DSP
Ink: Basic Gray, Garden Green, Baja Breeze, Blushing Bride, Real Red
Accessories:  Blushing Bride Ribbon, Glue Dots
Big Shot:  Top Note

3x3 Box and Cards

Today I wanted to show you another fun project we made at my recent downline meeting.  Elaine's project was this cute box that holds 3x3 cards.

You can find the pattern for the box on her blog here.  

I hadn't planned on purchasing the Trendy Trees stamp set until we made the box and these darling 3x3 cards.

The box and each of the cards uses the coordinating Sweet Pea Designer Series Paper pack. 

The Sweet Pea DSP is found on page 33 of the Occasions Mini Catalog and is only available through April 30th.  If you're like me and now *need* to buy the Trendy Trees stamp set and the Sweet Pea DSP, hop on over to my Stampin' Up! website and order yours today.  Thanks for stopping by!  ~Dannie

Hot Chocolate Teacher Gift

Last year I was so organized that I had my teacher gifts done in October!  Well, tomorrow is the last day of school before the winter break and I just started making my teacher gifts yesterday.  What was I thinking procrastinating like this?  Even though it is last minute, I'm really pleased with how the gift turned out.



I bought the tutorial on how to make this from Becky.  I wasn't sure what to make with it at first, but I found it works perfectly as a hot chocolate kit.



I added a different ingredient in each of the milk cartons--hershey's kisses (to melt in the hot chocolate), marshmallows, cocoa, and peppermint candy canes.   I wanted the teachers to be able to see what was inside each milk carton, so I punched a window with the Curly Label punch and then added a piece of acetate to the inside of the carton.



I finished the kit with a tag and some directions.  I inked the largest snowflake from the Snow Swirled stamp set in Baja Breeze ink.  I stamped it off on some scratch paper and then stamped it on the tag.  It's very faint in this photo.

I hope the teachers like their gifts.  Becky, thanks for the great project idea!  ~Dannie

Stamps:  Snow Swirled
Paper: Whisper White, Baja Breeze, Chocolate Chip, Ruby Red, Old Olive, Holiday Treasures DSP
Ink: Baja Breeze, Chocolate Chip, Ruby Red, Old Olive
Accessories: Silver Eyelet, Linen Thread, Baja Breeze 1" Double-stitched Ribbon, Acetate, Sticky Strip, Crop-a-dial
Punches: Small Tag, Large Oval, Small Oval, Tag Corner, Key Tag, Horizontal Slot, Curly Label, Corner Rounder

Winter Peppermint Patties

Those of you who have been reading my blog for a while know that I love to include chocolate in my gift giving.  So what would the Christmas holiday be without some decorated peppermint patties?

 

My inspiration for the snowman and Santa came from various blogs I've read as well as SplitCoast.  I got the pattern for making the angel here.  I think they're pretty self-explanatory, so I'll just list the recipe for each one.

 

Snowman

Paper: Shimmery White, Basic Black, Pumpkin Pie

Punches: Curly Label, Word Window, 1/8" Circle

 

Santa

Paper: Shimmery White, Real Red, Basic Black, Pretty in Pink (nose), Blush Blossom

Punches: Trio Flower, Word Window, Circle (1/4", 1 1/4")

 

Angel

Paper: Shimmery White, Brushed Silver

Punches: Scalloped Circle, 5-petal Flower, 3/4" Circle

 

I hope you have a wonderful weekend.  Thanks for stopping by!  ~Dannie

Monogrammed Stationery Holders

Like most of you, I'm busy working on my holiday gifts.  This year has flown by and I know Christmas will be here before I know it.  One of the gifts I've made are these monogrammed stationery sets.



I know how you love to have patterns and directions for projects, so you can learn how to make this by watching my video tutorial on this post.   If you can't watch videos (sorry dial-up users), I also have all the dimensions, score lines, etc. typed out in that same post. 



Here's the stationery holder open.  On the left are the envelopes for the notecards.  The notecards are like a postcard in that they don't open.  You write your message right on the card front. 



I took the four colors from the Frosty Day designer series paper--Bashful Blue, Close to Cocoa, Kiwi Kiss and Tangerine Tango.



I made four sets of these and was able to finish all of it in one afternoon.



It got a little crazy trying to make sure I had all the colors and layers right--the Tangerine Tango letters go on the Close to Cocoa circle which goes on the Kiwi Kiss scalloped circle which goes on the Bashful Blue notecard.  You get the idea.  I think they turned out really cute and the recipients seemed to really like them.

As always, thanks for stopping by!  ~Dannie

Stamps: Lovely Letters
Paper: Whisper White, Bashful Blue, Close to Cocoa, Kiwi Kiss, Tangerine Tango, Frosty Day DSP
Ink: Bashful Blue, Close to Cocoa, Kiwi Kiss, Tangerine Tango
Accessories: Tangerine Tango Striped Grosgrain Ribbon, Eyelets
Punches: Circle (1 1/4", 1 3/8", 1/8"), Scalloped Circle

Simple Card Set Gift

One of the many things I enjoy about attending Stampin' Up! events is the swaps I get to participate in.  I joined a swap at convention this year and received a cute set of cards.  The only problem...there was no name on the back!  I don't know who made them.  I used her swap cards as inspiration, added my own twist, and made these cards.

These cards were so quick and easy to make.  All of them use the Bella Rose designer series paper and the Chit Chat Rub-ons which are currently on sale through November 30th (see the flyer here).  They also all use the same layout.

The base of each card is 4 1/4" x 11".

The next cardstock layer is 4 1/8" x 5 3/8".

All three strips of designer series paper (DSP) are 4" wide.  The top strip of DSP is 1 3/4" tall.

The middle strip of DSP is 3/4" tall.

The bottom strip is 3 1/4" tall.  Isn't that simple?  I added different sentiments using the Rub-ons and finished the card with a piece of ribbon adhered with a Mini Glue Dot.

I'm off to finish some cleaning so I can spend tomorrow baking pies--yum!!  I can't wait for Thanksgiving.  Thanks for stopping by!  ~Dannie

Paper: Whisper White, Pretty in Pink, Riding Hood Red, Old Olive, Chocolate Chip, Bella Rose DSP
Accessories: Chit Chat Rub-ons, Mini Glue Dots, Pretty in Pink Grosgrain, Chocolate Chip Grosgrain, Whisper White Taffeta, Riding Hood Red Taffeta, Kiwi Kiss/Very Vanilla Taffeta
Punches: Large Oval

Snowflake Tin

Can you believe Thanksgiving is this week?!  Time is flying by too fast.  I've already started working on some stamped holiday gifts and I'll be sharing those with you over the next several days.  Earlier this month I posted these scalloped notecards on my blog (you can read the full post and get directions on how to make them here).

I wanted to give these as a gift set so I decided to alter a tin that the cards could go in.

This is a tin that I bought in the dollar section of Michaels at least six months ago.  I knew it would be great for altering, so I bought several of them and this is the first one I've used.  Yes, I hoard stamping supplies!  The original color of the tin is the blue that you see peeking through in the metal tag section.

Speaking of the metal tag section...here's how I cut out my designer series paper (DSP) around the tag.  I took a piece of vellum and placed it over the top of the metal.  I traced around it with a pencil and then cut out the center leaving a tag shaped hole in my vellum. 

Next I cut my DSP to size (measuring from the bottom metal rim on the tin to the bottom of the lid).  I placed the vellum over the DSP and then traced the hole into the DSP.  I took a pair of scissors and cut out the hole.  I placed the DSP over the metal tag and had to make a few minor cuts to get it to line up just right.

I added some Seasonal Sayings rub-ons (from the level 3 hostess bundle) in the window of the metal tag. 

For the top of the tin, I cut out a Chocolate Chip circle using my Coluzzle and glued it to the lid.  Next I added a scalloped circle (cut from the Big Shot) and two more circles cut with my coluzzle.  I added two Little Felt Flurries and rhinestone brad to finish the lid.

Here's the whole set together.  I'll be back tomorrow with another holiday gift idea.  Thanks for stopping by!  ~Dannie

Paper: Whisper White, Baja Breeze, Riding Hood Red, Old Olive, Chocolate Chip, Ski Slope DSP
Accessories: Rhinestone Brads, Mini Glue Dots, Little Felt Flurries, Coluzzle, Chocolate Chip Grosgrain, Whisper White Grosgrain, Old Olive Grosgrain, Bashful Blue Striped Ribbon, Seasonal Sayings Rub-ons
Big Shot: Scallop Circles #2 Die

Halloween Peppermint Patties

I wanted to put some candy inside my Frankie box that I made in my last post, so I played with some Peppermint Patties and came up with these.



Normally I cover the peppermint patties with my Scalloped Circle punch, however I wanted to see what I could make with my other punches.



I used three large oval punches and two small oval punches to make this pumpkin.  I sponged Pumpkin Pie ink around all of the ovals before I assembled them together.  I punched out another set of ovals to cover the back of the Peppermint Pattie too.  I used a scrap piece of Close to Cocoa cardstock to make the stem.



For the ghost I cut two pieces of Whisper White cardstock to 1 5/8" x 2 1/4".  I stacked them both on top of each other and inserted them into my 1 3/4" Circle punch like this...



and then punched them to get the rounded top.  For the bottom of the ghost I used the 1/4" Square punch and punched along the bottom like this.



I finished the ghost by adding two 1/4" Basic Black circles for eyes and sponging Going Gray ink around the edges.



I made the curved portion of my tombstone the same way I did for the ghost.  I took a marker and wrote "RIP" on the tombstone.  I finished it by adding some grass (cut Kiwi Kiss cardstock) to the bottom.



I think Frankie is my favorite.  His face is 1 5/8" x 2 1/4".  The whites of his eyes and eyelids are made using the 1/2" circle punch and the black of his eyes and his nose are the 1/4" circle punch.  I added the tiniest arrow from the My Way punch for the bolts in his head.  I also put a tiny piece of dimensional behind each eyelid and his nose. 



Here are all of the Peppermint Patties next to the Frankie Box.  I love the way they turned out.  Have fun playing with some Peppermint Patties and see what you come up with.  Leave a comment with a link to your creations so I can check them out.  Thanks for stopping by!  ~Dannie