Dannie's Designs

Convention Make and Takes Part 1

Convention was wonderful today.  There are so many exciting things to show you that I don't know where to begin.  I think I'll start with make and takes.  Today we made four of our make and takes and we'll make the final four projects tomorrow.



This is a bookmark made from chipboard and our new Pacific Point striped grosgrain ribbon.  The large flower is an image from the Eastern Blooms stamp set.  Take a look at the new Filigree designer brads.



Aren't they pretty?  Both flower pieces come in a set.  I'm definitely going to order some on August 11th.  There are three other designer brad sets--another flower set, a circle set, and a star set.

This card uses the Eastern Bloom stamp set again and its coordinating Floral Frenzy Classy Brass template.  I embossed the flowers with the brass template and then brayered over the debossed side (the side where the flowers are sunk down).  My project didn't turn out like the sample so I got a little creative.  I used a white gel pen and traced around the outside edge of my flowers and added a white dot to the center of each flower.  I like the way it turned out even if it is a little different.

UPDATE: For a tutorial on how to make this mini album, click here.

This little booklet was made from two 3 x 3 envelopes and two textured Tangerine Tango love notes.  The front cover is one of the envelopes that I stamped and then spritzed with the color spritzer.  I also added some orange bead duos to a couple of the flowers. 

Here's the booklet opened.  You can see that the front cover is a sealed envelope in this picture.

The back cover is another 3 x 3 envelope, but this one isn't sealed.  I tucked the flap of the envelope inside the envelope to create a pocket.  I put a piece of Very Vanilla cardstock into the pocket for journaling.  That's the Very Vanilla piece sticking out in the photo.

This was my favorite project of the day.  It's a little box that holds thank you cards.  The flower is made from the 1 1/4" Pink Pirouette grosgrain ribbon.  First I added a thin strip of Crystal Effects down one side of the ribbon.  Then I poured glitter on top and shook off the excess.  Then I used Linen Thread and a needle to sew a gathering stitch along the other edge of the ribbon.  I pulled the gathering stitch and it formed this beautiful flower.  The seam in the ribbon is hidden under the "a note of thanks" image.

I made one note card and envelope for the box, but it will hold many more.

Here's a closer look at the card and envelope.  The flowers from Eastern Bloom are stamped in Pink Pirouette so they're very faint and hard to see.  I like it because it gives the cards such a delicate look.

The other four projects that we'll be making tomorrow are just as cute.  I'll be sure to post pictures of them too.  ~Dannie

New Stampin' Up! Catalog Spoilers

I thought I'd post a few of the new items in the catalog.  If you want to be surprised, then don't read this!   I forgot to bring the current catalog with me to compare to the new one.  I hope I haven't made any errors or left anything out.

Items from past mini catalogs that made it into the new catalog

• Holy Triptych stamp set
• Tart and Tangy stamp set
• One of a Kind stamp set
• Bloomin' Beautiful stamp set
• Summer Picnic designer series paper
• A Perfect Day Rub-ons
• Styled Silver Hodgepodge Hardware
• Mini Library Clips
• Chunky Sprinkles Glitter
• Die Cut Blooms

Items we've seen before but small changes have been made

• An additional set of Die Cut blooms in baja breeze, very vanilla, close to cocoa, & kiwi kiss
• Carousel Notes in ruby red, kiwi kiss & baja breeze.  The envelopes are still Chocolate Chip
• Scallop Notes in pink pirouette, baja breeze, & chocolate chip with very vanilla envelopes
• Gift notes in kiwi kiss, riding hood red, & kraft
• *Textured* love notes in tangerine tango, bashful blue & old olive
• Green Tea designer series paper--same print as Ginger Blossom DSP except the colors are changed to old olive, certainly celery, & baja breeze
• Junior Varsity designer series paper--same print as East Coast Prep DSP except the colors are changed to rose red, old olive, bashful blue & so saffron
• Pina Colada simply scrappin' kit--same print and design as the Summer Days simply scrappin kit except the colors are changed to riding hood red, tangerine tango, old olive & so saffron
• Flower Fusion--we still have the first set, but they've added another set of flowers in pink pirouette, baja breeze, & chocolate chip (yeah!)
• Styled Vanilla Hodgepodge Hardware--just like the silver styled hodgepodge hardware except with a vanilla colored finish

Ribbon--this deserves a whole section by itself!  I'm only listing the new colors added to what we already have.  We no longer sell any packs of ribbon origionals.

• 1/4 " grosgrain--added Rose Red, Sage Shadow, Old Olive, & Chocolate Chip (yeah, they brought it back!)
• 1 1/4" Pink Pirouette Grosgrain ribbon
• 7/8" So Saffron Poly-twill ribbon
• 3/8" Kiwi Kiss/Very Vanilla Satin ribbon--very vanilla on one side and kiwi kiss on the other
• Riding Hood Red Taffeta ribbon
• 1" Double-stitched Grosgrain ribbon (this looks like the wide Rose Red grosgrain ribbon that is currently in the Fairy Tale ribbon originals)--Rose Red, Baja Breeze, Bashful Blue, Chocolate Chip.  The stitching is white.
• 5/8" Striped Grosgrain ribbon (this looks just like the black ribbon with the two white strips going down the middle that's in the Jersey Ribbon Originals)--riding hood red, pink pirouette, baja breeze, pacific point, kiwi kiss, tangerine tango.  The stripes are white.

New Punches

• Scalloped Edge (I've already posted samples of this on my blog)
• 1 3/4" Circle
• Wide Oval
• Scalloped Square
• Curly Label Punch Box--the punch looks like this { } on all four sides.  It comes with a set of four stamps. 

It's late and I need to get to bed.  Obviously this is not a complete list of all the new items in the catalog.  If you have any questions, please let me know.  I'll try to answer them for you after convention tomorrow.  It's going to be so much fun!  ~Dannie

Momento Mall

Convention hasn't even started yet and I'm already having so much fun.  I checked in today, picked up my convention bag with the *new* catalog, and shopped at the momento mall.  I thought I'd start with the fun goodies that I bought at the momento mall.



Who am I kidding?  I know you really want to see the new catalog, right?  Stampin' Up! has outdone themselves again.  You will not be disappointed.  I'll post more about the new catalog in a minute.  So here's what I bought.



They had these darling little stuffed animals.  I picked up two of them for my girls.  I can't go out of town without coming home with something for the kids.



Here's the camera bag along with the project tote bag.  Both of them are made with the same print as the new Maine Blueberry designer series paper.  The tote bag is wide enough to hold 12 x 12 paper and is about 8-9 inches deep.  It has lots of pockets on the inside and on the outside.  They are so cute!

They also had a key chain that coordinated with the bag. 

Here's another view so you can see the shape of it better.

They also had packs of pens for sale.  The top pen features the Tart and Tangy stamp set (yes, it made it into the new catalog), the middle pen features the new Flight of the Butterfly stamp set (a set we got free for attending convention), and the bottom pen features the One of a Kind stamp set.

There were three different chapsticks that feature the new Sweet Always designer series paper.  It's another beautiful set of designer series paper that I can't wait to purchase.

Here's the convention bag we received.  The colors are Kiwi Kiss, Close to Cocoa, and Tempting Turquoise.  The decoration on the front panel is machine embroidered. 

Last, but certainly not least, I wanted to show you this darling bag tag that my friend Debra Booe made for me.  Isn't it darling?  Now my bag won't get mixed up with anybody else's.  Thank you Debra!

Thanks!

I wanted to thank those of you who have sent or are sending my brother a card (if you don't know what I'm talking about you can read about it in this post).  Also a huge thank you to those of you who have forwarded the message on to others either through email or through your blogs.  The cards are starting to trickle in now and it makes getting the mail each day so much fun.  I know he's going to love reading each of the cards.  I've had a couple of questions about the cards, so I thought I'd address those here.

Is it alright to send a letter instead of a card?  Absolutely!  I want my brother to feel appreciated and know that people back home are thinking of him.  It won't matter to him if that comes in the form a letter or a card. 

Can I hand-deliver the card to you at convention?  Absolutely!  There's no need to pay for postage if you're going to see me in person.  I'll be zipping around on a motorized scooter, so I shouldn't be difficult to spot.  Plus I have my mug shot on my blog so you know what I look like. 

Will I be opening the cards or just sending the envelopes sealed to my brother?  I thought about this one and I decided to open all of the cards and letters.  I'm glad that I did this because some of you are tucking in little notes or cards for me too.  Thank you!  If you would like for your card to be in a nice envelope for my brother, some people are putting their card in a double envelope like you would for a wedding invitation.  Those that don't have a double envelope, don't worry.  I'll put your cards in nice envelope for him.

Why am I opening the cards?   I don't feel comfortable sending items to a US military base without knowing what the contents are. 

So now my question for you--do you want to see pictures of the cards I'm receiving?  I'd be happy to post them to my blog if enough of you want to see them.

I've also received several more blog awards.   I received the "Brillante Weblog" award from Pam, Mauna, and Dawn.

I've also been tagged by Kim, Paula, Dahlene, and Sara.

Thank you so much.  It means a lot that you like my blog enough to tag it.  If I have left anybody out that has tagged me, please let me know so I can fix it.

I'm running around trying to get things done before I leave for convention tomorrow so I don't have time to come up with seven random things about myself.   I haven't packed the first item of clothing, but all my swaps are packed!  Does that tell you something about my priorities?  LOL!  I'll try to post something before I leave tomorrow, if not you'll be hearing from me at convention.  I can't wait.

Thanks for stopping by.  ~Dannie

Convention Swap

I've been hiding away in my stamp room all afternoon working on convention swaps.  My sister-in-law came and picked up my children and took them swimming so I've had the afternoon to stamp.  This is such a rare treat for me.  Here's one of the swaps I'm working on.



I tried to go simple, but I still ended up with seven layers.  I'm pleased with how it turned out so I don't mind cutting all the layers.  I stamped the "love you" image in Basic Black ink and colored it in with my Regal Rose and Certainly Celery markers. 

I really wish we had some ribbon in the new In Colors so it would coordinate better, but I think the Pretty in Pink grosgrain will work for now.  I'm crossing my fingers and hoping that Stampin' Up! will give us some In Color ribbon in the new catalog. 

So what do you think?  Would you swap with me?  Only four more days to go until I leave.  I better get cracking!  ~Dannie

Stamps: Dreams du Jour
Paper: Whisper White, Riding Hood Red, Kiwi Kiss, Chocolate Chip, Pink Pirouette, Bella Rose DSP
Ink: Basic Black, Regal Rose, Certainly Celery
Accessories: Pretty in Pink Grosgrain
Punches: Scalloped Edge

Sketch Challenge

Yesterday I had so much fun stamping.  I started with this sketch challenge from 2 sketches 4 you.



My card started off pretty simple and then you know how it goes...a little ribbon here, some glitter there, a few flowers here, some paper piercing around the edges.  I was having so much fun I couldn't stop!



Here's a closer look at the front.



Both of the orange layers and the printed flowers paper are Bali Breeze designer series paper.  I'm going to miss this paper when it retires.  The word "joy" is from the Eastern Elegance rub-ons.  I rubbed it right onto the orange DSP and placed a piece of Hodgepodge Hardware on top to frame it. 

The scalloped glitter piece was made using a piece from the Confetti Simply Scrappin' Kit. 



I used this 1/2" wide strip from the die-cut adhesives.   In order for this to work right with the Scalloped Edge punch, don't use a strip that is less than 1/2" wide.  I cut the strip out with the backing still on it so it wouldn't stick to my punch. 



Next I ran it through the Scalloped Edge punch.  See how skinny it is now?  That's why you don't want to use a piece less than 1/2" wide.



Next I cut the scalloped piece to the correct size.  I placed it next to the Old Olive layer (because that's how wide I wanted it) and cut it.  I like making the scalloped piece larger than I need because then I have options of where I want to cut it.  I don't like it when the left side starts with a full scallop and then the right side ends with just a sliver of a scallop.  I centered my scalloped piece so I had a 1/2 of a scallop on both ends.  I hope that makes sense.

After my scalloped piece was cut to size, I pulled off the backing and poured my glitter all over the side with the adhesive.  I added adhesive to the back (the green side with numbers) and attached it to my card. 

I finished my card with all the usuals--paper piercing, ribbon, and dimensionals.  As always, thanks for stopping by!  ~Dannie

Paper: Rose Red, Tempting Turquoise, Old Olive, Bali Breeze DSP
Accessories: Confetti Simply Scrappin' Kit, Eastern Elegance Rub-ons, Flower Fusion, Silver Brads, Styled Silver Hodgepodge Hardware, Fine Cosmo Glitter, Old Olive Wide Grosgrain, Tempting Turquoise Grosgrain, Crafters' Tool Kit, Dimensionals
Punches: Scalloped Edge

Birthday Book

Today I thought I would tease you with a project I made.  Why is it a tease?  Because I haven't finished the tutorial for it and it won't be done until after convention.  I'm running short on time and unfortunately won't be able to finish it before I leave. 



I made 16 of these for a swap that I'm in at convention.  It's an "over the top" swap and these books truly were "over the top" to put together.  I used over 200 sheets of 8 1/2" x 11" cardstock, 19 sheets of 12" x 12" designer series paper, 24 sheets of 12" x 12" cardstock, and more rolls of adhesive than I care to count!  I have everything done except for the paper roses on the cover.  That's my goal for today--finish those roses.

I want to thank all of you who have said that you're sending my brother a card.  It means so much to me.  Thank you!  ~Dannie

Card Call and Free Goodies

Would you like the chance to win some *free* stamp products just for sending me a hand-stamped card or letter?  Read this post to find out how.  This post will stay at the top of my blog until August 8th, so scroll down to see the most recent post.  Thanks!  ~Dannie

Holiday Happenings Hostess Bundle

Have you already checked the retiring accessories list?  I've already updated the list twice with items that have sold out since they originally posted the list yesterday.  So if you see something you want, be sure to order it before it's gone.  I'll continue to update this list so that it stays current.

Last week I had a chance to play with the Holiday Happenings Bundle.  It's a level 3 hostess set that's coming out in the next catalog.  It comes with a four piece stamp set, a set of rub-ons, and nine sheets of designer series paper (three sheets each of three double-sided prints).  I used the snowflake stamp and the coordinating designer series paper and made this card.



This card also uses two of the new In Colors--Baja Breeze and Pacific Point.  All of the white cardstock is actually Shimmery White cardstock.  Here's a closer look at the shimmer.



I used the new Scalloped Edge punch which I absolutely love.  You know me, I couldn't just leave the scallops alone.  I had to paper pierce them.  I also added a little bling to the center snowflake by removing the rhinestone from one of the smallest rhinestone brads.  I attached it to the card with a mini glue dot.  Here's how you remove the rhinestone. 



Take your brad and spread the prongs as far apart as you can.  If you think of the brad as a clock, the two large prongs are at 3:00 and 9:00.  Once you bend them out of the way, you'll notice that there are two smaller prongs at 6:00 and 12:00.  Bend the two smaller prongs out of the way and the rhinestone will come right out.  It takes a little bit of work to get the small prongs bent.  You can use a small pair of tweezer or pliers. 

Be cautious: the silver circle that you see on the underside of the brad is the back of the rhinestone.  If you scratch that up with your pliers, you'll be able to see it on your rhinestone.  Yes, I found out the hard way.  Just be careful.

I leave for convention in a week and can barely contain my excitement.  I'm finding it difficult to concentrate on things I need to get done here.  That's not good.  I just can't wait to visit with friends, see the new catalog, and have fun swapping.  Oh yeah, I'll get new stamps too!  I hope I get to meet many of you in Salt Lake.  You'll see me on one of the motorized scooters so be sure to say 'hi' if you see me. 

Thanks for stopping by! ~Dannie

Stamps: Seasonal Icons (hostess set), Many Merry Messages
Paper: Baja Breeze, Pacific Point, Shimmery White, Holiday Happenings DSP
Ink: Baja Breeze, Pacific Point
Accessories: Rhinestone Brad, White Taffeta Ribbon, Crafters' Tool Kit, Dimensionals
Punches: Scalloped Edge

A Call for Cards & Free Goodies!

Would you like the chance to win some *free* stamp products just for sending me a hand-stamped card or letter?  Here's what you need to do...

As you may know, my brother Daniel (yes, we practically have the same name) is currently serving his third deployment in Afghanistan.  He has been to Iraq twice and this is his first time in Afghanistan.  He loves being a Marine and knows he's where he's supposed to be. 

This deployment, however, has been a lot harder on him emotionally.  Next month (at the end of August) is his birthday and I would love to help cheer him up.

Here's where I need your help.  I would love to mail him a box full of cards and letters--birthday cards, patriotic cards, thinking of you cards, etc.  I'm not talking about blank cards that my brother can fill out and mail back home.  I'm talking about uplifting cards and letters written to my brother wishing him a happy birthday, thanking him for serving our country, etc. 

Please mail your card or letter to:
Dannie Graves


Deadline: Saturday, August 9th so I can mail the package in time for his birthday

A chance to win: I will randomly select three cards or letters and the winners will receive some stamp products from me.

Edited to add answers to questions:

Can I use non-Stampin' Up! stamps.  Absolutely! The whole purpose of the cards is to send some happiness and cheer to my brother.  So please use whatever stamps you'd like.

Is it alright to send a letter instead of a card? Absolutely!  I want my brother to feel appreciated and know that people back home are thinking of him.  It won't matter to him if that comes in the form a letter or a card. 

Will I be opening the cards or just sending the envelopes sealed to my brother? I thought about this one and I decided to open all of the cards and letters.  I'm glad that I did this because some of you are tucking in little notes or cards for me too.  Thank you!  If you would like for your card to be in a nice envelope for my brother, some people are putting their card in a double envelope like you would for a wedding invitation.  Those that don't have a double envelope, don't worry. I'll put your cards in nice envelope for him.

Why am I opening the cards?   I don't feel comfortable sending items to a US military base without knowing what the contents are.

Please spread the word to your friends and have them join in too.  I know this will really lift his spirits.  Thank you!  ~Dannie