Dannie's Designs

Cards & Awards

I've recently received two more awards.  Haylie gave me this award



and Sandie gave me this award.



Thank you Haylie and Sandie.  You were both so sweet to think of me.  Be sure to check out their fantastic blogs.

I also wanted to thank Lauren C., the Kriewaldt family, Barbara J., and Mary P. for sending money or postage stamps to help mail my brother's package.  A special thanks also goes to Lois A. for sending money to buy my brother a Rubik's cube.  I'm sure my brother and those in his group will love it.  Thank you all of you!

Are you ready for the next installment of cards you sent for my brother?  Remember, you can click on any photo to enlarge it.  Enjoy!  ~Dannie

The Winners are...

Today has been a very busy day.  School starts on Tuesday and I had to finish the last of my school shopping.  Every time I think about school shopping, I'm reminded of a hilarious commercial I saw a few years ago.  The commercial takes place in an office supply store where parents are doing their back to school shopping.  One mom is dancing with her shopping cart down the aisle with a huge grin on her face.  One of the dads is riding his shopping cart--both of his feet are on the bottom part of the cart, his hands are clutching the shopping cart handle, and he's sailing down the aisle just as happy as can be.  The entire time it's showing these happy parents, the commercial is playing the lyrics to a Christmas song..."it's the most wonderful time of the year."  I still laugh about that to this day every time I think about it.  After almost three months of hearing my children fight all day, I'm ready for school to start again.  I love them all to pieces, but I need a break.

Do you want to know who won the drawing for sending cards to my brother?  There were three winners and they are:

• Pat M. from Elmhurst, NY
• Barbara J. from Snoqualmie, WA
• Andrea F. from North Hudson, WI

Since all three of you mailed cards to me, I already have your addresses so the goodies are already on their way to you.  Thank you again to all of you who participated.  Here are some more pictures of cards that were sent.

Thanks for stopping by!  ~Dannie

Mini Album Tutorial

While I was attending convention I posted pictures of all the make and take projects we did.  I've received several requests for directions on how to make some of the projects, so I thought I'd start with this cute mini Album.



The album is made of two Very Vanilla 3 x 3 envelopes and two Tangerine Tango Love Notes (3" x 6" cardstock folded in half to make 3" x 3" cards).  Start by sealing *one* of the envelopes closed. 



Ink up the branch stamp from the Eastern Blooms stamp set using Chocolate Chip and Tangerine Tango markers.  We don't sell Tangerine Tango markers, but I made one by adding a couple of drops of the Tangerine Tango reinker to the end of a blender pen.  Once it's inked up, huff on the stamp to remoisten the ink and then stamp it on your envelope.  Stamp the "for you" from Fundamental Phrases in Chocolate Chip ink.



Place the Really Rust marker into the Color Spritzer Tool like I've shown in the photo.  Gently spritz color all over the stamped envelope.  If you hold the spritzer close to the envelope you'll get a lot of concentrated color.  I held the spritzer back about 12" so my color would be more subtle.



Now it's time to score both envelopes and both Tangerine Tango Love Notes 3/8" from the edge.  I found the easiest way to do this was to insert the Love Note into the paper scorer with the folded edge on the right (see photo above).  I lined up the left edge of my card at 2 5/8" (leaving 3/8" to the right of the scoring blade) and scored.  Repeat this with the second Love Note.

For the cover, I inserted the stamped envelope upside down.  The envelope is 3 1/8" wide, so I placed the envelope so the left edge was at 2 3/4" (leaving 3/8" to the right of the scoring blade) and scored.

Take the second envelope and tuck the flap inside.  Place the envelope with the opening on the left side (see photo).  Again, place the envelope so the left edge is at 2 3/4" (leaving 3/8" to the right of the scoring blade) and score.

Now it's time to assemble the book.

Start with the back cover/envelope.  Place it so the score line runs down the left side and the envelope opening is facing up along the right edge.  Next place both Love Notes on top of each other (don't tuck one inside of the other because they won't line up well) again with the score lines running down the left side.  Add the cover on top. 

As you can see in the photo above, make sure that all of the left edges are flush with each other. 

Use the 1/8" side of your Crop-a-dial and punch a hole 1/2" up from the bottom of your album.  Make sure the hole is centered between the left edge and the score line.  Punch a matching hole 1/2" from the top of the album.

Thread 10" of grosgrain ribbon through the two holes, tie it and trim the ends. 

Add a 3" x 2 1/2" piece of cardstock inside the back envelope.  You can use this as a place for journaling.

Finish the album by adding Orange Beads to the center of three flowers (you can see them in the very first photo) using Crystal Effects. 

There are so many possibilities with this mini album.  You can make this into a mini scrapbook album or you can use it for a card that lots of people need to sign.  You can also add more love notes to the center to have more pages.

Have fun making these.  I'd love to see what you come up with so leave me a comment with a link to your creations.  Thanks for stopping by!  ~Dannie

It's here!

Guess what I got today?  My Stampin' Up! order with lots of stuff from the brand new catalog!!!  It felt like Christmas morning as I pulled each item out of the box.  I was so anxious to have new stuff to play with that I had my order expedited from Stampin' Up!  I thought of it as an early birthday present to myself (my birthday is August 31). 

That's why I'm so late posting today.  You can't get new stuff without playing with it right away, right?  I'm mailing the box full of all of your wonderful birthday cards to my brother tomorrow.  I couldn't send the box without including a birthday card from me, so that's what I made with my new stuff.



This is one of the prints from the new Urban Garden designer series paper.  This is my *favorite* DSP from the catalog.  It has a gorgeous color combination and lots of big flowers.  I was trying to make a masculine card, so I used the simple lines and dots print rather than the flowers. 

Besides DSP, punches are another one of my big weaknesses.  As soon as I saw the Curly Label punch bundle, I knew I had to order it.  I stamped the "best wishes" image and punched it out.  I wanted to layer the punched image so I got creative with my punch.

I punched a piece of Not Quite Navy cardstock and rotated the cardstock 90 degrees.  This gave me a small layer on the top and bottom edge, but not on the sides.

I punched out a second piece of cardstock and cut it in half.

I layered the punched pieces on top of each other...

and then added the "best wishes" piece on top.

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

Stamps: Cute and Curly, All Holidays
Paper: Baja Breeze, Not Quite Navy, Urban Garden DSP
Ink: Not Quite Navy
Accessories: Dimensionals
Punches: Curly Label

Cards for my Brother Group 3

Do you ever tell yourself "if I can just get through ________ then everything will slow down and I'll be caught up"?  I kept telling myself that if I could just get through convention then I'd be good to go.  That has definitely not been the case.  I feel like I'm even busier now than before I left. 

Part of that has to do with all of the house work I needed to catch up on after been gone for several days.  You know that fun, joyful part of motherhood--washing laundry, mopping, cleaning bathrooms, dusting, wiping down walls (my baby can be very artistic while eating).  Yuck!

I was hoping to be caught up and back to my normal stamping schedule yesterday.  I sat down to stamp and realized I had a Control Freak swap that is due this Friday!  By "due" I mean the cards have to be in Lisa's hands by Friday.  Yikes!  I truly thought I had one more week.  So I went to work. 



Here are some of the pieces of my swap cards.  I don't want to show you the finished card yet until after the other swappers in the group receive their cards. So check back next week to see the card. 

Since I'm not showing you my finished card, I thought I'd show you several more cards that I received for my brother. 

I will be announcing the three winners (from a random drawing) on Friday.  Thank you all for supporting my brother!  ~Dannie

New Stampin' Up! catalog

I'm so excited that I get to order from the new Stampin' Up! catalog today!  I've gone through the catalog many times, written a list of what I want to order, and now I'm anxiously waiting until noon (Utah time) to place my first order.  New stamps and accessories--it can't get any better than that!

If you requested a new catalog from me, I mailed them all out on Friday.  If you haven't ordered a new catalog from me but would like to, please let me know (DannieGrvs@hotmail.com) and I'd be happy to send you one (US residents only). 

While I'm waiting I thought I would let you know about some exciting specials from Stampin' Up!.

$99 Starter Kit

 There has never been a better time to join Stampin' Up!  From August 11th to October 11th you can become a Stampin' Up! demonstrator for only $99.  As a Stampin' Up! demonstrator you'll enjoy making money while doing something that you love, getting a discount on all of your purchases, and having support and help from me.  Best of all, you can customize your starter kit!  Click here to read more details.

Never Before Seen Savings

For the first time ever, Stampin' Up! is offering 15% off select new stamp sets from the catalog.  No minimum purchase required!  Click here to read more details.

I'll be back later today with a project to show you.  Be sure to check back!  ~Dannie

Cards for my Brother Group 2

Again, I want to thank those of you who are sending cards for my brother.  I thought I would share a few more of your cards today.  I photographed about 40 cards last night and I tried my best to make sure each of my pictures is labeled correctly.  However, if I've have misspelled your name or written the wrong name on your card, please let me know so I can fix it.



I love the bright colors and stars on Christina's card. 



Isn't this a great patriotic card?  I love it!



I love the layout, colors, and swirls on Janis' card. 



I love the way Karla framed the stamped image in an oval.  I tend to stick with square or rectangle layers, but after seeing this I'll be trying more ovals.



I love all the stars on Kirsten's card.  There are three punched out stars on top of the ribbon too.  They're a little difficult to see in the photo, but in real life they pop right off the card. 



This is another great patriotic card.  I love the stars as accents on the card.



Isn't this a great masculine card?  I tend to struggle with masculine cards.  I may be casing this card in the future!

I love this card by Wilma.  Stamping a scene is one my biggest weaknesses as a stamper.  Yet Wilma did it flawlessly.  Beautiful card Wilma!

I hope you have a fantastic weekend.   I can't wait until Monday when I can order from the new catalog.  Remember, there are only two days left to order out of the current catalog!  Contact me asap if you would like to order anything.  Thanks for stopping by!  ~Dannie

Spoiled!

My friend Debra couldn't attend convention this year so I volunteered to be her convention buddy.  Being the sweet person that she is, she sent me a package of goodies for me to use or enjoy while I was at convention.  I was blown away by everything she sent me.  She spoiled me!



She made this cute 2, 5, 7, 10 box and filled it with Reeses' peanut butter cups.  You'll see that Debra sent me a lot of my favorite types of chocolate. 



I already showed you this darling bag tag that she made for me in another post, but I also wanted to included it with all the other things she made for me.  I love it!



She also made me a business card holder.  I was thrilled to get this because I've never had a business card holder.  I will definitely put this to use.



This is a gift card holder.  Isn't it cute?  She sent me some money to spend on myself at the Momento Mall.  How sweet is that?!



Any guesses what's inside here?  Pull on the ribbon to find...



a whole box of Junior Mints.  Yum!  Another one of my favorites.  I love the way she packaged it because my children have no idea what's inside.  If they found out what it was, the whole box would be gone in less than five minutes.



Debra also included this beautiful covered notepad for me to take notes.  I love the way she used one of the Fresh Cut Notes as a layer rather than just as a card.



This is a covered post-it note pad on a binder ring.  I love all the layers she used on the scalloped circle.  I put this in my purse for when I need to jot down a phone number or some other note.



Check this out--it's a pack of Tic Tacs!  Debra put it together so that I can open the pack of Tic Tacs without taking it out of the packaging.  It's such a clever idea.



I love this package of tissues.  After seeing this I definitely need to buy the Pretty Petals background stamp.  It's so pretty.

This was originally a bottle of trail mix.  It didn't last too long in this house so I had to fill it with something else for the photo.  Debra also sent me a huge bag of peanut butter M&M's so I put them in the container.  Now these won't last long either. 

Debra also sent me a bag of covered peppermint patties.  Another favorite chocolate of mine.

She also included a tube of chapstick covered in designer series paper.  This was packaged together with a bottle of Coconut Lime Verbena hand gel from Bath and Body Works.  I love that scent.

See what I mean?  She absolutely spoiled me!  Thanks for the package Debra and most importantly thank you for your friendship.  ~Dannie

Cards for my Brother Group 1

I can't begin to express my gratitude for all of you kind, generous stampers who have made and sent cards for my brother's birthday (you can read more about it here).  Several of you have sent him more than one card--a birthday card and a thinking of you/thank you card.  How sweet is that?!  Several of you have even sent me some money to help pay for postage.  Thank you so much!  Then to top it off, I've read the messages you've written to my brother and they have brought me to tears.  I cannot wait to send this package to my brother and have it touch his heart the way it has touched mine.

I need to address another question that has been brought up--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.  Besides, I don't think my brother would recognize a Stampin' Up! stamp if it jumped up and bit him.  I love him to death, but stamping is not a common interest that we share!  lol!

I've had many requests to post the pictures of cards that I've received so here's the first batch of cards.



I love the colors that Dixie used to make this card.  It's very pretty yet masculine looking.



I love the lighthouse and color combination that Haylie used on her card.  She also used a cuttlebug embossing folder for the background.   



I love the stamp set Jennifer used on her card.  As soon as I saw this stamp set I purchased it because my brother is in the military.  I've never colored in the flag like she did, I'll have to try that the next time I use it.



Laurie made a waterfall card.  How cute is that?!



Tina made this cute birthday card.  My brother loves dogs so this card is perfect.



Donna made a card along with a folder to put it in.  This is the cover of the folder.



This is the folder open...



and here's the card that's in the folder.  Donna included a note telling me that she's never stamped a card before.  Can you believe it?  Donna, I think you've found your hidden talent because you did a fantastic job on this card.  If this is what you did on your very first card, I can't wait to see what you'll do on your next one! 

I've received over 50 cards for my brother so far and they're still coming in the mail daily.  I'll post small groups of pictures throughout the month so be sure to check back.  If you can, I'd love to have you join in on the fun.  Please be sure to mail your cards by Saturday, August 9th so I can include them in the package.  Thank you so much for making his birthday so special!  ~Dannie

Party Hearty

Today I thought I would give you a sneak peek at another new stamp set coming out in the next catalog.  It's called Party Hearty and it's a wonderful set to use for birthday cards.



I love how the "celebrate you" sentiment works perfectly with our Scalloped Circle punch.  I added a More Mustard scalloped circle behind the sentiment to help it stand out better against the white in the DSP.  I stamped the turquoise flower on white cardstock, punched it out with the 1/2" circle punch, added a More Mustard brad to the center and popped it up on a dimensional.

I love the bright colors in the East Coast Prep DSP that I used on the card.  The DSP is one of the items that is currently on the retiring accessories list for 25% off.  It's available through August 10th or until supplies run out (whichever comes first).  If you'd like some, be sure to contact me as soon as possible to place your order.  Thanks for stopping by!  ~Dannie

Stamps: Party Hearty
Paper: Whisper White, More Mustard, Tempting Turquoise, Real Red, East Coast Prep DSP
Ink: Real Red, Tempting Turquoise
Accessories: More Mustard Brad, Dimensionals, Real Read Wide Grosgrain, Crafters' Tool Kit
Punches: Scalloped Circle, 1/2" Circle, Large and Small Oval