Valentines Swap

I know, I know... Valentines Day is over and it's time to move on... but I promise this will be my last post covered in pinks and hearts!

I've been just dying to show you pictures from the Valentines Card Swap I participated in, hosted by two lovely gals and friends o mine Angie and Sarah.

Note:  To me this swap is extra fun because when I say "friends o mine" I truly mean it.  I know Angie in "real life" and have done for four years now... we worked together and she helped me through one of the toughest parts of my life.  When she lived in Michigan we had a terrible time trying to squeeze in time to get together...we're such busy people!  Now that she's moved to Kansas I think we've grown *closer* in large part due to our blogging.  And Sarah... Sarah is Angie's BFF (I feel like I'm talking about BFF's a lot lately... I don't even like the term... but it's quick to type!) and lives, get this, just a few blocks from me.  We've never met in real life, but have got to know each other through Angie and our blogs.  I'm thinking she and I need to do lunch soon!  Look at how crazy this blogging community is - defining both in-person and long-distance relationships all over the place!

I had a great time designing some cards for the swap.  I think they have a little bit of a vintage-y feel... not as "cutesy" as my style tends to generally be.  Plus I loved using this particular fold...

  

 

And of course I got some lovely and creative Valentines in the mail in return.  This photo card is by Rebecca... you should check out her Etsy shop.  Beautiful things!

This little Valentine (love the quote!) came from Ally... (no blog info... so if you're out there let me know so I can link to you!)

This Valentine from Michelle of Slightly Domesticated makes me yearn for elementary school days!  Wouldn't a variation of this be a great way to preserve the Valentines that your little one got from school this year?  A laminated collage so that you could see both sides of the Valentines?  You could even make it scrapbook size to fit into his/her memory book.  Love!

And this card has Angie written all over it.  I would have known it was from her even if I didn't recognize the return address or read her note.  She has such a unique style with great attention to detail.

This is the first swap I've done in awhile... they're so fun!  I've got some ideas floating around for a Spring swap later this year.  What do you think, readers... are you up for participating in a little crafty swap, too??

The Valentines I Couldn't Show Until Now... part 2

I love celebrating the holidays with our close family friends and their kids.  I'm the honorary aunt to my BFF Heather's kids, and I always enjoy putting together some small treats for her kids, my nieces Mariah and Lily and my nephew Anthony.

Here's Anthony's Valentines.  He got more candy than the girls... because he's harder to shop for!  I do love the little M&M guy, though!  He also got a sun catcher and some of those crazy little things you put in water and they grow?  Those even amuse ME!  : )

 

You probably remember me showing you on of the fabric drawstring bags I made for the girls...

 

Mariah is quickly heading towards her teenage years, so it's really fun to pick out things for her.  Notice the little LOVE earrings and buttons, and the sparkly stickers.  She is really into all things peace-sign related (what goes around comes around, right?!) so I picked up an iron-on tee-shirt transfer for her that's a peace sign made of hearts.  And of course, you probably remember that little notepad?

  

Because kids shouldn't have all the fun, I made Heather (their mom, my BFF... are you following this?!) a goody bag too.  I filled it with some cupcake accessories since she's my partner in baking crime, some heavenly chocolates, and you can't see well in the picture but the packaged notepad and pen says something along the lines of "I'm only as strong as the coffee I drink and the hairspray I use"  Love it!

  

Lily's bag was the biggest.  She's (almost) two, and I'm hoping she can use it as a toy sack or something afterwards.  I picked her up this cute Valentines-y, cupcake tee from Old Navy.  Adorable!

  

The bag HAD to be big so that it could hold this friend... remember Ruby Bear?  (I love how I titled that post "Ruby Bear Part 1" and part 2 never came!!!)

  

Yup, I finally finished Ruby!  She's not perfect - but she's one of the ONLY things I've ever knit that isn't a scarf!  And although her features aren't perfect, and my increases are too loose, and she's a little fuzzy because the yarn has some acrylic in it... I think she has a certain charm, don't you agree?

 

And finally... I received a little gift of my own in the mail this weekend.  I won a contest last week over at Marie's place (I never win anything!  Yikes!) and got this little bundle of love sent to me.  Thanks, Marie!  And check out the darling stamped tag... a woman after my own heart I swear!  : )

 

Happy Valentines Day, friends!  

The Valentines I Couldn't Show Until Now... part 1

The funny thing about all of this Valentines-y stuff, is that I used to HATE Valentines Day.  Now that I'm married though as silly as the actual concept of Valentines Day may actually be, I find it all quite endearing.  Plus I think it's just one more day to show your loved ones you care.

  I wanted to share with you the Valentines card I made for hubs.  I'll be completely honest here, I'm terrible at hand-making "masculine" cards - and nine times out of ten I actually BUY cards for the men in my life rather than make them (gasp!)  But this year for Valentines Day I had an idea...

Simple on the outside...

  

Party on the inside!  

  

Sensitive, lovely party that is!

The photo on your far left is from Halloween last year... we went trick or treating with some close friends and their kids.  The close up shot is from our wedding anniversary trip to Mackinac Island.  The second photo from your right was taken on my birthday last year.  And the photo on the far right is us at the American Cancer Society's Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk that we participate in each year.

How did you tell your other half that you love them this Valentines Day?

 

Last Minute Valentines Cards

I'm sharing a few last-minute Valentines card ideas with you today.  I hope that you enjoy!

This is the card I sent out to my friends and family, and some of my Stampin' Up! customers.  I think it's super cute, but boy was it time consuming when I sat down to make 15 of them!  LOTS of punching and sticking!  Note to self... always remember to keep it simple when making cards in large quantities!

 

Stampin' Up! supplies used:  Sending Love Specialty Designer Series Paper, Chocolate Chip Cardstock, Very Vanilla Cardstock, Real Red Cardstock, Pretty in Pink Cardstock, Chocolate Chip Ink, Pretty in Pink Ink, Love You Much Stamp Set, Heart to Heart Punch, Picture This Stamp Set (Occasions Mini Hostess 2010)

 Here's another idea for a Valentine card... think pink!

Stampin' Up! supplies used:  Melon Mambo cardstock, Whisper White cardstock, Pretty in Pink cardstock, Pretty in Pink satin ribbon, Melon Mambo ink, Pretty in Pink ink, Love You Much stamp set, Picture This stamp set, Aqua Painter

I'm lovin' the simplicity of this card.  Maybe this is what I should have made en masse?!

Stampin' Up! supplies used:  Very Vanilla cardstock, Real Red cardstock, Real Red satin ribbon, 1 3/8 circle punch, scallop circle punch, Real Red ink, Love You Much stamp set, Picture This stamp set, Heart to Heart punch.

And a side note about organization, before I leave you for the day.  I purchased this little tote recently from my local Hobby Lobby for $1.99 (regular price!) and it has been the single most useful thing I think I've ever bought.  I can pack it full of whatever project I'm working on and take it up and down the stairs, or as was the case in this picture, bring it in the car over to a friend's house to work on some cards.  Love it!

WINNER, Card Ideas & February News

Hi there!  How is everyone doing?  It's grey and cold and blah here in Michigan and I get more and more anxious for Spring with every day that passes!  I think that's why I'm enjoying making cards in bright and cheery colors right now... really makes me smile!

But enough of my babbling... are you just dying to find out who won the giveaway?!  Well... the random number generator at random.org chose number 25 of 36 entries which is...

Abby!  (AVinNYC)

Hooray!  Congratulations!  Send me an e-mail and we'll get your colors picked out and your Stampin' Up! goodies on their way to you.  I hope that you enjoy them!  And thanks again, everyone, for entering... I've decided to work regular giveaways into my posts here at Ready, Set, Craft... so check back regularly for more chances to win!

Now, back to business!  Today I wanted to share a few card ideas with you as well as my February Stampin' Up! News.  I have so many stamping projects going on right now!

Here's a sweet birthday card that I made this week.  I was inspired by a similar card recently sent to me by my friend and customer, Cindy, and by a card I received when I was new to Stampin' Up! by my upline Kristen. 

 

I love that the card opens out to reveal the birthday message.  I used the same happy birthday greeting as I did on these cards.  It's from the "Happy Moments" Sale-A-Bration yet and has proved to be very useful!  The cupcake is from one of our 2009-10 hostess sets called "Out of the Box."

 

With Valentines Day fast approaching, I feel like I'm making Valentines cards and treats every day!  I've been working on cards for this swap (not pictured... I'm not ruining the surprise!), making cards for friends and family, and prepping for Friday's Valentines Stamp A Stack.

For those of you local to Michigan, my Valentines Stamp A Stack is this Friday (Feb 5) from 7-9pm at my home.  For just $10 a person you'll make 8 cards in four unique designs - all supplies included!  Drop me an e-mail (joanneroehm@yahoo.com) to get registered.  All skill levels welcome!  Here are a couple of the cards we'll be making...

And if you can't make the Valentines Stamp A Stack, I'll be hosting another get together on Friday February 26.  It's the first of my monthly Stamp & Crop's!  Stamp & Crop takes place on the 4th Friday of every month from 7-10pm at my home.  Bring whatever projects you're working on and enjoy social time while you create!  Plus, get ideas, inspiration, and tips from other stampers and crafters!  Everyone is welcome - just drop me a line to let me know you're coming!

Don't forget that Stampin' Up's Sale-A-Bration continues through March 31!  When you spend $50 of SU merchandise during SAB, you'll receive a FREE item from the SAB catalog (check it out on the right).  And there's no limit!  For every $50 you spend, you can select another FREE SAB item!

And finally, if you're looking to stock up on some Valentines stamps and want to help out the folks in Haiti at the same time, please take advantage of Stampin' Up!'s promotion to help Haiti:

Haiti Relief 0110 US

To place a Stampin' Up! order, head over to my website.  And feel free to leave a comment or drop me an e-mail if you have any questions about the products!

And if you want to try your hand at one of the cards above, I've listed the products I used below.  I hope everyone is having a great week... thanks for stopping by!

Cupcake Birthday Card:  1 3/8 circle hole punch, Happy Moments stamp set (SAB), Out of the Box stamp set (hostess 2009-10), Pretty in Pink cardstock, Melon Mambo cardstock, Very Vanilla Cardstock, 5/8 inch Grosgrain ribbon in Chocolate Chip, Melon Mambo Stampin' Write, Chocolate Chip Stampin' Write.


I Love You Friend, Card:  Love You Much stamp set, Picture This stamp set, Pretty in Pink stamp pad, Sahara Sand cardstock, Very Vanilla cardstock, Pretty in Pink cardstock, Chocolate Chip cardstock, 5/8 inch grosgrain ribbon in Chocolate Chip, Scallop Trim border punch, Chocolate Chip stamp pad, Heart to Heart punch.

Love You Much Card:  Love You Much stamp set, Sending Love Specialty Designer Series paper, Chocolate Chip cardstock, Real Red cardstock, Eyelet border punch, Pretty in Pink satin ribbon, Aqua Painter, Real Red stamp pad, Chocolate Chip stamp pad.

Cupkins: Valentines Edition!

It's the first Monday of the month - welcome to the February edition of CUPKINS, a collaboration between Meg at Mega•Crafty and I.  Each month, Meg shares a muffin recipe and I share a cupcake recipe with the same theme.  

This month's theme is Valentines Day, naturally!  To see Meg's Valentines muffins, click on the Cupkins logo at the bottom of this post!

(left) Joanne's Chocolate Strawberry Cupcakes and (right) Meg's Strawberry & Chocolate Champagne Muffins

Chocolate Strawberry Cupcakes 

(strawberry filled chocolate cupcakes with sweet strawberry frosting)

To begin, bake your favorite chocolate cupcakes.  My favorite recipe is Martha's one bowl chocolate cupcakes, but if you're stretched for time you can go the easy route as well.  I used these cute cupcake liners by Wilton for my cupcakes...

Once your cupcakes are baked and cooled, grab your Wilton tip 230 and some strawberry jam.  Fill up a piping bag.  Insert the tip into the top of your cupcake and give it a good squeeze to fill it.

Yum!  Filled cupcake goodness!  Set them aside while you work on the frosting.

I used the basic buttercream recipe from the book Hello, Cupcake! with a few tweaks.  Whisk one 13oz container of marshmallow fluff, then add 3 sticks of softened butter gradually, and beat until well combined.  Next, add 1tbsp of strawberry extract, your food coloring and 1 cup of powdered sugar.  Beat until fluffy and set aside.

Next it's time to pipe your chocolate... a la Martha's valentine filagree hearts per her February issue of Living.  I used wax paper to pipe my chocolate on, and then key is to pipe out of the smallest hole possible.  Pipe into hearts... or whatever you like!

Put your chocolate in the freezer for fifteen minutes to set.  Then assemble your cupcakes!

And there you have it, a beautiful and delicious Valentines treat!  Don't they look gorgeous on my new cupcake stand?

 

 

Happy (early) Valentines Day, friends!  Now click on the Cupkins logo to head over to Meg's place!

New Punch Design and a Sweet Valentine! -- UPDATED!

*** Post updated at 3:54PM.  Please scroll down to the very bottom of this post to see how Stampin' Up! is contributing to relief efforts in Haiti***

Hey!  That rhymes!  : )

I've been looking forward to sharing with you some info about Stampin' Up!'s brand new punch design since I started playing around with one of the punches!  I'm loving it! 

Starting with the new 2010 Occasions Mini Catalog and continuing with all new punch designs going forward, Stampin' Up! has adopted a new body style for our punches!  A few features of the new punch style:

• Low-profile, rectangular punch body allows for easier stacking and storing
• Punches lock shut for easier storage and transport
• Dual labels on top and end allow for easy identification and selection when stored
• Available in three sizes: small, medium, and extra-large
• New punches allow for larger punched images and more intricate designs while providing greater ease of use.
• Extra -large punch images also allow for two-step designs like the Two-Step Bird punch in the Occasions Mini Catalog
• Corner punches allow you to punch a corner design along the inside edges of a page, not just corners
• larger, whole-hand handle design provides better leverage for easier use
• Available in an exclusive Stampin' Up! color

I love the extra large Fancy Flower punch and the Pinking Hearts border punch, both from the Occasions Mini Catalog...

And I put together this sweet Valentines Day card* using the small Heart Punch shown above.  It's just $5.95!

 

To order one of our new punches, or for any of your Stampin' Up! needs, head over to my Stampin' Up! Website or e-mail me at joanneroehm@yahoo.com!

*Stampin' Up! products used:  Small Heart Punch, Real Red Cardstock, Sahara Sand Cardstock, Very Vanilla Cardstock, Pretty in Pink Cardstock, Chocolate Chip Ink, 1/2 inch Polka Dot Grosgrain Ribbon in Real Red, Whimsical Words Stamp Set (SAB), Eyelet Border Punch

Stampin' Up! is doing a great thing for Haiti. For each sale of the I (Heart) Hearts stamp set between now and the end of February - the company will donate $2 to the American Red Cross Haiti Relief fund. Congrats and thanks to my customers Heather Hill and Belinda Robinson who already ordered this set. I'll be ordering mine next week. Interested in getting this set and helping relief efforts in Haiti? Just e-mail me.