Friday, November 17, 2017

Christmas Gift Packaging ideas Stampers By the Dozen November Blog Hop


Looking for great Christmas Gift Packaging ideas? Then you will love Stampers By the Dozen's November blog hop. We are a group of Stampin' Up! demonstrators from around the world, sharing our creativity to help inspire you.

My projects were inspired by the wonderful acetate products that Stampin' Up! has to offer. Let's face it, we are all so busy during the holidays, so we can use all the help we can get. I decided to show you how you can decorate the Acetate Card Boxes (item #144628 Set of 10 boxes $6.50) and the Clear Tiny Treat Boxes (item #141699 16 boxes $7.50). Stampin' Up! does the hard work so we can do the fun part.


Starting with the Acetate Card Box, I used the Holly Textured Embossing Folder (item #141634 $7.50), to emboss the front of the box and add a little texture. I love the elegant look it gives to the acetate box. The belly band was created with a piece of 11" x 2 1/2" Garden Green cardstock that I also embossed with the Holly embossing folder. I then layered a 11" x 2" strip from the Merry Music Specialty Designer Series Paper (item #144623) and lightly sponged it with Old Olive Classic ink along with the embossed edges of the Garden Green cardstock layer. The 7/8" Striped Ribbon is one of my favorites from the Holiday Catalog and I loved how it stepped up the look of the belly band. To finish it off I heat embossed the sentiment from the Snowflakes Sentiments stamp set with Silver embossing powder on Whisper White cardstock and die cut it with the Layering Ovals Framelits. I then layered it on a Lemon Lime Twist Scalloped Oval and attached it to the belly band with dimensionals. For a little extra bling, I added 3 Basic Rhinestones to finish it off.





I love the versatility of the acetate boxes and how easy they are to decorate. In addition to being a great way to package a set of cards and envelopes, these boxes also work well for a sweet treat filled with candy or a stationary set. They can be used for gifts for teachers, neighbors and loved ones for the holidays.


The Clear Tiny Treat Boxes are great for small gifts and so much fun to decorate. I chose to use the Reindeer image from the Seasonal Chums stamp set and I used the coordinating Seasonal Tags Framelits to die cut the image with my Big Shot. I colored the Reindeer with my Stampin' Blend Markers using Light and Dark Crumb Cake for the body, Light and Dark Cherry Cobbler for the Bow and Light and Dark Daffodil Delight for the Bell. I just love how cute he turned out. 


I layered the Reindeer image onto a piece of Lemon Lime Twist cardstock using the Starburst Punch and punched out a circle from Garden Green cardstock using the 2 1/4 " Circle Punch. Using the 3/8" Silver Metallic-Edge Ribbon, I created a simple belly band around the box and attached the image to the box with Glue dots to the front. 


On the opposite side I created the same layers and added a Silver embossed sentiment from the Santa's Suit stamp set on Thick Whisper White cardstock and punched it out with the 1 3/4" Circle Punch. I attached it to the box with Glue Dots. 


These cute little treat boxes are great for small gifts like jewelry such as a pair of earrings or a pendant. You can use them to create an Advent Calendar and put a small treat in each one as you count down to Christmas. They are quick and simple to assemble and can be used for a fun family crafting activity. You are only limited by your imagination (or Pinterest).

Thank you for taking the time to visit my blog and I hope my ideas have inspired you. Now it's time to visit Lyndsay LaRae Carara's blog and see her amazing projects. Just click the button below or if you get lost, visit the blog hop list at the bottom of this post to continue your journey.





Until Next time.
Happy Stampin',
Tricia Butts
Independent Stampin' Up! Demonstrator

Like What you see? Visit My Online Store Here
Visit my Facebook Page



Blog Hop Roll Call


1.       Rachel Pine 
2.       Karie Beglau 
3.       Judi Anderson 
4.       Susan Simpson
5.       Tricia Butts
6.       Lyndsay LaRae Carara
7.       Courtenay Heuston
8.       Tashana Lundy
9.       Carly Middleton
11.   Vicky Thompson  





Wednesday, November 15, 2017

Fall in Love with the New Stamparatus


Hello everyone,

It has been a whirl wind kind of week with the excitement of OnStage Live 2017 and the major announcement that had us all excited was the amazing new Stamparatus. So what is the Stamparatus you might ask? It's a new, revolutionary stamp positioning tool that will get you excited about stamping. This is how Stampin' Up! has described it:

It’s big news when something breaks the mold and changes everything. The Stamparatus will change the way you stamp, and before long, you’ll wonder how you crafted without it!
Why do YOU need one? You’ll fall in love with stamping all over again when you learn everything you can do with it!
  • Make multiples with ease
  • Consistently stamp crisp, clean images
  • If you want a darker impression, apply more ink and restamp—no need to start over
  • Make fewer mistakes, saving time and money
  • Easily create 2-step, 3-step, and 4-step stamped images using reversible plates
  • Develop new and specialized stamping techniques with adjustable stamping plates and precision placement
Watch this video from Stampin' Up! to see the Stamparatus in action:


Are you excited yet?
Need product details?
  • Compatible with Stampin’ Up!’s red rubber and photopolymer stamps
  • Foam mat to use with photopolymer stamps
  • Rulers and gridlines for quick measuring
  • 2 open sides so you can stamp on larger paper
  • 2 reversible plates: a total of 4 surfaces to work with
  • 2 magnets to hold the paper in place
  • Magnet storage areas
  • Retail Price–$49.00 USD 
So now you are probably asking "How do I get one?" 
With the launch of this tool, Stampin' Up! is trying something different: testing a new reservation system. It acts like a true preorder: you reserve your spot and Stampin' Up! guarantees shipment as soon as the product arrives in our warehouse. Demonstrators and customers will place reservations and receive their product at the same time. This system will allow us to get the product to market as soon as possible while avoiding backorders and efficiently managing inventory.
The global launch will feature three reservation windows. For each window, please note the following:
  • Reservation quantities are while supplies last.
  • Limit is 1 tool per customer per reservation window. 
  • Customers may participate in multiple reservation windows.
  • In order to reserve your Stamparatus, you are required to provide your credit card information.
  • Credit cards will not be charged until the Stamparatus ships from our facility. When you close your order, be sure to verify that your credit card and shipping information is correct.
Here are the Reservation Windows available: 

Reservation WindowsAvailable to Ship
November 16–30, 2017Approx. February 1, 2018
December 5–30, 2017Approx. March 19, 2018
January 15–30, 2018
Approx. April 15, 2018     


As you can see, tomorrow is November 16th, the first day to reserve your Stamparatus. You can place your reservation starting at 2pm Mountain Time.  To reserve a Stamparatus, you must have a customer account. To create one, click Create Account on through my Online Store here and click Create an Account in the top left corner.

Click here to view the Customer Q&A PDF with more information to answer your questions.
Here is a step by step tutorial to help you with your reservation.


You can also view the Reservation Tutorial by clicking here

Once you have completed your Reservation, please email to let me know that you have successfully reserved your Stamparatus so that I can add you to my list. You will receive a Thank You gift from me and I will update you on any new information as it becomes available. You can email me by clicking here. Please use Stamparatus Reservation as your Subject. 

I am so excited about this new launch and I can't wait to share new ideas and projects with you in the future. While you are waiting, why not visit my Facebook Page here for regular updates and project ideas. 

Until Next time.
Happy Stampin',
Tricia Butts
Independent Stampin' Up! Demonstrator

Like What you see? Visit My Online Store Here
Visit my Facebook Page




Wednesday, November 8, 2017

Colour Combo Blog Hop November 2017




Welcome to the first Color Combo Blog Hop as we feature projects using this month's color combination of Melon Mambo, Lemon Lime Twist and Night of Navy.  This color combination was something very different for me and I had a lot of fun playing with these colors.


I chose the stamp set, Lovely Inside & Out, because I felt like this color combination would be great using an abstract kind of design. This stamp set has a wonderful variety of images that are great for creating a fun background. Add the sentiment and you have a fun card with a funky kind of feel to it, all using 3 ink pads (Melon Mambo, Lemon Lime Twist and Night of Navy) along with two colors of cardstock (Melon Mambo and Whisper White) and a little bit of embellishment with White embossing powder and Basic Rhinestones colored with the Dark Night of Navy Stampin' Blends Marker. I also embossed the Melon Mambo cardstock layer with the Polka Dot Basics Textured Impressions Embossing folder and sponged it with Melon Mambo Classic ink. 

I hope you have enjoyed my card and I hope this helps inspire you to try out this color combination for your creations. Next we will visit Angelika Perischa's blog to see what she created with this color combination. I hope you enjoy the rest of the blog hop. 

Until Next time.

Happy Stampin',
Tricia Butts
Independent Stampin' Up! Demonstrator

Like What you see? Visit My Online Store Here
Visit my Facebook Page

Friday, November 3, 2017

Global Stamping Friends Blog Hop: Anything But Cards



Welcome to the Global Stamping Friends Blog Hop 15 with our theme of Anything But Cards. This was a big challenge for me as I tend to make just cards, so it was a hard thinking outside my comfort zone.




One of my favorite stamp sets from the Holiday Catalog is the Merry Café stamp set. One of the things I think about with the cooler weather approaching, is having a hot cocoa or apple cider to keep warm on a chilly day. This stamp set has you covered not only for the various holidays but also for your favorite holiday beverages.



A couple of months ago, I spotted a pack of the paper cups with the lids that you can use for hot drinks and bought them thinking they would make a fun project. Fast forward to now and I have used them for this project to show you how with just some paper, ink and stamps, you can decorate these cute cups for the holidays.


The first cup I decorated for the Fall and we all know the craze of Pumpkin Spice Latte is in full swing, so I thought this cute sentiment was perfect. I also used a strip of the Painted Autumn Designer Series Paper to decorate the Early Espresso belly band on the cup. I heat embossed the sentiment with Copper Embossing powder on Very Vanilla cardstock and matted it onto a scalloped circle of Cajun Craze cardstock, all colors from the color palette of the DSP.


The second cup has a Christmas flavor to it, with the traditional red and green theme. I used Cherry Cobbler and Garden Green cardstock with Whisper White for my colors which coordinate with the Be Merry Designer Series Paper I used to embellish the belly band. I heat embossed the sentiment with Silver embossing powder.


I love the traditional colors of Christmas, but this would work well with other combinations for a winter theme using blue tones with the silver embossing or you could use any of the other Designer Series Paper packs available in the Holiday catalog to create a variety of different cup designs. 


I hope you have enjoyed my projects today. Now it is time to visit Lisa Ann Bernard for the next stop on this blog hop. If you get lost along the way, visit the Blog Hop Roll Call below to find your way.

Until Next time.

Happy Stampin',
Tricia Butts
Independent Stampin' Up! Demonstrator

Like What you see? Visit My Online Store Here
Visit my Facebook Page


Roll Call