These are the teacher gifts I made for my kid's teachers last year. They were quick and easy to make (which really fitted the bill at the time!) and the teachers seemed to like them too :o)
Since then, I've had lots of requests to run this as a class, but since my class schedule is full, instead I've been running some special Sale-a-Bration Workshops. I've had lots of fun going to people's houses and helping some lovely groups of ladies make this Stylish Tote and matching set of 4 cards and envelopes....and I've got lots more still to do during February and March!
If you live in the Sydney area and think your friends would love a night at your place making this set, here's how it works:
If you live in the Sydney area and think your friends would love a night at your place making this set, here's how it works:
I'll come to your place and provide all the materials. Each guest pays $10. As the Hostess, you can make yours for free, plus you'll receive Hostess Benefits from any sales on the day!
It's a lovely way to catch up with friends, and do something creative at the same time.
My calendar is filling up fast, so let me know if you would like to book a date. I can do weekends, plus weekdays and some weeknights.
It's a lovely way to catch up with friends, and do something creative at the same time.
My calendar is filling up fast, so let me know if you would like to book a date. I can do weekends, plus weekdays and some weeknights.
If you don't live near me, but would still like to make this set, I'm offering it as a Project by Mail. For $120 you'll get the following goodies to complete your project. For this bundle I'm offering shipping and handling FREE, so $120 gets your goodies straight to your door! I'll mail you the instructions separately, with a handmade card from me, to give you some more ideas using Razzle Dazzle :o)
In this bundle, you will recieve:
A6/C6 cards and envelopes (20 cards, 20 envelopes)
'Razzle Dazzle' Stamp Set
4 Classic Inkpads (I used Baja Breeze, Pink Pirouette, Apricot Appeal, and Certainly Celery, but you may substitute any colours you like)
Fine Supernova Glitter (5 colours x 7.1g each)
You'll get FREE The Happy Moments Sale-a-Bration set and the instructions to make the tote and card set, plus a handmade card from me.
Note: To complete the project, you will also need a Black inkpad, White A4 cardstock, Tombow glue and Sticky Strip. I used the Word Window Punch to make a handle for the tote.
I also used The Large Oval Punch, Scallop Oval Punch and some Pink Taffeta ribbon to decorate the tote with a tag. If you would like me to add any of these to your order, just let me know, and I'll give you free shipping on those too :o)
The kids have brand new bedrooms. Amy's is Almost Amethyst (ish!):
And Jacob's is Brocade Blue (sort of!):
They also have their very own bathroom (still awaiting a shower screen):
And downstairs we have a lovely big room, perfect for holding classes, parties, or Open Houses like the one I had yesterday:
Do you like the colour? I wanted neutral, but not beige. It's called "linseed" by Dulux, but I'm calling it Sahara Sand ;o) The "wooden" floors are Vinyl planks, can you believe?! They are quiet, were quick to install, and easy to clean. I'm loving them!
Here's an inside view:
The sideways bookcase holds all my stamps, and Dave cut it down and put it on wheels for me, so I can wheel it out. The bottom levels hold stamps that I'm not currently using (eg Spring Mini sets, not yet retired, Christmas sets, etc). The desk and drawers are from IKEA and is nice and long and deep. The drawers hold all my adhesives, tools, wheels, envelopes, and embossing gear. On my desktop the mini office drawers hold small punches, ribbon originals, rub-ons, a few inkpads (Stazon, versamark, encore), re-inkers, wheel cartridges, aquapainters and Blender Pens. I have my inkpad caddy next to that. A rack (from IKEA) holds my most-used punches (circles and ovals). I have a caddy to hold Stampin' Scrub, mist, bone folders, scissors, sanding blocks and stamp-a-ma-jig, and my Stack and Store carousel is next to that.
I also keep my workshop tote there, plus a basket that holds outgoing customer orders. On top of the filing cabinets I have 12x12 paper storage units, which I bought on Ebay, and they fit perfectly. I've never had my papers so accessible before, but now I can see exactly what I've got, and use it :o) In the corner are my drawers from Howard's Storage that hold all the cut-up cardstock for classes. I can have a drawer for each class, and keep them totally organised. Dave is going to build me a new punch rack that fits on the wall under the stairs. At the moment the rack is resting on the floor. Coco has his doggie bed right next to my desk, where he can keep an eye on things.
The kids are a bit distressed that there's nothing under there for them yet. Until the floors are done on Monday and Tuesday, I can't really wrap anything, as we'll be shuffling things all over the house. I think I'll be doing a marathon wrapping session in the wee hours of Christmas Eve!
I LOVE this new Polka Dot ribbon! The Chit Chat Rub-ons make a really quick and easy greeting too.
It's really easy to dye the chipboard using an inkpad and sponge dauber. I punched out the star with the Large Star Punch, and added some fun buttons too. The Tombow glue does a great job of sticking it all on.
I can't believe she's off to High school next year! *sigh* ...excuse me while I go and have a little quiet cry
The kids said it looks like it's all wrapped up for Christmas!
That photo has been taken from the rumpus room, and you can see the kid's bedroom doors and the bathroom door.
I wish I had the time (and the video camera!) to do a tutorial for you, but since I have neither, fortunately some other SU! demos have done all the work for me :o)
And inside is....
And the peek-a-boo surprise inside:
I've used Baja Breeze, Close to Cocoa and Not Quite Navy, and coloured on Watercolour paper using Blender Pens and inkpads. I've made the wings and the inner part of the sentiment glossy using Crystal Effects. I've stamped a small flower from the (NEW!) "Razzle Dazzle" set in the background, and the 'friendship' sentiment is from the (NEW!)"For Everything" set. I've layered it on a Designer Label that I cut in half to make narrower. Lots of sponging on this one, and I also crumpled the Not Quite Navy piece and then sponged the creases to give it more texture.
I've used the very pretty (NEW!)"Razzle Dazzle" set for my main image. I inked up the whole image in Pink Pirouette and then used a Pretty in Pink and Regal Rose marker to highlight parts of it. I made the large circle with the (NEW!) Circle Scissor (love, love, love this tool!) and sponged around it. The sentiment is also from "Razzle Dazzle" and I stamped in Chocolate Chip ink onto Pink Pirouette cardstock and punched it out with the Word Window. Isn't the (NEW!) pink ribbon just to die for? It's so soft and luscious. The white patterned border are (NEW!) "Dots and Designs" Rub-Ons. I layered my card on Kraft cardstock, just to take away from the 'pink-ness' a bit!
I had lots of fun making this one....and I used all Bold Brights colours! Real Red, Tempting Turquoise and Yoyo Yellow *shock!* I've used the (NEW!) "Something Sweet" set to make a gumball machine, and filled it with mini m&ms. This set co-ordinates with (NEW!)Sweet Treat Cups and the (NEW!) 1 3/4" Circle Punch! There are lots of little details on here - a small (NEW!) silver grommet on the gumball machine, and the (NEW!) ribbon has pretty white polka dots on the other side, but I've used the plain side, which just has stitching. The greeting is a (NEW!) "Chit Chat" Rub-on. Here's a close-up pic:
The 'arrow' has been made from a large and small photo corner punch with the ends trimmed off. I didn't want him to have to destroy the card to get at the m&ms, so I made it a slider. 
And this is what it looks like inside:
When the m&ms are gone, he can still use the slider to reveal the greeting and stamped gum-balls inside.
This is what it looks like from the side:
And inside:
And this is the set of (NEW!) Scallop Notes:
These are so cute, and the perfect size for a little gift card. They come in a mixed pack of Baja Breeze, Pink Pirouette and Chocolate Chip, with Very Vanilla envelopes. Mine all have a punched window on the front, and since the (NEW!)"I {heart} hearts" set co-ordinates with the 2 heart punches, this came together so quickly. I'm thinking this would make a great class in February, or I could do it as a workshop for a group of people at your house...
That all got knocked down on Thursday morning. I must say that I'm glad last week is over! We were away all last weekend, so I had 3 days to completely empty Amy's Room, my Craft room and our Dining Room. I originally thought I would have until Monday (today), but things progressed faster than I had anticipated! Thank goodness my Mum came and helped pack boxes, Dad came to help disassemble and re-assemble Amy's furniture in Jacob's room (it wouldn't fit through the doorways and down the hall), and Mum also had the kids for 2 nights so we could work until the wee hours doing it all. Dave has had an average of 12 school formals per day to decorate over the past few weeks, so he has hardly been here at all, and I still had classes last week too....madness!
That's our bed at the bottom of the pic, so my craft desk is literally 1 metre from where I sleep. I have been banned from any insomniac stamping though! The desk is much smaller than I'm used to, so I'm having to be a very tidy stamper and clean up as I go!
I've seen a few Santas around, so I had a basic idea in my head, and then I just played around with punched shapes until I came up with one that I was happy with!
We're getting lots of lovely debris drifting through the bathroom fans, downlights and skylights so already there is dust everywhere. It's exciting though! At the end of all this there will be 2 kids rooms, a rumpus room and bathroom upstairs and a big open Craft area (that will also serve as our dining room) downstairs. The aim is to have downstairs done by Christmas so we can paint in January. Upstairs will be to lock-up stage by Christmas, and work will resume on that in late January. In the meantime, the kids are sharing a room...lucky they get on well!
For two of these cards, I have hand-drawn the string, using a Basic Grey marker (not as stark as black) and a ruler, and for the other one, I used the 'string' stamp in the set. The swirls are from Baroque Motifs, and the 'Season's Greetings' is from Many Merry Messages. It's a Christmas greeting set that I have used to death. It has handy Christmas greetings that can be used both for the front of cards, and for a verse inside as well. I've found it to be a very worthwhile investment. 
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