Simple Songbird Tile

If you're anything like me, you have a lot of pieces for unfinished projects laying around. I have all the best intentions when I order something or make an 'amazing' find in a store. You know what I mean - you get a brilliant flash of inspiration that compels you to 'Add to Cart' the very thing you need to make that project in your head a reality.
Yeah, if you're crafty at all I know it's happened to you at least once.
And then reality hits.

Your perfect idea, your recently purchased 'finishing touch', your blank canvas just sits there staring at you because you either don't have the time or don't make the time to even get started on that brilliant idea that caused you to separate your money from your wallet.
Yeah, you know.

So recently, I discovered a small item - just a drop in the bucket really - and determined to just do something with it.
It's this Chocolate Songbird Decor Element that oh, by the way, retired in the last catalog.

I had a few tiles left over from this project HERE and decided that I could simply rub the decor element piece on to one of them. I added about a yard of the Marina Mist Striped Grosgrain ribbon in a big floppy bow and called it done.

Now, won't this cute little 6" x 6" tile look lovely sitting on my mantel this spring? Yep, I think so too.

You know, there's a bunch of smaller sized Decor Elements in our catalog this year. A lot of them will fit on a 6" x 6" tile or even a bit larger size. I encourage you to check them out. You can create a similar quick and easy project for your mantel or bookshelf or even as a gift, in just a few minutes.

Promise me something though?
Don't buy it and then stick it on a shelf or in a cabinet or closet.
Just do it.

And hey, if you're looking for a solution to the TIME excuse, map out 4 hours on your calendar this Saturday (2/18 from 10 am - 2 pm) and head on over to my studio for some Open Studio Stamp Time.
You bring your unfinished projects, ideas and your consumable supplies and you can have full access to my tools, stamps, inks and what's left of my pea brain to pick.
I'll have some snacks, drinks and chocolate to keep you going and it's all for just $5. Or Free with a $30 order.
RSVP to let me know you're coming and I'll make sure you have table space especially for you!

Happy stampin!
~~Robin

Place your order for Stampin' Up! Supplies AND Decor Elements at this link here: Robin's Online Stampin' Store
Simply click the SHOP NOW button at the top right corner to get started!

Easy Gift Tiles!

Guess what I'm doing today?

Going Christmas shopping!!
Yes, I'm venturing out into the madness with my friend Lissa, buoyed only by the promise of Chick-fil-A Chick'n-minis for breakfast and the Cheesecake Factory for lunch. Aiyiyi, are we crazy or what?!!

But, it has to be done.
We both have returns - yes, already! And I still have two, count em' TWO things on my list that must be bought AND I discovered last night that I desperately need shirt boxes. Why oh why, do we always throw away the boxes on Christmas morning when we KNOW we're gonna need them next year? Why not just store them in the Christmas Closet with all the other Christmas paraphernalia? They don't take up THAT much room. Sigh....

Anyway, I had a wonderful, quiet day here at home yesterday and I managed to get 7 Christmas gifts made! WooHoo!! I made two sets of boxed cards for two of Emma's coaches and 5 of these fancy, schmancy Decor Elements Tiles.
Here, take a look:

Yeah, I know you wanna say it - Oooh. Aaah! Fancy!!
Yep, and you can't really even see the glittery spray all over them. Oh yeah - glitter!!

Look, these were so super easy!
I used tiles that we had bought at the big blue home improvement store (not the orange one!). They are called Rialto tiles. Simply wash them off and dry them thoroughly.
The design is one section of the Holiday Damask Decor Elements from the Holiday Mini Catalog. I trimmed one out with my Paper Snips and applied it to the clean tile.

Next, I sprayed the whole thing with my own homemade shimmer spritz made with spray hand sanitizer and Champagne Mist Shimmer Paint. Let it dry and it stays put!

Here's a close up:

You can see the shimmer on the tile in the background pretty well here.
To decorate the tile, I wrapped about a yard or so of Old Olive Satin Ribbon around the left edge and tied it up in a pretty bow.
The tag was made with the Merry and Type stamp set. I stamped the greeting in Real Red on Naturals White cardstock and punched it out with the Decorative Label Punch. The edges were sponged with some Old Olive ink and I spritzed it with shimmer mist too.
I punched a small hole in the corner of the tag and threaded it with some Early Espresso Baker's Twine and added a Mini Jingle Bell before tying it off in a bow.

I didn't take a photo of the back, but to hang it, I attached a small sawtooth hanger with Hot Glue.

Super cute and SO easy!!
The best part? This whole project cost less than $3.00 total!
Shhhh! Don't tell on me, ok?

The Holiday Damask Decor Elements are still available in the Holiday Mini Catalog and you get 27 of them for just $29.99!
But, they are only around until January 3rd, so be sure to get them before they are gone.

Also, be sure to get the Stocking Builder Punch if you are still needing it. SU! told us yesterday that it WILL NOT carry over into the next big Idea Book and Catalog and is available now on a While Supplies Last basis! Guess that means that the Stitched Stockings stamp set won't carry over either - just a guess on my part, but it stands to reason, don't ya' think?

Ok, enough chatter - I'm headed out to the craziness that is the Mall. Wish me luck!
You on the other hand can stay home and shop from my Stampin' Up! Website! It won't get here by Christmas, but you're shopping for YOU anyway, right? Ha!
Don't forget, my rewards program applies to any orders of $40 in merchandise from my Online Store!
The punch and the decor elements would earn you more points towards Stampin' rewards!

Stamped blessings,
~~Robin

Place your order for Stampin' Up! supplies at this link here: Robin's Online Stampin' Store
Simply click the SHOP NOW button at the top right corner!

Gilded Stenciled Birthday

Good morning stamping friends! Just one more day until we all share the wonderful traditions of Thanksgiving: eating turkey and stuffing and cranberry sauce, watching football on tv and poring over the Black Friday sale ads as we plot our shoppping routes!
Oh, yes, and get a much needed afternoon nap! That's on my agenda for tomorrow! :)

Today's card share is a one I designed for my Just Cards classes earlier this month. I was inspired to stencil on cardstock by two Christmas cards I'd received in some swaps, so I purchased the Vintage Ornament stencils with the intent of casing them. BUT, when I saw the different stencil layers in the package, I was drawn to this flourish. I thought it would make a gorgeous card all on it's own, so that's where my idea for this card started.

I used Kraft cardstock as my card base and sponged the edges with some Soft Suede ink. It was trimmed up with the Corner Rounder on the bottom corners. Then I put a little Dotto adhesive (removable) on the back of the flourish stencil and placed it on the card front. Using my Sponge Daubers, I sponged Rich Razzleberry ink through the stencil onto the card.
Once I had the color saturation I was happy with, I removed the stencil and rubbed off the Dotto residue. The greeting, from the Sincere Salutations stamp set was stamped in more Soft Suede ink and then I highlighted it with my Paper Piercer and Mat Pack.

Now for the fun part!

I took out my much neglected Versamarker and traced a few parts of the stenciled image with it. Then I heat embossed it with Gold Embossing Powder and the Heat Tool. How cool is that?! I know, it's probably not anything new, but I love the elegance of this card! Even after being a stamper for over 14 years, I still get excited when something turns out so cool!

Two more things for the front of this card - I used my Color Spritzer tool and my Soft Suede marker to add some speckles to the card front. It is finished off with a piece of Chocolate Chip 5/8" Grosgrain Ribbon tied all the way around the card front.

I couldn't leave the inside of the card unfinished, so I added a piece of Very Vanilla cardstock, also sponged and corner rounded. As you can see, I stenciled just a bit of the design in the lower left corner and added a greeting from the Heard From the Heart stamp set.

It's a super simple card with a lot of impact - I was so pleased with how easy it was to do this technique. I'll definitely be doing this again!
Have a wonderful day doing all your prep for the big day tomorrow! If you have time, check back in with me, I'll have my UDI Blog Inspiration Challenge project posted for you to see.
So thankful for you all!
~~Robin

How to Customize and Apply Decor Elements

Yep, it's Monday here too! I hope you all had a great weekend. Did you get any stamping done? I didn't, but I got to spend some much needed time with my parents and my family. But, I started feeling kind of cruddy yesterday afternoon and after doing a stamping presentation for a local women's group this morning, I've spent the rest of the day sleeping on the couch. Say a prayer for me, this feels like it could turn into Bronchitis and that would be awful!

Anyway, back in September, I decorated my little mini netbook computer with Decor Elements and took pictures to do a little tutorial for you. Since I've spent a little time with this computer on my lap today, thought I'd go ahead and post the tutorial for you now.
Lots of you haven't ever tried the Decor Elements and I want to encourage you to do it! They are really a beautiful way to dress up just about any blank surface and it's super easy to do. Believe me, if I can do it without help, then ANYONE can do it.

In the first picture above, you can see that I chose the Baby Decor Element in Pretty In Pink, size small for my project. That photo shows you how it is delivered to you, flat with instructions. The larger size Decor Elements come rolled up in a nice tube so they aren't damaged in shipping.

For Step #1, you need to clean off the surface of what the Decor Element will be applied to. Here I've used some glass cleaner and paper towels.

Step #2 - I've taken my Paper Snips and trimmed out the center of the design - the word "Baby".

That piece I've set aside and will be able to use it on a future project.

Step #3 - Take the Applicator Tool and rub the entire back surface of the Decor Element piece. It's the side with the Grid on it. Be sure and rub every part while resting it on a hard surface. The next step is to peel off the backing and this assures that the vinyl design adheres to the cover piece.

Step #4 - You gently and slowly peel away the backing paper to reveal the Decor Element. If your design has a lot of intricate parts, be sure to go SLOWLY so you don't leave a part behind!
(Can you believe I took this picture with my left hand and was peeling with my right? Yep, I did - amazing stuff there!)

Here is the whole piece revealed! It will be sticky, so be careful not to touch it where you don't want it to stay!

Step #5 - Position the Decor Element Design, sticky side down, on your clean surface. You pretty much get one shot at this, so just go SLOWLY, it will be fine, I promise!

Step #6 - Once you have it positioned and smoothed out, take the Applicator Tool once again and rub all over the design, adhering it to the surface of your object.

Step #7 - You will now peel back the cover paper - Gently and Slowly - magically revealing your gorgeous new Netbook (or whatever you've decorated! :) )

Now, isn't that pretty?!
To do the opposite side of my project, I just repeated Steps #3 - 7 and obtained my final result!

I just LOVE my girly-girl Netbook and I get so many comments on it wherever I use it!

There is a cute picture of me and my friend Tiffany Bauer at Founder's Circle on her blog here with our decorated netbooks out by the pool! Unfortunately, we couldn't get the internet out there, but it was fun trying!

I hope my little tutorial has helped you better understand how COOL the Decor Elements are! They are really a fun product and I can think of tons of ideas to customize some great gifts for Christmas this year! If you want more information, please contact me! I'd love to share with you!
Have a great evening and if I'm feeling better tomorrow, I'll come back on and post something new for you. Right now, it's nap time again........

~~Robin