When I saw a baby carriage party favor on Niki Estes’ blog, I couldn’t wait to re-create it with my Stampin’ Up! supplies. (And be sure to keep scrolling down to see the matching card I created!) Here’s my take on her adorable party favor:

Baby Carriage Party Favor

Niki generously provides a template for this project on her blog – but I’m more of a “dimensions” type of gal. So I downloaded her template and measured out the approximate dimensions of each piece so I didn’t have to cut out the template pieces, trace them, and then cut out each piece from my papers. In case you’re like me and prefer to bypass using the template, I have included the dimensions that I used for each piece.

 
Baby Carriage Party Favor Instructions:

Cut out the following items from Regal Rose cardstock:

• (4) 1-inch circles (using the 1″ circle punch)
• (2) 3 3/8″ circles
• (1) 8 1/8″ x 2 3/8″ rectangle

Cut out the following pieces from Pink Flamingo Designer Series Paper:

• (4) 3/4″ circles (using the 3/4″ circle punch)
• (2) 3″ circles

Cut out a piece from each of the large circles (think Pac-Man shape!).

Adhere your Pink Flamingo circles on top of your matching (larger) Regal Rose circles.

Score 1/4″ in on both of the long sides of your Regal Rose cardstock rectangle. Then cut triangular notches along both edges as shown:

Top Edge is scored with the notches already cut out. Bottom edge is scored with marks showing where my cuts should go.

Now comes the tricky part: adhere the rectangle to the 2 large circles. It was a little difficult to work with these pieces; but here’s how I finally got it to work. First, adhere the middle of the rectangle (the flaps) to the middle of the circle. Then work your way from the middle to the edges as shown:

Top view -- first circle is attached to the rectangle.

When adhering the second large circle, I found it easiest to start on one end and work my way adhering the rectangle around the circle to the other end.

Add a Filigree Designer Brad to each wheel and adhere to the carriage.

Punch a strip of Whisper White cardstock with the Scallop Edge Punch and adhere to the carriage. (You could adhere it to either the inside or the outside of the carriage.)

Stamp “welcome” stamp on a 4 1/8″ long strip of Whisper White cardstock and mat on Regal Rose cardstock. Adhere to the inside of the carriage.

Fill with candy or a small lightweight gift (maybe baby socks?).

Notes:

1. Use Sticky Strip for your adhesive; it really holds the pieces together nicely.
2. Even though I love the “Bliss” candy (and it matched so nicely!) — it was too heavy for these favors. I would suggest using a more lightweight candy – or not filling it quite as full as shown.

 
Baby Carriage Card: 

I wasn’t done working with these adorable baby carriages, so I created a matching card:

Dimensions of the baby carriage pieces:

• (1) 3 1/4″ circle of Regal Rose cardstock
• (1) 3″ circle of Pink Flamingo patterned paper
• (2) 1-inch circles (using the 1″ circle punch) of Regal Rose cardstock
• (2) 3/4″ circles (using the 3/4″ circle punch) of Pink Flamingo patterned paper
• 2″ long strip of Whisper White cardstock, punched with the Scallop Edge punch

 Scallop-edge punch the bottom front flap of a 5 1/2″ x 4 1/4″ Whisper White card. Line the bottom inside flap with a 5 1/2″ x 1″ strip of Regal Rose cardstock. 

Adhere a coordinating piece of Pink Flamingo patterned paper to the top. (I inked the edges with my Regal Rose ink pad first.)

Attach a Filigree Designer Brad to each baby carriage wheel. Adhere your baby carriage on top of the card, as shown. Then stamp your sentiment with Regal Rose ink.

 
Stampin’ Up! Stamping Supplies:

“Warm Words” stamp set
Pink Flamingo Designer Series Paper
Regal Rose and Whisper White cardstock
Scallop Edge Punch
1″ and 3/4″ Circle Punches
Filigree Designer Brads
Regal Rose Classic Ink Pad
Sticky Strip

Warm Words stamp set

Stampin' Up Filigree Brads

Stampin' Up! Pink Flamingo Designer Series Paper

I hope you enjoyed the Special Occasions Blog Tour! Check back next week for more scrapbook pages! After all, it IS National Scrapbooking Month!

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To get your creative juices flowing, I’m going to be posting several scrapbook page layouts over the next few days. These layouts were created with the Sweet Pea Stitched Felt and Designer Series Paper Pack that were available in the Occasions Mini Catalog. Unfortunately these products are no longer available so hopefully you have already ordered them! But don’t worry if you didn’t get your order in…. there are many ways these layouts can be adapted to fit the paper and products you are already have — or products that are available from this year’s Idea Book & Catalog or the new Summer Mini Catalog! I will give you some ideas on what products you could substitute too.

Here’s today’s layout:

Scrapbook Layout with Sweet Pea Felt and Paper

 
There are many options with this layout:

• You can put 6×4 photos in the 6 large squares and save the smaller squares for smaller photos, journalling, or just left “as is”.
• You could use one of the 6×4 squares for your title and/or one for journaling.
• You can use no photos at all… and just add lots of journaling! For example, this page would be a great page to highlight your 5 favorite things about spring.

 
Instructions:

• Cut squares of patterned paper to fill up your 12×12 paper, leaving an evenly-spaced border around the edges of each square.
• Rub a Basic Brown Classic ink pad along the edges of each piece of patterned paper.
• Adhere pieces to 12×12 Whisper White cardstock.
• Glue felt pieces and butterfly punch-out to the layout, overlapping the edges of the patterend paper pieces (to break up the straight lines a bit).
• Add photos, journalling, and/or a title as you see fit!

 
What to do if you don’t have Sweet Pea Designer Series Paper or Stitched Felt:

• Use a different patterned paper pack. For a summer or vacation layout, the new Island Oasis paper from the Summer Mini Catalog would work great! There are also several different paper packs available in the 2009-2010 Idea Book & Catalog. The nice thing about Stampin’ Up!’s paper packs is that all the papers coordinate the other papers in the pack, so you can’t go wrong when trying to match your papers! I like to try to mix stripes with dots — and small prints with large prints.
• Substitute  flowers from the Pretties Kit, Flower Fusion felt flowers or Fleurettes II crocheted flowers for the stitched felt. Or use cut-out stamped images, punches, or die-cut pieces.
• Instead of using Basic Brown to edge your papers, try Basic Black, Chocolate Chip, Going Grey, or any dark coordinating color of your choice.

 
Closeup Images of each page:

Left Side of Scrapbook Layout

Right Side of Scrapbook Layout

Check back tomorrow for another layout!

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Stampin' Up! Fox & Friends Scrapbook Layout

 The Fox & Friends set is so adorable! Inpsired by the Nursery Alphabet Décor Elements, these fun and furry animals are versatile enough to be used for just about any project, ranging from cards, to scrapbooks, to fun 3-D gifts. And the stamp set is available in both wood-mount and clear-mount. Here’s a look at all seven stamps in the set:

Stampin' Up! Fox & Friends Stamp Set

To make my title letters and punched circles stand out, I inked their edges with Chocolate Chip ink. I also adhered the circles to the page with Stampin’ Dimensionals to give them even more “pop”! This definitely was a quick-and-easy layout!

Fox and Friends Scrapbook Page 1

Fox and Friends Scrapbook Page 2

Stampin’ Up! supplies used:
Fox & Friends Stamp Set*
Designer Series Paper: Good Morning Sunshine
Cardstock: Kraft and Whisper White
Classic Ink Pads: Summer Sun, Chocolate Chip, and Garden Green
1-3/4″ Circle Punch
3/16″ Corner Rounder Punch
Sizzix Big Shot
Sizzix Big Shot Bigz Dies: Stampin’ Up! Alphabet Simple Letters
Stampin’ Dimensionals

*Items from the Occasions Mini Catalog (available January 5 – April 30, 2010)

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Can you guess what I recycled to create these gift card holders?

They’re made from… empty toilet paper rolls! I also used up scraps from a couple of my recent projects: Love Notes Mini Mailboxes, Pretty Valentines, and Stamped Gift Bags and Recycled Crayons. Here’s how:
 

Gift Card Envelope #1:

1. Flatten the toilet paper roll as much as you can.

2. Cut a 5″ x 5 1/2″ piece of Pink Flamingo Designer Series paper and punch a scallop border on one of the 5″ sides.

3. Put glue all over one side of the flattened roll and adhere it to your patterned paper, leaving the scalloped edge sticking out past the roll.

4. After the glue dries, put glue all over the second side of the roll and fold the paper up to adhere it to the cardboard.

5. You will have a small flap of paper left. Wrap that around the roll and adhere it so your roll is completely wrapped.

6. Cut small slits into the paper edge on the bottom. Fold them inside the roll. (This will give your bottom edge a nice, finished look.)

7. Close the bottom of your pouch by adhering the bottom edges together with a strip of Sticky Strip.

8. For the inside tag: Cut another piece of pattererned paper to 2 3/8″ x 4 3/8″. Score the top at 3/8″. Fold it down along your score line and adhere it.

9. Punch a 1/8″ hole in the top folded edge and add a ribbon pull with 1/4″ Chocolate Chip grosgrain ribbon. (You can find the instructions for making this knot on yesterday’s post: Stamped Gift Bags and Recycled Crayons.)

10. Adhere the gift card to the tag with removable adhesive and place in your pouch.

11. Now decorate the outside of your gift card holder. Stamp a greeting from the “Three Little Words” stamp set in Basic Black ink on a scrap piece of patterned paper.  Punch it out with the Modern Label Punch. 

12. Ink the edges with a Basic Black Stampin’ Write Marker and adhere it to the pouch. 

Stampin’ Up! Supplies Used:
Stamp Set: Three Little Words
Basic Black Classic Ink Pad
Pink Flamingo Designer Series Patterned Paper
Scallop Edge Punch
Modern Label Punch
Crop-A-Dile (1/8″ punch)
1/4″ Grosgrain Ribbon: Real Red
Basic Black Stampin’ Write Marker
Sticky Strip

*Items from the Occasions Mini Catalog (available January 5 – April 30, 2010)
 

Gift Card Envelope #2:

1. Flatten the toilet paper roll as much as you can.

2. Using one of the fold lines as a guide, cut a straight line all the way through the roll.

3. Trifold the cardboard so you have a small flap on the top. Press hard on the creases.

4. Cut a 5″ x 6″ piece of Sending Love Specialty Designer Series paper.

5. Put glue all over the piece, especially along the edges. Adhere the roll to the center of the paper.

6. Fold in each side and adhere to the roll, folding in the corners.

7. Cut a 4″ x 5″ piece of coordinating patterned paper from the Sending Love Specialty Designer Series pack. Punch each corner with the Corner Rounder Punch. Adhere to the center of the roll.

8. After the glue has dried, re-fold the envelope and hold tightly together, pressing down on the creases. With a Crop-A-Dile, punch a hole through the top flap all the way through the layers to the back of the envelope.

9. Temporarily adhere the gift card to the inside of the envelope with removable adhesive.

10. Close the envelope, thread Chocolate Chip grosgrain ribbon through the holes and tie a bow.

11. Now decorate the outside of your gift card holder. Punch a piece of scrap patterned paper with the Modern Label Punch. Ink the edges with a Chocolate Chip marker and adhere it to the pouch.

12. Punch a piece of scrap Chocolate Chip cardstock with the Small Heart punch. And die-cut a ”U” from Chocolate Chip cardstock. Adhere both to the label punch.

Stampin’ Up! supplies used:
Designer Series Paper: Sending Love Specialty*
Cardstock: Chocolate Chip
Crop-A-Dile
Modern Label Punch
Small Heart Punch*
3/16″ Corner Rounder Punch
1/4″ Grosgrain Ribbon: Chocolate Chip
Big Shot die-cut machine
Sizzlits Decorative Strip Die: Naturally Serif 

*Items from the Occasions Mini Catalog (available January 5 – April 30, 2010)
 

Check back again tomorrow for the last day of the Blog Tour. Tomorrow’s project won’t be a recycled item… but it will definitely be within the spirit of “Going Green”!

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1. create a “new” product by recycling something that would normally go into the trash and
2. create gift packaging made from the scraps from a recent Stampin’ Up! project, instead of throwing them away
    

The Project: Gift bags with “Recycled” Crayons:

With two young children at home, I have more than my fair share of broken crayons! You too? Don’t throw them out; use them to create new ones! Not only will you be wasting less… but your kids will love them too! Here’s how:

1. Remove the paper wrappers from crayons. (Note: From my online research I have learned that for best results you should use Crayola crayons — not a different brand and not the washable kind.) You can use an exacto knife to slice the wrapper open or soak the crayons in warm-hot water for a few minutes and the paper will come off easier. Or… if you’re trying to keep your children busy for awhile, have them work on removing the papers on their own. (I think my two-year-old loves to remove the crayon papers more than she likes to color!)

2. Heat your oven to 275 degrees F.

3. Break or cut the crayons into pieces 1/2″ – 1″ long.

4. Spray a silicone mold with non-stick spray (e.g. Pam). I used a heart-shaped Wilton mold.

5. Put the mold on a sheet pan to make it easier to transport to and from the oven — and also to catch any spills.

5. Put the crayon pieces in the silicone mold. Make sure to use at least enough crayon pieces so that the bottom is covered. For small hands (like my 2-year-old’s), the crayons are easier to hold on to if they’re not too thick; so I only filled the molds half-full. For larger hands (like my 7-year-old’s), I filled the molds so they were almost overflowing.

6. Place the mold and sheet pan in your preheated oven and bake until the crayons melt (about 10 minutes).

7. Set the mold on a cooling rack for 10 minutes, then place in the freezer (or a garage in Wisconsin during winter!) for another 15-25 minutes or until the crayons have re-solidified.

8. When the crayons are cooled and solid, gently push them out of each cup in the silicone mold. 

Now your crayons are as good as (and possibly even better than) new! Your child will have the cutest crayons! These also make great gifts for children to give at Valentine’s Day or throughout the year. Here are some other ideas for  making your crayons:

• Use star-shaped molds for 4th of July
• Use pumpkin-shaped molds for Halloween or Thanksgiving
• Try mixing different shades of the same color
• Swirl greens and browns for a camoflouge crayon
• Add silver and gold crayon pieces to the other colors
• Halfway through baking, add glitter
   

 Now Let’s Work on the Packaging!

1. Cut a 3″ x 6 1/4″ piece of Pink Flamingo Designer Series paper. (Side note: One of the awesome things about Stampin’ Up!’s patterned paper is that it’s double-sided. So not only do you get to pick your favorite side to use… but in projects like this one, where you will see both the front and back side of the paper, you get to see a pattern on both sides of the project!)

2. Score the top of the paper at 1 1/4″ and punch the edge with the Scallop Edge Punch.

3. Place the paper in a small flat cello bag, with the scalloped edge sticking out at the top of the bag.

4. On a scrap piece of Whisper White cardstock, stamp the heart image (from the I {Heart} Hearts stamp set) with Tempting Turquoise ink. 

5. Cut out the heart image, leaving a white border along the image, and adhere to the top of the bag.

6. Put 2 crayon hearts in the bag. Fold over the top flap and punch a hole – making sure to punch low enough on the paper that the hole gets punched through the bag.

7. Cut a small piece of Whisper White grosgrain ribbon. Fold it in half and thread it ends-first through the back side of the bag.

8. Pull the ribbon ends through to the front side, leaving a loop of ribbon in the back.

9. Fold up the ribbon ends and thread them through the loop.

10. Pull up on the ribbon, forming a knot on the top edge of the bag topper.

11. Punch out 2 small hearts and adhere them to the left side of the bag topper.

12. Then outline the hearts with a black journaler and write each child’s name on the right side.

Stampin’ Up! Supplies Used:
Small Flat Cello Bags
“ I {Heart} Hearts” Stamp Set*
Tempting Turquoise Classic Ink Pad
Pink Flamingo Designer Series Patterned Paper
Cardstock: Whisper White and Tempting Turquoise
Scallop Edge Punch
Small Heart Punch*
1/4″ Grosgrain Ribbon: Whisper White
Paper trimmer with scoring blade
Basic Black Stampin’ Write Journaler

*Items from the Occasions Mini Catalog (available January 5 – April 30, 2010)

Make sure to come back tomorrow for my next “Going Green” project! I think you’ll be suprised to see what I recycled next!

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I purchased two sets of the “Tree, Thoughts & Prayers” Decor Elements and cut them apart into branches (instead of using it as a whole tree). I applied the branches to the walls throughout the bathroom.

Next, I covered the bird chipboard pieces with patterned paper. To do this, just trace your shape onto the back side of your paper and then cut it out. Apply glue (I used a glue stick) all over your chipboard piece and adhere your paper.

After it dries, sand the edges if you want a rounded edge. Punch a hole in the paper for the bird’s eye. Then use glue dots to adhere the beak and wing pieces to the body. Finally, adhere the birds to the walls using poster putty!

Stampin’ Up! Supplies Used:
On Board So Tweet Chipboard (birds)
Decor Elements Tree, Thoughts & Prayers – Large – Chocolate (branches)
Decor Elements Nursery Alphabet “O is for Owl” – Taken with Teal
Decor Elements Nursery Alphabet “T is for Turtle” – Old Olive
Pink Flamingo Designer Series Patterned Paper

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(Click on each image to view a larger version of the photo.)

The mailboxes came as plain white boxes - and they were just begging for a make-over!

Because the flag wasn’t easily removable, I had to workaround the base of it. First, I adhered a piece of Sending Love Specialty Designer Series Paper* to the mailbox with Sticky Strip. My favorite paper from the pack has large glittery pink flowers on it. I used that one for my mailbox – and picked a paper without any pink in for my son. (Because according to him, boys don’t like pink.)

Next, I attached ribbon to the front of the mailbox and also to the flag (both with Sticky Strip). I added a piece of white cardstock to each side of the flags (again with Sticky Strip). Then I punched out several hearts from the new Small Heart punch* and adhered them to the papers on the mailbox and the flag.

Finally, I used my Big Shot to cut out ”Love Notes” and I adhered the letters to the mailbox opening.

I LOVE how they turned out — and more importantly, my son did too. We’ve been have a great time passing notes to each other. When the flag is up, it means we have mail! Now we can give and receive love notes throughout the year!

Stampin’ Up! supplies used:
Designer Series Paper: Sending Love Specialty*
Cardstock: Whisper White, Real Red, and Chocolate Chip
1/4″ Grosgrain Ribbon: Whisper White and Chocolate Chip
Punch: Small Heart *
Big Shot die-cut machine
Sizzlits Decorative Strip Dies: Stampin’ Up! Join in the Cheer and Naturally Serif 

*Items from the Occasions Mini Catalog (available January 5 – April 30, 2010)

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I used my new favorite Designer Series Paper: Sending Love Specialty*
It’s double-sided paper that’s glittery on one side. Soooo pretty!

First I added a small strip of Pretty in Pink cardstock to the bottom of my Whisper White card. Then I adhered the patterned paper on top. I cut a slit in the fold of the card and threaded my ribbon through the slit, around the front flap of the card and tied a knot. I stamped my saying at the top. And I finished it by gluing a white halfback pearl on top of one of the flowers.

Here’s a slight variation that uses a rhinestone  brad instead of the pearl:

**If you like the stamp set I used, you can get it for FREE during Sale-A-Bration! It’s one of the stamp sets you can choose for free with your $50 order (or $300 workshop)! Ask me for more details!

Stampin’ Up! supplies used:
Stamp set: Three Little Words
Designer Series Paper: Sending Love Specialty*
Cardstock: Whisper White and Pretty in Pink
Classic Stampin’ Pad: Real Red
1/4″ Grosgrain Ribbon: Pretty in Pink
Circle Fire Rhinestone Brads (Red)
Pretties Kit (white halfback pearls)

*Items from the Occasions Mini Catalog (available January 5 – April 30, 2010)

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Anyway — back to the box!

The box slides open and inside is a matching card (that you can also get a peak of at the top of the box).

The heart is punched out of the Designer Series Paper and then adhered to the card.

Stampin’ Up! supplies used:
Stamp set: Well Scripted*
Clear-Mount Block
Designer Series Paper: Sending Love Specialty*
Cardstock: Whisper White, Real Red and Pretty in Pink
5/8″ Satin Ribbon: Real Red
Punch: Full Heart
Classic Stampin’ Pad: Basic Black

*Items from the Occasions Mini Catalog (available January 5 – April 30, 2010)

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Stampin’ Up! supplies used:
Stamp Set: Vintage Labels
Card Stock: Blush Blossom, Sage Shadow, and Very Vanilla
Nouveau Chic Designer Series paper
Basic Gray Classic Stampin’ Pad
Basic Gray Taffeta ribbon
Clear rhinestone brads
Stampin’ Dimensionals
Scallop Circle punch
1″ Circle punch
1-1/4″ Circle punch
1-3/8″ Circle punch
1-3/4″ Circle punch

Stampin’ Up! supplies used:
Stamp Set: Vintage Labels
Card stock: Basic Black, Brocade Blue, Kraft, and Whisper White
Mini Square envelopes
Basic Black Classic Stampin’ Pad
Brocade Blue Classic Stampin’ Pad
Sahara Sand Classic Stampin’ Pad
Whisper White taffeta ribbon
Stampin’ Dimensionals
Curly Label punch
Scallop Circle punch
Scallop Edge punch
Wide Oval punch

Stampin’ Up! Supplies Used:
Vintage Labels stamp set
Card stock: Kraft, Old Olive, and Whisper White 
Textured Card Stock: Soft Suede
Welcome Neighbor Designer Series paper pad
Close to Cocoa, Old Olive, and Soft Suede Classic Stampin’ Pads
Soft Suede Stampin’ Write marker
Kraft 3/8″ taffeta ribbon
Pretties Kit
Stampin’ Dimensionals
Color Spritzer Tool
paper-piercing tool
Scallop Circle and 1″ Circle punches
Sizzix Big Shot
Fancy Favor Bigz XL die

Stampin’ Up! Supplies Used:
Vintage Labels stamp set
Card Stock: Bashful Blue, Certainly Celery, Kraft, and Whisper White
Welcome Neighbor Designer Series paper pad
On Board So Tweet
Close to Cocoa and Pumpkin Pie Classic Stampin’ Pads
Stampin’ Dimensionals
Boho Blossoms, Curly Label, and My Way punches
hole punch
sewing machine and thread (non-Stampin’ Up! supplies)

All samples provided courtesy of Stampin’ Up!

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