Martha Stewart Corner-Border Punch Combos

Martha Stewart Crafts started selling their new punches in a "combo" back where you get both the border and corner punch together for a design. Most card makers are used to border punches and have been somewhat luke-warm to the matching corner punch, as it seems somewhat limiting if you continually punch around a piece. However, I started playing with these and liked the effect I got on this card. One of the downsides of using a straight border punch is when you get the the ends of your piece. Unless you cut a piece larger than what you need, it is hard to get the pattern even on both ends. By using the corner punch at the ends with the border punch in the middle, the effect is a very finished look. I was quite pleased with how this turned out. The deer stamp used is by The Cat's Pajama's and the thank you stamp is by Savvy. I added the ribbon to the edge of the border design to finish it off. The patterned paper is by Darcie's Country Folk (now distributed through Art Gone Wild).

Quick treats and bags...

These are some simple treat bags and "boxes" that are perfect for the holidays. The Santa stick and reindeer are made using a triangle box stamp from Inky Antics and the coordinating holiday character clear set. These would make great treats for a school class or little table favors for the kids in the family. There is also a non-holiday set of character faces - including a cat and a dog. The poinsettia bag is a quick little bag with a poinsettia made with the Spellbinders poinsettia die and one of the Cuttlebug embossing folders to add some texture. And who can resist a quick little House Mouse gift tag?

Sneak Peak of the January BOTM from Inky Antics!

This is the new January "Board of the Month" for Inky Antics. It features new mouse designs that we're getting early because of the board program. Jackie at Inky Antics has designed another fun board with some great projects. Check the Stamped Designs website for class dates and times. And remember, if you take the class, you get 20% off the stamp sets used in the class! A great deal!

Large backgrounds from Impression Obsession...

We used the new large background images from Impression Obsession on each of the cards in this picture in our "Rock the Block" class. These cling mount stamps are 5-3/4" square which allows you to cover the front of an A-2 card. In the flower card, we inked the background image with the Adirondack Lights color Cool Peri and then stamped over the colored flower image (which is by Penny Black). The light color is visible on the ivory card but not on the colored image. The bird image is a new image from Serendipity Stamps and is a Tufted Titmouse perched on a branch. And you should all recognize Tilda from Magnolia stamps - this one is Blueberry Tilda.

New Cuttlebug Embossing Folders!

The new holiday Cuttlebug embossing folders arrived a couple weeks ago and have been selling quickly. We still have them all in stock, but they are going quickly and these will likely be similar to other seasonal items and not available after the holidays. Come in quick for the best selection. Some of the new folders are a 5x7" format, perfect for larger cards. As always, they emboss wonderfully.

Kittens in Mittens from Lockhart Stamps

Check out these adorable "kittens in mittens" images from Lockhart Stamp Company! Aren't they just the cutest? If you're a cat fan and looking for some easier holiday cards, these little guys can certainly help you out! There are 3 different stamps - the difference is in the design on the mitten. All are adorable!

Believe it or not - MS Icicle punches are BACK!!!

We have been waiting FOREVER for these to come back and they have finally arrived! I am not certain what the marketing theory is with EK Success and Martha Stewart Crafts, but you cannot order some items "out of season" and you never know if something will come back - or if you'll get any if they do bring it back. We pre-ordered these in April and they finally showed up last week. Get them while they're here - who knows if we will see them again!