VC Rocks Final Blog Hop of the year.

Welcome to the final blog hop of the season for the VC Rocks' crew!  Another sad reminder that the summer is almost over--I want a re-do!  But although I am sad about my summer coming to a close there is good news too!  And that is the fact that there are 19 stops on this blog hop and the crazy talented members of the group are going to be sharing so many creative ideas with you that your head will be spinning!  The theme of this hop is Punches-Big Shot and Score Board projects.  I believe I used all of those and the MDS too!  So I suggest you find a comfy seat and enjoy the hop.  If you just came here from Jane's Stamp With Jane blog then you are on the right path but if this is your first stop that is great too, you can just keep right on hopping along until you end up right back here--that way you won't miss anything.  And of course if you get lost at any time you can always visit the VC Rocks home page and see the complete list of hoppers along with the links to their blog.  So no worries--just enjoy yourself.

My projects will begin with a few more teacher gifts.  That is the challenge on the Latenightstamper's group for the week and it is so appropriate as my son will be going back to school soon and I never send him empty handed!  I shared a few projects with you already in the previous post so if you missed those you might want to come on back after the hop and see them.

The first project is using the score board, bigshot and the MDS program.  It is a simple 2/4/6/8 box that is full of pencils for my son's teacher.  You know that is something that a teacher can never have too many of.  I decorated the box with a scallop cut on my big shot with the Tasteful Trim Bigz Die, then I added a cute saying created on the MDS to the front and finished it off with a tag cut from the Two Tags die.  Simple, fast and practical!  Score one for me!

 The next project also using the the score board, bigshot and the MDS program.  This one needs you to use just a tiny bit of imagination because it is supposed to be filled with homemade cookies but since my son does not go back to school until September 6th I thought I better wait a bit before I baked them, lol!  So use your imagination and pretend this cute box is filled with delicious homemade chocolate chip cookies--I can smell them already!

Again it is another simple box but I cut a window in it using the Apothecary Accents Framelits and the big shot.  The saying was done on MDS!  Again, quick, cute and this time yummy!

The final project is a big one for me.  Our church is hosting it's second annual women's retreat in September and these will be used there.  Again you may need a bit of imagination here--sorry.  They are decorated bags with matching decorated clothes pin magnets.  Last year we did the sweetest thing throughout the retreat.  We took time to write little "love notes" to the other women.  Just little notes saying we were glad to meet them, or that we enjoyed spending time with them or that they inspired us or any other little thing you could think of to lift up and encourage our sisters in Christ.  The bags that we used to hold the heart shaped pieces of paper with the notes on them kept falling over and it was difficult to find the right bag to put the notes into--each bag has someones name on it.  So I thought it would be fun to decorate the bags and hang them on a clothes line with matching decorated clothes pin magnets that the ladies can keep and use after the retreat as a reminder.  Hope this makes sense-Here is an individual bag--there will be names on each bag by the flowers.

And here a few of them hanging on a "line".  I still have a bunch more to make but they fit this theme well since I used punches for the flowers and the big shot for the butterflies on the magnets!

Each bag will be the same layout and design they will just use different colors and designs--I am using some of my retired DP that I have way way way too much of, lol!  I hope you enjoyed my project for this hop.  Now you can jump on over to see what the talented Barb Furlong has in store for us on her blog!

Thanks so much for stopping by! Mary Jo

VC Rocks Blog Hop

Hostess gifts--that is the theme of our blog hop for this month!  I am the first stop and I am running late--seems to be the theme of the month.  Sorry guys--do not recall signing up for this one but must of.  So you are in luck!  You are about to check out some awesome ideas for non-card items and I know you will love them all!  Here is my sample for this hop--it is actually a gift for my roomie box (virtural rooming for our virtual convention).  It is not my only 3d item so it is ok if she sees it.  I know that she loves crosses so I thought this would be a fun project for a gift for her.

This project began as a really ugly chalkboard that I got on clearance somewhere.

I just altered it.  I altered another one like it for the last blog hop HERE.  What a fun and great project for only a few pennies.  Love it--hope you do too.

Now enjoy the rest of the hop!  I know it will be awesome--I am on my way to hop through too!  See ya there

Mary Jo

VC_Rocks Blog Hop--Theme is Any Size Card

Yea, I just got done watching Nik Wallenda make history and walk across the Niagara Falls on a tight rope!  All I can say is that for those of you who have never seen or experienced the Falls in person--this was incredible.  It did not look as scary on TV as it really is.  I have lived near the Niagara Falls all my life and have been there hundreds of times and I am always in awe of the power and beauty of it.  Amazing that he did it.  I loved that he prayed most of the way across!  

So I know you are probably here to check out my stop on the blog hop!  I love doing these bog hops with the talented VC_Rocks crew.  This month the theme is any size card--so I stuck with the standard size--choose a stamp set I have not used yet and made three cards to share with you.  I hope you enjoy the hop.  If you came from Brenda Hugar's awesome blog  Brenda's Stamping Corner .  then you are moving right along in the right direction!  I am stop number three for this hop.  If you get lost at any time you can just jump back to the VC_Rocks home blog and see where you got off track.  Otherwise, grab a cup of your favorite beverage and enjoy the hop.

My stamp set of choice is the Aviary Stamp set.

  

Such a fun set--I am not sure why I waited so long to get it.  But now I have it and I have three cards to share with you all using this great set!

My first card is showing off some brand new dsp and the new in colors!

This card is also using the new in colors and the same dp pack as the card above.  Don't you think the new colors are so fun?!

And finally I made this last card using my Technostamper Monday Lunchtime Sketch Challenge 225 for this week! (there is still time to join in the link does not close until Sunday night!) I combined it with my new VC_Rocks room mate's favorite color combo so it can be a card that I will send her!  It is ok if she sees it since it is not the only one I am sending!

I certainly hope you enjoyed my cards.  Have fun on the rest of the hop!
Your next stop is June's Creative Spot.
Click the images below to go forward or backwards!

   

Art with a Heart Blog Hop!

Since I have yet to be able to go to convention due to other commitments during the time it runs, I have started participating in a sort of on-line conventions with some extremely talented and fun gals from Stampin Up!  Our new season has just begun and we are having our first blog hop!  You are going to love it!

I am stop number twelve of thirty!  If you came from Dawn Hoffman's Blog  you are right on track!  If this is your first stop that is ok too, you can just follow along though the hop until you return to me!  Trust me, you will really enjoy it.  If at any time you find yourself lost you can view the entire list of blogs on the VC-Rocks Blog.

The funny thing about this hop is that I almost forgot about it entirely.  After dinner I came in to check some e-mails and realized I never made my projects for the hop!  Whoops!  That would be REALLY bad!  So I rushed down to my studio (dungeon) and got to work.  I have three projects for you and they all came together really quickly which made for a fun few hours of stamping!

Remember all of the samples will have a heart on them, since that is the theme of the hop

Art with a Heart!

My first sample for you is a sneak peak at the new in colors for 2012-14..  I thought it would be fun to add all five colors to one card--and of course I had to add a heart or two!

You are going to love the new colors..

Primrose Petals, Summer Starfruit, Midnight Muse, Raspberry Ripple, and Gumball Green

Aren't they so fun together.  I also used the Hearts Collection Framelits Dies along with the P.S. I love you and Loving Thoughts stamp sets.

Next up is a fun chalkboard for my studio!  I am so loving -- this look really close at the words that are in the heart--so fun!  I love the colors too--blues and grey!

Here is a close up of the heart...

This is what the chalk board looked like at the beginning.  I bought it for $1 a long time ago and never did anything with it. Actually I bought six or seven of them thinking they would make a cute club project.  I am glad to finally pull one out and alter it. 

And finally I made this darling little box to hold two of my favorite things--Chocolate and Daisies!  I love it!  I used the Hearts Collection Framelits Dies again for this project.

I sure hope you enjoyed my projects for this blog hop!  I know I had fun making them.  Have fun on the rest of the hop--remember to be kind and leave comments!

    

 Happy Hopping!
Mary Jo

VC_Rocks Blog Hop

This month's blog hop is anything but a card.  Should be a super fun one to check out.  I am sure you will be amazed at the great projects our talented stampers are going to share with you.  Enjoy the tour!  If you get lost along the way you can view the entire list of participants on the VC_Rocks blog by clicking the logo below.

The official start time for the hop is 

10am Eastern Standard Time.

My post was all fun and games.  Don't you just love that!  I truly do love to craft, pretty much any type of craft--the one craft that I want to do but really can not is sewing so I decided to give it a try with the fabric I purchased from the Holiday Mini.  It has been just sitting here calling my name.  I was able to get three projects for one piece--then I spent a little time making a game for my son and I to play at restaurants and such.  That is at the end of the post.  I hope you enjoy my projects today. Let's get started.

First up is a checkbook cover with a matching note pad for my purse.  Be kind on me--I know my stitching is not the straightest--it took me forever to just get the machine threaded, lol! And I was making up the patterns as I went along.  I am actually pretty happy with the results.

Here is the checkbook cover open...

And the note pad open...

Then I had a small strip left so I made myself a necklace!!!

Isn't that fun!  I sewed a strip of material then added small light wooden balls (would have used Styrofoam but only had these).  I added the balls one at a time and tied a knot next to each one.  It was not long enough to reach the back so I had to add some wire wrappings and some chain to the back.  Pretty neat looking in real life.  It don't really match the shirt I have on in the picture but you get the idea--don't you??

All three of the projects were made from one piece of our material.  I also used my flower folds die, a button, ribbon, wooden beads.

Next is a super fun game for my son and I to do when we are bored at restaurants.  It is just like Tic Tac Toe but it is called Cats and Dogs--friends fur ever!

 Here is the tin open...

And  a close up of the game pieces.  I used bottle caps with magnets on them.  We have been having fun with it already!

Well that is all from me today!  I hope you enjoyed my Anything but a card projects.  Click on the images below to be taking to the next blog or you can even go back to the previous one if you need to.  See you soon and enjoy the hop!
Mary Jo