I saw this cute easel note box on the January Control Freak's blog hop and just had to try making one.  It was so easy and didn't take long at all to put it together.  Lee Ann Greff has posted a video tutorial on her blog if you want to make one, too!

Welcome to the 15th stop on VC_Rocks July Blog hop!  VC_Rocks is a great group of women who love stamping, scrapbooking, and Stampin' Up!  If you're hopping along in order, you arrived here from Angela's blog.  If not, and you would like to see more of our creativity, continue hopping from the link at the end of this post.  You can also find a list of all the participating blogs on the VC_Rocks blog.
Our theme this month is ABC -- Anything But a Card.  My project is a Card Keeper Portfolio made from a template by Stampin' Up!  These are fun to make and great for giving a set of assorted hand made cards as a gift.  The first photo shows the keeper closed by tying the Very Vanilla ribbon into a bow.  The design on the front was case'd from a card posted on SCS by Janine Tinklenberg.

The next photo shows the card keeper open with a few cards inside.

Supply list:  Nature Walk and Sincere Salutations stamp sets; Very Vanilla, Rich Razzleberry, Marina Mist, and Old Olive card stock; Very Vanilla and Old Olive ribbon; brads; Stampin' Write markers.

Thanks for stopping by.  The next stop on the hop is the blog of Mary Jo Price-Williams.  Enjoy!

A cone made from the Sending Love DSP will hold sweet treats or other goodies for your Valentine. Just be sure to roll it so that nothing falls out the pointy end and use a strong glue or Sticky Strip to hold it together. This one has a few of SU's red and pink corduroy brads as accents.

Happy New Year! If you make New Year resolutions or begin a new year by organizing, this little post it note holder just might come in handy. It was made with the Delicate Dots DSP and ribbon from last year's Sale-a-bration. Tie the ribbon and it's ready to drop into your purse. Use seasonal paper and it makes a great little gift, stocking stuffer, or party favor. My friend Connie (Hi Connie!) substituted a pair of flip flops for the flower and gave one to each woman at their family beach vacation last year. Untie the ribbon and jot down a quick note with the attached pencil.

Speaking of Sale-a-bration, this year's SAB begins on Tuesday, January 5 and runs through March 31. Unfamiliar with SAB? It's a favorite Stampin' Up! annual event with 3 easy ways to get great SU products free. First, for every $50 you spend (before tax and shipping) you receive one item of your choice from the SAB brochure free. Second, host a workshop and if sales are $300 or more (before tax and shipping) chose one free item from the SAB brochure. (This is in addition to all the other great hostess benefits!) Third, become a Stampin' Up! demonstrator during Sale-a-bration and choose a free stamp set from the Idea Book and Catalog. If you haven't received an SAB brochure, let me know and I'll make sure you get one.

January 5th is also the first day to order from the new Occasions mini catalog. I'll show you a project made with one of the new stamp sets in my next post.

Are you finishing up last minute Christmas gifts? If so, here's one you can do in a hurry. Pick up some tumbled tiles at your local home improvement store to make a set of coasters. Stamp with StazOn ink and if you do any coloring, use permanent markers. I like to cover the back with cork cut from a sheet of rolled cork you can find at your local craft store.

Another fun item to make this time of year is a coaster calendar. I use the heavy chipboard coasters that are available at your local dollar store 6 for $1. Cover them with cardstock or DSP, embellish, add a small calendar and your finished. You can also add a thin self-adhesive magnetic strip to the back and it becomes a refrigerator magnet! The yellow one was dry embossed then sanded lightly so the embossed image would stand out on the patterned paper. The one below I used the retired Weathered background stamp and Old Olive ink on Whisper White cardstock to create the background. The Upsy Daisy stamp and more Old Olive ink were used to stamp the flower image. I matted the calendar on Old Olive cardstock, glued it on and added the riboon.

If you have a Big Shot, you can create all sorts of little gifts. This key ring was made by gluing DSP on both sides of a thick piece of chipboard and cutting it out with my Big Shot. Add some embellishments, a few coats of Crystal Effects or Modge Podge to protect it, a key ring, and you're finished.

There are so many things that can be stamped besides cards. It is common knowledge among stampers that some of us will stamp anything that doesn't move! I don't think that describes me but I do hope to share with you a few non-card items that you might want to make for Christmas gifts. One of my favorite things to make is Christmas ornaments. My sister Sarah and I have been exchanging handmade ornaments for many, many years. The ornament below was made with the Changing Seasons retired stamp set to create the snowy scene inside. I've also made them with Santas, snowmen, candle stamps and more. Any image that will fit inside the ornament could be used. These make great gifts but you'll probably want to make an extra to keep for your own tree!