Stylin' Stampin' Squad Blog Hop

Thank you so much for joining us for the September Stylin’ Stampin’ Squad Blog Hop! This month we are focusing on the tools of the stampin’ trade. Specifically, each of our favorite stamping tools. It’s amazing the kinds of tools that have been created to help us along in our paper-crafting addictions. This month’s blog hop will showcase many of the Stampin’ Up! tools that are now available to us in the 2013-2014 Stampin’ Up! Idea Book and Holiday Catalog and even a couple of products that are so new they aren’t in either catalog. We hope you enjoy seeing how we use the old and new tools and are inspired to come up with some great projects of your own.
You should have just left stop number 2 on the Stylin’ Stampin’ Squad blog hop – Pam S. Blog Stampin' in the Sun!  If so, you are in the right spot. If a link doesn’t work or you get off track, you will find the full blog hop lineup below.
I have one tool that I just can't do without in my stamping and that is the Big Shot. Of course I need ink, card stock and stamps but the Big Shot is never far from me when I am crafting and I use it for almost every project. Today I wanted to share a couple of Bigz Dies with you that are fun and great to have in your crafting area. My first project is a card that would work for an Anniversary or just to tell that special someone you are thinking of them. I love the Crazy, Mixed-Up Love Stamp Set and the retro look of the Winter Frost Designer Series Paper Stack just seemed to go with the Lava Lamp. I kept the layout simple and the four smaller circles are all cut from the Circles  #2  Originals Die. You can cut all four at the same time and make for a quick card. I added texture to the Coastal Cabana and Island Indigo Circles with the Big Shot and the Chevron and Argyle Embossing Folders. The Smoky Slate background has been texturized with the Perfect Polka Dots Embossing Folder. The Lava Lamp and sentiment are inked up with the Smoky Slate, Island Indigo and Coastal Cabana Stampin' Write Markers. Since this might be used as an anniversary card I added some bling behind the lava lamp circle with the Silver Glimmer Paper. It adds just the right amount of sparkle to this card.

For my second project I wanted to make a gift box that you could put a little something in. We have a couple of birthday's this month and what a great way to give the gift than in our Decorative Window Gift Box. For this one I added a bow that was made with our new Gift Bow Bigz L Die and the Big Shot. I made the bow out of our Quarterfancy Specialty Designer Series Paper and used Sticky Strip to adhere it together and to the box. The Gift Box Die makes is quick and easy to add bows to your packages as well as cards. I was lucky and won it at Convention. While I had the die out an decided to make another items with it which is project number 3.

I thought I would try and make a flower out the the Gift Bow Die and since I had some orange felt leftover from another project and decided to use it. I cut three of the full bows and four of the half bows then cut each of the loops down the middle and on each side to give you four sections on each loop. I then hot glued it together and added a covered button to the center. I think it turned out cute and can't wait to try it again with Designer Series Paper.

CIRCLES #2 ORIGINALS DIE Price: $15.95

BIG SHOT DIE-CUT MACHINE Price: $99.95 GIFT BOW BIGZ L DIE Price: $32.95

I hope you enjoyed today's projects and that you will continue on along the hop to Dawn's Creative Chalet. I can't wait to see what everyone else has made and I hope you stop by tomorrow when I will have a new card for you that uses the Oval Framelits. Thanks for stopping by, Tonya

Blog Hop Participants:

1. Shellie G. of Craft Smashup
2. Pam S. of Stampin' in the Sun!
3. Tonya B. of Stampin' with Tonya
4. Dawn S. of Dawn's Creative Chalet
5. Darcy J. of DJ's Stampin' Place
6. Pamela W. of Stinky Tofu
7. Kim R. of Stamping with Kim
8. Justin K. of JK Cards
9. Heidi B of Stuck on Stampin'
10. Jennifer B. of NW Stamper
11. Bree R. of Craft-somnia
12. Diana E. of Stampin' Fun with Diana
13. Jennifer C. of Happy 2 Scrap 4 Life
14. Jamie H. of Unique Ink
15. Kristina M. of Mama's Sanity