How beautiful are all the new Stampin Up In Colors? I’m slowly getting all of them. The papers, ribbon and the ink colors all match so perfectly! I made these little altered journals as easy birthday gifts. I found the blank journals at Target. They are so perfect because they included a pen. SUPER CUTE! The front and back are covered in patterned paper and then I added the ribbon to finish the edge. It’s very easy and simple and the results are amazing.As part of the gift set, I created this card. The front is made with patterned paper and chipboard of course! Chipboard is my favorite accessory these days. It’s so easy to customize and create with.For the inside of the card, I used some left over handmade paper I found at one of those little paper stores. I’m sure you can find the papers at an art supply store or Michaels.One of the reasons I thought these journals from Target were so great was because they came with a little pen, so I took the left over paper and ribbon and altered the pen too! I hope this gives you a great little Christmas gift idea.

Monday’s craft project was very limited since I worked all day, I didn’t feel very crafty when I got home. I have seen some interesting techniques out on the blogs I read using rubbing alcohol, glossy paper and reinkers. Like you, I adore Tim Holtz and his work at Ranger, but I wanted to do something on my own too. I love to experiment with my own crazy thoughts to see what happens, so here are the results.

I took some glossy white paper and cut it to 4″x6″ size. I used my embossing powder catch tray, which has now become my chipboard painting tray. I added a few drops of 2 or 3 colors of reinkers and then poured in a cap full of rubbing alcohol. I swirled it around and then placed the paper, glossy side down in the mixture. The first pic is the result. I love the marble effect. I had these vinyl stickers that I got in a kit a million years ago, so I was happy to find a use for them.

I love fall, it’s the one thing I miss about Ohio. The colors, the falling leaves and the crisp air is heavenly! The high today here in Miami is 89, so it’s still summer to me. I think it will cool off soon. In the meantime, I am going to keep creating fall projects and hope that Mother Nature gets the hint!