My Original Coffee Cup Holder

Good news! I got pictures of the first drink carrier I made! The wonderful lady who ended up with it at the party took some pictures and got them to me!

So here they are!

There are so many possibilities with this idea, that it’s not even funny!

For this one I put Hershey’s Candy Cane Kisses in both cups and stuck a $5 Starbucks gift card into one of them!

Hopefully you enjoy this one as much as the other one I put up a couple days ago!

-Melissa Buss

Filled With Love

From December 17th through January 24th you can purchase a Filled With Love Bundle on my website!

Filled With Love Bundle Information

or go check out the Flyer:

Filled With Love Bundle Flyer

With the purchase of each bundle, you will receive a package of Bitty Buttons for FREE!

Let me know if you would like to purchase a bundle for yourself!

-Melissa Buss

Ryan’s Teachers Christmas Gifts

I had been invited to a Demonstrator Christmas party and we did a White Elephant gift exchange. Every gift had to have something hand stamped with Stampin’ Up! merchandise. I was looking through all of the blogs that I follow and came across a super cute idea!

Inking Idaho – It’s All About the Gift Wrap

She had a link in her post that showed where she got the idea, and that particular website had a 4 part video tutorial. I watched it and then came up with the most adorable variation and took it to the party with me. The second it was opened, everyone wanted it! Talk about a good feeling! It of course then got stolen twice and the lucky lady that won it, took it home before I could get pictures of it! I am kicking myself now for running out of time to take pictures before I left, but stuff happens. I am hoping to get pictures from her some day, but we’ll see what happens!

Enough with the back story, here’s why we’re here today. I needed gifts for my 4 year old son’s Pre-School teachers. I spent a lot of time at my mother’s house yesterday having her help me put together another absolutely adorable variation and we proceeded to make 4 of them.

My mother had mixed up some home made hot chocolate mix and put it in jars and put labels on them! We then put those jars into cellophane bags and tied them off at the top with a piece of ribbon.

On the other side, I covered disposable coffee cups and filled them with Christmas candies!

I had my son hand them off to the teachers today, and they all absolutely loved it!

Here are some pictures of what we made for those teachers.

Paper: We used Real Red, Baja Breeze and Whisper White card stock, Candy Cane DSP (which is unfortunately not available anymore).

Used the 2” x 1-3/8” Oval punch for the handle.

The die cut we used on the front and the back is the Join In The Cheer Sizzlit Decorative Strip.

Hope you enjoyed seeing what my son’s teachers enjoyed for their Christmas gifts from me this year!

Merry Christmas!

Melissa Buss

Online Spectacular! 9 Days Only!

Hey everyone! This just in! Stampin’ Up! is having a really big Online sale! There is a 4 page flyer of all the great deals going on from now until November 3o! If you click on this image below, you will get sent straight to the list! Or you can go to My Website and click on the Promotions tab at the top and you can see all of the wonderful deals we have going on right now! Don’t miss out!

If you have any questions, please let me know!

Hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Amazing Starter Kit Deal!!

For a very limited time, you can become a Stampin’ Up! Demonstrator for a never seen before low price of $87.50! Starting November 15th and running through the 30th, you can become a demonstrator just like me, for under $100!

Shelli set the goal earlier in the year to share the Stampin' Up! opportunity with 10,000 new US demonstrators before the end of 2010. As of the launch of this promotion, 8443 new US demonstrators have joined. What kind of demonstrator would you like to be - Discount? Hobby with an occasional class or workshop? Business Builder? There is room for every kind. Have questions before you join? E-mail me at MelJBuss@gmail.com !

Joining is so simple. Simply go to my website- www.melissajobuss.stampinup.net, click Start Your Own Business and use password MelissaBuss. I can't wait for you to join my team!

Starter Kit Simply Amazing Flyer

Look forward to hearing from some of you within the next couple of weeks!

-Melissa Buss

Halloween Goodies!

A couple weeks ago I came across a blog that I follow and saw the cutest idea!

Erica Cerwin from PinkBuckarooDesigns.blogspot.com made boxes to put the mini hand sanitizers from Bath & Body Works in!

My friend Pam decorated some boxes in a different way than Erica and I took her ideas and tweaked them around a bit and came up with my own designs for each sanitizer!

My favorite is the Vampire Blood! There is also Bat Bite, Candy Corn, Spider’s Web and Zombie Squad! Here they are!

They were so fun to make! I can’t wait to see what I come up with for the new Christmas ones! Should be fun!

Thanks for looking!

Much love,

Melissa Buss

ABCs of the Perfect Handmade Holiday

Christmas is just around the corner! Don’t wait any longer to start your Christmas Cards!

From October 19th through December 16th, 2010 you can purchase a variety of Holiday Bundles that are perfect for creating holiday cards, beautiful packaging and cherished gifts - all at 20% off!

Flyer 

Bundle List with Pictures

Check out these FABULOUS BUNDLES:

Vintage Christmas Card Bundle
Wood Mount: 124067   $23.92
Clear Mount: 124068    $19.92

Contempo Christmas Card Bundle

Wood Mount: 124071    $20.72

Clear Mount: 124072    $17.52

Tags til Christmas Bundle

Wood Mount: 124077    $38.32

Clear Mount: 124078    $31.92

Gift Packaging Bundle

Wood Mount: 124083    $26.32

Clear Mount: 124084    $19.92

Simply Adorned Gift Bundle

124076    $39.88

Frame Gift Bundle

124075    $19.92

Head on over to my website HERE to order your Bundle today! Buy one for yourself or a friend or family member for a Christmas/Holiday gift!

 

-Melissa Buss

Teacher Gifts

I was cleaning out the cabinets yesterday when I noticed a couple of Crystal Lite containers that had expired lemonade in them, so I tossed the lemonade packets into the trash and decided to make the containers into some gifts for my son’s pre-school teachers.

I’m going to take them in today, and then they can decide if they want to put them on their desks to hold things, or put it out in the room for the kids to play with.

I wrapped the containers in strips of Play Date DSP and a strip of 5/8” Real Red grosgrain ribbon! Here they are!

I used a combination of glue stick and Multi-Purpose Liquid Glue to adhere the DSP to the containers and ran the glue stick over the ribbon and wrapped it around, securing it in the back.

Products used:

Play Date DSP: #117168

5/8” Real Red Grosgrain Ribbon: #109052

Anywhere Glue Stick: #104045

Multi-Purpose Liquid Glue:  #110755

Thanks for looking!

-Melissa Buss

Poppy Purse Card

I received a lot of cards at Convention back in July, which translate into a lot of inspiration. I received one card that someone had used the Top Note Die and folded it to make it look like a purse! Now, I don’t remember who I got this card from, nor do I know where the idea came from, but I wanted to share it with all of you! (If this was your idea, please let me know and I will give due credit.) I changed some things and made some adjustments, and this is the card that I ended up with.

Here is how I made the base of this card:

1. Start with a piece of Poppy Parade card stock cut to 5-1/2”x8”, score at 4” and fold.

2. Cut a piece of Whisper White card stock to 5-1/4”x3-3”4.

3. Sponge around all 4 edges of the Whisper White layer and add a sentiment with the Poppy Parade ink. I used the ‘Thinking of You’ stamp from the Sincere Salutations set.

This is how I finished this card off by making a purse using the Top Note die and Big Shot from Sizzix:

1. Cut a piece of patterned DSP in Poppy Parade at 4”x5” and run it through the Big Shot using the Top Note die.

2. Place the die cut on your paper cutter with one point of the die at the 3” line.

3. Using either a scoring blade or bone folder, score the top note die.

4. Put 3 mini glue dots on the shorter side of the top note die on what will be the flap of the purse.

5. Press down to secure the flap onto the main part of the purse.

6. You will notice that the points of the die cut will be peeking out from the sides of the purse. Flip it over and using your paper snips, snip those off.

7. When you flip the purse back over, it should look like this!

8. Place 4 Stampin’ Dimensionals onto the back of the purse. Place one in each corner and one in the middle. Place a glue dot on both ends of the same side of the Poppy Parade 1/2” Poly-Stitched ribbon and place onto the back of the purse.

9. Flip the purse back over and layer it onto the card.

10. Using the 5-Petal Flower punch, punch 2 flowers out of the Poppy Parade Patterned DSP.

11. Layer the 2 flowers onto each other, and place on to your foam mat from your mat pack.

12. Using your paper piercer, poke a hole directly in the center of your flowers.

13. From a package of the Neutrals 5/16 Inch Brads, place a Chocolate Chip brad into the center of the flowers.

14. Place a Stampin’ Dimensional onto the back of your flowers and place onto the purse to finish the card!

Products used:

Big Shot Die-Cut Machine: #113439

Top Note Originals Die: #113463

Sincere Salutations Stamp Set: #115068

Whisper White card stock: #100730

Poppy Parade card stock: #119793

Poppy Parade Classic Ink: #119782

1/2 Inch Poly Stitched Ribbon in Poppy Parade: #119263

Designer Series Paper In-Color Patterns Stack: #117158

Neutrals 5/16 Inch Brads: #112534

Thanks for looking! To purchase any of the above items, or anything else that you need, head on over HERE to my Stampin’ Up! website. Any questions, email me at MelJBuss@gmail.com or comment below!

-Melissa Buss

Stampin’ Up! Clearance Rack Blitz! Up to 80% Off!

Straight from Stampin’ Up!’s Home Office:

“As you know, the Clearance Rack has been operational for over a year now, and demonstrators and customers alike are finding it a great place to discover discontinued Stampin' Up! merchandise for fantastic prices. Now, from October 5-18, we're adding over two hundred more discontinued items--some at up to 80 percent off--to help us make room in the Distribution Center for new products!”

Things to know about the Clearance Rack Blitz:

Orders for Clearance Rack items can only be placed through the my Online Store. (Just click on Products at the top of the page and Shop Now!)

Qualifying orders are eligible for hostess benefits so if you spend more than $150 you will be eligible for hostess benefits!

All discontinued items are available only while supplies last.

All sales of discontinued items are final.

From ink pads and punches, buttons and brads, chipboard and clips, ribbons and rub-ons, tins and treat boxes, and more - you'll find them all here!
Come see all the new items in the Clearance Rack. Remember...these are all discontinued items and are only available in my Online Store!

Please Note: You can purchase current merchandise along with your Clearance Rack purchases too!!

Happy savings!

-Melissa Buss

French Foliage Birthday

I received this French Foliage stamp set as a thank you for being a Make-n-Take helper at Convention this last July. It is a new stamp set from the Holiday Mini Catalog that launched September 1st and goes through January 3, 2011.I was unsure of it at first, but I have since seen a few adorable things made with it, including a card that a friend and fellow demonstrator made. I changed some things up and made it a bit different and this is what I came up with!

Since the base of the card is Cajun Craze, and a little on the dark side to be writing on the inside of the card, I added a piece of Very Vanilla card stock that I stamped twice with one of the leaf stamps and the inside looks like this!

Here are the supplies that I used for this card:

French Foliage stamp set (#120845 Wood) (#121166 Clear)

Sincere Salutations stamp set (#115068)

Cajun Craze card stock (#119684)

Early Espresso card stock (#119686)

Cajun Craze Stampin’ Pad (#119671)

Early Espresso Stampin’ Pad (#119670)

Very Vanilla 3/8” Taffeta Ribbon (#109071)

Early Espresso 1/8” Taffeta Ribbon (#119959)

Thanks for looking!

Remember-You can always order product directly from me at my website MelissaJoBuss.stampinup.net!

You can also contact me at MelJBuss@gmail.com to book a party or ask any questions that you might have!

Play Date How-To

Covered Jr. Legal Pad Tutorial

1. Cut 2 pieces of Real Red card stock. One at 5-1/2”x8-1/2” and one at 5-1/2”x11”.

2. Score the 5-1/4”x11” piece at 8-1/2” and again at 8-3/4”. Fold on score lines.

3. Place a length of sticky strip to the back of the legal pad at the top, bottom and both sides.

4. Remove the backing from the Sticky Strip and place the top of the Junior Legal Pad at the top of the 5-1/2”x8-1/2” piece of Real Red card stock. (Make sure that it is centered.) And press down.

5. Place a length of sticky strip to the 5-1/2”x11” piece of Real Red card stock above the top crease and another at the very top of the card stock.

6. Remove the backing from the sticky strip and line up the top of the back side of the legal pad on the section of the 8-1/2”x11” with the sticky strip and press down.

7. Cut a piece of the Play Date Designer Series Paper with the numbers to 5”x8” and center it onto the front side of, the now covered, legal pad.

8. Cut a strip of Real Red card stock at 3”x6” and center onto the middle of the DSP.

9. Cut a strip of the brown sheet of DSP at 1-7/8”x4-7/8” and center on to the Real Red card stock.

10. Cut a piece of Whisper White card stock at 2-1/2”x3”. Stamp the deer from the Forest Friends stamp set in Chocolate Chip in the center of the card stock. Sponge the edges.

11. Cut a piece of Pear Pizzazz card stock at 1-3/4”x2”. Using the Scallop Trim Border punch, punch the 1-3/4” side of the card stock. Adhere to the back of the Whisper White card stock at the bottom.

12. Place Stampin’ Dimensionals on all 4 corners of the back of the Whisper White card stock.

13. To finish up the inside, cover up the top section of the legal pad with a strip of DSP measuring 7/8”x5” using sticky strip.

14. Place onto the notebook wherever you think it looks best. I put mine up a little higher just to offset the look a little bit.

For this project I used the following Stampin’ Up! products:

Forest Friends stamp set (#113748)

Play Date DSP (#117168)

Real Red card stock (#102482)

Whisper White card stock (#100730)

Pear Pizzazz card stock (#119795)

Chocolate Chip Classic Ink (#100908)

Scallop Trim Border Punch (#118402)

Stampin’ Dimensionals (#104430)

Sticky Strip (#104294)

Thank you for looking at how I made this adorable notebook cover. If you have any questions feel free to post them in a comment below the post!

Much love,

Melissa Buss