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Stampin’ Addicts Holiday Catalog Hop Preview

Stampin’ Addicts Holiday Catalog Hop Preview published on 1 Comment on Stampin’ Addicts Holiday Catalog Hop Preview

Starting on Friday, August 17th, the Stampin’ Addicts will be celebrating the Holiday Catalog with a Blog Hop.  I can’t wait to show you my projects but for now I’ll just give you a little sneak peek!

Make sure you come back on Friday to see the reveal and to get the links to the whole hop.  You won’t be disappointed!

 

You can be a Big Shot, too!

You can be a Big Shot, too! published on No Comments on You can be a Big Shot, too!

I am a little late on announcing this (and I am sure many of you already know) but Stampin’ Up is offering an amazing opportunity during the month of October.  If you sign up to be a demonstrator, you get a FREE Big Shot (or $100 worth of SU products).  Wow!  What an amazing special!  The Big Shot is a go-to tool for making your crafting easier and faster than ever.

Just to tempt you further, the talented stampers over at Stampin’ Addicts have put together a Big Shot Blog Hop to show you how to use our many fabulous Big Shot items.  One warning…these people are terrific enablers and you will find things you cannot resist!!  After seeing their work, if you want to sign up for the promotion and become a demonstrator yourself, I will be happy to answer any questions and get you on your way to your free Big Shot!

Click on any of these links to see the Blog Hop projects:

  1. Designer Frames – The Stampin’ Bunny
  2. Leaves #2 – Rubber Redneck
  3. Fancy Favor Die – Sarah’s Ink Spot
  4. Matchbox Die – Rubber Stamping & Cardmaking with Yapha
  5. Box #2 – Add Ink and Stamp
  6. Petite Pocket Die – InkPaperStamps
  7. Bitty Box and Envelope Die – Created by You
  8. Perfect Pennants – Stampin’ with Paula
  9. Blossom Box – Kitty Stamp
  10. Candy Wrapper Die – Stamping Addiction
  11. Milk Carton Die – Lily’s Ink Pad
  12. Petal Cone Die – Heartfelt Inkspiration
  13. Beautiful Butterflies – Miss Mad Stamper
  14. Two Tags Die – Stamp A Little Longer
  15. Buttons #5 Die – Tinkerin’ In Ink
  16. Holiday Stocking Die – Heart’s Delight Cards
  17. Stocking Accents Die – Escape2Stamp
  18. Peek-a-boo Frames Die – Stitchin’ n Stampin’ on Paper

Click in anywhere and then you can hop around the loop.  I hope they have inspired you to become a Big Shot too!

I’m back to stamping today after a bit of a break and should have lots of fun things to post next week.  Can’t wait to see you then!  Thanks for the many comforting words for my family about my kitty.  Your thoughts have been very helpful and I feel so blessed for your kindness.

 

 

Christmas Tree – Two ways

Christmas Tree – Two ways published on 10 Comments on Christmas Tree – Two ways

Have you ever made a card that you like so much that you see other potential in it??  That is how I felt about a card I made for the Stampin’ Addicts Holiday Mini Blog Hop.  I have never given that card a full explanation and I thought you’d like to see its sister card too.

This was the very first card I made with Bright Hopes and it still may be my favorite so far.  I have always loved Always Artichoke and it seems so beautiful when put with Very Vanilla.  I stamped the Christmas tree in Versamark and then embossed with Clear Stampin’ Emboss Powder.  I inked up my Brayer and rolled it across then finished the edges with a little extra sponging.  The bow uses the “potato masher” technique that I showed you in a previous tutorial.  The Always Artichoke layer was attached to the Very Vanilla base and then run through my Big Shot with the Framed Tulips Embossing Folder.  I added some pearls for some extra elegance and popped the stamped layer up on Dimensionals.

You can see that the second card is really exactly the same in most ways.  I did not emboss the tree (although that would be a beautiful addition) but instead added shimmer to the stamped panel.  I created my own Shimmer  Paint spray by adding Champagne Mist Shimmer Paint to regular rubbing alcohol (about 12-15 drops per 1 ounce) and sprayed it on the Naturals Ivory paper.  I created a different style double bow and frayed the ends a bit to match the earthier tones.  I do find that it is particularly hard to photograph any projects made with the Shimmer Paint spray.

This close-up picture gives you a better idea but this is one of those cards that is just prettier in person.  The wonderful thing about the Shimmer Paint spray is that you can add sparkle without it coming off.  Really perfect for the mass production of your Christmas cards!!

I look forward to hearing which of these cards you like better and why.  The second card was for a Stampin’ Addicts swap and you should see the amazing cards I got in return.  What an amazing group!

Thanks for stopping in today!  I hope these inspire you to start thinking about your holiday cards.  Start now and you’ll have them done well before the holiday season!!  Have a great week!

Card 1:  Stamp:  Bright Hopes; Paper:  Always Artichoke, Very Vanilla; Ink:  Versamark; Accessories:  Brayer, Embossing Tool, Clear Stampin’ Emboss Powder, Basic Pearls, Always Artichoke Seam Binding, Big Shot, Framed Tulips Embossing Folder, Dimensionals

Card 2:  Stamp:  Bright Hopes; Paper:  Naturals Ivory, Cherry Cobbler, Early Espresso; Ink:  Early Espresso; Accessories:  Champagne Mist Shimmer Paint, Big Shot, Framed Tulips Embossing Folder, Basic Pearls, Crumb Cake Seam Binding, Dimensionals

All products are Stampin’ Up!

Bright Hopes Gift Box

Bright Hopes Gift Box published on 6 Comments on Bright Hopes Gift Box

Today I am going to show you a little more detail about the Kraft Gift Box project from the Stampin’ Addicts Holiday Mini Blog Hop.  I love these little boxes and you really can’t beat the price!!  To start, I stamped the snowflake from Bright Hopes all around the sides of the box using Soft Suede and then assembled the box per the included instructions.

Next I created a tag using a Naturals Ivory.  I used my Champagne Mist Shimmer paint to create a Shimmer Spray.  All you have to do is fill a travel size spray container with about 1 ounce (half a bottle) of regular rubbing alcohol.  Then add drops of Shimmer Paint until it is as shimmery as you like (I use about 12-15 drops since I want some sparkle).  Shake well before each use.  I recommend you use this where the alcohol will not cause damage, either using the Color Catcher or other protective surface.  Spray your tag and set aside to dry.  Then I stamped with Soft Suede Ink again and Night of Navy.  You can see the sparkle if you click to look close-up but it is much prettier in person!

Next was the ribbon.  I used the Puffy Bow Tutorial from the extraordinarily talented stampers at Stampin’ 411.  I love their challenges but make sure you take some time to peruse their tutorials.  Fantastic information!!  The Denim Jean Ribbon is not quite as easy to cut as the Seam Binding shown in the tutorial but with a little patience you just follow the same instructions.  I left “tails” and attached the bow and tails to the top with Sticky Strip (I wrapped the ends around the lid).  I did the same with a length of ribbon around the box to make it look like a package.  Trim the ribbon to the right length and carefully, really carefully, seal the ends of the ribbon with a lighter so they don’t fray.

This allows you to open the box without having to take anything apart.  Just so you know, the box was perfect for five chocolate chip cookies.  Sadly, the cookies didn’t last much beyond this photo being taken.  My boys were waiting very patiently for me to finish and how could I say no??!!

I’m planning on ordering more packages of these little boxes and using them for all kinds of holiday gifts.  I can’t wait to make more of these bows using all kinds of other ribbon.  Just make sure you tell the Operators thanks for the tutorial and give them credit if you use it!!

I’m off to put some last minute touches on a project for tomorrow.  I look forward to sharing it and some fun news!  See you then!

Stamp:  Bright Hopes; Paper:  Naturals Ivory, Night of Navy; Ink:  Night Of Navy, Soft Suede: Accessories:  Kraft Gift Box, Blue Denim Jean Ribbon, Sticky Strip

All products are Stampin’ Up!

Fork bow tutorial

Fork bow tutorial published on 15 Comments on Fork bow tutorial

As promised in Friday’s post for the Stampin’ Addicts Blog Hop, I am here today with a tutorial on how to make the bow for the wreath card.  Supplies needed:  a salad fork and some Cherry Cobbler Seam Binding.  All pictures can be enlarged by clicking on the photo.

*Disclaimer* – This is in no way an original idea.  I have watched variations of this from very talented stampers and have simply taken pictures to show how I created the bow for my card.

My bow is a “double” bow.  Cut your Seam Binding about 9 inches long.  Start with a tail in front of the fork and then wrap around twice.

When it has been wrapped around twice it should look like the picture above.

Next take the top tail and put it through the center of your fork.  Give a snug pull to get it seated at the bottom of your bow.

In the above picture I had not yet pulled the bottom tail enough (do as I say, not as I photograph  *smile*).  Next take the remaining tail and pull it through the center tines on the top.  How you see it now will be the front of your bow so now is the time to fuss with the center to make it look smooth.

Turn your fork over and tie the two tails together as shown.  You will only make one tie and then pull it as tight as you like to make the front pretty.

Take the bow off the fork and tighten/straighten as needed.  Your bow should now look like the picture above.

Finally, turn the bow over and cut off the tails.  I placed two Mini Glue Dots at the ends of the cut off tails and attached it to the card.  This helps to keep the bow attached securely and keeps the ends from coming loose.

Here is the final card again.  I did use my Stamp-a-ma-jig to line up the border detail on the top and bottom of the card.  The wreath panel is popped up on Dimensionals.

I hope these pictures help you make these cool little bows.  Please let me know if you have any questions about them!  I’ll be back later in the week to show you the bow for the tree card that uses yet another commonly found kitchen utensil.  Tomorrow, I have a fun birthday card for you so come on back by!  Hope you have had a safe weekend and that the storms have not affected you adversely.

Stamp:  Bright Hopes; Paper:  Naturals Ivory, Cherry Cobbler; Ink: Early Espresso; Accessories:  Cherry Cobbler Seam Binding, Mini Glue Dots, Dimensionals, Stamp-a-ma-jig

All products are Stampin’ Up!

 

 

Stampin’ Addicts Holiday Mini Blog Hop

Stampin’ Addicts Holiday Mini Blog Hop published on 25 Comments on Stampin’ Addicts Holiday Mini Blog Hop

PhotobucketWelcome to the Stampin’ Addicts Holiday Mini Blog Hop!!  There is so much about the new Holiday Mini to be excited about and I know your wish list is expanding as you go through this hop.  If you have already been hopping, then you came from Tanya Boser’s Tinkerin’ in Ink with Tanya.  Her projects with Christmas Lodge are just fantastic!  My set today is Bright Hopes.  It was the first “must-have” for me from this set and I’ll bet it will be for you too.  It is versatile and beautiful!  Don’t forget that you can click on any picture to see it with more detail.

My first card uses the wreath and the border stamp from the set.  I love that this card is easy to duplicate but it still has a special feel to it.  The bow is the star of the show and I love how the size matches perfectly with the wreath.  I will be back on Monday with a tutorial on the bow so make sure you come back by!

For my next card, I pulled out the tree from the set.  I knew I wanted a bit of a pop from this so I also got out my brayer.  I embossed the tree onto Very Vanilla paper using Versamark Ink and Clear Stampin’ Emboss Powder.  Then I inked up the brayer with Always Artichoke and rolled it across the tree.  A little sponging on the edges finished up the image panel.  I thought that the Framed Tulips Embossing Folder was a great style match for the tree so I added the embossing to the base.  Finally, some Basic Pearls and the beautiful Always Artichoke Seam Binding were added as the final touch.

My final project for today uses Bright Hopes with the new Kraft Gift Box.  I created a tag with the set and then added some snowflakes to the box itself.  When you look at the close-up picture you can see that the tag has a bit of sparkle.  This comes from Shimmer Paint spray.  The bow is made with the new Blue Denim Jean Ribbon.  More details on the how-to for this box will be available later in the week.

Thanks for stopping in today.  The next stop on the hop is Lisa Young at Add Ink and Stamp.  She has some wonderful projects with Stitched Stockings that you are sure to love!

MDS Shadow Box

MDS Shadow Box published on 5 Comments on MDS Shadow Box

I’m back today with more details on the My Digital Studio shadow box project from the blog hop last weekend.  I did find that getting a good picture of this was hard!  The picture to the left gives a better idea of how much dimension there is.

I started in My Digital Studio (MDS) and pulled up the Up, Up and Away digital stamp.  I played around for a while with the colors and sizes of the balloons until I settled on these.  Daffodil Delight is the focal color since it is the color of my youngest son’s walls in his room.

This page shows the basic layout I came up with (without the balloons) and was used as my page for cutting out the clouds.  I created the clouds with the digital Cloud Punch.  The bigger cloud was augmented with a Circle Punch.  I just added circles until it looked right.  I created another page (not shown) that had only the Basic Black elements on a white background.  I did this by copying the page, deleting the clouds and changing the background color (really fast to do).  This was then printed on Marina Mist card stock.

The next page was just the balloons and some additional elements from Big Top Birthday Embellishments that I thought I might use.  I put the Marina Mist circles behind the balloon baskests so that they would blend into the sky when cut out.  All I had to do with this page was cut the balloons and the elements out.  Once everything was cut out, all I had to do was attach them to the Marina Mist base.  I put some things flat, some up on Dimensionals and the big balloon up on a double layer of Dimensionals.

Once I had everything put together inside, I started working on the outside of the frame.  I took the two Daffodil Delight strips and layered them on top of Real Red Wide Grosgrain Ribbon (retired).  The ends were covered with Marina Mist buttons from the Subtles Designer Button Pack.  I attached all those accessories with my trusty Sticky Strip and was done.

I knew I was on to something when my older son complained that he did not have anything this cool in his room.  Guess what I’ll be making again soon??!!  The great thing is that I can change many of the colors in a flash and have a project that matches his room!!

I’ll be back tomorrow with a new ColorLab Challenge.  I hope your day is great.  Thanks for dropping by!

Stamps:  Digital Up, Up and Away; Paper:  Marina Mist, Whisper White; Accessories:  My Digital Studio, Dimensionals, Subtles Buttons, Real Red Wide Grosgrain (retired), Shadow Box (non-SU), Black Thread (non- SU)

All products are Stampin’ Up unless otherwise indicated.

 

 

 

 

Buy 3, Get 1 FREE!!!

Buy 3, Get 1 FREE!!! published on 1 Comment on Buy 3, Get 1 FREE!!!

If you haven’t already heard, Stampin’ Up is offering a new promotion for the month of August!!  If you buy three packages of our exclusive Designer Series Paper, you will get your choice of a fourth package free (a $10.95 value).  WOW!!

You see, there is no excuse not to get the Well Worn DSP featured in my Vintage Balloon card from last weekend’s blog hop!!  I have to say that this paper is fantastic to use.  Perfect for vintage, perfect for masculine, perfect for fall!!  I am really proud of this card (thanks for all the kind remarks in the hop) and the Well Worn DSP really did a lot of the work.  I will be using this special to run a DSP share so look for the details later this week.  If you are like me and have a hard time sharing, click the banner above and you can purchase all four packs for yourself!!

I hope you are having a great day!  See you tomorrow with more details about my MDS Shadow Box project from the hop.

 

Triangle Tag

Triangle Tag published on 6 Comments on Triangle Tag

I knew when I got the Perfect Pennants Die for my Big Shot that I was going to love it!  This little tag is just one of the reasons!!  Making this is really easy and I love that it is different.  To make it I started with my die and cut the large and medium triangles out of Basic Black card stock.  I then cut another two large triangles out of the Turquoise and Real Red DSPs.  Finally, I cut two of the small triangles out of Whisper White.  Cut 1/4″ off the bottom of both DSP triangles to make them layer properly (yes, it is that simple!!).  I inked up the pennant stamp using my Stampin’ Write Markers and stamped it on one of the Whisper White triangles.  Using my 1″ Circle Punch, I created a balloon and then popped it up on a Dimensional.  For the words, I inked only part of the sentiment with my marker.

Next, you attach the Real Red DSP to one of the large triangles.  Turn the triangle face down and score like shown in the picture.

**  NOTE:  I scored this way because I like to fold toward the “valley” of the score.

Once scored, turn it back over and put Sticky Strip in the small triangle.  Attach it to the front triangle.  Finish decorating the front if you haven’t already.

Finally, add your little triangles to the inside.  I had to cut them down just a little to make them layer correctly.  I pierced a hole in the top of the tag and attached it to the bag using black thread (non-SU).  I used this same thread as a little bow for the balloon.

I hope you like this project!  Truly, it takes longer to read about it than it does to make!!

Thanks for dropping in today.  Please come back Wednesday for some of the specifics on my MDS Shadow Box project from the hop.  Have a great day!!

Stamp:  Up, Up and Away; Paper:  Brights Designer Paper Pack, Basic Black, Whisper White; Ink:  Tempting Turquoise, Real Red, Daffodil Delight, Basic Black; Accessories:  Big Shot, Perfect Pennants Die, 1″ Circle Punch, Sticky Strip, Dimensionals

All products are Stampin’ Up unless otherwise indicated.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stampin’ Addicts New Catalog Blog Hop

Stampin’ Addicts New Catalog Blog Hop published on 21 Comments on Stampin’ Addicts New Catalog Blog Hop

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Welcome to the Stampin’ Addicts New Catalog Mega Hop!!!  We are celebrating the new Stampin’ Up 2011-12 Catalog Stampin’ Addicts style!  If you just hopped over from Heidi’s blog, RunningwScissorsStamper, I know you have been blown away by her projects with Under the Big Top.  That three ring circus card…fantastic!!  She never ceases to amaze me with her creativity!  I will continue the Big Top Product Suite trend with Up, Up and Away.  Words cannot describe how thrilled I am with this set!!

When I first saw this set, I had a vision of vintage balloons!  Then I saw the unbelievable beautiful Well Worn DSP and I knew that they had to be combined.  I stamped the striped balloon image on the River Rock print and cut it out.  The other balloon comes from stamping on the reverse side of the paper with the solid balloon image and then cutting it out.  I used my Color Spritzer Tool to add a little splatter of River Rock ink on the image panel and the new Soft Suede Taffeta is put together with Linen Thread and an Antique Brad.  This is a card for a college graduation and I love it!

I love the colors on in the Big Top Product Suite (p. 62) and wanted to make a fun and quick project with them.  This is a little triangle gift tag made with my new Perfect Pennants Die for the Big Shot.  I used my 1″ circle punch to create a party balloon and “to you” is inked with a Stampin’ Write Marker.  The inside uses the remainder of the sentiment (“happy birthday”).  This is an easy tag to make and I will provide the instructions next week.

If you have ever worked with Stampin’ Up’s Designer Series Papers, you already know that they are amazing.  I really liked the Berry Blossoms Product Suite in the catalog (p.99) but when I opened the paper in person…WOW!!  This Calypso Coral pattern practically asked to be used with Up, Up and Away and the Early Espresso pattern mimics the polka dots in the balloon.  I used one of the scalloped circles from the Perfect Pennant Die as my frame and the lovely Ruffled Ribbon to add more texture.  This classic layout gets a little wow factor from the banner attached with the Early Espresso Baker’s Twine.

 My final project is probably the one that makes me the happiest!!  This is a My Digital Studio creation made just for my youngest son’s room.  As you can see, his walls are Daffodil Delight so what better than the Big Top Birthday Embellishments Download as a place to start?  I used the digital Up, Up and Away to create the balloons.  The hardest part of this project was taking a picture that shows how cute it is!  I will be back with more specifics on this next week, too!

Clearly, flying is near and dear to my heart and this set has really inspired me!  I hope that you feel just as inspired to make fabulous projects with it!

Now off to your next stop on the hop.  Cindy over at Heart’s Delight Cards has some super projects made with Pennant Parade.  Just wait until you see her golf card, and her Christmas card, and….  Make sure you come back next week for more specifics on my projects.  If you have any questions you really want answered, let me know in a comment.  Enjoy the hop!

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