Learning the Basics---Lessons directly from Stampin' Up!

Yes, that's exactly what this is:  A collection of lessons directly from Stampin' Up!  This download includes PDF pages, videos and all sorts of great directions to get you started whether your first love is scrapbooking or stamping.

133385  Online Class:The Basics   - only $17.95*

Learn innovative ways to get the most out of your supplies (from stamps to the Big Shot) with clever tips and all the techniques you need to start creating with success. 

Divided into six sections focused on a variety of topics, this class includes videos, step outs, and supply lists for 30+ projects!

• Stamping Basics (7 projects)
• Stamp-a-ma-jig (4 projects, video) 
• Masking Techniques (4 projects, video)
• Embossing Techniques (7 projects, 2 videos)
• Markers and watercoloring Techniques (6 projects, video)
• Big Shot and punches (6 projects, 2 videos)

*Since this is a large downloadable file, there are no shipping costs but a 5% GST still applies.

If you are interested, you can go to my online store and get it directly downloaded to your computer.  Just click on the line under the above picture and you will be taken directly to my store and the appropriate page.

There's something about horses...

I've loved horses since I was a kid.  I read any book about horses that I could find whether it was fiction or non-fiction.  And if the book happened to have photographs or drawings, so much the better.  My dream was to own a horse of my own someday.  Well, some dreams don't come true, but my love of horses has never diminished.

Of course, under the circumstances, the Horse Frontier stamp set was on my "first pick" list when the new Annual Catalogue came out last year.  Strangely enough, months and months later, I still hadn't touched the set.  Oh, I saw some very nice cards made by other stampers but somehow I didn't feel the urge to use the stamps.

That all changed when I challenged myself to use those poor, neglected stamp sets that have been sitting there, on the shelves, whining to be noticed.  In fact, I didn't just limit myself to one card.  I made three.  By the time I finished, I had used all four stamps in the set.

I kept to the same colours in all three cards and also the same Designer Paper: Comfort Cafe.  Just by switching them around, using different framlits, layouts, and embellishments, all three cards are totally different.

For this card I chose to use Chocolate Chip for my base cardstock, then a layer of Crumb Cake onto which I adhered a two pieces from the Comfort Cafe Designer Paper.  Before I mounted those layers onto the base, I ran them through the Big Shot using my Chevron embossing folder.  Then I added a strip of 7/16" Natural Trim ribbon to hide the join and mounted the whole thing on the Chocolate Chip base.  I stamped the horse on Naturals Ivory cardstock using Chocolate Chip ink and cut it out using one of my Windows framelits.  The Summer Starfruit banner was added just for fun and the "feathered" look was achieved by using a damp sponge and Chocolate Chip ink.

So I wanted to stay within the same colour scheme when I made the next card.

This time I used Crumb Cake for my base cardstock and then a layer of Chocolate Chip and then a layer of Summer Starfruit, but before adding the Summer Starfruit I used my Big Shot and the Chevron embossing folder on it and then sponged it lightly using Chocolate Chip.  For the horse this time, I had in mind just seeing a portion of it, almost as if it was looking out of its stall and discovered that by using the rectangular Designer Frames embossing folder on Chocolate Chip cardstock and then cutting a rectangle of Naturals Ivory out to fit in the frame, I got exactly the effect that I was looking for.  I stamped the horse on the small rectangle using Chocolate Chip ink.  Then,. after adding a couple of banners cut from the Comfort Cafe Designer Paper, I mounted the framed horse with dimensionals.  A banner with horseshoes finished it off quite nicely.

For the third card I stayed within the colour scheme but went all out with the rest of it.

My base cardstock for this card is Chocolate Chip just like the first card, but that's where the similarity ends.  For my next layer I chose to use Summer Starfruit which I ran it through the Big Shot using my Argyle embossing folder.  Then I used my new Distressing Tool (love the way it fits my hand) and had a go around the perimeter of the cardstock.  A bit of sponging with Chocolate Chip ink finished it off nicely and I adhered it to the base using snail.  Next I took a 3 1/4" x 3 3/4" piece of Comfort Cafe Designer Paper and distressed it all around the perimeter.  Then I took a piece of Crumb Cake cardstock about the same size and stamped the horse on it using Chocolate Chip ink.  I decided to make this one a pinto using my Stampin' Markers.  After colouring it, I tore the edge off the piece all the way around and then sponged with Chocolate Chip ink to emphasize the torn edge.  I adhered the horse to the Comfort Cafe and then mounted that onto the Summer Starfruit using dimensionals.  The horseshoe was heat embossed with silver and the sentiment was cut out using one of my Labels framelits.  

I had a lot of fun meeting this challenge.  Having all three cards use the same Designer Paper and colours made it a lot of fun.

 

Give it a chance...

I have to learn to give things a chance before reacting negatively.  That is definitely self-knowledge that I am having to embrace.  Yes, there was the incident with the Delicate Details Lace Tape, and we all know that I like the way that looks on cards, right?  I had to 'fess up to that a short while ago.

There is also the matter of my reaction to the All Dressed Up stamp set and the co-ordinating Dressed Up framelits.  I saw those and immediately thought they would be good for a one-time use and then gather dust. Each time I went past the page in the Spring Catalogue, I told myself the same thing.  The problem is that each time I went past the page, my voice grew less convincing as I told myself that.  Finally (yes, you've probably already guessed this) I wound up buying the bundle.  When it arrived I was ambivalent and put it aside for another few weeks.

Yesterday evening I used the set.  It was so much fun to "play dolls" and use this set.  I can imagine all sorts of projects, too.  Imagine a framed set of three or four dresses, all different, for a girl's room (or even for a dressing room if you're lucky enough to be one of the select few that owns one of those).  I'm itching to try a few different projects!

This card is what they call an "easel" card, which means it stand up by itself to display the front, like an easel.  I really enjoy making this type of card and also the twisted easel variety.

The little "DREAM" statuette is not part of the card but seemed appropriate.

Think angry----no, think ANGRY!

Lately our little grandson, Xavian (or X-Man as he's more frequently called), has been into all things Angry Birds.  Of course under the circumstances his birthday card had to be all about Angry Birds.  So I had to get myself into an Angry Bird state of mind.  I swear, working on this card made me begin frowning!

X-Man keeps saying that he loves every colour of the rainbow.  Actually one of his very favourite colours is red, but he doesn't like to hurt the feelings of the other colours.  Never, and I mean never, try to force him to say what is his favourite anything.  He'll always say he likes them all.  This little guy is all about making people and things feel good and so he can't pick favourties.

So I picked the red bird for the front of the card.  Easy-peasy.  The birds are basic shapes.  You have your circles and your triangles.  And I have so many punches...

Since X-Man just turned 6, it really was providential that I finally broke down and bought the Memorable Moments stamp set at the beginning of the year.  It was the perfect sentiment to heat-emboss in white on the "grass" at the bottom of the card.

And what is that bird angry about anyway?  It's those egg-stealing pigs!  So, of course, I had to put one of those evil pigs into the inside of the card, didn't I?  X-Man is always building those little wood structures for his Angry Birds game and so, using the Modern Label punch and then putting the pieces into the Woodgrain embossing folder seemed appropriate.  It's the perfect place for the pig to hide.

Sometimes it's fun to just take a few punches, some bright paper, and put together a card for someone you love, isn't it?  I had a blast and Xavian loved his card.  And that's what card-making is all about.

Struggling onward---more of the Papaya Collage

I still had the bird to think about.  Oh, I realize that using a stamp set doesn't mean using every single stamp in the set.  There are usually one or two pieces that see little stamping compared to other pieces that seem to be used all the time out of a stamp set.  In my last post I used the frame, rose and leaves from the Papaya Collage stamp set.  Normally I would have been satisfied with that.  In this case, however, since nothing in the set came easy, I was determined to use the bird stamp as well---and, hopefully, the odd little party hat.

Staying within the colours that I had used with the last card, I again used the Early Espresso for my base cardstock and had a second layer of cardstock using the Primrose Petals.  For the stamped images, I decided to use a piece from the More Amore Designer Specialty Paper: the one which was overall mainly Very Vanilla with tiny connected hearts thinly drawn in black and the occasional heart fully coloured in Real Red, Primrose Petals, Pool Party or faded black.  On this 5" x 3 3/4" piece, I stamped the leaves in the upper left corner and also in the lower right corner, using Early Espresso ink.  Then, also using the Early Espresso, I stamped the bird "standing" on the leaves in the lower right corner.  Finally, using Primrose Petals ink, I stamped the party hat on the bird's head.

I finished off by first rubbing a 5/8" Trim Flower into Crumb Cake and Primrose Petals and then adhering it to the top left corner.  An Ivory Naturals banner stamped in Primrose Petals with Happiness from the Loving Thoughts stamp set finished the card off.

Now I'm not that much of a ribbon and bows kind of stamper but then I'm not much of a "clean and simple" kind of stamper, either.  Working with the More Amore Designer Specialty paper made me begin to think "girly", however, and so I gave the stamp set one last try, but this time with ribbons and bows.

For this card I began with Primrose Petals for my base cardstock, added a layer of Early Espresso, and then  added a rectangle of the More Amore  plus the frame stamped on Very Vanilla using Crumb Cake.  I cut around the frame and then sponged  the perimeter using Primrose Petals ink.  To give it some texture and also to "echo" the design in the More Amore paper, I used the   embossing folder and ran the frame through the Big Shot.  Then I sponged just a touch of Crumb Cake across the Very Vanilla centre and assembled the card.

The ribbon I used for the bow was the Very Vanilla Seam Binding with a folded piece of Victoria Crocheted Lace ribbon underneath and both held together with an Antique Brad.  To finish off the card, I stamped the bird on Very Vanilla using Early Espresso and cut it out carefully.  After sponging it lightly with Primrose Petals, I adhered it to the stamped frame near the lower right corner.

I'm not sure which of the three cards I like best.  I'm glad to have finally used almost all the pieces of the Papaya Collage stamp set.  That's one less stamp set "nagging" to be used.

Some stamps are a struggle

Have you ever bought a stamp set and then left it, neglected, month after month because, quite honestly, you just didn't know what to do with it?  Well, that's what happened with the Papaya Collage stamp set.  I had every intention of using it.  I really liked the design of the stamps in the set.  But I just didn't know what to do with them.

Time has passed and I challenged myself to use those stamp sets that have not yet seen ink.  The Papaya Collage is one of those.  What I did to force the issue was to select the colours I would use in cardstock and ink and then just let things happen.

The first thing I did was to stamp the rose in Primrose Petals and the leaves in Crumb Cake over every available space on a piece of 5 1/4" x 4" Very Vanilla cardstock.  First I offstamped and then stamped.  That way all the images on the Very Vanilla were muted.  I liked that effect.  Then I took that great new Distressing Tool and wore away the edges around the perimeter.  Finally, I sponged some Crumb Cake over the edges and that piece was done.

Then I took a 4 3/4" x 3 1/2"  piece of Crumb Cake and stamped the fancy frame in the centre using Primrose Petals ink.  In the top left hand corner, using Early Espresso ink, I stamped the leaves several times to make them appear to be cascading into the frame.  Then I used the Distressing Tool and wore away the edges around the perimeter.  Finally, I placed it into the Fancy Fan embossing folder and ran it through the Big Shot.  I wasn't very happy with the result, thinking the whole piece was a bit too dark for my taste.  And then inspiration struck and I decided to use some bleach.  With a small tipped artist's brush, I painted bleach inside the recessed portion of each fan design, only inside the stamped frame.  I loved the way the inside of the frame appeared to be illuminated.

I finished off by stamping two butterlies with Primrose Petals on Very Vanilla, punching them out with the Elegant Butterfly punch and sponging the edges with Crumb Cake.  I also stamped the rose using Crumb Cake ink and then coloured the lined areas with my Primrose Petals marker.

Assembly:  base cardstock Early Espresso then the stamped Very Vanilla, followed by the stamped and bleached Crumb Cake.  Finally I mounted the butterflies and rose on dimensionals.

I am really so happy with the way this card turned out.

A Romantic Meeting

Do you remember the lovely Designer Cuts cards and envelopes available in last Spring's catalogue?  I came across a few of those in my stash and fell in love all over again.  The laser-cut design is no less appealing a year later.  I knew I had to use one to make a Valentine card.

Luckily I had a Blushing Bride stamp pad in my stash as well.  That's the colour of the envelopes and also the colour that is simply outstanding against the soft Very Vanilla of the cardstock.  A design began to form---I was getting excited about this spur-of-the-moment project.

I used a Hearts framelit as my stencil for the inside of the card.  With that, I sponged a Blushing Bride heart that was perfectly centred to show off the laser-cut design of the front of the card.  This was already looking nice.  My next step was to find a frame of sorts for that laser-cut centre heart.  What about a piece of 4" x 5 1/4" Very Vanilla cardstock with a heart cut into it, framing the laser-cut heart?  That would be perfect.

Once I used the Soft Brocade embossing folder on the piece of cardstock and then sponged some Blushing Bride over it as well as around the perimeter and the cut-out edge of the heart, I knew this would be the perfect frame for the laser-cut heart on the front of the card.

To add some dimension and more of the vintage feel, I cut some Brushed Gold cardfstock using my Big Shot and Little Leaves Sizzlits die and divided it into three small twigs.  Then I added three of the lovely Vanilla 5/8" Flower Trim vintage flowers, rubbed slightly over the Blushing Bride stamp pad.  Adhered them to the upper left corner of the heart with my favourite Tombo liquid glue and then adhered the three small gold "twigs" in among the flowers.

My final touch was to stamp the large heart shape from the gorgeous You Are Loved stamp set on Very Vanilla cardstock using Blushing Bride ink.  Then I stamped "Just Because" from the Vintage Verses stamp set using Crumb Cake ink.  I cut that out using a Heart Framelit and used dimensionals to put it against the large cut-out-heart, in the bottom right corner.

On the inside, in the centre of the sponged heart shape, I stamped the sentiment from the You Are Loved stamp set.

Now, honestly, isn't that Romantic?

Eating crow!

So how often have you said: "Oh, I'd never use that!  It's too expensive!"  Well, I've said it one time too many.  When I saw the Delicate Details Lace Tape in the Spring Catalogue, my first thought was that it was pretty.  My second thought, after glancing at the price, was that I wouldn't use it, especially for classes or workshops.  And so I haven't ordered it.  I've held firm on that decision during all of the December pre-order period, all of January, and now we're into February.  *sigh*  I may be changing my mind.

Yesterday I received the Delicate Details Lace Tape as a gift.  It looks prettier "in person" than in the catalogue.  That was my first, immediate thought.  And all evening my mind would wander and I would think of possible projects.  Of course you know what I did when I got home, right?  If you didn't guess that I decided to design a card around the lace tape then you don't know me very well---yet.

The Delicate Details Lace Tape is very white.  Some whites are a bit off-white or even creamy; this white is about as white as snow.  So I decided that I would make a black, grey and white card.  I chose the Basic Black as my base cardstock and then again as the centre piece of cardstock.  So I separated them with a layer of Basic Grey cardstock.  I liked the look already and I hadn't really begun.  I decided to use the Bloomin' Marvellous stamp set (Sale-a-bration) and stamped images of the butterfly, blossom and leaves all over the 3 3/4" x 5" piece of Basic Black using my Whisper White Craft Ink.  Yes, you can also use the StazOn White to do this.

Then I stamped a 2 1/2" x 5" piece of Whisper White with Basic Black ink using the En Francais background stamp.  I tore the edge of the paper around the perimeter, close to the stamped words.

I wanted some flowers on the card but I wanted them to be more similar to the blossoms that I had stamped and so I decided to use the Crepe Paper, folded to about 8 thicknesses, and cut that with the Blossoms Party die.  Scrunched up and held together with a black glimmer brad, the flowers were perfect for the card.

As I began assembly, I could see that I wouldn't like the look of the lace tape against the white stamped piece.  This observation definitely brought the whole process to a screeching halt because the whole reason I had designed the card was the Delicate Details Lace Tape.  So---back to the drawing board.  I needed the tape to be any colour other than white.  And that's when the "lightbulb" above my head suddenly lit up the whole room.  (Don't you just love those "aha!" moments?)

I decided to colour the lace tape.  Good idea, right?  Not really, since the tape is plastic and repelled the Stampin' Marker I tried to use and also the Stamp Pad I tried after that.  And then I noticed my red jiffy marker.  Permanent Maker---that should work!  And it did---work that is.  And this is the card.

So, what's black and white and red all over?  My card is!  Hope you like it.  Excuse me while I finish eating that crow...

The Best of 25

Stampin' Up! is celebrating its 25th Anniversary in 2013.  During those 25 years there have been many amazing stamps.  For the entire 12 months of 2013, therefore, Stampin' Up! will be releasing a brand new stamp set each month.  Each set will cost $17.95 and will be available until March 31st, 2014.  Best of all, you can ask me for a "collector's card".  Each time you receive one of these limited edition stamp sets, you will get a sticker which you can adhere to the card.  Collect six stickers and you can redeem a free stamp set of your choice up to the value of $17.95.  Stampin' Up! is sharing the anniversary celebration with you!

January's set was called The Best of Birthdays.  It was a set of six stamps, five of which were considered the best and most popular of the birthday stamps and one of which was a brand new, never-before-seen stamp (it's the one that fits the extra-large oval punch).

 If you've missed getting this set, remember that it will be available for order until March 31st next year.

February's set is called The Best of Love.  It is a set of six stamps as well, one of which has never been seen before.  (I'll give you a hint---it's the one with the lips.)

These Best of 25 Years stamp sets are only available in clear-mount.

Remember, even if you order these through my online store, you will receive one "proof of purchase sticker" with each set.  Make sure you get your collector's card from me so that you can redeem each six stickers collected for a stamp set of your choice (up to a value of $17.95).

I can hardly wait to see which stamps will be released for March.  How about you?

*sigh* Coffee!

If you're like me, in the morning you head from your bed straight for the coffee-maker.  (Yes, many of us have detours, but our actual destination remains the coffee-maker.)  My thoughts around this time are basic and, put into words, would probably sound like "Ummmm---coffee----good!"  Coherent thought appears shortly after the first cup of coffee is half-way gone.

I love my coffee-maker!  I depend on my coffee-maker!  I am mad at my coffee-maker!  Yes, that has a slight sound of "crazy" to it, but hear me out.

My coffee-maker has quite a few bells and whistles.  I don't bother with most of them since my one aim is simply to drink that coffee, not to attend a seminar learning all about the "care and feeding" of the machine.  One of the bells and whistles that I am unable to ignore, however, is the way it nags me.  Yes, I did say it nags me.  How can a machine nag someone, you ask.  Simple!  Whoever designed this machine programmed it to flash CLN when it needs a cleaning.  I work hard to ignore that CLN but after a while I cannot ignore it any longer and clean the machine.  The flashing CLN stops.  Life is good again.

Yesterday I committed a coffee-maker "sin".  I did not wait for the machine to flash CLN.  I decided that the coffee was becoming very slightly bitter (a sure sign that it requires cleaning) and jumped the gun (or in this case the flashing CLN).  The resulting coffee, after the machine was cleaned, was absolute ambrosia and I was so very, very happy.

Jump forward to this morning.  I get up.  I realize the coffee-maker is empty.  I stagger over to the pantry and get all the necessaries and grind and prepare the coffee.  I turn on the coffee-maker.  FINALLY the coffee is ready and I go to fill my mug.  And the coffee-maker is flashing CLN!  I must have stood in a frozen position for nearly a minute, trying to process the information with my sluggish, coffee-deprived brain. Yes, it was flashing CLN.  I was not hallucinating from lack of caffeine.  Surely making two pots of coffee could not dirty the machine to the point of requiring another cleaning!

A mug of coffee later, still staring at the flashing CLN, I was still unable to understand what could have happened to my until-now beloved coffee-maker.  Was it getting even with me for cleaning it before it decided it required cleaning?  Could a machine even think of getting even?  Did someone install emotions along with the other programmes?  And then my daughter phoned.  Yay!  A distraction!  Someone else to ask the burning question: why is my coffee-maker asking to be cleaned?

*sigh* The coffee-deprived mind is a dangerous thing.  My daughter put everything into perspective.  Most likely the machine had merely been programmed to flash CLN after a set number of uses.  I jumped the gun and cleaned it.  The coffee-maker had no way of knowing it had been cleaned and the set number of uses came up today...and it did what it was programmed to do: flash CLN.

So simple.  So embarrassingly simple.  I need another cup of coffee...

My Confession...

I have to confess something.  I've been sorting out my crafting room and have come to the conclusion that I have a problem.  What is my problem, you ask?  I have come to the conclusion that I am a stamp-a-holic.  You don't see this, but I'm hanging my head in shame right now.  What makes me a stamp-a-holic?  Well, I can't seem to say "no" to a stamp set and have accumulated far too many that have, so far, not even had a taste of ink.  For a stamp set, that's like starvation.  Yikes!  I'm guilty of starving these poor, innocent, hopeful stamp sets.  The problem is even worse than I first realized!

The Stampin' Connection is a genuine life-line for those of us demonstrating for Stampin' Up! who need the support and inspiration of our peers but don't live close to other demonstrators.  A friend that I've made there (Terri Antoniw) suggested that we could make a "game" of the situation.  What if, Terri suggested, we start a discussion on the Stampin' Connection and invite people to meet the Challenge of using our poor, unused and neglected stamp sets.  We all have them.  Some of us have more that we neglect than others of us, but let's face it, we all have fallen in love with a stamp set and by the time it arrives, have no immediate project for which to use the set.  We put it aside and that is the beginning of the road to oblivion for the stamp.  Frequently, because it hasn't been used, it doesn't get used.  Our minds haven't made a connection with it yet.

Remember, this is true of just about everyone at one time or another.  It's not just you.  Of course, when you are in the stamping business, usually stamps arrive in bunches.  Believe me, having stamp sets make their sad way down that road to "forgotten-land" happens a lot more frequently when several arrive at once.

Hence the Challenge.  I am embracing the challenge and am committed to introducing each and every set in my crafting room to ink at least once over the next few weeks (months).  Are you also a stamp-a-holic?  Are you guilty of hiding unused stamp sets from the world?  Do you want to make a change this year?  Are you up for the Challenge?  Join me (and Terri and countless others) and begin today.  Use one of those poor, whimpering, neglected stamp sets and create a masterpiece.  You can do it!

My first "rescue".  A stamp set I bought right after the new Annual Catalogue came out eight months ago: Moving Forward.  I bought this set because I believe in supporting the Ronald McDonald house and Stampin' Up donates $3.00 US for each set sold.  But I haven't used it and decided that it would be my first challenge project.

What is your first "rescued" stamp set going to be?  Email me a photo of your results and I'll post your card on my blog if you like.  Go rescue a stamp today!

Shared tools

I'm sure everyone, at some point or another, shares her/his tools.  Sometimes it's because of the expense of an item.  It's a gift to be able to use another person's tool when the price and your pocketbook don't match up. Other times it's because a tool is used so seldom that friends or relatives share the cost and then have the use of it at those times that they need it.  Those are the more common reasons for sharing tools.

Well, sometimes there is an uncommon reason as well.  Early last year I bought the Simply Scored. I don't know what I would do without it.  Scoring the fold for a card makes such a difference.  There are no little wrinkles along the fold-line---an unfortunate side-effect when folding paper that has not been scored.  The Simply Scored is a nice size and fits even 12" x 12" sheets of cardstock easily.  The scoring surface allows  well-scored lines as close together as 1/8" and there are place markers as well as a hidden storage compartment for things like your stylus.  I really love this tool!

My problem is that I am sharing this tool and don't have the use of it as frequently as I would like.  I've considered buying another one so that I would have the use of one at my convenience, but somehow it just seems like overkill to have two of the Simply Scored.  So I continue to share it.

As I sit here typing, my Simply Scored is being used on the table behind me.  No, I don't currently have another stamper in the room with me.  The Simply Scored is being used by my darling long-haired Siamese, Mei Li, who considers it her personal cat-nap station.  When she is off doing whatever feline business she finds to occupy her time away from the Simply Scored, I am allowed to use it.  There are times when I'm quickly scoring a dozen or so pieces of cardstock so that I will be able to carry on during another of Mei Li's lengthy cat-naps.  *sigh*

Whoever said that cats have servants must have met my dear Mei Li.

The Chalkboard meets the Secret Garden

I had wanted to use the chalkboard technique on a card for the Optimist Scrapbooking event yesterday.  I had been asked to present a make-n-take and that was definitely the technique I had in my mind.  Yes, I know.  In your heads you're already thinking: she couldn't just have left it at that.  And you're right.  There is something inside me that looks at a card and just keeps thinking and adding and thinking and adding.  And then we wind up with a WOW card.  Yes, I said it.  We wound up with a WOW card.

That's not a bad thing, really, except when you are having larger numbers of people doing your make-n-take.   Quite honestly (and this is the scary part) I hadn't realized how many steps the card required from start to finish.  In a word: many.  Let's just say that I had a Cuttlebug and two Big Shots at work and they were all three busy processing embossing folders, cutting with framelits, etc.  Oh, yes, the card had two embossing folders (Honeycomb and Lacy Brocade) and two different sets of framelits (three framelits from the Secret Garden and two framelits from the new Ovals).

That would have been enough, right?  Well, in my world that is only the beginning.  On top of that we also heat embossed the sentiment and made it appear like a chalkboard.  We also used some of those darling flowers from the 5/8" Flower Trim, matching them to the appropriate flower by rubbing them into the stamp pads.  We also punched down and used one of the adorable little Soda Pop Tops, stamped an image, adhered it to the pop top and then covered it with Crystal Effects.

Yes, that's already built up into quite a card, right.  Oh---did I mention we also added a piece of that beautiful Indigo Blue and Very Vanilla lace pattern from the Fan Fair Designer Series paper?  Well, we did and it was perfect.

I couldn't just leave it at that.  Yes, it looked great already, but there was no place for that cute Soda Pop Top on the front of the card.  It just didn't look right anywhere, in my opinion.  Of course there was an easy (?) fix for that.  I decided to make it into a Twisted Easel card.  The Soda Pop Top was the perfect "stop" for the easel.

What's that peeking from under the Soda Pop Top?  Well, with the inside of the card showing when it was propped up as an easel, of course it had to be decorated, too.  Bring in the Delicate Designs edgelit embossing folder and its matching Large Scallop framelit and a bit of Island Indigo shading and the inside is done.

Was the card a success?  Yes---everyone that made it loved it.  They were delighted that they had managed to make such an involved and showy card.  That made me happy.

But on the other hand a make-n-take at an event such as a large crop should be simpler and faster so that people can go back to what they came to do: scrapbook the heck out of their growing piles of photos.

So I have to learn to make the kinds of cards that satisfy me but also to make the kinds of cards that take less time for people who are not as experienced...

It's quite the learning curve, isn't it?

The final frontier---card-making goes into space!

Just had to share this video from Stampin' Up!

Card Trek (with Stampin' Up!)

How absolutely cute is that?  We're heading for the final frontier. :)

By the Tide---revisited

By now you know that By the Tide is one of the stamp sets in the Spring Catalogue that immediately caught my attention and I knew I had to have it.  I loved making the previous card using vellum and, of course, the little milk cartons with the fish were darling.  Today I decided to use Glossy White cardstock.

For those of you that haven't had a chance to use the Glossy White cardstock, you really should try it sometime.  It captures the image from the stamp beautifully and also heat embosses very nicely, allowing a lot of detail to show.  (You know how, on some papers, the heat embossing seems to make the lines less clear? Well, that doesn't happen with the Glossy White.)

The first thing I did was to stamp the coral with Versamark and then powdered it with the Early Espresso embossing powder (so glad they added the colour in the Winter Mini) and shook off the extra.  Even before applying the heat, I could see the coral was going to be very detailed.  The heat just made it seem to come to life.  Already I was loving this card and I really hadn't done much---yet.

Next, I stamped the shell with Crumb Cake ink and let that dry.  Then I sponged the Glossy White with Pool Party ink, avoiding the shell as best I could.  The last bit of stamping I did on the Glossy White was to stamp the poem twice in Pool Party ink, staggered, across the top.  Then I used my Stampin' Markers to colour the shell.  The great quality of the Glossy White is that it "grabs" the colour permanently when you stamp, so the Crumb Cake didn't smudge at all when I coloured the shell using my Blush Blossom and River Rock markers.

I stamped the fish on Brushed Silver cardstock using black StazOn and then coloured it and hand-cut it so that I could mount it above the coral with dimensionals.  The little air bubbles turned out perfectly using Crystal Effects mixed with one drop of Island Indigo re-inker.

That's about it.  The rest is Island Indigo cardstock, Early Espresso Core'dinations, some Linen thread and a couple of round punches.

I think I like this one even better than the one with the vellum.  What do you think?

Sale-a-bration 2013 kicks off today!

Yes, it's Sale-a-bration time.  It's that time of the year when buying what you planned to buy anyway earns you something extra free.  For every $60 that you spend (before shipping and tax), you can choose one free item from about 20 different and wonderful items.  These are all listed in the new Sale-a-bration brochure which I will be happy to give you OR you can check it out online.

There are some awesome stamp sets.  I used one last night and am enjoying the vintage look of the stamps in  the Feeling Sentimental set.  I used Early Espresso and Sahara Sand for the cardstock, Designer paper and ink.

I'll be using the Ferris Wheel and Bicycle on more cards, but last night this one "spoke" to me.

Some of the terrific free items available during Sale-a-bration are special Designer Paper, a packet of Designer buttons and 3 spools of ribbon, several stamp sets, a brand-new bitty labels punch that will be available in the catalogue after Sale-a-bration is over, the Essentials paper-piercing package that is shown on page 181 of the Annual catalogue, the Simply Scored diagonal plate also shown on page 181...and so much more.  

You won't be disappointed!

Check out the brochure by going to my online store.  Just click the huge FREE PRODUCTS icon there and see what appeals to you.

Sale-a-bration only last until March 22nd this year so plan out your spending to get the most out of it that you can.

Love the Whale!

What's not to love?  The little whale is adorable.  The little whale has his/her own Clearlits die.  The little whale is so much fun to use!

Valentine's Day is coming up and so the little whale and I decided to focus on that.  What's cuter than asking "Whale you be mine?"  Actually I used a whole lot of different products to make this card.

My base had to be Island Indigo because, well, it compliments the Pool Party so well and also it's a prime colour in the Sale-a-bration Designer paper that I planned to use.  I just received the Pool Party Core'dination paper and, of course, had to use that with my brand new Cloudy Day embossing folder.  A touch from the Stampin' sanding block, and the white core of the paper shows through wonderfully.

Because I decided that this was going to be a "side-step" fold card, I had a piece of the Core'dination paper left over and that was perfect for the back step, framed by the Sale-a-bration "rainbow" paper.  First, before mounting it, I rolled the Oh, Wave! jumbo stamp wheel across 2/3 of the paper.  After all, the whale needs some water, right?  I also stamped the little "hearts spout" from the Oh, Whale! stamp set using Primrose Petals ink.

So, the little boy whale was stamped in Island Indigo ink and cut with the Clearlits die.  The little girl whale was simply cut from some Primrose Petals Designer paper.  Each was mounted in place on dimensionals.  Each of their eyes are sparkling with a small rhinestone.  The little heart and spout above the boy whale are cut using the clearlits die as well.

"Whale you be mine?" was stamped in Primrose Petals ink on Whisper White, punched out using the Modern Label punch, and then shaded along the edges using a sponge and Pool Party ink.  It was mounted on a Heart cut from the Primrose Petals Designer paper using one of the Hearts framelits.  The "Love you" was stamped using Versamark and then heat embossed with white embossing powder.  I cut that with one of the Apothecary Accents framelits.  And, finally, I punched out a star from some silver Glimmer paper and mounted that.

I love the colours!  I love the little whales!  Who wouldn't want to receive a cute Valentine like this?

Prize when I reach 50 members!

Back on February 3rd, 2012 I posted this:

To make things interesting, when this Blog reaches 50 members,  I am going to draw among the 50 names and send a beautiful one-of-a kind hand-made card as well as 5 yards of assorted ribbon to the lucky winner.  Become a member today!

Sadly I checked my member numbers and I'm only up to 38 so far.  The prize is still waiting for the lucky person who wins the draw once I hit 50 members.  Join my blog today!

Elegant Swallowtail

Yes, the Swallowtail stamp is enormous!  It's best to get that comment out of the way first.  But it's not hard to use.  It can be a wonderful background stamp or it can be the stunning focus of your card.  I chose to make it the focus of this "Z"-fold card.

I began with Elegant Eggplant.  It's a purple that has a sense of majesty to it and suits this stamp perfectly.  Being a Z-fold, the first section of the card is simply not wide enough to hold even half the Swallowtail.  So I chose to use a piece of Wisteria Wonder to heat emboss half the butterfly.  I used the Iridescent Ice and was  delighted to see how sparkly the wing became when I heated it up.  I cut the wing out carefully and then, after using my Flower Garden embossing folder to emboss the front fold of the card, mounted just about a half inch of it against the left outside edge of the Elegant Eggplant cardstock.  The effect was everything I had hoped for.

For the inside of the Z-fold, I used a 4" x 5" piece of Elegant Eggplant designer paper from the Regals Designer Stack.  I placed a cut out butterfly from the Beautiful Butterfly Bigz die in the centre and sponged around it using Elegant Eggplant ink.  Then I stamped my sentiment in the unsponged centre and finally used the new distressing tool to distress around all four sides.

Since my Z-fold is made from a piece of 5 1/4" x 8 1/2" cardstock and is scored and folded at 2 1/8" and 4 1/4", half of the back part of the card is still showing when it's closed.  The sponged and distressed designer paper is completely hidden when the card is closed.  I really didn't want to take any focus from the gorgeous Swallowtail wing and so I chose to cut a piece of 2 1/2" x 5" piece of Wisteria Wonder cardstock for that section.  First I tore the right edge in a ragged line to make it no wider than 2 1/8" at its widest.  Then I stamped three of the large butterflies from Papillon Potpourri in Elegant Eggplant ink.  Then I embossed the piece using my Flower Garden embossing folder.  I distressed the top and bottom edge and attached the piece, lining it up against the designer paper.

The finishing touches are rhinestones for each butterfly and the body of the swallowtail and some Dazzling Details along the entire perimeter of the card, using my fingertip as a tool.

Isn't it gorgeous?  It's much more dazzling in real life.

Twitterpated all over again!

I love the Twitterpated Designer paper.  I loved it when Stampin' Up! brought it out in the 2012 Spring Mini and was delighted when it was included in the Annual Catalogue.  There is something in it for everyone.  Today I used a very feminine, flowered design that includes Whisper White, Island Indigo, Baja Breeze, Riding Hood Red and two retired colours: Pear Pizzazz and Blushing Bride.  For my card, I decided to use the Naturals White as the base and I layered it with Pink Pirouette which, while not an exact match, manages to compliment the pink in the paper.

I used varying sizes of the Hearts framelits to get alternating hearts, designer paper and then Pink Pirouette. They were adhered to the card with dimensionals.  It's an attractive but subtle effect.  To give the card a bit more texture, I added some embossed scallops and dots above and below the coloured layers, using the new Borders Scoring Plate.  I was surprised at how easy it was to use and how effective the embossing turned out to be.  I would recommend it to anyone.  What a great new tool!

Finally, my single word sentiment, "Happiness", is stamped on Island Indigo in Versamark and then heat embossed in White embossing powder.  I cut that out with the largest of the Bitty Banners framelits and used dimensionals to adhere it to the side of t he layered hearts.

I love the finished card.  I kept it very simple and decided not to add any ribbon or other embellishment, outside one rhinestone on the smallest of the hearts.  Sometimes you just have to leave it at that.

What do you think?