Stampersjoy

When is it to early to start making your Christmas Cards?

When is it to early to start making your Christmas cards?  

The summer months when living is more easy, grab those days when it is a hundred degrees outside or it is raining cats and dogs and pull out your Christmas Stamps.  Still not quiet in the mood, grab a CD and put on your favorite Christmas music.  Not to loud, or the neighbors will hear and think you are crazy!

Make it even more fun and get a couple of your stamping buddies together to join you.

The sooner you start on your cards, the more apt you are to get those cards made in order to send your friends and loved ones in December.  Remember last year when you promised your self that you were going to make a special card for your friends to show them how much you cared.  A hand made card is like a gift and it will be displayed so when your friend sees it, they will think of you.  You promised yourself last year that you were going to do this, but then found yourself out buying commercial cards in November.

If you do not have your cards finished by the end of September, chances are they are not going to get finished.  By then the holiday hassle has begun with Halloween, Thanksgiving, and then it is Christmas.

Remember, your cards do not have to be so detailed that they take hours to do.  Choose a simple pattern and get some great designer series paper, and you can make ten within a hour or two.

Here is a sample.  This set and paper is from Stampin'Up, but it is discontinued.  There are some great sets and ideas in the current catalog and the new Holiday Mini will be out the first of September. 

                                                                                                

This card took only about fifteen minutes to make.

Christmas in July

Christmas in July

Who says you can’t have Christmas in July? July is the perfect time to start planning your Christmas cards, then you won’t be rushed in November and December.

To get my creative juices flowing, I started by CASE-ing a card on page 100 in the catalog using the stamp Stylish Christmas.

I cased the cardwithout any changes because I really liked it. 

I made my card on Whisper White framed with a layer of Real Red on a base of Old Olive.

I decided to fussy cut one of the flowers to add a bit of dimension to the card. Then I wrapped the card with a thin Real Red ribbon and placed red rhinestone berries to add bling.

To top it off, I thought a nice little goody box would go perfect with it so I created that with the Petite Treat Framelits using the designer series paper Under the Mistletoe.

What a nice combination.

Don't you love a bundle that you can do so much with?

The Nature’s Poem Suite in the new Annual catalogue is a natural winner! A perfect complement to our long-running Lovely as a Tree stamp set, the Rooted in Nature stamp set has a total of 16 rubber stamps – 12 of them with matching dies in the Nature’s Roots Framelits Dies. Even better – you can buy them as a Bundle, and save 10%!

NATURE’S ROOTS FRAMELITS DIES

This set is unique in that along with the 9 cutting dies, it has 3 embossing dies! You can create beautifully embossed leaves that add a ‘wow’ factor to your project.

This card is created using both the stamp set and the dies, along with some new colours.

DETAILS

Start by creating a colour was background on a panel of Watercolour Paper. First, wet the paper with your wet Aqua Painter. Next, pick up ink from the lid of the ink pads; use Mint Macaron, Pool Party and Soft Suede Classic Inks.  After creating the wash, set aside the panel to dry.

On a separate piece of Whisper White cardstock, stamp the tall single tree image in Mossy Meadow ink, and 2 of the leaf trio images; once in Merry Merlot and once in Crushed Curry ink. Next, stamp the trunk round image in Crumb Cake ink, and the medium leaf in Cajun Craze ink.

Use the Nature’s Roots Framelits Dies to die cut all of the stamped images. Die cut an extra leaf trio from Merry Merlot cardstock, and a large leaf from Cajun Craze cardstock.

USING THE EMBOSSING DIES AND EMBOSSING MATS

You want to die cut your shapes before embossing them, otherwise when you run them through the Big Shot to cut after embossing, the embossing will be flattened.

First, create your ‘sandwich’.

• If you have the ‘old’ Base Plate, flip open Tab 1.
• Add the first Cutting Plate.
• Place the embossing die on the cutting plate, face up (embossing area facing you).
• Place your die cut in the embossing die. It will ‘sit’ inside the lip of the embossing die. You can hold it in place with a bit of Washi Tape, or a Post-it Note, if you like.
• Place the Blue Embossing Mat over top of the embossing die/cardstock.
• Place the white Impressions Plate on top, and then run through the Big Shot.

You can do all of your embossing at once – one piece of cardstock per embossing die at a time.

LAYER IT TOGETHER

Hand cut the round tree trunk die with your Paper Snips, then attach it to the right bottom corner of your colour-washed paper. Use Multipurpose Liquid Glue to attach it. Next, layer on the die cut tree and leaves, with Stampin’ Dimensionals.

Finish off the card front by tying a double bow with the new Nature’s Twine in Crumb Cake, and attach it with Mini Glue Dots to the front of the leaves. Add 3 of the Faceted Dots in the upper left hand corner. (I used one Blackberry Bliss, one Mint Macaron and one Grapefruit Grove).

Create your card base of Soft Suede cardstock. Next, create 2 banners, one from Merry Merlot cardstock and one from Nature’s Poem Designer Series Paper. Use the Banner Triple Punch the create banner tails on one end of each, then glue to the card base with liquid glue.

                                                                                                                 

Fun and Easy Little Gift

This quick and easy small gift item is something that every woman can use!  I gave this little gift to everyone who attended my classes in May, as well as to the demonstrators who participated in my stamp camp at the end of April.

One of the great things about this little gift is that you can use items you probably already have in your stash!  It's a great way to use up old Designer Series Paper (you can cut 8 of these from one sheet).

Materials

Paper

* Designer Series Paper ("DSP") -- any pattern (6" x 3")

Tools and Accessories

* Scoring Board and Stylus

* 3/4" Circle Punch

* Linen Thread

* Small Button

* Nail File

* Adhesive: Tear and Tape; Glue Dots

Instructions

1. Referring to diagram above, cut 1" from top of 6" x 3" DSP to use as Belly Band.

2. Score lengthwise at 1" and 2", then turn sideways and score at 1/4".

3. Use 3/4" Circle Punch to cut a half-circle at top of center panel.

4. Working on back side of DSP, fold up at 1/4" score line.  Apply Tear and Tape to the outside of the folded up section.

5. Remove backing from Tear and Tape, and fold at 1" score line, adhering the bottom folded edge at the same time.  Apply Tear and Tape to right edge of DSP.

6. Remove backing from Tear and Tape and fold at 2" score line, securing both the bottom and the back of the nail file sleeve.

7. Insert nail file (I found the purple one at Walgreens), and wrap Belly Band around sleeve, securing on the back with Tear and Tape.

8. Wrap a piece of Linen Thread around Belly Band and tie in a bow on the front.

9. Use a Glue Dot to add a small button from your stash (the one shown is a retired Stampin' Up! button).  That's it!  You're finished! 

How quick and easy (and inexpensive!!!) was this?!  Everyone who received one from me this month was delighted to receive such a cute and practical gift!

This is a great little gift to give as a Thank You for special services or for club or group members.

Need a great stamp set to make fast and easy cards?

A beautiful bundle in the new 2018-2019 Stampin’ Up! Annual Catalog is the Abstract Impressions Bundle.  I really enjoyed experimenting with the different colors. 

At first I started off simple.  I used the Petal Burst Textured Impressions Embossing Folder for the background layer. Then I stamped the flower image and topped it off with a pearl center for each flower. The flowers here are a two layer stamp with Powder Pink and Petal Pink. 


  

Next I stamped the single flower that is a three layer stamp.  The leaves here are made using a two layer stamp that I used for a butterfly in another project.  This flower is a three layer stamp. The first card used Powder Pink and Petal Pink and the second I used Pineapple Punch and Daffodil Delight. 
  


Then I stepped it up and used, for the first time, the new Big Shot Embossing Mat.  Using the big flower die, I embossed the background layer then placed my stamped images on top. The colors here are Pool Party and Coastal Cabana. 


  
Here is a closer look. 

  

I really like the effect. 

Here is another card I made with Real Read and Poppy Parade.  I also used the beautiful butterfly which is another thinlit in the bundle. The colors here really make the card pop. 
  


I also made these small pictures on canvas. 
  

Great Designer Series Paper Special

July brings forth a great Designer Series Paper Sale with Stampin'Up.  What a great time to stock up; purchase three packages and get one free.  Check out the July specials On July 1.

I love designer series paper.  There is so much you can do with it in your card making and for your scrapbook pages.  I love it so much that I have a special box set aside that all scraps go in to be put to use later.  I pulled out this box with another box of pieces of solid cardstocks and cards and played today.

Here are a few things I came up with.

Notice the scraps on the left.  These are left overs from banners I cut out to use on a set of swap cards. The banner punch was used.  I could not throw them away.  The flowers are Fancy cut by hand from the same scraps.

Now, I turned the little pieces to the opposite side and came up with this.

These were pieced together like quilt blocks and I did Flax Stitching around each piece.  

This is a half sheet of a 6 x 6 paper stack that was left from another project.  I punched out two 2" circles. and put them on the blue in the new In-Colors.  i added the doily and then a 1 3/4 circle and stamped a verse in the center.  Then I fancy cut three little flowers from a scrap of DSP and adhered then on the edge of the circle.  Small rhinestones are added to the center of each flower.  Gold is not one of my favorite colors but I love it with this new blue.

Again using up my scraps of Designer Series Paper, this was a piece left over down the side of a piece of 12x12 paper.  I cut the three panels, added a doily and a center with a bow from the new velvet ribbon.  The flowers are stamped.

This is the last card  using scraps and they are from a 6 x 6 DSP paper stack.  The bottom was a strip left over.  The flowers were cut from the opposite side of the paper.  I tinted the doily a light blue by sponging ink on the doily.  Love the new white satin silver edged ribbon.

So, the moral of this story is:  DO NOT WASTE THOSE SCRAPS OF OUT BEAUTIFUL STAMPIN'UP DESIGNER'S SERIES PAPER!

If you have any questions, leave me a comment and I will get back to you.

 

Happy Stamping.

Spring and Summer Holidays are a great time to scrapbook!

Holiday's are the best time to cherish those memories and sometimes the inspiration comes from the card that I created. 

Seeing a card and turning it into a scrapbook layout may seem difficult to see.  However, taking it step by step helps visualize it.  Begin with a 12' X 12" cardstock and some designer series paper.  Don't forget the photos.  Before gluing, just take some time to play.  Move things around until you love your end results.  This is when you start gluing. 

Here’s a quick and easy layout for a single picture. Change it up a bit and add a row of circles at the bottom with smaller pictures in each circle or use the layout for a greeting card.

How do you like the Stampin'up bundles with punches?

In the new Stampin'Up catalog there are several bundles with punches instead of dies this time.  Each one is great.  Here is one that you have to love.

Detailed With Love Bundle
(2018 – 2019 Stampin’ Up! Annual Catalog page 39)

This delightful bundle comes with the Detailed With Love stamp set (wood or clear mount) and the Detailed Trio Punch, a 3-image punch.   The Detailed with Love stamp set contains 12 images.  Six of the images contain commonly used text including Happy Birthday, Thank You, and I Love You.  One of the decorative images coordinates with the Detailed Trio punch to create an intricate scalloped corner.

  The punch has a corner rounder, delicate petal details and a small oval shape – perfect for making a hole on a tag. The 3 punches can be used separately or together.  This bundle is part of the Delightfully Detailed product suite – see pages 38 – 39 of the 2018-2019 Stampin’ Up! annual catalog for details on the entire suite.

Do you believe in love at first sight?

Love at First Sight!

I have never been one to believe much with Love at First Sight, but today I have changed my mind.  Stampin’Up has a specially made new rubber stamp that is patient is waiting.  These are fantastic and so easy to use.  With one single stamping it looks like three step stamping.  The stamps are called Distinktive stamps.

In the new catalog there are five Distinktive stamp sets: Bokeh Bots, Stylish Christmas, Seize the Day, All Good Things, and Healing Hugs.  You can make beautiful cards with in a few minutes that look as if you spent hours creating the card.

I only have one of these sets at this time, but believe me, I will have all of them shortly.  The set I have is All Good Things.  Here are a few cards I made this afternoon to get the feel of the stamp.  I am sure I will soon find other ways to use these.

                                      

The first card is stamped on Vellum Cardstock and layered of a designer paper in different shades of blue.

The second card is stamped in black on Shimmery White cardstock; layered on black and added to a red card.

Neither of these cards took more than fifteen minutes to make.

Love the New Ink Pads from Stampin'Up

Check Out the New Ink Pads!

Stampin’ Up! is currently doing a Color Revamp.  Some of the current colors are leaving us, but some of the retired in-colors are coming back, along with brand new colors!

During this process, Stampin’ Up! decided to improve on the design of the ink pad cases. On the left is one of the current ink pads, and the new design is on the right.  As you can see, the new pads will be a tad bit smaller and sleeker.

 

The new pads are designed to be easier to open.  They will open more like a compact.  Instead of flipping and turning, the lid will just lie back flat and slide in.

One of my favorite things about the new pads is how nicely they will stack.  The current pads just would not stack together, which could be frustrating when they were sliding all over the place!  The new pads have small bumps in each corner of the bottom, which fit into small depressions in the top of the next pad.  I think they will be so much easier to store.

They do fit into the current ink pad carousel, but in my opinion, not very well.  Stampin’ Up! is in the process of designing a storage system for the new pads.  I can’t wait to see what they come up with!

On the back of each ink pad is a series of peel and stick labels in several languages.  Fun fact:  Stampin’ Up! has demonstrators in ten different countries! 

Just pick your preferred language, peel and stick it to the front of the ink pad.  Or, get a jump start on a new language by using a different label!

At the bottom of the series of labels, Stampin’ Up! has included a colored label without text.  Peel this one off and stick it inside the tray at the end of the stamp pad, so you can easily tell the color when you have several pads out on your work area.

As you can see, Stampin’ Up! heard our pleas for stamp pads that are easier to open and stack nicely!  One of the best things about our company?  They actually listen to, and act on, our feedback!

These new ink pads are available to be ordered now!  You will love them.  You can order yours by clicking on Shop Now

Happy Stamping, Joyce