I'M BACK with a Simply Enchanted Card

I'm back in business!  It's hard to believe it's been almost 5 months since I last blogged.  Now that I've finished the bulk of my cancer treatment, I'm hoping to post more regularly. 

Last Saturday I held my first stampin' class in 9 months!  Here's one of the projects we did--it's a simple card idea that will help showcase your collection of gorgeous Designer Series Papers!

This particular card features the Everyday Enchantment Designer Series Paper (126154) that you can only earn for FREE during Sale-A-Bration!  If you're not familiar with what Sale-A-Bration is, it's the best time of year to stock up on papercrafting supplies because with every $50 you spend (before s/h & tax) you get to choose an item in the Sale-A-Bration brochure for FREE!  Click HERE to view the brochure.

Can you guess how I rounded the bottoms of the strips of DSP?  Here's a clue, I used the 1 1/4" circle punch (119861). 

Still not sure? 

Well, I can't take credit for this technique.  In fact, even after I read the directions on how to do it, I still messed it up.  So, I figured a picture would be a better way for me to show exactly how it's done.

Cool, huh!

Here's a list of the other products I used on this card:
Curly Cute stamp set (117014 wood/120510 clear)
Beautiful Wings Embosslit Die (118138)
Big Shot Die Cut Machine (113439)
Flower punch from the Itty Bitty Shapes Punch Pack (118309)
Linen Thread (104199)
Basic Pearls (119247)
Early Espresso Card Stock (119686) & Classic Ink Pad (119670)
Naturals Ivory Card Stock (101849)
Stamping Sponges (101610)

You can place an order anytime on my website.  Click HERE to start shopping!

Happy Stampin!
Brenda

The Joys of Stamper with a Teenage Son...

So, what do you do when you have a son who's about to turn 17 and he feels he's too cool for a handstamped card?  Lately, when my son is getting ready to go to a friend's birthday party and I offer up my services to make a card, I get a "nooo, that's okay... you don't have to..."  I usually persist and say, "No, really! I want to!"  That usually proceeds with a rolling of the eyes and a "...whatever."  Perplexed, I head to my craft space and try to come up with a masterpiece that I hope will change his mind when he sees it.  Only, to get a "hmmm, thanks..."  Since I don't get to go to the parties with him, I have to trust that he actually gives the kid the card.  It's difficult to know, since when I ask him what his friend (or his friend's mom) thought of the card after the party, I get another rolling of the eyes and a "ugh!"  Oh, the joys of the teenage years!

Soooo, now that it's my son's 17th birthday tomorrow, I had to come up with some sort of card that will hopefully get a "cool" or "nice" or some other positive response.  Don't worry, I won't be passing out from holding my breath.  But I do hope it makes him at least a little bit happy, even though he may not show it on the outside. 

My goto teen card stamp set right now is Grunge Rock.  Here's what I came up with:

I dug through my designer series paper stash to find some "masculine" paper and found this retired pack from a couple minis ago.  Night of Navy, Bashful Blue, Pumpkin Pie and Crumb Cake were all pulled out of the designs in the paper.  I just LOVE how everything matches with Stampin' Up! products--paper, ink, ribbon, etc!

Here's a peek at how the gate fold card looks:

The base of the card is a 4 1/4" x 11" piece of card stock, scored at 2 3/4" from each end with the sides folded in to meet in the middle.  I then built the front of the card on a 4" x 5 1/4" piece of Crumb Cake card stock that is only attached on the left side.  Aside from the Grunge Rock stamp set, the U is from the Jayne's Type Alphabet set.

I don't think my son will be as impressed as I am with how this card turned out, but 20 years from now he won't be able to say I didn't care enough to make him a birthday card for his 17th birthday (or any other birthday for that matter)... yes, I am a stamper!!!

I hope you're Happy Stampin too!
Brenda

A Quick Gift Idea: Personalized Stationery Gift Set!

Happy New Year, my crafty friends!

I want to share a last minute gift I created last month. As the hours were winding down before we were to leave on our Christmas vacation to visit family, I needed to come up with a gift for my husband’s grandma. Knowing she’s one of the few people who still enjoy sending and receiving handwritten letters, I thought what better gift than to create a set of personalized stationery for her!

Having just received my preorder for new stampin’ goodies from the Occasions Mini catalog, I wanted to use the Framed Tulips Textured Impressions Embossing Folder (Pg 28/121809/$7.95). It would add the perfect touch to a set of monogrammed note cards.

I suppose I could have just wrapped the note cards in some pretty ribbon and left it at that. But I decided to make a little something to hold the cards, envelopes and coordinating pen instead.

The base of the notecard folder was created out of a single 8 ½ x 11 sheet of card stock.

• Score at 2” and 2 ¼” along one of the long edges, then turn 90 degrees and score at 5” and 5 ½”.

• Cut out the 2 ¼” x ½” scored section to create the flaps inside the folder. Cut at a slight diagonal along the inside edges of the flaps (see picture below).

• Secure the outer edges of the flaps with eyelets (brads or staples could also be used).

• Decorate as desired.

The monogram is stamped using the Lovely Letter Alphabet set and then punched out using the 1" circle punch.  That is then layered with a 1 1/4" circle and 1 3/4" scallop circle.  I snipped in between each scallop for the monogram on the cover of the folder to add a bit more texture.
 

 
I hope this inspires you to create a quick gift for someone special.  Before you do, be sure to tell me what you think!  Your comments are what motivates me to continue blogging!  Thanks!

If you haven't already, be sure to check out the NEW Occasions Mini Catalog!  Click HERE to start shopping!

Happy Stampin!
Brenda

'Tis the Season... to get stampin' and become a demo!

Wow, have I been negligent with my blog or what?!  Sorry about that!   To make it up to you, how about I share the projects we made at my recent Christmas Card Stamp-A-Stack classes?  Here you go:

I hope these cards inspire you to get started on your own Christmas cards, if you haven't started working on them already.  If you have any questions or would like more details about any of the cards, feel free to ask... either comment on my blog (ALWAYS APPRECIATED) or email me at: bbstampin at yahoo dot com. 

In case you haven't already heard, there's an awesome demonstrator starter kit promotion going on right now (Nov 15-30)--50% off the regular starter kit price!  That's only $87.50 for over $310 worth of stampin' and business supplies!  That is such a great deal, I wish I could sign up again to take advantage of it!  Check out what you get with the Digital+ Starter Kit... just the My Digital Studio software retails for $79.95.  So, for another $7.55 you will also receive 2 wood-mounted stamp sets, a clear-mount stamp set, 2 packs of card stock, 4 Classic ink pads, 2 markers, buttons, ribbon, dimensionals, Stampin' Scrub and Mist, Glue Dots, Snail... SEE WHAT I MEAN?!!!  Here's the flyer:

Or click HERE to go directly to my website for additional details.  If you're ready to take the plunge or have any questions, be sure to contact me before this awesome deal ends on November 30!  Just so you know, signing up is super simple and can be done right on my website!  All you need is my special password to get started!  Call or email me!  My phone number is on my website.

Happy Stampin!

Brenda

Color Challenge--Give Those Unused Colors Some LOVE!

A fellow Stampin' Up! demo of mine, Ellie, put out a challenge to use a color that you rarely (if ever) use on a project.  I took her up on that challenge and chose the color Peach Parfait.  It's a new In-Color and a very vibrant color of orange.  Orange is not one of my go-to colors.  I eased into the challenge with my first card.  It was SUPER simple and actually a CASE'd layout from another fellow demo (can't recall her name). 

So, you might be asking... where is the Peach Parfait?!  Well, it's peeking out from behind the circle on the far right side.  Oh, yes, and at the top of the teeny tiny cupcake.  I also used my Peach Parfait marker on the sayings. 

Although this is a very cute card (if I do say so myself), I didn't feel quite right about putting this card out there with the color challenge.  So, I pulled out a different stamp set (Grunge Rock) and checked my new handy dandy Color Coach to help me come up with another color combination with Peach Parfait.  Right away I was drawn to the top combo suggestion: Not Quite Navy, Pear Pizzazz (another new In-Color) and Peach Parfait.  If you haven't noticed, blues and greens ARE my go-to colors!  I don't think that's cheating though, do you? 

It took me a whole day to put this card together.  I got so far with it yesterday and then got busy doing other stuff.  To tell you the truth, I sort of got stuck with the design process.  So I walked away.  They say that if you get stuck while creating something, it helps to walk away and take a nap.  Your mind supposedly does much of your creative thinking while you're sleeping.  I didn't actually take a nap, but I did eventually go to bed last night.  Well, that worked!  Here's what I came up with:

Along with Grunge Rock, I used the letter U from Jayne's Type Alphabet stamp set.  I think those sets work perfectly together!

Okay, now I'm going to challenge you to dig thru your card stock and ink pads and find a color that you haven't used in awhile.  And show it some LOVE!

Happy Stampin!
Brenda

Personalizing Birthday Cards

We were invited to a new neighbor's birthday party a couple weeks ago.  It was actually for a little boy turning one.  I sat down to make a birthday card and quickly came up with this fun monkey card:

But then I remembered the invitation we received had a sealife theme with a crab and decided to stash the monkey card away and make a new card with the crab from the Summer Mini hostess set, It's a Thought.  If you've seen this set, you might be wondering how a frowning crab with the saying "sorry i was crabby" could be useful on a birthday card.  Well, I used the marker to stamp technique to ink just his body (not his frown or the words).  Then I drew in a smile and cut him out.  Here's the card I came up with:

I also used the Tropical Party and Fabulous Phrases stamp sets.  Oh, yeah... and the Calendar Alphabet set to spell Eli's name.  Cute, huh!

Well, about 30 minutes before the party, I was putting the gift in a gift bag and got to thinking... this bag looks pretty boring.  It needs something!  So I came up with this cool crab tag:

The crab tag was made up of a lot of punches and attached to a scallop circle die.  His name was stamped using Just Perfect Alphabet set.  What do you think?  I think it turned out super cute! 

Okay, so fast-foward to a my workshop last week.  Eli's mom, Kristina, came to the party and was browsing my sample table.  When she came across the monkey card, she picked it up and just had to say how cute it was!  I laughed and told her how that was the original card I made for Eli.  She told me that she had been going back and forth between the crab theme and a monkey theme.  How funny is that?! 

Happy Stampin!

Brenda

Rediscovered Inspiration Journal - Cool Color Combo

While unpacking my craft room, I came across a lot of stuff I forgot I had.  One thing in particular that I was excited to find was an inspiration journal where I had stored pictures from magazines and ads that inspired me in some way.  Paging through the journal, this picture jumped out at me:

I love the colors!  Baja Breeze (a former In-Color that has been brought back by Stampin' Up! and is now part of the core color collections), Crumb Cake (formerly known as Kraft) and Early Espresso (NEW).  I quickly pulled out the ink pads and paper and went to work and here's what I came up with:

 

Here's a card I made with a new Level 1 Hostess Set called Because I Care: 

To get the two-toned flowers, I first inked them with Crumb Cake and then sponged around the edges with Early Espresso. I used the marker to stamp technique on the sentiment. Yes, Baja Breeze now comes in a marker!

These next two cards were actually the first complete cards I made while playing with the color combination.  Notice that I was also inspired by the outfit in the picture for the layout of the cards (pattern on top, Whisper White on the bottom, with an Early Espresso strip separating the two).

This first one uses just stamps (Circle Circus & Because I Care), card stock and ink:

Then I spiced it up a bit with some punches (Scallop Edge Border & Itty Bitty Shapes), Bitty Buttons and Linen Thread:

I love how inspiration is all around us.  Taking the time to cut out a picture or sketching an idea into a journal is a great way to capture those inspirations.  That journal got my creative juices flowing after I had a bit of a stampin' dry spell.  (Moving will do that to ya!)  If you don't already have one, consider starting your own inspiration journal.  It doesn't have to be fancy.  Any old notebook will do.  Of course, you can always decorate it to make it pretty if you want. 

Until then, use my inspiration and get stampin!

Happy Stampin!
Brenda

P.S. Please excuse the funky layout of this post.  I'm getting used to the "new" editing features of Blogger.

Here's one for the Birds!

They're here, THEY'RE HERE! The OCCASIONS MINI CATALOG & SALE-A-BRATION ARE HERE!

I am having a NEW STAMPIN' STUFF PARTY to celebrate!

When: Tuesday, January 12 @ 7pm

Where: My House (in the San Antonio, Texas area)

Contact me to RSVP and to get directions

bbstampin@yahoo.com

I hope you can make it! We'll be getting our fingers inky while playing with some of the new clear-mount stamps! There will be class sign-ups, refreshments and DOOR PRIZES!

I'll even have some project samples to hopefully inspire you! Here's one you'll see:

This card features one of Stampin' Up!'s new punches... Two-Step Bird (117191/$15.95). I sponged some chocolate chip ink around the edges of the bashful blue bird to give him some depth. I also attached a small piece of a dimensional adhesive behind the tip of the wing and attached the shoulder of the wing with regular adhesive to give him even more dimension!

And here's a close-up:

Check out that epoxy brad! Isn't it too cool! It's new in the Occasions Mini!

To create the scalloped border around the 3" square, I simply pieced together several scallop square punches, overlapping the squares in the middle.


Hope to see you at my party! We'll be Happy Stampin!

Got My Creative Mojo Back!

Hello, my crafty friends!

You may not have realized (unless you're one of my Facebook friends) that I had lost my creative mojo. Well, thanks to a little (okay, A BIG) inspiration I found in a recent Papercrafts magazine I believe I have found my mojo! Take a look:

Not having any of the exact supplies that were used in the inspiration card, I had to get creative! I created the patterned paper using a stamp from the Circle Circus stamp set--isn't it amazingly similar to the inspiration paper? I was pretty impressed with myself for being able to eyeball stamp all of the circles! Nope, no stamp-a-ma-jig used here! To carry the tempting turquoise color throughout, I decided to color the centers of the circles.

As you can see, I decided to add some color on the butterflies too. The butterflies are 3 of the 5 diecuts that come from the Beautiful Wings Embosslit Die that is NEW in the Occasions Mini catalog (available on January 5!). They are cut out of whisper white card stock and then I used the embossed designs on the butterflies to add color to make them POP. I simply used a black stampin' write marker on the top and bottom butterflies. And I used a neat technique to add the pumpkin pie color to the middle one. Check out the close-up and you will see there's a shine to the spots on the butterfly along with the brad and centers of the circle stamps:

All I did, was add a drop of Pumpkin Pie re-inker to a bit of Crystal Effects, stirred it up and used the ball end of a straight pin to dot it on where I wanted it.

You may wonder why I created a mirror image of the inspiration card. Well, that happened out of a happy accident while I was putting the card together. I went to punch the corners of the various blocks before attaching them to the card front and, wouldn't you know, the very first corner I punched ended up being on the wrong corner! Thankfully it was an easy fix to flip the layout.

I'm excited to have my creative mojo back. There is another card I made this morning using more new products in the Occasions Mini that I will share with you next time. So be sure to check back soon!

Hope you'll be Happy Stampin' into a Happy New Year!

Lots to be Thankful for...

It's raining outside (with a rumbling of thunder in the distance)... a good day to snuggle up with a cup of coffee and listen to some holiday music... I'm thinking about doing that and then pulling out the stampin' supplies to get working on my Christmas cards. I've already stamped today... but that's not going to stop me! I had my Give Thanks Card Class this morning. Would you like to see the cards we made? Whether you do or not, here they are (cover your eyes if you don't want to see them): :)

This one may look familiar. I used the layout of another card I made for a class awhile back--changing up the colors and adding twine.

Supplies: Nature's Nest, Fundamental Phrases, Bermuda Bay Textured CS & ink, Soft Suede CS & ink, Naturals White CS, sponge, blender pen, tearing edge and dimensionals.

I dusted off a stamp set that I haven't used in awhile to make this card...
Supplies: Pick A Petal, Sincere Salutations, Basic Black CS & ink, Whisper White CS, Melon Mambo Ink, Crushed Curry Textured CS, grosgrain ribbon, piercing tool, mat pack & Hodgepodge Hardware (genuine brad).

Pick A Petal is such a fun and versatile set. If you have it, have you used it lately?

This last card is perfect for Thanksgiving! Gotta love the wheels!

Supplies: Best Wishes & More, Teeny Tiny Wishes, Bright Blessing Jumbo Wheel, Kraft CS, Always Artichoke CS & ink, More Mustard CS & ink, Ruby Rose CS & ink, jumbo handle & cartridge, Rich Regals & Earth Elements Brads, 1/16" hole punch and dimensionals.

So, with Thanksgiving less than a week away, I'll share some of the things that I am thankful for.

First and most importantly, I am thankful for my family (near and far). I wish we could all be together, but knowing we are together in spirit means the world to me. I pray for everyone to stay safe (especially my hubby who is in the Middle East) throughout the holidays. I am also thankful for my craft-abilities. I can't imagine my life without crafts--especially stampin' & knittin'! I have met so many wonderful people IRL and online because of my love of crafts. If you are reading this, I am thankful for you too--whether you are a customer, friend, fellow demonstrator, someone who just happened upon my blog... I want to say Thanks! Seeing my counter continue to raise lets me know you're out there and perhaps slightly interested in what I have to say and enjoy seeing my creations.

Well, I'm off to enjoy the gloomy weather in the comforts of my home (yup, thankful for that too!) ... stampin' and knittin' all the way!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Brenda

I'm Back... with my Sept Stamp-A-Stack Projects!

I can't believe it's been so long since I last posted here. It appears life has gotten away with me. I did warn y'all when my husband left on his deployment that things might be a bit crazy here.

Here are the projects we made at my last Stamp-A-Stack.

The first 2 are actually from the same supplies. My customers had the choice to make either or both of these cards. I also added an additional option (not pictured here) of inking the butterfly in Melon Mambo and then sponging it with Rich Razzleberry around the edges to create a 2-toned butterfly.


Stamp Sets: Simple Friendship & Sincere Salutations
Accessories: Razzleberry Lemonade DSP, Wide Oval Punch, Scallop Edge Punch, Piercing Tool, Sponge, Sanding Block, Big Shot & Perfect Details Texturz Plate.

This next card is perfect for Autumn...

Stamp Set: Best Wishes & More

Accessories: Card Stock Vellum, Versamark Ink Pad & Tearing Edge

This last card was a total CASE from a card I found in the Nov/Dec issue of Paper Crafts. While looking for inspiration for card ideas, I came across the card on page 76 and knew it would perfect for this class. Aside from changing out the colors & stamps, I did make a couple other alterations. Instead of attaching a plain rhinestones, I used Stampin' Up!'s rhinestone brads. I also decided to bring all of the colors together in the sentiment by inking each letter separately with markers.

Stamp Sets: All Holidays, Nursery Necessities, Itty Bitty Backgrounds & Circle Circus

Accessories: Rhinestone Brads, 1" Circle Punch, Small Star Punch, 1/16" Handheld Circle Punch, Corner Rounder Punch, In-Color Stampin' Write Marker Set & 8 1/2 x 11 Textured Card Stock

Something I have to point out about all of these cards, I did not use one inch of ribbon! I think that might be a first for me with my classes. Usually at least one, if not all of the cards have ribbon of some sort on them. I don't think any of these cards needed it...

I am hoping to get back into the routine of blogging on a more regular basis. I have a class coming up to make a really cool box out several Pillow Box Die cutouts that I found on Splitcoaststampers. I will be sharing my version of it with you soon!

Happy Stampin!

Holiday Mini Open House Make-n-Takes...

In case you missed my Holiday Mini Open House last week, I thought you'd like to see the make-n-take projects we made.

The first one uses the Gobble, Gobble stamp ($6.95/116535) from page 31 of the Mini, along with the Bright Blessings jumbo wheel ($8.50/115626).

My sample doesn't show it, but I also gave the make-n-takers an "advanced" step option to use on their cards. After inking the turkey in Crushed Curry and using a sponge dauber to add Always Artichoke around the edges of the feathers, they could then use another sponge dauber to add some Champagne Mist Shimmer Paint ($5.95/116806) over the entire image... then stamp. This made the turkey sparkle and shine! I will be showing other projects using this new Holiday Mini product in the near future.


We also made this bookmark with the Twick or Tweet stamp set ($18.95/116497) from the mini, along with the Medallion stamp ($17.95/115223):

The word background is one of the papers in the Night & Day Specialty Designer Paper pack ($11.95/116768). Something I didn't realize when I ordered this paper (even though it's listed right in the description in the mini) is that it also includes 2 pieces of black polka dotted window sheets! I'm going to do my best to not hoard these pieces and will hopefully be posting a project or 2 using them soon.

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A tip I'd like to share with y'all about both of the mini stamp sets I used on these projects... The images all include sayings that are attached. Consider cutting the saying apart from the picture image and mount the words on the side/edge of the stamp. This gives you freedom to stamp just the image or just the saying much more easily. With the Gobble, Gobble stamp, it's like you're getting 2 stamps for the price of one!

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Happy Stampin!

Things I love... (a special card for my hubby)

Before sending my hubby's first care package, I decided to make him a very special card. Here's the outside:

It is a tri-fold card with a belly band holding it together--hiding a "cheeky" message inside. Here's a peek (warning: you may want to cover your little one's eyes before scrolling down):

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This panty card was an idea I found several years ago. Stored in the back of my mind, it seemed perfect to include in my hubby's first deployment care package. The Thing I Love stamp set was sort of an after thought to use. I didn't necessarily want to have the derriere out on the front of the card, just in case the package was inspected as it entered the conservative country of Kuwait. Needing something to decorate the outside of the card, that set seemed like a good choice...

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I had what I think is a clever idea to alter the inside saying... Take a closer look:

I used the marker to stamp technique to first color the "but" in red and added an extra "t". Then I cleaned the stamp and inked the rest of the saying with a brown marker... and stamped. :)

Happy Stampin!

Long overdue... My Convention Swaps!

I've been meaning to post these for quite some time now. They were hidden in my blog pix folder. These are the cards I made for a couple of the organized swaps I signed up for at Convention. The first one was for a 3x3 card swap:

Stamps: Bright Blessing Jumbo Wheel & Fundamental Phrases
Accessories: Leaves #2 Die, Modern Label Punch, Brad, Sponge, tissue paper


Here's how I got the texture on the leaves: First, I used a glue stick to attach crumpled white tissue paper onto a piece of So Saffron cardstock. Then I ran it through the Big Shot with the Leaves #2 die. After that, I sponged More Mustard classic ink all over the leaves... and there you have it! Faux Silk Leaves!


Here's the card I made for the Splitcoaststampers Dinner Swap:

Stamps: Circle Circus & Teeny Tiny Wishes
Accessories: Backgrounds 1 Texturz Plate, Modern Label Punch, 1 3/8" Circle Punch, Sanding Block, Embossing Powder (Silver & Iridescent Ice), Brad, Perfect Plum Craft Ink


The WOW factor on this card (although it's hard to see online), is the sparkly circle. It's simple, really. I stamped the circle in Perfect Plum CRAFT ink on white cardstock and then heat embossed it with Iridescent Ice embossing powder. I LOVE THAT STUFF! To add even more dimension, I added a brad in the center of one of the flowers. It's punched out using a circle punch and attached to the black cardstock.


The background is another neat, but super simple technique. First you run the cardstock through the Big Shot with the Background 1 Texturz Plate (elegant swirls) and then you use a sanding block to lightly sand the raised areas to make the swirls POP! How cool is that?!


Well, I hope you're getting your creative groove on over this long holiday weekend. I just received my demo pre-ordered copy of the My Digital Studio software (in the Holiday Mini) and have been playing around with it. I can't wait to share some of the projects I create using it. In case you were wondering, the software will be available for customers to order beginning on October 1! If you'd like to purchase the software for 1/2 price, consider hosting a workshop! If the sales are $400 or more, you'll get your very own My Digital Studio for just that! Contact me today to find out more information or to schedule your workshop!


Happy Stampin!
Brenda

Before the Chaos Begins: A Couple Card Class Projects

Before the packers arrive and I am surrounded by boxes and the sound of tearing tape, here's one more happy stampin' blog post. I had a wonderful group of stampers (brand-spanking new & well-seasoned) over for a card class yesterday. Here are a couple of the projects I designed for them to make:

Stamp Sets: Circle Circus, Teeny Tiny Wishes
Accessories: Vanilla Satin Ribbon, Eyelet Border Punch, Oval Punches.
Colors: Rich Razzleberry, Basic Black, So Saffron, Very Vanilla



Stamp Sets: Nature's Nest, Fundamental Phrases
Accessories: Ticket Corner Punch, Antique Brads, 1/16" Handheld Circle Punch, Stampin' Sponge, Distressing Tool (cutter kit), Blender Pen, Stampin' Pastels, Sanding Block, Big Shot, Texturz Plate.
Colors: Soft Suede, Old Olive, Naturals Ivory.


It's always fun watching stampers (new & old) go to town on making the projects I've designed. During my classes, everyone is free to change up whatever they'd like. Some people are more comfortable making their cards exactly like the sample, while others use my ideas for a spring board to make new and totally personalized cards. Of course, there are always moments where creative alterations are necessary--like when an image doesn't get stamped completely, a hole gets punched in the wrong place OR when a step is completely missed. These are not mistakes, they are moments of God inspired creativity! I've had a few of those myself and I have to say that the card usually comes out even better than my original plan--like it was meant to be!

I hope it won't be long before I'm back to share more creative projects with y'all. For now, my card stock and inks are packed away and ready to be moved to our new house 4 blocks away.

Hope you're Happy Stampin!

Back to the "Bleach"!

Here are the cards we made at my Back to the "Bleach" Technique Class last week:

If you've never tried using bleach with your stamps, it's really not as scary as it sounds. You can create a stamp pad by pouring some bleach onto several layers of paper towels (on a plate or tray). After stamping, just clean your stamps as usual.

You can also use bleach like watercolors--with a paint brush or the tip of an Aquapainter. Just be careful with the bleach. It is very caustic, so if you put it in the reservoir of the Aquapainter, be sure to empty it as soon as you're finished using it. If you leave bleach in the reservoir, it will eat away at the sponge inside the Aquapainter (this is a tip from experience).

Here are some close ups of the cards:

The stars were stamped with bleach and the head of the eagle was colored in with bleach (heat embossing the image first).


We used the See You Around wheel rolled over the bleach "ink" pad to create the background.


The shells were stamped with bleach, let dry and then stamped over using Bordering Blue classic ink. The key to this technique is to let the bleach dry completely. If it's not dry, the bleach will effect the ink color--which is a whole new look.

As you can see from these cards, bleach reacts differently to different card stock colors. Bleach on the Pacific Point card stock left a greenish hue--similar to Kiwi Kiss. On Kraft, bleach created a So Saffron color. Give it a try and have fun seeing what colors emerge!

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Don't forget, TODAY IS THE LAST DAY to order the products on the Last Chance List. All of these card were made using retiring stamps. If you'd like to place an order, go to my website and SHOP NOW!

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Happy Stampin!

Brag Book... this one's for a Grandma.

The daughter of a friend of mine (from one of my stitch groups) just recently had a baby. When she was asked if she had pictures to share, my friend gave all sorts of excuses as to why she didn't have any... even though her new grandson was several days old and she was actually at the birth! Knowing that I was going to be seeing her again at a luncheon a few days later, I quickly whipped up a clear envelope Grandma's Brag Book:

Boy, was she surprised! Coincidentally, she had actually just gotten pictures back from the printer before coming to lunch and there were just the right number of pictures for the pages I included in the book! So, instead of people fingering all of her precious grandson's pictures, she was able to pass around this book. I have to say, it was a proud moment for both of us. :)

Here's a closer look at the tag. Notice the new punch I used, it's called Modern Label. It's new in the 2009-2010 Idea Book & Catalog and will be available for you to order on July 1! I also used the Billboard Decorative Strip Die (& the Big Shot) for the title on the book. It's not a new die, but I don't think I've shared a sample of a project I've used with that.

Happy Stampin!

While Supplies Last means While Supplies Last...

I have been a smidge busy this week. With a workshop scheduled on Tuesday, I thought I was all set with a 6x6 scrapbook page and card all designed and ready to go. Well, as I mentioned when the Last Chance lists came out, the retiring accessories are only available while supplies last. Unfortunately, as the workshop got closer, most of the accessories I had planned to use were sold out! Here's my original page:

The Baja Breeze striped ribbon and Baja Breeze card stock are both sold out. When I last checked, the Baja Breeze ink pad and Walk in the Park DSP were still available.

I had even come up with a 12x12 page to show at the workshop--so people could see how to incorporate the 6x6 page into a standard sized album

Also retiring, but still available is the Big Deal Alphabet set. The Great Friend stamp set from the Occasions Mini will be coming back in the 2009-2010 Idea Book & Catalog!

SO, on the morning of the workshop, I went about designing a new page for the make-n-take:

This time, I used regular colors & accessories that aren't going anywhere and planned the page around a retiring stamp set (Seaside), which will be available to order right up until the end (June 30). In the end, I think it turned out to be a better page for the group. One person at the workshop said she was going to use her page as a gift for her dad for Father's Day. They had just gone to the beach and she had the perfect picture to add to the layout!

I did create a 12x12 page to show with this page, but I'm having technical difficulties with uploading it with the correct orientation. So I will have to upload it separately through my backup, the photo sharing site Flickr.com.

Happy Stampin!