A Hostess set You Have Got to Have...

 

I just fell in love with the Bloom With Hope hostess stamp set the moment I saw it in the new catalog. I cased this card from Lisa Martz and put the "Cathy" touch on it, adding the Bordering Blooms along the side and a few other touches.

Here's a fun mistake. I was thinking that this card was in a portrait orientation when I stamped along the bottom of the card insert. Instead of tossing that piece into my scraps, I decided to go with it and do something different so the border is on the left and the flower detail is in the top corner. And do you know what? I love it! How about you? Do you have a "happy goof" too? Share please.....

Here's what you need for this card:

• Island Indigo, Wild Wasabi , So Saffron and Whisper White Cardstock
• Bordering Blooms, Fabulous Four, Gorgeous Grunge and Bloom With Hope stamp sets
• StazOn, VersaMark, Pool Party, Coastal Cabana and Island Indigo inks
• So Saffron marker
• Washi tape
• So Saffron patterned paper
• Banner punch for ends
• Candy Dots and Bases
• White Baker's Twine
• Dazzling Diamonds

 

 

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The Romantic In Me....

I saw this card by Julie Gearinger on SplitcoastStampers and the romantic in me had to make it! It is so sweet - very vintage - not the everyday me but I still love it. I had some ready-made flowers I had found in a $1 bin at a store and we used those because we just didn't have time in a class setting to make them ourselves but you certainly could using Stampin' Up!'s Spiral Flower Originals die. I had blue, yellow, pink and Turquoise flowers. It was really fun to see what everyone would choose.

Here's what you will need to make this card:

• Soft Sky, Basic Black and Very Vanilla Cardstock
• Tea Party and Let Your Hair Down (hostess) stamp sets
• StazOn, Soft Sky, Tempting Tuorquoise and Pear Pizzazz ink
• Pearls
• Delicate Designs embossing folder
• Postage Stamp punch
• Ovals Collection framelits
• Linen Thread
• Square punch for banner ends
• Tea Lace Doilies
• Crumb Cake ink and sponges for aging

 

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Mix Those Embossing Powders!

 

Here is a fun technique. Take some of your embossing powders and mix them together! Experiment with different combinations. For this card I used Pool Party and Early Espresso. I did find that the Early Espresso powder was heavier than the Pool Party powder and settled to the bottom after being mixed up. I would shake it up several times as I poured it over the inked image to keep it mixed together more evenly. Keep those little powder containers for holding the remnants from this technique for the next time you want to make this type of card. Is also works best with a solid image stamp like this one.

 

Inside the card is an example of what happens to the mixture. I mixed up the embossing powder and embossed these leaves from the Summer Silhouettes stamp set only to discover there is a manufacturing defect in my rubber! I called Stampin' Up! And they replaced it immediately. See the dark spot on the bottom right leaf? I had to come back with a VersaMark pen and the embossing mixture to fill it in and ended up with more Early Espresso than Pool Party in the mixture since I was down to the last little bit. Lesson learned!

Here is what you will need to make this card:

• Pool Party, Early Espresso and Very Vanilla Cardstock
• Early Espresso and VersaMark ink
• See Ya Later, My Friend, Bring on the Cake and Summer Silhouettes stamp sets
• Pool Party and Early Espresso embossing powders
• Heat gun
• Square punch to make banner ends

 

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A Different Kind of Easel Card

 

Here is a different kind of Easel card. To make this card, you will need a piece of Designer Series Paper cut to 6" x 11". Using your Simply Scored, score at 5", 5 1/2" and 6" along the 11" side. Fold in half at the 5 1/2" score line. Now fold up again along the other score line 1/2" up from the fold. Place this on your Big Shot using the largest Decorative Labels Framelit. Make sure that you do not cut along the folded areas. They need to sit just inside the framelit cut edges. After running through the Big Shot, unfold and re-fold making a "mountain" in the center. The picture below makes it easier to see. Regular Cardstock is too thick for this technique.

 

Now finish the card off! Here's what you will need to duplicate this card:

• Wisteria Wonder Patterned Paper
• Wisteria Wonder and Whisper White Cardstock
• Wisteria Wonder and Elegant Eggplant ink
• Apothecary Art, Papillion Potpourri and Remembering Your Birthday stamp sets
• Labels Collection Framelits

 

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Still Swimmin' By the Tide

 

Yep, I am still pulling this set out often! I just don't get tired of anything to do with the ocean. This is a tunnel card that we made quite awhile ago but I hadn't shared with you yet. I was planning on showing you how to make a tunnel card on a Technique Tuesday (remember those?) but I will do so using more current product in the next few weeks. In the meantime, I will just share this card.

Did you catch it? Technique Tuesday is coming back soon and I am hoping to have them be video! Of course you will have to bear through my getting used to talking while creating! If I chicken out, you will see the picture sequence back.

 

Here's what you will need to make this card:

• By the Tide and Vintage Verses stamp sets
• Pool Party, Soft Suede, Midnight Muse, Tangerine Tango and Whisper White Cardstock
• Midnight Muse, Tangerine Tango and Soft Suede ink
• Silver button and Pool Party button from SAB.
• Baker's Twine
• Ovals Collection Framelits
• Lacy Brocade embossing folder (retired)

 

 

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Switch It Up!

 

Like this card? Don't have the Watercolor Wonder designer paper or the Gumball Green ribbon which are retired? Switch it up! Just grab a floral stamp, ink it up with Island Indigo ink, spritz it with water and stamp on Whisper White Cardstock. Clean your stamp and come back using Old Olive or Wild Wasabi and make your own watercolor paper! For your ribbon, just find another coordinating color. Do you really like the contrast of the white stitching? Break out your sewing machine which is gathering dust in the closet. Oh, that one is mine!

 

Here's what you will need to make this card:

• Banner Blast, Petite Petals, Happy Day and Flower Shop stamp sets
• Gumball Green, Island Indigo and Whisper White Cardstock
• StazOn, Island Indigo, Basic Gray and Gumball Green ink
• Petite Petals and Banner punches
• Gumball Green Stitched Ribbon
• Rhinestones

 

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Create Your Own Embossing Folder

 

Want an embossed look but don't have a folder with that look? Make your own? For this card, we wanted an embossed star background but we don't have an embossing folder with stars so we made our own. Keep reading and learn how to make one too!

What you will need:

• A sheet of the backing cardboard from Stampin' Up!'s designer series paper
• Glue stick
• Framelit or die of the shape(s) you want OR scissors to cut you own

First, cut part of the backing board to 5"x 7". Next, use the rest of the backing board to cut your shapes. For each shape you want, you will need to cut three of them. Once they are cut, stack and glue them together. If you are using a die, you can glue first and then cut all three together but wait awhile to make sure your glue is dry so you don't gum up your die. Now you are ready to lay them out in your pattern on your 5" x 7" piece and glue them down.

Once they have dried, build a sandwich with your Cardstock next to your new "embossing folder" on one side and a Silicone Rubber sheet. If you didn't get one of the Silicone Rubber sheets before they retired, you can use your silicone craft mat instead. NOTE: You will have to play with shims to get a good embossing.

Once you are done, write on the back side of your "embossing folder" what sandwich and shimming you need to do to get a good embossing and hang onto it for future use. You don't want to just throw away all that hard work you just did!

Here's what you will need to make this card:

• Night of Navy, Whisper White and Real Red Cardstock
• Real Red and Night of Navy ink
• Blue Ribbon stamp set
• 2 3/8" Scallop Circle punch
• 1 3/8" Circle punch
• Ribbon
• Rhinestones

 

 

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Squish Brayering Technique...

We made this card at a technique class I held. There are other names for it but I call it the Squish Brayering Technique. Run your Whisper White Cardstock through the Big Shot using the Beautifully Baroque embossing folder. Ink up your brayer and color the raised portion of the Cardstock using Pool Party ink. Continue to do this until you get the intensity of color that you desire. Remember, that your color will lighten a bit when it dries complete. Once you get close to the color you want, ink up your brayer again and roll with more pressure so the raised embossing "squishes down" a bit, lightly coloring in the depressed areas. You will see that, as long as you don't press too hard, that some white will show along the edges of the raised ares.. Pretty cool technique, isn't it?

Here's what you will need to make this card:

• Flower Shop, Petite Petals and Teeny Tiny Wishes stamp sets
• Whisper White and Coastal Cabana Cardstock
• Coastal Cabana and Bermuda Bay ink
• Chalk Talk Framelits
• Beautifully Baroque embossing folder
• Pansy and Petite Petals punches
• White Taffeta and Coastal Cabana ruffle ribbons
• Pearls

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"Bee" My Friend

 

Here is a card that I cased from one of Stampin' Up!'s Artisan Designer Team, Jennifer Timko. What a talented group of women they are! I loved this card because it was a n alternative way of using the Hexagon Hive framelit. You actually turn it about 45 degrees and the trim away all of the outside edges to get this look. So Clever!

 

Here's what you need to make this card:

• Crushed Curry, Basic Black and Whisper White Cardstock
• Early Espresso, Crushed Curry and Crumb Cake inks
• Backyard Basics stamp set and framelits
• Six Sided Sampler stamp set
• Hexagon Hive framelit
• Pearls
• Sponges

 

 

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Grandma's Kitchen Table

 

This card reminds me of my Grandmother's kitchen table. There was always a lacy tablecloth with a teapot full of flowers sitting there when we came to visit. I always wondered if those were for us or did she have them there everyday? Either way, they made us happy when we were there or maybe it was the sneaky trips to the ice cream store with Grandpa that we loved so much!

Here's what you will need to make this card:

• Pear Pizzazz, Tangeringe TangoBasic Black and Very Vanilla Cardstock
• Venetian Romance DSP
• Tea Party and Delightful Dozen stamp sets
• Antique Brads
• Itty Bitty Shapes punch (retired)
• Tangerine Tango ribbon (SAB)
• Pear Pizzazz and Tangerine Tango markers
• StazOn ink
• Pearls

 

 

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A Look Under the Sea...

 

By the Tide is one of my favorite stamp sets - can you tell I am an "ocean girl". I swear that my blood pressure immediately drops when my toes hit the sand. Plus my husband is an avid fisherman so fish are always around my house!

 

Here's what you will need for this card:

• Night of Navy, Old Olive, Pool Party and Whisper White Cardstock
• By the Tide and Gorgeous Grunge stamp sets
• Pol Party, Old Olive and Night of Navy inks
• Decorative Dots embossing folder
• Mini Brads

 

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Simple and Sweet....

Here is a card that I cased from Heather Van Looy for a recent class. We used the sponging over embossed images technique on this card. I love the effect it gives.

Here is what you will need for this card:

• Whisper White, Pacific Point, Pool Party Cardstock
• Papillon Potpourri, Serene Silhouettes and Four You stamp sets.
• Pool Party, Marina Mist and VersaMark inks
• Clear or White embossing powder
• Sponges
• Fancy Fan and Beautifully Baroque embossing folders
• Bitty Butterfly punch
• Pearls

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Those Left Over Sale-a-Bration Items

 

Do you have some left over product from this year's Sale-a-Bration? Here' same card that will use up some of that for you. Can you find all xxxxx SAB items? Keep reading below to see the list!

 

Here' same list of everything we used for this card:

• Pistachio Pudding, Crisp Cantaloupe, Whisper White Cardstock
• Sweet Sorbet Designer Series Paper
• Sweet Sorbet Accessory Pack for twine and cork flower
• Crumb Cake and Crisp Cantaloupe inks
• Summer Silhouettes and Perfect Pennants stamp sets
• Circle Collection and Banners framelits
• Decorative Dots embossing folder

 

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Circles Collection Framelits - Getting Your Money's Worth

These telescoping circle cards are a great way of getting use out of you Circles Collection framelits. Plus, who doesn't love a surprise card like this on their birthday? It is almost like getting a card and gift in one! I know I have shown you how to make these before and you can find the directions in my Specialty Cards section.
Here's what you will need to make this card:

• Circles Collection framelits
• Sketched Birthday, Remembering Your Birthday and Yippee Skippee stamp sets
• Island Indigo, Daffodil Delight, Whisper White and Melon Mambo Cardstock
• Island Indigo, Melon Mambo and Daffodil Delight Markers
• Melon Mambo 1/4" ribbon
• Subtles Candy Dots
• Mini Brads
• Bitty Banners framelits

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Work of Art....

When demonstrators were invited to an unveiling of the catalog at movie theaters all over the United States and Canada in April, I knew we would be walking away with something from the new catalog because Stampin' Up! is so generous with their demonstrators but I never imagined that we would receive such a cool stamp set! I consider the set this year's Gorgeous Grunge. It is so versatile. It can be used by itself or used as backgrounds for other stamp sets. In this card which I cased from SplitcoastStampers, we used the stamp by itself. This picture is of my sample but I told the class attendees to use Bermuda Bay on the "thank" because the Coastal Cabana just didn't show up well enough.
Since I only had one stamp set and ten attendees at my class, I realized that cleaning the little circle stamp several times while stamping between colors would either (1) slow down class or worse (2) ruin a stamp pad or two. So I came up with a great idea. Have you tried the Undefined kit yet? Do you even know what it is? It is rubber and carving tools so you can design and create your own stamps. Well, I took the circle stamp and stamped on the blank rubber twice. I then cut these out using the carving tool and mounted them on pieces of wood. So what I ended up with was three similar stamps! A label on each with the color saved both time and my ink pads! What will you do with Undefined? Let me know!

Here's what you will need to make this card:

• Work of Art stamp set
• Crisp Cantaloupe, Coastal Cabana, Crumb Cake, and Bermuda Bay inks
• Coastal Cabana and Whisper White Cardstock
• Gold Baker's Twine
• Crisp Cantaloupe Thick Baker's Twine (A tip: we put this along the inside of the card after using a mask along the top edge as we stamped the circles. We used a very thin line of Multipurpose Liquid Glue to hold it down.
• Gold Fancy Foil Designer Vellum Paper

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Introducing Blendabilities!

 

Have you tried Stampin' Up!'s Blendabilities yet? Do you love them too? For some who is "shading challenged" like me, they are wonderful! They do it for you. And the other cool thing is that you can color our faceted buttons, pearls and rhinestones with them and the color doesn't rub off. Just be careful as the sharp edges can damage you tips quicker. This card was made at my "Introduction to the New Catalog" class so we used mostly new product.

Here's what you will need to make this card:

• Hello Honey, Lost Lagoon, Mossy Meadow and Whisper White Cardstock
• Blended Bloom stamp, A Round Array and Mosaic Madness stamp sets
• Daffodil Delight And Old Olive Blendabilities
• 7/8" Scallop Circle Punch
• Vintage Faceted Button
• White Baker's Twine
• Mossy Meadow stitched ribbon
• Modern Mosaic embossing folder

 

 

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Cheers to You!

Have you made one of these secret message cards before? I love them but they are definitely a card that you have to explain! I gave one to a friend with what her gift was on the "secret" portion of the card. I told her that she would get her present once she called me with what her present was. I told her that it was definitely identified on the card. Any guesses on how long it look her to figure it out? If you guessed "never", you'd be right! After several alcohol-related guesses, she gave up and was willing to give up on ever getting a gift. The squeal I heard over the phone after explaining to her how to get to it was priceless!

I came across this card recently and realized I hadn't shared it with you before. The stamp set is still current but the DSP and ribbon are retired but you can certainly use this card for inspiration! Here's what I did use:

• Soft Sky, Whisper White and Tangerine Tango cardstock
• Happy Hour stamp set
• Sycamore Street DSP & ribbon from sale-a-Bration 2013
• Island Indigo. Tangerine Tango, Old Olive, Daffodil Delight and Basic Black markers

 

 

 

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