Stampin' Up! Big Shot Plates - When & Why Do You Need Them?

Stampin' Up! is introducing so many cool thinlet dies including the gorgeous Bloomin' Heart from the upcoming Occasions Catalog and I thought it would be a great time to share with you the various platform offerings that Stampin' Up! has and when and why to use them.  I am including my own recommendations in this blog entry and video below.  I hope they help you in your die-cutting endeavors.  Let me know what you think!

Forever Stampin',

    Cathy Williams

Product List

Big Shot [113439]

Big Shot Magnetic Platform [130658]

Precision Base Plate [139684]

Standard Cutting Pads [113475]

Cozy Christmas....

 One of my customers found a card on Pinterest that she wanted to make and this was my version.  I love how it turned out!  We used the trees from Happy Scenes at the bottom and also the back trees using a copy paper mask for the snow line and masking of the bottom portion of the trees.  We stamped them twice without reinking so some of the trees were dark and some were lighter.  I think this added to the visual depth.  Masks were used for each of the rolling snow lines and the moon.  The snow was created using Soft Sky and Pool Party inks.  A few well placed Silver Foil stars from the Confetti Stars Border Punch finished it off.

Forever Stampin',

    Cathy Williams

Product List

Cozy Christmas Clear-Mount Stamp Set [139779]	Happy Scenes Photopolymer Stamp Set [139821]	Night Of Navy 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock [100867]	Whisper White 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock [100730]
Silver Foil Sheets [132178]	Night Of Navy Classic Stampin' Pad [126970]	Soft Sky Classic Stampin' Pad [131181]	Pool Party Classic Stampin' Pad [126982]
Confetti Stars Punch [135861]	Iced Rhinestone Embellishments [139637]	Dazzling Diamonds Stampin' Glitter [133751]

Got A Lot of Designer Series Paper?

 Do you have a lot of scraps of Designer Series Paper left over from some of the Christmas cards you have been making this year?  Here's a great card that uses up quite a bit of it!  On watercolor paper, we used an Aquapainter and Tempting Turquoise and Night of Navy inks on a moistened Embellished Ornament stamp to create this watercolor ornament.  We then stamped and embossed the holly using Gold Embossing Powder.  Add lots of Designer Series Paper and you have this card!

Forever Stampin',

    Cathy Williams

Product List

Embellished Ornaments Clear-Mount Stamp Set [139759]	Cherry Cobbler 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock [119685]	Very Vanilla 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock [101650]	Mossy Meadow 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [133676]
Home For Christmas Designer Series Paper [139592]	Watercolor Paper [122959]	Gold Foil Sheets [132622]	Night Of Navy Classic Stampin' Pad [126970]
Tempting Turquoise Classic Stampin' Pad [126952]	Mossy Meadow Classic Stampin' Pad [133645]	Versamark Pad [102283]	Gold Stampin' Emboss Powder [109129]
Cherry Cobbler Dazzling Details [125585]	Gold Cording Trim [139618]	Gold 1/8" Ribbon [134583]	Home For Christmas Enamel Dots [140536]

Quick & Easy Gift Card Holder...

I saw this idea for a gift card holder made by Patty Bennett.  I thought it was such a clever little gift card holder that I wanted to share it with you.

Here's a quick video to show you how to make it.  I also show you how to hide your paper ends behind embellishments in the front of your gift card holder and give a short instruction and demonstration of the Curvy Corner Trio punch.

Forever Stampin',

    Cathy Williams

Product List

Kraft Tag A Bag Gift Bags [138315]	Oh, What Fun Photopolymer Stamp Set [140386]	Real Red Classic Stampin' Pad [126949]	Real Red 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock [102482]
Whisper White 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock [100730]	Red Glimmer Paper [121790]	Season Of Cheer Designer Series Paper [139590]	Curvy Corner Trio Punch [139683]
Real Red 1/4" Cotton Ribbon [134563]	Real Red & Garden Green 1/8" (3.2 Mm) Striped Ribbon [139615]	2" Circle Punch [133782]	2-3/8" Circle Scallop Punch [118874]
Iced Rhinestone Embellishments [139637]