321 Stamp: Launching Creativity

Polished Stone - A very pretty technique

The stamp set on this card is now retired from SU (Wonderful You) but any line art image that lets you see your pretty Polished Stone paper through the embossed images would be lovely for this style card. Polished Stone is an oldie but a goodie in terms of paper techniques -- it's a fun way to make your paper look like marble (or at least like a Formica countertop!) It's wonderful to stamp and emboss an image directly on the paper like I did here, but also as a background paper with a focal point layered over it (if you can stand to cover up any of your yummy design.)

You need:
- Glossy white card stock (item # 102599 from SU)
- A few Classic dye ink reinkers (my sample used Baja Breeze, Pacific Point and Basic Gray from SU)
- A metallic ink refill, this is a pigment ink (I used Gold Encore, item #101242 from SU)
- 91% Rubbing alcohol from your medicine cabinet
- cotton balls
- rubber gloves (if you want to keep your hands from getting stained)
- An acrylic sealer (I prefer the Patricia Nimocks line from Plaid as I've noticed no color change and they don't interact with my inks as some sealers can do)

I'm going to send you to a video to watch for the how-to's -- however, she does not show the sealing stage. Critical -- as metallic inks WILL NOT dry on glossy card stock and over time you will smudge away your pretty veins. When my card stock is dry (and thanks to the alcohol it drys very fast) I place it inside a big box turned on its side as a little spray "room" and I spritz lightly with the P. Nimocks sealer (you can use matte or glossy, your choice.) I do this outside as spray sealers have fumes. Sealing is also a must before embossing a design on your background, otherwise the embossing powder would stick to your little veins. Once I've sealed I also use an Embossing Buddy (the little powder bag) and rub that over my card before stamping and then there's no static to catch stray powder.

Stamper extraordinaire Amy Celona has a nice video on her site that shows exactly how I've always done this technique over the years so why reinvent the wheel -- click here to watch that. Squeezing the ink into little puddles that give you those metallic edges is the real secret of how you get a pretty marble look with nice, random veins. And each one always turns out a little differently -- see, here's the same card and the background is just a little different. Enjoy this fun technique.

Summer Fun

Who would not want to dress up their flip flops with a Fun Foam daisy courtesy of Big Shot die Flower Daisies #2 -- item #114520??

Because the flowers are cut with a small circular hole in each center, I glue them together lightly and then use some crochet thread through a button embellishment to hold everything in place around the flip flop straps. I like sewing on such embellishments so they stay put and there's no rubbing on your foot. I stacked up a clear circular button (item #105447) and a cure flower button from one of our Designer Button collections.

These would be great fun to make as the take-home treat at a little girl's birthday party -- and you can usually find flip flops cheap at the Target $ spot or at any discount store. Enjoy!

Clearly Cute Card

Clear cards made with Stampin' Up's medium weight window sheets are so fun. The secret is planning out your focal point so you have a way to attach everything without any of your adhesive showing on the inside or outside. (excuse the glare -- I"m not so great a photographing shiny things!)

This card was made by 3-2-1 Stamper Sandy Mitchell -- she's always so creative. The images are from our Always stamp set. The sprig is stamped right on the plastic with Staz on white ink. Yes, you see some now retired Baha Breeze ink on that bird and in the designer paper mat -- but I bet you have plenty of that left in your stash! The front focal point is attached to the card -- you can use Sticky Strip for a strong bond or even try SNAIL as sometimes with a paper to plastic bond I can use a lighter adhesvive.
Open the card and you can see the secret -- the Baha Breeze mat that shows through on the front is actually the front side of the pretty Parisian Breeze paper stripes that you can see on the inside. Cut it slightly larger then your front focal point and you get a mat and a clever inside cover up for the adhesive all in one. The panel on the lower part of the card is cut the same size as that striped piece and attached so that it does not even show when the card is closed, giving you a place to write your message. I know you can't see the back, but there's another pretty paper panel there that serves the same purpose as a clever adhesive cover.

These are fun and you can get very creative with the way you layer all your pieces and still take advantage of the peek-a-boo nature of the clear card base. The Window Sheets are item # 114323 and they come in a great 12 by 12 size so they're perfect for making clear scrapbook page embellishments as well. I like the medium weight for cards and the heavy weight ones we offer are great for clear pages to put into an album or to cut die cut accents with your steel rule dies in your Big Shot.

Happy 4th!!!

A new catalog means new In Colors & Goodies

It's July 1 and that means a brand new Stampin' Up! catalog! Have you gotten your's?? If not then get in touch with me (or at least check it out online at the link in the right column).

I love these new In Colors for the 2009-2010 year! They really grow on you and to me are very in sync with the color trends that I see in the stores. This little handy dandy In Color bookmark is just one of the fun make-and-take projects at my New Catalog Open House on Sat., July 18 from 10 am to 2 pm. If you live near Florida's Space Coast and you'd like to come, send me an email for more info. I wanted everyone to have their own stamped samples of the colors -- and the bookmark can be used in your new catalog.

Links in the right column will take you to view the new catalog and to the current specials -- where you'll find the Deal of the Week!! Stampin' Up! is offering a special item on sale each week and this week it's Scallop Edge Border Punch for just 10.99 instead of 15.95 until Monday, July 6th at 9:50 am MT -- then a new deal of the week will be announced! Each Monday in July there will be a new "deal of the week." Fun to be surprised each time.

Also on July 15  one of the coolest opportunities starts if you'd like to become an SU demonstrator -- it's an $85 mini starter kit that includes ALL 6 of the new In Color ink pads. So if you've been thinking about being a demonstrator anyway and want all the new colors, then watch for more info on that before July 15. Stampin' Up welcomes all types of demonstrators -- from those who just want to get their own craft supplies at a discount to those who want to make extra money from their SU business (and everything in between of course.)

I love having new colors to play with but I also love how well they integrate into our existing 48-color system (and that's not even counting neutral colors). Download IncolorCombos_0910 Click that link and you'll download a pdf file that suggests color combos using the new In Colors and SU's long time colors.

My favorite part of the new catalog is how many great accessories and designer papers there are that coordiante with our beloved older colors -- I love being able to freshen up the colors I've loved for years with some new accents.

A Paper Flower & Treat Box

Manipulating paper into fun shapes is one of the best parts of paper crafting. That's why I love this paper posie that decorates this cute little box. They are so much easier to make then you think -- and wouldn't this be cute done up in some red, white and blue paper for the Fourth of July? They remind me of the little things on the top of an award ribbon.

For the flower embellishment, I started with a strip of Designer Series Paper that's 1.5" wide by 12" long. Use the Stampin' Up Scallop Edge Punch along one of the long edges. For the flower tutorial I want to send you to my friend Canadian demonstrator Marlayne Hardy's website as that's where I got the idea. Click here to see her step by step how-to's for turning your punched strip into the flower. Then come back here for some more tips and how to make the box.

A few more tips on the flower:
- Marlayne used a stylus in the groove of her Fiskars cutter to score gently between each scallop. I just used the black scoring blade that you can get for the cutter. Score gently as you don't want to tear your paper.
- You need to be sure that when you connect the two ends of your accordion folded strip with Sticky Strip, you will have an EVEN number of scallops on the circle that it makes. Then it will flatten out.
- I used two pop-up glue dots for each flower -- one on the back that holds it to the box and one on the back of the punched out 1" embellishment center. Pressing the two together really holds your flower's shape and holds it in place on your 3-D item or card. Edited to add: The little punched circle in the middle of my flower is made from a now retired rub-on from the Hidden Garden set -- I rubbed it on Pink Pirouette card stock and then punched it out. Any shape that lends itself to being punched out with the 1" circle punch is perfect. The pattern on the box was made using the Forever Flowers Stampin' Around wheel and a Versamark ink cartridge for a tone-on-tone look.

Now for the box:
- Start with a 5.5" by 8.5" piece of card stock (mine is the retiring-today Riding Hood Red color)
- Score 1" from both long sides.
- Score at 3.5" and 5" from ONE short side.
- Cut in on those last two score lines just until you reach the score line that's 1" from the long sides -- that makes your bottom and side flaps for your box.
- Fold and secure -- I like using the liquid Tombow Multi Purpose Adhesive.

Here's a visual for those box directions that should help:
I love that you get two boxes from each piece of 8.5" by 11" card stock -- no waste! These are perfect for holding a small or medium size cello bag of treats, small notecards or anything you can fit inside.

I added a strip of 1.5" wide Designer paper around the top that was also dressed up with the Scallop Edge Punch -- if you don't own one of those great punches, SU just announced that it will be the "special of the week" starting July 1 through July 5 -- on sale for 10.99 instead of 15.95 -- and each Monday in July there will be a new special of the week announced. How fun is that??!! Enjoy.

Just Beachy Meets Faux Leather

As a Stampin' Up demonstrator, I love to teach and share techniques -- ways to alter and play with paper so it looks a little more special. So at our June stamp clubs one of the projects used the Faux Leather technique -- and a stamp set from the Occasions Mini catalog that I love -- Just Beachy. (You only have until June 30 to get this set right now. I love the little "woody" car and the flip flops and all the little fish, which you won't see on this card.)

The card base is a 6 inch square of Kraft card stock, folded to a 3 by 6 card. I'm going to tell you about each accent -- and then the faux leather panel. The Laughter saying comes from another soon to retire stamp set, Sweet Serendipity -- love this one. It's stamped with Chocolate Chip CRAFT ink on a little rectangle cut from one of the papers in the lovely Italian paper set called Taste of Textiles (another retiring item). The little lines on that version of Kraft add just the right little detail. It was embossed with clear embossing powder and a little Mini Library clip finishes it off. The car was stamped and embossed the same way -- this time on more plain Kraft card stock then cut out. The "hub caps" are from the Vintage Brads collection -- and the four metals in those match the four metals in the Mini Library clips -- too cute. That flip flop border was embossed using clear Versamark ink and clear powder for a tone-on-tone look. Love doing that.

So now on to the highlight -- the faux leather! I started with a 2" by 3" rectangle of smooth Chocolate Chip card stock -- I like using a smooth finish card stock.
- Press the card stock against a Versamark ink pad until one side is completely coated with the ink.
- Then cover it with clear embossing powder -- don't heat it yet and try to hold by the edges so you avoid fingerprints or knocking off powder. I don't have photos of each step -- but it's really pretty easy.
- Lay the powder-covered card stock on scrap paper or inside one of our great Powder Pals, designed to catch stray embossing powder or glitter. Take the tip of a bone folder or embossing stylus and trace little wavy lines into the powder, removing some of it in little lines that intersect here and there to mimic the look of croco-embossed leather.You want the lines to be wide enough that they won't disappear when you melt the powder.
- Still holding by the edges, pick up your rectangle and tap off the stray bits of powder that you've scraped off.
- Heat the whole thing with a heat tool until it melts and is glossy -- don't over heat as you don't want your lines to melt away.

There you have it -- faux leather. I think you can see the lines a little better in this close up and in person it's really fun. It would make a great accent for a masculine card or to jazz up a 3-D item such as a photo wallet or gift card holder that would look great made from "paper leather."

Remember the current catalog runs through midnight on June 30 -- with the great new book starting July 1. I'll have my annual New Catalog Open House on Sat., July 18 from 10 am to 2 pm -- so send me an email for more info if you live locally on Florida's Space Coast.

A Big Shot Headband

Isn't this the cutest -- the girl and the headband? This was just a quick idea that I showed at a recent Big Shot die cutting machine class -- I'd gotten the idea from Stampin' Up's regional training event for demonstrators (and guests!) this past January in Orlando. It uses the Clear Flower BIGZ Die and the Build a Flower BIGZ die. They cut through felt so easy. The button accent holds the flowers at the top and I just stitched through the buttonholes with a little white crochet thread that wraps around the pink headband. Easy as can be. Got the headbands in a pg of 3 or 4 from the Target $ Spot.

Matchbox Fun and a new In Color Sneak Peek

As part of a recent Big Shot die cutting system class I showed off lots of tips, including a way to change the normal slider style "lid" to a traditional box lid with a flap that tucks in and easily opens and closes. Instead of attaching the flaps of the slider part together, you just glue the wider end panel right to the front side of the matchbox bottom -- wrap it around the bottom (and glue it to the bottom) -- then it wraps up the back side and the smaller end flap becomes a flap to tuck in. I just make a little diagonal cut on each side of that flap so that it's angled enough to fit in and come out easily. You can see how the paper on this version made with SU's To the Nines Designer Paper would look. I usually need to trim just a sliver off the front flap of that slider lid before gluing it to the box.

You can see in this photo of a simple yellow box how the flap would tuck in. And here's what it looks like closed.
Now for the new In Color Sneak Peek. This little matchbox chest was made by fellow 3-2-1 Stamp team mate Grace Benjamin. It's Bermuda Bay -- a beautiful new blue available July 1, accented with Soft Suede card stock drawers (and that's Soft Suede polka dot 1/2" wide ribbon -- available in all 6 new In Colors on July 1!) You can click here to go back to a post where I first showed the matchbox paper chest of drawers and you'll find some construction tips. More Big Shot ideas to come for the next few days so check back.

A Big Shot Top Note Quilt Card

The title says it all -- it's a Quilt card made using the Top Note die (exclusive from Stampin' Up!) in our wonderful Big Shot machine. This was the card project at my special die cutting class this past Friday. I've loved these cards since I saw them online. You start with a base of white card stock that's 3 & 3/4" by 5". Punch out 12 squares using the SU 1 & 1/4" square punch. I used the Bella Birds Designer Series Paper, which is retiring June 30 because it has the pretty Pink Pirouette color in it that's a retiring In Color. Because you get six sheets of double-sided designs in our Stampin' Up! Designer Series Paper, every pack is perfect for making one of these -- all 12 squares are automatically different if you just punch 2 from each design.

I like the SU Glue Sticks to attach -- plan out your pattern, swipe the glue over your white card stock then press on your squares. Let dry a bit and then cut it with the pretty side face down against your Top Note BIGZ die (item # 113463). The focal point was stamped using the very cute SU set Quilt Quips -- love it for the sayings such as "In the crazy quilt of life, I'm glad you're in my block of friends." and "May your bobbin always be full." Used the greeting on the inside.

The Bordering Blue mat for the pink quilt square is stamped using the soon to retire Say it with Scallops set -- and $2 of the purchase price from that set supports Ronald McDonald House charities. Be sure to get your's before they retire. It was stamped and then punched out with the coordinating Square Scallop punch.

I'll be sharing more Big Shot projects from my class over the next few days so check back. And I'll leave you with one of my favorite Top Note quilt cards made with the also retiring Rockabilly papers and the retiring Taste of Textiles Designer card stock (the black linen card base is from that pack -- love it!) The Rock Star focal point is from the Level 2 hostess set "A Little Somethin'" -- also retiring June 30. The ribbon was threaded through that yummy black jumbo grommet and then the legs of the jumbo white brad are just wrapped around the ribbon to "tie it off" -- fun accent! The Kiwi Kiss label is made using the Big Shot Lots of Tags Sizzlit set. It's Father's Day so to me all the wonderful dads are rock stars -- especially my great husband who always finds time to be the best dad. You rock!

A Designer Paper Delight

I LOVE using Stampin' Up's two-sided Designer Series Papers on many of my projects -- and when you need a quick and easy card, this one fits the bill. It's great with any two-sided designer paper -- and this is the time of year when so many are "retiring" from our current Stampin' Up offerings to make room for new papers. You can make a whole bunch of these cards up with different greetings. This was my workshop card for the past couple of months and I loved sharing it because it was easy for everyone to go home and really make more!

I started with a 4" by 5 1/4" panel of the Designer Paper called Tea Party. You slice 1 1/2" off -- and then flip the small piece over to reveal the coordinating side. Adhere both pieces down to your standard card made from a half sheet of Almost Amethyst card stock. I like to cover the "seam" between papers with either ribbon or a strip of card stock -- in this case I used both. The small strip of So Saffron card stock started out 1" wide and was then punched with the Eyelet Border punch along one edge. White Taffeta ribbon is the perfect soft accent. The focal point is made using the Oval All stamp set available right now in the Occasions Mini Catalog. The greeting is punched out with the Large Oval punch and layered onto a mat made using the Scallop Oval Punch (also in the Occasions mini). A little color added using a blender pen and Stampin' Pastels makes it all match. It would be so easy to make a set of coordinating cards using the different Tea Party papers and different greetings in the Oval All set.

So get out those papers you've been hoarding and make some cards -- then mail one to someone who you know would love getting some real mail!