Out with the Old, In with the New!

Looking for new ideas and inspiration for cards, scrapbook pages and other projects? I am selling our current 2010/2011 Idea Book & Catalogue for only $5 (retail price is $11.95) AND am including a $5 CREDIT with each catalogue towards any purchase from our upcoming 2011/2012 Idea Book & Catalogue which is available July 1st!

Only 4 copies left, so contact me right away to get your copy before they're gone!

Happy Stamping!

Masculine Card Swap

Once again my downline and I participated in a card swap. This one had a masculine theme, but we were able to choose whatever colors, stamps and layout we wanted. Again I was thrilled with the creativeness in the swaps. So many good ideas!

Here they are in alphabetical order:

Alanna

 

 

Amanda

 

 

 Christine

 

 

 Cristina

 

 

 Lisa

 

Aren't these awesome?  Thanks again ladies for a great card swap. Can't wait for the next one!

 

Happy Stamping!

From "Goof" to "Gorgeous!"

Can you see it?

No?  How about now?

Yes, it happened...the dreaded stamp rock. I'm sure you know what I'm talking about. You're happily stamping away, pressing stamps to paper when all of a sudden you lift your stamp and...what? WHAT? NOOOO! The stamp has rocked and it's left a "shadow" of ink around your image. Frustrating!

I was already this far along with the card though, so I had to continue...I just needed to get creative. I grabbed my Big Shot and Fun Flowers die (have I mentioned how much I love this die? I have? Oh, ok then...) and cut out a few petals from my newsprint designer paper and some Basic Black cardstock, stamped and cut out the skeleton key image (part of the Artistic Etchings stamp set I was using), added a button and...instant fix! No more inky stamp shadow! 

Ok, so it's still there, but now it's hidden!  SO much better.

A quick note about the newsprint paper. Would you believe it's not actually a stamp or piece of our designer paper. Nope, it's a My Digital Studio download! It's the First Edition Stamp Brush set - and it's only $2.50!!!  I purchased it last night (the images are available to download as soon as they're purchased) printed the newsprint image on a piece of our 8-1/2 x 11 Whisper White cardstock and instantly had my own designer paper!  L.O.V.E. it!   Did you know that My Digital Studio downloads are compatible with other design programs?   Even if you don't yet own the My Digital Studio software, you can still purchase and enjoy these great downloads!

If you look at the bottom of my card, you'll see I used another piece of my newsprint paper, but you'll also notice it's been embossed with our Vintage Wallpaper embossing folder!  

I'll post a quick tutorial on how to do that soon, so keep watch for that.  SO simple and yet so gorgeous!

Here's the finished card.

So pretty!  I love how by using just black & white "colors" it really draws your eyes to the texture and details of the card..  Hope you like it!

Happy Stamping!

Here they are!  The links to the lists of retiring products.  Hundreds of products from the 2010-2011 Idea Book & Catalogue and Definitely Decorative brochures are retiring, and now is the time to get them before they're gone - they're only available while supplies last.  Take a peek on my website for details or click any of the following links.  Some of these products are even being offered at 40% off!!!!

When viewing products online, change the drop down box from "8" to "All" so you don't miss anything! :)

Last Chance Stamps


Last Chance Accessories


Last Chance Definitely Decorative




Happy Stamping!

Saying Goodbye...

Every year we must say farewell to a number of retiring stamp sets, wheels and accessories to make room for new ones in the upcoming catalogue. Tomorrow morning Stampin' Up! will be releasing this list.

As always, all Last Chance items are only available to purchase June 1 - 30 and only while supplies last.  If any of these retiring items are still on your wish list, be sure to place your order as soon as possible. 

Happy Stamping!

A simple thank you....

At the beginning of the month, I mentioned that Stampin' Up! is donating $2 from the sale of every "Strength & Hope" stamp set to Breast Cancer Research during our Summer Catalogue sales period.  Not only does this stamp set support a great cause (which really hits home for me as my SIL is currently going through chemo for breast cancer), but it's just so darn cute, how can you NOT order it! 

There are some adorable projects you can make with it.  I've got a few that I'll post over the next few days, but thought I'd show you a really quick card I stamped this afternoon.

I pretty much copied this from the back of the Summer Mini Catalogue with a few minor changes.  It didn't take me more than 10 minutes and I can't wait to stamp more of them.  (Click the pic for a closer peek).

The "flag" at the bottom is actually a leftover piece I had in my scrap bin when I cut out a project using my Petal Cone Bigz Die.  I just love that die.

This particular card has been tucked into a customers order as a thank you for ordering this stamp set.  With the purchase of this set, I will be including a stamped card that I have personally stamped as a thank you for your support in Breast Cancer Research.

Watch for upcoming details regarding a class I am putting together for next month using this stamp set.


Happy Stamping!

DIY Buttons

Here it is - FINALLY! I know I said I'd post a DIY Button tutorial last week, but I wanted to show my stampers 6 clubs first (one of the many perks of joining a club!) and my 2nd club didn't end up meeting until last night, so I decided to wait.

BUT, here it is! A quick and simple way to make your own buttons that will coordinate perfectly with any card, scrapbook page or other project you're creating!

The products you'll need are:

Scrap cardstock or Designer Series Paper
Paper Punches of your choice (I'm using 3/4" & 1/2" circle punches)
Crop-o-Dile
Sanding Block
Post-it Note
Anywhere Glue stick (or other liquid-type adhesive)
Crystal Effects
Tweezers
Paint brush
Parchment Paper



Punch out five 3/4" circles and one 3/4" "donut".

To punch out my donut shape, I first punched out one 1/2" circle.

Then, I lined up my 3/4" circle punch around the punched 1/2" circle and punched again.

 
This gave me a perfect donut shape.

Line up four of the full circles and the donut on a post-it note.

 Apply an even amount of glue to cover the circles.

Starting with the non-glue covered circle, start layering the punches ending with the donut. Wipe away any excess glue and make sure your circles are perfectly lined up on top of each other.

With the pencil, mark button hole placement (with a larger button, 4 holes looks cute as well).

Punch holes with the crop-o-dile.  Punching through this many layers with a regular hand punch would be next to impossible, but the crop-o-dile is engineered in a way that it'll punch through SO easily.

Using your sanding block, lightly round the top edge/side of your button.

Pick up button with tweezers.

With the paint brush, brush on a layer of Crystal Effects around the outside edge to seal the paper layers together.

Place the button on the parchment paper and apply a thick even coat of Crystal Effects to the top.

Once dry, peel off the parchment paper and adhere with mini glue dots to your project!

There are so many different punches available, so don't limit yourself to just circles!

I hope you'll try your hand at making your own buttons.  I'd love to see what you come up with.

Happy Stamping!