Wild About Elephants

Without a doubt, I'll miss the retiring Wild About You stamp set, especially that cute elephant!  So I had to do one last card with my Stamp Club using this image.  This 4-1/4 x 4-1/4 card features the elephant & bird stamped on whisper white cardstock with a black circular frame on top.  We used the Circle Scissors Plus to cut the frame.....cut the inner circle first, then without moving the tool, adjust it to a larger size and cut the outer circle.  Easy peasy.  Though it's hard to make out in the picture, we embossed small polka dots on the strip of going gray cardstock using the Big Shot with the Stampin' Up! Backgrounds I texturz plate.

Whimsical Tip: The key to cutting perfect circles with the Circle Scissors Plus tool is to make sure you securely adhere the cardstock to the glass mat.  If the cardstock slips at all, your circle will be off or even ruined.  I use double-sided tape to make sure my cardstock is stuck well to the mat.  You can also use Dotto temporary adhesive.

Stamp set: wild about you; Inks: pacific point, going gray; Cardstock: pacific point, going gray, basic black, whisper white; Embellishments: pacific point double striped ribbon; Tools: circle scissors plus, glass mat, big shot, multipurpose platform, stampin' up! backgrounds I texturz plates, silicone rubber, impressions pad

Glitter Window Technique

Our third and final card for my June Technique Class used the absolutely fabulous glitter window technique.  This one was a big hit with my stampers....what girl doesn't love glitter?!!  For this card, we used the retiring Kiwi Kiss and Pink Pirouette In Color inks & cardstock as well as the retiring Pretty Amazing & Absolutely Fabulous stamp sets.  Though it has a big WOW factor, the glitter window  technique is quite simple. 

1) Align a piece of white (or neutral) cardstock to the top inside section of the cardbase but do not adhere it....just hold it in place.  Now punch or cut a shape through both pieces of cardstock to create the window. 

2) Adhere a piece of white (or neutral) cardstock to the bottom inside section of the card.  Then stamp your image through the window to ensure proper alignment.

3) Apply a piece of packing tape on the top inside section of the cardstock so the tape is over the window, sticky side up. 

4) Sprinkle glitter on top of the tape and press to make sure it sticks well.  Shake off the excess glitter. 

5) Now adhere the white (or neutral) cardstock from Step 1 to the top inside section of the card base to hide the back of the packing tape.   

Whimsical Tip #1: As a variation, you can simply adhere the stamped white cardstock piece from Step 2 on the top inside section of the card so the stamped image is directly underneath the glitter window with the image facing upward.  In this case, your stamped image would not be seen on the inside of the card.

Stamp sets: absolutely fabulous, pretty amazing; Inks: kiwi kiss, pink pirouette, basic gray; Cardstock: kiwi kiss, pink pirouette, whisper white; Embellishments: basic gray taffeta ribbon, dazzling diamonds glitter; Tools: blender pen, 1-3/4" circle punch, packing tape

Faux Framing Technique

Here's the 2nd card we did at my technique class this month: the faux framing technique.  Simply cut a shape out of the center of a piece of scrap cardstock using a punch, coluzzle, circle scissors plus, or another shape-cutting tool.  This will be your frame.  Place the frame over your cardstock and use a stampin' sponge or sponge dauber to ink inside the frame.  Now with your frame still in place over your cardstock, stamp within and on the edges of the frame for a framed image. 

Whimsical Tip #1: You can use several methods to ink the cardstock inside the frame.  Try a sponge daubing motion (like with stenciling) or a light rubbing motion.  Each will give a slightly different look.

Whimsical Tip #2: When you ink the cardstock inside the frame, you can apply your ink so it's darker on the edges and lighter in the center or vice versa.

For this card, I used the retiring riding hood red In Color ink, cardstock, and ribbon as well as the retiring Hugs & Wishes & Stitched Exotics stamp sets.  I kep the card simple so as not to distract from the framed image.

Stamp sets: hugs & wishes, stitched exotics; Inks: riding hood red; Cardstock: riding hood red, whisper white; Embellishments: riding hood red taffeta ribbon; Tools: ticket corner punch, sponge dauber

Rubber Band & Brayer Technique

Card #1 for my June Technique Class was this cute Big Buckle Card using the Just Beachy stamp set.  We used the rubber band & brayer technique to create faux waves on the front of the card.  This is a simple technique: just wrap rubber bands around your brayer head, pop it back into the brayer handle, roll it across your ink pad to pick up the ink, and then roll it on your cardstock.  For a tutorial on making a big buckle card, check out this link.   

Whimsical Tip: roll your inked brayer on scrap paper first to see if the rubber bands form a pattern that you like.  If not, adjust your bands (I like to twist mine a bit) and see if you like those results.  When you are satisfied, re-ink your brayer and roll it on your project. 

Stamp sets: just beachy, on your birthday; Inks: pacific point, temptinq turquoise; Cardstock: pacific point, tempting turquoise, kraft, whisper white; Embellishments: vintage brads; Tools: word window punch, 1" circle punch, small corner rounder, brayer, rubber bands

I {heart} Sea Glass 12x12

Here's another recent layout I put together.  This one features more photos of Mia hunting for her beloved sea glass in Maine.  I used a retired alphabet stamp set & simply scrappin' kit.  Instead of using the die-cut adhesives as they were, I used my punch to make heart shapes out of several of the square patterned pieces instead and then positioned these in several places around the layout to meet the "Rule of 3" for balance and to draw the viewer's eye across the page. 

Stamp sets: pure & simple alphabet; Inks: rose red; Cardstock: rose red, barely banana, wild wasabi; Embellishments: friends & flowers simply scrappin' kit; Tools: heart to heart punch

Par-fect Father’s Day Suspension Card

I made this card at my upline Julie Davison's stamp club meeting (she lets her downline attend) two months ago.  I thought it was perfect to share with you today on Father's Day.  Be sure to remind all the fathers in your life how much they mean to you.

This suspension card uses the retiring Kiwi Kiss & Baja Breeze In Colors and the And Many Mower stamp set which is only available throught the end of June.  Email me if you'd like to order any of these products!  Don't forget, if you place an order with me in June, you'll get a chance to win the Just Beachy stamp set from the Occasions Mini Catalog! 

We added a dimpled texture to the golf ball using the Big Shot and the Stampin' Up! Backgrounds I texturz plate (we punched two circles from the textured cardstock and then adhered them together with the dimples facing inward to mimic a real golf ball).  Then we suspended the golf ball using fishing line.  So cute, Julie! 

 Stamp sets: and many mower, Inks: basic gray, kiwi kiss, baja breeze; Cardstock: basic gray, kiwi kiss, baja breeze, whisper white; Tools: blender pen, 1-1/4" circle punch, 1-3/8" circle punch, fishing line, big shot, paper snips, stampin' up! backgrounds I texturz plates, multipurpose platform, silicone rubber, impressions pad

Beachcomber 12x12

This page features photos of Mia hunting for beach "treasures" while on vacation in Maine last fall.  I used the retired Whimsical Upper & Lower Alphabet stamp sets for the title.  I so wish those sets were still current.  But that's OK.....I keep all my retired alphabet stamps and continue to show them some love!  For some reason, the edges of my title blocks look jagged in this photo, but they're not in real life.  It must be a TypePad thing because they're not like that in Photoshop Elements or Picasa either.  If anyone has advice on how to improve photo quality in TypePad, let me know!

Stamp sets: whimsical lower & upper alphabets; Inks: whisper white, tempting turquoise, pink passion, basic gray; Cardstock: pin passion, tempting turquoise, whisper white, basic gray; Embellishments: tempting turquoise 1/4” grosgrain ribbon, white gel pen; Tools: scallop square punch, scallop edge punch

Fabulous Friend CASE

The 3rd card we created at my Stamp Club last month was this card, which is nearly an exact CASE of a card I received at a demo stamping event swap several months ago.  As soon as I saw the card, I knew I'd have to copy it.  I just love the layered stamp images in the background.  I think this card was created by Carol Payne (I loaned the swap card to a friend so I can't check right now).

First, we stamped butterfly & floral images from the Great Friend stamp set in so saffron & mellow moss on very vanilla cardstock.  Next, we inked up the Friendly Words wheel in elegant eggplant and ran it across the cardstock several times.  The Fabulous Friend greeting is from the Oval All stamp set.  We colored in the flowers with Stampin' Write Markers.  All of the stamp sets used on this card are from our Occasions Mini Catalog, which is only good through the end of June.  Be sure to place your order today!

Whimsical Tip: For Stampin' Around Wheels that have words or other images which call for perfectly straight wheeled lines, our Stampin' Around Wheel Guide is a must.  Wheel perfect background papers, borders, or mitered corners without worrying about crooked lines or overlapping images.  The guide can be configured for both standard & jumbo wheels.  (Item #104834, $9.95)

Stamp sets: great friend, oval all, friendly words wheel; Inks: elegant eggplant, so saffron, mellow moss; Cardstock: elegant eggplant, mellow moss, very vanilla; Embellishments: sale-a-bration ribbon bundle; Tools: large oval punch, scallop oval punch, stampin' around wheel guide

Seal Harbor Island 12x12

Here's a layout I worked on recently featuring photos from Seal Harbor Island in Seal Harbor, Maine during our vacation there last September.  We saw this view every day during our stay as we spent hours hunting for sea glass at Seal Harbor beach, which was within walking distance of the Reilly's house where we stayed.

For this page, I used a mix of old & new stamps: the current Funky Forest wheel, soon-to-be-retired Big Deal Alphabet, and retired Rough Texture wheel (barely visible behind the journaling).  I also added some retired buttons. 

Stamp sets: big deal alphabet, funky forest wheel, rough texture wheel; Inks: chocolate chip, always artichoke, more mustard, close to cocoa, versamark; Cardstock: more mustard, always artichoke, chocolate chip, close to cocoa, whiser white; Embellishments: neutrals buttons, rich regals buttons, earth elements buttons, chocolate chip 1/4" grosgrain ribbon; Tools: crafter's tool kit (paper piercing), small corner rounder

Razzle Dazzle Birthday Card

I received my preview order from Stampin' Up! last night and had to break out my new rubber & ink!  For this card, I focused on several of the vibrant new In Colors, which I just love.  The card base is Rich Razzleberry.  The floral image is from the pretty Razzle Dazzle stamp set.  I colored in the image using our new In Color markers (yes, you read that right.....this year Stampin' Up! is offering markers in the In Colors!).  I tied our to-die-for Rich Razzleberry Polka-Dot Grosgrain Ribbon to the side of the image.  The strip of pretty patterned paper is from our new Razzleberry Lemonade Designer Series Paper pack.  The scalloped cardstock is our new Bermuda Bay cardstock and the oval behind the greeting is Melon Mambo.  Speaking of the greeting, I used the Happy Birthday greeting from the new Teeny Tiny Wishes stamp set and punched it out with our new Modern Label Punch.  I added hand-drawn polka dots to both sides of the label to mimic brads.

Stamp sets: razzle dazzle, teeny tiny wishes; Inks: rich razzleberry, bermuda bay, melon mambo; Cardstock: rich razzleberry, bermuda bay, melon mambo, whisper white, razzleberry lemonade DSP; Embellishments: rich razzleberry 1/2" polka-dot grosgrain ribbon; Tools: modern label punch, large oval punch, scallop edge punch

Together Forever Bridal Dress Card

My husband's niece is getting married, so an extra-special card was in order.  I cased this gorgeous card from a fellow ImPeckable Stampers demonstrator, Mary Ellen Stites, after seeing it on Meg Loven's blog.  You can see Mary Ellen's card here. 

I ran a piece of Whisper White cardstock through my Big Shot with the Stampin' Up! Backgrounds I texturz plate to get that beautiful embossed texture, then cut the side shape of the dress free hand.  I scalloped the top & bottom edges with the Scallop Edge Punch.  Like Mary Ellen, I tied a piece of Whisper White Organza Ribbon around the waist.  To make my background a little different, I stamped the flourish image from the Baroque Motifs stamp set randomly around the Baja Breeze card base (order Baja now because it's retiring!) using my metallic Silver Encore ink pad.  I wasn't sure how the silver ink would look on the Baja cardstock, but it is elegant & stunning!  To finish off the card, I stamped the Together Forever greeting from the Together Forever stamp set in silver ink on white cardstock and punched it out with the Scallop Oval Punch.

Stamp sets: baroque motifs, together forever; Inks: silver encore pad; Cardstock: baja breeze, whisper white; Embellishments: whisper white organza ribbon; Tools: big shot, multi-purpose platform, texturz impressions pad, texturz silicone rubber, stampin' up! backgrounds I texturz plates, scallop edge punch, scallop oval punch

Varsity Grad Standing Pop-Up Card

My friend's son graduates from high school this year and this is the card I made for him.  I got the idea to make the standing pop-up card into a graduation cap from my friend Jeannie.  I created a tassel using embroidery floss, though I wish I had a little heavier thread in my stash so that it would have lain nicer.  I think our retired gold or silver cording would have worked good as well (another idea of Jeannie's).  It was my idea to add varsity letters for the high school initials (Glenwood High School) onto the top of the cap.  The tassle is fastened around a brad which is in the center of the cap under the letter "G". 

For details on how to make a standing pop-up card, see this post.

 Stamp set: varsity alphabet; Inks: real red, basic black; Cardstock: real red, basic black, whisper white; Embellishments: vintage brad, embroidery floss; Other: sticky strip, paper snips

Polka-Dot 40th Card

One of my coworkers celebrated his 40th birthday last week and this is the card I took in for everyone to sign.  I traced some retired chipboard numbers on cardstock to make the numbers for this card and a strip of already retired designer paper for interest.  The polka dots are from the retiring Big Bold Birthday stamp set and the main cardstock colors (baja breeze, pacific point, & kiwi kiss) are retiring too.  Luckily the spiral punch is staying!

Stamp sets: on your birthday, big bold birthday; Inks: pacific point, brilliant blue; Cardstock: kiwi kiss, baja breeze, pacific point, very vanilla; Tools: paper snips, spiral punch

Happy Father’s Day Hinge Card

Our 2nd Stamp Club card last month was this fun Father's Day hinge card.  The top front of the card swings open to reveal the sentiment.  We used the Father's Day Greeting from the retiring All Holidays stamp set as well as the Classic Stars wheel & the Love You sentiment from the Short & Sweet stamp set.

Here are the directions for making a hinge card:

1) Start with a piece of cardstock measuring 4-1/4 x 5-1/2 inches.  This is your card base. 

2)  Cut 2 pieces of cardstock measuring 3 x 4-1/4 inches.  These are your card fronts. 

3) Lay the top card front piece on the card base so that it aligns perfectly with the top & 2 sides of the card base. 

4) Now lay the bottom card front piece on the card base so that it aligns perfectly with the bottom & 2 sides of the card base.  Your bottom piece will overlap the top piece by 1/2 inch.

5) Punch a hole through all layers of cardstock on the left center side of the card where all 3 layers intersect.  Insert a brad to hold the layers together.

6) Swing the bottom card front piece out of the way and apply adhesive the the lower edge of the card base. 

7) Swing the bottom card front piece back down into position and press to adhere it to the card base. 

NOTE: If you apply adhesive up near the top edge of the bottom card front piece or the top card front piece, your top piece will not be able to swing properly. 

Stamp sets: short & sweet, all holidays (retiring), classic stars wheel; Inks: night of navy, bordering blue, versamark; Cardstock: night of navy, bordering blue, whisper white, kraft; Embellishments: natural hemp twine, vintage brads; Tools & Other: star punch, stampin' dimensionals, paper piercer

 

Technorati Tags: short & sweet,all holidays,classic stars wheel,hinge card

Special Note of Thanks Card

This card was one of three made by the card-makers in my Stamp Club last month.  It features the ultra-cute Cheep Talk stamp set, Good Morning Sunshine Designer Series Paper (retiring!), a jumbo brad, and old olive grosgrain ribbon.  If you look closely, you'll see that I stamped the bird on a scrap piece of chocolate chip cardstock and cut out the wing to pop-up from my blue stamped bird image.  I used my chocolate chip marker to color in the eye as well.  For this stamp set, the Stamp-a-ma-jig is a must for lining up your greeting along the branch & placing your bird on top perfectly.  

Stamp set: cheep talk; Inks: chocolate chip, old olive, pacific point; Cardstock: pacific point, whisper white, so saffron, good morning sunshine DSP; Embellishments: old olive 5/8" grosgrain ribbon, chocolate chip jumbo brad; Tools: stamp-a-ma-jig, word window punch