Paper Conversation

Hanging Pennants

Hello!

Now that Spring has arrived and the weather is tempting us outdoors, we begin to think about all the fun things we can do outside the house.  At my house, the focus has been cleaning up the yard from the Spring deluge of leaves and pollen tassels from the oak trees and trimming back the plants and bushes from frost damage.  Of course, this means that with all the pollen falling and blowing around, the allergy effects are out of control--argh!  I'd love to have the house open to enjoy the beautiful weather, but it just makes things worse with the nose, throat, and lungs.  Bummer!  Thankfully, the worst will be over in few more weeks.  I hope.

The last few weekends, my husband and I have been enjoying the weather by giving our Walt Disney World Annual Passes a bit of a workout at Epcot.  The Flower & Garden Festival is going on now and I'm loving all the wonderful colors of the flowers, the beautiful gardens, and the awesome displays surrounding the character topiaries.  That's the best part of Spring:  all the color!  

This brings me to today's project using the Sweet Shop Specialty Designer Series Paper.  I just love how the colors are used in all these papers and making them into pennants seemed to be the best way to showcase all the fun designs.   

(click on each page to see larger images)

These 6" x 6" scrapbook pages begin with a base page of Lucky Limeade Textured cardstock.  The stamping and punching diagram below shows how the dashed line image from the Pennant Parade stamp set was used to create stitch lines on 4 of the 6 designs of the Sweet Shop Specialty Designer Series Paper and the three ink colors used to stamp the scallop edge pennant image.  Two other paper designs were also stamped with dashed line image using Calypso Coral ink:  the all over cakes and pies design and the all over candy pieces design.  The Petite Pennants Builder punch was used to punch out all the stamped images.  In addition, the pennants punched from the multi-colored hearts design, the all over cakes and pies design, and the all over candy pieces design were trimmed close to the dashed line using Paper Snips. The Petite Pennants Builder punch was also used to punch a variety of cardstocks:  Calypso Coral and Lucky Limeade smooth cardstocks; and Wisteria Wonder and Pool Party Textured cardstocks.

(click on diagram to see larger image)

The pennants were assembled and a 1/8" hole was punched at the top corner of each pennant using the Crop-A-Dile.  Then the pennants were strung together using a triple strand of Baker's Twine comprised of Lucky Limeade, Calypso Coral, and Wisteria Wonder Baker's Twine.  [I used a Dental Floss Threader to make it easier to thread the Baker's Twine through the holes.]  Each end of the triple strand was pulled through a "flag pole" and knotted.  The "flag pole" is a piece of Soft Suede Textured cardstock with a 1/8" hole punched at the top of the pole.  The "flag poles" were adhered to the base pages at an angle with SNAIL and the bottom of the pole was trimmed flush with the bottom of the base page.  The pennants were adhered to the base page with Stampin' Dimensionals. 

(click on pennants to see larger image)

You'll note that there are 5 pennants built for each scrapbook page, but only three are flying.  This is because the remaining two pennants for each page are used for page embellishments.  These pennants are also threaded with a triple strand of Baker's Twine; however, the Baker's Twine is knotted at each side of the pennant.  These pennants are also adhered to the pages with Stampin' Dimensionals.

Shorter "flag poles" were used to hang the pennants on the 3" x 6" greeting cards.

(click on cards to see larger images)

The single pennants were used to embellish the Whisper White cardstock liner placed at the inside sentiment area of each card.

(click on each card to see larger images)

A piece of the multi-colored hearts design paper was adhered to the flap of the Small Open-End Envelope.

(click on envelope to see larger image)

The SASS Stamp Club enjoyed making these scrapbook pages (and coordinating cards for the non-scrapbooking members).  We agreed that these pages would be great for documenting events at County Fairs, Birthday Parties, Baby activities, picnics, and visits to the Zoo.  I'm sure you could think of many others.  There are a number of small word images included in the Pennant Parade stamp set and I encouraged the SASS Stamp Club members to stamp these words on the cardstock scraps and punch them out with 3/4" and 1" circle punches so that they could be adhered to the hanging pennants or page embellishment pennants when they add their photos to the pages.

Oh, by the way, the Sweet Shop Specialty Designer Series Paper is only available until the end of April from the Occasions Mini Catalog.  Be sure to place your order for this fun paper soon!  Also, this is the last week of Sale-A-Bration.  If you ordered the Sweet Shop Specialty Designer Series Paper ($12.95), the Petite Pennants Builder punch ($16.95), the clear mount version of the Pennant Parade stamp set ($16.95), and the three packages of the Baker's Twine used for the scrapbook pages and cards ($2.95 each), you'd be able to select one of the great Sale-A-Bration items for FREE!  If you add the packages of cardstock and inks used to create these pages, you'd be able to select a second Sale-A-Bration item for FREE! [Whisper White ($8.50); 2011-2013 In Color 8 1/2" x 11" smooth ($6.95); 2011-2013 In Color 12" x 12" Textured ($11.95); Neutrals Textured ($11.95); Calypso Coral, Lucky Limeade, and Wisteria Wonder Stampin' Pads ($5.95 each)]  Plus, you'd have lots of materials left over to make more scrapbook pages and greeting cards!

Stamps:  Pennant Parade; Inks:  Calypso Coral, Lucky Limeade, Wisteria Wonder; Cardstock:  Calypso Coral, Lucky Limeade, Lucky Limeade Textured, Pool Party Textured, Soft Suede Textured, Whisper White, Wisteria Wonder Textured; Designer Series Paper:  Sweet Shop Specialty; Embellishments:  Calypso Coral Baker's Twine, Lucky Limeade Baker's Twine, Wisteria Wonder Baker's Twine; Adhesives:  SNAIL, Stampin' Dimensionals; Tools:  Paper Cutter/Scorer, Paper Snips, Bone Folder, Crop-A-Dile (1/8" hole punch), Petite Pennants Builder punch; Other:  Page Protectors, Small Open-End Envelope; Non-Stampin' Up!:  Dental Floss Threader

Flowing Hearts

Hi there!

One of the really cute stamp sets that you can choose for FREE during Sale-A-Bration (with a qualifying purchase) is called Sprinkled Expressions.  When I first saw it in the Sale-A-Bration brochure, I was reminded of a card I saw flipping through rubber stamping blog sites.  The card had a wavy cut piece of paper adhered to the bottom edge of the card front and a bunch of punched items in various colors adhered along the wavy line.  I thought that this would make a great border treatment for scrapbook pages.  (I wish I could remember where I found the lovely greeting card that inspired these projects because I'd love to give the artist credit for their design idea. )

(click on scrapbook pages to see larger image)

These 6" x 6" pages begin with base of Pool Party Textured cardstock.  A heart-patterned piece of Island Indigo paper from the Sweet Shop Specialty Designer Series Paper (Occasions Mini Catalog) was cut to 3" x 6" and then cut in half through the width making a wavy cut.  The halves were adhered to the bottom edge of each scrapbook page.  Pieces of Pink Pirouette, Lucky Limeade, and Wisteria Wonder cardstock were die cut using the Fashionable Hearts Embosslit (Occasions Mini Catalog) and the Big Shot.  The embossed/die cut hearts were scattered along the top, wavy edge of the Designer Series Paper. 

The heart image from the Sprinkled Expressions stamp set (Sale-A-Bration Brochure) was stamped three times on Whisper White cardstock for each scrapbook page using Pink Pirouette, Lucky Limeade, and Wisteria Wonder inks.  The hearts were cut out and adhered along the outer edge of each scrapbook page.  Note that the Wisteria Wonder heart on the left scrapbook page was popped up with Stampin' Dimensionals. 

The hearts on the Candy Conversations single stamp (Occasions Mini Catalog) were inked with the brush tip of the Island Indigo, Lucky Limeade, Pink Pirouette, Pool Party, and Wisteria Wonder Stampin' Write Markers and stamped on a piece of Whisper White cardstock.  These hearts were also cut out and adhered among the embossed/die cut hearts using Stampin' Dimensionals.

For my non-scrapbooking club members, the scrapbook pages easily transitioned to 3" x 6" cards.

(click on each card to see larger images)

The same process is used, but you can see that one card has a horizontal orientation and the other has a vertical orientation.

(click on each card to see larger images)

The inside sentiment area of each card was lined with a piece of Whisper White cardstock.  A few of the embossed/die cut hearts were adhered to the liner and loving sentiment from the Sprinkled Expressions stamp set was inked with Wisteria Wonder ink and stamped near the embossed/die cut hearts.

(click on envelope to see larger image)

The Candy Conversations single stamp was inked again with the brush tip of the Island Indigo, Lucky Limeade, Pink Pirouette, Pool Party, and Wisteria Wonder Stampin' Write Markers and stamped at the top of the flap of the Whisper White Small Open-End Envelope.

If you're looking for a way to capture Valentine, Anniversary, Wedding, or just a wonderful loving feeling, these scrapbook pages (and cards) certainly fit the bill.   Thanks to the Big Shot, these projects are quick and fun to make.

Stamps:  Candy Conversations, Sprinkled Expressions; Inks:  Lucky Limeade, Pink Pirouette, Wisteria Wonder; Stampin' Write Markers:  Island Indigo, Lucky Limeade, Pink Pirouette, Pool Party, Wisteria Wonder; Cardstock:  Lucky Limeade, Pink Pirouette, Pool Party Textured, Whisper White, Wisteria Wonder;  Designer Series Paper:  Sweet Shop Specialty; Adhesives:  SNAIL, Stampin' Dimensionals, Mini Glue Dots; Tools:  Paper Cutter, Paper Snips, Big Shot w/Standard Cutting Plates, Multi-Purpose Platform, Fashionable Hearts Embosslit; Other:  Page Protectors, Whisper White Small Open-End Envelope

Documenting Your Friendships

Hello!

We have lots of friendships throughout our lives.  Some are made when young and last only a school year or a Summer.  Some are specific to clubs, organizations, gym or church, while others may be specific to the workplace.  If we are very lucky we may form a friendship (or two) at a young age that lasts throughout our lives.  I know that I have experienced many of these types of friendships and enjoy some truly wonderful memories of their special significance and impact upon my life.  I think that was why I was so drawn to the Language of Friendship stamp set when I first saw it.  The wonderful quote from Henry David Thoreau so clearly expresses my feelings about the special friendships I've been privileged to share:  The language of Friendship is not words but meanings.

So it only made sense that I would want to document a few of these truly special friendships.

(click on scrapbook pages to see larger image)

These 6" x 6" pages begin with a base of Very Vanilla Textured cardstock.  The three-flower stamp image was randomly stamped across both pages using Pool Party ink.  The edges of strips of Everyday Enchantment Designer Series Paper were sponged with Soft Suede ink and adhered to the bottom edge of the left page and the top edge of the right page.  Pieces of Calypso Coral 3/8" Ruffled ribbon were placed at the top edge of the Designer Series Paper strip on the left page and the bottom edge of the Designer Series Paper strip on the right page.  The ribbon was anchored in place at the right and left edges of the base pages with cute butterfly brads from the Everyday Enchantment Ribbon & Brad Pack.

For the left page, the "F" image from the Vintage Vogue stamp set was inked with Soft Suede ink and stamped on a piece of Pool Party cardstock.  The image was cut out with Paper Snips and the edges of the cardstock sponged with Soft Suede ink.  A piece of Lucky Limeade 1/8" Organdy ribbon from the Everyday Enchantment Ribbon & Brad Pack was wrapped around the vertical leg of the "F" and knotted.  The "F" was adhered near the left side of the left page border treatment using Stampin' Dimensionals.  The remaining letters of the word "Friends" were created with the Big Shot and lower case letters from the Timeless Type Junior Alphabet Medium Sizzlits dies and pieces of Everyday Enchantment Designer Series Paper.  The edges of the letters were sponged with Soft Suede ink and adhered to the border treatment with SNAIL.  A Lucky LImeade patterned brad from the Everyday Enchantment Ribbon & Brad Pack was used to create the dot for the "i". 

For the right page, the Thoreau quote was stamped on a piece of Very Vanilla cardstock using Calypso Coral ink, punched out with the Decorative Label punch, and the edges of the cardstock sponged with Soft Suede ink.  The punched quote was matted with Pool Party cardstock punched twice with the Decorative Label punch, cut apart, sponged with Soft Suede ink, and adhered behind the Very Vanilla punched cardstock.  The quote was adhered near the left side of the border treatment using Stampin' Dimensionals.  The bird image was stamped on a piece of Everyday Enchantment Designer Series Paper using Soft Suede ink, punched out with the Bird Builder punch, and the edges of the body and wing sponged with Soft Suede ink.  The body of the bird was adhered to the border treatment just above the ribbon border with Stampin' Dimensionals; the wing of the bird was adhered to the bird body with SNAIL.  A "nest" for the bird was created by wrapping Lucky Limeade 1/8" Organdy ribbon around three fingers 10 times and cinching the ribbon at the middle with a small piece of the ribbon.  The loops at each end were clipped with Paper Snips and the bundle attached below the bird body with Mini Glue Dots.

(click on cards to see larger images)

For the non-scrapbookers among us, the border treatment for the right scrapbook page translates easily into 3" x 6" greeting cards.  The first card mirrors the right scrapbook page.  The inside of the card was lined with a piece of Very Vanilla cardstock; the edges sponged with Soft Suede ink.  The three-flower image was stamped along the left side of the liner using Pool Party ink.

(click on cards to see larger images)

The second card is a variation of the left page border treatment.  The three-flower image was stamped on Very Vanilla cardstock using Pool Party, Calypso Coral, and Island Indigo inks and punched out with the Boho Blossoms punch.  The small and large flowers were combined with Gold Brads and Gold Brads were placed at the center of the medium flowers.  The flowers were placed at the lower right corner of the border treatment.  The matted quote straddles the ribbon border near the upper left side of the card.  The inside of the card was lined with a piece of Very Vanilla cardstock; the edges sponged with Soft Suede ink.  The branch image was stamped near the lower right corner of the liner with Lucky Limeade ink.  The bird body and wing were stamped on a piece of Everyday Enchantment Designer Series Paper using Soft Suede ink.  The bird legs were stamped just above the branch using Soft Suede ink.  The bird body and wing were punched out using the Bird Builder punch.  The body and wing were adhered to the liner using SNAIL.

(click on envelopes to see larger images)

A piece of Everyday Enchantment Designer Series Paper was adhered to the envelope flap of the Small Open-End Envelope and trimmed to match the edge of the flap with Paper Snips.  The edges of the flap were sponged with Soft Suede ink.  The front left side of the envelope was stamped with the three-flower image using Calypso Coral ink.

Now that you're thinking about Friendship, I hope you take the time to recognize the importance of the friendships in your life; both past and present.  They are a reflection of the best parts of yourself.

Stamps:  Language of Friendship, Vintage Vogue; Inks:  Calypso Coral, Island Indigo, Lucky Limeade, Pool Party, Soft Suede; Cardstock:  Pool Party, Very Vanilla, Very Vanilla Textured; Designer Series Paper:  Everyday Enchantment; Embellishments:  Calypso Coral 3/8" Ruffled ribbon, Everyday Enchantment Ribbon & Brad Pack, Gold Brads; Adhesives:  SNAIL, Stampin' Dimensionals, Mini Glue Dots; Tools:  Paper Cutter/Scorer, Paper Snips, Bone Folder, Sponge, Paper Piercing Tool, Mat Pack, Decorative Label punch, Bird Builder punch, Boho Blossoms punch, Big Shot w/Standard Cutting Plates, Multi-Purpose Platform, Timeless Type Junior Alphabet Medium Sizzlits dies; Other:  Page Protectors, Small Open-End Envelope

Language of Friendship -- Stampin' Addicts Sale-A-Bration Blog Hop

Hello there!

Welcome to the Stampin' Addicts Sale-A-Bration Blog Hop.  This weekend I'm joining a very talented group of Stampin' Up! Demonstrators to showcase the items that you can receive for FREE when you place a qualifying order of Stampin' Up! merchandise.  If you began the hop from the beginning, you're arriving from Krystal's blog, you've seen some wonderful projects using the Stripes Textured Impressions embossing folder for the Big Shot.  If you're traveling backwards through the hop, then you've arrived from Carmen's blog where she featured some awesome digital projects using the beautiful images found in the One Big Sale-A-Bration CD.

My projects feature the Language of Friendship stamp set.  You can find this stamp set in the Stampin' Up! Idea Book and Catalog, but during Sale-A-Bration, you can choose this stamp set for FREE when you spend $50 in Stampin' Up! merchandise.  It's a heck of a deal!  I love this stamp set and have already featured projects made with this stamp set on my blog.  In fact, my first project is a remake of a greeting card that I've already shared.

(click on card to see larger image)

I began with a piece of Everyday Enchantment Designer Series Paper to choose the colors for this card:  Calypso Coral, Pool Party, Island Indigo, Lucky Limeade, and Soft Suede.  The bird body and bird wing also use the Designer Series Paper and were punched out using the Bird Builder punch.  The flower image was stamped three times using Pool Party, Island Indigo, and Calypso Coral.  These flowers were punched with the Boho Blossoms punch.  You'll notice there's a brad from the Everyday Enchantment Ribbon & Brad Pack at the center of one of the flowers.  The bird and flowers sit on an embossed oval frame from the Designer Frames Textured Impressions embossing folders.

My second project is a set of 6" x 6" scrapbook pages.

(click on scrapbook pages to see larger image)

Here you see the bird near the top right corner of the right page resting on a "nest" of 1/8" Lucky Limeade Organdy ribbon from the Everyday Enchantment Ribbon & Brad Pack.  The bird image was stamped on another piece of Everyday Enchantment Designer Series Paper, punched out with the Bird Builder punch and adhered to the border strip with Stampin' Dimensionals.  The border strips and the letters die cute for the "r-i-e-n-d-s" in "Friends" are still more pieces of the Everyday Enchantment Designer Series Paper.  Can you tell that I just LOVE this paper???!!!???  The "F" for "Friends" comes from the Vintage Vogue stamp set and was stamped on a piece of Pool Party cardstock, cut out, and adhered to the border strip with Stampin' Dimensionals.  You'll note that more of the Lucky Limeade 1/8" Organdy ribbon was tied around the "F".  The brads used to anchor the Calypso Coral 3/8" Ruffled ribbon and the brad used to dot the "i" in "Friends" come from the Everyday Enchantment Ribbon & Brad Pack.

My final project is a card with some fancy folds.

(click on card to see larger image)

The card base is Calypso Coral.  Strips of Everyday Enchantment Designer Series Paper were matted with Pool Party cardstock and placed on the card front among the cuts and folds.  A piece of Pool Party cardstock was punched with the Lace Ribbon punch, run through the Paper Crimper to soften up the fibers in the cardstock, and then pleat folded along the bottom border of the card front.  A sponge with Soft Suede ink was rubbed across the front and back of a piece of Pool Party 3/8" Ruffled ribbon before the ribbon was wrapped around the bottom of the card front and knotted.  A piece of Very Vanilla cardstock was placed inside the Pool Party rectangular frame for the sentiment.  This embossed frame also comes from the Designer Frames Textured Impressions embossing folders.  The flower image was stamped three times using Pool Party, Island Indigo, and Calypso Coral ink then punched out with the Boho Blossoms punch.  The largest and smallest flowers were attached together with Gold Brads and the medium sized flower has a Gold Brad at the center, too.  The flowers were adhered to the embossed frame with Mini Glue Dots.

Thanks so much for stopping by to visit!  I hope you've found some inspiration for using the Language of Friendship stamp set.  Be sure to stop by next week for more details about how these projects were made; including a look at the insides of the cards, the envelopes and a card made using the scrapbook page design.

Be sure to take the time to see all the great projects featured in the Stampin' Addicts Sale-A-Bration Blog Hop.  If you're continuing to the next stop on the Stampin' Addicts Sale-A-Bration Blog Hop to visit with Carmen, click here.  If you're traveling in the opposite direction and are ready to visit with Krystal, click here.

Have a great weekend!

 

Fresh Vintage for the Scrapbook

Hello!

Here's a set of 6" x 6" scrapbook pages made using a couple of the great products you can earn for FREE during Sale-A-Bration combined with two of the awesome new tools for the Big Shot that you can find in the Occasions Mini Catalog.  This project was designed for the January meeting of the SASS Stamp Club just over a week ago.

(click on each page to see larger images)

These pages begin with a base of Very Vanilla Textured cardstock.  The medallion image from the Fresh Vintage stamp set was randomly stamped around the outside edges of both pages using Peach Parfait ink; then the edges of the pages were sponged with Peach Parfait ink.  The top edge of the pieces of Peach Parfait cardstock at the center of each page were die cut with the wide wavy edge from the Adorning Accents Edgelits dies for the Big Shot.  Each of the die cut edges were embossed using the wide wavy edge embossing folder from the Adorning Accents Textured Impressions embossing folder.  The small five-petal flower from the Fresh Vintage stamp set was randomly stamped below the die cut/embossed edges of the Peach Parfait cardstock pieces using Peach Parfait ink.

A piece of Everyday Enchantment Designer Series Paper was adhered along the bottom edge of each piece of Peach Parfait cardstock.  A piece of Lucky Limeade 3/8" Ruffled Ribbon was adhered along the top edge of the Designer Series Paper and two gold brads were inserted at the outside edge of each page.  Finally, the edges of each piece of Peach Parfait cardstock were sponged with Peach Parfait ink.  The Peach Parfait cardstock pieces were adhered to each page with the bottom, left, and right edges of of the Peach Parfait cardstock approximately 1/4" away from the bottom, left, and right edges of the Very Vanilla Textured cardstock.

Page embellishments were created for each page by choosing colors from the strip of Everyday Enchantment Designer Series Paper adhered to the bottom edge of the Peach Parfait cardstock pieces.  The medallion image was stamped twice on scraps of Very Vanilla cardstock:  the first time using Pool Party ink, and the second time using Poppy Parade ink.  This process was repeated for the five-petal flower image.  All of the stamped images were cut out using Paper Snips.  The Poppy Parade medallion was combined with the Pool Party five-petal flower and the Pool Party medallion was combined with the Poppy Parade five-petal flower.  A hole was pierced through the center of each combined page embellishment, a gold brad inserted at the center, and the edges of each five-petal flower pulled up with the fingertips.  The completed page embellishments were adhered to the scrapbook pages using Stampin' Dimensionals.

For the ladies in the SASS Stamp Club who don't scrapbook, here's the scrapbook page design translated into a greeting card.

(click on each photo to see larger images)

Be sure to stop by at the end of the week for the Stampin' Addicts Sale-A-Bration Blog Hop.  I'll be joining a talented group of Stampin' Up! Demonstrators featuring ideas for using the great products you can earn for FREE during Sale-A-Bration.

I look forward to seeing you then!

Stamps:  Fresh Vintage; Inks:  Peach Parfait, Pool Party, Poppy Parade; Cardstock:  Peach Parfait, Very Vanilla, Very Vanilla Textured; Designer Series Paper:  Everyday Enchantment; Embellishments:  Gold Brads, Lucky Limeade 3/8" Ruffled Ribbon; Adhesives:  SNAIL, Stampin' Dimensionals; Tools:  Paper Cutter, Paper Snips, Bone Folder, Sponge, Paper Piercing Tool, Mat Pack, Big Shot w/Standard Cutting Plates, Multi-Purpose Platform, Adorning Accents Textured Impressions embossing folders, Adorning Accents Edgelits dies; Other:  Page Protectors, Small Open-End Envelope

Twitterpated Scrapbook Pages

Hi there!  Thanks so much for stopping by to visit!

I have found that when I make 6" x 6" scrapbook pages, I need to restrain myself from overdoing things in the page embellishment department to keep from overwhelming the page with fluff and taking away from the story I want to tell with the photos.  So I look for special kinds of paper and embellishments that will provide just the right frame for the photos and will entice the page viewer to want to find out more about the people and events I am documenting.

That said, you can imagine my apprehension when trying to create scrapbook pages with the journaling block/text label from the Apothecary Art stamp set and the Twitterpated Designer Series Paper.  Oh. My. Gosh.  Here's what I finished with.

(click on scrapbook pages to see larger image)

I began with a cardstock base of Riding Hood Red Textured Cardstock.  The border strips at the outside edge of each page are comprised of a piece of Pear Pizzazz cardstock with one edge die cut with the Adorning Accents Edgelits die for the Big Shot.  That border die cut is just so pretty.  Next I added a strip of striped Twitterpated Designer Series Paper and placed a piece of Riding Hood Red 3/8" Pleated Satin ribbon over the seam between the cardstock and the Designer Series Paper.  [Note:  to get the ribbon to lie flat as it was adhered to the back of the cardstock, I carefully snipped the pleat stitching for the last pleat at each end.]  Each border was placed along the outside edge of each page leaving approximately 1/16" of Riding Hood Red Textured cardstock visible next to the outside edge of the border.

(click on photo to see larger image)

The journaling block image from the Apothecary Art stamp set was stamped twice on Whisper White cardstock using Basic Gray ink.  The first time the entire image was stamped.  The second time only the outside edge and floral spray were inked (omitting the journaling lines). 

(click on stamped images to see larger image)

The stamped images were colored with a Blender Pen and the following inks:  Baja Breeze for the outline edges, Pear Pizzazz for the leaves, and Riding Hood Red for the flowers.  The beautiful sentiment from the Butterfly Prints stamp set was inked with Basic Gray and Riding Hood Red ink and stamped at the center of the unlined image with the floral spray at the top of the stamped image.  Each of the images was cut out with Paper Snips, matted on a piece of Pear Pizzazz cardstock die cut with the Labels Collection Framelits (2 5/8" x 2 1/8" at the cutting line), and adhered to the base pages with Stampin' Dimensionals.

At the center of the two page spread is a doily cut from a Baja Breeze patterned piece of Twitterpated Designer Series Paper.  The Paper Doily Large Sizzlits die makes it debut in the Occasions Mini Catalog along with all the other great new products for the Big Shot; like the Framelits, Edgelits, and embossing folders, and and Bigz dies.  The doily was sliced in half and the halves adhered to the base pages so that they match up at the middle. 

The final page embellishment is the flourished butterfly from the Butterfly Prints stamp set.  The image was stamped on a piece of Whisper White cardstock using the Rock & Roll technique with Baja Breeze and Riding Hood Red inks.  Ink the image with Baja Breeze and then roll the edges of the stamp on the Riding Hood Red ink pad.  I stamped two of the butterflies and punched them out with the Butterfly punch.  One butterfly was adhered to the page with SNAIL and the second was adhered directly over the first with Mini Glue Dots placed at the center back (body area) of the butterfly.  The butterfly body was stamped over both butterflies using Basic Gray ink.  The wings of the top butterfly were picked up to creat a gentle crease at the center and give the butterfly flight.

The same techniques were used to create a 3" x 6" card.  The only thing missing is the doily; it just seemed to cause a tilt to the "overdone" side when I tried to add it to the card front.

(click on card or envelope to see larger images)

I really love the colors in the Twitterpated Designer Series Paper and am looking forward to finding more ways to incorporate it into my paper crafting projects.  However, another great package of Designer Series Paper in the Occasions Mini Catalog also caught my eye  -- the Attic Boutique Designer Series Paper.  You'll see this paper used for the final project that I made for the Stampin' Addicts Occasions Mini Catalog Blog Hop using the Apothecary Art stamp set.  I'll be sharing the details of that project with you very soon.

Have a great weekend!

Stamps:  Apothecary Art, Butterfly Prints; Inks:  Baja Breeze, Basic Gray, Pear Pizzazz, Riding Hood Red; Cardstock:  Pear Pizzazz, Riding Hood Red Textured, Whisper White; Designer Series Paper:  Twitterpated; Embellishments:  Riding Hood Red 3/8" Pleated Satin ribbon; Adhesives:  SNAIL, Stampin' Dimensionals, Mini Glue Dots; Tools:  Paper Cutter/Scorer, Paper Snips, Blender Pen, Butterfly Punch, Big Shot w/Standard Cutting Plates, Multi-Purpose Platform, Paper Doily Large Sizzlits die, Adorning Accents Edgelits dies, Labels Collection Framelits dies; Other:  6" x 6" Page Protectors, Small Open End Envelope

Apothecary Art -- Stampin' Addicts Occasions Mini Catalog Blog Hop

Edited to correct a link.

Hi There!

Welcome to the Stampin' Addicts Occasions Mini Catalog Blog Hop.  This weekend I'm joining a group of extremely talented Stampin' Up! Demonstrator members of the Stampin' Addicts on-line community to share with you some of the great new items that will be available in the Occasions Mini Catalog beginning on January 3rd. 

If you're progressing through the Hop from the beginning, you've just arrived from Sharon Field's awesome blog featuring the Rue des Fleurs stamp set.  I just love Sharon's work and her projects are just wonderful! You can click here to see her post for the blog hop.

However, if you're traveling through the Hop from the opposite direction, then you've just spent some time with my Central Florida neighbor, Adriana Benitez, and her fun projects featuring the You're My Type stamp set.  I'm always impressed with Adriana's clean style.  You can click here to return to her blog.

My stop on the Hop features the Apothecary Art stamp set.  I hope you enjoy viewing the projects.  Be sure to stop by next week for all the details about how these projects were created.

We'll begin with a very mailable birthday card.

(click on card to see larger image)

The image was stamped on Whisper White cardstock using Staz-On Jet Black ink and watercolored with the Blender Pen and Baja Breeze, Blushing Bride, Pear Pizzazz, and Riding Hood Red inks.  It's hard to see in this photo (except for the embarassing splotches), but there's Gold Glow Smooch Spritz over the stamped and colored image.  The image was die cut using the new Labels Collection Framelits dies for the Big Shot.  These are so EASY to use!  The next size of Framelits die was used to cut the Blushing Bride card front and a piece of Twitterpated Designer Series Paper.  A pretty bow of Whisper White Taffeta ribbon was adhered just below the center of the banner on the focal point.

My second project is a decorated gift box filled with gift tags.

(click on box to see larger image)

The Kraft Gift Box is such a versatile size and is so fun to decorate.  For this box, I used the Attic Boutique Designer Series Paper.  A piece of this great paper was double matted with Pool Party and Poppy Parade cardstock and adhered to each of the outside panels of the box (with the exception of the bottom) and the inside panel of the box lid.  You'll note that there's lots of sponging on this box; all done with Soft Suede ink. 

The focal point for the box lid was stamped with Staz-On Jet Black ink and colored with the Blender Pen and Poppy Parade, Pear Pizzazz, Daffodil Delight, and Pool Party inks.  The image was cut out with Paper Snips and adhered to a Poppy Parade mat cut with the corresponding size Labels Collection Framelits die.  A banner was created and placed across the center of the focal point.

(click on box to see larger image)

The inside of the box was lined with the reverse side of the Designer Series Paper used for the outside of the box.  A piece of Pool Party 3/8" Ruffled Ribbon was adhered along the top edge of the liner.

(click on tags to see larger image)

Inside the box are some pretty gift tags.  The stamped image was created using the same process utilized for the box top with the exception of the banner.  Instead, a piece of Pool Party 3/8" Ruffled Ribbon was wrapped around the center of the image and knotted.  The card base consists of two pieces of Poppy Parade (or Pool Party) cardstock cut with the Labels Collection Framelits die.  More info on how the cards were assembled will be provided next week.

I really liked that the Apothecary Art stamp set includes a stamp image that can be used for a journaling block on a scrapbook page (in addition to being a great image for a jar label).

(click on scrapbook pages for larger image)

These are 6" x 6" facing pages with a Riding Hood Red Textured cardstock base.  Pieces of striped paper from the Twitterpated Designer Series Paper were matted with Pear Pizzazz cardstock to reside along the left edge of the left facing page and the right edge of the right facing page.  The edges of the cardstock were cut using the scallop edge Adorning Accents Edgelits die.  These are way too cool and just as easy to use as the Framelits!  A piece of Riding Hood Red 3/8" Pleated Satin ribbon covers the edge of the Designer Series Paper nearest the scallop edge of the Pear Pizzazz cardstock.  A second piece of Twitterpated Designer Series Paper was die cut using the Paper Doily Large Sizzlits die.  Isn't it just beautiful??!!  The doily was cut down the center and each half was placed along the center edges of each scrapbook page. 

The label image was stamped on Whisper White cardstock using Basic Gray ink.  The first time the image was stamped to include the dotted journaling lines.  The second time, the stamp was cleaned and only the outside edge and floral design of the image were inked using the brush tip of a Basic Gray Stampin' Write Marker.  The beautiful sentiment from the Butterfly Prints stamp set was placed in the open area under the floral image.  Both images were colored with the Blender Pen and Baja Breeze, Pear Pizzazz, and Riding Hood Red inks and cut out using Paper Snips.  The images were matted with Pear Pizzazz cardstock cut with the corresponding size Labels Collection Framelits die.  A butterfly of Baja Breeze (Rock & Roll'd) with Riding Hood Red ink resides near the top right corner of the right facing page.

In addition to the Apothecary Art stamp set, you've seen a boatload of new items from the Occasions Mini Catalog.  By completing the Blog Hop you'll be able to see a whole lot more.  There's just so much deliciousness in this catalog, it's hard to take it all in!! 

I look forward to your return visit next week for more details on how each of these projects were made.

Raining Flowers

Hi there!

Here are a couple of scrapbook pages that I really enjoyed designing.  Looking back on what I've made lately, I seem to have focused in on the star burst design.  I've found it in so many places!  The My Friend stamp set, the Starburst Jumbo wheel, the Pocket Full of Posies Designer Series Paper, and in the Domestic Goddess Designer Series Paper as you can see in these pages.

(click on each page to see larger images)

Making the color choices for the scrapbook pages was easy, I just chose the colors used in the Designer Series Paper.  For the paper selected for these pages the colors are Pool Party, Basic Gray and So Saffron.  The base pages are So Saffron Textured cardstock randomly stamped with the solid rounded 5-petal flower image using Versamark.  Then the outline image for the rounded 5-petal flower was stamped over the Versamark image using So Saffron ink.  This process is called Two-Step Stamping.  The inside image is stamped with a light color and the outline image is stamped with a darker contrasting color.  The Raining Flowers stamp set has a number of awesome images that are designed specifically for Two-Step Stamping.  A small solid flower image was stamped at the center of a few of the rounded 5-petal flowers using Pool Party ink. 

(click on photo to see larger image)

The border treatments for these pages use Island Indigo cardstock scored every 1/2 inch using the Simply Scored Scoring Tool.  The edges of these pieces of cardstock were sponged with Island Indigo ink.  At the top of the borders is a piece of Pool Party cardstock; the edges of the cardstock sponged with Island Indigo ink.  Centered across the Pool Party cardstock is a piece of Domestic Goddess Designer Series Paper; the edges sponged with Island Indigo ink.

(click on each frame to see larger image)

The Big Shot and the Peek-A-Boo Frames Bigz L die was put to use for these pages to create hidden journaling windows.  On the left hand page, the Scallop Square frame was die cut using Island Indigo cardstock.  On the right hand page, the Curly Label frame was die cut using Pool Party cardstock.  These were adhered to the pages with pieces of Whisper White cardstock placed inside the frame opening for the journaling.  The "door" of each frame serves as a photo frame with a piece of contrasting cardstock adhered to the door to create a photo mat.  In between the photo mat and the "door" a piece of Ruffled ribbon was adhered to provide a finger grab to open the journaling doors (limiting the likelihood of fingerprints on the photos).  Island Indigo 3/8" Ruffled ribbon for the Island Indigo frame and Pool Party 3/8" Ruffled ribbon for the Pool Party frame. 

(click on photo to see larger image)

The large flower accent was created by inking the largest flower with Pool Party ink and then rolling the edges of the flower image on the Island Indigo ink pad using a process call Rock and Roll.  The inked image was stamped on Whisper White cardstock and cut out using Paper Snips.  The solid rounded 5-petal flower was stamped on Whisper White cardstock using So Saffron ink.  The outline image for the rounded 5-petal flower was stamped over the solid rounded 5-petal flower using Basic Gray ink and the flower cut out using Paper Snips.  The center of the flower uses the small solid flower image stamped on Whisper White cardstock using Island Indigo ink and cut out with Paper Snips.  The edges of each layer were rolled up with the edge of the Bone Folder and stacked on top of each other.  A hole was pierced through all the flower layers with the Paper Piercing Tool and a large Clear Rhinestone Brad was inserted through the hole.  The brads legs were set on the back of the flower and the flower was adhered to the page with Stampin' Dimensionals as shown on the scrapbook pages above. 

The smaller accent flower was created by stamping the larger solid flower image three times on Whisper White cardstock using Island Indigo, Pool Party, and So Saffron inks.  The flower images were cut out with Paper Snips:  around the outside edge of the image for the Island Indigo flower, around the first line inside the outer edge for the Pool Party flower, and around the second line inside the outer edge for the So Saffron flower.  The edges of all the flowers were rolled up with the Bone Folder and stacked on top of each other.  A hole was pierced through all the flower layers with the Paper Piercing Tool and a small Clear Rhinestone Brad was inserted through the hole.  The brad legs were set on the back of the flower and the flower was adhered to the page using Stampin' Dimensionals as shown on the scrapbook pages above. 

A couple of the scrapbookers in the SASS Stamp Club asked how the hidden journaling would be accessed once the pages were inserted into the page protectors.  There are a couple of options.  The first would be to do nothing and let the person accessing the page pull the page out of the protector to read the journaling.  The second would be to place the completed page inside the protector and draw a line around the top, bottom and side frame (ribbon tab) of the "door".  Then remove the completed page and insert the small self-healing cutting mat from the Mat Pack and use a craft knife to cut along the lines.  Then reinsert the page into the protector making sure the ribbon tab lies on the outside of the page protector.  The flap will help to protect the photo on the "door".

For the non-scrapbookers of the SASS Stamp Club, I used the scrapbook page design to make greeting cards.  However, because these cards are only 3" tall, I selected smaller frames for each card.

(click on each card to see larger images)

The borders are also narrower to better balance the frames and flower accents with the smaller frames.  This time I matched the Ruffled ribbon tabs to the contrasting color mat on the frame "door".  For the top card, I used a sentiment from the You're a Gem stamp set for the outside of the door stamped with Island Indigo ink.  For the bottom card, I used the heart image from the Tiny Tags stamp set stamped with Island Indigo ink. 

(click on each frame to see a larger image)

Whisper White cardstock was placed inside each of the frames.  Sentiments from the Tiny Tags stamp set were stamped inside each frame using Island Indigo ink.

(click on inside of card to see larger image)

The inside sentiment area of each card was lined with a piece of Whisper White cardstock.  The solid rounded 5-petal flower image was stamped three times along the left side using Versamark ink.  The outline image for the rounded 5-petal flower was stamped over the solid rounded 5-petal flowers using So Saffron ink.  The small solid flower image was stamped at the center of each flower using Pool Party ink.

(click on envelope to see larger image)

A piece of Domestic Goddess Designer Series Paper was adhered to the flap of the Small Open End Envelope.  The edges of the envelope flap were sponged with Island Indigo ink.

I'm really tickled with how nicely these pages and cards turned out.  They seem so fun and friendly!

Stamps:  Raining Flowers, Tiny Tags, You're a Gem; Inks:  Basic Gray, Island Indigo, Pool Party, So Saffron, Versamark;  Cardstock:  Island Indigo, Pool Party, So Saffron Textured, Whisper White; Designer Series Paper:  Domestic Goddess; Embellishments:  Clear Rhinestone Brads, Island Indigo 3/8" Ruffled ribbon, Pool Party 3/8" Ruffled ribbon; Adhesives:  SNAIL, Stampin' Dimensionals, Mini Glue Dots; Tools:  Paper Cutter, Simply Scored Scoring Tool, Paper Snips, Bone Folder, Sponge, Big Shot w/Standard Cutting Plates, Peek-A-Boo Frames Bigz L die; Other:  Small Open End Envelope, Page Protectors

Frame It!

Hi there!

I have a story to share.  When our second child moved out of the house to begin his adult life, my husband and I decided to renovate the empty bedroom into a "man cave."  I wanted to use warm colors and chose a blue that reminded me of Not Quite Navy for the lower half of the walls with a very light shade of this blue for the upper half of the wall.  Then I planned to sponge two intermediate shades of the blue over the lighter color.  In between the two halves of the wall would be a chair rail with a rope motif which was also used to frame the window. 

I had never sponged walls before but I had seen the results of others work and thought that I could accomplish this easily.  I picked up a brochure about sponging at the local home improvement store and read the instructions, gathered my supplies, and set to work.  I started with a small area on one wall and the results were hideous!  The paint seemed to look like splats on the wall instead of a gentle texture.  I thought maybe the sponge was the wrong type, so I repainted that section of the wall and went back to the store and found a different type of sponge.  I tried again and even with the new type of sponge, more splats!  I repainted the wall, again, reread the brochure, again, and in frustration headed back to the store.  I spoke to the gentleman mixing the paint and he assured me that I was doing the right thing but that maybe I should have a lighter hand and less paint.  He also recommended a sponge roller.  I tried again.  The results this time were worse than ever!  I was in tears as I repainted the wall yet again. 

This time I called Mom & Dad and told them the whole sorry tale and asked what I was doing wrong.  I have to mention that they are champion wall painters and have tried pretty much every technique for decorating walls with a high level of success.  They were stymied and told me they'd be right over.  I set up the supplies, explained what I was trying to do and they examined my tools.  Then Mom asks me to demonstrate my technique.  I picked up the sponge, lightly tapped the paint and headed to the wall.  Mom and Dad began chuckling and told me to stop.  It turns out that I had the right type of sponge the first time, the second time, and even the third time!  The problem wasn't the sponges, it was water!  Actually the LACK of water...the sponge needed to be damp.  I went back to the brochure and showed my parents that there was no mention of a damp sponge.  Mom demonstrated the proper technique with the sponge and I was on my way.  Mom and Dad even stuck around to help and we finished pretty quickly. 

So fast forward to today and the Frame It stamp set.  When I first saw it in the catalog, I envisioned scrapbook pages and a fun way to incorporate a "wall" of photos.  Here's what I came up with for the September meeting of the SASS Stamp Club.

(click on each page to see larger images)

I wanted to use the Well Worn Designer Series Paper for the lower half of the walls and picked up colors from the paper to use for the frames:  Cajun Craze, Early Espresso, Not Quite Navy, and Soft Suede.  The frame images were stamped on the cardstock with Versamark, covered with Gold embossing powder, and heat embossed with the Heat Tool.  Then each frame was cut out with Paper Snips.  When I placed the strip of paper and the frames on the Very Vanilla Textured cardstock base pages (without adhering them), the pages just seemed to scream "Bland!"  So I sat there and stared at them waiting for inspiration to strike.  Nothing.  So I decided to step away and tidy up.  While I was putting sponges away, I came across some small sea sponges.  Of course!  Sponge the walls!

I dampened my small sea sponge, tapped the sponge lightly on my Not Quite Navy ink pad, and I was on my way.  IMPORTANT NOTE!  As my Mom explained to me, the damp sponge should actually be considered "essence of damp" sponge.  To achieve this effect:  wet the sponge, squeeze out as much water as you can with your fingertips, then place the sponge in a paper towel and squeeze again. 

Once the sponging was complete, I adhered the strip of Well Worn Designer Series Paper across the bottom edge of each base page and place a "chair rail" of Not Quite Navy Textured cardstock along the top edge of the Well Worn Designer Series Paper.  Then I added the frames to the top half of the wall.  For the left page, I used the rectangular and circular frames and for the right page the oval and square frames.  The circular frame was "hung" on a strip of Not Quite Navy 3/8" Taffeta ribbon.  A small bow of the same ribbon was placed at the top of the frame with a Mini Glue Dot.  At the bottom right corner of the right page is a medallion created by stamping the "Memories" image on Very Vanilla cardstock using Not Quite Navy ink.  The image was punched with the Medium Oval punch and matted with a piece of Cajun Craze cardstock punched with the Scallop Oval punch.  These were adhered to a piece of Brushed Gold cardstock punched with the Decorative Label punch using Stampin' Dimensionals.  The completed medallion was adhered to the base page with Stampin' Dimensionals.  Oh, I almost forgot...the edges of the punched Brushed Gold cardstock were sponged with Not Quite Navy ink.

I liked the small circular frame wall hanging "treatment" so well, I decided to incorporate a part of the this into the 3" x 6" cards for my non-scrapbookers.

(click on each photo to see larger images)

The "Hello" image comes from the Posy Punch Hostess stamp set and was adhered to the frame with Stampin' Dimensionals.  The inside of the card features strips of Well Worn Designer Series Paper adhered along the top and bottom edges of a piece of Very Vanilla cardstock liner.  The liner was adhered to the inside sentiment area of the card.  A contrasting piece of Well Worn Designer Series Paper was adhered to the envelope flap of the Small Open End Envelope.

I can't walk past a sponged wall (or into my husband's "man cave") without remembering my adventures with wall sponging.  It's one of those memories that I can look back on now with humor and treasure for the lessons learned.  Sometimes learning something new can be frustrating; however, this time perseverance reaped a significant reward. 

(click on photo to see larger image)

Have a great weekend!

Stamps:  Frame It, Posy Punch; Inks:  Not Quite Navy, Versamark; Cardstock:  Brushed Gold, Cajun Craze, Early Espresso, Not Quite Navy, Not Quite Navy Textured, Soft Suede, Very Vanilla, Very Vanilla Textured; Designer Series Paper:  Well Worn; Embellishments:  Not Quite Navy 3/8" Taffeta ribbon; Adhesives:  SNAIL, Stampin' Dimensionals, Mini Glue Dots; Tools:  Paper Cutter/Scorer, Paper Snips, Bone Folder, Sponge, Decorative Label punch, Scallop Oval punch, Medium Oval punch, Embossing Buddy, Gold embossing powder, Heat Tool; Other:  Page Protectors, Small Open End Envelope; Non-Stampin' Up!:  Small Sea Sponge

Lace, Ribbon and Posies

Hello There!  These droughts between blog posts are certainly getting old...

Thanks for your patience with my latest unexpected hiatus; this time to recuperate from a surgery that went from minor with only a couple of days to recover to major with a significant recovery period.  It's nice to be back to sitting up for more than a few minutes at a time and actually wearing clothes again (as long as they're very loose and/or very stretchy).

I had a few things made before I went into surgery and I've made a couple of things in the last week that I can't wait to share with you.  So let's get this show on the road!

Here are the scrapbook pages designed for the August meeting of the SASS Stamp Club.  [I design three projects for each Stamp Club meeting.  For August, the first was a greeting card using the Hello Blossoms (A la Carte) stamp, the second used the Letters to Santa Designer Series Paper to cover a mini chipboard notebook, and the third project are these scrapbook pages.]  I wanted to start off the new club year with a basic design using strong colors.  I don't think that you can get any stronger than a base page of Basic Black Textured cardstock with Rich Razzleberry border treatments.

(click on each scrapbook page to see larger images)

Strips of paper from the Pocket Full of Posies Designer Series Paper were matted with Rich Razzleberry cardstock.  A piece of Rich Razzleberry 1/4" Grosgrain ribbon was wrapped around the end of each border strip and knotted.  The Starburst Jumbo Stampin' Around Wheel was inked with Rich Razzleberry ink and rolled across strips of Whisper White cardstock.  The strips of Whisper White cardstock were punched with the Lace Ribbon Border punch and adhered along the back of one edge of each border strip.  The border strips were adhered to each base page as shown.

(click on doily page embellishments to see larger image)

Scraps of Whisper White, Basic Black, and Rich Razzleberry cardstock were punched with the Doily Triple Layer punch; one color for each of the three layers.  For the doily on the left, the bottom layer is Whisper White, the middle layer is Basic Black, and the top layer is Rich Razzleberry.  For the doily on the right, the bottom layer is Basic Black, the middle layer is Rich Razzleberry, and the top layer is Whisper White.  The layers were stacked and a hole pierced through the center with the Paper Piercing Tool.  A silver brad was inserted into the hole and Stampin' Dimensionals added to the back of each doily stack for eventual placement on the scrapbook pages once the pictures have been added.

The simple border treatments from the scrapbook pages translate easily to 3" x 6" cards.

(click on each card to see larger images)

The interior of these cards were lined with Whisper White cardstock.  The Starburst Jumbo Wheel was inked with Rich Razzleberry ink and rolled along the left and right edges of each card liner.  (Use the Stampin' Around Wheel Guide to help you achieve a straight line.  Enough said...)

(click on card to see larger image)

The Starburst Jumbo Wheel was inked up one last time and rolled across the Small Open End Envelope flap.

(click on envelope to see larger image)

Next week I'll be sharing the Thank You card I designed for those who purchased Stampin' Up! products from me in August and the projects from the September meeting of the SASS Stamp Club.  I look forward to your visit!

Stamps:  Starburst Jumbo Wheel; Inks:  Rich Razzleberry; Cardstock:  Basic Black Textured, Basic Black, Rich Razzleberry, Whisper White; Designer Series Paper:  Pocket Full of Posies; Embellishments:  Rich Razzleberry 1/4" Grosgrain ribbon, Silver Brads; Adhesives:  SNAIL, Stampin' Dimensionals; Tools:  Paper Cutter/Scorer, Paper Snips, Bone Folder, Jumbo Wheel Handle, Paper Piercing Tool, Mat Pack, Doily Triple Layer punch, Lace Ribbon Border punch; Other:  6" x 6" Page Protectors, Small Open End Envelope

A Pocket of Memories

Hello!  A crazy week getting ready for the final Space Shuttle launch, STS-135.  We're crossing our fingers and toes for good weather, but it's not looking promising.  So we'll see if we can find a hole in the clouds big enough to safely launch through.

Next week I travel to Salt Lake City for the Stampin' Up! Convention.  I'm super excited to be going this year to celebrate my 5 years as a Stampin' Up! Demonstrator (actually that event occurred in October).  I'm also coming up on my 2nd year as a blogger and will soon reach the 50,000 blog visit mark.  Lots of very cool milestones!  And all of them thanks to my great customers, stamp club members, and blog readers.

(click on Pocket Album to see larger image)

To celebrate, I'm offering a FREE tutorial for this adorable project through July 17th.  I can't take credit for the original design of this project; that comes from a Make & Take designed by Stampin' Up! for a special group of hard working Stampin' Up! Demonstrators who earned a FREE Cruise to Alaska a few weeks ago courtesy of Stampin' Up!  I saw the completed project at a training meeting with my Stampin' Up! upline, Catherine Harwood (one of those awesome Cruise Achievers). 

(click on each Pocket Album photo to see larger images)

I liked the project so much that I jotted down the measurements and went home to make a couple of these adorable pocket albums to demonstrate at the June meeting of the SASS Stamp Club (the very next day!).  It was a huge hit!  I didn't have the supplies used to make the original project; however, I quickly realized that the project design could be adapted to a wide variety of looks.  I can see so many uses for this project:  Grandma's (or Grandpa's, or Mom's, or Dad's) Baby Brag Book; a Memory Book for a special event; a Coupon Book for a special birthday or anniversary or graduation or Mother's Day or Father's Day; a Love Notes Book for that special someone on Valentine's Day or Wedding Anniversary or for a milestone birthday.  Just think what you could do with these eight pockets!

This "guts" of this project is created with one piece of 12" x 12" cardstock.  The rest of the supplies come from scraps of coordinating Subtles Designer Series Paper, Subtles cardstock scraps, Subtles inks, a couple of punches, and stamped images from the Flight of the Butterfly and Butterfly Prints stamp sets.  You'll be amazed with how easy this project is to make!  Here's another version of the project; this time using a Brights color palette.

(click on Pocket Album to see larger image)

The tutorial provides a scoring/cutting diagram, photos, a listing of all the supplies (for the Subtles and Brights versions), and dimensions for all the papers and cardstocks. 

(click on each Pocket Album photo to see larger images)

If you'd like to make this fun project, just click on the E-Mail Mickey button near the upper right corner of my blog page before Midnight Eastern time on Sunday, July 17th, and I'll send you the tutorial by return e-mail.  It's as easy as that!

It's my Thank You to all of you who take the time to stop by to visit.  I appreciate you.

Another Visit to the Garden

Hello!  Thanks so much for stopping by to visit!

(click on each scrapbook page to see larger image)

Here are a couple of scrapbook pages that I designed for the SASS Stamp Club meeting last weekend.  These pages feature the Beyond the Garden Designer Series Paper and a surprise!

The surprise is hidden journaling pockets on each page.  A 3" x 3" piece of Whisper White cardstock is pulled from the hidden journaling pocket using the Pacific Point or Tangerine Tango tabs.  The hidden journaling pocket is made by attaching a Whisper White Mini Envelope to the back of the Whisper White cardstock square on each page.

(click on each scrapbook page to see larger image)

On the back of the Whisper White cardstock square at the center of each page, Sticky Strip is placed along the left, right, and bottom edges.  The envelope flap is removed from a Whisper White Mini Envelope and Sticky Strip applied to the left and right sides of the back of the envelope and across the middle back of the envelope just below the opening (the Sticky Strip will look like an "H"). 

(click on diagram to see larger image)

The envelope is then adhered to the back of the Whisper White cardstock, lining up the top of the envelope with the top of the Whisper White cardstock.  Then the Whisper White cardstock is adhered to the center of the Wild Wasabi Textured cardstock base pages.

(click on scrapbook page to see larger image)

For the left page, a square of Tangerine Tango cardstock was adhered, centered, to the Whisper White cardstock square.  Across the center of the page, a strip of Beyond the Garden Designer Series Paper was adhered.  Punched circles of Tangerine Tango (3/4" circle) and Pacific Point (1/2" circle) cardstock were placed at the right and left ends of the strip of Designer Series Paper.  Gold Brads were inserted into the center of the punched circles.  For the hidden journaling pocket, the tab image from the Perfect Punches stamp set was stamped on Pacific Point cardstock using Pacific Point ink.  The word "wishes" from the Fabulous Phrases stamp set was stamped at the top of the tab image using Basic Black ink.  The tab image was punched out with the Rounded Tab punch, folded at the center, and adhered over the top center of the 3" x 3" square of Whisper White cardstock.  This cardstock is inserted into the hidden journaling pocket.

(click on scrapbook page to see larger image)

For the right page, a square of Pacific Point cardstock was adhered, centered, to the Whisper White cardstock square.  Three corners of two 2" x 2" squares of Beyond the Garden Designer Series Paper and three corners of two 2" x 2" squares of Tangerine Tango cardstock were punched with the 3/16" corner rounder.  The squares were placed on the Pacific Point cardstock with the pointed edge of each square at each corner of the Pacific Point cardstock leaving just a smidge of a border of Pacific Point cardstock along the edges.  For the hidden journaling pocket, the tab image from the Perfect Punches stamp set was stamped on Tangerine Tango cardstock with Tangerine Tango ink.  The word "dreams" from the Fabulous Phrases stamp set was stamped at the top of the tab image using Basic Black ink.  The tab image was punched out with the Rounded Tab punch, folded at the center, and adhered over the top center of a 3" x 3" square of Whisper White cardstock.  This cardstock is inserted into the hidden journaling pocket.

For the non-scrapbookers of the SASS Stamp Club, I used the left page designs to make this card:

(click on each photo to see larger images)

And the right page design to make this card:

(click on each photo to see larger images)

If you're looking for a way to share an important message with a loved one or to document a private thought or feeling, a hidden pocket is just what you need.  I've used a Mini Envelope for these pages, but any size envelope will work depending upon the size of the scrapbook page and the cardstock it will be anchored to.  And your pockets don't have to be hidden.  You can make them a part of the page element for photos and memorabilia, too!

Stamps:  Fabulous Phrases, Perfect Punches; Inks:  Basic Black, Pacific Point, Tangerine Tango; Cardstock:  Pacific Point, Tangerine Tango, Whisper White, Wild Wasabi Textured; Designer Series Paper:  Beyond the Garden; Embellishments:  Gold Brads, Whisper White 5/8" Grosgrain ribbon (3" x 6" card); Adhesives:  SNAIL, Sticky Strip, Stampin' Dimensionals (3" x 6" card); Tools:  Paper Cutter/Scorer, Paper Snips, Bone Folder, Rounded Tab punch, 3/16" corner rounder, 3/4" circle punch, 1/2" circle punch (Retired), Paper Piercing Tool, Mat Pack; Other:  Page Protectors, Whisper White Mini Envelopes, Small Open End Envelopes (3" x 6" cards)

Four Frames & Paisley Petals Sneak Peek (Part 2)

Hello!  Thanks so much for stopping by to visit!

[Edited to add a "missing link" that was forgotten in the narrative below.]

Here's another project that uses the Four Frames stamp set, a Sneak Peek item from the 2011-2012 Idea Book & Catalog.  It's only available for purchase during the month of April and then it goes back into hiding until the release of the new catalog in July.  These scrapbook pages also feature two items from the Occasions Mini Catalog; the Springtime Vintage Designer Series Paper and the You're A Gem stamp set.  The Occasions Mini Catalog sales period ends on April 30th, so as with the Sneak Peek items, you only have a little over a week to make your purchases.

(click on each page to see larger images)

We'll begin our discussion with the left hand scrapbook page.  I really like the banner effect created by "notching" the bottom of the banner.

(click on scrapbook page to see larger image)

A strip of Springtime Vintage Designer Series Paper was layered over a slightly wider piece of Always Artichoke cardstock.  Wrapped around these is a piece of Chantilly 1/2" Crochet Trim which is knotted on front near the top of the border strip.  Hanging from the Chantilly Crochet Trim are two tags created by "punching apart" a single stamp image from the You're A Gem stamp set.  The stamp image was stamped twice on Very Vanilla cardstock; the first time using Perfect Plum ink and the second time with Always Artichoke ink.  The Medium Jewelry Tag punch was used to punch "love life" from the Perfect Plum stamped image and "live life" from the Always Artichoke stamped image.  The punch was used again on scraps of Perfect Plum and Always Artichoke cardstock.  Linen Thread was inserted through 1/16" holes punched at the top of each stamped tag and its corresponding color cardstock tag was added before knotting the Linen Thread over the top of the Chantilly Crochet Trim.  You'll note that the "love life" tag sits slightly higher than the "live life" tag to add some interest.

Both lengths of a strip of Very Vanilla cardstock were punched with the Scallop Trim Border punch.  Before adhering the paper and cardstock layer, I drew the "notch" on the back.  The space between the punched borders is 2".  I placed a ruler 1" above the bottom edge and made a pencil dot at the center point (also 1").  Then I drew a line from the pencil dot to each corner.  After the paper and cardstock layer were adhered with SNAIL on the unmarked side of the Very Vanilla cardstock, I used Paper Snips to cut along the pencil lines to create the "notch."  The border strip was adhered to the Perfect Plum Textured cardstock base page with SNAIL.

Here's a 3" x 6" card made using the same design.  A different piece of Springtime Vintage Designer Series Paper is used, but the results are identical.  That's the best part about Stampin' Up!'s Designer Series Paper:  you can always count on the color coordination within each pack of paper.

(click on the cards and envelope to see larger images)

You can see the stamped image is repeated, alternating Perfect Plum and Always Artichoke inks, on the Very Vanilla liner placed at the inside sentiment area of the card and along the left front side of the Small Open End Envelope.

For the right hand scrapbook page, a more traditional page border was created.  This time, the flip side of the Springtime Vintage Designer Series Paper used on the left hand page is revealed.

(click on scrapbook page to see larger image)

As with the left hand page, the Designer Series Paper strip was adhered to the Always Artichoke cardstock.  Only one long edge of the Very Vanilla cardstock was punched with the Scallop Trim Border punch prior to adhering the paper and cardstock strip.  This border was placed near the bottom edge of the Perfect Plum Textured base page.  The rose frame image from the Four Frames stamp set was stamped on Very Vanilla cardstock using Always Artichoke ink.  A Blender Pen and Perfect Plum Watercolor Crayon (Subtles Collection) were used to add color to the flowers.  The frame was punched out with the Decorative Label punch and matted with Perfect Plum cardstock.  (See this post for more information about how to create the mat for the frame.)  A 1/8" hole was punched near the lower right corner of the frame using the Crop-A-Dile to add a Clear Rhinestone Brad to correspond with the "you're a gem" sentiment stamped at the center of the frame using Perfect Plum ink.

A piece of Chantilly Crochet Trim was added to the back of the frame and the ends folded back to create a "bow" to finish the border.  To do this, place the matted frame face down on the tabletop.  Run a line of SNAIL across the center length of the back.  Fold the Chantilly Crochet Trim in half lengthwise and place the center at the center back of the frame and allow the Crochet Trim to fall open and press along the SNAIL line with your fingertips.  Put a small area of SNAIL on top of the Crochet Trim approximately 1/2" inside each edge of the Crochet Trim and then fold the Crochet Trim back on top of itself so that the end of the Crochet Trim can be pressed into the small spot of SNAIL.  The frame is attached to the border with Stampin' Dimensionals.

This border treatment makes an attractive 3" x 6" card, too.  The Designer Series Paper you see here is the flip side of the paper used for the 3" x 6" card shown above using the design for the opposing scrapbook page.

(click on cards or envelope to see larger images)

Again, the inside sentiment area of the card is lined with a piece of Very Vanilla cardstock.  However, this time a slim piece of matching Designer Series Paper was adhered along the bottom edge of the Very Vanilla cardstock.  The "you're a gem" sentiment was randomly stamped on the envelope flap using Perfect Plum ink.

I'm always looking for quick and easy scrapbook page borders that can set the tone for the layout without overpowering the photos or the story I want to tell.  These pages can do just that for a Mother's Day layout or to recognize someone who holds a place of honor in your life story.

Stamps:  Four Frames, You're A Gem; Inks:  Always Artichoke, Perfect Plum; Cardstock:  Always Artichoke, Perfect Plum, Perfect Plum Textured, Very Vanilla; Designer Series Paper:  Springtime Vintage; Embellishments:  Chantilly 1/2" Crochet Trim, Linen Thread, Clear Rhinestone Brads; Adhesives:  SNAIL, Stampin' Dimensionals; Tools:  Paper Cutter/Scorer, Paper Snips, Bone Folder, Crop-A-Dile, 1/16" hole punch, Scallop Trim Border punch, Decorative Label punch, Medium Jewelry Tag punch, Ruler, Pencil; Other:  Page Protectors, Small Open End Envelope

Upcoming Classes & Promotions (April - June 2011)

Hi there!  Thanks so much for stopping by to visit.

Now that Sale-A-Bration is over, I've been cleaning up and regrouping.  I also needed to make some decisions about classes and other papercrafting events I'll be offering in the next few months as we finish up the 2010-2011 Stampin' Up! catalog year.  There are some great promotions coming up and a Summer Mini Catalog that will be launching in May, so there's lots of new stuff on the horizon.

Let's begin with the month of April.

• April begins a Sneak Peek promotion from the 2011-2012 Idea Book & Catalog.  When you order $20 in merchandise, you'll be able to purchase a fun new stamp set that uses the Decorative Label punch and a stunning package of Designer Series Paper called Paisley Petals.  If you book a workshop in the month of April, you could receive both the stamp set and the Designer Series Paper for FREE with a qualifying workshop ($350 in merchandise ordered).

(click on stamp set or paper to see larger images)

• Unfortunately, this class has been cancelled due to scheduling issues.  Look for this class again later this year.  On April 17th, I'll be offering a 10/10/20 Birthday Card class.  The first "10" means ten cards, the second "10" means ten envelopes, and the "20" equals a class fee of $20.  The folks in this class will be making 10 birthday cards (2 each of 5 different designs) using a variety of current Stampin' Up! stamp sets.  Be sure to contact me right away to reserve your spot.  This class is limited to 10 people.  

May is always a fun month with Mother's Day, National Scrapbooking Month, and debut of the Summer Mini Catalog.

• The Summer Mini Catalog begins on May 1st.  If you're on my mailing list, you'll receive this catalog in the mail very soon.  Look for some exciting new products in the catalog, including:  new punches, new embellishments, a new Simply Scrappin' Kit, and lots of stamp sets to celebrate the fun and sun season.  In addition, there will be a great new options for purchasing My Digital Studio at a reduced price!  If you're not on my mailing list and would like to receive this catalog, I'll be happy to mail it to you.  Please contact me by clicking on the "E-Mail Mickey" button at the top right sidebar of this blog page.
• For National Scrapbooking Month, Stampin' Up! will be offering a promotion featuring 30% off selected stamp sets, My Digital Studio print products, and My Digital Studion Download bundles.  Look for more information about this great promotion near the end of April.
• On May 22nd, I'll be offering a Scrapbooking Class using the fun new Simply Scrappin' Kit from the Summer Mini Catalog.  Your class fee of $35 includes the Simply Scrappin' Kit and a generous supply of embellishments to make 10 eye-catching 12" x 12" scrapbook pages.  This class is limited to 8 people.  Reservation and pre-payment are required by May 8th.

With the kids out of school and the temperatures climing, you may be looking for an escape.  I have just the thing!

• On June 26th, I'll be offering another 10/10/20 class, this time for All Occasion cards.  As with the class in April, the first "10" means ten cards, the second "10" means ten envelopes, and the "20" equals a class fee of $20.  The folks in this class will be making 10 All Occasion cards (2 each of 5 different designs) using a variety of current Stampin' Up! stamp sets.  Be sure to contact me right away to reserve your spot.  This class is limited to 10 people.
• June also means release of the Last Chance Lists.  These lists contain all the retiring stamp sets, tools, and embellishments from the 2010-2011 Idea Book & Catalog.  If you're on my e-mail list, I'll be providing more information as soon as it becomes available.

If you have any questions, please be sure to contact me for more information.  Give me a call or e-mail me to sign up for classes or to take advantage of the great promotions that will be coming in the next few months.  If you live in (or will be visiting) the East Central Florida area, I'd love to meet you!

Birds, Bees, & Butterflies in Pastels

Hello!  Has Spring sprung in your part of the world yet?  Here in Central Florida, the temperatures are cool in the mornings (low 60s) and moderately warm in the afternoons (mid 80s).  The skies are bright blue, the azaleas are rioting in color, the oak trees are shedding their pollen pods, and the crepe myrtles are beginning to send out their leafy shoots.  Folks are beginning to clean up their yards from the effects of the Winter freezes and you can hear the mowers humming for the first time in a couple of months.  We treasure these few weeks of Spring--all too soon Summer weather will arrive and we won't see these mild temperatures again until November.

Here's a project I designed for the March meeting of the SASS Stamp Club.  As with the previous post, this project features soft Spring colors and the Sweet Summer Sale-A-Bration stamp set.

(click on each page to see larger image)

The base pages are Marina Mist Textured cardstock.  A strip of Rose Red cardstock was punched along one long edge with the Pinking Hearts Border punch.  These strips were adhered to the left and right edges, respectively, of the left and right base pages leaving approximately 1/8" of Marina Mist showing along the edge.  [Note that the punched borders point toward the center of each base page.]  A strip of Perfect Plum cardstock was then adhered to the center of the Rose Red cardstock.

Two strips of Whisper White cardstock were stamped with the three flower images from the Sweet Summer stamp set:  one flower using Rose Red ink, another with Perfect Plum ink, and the third with Marina Mist ink.  These flowers were covered with a mask created by stamping each flower on a Post-It Note, cutting out the image, and covering the associated image stamped on the Whisper White cardstock.  Once the masks were in place, the vine image was stamped randomly over the two pieces of Whisper White cardstock using Pear Pizzazz ink.  Then the masks were removed.

The flowers and dots on the vines were colored with Stampin' Pastels using a Blender Pen to transfer the color to the stamped images.  For these pages, the following Stampin' Pastel colors were used:  Rose Red, More Mustard, Marina Mist, and Perfect Plum.  Once the flowers were colored, the Whisper White cardstock was adhered to the Perfect Plum cardstock, aligning the top and bottom edges and centering between the left and right edges of the Perfect Plum cardstock.

(click on embellishments to see larger image)

To carry the color scheme and whimsical design across the pages once the photos were added, small medallions were created to embellish the pages.  To begin, a piece of Whisper White cardstock was randomly stamped with the vine image using Pear Pizzazz ink.  In one area, the butterfly image was stamped using Rose Red ink.  The area of the Whisper White cardstock with the butterfly was inserted into the paper slot of a 1" circle punch, the butterfly and vine centered in the punch window, and punched out.  This punched circle was adhered to the center of a piece of Rose Red cardstock punched with the 1 1/4" circle punch.  The butterfly was colored with Rose Red Stampin' Pastels using the Blender Pen and then covered with Crystal Effects to give the butterfly some dimension and shine.  Once the Crystal Effects was dry, two Stampin' Dimensionals were placed on the back of the Rose Red cardstock.

The process for creating the remaining two embellishments is the same as for the butterfly:  the bird was stamped with Marina Mist ink and colored with Marina Mist Stampin' Pastels and the bee was stamped with Basic Gray ink and colored with Basic Black and Daffodil Delight Stampin' Pastels.

For the non-scrapbookers in the group, here are 3" x 6" cards made using the same process used for the scrapbook pages.

(click on cards to see larger images)

Note that the border strips are centered in the middle of the card fronts with the punched border pointing toward the card opening.  The embellishments were scattered between the two cards:  the butterfly and bird on one card and the bee on the other.

The inside sentiment area of the cards were lined with a piece of Whisper White cardstock.  These pieces were stamped with the vine image (using Pear Pizzazz ink) three times across the bottom of the liner.  The bird image was stamped to perch on one of the vines and colored with Marina Mist Stampin' Pastels and the Blender Pen.  The envelope flaps of the Small Open End Envelopes were randomly stamped with the vine image, again using Pear Pizzazz ink.

(click on envelope to see larger image)

Thanks for stopping by to visit!  Take some time to enjoy Spring and all the wonderful sights, sounds, and smells of this season of new birth.  If Spring hasn't arrived in your area yet, maybe these images and colors will help to soften your wait after a long Winter.

Stamps:  Sweet Summer; Inks:  Basic Gray, Marina Mist, Pear Pizzazz, Perfect Plum, Rose Red; Cardstock:  Marina Mist Textured, Perfect Plum, Rose Red, Whisper White; Adhesives:  SNAIL, Stampin' Dimensionals; Tools:  Paper Cutter/Scorer, Paper Snips, Bone Folder, Stampin' Pastels, Blender Pens, Crystal Effects, 1" circle punch, 1 1/4" circle punch, Pinking Hearts Border punch; Other:  Page Protectors, Small Open End Envelopes

A Window View

Hello!  Thanks so much for stopping by to visit!

One of my favorite dies for the Big Shot is the Two Tags Bigz die.  Both tags on the die are very versatile, but I have to admit that the tag with the scallops is my favorite; probably because the 1 3/4" scallop circle punch fits just within the scallops.  It's that feature that adds even more to the versatility of the die cut tag.  You can see how I used the scallop tag for an embellishment on this quick and easy card just a few posts ago.  Well, the inspiration for using the tag on the card front actually came from these scrapbook pages!

(click on each page to see larger image)

Don't you just love these bright colors!?!?  The base page is Tangerine Tango Textured cardstock.  The left  page contains a clear window pocket for the tags and the right page is wide open for a large picture, a title and some journaling.  The idea behind the tags with the clear window is to put a small picture near the bottom of each tag that can show through the window and use the back of the tag for journaling. 

The pocket is made with a Medium Clear Window Sheet.  The window sheet is adhered to the base page with Sticky Strip on three sides.  Across the top of the window sheet is a strip of Daffodil Delight cardstock.  A line of Sticky Strip on the top back of the cardstock adheres the cardstock to the top edge of the window sheet.  But BEFORE attaching the cardstock to the window sheet, a punched, crimped, and finger pleated strip of Ice Cream Parlor Designer Series Paper was attached to a line of Sticky Strip along the lower back edge of the Daffodil Delight cardstock. 

Here's how it's done:  Punch one long edge of a 1 1/4" x 12" strip of Designer Series Paper with the Eyelet Border punch.  Then run the punched strip through the Paper Crimper a couple of times, smoothing out the paper after each run through the Paper Crimper.  [The Paper Crimper helps to break down the fibers in the paper and makes it more flexible to pleat.]  Place the paper strip on the work surface face down and starting from one end, fold the first "scallop" in half and then back about 1/8", pressing the folds with your finger tip and then moving to the next "scallop" until you've completed the entire strip.  Lay the strip over the cardstock to ensure that you have a strip that is at least as wide as the cardstock.  Then remove the adhesive cover from the Sticky Strip along the bottom edge of the cardstock and lay the cardstock on the tabletop with the Sticky Strip closest to you and facing up.  Place one end of the paper strip at one end of the cardstock and press into place on the Sticky Strip (keeping the pleats intact), making sure to align the straight edge of the paper strip with the top edge of the Sticky Strip (the edge closer to the middle of the cardstock).  Carefully continue down the cardstock, pressing the paper strip in place with your fingertips until you reach the opposite end.  Trim off any excess paper strip with the Paper Snips.

The tags are made from Pacific Point, Melon Mambo, and Old Olive cardstock.  A 1 3/4" scallop circle and 1" circle of Ice Cream Parlor Designer Series Paper are adhered over the scallop top of the tag.  A bright button from the Ice Cream Parlor Ribbon & Button Pack resides at the center of each scallop, threaded and knotted with Linen Thread, and adhered with a Mini Glue Dot.

The right page border features a strip of Ice Cream Parlor Designer Series Paper (the same paper used for the 1" circle at the center of each scallop tag) centered on a wider strip of Daffodil Delight cardstock.  Three strips of Ice Cream Parlor Ribbon were tied around the cardstock and knotted on the front. 

I was so tickled with these pages.  They just looked so fun and happy.  Then I realized I needed to make these pages into greeting cards for the folks in the SASS Stamp Club that aren't scrapbookers.  Uh oh...  Hmmmm...

So I went with the obvious and made smaller window pockets!

(click on cards to see larger images)

Rather than have two different kinds of cards, both cards and envelopes are the same.  The only difference is the color of the scallop tag inserted into the window pocket of each card. The inside sentiment area of each card features a Whisper White liner with an Eyelet Border punched strip adhered to the top edge of the liner.  The strip of paper at the bottom of the liner is the piece left over after punching the strip used for the top of the liner.

(click on envelope to see larger image)

For the envelope, a piece of Ice Cream Parlor Designer Series Paper was adhered to the envelope flap and the excess was trimmed away with Paper Snips.

Oh, before I forget...for those of you who are concerned about the visibility of the Sticky Strip through the window sheet, you may want to use the 1/4" strip of paper left over after punching the Eyelet Border on the Designer Series Paper strip.  Cut the strip into a 6" piece and two 3" pieces.  Adhere the 6" strip flush with the bottom edge of the window sheet.  Then place the first of the 3" pieces flush with one side of the window sheet.  Using a pencil and ruler, make a 45 degree angle line from the corner of the window sheet and the corner of the 3" paper strip toward the center of the window sheet (to make a mitered corner).  Cut the miter with Paper Snips and erase any residual pencil mark.  Adhere the 3" strip in place, flush with the side of the window sheet.  Repeat this process for the opposite side.  Of course, you'd want to do this BEFORE you place the Daffodil Delight cardstock with the pleats along the top of the window sheet.

I've made quite a few projects for workshops and Stamp Club with the Ice Cream Parlor Designer Series Paper & Quick Accents Pack and the Ice Cream Parlor Ribbon & Button Pack.  You may be surprised to find out that all of these projects AND the workshop kits AND the stamp club kits were made from only ONE of each of these packs.  How cool is that!?!?  AND I still have more of the paper, stickers and ribbon left!

(click on paper to see larger image)

Don't forget, the Ice Cream Parlor products are only available for a limited time and there's only a couple of weeks left to place your qualifying order.  So if you want this paper & stickers, the ribbon & buttons, or any of the other Sale-A-Bration items for FREE (and there are more than 80 items to choose from), now is the time to place your order.  Just click on the Shop Online button at the upper left sidebar of my blog.  This will take you to my Stampin' Up! online storefront.  Look for the Shop Now hotlink at the lower right corner of the page and click.  It's just that easy!  For every $50 you spend in merchandise, you can select one Sale-A-Bration item for FREE.

Cardstock:  Daffodil Delight, Melon Mambo, Old Olive, Tangerine Tango Textured, Whisper White; Designer Series Paper:  Ice Cream Parlor; Embellishments:  Ice Cream Parlor Ribbon & Button Pack, Linen Thread, Medium Window Sheet; Adhesives:  SNAIL, Sticky Strip, Mini Glue Dots; Tools:  Paper Cutter/Scorer, Paper Snips, Bone Folder, Paper Crimper, 1 3/4" scallop circle punch, 1" circle punch, Eyelet Border punch, Big Shot w/Standard Cutting Plates, Two Tags Bigz die; Other:  Page Protectors, Small Open End Envelopes

Kisses & Hugs

Hi there!  Thanks so much for stopping by to visit!

Before it gets too late, I wanted to share a couple of scrapbook pages that I designed for the January meeting of the SASS Stamp Club.  These pages use one of my favorite new items from the Occasions Mini Catalog:  Real Red Glimmer Paper!  This stuff is WAY COOL!  The glitter on this paper is so stuck to the paper that it doesn't fall off in puddles of glitter all over your work surface.  As you can see on these pages, you can die cut it, punch it, or just plain cut it with scissors and you get nice crisp edges with no annoying residue!  Woohoo!  I sure do hope that Stampin' Up! plans to offer this product in a whole bunch of colors.  I just love how easy it is to work with!

(click on pages to see larger images)

The base cardstock for these pages is Basic Gray Textured.  For the left hand page, strips of Love Impresssions Specialty Designer Series Paper were adhered to the Real Red cardstock and placed vertically near the right and left sides of the base page.  In the upper center of the page, a small heart punched from the Glimmer Paper is adhered to a Real Red heart embossed with the Perfect Polka Dots Textured Impressions embossing folder for the Big Shot and punched with the Full Heart punch.  The Real Red heart was adhered with SNAIL to a Pink Pirouette heart die cute with the Scalloped Heart of Hearts Embosslit for the Big Shot.  Tombow Multi Adhesive was used to adhere the Pink Pirouette heart to the base page.  Next to the heart is an uppercase "U" die cut from the Glimmer Paper using the Timeless Type Junior Alphabet Sizzlits and adhered to the base page using SNAIL.  A scallop square of Pink Pirouette cardstock was die cut using the Scallop Squares Duo Bigz die for the Big Shot.  (This die cut was introduced in the 2010 Holiday Mini Catalog and is still available for purchase.)  The scallop square was adhered to the base page with SNAIL.

The right hand page features another strip of Love Impressions Specialty Designer Series Paper across the bottom third of the page.  The top border of the Designer Series Paper is covered with a strip of Glimmer Paper punched with the Scallop Border punch.  The Glimmer Paper is adhered with SNAIL.  To add a little interest, I inserted a Whisper White 5/16" Jumbo Brad on the right and left sides to "hold" the Glimmer Paper strip in place.  The upper center of this scrapbook page features the smaller of the Scallop Squares Duo.  One scallop square in Whisper White cardstock and the other in Real Red cardstock and adhered with SNAIL.

It's pretty easy to create these scrapbook pages when the Big Shot and punches do all the work for you!

Of course, not all the folks in the SASS Stamp Club are scrapbookers, so here are a couple of 3" x 6" (completed size) cards made using the elements of both scrapbook pages.

  (click on cards to see larger images)

For the first card, you can see that one of the border strips, the stacked hearts, and the "U" from the left hand scrapbook page were used with the Whisper White cardstock small Scallop Square.  The inside of the card features the vertical rows of hearts cut from the second border strip adhered to the left and right sides of a piece of Whisper White cardstock used to line the inside sentiment area of the card.

(click on cards to see larger images)

For the second card, the 2 1/2" x 6" strip of Love Impressions Specialty Designer Series Paper on the right hand scrapbook page was cut into two pieces:  the first piece is approximately 1" x 6" and the second piece is 1 1/2" x 6".  The wider strip was adhered to the lower edge of the card front and the narrower strip was adhered to the lower edge of the Whisper White cardstock liner for the inside sentiment area of the card.  As with the right hand scrapbook page, the Glimmer Paper was punched and adhered over the top edge of the Designer Series Paper.  However, this time the brads were inserted into the Glimmer Paper BEFORE the Glimmer Paper was adhered to the card.  I used tiny pieces of Sticky Strip between the brad legs and the outer left and right edges of the back of the Glimmer Paper to prevent the edges from "flapping" up.  The upper right corner of the card front features the "happy valentine's day" sentiment from Teeny Tiny Wishes stamped with Real Red on a scrap of Whisper White cardstock and punched with the Word Window punch.  This piece is mounted to a piece of Pink Pirouette cardstock punched with the Modern Label punch and adhered to the card front with Stampin' Dimensionals.

(click on envelopes to see larger images)

The envelopes for these cards feature a coordinating piece of Love Impressions Specialty Designer Series Paper adhered to the flap of the Open-End envelope.

Stamps:  Teeny Tiny Wishes; Inks:  Real Red; Cardstock:  Basic Gray Textured, Pink Pirouette, Real Red, Whisper White; Designer Series Paper:  Love Impressions Specialty Designer Series Paper; Embellishments:  Real Red Glimmer Paper, Neutrals 5/16" Jumbo Brads (Whisper White); Adhesives:  SNAIL, Stampin' Dimensionals, Tombow Multi Adhesive, Sticky Strip; Tools:  Paper Cutter/Scorer, Paper Snips, Bone Folder, Scallop Border punch, Small Heart punch, Full Heart punch, Modern Label punch, Word Window punch, 1/16" circle punch, Big Shot w/Standard Cutting Plates, Multi-Purpose Platform, Perfect Polka Dots Textured Impressions embossing folder, Scalloped Heart of Hearts Embosslit, Timeless Type Junior Alphabet Sizzlits, Scallop Squares Duo Bigz die; Other:  6" x 6" Page Protectors, Small Open-End Envelopes

Enjoy Life

Hi there!  It's been a busy week this week.  How about you?

I've been seeing the news blurbs about the rescued Chilean miners during the day today and am so thankful that so many people from so many walks of life came together to find a solution to save all these men.  The joy on their faces and the faces of their family members says more than mere words can convey.  It's always such a tremendous feeling when you see prayers answered in such a magnificent way.

Today's project showcases the scrapbook pages designed for the October SASS Stamp Club meeting.  This month, I wanted to incorporate the great stencils that Stampin' Up! offers and realized that scrapbook pages are the perfect way to demonstrate how simple they are to use.

The base pages use Baja Breeze Textured cardstock.  The border along the sides and bottom edges of the pages comes from the Vintage Frames Decor Stencil available in the Holiday Mini Catalog.  The ink color used within the stencil is Soft Suede applied with a sponge dauber.  I like the sponge dauber rather than a sponge for working with stencils because you avoid finger pressure prints and you get a more even application of ink.  To create the stenciled border, just lay the corner of the stencil image over the base page (lower left corner for the left page and lower right corner for the right page).  If you're worried about the stencil slipping, just apply a bit of Dotto repositionable adhesive on the center of the base page to hold the stencil in place.  You can easily remove the Dotto with your fingertips or an adhesive eraser when you've finished applying the ink and removed the stencil.

(click on scrapbook page to see larger image)

For the left page, two rounded tabs of Sahara Sand cardstock were stamped with the tab frame from the Perfect Punches stamp set using Cherry Cobbler ink and then punched.  A word from the Fabulous Phrases stamp set was added to each tab using Soft Suede ink.  The "life" tab was adhered to the Soft Suede mat prior to adhering the mat to another mat of Cherry Cobbler cardstock.  The "enjoy" tab was then adhered over both mats just to the left of the "life" tab.  You'll notice that on the left page the edges of the two mats are lined up with the right edge of the base page.

(click on scrapbook page to see larger image)

To make sure that the mats on the right page line up with the mats on the left page, I laid both pages side-by-side on the tabletop.  I adhered the Cherry Cobbler mat first and then the Soft Suede mat.  The intent with the continuous mat is to showcase a panoramic photo or a series of photos laid side-by-side.

I chose to add some dimension to the right page with a couple of Big Designer Buttons in the Deck the Halls assortment.  The large button is Cherry Cobbler and the smaller button is Very Vanilla.  Both buttons are threaded with Hemp Twine.  For the Cherry Cobbler button, I threaded twice through opposite corners and then twice through the opposing opposite corners (hmmm...sounds strange, doesn't it?) then tied off the twine on the back of the button.  I added a couple of Stampin' Dimensionals cut in half on the back of the button to compensate for the bulk of the twine on the back of the button so that the button could be adhered to the page.  The Very Vanilla button is embellished with a piece of Hemp Twine folded into a double bow shape and laid between the two button holes.  Then I inserted the ends of a smaller piece of twine into the button holes from the front and tied them on the back to hold the loops in place on the front of the button.  As with the Cherry Cobbler button, Stampin' Dimensionals were placed on the back of the button.

(click on collage to see larger image)

It was easy to translate the scrapbook page design for these 6" x 6" pages into a 3" x 6" greeting card.  For this card, I changed the words on the tabs to "love" and "you."  The mats are smaller and since there's no photo on this card, I added a flourish (also included on the Vintage Frames stencil sheet) to the Soft Suede mat.  The colors of the buttons are reversed, but you can see tha they provide a splash of color and complete the design element.  The inside sentiment area of the card was lined with a piece of Sahara Sand cardstock.  The upper and lower edges of the Sahara Sand cardstock were stenciled with Soft Suede ink.  The left edge of the open end envelope is stenciled with the flourish; again using Soft Suede ink.

The words on the scrapbook pages and on the coordinating card seem to be well chosen considering the amazing events unfolding in Chile today.  You can imagine that the rescued miners and their loved ones have a renewed vision of how to "enjoy" "life" and for making sure that those they care about most know how very much they are treasured.  A good reminder for all of us.

Stamps:  Fabulous Phrases, Perfect Punches; Inks:  Cherry Cobbler, Soft Suede; Cardstock:  Baja Breeze Textured, Cherry Cobbler, Sahara Sand, Soft Suede; Embellishments:  Deck the Halls Big Designer Buttons, Hemp Twine; Adhesives:  SNAIL, Dotto, Stampin' Dimensionals; Tools:  Paper Cutter/Scorer, Paper Snips, Bone Folder, Vintage Frames Decor Elements stencil, Sponge Dauber, Rounded Tab punch; Other:  Small Open End Envelope, Page Protectors

Simple Vintage With Chairs

Happy Sunday!  I hope you had a great weekend.  In Central Florida, we're enjoying our first weekend that's NOT in the 90's in quite some time.  The sky is bright blue, there are a few puffy white clouds floating by, and a gentle breeze from the sea.  Wow! 

Today's project is a set of scrapbook pages designed for the September SASS Stamp Club featuring the Have a Seat stamp set.  I think these scrapbook pages demonstrate that you can achieve a vintage look without a whole lot of detailed work.

(click on each scrapbook page to see larger images)

The base pages use Naturals Ivory cardstock to complement the Newsprint Designer Series Paper.  I think it's a better match for the background color in the Newsprint Designer Series Paper than using Very Vanilla because it seems to carry a more vintage feel.  The Ladderback and Windsor chair images were stamped across the bottom of each 6" x 6" page with Pear Pizzazz ink.

Strips of Newsprint Designer Series Paper are matted with a strip of More Mustard cardstock and grounded with a strip of Cajun Craze cardstock.  You'll notice that the interior facing edge of the Cajun Craze cardstock is punched with the Scallop Trim border punch.  Of course, the edges of these three pieces were sponged; the Cajun Craze and More Mustard cardstocks with their corresponding ink colors and the Newsprint Designer Series Paper with Cajun Craze ink.

Before the border strips were adhered to the base pages, a piece of ribbon and some hardware were added.  The Pear Pizzazz 1/2" Polytwill ribbon was knotted toward one end and the area below the knot unraveled.  A Mini Glue Dot was placed under the knot and the knot adhered to the Newsprint Designer Series Paper.  The remaining length of the ribbon was smoothed straight to the top edge of the Newsprint Designer Series Paper and then folded over to the back of the Cajun Craze cardstock.  It's held in place with a bit of SNAIL.  A chair image was stamped on a scrap of Naturals Ivory cardstock with Cajun Craze ink, punched out with the Designer Label punch, and placed behind a Styled Vanilla Hodgepodge Hardware frame placed on top of the smoothed area of Pear Pizzazz Polytwill ribbon.  The brads were inserted into the holes on each side of the hardware frame and the brad legs set on the back of the Cajun Craze cardstock (use a Paper Piercer to make the hole for each brad through the cardstock/Designer Series Paper/ribbon/hardware).  The color on the Styled Vanilla Hodgepodge Hardware is Cajun Craze ink applied with a sponge lightly brushed across the frame.  Finally, the border strip is adhered to the base page with SNAIL.

For the non-scrapbooking members of the SASS Stamp Club, the 6" x 6" piece of Naturals Ivory cardstock was folded in half to create a 3" wide by 6" tall card. 

(click on card to see larger image)

The edges of the card front were sponged with Cajun Craze ink and the border strip adhered approximately 1/8" to the right of the fold.  The chair images stamped with Pear Pizzazz ink now appear across the bottom edge of the inside sentiment area of the card.  One of each chair is also stamped on the lower left front of the envelope so that the seats of the two chairs area level (stamped with Pear Pizzazz ink).  A sentiment from the Teeny Tiny Wishes stamp set "rests" atop the seats of the two chairs (stamped with Cajun Craze ink).

Stamps:  Have a Seat, Teeny Tiny Wishes; Inks:  Cajun Craze, Pear Pizzazz; Cardstock:  Cajun Craze, More Mustard, Naturals Ivory; Designer Series Paper:  Newsprint; Embellishments:  Pear Pizzazz 1/2" Polytwill ribbon; Styled Vanilla Hodgepodge Hardware (Designer Label frame w/brads); Adhesives:  SNAIL, Mini Glue Dots; Tools:  Paper Cutter/Scorer, Paper Snips, Bone Folder, Sponge, Paper Piercer, Mat Pack, Designer Label punch, Scallop Trim Border punch; Other:  Small Open-End Envelope

Say Aloha to Tropical Party

Hello!  I'm so glad you stopped by to visit.  I'm sorry the posts have been a little thin of late.  It's a good news/bad news kind of thing.  I've been busy with workshops and beginning the SASS Stamp Club, so I have lots of new ideas to share with you; but need to conduct the workshops and Stamp Club meeting, too!  All of that is the good news.  The bad news?  Running out of time to write up the blog posts! 

I'll start with the project that has the shortest product life span:  a couple of scrapbook pages made with the Tropical Party stamp set and the Island Oasis Designer Series Paper. 

I'm really going to miss being able to demonstrate this stamp set!  It has such fun images and it's so versatile!  I designed these pages for the first meeting of the SASS Stamp Club (SASS = Sunday Afternoon StamperS).  Our first meeting was a couple of weeks ago and I have to say that this is a really fun group of papercrafters! 

 

(click on page to see larger image)

We'll start with the left-hand page.  The Old Olive base page was randomly stamped with the palm frond using Old Olive ink.  At the top of the page is a piece of striped paper from the Island Oasis Designer Series Paper.  A piece of Rich Razzleberry cardstock was punched with the Dotted Scallop Ribbon Border punch to transition the line between the Designer Series Paper and the base page.  In the upper right corner of the striped paper rests a couple of stamped flowers made by stamping the large flower image with Daffodil Delight and a second time with Tempting Turquoise.  Then the small flower image was stamped with Pumpkin Pie and Daffodil Delight.  The small and large flowers were cut out, the petals rolled up with the bone folder, and then stacked together with a Brights brad; one in Tempting Turquoise and one with Rich Razzleberry.  The flowers rest on a couple of palm fronds stamped with Old Olive.  The top flower is adhered to the page with a Stampin' Dimensional and the bottom flower with Mini Glue Dots. 

The lower left corner is decorated with three Bitty Buttons.  Each Bitty Button is threaded with Linen Thread that's knotted on the top of the button.  Crystal Effects is used to adhere a piece of cardstock punched with the Bitty Button's coordinating punch from the Bitty Shapes punch set:  Tempting Turquoise cardstock is used for the 4 petal button, Pumpkin Pie cardstock is used for the circle button, and Rich Razzleberry is used for the scallop circle button.  Once the Crystal Effects has dried, a Mini Glue Dot is placed on the back of each punched cardstock/button and then placed on the Old Olive base page.

(click on page to see larger image)

The right hand page repeats the design of the left hand page, it's just flipped!  Instead of two flowers resting on top of two palm fronds, now there are three flowers resting on top of three palm fronds.  The large flowers were stamped in Tempting Turquoise, Pumpkin Pie, and Rich Razzleberry and the small flowers were stamped in Rich Razzleberry, Daffodil Delight, and Tempting Turquoise.  Two of the flowers were joined with Tempting Turquoise brads and one with a Rich Razzleberry brad.  This time, the flower on the left is adhered with a Stampin' Dimensional and the other two flowers with Mini Glue Dots.  At the top right corner, there are two Bitty Buttons; this time a circle button with a punched circle of Rich Razzleberry cardstock and a 4 petal button with a punched 4 petal flower of Daffodil Delight cardstock.

The nice thing about scrapbook pages designed in this way is that you can continue a photo or photo montage across the center of the page leaving the top and bottom border areas for titles and journaling.  You can further embellish the pages by scattering some stamped flowers and palm fronds among the photos.  You may want to avoid using brads on these flowers so that you don't risk scratching or denting the photos with the brads. 

Of course, if you're not a scrapbooker, you may be wondering how to use these pages for a card.  The easiest way is to just think about the 3" x 6" area of each of these pages that includes the Designer Series Paper as the card front.  Then move the Bitty Buttons inside the 3" x 6" card front.  For the right hand page, the Bitty Buttons would be located along the lower right border with a simple sentiment placed just above the buttons.  For the left hand page, the Bitty Buttons would be located along the top left edge of the card front with a simple sentiment stamped just below the buttons.  I would recommend using Rich Razzleberry ink for stamping the sentiment on Whisper White cardstock and punched out with the Word Window punch.  The selected sentiment would most likely come from the Teeny Tiny Wishes stamp set.  It's just so versatile!  Just like the Tropical Party stamp set.

As a reminder, both the Tropical Party stamp set and the Island Oasis Designer Series Paper are only available through August 31st.  Please be sure to contact me to order these great products before they are no longer available.

Stamps:  Tropical Party; Inks:  Daffodil Delight, Old Olive, Pumpkin Pie, Rich Razzleberry, Tempting Turquoise; Cardstock:  Daffodil Delight, Old Olive, Pumpkin Pie, Rich Razzleberry, Tempting Turquoise, Whisper White; Designer Series Paper:  Island Oasis; Embellishments:  Brights Brads (Tempting Turquoise, Rich Razzleberry); Bitty Buttons (Circle, Scallop Circle, 4 Petal Flower), Linen Thread; Adhesives:  SNAIL, Stampin' Dimensionals, Mini Glue Dots, Crystal Effects; Tools:  Paper Cutter/Scorer, Paper Snips, Bone Folder, Bitty Shapes Punch Pack, Paper Piercer, Mat Pack, Dotted Scallop Ribbon Border punch; Other:  6" x 6" Page Protectors