Apothecary Gift

This is one of the projects that we made for our June Stampers Club.  It's a very simple idea and the colors could of course be customized for any occasion.  This could make not only a cute little gift, but also a party favor, or a name card at a place setting (customized with each person's name). 

I started by running Soft Suede card stock through the Big Shot with the very largest Labels Collection Framelit die.  Then I took the cut out and placed it on my Simply Scored Tool with the candy bar placed in the center on top of the card stock.  That gave me an idea as to where to put the score lines (no measurements this time!).  Two score lines and then it folds up to hold a candy bar (or any other treat). 

The side view gives you another look at how this goes together.  I stamped the dotted image from the Layered Labels stamp set with Pumpkin Pie and then ran that through the Big Shot with the coordinating Apothecary Accents Framelits die.  The sentiment is from the set Just Believe and cut out using the Bitty Banners Framelits dies. 

Stamps:  Layered Labels, Just Believe

Ink:  Pumpkin Pie, Soft Suede (for sponging)

Paper:  Soft Suede, Crumb Cake (for oval), Whisper White

Accessories:  Labels Collection framelits, Apothecary Accents framelits, Bitty Banners framelits, Big Shot, Large Oval punch, Itty Bitty Shapes punch pack (for circle punch at top), Simply Scored Tool, Pumpkin Pie 1/8" Taffeta Ribbon, Crumb Cake Seam Binding Ribbon, Linen Thread, sponge, pearls, dimensionals

Gratitude Blossoms

Well I think it's been a whole two weeks since I've posted a card using the set Betsy's Blossoms, so I guess it's about time for another one.  :-)  To be honest I'm actually surprised how much I've used this stamp set, but it is really easy to use!  It was an option on the new catalog pre-order, and I only decided at the last minute to add it to my order.  I also used another new (to me) stamp set called Curly Cute for the sentiment and the new In Color Raspberry Ripple. 

The sentiment was stamped with Versamark and then heat embossed with White embossing powder.  I hand-cut the banner and then added the Paper Daisy (smallest size) and pearl.  I randomly stamped the two different flower images on a piece of Whisper White card stock and added a strip of Raspberry Ripple that had been punched with the Scallop Edge Border punch.  I used my Raspberry Ripple marker to edge all of the white card stock. 

Pretty simple!  I haven't gotten to it yet, but I thought this would be a good design to make in sets, (ie for teach gifts) varying the colors and sentiments.  

Thanks for stopping by! 

Stamps:  Betsy's Blossoms, Curly Cute
Ink:  Versamark, Raspberry Ripple and marker
Paper:  Raspberry Ripple and Whisper White
Accessories:  Paper Daisy, pearl, heat tool, embossing buddy, white stampin' emboss powder, scallop edge border punch, dimensionals

Mouthwatering Picnic

I had seen the idea (sorry, not sure where exactly!) to use the Stripes Embossing Folder to create a gingham looking pattern.  It's actually pretty easy, the basic idea is that you run your piece of card stock through the Big Shot twice.  The second time just turning the paper 90 degrees before you run it through.  So after two times through you have stripes in two different directions.   

I thought it was a cute idea, and it reminded me of a picnic. . . . So I paired that technique with the watermelon stamp from the Mouthwatering stamp set.  I also wanted to try out the new scented embossing powders--such a fun idea!  I used the melon sent over the entire piece of watermelon.  The embossing powder gives a really nice glossy finish to whatever you are embossing.  The seeds for the watermelon come from the Blossom Bouquet Triple Layer punch. 

For the banner I just snapped a toothpick in half for the 'post' and added the ribbon with a glue dot.  Although I chose a birthday sentiment, I thought this could also make an adorable invitation for a BBQ or other summer party. 

Hope you are having a great summer! 

Stamps:  Mouthwatering, On Your Birthday (discontinued)
Ink:  Real Red, and Old Olive, Basic Black, and Real Red Markers
Paper:  Real Red, Whisper White, Basic Black
Accessories:  Basic Black Scallops Dots Ribbon, Old Olive taffeta ribbon, Melon Scented Stampin' Emboss Powder, Heat Tool, Big Shot, Stripes Embossing Folder, Cutter Kit, Blossom Bouquet Triple Layer Punch (for seeds, discontinued), toothpick, dimensionals

Mixed Daisies

Hi all!  Today I have another card to share that we made at our April club meeting.  This card uses the Mixed Bunch stamp set.  This was my favorite stamp set from the Occasions Mini Catalog, and I was happy to see it made it into the main catalog this year. 

The layout for this card came from Sara over at Lily's Ink Pad.  I couldn't find her card on her blog, but it was a swap that she gave me at the Stampin Up Regional event in San Antonio earlier this year.  She was so sweet that she gave me a swap even though I didn't have one to give her in return!  Her card used the Mouthwatering stamp set and a similar color scheme. 

I started by stamping the flower image three times with Versamark and heat embossing with White powder.  I added sparkle to the center of the flowers with Dazzling Details.  The leaves are from the Bird Builder punch, and the very small So Saffron scallop border is from the Dotted Scallop Ribbon Border Punch. 

The edge on the Baja Breeze layer was done by running it through the Big Shot twice, first to cut with the Adorning Accents Edgelits Die, and then to emboss with the coordinating Adorning Accents Textured Impressions Embossing Folders.  The polka-dot texture on the Whisper White layer was also done in the Big Shot--with the Perfect Polka Dots Embossing Folder. 

Nothing particularly difficult about this card, just lots of little pieces to get ready and put together.  Hope you liked it! 

Stamps:  Mixed Bunch, Teeny Tiny Wishes
Ink:  Versamark, Wild Wasabi
Paper:  Crumb Cake, Baja Breeze, So Saffron, Wild Wasabi, Whisper White
Accessories:  Blossom punch, Bird Builder punch, Dotted Scallop Ribbon Border punch, Word Window punch, Modern Label punch, heat tool, Embossing Buddy, White Stampin' Emboss Powder, Big Shot, Adorning Accents Edgelits Die, Adorning Accents Textured Impressions Embossing Folders, Perfect Polka Dots Embossing Folder, pearls, Dazzling Details, dimensionals

Butterfly Clips

It's time for your mid-month reminder to play along with us at Stampin' Celebration!  With such a fun inspiration piece this month, it should be easy!

A little bit ago I saw these cute butterfly clips over on Pinterest and knew that I wanted to try some of my own.  My 4 year old daughter is WAY into being 'pretty', and she loves cute clips to put in her hair.  She was so excited that I was making these for her that I was barely able to finish and get a picture of them before she snatched them up and ran off.  :-) 

Making the first clip took a little figuring out, but then the second was easy once I got the hang of it.  The approximate lengths of the ribbons that I started with:  

Basic Black Scallop Dots Ribbon:  2"

White White Taffeta Ribbon:  2 5/8"

Melon Mambo Scallop Dots Ribbon:  3 1/4"

I just used a low-melt glue gun to put it all together.  Start by adding ribbon directly to the clip (here Old Olive taffeta).  Next create the smallest circle by gluing the ends together.  Then I glued one end of the white ribbon to the black, looped it around and glued the other side so both circles are stuck together.  Then I repeated that with the pink ribbon.  Make the second set of 3 circles, and then glue them both to the clip. 

For the antennae (since I didn't have any thin pipe cleaner on hand and didn't want to run to the store) I used Baker's Twine coated with a little Crystal Effects.  I just let it dry well, and then was able to shape it into the little antennae.  I didn't get the Crystal Effects totally smooth on the Baker's Twine, but that doesn't seem to affect it being able to hold it's shape.  I found it easiest to add the antennae very last. 

Here is a closer look: 

Let me know if you have any questions about these!  They really are fun to make and of course you could use a variety of colors and styles of ribbon.  I'm planning to make up some of these to take with me as 3D swaps for convention, so come find me if you'd like one.  :-) 

And remember to play along with us at Stampin' Celebration! You have until June 25th to create a card, 3D item, digital item, scrapbook layout, etc. using the inspiration piece above. Link your creation to the Stampin' Celebration blog so we can see your project. We will choose the "Pick of the Party" at the end of the month. We can't wait to see what Stampin' Celebration inspires you to create!

If you missed the original Blog Hop of the Design Team, you can see it here: 

Allison Ohran -Sweet Impressions (you are here)
Candace Lawlor - not participating this month
Cori Kozak - Creative Chat
Erica Cerwin - Pink Buckaroo Designs
Erin Gonzales -Hand Stamped Style
Krystal De Leeuw - Krystal's Cards
Marlene Peters - not participating this month
Rochelle Gould - I stamp, I create, I have fun!

Stampin' Celebration Inspiration Challenge

Twitterpated Gift

Each month as a Stampin' Up! Demonstrator I get a magazine in the mail full of ideas and tips. Back in March, one of the ideas (along with step by step instructions) was this cute little gift idea.  I did change up the colors and Designer Paper, but that's where I got the concept. 

It's easy to change the length of the tube by changing the dimensions, but I started with a 5" by 5" piece of Island Indigo card stock and then scored every 7/8" along one side for a total of 5 score marks.  Note: the new Simply Scored Scoring Tool makes this job easy--especially if you are making multiples. 

Assemble the tube, and then add the ends--Fancy Flower punches.  Genius that someone figured that out!  Just score to help the 'petals' fold down easier onto the box.  Oh, and remember to fill your tube before you glue down the second end!  I put Hershey kisses in mine. 

I embellished with Twitterpated Designer Series Paper, Riding Hood Red Pleated Satin Ribbon (no longer available), and a tag. The image is from the Perfect Punches stamp set and then punched out with the Curly Label punch. The both flowers come from the Boho Blossoms punch, are stacked, and then have a pearl in the middle.  

Next time you need a 'little something' for a friend give one of these little boxes a try.  :-) 

Stamps:  Perfect Punches
Ink:  Island Indigo
Paper:  Riding Hood Red, Island Indigo, Whisper White, Twitterpated Designer Series Paper
Accessories:  Simply Scored Score Tool, Fancy Flower punch, Curly Label punch, Boho Blossoms punch, White Baker's Twine, Riding Hood Red Pleated Satin Ribbon, pearls

Father's Bow Ties

I can't believe that Father's Day is almost here!  Where has the year gone?  It's a good thing that I saw THIS adorable card over on Stampin' Connection (website for Stampin Up demonstrators) by the talented, Artisan Award winning Heather Klump, to get me going.  I liked this idea of creating bow ties and tried a couple different combinations.  With my husband's suggestion that it was a little more masculine, we made the gray and yellow one for club this month. 

The bow ties were created using the Pennant Punch, and the 3/4" circle punch.  I used the paper piercing tool and mat pack to go around the edge of the white layer.  For the banners I stamped, (from the set Delightful Dozen) colored in with the coordinating color using the very fine end of my markers, and then hand cut the shape. 

The buttons are from the Brights Designer Buttons collection, and both of the cards use a combination of papers from both the Twitterpated DSP set and the Summer Smooches DSP set (Daffodil Delight paper and Real Red polka-dots). 

Remember all the fathers in your life this coming Sunday the 17th! 

Stamps:  Delightful Dozen
Ink:  Basic Black, Real Red marker, Basic Gray, Daffodil Delight marker
Paper:  Daffodil Delight, Basic Gray, Real Red, Baja Breeze, Whisper White
Accessories:  Brights Designer Buttons, 3/4" circle punch, Petite Pennants Builder punch, Paper Piercing Tool, Mat Pack, Hemp Twine, dimensionals

Blossom Pie

For me, the hardest part of keeping up with my blogging is actually writing each post.  This card is the perfect example. . . I created it for our April Stampers Club, took a picture, added the watermark and have had it 'ready to go' since then.  But for some reason I just don't actually take the time to post it to my blog.  Anyway, I'm going to try to be better (again!) about actually posting to my blog.  Most of the time I've already done all the hard part, it's just a matter of finishing.  :-) 

So, this simple card showcases the stamp set Bright Blossoms.  It is new to the catalog, but was a sneak peek during the month of April.  This is a fun set because you can interchange the various tops with the bottoms.  The pattern on the bottom of the card was created by repeatedly stamping one of the flower tops. 

The 'frame' is from the Designer Frames Folders textured impressions embossing set.  After I embossed with the Big Shot, I cut it out and then added a small slit along the right edge.  I took my Linen Thread and wrapped it around (through the slit) a couple times and then tied it off with the tag.  The effect was actually a little less 'visable' than I was thinking it would be.  :-) 

Thanks for stopping by!

Stamps:  Bright Blossoms, Tiny Tags
Ink:  Early Espresso, Old Olive, and Pumpkin Pie markers, Versamark
Paper:  Early Espresso, Pumpkin Pie, and Whisper White
Accessories:  Jewelry Tag Punch, Designer Frames Textured Impressions Embossing Folder, Big Shot, Cutter Kit, Linen Thread, Whisper White grosgrain ribbon, dimensionals

Betsy's Leaves

Hi there!  Another card today using the Besty's Blossoms stamp set and the new In Color Gumball Green.  As I've used this new green, I've really come to like it.  It is bright and fresh feeling, but not so much that you can't still use it for leaves and still have it feel 'real' enough to be nature-ish.  If that makes any sense! 

Anyway, I also used a fun, super-simple technique.  To get the 'shadow' look behind the leaves I stamped using my "B" clear mount block.  Just the block itself, no stamp attached.  I was actually surprised how well the block picked up the ink.  I stamped with Certainly Celery, stamped off once onto scratch paper and then onto the card, and still had plenty of ink to get this effect. 

The leaves image actually has a longer stem, but I just inked the part I wanted to stamp.  I initially planned to make this a one-layer card, but messed up :-) so I turned it over, stamped again, and then trimmed it down and added it to a card base.  Ended up the same style as the last card I posted, but I think it turned out ok in the end. 

Stamps: Betsy's Blooms, Teeny Tiny Wishes
Ink:  Gumball Green and marker
Paper: Whisper White
Accessories:  Linen Thread, Clear Mount Block B, dimensionals

New Blossoms

Happy Monday!  Back today with a look at another one of the new stamp sets from the catalog.  This one is called Betsy's Blossoms.  I saw a similar card in THIS post by Mindy over at Bada-Bing! Paper-Crafting!  I started out to copy her design, and then ended up changing it a little bit as I got going. 

This card uses two of the new 2012-2014 In Colors--Gumball Green and Summer Starfruit.  The ribbon is also new--3/8" Stitched Satin Ribbon--in Gumball Green.  I really like this ribbon as it ties very easily. 

I stamped the bird image and then ran it through the Big Shot to cut it out with one of the new Apothecary Accents Framelits dies (the same ones that coordinate with the Layered Labels set).  I stamped the sentiment and then ran it through the Big Shot with one of the new Bitty Banners Framelits dies.  I trimmed off the edge and added a brad.  I'm really loving all of the Framelits Dies!

You may notice the black edge along the Whisper White layers. . . I simply ran the edge of my Basic Black marker along all of the edges--even of the card base.  Sometime I do this technique when I want a little more definition, but not necessarily another layer of card stock.  Makes the layers 'pop' just a little bit.

Happy Stamping! 

Stamps:  Betsy's Blooms 
Ink:  Summer Starfruit, Gumball Green, Basic Black marker
Paper: Whisper White
Accessories:  3/8" Stitched Satin Ribbon, 3/16" Neutrals Brads, Big Shot, Apothecary Accents Framelits dies, Bitty Banners Framelits dies, dimensionals

Stampin' Celebration #55

What an exciting day!  Not only do we have a new Stampin' Celebration challenge, we have a brand new Stampin Up catalog!  You can see a pdf of the catalog HERE or a flash version of the catalog HERE.  It's always so fun to have new stamp sets, accessories and tools.  :-) 

If you are following the blog hop in order, you just came from Rochelle's blog--I stamp, I create, I have fun! 

  

This month we have a fun extra-girly inspiration piece! I loved the colors, and then of course wanted to try out some of my new items.  The card uses the new stamp set Layered Labels.  This is a cool stamp set since each of the stamps have a coordinating Framelit Die (the Apothecary Accents set).  

I stamped the largest image with Basic Black craft ink onto Whisper White card stock and heat embossed with Clear powder.  The next layer was stamped with Primrose Petals (one of the new In Colors!) and then run through the Big Shot with the coordinating framelits die to cut it out.  

I used another stamp from the same set for the sentiment.  I used a marker to ink just the word and then stamped.  I hand-cut the banner and added two little circles of Primrose Petals to the edges.  I used Crystal Effects to cover the little circles--giving it a faux-brad look.  There are dimensionals under the Basic Black oval. 

Now it's your turn to participate in the Stampin' Celebration challenge!  Simply create a card, 3D item, digital item, scrapbook layout, etc. using the inspiration piece above. Leave a comment on the Stampin' Celebration blog with a link to your blog or online gallery so we can see your project. You have until the 25th of the month to create your project. We will choose the "Pick of the Party" at the end of the month. 

All of the Design Team posts for Challenge #55: 

Allison Ohran -Sweet Impressions (you are here)
Candace Lawlor - not participating this month
Cori Kozak - Creative Chat
Erica Cerwin - Pink Buckaroo Designs
Erin Gonzales -Hand Stamped Style
Krystal De Leeuw - Krystal's Cards
Marlene Peters - not participating this month
Rochelle Gould - I stamp, I create, I have fun!

Stampin' Celebration Inspiration Challenge