Monday, July 30, 2012

Scrappy Enchantment



I was looking through my files at pictures of projects that I haven't posted on my blog and came across this scrapbook page.  I believe that we made this page at our February Stampers Club meeting, and it showcases several Sale-A-Bration items that are no longer available.  Although, the layout could easily be changed up with different Designer Paper.  And speaking of layout, I'm pretty sure that this idea was heavily inspired by another demonstrator on Stampin' Connection although I didn't keep track of who/where. 

A closer view:

You'll notice that the ribbon is curled.  That was a trick I learned from a presenter at the Fort Worth Regional I attended earlier this year.  You just take your scissors and run it along the ribbon like you would curling ribbon.  Cool, huh? 

Ink:  Crumb Cake (for sponging)
Paper:  Calypso Coral, Pool Party, Crumb Cake, Very Vanilla, Everyday Enchantment Designer Series Paper
Accessories:  Labels Collection Framelits Dies, Everyday Enchantment Ribbon and Brads pack, sponge

Friday, July 27, 2012

Delicate Butterfly




Back with yet another card sample that I created for my Stamp-A-Stack class and then also used as a swap at convention.  I used this for an "All Occasions" organized swap.  This card is fairly simple again, although it does rely heavily on the Big Shot

The two Cajun Craze 'fancy circles' come from the new Delicate Doilies Sizzlets die.  The Soft Suede circles come from the Circles #2 die.  Note: the smaller circle is a 1" circle, so you could use your 1" circle punch. Although, I found it easier to just cut it at the same time as the larger circle with the Circles #2 die. 

The lacey-looking border under the Soft Suede ribbon was done using the new Finishing Touches Edgelits die.  The butterfly was punched out from the gorgeous Comfort Cafe Designer Paper using the new Elegant Butterfly punch.  I wrapped some Linen Thread around the butterfly a couple times and kept it in place with a glue dot. 

The sentiment is from the Lovely Little Labels stamp set and punched out with the coordinating Little Labels punch pack

A closer look:




I had already used this particular sheet of Designer Paper for not only this card but also for THIS scrapbook page, so I knew I wouldn't have enough to make all my swaps.  So, I picked another one of the papers from the same Comfort Cafe DSP set and changed from Cajun Craze to Summer Starfruit.  Although I'm not usually a 'yellow' person, I think I may actually like this one better: 


I actually made 80 of these cards!  Seven I made as full cards and will keep in my 'stash'.  The others were just card fronts--65 for the organized swap and the rest for swapping with demo friends that I only see at events.  Here is an 'in progress' picture:


Stamps:  Lovely Little Labels
Ink:  Soft Suede
Paper:  Cajun Craze, Summer Starfruit, Crumb Cake, Very Vanilla, Comfort Cafe DSP
Accessories:  Delicate Doilies Sizzlets L, Finishing Touches Edgelits, Circles #2 die, Big Shot, Little Labels Punch Pack, Elegant Butterfly punch, Soft Suede Taffeta ribbon, Linen Thread, dimensionals

Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Grad Gumption




I've been doing a lot of 'double dipping' lately--using cards for more than one purpose--and this card is no exception!  This is another one of the cards I designed for my Stamp-A-Stack class, and I also made some up to use as floor swaps for convention.  Floor swaps are the ones that you make up and just trade with other demonstrators as you meet them. . . . before a general session, before a class, at lunch, in the elevator. . . . or pretty much anywhere.  :-) 

This is another card that is pretty simple and also uses a layout that I've used before.  It shows off several new items.  The 3 main colors are all new In Colors: Midnight Muse, Summer Starfruit, and Gumball Green.  I think they look fabulous together!  I also used a little bit of the new Stitched Satin ribbon that is available in the 2012-2014 In Colors. 

The sentiment and graduation caps come from the set Pure Gumption.  I stamped the sentiment and then ran it through the Big Shot with an Apothecary Accents Framelits die.  I just hand trimmed off the second little 'bump' on the right side.  The texture on the Midnight Muse panel came from the new Argyle Embossing Folder

Stamps:  Pure Gumption
Ink:  Basic Black, Versamark
Paper:  Midnight Muse, Summer Starfruit, Gumball Green, Whisper White
Accessories:  Gumball Green Stitched Satin Ribbon, Whisper White Baker's Twine, black brads, Apothecary Accents Framelits dies, Argyle Embossing Folder, Big Shot, dimensionals

Friday, July 20, 2012

Manly Clockworks



Convention is in full swing and I'm having a great time!  This is a card that I originally designed for my Stamp-A-Stack class and then also decided to use for an organized "Masculine Swap" at convention. 

This card highlights the Clockworks stamp set that is brand new.  This card is pretty straight forward and easy to make.  The only part that was 'tricky' was stamping the clock face.  I knew I didn't want to try to line up the numbers inside the outline of the clock since they are two different stamps.  But instead of stamping on card stock and then puncing out, I decided to stamp the numbers and hands on a Window Sheet (acetate) with Black Stazon ink.  Next I ran it through the Big Shot (after it had time to dry) with the Circles #2 die.  Then the brad keeps it in place.  It also gives the clock face a shinny look, which I think makes it look more realistic. 

I stamped the outside frame (what is that called?) of the clock on Very Vanilla card stock with Early Espresso Ink.  I used Crumb Cake ink (first stamped off once onto scrap paper) on the base of the card as well as on top of the clock panel. 

For the bottom strip, I stamped the 3 small clock parts with Not Quite Navy.  Since I have this set in clear mount, to speed things up, I actually put all 3 of those pieces on the same block together so I could stamp them all at the same time. 




Stamps:  Clockworks
Ink:  Early Espresso, Not Quite Navy, Crumb Cake, Black Stazon
Paper:  Riding Hood Red, Not Quite Navy, Crumb Cake, Very Vanilla, Window Sheet
Accessories:  Metallic Brads, Early Espresso Stitched Grosgrain ribbon, sponge, dimensionals

Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Fabric District



Happy Tuesday!  Tomorrow Stampin' Up!'s annual convention starts, and I get to go this year!  Yay!  I can hardly wait.  I've missed several conventions and leaderships, so I'm excited to be going again.  I'm not planning to do live updates, but I will definitely have some pictures when I'm (eventually) back in town.  

Anyway, this is another card from my Stamp-A-Stack class.  It's hard to tell from the picture, but it actually uses the Floral District Fabric.  Isn't it cute?  I specifically wanted to use fabric on a card, and I've also been wanting to use this particular sentiment stamp from the Delightful Dozen stamp set.  It seemed like a good combo to me! 

To add the fabric to the card, I used Multipurpose Adhesive Sheets (MAS).  I started by adhering a 4" by 4 1/2" peice of the MAS to a same size piece of Whisper White card stock and then peeling off the second side of the MAS.  Then I stuck the back side of the fabric to the sticky side of the card stock.  Make sense?  The last step is to run everything (fabric side down) through the Big Shot with the new Oval Accent Die

It's pretty easy and adds a nice soft texture to the card to have fabric.  For the sentiment, I stamped, ran it through the Big Shot with the Apothecary Accents Framelits, and then added the paper piercing with the coordinating Essentials Paper-Peircing Pack

Stamps:  Delightful Dozen
Ink:  Tangerine Tango
Paper:  Soft Suede, Whisper White
Accessories:  Floral District Fabric, Naturals Designer Buttons, Linen Thread, Oval Accent Bigz Die, Apothecary Accents Framelits die, Essentials Paper-Piercing Pack, Big Shot, Multipurpose Adhesive Sheets, Daffodil Delight 1/8" Taffeta ribbon, dimensionals

Sunday, July 15, 2012

Stampin' Celebration!




Believe it or not, it's already July 15th, so I'm popping in with a reminder to play along with Stampin' Celebration!  A fun summer-themed inspiration piece for you this month. 

I've been furiously working on swaps for convention, so that's why I don't have another project for you this time.  :-)   

You have until July 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 July Blog Hop of the Design Team, you can see it here:

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

Friday, July 13, 2012

Flower Blossoms


It's another card using the Betsy's Blossoms stamp set!  This also happen to be one of the cards we made at the Stamp-A-Stack class.  I happened upon THIS card (last one in the post) by Erica (a fellow Stampin' Celebration DT member) and loved the simple layout. 

Instead of using Designer Paper, I stamped the largest image from the set with Rich Razzleberry and then punched it out using 1 3/4" circle punch.  The small flowers were stamped with Pretty in Pink and then I hand cut mine--although a 1 1/4" circle punch works pretty well too if you aren't into cutting things out.  :-)

The sentiment is from the Itty Bitty Banners set and then cut out using the Bitty Banners Framelits Dies

A side view:



Stamps:  Betsy's Blossoms, Itty Bitty Banners
Ink: Rich Razzleberry, Pretty in Pink
Paper:  Rich Razzleberry, Pretty in Pink, Sahara Sand, Whisper White
Accessories:  Bitty Banners Framelits Dies, Big Shot, 1 3/4" Circle punch, rhinestones, dimensionals

Tuesday, July 10, 2012

Blue Ribbon Birthday


 

Hi all!  I'm back today with another one of the cards that we made at my Stamp-A-Stack class.  The idea for this card came from HERE.  I changed the colors just a bit and a few of the smaller details but I really loved Aimee's card so I kept it pretty much the same. 

This card shows off the new Blue Ribbon stamp set.  This set has, of course, the blue ribbon image and then different things that you can add to the center of the ribbon.  Other new items on this card are the Wild Wasabi Stitched grosgrain ribbon and the Chevron Embossing Folder on the Bashful Blue layer. 


Stamps:  Blue Ribbon
Ink:  Marina Mist, Wild Wasabi
Paper:  Marina Mist, Bashful Blue, Wild Wasabi, Whisper White
Accessories:  2 3/8" Scallop Circle punch, 1 1/4" Circle punch, Chevron Embossing Folder, Big Shot, stapler, dimensionals

Friday, July 6, 2012

Comfort Scrapping



I don't really consider myself a 'scrapbooker'.  I should scrapbook considering all the supplies I have :) but it's not something I've gotten into.  Maybe someday though!  I can handle a card size project, but a 12x12 page seems like a lot of space to fill!  But, my club ladies have been requesting an optional scrapbook page each time we meet, so I've been trying to provide that option--and maybe even work my way up to eventually hosting a scrap-a-stack.    

Anyway, this page is really pretty simple.  The DS paper is from the new Comfort Cafe set. Other new items include one of the Naturals Designer Buttons and shapes from the Apothecary Accents Framelits dies, paper pierced using the coordinating template that is part of the new Essentials Paper-Piercing Pack.   I scrunched up the Crumb Cake strip of paper and then flattened it out to add a little more texture. 

A close up:


Hope you have a great weekend! 

Ink:  Soft Suede (for sponging)
Paper:  Cajun Craze, Soft Suede, Crumb Cake, Very Vanilla, Comfort Cafe DSP
Accessories: Linen Thread, Crumb Cake Seam Binding ribbon, Naturals Designer Buttons, Apothecary Accents Framelits, Big Shot, Paper Piercing Tool, Essentials Paper-Piercing Pack

Tuesday, July 3, 2012

Quint-Essentially Made


This past weekend I hosted a Stamp-A-Stack class.  We made 8 different cards that all highlighted new product from the catalog, and this was one of the cards that we made.  After my first look through the catalog, one of the stamps sets at the very top of my wish list was the set Made for You.  It's only 3 sentiment stamps, but I'm always on the look out for cute words and this set definitely fit that criteria for me! 

To get the two words on different banners, I used a marker to highlight and stamp one word at a time.  I used the Bitty Banners framelits die to cut out the words and my Primrose Petals marker around the edges of the banners. 

The other stamp this card uses is the Quint-Essential Flower (single stamp).  This is a cool stamp because it is designed to coordinate with at least 5 different punches.  So for example, for this card the same flower image was stamped 3 times with different colors and then I used the 2 3/8" Scallop Circle punch (Primrose Petals layer), the 1 3/4" Scallop Circle punch (So Saffron layer), and then the 1" Circle punch (Baja Breeze layer).  You could keep going and also use the 3/4" and 1/2" circle punches to add more layers. 

Instead of more layers for the center of the flower I opted to use one of the new Vintage Faceted Designer Buttons tied with White Baker's Twine.  This card also uses the new Chevron Embossing Folder.

A view from the side:



Stamps:  Quint-Essential Flower, Made for You
Ink:  Primrose Petals, So Saffron, Baja Breeze, Primrose Petals marker
Paper:  Baja Breeze, Whisper White
Accessories:  Bitty Banners framelits die, Chevron Embossing Folder, Big Shot, Vintage Faceted Designer Buttons, White Baker's Twine, 2 3/8" Scallop Circle punch, 1 3/4" Scallop Circle punch, 1" Circle punch, 3/16" Corner punch, dimensionals

Sunday, July 1, 2012

Stampin' Celebration #56


It's the first of the month which means it's time for another Stampin' Celebration challenge!  This month the card I ended up with has absolutely no relation to the card I thought I was going to make when I sat down and started.  :-) 

I chose to go with the orange and blue flowers from the dress as my main inspiration.  The flowers I made are from the Boho Blossom punch and are Tangerine Tango and Tempting Turquoise.  The 'vines' are from the Little Leaves Sizzlets die.  To create the lattice I cut out two pieces with the Lattice Bigz die and then pieced them together onto Whisper White card stock. 

For the tag, I stamped with Crumb cake (Tiny Tags stamp set), punched out with the Jewelry Tag punch and tied it to the lattice with Linen Thread (inspired by those cute Lifesavers tied to the napkins with twine!). 


If you are following the hop in order, you just came from Rochelle's blog I stamp, I create, I have fun!  And now make sure to head over to Erica's blog Pink Buckaroo Designs to see what she has created with this same inspiration piece. 

And make sure to play along with us this month at Stampin' Celebration! You have until July 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!

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