Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas! I thought I would pop in and share the card I sent out this year. I used Stampin' Up!'s My Digital Studio to create it. It was so easy! I even surprised myself at how quickly it came together--Close to Cocoa for the background, a little Designer Paper, some text, and a few snowflake stamps. Drop in the pictures (and crop right in the program) and I'm done! Fabulous time saver for a hectic time of year. :-)

Happy Holidays everyone!

Simple Shimmer

Popping in with a simple Christmas card! This card uses the hostess set Patterned Pines and the sentiment set Four the Holidays--both sets are from the Holiday Mini Catalog.

I started by using the Spritzing Shimmer Technique on the Old Olive card stock. You can read more about that in THIS post. While that dried, I inked the tree and the sentiment using Old Olive ink and then added a little Shimmer Paint with a sponge before I stamped the images. Read more about that HERE. Using these techniques, I have a subtle shimmer on everything that is green.

After everything dried, I adhered the Whisper White layer to the Old Olive layer. I used my paper piercing tool to poke a few holes at the edges of the tree, and then I threaded Silver Elastic Cord through. I used two dimensionals to keep the ends of the cord in place on the back, and a few more dimensionals to add the Old Olive layer to the card base.

A simple card with a few details to add just a little bling. :-)

Stamps: Patterned Pines, Four the Holidays

Ink: Old Olive

Paper: Old Olive and Whisper White

Accessories: Frost White Shimmer Paint, Spray Bottle, rubbing alcohol, sponge dauber, Silver Elastic cord, paper piercing tool, dimensionals

Lots of Baby

Yes, it really is me again! Thanks for sticking with me even though it's been awhile. It's been a very crazy few months here at our house. The 'highlights' include computer problems, H1N1 for the whole family, 2 rooms in our house flooding, and two visits to the ER--one for my husband's ankle and most recently for me. . . . My visit came after I was mopping my kitchen floor and woke up to find myself flat on my back with my almost 2 year old daughter running over to try to put my glasses on. After a scan it was confirmed that I 'only' had a concussion. So if you've ever wondered if housework is dangerous. . . . Now you know! ;-) Despite everything that has happened, I am happy to say that everyone (and our house) is now feeling much better!

On to the crafting. . . . Last week I was able to fill a special order for a lady who wanted to make a baby shower she was throwing for her friend really special. Here are pictures of most of the items that I made for her. You can see the master list below of all the supplies I used.

My inspiration came from the Delicate Dots Designer Series Paper (now discontinued). The gender of the baby is unknown, and I like this paper because I thought it was gender-neutral and had a delicate feel that was perfect for a baby.

This project series is also a good example of why I love Stampin Up. . . It is so easy to make coordinated projects! I started by choosing the Designer Series paper, which gave me my color pallet. Next I added the matching inks and accessories. Then it was easy to create coordinated projects that give a cohesive feeling to the party decorations.

The picture at the very top shows the nugget boxes that were the favors for each guest to take home. I used the Stampin' Up! Matchbox Big Shot die and the stamp set Matchbox Messages to make these.

This is a tin that I decorated to be part of the main table. The star is a piece of chipboard covered with Certainly Celery card stock. You can purchase these TINS from the Clearance Rack over at Stampin Up for only 99 cents each!

Inside the tin, there is an accordion 'book' that has different pockets. The accordion sits on the main table with the tags. Each of the guests can write some baby advice, a note to the mom, or anything they like. They put the tag in one of the pockets, and then after the party the accordion book with all the personalized tags goes back into the tin and makes a nice gift for the mother.

This Top Note die box was a gift for the grandmother. How thoughtful of the hostess to include a gift for her! The box holds 8 Hershey Nuggets individually wrapped with coordinating papers. The 'charm' is just two stars punched from Brushed Silver card stock and then embossed with Silver Stampin' Emboss powder three times. After embossing, I glued the stars back to back and used my paper piercing tool to poke a hole and thread the linen thread through.

Here is the frame that was also part of the main table. I left the right and left sides open for the mother to fill. She could include the shower invitation, a baby announcement, and/or baby pictures. The words are actually custom Decor Elements that are on top of the glass. I used part of a Decor Elements Sheet, spray painted it shiny silver (despite what it looks like in the picture!), and then ran it through the Big Shot using the Billboard decorative strip.

And here is a close-up. The white star is a rub-on. This could also be adapted to make a cute card layout too!

And last, here are the Food Name Cards. The flowers were made using the Trio Flower punch.

Since the length of this post is already so long, I didn't include all the creative details. If you do have questions about any of these projects, please contact me.

Stamps: Matchbox Messages

Ink: Certainly Celery and Pretty in Pink markers

Paper: Delicate Dots DSP, So Saffron Patterns DSP, Brushed Silver, Window Sheets Medium, So Saffron, Certainly Celery, Whisper White

Accessories: Whisper White 5/8" satin ribbon, linen thread, Bashful Blue 1/4" grosgrain ribbon, Certainly Celery 1/4" grosgrain ribbon, Very Vanilla 1/4" grosgrain ribbon, Certainly Celery twill ribbon, So Saffron grosgrain ribbon, 1/4" Circle punch, 1" circle punch, Trio Flower punch, Star punch, Tag Corner punch, Corner Rounder punch, Sizzix Big Shot, Matchbox die, Top Note die, Billboard die, Decor Elements Sheets, paper piercing tool, dimensionals

Textured Birthday

Last week was my husband's birthday, and this is the card I made for him. Now I find male cards difficult to make in general, but for some reason making a card for my hubby is the hardest! Not really sure why. . . but this one did get the stamp of approval. . . . pun intended. :-)

Anyway, I used my texture plate from the Texture Plates Kit #4 to get the wood grain look. I started by inking the texture plate with Chocolate Chip ink. Then I carefully placed my 4 1/4" by 4 1/4" Close to Cocoa paper on the texture plate, placed a piece of typing paper over the top, and then ran it through the Big Shot.

Next I accessorized with Hemp Twine and a Very Vanilla Jumbo Brad. The Happy Birthday is from a now retired set called More Thoughts--I used it because it is the most masculine Happy Birthday stamp I own. :-) I used my cutter kit to distress the edges of the Very Vanilla layer and then popped it up on dimensionals.

Note: If you don't have the Big Shot, you could also make a very similar card by using the Woodgrain Background stamp.

Stamps: More Thoughts
Ink: Chocolate Chip
Paper: Chocolate Chip, Close to Cocoa, Very Vanilla
Accessories: Texture Plates Kit #4, Big Shot, Corner Rounder punch, Hemp Twine, 5/16" Very Vanilla Jumbo Brad, cutter kit, dimensionals

Lots of Promotions!

You've got to love a good sale, right? :-) Well if haven't heard, Stampin Up has some exciting things going on right now. First, there's a new Clearance Rack in the online store! How cool is that?! Click HERE to see the new Clearance Rack. This section is only while supplies last and will be updated with new items as old ones sell out.


Next up is the Deal of the Week! During October there will once again be a new deal each week! This week there are 3 punches on sale: the 5-Petal Flower punch ($10.99), the My Way punch ($11.99), and the Trio Flower punch ($10.99). These prices are available until Oct 12 at 9:50am. Click HERE to see.


To purchase any of these, contact me or go to my online store. Follow this link: http://www.allison.stampinup.net/ and then click on "shop now" in the top right. Note: the sale price will be updated once you add the item to your cart.

Also, there is an exciting new product My Digital Studio! This is a digital paper crafting solution. You can easily create cards, scrapbook pages, albums, flyers, invitations, and the list goes on! I will be showing more about this program, but if you have any questions about what it is or what it includes, please contact me. You can view a commercial about it HERE.



And just a reminder that the Holiday Mini Catalog is still current. Click HERE to view. The products in this catalog will only be available until Jan 4, 2010.


To purchase any of these, contact me or go to my online store. Follow this link: http://www.allison.stampinup.net/ and then click on "shop now" in the top right. Happy stamping everyone!

Shimmery Pines

My first Christmas card of the year. . . and certainly not my last! So, if you still haven't tried the shimmer paints--you must! :-) I saw THIS challenge over on Stampin' Addicts (fabulous site by the way) and thought I would try the Spritzing Shimmer technique. It is very simple, and the results are absolutely gorgeous!

Fill a little spray bottle (1-2oz) with rubbing alcohol and then add a little (4-8 drops) shimmer paint. Mix, and then start spritzing. Warning, possibly addicting. :-) All of the Old Olive card stock, including the base, was spritzed with shimmer paint. I love the way it looks because it is a very pretty glitter look without being over the top. (Hard to see in the pictures.) In other words you don't feel that by touching the card, you will soon be covered head to toe in glitter. :-)

The tress are from the Holiday Mini Catalog hostess set Patterned Pines and they also have shimmer paint. For the tress and the sentiment (from the set Teeny Tiny Wishes) I inked my stamp and then sponged on the shimmer paint. See THIS post if you'd like more info about that technique.

The layout for this card came from Sketch Challenge 118 over at Stamping 411. Another great website! I loved the sketch so I thought I would play along. There are dimensionals under the small tree, the Old Olive circle, and the white layer. Finished card size is 3 3/4" by 5 1/2". Thanks for stopping by!

Stamps: Patterned Pines, Teeny Tiny Wishes

Ink: Old Olive

Paper: Old Olive, Whisper White

Accessories: Frost White Shimmer Paint, Spray bottle, rubbing alcohol, Circle Scissors Plus, 1/4" Old Olive grosgrain ribbon, corner rounder, sponge dauber, dimensionals

Cupcake Birthday

Happy Monday! Here is a card I made for the CAS34 challenge over at Splitcoaststampers.

All of the white you see is Glossy card stock--one of my favorite products. :-) I used Basic Black craft ink to stamp the cupcake, embossed with Clear Stampin' Emboss Powder, and then colored. I used Soft Suede, Regal Rose, Apricot Appeal, Bermuda Bay, and Green Galore markers. To color the frosting, I used a Blender Pen and ink from the top of my Regal Rose stamp pad.

After I let that dry a minute, I used Frost White shimmer paint to give the flame and the sprinkles a little sparkle. To apply the shimmer paint, I used a toothpick and carefully applied the paint to those small areas.

I used my Circle Scissors Plus to cut the circles. The white circle is approx 1 7/8" in diameter, and the Soft Suede circle is approx 2 1/8" in diameter. The finishing touch is the Soft Suede 1/2" Polka-dot Grosgrain Ribbon. Finished card size is 4 1/4" by 4 1/4".

Stamps: Crazy for Cupcakes

Ink: Basic Black Craft pad; Soft Suede, Regal Rose, Apricot Appeal, Bermuda Bay, and Green Galore markers; Regal Rose Classic pad

Paper: Glossy White, Soft Suede

Accessories: Blender Pen, Soft Suede 1/2" Polka-dot Grosgrain Ribbon, shimmer paint, Circle Scissors Plus, heat tool, Clear EP, dimensionals

Monkey Birthday

Just popping in today with a Birthday card! This cute monkey is from the set Sock Monkey, and the sentiment is from the set On Your Birthday.

The black lines for the monkey and his hat are embossed to give the card an extra little 'bling'. I think I've mentioned this before, but a little trick I learned a while ago, is to use Black Craft ink and then emboss with clear embossing powder (EP)--MUCH easier to use than black EP! Stray specks of clear EP just don't show as much as stray specks of black EP.

Next I used my Real Red marker, Chocolate Chip marker, and a blender pen and Close to Cocoa ink pad to color the monkey. I sponged around the Very Vanilla card stock and embossed the "Happy Birthday" with Real Red Craft ink and Clear EP. The monkey is up on dimensionals.

Note: I used the same basic layout for this card that I used HERE for this wedding card. Shows how just changing the colors and the focal element can make you feel like you have a completely different card!

Finished card size is 5" by 5".

Stamps: Sock Monkey, On Your Birthday
Ink: Basic Black Craft Ink, Close to Cocoa, Real Red Craft Ink, Real Red marker, Chocolate Chip marker
Paper: Kraft, Real Red, Chocolate Chip, Very Vanilla
Accessories: Real Red brads, Blender Pen, Clear EP, embossing buddy, heat tool, sponge, dimensionals

Two Challenges, Two Cards

Yesterday over on Splitcoaststampers there was a Clean and Simple (CAS) sketch challenge and a Technique Lovers (TLC) challenge. Both caught my eye so I went to work! I had so much fun that I ended up making two cards--both fill the requirements for both challenges.

The TLC challenge was to make a five layer button. Basically you use paper layered on top of each other with Crystal Effects on top to make a button. How simple! You can make the 'button' in any color or shape. See the post HERE for more detailed instructions.

To make the 'buttons' on the card above, I punched out 12 flowers with my Boho Blossoms punch. (I did 4 layer buttons instead of 5.) I adhered the flowers together and then used my paper-piercing tool to poke the holes. I topped it all with a coat of Crystal Effects--being careful to not fill the holes. While I let that dry, I worked on the rest of the card. The sentiment comes from the set All Holidays. The stamp actually says "My dear kind & wonderful friend" so I used my Rich Razzleberry marker on the "wonderful friend" part since that was all I wanted. Finished card size is 3 3/4" by 5 1/2".

Stamps: All Holidays

Ink: Rich Razzleberry marker

Paper: Rich Razzleberry, Whisper White

Accessories: 1/2'" Rich Razzleberry Polka-Dot ribbon, Boho Blossoms punch, paper-piercing tool, Crystal Effects, Linen Thread, glue dots, dimensionals

The second card I made uses the set Pumpkin Patch from the Mini Catalog. Instead of using linen thread to tie through the button (like I usually do!) I used my Tabletop Cutter to cut a very thin strip of Old Olive card stock. I carefully pulled it through the button, tied it once and then curled it a bit. I wanted it to look like those curly things on the top of the pumpkin. Anyone know if there is a name for those things?? Anyway, once I had the card together, I added Crystal Effects to the pumpkins too--with the button so nice and shiny, the pumpkins looked a little bare. :-) Finished card size is 3 3/4" by 5 1/2".

Stamps: Pumpkin Patch

Ink: Pumpkin Pie, Old Olive, Chocolate Chip

Paper: Old Olive, Whisper White, Pumpkin Pie

Accessories: paper-piercing tool, 1/2" circle punch, Crystal Effects, 5/8" chocolate chip grosgrain ribbon, glue dots, dimensionals

Always & Forever

Wedding cards are always hard for me to make, but when it is a fellow stamping friend who gets married, that makes it even harder. No pressure, right? :-) I chose the color So Saffron since it was one of her wedding colors. I'll definitely be trying this card again with different colors; I think pretty much any shade of pink or red would also make a gorgeous anniversary, valentines, or wedding card.

Anyway, here are some of the creative details: I stamped the heart from the set Always twice on Glossy White card stock using Versamark ink. I embossed both hearts with clear embossing powder. Next I sponged on So Saffron ink and then cut out both hearts--one outside of the dots, one along the line of the heart. The picture below shows how I used dimenionals between the two hearts.

I ran the white layer through the Big Shot using the Perfect Details texturz plate (my favorite texture plate!) and then tore along the edges. There are also dimensionals behind this layer. The ribbon is the 5/8" Whisper White satin ribbon. Finished card size is 5" by 5".


Stamps: Always
Ink: Versamark ink, So Saffron
Paper: So Saffron, Whisper White, Glossy White
Accessories: 5/8" Whisper White satin ribbon, Clear EP, heat tool, embossing buddy, sponge, dimensionals

Fall Circus

It's been cooling down a bit here in Houston (not that it's cool yet, just cool-ER) and so the other day I pulled out some fall colors to play with and this is what I came up with. Very simple card that can be put together in 10 mins or less.

Along the left side I used 3 of the stamps from the set Circle Circus and the sentiment is from the set Teeny Tiny Wishes. The white layer is up on dimensionals.

Stamps: Circle Circus, Teeny Tiny Wishes
Ink: Really Rust, So Saffron, Chocolate Chip
Paper: Really Rust, Whisper White
Accessories: 5/8" Chocolate Chip Grosgrain Ribbon, Corner Rounder Punch, dimensionals

Serene Shaker

This post is a combination of a lot of things. . . . It started as a mini tutorial for the shaker card I posted (HERE or just scroll down to the previous post) and grew. :-) Now it also includes a mini tutorial for shimmer paints.

You can find Shimmer Paints in the Holiday Mini Catalog. Shimmer paints come in 3 different colors: Champagne Mist, Frost White, or Platinum. Today I'll be showing Frost White.

So how do you use Shimmer Paints? There a several ways to use these versatile paints. Also note that this is a "little goes a long way" product. 1. The easiest is to shake the bottle, take off the cap and use a sponge dauber to apply it directly to your project. 2. Or, use the sponge dauber and gently apply it directly to your stamp.

3. Or as I've shown below, you can ink your stamp with a color, then apply the shimmer paint on top, and then stamp--giving you a colorful and subtly shimmery image. Easy huh? Just be sure to clean your dauber in between stamping so as not to mix color into your shimmer paints.

4. If you want to stamp several of the same image, (without cleaning the dauber in between each stamp) just mix a little shimmer paint and a drop or two of reinker. You can see the leftovers here of my shimmer paint/Night of Navy reinker mix in the top of my ink pad. (Please just be sure to clean out the top of the lid--baby wipes work well--before you close the ink pad.) I used the sponge dauber to apply the mix directly to my stamp. Very pretty effect! I have a feeling I'm going to be using these paints a lot!

Ok, so now I have an image--I stamped one of the snowflakes from the set Serene Snowflakes from the Holiday Mini Catalog. I tried to photograph the 'shimmer' part of the paints; this is the best I have.

Now for the shaker part. . . . I used my Circle Scissors Plus to cut a 2" circle. Without moving the cutter, I cut a 2 1/2" circle. That gives my my 'frame'. I then cut out a 2 1/2" circle of Window Sheet (medium). Tip: Before you adhere the frame and the Window Sheet together, make sure to clean the Window Sheet with a window cleaner (such as Windex). This not only gets rid of any smudges, but also leads to less static (ie beads sticking to the window sheet) inside your finished shaker. The next step is to add the dimensionals.

I don't remember exactly how I figured this out, but now that I have, I always save the long sides of my dimensionals sheets--as seen below. I take those long strips and carefully put them around the edges of the 'frame'. Next I put in the Micro Beads. Note: I used less than 1/4 tsp of beads. The last step is to peel the backing of the dimensionals and put the stamped image (image side down) on top of the dimensionals--like making a sandwich. Your 'shaker' is now ready to be added to a project using Sticky Strip.

The card at the top was inspired by a Sketch Challenge found at Splitcoaststampers. All of the stamping on the card was done using the shimmer paint/Night of Navy reinker mix. The sentiment is from the set Best Wishes & More. Finished card size is 5 1/2" by 5 1/2".

The card below uses the exact same shaker element but was made for the CAS31 challenge also over on Splitcoaststampers. As you can see it is a very simple card--but still fun because you just can't resist shaking it. :-)

Stamps: Serene Snowflakes, Best Wishes & More

Ink: Night of Navy

Paper: Night of Navy, Whisper White, medium Window Sheet

Accessories: Shimmer Paint, Circle Scissors Plus, Glass Mat, Micro Beads, dimensionals, Corner Rounder punch, Whisper White Organza Ribbon

Rock-A-Bye Baby

Hello again! This is a shaker card I've had in my files for awhile. . . . I wanted to wait to post it until I could make a tutorial, but here it is tutorial-less. If that can even qualify as a made up word. :-) Hopefully I'll get a tutorial up soon. Anyway, here it is!

The set I used is called Nursery Necessities. This set is part of the Growing Up promotion that ends in a few days (Aug 31). See HERE for details. If this stamp set (or any other from the Growing Up section of the catalog) is on your wish list, now is the time to purchase it!

Finished card size is 4 3/4" by 4 3/4". Now for a close up of the card:

Stamps: Nursery Necessities

Ink: Whisper White craft ink, So Saffron, Brocade Blue, and Close to Cocoa markers

Paper: Bashful Blue, Brocade Blue, So Saffron, Close to Cocoa, Always Artichoke, Whisper White, Window Sheet

Accessories: Clear Micro Beads, Bashful Blue brads, Circle Scissors Plus, dimensionals

Top Note Bag Tutorial

As promised--a tutorial for the Top Note Bag! You can see the original bag that won Stampin Up's July Art Contest (Flutter by Butterfly) HERE. I had quite a bit of fun making another bag. :-)

Begin by cutting 8 Top Note Dies. (I used Kraft paper here.) These will become the front and back panels of the bag. Next you will need to cut 4 partial Top Note Dies that become the sides of the bag. To do this, Take a sticky note and place it directly on the Die to mark your place. I placed mine approximately 1 1/2" away from the side tip/edge of the Top Note. The exact measurement isn't important as much as the consistency. If you would like a wider bag, just place the sticky note further away from the edge.

Line up your folded card stock with the edge of the sticky note. I used a piece of (approx) 3 1/2" by 4" Kraft paper (scored down the middle). Run the Top Note Die through the Big Shot to make the first side piece. Repeat 3 more times making sure to the keep the sticky note in the same place so that all of your side pieces are the same width.

So after you've cut 8 full Top Notes and 4 partial Top Notes, stamp or embellish as desired. Here I ran the Top Notes through the Big Shot again with the Perfect Details Texturz Plate, sponged with Soft Suede Ink, and used my Soft Suede marker around the edges to finish the stitching on the Top Note.

Next score along the edges of the Top Notes. Again the exact measurement is not as important as the consistency of the scoring measurements. I lined up the 'valley' of the Top Notes with the black border of my scorer and then scored.

Score along all four sides of 4 of the full Top Note dies, and 2 of the partial Top Note Dies. On the other 4 full Top Note dies, score along both short edges and only 1 of the long edges. On the other two partial Top Note dies, score along both of the long sides and only 1 of the short sides.

Cut out the little 'square' sections wherever there is an intersection of scored lines. (4 per bottom Top Note and 2 per top Top Note.)

Adhere the Top Notes together as shown in the pictures below using a strong adhesive. I used Tombow Mono Multi (remember a little goes a long way).

Now you have the main part of the bag together! To make the bottom of the bag, place it on a piece of card stock (here I used Soft Suede) and trace along the bottom. You'll have to push down lightly with one hand and trace with the other. Another note, I didn't force the bag to a perfectly rectangular shape, I let it bow out a bit on either side to give it a more natural shape.

Cut out your pattern and adhere to the bottom of the bag. Trim if necessary.

Depending on what you want to use the bag for, you may want to add supports to the bottom and/or sides of the bag. If the bag is just to look pretty :-) you may not need any supports. Here I used 4--2" by 1" pieces of paper scored down the middle for supports. After you've added as many supports as desired, prepare your handles. Here I used approximately 11" of Twill Tape (3/4") with 1/2" Soft Suede Polka-Dot Grosgrain ribbon adhered (with Sticky Strip) on top.

Adhere your handles. If you are going to use brads, grommets, etc add those now. After you adhere the handles, start adding the inside of the bag.

Each bag may be a little different (depending on how you scored), but for the insides of this bag I used two 8" by 5 3/4" pieces of Soft Suede card stock and two pieces of 2 1/4" by 5 3/4" card stock. To make the bottom piece, I turned the bag upside down and traced the pattern. I cut that out and then trimmed down as necessary until it fit in the bottom of the bag.

Now embellish as desired! Here I used the Circle Scallop Punch, Boho Blossoms Punch, Antique Brass Build-A-Brad, and Antique Brass brads.

Finished!

Stamps: Trendy Trees (for dots on Build-A-Brad)

Ink: Soft Suede ink and marker

Paper: Kraft, Soft Suede, So Saffron, Very Vanilla

Accessories: Top Note Bigz Die, Big Shot, Perfect Details Texturz Plate, Scallop Circle Punch, Boho Blossoms Punch, Antique Brass Build-A-Brad, Antique Brass brads, sponge, dimensionals