Father's Day Wallet

As you've noticed my blog has been neglected lately.  :-)  Ironically I have a whole stack of projects to share--so it's not for lack of stamping on my part.  I've been keeping busy getting everything ready for the baby to come.  If all goes as scheduled, we'll have a new baby girl join our family next week!

Father's Day is right around the corner.  This wallet card is a fun way to present money, gift cards, pictures of the (grand)kids, or coupons.  This is an idea that has been around for many years so I can't claim credit for it.  This is also a great idea for graduation! 

Here's a view of the inside:

Measurements:

9" by 3 1/2"  --scored at 4 7/16" and 4 9/16" (sounds scary, but it's just on either side of 4 1/2")

8 1/2" by 3 1/4" --scored at 4 3/16" and 4 5/16" (just on either side of 4 1/4")

4 1/8" by 2"  --TWO of these pieces

The measuring is by far the hardest part!  The next step is sponging with Soft Suede--the edges and all over to give the soft leather feel.  On the largest piece, I used my Mat Pack to paper pierce the edges and a corner rounder punch to round the edges.  I used the fine tip end of the Soft Suede marker to 'connect the dots' where I had paper pierced to make it look like it was sewn.  Then stamp/embellish as desired.  Here I used Plane & Simple (no longer available).  Monogramming your wallet is a fun idea too!   

Note:  When assembling the wallet, make sure to not adhere the 'tops' of the pockets--just the bottom and sides.  You'll want to be able to slip in money, gift cards, etc.

Thanks for stopping by!  If all goes as planned, I'll be scheduling some posts for the next month or so.  

Stamps:  Plane & Simple

Ink:  Soft Suede (and marker)

Paper:  Crumb Cake

Accessories:  Mat Pack, Paper Piercing Tool, sponge

Happy Heart Treat Pull

Today I have another project to show you that I actually made quite a while ago, but for some reason never posted on my blog! This is a project that I submitted to Stampin' Up for one of their monthly Art Contests that they have for demonstrators. While I didn't win the contest for that month, I did receive an Honorable Mention for this project. Yay!

So, the idea for this project came from the concept of a slider card. If you've ever made one, you know how fun it can be to have a little surprise pop up! I combined the concept of a double slider card with the idea to have some treats pop up, and this is what I created. When you pull on the ribbons, up comes the candy, and down comes a message. :-)


The little tag on the top allows you to get to the candy with out needing to tear the card stock. The candy is inside one of the Sweet Treat Cups. (You'll see these again in the new catalog!)

The stamp set I used is A Happy Heart--another set that is being discontinued after June 30th. I stamped the heart image with Versamark, embossed with Heat & Stick Powder, and then embossed again with Fine Galaxy Stampin' Glitter.

To create the faux charm, I punched out the little heart from the Heart to Heart punch, and then embossed several times with the Silver Stampin' Emboss Powder. I used the Scallop Edge Punch for the border along the Chocolate Chip layer. See a tutorial HERE that shows what size paper you'll want to start with to end up with perfectly rounded corners.

Thanks so much for stopping by! Have a great week!

Stamps: A Happy Heart
Paper: Real Red, Chocolate Chip, Whisper White
Ink: Versamark, Real Red
Accessories: Sweet Treat Cup, Chocolate Chip and Whisper White Taffeta Ribbon, Real Red Grosgrain Ribbon, Linen Thread, silver brad, Corner Rounder Punch, Heart to Heart Punch, Scallop Edge Punch, Tag Punch, Heat Tool, Embossing Buddy, Heat & Stick Powder, Fine Galaxy Glitter, dimensioanls

Last Chance Embrace

With the Last Chance List upon us, I've taken the opportunity to look through my samples. Since I don't often part with samples--whether my own, swaps, or cards people have sent me, I have a few to look through. :-)

Anyway, my favorite floral set that is retiring this year is Embrace Life. This is one of those sets I've used SO much. In fact, I did a search on my blog and was surprise to find only one post using this set. (See that HERE.)

So I took a few pictures to share with you. This first card above is actually pretty simple. The flower is colored using Watercolor Wonder Crayons and an Aqua Painter. I cut it out and added a half back pearl from the Pretties Kit (also being discontinued).

For the scallop border along the side, I actually used my corner rounder punch with the guard taken off. . . . Why? Well, I made this card BEFORE the scallop edge punch was available. Seriously. :-) If I were to make this card again, I'd use that scallop edge punch!

And here is a mini version of the first card. This is an odd sized card at 3 3/4" by 2 1/2". I think this may have been one of the first mini cards I made to add to customer orders as a thank you--several years ago.


And here is another card with this same set Embrace Life. There is just something serene about this card. The colors are Sage Shadow and Handsome Hunter. Both of these colors are being discontinued. The images on the Sage Shadow layer are stamped with Versamark, and the main image is stamped with Basic Black and colored with a Sage Shadow marker. The sentiment is stamped with Handsome Hunter.

Thanks for taking a trip down memory lane with me! Remember if you don't have this set, you'll want to order it before June 30th!

Stamps: Embrace Life
Ink: Basic Black, Rose Red, Versamark
Paper: Rose Red, Pretty in Pink, Handsome Hunter, Sage Shadow, Whisper White
Accessories: Corner Rounder Punch, half back pearl (Pretties Kit), Linen Thread, dimensionals

Fancy Flower Punch

When I first looked through the Occasions Mini Catalog, the Extra Large Fancy Flower Punch was one of those items that immediately caught my eye. And I must say, I haven't been disappointed. I LOVE this punch! :-) Both of these projects also use the stamp set With All My Heart--another fun item from the Mini.

For the first card I started by punching out the flower and crumpling it up into a little ball--yes you read that right. :-) Then I opened it up and placed it on top of the coordinating (Rose Red) ink pad. I walked my fingers over the flower so that the raised edges of the flower picked up the ink. It gives you a cool effect that you'll have to try for yourself.


Stamps: With All My Heart
Ink: Versamark, Close to Cocoa marker
Paper: Close to Cocoa, Rose Red, So Saffron, Certainly Celery, Very Vanilla
Accessories: Extra Large Fancy Flower Punch, Corner Rounder Punch, Fresh Favorites I colored buttons, Certainly Celery Grosgrain Ribbon, Linen Thread, dimensionals


This next project is a 3x3 card. I started by sponging Platinum Shimmer Paint onto the stamp and then stamping on Night of Navy card stock. It gives you a nice subtle shimmer. (Note: although you won't see Shimmer Paint listed in any catalog, it is still available for order.)

After I punched out the image with my Fancy Flower punch, I added the Filigree Designer Brad and the Ice Rhinestone Brad. I finished with the sentiment and by adding dimensionals under each of the Night of Navy layers.

Stamps: With All My Heart
Ink: Platinum Shimmer Paint, Night of Navy marker
Paper: Bashful Blue, Night of Navy
Accessories: Extra Large Fancy Flower Punch, Filigree Designer Brad, Circle Ice Rhinestone Brad, dimensionals

Custom Texturz

Hello all! Today I want to show you a card that I made for the Stampin Addicts dinner and swap at the Stampin Up Leadership conference that I attended in January. I've had several people request directions, so I guess it's about time I posted this tutorial. :-)

Anyway, it's actually quite easy to create your own custom texturz! How cool is that? This was an idea that I came up with a little while ago and I'm sure I'll be using it a lot. :-)

To start, just take a scrap piece of card stock and emboss the desired image. Here I repeatedly stamped the nuts and bolts images from the stamp set Lots of Bots and then embossed with Silver Stampin Emboss Powder.

Next create the sandwich that will go through the Big Shot. . . . Tab 1, standard cutting pad (works best if you have a new one without cut marks), card stock with embossed image, foil, Silicone Rubber, and then the Texturz Impressions Pad. Basically you follow the recipe for the Texturz plate--just substitute a standard cutting pad for the texturz plate.

So line that up properly, not like in my picture :-), and then run it through the Big Shot. Too much fun!

Hint: When you add it to your project, use the Tombow Multi Adhesive--that way you won't tear the foil apart or smash the image.

Below is a notebook and pencil set that I made for my son using the same technique.

Stamps: Lots of Bots

Ink: Basic Black Craft Ink, Real Red marker, Not Quite Navy marker, Going Gray (with Blender Pen), Versmark

Paper: Not Quite Navy, Real Red, Basic Black, Whisper White, foil

Accessories: Clear and Silver Stampin' Emboss Powder, Heat Tool, Mat Pack, Paper-Piercing tool, Corner Rounder punch, Big Shot, Clips Assortment, dimensionals, notebook, pencils, silver brad, Billboard alphabet and Movers and Shapers (Big Shot)

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

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

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

Yummy Scrapbooking

Those of you who know me well know that I "don't scrapbook". Although it is one of my eventual goals to have cute scrapbooks of all my kids pictures, family trips, etc. for now it just isn't happening. . . . For me I think part of the problem is how to start a page? Since I am used to cards and small 3-D projects, a 12x12 piece of paper is a little scary--it's so BIG. :-)

Anyway, a long time ago I was introduced to the idea of progressive scrapbooking. I don't remember where I first saw the idea, but I was intrigued. The idea is that you start with a 6x6 page and then work your way up to a 12x12 page--perfect for some one like me who is scared of big open paper spaces. LOL

Anyway, so here is my attempt at scrapbooking. This 6x6 page is one of the projects my guests made at a workshop that I did recently. Then I showed them how they could take that 6x6 page and incorporate it into an 8 1/2 by 11 layout or a 12x12 layout.

So here is the 8 1/2 by 11 page with the 6x6 page added.

And here is the 12x12 page with the 8 1/2 by 11 added.

This project shows off 3 of the Sale-A-Bration products that you can earn for FREE through the end of March: the Ribbon Bundle, Paper Bundle, and the Yummy stamp set. The Certainly Celery poly-twill ribbon and the So Saffron grosgrain ribbon featured here come in the Ribbon Bundle. The Delicate Dots Designer Series Paper is one of 4 designs in the Paper Bundle (bundle includes 16 sheets of double sided paper--4 sheets each of 4 designs).

And last but not least I used the stamp set Yummy. The stamp I used actually has both words and the swirl design, but since I wanted only the swirls (for the 6x6 page and the tag) I used my VersaMarker pen to ink just the swirl and then stamped.

So another thing that scares me about scrapbooking is the fact that I don't like my hand writing! I know I should want to let my grandchildren see my hand writing and all that, but oh the pain. :-) So as you can see here I cheated and used my Big Shot (Stampin Up Billboard die) to cut out letters. The die is $21.95 includes both the uppercase and lowercase letters which is very convenient.

And one last part to this project. . . Just in case there was anyone at the workshop who was like me and was wondering "what am I going to do with this page?". . . . I know horrible! :-) I showed them how they could take the same supplies that we used for the 6x6 page and turn it into a cute but simple baby card. The sentiment on this card is from the set Congrats--another one of the Sale-A-Bration sets. You may also notice that I used the same layout for this card as I did for the card in the post below (or see HERE). It's amazing how changing the colors of a project can completely change the look!

Stamps: Yummy, Congrats

Ink: VersaMarker, Sahara Sand

Paper: Bashful Blue, So Saffron, Certainly Celery, Sahara Sand, Delicate Dots Designer Series Paper

Accessories: 5/8" Certainly Celery poly-twill ribbon, 5/8" So Saffron grosgrain ribbon, scallop edge punch, corner rounder punch, horizontal slot punch, Big Shot, Stampin Up Billboard die--alphabet, dimensionals

Love You Much

There are only a few days left to purchase the Love You Much bundle at 20% off! All of the items are still available in the new catalog, but not at a discount after Jan 31! See below for the details of the promotion. This is a card using the Love You Much bundle that I originally made to use as a swap card for Leadership.

I embossed the hearts and the sentiment with white embossing powder and then punched out the hearts with the Heart to Heart punch. The hearts and the sentiment are all up on dimensionals. I also added little bit of Crystal Effects and Dazzling Diamonds on some of the hearts to give it a little sparkle.

This is also one of four projects we are making at my class on Saturday. If you purchase the bundle from me, you can attend for FREE! Contact me for details.

Stamps: Love You Much

Ink: Versamark

Paper: Pink Pirouette, Riding Hood Red, Close to Cocoa, Candy Lane Designer Paper

Accessories: Heart to Heart punch, Word Window punch, white embossing powder, heat tool, embossing buddy, Crystal Effects, Dazzling Diamonds, Linen Thread, 1/16" circle punch, corner rounder, dimensionals

Gift Card Holder Tutorial

Here it is! This is the tutorial for the gift card holder I posted last week (HERE). Since black paper is hard to photograph, I used different colored paper, but of course the idea is the same. . .

Start with a 4 1/4" by 11" piece of paper. Score at 3", 5 1/2", and 8". Then fold so that you have an "M".

Fold in half and use the Word Window Punch to punch out half of the oval shape. Repeat on the other side.

Here I used the top part of the Round Tab punch to punch out a little more and connect my punches from the Word Window punch. Although, you could use a circle punch, tag punch, etc.
***Note--if you want your corners rounded as I did on the graduation card, do that at this point. Do not glue (the next step) until the corners are rounded.***

Open the card and use either Tombow Mono adhesive or Sticky Strip to glue just the edges of the 3 sides of the middle as shown. Don't glue in the middle as this is where the gift card needs to fit.

After you glue, the base of the gift card holder is ready to go! Now you can embellish as desired.

Here's the inside of the Grad card again:
On the graduation card, I used a belly band as my closure. The yellow band is 1" by 7". The silver band and the scallop square are Brushed Silver card stock.

To make the scallop square, I found these great directions by MJ Albright on her blog Beauty Lies Within. Her tutorial about making different sized scalloped squares with the Scallop Edge punch can be found HERE. MJ did a lot of work for us in figuring out the correct sized paper to start with to get perfectly rounded scallops on the edges! For the graduation card I started with a 1 15/16" square piece of card stock. Just make sure you read all her directions (like I didn't the first time!) and don't push your card stock all the way to the back of the punch. Just line it up with the edge of the scallops on your punch.

And finally, to add the yellow to the Designer Brad (Star Assortment). . . .This is a trick that I saw at Convention and finally got around to trying out. All you need is a Craft Pad and your Designer Brad. Here I used Yoyo Yellow.


First just dip the brad face down into the ink. Take a paper towel and wipe it off. I found it easiest to leave the paper towel flat on the table and rub the brad that way. Then dip again and rub it off again. Repeat about 3 times total.What happens is the ink stays in the depressed areas on the brad and rubs off on the rest. Then just let the brad dry and you have a custom colored brad!

Open House Projects

Well, the gift card holder tutorial is still in progress, so I thought I would post the two projects that we made at my New Catalog Open House in August. Neither of these projects was my idea, but I thought they were both just too cute to pass up. I just made couple minor changes here and there.

The first one shown above is one of the cute popsicle cards that a lot of people have been making. When I received one of these popsicle cards from LeeLa Smith as a convention swap, that's when I decided to used it for my open house. They are even cuter in person! The only change that I made from LeeLa's was that I added the Kiwi Kiss Designer button in the middle and the Kiwi Kiss Striped Grosgrain ribbon on the stick. Here's a picture of the inside. Stamps: Think Happy Thoughts
Ink: Basic Black
Paper: Kiwi Kiss, Whisper White
Accessories: Scallop Circle Punch, 1 3/8" Circle Punch, 1 1/4" Circle Punch, Corner Rounder, Horizontal Slot Punch, Designer Buttons, 5/8" Kiwi Kiss Striped Grosgrain Ribbon, dimensionals, popsicle stick



The second project is my version of a project that was shown during Demonstrator Theater at Convention. I was glad to be reminded of the simple, yet pretty technique to sponge directly on your stamp to add a second (or third, as shown at convention) color.

This technique is very easy. All you do is first ink the stamp in the lighter color (here Pink Pirouette) and then use a sponge duaber to add a second darker color in select places. Here I added Rose Red. Then when you stamp the image you have a two-tone effect. I used the scallop edge punch along the bottom of the flowers and the top right side is just a 1 3/8" circle punch folded in half. I used my Crop-A-Dile to punch through all 4 layers of card stock and then tied the ribbon through. This layer is up on dimensionals. Oh, and the final size of this card is 5" by 4 1/4".

By the way, Upsy Daisy is one of the stamp sets that is on sale 15% off until the end of September! To see a flyer of all the sets on sale, click HERE. If you would like to order this or other sale sets, contact me or just click the button at the top right of this page to go to my demonstrator website where you can shop online.

Stamps: Upsy Daisy
Ink: Pink Pirouette, Rose Red
Paper: Pink Pirouette, Rose Red, Whisper White
Accessories: Scallop Edge Punch, 1 3/8" Circle Punch, Crop-A-Dile, Pretty in Pink 1/4" Grosgrain Ribbon, sponge dauber, Dimensionals