Stampin' Celebration #21

It's Thursday, so we have another great inspiration piece from Stampin' Celebration!  I love several of the pictures here, but I was intrigued by the bottom right photo and the ribbon/flower combination.  So you'll see I incorporated that concept into my project: 

I thought this could be a fun party favor for a baby shower, bridal shower, or wedding.  I used a Thick Window Sheet to create the box with my Big Shot and the Pillow Box Die.  I added the ribbon to the box using thin strips of Sticky Strip, and I overlapped the ribbon on the front of the box--where I knew the flower would cover everything.  

The only downside is that I realized (after adding all the ribbon) that this treat holder isn't very practical.  You'd either have to take off all the embellishing or cut the ribbon to actually eat the candy.  Opps!  

Next I wanted to add a ribbon flower.  At convention Carrie Cudney showed us how to make these pretty ribbon flowers.  She is an amazing presenter, and I loved her idea.  She actually cut all the scallops by hand when she made her flower, but now we have the new Tasteful Trim die which does all the work for us.  :-)  

So, I took a 13" piece of Pretty in Pink satin ribbon and ran it through the Big Shot with my Tasteful Trim die.  The next step is to take your Heat Tool and heat the ribbon.  It melts the ribbon just a bit, and 'crinkles' it.  Just be patient as you are doing this step as it takes about a minute of heating before you see any results.  The picture below shows the difference between before and after heating the ribbon.  

Next take a piece of Sticky Page (page 205 of the catalog) and run it through the Big Shot with the Circles #2 die.  For this flower I used the very smallest circle on that die.  I peeled off the backing, and then started adding the ribbon, with little tucks, to the Sticky Page circle.  

I kept doing that until I had reached the center of my circle.  

And now I have a fun embellishment to add to any project!  This was actually very quick--it took me much longer to write up the directions than it did to make the flower.  :-)  Now usually I'm not a fan of adding anything too bulky to my cards, but I wouldn't have a problem adding this to a card.  This little flower is more flat that it initially appears, and it is also lightweight.  

So there you have it!  I hope you've enjoyed this tutorial!  Make sure to head over to Stampin' Celebration to see what the other member of the Design Team have been up to this week.  And then make sure to play along yourself.  We'd love to see what you are inspired to create!  Just upload your project and link it to the Stampin' Celebration website.  

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)

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

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

Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day everyone! Take time today to remember all those people in your life you love. :-)

Here's another Valentine's projects we made at my Valentine's Bundle class. I'm not sure who first came up with the idea for these CUTE scallop note boxes, but they are fun and resonably simple to make. You start by using the Big Shot with the Scallop Envelope Die to cut out 4 scallop envelopes which you then make into a box. I added a picture tutorial here. . . . if you have questions about any of the steps, please don't hesitate to ask! 

Trim one of the side tabs off of each envelope, add 2" by 3" pieces of Designer Paper and then use a strong adhesive (Sticky Strip or Tombow) to adhere the box together.

I used a 3" by 3" square of light cardboard (the kind that comes in the packs of 12x12 paper) to give stability to the bottom of the box.

Thread and tie the ribbon and add a bag of goodies! I used the Stampin' Up! large cello bags.

Here's a close up of the tag. The white is embossed, and the heart is then cut out. I used a loop of ribbon attached to the back of the tag so that it could slide off and on the bag--without needing to re-tie a bow. :-)

Stamps: Love You Much
Ink: Versamark
Paper: Pink Pirouette, Close to Cocoa, Candy Lane DP
Accessories: Big Shot, Scallop Envelope Die, White Stampin Emboss powder, heat tool, 1/8" Circle Punch, 1/4" Whisper White grosgrain ribbon, 5/8" Pink Pirouette striped grosgrain ribbon, Filigree Designer Brad, pink circle rhinestone brad, large cello bag

Happy Halloween Frankie!

I just love all of the Frankenstein cards that everyone has been making! I saw and adorable one by Karen over at Karen's Korner, and then saw some more over at Splitcoaststampers that used the Top Note Die and the Big Shot. So, I of course had to make one too. :-)

I took a couple pictures of the Big Shot as I was making the card. The first one shows how you layer the Cutting Pad, then the Die, and then the paper. On top you put another Cutting Pad and then you are ready to roll it through the Big Shot.

For this project, I wanted the Frankie face (Kiwi Kiss paper) to be the card base as well. So, I cut and scored my card stock and put the folded edge just below the top part of the die so that the edge wouldn't cut. (Can you see that in the picture? If not, click on the picture to see a larger version.) The last picture shows the base after it goes through the Big Shot and before I added the face.

The face was mostly just made with punches. The mouth is free handed, and the highlight on the eyes were added with a white gel pen. Feeling ready for Halloween now? :-)

Stamps: All Holidays (to stamp 'Happy Halloween' inside)

Ink: Kiwi Kiss (to sponge around edges)

Paper: Kiwi Kiss, Lovely Lilac, Whisper White, Basic Black

Accessories: 1" Circle Punch, 1/2" Circle Punch, Round Tab Punch, Big Shot, Top Note Bigz Die, sponge, White Gel Pen, Basic Black marker

Breezey Bows

It's been a little while since I've stamped anything new since I've been busy with classes and commission work, so I thought I'd do a color challenge to get myself back into it! I went over to Splitcoaststampers, and saw that the color challenge for today is Really Rust, Chocolate Chip and Baja Breeze. Great combination!

So, this is what I came up with. It ended up being a super simple card to make! I used the dotted circle stamp from Think Happy Thoughts to stamp on Very Vanilla card stock in the 3 colors for the challenge. I tore the top edge and then grabbed my 5/8" Chocolate Chip grosgrain ribbon. I wanted to do something a little unique since the rest of the card was pretty simple, so I also grabbed one of the wide clips from the Clips Assortment. I've already used a lot of the other two styles of clips (wire clip and small library clip) from the assortment, so I have a small supply of these wide clips laying around waiting to be used. I'm not sure that they were meant to be used as a bow holder, but it works, right? :-)

Anyway the 'bow' is simple and the pictures below show how I did it. I used a 7" piece of ribbon to create the bow part--just fold it back on itself twice, lay it on top of the other piece of ribbon (6") and clip them both together! How simple!

Stamps: Think Happy Thoughts

Ink: Really Rust, Chocolate Chip, Baja Breeze

Paper: Baja Breeze, Very Vanilla

Accessories: 5/8" Chocolate Chip grosgrain ribbon, Wide Clip (Clips Assortment)