What 2 Stamp

Missing Something?

A customer recently asked where the list of Stampin' Supplies had gone. It used to be in the back of the catalog, but it does not appear in the new book. In case others were wondering, I thought I would explain. When Stampin' Up! needed to add the Big Shot product line to the catalog, something had to go to make room for those pages--and we certainly didn't want to lose any stamps! So, the supply list had to be cut. The good news is that the list is available in a pdf format, and you can get it by clicking here. You can print it for handy use, or just know that it's available on my blog. I will keep a link to it under the Stampin' Up! Catalogs list on the left-hand side.

 

While our minds are on the sunny days to come, you can make the next installment in my Scalloped Home Decor series. We'll make this project and one for July 4th at my next Sizzix Camp on Monday, March 2. For more details on the class, click here.

Running in Circles

 

So, my favorite new toy is the Circle Scissor Plus, on page 188 of the catalog. I have tried many a circle cutter, but I know this one is here to stay on my cutting table. For starters, it will cut circles from 1" to 6" in diameter, and every dimension in between, simply with the turn of the dial. And, in addition to cutting through a single thickness of cardstock, it will cut through a double-thickness of Designer Series Paper!

To make this super-simple card, I folded a piece of Good Morning Sunshine DSP in half. When using the Circle Scissor, you must first secure the paper to the Glass Mat with a bit of removable adhesive, such as Dotto. When cutting through a double-thickness of DSP, I also "close" the folded piece with Dotto, trying to place the adhesive on the corners that are going to be cut off anyway. This step is definitely necessary, to keep the paper from moving when you are cutting.

Once the paper is secured to the Glass Mat, start your circle so that a good portion of the fold is left in place. When cutting through a folded piece, I actually start the cut below the fold, then cut up to the fold and back down again, then all the way through the remainder of the circle. If you start at the top of the fold and try to cut in, the blade will push the folded paper and distort the circle.

Once the paper was cut, I adhered it to a Chocolate Chip card and applied a Sticky Cut Sweet flower to the front, then added some Aqua Supernova Glitter. As I said, this card is super-simple and quick and doesn't even have any stamping (don't report me to the stamping police!)

 

My second Circle Scissor offering is a pocket card made with a full circle of Pretty in Pink and a half circle of Raspberry Tart DSP. I cut a full circle of the Raspberry paper, then cut it in half on my trimmer and used the Scalloped Circle Border punch on the straight edge. I colored an image from Wow Flowers on Whisper White and punched with the Large Tag punch, then tucked that into the pocket. Now, all you need is a square envelope for your round card!

Stand-up Photo Holder

 

A few months ago, I received a small calendar from a magazine I subscribe to. It had such a simple construction that I knew it had to be a Stamp Camp project someday!

To start, cut a piece of cardstock to 5.5" x 11". With the long edge of the paper flush with the top of the trimmer, score at 2", 5.5" & 9".

Fold the paper in half (at the 5.5" score mark you just made), and with the small flaps facing you, find the midpoint and make a small cut into the paper, about 1/2 inch or so--this doesn't have to be precise and can be expanded later if need be.

You could adhere photos directly to the holder, but I made little pockets to hold photos, so that I could change them out. To make the pockets, cut a piece of DSP and a thin piece of acetate to 2-3/4" x 4". Using the 2-way glue pen to get a nice thin line, draw a line of glue around 3 sides of the DSP, leaving the 4th side open. Lay the acetate on top, making the pocket. Using the 1-1/4" circle punch, make a half-circle notch in the open end of the pocket. Adhere the pocket to the holder and start decorating!

This is the fun part. I used the Boho Blossoms punch to punch several sets of flowers out of Delicate Dots DSP, featured in the Sale-a-Bration catalog. I then stamped several sets of the 3 flowers from One of a Kind, and punched those out. I also did a few of the small flower from that set, and punched using the 1/2" circle punch. I glued the flowers all around the 3 closed sides of the pocket, being careful not to interfere with the pocket opening.

I cut 2 photos to 2-1/4 x 3-3/4. I then stamped one of the flowers from Polka Dot Punches, also found in the Sale-a-Bration catalog, and punched that with the 1-1/4" circle punch. I placed adhesive on one side of the circle ONLY and placed that on the end of my photo, to create a little tag that helps pull the photo in and out of the pocket. The first time you put a photo in the pocket, you will have to work with it a bit, but once you've done that and created a little give, the photos can move in and out pretty easily. You can use 2 photos, or stamp a quote on cardstock and use that on one side.

Once you are ready to assemble the holder, just fold along the score lines and tuck the slits inside one another.

 

This is a fun and inexpensive way to display photos, and it would make a great gift!

Tweet, Tweet

 

Yes, it's another bird card! I can't help it, I just love these little guys. This card uses the Cheep Talk set, and the On Board So Tweet Chipboard. The little birdie is covered in a piece of Good Morning Sunshine DSP.

Don't forget that Sale-a-Bration is in full swing. During SAB, for every $50 in merchandise purchased, you can choose a free item from the SAB catalog. So, for instance, the three items mentioned above would add up to just over $50, and earn you a free SAB item.

Also during Sale-a-Bration, new demonstrators can save 15% off the starter kit AND receive a free stamp set of their choice--even the most expensive set in the catalog! It's a great time to sign up, if you just want to get a discount on the products, or if you're looking to make a little extra money. Call or email me if you have any questions.

A Whole Lotta Love

 

Yes, Valentine's Day is upon us. And, although I have been teaching Valentine classes for a month now, I've had very little time to do much for the people in my own life. That's why, when faced with sitting through my son's two-hour baseball practice tonight, I decided to crank out some Valentine goodies for co-workers and friends.

To do this, I used Peppermint Patty candies, which some brilliant soul realized fit perfectly between two Scallop Circle Punches. I gathered my punches and some paper, and sat on the bleachers punching and gluing away!

For these candies, I punched a scalloped circle of DSP (I used the hostess sampler pack from the previous catty), and mounted onto that a 1-3/8 circle punched from the hostess sampler pack in this catty--gotta love using those freebies! I stamped the hearts image from Love You Much on Whisper White, then punched with the Heart to Heart punch.

 

 

I then mounted the hearts using Stampin' Dimensionals. The Peppermint Patty is sandwiched between two scallop circles. I know the goodies will bring a smile to the faces of my friends, and isn't that what stamping--and Valentine's Day--is all about?

With All My Heart

 

I recently read a website where someone noted that our new Full Heart Punch matches wonderfully with those Hershey hearts you see on shelves right now. So, I ran out and bought some, then put together this quick and easy card for a workshop last week.

I first stamped the heart from the Polka Dot Punches, a set you can only get during Sale-a-Bration, which is going on now through March 31. During Sale-a-Bration, you can receive any set in the SAB catty for free, with a $50 order. This particular set matches perfectly with some of our punches, so it's a super-quick way to make a card. The heart is stamped in Ruby Red ink, on the same color cardstock, then punched. I used a small strip of the Bella Rose paper, along with a piece of the Sweet Slumber Specialty textured paper. This paper is fabulous, by the way! It has such an interesting feel and it has some nice weight to it.

To finish the card, I stamped the love birds, from Love You Much, in Basic Brown, then colored them with Stampin' Pastels. This is an easy card that anyone can make very quickly. Only 4 more days till Valentine's Day, so get stamping!

Stair-Step Card

 

For all my customers who have enjoyed making this card at recent Stamp Camps, I wanted to post the instructions for this fun stair-step card, which was shared with demonstrators at the Orlando Regional Conference last month.

 

 

To start, cut a piece of cardstock (I used Pretty in Pink) in half lengthwise, so that it is 4-1/4" wide x 11" tall. Then score the paper at 1-3/8, 2-1/2, 4-3/8, 6 & 8-1/4.

 

Fold the largest flap down, then accordion-fold the other score lines. You will have 3 "mountain" folds and 2 "valley" folds.

 

Now cut a piece of the same color cardstock to 4-1/4 x 5. Cut a coordinating piece (I chose Whisper White) to 4 x 4-1/4.

 

To decorate the front flaps of the card, cut 1 piece of DSP (I used Bella Rose) to 4 x 1-1/2, and another piece to 4 x 1-1/8. These pieces could be identical, or coordinating--your choice. Mount the smaller piece of DSP to the first flap, and mount the larger piece to the second flap. Stamp images onto the white piece, then mount it onto the 4-1/4 x 5 piece of pink. Fold up the card so that the smallest flap faces you. You will see there are 2 "valleys" made by the fold lines. Mount the layered piece into the second valley. When doing this, add adhesive to the card base, not the layered piece, because the top of the layered piece will not be mounted to anything and you don't want extra glue on the back of it.

Add punched or cut-out pieces to the flaps, as well as the layered piece. For this card, I used Love You Much, although other sets could be used for birthdays or other occasions.

Pretty on the Inside

 

Yes, this is a card a mother (or father) could love. My 7-year-old made this for Daddy's birthday last week, and I had a good laugh when I saw that he only stamped one image on the outside of the card, and spent the rest of his efforts on the inside. After all, it's the inside everyone reads, right? That got me to thinking, that I also wanted to make a card that was even prettier on the inside than it was on the outside. And when you want a pretty "inside," what could be better than a pop-up card?

To start the card, choose a color for the outside and one for the inside. The outside card will be a standard size, the inside will be a little smaller. I choose Tempting Tuquoise for the outside card and Gable Green for the inside. In this case, I cut the Gable Green piece to 8.25 x 5.25 (this is a 1/4-inch smaller than the outside card) and then scored at the 4-1/8 mark.

 

Now, with the card folded, find the center point (provided you want your pop-up centered), and make a pencil mark. You will make 2 cuts, and the size of the cuts will depend on the size of the item you are going to adhere to the pop-up. I choose the cupcake from the Party Hearty set, so my pop-up didn't need to be very big to support the image. I made 2 cuts that are about 1/2-inch deep, and spaced about 1/2-inch apart. Again, if you choose to put a bigger image on your pop-up, you would need to make the cuts longer and further apart, to create a bigger pop-up.

 

Now, poke the cut portion back into the inside of the card. You will have to "score" the paper a bit with your fingers to get it to bend properly. When you open the card, the pop-up will look like a little bench to sit on.

 

 

After stamping the cupcake and embossing the "frosting" with Iridescent Ice EP, I trimmed it out and adhered it to the vertical face of the pop-up. Because the pop-up will get moved a lot when the lucky recipient opens and closes it several times (!), you want to use a strong adhesive, so I chose Sticky Strip.

 

One trick to remember with the final assembly: when adhering the inside card to the outside one (so that the cut lines don't show), don't put any glue on the pop-up tab, as it has to be free to move. Pop-up cards look so intricate, but really are easy to make, so go make a card that is pretty on the inside!

Bird Watching

 

While I can't take credit for this adorable creation, I just had to share it. This is one of the make-and-take projects we made at the Leadership Conference last month. It features our new On Board So Tweet chipboard pieces. Six sheets come in the package, and they are packed with tons of birdies big and small, as well as owls, pears, tree branches and flowers.

Here, we decorated the chipboard in two different ways. The flowers and tree branch were covered with ink, and the birds were covered in designer series paper. To cover with DSP, just trace the chipboard piece on the paper, then trim out, cutting slightly inside the pencil lines. Use plenty of adhesive and once the paper is adhered, run a bone folder all around the edge. This will "round" the edges of the paper to the chipboard, giving it a more finished look.

With all the pieces in So Tweet, you'll be bird watching for quite some time!