'n2 Stampin'

...no post!! So sorry about my absence! Wow, I just don't like it when my home life keeps me from doing what I love! Stamping! Well, I've been stamping a little here and there, but the blog thing not so much - or at all! Haha...

Well, no worries! I'm back and I'll do my very best to keep updating. Maybe not daily but better than every four months. LOL!

So today, I'll share with you a card that we did this past weekend at Stamp Club. This is an Easel card using the Occasions Mini, Garden from the Heart stamp set. I love the brown and pink combination.

This card is Close to Cocoa and Regal Rose. The base of the card is 4" x 8", scored at 4" and 2". I always score the larger measurement first because I think it gives a more accurate measurement for my fold. It seems that way to me, anyway. The front panel is a 4" x 4" piece of Close to Cocoa. The Regal Rose layer is 3-3/4" x 3-3/4". I used the Pinking Hearts Border Punch along the bottom. I stamped the hat with Basic Brown on a Very Vanilla piece of cardstock, 2-7/8" x 2-1/8. I colored the hat in using a Blender Pen. When watercoloring on Whisper White or Very Vanilla cardstock, it's best to use the Blender Pens. Aqua Painters put too much water on your paper and will almost tear up your Whisper White or Very Vanilla. I used Close to Cocoa, Regal Rose, Mellow Moss and More Mustard to color in my image. The Very Vanilla is mounted onto a 3" x 2-1/4" piece of Close to Cocoa. Inside I have a 3-3/4" x 3-3/4" piece of Very Vanilla cardstock. I stamped my sentiment using Basic Brown ink. Before adhering this piece inside, I added Gold Brads. These make the card stand up like an easel.

Enjoy!! Until next time...

Need cards? Short on time? Come and replenish your card supply. We will create 10 cards for a variety of occasions. Envelopes are provided.

The fee for this class is $20.00 and is payable no later than Monday, November 16, 2009.

Reserve your spot today! I'll also be offering this class as a kit. If you can't make it, you can purchase the class kit to be picked up or to be mailed to you. You will receive 10 completed cards and envelopes.

November 2009 Stamp-a-Stack Class

Class $20.00 Class - Picked Up $25.00 Class - Mailed $25.00

Boy, oh boy, has it been a busy whirlwind of a month!! I'm still trying to get into the swing of work and three different schools for the kids. Sometimes it's amazing to me that I just can't seem to do it all. I know that's shocking to those of you who know me well - ha ha!! The most important thing of it all is that I try! That's what I tell my kids anyway!

So, here's a card that we did at our last Stamp Club meeting. I cased the idea from a swap at our last group meeting. I thought it was such a beautiful card and a great use of the pheasant. He's embossed using Basic Black Craft ink and Clear Embossing Powder. I love embossing on cards because it adds such a rich texture. This card uses the Autumn Days stamp set and our In Colors - Soft Suede, Dusty Durango and Crushed Curry.

Enjoy and take some time for yourself (yes, I need to take my own advice sometimes!!)... dive 'n2 stampin'!!

Here's another card from my Stamp Club this month. My upline, Phyllis, designed this card. She always does a fantastic job!! She's so creative and has lots more time than I do. She always tells me that I shouldn't have had so many kids - ha ha! Well, what can I do, I love them, but sometimes they just need attention, so I don't get as much time to create as I would like. In the five years that I've been a demonstrator, I can't tell you how many times Phyllis has saved me by planning the projects and encouraging me to copy. Really, I guess that's what this beautiful thing called stamping is all about and I believe wholeheartedly in the "CASE" method - Copy And Share Everything! Phyllis is an awesome upline and I'm so blessed to have her! Ok, she'll "pay" me later for saying all that good stuff... ha ha!!

This is such an elegant card that you can use for whatever fall occasion you may have. I've been doing a lot of "thinking of you" cards to have on hand. I love sending cards to my Sunday School girls just to let them know that they're on my mind. Ok, back to the card... I'm getting a little distracted this morning... need more coffee!!

Here are instructions on making this card:

1. Using your favorite color ink pads and a sponge, gently rub color onto Glossy White cardstock in a circular motion. Start with your lightest color. Here, we used More Mustard, Ruby Red and Old Olive. Alternate colors until you've covered up the white. Use a soft tissue to rub off any extra ink.
2. Stamp your sentiment using Stazon ink. Turn your Glossy cardstock over and holding firmly rub the back of the cardstock to remove any excess ink.
3. Stamp your leaf images using our Encore Gold ink pad and emboss using Gold embossing powder. The gold embossing powder is great because you can really tell when your image is embossed. The details go from a dull color to a very shiny gold.
   
4. Mount the Glossy cardstock onto Old Olive and tie the Old Olive 5/8" Grosgrain around these two layers.
   
5. Mount this onto your Ruby Red card using Dimensionals.
   

It's that easy! I hope you enjoy this beautiful creation! And Thank You Phyllis for sharing with me AGAIN!!

Until next time...

Here's a project we did at yesterday's stamp club. I wanted to use Stampin' Up!'s new Sweet Treats Cups, by I didn't like that to get that candy out, you'd have to destroy your card. So, knowing that I had seen some kind, wonderful soul had already come up with the "trap door" solution, I followed suit.

This card is an 8-1/2" x 4-1/4" Night of Navy base, folded in half. There's a 4" x 4" Taken with Teal layer on the inside front cover. The trick is to put glue on three sides leaving one side free from glue for the "trap door" to be inserted. Next, take your 1-3/4" punch and punch from the top as far in as it will go. I found that you can use your punch for this since the flower petals hang off the card a little bit. Some of the other images need the circle to be closer to the center, so you'll need to use the Circle Scissor Plus for proper circle placement. Stamp your petals onto Whisper White cardstock. You can have as many petals as you'd like. I've used eight petals here. I used an extra square of Night of Navy cardstock and after punching a 1-3/4" circle in the center, I glued the petals around the circle. I started with the petals in the 3, 6, 9 and 12 spots like on a clock. I used a Dimensional to put the last four petals on in-between the petals already glued. The Sweet Treats cups have adhesive already on the back, so just peel off the paper and then you can stick your flower on the front of the card. Now that you have your flower in place, you can punch a 3/4" half circle through the front of your card. Insert your 3-5/8" x 3-5/8" Taken with Teal trap door between the front of the card and the inside layer. Mark a dot with your pencil where you want your pull ribbon to go. Punch a 1/8" circle and thread your ribbon through. Tie the ribbon together using Linen Thread. I used a sentiment from Teeny Tiny Wishes and punched it out using the Modern Label Punch. Of course, that needed Dimensionals too. Ha ha! Love those Dimensionals! Finally, open the card and pull out the trap door to fill the Sweet Treats cup with your favorite candy. Here I wanted the yellow center to my flower, so I used Skittles. Shucks, I had to buy two bags just to have enough yellow Skittles - what to do with all those other colors... A dilemma for sure!! I'll just have to work on that. I hope you enjoy playing with these Sweet Treats Cups, I know I did!!

Until next time...

Here's another one of our projects from this month's Dive 'n2 Stampin' workshop. This treat bag is copied from page 10 of the Holiday Mini Catalog. I changed the stamp set from the one in the catalog because, if you can believe it, I don't have the Twick or Tweet set yet. It's crazy I know, but I'm trying so very hard to practice self-control! Oh boy, it's hard!! I'll make these little treat bags for Keegan's class for Halloween.

This is the Scallop Bag Big Shot die from Stampin' Up! The scallop circle is punched out of the Night & Day Specialty Paper on page 11 of the Holiday Mini. I love the little owl. It looks like he's just sitting there wondering what you're looking at. So cute!! He's stamped in Basic Black ink on a different page of the Designer Series Specialty. I love that the words fit on the Word Window punch too. The circles are glued on the scallop flap and the flap is glued down. The Bag with Scallops actually has two sides that are punched out when you run it through the Big Shot. We didn't use these for this project so you can just pull your candy out through the side. Gotta love easy-access candy!! Try this treat bag for any occasion!

Until next time...

Here's Stampin' Up!'s September Featured Project. I added this little card to put on the inside, so that when the candy is gone, there's still a little something for your box... because really, how long will the candy last...

The instructions for the box said to use a template from our template library, but I made a few measurements so that I didn't have to worry about sending my cardstock through my printer or have to trace and cut. I guess I'm a bit spoiled from having our Big Shot for awhile. These instructions are way easy, so don't fret...

• Start with a piece of Pumpkin Pie cardstock 3-3/4" x 6-3/4"; score on the 3-3/4" side 3/4" on each side. Score on the 6-3/4" side at 2-1/4" and 3".
• Cut along the score line on the flaps from the outer edge to the scored edge. Fold on each score line. Measure along the 3-3/4" flap at 2-1/4" and cut from outer edge to score line. (This should make the front and back flaps even when you assemble your box.)
• Stamp the grass from the Pumpkin Patch stamp set along the bottom front edge of the box in Pumpkin Pie ink. Stamp words on top of box using Chocolate Chip ink. Assemble box.
• Stamp the pumpkin onto a 1-1/2" x 1-3/4" piece of Whisper White cardstock in Pumpkin Pie ink. Stamp the face and stem in Chocolate Chip ink. Stamp the grass and curly vine in Old Olive ink. Adhere to box using Dimensionals.
• I printed the "Christians are like pumpkins" poem with my printer onto Whisper White cardstock. I cut the poems to 1-7/8" x 2-7/8" and mounted it to a 2" x 3" piece of Old Olive cardstock. I slipped the poem into my box behind my treats (those will not last long!!!).

If you're interested in the poem, here goes...