Make a Difference

I got the warm fuzzies when Michele told me todays Ways to Use It Challenge at SCS would be FUZZY STUFF. (Check out her darling dolly sample.) I knew immediately that I would use this sparkly white flock for clouds. I stamped the clouds with Black Memento on white cardstock and cut them out. Then I used Aleen’s Tacky Glue to cover the inside of the clouds and gently pressed into the flock that I had poured out of the container, glue side down. I love how the white pops against the creamy tone of the text patterned paper (Cherry Hill - October Afternoon). The vintage balloon image is from Verve’s Up, Up & Away. I stamped the balloon on patterned paper for the red and cream design. It’s accented with a tiny black twinkle and raised up with dimensional dots. I added a little bit of depth to the balloon with Copic Markers W0 and W1 - my favorites for shading. The basket is colored with Copic E35.

I stamped my sentiment in black pigment ink and embossed with detail clear embossing powder. I like to emboss when I’m stamping over patterned paper. Helps the image pop. Used another one of my stacked Prima flowers (I’m so glad I put so many of these together last weekend while watching tv. It’s too easy to grab and go.) Notice my linen thread is kind of FUZZY?

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Julia has been doing some beautiful stamp design work with the Rummage Bin line at CHF. I adore this Sweet Bee set, and I thought I’d make up a few Honey Do Lists for the girls’ teachers. I was really looking for a way to use some of my layered and buttoned flowers and a few bits of the new October Afternoon: Farm Fresh.

On Saturday afternoon, I took a jar of big creamy Prima flowers and layered them and sewed on buttons while I wanted a movie with the girls. My oldest always wants to know why I don’t ‘just watch tv’. Well, the truth is it’s hard for me to just sit still and not do ‘something‘.  So, I watched a cute movie, completed about 15 or so big ole button blossoms and had some wonderful quality time with my family.

I even finished the inside with October Afternoon’s Farm Fresh - South Forty and Farm House patterns (available late August) paired up with Core’dinations Cardstock from the Vintage Collection - Autumn color:

inside quote: that is shall never come again makes life so sweet ~ emily dickinson

This skinny notebooks came from my stash. Like many of you, I buy the little legal pads at an office supply store and have them cut them down the middle for me. The store will cut the whole stack at one time with a nice crisp cut. The covers dimensions are easy: 8″ tall by 5 5/8″ wide - score at 2 5/8″ and then flip and score at 2 5/8″ from the other side. That leaves you with a 3/8″ ditch for the width of the legal pad. I attach the notebooks to the covers with a sticky tape. They aren’t going anywhere.

Mmm, paper buttoned blossoms and a lesson in fractions - all in one day.  I know Mish makes these notebooks a lot and has included lots of tips and tricks over time to make the covers, so I won’t re-invent the wheel.

I did have a little ah-ha! moment while I was working on these last night. I originally stamped the Honey Do List four or five times on white cardstock with brown Memento ink and colored with Copics (YR21, YR23, YR24 and W1) and then realized that I should have used cream cardstock. Since I got an air compressor for my Copics, I’ve been much more liberal with the air brushing, and I thought I’d try to change the tint of the cardstock because ivory would look much nicer with my flower and my printed paper. Easy peasy:

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I really enjoy working with sketches. My idea with Taylor’s Sketch this week was that I would use the cardstock square to frame the circled images placed underneath - not layer the circled images onto the cardstock square. Does that make sense? Of course, the end result was some squiggled stitching around the whole main panel, so it didn’t really matter which one ended up on top: the frame or the circles.

You might want to try the ‘frame’ method and give it some depth with dimensional dots sometime, so I have a fairly easy way to line up all of your circle holes to create the frame. After I shot all the prep photos - I had to roll with the final project - squiggled stitching and all.

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A second sample for the Tutorial Blitz that is going on at Splitcoaststampers. You can see this tutorial here! The top blue layer is stamped with snowflakes from Verve Stamps, Winter Wonder set, and then I smooshed VersaMark Frost (Tsukineko) all over the cardstock to make it shimmer. It has the same shimmer effect as Cryogen White (or SU’s Shimmery White) cardstock. Very pretty. The white tag was cut with Curved Rectangle Nestabilities. You can find the Nestabilities or the VersaMark specialty pads from Ellen Hutson.

Be sure to check out the Home Page at SCS everyday this week for a fun new project or pretty to get a jump start on your holidays. Have a wonderful week!

Today kicks off a full week of Holiday Blitz tutorials over at Splitcoaststampers. Beate was kind to ask me to write 2 Nestabilities tutorials for the SCS Resource section that go live today. Nestabilities from Spellbinders are one of my go to tools for quick and easy WOW! Here, I’ve used the Label One die-cut and a Wizard embossing mat for a dry embossed image. See the Embossed Frame tutorial HERE.  You can view the Cutting Shapes tutorial HERE. Other tutorials throughout the week will feature packaging and giftable ideas that you may use throughout the holiday season.

Wizard vs. Cuttlebug

I have been using a Cuttlebug to cut my Nestabilities for the last year, and I get fabulous results. If fact, the Spellbinders dies are universal, and Spellbinders provides a comprehensive list of ’sandwich’ recipes required to use their dies in other die-cut machines. You can find that list HERE.

That said, I used the Wizard die-cut machine to write these tutorials, and when it comes to the crisp embossed edging that are a Spellbinders trademark, there is NO COMPARISON. The Wizard creates the most beautiful crisp, detailed dry embossed edges. Anyone need a Cuttlebug?

This one layer card would be fairly simple to duplicate in mass. The elements from Kim Hughes’ set ‘The Landing Pad’ are stamped onto patterned paper, cut out and applied to the cardfront with dimensional dots. Tip: I used a Stamp-a-ma-jig to position the birdhouse so that the hole to the house was in the center of my patterned paper wreath. To apply the Pindot background, I simply cut a mask from the Label One die out of notebook paper and placed it over the embossed shape. Then I stamped the Pindot Scrapblock from Cornish Heritage Farms in white pigment ink.

Be sure to check out all the tutorials throughout the week, a new one each day! I’m sure even the most seasoned stamper will find an ah’ ha! moment, some tips and a few tricks tucked into each project.

I’ve got a day full of errands, odds & ends and cleaning here at the Craig house. I’m hoping to sneak a little stamping time in later this afternoon! Have a wonderful weekend!

• Stamps: Landing Pad - Kim Hughes Collection & Pindot Scrapblock (Cornish Heritage Farms)
• Cardstrock: Kraft (Prism), Wassail paper (Basic Grey, brown polka dot patterned paper (Prima Marketing)
• Ink: Espresso & White Pigment Adirondack (Ranger)
• Accs: Wizard Die-cut Machine, Label One Nestabilities (both by Spellbinders),  Ribbon (May Arts), Stamp-a-ma-jig, glitter and button

I’ve been working on a special project, but I had to take a few minutes to work up a card with my new Curved Rectangle Nestabilities from Spellbinders. The thing I enjoy about the Nestabilities line is the ability to make a quick card with coordinating shaped accents. It’s just simple stamping, but with a little extra hhmph! to the finished project.  This finished, shaped card is about 5″ x 3.5″.

• Stamps: In the Meadow (Lizzie Anne) *edited*
• Cardstock: Blush Red Light, Suede Dark Brown & Cryogen White (Prism)
• Ink: Mountain Rose (Adirondack), Celery & Artichoke (Stampin’ Up!)
• Accs: Ribbon (May Arts), Dazzling Diamonds and Pretties Kit (both Stampin’ Up!)

See you tomorrow!

I received a box from CK Media yesterday containing the latest Holiday Home (aka Home & Heart) and this project that had been included in the issue. I love this CK publication because it has such beautiful photography and simple, yet elegant ideas for conveying your affections. I’m proud to be included with the talented artists published here, including my sweet friends Dawn Lusk and Julia Stainton.

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I was putting some supplies away this morning, and I realized that I never shared this card and tutorial with you on my blog. This is a card I created for a tutorial at CHF a few months ago. I love the Ranger Paint Dabbers because you get a really thick color lay with them. This pearl is my favorite. You can see the entire tutorial for Paint Dabber Resist HERE.

Have a wonderful Sunday!

• Stamps: Large Polka Dot Backgrounder, Silhouette Blooms II - Kim Hughes Collection - all Cornish Heritage Farms
• Cardstock: Prism Cardstock in Frosted Teal & Black, Cryogen White
• Ink: Watermelon and Black Adirondack Dye Ink by Ranger
• Accessories: Pearl Adirondack Metallic Paint Dabber by Ranger, Nestabilities Scallop Circle and Classic Circle Dies by Spellbinders, Offray Ribbon and Paper Piercer

Every good little southern girl needs monogrammed notes! Sweet Ashley doesn’t know it yet, but she’ll be needing several notecards this afternoon. LOL! So, I used my new JustRite monogram stamps (a birthday gift from a sweet, sweet friend) and the sketch today to make a few cards. The monogram stamps are great for quick, easy and personal gifts!

When I got done with the cards last night and was stamping her monogram on the back of the envie, I thought that a scalloped edge would be oh-so-pretty. So, I used my large scalloped rectangle Nestabilities from Ellen Hutson and did just that! Here’s how:

Supplies: scalloped rectangle dies, envelopes and your die cut machine

Put the sealing edge of your envelope through the center of the die, and align just the edge of the envelope with the edge of the die. Make sure your scallops will point downward. If you used the other side of the die, they would be inverted.

Layer the envelope and die with the appropriate plate sandwich for your die cutting machine and press as normal.

One other thing I wanted to comment on: Square cards sometimes present a problem with square envelopes, so I try to use standard when I can. Don’t be afraid to hang your ribbon off the edge. This will still fit the envelope just fine without bending or messing up the tags.

Check out the other sketch samples by Cambria,  Charmaine, Jenn, Mary Jo, Laurie, Sharon and Beate while I encourage a 7 year old to complete her necessary social notes. I bet you’ll be done before me, and a whole lot happier! Have a wonderful Friday!  

In the last 6 months, I have started using much more unmounted, red rubber (or acrylic) stamps, with the switch came a functional storage issue. Finally last week, I found a way to store my unmounted stamps and sets that I think will work well for me. It’s from Store More Stamps. This is the Starter Set and half of one set of sleeves and inserts. Stamps cling to a sheet that slides in and out of the clear sleeves. There are currently 9 sleeves stored in this starter box, and it is full. The box dimensions are 9″ wide x 5″ tall x 3.5″ deep. 

These sheets are 8×8 square, and (to give you a size idea) this photo shows 2 full $14.99 sets from the Rummage Bin line on one 8×8 sheet. Some of the Rummage Bin sets are $24.99 and those fit on one 8×8 sheet leaving spare room for single, unmounted stamps. I slip the index sheets in the back for easy viewing of what is included on each sheet. Because all of my unmounted stamps are backed with foam-mount, I only put one sheet in each sleeve. If you were storing un-clinged red rubber or acrylic, you could put 2 sheets in each sleeve, back to back, doubling your storage space. Extra sheets are available for purchase.

This is a CD storage box that I store my smaller Kim Hughes sets and Backgrounders in. This box is about 11″ long and will hold about 25 sets and/or backgrounders. I wouldn’t put much more in there or the ability to flip through would be hindered. It’s a great size to sit on the shelf right about my work desk. Very handy to flip through and pull out what I need.

Last but certainly not least is my unmounted Lizzie Anne. I love that Lizzie Anne comes to me in a CD case with pretty labels and indexes. This stackable tote from Wal-Mart holds approximately 20 sets, right at my finger tips with little space taken way from my work desk.

 So that’s how I do it. Hope that this helps some of you with storage issues. It has been a real drain thinking about the best way to organize my stuff, but I feel much better now that it’s done. It should be a lot easier to sit down to my work desk and actually stamp something. 

I’ll see you in the morning!