Friday, November 29, 2013

Holiday Card Class - Card Number Two


Card number two in my Holiday Card Class series with Cheryl LeFore, once again features the Santa's List Stamp Set.

This card was quick and easy to assemble and the finished card is perfect for mailing because of its light weight and flat surface.  

Supply List: 
Stamps:  Santa's List #131808 wood mount or #131811 clear mount
Card Stock:  Cherry Cobbler, Whisper White and Early Espresso
Inks:  Cherry Cobbler, Early Espresso
Designer Paper:  Season of Style Designer Series Paper Stack #132181
Accessories:  Stylish Stripes Embossing Folder #132174, Dazzling Diamonds glitter, 2-way glue pen, Adhesive Dimensionals, Big Shot machine, Trimmer, Stamp-a-ma-jig. 

Here is the finished card:

Assembly:
1.  Cut an 8 1/2 x 5 1/2" piece of Early Espresso card stock and score at 4 1/4" for side fold card. 

2.  Cut a piece of Cherry Cobbler card stock to  4 x 5 1/4" and emboss with the Stripes Embossing folder in the Big Shot machine. Adhere this piece with adhesive to the card base.
Stripes Embossing Folder measures 6-1/4" x 4-1/2". Use with Standard Cutting Pads.
3.  Cut a piece of the striped designer series paper from the Season of Style paper stack to 4 x 1 1/2" and adhere this strip to the center of the card.
Create multiple cards in a snap with this stack of Designer Series Paper sized specifically for card fronts. You get 48 sheets: 24 ea. of 2 double-sided designs. 4-1/2" x 6-1/2". Acid free, lignin free. Coordinating colours are Cherry Cobbler, Chocolate Chip, Crumb Cake, Old Olive, Whisper White card stocks, inks and ribbons.  Also coordinates with the Season of Style suite.

4.  Cut a piece of Early Espresso to measure 3 1/2" x 3 1/2".

5.  Cut a piece of Whisper White card stock to 3 1/4 by 3 1/4" and stamp the Santa from Santa's list in Cherry Cobbler ink.  Using the Stamp-a-ma-jig position the sentiment "He's making a list...." beneath the Santa and stamp it in Early Espresso Ink.  
This is the perfect tool to keep you from ever ruining a whole project with one crooked image! The stamp positioner gives you the ability to place an image exactly where you want it, every time. Allows for fast and precise stamp placement.

6.  Using a Two-Way Glue pen add adhesive to the fur on Santa's hat, the pom pom, his cuffs and the front of his jacket and then sprinkle with Dazzling Diamonds glitter.  Shake off excess.  When this piece is dry adhere to the Early Espresso square and mount with dimensionals to the card face.  
My card was already finished when I decided it just need some additional "ta da", so I hauled out my glitter and glue pen and went to work. 


Gently pounce the Two-Way Glue pen on it's tip on a scrap piece of paper to start the ink flowing into the applicator.  One the applicator tip is wet with ink spread across areas you want to add the glitter to.  Be careful you don't get too much glue coming out of the applicator you just want a small amount in each area.

Shake the Dazzling Diamonds glitter over the wet surface and then shake off the excess.  Tip:  You might have to use a small paint brush to brush away any excess glitter, especially if you decide to add the glitter like I did to an already finished card.  Instructions in #6 above should be followed, not my example here, lol! 
Hope you can see the light coating of glitter in Santa's suit and hat. Remember, just add a light dusting, you don't want to have globs of glitter, it will only rub off in the envelope.  

2-Way Glue is versatile and provides a permanent or temporary bond. It's perfect for masking or working with stencils! The chisel tip makes it easy to get just the right amount of glue for adding glitter. Let the glue dry after you've applied it (it will become clear), and it will work just like a sticky note.
Dazzling Diamonds is an ultrafine polyester glitter.  It comes in a 1/2 oz. jar.  Use with Heat & Stick powder, Tombow Multi Purpose Adhesive, or Sticky Cuts Letters
7.  Adhere a 3 3/4" x 5" piece of Whisper White card stock to the inside of the card and stamp with a Christmas sentiment.

Voila, that's it!  


Your card is finished and it looks terrific.   Let me know if you like this card. I'd love to hear your comments.  


Wednesday, November 27, 2013

Holiday Card Class Card No 1


Yesterday I shared a sneak peak of three of the cards I made at Cheryl LeFore's stamp a stack Holiday Card Class.  I had such fun making these cards and so thought you might like some of the details on how they were made.

This first card is made with two of my new "fun to have" stamp sets from the Holiday Mini Catalogue,  Santa's List and Very Merry Tags. 

Santa's List available in wood mount (131808) or clear mount (131811).


Very Merry Tags available in wood mount ( 132609) or clear mount (130402).  with the Artisan Label, Decorative Label, Extra Large Oval, Mosaic, Petite Curly Label, 1 3/4" Circle, and 7/8" Scallop Circle punches.  It's available in English as noted above as well as Spanish and French.

Supplies Used:

Stamp Sets:   Santa's List, Very Merry Tags
Card Stock:   Whisper White, Cherry Cobbler, Early Espresso
Designer Paper:  Season of Style DSP
Inks:             Whisper White, Early Espresso, Cherry Cobbler 
Dies/Punches: Decorative Label Punch, Label's Collection Die Cuts, Oval       Framelits
Accessories:  3/8" Whisper White Taffeta Ribbon, White Embossing Powder,
Heat Gun, Dimensionals, Glue Dots, Sticky Strip and Adhesive.

Here's the Full Card 


1.  For this card I cut a piece of 5 1/2 x 8 1/2 Cherry Cobbler card stock and scored it at the center.

2.  I topped this with a piece of Early Espresso Card stock measuring 4 1/8" x 5 3/8".  Adhere this piece to the card base with adhesive.  Before gluing this piece down I used the Labels Collection die and cut out a piece from the center. Tip:  When you're doing this make sure you've left enough space around the die cut image for your adhesive.  



Since this piece of card stock will be covered with DSP why waste it.  By cutting out the center with the Labels die I've conserved card stock and lightened the weight of the card.  
3.  The next layer is a piece of the Season of Style Designer Paper cut at 4 x 5 1/4". Adhere to Early Espresso piece with adhesive. 

4.  At this stage I made a decision to make 5 of my ten cards with a side fold 5 cards with a top fold.  This was purely a personal decision, but one I'm happy with as I like the way both cards came out.  


Side fold

Top Fold 

5.  From the Whisper White Card stock I cut a 3 3/4" x 5" piece of card stock for the inside of the card.  I also cut a 2 7/8 x 3 1/4" piece of Whisper White for the Oval that Santa is stamped on.  Once the Oval was cut I stamped the image of Santa in Early Espresso Ink and then  sponged the edges.  

The Santa image was adhered to the Early Espresso label and then I used sticky strip to make sure that it was firmly stuck to the card base because of the weight. 

I have to tell you that I loved the way this stamp took the ink! It was like silk and for a large stamp the image was clear and perfect.  That's why Santa's List is now one of my favourite new stamps!  

6.  For the Naughty Nice label I stamped the image on Cherry Cobbler card stock with Whisper White ink and then sprinkled it with White Embossing Powder and heat set the image. 

I cut out the image using the Decorative Label punch.  To get the shadow frame around the Cherry Cobbler one I cut out a piece of Early Espresso Card stock with the decorative label punch and then cut that in half across the widest part of the label.  These pieces were adhered to the back of the Cherry Cobbler label to create the shadow on the top and bottom.  A 3" piece of White Taffeta Ribbon was folded in half and added to the back of the completed label before it was mounted to the card with dimensionals.  Here's a look at how I did that.  



For the shadow piece cut a label from a scrap of Early Espresso card stock, and sponge around the edges to give it a darker effect.

Cut the Early Espresso Label in half across the width of the label.  I clip off the pointy ends on each piece so they don't stick out when I attach it to the back of the Cherry Cobbler label.  

Add a glue dot to the center of the ribbon piece.

Fold the ribbon overlapping to the side.  The glue dot will keep it together. Trim the ends of the ribbon on an angle.


Here you can see the Early Espresso pieces layered onto the Cherry Cobber label.  The ribbon was attached with another glue dot and then I added some dimensionals to the back before adhering it to the card.
Here is the finished label.  
Hope you liked this card and will come back to see the other two and how they were assembled.  Let me know which you like better the top fold or the side fold of this card.  

Tuesday, November 26, 2013

Weekly Deals Nov 26-Dec 2, 2013





It's Tuesday again and that means it's time for Stampin' Up!s newest Weekly Deals!   You save 25% at checkout, and that's a great deal!  



This week's deals are only available until December 2nd, so don't delay! 



Cyber Monday December 1st - Holiday Sale Update



CYBER MONDAY
DECEMBER 2, 2013
HOLIDAY SALE EXTRAS



Stampin' Up! has just announced that the Holiday Sale is going so well that they've decided to add a few 24-hour items for Cyber Monday (December 2)

The Holiday Sale flyers are not being updated, but all you need to do to find out what's been added to the already great holiday sale items, is to look for the 24-hour category in the Holiday Sale section of my online store for the deals. 

Holiday Card Classes - Sneak Peak

I've been going to Holiday Card Classes with Cheryl Lefore the past couple of Mondays and I've had a great time making 10 of 3 different cards.  Over the next few days I'm going to share these cards and some tips and pictures on making them.  Here are some sneak peaks just to get you going! 



Tuesday, November 19, 2013

HOLIDAY SALE - STARTING AT MIDNIGHT TONIGHT!



When:             November 20-December 2, 2013

Details:
It's time for online holiday shopping! During these 12 days only, you can get incredible discounts of up to 50 percent, on some of your favorite products! 

This is the perfect time for you to stock up on some of your favorite items. It's also a perfect time  to get all your "must have" supplies if you're new to stamping.  Now's the time to give Stampin' Up! a try!

Don't miss out on the 24-hour-only door-busters happening on the first day of the sale.  You'll save 30 percent off: 




The 24-hour sales period on these three products ends at 11:50 PM (MT), November 20.
You can visit my Online Store to see all discounted products or view the flyer right now.

The Fine Print
This sale is the same as the annual Online Extravaganza sale of years past--just with a simpler name.

  • Discounts range between 20 and 50 percent-awesome!
  • Discounted products are available on all order types (customer, demonstrator, workshop, and online).
  • Hostesses who have earned a 50%-off item may not apply that discount to an already-discounted product.
  • There's no minimum purchase required to participate in this promotion. Sale on!
  • VERY IMPORTANT!  For product bundles, you need to use the bundle item numbers provided. If you use individual item numbers, you won't get the discount-bummer.
  • You can buy additional products from any of our current catalogues  on the same order. And don't forget the Weekly Deals - some good buys there this week:  Subtles Markers, Colour Coach.......awesome prices! 


Deadlines:
Phone: Monday, December 2, 2013; 6:50 PM (MT)
OEX and Online Store:  Monday, December 2, 2013; 11:50 PM (MT)



November 19 to 25th, 2013

Monday, November 18, 2013

HOLIDAY CLOSURES AND SHIPPING:

HOLIDAY HOURS AND SHIPPING:

CLOSED FOR THANKSGIVING (US)
The Stampin' Up! offices are closed for several holidays throughout the year. However during those times, orders can still be placed through me or ONLINE, and shipping will resume the following business day. 

Just a reminder, the next scheduled holiday is Thanksgiving Day (US) and the day after Thanksgiving (US) on Thursday and Friday, November 28-29.

The remaining holidays in 2013 are:
  • Christmas Day on Wednesday, December 25
  • Boxing Day* on Thursday, December 26
HOLIDAY SHIPPING TIME FRAMES
Stampin' Up! has just sent out a notice to it's demonstrators recommending that holiday orders be submitted by the following dates to receive them by December 24:
  • My Digital Studio print products: December 1
  • Traditional products: December 10 by 6:50 PM (MT) via phone or 11:50 PM (MT) via OEX
You don't want to be disappointed!  Since delivery times can vary from place to place, I'd strongly urge that you base your time frame to order on your past personal personal experiences.  For example if in the past it's taken longer for your packages to reach you then you should allow a little extra time for shipping during the holidays. As you know, we cannot control delivery times. 

Holiday mail volumes are high, and Stampin' Ups! delivery services encourages all its customers to ship as early as possible to avoid disappointment.

Saturday, November 16, 2013

Save the Date - Holiday Sale Coming Soon


Hey ladies hold the date and hang on to your orders for just a few more days. Why?  Because the Stampin' Up! Annual Holiday Sale (previously known as the Online Extravaganza) is just a few days away.  

Check back with me on November 19th when I should have all the details on how you can take advantage of this fun event! You won't want to miss out on this event which will be kicked off with a 24-hour doorbuster sale!  

The sale starts November 20th and runs through December 2nd, 2013.

Tag It Bundles and MDS Get Em' While You Can

TAG IT BUNDLES  - ONLY AVAILABLE FOR THREE MORE DAYS

Stampin' Up!s  two new holiday bundles are only available until November 19 that's just three more days! These bundles are excellent for packaging treats and small gifts this holiday season. 

The Holiday Tag It Decorative Box Bundle (item 135811) includes:
Stamp a Tag Kit

  • Cherry Cobbler 1" Stitched Edge Grosgrain Ribbon (10 yards)
  • Decorative Window Gift Boxes (6 boxes)
  • The Holiday Tag It Extra-Large Box Bundle (item 135812) includes

Stamp a Tag Kit

  • Cherry Cobbler 1" Stitched Edge Grosgrain Ribbon (10 yards)
  • Extra-Large Gift Boxes (3 boxes)

Click here to find out more

MY DIGITAL STUDIO SAVE WITH 30% OFF DIGITAL - 
ONLY AVAILABLE UNTIL NOVEMBER 30, 2013
Whether you're designing Christmas cards, gifts for friends and family, decorations for your home, or your 2013 photobooks—Stampin' Up!s got what you need with 30% off of a variety of downloads. 

And, once you've designed your projects, don't forget to place your orders before November 30. You can get 30% off photobooks, swatchbooks, cards, tags, and individual pages.

Need a little inspiration check out MyDigitalStudio.net  they've been posting projects and ideas all month long.  You can post your samples to the gallery too! But, hurry, the sale ends November 30.

Friday, November 15, 2013

JOYFUL CHRISTMAS

Yesterday I shared this sneak peak of the second project I made at Cheryl LeFore's Friday Night Stamp Club.

Wanna know what it is?  Well I won't keep you in suspense any longer. This is the beautiful poinsettia  from the "Joyful Christmas" stamp set.  If you have a love for this Christmas icon, then this set is for you. 


Joyful Christmas in the Holiday Catalogue 


Our second project was a Pop n' Cut Gift Card Holder that comes together in a flash and is topped with this great poinsettia.  Here's a shot of the completed gift card:
I love the Joyful Christmas wishes sentiment on this card front, it's simply perfect.  
Supplies:
Stamp Set:  Joyful Christmas
Ink:  Crumb Cake, Stazon Black Ink
Reinkers:  Cherry Cobbler, Starfruit, Pear Pizzazz
Card stock:  Cherry Cobbler, Whisper White, Season of Style DSP Paper Stack, Window Sheets
Diecut:  Pop n' Cut Base
Punch:  Word Window 
Framelit:  Apothecary Accent Framelits
Miscellaneous:  Dimensionals, Crystal Effects, Dazzling Diamonds Glitter, Paint Brushes or empty Aqua Painter 

Cutting Directions for Gift Card Holder:

  1. Cut a piece of Cherry Cobbler card stock to 4 1/4 x 11 and place on the Pop n' Cut base.  Score this piece at 3 1/2", 5 1/2" and 7 1/2".
  2. Cut a piece of Whisper White card stock to 2 1/2 x 4" for the inside of the card, and a 2 1/4" x 3 1/4" piece for the sentiment "Joyful Christmas Wishes" which is stamped in Crumb Cake ink.  Cut out the sentiment piece with the Apothecary Accent Framelits, and layer on Polka Dot dsp.
  3. Cut a piece of the Crumb Cake/ Polka Dot paper from the Season of Style Paper Pack to 2 1/8" x 4 1/4" and attach this across the center of the card. 
  4. Stamp the poinsettia in Stazon Black Ink and then cut out with scissors. See instructions below for painting both the poinsettia and leaves on the acetate sheet.  
Inside verse stamped in Crumb Cake ink

Outside verse, stamped in Crumb Cake ink on Whisper White card stock and then cut out with Apothecary Accents framelit. 

The Pop N' Cuts card base is perfect for making gift cards, because when folded the end tabs help to keep the card closed and hide the gift card inside. Cut out the card stock with this die and then score at 3 1/2", 5 1/2" and 7 12".  Fold in a valley, mountain, valley fold style with the mountain in the middle.  This piece will be in the center or inside of the gift card holder. i Glue this part together with a thin strip of sticky strip on the outside bottom edge.  Cut out a section from the mountain part with the Word Window Punch. This is where the gift card will slide in.  Tip:  Before punching use your gift card to line up where you want to begin cutting so that the slot is even on both sides of this piece.  You'll have to make two cuts with the Word Window punch.
The Pop n' Cuts Die Cut Base is very versatile and can be used for making boxes, gift cards, and of course pop up cards.  

Painting the Poinsettia and Leaves: 
The poinsetta and three leaves were stamped on an acetate window sheet with Stazon Black ink. Let the ink completely dry before you begin painting. 

You'll need three small containers to mix the Crystal Effects with each of the reinker colours.  Simply mix a small amount of Crystal Effects with a couple of drops of re-inker until the desired colour is reached. Using a paint brush pick up some of the mixture and paint it on to the stamped image side of the window sheet. Use a dabbing motion as opposed to a stroking motion to fill in the flower or leaf images and make sure all the acetate in the design is
covered.  Try to stay in the lines and not overlap outside of the image. 

Once you've painted all the acetate images and you're happy with the paint coverage sprinkle Dazzling Diamonds Glitter over the wet surface.  Shake off any excess glitter and set aside to dry completely (this will take some time and don't try to dry with your heat gun or you'll warp the acetate).  

Once the images are completely dry, then cut them out with scissors.  
finally, attach the flower and leaves to the front of the gift card holder with dimensionals.  

Make sure when you're painting the images that the paint is thick enough and bold enough that you wdn't see any gaps through the acetate. When it's finished all you should see is the colour and glimmer of the glitter as per this closeup.

So here's one last look at the finished card.  Believe me the pictures just don't do the card justice.  In real life the colour is just dancing off the images.  


I hope you enjoyed these projects.  Leave me a comment if you like this one and the instructions.  You'll find it a very simple and fun technique and it really delivers that WOW factor that so many of us love!   I'm so happy Cheryl taught us how to make these. 


Here are a few more Joyful Christmas creations from other Stampin' Up! Demonstrators and Publications:

On Saturday, November 2, a variety of projects created by Stampin' Up! demonstrators Anne Granger and Susan Bruyn were posted on the Scrapbook and Cards Today on-line magazine, using the Joyful Christmas Stamp Set. They are in the Stampin' Up! Saturday section on the right hand panel of the on the Scrapbook & Cards Today blog.  Here's the link: http://www.scrapbookandcardstodaymag.typepad.com 
.  
Joyful Christmas Gift Bags


This beautiful gift card set by Sandra Hanedamian and Amelia Amador of www.morethanstamping.blogspot.com is called Bedazzled Poinsettia.




Happy St. Patty's Day!

Rainbows, a Pot of Gold, Leprechauns green beer and shenanigans are all part of celebrating St. Patty's Day on March 17th. I have a sma...