Sheltering Tree Stamp Set for FMS182

In my last post, I mentioned that we would be using the Sheltering Tree Stamp Set from the Stampin’ Up! 2015 Occasions Catalog and the Scallop Tag Topper Punch for this month’s club card. Well, it has been a busy month for me and by Friday night I still hadn’t gotten my act together for club on Saturday. I needed some inspiration! Once I saw the sketch challenge from Freshly Made Sketches – “EUREKA!” I knew that was it. Try as I might, I was unable to incorporate the Scallop Tag Topper Punch into the sketch. (Never fear, it will return because you know I love cards with tags!!) Now, back to business.

Rita, a member of the design team at Freshly Made Sketches, has come up with a beautiful “clean-lined” design. Here it is…

Now here’s my card...

The Sheltered Tree stamp set I am using is a photopolymer set which allowed for some “reverse image” stamping. What is “reverse image” stamping you say? Well, just that – reverse the image! Adhere the detailed image side of the stamp to the clear block and ink the flat side, or the reverse side of the stamp, which created this wonderfully full-blooming tree effect (affectionately nicknamed the blob effect at club). I used 2013-15 In Color Pistachio Pudding (really going to hate to see this color retire in June!) for the full bloom effect. Clean the stamp and adhere the flat side of the image to a clear block and ink the intended leaf image in Old Olive. Line it up with the “blob” and stamp. Turned out nicely. The color for the tree trunk is 2013-15 In Color Baked Brown Sugar (pause for sadness to fade again). The tree swing and bicycle is stamped in Early Espresso. The bicycle frame is stamped in Night of Navy.

I decided to use the stamp set’s signature sentiment, “Friendship is a sheltering tree.” I love the sentiment, and really love the font! To keep to the design of the sketch challenge, I masked the sentiment and inked in Baked Brown Sugar the word “friendship.” Although it is hard to see, the word is cut out using the smallest banner die cut, some quick sponging of Baked Brown Sugar around the edges, and affixed to the right side of the card just below the swing. The bow is created with 3 loops using the Crisp Cantaloupe Thick Baker’s Twine. In this picture it hides the “flag” portion of the banner. Reversing the banner so that the flag pointed left instead of right would be a better choice.

To finish the card, I layered on slightly larger Pistachio Pudding card stock, layered again on Whisper White card stock (trimmed with a row of circles from the Painted Petals stamp set — my favorite Stampin’ Up! stamp set), and adhered to a Pistachio Pudding card stock base of 51/2 x 4 1/4.

If you would like specific dimensions and instructions to create your own card, please e-mail me and I will be happy to share them with you. And if you don’t already have a Stampin’ Up! demonstrator, it would be my honor if you selected me to help you in your future creations!

Stamp on!

Sandy

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Saturday Punch Art Projects

Today was a busy day. Lots to do, but still not too busy to squeeze in some stamping and crafting with Andrea and Stephen.  No set plan is the best kind of stamping.  I made a couple of birthday cards.  Andrea has been surfing Pinterest and found a couple of a cards that she wanted to try to replicate.  With great results I might add.

The first card was a little tricky. Quick thinking, Andrea used her own flip flop to create a pattern and then cut the pattern down to size to fit a standard 5 1/2  x 4 1/4 card front. Using some scrap DSP, she cut out two flip flops (one in reverse learned the hard way), laced up some ribbon and set it on a stage of pretend sand. Let’s head to the beach!  (And check out the quality of that photo staging!)

The second card was a real treat! Three circles using the scallop circle punch for the ice cream scoops, a half oval for the dish and a half circle for the bottom of the dish. Looks good enough to eat, right?

Check back soon and I will post pictures for this months’ stamp club. The initial plan is to use the new Sheltering Tree Stamp Set introduced in the Occasions Catalog and a project using the Scallop Tag Topper Punch.

Stamp on!

Sandy

You Plus Me Stamp Set for Valentine’s Day Reboot 2.0

It’s Saturday morning. So far so good with my second promise to blog more regularly; and my promise last weekend to share a second card for Valentine’s day using Stampin’ Up! You Plus Me stamp set.

This one is really simple to make. (Although last week’s card was simple, it may have been a little more complicated than it looked because the string of teeny tiny hearts can be rascals to glue back to back!) Besides purchasing the You Plus Me stamp set, you will need: Whisper White card stock (CS) base (5 ½ by 8 ½, scored at 4 ¼), Whisper White CS for the sentiment (approx. 2x3 and die cut from Chalk Talk Framelit), Real Red Classic Ink, a 2” strip of the XO paper from the Stacked with Love Designer Series Paper Stack, 5” Real Red ¼” Cotton Ribbon, and Red Glimmer Paper punched using the new Sweetheart Punch.

Quick Tip #1 – It’s all in the details! When cutting the 2” strip of the XO paper, don’t worry about it being exactly 2”, but it must be at least 11 rows of XO or the “white” of this card will take over.  I love my Stampin’ Trimmer because it makes cutting paper precisely so easy. If you don’t have a Stampin’ Trimmer, KNOW your paper cutter. Instead of 11 rows, I wanted the cut to run through the center of the XO row. Just remember whichever way you decide to cut, this strip of paper needs to be at least 2” or else the white on white will take over the card.

Quick Tip #2 – I find it is easier to ink and stamp the You’re Sweet sentiment first and run through the Big Shot second, but if you prefer to line up the sentiment after it is cut that’s okay. The next part is really the trickiest part, cutting the slit on both ends to string the ribbon (ribbon runs behind the sentiment). The sentiment barely fits this shape but this is the shape I wanted, and the look I wanted.  If you want to eliminate the slits from the sentiment layer, I would add Real Red candy dots to both ends of the sentiment, and adhere the sentiment on top of the ribbon with Stampin’ Dimensionals. This will help with the “white” taking over the card.

I hope this inspires you to get out your supplies and start stamping your Valentine a card this weekend!  Remember Valentine’s Day is next weekend!

Stamp on!  Sandy

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You Plus Me Stamp Set for Valentine’s Day

Here it is the first day of February and this is my first post of 2015. Already second guessing that new year’s resolution to be more committed to keeping everyone updated with my blog! Leave me a comment and let me know your paper crafting interests.

January club was held on Saturday the 17th. It was so good to see everyone and hear about their holidays.  We have a new club member, a recent transplant to the area who found us through Stampin’ Up. She is tried and true Stampin’ Up! She is a great addition to our group.

In addition to birthday cards, our focus was on Valentine’s day cards since February club falls on the Saturday after Valentine’s day. Here’s a picture of one of the two Valentine’s day cards we made.

The card is really simple to make. You will notice that we cut off the right side of the front of the card to showcase the white hearts on black designer paper from Stacked with Love Designer Series Paper Stack. The three (3) hearts strategically aligned along this “shortened” front are created from a truly handmade DSP using the Stripes Mask and punched with the Sweetheart Punch. In creating the DSP, I used the aqua painter and Crisp Cantaloupe Reinker on Whisper White cardstock, carefully turning the Stripes Mask to create the gingham look. (Everyone should write Stampin’ Up! to tell them to never retire the Stripes Mask. I LOVE IT! And you will too.)

The “Be Mine” sentiment is from the You Plus Me Stamp Set, I broke up the sentiment on two hearts punched from the smallest heart die in the Hearts Collection, and the tail of hearts are from the “scraps” of the handmade gingham DSP punched with the small heart in the Itty Bitty Punch Pak linked using Linen Thread, with small pieces of Linen Thread tied in a simple knot between each. I don’t think you can tell from the photo, but the Linen Thread is run between two hearts back-to-back using simply Snail Adhesive (I didn’t want to deal with excess glue on the small hearts).

Just a couple of strips of coordinating Stacked with Love Designer Washi Tape for the finishing touch.

I will share another Valentine’s day card soon so that you have a couple of options.

Stamp on!  Sandy

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Festival of Trees and Endless Wishes Stamp Sets Make this Festive Holiday Card

I hope your holiday has been great so far. The new year is just another day away. Better brush up on your new year’s resolutions!

My new year’s resolution this year is to be more active in blogging about my love for stamping. I am starting today! As you know, I am a Stampin’ Up! demonstrator. I have grown my base group of fellow stampers from one monthly workshop to a second group that meets every other month. They are a great group of people and have a special place in my heart.

Today, I want to share with my virtual followers the holiday card I created this year using Stampin’ Up! Festival of Trees Stamp Set from the Holiday Catalog (HC p. 24; note the bundle includes the Tree Punch). I decided to use a non-traditional green for the holiday trees on my card. The design needed to be simple in order to make multiple cards and, although it was fairly simple to put together, they turned out beautiful.

The color scheme is Pear Pizzazz from the Subtles Collection and Lost Lagoon from the 2014-16 In Color Collection. Feel free to save this color scheme for future inspiration.

These colors coordinate perfectly with the All is Calm Specialty Designer Series Paper from the 2014 Holiday Catalog (HC p. 22).

Stampin’ Up! identifies the colors that coordinate with the DSP in both the catalog and on the packaging. This is a great idea for planning purposes – and for your future projects – taking the guesswork out of color coordination. 

I prefer to use Whisper White for the base of my cards when I have a “heavy” card front so that I don’t have to add another layer to the inside of the card for the sentiment. Another layer might have tipped the scale on the postage meter which is not a good thing when the mailing list is long.

If you are not able to tell from the photo, the center tree is stamped and snipped separately from the others. I used the Tree Punch from the Holiday Catalog (HC p. 24) to speed up the process due to the number of cards I was making, but you can stamp and snip one just as well. The individual tree is lifted up from the card with Stampin’ Dimensionals. No punch necessary for the tree stand - a couple of straight snips will do if the images are stamped side by side alternating right-side up and right-side down on a 1/2” strip of Whisper White card stock. The photopolymer stamps make lining images up so easy.

Front of Card Sentiment:  I tried to change up the sentiments for variety. Sometimes I stamped the sentiment directly on the main image (see the square “very merry” card), or sometimes I stamped on the strip of DSP (see the circle “celebrate the season” card). Small changes that personalized each card! So simple.

Finishing touches:  I alternated between a Lost Lagoon 3/8” Silky Taffeta Ribbon (HC p. 22) bow or the Frosted Sequins (HC p. 22) with a 4 mm rhinestone from the Rhinestone Basic Jewels (AC p. 209) adhered to the 1/2" strip of Lost Lagoon behind the main image. The star that tops the lead tree is punched from Silver Glimmer Paper (AC p. 193) using the Star Punch from the Itty Bitty Accents Punch Pack (AC p. 222).

If you need the dimensions for the cuts, I would be happy to furnish detailed instructions. Just send me your request via email.

Please remember that there is only a short time left for ordering from the Holiday Catalog, or the Clearance Rack with up to 80% discounts on retired or about to retire product – January 5 is the last day! I noticed this morning that there are only a couple of items on the backorder report so put your order in today. Do not delay another minute. As always, I would be honored if you selected me as your demonstrator on your online order. You can find the online store through my Stampin’ Up! website (URL below).

Happy Holidays!  And see you next year.

Stamp on!  Sandy

PS: Check back on January 6th for news and updates regarding Sale-A-Bration and the release of the Occasions Catalog (formerly known as the Spring Catalog).

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Time to Start Thinking About Those Holiday Cards

The holidays are right around the corner, but I am not nearly ready to get started. I will tell you who is ready – my friend and neighbor – and our guest stamper today. I won’t reveal her name, but she will know that this post is all about her!

This Saturday was our regular stamp club, and we made birthday cards, thank you cards, and cards welcoming fall, but my friend wanted to dive right into holiday card making. She has been regularly searching and posting her finds on Pinterest and this Saturday was her opportunity to get down to business--some card making business.

Her first card is this adorable snowman card crafted from three circle punches on the right edge and topped with a whimsical hat. Check out that scarf too!

Now, her second card is a real work of art! The card uses designer series paper with holiday designs on both sides and the inside of the card opens with a reverse-fold insert and a window to the stamped holiday sentiment. Isn’t this cool!

I hope these cards helped put you on track to designing your holiday cards.  Thanks for visiting.

Stamp on!  Sandy

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Let Your Hair Down Stamp Set - Clean and Simple Birthday Card

I recently needed a birthday card that was ready to go in a jiffy.  I went straight for the Let Your Hair Down Hostess Stamp Set.  And, have you noticed that I am incorporating a lot of tags for the card fronts?  They really simplify the card-making process.  The new tag toppers – Scalloped Tag Topper Punch and Angled Tag Topper Punch – make it even easier, however, for this card, I created my own topper with an angle cut to both top edges of the rectangle piece of Bermuda Bay Card Stock to eliminate the ribbon slot.

I inked the namesake sentiment using Bermuda Bay Classic Ink, and cleared off the ink from the words “birthday” and “hair” with the corner of a baby wipe, re-inking those words using my Strawberry Slush Stampin’ Write Marker.  It is stamped on the Whisper White card stock, purposely lined up close to the right edge in order to punch the left side with the Spiral Border Edge Punch to give the appearance that the sentiment was ripped from a spiral notebook.

The Chevron ribbon piece is simply stapled to the top of the tag and the staple is hidden with a stack of butterflies, solid Bermuda Bay card stock punched with the Elegant Butterfly Punch, and the image from the Papillon Potpourri Stamp Set and punched with the Bitty Butterfly Punch.  A single Rhinestone in the center of the butterfly body was the finishing touch, but I took the picture before that happened.  Oopsy!.

The background is a 5” x 3 3/4” piece from the Confetti Celebration DSP – I love this fun DSP – and layered on a 5 1/4” x 4” piece of Bermuda Bay card stock.

If you are in need of exact measurements, please sign up to follow my blog and I’ll send the card recipe to you for free.  Or send your request to my email address.

Stamp On!  Sandy

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Polka Dot Pieces Stamp Set and Bird Builder Punch

After last month's club, I felt like we should get back to some old-fashion stamping.  I think you will like this one, especially the color scheme of 2014-16 Lost Lagoon, Calypso Coral, and Crumb Cake.

Polka Dot Pieces Stamp Set (AC p. 139) is a great combo stamp set that includes images that coordinates with Stampin' Up! punches, like several scallop circle punches, 1 3/4" and 1 1/4" (flowers, easy), the Elegant Butterfly Punch (makes butterflies, easy peasy), and the Bird Builder Punch (makes the bird, real cute too).

And the sentiment makes an awesome stem! (Sorry, Mrs. Hinni - my favorite English teacher - i. I had to start this sentence with an "and" because it needed it.)

The flower is built on a layer of Very Vanilla card stock, then a layer of Lost Lagoon card stock trimmed with the scalloped edge punch, a layer of Crumb Cake card stock trimmed with the scalloped edge punch, and adhered to a card base of Very Vanilla card stock, again, trimmed with the scalloped edge punch.  It is not very clear in this photograph, but with the front of the card trimmed with the scalloped edge punch, the inside of the card shows through and is trimmed with a piece of coordinating Flowerpot Designer Series Paper.

Finishing touch in the bottom right corner is the coordinating ribbon --- 3/8" Stitched Satin Ribbon in Lost Lagoon.

Let me know how you like this card.  If you need any of the supplies to make this card, I would appreciate it if you would select me as your Stampin' Up! demonstrator.  Visit my online store at sandee904.stampinup.net.

Sandy

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St. Louis Cards and Stamping Definitely Go Together

Wow, I can't believe it has been more than 2 months since the last time I posted!! Sorry for the delay.  It has been really busy, but 2 months?  Anyway...

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This month’s club card is a tribute to my favorite baseball team – St. Louis Cardinals.  Go Cards!!

Converted this regular, but really cute bird from Stampin’ Up! bird builder punch, into my favorite red bird.  I think you will see that I snipped a piece from a second punch of the wing in Real Red Card Stock for the tuft of feathers on his head, and a couple of separate punches of the tail feathers for fluffier tail.

The fence is made from strips of Whisper White Card Stock.  I ran it through the Big Shot using the wood grain embossing folder to give it that real wood, whitewash look.

The birdhouse on top of the fence post is made from a small, rectangle piece of Whisper White Card Stock, with scraps leftover from the fence for the roof and the door is the new itty bitty heart punch.


Looks good.

Stamp On!  Sandy

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Happy Mother's Day - My Mother Stamp Set

April Stamp Club was reserved for making Mother’s Day cards. I had already posted the card my sister Cindy designed back in February using the My Mother Stamp Set for the Spring Catalog. I think you will remember it – she used the masking tape technique for adding the splashes of color. I put together packets for making her card. Beautiful.

I created a separate Mother’s Day card using the same stamp set. It is a top-fold card with a diagonal cut on the front to showcase the insert – a sheet from the Fresh Prints Designer Series Paper Stack (also available in the Spring Catalog); trimmed using the Scallops Framelit. Trim the DSP piece 1/4+” (which means, mathematically, a “smidge” more) to just fit within the 4 1/4" x 5 1/2" frame of the base card and adhere the scrap piece you have just created for the left edge of the card, trimming the excess for a perfect fit. Also, I punched 2 scallop circles in Pool Party and Real Red to separate the totally awesome flower made with the new Spiral Flower Originals Die (seriously, you need to buy this – AND the Fringe Scissors!). And, there are a couple of sprigs from the Bird Builder Punch. I hope you like this card; it was fun to make.

Oh, and the paperclip was created using another another piece of the scrap, wrapped around the top end of the clip and (hard to see) snipped with a flag trim on the end.

Couple of points I wanted to make once you see the picture.  1) The color is totally off in this picture.  It looks like the base card could be a gray, or even white, but it was Pool Party to coordinate with the DSP.  2) I added a "tail" to the back of the card in order for it to "stand" on its own.

We also made some birthday cards with the Happy Watercolor Stamp Set, Springtime Hello Stamp Set and Vivid Vases Stamp. There was something for everyone!

Stamp On!  Sandy

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