Saturday, May 26, 2007

Tutorial - Wedding Shower Card w/ Doodle This

Take the Stamp-A-Ma-Jig up a notch by combining stamp sets for a beautiful wedding card.
Supplies:
Stamps: Doodle This; Blooming with Happiness (Level 1 Hostess Set)
Ink: VersaMark; Cameo Coral
Cardstock: Barely Banana; Vellum; Whisper White
Accessories: Detail White Embossing Powder; Stamp-A-Ma-Jig; Tool Kit; Sponge; Basic Eyelets; 7/8" White Organdy Ribbon

Step-by-Step
Stamp the Doodle This image and the dress from Blooming with Happiness on your Stamp-A-Ma-Jig imaging sheet. Mask off the little curl on the top of the image that will be the skirt for your dress with a Post-It Note.



Line up your Stamp-A-Ma-Jig handle with the corner of the imaging sheet. Placing your stamp in the corner of the handle, take the imaging sheet away and stamp the Doodle This skirt.

Pour Detailed White Embossing powder on the image and heat until shiney. Detailed embossing powder is very fine and will heat up very fast - don't overheat.

Place the imaging sheet with the dress from Blooming with Hapiness over the embossed image. Place your mask under the imaging sheet to cover up the floral skirt.
Line up your Stamp-A-Ma-Jig handle and remove the imaging sheet - stamp the bodice of the dress. Stamp the phrase and emboss both.

Using a sponge and Cameo Coral Ink - sponge color on the back of the vellum.

Layer the vellum on the Barely Banana and Whisper White card base. Insert white eyelets in the top corners. I inserted them through all layers so I could insert the ribbon. I thought it would be too bulky to adhere to the card base if I only put them through the Vellum and Barely Banana layers.

Wa La - here is a close up of the finished card!

I love to decorate my envelopes to match my cards. Which bride-to-be wouldn't LOVE this card at her wedding shower???

Here's another card that I made using Iridescent Ice Embossing Powder - I don't like it as well.


I made this card with the intent of using it for my June Stamp-A-Stack class. It was a little too involved - definitely not for the beginner - a little too time consuming too. Have fun at home and give it a try!

Wednesday, May 23, 2007

Check out my Slide Show!

Meet Gus!

Nice picture of the cat - heh? Look below to see why he's sitting here!




He's perched right under the birdhouse!

I'm not much of a "cat person" - really prefer dogs - but this is a pretty cool cat. He sits on top of our neighbors garage waiting by their birdfeeder too. Once my hubby caught him actually "laying in" their birdfeeder! He's a house cat - used to belong to my step-daughter, but then she moved out and the cat stayed. She started letting him outside at a very young age and if you know cats - once they get to go outside - they are impossible to keep in! He's about 7 or 8 years old and terrorizes the neighborhood. He's super smart - I watch him look both ways before crossing the street and he lays around like he's a dog. Right in the middle of the floor, all sprawled out like he owns the place! How did I get going on this.....I guess I just wanted to share a really good picture.....

Gift Sets

There's nothing more thoughtful than a handmade gift. I made several of these Altered Clip Boards for Christmas gifts. For my daughter and 2 neices - I made the clipboard and a matching Paper Bag Album that they could fill with their own pictures. I went back in my photo albums to when these girls were babies, on up to the present to get 6 pictures to put on them. I punched the pictures and put them in smashed bottle caps. One of my neices said it was the BEST gift she had ever received! Both of these stamps sets - Girlfriends & Pocket Fun are retiring - don't make me tear up again!!!


I made this for my cousin....he's 14 and he thought it was pretty cool. I made it with his school colors and put the mascot name on it - Warriors.

This was made for a Christmas gift for my adorable niece!
This was made by my downline - Rachael. It has more of a vintage look to it and I think it was a gift for her mom - LUCKY MOM! Don't you LOVE our designer paper???


YOU CAN DO IT TOO!!!!

Go to this link: http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/resources/clipboard.php to see a step-by-step tutorial on making your own Altered Clipboard!

And this link: http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/gallery/showgallery.php?cat=5046 to see hundreds of samples! Step out of the box - do something on the "WILD SIDE" and have some fun! There's more to stamping than making cards and scrapbooking - use your supplies to make some personal, "touch someone's heart" gifts!

Free Standing Pop-Up Cards

I was going through my online photos and found some more cool stuff that I wanted to share with you!

But first - this is a picture of my step-son, Steven and his "then" soon to be bride, Kelly. He surprised her by coming home on leave from Bagdad a day ahead of the schedule she knew about!!!! And he brought her roses! How sweet is that!

Now on to the less important - cool stuff! I made these Free-Standing Pop-Up cards for an SU seminar in Wausau. The chicken one was a make-n-take. The possum one I demonstrated for about 100 other SU demonstrators - now that's nerve racking!!!! And the prego one I just made for fun. All three of these stamp sets are retiring this year - BOO HOO! I'm really gonna miss my chicken set!


This is a magnetic memo board that my customers got to make at a Stamp Camp. They LOVED it. It is made with sheet metal that I had cut and bent by a sheet metal company. It is covered with designer paper. I used super duty magnets behind the buttons and business card magnets cut up behind the words that are from the Word by Word background stamp. Lots of these were made as gifts - my step-daughter made them up for her bridesmaids as thank you gifts.

Family Photo Collage

This is a photo collage that I made to hang in my laundry room. I stamped up the matte with craft ink and embossed it with clear embossing powder. I purchased this frame at Sears last year on clearance for $9.99 - and YES - it sat in my laundry room between the washer and dryer all this time! I finally took the time to get it together - with the help of my darling daughter. I had her go on the computer and download photos to Walgreens for development - needed a little help in the "time" dept there! LOL.

Anywho - don't you love my paint job on the wall???? This is my favorite "remodeled" room in my big old house! I bought the wallpaper border and then used wide painters tape and rotated tape and wall...tape and wall...you get the idea. Then I took the bright colors from the border and sponged them in between the tape. I wanted this room to be really bright and colorful - it also doubles as the bathroom for the pool. Here's a close up of the same picture - because I know I would want to see this puppy in detail! This is most of my family - my daughter (Hailey), step kids (Steven, Stephanie & Anna), daughter-in-law (Kelly), hubby (Steve), our dog (Rudy), my grandbabies (AJ & Andi) and my parents. I think I will change the pictures in here every year to update! Well - based on how long it took me to get this together....maybe every 5 years or so - that's more realistic! LOL

Here's another one I made for my daughter-in-law as a going away present when she moved to Georgia. My step-son - Steven - served a year in Bagdad and came home to marry his sweetheart! I went around town and took pictures of people, signs and places that were a part of Kelly's life. She LOVED it!!!! And YES - there is a second set of Kelly & Steve Achesons! It's very confusing.





Monday, May 21, 2007

Left something out!

In the Acrylic vs. Rubber article - I need to thank www.blockheadstamps.com for their research and information.

Saturday, May 19, 2007

Big Blooms Class

The big blooms class was GREAT fun! All in attendance really enjoyed the cards and said they definately learned some new techniques and layouts - that's what I strive for! The Emerging Color was a BIG hit and Michelle said the Triangular Tri-Fold card was a lot easier than it looked!

Thanks to all in attendance - I couldn't do it without you ladies! Special THANKS to my downline Rachael who took over for me when my daughters' soccer tournament scheduled a Friday night game at the last minute!

These class cards are pictured in a post a week or so ago - below. We made a bookmark card using the perferator from the Cutter Kit; an Emerging Color technique card; a card that stands up like an easel; a triangular tri-fold card and a diorama card.



Strategic stamping by Amanda - did she get it just right?....YES she did!


Cheryl's always happy stamping!

Pat & Jean had a GREAT time!

Stampin' Divas Michelle and Lori hard at work!

Thursday, May 17, 2007

Rubber VS. Acrylic

This is some of the best information I've received from a fellow stamper on the difference between acrylic(clear) and regular rubber stamps. I copied and pasted this from www.blockheadstamps.com - they sell both kinds and give this information to help their buyers decide what to get. I know that a lot of clear stamp users store their stamps in CD cases - I wonder if they realize this actually contributes to the hardening process because of the light exposure. I'll take clunky wood and rubber any day!

Clear stamps are great tools, but they are not quite like rubber stamps. Here are some differences and tips for getting the best image and longest life out of your clear stamps.

Conditioning
*It is important that you condition clear stamps before your first use. Some people suggest using a fine grit sand paper but I find that using a standard pink eraser to scuff the surface is the best way to help your clear stamp hold ink. In their new state, clear stamps want to repell ink and you can actually see it pooling into little drops on the surface when you ink them. I've shown an example below to show the difference between an image stamped with a rubber stamp, an image stamped with a new polymer stamp and an image stamped with a polymer stamp that had been conditioned with a pink eraser.



Clear stamps are not designed to last as long as rubber stamps. Rubber stamps can last a life time if taken care of. Polymer stamps tend to either get gooey or harden as time goes on. This problem is exacerbated by sunlight, indoor lighting, oil based products, acetone and bleach.

Storage
Store your clear stamps in a light-free container, such as a cardboard shoe box. Even indoor light will discolor and eventually harden your clear stamps. These stamps are made of a light sensitive material because they are developed using a light process.

Using and Cleaning
Solvent based inks, such as StazOn, aren't the best choice to use with polymer stamps. The ink is very hard to clean off without their special cleaner. The StazOn cleaner can damage your polymer stamp. Baby wipes are a great method of cleaning polymer stamps. You can also use mild soap and water or alcohol. There are also cleaners made specifically to be gentle enough for use with polymer stamps.

Because polymer stamps are created using a developing process rather than created by pressing them into a mold, they can't be created with as much detail as rubber stamps. You won't notice much difference with bolder or simple stamps but there can be a considerable difference with highly detailed stamps. If you click on the image above to view it in more detail you'll see a very slight difference in detail on the zig-zag stitch stamp. The X stitch stamp is virtually the same.

We've had to modify some of our images when submitting the artwork to make clear stamps. You can easily see the difference in this high-detail floral stamp (below). The small detail dots in the rubber image couldn't be picked up by the photopolymer process so we had to enlarge all the lines on this stamp, make the stamp bolder and darker than the original.



All of the samples on this page were stamped using dye based Adirondack ink. The difference between a conditioned and unconditioned stamp would not be so obvious with a pigment ink such as VersaColor inks.

*Note: Some rubber stamps also need conditioning when new. Fine grit sand paper seems to work a little better than the pink eraser method for rubber. The stamps most likely to need conditioning when new are shiney and have a release agent left on them that needs to be sanded off.

Personal note from me - I have never conditioned my SU rubber stamps - they are of very high quality and I've never had a problem with them.

Wednesday, May 16, 2007

Favorites

Which retiring stamp set are you sad to see go?


Sunday, May 13, 2007

Convention Cards 2006




Poll

What's your favorite stamp set that's retiring?

Stampin' Storage

I've had a few requests about the storage that I use for my stamps and supplies. So here's where I spend a GREAT deal of time - The Dungeon of Paradise - as I like to call it!

Scraps oh glorious scraps.....I keep my scraps in drawers with their color familes - all the Rich Regals are in one drawer, Soft Subtles in another, etc. I also have a drawer for my white & black scraps and then another for the confetti colors and vanilla.


Our punches fit perfectly in the drawers too.

This is how I store my eyelets, brads, buttons and beads. Did you know that you are suppose to store your markers on their sides...so if you have them standing up - give em' a rest and lay em' down! These drawer containers are from Walmart and they work perfectly on my shelves...which by the way are also from Walmart - I only paid $28 for each bookshelf! SCORE!

This is how I store my paper. I got these containers at Walmart and I have 6 of them - one for each of our color groups - Rich Regals, Soft Subtles, Earth Elements & Bold Brights. Then I have 2 more containers for all the nuetral colors like Basic Black, Sahara Sand, Confetti White, etc.

Notice the wheels hanging from the ceiling. I bought trouser hangers and cut the rubber off the part you hang your pants on - our wheels fit perfectly on these.

This is how my stamping table looks 99.9% of the time. It's tough business trying to come up with all those cards....my philosophy is "a clean stamping table is an unused stamping table!"

Notice the space heater under the table...my basement doesn't have any heat ducts....it can get pretty darn frigid down there in the dead of winter! One of my darling step-daughter's bought that for me for Christams!

This is what the creative table looks like when I have a little bit of time to clean it off and start those juices flowing all over again!

Wednesday, May 9, 2007

Bummin about the Retirement List!

This was my stamp collection before the retirement list was issued May 1st.....It's also much nicer looking than usual! LOL

and NOW IT'S A GHOST TOWN down in the Dungeon of Paradise....this is all that I have left of my fabulous collection of stamps! I lost 112 stamp sets to the 2007 retirement. On the up-side - I can hardly wait for the new catalog to come!!!


I never used this set much - Sketch It - but this sure was a cute card!


The Pines set has been one of my old reliable for the hunting men in my life!



This is the 1st time I've ever used this set......now it will be gone!



What could we possibly replace Classic Pickups with? This is one of my very favorite man stamp sets!!!!! I'm going to miss this one tremendously!




My SWEET Pocket Fun.......


Buggies & Booties is such a GREAT classic baby stamp set....I don't think I can sell this one just yet!


My sweet little Fishy Friends.....how can I cope without you???? There are 1,888 card samples at www.splitcoaststampers.com for this stamp set. Soooooooooo saddddddddddddd.....


Oh Sporting Goods, oh poor Sporting Goods - I LOVE THIS SET!!!!! I used it more consistently than any other stamp set I have - soccer coach cards, basketball coach cards, volleyball coach cards, golfer boys in my life, football fans on my birthday list......such a sad farewell! Sniff, Sniff....

Blamy Breezes....I wanted to scrapbook my Panama Cruise with this set....now it's retiring!