Nutz about Stamping

See how one image can be the focal point and background image

Today's card is simple. But it is also very pretty in its design. 

This card uses so few supplies too which makes it a great notecard idea. All you need is:

• The Enjoy the Moment stamp set:
  
• Two colors cardstock: Old Olive and Very Vanilla
• One ink pad: Old Olive
• One super cute embellishment!
  
  
  
  

Supplies:

• Stamp Sets – Enjoy the Moment (154452)
• Card Stock – Mossy Meadow(133676); Sahara Sand (121043)
• Stamp Pads – Mossy Meadow (147111); Memento Tuxedo Black (132708)
• Misc. – Ladybug Trinkets (154299); Mini Glue Dots (103683); Stampin’ Dimensionals (104430); Paper Trimmer (152392)

Measurements: 

• Mossy Meadow Card Stock: 8 1/2” x 5 1/2” scored at 4-1/4”    2-1/2” x 3-1/2”
• Sahara Sand Card Stock: 2-1/4”  x 3-1/4”         

Instructions:

1. Use Mossy Meadow ink to stamp the pod and seeds images randomly from the top left corner to the bottom right corner of the front of the Mossy Meadow card. Also stamp one pod on the Sahara Sand panel.
2. Stamp greeting in black under the pod image on the Sahara Sand panel.
3. Adhere Sahara Sand panel to Mossy Meadow layering piece, then attach to front right side of card with dimensionals.
4. Use mini glue dots to attach ladybug to card front.

Easy right? Ready to give it a try? Click on the stamp set or Ladybug image above to place an order at my online store! 

How to make a beautiful watercolor background on your cards

Mother's Day will be here before you know it and I have a great idea for you to try. I am going to show you how to create a beautiful watercolor background for a Mother's Day card. This idea will also work well for birthdays, friendship and anniversary cards. 

 

Here's what you need to make this beautiful watercolor background. If you want to order any of these products from me, click on the photo of the product to head over to my online store. 

 

1. Fluid 100 Watercolor paper:

Fluid 100 Watercolor Paper is a thick paper designed especially for watercoloring. Cold-pressed, archival cotton paper. Natural white color with subtle texture. 10 sheets in a pack.

 

2. Water Painters:

 

 

You get 3 Water Painters in one pack: 1 fine tip, 1 medium tip, 1 large flat brush tip. 

 

3. Forever Flourishing dies: 

 

 

4. Pierced Blooms dies: 

 

 

5. Timeless Tulips stamp set - love the phrases in this set, don't you?

 

Here's my card:

Here's what you need to make my card. And don't miss my video tutorial below! 

Stamp Set: Timeless Tulips

Ink: Rococo Rose, Blushing Bride

Paper and cutting dimensions:
        Mint Macaron: 8 1/2" x 5 1/2"; two pieces 3" x 1 1/4"
        Just Jade: two pieces 3" x 1 1/4"
        Fluid 100 Watercolor paper: 4" x 5 1/4"
        Blushing Bride: 2 1/4" x 1 3/4"; 1 1/2" x 1"
        Rococo Rose: 1 1/2" x 1"

Misc: Forever Flourishing dies (152714); Pierced Blooms dies (154312); Water Painters (151298); Stampin' Cut & Emboss Machine (149653), Fluid 100 Watercolor paper (149612); Pearls Basic Jewels (144219)

Here's my video - thanks for watching. 

How to create a stunning art deco look with left over paper strips

Hi fellow crafters! Are you eager for yet another idea to use up all those left over paper bits you have lying around?

 

I am going to show you another paper strip technique that will help you use up lots of card stock to create an art deco style card.  Are you ready to learn how?

 

To create my paper strip elements I used my Art Gallery bundle:

A quality Paper Trimmer is also an essential tool for this project:

Using Adhesive Sheets helps to create each element in an easy step and ensures that each strip will hold fast:

To order these essential items for today's card, click on any of the photos above OR click here to hop over to my online stores:

USA: https://bit.ly/2DG39Cv

Europe: http://bit.ly/2jleaKo

Here's my Art Deco paper strip card. It is easiest to explain this technique through a step-by-step video so I created one and posted it below. Listen for my bonus tips along the way! 

 

Supplies: 

Stamp set: Art Gallery bundle #156227

 

Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black

 

Paper and cutting dimensions:

        Whisper White: 3" x 2 1/2" ; 2 1/2" square

        Gorgeous Grape: (3) 4" x 1/4" ; 4 3/8" x 3 1/8"

        Highland Heather: (3) 4" x 1/4"

        Purple Posy: (3) 4" x 1/4"; 8 1/2" x 5 1/2"; scrap for phrase

        Basic Black: 4 1/4" x 3"

        Mint Macaron: (3) 4" x 1/4"

        Just Jade: (3) 4" x 1/4"

        Pretty Peacock: (3) 4" x 1/4"

        Adhesive Sheet: 3" x 2 1/2"; 2 1/2" square

 

Misc: Paper trimmer #152392; Adhesive Sheets #152334; Stampin' Dimensionals; Multipurpose Liquid Glue; Playing with Patterns Resin Dots #152467; Silicone Craft Sheet #127853; Stampin' Cut & Emboss Machine #149653

 

Here's my video - thanks for watching! 

What would you choose for this week's easy card map layout?

I could not be happier with this week's Paper Craft Crew card map. Want to know why? Because this past weekend my Big Shot died. A violent death. I have nobody to blame but myself either. I used the wrong 'sandwich' for a thicker embossing folder and thought I could still squeeze it through the machine. Nope. It literally exploded! I heard this loud BANG as a bolt sheared off in half and flew across the room, kind of like a bullet! 

I thought I could still use my machine but clearly not. It is dead. I have to say it has lasted me 7+ years! And since it was my own mistake I forgave myself and ordered the Stampin' Cut & Emboss machine straight away. 

And then I realized that I had a card map challenge for the week and I always use my Big Shot for each challenge! Oh oh. So imagine my delight when I realized that I didn't need my Big Shot for this layout: 

 

And since the Annual Catalog is retiring soon (see my announcement here), I thought this was also the perfect chance to use up some of my products. You see that little banner strip on the card map? I thought right away that it could be a phrase so chose one out of my Art Gallery stamp set (not retiring but not sold as a discounted bundle in the next catalog):

Then for the squares I immediately thought of the Well Suited paper - it is definitely retiring so I had better get cracking on using it up. You see, I have seen the new catalog and its new paper packs. And I am in big trouble! 

If you want to order either or both of these products, click on one of the photos to link directly to my online store. 

Now for my card map, the rest was easy. Cutting some squares with my paper cutter and here is my final card:

What will you make with this week's card map challenge? Why not give it a try too? If you want to see what the other crew members created using the same challenge, click here to link over to the Paper Craft Crew site. 

Do you want to know how to create a large focal point on your cards?

I can show you how using this week's Paper Craft Crew card map challenge:

The main decision is around the large oval in the centre. I have the Ovals dies and the Stitched Shapes dies but for some reason I wasn't happy with those. So I decided to go rogue and use my Stitched Nested dies - the largest one would perfect for what I have in mind for my card:

 

I have had a lot of fun crafting with my Fine Art Gallery bundle lately so I decided to try it again today as the focal point on my card: 

I decided right away to use the large phrase on my card - instead of stamped images which I normally would choose. I love that you can have 'just want to say' on the outside and then save the inside for an occasion that arises.

I also decided to use some of my Fine Art Floral designer series paper as a layer, instead of a white background which might be pretty boring to look at:

The rest was pretty easy to put together. I also used my Pierced Blooms dies for the leaves - to match the pierced edges around the Stitched Nested die:

 

Gather all the above products and the card map challenge, and here's my card:

Ok all. Now it's your turn. What will you create using this week's card map challenge? Gather your products together and give it a try. If you want to see what the other design crew members created this week, click here. 

Want another fun idea for using up your leftover paper strips?

Hi fellow crafters! I am hearing that you want a second idea for those left over paper strips! This this video is for you.

I am going to show you another fun technique that will help you use up lots of strips of paper in a really fun way.  Are you ready to learn how?

 

Here are a few decisions to make in order to create today's card:

 

Choose five coordinating colors from your left-over paper. I chose: Bumblebee, Melon Mambo, Bermuda Bay, Pacific Point and Gorgeous Grape. You don't have to use 5 colors; you can use less. 

 

Choose an image to diecut - I used two different die packs - Pierced Blooms:

 

 

And I chose Floral Gallery, which is part of the Art Gallery bundle:

 

 

You can purchase the dies separately but I am not sure why you would want to!

 

There is one other essential to make this project super easy (and less sticky) - Adhesive sheets!

 

 

Once you have this small number of items ready to do, then you can create cards like this one!

 

 

Here's another view:

 

 

Supplies

 

Stamp set: none

 

Ink: none

 

Paper and cutting dimensions:

        Whisper White: 3 3/4" square

        Paper strips (5 colors): each 4" x 1/4"

        Basic Black: 3 1/2" x 5 1/4"

        Card base: 11" x 4 1/4" (10.5 x 21 cm)??

        Adhesive Sheet: 3 3/4" square

 

Misc: Paper trimmer #152392; Pierced Blooms dies #154312; Adhesive Sheets #152334; Floral Gallery dies #154216, Multipurpose Liquid Glue, Silicone Craft Sheet; Stampin' Dimensionals; Playing with Patterns Resin Dots #152467

 

Want to see step-by-step instructions for making this card? Watch my video below:

 

Learn how to use leftover paper strips to make a playful colorful card

Are you a paper hoarder like me? Do you keep every leftover strip of paper because you are sure you are going to use it someday? Well then today's project and video is for you!  I am going to show you a fun technique that will help you use up lots of strips of paper to make a playful, colorful card. Once you give this technique a try you will come up with all sorts of different ways to use up scraps! Are you ready to learn how?

 

Here's how to get started. Look through your paper strips/scraps and find up to five colors that work well together. For my card, I chose:

• Pretty Peacock
• Rococco Rose
• Seaside Spray
• Just Jade 

Make sure your strips are different widths and long enough to cover the Whisper White layer that they will be adhered to. If you don't have different widths, use your Paper Trimmer to create strips using your paper scraps. 

 

Then, think about the occasion you want to make this card for and think about a phrase for the front. For my card, I chose to use my Playful Alphabet dies. If you want to order them at my online store, click on the photo below: 

 

And that's it. This card is so simple and fun to create. Watch my video below for step-by-step instructions and some BONUS tips along the way. (Don't miss a second card idea shared as well!)

 

Stamp set: none

 

Ink: none

 

Paper and cutting dimensions:

       Whisper White: 4 1/2" x 3";  2 1/2 x 2"; 11" x 4 1/4" 

       Just Jade: 5 3/8" x 4 1/8"; scrap strips
       Pretty Peacock: 1" square; scrap strips

       Seaside Spray: 1" square; scrap strips
       Rococco Rose: 1" square; scrap strips

 

Misc: Paper trimmer #152392; Playful Alphabet dies #152706; Tasteful Labels dies #152886; Multipurpose liquid glue #154974; Just Jade 2020-22 In Color Ribbon #153261; Tear & Tape adhesive; Woven Threads Sequins Assortment #149498

 

Here's my video - thanks for watching! 

 

What three in a row would you choose? Let me show you my choice

I am a day late on our Paper Craft Crew challenge but am having such a busy week I had to forgive myself and hope you will too. 

But the challenge is so yummy I still had to create a card to share with you:

I love the three in a row on the background but tell me - what would you choose? I decided to dig through my paper stash to see what I had left over. I found this: 

My Dandy Garden paper pack! I haven't used this paper for a very long time - I have been completely distracted by Sale-a-Bration so now it's back to reality and using up more of what I have. 

So I chose three different, but coordinating, patterns for my background layers and then chose solids to match: Mossy Meadow, Bumblebee and Misty Moonlight. Yummy!

Then for the circle image I decided to use a circle (duh) and then add a punched dragonfly as an embellishment, using the Dragonfly Garden bundle:

When I stamped and punch it out, though, it felt a bit lost against the Bumblebee circle. So here's what I did. I punched a solid  dragonfly from Misty Moonlight cardstock and layered it underneath - with just a little peeking out. Sort of like a shadow? Perfect!

Here's my card:

And from a different angle:

Now come on - it's your turn. Give this card map challenge a try too - using what you have on hand. I bet you will love your card as much as I love mine!

 

Have you tried this easy trick for using your word dies?

It's an Art Gallery sort of week it seems. I love this bundle and so love to feature lots of ideas for those of you who have already purchased it from me.

When I first saw this bundle I was quite take with the large phrase. Funny, but in the past when I see a phrase die I usually avoided purchasing it and then regretted it when I saw so many cute samples using it. Do you do that too? 

So this time I thought: not going to happen again! I bought the entire product suite in the catalog and have had a blast since then. 

Here an easy trick when you have a large phrase die. Die-cut it out of your favorite card stock color and then cut it apart so that you can use it on more than one project. Or you can feature a bit of the phrase on a card - like here:

This card is actually very simple. If you don't own embossing folders (yet) then try a plain color strip of card stock. There are so many combinations of phrases in the Art Gallery stamp set so I hope you will have fun trying them all. 

Here's how to make this card at home. And if you want to see a completely different idea, using the entire phrase, watch for my Friday newsletter this week - I have a super cute project using the Art Gallery dies! (Not a subscriber yet? Join my mailing list on the right side of this blog!)

Supplies:

• Stamp Sets: Art Gallery Bundle - stamp set and coordinating dies (156227)
• Card Stock: Blushing Bride (131198), Terracotta Tile (150884), Old Olive (100702), Night of Navy (100867), Basic White (159276), Fine Art Floral designer series paper (154558)
• Ink: Poppy Parade (147050)
• Other: Stampin’ Cut & Emboss Machine (149653), Stitched Nested Labels Dies (149638), Fine Art 3/8” Ribbon (154561), Painted Texture 3D Embossing Folder (154317), Stampin’ Seal (152813), Stampin’ Dimensionals (104430), Paper Snips (103579), Multipurpose Liquid Glue (110755)

Measurements: 

• Blushing Bride: 8 1/2” x 5 1/2”
• Terracotta Tile: 5 1/4” x 4”
• Designer Series Paper: 5” x 3 3/4”
• Old Olive: 4” x 1”
• Night of Navy: 3 1/2” x 3”
• Basic White: 3 1/4” x 2”

Instructions:

1. Attach the designer series paper to the Terracotta Tile cardstock.
2. Wrap the ribbon over the front of the card, securing it on the back of the Terracotta Tile cardstock.
3. Emboss the strip of Old Olive cardstock and attach it slightly overlapping the ribbon as shown.
4. Attach these layers to the Blushing Bride card base.
5. Die cut the stitched label from the Basic White cardstock.
6. Carefully apply Poppy Parade ink to only the words “Are Lovely” from the image that says “You Are Lovely”. You could instead use a post-it note to mask off the word “You” when applying the ink. Stamp the words (Are Lovely) in the bottom right corner of the stitched label.
7. Using the Night of Navy cardstock, die cut the words “JUST WANT TO SAY”.
8. Use Paper Snips to separate the letters Y O U and use Multipurpose Liquid Glue to attach them to the stitched label as shown.
9. Attach the label to the card using Stampin’ Dimensionals.

Do you want to learn the secret behind the Mirror technique?

I am going to show you two different ways to achieve the mirror technique using your Silicone Craft Sheet and the super fun Hey Chick stamp set. Each way is super easy but one of them helps you be a little more precise.

I have seen this technique many times but never tried it myself until this week. Now that I know how easy it is, I will be looking for many more opportunities to give it a try. 

What is key for the Mirror technique is that you have the Silicone Craft Sheet:

You may have seen me use my Silicone Craft Sheet and Multi-purpose glue to assemble embellishments and prevent making a sticky mess. But did you know this Silicone sheet can help you make magic on your cards too?

 

The first way I show you the Mirror technique is using the Stamparatus:

 

 

I think this is a must-have tool for avid stampers because it helps you perfectly align stamp images, stamp multiples of the same project quickly and precisely, and get complete ink coverage. And in my video below I show you how to use the Stamparatus for the Mirror technique. 

 

As I have already written, I used my Hey Chick bundle for my card as well - this is such a fun set and one of the images is perfect for today's technique:

 

I used some of the dies to create fun elements on my card. Here's my card - I hope you will watch my video below and give the mirror technique a try:

 

 

Here's what you need to make this card at home. And if you want to order any of these fun products, CLICK HERE or on any of the images above to head over to my online store. 

Stamp Sets: Hey Chick (bundle, 158627

Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black

Stampin' Blends:  Poppy Parade, Smoky Slate, Mango Melody

Paper and cutting dimensions:

        Smoky Slate: 8 1/2" x 5 1/2; 3 1/4" x 1 1/2"; scrap for sign
        Basic Black: 4" x 5 1/4: 
        Whisper White: 2 1/2" x 3 3/4"
        Fine Art Floral: 3 3/4" x 5

Misc: Stamparatus (148187); Chick dies (158199) Fine Art Floral (154558); Adhesive Sheets (152334); Multipurpose Liquid Glue; Stampin' Dimensionals; Bumblebee Gingham Ribbon (153658)

Here's my video: 

Do you want beautiful blossoms that last forever?

You'll get them in the Pretty Perennials stamp set!

The flowers, leaves, and greetings make this set wonderfully versatile. Use bright, bold colors or soft pastels - either way your card will be gorgeous! 

 

Here's how to make this card:

Supplies:

• Stamp Sets – Pretty Perennials (154435)
• Card Stock – Very Vanilla (144237), Highland Heather (146986)
• Stamp Pads – Highland Heather (147103), Balmy Blue (147105), Pear Pizzazz (147104), So Saffron (147109)
• Misc. – Stampin’ Seal (152813), Opal Rounds (154289)

Measurements: 

• Very Vanilla: 5.5” x 8.5”, 5” x 3.75”
• Highland Heather: 5.25” x 4”

Instructions:

1. Score and fold larger piece of Very Vanilla cardstock in half to create cardbase, set aside.
2. On smaller piece of Very Vanilla cardstock, stamp “happy” in Highland Heather towards bottom right; stamp “mail” in Balmy Blue underneath
3. Ink largest flower in Highland Heather, stamp off on scrap paper then stamp onto cardstock (“second generation image”). Repeat, surrounding the words with 5-6 images.
4. Stamp smaller flower in Balmy Blue onto cardstock, varying first and second generation images, filling in spaces.
5. Add leaf image in Pear Pizzazz, continuing to fill in gaps as desired, varying first and second generation images.
6. Adhere this stamped cardstock onto the Highland Heather cardstock, then onto cardfront.
7. Add Opal Rounds randomly as desired.

Will you give it a try? 

How to layer paper to make a bright and colorful card

Do you ever look at a card map and know exactly what products you want to use for your next card? Although it doesn't happen often, that's happened to me this week. 

As soon as I saw this Paper Craft Crew card map challenge:

I knew immediately that I wanted to use my Art Gallery bundle:

And instead of a plain background layer I chose a colorful Fine Art Floral paper pattern:

Instead of a circular image on my card front, I chose a Whisper White stitched rectangle to help my flower image stand out. Add a phrase and ... it's done!

Do you want to see what the other Paper Craft Crew members created for this week's challenge? Click here. 

Today's the day to try the colorful chalkboard technique

Most of the time I only use basic black cardstock as layers on my card, are you the same? I love how it makes the layer on top stand out but it can be a stand out on its own too. Today's the day to try the colorful Chalkboard technique to use with your basic black card stock. It takes only minutes and results in a bright, colorful card.

Are you ready to learn how?

Confession: I have never tried this technique before because I thought it looked very complicated. Not at all! It is super easy and fun too. 

For my card I decided to use the Painted Poppies bundle because it has line art images in it. 

That is the most important tip for this technique: you need to use line art images (not solid images) or this won't work. I don't have many line art stamp sets because I love to stamp, layer, embellish and be done. But sometimes it's nice to mix it up a bit, right? 

So I chose the larger poppy image and the smaller leaf image, along with my white embossing powder and heat tool. Then I used my Stampin' Blends which made this technique pop! 

Watch my video below for step-by-step instructions! Here's my Painted Poppies Chalkboard technique:

Stamp set: Painted Poppies bundle (153827)

Ink: Versamark, Memento Tuxedo Black

Stampin' Blends: Granny Apple Green Combo Pack (154885); Poppy Parade Combo Pack (154958)

Paper and cutting dimensions:

        Basic Black: 5" x 3 3/4"
        Whisper white: 5 1/8" x 3 6/8" PLUS scrap for phrase,
        Poppy Parade: 8 1/2" x 5 1/2"
        Granny Apple Green card stock: 2" square

Misc: Heat Tool (129053); Multipurpose Liquid Glue; Mini Stampin' Dimensionals; Basic Pearls Jewels; White embossing powder (109132)

Here's my video, thanks for watching! 

 

Let your matching dies help you create playful elements on your cards

Have you ever looked at a card map and knew exactly which stamp set you wanted to use? That happened to me for today's challenge:

The only 'problem' is that then I needed to figure out what I would use to go with the Hey, Chick stamp set:

I am so excited that Stampin' Up! brought this set back into production, along with the new dies which makes card making a breeze. I decided right away to use Hey Chick but then, what of the other elements on this card? Hmmm. 

So I turned to the Chick dies to see what might work:

And look! The corn stalk would work for the 'branch' element. But the flower? That's when a fun idea struck me. What if instead of the star, I used a die-cut egg image? And that's just what I did. 

I also decided to stamp my phrase on the banner that is tucked behind all the card elements so I didn't have to sort that out somewhere else. 

Here's my card:

A few more pointers: 

• I stamped the chicken, colored the image with my Stampin' Blends (Poppy Parade, Mango Melody) and the die-cut it out
• I embossed the Mango Melody layer using my Old World Paper 3D embossing folder
• I added three Red Rhinestones to complete my card - they really sparkle, which you can't really see in my photo above

Why not give our card map challenge a try? If you want to see what the other design crew members created for this challenge, click here! Why not 'enter' your card into the challenge? We'd love to see what you made too 

How to create stunning background layers for your cards

Are you looking for a way to create unique backgrounds for your cards? Would you like to try something other than patterned or plain paper layers? In this video I am going to show you how to take a plain piece of card stock and transform it into a stunning background layer for your cards. This technique is super easy, fun and packs a real wow factor.  Are you ready to learn how?

 

To create this stunning background, choose an embossing folder. For my card, I chose the Hammered Metal embossing folder:

 

For this technique you are also going to need your Sponge Brayers - these are the prefect tool to apply color to your folders, as I will show you in the video below:

 

Next pick your colors for your card and some images to add to the front. I am so excited that Stampin' Up! brought back the Hey Chick stamp set (only for a short time) so of course I chose this bundle for my card. You can create fun, whimsical chicken families with the variety of images in the Hey Chick set. 

 

 

Here's my card: 

 

Here's what you need to make this card at home:

 

Stamp set: Hey Chick (bundle: 158190)

Ink: Soft Suede, Memento Tuxedo Black

Stampin' Blends: Smoky Slate, Real Red, Bumble Bee

Paper and cutting dimensions:
        Smoky Slate: 8 1/2" x 5 1/2"
        Whisper White: 3 3/4" x 5"; 1" x 5"; scraps for eggs and hen; scrap for phrase
        Bumble Bee: 5 1/4" x 4"

Misc: Hammered Metal embossing folder #150646; Sponge Brayers #141714, Stampin' Cut & Emboss Machine #149653; Multipurpose Liquid Glue; Mini Stampin' Dimensionals

 

Here's my video - watch all the way through for bonus tips and to see two other cards using different embossing folders with this fun technique. 

Did you hear the exciting news? Hey chick is back!

Yes, you read that correctly. Remember Sale-a-Bration 2017? Hey Chick was the most popular free choice of that year and everyone was so sad when the set retired. 

So what a shock to discover that it is back - and it's available today!

Ordering dates: 2 FEBRUARY–30 JUNE 2021

Even better (how can that be?) - it is back with matching dies, and check them out, such fun:

Hey Chick bundle #158627

If you already have Hey Chick, no problem: you can simply order the dies. 

Chick dies: 158199

Here's some fun ideas that you can make with this fun bundle:

Isn't the corn stalk so cute? 

Ready to order? Click here!