Nutz about Stamping

Want to add a wow factor to your cards?

Do you want to add a wow factor to your cards? Well in today's project (and step by step video), I am going to show you the Basket Weave technique. It's easy and guaranteed to wow your friends and family. 

To create an element and phrase for my card I chose the new Art Gallery bundle:

Inspired by impasto paintings, the floral images in the Art Gallery set can be used to create a variety of different cards. What are impasto paintings you ask? Well I had to ask The Google about this term:

"Impasto is a technique used in painting, where paint is laid on an area of the surface in very thick layers, usually thick enough that the brush or painting-knife strokes are visible. Paint can also be mixed right on the canvas. When dry, impasto provides texture; the paint appears to be coming out of the canvas." (Wikipedia) 

Pretty cool right? 

Here's my Art Gallery Basket Weave card:

Here's a photo with a different angle:

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

Stamp set: Art Gallery (bundle, 156227)

Ink: Misty Moonlight

Paper and cutting dimensions:
        Seaside Spray: 8 1/2" x 5 1/2"; 4 strips: 1/4" x 5" 
        Misty Moonlight: 5 1/4" x 4"; 4 strips 1/4" x 4"
        Whisper White: 3 3/4" x 5"; 4" x 3 1/4 (for flower and phrase)

Misc: Multi-purpose liquid glue; Mini Stampin' Dimensionals; Elegant Faceted Gems (152464); Stampin' Cut & Emboss Machine (149653)

Here's my video, showing you 10 easy steps to create my beautiful Basket Weave card. Watch for my bonus tips along the way. 

 

You will have so many hours of crafting fun with these

They came, they came! I have been waiting for the Pierced Blooms dies to arrive so that I could craft using them. And they arrived this week. 

From the moment I saw them in the Mini catalog I knew I had to have them. Why? Because:

• they stand alone without the stamp set
• they can be used for so many different projects
• there are die cut flowers in several sizes, complete with stitching details, plus the leaves and centres to go with them.

I think the stitching details are the crowning touch to these flowers and leaves. And think of all the possible combinations! 

I know I will have hours of crafting fun using these dies and so when I saw this week's Paper Craft Crew challenge I knew exactly what I would make. 

This is a simple layout that not only let me feature the Pierced Blooms dies but also my new Paper Blooms designer series paper:

I used two patterns of the paper along with three Pieced Blooms flowers to create my card (the phrase and die belong to the Art Gallery bundle): 

Now it's your turn! See what you can create using this week's card map. If you want to see what the other design crew members made, click here to head over to the Paper Craft Crew website. 

See how 3 simple dragonflies make a beautiful card

This is such a fun Paper Craft Crew card map, isn't it? And for the first time in a long time, I didn't even blink when I saw the triangles (which I would normally do, ha). I knew right away that I wouldn't be using triangles - they are simply three images on the card front, rather than shapes. 

I wanted to create a card using one of the new Mini Catalog bundles and decided to use my Dragonfly Garden bundle. Imagine yourself in an idyllic garden, surrounded by lovely meadow flowers and watching dragonflies elegantly fly by. The Dragonfly Garden set captures the tranquility and beauty of this scenery. 

I thought it would be fun to stamp and punch the larger dragonfly for my card front. Use 3 dragonflies instead of triangles! And to coordinate I chose to use a strip of the Dandy Garden designer paper - I love the colors and designs in this paper. 

You'll see dragonflies, bees, foliage, and more in the paper designs --all guaranteed to bring a natural look to your projects.

Here's my card - clean, simple and gorgeous! 

Do you want to see what the other design crew members created using the same card map challenge? Click here! 

And I hope you will give this map a try at home too - using what you have on hand. 

See how to add a touch of sparkle to your cards

Today's card introduces a brand new bundle from the Jan-June Mini Catalog, called Dragonfly Garden. This bundle (with a dragonfly punch!) is part of a much larger suite: Dandy Garden (pages 24 - 27).

If you don't have your catalog yet, keep watching your mailbox. It should arrive any day now - for those of you who placed an order with me in the past six months, that is. The rest of you will have to wait until it goes live on 5 January; then you will be able to download a copy to your device!

I predict that this bundle will be a HUGE hit when the catalog goes live on 5 January. And to get you all excited here's one fun card idea - easy but beautiful!

I suggest you save this blog post for when your bundle arrives so you can make this card at home too. And check out the second photo below, showing you a close-up of the dragonflies.

Supplies:

• Stamp Sets – Dragonfly Garden (154411)
• Cardstock – Seaside Spray (153080); Whisper White (100730); Basic Black (121045)
• Stamp Pads – Seaside Spray (150883), Tuxedo Black Memento (132708); Misty Moonlight (153118)
• Misc. –Paper Trimmer (152392); Dragonflies Punch (1542490); Lovely Labels Pick a Punch (152883); Stamping Sponges (141337); Seaside Spray Stampin’ Blends Combo Pack (154901); Misty Moonlight Stampin’ Blends Combo Pack (153108); Wink of Stella Clear Glitter Brush (141897); Mini Stampin’ Dimensionals (144108); Stampin’ Seal (152813)

Measurements: 

• Seaside Spray: 5 ½” x 8 ½” (scored at 4 ¼”)
• Basic Black: 5 ¼” x 4”
• Whisper White: 5” x 3 ¾” (2 pieces)
• Whisper White: 2 ½” x ¾”

Instructions:

1. Fold the Seaside Spray cardstock in half on the scored line.  
2. Attach the Basic Black cardstock to the front panel of the card.
3. On one of the pieces of Whisper White, stamp the more filled in dragonfly image 3 times with Tuxedo Black Memento ink, as shown.
4. Sponge the edge of this piece of Whisper White with Seaside Spray ink.
5. Attach this stamped and sponged white cardstock to the front of the card.
6. On the other piece of Whisper White, stamp the same dragonfly image 3 times (leaving enough room to punch it out) with Tuxedo Black Memento ink.
7. Stamp the saying with Misty Moonlight ink on the small piece of Whisper White.
8. Punch both ends of the saying with the Lovely Labels Pick a Punch.
9. Sponge the edges of the saying using Seaside Spray ink.
10. Colour in the dragonfly images using the Blends markers.
11. Punch out the dragonfly images using the Dragonflies Punch.
12. Attach the butterflies, using dimensionals to the front of the card, over top of the stamped images. Only put dimensionals near the centre of the dragonfly so that you can slightly bend up the edges of the wings after you have attached them to the front of the card.
13. Attach the saying to the front of the card with dimensionals.
14. Add Wink of Stella to the dragonfly’s wings.

Here's a close-up photo of the dragonflies - I wish you could see the sparkle:

You need to see this super cute new stamp set

This week I have been itching to play with a new stamp set that will be available to you in January. So when I saw this week's card map challenge, I thought it would be fun to combine the old with the new. 

Introducing: Delightful Donkeys!

 

So playful, right?

The Delightful Donkey set will be available for FREE in January and February 2021, with a $50 (or €60) order at my online store. I had a chance to earn it for free too, with my new catalog pre-order. Two new catalogs are coming your way this month (the Sale-a-bration catalog and the new Mini Catalog January - June), and you can place your first order on 4 January! 

Now back to my card. I decided that if Delightful Donkeys was the 'new' on my card that I would then use some of my Poinsettia Place paper for the 'old'. 

I stamped and colored the donkey with my Stampin' Blends and then layered it onto a piece of Old Olive. The rest is easy to figure out. 

Here's my Delightful Donkey card:

Such fun! If you want to see what the other design crew members created using this week's card map challenge, click here. And why not give our challenge a try too? Combine some older products with some new products - you may be delighted with how your card turns out too!

Join the creative fun with this mystery stamping challenge

This past weekend I participated in something brand new for me - it is called Mystery Stamping. A bunch of Stampin' Up! demonstrators signed up for the challenge too which made it even more fun!

Here's how it works: someone volunteers to create the challenge for everyone to join. But. Nobody sees all the cards until the challenge is over and the challenge itself is step by step. 

1. Get ready - which is a list of everything you need *but not the basics, such as adhesive, bone folder, paper trimmer etc. We were told to grab a black ink pad, designer paper, a strip of foil or glimmer paper and a scrap of Whisper White or Very Vanilla
2. Clue #1 - is about getting your card base ready
3. Clue #2 - is about getting other sold pieces cut and ready
4. Clue #3 - used an embossing folder (your choice)
5. Clue #4 - tells you what to do with the designer paper
6. Clue #5  - has you being to assemble
7. Clue #6 - adding the foil strip
8. Clue #7 - creating a focal image and where to place it on the card
9. Clue #8 - stamping a phrase and placing it on the card

At that point everyone posts their final card so that we can see each other's product following the mystery steps. Super fun!

For my card I chose to use Mossy Meadow as my base and layer colors and then the World of Good designer paper for my main image. There is a pattern paper that has a large compass rose on it and I thought it would be fun to use one of those as my main focal image. 

For the stamp set I chose Forever Fern. I use the 'Hello' image from that set whenever I am not sure of the occasion I might need a card for:

To be honest I was really unsure about this whole idea and how my card might turn out. But I have to say, I LOVE it! 

What do you think?

Now that I know how to do a Mystery Stamping challenge, I would be happy to post one on my Facebook page. Would you like to join in? Leave me a comment to let me know. If I get enough people saying 'yes!' then I will organize one so you can join the fun too. 

How the colorful eclipse technique makes this card shine

Hello fellow crafters! Want to learn a cool technique? It's called the Eclipse technique. It's really fun and really easy and you can take this technique and apply it to any technique you wish to create. I am using the Snow Front stamp set and Playful Alphabet dies to make this colorful fall card.

I chose the larger tree image from the Snow Front stamp set for the focal point (feature) on my card. You can create tranquil scenes using Snow Front, whether it's cozy cabins with dainty deer or playful cardinals in a winter forest. This is a Two-Step Stampin’ set; it allows you to layer two or more images to create one final image with extra texture and dimension in the colors you want.

See the splatter stamp in the middle of the stamp set photo? That image is for leaves on your trees. So I used that stamp to add fall colors to my trees. Stampin' Up! has an entire color collection perfect for all colors, called Rich Regals:

For my card I chose: 

• Crushed Curry
• Pumpkin Pie
• Cajun Craze

I stamped the 'leaf splatter' image on my trees to create a colorful look. And then I used the Playful Alphabet dies to create the Eclipse look:

Here's a side view - can you see this well-disguised technique? 

 

Here's a video showing you how to create the Eclipse technique, with bonus tips on the way. Have a look and then give this fun technique a try!

 

 

 

 

How to do the fabulous watercolor wash technique

It is a rainy and miserable day here today so what better thing to do than learn a new stamping technique! Once you know this technique you can use it for a variety of occasions!

For my card I use the Tasteful Touches stamp set. From the moment I saw this set, I was smitten! 

I love the designs and phrase font - I think this set is so unique. 

For the Watercolor Wash technique you need to use Watercolor Paper as it has the weight needed to take lots of color and not shred or disintegrate. 

Our Fluid 100 Watercolor Paper is a thick paper designed especially for watercoloring. It is cold-pressed, archival cotton paper. I show in my video below how to create a watercolor wash, along with some bonus tips for your design. 

Here's my card:

Here's what you need to make this card. You can click on the stamp set and watercolor paper photos above to link directly over to my online store. 

Stamp set: Tasteful Touches (152662)

Ink: Gorgeous Grape

Paper and cutting dimensions:
        Gorgeous Grape: 8 1/2" x 5 1/2"
        Whisper White: 5 3/8" x 4 1/8"; 3 1/4" x 3 1/2"
        Watercolor: 3 3/4" x 5"

Other: Watercolor paper (149612); Stampin' Dimensionals; Snowflake Sequins (150443); Stitched Labels dies (146828); Stampin' Spritzers (126185); Whisper White Crinkled Seam Binding (151326); Fine Tip Glue Pen; Stampin' Seal; Clear Block; Stampin' Cut & Emboss machine, paintbrush

Here's my video - thanks for watching!

Feeling crafty? Let me help with a design challenge

This week's the Paper Craft Crew card map challenge is pretty easy and fun and I hope it helps you feel crafty. 

It sure did for me! I started off by choosing the paper strip and from that strip I chose my main card colors. The paper strip comes from the Plaid Tidings paper pack:

 

I absolutely LOVE this pack of papers because the colors are, in my mind, more masculine. Some plaids are even perfect for Halloween and Christmas. 

• Cherry Cobbler
• Melon Mambo
• Blackberry Bliss
• Shaded Spruce
• Pretty Peacock
• Bumblebee
• Pumpkin Pie

I chose Bumblebee and Rich Razzleberry as my main card colors. But then I was a bit stumped by which stamp set to use. After digging around in my crafting closet I spotted the Coming Home bundle and thought it might be kind of fun to use one of the houses on my card. 

It was fun making this card. I colored the house using my Stampin' Blends and then at the last moment, I added the 'congrats' phrase. 

Here's my Coming Home card - do you see the background stamp? Do you know what stamp set it is from? It is also from the Coming Home stamp set - but was designed to be 'smoke' coming from the chimney. 

Now it is your turn. Try the card map challenge for the wee using what you have on hand. If you want to see what the other design crew members created for this challenge, click here. 

How to add interest with the band stamping technique

Several Stampin' Up! demonstrators belong to a private group to share business tips, ideas and stamping techniques with each other - which is my favorite part! This week as I was cruising through the website I spotted the Band Stamping technique and thought I would try it as I was making a video tutorial - I figured we would learn it together! 

I chose to make a masculine card using the Beautiful World bundle - but you can choose what you have on hand and what kind of occasion you need.

BEAUTIFUL WORLD BUNDLE
$48.50

The other items you will need to this technique are listed below but basically you should choose three colors of the same family (such as greens, blues, yellows, purples, etc) and your Stamping Sponges. I cut my sponges into small triangles and then try to keep each triangle in the same color family. If you have some washi tape and grid paper this will come in handy too! I also highly recommend Grid Paper so that you can follow the lines on the paper and keep everything nice and straight. I explain more in my video below.

STAMPING SPONGES
$4.00

GRID PAPER
$12.50

Here's my card:

Beautiful World Band Stamping

Stamp set: Beautiful World bundle (154091)

Ink: Night of Navy, Balmy Blue, Misty Moonlight

Paper and cutting dimensions:
        Misty Moonlight: 8 1/2" x 5 1/2"; 2 1/3" x 3"
        Very Vanilla: 2 1/2" square, 5 1/4" x 4"; 3 x 1/1/4"

Other: Stitched Rectangles dies (148551); Stamping Sponges (141337); Whale of a Time Sequins (152461); Stampin' Seal, Mini Stampin' Dimensionals, Grid Paper (130148); Stampin' Cut & Emboss Machine, washi tape

Here's my video - thanks for watching!

Note: I have no idea what my iPhone did while I was filming but the video is quite small. I promise you can see the full technique on it, step by step!

7 great reasons why you should join my mailing list

Would you like TWO free crafting projects every week (no strings attached) using products featuring this seasonal (fall, Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas!) catalog...

or this Annual catalog?

Then subscribe to my free newsletters!

Every week I share a Mini Catalog or Annual Catalog project idea along with all the supplies that were used (including ordering numbers!) and a full set of step-by-step instructions. I also share tips, tricks, techniques and products I am nutz about. 

Why join my mailing list? Here are 7+ great reasons:

• exclusive card samples with photos and step-by-step instructions
• stamping techniques
• tool tips featuring brand new products or my all-time faves
• customer Q&A's - perhaps some you have been secretly asking too!
• information on upcoming classes with registration and payment links
• card maps and challenges
• special offers and surprises sprinkled in
• and much, more

If you are not on my mailing list and would like to be, here's what you do:

1. Look for the Join My Mailing List heading in the right column of this blog

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3. In a few minutes, check your email. I use a confirmed opt-in subscription process to guarantee that you do want to subscribe. Please watch your email and respond to the confirmation notice that you will receive.

BONUS: As a thank you, I will send a link for you to download three exclusive project ideas 

Let all your crafty (and crafty wannbe) friends and family members know about my free newsletters and subscribe today to let the stampin', scrappin' and paper craftin' fun ideas begin!

Here's a peek at a card I recently shared in one of my recent newsletters, using the Love of Leaves bundle:

How to send healing hugs to someone special

There are times when I breathe a sigh of relief when I see my weekly Paper Craft Crew card map challenge. And this week was one of those times. The map below is perfect for a beginning card maker but don't be fooled. You can also take the map and add sophisticated elements to take it to another level. 

I decided to start with the polka dot and build my card around this element. The polka dots could be something that I stamped, it could be a paper layer or it could even be a layer that I dry or heat embossed. 

I chose a strip of the Playing with Patterns paper - one that has polka dots on it. 

I let the colors in this strip of paper guide the colors for my card: Crushed Curry, Purple Posy and Whisper White. 

I decided that the smallest layer on my card would be a phrase. Digging through my stash for a vertical phrase, I spotted the lovely Healing Hugs stamp set. I stamped the phrase and then die-cut it out using the Stitched Nested Labels dies. This will make the phrase really stand out. 

I almost had the card ready to assemble and then at the last moment I decided to emboss the Crushed Curry layer using my Subtle 3D embossing folder. 

Here's my card:

Now it's your turn. Try this week's card map challenge and decide whether you will keep it simple or go all out. Whichever your choice, I am sure you will love what you create too! 

If you want to see what the other crew members created for this challenge, click here. 

How to create an unusual card layer

Today I am going to show you how to create a very unusual card layer for a friendship card that I am going to make using the Under My Umbrella stamp set. 

 

This set is such fun to craft with with its friendly phrases and fun images that can be combined to create colorful and playful cards. If you love to color these outline images are perfect for that. 

I also used the Playing with Patterns paper and I pulled my Stampin' Blends and ink colors to match the colors in the stripes: Night of Navy and Crushed Curry. 

Now that you have a basic idea of what I used to create my card, watch the video below to learn the special technique you can use to add a unique layer to your cards. As I say in my video, try your favorite dies once you learn the technique - it's easy and fun!

Under My Umbrella technique

Stamp set: Under My Umbrella (151518)

Ink: Night of Navy; Crushed Curry; Memento Tuxedo Black

Stampin' Blends: Night of Navy (154891); Daffodil Delight (154883)

Paper and cutting dimensions:
        Whisper White: 8 1/2" x 5 1/2"; 5 1/2" x 4 1/4"; 1 1/2" square
        Playing with Patterns: 3" x 1 1/4"; 4 1/4" x 3 1/2" 

Other: Stitched Shapes dies (152323);Playing with Patterns #152490; Mini Stampin' Dimensionals; Stampin' Seal; Snowflake Sequins (150443); die-cutting machine

Here's my video - watch for bonus tips along the way. 

 

You need to learn the fabulous color blocking technique

It's time to learn a new technique - or to try an oldie but goodie. I am calling it the color blocking technique because I am not sure if there is an official name - likely there an official name out there somewhere. 

To create your own card, there is a list of products and measurements below but I do want to feature a few necessary products:

1. 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
* 5" x 7" (12.7 x 17.8 cm)
* Acid free

2. Stamping Sponges - don't miss the tip in my video below about how to use these. 

 

The easy way to apply Stampin' Ink for a colored effect.

* 3 sponges
* 2-3/4" (7 cm) diameter

And that's it. Once you have these items you can create and re-create cards using this fabulous technique. 

To add a phrase to my card I used the Best Year stamp set:

And for embellishments and to die-cut the phrase I used my Painted Poppies bundle:

Here's my Poppy Parade Color Blocked card:

 

Stamp sets: Best Year (152568); Painted Poppies bundle (153827)

Ink: Poppy Parade; Bumble Bee; Flirty Flamingo; Memento Tuxedo Black

Stampin' Blends: Poppy Parade (154958), Basic Black (154843)

Paper and cutting dimensions:
        Cherry Cobbler: 8 1/2" x 5 1/2"
        Bumble Bee: 4" x 5 1/4"
        Watercolor: 3 3/4" x 5"; two pieces 2" x 1 1/2"

Other: Fluid 100 Watercolor paper (149612); Stamping Sponges (141337); Woven Threads Sequin Assortment (149498); Bumble Bee Gingham ribbon (153658); Stampin' Seal; Stampin' Dimensionals; Mini Glue Dots; die-cutting machine, washi tape

Here's my video - leave me a comment to let me know if you will try this technique and if you do, what three ink pad colors will you try for your card? 

 

Thanks for dropping by! 

The best color combinations for beautiful beach projects

This week our weather has been over the top {{HOT}} which makes me crave the beach. But right now there are too many people at the beach every day and I am a bit nervous hanging about a bunch of strangers when we are supposed to be keeping our distance from each other. 

So I have been creating a lot of beach-themed cards, like the one I posted on Wednesday. And that made me think that maybe you might be in a beach mood too. 

When creating beach projects, there are certain color combinations I would recommend:

Combination #1

These three I choose for basic beach elements: sky/water, sand and plants/trees. Sahara Sand, Old Olive and Balmy Blue are my most common go-to colors for this kind of theme. 

 

Combination #2

This set of colors are darker in tone. I love Crumb Cake with Soft Suede - think beach sand with palm tree trunks. Pacific Point is quite a vivid blue so use it sparingly, like on the lighthouse below. You can also use it to lightly sponge the sky - but only with a tiny bit of ink on your sponge:

Combination #3

This set of three colors created a more pastel look for beach cards. I love the soft look of this combo:

What are your top colors for beach cards or projects - leave me a comment to let me know - I might give your combo a try on my next beach card. Why not try your combo and make a card today too!