Tagged: tools

August 23, 2012

Cotton Ribbon Flower Birthday Card

The Stampin’ Up! exclusive magazine for demonstrators is a wonderful source of inspiration. This past month it featured an article on stamping on ribbon using the new 7/8” Cotton Ribbon and the Border Banter stamp set, both on page 20 of the new Holiday Catalog. In the catalog you’ll see a candy box tied with the festive green stamped ribbon. Very playful and lovely!

My card uses the same layout and basic features of the stamped card found in the magazine. To create the ribbon flower, the ribbon is first stamped with Primrose Petals ink and ruffled in the middle and hot glued to a cardstock circle. Once the base of the flower was complete, I threaded a white twine bow into the clear Vintage Button and adhered that to the flower with glue dots.

The ‘make a wish’ greeting was also stamped on ribbon; this time using Black StazOn ink. A strip of Crochet Trim was affixed to the back of the ribbon and then the flag end was trimmed out with Craft Scissors. The Craft Scissors are wonderful and cut through ribbon and paper like butter!

A quick word about Craft Scissors and other tools – I used to think I was no good at baking cookies until I invested in long-lasting quality baking tools, like a baking stone and a cooling rack. When I started using the quality tools my experience with baking was transformed. Every batch was successful! Craft Scissors and other high quality Stampin’ Up! tools are invaluable in transforming your crafting experience into fabulous success!

The leaves are Little Leave Sizzlits cut outs. Using the tip of the Bone Folder, I creased the center of the leaves for a more natural look.

And finally, probably my favorite part of this card, the background! This background was featured in video #1 in the recent article 5 new Stampin’ Up! How-To Videos ! Starting with the Vintage Wallpaper Embossing Folder, I used a brayer to roll ink on one side of the open folder. Then I sandwiched the cardstock in the folder and gently rubbed the inked folder over the Primrose Petals paper. That’s it. Instead of embossing the card front I just used the folder to ‘stamp’ the paper creating this lovely background! Watch the video if you’re still trying to figure out what I did!

Try the new ‘stamping with an embossing folder’ technique. Order your cotton ribbon today and start stamping!

Enjoy! Julie

Shop 24/7 in My Online Store!

sweet essentials ribbon flower birthday card

Card Recipe:

Stamps: Sweet Essentials w-#126455 c-#126457, Delicate Doilies w-#122590 c-#122592

Ink: Primrose Petals #126858, Black Stazon #101406

Cardstock: Primrose Petals #126841, Summer Starfruit #126839

Extras: Vintage Faceted Designer Buttons #127555, Natural Cotton Ribbon #127844, Crochet Trim 118481, White Baker’s Twine #124262, Little Leaves Sizzlits #114511, Brayer #102395, Craft Scissors 108360, Vintage Wallpaper Folder #120175

May 16, 2012

Answering Your Questions

Q: When I open your website I’m asked to sign up even though I already have?

A: I don’t want you to miss out on specials and the extra projects I share in my newsletter, so there’s a sign-in box that pops up so you can add yourself to the mailing list. Once you’ve signed up you don’t have to sign up again, just click the ‘x’ in the right corner of the pop up and have fun exploring the many projects featured here. If you’re getting the box every time you sign in – I’m sorry. You shouldn’t be – but sometimes individual settings on a computer will trigger the box to come up every time. Again, just click the ‘x’ in the box to close it.

Q: I see they are reconfiguring the stamp pads, but are they eliminating the ink refills completely?

A: No. The ink refills that you see on the retiring list are for the craft ink pads that are being discontinued. The ink refills for the classic ink pads will continue to be available.

Q: I noticed the paper snips, the rubber scissors and the cutter are being discontinued. What’s taking their place?

A: The paper snips and the rubber craft scissors were on the retiring list in error. They are being continued! You can order your pair any time. The paper cutter is being discontinued and being replaced by a new paper cutter that will be a little larger with some other great features that will make cutting and scoring your projects that much easier.

Q: The catalog ends May 31st. How can I tell what’s still available from the retiring list?

A: Retiring stamps will be available until May 31st. Retiring accessories are only available while supplies last. When you open this document it will be updated to show what accessories are no longer available. If there’s an ‘x’ in the right hand column that item is no longer available. For more on retiring product visit here.

April 2, 2012

Fifth Avenue Floral Spotlight

Want to learn a fun, new way to be creative? This is a clean and simple Fifth Avenue Floral card using the spotlight technique.

I stamped the background on Whisper White card stock. Then I stamped the Concord Crush flower on Shimmery White card stock and watercolored it using an aquapainter and Melon Mambo ink. Unfortunately it’s hard to photograph the awesome shimmer.

The Concord Crush ink is water based so when I painted with the Melon Mambo it picked up some of the Concord Crush from the outline creating a nice effect. Watercoloring these images makes you feel like a real artist! The Shimmery White card stock is a little heavier and watercolors very nicely.

I punched out a section of the rose which I layered on Concord Crush card stock and adhered it with a dimensional to match up with the flower below. With the spotlight technique, you want to keep your background fairly simple so that the spotlight really pops out.

The completed card measures 4-1/4″ square, so it would fit in a standard envelope but sloppily. Soooo I created a custom 4-1/2″ square Whisper White envelope with my new toy…uh- I mean tool, the Diagonal Scoring Pad.

Card Recipe:
Stamps: Fifth Avenue Floral wood-mount , mds ; Teeny Tiny Wishes wood-mount , mds
Paper: Whisper White cs, Concord Crush cs, Shimmery White cs, Melon Mambo cs
Ink: Whisper White craft pad , Concord Crush , Melon Mambo
Extras: 1-1/4″ Circle Punch , 1-3/8″ Circle Punch , Modern Label Punch , Aqua painter , Dimensionals , Scoring Tool , Diagonal Scoring Pad

Enjoy! Julie

March 24, 2012

Masculine Digital Birthday Card

Using cool tools like My Digital Studio and the Simply Scored scoring pad with the matching card stock makes it quick and easy to create this extra special masculine birthday card. I was able to print four backgrounds on one sheet of card stock, allowing for quick duplication!The background is created in My Digital Studio which was layered on Early Espresso card stock. The colors for the card were selected from the colors in the digital version of the Well Worn designer paper. The sentiment was stamped with Not Quite Navy and the banner was cut from Cajun Craze card stock then adherred with dimensionals in the middle. This banner is easy to create with the Simply Scored scoring tool. Just line your tag up to the top of the scoring pad and score on each side, then score again 1/8″ from your first score lines. Now that you have your card stock scored fold it to create your banner. Then punch your flag ends with the corner of your 1″ square punch. This background was inspired by a card I saw which used punched designer paper circles in a pattern similar to this. I created the same background in My Digital Studio with digital punches and papers.

This is the card I sent to my son-in-law for his birthday. I changed it up a bit. I punched the sentiment out with the large oval punch. And I layered the background design on Not Quite Navy card stock.

Card Recipe:
Stamps: Upsy Daisy
Paper: Cajun Craze cs, Not Quite Navy cs, Early Espresso cs, Whisper White cs, Well Worn Digital Paper
Ink: Not Quite Navy
Extras: Dimensionals
Tools: Simply Scored Scoring Pad, My Digital Studio

Cool tools like the Simply Scored scoring pad and My Digital Studio make this card simple to make and extra special.

Enjoy!
Julie

March 21, 2012

Top Ten Stampin’ Up! Tools

Are you new to stamping or paper crafting and wondering what supplies to invest in first? After more than 20 years, besides stamps, here’s my list of top ten tools I reach for everyday that will make your life better as a crafter!

SNAIL Adhesive – my “go-to” adhesive, a double-sided, permanent adhesive that is oh-so-easy to use. It lays down a trail of adhesive whereever you want it, just like a snail 😉
personal cutter – this functional, compact cutter can cut paper up to 12” and will still fit on your desk
paper snips scissors – these amazing, thin-bladed scissors are an inexpensive, long term investment that insures that you will get the very best cut every time. I still use the first pair I bought more than ten years ago!
black StazOn® ink pad – this quick-drying, permanent ink will allow you to use all your favorite coloring methods without smearing your stamped image
Whisper White card stock – the best card white card stock on the market! with an ultra-smooth surface to give you the very best stamping results
multicolor pack – Add a splash of color to your projects with a pack of paper from your favorite collection. This is a great way to ‘test drive’ Stampin’ Up! Colors. Choose from Getting Started, Brights, Regals, Subtles, or Neutrals Collections.
matching stamping spots – Not only do you get great color choices in these collections but you also get great portability. Take these to your next crop and you will enjoy great color selection all night. Choose from Getting Started, Brights, Regals, Subtles, or Neutrals Collections. (the full-size stampin’ pads are available in collection kits also at a discounted price over purchasing the pads separately.)
stampin scrub and mist – a convenient way to keep your stamps clean and conditioned
paper piercer & mat pack– the inexpensive paper piercer makes it easy to place a hole in the exact location you want it. Fabulous for adding brads to multiple layers or in the middle of a project! And the mat pack not only protects your table but it also gives you a guide for adding piercing patterns to your projects.
bone folder – get perfectly crisp folds in your cards or 3-D projects Sale-a-bration is a great time to invest in your crafting tools and it ends March 31, 2012. Call today! During Sale-a-bration get what you need AND receive FREE product for every $50 of tools or supplies you order!

Enjoy,
Julie