October 27, 2015

My Top 5 Most Important Stamping Tools


I don’t know about you, but I have 5 tools that I consider my must haves when stamping beside the obvious paper, ink and stamps/blocks.

The first tool on my must have list, is my Stampin’ Trimmer! This trimmer is by far the best paper trimmer I have used, and trust me, I have used several. A few years ago, when I was first re-discovering my love of paper crafting, I went out and purchased a rather in-expensive rotary cutter. Ugh, the saying, “you get what you pay for”…I think it came from someone who bought this very rotary cutter….I couldn’t cut a straight line to save my life! It was awful! So, off to one of the big box office supply stores I went. There I found myself a rather pricy guillotine paper trimmer; that should work! Until I got it home that is….Immediately, when I pulled it out of the box, I could see that the swing arm was bowed out and sure enough, I couldn’t cut a straight line from that either! Finally, I decided to purchase the Stampin’ Trimmer. I was so excited when it arrived, but also prepared myself to be known forever to make crooked cards. I pulled it out of the box. It looked good. So, I pulled out an 8 ½” x 11” piece of cardstock and made my first cut at the 5 ½” mark, and there it was, a perfectly cut card base! It was beyond belief so I had to check it again….and sure enough, my eyes were NOT playing tricks on me! Wahoo! I found my new best friend in the craft room!

The second “must have” on my list is the grid paper from Stampin’ Up! This is the perfect desk protector and allows me to ensure perfectly straight placement of sentiments, lines etc. The grid allows me to line everything up to ensure straight even designs. Remember…I can’t eyeball a straight line…see aforementioned love of the Stampin’ Trimmer!

My 3rd “must have” in the craft room is my piercing tool. This little gem looks like it’s uses are pretty limited, however, it’s not just for paper piercing, mine gets used EVERY DAY, every crafting session. I use it to pick up rhinestones, pearls, candy dots, enamel dots, glue dots that need to be placed precisely. I use it to hold down corners that need a little extra glue drying time. I use it to hold down something I may be embossing with my heat tool to prevent burnt fingers…or should I say charcoal fingernails…that’s another story!

The 4th most important item in my craft room is my Stampin’ Scrub.  This is the best stamp scrubber I have used and it’s soft and gentle on your stamps while many out on the market tend to be rough and scratch up your stamps. And personally, I don’t think they would be very good for your lovely photopolymer stamps. In spite of being soft and gentle on your stamps, it does a great job cleaning them with the Stampin’ Mist. These 2 products together are dynamite! And when the scrubber gets too dirty to do the best job that it can do, it is easy peasy to clean…just pop out the fuzzy pads, run them under water, let them dry and you’re back in business!  Don’t want to wait for them to dry 24 hours? Check back in a couple of days and I will share my little “trick” with you! You’re going to LOVE it!

And finally, the 5th most important tool in my craft room is my paper snips! These little pointy scissors are an absolute must have in your stamping arsenal. They allow you to “fussy cut” with precision. They are comfortable in your hand, are great for trimming and cut ribbon like butter!

So, there you have it, my top 5 must haves in the craft room. What are your must haves in your stamping arsenal?



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October 20, 2015

All Stamps on Sale for 15% Off

SnS From the Heart
 
Hey there, I just wanted to let you all know that Stampin' Up! has put ALL stamp sets on sale for 15% off! What a great deal that is! So, if you have been eyeing that favorite stamp set from either the annual catalog or the holiday catalog, now is the time to get it. This sale is only until Friday so be sure to not miss out. Just click the "shop now" button above and pick out your favorite sets!
While I am here, I have to tell you, I recently purchased the Lockdown Punch Holder from Stamp n Storage....OMG! I am so in love with this product. I can now easily grab the punch I need without toppling over all the other punches and not pinch my fingers because they are all packed into a basket. This is furniture quality and looks beautiful in my craft room. I have now placed an order for the marker storage and hope to soon get the ribbon holder and the combo ink pad holder...oh honey....I know what I want for Christmas!!!! I hope he can hear me! But if you're on the fence about ordering, don't hesitate. This company is fantastic and I guarantee you won't be disappointed!

 
 

October 11, 2015

A Beautiful Dove of Peace

Todays card was cased from the catalog. Sometimes, the Stampin' Up! Catalog and Idea book is the perfect place to get ideas from, and this is a perfect example of that.
This card uses dry embossing, fussy cutting, die cutting and a little bit of Blender Pen coloring and was a great deal of fun to put together. So, when you feel like getting crafty with your paper and ink, but aren't quite sure where to begin, begin with your Stampin' Up! catalogs. They're a wealth of ideas all in one place! :-)

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October 8, 2015

Haunt Ya Later!

Wow, fall has landed in CNY! The air is crisp and the trees are in full color. I have to say, I love the colors of Fall, the reds, the yellows, golds and oranges..all so pretty. I also love to see how others decorate for the season. Some go for the cutesy scarecrow's, while others lean more toward the haunted zombie cemetery lol, all of which is fun to see. I, myself lean toward the cutesy scarecrow look, but today's card comes from the Haunt ya Later stamp set from Stampin' Up! I love this set. It's so dang cute.. Feel free to let me know your thoughts!
Happy Fall Ya'll!

September 29, 2015

A Little More Christmas for Fall

Can you believe another month is coming to a close? I sure can’t. It still seems as though the snow has just left us and here we are preparing for more. I personally find it mind blowing. I do love fall and I adore Christmas but I could really do without winter. Hubby has been working hard over the last several weeks to get our wood in to keep us warm. He’s such a good guy. He makes sure Tucky and I are warm and toasty all winter long. Unfortunately, burning wood is messy and I don’t like messy. I run around behind him with the vacuum cleaner quite often but, I do like being warm so I try not to complain too much (wink).
Now, on to the card! I cased this one direct from the holiday catalog. I hope you like it. Please share with me your thoughts, and if you would like to see something in particular, please let me know.



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September 20, 2015

Getting Ready for Christmas

Well I've begun to work on my Christmas cards. Stampin' Up! has some fantastic Christmas sets in this years holiday catalog. So many to chose from, you can chose between adorable and just plain beautiful. Today's card that I'm going to share with you is in the beautiful category. What do you think?

If you would like to make this card, please visit my on-line store to pick up your supplies. The supplies used on this card are below.
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September 7, 2015

Don't Miss Out on the New Goodies!

Hey there, the one finger wonder here...yes, I'm still typing with one finger. The lovely pink brace has made my finger so big that I hit 2-3 keys at a time; hence, typing with one finger...yuk! Anyway, I wanted to let you know that the new holiday catalog went live on 9/1 and it is awesome!!!! I have to say, Stampin' Up! out did themselves on this one! I love everything in this catalog and I mean EVERYTHING!!! Take a look at this sample I put together. What do you think?

I added a battery operated tea light behind the flame to create a flickering effect. This card was a lot of fun to make and I combined a few stamp sets and framelits to create it.
Thanks for looking and have a great day!

August 26, 2015

Update

Well, went to see the hand specialist and got a fancy schmantsy splint that they custom made for my finger

Yes, I still have sausages for finger but I think I sport the pink splint pretty well, don't you? The pain is actually improving as long as I can stop bumping it, Why is that? Have you noticed that as soon as you injure a digit, whether toe or finger, rest assured you will bump it every chance you get. If anyone knows the answer, I sure would like to know! Anyway, I am hoping to be able to tolerate opening and closing ink pads by this weekend which means I will have some stuff to share by then. In the meantime, stay tuned for some sneak peaks of the upcoming Holiday Catty! If you would like one, just message me through the link above, and I will get one out to you ASAP!
Happy Stamping!

August 20, 2015

We Must Interrupt All This Stamping Fun.........

Hey, I've had to take a break from all this stamping fun due to having a bad cold that has caused me to cough myself into a pounding headache and in addition, I managed to break a finger. Yep, sure did. And a bang up job I did too. My parents always taught me, "if you're going to do it, you better do it right". Somehow,  I don't believe they meant it about breaking bones! This is really making typing difficult...I'm not a good one handed wonder! And as for stamping, the pressure incurred by my hand and finger attempting to open and close t.he stamp pads is extremely painful. Hopefully, that wont last long, but until then, I will be a little silent. Its the middle finger, first joint that is broke and no, those rings are NOT coming off....ugh....that would REALLY HURT.


August 13, 2015

Project Life "Remember This" as a Wedding Card?

Yes, today I have a wedding card to share! I mixed the Wild Flowers stamp set with the PL Remember This stamp set a little Blushing Bride and viola! Also, a little sneak peak of a punch coming in September with the Holiday Catalog! Wait until you see this! It will be a MUST have on your wish list! I created a mask using a scrap piece of Whisper White cardstock and the oval framelits and then I sponged the Blushing Bride ink onto the center of the piece of Whisper White. I then stamped the image using two step stamping. I punched the corners added the ribbon slide and ribbon. I then stamped the verses and I really like this card a lot.

This is the final project in the PL Remember This series. Now pull this set off your shelf and give it a work out and see what great creations you come up with! Join me next week to see which stamp set we decide to use and see what we can come up with. In the meantime, Happy Stamping!

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August 11, 2015

Project Life "Remember This" - It's not just for Project Life

Here is a cute project I came up with to use this great stamp set...it does involve a photo, however, it has nothing to do with PL or scrapbooking traditionally either. Take a look:
I stamped the words "picture perfect" from the stamp set directly to the photo and placed it in the frame after I stamped the frame with the Butterfly Basics set using the fern image with Mossy Meadow ink. I also added a punched butterfly from the Papillion Potpourri stamp set in Lost Lagoon and cut the larges butterfly from the Butterfly thinlits and attached them with glue dots.

I hope this inspires you to go outside the box. There are so many ways that you can use your stamps and ink. Just open your mind and don't be afraid to try something. You never know, you just may come up with the best idea ever,

Happy Stamping!

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August 9, 2015

Project Life 'Remember This' beyond Project Life

Welcome back! This week, my focus is on the Project Life 'Remember This' stamp set. This is one of those sets you will find you will pull out again and again for more than just Project Life scrapping. Don't get me wrong, scrapping the Project Life way is absolutely an awesome way to document your families life, however, this stamp set will take you beyond the PL pages. Take a look at this card I created for a friends 50th birthday.....
With just a few additional supplies I was able to make a pretty glitzy card. What do you think? Be sure to check back on Tuesday to see the next project using this great stamp set. Until then, happy stamping!
 
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August 6, 2015

Endless Birthday Wishes #3

Well, here we are....the final card for the Endless Birthday Wishes stamp set. I truly hope you are enjoying these ideas. Please let me know.
And here it is:
This card uses only the Endless Birthday wishes but involves a little coloring ...I don't know about you, but I love to color. It goes back to when I was a little girl, I always loved to color and that has never changed, now instead of using crayons, I like to use markers LOL.
For this card, I created a basic card base from Tip Top Taupe CS, 5 1/2" x 8 1/2" scored at 4 1/4" I then cut 2 Basic Black panels measuring 15/8" x 4 1/8" and 2 panels from the Cherry on Top DSP stack that measure 1 1/2" x 4" and adhered them together using Fast Fuse, I then adhered them to the card base staggering them using Fast Fuse. I then cut a Basic Black square, 3 1/8" sq.and a Whisper White square panel measuring 3" sq. Using Momento Tuxedo Black ink, I stamped the cake image from the stamp set into the upper left corner of the whisper white square and then I stamped the script "happy birthday" also in the Tuxedo Black ink toward the bottom right. I colored the cake using blender pens, Tip Top Taupe ink, Watermelon Wonder ink, and Bermuda Bay ink.. I added some Bermuda Bay sequins and a few Basic Pearls for a little sumthin' sumthin' and I adhered the square panel to the card using Stampin' Dimensionals.
Here is the supply list:
 
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So that's it for the Endless Birthday Wishes. Pull this set out if you have it and see what you can come up with, and if you don't have it yet, what are you waiting for?? This set is just as the name indicates...Endless!
 

August 4, 2015

Endless Birthday Wishes #2

Getting this post out to you early because today's gonna be a long busy one for me...I'm working a 12+ hour shift today at my "real" job...I'm out of practice with these since I've been doing 8 hour shifts for the past 10 or so years. Oh well, helping out where I can. Anyway, I promised you a second example using the Endless Birthday Wishes and so here it is! Ta Da!
This one I did bring in another stamp set, the cupcake and the cupcake builder punch, but the Happy Birthday to you and the speckles are all from the Endless Birthday Wishes. And the DSP is also from the Cherry on Top DSP stack. So again, just a few supplies and viola! you have a completely different birthday card.
Again, I used the Tip Top Taupe CS cut at 5 1/2" x 8 1/2" scored at 4 1/4" for the card base. I then cut a 1 1/2" x 5 1/2" strip from one of the designs from the DSP stack, Cherry on Top and adhered that down to the card base using Fast Fuse adhesive (I love Fast Fuse!) Then, using the Circle framelits collection, using the 5th circle counting outward from the center, I cut a circle from Whisper White CS. I used scraps to stamp the  cupcake using Watermelon Wonder for the "frosting" and Bermuda Bay for the bottom and punched out the pieces using the Cupcake Builder punch and adhered them to the circle using Stampin' Dimensionals. I then inked up the script "happy birthday" with Tip Top Taupe ink and stamped it under the cupcake, then I inked up the print "to you" and stamped that below the "happy birthday". Finally, I inked up the little "dots" in the Endless Birthday Wishes stamp set with Bermuda Bay ink and stamped it randomly around the circle. I then adhered the circle to the card base using Stampin' Dimensionals. Again, very easy, a few coordinating supplies and you can have a cute card to give to a birthday "buddy"
Here is the list of supplies:

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August 2, 2015

Endless Birthday Wishes #1

Welcome to my blog! Today, I am starting a new series here and I hope you will stop each Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday to see what's happening. Each week, I will feature a new stamp set and I will show a new card or project for a total of 3 different designs from that stamp set. I will post the first design on Sunday, the second design on Tuesday and the final design on Thursday. My purpose is to share with you how a few products and one stamp set can create really cute cards and projects.
So without further ado, I present to you card #1 using the Endless Birthday Wishes stamp set
This set is absolutely adorable. You can create all sorts of birthday wishes with the multiple word stamps included with the set, some script and some print. I love this set! And check out the adorable designer paper! That's from the "Cherry on Top" DSP stack found in the catalog. It's so colorful and fun. I love it!
To create this card, I cut a piece of Tip Top Taupe cardstock at 5 1/2"x 8 1/2" and scored it at 4 1/4" to create the card base. Then, using the circle framelits collection, I used the 4th circle counting from the inside smallest outward and cut one circle from the Cherry on Top DSP, one from the Watermelon Wonder CS, the Soft Sky CS and the Whisper White Cs. I then inked up the cake image from the Endless Birthday Wishes using the Soft Sky ink and stamped it onto the Whisper White circle. I added Basic Rhinestones to the candles for a little bling and then I inked up the print "happy" with Tip Top Taupe ink and stamped it to the bottom left of the cake image, then I inked up the script "birthday" also with Tip Top Taupe ink and stamped it beneath the "happy".
Here are the supplies that I uses to create this cute birthday card. Please let me know what you think.
Have a great day and happy stamping!
 
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