Northwest Stamper

Category: 3D & Decor

Get 3D & Decor project ideas including boxes, bags, tags, displays, and craft fair ideas.   You will learn how to create these fun projects using paper, stamps, punches, and items from around the house.  These are the perfect way to create or wrap a custom, handmade gift.

  • Fabric Pocket Tissue Holder

    So, I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I’m not a sew-er.  As in, I don’t own a sewing machine or wouldn’t know what to do if placed in front of one if I had to do anything other than push the pedal down and move my fabric forward.  🙂

    I do, however, have a great demo friend name Annie Lee who loves sewing and when I was getting ready for the Northwest Women’s Show, offered to take some of my Stampin’ Up! designer fabric and make some project samples with it.

    In this case, it is a fabric holder for those pocket tissue packs using the retiring Candy Cane Christmas fabric (right now its 70% off too! Total steal! Check out all the designer fabric options):

    stampin up fabric pocket tissue holder

     

    I mean, seriously, who wouldn’t feel a bit cheered up with these bright and fun colors when you are feeling under the weather?

    stampin up fabric pocket tissue holder filled

     

    So, a huge THANK YOU to Annie for showing me some super fun ideas for when I get over my fear of the sewing machine and try it out myself.

     

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  • Quick Mixed Bunch Party Favor

    Can you tell, I like this stamp set? 🙂  I know, I get a little addicted to stamps that have matching punches; but it makes things come together so quickly!

    Well, for my recent show, I decided to make these easy little treats to hand out to people who stopped by my demonstrations.  I put my contact information on the back and it doubles as a business card!

    All it takes is stamping one of the flowers from the Mixed Bunch stamp set in whatever color you like and punching it out with the Blossom punch.  Then punch out another flower in a complimentary cardstock and glue them together.  Adhere a Rolo (I used the Easter colored Rolos) to the center and you have a fun spring flower!

    Tip:  If you are going to use Rolos or other foil wrapped candies, I recommend putting a glue dot in the center of your flower first and then press the candy to the flower.  I tried pressing the Rolo to the glue dot first but when I tried to pull off the glue dot, the foil would try to tear.

    If you want to put a message on the back of your flower, I found the Avery return address labels work great when cut in half.  I just created a file in Word and typed my message on each label twice.  Then I could print out a whole bunch and just cut the labels in half with my paper cutter and they fit on great!

     

    Reminder: Sale-a-Bration ends in 2 weeks!   There is still time to get your free items or to take advantage of the awesome special for joining Stampin’ Up!  But hurry, before the offer ends on March 31st.  Check out the Sale-a-Bration catalog for all the details and then email me at jennifer@nwstamper.com with your favorites and we’ll work together to get them for you!

     

    To Order Stampin’ Up! Products Anytime, click here!

  • Altered Clipboard Countdown Ticker

    Have you ever looked at your stash of supplies, whether scrapbooking paper or office supplies, and realized you had more than you thought? That was me after organizing my craft room at the end of last year.  So I joined a group of girl friends in declaring a 100-project challenge!

     

    For this challenge, you are supposed to create 100 projects using the supplies you have before you buy more stuff.  You are allowed to declare exceptions – like I said I could get more adhesive, supplies for my Stampin’ Up! classes, and page protectors for scrapbook albums.  However, soon after starting the challenge, I realized I was having a hard time remembering what number I was on, and so I decided to make myself a little countdown ticker.

     

    I found a smaller clipboard at a local craft store for $1 and so I snagged it and brought it home to decorate – hey it counts as one of my projects that way!

    I dug into my retired designer paper and found that I had tons of this Junior Varsity pattern and so grabbed a pack and got to work.  I covered the front and the back of the clipboard with designer paper and then used the Big Shot to cut out a title using the Go Go Boots alphabet dies I got on the Clearance Rack.

    Then for the numbers, I used my Simple Numbers Bigz die to cut out two sets of 0-9 numbers.  Then I created cardstock tags that could be clipped up and traded out as I worked my way through my projects.

    After I finished, I thought I should have made the title or decoration on the clipboard more generic so I could use it for all kinds of other countdowns – but I guess that means I can make more and they’ll count as another project! 😉

     

    To Order Stampin’ Up! Products Anytime, click here!

  • Playing with the Petal Cone Big Shot Die

    Every catalog since Stampin’ Up! started offering the Big Shot, they have offered new dies in all kinds of shapes and sizes.  This time around, the Occasion Mini catalog offered the Petal Cone Bigz die.  My mom ended up getting it and so I had to play with it myself.   

    The die itself actually punches out two sides of the cone (with attached half circle flaps), one half-scallop circle, and a banner like strip.  So, I decided to experiment.  I created the cone out of your basic Melon Mambo cardstock and then decided to use the Love Letter designer series paper for the half-scallop circles, which I attached underneath the flaps. 

    Tip – if you are going to use the scallop circles under the flaps, you will want to trim the last scallop or two off each side.  Otherwise your flaps will not lie flat as the scallops get in each others way.

    I wrapped some Very Vanilla taffeta ribbon around the rim of the cone and then added some pearls for an extra fun touch.  Finally, I couldn’t decide what I wanted to do with the banner, so I took two of them and glued them together to make the strap for the cone!  Since I didn’t want a seam to show, I cut out a couple flowers and added them to the strap for a pretty way to finish it off.

    So, this was a start but I’ve seen a lot of other cute projects with this die including baskets (made by folding in the pointed ends of the cone before you glue them together) and carrots for holding Easter candy! 

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  • Birthday Card Kit and Organizer

    Can I share with you this project that we are making in my Birthday Card Kit and Organizer class this weekend?  Isn’t it such a fun and cheery birthday collection?

    I had so much fun when I made this sample and I loved all the fun but simple ideas that we use on the different cards.  What you are seeing above is a fun desktop organizer with two storage compartments.  The front compartment is perfect for holding gift tags and 3×3 cards.  The top compartment is exactly right for holding standard sized cards and envelopes.  There is even a special spot for storing a coordinating pen!

    All of the pieces of this project use the fun Create a Cupcake stamp set and the Build a Cupcake punch.  In the class we’ll be making the box, the matching pen, 2 full sized cards (with envelopes), 4 3×3 cards (with envelopes), and 4 gift tags using this punch set, some of the chunky glitter, ribbon, and some extra punches.  I’m so looking forward to it because even though I know it is a lot, I know folks will enjoy and love having so many items ready for last minute birthday gifts and parties.

    If you are in the Bay Area and would like to come join us on Sunday afternoon for this class, let me know and I’d love to add you to the rsvp list!  Email me at jennifer@nwstamper.com.

    But, I know many of you are from all over the country and even around the world and I thought you might like to make one of these projects yourself.  So, I’m creating kits for you as well! These class kits include:

    • All the cardstock and designer paper precut and scored for the cards, pen, and box
    • Punched out pieces to complete all of the projects
    • Ribbon and fibers required for the projects
    • 2 standard sized envelopes and 4 small square envelopes
    • A pen ready for customizing
    • Instruction sheets for all included projects (so you can make them over and over and over again)
    • Shipping is included
    • All for only $25 shipped!  And let me tell you, you will be getting lots of pieces for these fun projects











     

    You just need some adhesive, glitter, and stamps as desired.  Due to Stampin’ Up! policy, I can’t prestamp any images for you but to help you out with that, if you get the kit and contact me to order any of the items not included in the kit, I will give you 10% off those items!  So, for example, you could get the stamp set and/or the chunky glitter at a discount!  I loved working on this project and I hope you do too!

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  • A Pretty Card Purse Hostess Gift

    This last friday I had a fun workshop with some ladies I met recently.  I wanted to make something nice for the hostess who organized the evening and so I decided to make her a purse with a variety of cards inside.  I knew she loved purple and I remembered the awesome purples in the Lap of Luxury Designer Paper.  I swear, the first time I saw this pattern I said,”it looks like velvet!”.  It really does look luxurious in person!

    hostess luxury purse front view

    So, to go with the luxury theme, I used black (more posh, don’t you think?) and made the handles out of Black Satin ribbon (I love this stuff!!).  The inside opens up and I put in four cards with envelopes, oh, and some yummy chocolates, but it could hold a ton more. 

    hostess luxury purse open

    This purse is actually remarkably easy to make and only uses 1 sheet of designer paper and 1/2 a sheet of cardstock!  I may have to make a few more for extra gifts. Smile 

    hostess luxury purse side view

    Thanks for visiting! 

    Luxury Card Purse Recipe:
    Paper:      Lap of Luxury DSP, Basic Black CS
    Accessories:  Basic Black satin ribbon, Round Tab punch, Kraft corduroy buttons (clearance rack item), Pewter Jumbo Eyelets, Crop-a-Dile, Sticky Strip, Velcro circles, Corner Rounder punch

    Want to make your own purse?  Get the supplies now in my Online Store!

  • Ice Cream Parlor Quick Accents Card and Card Purse

    In a flurry of excitement, Sale-a-Bration has officially begun!  Of course you can earn free stamps, but I love that you get options for other items like the Ice Cream Parlor Designer Paper and Quick Accents.  I had gotten this paper pack during the preorder and the more I use it, the more I’ve now decided that I NEED the matching Ice Cream Parlor buttons and ribbon pack!

    In the meantime, I thought I’d share a couple projects I’ve made using this paper and cardstock stickers.  First up, a super quick birthday card:

    For this card, the striped designer paper, the Daffodil Delight scalloped border cardstock sticker, and the Peach Parfeit designer paper – all come as part of the Ice Cream Parlor DSP And Quick Accents Sale-a-Bration pack.  I just added some Early Espresso taffeta ribbon, cardstock, and a staple to finish out the card.  Seriously, this is a 5 minute card!

    Next, I created a purse sized to hold a set of standard 4.25” x 5.5” cards and matching envelopes:

    If you are on my mailing list, you should have received the full tutorial for this purse in your inbox yesterday.  If you didn’t, let me know!

    Not on my mailing list yet? Sign up here.  I’ll even resend the copy of my email with this tutorial in it to folks who sign up in the next couple of days.

    Over the next week I’ll be sharing more Sale-a-Bration creations, so I hope you stop by again and check them out!  Until then, happy stamping!

    Make a Wish card recipe:
    Stamps:     Birthday Bliss
    Ink: Early Espresso Classic Ink, Marina Mist Classic Ink, Daffodil Delight Classic Ink
    Paper: Pacific Point CS, Whisper White CS, Daffodil Delight CS, Ice Cream Parlor DSP
    Accessories: Ice Cream Parlor Quick Accents, Early Espresso 1/8” taffeta ribbon, Stampin’ Dimensionals, Small Tag punch, Large Tag punch, Blender Pen, Crystal Effects, stapler

    Wonderful Friend card purse recipe:
    Stamps:     Wonderful Favorites
    Ink: Marina Mist Classic Ink, Early Espresso Classic Ink
    Paper: Marina Mist CS, Melon Mambo CS, Whisper White CS, Daffodil Delight CS, Ice Cream Parlor DSP
    Accessories: Ice Cream Parlor DSP, Ticket Corner Punch, Subtles Family brads, Round Tab punch, Paper Piercing tool, Mat Pack, Stampin’ Dimensionals, Sticky Strip, Bone Folder

  • Making the Northern Hearts Gift Box

    Wow, what a weekend that was with lots of great projects shared in the Royal Blog Tour!  I appreciate all the visits and comments folks let for my projects.  Its a lot of fun to hear from people who stop by.  As promised, I’ll be sharing the details for the Northern Hearts gift box today.

    If you are a member of my mailing list, you will receive a link to a pdf tutorial for this box will full step-by-step instructions tomorrow when I send out the November newsletter.  Not a member of my mailing list?  There is still time to sign up and receive the full tutorial as well.

    Making the Gift Box

    To create this box, you need two pieces of cardstock:
    – one 9 3/4” x 9 3/4” piece of  bashful blue cardstock for the base of the box
    – one 5 3/8” x 5 3/8” piece of bashful blue cardstock for the lid of the box

    IMG_1707Stamp the 9 3/4” square piece of cardstock with the snowflakes from the Northern Hearts stamp set in a random pattern.  I stamped using bashful blue ink and chose not to stamp the lid.

    Score the large square at 3 1/4” from each side.  Score the small square 1” from each side.  Crease your score lines using a bone folder.  Then, using the score lines as a guide, cut along the score lines to allow you to fold each square into a box.  Specifically, you want to cut from the top edge of the paper to the first horizontal score line in the middle of the page, repeat that only cutting from the bottom of the paper to the first horizontal score line you come to.

    You will want to use sticky strip to adhere the flaps you just cut to form the box.  Because this is a 3D project, most tape runners and glue sticks don’t give you a strong enough hold to support being picked up and used to hold weight.  Here is a photo showing where I cut my paper and placed the sticky strip pieces:

    IMG_1708

    Remove the backing of the sticky strip and fold the sides in to create your box and lid.  Now to embellish!

    I first used the Northern Trim letterpress die to create two strips of colored debossing.  One cool thing about the dimensions of this box, is that you can use one debossed strip for two sides of the lid.  So, I used Confetti White paper with Always Artichoke and Rose Red craft ink to create my two strips.  I trimmed the strips down to make four 3/4” x 3 3/8” strips.  Adhere these strips to each side of the box lid; they should fit exactly as long as each side of the lid and be centered vertically so that you see some Bashful Blue above and below the trim.

    IMG_1709

    Next I stamped the birds image from the Northern Hearts stamp set and matted that with some Always Artichoke paper (the Whisper White paper is popped up on dimensionals).  Adhere to your “front” of your box.  Then, I decided to add a little bling, and so I placed some of the adhesive-backed Rhinestones to the center flower on each side of the lid and in the upper corners of the bird stamped image.

    IMG_1715

    Finally, to create the handle, I used my Crop-a-dile to punch a hole on the sides adjacent to the “front” of the box.  Because I used jumbo eyelets, you will want to use the bigger of the two hole punches (3/16″) with the Crop-a-dile set to let you punch as deep as possible.  Once you’ve punched the hole, use the Crop-a-dile to set a jumbo pewter eyelet to finish it off.  Thread some Whisper White Organza ribbon through the eyelet and knot on the inside of the box to create your handle (I had to knot the ribbon twice on each side to ensure the know was big enough to not slip through the hole in the eyelet.

    Overall, this is a very easy project to complete and can be completed fairly quickly.

    As I mentioned before, mailing list subscribers will get the full PDF tutorial for this project which include step-by-step instructions with more photos, so if you are not a subscriber, I invite you to join now and I’ll be sure you get a copy..

    If you have any questions about this project, please feel free to leave me a comment or send me an email and I’d be happy to help you out!

    Also, if you need any supplies for this project, contact me or shop the online store now.

    If you entered my Blog Candy for a chance to win this box full of goodies, check back later today when I will be announcing the winner!  Until then, happy stamping!

  • Royal Blog Tour – Sharing Northern Hearts and Blog Candy!

    Welcome to my little stop here on the Royal Blog Tour!  I hope you’ve been enjoying all the amazing and creative projects the princesses have been sharing along your journey.  For my stop, I wanted to share with you some simple yet fun ways to use the Northern Hearts stamp set.

    This stamp set is a hostess set available in the 2010 Holiday Mini.  I originally thought it was just a nice simple set, but the more I started playing with it, the more I saw how it coordinates with some other new and super cute items.  I guess the fact that they are all named “Northern something” should have tipped me off, but I can be a bit slow sometimes.

    Northern stuff thumb

    Anyway, first I noticed that the large snowflake from the stamp set was the same as the large snowflake in the embossing folder.  So, I tried combining the two.  I added some shimmer paint to the stamp before I stamped to give it a bit of shine like snow when I stamped it on the Whisper White base.  I also sponged some of the shimmer paint onto the embossed image to sparkle up the Baja Breeze paper.

    Next, I started playing with the wreath stamp from this set.  I had some fun with different color markers to give it a more mottled, natural look.  Then I started playing with punches but didn’t like how it was turning out so I ended up hand cutting out the wreath.  It was cute but a little bare, so I added in on of the birds from the love birds stamp.  Finally, what is a wreath without somewhere to hang it from, so I used the branches from that same bird set and after coloring with markers, stamped a few times to make it look like tree branches.  Add some DSP and fun ribbon, and you have another fun little card.

    Finally, I decided I wanted to make one more project and so I went for a 3D gift box that you could decorate for the holidays or really for anytime.  I used the Snowflakes and the Love Birds stamps from this set to decorate this 3 1/4” x 3 1/4” box.  This is perfect for a stash of 3×3 cards or to fill with treats for your favorite someone.

    I will be posting the instructions for this box on my blog when the tour is over.  So come back on November 9th to see more details!

    Well, I hope you enjoyed viewing these projects since I sure had fun making them.

    Blog Candy Time!

    Leave me a comment letting me know what you think and you’ll be entered into a drawing for some BLOG CANDY (you must include your email address so I can contact you if you win).

    What’s up for grabs?  You will get this box filled with some cards, some card candy (embellishments for you to use on your own cards), and some actual yummy candy!

  • Embellished Pocket Calendar

    This summer, I discovered at one of those big box fabric stores, some pocket calendars at a rediculously low price.  So, I just had to pick some up (I’m such a sucker for a good sale).  The calendars ran August 2010-July 2011 and so I thought they would be perfect for me to keep in my craft tote for scheduling Stampin’ Up! events while I was out at workshops and classes. 

    But a storebought calendar just wouldn’t do.  So what do we do?  We embellish!!

    I grabbed some of my scraps, punches, and the BigShot and went to town:

    I printed out some of my favorite photos of Nicholas so that they would fit being matted by the 1 1/4” square punch.  They make me smile everytime I pull this out.  Smile And of course, I couldn’t leave the back empty, so I put a photo I love of our family from a vacation this summer. 

    This project is so fast and easy that I made one each for my mom and dad as well.  All you have to do is
    – pull the plastic cover off the calendar and measure the cover
    – cut a piece of DSP that is slightly wider than the cover dimensions
      (you want it slightly longer so that it doesn’t pull away from the ends when you adhere it to the cover and fold it around the spine of the calendar). 
    -I printed off photos and then punched 4 squares out of Basic Gray to use as mattes for my photos using the 1 1/4” square punch. 
    -Then I used the BigShot to cut out the numbers for the year using the Simple Numbers Bigz die. 

    The biggest thing to watch out for is to not add too thick of embellishments and layers so that you can fit your calendar back into the plastic.

    These are a fun, inexpensive gift.  Hmm..,I think I may have to see if I can grab a few more.

  • An altered notebook gift for my upline

    One of the fun traditions of going to the Stampin’ Up convention is often uplines and downlines make little gifts for each other.  My way-upline, Julie Gunhus gave everyone personalized notepads and decorated pen.  My direct upline gave me a bag tag, some custom labels, and a cute box made using the new petal punch.  This is what I made to give to my upline:

    I found some Spongebob spiral bound notebooks with hard covers in the dollar bin at Target.  I wish I had bought more because they were great for altering.  I picked cardstock that was similar in color to the covers since i was going the quick and easy route of only covering to the spiral binding.  I measured my cardstock to be about a 1/2″ longer on three sides so I could wrap the paper around the cover.  I used the Tombow liquid glue to coat the paper and then glued to the cover.  When folding the paper around to the inside of the cover, I folded the parallel sides over first and then finished by wrapping the side opposite the binding.  I then glued down a piece of white cardstock to the inside to finish off the inside.  Once the covers were wrapped, then I started stamping and embellishing.  I assembled the center image including the ribbon and then adheared the whole piece to my cover with sticky strip.  I waited until the cover was wrapped so I could make sure I had everything centered.  I then stamped the phrase “notes” so it was centered under the image.  I think that was the most stressful step because I was nervous it would get messed up but the stamps worked great and I love how it turned out!

    I used the Rough Type Alpha and the Bouquet Bunch stamp sets for the covers.  These ended up being the perfect size for taking in our bag for convention and so I’ll be keeping my eye out to get more for future gifts.

    If there is interest in more step by step instructions for making these, let me know and I’ll put something together.

    Altered Notebook recipe:
    Stamps:      Rough Type Alphabet, Bouquet Bunch
    Ink: Basic black, Old Olive
    Paper:  Melon Mambo CS, Basic Black CS, Whisper White CS
    Accessories:  Melon Mambo marker, Black Satin ribbon, Watercolor pen, Tombow liquid glue

  • Stampin’ Up Convention 2010 – Display boards and more

    I just finished going through all my pictures from convention and was reminded of all the fun looking things to try and make over the next few months.  There are always so many amazing ideas, business tips, and sneak peeks (you might even spot one or two in the photos below ;)) .  I can’t wait to share some of these projects in upcoming classes and workshops.  Want to try it out yourself? Contact me to learn more about scheduling your own workshop!

    IMG_1010We were up early each day to get over for general session.  I was so grateful that Stampin’ Up! supports families and so I could take Nicholas with me to session.  They even offered a Mother’s Lounge so moms could feed/diaper their babies and still see and hear the speaker.

     

     

    We saw lots of awesome demonstrations.  I think my favorite was the Halloween decorations…but then again there were some awesome hostess gift ideas that were super cute as well.

      IMG_0926IMG_4175

    Then during lunch and at the end of the day, we got to wander around The Gathering Place and look at some awesome displays and ideas boards.  This year they had an area called The Sweet Shop where they had so many amazing displays that looked like candy and other treats but was really made entirely from paper, ribbon, and buttons!  Stampin’ Up! really has some amazing artists and designers.

    IMG_1026IMG_1023

    IMG_0968 IMG_4258