Northwest Stamper

Category: Cards

  • Making a Perfect Mini Bow the Easy Way!

    For years, I’ve been running classes where one of the cards may have a bow on it.  And I’ve watched folks struggle with trying to make a smaller bow without either getting your fingers caught or one side of the bow threatening to come out.  Now, it is totally possible to tie it like normal, but I’ve finally put together a video on how to do it the quick and easy way that comes out perfect everytime!  No, seriously! 🙂 I have it at the bottom of this post.

    So, here is a card I made with the sample bow from the video.  Isn’t it cute?  It uses the retiring satin ribbon (seriously, I think this is the product I’m most sad about losing!) for a border and bow.

    easy events fork bow card

     

    Now if you are curious about the scallopy Saffron circles under the ribbon – surprise!  It is the retiring Pocketful of Posies designer paper and I just cut along the white lines in the paper.

     

    See, just cut and flip it over and here you go!  Oh, and another close up of the bow.perfect fork bow closeup

     

    Alright, so if you’ve made it this far, check out the video for how I made this bow using a fork… that is right, a fork.  Then leave me a comment and let me know what you thought of it!

     

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

    Get them before they are gone! Items are selling out so don’t miss out!

    Retiring Stamps  |  Retiring Accessories  |  Retiring Décor Elements

    Hello Easy Bow Card Recipe:

    Stamps: Easy Events
    Ink: Early Espresso Classic, Soft Suede Classic, Crumb Cake Classic, Old Olive Classic
    Paper: Pocketful of Posies designer paper, Perfect Plum cardstock, Whisper White cs
    Accessories: 2-3/8” Scallop Circle punch, Basic Pearls, Old Olive 5/8” Satin Ribbon, Blender pen, glue dots, Sponge Daubers

  • Wanna Hear Some New Catalog Tidbits?

    Early this morning, Stampin’ Up! released an online copy of the upcoming catalog to demonstrators in the US and Canada.  So, of course, while I was up at 2am for a middle of the night feeding for my littlest stamper (4 months old), I started flipping through to see what was in store.

    Boy, was I not disappointed!!!  The baby fell back asleep and I kept sitting there going back over the beautiful pages of the new catalog.

    So too wound up to sleep, I thought I’d write up a post to share some of my excitement with you!  Stampin’ Up!’s policy won’t let me share product pictures or exact details yet but I can describe what I’m loving!

     

    -More Framelits!  Like lots more framelits!  You know how in the Occasions Mini there was the labels and hearts nesting framelits?  Well, watch for a super awesome flower (that has, I think, a matching stamp set) that nests as well as other great shapes.  Oh, and more new dies and edgelits too.

    -A new mat pack!  If you’ve been in one of my classes before, you know I love my paper piercer and mat pack.  I couldn’t believe they were retiring my beloved mat pack, but now I know why.  Because they are making it better!  Can you say matching piercing outlines?  Guess, there is another thing on my wish list.

    – New punches!  Yes, another of my downfalls (have you seen my wall of punches?) and there are multiple new punches including a great replacement for the current butterfly punch.  Plus, in keeping with Stampin’ Up!’s tradition of coordination – they have matching stamp sets. 🙂

    -Super Fantabulous looking scrapbooks!  Um, so I have a ton of scrapbooks on my shelf at home that are not completely full, but I’m seriously considering changing some of them out for the new ones.  They come with metal label holders on the end!! Plus, not only will we be getting your regular page protectors but now divided page protectors too!  Cannot wait to try out some new-to-me scrapping styles with these.

    – Improved Tools!  From bigger scrub pads to clean your stamps to a cool looking new paper trimmer, I have a feeling I’ll be upgrading a number of my tools.  And loving it, of course. 😉

    – And it wouldn’t be a new catalog without some great new stamp sets, some returning favorites from past mini catalogs (hi Mixed Bunch! hi Bordering on Romance! hi awesome holiday sets!); and of course, the new In Colors as well.

     

    I just ordered my first couple boxes of catalogs, and can’t wait to hear your reaction when I send them out later this month.  If you’ve ordered with me recently, I’ll be making sure you are covered with your own free copy.  If you aren’t a current customer of mine but would like a catalog, go here to let me know you would like to be on my catalog list.

     

    PS- if you just can’t wait that long, new recruits who sign up with the new $99 starter kit will be getting the new catalogs in their kit!  So, not only will you be able to view the catalog online with hours of signing up, but you’ll have your print copy and a chance to preorder soon after. 🙂

    Alright, I’m off to bed again.  Hope you’ve enjoyed these little teases of what is to come in a few weeks!

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

    Get them before they are gone! Items are selling out so don’t miss out!

    Retiring Stamps  |  Retiring Accessories  |  Retiring Décor Elements

    Are you earning your Northwest Stamper Rewards? Every order gets you closer to your FREE stamp set! Click here to learn more!

  • Peek-a-boo Butterfly Card

    Today I have a quick card share for you.  I’ve been enjoying playing with this style of card design where you punch out an image and use the paper that is left behind as your main image.  I grabbed a pack of (retiring) designer paper – Berry Blossoms – and my (retiring) butterfly punch and went to work.

    Butterfly Peekaboo card

     

    You can see that for each strip of Whisper White paper, I punched out my butterfly and then glued the piece of Berry Blossom paper behind the outlined shape.  This is a perfect way to use up scraps!

    butterfly close up

     

    And then for each butterfly I used one of the (retiring) clear circle rhinestone brads.  Did you know they are even on sale right now?  Gotta love a discount!

    The one last piece that I had fun with was the Thank You pennant.  I stamped the sentiment on a strip of paper and then I slid the paper into the side of my butterfly punch so I could punch out the edge in the same shape as my butterfly wing.  Then I could just line it up with my full cut out and glue it down so that it looked like it was coming out from behind the butterfly.

    butterfly peekaboo side view

    Well, I’m off to try to get some scrapbooking done as today is National Scrapbooking Day! I hope you are able to get some crafty time in as well!

     

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

    Get them before they are gone! Items are selling out so don’t miss out!

    Retiring Stamps  |  Retiring Accessories  |  Retiring Décor Elements

    Are you earning your Northwest Stamper Rewards? Every order gets you closer to your FREE stamp set! Click here to learn more!

  • A Bright and Bold Thank You

    One of my goals right now is to use up my scraps – whether left over pieces when cutting paper or stamped and punched images that I decided not to use on a previous project.  So, when I was working on thank you cards for customers, I grabbed some left over pieces of designer paper and I had fun layering!

    Summer smooches kind thanks pennant

     

    This card actually uses designer paper from two different packs – Summer Smooches (for the banners and the accent piece on the sentiment) and Berry Blossom (for the polka dotted background).  But don’t they work well together?

    It also uses 2 retiring items – Thank You Kindly stamp set and the silver brads.  Both of these items I can’t believe are going away because they are such staples.  But I know I will be keeping the Thank You Kindly set because it gives me 4 different thanks sentiments, and I’m expecting awesome new things in the catalog next month!

    Summer smooches kind thanks pennant close up

     

    Oh, so one last thing for today, I wanted to show you how to get those tips of the banners without having to guess with your scissors – and, if you are like me, get totally random results each time!  You just need to grab your Pennant Punch!

    making banners with the pennant punch

     

    The photo above shows how the corner of the pennant punch actually can make a really nice and consistant tip for your banners.  What you want to do is slide your paper into the punch from the side so that it lines up with a corner on the short end of the pennant.  You will have to slide your paper around a little to line it up evenly, but once you’ve done it it goes fast each time.  Ta-da!!

    making banners with the pennant punch 2

    So, I hope you got some new idea from this today.  If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to contact me.

    Need the punch or anything else for your craft projects? I’d love to help you as your demonstrator!  Shop online or shoot me an email.  Ask my current customers, I’m always up for sending photos or creating videos to help you with your creative needs!

     

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

    Get them before they are gone! Items are selling out so don’t miss out!

    Retiring Stamps  |  Retiring Accessories  |  Retiring Décor Elements

    Are you earning your Northwest Stamper Rewards? Every order gets you closer to your FREE stamp set! Click here to learn more!

  • So Long Summer Smooches & the Occasions Mini!

    I got a reminder email last night that told me today was the last day to place orders from the Occasions Mini catalog and I had to pull out my calendar to check…. how in the heck did we hit the end of April already?!?

    But I guess we did, which means today is your last chance to order from the Occasions Mini or anything from the Summer Smooches promotion!

    Like these awesome items are going away, and while I have my fingers crossed that they will make it into the next major catalog, I have no way of knowing if they will or not.

    Seriously, what will I do without the:

    Mixed Bunch Stamp SetBlossom PunchPleated Satin Ribbon
    imageimageimage

    And then there is Summer Smooches.  The Fabric brads have already sold out, but the paper, stamp set, fabric, and digital designs are around for today only.  Then they get stored away until the new catalog comes out.

    I thought I’d share with you a card I made recently as a thank you for an order.  I knew she liked bright colors so I thought I would play off the colors in the Summer Smooches designer paper.

    summer smooches note of thanks

     

    I used the retiring Dot, Dot, Dot stamp to make the dotted background in Real Red ink and took a Real Red strip of cardstock and the Dotted Scallop Ribbon Border punch to punch out the edges (I just punched out the scallop ribbon and then cut it in half and used each half with the scallops pointing in-wards.)

    summer smooches note of thanks close up

     

    I also played a bit with my corner rounder punch to curve the opposite corners of each piece of designer paper (and Daffodil Delight cardstock) to play into the pattern and shape of the flowers on the paper.  And then I just popped up each piece with some Stampin’ Dimensionals.

    Oh, and I just realized I used the sentiment from the Thank You Kindly set, another stamp set that is retiring this year.  Sigh… so many great stamp sets headed for retirements.  I’m so sad they are going but am hoping that means even cooler stamps are headed our way with the new catalog!

    So, if you haven’t gotten everything you wanted from the Occasions Mini or Summer Smooches, don’t delay!

    Email me or pop on by my online store and grab them before they are gone tomorrow!

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

    Are you earning your Northwest Stamper Rewards? Every order gets you closer to your FREE stamp set! Click here to learn more!

  • Clarifications and Updates on the Retirement Lists

    Good morning!  Its been a couple days since the Stampin’ Up! retiring accessory list was released and I’ve been seeing lots of confusion and misinformation out there and so I wanted to take a minute to try to clear some things up for you. Also, scroll down to see an update on what has sold out!

    1.  The colors aren’t changing!  You may have noticed that all of the classic ink pads are on the retirement list.  This is because Stampin’ Up! is changing the physical pad to use a new “firm foam” pad to allow for better inking of your stamps.  They are also updating some of the printing on the pad cases and including labels for the ends of your ink pads so you can easily see what color you are grabbing.  So, the current pads are retiring but the ink will still be there in June, with the exception of the 2010-2012 In Colors.

    2.  Use your current ink refills!  With the ink pad changes, some folks are wondering about ink refills.  With the exception of 5 colors that had to be reformulated for the new pads (Basic Black, Basic Grey, Marina Mist, Perfect Plum, and Tempting Turquoise), current ink refills will work with the new pads.  Similarly, the ink refills that will be sold in June will work with the current pads.  Its just those 5 colors that you need to use old refills with old pads and new refills with new pads.

    3.  Yes, Craft ink is going away!  With the exception of Basic Black and Whisper White, all of the craft ink pads and refills will be retiring.  The ink refills are selling out quickly, so if this is something you are interested, I would grab yours right away.

    4.  Textured cardstock is discountinued.  It is true that the 12×12 textured cardstock collections are all being retired and will only be available in smooth cardstock in the future.

    5.  12×12 cardstock is mostly moving collection packs only.  25 of the 40 individual packs of 12×12 smooth cardstock is retiring and will only be available in family collection packs.  (So you can still get it, just not in single color packs.)

    6.  Markers are mostly moving to collection packs only.  Like the 12×12 cardstock, most of the Stampin’ Write markers are changing to be sold in family collections and the large Many Marvelous Markers pack.  All of the colors will be available, but most won’t be available individually.

    7.  Anything you see on the retiring accessory list with an asterisk ‘*’ means it will be available in some form in the new catalog, just in a different form factor or tool/packaging collection.  So, items like the paper piercing tool, scrub pad, etc aren’t going away for good but we aren’t sure what they will look like until we can see the new catalog.

    Also, if you haven’t placed your order for retiring accessories, I would recommend doing it sooner rather than later.  I’ve been surprised how fast some items are selling out!

    As of this morning, here are some of the items that have sold out already:

    *  Blushing Bride 8.5×11 Cardstock
    *  Classic Ink Refills – Peach Parfait, Concord Crush, Pear Pizzazz, Poppy Parade, Blushing Bride
    *  Craft Ink Refills – Brights collection, Old Olive, Pumpkin Pie, Real Red, Regals collection, Tempting Turquoise, Certainly Celery, So Saffron, Cherry Cobbler, Always Artichoke, Bravo Burgundy, Elegant Eggplant, Garden Green, Night of Navy, Not Quite Navy, Chocolate Chip, Very Vanilla
    *  Stampin’ Write Markers – Rose Red, Perfect Plum
    *  River Rock 12×12 cardstock
    *  Post 12”x12” Page Protectors
    *  Gold brads
    *  Silver brads
    *  Wheels:  Standard Wheel Storage box, Jumbo Wheel Storage box, Jumbo Textured Wheel
    *  Dotto adhesive runner
    *  Stampin’ Scrub refill pads
    *  Circle Scissor Plus Replacement Blades
    *  Big Shot Dies: Pillow Box Bigz die, Snowflake Sizzlits, Flower Daisies #2

     

    So, check out the lists and contact me via email at jennifer@nwstamper.com  or visit my online store to order your wishlist before more items sell out!

    Retiring Stamps  |  Retiring Accessories  |  Retiring Décor Elements

     

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

    Are you earning your Northwest Stamper Rewards? Every order gets you closer to your FREE stamp set! Click here to learn more!

  • The Coolest Flower Stamp: The Triple Treat Flower

    Triple Treat FlowerSometimes when a stamp is slated to retire, it makes sense.  You can see that the set is looking outdated or there have been new stamps that look almost the same.  But then there are the stamps that I just don’t get…. this is one of them.

    I mean, check out how cool this flower is!!  I love that the Triple Treat Flower is pretty as a flower stamped as it.  But then the fact that you can punch out 3 different shapes from one stamp is just too neat! And if you read my newsletter, you saw that this is one of my favorite configurations for the punches that come out of this flower.  I just love the dimension and contrast you can make.

     

    This is another card I did a while back but I just love the colors and the way the flower just pops off the page!  But imagine if you used different designer paper and maybe some pinks and purples, or blues and yellows… you could have a great spring card too!

     

    Just to give you an idea of what another color combination could be, check out this box that I shared in my newsletter (if you are on my mailing list, check your inbox because there was a link for the photo tutorial to make this in there! – if not, sign up here and let me know and I’ll send you the link too.)

    So, do you agree?  Cool flower or what? 🙂

    The Retiring Accessory List is Up!

    Don’t forget that these items are while supplies last so check out the list and grab your favorites while they are still here.

    You can order online or shoot me an email to make sure you get yours!

    View the Retiring Accessory List Here
    View the Retiring Stamp List Here

     

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

    Are you earning your Northwest Stamper Rewards? Every order gets you closer to your FREE stamp set! Click here to learn more!

    Triple Treat Thinking of You Card Recipe:

    Stamps: Triple Treat Flower, Curly Cute
    Ink: Early Espresso Classic, More Mustard Classic, Pool Party Classic
    Paper: Spice Cake designer paper (retired), More Mustard Cardstock, Whisper White CS, Pool Party CS
    Accessories: Fancy Flower punch, 5-petal punch, 1/2” circle punch, Stampin’ Dimensionals, Sponge Daubers

  • Simply Charming

    One of the stamp sets on the 2012 Retiring Stamps List is the set Charming.

    Charming - by Stampin' Up!

    This is a cute little set that when it came out was promoted as being the perfect size to use with the Simply Adorned charms.  I was slow to try out Simply Adorned and so my set has sadly, not seen much ink.  But when I was putting together a quick thank you card, it ended up being just perfect.

    I stamped the frame and then used my Fabulous Phrases stamp set to place my “thanks” in the middle.

    This layout is a perfect way to use up scraps of your ribbon and designer paper.  Just mix and match patterns and ribbons and you are just about done!  Now to enjoy this stamp some more before it heads to retirement!

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

    Are you earning your Northwest Stamper Rewards? Every order gets you closer to your FREE stamp set! Click here to learn more!

  • Birthday Build-a-Blossom Card

    Does anyone else have a pile of scraps lying around?  Images stamped and even punched but then discarded as not right for your project?

    Well, I have a HUGE pile of those types of scraps lying around and so I decided it was time to either use them up or find a new home.  So, after a little digging, I came up with these Melon Mambo flower pieces from the Build-a-Blossom stamp set, the birthday sentiment already punched out, and the Whisper White scallop strip.  So, I started mixing and matching and suddenly the following card appeared!

     

    I know it is simple but I love how the simplicity lets the flower really stand out!  Oh and pearls, the flower was just begging me to give it some bling and so I just had to comply. 🙂

     

    Now, to just find more treasures in my scrap pile!  What can you find in yours?

     

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

    Are you earning your Northwest Stamper Rewards? Every order gets you closer to your FREE stamp set! Click here to learn more!

    Build-a-Blossom Birthday Card Recipe:

    Stamps: Build a Blossom, Create a Cupcake
    Ink: Melon Mambo Classic, Early Espresso Classic
    Paper: River Rock Cardstock, Old Olive CS, Whisper White CS
    Accessories: Blossom Petals Builder punch, Wide Oval punch, Basic Pearls, Basic Rhinestones, Scallop Edge punch, 1” circle punch, 1 1/4” circle punch, Stampin’ Dimensionals

  • Cupcake Birthday Card and Another Video

    I had a customer recently order some wheel stamps and then ask me for more information about how to use them.  So, I thought this would be a perfect opportunity to practice creating more videos for my new YouTube channel.  Its amazing to me that I’ve been intimidated by the idea of creating videos but now that I’ve started it is a lot of fun and so much easier than I imagined! Yay!

    Anyway, so I created a video going over the basics of wheel stamps and then decided to create a second video where I used the Cupcake Wheel stamp and showed a few different ways to use the stamped images from the wheel on the same card.  Since I was trying to keep it simple, I created an almost complete card and then showed a few samples of what you could do to it with the wheeled images.  And then after I was done filming, I picked one configuration and came up with this:

    Cupcake Wheel Stamp

     

    I kept it simple in the end and just colored in the images with my markers and then used a cut and colored image from some scrap paper to make an extra embellishment.  I even popped it up on a dimensional to help make it stand out.  Isn’t it just the cutest cupcake?!

    Cupcake Wheel Stamp close up

    Though now that I’m looking at the cupcakes, I’m thinking I really need to pull out my Dazzling Details glitter and add some sparkle to the card.  What do you think?

    In the end, it was a great re-learning experience with my wheel stamps and I will definitely have to pull them out more often.  I forgot how nice they can be, especially if you have a Stampin’ Around Wheel Guide!

    Here is the video I put together… I’d love to get your feedback on what new videos I should create next and how I can make them even better!  Leave me a comment and let me know!  I’m ready to get started on my next one. 🙂

     

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

    Are you earning your Northwest Stamper Rewards? Every order gets you closer to your FREE stamp set! Click here to learn more!

    Happiest Wishes Birthday Card Recipe:

    Stamps: Happiest Birthday Wishes, Cupcakes wheel
    Ink: Calypso Coral Classic, Pink Pirouette marker, Calypso Coral marker, Pool Party marker, Crumb Cake marker, Chocolate Chip Stampin’ Around cartridge
    Paper: Sweet Shop specialty designer paper, Pool Party cardstock, Calypso Coral CS, Soft Suede CS, Very Vanilla CS
    Accessories: Regular Wheel Stampin’ Around handle, 2 1/2” Circle Punch, Stampin’ Dimensionals

  • Bright and Cheery Birthday Card

    As you can tell, I’ve been getting into my Summer Smooches designer paper and today is my favorite card so far with this paper!  I have been completely falling in love with Island Indigo recently and I just love the bright yellow and deep blue in this card.  What do you think?

     

    I was inspired by a card by a fellow demo name Jen Tumiko who used these colors and a similar layout.  But once I got going, like usual, the card kept changing and evolving.

    This is also my last card that I designed prior to receiving my Smooches paper, so here is another version using Beyond The Garden dsp.

     

    I love how a slightly different paper even when it is the same color scheme, can make the card have a very different feel!  Which card do you like best?

     

    Check out all of the Summer Smooches Suite

    available as a sneak peek in April only!

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

    Are you earning your Northwest Stamper Rewards? Every order gets you closer to your FREE stamp set! Click here to learn more!

    Happiest Wishes Birthday Card Recipe:

    Stamps: Happiest Birthday Wishes
    Ink: Early Espresso Classic
    Paper: Summer Smooches designer paper, Daffodil Delight cardstock, Island Indigo cardstock, Whisper White cardstock
    Accessories: Big Shot, Perfect Polka Dots embossing folder, Island Indigo ruffled ribbon, Stampin’ Dimensionals

  • Summer Smooches and Button Flowers

    I seriously need to figure out how to take better pictures because I had a heck of a time getting a photo that shows just how bright and cheery this card is!  When you see the Summer Smooches designer paper in person, it just makes you smile and feel like summertime.  So, here is what it would look like if you were sitting in the shade on a sunny day. 😉

    I was sharing this card with my team on our facebook group yesterday, and Pam made the comment about how I had introduced her to the idea of using the Ornament punch as a flower pot (if you hadn’t realized that… I used the Ornament punch to punch out some designer paper and then trimmed off the bottom to make it into a vase.)

    Her comment got me thinking and I realized that I use this punch way more often as a vase than I do as an ornament!  How funny is that?

    Anyway, I used the new Daffodil Delight seam binding ribbon and then decided to mirror the flowers in the designer paper by using the Itty Bitty Punch pack and Bitty buttons to make cute modern flowers for my vase.

     

    Tip:  Punch out your paper using the small circle punch and then adhere it to your button by making a light coating of crystal effects on the button.  This gives you a super solid hold and it is uniformly clear when looking at the button. 

    I’ve tried glue dots in the past and you tend to see the shadow where the glue dot ends but the button still continues to be bigger than the glue dot.

     

    Finally, I thought I would show you the card I created for this design while waiting for my Summer Smooches items to come in the mail.  This uses the same stuff, just Sweet Shop specialty designer paper and Crumb Cake seam binding ribbon.

    Psst… don’t tell the Summer Smooches, but I think I like the Sweet Shop card better. 😉

    But that is ok.  Just wait until tomorrow when I share a card I LOVE using the Summer Smooches paper.  Until then…

     

    Check out all of the Summer Smooches Suite here

    available as a sneak peek in April only!

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

    Are you earning your Northwest Stamper Rewards? Every order gets you closer to your FREE stamp set! Click here to learn more!

    Just For You Smooches Card Recipe:

    Stamps: Just Believe
    Ink: Real Red Classic, Lucky Limeade Classic
    Paper: Summer Smooches designer paper, Whisper White cardstock, Daffodil Delight CS, Real Red CS
    Accessories: Itty Bitty Punch Pack, Bitty Brads, Crystal Effects, Ornament Punch, Stampin’ Dimensionals