Northwest Stamper

Category: Cards

  • Punch Art Flower for my August Meetup

    Yesterday was the August meet and greet for my Meetup group here in the Bay Area.  A few of us got together and had some pie at Marie Callender’s and I brought a free make and take for everyone to do.  This month I decided to do some punch art and so I modified a past card I had made to use some new stamps and colors and came up with this card.

    This was an easy card that used 7 punches in all, though you could modify this card to use fewer punches or more stamps.  Here are the steps to create it yourself:

    1. Punch the base of the flower using the extra large Fancy Flower punch
    2. Stamp the five petal flower image from Punched Posies hostess set, once on colored cardstock and once on white cardstock
    3. Punch out stamped images using the Five Petal punch
    4. Stamp the smaller six petal flower image from the Punched Posies hostess set on white cardstock and punch out the center using 1/2” Circle punch
    5. Layer these punched images together and glue
    6. Punch the leaf using the Small Oval punch
    7. Fold the oval in half and trim one side to form a point
    8. Stamp the vase using one of the ornament images from the Delightful Decorations stamp set on white cardstock
    9. Punch out using the ornament punch and trim the bottom of the ornament to form the flat base of the vase
    10. Stamp the sentiment from the Because I Care hostess set on white cardstock
    11. Punch out sentiment using the Large Oval punch
    12. Punch corners of base white cardstock with the Ticket Corner punch
    13. Stamp the stem using the stem image from the Punched Posies stamp set on base white cardstock
    14. Glue down onto your card base and your done!

    Punched Flower Recipe:
    Stamps: Punched Posies, Delightful Decorations, Because I Care
    Ink: Poppy Parade, Daffodil Delight, Old Olive
    Paper:  Old Olive CS, Whisper White CS, Poppy Parade CS, Daffodil Delight CS
    Accessories:  Fancy Flower punch, Five Petal punch, 1/2” circle punch, Ornament punch, Ticket Corner punch, Small Oval punch, Large Oval punch

  • Stampin’ Up! Convention 2010– Punch happy swaps

    I had a few more swaps that I had to share so here is one more post including my second swap I took to convention.

    So, you remember my first swap I showed you (recipe in this post) –

    Well, after punching out the leaves and the flowers from the BigShot, I was going to recycle the scraps when I looked at them and said, “I could totally punch out stuff using these scraps”.  So, I started punching out little hearts using the small heart punch and managed to actually get 5-6 hearts per scrap.  So, from there was born the idea for my second swap.

    This card uses the new Occasional Quotes hostess set.  It is a perfect set for an outside and matching inside sentiment for your cards.  Anyway, I had made 40 swaps and so had 40 of each color scrap, I watched a movie with my hubby and drove him crazy punching out hundreds of these little hearts.  Then, the night before I left for convention, I punched out the scallop rectangles using the new Scallop Rectangle Clearlits die and then did the assembly from my hotel room.  These took a bit of work to assemble but again, I felt very happy with them.

    hearts swap
    Finally here is another round of some of my favorite convention swaps.  Pretty cool huh?

    card by Mary Booker                                       card by Valerie Taylor

    card by Lorri Heiling                                     card by Jill Kelley

    card by Kathy Kuffel                                      card by Diana Curtis

    card by Terry Bolender

    Hearts Swap Card Recipe:
    Stamps: Occasional Quotes (hostess)
    Ink:  Concord Crush classic ink
    Paper:  Concord Crush CS, Pear Pizzazz CS, Whisper White CS, Crumb Cake CS, Chocolate Chip CS, Blushing Bride CS
    Accessories: Small heart punch, Scallop trim border punch, Scallop rectangle clearlit

  • Stampin’ Up! Convention 2010 – Swaps, Shelli, and my new goal

    I really do have way too many pictures to share from convention, but I wanted to share a few more with you.

    On the last day, mom and I were able to meet the celebrity of the hour – Shelli Gardner, co-founder and CEO of Stampin’ Up!  I hadn’t realized that she had been spending almost all of the lunch break for 3 days sitting and taking pictures with one demonstrator after another.  Of course she was very sweet and was happy to chat with everyone who met her.IMG_4286 

    Like I said before, convention is not only a time for fun, friends, and fabulous ideas, but it is also a motivational time for me.  IMG_4172With a new baby and moving earlier this year, I’ve been slow to get moving on getting my Stampin’ Up! business rolling.  However, with the enthusiasm of convention and the announcement of a new awesome incentive trip – I’ve decided my goal is to work towards Disneyworld 2012.  That means I’ll be working on scheduling workshops and building my team over the next year.  Its an exciting time for me and I’d love to share that excitement with you.

    Oh, and I have to give a shout out to my dad as well.  He came along to Salt Lake City and ended up helping carry our Memento Mall haul and babysitting Nicholas for my make and take sessions.  Thanks Dad!  You’re the best!IMG_0863

    Finally, as promised, here are some of the amazing swaps I got while at convention.  I can’t wait to try them out myself now that I’m home.

    card by Sharlene Mitchell                             card by Teresa Payne-Neal

    card by Laura Tollander                                card by Kathy Thisted

    card by Janine Verster

  • 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

  • Stampin’ Up! Convention 2010 – Swaps, Parties, and a Baby!

    I’m back from a trip to Salt Lake City for the 2010 Stampin’ Up! convention with my Mom and upline, Kathy, my dad, and my son.  I love the chance to go meet other demonstrators, including folks whose names I’ve seen on emails but now I got to meet in person, hang out with friends, get super cute stuff, swap gorgeous cards, and generally get pumped about Stampin’ Up!  I have way too many photos to share all of them in one post so I’ll be posting pictures in future posts as well.  But for now, here are some of my highlights.

    Before convention even got started, mom and I participated in two days of preconvention stamp camps and swaps with Late Night Stampers. 

    IMG_0819 Then came Wednesday – Check in day.  This is the day that everyone lines up in the early morning for a chance to be one of the first to get into Memento Mall (the SU convention gift shop).   My dad was kind enough to go get in line when he got up around 6:15am and he wasn’t the first in line!  By 7:30 the line was around the block. :)  checkin day line photoBut unlike Disneyland, its fun to stand in line at convention.  Everyone is swapping and I even saw a friend of mine from Portland (Hi, Liz!) and got a chance to introduce her to Nicholas. IMG_0856

    After we swapped, checked in and got our free stamps and bag, we relaxed before meeting up for a group photo and swap with our upline group – the SBStampers.  It was there that Nicholas got his very first swap.   He loved playing with this fabric squeaky toy made by Charity Lawson using the Scallop Square die for the BigShot and a squeak toy from a pet supply store.IMG_0871IMG_0873 

    Later we got dressed up in our grooviest attire for the Flower Power party.  Sadly, I missed getting my face painted by SU illustrators but I did participate in some fun games.

    IMG_0876

    That was only the beginning of a fun weekend.  Here is one of the swaps I created to trade with folks over the course of the weekend.  The flower is made using the Flower Fusion sizzlit that in one tiny little die cuts out 3 flowers of different sizes.  I then folded up the petals and stacked them using glue dots.  It really does pop off the page, which I thought was fun and cool.  I think you could step it up a notch even more by adding a pearl or rhinestone to the center of the flower.  I would have done it but I ran out of time.  But still, i like how it turned out and folks seemed to as well. Flower Fusion Swap Card

    I have to say, I love all the cards I got swapped and will be showcasing come of my favorites in a future post so you can see these great ideas too.  More photos and swaps to come!  Until then… Happy Stamping!

    Convention 2010 Thank You swap card:
    Stamps: Because I Care (hostess set)
    Inks:  Concord Crush classic ink
    Paper:  Basic Black CS, Whisper White CS, Pear Pizzazz CS, Concord Crush CS, Play Date DSP
    Accessories:  Polka Dot Impression Folder, Flower Fusion sizzlit, Little Leaves sizzlit, glue dots.

  • A couple cards for my new Meetup group

    Since I’m pretty new to the Bay area, I recently decided to start up a Meetup group as a way to meet new folks and find some other like-minded crafty people.  Today was our first meetup, and so I planned a couple cards for us to work on over pie at Marie Callendars.  Between work and vacation, I hadn’t had much of a chance this month to do much card making so it was a lot of fun to create some cards and get everything ready to share with folks today.  It also gave me a chance to use some of my retiring items so I can start making room for the new goodies coming out in a few weeks.

    Here are the cards and if you happen to be in the Bay area, we’d love to have you come be a part of our group! 

     

    Father’s Day Card Recipe:
    Stamps    : Teeny Tiny Wishes
    Ink: Chocolate Chip Classic
    Paper: Bermuda Bay CS*, Crushed Curry CS*, Whisper White CS
    Accessories: Chocolate Chip stitched ribbon*, Large Star punch, Small Star punch*, 1/16″ circle punch, gold brad, Snail

    Best Wishes Recipe:
    Stamps    : Kind and Caring Thoughts*
    Ink: Basic Grey Classic
    Paper: Basic Grey CS, Whisper White CS, Pink Flamingo DSP*
    Accessories: Cameo Coral Marker*, Old Olive Marker

    * indicates a retiring item

  • A little love with the Rough Type alphabet

    So, the May scrapbooking promotion was the kick in the pants I needed to commit to getting the rough type alphabet stamp set.  I loved the idea of a high quality clear mount alphabet but was initially on the fence.  Well, the incentive of free designer brads was enough for me to just go for it and boy am I glad I did! 

    Sure, it takes a little bit to label all of the stamps but once you do, it is so easy and fun to make all kinds of words.  In this case, I was playing and decided to spell out Love.  It also gave me a good excuse to play with my BigShot – both with the polka dot impression folder and my heart die. 

    Stamps – Rough Type alpha
    Ink – Melon Mambo, Rick Razzleberry, Old Olive
    Paper – Melon Mambo CS, Rich Razzleberry CS, Whisper White CS, Cottage Garden DSP
    Accessories – Polka Dot Impression folder, Rich Razzleberry ribbon, small heart punch, 1″ circle punch, Heart BigShot die

  • A Blog Candy Thank You with Canvas Cuts

    A few weeks back, the Royal Blog Tour kicked off with a huge number of blogs sharing some fantastic projects.  While I was browsing, I entered my name into a few blog candy drawings and much to my excitement, I actually won one! 

    The lovely Peggy Outen had some fabulous projects and sent me the Chit Chat rubons from the Occasion Mini that retired at the end of April.  Now, little did she know how much I LOVE rub-ons.  They are like clear stamps without the smudging.  I love that I can place them anywhere on the page, see exactly what it will look like before commiting it to paper, and then armed only with a popsicle stick, can get a perfect image in seconds flat.

      So, I just have to say to her:

    Yes, Peggy, you are the very best ever.  Thanks for being so generous and sending me the rub-ons.  I also had to use some of my goodies from the clearance rack.  So, the curly label punch out is the Canvas Cuts with the matching Fashion District rub-ons.  Using the Canvas Cuts has been a lot of fun and so much easier than I expected.

    I was in such a groove, I had to make one more using the Canvas Cuts and the Chit Chat rub-ons for the sentiment.  This card introduces another super fun product – Bitty Buttons and the matching Itty Bitty Shapes punches.  I thought the little flower buttons and punches went great with the DSP, and they look sooo cute in person.  I think this may be my favorite Summer Mini catalog item.

    Best Ever Card:
    Paper – Very Vanilla CS, Real Red CS, Merry Moments DSP
    Accessories – Birds and Blooms Sizzlit, Fire Crystal Brads, Kiwi Kiss satin ribbon, Canvas Cuts, Fashion District rub-ons, Chat Room rub-ons, Stampin’ Dimensionals

    Friends Forever Card:
    Paper – Melon Mambo CS, Very Vanilla CS, Thoroughly Modern DSP
    Accessories – Canvas Cuts, Fashion District rub-ons, Kiwi Kiss satin ribbon, Bitty Buttons, Itty Bitty Shapes punch, small heart punch, Crystal Effects, Stampin’ Dimensionals, Chat Room rub-ons

  • Shades of Spring quick card

    Oh my goodness!  Can you believe it is April 30th already?  Where has the time gone? 

    Well, I had to post my last card from the “traveling with limited crafting supplies” series in honor of this being the last day of the Occasions Mini Catalog since everything but the base cardstock are from the mini – Vintage Vogue stamp set, Shades of Spring DSP, Hugs scalloped cardstock. 

    This card started out as an idea I had late at night but when I started working on it during the day my idea didn’t work quite right.  So, starting from just the blocks of DSP, I turned the card on it’s side and started adding elements till I got the finished result I liked. 

    It was a bit of a challenge since the only green ink I had was an old olive marker and most of the paper I had was either card bases or chocolate chip.  But challenge only makes you get more creative, right?  So, the flower is stamped on the pink DSP, the leaves are cut out of the green DSP, and the center of the flower is a circle of the polka dot DSP – all from the Shades of Spring DSP that is gone after today.  I also used the Hugs scalloped paper to make a nice background accent for my flower and popped it all up with dimensionals.  It was a fun card to create.  If you have any cards like this where a challenge helped inspire your creativity, I’d love to see what you’ve done.  Just leave a comment with what your challenge was and a link to your inspired finished project.

    Supplies:
    Stamps – Vintage Vogue
    Inks – Chocolate Chip classic
    Paper – Shades of Spring DSP, Hugs CS (both retiring after today!), Lavendar Lace CS
    Accessories – Circle punch from Itty Bitty Bits set in the Summer Mini, Stampin’ dimensionals

  • Sneak Peek – Father’s day card

    Here is another in my series of cards I made with limited supplies. 

    Coming this Saturday, the new Summer Mini catalog starts up and in there is some great new stamps, accessories, and designer paper.  One of the great papers is this new Travel Journal paper.  It is perfect for making cards and scrapbook pages for your trips, or just for some masculine layouts.  Both patterns you see here are actually the same paper, just front and back.  Add a couple courderoy buttons and a touch of color with ribbon, and VOILA!  A Father’s Day card, all ready to go.

    Supplies:
    Stamps – Teeny Tiny Wishes
    Ink – Chocolate Chip Classic
    Paper – Travel Journal DSP, Kraft CS, Chocolate Chip CS, Whisper White CS
    Accessories – Chocolate Chip courderoy buttons, Pumpkin Pie 1/4″ ribbon, Stampin Dimensionals, Glue Dots

  • Getting back to stamping!

    Wow, its been a while since I posted.  I have to admit, I’ve had lots of intention, even taking pictures of cards I’ve made but yet I never had a chance to post.  Well, today is the day to actually get pictures off my camera and up online! 

     Today’s card is one I made a week ago when I went to visit my grandparents down in Arizona.  I wanted to take Nicholas to meet his great grandparents so we hopped on a plane and flew for a weeklong visit.  I knew my mom would be visiting at the same time, so I decided I ought to take some stamping supplies with me for some late night stamping sessions.  I didn’t have a lot of room, so I took a little bit of patteren paper, a couple pieces of cardstock, a circle punch, some buttons, ribbon scraps, 5 markers, 1 ink pad, and 2 stamp sets (Fox and Friends and Teeny Tiny Wishes).  Basically what I could jam in a large SU stamp box plus the stamp sets.

     I made this for a friend of mine who moved across the country and I wanted to send her a card to say hello.  I LOVE this glitter DSP from the Occasions Mini catalog  and when I think of monkeys I think of her, so this was my attempt to combine the two in a fun yet simple card.  It was quick and easy and hopefully she will get a kick out of it.

    Supplies:
    Stamps – Fox and Friends, Teeny Tiny Wishes
    Ink – Chocolate Chip Classic
    Paper – Sending Love Specialty Paper, Very Vanilla CS, Chocolate Chip CS, Kraft CS
    Accessories – Circle punches, Stampin’ Dimensionals

    One last bit of fun.  While I was in Arizona, I realized that the Creating Keepsakes crafting convention was in town, so since my mom and grandma like to craft as well, we decided to have an early Mother’s Day treat and all went to the convention for some classes and shopping.  Since I was going all day, that meant Nicholas went with us.  He was so good all day and all the ladies there loved seeing him in the classes.  So, at age 3 months, he’s now been to his first crafting convention!  Got to get him started early.  Plus, he needs to train for when he goes with me to the Stampin’ Up! Convention in July!  Here is a picture from our day out – 4 generations of crafters.

  • Simple holiday cards with a side of bling

    Well, December is finally here and like usual I suddenly realize that I need to get my Christmas cards put together and my mailing list organized.  Thankfully I was running a technique night this last Tuesday and so we created three fun holiday cards.  The actual card designs aren’t too complicated as the focus was more on some fun techniques to add some bling to your cards.  These cards were tons of fun to make and look much better in person than in the photos. 🙂

    Technique 1 – Stained Glass Window

    For this card, the bling came in the form of sparkle on a colored window sheet image.  To do this, start by stamping your preferred image onto a window sheet using Staz-on ink.  Squeeze some crystal effects onto a piece of plastic or some waxy paper (I like using the backing that is left behind when you peel off the sticker labels for your stamp sets).  Add a drop or two of reinker dye and some dazzling diamonds glitter.  Mix together and apply to your stamped image with a paintbrush.  Once that has dried, attach your window sheet (ink side down) to your card front using brads or your favorite adhesive (just note that if you use adhesive it will show through unless you cover it up with another card element.

    Stamps: Christmas Classics
    Inks:  Staz-on black, Soft Suede classic ink, Old Olive reinker
    Paper: Soft Suede CS, Whisper White CS, Merry Moments DSP
    Accessories:  Gold brads, Scallop edge punch, paper piercier and mat pack, Crystal Effects, Dazzling Diamonds glitter, Close to Cocoa marker (to color in the trunk)

    Technique 2 – Brayer Resist

    I had been seeing some fabulous samples using the new Bride specialty DSP.  If you haven’t seen the paper before, it is a white (or black or ivory) paper with either stripes or the swirly pattern in shiny foil of the same color.  While this is pretty and elegant on its own, it is also perfect for coloring because the shiny part resists ink.  So, for this card, we inked up our brayer and rolled it over the paper to create the design on the bottom half of the card.  It can take a few rolls to get the color coated evenly but gives you tons of options with only one package of paper and a few ink pads.

    Stamps: Sweet Season, Sincere Salutations
    Inks: Night of Navy classic ink
    Paper:  Bridesmaid DSP, Whisper White CS, Bashful Blue CS
    Accessories:  Organza ribbon, Scallop circle punch, brayer, Frost Crystal brads, paper piercer, Stampin dimentionals

    Technique 3 – Shimmer Paints

    So, this is the hardest effect to see in a photo but adds a subtle shine to your projects.  It is also the easist and fastest technique of all.  Ink up your image (don’t you just love the Dasher stamp from the under $10 section of the catty??) and set the stamp aside BEFORE you stamp.  Next, take your shimmer paint container and shake it up.  Open it up and set the lid in front of you.  Now, you should be able to take a sponge dauber and pick up the shimmer paint from the inside of the paint container lid.  Sponge the paint on top of your inked stamp (in my case I just sponged over the antlers).  NOW, stamp your image onto your paper.  You will see the color come through but with a shimmery effect where you applied the paint.  I then used the dauber which had some ink and some shimmer paint left on it from daubing the stamp rubber and used that to distress the edge of my square paper.  It gave it a really nice shimmery brown all around the edge.

    Stamps:  Dasher
    Inks: Chocolate Chip classic
    Paper:  Merry Moments DSP, Real Red CS, Chocolate Chip CS, Very Vanilla CS
    Accessories:  Sponge Dauber, Frost Shimmer Paint, Chocolate Chip 5/8″ ribbon