Northwest Stamper

Tag: Challenges

  • Simply Elegent Emboss Resist Christmas Card with Totally Trees

    Its been a busy holiday season around here!  My kids are in full swing of school and extra-curricular activities winter performances.  Between last week and this coming week, we have something happening every day.  But I still love the season and all the opportunities to see everyone and see the joy in my kids faces as they get to perform and show us what they have been working on! 

    Well, let me share a little of my joy… one of the holiday cards I’ll be sending out this year to send some cheer.  This was a card I created for one of my holiday card classes and it uses the awesome Totally Trees stamp set (it’s retiring this month, FYI!) and the great emboss resist stamping technique.

    Tips for making this card:

    • Heat emboss your tree image onto a piece of Whisper White cardstock using White embossing powder AFTER cutting out your oval!  Normally I advise folks to stamp first and then die cut, but in this case, because you want to make sure your trees are spaced so they will all fit in your oval, it works better to stamp after cutting out the shape.
    • Use the yellow Stampin’ Sponges for smooth color coverage over your embossed images.  Once you have done your heat embossing, you can sponge color right over the top of them to create a colored background.  The ink won’t stick to the shiny embossed areas, so you get color in between the tiniest of details.  And the yellow sponges give you a much smoother color coverage than sponge daubers and makeup sponges!
    • Add some sparkle and color shading with Wink of Stella.  If you look at my trees, you’ll notice that the blue looks a little darker around the tree branches.  That is because I colored with the clear Wink of Stella after I was done sponging the background.  The glitter paint darkened the background slightly and adds lots of shimmer to the card in person!

    I had been using my layering ovals for the blue scalloped background and then wanted to add a little more detail so I ran some SNAIL adhesive on the back of the blue oval and created loops out of the Silver Metallic Thread and just pressed the loops into the adhesive on the back of the oval to hold them in place.  I also layered everything over some of the Loose Burlap Ribbon to add a rustic or natural touch… and to keep the card from drowning in blue. Smile

    Change the colors and the sentiment and you could use this for a sympathy, masculine birthday, or thinking of you card any time of the year!

    Christmas is coming!  Make sure your holiday orders will arrive on time!

    1ftwf8

    Stampin’ Up has said that the deadline for orders to arrive before Christmas is December 15th.  If you are on the west coast, you may have a little more time, but don’t add stress this holiday season.  I know I’m trying to wrap up my holiday shopping lists…so get those last few gifts (for you or for a friend!) and then kick back and enjoy not having to worry or stalk the delivery man. Smile 

    NWstamper signature_thumb[9]

    order online button for sig 3_thumb[4]

    Project Measurements
    • Soft Sky cardstock – 5 1/2” x 8 1/2”
    • Island Indigo cardstock – 1 3/4” x 5 1/2”
    • Whisper White – 1/2” x 3 1/2”

    Product List

    Totally Trees Photopolymer Stamp Set

    $26.00

    Santa's Sleigh Photopolymer Stamp Set

    $21.00

    Heat Tool

    $49.95

    White Stampin' Emboss Powder

    $5.00

    Embossing Buddy

    $6.00

    Clear Wink Of Stella Glitter Brush

    $8.00

    Silver Metallic Thread

    $3.00

    5/8" (1.6 Cm) Burlap Ribbon

    $7.00

    Soft Sky 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock

    $8.00

    Night Of Navy 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock

    $8.00

    Island Indigo 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock

    $8.00

    Whisper White 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock

    $9.00

    Island Indigo Classic Stampin' Pad

    $6.50

    Soft Sky Classic Stampin' Pad

    $6.50

    Stamping Sponges

    $3.50

    Big Shot

    $110.00

    Layering Ovals Framelits Dies

    $35.00

    Stampin' Dimensionals

    $4.00

    SNAIL Permanent Adhesive

    $7.00

  • Acorny Thank You for Mojo Monday Challenge

    Acorny Thank You for Mojo Monday Challenge

    Ahhh… as some of you saw over on my Northwest Stamper Facebook page this week, I finally got in some crafty time just for me and for fun!  My mom came to visit and we had an awesome time stamping!  I didn’t know where to start so I decided to find a sketch challenge to play along with and grabbed my new favorite set – Acorny Thank You

    Isn’t it fun?!  This was the mojo monday sketch that I was playing along with:

    Tips for making this card

    • Pick a pack of your favorite papers and mix and match your patterns for a combination of papers that you KNOW will look great!  In this case, I used the Farmer’s Market designer paper… don’t you just LOVE this white washed fence pattern?
    • I LOVE LOVE LOVE this Acorn stamp set and punch.  I saw it in the catalog and thought – “would I really use an acorn stamp set?  isn’t that a little weird?”  Turns out that it is really cute and lots of fun, so while I thought the answer was no – turns out it is YES!  It is just the right touch of whimsy or elegant fall when you need it.
      Acorny thank you
    • Oh and if you get the stamp set… you totally need to get the Acorny Thank You Bundle.  Not only do you save 15% off both the stamp AND the punch, but then you can mix and match cute stamped parts of the acorns but you can add in cardstock.
    • I knew I just had to bust out this fun new corrugated cardstock for this project too.  Look how great it looks as an acorn base.  Plus, it comes in a pack of 2 12×12 sheets of the corrugated cardstock in Kraft and 2 sheets in White so you can have even more color combinations.

    So, you’ll be seeing more from me with this set, so I hope you like it as much as I do. 🙂  Perfect for playing in the fall and beyond.  (I totally see one of those mushrooms from the video game Super Mario Brothers coming out of this set too!)

    ****************************

    REMINDER – Northwest Crafty Escape Weekend Retreat – early bird prices END MONDAY!

    NW-Crafty-Escape-Weekend.jpg

    If you’ve been thinking of coming to the crop weekend with me… you don’t want to miss out!  It is going to be so much fun and you can save up to $50 off your registration if you get registered and put in your deposit by Monday!

    Get the details and register here

    2015-06-12-18.10.54_thumb.jpg

    NWstamper signature_thumb[9]

    order online button for sig 3_thumb[4]

    Project Supplies Used:
    use Hostess Code 3XHDACAV to get a special thank you from me!

  • St Patrick’s Day Special (17% off!) and a Green Card Challenge for YOU!

    St Patrick’s Day Special (17% off!) and a Green Card Challenge for YOU!

    Ok, so I got super distracted last night with organizing my crafting space (I was cleaning and noticed that my now overly large collection of just the larger sized punches were getting too heavy and bowing the bottom of my drawer!) and so it was time for them to move.  Though I wasn’t quite sure where I was going to move them TO because I wanted them close at hand but liked everything else I had close at hand.  In the end, they pushed my Big Shot out of the way and took a prime spot on the back of my craft table.  So we will see how this goes!

    2015-03-17 14.31.59

    So the card I planned to make and share got pushed off to today, but thankfully I have some backups for you and a special St. Patrick’s Day sale!

     

    St. Patrick’s Day Special – Get 17% off your entire Stampin’ Up order! 

    This special is for today only… but shhh… if you email me by 9am PST tomorrow (3/18) I’ll honor the special since this post was so late in going up!

    All you have to do is either

    • email me your order at jennifer@nwstamper.com
      or
    • shop online and please enter hostess code 9CYWBHVC

    If your wishlist is over $100, don’t forget, your best bet is to consider the Stampin’ Up Starter Kit! You get $125 of product for $99 plus free shipping.  So already a big savings.
    Then get discounts on all your future purchases and fun things like participating in my groups swaps, challenges, a free magazine full of ideas every other month, online forums and gallaries for demonstrators and more!  Learn more here.

     

    Green Card Challenge!

    I also wanted to do something fun for everyone to play along – so I decided to have a Green Card challenge.

    How it works:

    1. Create a card that is made up entirely of greens and neutrals.  So you can use multiple colors of green, only one green, and your browns/whites/black/grey/etc.  And use whatever supplies you have at home.
    2. Post a link to your creation using the linky tool below!
    3. You have until 3/22 to post up your creations
    4. WIN!  On 3/23, I’ll draw a random winner to get a little something from my crafty stash and I’ll share some of my favorite cards here on the blog.

    OrFor example:

    Or this:

    image

    Or, if you are on my Newsletter Mailing List, you got the instructions today for making this:

    Not on my newsletter list?  You can sign up here!

    So, add you link or upload your picture below by Monday 3/23 to show off your stuff and maybe even win a little goodie from me!

    [inlinkz_linkup id=507103 mode=1]

    I can’t wait to see what you create!

    NWstamper signature_thumb[9]

    order online button for sig 3_thumb[4]

  • Sweet and Simple Christmas Card with Wondrous Wreath

    Nothing like some Christmas cards to start getting me in the mood for the holiday season!  The late fall/winter time is my favorite time of the year!  Yes, there is Christmas and even my birthday, but I just love all the joy that is everywhere, the twinkling lights, the shimmer and sparkle that you see everywhere.  Today the Stylin’ Stampin’ Inkspiration girls are sharing some Christmas card joy and this is my card I wanted to share:

    Isn’t it so cheery?!  I love how easy this stamp set is to make these fun wreaths.  You get three stamps that each add a little bit more to the wreath:

    1. The leaves of the wreath
    2. A few accent leaves of the wreath
    3. The berries for the wreath

    Plus there are handle guides ON THE STAMP that help you line up everything just right!

    I was going to try to explain lining it all up, but I realized you would be so much better served by a video, so I’ll put one together for you very soon!

    Tips for making this card:

    • I like to start with a white 3.5”x3.5” piece of white scrap paper and stamp your image with all the leaves so that the guide (an extra “tail” of the photopolymer stamp) is pointed towards one corner.
    • Stamp your second image with the accent leaves over the top with it’s guide pointing towards the same corner (using the corners helps you remember how to line up your stamps)
    • The berries, just stamp however looks nice to you!

    • Keep it simple by using the matching framelits (Wonderful Wreath – and you might as well get the bundle, because you know you will want it and then you get 15% off both!) to cut out the wreath with both the inside and outside cutting at the same time.
    • And just cut out some cardstock with the included bow framelit to make a pretty bow!  Add a pearl for extra bling.
    • The sentiment even fits inside the fabulous Decorative Label punch.
    imageimage

    Make this at my Holiday Card Stamp-a-Stack!

    If you are coming to my Holiday Card Stamp-a-Stack, you’ll get to make 3 of this card; so you’ll get lots of practice lining up your wreaths. Smile   There is still time to RSVP if you’d like to come!

    Holiday Card Stamp-a-Stack #1
    Jennifer’s House in Bellevue, WA
    10/18/2014 at 1pm
    Make 12 cards – 3 each of 4 designs with envelopes for only $25
    They will be lots of ideas that you can replicate if you want to make more! 
    (Holiday Card Stamp-a-Stack #2 with more card ideas will be Nov 15th)
    RSVP here


    And don’t forget to check out the Stylin Stampin’ Inkspiration blog for even more fun holiday card ideas!

    spaced shop now sig bar

    Card Supplies Used:
    click on any of the photos below for more details and easy shopping!

  • You Did It! Winning Craft Wars: Paper Pumpkin Card

    If you were reading my recap of Leadership, I mentioned a fun activity they ran over the course of the conference.  They called it “Craft Wars: Paper Pumpkin”!  Now, I’ll admit, I haven’t ever watched Craft Wars but I get the general idea (or at least have a guess).

    You have a pile of miscellaneous crafting supplies.
    You have a project goal to create.
    Make something cool.
    GO!

    And that is pretty much how this worked.  They had all of the stamps from the My Paper Pumpkin kits since March in bags in the center of the tables.  You had access to:

      – Whisper White or Crumb Cake card bases
    – about 6 colors of ink and markers
    – designer paper from the Occasions Catalog (wanna see what we had to work with?)
    – gold or silver bakers twine (maybe white too)
    – Essentials Wooden Elements
    – and um… a couple punches and dimensionals.

    So there was a lot to work from, but you were limited to what was on hand… oh, and did I mention NO cardstock except the cardbases… so we started hacking up extra Whisper White cardbases to get extra cardstock for stamping and cutting.

    I started by looking at the stamps to see what inspired me.  In this case, the “Wahoo” and “You Did It” stamps from September 2013 Kit (the sad part, I never actually put together my kit and wasn’t sure what I thought of the stamps at first.  Um, super fun it turns out!) along with the word bubble stamp from the December 2013 Kit.  Then I grabbed a few more stamps that seem like they could be interesting accents to the card and walked through the rows of paper and see if anything fits the style of the stamps and the completely fuzzy idea of what I should be making.  Turns out I was grabbed by the Bermuda Bay polka dot patterned paper from the Kaleidoscope designer paper.2014-01-10 12.42.15

    Then I started stamping, cutting and layering the elements.  And really I still had no idea how exactly it was going to ultimately come together!2014-01-10 12.55.05

    When I’m in a crunch, I’m a “glue-as-I-go” girl and so I started gluing things down which mostly works, until you decide you want to wrap baker’s twine around some paper that you already glued down.  ; )

    But “thankfully” I had gotten an ink smudge on the front of my card after I had only glued a few pieces of paper down, so I could pull them up, wrap my twine, and then glue everything back down on a new card base.

    In the end, this is what I came up with:

    Paper Pumpkin Craft Wars wahoo card

    This is a bit of a departure from my typical card style, but I LOVE IT!  I’ll be honest, this is completely inspired by a style of scrapbooking I love… so, see – scrapbooking can be a great crossover into card making.

    Well, I took this picture kind of quick and didn’t try to hard to make it super nice because I figured I’d be picking up my card the next day and taking it home where I could photograph it all nice and pretty.

    But to my happy surprise – IT WASN’T IN THE BOX!  Which turned out to mean, I was one of the 20 cards picked as winners of the Craft Wars competition.  Yay!  There were a ton of super great cards that I saw people creating so I’m glad someone on the judging panel liked my non-traditional layout.

    You know, I’m thinking I may have to host my own Craft Wars: Paper Pumpkin edition!

    Who is in!?

    Yeah, I like that idea.

    Ok, so start checking out your Paper Pumpkin kits and start brainstorming cute card ideas!

    If you aren’t subscribed to My Paper Pumpkin yet, hop to it and you’ll get a set of the 2012-2014 In Color markers for FREE!  You just have to sign up by Feb 10th to get the extra perk!  Get going here.

    ********

    Alright, I’m off to upload more pictures over on the Facebook page – display board pictures this time!  Talk about inspiration overload!  But in a good way, of course.  Smile

    spaced shop now sig bar

  • A Color Challenge with the Stylin Stampin Inkspiration Girls

    So I was talking yesterday on Facebook about challenges and how they can be pretty handy when you need a little something to jump-start some craftiness.  I’m still looking for feedback on favorite challenge sites and what types of challenges you find most fun to do, but in the meantime, I have one to share with you!

    image

    I’m a member of the Stylin’ Stampin’ Inkspiration design team and each month we host a color challenge.  I checked out the colors we were set to work with this time and thought this was a neat color combo that mixes up colors and color families for a great spring combo.

    Now, all that said, I loved the combo but stalled out initially with what I was going to do with it…. but I started with a flower stamp set, the new Naturals Chevron Ribbon, and the So Saffron core’dinations cardstock paper and began to go it.  Very quickly I ditched the flower stamps and soon this card emerged:

    Yay!  They totally work together!

    All the stamping is from the new Perfect Pennants stamp set and yes – those hearts are cut out by hand… but I SWEAR it goes fast! Smile 

    I kept adding a little detail here and a little detail there and I think it all added up to just the right about of interesting going on… do you think?

    Anyway, I think this sentiment is perfect for me to share right now because I’m getting all packed up and ready to head to Houston for the Leadership convention this week and one of the big things going on with me right now in my Stampin’ Business is figuring out how I can make my blogging and creative sharing more useful and meaningful to you.  So think of this as a little love note to you….wishing you all the best and hope I can help make it a little brighter and nicer along the way.

    Card Supplies Used

    • stamps – Perfect Pennants
    • ink – Bermuda Bay, So Saffron, Primrose Petals
    • paper – Whisper White, Subtles Core’dinations cardstock (So Saffron)
    • accessories –  essential piercing pack, paper piercing tool, Bermuda Bay 1/8” taffeta ribbon, Naturals Chevron ribbon, Stampin’ Dimensionalsimage

    Check out more great ideas using this color combo over on the Stylin’ Stampin’ Inkspiration blog today.

    spaced shop now sig bar

  • A Little Watercoloring with On The Grow

    I decided to participate in another challenge with week – again with the Late Night Stamper group.  This week was challenge #133 and you were to create a thinking of you card that has blue on it.  Seemed easy enough and so I grabbed my poor neglected On The Grow stamp set from the summer mini and got to work.

    When I saw this stamp set, it screamed,”Watercolor me!”.  So, I thought I would try to get a little artsy with my card and pulled out the watercoloring paper, my aqua pen, and some inks and got to work.

    A few watercoloring tips:

    • If you are going to use a lot of colors, make sure you use watercolor paper.  Because you will be going over the same area lots of times with a wet pen, most cardstocks and paper like Whisper White will start warping or pilling up on you.  Watercoloring paper is more fiberous and can absorb the water without a problem giving you a really nice image.
    • Use Staz-on ink for best results for your outlined image.  Staz-on won’t bleed as you go over the same area with a wet brush multiple times.  Stampin’ Up’s Basic Black and Basic Grey are water-resistant so they will work too for your watercoloring projects but your best bet would be to use Staz-on
    • If you want a really precise placement of color – grab your blender pen.  It uses an alcohol-base to pick up and place your color and the tip is firmer so you can be exact with placement and you won’t get extra liquid.
    • If you want to be more artsy – grab your aqua pen.  It is a refillable pen that just contains water with a more flexible-brushlike tip.  When you color, you can squeeze a little and make the pen more wet letting you color spread a little more or just get a more damp and traditional watercolor look.

    Click here to shop online 24/7 and start earning your NW Stamper rewards!

    Thinking of You Watercolored card recipe:
    Stamps:      From the Garden
    Ink:  Stazon Black, Island Indigo, Baja Breeze, Blushing Bride, Perfect Plum, Pear Pizazz, Crumb Cake
    Paper:  Baja Breeze cardstock, Marina Mist cs, Soft Suede cs, Watercolor paper
    Accessories:  BigShot die cutting machine, Lattice embossing folder, Paper piercer, Neutrals 5/8” brads, Aqua Pen, Stampin’ Dimensionalsimage

  • A White Only Card– LNS Challenge 131

    Whew! Nothing like a deadline to get me to hurry up and post a card I made this week for a challenge the the Late Night Stampers yahoo group.  Each week they post some kind of project challenge, and this week sounded really interesting:

    Challenge 131:  Only use white in your project except you can use a different ink color for your sentiment.

    So, this is what I came up with:

    I know it is hard to see the different elements so I tried taking some close up shots to show the butterflies and flower heart.

    If you want to try this at home, I punched out a large heart from Whisper White cardstock.  Then I punched out a ton of flowers using the Itty Bitty Shapes punch pack.  Then I curled up the flower edges and glued them to the heart with the Tombow liquid glue (the nice thing about both the heart and the flowers being out of white is that if there are gaps, you don’t notice too much!)  Then I added the smallest rhinestone to each flower center.  It takes a bit of time, but looks very pretty in person. 

    The rest of the card is just an embossing folder and the Beautiful Wings embosslit and some white ribbon. 

    Reserve your Designer Paper sampler now! 
    Only $25 for 96 sheets including specialty papers!

    White Challenge Card recipe:
    Stamps:      Teeny Tiny Wishes
    Ink:  Elegant Eggplant
    Paper:  Whisper White cardstock
    Accessories:  Large Heart punch, Itty Bitty Shapes punch pack, Beautiful Wings embosslit, Framed Tulips embossing folder, Big Shot, Whisper White Organza ribbon, Stampin’ Dimensionals

  • A Spring Color Challenge – Play along and win!

    Yesterday afternoon, I was putting the supplies away from my card class I ran on Thursday and had decided to sit down and make up some of the extra cards.  At one point, I looked up on my table and saw four markers sitting there and all I could think of was “Wow! That looks like it would make an awesome Spring card!”

    I didn’t get a chance to make my card yet because Nicholas (my 1 yr old stamper-to-be) was insisting it was almost dinner time; but I thought this would be a great color challenge to share with you all!  And its been a while since I did some kind of giveaway on my blog, so I thought why not combine the two? Smile So, here is your challenge:

    Spring Color Challenge

    Use the following colors in a project:

    • Marina Mist
    • Old Olive
    • Melon Mambo
    • Daffodil Delight

    You could make a card, a scrapbook page, a 3D item, or anything you feel inspired to do!  My goal is for you to try out a fun new color combination that you might not have tried before.  Color Challenge

    Don’t have one of the exact colors?  That’s ok!  Use something similar for a similar effect.

    Now, on to the fun stuff – a giveaway!

     

    Wanna win some goodies from me?

    **Post your completed project on my Facebook page here – NWStamper Fan Page ; or send me a picture of your project to jennifer@nwstamper.com.  **

    By sharing your awesome ideas, I’ll put your name in a random drawing to win.  What will you win, you ask?  How about a half sheet of Ice Cream Parlor Die Cut Stickers, some Ice Cream Parlor ribbon, and a card kit with supplies to make 4 of these cards from my recent card classes:

    You can even pick the color of buttons for your kit. Smile So, between the coordinating stickers, ribbon, and the cardstock and papers, you will have lots of options for some fun bright and cheery cards.  I’ll post some of the challenge submissions here on my blog as well to help give you some extra ideas along the way too (obviously with full credit to the brilliant creator who made it!).

    I will be drawing a winner at 10pm PST on 3/31, so make sure you get your entries posted by then!

    So, until then I hope you enjoy this color challenge – I know I can’t wait to play along myself!

    Click here to shop online 24/7!

    Only 6 days left of Sale-a-Bration!  Did you get your FREE stamps?

    View the Sale-a-Bration catalog here