Northwest Stamper

Tag: fussy cutting

  • Making Kites on Cards with the Swirly Bird stamp set

    If you have seen the Swirly Bird stamp set in the Stampin’ Up catalog, you may have thought to yourself that it didn’t look like much… or, like I did, what the heck am I going to do with these shapes?!

    But the amazing thing you’ll see if you start looking at cards using this set, is that you end up seeing so many different options and opportunities!  Kind of like life, right?  You look at the jumble of people and situations and wonder how it all comes together and yet, usually you end up being pleasantly surprised by some of the cool and unexpected ways things come together!  So, today I thought I’d share one of the first cards I made with the Swirly Bird stamp set… did you see those weird triangle shapes in the stamp image above?  Check it out… they turn into kites when used together!!!

    Tips for making this card:

    • Two stamps means lots of opportunity to play with color – Mix and match your colors for the striped part of the kite and the solid part.  I was focusing on Delightful Dijon as this was a card for the OnStage displays using that color, but play around with your favorite colors to find new and fun color combinations!
    • Cut out some shapes to help your kites float on the breeze – While there is a coordinating thinlit set, it doesn’t cut out the kite image or the little bows.  But don’t be dissuaded from adding this pop of dimension!  Here are a few of my tips for cutting out stamp shapes so they look great:
      Always leave some white space around the outside of your images! 
      When I first started cutting out stamped images, I tried to cut exactly on the outline of the image.  The problem with that is that I’m an imperfect cutter and so sometimes I would cut right on the line and sometimes I’d cut OFF the line, or leave a little bit of white.  Which in the end, didn’t look so great.  But when I would cut and always try to leave a little bit of white around the edges, you don’t notice when I’m slightly closer in one spot or a little farther away in others.  Plus, it keeps the clean edge of the stamped image in tact, so the image always looks great!
      Move your paper NOT your scissors! 
      This is another trick that blew my mind when I first started cutting things out.  If
      you are like me, you learned in kindergarten to open and close the scissors in the direction of where you want to cut.  And that works great if you are cutting strips of paper or other mostly straight lines.  It doesn’t work so well when you are cutting curves or in little detail areas.  So, now, I always start with my scissors open and slowly close them for my cutting, but with my other hand, I move my paper to change direction of the cut.  Moving the paper allows for smooth curves and can make it a lot easier to get in to those tight little spaces.
    • Cut up your dimensionals (and the edges of the foam dimensional sheets!) to pop up even the littlest pieces – I wanted my kites to be floating on the breeze, but then I had to figure out what to do with the tails.  Ended up being easy to just cut up some of the edges of dimensional sheets so I could pop up the thin lines behind a few of the bows on each string.  Seriously, it is easier than it sounds!
    • Try the other stamps in unexpected ways!  I thought the swirly images in the stamp set looked like birds nests or artsy flowers, but when working on this card, I suddenly saw clouds!  That is the beauty of it, you can make them whatever you want!  I used Soft Sky ink and then for fun, added a white sequin from the Metallic Sequins assortment to the middle of each with a glue dot.

    I loved how this card came together and hope it inspires you to give this stamp set a second look and maybe you’ll see some fun and unexpected combinations for an amazing project!

    And speaking of fun and amazing new products and projects, if you missed it over on my YouTube channel, I posted an “unboxing” video to walk through all the new ribbons, papers, accessories, kits, and many many new stamp sets!  In fact, I had so much I couldn’t keep it all in one box!  So, check it out and see if you find any unexpected favorites in there Smile

    Annual Catalog Unboxing and New Product Preview

    So, what do you think?  Have a favorite stamp or paper?  I love your comments and would love to hear from you on what your thoughts are Smile .

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    Project Supply List

  • Happy New Year! What’s Your 2014 Resolution?

    We made it!  Happy New Year!  

    2013 blew through December and came barreling full speed ahead to 2014!  (Or at least that is what it felt like at my house this year. ha ha!)  It has been all I can do to make sure my head is on straight the last week or two and so, when the Styling Stampin’ Inkspiration Design Team decided to share our resolutions I thought it was the perfect chance for me to sit back and actually take a break and reflect. 

    As I recently broke out my new Occasion Catalog and Sale-a-Bration preorder goodies and started making some new projects to share (and send out as thank you cards to some amazing customers and swap cards for some great demos), I looked under my table and behind me and realized that I have some absolutely fabulous supplies that have somehow become “old” and set aside for my “new”… even though some of those supplies are from the Holiday catalog and maybe I only bought them in the last month or two. 

    The problem with this is that I usually get to the retirement list at the end of May and suddenly am reminded of stamps, papers, and accessories that I love but had forgotten about! 

    Not this year!!

    So my resolution for 2014 is to actually USE and enjoy the supplies I have now
    That isn’t to say that I won’t get excited about, enjoy and share the new stuff (You can be sure I will!) but I’ll be making a conscious effort to keep enjoying and sharing fun projects with the not-so-new as well.  There are a lots of great designs for all through the year and they deserve to be enjoyed as well, don’t you think?

    For example, check out this card I created using a stamp set and paper that I often pass over for more “exciting” supplies… turns out they make great cards too!

    Card Supplies Used
    Stamps – Hello, Lovely
    Ink – Crumb Cake, Gumball Green, Chocolate Chip, Daffodil Delight, Calypso Coral, Pool Party
    Paper – Very Vanilla, Chocolate Chip, Epic Day designer paper
    Accessories – Dotted Scallop Ribbon Trim punch, stampin’ dimensionals

    Sure it took a little bit of time to cut out the different shapes from the stamp set, but I think it gives it a really fun look!

    Yes… that is right, I hand cut everything.  But if it makes someone smile, it is all worth it!

    Which leads to a couple more follow up resolutions:

    1.  Do even more to show my appreciation to my customers and to my amazing Fun n’ Crafty team of demonstrators

    2.  Take time to stamp more… and SEND MORE!  Having a pile of cards at home does me no good, but can brighten someone’s day if I just pop it in the mail.

    So, how about you?  What is your resolution?

    You really are the best!  Smile  Here is to a great 2014!  I look forward to seeing you more soon.

     

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