Northwest Stamper

Tag: jennifer blomquist

  • Fast and Fabulous Flower Card

    Last week I held a Fast and Fabulous card class.  The goal of the class was to give people three cards that were quick to make, didn’t use too many tools, and looked great when you were done.  And while this card doesn’t translate as well in the photo as it does in person, people agreed it fit the class description. 🙂

    Sometimes a simple card with a pop of color and a cool focal element is all you need.  In this case, the Daffodil Delight cardstock and the punched flower gives it that.  To create the flower, we punched the new Blossom punch five times.  For each punched flower, I crinkled up the paper as much as I could and then adhered them together.  I added a small Peach Parfait Boho Blossom punch out for the center before pulling it all together with an antique brad.

    The one other thing that you can’t see, but I love is that the designer paper is flocked, adding a bit more of a rich feel to the card without being over the top.

    Want to make this card yourself?  It is one of the cards featured in this month’s Cards To Go kit!  Get all the supplies to make it at home mailed straight to you.  Click here to learn more about my Cards To Go kits.

    Want to come to one of my next classes?  Check out my calendar and let me know!

     

    Don’t miss out on Sale-a-Bration – see what you can get FREE with your order!

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

    Blossom Flower Fab Card Recipe:
    Stamps:      Curvy Verses
    Ink:  Basic Black
    Paper: Mocha Morning designer paper, Crumb Cake Cardstock, Daffodil Delight CS, Peach Parfait CS
    Accessories:  Blossom punch, Boho Blossom punch, paper piercer, glue dots

  • 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! 😉

     

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  • Don’t Miss The Sale-a-Bration Savings!

    SAB catalogWell, we are about halfway through Sale-a-Bration and I wanted to make sure everyone has been having a chance to take full advantage of all the great deals!

    You’ve heard me talk about the free products you can get with every $50 you spend – which can be combined with hostess rewards for stacking tons of extra free stuff on the order you wanted to make anyway! 🙂

    But lets talk about the best deal by far they have this year –

    The Starter Kit!

    Whether you are looking for a fun business opportunity, just want your favorite supplies at a 20%+ discount, or really want a killer deal in the form of the starter kit…now is the time to go for it!  There is no obligation, just lots of cool stuff!  So, what do you get?

    Here is what you get in the starter kit:

    image

    It is a $345 value for normally the cost of $175 – but thanks to Sale-a-Bration it is $50 off!  That is $345 worth of supplies for only $125!

    Perfect for beefing up your supplies or plenty to get you started.  You can see the detailed list of everything that comes in the kit here.

    But that isn’t everything….

     

    Get a free pack of designer paper (your choice!) or a free digital download every month for the rest of the year!

    So, lets say that you signed up today.  You would get up to 10 packs of designer paper for free over the course of the year.  And the benefit to delaying getting the paper over time?  You get to pick free packs of paper from the new catalogs as they come out!

    That makes it $455 worth of supplies for only $125.  Sweet!

     

    Anyway, while I’m sad I can’t sign up again to get the killer deal, I’m super excited to share the opportunity with you.  So, if you’ve been thinking about signing up or are just intrigued about this deal, let me know and I’d be happy to talk to you more about it.  Email me at jennifer@nwstamper.com.

    You can get started online and take advantage of all the benefits almost immediately.  Plus, if you decide that you don’t want to do anything as a demo after you sign up… that is OK too.  There is no obligation, just enjoy the monthly magazine and inspiration available to demonstrators by Stampin’ Up!.

     

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

  • Everyday Enchantment Framelit Card by Pam

    One of the things I love about being a Stampin’ Up! demo is that through the course of my different classes, events, and online wanderings, I meet some pretty awesome people.  That is especially true of the Fun n’ Crafty gals in my downline.  I have a facebook group for us to chat and share info and ideas and I was so excited when Pamela Wu shared this card she had created:

    Pamela Wu Framelit Labels card

    Isn’t it pretty?!?

    I love how it turned out and while I know I’m going to have to CASE it and make one for myself, I wanted to share it with you today.  I love how she used the Fresh Vintage stamp set to make a band for the smaller of the two Labels Framelits and then used the Bouquet Blossom Triple Layer punch for the central flower.  Finish it off with the uber cute Everyday Enchantment brad from Sale-a-Bration and it really pops!

    So, thanks, Pam for sharing this card with us and I can’t wait to go try it out myself!

    Don’t miss out on Sale-a-Bration – see what you can get FREE with your order!

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

  • Scrapbooking Sunday: Thinking of Spring

    Its Sunday, and so I’m back again with more scrapbooking ideas.  This week, I decided to start from a sketch that came from some friends of mine.  They recently started a challenge blog called The Paper Girls Challenge, where twice a month they post some kind of crafty challenge.  Their first challenge was a scrapbook page sketch and I thought it looked like a lot of fun.  So, here is how my version turned out:

    The sketch had you putting a banner in the upper left corner and I decided I wanted to say “Spring” which ended up leaving me with extra space to fill.  I just happened to have a doily cut out using the Paper Doily sizzlit and so I spritz’d it with Gold Smooch to match the colors and turned it into my sun.

    But, see, I don’t really like having single page layouts in my scrapbook – I’m just a little weird like that; so I had to create a second page to go with this page.  Thus:

    I forgot to mention that I was once again pulling out my Country Club Simply Scrappin’ Kit so the colors and the designer paper all came from this kit.  It also had these white rounded corner stickers that I started to pull off for journalling when I realized they would be perfect as clouds!  I love the touch of whimsy they give this page in real life.

    I thought I’d point out the last two fun elements that I added to this page to help give it some pop and fill some space.

    First are the flowers I added next to the pictures.  I had originally planned to use the Boho Blossoms punch to make flowers to use along the designer paper at the bottom of the page but changed my mind.  So, I had extra punch outs that ended up going perfect with my garden theme.

    Then, instead, along the bottom of the page, I grabbed my Vintage tags and snipped off the hanging thread.  Then I filled them with a punch flower from the Boho Blossom punch in Not Quite Navy and then added a central image using some of the stickers from the Simply Scrappin’ kit.

    All together, they actually were pretty quick to put together!

     

    So now, here is the final result with the two pages side by side:

    They may look a little bare compared to some of those super fancy scrapbook pages out there; but I love how it turned out in real life.  Plus, now I’m 3 more pictures done in my backlog of printed photos to scrap!

     

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

    Spring Scrapbook Layout Recipe:
    Paper:     Country Club Simply Scrappin’ Kit, Certainly Celery CS, So Saffron Textured CS, Not Quite Navy CS, Pear Pizzazz CS, Cajun Craze CS
    Accessories:  Big Shot die cutting machine, Paper Doily sizzlit, Pennant Builder punch, Billboard Alphabet die, Little Leaves Sizzlit, Boho Blossom punch, 5/8” Neutrals Brads, Paper Piercer

  • It’s All About The Cupcake!

    Happy Saturday, everyone!  If you are a fan of my Facebook page, you’ve already seen today’s card; but I had so much fun making it that I wanted to make sure I shared it with my blog readers too.  (And it just makes me happy to look at so I’m having fun writing up this post!)

    I made this cupcake card when I was trying to come up with something that would be quick to make.  I had just gotten my Sweet Shoppe specialty designer paper and when I flipped to the cupcake pattern, I got inspired!

    One of the things I love about Stampin’ Up! is that since everything is color coordinated, I don’t have to think too hard.  In this case, I could just look at the paper pattern and just pull those exact same colors from my cardstock stash and start stamping and punching away to make a punched out version of the same cupcake.

    For both the cupcake base and the sentiment, I used the matching Create a Cupcake stamp set to go with the Cupcake Builder punch (have I mentioned how nice it is to have matching stamps and punches?).  Talk about quick!

    image         image

    Ok, now I think I want to make some cupcakes.  Yum!

     

    Don’t miss out on Sale-a-Bration – see what you can get FREE with your order!

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

     

    Punch Art Cupcake Birthday Card Recipe:
    Stamps:      Create a Cupcake
    Ink:  Soft Suede Classic
    Paper: Sweet Shoppe specialty designer paper, Calypso Coral CS, Pool Party CS, Soft Suede CS, Whisper White CS
    Accessories:  Cupcake builder punch, Stampin’ Dimensionals

  • Designer Frames Embossed Love Card

    I hope you had a wonderful Valentine’s Day!  My day was like pretty much everyday except my hubby was super sweet and let me sleep in a little in the morning.  He even fed Nicholas breakfast while I slept!  That was an awesome enough gift for me. Smile

    Well, as evidenced by my just getting my Christmas thank you cards out in the mail last week, I’m a bit behind on my holiday card making.  So, it really wasn’t any surprise that I didn’t get many Valentines done…and by many I mean, I got one done.  Sure, I helped my son make one for his daddy, and so I hurried to put together one from me as well.

    I saw a card on the Stampin’ Up! facebook page that used this stamp from the Easy Events stamp set in front of the lattice embossed background and it was inspiration enough to get me started.

    imageI was trying to figure out how I wanted to mat the image when I remembered that I had just received the Designer Frames embossing folders as a free Sale-a-Bration item and sure enough, the rectangle frame was a perfect fit!

    The really cool thing about these embossing folders is that since the plastic is somewhat see-through, I could stamp my image first and then line it up inside the frame before embossing.  Sure, it leaves a little bit of ink on the folder, but that is easy to clean with a little spritz of the Stampin’ Mist cleaner.

    Anyway, after embossing the image, I decided to snazzy it up a bit and used a black marker to outline the embossed ridge near the inside of the rectangle.  Then I cut out the whole frame and sponged to make it “pop” more off the background.

    Oh, and one tip I’ll give you about watercoloring your images:
    Let the ink sit for an extra minute before you start blending your colors.

    I used a blender pen, and though I know the Basic Black ink is water resistant and that classic ink dries really quickly.  I forgot that if you are going to be doing a lot of pulling the color around with a blender pen – let your stamped image sit for an extra minute to totally dry.  I started coloring in almost immediately after stamping and found that if I went over the black lines very much with the blender pen it would darken my color (in this case, I ran into it with the green of the tree).  It still looked pretty and came out fine, but I ended up stamping again anyway because I wanted a more vibrant color when I was coloring.  Letting the image sit while I cut out the frame was more than enough time to be ready to color.

    Don’t miss out on Sale-a-Bration – see what you can get FREE with your order!

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

    Easy Events Love Card Recipe:
    Stamps:      Easy Events
    Ink:  Lucky Limeade Classic Ink, Cherry Cobbler Classic, Soft Suede Classic, Basic Black marker
    Paper: Basic Black CS, Whisper White CS
    Accessories:  Big Shot, Designer Frames Embossing folder, Cherry Cobbler seam binding ribbon, Basic Black 1/4” grosgrain ribbon, Stampin’ Dimensionals, Lattice embossing folder

  • Scrapbooking Sunday: Summer Fun Simple Layout

    Oops, got behind posting todays scrapbook layout.  This is one of the first pages I did last year when getting back into scrapbooking.  I had ordered the Country Club Simply Scrappin’ kit because I thought it could be very versatile and I think it totally works.

    I love Simply Scrappin’ kits because you have a little of everything to help you put together your scrapbook pages and you know it will be all coordinated! Plus, you have everything you need in one small package so it is ultra portable, like in this case when I took the pack to a crop with my pictures, a couple stamps, and some ink.

    I stamped and cut out the title using Broadsheet Alpha.  It took a while, but I liked having the individual letters.

    Then clustering a few of the kit elements just for fun at the bottom let me play with the different elements of the kit.  Then adding some stamping using the Creative Elements stamp set to create a border along the bottom.

    Overall, this isn’t my favorite layout of my recent pages, but the pictures and memories are wonderful and I’m glad to have them captured while I still remember that exact day.

    I’m definitely going to have to do more scrapping of days and pictures from everyday activities and not just holidays and milestones.  What do you scrap?

     

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

    Broadsheet Alphabet - Clear-Mount Stamp Set - by Stampin' Up!Creative Elements - Clear-Mount Stamp Set - by Stampin' Up!
    Broadsheet Alpha Stamp Set                           Creative Elements Stamp Set

  • Berry Blossom Thank You

    Something you may not know about me… I tend to be an overthinker.  That holds true for my card making sometimes.  I sit down with an idea and then take forever tinkering with colors, embellishments, layout, etc.  Well, yesterday was different!  I needed some thank you cards and wanted to get them done before the baby woke up and the toddler got bored and started deconstructing the craft room.

    So I sat at my table and said, lets do something fast… and one look at a Lucky Limeade flower sitting on my table and the Berry Blossom designer paper in the box at my feet and I was off and running.

    So, I had a scrap of the designer paper and I often pull my color combo cues from the paper itself.  So in this case, I decided to run with the Lucky Limeade, Calypso Coral, and Wisteria Wonder combo.  Since I had the Limeade flower, I thought the Wisteria made a good border for the patterned paper and built from there.  I was able to get two cards done in about 10 minutes and then I put together this card from the last few scraps.

    I popped the Limeade flower up on the largest flower from the Blossom Bouquet Triple Layer Punch in Calypso Coral and added a little bling to make it fun.  Then, I had already glued down the Whisper White paper before I stamped the Thank You and after stamping, decided it needed something else.  So, enter the Wisteria Wonder Stampin’ Write marker to the rescue with a bit of faux stitching.  Fast, and turns out I loved it!  I hope it makes the recipient smile too. Smile

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

    Love Impressions Scrapbook Layout Recipe:
    Ink:      Chocolate Chip, Wisteria Wonder marker
    Paper: Berry Blossom designer paper, Wisteria Wonder CS, Lucky Limeade CS, Calypso Coral CS, Whisper White CS
    Accessories:  Blossom Bouquet Triple Layer Punch, Basic Rhinestones, Stampin’ Dimensionals

     

  • Loving Thoughts Valentine’s Card

    Alright, I’ll admit I’m totally behind on getting pictures taken for my blog right now; but then I realized that there are number of projects that I don’t share on my blog that are great idea pieces out on my demonstrator website.  So, I thought I would post one of those projects so you could see one of the cute ideas.

    Totally cute, right?

    And it’s actually really easy to put together as well!  Its mainly cutting a few blocks of paper, some hearts using the new Heart Collection Framelits die, add some ribbon and some stamping, and you are good to go!  And do you see the pleated satin ribbon?  Love!

    So, if you want to see more about this card or a bunch of other project ideas you haven’t seen on my blog, check out the idea section of my website.  Let me know which projects inspire you!

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

  • Gotten Your Free My Digital Studio Trial Yet?

    My Digital Studio

    With the holidays having recently passed, you’ve probably either created your own digital project (from calendar to holiday card) or received a number of them in the mail.  The world of digital crafting and creating has really expanded in the last few years and I love that My Digital Studio provides a one-stop-shop for all kinds of projects!

    Plus, now you can try the full program for FREE!

    Stampin’ Up! has just started offering My Digital Studio Express (the downloadable version of the software) with a free 30-day trial.  So, it is easy to check it out for yourself!

    Why is My Digital Studio cool?

    • Create fun digital projects using your favorite Stampin’ Up! artwork, colors, and pre-designed templates
    • You can use the software on either a Mac or a PC
    • The software comes with pre-loaded stamps, punches, embellishments, papers, etc – but Stampin’ Up! is continually adding new content as they come out with new products.  So you can keep adding to your software…AND the downloads you buy can be used in any software program that can open a image file
    • Lots of options for how to print and share your projects including sending to a professional printing service straight from the program.
    • All of your digital download and printing services orders are eligible to earn “hostess” rewards!  So, you could be printing out a bunch of photo books for your family and get free stamps/paper/etc at the same time!

    Check out this link to learn more about My Digital Studio including a video highlighting what you can do.

    or

    Click here to get your trial now!  Its totally free, so why not give it a whirl and see what fun things you can create!

    My Digital Studio Express Trial -- Digital Download

    I’ve used MDS for a number of projects personally from cards to scrapbook pages; I’ve even used it to design my blog!  If you have any questions about how it works or what My Digital Studio can do, shoot me an email and I’d love to talk with you more.

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

  • Scrapbooking Sunday & A Superbowl Special!!

    As I mentioned last week, I’ve been getting back into scrapbooking recently and so I’m hoping to be able to share with you some ideas for how to use your different Stampin’ Up! supplies to make some fun layouts.  So, today is week 2 of Scrapbooking Sunday and stick around to the bottom of the post for my Superbowl Special!

    But first, can I share with you some photos of my littlest stamper? Smile

    This layout was based on a sketch by my friend Charity Becker.  I don’t know why I hadn’t thought of collaging photos into one single block before, but I love the look.  And it was perfect for me to put together those multiple “sleeping baby” pictures from when we were still in the hospital after Caitlin was born.  Plus it was the perfect opportunity for me to pull out the Love Impressions specialty paper I scored from the Clearance Rack!

    Since the sketch itself was pretty simple, I had fun pulling out some of my new toys and adding some fun touches.  First up…. Framelits labels!

    Since you get 6 different sizes of the same shape, I could make 3 different sized but coordinating labels for the bubble border at the top of my pictures.  Plus, I LOVE the fact that you can see what exactly you are cutting out with your framelit and so I could center the grey “LOVE” where I wanted when I went to cut it out.  And just to keep it fun, I used my embossing folders on two of the labels.

    And then to balance the bottom of my pictures, I ran a row of the Blushing Bride pleated ribbon.  I really don’t think I can get enough of this ribbon! Color in the XOXO from the designer paper with my waterbrush for a subtitle.  And then one of my favorite touches – I pierced holes at the corners of my photo frame and ran Cherry Cobbler Bakers Twine to make a subtle outline of my centerpiece.  It was so easy and really made a bigger impact than I expected for such a small amount of material.

    Do you love this stuff as much I do?  So much fun to use!  Ready for a special to help you add these to your stash for a deal?

    Superbowl Sunday Stampin’ Special!

    Alright, the Superbowl is a big day for many folks – whether you are watching for the game or for the commercials.  So, lets have a little stamping fun along with it!

    • Order discount
      • Call or email me your order at anytime on Sunday and once the game is over, I will total up the final score and the last digit of that number will be the discount for everyone’s orders!
      • So, if the final score is 31-7… add them together to get 38… so the last digit is ‘8’ and so everyone gets 8% off their purchase.
    • Bonus drawing!
      • Everyone who gets me their order prior to the end of the game will be entered in a drawing for a free spool of Pleated Ribbon in the color of your choice!

    Contact me at jennifer@nwstamper.com or 425-307-1646 to place your order.

    Online orders will be entered into the bonus drawing and discounts will be applied in the form of a reimbursement check.

    Alright everyone, GAME ON!  Enjoy your Sunday and I’ll see you back here soon!

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

    Love Impressions Scrapbook Layout Recipe:
    Ink:      Basic Grey, Real Red, Blushing Bride
    Paper: Love Impressions designer paper (CLEARANCE RACK), Real Red cardstock, Basic Grey CS, Whisper White CS
    Accessories:  Big Shot, Polkadot embossing folder, Lattice embossing folder, Framelits – Labels, Blushing Bride pleated ribbon, Cherry Cobbler bakers twine, Paper Piercer, Mat Pack, Glue dots, Water brush, Sponge Daubers