Northwest Stamper

Tag: jennifer blomquist

  • Clean and Simple Just Believe Card

    Happy December everyone!  Can you believe it is already here?  I swear I was just making plans for Halloween, but I guess that is how it is every year. 

    I just spent the last week visiting friends and family in Oklahoma, which was tons of fun I might add, and while I was there I had the chance to stamp with a few different wonderful folks.  In fact, a couple of the folks I stamped with decided to take advantage of the starter kit special and joined my team – so welcome Debbie and Kally! 

    I wanted to share with you today one of the cards I made while goofing off with the limited supplies I had brought with me.  This was one of those cards that starts off with one idea (having the grass and flowers be stamped off the edge of the card) and then you make a “mistake” aka “opportunity for embellishment” (I didn’t get the stamp over the edge of the paper and so the grass and flowers stopped 1/2” before the edge of the card); and so a new concept is born.  In the end, I like the simplicity of this card.

    I can’t decide if it needs something else like some bling or glitter on the Razzleberry flower.  What do you think?

    Just For You Recipe:
    Stamps: 
    Just Believe
    Ink:  Old Olive, Rich Razzleberry marker
    Paper:  Whisper White CS, Basic Black CS
    Accessories:  Stampin’ Dimensionals, Old Olive Satin Ribbon, Paper Snips

  • Cyber Monday Special – 15% off your entire order!

    I hope you’ve been having a great holiday weekend and managed to snag some great deals.  Well, today is the day known as “Cyber Monday” with extra online sales to finish out the holiday weekend.  

    I told you that I love sales and I love my Stampin’ Up! friends and customers so I want to give you guys a deal for Cyber Monday as well. 🙂 

    So, through Monday only, get 15% off your entire order! 

    Yep, that discount is off of anything you order through me.   This includes discounted and sale items such as:

    No minimum purchase; just a little extra money in your pocket. 

    Want to get this extra savings?  Email or call me with your order.  Since I don’t have a way to provide the discount to online orders, anyone who orders online will instead receive a gift certificate worth 15% of your total order.  Email me at jennifer@nwstamper.com or call 425-765-6197.

  • Have a Blue Christmas

    Today I thought I’d share the final card from my Holiday Stamp-a-Stack last weekend.  I wanted to get away from the traditional reds and greens and ended up playing with some blues instead. 

    Marina Christmas Card sm

    I don’t know why I always forget about using white craft ink on cardstock, but thanks to a sample I saw on the demonstrator Stampin’ Connection site, I knew i just had to have some white snowflakes.  I also had seen some layering of ribbon with the Dotted Scallop Ribbon Punch and wanted to try that as well.  So, we ended up combining Whisper White, Bashful Blue, and Marina Mist to make this cute little winter flurry card.

    Blue Christmas Recipe:
    Stamps: 
    Northern Hearts, Christmas Classics
    Ink:  Chocolate Chip Classic ink, Whisper White Craft ink
    Paper:  Bashful Blue CS, Marina Mist CS, Whisper White CS
    Accessories:  Dotted Scallop Ribbon punch, Marina Mist taffeta ribbon, Large Oval punch, Decorative Label punch, Stampin’ Dimensionals, adhesive back rhinestones

  • Black Friday Special Offer!

    Ok, you know I’m a sucker for sales and I figure if I like a sale, you might too.  So, in the tradition of Black Friday specials, I wanted to have a special offer for you too.

    • With any size order– get free shipping!

    • Placing an order of $150 or more?
      Get a free pack of designer series paper of your choice!

    To receive these special offers, you must email or call me with your order by 11:59 pm PST on 11/26.  This special is only available through me and can be combined with any other current promotional offers..

    Contact me to take advantage of this Black Friday special at jennifer@nwstamper.com or (425) 765 – 6197. 

    Happy Shopping and Saving!

  • Happy Thanksgiving!!

    I wanted to take a moment to wish you all a very Happy Thanksgiving!

    I am so thankful for my family, friends, and the wonderful community of crafters I have had the privilege of becoming a part of since discovering stamping and Stampin’ Up!

    And I am thankful for all of YOU!  Your comments, encouragement, and visits to my blog really bring joy to my life.  So thank you.!

    So, as you enjoy a meal with family and friends today, I wish you the best and remind you to enjoy and be thankful for all the people and wonderful little things in life. 🙂

    Thanksgiving 2010-001

  • A Designer Fabric Holiday Card

    I ordered the new Designer Fabrics a long while back as part of a special for Stampin’ Up! convention attendees and was excited to try experimenting with incorporating fabric into my projects.  Well, I kept looking at the pretty fabric sitting on my shelf and couldn’t bring myself to cut into it (ok, and I’ll admit I was a little intimidated to try something different).  But after my friend kept asking me about the fabrics, I knew i needed to break them out and just start cutting!

    So, this card was a fun way to play with the fabric, experiment with fraying the edges (since I had seen a few cards that did this to a very cute effect), and then also use the matching designer series paper as an accent in the Build-a-Brad.

    Fabric Christmas Card smSide note – for those of you who have no idea what I’m talking about when i say “Build-a-Brad”, it is that brad in the center of the card.  What makes these brads cool, is that they come as a blank flat-topped brad.  They are meant for you to punch out any paper/stamped image using a 1/2” circle punch and adhere that punchout to the top of the brad.  Then you can use the provided clear  adhesive-backed plastic pebble to make the brad looked finished. 

    Here is a close up of the brad showing how we punched out a circle from the Designer Series paper that had the same pattern as the fabric:

    Build a Brad with fabric sm

    I started with the idea of using the fabric and fraying it.  Then I added the Build-a-Brad.  I had the card done and all ready for the class when I looked at it and said, “Its so vintage, I bet a torn edge would look cool”.  So, I tore the bottom edge of the card, which looked cool but really popped when I added some Crumb Cake cardstock to the bottom of the card inside. 

    This card probably took the longest to make, but I love its fun accents and vintage feel.

    Some tips for this card:

    • When we adhered the DSP to the top of the brad, I like to use Crystal Effects as my glue as opposed to Snail or Glue Dots because you can get a flat even coating of the adhesive on the brad top and you know it won’t slide around on you in the future.
    • To adhere the fabric onto your cardstock, your best bet is probably going to be the Multipurpose Adhesive Sheets.  But if you don’t have that (and we didn’t for the class), you can use sticky strip to do the job.  For this card, I recommend cutting your fabric and determining where you are going to lay it on your card.  Cut a piece of Sticky Strip that is 1/2 – 2/3rd the height of your fabric piece and place it on the edge of the cardstock and then press your fabric onto the sticky strip.  I found that if you tried to put sticky strip directly onto the fabric, it can be hard to get the red backing off the tape without pulling the tape strip off of your fabric at the same time.
    • When fraying the edges of your fabric, only pull one or two threads at a time to minimize punching and pulling of your fabric. 
    • Pull extra threads for fraying by using the tip of your Paper Snips to separate the thread you are going to pull from the flat fabric piece.

    Don’t miss your chance to get the Designer Fabrics for 50% off!

    If you like the idea of playing with fabric in your projects, don’t miss your chance to try it out for half-off as part of the Online Spectacular sale.  You only have until Nov. 30th, so don’t delay!  Check them out HERE.

  • Quick and Easy – Yet Cute! – Holiday Cards

    Last Saturday was my latest holiday Stamp-a-Stack.  Since I had a few folks who had been to my first class, I decided to shake things up and play with some new products and designs.  Turns out, I love these cards and had so much fun sharing them with my ladies.  So I thought I would share a couple of the cards with you today.  I’ll be posting the other two cards we made here this week and would love for you to stop back by and let me know what you think!

    A Cute Christmas

    If you follow me on Facebook, you’ve already seen this card since I posted it as a sneak peek on Saturday.  I originally created this card because I wanted to show off the cute glitter paper in the Candy Cane designer paper pack.  I thought that the stripes were a little much for me and since I didn’t know what I was going to do with the paper, I’d find a way to use it up for this class.  I also wanted a fast and easy card since I knew my designer fabric card was going to take some time.  Well, turns out I love how bright and cheery this card is and I love the stripes!  Guess I’ll be using this paper more than I thought. 🙂

    cute christmas snowman sm Recipe:
    Stamps: 
    A Cute Christmas
    Ink:  Night of Navy Classic ink, Real Red marker, Blushing Bride marker, Wild Wasabi marker, Baja Breee marker
    Paper:  Whisper White CS, Real Red CS, Candy Cane designer paper

    Joyful Season Letterpress Card

    This next card was an excuse to use the Letterpress plates.  One of my ladies had been curious about the Letterpress plates and so I thought I would give everyone a chance to try them out.

    We used Craft Ink on textured Whisper White paper for the debossed image.  Then we spritzed the paper with Crumb Cake using the Color Spritzer tool.  If you haven’t used the Color Spritzer, it is a neat way to add splatters and spritzes of color on your paper.  I swear I feel like a wild and crazy artist when I stand over my paper and start squeezing this air gun all over the place. 🙂

    joyful season card sm If you aren’t familiar with the letterpress dies, the way they work is that you ink up the raised image on the plastic plate using your ink pads (I personally love using the Craft Ink Spots).  Place your paper over the inked image, and run it all through your BigShot or other die cutting machine.  Your image is impressed into the paper and the ink is left behind in that impressed image.  Here is my attempt at taking a photo close up to show you what I mean.

    joyful season close up sm Recipe:
    Ink: 
    Always Artichoke Craft ink, Bravo Burgundy Craft Ink, Crumb Cake marker
    Paper:  Baroque Burgundy CS, Textured Whisper White CS
    Accessories:  Joyful Season letterpress plate, BigShot, Corner Rounder punch, Stampin’ Dimensionals, Color Spritzer


    Don’t forget to fill out your wishlist and get your FREE bonus gift certificate! 

    With the Holiday Online Spectacular sale and my wishlist bonus offer going on this week, now is the perfect time to help your family and friends get their shopping done early! 

    Your family and friends can save money on your favorite things through the Online Spectacular and you will get a free bonus gift certificate worth 10% of all the items purchased off your wishlist.  Its a win/win!  Email me your wishlist today to start earning your rewards.

  • The Stampin’ Up! Online Spectacular Sale is Here!

    Online Spectacular

    Oh boy!  The holiday shopping season is upon us and the sales are starting earlier and earlier.  Stampin’ Up! is no exception and they just published their Online Spectacular sale – going on now through November 30th.  Even demonstrators didn’t know what deals they had in store for everyone and so I’m sure I’m not the only one who waited up eagerly to see the list of special offers available starting today.

    If you know me, you know I am a sucker for sales and I think this will be no exception.  There are over 65 items and special bundles now available for up to 50% off the regular price!  I know some of the embellishment bundles are calling my name and the Sweet Shoppe Alphabet Stamp Set Bundle….I think i need to sit down and go through the full list of items again to fill up my wishlist. 🙂

    With so many items on sale, it is hard to list them all (Click here to see the full list) but here are some of the highlights:

    • 50% off – My Digital Studio software (mac and pc)
    • 50% off – Designer Fabrics
    • 40% off – Special Fire & Ice Crystal Brad bundle
    • 40% off – a number of BigShot dies and embosslits
    • 30% off – Hodgepodge Hardware or Accessory Bundles
    • 30% off – Coordinated stamp set bundles
    • 40 -20% off – many digital downloads
    • FREE shipping plus hostess benefits on orders of $150 or more
    • and many more!

    You can see images of all of these sale items and bundles in the online store
    As always, if you have any questions or I can offer any help, send me an email and I’d be happy to help!   jennifer@nwstamper.com

  • A Clean and Simple Holiday Card

    When I was at the Stampin’ Up! regionals in Portland, I saw a demonstration that showed how cute a scalloped edge could be on a card.  I got inspired by the example and started playing with a card layout that has evolved into this design which I really like. 

    I have made this design in the past using Whisper White cardstock as the base with Cherry Cobbler accents but I had some scraps lying around and so went ahead and tried it with Soft Suede.  It looks really nice in person (better than I think it shows in the picture).  The other thing I vary with this card – in this example I used a strip of Soft Suede cardstock for the string the ornament is hanging on, but when I used a white base, I really like using Early Espresso narrow taffeta ribbon.

    Thanks for looking! 

    Happy Holidays Card Recipe:
    Stamps: 
    Tags Til Christmas, Many Merry Messages
    Ink:  Cherry Cobbler, Early Espresso
    Paper:  Whisper White CS, Cherry Cobbler CS, Soft Suede CS
    Accessories:  Ornament Punch, Scallop Trim Punch, Adhesive Rhinestones, Stampin” Dimensionals


    Love crafting and sharing it with others? 

    starter_kit_widgetDon’t miss this amazing opportunity to get the demonstrator starter kit for 50% off!  Become a demonstrator before November 30th and you’ll get over $310 worth of product and supplies for less than the cost of the stamps!

    My team is growing and I’d love to have you join us!  Contact me today at jennifer@nwstamper.com  for more information or click here to get started.
    (my recruiter code is nwstamper).

  • Win a FREE copy of My Digital Studio!

    Wow, I was looking online for some project inspiration when I saw this amazing giveaway on the MyDigitalStudio.net website!  Just share why you love My Digital Studio (or why you think you would love My Digital Studio) on your blog or facebook page and leave a comment on their blog and you are entered for a chance to win!

    I have to say that I have always been a little skeptical of digital scrapbooking since I really like having layers and a 3D feel.  But after making some projects for the recent contest, I’m finding I really like it more and more!

    What I really love about My Digital Studio is the fact that I can create projects using the embellishments, papers, and stamps that I love and often have in person.  Then, if I want to print my project out, I know that I can add layers and extra accents and I know they will match.  I can use Old Olive in the background and then add some Old Olive ribbon to my printed project and they will look great together! 

    Plus, now that I have a son who I want to share photos and layouts with lots of family members, I can quickly create cute photo books – laid out and embellished as a scrapbook but then say print 5 copies and I’m done!  I don’t have to repeat the same project 5 times to give away as gifts.  So easy and so cute!

    Check out all the cute papers, stamps, and embellishments you have to work with with My Digital Studio.

  • More Fun Ideas for Crystal Effects

    Each month I hold a technique night focusing on some different product or crafting technique.  Well, this last Tuesday night we focused on Crystal Effects.  I think Crystal Effects is one of those products that I often forget on the shelf but when I pull it out and start playing around I have so much fun!  I took this evening to show some of the different ways you can use Crystal Effects starting with the simple:

    Hello card In this case, we stamped the card and then added Crystal Effects over the butterfly image to create a fun 3D effect:

    CE close up Similar to this idea, we also made some chipboard accents to use on a future project.  This was the thrifty person (aka hoarder) in me.  I saved the white cardboard piece that comes with our designer paper packages.  We adhered some DSP to the cardboard and then punched out a heart using the Small Heart punch.  Then we punched that out using a 1” Circle punch and also punched out a 1” circle of Poppy Parade cardstock.  Glue the Poppy Parade piece to the back of your chipboard and then fill in the cutout with Crystal Effects.  Its a fun way to make custom epoxy-like accents.

    Epoxy AccentsNext, we added some sparkle to the place… cause who doesn’t like glitter with your pizza?  🙂   (We were meeting at Round Table Pizza and only got a little bit of glitter on the table)  Coat the top of the brad with Crystal Effects and dip into some fine glitter to create your glitter brads.

    glitter bradsNow, I will warn you, unlike our Glimmer Brads in the Holiday Mini, the glitter will tend to rub off a bit with these brads.  You want to shake off what you can when you first glitter them up and then be prepared for a little to flake off after its dried.  I think it is pretty enough to be worth it.  Oh, and when you are letting your brads dry after dipping them, just set them gently on the table with the prongs pointing up.  It won’t mess up your brads and then you can have your hands free to do other stuff while it dries.

    We also used Crystal Effects as glue on the back of the clear Itty Bitty Buttons, using the matching Punch Pack to punch out paper in the same shape as the button.  I made this card a while back and used it as my sample.  But it shows you basically what we did.

    friends forever buttons close up buttonsFinally, our last fun technique was the Stained Glass technique.  I love using this stamp set for this technique.  If you want to see details on how to do it, check out my post from last year.  But here is the card we made:

    stained glass treeAnd yes, my tree ended up a little “artistic”. 🙂  I was showing how to color and paint on the Crystal Effects and when showing how you would attach the window sheet to the Whisper White paper once the Crystal Effects was dry, I accidentally put them together.  So, I now call it artistic shading.

    It was a fun night and I loved seeing the creativity in the room.

    Thanks for taking the time to view the projects we made.  I’d love to hear what your favorite use is for Crystal Effects.  Leave a comment sharing what tips and techniques you use, I’d love to hear from you!

    In the San Francisco area? I’d love to show you and your friends how to make these projects!  Contact me at jennifer@nwstamper.com to learn how you can get a free private class for you and your friends!

  • A Simple Day of Gratitude Card Share

    A little over a week ago, I hosted my monthly “meet & greet” and as with each month, I brought a free make & take card.  This month, I decided to use the fabulous Day of Gratitude set, which thanks to regionals in Portland, I am love more and more each time I use it.

    Anyway, I got home and put all my supplies away and managed to hide the card from myself for over a week until today!  Well, I found the card and really like how it turned out and so I wanted to share it with you here.

    This stamp set begs to be used with Cajun Craze and More Mustard inks, both of which have not been my favorite colors.  But I have to say, Cajun Craze has really grown on me!  It is the perfect color for using in fall scrapbook layouts and cards.

    For some added kick, the Decorative Label punch out is popped up on Stampin’ Dimensionals.  Otherwise, it is a quick and easy card that looks great in person.  We stamped the strip of Very Vanilla cardstock randomly using the images from the Day of Gratitude stamp set in the colors More Mustard, Cajun Craze, and Early Espresso.  Its like making your very own Designer Paper!  The medallion is stamped in Old Olive ink on Old Olive cardstock.

    In the San Francisco Bay area? I’d love to have you join me for my next event!  Check out my event calendar or contact me for more details!

    Until next time- Happy Stamping!