stampin’ up – Page 44 – Northwest Stamper

Will You Join me at Convention (for FREE!)–Registration starts tomorrow!

Oh, I’m excited! Convention registration starts tomorrow for this summer’s big event. Every year for the last 5 years I’ve taken time in the summer to re-energize by visiting Salt Lake City for the Stampin’ Up convention. Its been an amazing time to get away, be inspired by so many amazing projects, swap cards with other demonstrators, get the inside scoop on what is coming up from Stampin’ Up, get free goodies, and generally have a blast. So, of course I’m headed back this year with some of the Fun n’ Crafty stampers (my downline group of demonstrators) – especially since they announced that they will be handing out the Winter Holiday catalog at convention and we even get to BUY from the catalog while we are there. Score!

But what about you?

Did you know you can attend for FREE if you join the Stampin’ Up family by purchasing your Starter Kit any time from last July until convention registration fills up? So, basically, get to pick out $150 in product of your choice for only $99, have access to all the resources and benefits of being a demonstrator, and starting tomorrow, register for convention and Stampin’ Up will pick up the registration fee for you!

Here are a few pictures from the last 4 years or see lots more photos of these events on my blog here.

2010 Convention

Meet Shelli Gardner!

See amazing displays full of ideas!

2011 Convention

Relax and have lunch with a few thousand of your friends.

See super clever stamping demonstrations!

2012 Convention

Family friendly too when you have little ones!

Did I mention you get free stamps?

Convention 2013

Love my Fun n’ Crafty group that all went to convention together last year!

Swap with other demonstrators for great card ideas!

So if you are interested in join me, I’d love to have you come with me or at least hang out with my group!

Learn more about being a demonstrator here

Sign up today and you’ll be all set to register tomorrow.

Have questions? Email me at jennifer@nwstamper.com and I’d be more than happy to chat and answer any questions you have.

April Online Stamp Club Hostess Code – G4VQJ7VB
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April 7, 2014

A Masculine Card with Six Sided Sampler

Quick, name a stamp set that you just had to have but have since used once – or not at all! For me, that has been the Six Sided Sampler stamp set. I saw lots of cool things done with this set and I loved the hexagon punch that coordinated, so I picked it up last fall. and I think I’ve used it about twice! Thankfully, my friend Sarah Naber came to my rescue with this awesome inspiration that is great for guys or gals!

You know me, I love clean and simple cards – especially if they have lots of great details that are subtle but really add to the card. And boy does she deliver!

It is a little hard to see in the first picture, but I like how she stamped the Cherry Cobbler cardstock with the Woodgrain stamp and then she embossed the Island Indigo cardstock with the Alphabet Press embossing folder

Add a touch of Linin Thread for one last bit of texture. Such a great color combination (Crushed Curry, Cherry Cobbler, Island Indigo, Crumb Cake) and use of those hexagons. I think I have some inspiration to play with again!

April Online Stamp Club Hostess Code – G4VQJ7VB
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Stampin’ Up! Supplies Used
Stamps – Six Sided Sampler, Teeny Tiny Wishes, Woodgrain
Ink – Cherry Cobbler, Island Indigo, Crushed Curry, Crumb Cake
Paper –Cherry Cobbler, Island Indigo, Crushed Curry, Crumb Cake, Whisper White
Accessories – Big Shot, Alphabet Press embossing folder, Hexagon Punch, Linen Thread

Favorite Supplies:

April 6, 2014

Have You Seen This in my Thank You Cards?

I send out Thank You cards to everyone who places an order with me – sometimes I get a little behind (like in February when we had health issues at home) but I try to make sure I get caught up. Well, yesterday, I was finishing up the last batch of Thank You cards and getting them ready to mail when I realized I do something that may seem strange to some folks. So, I thought I’d share a little background today.

So, what is it that I do that is odd? Well, when I send out my thank you cards, instead of writing my note on the inside like I normally do for birthday cards, congrats, sympathy, etc, I write my note on a post-it note and put THAT inside the card!

I always thought it was clear why I did that… I want to send you a Thank You for your order, but I also want to GIVE you a card that you can use for ideas or for giving away to someone else! So, I write my note on a post-it so you can pull out and reuse the card. If you want to keep it for ideas or for yourself, that is awesome. If you want to share it with someone else, that is great too.

I was talking with someone I gave a card to recently and when I mentioned I had written on the post-it note so she could re-use it if she wanted, she was surprised and shared that she hadn’t even thought of that.

So, thank you for ordering with me… please enjoy your card, however you choose! Oh, and want to see the front of this card? I can’t believe I haven’t shared it yet!

Love, love, love this Lacy & Lovely stamp set! Pair it with Primrose Petals and some emboss resist technique and it is a really pretty card. I think I need to spend some more time with my Primrose Petals papers and ribbon before they go away next month!

April Online Stamp Club Hostess Code – G4VQJ7VB
Use this code to get free exclusive tutorials & project kit! Learn more

Stampin’ Up! Supplies Used
Stamps – Lacy & Lovely
Ink – Versamark, Primrose Petals, Early Espresso
Paper –River Rock (retired), Primrose Petals, Whisper White
Accessories – Heat Gun, Clear embossing powder, embossing buddy, Primrose Petals stitched satin ribbon, glue dots, sponges

Favorite Supplies:

April 5, 2014

Bright Retro Fresh card with Starburst Sayings

It’s funny. I tell myself that I’m going to focus on getting caught up on some other tasks I’m behind on (like making sure the last few people who participated in my Online Stamp Club at the end of the month have their project passwords & make and take packets in the mail!) So, I’m going to wait to edit photos and post on my blog for a few days. But then after I haven’t posted for 2 days, suddenly I feel like its been AGES and I have the itch to get something to share.

So, here I am, pulling out a card to share that I received from my fabulous friend Annie Lee, because YOU need something bright and cheery to send off your Friday!

Now, I normally shy away from orange as a main color… I don’t wear it, I rarely buy it…. but times like these remind me that it isn’t as bad as I think! In fact, I think it actually makes the card. It helps the patterns in the Retro Fresh designer paper and the sentiment stand out without needing them to be super bright themselves.

And she reminded me about those Vintage buttons that have been sitting on my desk for the last 9 months and never been touched… remember those? I swear, I never would have though to grab a “frilly”, vintage button to go with a modern retro card – but it works!

And that, my friends, is why doing card swaps and sharing ideas is so great. It helps you see the supplies you have in a whole new light and give you great ideas to try.

Want to swap and share ideas online with me and other crafters?

I’ve been thinking of putting together a group for sharing ideas and possibly swapping (most likely a group on Facebook). You wouldn’t have to be a Stampin’ Up demonstrator to participate as I’d love as many people to share ideas as possible. If you are interested in joining a group like this, leave me a comment, post on my facebook page,000 or shoot me a mail. If I have enough interest, I’ll get it going and make sure you are invited!

April Online Stamp Club Hostess Code – G4VQJ7VB
Use this code to get free exclusive tutorials & project kit! Learn more

Supplies Used:

April 4, 2014

No Foolin’–it’s the weekly deals!

It’s April 1st and hopefully you don’t get hit with too many April Fools jokes. Smile I was not on top of it this year to come up with anything too fun so I’ll just see what everyone else has been doing.

I’d love to hear though what fun April Fools shenanigans you’ve run into today! Leave me a comment and share what you’ve done or seen.

In the meantime, here are the weekly deals for you this coming week!

Available for the week of 4/1 – 4/7/2014

Check out any of them in the online store for more details or to pick up your favorites while they are 25% off!

April Online Stamp Club Hostess Code – G4VQJ7VB
Use this code to get free exclusive tutorials & project kit! Learn more

March 31, 2014

A Sweet Spring Scrapbooking Layout & Some Cards

Ok, it is officially the next to last day for Sale-a-bration. So, as promised, I’m sharing my last few projects using my Sale-a-bration freebies. I realized that the Sale-a-bration flyer doesn’t do the best job giving you a feel for the different stamps and papers so hopefully seeing them in person gives you some ideas for what you like and how to use what you have!

First up, a sweet scrapbook page that took me about 20 minutes to complete!

Seriously – only about 20 minutes, if that! And that includes the journalling.

Sorry the photo isn’t the best… I’m still trying to figure out the best way to photograph 12×12 layouts (if you have any tips, PLEASE leave me a comment and let me know what you do!)

Ok, so here is the real reason why this came together so quickly – it is made up of entirely scraps! Aside from the button, and cutting down the Calyspo Coral designer paper for one of the photomats (from a scrap). Everything else on the page is used exactly as is from my scrap pile!

Alright, I did a little sponging… but NO CUTTING!

I guess sometimes saving those scraps and die cuts is a good thing.

This page is for Caitlin’s first (and so far, only) time getting her hair done in a salon. She barely lets me brush her hair and so trying to attempt a braid is a little too ambitious. So I wanted to capture the moment when I had the chance!

Stampin’ Supplies used

And I have a few extra cards to share with you today as well. Just some bonus inspiration!

I love the Vivid Vases stamp set and turns out it kind of works with that crazy pattern from the Sweet Sorbet designer paper (can you believe this pattern come from the same pack as the paper used in the scrapbook page above?)

And then there is this super sweet and simple card I was given by Holly Jones:

This uses the Petal Parade stamp set for the focal flowers and then a simple small circle punchout of Silver Glimmer paper for the centers!

So, hope these gave you some ideas and I’ll be back tomorrow with two more simple ideas to finish out your Sale-a-bration season!

March Online Stamp Club Hostess Code – XEWP4DFD
Use this code to get free exclusive tutorials & project kit! Learn more

March 30, 2014

Waiting for News on the Stampin’ Up Blendabilities?

So, I’m delaying my originally planned post for today until tomorrow. So in the meantime, I wanted to share some news I just learned and remind everyone that there is only 5 days left for the Super Starter Kit deal!

And, after I tell you about the Blendabilities news… you are really going to want to make sure you know about your option for being a member of the Stampin’ Up Family.

Stampin’ Blendabilities – Coming Soon(ish)

Now, if you haven’t heard of Blendabilties, they are Stampin’ Up’s version of alcohol ink markers. These types of markers are great for blending colors and get complex shading of your images. It also isn’t nearly as hard as it looks either!

Here is an example of the type of project you can make:

I don’t have this type of marker yet (I just got to play with them at Leadership in January) but I found this BEAUTIFUL card created by Darlene DeVries. She used Copic markers which is the same type of marker so you can see the possibilities with the Pleasant Poppies stamp.

Now, if they have Copics, why am I waiting to buy Stampin’ Blendabilities?

A few reasons…

Stampin’ Blendabilities are more cost-effective! They will be available for $11.95 for a set of 3 as opposed to $5-$8 a marker.
They will come in SU colors and so coordinate with the papers, cardstock, and accessories I already have. (I know, I’m a sucker for easy matching!)
You get your markers in sets of 3 that tell you which shades go together. So no guessing. I can get a set of Cherry Cobbler markers and have the light, medium, and dark in one set and know I can shade anything red and know which marker colors go together.
And of course, as a demonstrator, I get an extra discount… and any chance to save money on some awesome tools is always a great perk!

When can I get some Stampin’ Blendabilties?

So, here is the tricky question. Thankfully, Stampin’ Up realized that there are a LOT of people eagerly waiting for these markers and so they are trying to make sure they have enough inventory to prevent backorders. Turns out, manufacturing is taking longer than they thought, so they have had to shift the release date.

Demonstrators – If you are a demonstrator, you will be able to preorder 6 of the colors plus some accessories with the new catalog products preorder on May 1st! Then when the new catalog launches June 2nd, the skin tone colors will be out next.

Customers – We are still waiting to hear when they will be available for everyone to order. All the Blendabilities products will be shown in the new Stampin’ Up! catalog in June but the date for ordering will be based on how manufacturing goes in the next couple months. (The goal being as soon as possible when the new catalog launches)

I’ll keep you posted as they update us, but if you are really eager for your own set of Blendabilities, consider getting your Stampin’ Up starter kit and joining the demonstrator family! Get all the perks including seeing the 2014-2015 catalog first & get in on the early ordering the new products!

5 Days Left of the Super Starter Kit Deal!

I’m so excited to welcome new members to our Fun n’ Crafty demonstrator group, and right now with the extra bonus as part of Sale-a-Bration, it is a great time to join!

You have until March 31st to get the BONUS $25 of your choice of product with your starter kit.

Learn more about the perks of membership

Get started ordering your Starter Kit here

If you have any questions, about Blendabilities or details of joining Stampin Up, just let me know! I’d be happy to help – just email me at jennifer@nwstamper.com.

March Online Stamp Club Hostess Code – XEWP4DFD
Use this code to get free exclusive tutorials & project kit! Learn more

March 27, 2014

Lacy & Lovely Emboss Resist–Ombre Style!

Heat embossing is one of those great techniques that always instantly makes a card just a little bit classier and more elegant. That said, I totally forget about it a ton of the time! Thankfully, I have my Lacy & Lovely stamp set which always gets me excited to do some embossing. Especially because I LOVE doing the emboss resist technique with it.

In the Seattle area? Join me for my Embossing Technique class on Monday 3/31 at 7pm in Redmond, WA! Get all the details here – I’d love to have you stamp with me!)

Recently I was experimenting with some different card ideas and I ended up with this:

It was supposed to be an ombre card – where the purples go from lightest to darkest – but I got too excited to start sponging and I forgot to make sure I knew which piece went where!

So instead, you get something reminiscent of ombre… you get the idea.

How to make this card

Start out with your Whisper White piece of cardstock and cut it into 3 pieces. Lay them out on a piece of scrap paper so they form their origional rectangle.
Stamp randomly with the large doily shape from your stamp set using Versamark
Sprinkle clear embossing powder over the stamped images and heat with the heat tool
Select 3 ink colors in different shades of the same color. Grab one of the yellow sponges and start sponging each panel a different color.
For best results – sponge in order from lightest to darkest!
Randomly stamp different images from the stamp set in the colors you plan to sponge with. (I stamped with Wisteria Wonder and Elegant Eggplant)
Adhere your panels to a piece of cardstock for a matted frame. Add embellishments, and you are done!

The great thing is that the clear embossed areas will resist your sponged ink and so the white shows through no matter how dark of an ink you use to color with.

Next time though, I’ll try to remember to sponge my colors in the right order!

March Online Stamp Club Hostess Code – XEWP4DFD
Use this code to get free exclusive tutorials & project kit! Learn more

Stampin’ Up! Supplies Used
Stamps – Lacy & Lovely
Ink – Wisteria Wonder, Elegant Eggplant, Perfect Plum
Paper –Crumb Cake, Chocolate Chip, Whisper White
Accessories – Heat Gun, Clear embossing powder, embossing buddy, Crumb Cake seam binding ribbon, sponges

Favorite Products

March 26, 2014

Weekly Deals for the last week of Sale-a-Bration

Happy Tuesday!

We are down to our LAST WEEK of Sale-a-bration, and so if you have been thinking of stocking up on supplies, picking up some wish list items, or just getting started on that project you’ve been thinking about for a while; you have one week left to get the stuff you need and get BONUS stuff you want for free.

Stampin’ Up has also posted the weekly deals for this last week in March as well. So, here is what is up on special this week:

See all the details and shop the sale here

Love that core’dinations paper! Its like cardstock, textured cardstock, and a cool sanding medium in one! One of the color families that is on sale this week is the Subtles collection…wanna see it in action? Check out this cute card by Breelin Renwick (she shared it with Annie Lee, who shared with me)!

Those pretty colors are: Pool Party, Wisteria Wonder, and Calypso Coral. And when you emboss the Pool Party core’dinations cardstock with the Decorative Dots embossing folder, you can sand the bumps to show the lighter blue core instead.

Also, love how she combined the Banner Blast stamp set (and Banner punch) with the Hearts a Flutter stamp set and framelits! Don’t they layer so well together?

And if you are trying to remember what all your options were for free stuff this month… here is the full list again!

This week, I’ll be sharing lots of projects using my favorites from the Sale-a-Bration flyer! So, come on back throughout the week to help get more ideas for how you can use your fabulous freebies!

March Online Stamp Club Hostess Code – XEWP4DFD
Use this code to get free exclusive tutorials & project kit! Learn more

Stampin’ Up! Supplies Used
Stamps – Hearts a Flutter, Banner Blast**
Ink – Pool Party, Wisteria Wonder, Calypso Coral
Paper –Pool Party, Wisteria Wonder, Calypso Coral, Whisper White
Accessories – Big Shot, Hearts a Flutter framelits, white baker’s twine, rhinestones, Itty Bitty Punch pack, small Heart punch, Decorative Dots embossing folder**
** item available as a free gift with a $50 order

Favorite Products:

March 25, 2014

Masculine Monday with Burlap, Woodgrain, and Word Bubbles!

I know many of us struggle with masculine cards. I often find it so easy to reach for my flowers and rhinestones and pinks and whatnot; but when I need to make a card for a guy, those go-to items suddenly don’t seem to be quite the right fit. Well, as luck would have it, today over on the Stylin’ Stampin’ Inkspiration blog, they are sharing some cards for Masculine Monday (and WOW are there some stunners!) So, I wanted to participate with the design team and I wanted a guy card for my upcoming card class at the Scrapyard Chicks Spring Workshop, so I grabbed some burlap ribbon, some scraps of paper, and got to work!

Can I just say… I LOVE how this turned out. It has a lot of fun touches to it without being super over the top or fussy.

The class I’m teaching in April focuses on 6 different techniques and for this card, I was showing off a neat different way to use your embossing folders…. as a stamp! That is right, that grainy background on the card base – it is actually stamping using the Woodgrain embossing folder.

So how does that work?

You take your ink pad and slide it along the raised side of your embossing folder.
Close the embossing folder over your card front so the ink is where you want it (basically, make it look like you are about to run it through the Big Shot)
Do NOT actually run it through the Big Shot, instead use your bone folder to burnish the embossing folder and impress the ink onto your card base
Open up the folder and admire your stamping work.

The other think I really liked about this card was the mixing and matching of the word bubbles. I stamped the “Hey There” with the Just Sayin’ stamp set and then cut it out with the Word Bubbles framelits (and yes, get the bundle! They are both cute ).

But then I needed something more, so I grabbed some of the Gold Foil paper and cut out a different word bubble shape from the framelits. Now, when you look at the paper that now has a word bubble sized hole in it, you will see that the framelit die embossed a faint line from the outer edge of the die (as opposed to the inner edge of the die where the cutting occurred). So in this case, you can use that faint line as a cutting guideline and cut along that share to give you this cool metallic word bubble outline!

Oh, and I actually did emboss the Chocolate Chip paper with my embossing folder… I like the contrast of the stamped woodgrain and the embossed woodgrain.

So, what do you think? I really liked how it turned out and can’t wait to share it at the workshop in a month!

March Online Stamp Club Hostess Code – XEWP4DFD
Use this code to get free exclusive tutorials & project kit! Learn more

Stampin’ Up! Supplies Used
Stamps – Just Sayin’
Ink – Soft Suede, Chocolate Chip
Paper – Sahara Sand, Old Olive, Island Indigo, Chocolate Chip, Whisper White, Gold Foil
Accessories – Big Shot, Word Bubble framelits, Vintage Brads, Woodgrain embossing folder, Burlap ribbon

Favorite products:

March 24, 2014

My Favorite Banner Card Yet!

I just realized this morning that I hadn’t shared this card yet and I love it so much that I figured I needed to fix that!

This is my favorite card yet that I’ve made with the Sale-a-Bration set Banner Blast and I know a lot of it is the color… and the bling… and the sentiment. Ahhh, don’t you just love it when a card comes together for you?!

Isn’t Bermuda Bay and Basic Black a GORGEOUS color combination?? I just loved the colors and so I wanted to keep the whole card to those tones.

From the sentiment that I love from the See Ya Later stamp set – “I don’t believe it’s your birthday. You don’t look any older than you did last year.” to the clean white background to show off the banners.

Now, I don’t know why it took this long for me to think of stamping one of the Banner Blast pennants onto colored cardstock… for some reason I kept only stamping a colored ink onto white cardstock. But look at how great the black ink looks on the Smoky Slate cardstock:

I also connected the banner by adding rhinestones instead of bakers twine or some other line. Just the right amount of glitz.

Yes, both of these stamps sets are only available during Sale-a-Bration, so don’t forget there is only 1 week left to get them free with a $50 order! Shop online and then pick out your favorite free item(s) and they will appear in your box!

March Online Stamp Club Hostess Code – XEWP4DFD
Use this code to get free exclusive tutorials & project kit! Learn more

March 23, 2014

Create a Flower with Petal Parade

Turns out I’m the queen of last minute! I knew that I was on-deck for a card for the Stylin’ Stampin’ Inkspiration design team this week and I really did keep meaning to create some fun flower for our “Create a Flower” theme today. But next thing I know, it is 9:15 last night and I’m working away on a card for a workshop this weekend when I suddenly get the reminder to have my card posted. Oops!

Well, the card I was working on had a stamped flower, but it wasn’t a particularly unique use of the stamp. So, I quickly put my thinking cap on for what was some flower I could create that was different than just the typical stamped flowers that you punch out. (Don’t ask me why I didn’t think of using my new spiral flower die!) But a hare-brained idea to create a layered punch art flower with the Petal Parade stamp set came to me and this is what turned out:

So, aside from the sentiment, all the stamping for this came from the Petal Parade stamp set! Some mixing and matching of ink, stamps, and punches and it came together.

For reference, here is what the stamp set looks like:

First was the base layer of the flower – I stamped the half flower image from the stamp set onto white paper in a random pattern. I actually tried to make a triangle out of the flower image and then fill in the gaps with random stamping to fill it out.

Then for the subsequent layers it was straight forward stamping and then punching it out.

Top layer – The larger round flower in Strawberry Slush
Layer 2 – The daisy like flower in Crushed Curry
Layer 3 – The larger round flower in Calypso Coral
Base layer – Random stamping of the half flower in Strawberry Slush

I to a white piece of paper and cut out of the middle a flower shape using the Floral Frames Framelit and sponged both the outside edge and the inner cut-out edge of the flower with some Crumb Cake ink. Then I could just glue that to a Crushed Curry card base and glue down my flower punchouts to the middle of the flower.

I made a couple leaves out of the artsy chevrons from the stamp set and cut them out and adhered them to the sides of the flowers.

Then just add a few pearls, a sentiment, and some really bad random stamping (seriously, don’t look too close! 🙂 ) and you have yourself a card!

So what do you think? Ok for a last minute idea for a punch art flower? Hopefully it at least gave you some ideas to try at home!

March Online Stamp Club Hostess Code – XEWP4DFD
Use this code to get free exclusive tutorials & project kit! Learn more

Supplies Used: