Northwest Stamper

Tag: stampin’ up

  • The Holiday Mini is here! Plus a new ribbon share available

    I know its only September but are you ready for the new Holiday mini? Well it is ready for you! 🙂 It launched today and in it are tons of cute stamps, paper, and accessories to get you through Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and even get a head start on Valentine’s day. Some highlights:

    • New embossing folders – a spiderweb and snowflakes
    • New punches – extra large 2 1/2″ circle punch, decorative label, and a new medium size oval (many of which go with the new holiday tags stamp set!)
    • New BigShot dies including extra long trim – perfect for scrapbooking or using with the new fabric, snowflakes, and a 3D candy wrapper
    • Fabric that matches SU colors and the new designer paper!
    • Recordable Sound cards
    • Tons of new accessories including big buttons, glitter, ribbon, and more!
    • And of course, lots of cute stamp sets

    A Holiday Mini Ribbon Share!

    In the new mini, there are a few new ribbons and trim for you to enjoy and experiment with.  So I am offering a ribbon share for $12 shipped to you.  In this share, you will receive 2 yds of the following ribbon:

    • 1/2″ Black lace trim – Raven
    • Tinsel Trim – Clear
    • Tinsel Trim – Silver
    • 1/2″ Seam Binding – Very Vanilla
    • 1/2″ Seam Binding – Cherry Cobbler
    • 1/2″ Seam Binding – Always Artichoke

    So, that is 12 yds of ribbon for $12 including shipping!   Sign up using the secure Paypal button below or drop me a line in email.  Enjoy the new mini!


  • Introducing Northwest Stamper and some Blog Candy!

    I’ve been working for a while on setting up my own website and all the related things like email addresses, facebook, etc.  Finally last night I got the last few pieces changes and flipped the switch. 

    So welcome to my new home – Northwest Stamper at www.nwstamper.com

    THANK YOU for stopping by today.  Here is a card I made using some scraps and a some images I stamped before having a card layout in mind.  This is a great stamp set and I know it will be missed when it retires in 3 days.

     

    And as another thank you, I am offering some BLOG CANDY!  Woo hoo! 
    This card reminded me of the stamp set Botanical Blooms, which I had an extra set and thought it would be a fun way to say thanks.  Then in looking in my stash, I found the Sweet Pea Felt that I sadly never used but thought would be great to share.  So, here are the details:

    There are two drawings, so you have two chances to win –

    1.  Leave me a comment telling me what types of posts or topics you would be interested in seeing on this blog; or what you like seeing on other blogs. Botanical Blooms Stamp Set - Blog Candy drawing 1
    2.  Become a fan of NW Stamper on Facebook then leave me a comment here to let me know.  If you suggest my page to a friend and they become a fan, you’ll get an extra entry for each friend – just let me know who you invited so I can give you credit.Sweet Pea Felt - Blog Candy drawing 2

    Entries for the Blog Candy close on 9/5/2010 at 9pm PST.

    Watercolor Trio Recipe:
    Stamps:  Watercolor Trio
    Ink:  Perfect Plum
    Paper:  Perfect Plum CS, Whisper White CS, Basic Grey CS, Old Olive CS
    Accessories:  Adhesive Pearls, Scallop Square punch, Glue dots, Old Olive marker, More Mustard marker, Perfect Plum marker

  • An Owl Punch Flower Pendant Card

    When I was visiting my mom last week, we got a chance to try out some different stamps and punches.  (One of the fun things of having an upline/downline – you can share stamps and products so you can try them out without having to buy everything yourself).  One of the items she had just received was the new Owl Punch.  This punch makes really cute cards – like this one that was shown at convention 2010.

    But one of the other things you can do with it is make other neat punch art like bats and even a flower.  So, we decided to try out making a flower with the punch and once I had the flower, I then built a simple card to use it with.  We use the description found on the blog Flowerbug’s Inkspot to create the flower.  Her blog has a great description and photos but here is the quick version: 
    Start by punching out 7 owls.  Take the main body of the owl from the punch and trim off the legs.  Then you fold the body in half so you have a centerline.  Fold the rounded bottom part of the owl in towards the center line so it looks kind of like a pie wedge.  Trim a curved lines starting from the point of the ears into the center line to make the white petals you see below.  Then glue the 7 pieces to a base piece of paper in a circle to make the flower.  I then added a vintage tag to the center and pierced two holes in the base cardstock to run the string through.  This allows the flower to swing like a pendant.

    If you’ve found other fun ways to use this punch, I’d love to see them.  Leave a comment with a link to your blog or site with the sample and I’ll check it out!

    Recipe:
    Stamps:  Watercolor Trio
    Ink:  Elegant Eggplant
    Paper:  In Color DSP – Peach Parfait (Hostess), Crumb Cake CS, Very Vanilla CS
    Accessories:  Owl Punch, Lg Scallop Circle Punch, Baja Breeze double stitched ribbon, vintage tag, Adhesive Pearls, Paper Piercer.

  • Technique night – Masking and Reverse Masking

    Last night was my August technique night with my meetup group and we focused on masking and reverse masking.  For those of you not familiar with masking, this is the technique for using paper to cover (or mask) the area you don’t want to get inked.  So, in this first card we did, you stamp the colored cupcake on your paper and then stamp another copy of the cupcake on scratch paper.  Cut out the scrap cupcake and place over your original stamped image and then stamp your next cupcake, overlapping the scrap paper and your original image.  This gives the illusion of one cupcake being in front of the other without seeing the overlapping ink.   We also used the scrap cupcake to mask the frosting area when we stamped the candle so that you could choose the height of the candle and not have it overlap the top of the cupcake.

    Next we did reverse masking.  This is where you cut out your scrap image and set your image aside and use the cut-out frame to let you add ink to the inside of the framed area.  In this case we sponged first and then while still keeping the frame in place, stamped our leaves images. This card was inspired by a card I found on the Stampin Up demo resource – Stampin Cconnection.  The origional was created by Allison Ohran. 

    Finally we did one more card that combined both techniques.  We used reverse masking to make the sun and then placed the cut-out circle back on the sun and a scrap cutout of the treetop to mask the areas before sponging our sky.

    Now, some tips:

    Tip: When cutting out smaller shapes and circles, post-it notes work great for giving you something that can stick in place and then come up without leaving a mark.  For bigger shapes and frames, use a little bit of Dotto.  This adhesive lets you put your mask down and then pull it up an rub off any adhesive that gets left behind.

    Tip: While I normally recommend stamping on Whisper White cardstock because it holds ink much better than standard white cardstock and computer paper, for the scrap image you are going to use for your mask, I would recommend in that case to use computer paper.  Because the paper is thinner, you tend to be able to get ink closer to the edge of your mask and so get a cleaner look.

    Card Recipes:

    Cupcake Card Recipe
    Stamps:     Party Hearty
    Ink:  Early Espresso, Crumb Cake
    Paper:  In Color pattern pack – Hostess set, Daffodil Delight CS, Whisper White CS, Pacific Point CS
    Accessories:  Peach Parfait marker, Daffodil Delight marker, Pacific Point marker, Early Espresso marker, Dotto

    Thank You Card Recipe:
    Stamps:      Just Believe
    Ink:  Wild Wasabi, Basic Black
    Paper: Wild Wasabi CS, Basic Black CS, Whisper White CS
    Accessories:  Dotto, Basic Black 1/4” grosgrain ribbon, snail adhesive, Stampin Dimensionals

    Thinking of You Card Recipe:
    Stamps:      Bouquet Bunch, Teeny Tiny Wishes
    Ink:  So Saffron, Old Olive, Bashful Blue, Soft Suede
    Paper:  Bashful Blue CS, Soft Suede CS, Old Olive CS, Whisper White CS, So Saffron CS
    Accessories:  Adhesive back pearls, Dotto, 1 1/4” circle punch

  • My new Facebook page – SU display boards and a Fan Special deal

    While I work on writing up blog posts for some projects I’ve done recently, I wanted to share my recent labor of love – a new Facebook page.  I’ve set up a page on facebook at a place to share pictures, promotions, and make it easy for others to share their projects as well.  I’d love for you to check it out.  Right now it has a couple photos posted that will be making their way onto the blog soon but you can get an early look by visiting my Facebook page.   I’ve also posted photos of more convention display boards on the page as well.

    While you are there, become a fan to be eligible for special deals and get samples and information as it comes out.  Once I have 25 fans, I can make the web address for this page much easier to find; so I’d love it if you were willing to be my fan. 

    Visit me on Facebook!

    Facebook Fan Special

    To thank folks for helping me get to 25+ fans, I’m offering a special from now until 8/19.  I’m offering this special to anyone who has become a fan of my facebook page.  Simply place an order of $25 or more and receive the new Antique Brads FREE!  That’s a $5.95 value for free just for becoming a fan.  For example, love the vintage look – try the new Crochet Trim ribbon and the Distressing Kit and get Antique Brads FREE!  Thats a $33 value for $27.  Email me to take advantage of this special offer!

    Crochet Trim
    Distressing Essentials Kit
    Free Antique Brads

     

    See a sample using some of these items in this post –  http://www.nwstamper.com/stampin-up-convention-2010-punch-happy-swaps/

  • Punch Art Flower for my August Meetup

    Yesterday was the August meet and greet for my Meetup group here in the Bay Area.  A few of us got together and had some pie at Marie Callender’s and I brought a free make and take for everyone to do.  This month I decided to do some punch art and so I modified a past card I had made to use some new stamps and colors and came up with this card.

    This was an easy card that used 7 punches in all, though you could modify this card to use fewer punches or more stamps.  Here are the steps to create it yourself:

    1. Punch the base of the flower using the extra large Fancy Flower punch
    2. Stamp the five petal flower image from Punched Posies hostess set, once on colored cardstock and once on white cardstock
    3. Punch out stamped images using the Five Petal punch
    4. Stamp the smaller six petal flower image from the Punched Posies hostess set on white cardstock and punch out the center using 1/2” Circle punch
    5. Layer these punched images together and glue
    6. Punch the leaf using the Small Oval punch
    7. Fold the oval in half and trim one side to form a point
    8. Stamp the vase using one of the ornament images from the Delightful Decorations stamp set on white cardstock
    9. Punch out using the ornament punch and trim the bottom of the ornament to form the flat base of the vase
    10. Stamp the sentiment from the Because I Care hostess set on white cardstock
    11. Punch out sentiment using the Large Oval punch
    12. Punch corners of base white cardstock with the Ticket Corner punch
    13. Stamp the stem using the stem image from the Punched Posies stamp set on base white cardstock
    14. Glue down onto your card base and your done!

    Punched Flower Recipe:
    Stamps: Punched Posies, Delightful Decorations, Because I Care
    Ink: Poppy Parade, Daffodil Delight, Old Olive
    Paper:  Old Olive CS, Whisper White CS, Poppy Parade CS, Daffodil Delight CS
    Accessories:  Fancy Flower punch, Five Petal punch, 1/2” circle punch, Ornament punch, Ticket Corner punch, Small Oval punch, Large Oval punch

  • Stampin’ Up! Convention 2010 – Swaps, Shelli, and my new goal

    I really do have way too many pictures to share from convention, but I wanted to share a few more with you.

    On the last day, mom and I were able to meet the celebrity of the hour – Shelli Gardner, co-founder and CEO of Stampin’ Up!  I hadn’t realized that she had been spending almost all of the lunch break for 3 days sitting and taking pictures with one demonstrator after another.  Of course she was very sweet and was happy to chat with everyone who met her.IMG_4286 

    Like I said before, convention is not only a time for fun, friends, and fabulous ideas, but it is also a motivational time for me.  IMG_4172With a new baby and moving earlier this year, I’ve been slow to get moving on getting my Stampin’ Up! business rolling.  However, with the enthusiasm of convention and the announcement of a new awesome incentive trip – I’ve decided my goal is to work towards Disneyworld 2012.  That means I’ll be working on scheduling workshops and building my team over the next year.  Its an exciting time for me and I’d love to share that excitement with you.

    Oh, and I have to give a shout out to my dad as well.  He came along to Salt Lake City and ended up helping carry our Memento Mall haul and babysitting Nicholas for my make and take sessions.  Thanks Dad!  You’re the best!IMG_0863

    Finally, as promised, here are some of the amazing swaps I got while at convention.  I can’t wait to try them out myself now that I’m home.

    card by Sharlene Mitchell                             card by Teresa Payne-Neal

    card by Laura Tollander                                card by Kathy Thisted

    card by Janine Verster

  • Stampin’ Up! Convention 2010 – Swaps, Parties, and a Baby!

    I’m back from a trip to Salt Lake City for the 2010 Stampin’ Up! convention with my Mom and upline, Kathy, my dad, and my son.  I love the chance to go meet other demonstrators, including folks whose names I’ve seen on emails but now I got to meet in person, hang out with friends, get super cute stuff, swap gorgeous cards, and generally get pumped about Stampin’ Up!  I have way too many photos to share all of them in one post so I’ll be posting pictures in future posts as well.  But for now, here are some of my highlights.

    Before convention even got started, mom and I participated in two days of preconvention stamp camps and swaps with Late Night Stampers. 

    IMG_0819 Then came Wednesday – Check in day.  This is the day that everyone lines up in the early morning for a chance to be one of the first to get into Memento Mall (the SU convention gift shop).   My dad was kind enough to go get in line when he got up around 6:15am and he wasn’t the first in line!  By 7:30 the line was around the block. :)  checkin day line photoBut unlike Disneyland, its fun to stand in line at convention.  Everyone is swapping and I even saw a friend of mine from Portland (Hi, Liz!) and got a chance to introduce her to Nicholas. IMG_0856

    After we swapped, checked in and got our free stamps and bag, we relaxed before meeting up for a group photo and swap with our upline group – the SBStampers.  It was there that Nicholas got his very first swap.   He loved playing with this fabric squeaky toy made by Charity Lawson using the Scallop Square die for the BigShot and a squeak toy from a pet supply store.IMG_0871IMG_0873 

    Later we got dressed up in our grooviest attire for the Flower Power party.  Sadly, I missed getting my face painted by SU illustrators but I did participate in some fun games.

    IMG_0876

    That was only the beginning of a fun weekend.  Here is one of the swaps I created to trade with folks over the course of the weekend.  The flower is made using the Flower Fusion sizzlit that in one tiny little die cuts out 3 flowers of different sizes.  I then folded up the petals and stacked them using glue dots.  It really does pop off the page, which I thought was fun and cool.  I think you could step it up a notch even more by adding a pearl or rhinestone to the center of the flower.  I would have done it but I ran out of time.  But still, i like how it turned out and folks seemed to as well. Flower Fusion Swap Card

    I have to say, I love all the cards I got swapped and will be showcasing come of my favorites in a future post so you can see these great ideas too.  More photos and swaps to come!  Until then… Happy Stamping!

    Convention 2010 Thank You swap card:
    Stamps: Because I Care (hostess set)
    Inks:  Concord Crush classic ink
    Paper:  Basic Black CS, Whisper White CS, Pear Pizzazz CS, Concord Crush CS, Play Date DSP
    Accessories:  Polka Dot Impression Folder, Flower Fusion sizzlit, Little Leaves sizzlit, glue dots.

  • A couple cards for my new Meetup group

    Since I’m pretty new to the Bay area, I recently decided to start up a Meetup group as a way to meet new folks and find some other like-minded crafty people.  Today was our first meetup, and so I planned a couple cards for us to work on over pie at Marie Callendars.  Between work and vacation, I hadn’t had much of a chance this month to do much card making so it was a lot of fun to create some cards and get everything ready to share with folks today.  It also gave me a chance to use some of my retiring items so I can start making room for the new goodies coming out in a few weeks.

    Here are the cards and if you happen to be in the Bay area, we’d love to have you come be a part of our group! 

     

    Father’s Day Card Recipe:
    Stamps    : Teeny Tiny Wishes
    Ink: Chocolate Chip Classic
    Paper: Bermuda Bay CS*, Crushed Curry CS*, Whisper White CS
    Accessories: Chocolate Chip stitched ribbon*, Large Star punch, Small Star punch*, 1/16″ circle punch, gold brad, Snail

    Best Wishes Recipe:
    Stamps    : Kind and Caring Thoughts*
    Ink: Basic Grey Classic
    Paper: Basic Grey CS, Whisper White CS, Pink Flamingo DSP*
    Accessories: Cameo Coral Marker*, Old Olive Marker

    * indicates a retiring item

  • Why I love being a Stampin’ Up! demonstrator – $99 starter kit, sneak Peeks, and more!

    While I sit here and try to not stare at the front door waiting for the UPS guy to show up with my new catalog and pre-order items, I thought I would share the great deal that is being offered in June for joining Stampin’ Up! – the $99 Starter kit that includes sneak peek items!

    First, why I love being a demonstrator:

    1. Doing what I love to do and getting paid for it!  20% commission(discount) on all orders – 30% off your first order
    2. Exciting previews and sneak peeks when new products come out.  Like today when I get my new stuff in the mail!
    3. TONS of resources for project ideas, technique training, business resources, style watches, and inspiring stories for how to do what you love and help yourself and others while doing it.
    4. The family that is SU demos.  I’m serious when I say, everyone is so helpful and friendly that it really is like having a huge international family that you can lean on when life is up and when you need help.
    5. Fun events like group meetings, convention, regionals, swap events.

    I really do love what I do and love sharing it with others!

    If you have thought about joining SU, June is the perfect time to do it – especially with the new $99 starter kit which includes new sneak peek items.  What’s included (though you can make substitutions for like items of equal or lesser value)  :

    • Watercolor Trio stamp set (wood-mount)
    • I {Heart} Hearts stamp set (clear-mount)
    • Clear-Mount Block C
    • Homemade single stamp (sneak peek item!)
    • Whisper White card stock (8-1/2″ x 11″)
    • New Brights Collection assorted card stock (8-1/2″ x 11″) (sneak peek item!)
    • Melon Mambo Classic Stampin’ Pad
    • Daffodil Delight Classic Stampin’ Pad (sneak peek item!)
    • Rich Razzleberry Classic Stampin’ Pad
    • Tempting Turquoise Classic Stampin’ Pad
    • Basic Black 1/8″ taffeta ribbon (sneak peek item!)
    • New Color Coach (sneak peek item!)
    • SNAIL Adhesive
    • box of 2009-2010 Idea Book & Catalogs
    • box of 2010-2011 Idea Book & Catalogs (delivered in the beginning of July)
    • Business supplies

    Have any questions about what its like being a demo or how to sign up?  Contact me at jennifer@nwstamper.com or learn more online.

  • The Stampin’ Up! Last Chance list is here!

    Its that time of year again when we have to bid a fond farewell to many favorite stamps and accessories.  This year is even bigger than ever with the big Color Renovation happening, lots of accessories, paper, and ink are retiring to make way for the exciting new colors coming on July 1st. 

    Check out to see if your favorites are soon to be retiring and remember – All items on the retiring accessories list are while supplies last!  So, if your favorites are retiring, order fast to be sure you can stock up.

    Last Chance Stamps –

    see the full retiring stamp list here

     

    Last Chance Accessories –
    Notice that some items are 25-50% off!

    see the full retiring accessory list here

    Order online today to get all your favorites before they are gone forever!

  • A little love with the Rough Type alphabet

    So, the May scrapbooking promotion was the kick in the pants I needed to commit to getting the rough type alphabet stamp set.  I loved the idea of a high quality clear mount alphabet but was initially on the fence.  Well, the incentive of free designer brads was enough for me to just go for it and boy am I glad I did! 

    Sure, it takes a little bit to label all of the stamps but once you do, it is so easy and fun to make all kinds of words.  In this case, I was playing and decided to spell out Love.  It also gave me a good excuse to play with my BigShot – both with the polka dot impression folder and my heart die. 

    Stamps – Rough Type alpha
    Ink – Melon Mambo, Rick Razzleberry, Old Olive
    Paper – Melon Mambo CS, Rich Razzleberry CS, Whisper White CS, Cottage Garden DSP
    Accessories – Polka Dot Impression folder, Rich Razzleberry ribbon, small heart punch, 1″ circle punch, Heart BigShot die