Northwest Stamper

Tag: technique class

  • Fun with the Sunburst Die & NEW Class by MAIL!

    While I was at my Northwest Crafty Escape Weekend a few weeks ago, I ran a fun class that was all about the Sunburst thinlit die and 5 different techniques you could use with that die!  It was super fun and everyone loved seeing some new ideas for how to create with this die!  So, I’ve been working on putting together this class as a Class by Mail and I’m happy to report that I’m putting the finishing touches and so I ready to start opening up registration for this by mail event!

    Sunburst Sayings Class by Mail!

    5 different technique ideas using the Sunburst die that you can make from the comfort of your home!
    Get the scoop here – www.nwstamper.com/sunburstclass
    but I will have the tutorial option as well as kits in the mail options for you!
    RSVP this week and I’ll ship out your class kit next week before I leave on my Stampin’ Up cruise!  Otherwise, final kits will be mailed out the first week of June when I’m back from my trip.

    In the meantime, check out another fun idea IN ADDITION to the 5 class cards using the Sunburst die

    I loved the idea of cutting out a Sunburst as your main focal point on your card, but then cutting out another sunburst using a complimentary color (in this case- I used Hello Honey for the darker yellow, and So Saffron for the lighter yellow).  Once you have your second color, you just cut down the rays to make a fun highlight to your sunburst!

    You can use a punch – like the retiring 2 1/2” circle punch – or just trim it down by hand for a more funky look.

    Then just add in some fun accents to brighten up your sentiment.  I love layering Gold Glimmer paper behind my sentiment… just make sure to use a strong adhesive to hold your paper down like glue dots or fast fuse are great options!  Then I just added a few rhinestones for a little more bling without adding too much color.  Turns out pretty, right? Smile

    Play with your colors and how much you trim down for fun accents and designs!

    And then consider signing up for my class by mail and get even more ideas of what you can create with this die and get step by step instructions and even some videos to make sure you have it down totally right!

    Sunburst Sayings class by mail ad light

    And don’t forget! The Sunburst Sayings bundle (get the stamp set and die together at a discount) gets unbundled – so no more discounted price – starting in June!  So, grab the bundle while you can at a discount. Smile

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     Product List

    Sunburst Sayings Wood-Mount Bundle

    $45.75
    Sunburst Sayings Clear-Mount Bundle

    $39.75
    Big Shot

    $110.00
    Precision Base Plate

    $25.00
    Gold Glimmer Paper

    $5.00
    Sahara Sand 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock

    $7.00
    Whisper White 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock

    $8.50
    So Saffron 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock

    $7.00
    Hello Honey 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock

    $7.00
    So Saffron Classic Stampin' Pad

    $6.50
    Basic Black Archival Stampin’ Pad

    $7.00
    Rhinestone Basic Jewels Embellishments

    $5.00
    Fast Fuse Adhesive

    $10.00
    Stampin' Dimensionals

    $4.00
    2-1/2" Circle Punch

    $18.00

  • Sky’s The Limit – Clean & Simple Card

    Sky’s The Limit – Clean & Simple Card

    I’m back!  *shaking the rust off*  I’ve been so heads down the last week or two trying to get caught up/wrapped up on 2015 business stuff that I may have fallen a little behind on blogging.  But I’m happy to report … no seriously, doing a total happy dance… that I am all caught up and starting to focus on all the new things I’m planning for 2016!

    For example, I’m starting a NEW Technique Series!  This is an updated version of my monthly technique classes but I’m expanding it!  Each month, we’ll be discussing a specific technique or tool and a number of variations that you can do (just like before) but now we’ll be creating an album page with printed instructions and samples for each technique in addition to our projects!  So, by the end of the year, you’ll have a complete book full of dozens of technique ideas!  Here is the front of page we are making today:

    Technique series - kissing technique sample

    Join the Technique Series with me!

    • In Person – join me the last Monday of the month at 10am or 7pm at Panera in Redmond, WA
      or
    • Long Distance options – place a $40 order in my online store using the hostess code of the month (this month – TNCXV4MP) and I will mail you a completed album page plus the project supplies for the 2 cards we made in class!

    Questions?  Let me know at jennifer@nwstamper.com.  I am really excited about this change and think this will be a lot of fun this year!

    And before I go, I wanted to share with you a card I made recently for a swap for the new catalog.  I LOVE this Sky’s the Limit stamp set from the Sale-a-bration catalog.  It is a really fun set for love and for masculine cards!  Plus, I love that you can get it free with a $50 order!

    I grabbed some of my new It’s My Party designer paper and found a neutral pattern for my background piece.  I don’t know, I guess I thought the yellow made me thing of sun or something. Smile  And then stamped some clouds from the Sky’s the Limit stamp set.  Then sponge the edge with Soft Suede ink and mat it with some Soft Sky cardstock.

    The thing that took a bit of work, was the hand cutting of the airplane.  You don’t have to hand cut this plane for it to look great on cards… but I just loved how it looked like it was coming out of the card when you did and popped it up on the patterned paper.

    Add a banner for your sentiment… helpfully punched perfectly with the Triple Banner punch and then sponge the edge with Whisper White ink.  Yes, I know, it is totally hard to see the white in this picture, but I tried! Smile 

    And I couldn’t let it go without a little bit of bling.  This is a great way to use up those connected strands of pearls or rhinestones that come in the packs.  They are always the last for me to use, but I love when I come up with things like this that are just perfect for snipping and using them up.

    So, I hope you enjoyed this new project peek and the idea of my new Technique Series!  If you are interested in joining me, either in person or long distance, just let me know!

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    Use Hostess Code PGHMVNJM at check out to get a special thank you from me!

    Pick a FREE item with every $50 you spend!  See the Sale-a-Bration catalog.

    See all the tutorials & classes by mail here

    Save 25% on the Latest Weekly Deals

  • Faux Tiling Card for Club

    Each month I have a group of ladies who get together for a Stamp Club.  We make a couple projects each month and this month I thought Pilar (the hostess) would enjoy learning about the Faux Tiling technique.  So, I promised her to have one of the cards use this technique, and this is what I came up with for her –

    As I was working on it, I wasn’t sure how this was going to turn out but in the end I really like it!  Its pretty easy to do too.

    If you haven’t done Faux Tiling, the basics are as follows:

    • Start with your white piece of paper
    • Pull out your diagonal score plate for your Simply Scored (or other score board) and place the paper in the upper left corner.
    • For this card, I started scoring at 1/2”, 1-1/2”, and so on at 1” intervals.  Then I flipped the paper and used the same score measurements to complete my grid lines
    • Stamp a fairly dense or solid image randomly over the scored paper (the score lines should be valleys, so not poking up out of your paper.)
      ** make sure you aren’t stamping very hard as you want the stamped image to not go into the scored lines
    • Embellish the rest of your card as desired and you are done!

    I plan to put together a video on this so for those of you who are more visual, check back or watch my YouTube channel for updates. Smile

    Card Supplies Used (all Stampin’ Up!):

    Stamps: Happy Day
    Ink: Early Espresso, Crushed Curry
    Paper:  Whisper White, Early Espresso, Crushed Curry
    Accessories: Simply Scored Board, Simply Scored Diagonal Plate, Candy Dots Regals

    Hopefully they will enjoy making this card at club on Thursday!

    If you are interested in learning more about the benefits of joining Stamp Club or would like to learn more about my NEW Virtual Stamp Club that will be starting soon, shoot me an email at jennifer@nwstamper.com and I’ll give you all the details!

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  • Watercoloring Techniques: Inks and Watercolor Crayons

    Each month I run at least one technique class to give folks a chance to try something different or learn new ways to use something they might already have.  Well, a recently ran my popular watercoloring technique night during which we made 5 cards, each using a different method for watercoloring.  It was so much fun to create the cards and even more fun to see the different ways people used the techniques on their cards.  This week, I thought I would share some of the cards we did at this class.

    Watercoloring with Inks

    This is your basic watercoloring technique that most people, if they have only done watercoloring one way with stamping, it is this method.  To do this technique, you want to squeeze your ink pad so that some of the ink gets deposited onto the inside of the lid of your stamp pad.  Once you open your ink pad, you will see the ink deposited on the lid and you can lift it off with a blender pen or aqua pen.  Then use your pen like it was a marker to color your card.  In this case, we did a sweet Build-a-Bear cheery card.

    Watercoloring with Watercolor Crayons

    Next we did a card using the hostess set – Because I Care and the Watercolor Crayons.  Now, this is a medium that I often completely forget about but there is so many cool things you can do with watercolor crayons.  I won’t go into all of them today because that would make this post way to long but if there is interest, I can highlight them another day.

    Anyway, for this card we did a technique I haven’t done in a long time.  We used the crayons to color directly onto the stamp rubber – placing all of our colors on the image at the same time.  Then you spritz your rubber with water and stamp.  The water you spray on the rubber interacts with the wax of the watercolor crayons to create the more classic watercolor look.

    I just had to show you too the other thing we did with the card that was just for fun and I guess thinking back on it now, was a theme with this card: spritzing things.

    We used the gold Smooch Spritz to add gold shimmer to the background So Saffron paper.  Its fairly tone on tone but is sooo pretty in person.  Here is an attempt at a photo to show you what I mean.

    Cards 3-5
    Check back later this week as I post the other cards we created in this class.

     

    Interested in trying these cards & techniques out yourself?

    In Person
    Do to multiple requests, I’m running my class again on March 28th in the Mountain View, CA area.  I’d love to have you join us. Check out the full details on my meetup site.

    Online
    Or, if you are not local, purchase the supplies for these techniques from my online store and send me an email.  I’ll send you written tutorial instructions for these cards for FREE!  Not sure what you need, email me at jennifer@nwstamper.com and I’ll send you a basic supply list and you can see what you have in your stash and what you would still need.

  • 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!

  • Tons of Tools Card and Embellished Envelope

    Sunday was this month’s Technique Night with my meetup group and by request, I did a night that was focused on going over many of the tools you might encounter on your crafting journey including:

    • The BigShot
    • Aqua and Blender pens for water coloring
    • Crimpers
    • Bone Folders
    • Paper Piercing tools
    • Heat and Dry Embossing
    • the Crop-a-Dile for eyelet setting and hole punching
    • the Stamp-a-ma-jig for exact stamp image placement
    • Color spritzers
    • And paper punches

    So, we ended up using all of these tools on the following two projects.

    First we used a Whisper White envelope (since it uses the same type of paper as Whisper White CS, these envelopes take ink and stamping really well!) Trim off 1 1/4” from one of the short sides of the envelope.  Then we used the scallop edge punch on the smaller piece.  For the larger piece, we stamped and used the color spritzer to scatter Soft Suede ink on both sides of the envelope.  Then we ran the big piece through the crimper.  Watercolor the stamped image using the covers of classic ink pads and a watercolor pen, add a punched out scallop square, and adhere and you are pretty much done.  We punched two holes through both the top and bottom pieces of the envelope so we could run ribbon through to tie the envelope closed.

    Next we made this card:

    This card used the BigShot for making the dots on the white paper.  Then we used the brayer to lightly go over the dots to give them some color.  We did dry embossing on the Rich Razzleberry CS using some holes I punched out some Chipboard with the Simple Alphabet Dies for the BigShot.  We stamped the flower image from the Vintage Vogue stamp set, used the Stamp-a-ma-jig to place the text below the flower and then heat embossed using black embossing powder (don’t forget to use the embossing buddy to ensure you don’t get stray embossing powder flecks!).  Used the crop-a-dile to set the jumbo eyelet; and then finally used the super, awesome mat pack and paper piercer to punch the row of holes below the Rich Razzleberry CS.  Oh, and we used the bone folder and the groove in the paper cutter to score the card so we had a nice crisp fold.

    Whew!  That’s a lot of tools, but it was lots of fun.

    If you are interested in any of the tools used for these projects, you can get them now through my online store .  Plus –  if your total is $25 or more you will be entered into my drawing for a $50 gift certificate!

    My favorite tools are the BigShot and the Mat Pack.  What are yours?

  • Trying out the BigShot – a card, a box, and the matchbox

    I wanted to put up a quick post before I had to run into work.  This week has gone by so fast and has seemed so busy, but the rest of the week should be more relaxing.  On Tuesday, I was hosting a Technique Night focused on using the BigShot.  Unfortunately, that night I had some folks cancel because of illness, unexpected time conflicts, delays, and getting lost, so it ended up not happening.   One the upside, my friend Jennifer recently decided she wanted to make a baby book for her daughter but had been overwhelmed by where to get started.  So, since she had come over, I helped her figure out what she needed.  She ended up deciding to get the Stampin Up! Baby Girl simply scrappin kit, and after looking at it more closely, I can’t wait for her to get it because I think it is going to be so stinking cute.  Then last night we went to Michaels and picked out an album to go with it.  So, I’m feeling good that we got something productive done. 

     

    So, since the Technique Night didn’t happen this week, I rescheduled it for next Tuesday.  I’m trying something different this time.  I created a meetup group called Portland Card Makers recently and since some of those folks were going to come, I thought I would try out a public location that most people could easily get to and find parking.  So, I ended up finding a Round Table pizza that had side sections with long tables that you could reserve for free.  It may seem odd crafting in a pizza place, but I’ve been to an event at a Fuddrucker’s so, hopefully this will work out.  I guess we’ll see!

     

    Here are some samples I was playing with for the BigShot.  The first is a card using the Top Note die.  It was an interesting and different way to create a card since the inside of the card is the inside of the Top Note die.  Then, I was going to do a box/basket using the Scallop Envelope die and some ribbon.  The last thing we were going to do at the technique night was a card using texture plates and an embosslit but I’m reworking that card right now.  And then finally I thought I would share a box I made with the new Matchbox die.  It was sooo easy to make since everything is cut and scored for you.  You only need to use one piece of sticky strip or snail and its together!  Plus the die punches out the label that I stamped and put on top.  Easy peasy.

     

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  • Get Connected Promotion plus upcoming events

    I suddenly realized that I hadn’t shared with you all the latest promotion from Stampin’ Up!  I don’t know about you, but I am always one for a deal and so I had to be sure you all knew about the latest deal from SU.  From now until April 30th, every $40 you spend from the new Occasions Mini catalog earns you free stamps!  How awesome is that.  I love it when I can get cool free stuff just for buying what I want anyway.  🙂  In this case, you have your choice of any of the under $10 stamps in the back of the catalog or one of the under $10 mini note kits.  I think those are definitely the best deal because you get stamps, note cards, envelopes, AND an ink spot… all Free!  If you host a workshop, every $150 worth of orders gets you another free stamp or note kit.  That could add up to a lot of free stuff. 🙂 So, here are the pretty pictures and details:

    occasions-mini1
    Peruse all the super cute new items
    free_stamps
    Spend $40 in the occasions mini and get anything on this page free!

     

    If you live in Portland, I’d love to have you join us for one of the classes in April.  Email me for all the details.

    BigShot Night – April 7th 7pm.  The first Tuesday of each month I host a technique night.  This month we will playing with the BigShot die cutting machine.  The BigShot can cut out over 50 different types of materials in fun shapes plus create embossed patterns and textures on your standard paper and cardstock.  Try it out and make a couple projects and samples.  RSVP with your $5 supply fee.

     

    Glass Etching with the BigShot – April 19th   2pm.  Create beautiful etched glass items from your home quickly and easily using the BigShot.  We will be using the BigShot to cut out the shapes that will then be etched on to your own glass.  I’ll provide all the supplies including a glass.  RSVP with your $10 supply fee by April 15th.

     

    Card Night – April 27th  6:30 pm.  Whether you are a card making pro or just starting out, come join us for laughter and fun as we make 4 cards using different stamps and fun embellishments. RSVP with your $8 supply fee by April 23rd.

  • A craft fair card

    What a weekend!  The usually cold and rainy Pacific Northwest turned beautiful and sunny for the weekend.  It got up to almost 80 today, which was just nuts!  I was at a craft fair all weekend so I mainly got to see the sunny weather from afar but thankfully it stuck around though the evening so after the fair ended at 6, I raced home to spend a bit of time lounging in the sun.  Now if only this weather would stick around for a few days!

     

     However, even though the weather was so nice and most people were playing outside over the weekend, I am still really glad I was at the craft fair.  I met a ton of nice folks who stopped by my table and chatted with me about their hobbies and experiences card making and scrapbooking.  And the other vendors were a blast to hang out with during the slow periods.  I think it would be fun to do another fair with many of them again in the future.  And if you need any of the products you purchase from in-home parties, I probably have a reference for you now. 🙂  

     

    occasions_jfy_wm

     I had hoped to spend my downtime making a ton of samples and projects but instead spent it chatting and finishing up a number of cards that were in various stages of completion.  In the end, I only created one completely new and original card.  (Though I made a few partials from BigShot die cuts).  I was trying to use some of my Occasion mini catalog goodies and so pulled out the paper, Oval all stamps, and the new fabulous scallop oval punch.   The flowers are punched out with the BigShot. 

     

    And speaking of the BigShot,  my next Technique Tuesdays is this coming Tuesday and we will be focused on using the BigShot.  We will be making 2 cards and a small 3D project.  Let me know if you want to come join us and I’ll send you all the details! 

     

    Hope you all had a great weekend!  Here comes monday!