Northwest Stamper

Tag: thank you card

  • Background of Butterflies using Wheel Stamps

    Today’s card share is an idea for how to use your wheel stamps.  It is a simple idea and just involves using a jumbo wheel to create a background for your card.  Hope you like butterflies!

    In this case, I wanted to use the Butterfly Collection Jumbo Wheel.  I thought it would be a great set of images for the background of a card.  Here is what the wheel looks like:

    image

    So, to cover the entire front of my card, you only have to roll the wheel twice!  Not too hard, huh?  I used the same color ink as my cardstock to let you see the butterflies without it being too busy.  If you wanted it even subtler, then I would use Versamark as your ink.

    Wheel Stamp Techniques:

    1. Start rolling your wheel before you get to your paper where you want the stamp to show up.  This headstart makes sure you are getting the right pressure and direction that you want.
    2. Ink up your wheel using ink pads for more color options.  Ink them up by rolling in one direction, like you were inking up a paint roller for your home.
    3. Use a thick plastic ruler to help guide your wheel when doing a second pass so you keep it going the direction you want it to go.

    Want to see what I mean and more tips for Wheel Stamping?  I have a video on Wheel Stamp basics to talk about the different types of wheels and share a number of tips for successful stamping.  (if you are reading this in email, click here to see the blog post with the embedded video)

    Stampin’ Supplies used

    Stamps – Butterfly Collection jumbo wheel, Oh Hello
    Ink – Wisteria Wonder, Primrose Petals, Chocolate Chip, Pear Pizzazz
    Paper – Wisteria Wonder, Whisper White
    Accessories- Corner Rounder punch, Bitty Butterfly Punch, Crushed Curry Chevron ribbon, Stampin’ Dimensionals, Pearl basics

    Order any of the supplies and more in my online store

    I’ll admit wheels are a bit neglected in my stamp collection, but they can be a lot of fun to use and perfect for the job.  So, grab your wheels and give them another go!

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  • The Stampin’ Up! Occasions Catalog is Here!

    I don’t know about you but I’m ready to shake off winter and the holiday projects and start thinking lighter and spring!  Turns out the papers and stamps from the new Occasions Catalog help get me in that mood without me even thinking about it.  I personally love how fresh this latest catalog feels… it still has the same set up as the holiday with TONS of ideas and inspiration in the first half, followed by all the actual products in the back half. 
    2014 Occasions Catalog

    View the Occasions Catalog PDF
    Occasions Catalog Supplies List

    I’m going through phases with what I’m using and loving (I can’t get enough of the gold foil paper right now!) but here are a few of my favorites for today:

    But let me show you…here is one of my first cards I made with the So Very Grateful stamp set:

    I saw it and I knew I had to have it.  Apparently I’m craving stamps to watercolor!  But it is just so darn relaxing and fun to get creative with colors without having to worry to much about messing anything up. ha ha.

    As you can see, I’m also busting out tons of gold metallic but I think it is just enough to make it pretty and not overdone.

    Card Supplies Used

    • Stamps – So Very Grateful
    • Ink – Basic Black, Strawberry Slush, Crisp Cantaloupe, Pistachio Pudding
    • Paper – Fresh Prints designer paper stack, Whisper White cardstock, Watercolor paper, Gold Foil paper
    • Accessories – Aqua Pen, Gold Sequins

    See something you love?  You can find all of it in the online store. Smile

    So Very Grateful stamp set

     

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  • Happy New Year! What’s Your 2014 Resolution?

    We made it!  Happy New Year!  

    2013 blew through December and came barreling full speed ahead to 2014!  (Or at least that is what it felt like at my house this year. ha ha!)  It has been all I can do to make sure my head is on straight the last week or two and so, when the Styling Stampin’ Inkspiration Design Team decided to share our resolutions I thought it was the perfect chance for me to sit back and actually take a break and reflect. 

    As I recently broke out my new Occasion Catalog and Sale-a-Bration preorder goodies and started making some new projects to share (and send out as thank you cards to some amazing customers and swap cards for some great demos), I looked under my table and behind me and realized that I have some absolutely fabulous supplies that have somehow become “old” and set aside for my “new”… even though some of those supplies are from the Holiday catalog and maybe I only bought them in the last month or two. 

    The problem with this is that I usually get to the retirement list at the end of May and suddenly am reminded of stamps, papers, and accessories that I love but had forgotten about! 

    Not this year!!

    So my resolution for 2014 is to actually USE and enjoy the supplies I have now. 
    That isn’t to say that I won’t get excited about, enjoy and share the new stuff (You can be sure I will!) but I’ll be making a conscious effort to keep enjoying and sharing fun projects with the not-so-new as well.  There are a lots of great designs for all through the year and they deserve to be enjoyed as well, don’t you think?

    For example, check out this card I created using a stamp set and paper that I often pass over for more “exciting” supplies… turns out they make great cards too!

    Card Supplies Used
    Stamps – Hello, Lovely
    Ink – Crumb Cake, Gumball Green, Chocolate Chip, Daffodil Delight, Calypso Coral, Pool Party
    Paper – Very Vanilla, Chocolate Chip, Epic Day designer paper
    Accessories – Dotted Scallop Ribbon Trim punch, stampin’ dimensionals

    Sure it took a little bit of time to cut out the different shapes from the stamp set, but I think it gives it a really fun look!

    Yes… that is right, I hand cut everything.  But if it makes someone smile, it is all worth it!

    Which leads to a couple more follow up resolutions:

    1.  Do even more to show my appreciation to my customers and to my amazing Fun n’ Crafty team of demonstrators

    2.  Take time to stamp more… and SEND MORE!  Having a pile of cards at home does me no good, but can brighten someone’s day if I just pop it in the mail.

    So, how about you?  What is your resolution?

    You really are the best!  Smile  Here is to a great 2014!  I look forward to seeing you more soon.

     

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  • Favorite Cards using Oh, Hello

    As I was looking through the 25% off Stamp sets with a customer last week, I spotted the Oh, Hello stamp set and remembered how when I originally saw this stamp set in the catalog, I thought it looked like a pretty boring stamp set.  I couldn’t picture how it would come together into anything particularly cute….

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    and then we were given the set at Leadership last year and I saw some samples with it….. and I totally changed my tune!

    So, I thought I would share some of my quick and easy cards I’ve made with this set to show how it is a bit more fun than it may seem at first!

    Almost no-layer card with Oh, Hello

    Masking with the Oh, Hello stamp set

    Using up your scraps with sentiments from Oh, Hello

    Press clay flowers and it coordinates with the Oval framelits too!

     

    I’m also realizing that I use the Thank You sentiment A LOT! ha ha ha.  But I guess I have a lot to be thankful for, so I need them. Smile

    And don’t forget, tomorrow is the LAST DAY of the 25% off Sale and my Anniversary Week giveaway!

    If you’d like to enter the giveaway, all you need to do is:

    • Visit my Online Store to grab these great deals and use the hostess code R2XQXU3
    • Email me which of the goodies above you want to order and I’ll be putting together a group order.
    • On monday, if we have enough orders placed, I will draw a name for at least $25 in hostess benefits and let you get more free goodies!

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  • Some ideas for the 25% off Stamp Sets

    If you didn’t see, yesterday Stampin’ Up! announced a 25% off 25 stamp sets sale.  Looking through the list I saw some sets that I can’t wait to get and others that I’ve had for a while but hadn’t posted about in a while.  So I thought I would pull up a few fun ideas from the archives to share and help give you some different ideas to try.

    See the full list of 25% off stamps with pictures here

    Bright Blossoms

    Cheery Bright Blossom Card

    Hearts a Flutter & Oh Hello

    Sweet Party Invitation

    Yippee Skippee

    Betsy’s Blossom & Itty Bitty Banners

    Betsy’s Blossom card with Framelits

     

    And don’t forget, my Anniversary Week giveaway!

    • Visit my Online Store to grab these great deals and use the hostess code R2XQXU3
    • Email me which of the goodies above you want to order and I’ll be putting together a group order.
    • On monday, if we have enough orders placed, I will draw a name for at least $25 in hostess benefits and let you get more free goodies!

     

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  • Make a Thank You Card for World Card Making Day

    If you didn’t know, today is World Card Making day!  It is a celebration of our love of crafting around the world along with the joy of sharing these handmade pieces of art with others to lift them up and help them have a better day. 

    WCDstart

    Well, I decided to celebrate by participating in the Operation Write Home blog hop.  They invited bloggers to create a thank you card using one of their over 150 card sketches (so if you need some inspiration, here is another great place to check out!)

    The mission of Operation Write Home is to provide cards to the troops overseas so that they have something special to send home to their loved ones for birthdays, holidays, or just whenever they need to reach out to life and friends back home.  Truly a great cause! (to learn how you can help, click here)

    So, here is the card I created to share today:

    It was inspired by this sketch – #123.  Fun sketch, huh?

    123

    This card uses the same technique I showed yesterday for coloring images you embossed with your embossing folders. It is super easy and quick and gives you more options for looks using your embossing folders.

    Check out the video for coloring your embossing folder images on yesterday’s blog post here.

    So, thank you for stopping by and if you would like to see more fabulous handmade thank you cards, make sure you stop by the bloghop over at – http://operationwritehome.org/starsandstamps

    Card Supplies for this Card (all Stampin’ Up!):
    Stamps – A Round Array
    Ink – Chocolate Chip, Real Red
    Paper – Primrose Petals, Chocolate Chip, Whisper White, So Saffron
    Accessories – Chocolate Chevron Ribbon, 7/8″ Scallop Circle punch, 1-1/4″ Scallop Circle punch, Label Bracket punch, Big Shot, Petals-a-Plenty embossing folder, brayer, Stampin’ Dimensionals

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    Looking for Holiday Ideas?  Make sure you are on the list for my 12 weeks of Christmas newsletter!  Sign up today for a project-a-week direct to your inbox.  Join Now

  • Make 20 Cards in a Snap with the Everyday Occasions Kit

    Have you been wishing you had a fast way to create a pile of handmade cards to have on hand that you’d be proud to send out?  And do it without breaking the bank too!  If so, you should check out this new Everyday Occasions kit! 

    When we were at Founder’s Circle last week, they told us that these kits were finally going to be releasing this week.  They are meant to be a great introduction to someone who has never stamped before; but I have to say after looking at the cards, that it looks like fun to me!  Like this love card, how fun is it?!

    Since this is meant for the new stamper, all the elements are precut and pre-punched so it makes it quick and easy to assemble.  The kit comes with a 7 piece stamp set that enables you to make a ton of different types of cards including:

    • Happy Birthday
    • Thank You
    • Congratulations
    • For You
    • Love
    • Thinking of You

    Wanna see them?  Check it out!

    I know, cute…. right?  And I love that they can be used for girls or guys!

    The best part? Its only $29.95… so that is less than $2 a card!  Plus you have ink and a stamp set you can use later.  Way better than getting a card in the store!

    Want to see what you get for that?  Here is the scoop –

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    View the full Everyday Occasions flyer with pictures of all the card samples

    This may not be available through the online store, so if you are interested in purchasing a kit, please email me at jennifer@nwstamper.com and I will get back to you right away to get you all set up with a kit!

     

    Well, I’m off to work on holiday card samples for my 12 weeks of Christmas newsletter (get on the list now) and upcoming Holiday Card Stamp-a-Stacks.  I’ll be back tomorrow with some fun projects to share!

     

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  • Adding a Splash of Washi to Your Cards

    So turns out when I start working on something, I can get really focused on that task.  In the case of last week, that task wasn’t any of the handful of crafting projects and event prep I needed to work on, but instead was an even more daunting task – picking a preschool for Nicholas!  2013-08-23 12.29.45

    Awww….aren’t they getting so big? Smile 

    I thought it would be a quick and easy thing to figure out, and I’d be back working on my other projects right away.  But, no…. there are so many choices and variations.  Thankfully, we were able to find some good options and start the process for getting him enrolled, so now I’m able to get back in the crafty mindset!

    And first on the docket – Thank you cards!

    I always like to send thank you cards to everyone who places an order with me and I wanted something bright and cheery to remind us that summer hasn’t quite ended yet!

    I used 3 of my favorite items right now:  Washi tape, Flower Shop bundle, and the Oh Hello stamp set to put this together.

    Card Supplies Used
    Stamps –     Oh Hello, Flower Shop
    Ink – Island Indigo, Daffodil Delight, Rose Red, Gumball Green
    Paper – Rose Red, Whisper White
    Accessories – Posy Punch, Gingham Garden washi tape, Stampin’ Dimensionals

    So, if you’ve ordered with me in the last few weeks… check your mailbox for your own copy of this card!

    If you’ve ordered with me in the last month and NOT received a card, please let me know!  There have been some hiccups in the Stampin’ Up! ordering system and some demonstrators have not been receiving notice about orders placed.  I want to make sure I’m giving you the best possible service, so if you haven’t heard from me, let me know so I can fix it. Smile 

     

    But no matter what, THANK YOU for stopping by and please come back soon!

     

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  • Very Vintage Butterfly Thank You (Convention CASE)

    Every year that I go to convention, I get caught up in swapping.  The idea of taking a bunch of card fronts with you to convention and then trading them with everyone else so that you can get new ideas to take home and share… or copy… or hang on your wall and drool over!

    Well, I’ve learned from the one year that I showed up with NO SWAPS, and proceeded to spend my first night there trying to make as many swaps as I could from the crafting supplies I happened to bring with me; that I LOVE swapping.  I love seeing an amazing card from across the room and running up and saying,”swapping?”  Its like the thrill of finding an amazing deal at the department store.

    But the problem is, I come home with 50-100 card fronts and proceed to take pictures of them and then they sit in a box forgotten until I’m cleaning my room and find them again.

    Which is very sad….

    So, I decided this year, that I would not only share them on my blog, but I’d also use them for inspiration in my classes as well.  (Which really is one of the main points for swapping anyway!)  So, for class this month, I CASE’d (copy and share everything) two fabulous swap cards and I just had to share this one with you!

    Card case’d from a design by Julie Leblanc

    There are a few reasons why I love this card…

    1.  The color combination (why do I always forget about Perfect Plum?)

    2.  The touch of sparkle with the Silver Glimmer Paper

    3.  The fact that this card uses NO WHITE PAPER at all!

    I know it is silly, but that last point was kind of profound to me.  I’m so used to stamping on Whisper White paper with a colored ink that I didn’t think of stamping on Crumb Cake paper.

    And then there is the really cute butterflies.  I had to change this up from the original because I didn’t have the Papillion Potpourri that she used,  Instead I used the Best of Butterflies stamp set and the Elegant Butterfly punch to make them.  They are stamped with Basic Black ink and then sponged on top with the Perfect Plum ink. Neat effect, huh?

     

    And in class, I had someone emboss a little bit higher up the page than they meant and so they left their first attempt behind and made a second card.  So, I finished out the card with her “boo-boo” and the rest of the supplies only this time I used the Lacy & Lovely stamp set for my sentiment and drew around it with a marker.  I think it turned out just fine! Smile

    So I hope you liked this card as much as I did and I will have another fun card that we case’d tomorrow using the lovely Flower Shop stamp set and punch!  See you tomorrow!

     

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  • Quick & Easy Thank You Card for a new Design Team!

    Today is the kick off for a new blog that I’m excited to be a design team member for – Stylin’ Stampin’ Inkspiration!  It is a blog that will have daily posts to help give you new ideas and project challenges to inspire new ideas for you to try at home!  Most of the posts will have a particular theme and have many of the design team members showing you different takes on that theme.  Fun, right?

    So, the theme for today was Quick & Easy Cards and you know that is right up my alley!  I love clean and simple and with 2 small kids, quick is key.  So, here is my take on the idea:

    I will tell you this card was inspired by a card I saw from my friend, Katy Kirwan, and while the finished project doesn’t really look anything like what she created, I still like them both. Smile 

    To create my card, I created my own designer paper by using the Chevron background stamp from Stampin’ Up! and then layered on the punched out sentiment.  It still needed a little something, so I added some of the Pear Pizzazz Chevron ribbon (sshhh, don’t tell anyone I used two different greens on this card!) and while I was worried the fact that the stamped and the ribbon chevrons go in different directions, I still think it totally works!

    Card Supplies Used (all Stampin’ Up unless noted)

    Stamps – Designer Typeset Photopolymer Stamp Set, Chevron Background
    Ink – Pistachio Pudding, Baked Brown Sugar
    Paper – Whisper White, Baked Brown Sugar, Pistachio Pudding
    Accessories – Petite Curly Label Punch, Stampin’ Dimensionals, Pear Pizzazz Chevron Ribbon

    So, what do you think?  Quick? Easy?  But totally fun!  I’m actually using this for my Cute & Classic Card Class tonight, so hopefully they have fun with it too! 

    And if you are looking for more quick and easy ideas, hop on over to our Inkspiration blog and check out all the fab ideas for more great projects. 

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    Oh, and before I forget!

    It’s Here! The Stampin’ Trimmer Rotary Attachment is now Available!

    imageOk, I may be the only person on the planet who is excited about this, but I-CANNOT-WAIT to order my rotary trimmer attachment. 

    Why do I care so much?

    I have found that I really LOVE my Stampin’ Trimmer and the little blades that come with it work great.  But when you are cutting grittier material (like glimmer paper) or want to cut more than one sheet of cardstock at a time, the little blades just don’t do as good a job. 

    So I had been periodically missing my rotary cutting board (except not missing the fact that that Fiskars board could not cut a cardbase straight if I had to!).  But now I have the best of both worlds!  This replaces the clear arm and track for the little blades and the rotary attachment is available as of 8/9/2013!  So, I’ll be ordering mine today and will let you know how it goes. Smile 

     

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  • Quick Thank You Cards with Chalk Talk

    I’ve been learning something about myself this week – when I’m in the middle of a big task, I have a hard time focusing on other things.  So, in this case, when I completely pull apart my craft room,

    Messy Craft Room

    I was having a heck of a time bringing myself to do any new crafting or even work on blog posts.  Instead I have been focused on organizing my stamps, converting my woodmount stamps to the new woodmount cases, and figuring out what items I can bring myself to part with for my craft garage sale August 17th & 18th (the pile is growing for sure!)

    But my room is just about ready to go – and I promise I’ll share pictures of the reorganized space this weekend – so I wanted to stop back over here on the blog to say hello and share a set of cards that my mom, Kathy Thisted, made for me that I thought were so cute!

    I loved these little mini thank you cards and thought they were a fun way to use the new Chalk Talk stamp set.  Since the stamp set coordinates with the Chalk Talk framelits (and gets you a discount when you buy both in a bundle), many of the samples I’ve seen used the framelits with the stamps.  So I loved seeing some quick ideas using the stamps without the dies.

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    Card Supplies Used
    Stamps- Chalk Talk
    Paper- 2013-2015 In Colors, Basic Black
    Ink- Whisper White craft ink
    Accessories- White gel pen, Natural Trim ribbon, White 1/4” grosgrain (retired), striped grosgrain ribbon (retired), White embossing powder, heat gun

    Blog Hop Tomorrow!
    Join me tomorrow as it is the monthly blog hop as well the kick off of a new blog that I am an inaugural design team member for!  Should be lots of fun. Smile   See you tomorrow!

     

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  • A New Way to Color Your Stamped Images with Marker

    Recently, my mom showed me a new way to try coloring in your images with your markers.  To show me what she was talking about she created this card:

    It uses the new Flower Shop stamp set and punch sitting atop the stem from Field Flowers.  Great idea, huh?

    Now, to do the coloring, she took a lighter colored marker (in this case, the Crisp Cantaloupe marker) and then swiped one side of the marker tip along the side of the Calypso Coral ink pad.  This gives you a darker side to the marker. 

    Then you can color in your stamped image and twist your marker as you are coloring so you end up getting both tones forming a cute spectrum of color on your image.  Now if it is a little hard to see, she created the following examples to help show it better:

    On the left is a flower colored in with a blender pen, the middle is using the two-tone effect, and the right flower is colored in only using the Crisp Cantaloupe marker.  There was more of a difference between the three than I expected!

    And I thought the whole card was a neat idea so I created a simpler version to send out as a customer thank you card this month.  So if you’ve placed a Stampin’ Up! order with me in June, you’ll have one of these in your inbox soon!

    Stampin’ Up Supplies Used:
    Stamps – Flower Shop, Field Flowers, Petite Pairs
    Ink – Calypso Coral, Pistachio Pudding, Daffodil Delight, Baked Brown Sugar, Crisp Cantaloupe marker
    Paper – Whisper White, Subtles Designer Series Paper stack (top card), Pistachio Pudding cardstock (bottom card)
    Accessories – Posy Punch, Itty Bitty punch pack, Pearls, Distressing tool

     

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