Northwest Stamper

Tag: blog hop

  • Curvy Keepsake Easter Bunny Tutorial for the Fun n’ Crafty Blog Hop!

    Yay!  It’s time for another Blog Hop with the Fun n’ Crafty stampers, my lovely and talented downline that I’m blessed to have connected with and become friends with over the last few years!  (I told you SU is pretty awesome, right?)  Well, today we are doing our monthly blog hop a little bit early because we wanted to share with you some Easter ideas while you still had time to make them!  And while I had plans to make another card to show you, I got knocked out with a stomach bug over the last few days, so it was all I could do to get this little video tutorial filmed.  So I hope you like it!

    So here is my little bunny box for you.  I think I’m going to fill mine with jelly beans and put them in my kids Easter baskets this year – because that is what is so awesome about this, it is a treat box AND a cute decoration in one!

    I’ve also been making this in my card classes this month as a bonus project (I have one left coming up this Saturday if you are in the Seattle area Winking smile) and everyone have been having lots of fun with them and so I can vouch that ANYONE can make them.

    Tips for making this project:

    • When putting together your box and adhering your ears, make sure you are using VERY STRONG adhesive such as the Fast Fuse or Sticky Strip.  I wouldn’t trust snail or liquid glue to hold up over time.  In fact, my first couple boxes I made last year I used snail and they started popping apart a few weeks later.
    • I built my box first and then adhered all the punched elements – mostly with liquid glue.  I saved my inking with pen for last so I could see how it all had come together.
    • Here is a list of the punches used (see the supply list at the bottom of the page for pictures of each of these punches if you are more visual like me!)
      –  Extra Large Oval
      –  Large Oval
      –  Modern Label
      –  Owl Builder
      –  1/2” circle
      –  Mini treat back die
    • If you need any of these supplies, now is a great time to get them thanks to Sale-a-Bration!  For every $50 you spend, you’ll get to pick out something free… in fact, you can even pick out a refill for your Fast Fuse as a free item if you want!Check it out:  Original Sale-a-Braiton Items  |  March additions  |  Annual Catalog Choices

    I also put together a Video Tutorial for How to Make the Bunny– now the first few minutes are tips and tricks for the curvy keepsake box and then I start step by step walking through going from punches to bunny!

    (note – if you are reading this from email, you won’t see the video so click the link above)

    I’ll be back later with more fun Easter ideas but in the meantime, don’t wait!  Check out the great projects shared by these lovely ladies and don’t forget to give them some love along the way!
    **Blog hop starts at 7am PST on 3/25**

    Fun & Crafty Blog Hop

    Tobe B. of The Craft Sea

    Sarah G. of 1200 Some Miles

    Jennifer B. of Northwest Stamper <—YOU ARE HERE

    Pam W. of Stinky Tofu


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    Project Supplies Used:
    Easy shopping anytime!  Click the images below to see the item in the online store.

  • Some Love and a Blog Hop

    I’m so excited!  The Fun n’ Crafty monthly blog hop is back and with new chic graphics too!  I am very lucky to have the talented Stacey Lane in our group who graciously offered to take over running this hop.  She has super ideas for the next 5 months of hop themes and we have more folks getting excited to participate, so you won’t want to miss it each month!  And if you ever want to join us and be a stop on our hop, all you have to do is hook yourself up with a Starter Kit from myself or one of the awesome folks from across the US in our group and get a great deal on your supplies and then tell us you want to be a stop on the hop and you are in!

    This month, our theme is LOVE and I have a couple ideas to share with you then make sure to check the list at the bottom of the blog to see even more great ideas!

    I had extra scraps and a half idea after putting together my Stacked with Love class and so I started playing around and just having fun and this sparkly card came out!

    Project Tips:

    • The Stacked with Love designer paper stack gives you a ton of patterns all in the same black/white/red color scheme, so it is fool proof to pick and choose a couple patterns to use on your card and know they will complement each other.
    • Add a softer touch of burlap by cutting off the seamed edges of the ribbon and then pulling threads to get a soft fringe look.

    • Use the Red Glimmer Paper to cut out a sparkly butterfly (the Butterfly Thinlit die set)!  Not only does it look pretty, but the paper is really stiff and sturdy, so it is really easy to work with in this intricate die.  No wax paper required! Smile
    • And speaking of the pieces from the intricate die, you don’t have to throw them all away!  Grab a couple and layer them together to create a cute little heart that is a perfect tiny accent for your sentiment.

    Fun right?

    Then the next card, I had to share.  I know, I know… you’ve seen my other versions of this card, but I got the idea to do it for a class and so for my technique class on using designer paper, I pulled this together and I think it is my favorite version yet!

    Project Tips:

    • You’ve heard most of the tips before with my prior cards, but like usual, pick out your 5-6 patterns of designer paper and lay them out BEFORE you start gluing down.  This makes sure you like the effect you get with the smaller pieces of the patterns.
    • Glue your strips onto a scrap piece of cardstock, so you can then use it however you like as one big piece instead of having to continue to futz with the little pieces.
    • Adhere your complementary cardstock piece first and then add your strip of custom designer paper near the TOP edge of the cardstock.  If you have it to close to the bottom of the cardstock strip, when you add your sentiment it will overlap too much of the patterned paper and you stop being able to see them.

    • And when you are doing white/black/red as your color combination, GOLD is always a great choice!  Add some gold baker’s twine and then use our mini stapler to staple some gold sequin trim to the top of the card.  Bam, you got bling!

    Love it! 

    I hope you enjoyed my ideas.  These lovely ladies have also put together projects to inspire you.  So make sure to check them out and if you wouldn’t mind, leave them a comment along the way.  I love these ladies and hopefully you will enjoy all the ideas they have put together for you. Smile 

    Fun & Crafty Blog Hop

    Happy Hopping!

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    Project Supplies Used:
    click any image below for more details or to get it now in the online store!

  • Get Cards Done Fast with the Happenings Card Kit

    Do you ever find yourself thinking,” I really want to get crafty… but I’m not creative”  or “I would love to sit and stamp but I don’t want to pull everything out”?

    Or maybe you love the idea of relaxing and creating but have no brain cells left to come up with a project to do!  (**raises hand…this is me most nights right now!**)

    Well, I wanted to help give you hope and share some ideas that will help you get the fun and fire for creating back without too much thinking or supplies required!  I know, awesome, right? Smile 

    Fun n Crafty Blog Hop badgeToday is the monthly blog hop for the Fun n’ Crafty stampers and we are sharing projects created using some of the fabulous kits available from Stampin’ Up.  So, make sure you stop by everyone’s blog so you can see even more ideas (and super cute ideas!) that are made so much easier thanks to the power of kits.

    Today I’m sharing the Happenings Card Kit

    happenings card kit

    In this kit, you get all the paper, envelopes, and accessories to make 15 cards!  All for only $14.95… beat that Hallmark! Winking smile

    So, in the kit they give you 3 examples to work with, but I thought today I’d share a few of my own.  I only use supplies from the kit no supplementing, no extra scraps from my craft room.  All I added was some ink and a Thank You stamp!

    or go vertical like these:

    or this:

    See you can totally do that!  And it is cute and fun to give to someone… which is the whole point of making cards, right?  Well, at least one of the main points.  I mean there is something to be said for experimenting with paper and for getting your hands messy!

    And this is only one of the many kits available to make your crafting fun and easy! 

    For example, the Hip Hip Hooray kit lets you make 20 fun cards and actually INCLUDES a stamp set!  Wanna hear the bonus???  It is on the Weekly Deals this week and so is only $14.96!!! No way, right?  Total score.

    But check out what the other Fun n’ Crafty ladies are making this month and see what other awesome inspiration you find!

    Join our Fun n’ Crafty Group & Get Free Paper for 6 months!

    For real!  If you can’t tell, our Fun n’ Crafty group loves creating and loves sharing our crafting journey with each other and with you.  And if you want to come celebrate your love of crafting with us, you can get a SWEET BONUS for picking up the starter kit and joining us – a pack of designer paper of your choice for FREE each month for 6 months! 

    1. First – Pick out $125 in your favorite items from your wish list and order them as your demonstrator starter kit.  You only pay $99 plus tax… the shipping & extra $26 in goodies is FREE!
    2. Next – starting in November, each month as you place an order, add on the pack of paper that strikes your fancy and add it to your order for FREE  (excluding specialty or paper stacks)
    3. Repeat for the next 5 months!

    You’ll get all the fun and perks of being a demonstrator plus free paper on top!  If you have any questions, let me know as I’d love to share with you more about how it works and why I love what I do. Smile  You can email me at jennifer@nwstamper.com.

    Get Started Here

    Stamp, Stock, and Save starts today!

    Stampin’ up is a sponsor of World Cardmaking Day which is October 4th this year.  To help with the celebration, and to encourage you to actually mail the cards you create, you can save 15% on select ink pads, cardstock, adhesive, and envelopes!  Plus, there are a few stamp sets that you can get for 20% off!  Sweet right?!  See everything on sale here.

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    Hostess Code:  C2HYWWQM Use this Hostess Code and receive a free gift! (Please do not use the Hostess Code if your order is $150 or more)

    Need a Holiday Catalog?  Check it out online or email me at jennifer@nwstamper.com to get your copy!

  • Throwback Fun with Some Old Stamps and New

    Throwback Fun with Some Old Stamps and New

    Today is the Stylin’ Stampin’ Squad blog hop and I LOVED the theme idea this month.  Our task was to take our “oldest” stamp and our “newest” stamp.  How fun is that!  I had fun looking through my retired stamps that I’ve been holding on to to see what was my oldest set.  I had a hard time deciding but in the end found a stamp set I had almost forgotten I had – It’s Your Birthday.  And for the newest sets, I had to use my Be The Star set (Love, Love, Love this set!) with a little bit of Work of Art for good measure.

    As you hop along, please be sure to comment and show some love on every blog! We are always excited to hear from our followers! You should have just left stop number #2 on the Stylin’ Stampin’ Squad Blog Hop – Darcy at Stampin’ DJ.  If so, you are in the right spot. If a link doesn’t work or you get off track, you will find the full blog hop lineup below.

    So, here is my share for you today:

    I just love this sentiment from the It’s Your Birthday stamp set.  Honestly, that is pretty much the reason why I keep holding on to this set because everything I see it, I think of all the cards and scrapbooks I can make for my kids where this is such a true sentiment!


    And the birthday sentiments just go so perfect with the Be The Star stamp set.  It has a matching set of framelits which I have been using like crazy… guess I’m on a star kick right now.  But I had seen the idea of using the long swoosh from the Work of Art stamp set to make a star tail and I had a flash of inspiration!

    (Be the Star stamp set & Work of Art stamp set)

    The nice thing about the new Firm Foam ink pads from Stampin’ Up is that they transfer a lot more ink – this gives you a saturated image as well as, if you move fast, the ability to heat emboss with your regular classic ink pads!  So, that enabled me to have 3 different types of shine on my card.

    1. Iridescent Ice embossing powder – after stamping my swoosh, I immediately added the embossing powder and heat set.  Voila!  A shimmering star tail!
    2. In Color Sequins
    3. Silver Ink – for a few more background stars to complete the sky.  Did you see that there is actually ink refills for the gold and silver pads now???  YAY!

    And that star is colored with the new Blendabilities and a little help from Mr. Color Lifter.

    Seriously, if you haven’t gotten your Blendabilities yet…. well, lets just say you won’t be sad if you take the plunge!  I colored the star using the three Daffodil Delight markers and then lightened up a spot in the middle using the Color Lifter.  I got it a little too light so I had to go back and color over with the lightest color, but I think in the end it didn’t turn out too bad!

    And for my final touch, I first inked up my little swoosh image from the Work of Art stamp set and *stamped it off one time* on scrap paper and then stamped in the corner of my card front.  It made it just light enough to be a great background for my sentiment.

    So I hope you enjoyed my contribution, and hop along to check out what everyone else picked for their old & new!

    Blog Hop Participant List:

    1. Erica B. of Stamping Starlette
    2. Darcy J. of DJ’s Stampin’ Place
    3. Jennifer B. of Northwest Stamper  <—YOU ARE HERE
    4. Diana E. of Stampin’ Fun with Diana
    5. Donna S. of Organized Chaos
    6. Cynthia R. of Ink-a-Doodle Creations
    7. Kim R. of Stamping with Kim
    8. Kathy P. of Katrina P’s Creative Corner
    9. Shellie G. of Craft Smashup

    PS – If you didn’t catch the news on my Facebook page, the Clearance Rack should be updated today (7/10) with new goodies for you!  So, make sure to check it out as soon as you can because some items may go fast!

    I’ll be putting in a group order if I have interest by 10:30 AM pst, so if you want to join in on that let me know at jennifer@nwstamper.com.
    (note – if you are hopping and have a demonstrator, make sure to contact them as they would love to help you out!)

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    July Online Stamp Club Hostess Code – 7RDHVEKR
    Use this code to get free exclusive tutorials & project kit!  Learn more

  • Some Valentine Treat Fun for a Blog Hop

    Thank you so much for joining us for our January Stylin’ Stampin’ Squad Blog Hop!  Love is in the air and our talented group of design team members have a Whole Lotta Love Goin’ On as we are excited to be sharing some NEW Occasions Catalog goodies and some Valentine’s Day projects with you this month!

    As you hop along, please be sure to comment and show some love on every blog!  We are always excited to hear from our followers!

    You should have just left stop number 15 on the Stylin’ Stampin’ Squad blog hop – the fabulous Annie Lee. If so, you are in the right spot. If a link doesn’t work or you get off track, you will find  the full blog hop lineup below.

    —————————————————————————-

    So, for the blog hop today, I started and stopped on at least 2 different projects and designs.  Normally that wouldn’t be a bad thing, but with all the crunching to get ready for Leadership, it meant a little last minute creating.

    Thankfully the first project I have to share I was able to get done early!

    A “Wheely” Cool Valentine Card

    I recently got this Love You More Valentine’s Day stamp set and just love this globe image.  But the part that I really thought was fun with this card was the red flowers on the right side of the card front.

    Know what it is?

    Yup, a WHEEL STAMP!  Betsy’s Bloom is the name.  It’s been ages since I pulled them out, but they sure do make a striking background for your card sometime using exactly the color you want.

    Add a bit of ribbon for a finishing touch (and to cover up if you rolled your wheel a little less than exactly straight, ha ha! Winking smile )

    Send a Valentine Treat this Year

    I had one more idea that I wanted to create to share today.  It was an idea in my head that I didn’t have time to complete it before heading to the airport so I punched out a few shapes, grabbed some paper, ink, and stamps… and headed to Houston.

    Turns out, I got to my hotel and set out to create the idea in my head and I discovered that I left my paper trimmer at home.  Oops!  So, check out the ideas and don’t mind the not quite perfect cuts since I had to make due with my little paper snips for all the paper in the project other than the red Chevrons (Chevron punch) and the Heart (lg Full Heart Punch)!

    The idea for this project is a little treat you can send or give to a special someone.  It’s another stamp set from the Love You More set again… I was inspired by the arrow images and thought I would turn a small Hershey bar into it’s own love arrow!

    If you want to make your own, all you need to do is:

    • Wrap a chocolate bar with a patterned paper from the Fresh Prints designer paper stack in the new Occasions catalog and adhered the arrow images from the stamp set for my central point.
    • Stamp the same arrow w/ sentiment (“straight to my heart”) on a strip of Whisper White cardstock. 
    • Adhere a thin strip of Soft Suede cardstock (approx 3/8” strip) across the middle of your stamped image.
    • Punch out a set of chevron pieces from Real Red using the Chevron punch and a heart from Real Red using the Heart punch.
    • Adhere the Whisper White strip to a piece of Soft Suede cardstock for matting.
    • Adhere the wrapped chocolate over the center of the arrow so that it covers all but the “Straight to the Heart” sentiment.
    • Done!

    So I hope you enjoyed my projects today and check out more great projects on the hop using the links below.

    Blog Hop Participants:
    SSS blog hop next arrow

    1. Anastasia R. of Stampin’ Blondie
    2. Cynthia R. of Ink-a-Doodle Creations
    3. Dawn S. of Dawn’s Creative Chalet
    4. Kathy P of Katrina P’s Creative Corner 
    5. Pamela W. of Stinky Tofu
    6. Diana E. of Stampin’ Fun with Diana
    7. Darla R. & Nancy K. of Stampin With Darla and Sisters
    8. Jamie H. of Unique Ink
    9. Rose C. of Stamp with Rose
    10. Kim R. of Stamping with Kim
    11. Darcy J. of DJ’s Stampin’ Place
    12. Bree R. of Craft-Somnia
    13. Kristina M. of Mama’s Sanity
    14. Annie L. of Love Me Cards
    15. Jennifer B. of NW Stamper  <— YOU ARE HERE
    16. Tonya B. of Stampin’ with Tonya
    17. Heidi B. of Stuck on Stampin‘
    Interested in updates from Leadership 2014?
    I’ll be spending the next few days in Houston, TX getting filled with new project ideas and updates from Stampin’ Up!  I’ll be trying to share what I can     via my Facebook page and then coming back in the evening and sharing a summary of what I saw. 

    So enjoy all the inspiration today and stop back by tomorrow to see what’s happening in good ol’ Texas!

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  • Getting Out of a Crafting Slump w/ a Holiday Catalog Hop!

    I know me, and once I let life overwhelm me and I set my crafting aside because I’m busy trying to deal with the house, family, etc; I find myself getting into a crafting slump.  You know, that time when you look at your craft supplies, get so excited to create something cute (or find yourself needing that last minute birthday card) and you sit down at your table….. and just stare at your supplies.

    That was me.  I saw so many great ideas at convention, had some cool topics for blog posts, but was having the hardest time finding the mojo to get started.

    But – that is why I said YES! when I was invited to join the Stylin’ Stampin’ Squad and their monthly blog hops.  Because I know me and to get me out of my slump, I needed a theme to focus on and a deadline that I had to get it done by. Smile  And it worked for me!  I sat down with a few ideas, started pulling out some paper and by the time I was done with my first card I had ideas for a few more and couldn’t wait to have time to play more!

    August Blog Hop – Holiday Catalog Projects

    Card 1 – A Stenciled Halloween

    When I first checked out the Holiday Catalog, I wasn’t too excited by the Build-a-Banner kits.  But then I saw all the fun projects created with them at convention and I had a major change of heart.  I love the banners and can’t wait to make my first one, but I was even MORE excited by the stencils!  I know, I know, there isn’t anything new about stencils, but –hey- they are new to me! Smile 

    And for my first attempt with them, I figured why not try to do some heat embossing while I’m at it?  I don’t own any current halloween stamps but I loved the fact that I could still do spooky without even needing a stamp at all!

    So to make the “boo” on my cardfront, I tapped and smeared VersaMark ink over the stenciled opening (starting with the “b”) and quickly picked up the stencil, sprinkled white embossing powder, and heated with my heat gun.  Then repeat for each letter as you go through the word.

     how to heat emboss with stencils

    The rest of the card came together quickly as well because I used the new Witches Brew designer paper which had those cool orange spiders in the perfect spacing for me.  Sponge the edge with some White craft ink and layer over a Basic Gray cardbase and you are done! 

    Card 2 – Bow Tie Celebration!

    But one card just wasn’t enough for me.  I told you, when I was done I had more ideas I wanted to play with.  Well, this next card was using the new Gift Bow Bigz Die.  I had seen a card by Ronda Wade that had a more flat looking bow and I wanted to try to create one myself.  Ta-da!

    The neat thing about this bow is that all the pieces for it is cut out of 1-sheet of designer paper from the new Season of Style designer series stack (you know, those paper stacks that are 4.5” x 6.5”?)

    See, check it out

    gift bow cut outs

    Then all you have to do is cut that top die cut shape in half to make your two flat bow “loops”.  I found that if you lined up a flat edge at 2” you will cut straight down the middle too.

    cutting to make a flat bow

     

    I glued my bow together with sticky strip and Stampin’ Dimensionals and adhered it over some of the new Burlap Ribbon.  Finally, I stamped my sentiment from Seasonal Sayings but thought it needed some extra pop so I coated it with Crystal Effects.  Makes it feel more like a celebration to me. Smile 

    And with that, I even created one more card for tomorrow’s blog post and I’m back in the groove!

    So if you are in a mojo slump, here is my challenge to you!

    1. Visit the incredibly talented stampers participating in this month’s blog hop (see the full list below)
    2. Find 30 minutes this week and head to your craft room
    3. Pick an item you were excited to purchase, but haven’t even used it yet! 
    4. Create something, anything, even if you have no idea what to make, start cutting and stamping using the item you picked.  Copy a project you’ve seen on the hop or visit one of the many great challenge blogs and inspiration blogs out there to help get you started if you need it.
    5. Finish and share your project by 8/16! 
      Show it to a friend, post it on Facebook, or come back and leave a comment that you’ve completed the challenge and share it with me!  Feel free to link to your project too so we can see what creative project you’ve created.

    Ready to be inspired?

    Check out all of the great talent in this month’s line up!

    Blog Hop Participants:

    Enjoy and have fun creating!

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  • Sketched Birthday Card for the Birthday Bash!

    Ahhh… back in the blogging saddle again.  I’ll admit I’m feeling a little rusty (I know it hasn’t really been that long but it feels like ages to me!), but kicking back off with a blog hop is a great way to get the blogging and creative mojo happening again – for sure!

    Summer has finally hit and I’m getting super excited for the Stampin’ Up! convention next week (yay!!!  And yes, like prior years, I’ll be sharing my pictures, excitement, and info while at convention on my facebook page – so watch there for the good stuff Winking smile)

    But that also means this month’s Blog Hop theme – Birthday Bash – is a perfect way for me to get out my enthusiasm because you know birthdays are fun and exciting, filled with clapping and cheering…. or is that just me at parties? hee hee

    This is the card I had to share with you for the hop this month:

    I LOVE this Sketched Birthdays stamp set.  The images are a perfect blend of not quite vintage-y, not too cutesy, not too real…. just kind of funky and perfect for any age… and guy cards!

    Ok, so I used a lot of pink in this card, so maybe it isn’t the most manly… but squint and pretend those are red and brown, or other guy colors and it would totally work!

    I tried doing a close up to show you a fun details that is really cool in person but apparently is impossibly to photograph well, which is adding some Silver Dazzling Details to the scallop around the Happy Birthday, Cupcake image.  I put a dot of Silver Dazzling Details in each scallop and it adds some subtle sparkle that is really nice!

    And YES!  That birthday hat patterned paper is hand stamped paper!  I just grabbed the hat image and stamped it multiple times in different colors until I was happy with the look.  Do that on a full sheet of white paper and you can make a ton of cards lickety-split!

     

    Have you heard?  A new DAILY inspiration blog for you is coming and I’ll be on the design team!  Join me and some of the very talented monthly Blog Hop Demonstrators as we help give you more daily doses of crafting inspiration! This site will go live the day of our August Blog Hop, August 8th.

    But if you want more inspiration now check out more birthday celebrations at the rest of the folks on this month’s blog hop:

    Blog Hop Participants:

     

    So thanks for visiting and I hope you come back soon!

     

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  • It’s the Styling Stampin’ Squad January Blog Hop!

    Alright, this is my second month with the crew of talented stampers and this month we are sharing project ideas using items from the new Spring catalog and Sale-a-Bration items.  Because who doesn’t like fun ideas with new stuff? Smile

    Well, I have a couple quick projects for you and I hope they inspire some new ideas for you.  First up is a little card… I call it a calling card because it is actually significantly smaller than a standard card front.  I made these to send with some spring catalogs and SAB catalogs I was mailing out.  Something quick, cute, and let you see new stuff in action.

    I highlighted two of my favorites from the catalog – the Honeycomb embossing folder and the Natural Trim ribbon.  I love how deeply the honeycomb embossing folder creases the paper and it actually looks good on both sides of the paper.

    And don’t let the ribbon fool you.  It has that rough, almost burlap-like look when you see it in pictures but it is SO SOFT when you feel it in person.  I normally have a hard time using up all the ribbon on a spool but I have a feeling this is one I’ll actually be buying extra of before the catalog is over. Smile

    Anyway, I thought that my honeycomb needed a bee, so I grabbed the new Collage Curious stamp set and found the bee was a perfect fit.  Cute, huh?

    And if you haven’t seen that “Hello” sentiment before….check out your copy of the Sale-a-Bration flyer… it is the free Pretty Petites stamp set and the matching free Petite Curly Label punch.  LOVE!!

    Alright, how about one more share for you?  You can’t say no, huh?

    This card makes me so thankful for the Stampin’ Success magazine for demonstrators (an awesome perk when you join the Stampin’ Up! family!)  They have project ideas and samples for inspiration and CASE-ing and this color combo and initial layout idea came from a past issue.  It used a different stamp set and I had to tweak up the embellishments because I was so excited to use the new Sycamore St ribbon and button pack (also coming up free as part of Sale-a-Bration).  This is my second project with these buttons and ribbon (you can check out my scrapbook page from a few posts ago to see my first project).

    So, I hope you enjoyed my projects this month and the blog hop we’ve put together for you!

    I’m off to check in to the Leadership convention in Orlando today and hope to share even more inspiration with you over the next few days.  But until then, check out the rest of the blogs on the hop for more great ideas.

     

    Blog Hop Participants:

    1. Annie L. of Love Me Cards
    2. Pam S. of Stampin’ in the Sun!
    3. Nancy B. of Lady Stamps-A-Lot
    4. Rose C. of Stamp with Rose
    5. Tonya B. of Stampin’ with Tonya
    6. Dawn S. of Dawn’s Creative Chalet
    7. Patricia T. of Sunnyone Stampin’
    8. Pamela W. of Stinky Tofu
    9. Kim R. of Stamping with Kim
    10. Terry B of Goin’ Over the Edge
    11. Justin K of JK Cards
    12. Heidi B of Stuck on Stampin’
    13. Jennifer B of NW Stamper <— YOU ARE HERE!
    14. Bree R. of Craft-somnia
    15. Diana E of Stampin’ Fun with Diana

    To Order Stampin’ Up! Products Anytime, click here!

    Need a Spring Catalog or Sale-a-Bration flyer?

    shoot me an email to jennifer@nwstamper.com with your contact info and I’ll make sure one will be making its way to your mailbox shortly!

    Are you earning your Northwest Stamper Rewards?
    Every order gets you closer to your FREE stamp set!  Click here to learn more!

  • Holiday Blog Hop with the Stylin’ Stampin’ Squad!

    Last month I was honored to be asked to join a group of very talented guys and gals for a monthly blog hop showcasing fresh ideas using Stampin’ Up! goodies.  Given how it feels like the last couple months have been crazy busy, I figured having a deadline and a theme to work with would be fun to try, so I had to say yes!

    First up, I was asked to show a 3D item and since I had recently bought this alterable kit for a Christmas countdown, I thought it would be a fun place to start.

    I LOVE the Christmas season and it is the one time of year that I for sure pull out decorations and try to get in to the season.  So, when I saw this kit for a wood Christmas countdown tree, I couldn’t wait to get it and take it home to decorate!

    This is what it looked like when I got it home (well, after I cut apart the number tags):

    raw christmas countdown tree

    I do have to say, this project got me well over my fear of Exacto knives!  I used mine A LOT in cutting apart the tags and trimming my paper to my cut out shape.  Now if only Stampin’ Up! still sold those big grid self healing mats that I see 10 yr+ demos using, I would be set!

    Anyway, I used a few of my holiday catalog toys to decorate my tree this year.

    Candlelight Christmas dsp sampleI used pattern paper from the elegant Candlelight Christmas specialty designer paper for my tree and some Chocolate chip cardstock for the base (and you can kind of tell in the picture, but I grabbed my trusty sponge daubers and inked up the edges of the wood so it would blend in a bit better – like the Chocolate Chip ink on the piece that is pointed at the camera).

    I used a different pattern from the same pack to cover my numbers tags which hang from hooks on the front of the tree.

    After all the paper was stuck to the wood, I went ahead and mod podged the whole thing.  I figured that if I coated the paper layer, then if I wanted to change up the decorations over the years, I could do that and the base tree would still look nice.  We’ll see if that is how it works in practice though over the next few years!

    Then, to decorate, merry minis punch pack sampleI strung some Rhinestone strands and punched out lights using the cute Merry Minis punch pack.  I also used the star from this punch pack to make the star for the top of my tree.  I punched the star out of the Champagne Glimmer paper (such AWESOME paper) and then put it on a 3/4” circle which was then placed in a 1 1/4” scallop circle – also new from the Holiday catalog. Smile

    The circle ornaments are actually just punched designs from the same Candlelight Christmas paper pack and then sponged around the edges for some definition.

    Finally, one of the rules of the blog hop was to use current Stampin’ Up! products only.  And while I cheated a little because I accidentally used a retired Big Shot alphabet set for the numbers on my countdown tags (it was Timeless Type for those of you that are interested), I needed to figure out what to do for my “title” on my tree.

    I knew I wanted it to says “days til Christmas” but I didn’t have a stamp that said that and I was too lazy to go upstairs to my computer to find something I liked on My Digital Studio. Smile So, I improvised from the stamps in my craft room and replicated the tiny letter stickers you see in scrapbooking stores.

    IMG_1707

    I grabbed my Made for You stamp set and got to work inking it up with my marker and stamping a million times to get the letters I wanted.  Then I just cut them out and pieced them together at the bottom of my tree.  The “Christmas” sentiment was from a different stamp set – Petite Pairs – and again, was just inking up part of the stamp and cutting it out.

    made for you

    I thought it was kind of clever! Smile

    Alright, and I think I’m supposed to share a card as well… and I know this post is getting super long, so I’ll try to be fast!

    Ok, so this card was put together using the Christmas tree countdown as inspiration.  I used the same colors and elements to create a quick 4.25” x 4.25” holiday card.  Just layer a few punches and you are good to go!

    So, I hope you enjoyed the projects I have to share with you today and if you want even more ideas, hop along and check out the other great stuff my “Stylin’ Squad” buddies have in store for you!  Since I’m the last person on the tour, click the button below to head to the start of the tour and hop away.

     

    Blog Hop Participants:

    1. Shellie G. of Creative Electica
    2. Annie L. of Love Me Cards
    3. Pam S. of Stampin’ in the Sun!
    4. Nancy B. of Lady Stamps-A-Lot
    5. Rose C. of Stamp with Rose
    6. Tonya B. of Stampin’ with Tonya
    7. Dawn S. of Dawn’s Creative Chalet
    8. Darcy J. of DJ’s Stampin’ Place
    9. Kim R. of Stamping with Kim
    10. Terry B. of Goin’ Over the Edge
    11. Justin K. of JK Cards
    12. Heidi B. of Stuck on Stampin’
    13. Jennifer B. of Northwest Stamper – that’s me!

    To Order Stampin’ Up! Products Anytime, click here!

    Its INK-REDIBLE December!
    Get a FREE set of 10 ink pads with a qualifying order or party; or get them free when you join the Stampin’ Up! family! Learn more

    Are you earning your Northwest Stamper Rewards?
    Every order gets you closer to your FREE stamp set! Click here to learn more!

  • Jack-o-Lantern Gift Card Holder

    As I was thinking about projects for the Halloween Punch Art Blog Hop, I came up with this idea in my head for an interactive Jack-o-Lantern.  I had ideas for making it hold a gift card and some other stuff, but when I sat down to make it, it just wasn’t coming together.  Finally today I got some more time with it and this is what I came up with:

    He may look small in the picture, but he is actually made using the Scallop Oval Bigz Die for the BigShot.  I think he is about 5”x4.5” or something like that.  But you see the scallop cut at the top of the pumpkin?  That’s because…. Surprise!  He’s a gift card holder.

    I wanted this to be a stand alone card/project but at first I had a hard time making it work.  I even have a card base all ready to adhere him to; but after I had the sticky strip in place, I was inspired to try one more time to make him all pumpkin.  So, 3 more ovals later….

    This entire card was made using punches and BigShot dies.  Once I had the design down, it was really easy to make and fun too.  The gift card rectangle part actually slides into and out of the pumpkin, so when you have the gift card in place, it just looks like a pumpkin front and back.  So, something a little different, but a lot of fun.

    Funny side note – I don’t actually have the scallop oval Bigz die, so I made this guy by tracing the oval from a swap I had received and then using that to trace and hand cut out 6 ovals!  What we do for the love of our craft. 🙂

    Punches used –
    Bigz die (Scallop oval), Large Star punch (eyes & nose), 1/2” circle punch (eyes),  Large Oval punch & Wide Oval punch (mouth), Modern Label (stem), Corner Rounder (gift card holder), Slit punch (gift card holder), 3’/4” circle (spider), Curly Label punch (spider legs)

    Want the tutorial?
    I have had numerous requests for the instructions and so I’ve created a full tutorial with step-by-step instructions and photos for each step.  The 14 page, full-color pdf will be emailed to you for only $1.95.


    In the San Francisco Bay Area? I’d love to stamp with you!  Check out my calendar of events at http://nwstamper.stampinup.net/events or drop me a line to schedule a time for your own personal crafting time!