Northwest Stamper

Tag: curly cute

  • April Blog Hop – Silver Sparkle for Weddings or Anniversaries

    Its blog hop time!  This time, the theme is Weddings & Anniversaries.  Now, all I could remember when I started working on my projects was the challenge to use silver in honor of Stampin’ Up’s 25th anniversary.  So, my mind was stuck on my silver glimmer paper when I got started.

    However, I was lucky and got inspired and came up with not one but TWO cards using my glimmer paper that I’m pretty excited to share with you today.  So, hopefully you enjoy these cards too and they give you some fun new ideas to try out.

     

    Card 1:  Two Hearts Congratulations

    This was my first “big idea”.  I am slightly obsessed right now with the technique of punching out a shape and then accenting it with a decorative paper below it.  So, in this case, I decided to do two hearts and pop it up on dimensionals over Silver glimmer paper.

    I grabbed my Silver Dazzle pen and dashed out an outline around the holes to accent them and tie in to the silver theme.  Then I started with two small Razzleberry punched out hearts in the center of each larger heart, but I just really didn’t like how it looked.  But, put a flower from the Flower Trim ribbon on top of the Razzleberry hearts (so a little of the darker color shows through), and it looks great!

    Then I just added the simple “congratulations” sentiment across the top.
    (shhhh – want to know a secret?  I totally stamped a different sentiment directly on my base paper and it looked awful!  So, I had to go with plan B – the banner.  I think it works, don’t you?)

    Card 2 – Interlocking Wedding Rings

    So after finishing the first card, I had this idea that was itching in the back of my mind to do something that looked like two wedding rings.  I had no clue how I was going to do it, but I knew I just needed to try!

    The rings were created by punching a 1 1/4” circle out of a piece of Silver Glimmer paper.  Then lining up a 1 3/8” circle over the hole to create a slim ring of silver.  Then I used my Tombow liquid glue to adhere it to my card.  I used the 1 1/4” circles as accents to the left and right of the rings.

    And if you are curious about the base cardstock, I used Very Vanilla cardstock and spritzed with the Silver Smooches spritz.

    If you have any questions about any of these cards, leave me a comment and I’ll make sure to fill you in!  (Or just leave me a comment and let me know what you think because it always makes my day to get a comment on a blog post. Smile )

     

    And don’t miss more great wedding/anniversary inspiration at the other stops along the route –

    Blog Hop Participants:

    1. Shellie G. of Craft Smashup
    2. Pam S. of Stampin’ in the Sun!
    3. Nancy B. of Lady Stamps-A-Lot
    4. Tonya B. of Stampin’ with Tonya
    5. Dawn S. of Dawn’s Creative Chalet
    6. Darcy J. of DJ’s Stampin’ Place
    7. Pamela W. of Stinky Tofu
    8. Kim R. of Stamping with Kim
    9. Justin K. of JK Cards
    10. Jennifer B. of NW Stamper  —>  YOU ARE HERE
    11. Bree R. of Craft-somnia
    12. Diana E. of Stampin’ Fun with Diana

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    Don’t Forget!  RSVPs and mail order kit orders are due soon for the Print Poetry Class coming up on April 20th!
    Can’t make the party?  Class by mail and instruction only options are available – check it out here

    Print Poetry Camp & Class by Mail

  • Wishing You A Merry Christmas!

    Christmas Eve was the start of a wonderful few days with my family; and so I’ll be busy with family dinners, gift exchanges, and playing with the kids.  But I wanted to make sure to stop by and wish you all a very merry Christmas!

    Here is a card for all of you that I didn’t get a card in the mail to (which is a lot of people since I barely got through family cards by Dec 24th! Smile)

     

    Whether you are with family or celebrating in your own special way, I hope you have a wonderful day and are able to take some time this holiday month to relax and enjoy all the good things in your life.

    And thank you too for being a part of my life and journey as well.  I am blessed to have so many friends, fans, and readers to make this creative stamping adventure I’m on, be the most inspiring and amazing one for me.  So, THANK YOU!

     

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  • Thank You Card Sample with Orchard Harvest

    I’m still getting through last month’s card class projects to post, but I wanted to share this Thank You card today while it is still – sort of – fall time.  Plus, I wanted to share something other than Christmas for a change of pace. Smile

    I reached for my Orchard Harvest designer series paper as the inspiration for this card.  Using the stitched pattern from the paper pack mixed with the Stitched Satin Ribbon in Raspberry Ripple.  Then, just to add in a few other touches of texture and dimension, we ran some Early Espresso core’dinations cardstock through the Big Shot with the Woodgrain embossing folder for the accent on the bottom of our card.

    Finally, take a handy dandy sponge dauber and I attacked just about everything with the Crumb Cake ink and sponged the edges of my dsp, my punched out sentiment, and the edges of my card base!

    Stop back by tomorrow for a TON of inspiration ideas. I’ll be participating in the Stylin’ Squad’s blog hop and will be one of a number of folks who are sharing some great holiday ideas!

    See you tomorrow!

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    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

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    Fall Thank You Card Recipe
    Stamps:     Curly Cute
    Ink: Early Espresso, Crumb Cake
    Paper: Crumb Cake, Early Espresso Core’dinations, Orchard Harvest designer series paper
    Accessories: Raspberry Ripple Stitched Satin Ribbon, Sponge Dauber, Snail, Stampin’ Dimensionals, wide oval punch

  • A Rainbow Card for You

    I was trying to come up with a card idea for my Crystal Effects technique class recently and wanted an example where we used Crystal Effects as a clear glue for clear buttons or embellishments.  So, I started playing with my Bitty Buttons and came up with this card:

    I was drawn to the bright and cheery colors and was originally going to have the Bitty Buttons backed by the matching cardstock (or straight onto the colored cardstock) but then decided that a pop of white would be nice.

    I love using Crystal Effects for adhering paper to my Bitty Buttons because it creates a perfectly clear glue that doesn’t leave shadows or dimension (like glue dots do) and is easy to wrangle and holds like crazy! 🙂

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    Rainbow Banner Card Recipe
    Stamps:     Curly Cute
    Ink: Early Espresso
    Paper: Real Red, Pumpkin Pie, Daffodil Delight, Old Olive, Crumb Cake, Whisper White
    Accessories: Crystal Effects, Itty Bitty Punch Pack, Bitty Buttons, Corner Rounder punch

  • Mixed Bunch Summer Flower

    Oops!  If you visited my blog early this morning, you got a sneak peek of this post because I accidentally had a draft version (with pictures and no text) scheduled to publish early in the morning and I completely forgot I had done that. 🙂

    But, I’m not sad to have shared this card.  This is another card we will be making at my Card Stash class today.  I loved the bright colors and wanted something to help welcome summer in.

     

    This card was inspired by a card showcased in the Stampin’ Success this month by Laura Haffke.  I’ve talked with some folks about joining Stampin’ Up! and often here people interested but hesitating because “I’m not creative enough”.  Well this is proof that Stampin’ Up! provides lots of inspiration for you.  Stampin’ Success is a monthly magazine sent to all demonstrators, whether you are building a business or just ordering for yourself and wanted a discount, and in it are tons of project samples and technique ideas.  A similar was shown and so I took my favorite elements and then changed it up to make it my own.

    So, wherever you are… have a warm and sunny friday (though not too warm if you are in the midwest of the US!)

     

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    Mixed Bunch Summer Smooches Card Recipe
    Stamps: Mixed Bunch, Curly Cute
    Ink: Real Red, Daffodil Delight, Lucky Limeade
    Paper: Whisper White, Daffodil Delight, Lucky Limeade, Summer Smooches dsp
    Accessories: Blossom punch, 1″ circle punch, oval punch, crimper, stampin dimensionals

  • Getting Back to Watercolor Crayons

    When I was asked recently to put together a card using Watercolor Crayons, I wasn’t sure how it was going to go; but I decided I was up for the challenge.  The person really liked a card by Meg Loven using the Simply Soft set and so I looked around my craft room and spied the new Reason to Smile stamp set (its coming out in July as part of a special promotion where you can get it for only $5 with any $50 order!).  It is a new 2-step stamping set and I thought it would be fun to try with the crayons.

    Reason to Smile watercolored stamp set

     

    I used the Watercolor Crayons two different ways:  coloring directly onto the stamp (for the petals and stem) and picking up color from the crayon using a waterbrush and coloring on the paper.  I have to say, making this card has renewed my love affair with Watercolor Crayons!

    Thanks to this tip from Meg, I had MUCH BETTER success coloring on my stamp.  I grabbed my aqua pen for the first time in ages – I normally am loyal to my blender pen – and moistened the surface of the rubber before I colored with the crayon.  Boy does that help the crayon color nicely on the surface!  Then you can stamp and it is super pretty.

    I then brushed my aqua pen along the back of the crayon (the flat end) and then used that to paint color around my stamped image on the paper.  Doesn’t it give such a pretty look?

    Reason to Smile watercolored close up

     

    The only other tip I have for you today, is if you are going to color on your paper like I did with the blue, you really really  want to be using watercolor paper!  You will be using so much water doing this that regular cardstock will warp a lot.

    So, there you go… now grab your watercolor crayons and give it a try!  Its probably way more fun than you remember it being. 🙂

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    Reason to Smile Thank You Card Recipe
    Stamps:     Reason to Smile, Curly Cute
    Ink: Stazon black, Old Olive
    Paper: Daffodil Delight, Pool Party, Watercoloring Paper
    Accessories: Daffodil Delight seam binding, Brights watercolor crayons, aqua pen, stampin’ dimensionals, basic rhinestones

  • Pretty Papillion Potpourri

    I recently had someone request that I put together a class for her and some friends based around a few cards she had seen online.  Unfortunately, one of the cards used the old Strength and Hope stamp set that retired last year and I had never purchased.  So, I set to trying to come up with a fun, similar card using the new Papillion Potpourri stamp set and matching Elegant Butterfly punch.

    Stampin-Up-Butterfly-Card

     

    This was my first time using this stamp set and punch and I was pleasantly surprised at how versatile I found the images to be. For some reason, I didn’t expect the differences in style you get from the different butterflies in the set.  Anywho… aren’t these butterflies so pretty?

    Papillon Potpourri Clear-Mount Stamp Set

    One tip that I learned when stamping and punching the center butterflies – the punch is just slightly smaller than your stamped image.  Often the punch is a teensy bit bigger than your image but not in this case.  It didn’t impact my final punched out image, but caught me offguard when I was trying to line up my stamped image on my paper with the punch outline.  So, I thought I would share.

    I spent so long working on this card one night – tweaking this and that – that in the end I wasn’t sure I liked it.  But now that I’ve had some space, I like it more. 🙂 Would this be a card you would want to do in a class or workshop?

    Well, I’m off to make more samples and get my July and August classes up on the calendar!

     

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    Papillion Potpourri Thinking of You Card Recipe
    Stamps:     Papillion Potpourri, Curly Cute
    Ink: Versamark, Basic Black, Daffodil Delight, Daffodil Delight marker, Wisteria Wonder marker, Calypso Coral marker
    Paper: Wisteria Wonder, Whisper White, Calypso Coral
    Accessories: Elegant Butterfly punch, Calypso Coral ruffled ribbon, sponge daubers, stampin’ dimensionals, basic rhinestones

  • Quint-Essential Workshop Card

    I recently had the opportunity to go to my friend Katie’s house to share a card and the new Stampin’ Up! products with her friends.  It was a fun evening and it gave me some motivation to pull out my new Quint-Essential Flower stamp set and play with some different color combinations.

     

    So, if you’ve been reading my blog for a while, you know how much I LOVE punches and was hooked on the Triple Treat Flower from last catalog.  So, when I saw the Quint-Essential flower and the fact that it is less than $10 for the stamp, I knew I had to have it.

    The cool thing is that with this stamp, you can use 5 different punches with this stamp for some fun layers.  So, far I’ve only done 3 layers, but I’m going to go wild and do all 5 soon.  Smile

    I CASE’d this card from a similar design from my friend Annie Lee but switched up the stamps, colors, and ribbon.  Isn’t it fun how you can get inspired by a card and end up with something similar and yet completely different.  I put together the color combination – Crumb Cake, Wisteria Wonder, Gumball Green (quickly becoming my my new favorite green!), and Summer Starfruit.  Turns out to be a nice springy combination I think!

    The ladies enjoyed the stamping, punching, and Big Shot-ing … I can make up that word, right?  So, try it out yourself and let me know what you think too!

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    Quint-Essential Birthday Card Recipe
    Stamps:     Curly Cute, Quint-Essential Flower
    Ink: Crumb Cake, Wisteria Wonder, Summer Starfruit, Gumball Green
    Paper: Whisper White cs, Wisteria Wonder cs, Crumb Cake cs
    Accessories: Big Shot, Stripes Embossing Folder, 2 3/8” Scallop Circle punch, 1 3/4” Scallop Circle punch, 1” circle punch, Gumball Green Stitched Satin Ribbon, Stampin’ Dimensionals

  • Elegant Congratulations Graduation Card

    Last week I held my Dads and Grads class and as I was trying to plan my cards I realized that I had no idea what colors people would want or need for their graduation card.  So, it quickly turned into an elegant black and white card that could be used for any school out there.

     

    The part I love is that you can take off the diploma and add some pretty flourish or flower and you have a lovely wedding card or congratulations for just about any occasion!  But if you wanted to make this card, the diploma is simply cutting a square of cardstock and rolling it tightly.

     

    My trick is to roll it all the way up and then unroll it slightly so that you can use a glue dot to hold the roll in place. Then you will have no problem tying the ribbon around the paper for a finishing touch! Then adhere to your card with glue dots.  Easy peasy!

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    Elegant Congratulations Graduation Card Recipe
    Stamps:     Curly Cute
    Ink: Basic Black
    Paper: Whisper White cs, Basic Black cs
    Accessories: Big Shot, Stripes Embossing Folder, Glue dots, Basic Black 1/4” grosgrain ribbon, Basic Rhinestones

  • The Coolest Flower Stamp: The Triple Treat Flower

    Triple Treat FlowerSometimes when a stamp is slated to retire, it makes sense.  You can see that the set is looking outdated or there have been new stamps that look almost the same.  But then there are the stamps that I just don’t get…. this is one of them.

    I mean, check out how cool this flower is!!  I love that the Triple Treat Flower is pretty as a flower stamped as it.  But then the fact that you can punch out 3 different shapes from one stamp is just too neat! And if you read my newsletter, you saw that this is one of my favorite configurations for the punches that come out of this flower.  I just love the dimension and contrast you can make.

     

    This is another card I did a while back but I just love the colors and the way the flower just pops off the page!  But imagine if you used different designer paper and maybe some pinks and purples, or blues and yellows… you could have a great spring card too!

     

    Just to give you an idea of what another color combination could be, check out this box that I shared in my newsletter (if you are on my mailing list, check your inbox because there was a link for the photo tutorial to make this in there! – if not, sign up here and let me know and I’ll send you the link too.)

    So, do you agree?  Cool flower or what? 🙂

    The Retiring Accessory List is Up!

    Don’t forget that these items are while supplies last so check out the list and grab your favorites while they are still here.

    You can order online or shoot me an email to make sure you get yours!

    View the Retiring Accessory List Here
    View the Retiring Stamp List Here

     

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    Triple Treat Thinking of You Card Recipe:

    Stamps: Triple Treat Flower, Curly Cute
    Ink: Early Espresso Classic, More Mustard Classic, Pool Party Classic
    Paper: Spice Cake designer paper (retired), More Mustard Cardstock, Whisper White CS, Pool Party CS
    Accessories: Fancy Flower punch, 5-petal punch, 1/2” circle punch, Stampin’ Dimensionals, Sponge Daubers

  • Mixed Bunch Quick Thank You Card

    There is something about being a card maker that somehow has tweaked my brain to where I can never seem to let a package get mailed from my house without a card in it!  Even if I’m ready to walk out the door to the post office, I have to walk through my craft room to the garage and then the tugging to my craft table starts.  So, that is what today’s card is all about.

    I needed to get the Cards to Go kits in the mail and I wanted to include a card that was somewhat in theme with the cards this month.  So, I grabbed my scraps of the Flirtatious designer paper and my current favorite Mixed Bunch stamp set and Blossom punch and put this together.  I used the Rock and Roll technique to color my flower (using Daffodil Delight and Melon Mambo ink pads) and then finished it off with a Twitterpated button in the middle.

    I love this stamp set and really hope it gets carried over into the main catalog in June!

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  • Cheery Berry Blossom Thinking of You Card

    Earlier this week, I held a card class with my meetup group (if you are in the Seattle-area, I’d love to have you join us!).  I was using convention displays as inspiration for the four cards we were going to be making; but after designing the first 3, I decided that my 4th card was just going to be too much for the evening.  So, I did a quick change and pulled together this card that afternoon of the class.  Turns out, it ended up being one of my favorites of the night!

    One of the things I love about this card is that it is so simple, but with a few different elements (scallop ribbon, dotted brad, stampin’ dimensionals) you get so much texture and dimension.

    I was also using this card as a way to start getting over my fear of using my super cute brads and the new designer paper (the first cut is always the hardest! Smile)   And wouldn’t you know, it worked!  I can’t wait to use these accents some more.  Woo hoo!

     

    Don’t Forget!  This Berry Blossom designer paper is one of the many available as part of the buy 3 get 1 free promotion going on this month.  So, feel free to cut into and make lots of fun projects with you paper.  You can always get more at effectively 25% off!  See all of the patterns you can choose from online now.

     

     

    Berry Blossom Thinking of You Card recipe:
    Stamps:      Raining Flowers, Curly Cute
    Ink:  Wisteria Wonder, Chocolate Chip
    Paper:  Berry Blossom dsp, Whisper White cardstock, Crumb Cake cardstock
    Accessories:  Dotted Scallop Chocolate Chip ribbon, In Color Dotted brads, Stampin’ Dimensionals