Masculine Birthday Card

Howdy, Stampers! Sorry it's been so long since my last post! I've been so busy with Stamp Camps and swaps and workshops that I just lost track of the days.

Today I'm posting instructions for one of the swap cards I made for my Front Range Stampers meeting last night. The two swap themes were Masculine Birthday Card and anything from the 2010 Summer Mini. For the Summer Mini swap, I used the Best Wishes square card and envelope (posted May 10 and 11) and changed it to a Thank You note. So I'm sharing with you today the Masculine Birthday Card. Hope you enjoy it!

Supplies:

Stamp Set: Teeny Tiny Wishes (115370, set of 24, $36.95)
Card Stock: Basic Gray (8 1/2" x 5 1/2", 5" x 4" for die cut, scraps for punches); Sahara Sand (5 1/4" x 4" x 2 pieces, scrap for punch); Brushed Gold (scraps for punches)
Ink: Basic Gray Classic Stampin' Pad; Gold Encore Pad
Adhesives: SNAIL; Stampin' Dimensionals
Punches: Large Star; Star; Large Oval; Modern Label; Word Window
Other Accessories: Big Shot; Top Notes Die; Square Lattice Embossing Folder*; Linen Thread; Clear Rhinestone Brad; Smooch Spritz in Vanilla Shimmer and Gold Glow*

* from 2010 Summer Mini Catalog

Instructions:

1. Score Basic Gray 8 1/2" x 5 1/2" card stock in half at 4 1/4" and fold away from score line to create card. Adhere one piece of Sahara Sand card stock to inside for message.

2. Insert second piece of Sahara Sand card stock into Embossing Folder and roll through Big Shot; adhere to front of card with SNAIL Adhesive.

3. Roll 5" x 4" Basic Gray card stock through Big Shot with Top Notes Die; spray with both Vanilla Shimmer and Gold Glow Smooch Spritz and allow to dry. When dry, wrap Linen Thread around Top Notes shape 3 times and tie in a knot (around all three strands) on front of card. Use SNAIL Adhesive to adhere to front of card over Sahara Sand card stock.

4. Punch two Stars and one Large Star from Brushed Gold card stock; punch one Large Star from Basic Gray card stock. Distress edges of Basic Gray Large Star with Gold Encore pad. Layer Brushed Gold Large Star over Basic Gray Large Star (offset slightly so both stars are showing), and attach Clear Rhinestone Brad through both thicknesses. Adhere to front of card over Linen Thread with a Stampin' Dimensional. Use Mini Glue Dots to adhere the two smaller Brushed Gold Stars to the Card as shown.

5. Punch Large Oval from Brushed Gold card stock; punch Modern Label from Basic Gray card stock. Stamp greeting on Sahara Sand card stock and punch with Word Window. Adhere greeting to Modern Label with SNAIL Adhesive. Distress edges of Modern Label with Gold Encore Pad (it's good if some of the ink gets on the Sahara Sand greeting). Use SNAIL Adhesive to adhere Modern Label to Large Oval, and adhere Large Oval to front of card.

That's it! You're finished! Enjoy!

Until next time . . . keep stampin!

Cathy ;D

Note: In case you were wondering . . . that lighter portion at the bottom of the card is actually a reflection from the flash off the top of the file cabinet where I took the photo -- not part of the design (tee hee).

Congratulations, Grad!!!!

I've been making several of these money holder cards for my co-workers this past week. The design is Jayne Fuller's from the May 1 Stamp Camp North.

Materials:

Stamp Sets (both from Summer 2010 Mini Catalog):
Go, Graduate (118519-w $19.95, 120054-c $14.95; set of 8)
Happy Grad (inside) (117006-w $8.95; set of 1)

Ink:
Basic Gray
Black StazOn
Stampin' Write Markers - Soft Subtles

Card stock:
Basic Gray (9" x 6-5/8")
Basic Black (5" x 3"; 4-1/4" x 3/4")
Shimmery White (4-1/4" x 2-3/4"; 6-3/8" x 3 for inside; scraps for sentiment and caps)

Accessories:
Basic Gray Taffeta Ribbon (about 10")
Stampin' Pastels (black)
Blender Pen
Large Oval Punch
SNAIL Adhesive
Stampin' Dimensionals
Sticky Strip

Instructions:
1. Score 9" x 6-5/8" Basic Gray card stock at 3-1/4" and 6-1/2"; fold away from scorelines. Position the oval punch over the edge of the shortest flap to create the cutout in the money pocket; fold up pocket and adhere with Sticky Strip.
2. Using Black StazOn ink, stamp gowns & feet image near bottom of 4-1/4" x 2-3/4" Shimmery White card stock; stamp several caps across top edge above feet; stamp the same number of caps and the Congratulations, Graduate! sentiment on a scrap piece of Shimmery White card stock; and stamp several more caps on the 6-3/8" x 3" Shimmery White card stock (for inside of card). Also stamp Happy Graduation image on inside of card.
3. Use Blender Pen with black chalk to color in all caps and gowns; use Soft Subtles Stampin' Write Markers to color in legs and shoes. Adhere 6-3/8" x 3" card stock to inside of card above pocket.
4. Using SNAIL Adhesive, adhere 4-1/4" x 2-3/4" Shimmery White card stock near right edge of 5" x 3" Basic Black card stock; adhere 4-1/4" x 3/4" Basic Black over Shimmery White card stock between caps and gowns. Wrap ribbon around Basic Black card stock near left edge and tie a knot in the front. Adhere entire piece to center front of card.
5. Cut out Congratulations, Graduate! and adhere to front of card over black strip; cut out extra caps and adhere over stamped caps with Stampin' Dimensionals (one piece cut in half is the perfect size).

Now put money in the pocket and send your card to YOUR happy grad!!!!

Thanks again to Jayne for a great design!!!!

Cath ;D

Best Wishes Envelope

Here is the cute little envelope we made to go with the Best Wishes 4-1/4" x 4-1/4" card. Since the post office charges additional handling fees for square cards, using the regular size (A2) envelopes saves postage too!

To make this envelope, all you need to do is cut a piece of card stock 1-1/4" wide and 4-1/4" long. (This is the difference between the size of a "regular" card -- 5-1/2" -- and the 4-1/4" square card.) For this envelope we punched the Flower Trio punch along the side to give it a little personality . . . then used a Two-Way Glue Pen to apply adhesive along the edges of both sides of the card stock (avoid applying glue to the area exposed under the envelope flap), and tucked the card stock right up against the edge on the inside of the envelope. The glue will hold it in place and will create a perfect pocket for your 4-1/4" x 4-1/4" card to fit without sliding around in the envelope.

For this sample, I also used the White Gel Pen to make a little circle in the center of each cutout flower, and the Sage Shadow Stampin' Write Marker to add a little dot in the middle of the circle to match the colors of the card.

Fun stuff, huh?! I learned this neat trick from another Stampin' Up! Demonstrator, Marie Glath, at one of my recent Stamp Camps.

Take care!

Cath ;D

Birthday Wishes Card

This is the final project from the May 8 workshops, again using a cool new stamp from the 2010 Summer Mini Catalog. Since this is a 4-1/4" x 4-1/4" card, it doesn't fit well in the standard A2 envelope, so we made a cool envelope to go with it. I'll post a photo and the instructions to make the envelope later this evening or tomorrow.

Materials:
Stamp Set: Watercolor Trio (117050-w $22.95; 120084-c $16.95; set of 7)
Card Stock: Sage Shadow** (8-1/2” x 4-1/4”); Barely Banana** (3-1/4” x 3-1/4”); Whisper White (3” x 3”; 4” x 4” for inside); Whisper White Textured (1-15/16” x 1-15/16” - 4 pieces)
Ink: Almost Amethyst**, Barely Banana**, Lovely Lilac**, and Sage Shadow** Classic Stampin’ Pads
Accessories: Mini Brads (Soft Subtles); Stampin’ Sponge; Paper Piercing Tool; Mat Pack; SNAIL Adhesive; Stampin’ Dimensionals

** Indicates colors that will be retired as of June 30, 2010. For a complete list of retiring colors, click on the chart to the left.

Instructions:

1. Score 8-1/2” x 4-1/4” Sage Shadow card stock in half (at 4-1/4”) and fold back away from score line to create card. Adhere 4” x 4” Whisper White card stock to inside of card.

2. Use Stampin’ Sponge to apply color to all four pieces of textured card stock and lightly distress the edges. Adhere to front of card.

3. Use Barely Banana ink to stamp two or three leaves image randomly on 3” x 3” Whisper White card stock; use Sage Shadow ink to stamp one more of the same image; use Almost Amethyst ink to stamp flower image; use Lovely Lilac to stamp sentiment and last flower/leaves image (stamp image once on scrap paper before stamping last image on card stock).

4. Use Ticket Corner Punch to trime corners of Whisper White card stock; adhere to Barely Banana card stock with SNAIL Adhesive.

5. Use Paper Piercing Tool and foam pad from Mat Pack to punch holes in each corner of Barely Banana card stock. Insert Brads and open out and flatten prongs on back of card stock. Adhere to front of card with Stampin’ Dimensionals.

I got the idea for this card from Silke Ledlow. To see the original design, visit Silke’s blog.

Enjoy!

Cath ;D

Embossed Vellum Card

This beautiful card was one of the projects at my May 8 workshops. The stamp set is from the new Summer mini catalog, and several of these cards have already been used by my co-workers for wedding cards, sympathy cards and Mother's Day cards! So you can see that the sentiment is very versatile!

Materials:

Stamp Set: Elements of Style* (118611-w $27.95; 120045-c $19.95; set of 5)
Cardstock: Mellow Moss** (8-1/2” x 5-1/2”; 4-1/8” x 3-1/2”); Blush Blossom** (4-1/4” x 3-5/8”); Whisper White 5-1/4” x 4” for inside); Vellum (4” x 3-3/8”)
Ink: Mellow Moss** & Basic Gray Classic Stampin’ Pads
Accessories: Stylus; Mat Pack (Foam Pad); Watercolor Pencils; Organza Ribbon; Large Oval & Scallop Oval Punches; Vintage Mini Brads; Mini Glue Dots; SNAIL Adhesive; Stampin’ Dimensionals
Miscellaneous: Waxed Paper

** Indicates colors that will be retired as of June 30. For complete list, see the list to the left.

Instructions:

1. Use Basic Gray ink to stamp flowers on Vellum card stock; set aside to dry (note: Vellum card stock is very smooth and non-porous, so it takes a little longer for the ink to dry than on regular card stock). Once ink is dry, turn over with right side facing down. Scrunch up a piece of Waxed Paper and rub it over the card stock to make the Stylus move more smoothly. With right side still facing down, place card stock on Foam Pad. Use large end of Stylus to “color in” the open areas on the flowers and leaves creating an embossed effect. Use Watercolor Pencils to lightly color in flowers and leaves over the embossing.

2. Score 8-1/2” x 5-1/2” Mellow Moss card stock at center (4-1/4”) and fold away from score line to create card. To give it more time to dry, start with the Vellum card stock and lightly scrape all edges (front side) of all pieces of card stock across Mellow Moss Stampin’ Pad to lightly distress edges. For card front, distress folded edge as well as the other three edges. Allow to dry before moving on to next step.

3. Layer Blush Blossom, Mellow Moss, and Vellum card stock on top of Foam Pad and use Paper Piercing Tool to poke holes near each of the four corners through all three thicknesses. Insert Brads, open and flatten prongs against back of card stock. Apply a Mini Glue Dot to the back of each Brad and adhere to front of card.

4. Punch Scallop Oval from Blush Blossom. Stamp sentiment on scrap of Whisper White card stock, cut out with Large Oval Punch. If you like, use a Stampin’ Sponge to apply a small amount of Mellow Moss ink to outer edges of both Oval shapes. Adhere Large Oval to Scallop Oval with SNAIL Adhesive. Cut about 1-1/2” piece of ribbon diagonally, apply small amount of SNAIL Adhesive to center of ribbon and fold in half; adhere folded ribbon to back of Scallop Oval with SNAIL Adhesive. Adhere Scallop Oval to front of card with Stampin’ Dimensionals.

Hope you enjoy this card! I learned the Vellum embossing and coloring techniques from Barbara Anderson at my March 27 Front Range Stampers meeting.

Cath ;D

Coffee Cup Cozy

This was one of the workshop projects this past Saturday (May 8, 2010). I think it's one of the most fun projects I've done in a long time! We used low temp hot glue guns to assemble these fun coffee cup cozies, but my own cup was stitched with craft floss . . . because (1) I had no hot glue gun with me when I made it; and (2) I LOVE to stitch on felt 'cause the needle slides through the felt so smoothly and easily!!!

Anyway, the instructions are easy peasy! All you need is some scrap felt, a Big Shot and the Baskets & Blooms Bigz XL Die and some adhesive or a needle and thread. If you don't want to use hot glue guns, because, for example, you're making these with kids, or if you have more time for the project to dry, you also could use FabriTac or some other fabric glue.

The first thing you do is cut three of the basket pieces out of felt (I run my felt through the Big Shot with a piece of scrap paper on each side to make a nice clean cut through the fabric). You then layer the three pieces with edges overlapping -- the longer side of the basket piece will come just to the outer edge of the handle. Glue or sew the pieces together, and then cut off a strip along the top edge (about 3/4" wide) to remove all of the handles, leaving a long slightly curved piece of felt.

At this point, you can decorate the strip with flowers and other shapes cut from the Baskets & Blooms and whatever other dies you may have (butterflies were popular in my workshop). (Note that the Sizzlit and Embosslits will not cut through felt, so you'll need to use the shapes from the Originals and Bigz Dies.)

Once you have the strip decorated to your liking, wrap it tightly around a to-go coffee cup and glue or pin and then sew the overlapping piece. You can then add more embellishments, if you like, to cover the last seam.

Now it's time to sit back and enjoy a cuppa!!!!

This project was inspired by Barbara Mullikin. You can see her photos of the assembly process at Barbara's blog.

Cath ;D

May 8 Workshop Projects

Did you know you can make a coffee cozy with the Big Shot and the Stampin' Up! Baskets & Blooms Die?! That's one of our projects for Saturday's workshops. Along with two sweet spring cards featuring sets from the new Summer mini catalog.

Complete instructions will be posted following the workshops, but here's a sneak peek at what we'll be making. Contact me for additional information.

Cath ;D











Credits: Coffee Cozy idea from Barb Mullikin; Birthday Wishes card from Silke Ledlow

Last Chance Lists Posting June 1

As the debut of the 2010-2011 Idea Book & Catalog approaches, it's almost time to bid farewell to our retiring stamp sets and Definitely Decorative products, as well as accessories that are being discontinued.

Stampin' Up! will be posting the list of retiring items on the Demonstrator Web Site on June 1. As soon as it's available (and I'm awake to do it) I'll post the information here on my blog. As soon as the information is posted, I'll be starting my annual 10% off all retiring items. NOTE that to receive this discount, orders will need to be placed directly through me -- this discount will not be available for online orders.

In the meantime, the sale continues on all retiring colors (cardstock, stampin' pads, refill inks) (see chart to the left) -- 10% off all retiring colors + buy 5 get the 6th one free.

Cath ;D

New Summer Mini Is Out!!!!

Great stuff in the new Stampin' Up! Summer Mini Catalog!!!! And now through August 31, 2010, you can order all these great new stampin' supplies! Click here to view the mini catalog.

I can't wait to share these new items with you in my upcoming workshops! In the meantime, check back for updates and new projects.

Cath ;D

P.S. Many of the items from the 2010 Occasions Mini Catalog have been carried over, and although they don't appear in any current catalog, they're still available as write-in items. Click here for a current list of carryover items.