In my opinion- Griping about the new Stampin' Up IDA

Stampin' Up came up with new policy that impinges on our freedom of speech on our personal blogs- they feel that as someone who is contracted to be a demonstrator for them that this is a forum for potential sale and that other products that compete with them would be problematic for them.

I personally feel that we are all crafters and the more we share information and increase desire for this wonderful hobby that we all profit from it.

Stampin Up for me has provided many years of support and wonderful images for stamps with the best quality products especially with their cardstock and coordinating and unique products that I can't find anywhere else so I have decided to stay with them for now but I am unhappy about it. I almost feel like I want to create a blog anonymously so that I can be free to say what I want about whichever product I want to feature here but I will abide by their rules for now.

So for now, unless they change their policies, I am no longer able give product details or places to buy or create link to other competing product companies so I apologize in advance to you all. Jewerly they say is not part of that - not that I would sell jewerly products here anyway - but I will still post specific company info on the Splitcoast website under my gallery: LyndaLee28- when I post things there: http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/gallery/showgallery.php?cat=500&ppuser=112152. Since I am not selling anything at my gallery, I hope this is not breaking any rules. I will try to give the name as much as possible- Michaels as M's or Mikes and asterisk part of the name so that I am not REALLY giving the name but hopefully you can still figure it out.

This is a little sample make and take we made from Stamp on *ver booth from Cranb*rry Hill when they were showing at the recent Rubber St*mp Convention in San Jose created by Irina one of the teachers there. I met up with my girlfriends Sachi and Margeryand we got to use the new Brad M*ker - see the cat brad on the right side top. The image is from her own line of stamps. Is it not adorable? We got to play with some of the C*pic markers and had a ball. The container is from Bo B*nny and it holds candy inside like the sweet treats from SU exept this is the whole packaging. Slipped a piece of double sided designer paper inside the package. tied a ribbon and attached a flower. The circle and black reverse circle scallop behind the main image from Sp*llbinders. She makes the most complicated layered things- just darling!

While there, I finally broke down and the got the air compressor to use the C*pic markers to create that soft background- I've been reading about it on some of the websites and eyeing it on line but they had a deal maker special at the show and I could not pass it up. I have been playing with it and I LOVE IT! A big investiment but I have been looking at one for over a year and for my Christmas card knew I needed to use something like it and could not fathom buying a can for the price they were selling to get only 6 minutes of pressurized air. Now I never have to buy another can of air!

So you get the idea of how I'll be doing this- I apologize to you all for this- I think this is somewhat short sighted on Stampin' Up part and there are a lot of demos who are dropping out over this which I think is truly sad- I think business has to allow competition to make everyone's business grow together. IMHO- (in my humble opinion).

Lynda

Sweet Treats with Sliding Door

I am having so much fun with the sweet centers set with the sweet treat cups! One thing I did have issues with were that I hated having to seal in the candy- 'cause if you know my boys, I know the cards are bound to be ripped and found crumpled in the corner of the bedroom someplace with the candy missing. And I can't have that!

So here is the little card with a trap door that lets you get at the candy without messing up the card.
Pretty easy once you get the hang of it. I had this as a make and take at my last party and it was somewhat of a hassel because I was using the circle cutter to cut out the center of the razzleberry cardstock due to the punch not reaching that deep in, trying to get the circle all centered.




















Then, it hit me, why we need the Magnetic Movers and Shapers to die cut that circle. The card you make will be long ways as it is shown later not like this one. This card was made using the circle cutter at 1 3/4" diameter. This is what it would look like behind the card on opening.



and when you pull the ribbon in the front, the sliding door opens letting the candy out. I did not want to make it obvious from the front that you should pull on it because some people pulled on the tab from the front, letting all the candy spill out- but it doesn't matter, it's just fun.




First thing you do is stamp the sweet centers stamp image- here I used the Halloween image, stamped it in pumpkin pad and then sponged the old olive ink from the pad directly ONTO THE STAMP before stamping on paper to get that double color image.

After stamping the image, I punched out the center with 1 1/4 inch punch and save that image for accent later.

I cut the white paper big so that I could trim it to size after stamping.

Then use 1 3/4 inche circle punch to punch out a bigger circle for the opening of the sweet treat cup.

Die cut Razzleberry CS with Holiday Windows Circle Die (in the new Holiday Mini) using Movers and Shapers Die and the Big Shot.

Again I cut the Dusty Durango cardstock a little big and then trimmed to size to given 1/8 inch all around after matching with above stamped image.

Use the 1 3/8 inch circle punch to punch a smaller circle from the rich razzleberry circle from the cardbase you just die cut.

You should have these pieces.

Use sticky tape to put tape around 3 sides of the dusty durango - open on top to slide in the door and place on the cardbase matching the circle.

Slide in the door opening with ribbon or some pull tab on top as shown. This will be your door.

Stamp an image in the opening so there is something to see even if someone eats the candy.

Flip the card over with the sliding door still inside so that there is something interesting from the inside as well.

Peel the sticky off the sweet centers cups and slide on the stamped image on top. Use the cup to place the top onto the dusty durango CS as shown below.

By placing the cup and the stamped image together, I found the placement to be most accurate. When I placed the cup first, eyeballing it, and then slid the image on top, it was often "off center" for some reason.

Stamp some sentiment on the bottom using versamark. The eek on the side was made using the leftover circles from the center of the stamped image and the razzlebery base card hole. Mount using a dimensional to make it more interesting.

Here is the card inside and outside with sliding door open

Here is close up front without the candy

Here is same cards with sliding door closed with and without candy.

Sound complicated but not really. Make a couple and you will see.

Hope you have a nice weekend wherever you may be.

Happy Friday!

Lynda

Halloween Treats with Rub-Ons

I got a pack of these Spooky Treats Rub-Ons and I really like it that the images are all similar in size and could be used to make multiple treats

using one type of treat. It's perfect for school and with 18 main images in black and white, you can make 36 treats and then some with the words and the birds. Here are two versions- above one is mine using the matchbox die from Stampin' Up- I LOVE LOVE LOVE this die and have used it for valentine, wedding favors, shower gifts, and now for Halloween!

The one below I got from my upline Tammi for meeting my goal last month. It uses small flat cellophane bags.

For my matchbox treat, I die cut the Cast-a-Spell paper for the wrap and old olive for the drawer. Tie a black grosgrain ribbon around it. Cut another old olive CS, ticket corner punch the edges. Cut out an image and rub it on. Mount with dimensionals. FYI- for the rub-on newbies- if you have loose pieces of rub-ons- keep the backing stapled to the image (around the side, not on the image!) so that it will not rub off in the packing or with whatever else the rub-on may come in contact- ask me how I know this!

Lynda

Poppin' Pastel with Autumn Splendor

I like to showcase different techniques in my workshops and lot of my friends tell me that they never send out their cards so that they can remember how the card is done. So, I decided to have people make a technique card showing how something is done when they make the card that

they can look back on - a reference card.

This is the card we made showcasing the Poppin' Pastel technique. With the new Autumn Splendor stampset, it is just gorgeous.

For those of you new to this, stamp the image in versamark pad randomly all over the very vanilla CS. It may be hard to see but in certain reflective light you can see it. Take a dauber or sponge and pick up some color of Stampin' Pastel and pounce onto the image and the colors will just pop. I like to use variety of colors- here I used sage shadow, old olive, really rust, more mustard, chocolate chip. mounted it on sage shadow CS. I wrapped chocolate chip 1" double stitched grosgrain around and mounted the whole thing in chocolate chip.

I stamped the acornn in chocolate chip and used blender pen to color it in a bit. The poppin' pastel image was too soft for a good central image. Now mind you this was a card I was making up for the class that started at 6pm and it was already 4:30 and it just did not look RIGHT- you all know what I mean- something just is lacking and you just can't put your finger on it. I initially used the sage shadow scallop square but it looked too muted. I tried the chocolate chip and it somehow seemed to get lost on the ribbon. So since I already had both punched out I layered them but wanted the sage to show on both sides so I cut the scallop square diagonally and just split it up a tad and glued it behind the chocolate chip piece to create that layered look and I thought it looked somehow -better. Desperation IS the mother of invention!

It's a fun technique and I seem to dust the pastels off every year or so when the right image comes along and it is always a workshop wow.

Try it out!

Lynda

Thankful pumpkin

I can feel the nip of the fall in the cool mornings now and it feels more autumn.

I loved this stampset as soon as saw it and knew I wanted to use the Santa Image from this set for my Christmas card. It comes in a set of 3 in the new Holiday Mini and the valentine one is adorable if you see the sample with an adorable mailbox SU shows above in the mini catalogue as well.

At my last workshop someone asked me to do a punch card using some of the samples I have in my punch sample book. They particularly liked the pumpkin and I thought it appropriate for autumn card and this image.

The pumpkin is 5 large ovals punched out and sponged around the edges. The stem is word window cut diagonally. Ink the stamp using old olive pad then use versamark to remove ink from the leaves you want different colors then use the markers to color it in. It is easier and much cleaner image than if you color the whole thing with markers. Huff then stamp onto very vanilla CS. The green paper is from Cast-a- Spell. The skull image on the other side just is not ME and I like the subtlety of this side. The sentiment is retired SU. Mount the vanilla onto chocolate chip then pumpkin base CS.

Happy Fall y'all!
Lynda

Labor Day Weekend in Capitola

Every Labor Day for the last several years we've been trekking over to Capitola for their annual Begonia Festival. It is a weekend with family and friends and there is so much for the kids to do.

The kids will stay in the water from sunup to sundown if we would let them. Sandcastle building and truck racing to chasing the waves keeps them busy from breakfast to dinner with lunch to be had only on the beach, lest they lose a minute of the sun.


We've been meeting up with another family with 2 boys Scotty and Sammy and it's kind of funny that it's now 5 boys in tow and it doesn't seem any harder than 3. It's a little easier that they entertain and play with each other.

This is the annual Nautical parade with the float building and this is the winner with the Capitola Takes Flight theme- it had the airplane going up and down with snoopy at the wheel.

Another float of a pirate whip had its mast so high that it almost did not make it under the bridge from the other side to qualify to win even.

This one had wheels that turned and there was a "when pigs fly" float that crashed into another float and the whole thing flipped over-it was quite a site to see grown women and men try to turn it back.

This barge had some gorgeous women dressed in costumes from Thailand. there was a pelican with its mouth full of fish that the kids found later and got inside to take pictures- only to find out that one of the neighbors of the builder was my patient- How funny we ran into each other all these miles away in someone else's backyard at that very time.

This is me and my handsome hubby enjoying the spectacle.

They also had a sandcastle building contest and this was one of my favorites- again, when pigs fly- with the builders pictured on top.

and the rear view of the "swine Flew" heh heh heh.

One of the things they had for the kids was painting the boardwalk with the chalks. The other kids were there just goofing around or having but Tyler got down to business of doing some serious work and if you look at the very top picture of this post you will see the pier he was drawing. It is hard to see it clearly at this angle but he did a great job.

My little buddying artist...growing up so fast... sigh.

Texture,texture, texture!

There are so many ways to add texture to your cards and I LOVE the stampin Up and Sizzix texture plates,and embossing folders and my whole colllection of Cuttlebug stuff is a dream for any cardmaker. This note for you (retired SU set ) card was a swap from last year's Stampin' Up convention but I did not use it as it seemed to lack a little something. But when I layered it with the notes folder embossed pink pirouette paper (sorry, also retired!) it really looks more together.

This is the Party Hearty set done two different ways in chocolate with chocolate taffeta ribbon for that masculine feel with the numbers embossing folder from CB - I love using this one for any birthday card- it always adds a little je ne sais quoi!

This is more girly with another SU retired Designer Series paper that I adore and has been hoarding.... The polka dots add just that extra texture that makes the card feel more expensive. there is glitter on the center of the b although it is hard to see.

This is one of the new CB embossing folders the stars that reinforces the theme of the stars on the card and it just finishes the card off. They have a few others out new that I just had to add to my collection.

If I can anyone from these companies to listen, I would love a woodgrain texture impressions embossing folder. Wouldn't it be adorable to emboss it in chocolate and have things hanging from it or have an owl peeking through it? Or brick wall or maybe even brick fence texture impressions embossing folder with climging flowers and veins on it or someone sitting on the fence?

A girl can only dream.....

Lynda