SCS challenge WT328 and CC328

This is such a straight forward card - I saw the color challenge for navy, cherry and crumbcake and I am going mad for it- and the no white cardstock challenge was no problem.

The punch out with ribbon tied around it is from a card I got from my upline Tami and also inspired from a card made by Mercedes Weber. I heard that Picasso once said "mediocre artist copy, the great ones steal!" I welcome you all to CASE away! as I often do from so many talented people. Just please try to give credit to people you are casing- that's only fair. The base card is navy (although my picture color is a bit goofy), with layer of cherry on top- then a layer of crumbcake, stamped Upsy Daisy in cherry and punched out the corner with decroative label punch. then tied the 1/8 inch taffeta ribbon in navy (retiring but 25% off now so get it while you can before it runs out!) then stamped the sentiment from Perfect Punches - punched out with the corrdinating extra large oval- stuck on with dimensional- seriously folks, forget take ten, this is really take five! The thing that took the longest was tying on that frigging ribbon!

Lynda

Welcome Baby Pack

One of my DH's friends just had a baby girl and I wanted to make her a card. While I was a M*chaels they had Jolee's stickers with these goofy duck chicks that were just so cute. I was eyeing it for this purpose and this week they were on sale for 40% off so I had to get it. It came in a pack of 9 so here was an opportunity to make a whole set of them.

The base card is saffron with Welcome Baby in soft suede from Something to Celebrate from the Occasions Mini (retired). The white cardstock is diecut using the scallop rectangle clearlit (one of my favorites!) layered with pink pirouette. Little pearls in the corners add that something sweet and special. Added a piece of blushing bride 1/2" stitched poly ribbon then put the rectangle up with dimensionals to raise it up a bit. The little duck is self adhesive so nothing else doing. I figured if you had twins you could have the 2 ducks face each other (they come looking in both directions).

My sister has been clamoring for me to make her some baby cards but did not know if she needed girls or boy ones so I stamped the card with the sentiment and made some scalloped accents in pink and blue with the dimensionals on it without them peeled ( so she can peel it stick it on herself ) and the coordinating ribbon stuck on the back as well as some of the ducks on the acetate sheet it came on.

I figured it would be really quick cards she would only have to pick the color accent, stick the ducks on, peel the dimensionals and stick it above the sentiment and she would be ready to go. I did make a girl sample just in case so she would know what to do with it all. I put the whole thing in the clear mount stamp cases and she will be good to go.

If you want the stamp cases order them now as the prices go up in the next catalogue.

Welcome summer!

Lynda

Flower Garden embossed - a little more complicated

I had this little card in my mind but making it was a little more difficult. The idea was to put a piece of cardstock with the embossing folder going all around it except it did not fit through the big shot at the angles I needed to use it. I have never considered buying the Pro version for the REALLY big dies but I could see how it could be used for exactly this purpose since the width is wide enough to allow for all sorts of contortions I was trying to do but until SOME day when I will have the space enough to have one of those at home, I embossed one image on the white CS and embossed 3 other pieces of white cardstock that I ran through the embossing folder and colored using the aqua painter and the stamppad lids from saffron, eggplant and wasabi and then - yikes- yes cut them out - and used the multimono glue to glue it down. Hard to tell it was cut and I love the effect but it was a bit of work. It still looked pretty I thought. After stamping the sentiment in Eggplant, I layered the cardstock on eggplant then onto so saffron basecard.

Easy Peasy One layer embossed Flower Garden

This was a easy technique card I had at my last workshop using the Flower Garden embossing folder. The one on the left top is embossed with the Stampin Up logo on the bottom and the one on the right is with the logo on the top.

The one on the left is watercolored using the lids of so saffron, wild wasabi and elegant eggplant stamppads and aqua painter. The sentiment was stamped using the elegant eggplant. The one directly to the left here was colored using daubers and wht same ink pad colors. The one on the right side top with also colored with daubers using bridal bliss, pretty pink and wasabi pads. I think I did all 3 cards in less than 10 minutes. The sentiment is an oldie but a goodie- Sincere Salutations- which will be available through next year in the new Stampin' Up catalogue. Love it!

I have a really cool card using the same techniques as above tomorrow so come back and check it out!

Lynda

Gift Cards Set for a school Teacher

This is a card set mad using stamps from Penny Bl*ack.

These was designed by Diedre at Cranberry H*ill in Sunnyvale using twinkling H20's in red and green but I thought the colors were a bit harsh so I brought it home and changed it up a bit.

The base cards are all white and the same DSP onthe box is used to accent the image- one 12x12 to make a set of 4 cards and the box- not bad idea.

I colored them using copics and the background on the accent piece in blue- I think the extra blue makes the image really pop,

I did not like the fourth image so just stamped the rose image twice and colored it in.

This is the box that we made with the DSP on the top and the reverse polka dot image on the sides. It is really easy to make with a scorer. It's about 1 1/2 inches deep and it fit more than these 4 cards so I added extra cards with envelopes I hoped she could use and wrapped the whole thing with crumbcake seam binding ribbon. I hoped she would like it.

Lynda

A radically different way to Clingmount SU stamps

There is nothing that frustrates me more than trying to stamp something and have that stamp fall off from the acrylic block because the clingmount was not holding and ruin my image. As much as I LOVE Stampin' Up stamps the plastic image you put on the back often just does not STICK! Arggggh! I wanted it to stick but I also like to see the image especially words - I have stamped things upside down before. So here is my radical approach. It's a bit scary but it does work - at least for the new stamps. The rubber on a new stamp often

do pull aprt from the cling foam as shown in the first image. ( Be gentle and do not ruin the foam- if it does not pull away, I would not try this technique ). I put the foam down on my craft sheet (that does not stick to anything ) with the sticky side down.

Now peel off the paper off the cling side.

I normally would use my Tsukineko tack n' peel but did not have one big enough so used double stick tape on my a large clear block that fit the rubber- and it works just fine.

I stuck the bare rubber stamp onto the tape.

I inked the rubber well with Stazon black - it dries quick and is permanent.

Then I stamped the cling side of the foam putting the rubber exactly over the foam shape - the clear acrylic helps you see!

See? a perfect image.

I clean the stamp with stamp cleaner as soon as possible to get rid of the stazon so it is not permanently black.

then I peel the foam off my craft sheet carefully and place it over the back of the rubber.

A perfect stamp with no plastic to impede the stickiness of the clingfoam. You can trim it now to your heart's content.

Now, if I can have Stampin Up do this instead of me, it would be just perfect!

Lynda

Direct to Paper

This week's tutorial on SCS was Direct to Paper- Gosh I had not played with this is such a LONG time, it was really fun and so easy. It would have been fun to have the stampin' spots - the little cube stamp pads - but alas I did not have any so I used the big pads. Before I did anything though I embossed the sentiment on the right with clear- you could have used white- and then ran down the colors on a white piece of cardstock- I just picked a color group and went down the list- daffodil, pumpkin, tangerine, regal rose, melon mambo, real read and rich razzleberry. No thinking is even required.

After it was all done, I thought a dark silhouette image would look good and since I am on the Fabulous Floret bend, used it AGAIN! The words are from the WordPlay set. Have fun with it- it's like going back to kindergarten!

Lynda

A simple Fabulous Floret

I am told that the older you get the faster time goes by and somehow a whole month just zipped past with doing this and that without me posting once. I feel like I am going way past the speed limit and no one is pulling me over. I've got to slow down and get back into my stamping groove. The new catalogue is coming out and I feel inspired to clean up my space- that always makes me feel better-

This is the Fabulous Floret set from the summer mini- the minute I saw it, it called to me- " buy me, buy me, it said, I am oh so pretty and I've even got a matching DSP...."- Oh why oh why do they keep coming out with new things I want?

Anyhow, this is a very clean and simple version using one of my favorite sentiments from the retiring hostess set Occasional Quotes. Basecard is whisper white with the leaves stamped in wild wasabi. Sentiment is stamped in black and the flowers punched out using the MS flower and center from my favorite $1 punch from M*chaels in red and white. Simple as can be- literally a 5 minute card- maybe not even.

Happy almost summer!

Lynda

Lego man thanks

I told you I could not find a Lego stamp anywhere so I carved one- yes- from an eraser- remember potato carving, eraser carving? Before rubber stamps were so popular when I could not find an image I used to carve it- pencil erasers in shape of little stars, hearts, flowers. Thank goodness for artist so I don't have to do this. I saw an image kind of like this on line that someone was selling but could not find it when I went to buy it so what was I to do? Bring out my old linoleum carving tools. Yep, I kept them. That's why my room is bursting at the seams. This is the final product but I wanted to show you the process.

This was an earlier version because I always try to do one layer but it doesn't always work out. I made the border using a Sizzix embossing folder- I think it is one of Tim Holtz' -that I thought looked Lego-ish and selective embossing technique using a template I made with 2 pieces of chipboard with the window in the center that I cut out to fit the picture I wanted. Sentiment is one from a set from a $1 stamps from M*chaels.

I drew the figure in pencil onto the eraser and then rough cut it- this is what it looked like initially.

Then I cleaned up the parts that still stamped that I did not want. Getting better.

I tried some color combos - Tyler told me to use these colors- very 'Lego'

Each minifigure comes with a wrapper and a folded peice of paper inside with all the lego figures in the series printed on it. I was able to cut out the Lego symbol and paste it over the body to make it more "official".

I want to make a Lego block stamp but that is a bit harder-making perfect circles- I will try this weekend maybe.

This is what happens when you have 3 boys in tow......I wouldn't trade it for anything!

Lynda

Tyler's 10th birthday party favors

I love my kids when they tell me 9PM the night before school that they need special treats for the class because it's their birthday- I had made up the birthday party favors and was planning for the party this weekend and had not thought to do something for the class- so this is what we made. Ran to the store - thank God they are open 24 hours now- made 36 chocolate cupcakes with vanilla frosting- all homemade mind you- given all these allergies in school, you have to know exactly what you are sending off. Sprinkles and a toothpick with Airplane from PTI Valentine treats and Tyler Rocks- that's what he wanted it to say- from Simple Alphabet also from PTI stamped on copy paper and adhered to the toothpick using sticky tape. I kept the back side of the tape unpeeled so it would not be sticky and it worked great, colored in green and orange like he wanted and cute little treats made in 3 hours.

He wanted to give out lego minifigures for his birthday treats so we got Lego- I mean building block- candy- some little doodad toys, erasers and we made these bags using SU Fancy Favor Die- I swear I use this everytime- it is just a perfect size for party favors. stamped his name- premade somewhere- sentiment also from simple alphabet from PTI. I wanted a Lego stamp but could not find one ANYWHERE so I used Calvin and Hobbs dancing on the back from Stamp Happy that I got eons ago. It is just so Tyler.