May 15 2013

Retiring List Rewind: Tiny Tags and Fabric Flowers

Twitterpated fabrics with the Tiny Tags stamp set

Have you been using the Stampin’ Up! Fabrics with your Big Shot? This Twitterpated Designer Series Fabric (retiring & discounted!! see it online) was cut with the Fun Flowers Die (see it online) for the Big Shot (see it online).

Then I added a tag with the soon-to-retire Tiny Tags stamp set (see it online).  It’s the perfect set to match the Jewelry Tag Punch piece (see it online), which is also retiring!

For full details on these flower brooches, check my original blog post.

Have you been watching my Retiring List Rewind? Be sure to check all the project inspiration for stamps and accessories that are about to retire!

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Apr 30 2013

Retiring List Rewind: Every Little Bit & Petal Card Punch

Every Little Bit stamp set & petal card punch - Both retiring soon!

It’s the LovenStamps Retiring Stamp Rewind – with the Every Little Bit stamp set (see it online, or more ideas).  This has been one of my favorite ‘standby’ stamp sets!

The Petal Card Punch (see it online – 119273) is also retiring – get the directions for these little candy treats.

For more details on this project – including the supply list, see my original post.

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Apr 26 2013

Retiring List Rewind: French Foliage & Guy Cards

French Foliage - part of the LovenStamps Retiring List Rewind (don't miss it)

Have you been watching my LovenStamps Retiring List Rewind posts?  Here’s another of my favorite stamp sets that will be going away: French Foliage (121166 – see it online).

This is a great set for masculine cards — cards for guys.  Here are more guy card ideas on my blog.

Also retiring? The Scallop Square Die! (see it online - 115950) I LOVE it for card bases, and to create the card itself (here are some project ideas).

Shopping Spree Drawing with your retiring accessories & stamps orderDon’t forget that when you order online with me right now, you also have the chance to win one of my $30 shopping sprees.

Happy Stamping!

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Apr 22 2013

Announcing: New Stamps in the Mail Club – A Round Array

Stamps in the Mail Club: New Round open for enrollment now - join the fun!

It’s that time again! Yup, time to sign up for a new Round of my Stamps in the Mail Club! This Round (#27!) we’ll be featuring the new A ROUND ARRAY stamp set from the Sneak Peek of the upcoming new Catalog. Stamps in the Mail Club is the perfect chance to add this set to your collection, AND receive ideas for using it!

Plus during the May/June/July Round, you’ll receive your FREE copy of the NEW CATALOG with your June Kit.  I saw a Demonstrator Sneak Peek of the whole catalog this weekend, and I know you’re going to love it, too!

So… What is Stamps in the Mail Club?

Delivered right to your doorstep–it’s the stamps, inks and accessories you need to complete these projects. Plus printed directions, exclusive Video Tutorials and pre-cut, pre-embossed card stock, ready-to-stamp! It’s my Stamps in the Mail Club, and you can sign up today! Above  are the 4 projects you’ll make with your supplies and your Month 1 Club Kit.

Dress Up Framelits gift boxLook at what the Stamps in the Mail Club can do for you!

  • Build your stamping supplies: kit includes $30-35 value in Stampin’ Up! product each month for 3 months in a row, and you get to keep all the coordinating stamps, inks, accessories and embellishments to use in other stamping projects
  • Easy to follow: Pre-printed directions for all 4 projects in a color handout with photos and step-by-step instructions will be sent with the kit each month and necessary supplies are listed at the top of each project so you know exactly what to have at your fingertips.
  • Flexible Kit Contents: build on what you own! Select alternate Stampin’ Up! product each month if you already own a Stampin’ Pad color or accessory item
  • No sorting or struggling: materials to create each project arrive pre-packaged separately for each project
  • Stampin’ Up! exclusive materials: the best products on the market including heavy-weight Designer Paper and cardstock, timeless images, and perfectly coordinated color scheme
  • Learn more each month: the 3-month subscription teaches you how to use what you’ve purchased and presents inspiring ideas on how to make the most of your investment in supplies

Here’s a review from a past Stamps in the Mail Club subscriber:

From Jill F: “[Stamps in the Mail Club] is the BEST club I have been involved with. It is so nice to go to my stamp room, pull out the directions and the cello bag and get busy!! Thanks for offering this club.”

You can subscribe to the 3-month Stamps in the Mail Club for just $45 each month! Click here for details on the kit contents for May, as well as details on the Exclusive Video Tutorials for Stamps in the Mail Club Members and free catalogs.

Ready to sign up now?  Need more details?  Click here and use the big “email Meg” button to request your Paypal Invoice!

Still not sure?  I think you’ll love these projects!  If you’d like to see what all kinds of projects we’ve made in the past, I have a few of them shared on my blog — look at the gallery now.

I look forward to stamping with you by mail!

Happy Stamping!

To Order Stampin’ Up! Products On-Line 24/7, CLICK HERE!


Mar 28 2013

Pleasant Poppies Gift Bag: I *heart* watercoloring

Pleasant Poppies is another of the gorgeous full-size images currently available from Stampin’ Up! (see it online – 129499). Last week I mentioned a few tips for using large stamps on small projects.  Today I have a couple more technique tips for you: the Spotlighting Technique and a Watercolor Refresher!  Both techniques are wrapped up in this paper lunch sack turned into a Gift Bag.

This project was actually one from my Stamps in the Mail Club during the last round.  If you haven’t ever participated, get ready for the next round.  Signups begin in April for the May Round!

Pleasant Poppies Spotlighting Technique TutorialSpotlighting Technique

Spotlighting is a nice way to highlight a certain part of a larger stamp, like with Pleasant Poppies or Swallowtail.

  1. Stamp your large image on the background.
  2. Stamp again on scrap paper and use a Circle Punch to punch out the piece(s) you’d like to highlight.
  3. Color the circles differently from the background and match them back onto your main image.

Here are a few more Spotlighting Technique card ideas on my blog.

Refresher Technique Focus: Watercolor

Pleasant Poppies Watercolor Background: technique tipsWatercolor Wonder Crayons (WWC) combined with an Aquapainter or paintbrush allow an artist to create realistic watercolor effects.  Here are few pointers to perfecting your technique:

  • Gently wipe the wet tip of the AQP across the end of the WWC, picking up color
  • Begin with the lightest color layer: use a light touch and extra water to thin out your color
  • Add a 2nd color layer, either of the same tone or different.  Be sure to leave some of the lightest layer showing
  • Add a 3rd color layer as the darkest layer, using the most pigment from the crayon and the least amount of water
  • Consider your shadows – which direction does the light in your picture shine? Objects with a shadow around the outer stamped black line look more dimensional and realistic

Paper Lunch Sack = Gift Bag.  How to make your own gift wrapping.Curious about how the gift bag works?  I have a Video Tutorial that shows how to make these Card Topper Gift Bags.

And be sure to check for more Pleasant Poppies ideas on my blog!

Happy Stamping!

To Order Stampin’ Up! Products On-Line 24/7, CLICK HERE!

Supplies: Stamps: Pleasant Poppies, Curly Cute;  Inks: Jet Black Staz-On Ink; Cardstock: Watercolor Paper, Tangerine Tango, Whisper White, Pacific Point;   Accessories: Sycamore Street Ribbon (Sale-A-Bration gift), Jumbo Rhinestone, Pacific Point Stitched Ribbon, Watercolor Wonder Crayons – Brights Collection, Aqua Painters, Distressing Tool (optional – Spring Catalog), 1 ¼” Circle Punch, 1 ¾” Circle Punch


Mar 27 2013

Swallowtail Pinboard: Easy with Artisan Embellishments

 

Swallowtail Pinboard Idea: easy to make with the Artisan Embellishments Kit

Looking for a fun project idea that’s not a card? Something to create for a gift (or for your own space)? Try a fun embellished pin board! This board came from a big box store on clearance – they’re easy to find. Once you have your board, it’s all about embellishments.

Worried about what matches? What goes together? There’s a super-easy solution: the Artisan Embellishment Kit. It includes all the pieces, picked out to match and give your finished project an artisan quality. (see the Artisan Embellishment Kit Contents)

Swallowtail: not just for cards.  Pinboard butterfly idea

For this project, I stamped a few butterflies (love the Swallowtail stamp, don’t you? see it online – 129216) and heat embossed the middle one using my Pool Party ink pad and the Iridescent Ice Embossing powder.

Butterfly Pin Board Project idea: Add paper to bottlecaps for thumb tacks

I connected the butterflies in a banner-like layout (banners being oh so popular). Then I added some Designer Series Paper from the More Amore Designer Series Paper (see the paper online – 129309) to the background, the Soda Pop Tops, everything.

Make a Ruffled Ribbon embellishment

Those Soda Pop Tops make great thumbtacks.  (see them online – 129388)  Just use a strong glue like the Multipurpose Liquid Adhesive to attach a tack to the back and fill the bottlecap with a punched circle of designer paper!

Or you can check out my Soda Pop Top Jewelry Tutorial for details on adding Crystal Effects to your bottlecaps to finish them off with a nice shine.

Have fun making your own Pin Board Project! This one went home with my friend Jane after our demonstrator group holiday party.  Gotta love a gift exchange with stampers!  This would make a great project for a bridal shower gift (can’t you see the bride-to-be pinning ideas to her board?) or a new baby gift (so many baby things to collect in a collage…hospital bracelets, a teeny sock, snapshots…).

This week I seem to be loving the Swallowtail stamp — so I’m happy to share a project here that uses it for something other than a card.

Happy Stamping!

To Order Stampin’ Up! Products On-Line 24/7, CLICK HERE!


Mar 21 2013

Pretty Petites & the Curly Label Punch: Free Tutorial from Meg

Pretty Petites Gift Box - includes free project sheet download

Like the Gift Box above?  I loved it when I saw it at the Stampin’ Up! Leadership conference in Orlando in January (another fun demonstrator perk!).  So my thank you gift for a fabulous Sale-A-Bration this year is an Idea & Inspiration sheet for this project.

Pretty Petites Gift Box Tutorial from LovenStampsClick the photo to the of the tutorial to download my free Idea & Inspiration Sheet: the Pretty Petites Gift Box Project Tutorial.

Here’s what you need to complete this project:

  • Petite Curly Label Punch (129405) – Free during SAB 2013*
  • Pretty Petites stamp set (129642) – Free during SAB 2013*
  •                   ** Only until March 22, 2013!
  • Curly Label Punch (119851) – $16.95
  • Kraft Gift Boxes (124106) – $2.95
  • Needlepoint Border Embossing Folders (129383) – $7.95
  • Gusseted Cello Bags (127850) – $3.95
  • Coordinating card stock colors & designer series paper
  • Coordinating Stampin’ Write Markers
  • Assorted Embellishments

I appreciate all you blog readers – thanks for your visits and comments! And thank you for your Stampin’ Up! orders, too.  If you already have the Pretty Petites stamp set or the Petite Curly Label Punch, you’ll be set to make these sweet gift boxes.

If you don’t have them yet, you can still place an online order (it’s easy!) through my store and get them for free.  But only today or tomorrow — because Sale-A-Bration ends at 11 pm (MT) on March 22nd!

And don’t forget that I have another tutorial gift for you when you place an online order with me during Sale-A-Bration (watch your email for the bonus tutorial).

Happy Stamping!

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Feb 14 2013

Valentine BINGO Centerpieces: table decor ideas

Looking for wedding table decor?  Baby Shower centerpieces?  These are Valentine centerpieces headed to my local library for table decor, but it’s a fun idea that can be applied to any occasion: Rosettes!

To make these easy Valentine centerpieces, I used the Designer Rosette Die from Stampin’ Up! (see it online) and the More Amore Designer Series Paper (see the paper online – 129309).  If you’ve never made them before, be sure to check my Designer Rosette Die Tutorial.

For this size of picks, I cut one full strip of designer paper with the rosette die, then cut it into 3 pieces before folding and gluing (TIP: hot glue for speedy rosettes!).

Here are some of the fun supplies I used:

Here’s another idea for the Designer Rosette Die same shapes (cut into 3 strips per rosette die-cut) but different paper.

Have fun with these!

Happy Stamping, and Happy Valentine’s Day!!

To Order Stampin’ Up! Products On-Line 24/7, CLICK HERE!

Supplies: Stamps – Teeny Tiny Wishes, Occasions Alphabet; Ink: Real Red, Primrose Petals; Paper: Pool Party, Real Red, Whisper White, Red Glimmer Paper, More Amore Designer Series Paper; Accessories: 1 1/4″ Circle Punch, 1 3/8″ Circle Punch, Small Heart Punch, Decorative Label Punch,

Sign up now for Stamps in the Mail Club!

Supplies for 4 projects — ready to stamp, delivered to your front door.

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Feb 13 2013

Lego Minifig Valentines: You COLOR My World!

Preschool Valentine idea? Sure! How about Lego Valentines? I created this card for my son to take to school using My Digital Studio 2 (learn more about it) and a free font I found online – LegoThick.

We weren’t sure if his class party was candy-free, so crayons seemed like a great alternative treat.

It was simple to use MDS to create a block pattern (square punches stretched) and add the circles (Big Bold Birthday circle pattern digital stamp).  The white word blurb is the Round Bubble Punch, stretched to accommodate our greeting.

After the graphics were done, we got to work on our crayons!  When I was in Orlando last month for the Stampin’ Up! Leadership Conference (too much fun!), we stopped at Downtown Disney and I picked up a Lego ice cube tray from the Lego Store.

We didn’t use the ice cube tray for ice…we used it to make custom Lego minifig crayons!

A few tips for making your own Lego Minifigure Crayons from the ice cube mold:

  • We found that a sharp knife worked best for cutting the peeled crayons (thank you Pampered Chef!)
  • The crayons settled quite a bit so it helped to heap the crayon pieces on the mold
  • Our oven was set to 350 degrees
  • The crayons turned out most colorful when we didn’t melt them too long

My son is SO excited to share these with his class today!! Happy Valentine’s Day parties to all of you who don’t have school tomorrow!

If you already have your Valentines finished for this year, don’t despair!  These would be cute for a birthday party or any other seasonal treat.

Happy Stamping!

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Feb 12 2013

Bubblegum Valentine Idea: “Chews” Me?

Did you CHEWS your Valentine idea yet?  Are you looking for a cute bubblegum saying?

Here’s an idea for you!

My daughter and I created these for her class using My Digital Studio 2 (love it!).

We printed them at home, cut them out and attached them to tubes of gumballs.

Want to learn more about My Digital Studio?

Last week I posted a Family Banner project, complete with Video Tutorial.

My Digital Studio 2 (learn more about it) is a terrific tool for whatever you want to create!

Here are some other Valentine ideas & inspiration:

Another MDS tip for you — did you know that all the fonts on your computer will be available to you in MDS2?  The font I used for the “CHEWS” is called Party LET, and you can get it here!

Or try learning more about how I’ve used My Digital Studio for school projects, home decor, treats and more!

Happy Stamping!

To Order Stampin’ Up! Products On-Line 24/7, CLICK HERE!

Sign up now for Stamps in the Mail Club!

Supplies for 4 projects — ready to stamp, delivered to your front door.

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