Archive for the ‘Occasions Mini Catalog 2011’ Category:
Build A Blossom Tulips: Scrapbooks for Spring
Spring! Yay! The sun is shining (here, at least) and the bulbs are blooming. Sure makes a person want to make some tulip accents for springtime scrapbooking pages! This is where the Build A Blossom stamp set (see it online) comes in handy.
Sure, it looks like it’s designed for ‘flower’ shaped flowers, but it turns out to make a pretty cute tulip, too.
For the square accents, I used the Square Lattice Die (see it online) for Big Shot, and added them as a subtle tone-on-tone effect. Since the colors match, the lattice pieces make great accents, but they don’t take away from the pictures.
TECHNIQUE TIP — Build A Blossom Tulips:
- Stamp and punch three of the smallest petal in Melon Mambo ink on Melon Mambo card stock.
- Start with the center petal and add adhesive to the front. Add the next 2 petals to the left and right to form the tulip. Bases of the petals should meet at the bottoms.
- Stamp and punch the large narrow leaf in Wild Wasabi ink on Wild Wasabi card stock. Cut in half up the middle to form the 2 leaves.
- Trim a narrow strip of the Wild Wasabi card stock to form a stem. Attach stem to back of tulip and add leaves.
Don’t forget to order online today or tomorrow, since the Build A Blossom stamp set and coordinating Blossom Petal Punch (see it online) are in the Occasions Mini Catalog that ends on Saturday, April 30th!
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Subscribe to the comments for this postSpring Cleaning: Have you washed your windows yet?
And if you haven’t washed your windows, turn right back around and pull out your stamping supplies. Those windows will wait! Instead, try the Stampin’ Up! Beveled Windowpanes (see them online)!
These little babies come smudge-free and you don’t have to wash them at all. Here’s a project showcasing the windowpanes along with the You’re A Gem stamp set (see it online), both in the Occasions Mini Catalog (ends April 30th!).
This card was also one of the projects in my last round of the Stamps in the Mail Club. While you can’t sign up for this project any longer, you CAN sign up for the next round of projects! (learn more about Stamps in the Mail Club)
Happy Stamping!
To Order Stampin’ Up! Products On-Line 24/7, CLICK HERE!
Clearly For You: Crystal Effects Accents
Ever look at a card and think, “it just needs one more little tweak”? That’s what went through my head on this card, until I pulled out my bottle of Crystal Effects (see it online).
The little birds on a wire from this Clearly For You stamp set (see it online) were naked. Ack! Can you believe it? Just naked! So I grabbed the Crystal Effects and gently applied a glossy coat of liquid shine to all three.
A few CRYSTAL EFFECTS TIPS for you (or see some other Crystal Effects projects):
Before first use, remember to remove the foam seal between the bottle and the pointy tip (unscrew the lid to get this out)- Before first use, also remember to clip just the very end of the bottle tip. I like to clip as little as possible to get a hole so that the Crystal Effects will come out in a fine line.
- Don’t shake your Crystal Effects–this incorporates bubbles that can come out onto your work. Just hold the bottle upside down and let it gently run into the tip.
- Keep a Certified Unclogging Tool (aka paper clip) handy. I actually like to tape mine to the side of the CE bottle so it’s always there. When you re-open your CE, just stick the paper clip in the tip a few times to push aside any dried CE.
- Don’t store your Certified Unclogging Tool in the bottle. If the paperclip rusts it will discolor your CE
Happy Stamping!
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Step Up Once More: Engraved Greetings
The last two days I posted ideas for simple note cards using the Engraved Greetings stamp set (one of my current favs–see it online). Today I wanted to share another “step up” project based on the same idea. This is still a pretty simple project–just a little bit more involved.
The card stock is Very Vanilla, and I added the Framed Tulips Embossing Folder around the edge.
Happy Stamping!
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Retro Brayer Color Block Technique
I’ve been mentioning lately how much I’m loving the Nature Walk stamp set (see it online). So when I needed to design a card for Stamp Club with Meg (tonight! check my event calendar) this was the first stamp set to jump off the shelf and into my hand.
What a mouthful for a technique name though! This technique has been around since I started demonstrating about 10 years ago, and it has several names… Layered Brayers and a whole bunch more that I can’t recall.
But whatever you call it, it’s a great collage-type technique. Here I used the Nature Walk stamp set along with Classic Ink Pads in River Rock, Crumb Cake and Marina Mist, plus Early Espresso for stamping the darkest images.
Here are the steps for the Retro Brayer Color Block Technique:
- Stamp the background images in a variety of colors on Glossy Card Stock
- Use a Brayer and the lightest of your 3 ink colors to color the background
- Trim a Post-It Note to the desired size and cover up 1-2 spots on your card (I chose the bird images)
- Use the Brayer and the medium ink color to cover your full paper
- Add a few more Post-It Note masks and use your darkest color. Remove all masks and finish your card.
I used card stock to match my ink colors. The Four Frames stamp set (see my April Card Class ‘To Go’) is a perfect match for the oval stamp in Perfect Punches (the ‘thanks’ and small frame).
The sweet little Rosette and the Champagne Glass Glitter, Springtime Vintage Designer Series Paper and Crumb Cake Seam Binding Ribbon are all from the Occasions Mini Catalog.
Here is a fun trick with the Perfect Punches oval image. First stamp the ‘thanks’ oval, then punch out the words in the center with the 1-3/8″ x 5/8″ Oval Punch. Then punch out the frame with the Scallop Oval Punch and you have a fun frame with an oval-shaped window in the center.
Happy Stamping!
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Build A Cupcake: Punch Art Gift Tags
A few weeks ago I shared this fun little Take-Out Box gift with the Create A Cupcake stamp set tag. The box itself is built from the Petal Cone Die for Big Shot (check out some other Petal Cone Die ideas).
The Create A Cupcake stamp set (see it online) and the matching Build A Cupcake Punch (see it online) are two of my fav items from the Mini Catalog. This tag and take-out box (via the Petal Cone Die–see it online) are projects from my recent Stampin’ Up! Workshops.
Here I wanted to share 2 Video Tutorials for this fun project.
Tutorial 1: Create A Cupcake Gift Tag — learn how to make the most of your ink pads with the Stampin’ Off technique, plus tips for Punch Art with the Build A Cupcake Punch.
Tutorial 2: Petal Cone Die Take-Out Box — another fabulous idea for this flexible die for Big Shot. Learn how to score and fold to create a sweet treat container.
Be sure to check out some of my other Video Tutorials!
Happy Stamping!
To Order Stampin’ Up! Products On-Line 24/7, CLICK HERE!
Nothing Says “Spring” Like Pompom Trim Garlands
Who says that strings of lights should just be for Christmas? This little Spring Tree uses the Melon Mambo Pompom Trim to brighten my stamp room.
The Pompom Trim is attached with Tombow Multiadhesive (love that stuff!).
We have a history of working on little home decor projects like this as a family.
When I enlisted my daughter’s help to decorate this tree, her 7 year old art mind thought of adding butterflies, hearts and ribbons right away.
The little ribbons are tied from the Pretty in Pink Taffeta Ribbon.
We added butterflies cut with the Beautiful Wings Embosslit (for Big Shot) from Peach Parfait card stock.
The hearts were punched with a variety of the Stampin’ Up! heart punches. Abby’s color choice was Tempting Turquoise.
The hearts and butterflies were attached with Mini Glue Dots.
We wanted to share our Spring creation with you!
To Order Stampin’ Up! Products On-Line 24/7, CLICK HERE!
Springtime Vintage Thank You Gift
Each year we hold a large demonstrator training event called Spring Into Stamping. This year was our 6th annual event, and I wanted to share a few highlights. Except now I’m having trouble distilling the event into just a few highlights, so I think you’ll be seeing highlights over the next few days!
It takes many many demonstrators to put the event together, and we have helpers for Make N Takes, a Demonstration Fair, Registration, Shoebox Swap, AV help, etc. Plus we have a talented group of coordinators who coordinate some of these areas.
This year I made special Thank You gifts for the coordinators, based on a gift that Shelli Gardner, CEO of Stampin’ Up!, made for us as a gift at Founder’s Circle this year.
Shelli created these with her daughters for 100+ of us, and I appreciate their work even more now! My mom helped me finish these up in time, so ours was a family project, too. The bags would be terrific for Easter gifts, wedding or baby shower favors, or satchels for potpourri.
The bags are filled with chocolate, and created from the Pennant Die (see it online) for the Big Shot (see it online). The Pennant Die is one of my favorites (check out some of my other projects). Just cut two pennants, stitch the top down to make a little sleeve for the ribbon, sew the two sides together and you’re all set with a simple cinch bag with a sweet scalloped edge.
The fabric is from the Occasions Mini Catalog (available only til April 30). The Springtime Vintage Fabric (see it online) is a perfect match for the Vintage Flower Adornments (see them online) that I used to decorate the tag and the medallion on the bag.
The blue Scallop Square piece under the Adornment rosette is actually punched from the matching Springtime Vintage Designer Series Paper (see it online). With the paper piece, there is a little more stiffness to help the medallion stand up a bit more than the fabric pieces.
The ribbons are the Rose Red Seam Binding and the Victoria Crochet Trim (love them both!).
The tag is from the Two Tags Die (see it online) for Big Shot. This wasn’t one of my first die purchases, but it’s always at the top of my stack now. In fact, watch tomorrow for the other gift project I created, also using the Two Tags die!
The stamp set I used is Nature Walk (I’ve been using it a lot recently). The “Thank You” is from the Elegant Engravings stamp set (love it–see it online). And you probably recognize the flower Adornment. The colors here are Early Espresso, Baja Breeze and Crumb Cake, with a touch of Rose Red.
Happy Stamping!
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Take A Nature Walk
Whew! What a busy week! This weekend I’m co-hosting a big Demonstrator training meeting here in Champaign, Illinois. We have a great time, but there are an awful lot of details left to cover in the next 24 hours.
Speaking of which, you have until 11:59 pm TONIGHT (Mountain Time) to place your very last Sale-A-Bration order! I’ll be up late, so if you have trouble with the online ordering system, just drop me an email and I’ll give you a hand. Otherwise just zip over and order online–it’s the easiest and quickest way to make sure that you don’t miss out on any extra free stamps.
Did you see the list of catalog stamps available for free? Be sure to check out this pdf (download here) that a wonderful demonstrator created, showing all the catalog stamps that are free with a $50 order during Sale-A-Bration. Plus remember that your online order with me enters you for a chance to win my FREE Stamp Set of the Month!
In any case, with all the craziness of today, I feel like I need a nature walk to relax! That will have to wait for next week though. In the meantime, here is my swap card for Saturday’s Spring Into Stamping event:
The stamp set is Nature Walk (did you see my trio of Nature Walk projects over the last few days?) and the Designer Series Paper is Botanical Gazette, both of which are available only until April 30th in the Occasions Mini Catalog.
Watch for fun projects next week that show all the gifts I’ve been making for the demonstrator helpers at our Spring Into Stamping! I’d love to post them now, but then they might not be a surprise 
Happy Stamping!
To Order Stampin’ Up! Products On-Line 24/7, CLICK HERE!
Take a Nature Walk: Beautiful Butterflies
The new Nature Walk stamp set (see it online) from the Occasions Mini Catalog has been taunting me… I’ve wanted to play with it since it arrived in the brown Stampin’ Up! box on my Demonstrator Pre-Order back in December (yes, we demonstrators can get the new products early!). (learn more about the perks of being a demonstrator)
But it wasn’t until I really felt like Spring was here that I finally took it out and put it to use! Of course now it’s cold again, but since I have my Spring stamping projects started, I know it will be okay.
Does this project look familiar? This 6 x 6″ scrapbook page is meant to show that any card idea can be turned into a scrapbooking project. I posted a card last week that uses the same set of supplies to make a simple yet elegant greeting card (check the details on the card).
The colors are taken from the Elegant Soiree Designer Series Paper (see it online). Watch for the third in this series tomorrow — the 12 x 12″ scrapbook page version of the same project!
**PHOTO TECHNIQUE TIP** Another note… the photo is printed in a light sepia tone, to make it easier to match the colors on the project. When you print in sepia or black and white, try to select high contrast photos.
Notice how your eye is drawn to my dad’s face? When you have a lot of dark colors interrupted by lighter tones, it makes the light tones stand out. See where my daughter’s light jacket makes her face harder to pick out? The contrast between her face and her coat isn’t very high, so the sepia tone isn’t as effective.
The rest of the supplies:
- Beautiful Butterflies die (see it online)
- Beautiful Wings Embosslit (see it online)
- Basic Pearls (see them online)
- Elegant Lines embossing folder (see it online)
- Elegant Soiree Designer Series Paper (see it online)
Happy Stamping!
