stampersblog

Spring Tag Box

2010-03-12T14:36:00Z

Many of you have asked for directions to make the box holding the Spring Tags (or Egg Tags)

So here's a little tutorial on how I made the box. You can make the sleeve over the box from acetate or a combination of card stock and acetate. Hope you enjoy! Hugs, Fran

Paper Piecing Bitty Birthday

2010-03-09T14:16:00Z

I enjoy paper piecing - and I enjoy using up small scraps of Designer Series paper. It makes me feel less guilty about all the scraps around here! These three cards all use the Bitty Birthday stamp set, paper piecing technique and the same layout.

I stamped the shopping bags on the card and then again on scraps of the Sweet Pea DSP. Cut the bags out of the DSP and layer over the images on the card. The tags have small dots of Crystal Effects on them to highlight the little flowers on the tags.

Stamp Set - Bitty Birthday
card stock - Whisper White, Bashful Blue, Sweet Pea Designer Series paper, Pretty in Pink
ink - Basic Black
Stampin Write Markers - Pretty in Pink, Bashful Blue
ect - Bashful Blue grosgrain ribbon, Modern Label punch, Word Window Punch, Scallop Edge punch, Bashful Blue brads, Crystal Effects

This is the same layout turned upside down.

Stamp Set - Bitty Birthday
card stock - Whisper White, Melon Mambo, Good Neighbor Designer Series paper, Bermuda Bay
ink - Basic Black
Stampin Write Markers - Basic Black
ect - Melon Mambo ribbon, Modern Label punch, Word Window Punch, Scallop Edge punch, Pretty in Pink brads,

And here it is turned on it's side. To make the cake tall I stamped the cake image onto the card and then stacked the paper pieced pieces until I reached the height that I wanted. Using my Stamp a ma jig, I was able to get the candles on top.

Stamp Set - Bitty Birthday, On Your Birthday
card stock - Whisper White, Bermuda Bay,Good Neighbors Designer Series paper,
ink - Basic Black
Stampin Write Markers - Pumpkin Pie (candle flame)
ect - Bermuda Bay ribbon, Modern Label punch, Word Window Punch, Scallop Edge punch

Happy Stampin'! Hugs, Fran

Night of Navy Magic

2010-03-08T14:18:00Z

I showed a sample of the Black Magic technique a few days ago using, well, black. While I still had my supplies out, I did one in Night of Navy. It reminds me of a plate that my aunt painted for me many years ago - a sort of folk or Amish type of painting. (Does anyone know what it is called?) So I stamped the image from the hostess set Wings of Friendship on Night of Navy and went to work!

The scallop is from the Circles, Scallop #2 die and the circle is made with the Circle Scissors.

Stamp Set - Wings of Friendship
card stock - Night of Navy, Real Red, Whisper White
ink - White Craft
Stampin Write Markers - Basic Black, Real Red
ect - Watercolor pencils, Circles Scallop #2, Circle Scissors, 1 1/4 circle punch, white gel pen.

Enjoy! Hugs, Fran

Spring Tags

2010-03-04T13:54:00Z

I'm kind of stuck on tags at the moment and I hope you'll just bear with me! This little set was taken from the Occasions Mini page 23. There is a little tag on a basket that I cased and then expanded on, Using the Eggcellent Eggs Kits, I made a set of tags and a slider box to hold them.

Stamp set - Eggcoutrements
card stock - Whisper White, Certainly Celery, Pretty in Pink
ink - So Saffron, Pretty in Pink, Perfect Plum, Bashful Blue
ect - Eggcellent Eggs Kit, Soft Subtle brads, Large tag punch, Small tag punch, linen thread, Pink Satin ribbon, acetate (box top)

When you make these tags you will be covering up the basket image in the Eggcoutrements set. It covers it but you might want to keep your Stamping Write Markers on hand to touch up the spaces by the leaves. Enjoy! Hugs, Fran

Little Bunny Jar

2010-03-02T16:12:00Z

Here's an idea for table or party favors taken from a favor I made at Christmas and those wonderful candies we've done for lots of holidays.

The jars are from the wedding section of a craft store and the rest of him is punches - well, except the tail, which is a pom-pom held on with a Pop Up Glue Dot.

Stamps - Perfect Petals (ears)
card stock - Whisper White, Regal Rose, Basic Black, Brilliant Blue, Pretty in Pink
ink - Basic Black, Regal Rose
ect - Scallop Circle punch (face), Small Oval punch (ears), 3/4" circle punch (cheeks) , 1/2" and 1/4" circle punches (eyes, nose, mouth), Large Oval Punch (feet), white gel pen, pom-pom, Black Stampin Write Marker, white grosgrain ribbon

Have fun making these cute little bunnies! Enjoy! Hugs, Fran

Featured Stamper Challenge

2010-03-01T14:32:00Z

This weekend I did the featured stamper challenge on the Stampin' Connection demo website. The idea is to look through the featured stamper's gallery, chose a card and create your own "take" on it. The featured stamper is Jackie Topa (congrats Jackie!) and I chose this card - changing the angel to a clown!

The card is large - 5 1/2 x 8 1/2 (an 8 1/2 x 11 sheet of card stock folded in half.)

Stamp set - Family Accessories
card stock - Melon Mambo, Pumpkin Pie, Crushed Curry, Blush Blossom, Whisper White, Razzleberry Lemonade DSP
Ink - Basic Black, Melon Mambo (cheeks)
ect - Big Shot pennant die, 1 1/4, 1/4 and the double circle punches, Word Window Punch, Scallop circle punch, Large Oval punch, Modern label punch, Ticket Corner punch, white grosgrain ribbon, floss

Enjoy! Hugs, Fran

Chipboard Tags

2010-02-26T13:42:00Z

What do you do with all the "extra" pieces in the On Board Chipboard packages? I started putting together some tags to have one hand for gifts. I used two tags from the On Board Essentials pack and some left over letters from the now retired Simon Lower, scraps of DSP and little bit of ink -

This one uses the wonderful paper from the Sweet Pea DSP in the Occasions Mini along with some Rose Red stitched grosgrain ribbon.

This one uses Pink Flamingo DSP and the On Your Birthday stamp set. The flower is from the Pretties kits and is inked in Cameo Coral with a red corduroy button in the center.

I like to use the Tombow Multi purpose glue (the one with the green lid) to adhere DSP to chipboard. I spread it on the chipboard, place the chipboard on the paper and smooth it out with my bone folder. Then I use my hobby blade (and mat!) to trim the excess paper. You can ink the edges, sand them, or just leave them be. On the 4U tag I inked and on the 14 tag I sanded.

I did these to use up the retired chipboard - but you can cut chipboard with your Big Shot and spell anything you want! There are so many cute ideas using "chat talk" - I'll just have to get my kids to make me a list! They'd die if I made one saying "lol!" Enjoy! Hugs, Fran

This One's for Katie

2010-02-25T13:54:00Z

Last weekend my oldest daughter came by and found me stamping (imagine that!) She enjoyed watching the process of creating a card and had lots of input on this -

The flowers are going around a Top Note die piece. I punched the leaves with the 2-Bird punch and put them down first. It was fun to get input from her - and I promised her I'd post the card this week. So Katie, here you go!

Stamp sets - Happy Moments (SAB, Heard from the Heart
card stock - Chocolate Chip, Whisper White, Old Olive, So Saffron, Pretty in Pink DSP, Thoroughly Modern DSP
ink - Chocolate Chip
Stampin' Write Marker - Pretty in Pink
ect - Top Note Die, Big Shot, Trio Flower punch, 2-Step Bird punch, 1 3/4" circle punch, Circle Scissors, Pink taffeta ribbon, double circle punch (inside of flowers)

Enjoy! Hugs, Fran

Little Tiny Cards

2010-02-24T13:46:00Z

I love little tiny enclosure cards! Using my Curly Label punch and the Curly Label insert piece on the Movers and Shapers Big Shot die, I created some 2 x 2 cards that can fit inside the new glassine envelopes in the Occasions Mini. These are wonderful to tuck into a gift or punch a hole in the corner and tie to a package.

Stamp Set - A Kind Word, Teeny Tiny Wishes
card stock - More Mustard, Not Quite Navy, Whisper White
Ink - Basic Black,
Stampin' Write Markers - More Mustard, Creamy Caramel, Not Quite Navy, Old Olive, Sahara Sand
ect - Curly Label Punch, Big Shot Movers and Shapers Die

Using Upsy Daisy you can get several punches from one stamping!

Stamp Set - Upsy Daisy, Teeny Tiny Wishes
card stock - Lovely Lilac, Elegant Eggplant, Whisper White
ink - Basic Black
Stampin' Write Markers - Lovely Lilac, Elegant Eggplant
ect - Dazzling Diamonds, Two Way Glue pen, Curly Label Punch, Big Shot Movers and Shapers Die

Stamp Set - Hello Again, Teeny Tiny Wishes
card stock - Old Olive, Crushed Curry, Whisper White
ink - Melon Mambo, Bermuda Bay, Crushed Curry, Basic Black
ect. - gold brad, Curly Label Punch, Big Shot Movers and Shapers Die

Have fun creating these little gems! Enjoy! Fran

Black Magic

2010-02-20T13:23:00Z

Here's an oldie but goodie technique - Black Magic. You stamp your black card stock with White Craft ink and let it dry. You can use a heat gun to speed up the process but make sure the ink is completely dry before you start the next step. Color over the Craft ink with your Watercolor Pencils and highlight with your White Gel pen. It's a beautiful technique that gives a very different look to your images.

Stamp Set - Music Expressions
card stock - Basic Black, Whisper White, Rose Red
Ink - White Craft
ect - Watercolor pencils, scallop trim border punch, Rose Red brads, white gel pen

Enjoy! Hugs, Fran

More Punch Origami Animals

2010-02-12T12:25:00Z

I made a tutorial for this bunny/bell fold. If it doesn't make any sense to you - let me know. Here are the rest of the funny farm animals!

This is the puppy -

and the cat-

the lion -

his tail -

a mouse -

and a very funky monkey!

(and the bunny, in case you missed him)

And this is the original bell! (made with a 12 x 12 piece of card stock)

Have fun making these! Hugs, Fran

Looking Ahead to Easter

2010-02-11T16:30:00Z

I don't mean to push past Valentines Day and rush into Easter, but I thought you might enjoy this bunny.

Two Christmases (is this a word?) ago (!) the kids and I made all kinds of decorations using chipboard and origami. (Here is a fun origami site!) One piece was a giant origami bell. I'm still looking for the pictures to show you how cool they were - but in the meantime I've sized the bell down and made it into some cute little animals. I'm going to share the bunny with you - and will share the directions for the fold as soon as I get the smaller diagram drawn up. The cute idea for the feet was cased from Sandy MacIver from a bunny she did last year.

stamp set - All Holidays
card stock - Whisper White, Pretty in Pink, Sahara Sand, Hostess pack Sahara Sand DSP, Basic Black, Brilliant Blue
ect - Wide, large and small oval punches, 1 1/4", 1", 1/2" and 1/4" circle punches, Pastels

Working on the folding instructions today! Enjoy! Hugs, Fran

Valentine Treats

2010-02-01T15:52:57Z

We had a very snowy weekend around here. Of course, 3-4" is a major snow storm for us! I did get some Valentines stamped and ready to have on hand for some of the special people who make my life easier - the bank teller, the grocery man, and others that I want to have a little something to give on Valentines Day. I wanted to make Samantha some Valentines to take to school (she'll turn 16 this week!) but she politely declined my kind offer! Sheesh!

The pattern was shared by Kimberly Morris and I stamped it up using With All My Heart from the Occasions Mini and the I (Love) Love wheel.

Stamp sets - With All My Heart, I (Love) Love jumbo wheel
card stock - Pretty in Pink, Real Red, Whisper White
Ink - Real Red, Pretty in Pink, Pretty in Pink jumbo cartridge
ect - Word Window and corner rounder punches, Real Red 5/8" grosgrain

Enjoy! Hugs, Fran

Red, White and Black

2010-01-28T22:31:00Z

I like adding a splash of color to a Black and White card. This one added a bit more than a splash, but I still like the look. This was leadership sample using With All My Heart from the Occasions Mini. You could punch the image by the sentiment with the new flower punch instead of hand cutting - I didn't have the punch at the time. But either way, it's a quick and easy card to make.

Stamp set - With All My Heart
card stock - Basic Black, Real Red, Whisper White
Ink - Real Red, Basic Black
Stampin Write Markers - Basic Black, Real Red
ect - Black brad

Enjoy! Hugs, Fran

D is for Dog

2010-01-27T14:27:00Z

A good friend of mine does a lot of work with one of our local dog shelters. She always needs cards for people who have lost their furry friends. I thought it would be a good idea to make her a package of cards to have on hand. This is one of those cards that I started using a sketch - and by the time I was finished it looked nothing like I had planned and didn't even resemble the sketch. (I can't even find the sketch!)

The center piece is the Scalloped Square Big Shot die that I ran through the dot impressions folder. I already had several squares die cut so I just decided to see what I could do with them.

Stamp Set - D is for Dog
card stock - Real Red, Old Olive, Night of Navy, Whisper White
Ink - Chocolate Chip, Night of Navy
ect - Big Shot Scallop Square and Dot impressions folder, Chocolate Chip 5/8 grosgrain, 1 3/8", 1 1 1/4" and double hole circle punch

The next card was cased from the Idea Book and Catalog. In the catalog it features the C is for Cat.

Stamp Set - D is for Dog
card stock - More Mustard, Old Olive, Real Red, Whisper White, More Mustard DSP
Ink - Versamark, Basic Black
ect - Real Red button, double hole punch, Black embossing powder, floss

Enjoy! Hugs, Fran

Piggy CASE

2010-01-25T14:56:00Z

When I go my Stampin' Success last week - which is our demonstrator magazine - I was thrilled to see a cute piggy created by Cathy Roy. She won the WOW! art contest and I couldn't agree more. I played around with her design and came up with a card using her piggy creation.

Since SS only lists the supplies used, I'll share with you how I put this cutie together.

I used Pretty in Pink card sponged in Regal Rose.

The body is the Clear circle Big Shot die.
Her head is a 2 1/4" circle cut with the Circle Scissors.
The feet are the modern label punch
The ears are petals from the 5-Petal Flower punch.
Eyes are 3/4" circle punches with 1/2" circle center.
The nose is a 1 1/8" circle cut with the Circle Scissors and the nostrils are 31/2" circle punches.
You need the 1 3/4" punch to put the Treat Cup in the side.
The tail is a 1/4" strip of Pretty in Pink wrapped around a skewer to curl.

The card is 5 1/2 x 5 1/2 - because I made the pig first! She's standing in some Happy Moments (SA flowers. The So Saffron flowers on each side are stamped on the So Saffron card stock and the others are colored in Stampin' Write Markers in Bermuda Bay and Pretty in Pink.

So there she is! A huge case - just changed up a bit. Thanks to Cathy for a great idea! Enjoy! Hugs, Fran

Valentine Bear

2010-01-22T18:33:00Z

How fun is this? We all know it's true!

This share is for Kat! Here's a build a bear going out on the town for Valentines.

The cummerbund is from BAB Christmas die (the Santa suit) and the spats for the shoes are the gym shoes in white (next time cover the holes!) and the girls' shoes in black. The heart and the rose are from the new Valentine die. He's attached to a Fancy Favor box in the Jackpot DSP. Enjoy! Hugs, Fran

Look Here Valentine

2010-01-21T13:51:00Z

I love using the Look Here Big Shot die to create little scenes inside my cards. These are the Valentines for my nieces and nephew. My nieces will get the ones using I (Heart) Hearts - which is the set for the Haitian Disaster Relief.

Stamp sets - I (Heart) Hearts, Wonderful Favorites, Happy Heart Day
card stock - Real Red, Pretty in Pink, Very Vanilla, Sending Love Specialty paper
ink - Real Red, Pretty in Pink, Basic Black
ect - Trio Heart punch, Full Heart punch, Look Here Big Shot die, Real Red brads, Pinking Border punch

My nephew will get this one using Love Bandit.

Stamp Sets - Love Bandit, Wonderful Favorites
card stock - Real Red, Chocolate Chip, Very Vanilla, Sending Love Specialty paper
ink - Basic Black, Real Red, Chocolate Chip
ect - Trio Heart punch, Modern Label and Word Window punches, small heart punch

The outsides of the card are non-eventful! (Really, all they want are the gift cards - we all know that!) I did use Owl Together now on my nephew's card for lack of any other inspiration.

Enjoy! Hugs, Fran

Totally Tess

2010-01-20T16:41:00Z

Here's Tess - the dashing, "I can do it all" kind of gal that we all envy! In this first card, she's just come from her workshop and is so proud of her creation, she's sharing it with you!

The card base is Bashful Blue with some Hostess Pack Bashful Blue DSP. She's colored with Stampin' Write Markers and the scallop is the wonderful, new scallop trim border.

Stamp set - Totally Tess
card stock - Bashful Blue, Bordering Blue, Whisper White, Bashful Blue DSP
Ink - Basic Black
Stampin Write Markers - Regal Rose, Bordering Blue, So Saffron, Blush Blossom, Pretty in Pink, Bashful Blue
ect - Scallop Trim Border, Regal Rose 5/8" grosgrain

Then Tess is delivering her Valentines. Her top is paper pieced with the Sending Love Specialty paper!

Stamp Set - Totally Tess
card stock - Real Red, Pretty in Pink, Whisper White, Sending Love Specialty paper
Ink - Basic Black, Real Red
Stampin Write Markers - Real Red, Blush Blossom, Pretty in Pink, Creamy Caramel, Sahara Sand
ect - Red Satin Ribbon, scallop edge punch, Modern Label and Word Window punches

Hope you enjoy Tess! Hugs, Fran

Upsy Daisy Easel

2010-01-19T14:34:00Z

This is a fun and very addicting style of card - an easel card. The instructions can be found here. My card uses Upsy Daisy and Kind & Caring Thought in Crushed Curry and Bermuda Bay.

A little bit of sunshine on a dark and dreary day! Enjoy. Hugs, Fran

Stamp sets - Upsy Daisy, Kind & Caring Thoughts
card stock - Crushed Curry, Bermuda Bay, Whisper White
Ink - Crushed Curry, Basic Black
Dotted Bermuda Bay ribbon, Butterfly embosslit, Scallop Trim Border Punch, fishing wire, small white beads,