Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Hexagon Box and the winner is . . .

I know, I usually post on Mondays, but I got thrown off schedule by the giveaway so you're getting your Monday post on Tuesday.  :)

Thanks to everyone who participated in my Halloween Giveaway this weekend.  And without further adieu, the winner is: KIM LOOSLE!! :) Congratulations Kim.  Your calendar will be on it's way soon. :)

And now here is a little something for those of you that didn't win. A picture tutorial on the hexagon box.  This weekend, I showed you one turned into a pumpkin:
But at my class earlier this month, I offered the same box but in a more generic theme:


My first grader has been learning all about shapes this past month.  And not just rectangles, circles and triangles, but things I didn't learn about until I was in high school geometry: parallelograms, trapezoids and rhombuses.  I had to look some of those up because it's been a long time since Ms. Martin's class. I was actually relieved when we got back to simple shapes, like the hexagon. So it was easy for me to come up with the name for these. 

Brian Pilling showed these at convention this summer so I couldn't wait to try one for myself.   They are made with the Big Shot Milk Carton Die (and I love when I can find a new use for these dies) but I had a hard time finding a tutorial for them.  So here is mine:

1) Start out with 2 die cuts from the milk carton die:

 2) With the tab on the left, cut off the far right panel along the score line on both die cuts.
 3) Using a ruler and a stylus or bone folder, score a diagonal line down on the middle top section of the milk carton die.  That might not be very clear, but if you are familiar with the milk carton die, then you know that two of the sections already have an upside down "v" scored into them.  You are simply adding a line so that all three are pretty much the same.  The line that is already there isn't quite to the middle so it doesn't have to be exact.
 4) Fold along all of the score lines as pictured and add sticky strip to the tabs.  Adhere to box together.
5) The trickiest part is getting the box into the proper hexagon shape.  I found the easiest way to do this was to flip it over and then match up the tabs directly across from each other as shown.  Don't adhere to strongly to start with because if you put them too close together, you want to be able to go back and fix it.
 6) Then line up the next set of tabs that are across from each other like this:
 7) And finally the last set of tabs:

Turn your box over and decorate to your liking.  You can close the box buy punching small holes on each top section and using thread or ribbon to tie it shut.  Or if you've creased the score lines just right, you should be able to push it down and it will hold itself closed.

I hope you enjoyed this little photo tutorial.  I had a request last week to show clearer directions on the triangle box and I will be doing that later this week so be sure to check back.

Saturday, September 24, 2011

Halloween Week Giveaway!

I know, you're all here for the BLOG CANDY, but before we get to that, I have a few more projects to share with you.

This is not a new project.  I offered a very similar Frankie Box at my class two years ago but I had a special request to offer it again this year.  This year, I've added a new touch: see those bolts coming out of his head, I made those with the new Stocking Builder punch to make those. 
Colors: Lucky Limeade, Elegant Eggplant, Whisper White and Basic Black. Big   Stamps: Smarty Pants.  Big Shot: Top Note Die. Punches: 1-1/4", 1" and 3/4" Circles, Round Tab, Stocking Builder.  Accessories: Marker, cellophane bag, Old Olive 1/8 taffeta ribbon 
During the Holiday Mini Blog Hop, Heidi over at RunningwScissorsStamper featured a Milk Carton turned into Haunted House and I knew I wanted to make simple one that could be easily duplicated at a class.  You can't tell from this picture, but on the bottom has a tab on it so you can fill it with candy and still access it without destroying the box.



Colors: Elegant Eggplant and Basic Black.  Stamps: Spooky Bingo Bits.  Big Shot: Milk Carton Die and Square Lattice Embossing folder. Punches: Scallop Edge.

And I love pumpkins.  So a Halloween Week would not be complete without a pumpkin box.  I'll have a tutorial on these next week.  At my class you will have your choice of turning it into a jack-o-lantern or just keep it a simple pumpkin with a ribbon around it.

Colors: Pumpkin Pie, Basic Black, Old Olive.  Big Shot: Milk Carton Die.  Punches: 3/4" circle, 1" square.  Accessories: Old Olive Scallop Dotted Ribbon, Pumpkin Pie Prints Designer Series Paper
And now, finally what you've all been waiting for:  BLOG CANDY!!!!  To be eligible for the drawing, you have to be a follower of this blog or my Facebook Page.  (If you aren't already, you can do either from the left side bar on my main blog page.)  Then leave a comment on this post telling me your favorite project that I've posted during Halloween Week.  If you refer a friend to my blog and they mention your name in the comment section, you will get a second entry into the drawing.  Comments must be posted by midnight MDT on Monday, September 26.  And what fabulous prize could you win?

A Countdown to Halloween Board!!  I will randomly draw the winner on Tuesday, September 27 and post the winner that day.  (You must have a US mailing address to win the prize).   Good luck!!

Friday, September 23, 2011

Halloween Cards

I still have two days of Halloween Projects to share with you.  If you missed any of the posts this week, you can click on them in the Blog Archive to see them all. 

Today I'm sharing a couple more Halloween Cards.  What?  You don't send cards for Halloween?  You really should.  Last year I sent a stack of them and they were very well received.  Who wouldn't want to get a fun Halloween Card?  Or how about putting one on your child's pillow or lunch bag?  See, now you're going to send Halloween Cards, right.

Colors: Tangerine Tango, Daffodil Delight, Whisper White, and Basic Black.  Stamps: Teeny Tiny Messages and Spooky Bingo Bits. Punches: Petite Pennants, Word Window.  Accessories: Black Brads.
I love this punch for so many different things, but especially for Candy Corn.  I know I'm not the first person to sue it for this purpose but I don't know who to credit for the original idea.  I think this card pretty much sums up my kids' expectation for Halloween: Candy, Candy, Candy, Candy!

Colors: Concord Crush, Peach Parfait, Basic Black, Whisper White.  Stamps: Warmest of Wishes and Teeny Tiny Messages. Big Shot: Little Leaves Sizzlet.   Punches: 2-1/2" Circle, Word Window, Owl Builder Punch.  Accessories: Pumpkin Pie Grosgrain Ribbon, Markers.
I love this owl too.  He is from the Hostess Set "Warmest Wishes" in the Holiday Mini Catalog and it matches the punch perfectly so you don't have to cut it out.

I'll be posting the last three Halloween projects and some BLOG CANDY tomorrow.  You won't want to miss out on that! We'll see you then!

Thursday, September 22, 2011

Halloween Triangle Boxes

Hope you aren't tired of Halloween projects yet because I have several more to share with you.  Today it's the triangle box.  These are simple boxes that can be made into so many different things.  (My regular customers will recognize it as the Santa Hats from last year's Christmas Classes).

My first idea was to turn the triangle box into Candy Corn:
Colors: Whisper White, Tangerine Tango, Daffodil Delight.  Accessories: Simply Scored, Daffodil Delight Ribbon.
I just didn't love it as much as I thought I would, but you tell me what you think.  Maybe it's because I don't just love Candy Corn.  I'd much rather eat yummy caramel instead.  Then while I was searching for something else online I came along several different versions of a triangle box Witches Hat.  So this is my take on that:

Colors: Basic Black, Pumpkin Pie, Whisper White.  Stamps: Spooky Bingo Bits, Wicked Cool, and It's a Wrap Holidays. Punches: Curly Label, 1" circle, and small oval. Accessories: Pumpkin Pie Prints Designer Series Paper and Grosgrain Ribbon, Silver Shimmer Paint, Brushed Silver Card Stock.

At my Spook-tacular Stampin' Buffet, you can choose to fill these hat boxes with chocolate nuggets that are decorated with the It's A Wrap Holiday stamps. Just a cute little touch.

Triangle Boxes are very easy to make.  Start with any size rectangle.  The skinner the rectangle, the taller the box.  Both of mine are 4-1/4"x11.  Then you just score in the middle on the long end.  Find the middle of the ends and then score from that point to the edge of the middle score line.  Clear as mud?  Here's a little diagram that might help.
So you score where it is orange and then fold up the box.  Punch holes in the top to tie shut.  So simple!

Come back for a look at a couple Halloween Cards tomorrow and some BLOG CANDY on Saturday!!!  You won't wan to miss that!

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Spooky View-Master Card

Remember the old View-Masters?  I loved these when I was a kid.  My kids have had one but they just didn't appreciate it the way I did.  I suppose when you have a plethora of electric gadgets and gizmos that make noise and do other crazy things then the old fashioned View-Master might be a bit low tech for kids today.

Today's card pays homage to these toys.  It's called a View-Master card because you spin the dial on the side and a different image comes up in the hole.
Colors: Lucky Limeade, Rich Razzleberry, Pumpkin Pie.  Stamps: Spooky Bingo Bits.  Big Shot: Clear Circle Bigz Die.  Punches: 1-3/4" Scallop, 1-3/8", 1-1/4", & 1" Circles.  Accessories: Bright Collection Brads, Basic Black Dotted Scallop Ribbon, Pumpkin Pie Grosgrain Ribbon.
When I saw this Spooky Bingo Bits Stamp set, I knew I wanted to make one of these cards with it.  Each of the 24 images are designed to fit on the Bingo Background stamp, but work perfectly for this kind of card and plenty of other projects too.  I picked two of the images, the bat and "spooky" and stamped the front of this card and then picked out four other images for the spinner.

Want to see those other images and how it works?  Check out this little video:
I just love cards with interactive features on them.   This card will be featured at my Spook-tacular Stampin' Buffet on October 7 & 8 so you can make one of your very own.  And be sure to check back tomorrow for a couple of Halloween triangle box ideas and don't miss Saturday's BLOG CANDY!!

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Lolli, Lolli, Lolli Get Your Adverbs Here

I promised on Monday to show you how to make the lollies that were on my Halloween Banner.

But first, I can't be the only person around who thinks of this every time she hears the word lolli:



Good luck getting that song out of your head.

Want to make some of these lollies yourself?  Stampin' Up!'s new Simply Scored Tool makes it very simple since it has so many score lines on it.  For the size I made, I started with a 1"x12" strip of Designer Series Paper.
Place the strip your score board.  Start at 1/4" and score every half inch. (1/4", 3/4", 1-1/4", 1-3/4", 2-1/4", 2-3/4", etc, etc.)

Flip the piece of paper over and score at 1/2" and every half inch. (1/2", 1", 1-1/2", 2", 2-1/2" etc. etc.)

Tip: If you are making several of these at a time, score before you cut into 1" strips.  (So for four lollies of this size, you would score a 4"x12" strip of paper and then cut it into four 1" strips.)

Next accordion fold the strips along the score lines so it looks like this:


To glue them together, you are going to want something extra sticky.  I've heard many people use a hot glue gun, but I used Mono Multipurpose Liquid Glue without any problem at all.  bring the ends together so you have something that looks like this:
Next, you want to push them down to make the medallion shape.  The easiest way I found to stabilize these was to apply a punched out circle to the back.  (Doesn't matter the size or color really since you won't see it from the front anyway.)  Simply apply adhesive to the circle and glue it to the back of the lolli.

When you flip it over you get something like this:

Notice I have a hole in the middle of mine.  That was because I wanted that lolli to be just a smidgen bigger.  You can adjust the size of you lolli by the size of the hole in the middle.

Now apply that lolli to some fun project like my Halloween Banner or something else.  You can also play around with the size of strip and the distance between scorelines to make bigger and smaller ones.  Here's a slightly bigger one on a card:
Colors: Basic Black, Pumpkin Pie.  Stamp Set: Grateful Greetings. Tools: Simply Scored.  Punches: Dotted Scallop Ribbon Border, Decorative Label, 1-3/8"& 1-3/4" circles. Accessories: Pick You Poison Designer Series Paper, Mini Silver Brads.

A reminder that we will be making the banner and the card at my Spook-tacular Stampin' Buffet on October 7 & 8 if you want to get some practice.  Hope to see you there!

Still singing, "Lolli, Lolli, Lolli? Try thinking about It's a Small World instead.

Come back tomorrow to see a "viewmaster" Halloween Card  And I promise, no more songs -- at least not tomorrow.

And Saturday, there will be BLOG CANDY so be sure to come back then too. :)

Monday, September 19, 2011

This is Halloween!

Welcome to Halloween Week here on Stampin' with Paula!  Everyday this week, I'll be posting a look at Halloween projects, many of which will be offered at my Spook-tacular Stampin' Buffet October 7 & 8.


I set out last week to make a Halloween banner with the new Perfect Pennants Big Shot Die.  I gave you a sneak peek at it on Friday but here it is: (click on the picture to get a better view).
Colors: Basic Black, Lucky Limeade, Pumpkin Pie, Rich Razzleberry.  Big Shot: Perfect Pennant Bigz L, and Alphabet Simple Letters Bigz Dies.  Punches: 1-3/4", 1-1/4" and 3/4" circle punches.  Tools: Simply Scored, Crop-A-Dile. Accessories: Brights Designer Buttons, Silver Brads, Basic Black 1/8" Taffeta Ribbon.
I was a little sad when Stampin' Up retired the larger pennant die for the Big Shot.  But, this die is perfect for banners with more letters on them.  After all, if I had made one that said "HALLOWEEN" with the old one, you would have needed a very long wall on which to hang it.  So the smaller pennants on this new die are just right.  Each pennant is 4-1/2" tall and the entire banner is approximately 3' long with the ribbon ties on the end.

Usually I string banners together with ribbon, but this time I decided to use brads to put it together.  You can see that I alternated the pennants top to bottom to do this.  Once I got the lollies (paper medallions) and the letters on there, I decided to add the buttons on a whim.  Do you like them?

I will be offering this banner at my Spook-tacular Stampin' Buffet on October 7 & 8 if you would like to make one for your very own for $12. Can't come, and still want a banner like this (or any other for that matter) - I can make it for you for an additional fee.  Just contact me and let me know what you want.

For some strange reason, every time I look at this banner, the song from Nightmare Before Christmas (or the Haunted Mansion Halloween at Disneyland) runs through my head and I can't make it stop (the song starts about a minute into the video):



Come back tomorrow and I'll show you step by step how to make those cute lollies that are on the banners and introduce you to another catchy tune that I just can't seem to shake.

Sunday, September 18, 2011

Doin' the Happy Dance!!!

Remember this fun card?  I found out today that it won the Thinking of You Creative Challenge over on SoShelli.com.  I've never won anything like this before and I have to admit that I'm totally over the moon about it.  I love this little turtle and had so much fun making this card.  I'm also grateful for the FREE RUBBAH that is coming my way.  Stay tuned to see what I requested. :)

You can check out all the other beautiful winners on Shelli Gardner's Blog.  And you can also submit an entry for the September Christmas Card Challenge.  (You don't have to be a demonstrator to win, but you do have to create a card with Stampin' Up! products).  All you have to do is create a beautiful Christmas Card and post it on a blog or in a public gallery and then post a link to it in the comment section for this month's challenge.  Then you too can enjoy some FREE RUBBAH!!!

Friday, September 16, 2011

Just Be Thankful

Colors: Calypso Coral, Very Vanilla, Basic Black. Stamps: Just Believe.  Punches: Decorative Label.  Accessories: First Edition Specialty Designer Series Paper, Calypso Coral Ruffled Ribbon, 1/4" Black Grosgrain Ribbon.


Earlier this week, I showed you a Thank You Card we'll be making at Susie's private Thank You Card class.  This is the other one.  Just Believe was my favorite new stamp set in the 2010-2011 Idea Book and Catalog. Sometimes I get sooo busy using the new products, I forget about the older favorites so it was fun to pull this one out again.  I just love using this image as a silhouette like in this example, or coloring the stamp with markers for a more natural look.

It also morphed into this week's Stampin' Addicts Sketch Challenge.  Anyone is invited to play along in any of the great challenges we offer at Stampin' Addicts.  The site also has a wonderful Stampin' Up! only gallery organized by stamp set that anyone can visit any time.  Ever stumped on what to do with a particular stamp set, or just need new ideas for an old favorite, the Stampin' Addict Gallery will inspire you!

I also wanted to share with you a little sneak peek of a project I've been working on this week for my Spooktacular Stampin' Buffet.  Starting next week, you'll start to see a lot of Halloween Projects, including the rest of this fun project, posted here so stay tuned!!

And I'm trying out some new share it tools.  Try them out and tell me what you think!

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Wednesday, September 14, 2011

The Open Seas still available

Generally, when the Summer Mini Catalog ends, all the stamps, papers and embellishments that didn't make it into the Idea Book and Catalog are no longer available.  This year, Stampin' Up! made an exception with one of my favorite sets from the Summer Mini: The Open Seas.

This set is perfect for masculine cards for any occasion: birthday, Father's Day, graduation, retirement, sympathy, etc, etc. I think I also love it because it reminds me of growing up in the San Francisco Bay Area with lots of nautical-themed things all around. Here are a couple of cards I've made with this set:
Colors: Soft Suede, Cherry Cobbler, Very Vanilla. Stamps: The Open Seas.  Punches: 1-1/4" and 1-3/8" circles. Accessories: Retired Designer Series Paper, Vintage Trinkets.
Colors: Crumb Cake, Not Quite Navy and Whisper White.  Stamps: The Open Seas. Accessories: Baker's Twine, Retired Designer Series Paper.

The set comes with five coordinating stamps including the ship, globe, compass, and anchor images and a larger background image that looks like a handwritten ship log.  (That ships log also reminds me of census records and could be used for all kinds of heritage scrapbooking.)

You can order the stamp set online or anytime by contacting me. It is available in both clear mount (item 123032) for $18.95 and wood mount (item 123030) for $23.95.  It is also available as a digital download for My Digital Studio (item 124112) for $3.95.  Unfortunately, the coordinating Designer Series Paper is no long available as paper, but is available as a digital download for My Digital Studio (item 124111) for $4.95

Today is also the last day to RSVP for my All Occasions Buffet this weekend.  Don't miss out!  Let me know today what you'd like to make and how many of each.  You can see all the projects here: Sept. Stampin' Buffet.  I hope to see you there!

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Monday, September 12, 2011

Sketch Challenge Inspiration

Last week, I had the opportunity to be at the Stampin' Up! home offices in Riverton, Utah.  I love going there because it is just so inspiring.  One of the things I love to look at when I'm there is the international catalogs they have in the lobby.

As I was flipping through the pages of the New Zealand Idea Book and Catalog, a particular sample caught my eye and I immediately thought, that would make a great sketch challenge.  Surely, it can't be in our catalog too because I would have noticed it.  Right?

Wrong!  There it is on page 128 with the Notably Ornate stamp set.  Not sure why I never noticed it before.  But it was the perfect inspiration for last week's Stampin' Addicts sketch challenge (sketch challenge 109 for those of you keeping track at home).  Here's the sketch:
And here is what I created with the sketch:
Colors: Lucky Limeade, Pool Party, Island Indigo, Whisper White.  Stamps: Easy Events. Punches: 1-3/4" and 2-3/8" Scallop Circles.  Accessories: Island Indigo Ruffled Ribbon, Stampin' Write Markers, Crystal Effects
I needed to design a card for a private card class I have coming up next week and this one was perfect.  It fit the theme (Thank You cards) and it features the In Colors which I'm featuring a special on the this month.

If you would like to host your own private card class for you and your friends, let me know.  It's a great way to spend an afternoon or evening with your friends creating and having fun.Contact me today!

Friday, September 9, 2011

My Digital Studio Recipe Pages

I can't resist a good swap.  And while I didn't sign up for 18 swaps at convention this year like I have in the past, I still signed up for plenty.

One of the easiest swaps I did this year was a My Digital Studio 6x6 recipe swap.  Here are two of the recipes I swapped:

Colors: Early Espresso, Pear Pizazz, Cajun Craze.  MDS Kits: Autumn Spice, Vintage Brads

Colors: Early Espresso, More Mustard, Pear Pizazz, Cajun Craze.  MDS Kits: Autumn Spice, Stitching
Are you wondering how I made 6x6 pages when MDS doesn't currently have a 6x6 option?  After picking my background paper, I selected a square punch and resized it to 6x6.  You can resize any punch by dragging a corner, but if you need an exact size, like this use the "resize" tool in the Design Center on the right side of you screen. Love this feature!
That 6x6 square became my canvas and I started filling it with page elements.  When I had it exactly how I wanted it, I deleted the 6x6 square and then clicked on "Select All" (you can do that through the arrange menu, holding the ctrl button on your keyboard and dragging you mouse over the elements you want to select, or my favorite keyboard shortcut - ctrl + A.  Then I grouped them together using the arrange menu or ctrl + G on your keyboard.  This is what it looked like at that point.

Once everything is grouped together, it's easy to move, copy and paste, etc.  So that's what I did - dragged it to the top corner, then copied it and pasted it three times to place one in each corner.  I used the align tools to make sure they were all exactly even.  It looked like this:
After I had that all done, I sent them off to the printer and when they were delivered to my doorstep, I cut them into fours and they were ready to swap.

I know what you are thinking though -- what if you don't need four copies of the same 6x6 page?  Then instead of filling the back ground with a single Designer Series Paper, you would leave it white and fill your 6x6 square instead and just design four different 6x6 squares, one in each corner.  

I hope that all made sense and that maybe you learned something in all of it about My Digital Studio.

Wednesday, September 7, 2011

Designer Fabric Button Rings

From L-R: Candy Cane Christmas, Timeless Portrait, Deck the Halls, and Spice Cake Designer Series Fabric.
Aren't these fun?  Some gals in my neighborhood made fabric button rings last fall.  I knew that Stampin' Up!'s Designer Series Fabric would be perfect for these. And the Big Shot makes it so easy to make them too.

I used the 7/8" button kits that you can get at any fabric store.  They have different sizes if you want to make smaller or bigger buttons.  You can look for the ring bases with the jewelry-making items at your favorite big box craft store. 

For this size of button, you need a 1-3/4" circle of fabric.  And how handy is it that Stampin' Up! just happens to have the Circle #2 die for the Big Shot that cuts that size of circle.  (And not just one layer of the fabric, but up to 8 layers of fabric at once!!)

Follow the directions on the back of the button kit to assemble the button.  Then remove the button shank.  I used some pliers and just gave it a good yank and it came right out.  Don't twist.  I made that mistake the first time and I was sorry. I used Crystal Effects to adhere the buttons to the ring bases and it worked perfectly.  (See, it's not just for making colored images shiny. It also works as a strong glue). 

I made these as convention gifts for my Stampin' Addicts Sistahs and a few other special friends.  They were a big hit! (And no, I don't wear all four of those rings at once, but you could make coordinating ones from the different fabric packages to wear together.)

We will be making these at my All Occasions Stamp Buffet on September 16 & 17.  They will be $2.50 each or 3 for $7 and you will have your choice of fabrics to cut and make that day.

Monday, September 5, 2011

Countdown to Halloween

Last week I showed you a countdown to Christmas.  This week I'm sharing a countdown to another holiday that children frequently ask how long til:  Halloween.  It's also one of the featured projects at my All Occasions Stampin' Buffet this month:
Colors: Perfect Plum, Old Olive, Pumpkin Pie, Basic Black, Whisper White. Stamps: Festive and Fun.  Big Shot: Square Scallop Duo, Billboard Decorative Strip.  Tools: Crop-a-dile. Accessories: Markers, Chalkboard  Decor Element Sheet, Basic Black Scalloped Dot Ribbon, Basic Black and Pumpkin Pie Grosgrain Ribbon. Other: Chalkboard Marker.
The black scallop square is die cut from our Chalkboard Decor Element Sheets so each day you can erase the number and right a new one on there.  I used a chalkboard marker to add the dots in the scallop and write the number, but you can use regular chalk as well.

The base of these are some On Board Small Book Basics that Stampin' Up sold a few years back.  I've been hoarding a couple of packages of them, but this is the perfect use for them.  They measure 5-1/2"x7" so they are the perfect size to hang, or put on an easel.

And notice the Festive and Fun set again?  I'm getting a lot of use of this cute set.  Love it!

If you want to make one of your own, come September 16 or 17 to my Stampin' Buffet.  They are $6 each but I only have a limited number of those boards so RSVP today!  You can see all the other projects here: All Occasions Stampin' Buffet.  And don't worry too much that this is the only Halloween project this month.  Next month will be all about Halloween so stay tuned.

Friday, September 2, 2011

Fun and Festive Swap

I can't resist a good swap.  Especially when a new catalog comes out.  So even though Valentines is still months away and we have a lot of really great holidays between now and then, I'm showing you a Valentine's Card that I made for a recent Stampin' Addict Holiday Mini swap.

Colors: Pink Pirouette, Cherry Cobbler, Whisper White.  Stamps: Festive and Fun.  Punches: Modern Label.  Big Shot: Polka Dot Embossing Folder.  Accessories: Dazzling Details, Silver Brads, Taffeta Ribbon, Markers, and White Gel Pen.

Sometimes to switch things up a little bit, I like to use Pink Pirouette as a neutral Card Stock.  It's a light enough color that it can take other ink on top of it.  And the Card Stock itself is a titch thicker than the others so it holds up to coloring pretty well.  Here I stamped the Valentine in Black Stazon and colored it with Cherry Cobbler.  One of the other fun things about using Pink Pirouette for a base, is then you can use white as an accent.  I colored in some of the sections with our white gel pen to give it some more color.

This stamp has that cute heart for a V and I really wanted to make it pop.  So I stamped just that heart on Cherry Cobbler and used the white gel pen for the dots.  Then I cut it out and used a dimensional on top of the original image on the card.

It does seem very strange to be sharing a Valentines Card in October.  At some point in my stamping obsession, I've become oblivious to the calendar and just started stamping whatever, whenever.  But this stamp set is only available until January 3 and it does include a cute Christmas and Halloween image too so don't wait until Valentines to order it.  You can see more about this set in this previous post: FESTIVE AND FUN SNEAK PEEK.

Thursday, September 1, 2011

Happy September!

September is here!  For stampers, that means all the brand new stamps, paper, gadgets and gizmos from the Holiday Mini Catalog are now available!  I've showed off several stamps here over the past month and I've even told you some of the other fun things that would be in the catalog.  But in case you missed it, here are some hightlights!
  • The brand new Simply Scored Tool!!!  So excited about this (as if the three exclamation points didn't give that away).  I've had a different score board for years and I thought I loved it, but I had no idea what I was missing.  Stampin' Up's Simply Scored has score lines at every 1/8".  It comes with a stylus that fits perfectly in the holder at the bottom and it comes with three removable markers that you can place above any score line to remind yourself where you need to score.  All for $29.95. 
  • Pages of brand new Halloween stuff.  I hope you got to see samples made with the great Halloween products during the blog hop.  Everything from eerie to cute, whatever your Halloween taste, you'll find it in this catalog.
  • Remember the M&M bags from last year's Halloween Buffet?  They are in the catalog!  Yay!
  • Spice Cake Suite!  I've professed my love for this suite before.  I used it to redecorate my blog in honor of the occasion. What do you think?
  • New embellishments: Mica Flakes, Mini Jingle Bells, Dazzling Details, and Pewter Embossing Powder just to name a few.
  • Two different beautiful types of ribbons - 3/8" Velvet Stitched in Very Vanilla and 3/8" Quilted Satin Ribbon in Early Espresso and Cherry Cobbler
  • New Holiday-themed Personalized Address Stamps
  • New Big Shot stuff: Textured Embossing folder, Letterpress and 3 new dies including the cutest Christmas Stocking!
  • Two new punches
  • A Christmas-themed Simply Scrappin' Kit with a cute matching album
  • Buttons and Fabric
  • MUCH, MUCH MORE!
Click on the Holiday Mini Catalog icon on the right there to see the entire thing.  Or click in the shop now button and beat the rush!

Also, since it's a new month, that means new Specials!!!  And this month, I am offering an exclusive offer that is only available from me! Click on the exclusive offer page above for all the details.  Let's just say it involves some of my favorite new things and free stuff!

What are you most excited about in the new Holiday Mini?