Category Archives: Tips

Gleaming Trees For Sale Christmas

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handmade gleaming Trees For Sale Christmas card

This Gleaming Trees For Sale Christmas card is another example of what you can do with my July Bundle of the Month. This ‘bundle’ consists of the Trees For Sale stamp set and the free Trees Lot Dies you can get with a $100 purchase during Sale-A-Bration. When you buy the Trees For Sale stamp set and get the Tree Lot Dies from me during July, I will send you a free bundle of 5 tutorials to use the ‘bundle’. You can see the bundle here and another card I have shared on my blog here.

The Trees For Sale stamp set and Tree Lot Dies can also be used to make beautiful cards. Today I combined the Evening Evergreen Glimmer paper and the beautiful Distressed Gold Specialty Paper with Cherry Cobbler, Evening Evergreen, and Basic White cardstock. Check out the glimmer and shine!

a second shot of the Gleaming Trees For Sale Christmas Card

Supplies List for Gleaming Trees For Sale Christmas Card

  • Glimmer 12″ x 12″ Specialty Paper (159537) Evening Evergreen 4″ x 3″
  • Distressed Gold 12″ x 12″ Specialty Paper (159237) 6″ X 3 1/4″
  • Cherry Cobbler Cardstock (119685) 7″ x 6 1/4″ scored at 3 1/2 ” lengthwise and folded for card base
  • Basic White Cardstock (159276) scrap for greeting
  • Adhesive Sheets (152334) 4″ x 3″
  • Stampin’ Seal (152813)
  • Stampin’ Dimensionals (104430)
  • Paper Trimmer (152392)
  • Mini Stampin’ Cut & Emboss Machine (150673)
  • This link will take you to a shopping cart with all these supplies in it. You can remove any that you already have.

Tip for Using Detailed Dies

When using detailed dies like on the evergreen trees. Apply adhesive sheets to the back of your cardstock/glimmer paper/foil sheets before you die cut your images. It will make adhering the images much easier than trying to put small dots of liquid glue on them. In fact, I recommend that you have at least a 5 1/2″ x 4″ piece of each color cardstock backed with an adhesive sheet in your stash so it will be ready when needed.

Thank you for stopping by to read my blog. I’d love to have you first order the supplies to make this card for yourself and then to leave a comment so I know you have been by.

Beautiful Trees Mistake Card

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Handmade Beautiful Trees Mistake Christmas card created with the Bark embossing folder and Beautiful Trees dies.

Yes, this is a Beautiful Trees Mistake card. I love it when mistakes turn out much better than what you had imagined. I wanted to create the illusion of bark on a tree die-cut from Gray Granite cardstock with the Beautiful Trees die. So I inked one side of the Bark embossing folder with Gray Granite ink and embossed the tree. So this is what I got. It’s not the effect I was going for as tree branches don’t have diagonal lines on them.

Die-cut Beautiful Trees tree embossed with Bark embossing folder.

So I quit working on the project. Later I returned to use one of the trees on a Christmas card and decided to emboss the card front with the Bark embossing folder. I had neglected to wash the folder off after inking it and was very surprised when the card front was not only embossed but had ink on it. I actually love the effect! It reminds me of a dense forest of trees. So I added a layer of Basic White to be snow on the ground, the tree, and some red birds. The word Joy from the Merriest Moments stamp set finishes off this Beautiful Trees Mistake card.

Supplies Used

  • Merriest Moments stamp set
  • Gray Granite and Real Red Classic Stampin’ Inks
  • Basic White Cardstock – 8 1/2″ x 5 1/2″ scored and folded for card base, scrap
  • Gray Granite Cardstock – scrap
  • Real Red Cardstock – scrap
  • Bark 3D Embossing Folder
  • Beautiful Trees Dies
  • Stampin’ Cut & Emboss Machine
  • Multipurpose Liquid Glue, Stampin’ Dimensionals, Mini Glue Dots
  • Tdo order the supplies used in this project, click here. Any items you don’t need to order can easily be deleted from the shopping cart.

Stunning All Things Fabulous Bundle

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Handmade greeting card created with the All Things Fabulous bundle

The stunning All Things Fabulous Bundle (154112) enables you to make beautiful floral cards and decorate 3D items. This bundle includes a set of 26 photopolymer stamps and is a 3-step stamp set. This gives you the ability to create a wonderful sense of depth to the flowers. With so many stamps, it is easy to get confused as to how to use them all. Let me share some things I have discovered to make it easier for you.

The stamp case insert has the three stamps for each flower grouped together in a line. That is helpful. The clear plastic sheet the stamps stick to not only has the stamped image of the stamp but also has the three stamps to use labelled in very tiny, almost microscopic print along with an arrow showing the direction the stamp faces to line up with each stamp of the series. Honestly, I did not see the tiny print even after someone said it was there. I thought the labelling was missing on my set. Finally, I was able to see it when I got the light to reflect just right off the plastic sheet. I have created a cheat sheet for you with the labeling and direction arrows hand-written so even aging eyes like mine can see them. I also found positioning the dies a little challenging at first so I have included the die to use next to each set of stamps. I hope this cheat sheet will help you as much as it has helped me. I keep it close by so I can see the positioning of each stamp. See photo 2.

Photo shows all the stamps and dies in All Things Fabulous bundle

On a side note, I though 4a and 5a were leaves with 4b and 5b being flowers to nest with the leaves. After several tries, it dawned on me that 4a and 4b were a two-step flower with 4c being the stem. The same is true for 5a, 5b, and 5c.

In 3-step stamping, ink the stamp with the least detail with the lightest color stamp, the next greater detail with the next darker ink, and the stamp with the greatest detail with the darkest ink. Sometimes it helps to stamp off once one of the colors to create a nice gradation of depth of color. Use the lines and spaces on each successive stamp in a series to guide in placement of each stamp. Have fun experimenting with different color combinations while practicing placement of the stamps. See photo 3 with some of the combinations I really like.

Photo share color combinations I have chosen for the three-step stamped flowers

TO MAKE THE STUNNING ALL THINGS FABULOUS BUNDLE CARD

Supplies:
Stamp sets – All Things Fabulous, Forever Fern (speckles stamp)

Inks –
Combo 1 for rose – Petal Pink, Blushing Bride, Rococo Rose
Combo 2 for rose – Purple Posy (retired), Highland Heather*, Gorgeous Grape
Combo for flower 5 – Balmy Blue, Pacific Point
Pear Pizzazz, Cinnamon Cider
*since Purple Posy ink is retired, use Highland Heather ink stamped off once for first layer

Cardstock – Whisper White 8 ½” x 5 ½” scored and folded for card base, 5” x 3 ¾”, scraps for large flowers and label;  Pacific Point 5 ¼” x 4”, Mossy Meadow 5” x 2”

Accessories – Fabulous Florals Dies, Stampin’ Cut & Emboss Machine, Rectangle Stitched Frames, Stampin’ Seal, Stampin’ Dimensionals, Mini Stampin Dimensionals

Instructions:
1. Adhere Pacific Point CS to card base with Stampin’ Seal
2. Randomly stamp small flowers and leaves on 5” x 3 ¾” Whisper White piece. Hint – Place all three leaf stamps on D acrylic block and only have to stamp it twice on this layer.
3. Fill in blank spaces with the speckles stamp using Cinnamon Cider ink. Then adhere this layer to card front.
4. Cut the Mossy Meadow CS out with the beautiful lattice die. Adhere it to the card front with a bit of Stampin’ Seal.
5. Stamp the greeting on Whisper White CS with Pear Pizzazz ink.
6.Use the next to smallest skinny rectangle to cut out the greeting. However, the label will be too wide and cover too much of the Mossy Meadow diecut. Make the label thinner by placing the die on the CS so that one edge of the die is close to the stamped image and run through the die-cutting machine. Place the resulting label back in the die matching the stitching on the ends and cutting off part of the width of the label.
7. Adhere the label to card front with Stampin’ Dimensionals.
8. Stamp the rose series of stamps that are open at the top on scraps of Whisper White CS once with the Combo 1 of inks and once with the Combo 2. Cut out with the matching die. Add to the card front with Stampin’ Dimensionals.
9. Stamp the flower 5 series with Balmy Blue and Pacific Point inks and cut out with die. Add to card front by corner of label with Stampin’ Mini Dimensional.

Order this stunning All Things Fabulous Bundle and follow along as I share different samples using this bundle in the next few blog posts. I will also be featuring it on this coming Friday’s FaceBook Live at 3 pm on my Soggy Stamper Facebook page.

What’s Up with All the Adhesives?

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photo shows all the adhesives available in the 2020-2021 Annual Stampin' Up! Catalog

What’s up with all the adhesives on page 162 in the Annual catalog? There are so many that I don’t know what to use! Let me help you sort it out. The new Stampin’ Up! online store that England has been using for the last 6 months or so divides the adhesives up into three general categories.

Tapes for Basics

This category includes Stampin’ Seal and Stampin’ Seal +, our product to replace SNAIL adhesive. These two products have an ergonomic design that fits comfortably in your hand and applies a line of adhesive. The regular Stampin’ Seal is for adhering layers on cards while the Stampin’ Seal + is for 3D projects. Tear & Tape is another tape that creates an even tighter hold when joining two pieces of cardstock together in a 3D project. Here is a tip: When adhering a strip of ribbon to your project, lay the ribbon on a craft sheet and apply the Stampin’ Seal along the ribbon.

Glue for Embellishmenst

This category includes Multipurpose Liquid Glue, Fine-tip Glue Pen, and Mini-Glue Dots. These are perfect for adhering sequins, bows, and small die-cuts. I have a tip for this category too: When using Multipurpose Liquid Glue, use just small dots. A little goes a long way. I also suggest using the liquid glue to adhere layers when you need to adjust the position a bit as the glue takes a moment to set.

Foam for Dimension

The new 2020-2021 Annual catalog has a wonderful assortment of adhesive foam products to meet various creative needs. There are the Stampin’ Dimensional in both white and black and in mini size to add height to parts of your design. You can also purchase foam strips to support a long edge of a layer and to make shaker boxes. An exciting addition this year is the Foam Adhesive Sheets. Now you can adhere the foam to the back of a piece of cardstock of designer series paper and then die-cut an object like letters or hearts or…  Then you just peel off the paper backing and stick the object down on your card front. No longer do you have to take time to put multiple Stampin’ Dimensionals on the item!

Other Adhesives

There are two other products on this page of adhesives that I want to point out. First is adhesive sheets. Like the Foam Adhesive Sheets, you can apply the adhesive sheet to the back of your cardstock before cutting an object out. Then remove the paper backing and adhere the die-cut to your project. Another way to use this and to conserve on the sheets is to lift the paper cover and stick a die-cut down on the sticky surface. Replace the covering paper and rub the die-cut to make sure all the sticky gets transferred to your die-cut. Then use a Take Your Pick to lift the die-cut off the adhesive sheet. This way you can use the sheet over and over again.

The second product I am really excited about solves the problem of having your old clear mount stamps not sticking to the acrylic blocks. This is the Cling Adhesive. Yes, now we can buy the wonderful cling used in the labels of our cling rubber stamps. You get a package of 168 strips that are 1 ¾” x ¾”. Just one strip is all that is needed to hold those older stamps to your blocks.

I hope this article has helped you know what is up with all the adhesives Stampin’ Up! offers and guides you to know when to use each of them. Contact me if you have any questions or need to order them.

Stamping With Kids Is Fun

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Simple handmade birthday card using the Zany Zebra stamp set. This card is a perfect one to make when stamping with kids.

Stamping with kids is fun and can be challenging or it can be very gratifying. There are some things I have learned over the years that might help you enjoy the time spent with your kids.

  • First you need to keep the projects simple. This card is a good example of this. I chose a stamp set that would appeal to children. This is the Zany Zebras stamp set (152536). The zebras are cute and don’t need to be colored in. You can fine other stamp sets that would appeal to kids on pages 94-99 of the 2020 – 2021 Annual catalog. I stamped the three different zebra images randomly on the Whisper White cardstock with Memento Ink and added a greeting in the middle. With kids I suggest they stamp the greeting first and then stamp the animals around it. That layer was then added to the card base of Mango Melody cardstock.
  • It is important to give the kids a brief lesson on how to use the stamps, ink pads, and adhesives. Show them to tap, tap, tap the stamp onto the ink pad rather than pressing down really hard. Teach them to close up the stamp pads as soon as they have finished using it to avoid getting ink all over everything. Show them how to clean the stamps as soon as they have used them by stamping off the excess ink onto scrap paper before washing them. This keeps your scrubber from getting filled with ink right away.
  • You may have a specific designed project for the kids to make but be prepared for them to do their own thing. I used to get so frustrated because the kids would totally cover the card with images ruining (in my mind) the composition by adding too much stuff. But you know what? They were having great fun and enjoying being creative! Isn’t that the purpose of introducing them to stamping?
  • Another thing I have learned when stamping with kids is to have a predetermined amount of product available for them to use. I had a class of girls that were about ten years old. The project included using self-adhesive rhinestones and I just put the package out on the table. I had intended them to each use only three rhinestones. However, they would have used the whole package if I hadn’t stopped them! Oops…lesson learned. Cut up the package into pieces containing the three rhinestones they are to use and give one to each stamper, then put the rest away.
  • Finally, relax! Stamping with kids is fun. It is a wonderful way to spend a rainy afternoon or when they are bored. The time spent together is well worth the effort and you are encouraging their creativity. I hope these point on stamping with kids help. Contact me for more ideas or answers to questions you may have.

Supplies to make sample card

Happy Fourth of July Card

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Handmade Happy Fourth of July Card created with Dandelion Wishes.

Here is my Happy Fourth of July Card for you. When you don’t have star stamps or dies, you have to be creative to make a Fourth of July card. This stamp set is Dandelion Wishes (151345) and the dandelion seed heads look a lot like mini fireworks to me. I stamped the image in Versamark…no, I first used markers to color the stamp and then stamped it in Versamark. Big mistake! I should have stamped first in Versamark and then colored with the markers as my Versamark pad got red, blue, and yellow ink on it. Anyways, I then put retired Iridescent Ice embossing powder on the image and heat embossed it. I also did this with the greeting. The glitter from the embossing powder doesn’t show up in the above photo but check out this close-up one.

Close up of Iridescent Ice embossed details of card created with Dandelion Wishes.

You can use a similar technique to emboss an image in any color you want. First ink the stamp with Versamark and then ink with your desired color. Stamp the image and emboss with clear embossing powder.

Supplies To Make This Happy Fourth of July Card

  • Night of Navy Cardstock 11″ x 4 1/4″ scored at 5 1/2″ and folded for card base
  • Retired red glimmer paper 5 1/4″ x 4″
  • Whisper White Cardstock 5″ x 3 3/4″
  • Dandelion Wishes and retired More Great Greetings stamp sets
  • Versamark Ink and Pacific Point, Real Red, retired Pineapple Punch Stampin’ Write Markers
  • retired Iridescent Ice embossing powder, heat tool, Well-Written Dies (151816)
  • Stampin’ Seal, Stampin Dimensionals

So here’s to a great Fourth of July! Stay safe, keep your distance and mask up!

Taking Good Care of Your Stampin’ Blends

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Photo of some Stampin' Blends

Taking good care of your Stampin’ Blends is of utmost importance if you love them as much as I do. Since the Stampin’ Blends are alcohol-based inks, they will dry out much faster than a water based- marker when exposed to air.  That is why the tops are extremely tight.  When you are closing your markers, make sure you hear a “click” which will assure you that your marker is closed correctly.  You may even want to press the end that you closed down on the table to be extra careful.

The caps have an interior well which is designed to keep the marker wet as long as possible.  Make certain you have inserted the marker tip straight-on into the top.  If not, you may mash the tip of the marker and blunt the tip.  So, take time to close your markers correctly.

Do not leave your markers open for long periods of time.  When coloring an image in which I am switching colors, I slide the tip loosely into the top case so they are not exposed to the air when I know I will be using that color several times.

There are two ends to your Stampin’ Blends.  One end is a brush type nib and the other end is more like a pen to create find lines.  There is a white line on each of the caps.  One has a thicker line which goes to the brush type end and the thin line goes to the thin, pen type end.  Make certain you are adding the correct top.  There is also a picture on each end of the marker showing the thick and the thin ends of the marker.

When storing your Stampin’ Blends, make certain they are stored horizontally.  The barrel is rectangular shaped to keep them from rolling and helps keep them from rolling away.

By taking good care of your Stampin’ Blends, they will have a much longer life.

Top Seven Stamping Tips

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New to stamping? Or want to improve your stamping? Read on for my top seven stamping tips and tricks!

Priming solid stamps

Ever ink up a brand new solid stamp and get a streaky-looking image when you stamp it? Just gently rub a plain clean eraser over the surface of the stamp. Clean any bits of eraser left behind with a baby wipe (I like the Kirkland brand at Costco because they don’t leave lint behind). Then ink and stamp. It’s amazing what a little priming can do to create a clean stamped impression.

No More Halos

Haloing is when a stamped image has lines of ink outside of the actual inked impression. To avoid halos, ink your stamp and gently press straight down on your paper

Too Much of a Good Thing

The foam ink pads can sometimes be so juicy that you get too much ink on a stamp. So tap, tap, tap instead of squish, squish, squish when you ink up your stamp. Also, look at the inked stamp before you stamp with it. If you can see the raised edges of the design with ink on the top of the ridges rather than pooled ink in the valleys, you’re good to go.

Stamp Platform

If you are using layered or two-step stamps, or have hand or wrist weakness or pain, the Stamparatus (146276) is a must-have instead of a nice-to-have. To use the Stamparatus, simply place your cardstock on one side of the tool and secure it with the included magnets. Place your stamp on top of the cardstock image side down, positioning it wherever you want the image to be. Once you are happy with your stamp positioning, gently close the lid, then open it again. The stamp will cling to the lid in perfect position! Ink the stamp surface, close the lid and your image will be stamped on to the cardstock. And if any of the ink didn’t transfer perfectly, just ink and close the lid again.

For two-step stamping, stamp the first layer with the Stamparatus. Keep the cardstock where it is, then remove the stamp. Place the second layer of the design on top of the stamped image and close the lid. Ink the stamp, then close the lid. Repeat for all stamp layers.

Get More out of Sentiment Stamps

Create different messages from your sentiment stamps by masking off portions to say something different! Use washi tape, clear tape, or any other low tack tape such as painter’s tape to cover up any of the words you don’t want. Ink your stamp, remove the tape, and stamp. Now you’re saying exactly what you want.

Easy Masking for Dimension

Create dimension by using the masking technique. Masking makes an image look as though it’s in front of, or behind, another image.

Begin by stamping the image on scrap paper. This is the mask, so don’t worry about stamping a prefect image. Sometimes I stamp onto a Post-It note so that the sticky border on the back is perfectly placed on the other side. Cut out the image

Now stamp the same image on to your cardstock. Place the mask over the stamped image. Stamp another image next to the first, with the edge of the stamp overlapping the sticky note mask. Remove the mask and you’ll see one image behind the other!

A Clean Stamp is a Happy Stamp

While stained stamps are well-loved, a dirty stamp will not make clear impressions. A quick swipe across the Simply Shammy (147042) as you go will make clean up a breeze. Then a deep clean every so often with the Stampin’ Mist (102394) and Stampin’ Scrub (126200) will keep your stamps in top shape.

I hope these seven top stamping tips and tricks will help you in your creating with stamps! Which ones will you try out next time you have your stamps out?

Using Pigment Sprinkles

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My first attempts at using Pigment Sprinkles (149663) was a learning experience. Pigment Sprinkles are a new product in the 2019-2020 Annual catalog found on page 179. They are watercolor crystals in some of Stampin’ Up!’s signature colors and are HIGHLY concentrated. They come in a set of 6 colors, Bermuda Bay, Daffodil Delight, Granny Apple Green, Gorgeous Grape, Mango Melody, and Melon Mambo. The bottles have a screw-on lid and a plastic insert with three holes that are covered with a hinged closure. Mix these crystals with water to make color washes.

I was going for a light blue wash for a sky and a green wash for grass. My first try using Pigment Sprinkles resulted in the green being OK but…oh my…did I ever get too much Bermuda Bay! I punched out a piece of blue painter’s tape to make a circle mask for the sun. That is why the white spot in my ‘sky’.

first try at using Pigment Sprinkles

My second try using pigment sprinkles was a little better as far as intensity of color was concerned. Can you say…green haze over everything? 🙂

second try at using Pigment Sprinkles

On my third try using pigment sprinkles, I put just one tiny clump of Bermuda Bay crystals, spritzed just a little water on the clump and then used an aqua painter to spread the color around. I added another tiny speck of crystals to another spot until I got good coverage. I also added a touch of the Bermuda Bay sprinkles to the Granny Apple sprinkles to change the color of the grass. A tiny touch of Daffodil Delight sprinkles colored the sun after removing the painter’s tape mask. This is what I was going for. I love the final card!

greeting card using Pigment Sprinkles and Inspiring Iris stamp set

So my advice to you is to get these Pigment Sprinkles and play around with them. They are easy to mix to get other shades and colors. Be sure to use watercolor paper or Shimmery White cardstock that will hold up under use of water. Most importantly, add just a touch of sprinkles at first and add more if needed.

Supplies Used:

Stamp Set – Inspiring Iris (photopolymer – 149268)
Paper (including cutting measurements) –
Bermuda Bay cardstock (131197) 8 1/2″ x 5 1/2″
Watercolor paper (149612) 5 1/4″ x 4″
Whisper White cardstock (100730) 5 1/2 x 4″ for inside
Inks –
Tuxedo Black Memento Ink (132708)
Pear Pizzazz Classic Stampin’ Pad (147104)
Gorgeous Grape Classic Stampin’ Pad (147099)
Accessories –
Pigment Sprinkles (149663)
Aqua Painter (103954)
SNAIL Adhesive (104332)
Stampin’ Dimensionals (104430)
Blue Painter’s Tape (to tape off a border)

Thanks for coming by to visit. Grab a cup of coffee or tea and sit a while and browse through my posts. Please leave a comment so I know you have been here.

Loving the Frost White Shimmer Paint

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photo shows my messy work area

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yes, I am in love with all the Shimmer Paints reintroduced in the 2018 Holiday Catalog on pg.38! Stampin’ Up! sold them several years ago and I bought several bottles of the Frost White Shimmer Paint when they were retired. I am so excited that they are once again offered.

This photo is the beginning of making swap cards for On Stage in Orlando when Stampin’ Up! will end a year of celebrating their 30th anniversary with a huge party. I have sponged Frost White Shimmer Paint onto the evergreen tree stamp from the Winter Woods stamp set and then stamped it on Mossy Meadow cardstock. I’m making 32 identical cards for this swap so have stamped it 32 times pus a couple extra for good measure. The next step will be to cut them all out with the corresponding die.

When making a large number of the same card, you do it assembly line style. You cut all the card bases, cut all of a second layer, stamp all the images and cut out those needed to be cut out, tie all the bows you might be using, and stamp your greeting on all the top layers of the card front before putting everything together. Then you assemble all the cards step by step. This is a much more efficient way to do it. And now with the Stamparatus (146276), you can position your stamps on the plates once and put each piece of cardstock to be stamped into position, ink the stamp and stamp it then remove the cardstock and put the next piece in without having to move the stamp. It’s much faster!

I will share the finished card with you in a couple of days. Be sure to come visit again! You can order the Winter Woods bundle by clicking on the images below.

What To Do When The Day Is A Scorcher

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picture of a fan, sweating sun

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When the temperatures get in the high 80’s and above everyone looks for ways to escape the heat. I have a great suggestion:  find a good fan if you don’t have air-conditioning and spend the day STAMPING! The best spot in my stamp room is right under the ceiling fan. To further take your mind off the heat’ stamp Christmas cards! If you start now, you will have all your cards made and ready to mail in early December.

The 2018 – 2019 Annual Catalog has a nice selection of Christmas stamps, designer series paper, and accessories on pgs. 92 – 103. Check them out. Some of my favorite stamps and dies from last year’s Holiday catalog are there and there is a beautiful dis-INK-tive stamp Stylish Christmas (wood – 146770, clear – 146773). Click on the numbers to go to my online store to order your stamp set.

photo of card created with Stylish Christmas stamp setindex of Stylish Christmas stamp set

 

 

 

 

 

Dis-INK-tive stamps are a new type of rubber stamp that gives dimensional shading in just one stamp. Areas of the rubber are cut deeply to hold more ink and other areas are shallowly cut to hold less ink. Sponging the ink on the stamp or using the sponge brayer yields excellent results.

My final words for you are…Be Cool…Stamp! 🙂

 

12 Cards in 2 1/2Hours???

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handmade thank you cards created with a variety of dspDo you need a bunch of cards but little time to make them? Then you will want to read this post. Last night I needed to make 12 thank you cards for the MOPS group (Mothers of PreSchoolers) for today. Here’s how I did it.

  1. Since they needed to be big so lots of mothers could sign them, I used 12 full 8 1/2″ x 11″ sheets of Whisper White cardstock folded in half. I saved time this way because there was no cutting for the card base.
  2. Next I cut 12 of a variety of designer series papers to 5 1/4″ x 8 1/4″ for a layer. Stampin’ Up!’s designer series papers are so beautiful that they make the card.
  3. I did coordinate the colors of ink on the greeting to the designer series papers and stamped Thank You (a retired Watercolor Thank You stamp) 12 times. Then I cut them all out.
  4. Now was time to put the cards together. I stamped the inside greeting on all the cards first. The Stamparatus made this step a snap. I also stamped my name on the back of the cards at this time.
  5. I adhered the dsp to the card base with SNAIL adhesive and added a ribbon treatment. For most of the cards I put SNAIL adhesive on the back of the greetings and stuck the ribbon down to the SNAIL. Then added the greeting to the card front with Stampin’ Dimensionals.

And the cards were done! By doing an assembly line process for all the steps up to 5, I was able to finish all 12 cards in 2 1/2 hours.

I encourage you to stock up on these beautiful designer series papers before they retire on May 31. As you can see, they make a beautiful card with little effort. Click on the links below to order them. Unfortunately, the Delightful Daisy Designer Series papers and the Lots of Labels Framelits have already sold out. Be sure to check the retiring list frequently and get your orders in while quantities last.

 

How to Make Multiple Cards Efficiently

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It’s time to get started on making your Christmas cards and you have at least 50 you want to send to family and friends. How can you get them created as quickly as possible. I have a few hints for you.

  • Choose a fairly easy design, especially a clean and simple one with a lot of space that has nothing in it except for maybe some dry embossing or designer series paper for the background and a fairly simple focal point.
  • Cut all your card bases at one time.
  • Stamp all your images at one time and then color them and cut them out at one time.
  • Do all the scoring you need at one time.
  • Cut out any die-cuts at one time.
  • Gather any embellishments and have them on hand.
  • Tie all the bows you will need at one time.
  • Then proceed to assemble the cards doing the same step on all the cards and then do the next step on all the cards.

The photo above shows these steps except that this particular card is not a Clean and Simple card. But the steps taken are the same. On the left are the card bases cut and scored. In the middle are all the images stamped and ready to be colored and fussy cut. The greeting has been stamped and will be diecut. As you can see, I have already die-cut two sets of dragonflies. When the pieces are all put together, I will have 15 of this beautiful wiper card created for a swap. I hope this helps you take some of the stress out of making multiple copies of a card.

Wiper card created with Detailed Dragonfly thinlits and Swan Lake stamp set

Price Increases Coming with New Catalog!

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Stampin’ Up! notified us they’ll be increasing the prices on a few things in the new catalog. The following items will be increasing in price beginning on 1 June:

§  8-1/2″ x 11″ card stock packs of 24 sheets will be $8 per pack

§  8-1/2″ x 11″ mixed color card stock packs of 20 sheets will be $8 per pack

§  12″ x 12″ mixed color card stock packs of 20 sheets will be $11 per pack

§  12″ x 12″ Basic Black and Whisper White card stock will be $7 per pack

§  6″ x 6″ Designer Series Paper Stacks will be $10 per pack

§  8-1/2″ x 11″ White Vellum will be $8 per pack

§  8-1/2″ x 11″ Whisper White and Very Vanilla card stock packs will be $9 per pack

Bundle pricing will be changing as well. Here are the details for the bundles beginning on 1 June:

§  Bundles will no longer carryover outside the life of the publication. Once the sales period ends for the catalog, the bundle will no longer be available at its special pricing, even if the components of the bundle are still available.

§  Bundles will now be offered at a 10% discount.

But – the good news is you’ve got plenty of time to pick up those last few bundles that you’re wanting (at the 15% discount!) and stock up on card stock in all of the colors before the prices increase in June!

I just wanted to give you a heads up! Shop now as the new 2016-2017 Annual Catalog begins June 1.

How To Organize Christmas Photos

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Stack of PhotosDoes your stack of Christmas photos you took this year look like this? Read more to learn how to organize them and get them in a scrapbook!

  1. Gather all the photos together
  2. Weed out the ones that are out of focus or where the lighting is too dark.
  3. Where there are multiple shots of the same setting (like a family group shot), choose the best one as far as the expressions on the faces. Set the others aside.
  4. Crop out unwanted elements like someone’s hand appearing at the edge of the photo. If you have a photo with the focal point in the center and lots of extraneous things on the sides, you might want to crop the photo down to just the focal image. This would be also important if the focal image is not centered and the bulk of the photo is not needed for telling the story.
  5. Decide if you want the photos displayed chronologically or by family/individual grouping and group them.
  6. Start putting the photos in your scrapbook. You can do traditional scrapbooking with adding embellishments, Project Life by Stampin’ Up! scrapbooking, or scan your photos into your computer if they aren’t already on the computer and do digital scrapbooking. If you choose to do Project Life style, you can put photos that are smaller than the pockets onto cardstock that has been cut to the needed size. You can also add embellishments to the pages and photos when doing Project Life style scrapbooking.
  7. Add journaling to your pages to record the reasons for the photos and the feelings that go with them.
  8. Most importantly…DO IT NOW WHILE YOUR MEMORIES ARE FRESH!

This is also Terrific Tuesday and we have some new terrific Weekly Deals for you. Check them out by clicking on the photo below and be sure to order those you are interested in while they are 15% discounted. The prices will go back up next Tuesday.

 Stampin' Up!'s Weekly Deals for week of 12-29-14