Before Stampin' Up! began selling Mini Glue-Dots, I struggled to get bows to stick to my cards. I tried punching holes and tying the bows. I was not pleased with how they looked. Then I tried gluing them on but it took lots of glue and a long time for the glue to dry. Finally I resorted to cutting glue sticks into tiny pieces, placing a piece where I wanted a bow, melting the little piece of glue with my heat tool from the under side of the card, and sticking the bow down on the melted glue. That worked well but was labor intensive.

Enter Mini glue dots! Oh my goodness! They were so convient to use and worked so well with a variety of materials. Now I can't live without my glue dots! If you haven't tried them yet, why not? Order them right now from my online store and see how easy they are to use for yourself.

Thanks for stopping by to visit here today. Did you take time to enjoy a virtual cup of coffee or tea while you browsed around my site?

Happy Stamping,

Sue

When Stampin' Up! first came out with the Big Shot in the catalog, I wasn't sure I would use it enough to warrant purchasing it. Boy was I wrong!!! See, I don't do a lot of hands-on scrapbooking and considered the Big Shot to be a scrapbooking tool. However, I am using it constantly for my cards. It has saved me so much time and raised the level of my creativity. Here are a few of my favorite ways to use the Big Shot:

• To dry emboss card stock to use as layers on my card fronts. The elegance of the embossing folders that Stampin' Up! offers gives my cards a wonderful, beautiful texture. Check out this post for an example of this.
• To create layers using the Bigz Top Note die. Here is an example of that.
• To use the Mini Matchbox, Mini Milk Carton, Candy Wrapper, or Fancy Favor die to make holders for small gifts or treats like this, this, and this.
• To use the Scallop Squares Duo die to cut cork for coasters or the Scallop Square Bigz Clear die to cut fabric to make a raggy purse.

Hop on over to my online store to order your own Big Shot Die-Cutting Machine and begin discovering all the wonderful things that can be done with this one tool!

Happy Stamping,

Sue
sue@soggystamper.com

Stamping with kids at Craig Youth Center

I have been having so much fun this past week while working my stamping and paper crafting business! It is so gratifying to me to see the excitement of a new stamper when they complete a special card that they themself have made. The pleasure I get from sharing projects and techniques with my stamping customers and friends can't be beat!

Would you like to experience this pleasure and high for yourself? Then contact me or visit my demonstrator website to learn more about the benefits of joining my team of Stampin' Up! demonstrators and become the CEO of your own paper crafting business. During this Sale-a-Bration period that runs through March 31 the starter kits are 15% off AND you also get an additional $50 of product FREE! But don't wait until the end of March! Sign up right now and let the Sale-a-Bration excitement boost the start of your business in a big way!

Hope to have you join me in this exciting business,

Sue
sue@soggystamper.com

Happy Valentine's Day! May your day be filled with love!

I have been accepted onto the design team for Utah Diva's International MDS Monday feature and this is the first project I have created. To create the shape along the edge of designer series paper, I added the Decorative Label Punch to my project. I filled it with Lap of Luxury 2 designer series paper fill. Then I enlarged the punch until all the edges except the bottom edge extended beyond the edges of the card. I then added a drop shadow. To line up the hearts evenly, I centered the middle one. Then I copied the punch, pasted it and dragged it to roughly the place where I wanted it. Finally I fine tuned the placement by right-clicking on the punched heart and choosing 'edit object'. That lead me to the screen showing the size and X/Y coordinates. I adjusted these numbers to match the middle heart's numbers.

Thanks for coming by to visit today. Visit my online store to order My Digital Studio if you would like to have a stamping studio that travels with you and takes up no more space than the footprint of your computer.

Happy Digital Stamping,

Sue

Stamp Brush Set: Valentine Defined (124026), color-Early Espresso

Card Stock: Blushing Bride

Designer Series Paper Fill: Lap of Luxury 2 (123992)

Other: Decorative Label Punch (123951)
        Small Heart Punch filled with Lap of Luxury 2 Designer Series Paper
        Basic Pearls and Rhinestones (124330)
        Very Vanilla Satin Ribbon from Satin Ribbon Embellishments Kit (121063)
        

Happy Valentine's Day! May your day be filled with love!

I have been accepted onto the design team for Utah Diva's International MDS Monday feature. This works out nicely since I have already started this feature here on my blog. It's great when you can kill two birds with one stone.

To create the shape along the edge of designer series paper, I added the Decorative Label Punch to my project. I filled it with Lap of Luxury 2 designer series paper fill. Then I enlarged the punch until all the edges except the bottom edge extended beyond the edges of the card. I then added a drop shadow. To line up the hearts evenly, I centered the middle one. Then I copied the punch, pasted it and dragged it to roughly the place where I wanted it. Finally I fine tuned the placement by right-clicking on the punched heart and choosing 'edit object'. That lead me to the screen showing the size and X/Y coordinates. I adjusted these numbers to match the middle heart's numbers.

Thanks for coming by to visit today. Visit my online store to order My Digital Studio if you would like to have a stamping studio that travels with you and takes up no more space than the footprint of your computer.

Happy Digital Stamping,

Sue

Stamp Brush Set: Valentine Defined (124026), color-Early Espresso

Card Stock: Blushing Bride

Designer Series Paper Fill: Lap of Luxury 2 (123992)

Other: Decorative Label Punch (123951)
        Small Heart Punch filled with Lap of Luxury 2 Designer Series Paper
        Basic Pearls and Rhinestones (124330)
        Very Vanilla Satin Ribbon from Satin Ribbon Embellishments Kit (121063)
       

As usual, I am going to be late with the grandkids' Valentines. Can I use the fact that I live in SE Alaska on a remote island as an excuse? Not really! Anyway, here are some milk cartons I filled with candy to send to them. By the time these little gems arrive, the kids will have eaten all their Valentine candy and will be ready for more sugar…heh, heh, heh! :o)

I used the Bigz L Mini Milk Carton Die. I embossed a couple of them after cutting them out but found that the embossing with this Vintage Wallpaper embossing folder caused the paper to actually crack in places so didn't emboss the rest. I computer generated the sayings using My Digital Studio, printed them out and then used the Curly Label punch to punch them out. On one side of the milk carton it says "Filled With 100% Pure Love…" The other side says "…Good for the Heart!" I really like the way these turned out.

This milk carton die is so versatile. You can adapt it for any occasion, fill it with a small gift, candy, or even slips of paper with wishes or promises or love notes printed on them. You can order the Big Shot and this die and any other supplies you need to make this project by visiting my online store 24/7. Ordering is easy and your purchases are delivered straight to you.

Thanks for coming to visit today. Do come back to see what I have for you tomorrow.

Happy Valentine's Day,

Sue
sue@soggystamper.com

Paper: Pretty in Pink card stock (100459)
            Rose Red card stock (102544)
            Crumb Cake card stock (120953)
            Whisper White card stock (100730)
            Glimmer Paper (121790)

Other: Curly Label Extra-Large Punch (119851)
            Heart Small Punch (117193)
            My Digital Studio (118108)
            Mini Milk Carton Bigz L Die (117310)
            Big Shot Die-Cutting Machine (113439)
            Crop-a-Dile (108362)
            assorted colors of grosgrain ribbon
            

Wow, Saturday is almost over and I am just now getting the time to share my Stamping 411 sketch challenge with you. It has been a really busy day. I was trying to get Valentine treats into the mail for our grandchildren and great-grands but didn't quite make the 2:00 pm deadline. Oh well, they would have been late anyway. Bad grandma!!!

Here is this weekend's sketch:                                   and here is my rendition:

It definitely is not the traditional Valentine colors but I think my husband will like it better. Now I need to figure out what heartfelt message to put inside. I pretty much said it all when I made those two scrapbook pages a couple of days ago.

Thanks for coming to visit today. I hope you took the time to look around my blog space and enjoy a virtual cup of coffee or tea with me.

Happy Stamping,

Sue
sue@soggystamper.com

Stamps: Elizabeth (117120)
            Short and Sweet (115060)

Ink: Marina Mist (119668)
            Early Espresso (119670)

Paper: Early Espresso card stock (119686)
            Marina Mist card stock (119682)
            Very Vanilla card stock (101650)
            Botanical Gazette Designer Series Paper (121783)

Other: Marina Mist 3/8" Taffeta Ribbon (119965)
            Antique Brads (117273)

To do what? Sign up for my monthly The Soggy Stamper Newsletter. But that is not all you get! In addition to a variety of projects that include full directions for scrapbook pages, cards, and 3-D stamped items; you get tips on how to use various stamping tools, answers to your burning questions, and directions to interesting techniques. You will receive the most current information about Stampin' Up! promotions and specials and notification of classes I am teaching. Don't wait any longer. Sign up in the box to the right and start receiving exclusive information from me. I hope to see you on the list!

Happy Stamping,

Sue
sue@soggystamper.com

 
Need a little something to give to coworkers, service people, or the little ones in your life for Valentine's Day? Here are a couple ideas for you.

I made the first holder from the Scallop Envelope die using the Blushing Bride color of the Designer Series Paper Pack – In Color. I stamped the flamingos from Valentine Defined on Real Red card stock with White Craft ink and punched the image out with the Full Heart punch. This is big enough to hold a piece of Ghiradelli chocolate or a York heart-shaped peppermint patty.

The second treat holder is made with the Candy Wrapper die. I punched it out of Pretty in Pink card stock. Be sure to crease on all the score lines before running it through the Big Shot again using the Vintage Wallpaper embossing folder. It is crucial that you cut out the card stock and fold on the score lines first. If you emboss the card stock before cutting it out, the score marks will barely be visible. After embossing, refold on the score lines before gluing the edge together. You will be able to put all sorts of candy or a small piece of jewelry or slips of paper with love notes on them in this holder.

Do you have an idea what to put in these holders? Email me or post a comment sharing your ideas. thanks for coming to visit today.

Happy Stamping,

Sue

Stamps: Valentine Defined (1221941, wood) (123057)
        Love You Much (113756)

Ink: Whisper White Craft Stampin' Pad (101731)

Card Stock: Pretty in Pink (100459)
        Rose Red (102544)
        Real Red (102482)

Other: Designer Series Paper Pack – In Color (Level 1 Hostess Gift)
        Full Heart Extra-Large Punch (119883)
        Heart to Heart Extra-Large Punch (119881)
        Scallop Envelope bigz Die (113462)
        Candy Wrapper Bigz L Die (120890)

I have started MDS Mondays and now I am introducing Tuesday Tip. Each Tuesday I will post a tip on how to use a particular paper crafting tool or how to do something to make your stamping easier or more professional.

Today I am featuring Stampin' Up!'s Tabletop paper cutter. This is a guillotine style paper cutter that can cut up to three sheets of card stock at one time. The extension measuring arm and handle are removable and store on the underside of the cutter making this a very portable cutter. There is a safety finger guard which is really necessary as the self-sharpening blade is very sharp. I was sold on this cutter when I saw the very fine slivers of card stock that can be cut with it.

Some stampers have reported that this cutter does not cut smoothly all along the blade. My cutter sometimes does leave a frayed edge near the handle end of the blade. I have found this is due to my not being careful to pull the handle toward the platform as I am cutting down. When I am careful to have good contact between the cutting surfaces all the way through the cut, I have nice clean cuts. The platform also has grooves for measuring etched into the surface. They will never rub off! These lines are also great for being sure that your paper is lined up straight when you are cutting it. If you don't already have this wonderful Tabletop Cutter, I recommend you click here and order it right away. You will be happy you did.

Thanks for stopping by to visit today. Did you take the time so share a virtual cup of coffee or tea with me? Did you enjoy the virtual banana bread I also offered?

Happy Stamping,

Sue
sue@soggystamper.com

Today I have a two page digital scrapbook spread for you. We spent this Christmas with our daughter, Ronnie-Sue in Tacoma. We were blessed to be able to see all but one of our 10 grandchildren and all but two of our 7 great-grandkids. The one grandson and his family are in Germany where he is staioned with the Army. On the 26th, we had the family Christmas dinner which included several of Ronnie-Sue and Joe's friends. After dinner all of us had numerous jingle bells in our hands and we sang Jingle Bells along with an old-time video with the 'bouncing ball'. The little ones had such fun!

My Digital Studio software sold by Stampin' Up! makes scrapbooking so easy and fun. Your digital photos are already on your computer so adding them to a scrapbook page is just a matter of a click of the mouse. If you haven't delved into digital paper crafting yet, take the plunge and order My Digital Studio right here. The program makes digital crafting so easy. Once you have completed your project, you have several options. You can print it out yourself or you can electronically send it to Stampin' Up!'s preferred professional printer. Your project will then be mailed back to you.

Thanks for coming by today. I hope you took time for a virtual cup of coffee or tea with me.

Happy Stamping,

Sue
sue@soggystamper.com

Stamp Brush Sets: Jolly Bingo Bits – small bell
            Jolly Jingles – jingle bell

Font: Freestyle Script

Background: Christmas Cheer pattern 1

Other: Decorative Label Punch
            My Digital Studio software

At a workshop last Sunday we made this owl card. Brynn Bolling took artistic license using the given supplies and came up with a beautiful card with the birds from the Two-Step Bird punch instead of owls. I was so impressed with the card that I recreated it here for you. I wanted to use more of the beautiful Glimmer paper so I changed the wings to glimmery red. Now we have red-winged blackbirds. :o) Thanks for the idea, Brynn!

Thanks for coming to visit. I love having company here at the Soggy Stamper. Emjoy a virtual cup of coffee or tea with me…my choice is a latte! Before you leave, please leave a comment so I know you have been here.

Happy Stamping,

Sue

Stamp Set: Short and Sweet (115060)

Card Stock: Basic Black (121045)
        Whisper White (100730)
        Real Red (102482)

Ink: Basic Black Craft Ink (102192)

Other: Two-Step Bird Extra-Large Punch (117191)
        Scallop Oval Extra-Large Punch (119856)
        1 3/4" x 7/8" Oval Large Punch (119855)
        1 3/8" x 5/8" Oval Large Punch (119863)
        Vintage Wallpaper Embossing Folder (120175)
        Glimmer Paper (121790)
        Stampin' Dimensionals (104430)

What to do when you need to make a card and your stamping table is such a mess that you don't have even a foot of space to stamp? You turn to your computer and My Digital Studio!

This stamp room never gets messed up…well, you might have to clean out some files once in a while so you don't run out of memory space…LOL! Anyway, I wanted to stamp today but didn't have the time to clean up a space so here is what I created with My Digital Studio.

Stampin' Up! released a lot of My Digital Studio downloads during January and I am excited about playing around with them. If you haven't purchased My Digital Studio yet, what is keeping you from it? The program is easy to use and the creative possibilities are limitless! Click here to purchase your own copy.

Happy Stamping,

Sue

Stamp Brush Sets using Concord Crush color: Thank You Kindly
            Notably Ornate
            Torn Edges – Flower Edge

Paper: Pink Pirouette card stock, Lap Of Luxury designs #6 and #12

Punches: Decorative Label punch
            Dotted Scallop Ribbon Punch

This is the card we made at the workshop last Sunday. I rarely CASE anything but I couldn't pass up this card originally made by Laurie Gibson. I did change the little heart she had on her card to a heart punched from Glimmer paper using the smallest heart of the Heart to Heart punch. I also changed out the sentiment using the sentiment from Short and Sweet instead. Stop by my online store to purchase the supplies needed to make this card. My store is open 24/7!

Thanks for coming to visit today. Did you take time to have a cup of coffee or tea with me?

Happy Stamping,

Sue

Stamps: Short and Sweet (115060)

Ink: Basic Black Classic Ink Pad (101179)

Card Stock: Basic Black (121045)
            Real Red (102482)
            Whisper White (100730)

Other: Two-Step Owl Punch (118074)
            Scallop Oval Punch (119856)
            1 3/4" x 7/8" Oval Punch 
            1 3/8" x 5/6" Oval Punch
            Two-Step Bird Punch (117191)
            2 1/2' Circle Punch (120906)
            Vintage Wallpaper embossing folder (120175)
            Heart tp Heart Punch (119881)

…start your own papercrafting business! The starter kits are on sale for 15% off. This means you can start your own business for an investment of just $148.75! You have your choice of the Standard Starter Kit or the Digital + Starter Kit. Both kits are valued at over $300.

But the real measure of the value of owning your own papercrafting business is the opportunities it offers:

• ability to decide how much time you can put into your business
• ability to earn extra money to pay bills, save for a special trip

• chance to earn incentive trips and awards

• being a member of a sisterhood of fellow stamping demonstrators who are passionate about stamping
• flexible schedule to fit around family obligations
• a wonderful creative outlet having fun while working
• excellent training from both Stampin' Up! and me
• pride in being a part of a solid and growing company who puts relationships as important as the bottom line

During Sale-a-Bration, new recruits not only get a sale price on the starter kit but also get an extra $50 bundle of free product. Furthermore, finding customers and hostesses for workshops is easier during Sale-a-Bration due to the opportunity customers have to receive free product for each $50 they spend.

Don't wait! Sign up now and get your business off to a great start during Sale-a-Bration. Contact me for more information or visit my online store to sign up.

Thanks for coming by to visit today. I look forward to you coming back often.

Happy Stamping,

Sue