Hi Stampers! It's the first Tuesday of April which means it's Technique Tuesday around here. I've jumped on the popular Bokeh bandwagon and this month I'm going to show you my take on this fun technique.
When I was learning about this technique I watched some videos by other demonstrators and they all involved ink, water and watercolor paper. I didn't have any watercolor paper on hand (gasp!) and wanted to do this technique quickly and without the mess. So, out came my sponges and ink pads and plain old Whisper White cardstock. It's quick, easy and not quite as messy as if you were using water (you will get inky fingers though!).
I did a quick video so you could see how I achieved the Bokeh look with ink and sponges!
Give it a try....you'll be hooked!
You can get everything you need to recreate this card (and do this technique) from my online store. Grab the shopping list and take full advantage of the free shipping from Stampin' Up! offer this week!
Shopping List
Stamps: Flower Patch
Ink: Old Olive, Daffodil Delight, Calypso Coral, Memento Black
Cardstock: Whisper White, Calypso Coral
Accessories: Basic Black Taffeta Ribbon, Gold Sequins, Handheld Stapler & Mini Staples, Window Sheets
Tools: Stampin' Sponges, Big Shot & Circles Framelits
Hi Stampers! It's the first Tuesday of the month which means it's discount day at the grocery store AND it's Technique Tuesday! Could it get any more exciting?!?!?!?!
This month I'm going back to basics again and doing the Rock 'n Roll technique. This is a fairly simple technique to stamp a solid image in more than one color.
Start by choosing a solid image stamp
Choose 2-3 colors. Choose colors that are dynamic duos (two shades of the same color for a monochromatic look) or colors that compliment each other.
Open your ink pads and arrange them lightest to darkest. This is important so you don't wreck your ink pads.
Ink up your stamp with the lightest color. Rock and roll it in the next color and repeat with a third color if you chose 3!
On the card pictured below, I used the medium star from the Bright & Beautiful set for the technique. I inked my stamp in Crushed Curry, then rocked and rolled it in Rose Red and finally Blackberry Bliss.
I did up a video so you can see me doing the technique and follow along in real time!
I do have some helpful tips for you to be successful with this technique.
always choose a solid image stamp for this technique
choose 2 or 3 ink colors. More than 3 gets a little hard to see all the colors on your image
try and choose an image that fits on the ink pad to make it easier
you get a very different look with the new foam pads than you get if you are using the old felt pads
Here's another card done with this technique. This time I used the solid flower from the Mixed Bunch set with Wisteria Wonder and Elegant Eggplant.
ooooh eeeee...check out all those Rhinestones in the middle of the flower!
All the products I used on both cards today are available in my online store. Head on over there to place your order today. Or, if you would rather not order online you can always contact me to place an order. If you like what you see and are Canadian, I would love to be your Stampin' Up! Demonstrator. Please contact me and we can get your creative journey started!
Hi Stampin' Peeps! It's the first Tuesday of the month which means it's Technique Tuesday! Today I have a really fun technique that adds dimension to stamped images without having to emboss them.
A while back one of my demonstrator friends was talking about the Cotton Ball Technique. I was curious, so I googled it and watched a few videos. Today I'm sharing my take on the technique.
Stamp your image
Outline the image with the small end of the Simply Scored stylus (use the Paper Piercing mat to create a spongy surface under your cardstock for this step)
Flip your cardstock over and using the large end of the stylus, go over the whole image staying inside the outline that you made. You are kind of stretching the cardstock a bit or breaking down the fibers of the paper. Be careful that you don't poke through the cardstock!
Apply Fast Fuse to the entire image (on the not stamped side!).
Put small bits of cotton over the image
Flip it over and stick it down to your card layer
With the small end of the stylus go around the outside edge of the image again to make sure it's good and stuck.
Here's a close up of the puffy leaf on my card.
I did up a video so you could see how the technique is done!
Pretty cool, eh? I had so much fun with this technique that I made a bunch more cards to share!
The wreath is puffy
Puffy little stars!
Puffy tree!
I love this technique!!!! You definitely need to give it a try!
Anything (except the cotton balls) you need to create all of these cards is available in my online store! Head on over there to place an order today, or contact me to place an order today!
If you like what you see and are Canadian, I would love to be your Stampin' Up! demonstrator. Please contact me and I can send you a catalog ASAP!
Hi Stampers! I'm in a shaker kind of mood lately (check out my star shaker box here) and decided to make a shaker card for one of my swap cards.
Every time a new catalog comes out I get together with my downline members and we stamp! Everyone signs up for 2 different stamp sets and then designs cards (or other projects) with those 2 sets. Then they prep the projects so they can be completed in 10-15 minutes and bring everything needed to create the projects. As a group we all sit around a huge table and make the projects. It is SO FUN and we get to go home with loads of cards from a lot of sets in the catalog without having to buy all the sets ourselves! If you've been to one of my events lately, you've seen some of those projects on display....I have an uber-talented group of girls in my downline and I love showing off their creations as well as getting ideas from their creations!
This card was one of my swaps. I signed up for the Project Life set Holiday Cheer! Even though the PL sets are full of smaller images, they are still perfect for making cards!
I used 2 images from the Holiday Cheer set, the snowflake and the "Baby It's Cold Outside" stamps. The shaker was made with the Shaker Frames, which are awesome circles of double sided sticky foam. They're kind of like the Stampin' Dimensionals in circle frame form! I used the super fun Frosted Sequins for the shaky stuff. You get what seems like millions of silver sequins (2 sizes) and white snowflakes in the container. Very fun!
You can find everything you need to make this fun shaker card in my online store. Head on over there with the Shopping List and place your order today!
Shopping List
Stamps: Project Life Holiday Cheer
Ink: Lost Lagoon, Basic Gray, Pool Party
Cardstock: Lost Lagoon, Pool Party, Soft Sky, Basic Gray
Hi Stampers! It's the first Tuesday of the month which means it's discount day at the grocery store and it's technique day here at LA Stamper! Today I'm going back to basics and showing you the kissing technique. This is a super easy and fun technique where you kiss two stamps together so you end up with one image on the other when you stamp them.
Basically you need one larger solid image stamp (ink in a lighter color) and one smaller image stamp (ink in a darker color). Then you kiss the two stamps together and stamp the solid image one on your cardstock. The result is so fun!
For this project, I kissed the letter a from the Larger Than Life Alphabet (inked with Blackberry Bliss) with the Positively Chevron background stamp (not inked). So, I kissed off some of the ink from my letter and then when I stamped it I ended up with a fun chevron a!
I was inspired by Becky Roberts for this project and did these fun little note rings with my downline at our last Stamp & Share.
Here's another example on a card.
On this one, I inked up the small solid butterfly from the Papillion Potpourri set with Pink Pirouette ink and kissed it with the find splatter from the Gorgeous Grunge set (inked with Strawberry Slush ink). Here's a close up of the butterflies so you can have a better look.
I also did up a quick video for you so you can see the different ways to do this technique.
Kissing is a fun and easy technique that you can use to add a little something extra to your stamps! Give it a try and let me know how it goes for you!
You can find everything you need to make the card shown today in my online store. Head on over there with the shopping list and place your order today!
Hi everyone! Today I'm going to share a super fun and easy technique that is perfect for using up scraps of Designer Paper!
At my last Stamp & Share with my downline we learned about the Starburst technique and made some cards with it. Everyone loved it so I decided to share it with my clubs this month too!
Here's a little step-by-step for you:
start with 4 or 5 scraps of DSP cut to 1 1/2 x 4
cut your rectangles of DSP on the diagonal so that you end up with 2 triangles
place your triangles on your cardstock so they look like a starburst or sunburst.
embellish and finish your card
And, I did up a quick video for you too so you can see the card come together!
Here's one more example of this technique. This one uses the Moonlight DSP stack.
This is such a fun technique. Give it a try and let me know how it turns out for ya!
Until the end of July, DSP is on sale! For every 3 packs you purchase you get an additional pack FREE! So, head on over to my online store with the shopping list and place your order today. Don't forget to use the hostess code CZKJ2ZAD for a chance to win a pack of washi tape!
Shopping List
Stamps: Chalk Talk
Ink: Calypso Coral
Cardstock: Old Olive, Whisper White, Blackberry Bliss
This past weekend I met with my downline members for a Stamp 'n Share day. This is a day where we stamp together, share ideas and learn about stamping techniques and products. We share a pot luck lunch and really just have an amazingly fun day! This time around we learned about the Herringbone Technique and I wanted to share it with all of you!
Fun, isn't it? The Herringbone Technique is a perfect technique to use up scraps of Designer Papers. You can cut them to any width you want; for this card, I cut my strips to 1/2". I did a quick video to show you how it's done...you'll be surprised at how easy it is!
One of my favorite parts of the card is the little medallion I made! Here's a closer look.
You can make a medallion like this in 5 easy steps.
Stamp your image (I used Crumb Cake & Real Red markers to make my image multicolored)
Punch out your image
Apply SNAIL to the back of the punched piece
Stick ruffled ribbon trim around the punched piece
Head on over to my online store with the shopping list to get everything you need to create this card at home.
Shopping List Stamps: Lots of Thanks, Off the Grid Cardstock: Crumb Cake, Whisper White, Real Red DSP: Fresh Prints Ink: Crumb Cake Classic Pad, Crumb Cake & Real Red Stampin' Write Markers Accessories: Coastal Cabana Ruffle Trim Ribbon, 1 3/8" Circle Punch, Basic Metal Buttons, Cherry Cobbler Baker's Twine, Rhinestones Tools: Stampin' Trimmer, SNAIL, Glue Dots, Stampin' Dimensionals, Stampin' Sponges
Leave me a comment and let me know if you try the Herringbone Technique or if you make a medallion like I showed. I would love to see your creation, so don't forget to leave me a link!
A long time ago one of the girls in my downline, Cheryl, taught me a super awesome trick for coloring butterflies...specifically the two very detailed butterflies in the Papillion Potpourri set that have coordinating punches. Ever since then, every time I need a butterfly I turn to one of those two and color them with this technique. The technique is simple and involves sponge daubers and ink before you punch. At the end of this post I have a video for you showing you how to do it!
Recently I made a really pretty butterfly card for my convention swaps...and got lots of compliments on the butterfly!
The card itself is a pretty simple one layer card. I did a little tone on tone stamping on the background of the card for a subtle look. The crumb cake layer was embossed with the Square Lattice embossing folder...still one of my favorite embossing folders...and I rubbed ink over it for a kind of burlap look. I added some luscious Crushed Curry Chevron Ribbon and a few more cardstock elements before the butterfly was added.
See that chevron pattern stamped on the oval? It's the large oval from the Oh, Hello set stamped and then punched smaller. I love that chevron oval and find that I pull it out a LOT for easy small backgrounds. And, that thank you. Be still my heart...I LOVE that font! This is quite possibly my favorite thank you stamp in the entire catalog...at least for now!!!!! ;)
Let's get on with that video so you can see how to make beautifully blended butterflies for your projects!
Now, go forth and make butterflies people!!!!!
Remember, everything I used to make this card can be found in my online store. Head on over there with the shopping list (at the bottom of this post) so you can order everything you need to create this card in your stamping space.
Have an inspired day!
Shopping List
Stamp Sets: Papillion Potpourri, Oh Hello, Lots of Thanks
Have you ever thought to use your clear blocks as stamps? It's super fun and easy and you get a really interesting effect. A couple months ago at one of my Best Of classes, I used this technique with the Best of Birthdays set.
I used the A, C and G blocks as stamps to create blocks of color on my card. Then I embellished the blocks of color with some stamping or other embellishments (like a super fun button!). I added a little bling...a rhinestone on the button and some Dazzling Details on the heart on the cupcake. The whole card is finished off with some ribbon.
The fun thing about this technique is that it looks different each time depending how much ink you put on the block. I especially love this technique with more masculine colors or nature colors because it gives a great natural looking texture kind of like rocks! Give it a try and let me know what you think.
Everything you need to make this card can be found in my online store, so head on over there with the shopping list to place your order!
Shopping List:
Carstock (Basic Gray, Very Vanilla, Primrose Petals, Summer Starfruit)
Remember how I said I did a Stampin' Bridal Shower a few weeks ago? Well, one of the projects the guests did was a card. I came up with a super fun card based on a swap card I received on the Disney trip.
This card has both heat embossing and embossing with the Big Shot! We started out by stamping the flower image with Versamark ink on Whisper White cardstock and embossing with the Clear Embossing powder. Then we took sponges and ink and rubbed it over the embossed part and like magic, the flowers appear! It really is a fun technique.
The Big Shot embossing was done on the Gumball Green layer. It was embossed with the new fancy fan embossing folder. Love this folder!
The card was finished off with some ribbon and a fun tag!
One of the things I love about being a demonstrator is the monthly magazine we get called Stampin' Success. This magazine is exclusive to demonstrators and recently underwent a bit of a makeover! I love the new format and all the new ideas that are included in this magazine...it makes my job a lot easier because I feel like I don't have to re-invent the wheel with my business because Stampin' Up! helps me with everything I need!
This last month, there was a technique in the Stampin' Success that caught my eye! It's called Acrylic Distress and it's a super easy technique that packs a punch!
We explored this technique this month in my clubs...both my Stamp Clubs and my Scrapbook Clubs. Basically you start with a piece of cardstock which you paint a thin layer of acrylic paint on. Once the paint is dry, you run the cardstock through your Big Shot with an Embossing Folder (I used the Petals A Plenty folder for this project). After that's done, you sand it and the paint ends up sanded off the raised parts of the design. Once you're done sanding and have brushed off the dust, you can leave it as is, or you can rub some ink (in a contrasting color) over top of it.
Not only did I used the featured technique from Stampin' Success, but I used the same card they had in the article! I changed it up a bit by using different colors and adding a whole lot of stamping fun to it...we're talking stamping, embossing, pearls, ribbon, twine, punching and DSP. And, I have to say, I absolutely love the final result and I think my clubs liked this technique too!
Now, I have to say, time is running out for Sale-A-Bration! Did you notice the stripe embossing on the card? That embossing folder, while in the catalog, is one of the items you can get FREE during Sale-A-Bration. Why would you want to pay for it if you can get it FREE!!!!!! So, you need to go place a minimum $60 order so you can get this fun embossing folder free! And, while you're doing that, you might want to consider doing what I do and joining my team of demonstrators! During Sale-A-Bration, the demonstrator starter kit is only $150 AND you will get a free pack of Designer Paper or a Digital Download each month for the rest of the year! What a deal!!!! I would love to have you join my team, so if you've been thinking of signing up, or just want more into, please contact me.
I love to make Shaker Cards, but they're a bit of work, so I don't make them too often! Well, Stampin' Up! to the rescue! In the Holiday Mini you will find a new product called Shaker Frames. They are foam circles that are sticky on each side to make Shaker Cards super easy! In each pack of Shaker Frames you get 6 sets of circles and each set has 6 circles in it...that's 36 for just over $6!
This month, my clubs made some shaker cards with these new Shaker Frames as well as the new Mica Flakes (so fun...but only if you don't sneeze, cough or sigh when the Mica Flakes are open!).
I just love that little fat snowman...and the fact that his belly is the shaker part of the card makes me want to just shake him up!!!!! If you look close you will see that his snowball and his face are sparkly too. I used the new Dazzling Details to achieve that look. This card sparkles, shimmers and shakes and is SO fun!!!
Hi! I'm going to start by saying Happy Thanksgiving to all my American friends! Today I'm going to share one of the cards my clubs did this month. Each month my clubs learn a technique and this month it was the Iris Folding technique.
My inspiration for this card was a card I saw on Stampin' Connection which is an online group like Facebook, but for Stampin' Up! Demonstrators only. I didn't save the picture and I can't remember who made the one that inspired me...so if it was you, thanks!
We started by punching an ornament out of a piece of Old Olive cardstock and then used the Letters to Santa DSP to do the Iris Folding technique to give the ornament some pizzazz! I stamped the swirl from Baroque Motifs to make a branch and "hung" the ornament with some Whisper White Bakers Twine. To finish it off, I added a sweet little bow made from Whisper White Taffeta ribbon.
For the next little while, my posts are going to be short and sweet. Let me explain! For the last year and a half my left wrist has been hurting on and off. Fast forward to this week...Monday it was really sore and I noticed that a rather large lump has formed on the side of it. It hurts up my thumb and some days all the way down my arm to my elbow. Typing really hurts right now. Thankfully it's my left writs and I'm right-handed! Long story short, next week I have an appointment to get it checked out and I'm hoping for the best. I do have some posts scheduled to publish over the next week, so you will have some fun stuff to look at!
A while back I got together with my downline members and we stamped all afternoon making samples with new catalogue stuff. We had a blast and finished the day with a boatload of fun samples to showcase! My card today was one of the ones I designed for everyone that day.
The first thing I thought of when I first saw this stamp set in our pre-order was the technique Emboss Resist! I had a vision of this card...it didn't quite come out the way I had originally planned, but it came out better!
I started by embossing the image with clear embossing powder on some Always Artichoke designer paper. Then I rubbed a sponged inked with Soft Suede ink over the embossed image. The result is what you see here...
The DSP shows through the embossing because it resists the ink! Love it! When I was all finished it looked like it was missing something. I thought it needed a splash of color, so I punched some cute little flowers from Cajun Craze cardstock. They were scrunched and peeled apart, they layered together so that they have a fuzzy kind of look. They're finished off with some itty bitty pearls. Perfect!
Did you notice the fancy edge? It's done with a new punch...the Lace Ribbon Border Punch. Yep, you're gonna be seeing a LOT of this punch!!!
In June, I taught my stamp clubs the Faux Mother of Pearl technique.
It's super easy to do (but hard to photograph!). You stamp your image, color it, dab some Frost White Shimmer Paint over it and then sponge over it with a light color (Crumb Cake, Pink Pirouette, etc). You can see a little bit of sheen on the butterfly in the picture...that's the Shimmer Paint.
Here's a look at the whole card.
My stamp clubs learn a new technique every month. I have new clubs starting in September on the Third Monday and Third Wednesday of each month...contact me today for more info! That's all for today! Have an inspired day!
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