Stampin' Up!

Stamping 411 – Something Sweet

February 5, 2010 By Connie | 10 Comments

I've always wanted a stamp set with a gumball machine in it. Stampin' Up! used to have one, but I missed out on getting it. Stampin' Up!'s Something Sweet stamp set is just as cute as can be! What is fun, too, is that you can use the Sweet Treat Cups in them, too!

Usually with sketches, my cards come together pretty quickly. This one took a while. I think because the focal panel was SO big. I'm anxious to see what the other Stamping 411 Operators came up with this week! And…what you all do with it playing along. You can add your card to Mr. Linky on the Stamping 411 site!

I didn't want to use a red base for my gumball machine, so decided to make it Brocade Blue and Crushed Curry. After I stamped it, I cut it out, then adhered it to some Welcome Neighbor Designer Paper. I stamped "that was so sweet of you" directly on the Designer Paper in Basic Black. The Designer Paper was adhered to a layer of Melon Mambo, and then the layer of Crushed Curry cardstock. I wrapped the Melon Mambo Polka Dot Ribbon to the back of the Crushed Curry layer. Then stamped Thanks so Much from Happy Thoughts in Basic Black and punched with the 1 1/4 circle punch. It is layered on a punched 1 3/8 circle of Brocade Blue. I added a Summer Sun Corduroy Button brad to the center and popped it up with Stampin' Dimensionals. The gumballs I used Brocade Blue, Melon Mambo and Crushed Curry for the colors and punched them out with the 1/2 circle punch.

I love the bright colors and how it ended up, even though it took me longer than normal. I hope you check out the rest of the Stamping 411 Operators to see what they have done this week!

We are getting BLASTED with snow! We've had at least six inches so far and expected anywhere from 8 to 12 inches. I was out with the snowblower twice already and my hubby just did it again. I'm glad we don't have anywhere to go this weekend! We can stay in nice and warm!

Faux Metal – Eight Great Greetings

February 4, 2010 By Connie | Leave a Comment

I think most people struggle doing masculine cards. My Technique Class did this several months ago, but I never showed it here. I bought this set, Stampin' Up!'s Eight Great Greetings, JUST for this Dad image and the little Easter Bunny (hmmm, better get it out and use it, too!) I was excited because Stampin' Up! had this on display at Convention this year!

The Dad image worked perfect with the Faux Metal technique we did at a Technique Class several months ago. I used Sage Shadow and Chocolate Chip cardstock for the layers, then the To The Nines Designer Paper (lovely THICK designer paper!), for the background. I wrapped some 5/8 Chocolate Chip Ribbon from the back of the Designer Paper layer to the front and cut off the tail. I wrapped the Linen Thread around it and tied a Clear Button on the front. I stamped, "You're One of the Good Ones" from Smarty Pants in Chocolate Chip in on the base Sahara Sand card.

I think this is a great technique to use for masculine cards! To do Faux Metal, ink up your solid type stamp in Versamark and set aside. Heat a puddle of Silver Embossing Powder (a little larger than the size of your image) on a piece of scrap cardstock until it melts. Add Versamark over top of the melted EP and add more Silver Embossing Powder…repeat for several layers. At the last layer, stamp your image in the hot melted embossing powder (place the stamp and just let it cool and harden around the stamp…it won't hurt it!), trim around the image and adhere to your card as desired. Pretty easy!

I hope you have a wonderful day!

You and Moi Bitty Box

February 3, 2010 By Connie | Leave a Comment

Well…don't ask what happened to me yesterday. Yep…I just forgot to post! In my defense, I was prepping for a class last night, wrapping some ribbon shares and working on some Create with Connie and Julie assignments.

When I first saw this box, I didn't think I'd use it much. But…it actually is VERY cute and has come in handy a couple different times. This was one of the projects my Stamp Club made last month!

We used two sets that are available FREE for Stampin' Up!'s Sale-A-Bration with a $50 purchase…You and Moi and Vintage Labels. You and Moi I've had my eye on for quite some time, but finally did get it FREE myself!

I started by cutting the Bitty Box and Envelope die with my Big Shot and Pretty in Pink cardstock. I stamped the Love Heart randomly with Pretty in Pink Classic Ink all over the unassembled box. I added a layer of Real Red cardstock on the front, and some Sending Love Designer Paper. I stamped the Vintage Label in Basic Brown on Very Vanilla and punched it with the Designer Label Punch. I stamped the Heart You with Real Red on Pretty in Pink and punched with the 3/4 circle. It is popped up with Stampin' Dimensionals in the center.

The treat, however, is inside! I filled a Small Cello Bag with some Conversation Hearts. Then I used the Bitty Envelope and stamped the Love heart randomly over it in Pretty in Pink. I used the Small Heart punch with Real Red cardstock to seal the flap of the envelope. Inside I made a 2×2 Very Vanilla mini card with a strip of Sending Love Designer Paper on the front and stamped with the You and Moi greeting. Inside I have the Love Flower image.

Wouldn't this be cute to make for your child's class? Or to tuck in their lunch box with their favorite treat? I just think it is FUN!

I hope you have a wonderful day!

Beautiful Wings Coaster Calendar

February 1, 2010 By Connie | 1 Comment

I wanted to make a small gift for my Stamp Club Members last month and had some calendars I hadn't used. So, while I was at my friend Mindy's house, I made up some of these Coaster Calendars! Anyone else still have hundreds of these coasters in their stamp room? lol! But, I really do use them.

By coincidence, it also fits my design team assignment for Late Night Stampers this week, which is all about butterflies!

I started by covering the front of the coaster with Pretty in Pink cardstock. I added a strip of the glittery Sending Love Designer Paper to the front. Then I used Stampin' Up!'s Beautiful Wings Embosslit Die with Very Vanilla cardtock to make my pretty embossed butterflies! I love that it embosses AND cuts at the same time! On the large butterfly, I added one of the 1/4 Chocolate Chip Epoxy Brads…they are TOO fun. After I placed the brad, I finished off the back with another piece of Pretty in Pink cardstock and added a strip of Magnet Sheet so that it can be hung on the refrigerator!

I like it…what about you?

NOTE: I will be closing this round of the 5/8 Satin Ribbon Shares at the end of the week. Please see this POST for more information on the Ribbon Shares and the Paypal button! If you need it shipped or want more than one share, please use the drop-down menu to make that selection.

Also includes Whisper White Satin Ribbon (not shown).

Fox & Friends Gift Box – CCJC4

January 30, 2010 By Connie | 12 Comments

Every Saturday on the Create with Connie & Julie site we issue a challenge. Our subscribers are encouraged to enter the challenge to win fabulous prizes! Last week's challenge winners were Sandra and Lisa! Congratulations, ladies!

This is Challenge #4 for Create with Connie and Julie Occasions Edition! Our challenge this week was making any type of Kids' Gift Packaging! What a FUN theme this week! Those of you who ARE subscribers, you are in for a treat! We have 3 tutorials today! I have one for my Fox & Friends Gift Boxes and our two Guest Designers, Kerin and Monika, also have tutorials for their projects! You will be inspired for sure! Those of you that aren't subscribers…well…what are you waiting for? It's not too late to join the fun and you won't miss anything, you'll still have access to all the past projects we've done!

OK…I must say that I LOVE my boxes! I started with just the Fox and he turned out SO cute, I had to try a couple of the other critters in Fox & Friends. I wished I had time to make them all, but had to stop…lol! This box template is so versatile, that you could use it for LOTS of different things.

Inside mine, I made up a Small Cello Bag filled with Conversation Hearts. I folded over the top, then made a little closure. I stamped the fox from Stampin' Up!'s Fox & Friends in Really Rust on Whisper White, then punched with the 1 3/8 circle punch. I layered it on a Scallop Circle punched from Really Rust. I also stamped Happy Valentine's Day from Teeny Tiny Wishes in Really Rust on Whisper White and punched with the Modern Label punch. The Scallop Circle holds the Small Cello Bag closed!

Make sure you check out the rest of the Create with Connie and Julie Design Team's projects this week!

If you haven't checked out the Create with Connie and Julie site yet now is the time to do it! We feature new Occasions Mini product every week. There is a new project posted every day and there will be a minimum of two fabulous tutorials each and every week. We like to have lots of fun so we have challenges and prizes for our subscribers. Our sites stay up long after the session is done so you will always have access to the site and the tutorials. For more information and to see our Preview Week projects please visit at Create with Connie and Julie.

Stamping 411 – Vintage Vogue again

January 29, 2010 By Connie | 8 Comments

It's time for another Stamping 411 Sketch Challenge! This one came together pretty easy. Mainly because my Stamp Club did a similar card last night using the same colors and stamp set, but I changed it around so I could make it fit the sketch! Now it shows those in my Stamp Club who bought this set, another way to use it!

I started with a base of Dusty Durango cardstock. The next layer of Soft Suede I ran thru the Big Shot with my FInial Press Impressions Folder, then I used a sponge dauber and added Soft Suede Classic Ink around the edges, and lightly ran it across the raised portions of the embossed cardstock to highlight them. I wrapped some Dusty Durango Polka Dot Ribbon around to the back and secured to the base card.

I inked the border image from Vintage Vogue by using my Dusty Duranto and Soft Suede Stampin' Write Markers and colored the images I wanted in each color. I stamped at the bottom of the Whisper White cardstock. The flowers were stamped on scrap Whisper White and cut out. I used a 1/2 punched circle of Soft Suede for the center of the larger flower, then a Gold Fire Rhinestone Brad. The two smaller flowrers have Gold Mini Brads. I added some leaves randomly in the upper left corner, then placed the flowers with Dimensionals. The Whisper White was mounted on Bashful Blue ( I know! But the color works!) I stamped "The more Candles the bigger the Wishes" from Whimsical Words, in the Sale-A-Bration Mini, in Soft Suede ink in the upper right corner. Finally, I added a small border of Dusty Durango punched with the Scallop Trim Border Punch (another Sale-A-Bration freebie) and pierced holes in each of the spaces between the scallops!

Make sure to check out what the rest of the Stamping 411 Operators have done this week! I'm sure they will have fabulous ideas with this sketch!

Happy Moments

January 27, 2010 By Connie | Leave a Comment

I made this card for a small swap I was in at the end of December. I love using the Scallop Square die for the base of my card! In this case, it is a cardfront, so I only used one layer of the Scallop Square.

I started with a base of Old Olive cardstock and ran it thru the Big Shot with the Scallop Square die. I stamped the tree limb image from Cheep Talk on a square of So Saffron Patterns Designer Paper, then stamped the bird cage from Stampin' Up!'s Happy Moments Sale-A-Bration set in Chocolate Chip as if it were hanging on the limb. I added a small Gold Mini Brad as a hanger. Then I stamped Love You Much from Well Scripted in Chocolate Chip in the bottom right corner. This piece was layered onto Chocolate Chip cardstock.

I cut a piece of Very Vanilla and used the Scallop Trim Border Punch (another Sale-A-Bration option!) along the right side. I used my Paper Piercing Tool to punch holes along each of the scallops. I wrapped some Kraft Taffeta Ribbon around the left side and adhered it to my base card. That bird cage is my favorite stamp in that set!

I hope you have a wonderful day. I'm starting to see areas of my floor in my studio again. Need to get it mostly picked up today so I can get ready for tomorrow's Stamp Club members!

Only a few spots remain in my 5/8 Satin Ribbon Shares and then it will close! Click here for more information.

Heart Wall Hanging Tutorial

January 26, 2010 By Connie | 8 Comments

I'm making GREAT progress on my Studio! It feels good to get stuff out that I haven't used in years! I'll be taking a lot of the non-Stampin' Up! stuff to a scrapbooking retreat in a couple weeks. Hopefully I can sell most of it there. I can tell you it isn't coming back into my house! lol!

I promised you a mini tutorial on how to make the Heart Wall Hanging that I made for the Tour de Freaks last week. They really are easy and you could do many different things…a garland, form it into a heart, add additional hearts and make the wall hanging longer…or shorter! They are fun! For mine, I alternated two different patterns of the Sending Love Designer Paper.

Step 1

Fold 1-1/2" x 12" piece of Designer Paper in half. Add a piece of Sticky Strip to one of the open ends.

Step 2

(So I don't confuse you, in Step 2 I used a different pattern paper,) Peel off Sticky Strip and adhere the two open ends together, back to back to form a heart shape.

Step 3

Add more Sticky Strip to each side of the inside point of the Heart as shown.

Step 4

Remove Sticky Strip from both sides, then push the inside point of the heart down into the fold of the bottom heart point until it touches the bottom. Press to secure.

Step 5

Now add more Sticky Strip to both the outsides of the bottom point.

Step 6

Remove Sticky Strip and push bottom point of first heart into top indentation of second heart. Continue adding hearts until desired length is achieved.

That's it! Pretty easy, huh? To finish my original one, I used the Crop-A-Dile to punch holes in the top and added silver eyelets, then added the Pretty in Pink Taffeta Ribbon. For the bottom, I added a silver eyelet, then added the heart decoration I made.

To make the decoration, use the Scallop Heart of Hearts Embosslit Die and cut 6 hearts from Real Red. Score in half lengthwise and adhere back to back. Before adhering the last two together, place cord thru the center. Add beads if desired.

I hope you make one for your Valentine home decor this year! The Sending Love Designer Paper was perfect!