Masculine Card (Manly, yes – but I like it too!)

Jun 11, 2008 | rubber stamping

I think this could be a great Father's Day card! 

The image is from the Stampin' Up! set A Light Unto My Path (p 103 Spring Summer Collection).  It's inked in blue bayou and the edges of the vanilla cardstock are distressed with the distressing tool from the cutter kit (p 184) (it's the piece that looks like a flower).  Run the edge of the cardstock in one of the notches & the blade with rough it up without roughing up your fingers!  (it also makes a great thread cutter).  The word dream is from Everyday Flexible Phrases - but of course, you would want to use the word father for a Father's Day Card!  The label frame from Hodgepodge Hardware is held in place with some hemp (and a dimensional!).  The image is mounted onto a piece of faux leather-ed Kraft cardstock.  Ink the cardstock (direct to paper) with basic brown, sand with a sanding block, spritz with water & then crumple.  You can get even more dimension to your piece by doing another direct to paper application of basic brown on top again.  (I think this may be June's video tutorial….)  I was shown this technique a while back and love it for a masculine card.   You can't see it in the image, but the card was also sponged with blue bayou to give subtle dimension (perhaps a little TOO subtle – will have to have a heavier hand with that next time).

My newsletter subscribers will recognize this card from earlier this month…but I liked it so much I thought I'd share it here as well.  Don't forget that Stampin' Up is releasing the retired list June 15th – check back here for the news, or sign up for my mailing list to get a copy in your email inbox! 

Sparkly Star

Jun 8, 2008 | rubber stamping

This was one of the cards that I included in my Sam's Day Silent Auction basket….and I just realized that I hadn't yet shared it here!  Thankfully I did have a picutre of the card on my computer. 

This is a great birthday or grad card – especially for a guy.  The stamp set is In the Stars from Stampin' Up!'s Occasions Mini – which is extended until the end of June.  The card itself is wild wasabi, with only orange and not quite navy.  The star with the words on it was punched out using the large star punch.  We coated the chipboard star with Tombow Multipurpose adhesive and then with silver chunky glitter.  You do have to allow time for the adhesive to dry completely, so if you're in a rush….I would use heat & stick powder with the glitter!    

If you're on my mailing list, you should have received my e-newsletter earlier in the week – if you didn't, please contact me & I will resend it to you!  (and if you did get it – have you sent in your entry for my retired list contest yet??)

Glittery Butterfly and a heat & stick trick!

Jun 5, 2008 | rubber stamping

This is a card using Stampin' Up!'s heat & stick powder and cosmo fine glitter.  Heat & Stick powder is an adhesive embossing powder that's great for adding glitter or beads to a project with precision.

We stamped the butterfly from Sweet Shapes (p. 117 Spring-Summer Collection) with versamark, then coated the image with heat & stick powder.  Remove the excess, heat until the powder melts, then coat with cosmo glitter.  Shake off the excess, then one more shot of heat to the image to help it "set".  THEN use the 1-1/4" square punch – that's the secret to a centred image!

I liked the effect so much, but the card needed more "bling" so we did the same to some antique brads!  Using the tweezers from the tool kit (very important to prevent burns!) – we tapped the brad heads into the versamark pad, then coated with heat & stick powder, heated & coated with glitter!  I think they make a great accent to the strip of elegant eggplant that we ran through the crimper.  This is a long card that fits into Stampin' Up!'s small open end envelopes.  I really like this card shape!

And hey – welcome to those visiting via the Canadian Scrapbookers Blog Carnival!

To everyone reading - thank you for stopping by www.yamstamps.com!