Apr 28, 2008 | 3D samples, Tutorial, TV/Video/Web/Tech
TADA! The promised video is here….this is as good as it gets at this point in time… I’m going to have to work on the lighting and the audio for future videos, though – because the camera is behind me, my voice didn’t pick up very well. (hard to believe, I know); I tried brightening the video and think perhaps I overdid it…ah well, it’s a learning curve. Hopefully this will inspire you to try this project – just in time for Mother’s Day!
This coordinates with the Wonderful You watercolour card from my last post… Ingredients are all Stampin’ Up – Very Vanilla cardstock (8.5 x 11), Stems & Silhouettes jumbo wheel with Pretty in Pink jumbo cartridge, rose wide grosgrain ribbon, pewter hodgepodge; for tag – Wonderful You stamp set, Mellow Moss ink, Going Grey ink; small & large tag punches; vanilla & regal rose cardstock.
Here’s the photo of the project, because it doesn’t get shown off as well as it should… (click if you need to see a larger version)
And…here’s the video. Feel free to leave (gentle!) feedback here on the blog.
Mar 2, 2008 | 3D samples
Love those sticky cuts letters….
This is totally based on a project that we did at convention last year… Stampin’ Up! is selling a 3 pack of these great tins for $12.55 (that would be 1 to give away and 2 to keep for yourself!!) Perfect for holding cards, memorabilia, photos… the possibilities are endless!
Certainly celery designer series paper, backed with chocolate chip… the sticky cuts letter (that’s a lower case "L", not a number 1 as my mother first thought…) is coated with cosmo fine glitter; flowers from the pretties kit finish off this project. The smaller flower was dyed by applying re-inker with an aqua painter. My current favourite tool, the crop-a-dile punches through this tin like butter….to create holes for the chocolate satin ribbon. That chocolate satin ribbon that we all fell in love with at Christmas time is available as part of the Theatre ribbon originals, by the way!!! (OK, so not a full roll but still, it’s there).
When you use your sticky cuts letters (or numbers, or images – there’s a heart, flower, star on the sheets as well) – you will want to peel off the white waxy backing first (the backside of the letter) and apply it to the project or cardstock, then remove the red plastic layer off the top of the letter and apply your glitter/beads/embossing powder etc. I think it’s easier to deal with that way, less mess for sure. You can also save the red liner (or for that matter, the white waxy liner) and use them as masks for sponging on a separate project! (oh, should have saved that for a Frugal Friday tip – well, maybe I’ll do a pictorial on that one some Friday).
Off to finish up the masterpieces for my classes this week – I have a FUN project for them that highlights a set from the new Occasions mini! (will be sure to post it at a later date, need to keep it a surprise for the attendees in the meantime!)
Feb 28, 2008 | 3D samples
I’ve always been inspired by those who can "alter" everyday items and make them "WOW" – but I’ve also been slightly intimidated by the whole process. I’m a simple/clean stamper for the most part, and many of the altered projects I’ve seen seem so involved.
I’m taking an online course and part of our pre-class assignment was to alter a clipboard (if we wanted to). I knew that if I tried to do too much, I’d get bogged down & either never complete it, or get frustrated and set it aside, never to complete it, or get distracted and never complete it….you get the idea. So – the goal was to complete this project!! With that in mind, I chose Stampin’ Up!’s Cutie Pie Designer Series Paper. I love the bright colours, and the various patterns on this sheet makes it look like I’ve worked harder than I actually did (that’s key to most of my projects! LOL).
So….I cut the paper to fit the clipboard, nudging up to the clippy thing at the top, and adhering with some Mod Podge. I then cut 2 strips (the multi colour dots) to fit at either side of the clippy thing and used my hobby blade to trim close to the clippy thing. (I really don’t know what else to call that thing). I used my paper snips to trim around the corners of the clipboard (and anywhere where it wasn’t quite flush), then used my sanding block gently to smooth the edges.
The over achiever in me didn’t like the seam where I’d joined the two papers at the top of the board (which really weren’t _that_ bad), but I covered it with some purely pomegranate double stitched ribbon. I added flowers and half pearls from the pretties kit, because they’re pretty….and because they cover up any not so perfect cutting around the clippy thing at the top. (It’s all about the cover up). I actually used the Tombow Multi purpose adhesive that SU now carries to adhere the flowers and make sure the ends of the ribbon were tacked down. I love the little pen tip to put some glue just where I want it (especially because I tend to be a bit of a messy glue-er).
So; to answer the question – it took me less than half an hour from start to finish (and less than one sheet of the paper). TADA! Oh, and because I was so energized by this, I went on to do a chipboard book that has been sitting naked on my shelf for ages. I’m going to post pics of that in my March newsletter, so watch for that in your "inbox" next week!
Jan 28, 2008 | 3D samples
Stampin’ Up!’s Valentine Bundle Special is running until this Thursday (the 31st of January already, how time flies!). This is a goodie bag done with items from the bundle. The bag topper is made with the Happy Heart Day stamp set. The butterfly is stamped 3 times and coloured in with stampin’ write markers (I used Bashful Blue and Gable Green for the bodies). The medium cello bags (part of the bundle) fit a number of Hershey kisses easily (could have put a few more in here….but then I should have eaten a few less while doing this…LOL). The bag topper is real red cardstock folded in half and the bow is the 2 hole bow (tutorial here), here using the wide real red grosgrain that comes with the bundle. The tag is punched with the small & regular sized tag punch, and I added some rose pink fine cosmo glitter to the hearts with my 2 way glue pen. If you want to take advantage of this great deal (the bundle represents a 20% savings over purchasing the items individually!) – contact me before Thursday!
This will be one of the projects we do in the Lovely Cards class Wednesday, Feb 6th; class is held in Burlington, an easy drive from Hamilton, Stoney Creek, Ancaster, Oakville, or Milton (we’ve even had attendees from Toronto and Markham!) RSVP to reserve your spot if you haven’t done so already!
Nov 28, 2007 | 3D samples
Apparently some couldn’t view the latest image in the 12 weeks of Christmas email, so I’m posting the project here for your viewing pleasure…. I think if you click on the image you can see it even more closely, if you wish…
I picked up this frame when I was in the US last summer (Walmart, $3 or something ridiculous like that). I used Stampin’ Up!’s Wintergreen Designer Series Paper as the background, stamped the Headline Alphabet letters and the word "friend" from Everyday Flexible Phrases in close to cocoa craft ink (for longevity & for ease of coverage – I find it works well with larger solid images if I’m having trouble getting a good imprint). Accessories are flowers from the Pretties Kit, white taffeta ribbon, and antique brass hodgepodge hardware.
I chose to stamp each letter on an individual piece of cardstock, and then mounted them in a "jumbly" fashion to avoid anxiety over whether things were perfectly centered or perfectly aligned. This is a useful technique for scrapbook pages as well!
If I get the time, I’m hoping to do a more seasonal one that says "NOEL"….I still have almost a month….
Still 3 weeks to go in my 12 weeks of Christmas emails! (Sign up for my newsletter if you’d like to be included).
Oct 30, 2007 | 3D samples
Happy Hallowe’en!
These ornaments are my versions of the ones that we learned to make while at the Stampin’ Up! convention this year. They’re made with Stampin’ Up!’s designer series paper, which is on special during the month of November!! Purchase any 3 packages of designer series paper and receive the 4th one for FREE. This is a great time to stock up for scrapbooking! These double sided papers can also be used for 3D projects, giftable items & home decor – such as these ornaments!
Using the designer series paper "Creepy Crawly", these 3D decorations are easy peasy to whip up, especially with the help of the crop-a-dile! By changing the paper you use, you can make them to match your home decor, or according to the season, holiday or your mood…
Simply cut your 12 x 12 paper into 1" strips. The small ornament used 1" x 6" strips, the larger ornament used 1" x 12" strips. Once you’ve cut your strips, stack them up, then use the crop-a-dile to punch a large hole in either end of the stack. The crop-a-dile goes through 12 layers of the paper without an issue and without you breaking a sweat! Keep the stack of paper intact. Double up some grosgrain ribbon, feed it through one hole & tie a knot (this is the bottom) then feed the other looped end out the top (this will create a hanger). Slide the ends of the paper along the ribbon so the paper bows out, then fan out the strips to create a globe. You can make it as squashy or as ball – like as you wish! When I do these for Christmas, I’ll use the smaller ones for the tree. For the larger ones, I may do a couple with 2 sheets of paper so it’s a little more "solid" looking, though I don’t mind seeing the inside of the ornament since the designer series papers are all double sided. (The one I used happened to be black on the flip side).
Here’s a closer look at the decorations. Please leave me a comment or email me if you need more clarification on the instructions!
