During May 2012, you can get free Designer Series Paper from Stampin’ Up!  Buy three packs of Designer Series Paper and receive a fourth pack for free, that’s a saving of $18.95.

Don’t forget, we also have a super special on this month for anyone who joins Stampin’ Up! – you will receive a free pack of Designer Series Paper (of your choice!) for each month of the rest of the year.  What an amazing bonus

Email me to place your order or ask any questions.

* Specialty Papers not included

Extra Bonus for May 2012 only

Now you can also receive a free pack of Designer Series Paper of your choice, each month for the rest of the year when you join Stampin’ Up! in May.  Email me for more details.

Email me now to ask any questions, no obligation.

Shabby Chic Style Tip: So to get that Shabby Chic look for this card I embossed the cardstock with the Vintage Wallpaper Embossing Folder then I swiped over the top of it with Stazon White ink so that the ink just sat on the raised parts of the cardstock.  It’s a good alternative for those who don’t like sanding cardstock (are you reading this Kathy G?) but still might like to get that ‘worn’ look.  Pair up the ‘shabby’ with some glitter paper and satin ribbon for the chic part of the card.

A couple of other little things… that scalloping you see at the bottom is using Stampin’ Up!’s new Adorning Accents Edgelits Die – you can’t see it very well in the catalogue but you can see here on the card that each scallop has it’s own little scallops.  I added some dots using a white gel pen on each scallop to fit in with the white ink on the embossing folder and the white dots on the brad.

If you have any questions about how I made this card please feel free to email me.

And here’s a list of Stampin’ Up! products that I used to create this card:

Rubber Stamps:
Apothecary Art

Cardstock & Paper:
Pool Party
Silver Glimmer Paper
Whisper White

Inkpads/Markers/Paint:
White Stazon
Pool Party inkpad

Tools:
Big Shot Die-Cutting Machine
Framelits Dies – Labels Collection
Vintage Wallpaper Embossing Folder
Adorning Accents Edgelits Die (two dies in this pack)
1″ Circle Punch

Accessories:
Pool Party Seam Binding Ribbon
White Satin Ribbon
Designer Printed Brads (Pool Party)
White Gel Pen

So this is an engagement card I but of course would work perfectly as a wedding card too.  I’ve stamped the couple’s initials as the centrepiece instead of a sentiment – another great reason to have a few alphabet stamps on hand!  I’ve photographed a few steps from this card for you.

You can’t see all the shimmer on this card so I’ll explain what I did: I dropped a few drops of Crumb Cake ink – that’s the little ink bottles you use to reink your inkpads, onto an old plastic lid and added a few drops of Champagne Mist Paint and mixed them up.  I then picked up the ink with a sponge dauber and applied it to the rubber then stamped onto the cardstock.  That same dauber was then used to run around the edges of the cardstock that I stamped on (before adding the pearls just to define the edges) and also used on the beautiful die-cut in the background.  Did you notice that lovely shape the main image layered on to? That’s the new Stampin’ Up! Framelits available now.  I’ll have more ideas using this gorgeous shape coming up in future blog posts.

So back to the card… the background is embossed with the Big Shot and then I applied shimmer to the raised areas with Frost White shimmer paint and a sponge dauber.

Now do you see that ribbon charm I used? I’m feeling pretty pleased with myself over that! Okay, feeling very clever! LOL.  I knew that I wanted to use some rhinestones with the velvet ribbon to make it look a bit like a luxurious belt was wasn’t sure how.  Then I got it!  Oooh I was so excited   So this is how I did it:

I punched out a small circle from a Window Sheet then placed the punch of a larger circle over the hole and punched that in order to get a clear ring.

I then cut a little strip of the Window Sheet and glued it to the centre of the circle with a little dot of Tombow Multipurpose Glue.  Now I have my bare ribbon charm!  The last part was to just add some rhinestones to decorate it.

And here’s a close up for you so you can see the shimmer on the background and edges of the cardstock better, along with the ribbon charm (unfortunately the angle of the photo makes the ribbon charm look a little uneven which it isn’t, but anyway…)

Tip for using self-adhesive rhinestones:  The easiest way to apply your rhinestones (or pearls) is to gently wiggle the tips of your small scissors under the rhinestones to lift them from the backing paper and then transport them onto your project.  Doing it this way means the glue always stays with your rhinestone and it’s super easy to place them exactly where you want.

Tip for making your own ribbon charms:  Always make sure that you place your small strip of Window Sheet on the top of your circle – doing it that way means your ribbon will go over the top so that you get that little ‘bump’ in the middle of your window charm.  If you put the ribbon through with the strip under the circle then it’ll look like you’ve just put a ring of rhinestones over the top of your ribbon rather than used a ribbon charm which doesn’t look as realistic.

Hope you like my card

And here’s a list of Stampin’ Up! products that I used to create this card:

Rubber Stamps:
Lovely Letters Alphabet

Cardstock & Paper:
Very Vanilla textured cardstock
Very Vanilla smooth cardstock
Crumb Cake (aka Kraft) textured cardstock
Crumb Cake (aka Kraft) smooth cardstock
Window Sheet (acetate)

Inkpads/Markers/Paint:
Crumb Cake ink refill
Champagne Shimmer Paint
Frost White Shimmer Paint

Tools:
Big Shot Die-Cutting Machine
Ovals die
Framelits Dies – Labels Collection
Vintage Wallpaper Embossing Folder
Sponge Dauber
3/4″ Circle Punch
1/4″ Circle Punch

Accessories:
Basic Pearls (self-adhesive pearls)
Basic Rhinestones (self-adhesive rhinestones)
Vanilla Velvet Ribbon

Adhesives:
SNAIL
Stampin’ Dimensionals

Click on the image to take you to the online catalogue or email me to get your own copy in the mail.

Stay tuned for lots of projects using these new products along with tutorials.

The paper lace strip that you see across the card was made using a punch.  Because the patterned paper underneath is a bit busy I adhered some ribbon under the strip of paper lace to show it up a bit and then I added some self-adhesive pearls to show off the pretty flowers in the lace.

The frame was embossed using the Big Shot machine and the Designer Embossing Frame Folder.  Frame embossing tip: if you’re finding that your frame isn’t coming out as clean as you like (that is if the cardstock around it is creasing) then try embossing it with “no tabs” on your Big Shot platform and also add a piece of scrap paper (I just use photocopy paper)  on top of your cardstock when you’re embossing it.  In this case it didn’t matter if the cardstock around my frame creased as I cut it out but I use this method of embossing anyway as I find it gives me a lovely clean impression.  With this card I actually used the frame back to front – well back to front compared to the way I think it would usually be used – so that the part that I’ve stamped on stands up while the frame part is debossed.  The border of the frame stands out even more because I cut around the whole frame.

The butterfly was cut out with the Beautiful Wings Sizzlet die – I use this little die heaps.  I used it with Glitter paper which is quite thick but it did the job fine, you can even see a little embossing on the left butterfly wing.

Hope my card has inspired you to also make a “hug with a fold in it”.

And here’s a list of Stampin’ Up! products that I used to create this card:

Rubber Stamps:
You Are Loved

Cardstock & Paper:
Poppy Parade
Very Vanilla
Silver Glitter Paper
Everyday Enchantment Designer Series Paper (only available until 31st March 2012)

Inkpads/Markers:
Baja Breeze inkpad

Tools:
Big Shot Die-Cutting Machine
Beautiful Wings
Designer Frames Embossing Folder (these come in a two-pack with an oval and the rectangle which is shown in this card)
Lace Ribbon Border Punch

Accessories:
Baja Breeze Seam Binding
Basic Pearls (self-adhesive pearls)

Adhesives:
SNAIL
Stampin’ Dimensionals

Here’s another Congratulations card I made yesterday – a more modern style this time.

I love, love, love using buttons!  I just took the colours of the adhesive die-cut (fancy word for a sticker that’s thicker/more sturdy than your usual run of the mill stickers) and chose buttons to match.   A quick and easy card idea that you can copy easily

Punch Tip:  To make the centerpiece, I just punched out the sentiment with my Decorative Label Punch and then punched out some red cardstock with the same punch twice.  To make the red shapes fit neatly behind the sentiment I just snipped off part of the shape with some scissors so that it sits nicely behind and helps the sentiment pop.

So just sharing this quick and easy card idea today – hope it inspires you to pull out your Kraft (Crumb Cake!!!) cardstock

And here’s a list of Stampin’ Up! products that I used to create this card:

Rubber Stamps:
Happy Greetings

Cardstock & Paper:
Crumb Cake (aka Kraft)
Tickets & Tags Simply Scrappin’ (sticker/adhesive die-cut)

Inkpads/Markers:
Marina Mist inkpad

Tools:
Decorative Label Punch

Accessories:
Baja Breeze Seam Binding
Buttons (Regals, Subtles and Neutrals)
Linen Thread (threaded through the buttons)
Basic Jewels (rhinestones)

Adhesives:
SNAIL
Stampin’ Dimensionals
Glue Dots (to glue down the buttons)

Well on to more pleasant stuff!  Here’s a card I made today for one of my Stampin’ Up! team members.

It’s too bad you can’t see the shimmer in the photo (just on the right above the largest butterfly) but the background has been first run through the Big Shot to give the embossed striped and then I’ve spritzed with with Vanilla Shimmer which is a fabulously quick and easy way to add shimmer to anything.

The card is fairly straight forward but for those without much cardmaking experience, I’ve cut the patterned paper in the middle using my Big Shot die-cutting machine and then cut the scallop circle under it the same way – don’t you love the way they fit each other perfectly?  The sentiment was stamped in Pool Party onto Very Vanilla cardstock and then I just used my thumbnail around the edges of the cardstock to distress it and then ran the inkpad over the top of the distressing to add some colour to the edges – the inking makes the sentiment stand out a bit more.

All the butterflies were cut out and embossed in one go – the Beautiful Wings Sizzlet Die that I used cuts and embosses all those butterflies so once they were cut I simply glued them to the card and added the rhinestones – super super quick and easy embellishments

Hope you like my card – I have a few more of these to make at least! but I might experiment with some different colours.

Thank you again for visiting my blog, I really appreciate it

And here’s a list of Stampin’ Up! products that I used to create this card:

Rubber Stamps:
Curly Cute

Cardstock & Paper:
Poppy Parade
Pool Party
Very Vanilla
Everyday Enchantment Patterned Paper (free! out of the Sale-a-bration brochure)

Inkpads/Markers:
Pool Party inkpad
Crumb Cake inkpad (for sponging around the Vanilla cardstock)

Tools:
Big Shot Die Cutting Machine
Stripes Embossing Folder
Clear Circle Die
Scalloped Circle Die
Beautiful Wings Sizzlets

Accessories:
Glimmer Brads
Chantilly Crochet Trim
Vintage Safety Pin (Vintage Trinkets)
Rhinestone Jewels
Stripes Embossing Folder

Adhesives:
SNAIL
Stampin’ Dimensionals
Tombow Multipurpose Glue (just squeezed a thin line on the back of the centre of the butterflies to glue them down)
Glue Dots (to glue down the crochet bow)

Easy technique tip: You’re probably wondering already if I’ve used a punch to punch out those balloons – nope!  I cut them out super quickly with some small sharp scissors.  The trick to making your cutting look as neat as possible is to leave a thin border around your image.  So when when you adhere your image to the cardstock the edges fade into the background and your eye isn’t drawn to any dodgy cutting.  Also, if you’re new to all this – try keeping your scissors in the one place and move your cardstock around while you cut, this gives you a much smoother border

Happy 14th Birthday Jade!!!

Style tip:  I think this card would also work well for a masculine birthday card.  Simply change the ribbon to one that’s not ruffled and use some different brads or embellishments.  I’d probably also change the punched out shape behind the sentiment, maybe just stamp the sentiment straight onto an oval. I think you could even use the same papers/colours as the patterns are quite generic.

And here’s a list of Stampin’ Up! products that I used to create this card:

Rubber Stamps:
Up, Up & Away

Cardstock & Paper:
Whisper White
Pool Party
Everyday Enchantment Patterned Paper (free! out of the Sale-a-bration brochure)

Inkpads/Markers:
Lucky Limeade inkpad
Pool Party inkpad & matching marker (the fine point of the marker was used to make the dots around the sentiment)
Calypso Coral inkpad
Chocolate Chip inkpad

Tools:
1 1/4″ Square Punch
Decorative Label Punch

Accessories:
Pool Party Ruffled Ribbon
Everyday Enchantment Brads (free! out of the Sale-a-bration brochure)

Adhesives:
SNAIL
Stampin’ Dimensionals

Sale-a-bration means gifts for you!

Gifts With Purchase

One FREE set of stamps or paper or brad/ribbon pack for every $100 spent

Two FREE sets of stamps or paper or brad/ribbon pack if you buy $200 in product

Three FREE sets of stamps or paper or brad/ribbon pack, PLUS you get another $50 of any product of your choice FREE for purchase of $300+

Click on the photo below to download your Sale-a-bration brochure or email me to receive a hardcopy in the mail.

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Discounted Started Kit at only $249 (valued $610) only during Sale-a-bration.  PLUS! As an extra bonus,  choose any current stamp set for free.

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