Friday, January 30, 2009

Embossed layout


I was going to do a step by step tutorial for the emerging color card that I posted yesterday. I know I have clear embossing powder somewhere but with the move it doesn't seem to have made it into my new stamping room, or maybe it's burried somewhere. . .

So, today I'll post another embossing project we did at a class a few months ago. The first step is to stamp the large flowers in versa mark and emboss with white embossing powder. Actually, since it is on white paper you could use clear embossing powder. After it was embossed I stamped the foliage across the layout and rubbed the ink off the embossed area with a paper towel. This stamp set is called Inspired By Nature and is still available but on the dormant list.
I lightly drew a pencil line where I was going to place the Tempting Turquoise strips of cardstock so I would know where to stop sponging. I used a stamping sponge to apply Appricot Appeal, Tempting Turquoise and Certainly Celery ink around the flower to help it stand out on the page.
I used the same 3 colors of ink to stamp the Seeing Spots stamp set on the other side of the pencil line. Who needs patterned paper???? This layout is totally cardstock, no patterned paper at all.

I stamped the title "My Favoites" with the Short Order alphabet set and clipped it on with the ever so cute Mini Library Clips. I had a list of possible favorites printed out on white cardstock that class members could choose to journal about after punching them out with the Word Window Punch. The list of favorites included: Food, Movie, Snack, Book, Game, Vacation, Music, Time of Day, Holiday, Color, Celebrity, and TV Show. Adhere them to cardstock mats that coordinate with the rest of the layout and journal about yourself. I even had a picture that was taken last March at the Relief Society birthday party that really matched the colors of the layout that I used. The buttercups (that's what most people in TN call daffodils) were in pint canning bottles and I made the little fringed drawstring purses to cover the jars.

Now I need to go order clear embossing powder.

Wednesday, January 28, 2009


This is another project we did at the meeting. It uses a technique called "emerging color". Mine didn't turn out quite like it should because by the time I got to the table where they were making it, embossing powder had gotten all over everything but you can kind of get the idea. It is definitely a technique I will try again and try to post a better example. For once I took a decent picture of a project and you can see the detail I'd rather you couldn't see!
To do it you stamp several times with different colors, this one I used Brilliant Blue and Not Quite Navy. Then I stamped a solid stamp (the leafy white one) with Versa Mark and embossed the card with clear embossing powder. After that I brayered Brilliant Blue all over the card, I put it on pretty thick so it covers everything real well. When I wiped off the card the part where I embossed and the colors I had stamped on before embossing and brayering show through. It is a pretty cool technique that I need to experiment with again real soon!
We have a crop at church the last Thursday of every month that we call Memory Preservation Day. Maybe I can remember everything I need to practice the emerging color technique there tomorrow.
*brayer
*clear embossing powder
*embossing gun
*solid stamp with several smaller stamps that coordinate
*ink
*versa mark pad
*white cardstock
I wonder if that is everything. . .

Monday, January 26, 2009


Here is one of the projects we made at our buisness meeting last Saturday. I thought I would post a few Valentine's projects this week so you would have time to get them made before the big day.

This is an accordian folded card.
Cut the base: 4 ¼ X 11, Back card part : 3 ¾ X 4 ½
Score base at the following dimensions:
1 3/8, 2 ½, 4 3/8, 6, 8 ¼.

Accordion fold and decorate.

It is much easier than it appears and it looks great sitting on your loved one's desk! LMK if you have any questions about it.

Saturday, January 24, 2009


I'm sorry it took me so long to announce the winner. I didn't get on the computer all day yesterday because we don't have internet at the new house yet. And the winner is . . . Ashley!


Carolyn had it right too but Ashley posted first. I did the top one on the left. I really like the top middle one too. It is made with one of the new dies that Stampin' Up carries. I really want the die but it is too big to fit in my Zippe Mate die cutting machine. I guess I need to get the Big Shot so I can cut that die out! I've seen so many cute ideas using it.


I'll get your ink pad out to you Monday morning Ashley. Congratulations!


I need to post a picture today so here is a cute picture of my youngest grandbaby. It was in honor of her turning 1 year old. I may be a bit partial but I think she is georgous! (blue frosting and all)

Wednesday, January 21, 2009

Card Swaps


Last Saturday I went to a business meeting in Nashville. As you can imagine, a Stampin’ Up! Business meeting gets the “business” part over as quickly as possible and moves on to stamping! I’ll take pictures with my sad little camera to show you tomorrow but for today, some of the cards I got in the swap. Many of you have been involved in swaps, stampers and scrapbookers use pretty much any get together as an excuse to do a swap! There were about 15 people who participated. Here is a picture of 6 of the cards from the swap, can you guess which one is mine? The first one to respond with the correct answer will win a Night of Navy inkpad and a set of 5 handmade cards. How well do you know my style???

Friday, January 16, 2009

Pictures for sledding story


Here are a couple of pictures that can go with yesterday's post. The kids are my brothers and sisters and I (I'm the one on the back row on the right) This was taken around the time we would have been having fun sledding down the hill on the car hood. I'm not sure the make and model of the car we got the hood from but it is simular to the picture posted here. There was not problem getting all 6 of us on it!

Thursday, January 15, 2009

I know it isn't as cold here as it is in other parts of the U.S. but anyway you look at it, 3 nights and 2 days below freezing isn't great on the toes. Mine are like popsicles! I noticed some ice around a pond I drove by today and was reminded of when I was a kid.

When it snowed and the pond froze over there was no school which made us all happy (maybe not Mom so much) and we bundled up as warm as we could to head out to play. My brothers had found an old car in the woods that had been abandoned long ago so they took the hood off of it and flipped it upside down and there was room for all 6 of us on there. I don't know what the model was but it was one that had the curved front so we aimed the curve down the hill and we zipped down it in our makeshift sled which would spin around and around once we reached the iced over pond. It was great!

When we had played until we were too cold to stay out any longer we would head back into the warm kitchen. Mom would run tepid water for us to warm up our hands with. I so wanted it to be good, hot water but Mom knew that wouldn't be good on our frozen little fingers. I guess I need to go find some tepid water for my toes. . .

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

Friendship card

This card uses Very Vanilla as the base, mounted on Regal Rose cardstock. I sponged Certainly Celery ink around the edge of the base, stamped some swirls at the top and punched the corners with the ticket corner punch. I also punched the other layers with this punch for a coordinated, fun look. The tabs on either side are the Word Window punch, I punched out 2 Very Vanilla and 2 of the blue designer paper and layered them and tucked the ends under the card front.

I stamped the flower in Regal Rose ink and cut it out, placed a Stampin' Dimentional under the center and put a brad through it to attach. The dimentional sets the flower off from the card for a great look. To make this a friendship card I stamped a sentiment under the flower that says "Your friendship makes my heart HAPPY." Wouldn't one of your friends love to get a friendship card in the mail on a cold wintery day?

Monday, January 12, 2009

Heritage Layout


Here is a layout I did using the Embrace Life set. I stamped the title with the Outline Alphabet set and stamped the leafy stamp from Embrace Life around the edges and sponged it like I explained in the pink Embrace Life card a few days ago. I stamped a couple of Bashful Blue flowers here and there around the title block also.


I stamped the leafy stamp in the spaces between the Certainly Celery strips of cardstock on Very Vanilla cardstock. It was a quick and easy background. I matted the photos on Certainly Celery and Bashful Blue cardstock and tied gingham ribbon around the title and one of the flower embellishments. I colored the flowers using a bit of ink from the lid of my stamp pads and a blender pen.

Sunday, January 11, 2009

Happy Sunday!


We had great meetings at church today. It is so good to go to church every Sunday and get refilled for the week. In Primary Christina (my 4 yo granddaughter) gave a talk. She was so sweet and gave a very nice talk. You could tell she had worked on it throughout the week and needed very little help from her mom. It is amazing for me to see how quickly my grandchildren are growing up and how smart they are. This is a picture of my little Christina playing in the leaves.