"Sunny Fun" from the Summer Mini

Today is the last day to order from the Summer Mini Catalog. Don't miss out on these great stamp sets. To make sure you get the items you want before they are gone, order online at My Demonstrator Website. The new Holiday Mini Catalog starts tomorrow. My regular customers should have received theirs in the mail already. If you still need one, please let me know.
Todays card features the "Sunny Fun " Stamp Set from the Summer Mini Catalog.
I used the flip flop image. The stamp set also has a row of kids in innertubes and a row of ice cream cones. The sentiment shown on the card is also part of this stamp set. The card itself is 3 x 6. This is a great size for getting the most out of a 12x12 piece of cardstock. Each piece will make 4 cards. Mine is Daffodil Delight. The Tangerine Tango piece was embossed with the Big Shot and the NEW Houndstooth Embossing Folder. The image has been colored in with Stampin' Pastels and a Blender Pen.

PRODUCTS USED:
Stamps: Sunny Fun (wm#123040 , cm#123042)
Ink: Stazon Black (#101406)
Cardstock: Daffodil Delight, Tangerine Tango, Concord Crush, Whisper White
Accessories: Daffodil Delight Taffeta Ribbon (#119254), Houndstooth Embossing Folder (#123134), Stampin' Pastels (#120962), Blender Pen (#102845), Big Shot (#113439), Dimensionals (#104430)

Big Shot Butterlies

The Big Shot makes paper crafting so easy. One of my favorite Embosslits for the Big Shot is the Beautiful Wings (#118138). An embosslit both embosses (makes areas raised) and cuts the images out at the same time. The Beautfiul Wings Embosslit makes 5 different butterflies at the same time.
For this card I used the embosslit with 4 different colors of cardstock; Whisteria Wonder, Pumpkin Pie, Pretty in Pink, and Melon Mambo. Since the embosslit is so small (2-1/4" x 2-1/2"), it is a great way to use up small scraps.

You can stack the butterflies to give them a little more dimension. I used the largest butterfly for the center focal point and stacked two together for the bottom row. They are held together with a dab of 2 way glue pen. The rhinstone accent is the smallest in the package. There is one of the largest ones in the corner of the large butterfly. All the butterflies are then attached to the card using dimensionals. I cut smaller pieces off the dimensional sheet for the small butterflies. I still had a number of the butterflies left over, so I attached sever of the smallest ones to the inside of the card with some 2 way glue pen.

The little tag was made with the Tiny Tags Stamp Set and the Jewlery Tag Punch. The Tiny Tags Stamp Set does come in both wood mount and clear mount. The pieces are rather small, so I do suggest getting them in a wood mount. They are much easier to clean and stamp with this way, and much harder to loose accidentaly. The piece of Designer Paper at the bottom is from the Flirtacious Specialty DSP and ran through the crimper for some added dimension.

Place your order 24/7 online at My Demonstrator Website. Simply click "shop now" in the upper right corner.

PRODUCTS USED:

Stamps: Tiny Tags (wm #118091 , cm#118592)

Ink: Basic Black (#101179)

Cardstock: Naturals White, Melon Mambo, Pumpkin Pie, Whisper Whiseria, Pretty in Pink, Flirtacious Specialty Designer Series Paper (#122360)
Accessories: Beautiful Wings Embosslit (#118138), Big Shot (#113439), Dimensionals (#104430), 2 Way Glue Pen (#100425), Basic Rhinestone Jewel Accents (#119246), Crimper (#101618), Jewlery Tag Punch (#117190), Linen Thread (#104199)

Great Organization Find

My local movie rental store went out of business last month. They had everything on sale. I picked up a couple of the racks they used to diplay DVD's that were previously rented for sale. The racks are perfect for displaying the cards I have gathered. Some of the cards are mine, others are from swaps with other demonstrators. I was able to sort them into category, so each time I need a card now I can just grap one from the right stack.

I have two of the racks. I figured out my ribbon and such fits well in them also. I just don't have a place right now to put the second rack.

Tell me about what unique way you have found to organize your stamping supplies.

FA_Stamper Now on FACEBOOK!

I have had a number of friends sharing my projects with people I don't know personally. Bless You All! It makes me feel good that you like my projects enough to share them with others.

With the huge poularity of Facebook and other social media, I wanted to make it easier for people to receive notification of new blog posts and share things they like with their friends on Facebook or Twitter.

RECEIVE UPDATES DIRECTLY ON FACEBOOK--You can find me at Kathleen Brill-Myrice, Independent Stampin' Up! Demonstrator. Simply click "Like" at the top and all the updates to my blog and information for upcoming classes will show in your News Feeds.

SHARE BLOG POSTS WITH YOUR FRIENDS--For those who don't want to follow me on Facebook, but wish to share the occassional post with their friends, I have added the option to share an individual post from here on your Facebook page, Twitter or other social media account. If you are a Fan of my Facebook page, you can share posts directly with your friends on Facebook by clicking "Share" under the post on your News Feed.

Cute Little Treat

The creativity of some of my fellow demonstrators is fantastic and their generosity in sharing their creations is incredible. This little basket is a combination of techniques I learned from a few people.
The first technique is to make the box itself. It is made from 2 die cuts from the Two Tags Die. The taller sides of the box are the die cuts. The shorter side of the box is a little insert I made to complete the box. The benifit of using the Two Tags Die is the slot to place the handle and the hole to put the brad. It takes the guessing out of perfectly placing the items.

The second technique is using punches to make those cute flowers. Look closely. Do you see it? They are the butterfly punch. That is so creative. You simply lay a couple of the butterflies on a paper towel, spritz with water and then color with a blender pen or aqua painter and a few drops of reinker. After they dried I drew a few lines with my marker for the center. A simple brad and voila.

The grass is simple. Cut a handful of strips (or use a bit of those strips left over from cutting down cardstock for layers) and put them through a crimper a few at a time. Put a bunch in the basket and a few sticking up from behind the flowers. DONE!

These baskets are the perfect size to hold a small bag of candy or a single plastic egg. The Designer Series paper wrapped around the middle, just adds that pefect little touch to dress it up.

Designer Series Paper is on special for another 3 days from Stampin' Up! Buy any 3 DSP packs and get an additional one for FREE!

You can place an order for Stampin' Up! Products 24/7 by going to My Stampin' Up! Website.

Baby Announcement Option #2

When designing the card for my friend's baby announcements (shown yesterday), I made another sample to consider. This one also used the Fox & Friends stamp set, but was done in a criss cross pocket card style.
The front pocket covers were done in a One Sheet Wonder Manner. I stamped the animal images all over a sheet of Whisper White and then cut it into the pieces I needed. This is a wonderful way to make your own background paper in whatever colors you wish. The Chocolate Chip strip across the front of the card actually wraps around the entire card like a belly band. It is held closed with a little bit of sticky strip under the turtle area.
The entire insert lifts out so you can write your message, put a photo or the birth information on the front. You can of course turn it over to write something on the back if you wish. This card was enjoyable to make and I like the pull out section, but I am glad I made the other one for my friend. 50 of these would have put a cramp into my stamping hand with all those animals.

Products Used:
Stamps: Fox & Friends, (sentiment from retired hostess set)
Colors: More Mustard, Early Espresso, Garden Green, Not Quite Navy, Whisper White
Accessories: Round Tab Punch, Gold Brads, Scallop Circle Punch, 1-1/4" Circle Punch, Sticky Strip

Welcome Baby!

I enjoy the chance to do something special for my good friends. A special friend of mine had her first child not too long ago. Being the wonderful person she is, she had lots of family and friends sending her clothes and other great gifts for the first time mom. What is a person to do for someone who is so loved by many and has all the basics she needs? Well make her a special card of course. Or in this case a set of 50 cards that can be sent to her family and friends.

This is the baby announcement I made for my friend. The front is one of my favorite stamp sets, "Fox & Friends". I was so glad to see it included in this years 2011-2012 Idea Book & Catalog. To form the layout I placed all of the stamps out on my Grid Paper. It took a little bit of math to figure out the size of each area. There is a 1/8" space between each section.

Grid Paper is a wonderful tool to have on your stamp table. It has a large area to protect your table from ink and other stamping messes. There is a small area to the side to make notes. Each border has a ruler, allowing you to measure for layers easily. I use it to measure just the right amount of fibbon when making multiple cards. You can use it to temporarily clean ink from your stamps before using your Stampin' Scrub. You can stamp off some of the ink on your grid paper to make your project stamping lighter. It is a great place to ink up your wheels before putting them to your projects. When I have inked my grid paper beyond normal use, I give it my kids to punch out shapes and keep them busy while I finish my projects. There are countless ways you can use your grid paper. It comes in a stack of 100--11" x 17" sheets for only $9.95. Item #102787.

One of the easiest ways to dress up a card is to use an embossing folder to texture the background. I used the Perfect Polka Dots embossing folder. The little button is from the Bitty Buttons Collection. It is a great value at 64 buttons for only $4.95. I tied a small piece of linen thread through the holes in the button to finish it off. It is held in place by a mini glue dot.

Products Used:

Stamps: Fox & Friends (#110702-Wood, #118565-Clear), Curvy Verses (#114948)

Colors: Bashful Blue, Certainly Celery, Crumb Cake, So Saffron, Black Stazon Ink

Accessories: Perfect Polka Dots Embossing Folder (#117335), Big Shot, Bitty Buttons (#118761), Linen Thread, 1/2" Circle Punch, Grid Paper (#102787), Mini Glue Dots

Retired Products for Sale

I have updated the list of items I have for sale.
There are stamp sets, designer paper, punches, and other accessories.
For a full list see the post on July 22nd. HERE

Thanks for looking.

August Stamp Set of the Month

August Stamp Set of the Month “Raining Flowers”
Accessory of the Month: Basic Pearl Jewels

When you order the August “Stamp Set of the Month” Bundle, you’ll get a kit containing all of the precut pieces needed to make 6 of the cards shown above for FREE! Additionally, you’ll be e-mailed a PDF File that contains step-by-step instructions on how to make the card shown above along with 3 BONUS designs for creative inspiration on other things that can be done with the featured stamp set so you can see it’s versatility and get the most bang for the buck! Supply Lists are included for the bonus designs, but not instructions.

Want more precut pieces? No problem! When you order the Stamp Set of the Month Bundle, you can order additional quantities of precut cardstock pieces in increments of 6 so that you can make as many as you want to have on hand!

August Stamp Set of the Month WOOD Bundle: $44.90 + Shipping and Tax
(Includes your order for the “Raining Flowers” stamp set in wood mount and 1 pack of Basic Pearls plus the FREE kit)

August Stamp Set of the Month CLEAR Bundle: $33.90 + Shipping and Tax
(Includes your order for the “Raining Flowers” stamp set in clear mount and 1 pack of Basic Pearls plus the FREE kit)

Additional Quantities of the August Kit: $6 + Shipping for every set of 6 cards

Other supplies you’ll want to order: Wisteria Wonder, Concord Crush, Perfect Plum and Lucky Limeade Classic Ink;, Medium White Envelopes, Paper Snips, SNAIL Adhesive, Stampin’ Dimensionals and Bone Folder.

August Stampin' Up! Special

Everyone loves Designer Series Paper. It only takes a little to add a lot to any project. This month Stampin' Up! has put their fabulous Designer Series Paper on Sale. Buy any 3 packs of DSP and get 1 for FREE! (a $10.95) value.
There is no limit to the number of FREE packs of DSP you can get.
Select any combination of the following Designer Series Papers.

122343 Nautical Expedition --Summer Mini
122367 Paisley Petals
122357 Beau Chateau
122354 Pocketful of Posies
122355 Domestic Goddess
124339 Just Add Cake
122351 Frightful Sight
122352 Timeless Portrait
122350 Berry Blossoms
122342 Beyond the Garden
122359 Well Worn
122347 Nursery Nest
122349 Letters to Santa
122348 Big Top Birthday