Rubber Room Stampin'

SHARING SOME SWAPS FROM LEADERSHIP in ORLANDO, 2009

You can't call me fast when it comes to sharing some of the great swaps I got at Stampin' Up!'s Leadership Conference in Orlando FL earlier this month.  No excuse except for b-u-s-y, and as always, technically challenged.  Anyway, here are some of my favorite cards:

So what if the Hokey Pokey really IS what it's all about!  :)  This card features several of the dies from the Big Shot Die-Cut Machine.

Ingredients:
Stamp Set:  Smarty Pants
Cardstock: Real Red, Pacific Point (2009 Stampin' Up! In Color), Summer Sun, Old Olive, Kiwi Kiss
Ink:  Pacific Point
Accessories:  Sizzix Big Shot Die Cut machine, Stampin' Up! Exclusive Top Note Die & Sweetest Stem Embosslet Dies, Pacific Point 5/8" Striped Grosgrain Ribbon, Snail adhesive

Yum yum, how could you resist this ice cream cone? 
Ingredients:
Stamp Set:  On Your Birthday
Cardstock: Kiwi Kiss, Chocolate Chip, Whisper White, Creamy Caramel, Pink Pirouette*
Ink:  Chocolate Chip
Accessories:  Punches: Scallop Circle and Spiral, Crimper, Stampin' Sponge, , Pink gingham ribbon (retired with Fall/Winter 2008 Idea Book & Catalog) Snail adhesive
* 2009 Stampin' Up! In Color

I just love this Very Punny card!

Ingredients:
Stamp Set:  Puns from the Past
Cardstock: Tempting Turquoise, Real Red, Whisper White, Garden Green, Bella Rose DSP (Designer Series Paper)
Ink:  Real Red
Accessories:  Sizzix Big Shot Die Cut machine, Stampin' Up! Buttons #5 Die, Punches: Scallop Edge, Key Tag and Word Window, Dimensionals, Snail adhesive

 

I like this card because of the simple rectangles in the background.  The stamped layer could be any kind of image.

I hope you've enjoyed these few card samples.  I do have more, but they're at home and I'm not!  I'll be back there next week.

BABY SHOWER CARD

I made this baby card last week for my son and daughter-in-law who are expecting their first child in late February.  I saw a card on someone's blog (oh that I remembered whose!) that I really liked and adapted it from a feminine general card to this baby boy shower card.  I've loved the Wild About You stamp set since it came out and here I get to use it again, in pastels for once rather than primary colors.

Stamp Sets:  Wild About You, Short & Sweet
Cardstock:  Baja Breeze (2009 In Color), Kraft, Very Vanilla
Ink: Baja Breeze
Accessories:  Manchester DSP (Designer Series Paper), Punches: Wide Oval, Large Oval, Small Oval, 1/2" Circle; Dimensionals, Baja Breeze 5/8" Striped Grosgrain Ribbon

This is a pretty straight forward card that could be adapted to so many stamp sets, cardstock colors, Designer Series Papers, and themes in general.  I'm sure I'll be back with it in another incarnation soon.  If you have any questions about it, be sure to ask.  And remember, you can always let me know if you'd like to order any of the ingredients, all found in the 2009 Spring/Summer Stampin' Up! Idea Book & Catalog (which will be linked on the sidebar of this blog soon--I'm being technically challenged again).   You can email me or order online anytime on my Stampin' Up! Demonstrator Website. 

VARIATION ON A CARD....

I was fortunate enough to be able to attend Stampin' Up!'s Leadership Conference January 7-9 in Orlando FL.  I took about 50 cards with me for swapping with other demonstrators from around the country and received many great samples in return.  This one, created by Mary Anne Grimmer,  I used as the jumping off point for my granddaughter's 2nd birthday card.

Leadership swap card:

Ingredients:
STAMP SET:  Goody Goody Gumdrop (Hostess Level 3)
CARDSTOCK: Candy Lane Designer Series Paper; CS: Riding Hood Red, Pink Pirouette, Close to Cocoa, Whisper White
INK:  Basic Grey, Riding Hood Red; Marker: Chocolate Chip
ACCESSORIES:  Aqua Painter, Brass Brads, paper piercer, scallop edge punch, ticket corner punch, white gel pen, Riding Hood Red taffeta ribbon, Crystal Effects, 2-Way glue, Dazzling Diamonds glitter.

I love the use of the Scallop Edge Punch, Designer Series Paper and the layering.  So, here is the card I made for my granddaughter(our of mostly retired supplies sorry to say):

 

Ingredients:
STAMP SET: Fairy set (retired--can't remember the proper name), Great Greetings (retired)
CARDSTOCK: Pretty in Pink, Lavender Lace, Whisper White;  Patterns Designer Series Paper: Certainly Celery
INK: Basic Grey, Lavender Lace, Pretty in Pink, Certainly Celery, Versamark
ACCESSORIES: Clear Embossing Powder, Heat Tool, 2-way glue pen, Dazzling Diamonds glitter, scallop edge punch, Pretty in Pink Taffeta Ribbon, Dimensionals

I'm trying to stretch my imagination and take a template and go with it.  So I hope you've enjoyed my little endeavor.

See you soon, hopefully tomorrow!

FINGER PUPPET, aka BLYTHE

As promised, here are some closer views of "me".

My top appears to be sheer, aka vellum.  And in winter I do wear a scarf of some kind to keep my neck warm.

Close up of the Designer Logo!  Now really, is that stylin' or what? 

And this is where she/"I" monitor what's going on in My Country Loft!  I'll smile every time I look at the little puppet.  I have a class this afternoon (Valentine Bundle) and we'll see if anyone notices her watching every move!

THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX WITH YOUR DSP

I woke up to the best email yesterday morning!  One of my Stamp Club members has a great imagination.  And more time on her hands than I do for sure!!!  But oh does she always have me laughing and smiling.  Let me preface the photo by saying that there are 6 local members in our Stamp Club (ask how you can join my next one starting in May 2009).  We all live in the foothills (Sonora) or mountains (Twain Harte, Mi Wuk Village or Long Barn) of Northern California, one range away from Nevada, 39 crow miles from Yosemite National Park.

So, our member Nancy, created FINGER PUPPETS in our honors.  Actually it began with wanting to create something while watching Sunday afternoon t-v.  Here are Nancy's own words, well worth sharing:

"While watching the news yesterday about President Elect Obama making the train trip to DC like Lincoln did it inspired me to make some Obama, Lincoln and Washington finger puppets.  Don't ask me why, it just sounded like a fun thing to do.  Well, that in turn gave me the idea to make finger puppets of the Monday Mi-Wuk Stamp Club members that will be meeting tomorrow.  What a fun way to spend a lazy day!

"I used the Smiley icon from Windows and got out my 3/4" and 1" circle punches for the faces.  I cut out 3" x 3" squares of paper for the body part that goes over the finger.  We are a styling group of high country stampers who are now ready to partake in the inaugural festivities.  Our Monday Mi-Wuk Stamp Club models will now walk down the runway....drum roll please."

From left to right.......

"Gloria is wearing an empire waist DSP ensemble of Riding Hood Red "fabric".  The ribbon on the empire waist matches her hair.
 
"Linda is chic in a sporty black and white outfit accentuated with polka dots and a silver necklace.  It's just her style.
 
"Nancy is wearing vintage DSP in Sky Blue with an argyle sweater and pinstriped skirt.  Quite preppy!   Her bob hairstyle is perfect for this look.
 
"Blythe is on her second outfit of the day.  She is wearing a sheer voile  vintage flower power top from the 60's with cut-off shorts.  Of course, the Stampin' UP logo is stitched on her shorts!  A purple boa tops off the outfit and goes perfectly with her spiked hairdo.  Earlier she had on an outfit with a low slung rhinestone studded belt but the Zen was missing from the outfit so off it went.
 
"Rose is wearing Bella Rose DSP (of course).  It's a one piece jumpsuit accentuated with a rhinestone on the center pocket.  A sparkly scarf sets of the outfit.
 
"Shirley is sleek in a Chocolate Chip DSP sheath of coordinating colors.  Her diamond necklace complements the outfit.
 
"Susan is wearing a black and white outfit reminiscent of her trips to Hawaii.  As always, she has on a cool necklace to add  to her look.

"That concludes the fashion show.  Who said finger puppets and paper dolls are for kids!"

Now, I have to tell you wonderful readers that Nancy captured the essence of each member of the group.  Maybe you have to know us, but.......I think you can feel the vibes from each of us!

All 'clothing' is from Stampin' Up!  'Jewelry' is from........ahm........who knows!?

And when I can put my hands on the cords for downloading pictures from my camera, I'll have a few close-ups of 'me'.  My finger puppet now resides atop my SU! background stamps at the head of My Country Loft stampin' studio.

I'm looking forward to seeing you tomorrow.

TUESDAY'S TOOL: CROP-A-DILE

If you have a Crop-a-Dile, affectionately known as the CAD, how often do you use it?  All the time? Some of the time?  None of the time?  It might look rather prehistoric but it is so soft, gentle, and efficient.  I truly love mine.  Statistics:  p. 184 (of the Fall/Winter Stampin' Up! Idea Book & Catalog), #108362, $29.95 (US)

What on earth do you do with this thing?  This awesome tool punches 2 sizes of holes, sets eyelets, and even embosses! And when you are punching holes, you can set the depth so that you get even spacing from the edge to your hole.

3/16 eyelet- A+1
1/8  eyelet- C+3
1/8 round snap- B+2
flat setter for all over-sized misc, square shaped metal embellishments and snaps- D+4

I guess this picture really does make it look prehistoric!  But it sure isn't.  What can you punch with it?  This list is only a few of the items you can punch with the CAD:

• leather
• cardstock
• paper
• cardboard
• belts
• laminate chips
• chip board
• tin
• CD or plastic
• heavy paper coasters
• dog collars
• metal tags
• scrapbook covers (adding hodgepodge hardware)
• denim or other heavy fabrics
• small metal buckets
• thin wood ornaments/boxes
• backpack straps

Fun techniques you can perform with the CAD:

Dry Embossing –
Using Setting A-1 lightly press on cardstock without eyelet and make a “dry impression of a circle or dot”.  See 'aligning' below for making a straight line of embossed dots/circles.

Aligning:
Using the depth gauge you can align all of your holes, dots, and eyelets etc in an evenly spaced straight line. Set the depth gauge to your desired depth. Slide paper in until it touches the gauge, and then press down on the lever making your hole or impression.  Move the tool over until the black square barely touches the previous hole and then press again; repeat until you have several holes in an evenly spaced straight line.

Warning when inserting eyelets: Be sure the eyelet is aligned with the top and base before pressing or you will smash your eyelet.  The widest part of eyelet goes to the top, skinny part or stem of eyelet goes towards the base.  Think of an eyelet as a flower. The flower goes up to the top, while the stem goes down to the base.

So now, this should get your CAD off your shelf or out of your drawer and into your hand, ready to use on your next creation.  Please send me photos of your cards, boxes, or whatevers and I'll gladly post them on my blog for 'the world' to see! 

Leadership begins tomorrow so I'll be having lots of samples to share with you.  Stay tuned.

CHILDRENS' BIRTHDAY PARTY INVITATION

I came upon a really cute invitation (on my daughter's calendar) yesterday that is so do-able.  Maybe you can use it or something similar for your next event.  It was created by one of 'my stampers', Jen, and sent to my daughter and grandchildren (4, 2, and 2-1/2 months) requesting them to join their jungle safari.

Basic cardstock: 8-1/2" x 5-1/2""
Add-on piece: 1-1/8" x 5-1/2"

Score your card at 1-1/4" and 5-1/2" along short side.
Layer your 1-1/8" x 5-1/2" strip along the bottom of your card, stretching the card, when opened, to 8-7/8" long.  When folded and tucked in the slits it will measure the standard 5-1/2" x 4-1/4".
Decorate, stamp, embellish your card as desired (this card uses the Wild About You stamp set - 107371).
Using the Slit Punch (104388), punch 2 slits just above the bottom (extra layer) of the card.  Fold at score lines and tuck in the bottom 'flap'.  Stamp as desired and you're done.

Ingredients:

Stamp Set:  Wild About You

Cardstock:  Tempting Turquoise, More Mustard, Chocolate Chip, Real Red, Kraft, Whisper White

Ink:  More Mustard (pad), Chocolate Chip (marker) , Tempting Turquoise (pad), Basic Black (pad)

Accessories:  Slit Punch, Dimensionals, Personal Paper Cutter, SNAIL Adhesive

Now I'm off to create a baby shower invitation and my Leadership swap cards.  I'm headed for Orlando Florida on Tuesday and want to create some swap cards that I can exchange with other demonstrators for new ideas from stampers across the US and Canada.  From cold, gray and foggy Dublin, CA where we are house swapping with my daughter's family.........see you soon.......

WELCOME TO 2009!

Of course it's hard to believe that 12 short (very short) months ago we were welcoming 2008. 

My husband, cousin and I drove 4 hours from our home in the California mountains to my sister's home in the California wine country (both great places) to spend New Year's Eve with them and some friends.  Janet, my sister, came to my early November stamp-your-brains-out weekend and, rather than making Christmas cards like most of the rest of the gals, she began working on her red/white/black New Year's Eve invitations and other ideas for table décor.  Here are the results:

The table scape:

Several of the ideas on the table were inspired by Stampin' Up!'s founder, Shelli Gardner, in a holiday video several months ago.  Scalloped circle punched pieces were scattered around the table; we used Real Red Print Pattern Designer Series Paper.  Napkin rings were made using the Big Shot Top Note Bigz Die, exclusive to SU!.  3 boxes were created using the Big Shot Scallop Envelope Bigz Die, also an SU! exclusive.

Napkin rings:

The napkin ring uses Basic Black, Real Red, and Whisper White cardstocks and Basic Black and Real Red Classis inks.  Stamp Set/Accessory: Curly Label Punch Bundle.  Other Accessories:  Small Oval Punch, Dimensionals, Silver Eyelets, retired silver ribbon.  She left these for me to assemble once I arrived yesterday afternoon:  Tie just the Big Note Basic Black piece around the folded napkin.  Work the punched label (that already has the 'celebrate' oval attached with a dimensional) back and forth with you fingers so it has a curve in it.  Then attach to the Big Note with a single dimensional.  You're done.  And my job was done 17 napkins later!  I chose to bring only my small digital camera and the quality of the photos isn't quite what I'd hoped for.  Also, my battery was dying and I only had a few opportunities to get the shots I wanted.  Moral:  always bring the more versatile, especially in low light, camera.  It only takes up a bit of space in the car!

These votive candle 'boats' were made 5 years ago I'll bet, so the stamp sets are definitely retired now.

Ingredients: Cardstock weight Vellum (101856), solid color CS (Real Red in our case), eyelets, stamp set, Versamark or other pigment based ink, embossing powder, heat gun. Cut your vellum cardstock at tall as the votive candle holder, usually around 2".  For the length, you need to be able to wrap across the front and back of the votive hold and have little extra ends where you place the eyelets holding the front and back together.  Use Snail Adhesive to attach the contrasting cardstock to the vellum.  Stamp and emboss before assembling.

Below is a close up (lousy lighting again) of one of the scallop envelope boxes.  Please check out my blog entry here for assembly instructions.

 

Better light for the envelope box---still not the best.  I've learned!

 

Our favors, below, were scattered around the table top.  These were mega-simple.  Select a piece of cardstock or DSP large enough to cover up your candy of choice.  Janet's choice was Girardelli Chocolate squares, laid side by side.  Wrap your DSP around the goodie with enough to overlap 1/2"; secure with SNAIL adhesive.  Seal the ends with adhesive as well and then crimp with the crimper (101618, $19.95)  Wrap with a solid piece of cardstock about 1" wide and long enough to wrap around the favor.  Our decoration used the Scallop Circle and the 1-3/8" punches.   With the exception of the one guest who was a dentist, all candy was devoured.  

 

This banner hung from the crossbeam over the table and it conveys my greeting to you:

Typepad is outsmarting me again and I cannot seem to skip two lines and then