Rubber Room Stampin'

GREAT PROJECT #2

Just a quick reminder before we get on with today's project:

TODAY IS THE LAST DAY OF SALE-A-BRATION 2009!!

IT'S ALSO THE LAST DAY TO JOIN STAMPIN' UP! WITH YOUR STARTER KIT PRICE REDUCED BY 15%, FROM $199 TO $169.  PLUS YOU CAN CHOOSE A FREE STAMP SET FROM THE 2009 SPRING/SUMMER IDEA BOOK & CATALOG.  Up to $47.95 in value!  Not bad huh?

If you want to take advantage of either (or both) of these opportunities just call or email me or hop on line to my Stampin' Up! website and click on SHOP NOW or JOIN NOW.  You'll need a special password from me if you decide to join Stampin' Up! today.  And actually the only way, at this point in time (can't believe I used that phrase again!) to join SU! and my team, taking advantage of this great special, is via my website.

Are you ready for our second project?  It was presented by Suzanne.  This card highlights water coloring with an Aqua Painter, using the lid of the Stampin' Up! Classic stamp pad as a palette.  See HINT #1 below.

INGREDIENTS:
STAMP SET: Bloomin' Beautiful
CARDSTOCK:  Kiwi Kiss, Rose Red, Very Vanilla, Watercolor paper
INK:  StazOn Jet Black, Cameo Coral, Going Gray, Kiwi Kiss, Rose Red,
ACCESSORIES: Raspberry Tart Designer Series Paper (p. 160), Watercolor Paper (p. 156), Aqua Painter (p. 190), Crafter's Tool Kit (p. 188), Dimensionals, (p. 191), 2-Way Glue Pen, Dazzling Diamonds Glitter, White Taffeta Ribbon (p. 179), punches:  Wide & Large Oval (p. 184), White Gel Pen (p. 190)

This is really a pretty much straight-forward card, except, perhaps, for the watercoloring. 

A few hints:

1- Take your Cameo Coral Classic stamp pad and, while it is still closed, squeeze the center of the lid with your thumb, pushing it onto the stamp pad.  Then open the pad and use the ink from the lid as your palette.  Swipe the Aqua Painter across the ink 'puddle' and apply the ink to your card.  You might want to test it out first, for color intensity and wetness, on your grid paper or whatever kind of protective paper you place under your work.

2- Place your darkest color on the outside edges, leaving the inside with some white spaces or at least with very light coloring.  Allow yourself to be a little bit 'sloppy' and loose.

3- For these geraniums, watercolor the entire 'plant' with the Cameo Coral (the lighter color); then highlight the edges of the petals with the Rose Red (darker color) and make some blossoms totally Rose Red.

4- Color the center of each blossom (as you can pick them out!) with the White Gel Pen.  Let it dry; then dab with the 2-Way Glue Pen and sprinkle with Dazzling Diamonds Glitter.

Please leave a comment if you decide to try coloring with the Aqua Painters for the first time.  Also if you use the Classic Stamp Pad lid as a palette for the first time.  I'm always surprised to learn how many stampers don't know that simple trick and I hope I've enlightened at least one person.  Maybe YOU????

I'll see you tomorrow with the final project.  Hint: it's nose twitches.  :)

GREAT PROJECT #1

Just a quick reminder before we get on with today's project:

TOMORROW IS THE LAST DAY OF SALE-A-BRATION 2009!!

IT'S ALSO THE NEXT TO THE LAST DAY TO JOIN STAMPIN' UP! WITH YOUR STARTER KIT PRICE REDUCED BY 15%, FROM $199 TO $169.  PLUS YOU CAN CHOOSE A FREE STAMP SET FROM THE 2009 SPRING/SUMMER IDEA BOOK & CATALOG.  Up to $47.95 in value!  Not bad huh?

If you want to take advantage of either (or both) of these opportunities just call or email me or hop on line to my Stampin' Up! website and click on SHOP NOW or JOIN NOW.  You'll need a special password from me if you decide to join Stampin' Up! via my website.  And actually the only way, at this point in time (can't believe I used that phrase!) to join SU! and my team, taking advantage of this great special, is via my website.

I always look forward to the projects when I go to Fresno for our demonstrator stamping meeting.  Don't you think they're pretty snazzy???   Or at least this one?  I'll show you the other two in the next few days.

Kathy's project:  I have to give a disclaimer right now.  Kathy didn't create this card.  Nor did I, regardless of what my watermark says!  Laura Albertson, a Stampin' Up! demonstrator from New York state did.  She made this card for the Stampin' Up! Regional Seminar in London, Ontario a few weeks ago and shared it with the Sudsol stamping list (SU! demonstrators only) I'm a member of.  Kathy saw it too and I'm so glad she put it together for us to make at our group meeting.  It's so crisp and fresh. 

 

INGREDIENTS:
STAMP SET: Oval All (2009 Occasions Mini--Sneak Peak--April 1 - June 30)
CARDSTOCK:  Baja Breeze, Basic Gray, Going Gray, Whisper White
INK: Basic Gray, Whisper White Craft ink
ACCESSORIES:  Punches:  Eyelet Border, Curly Label, Large Oval, Scallop Oval (2009 Occasions Mini--Apr 1-June 30); Big Shot Die Cuts: SU! (exclusive) Little Leaves (p. 200), SU! (exclusive) Cherry Blossom (p. 202), sponge dauber (p. 190), half pearl from the Pretties Kit (p. 175), dimensionals, Snail Adhesive, Tombow Multi Purpose Adhesive (for the white leaves), Walk in the Park Designer Series Paper (2009 Occasions Mini)

This is what our project looked like before we started.  Our projects always have all the pieces cut and ready to go.  We just do necessary punching, trimming, and assembling.

See you tomorrow with project #2.

GREAT SPRING SWAP CARDS

I went to Fresno (CA) on the 26th of March for a monthly downline/sideline meeting of Stampin' Up! demonstrators.  The group 'adopted' me many years ago and they are just *the best*!  I thought I'd share the swap cards I received.  I showed you my card yesterday, using the Manhattan Texture Impressions Die and the Big Shot.  

BELOW:  Kathy's card.  She used the Big Shot Texturz Plate (SU! exclusive Backgrounds I, #114512, p. 203) on the larger Pink Pirouette background piece of CS.  Also the SU! exclusive Sweetest Stem embosslit (114513, p. 202) and bits from the Swirly Sizzlet Decorative Strip Die (113456, p. 198).  Raspberry Tart Designer Series Paper (113975, p. 160).

BELOW:  Mary's card.  Mary used the Scallop Circle #2 (113469, p. 198) and Circles #2 (114526, p. 199) Big Shot Dies, as well the Large (107305, p. 184) and Small Oval (107304, p. 184) and Eyelet Border punches ( 113692, p. 185)  Designer Series Paper is Raspberry Tart (113975, p. 160).

 

BELOW:  Robin's card.  Rob used So Saffron Textured cardstock (108696, p. 155) on her background layer and Tea Party (113992, p. 161) for the Designer Series Paper.  Stamp set is Sweet Stems.  Rich Regals brads (So Saffron) (106953, p. 174).

 

BELOW: The next two cards were made by Alisa.  She brought a guest and made a card for the guest to swap.  Nice.  :)  Thankful Thoughts stamp set; 3/4"(107217, p. 184), 1" (109046, p. 184) , and 1-3/8" (104401, p. 184) circle punches.

 

BELOW: Alisa's second card:  5th Avenue Floral and Warm Words stamp sets; Double Rectange punch (105088, p. 184).

 

BELOW:  Linda's card.  All Holidays stamp set.  Raspberry Tart (113975, p. 160) Designer Series paper; Rich Regals brads (Rose Red) (106953, p. 174).  Pink Pirouette (In Color: 111351, p. 153) cardstock.

 

I'll be back tomorrow with our 3 great projects.  In the meantime, if you'd like any of the ingredients for these swap cards, please send me an email (blythe@stampinwithblythe.com) or click on my Stampin' Up! website in the upper right corner of this blog and click on Shop Now.    Until March 31st, you'll receive FREE, the Spring/Summer 2009 Idea Book & Catalog along with your order.  If you already have one, then share this one with a friend.  FREE Sell-a-Bration sets are also yours for each $50 merchandise order until March 31st.  Come April 1st they're gone forever.

Until tomorrow.....

SPECIAL OCCASION CARDS: SYMPATHY

There are times when you need a special card for that special occasion other than a birthday or anniversary.  Today I'm thinking specifically of Sympathy cards and Thinking of You cards for that person who just needs a boost.  While in Fresno I perused through my friend Kathy's recently made card collection.  She is prolific and just stamps stamps stamps every day, all day long.  (Hi Kathy!)  So I wanted to share a few of her lovely cards with you.

This card uses the Thoughts & Prayers stamp set, which is another of my very favorites.  I think the tree is just so graceful and encompassing.  The Designer Series Paper is Urban Oasis (p. 161)  Then it's just a matter of stamping and layering. 

TIP: The tree is stamped in Chocolate Chip and then, before putting your image on to paper, some of the leaves are reinked using the brush tip end of an Always Artichoke Stampin' Write Marker.  If you click on the card to see it larger, you'll see the variation in color on the leaves.

~~~~~~

The following card is a Note Card (p. 257, 107311), slightly smaller than the cards we usually make but yet still able to be mailed via the U.S. Post Office.

 

Now how simple is this lovely card!?  I would suggest using your marker on this image, also from the Thoughts & Prayers stamp set.  Using a Mellow Moss Stampin' Write Marker, color in the stem and leaves.  Then, using a Bashful Blue Stampin' Write Marker, color in the flowers.  You can color the Thinking of You word image with either your Bashful Blue marker or stamp pad.  Tie a length of Bashful Blue 1/4" Grosgrain Ribbon around one end* and you have a finished card.  Consider stamping a 'second generation'** of your flower branch image onto your envelope.  Do you know that you should never send a naked envelope out into the world???

*Position your ribbon where you'd like it to lay and make tiny pencil tick marks on either side of it at the top of the card.  Then open the card and lay it flat on a protected surface (like a self healing mat or a pile of newspapers or the inside of a magazine) and cut across the top fold, between the tick marks, with a cutting blade.  Then slip your ribbon through that slot and tie it in the front.  Trim the ends.

**Have you heard of 'second generation' stamping before?  Or 'stamping off'??  After you ink up your stamp and apply it to your paper, stamp again, onto your envelope without reinking.  You'll have a lighter image than the first one but one that is still totally visible and perfectly appropriate for mailing.

Well, that's it for today.  Time to do some work downstairs in the family room we're updating.  The 1979 'do' just doesn't work in 2009!!!  See you tomorrow.  :)

VARIATION ON 'MANHATTAN'

I went to Fresno CA yesterday, about 160 miles south of me for a sideline stamping meeting, a gathering of Stampin' Up! demonstrators.  We visit, share ideas, swap cards, and make 3 projects (each presented by one of the demonstrators) that we can then share with you, our customers and viewers.  This is the card I made for the swap whose theme is Spring/Mother's Day.   It might look familiar!  Check here!  I really like the beauty and simplicity of this Manhattan Texture plate.

The color layer is Sage Shadow cardstock, placed between the Whisper White basic card and the Vellum (cardstock weight) layer.  The 'Happy Mother's Day' stamp is from All Holidays which is in the current Stampin' Up! Idea Book & Catalog, page 32.  The beautiful ribbon is the new Organza Ribbon, p. 179.  If you're interested in any of these "ingredients" I can help you with your purchase.  Either email me or or go to my Stampin' Up! website.  You can also access it at upper right corner of this blog page, Shop online 24/7,  then click on Shop Now.

Take care everyone,

ANOTHER LOOK AT "BRANCH OUT"

This stamp set is one of my favorites in the Spring/Summer 2009 Stampin' Up! Idea Book & Catalog and it took me until this last week to finally sit down and play with it.  I hope to have even more samples to share soon.  To me, this card evokes thoughts of spring:  some April showers and then some May flowers and tweeting birds.  Another thing I like about this card is that it can be used for both male and female recipients.  I made two of them and they'll be sent today to Germany:  northern Germany to our German 'son' who was an exchange student in our family in 1989-90.  The second will go to the former east Germany to a dear girlfriend I met via a greeting card display for penpals.  I've had the thrill of visiting her several times with my husband and again with my daughter while she was studying in France.

STAMP SET:  Branch Out
CARDSTOCK:  Baja Breeze, Real Red, Whisper White; Hand Drawn Designer Series Paper (Hostess Level 3)
INK:  Baja Breeze, Basic Black, Close to Cocoa, Old Olive, Real Red
ACCESSORIES:  Old Olive grosgrain ribbon, personal paper cutter, SNAIL adhesive

TIP:  The DSP pieces are cut to 3-3/4" x 3/4".  Position the top and bottom pieces, then the three in the center for easier equal spacing.

Have a great day!

SALE-A-BRATION 2009 IS ALMOST OVER!

Can you believe that the 2 months of Sale-a-Bration are nearly over?  Only 6 more days including today!

I thought I'd share a few cards to get you stimulated to make a few more or, perhaps, inspire you to get that one more S-A-B stamp set, ribbon or Designer Series Paper.  Some of these are cards I received in a swap with fellow Stampin' Up! Demonstrators.

Yummy Sale-a-Bration stamp set

Raspberry Tart Designer Series Paper

Chris Piotrowski, stamp artist

Congrats & Polka Dot Punches S-A-B stamp sets

Charlotte Hollingsworth, stamp artist

Congrats stamp set and Delicate Dots Designer Series Paper

Flower: Embosslit die for Big Shot die cut machine, p. 202, #114514, $11.95

Jeni Northcutt, stamp artist

Polka Dot Punches and Congrats S-A-B stamp sets & Ribbon Bundle

Rachel Yukurian, stamp artist

Polka Dot Punches S-A-B stamp set

stamp artist unknown

Botanical Blooms and Congrats S-A-B stamp sets

Karen Herrmann, stamp artist

Botanical Blooms S-A-B stamp set & Ribbon Bundle

This sample also uses a Texturz plate from the Backgrounds I set.  p. 203, 114512, $11.95.

Sandy Hoefakker, stamp artist

Botanical Blooms S-A-B stamp set & Ribbon Bundle

Flower: Embosslit die for Big Shot die cut machine, p. 202, #114514, $11.95.  Flower sanded with sanding block (p. 189, #103301, $3.50) to create the white around the petals.

(Blythe Klipple, stamp artist)

Jane giggy, stamp artist.

And don't forget the great opportunity, if this has been in your mind, to join the Stampin' Up! family and, hopefully my team, Country Loft Stampers (hmmm, how'd we get that name??) before March 31st.   Until March 31st, your Demonstrator Starter Kit, regularly $199, is available for only $169.  The value of all of the components is around $335.  What a deal!!!  As an incentive, you can also select any stamp set in the current 2009 Spring/Summer Idea Book & Catalog, up to a value of $47.95.  You can sign up on-line on my Demonstrator Website.  Just send me an email first though to get my password for signing up.  That ensures that we have 'talked', whether by email or on the phone, about our responsibilities to each other---mainly mine toward you.

Enjoy the end of Sale-a-Bration!  And I'm available for you if you have any questions or needs.  :)

MARCH'S LIBRARY PROJECT #2

I'm baaaaack.  And here is our library project #2, a spring-y stamped card:

You can find yesterday's card #1 here, or by scrolling back one article.

STAMP SET:  Branch Out, Trendy Trees
CARDSTOCK:  Baja Trees, Close to Cocoa, Whisper White
INK:  Baja Breeze, Basic Black, Certainly Celery, Close to Cocoa,
ACCESSORIES: Certainly Celery 1/4" grosgrain ribbon, Cutter Kit, Eyelet Border Punch

I love the simplicity and smell of spring in the air with this card.  The budding leaves in the tree were stamped once with fresh ink from the stamp pad and then two more times, without reinking, to get lighter and lighter images.  I also removed the Close to Cocoa ink from the grass at the base of the tree with a q-tip and then colored the area with the brush end of a Certainly Celery marker. 

If you're in need of any items to re-create this card, please email me or 'hit' the online ordering button on the top right corner of this blog.  It'll take you right to my Stampin' Up! website.  Click on 'shop now'.

Until tomorrow.......

MARCH'S LIBRARY PROJECT #1

As usual, we stamped at our local Mi Wuk Village library last Thursday afternoon.  There was a full house of 12 women.  It's always fun and as they sometimes have to wait for a marker or a punch, there's always a warm undertone of chatter.  But when it's time to listen for directions they zip right up.  Fun fun group!

So here is the first card we made, this one with the tried-and-true Upsy Daisy stamp set.

There is enough room at the upper right of the card to place any one of many messages.  On the same design we also stamped Easter Wishes.

STAMP SET:  Upsy Daisy, Elegant Cheer

CARDSTOCK:  Pink Pirouette, Bella Rose Designer Series Paper

INK:  Pink Pirouette, Regal Rose Classic Ink & Marker

ACCESSORIES:  Big Shot Die Cut Machine, Top Notes Bigz Die, White Taffeta Ribbon, 2-way glue pen, Dazzling Diamonds glitter, SNAIL adhesive.

With the large end of the Regal Rose Stampin' Marker, I added a little color, directly to the rubber before stamping, to the base of many of the flowers to give them additional dimension.

This is truly a quick and easy card.  Try it in a variety of other colors.  

I'll see you tomorrow with the second card which, as is my style, is quite different in mood.

MARCH'S STAMP CLUB PROJECT #2

As I mentioned yesterday, today's card has nothing to do with St. Patrick's Day.  But it is cute!  Hippety hoppety, Easter's on its way............

This cute little guy is made with a (row)boat-load of punches.

INGREDIENTS:
STAMP SET:  All Holidays
CARDSTOCK:  Bashful Blue, Scraps: Bashful Blue, Basic Black, Pretty in Pink, Taken with Teal, Whisper White
INK:  Bashful Blue
ACCESSORIES: Lotsa punches!
    1-3/4” circle punch:      2 whisper white -- head & body
    1/2” circle punch:         2 whisper white – cheeks (you could try the 3/4" circle punch)
                                        2 tempting turquoise – eyes
                                        1 pretty in pink – mouth
    1/4” circle:                  2 basic black – eyes
    Large Oval:                  3 whisper white –  2 for ears, 2 for feet (trim on the bottoms)
    Small Oval:                  4 whisper white – flop over for ears & hands/arms
                                        1 bashful blue -- eyes (cut in half across the short center)
    Wide Oval:                   4 Delicate Dots DSP (SAB) – eggs
    Heart to Heart             1 pretty in pink—smallest heart – nose
Delicate Dots DSP:  green/white flowers: 1” x 4” piece for grass

Signo Gel Pen (white)

The following layout helped me when cutting more more than one card:

You'll need to snip the 'grass':  cut in to about 3/8" from the lower edge of your green Designer Series Paper, making your snips about 1/8" apart.  Attach it to the card front with SNAIL adhesive, putting the adhesive on only the lower portion of the 1" x 4-1/4" piece.

The only other tip you'll need is for the ears.  Layer the pink small ovals onto the white large ovals.  Then, with the remaining small white ovals, cross them over the top of the pink/white ovals, and cut the tips where they meet.  Trust me.

Also, consider sponging all Whisper White edges with Pretty in Pink.  Really looks cute.  The card you see above was my prototype for my class.  I was kind of running right up against the clock!  Not brilliant!  :)  So I didn't get my edges sponged.

If you need any punches for your bunny, be sure to send me an email or check out my SU! Website:  http://www.blythestamps.stampinup.net and click on Shop Now.  Remember, the Delicate Dots Designer Series Paper will only be available for a few more weeks.  Sale-a-Bration ends on March 31, 2009.

Have a safe and yummy St. Patrick's Day!