Rubber Room Stampin'

TUESDAY'S TOOL (on Wednesday): NEW CORNER & STRAIGHT EDGE PUNCHES--HOW TO ALIGN THEM! Second, the PINKING HEARTS BORDER & CORNER PUNCHES

Did you notice those cute little hearts along the border of the Pinking Hearts Border and Corner punches?  Well, I didn't.  But I DID when I received this card at Leadership:

Sometimes is does take a brick to get my attention!

(Created by Susan Campfield)

I've been watching, since Leadership, which really pretty much coincided with the launch of the 2010 Occasions Mini Catalog, for a clue on how to fully utilize these clever newly styled (for Stampin' Up!) punches, like how to punch a perfect square or rectangle every time.

So now, here are my tips on how to make background squares and rectangles out of the Pinking Hearts Border and Corner punches.

My primary source for how to have some fun with these punches is Gretchen Barron, a Stampin' Up! demonstrator from Illinois.  We met online via 2 Stampin' Up! demonstrator email lists and then in person last year at Stampin' Up!'s annual Convention in Salt Lake City.  I wouldn't mind having part of her talent when I grow up.

For starters:

• Decide for yourself whether you want to use these punches right side up or upside down.  It's a personal preference.
• Line up the points of the Pinking edge, not the hearts.
• Accurate measuring is very important. The little pinking points are so small and there is so much detail in this punch that you need to be very accurate and consistent with your measurements.

Everyone will use a different cutting method for this punch--do what's comfortable for you.  Start with specifically sized squares.  These sizes were worked out by Gretchen.  Each measurement is for a SQUARE.

• 2 7/8"
• 3 1/4"
• 3 5/8"
• 4"
• 4 3/8"
• 4 3/4"

Each size square increases or decreases by 3/8" so you can easily make your squares and rectangles as small or large as you wish but the sizes above will fit a standard 4-1/4" x 5-1/2" card.

Let's get punching now.  Holding the Pinking Hearts Border and Corner punch upside down or right side up, punch the corners first and then line up the pinking points to cut the sides,this time using the punch upside down so you can see from the bottom how the paper and metal line up.

Cut the corners first and then line up the pinking points to cut the sides, using the punch upside down so you can see from the bottom how the paper and metal line up.

Now, if you'd like to make rectangles simply combine two of the measurements. E.g., combine 3 1/4" with 4 3/8".  Then follow the same procedure.

TIP:  Make a set of templates for the Pinking Hearts Border and Corner punches., according to the sizes given above.  Store them in a cello sleeve, an empty stamp set box, or a 6" x 6" scrapbook page protector.  Then you can pull them out when you're ready to made a card.

Here are Gretchen's templates sizes for the Scallop Trim Border and Corner punches:

• 4 3/4" makes a square that has 10 scallops along each side
• 4 1/4" makes a square that has 9 scallops on each side
• 3 13/16" (just a hair bigger than 3 3/4") makes a square that has 8 scallops along each side. This is the size that fits perfectly into the guide that is printed on the Scallop Trim Border Punch and therefore makes this a great size to practice on. Once you get this size down, it will be easier to branch-off and make your squares smaller or larger.
• 3 1/4" makes a square than has 7 scallops along each side.
• 2 7/8" makes a square that has 6 scallops on each side
• 2 3/8" makes a square that has 5 scallops on each side
• smallest square begins with a square that is 1 15/16" and uses only the corner punch.

Now go have some creative fun!

Tomorrow: a look a my templates.  I'm making them this morning:  doing as I suggested that you do!!!!  And then I'll get off of these fun, creative, fascinating punches for a while.  :)

THREE CHEERS FOR THE "EMBOSSING BUDDY"

THIS ARTICLE IS A TIP!!!  Using the Embossing Buddy

As I was finishing my last bunch of Christmas cards this morning (yes, really) I tried to sort of take a short cut that I thought was working.  I stamped, using Scenic Season, right on to my Hunter Green card stock, using White Craft Ink followed by Heat & Stick powder, without using my Embossing Buddy.  I gently heated the Heat & Stick powder with the Heat Tool.  So far so good.  Then I sprinkled my Dazzling Diamonds glitter over the trees.  Beautiful sparkles and glittering but it didn't just shake off. I had to really brush it off rather vigorously with a large paint brush.  OK.  Lesson not learned because I then went back and stamped Merry Christmas, from Stampin' Up!'s retired All Year Cheer III stamp set, again with  White Craft ink, followed by White Embossing Powder.  It too remained almost everywhere, especially inside the letters of the greeting.  I had to brush out what I didn't want with a teeny tiny paint brush and that didn't get rid of all of the unwanted the powder.  After heat setting the embossing powder with my Heat Tool I had little (ugly) splatterings in way too many places that I didn't want it.  I've been stamping for well over 15 years and should certainly know better.  I was just trying to 'get away with it'. 

You might say the sparkles below look good around the trees but you can also tell it doesn't belong there!  Click on the picture to enlarge it and have a good look.  Check out the words while you're at it.

At about card #5 (out of 20) I thoroughly used my Embossing Buddy on the entire piece of Hunter Green cardstock.  My, my, what a clean crisp difference.  Lesson learned.  Henceforth, I will always use my Embossing Buddy when using any kind of embossing powder.

The photo below is WITH the Embossing Buddy being used.

TIP #2: Scoring an entire sheet of card stock prior to cutting.  Next thing to do for my cards was to cut the card itself from an 8-1/2" x 11" piece of card stock.  Rather than cut the card stock into 2 pieces, 8-1/2" x 5-1/2", I first scored the card stock, lengthwise, at 4-1/4".  Then, when I cut it into two pieces for cards I didn't have to score two pieces.  I was able to score only once. 

Why do I score my card stock for a card?  It makes the fold much neater and crisper.  Simple as that.

* * * * * * * *

Final thought for today:  Where I sit in my stampin' studio is directly across from 3 narrow windows. 

We had a lovely snow fall overnight that remained on the trees for us to see when we got up this morning.  Later came intermittent snow, sun and clouds.

It is just so pleasant to look out these windows while stamping, thinking and daydreaming.  To think that this room was once a bedroom (over the garage) with a solid wall.  The windows are such an improvement.  :)

I hope you have a wonderful day.  I'll see you again tomorrow.

TIME FOR A TIP

As I was creating my cards for the Royal Blog Tour * I'm participating in next week, I was having a tough time getting a 'too small' piece of cardstock into my punch.  An AHA moment!  I can share one of my favorite tips. 

Sometimes it's appropriate to stamp a word on your cardstock and then punch it out.  And sometimes that little scrap of paper you've used is just too small to manipulate in the punch.  So........take a scrap, something like the size of a popsicle stick, and adhere the tip of the scrap the one of the edges of the paper you want to punch out.

Then, using the 'popsicle stick' as a quide, slide it into the punch and position it where you want.  By the way, that punched piece of Old Olive cardstock is not a part of the project.  It was just on the table when I took the photo.

Anyway, that's the trick.  Remember to use it when you're in the predicament I was in.  It really gives you a feeling of power!  :)  I learned that trick at Stampin' Up!'s Annual Convention last year.

* If you scroll down a bit on the Royal Blog Tour blog, you'll come across my bio---as a Princess!  Or you can just click here to go directly to it.

Be back soon.