My Country Loft

NO NAKED ENVELOPES

WHEN PUSH COMES TO SHOVE, I can finally manage to get done what needs to be done.  As many demonstrators, I've been working on my Christmas cards for months.  But......I've not made enough to send to our friends, downline, family, special neighbors, etc.  Saturday and Sunday were D-days, Dealine Days. 

And this morning, they are ready to go to the Post Office.  Sadly, many won't make it to their destination before Christmas.  This task will be done in plenty of time next year--along with having shopping done by October, decorations up by early December and losing 30 pounds.  Yippers!

I had to share how I decorated my envelopes though.  Unfortunately these imagea are from a retired stamp set, Peaceful Season, a gift to convention attendees in 2010.  And in the Holiday Catalog that year.  The images 'said' what I wanted to display on my envelopes and it would (because I said it would) for the entire variety of cards we are sending out.

One of the plusses of Clear Mount images is that you can place more than one on a clear block, ink up carefully and get a quick and easy multi-colored image with one push onto the paper/envelope.

 

 

 And now..........to start my shopping.  JUST KIDDING!  :)

 

MEMORIES OF CHRISTMASes PAST

WHILE PREPPING FOR OUR CHRISTMAS CARD MAKING MARATHON earlier this month I came upon Christmas cards that we've sent out in years past.  I have this skinny tree in my stamp room for ambiance again this year and I've decorated it with 4 of these Cards of Christmas Past along with other little treasures. 

 

We've decided that putting a real tree in the house will not happen this year.  Four month old kitties are just a hazard!  The little tree that's in my stamp room was in the house until they brought it to the ground and thought it was a great playground.

2004

My husband, Russ, 'manufactured' a jig for perfect placement of the window panes which utilized Stampin' Up!'s 1-1/4" square punch.  The tree 'lives' outside of our kitchen window.  It's probably grown 4-5 feet since this card photo and now interferes with our clothes line.  It was destined to be cut down this year and brought inside but.........kitties have given it a reprieve!

 

2005

This card has an odd fold, landscape position, top fold about 1-1/2" and bottom fold 3-1/2".  Then a 3" x 4" stamped piece was added to the top flap and lifted to view the inside.

 

2008

I do believe this card was inspired by in infamous Jackie Topa, Queen of Punches!  We got a LOT of positive comments on it!

 

2009

And now it's time to finish this year's cards, a collection of all card samples, kits, and c.a.s.e.s (copy and share everything) that I came across while cleaning my room prior to the Marathon Card Weekend at the beginning of the month.

Have a great Sunday!

 

5" x 7" DESIGNER SERIES PAPER ENVELOPE

I was waiting for Andrea to send me a photo of her collection of 5" x 7" envelopes before I shared mine. 

First my lovely envelope.  Do you remember this beautiful paper from several years ago?  I still really like it. Our card was 'hand-delivered' after Andrea finished addressing it. 

And now her collection of envelopes:

Such a fun variety and such a good use of retired papers.

Do you own Stampin' Up!'s Envelope Punch Board?  You might really want it after you see the cute and simple Gift Card Holder (envelope of course) I'll be making this morning and sharing with you this afternoon.  I have a few other ideas as well so check back in later today.  

 

STAMPER #3 using CARDSTOCK AND A PUNCH`: Linda

I have know our next stamper since the early '90s when she and my daughter met as roommates at the University of California Santa Barbara.  Linda studied Japanese, Andrea studied French.  They both went abroad (Japan and France) for their junior years and gained a lot of experience.  Linda, mom of 2 boys and wife of Zach (another UCSB graduate), is a scrapper and a card maker. 

Usually Linda scraps while the rest of us make our cards but this year she found a card she liked on Pinterest and proudly made 50-60 cards.  She loved the bright, non-traditional colors that are all over the place this year.

 

She used the three markers on the word stamp for each card.  After coloring the words, she HUFFED on the words to reactivate the ink by gently blowing her warm and moist breath on them.  Then she stamped the words in place.

Measurements for the layers: 

• Bermuda Bay or Wild Wasabi:  8-1/2" x 5-1/2", scored at 4-1/4"
• Smokey Slate: 5-1/4" x 4"
• Whisper White:  5" x 3-3/4"
• Did you notice that each layer (card front layer when it's folded in half) is 1/4" less on all sides than the previous layer?

Linda's supplies:

STAMP SET:  Christmas Messages (Holiday Mini), Mosaic Madness

CARD STOCK:  Bermuda Bay, Smokey Slate, Whisper White, Wild Wasabi

INK & MARKERS:  Bermuda Bay, Melon Mambo, Wild Wasabi

TOOLS:  Dimensionals, Mosaic Punch, Silver marker

ACCESSORIES:  Rhinestone Jewels

TECHNIQUE:  Huffing

It's a simple but stunning card and I can't wait to get mine in the mail, along with a photo of her boys.

I'll be back tomorrow with another group of cards made by Christy, another gal from the 'mommy group'.

 

STAMPER #2 using MY DIGITAL STUDIO AND A PHOTO CARD

Andrea, my daughter, was sitting on Jen's left. 

Daughter Nora, and her college roommate/maid of honor/friend Linda

At home, last week, Andrea wasn't happy with the family's Christmas photos, but liked certain photos of the kids alone or of her and her husband alone.  I suggested making a little collage, using My Digital Studio and her favorite photos.  She's quite comfortable with MDS.  She also wanted to do a 5" x 7" card this year.  And she wanted to add a 'chalked' look as well.   Inspiration was from a Pinterest entry.

Here is her My Digital Studio photo.  She sent it to a neighborhood photo store for printing the day before coming up for the crazy weekend!

And here is her finished card:

Back:

Andrea did her newsletter in MDS, imitating the label shape on the card front.  The card base was Crumb Cake.

As I was cleaning my stamp room in preparation for this weekend event, I came upon an unreasonable amount of Designer Series Papers from the past several years.  When Andrea needed an envelope for her cards I told her "no worries".  I have plenty of DSP available and I also own Stampin' Up!'s great new Envelope Punch Board.  So.....WE proceeded to make 67 envelopes for her 67 cards, starting with a 9-1/2" square piece of DSP.   I still have plenty of Designer Series Paper left.

I don't think I've mentioned this, but any supplies that I have, current or retired, are fair game for this weekend.  Participants are asked if they have any particular items, colors, accessories, etc that they know they'll want for their cards.  I place an order before the weekend so their orders are right there, ready for them to get going.  But I supply the tools like Big Shot, Framelits, Punches, etc.

Andrea's Supplies:

• STAMP SET:  Christmas Messages
• CARD STOCK:  Basic Black, Bermuda Bay, Crumb Cake
• INK:  Craft White (p. 165, 101731), White Stampin' Chalk Marker (132133, p. 20, Holiday Happiness 'Mini' Catalog)
• TOOLS:  Punch: (retired 3 hearts), Big Shot, Label Card Thinlits Dies (freestanding label thinlit)
• ACCESSORIES:  1-1/4" Cherry Cobbler striped grosgrain ribbon (retired), Rhinestone Jewels
  

Tomorrow........How about Linda?  It's always amazing how each participant comes prepared with such differing ideas for their cards.  There are definitely no two alike and they're all fairly easy to duplicate.  I look forward to seeing you then.

 

 

PRETTY FRESH OFF THE PRESS

As you might have read on my Facebook Page (like me at https://www.facebook.com/StampinWithBlythe) I've just survived a stamping retreat weekend at my home.  It is always so much fun, full of laughs and ideas.  One of the best/worst things about the weekend is the prep and that's because My Country Loft, aka my stamp room, tends to implode over the months and then require some serious cleaning.  That cleaning is exhausting, both mentally and physically because I have collected, through various means, so many card and 3-D samples over the year, and it's time consuming.  I hope to be able to get back to playing for myself with my stamps starting tomorrow.

Each stamper had her own grid paper, Snail Adhesive, and Hand & Foot Scrub plus any supplies they might have ordered.  I put all Christmas stamps in the 'foyer' (aka top of garage steps/entryway) into my stamp room.  In addition to the two long tables that reside in my room, I added one of those white fold up tables at the entry end of the room and put paper cutters and the Big Shot there.  There just wasn't room for those items in our work spaces.  The youngest, Nora, almost 7, had her own card table tucked away in a space at the far end of the room.

Now you really need to see some of the great cards created this past weekend.  Let's start with Jen's. 

I met Jen through my daughter Andrea nearly 10 years ago.  They each have 3 children of about the same ages, and met in a Mommy group when their 9-1/2 year olds were around 6 months old.  She's an avid scrapbooker.  Here's her card, a great idea that could be adapted to different sizes.  This card, when folded, is 4" x 4".

Jen's supplies:

• STAMP SET:  Festive Flurry, Joy to the World, inside greeting from a retired stamp set (have to go dig it back out!),

• CARD STOCK:  Crumb Cake (12" x 4", scored at 4"), Night of Navy, Whisper White
• INK:  Real Red, Silver Encore
• TOOLS:  Big Shot, Festive Flurry Framelits dies, 2-1/2" circle punch, retired snowflake punch,
• ACCESSORIES: Rhinestone Jewels, Stampin' Sponge, Cherry Cobbler Dazzling Diamonds

 

Below:  Left flap open

Below: right flap open.

The center panel will be filled with a family letter that will be closed in thirds so that it can open up top and bottom.

She'll be placing her card in a standard medium (A2) envelope (5-3/4" x 4-3/8").  I think Jen made 50-60 cards.  And then she scrapped some pages.

Tomorrow, working around the table, will be Andrea.

DECEMBER'S "BEST OF" STAMP SET.....and an old old card using one of the images.......

December's BEST OF stamp set consists of previous Sale-a-Bration images. 

Best of December, 134393, $14.95 (available until March 31, 2014)

 

One of the images in particular I used years ago to make a little pile of cards.  I just came upon the card while in the beginning stages of cleaning my stampin' studio once again!  It's amazing how that room can get so far away from me.  Yada yada...........We all make those messes I hope!

Here's is my card:

This card used Barely Banana and Basic Black card stocks, Basic Black Grosgrain and Basic Black ink.  Really easy!  A piece of card stock 5-1/4" x 2-1/2" was stamped, closely spaced, in diagonal rows, with the poppy image and then cut into 1/2" long strips.  The strips were placed 1/4" apart, starting with the center strip and moving out to the left and right edges, on a piece of 4" x 5-1/4" Basic Black  card stock. That layer is placed onto a piece of Barely Banana card stock 8-1/2" x 5-1/2".

The Basic Black greeting layer is 2-1/4" x 3-3/8"; Barely Banana is 2" x 3-1/8".

I'm sure we have a current greeting that could be substituted for the Many Thanks greeting.

I can't wait to see what you come up with using these old Sale-a-Bration images.  If you send me a photo of your creations, I'll post them here on the blog.  More ideas are better than one.

Have a great CYBER MONDAY and I'll see you tomorrow.

 

CHRISTMAS JOY

This silly cute little snowman was one of the first purchases I made from this year's Stampin' Up! Holiday Catalog.  He/she is just c-u-t-e and whimsical and sometimes whimsical is just perfect.

And you could just remove the tag (or, don't add the card!) and have a joyful gift tag!

Supply details will be added in a bit.  I must get out to the grocery store before having any more playtime. 

ADDED ON TUESDAY, November 26th:

SUPPLIES:

• STAMP SETS:  Snow Day, A Banner Christmas
  
• CARD STOCK:  Cherry Cobbler (8-1/2" x 5-1/2", scored at 4-1/4") , Crumb Cake (2" x 4"), Old Olive (4-1/4" x 1") , Whisper White (larger scrap: 5" x 3") ; Season of Style Designer Series Paper (4-1/4" x 4-1/2")
  
• INK:  VersaMark, Basic Black, Early Espresso, Pumpkin Pie, Smokey Slate, Silver Encore
• TOOLS:  Paper Snips, Stamping Sponge, Dimensionals, Glue Dots, Snail Adhesive, Heat Tool, Embossing Buddy, Scallop Edge Border Punch, Corner Rounder Punch
• ACCESSORIES:  Cherry Cobbler Baker's Twine, Crumb Cake Taffeta Ribbon, 1/8" Old Olive Taffeta Ribbon, Cherry Cobbler Embossing Powder

It's really an easy card to put together so go ahead and have some fun.

 

 

HO HO HO and SASSY MAKES THE DAY........

Last Wednesday my stampin' buddy Sharon Sharon (not a typo) came over to create a stack of Christmas cards while she had my complete and undistracted attention.  She had seen this card in the third week of my Twelve Weeks of Christmas Holiday Newsletter. 

(By the way, are you receiving this year's Twelve Weeks of Christmas newsletter?  If you aren't you can just easy peasy.  Sign up for my mailing list over on the left sidebar and you'll receive the remainder of this year's issues.  They come out every Wednesday around 1 p.m. Pacific Time.  I'm into the gift and packaging section now so you don't want to miss out on the final fun projects!)

We had so much fun setting Sharon's supplies up so she could pretty much "assembly line" her 28 cards.  Why 28?  It's an even division for layering.  She was planning on making 25 cards which would have required breaking into a 7th piece of 8-1/2" x 11" cardstock.  Each piece of 8-1/2" x 11" card stock can be cut into four 5-1/4" x 4" quarters.  Seven times four equals twenty-eight.  So--she made 28 cards.

SUPPLIES:

• STAMP SET:  Merry Little Christmas, Sassy Salutations
  
• CARD STOCK:  Basic Black (8-1/2" x 5-1/2" and 4" x 1-1/4"), Real Red (5-1/4" x 4") , Whisper White (5-1/4" x 1-1/4" and 5-1/4" x 4"), Silver Glimmer Paper (1-1/4" square)
• INK: Staz-On Black, Real Red
  
• TOOLS:  Punches: 3/4" circle, 1" square, Dimensionals, Snail Adhesive

It's a pretty easy and very cute card.  When you're doing a bunch of cards, aka creating an assembly line, do your cutting and punching of all pieces first, then your stamping and then your assembling.  I always suggest putting adhesive on at least four pieces at once and then layering them.  Then four more.........etc etc etc.  For the buttons, you could place a Dimensional on each before beginning assembly.  Also put Dimensionals behind the 1" Basic Black squares.  Dimensionals seem to be one of the few things that really stick to the Glimmer Paper.  You can just use Snail Adhesive for attaching the Silver Glimmer Paper to the vertical Whisper White strip.

One more tip:  For the buttons, place the top one and lowest one first, equi-distance from the top of the card and the horizontal 'belt'.  Then place the 3rd button in the middle of those two.  That's an easy way to get them equally positioned from one another.

Go Sharon!  I hope your recipients really enjoy their cards.

STAMPIN' AT THE LIBRARY in MI WUK VILLAGE -- November 2013, card 2

It's always kind of 'fun' to challenge my library stampers with the first card and then follow up with a much easier card for the second one.  Well, that's what I did this week.  It did my heart good to hear the ooohs and aaaahhhs when they saw this clean Whisper White Christmas card.

Supplies:

• Stamp Set:  More Merry Messages (126400-w--not shown in the 2013-14 Annual Catalog or the Holiday Catalog)
• Card Stock:  Whisper White (8-1/2" x 5-1/2" and 5-1/4" x 4"), Red Glimmer Paper (about 1-1/4" square)
  
• Ink:  Smokey Slate
• Tools:  Big Shot, Circle Card Thinlits Die, Tombow Multi-Purpose Adhesive, Glue Dot, Dimensionals
• Accessories:  Silver 1/8" Ribbon (2-1/2" and enough to form a small bow*)

Here's the card I took and had prepared for the group:

Step 1: cut out the star (one tip facing UP) from the Circle Card Thinlits die set, placing it in the center top to bottom and about 1-1/4" in from the right edge.

Position a piece of Red Glimmer paper (Snail adhesive) on the card front in the same position as the star.

Put little dots of Tombow Multi-Purpose adhesive on one side of the 2-1/2" piece of Silver Ribbon, and gently position the ribbon above the tip of the star, tucking about 1/2" over to the backside of the layer.

Stamp your greeting to the lower left of the punched out star with Smokey Slate classic ink.  

Flip the 4" x 5-1/4" piece of card stock over and add about 8 Dimensionals.  Attach the layer to the card front.

Attach the bow in the proper position with a Glue Dot.

Consider using the Simply Scored Scoring Tool to score a line about 1/8" in from all four sides of the layer before adding the Dimensionals and attaching it to the card front.  Be sure to click on this last photo to compare the two cards differentiating that embossing.

*TIP FOR THE BOW:  I always leave my ribbon attached to the roll when making a bow.  I make a "bunny ear" in each hand and adjust the "ears" to the appropriate length:

and then tie them in a knot, left over right.  I am left-handed so your preferred knot might be right over left.  Whatever works for you!  It was hard to get a clear photo of this move (below).

 

This way much less ribbon is wasted and the bow usually turns out pretty cute!

If you don't have the More Merry Messages stamp set, think about adding it to your collection.  It's great for both the front of the card and for inside messages.  Check it out in my Stampin' Up! store right here.

 

STAMPIN' AT THE LIBRARY in MI WUK VILLAGE -- November 2013, card 1

As always when stamping at our Mi Wuk Village Little Library in the Woods on the third Thursday of the month (1-3 p.m.), we make two cards.   Our community room, where we stamp, was formerly two firetruck bays.  What looks like 'window blinds' in the photo below is actually two steel roll up doors. 

There were eleven stampers this time 'round which makes for lots of chat since we are all sharing one set of stamps and ink pads.  It's always a fun adventure!

This month the first card, another version of an easel card,  was to honor this Season of Thanks and Gratitude.

Crushed Curry, 8-1/2" x 5-1/2", scored at 4-1/4".  On what will be the front of the card, cut 1-1/4" from the left and right edges, just to the fold score line.  The center 'flap' needs to be scored horizontally at 2-1/8".  See photo two images below.

Above:  Tuck the middle flap under the back of the card.  Stamp 1-1/4" flaps using Crushed Curry ink and the Truly Grateful stamp set background image.

Above:  Use Chocolate Chip ink to stamp the sheaves over the background image.

Above:  Attach those two pieces to the 'inside' of the card, with Snail adhesive.

Above:  Attach a 2-1/2 strip of Sticky Tape in the middle of the card, a little more than half way towards to bottom edge.  Attach the bottom edge of a 2-1/2" piece of Burlap Ribbon over this strip.  Burnish it (rub over it firmly) with a Bone Folder.  Then curl the unglued upper 'lip' away from the card stock, making a sort of trough for the center piece to tuck into --- like an easel.

Cut out 2 leaves and 1 acorn using the Bigz Autumn Accents Die and scraps of Sweater Weather Designer Series Paper.

Sponge the edges of the leaves with Stamping Sponge and Chocolate Chip ink before attaching them to the front flap.  Attach the acorn with a Dimensional.

Stamp the greeting of your choice.  Class participants did not make coordinating envelopes.  I passed out Vanilla Medium envelope which most gals stamped with the sheaves image.

Tomorrow............the transition to a much easier holiday card.  You're going to enjoy the ease of card two as well.

 

 

AHHHHH.........FRIDAY.........

FRIDAY doesn't necessarily mean a restful weekend is coming.  It just means it's Friday and the 'work week' (really??) is history.

I came upon the following idea from fellow stamper and Sudsol member Libby Dyson who is from Australia.  Her idea:  scribbling on a window sheet as a background. 

I live adjacent the Stanislaus National Forest, literally my backyard, and I've been asked to make some thank you cards for a crew who volunteered a lot of labor for a community project.  This is the card I'll be making. 

You'll need:

• STAMP SET:  Lovely as a Tree
  
• CARD STOCK: Very Vanilla (3-3/4" x 5" and 8-1/2" x 11"), Marina Mist (5-7/8" x 3-7/8"
  
• INK:  Always Artichoke; MARKERS: Marina Mist, Old Olive, Soft Suede
• TOOLS: Window Sheets (p. 156), Stampin' Distress Tool (p. 157), Tombow Multipurpose Glue, Snail Adhesive
  
• ACCESSORIES:  Soft Suede 3/8" Taffeta Ribbon (length to wrap around Very Vanilla layer and tie in knot)
  

 

Trim your piece of acetate to several inches larger, on all sides, than your card.  Scribble with the markers.

Check this next photo carefully..........  It has been spritzed with plain water.  Hold the acetate vertical as you spritz.

Here's how it looks when spritzed:

Lay your card stock on your grid paper and then place the acetate, face down, on the card stock.  Rub over it with your fingers, 'mooshing' the wet ink around a bit.

Below are two sheets that I did.  It's' intersting the way the paper 'curls'.  I'm thinking I used the 'front side' of one piece and the 'back side' of the other.

Stamp your image.  I have found that with Stampin' Up!'s new Classic Pads, stamping off doesn't work as well as with the old ones.  That second stamped image is often very dry.  So, I stamped my tree the first time, then reinked, tapped it gently on my grip paper and then stamped the second tree.  Position the second image either higher or lower than the first so you get a sense of depth.

Roughen up all four side with the Distress Tool.  I still have my old one which works just fine for me, so have used it instead of the current one from the catalog.

Wrap the stamped Very Vanilla layer with a piece of Soft Suede taffeta ribbon which is tied in an easy knot on the front side.  Turn paper over and put some Tombow Anywhere Glue around the edges.  I found that on my first attempt (second photo below), the stamped and spritzed layer pulled off of the card when I attached it with Snail Adhesive.  So I 'squirted' a bit of Tombow along the bottom and it is still sticking just fine.

Again, here are a few of my finished cards. 

Thanks for stopping in today.  If you need any of the ingredients for today's card, you can go right over to my online SU! store and place an order or you can send me an email (upper left sidebar) with what you'd like and I'll be glad to place your order.  If you use my on line store be sure to use the November HOSTESS CODE, JNND6BQQ, to be placed in the 'jar' for drawing for hostess benefits on December 1st. 

I look forward to seeing you tomorrow.

 

 

 

SWEETNESS OF A SIX (6-3/4) YEAR OLD

When Nora went out to my 'stamping room' Sunday afternoon, she said she wanted to make a book or a diary.  A 3" x 4" bound booklet was on top of a table outside the room so I showed it to her.  First thing she saw once in my room was the script 'love' from the Expressions Thinlits Dies.  Oh, but it's white and won't show up.  So, I showed her my box(es) of retired Designer Series Papers.  The rest is history...........

 

She really learned how to use 2-Way Glue, Tombow Anywhere Glue, Snail Adhesive, SU!'s Paper Trimmer, heart punch, sponges, stamp pads.......  She definitely already knew all about the Cleaning Pad and Stampin' Mist.  And the new White Stampin' Chalk Marker.

Nora didn't like the plain white back of her diary and wanted something like 'sky'.  Sponge and Soft Sky classic pad satisfied her totally.

After making her diary she wanted to make some books for her brothers--but they didn't need diaries.  For Austin, 9, it is a Sea Life Journal:

What really impressed me -- like TOTALLY -- was that after I trimmed the layer pieces, she placed them on the card/book front, perfectly butting up those diagonal lines without a word from me.  After the first cover she was off and running with that style.

Austin also loves football so this was the back of his book.  She found my Black & Orange Halloween glitter

The football was made with the large oval punch that she saw hanging on the back of my door in a hanging 'shoe rack'.

Finally, she made a drawing book for 5 year old Landen---who totally rejected it and crushed Nora's heartfelt sense of accomplishment.  (She's going to save it for Christmas when hopefully he will accept it as she intended!)

When she saw the retired tab punch she actually SAW a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle figure!  Landen had recently had a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle themed birthday party.  The black belt is just above his 'feet'.  You saw those didn't you?  And the fold notches are the arms.  The red line is his identifying bandana.  Check out the Chalk Marker and the nicely butted diagonal lines.

 

I think her creativity really shows the beauty of the mind of a child.  So uncluttered and free.

Next event will be when either she returns to our house or I take some supplies to hers.  She wants to make more Christmas cards.  AND envelopes.  Yes, she understands how that Envelope Maker works to.  I'm waiting now for her to turn 18 because she'd make a great demonstrator! 

THE JOYS OF CAREFREE STAMPING!

TIP:  You need to be under 10 years old!

Three of my grandchildren have been with me since last Friday.  Yesterday was the day they decided they wanted to come out to my craft room and 'do some crafting'. 

6 year old Nora picked up some scraps and went right into making cards for her grandparents who live in Atlanta GA.

Nine year old Austin has a different method but.........he came into my stamp room with no real idea of what he wanted to do.  He checked the available papers and then glanced through my stamp cupboards and found an old Crayon Christmas stamp set and he was on his way to make "9-year old boy" Christmas cards.  Four of them.  I'm only sharing two of them because you'll get the idea! 

Deadline time for getting out the door in an hour.  It will TAKE an hour!!!  I have three more charming creations.  Really.

QUICK & EASY THANK YOU NOTE

I'm chairman of a fundraising project for our local Mi Wuk/Sugar Pine Fire Protection Disctrict.  We have been offering personally engraved bricks since 2007.  These bricks are mounted on three exterior portions of the fire station. 

The project got pretty much put on hold while Russ (hubby) and I were full time caregivers for two years for his son who was afflicted with ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease).  Jeff passed away in March and I am finally seeing enough 'light' to get the last phase of our fund raiser back on track.

Blythe and Russ finally installing bricks that were ordered in 2011!!!

Russ and Intern Randy Ketner doing their 'magic' as we place the bricks on the wall.

All that being said, we now have space available for about fifty more bricks.  I want to send an acknowledgement to each purchaser of a brick letting them know that their form has been received and when they can expect to see their brick on the wall.

I didn't want the acknowledgement to take too much time, but.......I also wanted it to incorporate a little bit of stamping.  Hey!  I'm a stamper!!!  I'm using small 3-5/8" x 6-1/2" envelopes for these notes so I worked out a way to get 3 on a piece of Whisper White card stock.  We live adjacent the Stanislaus National Forest, amongst many pine and cedar trees so using the Lovely as a Tree stamp set was a real no brainer.  I have used it for years for cards and scrapbook pages.

I've left room to address the purchaser at the top and to sign the committee's names below the words.  While it took a little bit of time to put together, it will definitely make life easier as the orders come in.  It's important to purchasers be notified that we have received their order because it will probably be six months before their bricks are placed on the exterior wall of the station.

Is the Lovely as a Tree stamp set in your collection?  If you'd like to add it, please click here to go directly to my Stampin' Up! store.  It's fabulous and versatile for so many occasions and seasons.

STAMPIN' WITH DEBRA AND FRIENDS

If that was a weekend I just experienced, it was a blur!  Highlights were going to the Saddle Rack (country western dancing/music) with my daughter and entourage, and then attending a stampin' opportunity with my upline Debra Godfrey at Tesla winery in Livermore CA. 

I'll have to show you our major project tomorrow--it is a banner using the (now) fabulous Christmas Banner Simply Created Accessory and Build a Banner Simply Created Kits.  It's the first banner I've actually made, I have a great TIP, and successful photos.  It was so much fun!!  And you'll see it tomorrow.

In the meantime I want to show you the wonderful little glass jar/vase that I received from Debra for coming the farthest to the "party", about 100 miles from our home in the mountains.

SUPPLIES:

• STAMP SET:  Harvest of Thanks
  
• CARD STOCK:  Designer Series Paper: Sweater Weather; Very Vanilla, Champagne Glimmer Paper
  
• INK:  Chocolate Chip
  
• TOOLS/ACCESSORIES:  Big Shot, Bitty Banners Framelits, Autumn Accents Bigz Die, Very Vintage Designer Buttons, 1-1/4" Burlap Ribbon, adhesives

And this morning, Russ (hubby) and I have a self-imposed obligation to get 20 personalized, fund-raiser bricks, mortered up on a wall at our fire station.  The fundraiser began in 2008 and this semi-final load of bricks has been waiting for 2 years to be installed on the wall.  We were just a bit pre-occupied taking care of Russ's son Jeff for 2 years.  We're finally back (mentally) to dive into local obligations and this is #1.  We also need to beat the cooler fall weather and snow.  The trim can/will be finished when it gets finished!

Wall #2, #1 is around the corner to the right, #3, down past some doors to the left, will be worked on today!

I have to dash out the door now (I know.......last minute posting!) but will be back with the lovely banner for tomorrow's post.  You're going to love it and it really was so much fun to make!

TIME FOR FUN: BABY WIPES

I really needed some ME time yesterday afternoon (after, with my husband, dismantling a very old hot tub, taking it to the dump and cutting the redwood side pieces into lots of kindling) and I've wanted to try using baby wipes as a "stampin' pad" for a long long time.  I saw an idea a few days ago and now it's my turn to try it out.  I think you'll enjoy it too.

You'll need:

• baby wipes, fragrance free I guess
• Tangerine Tango stamp pad
• Cajun Craze, Pumpkin Pie and Perfect Plum reinkers (ink refills)
• Betsy's Blossoms stamp set
• 1-1/4" Scallop Circle or 1" Circle punch
  
• Big Shot
• Expression Thinlit Dies - 'thankful'
• Glue Dots
• 2-Way Glue Pen
• Orange Stampin' Glitter
• Embossing Buddy
• Very Vanilla card stock: 8-1/2" x 5-1/2" and 1-3/4" x 5-1/2"
• Cajun Craze card stock: 5-1/2" x 2"
• waxed paper
  

 

Place a folded baby wipe on the open lid of your stamp set box or on a plate--a flat surface that won't be damaged by the moist wipe or ink that might seep through.

Ink up the big flower from Betsy's Blossoms with Tangerine Tango and stamp it onto the folded baby wipe.  Randomly place "blops" of reinker onto the wipe.  Spritz 2-3 times (no more---ask me and I'll tell you why) with Stampin' Up!'s cute little Spritzer.

Re-ink the stamp with Tangerine Tango and stamp again on the baby wipe.

Place a punched out circle (punched with either the 1-1/4" scallop circle punch* or 1" circle punch) that has a bit of Snail adhesive on it--which you have made tacky by placing and removing your thumb over the sticky stuff--onto the stamped flower.  Huff on the ink and stamp onto the upper middle of a folded piece of 8-1//2" x 5-1/2" Very Vanilla card stock.  *Trim off the scallops with Paper Snips to make it a bit smaller.  I had to do this because my 1" circle punch is hiding from me!

When the image is dry (less than a minute) swipe the card front with the Embossing Buddy to remove static.  Randomly place 2-Way Glue onto the wreath.  Sprinkle with Orange Stampin' Glitter (holiday catalog) and shake off excess.

Using either Pumpkin Pie or Early Espresso 1/8" Taffeta Ribbon, create a bow.  Attach to wreath with a Glue Dot.

Final steps:  Run the Thankful from the Expressions Thinlit Dies and a 2" x 5-1/2" piece of Cajun Craze card stock, through your Big Shot.  HINT:  Place a piece of waxed paper between the card stock and the die.  This will make removing the punched words from the die much easier!  Use a stylus poker of some sort, pushed into the little holes on the die, to remove the die cut piece from the die.  Reminder, this Cajun Craze layer should be 2" x 5-1/2".  You'll see why below.

Now it's time for the final layering.  You have die-cut the thankful from the 2" x 5-1/2" layer of Cajun Craze card stock.  You're now going to layer the 1-3/4" x 5-1/2" Very Vanilla piece of card stock (after it's stamped!) onto the Cajun Craze layer.

Viola!

Unless you tell them, no one will ever know there's a missing thankful from that layer of Cajun Craze card stock!

Carefully place leetle teeny dots of 2-Way Glue to the back side of the THANKFUL script die cut piece.  Then place it on the front of the card.  You can place it straight across or with a bit of an arched curve.

Finished card, outside.  The simplicity (ha!) of this card allows for the gentle WOW factor inside.

 

And for truth in advertising........here's what my physical desk top looks like now!  Gotta clean it up before my next fun project!

Have a great day and I hope you get to stamp a bit.  If you have any questions about this card or would like to order some of the supplies used for it, please send me an email or give me a call.  I'm home and happy to help you out.

STAMPIN' AT THE LIBRARY in MI WUK VILLAGE -- September 2013, part 2

The second card we did at the Little Library in the Woods here in Mi Wuk Village this past Thursday was this sassy little number inspired by my friend Bekka Prideaux from Bristol UK.  We met at Stampin' Up!'s annual convention this past July.  She is a great, charming, delightful "find".  :)

Here's our chipper card:

It was really simple with the hardest part being cutting out the little Gumball Green chameleon and attaching dimensionals to its back side.

SUPPLIES:

• STAMP SET:  Tag It
  
• CARD STOCK:  Strawberry Slush, Whisper White, Modern Medley Designer Series Paper
  
• INK:  Strawberry Slush pad; MARKER: Gumball Green
  
• TOOLS/ACCESSORIES:  Big Shot, Deco Labels Collection Framelits, Magnetic Platform, Paper Snips, Dimensionals, Snail Adhesive

There aren't really any tips for this card.  I did cut a Dimensional in half to use on the back side of the chameleon.  The Whisper White label layer is also attached with Dimensionals--5 of them.

Just thought of another tip (duh!).  Thoroughly clean your stamp.  Then color in the chameleon using a Gumball Green marker and stamp onto Whisper White card stock.  Cut him/her out carefully and then proceed as I explained in the paragraph above.

If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask.  Thanks for stopping in today.  I look forward to seeing you again tomorrow with a fun little tool tip/idea.

STAMPIN' AT THE LIBRARY in MI WUK VILLAGE -- September 2013

Stampin' with friends at our Little Library in the Woods here in Mi Wuk Village, CA is always fun.  This week two 'old timers' were able to stop in (Hi Sue and Nancy) as well as the visiting mom of one of our newer 'regulars'.  Newer would be Janice and her mom would be Velma.  Velma had stamped maybe once before and she just slipped right in and hit the floor running so to speak.  She said she'd be back again.  She's only about 200 miles south of us!  :)

Here's our first card, adapted from the one I shared on September 20th by Mary Brown.  I love the fun, surprising color combination and thought it was a bright and cheery way to end summer.

WARNING below:

Although I stamped the image with Stampin' Up!'s Basic Black ink 15 minutes or so before attaching it to the card, when I rubbed my fingers across it to be sure it was nice and stuck to the card front, the ink smeared.  UGH.  So when we made the card at the library I had everyone use Jet Black StazOn ink instead.  It dries quickly and doesn't smear. I thought the problem with the Basic Black was just with Whisper White or Very Vanilla but...........it seems it's also with at least Pumpkin Pie.  Be assured that Stampin' Up! is working on the problem.  And in the meantime, you might try using the Jet Black StazOn.

It's always really fun to see how the gals come up with their 'variations on a theme' and make the card their own.

Here are their versions of our first card:

Below:  oooops re the camera shot.  The blurriness is not your eyes!

Tomorrow will be card #2, a totally different card.  I hope to see you then.  And thanks for stopping by today.

I think that using these new thinlits is just so rewarding!  Over the years I've tried more than once to make a card that moves like this.  No success that I would share with anyone.  Now Stampin' Up! has come out with two flip card thinlits and I'm in stampin' heaven.  (I'm always in stampin' heaven though!)

Remember at the first of September I used the Label Flip Card Thinlit for the thank you cards for committee members who worked on our fire deparment's spaghetti dinner fund raiser? 

Then my sister graced us with an anniversary card made with the same Label Flip Card Thinlit:

Well, now I've made one for my girlfriend, based on a card I saw created by Mary Brown, an SU! demonstrator from Ohio. 

And here's the card I made for my friend:

I wrote my message on the right panel that is initially folded over to the left as shown in the second photo.

Once you have the Label Flip Card Thinlit Die you also have the smaller label thinlit that lays right over the one that flips back and forth--with about a 1/16" border left.

SUPPLIES:

• STAMP SET:  Gorgeous Grunge, Really Good Greetings
  
• CARD STOCK: Pumpkin Pie, Tempting Turquoise, Whisper White
  
• INK:  Pumpkin Pie, Tempting Turquoise, Jet Black StazOn
  
• TOOLS/ACCESSORIES:  Big Shot, Label Flip Card Thinlit, Stylish Stripes Textured Impression Embossing Folder (2013 Holiday Catalog), Witches' Brew Washi Tape (2013 Holiday Catalog)

In case you're wondering why the Washi Tape???  It covered a smear boo-boo.  But you and I are the only ones who know that.  :)

Have a great Friday!  I'm getting to take grandkids to school today.  Tomorrow I'll have a quick, easy, flashy card that we made at yesterday's library class.  See you then..........