Well, the time has come to announce my July Featured Artist! I have contacted the winner and they have submitted the answers to my questionnaire and I am putting the final touches on the article and post. Stay tuned for the announcement tomorrow!
Check out this cute little basket made out of strips of paper! I have been holding off showing this on my blog because I was saving it for a Virtual Swap that I was having with the girls in my downline that are part of my Stampin' Up! group. Everyone made 3D projects and emailed the photos to me along with any special instructions or templates for the project. I posted a photo album on my demonstrator only group blog and added a Template library where I put all the patterns for the projects so they could download them and make the projects on their own.
The little strawberries in the basket also have their own pattern. They are pretty easy to make and hold a little Hershey Kiss. I made them out of Ginger Blossom paper. I loved the pattern with the little dots that look like strawberries.
My mother-in-law just came up and saw them and thought they were adorable! She really went nuts over them so I hope the girls in my group like my virtual swap projects as well. Leave me a comment and let me know what you think!
Thanks for stopping by ~
Lynn
I really liked this card layout that my friend Jen did. I changed it up a little bit for my technique class last week.
The supplies used for this project are:
Stamp Set: Infinite Goodness (Hostess Set - soon to be leaving us when the new catalog arrives)
Cardstock: Confetti Cream, Not Quite Navy and More Mustard
Ink: Jet Black StazOn and Not Quite Navy
Accessories: Aqua Painter paint brush, Watercolor Wonder Crayons, Vanilla 5/8" Grosgrain Ribbon, Dimensionals and a Mini Glue Dot.
I started off stamping the pear with Jet Black StazOn onto the Confetti Cream cardstock. Using my More Mustard, Not Quite Navy and Close to Cocoa Watercolor Wonder Crayons, it was time to watercolor my pear and the background. I used a really wet Aqua Painter brush to paint on some More Mustard Watercolor Crayon onto the bottom of the cardstock below the pear. It almost looks as if the pear is sitting on a table instead of floating in the air. I added a little Close to Cocoa crayon just underneath the pear to give a slight shadow and to definte the top of the imaginary table.
Then using the Not Quite Navy Crayon, I added color above the table and around the pear. Be careful when using a dark color and doing a watercolor wash to use a lot of water and very little color from the crayon. You can always add more color to make what you are watercoloring darker if needed, but it is sometimes hard to take color away if it is too dark. I added more color around the pear to give the image a shadow and some depth as well.
The next step was to color in the pear. I used the More Mustard Crayon directly onto the outline of the pear and anywhere else the black in was used to give the pear dimension. Then I used a slightly less wet Aqua Painter to pull the color from my drawn outline to the center of the pear to spread the color. Doing your watercoloring like this keeps the concentration of color on the outline of your image while coloring in a lighter tone of the image with the crayon you pull away from the outline.
I then stamped the words from Infinite Goodness onto the card using Not Quite Navy ink, added the Vanilla Grosgrain across the card and then tying my single knot in a separate piece of ribbon and attaching it with a glue dot to finish that part off.
The pear image is layered onto the Not Quite Navy layer of cardstock and then attached to the card using Dimensionals to give it a little more depth and interest. A pretty simple card that looks pretty classy when it is done. The great thing about this card is that it can be used for men as well as women. It is a nice, generic card to have on hand for the quick man's birthday card, anniversary card, etc.
I hope you enjoyed this technique and this sample! Thanks so much for stopping by...
Lynn
The State of Vermont is giving us a break this weekend and not charging us tax for Saturday, July 12th and Sunday, July 13th. Anyone who lives in the State of Vermont that places an order with me by 9 pm on Sunday, July 13th will not be charged taxes on their order. You can send orders to me by email lynn@learntostampandscrap.com at any time between now and Sunday, July13th at 9 pm. I will place orders over the weekend so you can take advantage of the no tax benefits. Payments must be made prior to my placing the order. I accept PayPal, MasterCard, Visa, Discover. I will also take payments by cash or check in person provided they are made to me prior to 9 pm on Sunday, July 13th - no exceptions will be made.
As always, if you spend over $150 you are entitled to hostess benefits which is a minimum of a Level 1 stamp set AND $15 in free products.
Be sure to email your orders to me no later than Sunday, July 13th at 9 pm!
Stampin' Up! has introduced a brand new product line for 2008-2009 called Decor Elements. As a demonstrator, I was able to purchase them a couple of weeks ago and now everyone else can order them for the first time TODAY!
You can check out the Decor Elements Brochure here or click on the image to the right of my blog.
Do you want to learn how to use our Decor Elements Self-Adhesive Vinyl Graphics? Check out this link to see the instruction sheet!
You can also see an instructional VIDEO on how to apply the new Decor Elements to your walls! How cool is that?! This is the first time Stampin' Up! has offered a video demonstration for our customers and I think it is just wonderful - don't you?
Check out the following Questions and Answers about Decor Elements:
Q: What is the best surface to apply Décor Elements to?
A: Décor Elements images work well on the following surfaces:
We do not recommend that you apply to Décor Elements images to textured or uneven surfaces, brick, or oil-based surfaces.
Q: What should I do if I have a hard time removing the transfer tape from the image during application?
A: Try spraying the transfer tape lightly with water. This helps to break down the adhesive. However, it makes for a messier application, and you may need to wipe your Décor Element image clean after application.
Q: How easy is it to remove Décor Elements images?
A: Decor Elements images are designed for easy removal. Simply take your Décor Elements applicator tool and slide it gently under the surface of your image. Remove images carefully as we cannot guarantee that your wall works well with Décor Elements. If you are having a hard time removing your image, heat the image with a hair dryer to help release the adhesive.
Q: How long will Décor Elements images stay up?
A: If Décor Elements images adhere well to your wall, they should not come down before you want them to. However, it's hard to guarantee the life of your images, as several factors affect product performance. For example, if the drywall was not cleaned or dusted before painting a newly constructed wall, the product may be able to remove paint from the wall. Picking at the image edges may make them come off more easily, so we recommend children not play with them.
Q: I removed my Décor Elements from a glass surface, and there's an adhesive residue left. What should I do?
A: Window cleaner should remove the residue.
Q: Do you recommend using Décor Elements and Definitely Decorative stamps together?
A: Absolutely! This is one reason our new product line fits in so beautifully with our existing product! For the best results, you may want to try stamping on a small portion of your wall first to make sure the paints you are using work well with Décor Elements.
As always, if you have questions about this product line or any other Stampin' Up! product, feel free to contact me at lynn@learntostampandscrap.com.
If you would like to place an order, I accept Visa, MasterCard, Discover and Paypal. You can just email me with your order and I can get your payment information from you once I total up your order.
Here is a card that I made to fit the Small Open Ended Envelopes from Stampin' Up! I have a bunch of these envelopes and decided to play around with a couple of designs so I could use some of them again. As you can see from the photo, I also used Afternoon Tea Designer Series Paper to decorate the flap of the envelope too. I just thought the plain white envelope needed to be jazzed up a little after creating this card.
I have been saving a few ideas for long cards as I saw them to try when I got around to it. This one has to be my favorite because I just LOVE the Afternoon Tea Designer Series Paper from the Occasions Mini and I really like the way that Soft Sky and Chocolate Chip work together for a color combination. I did change the card slightly from the original version though. The part of this card that really caught my eye was the rectangular portion in the center - the focal point of the card.
When I made my layers, I used Stampin' Dimensionals to raise the punched white circle layer and also the entire rectangular shaped center piece. I also added loops of wide Chocolate Chip Grosgrain Ribbon to the side to make an accent that looked like tabs. The strip of Chocolate Chip down the center is made by cutting a thin strip of cardstock so to add interest and to hide the seam of my Designer Series Paper going down the front.
It is a little hard to see in this photo, but the other accents I added were three 1/4" punched circles that I added Crystal Effects onto to make them look a little more like brads. I also added some Crystal Effects and Dazzling Diamonds Glitter to the center of each of the flowers. I am doing a workshop tonight where the hostess loves glitter, so I added that touch just for her...I really like how it turned out.
Before finishing up, I also added some stamped two-layered flowers to the front of my envelope. I really like this card and envelope combination. I will have to make up some card sets to have on hand for gifts:))
I hope you enjoy this card as much as I do ~
Lynn
Time is running out to order from the Occasions Mini Catalog... If there is something that you have been wanting to get NOW is the time to order before it is gone! You can check out the mini catalog here if you don't have your own copy. Please email me by 5 pm on Monday, June 30th if you would like to order from this catalog. Of course, the sooner you get your orders to me, the sooner we can wrap them up and guarantee you will get your products from this fabulous catalog!
Shipping and applicable taxes will be added to your order. I can only accept orders with a ship to address in the United States. I accept paypal, Visa, MasterCard and Discover payments. I can either send you a paypal invoice for your order or you can call me with your charge information at 802-380-0222.
Lynn
One question I am asked frequently from people just starting out in card making is "What are the basic supplies I need to get started?". I always answer by saying that they should start out by taking a "SIP" which stands for 'stamps, ink and paper'. In order to chose what would work best for each person, I ask beginners the following questions:
1. What types of cards are you looking to make? Is there a specific theme in mind like birthdays, weddings or baby cards OR are you just looking for a versatile stamp set to create cards for different occasions?
2, Do you like to watercolor or color in your images OR would prefer to ink up an image, stamp it on your card and being done with it? This question will determine the type of stamp set you should purchase. If you like coloring in your images a "coloring book" or outline stamp set is your best choice. If you like just stamping your image a bold stamp set is for you.
3. What are your favorite colors or favorite color family? This is a great place to start to look for cardstock and inks. I usually recommend people chose an assortment of cardstock in that color family and 3-4 coordinating ink pads or markers that match that color family. If you chose a coloring book type stamp set, then you are usually better off getting a black stamp pad for the outline of your image and then choosing something like markers, colored pencils, watercolor crayons or pastels to color in your images. If a bold stamp set is for you, you might chose a couple different color ink pads or an assortment of markers for you to color your image and stamp on your cards.
4. Once you have chosen your style stamp set, picked out your inks and assorted package of cardstock to match your favorite color family, it is time to decide which neutral cardstockto use to accent and layer your cards with. Most often people go with either Whisper White or Very Vanilla cardstock. Other nice choices are Naturals White and Confetti White that have some light specks of color adding to the interest of the paper and are great for things like watercoloring.
5. Envelopes - It is best to chose envelopes that match your neutral cardstock. For example, if you chose Whisper White Cardstock you should have Whisper White Envelopes on hand for your finished cards.
Once you have answered all of the questions above, there are some other things that you might consider for your card making needs. These items would be:
Stay tuned for more card making tips and ideas in future articles! If you have not already done so, please subscribe to this blog's feed so you can be updated when I have a new post on my blog. That way you won't miss anything!
If you have any questions you would like answered on card making or paper crafting, please leave a comment on this post. I will answer your questions either by email or in an upcoming post.
Here is the entry #3 in my June Card Sketch Challenge! I absolutely LOVE this stamp set from the Stampin' Up! Occasions Mini Catalog. Just check out this little puppy's face:))
If you would like to submit your entry to my Card Sketch Challenge Contest, you have until the end of the month to submit your entry to me via .jpg to lynn@learntostampandscrap.com.
Good luck,
Lynn
If you are anything like me, you are so-o-o excited about the release of the NEW Stampin' Up! Fall / Winter Idea Book and Catalog (coming out in August) that you can't stand it!!! Be one of the FIRST to get your copy by doing one of the following today!
1. Click here to get a copy of the Fall / Winter Idea Book and Catalog mailed directly to your door for only $10.00 plus $3.00 shipping and handling. Just click on the "Buy Now" button below to pre-order your copy;
2. Email me to place a minimum $100 order with me during the month of July and receive your catalog for FREE!; OR
3. Contact me to book a workshop with me and receive your catalog for FREE!
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