It’s Technique Tuesday!  Today I want to share a tutorial for Swirled Metallics.  This one is really easy but you do need an Encore Metallic refill. If you own either the gold or silver encore pad, you will definitely want the refill to keep the pads looking their best.

But even if you don’t own the pads, there are so many ways to use the refills on their own. Add some to your collection today.

 Here is a close view of the Swirled Metallic technique.  Doesn’t the Bermuda Bay ink look great with the gold?

  Place a drop of the Encore Gold refill onto a non-absorbent material, Here I used wax paper.Next, I added a couple of drops of Bermuda Bay ink refill. You will need more of the Classic ink than the Encore.

With a toothpick, I gently swirled the two inks together.

  Finally, I used a sponge dauber to apply the ink to the stamp. You should be able to see both of the inks on the stamp. If needed, add a few more drops of the Bermuda Bay refill ink and sponge onto the stamp again.

 To Order Stampin’ Up! Products in Canada, Click Here

Stamps:   With All My Heart ($23.95W, $18.95C – page 12 of the Occasions Mini)

Ink:   Bermuda Bay Classic, Gold Encore 

Paper:   Bermuda Bay, Brushed Gold, Whisper White

Punches:   Modern Label, Word Window 

Other:   Bermuda Bay Polka-Dot Ribbon, Gold Brads, Perfect Polka Dot Embossing Folder, Sponge Dauber 

 Encore Gold Refill $5.95, #101242

Encore Silver Refill $5.95, #102124

Page 190 of the Stampin’ Up! Catalogue

Don’t think it, ink it!

This card is not my normal card. Can you guess why?

Just one layer. You know I love lots of layers on cards but this one didn’t need any more than the Very Vanilla card itself.

The Vintage Vogue stamp set I used just cried out for Very Vanilla cardstock and rich inks colours like Rich Razzleberry and Old Olive.  I also added some Pale Plum to contrast with the Rich Razzleberry. I cut out a few of the smaller flowers and added them to the card with stampin’ dimensionals for height. If you are doing detailed paper cutting, the paper snips make the job so much easier.

To finish, I added a knotted length of Very Vanilla satin ribbon and a Very Vanilla jumbo brad. As I didn’t want the brad prongs to show inside the card, I cut them off with scissors and placed a dimensional on the bottom of the brad to hold it in place. 

And the best part? I received this stamp set at the Regionals in Calgary on Saturday as part of my registration fee. Woo Hoo! It was a great day of training, stamping, chatting and fun. Stampin’ Up! demonstrators have the best jobs. 

Don’t forget to enter to win blog candy on this post by answering my question about why you think it would be great to be a demo and own your own business. 

To Order Stampin’ Up! Products in Canada, Click Here

Stamps:  Vintage Vogue

Ink:  Rich Razzleberry, Pale Plum, Old Olive

Paper: Very Vanilla  

Other: Very Vanilla Satin Ribbon, 5/16" Jumbo Brad in Vanilla, Stampin’ Dimensionals, Paper Snips 

Vintage Vogue Stamp Set – Set of 8

Clear $23.95, #118598 – Wood $31.95, #117690

Page 26 of the Occasions Mini

Don’t think it, ink it!    

Most of the time my Simple Saturday cards are just that, a very simple card.

But today I want to share with you a simple way to change up a card. On Wednesday’s One Card, Two Ways blog post I showed you two ways to make a card using one layout. Today I took that a step further and simply turned the card so it is vertical rather than horizontal.

How’s that for simple?

To Order Stampin’ Up! Products in Canada, Click Here

Stamps:  Elegant Thank You

Ink:  Not Quite Navy

Paper: Bella Bleu DSP, Not Quite Navy, Sahara Sand, Very Vanilla

Punches:  Large Oval  

Other: Stampin’ Dimensionals, Pretties Kit, Pennant Bigz Die 

Bella Bleu Designer Series Paper

$13.25, #113974, Page 162

12 Sheets – 2 each of 6 double sided designs. 

I use this paper alot!

Don’t think it, ink it!    

One of the many benefits of being a Stampin’ Up! Demonstrator is the opportunity to attend our Regional conferences. I am so excited to be heading to Calgary today for a Dreaming About Rubber Stamps team dinner and then attending the conference tomorrow. 

Because I love being a SU! demo, I am offering BLOG CANDY to celebrate. If you would like more information on being a Stampin’ Up! Demonstrator on  my team, please contact me.

The winner will receive three of my favourite Occasions Mini catalogue products:  Sweet Pea Stitched Felt, Pretty in Pink Satin Ribbon and Pretty in Pink Epoxy Brads. 

To enter for a chance to win, please leave a comment including your name and e-mail address under this blog post by Monday answering the following question:

I think it would be great to be a

Stampin’ Up! Demonstrator because …

I will announce the winner on Tuesday, March 9th. The winner will be selected from all the comments by random.org. Canadians only, please. 
 

Isn’t this little Square Box cute? And it is really straightforward to make.The finished box is about 3" x 3". That’s just enough room for some candy, a little gift, tags or small notecards.

It doesn’t take long to make the box itself and then you just need to decorate the top.      

Rather than try to explain the instruction in this post, I made a video for you to watch. Please let me know if you have any questions.

Note: If you are not viewing this post on my blog and are not seeing the video or seeing only a big X, please go to www.dreamingaboutrubberstamps.com to view the video.

To Order Stampin’ Up! Products in Canada, Click Here

And don’t forget to stop back tomorrow for BLOG CANDY!

Don’t think it, ink it!    

It’s amazing how the same card layout can create two very different looking cards. How can you ever run out of stamping ideas when a few changes makes a card completely new again?  Here’s a challenge for you today – take a favourite card and recreate it with new products. 

I have been stamping for almost 12 years now and it is the first hobby I have ever stayed with. But wait, not only do I still stamp but this fun, creative outlet actually pays the mortgage.  I still can’t believe it. What keeps me stamping? There is always something new to learn.

So, what did I learn today? That the scalloped circle from the Stampin’ Up! Pennant die fits perfectly behind the 1-3/4" circle punch. I have owned this die for almost two years and did not realize the two pieces worked together until today. Isn’t stamping exciting?

I took my new discovery and made two cards – one is fun and one is more elegant. What’s your favourite?

To Order Stampin’ Up! Products in Canada, Click Here

Card #1

Stamps:  Thank You Kindly (18.95 or Free with a purchase of $65 during Sale-A-Bration, 111700)

Ink:  Rose Red Marker

Paper: Sweet Pea Paper Stack ($32.95 for 48 sheets, #117161, page 33 of the Occasions Mini), Rose Red, Pretty in Pink, Chocolate Chip, Whisper White

Punches:  Circles – 1", 1-1/4", 1-3/8", 1-3/4"

Other: Stampin’ Dimensionals, Sweet Pea Stitched Felt $11.95 for 52 pieces, #117266, page 32 of the Occasions Mini)

Card #2

Stamps:  Friends 24-7 ($34.95, #113218, Page 100)

Ink:  Not Quite Navy

Paper: Bella Bleu DSP ($13.25, #113974, Page 162), Not Quite Navy, Sahara Sand, Very Vanilla

Punches:  Scalloped Oval. Large Oval, 1" Circle  

Other: Stampin’ Dimensionals, Mini Glue Dots, Pretties Kit ($41.95, #109114, page 178), Kraft Taffeta Ribbon 

Pennant Bigz XL Die for the Big Shot

A Stampin’ Up! Exclusive

$53.95, #113483, Page 200 of the OIdea Book & Catalogue

Don’t think it, ink it!    

Can you believe it is March already?

And at least here in Alberta, it arrived like a lamb and not a lion.  And that is reason to celebrate.

Toonie Tuesday!

Every $30 or more order placed with me until midnight on Thursday, March 4th will pay only $2 shipping. 

And don’t forget that every order of $65 or more qualifies for a free Sale-A-Bration product. See the Sale-A-Bration brochure here.

Have you earned your free item yet? What are you waiting for?

To place your orders, E-mail me, call me toll free at 1.866.472.8207 or fax your order to me at 1.780.406.6407 and include the code TOONIE to receive $2 shipping.

Happy Stamping! 

I often get asked my favourite colour combination. Well, this is it!  I love Rose Red, Regal Rose and Pretty in Pink. The very first workshop I did almost 8 years ago featured a make and take with this colour combination although Regal Rose has been tweaked a bit since.

And this card uses alot of my other favourites as well. My favourite embellishment is always ribbon and my favourite punch is Modern Label. Love them! You can scroll through the pages of my blog and see how often I use these products.

I changed the Bridesmaid paper to match my cardstock by burnishing ink onto the paper with a sponge dauber. I selected three colours of ink to match my cardstock – Rose Red, Regal Rose and Pretty in Pink.  I love this technique and use it often on all of the wedding specialty papers seen on page 158 of the catalogue. If you don’t own these, you are missing out. You can see another card here where I used the same technique with shimmer paint.

So, now that you know my favourite colour combination, what is yours? Post your favourite in a comment below and help inspire creativity in another stamper. 

To Order Stampin’ Up! Products in Canada, Click Here

Stamps:  Three Little Words ($18.95 or Free with a purchase of $65 during Sale-A-Bration, #113254)

Ink:  Rose Red, Regal Rose, Pretty in Pink

Paper: Bridesmaid Specialty Paper, Pretty in Pink, Rose Red, Regal Rose

Punches:  Modern Label, Word Window, Scallop Trim Border (Free during Sale-A-Bration)  

Other: Stampin’ Dimensionals, Sponge Daubers, Pretty in Pink Satin Ribbon, Rose Red Grosgrain Ribbon 

Don’t think it, ink it!    

I always need some All Occasion cards – thank you, thinking of you, sending prayers and more. And this card works for all of those sentiments.

To make this card, I stamped the image from with All My Heart on Very Vanilla cardstock with the Pretty in Pink classic ink. Then, I stamped the same image a second time with the VersaMark pad using a Stamp-a-ma-jig to line up the two impressions.  While the ink is still wet, I covered the image with Iridescent Ice embossing powder and used the heat tool to melt the powder.

I punched the image out with the Extra Large Fancy Flower punch and punched another two pieces of Very Vanilla cardstock. The edges of the flowers were curled up using my fingers.  After layering these punches, I used my piercing tool to make a hole and inserted the Very Vanilla jumbo brad.

Using stampin’ dimensionals, I adhered the punched flower to the front of the card where I had already glued a piece of Sending Love DSP and some other cardstock layers. I embellished this piece with a knot of Pretty in Pink satin ribbon. To finish, I inserted three Very Vanilla brads.

Now, since I have a few of these cards on hand, I can stamp whatever greeting I need inside and be ready to send the card .

To Order Stampin’ Up! Products in Canada, Click Here

Stamps: With All My Heart

Ink: Pretty in Pink, VersaMark

Paper: Sending Love Specialty Designer Series Paper, Very Vanilla, Pretty in Pink

Punches: Extra Large Fancy Flower ($22.95, #118073, page 13 of the Occasions Mini)

Other: Stampin’ Dimensionals, Pretty in Pink Satin Ribbon, Jumbo Neutrals Brads in Vanilla, Mat Pack and Piercing Tool, Heat Tool, Iridescent Ice Embossing Powder, Stamp-a-ma-jig

With All My Heart Stamp Set

Clear – $18.95, #118623   Wood – $23.95, #118134

Set of 6 – page 12 of the Occasions Mini

Sending Love Specialty Designer Series Paper

$15.95, #117153, Page 13 of the Occasions Mini

12 Sheets – 2 each of 6 designs.  Each sheet has a glittery design on one side.

Don’t think it, ink it!