Why, oh why, is stamping so hard some days? I had really good intentions for this card. I pictured a large greeting with some flowers or buttons and a tag. But I just couldn’t get it to look right.

So after and hour and a half I basically gave up. I liked the layers on the card – Night of Navy, Brushed Silver, Shimmery White and the Regals Patterns DSP Stack – and the wide Night of Navy grosgrain ribbon with the big bow so I grabbed the Clearly for You stamp set that happened to be on my desk and stamped an image and small greeting that I heat embossed with silver embossing powder.

I think this card turned out alright but it so not what I had thought it would look like when I started. Do you ever have days like this? Please leave me a comment and let me know I’m not alone. 

Don’t think it, ink it!

I have had lots of question from customers lately asking how I mount my stamps onto the clear blocks. So, I made a video today showing how I mount the stamps as well as how to use the blocks as a shadow stamp.   If you have any questions on how to use a product, please contact me with your ideas for future videos. 

This card was really simple to make. I shadow stamped in Baja Breeze ink and than added a couple of images from the Blessed Mother stamp set with Early Espresso ink. I used the Tearing Edge along the side (remember to always tear towards yourself) and added some speckled ink with an Aqua Painter.  

Want to know what size blocks you need for your stamp sets?  Click here for a Clear Block Sizing Chart that you can print onto vellum or copy paper to use.

Scroll down to watch the video. (If you received this message by e-mail or in a blog reader, you may need to visit my blog to see the link.)

Don’t think it, ink it!

I realized this weekend while cleaning my office that I haven’t even stamped with all of the sets from the Occasions Mini catalogue yet. Like this stamp set, Sew Suite. Wouldn’t this make a great gift for the quilter in your life, even if that’s you?!

And of course, Stampin’ Up! has great coordinating accessories for this set including a Big Shot button embosslit, fabric buttons, rub ons, designer buttons and lots more. See the complete line of products on pages 32 – 39 of the Occasions Mini catalogue.

For this card, I used the Sweet Stitches designer series paper. The colours in this paper are Tempting Turquoise, Tangerine Tango, Chocolate Chip, Melon Mambo, Regal Rose, Wild Wasabi and Daffodil Delight.

Instead of using ribbon as I normally would, I stamped the tape measure image onto Daffodil Delight cardstock and added a Brushed Silver end with an Early Espresso brad. I also added a knot of Early Espresso narrow taffeta ribbon to the dress form (can you keep a secret… my image was not centered on the cardstock and since I don’t want to do it again the ribbon covered most of the problem. Don’t look too closely!) 

Stamps: Sew Suite (Wood 121933, Clear 122009)

Inks: Chocolate Chip (100908)

Paper: Sweet Stitches Designer Series Paper (121781), Chocolate Chip (102128), Daffodil Delight (119683), Brushed Silver (100712), Very Vanilla (101650)

Punches: 3/16" Corner Rounder (119781)

Sew Suite Stamp Set, Set of 6

Wood $32.95, #121933 

Clear $22.95, #122009

Page 33 of the Occasions Mini Catalogue

Sweet Stitches Designer Series Paper

12 sheets, 2 each of 6 double-sided designs

$12.50, #121781

Page 32 of the Occasions Mini Catalogue

Canadians, request your free Occasions Mini and Sale-A-Bration catalogues by clicking here.

 
Don’t think it, ink it!

This is one quick card which means it is perfect for Simple Saturday!

I decided to use Rose Red textured cardstock for this card to add a little more design to the background without having to do any extra work. The textured cardstock come in the 12" x 12" packages and since I store those sheets of cardstock away from my other cardstock I know I don’t reach for textured cardstock often enough.

With Rose Red ink, I stamped the square image from the Clearly for You stamp set onto Whisper White cardstock and cut it out. I then layered it onto another piece of Whisper White cardstock that was slightly larger.  The next layer was an even larger piece of Rose Red textured cardstock.

The "for you" greeting, also from the Clearly for You stamp set, was stamped onto a 1-1/2" wide piece of Whisper White cardstock and adhered it to the card. Along the bottom of the card I added five Basic Pearls as a little embellishment.

The last step was to add the stamped image with dimensionals.  A really easy card, right?

Hope you have a great weekend! Hubby is working and the kids are having friends over so I have big plans – cleaning my office. Watch for pictures of my seldom clean and rarely  picture worthy office and stamping space next week.

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

Stamps: Clearly for You (Wood 121911, Clear 121976)

Inks: Rose Red (101778)

Paper: Rose Red 12 x 12 (119945), Whisper White (100730)

Other: Basic Pearls (119247)

Canadians, request your free Occasions Mini and Sale-A-Bration catalogues by clicking here.

Don’t think it, ink it!

  plus during Sale-a-Bration, you can earn a free product. Why not get the Digital Content CD on page 7 of the SAB catalogue?

When purchasing a new stamp set, I usually purchase the matching wheel as well. I find that it opens up more creative options for me and that makes the wheel a good investment. 

But there is no reason that the wheel alone can’t be the focus of the card as the only stamped image. And this Friendly Words Jumbo Wheel is a great example of that. 

I couldn’t resist the the pun in the title of this blog post since this card was wheel-y simple to make. I inked up the Friendly Words wheel with the Pear Pizzazz ink pad and then coloured over "friends" and the image with the Chocolate Chip marker. I then huffed on the wheel to re-moisten it before applying it to the paper. Make sure that before stamping, the wheel is lined up with the paper to position the Chocolate Chip coloured images where you want them. Also, a tip, don’t do what I did the first time (okay, the first two times!) – make sure you also colour the dot of the "i" on friends.

Once the image was stamped onto the Confetti Cream cardstock, I trimmed the cardstock to fit the card and then distressed the bottom edge with the Cutter Kit. I also distressed the top and bottom edges of the layering piece of Chocolate Chip cardstock.

To finish the card, I added a length of Pear Pizzazz ribbon and an Antique Brad. It probably took me longer to decided which Antique Brad I wanted to use on this card than it did the make the rest of the card. Aren’t the brads designs in this package all awesome?

Want more tips and techniques on using your wheels? Click here to join the Rubber Stampers Club today!  My online virtual club is free with a $30 purchase and a six month commitment. Each month I feature a video on a certain product or tool and this month is all about wheels! 

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

Stamps: Friendly Words Jumbo Wheel (114696)

Inks: Pear Pizzazz (119784), Chocolate Chip Stampin’ Write Marker (100071)

Paper: Pear Pizzazz (119795), Chocolate Chip (102128), Confetti Cream (102835)

Today’s card is just a sneak peek of the technique video I will be posting tomorrow.

Check back for the video showing how to do this technique and a variation as well as another card sample. See you then!

My newsletter goes out tomorrow afternoon by e-mail. Have you signed up to request your copy including samples, techniques and more? (if you received this post by RSS or e-mail and can’t see the sign up box below, please visit my blog to request my newsletter.)

Don’t think it, ink it!

This very special valentines card is for my husband, Phil. He has commented a few times on how much he likes the Nature Walk stamp set so I wanted to use it for his card.

I made a simple gate fold card and added a 2" belly band of Early Espresso cardstock to keep it closed. I didn’t want the Metallic brads to keep the band from easily sliding onto the card so I added them only to the top layer and used Sticky Strip to keep the band closed.

I scored the Crumb Cake cardstock at 2-1/8" in from each side of a 8-1/2" x 5-1/2" piece for the card. Each flap was embossed with the Framed Tulip embossing folder. The bird, cage and botanical symbol are from the Nature Walk stamp set. 

I added a "key to my heart" greeting from the You’re a Gem stamp set that was stamped in Cherry Cobbler ink and punched with the small Oval. I layered it onto a Cherry Cobbler Modern Label punch that I cut down a bit. I also added a Trinket Key to the card with Cherry Cobbler Seam Binding. Don’t you love these keys?

Happy Valentine’s Day!  We are having dinner tonight as a family, one of our favourite meals – steak, baked potatoes and all the trimmings including a special dessert. However you choose to celebrate, I hope you have a great day!

 This is the card open. Inside I stamped a greeting from the Word Play stamp set in Cherry Cobbler ink and added a Mini Vintage Tag with a punched and distressed Cherry Cobbler heart.

Don’t forget to Sale-A-Brate? You can choose one free item for every $60 you spend before shipping and tax. Place your order online or contact me to place your order for you. Click here to see all the free stamps sets and products available.

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

Stamps: Nature Walk (Wood 121925, Clear 121997), You’re A Gem (Wood 122268, Clear 122270), Word Play (Wood 120308, Clear 120651)

Inks: Early Espresso (119670), Crumb Cake (121030), Cherry Cobbler (119669)

Paper: Early Espresso (119686), Crumb Cake (120953), Cherry Cobbler (119685), Very Vanilla (101650)

Big Shot: Framed Tulips Embossing Folder (121809), 3" Circle (122125)

Punches: 1-3/8" x 5/8" Oval (119863), Modern Label (119849), Heart (117193)

Other: Trinket Keys (121892), Cherry Cobbler 1/2" Seam Binding (120992), Metallic Brads (119741), Mini Vintage Tags (118763), Linen Thread (104199), Paper Cutter (104152), Cutting & Scoring Blade Refill (104154)

Canadians, request your free Occasions Mini and Sale-A-Bration catalogues by clicking here.

Don’t think it, ink it!

Today is another one card, two ways day. I just couldn’t decide which way I liked this card better – horizontal or vertical. What’s your favourite?

Both cards use the exact same supplies, I just changed the direction of the card. 

To make this card, I used the Neutral Shadows Technique from Technique Junkies.  Stamp with Whisper White craft ink onto Whisper White cardstock and heat emboss with white embossing powder. Once cool, I used a q-tip to colour the embossed image with Sahara Sand ink. I didn’t want to use a sponge dauber as it is wider and would give a different look to the card.

I layered onto Sahara Sand and Baja Breeze cardstocks and added a stamped Sahara Sand greeting and Baja Breeze Seam Binding to embellish the card. All images are from the Elements of Style stamp set (Wood #118661, Clear #120045). 

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

For this card, I gathered the Baja Breeze Seam Binding by pulling a thread at one end. 

 I pinched the Baja Breeze Seam Binding and stuck it onto Sticky Strip for this card.

Canadians, request your free Occasions Mini and Sale-A-Bration catalogues by clicking here.

Don’t think it, ink it!

This card had me really turned around!

I had a lot of fun making this card but I had to keep asking myself if I was holding the card upside down. Unlike every other card I have every made that has the fold on the left or the top, this card has the fold on the right. Really! 

And it just didn’t feel like I was doing it "right" as I was making the card but as you can see, it did turn out as it was supposed to. Thanks to Elizabeth Freiter, a fellow Dreaming About Rubber Stamps Team member for showing me her card using this same Fancy Fold technique and inspiring me to make my own.

Once I got used to the fold on the "wrong" side, this card was quick to make.  I folded a piece of 8-1/2" x 5-1/2" Very Vanilla cardstock in half as usual. Then holding the fold on the right, I cut 1-1/2" from the left hand side of the top piece of the card.

Next, I scored a 3-1/4" x 4" piece of Basic Black cardstock at 3/4" on the long side.

After layering Riding Hood Red cardstock and Love Letter designer series paper to the front of the card, I added a length of Very Vanilla Seam Binding complete with a knot onto the Basic Black cardstock.   

I adhered the Basic Black cardstock to the left hand side of the card that is stationary making sure the the flap would open. 

Inside the card I stamped "Birthday Wishes" from the Bring On the Cake stamp set in Riding Hood Red ink. I thought the the elegance of this scripted greeting matched the rest of the card nicely. 

So, what do you think? Did I do it "right"? Please leave me a comment and let me know if you like this card. Thanks!

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

Stamps: Nature Walk (Wood 121925, Clear 121997), You’re A Gem (Wood 122268, Clear 122270), Bring On the Cake (Wood 121899, Clear 121958)

Inks: Riding Hood Red (111836), Basic Black (101179)

Paper: Love Letter Designer Series Paper (117162), Riding Hood Red (111348), Basic Black (121045), Very Vanilla (101650)

Other: Very Vanilla 1/2" Seam Binding (120999), Paper Cutter (104152), Cutting & Scoring Blade Refill (104154)

Canadians, request your free Occasions Mini and Sale-A-Bration catalogues by clicking here.

Don’t think it, ink it!