Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow...

Yesterday, it felt like it was 80 degrees outside. I was at a Hostess' home (hi Christi!) doing a stamping party and she had to turn on her air conditioning--I kid you not. Fast forward to today, and here's a nice shot from my back door:

If you look closely at the background of the last card pictures I posted, you'll see the railing and foliage before they were covered with snow. Wow! What a difference a day makes.

At the stamping party yesterday, I demonstrated some holiday cards made with the Holiday Glitz Card Kit, using a few alternate sets.

UPDATE: THIS PROMOTION IS NO LONGER AVAILABLE

Since my studio backdrop has been usurped by white fluffy stuff, I had to find another picture-taking spot, so please forgive me if these photos aren't quite as glamourous as the outdoor shots:

Stamp Sets Used Above: Snowfall (L) and Merry & Bright (R)

Stamp Sets Used Above: Fun & Fast Notes (L) and Flaky Friends (R)

Stamp Sets Used Above: Perfect Presentation {Hostess Set} (L) and Cold Play (R)

As you can see, you can use most any holiday or winter set with the Holiday Glitz Card Kit to make high quality cards. Instead of experimenting with the card stock that came in the Kit, I traced around the cut piece of white card stock, onto scratch paper, to mimic the area of the card stock. I did all my stamping on the scratch paper, and once I felt my design was complete, I stamped it onto the actual card stock. You will want to have Real Red, Wild Wasabi, and Soft Sky ink pads, a common office stapler, and some adhesive (SNAIL is ideal), and I highly recommend using the Stamp-A-Majig for precise placement of your images on the card stock.

The Holiday Glitz Card Kit provides enough supplies to make 16 cards, complete with envelopes, and instructions for making cards with 4 different sets (Snowfall, The Snowflake Spot, Love & Joy, and Big On Christmas). Check out the picture below to see what you'll get:

In order to get enough individual supplies needed to recreate the same amount of cards as a Holiday Glitz Card Kit, you'd have to purchase $117.55 in product to get the colors and quantities in the sizes you'd need. So, even if you purchase the Holiday Glitz Card Kit at $28.95 instead of at the $24.95 special price, you get more than a 75% discount on your card supplies! And that doesn't even account for the bonus convenience of having all your card stock cut to size and scored for you.

Contact me TODAY to place your orders for Holiday Glitz Kits. You can order as many as you'd like, but act fast because they are only available while supplies last.

All Holiday Blitz...

Well, unfortunately for me and my blog, the tax man cometh. Yes, I put off the foul deed in April and now it's back to haunt me (heh, heh--it's October, get it?). But before I dive into the paperwork for the weekend, I wanted to entertain you with a preview of a special project I'm working on! I am using only two sets, All Holidays and Holiday Blitz, and I'm going to see how many different cards I can make for different occasions.

I am so proud of my fall card...there was not a "Happy Fall" saying in either set, so I constructed one from the All Holidays set. I stamped "Happy Father's Day" and cut the "Happy" from it. Then I used a marker to ink up just the "F" from "My Dear Kind & Wonderful Friend", and the "all" part of "Happy Halloween". I used a Stamp-a-majig to line those up, and I was just tickled to death with the results. This is only a small sample of the fun you can have with just these two sets, and I hope you can already see the endless possibilities. If you are on a strict rubber diet (i.e., budget) these two stamp sets will give you plenty of variety, excitement, and bang for your buck!

Merry Christmas Card Supplies: All Holidays stamp set, Holiday Blitz stamp set, Bashful Blue card stock and ink pad, Whisper White card stock, Blue Tafetta ribbon, Snow Blossom punch, Ice Circle rhinestone brads, 1/16" Circle punch (used on round tips of Snow Blossom punch), 1/8" Circle punch (used to place brad at center of Snow Blossom punch).

Happy Fall Card Supplies: All Holidays stamp set, Holiday Blitz stamp set, Garden Green card stock and ink pad, Ruby Red card stock and ink pad, More Mustard card stock and ink pad, Close to Cocoa card stock and ink pad, Blender Pens, Ticket Corner punch, 3/4" square punch (to punch out the leaves), Cutter Kit (used distressor on edges of Close to Cocoa strip after crumpling and unfolding it).

Cat's Outta the Bag...er, Box...

There's only one thing to do when you spy a sturdy box lying around your house, especially when it looks to be just the perfect size for storing cards. You turn this...

Into...the masterpiece you see below!!!

So, really quickly, here's what I did...I measured the width of the front of the box, and cut the Designer Prints Blue Bayou paper about an inch wider than it needed to be. Then I measured from the bottom of the box to the tip of the open flap on the front, and cut the paper about an inch longer for that dimension also. Then I scored the bottom of the paper at about 1/2", to tuck it under the bottom of the box, and I adhered it just along the bottom of the box, as you'll see below:


Only the bottom folded under part of the paper is adhered at this point. Then I turned the box over onto the paper and used a bone folder to trace the edges of the box onto the paper, as you can see in the picture below:


After that, I put adhesive on the areas that would be folded around the edges, and then just folded them down! I used my Paper Snips here and there to snip in a little bit where there were sharp corners, so I could fold those in at an angle. In the picture below, you'll see how I folded carefully around the tab at the top of the box--I wanted to preserve the closure. I did the same on the other side of the box, cutting carefully around the slit where this tab gets inserted to close the box.


So, after covering the front and back of the box with Designer Series Paper, I covered the two sides with Blue Bayou card stock in the same manner. As I looked at the top, I didn't like how plain the closure tab looked, so I gave it sort of a "buckle" appearance. I adhered Designer Series Paper to Blue Bayou card stock to give it some extra weight, then punched it out with the Scallop Circle Punch, layered a 5-Petal Punched piece of Soft Sky on that, and then put a Rhinestone Brad in the center. I used Stampin' Dimensionals on only half of the scalloped piece, which was adhered to the box top side with the tab. Only adhering one side of the scalloped piece allows the other side to lay over the tab closure, and "hide" it, or pretty it up a bit.

And that's how I turned a "cat box" into a treasure chest for storing my greeting cards! My plan is to fill the box with pre-made Thank You, Happy Birthday, and other greeting cards so that I can have them at my fingertips when I want to use them. I'm such a procrastistamper, I never have a card ready for surprise occasions!

If you're not comfortable doing all the cutting and measuring on the fly, but you love the idea of a customized card box, contact me to order a Forget-Me-Not Keeper and some Designer Series Paper in your favorite color(s). I can give you an instruction sheet with specific measurements so you can create your own masterpiece in a snap!

Stamping for Men!

No, I'm not talking about making a greeting card or stamping a topper for a cello bag full of salsa mix for the special dudes in your life. I'm talking about MEN actually STAMPING. Yes, this does happen...real guys do stamp...and they enjoy it. And if you think stamping's not for *manly* men, check out this video of a fellow Stampin' Up!® Demonstrator's husband sharing his own techniques of card construction with power tools!

I'm telling you, garage bands better move over and make way for garage stampers! (But seriously, guys can stamp with "normal" craft products, too.)

Thanks for your Patience :-)

Here's another simple, single card to thank you for hanging in there with me during this long interlude between blog posts!

Stampin' Supplies: Fun 'N Fast Notes stamp set, Bashful Blue card stock, Brocade Blue card stock and marker, Whisper White card stock, Bashful Blue Tafetta ribbon.

It has been a busy couple of weeks around here, I've rearranged my schedule so that I can offer my kids a home-based education. It's actually a Colorado public school, but we get to use a nationally certified online curriculum, books & supplies, and computer & printer for FREE...so we can have the benefits of home school, without me having to come up with every lesson and resource on my own. It's absolutely fantastic, and I am so grateful that I can work on my business from home so I can be available to give my kids this awesome opportunity!

Anyway, I just wanted to touch base with everyone and thank you for your patience. I hope to get back on track with weekly card templates by posting my next new one tomorrow!

Another Birthday Card!

This one's just a quickie...a friend of mine from grade school had a birthday the other day, and I actually stamped the card, took a picture of it, and mailed it all on the same day. AND--the card was actually delivered on her birthday. Wow, I'm so proud of me!

Stampin' Supplies: All Holidays stamp set, Polka Dots & Paisley stamp set, Basic Grey card stock, Blue Bayou card stock, Blue Bayou Prints Designer paper, Versamark ink pad, Black embossing powder, Blue Bayou ink pad, Blender Pens, Black brads.

The saying was embossed in black, but the word 'dear' sort of melded in with everything else, so I used some Blue Bayou ink on the tip of a blender pen to add color around that word. The picture doesn't exactly do it justice, but you can see how highlighting that word with color made it pop out from the rest.

Foldover Card Template

Hey, another week has passed and it's time for another card template! Once again I'll be using a design from the Stampin' Up! Convention I attended in Denver this summer. The main card is actually a variation of the design, but I really love the color Blue Bayou so I wanted to feature it.

The original card is the first one on the left below, and it was a Convention Make & Take, done with the Wanted set. On that card, the foldover flap actually opens to show the inside of the card. The foldover card above, as well as the Happy Birthday foldover card below, both feature pull out cards (with tabs). The Happy Birthday pull out tab is shown separately below, so you can see how to fit a gift card in between two Slit Punch tabs.

When making vertical foldover cards, cut a sheet of card stock or designer paper to 4-1/4" x 11", then fold in half to 4-1/4" x 5-1/2". Score 1-1/4" from the open end of the front flap, and fold over. If you want to create a pull tab, you'll want it to be no bigger than 3.75" x 5".

When making horizontal foldover cards, cut a sheet of card stock or designer paper to 5-1/2" x 8-1/2", then fold in half to 5-1/2" x 4-1/4". Score 1-1/4" from the open end of the front flap and fold over. Again, your pull tab will fit best if it is no bigger than 3.75" x 5".

There are a few ways to keep your card closed if you want to do a pull tab. Two methods pictured here are tying ribbon around the card, and using a staple at each side of the card. You can also use eyelets or brads, but remember that you may have to adjust the size of your pull tab section to fit between the items you are using to hold the card (pocket) closed.

The scalloped edge under the main card was made by removing the plastic corner "guide" from the 3/16" Corner Rounder Punch, and punching along the edge of a piece of Soft Sky card stock. The scalloped edge was placed under the edge of the fold before it was adhered.

Blue Bayou Thank You Card Supplies: Short & Sweet stamp set, Blue Bayou card stock, Soft Sky card stock, Blue Bayou Prints Designer Series Paper, Blue Bayou ink, Soft Sky Double Stitched Ribbon, 3/16" Corner Rounder Punch, Round Tab Punch, staples.

Wanted Thanks Card Supplies: Wanted stamp set, Fundamental Phrases stamp set, Naturals Ivory card stock, Really Rust card stock, Outlaw Designer Series Paper, Chocolate Chip ink pad, Really Rust ink pad, Chocolate Chip Wide Grosgrain Ribbon, Linen Thread, Pewter Jumbo Eyelets, 3/16" Corner Rounder Punch, Crop-a-Dile, Scallop Circle Punch, Stampin' Dimensionals.

Fun & Fast Birthday Gift Card Supplies: Purely Pomegranate card stock, Groovy Guava card stock, Purely Pomegranate ink pad, Groovy Guava ink pad, Groovy Guava Double Stitched Ribbon, Blender Pens, 3/16" Corner Rounder Punch, Round Tab Punch, Slit Punch, staples.