by Susan Itell | Sep 29, 2014 | Halloween, Make it MINE Monday, Super Easy |
Where did the weekend go? It was a great weekend but it seemed to buzz by way to fast! I am just lovin' this beautiful weather we have been having on the East Coast. Not too cool…not too humid….just right! Today is the Make it Mine personal challenge that I throw at you!
Today's sketch is fun! The minute I picked it I thought…a small print in a DSP and then accent colors….the 1" punch – BAM! A card in a matter of minutes!
Please give this a try…there are so many color options you can go with…seriously – the sky is the limit! I love this font of the sentiment, it doesn't get any bolder than this! I blogged last week with this stamp set (click here) and it still reminds me of Elementary School days!
This is a card that you really do not need me…as it is super simple! Simple works…Simple is fun…Simple is effective! The stamp set that I am using today is the Frightful Wreath…and it truly is both big and bold!
The card is the good old A-2 card size…a simple cut in half of a sheet of paper ending up with an 5 1/2" X 4 1/2" card base! The other layers are 1/4" smaller.
The key tool of the card is the 1" punch…a quick punch using the Motley Monsters Designer Series Paper was a cinch and then using the coordinating colors of Tangerine Tango and Crushed Curry the magic is coming to life!
Did you notice that I embossed the solid colors of paper? The Polka Dots Folder came to the plate today to add some interest!
Last but not least…the beloved envelope! Today is a double whammy….and so simple! I do hope that you give your envelopes some love!
I will admit, having this stamp set being a photopolymer set…it is sooo darn tootin' easy for perfect placement. I am thrilled that Stampin' Up! is coming out with more and more sets like this….WOOT-WOOT!
I am sorry that many of you had a hard time getting on my Blog over the weekend…I do not know what was up but I hope that you go back and see the posts – I thought they were super cute!
Please email me if you have any questions…I am thrilled that my 1st (I call it the Inaugural Group) of "Stamp of the Month Club" are happy with their purchase! I will have October's offering on Wednesday…please pop back! (I think you are going to like it)!
I realize that you have sooooooo many choices – and I deeply thank you for sharing your precious time with me! Until tomorrow!
by Susan Itell | Sep 28, 2014 | Christmas, Photopolymer Stamps |
I am so happy with today's post and I hope that you find it informative as well! When this set came out in the holiday catalog I knew that it would be a "home run"! I comes as a bundle and if I were you…this is the only way I would order it! This bundle is the stamp set and the punch…this way you'll save 15% right off the bat!
Several weeks ago my wonderful downline, Nancy Farrell sent me an email and said…."Here is a video that I think you will enjoy…it's a fun way to use the tree punch"…well she was right – this is the best trick to make trees of all sizes!
The inspiration came from SUD Deb Valder and you must click here and watch her video and then this whole card will come together like peanut butter and jelly! Not only is the video very informative, I adore Deb's enthusiasm…
Let's get going…I think that the new in color, Mossy Meadow is a beautiful color for the holiday's and the "little touch" of Gold Embossing makes this card special!
It's hip to be square and this card is no different…the is a 5" square card in Very Vanilla and then each layer is 1/4" smaller! Another thing that I loved about Debs video is that she used the "inside" of the layers to maximize your paper. I was able to pop out mossy meadow trees and have then them for the future!
After I stamped my trees and punched them out, I did something different than Deb did and I wanted to share it with you!
I always keep scraps (long strips) of card stock handy to do this trick with punches! I place a little adhesive on the end of the strip and then I have a "handle" to punch! This way you can re-use the piece and I find it super easy to get the "right size"
After you have your trees "just like you like them"…start to have fun with placement! You need at least 3 flat to the card at different heights and then you can play around with your forest and stampin' dimensionals!
Here's another tip…make sure that you stamp your sentiment before your forest gets to thick! It makes it to "risky" for perfect placement – especially when you are using the stamp-a-ma-jig! (you are…aren't you?)
The sentiment is from the hostess stamp set that is full of amazing sentiments with the font beng so fun! This is available until October 31st and with an event or a single order of $300.00 this is yours! Please email me and we will carve out a plan on how you can earn this!
Did you like the touch of the ribbon! This ribbon is the Cherry Cobbler 1" Liinen Ribbon from the Holiday Catalog. This is a great example of how the simple touch of color and texture did the trick!
Making the envelope was easy-peasy with the Envelope Punch Board and then envelpe received "double love" with the In Color Designer Series Paper in Mossy Meadow and then I added and extra tree and sentiment to the front!
I adhered the tree with "Green Glue" to the tree on the envelope and I find it to go thru the mail "just fine" – I ask the post office to hand-stamp the card so it does not go through the machine! (It pays to be nice to your local post office….homemade cookies goes a long way…!!!)
Well….how do you like this? John is always a great shoulder for advice…and when I showed him before I typed my post…he was all smiles! I hope that you make a forest of your own and have fun! Super easy, super versatile and oh, so cute!
Many thanks for the comments yesterday on my "fast food" friends…they are so much fun to make! This is the time of the year when there are many craft shows etc…and these are going to be popular! Next week I will share the next "fast food" die that Stampin' Up! has…
Please feel free to email me if you have any questions or simply want to chat….I am thrilled that so many are enjoying the September Stamp of the Month Kit…I am receiving great feedback and I hope that you will consider the kit for October!
Enjoy the day….thanks for popping in!
by Susan Itell | Sep 27, 2014 | 3-D Projects |
On Wednesday this week I blogged about the Hamburger Big-Z Die….and I shared with you that I would make more festive "critters" for you! This Die is on sale just thru Monday and I think it is a keeper! Click here to see the sale item this week !
As I said on Wednesday, I totally realize that purchasing a die like this is a big investment but I want you to think of how it can work for so many occasions…events! I hope that you enjoy and are inspired by these pictures! (Sorry so many……)
Please refer to my post on Wednesday but this below picture will be the best tip for you. What I do is make one like this and have it at my work area so when I want to use this die I will have my "cheat sheet" available at my fingertips!
Let's start with Halloween as that is around the corner! For this "Big Mac" of ghosts I cut a box of of the Kraft Paper, a must have for you – WHY? – Love the texture/feel of the paper, it is heavier making it perfect for boxes!
I then cut out another from the Motley Monsters Designer Series Paper and it was a cinch to use the "green glue" to adhere over top to make the box sturdier. ( I think that the DSP is too light if you were to fill it with a bunch of candy like I am showing)
Making these little darlings was a cinch….(I just did a little surgery to my owls and cute their feet off….sorry but it was painless) I wanted them to "fly" around and using a small piece of a window sheet did the trick.
I simply cut a sliver of a window sheet and you can see in the below photo how it looks….(natutally cut off the extra from the top)
These little guys stay safe when you close the box! I will admit that those 2 little tabs are not the easiest to find and line up but here is a TIP – BEFORE you glue your box together, take the piercing tool and run it back and forth to make that slit a bit larger, this makes it soooo much easier!
Let's move to Thanksgiving! This little Owl Punch sure gets around!
When I came downstairs and asked John if he knew what this was….he was taking a sip of coffee and burst out laughing….he knows I get so excited when I create things and he said….well – I think it is an owl that thinks he is a turkey!!!
My inspiration came from a search…(don't we just love the resources out there)…click here and you will see the dear little owl coming to life! You can see that I made some modifications to the great job that Kay did (she is amazing) and when you look closely at it, you will see. (Also, look below and you will see products used) or simply email me and I will be happy to help!
Moving forward to Christmas….here is a trio of trees!
Both the Thanksgiving and Christmas were cut out from the Under the Tree Designer Series Paper. This paper is PERFECT for making these gems and also for boxes as it is MUCH heavier that our normal DSP making it a great option!
I did a similar method as I did for the ghosts to stand up the trees…I just too a piece of the cardstock and adhered it and then bent to to make it sturdier so they would stand up!
This little box is full of M&M's…and it will be going to Tom for his Sunday M&M's fix (he is set up to Halloween) After I took the pictures I notice that I had an avalanche of green ones that tipped a tree!
I hope I brought a smile to your face this Saturday morning! I think that these are just adorable and they are so fun to make!
TIP – When you want to make a bunch of something….like the turkeys…pull out your scraps and punch away MULTIPLES and then put the pieces in baggies etc…so when you have the time you can just sit down and make a BUNCH OF TURKEYS!!!
Here is an incentive for YOU! If you purchase this Hamburger Box Die you will be doing the Happy Dance for (2) reasons….simply click here to my online store! Remember that this is only on sale thru Monday!
- You will be getting is at a 25% off discount and that is great!
- I will send you all of the "critters" that I made for these boxes so you can have them in your little paws to copy them yourself! (I just love having a sample already completed to follow)
I will send you the "Nurse Owl" as well as the above 3 that I am showing you today! I am always amazed at how many things you can make out of this owl punch…a true keeper and if he is not on your shelf – he needs to be!
Thanks for popping in today – tomorrow's card will be showing you the variety of sizes that you can cut your
"trees"….to make a super cute Holiday Card!
I hope you will be back! Have a great day and until tomorrow!
by Susan Itell | Sep 26, 2014 | Super Easy, Things you just have to buy! |
How many times have you gone through the catalog???
If you are like me, I would say a ca-zillion! Sometimes I am waiting to hear John say…"Don't you know you know that catalog back and forth by now?" Well, I have a confession…I thought that these Kraft Grid Journals were…well I am being nice…not one of my favorites!
TIP ALERT – I am just adding this to the post as I have received many emails about the embossing. YES – you can emboss it with any of or embossing folders but you have to do each side at a time. When you "crank it through", you will feel where you have to stop because of the thickness…I have the tab open just like I would normally emboss! Please try it and let me know if you need help!
On my last order I purchased some as I thought I could do something fun for Breast Cancer. As we know October is a big month for Breast Cancer and I thought perhaps I could come up with something for an event I am helping with! (Jeanie and Sister Corda have made 150 teapots)…amazing – right!?!? ( I told you she is talented)
Well…what do you think? I am having so much fun making these…the ideas are endless as to what you could decorate the front! Look at your products that you have and I am sure that you will make a wonderful creation!
First, you need these gems…..so how about clicking here and get started! They come (2) in a package for $4.95 so you can see what a sweet and thought gift to give to someone!
Everyone can use paper to write notes on….thoughts….inspirations….and the holiday one – I thought that would be PERFECT to write down your holiday purchases you have made and need!
As I have posted before…I am not a "feather fan" but this is the 2nd post I have used them and my mind has changed! They truly are great "fillers" and I like the fact that you can use the bone folder to give them a slight curve for movement.
The feathers are from the Four Feathers Stamp Set (oops, I forgot to put it in the list at the end of the post)
The other star of this journal is the Chalk Talk and the matching framelit BUT the real woot-woot to these journals are the fact that you can take an embossing folder and run it through the big shot! On this one I used my "old faithful" Large Polka Dots.
Let's move onto this next little gem…I was sooooo happy with this one! There was no one at the house except the dogs and dear Daisey-Mae…and they did not seem to feel the excitment I was!
I just think that this is not only adorable, but it is so darn tootin' practical. This will slip right into your pocketbook…the glove box in your card….it is just so useful and I feel bad that I never paid attention to it before!
Do you see different sizes of trees? Please pop back on Sunday and I will have 2 different cards for you that will make you want that stamp set and punch even more! I used the Tiny Triangles Embossing Folder for this gem!
You can see that I used many products to jazz these journals up but that is the beauty of them…use what you have…think out of the box…or email me and I will be happy to give you some ideas with a stamp set you would like to work with!
It is always great to have little gifts like these "ready to go" when you need something quick. This wuld also be great to jot a recipe down and give it with the goodie you made!
Many thanks for your time this morning! I hope you enjoy a great cup of coffee with me and I hope that you are inspired! I know that you have a ton of choices with so many amazing Stampin' Up! Demonstrators, but please know if you are not currently working with someone, I would be honored to help you!
Tomorrow is the fun post that I am going back to the "hamburger box"…it really is a fun product that is not only on sale this week but it is another product that we have that has so many uses!
Enjoy the day…we are "dog sitting" for the weekend the wonderful gal that helps us with our dogs when we go away. It will be great to have 5 dogs again. I still miss Murphy…he was a good boy but I know he is at right where he needs to be….(hopefully he is playing with Lucy!)
Until tomorrow!
by Susan Itell | Sep 25, 2014 | Halloween, Super Easy |
Boo! Halloween will be here before you know it and I thought I would be festive for this week with the Pals Paper Art Challenge! This week is a sketch challenge and it is a fun one! Please pop onto the Pals Paper Art Website to see all of the beauties!
This is about as easy and basic as it gets but it is still cute! Just about any age would enjoy receiving this card and this would be one that you could easily make a large quantity of.
I think maximizing a small image stamp like this cute little pumpkin is great for cards of all sizes! Naturally it would be perfect for an enclosure card with a sweet sentiment underneath but this size also works great in multiples like this card!
The pumpkin is from a stamp set that I think is overlooked in the catalog, it is called Holiday Invitations and I do plan to do future posts on it!
The designer series paper is from the Motley Monsters Collection and this is just a FUN paper pack! There is nothing crisper than a bold stripe and the size is a 3 ¼ ” square and then matted in Tangerine Tango at 3 ½”
Using up scraps….(just love that feeling) The white stamped images are a 1 ¼” square and then the black is 1 ½” . I quick “dash” all the way around did the trick!
Now lets go back memory lane…do you remember in school when you would watch the teacher draw the chalk lines on the board with the 3 pieces of chalk thingy and then you always were in awe with how well your teacher could print? (I used to love to clean the chalk board and go outside to clap the erasers)
This is exactly what this sentiment looks to me…a Elementary School Teachers perfect printing! It is from the Frightful Wreath Stamp Set and besides that “splatter” up top…this is not frightening at all…actually I think it is super practical!
I know that it is hard to tell with the black paper but I POPPED up both the focal part and the sentiment with my stampin’ vitamins – aka….Stampin’ Dimensionals! How fast and easy!
The envelope love for the day was a simple lining the back flap and then a quick stamp on the front – (sure does get the message across)
That’s it….very doable….right? Simple is truly just as it is….simple! Please do not feel guilty when a card does not take you much time…that is a GREAT thing! This would be one of those “keeper” layouts I have talked about…
I am so happy so many of you want to do the card swap! My dear mailman will be wondering why in the heck am I getting so much mail!
Also, many thanks for all of the great comments and feedback from the dear little hamburger box yesterday! Wait to you see the other ones I made…I will blog later this week with them – they are so cute and so much fun to make!
Jeanie was sooooo happy and as I told you before she is a pre-school teacher at a Catholic School and she called it a “Nun Owl” and is going to take it to school tomorrow to show Sister Corda. She still has a terrible cough but would not miss helping with the swap for the world.
Yikes…the holidays are fast approaching and we all know how fast that calendar is rolling…tomorrow I am going to share with you some tips and ideas for making your projects doable!
Please feel free to email me and have a wonderful day…please play with this sketch – it is super fun!
Until tomorrow!
