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Clean, fast ~ elegant!

by | Jan 19, 2017 | Uncategorized | 28 comments

 

This is a card that can be whipped up in NO TIME at all! I had a call from a “peep” that was in need of a wedding card and I thought….hmmmmm wedding…wedding – and I was against the clock and POOF this is what I came up with in a jif!

It is all about having classic tools in your stash to make it “just work” when you are in need of a card! This framelit is one that I do not use a bunch but I do not think we will disagree, it is beautiful! (The stamp set is also a keeper but today I am just using the framlit!)

 

 

 

The BEST tip I can give you is to use Stick It on the back of your card stock. True, you can easily use mono glue and take your time but I think that you will agree that peeling off this release paper makes it SUPER EASY!

For those of you that do not purchase from Amazon, here are 2 other options other than Amazon. Click here and then Click here. I usually just show Amazon because so many of us can always find goodies to make it to the FREE SHIPPING!

 

 

 

 

You can see that this is 1 -2- 3  putting it together and by having the adhesive already on the back of the intrigue die-cut….this goes very, VERY quickly. To me, there is just something classic about Very Vanilla – do you agree????? It just creates a softness, a warmth and sheer classic to the max!

The sentiment is from the new stamp set in the Occasion Catalog, it is part of a bundle and it is special….I have not even started blogging about this but you betcha that I will be. I love the font of the sentiment and that flower – WOW…a fun one to color with the aqua painters and/or the water color pencils!

 

 

 

 

Do you see those 2 flowers on either side of the sentiment? They are from the framelit…. if you look closely that you will see that the flowers are in there…and because there is already adhesive on the back – WHY NOT???? I think took the smallest hole punch that I could find and added a center to my flowers!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Well…thought? I was pleased with the amount of time that I had (little, very little) but it taught me that I need to play with it more! Another thing that I was super surprised about….using the Playful Palette DSP Stack to make the envelope have some love.

To me, this is a very modern paper collection but I think it worked out fine with the card. I am just always happy when we have a paper collection that matches up with Very Vanilla!

Have a great day….and if you have been like me, please keep our country in your thoughts and prayers with the Inauguration tomorrow. We live about an hour away from DC and there are plenty of signs as you drive towards the area about caution of backups and heavy traffic.

Until tomorrow…..you will CRACK UP!!!!

 

 

A Valentine with no stamps…FUN!!!

by | Jan 18, 2017 | Uncategorized, Valentines | 26 comments

 

 

 

Can you say…..SIMPLE!

Can you say….CLASSIC!

Can you say, why didn’t I think of this clean and simple Valentine? You could easily change up the color of the hearts and make it a “love” card anytime of the year! I was pleased with the end result as I was trying to challenge myself to use a product that was in the Annual Catalog that I thought many of you might have!

 

 

 

 

If there is ever a thinlit set that includes sentiment words, you better betcha that it will be in the Brown Truck making it’s way to Randall Lane. This is a part of a BUNDLE, Sunshine Sayings and remember, there is no guarantee that it will remain a bundle or even for that fact, that it would be carried over to the next catalog.

To me, I love the fun and whimsical yet classic look and feel of the framelits but the sentiments cover just about every thing. This makes it so versatile to make all sorts of cards.

 

 

 

 

I know that you love to have dimensions and yep, I will share them with you but…..really – you do not need me on this one! One thing that I would HIGHLY suggest to use Stick It as it made it a BREEZE to make this card. You will be AMAZED that this comes together in a jif!

 

 

 

 

Here you go….

  • Card base is a good old Vertical Card in Thick White 4 1/4″ X 5 1/2″
  • The white layer is 4″ X 5 1/4″
  • The red stripe is 1/4″ X 5 1/4″
  • The Blushing Bride DSP Stack piece is 1″ X 5 1/4″
  • The hearts and sentiment were cut out using stick it before it was run through the Big Shot. I “trimmed” the “u” from the sentiment of “sunshine”
  • The envelope love was a piece of 1/2″ X 6″ of Red and then 2″ X 6″ for the fun DOTS!

 

 

 

 

There you go….just think of how close you are to that magic threshold of $50.00 to pick a Sale-A-Bration item! I say WOOT-WOOT!

I love a stamp set/bundle that gives you a bunch of mileage…this is one that does just that! You simply cannot go wrong with “good and solid” sentiment words to make your project say WOW…..super fast!

Have a great day…..and until tomorrow!

 

 

Tips for your Tuesday!

by | Jan 17, 2017 | Tips and Tricks!!!, Uncategorized | 27 comments

 

Good Morning and wowza…yesterday’s comments were sooooo much fun!

I just get such a kick out of the fun we have and isn’t it just wonderful that we are all “adults” and still have just FUN together over something as silly as a Hey, Chick Stamp Set!

I am going to have my morning coffee re-reading and commenting on the FABULOUS comments yesterday and we will come up with a “hum-dinger” of a name. I typed the below post earlier as I knew that I needed to have a minor “fix from the doctors” yesterday but what I was not aware of was…I lost the entire day as I needed to rest – all is good and I will be myself today (I sure hope so) I am excited for you to read this post and I hope that the lightbulb goes off! Please chime in with comments!

 

I hope that this post will make you think and share comments….this is how we all learn and grow!

I admit, I love photopolymer stamps. They are by far the stamp preference for me as I love the ability to “see though” where I am stamping. I also admit when Stampin’ Up! came out with their 1st photopolymer stamp I thought that they were the silliest thing out there and that there was NO WAY that people would buy them or actually like them 🙂

Boy, was I wrong. I believe that some of you do not care for them because you are not getting a clean, crisp image when stamping. I truly hope that we can get some good comments going on about the preference of stamps and it what I just mentioned was the way that you feel!

 

If so…THIS POST IS FOR YOU!!!!!

I was in the same boat….let’s call it the frustration boat of stamping. I will make this super simple so you will “get it” and then understand where I am coming from….

 

When you buy a new pair of shoes…

you need to “break them in” before they become comfortable.

 

There is no way that you would take a brand new pair of shoes and walk for hours in them without your feet feeling the pain – I WANT YOU TO THINK ABOUT YOUR STAMPS in the same fashion! You need to “break them in and condition them” and also USE THE PROPER HELPERS to get that prestige, crisp stamp!

I have been on this boat MANY times and there are still times that I am there but when that happens I tell myself to SLOW DOWN and make sure that I have taken the steps to make my stamps work for me in the best possible way!

When I get a new photopolymer stamp…this is what I do!

  • Place it on a block and then take my absorber cleaning cloth and rub it back and forth a BUNCH (I think that this scruffs off any residue from the manufacturing of the stamp). If you do not use the absorber cloths  than use your Stampin’ Mist and Stampin’ Scrub to do the same trick!
  • Next, I ink it up with the versamark pad and then stamp images on scrap paper. I clean and repeat this probably 2 times. You will be able to see how clean and crisp the image it that is why I do it several times until I get the right look.
  • Make sure that you are stamping on a Stampin’ Pierce Mat or I think better yet, I use this gem from Amazon….the Stamper’s Secret Weapon (don’t you love that name) Let me clarify…I do use the Stampin’ Up! Mat when I am on the go but I honestly prefer the Stampers Secret Weapon for my daily stamping because it is bigger…..it is as simple as that!
  • After you have conditioned it with the cleaning and the versamark….take it to an ink pad and give it a test drive. I never take a stamp out of the container and trust that my first stamp will be perfect, just like breaking in shoes…it needs to time and TLC! 🙂

 

I bet it you try this you will be very pleased. It sounds like it is a lot of work but it really isn’t and it really does not take much time at all. Heck, the way that I look at it is that you will spend more time and waste more with being frustrated than do these steps and being prepared.

I will say that I do the same with my clear mount stamps as well. It’s kind of once you get in the habit, it becomes 2nd nature to you.

One ? that I bet you are thinking…..do I have to do this every time I go to use a stamp? The short answer is NO….but I will say that it you find a stamp that is not stamping to your liking, go back and do the steps and also make sure that your inkpads are inked properly!

I personally find that I do not have to re-ink my colors often but I do need to re-ink the black pad often. You are the only one that can gauge how often you use a color etc…

Well NOW you can hit that Amazon button and purchase the great masking paper that I talked about and also the Stampers Secret Weapon – I truly like to share with you things that I have found that work for me but remember, these are just mere suggestions of what seems to work for me.

I know that it would be super beneficial to do a video for you. I will try…..darn I wish that there were more hours in a day! Have a fabulous day and I look forward to seeing you back here tomorrow!

Stampin’ hugs to all….

It is time to be in STITCHES!!!!

by | Jan 16, 2017 | Sale-A-Bration, Uncategorized | 37 comments

 

Woot – Woot….let’s all get up and do that HAPPY STAMPIN’ UP! DANCE as today the Stitched framelits are  back online and available to order! Stampin’ Up! was B L O W N away with the response of these gems….(but dah…..if they asked me they would have seen me doing the dance saying YES – YES – YES……we want them!) 😀 just saying!

They sold out like hot cakes and if I have a hunch, I bet that they are going to sell again super quick! These will be in the next years Annual Catalog so there are not worries about them being on the “plank” but heck – even if they were…..who cares??? They are great, they are keepers and it is as easy as this = YOU NEED THEM!

 

 

 

Because of all of the great comments about the Sale -A -Bration items…I just had to have Phyllis and her friend make an appearance! Now we need to come up with a name for the “new chick” 😛 

I used masking paper to stamp the image. I used to RUN as fast as I could when I heard the phrase, masking as I thought – WELL , THAT LEAVES ME OUT.….this sounds over my head but it is not…it is easy and just like anything else, if you have the right materials to make it work…you are golden!

 

 

 

I love using Inkadinkado Masking Paper and it is on sale right now as an “add on” with Amazon…so go ahead and put it in your cart but WAIT TO CHECK OUT until tomorrow as I have a Tuesday Tip that I think you are going to love and yep, it is from Amazon!

This masking paper will last you forever. I am still on my 1st pack so just order one. True, you could easily use post it note to mask off but I like this as you can get several stamps from this masking paper. I simply keep the images on the inside of my stamp set so they are ready for the next time!

Here is a quick run down….

  • Picture #1 – Stamp the image on the WHITE side of the paper
  • Picture #2 – “Fussy Cut” out the images….YIKES – where are the legs on Phyllis…they are too hard to cut….you can easily stamp them!
  • Pictures #3 – I already stamped “no name CHICK on the right” and then put the mask over top and then stamped Phyllis 🙂

 

 

 

You can see how I stamped and then added our girl! Today I used the aqua painter to paint the girls and then I ADORE the grass……it is from the sheltering tree but it you do not have that stamp set….simply wisp away with the brush ends of you markers and you are good to go!

This is MY KINDA layout. I love working with shapes and I think that you simply cannot go wrong with a good old simple squares! Using the stitched squares as my base focal point worked…ALWAYS does…this is why I love working with shapes!

 

 

 

Now I ask you….it is cute…right????? I know that this has been a HUGE hit for a FREEBIE….so much that the Wood Mount are on backorder (and I really do not know  if they will replenish them as they are a SAB item but the clear mount are available….so DON’T WAIT!!!! (the girls would not be happy if they did not come to your home) 😀

 

 

I was super excited that the stitched framelits are “good to go” and I do hope that you will act on them quickly! They are soooo on trend and I do hope that Stampin’ Up! comes out with even MORE stitched items….I LOVE THEM!

That’s it – it was a busy crazy weekend but here is to a NEW week! I have some fun things up my sleeve….tomorrow is TIPS for your TUESDAY!!!! See you back here  – front and center!

p.s. – did you notice poor Phyllis, I think we need to be a good friend to her and let her know that she needs to get her hair done….her “roots” are looking pretty bad 🙂