Stampin' with Kristin

Romantic Heart Banner

Several years ago I made a Valentine's Day banner which has turned out to be one of my all-time favorite projects.  I loved it so much that it was one of the very few finished products that made the move to Utah.  Most of the products used to make the banner retired years ago.  But, it didn't stop me from hanging it in my office cubicle every February.  I can't take a ton of credit for it.  Another demonstrator designed it and I merely copied it exactly as she'd made it.  I honestly don't remember who that demonstrator was, but I'd love to give her credit!

This year I decided it was time to make another.  I'm sure it's easy to tell the elements I carried over.  But, this one seems so much more romantic.  It doesn't scream Valentine's Day like the original.  This one could be used at a bridal shower or in a baby's room.  The colors are so soft.  I'm totally in love with the way this one turned out, too.  Soon I'll have a Valentine's Day banner hanging in every single room of my house!  But, truthfully, I'm just overly excited to finally have a house with a fireplace that I keep making fireplace decorations! 

 Here's a closer look at the pennant (they're all the same).

To make the pennants, I cut a piece of Crumb Cake Cardstock to 3-1/2" x 4-1/2".  I found and marked the center of the short side at 1-3/4".  Using my Stampin' Trimmer, I cut the cardstock into a triangle by cutting from the top corners down to the center mark I'd just made. 

Next, I embossed each pennant using the Happy Heart Textured Impressions Embossing Folder.  I love that the shape of the heart on the folder coordinates perfectly with the die-cut heart.  Speaking of which, I cut the hearts using the heart die in the Mini Treat Bag Thinlits set of dies.  There's also a similarly shaped heart punch that I forgot about until after I'd finished designing the banner.

I took a tea lace doily and cut it in half.  I folded over 1/2 a doily over the top of each pennant.  I punched a small hole in the top corners of the pennants using my 1/8" Circle Punch and strung Whisper White Baker's Twine through the punched holes.

Finally, I embellished the centers of each heart with the medium size Vintage Faceted Buttons.  Note:  A package of Vintage Faceted Buttons contains 8 of each size.  Therefore, I needed 2 packs of the buttons to make the 13 pennants in my banner.

Stampin' Supplies:  All of the supplies used to create today's project are shown below.  Feel free to click on each image to learn more about each product or purchase them in my online store.   There's also a nifty link on the bottom left that'll allow you to create your own printable list of all of the supplies!

Click Here to Order Stampin' Up! Products Online

Love Blossoms Designer Series Paper Stack - 140548

Price: $8.00

Crumb Cake 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock - 120953

Price: $7.00

Whisper White Baker's Twine - 124262

Price: $3.00

Happy Heart Textured Impressions Embossing Folder - 137364

Price: $7.50

Mini Treat Bag Thinlits Dies - 137547

Price: $40.00

Vintage Faceted Designer Buttons - 127555

Price: $6.00

Tea Lace Paper Doilies - 129399

Price: $3.00

1/8" Circle Punch - 134365

Price: $9.00

Stampin' Trimmer - 126889

Price: $30.00

Supply List

 

Bloomin' Love

Look out folks!  I stamped a card last night!  It's been over a month since I stamped.  I really missed it.  But, at the same time I had a hard time getting motivated to stamp again.  Can you relate?  We all get wrapped up in our day-to-day lives and forget to take time to do what we enjoy.  My day job has kept me insanely busy over the last month.  I really enjoy my day job.  And, I didn't mind working 16-hour days or on New Year's Day and Christmas Eve and Thanksgiving.  However, I was barely keeping my head above water.  I traveled A TON in November and December - not exactly how I wanted to spend the first two months in our brand new home.  All I wanted was to put up a REAL Christmas tree for the first time in three years (and I did).  But, I finally feel like I'm starting to settle back into a routine.  I haven't worked a weekend in a couple of weeks! 

ANYWAY.....that's a bit of why you haven't heard much from me.  After sitting at my desk working the last thing I really wanted to do was continue to sit at that same desk and craft!  Okay...okay....focus.  I stamped a card, and I liked it!

I've been on a Valentine's Day kick - you may have read about that yesterday.  And, I have wanted to play with the Love Blossoms Embellishment kit ever since I saw it in Baltimore in early November.  Yes - over two months!  So naturally, that's one of the first things I grabbed.  Where to begin in designing a card?  Well, my favorite go-to layout.  My most pinned card last fall on Pinterest used this layout.  It was a Christmas card that's been pinned thousands of times.  I don't know if that's a lot, but it pretty proud of that!  So, I figured I couldn't go wrong with using that layout.

What do you think?  I could sit and pick apart this card for the next hour.  There are several things I'm not happy about.  But, instead I'm going to sit back, appreciate it, and look forward to stamping again tomorrow!

Stampin' Supplies:  All of the supplies used to create today's project are shown below.  Feel free to click on each image to learn more about each product or purchase them in my online store.   There's also a nifty link on the bottom left that'll allow you to create your own printable list of all of the supplies!

Bloomin' Love Photopolymer Stamp Set - 140643

Price: $17.00

Love Blossoms Designer Series Paper Stack - 140548

Price: $8.00

Love Blossoms Embellishment Kit - 140551

Price: $12.00

Gold Wink Of Stella Glitter Brush - 141898

Price: $8.00

Gold Metallic Thread - 138401

Price: $3.00

Gold Foil Sheets - 132622

Price: $4.00

Happy Heart Textured Impressions Embossing Folder - 137364

Price: $7.50

Scalloped Tag Topper Punch - 133324

Price: $23.00

Blushing Bride Classic Stampin' Pad - 131172

Price: $6.50

Rose Red Classic Stampin' Pad - 126954

Price: $6.50

Whisper White 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock - 100730

Price: $8.50

Crumb Cake 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock - 120953

Price: $7.00

Whisper White 8-1/2" X 11" Thick Cardstock - 140272

Price: $7.00

Supply List

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Click Here to Order Stampin' Up! Products Online

Love Blossoms Banner

Okay, okay....I know I've been absent for awhile.  I have a brand new house to decorate!   But I've been neglecting my stamping.  My "to stamp" list is miles long.  The people at the Post Office don't even recognize me yet and I've lived here for 3 months!  Well, I'm determined to get back on track and get some classes scheduled - online AND in person!  Yes, that's right!  I'll be starting up some local, Utah classes.  But, I'll also be in New Jersey throughout the year holding events there, too.

I have a very simple project to share with you.  A little background, first.  I went to a Pinners Conference back in November.  I don't remember if I posted about it or not (it doesn't look like it).  You'd love the Pinners Conference!  It's just a fun conference with speakers that present on things you might see on Pinterest - crafts, baking, finances, organization, and more.  I went to check out the crafty stuff.  And, Becky Higgins (you know, Project Life) was speaking.  I wanted to hear her and get some Project Life tips to incorporate into my Project Life by Stampin' Up! projects.  Different vendors had all sorts of fun things, too. 

I stumbled upon a local company that sells wood in all shapes in sizes for you to paint, cover with paper, and embellish.  Well, that was right up my alley!  I made a cute sign at the event but also raced over to their store to see what else they had.  Many of their projects had you covering wood with patterned scrapbook paper.  Hmmm...Stampin' Up! has patterend scrabook paper, right?  It's taken me awhile, but I finally incorporated my two passions into today's project.  They sell a variety of wooden pieces to make banners.  In fact, I made an adorable 16 "panel" mini Valentine banner over the weekend.  But, I also picked up these larger wooden "panels" to use with Stampin' Up! products.  The wooden pieces measure 3"x4" and are 1/4" thick.  The holes are pre-drilled. 

I first sanded and painted each piece.  For the projects in the store, they tell you exactly which paint to buy (kinda like Stampin' Up! where everything coordinates).  I used a pale pink and white paint on this banner.  I then chose three patterns from the Love Blossoms Designer Series Paper Stack and cut them to fit the panels.  I adhered the paper to the panels using a wood glue they suggest.  But, I think our Tombo Multipurpose Liquid Adhesive would work just fine, too.  I then sanded the edges of the paper (after it was adhered to the wood) to smooth out the edges that were hanging over the sides.

For the fourth panel, I painted the whole thing white.  I also picked up a pre-cut wooden heart that I knew I was going to cover in the Blushing Bride Glimmer Paper.  First I painted the edges of the wooden heart in pale pink ink.  Then I simply traced the heart on the back of the glimmer paper and hand-cut the heart.  I adhered it with the wood glue as well and sanded.  Did you spot it?  I'll give ya a hint....it's on the panel on the right.  If you look closely, you'll notice one heart is larger than the rest.

Finally, I added one teeny tiny little heart from the Love Blossoms Embellishment Kit that I also painted white.  Then I strung the whole thing together with White Baker's Twine.  What do you think?  I haven't figured out where I'm going to hang it.  Between my two wooden Valentine's Day banners and this month's Paper Pumpkin, I'm feeling the love!

If you're thinking something like this would make a fun class, don't worry - so do I!  Stay tuned!

Stampin' Supplies:  All of the Stampin' Up! supplies used to create today's project are shown below.  Feel free to click on each image to learn more about each product or purchase them in my online store.   There's also a nifty link on the bottom left that'll allow you to create your own printable list of all of the supplies!

Click Here to Order Stampin' Up! Products Online

Love Blossoms Designer Series Paper Stack - 140548

Price: $8.00

Love Blossoms Embellishment Kit - 140551

Price: $12.00

Blushing Bride Glimmer Paper - 140550

Price: $5.00

Whisper White Baker's Twine - 124262

Price: $3.00

Supply List

Built for Free Using: My Stampin Blog

 

Love, Love, Love the Little Letters Thinlits!

Have you ever seen a project that you instantly fell in love with and knew you had to recreate?  Today's project is one of them - at least it was for me.

This little home decor piece was inspired by a photo of some projects created by Rachael Van Rij - I think.  I spotted a photo on Stampin' Up! South Pacific's Facebook page of a display board from the South Pacific convention last month.  It appears that the display board featured "Typogrophy" projects that Rachael may have demonstrated at the event.  She had an assortment of three of these with words like "Faith", "Hope", and "Love" with a variety of Designer Series Papers in the background.  They just looked like they came right out of the Pottery Barn catalog or something!  I instantly knew I had to make one!

My frame is a 5"x7" frame from Target.  It's a very simple, inexpensive frame.  I used Strawberry Slush Designer Series Paper from the 2014-2016 In Color Designer Series Paper Stack.  My piece of Whisper White measures 3"x5". 

Thank goodness for the Magnetic Platform!  It certainly came in handy when trying to perfectly line up the Little Letters Thinlits!  I adhered a couple of scraps of Whisper White cardstock behind the top and bottom "love"s.  I popped up the 3"x5" piece using a whole lot of Dimensionals - I wanted it to stay popped when I put it behind glass.

What will yours say?  I'm already thinking of fall phrases in fall colors.  "Merry Christmas" in red and green.  Maybe "Home Sweet Home".  The options are endless!

A Romantic Valentine

On Friday I had another one of my favorite, annual Stampin' Up! workshops at Suzie's house.  And, as usual, I asked for any requests.  Turns out Suzie had some very specific requests!  The first project she wanted to make was a Valentine's Day card using the Happy Watercolor stamp set.  Well...to be honest, I never thought "Valentine's Day" when I saw that stamp set.  But, I was up for the challenge. 

As usual, I turned to Pinterest to look for inspiration.  I still had the card I posted on Friday in my head.  I just loved the color combo and thought it looked very "vintage romantic".  That would work for a Valentine's Day card, right?  Then I stumbled upon this card by Natasha Zandbergen.  But, I changed it up a bit to look a bit more romantic and Valentine-y...is that a word?  I loved her color combo, too, but it did NOT scream Valentine's Day!

I taught the group an interesting new splatter technique that Shelli demonstrated on stage at Leadership.  You take a marker, color on the Glue Dot paper (after glue dots have been removed), add a teeny tiny bit of water and the flick the paper.  I'm pretty sure I was the only one who tried the techinque.  The hostess quickly ran to her craft room to grab Gorgeous Grunge!  The sentiment on my card is from the Follow My Heart stamp set that is available while supplies last or until February 14th.

A Stamp Club Valentine

Tonight's my first class/workshop/club of the year.  I'm so excited to get back to stamping with all of my fabulous customers!  I've been in my craft room whipping up all sorts of projects since my Open House.  I've made dozens and dozens of cards.  I've even sent out a big ol' stack. 

This card is one of three cards my stamp club will be making tonight.  The hostess didn't give me any requests which meant I was free to do whatever I want.  And, I think these projects get better and better as I created!  I'll be sharing all three over the next few days.

I had pretty much run out of stamping mojo when I sat down to design these cards so I turned to my favorite inspiration website - Pinterest!  I stumbled upon this card created by Amy O'Neill.  I absolutely love her style so I wasn't shocked when one of her cards jumped out at me.  I changed a few things around. 

The colors are Coastal Cabana and Real Red.  I used the Language of Love and Love You to the Moon Stamp Sets.  The DSP is from the Fresh Prints DSP Stack - love that thing!!!

Monster Hugs!

Are you looking for simple Valentine's for you or your child?  Well, here's the answer!  It doesn't get much cuter than these Monster Hugs Valentines.  The only thing you need to add is candy!  Seriously.  The kits come with everything - including an adhesive strip to secure the candy and heart stickers!

Oh...and did I mention you get 18 for only $5.95!?!?!  YES!!!  You can choose "boy" or "girl" monsters.  Or, at that price, pick up both like I did!  These are going to be some of the favors at my Open House next Saturday.  But don't wait too long.  These are only available through January 27th!

Have you checked out the selection of special Valentine's Day products that are part of the "A Whole Lot of Love" collection?  Click here to view everything!

I Know It's Not Perfect...

I know it's not perfect...but I did it!  I know you've probably seen TONS of cards that include some stitching.  But, not on here - made by me.  I've never done it.  I've been too scared.  But, Shelli shared quite a few cards where added a little stitching, I just had to try it.  AND...YOU ALL WERE RIGHT!  It's SO easy!  Some of my card club girls are probably cheering for me.  Debbie has been asking me for YEARS to sew on a card.  Look out Deb!!!

So the lines aren't straight and the stitches aren't even and one of the hearts is glued on top of the stitches because it fell off...I'm so stinkin' proud of my first attempt!  Okay, okay....is anyone shocked that I wouldn't start easy?  I'm guessing you're not!  Starting easy isn't my style.  I dive in head first into the deep end.  I wouldn't start with a few stitches, I had to try something that required me to turn the card front SIX times and go through the center of TWENTY little tiny hearts!

It may have helped if I'd replaced the batteries in my sewing machine.  Yes, that's right.  I used a rinky dinky little sewing machine that might have cost $10 that I picked up before becoming a demonstrator.  I'll be honest...I was pretty shocked when the batteries weren't all acidy. 

So....here you have it....my very first machine-stitched card!  The supplies are few - I used the Fresh Prints Designer Series Paper Stack and Small Heart Punch.  Shelli sewed her little hearts directly onto Whisper White Card Stock.  I decided to swap it out with Crumb Cake so you could see all of my little, incredibly imperfect stitches!  I encourage you to pull out your sewing machine and give it a try....that is if you didn't do that YEARS ago!

Valentine's Day Ideas

I'm going back to work today.  I've been on a "staycation" for the past 16 days.  It's been nice.  And, I'm not surprised that I didn't get nearly as much done as I thought I would!  I'm sure you can all relate to that.  I'm actually ready to go back.  I'll miss Baxter.  I'll miss sweat pants.  But, I'm looking forward to being a little more challenged and interacting with humans.  Granted, it's only for 3 days!  I'm headed to Houston, Texas for the 2014 Stampin' Up! Leadership Conference on Wednesday night.  Of course I'll be posting here about the conference like I ususally do. 

I spent much of this past weekend working on my swap cards.  They'll be appearing hear Thursday, Friday, and Saturday mornings at 9am. 

ANYWAY...the subject of this post is "Valentine's Day Ideas".  I posted about some new, special release Valentine's Day products back in December.  But, I'm guessing you weren't really ready for Valentine's Day.  These special products are seriously cute!  You can click here to see all of the details.

The card pictured at the top of this post isn't very original, but it took me SECONDS to make!  I simply stamped the image/sentiment on the adorable Sweet Sayings Cards and was done!  It took me longer to take the photo!

I also made a couple of other cute cards using the Sweet Sayings Cards and the two newest Photopolymer Stamp Sets - Countless Sayings 1 and Countless Sayings 2.  I was giggling as I came up with some sayings/phrases that could be made with these sets:  "How to Make Love" or "This Stinks"!  Granted, you can also stamp "Happy Birthday", "Love You Forever", "I Love You", "You & Me"....

I was thinking of stamping up a bunch of these and hiding them around the house for Mike to find while I'm away this weekend.  It'll be the first Stampin' Up! event in a couple of years that he's missed!

A Whole Lot of Love in December!

Valentine's Day is a great holiday! It's a chance for us all to say "I love you." And it doesn't just have to be about romantic love. This holiday is a time to share the love with anyone and everyone. Along with Stampin' Up!, I'm here to help you prepare with the A Whole Lot of Love products.

Click on the item numbers in the chart below to order these cute products now!

Dates: Available December 1-January 27 or while supplies last.

The fine print: These are exclusive products that will not be available after the promotion. No limits on this promotion.

Item	Description	Price
131850	Love You More Stamp Set (Wood)	$21.95
131853	Love You More Stamp Set (Clear)	$16.95
134611	Follow My Heart Stamp Set (Wood)	$15.95
134614	Follow My Heart Stamp Set (Clear)	$11.95
134617	Flowerfull Heart Stamp (Wood)	$9.95

 

Item	Description	Price	Includes
134610	Sweetheart Treat Bags	$4.95	12 heart sacks, 12 die-cut labels, 12 pre-cut pieces of  Pool Party Baker's Twine
132162	Monster Hugs Boy	$5.95	18 boy monsters, 18 googly eyes, 18 adhesive hearts
132163	Monster Hugs Girl	$5.95	18 girl monsters, 18 googly eyes, 18 adhesive hearts
134609	Sweet Sayings Cards and Envelopes	$5.95	12 printed card bases, 12 envelopes (four Real Red, four Pool Party, four Crisp Cantaloupe)

More Amore Valentine's Day Card

Today's card was inspired by a card I spotted at the Leadership conference.  In instantly fell in love.  I changed mine a bit to make it more workshop friendly.  Here's a quick description about how I made it...

The background layer is Pool Party Core'dinations Card Stock.  I ran it through my Big Shot with the new Honeycomb Embossing Folder.  I then gently sanded the embossed edges with the Stampin' Sanding Block to expose the white core.

Do you know where the Primrose Petals heart is from?  In each pack of More Amore Specialty DSP, you get a laser cut sheet of these hearts in Primrose Petals and a sheet in Real Red.  Each sheet contains 16 hearts. 

I adhered a sneak peek button in Pool Party that you can get for free during Sale-a-Bration!  I adhered some flags behind the heart made from the More Amore Specialty DSP and Basic Gray Card Stock. 

I stamped a sentiment in Primrose Petals using the new That's the Ticket Stamp Set.  The final embellishment is a flower from the 5/8" Flower Trim.  They come in Very Vanilla, but are so easy to dye!  I simply cut one flower from the strip, laid it face down on top of my Primrose Petals Ink Pad, and smooshed it into the pad a bit using a sponge dauber.  The color doesn't hit all of the parts - and that's okay.  As Shelli taught us at Leadership, you can simply spitz the flower with some water and the color will bleed and cover those remaining vanilla areas!

My Heart's a Fluttering

I'm absolutely in love with the Hearts a Flutter bundle available in Wood or Clear mount.  I think it's super flexible.  I used elements from this bundle on all three cards one of my stamp club made this week - and they weren't all Valentines.  I'll be posting them over the next few days. 

I'm in love with today's card.  It got rave reviews from Mike when I showed it to him.  And, I posted a corner of the card on Facebook and quite a few of you posted that you liked it.  Here's what I did...

The "flag" on the left was cut out of Pool Party Core'dinations Card Stock using the scalloped framelit from the bundle.  I embellished the banner using some of the Designer Builder Brads.  The middle "flat" (the heart) was stamped in Real Red Classic Ink and cut out of the scalloped heart framelit in the bundle.  I layered a heart cut from the More Amore Specialty DSP.  The "flag" on the right was cut from using the bundle as well.  I embellished it with a Silver Designer Button and some Pool Party Ribbon.  To make the banner, I punched a 1/16" hole in the corner of each and strung them with White Baker's Twine.

Did you know that Whisper White Craft Ink is still around?  I have to admit, I thought all Craft Ink retired back in May but I was wrong!  I lightly sponged Whisper White Craft Ink over the Basic Gray Card Stock in the background.

The sentiment is stamped from the Seasonal Sayings Stamp Set which has been carried over from the Holiday Catalog.  I stamped it in Versamark ink and heat embossed it with some new Pool Party embossing powder.

TWO New Valentine Bundles!

From January 3 through January 21, Stampin’ Up!’s got two super special valentine offers sure to set your heart aflutter!

1. Get the Sealed with Love Simply Sent Kit FREE—a $7.95 value—when you buy the brand-new My Little Valentine Stamp Set! This four-piece stamp set, created exclusively for this promotion, contains the perfect sentiments to express your feelings for your children, spouse, girlfriends, or mail carrier!

Item	Description	Price
132242	My Little Valentine (English; clear-mount)	$9.95
132245	Enamorados (Spanish; clear-mount)	$9.95
132248	Mon petit amour (French; clear-mount)	$9.95

2. Purchase the Valentine Treat Bundle—complete with the brand-new Happy Valentine Heart Single Stamp and the cutest little treat bags ideal for all of your precious valentines. Even better, the brand-new Happy Valentine Heart stamp coordinates perfectly with the Full Heart Punch for fast and easy creating.* 

Bundle Item	Description	Retail Value	Special Bundle Price
132771	Valentine Treat Bundle Includes the Happy Valentine Heart Single Stamp (clear-mount) and 1" x 8" cellophane bags	$7.45	$5.95 US

*Full Heart Punch not included in bundle

Both of these offers—and the exclusive stamps—are only available through January 21, so be sure to order yours today!

Holiday Catalog Tour - Sealed With Love

I know - I kinda skipped right into the Valentine's Day section of the Holiday Catalog with today's post.  But, I've been anxious to share this affordable card kit with you - and it doesn't scream Valentine's Day to me.  I think it can be used any time for lots of occasions.  All supplies are included in this kit so that it's perfect for anyone - even someone who doesn't own a single cardmaking or scrapbooking product!  It would make a fabulous gift with the holidays coming up.  It's also perfect if you need to write a quick note, want to make it special, but don't have time to create a card.  The best part?  The kit is only $7.95 and includes enough supplies for 10 notecards and envelopes!  (That's less than $1 each!)  You'll find this card kit on page 35 of the Holiday Catalog - item 126923.

A Romantic Valentine?

I am back from Hawaii!  Did you even know I was gone?  I hope not - I scheduled blog posts to show up daily so you wouldn't miss me.  I got home last night and am back to work already!  I have a workshop tonight - and in true "Kristin Style", hadn't planned a thing before I left! 

My hostess had some very specific requests for the projects she wanted to work on.  She wanted a Romantic Valentine.  What on earth does that mean?!?!!?!?!?  Seriously.  Does "romantic" mean the same thing to everyone?  Right now, to me, that means something frilly and feminine. Hopefully Suzie likes this one!

Because I was running short on time, I turned to CASEing my friends' cards!!!  I remembered seeing a card awhile back on a Tiffany Bauer's blog.  You can click on the link to see her original card.  Well, since vintagey (is that a word?) is more Vanilla than White (at least in my opinion), I had to change up the colors. 

What do you think?  Did I accomplish a Romantic Valentine Card? 

Here are the supplies I used to make this card:

• Very Vanilla Card Stock (8-1/2" x 5-1/2")
• Blushing Bride Card Stock (4" x 5-1/4")
• Rose Red Card Stock (4" x 7/8" & 2-1/2" x 2-1/2")
• Springtime Vintage DSP (4" x 3/4")
• Victoria Lace Ribbon
• Heart of Hearts Embosslit (I totally forgot we sell this thing until I saw it on Tiffany's card)
• Framed Tulips Embossing Folder
• Big Shot
• Small Vanilla Rosette
• Three Little Words Stamp Set (you can get it for FREE during SAB)
• Rose Red Classic Ink

A Valentine - No Stamps Required!

I was digging through some piles of stamping stuff that I had tossed on my classroom table when I ran across a pack of Love Impressions Rub-Ons!  The best part?  They were FREE from Stampin' Up!  That's right - they just threw them in the box as a bonus to all demonstrators!  How cool is that?  I love those little surprises.

So, since it's almost Valentine's Day and I haven't showed them to you yet, I thought it was time that I did!!!  I made this card using the Love Impressions Rub-Ons - and no stamps!

Here are all of the supplies I used:

• Love Impressions Rub-Ons (121886 - $7.95)
• Love Impressions DSP (121780 - $11.95)
• Pink Pirouette Card Stock
• Basic Gray Card Stock
• Real Red Card Stock
• Big Shot
• 3/16" Corner Rounder
• Scallop Rectangle Clearlit

Vintage Valentine

What's your definition of vintage?  I copied this card straight out of the Occasions Mini catalog because the heart image reminded me of an old-fashioned valentine.  And, just like any card in a Stampin' Up! catalog, it was a bit labor-intensive, but not too bad.

We made this card at Heather's Vintage Valentine workshop a couple of weeks ago.  I love it.

Did you know that ALL of the supplies used to make every single project in the Stampin' Up! catalogs (including the minis and Sale-a-Bration) are listed online?  YES!  It's a great resource. 

You can find the supply lists online on the Stampin' Up! website at the following navitagion:  Our Products > 2010-2011 Catalogs.  You'll see all of our current catalogs listed.  You can even download a PDF of each catalog to save for ideas!  And, below each catalog is a link to the supplies - also a PDF that you can save to your computer for future reference.  I've been saving ALL of these for years!

• Be My Valentine Set
• Crumb Cake Card Stock
• Very Vanilla Card Stock
• Cherry Cobbler Card Stock
• Subtles Patterns Designer Series Paper
• Cherry Cobbler Classic Stampin' Pad
• Chocolate Chip Classic Stampin’ Pad
• Pearl Basic Jewels
• Big Shot
• Clear Circle Die
• Scallop Circle Die
• Kit #4 Texturz Texture Plates

Downline Swaps

My group of demonstrators gather every month to stamp, chat, visit, and have fun!  We talk about the accomplishments during the past month.  We talk about upcoming promotions.  We share ideas - both business and stamping.  But, one of the highlights is swapping cards!  I surprised my downline this month by starting a Swap Contest.  They didn't really know about it (not sure if that's really fair or not).  But, everyone who swapped had their card entered - I'm thinking that I'll make that optional next month!  Everyone voted for their favorite.  This month's card was definitely a favorite (although the others were fantastic as well (and one was really tasty)!  This winning card was designed by Dawn Kifer! 

I met Dawn at work a few years ago.  She came to a couple of classes.  She hosted a workshop.  And, during last year's Sale-a-Bration, she signed up to be a demonstrator!  Happy Anniversary, Dawn!  I've enjoyed watching fall in love with stamping over the past few years.  And, I love seeing her get excited about sharing her love of stamping with her friends and customers! 

The prize for winning was a pack of Red Glimmer Paper out of the Occasions Mini Catalog.  I LOVE this paper.  Why?  Because the glitter does not come off!  There is no mess!  I can be a glitter girl without looking like I'm covered in stripper dust.  Yes, I just said that.  And, I've decided that each month, I'll share the winning swap with YOU!

Thank You Cards

One of my New Years Resolutions is to send thank you cards....and LOTS more of them.  We're not even halfway through January, and I already had a list of 20 people that needed to be thanked!  Who am I thanking?  Anyone who placed an order or attended a class!  I thought I remembered seeing a card similar to this somewhere.  So, I turned to Stampin' Connection to see if I could find it.  I found one by Emily LaBonte that I liked.  I tweaked it a bit and continued to use the Basic Gray and Real Red combo with some of the Love Impressions DSP.

So, what else did I use on this card?  Well, here's a full list:

• Valentine Defined Stamp Set (121941-C or 123057-W)
• So Happy For You (SAB 2011)
• Owl Punch (118074)
• Real Red Classic Ink
• Basic Gray Classic Ink
• Real Red Card Stock
• Whisper White Card Stock
• Basic Gray Card Stock
• Love Impressions DSP (121780)

Don't forget, you can order any of the supplies to make this project online 24/7!

Valentine Banner

I didn't leave the house this past weekend....and I loved it!  The snow kept me inside, but I also was getting caught up on some much needed stamping!  I'll be showing you more projects over the next few days. 

This banner was inspired by the banner that I made here with my Die Cut Divas.  Everyone seemed to love it.  Well, one of my divas was over for my January class last week and mentioned she was making love banners.  Thanks for the idea, Suzie!  What a great idea!  I'm not sure what hers looks like, but I decided to make my own!

I used the color choices from the Occasions Mini Catalog in the Love Impressions Specialty DSP"  Pink Pirouette, Real Red, and Basic Gray.  LOVE this combo!

So, how did I make it?  I cut squares of chipboard and Red Glimmer Paper (121790) in 3.5x3.5, adhered them together with the Sizzix Multipurpose Adhesive Sheets (120805), then ran them through my Big Shot with my Scallop Squares Duo Bigz Die (120903) which is still available from the Holiday Mini Catalog.

I cut layering background pieces out of Whisper White card stock and the Pink Pirouette DSP from the combo.  What's that?  You're wondering where that is?  Well, the swatch in the catalog doesn't show it, but the "All You Need in Love" swatch has about 8 inches of fabulous heavy-weight pink pirouette over the sentiment.  Also look for those little hearts on a project sometime soon as well.  So, if you're not a scrapbooker, you can still use this paper!

I cut the letters with my Big Shot as well with my most favorite alphabet, Simple Letters (115960).  I should have used my multipurpose adhesive as well for the letters, but I was lazy and used glue dots.  I must have used a few thousand glue dots this weekend!  I then embellished with a punched glittery heart and some basic pearls. 

I assembled the final project with some Pretty-in-Pink 1-1/2" striped grosgrain ribbon and my hot glue gun.

January Die Cut Divas

I wanted to share a project my Die Cut Divas made this month.  It uses one of the new dies in the Occasions Mini Catalog - Fun Flowers.  It's a Bigz die so it will cut paper, fabric, tin, chipboard, and over 60 other materials!  We used paper to decorate a box.  The box was inspired by a gift I received from my friend and demonstrator, Kristin Allcorn.  She used a box that was on the Clearance Rack awhile ago.  I just loved it so much, I thought my girls would like to make one, too!

We cut two of each of the flowers in the die and used the three largest.  The flowers were cut from Pink Pirouette Card Stock.  We sponged some Rose Red Classic Ink on the edges of the petals.  Then we spritzed the petals and crumpled them to make them more "fluffy".

I think there are all sorts of possibilities for this flower! 

Here's a photo of the box my friend, Kristin, made.

Letterpress!

I know I shared my first letterpress card with you earlier this month.  Here's another card I made for the Open House.  I inked up just one "love" with a sponge dauber and some Real Red Craft Ink.  In the closeup you can see I hit a couple of other letters without realizing it.  BUT, I love how this looks.  I didn't want to embellish it at all so you could fully enjoy the letterpress effect!

 

With All My Heart Class Reminder

I just wanted to give you a quick reminder that today is the last day to sign up for this class!  The class is just about half-full so there's still plenty of room for you!

Here are the details:

This class will feature the "With All My Heart" stamp set seen on pages 12 and 13 of the 2010 Occasions Mini Catalog.  Each participant will receive the With All My Heart stamp set in their choice of Clear Mount (a $13.95 value) or traditional Wood Mount format (a $17.95 value). 

During the class we will make five projects showcasing fun ways to use this cute stamp set!  Two of the projects you will make are pictured over there on the right.

Date:  Thursday, February 11th - 7pm

Location:  Kristin's Classroom in Elmer, NJ

Materials Fee: 
- Clear Mount Option $30:  Includes Clear Mount Stamp set.  BYOB (Bring Your Own Blocks - A, B, C, D, and G are recommended.)
- Wood Mount Option $35:  Includes Wood Mount Stamp set.

Registration Options:
- E-mail me (kristinfuller@aol.com) to register
- Call me (856-503-7459) to register
- Click HERE for online registration or to register and pay with a Credit Card via PayPal

Nancy's Vintage Valentine

Each month I have a group of ladies who get together to stamp.  I'm a little too nice sometimes and let them tell ME what to do.  Each month I'm a bit scared of what they might request.  Well, last night was Nancy's month to host stamp club.  She requested a "Vintage Valentine incorporating the Medallion Background stamp".  Well, at least the Medallion looks vintage!  BUT, after watching Shelli's Vintage demonstrations at Leadership and Regionals, I REALLY wanted to use the Very Vintage wheel.  I was struggling to think up a Valentine's sentiment that was vintage.  Then I remembered the Holiday Best hostess set!

Here's what I came up with.  What do you think?  First, I took some naturals ivory card stock and rolled my Very Vintage wheel this way and that all over using Soft Suede.  I simply inked up the wheel on my Soft Suede ink pad.  But, before I rolled it on my card stock, I rolled off a bit of the excess ink first.  I never reinked the wheel.  I just let portions get lighter and lighter.  I purposefully overlapped the designs.  (Shelli did that on a scrapbook page and it looked great.) 

Next, I had to incorporate the Medallion that Nancy requested.  Well, Shelli showed us how she layered lots of stamped images.  So, I inked up that darn Medallion in Rose Red, stamped off once, and then stamped in the corner.  LOVE IT.  Why did I choose these colors?  Well, at the time I was designing the card, I was packed for a workshop and didn't want to unpack my workshop bag!  I never would have paired these two up, but they WORK!  I'm glad I was too lazy to find another ink pad!

I stamped the Valentine Sentiment on more naturals ivory using my Rose Red ink again.  I punched it out with my Wide Oval Punch.  But, I hate that that punch doesn't have a punch that's a bit larger.  So, I whipped out my Big Shot and cut out my favorite label.  When I think about vintage, I think about distressed.  So, I crumpled my label.  LOVE IT!  I adhered it right in the middle of the medallion.

But, I wasn't done yet.  The card still need something.  Of course I was trying to work in some ribbon, but it just wasn't happening.  I punched out a couple of hearts using my Full Heart Punch, ran my Very Vintage wheel over them inking them up with any remaining Soft Suede residue that might be remaining and then crumpled away!  I also inked the edges just a bit so the popped when layered.

I then distressed all of the edges of the card stock, tore a little, sponged a little, layered a little, and voila...you have Nancy's Vintage Valentine card.  What do you think?

January Die Cut Diva Projects

Each month a group of ladies who have all purchased the Big Shot from me get together and make three adorable projects.  This month was fun because of the new catalog!  I must confess that all three of these projects were inspired from someone else. 

First up, the snowman box.  We make an adorable box every month.  This box was designed by fellow demonstrator, BJ Peters.

Next was an adorable card inspired by my sideline, Ilina Crouse.  She is SO very talented.  She made several cute cards where she punched out hearts and put paper or ribbon behind them.  I loved the idea and had to incorporate it.  The Sending Love Specialty DSP is peeking through the hearts on my card.  I also used the brand new Perfect Polka Dots Textured Impressions Folder for the background.  It's a great addition to our Impressions Folder collection!

Finally, my Die Cut Divas made a card inspired by a MJ Albright card.  She used different colors and the Impressions Folder used above.  But, I cased the idea, layout, and the butterfly idea.  These butterflies were made using the brand new Beautiful Wings Embosslit.  This is a MUST HAVE Embosslit for anyone with a Die-Cutting machine...Big Shot or not!  She layered them with a half pearl on top.  I used the teeny tiny Epoxy brads in the Occasions Mini.  The paper is actually the DSP pack from the SAB catalog!  I love how this one turned out!  And what colors did I use?  Melon Mambo, Pretty in Pink, and Chocolate Chip.  I LOVE Melon Mambo and Pretty in Pink together!!!

 

Valentine's Love Notes

Do you see a theme here?  I'm all about Valentine's Day this week!  I pulled out all of my new stuff and just started stamping.  I wanted to use the new "Kisses" in the Occasions Mini catalog.  They're these really cute die-cut notes.  They're TEENY TINY...and inexpensive.  You get 20 for $3.95.  I was struggling to figure out which was was up!  So, I made one of each!  I also love the assortment of "a la carte" stamps in the Occasions Mini.  They're smaller background stamps which were designed with the "kissing technique" in mind, but I thought they were perfectly sized for a 3x3 Love Note as well - and perfectly priced under $10 each!!!

Here are the supplies I used on these two, adorable notes:

• Fine Flourish Stamp (OccMini)
• Dot, Dot, Dot Stamp (OccMini)
• I {Heart} Hearts Stamp Set (OccMini)
• Well Scripted Stamp Set (OccMini)
• With All My Heart Stamp Set (OccMini)
• Kisses Love Notes (OccMini)
• Real Red Satin Ribbon (OccMini)
• Real Red Card Stock
• Pretty in Pink Card Stock
• Whisper White Card Stock
• Real Red Classic Ink
• Pretty in Pink Classic Ink

On Board Plaques

I ordered a bunch of the new On Board Books from the Occasions Mini Catalog.  Since I was in a Valentine's Mood, I used the heart first.  I had intended to make a banner and cut letters with my Sizzix Dies, but they seemed too small.  So, I made a plaque instead.  I simply covered a heart in Sending Love Specialty DSP.  It's hard to tell in the picture, but it's glittery paper!!!  LOVE IT!!!  You get 12 sheets in each pack.  One side of each sheet is glittery.  I can tell this will be a hit!!!  I adhered the DSP to the chipboard using my Anywhere Glue Stick.

Next, I cut letters using my Big Shot out of Real Red Card Stock.  I used Snail to put them on.  I then gathered up some 1 inch strips of DSP and adhered them to the back of the chipboard for a ruffly look.  It reminded me of boxes of chocolate that you receive on Valentine's Day.

Finally, the On Board Books come with a pre-punched hole on one corner.  But I needed two.  So I used a second heart as a template to make sure my second hole was perfectly placed.  I then used my Crop-a-Dile to punch through the DSP and Chipboard.  I used Pewter Eyelets and some Real Red Satin Ribbon to create the hanger.  What do you think?

Here's another close-up of the ruffled edge.

Leadership 2010 Swap

Hello friends!  Did you have a great holiday?  I'm enjoying a much-needed rest!!!  Mike and I had our annual holiday open house the weekend before Christmas...and it never fails, I got sick!  I think I completely wear myself out from all of the stress that my body gives up.  I was hoping to spend all of that weekend stamping, but instead I napped, read, and watched my husband dig us out of 2 feet of snow!!!  I had high expectations of all of the stamping I'd get done between 12/15 and 1/13 (the month I'm taking off from stamping events).  But, it wasn't until yesterday that I sat down and stamped!!!  I made my swaps for our Leadership Conference in Arizona next week!  I made 48 of these.  I may make another batch, but I make far fewer for Leadership.  I used as many new products as possible.  I purchased all of the stamp sets in both wood mount and clear mount versions.  That way I'd have double for my events.  I chose to use the clear mount stamps to make these.  The stamping went SO fast!!!  I love my Stamp-a-ma-Jig, but being able to easily see where the words and images were going saved so much time!

Here are the supplies I used:

• I {Heart} Hearts Stamp Set (OccMini)
• Whimsical Words (SAB)
• Chocolate Chip Classic Ink
• Pretty in Pink Classic Ink
• Chocolate Chip Card Stock
• Pretty in Pink Card Stock
• Old Olive Card Stock
• Whisper White Card Stock
• Card Stock Vellum
• Tea Party DSP
• Small Heart Punch (OccMini)
• Pinking Hearts Punch (OccMini)
• Pretty in Pink Satin Ribbon (Occ Mini)

Occasions Mini Sneak Peek - With All My Heart

Today's card was the project I created for last week's downline meeting.  I wanted to use as much new product as I could on this card.  First, we HAD to use the new clear-mount stamps.  Second, I'm in love with our new, epoxy brads.  So, I had to use those.  Next, the specialty paper in the new mini is fabulous!  It's glittery on one side of each of the twelve.  Finally, wow wow wow...I LOVE all of the new satin ribbon.  It now comes in 10 colors (if you include the white we have been selling).  It's a nicer option than the wide grosgrain. 

So, if you couldn't keep up, here are the supplies I used:

• With All My Heart Clear Mount Stamp Set (Occasions Mini)
• Clear Block Bundle (Occasions Mini)
• Sending Love Specialty DSP (Occasions Mini)
• Sending Love Epoxy Brads in Pretty in Pink (Occasions Mini)
• Real Red Satin Ribbon (Occasions Mini)
• Pretty in Pink Card Stock
• Real Red Classic Ink
• Pretty in Pink Classic Ink
• 1 3/4" Circle Punch
• 1 1/4" Circle Punch
• 3/4" Circle Punch
• 1/16" Cirle Punch