Sunday, August 29, 2010

Summer Mini is Retiring

Many Summer Mini Items are soon retiring: August is almost over and with the new month comes a new Mini Catalog. Many of the items from the Summer Mini are also in the new catalog, but as of Sept 1st any items not in the new catalog will be retired! Time to do one last quick look through that Summer Mini. Are there any soon to be retired items you want? NOW is the time to place that order. One of my favorites is the cute little ice cream set called Sweet Scoops (mini catalog page 10). 

This card is one I used at the July Stamp-a-Stack.  We used Iridescent Ice Embossing powder to add a little sparkle to the ice cream.  Aren't these shapes just the cutest?  I've seen cards made with the round icecream mound turned upside down.  Then it looks like a bear head.  Stamp the cone on top and the bear is wearing a hat!  And the swirly icecream could be a beard.  So many possibilities and so soon gone. 

Contact me if you want this set or any other supplies.  Or you can place an order 24/7 from my business website. 

I'm here to help.  Contact me with any questions or comments.  Your feedback is always welcome.

--Katie

Saturday, August 14, 2010

Vellum Window "Sneak Peak"

The title of this blog entry is both literal and a pun.  It is literal because for those of you coming to the Stamp-a-Stack this weekend, the card you see is a "Sneak Peak" - we will be making this card. Its so pretty - the photo doesn't do it justice. The title is also a pun because this is a window card - and you can "sneak a peak" through the window. The sentiment in the middle is stamped on vellum paper which is translucent (so be careful when you write inside that it does not show through the window!). Who ever you send this to is going to be really impressed by this card.

Supplies:
Vellum Card Stock(101856), Organza Ribbon(114319-catalog p.190), Versamark Ink Pad(102283-catalog p.195), 1 1/4" Square Punch(119865-catalog p.203), 1 3/8" Square Punch(119877-catalog p.203)
Colors:
Perfect Plum, Elegant Eggplant, Wild Wasabi, Pretty in Pink, So Saffron
Stamps:
Dreams du Jour (111624-catalog p.101), En Francais (109321-catalog p.142)
This is how I made the card:
  1. I stamped the background with the En Francais  background stamp on Perfect Plum using Versamark Ink
  2. Punched the hole on the Perfect Plum with the 1 1/4" square punch  and
    Punched the hole on the white card base with the 1 3/8 square punch
  3. Finished stamping the background with the butterfly from Dreams du Jour stamp set.
  4. Stamped the sentiment on Vellum Card Stock  with Elegant Eggplant.
  5. Colored the flower with Wild Wasabi and Regal Rose on the BACK of the vellum.
    The reason for coloring on the back is so you don't smear the image that's stamped on the front. Remember the inks will dissolve in each other.
  6. The White Organza Ribbon is fastened using a "cheater" bow.

If you want to purchase any of the supplies for this card or anything else you can place orders 24/7 at my Stampin'UP! website. You can also place orders with me at the Stamp-a-Stack or via email or by phone. My next order goes in this Tuesday (the 16th).
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People often ask how I get my ideas for cards.  There are many places to get inspiration.  **Sometimes I'll see something that reminds me of a stamp set I own.  **Sometimes I'll see a good color combination and just want to make a card with those colors.  **Sometimes I'll see a card someone else has made and I'll just copy it. In fact one of the other cards we're doing this weekend is a copy of a card given to me by my upline. **Sometimes I'll re-design a card made by someone else.  This purple butterfly card is one of those re-designed cards - its inspired by the card shown to the right which I got as a "trade card" at a convention. You can see I changed it up a bit.  The inspiration cad used Baja Breeze and Pacific Point and I used Perfect Plum with Eggplant.  Her card was a Long Note and I used a standard card size.  She used grosgrain ribbon and I used the organza and we placed the ribbon in slightly different places. I also added the extra background stamp to mine. This is one of the things I really appreciate about being a demonstrator. We make and share "trade cards" when we go to conventions. Its also fun to make connections with people from other states and countries. I got this card from a demonstrator named Karine Bailey from Kemptville Ontario.  
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Let me know if there is any way I can help you with your stamping.
Please contact me with any suggestions or questions. Your feedback is appreciated.

Happy Stamping --Katie

Monday, August 9, 2010

Bird Punch Clip Art

I have been having so much fun playing with the 2-Step Bird Punch. I used this punch to make the bird in my post on the Smooch Spritz.  This fun punch makes 3 shapes:  the body of the bird, the wing of the bird and a branch with leaves.  Can you see these shapes in the two cards above?  The body of the bird is the moustache!  Wow - so cool!  and both the nose and the eyebrows are the wing of the bird.  You can really change his expression based on how you tilt the eyebrows.  My next card will tilt them up!  I wonder if that will make him look angry?   Subscribers to my email list just received the August Newsletter showing some other fun things you can do with this punch including making several different shaped flowers. This is a pretty versatile punch for only $16.95. 

Not on my list yet?? - Subscribe here . Being on the list has 2 major benefits. 1) you get the monthly newsletter and 2) you get updates to my event calendar. I DO NOT share your information with anyone. Oh, and this month I have a special little PDF tutorial for "ewe" when you subscribe!


As always,  contact me with any questions.  I want to be your resource person.
Your suggestions and comments are always welcome and your business support is appreciated.

Happy Stamping
--Katie
You can order 24/7 at my Stampin'UP! Website
Or contact me, my next order goes in on the 16th.

Monday, August 2, 2010

Shaving Cream Earth Card

The Inspiration:  Last night I saw a shooting star.  It was so pretty and  the sky was just full of stars.  We are about a week past the full moon so the moon does not appear until later in the evening and early evening makes great star gazing.  We are approaching the time of year for the Perseid Meteor showers.  They will peak this year between the 12th and 13th and at their peak you should be able to see about 60 meteors per hour. Anyway, the night sky reminded me of this card I just received from my upline, the very talented Suzanne Askey.

The Card:  Isn't this just "out of this world"!  To make the background for the earth you put several drops of re-inkers into a pile of shaving cream and kind of swirl them around with a toothpick or knife, Suzanne used a straw..  Then press a piece of cardstock into the shaving cream.  Use a paper towel to wipe away the excess shaving cream.  You can find a step-by-step tutorial here.  
 
Suzanne made her earth on Glossy White paper.  The card base is Night of Navy.  She used Garden Green to stamp the sentiment and used Stampin'Up!'s White Gel Pen to make the dots for the stars.  The sentiment is from a very fun new stamp set called Word Play. Doesn't this set have some cute sentiments.  Click on the image to see it larger.  I can think of all sorts of cute cards to make with these words.


Please contact me with any questions or suggestions.
Your comments are appreciated.

--Happy Stamping
Katie
you can order 24/7 online here.