Another Thistle with the Bat Stamp

I just posted this card on SplitCoast.  Ever since I made the first card I'd wanted to re-do it and make the flower part more sparkly.  It just seemed the thing to do with the thistle. The flower is made with the Bat Punch and the calyx and leaves and stem are with the 2-Step Bird Punch.  I did change a few things - obviously the colors.  The first one used 5 bats and this one used only 4. Which design do you like better?

On both cards I sponged color onto the White Satin ribbon so it would match my cardstock. 

 To the right is the card made with the Fine Cosmo Glitter (catalog p196).  They come in a package of 5 colors for $13.95 and last forever!  I've been working on the same package for 3 years. 

But when I was playing with the design I couldn't decide exactly how I wanted to get the sparkle.  The first thing I tried was the glitter.  At first it seemed a little heavy on color.  So then I tried Smooch spritz (lower right) and it was also very pretty, but in a far too subtle way.  Then I tried the Smooch Top Coat paint (upper right) but in the end I liked the glitter best.

Supplies:

Bat Punch

Fine Cosmo Glitter

2-Step Bird Punch

White Satin Ribbon

Colors:

Certainly Celery

Elegant Eggplant

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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.

Be sure to check my class calendar for future events.

Happy Stamping --Katie

Christmas Card: Angelic Joy

This is another card designed by the very talented Suzanne Askey as a Make 'n Take at one of our Demo meetings.  This is one of the new stamps found in the new Holiday Mini Catalog. These catalogs were mailed out several weeks ago - please let me know if you need one.  There is some really amazing new product in this catalog:

  **new punches, dies and stencils
  **waffle paper!
  **new stamps for Halloween, Christmas and
     Valentines Day
  **a 3D house to decorate
  **FABRIC
  **rolls of adhesive for use with die cut pieces
  **glimmer brads
  **new baubles for the Simply Adorned Jewelry
  **2 new embossing folders
  **tiny paper bags for goodies
  **recordable sound cards
. . . and much more

Supplies: water color paper AquaPainter Iridescent Ice Embossing Powder Versamark Black Embossing Powder Heat Gun Stamp Set: Angelic Joy Baroque Motifs Colors: Night of Navy Bermuda Bay Blush Blossom Chocolate Chip

The swirls from the Baroque Motifs  stamp set were stamped twice with Versamark.  We sprinkled on the Iridescent Ice embossing powder and heat set it.  The angel was embossed in black on watercolor paper.  We had to emboss it because we were doing water color and the black ink is water soluble.  We picked up the color from directly from the ink pad using the Aqua Painter.  You can also use markers to color an outline and then use the AquaPainter to spread the color.  In fact we had to use the marker for the Blush Blossom color on the Angel's face.  Stampin'Up! retired the Blush Blossom Ink pad but still carries the marker.  These colors are lovely as a Christmas Card or as a Sympathy card.

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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.

Be sure to check my class calendar for future events.

Happy Stamping --Katie

Christmas Card Idea

This beautiful card was made by one of the talented ladies in my Demo group - my upline Suzanne Askey.  I love this group.  When I first became a Demonstrator it was my plan to use the discount and make a few major purchases and be "set for life" (if you are laughing as you read this then you are as hopelessly addicted to stamping as I am).  Anyway, my upline invited me to attend the demo group meeting and I can truly say that this great group of uber talented, super friendly ladies is the reason I am still going strong 4 years later.  If you are looking for a discount, a business opportunity or looking to be part of a great group of stampers just ask me for more details.  I'm happy to answer any questions you have about being a demonstrator. While you're thinking about it glance to the left at that beautiful supply tote.  Its FREE to everyone who buys the starter kit this month - but only while supplies last!  So if you are considering it at all call me soon.

We always do trades at our meetings and the trades have a theme.  This last meeting the theme was to re-do a card from the catalog.  This card is a remake of the card (seen here)  in the upper left on page 36. We could change anything we wanted:

• change the stamp set
• change the colors
• rotate it 90^o
• change the sentiment

Suzanne changed the colors from Pink Pirouette to Garden Green and Cherry Cobbler.  I think her card is darling and I'm ready to sing Christmas Carols and make snowballs!

This was a really fun challenge.  People often ask me where I get my ideas.  The answer is the catalog! It really makes sense that this book is called "the Idea Book and Catalog" - because it is full of so many great ideas for making cards. 

Many of the cards in the catalog are actually cards made by demonstrators (like me) who submit them to Stampin' Up!  The sample card uses a piece of real sheet music behind the little girl.  Now Stampin'Up! actually has a wheel that is Music Notes.  You can see it and all the wheels on pages 218-219 of the catalog.

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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.

Be sure to check my class calendar for future events.

Happy Stamping --Katie

Engineered Cards: An Easel Card

This is the last of the cards we'll be doing on Thursday night.  This is an Easel Card.  It becomes a self-standing display. This is another super simple card to make.  You never knew engineering was so easy!

If you came to the Stamp-a-Stack last weekend you'll recognize parts of this card.  I took a card we made and turned it into this Easel Card.  To make these cards you score the front face of the card at the half-way mark.  Then you need something with a little dimension on the inside for the card to be propped on. I used dimensionals under my paper pieces but you could use brads or buttons too. And you can change the angle of the displayed card by controlling where you put the dimension piece on the inside.

I made 2 samples, one horizontal and one vertical.  It works either way.  Again, this card is easy and impressive.  One more way to make your card recipients say "Wow"!

Supplies: Paper Cutter with the Scoring Blade 5/8" Old Olive Satin Ribbon Big Shot Perfect Polka Dots Embossing Folder Scallop Trim Border Punch Dimensionals Self-Stick Half Pearls Stamp Sets: Picket Silhouettes Colors: Poppy Parade Old Olive Whisper White

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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.

Be sure to check my class calendar for future events.

Happy Stamping --Katie

Engineered Cards: Free-Standing Pop-Up Card

Here is a picture of the 2nd card we're doing this week - a Free Standing Pop-Up Card.  It folds flat to fit in an envelope.  When you pull the top tab the base folds out into a box that stands up by itself!  Very impressive.  This sample is not very fancy, just a little bit of Dazzling Diamonds on the candle flame.  I wanted the images to be simple for this class because attendees will be focusing on the engineering aspect of the card.  If you want to dress it up a bit try making the tab more fancy - make it into a flower or add ribbons. 

Coming up Tomorrow:  an Easel Card

Supplies: Paper cutter with the scoring blade 1/4" white grosgrain ribbon Dazzling Diamonds Piercing Tool Black Brad Versamark Stamp Sets: Baroque Motifs Big Birthday Candle (retired) On Your Birthday (retired) Colors: Daffodil Delight Old Olive

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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.

Be sure to check my class calendar for future events.

Happy Stamping --Katie

Engineered Cards: Simple Pop-Up Card

I'm excited to be offering something new - a class on how to make "engineered cards"!  These are cards with a WOW Factor - they do more than just open along a center fold.  At each class we will make 3 cards.  You'll go home with the card as well as a printed instruction sheet in a plastic page protector to keep in a 3-ring binder.  The three we are doing this week are:  a simple Pop-Up card, an Easel Card and a Free-Standing Pop-Up Card.   

Here is a picture of the simple Pop-Up Card. You won't believe how really simple it is to create one of these cards.  And the people who get your card will be so impressed when something unexpected "pops" up at them as they open the card. For the class I wanted something very simple and easy do to so we can get them done in 20-30 min each.  I used the Word Window Punch for the sentiment - and yes its longer than the punch.  There is a "trick" to that.  I'll show it in a future post.  Look for pictures of the other 2 engineered cards from this class in the next few days.   

Coming up tomorrow:  a Free-Standing Pop-Up card.

Supplies: Word Window Punch 5/8" Celery Satin Ribbon Stamp Sets: Inspired by Nature Flight of the Butterfly Colors: Certainly Celery Always Artichoke Melon Mambo Basic Black

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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.

Be sure to check my class calendar for future events.

Happy Stamping --Katie

Two Bat Cards

With Halloween just around the corner I've been playing with the new Bat Punch (catalog p201 item #119279).  I love popping out these little guys so expect to see more cards featuring these spooky little flyers. Here is is my first card with the bats.  The pumpkin  was also easy to make, it is 5 ovals made with the Large Oval Punch (catalog page 203 #119855), I just sponged around each edge  with Pumpkin Pie and layered them together. I love it when you get a great look from something so easy and simple!  Add a pair of google eyes and a hat and voila.

For the background I put a piece of Always Artichoke paper through the Big Shot using the Petals-a-Plenty Embossing Folder.  I punched out 6 squares and layered them on a piece of black paper.  I wanted the colors dark and muted and the artichoke and black were perfect.  Also, its hard to see in this photo but the card base is Confetti White instead of regular white. The confetti paper again helps to mute the look. 

I was going to just leave the bats plain black, but at the last minute I added the eyes with the gel pen (catalog p195 #105021).  I'm really glad I did, it was a good balance for the google eyes on the pumpkin. 

So - what do you think?  I'm trying to decide what cards to make for the Halloween Card Class on October 24th. Let me know if you really like this one and want to be sure its on the class list.  Registration is open now for this event.  If you send Halloween Cards this is a really fun evening.

    

And check out this next card. "Thistle" blow your mind.  Stampers are always trying to make flowers out of everything, so I wondered what a flower would look like made with the bat punch.  Turns out it makes a thistle!  This was really EASY to make.  I used Melon Mambo and Always Artichoke.  The flowers and stems were punched with the 2-Step Bird Punch.  Oops, I added the 3 bird wings at the base of the flower after I took the photo of the parts.  I'm sorry I forgot to go back and re-do the recipie card.

The thistle just screamed "pink!" at me so I needed pink ribbon for sure.  So here is the next cool thing - I used the white (yes white!) Organza Ribbon (catalog p190 #114319).  I just colored it!  I sponged the melon ink onto the ribbon to make it match the paper.  This card was incredibly quick and easy to put together.  I was worried that the bat punch would only get used at Halloween time but now I can't wait to spend more time playing with it.

 

  

I love these 2 new punches (the Bat Punch and the 2-Step Bird Punch).  If you don't have either of them yet you should think about it.  They are both so much more than they seem.  My next post will have another card made with the bird punch. Its a card we are doing at the Stamp-a-Stack tomorrow. 

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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.

Be sure to check my class calendar for future events.

Happy Stamping --Katie

Because I Care

The Inspiration:  I love my garden in the fall.  We have some really pretty flowers.  The phlox are so colorful right now - it just makes me smile everytime I walk out the door. I'm not sure what the original seed package called it but to me this flower is definitely Melon Mambo.  Not only is the color a perfect match for Melon Mambo but the flower reminds me of the new Hostess Set:  Because I Care - thus inspiring the card below.

The Card:  To make this card I embossed the flower using Black Craft Ink and clear embossing powder.  Then I used an AquaPainter to color the flower with Melon Mambo and the leaves with Always Artichoke.  The flower was stamped on Whisper White.  Colors of the layers are Black and Sahara Sand.  The final white layer was embossed in the Big Shot with the Finial Press Embossing Folder.  To really set off the flowers I used my White Gel Pen in the center of the flowers.  The gel pen was a small, but really important touch on this card.  The gel pen really changes the look of the flower.  Its so subtle but makes such a striking difference. 

Supplies: AquaPainter, Gel Pen, Finial Press Embossing Folder, Big Shot
Colors: Whisper White, Sahara Sand, Black, Always Artichoke, Melon Mambo
Stamps: Because I Care (Hostess)

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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