Lovely as a Tree with the Square Lattice Embossing Folder

The stamp set Lovely as a Tree is a classic favorite. It fits any season. Most recently I used it to make a beautiful Fall card showcasing a technique called Grated Paper Fluff. On the card shown here the leaves are green because I'm celebrating that Wisconsin's winter is almost over and summer is on its way.

The tree is all one stamp so if you decided to make this card you'll need to use markers to get the two-tone image. Use a green marker on the leaves and brown marker for the trunk. Then "huff" or breathe on the stamp to re-moisten the ink before stamping. The leaf stamp used to make the border piece is from the same stamp set.

To get the texture on the background piece I used the Square Lattice Embossing folder (#119976) with the Big Shot (#113439). Its interesting to compare the 2 sides of the paper because the image created by this embossing folder is slightly different on each side. Also, of all the embossing folders, this one alters the paper the most, meaning it has the most shrinkage. Its not significant in a negative way, but it is worth noting. 

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Curious about the Big Shot?  This machine is both a die-cutting machine and an embossing machine. It can handle a wide variety of materials. It can handle all the dies and embossing folders made by any other manufacturer. Its a little bigger than some other machines so there are some dies that work exclusively with this machine and will not fit in other machines. Stampin'UP! sells only the best.

If you don't have the Big Shot yet, now is the perfect time to invest in this excellent tool. Why? Because its Sale-a-bration! During Sale-a-bration every $50 you spend earns you a FREE item from the Sale-a-bration catalog. In buying the Big Shot machine you'd earn 2 Free items. Also, be sure to check out the last page of the Sale-a-bration catalog. There's a long list of stamps from the regular catalog that you could choose as your free items.

Contact me if you have any questions about any of the projects on this blog or any questions about stamping in general. You can place your order on-line 24/7 and have it delivered directly to your house. Or contact me and have me help you place your order. 

Happy Stamping
--Katie

Silhouette Sentiments with a Scallop Border

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I love the super simple look of this card. The stamp set is Silhouette Sentiments. The flower is stamped in Pink Pirouette and over-stamped with the sentiment in Rich Razzleberry. I used the Large Oval Punch (#119855) for the sentiment and the Scallop Oval Punch (#119856) for the framing layer. The matching scallop trim was cut with the Scallop Border Punch (#119882).

To make the ring of scallop circles: place the paper into the punch with the edge of the paper level with the "dip" between scallops. When you finish one edge, flip the strip over and repeat on the other side. Just be sure to start from the same end so the scallops will line up. If you don't you could end up with rickrack instead. Check out these 3 cards made using the scallop border punch as a normal border. (1) (2) (3) . And then be sure to check out this post showing you how to use the same border punch to make a really interesting framing piece.

By the way, the stamp set used on this card is a Level 1 Hostess Set. What that means is that is it available only as a benefit for hosting a party that has sales over $150 or by placing an order yourself for $150 or more. Right now we are in a special promotional period known as Sale-a-bration. During this period each $50 of product you buy earns you a FREE stamp set from the selection in the Sale-a-bration catalog. I personally use this time of year to stock up on  consumables. If you placed a supply order for $150 you'd earn 3 FREE stamp sets and you could get the Silhouette Sentiments set too. A purchase at that level also qualifies you for $15 of additional merchandise FREE. 

For $150 you get $165 of merchandise and 4 Free Stamp Sets! Wow!

You can place your order on-line 24/7 and have it shipped directly to your house. Contact me with any questions about the sale items or about the ordering process or about stamping in general. Do NOT delay because Sale-a-bration ends March 31.

Happy Stamping

--Katie

5th Avenue Floral

Do you always stamp on white paper? Check out today's card, the image is stamped in Whisper White Ink (#101731) on a colored background. Aren't these colors great? Melon Mambo, Pear Pizzazz, Daffodil Delight and Elegant Eggplant.These bright colors just scream SPRING! (which I am really ready for!). The image is from a stamp set called 5th Avenue Floral (#113734) and due to the size of the image I used the 1 3/8" square punch (#119877) for the colored squares. The white square is 3" on each side and the black piece is a 3 1/4" square. I should also point out that since the flower is so close to the edges of the squares I did use the Stamp-a-ma-Jig (#101049) to get it lined up. I could not stamp without this tool. It is essential for getting images placed exactly where you want them to be. At $11.95 this is one of the best stamping tools you'll ever invest in! Guaranteed!

The sentiment is from Teeny Tiny Wishes (#115370 wood mount only). Remember to stamp first, then punch - so you can look through the hole on the bottom of the punch and be sure its centered. For the layers on the sentiment for this card I used the Large Oval Punch (#119855) and the Scallop Oval Punch (#119856).

This card would work with any sentiment and the sentiment could be stamped right on the card face itself. If you like the general look of this card and wanted to purchase the Fifth Avenue Floral Stamp set and the Stamp-a-Ma-Jig and the 1 3/8" square punch, together this purchase would earn you a FREE stamp set from the Sale-a-bration catalog. During Sale-a-bration every $50 of product that you buy earns you a FREE item from the Sale-a-braton Catalog.  Place your order on-line, 24/7 and have it delivered to your house. Call me with any questions. And be sure to check out the last page of the Sale-a-bration catalog. There's a huge list of sets from the regular catalog that you could choose for your free set.  But don't wait too long, Sale-a-bration ends March 31st.

Contact me with any stamping related questions or questions about how to order.

--Katie

Baroque Motifs Wedding Card

My daughter is getting married the end of the summer so my mind is starting to think weddings. I love this swirly stamp from a stamp set called Baroque Motifs (#113490 wood mount only). I usually use the swirl as a background on a card but for this card its the main focal point. And the sentiment is from a super versatile stamp set called Teeny Tiny Wishes (#115370-wood mount only). That set has 24 all occasions sentiments and I really find myself using it all the time. I was a bit hesitant to invest in this set, it is more expensive than the average stamp set but I've found its so worth it. It has a sentiment for almost every occasion.

This card is actually not for my daughter, I used it with my group who stamp at lunch. We need cards that go together quickly and this one certainly does. The only thing we did other than the obvious was we stamped the swirl with craft ink and embossed with Iridescent Ice Embossing Powder (#101930). Hard to see in this photo but this card is really sparkly.

I just love how the swirl is the same color as the card: Certainly Celery. And I love that you can get ALL the colors in the little 1" Spots. Stampin'UP! sells the craft ink in color sets and Certainly Celery is part of the Subtles Collection (#119716 for the craft inks or #119712 for the regular classic ink). And these little spots are really easy to use. A full set of the classic ink spots sells for just $19.95 and a craft ink set sells for $21.95. Compared to $5.95 for a regular size ink pad this is a perfect way to collect all the colors.  

Would you like to have access to ALL the Stampin'UP! ink colors any time the creative bug hits? If so then you should invest in these Stampin'Spots. And now is the perfect time because its still Sale-a-bration. This promotion earns you a free item from the Sale-a-bration catalog for every $50 catalog purchase. Be sure to check the last page of the Sale-a-bration catalog for a huge list of selected stamps found in the main catalog.  Call me for more information on this great opportunity. But don't wait too long because Sale-a-bration ends on March 31st.

Beer Mug Masculine Card

This card is still on the belated St. Patricks Day theme. It uses a stamp set called Cheers to You (#114944 wood mount only) and I thought it was perfect with green beer for St. Patrick's Day. It would be a great card made with all normal color beer too. I thought about trying to do something with the beer levels getting lower and lower. To make that work you'd need to use a marker to ink the stamp for the mug so that the image would not show the foam on top after the first stamp.  This card was pretty easy to assemble. It uses 2 stamp sets: the Cheers to You mentioned above and the sentiment comes from a set called Its Your Birthday (#111664 wood mount only). The background of the card front is just the same beer mug randomly stamped.

The colors on this card are Daffodil Delight, Garden Green and Pear Pizzazz. I wanted green for St. Patrick's Day and one reason for choosing Pear Pizzazz is because of the matching ribbon. I used the 1/2" Stitched-Poly Ribbon (#119265). It seemed to dress up the card with out making it too feminine.There were 3 punches used on this card: the Extra Large Tag Punch (#119866) and Large Tag punch (#119876) and the Designer Label Punch (#119862). The finishing touch is the "foam" on the beer mugs. I used a little glue to hold on some Dazzing Diamonds glitter (#102023). 

You can purchase the supplies used on this project from my Stampin'UP! website, available 24/7

Contact me with any questions about this card or any other project
--Katie

St. Patrick's Day Punch Art

After the fact, here is a sample St. Patrick's Day card. Very simple, quick and easy. This card uses 3 punches and 1 stamp set. I love how the stamp set Teeny Tiny Wishes (#115370-wood mount only) has so many different sentiments, 24 stamps in all and it covers every occasion. It may be a bit more pricey than the average stamp set, but well worth it when you see how many occasions it covers. technique tip: Always remember to stamp first then punch - that way you can get the sentiment perfectly lined up when looking through the hole in the bottom of the punch. I used the Large Oval Punch (#119855) for the sentiment and the Scallop Oval Punch (#119856) for the framing layer.

 The shamrock was punched with the Full Heart Punch (#119883). Doesn't it make you feel good when you get extra duty out of a hobby investment?  I used a bone folder (#102300) and ruler to crease each heart. he curved ends of the heart are raised up on Dimensionals (#104430) and the pointy end is down on the card front. The stem is also made with the Full Heart Punch. I just moved the punch a little to the side of where I'd already punched a heart and caught just the edge of the paper. To finish it off, a little bling in the middle. I'm so glad Stampin'UP! sells the Self-Adhesive Rhinestones (#119246). It makes a card like this go together really quickly.

You can purchase the supplies used on this project from my Stampin'UP! website, available 24/7

Contact me with any questions about this card or any other project

--Katie

Ways to Help the Earthquake Victims in Japan

Our family has been deeply troubled by the recent events in Japan. On March 11 a magnitude 9.0 earthquake hit off the northeast coast and the resulting tsunami hit the coast line moments later. For days the country was rocked by aftershocks. There was immediate loss of life and the death count continues to mount as bodies are found or presumed lost to sea. Of even greater concern is the potential for radiation leaks from damaged nuclear reactors.

We feel the same sadness and concern that the world feels in general. But for our family the sadness is even deeper. We hosted an AFS student from Japan in 2002. I have tried to contact her and her family but have not heard any response yet. She lives in the southern part of the country but her parents live further north, although not as far north as the damaged reactors.  I am hoping, assuming, that she and her family are OK and are simply pre-occupied with the immediacy of events around them. We continue to try to make contact.

If you are interested in potential ways to help, Google has compiled a list of sites where you could contribute money (Red Cross, Unicef ...) They all look like very reputable, well-established organizations.

We are citizens of a Global community . . .

--Katie