Posts from The Stamp Garage

Where Did the Year Go?

2011-11-21T21:55:00.001-08:00

Ok, clearly I fell into a crafting hole this year. Well, not entirely ... a few things were made. Mostly, it just turned out to be a crazy year with little for crafting & posting and still less for classes and other creative events. Sure, there was plenty of fun trips and gatherings in 2011 ... just crazy busy is all. So, here's to slowing the pace a bit as I peer down the calendar at December (if that's even possible) and sharing some more creative goodness in the future!

Travels ...

2010-11-25T12:52:00.000-08:00

There's a good reason I haven't been posting new projects recently ... I was spending time in Oaxaca, Mexico. So, until I get back to a bit of crafting, here are some pics from the trip.

Halloween Candy Wrapper Treat!

2010-09-15T23:05:00.000-07:00

I'm a big Halloween fan so I was excited about these candy wrapper treats from Stephanie Leider at the Luv2Stamp group meeting earlier this month. I modified mine a bit more with the Spider Web embossing folder from Stampin' Up!'s Holiday Mini Catalog (embossing, webs & Halloween ... yeah!)

I'll be showing how to make these candy wrapper boxes & use the embossing folders at my Halloween class this month. Yeah, Halloween!

The Stamp Garage ...

2010-08-22T20:32:00.000-07:00

Thought I'd share a shot of what the Stamp Garage looks like on one if its less-messy days ... I did a bit of cleaning and organizing before hosting a "Cars & Crafts" event for our FIAT Club and, happy to say, the space has stayed relatively tidy!

New Colors!

2010-07-18T16:23:00.000-07:00

It's been awhile but I finally got some time in the Stamp Garage. The first project - cleaning up a bit so that I could find my supplies & play (yes, it has been awhile ... the place was a mess). Happy to report, things are slightly more organized now and I'm ready to start creating with all the great new Stampin' Up! colors that arrived this month. I can already tell Early Espresso is going to be a go-to color for me.

Project pictures will come later ... for now, a taste of the new colors ...

New Bold Brights Palette
(from bottom left corner: Regal Rose, Melon Mambo, Rich Razzleberry, Pacific Point, Tempting Turquoise, Old Olive, Daffodil Delight, Pumpkin Pie, Tangerine Tango, Real Red)

The In Color Palette
Twill Ribbon shown but also available in card stock, ink & markers to match, too!
(from top to bottom: Blushing Bride, Peach Parfait, Pear Pizzazz, Poppy Parade, Concord Crush)

Collection of the New Ribbons

Now to start using all the new goodies!

Flowers for Mother's Day ...

2010-05-09T18:31:00.000-07:00

I've been wanting to make some fabric flowers for awhile and Mother's Day seemed like the perfect opportunity. One minute it's a bag decoration, the next it's a clothing accessory!

I'll be teaching how to make these flowers in my May craft class. What a great way to use up fabric scraps!

Quick Alien Birthday Card ...

2010-05-02T13:58:00.000-07:00

Quick card ... quick post. I made this lil' note card to go with the belated birthday gift I sent to our nephew in Hawaii.

Stamp Set: Greetings, Earthling (Stampin' Up!)
Ink: Versamark
Technique: Heat Embossing (black detail embossing powder) and good ol' fashioned coloring (colored pencils & pens)

Beyond Heart Boxes for Valentine's Day

2010-02-08T22:55:00.000-08:00

Who says Valentine's day has to be all about hearts and flowers? I decided to play with some of my Big Shot dies over the weekend and created 3 different treat boxes that will happily hold candy treats for Valentine's Day or tote a lil' something for a friend "Just Because"

The top 'bag' uses 'Fancy Favor' die. (Stampin' Up! exclusive)
The box on the right uses the 'Box #2' die.
The milk carton on the left uses the new 'Mini Milk Carton' die from the new Occasions Mini Catalog. (Stampin' Up! exclusive)

All the boxes use designer paper from SU's 'Shades of Spring' (also from the Occasions Mini)

I'm thinking the box might be perfect for holding a lil' treat for Mardi Gras ... hmmm.

Clear Mounted Stamps: Mounting Tips!

2010-02-07T22:50:00.000-08:00

Well, I didn't do too well with my goal of more frequent posting. Here were are in February already. So, catching up on a few things: the new Occasions Mini Catalog has arrived and Sale-A-Bration is here ... meaning, free stuff! What's also exciting is that Stampin' Up! is now carrying clear-mounted stamps. The wood-mounted stamps are still available ... just means we now have a choice.

I bought a couple sets to try out the clear-mounted stamps and the first thing that impressed me was the packaging. The stamps come in a slim case (much like a DVD case) and images of the stamps are printed on the spine. If you're looking at a way to save space, clear-mounted stamps are the way to go!

The clear-mounted stamps are made from the same rubber with foam backing that is used in the wood-mounted stamps. What's different is how you mount the stamps. Instead of permanently mounting the rubber images on wood blocks, the images cling to acrylic blocks. One set of acrylic blocks is all that's needed no matter how many clear-mounted stamps you have.

Here are steps to mount your clear-mounted stamps:

Step 1. Pop the rubber stamp images from the sheet of die-cut rubber.

Step 2. Peel the white paper backing from the back side of the rubber image. This exposes the gray foam that clings to the acrylic mounting blocks.

Step 3. To mount your indexing images, first peel back the opaque white paper from the front of the indexing image sheet.

Unlike wood-mounted stamps, the indexing images (pictures that show you what you'll be stamping) are mounted on the foam -- not on the mounting block.

Step 4. Place the clear side face down, exposing the semi-transparent paper on the back of the indexing sheet. Starting from the split in the paper behind the image (there's a slit in the middle of each image backing), carefully peel the backing paper away to expose the sticky side of the indexing image.

Keep the image in place. Do not remove it entirely from the sheet.

Tip: Use the tip of paper-snips (scissors) or a needle to hold the image in place if it wants to pull away. This is much easier than using your finger which will stick to the image.

Step 5. Place your rubber stamp image, grey foam side down, onto the sticky back of the indexing image. Try to align the rubber stamp into the shape exposed when you peeled the semi-transparent white backing away. Press to adhere the indexing sheet to the foam backing of the rubber stamp.

Step 6. Pull the rubber image away from the indexing sheet. Turn it over and you'll see the indexing image mounted onto the foam!

To use your new clear-mounted stamp, simply press it for a few seconds to an acrylic mounting block. Great thing is, the stamps also cling to the inside of their storage case making it easy to see what's inside!

And, as someone who's always crunched for space, it's exciting to see how many clear-mounted stamps fit into such a small space!

Hope the mounting steps helped you get started with clear-mounted stamps. Have fun!

Fröhliche Weihnachten & Holiday Cheers!

2009-12-25T12:01:00.000-08:00

New Year's Resolution: be better about posting! For now, this year's card creation and Merry Krimble!

Bones & Boxes ...

2009-08-30T09:27:00.000-07:00

Ever find yourself behind on getting a gift? In my case, it's usually I know what I want to get or to make but have just run out of time. That was the case here recently so, rather than just say "Oh, I owe you ..." I made a matchbox gift to include my IOU note.

For this matchbox, I used the same BigShot Matchbox die as before and wrapped the package with some vintage binding ribbon. Not only was it a fun way to pass a note, it also started getting me in the Halloween mood ...

I like using double-sided designer papers ... they automatically create a complimentary lining inside the box.

All wrapped up and ready to go ...

More view o' the paper design ...

Personalized with a gold zig-painty pen.

Not only are these boxes fun to make, they're quick, too. A thumbs up in my book!

Stamp Garage is Back!

2009-07-18T22:31:00.000-07:00

Wahoo! The Stamp Garage is back to functional! It's not 'done' (what ever is) but the floor is 95% complete, the counters are resting neatly on leveled & bolted tool chests and some new cabinets and there's even a splash of orange paint.

Take a look for yourself ...

First, finishing work to get the tool chests, floor & counters in place.

Ta-da! Once again, a workable stamp garage!

It's time to get some arts & crafts goin' again and kick off some new classes.

Construction and Catalogs ...

2009-07-01T22:24:00.000-07:00

Slow ... that's the progress on the studio.

The goal is to get the stamp garage "functional" again this weekend. I sure hope so! The new catalogs have arrived and I have things to make!

Urban Oasis Matchbox

2009-06-16T21:40:00.000-07:00

Earlier this month I gave a Stamp Party for my friend, Debbie, of KaiKaibEaN Photography to help her raise money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (she rode 100 miles around Lake Tahoe with Team in Training!) The party was loads of fun and it was great to do some stamping again. Of course, finding my supplies and a place to prep the projects was a bit of a challenge in my 'under construction' Stamp Garage ... but I did it! After shoving some things around and re-stacking some drawers, I managed to expose a wee bit of flat surface.

Once I created the projects for Debbie's party (a 3x3 mini book and a card to feature a photo), I decided to take advantage of the newly exposed flat surface and try out my new Matchbox die for the Big Shot. Love it! Here's the lil' gift box I created using Urban Oasis Designer Paper and In Color Baja Breeze card stock (both from the retiring list)

Step One ... lay out your designer paper and/or cardstock on the Matchbox Bigz XL die and turn the crank to run the die through the Big Shot. One step to get all the pieces you need to create your matchbox.

Step Two ... fold the box. The die creates all of the score lines for you so the box is easy to fold and no adhesive required!

Step Three ... create the outer sleeve of your box. Again, all the score lines are created by the die. I used one piece of sticky strip along the edge to create the box sleeve.

Step Four ... Wrap with a bit of ribbon. I used Baja Breeze double stitched ribbon (also from the retiring list) to create the 'belly band' around the box, again sealing with a small piece of sticky strip. A tip: If you're finishing off the box with a stamped topper (next step), tape the ribbon together on the top of the box. The topper will cover the ribbon edge and everything will look neat & tidy.

Step Five ... Prepare the box topper. I used the label pieces that were cut out using the same Matchbox die (box, sleeve and 3 labels - all in one die)and the coordinating Matchbox Messages stamp set from the Occasions Mini Catalog. To make sure the stamped greeting lined up perfectly, I used the Stamp-A-Ma-Jig. I didn't photograph each step so will try to describe the Stamp-A-Ma-Jig steps ...

Placing the clear plastic square into the corner of the Stamp-A-Ma-Jig, I slide the stamp into the corner of the Stamp-A-Ma-Jig, pressing straight down to stamp the greeting on the plastic.

Then, I placed the plastic over the cut out label to see exactly where I wanted to stamp the cardstock. Without moving clear plastic, I place the Stamp-A-Ma-Jig firmly against the lower left corner of the plastic and then move the plastic away exposing the carstock label. Finally, I slide the stamp into the corner of the Stamp-A-Ma-Jig again, pressing straight down to stamp the greeting on the exposed cardstock label. Voila! Perfectly aligned stamping.

Then, to create a bit of dimension, I used a couple Stampin' Dimensionals to attach the stamped label to another die-cut label.

Box Topper!

and ... The Finished Matchbox!

Mmm ... lil' gift boxes for all. Happy Crafting!

New Catalog Countdown!

2009-06-16T21:28:00.000-07:00

I keep checking the UPS tracking site ... Boxes are scheduled to arrive tomorrow full of new In Color cardstock, stamps, accessories and my preview copy of the new 2009-2010 Stampin' Up! Idea Book & Catalog (officially avail July 1) ... countdown! Plus, the boxes will include a few things I picked up from the list of SU! retiring goodies. (If you haven't seen the list of retiring stamps & accessories yet, be sure to check them out -- June 30 is the last day to get these items. You can get the lists of retiring stamps and vinyl wall decor elements on my promo page and I've posted the retiring accessories list.)

I'm hoping to get the Stamp Garage put back together enough that I can have a new catalog open house and show off the new goodies -- fingers crossed.

Crafting Under Construction ...

2009-05-04T19:13:00.000-07:00

Hello! Well, ok, not much crafting actually - just lots of 'under construction.' It's been far too long since my last blog post so thought it was 'bout time for me to show everyone why I haven't been doing much stamping & crafting lately.

You see, back in February, my creating area looked like this:

But, in early March, we cleared the counters and shoved everything to the side in order to make way for a few improvements. Of course, shoving things around meant no more space to create.

This is what the entrance to the Stamp Garage looks like at the moment ... like I said, not much room for stamping.

The first delay was waiting for the flooring to arrive. Of course, it was on back-order. But, the cork flooring is now here and waiting to be installed.

I'll also be getting new counter tops. These were purchased on eBay (from a chem lab so they should hold up to stamping and such just fine). The plan is to refinish them.

We've mapped out the additional cabinets going into my work area (including space for a sink) ... but first: painting.

The painting is currently underway ... a splash of color under the cabinets.

Mmmm ... orange.

So that's what's been going on here. I'm hoping to return to stamping, crafting, and classes this summer ... as long as construction continues to progress!

Coffee & Creativity ...

2009-02-15T20:11:00.000-08:00

Happy 2009! Oh, sure, we're 6 weeks into the new year so I'm a bit behind with my New Year's Wishes - but Happy New Year all the same.

January was busy with getting back into the swing of work after the Holidays and wrapped up with the arrival of the new Stampin' Up! Spring/Summer 2009 Catalog. I was thrilled to see a new coffee-inspired stamp set!

So, of course, when it came time to make swap cards for next weekend's stamp gathering - I turned to the coffee set "Sip by Sip" and used this as an opportunity to also try out the new Stampin' Up! Texture Plates for the Big Shot.

I stamped the "3 cup" image multiple times in Basic Gray classic ink on Very Vanilla cardstock ... a bit of an assembly line approach. I colored the cups for the final cards but like the simple gray & vanilla look, too ... gives me ideas for future projects.

After coloring the cups with Cameo Coral and Tempting Turquoise markers, I punched out the cups using a 3/4" Circle Punch.

I added a lil' depth to the card by placing the punched cup images on the front of the card using Stampin' Dimensionals. (You can see a bit of the texture in this shot, too.)

Ta-dah! A stack of cards ready for next week's card swap. The card fronts are mounted on Basic Gray and Cameo Coral cardstock. I rounded the corners using the small corner rounder punch.

Time to enjoy a cup!

Stamp Set: Sip by Sip
Cardstock: Very Vanilla, Basic Gray, Cameo Coral
Ink: Basic Gray
Accessories: Stampin' Markers (Tempting Turquoise, Coral), Punches (3/4" Circle, Small Corner Rounder), Big Shot, Texture Plate (SU! Backgrounds 1), Stampin' Dimensionals

Happy February! Here's to finding some stamping time.

Holiday Spirit with Old Family Pics!

2008-12-11T11:11:00.000-08:00

Seems my standard intro to blog posts is, "so busy, haven't had much time to create or post" ... well, finally had some time last weekend to use some of the elements in the Country Living Holiday stamp kit. Of course, now I want to make more to give away ... but this one I'm keeping!

Oh, before I started I created a "charger" placemat from a 12 x 12 piece of cardstock. The edges were cut with the scallop punch ... a few snowflakes stamped in Whisper White craft ink and done!

First step, "paint" the chipboard frames by sponging on some Whisper White craft ink ...

Next (after letting the craft ink dry), coat the surface of the chipboard frames with a think layer of Tombo multi-purpose glue and cover with Dazzling Diamonds glitter ...

Then, cover the solid squares of chipboard with pre-cut designer series paper. I used the Tombo glue again ... and roughed up the edges a bit with a sanding block ...

Glue your picture to the back of the glittered frame, and attach to the front of your designer-series paper covered chipboard! Punch a hole in the top (I used a Crop-A-Dile) and add a loop of ribbon ...

The pic above is my Grandpa Lee (mom's side) and below are Grandma Rose & Grandpa Fred (dad Fred's parents) ...

This is me and my dad (Arvis) when I was about 2 ...

And, the whole family crew including a picture of my Grandma Blossom (mom's mom) and my great-grandmother Meri (Grandma Rose's mom) in front of her tinsel Christmas tree ...

Next step, string them on a garland and find a place to hang 'em in my house ...

Cheers!

Halloween Pumpkins ...

2008-10-30T23:03:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween! Had dinner with family recently and decided to make a lil' Halloween treat for my niece.

It started with the Big Shot ...

... and the Pumpkin die ...

After a few more dies (Pumpkin Faces, Naturally Serif and the Top Note Bigz Die) I was able to put together this Halloween bag of jack-o-lanterns and treats.

The designer paper is from Stampin' Up!'s Ghostly Greetings package and the spider on the cellophane bag is from the Halloween rub-on set, Chills & Thrills.

She had fun playing with the pumpkins ... and liked the spiders, too!

Rockin' Some Halloween Cheer ...

2008-10-16T22:15:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite holidays is just around the corner. Perfect reason to use my new 'Just Jawing' stamp set and 'Chills & Thrills' rub-ons ...

The Card:
The skull and 'You Rock' greeting are both from the 'Just Jawing' stamp set. I stamped the skull on shimmery white cardstock using Basic Black ink and then colored in the the hearts with a Real Red marker. I stamped the greeting with Versamark and embossed with clear embossing powder. After cutting out the skull (paper snips work great) I adhered it to the card using a few stampin' dimensionals to give it a bit of depth.

The Candle Holder:
I picked up some glass votive candle holders at the local craft store and used the 'Chills & Thrills' rub-ons to decorate the glass. Quick & Easy!

Think I need to by some pumpkin candles ...

Bag o' Treats ...

2008-10-04T17:27:00.000-07:00

Earlier this year, I made some "bag ties" using punches. It was the perfect thing to revive for the Halloween season to create a lil' bag o' treats ...

For this project, I used:

Stamp Set: Batty for You
Cardstock: Basic Black, Shimmery White, Tangerine Tango
Punches: Scallop Circle, 1 3/8" Circle, 1 1/4" Circle, Double Rectangle

I stamped the image with Versamark ink and embossed with black embossing powder. The whole thing was tied on to a small cello bag with a piece of black grosgrain ribbon.

Here's the original Valentine's Day project including some step-by-step pictures.

Swapping out images and colors this bag decoration can work for any occasion! In fact, someone in my stamp class last month said "Wedding Favors" -- excellent idea.

Spooky Spider Treats

2008-10-01T00:25:00.001-07:00

October! Can't believe it's here. The year is going by entirely too fast. But, on the plus side, October means plenty of excuses for Halloween stamp projects (of course, I got headstart last month with the Boo Banner).

No better way to get the trick-or-treat season started than with a Spooky Spider candy jar. This was so fast & easy to make -- the perfect project for my time-crunched schedule.

The ingredients:

Spooky Spider Décor Elements (small)
Eat, Drink & Be Scary stamp set
Shimmery White, Kiwi Kiss and Tangerine Tango cardstock
Tag Punches (small & regular)
Tangerine Tango 5/8" striped grosgrain ribbon and a bit of black hemp twine

But, of course, you can't have a candy jar and leave it empty ...

A bit of a close-up on the tag, embossed with black embossing powder ...

and the Spooky Spider striking a pose in front of Halloween colored M&Ms ...

Putting the vinyl wall decal on the glass jar took about 5 - 10 minutes (and that was moving slowly as it was my first time using the décor elements). The tag was another 5 minutes or so (quick & easy thanks to the tag punches).

If you want to make your own jar, Stampin' Up! is offering the Spooky Spider décor elements in 3 sizes (and, you can order online thru my site, too!)

I'm taking this jar into work to provide a lil' Halloween spirit (and, so I don't eat all the M&Ms solo)

Cheers!

Boo! It's Fall

2008-09-21T22:55:00.000-07:00

Where did Summer go? The stores are now filled with fall colors and Halloween treats. To get in the spirit, I spent some time playing with my Big Shot to create my own decoration - Boo!

To create 'Boo' banner, I used the smaller pennant from the Stampin' Up! exclusive Pennant Bigz XL die - popping out pennants in Basic Black and Ghostly Greetings designer paper. The green accent is the created by simply folding the designer paper over - with a pattern on both sides, an accent paper is built right in!

The letters were made using the Serif Essentials Bigz die and chipboard. I sponged Basic Black craft ink onto the letters before applying chunky glitter in black. Tombow multi-purpose adhesive works great for gluing glitter and adhering the chipboard letters to the pennant.

Final touch, adhere striped gosgrain ribbon in Kiwi Kiss using sticky strip.

Happy Crafting.

Wow Flowers & Flores Llamativas ...

2008-09-01T22:00:00.000-07:00

Greetings from the tail-end of the 3-day weekend. Here are a some cards I created using the new Wow Flowers stamp set and its counterpart in Stampin' Up!'s Spanish Catlog, Flores Llamativas. Being a native Californian, I like having stamps with sayings like 'muchas gracias' so I was happy to see more Spanish stamp sets coming out. All of the cards are made using colors from the new In Colors collection.

Birthday Wishes ...

On the Left:
Stamps: Canvas for the background, all other stamps from 'Flores Llamativas'
Colors: Baja Breeze, Pacific Point, and Whisper White
Accessories: Clear Button, Rhinestone Brad, Ribbon in Baja Breeze,
Punches: Scallop Circle, 1 3/8" Circle, 1" Circle, Word Window

On the Right:
Stamps: Canvas for the background, all other stamps from 'Wow Flowers'
Colors: Pink Pirouette, Riding Hood Red, and Whisper White
Accessories: Clear Button, Rhinestone Brad, Ribbon in Pink Pirouette
Punches: Scallop Circle, 1 3/8" Circle, 1" Circle, Word Window

Thank You ...

On the Left:
Stamps: Canvas for the background, all other stamps from 'Flores Llamativas'
Colors: Tangerine Tango, Kiwi Kiss, Barely Banana and Whisper White
Accessories: Clear Button, Rhinestone Brad, Ribbon in Tangerine Tango
Punches: Scallop Circle, 1 3/8" Circle, 1" Circle

On the Right:
Stamps: Canvas for the background, all other stamps from 'Wow Flowers'
Colors: Tangerine Tango, Kiwi Kiss, Barely Banana and Whisper White
Accessories: Clear Button, Rhinestone Brad, Ribbon in Kiwi Kiss
Punches: Scallop Circle, 1 3/8" Circle, 1" Circle

Tips:

To creat the large scallop, use the Pennant die and Big Shot die cut machine

To create a flat rhinestone brad embellishment, cut the prongs off using craft & rubber scissors and attach the rhinestone top to the button using a glue dot.

To make the 'Muchas Gracias' stand out on the Tangerine Tango cardstock, stamp with Riding Hood Red.

Enjoy ...

Sparkle Card

2008-08-21T21:08:00.000-07:00

Had some fun with my new Big Shot last night and made a quick retro-inspired card ...

First, cut a few images with the Sprarkle sizzlits die (this image reminds me of a '60s wall clock). I used some scrap pieces of Basic Black and a piece of Orchid Opulence. This is a great way to use up scrap pieces of cardstock!

Next, assemble the card (told you it was quick)...

I used Kiwi Kiss for the main card body, rounding the corners with the Corner Rounder punch. Along the left, I attached a small strip of Baja Blue cardstock. The Sparkles were glued down using a few dots of Tombow Multi Purpose Adhesive. For the center dots, I punched smaller circles using the 1/4" Circle punch and popped them up with small bits of Stampin' Dimensionals (I cut one dimensional into 4 pieces). The final touch ... add the 'way to go!' rub-on from the School Days set.

I'm thinking a set of these cards in different color combinations would be fun to make ...

Big Shot Arrives!

2008-08-20T23:33:00.000-07:00

At work today one thought kept entering my mind, "The UPS guy is delivering my packages today." Sure enough, when I got home, here's what was waiting for me in the Stamp Garage ...

And, inside, my Big Shot!

Of course, I had to play ... no particular project in mind, I just wanted to learn how to use the Big Shot and my new cutting and embossing dies. It was so easy; within minutes I was hooked. Here are just a few of the test items I popped out using Big Shot.

First, testing out an embosslit embossing die ... this one is a special edition for Stampin' Up!'s 20th Anniversary year.

It embossed and cut out the scallop image in one pass!

Next up, I tried out one of the extended dies. I used a scrap from a piece of 12x12 cardstock for this one. In one side ...

Out the other ...

The result ... a set of scripted words perfectly cut. I would never attempt this with scissors or an exacto knife.

And, of course, I had to test out the ability to die-cut materials other than cardstock. Enter -- a scrap of leather. The result -- a leather monogram K!

I want to play some more with the Big Shot ... but have to get some sleep before work tomorrow. *sigh*

Stampin' Up! has partnered with Sizzix to offer a Big Shot specially designed for Stampin' Up! plus exclusive dies that coordinate with Stampin' Up! stamp sets in addition to other Sizzix dies (Sizzlits, Embosslits, Extended dies, Bigz dies, and Bigz XL dies). Stampin' Up! dies will work with your Sizzix Big Shot ... and Sizzix dies will work with your SU! Big Shot. Time to play!

Stampin' Up! Convention Photos

2008-08-17T23:48:00.000-07:00

Whew! Finally had a full weekend at home - my first since early July - so was able to get caught up on a few things while waiting for my new stamps, punches and Big Shot to arrive. I mounted some stamps from convention (while doing laundry) and sorted thru some designer paper. And ... ta-da! ... created photo galleries from my Stampin' Up! Convention pictures. The galleries include lots of photos from the main stage presenations featuring lots of cute project ideas. Be sure to check out the great home decor items made with the Big Shot (Day 3).

Day 1 Photo Gallery

Just one photo from the Day 1 gallery ...

Awards Night Photo Gallery

Just one photo from the Awards Night gallery ...

Day 2 Photo Gallery

Just one photo from the Day 2 gallery ...

Day 3 Photo Gallery

Just one photo from the Day 3 gallery ...

Hope you enjoy the photos and get some stamping ideas!

Home Office Decor Ideas ...

2008-08-11T23:08:00.000-07:00

There were so many great ideas at the Stampin' Up! convention this year -- I wish I could have taken a couple extra weeks off from work so I could just play in the Stamp Garage. Here are just a few Home Decor ideas featured -- wish my computer spaced looked like this!

This desk and chair are decorated using the 'Organic Outlines' Decor Elements vinyl wall decals in white ...

The file folders are decorated using 'Urban Garden' designer series paper ...

Small pieces of designer series paper were also used to add a backdrop to the photographs and the walls were stamped using the 'Organic Outlines' stamp set ...

Looking forward to some Stamp Garage playtime this weekend!

Bunch o' Thanks ...

2008-08-08T09:17:00.000-07:00

A quick note before the weekend ... the stamp set 'One Smart Cookie' has returned in the 2008 Fall/Winter Idea Book & Catalog. So happy to see it! This set was in the Spring Occassions mini catalog and I had a lot of fun creating with it so glad others will get a chance to play now, too.

Here's a quick card I created using the grapes and 'thanks a bunch' stamps from the set. Nice thing is - the images and text are on different stamps so it's easy to mix and match the lil' pictures and sayings.

Punches: I used the new Stampin' Up! Scallop Edge punch and the Corner Rounder punch.

Color: The color is Orchid Opulence ... cardstock, classic ink (for the text) and a marker to fill in the grapes. The grapes on the background are actually stamped in Versamark because I wanted them to be slightly lighter than stamping with the Orchid Opulence ink -- but still match the color (Versamark ink is perfect for this!)

Techniques: Before coloring the grapes, I stamped them in Versamark and embossed with black embossing powder. To add a bit of texture, I sponged some Orchid Opulence on the cardstock.

Accessories: Keeping the card simple, I added a small piece of black gingham ribbon and a silver brad.

This card is now on its journey through the US Post ...

Convention Make and Takes ...

2008-08-03T23:05:00.000-07:00

Home! (well, for one night at least. I fly out for a biz trip tomorrow)I'll be sure to start putting together my convention photo galleries when I get back - but first, I wanted to share the two last make and takes from the Stampin' Up! 2008 Convention.

Both of these projects use the new 'Eastern Blooms' stamp set. The box is made from a 9 1/2" x 6" piece of Pink Pirouette card stock. To decorative top is a 12" x 2" piece of the new Bella Rose designer series paper edged with the new Scallop Edge punch.

This box holds 5" x 3 1/2" note cards and envelopes.

My favorite part of this project was making the rosette. It's an 11" piece of 1 1/4" gorsgrain ribbon in Pink Pirouette gathered with a running stitch along one side. The edges are covered in a thin layer of Crystal Effects and Chunky Stampin' Glitter in silver.

The next project is a bookmark made from a scalloped square from On Board Essentials, a 20" piece of 5/8" striped grosgrain ribbon in Pacific Point and a couple new Filigree Designer brads.

A fun gift idea!

And, now that I'm home, I was able to take some better pics of the other make-n-take projects. Here they are again ...

Inspired by Nature ...

Flight of the Butterfly ..

Eastern Blooms ...

I'm thinking bookmark stocking stuffers might be a good idea this year ...

I'll post a rosette tutorial when I'm back from the biz trip ... Cheers!

2008 Convention - Final Day

2008-08-02T20:46:00.000-07:00

Started today by first checking out the display of the new Stampin' Up! Big Shot adn carrying bag (the demos hadn't started yet, so I just peered longingly thru the plexiglass cube). I can't wait to get a Big Shot. Sure, it will cut through cardstock and chipboard but I can't wait to try it out on fabric, leather and other materials!

Eventually, convention had to come to a close - but it went out with a bang ... the bang of confetti canons. The minute the UPS guy walked on stage, we all knew something was up because usually when one of sees the UPS guy at home, that means new stamping stuff being delivered. Sure enough, the UPS guy was there deliver all of us the "Say It with Scallops" set from the new catalog!

UPS donated these sets and Stampin' Up! will be giving $2 from every set we received (plus all future sets sold) to the Ronald McDonald House Charities. A friend of mine stayed at a Ronald McDonald house for 3 months after her daughter was born 3 months early (happy to report, the daughter is now in grade school and doing great) so it makes me smile to know dollars are going to this cause.

It's been fun hanging out with some friends. Susan and I both celebrated 5 years as demonstrators so I decided to capture the moment ...

And, ended the day by having dinner & drinks with Teresa & Cheryl, demonstrator friends I met at convention last year in Denver ...

Here are a couple of the projects we made today. I had fun not only playing with some of the new Stampin' Up! products but also learning new techniques. All the projects today featured the new 'Eastern Blooms' stamp set - love it! Here are a couple of the projects - will post the others when I get home (just wait until you see the ribbon rosette)

This card uses several new In Colors: Baja Breeze, Kiwi Kiss and Tangerine Tango (ink). The main focal point of the card was made by dry embossing using the Floral Frenzy Brass Classy Brass template and then lightly brayering Tangerine Tango (new In Color) over the de-bossed side and using the template again as a guide to create the stems by making little dots with a white gel pen. I used the Color Spritzer Tool for the first time (yep, that's on my wish list now, too)

The next project is a mini-book made using two 3 x 3 inch Love Notes in Tangerine Tango and the coordinating envelopes in Very Vanilla. Of course, I didn't have pictures with me to finish off the inside so will have to do that at home. I was also thinking this could be a creative new form of invitation ... a little booklet highlight weekend events for a girls getaway to the spa ...

I'll post the other project pics when I get home. In fact, I have tons (only a slight exageration) of pictures from convention so I'll be creating some photo galleries to share.

2008 Convention - Day 3

2008-08-01T22:48:00.000-07:00

Wrapping up the third day of Stampin' Up!'s demonstrator convention ... but first, a bit more about yesterday. As I mentioned, it was "Awards Night" which means stampers were recognized for all sorts of achievements they accomplished during the past year. Stampin' Up! also announced their new demonstrator advisory board (they pick 8 new members each year) and my upline, Patty Bennett, was chosen to be a member.

I managed to snap a couple pics. Here's Patty standing out in the crowd just after her name was called ...

And, of course, getting a congratulatory hug from Stampin' Up! co-founder, Shelli Gardner ...

After all the awards were handed out, it was time for the entertainment. As I mentioned in day 2's post, the band was Tonic Sol-fa, an acappella group from Minneapolis, and they were great. Here are a couple snaps of the band ...

Congratulations, Patty.

The big announcement today, Stampin' Up! has partnered with Sizzix to deliver an SU! Big Shot and exclusive Stampin' Up! die-cuts and embossing templates. The convention center practically shook from the cheers in the room. The projects were adorable (stay tuned for more pictures) I'm excited to get mine and share it with all the visitors to the Stamp Garage.

Of course, there are the new stamp sets, too. Here are a couple more make-n-take projects from yesterday. These both feature Stampin' Up!'s "Flight of the Butterfly" set.

The scrapbook page uses cardstock in: More Mustard, Old Olive, Rose Red, Whisper White (to stamp the little butterfly) and the new In Color Baja Breeze. It also features On Board chipboard 'Loads of Letters', a flower from the 'Flower Fusion Too accents & Elements' kit and a button in Baja Breeze from the new Button Bouquet.

The card use cardstock in: More Mustard, Certainly Celery and the new In Colors Baja Breeze and Riding Hood Red. It also features a 'U' from On Board chipboard 'Loads of Letters' and a brad from the new Styled Vanilla Hodgepodge Hardware kit (shabby chic anyone? these new Vanilla hardware pieces are great!). The circle was cut using teh Coluzzle (5th circle from the center) and the scalloped edge was punched using Stampin' Up!'s new Scallop Edge punch (mmm, punches!)

Long day, but a good day. Thoroughly enjoying my stay at The Peery Hotel ..

So, closing out with a snap of some stampers happily swapping cards at The Peery ...

One more day of convention festivities tomorrow ...

2008 Convention - Day 2

2008-07-31T22:57:00.000-07:00

Today was the first full day of convention activities kicking off with the general session at 8:30am. I'm not sure how so many people can muster so much energy at that hour of the morning - but I witnessed it happen. Lots of fabulous demos including some peeks at new wall decor elements! I'm already brewing up some new class ideas from what I saw today.

Plenty of pictures to go through, but for now, thought you might enjoy seeing a couple of the make-n-take projects we made today featuring one of the new silhouette sets, "Inspired by Nature"

First, a card featuring the new In Color, Kiwi Kiss ...

Next, a gift bag featuring the new In Color, Tangerine Tango. This bag also uses the brand new So Saffron 7/8" polly twill ribbon and Tangerine Tango double-sided designer paper.

Tonight was the "Awards Night" with entertainment by acappella group, Tonic Sol-fa from Minneapolis. Great show! (never thought I'd hear 'The Lion Sleeps Tonight' done 'Muppet Show Style')

We're supposed to hear more new product announcements tomorrow ... stay tuned ...

p.s. Colors might not be quite accurate - using my hotel bed as a photo backdrop and the tableside lamp for extra light (the flash washes everything out) ... will take better pics when I get back to the Stamp Garage.

Greetings from Convention!

2008-07-30T21:51:00.000-07:00

Hello from 'Celebrate '08' ... Stampin' Up!'s demonstrator convention! The festivities officially begin tomorrow but so far things are getting off to a good start ... cute tote bags! What's not to love about a brown, green & turquoise messenger bag - and one that's big enough to hold books n' things but small enough to be purse-like.

Next up, cool display showing how to use items from Ikea to create a super-efficient (and, of course, cute) storage & workspace for stamping. (sorry if the pics are a bit blurry - didn't want to use the flash and cause glare from the glass)

On the outside of the Ikea cabinet, they decorated with Stampin' Up!'s new Decor Elements vinyl wall decals (need to paint the wall in my Stamp Garage so I apply my own decals)

And, of course ... the new catalog! (time to peruse the new images before catching some shut-eye ... convention general session starts at 8:30 am)

Stay tuned ... will try to post daily upates of convention projects & more.

Thanks, eBay Folks!

2008-07-16T00:07:00.000-07:00

The auctions are over and a big THANKS to everyone who looked and purchased. All the sets sold which means my Stamp Garage has a bit more room for new things. I'll be posting some more sets for sale after the current catalog retires. Stay tuned ...

The Stamp Sale Is On!

2008-07-09T12:50:00.000-07:00

Posted over 50 retired stamp sets on eBay last night - time to make room for new stamps & supplies. Decided to start all the auctions at $0.99 and also include a buy-it-now price to, hopefully, make it easier for folks to get the stamps they like. Over 15 sets already sold! To see what's on eBay, check out items by seller Kumquat.

Sharing the stamping love ...

Belated Spring Cleaning ...

2008-07-06T22:50:00.000-07:00

Had a great 4th of July weekend (hope you did, too). I spent quite a bit of time in the Stamp Garage but instead of stamping, it was photographing ... retired stamp sets. I decided to do some belated spring cleaning to make room for new stamps and supplies. So, pictures are taken and just over 50 retired sets will be posted on eBay soon!

Die-Cut Stamps!

2008-06-30T23:11:00.000-07:00

Wahoo! All the new stamp sets in Stampin' Up!'s new Fall-Winter 2008 Idea Book & Catalog will be die-cut. This is a huge time saver ... excited to see what the new designs will be.

Jewelry Projects ...

2008-06-28T21:23:00.000-07:00

Here are some more pictures from this month's stamp class featuring rub-ons, build-a-brad kits and, the secret ingredient, washers! Of course, the necklaces also look fabulous when using stone rounds from the bead store - but so much fun to go green by recycling hardware and other items you might have around the house.

These projects were made by Kiersten, Jenni and Kathy during class and show three different ideas for decorating a build-a-brad bracelet.

Kiersten used rub-ons on Whisper White cardstock to create her bracelet images ...

Jenni used family photos, scaled down on the computer and printed on glossy photo paper, to create her bracelet images ...

Kathy used double-sided designer paper to create her bracelet images ...

All bracelet images were punched out using a 1/2" Circle punch and the necklaces were sealed with a layer of clear embossing powder to prevent the rub-ons from coming off. To emboss, simply 'color' over the washer with a Versamarker pen, sprinkle clear embossing powder over the washer and heat.

I think there may have to be a Stampgarage Jewelry Class Part 2 in the future ...

Enjoy!

Stamp Garage Jewelry

2008-06-28T15:24:00.001-07:00

last nights class
Originally uploaded by kears10

Stamp class this month had a twist - instead of cards or other paper projects, it was all about rub-ons, brads and washers to make jewelry! Check out the project that Kiersten made!

For the necklace, Kiersten cut the rub-on image apart to create her own pattern. Smaller images were rubbed on to Whisper White cardstock and punched out with a 1/2" Circle Punch to use in the build-a-brad bracelet.

Fresh Cuts ...

2008-06-23T22:10:00.000-07:00

I finally found a few minutes to play with my Fresh Cuts stamp set and Fresh Cut Notes that arrived earlier this month. Here's my first card using the stamp set & coordinating note card ...

For this card, I stamped the image in Basic Black and then, using a post-it note, masked off the area and sponged on some Taken with Teal. Behind the cut-out is a piece of designer paper.

The flower is punched from black cardstock and then colored with a Versamarker and embossed with black embossing powder. I embossed a few layers to give it some extra shine. I also used the Versmarker and black embossing powder to create a border around the image.

Finally, finished off with a rhinestone brad from the Ice color collection.

Hope you like it!

Stamp Kit in Action!

2008-06-15T22:50:00.000-07:00

I dig seeing how many variations can come from the same set of supplies. For example, I made some "Tote n' Notes" kits in May using the same basic supplies from the "Summer Days" Simply Scrappin' Kit. Tonight, my friend Kiersten sent me pics of the Tote & Notes she made from the kit. Check 'em out!

Kiersten used the same paper that I used for my tote - but the flip side (the joy of double-sided designer paper). My bag featured stripes and we each decorated the 3x3 notes using self-adhesive die-cuts from the kit and our own personal style.

Enjoy!

Spring/Summer 2008 Retiring Stamp Sets

2008-06-15T22:44:00.000-07:00

It's that time again. Stampin' Up! just announced the retiring stamp sets from the current catalog. I don't have too many disappearing this time ... excited to see what new images they'll be coming out with in the new Idea Book & Catalog.

Curious to see which stamps will go *poof* after August 10? Here are links to the list(s) ...

"It's Your Birthday" and "Much Appreciated" are a couple of my favorites!

Storage Ideas!

2008-06-11T12:48:00.000-07:00

If you're like me, you're always looking for new, creative, organization solutions and clever ways to store all your arts & crafts goodies. Well here's another place to get ideas - a blog dedicated to creative storage ideas! Crafty Storage

p.s. Thanks to Patty for passing along this great blog find.

Jewelry in June ...

2008-06-08T23:48:00.000-07:00

Decided to go for something different for June's stamp class: Jewelry! Here are some samples ...

These pieces use rub-ons, designer paper and build-a-brads ... a fun way to turn your stamp supplies into wearable accessories!

Class Kits ...

2008-06-08T23:41:00.000-07:00

May's stamp class ended up being
'virtual' due to the class date falling during the week of our road re-paving (and road closure). So - class to the form of a kit! Finished putting together a few more kits for shipping to friend in Austin & elsewhere this weekend.

Birthday Greetings!

2008-05-31T20:21:00.000-07:00

I decided to make a card using one of the sketch challenge layouts from Splitcoast Stampers. This card uses the layout for SC177.

Stamps: SU! Canvas background, 'Happy Birthday' from Hot Potatoes
Cardstock: Old Olive, Cameo Coral and designer paper from SU!
Inks: Old Olive, Chocolate Chip

To accent the image, I used a versmarker to highlight parts of the cupcake and then embossed with clear (cupcake wrapper), vanilla (cupcake frosting), and iridescent ice (candle flame).

Scallop Notes ...

2008-05-25T14:44:00.000-07:00

I bought some scallop note awhile back and finally got around to creating a couple cards with them. The notes come in a pack of 3 colors (Very Vanilla, Soft Sky and Kraft) and, being a fan of little notes, I think I'll be using these more. They'll be cute mounted on to the front of larger cards, too.

They're a bit tricky to photograph since when they stand up, you can't see that the front scallop edge is a bit shorter than the back - so here's a "reclining card" to show the front/back difference.

Soft Sky Scallop Notecard
The card front is stamped on a 2 1/4 x 2 1/4 piece of Very Vanilla cardstock and mounted on a piece of Groovy Guava that's just a smidge bigger.

Stamps: Live Your Dreams (SU)
Colors: Groovy Guava, Creamy Caramel
Cardstock: Very Vanilla, Groovy Guava, Soft Sky (a dot created by punching with an 1/8" circle punch)
Tip: The smaller flowers in the lower right were stamped off once (Creamy Caramel) before stamping the card.

Kraft Scallop Notecard
To make the edges pop a bit more, I sponged a bit of color (for this card, I used Perfect Plum). For this card, I also used a rub-on greeting in black from the Eastern Elegance rub-on set.

Stamps: Friendly Flowers (SU)
Colors: Pale Plum, Perfect Plum, Pretty in Pink
Cardstock: Very Vanilla, Basic Black, Pretty In Pink (a dot created by punching with an 1/8" circle punch)
Tip: The smaller flower image in the upper right was stamped off once (Perfect Plum) before stamping the card. The Friend saying was stamped in Perfect Plum at full-strength.

Hope you're enjoying your weekend!

Art Journals ...

2008-05-24T13:24:00.000-07:00

On reason I haven't had much time for stamping cards n' such lately (besides work) is that I was weeks behind on completing a spread for an art journal project I'm participating in. I was stumped on how to finish the front and then it hit me - chipboard!

I used chipboard letters from Stampin' Up!'s "On Board Lots of Letters" to spell out Mexico (nice that the chipboard is 25% off this month). I covered each letter with tissue paper from some papel picado using matte gel medium and aged the tissue with a color wash of acrylic paint.

I finished the journal spread last weekend (you can see read more about the journal and see more pics here) and it's now on its way to the next artist!

More 3x3 Notes ...

2008-05-22T23:07:00.000-07:00

I decided to snap a few more pics of the Totes n' Notes project. I'm completely hooked on the lil' 3x3 notecards. They're such a great size for gift enclosures and a quick "Thanks" ... Plus, as one of my blog readers commented, they're ther perfect way to use up scraps! Hope you enjoy the extra photos.

First, I wanted to show a bit more detail on the Tote. These embellishments are self-adhesive die-cut images. They stack beautifully and add dimension to the project.

These 3x3 notecards use textured cardstock in Wild Wasabi, Pumpkin Pie, Real Red and Bashful Blue. Each one is also embellished with a combination of self-adhesive die-cuts, small scraps of designer paper and rub-on greetings.

I'm looking forward to the 3-day weekend ... finally some big blocks of stamp time! If I stamp enough projects, I might just give some away on the blog next week.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Tote n' Notes

2008-05-18T22:42:00.000-07:00

Here 'tis - the complete Tote n' Notes project (well, this plus 4 more cards -- 8 notecards total).

Supplies for this project:

Summer Days Simply Scrappin' Kit

Die-Cut Blooms

Jumbo Eyelets

Striped Grosgrain Ribbon

Eastern Elegance Rub-Ons

I was all set to teach this project in my May class but now there will be a slight variation. The change is actually in the class location. Turns out, my street is being re-paved the week after Memorial Day Weekend which means nobody can get in or out -- makes getting to class at The Stamp Garage a bit difficult. So, I'll be putting together custom kits (with a special suprise) for everyone who'd like a 'virtual' class. So, that means my remote friends can make the class project, too!

One friend of mine already commented that this would make a great gift for teachers. I was thinking it'd be a fun gift for brides, too (different colors, papers and you have a tote with 8 'thank you' notes for the newlywed).

Cheers!

Welcome to May!

2008-05-07T22:56:00.000-07:00

Ah, finally getting back to some stamping ... getting ready for my May stamp class. I thought it would be fun to make mini tote bags and 8 note cards to go inside. We made totes & notes at the stamp group meeting I went to a couple weeks ago so thought I'd share the project with my stamp friends. It's amazing what you can do with a single sheet of designer paper and a sheet of textured cardstock! Here's a pic o' my 3x3 notes in progress ...

I'll post more complete pics of the totes & notes soon!

Spring Greetings ...

2008-04-13T22:25:00.000-07:00

Almost feels like spring has moved directly into summer around here -- the warm weather inspired me to use a couple of my favorite SU! Spring Mini catalog sets -- 'Tart & Tangy' and 'One Smart Cookie' for my swap cards. (I'll be swapping cards at a stamp meeting next weekend) ...

I used 4" x 8" Whisper White (folded to make a 4" x 4" card and a 2 1/2" x 4" piece of Only Orange textured cardstock ... plus, a small piece of Green Galore.

The larger orange slice is from 'Tart & Tangy' and attached to a circle of Green Galore cardstock using a white eyelet. I also used The small orange from the 'One Smart Cookie' set. I used the 1 1/4" and 1 3/8" circle punches. No cutting! The whole thing is attached to the card front using a couple Stampin' dimensionals to give a lil' bit of depth.

The 'Orange You Cute' greeting is stamped in Green Galore and punched out using the Word Window punch. No need to try aligning the tiny text - just stamp first and then punch it out.

Alignment Tip: To keep the little oranges straight, I used a tool I haven't used in awhile -- the Stampin' Around Wheel Guide. This guide is a great tool when you want to stamp multiple images in a line (just keep the bottom of your stamp block touching the guide as you stamp each image). To keep the spacing even, I aligned the left edge of my stamp block with the right edge of the previous 'orange' as I worked my way across.

I think I'm going to make sets of cards using different colors/fruit combinations from the same stamp sets ... hmmm ... I think I feel a blog giveaway coming up!

Thank You!

2008-03-30T00:21:00.000-07:00

Wow - March was a blur. Business trips, conferences, a music vacation ... plus a big birthday party thanks to husband, friends and family. It was perfect - no stress; just hanging out with friends on a beautiful spring day - lots of good food and great music. So, my first jump back into stamping after many weeks away - Thank You Notes!

The husband did an amazing job getting the yard ready, lining up BBQ, arranging for tables & chairs for 40+ ... while my friends took over as the party planners (cake, decorations, music, invites). Mom supplied old photos which showed up as part of the party decor. I opted to use one of the photos featured at the party on the thank you notes (a pic of me & my dog, Toby). The colors are inspired by the paper flowers from the party - a great match to Tempting Turquoise, Pink Passion and Only Orange. The stamped image is from the 'Fabulous Flowers' set (I also stamped 'Thank You' from the 'Much Appreciated' set on the inside) ...

Time to start writing notes and addressing envelopes ... really can't thank everyone enough for the amazing day.

Flying to Washington next week for Artfest ... should be a great way to get back into the creative swing of things.

Biz Trips and Conferences ...

2008-03-12T08:48:00.000-07:00

No posting for a bit ... I was in London last week on a business trip and then flew directly to Austin for some conferences. Hoping to get a bit of stamp time when I'm home next week ... stay tuned.

Tagged!

2008-02-24T11:20:00.000-08:00

Marie at The Stamp Lounge tagged me ... now it's time for me to answer a few questions and tag someone else!

1. Stamping Style: Hmm, not sure I have just one. I tend to like clean & simple lines and sometimes opt to focus on a single image ... but then I'll get into an 'altered' mood and start roughing things up and layering quite a bit. I guess on the blog, I've tended to post some of the projects that fall more into the 'quick stamping' category since I assume everyone is time-crunched like me.

2. Inspiration: Almost any magazine can spark a layout or color idea, I love checking out graphic design mags, and, of course, other stampers creativity ... color inspiration comes from everywhere ... sometimes just seeing a couple paper scraps on my studio table or ink colors from different projects blended on my grid paper.

3. Color: I tend to go for stronger colors ... black, white with hot pinks, reds & oranges ... seems I've done several hot pink & orange combos. Recently I've been doing more with chocolate brown and also love 'retro' color combinations. I just saw an artists work that uses teal and rust - going to have to try that.

4. Workspace: I have a 2-car garage that is now my studio. The back corner has lots of work surface area, cabinets all around and craftsmen tool chests under the work surfaces ... still feel like I could some more organizational help but it's a start! The front of the garage has a long table from Ikea that can seat 10 - perfet for classes - or just when I need to spread out for a sewing project or some other activity.

5. Perfect: Sleep in, yoga, chill with a magazine and a cup of coffee (or sometimes tea), time with friends, time to create, time to spend with the husband, time to explore, laughing, lots of music, more sleep.

6. First Job: Guessing the first job would be at A&W - it was short-lived as I quickly found a job at a bookstore but there business wasn't doing too well so I ended up working the rest of the summer at Yum-Yum donuts. As a student, starting work at 6am puts a major cramp in your summer activities ... and I didn't eat donuts for years after that -- surrounded by fried sugar and with a 'donuts anytime' policy, they were no longer appealing. I still opt for an english muffin, bagel or toast over donuts ...

7. Wildest Dream: I wanted to be a rock star when I was a kid ... now, I dream of doing voice-over work while Grady makes creative works for hire giving us plenty of money and time to do other things for ourselves.

8. Ink: Love the Stampin' Up! ink - can't go wrong with the easy color matching and the quality is great. I tend to use more classic (dye-based) ink - but also like working with craft (pigment-based) ink for custom embossing colors. Craft ink is also great to use like paint on small projects, too. Staz-On is perfect for watercolor and other special techinques. Versmark - can't go wrong for a clear embossing ink. I also like Tim Holtz distress inks and Adirondak alcohol inks for some aging and altering things.

9. Family: Originally from California - Mom's still in the area and lives in the same town as my in-laws so easy to see everyone at the holidays. Father in Idaho. Brothers in Idaho and NY. Brother- & sister-in-law & nieces live just a few minutes away from us in San Jose so we get to see them quite a bit - others from bro-in-laws & family are in Napa, Austin and Volcano (Hawaii) ...

10. Biggest Challenge: Time. Relaxation. Pacing. Working a full-time corporate gig doesn't always leave much time or headspace for creativity ... I have to remember to also leave time to just chill out and do nothing - sometimes that's when the creative ideas show up.

Now ... to tag some more folks ...

Heather at Witty Title Here

Dawn at Treasure Oiler Designz

Rabbit Moon ...

2008-02-23T10:25:00.000-08:00

A friend of mine sent me some clown heads for a future art project I want to do (I'm surprised how difficult it has been to find clowns). To thank her, I made this card. She loves bunnies ... has several of her own and helps with bunny rescue.

Stamps: I used a stamp set called "Rabbit Moon" from Taiwan that I found at a local stamp store.

Inks: I like the pen brush stroke illustration style used for these images. Colors are Ruby Red, So Saffron and Creamy Carmel.I stamped off the So Saffron to lighten the sun a bit.

Paper: I used a pre-cut/scored notecard from Stampin' Up! and layered with Night of Navy and Whisper White textured cardstock. Last touch ... a small piece of decorative Japanese paper.

Need to get this card in the mail ...

Happy Valentine's Day ...

2008-02-14T09:33:00.000-08:00

Here's another card from my January class ... paper flowers for Valentine's Day!

Making the flowers is much like making the Valentine Treat Toppers ... stamp, punch & stick.

Punches Used:

Scallop Circle Punch

1 3/8" Circle Punch (or 1 1/4 Circle Punch depending on the size of your stamp)

1/2" Circle Punch

Stamp Sets: Big Pieces, Little Pieces, Holidays & Wishes

Colors (inks & cardstock): Groovy Guava, Wild Wasabi, Purely Pomegranate, Soft Sky, Blue Bayou ... and Whisper White craft ink.

To make the flowers petals ...
I punched 2 scallop circles of textured cardstock (2 pieces so that I could put the wire stem in the center and still have a finished flower back).

To create the centers ...
I stamped images from Big Pieces and punched them out with the 1 3/8" Circle Punch. Then, I stamped images from Little Pieces and punched them out with the 1/2" Circle Punch. To complete the centers, I attached the 1/2" circles to the 1 3/8" circles using brads (a paper piercer works great to create a starter hole for the brads). Next, I attached the 1 3/8" circles to one of the scallop circles using Stampin' Dimensionals.

To finish the flowers ...
I cut a piece of wire (approx. 6"), folded it in half and twisted ... creating the stem. I sandwhiched the wire between the 2 scalloped circles using Sticky Strip.

To attach the flowers to the card ...
I used Stampin' Dimensionals behind one flower, and Sticky Strip behind the other (creating some depth). Finally, I punched two small holes with a paper piercer on either side of the wire stems and tied with a small piece of linen thread.

Last Steps ...
I used a Stamp-a-ma-jig to place the "Happy Valentine's Day" greeting ... stamped in Whisper White craft ink on textured Purely Pomeagranate cardstock. The final piece is attached a Whisper White greeting card ... ready for sending.

Have Fun!

Valentine Treats ...

2008-02-09T20:09:00.000-08:00

While playing around in the Stamp Garage last month, figuring out what valentine stamp projects to include in my class, I decided one of the projects should be "3-D" ... as in, not just another card. Well, of course chocolate and Valentine's Day go great together so a chocolate-filled cello bag was a start. I didn't want to make the project to complicated or time consuming (we're all crunched for time) and wanted something beyond the standard tag ... enter the punches! Lots of them!

For this project, I used 6 punches:

Scallop Circle
1 3/8" Circle
1 1/4" Circle
1" Circle
1/2" Circle
Double Rectangle

Stamp Sets: I used 'Circle of Friendship' and 'Little Pieces.'
Cardtstock: Pretty in Pink, Chocolate Chip, Pink Passion, Whisper White
Ink: Chocolate Chip, Pink Passion

Steps to make your own sweet treats goodie bag ...

Punch out one piece of Pink Passion cardstock using the Scallop Circle punch. Then punch two rectangle slots from your Pink Passion scallop circle using the Double Rectangle punch.

Next, punch out a Pretty in Pink circle using a 1 3/8" Circle punch and a Chocolate Chip circle using a 1 1/4" Circle punch. Then, stamp your favorite saying from the 'Circle of Friendship' stamp set using Chocolate Chip ink on Whisper White cardstock. Punch out the image using a 1" Circle punch. Stamp your favorite image from 'Little Pieces' in Pink Passion ink on Pretty in Pink cardstock and punch out using a 1/2" Circle punch. Adhere the 3 larger circles using your favorite adhesive -- leave the 1/2" circle for later.

Run a piece of ribbon through the slots on the Pink Passion scallop (I used pink and white gingham ribbon that is 3/16" wide). Next, attach the Pretty in Pink (1 3/8")circle to the front of the Pink Passion scallop using a couple Stampin' Dimensionals. (Be sure that your ribbon runs out the back of the scallop so that you can tie your treat topper to the cello bag.) Adhere the small Pretty in Pink (1/2") circle to the center of your 'Circle of Friendship' (1") circle using a Stampin' Dimensional.

You're now ready to fill your cello bag with your treat of choice and tie on the scallop decoration. Voila!

For my treats, I used small cello bags (3" x 5") - they were the perfect size to share a small handful of Hershey's Kisses.

Hope you have a great Valentine's Day next week. And, if you're not celebrating Valentine's Day - use black cardstock for your scallop and go with an Anti-Valentine's Day treat ... everyone loves chocolate. ;)

Spring Solitude ...

2008-01-28T08:17:00.000-08:00

Maybe it's all the rain we've been getting lately that prompted me to go with lots of flower designs in the cards I made for my January stamp class. I used the 'Spring Solitude' set for this card.

I opted to keep the stamping simple (another "ooh, I need a card quick" option). Images are stamped in Purely Pomegranate, Taken with Teal, Pumpkin Pie and Old Olive. The greeting is stamped in Versamark and embossed with black embossing powder - tho' you can stamp this in Black ink or color of your choice (Old Olive looks nice) if you want to save a tiny bit of time on the embossing step.

A Lil' Thanks ...

2008-01-21T19:12:00.000-08:00

Getting ready for stamp class this week. Here's one of the featured projects, a 4x4 inch "Thank You" notecard.

I used the new "A Beautiful Thing" stamp set and a piece of Bali Breeze double-sided designer paper. Cardstock colors are Old Olive and Pumpkin Pie. The greeting is from the "Much Appreciated" stamp set - stamped in Whisper White craft ink.

The Flowers: The flower was stamped in Pumpkin Pie ink on Pumpkin Pie cardstock and then punched out with the 5-petal punch. I inserted a small white fabric flower (from Stampin' Up!'s "Pretties" kit) colored with some Pumpkin Pie pastel chalk and a marker for the flower center.

The Ribbon: To decorate the ribbon, I stamped the tiny flower images (4 in a row on one stamp) from "A Beautiful Thing" in Pumpkin Pie ink on to a piece of white grosgrain ribbon. This is a great way to make sure your ribbon ties into your project!

These notecards go together quickly ... perfect when you're short on time.

Good Things in 2008!

2008-01-12T12:04:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year!

I'm finally getting back to a somewhat normal routine and looking to do some more stamping. I stamped this card with the new 'Time Well Spent' stamp set on watercolor paper using Timber Brown Staz-On ink. I played with a quick watercolor wash in Pumpkin Pie, Old Olive and Summer Sun using watercolor crayons and, you guessed it, water. By using more or less water I was able to create lighter and darker shades of the same color.

For a bit more bling, I added a touch of glitter in the center of the flowers. It doesn't show up too well in the photo.

Books & Boards ...

2007-12-04T18:13:00.000-08:00

In an attempt to get organized for the holidays, I decided to decorate a clipboard and a notebook to keep track of lists, receipts (thanks to a pocket) and other to-dos ... Great thing about these projects is all it takes is some designer paper & a glue stick!

I featured these projects at my class last week. Everyone chose their own designer paper - for my projects I used SU's Dashing paper (I'm a big fan of the simple geometric patterns and slightly retro holiday colors). For embellishemnts, I used some small chipboard pieces colored with craft ink (Old Olive, Very Vanilla, Real Red) ... and, some stamping with the Rough Edges alphabet and 'Snow Burst' stamp set.

I'm thinking I might make a few more of these for gifts ...

Happy December!

2007-12-01T09:51:00.000-08:00

Whew, so much for November. Too much going on to stamp, post ... but I'm determined to get back into the swing of creative things. To kick things off, a quick card that's great for the holidays or, change colors & images, and use the same layout for any occasion (birthday, wedding, 'just because').

I think the layout idea came from a sketch contest months back (sorry I can't recall which one, promise to post a link when/if I remember). Here's a bit more info about what I used:

Stamp Set: Season of Joy
Designer Paper: Holiday Harmony
Cardstock: Always Artichoke, Purely Pomegranate, Chocolate Chip, Whisper White
Ink: Purely Pomegranate, Always Artichoke
Extras: Chocolate Chip Satin Ribbon, Punches! (1 1/4" Circle, 1 3/8" Circle, Scallop Circle)

The 'Season of Joy' stamp set, 'Holiday Harmony' designer paper and satin ribbon were all from Stampin' Up!'s Holiday mini catalog.

I showed this card at my stamp class last month and I think it's safe to say it was a hit!

Here's to an enjoyable December!

Greetings from Mexico!

2007-10-26T20:53:00.000-07:00

Hola! I had great plans to post some more projects before leaving on my Mexico trip - but that obviously didn't happen :) If I find a rubber stamp store here in Oaxaca I'll be sure to make a card and post!

A Lil' Birthday Greeting ...

2007-10-17T21:57:00.000-07:00

Oh busy, busy, busy. Work hasn't left much time for stamping and I'm getting ready to go to Mexico next week. Maybe I had Mexico on my mind when I made this lil' birthday card for my niece.

This 3x3 card uses the Zoofari stamp set, stamped in black ink and colored with Pixie Pink and Tempting Turquoise markers. The greeting is from the Dias Felices stamp set - stamped in Tempting Turquoise.

The paper flowers were stamped using the Looks Like Spring stamp set and punched out with the Spring Flower Bouquet punch - I did this ages ago and tossed extras into a small glass jar.

Extra flowers and shapes are perfect to grab for a lil' embellishments!

World Card Making Day ...

2007-10-07T00:35:00.000-07:00

It was a busy day in the Stamp Garage. Started things off with 'Coffee & Cards' - some stamping accompanied by breakfast bread & beverages. Here are the cards that M. made for her son's first birthday party ...

These cards use the number 1 from the 'Headline Numbers' set stamped in Versamark and embossed with clear embossing powder. The bugs from the 'Bugs & Kisses' set are stamped in Chocolate Chip ink. (Both stamp sets Stampin' Up!)

After working on an art journal project I'm participating in, I decided to stamp some more cards to celebrate World Card Making Day. To keep things simple, I used the same basic layout for all of the cards I stamped today.

I'm a big Halloween fan and, since it's October, it seemed appropriate to make some more Halloween cards. I originally created these next two cards for my stamp class last month.

Both cards use a 3x3 piece of 'Creepy Crawly' designer paper. One side is a mosaic ...

The other side is black & webby ...

For both of the Halloween cards above, I stamped images from 'Autumn Apparitions' in Versamark and embossed with black embossing powder to create the silhouette effect. The greeting is also from 'Autumn Apparitions' and is stamped in Whisper White craft ink on black cardstock.

Next I decided to create a Halloween card that didn't use typical Halloween colors ...

The skull stamp and patterned paper are from Paper Source. I stamped the skull with Versamark on Very Vanilla cardstock and embossed with kaleidascope glitter embossing powder from JudiKins. Then I stamped 'Happy Halloween' from Stampin' Up!'s 'All Holidays' set in Versamark and embossed with Very Vanilla embossing powder. Mounted all on Chocolate Chip cardstock to finish things off.

For the last card of the evening, I decided to play with texture ...

For this card I used SU!'s 'True Friend' stamp set. I stamped the background in Chocolate Chip classic ink on vintage Japanese grass paper that my neighbor gave me (Thanks!). The greeting is stamped in Chocolate Chip craft ink on Very Vanilla cardstock and embossed with clear embossing powder. Mount all on Pumpkin Pie carstock and voila a Thank You card that reminds me of my aunt's pool house in the early '70s.

Time to sleep now ...

Zoiks!

2007-10-05T22:52:00.000-07:00

Ack - been busy, busy, busy and haven't had much time to stamp or post. I'll be making some stuff tomorrow tho' for World Card Making Day and promise to post a picture or two.

Tiny Treat Tote ...

2007-09-26T09:11:00.000-07:00

Getting ready for my monthly stamp class tomorrow and it's a Halloween theme. It seemed the perfect time to create a little treat bucket made from a Dixie cup ...

I saw these at convention and got a chance to make one at our quarterly stamp meeting a couple weeks ago (Thanks, Susan!). They're fund and easy to make. For this cup I used Stampin' Up!'s Creepy Crawly double-sided designer paper.

The Template: Simply (and gently) pull apart a Dixie cup to create your template. Remove the bottom circle leaving the sides of your cup. This is your template.

The Paper Cover: Use your template to trace onto designer paper (or whatever you'd like to use to cover your cup) and cut it out (paper snips or other thin-blade scissors work best).

To attach, I used Sticky Strip on both of the short ends of my piece of designer paper and, starting the seam on my new (not torn apart) cup, carefully wrapped the paper around until it overlapped the seam and the cup was completely covered. Use paper snips to trip off the extra designer paper that will be extending past the bottom of your cup.

Border & Handle: A strip of paper backed with sticky strip and wrapped around the lip of the cup makes the top border of the bucket ... another stip attached with brads is the handle.

Fill with your favorite goodie and enjoy!

More Than a Brown Box ...

2007-09-20T22:42:00.000-07:00

One of the great things about stamping and paper crafts is the flexibility ... make cards, scrapbook pages, gifts and even home decor items. I decided to combine a couple of these ideas and covered some simple boxes with patterned designer papers and ribbons. The boxes of course make great gift packages but they also make for nice holiday decor sitting on an entry table.

Paper: For these boxes, I used papers from the new SU Holiday Harmony double-sided designer paper from the Holiday Mini Collection.

Adhesive: When covering boxes, I recommend using a glue stick on the box and smoothing the paper down with a bone folder. Then, use some sticky strip (heavy duty double-sided tape) to tack down the edges. The designer paper will have some tension so using a heavy-duty adhesive will keep your edges down.

Ribbon: The ribbons are from SU's Theater set. The ribbon not only adds a great decorative edge, it also hides the seams between the top and sides of the box lids.

Label: For the front label on the square box, I used a piece of hardware from the Hodgepodge Hardware kit in Pewter. I punched a piece of white cardstock using the large oval punch and glued it behind the label frame with a bit of liquid glue. I'll handstamp a label once I figure out who the box is going to ... or what I want the box to contain.

Card Swap ...

2007-09-16T19:11:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was Patty's quartlery meeting - full of project tips, demos and make-n-takes. I presented some home decor ideas (will post pictures here soon) and demo'd making a 'paper pumpkin' (will teach this at my 'Halloween' stamp class on Sept 27).

Of course, it's not a meeting without card swaps. There were lots of great cards featuring stamps from SU's new Holiday Mini Collection. Here's my "quick card" swap ...

For my swap card, I used the new 'True Friend' stamp set from the Holiday Mini Collection. Cardstock colors are from the In Color series - Blue Bayou and Soft Sky (plus a small piece of Naturals White). I stamped images in Chocolate Chip ink and accented the card with a piece of 5/8" grosgrain ribbon in Chocolate Chip.

Of course, punches! I'm not a big fan of cutting things out so I love using punches. For this card, I used the new 3/16" corner rounder, the 1 3/8" circle, the 1" circle, the 1/4" circle and the Scallop circle punches. The final touch is a gold eyelet in the center of the 'flower.'

Tip: Here's a trick for centering the eyelet in the center of the flower image:

Punch a 1" circle from Soft Sky

Punch a 1/8" hole as close to center in the 1" circle as possible and set the eyelet.

Punch a 1/4" hole in the center of the flower - then use dimensionals to adhere the stamped image (punched out with a 1 3/8" circle punch) over the 1" circle so that the eyelet shows through in the center of the 1/4" hole. It doesn't matter if the 1" circle isn't perfectly centered in the 1 3/8" circle because you'll never see that part.

Use glue dots (or your favorite adhesive) on the back of the 1" circle to attach to the center of the Scallop circle.

Voila! Everything is centered.

Thanks to the punches there was no special cutting and this card went together quickly!

Thanks ...

2007-09-12T00:07:00.000-07:00

Thanksgiving will be here before we know it (*gasp* the year's flying by). Here's a Thanksgiving card I designed over the weekend ... I'm still having fun playing with watercolors!

For this card, I used the new SU set "Autumn Harvest" stamped in StazOn Timber Brown on watercolor paper. To color the image, I used Pumpkin Pie and Old Olive inks.

The greeting is stamped in Versamark and embossed with Very Vanilla embossing powder on designer paper.

A little ribbon to finish things off ... this was a quick & fun card to make.

Photo Galleries ...

2007-09-09T10:17:00.000-07:00

Finally found time to create some photo galleries from the pics I took at the Stampin' Up! Convention this year. If you've ever wondered what happens at convention, take a peek and you'll get a glimpse of what goes on.

PJ Stamp Party

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Last Night Entertainment

Once again, this year was full of great stamping projects & ideas!

Hello Halloween ...

2007-09-04T18:03:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure where the Summer went - but September is indeed here and that means Fall and that means I'm starting to think about Halloween.

So, playing with some older designer paper and my new-found fascination with watercolor, I came up with these for a card drive ...

I wanted to keep the card design fairly simple in order to focus on the watercolored image. I used images from SU's 'Booglie Eyes' set stamped in StazOn black ink on watercolor paper. Then, armed with a small paint brush, cup o' water and a bit of extra ink in the lids of my ink pads I started coloring!

The 'Happy Halloween' greeting is from SU's new 'All Holidays' set. The dots were from the 'In the Spotlight' hostess set (the dots helped fill in some of the extra space on the horizontal cards)

I punched each image out with the tag punch and cut a larger tag from black cardstock.

Tip: To create the black tag matte, mount your punched tag to the black cardstock. Then trim the edges using the tag as a guide leaving a 1/8" space (more or less depending on how large you want the black tag to be). Each edge should be one cut so it should be a bit easier to keep the spacing even.

The ink colors I used: Pumpkin Pie, Old Olive, Lovely Lilac.

Punched a hole (using the Crop-A-Dile) and looped a bit of ribbon ...

For fun, I added some booglie eyes to the characters to finish things off.

Stay Tuned ...

2007-08-30T23:48:00.000-07:00

Spending some time in Ashland so no posting for a few days ... but I'll be posting pics of some Halloween cards that I made last weekend on Monday ...

Handmade Greetings ...

2007-08-26T22:59:00.000-07:00

Here's another card I created to teach at class last week. I got the idea for this card from one of the cards we made at convention - but I wanted to use punches & chipboard so here's what I came up with ...

To make this 3 x 6 inch card, I started with a 6 x 6 inch piece of textured white cardstock. Next, I cut a 1/4 inch off one side to make room for the scalloped edge.

Scalloped Edge: Using a 3/16" corner rounder punch, I removed the 'guide' from the punch and start punching half-circles overlapping slightly along the edge of the cardstock in order to create a scallped edge.

Chipboard & Flower Embellishments: I used a couple pieces of chipboard from the On Board Blossoms and Basics chipboard set. For the small flower, I colored it using a sponge dauber and Certainly Celery craft (pigment) ink. For the larger circle, I colored it using a sponger dauber and Rose Red craft (pigment) ink - then coated with a layer clear embossing powder (melted with a heat tool of course) to create a shine. For the center, I stamped 'Handmade' from the 'Art by Design' set in Bashful Blue on a scrap of Whisper White cardstock and punched it out with a 1 1/4" circle punch and attached with glue dots. Finally, I punched a few So Saffron flowers using the Trio Flower punch.

To bring it all together, I used a piece of Celery ribbon and a clip from the Antique Brass Hodgepodge Hardware kit.

The final touch, a 1" x 6" strip of designer paper from the 'Cutie Pie' series.

Hope you like it!

Potpourri ...

2007-08-21T22:29:00.000-07:00

So getting ready for stamp class this week I wanted to see what I could create using designer paper, chipboard & punches ... a little of everything! The fun thing about this card is you can mix n' match papers, punches, embellishments -- pretty much anything goes!

For this version of my potpourri card, I used Old Olive cardstock (5 1/4 x 5 1/4) and textured Soft Sky cardstock (5 x 5) ... I softened the edges of both using the a 3/16" corner rounder punch.

Flower #1: I started with a piece of chipboard from SU On Board Blossoms & Basics covered in a piece of prints designer paper in Rose Red.

A Tip: When covering a flower in chipboard - trace your chipboard onto the designer paper and make a small mark on the chipboard and paper so that you know where to line things up after you cut out the flower. Glue stick works great for adhering the paper to the chipboard and a sanding block will take off the rough edges and give a bit of a 'shabby chic' look.

Next, I stamped and punched different shapes to create the 2nd and 3rd flowers ...

Flower #2: I stamped a 5-petal flower from SU's 'In the Spotlight' set in Pumpkin Pie on shimmery white cardstock. The new 5-Petal Flower punch pops it out perfectly. I punched a second 5-petal flower out of Certainly Celery.

Flower #3: The final flower uses another image from 'In the Spotlight' stamped in Groovy Guava on Groovy Guava cardstock and punched out with the new Snow Blossom punch. I punched a second piece in Lovely Lilac for layering.

Flower Centers: For the flower centers - embellishments - a couple buttons (clear button backed with a piece of So Saffron designer paper punched out with a 1" circle punch), a rhinestone brad and a bit of dazzling diamonds glitter on a glue dot.

Last touch ... paper piercing the stems and stamping a greeting from SU's 'Dias Felices' set in Soft Sky.

Celebrate!

Play Time ...

2007-08-19T22:39:00.000-07:00

Ah, after a week of no real stamping time, today was full day in the stamp garage. After playing a bit, I came up with this for Sketch This Card challenge #22 ...

For this card, I wanted to play with some things I haven't used in awhile. I aged the YoYo Yellow cardstock with Tim Holtz Distress Ink in Old Paper. To break down the fibers in the Taken with Teal cardstock, I rubbed the strip of cs back-n-forth over the edge of my work counter then lightly tugged back and forth, working my way down the cardstock until the fibers were loose. All cardstock is distressed on the edges using the SU Cutter Kit.

I stamped the rocket ship (JudiKins) in stamped-off Taken with Teal and then overstamped the saying (Stampers Anonymous) in Basic Gray.

Wish I could remember where I picked up the 'astro boy' paper ... luv the stuff ...

Stamp Garage Storage ...

2007-08-18T22:12:00.000-07:00

No stamping today. Instead, we spent the day installing 4 new Craftsman tool chests to increase the storage in my Stamp Garage. Yeah!

The Stamp Garage Before ... saw horses worked great to hold up my door-turned-countertop on one side but didn't offer much in the way of efficient storage.

The Stamp Garage During ... had to move everything over to the 'class room' side of the garage in order to move the counters and put in the new Craftsman rollaways (tho' I'm not using the wheels).

The Stamp Garage After ... Clean! I'm still figuring out how best to use all the drawers but at least for now, I have a big open space for stamping.

Tomorrow will definitely be a stamping day!

Fab ...

2007-08-15T22:25:00.000-07:00

Ever have one of those days where you go to stamp and nothing comes together? I had one of those nights last night ... I think my brain couldn't handle all the options & choices.

So, tonight, back to the stamp garage. I simplified my color pallette and here's what I came up with ...

I used the SU 'Fabulous Flowers' set for this 5 1/4 x 5 1/4 card. The large flower is stamped in Basic Gray and, for a little extra flair, 'Dare to be Fabulous' is stamped in Pink Passion.

The designer paper is from the Charbon set. To help the greeting pop a bit from the paper, I colored in parts with a white gel pen.

I added some dimension by lifting up the flowers (dimensionals) and creating the flower center piece using the 'squiggle' from Fabulous Flowers stamped in Pink Passion and punched out using the Trio Flower punch (I don't cut images if I don't have to).

Last touch, a bit of dazzling diamonds glitter on the flower center.

Maybe I was flashing back a bit to the 'Sgt. Pepper at 40' concert I saw with friends at the Hollywood Bowl last weekend ...

True Friend ...

2007-08-09T23:57:00.000-07:00

Off to LA in the morning to see friends (so no posting this weekend). In prep, stamped a lil' thank you note since we'll be staying at their house ...

I used the new 'True Friend' set and Apple Cider paper for this 3x3 card. All stamping in Elegant Eggplant ink. The snow blossom punch was a quick & easy way to pop the flower.

'Til next week ...

Monkey Business ...

2007-08-08T23:23:00.000-07:00

I've been wanting to do one of Beate's sketch challenges and tonight I did it! Here's my card for Weekend Sketch Challenge #13 ... I just dig this lil' monkey, he makes me smile ...

The lil' monkey is from SU's 'Zoofari.' I tried my hand at some watercoloring using Real Red and Mellow Moss inks. The greeting is from 'Warm Words' and is stamped in Real Red craft ink and then embossed with clear embossing powder.

I used paper from SU's Dashing designer paper collection and tied things off with a bit of twill tape.

I'll definitely be using this card layout again!

Quick Gift: Magnets ...

2007-08-07T23:40:00.000-07:00

*sigh* I've been busy at work which means getting home late and that translates to not being able to get in some good stamping time. So, for a quick fix, I decided to make these magnets ...

I used a 1" Circle punch to pop out the flowers from SU's Big Pieces stamped in Purely Pomegranate, Wild Wasabi and Blue Bayou (oops, colors are a bit off in the photo). The punch creates a circle drops right into a bottle cap.

To create the shine - and make sure the image stays put inside the bottle cap - I colored over the images with a Versamarker and sprinkled in Glassy Glaze embossing powder then pulled out the heat gun ... heat ... sprinkle ... heat ... sprinkle ... heat ... keep repeating until you have the glaze & thickness you're looking for.

To finish things off, I added a mini glue dot in the center of each flower and sprinkled with some Dazzling Diamonds glitter.

Voila! Quick Gift.

Embossed 'Brads' How-To ...

2007-08-05T23:52:00.000-07:00

Some of you have asked for more information about how to use the Crop-A-Dile to emboss your cardstock into mini 'brads' ... so here ya' go!

First, set your Crop-A-Dile to A-1 ...

A Setting on the left

1 Setting on the right

Next, place your cardstock so that the side you want to feature the 'brads' is facing the 1-setting (on the right).

Lightly squeeze to create your embossed 'brads.' Be careful not to squeeze too hard - if you do, you'll punch a hole through your cardstock.

Have fun with your Crop-A-Dile!

Update: Here are a couple tips for aligning your embossed 'brads' ...

To help with horizontal alignment, slide the cardstock all the way in to your Crop-A-Dile to make sure all 'brads' are embossed in an even row on your cardstock.

To help with spacing between 'brads,' line up the black edge of your Crop-A-Dile's setting block (the blocks labeled A or 1) with the edge of the previously embossed 'brad'

Convention Moments ...

2007-08-04T00:08:00.000-07:00

Crazy busy at the day job this week so now getting caught up on a few things ... on the list of things to do: Create a Convention Photo Gallery. I noticed that Marie posted a few pics so that reminded me - hey! - I could post a few pics here before the full gallery comes together.

These are some shots from the last night of convention, "Awards & Entertainment Night," and entertaining it was! The band, Ryan Shupe & the Rubber Band, was great.

Musicians Are Stampers, Too!

Teamwork ...

Shelli announces a single convention for next year's 20th anniversary ...

Stamp Friends: Cheryl, me, Marie & Theresa ...

Me & Marie ...

Marie snaps a pic of herself & Jaron (I dig the glowing light effect) ...

And, I had to get a pic with Jaron, too. He's a super fun presenter & fab singer to boot!

Should be able to post a link to the full gallery soon ...

Just For You ...

2007-08-02T22:30:00.000-07:00

Wahoo! Another stamp promo offer - this month it's 30 free 'Love Notes' with purchase of the new Punch Box Kit. I seem to be hooked on the 3x3 notes so had fun using the new punch to make this card ...

For this 3x3 card, I also used the word window punch and the new scallop punch. The scalloped piece of Summer Sun is trimed to align to the edge of card. I attached it with dimensionals and then layered the greeting with SNAIL adhesive on the left and a dimensional on the right.

The image on the Wild Wasabi cardstock is from a single background stamp 'Happiness' stamped with Versamark.

Oh ... I was also trying out my new camera lens for this picture ...

Summer Spider ...

2007-07-30T20:37:00.000-07:00

My new 'Batty for You' set arrived last week so of course I had to try it out. Plus, seemed like a good opportunity to test out the "Color on Dark Cardstock" marker technique. Here's a lil' Halloween card ...

This 3x3 card uses textured black cardstock and SU's new 'Creepy Crawly' designer paper. I also used a chipboard flower from the On Board Blossoms & Basics package.

To color the chipboard, I sponged Pumpkin Pie craft (aka pigment) ink on to the chipboard using a sponge dauber. A marker works great for getting into the tight little spaces between the petals so that no chipboard shows.

To color the spider from the 'Batty for You' set, I tried a variation on the 'dark cardstock' marker technique ... instead of simply stamping the image in white craft ink and heat setting to create a base for the color, I stamped the image in Versamark and embossed with white embossing powder. The embossed image has a shiny surface that doesn't take color very well - so I lightly sanded the image before coloring the spider with an Old Olive marker. This also helps age the spider a bit ...

Final touch was distressing the edge of the 1 3/8" punched image to add a lil' more texture before adhering to the chipboard with a dimensional.

Wrappin' Up: Day 4 ...

2007-07-29T00:31:00.000-07:00

Mmm, eggs benedict this morning - a good way to build some energy for the last day of SU! convention. The general session got started with a couple game show rounds testing SU! employees from the home office about their stamping knowledge. Of course, it was all aimed at driving up the $$$ that the participating demonstrators received for a stamping shopping spree (a la the "5th Grader" gameshow on TV now).

Afternoon was full of some more classes including a session on new ways to use products ya' might already have ... get your markers ready ...

20 Ways to Use Your Markers

I'll be posting samples of each of these techniques ... have you tried all of these techniques yet? Think about what else you can do with a marker ...

Coloring Book ... color your stamped outline images. Tip: use watercolor paper to avoid lines when coloring (the paper absorbs the color more quickly for a smooth look)

Coloring on Dark Cardstock ... stamp an image in Whisper White craft ink and heat set then color the image with markers for a striking look.

Color on B&W photos ... light colors work best for adding a bit of color to your pictures

Watercoloring ... create a palette for watercoloring

Shading ... pick up a slightly darker shade of ink thanks to a re-inker on the tip of your marker.

Omitting ... color just the part of the image you want to stamp.

Embossing ... stamp your image in Versamark, color with your markers & emboss with clear embossing powder.

Marker to Stamp/Shading ... similar to the earlier shading but this time using 3 marker colors.

Water Misting ... aka the faux-water color technique

Color Spritzer on Backgrounds ... add a spritz of color to your backgrounds

Color Spritzer on Stamps: The Sequel ... spritz on your inked rubber image for a bit more splash

Thumping ... Ink your stamp in a neutral color and then "thump" the marker on the stamp to create some color

Backgrounds with Kaleidescope Color ... markers, plastic sheets & water to create a background swirl

Dying Ribbon ... have white grosgrain ribbon & markers and create any color ribbon you choose!

Dying Pretties Flowers ... spritz a bit of water and start coloring.

Dying Pretties Pearls ... color the pearl & emboss to seal in the color.

Dying Your Hair ... really. If you have light hair, give yourself a festive color streak for Halloween or other special event.

Color in the Classy Brass Template ... with the template as your guide, create all sorts of cool images.

Color Splash on Wheels ... ink up your wheel and add an extra pop of color by removing ink (with a pastel applicator) and adding a new color from your markers.
Doodle & Journal ... of course! write & doodle with your marker.

Like I said, I need to start playing with these techniques ... any questions, just ask!

More Stamping on Day 3 ...

2007-07-27T17:08:00.001-07:00

Ok, that does it, I have to start playing more with the designer papers. This morning, Shelli demonstrated some amazing home decor projects using designer paper, custom mixes of embossing powder, chipboard ... garlands, hat boxes, ornaments, paper lanterns even! Of course I was excited to see Shelli working with the new Batty for You set and Creep Crawly designer paper (both of which arrived at my house just before I left for Denver - Thanks, Patty).

Later this morning, we saw some great projects for party favors, decorations, packaging and other treats - all with designer paper. Yes, I'll definitely be using more designer paper in my projects.

Adding Some Color ...

This afternoon, Marie & I attended a session focused on some new coloring techniques. The first project featured the new Pretties kit ... amazing what you can do with a plain white silk flower and the coloring medium of your choice (pastels, ink, watercolor crayons, painters ...)

The next project featured pearls & crystals also from the Pretties kit. And, it features the 'Define Your Life' set (I love definition sets)

Next up: Watercoloring. We used the new 'Fun & Fast Notes' stamp set.

1) Stamp image in Stazon ink.

2) Add a wash of water with a large, flat watercolor brush and flood in a tiny bit of color from the edges of the wet area (we used Soft Sky - a brush dipped into a bit of ink in the top of the lid)

3) Add more color ... again, we used a brush dipped into ink collected in the top of the stamp pad lid. Colors: Ruby Red, Groovy Guava, Wild Wasabi, Not Quite Navy. Be careful not to let your wet colors touch - they'll bleed together.

Here's another image from the same 'Fun & Fast Notes' set:

4) Last Step: Mount on a card with dimensionals for a bit more depth (this is a 3x3 card)

Oooh ... time to go out in the Summer storm (lightening, thunder & rain) to find some food ...

Embossed 'Brads' ...

2007-07-26T16:28:00.001-07:00

Thought it might be helpful to post a more detailed picture of the cardstock embossed with the Crop-A-Dile ... check out the small 'brad-like' circles in the Really Rust cardstock above the Chocolate Chip ribbon.

Definitely going to have to play with this technique some more ...

Stampfest Day 2 ...

2007-07-26T16:15:00.000-07:00

Today was the first full day of the SU Convention - kicking off at 8:30 this morning with opening remarks from Shelli at the General Session. Great projects were demo'd including some cool ways to use punches (mmm, punches). Plus, learned a lil' factoid - 55 of the sets in the new SU catalog work with the Word Window punch - 55!

After seeing today's demo's, I've added the "Pretties" Kit and several more stamp sets to my wish list ...

Off to an art museum & dinner with friends tonight ...

Let the stamp craziness begin ...

2007-07-25T23:53:00.001-07:00

Arrived in Denver today for the SU Convention ... first things first - the hotel - The Curtis is fantastic!

Tonight was a massive stampfest where close to a gazillion (the scientific number) stampers gathered to power through 7 make-n-take projects.

The make-n-take projects used the new 'Wanted' set and 'Happiness' background stamp. I think my favorite new technique is using the Crop-A-Dile to emboss ther paper to simulate brads(technique used on the first card)

Good stuff - tho' after 7 projects we were ready to hunt down food & drink!

Bowie Says ...

2007-07-25T00:33:00.000-07:00

I made this card a while ago and rediscovered it while cleaning the studio. It's been a crazy-busy week and the message seemed fitting ...

I sponged Stazon ink in red and yellow on high-clay-content white cardstock to create the background. I the 'stitched' frame is by Stampers Anonymous ... will update this post when I remember where the other stamps are from.

Time to go finish packing ...

Take A Memo ...

2007-07-22T15:41:00.000-07:00

Whew! I did it. Managed to create cards each week of the 3-week Sketch This Card challenge. Here's my sketch for week #3 ...

For this card, I used the new SU Basic Gray and textured Purely Pomegranate cardstock (plus black, of course).

The images are from several SU stamp sets: Office Accoutrement(memo), Wonderful Words (celebrate), It's Your Birthday (Happy Birthday) and Polka Dots & Petals (dots). I made good use of my Stamp-a-ma-jig (stamp positioner) on this one!

Accents are On Board Chipboard covered in Petals & Paisley's designer paper. For a little extra pop, I colored over the paper with a Versamarker and embossed with clear embossing powder.

Oops ... running behind for evening events ... gotta run ...

7/23 Note: Looking at this again, not sure if the colors are working. Thoughts?

Rockin' Nomination!

2007-07-22T11:17:00.000-07:00

What a super cool surprise! Heather nominated me as a 'Rockin' Girl Blogger.' (Heather, love your blog title - I can relate) I guess I better do some stamping today to make sure I deserve the nomination :)

Now, it's my turn - I get to nominate 5 more bloggers. It's difficult with so many good blogs and so many already Rockin' Girls ... but here goes ...

Drum roll please ...

The nominees are ...

Sandy - The Paper Gypsy

Patty - Patty's Stamping Spot

Jen - Pixels N' Paper

Marie - Stamp Lounge

Michelle - Stamping Therapy

Thanks Again, Heather! Wahoo ... time to go rock n' stamp ...

Quick Creation ...

2007-07-19T22:11:00.000-07:00

Evening #1 of the new catalog open house complete! We made In Color color charts and a make-n-take card ... then it was "free for all" stamping time. One of my friends brought her niece, an aspiring young stamper. I do believe a good time was had by all.

After everyone left, felt the need to stamp a lil' something before catching some ZZZs ...

This 3x3 card uses the new textured Purely Pomegranate cardstock plus a little touch of Summer Sun.

I stamped the 'create' definition from SU's 'Define Your Life' set with Versamark and embossed with black embossing powder. The pattern on the Purely Pomegranate is created from a bunch of Cs stamped in gold (Letterpress and Rough Edges alphabets).

A nice reminder to keep creating ...

Make-n-Take ...

2007-07-16T22:58:00.000-07:00

Getting ready for some stamping time at the Stamp Garage ... still need to buy snacks and get everything ready for making "In Color" charts ... but I have a make-n-take card ready!

I used the new Baroque Motifs set from Stampin' Up! plus some of the new In Colors: Purely Pomegranate and Groovy Guava. The accent frame is in Taken with Teal. The saying is punched with a large oval punch. For the final touch, little accents in the center of the flowers with the Signo White Gel Pen (the best white gel pen ever - only one I've found that doesn't skip or thin out - it holds up great on dark cardstock).

This is a quick card to create (which is nice when you've worked all day and only have a little bit of stamping time before bed)

I'm loving the vine image from this set ...

Pick A Petal ...

2007-07-14T19:28:00.000-07:00

After spending quite a bit of time cleaning a space to stamp (seems there'd been a small explosion of paper & supplies in the Stamp Garage that left every flat space covered), I started creating for week #2 of the 3-week running Sketch This Card contest.

It was tough to get a decent photograph of this card ... but here 'tis:

The card is 5 1/2 x 5 1/2 inches. I used Pink Passion, Only Orange and Basic Black cardstock. The background petals are from the 'Pick A Petal' set by Stampin' Up! stamped in White craft ink.

The chipboard flower is from On Board Blossoms & Basics and I used the SU's new 5-petal flower to help create the center. I colored the chipboard flower and center pieces using craft ink direct-to-paper (DTP) and then embossed with clear embossing poweder. On the chipboard flower I used Only Orange (center) and Pink Passion (petal edges) ... it's a bit difficult to see in the photo.

I stamped a small greeting - Wonderful - from SU's 'Warm Words' set in Black craft ink & embossed with clear powder. The edges of all card panels are rounded with SU's new 3/16 corer rounder punch.

Finally, topped it all off with 'Fire' rhinestone brad in the center of the flower. (Did I mention how easily the Crop-A-Dile punches through chipboard? It's great!)

A Touch of the '60s ...

2007-07-13T23:29:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since I've made a card with a retro flair - so when I found the Daring Cardmaker's Swinging Sixties challenge, I had to give it a shot!

This card uses the 'On the Spot' background stamp, 'Seeing Spots,' 'Snow Flurries' and 'Much Appreciated' all by Stampin' Up! The woman is by Paper Candy - I've had this stamp for years - love the silhouette. Colors are Pumpkin Pie, Regal Rose, Certainly Celery and Pink Passion ... and a little touch of Dazzling Diamonds glitter for fun.

Guess what showed up today ...

2007-07-12T22:23:00.000-07:00

Goodies from the Fall/Winter catalog! Now I have some new toys to play with this weekend ...

And true to what I'd heard, the Crop-A-Dile punches through chipboard with ease!