stamp club - February

Last Friday was my "once a month" stamp club. This is a group of 12 ladies (2 groups of 6, but we all meet on the same night) who come together to learn new techniques, try out tools, and learn more about stamping! Each of the ladies purchases $25 from the catalog each month for six months and one month during that time they get the benefits of being hostess. Not only do they at least get $25 in free product, but I also offer free shipping on their hostess month, as well as they each get a fun paper and embellishment pack as a thank you. Plus, during your hostess month you are welcome to bring a friend for free! All of the projects we do each month are free just for being a part of the stamp club! This is an exclusive event for stamp club members only and usually involves projects that are a little more in depth than my typical card making nights.

For this month's club, I had decided awhile ago that we were going to use the new scented embossing powders and one of my hostesses also wanted to learn more about what Crystal Effects was, so we worked with that as well. It varies each month on whether we do a project or a card, but this month I decided to set up the meeting like my typical card making nights, so there were three cards that the ladies could rotate from table to table to complete. I started off the evening with a short demonstration of how to emboss and assemble the cards. Since my focus was on the embossing technique I tried to keep the cards fairly simple.

Each card used an image from the Mouthwatering stamp set from the 2012 Occasions Mini Catalog. This stamp set is available both in clear mount (#125677 - $16.95) or wood mount (#125675 - $20.95). Don't you just love these images? Summer here we come!! Well, I guess we have to get through Spring first...

Card #1
A quick and simple card with a "Crystal Effects" cherry.

It might be hard to tell in the picture above, but we added Crystal Effects to the cherry to make it a little bit glossy and 3D. You can also see in this picture that I used the polka dots Texturz plates on the Melon Mambo background.

Colors: Whisper White, Chocolate Chip, Melon Mambo, Pretty in Pink

Card #2

What a great surprise to see that the card I had planned for last Friday's stamp club fit perfectly with Freshly Made Sketches #24.

If only you could smell the cherries through your computer screen!

I pulled out my new Simply Scored Tool and Labels Collection Framelits Dies to create this card. You can see how I used the scoring tool to make a "border" around the edges of the red background. It added just a little bit something extra. The cherries are, of course, embossed with the Cherry Scented Embossing Powder (yum!)

Quick Tip: To adhere the embossing powder only to the red part of the cherries, I colored the image with Real Red and Old Olive markers, stamped it onto the Whisper White card stock and then used my Versamarker to go over the cherries to get it "wet" enough for the powder to stick. I then generously poured the embossing powder over the cherries and used my Heat Tool to emboss. It will turn out clear and glossy with a hint of that cherry scent. So fun!

Colors: Whisper White, Real Red, Old Olive

Card #3
This card was probably my favorite one...I just loved the color combo!

With this card we used the Melon Scented Embossing Powder and followed the same technique as described above with the cherries. The "seeds" come from the Blossom Bouquet Triple Layer Punch. After I embossed the watermelon, I used Tombow Multi-Purpose Adhesive to adhere the individual seeds. I also wanted to take a "bite" out of one of the watermelon slices, so I used the 1-3/4" Scallop Circle punch and chomped off the corner.

Quick Tip: Don't want to cut out the watermelon slice by hand? Just use the 2-1/2" Circle punch to do it for you! Here is a short video by Mary Fish to show you just how easy it is.

Colors: Whisper White, Calypso Coral, Lucky Limeade
DSP: Sweet Shop Specialty Paper
Accessories: 2011 In Color Designer Brads