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

stamp club - January

I started up another round of Stamp Club on Friday night. 14 of us are going to be coming together once a month (Fourth Fridays) to stamp together! I'm really looking forward to it! There are two groups of six, myself, and one of my downline members. Our first meeting was last Friday and it was a blast!

I put together a couple of fun projects for the ladies...

Project #1 - "i love u" Shaker Card

We used the Shaker Frames that were introduced in the 2011 Holiday Mini Catalog. Although this catalog is now retired, the Shaker Frames are still available for purchase from the Mini Catalog CarryOver List. You get 6 of the nested circles below and as my gift to each of the ladies, I let them keep whatever we didn't use.

I kept the card fairly simple as I wanted the shaker frames to be our intended focus!


We made our own "confetti" using the leftover hearts after punching out with the Pinking Hearts Border punch, small hearts from the Owl punch (Pretty in Pink card stock and Red Glimmer Paper), and Silver Glass Glitter.


Stamp Set: Outlined Occasions (exclusive Sale-A-Bration set!! - spend $50 and get if for free!)
Paper: Window Sheets (to keep the confetti from falling out of the hole!), Pretty in Pink, Real Red, Subtles DSP Pack (Pretty in Pink polka dots), Red Glimmer Paper
Ink: Real Red
Accessories: 5/8" Real Red Grosgrain ribbon (retired), Silver Glass Glitter, Shaker Frames, Stampin' Dimensionals
Tools: 2-3/8" Scallop Circle punch, 1-3/4" Circle punch, 1-3/8" Circle punch, Pinking Hearts Border punch (to make tiny heart confetti), Owl punch (to make little heart confetti)

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Project #2 - Valentine's Pinwheel with a Licorice "Stick"

The second project I kept a little simple, but who doesn't love pinwheels?! You could use any kind of double-sided paper for these pinwheels. Each of my stamp club made them with the Real Red patterned paper from the Brights DSP pack. I also made some using retired paper from the 2010 Holiday Mini Catalog called Sending Love, but I didn't have enough to go around!

The quick and easy way to make pinwheels...

• Cut any size square (mine is 5x 5, but cut them 4x4 and you can get 6 pinwheels out of one pieces of 12x12 DSP) then score the paper diagonally twice.
• On each scored diagonal line, cut up to the center, stopping about 3/4-inch before the center.
  
• Bring a corner to the center and secure with some adhesive and then continue all the way around, skipping a corner each time. Make sure to overlap once you get to the center.
  
• For a secure hold (regular adhesive will not hold it together!), poke a brad through the center. I hid my brad with a heart in the center. The brad also pokes through the 1x8" Cellophane Bag that holds the piece of licorice. (FYI: The licorice stick is just slightly too long for the bag to have some room at the top for the brad, so using kitchen shears, I cut off the top of the licorice).

Stamp Set: None
Paper: Brights DSP Pack, Red Glimmer Paper
Ink: None
Accessories: silver brads, 1x8" Cellophane Bags (still available on the Holiday Mini Catalog CarryOver List!)
Tools: 3/4" Circle punch, Heart to Heart punch (to make small heart in the center)

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Last year my hostesses each month received a little handmade gift from me, but this year I have decided that I would put together a little card kit pack of coordinating paper, buttons, ribbon, and misc. punched out sentiments. Just thought I would change it up a little! This month's pack included some Sending Love DSP (retired), Pretty in Pink card stock and ribbon, Very Vanilla card stock and ribbon, buttons, and brads. I also punched out some shapes from With All My Heart stamp set, which coordinates with the DSP.

Already looking forward to next months' club!

feeling scrappy?

Raise your hand if you're known to keep every little last scrap of paper, especially quality paper like Stampin' Up! cardstock and Designer Series Paper? Both of my hands are raised for sure!! Yesterday I had an urge to do a little something with some of these scraps just for fun! I found a few cute ideas online at Stampin' Connection (a demonstrator only website) and went to work.

I just love the simplicity of the two cards below. With just a few scraps of paper you can make a clean and simple card, but yet still have that "wow" in there! The first card design (in purples and green) I CASED from a card created by Kristin Moore. I kept everything the same, except for I used a different sentiment and added a button instead of the filigree and rhinestone brad she used.

Stamp Set: retired birthday greeting

Paper: Old Olive, Whisper White, Cottage Wall DSP (retired)

Ink: Rich Razzleberry

Accessories: Rich Razzleberry button (adhered with mini glue dot)

Tools: 1 1/4" Square punch

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I loved this card so much that I had to make another one using the current Sunny Garden DSP. Did I mention how quick and simple these cards were to make?!

Stamp Set: retired birthday greeting

Paper: Poppy Parade, Whisper White, Sunny Garden DSP

Ink: Poppy Parade

Accessories: Daffodil Delight button (adhered with mini glue dot)

Tools: 1 1/4" Square punch

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I had so much fun using up some of my scraps that I decided to make another card from an idea I found on Stampin' Connection. This technique I have seen a lot lately with various kinds of Designer Series Paper. I used retired DSP called Cottage Wall.

First I started with my pile of scraps...


I used my 1 1/4" Square Punch to punch out 12 squares of various patterns...


On a 4 x 5 1/4" piece of white cardstock, I arranged my squares until I liked the pattern...


I adhered each of the squares onto the white cardstock...


Then I lined the paper up using my Top Note Die (one of my favorites!) and the Big Shot...


Here is what it looks like after being cut out...


And, here it is made into a card...


Stamp Set: Perfect Punches (clear mount)

Paper: Old Olive, Cottage Wall DSP (retired)

Ink: Rich Razzleberry

Accessories: Dimensionals, 1/4" Old Olive grosgrain ribbon

Tools: Top Note Die, Wide Oval punch

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My mom and I were doing a little stamping together, so while I was finishing up my card, she made herself one using the current DSP called Sunny Garden.


Stamp Set: Perfect Punches (clear mount)

Paper: Poppy Parade, Sunny Garden DSP

Ink: Poppy Parade

Accessories: Dimensionals, 1/8" Daffodil Delight taffeta ribbon

Tools: Top Note Die, Wide Oval punch

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Hope you all have a wonderful day and enjoy digging into your pile of scraps to come up with a fun card for someone special!