Stamp With LisaT

Little Birdie - Engagement Card

Today I'm sharing an engagement card that I made for a friend (hi Adriene!). The story behind this card is that Adriene came to visit/stamp one night. Earlier that day I had tossed a piece of Almost Amethyst patterned paper on my cyclone-hit craft table. It landed on a scrap of Night of Navy card stock, and a happy color combo was born! Adriene liked it, too, so naturally those are the colors I reached for when making her card.

 

I paper-pieced the birds from different patterned paper from the same pack (this pack is retired now, but Brocade Blue is similar in tone, and that's included in the Patterns Pack Designer Series Paper II - a Level 1 Hostess Gift - you can get this for FREE by hosting a workshop with sales of or placing an order for $150).

The oval stamp under the birds is from Amuse - I used Almost Amethyst ink, but stamped it off once before stamping under the birds for a lighter tone. Now the birds aren't 'floating' on my white paper. You can achieve the same effect with a wash of color using an Aquapainter and a little ink.

Recipe: (supplies Stampin' Up! unless noted; images copyright Stampin' Up! 1990-2009):
Paper: Almost Amethyst, Night of Navy, Whisper White
Ink: Basic Black, Almost Amethyst
Stamps: A Little Birdie Told Me, Large Oval (Amuse)
Accessories: Ticket Corner Punch, sliver brads, 1/16" hole punch

Doodle This Color Challenge

I'm back, I'm back! It's been a busy time here - I've been crafting, but haven't had time to photograph and post. Hopefully I can catch up a little. Yesterday I participated in Color Challenge CC203 at Splitcoaststampers. The challenge was to use Baja Breeze, Pacific Point and Garden Green. I was happy to use Garden Green - I think it's an often overlooked and neglected color in the Stampin' Up! arsenal.  This color appears in the new Flock Together Designer Series Paper, which should be arriving on my doorstep tomorrow!

Anyway, back to the challenge, here's the card I made:

 

Here's a close up of some of the detail:

It was fun to pull out this favorite set and play! I stamped the large flowers in Whisper White craft ink and embossed them with white embossing powder. I followed my own embossing advice and placed the paper on the back of a cookie tray when using the heat gun. Having metal under the paper really speeds up the embossing process and helps prevent scorching.

Lots of cutting and paper piercing on this card. I've found that cutting and stacking is my favorite treatment for these flowers - I just love them!

Happy Stamping!

Recipe: (all supplies Stampin' Up!, images copyright Stampin' Up! 1990-2009)
Paper: Baja Breeze, Pacific Point, Garden Green, Whisper White, Ski Slope DSP (retired)
Ink: Whisper White Craft, Pacific Point
Stamps: Doodle This, On Your Birthday
Accessories: Pacific Point Double Striped Ribbon, Star Designer Brads, Dimensionals, Mat Pack, Paper Piercing Tool

Gift Card Holder - Top Note Die Box

I started this Gift Card Holder, made from the Top Note Die a while ago, and just got around to finally putting it together. Funny, but I started it before the Retiring Stamps and Retiring Accessories lists were put out, and it uses both Fabulous Flower and Haiku Designer Series paper - both of which are favorites - and both of which are now retired.

I made a holiday version of these boxes (which are great for gift cards!) and posted it here. Instructions for these terrific boxes can be found here.

The flower on top is the large flower image from Fabulous Flowers. I stamped it in Tangerine Tango three times and cut it out, successively smaller. Punched a hole through the middle and stuck it all together with a green rhinestone brad.

Here's an inside shot, and that's it! Nice short post today!

Recipe: (all supplies Stampin' Up!; images copyright Stampin' Up! 1990-2009)
Paper: Old Olive, Very Vanilla, So Saffron, Haiku Designer Series Paper
Ink: Tangerine Tango, Old Olive
Stamps: Fabulous Flowers, Crazy for Cupcakes
Accessories: Big Shot, Top Note Bigz Die, sticky Strip, Old Olive 1/4" grosgrain ribbon, jumbo eyelets

New Catalog Inspiration

The new Stampin' Up! catalog is here and it's great! In addition to the great new products, I find that I'm really loving the samples and color combinations used throughout the catalog. If you'd like a copy, please let me know! My local customers can pick one up - if you're long distance and you'd like one, I'll send you a PayPal invoice for $4.80 to cover the shipping, and I'll get one off to you! Send me an email to get the ball rolling!

This card was inspired by a card in the new catalog. I used the same stamp set, Baroque Motifs, and color combination, but changed it a bit by adding a Top Note die cut from the Big Shot. I added a sentiment from Thank You Kindly - love how the swirly font compliments the Baroque swirls! I had a lot of fun making this card (and isn't that what it's all about?). I really loved this set, but it's been neglected as I've moved on to other 'new' things. In keeping with these feelings, when I placed my first order from the new catalog, I ordered almost all accessories and only two new stamp sets! I think there are enough new accessories and great color combos to keep me busy for a while! What new stamp sets did I get? Hmmm - you'll have to stay tuned!

Happy Stamping!

Valentine Gatefold Card - Another One!

I had so much fun making this gatefold card that I decided to try another. I was thrilled to learn that the first gatefold card was featured over at Card of the Week - my card's in the 'Valentine Ideas' Box! Susanna Boyd is really on the ball over there and can save you a ton of surfing time - thanks, Susanna!

For this card, I used a different image from the Love You Much set. I stamped the bird image twice - once on a piece of lighter patterned paper for the background and then again on a darker piece of patterned paper. I cut out the darker birds and paper pieced them. The patterned paper is from K & Company's Smitten, which was so popular last year at this time (yes, I've got a ton left, and I'm trying to use what I have!). Paper piecing is one of my favorite techniques, and last summer, I gave some tips on paper piecing in this post.

My goal with this card was to use some black, so I could enter it in the Whimsy Blackness Challenge over at Paper Craft Planet. I love to use thin layers of black - it can really make the other colors in your projects pop! I'm still debating whether or not I should have added 3 black brads in the lower left corner - hmmmm.

The smaller, layered hearts are popped up on two layers of dimensionals for a little extra height. The main image on the scalloped circle is adhered to the left hand panel and tucks in behind the hearts to keep the card closed.

Recipe: (supplies Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted; stamped images copyright Stampin' Up! 1990-2009)
Paper: Rose Red, Regal Rose, Basic Black, Smitten (K&Company)
Ink: Basic Black & Rose Red markers
Stamps: Love You Much
Accessories: Big Shot, Scallops #2 Bigz Die, Sizzix Hearts die, Styled Silver Ribbon Slide, Whisper White Tafetta ribbon, Coluzzle Circle Cutting template, dimensionals

Monogrammed Stationery Folio Gifts

I wanted to share some handmade gifts that I made this Christmas. I know that Christmas is over, but these are perfect for any occasion - birthday, Valentines, teacher appreciation, Get Well - you name it. They make great hostess gifts too! The best part is that they are so easy and inexpensive. Yet they're a wonderful gift because you made them yourself!

I posted a tutorial for a slightly different version of this folio before, as well as a way to calculate the dimensions for folios of different sizes. This one is modified slightly. Much as I loved these folios, they're limiting - you can't put too much in them, and there can't be a lot of dimension its contents. Enter my PSF Rhonda! Rhonda's another SU! demonstrator in Kansas City. We exchanged some messages about these folios, and she shared with me how she adds a 1/4" spine to her folios. I think Rhonda used a larger piece of paper, but I made these with a standard 8 1/2 x 11" piece of card stock. Funny how paper crafting is a series of slight alterations . . .

So for the folio, trim the paper so the long side is 10 1/4" inches. Score each short side at 5" - this creates the 1/4" spine in the middle. Score one long side at 2 1/2" - this becomes the bottom flap. On the bottom scored flap portion, cut away the spine (see the photo below). Rounding the corners gives a nice, finished look (another tip from Rhonda!).

And now the contents: monogrammed stationery! These are just single sheets of 5 1/2 x 4 1/4 pieces of card stock with Whisper White adhered to the front. They're embellished with a strip of Designer Paper and a monogram medallion. I love the Lovely Letters set for monograms! Recognize that retired SU paper? It's Petal Patch - and I've been hoarding it since I was a customer!

 

So you've seen the folios and the stationery - now here's the packaging:

 

The folio slips right down inside of a large cello bag. The topper is made from two layered Top Note die cuts. Here's a couple of tips for the topper:

• Carefully trim the top Top Note along the perforation. Use a sanding block to smooth any rough edges. Don't make yourself crazy - once you layer this on top of the other Top Note, slight roughness disappears against the perforation of the underlying Top Note.

• Use a scoring blade to crease each Top Note down the center. Use a bone folder to sharpen the crease.

• DO NOT adhere the upper layer Top Note yet (yes, this falls into the "Ask me how I know" category of tips!).

• Fold in the corners of the cello bag, fold the top over and slip the bottom Top Note into place. Staple through the Top Note to attach it to the cello bag.

• Adhere the upper Top Note - use a liquid glue such as Tombow Mono. Now the staples are hidden. That's it!

Recipe: (all supplies Stampin' Up!; images copyright Stampin' Up! 1990-2009)
Paper: Close to Cocoa, Bashful Blue, Blush Blossom, Certainly Celery, Whisper White, Petal Patch
Ink: Close to Cocoa
Stamps: Lovely Letters, Snow Swirled
Accesories: corner rounder punch, Scalloped Circle, 1 1/4 & 1 3/8" Circle Punches, large cellophane bags, Top Note Die, Certainly Celery 5/8" Grosgrain Ribbon

Love You Much Valentine's Treats

I used the Love You Much stamp set to make some Peppermint Patty Treat boxes for a Valentine Treat swap that I'm participating in. I can't wait to get the other treats back in the mail - I'm ready to be inspired by everyone else's creations!

These treat boxes may look familiar to you if you follow my blog - I made some similar ones for teacher gifts at Halloween. The template for the box came from Andrea Walford. These are quick and easy, and make a thoughtful little gift!

Here are all the of boxes I made for the swap - all ready to go! That's a lot of punching - my wrists were getting tired! Made an extra to keep for myself - I still need to plan a Valentine event, and I'll use this as a sample (or maybe we'll make them!).

 

Hurry and order your Stampin' Up! Valentine bundle now while it's on sale for 20% off. To place your order:

Orders may be placed online by following these simple steps:

• Visit my personal Stampin' Up! website
• Click the blue Shop Now button in the upper right corner
• Enter the item number 115405 - that's the number for the special bundle that includes the Love You Much stamp set, a package of Candy Lane Designer Series paper and the new Heart to Heart punch

OR

Contact me via email or phone (973.227.9395) to place your order directly through me!

Happy Stamping!

Recipe: (all supplies Stampin' Up!; images copyright Stampin' Up! 1990-2009):
Paper: Riding Hood Red, Pink Pirouette, Very Vanilla
Ink: Riding Hood Red
Stamps: Love You Much
Accessories: Scalloped Circle, 1 1/4" and 1 3/8" Circle Punches, glue dots, sticky strip, transparencies/acetate, Riding Hood Red satin ribbon

Love You Much Valentine - Gatefold Card

Here's a Gatefold card using the Love You Much stamp set. I haven't yet added one of my hoarded magnetic snaps, but I will before sending this off in the mail before the big day!

 

For the scalloped circle, I adhered the Designer paper (from the Level 3 Hostess set Holiday Happenings) to chipboard using my trusty SU Anwhere Glue Stick. Love this stuff! Then I ran it through my  and used the Scallop Circles #2 Bigz die. I love doing this and suddenly see myself much more chipboardBig Shot. I've always liked chipboard, but all that sanding is a little off-putting. LOVE, love, love my Big Shot!

The base of the card is Close to Cocoa and the pink DP is from the Candy Lane Designer Series Paper Pack - part of the Love You Much bundle that's available at a 20% discount until January 31.

The word Love is colored in using a blender pen and Pink Pirouette reinker. I've found that if you intend to cover the flower on this image with a punched or felt flower, it' best to wipe most of the ink away from the flower after inking up your image and before stamping it onto paper (using your finger works the best, but a blender pen does the trick, too!). Hiding the brown or black flower is then not such a big issue if you wipe most of the ink away first.

If you've never tried a Gatefold card, it's actually a very easy but impressive trifold card! There's a tutorial here at Splitcoaststampers - I modified it slightly for a standard sized card - I started with a 5 1/2 x 8 1/2 piece of card stock and the DP on the two panels measures 1 7/8 x 5 1/4 - otherwise, just follow the tutorial!

Recipe: (all supplies Stampin' Up!; images copyright Stampin' Up! 1990-2009)
Paper: Close to Cocoa, Pink Pirouette, Whisper White, Holiday Happenings DSP, Candy Lane DSP
Ink: Chocolate Chip, Pink Pirouette
Stamps: Love You Much
Accessories: Sizzix Big Shot Scallop Circles #2, chipboard, silver brad, Flower Fusion II felt flower, Coluzzle Cutting System

Scrapbook Challenge & Inspiration

Yesterday I sent out my FREE January e-Newsletter. I keep my newsletters chock-full of fun ideas to try, techniques and tips, and the latest news on Stampin' Up! promotions. In January's issue, I issued a scrapbooking challenge - but it's only open to my newsletter subscribers. Submissions will be featured here on my blog, and my readers will select the winner. If you're not already receiving my monthly newsletter, click here to sign up now, and I'll forward January's copy to you!

On a more creative note, I had some scrapbook layouts put together intending to offer classes, but they contain paper & other supplies that are about to retire. Not having time to offer the class, order supplies, etc. I decided to share the layouts here with you. I hope you'll find some inspiration and get some scrapping done! If you decide you've got to recreate on of these yourself, place your order quickly while you can still get the designer paper and On Board ornaments! Ordering information can be found below.

Click on any of the following images to see a larger view. Here's a Halloween layout, using the soon-to-retire Ghostly Greetings Designer Series paper:

 

And some close-ups of some of the more interesting elements on the page:

     

And here's a 2 page layout using the fabulous (also soon-to-retire) Holiday Treasures Designer Series Paper. I also used the On Board Ornaments & Trinkets from the Holiday Mini catalog. These can only be ordered until the catalog retires - through January 18! They're great for scrapbook embellishments, cards, gift packaging & tree ornaments.

Left Page:

 

Right Page:

 

Confession time: until my order arrives, I only have one sheet of 12x12 Chocolate Chip paper, so I had to lay the elements on the paper, take a picture, and then switch to the 2nd page elements. That's why I don't have a picture of the 'spread'! The next picture makes me happy that I didn't yet adhere all of my elements: I decided that I'm going to sponge a little Old Olive ink around the edges to create some depth to this 'title' embellishment:

  

If you'd like to order the Designer Series paper above (Ghostly Greetings item # 112463; Holiday Treasures #112469) or the On Board Ornaments & Trinkets (#113680), ordering info follows directly - but hurry! The paper is on the retiring accessory list (to retire on the 18th), but it may sell out sooner. The On-Board cannot be ordered after the 18th.

Know what I'm finding to be very cool about the SU paper lately? Even though Halloween is over, I've got plenty of uses for the Ghostly Greetings paper - there's lots of it that is not overtly Halloween. For example, there's a great gray & black pinstripe that will be perfect for masculine cards. The same goes for the Holiday Treasures - there's a lot of paper that's not strictly holiday-related - see the Ruby Red print and the polka dots on the pages above? These can be used on any projects!

(In the interest of brevity & getting my bored 2 year old out of the house, I'm skipping the ingredient list. Please feel free to contact me if you have questions about what I used, techniques or dimensions! All images copyright Stampin' Up! 1990-2009.)

Orders may be placed online by following these simple steps:

• Visit my personal Stampin' Up! website
• Click the blue Shop Now button in the upper right corner
• Enter the provided item numbers

OR

Contact me via email or phone (973.227.9395) to place your order directly through me!

Happy Scrapping!

Stampin' Up Inventory Blowout Sale

Stampin' Up! is having an Inventory Blowout Sale! For the next two weeks (from January 5-18), you can get certain current, retiring, or already-retired products at discounts of up to 50%. If you see anything you've had your eye on, now's the time to act! It's so easy to order - just contact me, or click the Online Ordering button near the top right corner of my blog!

Inventory Blowout Sale

Items retiring from the Fall-Winter 2008 Idea Book & Catalog:

Item	Page	Description	Regular Price	Discount Price
109190	180	On Board 9" x 9" clipboard	$7.95	$5.99
107925	181	On Board Bitty Book	$9.95	$6.99
105384	183	Mellow Moss 6" x 6" Linen Post album	$19.95	$14.99
105381	183	Real Red 6" x 6" Linen Post album	$19.95	$14.99
103977	187	Bold Bright buttons	$6.95	$4.99
104389	188	Double Circle punch	$5.95	$4.49
114447	n/a	Country Living Holiday Collection Stampin' Kit	$49.95	$24.98

*Items available while supplies last; page numbers refer to the Fall-Winter 2008 Idea Book & Catalog

Retired items from the Spring-Summer 2008 Idea Book & Catalog:

Item	Page	Description	Regular Price	Discount Price
109013	163	Blue Bayou Classic Stampin' Pad	$5.25	$3.99
109012	163	Groovy Guava Classic Stampin' Pad	$5.25	$3.99
109011	163	Purely Pomegranate Classic Stampin' Pad	$5.25	$3.99
109010	163	River Rock Classic Stampin' Pad	$5.25	$3.99
109009	163	Soft Sky Classic Stampin' Pad	$5.25	$3.99
109014	163	Wild Wasabi Classic Stampin' Pad	$5.25	$3.99
109179	178	On Board Ginormous Pieces	$14.95	$10.99
109189	190	Beachfront Ribbon Originals	$12.95	$7.99
109187	190	District Ribbon Originals	$12.95	$7.99
109188	190	Fairy Tale Ribbon Originals	$12.95	$8.49
109185	190	Jersey Ribbon Originals	$12.95	$8.99
109184	190	Sherbet Ribbon Originals	$12.95	$8.99
109186	190	Theater Ribbon Originals	$12.95	$8.49
109062	191	River Rock double-stitched ribbon	$8.95	$6.49
110716	191	Wild Wasabi striped grosgrain ribbon	$7.95	$5.49

*Items available while supplies last; page numbers refer to the Spring-Summer 2008 Idea Book & Catalog

Current products appearing in the upcoming Spring-Summer 2009 Idea Book & Catalog:

Item	Page	Description	Regular Price	Discount Price
111349	162	Tangerine Tango 8-1/2" x 11" card stock	$5.50	$4.49
111345	162	In Color (2008-2009) 12" x 12" textured card stock	$11.95	$8.99
109110	185	Fire Circle Rhinestone brads	$10.95	$7.99
109112	185	Fire Square Rhinestone brads	$10.95	$7.99
109113	185	Ice Square Rhinestone brads	$10.95	$7.99
111325	185	Styled Silver Hodgepodge Hardware	$29.95	$22.49
112454	185	Styled Vanilla Hodgepodge Hardware	$29.95	$22.49
113451	n/a	20th Anniversary Embosslits die	$11.95	$9.49

*Quantities at reduced price are limited; page numbers refer to the Fall-Winter 2008 Idea Book & Catalog