SCRAPBOOK SATURDAY - punched squares

Today's post is a scrapbook layout that has such happy colors that really "pop". Try it! Just punch some squares & arrange them in rows beside a photo or photos. Ink some chipboard letters with craft ink & let dry before adhering to your layout for your title. What do you think?



Linda

Fast Friday - No Stamping?!?!

Have you ever thought about making a card without stamping?



Ta-da! A really fast card that uses no ink and no rubber stamps! How'd I do it? Paper punches, cs, designer paper, ribbon & a dimensional - that's it!

Was that fast enough? ;)

Linda ;)

THINK ABOUT COLOR THURSDAY: So Saffron, Taken with Teal, Chocolate Chip

These colors look absolutely beautiful together! I sponged the edges & paper pierced all four "tiles" in the background of this card. For the main image, I colored all the flowers lightly with watercolor pencils & blended the strokes with a blender pen. Then, I double matted it & lightly sponged over the entire image.

'Till tomorrow,

Linda

POP-UP DOUBLE MESSAGE SLIDER CARD

I'll show you how to make this kind of card at a stamp camp this winter, except I will do much of the prep work for you! It's not difficult, despite the lengthy instructions(it's easier when I show you in person). Here's how I made this one, plus photos of the open card & a side view......

Supplies:
Cs: Elegant Eggplant 4 ¼” x 5 ½”
Whisper White 4 ¼” x 5 ½”
Whisper White 3” x 4 ¾” (pull-out tag piece)
Whisper White & Real Red scraps for main image
Inks: Black Stazon Inkpad, Classic Stampin’ Pad – Elegant Eggplant, Stampin’ Write Markers - Real Red, Elegant Eggplant & Creamy Caramel
Stamp sets: Goody-Goody Gumdrops (Current Hostess Set in our new catty!), A Happy Heart, Polka Dots & Paisley
Punches: large tag
Other: Ribbon, Cutting & Scoring Blades, Sticky Strip Adhesive, stapler, glitter glue

Here’s how:
1. STAMP: I stamped polka dots - any repeat image is fine. For main image, stamp image (mine is a sundae from Goody Gumdrops) onto scrap white cs, color & embellish, then layer it. Set aside.
2. CUTTING & SCORING BLADES: Now you’re going to make 2 cuts down the long sides of the large eggplant cs…..Line up cs at the 3 ½” mark on your paper trimmer & slide the cutting blade from ¾” to 4 ¾” (just the space between 3/4" & 4 3/4" will be slit). Repeat down the other side of the card & then connect the cuts across the bottom (line cs up at 4 ¾” & cut from ¾” to 3 ½”). Insert scoring blade into your paper trimmer & score between the cut lines only - 1 ¼” from the bottom edge of the card, at 3”, & at 4 3/4".
3. FOLD: Fold middle score like a mountain, then fold the other score lines in the opposite direction.
4. PUNCH: Align both 4 ¼” x 5 ½” cs pieces together & punch just part of the tag punch through both layers - on card's top edge in the center. This is where you'll pull the message out of your card.
5. STICKY STRIP: Apply sticky strip to unstamped side of eggplant cs, between the 1 ¼” score line & the horizontal cut line. Peel liner. Line up bottom edge of 3 “ x 4 ¾” white cs with bottom edge of the sticky flap. Press together.
6. ASSEMBLE CARD: Turn eggplant card so stamped side is facing down. Apply adhesive along 2 side edges & across bottom edge. Line up largest eggplant & largest white cs pieces - the easiest way to do this is to stand them up on a table together so bottom edges & sides are aligned. Press together.
7. FINISH CARD: Adhere ribbon to slider. Pull slider tab up & stamp interior spaces. Attach small image piece to front of card - make sure adhesive is applied only to the bottom half of it & press onto card just below the middle score line.

Linda :)

TUESDAY TIPS - TAB PUNCH CIRCLE FRAME

HOW TO USE A TAB PUNCH TO MAKE A BIG CIRCLE FRAME

You can make a punched circle frame like this for your card! It’s easy to do when you use a tab punch. And, aren’t the little flower stamps cute? The stamp set is called Itty Bitty Buds & is in the new catalog – it’s filled with lots of itty bitty flowers – very cute & perfect sizes to use in conjunction with punches!

RECIPE:

Cs: Whisper White, Yo Yo Yellow
Punches: tab, ½” circle
Stamp sets: Itty Bitty Buds, For a Friend
Inks: Classic Stampin’ Pad – Lovely Lilac, Pretty in Pink, Stampin’ Write markers – Lovely Lilac, Yo Yo Yellow, Pixie Pink
Other: dimensionals, hodgepodge hardware or other metal hardware

The designer paper is cut into a perfect 3” square. Insert it into the tab punch as far as it will go & punch. Then turn the paper a quarter turn & line it up so when you punch the second time, you will have a perfect circle in the center of the designer paper.

Stamp your image on a piece of white cs slightly smaller than 3” x 3”, then layer it under the designer paper. The Yo Yo Yellow layer is a 3 ¼” square cs. Add some hardware & a bow & adhere the entire piece to the card.

Then, stamp your message below the square & color it in with markers.

Linda

WOW! Map it Monday AND Camp Sneak Peak

Here's a sneak preview of the cards we'll make at next week's February Stamp Camp on Thursday, February 5 (7pm). Aren't they awesome!!!!!

You will also make a Valentine's Day gift (no sneak peak - sorry) in plenty of time for mailing or gift giving for Valentine's Day. If you don't need 5 Valentine's Day cards, you can easily morph some of them into other occasion cards instead - I'll also have birthday, anniversary, thinking of you, and get well stamps available to use. Just email me at lahinks@gmail.com to register for this event in my home studio. Camp fee is $15.

Now for today's Map It Monday card.....there's so much pink & red going on in today's post, so I decided to just go with the flow.....


This little piggy.........cute, huh? Since the message says "Tickled Pink", I went with several shades of pink. The inside says "thank you". I pierced the flowers with my mat pack and a Classy Brass stencil, added Crystal Effects inside the pierced circles for shine & stuck a little button in the center of each flower. I love the little piggies peeking out from behind the flowers! "Tickled pink" is adhered with dimensionals.


Linda

SCRAPBOOK SATURDAY - Go Team

Supplies:
Cs: Real Red, Bashful Blue, Whisper White
Other: coordinating scrapbook paper, diecut, corner rounder punch, Crop-o-Dile, Jumbo Pewter Eyelets, mat pack piercing kit, dimensionals

I paper pierced around all 4 sides of the red 12 x 12 cs base - if you look closely, you can see the piercing here. I created the white scalloped mat with a corner rounder punch. The 3 jumbo eyelets were added with a Crop-o-Dile & a diecut was layered on Real Red & Whisper White cs with dimensionals. Done! Easy peasy!

Linda :)

Fast Friday - Striped Hugs & Kisses

cs: Kraft, ivory naturals, Riding Hood Red
dsp: Candy Lane
ink: Riding Hood Red Classic Stampin' Pad
stamp set: Love You Much
punches: scallop circle, 1 1/2" circle, Crop-o-Dile or other tiny circle punch

The only thing not fast about this card (remember, it's Fast Friday!) are the little holes you punch across the top & bottom of the light-colored cs. That takes an extra minute or two. If you line up a ruler across the card, you can draw dots onto each scallop that are exactly in the same spot on each scallop. Then, just punch, punch, punch on top of each dot.

The Valentine's Day Bundle special (there's a link on my blog to it) includes both the Love You Much stamp set and Candy Lane paper that I used on this card!

Linda :)

THINK ABOUT COLOR THURSDAY - Kiwi Kiss, Baja Breeze, Riding Hood Red

Here's another card we made at last week's stamp camp. This card was very easy & incorporated colors in that gorgeous Ski Slope dsp: Kiwi Kiss, Baja Breeze & Riding Hood Red.

RECIPE:

cs: Whisper White, Riding Hood Red, Baja Breeze, Kiwi Kiss

paper: Ski Slope dsp

inks: Stazon White Inkpad, Classic Stampin' Pad - Riding Hood Red

stamps: Frames with a Flourish, Goody Goody Gumdrops

other: scallop square punch, striped ribbon - Blue Bayou

DETAILS:

One gumdrop was stamped with Stazon white. Isn't this stamp set cute? Goody Goody Gumdrops is a Hostess Set in the new catty! Just ask at a stamp camp if you want to look at a new catalog, or you can buy one from me for $10. It is filled with so many ideas to try & is a library in & of itself! The frame on this card was just cut out freehand & adhered with dimensionals. The inside of the card says "You're so sweet". Get it? Gumdrops?

Until tomorrow,

Linda :)

Whatever Wednesday - Flap card with word window closure

RECIPE:
· 4 1/4" x 11" cs
· 3 1/4" x 4" dsp
· 2” x 3 ½” coordinating dsp
· extra coordinating dsp & cs
· Paper trimmer & scoring tool
· Stamps, ink, cs, embellishments
· Punches – scallop circle, various sizes circle punches

Score 4 ¼” x 11” cs at 4¼” and 8½”. Fold on scores.

Trim about ¼” off edge of bottom flap. Punch with the slit punch along edge of bottom flap as shown – it’ll become a “thumb tab” to make it easier to open the card. Adhere 3 ¼” x 4” dsp to bottom flap. Adhere 2” x 3 ½” dsp to top flap.

Close card tightly & draw a light pencil mark across the middle of card where edge of top flap ends.

Cut a slit across that pencil line approx. 1 ½” with paper trimmer. Erase pencil marks.

Punch a word window & scallop circle from cs (use cs that is the same color as your card). Adhere word window so it overlaps edge of top flap (see picture), then adhere the scallop circle over it. The word window sticks out past the edge of the card flap & will be the "latch" that closes the card.

Add decorative layers to scallop circle & embellish/decorate card as desired.
Tuck flap into slit to close card.

Linda

TUESDAY TIPS - Blingin' Butterflies

HERE'S ONE OF THE CARDS WE MADE AT THE LAST CARD CAMP.....

Today's tip: add bling to your cards with something glittery or shiny! A really quick & easy way to add bling is to dot with Stickles. Stickles are little bottles of glittery glue that you just squeeze out of a narrow-tipped bottle. Let it dry & you have an extra special glittery look! My photography skill doesn't show the stickles too well in this photo, but in the closeup below, you can see where I applied the stickles.

RECIPE:

Cs: Yoyo Yellow, Pretty in Pink, Whisper White
Other paper: misc. designer patterned paper
Inks: Classic Stampin’ Pad – Rose Red, Stampin’ Write markers – Regal Rose, Yoyo Yellow, Pumpkin Pie, Green Galore
Stamp Sets: A Little Bit of Happiness, Vases in Vogue
Punches: small & large tag
Other: 5/8” Striped Grosgrain Ribbon – Pink Pirouette, Stampin' Up Styled Silver Wide Clip, Crop-o-Dile, dimensionals, Stickles – Silver, Scoring Blade

Butterflies - Stamp butterflies in Rose Red on Whisper White cs, then color with markers.

Assemble tag - Use the direct-to-rubber stamping technique with markers on both the “take care” and flower stamp. Punch a hole in the tag & add ribbon.

Finishing card - Score two lines across the bottom of the card, adhere patterned paper, then attach both stamped pieces with dimensionals. Dot the butterflies & flower with Stickles - make sure you let it dry before handling card. You can even add some bling to the designer paper. The hardware I added is a clip from the Clips Assortment.

Linda

Polka Dot Pile of Cupcakes

Here's a card we made at Thursday's Stamp Camp & a map for it:

RECIPE:

cs: Whisper White, Certainly Celery, So Saffron

paper: Cutie Pie dsp, watercolor paper

inks: Black Stazon inkpad; Black Classic Stampin' Pad, Stampin' Up markers - So Saffron, Rose Red, Bashful Blue, Certainly Celery

stamp set: Crazy for Cupcakes

punches: designer label, wide oval, " circle, 3/4" circle, & 1other: Hodgepodge Hardware Designer Label Set, dimensionals, bashful blue grosgrain ribbon, aqua painter



Details:

For the Hodgepodge Hardware piece, I layered a So Saffron wide oval & a Certainly Celery design label under the hardware. The little cupcake in the corner was cut from the "pile of cupcakes" stamped image. I colored it first, along with the pile of cupcakes, by inlining with markers, then pulling color in with an Aqua Painter.


If you missed last week's stamp camp, you missed out on making six very pretty cards! :( Next card camp is on February 5 at 7 p.m. We'll make Valentine's Day cards that are absolutely beautiful! I will also have birthday, anniversary, thinking of you, & get well stamps available in case you want to stamp a different message besides Valentine's Day on some of them. The camp fee is $15. Email me at lahinks@gmail.com to register asap!



Linda :)

scrapbook saturday - chipboard frame

I began with this scrap map & it morphed into 2 pages that were inspired by this map. The background paper is Riding Hood Red textured 12 x 12 cs & the coordinating paper is from Bo Bunny Press.

Here are some closeups of the chipboard frame and the tag. The chipboard frame is a Stampin' Up chipboard piece that I covered in coordinating designer paper & sanded. The eyelets for both the chipboard frame's twill ribbon & the tag are the Stampin' Up pewter jumbo eyelets. I set them with the Crop-o-Dile. If you need any details, just let me know.

ONE LAST THING: If you want anything from the catty or retiring lists, contact me today. The new catalog officially begins on January 19.

Linda :)

Map It Monday - Mustard Swing Card

Today's post is an unusual map. I've turned it into a swing card. A swing card opens up by "swinging" out the interior page(s). A brad holds the lower corner together.

I've paired More Mustard and Wild Wasabi card stock for the pages and punched & added tabs with the tab punch. I used the retired dsp called Notations No. 2.

The front of the card says "B is for", and then subsequent pages say "big", "birthday", and "wishes". Repeat the same color brad for the swing card hardware and for embellishment. The flower is punched with the 5-petal punch and adhered with dimensionals.

Give it a try! You can do a simple 2-page swing card or a multi-page card.

Linda :)

FAST FRIDAY - Sad Face

I just love this card! If you don't have this retired stamp set, you'll need to be extra creative in substituting the stamps (or borrow mine). But this card turned out sooooo cute & it was a quick one, so I just HAD to post it.

RECIPE:
cs: Whisper White, Basic Black
stamp sets: Best Yet, Pick a Petal
dsp: East Coast Prep
inks: Classic Stampin' Pads - Basic Black, Tempting Turquoise, Pumpkin Pie
other: Striped Grosgrain Ribbon - Pumpkin Pie

The "just because I care" is from a hostess set that will be retiring in a day or two. And, every feature on this sad guy's face is from the Pick a Petal stamp set! How fun! The dsp is layered in black. That's it!

Linda

THINK ABOUT COLOR THURSDAY - Baby Pacific Hippo

Red, white & blue (Pacific Point Blue to be exact) can be more than just patriotic! My post for today combines these colors to make a new baby card.

RECIPE:
cs: Whisper White, Real Red, Pacific Point
Inks: Classic Stampin' Pad - Pacific Point, Watercolor Wonder Crayon - Real Red, Stampin' Write Markers - Bordering Blue & gray
Stamps: In the Stars, Pun Fun
Punches: 1 1/4" circle; designer label
Other: Watercolor paper, brads, Cuttlebug & embossing folder,Classy Brass Stampin' Up stencil, mat pack, dimensionals

hippo: I stamped the hippo in Black Stazon ink on watercolor paper & colored him with an Aqua Painter & Watercolor Wonder crayons (Real Red). I added Bordering Blue shadows with a marker to the blue areas & gray marker to the toenails. I layered the hippo on red cs & added brads in each corner.

embossing & circles: I embossed white cs in a Cuttlebug, layered it on Pacific Point cs, stamped the stars in Pacific Point ink on white cs, & punched & adhered the circles.

Classy Brass Template: Now comes the really neat part....I used the Stampin' Up Classy Brass "Punches Plus" template to pierce around the circles. These templates have paper piercing guides on them that coordinate with Stampin' Up's stamp designs & give cards such a professional look. Check them out on page 191 of the current catty! This is awesome!!

Finishing the card: I stamped the congratulations message on white cs & punched it with the designer label punch, tucked it under the hippo & adhered both with dimensionals.

Linda

WHATEVER WEDNESDAY - Shading with Watercolor Pencils

Remember that cute little puppy circle card I posted on 1/7/2009? Today I am posting details about how I colored that card with Stampin' Up markers AND watercolor pencils.

Here goes:

1. Stamp your image with a black Stazon inkpad. The puppy/boot stamp is from the "For Father" stamp set, by Stampin' Up.

2. Begin coloring the image with Stampin’ Up markers - I used Mellow Moss, Old Olive, Always Artichoke, Close to Cocoa, and a little Sage Shadow. I used colors light enough so I could later go back in & play with them. An Aqua Painter and Watercolor Wonder Crayons could also be used instead of the markers.

3. Time for playing with watercolor pencils! Draw & just sorta scribble specific areas that you want to appear darker. You can add shadows, intensity, and dimension. Notice that part of the puppy's ears are darkened - doesn't it look just like it does when natural light hits it? Also notice the boot seams & wrinkles - I scribbled in some shading there. You can add highlights with a lighter shade or a different color. A little bit of white peeking out here & there is not a bad thing – it can actually help to make it more realistic looking. Just play with it & have fun.

4. If you want to, use a blender pen or Aqua Painter to smooth out the color or blend. I recommend using watercolor paper if you use an Aqua Painter.

Have fun!

Linda ;)

TUESDAY TIPS - Sponging with a Template - Tangerine Sunset

RECIPE:
cs: Whisper White
Inks: Classic Stampin’ Pad – Chocolate Chip, So Saffron, Tangerine Tango, Really Rust, Riding Hood Red
Stamp set: Upsy Daisy
Other: sponge daubers, circle template, Stampin’ Up Grosgrain 5/8” Striped ribbon – Tangerine Tango

What an easy card this is, yet so strikingly beautiful!

How to make this card:
Position a large circle template over the card – make sure you hold the template firmly so it doesn't shift its position. Use a sponge dauber to apply ink into the circle of the template, beginning with the lightest shade in the center of the circle.

Add each color, ending with the Riding Hood Red around the edges. Shade & highlight areas with more color, adding soft touches of yellow in other areas and shading some edges of the circle more than others.

Next, the flowers & message get stamped with Chocolate Chip.

Finish the card with some ribbon.

Inspire. Create. Share........SO TRUE!!!!
Stampin' Up! just announced to its demonstrators that it now has a new tagline--three simple words that communicate clearly and succinctly what we do: Inspire. Create. Share. I, personally, am very happy that these 3 words will soon start to appear everywhere our logo does because those words are exactly what I try to do for you.....Inspire. Create. Share. I share with you on my blog what I create, based on what inspires me. I hope I inspire you to create too!

Linda

MAP IT MONDAY - LOVE that Urban Garden

Today's post is a very versatile card map. Any shape or small embellishment can replace the scallop circle/heart. I had the L-O-V-E brads in my bottomless embellishment box, yet could be replaced by whatever you dream up.....maybe a stamped message (Happy Birthday, for instance), pewter brads lined up in a row, or paper piercing.

Here's the supplies I used:

Cs: Baja Breeze, Kiwi Kiss, Whisper White
Dsp: Urban Garden
Punches: 1 3/8” & 1 ¼” circle, scallop circle, heart to heart

other: misc. alphabet brads from my bottomless embellishment box

Have a great day!

Linda ;)

SCRAPBOOK SATURDAY Roma Colosseum

Last weekend my daughter started a new scrapbook & so we designed this page together. She gave me permission to post it for Scrapbook Saturday!!!! That reminds me……if you haven’t scrapbooked with your child, consider giving it a try. It can be precious bonding time together & brings great memories flooding back as you reminisce.

For this layout, we selected 4 coordinating patterned designer papers & 2 matching solids (from my bottomless scrapbook paper stash again) & found some embellishments in my bottomless embellishment box.

Linda ;)