Tag: whisper white


Sep
2017

Stampin’ Up Holiday Catalog

categories: Christmas Inspiration, Holiday Catalog, Stampin' Up!

Hello, crafty peeps! I hope you are pouring over the newly released Stampin’ Up! holiday catalog, picking out all your favorite items. As a demonstrator I had this opportunity last month and, though it felt like a Herculean feat, I decided to order just a few things.

I know I’ll place another order soon for a few more of the things I LOVED — truly there is so much to love in the catalog. In the meantime, thought it might be fun to share my Top 10 favorite items with you as well as a couple of the things I’ve made using some of these new goodies.

Beanie’s Top Ten Holiday Catalog Favorites

  1. Spooky Night DSP (p 53)
  2. Spooky Cat Stamps (p 53)
  3. Cat Punch (p 53)
  4. Merry Little Christmas DSP (p 12)
  5. Merry Little Labels (p 12)
  6. Everyday Label Punch (p 12)
  7. Year of Cheer DSP (p 37)
  8. Year of Cheer Washi Tape (p 37)
  9. Mini Pizza Boxes (p 44)
  10. Mini Tinsel Trim (p 21) & Quilt Top Embossing Folder (p 5)

The first card I want to share is called “Spooky Kitty Surprise” and uses the new Cat Punch, Spooky Night DSP, and the Spooky Cat stamps. Recently Stampin’ Up! has begun coordinating some of their dies and punches with images from designer series papers. I love this. There are a few different punches and thinlet dies in the holiday catalog that have this ability, Spooky Night DSP being one. The cat image on the DSP is sized perfectly to punch out using the new cat punch. For my card I decided to punch out the cat from the words DSP paper.

  

The card is very straightforward, with one *small* exception … the surprise. Halloween is my favorite holiday and I’ve always loved adding little extras whenever possible. In perfect Halloween fashion, the surprise appears when the lights go out and you see kitty glows in the dark! To achieve this I used Wow! glow in the dark embossing powder and Versa Mark ink. First, I smeared VersaMark ink all over the punched cat and then poured on the embossing powder, which is transparent (allowing the paper to show through) but also applying a glow in the dark look. I’m not the best photographer, but this was what I was able to capture, it doesn’t even come close to doing justice to the effect and I’m sorry for that. Kitty gets a witches hat (fussy cut from the DSP) and a little tag (cut using the Coffee Cups framelits).

  

Next up, a couple of other items, one card and one treat bag, featuring the Spooky Night Suite – arguably my favorite of the new catalog. I made these at a recent demonstrator event here in the the Pacific NW. I am loving the new black rhinestones as well as the new Everyday Label Punch. The card shows the versatility of the moon and stars die from the Card Front Builder set.

  

Finally, I would like to share a Christmas card I created using the Quilted Christmas Suite. After designing and making 8 kits and 9 complete cards I can say with 100% certainty I have a love-hate relationship with this suite. I LOVE the images and the coordinating dies are awash with possibilities, one being paper piecing, which is the focus of my card. Hate might be too strong a word, but after making all these kits and cards for a shoebox swap, I know that getting the coolest cards using this set takes work. Fun work, to be sure, but not a quick card. I used the Quilted Christmas DSP for my quilt pieces and once it was all pieced together ran it through the Big Shot with the Quilt Top Textured Impressions embossing folder – it adds that perfect finishing touch to the quilt block, don’t you agree?

  

Thank you for sharing a bit of your time with me today. Until next time, remember, creativity and imperfection live together in all we do. “Grace is the face love wears when it meets imperfection.”

~xoxo

Supplies Used
Christmas Quilt Bundle (146026) & Quilted Christmas DSP (144617)
Quilt Top Textured Impressions Embossing Folder (144687)
Spooky Cat Bundle (146014) & Spooky Night DSP (144610)
Black Rhinestone Jewels (144639) & Vintage Crochet Trim (144611)
Dazzling Diamonds Gilmmer Paper (135315) & 3″ x 6″ Cellophane Bags (141704)
Dies: Coffee Cups (143745) & Layering Squares (141708)


Aug
2017

Innovation Station | Don’t Lose Your Marbles

categories: Innovation Station, Stampin' Up!

Hello my crafty peeps and welcome to another Innovation Station post, a monthly feature focusing innovative tips and tricks. Each month I share an innovation that I find myself going to again and again.

This month’s innovation is the rolling marbles technique. This technique reminds me of a Jackson Pollock splatter painting and it’s so simple and fun. Honestly, I’d sort of forgotten about this technique (I used to use it all the time) until a friend demoed it at an event recently. I came home after and began searching for my marbles (literally, not figuratively). Once I’d found them I began playing and couldn’t really seem to stop.

  

One of the things my friend, Jennifer Blomquist, demoed was using a container (a half wood mount stamp case from Stampin’ Up!) to create this background. I always did this technique in a box and it was messy and sometimes uneven. Needless to say, I thought the stamp case idea was brilliant. The half wood mount case will work for smaller pieces (max size in this case is 3 1/4″ x 4 3/4″), but often I want to do a larger piece so I decided to try using the full wood mount stamp case from Stampin’ Up!, and it was perfect for the larger pieces (max size in this case is 4 3/4″ x 7″). HINT: marble to reinker ratios … half size case between 5 & 7 marbles and 2 — 3 drops of reinker, in the full size case between 9 & 11 marbles and 4 — 6 drops of reinker.

For my first card I wanted to use the new host set, Tranquil Tulips. I love this set! It is both a layering set as well as a mixed media style set, meaning the images aren’t designed to stamp solid, they have a dreamy quality to them. I began with a Mint Macaron A2 card base and cut a matte panel out of Powder Pink (4″ x 5 1/4″) that I mounted to the card base.

  

Next, I cut the marble panel out of Whisper White (3 7/8″ x 5 1/8″) and marbled it using a full wide stamp case, 9 marbles, and about 6 drops of Mint Macaron reinker. I put the marbles in the case and then the reinker drops in the middle. I closed the case and moved the marbles around until they were covered in reinker and there weren’t any big drops of reinker remaining. Next, I opened the case and secured the Whisper White panel to the lid using some low tac painters tape. Close the case and flip it over so the panel is now on the bottom with the marbles on top. Begin moving the marbles around the case until you are satisfied with the coverage. HINT: You can add additional reinker if needed by flipping the case back over (so the panel is on top and the marbles on the bottom). Once that was done I ran the it through my BigShot with the border from the Card Front Builder dies.

  

I also the tulip panel is 3 3/4″ x 4 1/4″ and the Powder Pink matte is 3 7/8″ x 4 3/8″. I stamped the tulips, stems, and leaves using Powder Pink, Lemon Lime Twist, and Smokey Gray. HINT: I stamped the stems first, followed by the tulips and finally the leaves. You could also stamp the tulips first, but for optimal placement on the panel, I preferred stamping the stems first. Once dry, I covered the tulips in clear Wink of Stella for a bit of shimmer and shine. I custom dyed some seam binding ribbon using Mint Macaron and Powder Pink reinkers. As I began layering all the pieces together I felt something was missing and decided it needed a sentiment, but I was stuck on where and what. As I looked over some of my sentiment sets, I came across the new bundle, Tabs for Everything, and knew just what I needed! Using the coordinating punch, I punched a tab out of Lemon Lime Twist card stock. Next, I stamped “hello you” on a piece of Whisper White card stock and punched it out using a hole punch. I stamped the scalloped frame from the stamp set onto the tab and mounted the circle using a mini glue dot. I tucked this between the tulip panel and the Powder Pink matte. I think it pulls the card together nicely!

For my second card I wanted to use another marbled background I’d created using Pacific Point so I turned to the Birthday Delivery bundle since Pacific Point is one of the coordinating colors for this suite. I love giving special birthday cards to friends and I knew this would be the perfect card for a friend who loves foxes. I was very excited when I realized that in addition to matching the stamps, the dies cut elements from the coordinating DSP. I also like that there are stamps curved to fit inside the flag banner that the fox holds. There are a bunch of amazing embellishments in this suite, including pop-up honeycomb balloons. I knew the card needed one of these inside and that is how the poodle (I call her Lola) came to be hanging out inside!

  

I began with an Old Olive A2 card base and I stamped the present randomly in Old Olive in for a tone-on-tone effect. I die cut the fox and banner from the DSP and also cut the following strips: striped DSP (1 1/4″ x 4 1/4″), Pacific Point marbled card stock (1″ x 4 1/4″), and Pacific Point card stock (3/4″ x 4 1/4″) onto which I stamped the sentiment, “Let’s Celebrate Your Day,” and layered all three pieces together with snail. Using the dies, I cut Lola and two balloons from the DSP and stamped the balloon strings on the left inside panel, positioning them so they looked like she had them in her mouth. The honeycomb balloon has adhesive, making placement a breeze! HINT: For perfect honeycomb placement, place it last and follow these steps: expose one side of the adhesive and place it flush with your center score line then you can expose the left side and simply close the card for the proper placement every time! I finished it off with the “SURPRISE” sentiment and some thin strips of DSP.

Thanks for hanging out with me, and learning (or relearning) a fun innovation! Join me next month for another of my go to innovations, washi techniques. Until next time, remember, creativity and imperfection live together in all we do. “Grace is the face love wears when it meets imperfection.”

~xoxo

Supplies Used:
Full Wide Stamp Case (127551) & Half Wide Stamp Case (127552)
Reinker: Mint Macaron, Pacific Point, & Powder Pink
Card Stock: Mint Macaron, Powder Pink, Lemon Lime Twist, Old Olive, Pacific Point, & Whisper White
Birthday Memories DSP (144118), Balloon Honeycomb (144124), & Glass Marbles
Stamps & Dies: Tranquil Tulips (143767) & Card Front Builder (144674)
Bundles: Tabs for Everything (145364) & Birthday Delivery Bundle (145294)

  • Comments Off on Innovation Station | Don’t Lose Your Marbles

Jul
2017

Fun-n-Crafty | Christmas in July

categories: Fun-n-Crafty, Stampin' Up!

Hello my crafty peeps! I’m happy to be here again this month as part of the Fun & Crafty blog hop. This month’s theme is Christmas in July! I know, I know, it’s still summer, but for better or worse stamp companies release their holiday products in August and September.

On the positive side, you can get the jump on your holiday cards and handmade gifts! Beginning in August Stampin’ Up! is offering everyone a chance to pre-order one of the new suites, Carols of Christmas, in August before the holiday catalog goes live on September 1st.

 

I really like the stamps and dies in this product suite. The dies are innovative and the bold sentiments are the perfect focal images for all of your holiday creations. I think my favorite element is the card builder border, followed closely by the night sky die. Both are perfect for all sorts of cards, not just holiday and I think that is why I like them so much! In my sample I created a background using a paper piecing technique called herringbone. This can be done with washi tape and also, as shown here, with patterned paper like the Be Merry DSP. It’s a great way to use your DSP and show off all the wonderful and coordinating patterns.

   

This technique may look complicated, but it is actually very simple. There’s no “right” or “wrong” way to apply the paper that creates the pattern. You begin with a base layer (a piece of card stock that you adhere the strips to) and the strips of DSP. For this sample my whisper white base is 5″ x 3.75″ and I used .5″ strips. Normally, I cut two, 6″ x 2″ pieces of each pattern (this yields four, 6″ x .5″ strips) and I apply edge-to-edge adhesive (Using Stick It! or my Xyron). Once I have the adhesive on, I cut down the piece into four .5″ strips from each pattern in the pack. I leave the backing on one side of the strips so I can mock up the placement before I expose the adhesive and stick each strip down permanently.

   

Once I’m ready to begin, I place three strips running diagonally across the middle of the base (left photo above), alternating the patterns and trimming off the excess on each side. HINT: I like leaving a little white space between the strips, but you could also place them side by side. These strips serve as an “anchor” making it easy to place the remaining strips. After the three center strips are down, I add the next three above them (right photo above), oriented vertically (the opposite of the first three strips). Next, I add three more next to those vertical strips, this time oriented horizontally (left photo below). I keep working in this manner until the entire base is covered (right photo below). You may need to add a few small “triangles” here and there to fill in some edges, but otherwise you are done. I will repeat patterns a couple of different times, if needed, but place them in different parts of the base.

   

One of the things I love about Stampin’ Up! products is the color combinations. Each pack of DSP lists the coordinating colors on the back. This is super helpful when choosing card stock and other embellishments. The coordinating colors for the Be Merry DSP are Cherry Cobbler and Garden Green so my inks, card bases, mattes, and accents were those colors. I began with a side-folding A2 card and cut a 5.25″ x 4″ matte (if the card is Cherry Cobbler then the matte will be Garden Green, and vice versa). The herringbone background is adhered to the matte and then the matte to the card base.

The large sentiments in this set are the perfect focal point for your card. I cut 3.5″ x 3.5″ squares in Whisper White for the “Peace on Earth” sentiment and stamped it using either Cherry Cobbler or Garden Green ink. I also cut a 3.5″ x 3.5″ matte out of Cherry Cobbler and Garden Green card stock. Using the Layering Circles, I die cut the sentiment using the largest circle and then using the largest scallop, cut the mattes. I adhered the sentiment to the opposite color scalloped circle (Cherry Cobbler sentiment on a Garden Green scalloped circle and vice versa) and I adhered it to the herringbone background using pop dots.

  

Both Cherry Cobbler and Garden Green are darker colors, so I decided to finish my card with a Whisper White panel inside and I used the card builder border die to add a little extra touch to this panel (see above right). These stamps and dies are wonderful and I hope my card inspires you to purchase this bundle for yourself!

There is a ton of inspiration throughout this hop. Since you started here, I encourage you to grab a cup of coffee and visit the other talented team members listed below to leave them some blog love! Next up is the talented Kathy. Until next time, remember, creativity and imperfection live together in all we do. “Grace is the face love wears when it meets imperfection.”

~xoxo

  

  1. Christine – Artful Musings (you are here)
  2. Kathy – Stamp-a-blog
  3. Merit – MB Squared Designs
  4. Susan – Stampin’ by the SF Sea
  5. Jennifer – NW Stamper
  6. Stacey – A Work of Carte

Supplies Used:
Stamps & Dies: Carols of Christmas Bundle (146036) & Layering Circles (141705)
Card Stock: Whisper White (100730), Cherry Cobbler (119685), & Garden Green (102584)
Ink: Cherry Cobbler (126966) & Garden Green (126973)
Be Merry DSP (144111)