Kick Up Yer Heels Window Card

This is the second project from May Stamp Nights.  I've been seeing lots of these window cards.  They look best if your mat is the same color as your card base and you need lots of dimensionals.  Mine is a little pushed in at the bottom since it had been on display in a large clothes pin.  I'll have to fluff it back up!

Stamps:

• Bootiful Occassions
• Ciao, Baby! (retiring - Spring Catalog)

Colors:

• Daffodil Delight
• Not Quite Navy (retiring)
• Cajun Craze
• Marina Mist
• Early Espresso

Extras:

• 1 1/4" Square punch (retiring)
• Small Circle punch or Ticket corner punch (retired) to notch the corners
• Petite Curly Label punch (in the new catalog)
• Coordinating brad for boot strap
• skinny ribbon - Daffodil Delight, Early Espresso, or Marina Mist
• Parker's Patterns designer series paper (retiring - Spring Catalog)
• Dimensionals

Making the Windows:  The best way to get the windows straight is to make yourself a template first.  I traced punched out squares on a scrap the same size as my mat.  I did have to add smaller squares in the middle of each traced square since I could no longer see my trace lines when I started to punch the template.  You need lots of dimensionals to even out the raised mat:  6 dimensionals on the large side and some smaller ones (cut to fit) for the small side...the more, the better!

Happy Stampin'

Happy Father's Day Card

I designed this one for Stamp Nights in May with the option of using a Happy Birthday instead of Happy Father's Day.  I hand cut the little green flag and the circle.  One of our new Circle Collection Framelits might be the right size, but I don't have them yet!

Stamps:

• Just Thinking (retires 5/31)
• Teeny Tiny Wishes
• Netting (retires 5/31)

 Colors:

• Certainly Celery (retires 5/31)
• Early Espresso
• Marina Mist
• Whisper White

 Extras:

• Window Framelits Collection
• Subtles Brads (retires 5/31)
• Chevron embossing folder

I really love this color combination.  I'll have to figure out which green I can substitute for the Certainly Celery since this color is retiring.

Happy Stampin'

April Stamp'N'Share - My Quarterly Downline Get Together

April 26th was my quarterly Demo Stamp'N'Share.  I finally remembered to take a group photo.  Usually 10 or 12 of us are able to attend.  I gave out awards to celebrate all the accomplishments this last quarter, we played a game with prizes, we talked about what's new, and of course we stamped!  I announced a couple of challenges too with prizes of stamp sets and weekend retreats.

Here's the project we did.  It features the "new" Bermuda Bay and Crushed Curry ink with one of the stamp sets from the new catalog, Sketched Birthday.  This color blocking is done with the acrylic blocks.

This month (actually, only through May 30th) if you join my team, you get an extra $30 to spend with your starter kit.  So, it's a $99 kit, but you pick out $155 worth of product to customize your kit.  Let me know if you have questions about joining my team...it's a great group!

Happy Stampin'

Sunshine Z-Card - Bouncing Brayer Technique

I did a Z-Card in April for my Stamp Nights using the Bouncing Brayer Technique.  It also uses one of the single stamps available until the end of this month.  My mom used to sing this song to my sister and me when we were little, so I just had to get this stamp.

Stamps:

• Sunshine
• Papillon Potpourri

Colors:

• Island Indigo
• Basic Black
• Pool Party
• Daffodil Delight
• Summer Starfruit
• Pumpkin Pie
• Tangerine Tango
• Whisper White

Extras:

• Brad - Glimmer Basics
• Brayer
• Baby Wipe
• Paper Piercer
• Bitty Butterfly Punch
• Core'dinations cardstock
• Sanding Block
• Chevron embossing folder

Tips:
Standard card - score at 4 1/4" and turnover and score at 6 3/8".  Center three layers are: 3"x 3", 3 1/4"x 3 1/4", & 3 1/2"x 3 1/2".  Use dimensionals to attach to the folded over half of the card front.

The instructions for the Bouncing Brayer technique are in the photo above.  I like the look best when I leave some white spaces, but you can keep adding the stripes until it's colored in if you want.

I stamped the orange & yellow butterflies in the baby wipe already striped with colors.  Stamping this way is called the Baby Wipe Technique.

Happy Stampin'

Doily & Calypso Coral Flower Card

Another Stamp Night project from April similar to a design I did for my Card-Folio class in March.

Stamp Sets:

• Oh, Hello
• From My Heart

Colors:

• Crumb Cake
• Early Espresso
• Calypso Coral
• Very Vanilla

Extras:

• Glue Dots
• Stampin' Spritzer
• Flower Trim
• Very Vanilla Seam Binding ribbon
• XL Oval Punch
• Decorative Label Punch
• Tea For Two Designer Series Paper
• Dimensionals
• Stampin' Sponge (Crumb Cake ink)
• White Tea Lace Paper Doilies

Tips:
Dye your Flower Trim flower by using the Stampin' Spritzer with rubbing alcohol and a few drops of Calypso Coral re-inker.  Spritz to desired darkness and let dry.  The rubbing alcohol drys much faster than water.  When dry, lay your flower upside down right on your ink pad and tap the back a few times with your finger.  This adds darker edges on the tops of the petals for a realistic look.

Also, crinkle your doily for some character and use a few well placed glue dots to adhere it (the dots will not show as much as tape).

Happy Stampin'

Mother's Day Filter Flower Card

Here's a Mother's Day card I did for my clubs in April.  I love this background stamp.  I stamped it three times to get all the layers.

Here's the cheat sheet on the flower.  It's 4 scallop circles with cuts to create petals.

Stamp Sets:

• Amazing Family
• Ex Libris

Colors:

• Bashful Blue
• So Saffron
• Not Quite Navy
• Very Vanilla

Extras / Tools:

• 1 3/4" Scallop Circle punch
• 1 1/4" Scallop Circle punch
• 7/8" Scallop Circle punch
• Neutrals brad
• Sponge Dauber
• White Creped Filter Paper
• Stampin' Sponge
• Basic Jewels - Pearls
• Dimensionals

Tips:  To punch the filter paper, stack a sheet of filter paper with a sheet of plain printer paper and punch them together.  It needs the extra stability to punch properly.  I used the sponge dauber to draw a border of So Saffron on the edges of the top layer and to give some color to the flower.  After you put the brad through the flower and the cut out label, scrunch it with your fingers to give it life. 

Happy Stampin'